《Absolute Resonance》 Chapter 1: I Have Three Blank Palaces The Xia Kingdom. Tianshu Province. The June sun was blazing, scorching the city of Southwind with its heat. Many youthful faces could be seen within a bright, spacious training area of the Southwind Academy. The young boys and girls were all dressed in training gear and were seated in the lotus position. They were arranged in a circle, and their gazes were directed towards the center, where two figures were engaged in a rapid-fire duel. Clear ringing sounds could be heard echoing throughout the training area each time their wooden swords clashed. Both of the duelists were young, roughly fifteen or sixteen years of age. The youth to the right was quite slender and handsome, with a pair of lively eyes and an elegant demeanor. His spectacular leather clothes alone drew the rapt, bashful gazes of quite a few of the maidens present. Go, Li Luo! A particularly brave maiden let out a cheer of support. Li Luos opponent was another youth, but a much more muscular one. His face looked significantly more brutish, and his skin was swarthy and dark. The duel between him and Li Luo almost looked like a battle between a man and a black bear. When he heard the maiden cheer for Li Luo, he grimaced in a rather jealous manner, then roared out, Li Luo, Im not going to hold back any longer! He took a step forward, causing the floorboard to tremble, then chopped out with his wooden sword towards Li Luo. The sword seemed to screech as it sliced through the air. Li Luos gaze flickered as he saw the shadow of the sword reaching towards him. He suddenly leapt forwards, moving as agilely as a swallow as he sidestepped this fierce, ponderous strike. The Windsparrow Step! someone cried out with a hint of praise. The Windsparrow Step was just a basic resonance art which quite a few of the people present knew, but not many were able to execute it with Li Luos level of skill. Li Luo shot towards the muscular youth like a flying sparrow, then suddenly struck out in a move akin to drawing the sword. A ray of light seemed to flash with incredible speed as his sword pierced towards his opponents chest. The Lesser Nimblelight Sword! another called out in surprise. Li Luos strike had flashed forward like the curved horns of an antelope, an attack that was both fast and vicious. The onlookers couldnt help but sigh in praise. The most talented student of the Southwind Academy truly lives up to his reputation! The look on the muscular youths face changed when he saw Li Luo strike at him. However, he was no pushover himself. At this critical moment, he forcefully stabilized himself and then rapidly leapt several steps backwards. Right at this moment, a faint silvery glow exuded from his hand, seeming to take the form of a blurry silver bears palm as he grasped the wooden sword. Accompanying the glow was a faint, deep, bearlike growl that seemed to emanate from somewhere within the muscular youths body. One of the many watching students let out a surprised cry. Thats Zhao Kuos fifth-grade Silver Bear Resonance. It seems hes really taking this seriously! Accompanied by many amazed cries, Zhao Kuo took a step forwards, causing cracks to appear in the floorboards beneath him as he delivered a chopping blow towards Li Luo. His heavy wooden sword was filled with an aura of dominating power and accompanied by an ear-piercing gust of wind, and a rapid silver glow was quickly coalescing atop the sword as well. Brutal Chop! the muscular youth roared out, delivering a brilliant blow directly against the incoming piercing sword-shadow. Boom! The two swords slammed into each other with such tremendous force that Li Luos wooden sword started to crumble into pieces. In the end, the entire wooden sword was blown apart by the forceful, dominating, grizzly-like strike. Faced with this tremendous power, Li Luo was knocked dozens of steps backwards. After stabilizing himself, Li Luo lowered his head to glance at the remnants of his wooden sword, then let out a helpless chuckle. Fine, Zhao Kuo. You win. Aww. This regretful sound simultaneously came from the mouths of multiple maidens as they heard his pronouncement. However, many of the young men watching let out little sniggers of joy. As lusty young men in the prime of their health, they naturally felt quite a bit of jealousy towards Li Luo, due to the amount of affection the young maidens present bore him. What a pity! Li Luos attack was clearly deadlier. Hes considerably superior to Zhao Kuo when it comes to applying resonance arts. If it wasnt for the fact that he has yet to awaken a resonance, he definitely wouldve won this duel, an onlooker evaluated. Agreed. Zhao Kuo has a fifth-grade Silver Bear Resonance that grants him astonishing power. In addition, I suspect his resonant power has reached the fifth seal as well. He lives up to his reputation as the strongest member of the Second School. Li Luo is definitely incredibly talented in learning and using resonance arts, but he was born without a resonance of his own. This is an incurable weakness. No matter how skilled you are in applying and using a resonance art, your attacks wont be of much use if you dont have sufficiently powerful base of resonant power supporting it. Hah! No need for you to pity him. Think about who Li Luo is! Hes the young lord of House Luolan, one of the four great houses of the Xia Kingdom. His parents, in turn, were the youngest Dukes in the kingdom. In ten short years, their newly established House Luolan quickly ascended to become one of the four great houses. Not only are they famous in the Xia Kingdom, theyve even earned a reputation beyond our borders! Ugh, all that is ancient history. Three years ago, his parents went missing during the Nobles War, and ever since then House Luolan has grown much weaker. And, from what Ive heard, theres currently a lot of dissent within House Luolan itself. In the future, it might even break apart. I doubt hell be the young lord for much longer. Oh? Is that really true? The current leader of House Luolan is Jiang Qinge, right? One of our senior classmates. When this name came out, ardent looks appeared in the eyes of all the young men present. This was because the name Jiang Qinge had reached mythical status in the annals of the Southwind Academy. Still C when they remembered the special relationship she had with Li Luo, the ardent looks transformed into gazes aimed at Li Luo that were rather odd. As the young men and women present all whispered and gossiped with each other, Zhao Kuo walked towards Li Luo, then patted him on the shoulder. Smiling, he said, You alright? Dont blame me for seizing an unfair advantage. Li Luo chuckled. Zhao Kuo was the straightforward sort, and the two of them were usually on quite good terms. The man hadnt broken any rules either. The fact that he was born with a blank resonance was his greatest weakness; he couldnt blame Zhao Kuo for that. A middle-aged man had been watching the two of them from the sidelines for quite some time. Finally, he turned his gaze away. This mans name was Xu Shanyue, and he was the teacher of the Second School. Xu Shanyues eyes were also filled with a lot of regret. Li Luo truly was an incredibly talented figure, and he was able to learn any resonance art faster than an average person. In this, he had clearly taken after his two incredible parents, and in fact he actually surpassed them. Unfortunately, the fact that he was born with a blank resonance would prove quite problematic for him when it came to improving his resonant power. When humans trained, they had to rely upon their own resonance and use it as their foundations. They would use their resonances to draw upon the natural energy of the world, then convert it into the force known as power. There were countless different types of resonances, but most could be roughly divided into one of two camps; elemental resonances and beast resonances. Elemental resonances referred to the various elements that filled heaven and earth, such as water, fire, wind, or thunder. As for the beast resonances? According to the legends, during the earliest dawn of human civilization, there was an almighty figure that attempted to strengthen humanity by extracting the spirits of countless beasts, then infusing these spirits into the various human bloodlines, giving birth to what was now called beast resonances. In general, both elemental resonances and beast resonances could be roughly divided into nine different grades. Normally, when a human child reached his teens, a cavity known as the resonant palace would appear within that childs body. Once it manifested, it would naturally give birth to that childs resonance. Zhao Kuo, for example, had awakened a fifth-grade Silver Bear Resonance within his resonant palace. This obviously was one of the many beast resonances. This resonance specialized in granting tremendous strength, and when combined with his own formidable resonant power, it was capable of unleashing truly destructive levels of power. And this was where Li Luos problem lay. Even though his resonant palace had appeared, no resonance had manifested within the palace. It was completely empty. Cases like this were incredibly rare, and were generally referred to as having a blank resonance. Since he had no resonance to serve as a foundation for drawing and refining energy from the natural world, it was very difficult for him to gain a high level of resonant power. This was the fundamental reason why he had just been defeated by Zhao Kuo. He had no resonance within his palace! The Academy had already performed many different tests to understand why this was the case. His parents were both outstanding figures, after all, and the high-level members of the Academy had very high hopes for him. The had initially believed that in the future, he would definitely be able to gain entrance into the best high-level academy of the Xia Kingdom, the Astral Sage College. When Li Luo had first entered the Southwind Academy, he had lived up to their expectations, demonstrating an absolutely astonishing aptitude for training in resonance arts. He had been immediately granted entrance into its First School, where all the most talented students of the entire Tianshu Province were gathered. Alas, as time advanced and as all the students began to manifest their resonances, his current problem had reared its ugly head. By now, he was the only one with a resonant palace but nothing inside it. As a result, although he was always faster to learn new arts than the other students, his resonant power grew at a much slower rate. By now, his resonant power had actually fallen to be below the average for the First Academy. The whole point of learning resonance arts was to be able to apply your resonant power to greater effect, but if your resonant power was weak to begin with? Well, there was a limit to what even the most profound of resonant arts could achieve. After subjecting Li Luo to a battery of tests, the administrators had come to the conclusion that Li Luos body simply, innately, lacked any resonance at all. In the future, it would be incredibly difficult for him to advance in his cultivation. After they reached this conclusion, the resonance instructure of the First School immediately requested that Li Luo be removed from the First School and sent to the Second School. To be fair, this made sense. The First School was the place where all the most talented students were gathered, and the teacher simply didnt want Li Luo to hold the others back. But of course, the other, more important reason was that right at that time, both of Li Luos parents had vanished. With them gone, House Luolan had quickly become the weakest of the four great Houses. Their position was now quite awkward. And so, in the end, Li Luo had been sent to the Second School. Xu Shanyue sighed to himself. When Li Luo had first arrived at the Second School, Zhao Kuo wasnt even a match for him. Now, a mere semester later, Zhao Kuo was able to overwhelm him. If this continued, his ranking within the Second School would most likely continue to drop over the course of the next semester. Unless he was able to dramatically improve his performance, it was likely that he would stand no chance at all of being granted entry into the Astral Sage College. The more Xu Shanyue looked at Li Luos calm, handsome features and his suave demeanor, the more pity he felt. He knew that the youth was incredibly hard-working, but his parents were simply so spectacular that everyone had incredible expectations for him. As a result, their prestige had become a source of tremendous pressure. Everyone knew the saying that talented parents often had useless children, but few would delve deeper into the reasons behind this. Li Luo cast a glance at the many pitying gazes aimed at him, swept the splinters off his clothes, then sat down cross-legged. He knew exactly what all of them were thinking, of course. A blank resonance, eh? This pretty much guaranteed that his future prospects were dim. But Li Luo smirked slightly. He couldnt help but unconsciously reach down to touch his lower abdomen. He had a secret which no one else knew. In his resonant palace, there was more than just a so-called blank resonance. For cultivators of this world, at first their bodies would give birth to a single resonant palace; only later, when they reached the Duke stage, would they gain a second resonant palace. Finally, upon reaching the King stage, they would gain a third. However, the number of Dukes in the Xia Kingdom could be counted on one hand, while Kings were virtually unheard of despite how powerful the Xia Kingdom was. But of course, there were no absolutes. Supposedly, there were some especially blessed individuals who had a chance of gaining a second resonant palace even before they reached the Duke stage. This happened naturally as their resonant power advanced, but the chances were incredibly low. And this was what made Li Luo special. ?Although he was still at the earliest Ten Seals stage, he didnt have just one resonant palace in his body C he had three, which was completely unheard of! Normally, only supreme experts who had reached the King stage would have three resonant palaces, but somehow this had manifested within his body. But what was even more shocking was that all three palaces were blank! Having a blank resonance meant your future prospects were dim. ?But three blank resonances C did that mean you had a future, or not? Li Luo let out a sigh, a rather depressed look on his face. Just as Li Luo was feeling all these mixed emotions, Zhao Kuo came over and sat down next to him. Zhao Kuo whispered, You still havent resolved your resonance problem, eh? Li Luo silently shook his head. Upon seeing this, Zhao Kuo let out a helpless sigh as well. Actually, he knew that this was a dumb question. A person was born with a resonance; it was innate, and no one had ever heard of someone later filling in a blank palace with something else. Clearly, Li Luo was facing a serious problem. As the two chatted, Xu Shanyue walked into the dueling grounds. After giving Li Luo a few words of encouragement, he turned and said to the many students present, Everyone, important exams will be starting next month. Your chances at entering a college will be dependent on your performance in the exams. I urge you all to train hard. The students were all silent, and they all had solemn looks on their faces. All their years of hard work were focused towards the exams coming up next month. If they were able to get into a college, then their future prospects would improve dramatically. After this, Xu Shanyue announced that class was over. Li Luo and Zhao Kuo walked side-by-side as they left alongside the other students. Im going to spend some more time training my resonance arts. Honestly, you gave me a good scare today. I suspect that if your resonant power was just slightly higher, youd beat the pants off of me, Zhao Kuo said with a sigh after exiting the training grounds. He then waved goodbye towards Li Luo. Li Luo smiled as he watched Zhao Kuo depart. He knew the truth; Zhao Kuo was afraid that Li Luo was in poor spirits after this defeat, and so wanted to give him some alone time. What Zhao Kuo didnt understand was that by now, Li Luo had grown accustomed to it all. Li Luo withdrew his gaze, then turned and followed a tree-lined road that led outside the Academy. He ran into quite a few students as he walked, and all of them, both male and female, would glance at him as they passed. It wasnt just because of his good looks; rather, it was because he was now a rather notorious figure at the Academy. In the face of their gazes, Li Luo maintained a look of practiced indifference. He continued to follow the pathway until he reached the Academy gates, at which point he paused. In front of him was a large number of students who were all speaking in a lively manner. These students were all surrounding a very special bluestone wall C the Southwind Academys Wall of Honor. It contained the descriptions of all the mighty figures who had once graduated from the Southwind Academy. By now, all the students had seen the Wall of Honor countless times. Logically speaking, they shouldve grown weary of examining it long ago, but for some reason they were quite focused on it today. Li Luo pursed his lips. He knew what was going on. The vast majority of the students here were because of her. Li Luo turned his gaze to a very specific point on the Wall of Honor. There was a gleaming crystal at that point, emanating rays of light that slowly coalesced into a tall, willow, and almost lifelike figure. The figure was that of a girl. She was dressed in the school uniform of Southwind Academy C a light blue cape, a simple white tunic, and a short black dress. She had a pair of long, dainty legs that were perfectly white and pleasing to the eye. Her facial features were similar exquisite. She had an elegant, raised nose, long and thick lashes, and snow-white skin. All of these were quite mesmerizing to behold, but it was her eyes that truly engraved her in everyones mind. Her pupils were golden, and they emanated an ineffable feeling of purity. If you stared into them long enough, you would begin to feel a sense of pressure. Her gaze was rather cool, and she stared straight ahead, with one hand on her slender hips and the other resting on the hilt of a heavy sword. Any who saw her would instantly feel a sensation of heroic, fierce majesty emanating from her. She truly was a soul-stirring girl, in terms of both appearance and demeanor. The wall behind her projection held her name C Jiang Qinge. She was one of the dazzling star graduates of the Southwind Academy, born with a ninth-grade Light Resonance and enough talent to cause the countless people of the Xia Kingdom to sigh in amazement. After spending just two years in the Academy, she had been immediately recruited by the Astral Sage College even though she had yet to take her graduation exams. In the past hundred years, she was the only person in Tianshu Province to receive such an honor. By now, she was a legend of the Southwind Academy, and the many students who had enrolled after her practically worshipped the ground she walked on. In fact, she was now incredibly famous throughout the entirety of the Xia Kingdom. Li Luo stared at the projection of Jiang Qinge in a daze for a few moments, before noticing that quite a few gazes had turned towards him. Those gazes were filled with a look of resentment, envy, and puzzlement. Li Luo maintained his look of practiced indifference. He knew exactly why they were staring at him like that. It was because Jiang Qinge, venerated almost like a goddess by both the male and female students of the Southwind Academy, had two other statuses. She had been trained by his parents since she was young and she was his betrothed. Or, to put it another way, she was his fiance. Chapter 2: A Fiancee Who Doesnt Want An Annulment As far as Li Luo could recall, the first time he met Jiang Qinge was when he was three. His parents had just returned from a long journey, and on their return they had brought back the five-year-old Jiang Qinge. Later on, they had accepted her as their disciple. From a certain perspective, it could be said that the two of them truly were inseparable childhood friends, and his parents had truly doted on her as well. Unfortunately, ever since they were young the relationship between the two was rather complicated. Jiang Qinge was simply too outstanding, even as a child, and she was also two years older than Li Luo. Whenever they fought as children, the end result was invariably Jiang Qinge beating the snot out of him in a calm manner until he submitted. Honestly, it was a friggin nightmare. As for the reason why she became his fiance? Supposedly, when she was roughly ten or so years old, Li Luos father had commented in a drunken stupor that it would be wonderful if she one day became his daughter-in-law. The very next day, the ten-year-old Jiang Qinge had personally written up a marriage contract and handed it over to Li Luos speechless father. That night, Li Luos old man had almost been beaten senseless by Li Luos enraged mother. Worse C Li Luo had been watching and laughing at all of this, and as a result his mother had spanked the crap out of him as well. Li Luos mother had asked Jiang Qinge to annul the marriage contract. Unexpectedly, she put on a rare show of absolute stubbornness. Without saying a word, she simply knelt down before Li Luos mother and father and refused to rise. In the end, Li Luos mother and father had no choice but to accede to her request. However, after doing so, they secreted away the marriage contract and never raised the topic again, pretending as though it had never existed. As time had passed, nothing further was said on the matter. Everyone, even Li Luo himself, had long since forgotten about it. However, one day when Jiang Qinge was at the Southwind Academy, she told a particularly determined suitor that she and Li Luo had long ago betrothed to each other. This news had stunned the entire Academy; no, it had shocked the entire Tianshu Province! Thankfully, at that time Li Luo had yet to enter the Southwind Academy; otherwise, if he had, he wouldve instantly become an absolute pariah. Even now, after the passage of so many years, Li Luo was still somewhat affected by the aftershocks of that announcement. From this, he keenly understood just how charismatic a figure Jiang Qinge was. Pops, you really screwed me over, Li Luo silently mumbled to himself. Yo, Li Luo! Why do you pause here every day? Are you enjoying the envious gazes of the crowds? Just as Li Luo was sighing to himself, a girls voice suddenly rang out from behind him. Li Luo turned, only to see an attractive young maiden standing behind him. Her hair was waist-long, and although she wasnt quite up to par with Jiang Qinge, she was definitely a natural beauty. The skin-tight school uniform she wore accentuated her lovely curves quite nicely. At this moment, the young maiden was standing with arms folded across her chest, a rather mocking look on her face. Despite that, a calm look was on Li Luos face when he saw her. This was Difa Qing, one of his classmates. She was considered a beautiful golden flower of the Southwind Academy, and came from the Difa clan, one of the three great clans of the Tianshu Province. She didnt have anything against Li Luo. However, she was a diehard fan of Jiang Qinge C the extremely over-zealous, almost obsessive type of diehard fan. In her eyes, Jiang Qinge was as beautiful, flawless, and perfect as an Immortal fairy. There was no man in this world who was worthy of her C and of course, that included Li Luo as well. Even though Difa Qing agreed that Li Luo was an exceedingly handsome fellow, she also felt that looks were superficial. Someone worthy of Jiang Qinge had to be a dragon amongst men, both internally and externally. Li Luo, however, had only won a marriage contract with her thanks to his parents. In Difa Qings eyes, this was an absolute blemish on her goddess honor. And so, ever since Li Luo had joined the Southwind Academy, whenever Difa Qing saw him she would first commence with a barrage of mocking words. After that? A series of endless questions. Li Luo, when are you going to annul the marriage contract between yourself and elder sister Jiang? Right on cue. She had repeated this question countless times by now. Even Li Luo couldnt help but rub the bridge of his nose before responding irritably, None of your damn business. He then turned and left. A look of anger instantly appeared on Difa Qings face. She stubbornly followed behind him. Li Luo, do you really want to be the proverbial toad that lusts after a swan? Li Luo, however, simply continued to ignore her completely. This just further enraged her to the point where her veins started to pop out. She sped up her footsteps to chase him down, then continued, Li Luo, if you refuse to annul the wedding contract, the only one whos gonna be in trouble is you. The more talented elder sister Jiang is, the more trouble youll be in. Your parents have been missing for years now, and even House Luolan itself is at the verge of collapse. Your status as the young lord of the House isnt going to be able to shield you for much longer. You have no idea how many incredibly talented young men of Xia, all of whom have powerful backgrounds, are all smitten by her. Just because your parents treated her well, doesnt mean you can force her to repay you like this! Li Luo, if you refuse to annul the marriage contract with her, even here in the Academy there will be people who will cause you trouble! Finally, Li Luo came to a halt. Oh? And who might that be? Difa Qing let out a light snort. I imagine you know who Bei Kun of the Bei clan is, yes? Hes already made it known that he hopes you will not rely on your status to force yourself on elder sister Jiang. Hes also requested that you have a small meeting with him at the Clearwind in two days. Li Luo chuckled. Im familiar with him, yes. In the past, he always liked to fawn over me. When his parents were still around, House Luolans words held almost as much weight as that of the governor of Tianshu Province. Bei Kun had often paid visits to Li Luo and professed his undying friendship. Who wouldve thought that a few scant years later, House Luolans situation wouldve completely changed and this former friend of his would now come and cause him trouble? In the past, Bei Kuns favorite pastime was to put on banquets at the Clearwind hotel, and he often would issue warm invitations to Li Luo. Now, he was proposing a hostile rendezvous? The man was straightforward enough. Difa Qing said, Li Luo, theres no need for you to mock him. This is how the world is. When your clan is powerful, many will toady up to you. Now that House Luolan has weakened, why should others give you any face? Even in the past, the ones they were giving face to were your parents, not you. Li Luo nodded in agreement. I quite agree with what you said. During the course of the past two years, Li Luo had quickly come to learn just how fickle fortune and friendship could be. Thus, he said nothing else and instead sped up as he departed the Academy. However, Difa Qing followed after him. She was seemingly unwilling to just let this rest, and continued yammering nonstop. Every single thing she said was aimed at one thing C that Li Luo should be willing to give Jiang Qinge her freedom. By now, Li Luo knew that the best way to deal with this type of person was to completely ignore her, and so he didnt pay attention to a single word she said. Finally, after passing through a series of hallways, he exited the Academy. As he did so, he suddenly noticed that the ambient noise level seemed to have dropped dramatically. ?Even the mosquito-like buzzing of Difa Qing seemed to have come to a halt, as though she had a frog in her throat. Li Luo turned to glance at her, only to see that her face was bright red. A look of excitement was in her eyes as she stared at the stone stairway outside the Academy. Suspecting what was going on, Li Luo followed her gaze, only to see that a carriage was parked before the stairway. The carriage had an antique, noble design and was quite spacious. It had four pure red wheels, and was pulled by a muscular lionhorse. At the front of the carriage was a very familiar insignia C the House Luolan insignia. As for the reason why Difa Qings face was crimson, and all the nearby students had looks of excitement on their faces? It naturally wasnt just because of the House Luolan carriage itself C rather, it was the young woman standing in front of the carriage. The young woman had her hair in a casual ponytail, and her features were both exquisite while graceful. Her skin shone beneath the rays of the setting sun. She was dressed in a short blue cape, held a thin whip, and wore a short war-skirt. Beneath the war-skirt was a pair of mouth-watering slim white legs but most eye-catching of all was her pure, lustrous golden-pupiled eyes that shone like the sun. It was Jiang Qinge! A series of murmurs began to arise from outside the Academy. Countless students were staring at her slender figure. They never wouldve imagined that on this day, they would have the chance to see in person this legendary graduate of the Southwind Academy. Li Luo passed through the murmuring, excited crowd as he walked down the steps, then moved next to Jiang Qinge. Rather surprised, he said, Sister Qinge, when did you return to Southwind City? Although House Luolan had arisen in Southwind, after becoming one of the four great Houses of the Xia Kingdom, it had already shifted its headquarters to the capital of the Xia Kingdom, the city of Xia. After Jiang Qinge had been admitted into the Astral Sage College, the most supreme college of the Xia Kingdom, she too had moved to Xia City. Over the past two years, she had also been consumed with affairs regarding the management of House Luolan, and so it was quite rare for her to return to Southwind. It had been quite some time since even Li Luo had seen her. Jiang Qinge glanced at him, then said in a calm voice, Tomorrow is your seventeenth birthday. In addition, House Luolan has some important business to be discussed here. I just arrived at Southwind today, so I thought Id come pick you up and take you home. Her voice was extremely pleasing to hear C it was both crisp and calm, like water from a deep mountain spring that was falling upon jade. Li Luo nodded. The attitude that Jiang Qinge was displaying didnt surprise him in the slightest. He had known her for ages now; this was just how her personality was. Lets go, then, he said. Jiang Qinge was simply too popular here at Southwind Academy. Just by standing here, she had become the focal attention of the entire area. He himself felt as though everyone was staring daggers at him. Jiang Qinge nodded slightly, but she didnt immediately turn back. Instead, she looked at the excited Difa Qing, who was standing right behind Li Luo. Your name is Difa Qing, yes? Difa Qing nodded repeatedly, her face ruddy from excitement. You actually still remember me, elder sister Jiang? Jiang Qinge said quietly, I hope you wont bother Li Luo any more. Otherwise I will probably have to take extremely good care of your elder brother at the Astral Sage College. The look of excitement on Difa Qings face instantly froze. A long moment later, transfixed by Jiang Qinges golden gaze, she nervously nodded. She no longer displayed any of the earlier confidence and arrogance that she had shown before Li Luo. After speaking, Jiang Qinge turned and entered the carriage alongside Li Luo, her blue cape flapping slightly. Moments later, the lionhorse let out a long bellow before it carried them away through the mist. As for Difa Qing, she just stood there and watched the carriage depart. A long while later, she finally rubbed her eyes, an intoxicated look on her face. Elder sister Jiang shes SO COOL! ?I absolutely ADOOOORE her! Chapter 3: Li Luo Wants An Annulment The lionhorse rapidly galloped through the wide streets of Southwind City. It pulled the carriage behind it in a stable yet fast manner, causing the forest of buildings to rapidly disappear. The inside of the carriage was quite spacious, and the temperature was quite comfortable. Li Luo and Jiang Qinge were seated facing each other, with a small tea table between them. The two didnt exchange many words C Li Luo just sat there calmly with his eyes closed, while Jiang Qinge had opened up a book and was intently reading it. A ray of sunlight shone into the carriage from a crack in the curtains, falling upon Jiang Qinges exquisite jade features and giving her an almost crystalline, translucent complexion. After a long period of silence, Jiang Qinge blinked her long lashes, lifted up her slender face, then stared intently at Li Luo with her golden eyes. It seems the words I spoke at Southwind Academy all those years ago have caused you some trouble. Im very sorry about that. Li Luo remained silent, but he opened his eyes. He looked back at her, noting her exquisite features as well as her aura of strength and fierceness, then chuckled. I dont see any sincerity in this apology. If you are sincere, then let me cancel our engagement. Jiang Qinge flipped through a few more pages. Is this the legendary annulment request? But according to the way the script is supposed to play out, I should be the one making this request. Have you perhaps gotten things backwards? Li Luo was caught off-guard by her sudden display of deadpan humor. For a moment, he didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Jiang Qinge raised her head and cast him a glance, then said calmly, Whats the problem? Are you afraid that our engagement will cause you even more problems in the future? Li Luo was silent for a moment, then shook his head. Im worried that I would be holding you back. Theres no reason for a girl like you to be burdened by an unnecessary engagement. And while we are on this topic C do you know how many times my old man got his ass kicked by my mom because of this engagement? Now, I personally supported her kicking his ass for him coming up with such a stupid idea, but the real problem was C each time, after she finished kicking his ass, I would get my ass kicked as well! A resentful look appeared in Li Luos eyes as he discussed this. As for Jiang Qinge, when she thought back to how that normally gentle and refined woman had repeatedly giving drubbings to both Li Luo and his father for her sake, her small red lips couldnt help but quiver in amusement. Afterwards, she calmed back down and shook her head. Im not worried.: Li Luo felt a headache coming. Then what if you fall for someone else in the future? This is absolutely ridiculous, you know. Jiang Qinge smiled calmly. I might not meet such a person. Im quite picky, you know and now that the two of us are engaged, theres no way Id give my heart to another. Li Luo stared hard at Jiang Qinge. Suddenly, a hint of anger entered his voice. Jiang Qinge, what the hell are you thinking? I know my parents treated you well, and you are very grateful towards them, but theres no need for you to express your gratitude this way. What the hell do you take me for? A tool for you to show gratitude? You might have agreed to this engagement, but I never did! Li Luos sudden show of anger startled her. She stared pensively at him with her pure golden eyes for a long, silent moment, then lowered her head slightly. I apologize. I admit that I didnt take your feelings into consideration. Seeing this, Li Luo pressed the advantage. If thats the case, then we should- However! Jiang Qinge raised her head again, then stared at Li Luo intently. You know what the rules of our House are. If two House members are unable to come to an agreement, then the only way to resolve it is through a duel. The winner gets to make the final decision. This was a rule which Li Luos mother had laid down, and it was applicable to any household disagreements whatsoever. Thus C every time she and Li Luos father had gotten into an argument, she would roll up her sleeves and then drag the old man into the training grounds to fight it out. If you truly are completely unwilling to be engaged to me, then we can go to the family training grounds and then resolve it in accordance with our House rules, Jiang Qinge said. Li Luos face turned comically stiff for a moment, before a variety of expressions flashed through it. Finally, he gritted his teeth, pointed at her, and said furiously, Jiang Qinge, you go too far! Im still in the early stages of the Ten Seals. How the hell am I supposed to fight against you, an Earth Fiend? Human cultivators, after establishing their resonant palace, were considered to have entered the most rudimentary stage, the Ten Seals stage. After this came the Resonant Master stage, at which point they could be considered to have truly embarked into the path of cultivation. There were three primary levels to the Resonant Master stage C General, Duke, and King. Putting aside the latter two stages for now, the General level itself also consisted of two sub-levels; the upper level was known as the Heavenly Dipper General, while the lower sub-level was known as the Earth Fiend General. As for Jiang Qinge? She was already at the Earth Fiend General level. [1] For someone so young to be able to become an Earth Fiend General was simply stunning. Everyone was truly shocked by Jiang Qinge and her talent. Some even suspected that she would soon be the one to break the record for being the youngest Duke of the Xia Kingdom. For an Earth Fiend General like her to battle against Li Luo, who was still in the Ten Seals stage honestly, Li Luo was rather worried that if she might whack him to death with a palm, just by accident. Jiang Qinge put away the book, then said in a regretful manner, It seems you dont want to accept my proposal. Theres nothing else I can do. Li Luo was so furious, he was shaking. What the hell is wrong with the world? Why is it so hard for me to annul my engagement? He then turned to stare lifelessly out the carriage window. From the corner of his eyes, he could still catch a glimpse of Jiang Qinge C specifically, her dazzlingly exquisite features and her intoxicatingly pure golden eyes. Li Luo let out a sigh, then said in a much more subdued voice, Big sister Qing, weve known each other for years. I know very well that the feelings you have for me are not romantic in nature. Whats the point of being engaged when love isnt part of the picture? Jiang Qinge was silent for a moment. Honestly, my first reaction is to say C a seventeen-year-old kid like you shouldnt put on such worldly airs. But, I have to admit that you do speak some sense. However, I have no interest in any other men at all. As for you C at least I dont find you repulsive. Li Luo let out a bitter chuckle. Big sister Qing, the main reason you set up this engagement was to show your gratitude to my parents. Im sure that your feelings towards them are much stronger than any feelings you might have towards me. But I really have no need for this form of gratitude. Li Luo lowered his head. He said in a slow voice, I know that it isnt going to be easy to get you to annul this engagement, but He raised his head to stare directly into her eyes. I hope that you will give me, and yourself, a chance. Li Luo paused a moment, then continued. Lets do a trade. Im not strong enough to manage our House, and so in the interim you have taken over on my behalf. One day, however, I will take back control. If on that day, you are able to return to me a House that is more-or-less as strong and prosperous as the one you took over, then as my way of showing gratitude, I will grant you freedom from this engagement. Deal? Jiang Qinge did not immediately respond. For a long, silent moment, she tapped her long, slender white fingers on the table in a rhythmic manner. Finally, she said in a soft voice, Li Luo. Do you really dislike me that much? Li Luo was startled. He took a deep breath, then said, Jiang Qinge, I think you may have underestimated your attractiveness and your appeal. Your beauty and your charisma is enough to cause anyone of our age to be instantly smitten with you. If I claimed to have no interest in you at all, then I would be lying to both myself as well as to you. But. This is not the type of engagement I want, or need. Jiang Qinge raised an eyebrow, then suddenly smacked the table with one dainty hand. Crack! The sudden sound jolted Li Luo, causing him to quickly sidle backwards. Hey, lets keep it civilized! No need to resort to violence. Jiang Qinge rolled her eyes at him, then said calmly, Li Luo, its been a while since weve met. Clearly, youve become a bit more eloquent since then. I agree that your words have some merit. Fine. We can treat this as a trade. Once you are ready to assume control over House Luolan, Ill be sure to hand it over in a healthy, intact state. At that time, you can annul our engagement. Li Luo was speechless, then let out a long sigh. He instantly felt as though he had been relieved of a heavy burden. However C in the deepest part of his heart, he couldnt help but feel a sense of inexplicable loss. He cursed at himself for feeling this. The hell is wrong with you? Your little speech today has caused me to look upon you in a new light. It seems you are no longer a little boy. Li Luo was irritated. Little boy? Theres nothing little about me. Jiang Qinge ignored his words. She gaze at him with an enigmatic half-smile, then continued, But, Li Luo I do have to give you a little reminder. Are you absolutely sure you want to enter this deal with me? Once our engagement is off C I suspect that you will never, ever have a chance to get it back. Li Luo narrowed his eyes, then leaned forward with both hands pressed to the desk and stared directly at Jiang Qinge. Their faces were less than a foot apart. Jiang Qinge, I really have no interest in this type of engagement C because in the future, I intend for you to personally hand me an engagement agreement, rather than hand my parents one. Jiang Qinge stared right back into Li Luos handsome face with her golden eyes, the amusement on her face growing stronger. She knew exactly what Li Luo meant. The reason why he wanted to annul this marriage agreement was because as of right now, she had no interest in him as a man. If in the future, she once more proposed to be engaged to him, it would only be because she had fallen for him. Sit your butt down. Her red lips quivered. Suddenly, an invisible force appeared out of nowhere and pressed Li Luo back into seat with enough force to cause him to let out an involuntary squawk. Just like that, all of his posturing had been wiped away. Jiang Qinge rested a hand on her fragrant cheeks, then cast Li Luo a rather lazy look. You dont have a lot of skills, but you sure have a lot of guts. Ive encountered many geniuses in recent years, but none of them ever dared to speak to me like this. Li Luo C dont let your reach exceed your grasp by too much. Your goal is completely unrealistic. But C if you really want to give it a shot, Ill give you a chance. Her golden pupils suddenly glowed with a mysterious, inscrutable light. Ill wait for you at the Astral Sage College. This is your first step. If you cant even accomplish this, then lets both just forget about what you said today. Well chalk it up as being the words of a rebellious youth. This time, Li Luo didnt interrupt. He leaned back against the carriage window as he slowly closed his eyes. He said in a calm voice, Then just wait for me there. Jiang Qinge turned her gaze out the window. As she watched their carriage move past the various buildings, a stray ray of sunlight sparkled across her golden eyes. The tiniest of smiles appeared on her face, filled with a rare look of softness. After they had traveled for a long period of time, Li Luo suddenly opened his eyes. Rather puzzled, he said, This isnt the way home. Jiang Qinge gently nodded, then said quietly, Were going to pay a visit to the Golden Dragon Bank. Theres something we need to pick up there. She turned her golden gaze towards Li Luo. Before Master and Mistress left, they prepared something for you. They said that you were only to open it up after you reached the age of seventeen. Li Luo was speechless. His heart shook. Mom, Dad you left something behind for me? 1. These stages come from the Tales of the Water Margin/Suikoden; there were 108 legendary heroes, who were divided into the 36 heavenly dippers and the 72 earthly fiends. Chapter 4: Golden Dragon Bank Many mighty and influential factions were hidden within the Xia Kingdom. Of which, two were behemoths that held stances of absolute neutrality. These were titans that even officials and the royal family would never dare to aggravate. The first was the renowned Astral Sage College. The second, the Golden Dragon Bank. Attending the Astral Sage College was the aspiration of numerous Xia Kingdom youths. The elites that graduated from there were often courted by the numerous powers of the land. The Golden Dragon Bank, on the other hand, was involved in the trading, safekeeping, and auctioning of all sorts of goods and treasures. Their financial might was so immense that any power would stare at their wealth with reddened eyes. Yet no one dared to even dream of infringing on their interests! The true might of the Golden Dragon Bank far superseded any power in the Xia Kingdom. The branch that existed in the Xia Kingdom was just that, a mere branch! The main branch of the Golden Dragon Bank was located in a place far more vast than the Xia Kingdom, and they had a resounding reputation across the land. This was because the golden dragon notes issued by the bank could be redeemed for an equivalent amount of skygold at any branch. ... The City of Southwind was the county town of the Tianshu Province. It naturally housed its own branch of the Golden Dragon Bank, which was unsurprisingly located in the most luxurious area: the center of the city. As Li Luo got off the carriage, he gazed at the glorious and dazzling building before him. This was not the first time he had laid eyes on a building so grand, yet he couldn't help but exhale in wonder. Even a branch building in a simple county town exhibited grandeur beyond its humble surroundings. The financial resources of the Golden Dragon Bank were truly unfathomable. Even House Luolan's estate seemed lacking when compared to this behemoth. Jiang Qing'es expression was calm and unperturbed. Upon exiting the carriage, she immediately made his way towards the bank with Li Luo in tow. After entering this magnificent bank, Jiang Qing'e withdrew a golden note from her belongings, which she then passed to an attendant. The note was carefully inspected before the attendant hastily and respectfully ushered the two into a VIP room. Moments later, a beaming, plump, middle-aged man waddled in. He was bedecked with all sorts of glittering jewels, each and every one of his fingers clad with numerous rings! "Haha! I am honored to be in the presence of House Luolan's Young Lord and Miss Jiang. You have truly brought great honor to my humble dwelling." It is important to keep in mind that anyone who could act on behalf of the Golden Dragon Bank would definitely be socially adept. Since the plump man could recognise Li Luo at a glance, he also understood his current status. Yet he did not slight Li Luo in the least, and he provided him all due respect, even addressing him first. "This is the supervisor of the Tianshu Province's Golden Dragon Bank, President Lu." Jiang Qing'e casually introduced the other party to Li Luo. "President Lu, do lead us to retrieve the goods." With the brief introductions complete, Jiang Qing'e reverted to her usual swift and decisive demeanour. President Lu nodded and smiled, turning to lead the way. The three of them weaved through layers upon layers of restrictions before making their way deep under the building. Following President Lu's lead, the three arrived in front of a completely sealed room with no entrances. Instead, there were smooth, glossy, black stone walls on all sides, making it seem like a room surrounded by black mirrors. President Lu then lightly patted the wall. His actions made the wall split apart, allowing the group to enter the room. A box made of an unknown metal gradually emerged from the ground within the room. President Lu smiled as he explained, "My respected guests, this is the object that the Lord of House Luolan left behind. In his words, the Young Lord has to retrieve this personally, and his blood will act as the key." With his job complete, he naturally slunk away, leaving the other two in the room. Li Luo stared at this safety deposit box of sorts, almost in a trance. Just what were his parents up to, leaving him with all this secrecy and mystery? What had they left behind? Yet his intuition was screaming at him, telling him that the object in front of him was of utmost importance. Perhaps it could change his ill fate? He took a deep breath and stepped forward, placing his palm on the strongbox. At this moment, he felt a piercing pain in his finger, as if a drop of blood was forcefully seized from him and absorbed by this strongbox! Click! Mechanical clicks could be heard coming from within the strongbox. A faint luster gradually emerged from the center as the strongbox cracked apart. At this point, Li Luo could finally see what was within. It was a pitch-black crystal ball. It was extremely smooth, so much so that Li Luo could even see his own reflection. There were clearly some unspoken mysteries surrounding this object. "Just what..." Li Luo mumbled as he blinked while inspecting the crystal ball. "Lets store it carefully for now. Master said that you had to wait for your 17th birthday before you could retrieve this." Jiang Qing'e passed a suitcase over. Li Luo nodded as he carefully placed the black crystal ball inside the suitcase, tightly holding onto it for dear life as his eyes moistened. "What's wrong?" Jiang Qing'e asked with a puzzled expression. "I have a hunch that my lucky break is finally here. I'm so emotional, I could cry!" Li Luo exclaimed as he waved the suitcase towards her. "Just you wait... I'm definitely going to succeed in annulling this marriage!" "...." Jiang Qing'e couldn't be bothered to respond. She immediately turned around and left the secret room. She could clearly tell that Li Luo was surging with excitement and was definitely itching to irritate her. The two left the depths of the building and were once again greeted by President Lu. This time, he was accompanied by a young lady. She was garbed in green and was exceptionally beautiful, with an elegant and exquisite charm to her. Her fine, black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, reaching her willowy waist. This was coupled with a set of captivating eyes that shone brightly. Her snow-white skin gave off a crystal-like sheen. She was eye-catching, the very embodiment of perfection. Even though her hands were clad in thin, silk gloves, one could faintly make out her slender, jade-like fingers. If she ever removed those gloves, there would be people drooling at the sight of her ephemeral beauty. Possessing both beauty and temperament, this young lady was clearly a level above Difa Qing. Upon seeing her, an unnatural expression flashed across Li Luo's face before he regained his composure. "Haha, this is my little niece, Lu Qing'er. She has just been accepted into Southwind Academy as a cultivator, and she absolutely idolizes Miss Jiang. When she heard you were here, she was adamant in coming along. I do hope that Miss Jiang will not take offense to this," President Lu explained as he clasped his hands respectfully with a smile on his face. "Greetings, Senior Sister Jiang," Lu Qing'er said with deference as she graciously curtsied. Jiang Qing'e began to size up this new arrival with perfectly symmetrical features. "Since you're a student of Southwind Academy, I suppose you're acquaintances with Li Luo?" Lu Qing'er shifted her gaze momentarily to glance at Li Luo, who was standing by Jiang Qing'es side. She beamed as she gently nodded, her deep gaze captivating all. "Li Luo used to provide me with some pointers, and I've always been thankful to him. However, it seems like in these past two years, he hasnt wanted to meet me..." Li Luo let out an awkward smile as he hastily and laughingly replied, "No, no, no, no, no, please don't jump to conclusions! We are in different schools, so it's been very difficult to come see you!" Deep down, Li Luo felt helpless. Lu Qing'er was exceptionally famous in Southwind Academy. She was in a completely different strata compared to Difa Qing. Not only was she attractive, she was the poster girl for Southwind Academy, being the number one talent in the current generation. When Li Luo was still attending the First School, many of the students had yet to open their resonant palaces. With his exceptional ability to utilise resonance arts, he was a cut above the rest of the students. Hence, numerous students would approach him for guidance, including Lu Qing'er. Therefore, they could be considered close friends. Then came Li Luo's misfortune of blank palaces and his subsequent booting from the First School into the Second School. As a result, their interactions became sparse. Of course, the most important point here was that Li Luo spent his time hiding from Lu Qing'er. It wasn't because he hated her, but because he felt embarrassed whenever they met! He used to be number one in the First School, and yet he had been supplanted by her Who would have thought that they would meet each other again? Lu Qing'er did not rebut Li Luo's clearly perfunctory words but didn't say anything else either. Instead, she turned her attention to Jiang Qing'e and began to chat with her with a casual smile on her face. The Lu duo then proceeded to escort the two out of the bank. "Miss Jiang, I've heard that there will be an event happening at House Luolan," President Lu said with his usual, smiley demeanor. Jiang Qing'e's expression was unchanging as she replied flatly, "President Lu is perceptive indeed." "Ah, such a pity!" President Lu sighed before continuing, "Do look for me if there is anything I can assist you with. The Golden Dragon Bank believes that harmony breeds wealth!" Li Luo held some doubts in his mind, but he did not voice them. He simply followed Jiang Qing'e onto the carriage, and they swiftly left. Meanwhile, President Lu rubbed the chin of his oily, portly face as he glimpsed at Lu Qing'er, only to realise that she was still staring wistfully at the direction of the departing carriage with her sparkling eyes. "Cough!" President Lu interrupted her. "You little girl! You... you wouldn't happen to have feelings for Li Luo, would you?" Lu Qing'er batted a glance towards President Lu as she gently replied, "I only feel pity towards Li Luo. In the past, he did guide me in the resonance arts. I merely feel appreciation towards him. If not for his blank palaces, he would have been my greatest rival in Southwind Academy." President Lu patted his chest as he released a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness! That's great... Qing'er, oh, Qing'er, he is already an engaged man. Don't try scoring when there's a goalkeeper... With your status and looks, just which youth in the Xia Kingdom could be your match?" Lu Qing'er shook her head and then turned around to walk away, ignoring her second uncle's inane ramblings whilst he chuckled and continued to rub his chin. Chapter 5: Senior Pei Hao After leaving the Golden Dragon Bank, Jiang Qing'e was silent within the carriage. Li Luo followed suit and spoke nary a word, only clutching the suitcase. Who knew what he was thinking. Eventually, they arrived in front of a manor, within which dotted numerous undulating hills and magnificent pavilionsan awe-inspiring sight. This was where Li Luo's parents had constructed the family home of House Luolan. The four beastial lionhorses stopped gracefully in front of the gates and then the duo exited the carriage. "This place seems to have become a lot colder and lifeless." Jiang Qing'e sighed as she stared at the manor. Back when Li Luo's parents were still around, this was the administrative epicentre of House Luolan. The bustling activity as people hurried about then greatly contrasted against the decrepit silence seen now. "House Luolan's headquarters has long shifted to Xia City, this is just an old manor. I suppose this peace and quiet is expected." Li Luo smiled. Whilst the two spoke, some individuals approached the entrance to usher them in. At the fore was an old man, with a lady right behind him. The old man had a gentle and amiable expression. The lady, on the other hand, wore a face of makeup that accentuated her maturity, providing an attractive countenance. What was most outstanding was her well-rounded figure; her twin peaks were well endowed, much like two completely ripe peaches, a sight that would slay men as they swayed gently. "Uncle Liu," Li Luo cried as he ran towards the old man. He was someone who had followed Li Luo's parents long ago. Nowadays, he stayed to maintain the estate whilst taking care of Li Luo. Yet Li Luo did not recognise this well-endowed lady and doubts began to arise in his mind. "Uncle Liu, it has been a long time," Jiang Qing'e said as she nodded her head before introducing the lady to Li Luo. "This is Elder Sister Cai Wei, my assistant in Xia City. She has been helping me to arrange the numerous affairs of House Luolan." "Greetings, Young Lord," the mature beauty Cai Wei said with a smiling expression as her eyes sized Li Luo up. Li Luo nodded in reply. "It must have been hard on you, Elder Sister Cai Wei." "Elder Sister Cai Wei will be staying in the City of Southwind for a period of time. She will be taking care of House Luolan's affairs in the Tianshu Province and will be directly reporting to you in all matters," Jiang Qing'e explained. Li Luo was momentarily shocked. Ever since House Luolan's headquarters relocated to Xia City, nothing much had cropped up within the Tianshu Province and things had been stable since then. Now, in the blink of an eye, why had Sister Qing'e suddenly deployed such a capable individual to assume control of the situation? "Has something happened?" Li Luo queried as he sighed deeply. Jiang Qing'e's sudden return was clearly unrelated to his upcoming seventeenth birthday tomorrow. Jiang Qing'e paused in deep thought. Her usual, exquisite expression had turned cold as she strode towards the interior of the manor, Li Luo trailing right behind her. "Although you've been left in the City of Southwind, I suppose you have not heard of the news surrounding House Luolan. I did not speak of these things for fear of affecting you." As they walked on the light gravel road, scattered light filtered through the leaves of the surrounding trees, bathing their path with warmth, contrasting against Jiang Qing'e's direct and cold words. Li Luo nodded. Although he did not take part in House Luolan's affairs, even a blockhead could guess that with the absence of his parents, House Luolan would be faced with turbulent winds. Starting a house within the Xia Kingdom was not such a simple task. The most important rule was that one had to have a Duke. Within the Xia Kingdom were five great houses, and House Luolan was one of them. Out of these five, House Luolan had the shortest history and had also risen the most abruptly. This was due to both of Li Luo's parents entering the Duke Stage. Mysterious Yang Duke, Li Taixuan. Misty Duke, Tan Tailan. A house with two Dukes. This was the key reason why House Luolan had catapulted into the ranks of the five Great Houses so quickly. Whilst the rest of the five Great Houses had long established histories, House Luolan was a complete upstart. As a result, this also meant that they had less of a foundation and barely any assets to speak of, and were thus weaker than the other four by a fair margin. This was originally not an issue as Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan's abilities were more than sufficient to cover this gap during this time. Hence, it was a pity that they both had disappeared. Losing their two main pillars of support, House Luolan's strength declined rapidly. At the onset of their disappearance, their reputation still served to deter any unsavory intentions. However, with the passage of time, the lack of news regarding Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had ended up birthing rumors that they had met their demise in the Noble's War. House Luolan, as one of the five Great Houses, had numerous businesses under them. This was undoubtedly a fat, succulent piece of meat for any power within the Xia Kingdom. Numerous factions had been eyeing it covetously, drooling at the mouths for a potential bite. Thus, with the passage of time, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan's inheritance had been gradually whittled down. A few wolves could barely resist the temptation in these past few years and had taken quite a few mouthfuls. With such a situation afoot, Jiang Qing'e had to put pause to her studies in the Astral Sage College to take over the affairs of House Luolan. As a result, her reputation in the Xia Kingdom had soared. Unfortunately, she had yet to enter the Duke Stage, so her strength was insufficient to deter this pack of hungry wolves. In this dire situation, she had chosen to give up some of the businesses, opting to recover them when the House had recouped its strength. By showing little resistance, it signalled to the wider world that the situation within House Luolan was terribly unstable, battered by the oncoming winds. Li Luo understood very clearly at this point that without sufficient strength, trying to guard a mountain of gold would only bring trouble to oneself. Patiently enduring was the sensible long-term strategy. "I've heard of House Luolan's decline in these few years. Perhaps things have begun to stabilise?" Li Luo asked curiously. Jiang Qing'e pursed her lips as she calmly replied, "External pressure has temporarily reduced. However, the problem now lies within House Luolan's headquarters." Li Luo was dumbfounded for a second before he slowly asked, "Is it due to Senior Pei Hao?" Cai Wei stared at Li Luo with a flabbergasted expression. "Although Sister Qing'e has not been in charge of House Luolan for long, your charm is unparalleled and your strength within the house is not insignificant. The only member of House Luolan who can compete with you is that Senior disciple my parents took in." Li Luo smiled as he explained his deduction. Pei Hao was a wandering vagrant in his youth. He had offended an enemy and would have been executed if not for the lucky intervention of Li Luo's parents. Seeing how pitiful he was, they accepted him into House Luolan and his talents were gradually unearthed, demonstrating his genius. When House Luolan officially made their mark, he was officially taken in as a disciple. With this background, Pei Hao's position in House Luolan soared into the heavens, and by the time of Li Luo's parents disappearance, he had already accumulated quite a bit of power. When his parents were still around, Senior Pei Hao would often come to interact with Li Luo. Over the years, these interactions had gradually become more rare, especially after it was discovered that Li Luo had blank palaces... It was clear that Senior Pei Hao wasn't a very genuine person. "Pei Hao has always objected to my control of House Luolan. He has also acted arbitrarily when it came to decisions regarding the house. His influence within House Luolan is not minorat least half of the Inner Council of Nine supports him. This has brought about some unsavory influences on the situation. "Frankly speaking, if he was willing to act on behalf of House Luolan, then all of this would be tolerable. If not for Masters' orders, I would not have wanted to make a move and take control." Li Luo nodded in agreement. With Jiang Qing'e's personality, she definitely disliked this sort of responsibility. Focusing on cultivation wouldve been ideal, considering her gratuitous talents. Though in the end, all of these problems had arisen because the Young Lord just wasn't up to par. Both of them understood that with his current predicament of possessing blank palaces, he was helpless in such a situation. If they passed control to him, it would more or less spell doom for everything his parents had toiled for. Furthermore, in this world, might made right. "It must have been hard on you, Sister Qing'e," Li Luo sincerely said from the depths of his heart. Jiang Qing'e shook her head. "No need for this display. We are already engaged, and I'm also part of House Luolan... in case you already forgot and need a beating to remind yourself," she replied bluntly. Li Luo was speechless at this retort, whilst Cai Wei laughed while coyly covering her mouth, her appearance capable of moving anyone. Jiang Qing'e continued, "Ever since the two Masters disappeared, everyone has been on tenterhooks. Although I have done my best to pacify everyone, the situation House Luolan is in is not something that can be resolved easily. Meanwhile, Pei Hao continues to goad and rally the support of the people, constantly seeking to suppress me. I've done some investigating, and I suspect that there are greater forces at play, secretly assisting him." Li Luo reached out to catch a falling leaf before musing, "We seem to have raised a wolf in our home." "Pei Hao will bring some men to discuss terms in the City of Southwind tomorrow. If we are unable to come to a consensus, the worst case scenario is that House Luolan will directly disintegrate and a heavy blow will be dealt to us." Jiang Qing'e's golden pupils seemed to become as icy as the cold of wintereven a trace of killing intent could be seen. Li Luo raised his eyebrows in puzzlement. House Luolan was surrounded by wolves in the Xia Kingdom, and furthermore, there were even more tigers eyeing them from the sidelines. If they did fall apart, House Luolan would be severely weakened, and inevitable troubles would follow. All he could do now was sigh. He was just too weak, unable to influence the situation at all. The title of Young Lord within House Luolan was an empty one. In fact, people had completely disregarded and forgotten about him. Everything stemmed from being powerless. "I apologize. I have been unable to help," Li Luo said. Jiang Qing'e shook her head as she lightly replied, "Rest assured. Even if turmoil engulfs House Luolan, I will ensure it is rebuilt before I hand it back over to you." Li Luo did not reply. He didn't really mind either way. Even if House Luolan were the mightiest one around, it was ultimately external strength. In this world, only personal might was absolute. If he could enter the King or Duke stages at some point, all of these problems would disappear like a wisp of smoke. The two then entered their old home and had dinner. Immediately after, Jiang Qing'e excused herself and rushed off, evidently to make preparations for tomorrow. Li Luo did not disturb her. Instead, he spent two hours practicing the resonance arts before retiring to his room for rest. Try as he might, he couldn't fall asleep. When the clock struck midnight, he directly rolled off his bed and grabbed the suitcase before wrenching it open. He pulled out the mysterious, black crystal ball and carefully clasped it between his hands. Li Luo could feel his heart palpitating as it almost burst out of his chest in excitement. "Father. Mother. Just what did you leave behind for me?" Li Luo lightly patted his chest as he spoke self-deprecatingly, "Theres no way you left behind a birthday cake you made countless years ago... right?" He gulped. Chapter 6: Acquired Resonance The black crystal ball with a mirror-like sheen allowed Li Luo to see his countenance within. A trace of anticipation, lashed with anxiety, was hung upon his gaze. He wanted to know just what sort of item would lead his parents to spend so much effort to squirrel away... "Soooo... just how do I open this?" Li Luo was doing everything he could to quash the feelings of anxiousness in his heart. Cautiously inspecting the ink-black and mysterious crystal ball, he finally decided to... use the most direct method instead. He tentatively pressed his palms against its surface. Weng! At the exact moment his palms contacted the crystal ball, the crystal ball emitted a slight shock! That originally shiny exterior liquefied and enveloped Li Luo's palms. At the same time, Li Luo could distinctly feel a sensation not unlike acupuncture, as though needles were piercing right into him, into his palms! As this happened, some of his blood was absorbed! The palms which were covered with the black liquid then began to radiate a bright light. Then, to Li Luo's surprise, two light apparitions gradually took form. Looking at the familiar silhouettes, Li Luo could feel a wave of nostalgia and yearning descend upon him. "Dad, Mom..." The male apparition was handsome, his body upright like a spear whilst clothed in white robes. He possessed an absolute charm and a warm smile, yet hidden within was a lofty and immovable presence that would bend to no one! Just looking at him brought others an indescribable sense of comfort and safety. On the other hand, the female apparition was garbed in violet, her long hair elegantly pinned up, her two hands leisurely placed within her pockets. She, too, was of incomparable beauty and held an unparalleled, dignified demeanor. These were Li Luo's parents, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. As Li Luo stared blankly at the two, the apparition of Li Taixuan began to speak. "Haha, my little boy, now that you're seeing these imprints, I assume you are seventeen already. I believe that by this point, we are long gone." Tan Tailan, who was smiling happily at the side, also began to speak. "Little Luo must have become even more handsome by now, right? Have any girls begun to court you in school?" Li Luo rubbed his eyes as he mumbled to himself, "Your son did not only become extremely handsome, he also became absolutely unmatched! Just who would dare to court me...?" "Are you feeling full of grievances right now? Do you feel that nothing has gone right for you?" At this point, Li Taixuan began to chuckle again, as though he could see right through the frustrations in Li Luo's heart. His mom continued, "Perhaps because of the blank palaces within you?" At this point, Li Luo was shocked. By the time his blank palaces had manifested, his parents had been missing for years. Just how could they have known of his situation? "Little Luo, don't be surprised. We used some special methods to observe your body's situation long before your resonant palaces manifested. In fact, you even have three resonant palaces." Tan Tailan soothed him with a doting gaze in her eyes. Li Luo's jaw dropped. So it seems as though his parents knew of his unique situation a long time ago. Then in this case, did his parents' disappearance have to do with this? Just where were they now? Were they still doing well? Why had there been no news since then? "Little Luo, I would first like to tell you that just because you were born with blank palaces, it does not mean that you're crippled. In fact, based on what I feel, this is the strongest sort of constitution in this world. You don't have to feel dispirited at this, and instead rejoice!" Li Taixuan's words were too earth-shattering, leaving Li Luo speechless. "Dad... even if you want to console me, couldn't you do it in a less exaggerated way?" Li Luo lamented. The blank palaces had already hampered his ability to cultivate; just what nonsense was he spouting about some mightiest constitution??Dad, just who are you trying to scam? Li Taixuan had a wry smile as he explained, "Your natural blank palaces cannot absorb or refine worldly natural energy. This has to do with the root of your power, and frankly... we have no solution for this." "Since it's a blank palace, then just find some way to stuff something in!" added his mom, with a beaming smile. Li Luo was now wrinkling his brows in consternation. This was easy to say but impossible to do! Resonances were determined from birth. Wanting to change this after being born was unheard of. He had even experimented with this idea, but to no success. "In a normal situation, this would truly be undoable. However, ever since we discovered your situation, we have been working hard to find a solution." "If you do your best, you're bound to succeed eventually! Indeed, the heavens did not disappoint us and we finally found it." At this point, Li Luo could distinctly hear the thunderous palpitations of the heart, and even his head felt dizzy as blood rushed to his brain in excitement. "We poured through numerous ancient records and finally found a solution. This art is known as the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art. It allows one to forge acquired resonances. At the same time, it allows one to integrate their blood essence and soul, along with a chosen resonance, into the forging process. The resulting acquired resonance can then be absorbed into your blank palace. "Little Luo, your naturally-endowed blank palaces may not necessarily be a bad thing. As natural resonances are too powerful and hard to control, we cannot pass the full art down to you. Instead, the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art is a much better fit for you, allowing you to forge your path as you see fit. "If you want an elemental resonance, then you can work in that direction. Conversely, if you want a beast resonance, then go ahead and do just that! "In future, your three blank palaces will contain three carefully constructed resonances. At that point, you will be greatly superior to those with a natural resonance." Li Luo's eyes shone bright like a diamond under light. The situation seemed salvageable. There were all sorts of resonances, and many people had no choice over the manifestation of their resonances. This was something that could not be changed. On the other hand, although he did not have any natural resonances, he had the benefit of flexibility and could essentially determine what sort of resonance he wanted! "Little Luo, the acquired resonances produced by the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art also have another benefit," Tan Tailan added. Although these were just apparitions that were left behind, Li Luo snapped right to attention. Since they had said it was a good thing, then how could he dare to miss this? "A standard natural resonance is usually only of one element. However, the forged acquired resonances from this art are not the same! They can have two attributes, one main and one supporting. "These attributes can be fully customizable as you see fit. The power gained is as though giving a tiger wings! I've only ever heard of certain natural treasures that have allowed for one's natural resonance to gain a second minor attribute when taken. However, this effect is miniscule and is just a small additive layer of strength. This is completely different from your acquired resonances, which are forged with two attributes that are supplementary. The difference is worlds apart! "Oh my gosh, this is just too awesome! Too great!" Li Luo was jubilantly celebrating as he clapped and jumped for joy. He could easily understand the preciousness of this ability. If he chose to forge a fire resonance and then supplemented it with a thunder resonance, the combination of fire and thunder would bring about a multiplicative increase in strength! At this point, he couldn't help but become emotional. It looked as though his blank palaces were truly more impressive than those natural resonances! "Cough. Of course, nothing is ever so perfect. Although your acquired resonances have numerous benefits compared to natural resonances, there is one glaring disadvantage: the forged acquired resonances will not exceed the fourth-grade," Li Taixuan clarified with a sigh. Li Luo was momentarily stunned by this revelation. A fourth-grade? This did seem slightly inferior. Compared to Jiang Qing'e's ninth-grade Light Resonance, there was a difference of more than half the scale! With such a stark difference in grade, it was very possible that the benefits brought about by the dual elemental resonance would not be able to bridge this gap. However, his hesitation was short-lived. His current situation was already as bad as it could get, so even a fourth-grade resonance would be considered decent! Li Luo's mom spoke dotingly as she reminded him, "Of course, you don't need to worry. Even though your acquired resonance grade might be low, you can also utilize acquired resonance arts to eventually improve them." Li Luo was once again struck with yet another revelation! That was true indeed. This world contained many wondrous treasures and medicines that allowed one to increase the grade of their resonance. There was a particular profession known as resonance artificer. These people were able to refine and temper spiritual liquids and mysterious treasures that would improve one's resonance, and as a result, they were widely welcomed by all resonance cultivators. There were, however, certain constraints to using external means to improve one's resonance grade. There was usually a limit to the tempering process and, normally speaking, an improvement of a grade or two was the best possible result. In the case of acquired resonances, as the highest grade was fourth-grade, refinement would lead to a possible peak of fifth or sixth-grade. "Is Little Luo worried about the physical limitations of refining one's resonances?" Li Taixuan laughed as though he was reading Li Luo like an open book. "Huh?" Seeing his dad's wide smile, Li Luo's eyes widened and he couldn't control himself. Could it be possible that this wasn't the end? This weakness could still be made whole? As Li Luo greedily anticipated the next round of news, his mother let out a slight sigh and interrupted his father with a disgruntled expression. "You idiot, you've just gone ahead and came clean with everything! Just what can I tell Little Luo now? Huh????" Li Taixuan's expression changed as he hastily consoled her, "My dear, I was in the wrong, I was in the wrong! Please explain the rest to our son and I won't do it again! Please forgive me!" Upon seeing this familiar sight, Li Luo couldn't help but shake his head with a sigh. His dad's survival instincts were truly commendable. Was this something that had been beaten and ingrained into him? "Brat, are you laughing at your father right now?" That apparition seemed to know exactly how Li Luo would react. Snorting with dissatisfaction, he immediately began to speak in a serious tone. "You are still young and have yet to understand. I am deeeefinitely not afraid of your mother. It's just that my love for her runs too deep! As I've often lectured you, loving your significant other is the most important rule of this family. When you eventually get together with Qing'e, you will also have to obey this law! Do you understand?" When Li Luo heard those words, he couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. Whenever his father said those words, if not for the fact that this explanation was often accompanied by a sight of a reddened palm mark on his face, he would have almost believed in them! Yet when he mentioned Qing'e, Li Luo could only sigh. Qing'e had been intimately raised by his mom and hence their personalities were similar... And he was often on the receiving end of a beating without him having a clue why How would his life be in the future?? With a heavy heart full of sadness, Li Luo raised his head and looked at his dad. At this moment, it seemed as though their gazes could transcend time. It was as though he could finally understand what his dad was thinking. For a brief moment, this father and son pair could feel a truly fateful connection with their hearts, one of intimate sorrow... "Li. Tai. Xuan. Can you stop standing there and making a fool of yourself? You're wasting my time!" Li Luo's mom enunciated with a single raised eyebrow, interrupting that brief moment of endearment between the pair. Without surprise, Li Taixuan nodded eagerly, demonstrating that he had heard those words clearly. At the same time, Tan Tailan turned to look at Li Luo, her tone turning gentle. "The refinement limit is only applicable to natural resonances. This is because these external treasures, no matter how pure and pristine they look, inevitably contain some impurities at their core. It is the accumulation of these impurities that prevent a palace from completely sealing in the resonance's might. As a result, it makes it difficult to continue refining the resonance past one or two grades. "However, Little Luo, your blank palaces don't have this limit. Natural resonances have specific affinities and thus external tempering materials will face some form of rejection from the resonant palaces. Your blank palaces have no affinities, meaning that they can accept anything. "Thus, your resonances can continually be refined as they will not be rejected by your palaces! Although it will get increasingly difficult to refine your acquired resonances, there is a chance for you to perfect them. "Hence, it's as I've said. Your blank palaces could very possibly be the world's mightiest constitution ever! The perceived disadvantages are just a key to greater success." Li Luo could feel his heart roiling in waves. He had suffered greatly due to his blank palaces in these past few years. When he had first manifested it, he was unwilling to believe it and even felt angry. His frustrations and furious cultivation still resulted in him remaining powerless. In the end, he could only accept reality as it was. However, now, with his parents' words, these blank palaces were not useless. In fact, he might have the world's best constitution? This new information brought tears to Li Luo's eyes. "Little Luo, for your first acquired resonance, we have already extracted some of your blood essence and a strand of your spirit soul and refined something for you. It is within this crystal ball. "The Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art is also within," Tan Tailan explained. Li Luo could feel a warm current surging through him as he immediately opened his clenched fists. "Dad, Mom, thank you! Let's go, I'm ready! Transmit this acquired resonance and the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art to me. Let me finally gain the opportunity to be reborn and soar above others!" At this point, Li Taixuan's expression became solemn and he became silent for a few breaths before speaking again. "The last thing I want to let you know is that absorbing this acquired resonance is not as easy as you might think it will be. "As the acquired resonance is assimilated, it will require massive amounts of blood essence. This is why we had to wait until you were seventeen before allowing you to retrieve this. Only at this age will you barely be able to withstand the loss of your blood essence. "More importantly, what you will lose is not just blood essence, but also part of your longevity. Once this acquired resonance is absorbed, you will only be able to live for five more years... unless you're able to break into the Duke Stage and transform your body. Otherwise, that will be the end. "This has been something that your mom and I have disputed for a long time. The price to pay is too great, but you, my boy, have grown up. So we have decided to lay the facts bare and let you make the choice yourself. Little Luo, will you choose to maintain the status quo and become a rich Young Lord? Or will you choose to assimilate with the acquired resonance and cultivate against the heavens, struggling to live while embarking on a path fraught with danger? "If you choose the first option, then all you have to do is store the crystal ball somewhere and the previous process will revert. If you choose the latter, then reach into the crystal ball. The choice is up to you, but regardless of your decision, the two of us will always support you." After which, the two apparitions no longer spoke and merely stared at Li Luo with gazes full of concern and love. Li Luo, on the other hand, gradually eased himself into a sitting position, his eyes focused on the murky, black crystal ball with uncertainty laced within. Throughout the explanation, he had realized something. Since the benefits were so wondrous, why were there no drawbacks? It seemed that this was left for last. Now his choices were simple. Did he want to be a weak, little monster? Or a mighty, short-lived beast? Chapter 7: Indecisiveness The room was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. The black crystal ball was emitting a faint radiance that reflected Li Luo's unsettled countenance; it was a strange sight. He was currently embroiled in an impossible choice. His parents' hard work had unearthed hope of a new dawn for his blank palaces. However, he had never expected that this hope would come with such a heavy cost. Li Luo would only have five years left to live. If in five years he could not enter the Duke Stage and undergo a life-changing metamorphosis, then he would come to an unsatisfactory end. Five years to become a Duke? He was only seventeen now, and in five years he would be twenty-two... [1] Even after reaching deep into his knowledge, he had never heard of such a young Duke in the history of the Xia Kingdom. Exactly what sort of culmination of talent, opportunities, and effort would allow one to construct such a miracle? Li Luo did not know... and hence he could feel a huge sense of pressure envelop him. He even found it hard to breathe. The current him could continue to live a mediocre life. His parents had left behind House Luolan, which still possessed a decent amount of businesses. Even if he could not control any of it and gave it all up, he could still live the life of a leisurely Young Lord, free from any worldly worries. The path of the acquired resonance would place him on the edge, constantly struggling and making every second count. He would have to struggle and wholly strive, squeezing out every last ounce of potential, all to fight against the heavens and to eke out a shred of vitality, all just to barely survive. Two wholly different pathsjust what should he do? Li Luo closed his eyes, his heart engulfed in turmoil. His mind flitted through numerous scenes. He thought of the strange gazes he received from others at the academy. People often liked to say that a tiger had given birth to a dog. How could such illustrious parents give birth to a son with such poor abilities? He thought of the person with a pair of pure and beautiful golden pupils. Deep down, he did feel a sense of love and yearning towards Jiang Qing'e, this he did not deny. However, Jiang Qing'e's exceptionalism was attractive and she had a hoard of other fans. Such an elegant and unparalleled lady could only be matched by a man of heroic and extraordinary temperament. This was only human nature, and there was nothing shameful about it. When they were young, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e often competed in all sorts of areas. However, due to all sorts of different reasons, Li Luo lost more than he won. As the two of them grew older, such interactions lessened. This was especially noticeable after their palaces manifested. Li Luo knew that the gap between the two had only widened, transforming into an uncrossable chasm. Jiang Qing'e had also begun to reduce their friendly competitions from that point on. The encounters over the years looked as though they had smoothened Li Luo's edge over time, as he seemingly became much more mellow. Only he knew that deep down, his desire to win and compete had never diminished, only further stoked ablaze by his apparent weakness. The reason he was willing to challenge Jiang Qing'e was not simply because he was coercedhe wanted to do so. In a normal situation, even catching up to Jiang Qing'e, who had already left him in the dust in the cultivation race, was as impossible as surmounting the heavens. However, there was a brief sense of hope now. Was he going to give up on this hope? His real answer was that this was impossible! Li Luo eyes flashed open, and a trace of sharpness could be seen in his gaze. He stared at the apparitions of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan before saying, "Dad, Mom, I have always had a wild heart. However, those who know of my condition would laugh at me if they heard this, as if I don't understand my own situation... I'm not only interested in catching up to Sister Qing'e, I want to surpass her! And not just her, I want to surpass the two of you!" A grin hung on his face, displaying his pearly-white teeth. "I dream that in the future, people will not recognize me for being Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan's son. Instead, I want others to see you and know you as Li Luo's parents!" He chuckled. "Dad, Mom, I am very thankful for this gift you have left for my seventeenth birthday. Rest assured, I will not let you down. All I have to do is reach the Duke Stage in five years. No biggie. I, Li Luo, accept this challenge!" As he made his final declaration, his eyes lit up with resolve and he no longer hesitated, reaching out with his palm, lightly pressing them onto the black crystall ball. Weng! The black crystal ball responded brilliantly, and Li Luo could feel a piercing pain transmitting through his palms. It was as though countless needles were piercing into him. At the same time, the black crystal ball began to shatter, and within its interior quietly lay two objects. One was a black-colored jade slip. As expected, this ought to be the instructions to cultivate the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art. The other item was mysterious-looking. It looked like a liquid and yet seemed to be an illusory item made of flowing light. It was azure in color and seemed to be emitting minute rays of sacred light. Li Luo's gaze was affixed onto that illusory liquid object. He knew that this was something that would change his destiny.... His parents had spent blood, sweat, and tears to refine this acquired resonance. Additionally, by merely setting his eyes on this strange object, Li Luo could feel a sense of compatibility with it from the depths of his soul. It was as though this was something that had always belonged to him. His parents clearly weren't lying when they said that this acquired resonance was crafted from his own blood essence and spirit soul. The compatibility between man and resonance was instinctive. "Ah..." ?Just as Li Luo was completely enthralled by the mystical acquired resonance, a complicated sigh echoed from behind him. Li Luo raised his head and saw that his dad's apparition had begun to act again. The expression on its face was clearly filled with complications. "Little Luo, it looks like you've made your decision," Li Taixuan unhurriedly said. "As your dad, your choice does make me feel a little sad. However, from the perspective of a man, I feel relieved and proud of you. Your future path will undoubtedly be full of danger and peril. But as the son of Li Taixuan, how can these obstacles faze you?" His mom's eyes were also splashed with a tinge of wetness. It seems that when they had left these apparitions behind, they had already predicted this outcome. Perhaps this feeling was also unbearable for her. As a mother, she found it hard to accept that her child would only have five more years of life. Yet she did not dissuade him, as she knew that this decision was for Li Luo to make. Furthermore, he had clearly made his decision, so she would do everything she could to support him and believe in him. "Little Luo, since you have chosen your path, let Mom tell you exactly what sort of acquired resonance we have refined for you." Hearing his mom's words, Li Luo perked up. "Your dad and I experimented with this acquired resonance countless times before finding the most compatible treasures to forge it. "This is a 4th-grade water resonance supplemented with a light resonance." Li Luo was a little shocked before he gave a bitter smile. "Wait... why a water resonance?" Amongst elemental resonances, there weren't elements that were better or worse than one another in general. However, there were differences when it came to practical uses. If one was interested in power and penetrating strength, fire, thunder, and metal were definitely the best-in-class. Water resonances were usually more nurturing and defensive in nature; it was a more flexible sort of element. He had never imagined that his acquired resonance would be one that was more on the side of soft and yielding. "Haha, Little Luo, you must surely be thinking that a water resonance is soft and weak, something that runs contrary to the strength you wish for in your heart. Don't underestimate the might of a water resonance. Although they might initially be more feeble in terms of sheer destructive ability, its affinity for vigorous, sustained attacks is unparalleled and will allow you to grind down any other element. If you are able to exhibit the strengths of the water resonance, it will not be any weaker than other elemental resonances. "Furthermore your water resonance is not a normal one. It also has the power of a light resonance supporting it. If you are able to fully utilize the power of the two, the final result will definitely exceed your imagination! "Of course, your parents did not just give you a waterlight resonance for no reason. There are two more important reasons for this. "You will lose a large amount of your blood essence and a large portion of your life during your first absorption of a acquired resonance. It will inevitably bring about grievous injury to you. Water resonances are gentle, and this water resonances power will nourish your injured body, allowing you to recover quickly." It was as though Li Luo had been enlightened. So this was the reason why. In terms of recovery prowess, a waterlight resonance would definitely be top tier in terms of healing. "Then what's the second reason?"?Li Luo asked curiously within his heart. Not before long, his dad continued to explain. "The second reason is that we hope you become an amazing resonance artificer, to supplement your future cultivation "Do you remember the fundamental requirement to become a resonance artificer?" Li Luo paused momentarily.?"Being a resonance artificer requires one to either possess a water or light resonance." When it came to cultivation, there were naturally numerous auxiliary professions that arose to support it. A resonance artificer was just one of many. They were able to refine and improve the grade of one's resonances with the usage of magical treasures. There were also alchemists; however, those required one to possess a wood or fire resonance. There were also resonant artifact crafters, those who could craft resonant artifacts used for battle. This required metal, fire, or earth resonances. resonance artificers and alchemists were similar in many ways. The key difference was that one improved the grade of their resonances, while the other directly increased resonant power. Water and light resonance cultivators had purifying powers, which was the key reason why they were ideal for becoming resonance artificers. "But why do I need to become a resonance artificer?" Li Luo was a little unconvinced. Just as he asked that question, Li Taixuan's voice once again continued his explanation. "That is because you have a blank palace. You're able to undergo unlimited refinements of your resonance grades. If you become a resonance artificer, you will gain a deeper understanding of the process and your own palaces, allowing you to strive for perfection. "Additionally, other resonance artificers either only possess a water or light resonance. Your waterlight resonance power, on the other hand, contains two elements that can mutually support each other. This is unheard of. If you don't become a resonance artificer, it would be a waste of a heaven-bestowed talent. "The spirit liquids and purifying lights you produce will clearly outclass any made by any other resonance artificer." Tan Tailan then coyly covered her mouth and laughed. "Little Luo, this is a back-up plan that your dad and I have left for you. If House Luolan has been squandered to destitution by you, you'll at least have a set of skills that will allow you to survive." Li Luo's jaw dropped at his parents' plan. In the end, he could only shake his head. He was absolutely speechless. He could only say that his parents had planned for every contingency. Even the profession they had in mind for him had been picked to capitalize on his first acquired resonance's strength. "However, Little Luo, do keep in mind that this first acquired resonance is just the initial step. Your dad and mom were able to help you refine it with your blood essence and spirit soul. The processes of creating your second and third resonances will be increasingly complicated. You will have only yourself to rely on to discover the route ahead. "We recommend that you break into the Resonant Master Stage before searching for a way to craft your second acquired resonance. We have left some possible suggestions on the paths you can take for it as well within the jade. Our experiences have also been recorded for your reference. "The Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art within this jade will only allow you to craft a second acquired resonance. The complete method to craft the third acquired resonance has been left in Xia City for you to retrieve when the time is right." At this point, Li Luo noticed that the apparitions of his parents seemed to have dimmed a little. This led him to realize that this transmission was finally coming to an end. "Dad, Mom..." Li Luo couldn't help but to reach out and grab hold of the light apparitions, only for his hands to pass right through them. The two continued to look at him with gazes that were full of love and doting compassion. "Little Luo, it looks like things are about to end... "Your dad and mom believe that since you have chosen this road, you will definitely succeed in breaking out of this five-year limit. "We know that you worry for us, but rest assuredbefore we meet you again, nothing will happen to us. "Lastly, Little Luo, you must remember that no matter how worried you are, you cannot search for us without reaching the Duke Stage." Finally, the apparitions began to flicker and eventually faded into thin air. The entire room was once again subsumed in darkness and silence. Li Luo continued to sit in front of the black crystal ball, his eyes watery and red. In the end, no tears fell. He rubbed his eyes and made a commitment.?"Dad, Mom... Thank you for giving me everything. Please wait for me. When we meet again, I will definitely shock you and be your source of pride." He gradually composed himself, soothing the turmoil within. After which, he reached out towards the black piece of jade and stashed it away before his eyes landed upon the azure and sacred light-emitting object. "From today onwards... I will be someone who has manifested a resonance!" A blazing fervor could be seen within Li Luo's pupils, along with excitement that had finally reawakened. Without hesitation, he reached out towards the azure acquired resonance. Weng! At the moment of contact, he first felt an icy feeling wash through him, followed by an indescribable, acute pain exploding throughout his entire body. This acute pain intensified and built up, to the point that it completely overwhelmed Li Luo's consciousness. His vision suddenly turned black and his entire body gradually collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud. 1. QUIK MAFFS Chapter 8: A New Beginning Weng! In the depths of the darkness, Li Luo was shocked awake by the sounds of countless slamming doors. He could faintly make out the shapes and colors of his familiar room as he struggled to open his heavy eyelids with all his might. "Huh... this is... what?" In an awakened stupor, he began to mumble incoherently. To his terror, he suddenly noticed that his voice was much weaker than it was before. He once possessed the vibrance of spring, but now he seemed to be like an old man with his life candle faint enough to snuff out from a breeze. Li Luo struggled to pick himself up from the floor, but even after half a day of struggling, he realized that he didn't even have an ounce of strength within his limbs. In the end, all he could do was resign himself to fate and remain lying on the floor for another half a day. Only then did he recover enough strength to stand up and plop himself onto a seat beside him. "Young Lord, are you well?" At this point, a female's voice could be heard. It seemed to be Cai Wei who was asking after him. Li Luo coughed and replied, "I woke up a little late. What's up?" "Qing'e instructed me to inform you that House Luolan's Council of Nine's Pavilion Masters are all here and for you to get ready," Cai Wei's soft and pleasing voice continued. "Alright." Li Luo glanced at a small crack by the window. The light that was coming through was especially resplendent. It was clear that he had laid around for the entire night. Hearing Li Luo's reply, Cai Wei felt that things were a little strange. Why did he sound so feeble? Regardless, she moved on and continued with her tasks. Li Luo then shifted his gaze to where he had placed the black crystal ball the previous night. To his surprise, the black crystal ball had vanished into thin air. There were just a few pieces of ashes remaining on the floor. It seemed that the black crystal ball had engaged a sort of self-destruct function, completely erasing all traces of its existence. Following which, he decided to take a glance at the mirror to have a look at himself. However, what he saw caused his expression to change uncontrollably. The man in the mirror had an alabaster-white complexion. This color would make one assume that all the blood within his body had been sucked away. What was most noticeable was that his once raven-black hair had turned a mix of grey and white. It was clear that the loss of his blood essence had brought about massive changes to his physiology. Li Luo stared blankly at the white-haired youth in the mirror and he spat out his thoughts. "It seems that... I've become even more handsome." Finding joy even in the darkest times, Li Luo continued to muse, "It seems that I've lost more than half of the blood essence my body has stored up over the past seventeen years. All to absorb this acquired resonance." The sudden loss of his blood essence had resulted in a situation where he felt exceptionally weak. Just the act of taking a few steps made him feel dizzy. On top of that, he could also feel an indescribable emptiness within him. This was not a matter of the heart, but rather the loss of his longevity. Li Luo pursed his lips. From this moment on, did he only have five years of life remaining? This would truly force one to feel the pressure of time ticking. He exhaled deeply and closed his eyes. It was time to understand his new body. He could perceive that where there were previously three blank palaces, there was now an azure light being emitted from his first palace. It continuously emitted comfortable and gentle rays of power that were gradually absorbed by this dried-up body of his. Li Luo's mind was solely fixated upon the azure-blue resonant palace. Although he had mentally prepared himself for this sight, actually witnessing it overwhelmed him with emotions. The acquired resonance assimilation was a great success! On this day, his issue of a blank palace had been resolved! Furthermore, his previously unwanted and troublesome blank palaces had turned into a wondrous opportunity for him. Opening his eyes, he could feel the worldly natural energy all around him, with two particular types of energy naturally attracted to him. They were water and light resonance power. In the future, he would be able to absorb these two energies for himself, turning them into his own resonant power. Till then, he would have to cultivate some energy cultivation arts. This was not a huge issue, because House Luolan possessed a strong foundation and hence had stockpiled numerous types. As Li Luo pondered over his future, he gradually stood up, took a shower, and changed to a clean set of clothes. After changing, he reassessed himself in the mirror once again. "Hmm, I might be looking a little haggard and with a head of greyish hair... but damn do I look even more handsome and irresistible than before!" Li Luo muttered as he gave a radiant smile. "Li Luo, your new life awaits you!" .... Meanwhile, within an old manor in the City of Southwind, although it seemed a little deserted, today's atmosphere was rare and solemn. Numerous guards were patrolling the premises surrounded by layers upon layers of sentries. Within the main hall, the atmosphere was similarly somber. It felt hard to even breathe. The spacious hall was furnished with two opposing rows of seats. In the middle of those two rows was a pair of seats, one still empty, whilst Jiang Qing'e occupied the other. Her serene gaze was tinged with coldness. Her golden pupils indifferently swept across the hall, occasionally flitting towards the row on her left. Within that row was a group of four, all exuding roiling waves of energy. The strongest aura came from the one sitting at the head of the row. He looked to be a youth of around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. His features were ordinary, nothing outstanding. His eyes were deep and his nose was long and narrow. On his right earlobe hung a sword-shaped earring that glowed with a faint, cold light. His expression at this moment was extremely warm and a smile was on his face, making it easy for people to have a good impression of him. However, Jiang Qing'e was extremely familiar with the person in front of her. He was not some sort of benevolent individual. In fact, ever since she took control of House Luolan, he was the one responsible for causing her all sorts of impediments. This was Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan's disciple in name, an influential figure of House Luolan, Pei Hao. The three sitting below him were three Pavilion Masters of the Council of Nine. Sitting right across their row were the other six Pavilion Masters of the Council of Nine. Out of the six of them, four supported Jiang Qing'e, whereas the last two were neutral, supporting neither party. One glance at the way the rows were positioned made it abundantly clear just how turbulent the undercurrents of House Luolan had become. Without the two supporting pillars, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, the foundations were easily swayed by the elements and changes... It had been silent for quite some time, accompanied by the reverberating sounds of tea sipping around the hall. As though it was prearranged, the head of the left row, Pei Hao, suddenly placed his teacup on the table with nary an extra amount of force. The clear, crystalline ringing of the cup echoed around the hall, immediately causing the peaceful atmosphere of the room to come to a halt. Pei Hao raised his head and glanced at Jiang Qing'e whilst smiling. "Dear Junior Sister, everyone has been waiting for almost half a day. Why has the Young Lord not arrived?" "Even though he is the Young Lord, everyone knows that we are here to decide upon the matters of House Luolan. I have to remind you that when the masters were around, everyone was punctual. This demonstrates his lack of regard for us." As he spoke, the expressions of the Pavilion Masters of the Council of Nine were varied. Some were unchanging, some frowned slightly, while the rest murmured in a soft tone. Jiang Qing'e apathetically replied, "Why have I never seen you exhibit so much patience when ?the masters were around, then?" Pei Hao's eyes narrowed into a line as he smiled. "Apprentice Sister, the future waits for no one, and we have to move forward." Pausing, he stared to look at the rest of the hall before continuing, "Since the Young Lord is late and has not shown himself, I recommend that we proceed and not waste any more time. In any case..." At this point, he had an exasperated smile on his face. "... we all understand his situation. In fact, it's probably for the better that he's not around. Why not let him rest peacefully?" Within the hall was a myriad of different expressions. Other than Jiang Qing'e, no one else had spoken since the beginning. "Since no one has any disagreements, let us begin." Pei Hao continued to smile as he waved his hand, indicating that a decision had been made. Jiang Qing'e had an icy countenance at this point, but just as she was about to speak, cacophonous laughter rang from behind the beaded curtain in the room before the hall. "Senior Pei Hao! It's been quite a few years since we've last met. You seem to have become somewhat... tyrannical! I suppose if my parents knew of how outstanding you have become, they would definitely have appreciated you a little more." As the laughter rang out, the beaded curtain lifted and a slender and handsome youth strode in with a smirk on his face. When everyone in the main hall saw that face, their bodies couldn't help but to shake involuntarily as everyone reflexively stood up as though conditioned to do so. That face was exceptionally similar to the one they respected from the depths of their hearts. Even Pei Hao's silly smile had stiffened for a brief moment upon his entrance. His body seemed to have bent slightly, and at the moment he was about to stand, his heart calmed down and he saw him for who he was. The person in front of him was not one of the two masters... This was just a blank-palace cripple! To regain order, he quickly raised his hand and crushed the teacup in front of him. A crisp and clear sound blanketed the room when the entire teacup turned into dust. This seemed to have awakened the nine Pavilion Masters from their stupor, and they quickly composed themselves. Following which, embarrassment could be seen scrawled all over their faces. The three Pavilion Masters on Pei Haos side immediately took their seats. The remaining six Pavilion Masters hesitated for a brief moment before walking over to offer their respects to Li Luo. "Greetings, Young Lord." As they focused more closely on Li Luo, they noticed that despite him resembling his parents in style, he did not possess the same awe-inspiring momentum. In short, he was still too young and immature. Although that illusion of grandeur only happened for a split second, it seemed as though they could no longer remain as calm as before. What made them feel the most surprised was Li Luo's head of grey hair. Even Jiang Qing'e was astounded by Li Luo's new hair color as she scrutizined him. This brat was clearly just fine yesterday... Li Luo reciprocated the greetings to the six and then glanced at the immovable Pei Hao, who was still rooted into his seat. "Even though it's only been a few years since we've met, it looks like you've changed into a completely different person, Senior Pei Hao." Everyone within the hall could understand the implied meaning behind Li Luo's words, causing the Pavilion Masters' gazes to light up. In the past, when Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan were still around, Pei Hao would smile warmly and treat Li Luo gently, like a loving elder brother. He would often even spend time wracking his brains for appropriate gifts for Li Luo. Unfortunately, no one, not even Li Luo's parents, could have ever expected that this perennially respectful disciple would suddenly bare his fangs and reveal his true personality in the years they were gone. Pei Hao replied with that ever-smiling face of his as he observed Li Luo, "It's been a while! Little Luo seems to have aged quite a bit," Following which, he paused and then frowned seriously, "Though why is it that you've become so pale and your hair has turned white? It looks like at the rate that you're going, you barely have much longer to live." Chapter 9: Council Meeting Pei Hao's voice resounded throughout the hall, causing the atmosphere to freeze immediately. Who would have expected that this once amiable and friendly man would spout such poisonous and vicious words? Even though Li Luo's complexion was indeed pale and sickly, one didn't have to go so far as to curse that the person was doomed to die, no? The three Pavilion Masters beside Pei Hao clearly looked awkward in reaction to this chain of events. However, they did not speak and just continued to stare at the floor, as though the tiles were the most fascinating objects in the world. The other six Pavilion Masters, on the other hand, were clearly enraged. Peng!?Another large shock echoed throughout the room, surprising all. When they looked over, they saw that Jiang Qing'e's jadelike palm had slammed against the table, an absolutely icy expression on her face. Yet before Jiang Qing'e could speak, Pei Hao immediately patted his mouth and laughed. "Sorry, sorry! I spoke out of turn and accidentally shot my mouth off. I hope Little Luo won't fault me for my accidental transgressions." Li Luo glared at Pei Hao as he sized him up before also breaking into a smile. Although he was accustomed to seeing the two-faced reactions of numerous people in the past few years, those were all outsiders. Pei Hao was someone who had been saved by his parents, and it was not an exaggeration to say that he had been given a new lease of life. Without Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, Pei Hao would probably have had his four limbs broken by that family he offended and thrown into the sewers before being left for dead. Where would he even have the opportunity to attain all that he had now? Everything that this Pei Hao had revealed demonstrated a complete lack of gratitude for Li Luos parents. On top of that, he even harbored a considerable grudge. This led Li Luo to sigh. His parents may have been wise and brilliant over the years, but even then, they were human and had made a mistake. "No worries! This is just your true self leaking out. What is there to be offended about? To be frank, even if I were, what could I do about it? Hence, I won't say any superfluous words here." Li Luo shook his head and took his seat in the middle of the two rows. Pei Hao's face was full of mirth as he casually spun a thumb ring around his finger. He didn't seem to have taken any offense or become enraged at Li Luo's mocking words. There was no need to. It was as Li Luo had said, even if he was offended, what could Li Luo do? The House Luolan of today was no longer the house of the past. Without it's two immovable pillars, there was no one who Pei Hao feared. A hopeless Young Lord was only useful as a puppet. If not for Jiang Qing'e, he would very possibly have taken control of the entire House Luolan by now. "Since the Young Lord is here, then I suppose the discussions can begin?" Pei Hao turned to look at Jiang Qing'e. Jiang Qing'e remained expressionless as she apathetically replied, "Why don't you start? Why haven't you contributed even a single piece of skygold from the three pavilions under your control to the house treasuries this year?" Pei Hao lightly sighed and replied, "The three pavilions under me are not doing well this year at all. Junior Sister, you might have already heard that all three pavilions have mysteriously burned down! I suspect it is the doings of those external powers that covet our House Luolan's businesses. I tried my best to investigate the root of the issue, but alas! My investigations turned up with absolutely no result! Hence, I have nothing to contribute this year!" Li Luo merely listened quietly. Although Pei Hao's explanation seemed unbelievable and even comical, he did not interrupt. He understood that his words held no weight within House Luolan. The title of Young Lord was merely a superficial title in the eyes of everyone within the house. Thus, there was no need to speak out and court a rebuff. Jiang Qing'e gave Pei Hao a deep and firm look before saying, "Is this your reason, Pei Hao?" Pei Hao casually smirked yet again. "Since Junior Sister wants a reason, then I will just give you a random one! Is there really a need to clarify certain things? Perhaps now that things have come to this, then let me make it clear to Junior Sister and the Young Lord. The three pavilions under me will not be contributing a single piece of skygold this year. In fact, from today onwards, they will not be contributing anything ever again." Pei Hao's light tone landed heavily on everyone's ears. It was as though a peal of thunder had crashed through the room, absolutely shocking all. Jiang Qing'e's body started to exude a cold air and the very atmosphere seemed to have congealed. Her icy tone chilled the hearts of everyone in the room. "So it looks like you plan to defect?" Pei Hao grinned before replying, "I could hardly bear to leave House Luolan... It's just that there isn't an actual House Lord right now. Who knows what or where this skygold will end up if I pass it over? Perhaps when an appropriate House Lord is finally chosen, I reckon it won't be too late to submit my tithes." A depressing atmosphere pervaded the hall. The other six Pavilion Masters had ugly looks on their faces. If this was truly the case, then House Luolan would become the joke amongst the Four Great Houses. This was because Pei Hao had effectively already formed his own feudal army and demonstrated his intent to rebel and divide House Luolan up. "Pei Hao, do you plan to destroy House Luolan? Do you think you will benefit from its downfall?" a middle-aged man with a deep voice asked. His name was Lei Zhang, and he was a representative that supported Jiang Qing'e. Pei Hao shook his head. "As I previously said, I don't wish for House Luolan's downfall." Pausing for a few breaths, he looked over at the silent Li Luo before continuing, "Actually, I want to follow the rules. It's not impossible for me to contribute my tithes honestly... Of course, I hope that the Young Lord can promise me a single thing in exchange." Li Luo snapped out of his state where he was merely observing with his senses and his heart before affixing his gaze at Pei Hao. Curiously, he asked, "I would like to know what sort of condition Manager Pei Hao has in mind." Pei Hao's eyes shifted from Li Luo to envelope Jiang Qing'e, taking in the sights of her icy and exquisite demeanor and her slender figure. A trace of fiery greed passed through the depths of his pupils. "I hope that the Young Lord will annul the engagement with Junior Sister." After these words were spoken, the temperature within the room seemed to have dropped to absolute zero and everything froze. Li Luo was not furious, but rather seemed to have turned expressionless. He had often discussed the idea of breaking up the engagement with Jiang Qing'e and had even come up with a promise for the future Yet this was something between himself and Jiang Qing'e. The two of them were free to do whatever they wanted or say anything they wished between themselves... It was a personal relationship. On the other hand, Pei Hao had come up with such a ludicrous idea. Just who did he think he was? Bang!?Just as Li Luo's heart was turning cold and about to explode forth, a sudden influx of energy exploded outwards within the main hall. This energy was resplendent and bright, its radiance sweeping across all, bathing the entire hall with light rays. Immediately after, Li Luo could indistinctly make out Jiang Qing'e being wreathed in light and shooting outwards, leaving a wondrous afterimage behind. She headed directly towards where Pei Hao was sitting. This sudden attack also took Pei Hao by surprise, and so he could only stare. In the blink of an eye, his own body was also wreathed in golden light. The sword-shaped earring on his right ear quickly disattached and swiftly, like a storm, transformed into a golden longsword. Surging golden resonant power coated the longsword, increasing its sharpness. Additionally, an inordinate amount of colorful energy channelled through it, looking like countless rainbows. Dang! The collision of metal and gold clashed, resulting in an explosive shockwave of energy. At the same time, all of the furniture within the hall was blasted into pieces. The nine Pavilion Masters immediately acted and dissolved the remnant energy, trying to observe the aftermath. All they could see was two silhouettes locked in a confrontation with swords brandished. Jiang Qing'e against Pei Hao. Jiang Qing'e was clutching an epee, a sword dripping with resplendent light. The light was bright enough to dazzle the eyes, and if one were to stare at it for too long, they would undoubtedly feel piercing pain in their pupils! Who would have expected that this normally refined and pure goddess would be able to produce such shocking amounts of power in the heat of the moment! She possessed truly tyrannical light resonance power! On the opposite side of Jiang Qing'e stood Pei Hao, who was wielding a golden longsword. His body was emitting waves of golden resonant power that seemed unusually fierce and even sharp. This was metal resonant power. When the two swords clashed, resonant power exploded outwards, and even the floorboards were cracked to the point that patterns not unlike that of a turtle shell could be seen everywhere. Pei Hao, still unfazed, maintained a sweet smile. "Ninth-grade Light Resonance. Its fame is well deserved. Junior Sister is just an early stage Earth Fiend, but your resonant power is already so domineering. It's clearly not inferior to my late stage Earth Fiend resonant power." "Your metal resonance seems to have already been raised to the seventh-grade. It looks like you have squandered quite a bit of the tithes meant for House Luolan," Jiang Qing'e coolly replied. Pei Hao used to have a sixth-grade metal resonance, but during this particular clash, Jiang Qing'e could faintly feel that her opponent's metal resonant power had become even fiercer. Raising a sixth-grade to a seventh-grade would require a significant amount of spirit liquids and purifying lights. Pei Hao did not reply and instead the two immediately burst out with even more resonant power, their swords savagely colliding for another blow. Dang! The energy generated from the clash blew both parties back a few steps. "How presumptuous of you, Pei Hao!" At this point, Lei Zhang and a few Pavilion Masters appeared behind Jiang Qing'e, their expressions a steely green as they chided. At the same time, the other three Pavilion Masters stood behind Pei Hao, their stances clear as they prepared themselves. The sounds of the battle could be heard from outside the hall. At the same time, chaos was everywhere outside as well. Two waves of horses and men had rushed in, prepared to confront each other. "Junior Sister, are you planning to let the entire Xia Kingdom know of our internal strife?" Pei Hao gave a wry smile. Jiang Qing'e's had an unchanging, cold expression on her face, her gaze emanating waves of killing intent. "Pei Hao, if you don't wish to die, then swallow those words of yours back into your defiled tummy. No one can interfere in our affairs, you have no right to." Pei Hao mused in silence for a moment as he frowned. "Junior Sister, why are you acting this way? Isn't that engagement merely a burden for you? I know that you are very thankful towards our masters, but there is no need to be so committed towards Li Luo. He... just isn't a match for you." "Cruel and unscrupulous dregs like you simply cannot comprehend what gratitude is," Jiang Qing'e insipidly replied. Pei Hao shook his head as he stared at Li Luo. "Li Luo, it's best you smarten up. Otherwise, I will let you know the meaning of getting into trouble for hoarding a treasure! House Luolan is merely just a decoration to you. Junior Sister, on the other hand, is a talented genius and is something you do not deserve to have. Believe me, if you want to imprison her with the gratitude she owes your parents, then you will eventually bring about a catastrophe to yourself." Li Luo calmly replied, unfazed by his maddened words, "You're trying to say that I should let go of both House Luolan and Sister Qing'e?" "If you're smart enough, then that is exactly what you ought to do." Pei Hao nodded before he continued compassionately, "I am doing this for your own good. If you don't have any power, then you ought to curb your greed. This way, you might still have a way to become a rich and idle man." Li Luo smiled and replied, "Pei Hao, aren't you worried about what will happen to you when my parents eventually return?" Pei Hao's pupils shrank slightly and the expressions of the three Pavilion Masters behind him turned grave. In the end, Pei Hao shook his head. "Li Luo, you should not hold on to such sad and naive hopes. Based on what I've heard, I'm afraid my masters will no longer be able to return." As he looked at Li Luo, he gave a sympathetic sigh. "Hence, your pillar of support is gone. Are you any different from me when I was powerless? No! In fact, I doubt you could even match up to me at my worst Even at my worst, when I had no support and was poor and destitute, I still possessed some potential. "You, on the other hand.... you... have... nothing!" Chapter 10: White Eyed Wolf Pei Hao's harsh words were just like a sharp blade, cutting straight towards the heart. These words infuriated the Pavilion Masters who were siding with Jiang Qing'e. At the same time, they couldn't help but to look over at Li Luo. What was most surprising was that he seemed to be completely indifferent to those words. This led them to heave sighs of relief and at the same time taste a tinge of regret. This young lord may have been cursed with a blank palace, but his heart was unyielding and firm, something commendable considering his situation. Pei Hao also noticed that Li Luo was unfazed by his words, making him feel astonished. Perhaps this was not unexpected. Li Luo had changed over these past few years. Perhaps he had already accepted the gravity of the situation. "Are you done blabbering?" Li Luo retorted calmly. Pei Hao returned his reply with a dull smile. "Actually, I've been quite baffled by this series of events. My parents have clearly lavished you with their favor. Why are you acting as though you possess an immense grudge against them?" Li Luo asked. Pei Hao paused for a moment in thought and replied, "My masters have indeed treated me well. Yet they have always known what I truly wanted: to become a full-fledged disciple. Not just a mere disciple in name. For this goal, I labored for House Luolan endlessly, and what did I get? They never so much as opened their mouths to accept me! Can you understand how many times I've anticipated this reward, only to be disappointed?" Li Luo laughed. "Is this what it means when one says if you provide too much help in a time of need, the person becomes reliant on you instead? In retrospect, what my parents did was right. With your ungrateful and vicious personality, it would be akin to inviting a blind and vicious wolf into our home. Imagine if you had become an actual legacy disciple... Just what more would you have done? Giving you the position of an actual disciple would only have amplified your wild heart, making it even easier for you to take control of House Luolan." Pei Hao shook his head to disagree, unwilling to further quibble with Li Luo regarding that. "It looks like you aren't interested in my proposition, then?" Li Luo shook his head. "Stop wasting your effort. This marriage agreement is something between Sister Qing'e and I. It will not change based on your threats." Hearing his reply, Pei Hao sighed lightly, "Li Luo, greed will only lead to your reckoning. This is no longer the past. You no longer have any capital here." Li Luo's gaze was affixed on Pei Hao. Despite Li Luo having a much weaker aura compared to Pei Hao, his fervent gaze possessed something that led Pei Hao to feel mildly uncomfortable. "I will redirect the same words back to you." As he spoke, Li Luo's expression became dead-serious. Pei Hao naturally laughed. "Li Luo, do you really believe that Junior Sister will always be there to protect you? How childish and naive. Since you don't agree with my suggestions, let's leave it at that. From now on, it's as I said. The three pavilions under me will no longer contribute a single tithe to the House. Similarly, any commandments made... will not be implemented... depending on my mood." The expressions of the six remaining Pavilion Masters within the hall gradually turned frigid. Two of the six were still trying to stay neutral. However, if Pei Hao truly wanted to carve apart House Luolan, their interests would also inevitably be affected. If this was the case, they would unfortunately only be able to obey Jiang Qing'e's orders and suppress the other three pavilions and Pavilion Masters. If things were to escalate to that point, House Luolan's dirty laundry would indeed be aired to the public eye and all of the powers within the Xia Kingdom. "What? You wish for me to show my hand?" Pei Hao could feel their cold gazes bearing upon him as he chuckled. Looking at Pei Hao's jubilant expression, Lei Zhang and his fellow Pavilion Masters held themselves back in fear of the consequences of aggravating this beast. What was true in Pei Hao's previous exchange with Li Luo was that his contributions to House Luolan had not been minor. When House Luolan was ascending through the ranks, he had exerted himself greatly, reaping the lives of numerous strong foes. Pei Hao had even become a late stage Earth Fiend. Other than Lei Zhang, who was a middle stage Earth Fiend, the rest were only early stage Earth Fiends. In this group, perhaps only the ninth-grade Light Resonance-wielding Jiang Qing'e could be his match. Most importantly, Pei Hao wasn't just a single individual. He possessed a veritable army and three Pavilion Masters on his end as well. If all hell were to break loose, it would announce to the world House Luolan's internal strife and the House's position within the Xia Kingdom would become even more untenable, to add insult to injury. "Everyone, my aim here today is not to engage in meaningless gossip. What I wanted to do was find a solution that would allow House Luolan to continue to stand tall within the Xia Kingdom. "If Junior Sister is willing to annul the marriage, then I'm willing to work together to bring House Luolan towards a new era!" Pei Hao's gaze flitted around the group with his ever-present smile. "Now that things have come to this, I can only blame a certain Young Lord for being too greedy... It's time to settle things." At this point, he produced a medallion. On it was engraved the word "Mo". This immediately set off a chain of different expressions amongst the group when they realized what it was. "Is this Elder Mo's medallion?" Lei Zhang quietly asked. In House Luolan, other than the nine Pavilion Masters, there were also three respected ancestors holding high positions. They were the mightiest warriors of House Luolan, excluding the two House Lords, and they were all Heavenly Dipper Generals. Normally, these ancestors would not interfere in the mundane matters of House Luolan, only rising to the occasion when dealing with enemies that brought about existential danger. This was the agreement that Li Taixuan had made with them. Specifically, Elder Mo was the strongest amongst the trio. Who would ever have imagined that the one who was most obligated to protect House Luolan would instead pass his authority medallion to Pei Hao. This was a clear indication of his stance. "When Master first invited the three ancestors to join, he said that they possessed the power of supervision. Whoever is capable of obtaining the support of two ancestors and four Pavilion Masters by next year's meeting will have the right to become the House Lord of House Luolan." Pei Hao grinned. "Hence, you don't have to be concerned about me tearing House Luolan apart. What I truly want is the complete whole." The entire hall was shocked. No one had expected this turn of events, nor for Pei Hao to raise this possibility. Judging from the current developments, he did indeed have the possibility to succeed. It was clear that he had long made preparations for the sake of today, taking effect immediately after the House Lords had disappeared. Pei Hao's gaze then turned onto the icy Jiang Qing'e and then to Li Luo at the side. "So treasure this remaining year's worth of time. You might no longer have any affiliation to House Luolan after the next housemeet. At that point, you will truly have nothing!" After delivering his ultimatum, Pei Hao turned and strode away, the three Pavilion Masters in tow. With Pei Hao's departure, the frigid atmosphere previously found in the hall gradually warmed up. Yet the countenances of the ones remaining were tinged with sadness. Although they had made certain preparations for the housemeet, when push came to shove, it had still caused quite a headache. What was commendable was Jiang Qing'e being able to remain cool and collected the entire time. She immediately reassured the six Pavilion Masters and delegated some important matters before letting them go. After which, silence descended upon the hall again. Li Luo's eyes were fixated upon the floorboards until his view was filled by a pair of straight and slender jade-like legs. Only then did he snap back to reality and raise his head to look at the person in front of him. His gaze met Jiang Qing'e's, quietly watching him with her alluring, golden pupils. "Even though you seem to be calm on the outside, you must be seething on the inside, huh?" Jiang Qing'e casually asked. Li Luo gave a bitter smile. "How can I not be angry?" Pei Hao had treated him as though he was non-existent. Combined with the request to annul the marriage in front of the House, it was akin to being stomped in the face. "However, your performance was admirable. You never lost your cool." Jiang Qing'e's dainty, red lips rose into a slight smile as she praised him. "If only I was strong enough. I would have smashed him to a pulp on the spot and assisted my parents with some housekeeping matters..." Li Luo sighed. Staying calm? Wasn't this because he could do nothing else? At this point in time, Li Luo gained a greater appreciation for the importance of personal strength. The Young Lord without his parents was worth nothing at all. He did realize that what was most important now were his blank palaces. Everyone thought that he was powerless and hence underestimated him. "No one will ever have a smooth life. Exercising forbearance is a virtue," Jiang Qing'e explained. Li Luo nodded in agreement. "After experiencing today's housemeet, I now understand just how much trouble House Luolan is in. These two years must have been hard on you, Sister Qing'e." House Luolan's ascent to the top had been too rapid and a solid foundation had not been laid, resulting in the situation seen today. The moment the founders disappeared, the tower they had built was no longer stable. If not for Jiang Qing'e's two years of blood, sweat, and tears, perhaps the predators looking to tear the place apart would not only just be Pei Hao. Jiang Qing'e took a seat as she elegantly folded her alluring, white, and slender legs together. "Don't take what Pei Hao said to heart. I will deal with him. All I need is a little bit of time." After saying this, killing intent could be seen emanating from her pure-gold pupils. "Since the two of us already had an agreement, then I will naturally carry it out. I will hand House Luolan to you in one complete piece. Thus, don't take to mind the problems faced by House Luolan today. What you need to focus on is Southwind Academy's final examination happening next month. If you are able to enter the Astral Sage College, all these problems will naturally resolve themselves," Jiang Qing'e gently said. At this point, she paused and tilted her head slightly and smirked. "Of course, if you feel that your chances aren't too good, just let me know. I can treat your agreement as something you said at the spur of the moment and won't hold it against you." Li Luo blinked before extending his hand. "Pass me your hand." Slightly suspicious, she inspected the hand in front of her and paused for a moment. If it were some random stranger who had asked this of her, they would most definitely get a sword chopping towards them in return. Li Luo, on the other hand... they did have a special relationship after all. Hence, she expressionlessly extended her own dainty hand, placing it within Li Luo's palm. Li Luo tightly grasped her small hand, that delicate feeling causing one's heart to sway. Perhaps it was due to her light resonance that her skin was an exceptionally sparkling snow-white, like the most beautiful of jade, the downfall of a kingdom. However, Li Luo suppressed his urges to fondle her hand gently, instead circulating a tiny amount of resonant power to be emitted from the palm of his hand. The previously calm Jiang Qing'e's expression changed swiftly when she felt that weak amount of resonant power come forth. Grasping Li Luo's palm tightly with her slender fingers, she directed her consciousness towards Li Luo's body. It was then that she discovered that Li Luo's previously blank palace was now emanating an azure radiance! Jiang Qing'e was a little shocked at Li Luo's smug look. "This... is a water resonance? You've manifested a resonance?" Her mind in shock, she only released her grip gradually after a long while. "Is this what the Masters left behind for you?" Li Luo nodded. Jiang Qing'e exhaled lightly before speaking. "This seems to be the best piece of news all day! Although your water resonance is not of a high grade, it seems to have an unmatched sort of purity to it. Perhaps this is because the Masters utilized treasures from the heavens and earth to craft it. Regardless, this is still an excellent beginning." It was clear from Jiang Qing'e's facial expression that her mood had improved. Even her slender eyebrows were no longer furrowed in thought. She even joked, "Congratulations! Eh? It looks like you've finally made it a tiny step closer towards annulling the marriage agreement!" But she was faced with a serious question now. "Do you think his words about my parents were true?" Li Luo smiled helplessly. Jiang Qing'e's long eyelashes gently fluttered as she blinked. "Although I don't know where he got his sources from, I personally feel that with how shortsighted he is, how could he possibly comprehend how mighty the Masters are? Furthermore, I believe that the two of them have only been restrained temporarily. They are definitely fine and free of harm." Li Luo gradually nodded vigorously in agreement. "I feel the same way too." Jiang Qing'e stood up and walked to the window. At this point, the sun's rays bathed her exquisite body with resplendence, each ray tracing her every movement, a truly soul-stirring sight. "I will return to Xia City tomorrow. If you need me for anything, let Cai Wei know. She will remain in the Tianshu Province for a while, helping to tidy up House Luolan's affairs" After settling a few more matters, Jiang Qing'e turned to look at Li Luo. The sun had yet to set, and its light shrouded her perfect silhouette. Those golden pupils looked even more radiant with such a background, an eye-catching and unforgettable sight. "And so, Li Luo.... I hope that the next time I see you, you'll already be part of the Astral Sage College," Jiang Qing'e, with that ever-beautiful smile on her face, quietly murmured to herself. Chapter 11: Energy Cultivation Arts The next day, right at the gates of the old manor. Li Luo's gaze followed Jiang Qing'e's departing carriage as it disappeared into the distance. Beside him stood Uncle Liu with his hands behind his back, and Cai Wei with her exceptionally developed body. "Hu." As Li Luo continued to stare at the carriage which had been swallowed up by the wilderness, he released a light exhale before turning to speak to Uncle Liu. "Uncle Liu, please assist me with applying for a week's leave of absence from the academy. I wish to recuperate for a period of time." As the absorption of the acquired resonance had drained him of too much of his blood essence, going back to the academy would only invite gossip and rumor-mongering. Now that he had a water resonance, the most pressing concern was to find an appropriate energy cultivation art. Only this would allow his body's resonant power to quickly increase. Southwind Academy might possess numerous cultivation arts, but there were countless restrictions and conditions to borrow them. It was incomparably more convenient to tap upon his family's resources and private library. The only issue was the exam taking place in a month's time. Even this simple act of taking a week off from school would undoubtedly invite speculation from countless individuals. The only good thing was that at this point in time, Li Luo no longer cared about what others thought of him. "Yes, Milord," the honest Uncle Liu responded before proceeding to carry out his instruction. "Elder Sister Cai Wei," said Li Luo as he turned to face her. With her narrow and charming eyes, she gave a reserved smile. "Please instruct me, Milord." "Please assist me with obtaining some spirit liquids and purifying lights, those of the fourth-grade." Li Luo smiled. Her lush eyelashes blinked at the request. These were treasures used to improve the grade of one's resonance. Wasn't Li Luo born with a blank palace? Just what was he trying to do? Although her heart was full of confusion, she nevertheless agreed. "How many portions does the Young Lord require?" Li Luo pondered for a moment before replying, "Why don't we start with fifty." Although Cai Wei was a calm and rational adult, upon hearing of the request for fifty portions, she stared at Li Luo blankly. Had she heard incorrectly? "Young Lord, did you say FIFTY portions of fourth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights?" Cai Wei couldn't help but ask him to clarify. Li Luo saw her confused gaze and nodded attentively. Cai Wei's pearly-white teeth bit down upon her dainty, red lips in shock. Spirit liquids and purifying lights were exceptionally valuable and expensive, and fourth-grade ones were even more pricey! At current market prices, one portion would cost a thousand pieces of skygold. Fifty would be fifty thousand! House Luolan's profits from across the entire scope of its businesses, when aggregated, was only about thirty thousand pieces of skygold! Furthermore, over these past few years, their profits had decreased as a result of the familys situation. Honestly, this amount of skygold spent was not a significant problem. House Luolan was considered a behemoth with numerous family businesses. Fifty thousand skygold was not enough to give rise to hesitation from Cai Wei's perspective. It was just that this entire request to purchase fifty portions of fourth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights seemed weird and outlandish. Spirit liquids and purifying lights main usage were to temper one's natural resonances, to increase their grade. It was common knowledge that all spirit liquids and purifying lights possessed some form of impurities that would gradually corrupt one's resonant palace. Over a period of accumulation, this would eventually seal one's resonant palace, and at that point, tempering it any further would be impossible, reaching its final peak. People who utilized these spirit liquids and purifying lights would not do so wantonly. They would control the frequency of this tempering, perhaps only once or twice a month. This would reduce the effect of the impurities on one's resonant palace and bring out the greatest tempering effect from these treasures. Thus, even if one wanted to buy spirit liquids and purifying lights, it would only ever be in small quantities. In spite of all these conditions, Li Luo had come out with a bang and asked for fifty. Just how many years could one use them for? [1] Cai Wei could not comprehend just what Li Luo was trying to do... this sounded insane. However, Li Luo was the Young Lord, and Jiang Qing'e had left specific instructions for her to acquiesce to any of Li Luo's demands. Resigned, she nodded lightly in agreement. "Alright." "Then I will have to trouble Elder Sister Cai Wei." Li Luo gave a vibrant and warm smile before turning to enter the old manor. Cai Wei stared at his leaving figure before heaving a sigh. This Young Lord seemed a little reckless. Even after being part of yesterday's altercation, was he still unaware of the numerous internal and external dangers that surrounded House Luolan? Even though he was a cripple with no ability to directly assist Qing'e, he didn't have to cause trouble, did he? Just how long would it take for House Luolan to recoup the losses from the Young Lord's wanton spending habits? At that point in time, was he going to request Jiang Qing'e's assistance on top of that? House Luolan's situation was already unstable and required large amounts of skygold to begin with! Gradually, she massaged her temples to calm herself down. It looks like she would be placed in quite a few predicaments during her short stay at the Tianshu Province. Meanwhile... Li Luo did not bother to think too much of the numerous dilemmas Cai Wei was grappling with internally. In fact, he was happy! He felt as free as a bird and full of hope for the future. He directly made his way to the old manor's library. The library was the repository for all of House Luolan's acquired cultivation arts and resonance arts. Even though the majority of them had been moved to Xia City's headquarters, the ones remaining within the old manor were still numerous. And hence this was also the most important location in the entire old manor. The force guarding it was not to be underestimated, as numerous protectors could be seen in its vicinity. This was where the benefits of being the young lord could truly shine. Li Luo merely had to walk right in as was his right! The librarian was a little surprised to see Li Luo come in and was momentarily left in a daze. However, he quickly recovered and respectfully greeted him. "Young Lord." Li Luo nodded in response before instructing, "Find every single energy cultivation art that is appropriate for a fourth-grade resonance and bring them to me." Upon hearing his command, the librarian was a little confused as well. When Li Luo visited the library in the past, he would only ever look for resonance arts. Energy cultivation arts were completely ignored as he had a blank palace and they weren't of much use to him. Regardless, he would not dare to object or be concerned with the reason. Li Luo WAS the young lord. He was technically the one with the highest authority within the old manor. Hence, he immediately followed the command, swiftly beginning to search for the energy cultivation arts that Li Luo had requested. Li Luo, on the other hand, found himself a simple, quiet room to patiently wait in. Before long, the librarian rushed in with a pile of jade slips, completely drenched in sweat. "Young Lord, all of the energy cultivation arts suitable for a fourth-grade resonance can be found here. There are twenty-eight Entry Stage arts and six General-level arts." Li Luo nodded in affirmation and signalled for him to leave. Following which, he began to carefully browse through them. Within the Xia Kingdom, energy cultivation arts could be divided into several grades. Their grading system was similar to the way stages of power were differentiated: Entry Stage, General Stage, Duke Stage, King Stage. Except for the Entry Stage, there were also minor differences where each cultivation art level was further split into high-grade, middle-grade, and low-grade. Entry Stage energy cultivation arts could allow one to cultivate from the Ten Seals Stage to the beginning of the Resonant Master Stage. However, if one wanted to truly enter the first Resonant Master Stage, the General Stage, then they would require the usage of a General Stage energy cultivation art and so forth. Entry Stage energy cultivation arts were common like flies and relatively similar. Only General Stage energy cultivation arts and above were more scarce. Usually, only middle-tier powers possessed them. Duke Stage energy cultivation arts were even rarer. Only top-tier powers would possess these. On this note, Li Luo remembered that House Luolan possessed two complete versions of Duke Stage energy cultivation arts, left behind by both his parents. With regards to King Stage energy cultivation arts... this was precious beyond comparison. If one truly appeared in the open, it would most definitely incite the attention of all of the mightiest powers within the Xia Kingdom. There would undoubtedly be a clash of the titans in that scenario. In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the entire kingdom would descend into war just for it. Normally speaking, higher grade energy cultivation arts also tended to be more harsh on the cultivator's body. They had numerous sorts of requirements on the grade of the resonance. As Li Luo's waterlight resonance was only fourth-grade, he had only requested energy cultivation arts that he could utilize. As time went on, all of the jade slips before Li Luo were swiftly reviewed. He eventually narrowed his choices down to three energy cultivation arts. Nine Stages Throughput Art, low-grade General Stage. Azureflood Meditation Diagram, middle-grade General Stage. Spirit Transformation Art, middle-grade General Stage. These three energy cultivation arts were all at the General Stage. When cultivated to their peak, they would allow one to enter the General Stage. These three were of a decent grade, and although not the best, they were still nothing to be scoffed at. Most importantly, they were suitable for Li Luo's fourth-grade waterlight resonance. He would await the day that he tempered his resonance before looking for a more suitable energy cultivation art. This would not be a significant problem. After further deliberation, he eventually settled upon the Azureflood Meditation Diagram. This art specialized in allowing the cultivator's resonant power to be emitted in a continuous and robust wave, much like a raging sea. It seemed fitting for Li Luo's waterlight resonance. "You're the one!" Li Luo stowed the jade slip away and excitedly got up to leave the small room. He then made his way to a secret chamber below the library, something which his parents had specifically constructed for cultivation. It was here where he would finally embark on the path of cultivation. 1. TLN: If my math checks out... maybe 25 years? :P Chapter 12: Cultivating Resonant Power Li Luo entered the lowest level of the library, where he encountered a massive door made of an extraordinary spiritual metal. Utilising a drop of his blood allowed him to open it. What lay behind the door was a brightly lit cultivation chamber. This cultivation chamber was not as simple as it seemed. The purest of skygold was utilized as the main material for its construction. Skygold was a metal that was usually buried deep under the ground, created from the accumulation of worldly natural energy congealing into a physical form. This was the reason why it was such a special and highly sought-after metal. Hence, skygold was not just a form of common currency, it could also naturally attract copious amounts of worldly natural energy to itself. A cultivation chamber built out of skygold would thus be a standard requirement for cultivators amongst mighty powers, greatly increasing the speed at which they could cultivate. "This truly is extravagant." Li Luo took slow steps as he entered the chamber, sighing in amazement at the sight around him. His parents had spent almost one hundred thousand pieces of skygold to construct this. Practicing his energy cultivation arts here would most definitely provide twice the results with half the effort. Till now, only Jiang Qing'e and him were allowed to cultivate here, and for that matter, this was his very first time stepping within. This was truly a house made of gold. It has to be said that one got what they paid for. The skygold was truly not wasted, as merely standing within the room allowed Li Luo to sense the immense difference in density of worldly natural energy compared to just outside. Sighing again at how lucky he was, Li Luo moved towards the center of the chamber. Within which were two stone platforms, each with their own mats. Clearly, this was where his parents sat when they cultivated here. Li Luo picked one of the mats at random and sat cross-legged with both hands grasping a jade slip, his eyes closed. He began to chant the incantation recorded from the Azureflood Meditation Diagram in his heart. At the same time, his breathing followed the pattern prescribed by the art, gradually inhaling and exhaling. Six exhales followed by three inhales. Nine shallow breaths followed by four deep ones... Li Luo began to adjust his breathing patterns, causing the effects to fluctuate. In the beginning, he would often make mistakes unknowingly, but his amazing perception and talent gradually revealed themselves. He quickly managed to grasp the underlying principles behind the Azureflood Meditation Diagram and truly entered the Ten Seals Stage. As Li Luo sat on the mat, his eyes were closed tightly and his mind was fully focused. As time passed, it was as though he could hear the waves of the sea, ebbing and flowing. The name of the art, Azureflood, was the key to understanding the grand meaning of this art. Li Luo imagined himself sitting within a raging sea, allowing the mighty waves to crash around him. Little by little, he could feel the worldly natural energy all around him start to surge. Within that cacophony of energies, the water element energy was sensed most distinctly. There was also some light element energy that could be felt. These energies were guided by Li Luo's breathing exercises, gradually being absorbed by his body through his numerous pores. Water resonance power was gentle and comforting, light resonance power felt incomparably pure... The two forms of energy began to happily roam around his body, and under their influence, Li Luo's previously withered body gradually regained some of his prior vitality. After circulating through his body once, the energies eventually nestled into his azure-colored and radiantly shining palace, becoming part of his resonant power. Li Luo felt intoxicated by the rapid growth of his resonant power, and this only contributed to his mad fervor to cultivate even harder. It was a hard-won opportunity that he would not squander. Time unknowingly passed and half a day went by in a blink. When Li Luo finally awoke from his cultivation frenzy, he could faintly feel a tingling, prickling sensation throughout his body. His body was trying to remind him that his cultivation for the day had to come to an end. Progressing energy cultivation arts through the process of absorbing worldly natural energy would inevitably burden the cultivator's body. It was said that the lower the grade, the larger the burden on one's body. Once the body's limit was reached, cultivation would have to temporarily stop. Only after a period of rest would one be able to continue doing so again. Li Luo was precisely at this very point, his body currently at its limit. This sudden interruption led Li Luo to feel a little resigned as he wished to continue. Alas, he had no choice in the matter. Furthermore, the Azureflood Meditation Diagram was a General Stage art, and him persisting for such a long period of time was already something exceptional. One could clearly see the importance of a high-grade energy cultivation art from this result alone. If one was able to start cultivation with a high-grade art, the minor accumulations over the days and months would allow one to travel much further down the path of cultivation than those that did not have one. It was a pity that such high-grade arts were not only rare and precious but also possessed stringent requirements. Just the restrictions on the resonant grade alone would eliminate the vast majority of individuals from cultivating them. Li Luo was also currently part of this majority. Duke resonance arts were available to him... but they all minimally required a seventh-grade resonance. The bright side was that this Azureflood Meditation Diagram was a temporary measure. When Li Luo inevitably upgraded his acquired resonance, he would then start to cultivate even higher grade energy cultivation arts. From this, it could be seen that the quicker he raised his resonance grade, the better it would be. Li Luo yawned and stretched out his arms. He could see a wave of azure resonant power emitting from his palms. This was what he had struggled for. Water resonance power.... At the same time, he also possessed light resonance power. When combined, the two would definitely create a result that was untold times purer than one who only possessed water resonance power. "My resonant power should have reached the Third Seal Stage," Li Luo mused to himself. The old Li Luo had immense difficulty absorbing energy into his blank palace. However, it was not as though he had absolutely no foundations so to speak. After this bout of cultivation, he had firmly stepped into the Third Seal Stage. At the current pace he was going at, Li Luo had confidence that he would reach the Fifth Seal Stage by the end of the week. Although a 4th-grade resonance was not high, Li Luo was the House Luolan's Young Lord! He had a sea of cultivation resources to tap into! His rate of improvement would far surpass the common man, even some of the geniuses! "Hmm, but this is not enough," Li Luo mumbled. The final examination would happen next month, and his aim was to enter the Astral Sage College. The top college of the Xia Kingdom would have exacting standards for entry. Just how many exceptional youths were produced each year? In the end, most of them would be left screaming and struggling at the gates, remaining as part of the rabble. Hence, Li Luo wanted to quickly catch up, and his current pace was insufficient. "It looks like in the end, the only solution is to temper my resonance. The fourth-grade is too low for my standards!" Li Luo steeled the resolve in his heart as he got up to leave. The moment he left the library, an attendant who had been waiting greeted him enthusiastically. "Young Lord! Cai Wei wanted me to notify you that she has already completed her task. All of the goods have been sent to your room." At this point, he could only exclaim in joy in his heart. This Cai Wei was truly a capable assistant to Sister Qing'e. Her ability to carry out tasks was truly unrivalled. He had originally expected it to come in tomorrow. Quickly dismissing the attendant, he made haste towards his room. Upon entering, he could see that his table was stacked high with exquisite wooden boxes. Upon opening one of them, one could find several tens of neatly arranged sparkling and translucent crystal bottles. Li Luo curiously picked up two of such crystal bottles. There was a blue liquid within one of them that would give people a penetrating feeling when looked at as it gently swayed within the bottle. A sound much akin to that of a flowing stream could be faintly heard coming from it. The other crystal bottle was filled with an even more curious sight. It seemed to contain strands of flowing light, each one a thin thread. From afar, it even looked like a wisp of smoke. Despite one being a liquid and the other a ray of light, both gave off similar feelings of purity. "These are spirit liquids and purifying lights? How fascinating." Li Luo tutted in amazement. These could only be refined by cultivators with water and light resonances. They were somewhat similar to pills, both essential goods for any cultivator. Li Luo continued to turn the bottle to inspect every corner before he noticed a label on one of them. "Blue Topaz Spirit Liquid, fourth-grade. Tempering strength: 58%" Blue Topaz Spirit Liquid was a somewhat common fourth-grade spirit liquid found in the market. On the other hand, the supposed refinement strength was an indication of how much of the spirit liquid would actually be able to temper someones resonance. The rest would be rejected by the palace. This was hence termed as tempering strength. Simply speaking, the purer the spirit liquids and purifying lights, the stronger the tempering strength, resulting in an even better result. The 58% tempering strength meant that upon usage, 42% would naturally be rejected. 58% may not seem very significant, but the truth was that this was more than sufficient. An average fourth-grade spirit liquid or purifying light in the market would have a tempering strength of 56% or so. Anything above that grade would be considered excellent quality, and the price would correspondingly be higher. It was common knowledge that there was a limit to how much one could temper their resonances. The higher the grade of the spirit liquids and purifying lights, the less impurities they would contain. Using a superior product would allow them to delay reaching the point where they could no longer utilize these spirit liquids and purifying lights, while getting a better effect for themselves. Li Luo had a smile on his face as he looked at his little "cuties". His natural blank palaces seemed to have become essential at this point. Others would be concerned at not maximizing the efficacy of spirit liquids and purifying lights when using them, concerned with riddling their palaces with impurities, accelerating the point where they could no longer be tempered. These individuals would slowly use these tempering tools over time to mitigate any issues that arose. He, on the other hand... he had absolutely no reservations at all. His natural blank palaces would allow him to squander these spirit liquids and purifying lights with impunity. This was also a test. If he could absorb all fifty spirit liquids and purifying lights, just how far would his fourth-grade resonance be tempered? Just the thought alone caused his heart to beat even quicker. Chapter 13: Li Luos Black Hole With his excited emotions, Li Luo spent the whole night tinkering. When morning arrived, Li Luo rubbed his heavy eyelids whilst sitting in the attic. His gaze was staring expectantly at the wooden boxes before him. About half of the spirit liquids and purifying lights had already been consumed. He realized that he had neglected something important. Even though he had a blank palace and was unconcerned with the impurities, absorbing these treasures required time, and just chugging the whole lot in one go wouldn't work... In fact, this was actually counterproductive as these spirit liquids and purifying lights would interfere with each other. Hence, he was only able to absorb twenty-seven portions. Of course, if anyone else heard of this matter, they would write Li Luo off as a complete madman. No one would ever engage in such debauchery! Twenty-seven spirit liquids and purifying lights in one night? Not only would it result in a massive heap of impurities, the individual's palace would likely be sealed off not too long after! Only people who were at the end of the road would deign to take such a wasteful and insane action. These people would succeed or die trying. "It seems like the results aren't bad..." Li Luo's regret over his "mediocre results" also naturally dissipated. His gaze brightened when he realized that the glow emanating from his first palace had become purer than before. Even his flowing resonant power seemed to have transformed, becoming even more vigorous and refined. At the rate he was going, Li Luo calculated that he would require another hundred portions of fourth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights to raise his waterlight resonance to the fifth-grade. Upgrading his fourth-grade resonance to the fifth-grade would incur an approximate total cost of two hundred thousand skygold This sum was honestly something that Li Luo could still bear. However... the likely cost to temper his resonance again after that would be a little... excessive. This was because fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights were multiple times more expensive. Additionally, the amount required to temper his resonance would also undoubtedly increase. By his calculations, raising his resonance from the fifth-grade to the sixth-grade would likely cost him about a million pieces of skygold? And then from the sixth to seventh.... that would be countless millions...? What about after that? The thought of the resources required for Li Luo's tempering caused him to feel a little stifled. Although he wasn't directly managing things, he knew that House Luolan's yearly profits from managing every business was only a few million pieces of skygold. Even if he swallowed up every existing asset that belonged to the house, it would be extremely difficult to raise his resonance to the eighth-grade. This acquired resonance was basically a money-sucking black hole! Unknowingly, Li Luo started massaging his temples...?Dad and Mom, the house you left behind isn't enough to support this wastrel "Though... if I'm able to refine my own spirit liquids and purifying lights, then I would be able to save quite a bit." At this very moment, Li Luo thought of his own waterlight resonance. From a certain point of view, this was also his strength. If he was able to develop his talent in it, it was very likely that the spirit liquids and purifying lights which he refined would be the best in the field. It looked like he would have to bring forward his plans to learn the arts of a resonance artificer. "It looks like Mom and Dad considered this situation in great detail... This is why they wanted me to become a resonance artificer. Otherwise, I might very well be the one who truly destroys House Luolan from the inside..." Li Luo sighed once again. He truly had to respect his parents' foresight. Li Luo did not continue thinking too much about this issue. In any case, he should just barely have the means to cover the costs of bringing his resonance up to the sixth-grade... He would take things as they came. Hence, he shook his head to clear his mind and retired to his bedroom for some well-deserved rest. For the following two days, he continued to cultivate feverishly day and night. In the day, he would practice his Azureflood Meditation Diagram till he had to stop. After which, he would spend two hours honing his resonance arts. To finish the day off, he would proceed to utilize spirit liquids and purifying lights to temper his resonance. His full fledged efforts bore fruit. His resonant power quickly arose to the Fourth Seal Stage and his fourth-grade waterlight resonance became increasingly purified. It was at this point that Li Luo felt that he was on top of the world. Just what could stop his ascent to the very top? As it turns out, nothing too outlandish. Shortly after, things came to a screeching halt as he exhausted his store of spirit liquids and purifying lights... bringing his great hopes to a temporary pause. ...... Within the old manor, inside the administrative office. Cai Wei was garbed in a long robe as she sat in front of the table. Her slender body was accentuated by her well-developed assets, which spilled forth from her chest, making her a remarkable sight. Currently, her beautiful, rounded face was filled with a frown as she examined a record before her. "Manager Gu, don't you think the decrease in the profits from the Tianshu Province is a little severe?" Cai Wei shifted her gaze from the record to the manager in front of her. The middle-aged man addressed as Manager Gu bitterly smiled as he nodded. "General Manager is right. House Luolan originally possessed nine stores, eighteen mines, and countless pharmacies... However, because of the instability within the house, the other three houses in the Tianshu Province have redoubled their efforts to swallow up our interests in the past year. ?The Song Family is the largest culprit. Out of the nine stores we own, two of them were suppressed by them. They swallowed these businesses up when we were unable to maintain them." Cai Wei's gaze turned frosty after hearing this. House Luolan had built its foundation within the City of Southwind before ascending with utmost speed to become one of the Xia Kingdom's Great Houses. Within the Tianshu Province, there were three other large families which House Luolan had to contend with. When one looked at things from the perspective of the Xia Kingdom, these three families could never have hoped to compare with House Luolan. However, within the Tianshu Province alone, they were old powers with significant influence, deeply rooted and with solid foundations. When the two House Lords were around, House Luolan was like the sun at its zenith. These three families were extremely shrewd and listened to every word from House Luolan. Who would have expected that once the House Lords disappeared, they would immediately contest House Luolan's interests and start to rock the boat? Cai Wei had once heard from Jiang Qing'e that there was most likely an invisible hand behind the curtain guiding these three families. This was a supreme power that was constantly seeking to test House Luolan's bottom line and the truth of their situation. The families in the Tianshu Province were known as the Song family, the Bei family, and the Difa family. The strongest amongst the three being the Song family. This was also the family that acted out the most during these past few years. They would utilize all sorts of means to suppress and to get a piece of House Luolan's businesses. One had to also know that the Song familys head would turn up to offer New Year's greetings each year without fail in the past. This 180-degree change in personality even seemed like an orchestrated play. Cai Wei, on the other hand, was an experienced soul and would not harbor any naive thoughts. House Luolan's existence had previously suppressed the interests of these three families. Now that the house was full of internal strife, having their feet stepped on was not without reason nor was unexpected. This was the price of doing business. Despite this, the situation was not the same as in the past; one had to treat the other party seriously as an enemy to prevent any further issues from arising. However, the current House Luolan was unable to deliver too much assistance to save the fire raging within the Tianshu Province. Every location was under significant amounts of pressure, and with Pei Hao's existence being a constant timebomb... this was truly adding fuel to the existing inferno. With this dilemma on hand, Cai Wei was engrossed in deep thought, trying to figure out the best solution. Eventually, she came to a decision. "Temporarily shutter all the businesses that are unable to operate. There is no need to tangle with the opponents." Knowing when to lie low was a necessity. Once the situation in House Luolan stabilized, these families would be forced to spit out every last bite they had taken. Hearing her decision, the few managers near her immediately acknowledged and proceeded to carry her instructions out. They too understood that the situation of House Luolan within the Tianshu Province was not the most critical thing in the grand scheme of things. Knock, knock. At this point, someone knocked on the door to the office. Cai Wei instructed the knocker to enter, and when the door opened, a certain Li Luo strode right in. The managers immediately greeted him respectfully. Waving his hand to signal he wanted to speak to Cai Wei personally, the group of managers were ordered by Cai Wei to leave the room. Following which, her beautiful eyes affixed themselves on him. "Young Lord, may I know if there are any problems?" Li Luo coughed lightly and smiled. "Indeed. I seem to have run into a little problem which requires Elder Sister Cai Wei's assistance." Cai Wei's captivating eyes and willowy eyebrows blinked as she felt that something just didn't seem right. Still, she asked, "What sort of problem?" Li Luo, giving his most warm smile, replied without skipping a beat, "Honestly it's nothing new. Do you remember the fifty sets of spirit liquids and purifying lights? Well, I've sort of finished them all. Could I kindly trouble Elder Sister Cai Wei to assist me with procuring another... hundred sets?" The expression on Cai Wei's white and smooth egg-shaped face froze up a little. Her beautiful pupils continued to focus on Li Luo as her chest gradually began to heave up and down. "Another... hundred sets? All fourth-grade?" Her two palms were currently clenched extremely tightly. Just how long had it been since she started managing the Tianshu Province's finances? Could it be that this was the day they were going to go bankrupt? Was she going to be the sinner of House Luolan, the one responsible for crippling its very foundation? Finally, she could no longer hold back her rampaging emotions, immediately slamming her first down angrily on the table before her, an expression full of fury. "Li Luo! Are you trying to get me fired?" Chapter 14: A Furious Cai Wei Cai Wei's furious reaction scared the crap out of Li Luo, making him jump backwards in fright. Cautiously, he examined that round face, completely flushed red with anger. Naturally, he felt a little embarrassed as he quickly replied, "Why would you say such a thing, Elder Sister Cai Wei? Your exceptional abilities speak for themselves. Why would I want to get you fired?" Cai Wei continued to leer at Li Luo. It was a few good moments before she began to cool down. "My sincerest apologies, Young Lord. I spoke out of turn, so please forgive me." She then paused for a moment. "However... Young Lord, do you truly need another hundred portions of spirit liquids and purifying lights? This is no small matter. Furthermore, the Young Lord should also know that even though spirit liquids and purifying lights can temper one's resonance, they should not be used wantonly, or they will cause one's resonant palace to be sealed." Cai Wei knew of Li Luo's predicament of a blank palace and its sensitive nature, hence she did not wish to directly speak about it, to prevent her from hurting his feelings. She continued to ponder over the situation, then her gaze suddenly turned sharp. "Could it be that someone is secretly extorting the Young Lord? Are they trying to take advantage of your status to obtain copious amounts of spirit liquids and purifying lights?" Although every servant within the old manor had been carefully screened, there would inevitably be some who would develop some unfavorable intentions, considering how long his parents had been gone for. Spirit liquids and purifying lights were also precious goods that were often traded, hence this idea that Li Luo was being blackmailed didn't seem too outlandish If this was the case, Cai Wei would definitely ensure hellfire fell upon that brave soul who dared to even try. Li Luo shook his head and seriously said, "Elder Sister Cai Wei, there's no need to imagine things. It's just a fact that I require them for my own usage." Cai Wei's willowy eyebrows were raised curiously. "Id like to apologize for overstepping my bounds... but may I kindly know what the Young Lord is doing with these spirit liquids and purifying lights? I'm not trying to interrogate you Milord, but I am concerned that in your zeal to get stronger, you might have embarked on an incorrect path. If something did happen to you, I wouldn't be able to face Sister Qing'e." She knew that Li Luo's blank palace had brought him undue stress and that youths were prone to bull-headed decisions. Her only worry was that Li Luo had been tricked into some sort of snake-oil scam to break through his shackles. Li Luo paused and deliberated for a moment before giving his reply. "I suppose there's no harm in letting Elder Sister Cai Wei know. My parents had left behind a secret art which allowed me to manifest a resonance of my own. Thus, the reason why I require the spirit liquids and purifying lights should be self-explanatory." This was a fact that would eventually come to light. People would definitely be curious as to what had happened. His parents leaving behind a secret method would truly be a great form of cover for the true reasons behind it. He would continue to need to purchase copious amounts of these tempering materials in the future, and these requests would have to run through Cai Wei anyways. It made more sense to quell her concerns immediately. Cai Wei was shocked. "The two House Lords left behind a secret art?" This seemed unbelievable, so she remained partially unconvinced. However, as her eyes examined Li Luo, she noticed that he seemed absolutely calm. This didn't seem like a lie. Finally convinced, she nodded in agreement. "Since this is the case, I will immediately proceed to carry out the Young Lord's instruction." Cai Wei softly sighed. These hundred portions of spirit liquids and purifying lights would likely cost hundreds of thousands of skygold. Half of House Luolan's reserves in the Tianshu Province would be exhausted. This would definitely throw a wrench in her plans to contain the three families' covetous actions. However, she knew what her priorities were. Being able to strengthen Li Luo's resonances would also be worth sacrificing all of the businesses within the Tianshu Province. Li Luo glanced at Cai Wei's radiant and round face furrowed with a frown. Slightly embarrassed, he queried, "Have I caused Elder Sister Cai Wei some trouble due to my requests being too expensive?" She raised her head to look at him. His sheepish face seemed a little youthful and inexperienced, but he truly had inherited his parents' good looks. Lightly laughing at his expression, her mood lightened up. "This issue is truly slightly thorny, but it's not a huge problem. Young Lord, you can rest assured that I will settle everything." Li Luo sighed with relief in his heart. A hundred portions of these spirit liquids and purifying lights had already caused Cai Wei to be hard-pressed for a solution. He couldn't imagine what would happen in the future if that was the case. This was barely a drop in the bucket... "Is House Luolan's headquarters unable to mobilize its capital?" Li Luo asked. Cai Wei lightly nodded before she regretfully said, "Young Lord, you should be aware of House Luolan's current situation. Adding to the fire was Pei Hao swallowing up three pavilions, which resulted in a third of our profits lost. This has only made matters worse." From her words, Li Luo easily read between the lines and knew that the headquarters was unable to assist. Nodding his head, he had no words to say regarding this, so he shifted the topic to more pleasant things. After things were smoothed out, the two parties left. Cai Wei stared at his leaving shadow, slightly lost in thought. This Young Lord didn't have a bad personality, he treated others warmly and without arrogance. Coupled with his good looks and talent, it was only a matter of time before he would resemble his dad, one who managed to captivate the hearts of numerous noble ladies throughout the entire Xia Kingdom. From a certain point of view, he truly was a good match for Jiang Qing'e. The only flaw was his blank palace because ultimately in this world, everything relied on the basis of strength, whether it be wealth or influence. House Luolan was no exception. When Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan were around, they were one of the five Great Houses, especially radiant in the eyes of all. A titan that no one would dare to offend. The moment they disappeared, the radiance gradually dimmed, to the point that even the elements were able to shake them! Jiang Qing'e, on the other hand, had immeasurable talent and a limitless future. She was even poised to break the Xia Kingdom's record for the youngest Duke Stage cultivator. Until now, Li Luo's marriage arrangement was actually just a burden that held her back. For perspective, Cai Wei and Jiang Qing'e were actually bosom buddies who had met in the past, when Jiang Qing'e did not possess the icy personality she was known for today. Hence, she was also concerned for Li Luo as a friend. Especially since it was possible that Li Luo would have crumbled from the pressure of being tied to someone so extraordinary whilst being shunned as a cripple. Yet after she heard Li Luo's words about the House Lords' secret art, she felt a little relieved. Perhaps this could very well satisfy the deficiency in his blank palace, allowing their gap to narrow at least a little. Still, the distance would remain large nevertheless. As Jiang Qing'e's friend and one who often followed her as they traversed the situations of Xia City, she was distinctly aware of where Jiang Qing'e stood in terms of talent and ability. She was the absolute cream of the crop, one that even geniuses had to admire. Compared to that, the City of Southwind was merely just a drop in the ocean. Thinking of the upcoming challenges as a result, Cai Wei forcefully suppressed that roiling feeling in her heart and focused on the task ahead. Signalling for managers to come, she dispatched individuals to accomplish the task assigned to her by Li Luo. Under her supervision, the task was accomplished within half a day. Li Luo sighed in amazement at her ability to get things done as he stared at the two crates before him. Grabbing both of them, he immediately rushed back to his room. Over the remaining few days of leave, Li Luo spent all of his time cultivating and tempering his resonance. He had previously risen from the Third Seal to the Fourth Seal in two days. This was because he had already accumulated the foundation to do so in the past and hence took little time. Moving from the Fourth Seal to the Fifth Seal thus required more time and was a little slower. "Slower" here was only in reference to the speed of the previous advancement. When there was one day left of his leave, Li Luo's resonant power finally made a leap and he fully entered the Fifth Seal Stage. In addition to his resonant power rising, his fourth-grade waterlight resonance also finally finished absorbing the last of the spirit liquids and purifying lights, advancing a grade to the fifth-grade. And as such, his leave came to an end. Dawn arrived and he slowly strode out of the old manor. Due to his increased resonant power, even his hair seemed to have gained a new luster, looking slightly silverish. Li Luo had a gleaming smile on his face as he faced the rising sun. This week had truly been life-changing for him, for he had left behind his previous bodily shackles and completely metamorphosed. The youth with the blank palace had now transformed into someone completely new. As he stood in the gateway, he stared at the direction in which Jiang Qing'e had gone a week ago and exhaled deeply. "Astral Sage College... you will accept me!" Chapter 15: Return to Southwind Academy Only a week had passed since Li Luo had last returned here. However, it felt like it had been a lifetime since he last stepped within. Taking in the sights, he stared at the numerous people coming and going, the rowdy and cacophonous laughter, and also relished in the youthful vigor everyone exuded. At the same time, he also noticed that within the groups of people were countless curious gazes focused upon him. Unsurprisingly, he started to hear gossip centered around him "Isn't that Li Luo? He's finally back to school. About time." "What's wrong with his hair? Did he dye it?" "He took a week of leave of absence the month before the final examinations. To do so willingly... perhaps the broken pot has now been completely shattered?" "I heard that Li Luo is about to withdraw from the academy entirely... Perhaps he won't even take part in the final examinations." "Really?" "..." Taking in all the random rumors, Li Luo was left speechless. He had just disappeared for a week, but the rumors had only gotten more and more exaggerated! However, he was in no mood to entertain these clowns. He weaved his way past the crowd as he walked towards the Second School. Upon arriving at the entrance to the teaching fields, Li Luo's pace slowed down. This was because he had spotted the teacher of the Second School, Xu Shanyue! He was standing ahead of him, back straight and with the presence of a lofty mountain, severely staring at Li Luo. Li Luo sheepishly let out a smile, redoubling his pace towards him and letting out a friendly greeting. "Teacher Xu." Xu Shanyue continued to glare at Li Luo, slight disappointment seen within his eyes. "Li Luo, I know your blank palace has brought you a lot of stress. However, you should not be giving up at this last juncture." "I haven't given up" Li Luo hastily replied in his defence. "Then why did you take a leave of absence during this critical point?" Xu Shanyue thundered. "Everyone has been struggling to make use of every available moment to cultivate and train. You, on the other hand, took a break to rest?" Li Luo felt a little helpless at his conclusion. Deep down, he also knew that Xu Shanyue had his best interest at heart and thus did not try to defend himself, just gaily nodding at his lecture. After a long tirade, Xu Shanyue eventually ended with a sigh. He gave Li Luo a deep look before turning away to walk into the teaching fields. Li Luo hurriedly followed as they entered the massive teaching fields. In the middle was a platform several tens of meters long surrounded by a circular ring of stone steps, each stacked up high. On top of the stone steps were numerous stone mats. Specifically, there was a particular young lady sitting cross-legged on one of those mats. When Li Luo entered, he was subject to the scrutiny of everyone around, his very appearance provoking numerous whispers. The elusive Li Luo who had disappeared for a week had once again become the hot topic of Southwind Academy. Li Luo disregarded the rancorous gazes and maintained his calm, heading to his assigned stone mat. Beside him sat the massively built Zhao Kuo. Seeing him take a seat, Zhao Kuo asked in surprise, "What happened to your hair?" Li Luo gave him a glance before casually replying, "Just dyed it. Haven't you heard? This is called Granny Grey. Isn't it cool?" Zhao Kuo was left speechless and his veins bulged at the nonsensical reply, seemingly wanting to ask another question. At this point, Xu Shanyue's loud voice reverberated around the field. "Good morning, students. The final examination is coming soon and I hope everyone here will redouble their efforts during this final sprint. If you're able to attend an elite college, your future will be limitless. "I would also like to commend students Zhao Kuo and Yuan Qiu. Both of them have reached the Sixth Seal Stage, and if you two continue striving hard, it's not impossible to reach the Seventh Seal." Cheers and applause echoed as the rest congratulated the two. Li Luo, on the other hand, looked over with surprise. It seemed as though he was not the only one who was making improvements. After praising the two, Xu Shanyue continued with the day's lesson. Li Luo focused on the teachings with rapt attention. Today's lesson was regarding three resonance arts, two low-grade ones and one middle-grade one. He elaborated on all of the arts' mysteries patiently, guiding people on their intricacies. Resonance arts were also split into grades similar to energy cultivation arts. The only difference was that entry-level energy cultivation arts were all lumped into one grade, whilst resonance arts were still split into low, middle, and high grades. After these three grades, they followed the nomenclature of General, Duke, and King Stage resonance arts. Of course, such high-level resonant arts were too far off for these individuals who were still at the Ten Seals Stage. Even if they learned them, it might very possibly be impossible to execute these arts with their limited resonant power. Li Luo had always possessed an exceptional affinity and talent towards the learning of resonance arts. If one were to purely compare their understanding and application of resonance arts, he was extremely confident that he would be unrivalled within the entire Southwind Academy, with few being his match. As a result, it was no surprise that he quickly understood and grasped the three resonance arts taught by Xu Shanyue. Two hours later, Xu Shanyue stopped their practice and made some arrangements before allowing them to rest. "Alright, today's resonant art lesson will come to an end. The afternoon class will be about resonant power, so continue to cultivate quietly." Li Luo sat in his original seat, stretching like a lazy cat. Zhao Kuo quickly sidled over and smiled. "Esteemed Brother Luo, would you kindly give me pointers regarding the three resonance arts taught today?" Zhao Kuo was very clear as to how gifted Li Luo was when it came to learning resonance arts. Whenever he encountered difficulties with learning these arts, he would inevitably make a beeline towards Li Luo for his assistance. Li Luo playfully scolded him. "If I guide you, will you continue to refer to me as Esteemed Brother Luo from now on?" Zhao Kuo grinned mischievously, but the act of that caused him to feel pain from a bruise on his face, resulting in him clenching his teeth almost immediately after. "What's wrong with you?" Li Luo asked. Zhao Kuo frowned as he replied, "It's all because of that scumbag Bei Kun. I don't know why he went mad, but he's been constantly looking for trouble in the Second School. I couldn't take his provocations any longer and thus decided to spar against him." At this point, he pointed at a bruise on his face before arrogantly replying, "That brat didn't pull any punches, but he did not get away unscathed. That gigolo face of his was almost hammered into mush." At this point, some other students from the Second School gathered around and complained furiously. "That Bei Kun is really vicious. We were just minding our own business when he came over to provoke us." "Thankfully, Zhao Kuo stepped in for us; otherwise, no one could have handled him." Zhao Kuo waved his hand and waved awat the group who had suddenly appeared before saying to Li Luo in a low voice, "Did you aggravate that mad man Bei Kun recently? It looks like he has been looking for you." Upon hearing that, Li Luo suddenly remembered that before he took his leave of absence, that Bei Kun fellow had indeed asked Difa Qing to pass a message on to him, inviting him to a dinner at Tower Qingfeng. He had originally just shrugged that off as a joke... could it be that that brat had spent an entire day waiting for him? Following which, he didn't turn up to school for a week... It looked as though Bei Kun had decided to come over to vent his frustrations in the Second School Li Luo smiled and patted Zhao Kuo's shoulder. "Could be the case. Though it looks like you've already helped me wallop him a couple of times." "I don't mind. If not for those bouts of sparring, I might not have managed to break into the Sixth Seal Stage." Zhao Kuo loosened his shoulders at this point before continuing, "Though now that you're back, I'm sure he will be here to visit you during the afternoon resonant power class." Thinking about it, he proudly clapped his chest before announcing, "If push comes to shove, let me handle it. Perhaps a few more rounds of beating will allow me to break into the Seventh Seal Stage?" Li Luo laughed. Zhao Kuo was direct and loyal, truly a reliable friend. He had hidden behind his friend for long enoughthis just wasn't his personality or style. Hence, he replied mysteriously, "Let's talk about it when it comes to that." ...... Noon, Resonant Power class. To the north of Southwind Academy was a vast and dense forest. Whenever the wind blew past, a wave of lush greenery would also be uplifted by the drafts. And within the middle of the dense forest was a massive and imposing tree. It was dark yellow in color and was over two hundred meters in height, the dense branches spread out like a net made of wood. The tree branches were thick and sturdy and riddled with leaves. What was most interesting was that each leaf was almost two meters wide and long, as thick as a rule, almost like a mini platform of sorts. This tree was known as the Tree of Resonant Power. The Tree of Resonant Power was not a natural creation but one constructed from numerous rare treasures. This was truly a case of something being more than what meets the eye. Within the Tree of Resonant Power was an energy core. This energy core was able to absorb and store copious amounts of worldly natural energy. The large leaves of the tree were to be used as cultivation dais, each allowing for one student to cultivate on. Owning a Tree of Resonant Power was a foundational requirement for any academy, their strength depending on the might of the academy. From a certain perspective, these tree leaves were similar to Li Luo's family's cultivation room. Of course, if one were to compare efficacy, the skygold room within Li Luo's old manor would be significantly better. Though this was because Li Luo was fortunate and most students did not possess such a wondrous background. The Tree of Resonant Power's leaves were also split into three grades: Gold Leaves, Silver Leaves, and Bronze Leaves. If one were to look from afar, they would notice that 60% of the leaves were Bronze leaves, 30% were Silver Leaves, and only 10% were Gold Leaves. The Gold Leaves were all situated at the top of the tree and were relatively smaller in number. Obviously, being able to cultivate atop a Gold Leaf would inevitably be more advantageous compared to a lesser grade. However, the Gold Leaves were mostly monopolized by the students of the First School. This was inevitable as the students were stronger, and the face of the academy. Hence, when it came to the Second School, there were only 10 Gold Leaves up for grabs, with the Third School and the Fourth School having no chance to even contest for this precious resource. These Gold Leaves were truly in demand. The Tree of Resonant Power was only open for cultivation for half a day. Whenever the clock above the tree rang out, that would mean the start of the cultivation session. This was the most anticipated part of each day for every student. Hence, once the clock rang out, the hordes of students would rush into the dense forest excitedly like a human wave, jubilant looks on their faces. They would ascend the tree via the wooden ladder that snaked around the trunk like a python as quickly as they could. Li Luo followed the mass of people and ascended the tree as well. He stared awkwardly at the 10 Gold Leaves that belonged to the Second School. One used to be reserved for him, but that was back when he was the strongest within the school, bar Zhao Kuo. However, because of his blank palace, he had taken the initiative to give up his slot and thus he no longer had a place. He also felt embarrassed to reclaim the seat he had given away "Forget it. Let's just use what I can,"?Li Luo thought to himself as he walked towards a Silver Leaf. Just as Li Luo approached the Silver Leaf, a gaze full of mixed expressions from the peak of the tree landed upon him. Chapter 16: Tree of Resonant Power The top of the Tree of Resonant Power was clustered with numerous large and sturdy branches that were clumped together, forming a wooden platform. A gaze coming from the top of the wooden platform had arced down, staring right at where Li Luo was sitting. "This Li Luo disappeared for a week and seems to have come back to school." Difa Qing had her arms around her waist, her close-fitting school uniform snugly wrapped around her figure. That body combined with her cute, charming face and snow-white skin, it was no surprise she was the object of many youths' affection. She continued to stare at Li Luo's silhouette, lightly pouting her lips. "Is he trying to avoid Bei Kun and hiding himself away?" "It's such a pity. He's?soooooo?dreamy and handsome!" Beside her, a group of her fellow sisters sighed in regret as they ogled at him. "Hehe, little lass, I can still remember when Li Luo was still in the First School. You were his biggest fangirl!" another one of them mocked. The girl who had been laughed at had her face turn beet red, quickly retorting, "Please! It's not like you girls weren't smitten by him as well!" The gaggle of girls continued to laugh, their gazes possessing a trace of pity. The Li Luo of the past was an untouchable and incomparable existence within the First School. Not only was he handsome, but his comprehension abilities were top tier. To add the cherry on top, he was the scion of House Luolan when it was in its heyday, a house with two dukes, a behemoth unto itself. Looks, talent, and a wonderful background. Just what sort of girl wouldn't fall for him? It was just a pity that with the turning of time, Li Luo's luster had gradually faded. First, his parents had disappeared, and House Luolan took a huge blow as a result. Then he was "blessed" with a blank palace, further knocking him off his pedestal. Thus, the once-influential figure of the First School had been relegated to the Second School. At this point, fangirling over him blindly was no longer as appropriate as before. Difa Qing listened to the chattering of her fellow friends before shaking her head in disgust.?"Just a group of superficial wenches." ... Meanwhile, Li Luo had just managed to sit atop a Silver Leaf when he heard a commotion in the vicinity around him. Turning around to look, the dreaded Bei Kun was stomping over towards him, surrounded by a group of his lackeys. Bei Kun was built tall and strong with a fair face. The only thing that detracted from him was his overcast pupils, giving him a gloomy vibe. "I thought you were never coming back to school, Li Luo." Bei Kun stared at Li Luo with a smile that was not a smile. Li Luo batted him a look. He simply couldn't be bothered to answer. His nonchalant attitude infuriated Bei Kun. When House Luolan was at its prime, he would often fawn over Li Luo and be answered with that very same attitude. He wouldn't have dared to do anything then, but what about now? Just who did Li Luo think he was now? "I spent an entire day waiting for you at Tower Qingfeng. Pray tell, how should we settle this?" Bei Kun spoke with clenched teeth. "Hey! Don't blame me if you're dumb. Please keep your stupidity to yourself. What sort of mentally deficient fool would ACTUALLY think that I would go to Tower Qingfeng just because they wanted me to?" Bei Kun's gloomy eyes seemed to have become even more despondent as he replied, "The audacity of you. I will let you off if you apologize right now. Otherwise..." Li Luo waved his hand like shooing a fly. "Scram." The other students who were witnessing this altercation started to laugh. This Bei Kun could be considered a tyrant within Southwind Academy, often finding others to bully. It was a pity for him that Li Luo had not chosen to give in. Bei Kun glared at Li Luo, immediately threatening, "Such a hardass. Do you dare to spar with me to back up your words?" Li Luo shook his head. "Uninterested." This Bei Kun was just too dense. The him of the past didn't want to bother with Bei Kun, and nothing had changed since then. If he accepted every provocation, wouldn't he be no different from Bei Kun? Bei Kun gave a cold smile. He did not continue speaking but signalled to his goons. It was as though they had rehearsed their part in a play, immediately announcing, "Are all the people of the Second School such scaredy cats?" After which, even more taunts and jibes followed from the group. The people of the Second School who were nearby started to seethe with anger. Unfortunately, Bei Kun's savage reputation preceded him, so most of them did not dare to even let out a squeak. "Li Luo, you wouldn't want your problem to implicate the entire Second School, would you?" Bei Kun asked ominously. Obviously, this blockhead was a little scheming, clearly trying to rile the emotions of the other students. These other students may not dare to take the issue up with Bei Kun directly, but they would definitely apply some pressure onto Li Luo to settle things. "All of you shut up!" At this very point, a furious roar echoed as Zhao Kuo strode over. Angrily staring at Bei Kun, he challenged him. "If you want to fight, I'll give you a fight!" "It's you!" Bei Kun frowned. "It looks like the beating I gave you the last time was insufficient," Zhao Kuo retorted. Yet before he could finish his sentence, he was dragged away by Li Luo. "Why are you messing around with dog poop? Stop degrading yourself," Li Luo drawled. At this point, he scowled at Bei Kun and his group of friends before sighing. "Help me take note of all those that are here. I will get someone to violently teach them a lesson in peaceful coexistence once I go back. Although House Luolan was still riddled with trouble, it was still one of the five Great Houses of the Xia Kingdom. The old manor had numerous protectors that weren't considered weak. Picking a few cultivators to assist him with minor troubles wouldn't be an issue. The moment the students heard his words, their jaws dropped. Bei Kun's lackeys were also left astonished and bewildered. Could you not do this my brother? We are just kids playing around! Why would you escalate matters and bring out the big guns!? This didn't seem very logical! The group faced each other nervously before taking a few steps back. Their taunts immediately died down as they knew that Li Luo indeed possessed the power to do so. He might have a blank palace, but he was still House Luolan's Young Lord. Getting a few expert resonance cultivators to bring the beatdown would be as easy as breathing. Bei Kun was also shocked at the series of events. Composing himself, he started to scold, "How shamless of you! To use such underhanded methods!" Li Luo frowned. "If you aren't happy, then dispatch your Bei family's experts. Fight me!" Bei Kun's jaw dropped and he was left speechless. House Luolan might be filled with internal turmoil, but a skinny camel was still larger than a horse. Before the house actually fractured to pieces, the Bei family could only sneakily take a few bites. In terms of the experts from his family, he wasn't even sure if he could mobilize them! Even if he could, would they dare to take Li Luo on? He wouldn't be able to bear such a result. Thus, a sudden silence descended upon the field, the situation slightly chaotic ... At the absolute peak of the Tree of Resonant Power was a treehouse. Within the treehouse could be seen several individuals quietly observing the students squabbling. "Keke. This brat from House Luolan is a little interesting." An old man with a head of white hair, dressed entirely in black and white, chuckled. This old man was the dean of Southwind Academy. He was known as Wei Sha, and he had an illustrious reputation within the Tianshu Province. "Threatening to bring in his family's might to deal with childish arguments isn't interesting. How could the two house lords of House Luolan have given birth to such a hoodlum?" another voice said. This came from a skinny male. Although he exuded a refined and cultured demeanor, his face contained an uninhibited expression of arrogance. This was the teacher of the First School, Lin Feng He was one of the teachers who had proposed for Li Luo to be kicked out of the First School and sent to the Second School. "Teacher Lin Feng speaks a little too crudely. That Bei Kun clearly knows that Li Luo has a blank palace, yet he still goes to find trouble for him. Truly a person of poor character," Xu Shanyue, who was standing beside them, retorted savagely. Lin Feng emotionlessly replied, "Troubles between students should be settled between themselves. Why the need to escalate the situation?" Still, he was uninterested in continuing to argue with Xu Shanyue over this small matter. He turned his gaze towards the dean beside him. "More importantly, do you remember what I previously suggested? Do you agree with what I've said?" Dean Wei turned and blinked at him. "What suggestion?" Lin Feng seemed a little helpless before he answered, "The final examination is about to arrive. Our First School does not have enough Golden Leaves, and we would like to request for another five Gold Leaves to be provided to our First School." "I disagree!" The one who raised the objection was Xu Shanyue. He furiously glowered at Lin Feng. Only the First and Second Schools had access to Gold Leaves, and the Second School only had ten. If five were given, where else would they come from? Clearly, the Second School! This chap was truly overreaching his boundaries. Chapter 17: Fighting for Gold Leaves An argument ensued atop the lofty and majestic Tree of Resonant Power. The two teachers of the First and Second Schools were butting heads over the distribution of Gold Leaves. "Xu Shanyue, you need to understand that our First School has numerous outstanding students as a hotbed of talent. Their abilities far surpass those of the other schools, and if we were to provide better conditions, they would naturally develop even better results. They would also make better use of the resources and be able to leapfrog ahead," Lin Feng said in a deep tone. Xu Shanyue coldly retorted, "It might be true that the First School is exceptional, but that doesn't mean that my Second School is trash. Does that mean that they should not be allowed to enjoy the benefits of these Gold Leaves? Plus, the Tree of Resonant Power has fifty Gold Leaves. Your First School already monopolizes forty of them. How is that not enough?" Lin Feng frowned. "The issue isn't whether it's enough or not. It's simply about who can make best use of the resources. The students of the First School are better able to take advantage of the Gold Leaves. I'm not trying to target your Second School, but it's just the truth of the matter." Xu Shanyue gave a cold smile. "You are simply trying to monopolize all of Southwind Academy's resources, all to allow just a few more of your students to enter the Astral Sage College, all for the sake of your own ego and reputation! You're just trying to get yourself into the Astral Sage College the way I see it." The truth was that the Astral Sage College was not just the aim of students. Even the numerous academies' teachers treated it as their holy land. All of their efforts were directed to their goals of teaching within the Astral Sage College. This would bring them great stature and an improvement in social status. Having such a goal wasn't a bad thing. However, Xu Shanyue felt that Lin Feng was being too utilitarian, only focusing on his own goals and benefits. Even the act of kicking Li Luo to the Second School wasn't necessary. Li Luo wasn't a bad student, he merely had a blank palace and wasn't even a hindrance. The only reason he had done so was to prove his might, to show the First School that he, who had just joined at that point, was not to be trifled with. As Lin Feng took in those scathing words, his expression changed for the worse. "Xu Shanyue, don't be an irritating troublemaker." The rest of the teachers of Southwind Academy tried to calm the two down at this point as they continued to trade verbal barbs to prevent the situation from worsening. Dean Wei Sha was also left with quite a headache. The Gold Leaves of the Tree of Resonant Power were limited to begin with, and every school wanted more. This was to be expected as it would provide more opportunities for their students to develop their potential. It also affected their rankings and possible promotions. Lin Feng had been pestering him for quite a while by now, and he had always chosen to buy more time. In the end, it seemed that a decision was in order today. Wei Sha stared at the numerous shadows below and then gave a command with his deep and resonant voice. "The Second School's Gold Leaves cannot be given away without reason. The fact that the First School is more illustrious is not a good reason to deprive those of the Second School the opportunity to develop. "If you wish to compete for Gold Leaves, then leave it to the students to fight for it themselves. "Let's do it this way. The First School and the Second School will both pick three students, none of them exceeding the Sixth Seal Stage. Both parties will compete against each other. If the First School wins, then the Second School will give up five Gold Leaves. If the Second School wins, the First School will give up ten Gold Leaves." ?Immediately after speaking, Lin Feng and Xu Shanyue both stopped arguing, their brows furrowed in deep thought. "Dean Wei, could you kindly explain why the First School would have to give up ten Gold Leaves if they lose?" Lin Feng asked in a dissatisfied tone. Wei Sha smiled. "That is because this entire situation was raised by you. Furthermore, the First School is stronger and hence has to pay a larger price. What else would give the Second School the incentive to challenge you?" Lin Feng remained unconvinced, but after thinking things through, he replied in the affirmative. This competition may have been restricted to the Sixth Seal Stage, but his First School did have the advantage here. Xu Shanyue was a little hesitant. Even though the First School would lose ten Gold Leaves, he understood that the First School was the shining star of Southwind Academy. Their students were also head and shoulders above the ones of his school. "Dean Wei, our Second School only has two individuals who have reached the Sixth Seal Stage," Xu Shanyue said helplessly. Lin Feng smiled. "You can rest assured. The students of the First School won't give you a chance to reach that tiebreaker match." Xu Shanyue's face turned black and his gaze seethed with fury. The old dean sighed and said, "Don't worry so much, Little Xu. If you lose, I will compensate Second School next year. This arrangement will only last for this month." After hearing Dean Wei's explanation, Xu Shanyue paused to consider the situation, eventually begrudgingly nodding in agreement. It seemed that in the dean's heart, the students of First School did possess a slightly greater stature than those of the Second School. Xu Shanyue knew that he couldn't fault the dean for this. This was just human nature. If he didn't favor the First School, then what else would he do? Favor the Second School? "I will go and make the necessary arrangements." When Xu Shanyue finished speaking, he immediately vaulted down from atop the treehouse. Lin Feng's face was full of smiles as he also went to find his students. ... Meanwhile, going back to the students... Bei Kun led his lackeys away while cutting a sorry figure, completely unreconciled with how things had turned out. What was worse was that Li Luo had completely disregarded him and his anger, opting to utilize unorthodox means to deal with him... This had turned into a truly headache-inducing situation. Youths were hot-headed! Disagreements between them should be resolved with fists! Even if one was left with a bleeding head, they ought to clench their fists and just keep struggling! Who could be so shameless as to call their family thugs on a whim to settle these petty grievances? Completely shameless! Seeing the group of goons run off, the students of the Second School stared at Li Luo with strange expressions. They had never expected for him to bring out such a method to deal with the provocations. "You... This... Don't you think that was a little shameless?" Zhao Kuo couldn't find the right words as he scratched his head, speaking in a low tone. Li Luo lazily gave him a look. "If they wanted to bully me for having a blank palace, can I not do the same to them? An eye for an eye!" "Well, that's not what I mean..." Zhao Kuo wanted to retort but couldn't put his thoughts into words, only shaking his head. This young lord was truly a little unruly. As they spoke, Xu Shanyue appeared in front of the students of the Second School. He clapped his hands, signalling for all of the students to gather. Following which, he quickly explained the situation. When the students heard his words, they were incensed! "This First School has gone too far! They've already taken forty Gold Leaves and they still aren't satisfied? Even going so far as to snatch ours?" "There's no chance in this fight. Our Second School only has two who have reached the Sixth Seal Stage..." "Hai! Why don't we give up...?" "..." After a brief period of fury, the mood became quite pessimistic. They understood the gravity of the situation, and even if they did manage to scrounge up another Sixth Seal combatant, they would still be at a relative disadvantage. Seeing the disappointed gazes of the Second School students, Xu Shanyue helplessly sighed before deciding. "Zhao Kuo and Yuan Qiu, the two of you will be selected." "I won't let you down, Teacher. I will definitely not bring shame to the Second School; I will let them know that the Second School isn't so easily challenged!" Zhao Kuo bellowed, demonstrating his intent to battle and his hotbloodedness. Yuan Qiu was a tall and willowy young lady. Her expression was calm as she asked, "Who's the third?" Xu Shanyue's eyes swept across the group of students. All who met his eyes immediately dodged and hid. No one had the confidence to stand upon the stage. In the end, he could only look at Li Luo. He might have a blank palace, but he was an expert in resonance arts. When it came to absolute combat strength, he was almost a match for Zhao Kuo and Yuan Qiu, making him a decent candidate. "Alright, the last one will be Li Luo." Xu Shanyue made his decision. "Don't feel pressured, and losing doesn't matter. You will be the first one up, just do your best. Once you can't hold on, you can give up. This way, you should be able to attrite the opponent's resonant power, giving the others after you a better chance." Being chosen didn't really mean much to Li Luo. Furthermore, the Second School only had so many students who could fight. Clearly, Xu Shanyue's intention was for him to be cannon fodder, to deplete the opponents' resonant power. Li Luo's gaze seemed to have become more complicated. He had originally wanted to keep a low profile, but it looked like the heavens wouldn't permit it. In that case, it was truly time for the hero to showcase his exceptional hidden abilities! Old Xu, you clearly don't understand what sort of existence you've picked for this role... There could truly be no one more fitting for such a critical task... Your bright ideas might lead to your face becoming even more resplendent than the sun when he impresses everyone with his Pa! Xu Shanyue slapped Li Luo on the shoulder, causing him to stumble. "Why are you standing there in a daze? Are you scared out of your wits?" All of the cool, brooding hero momentum that he had gathered up for the stage... had been ruined by that one slap. Almost causing him to fall face first... Chapter 18: Revealing Talent The news of the First School competing against the Second School for their Gold Leaves spread. In the blink of an eye, the entire Southwind Academy had congregated amongst the upper levels of the Tree of Resonant Power, all to participate in the excitement. Southwind Academy had four schools. The First School was the most illustrious, the Second School could be seen as the reserves. When it came to the Third and Fourth Schools, saying that they existed to make up the numbers would be a slight exaggeration, but the truth was that they were of a lower standard. To those students, the Gold Leaves of the Tree of Resonant Power were something that they could only see but not touch. Just watching the First and Second Schools duking it would be good enough. Almost no one believed that the Second School could win. On the eastern side of the Tree of Resonant Power was a flat area that consisted of numerous massive and sturdy branches coiled together. These tightly weaved branches formed a vast, wooden platform tens of meters long. It often served as an area for students to exchange pointers after cultivation and to compete against each other. Right at this moment, the four sides were squeezed full of people eager to watch the oncoming fight. The First School and the Second School naturally found their respective places on the east and west of the platform. The mood differed significantly on each. The students on the side of the First School were full of raucous smiles and laughter. It was clear that they weren't really treating this battle as anything important. This was to be expected considering that there were limitations to the resonant power stage for this competition. When it came to talent, Sixth Seal resonant masters could not even place within the top ten. This meant that the true experts of First School would not even have a hand in this. In comparison to the First School, the atmosphere in the Second School was full of unease and anger. They were all from the same academy and had a good understanding of their standing within it. Even the thought of victory was something they did not believe in. Crucially, they were only hoping to not lose in a humiliating fashion "This is meaningless. What's the point of such a battle?" Difa Qing lazily stretched, her beautiful curves accentuated by the school uniform. Even her fellow female schoolmates could only stare at her in envy, while some hot-blooded guys were boiling with emotion at this sight. The fact that Difa Qing was considered one of the golden flowers within Southwind Academy was not a title in jest. "Well, this can definitely kill some time." A gentle voice wafted over. Turning her head to look over, she saw another lady walking over. She had a head of long, black hair, elegant features, and an icy, jade-like complexion. This new entrant was known as Lu Qing'er "Elder Sister Qing'er." Difa Qing's eyes brightened up at this sight, immediately waving at her. Lu Qing'er was even more famous than her and more importantly, she was someone who did not rely on appearances, but on her strength. She easily suppressed numerous geniuses within the First School. She was the poster child for First School with her looks and abilities. Many felt that Lu Qing'er would have become a legend within Southwind Academy if not for the fact that she had been overshadowed by Jiang Qing'e's radiance. Hence, if Difa Qing's number one idol was Jiang Qing'e, Lu Qing'er was second. These two goddesses were Southwind Academy's most exceptional beauties. Now that they were sitting together, they created a soul-stirring scene for all those who glanced at them. Gradually, people started to gather around them. "Doesn't Elder Sister Qing'er deign to participate in such affairs normally?" Difa Qing asked curiously. With a slight smile, she replied, "I'm just here to have a casual look." Her beautiful eyes were focused in the direction of the Second School before she continued, "You mentioned that the Second School will dispatch three fighters?" Difa Qing replied, unperturbed, "The Second School only has Zhao Kuo and Yuan Qiu who have reached the Sixth Seal Stage. Plus, theyve only just reached that point." "Who is the third one, then?" Lu Qing'er asked. Difa Qing paused for a bit, unsure of how to reply. Instead, someone in the crowd spoke up. "It's most likely going to be Li Luo. He may have a blank palace, but his resonance arts are the best. If one were to stretch it, he could barely compete against Fifth Seal Stage cultivators." With Lu Qing'er's appearance, some of the most elite students of the First School who were previously uninterested in the competition had muddled over. The one who spoke was a heroic-looking and tall youth. Difa Qing batted him an eye and ridiculed him. "So it's you, Song Yunfeng. Seems like you've decided to participate in the festivities. What sort of ulterior motives do you have?" Song Yunfeng was also exceptionally famous within Southwind Academy. In terms of strength, he was on par with Lu Qing'er. Furthermore, he came from the Song Family, one of the three largest families in the Tianshu Province. Him liking Lu Qing'er was not a secret, and he had never tried to hide it. Facing Difa Qing's inquisitive questions, he gave a warm smile and did not retort. Instead, his gaze fell upon Lu Qing'er's beautiful and elegant face. Even in the face of his passionate gaze, Lu Qing'er's expression was unchanging. She merely politely returned it with a greeting smile. Seeing Lu Qing'er's passive response, Difa Qing immediately steered the conversation back to where it was originally. "If the Second School dispatches Li Luo, it's just courting humiliation. The three Sixth Seal cultivators our First School has picked are well renowned." Song Yunfeng smiled and got straight to the point. "Do you still think the Second School bears any hope of winning? They are just here to parade around." "You're probably right." Difa Qing laughed lightly. Lu Qing'er, on the other hand, was looking towards the field, staring at Li Luo's silhouette. For some reason, she could feel that the Li Luo here today didn't seem the same as before. Suddenly, she interjected with a little smile. "I feel that... that may not be the case." Once she spoke, Difa Qing, Song Yunfeng, and all the other students of the First School were a little taken aback. Song Yunfeng followed Lu Qing'er's gaze and also noticed Li Luo. Seeing her faintly smiling at Li Luo brought a sense of unease to his heart. "Qing'er, this is no longer the past," Song Yunfeng pointed out with good intentions. Yet she did not reply, a non-committal smile on her face. On the other hand, Song Yunfeng felt absolutely furious deep down upon seeing that smile, similarly hatefully glancing towards Li Luo with a cold expression on his face. This scumbag had already fallen into the dumps; why did his influence still linger on like some sort of undeparted spirit? Amidst the rising fervor of the audience, the three contestants from the Second School walked up. Unsurprisingly, they were Li Luo, Zhao Kuo, and Yuan Qiu. Three from the First School also made their way forward. One of them was the recently-met Bei Kun. The other two were also particularly famous individuals at the Sixth Seal Stage. "So what do you plan to do now, Li Luo? Will you just continue to spout threats?" Bei Kun stared daggers at Li Luo, a sarcastic grin hanging on his face. He had first brought people to find trouble for Li Luo, only to be repelled by Li Luo's shameless tactics. At least right now, Li Luo could no longer do so. This was a true competition of might. If he dared to bring up the threats he had previously made, he would only bring scorn and humiliation upon himself. Even the academy would punish him in the spirit of fairness. Li Luo did not bother with him but instead waved to Zhao Kuo and Yuan Qiu. "Well, I will head up first." Zhao Kuo hurriedly said, "Be careful! If you can't take it, just give up. It would be too great a loss if your handsome face were ruined." Li Luo replied with a thumbs up. "Brother has foresight!" Yuan Qiu could only lightly sigh, a listless expression on her face. It was clear that she did not have the confidence her fellow teammates had. Under the scrutiny of the crowd, Li Luo entered the stage before picking a metal staff from the weapons rack, dragging it along the floor. This action caused the staff to scratch against the platform, causing ear-grating and piercing sounds. On the other hand, the audience, seeing that Li Luo had taken the initiative to go up first, erupted into an uproar. "The Second School intends for Li Luo to be the vanguard..." "They want him to be cannon fodder." "Haha, this is interesting. Li Luo was kicked out of the First School and now he's going to fight them... If he manages to win, that would make for an interesting sight!" "What are you dreaming about... He's a natural blank palace. Even if he has amazing resonance arts, how can he possibly beat someone at the Sixth Seal?" "Haha, I'm just joking. I'm trying to liven up the atmosphere." "..." Li Luo's appearance had incited a lot of interest and discussion amongst the audience. He was also somewhat of a legend within Southwind Academy... Most importantly, it was rumored that Jiang Qing'e had returned to the City of Southwind last week, even picking him up from school. This very action incited both envy and massive hatred from everyone around. With this in mind, everyone was hoping that Li Luo would receive a walloping... Bei Kun's arms were crossed, a playful look in his eye as he looked at Li Luo. Following which, he turned and spoke to the other two behind him. "Toy with him a bit, Liu Yang." Although he truly wanted to have a bout with Li Luo, he felt that this stage wasn't grand enough. Hence, he wanted to let the others build up the excitement. The youth known as Liu Yang was tall and large. He felt a little dissatisfied at Bei Kun's words. The audience here was large and he wanted to properly showcase his talents. Instead, he was being dispatched to handle the cannon fodder... truly a loss of face. Bei Kun, noticing his dissatisfaction, said dryly, "If you take him out in a move or two, can't you just continue to take on the next opponent? If you're hardy enough, you might even be able to sweep all three of them." "True..." Liu Yang nodded. He similarly casually walked up the stage, picking up a metal spear along the way. "Li Luo. Please have mercy on me," he joked. Li Luo grasped his metal staff, his expression unchanging as he faced him. At this moment, at a point high above the stage, the old dean nodded. Xu Shanyue and Lin Feng saw the signal and both exclaimed, "Begin!" Once the words resounded, Liu Yang and Li Luo shot towards each other. Whilst they approached each other, Liu Yang stared at that opposing shadow and couldn't help but to give a large guffaw. "Your speed is a little..." Peng! Just as he was about to speak, Li Luo, who was in front of him, executed a quick footwork.His toes suddenly pushed off against the ground, sending his entire body soaring forth like an eagle. In the blink of an eye, a cloud of dust was created behind him. Liu Yang's laughter could barely escape his mouth before Li Luo executed a quick maneuver, appearing directly in front of him. But it wasn't just Li Luo that appeared in front of him, there was a metal staff splitting the air, screaming towards him with utmost speed. Liu Yang had virtually no time to react, but through his own conditioned reflexes, managed to summon some resonant power to protect his chest. Li Luo's sudden increase in speed had frightened everyone. He did not have resonant power and limited strength as a result, but so long as Li Liu Yang circulated his resonant power to defend against his move, he would be able to counter attack and make Li Luo pay a price for his actions. As Liu Yang was thinking of that, the metal staff, akin to a black python, smashed downwards onto his chest. Peng! When that dull thud resonated, grievous pain flooded through Liu Yang's chest. Horror surged through him at this moment as the resonant power circulating through his chest was smashed apart by Li Luo's blow! After which, he was sent flying, heavily crashing out of the stage, leaving behind a trail on the ground. The crowd turned silent as everyone attempted to register what had just happened. Immediately after, exhilarated cheers could be heard from everyone! The students of the First School were blankly staring at the pain-wracked Liu Yang, who had been batted out of the stage like a pinball, all at a complete loss. Just what had happened? Why was the one sent flying not Li Luo? Some of them even doubted their eyes, looking towards the stage. Li Luo, on the other hand, was still in the same stance which he had struck Liu Yang in, gracefully looking at Liu Yang below. He seemed so cool at this moment that even his ashamed opponents had a look of idolatry on their faces. "What were you going to say? My speed is a little what?" Chapter 19: Li Luos Resonance The wooden stage was surrounded by a sea of people. The atmosphere had suddenly died down into absolute silence. Everyone was shocked, eyes wide and mouths agape at Liu Yang, who had been sent flying. This ending had exceeded all expectations. The Sixth Seal Liu Yang had been swatted away like a fly by Li Luo? How could this be possible?! The silence only lasted for a few breaths before the entire crowd exploded once again to newfound excitement! "What happened?" "How did Liu Yang get beaten in a single blow?" "This doesn't seem right. Liu Yang is a Sixth Seal Stage cultivator. Even if he couldn't physically react in time, his resonant power should have protected him. How could Li Luo have broken through that?" "This Liu Yang couldn't have fixed the match, could he?" "Don't you think this is too exaggerated and fake-looking if he wanted to trick us?" In the First School's direction, Difa Qing's little, red mouth was also hanging wide open. A single question floated up to the top of her head before she frowned and spoke out. "What is that fool Liu Yang doing? Isn't this too weak a showing?" Song Yunfeng was also deep in thought as he replied coolly, "He must have underestimated his opponent. Thus, he did not even have the time to circulate his resonant power." "How stupid of him." Difa Qing shook her head. "Well, I'm afraid Li Luo won't be so lucky next time." Lu Qing'er continued to stare at the tall and slender figure wielding the metal staff on the stage. She seemed to be in a trance as she could vaguely remember a time within the First School where this man's heroic momentum had swept across her, making fun of her subpar resonance arts, yet slowly guiding and teaching her. "Next time..." Lu Qing'er murmured, "I'm afraid he will continue to win. In fact, he might very well sweep all of the competitors by himself." Once she spoke, numerous experts of the First School were left blankly staring at each other, wondering what sort of spell she had fallen under. In fact, some felt extremely indignant and jealous of Li Luo due to those words. "It's impossible no matter how you see it. Why are you overestimating him? Are you interested in him?" Someone from the group piped up. When Song Yunfeng heard those words, he thundered out, "Who dares spread these false words?" His gaze swept across the group and everyone shrunk back, none daring to challenge him. Following which, he turned to look at the completely nonchalant Lu Qing'er, indifferently saying, "Qing'er, he can't do it." ...... "Li Luo! That was beautiful!" Whilst the First School was still in shock, Zhao Kuo was the very first one to scream enthusiastically. Even the Second School seemed to have cheered up a little as they celebrated. Whether or not it was Liu Yang underestimating Li Luo, none of it mattered. The Second School had won the first round. The surrounding uproar had caused Liu Yang's expression to turn white. He painfully scrambled to sit himself up before mouthing a few conciliatory words. "It was my mistake and I didn't dodge his move." But no one paid him any attention. "Idiot." Hearing the Second School's cheers, Bei Kun's expression became ugly to behold. He furiously scowled at the pale and crumpled heap known as Liu Yang on the floor before ordering the person beside him to act. "It's your turn, Lu Tai. Be careful and don't mess around, we can't lose." The one known as Lu Tai was a little scrawny, but he gave off a sense of shrewdness. He did not speak much but carefully scrutinized Li Luo before grabbing a sword and entering the stage. Meanwhile, above the stage, Xu Shanyue was all smiles as he spoke words of praise. "Li Luo's resonance arts have been practiced to the point of perfection. It's a pity that he has that issue with his resonant palace. Otherwise, if his resonant power had reached the Fifth Seal Stage, he would easily be able to dispatch the majority of Sixth Seal opponents." Lin Feng's expression was still calm as he replied, "Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be of much use. "Let the second round begin!" It was clear that despite his indifferent expression, Liu Yang's massive defeat had displeased him. Thus, he could not be bothered to bicker with Xu Shanyue, so he directly started the next round. Once the command was made, Lu Tai immediately summoned his resonant power, and a fiery, red resonant power surged from him. A thin flame coated him, radiating sweltering heat. This was Lu Tai's fifth-grade fire resonance. After learning from Liu Yang's mistake, Lu Tai would not underestimate his opponent again. Peng! His fire resonant power continued to rise in intensity as he wielded his longsword. Without a moment of hesitation, he swiftly dashed forward, his sword wreathed with a wave of flickering crimson-red energy, like a blade made out of flame. Shua! Shua! Countless red sword shadows slashed directly towards Li Luo. "No matter what sort of aberrant you are, Li Luo, my Sixth Seal resonant power will absolutely suppress you! Your defeat is certain!" Lu Tai gloated loudly. Li Luo's application of resonance arts was spectacular, and this was not a secret. However, even the most amazing of resonance arts was no different from a house of cards if it was not controlled by a strong resonant power. It looked impressive but would fall apart with a gentle touch. The sweltering sword winds arced over whilst Li Luo continued to tightly wield his weapon, immediately retreating nimbly, attempting to dodge as many of the blows as possible. "Do you think you can dodge them all?" Lu Tai gave a cold smile as he flicked his wrist. The crimson light around him surged in intensity and then numerous flaming sword shadows materialized and began falling upon Li Luos vicinity. It was like a firestorm descending, a splendid combination of beauty and danger. This was a middle-grade resonance art known as Firestorm Sword, also Lu Tai's most proficient resonance art. As numerous flaming sword lights shot towards Li Luo, he began to rotate his weapon in front of him, much like a windmill, forming a sort of absolutely impregnable defensive barrier against the attacks. "Without resonant power, how do you think you can stop me?!" Lu Tai exclaimed when he saw Li Luo's move. Peng! Peng! Numerous flaming sword lights had been completely deflected by the windmill barrier, but the heat could not be dissipated completely. The metal staff in Li Luo's hands gradually got hotter and hotter, but at this point, blue light seemed to have emerged from within the staff! Weng, weng! Vapor wafted upwards and obstructed Lu Tai's field of vision Shu! But at this very moment, the steam blocking his view was torn apart. All one could see was a flash and an azure light-coated metal staff piercing outwards, much like a lightning bolt, directly flying towards Lu Tai's forehead. The sudden attack caught Lu Tai off guard. Had his prized resonance art been blocked by Li Luo? That was impossible! His heart was filled with disbelief and shock, but his hands were not slow to react. Massive amounts of red resonant power blazed from his longsword as he summoned all of his might to directly collide against that explosive metal staff. Dang! The sound of metal clashing reverberated around the stage. What was most shocking was that under such a collision, Lu Tai's crimson-red resonant power seemed to have been massively suppressed, almost completely winking out in an instant. Peng! The sword had been subject to an immense change of temperature from hot to cold, causing it to shatter, its shards flying in every direction. The azure light-coated rod paused right as it touched Lu Tai's forehead. Feeling a piercing pain where he was struck, Lu Tai's face turned pale. This entire clash had lasted as long as a piece of flint setting off a spark. By the time the audience had noticed, Li Luo's staff was already positioned right on Lu Tai's forehead. Li Luo had won again? The last round was a surprise for the audience, and some might have even called it a fluke. This victory, on the other hand, was a clear demonstration of his might. Lu Tai had not underestimated the opponent and had brought out the full measure of his Sixth Seal strength. Yet the fact was that he had been beaten by Li Luo. What was happening!? Under the unbelieving gazes of the audience, the water vapor and smoke emitting from the staff eventually ceased. Li Luo's silhouette could be seen clearly in everyone's eyes Hiss! The final hiss of the water evaporating off the staff could be heard amidst the absolute calm amongst the audience, just before everyone started applauding and shrieking. On the side of the First School, Difa Qing and Lu Qing'er's gazes were fixated on the scene. Song Yunfeng, on the other hand, was so frustrated that he slammed his palm against the wooden branches, directly causing a few cracks. Meanwhile, above the stage, Xu Shanyue and Lin Feng had a trace of astonishment on both their faces. Even the old dean was squinting as he tried to take in the truth of what had happened. What they had seen was that Li Luo's body was faintly emitting blue resonant power, each pulse creating numerous waves, much like the sea. They could tell at a glance that this was water resonance power. The thing was that everyone knew that Li Luo possessed a blank palace. It was extremely difficult for him to cultivate resonant power. But what they clearly saw was water resonance power! Where did this come from? Did that mean that the current Li Luo was not a blank palace, but instead possessed a water resonance? Chapter 20: Clean Sweep Azure-blue resonant power continued to emit from Li Luo's body, wafting into the skies. These few brief moments had demonstrated that he was far superior to Lu Tai, quickly bringing about his defeat. Everyone stared in shock at the scene before them, their hearts tumbling with massive unrest, the very sight before them leading them to tremble. "He... how did he suddenly get a water resonance out of nowhere?" Difa Qing asked softly. She stared at the tall and exceptionally handsome youth standing in the middle of the platform, victoriously holding onto his weapon. For a brief moment, she slipped into her memories and remembered the Li Luo of the past who had just entered Southwind Academy. At that point, he was the undefeated and influential champion of the academy, his time in the limelight even on par with Jiang Qing'e's. However, with the manifestation of his blank palace, he had fallen from grace, eventually even being relegated to the Second School. The youth who now heroically stood in front of the audience with blue resonant power swirling from him seemed to look exactly how he did in the past, the two images in her mind overlapping, gradually becoming more and more dazzling. Song Yunfeng's change in expression was most wondrous. He was absolutely fixated upon the Li Luo before him, as though he wanted to see through every aspect of him. There was no one else who dreaded seeing such a scene as much as Song Yunfeng did. He bore witness to the radiance and might of Li Luo at his prime and had no intentions of seeing Li Luo ascend again. Quietly, he tilted his head to see how Lu Qing'er would react. She was absolutely starstruck and enthralled by the youth's blooming splendor. The very sight caused him to furiously clench his fist, a deep look in his eyes full of gloominess. Whilst her two companions were feeling complete turmoil, Lu Qing'er was on the other hand very calm, her crystal-clear gaze focusing on Li Luo. "Could it be..." "Southwind Academy is becoming interesting." "Are you going to come back, Li Luo?" "What is going on? How did Li Luo suddenly gain a water resonance?" Lin Feng uttered accidentally. He was absolutely flabbergasted as he looked down from above the stage. "Did he utilize some sort of corrupt forbidden art?" Xu Shanyue was equally shocked, but when he heard Lin Feng's rude statements, he retorted, "What sort of crap are you spouting? Just because Li Luo had a blank palace, that doesn't necessarily mean that will always be the case." Lin Feng sluggishly replied with a frown, "That was not my intention. However, I've always understood that blank palaces were naturally endowed. How could one obtain a resonance after that?" Xu Shanyue coldly snorted. "Obviously, we think it's unbelievable because we haven't experienced enough." Lin Feng was about to rebut when the old dean spoke out. "Acquired resonances that are not manifested at birth may be rare, but they are not impossible to come by. It is said in legends that there are certain natural treasures that possess such miraculous effects." "Li Luo's parents must have left behind something like that to allow him to manifest a water resonance." "There's no rush in discussing this matter. Once the competition is over, we can ask him ourselves. We are an academy, we exist to guide and teach. Everything else is not our responsibility." Hearing the old dean's words, Lin Feng was left absolutely speechless. He continued to stare at Li Luo, a glint within his eyes, his thoughts unknown. Under the stunned looks of the audience, Bei Kun walked up the stage with a spear and an ugly scowl. "Li Luo, I never thought you would be hiding your strength so deeply. Are you trying to beat all three of us consecutively to prove yourself? I won't let things go your way," Bei Kun said coldly. Li Luo laughed. "Your words sound like something only an extremely mentally deficient actor would say. Are you trying to put on a show for everyone?" Bei Kun's face turned beet-red at the insult before he furiously shouted back, "Let's see how long you will continue to laugh!" He stepped outwards, and the resonant power within him started to surge out of him into the skies. A faint tiger roar could be heard and a sense of suppression could be felt by those who were in his presence. This was Bei Kun, owner of the Cruel Mountain-Splitting Tiger Resonance, a sixth-grade resonance. The creature itself lived up to its namesake of being a strong and violent fiend, and hence the resonance provided the user with matchless strength that could even split a mountain! Li Luo could faintly feel the baleful aura emitting from Bei Kun, and he instantly focused himself. Bei Kun was a whole level stronger than the previous two as he was supported by the sixth-grade Cruel Mountain-Splitting Tiger Resonance. Looking at things from a whole, Bei Kun would clearly be considered a peak stage Sixth Seal cultivator. Compared to him, Li Luo only possessed Fifth Seal resonant power, and his waterlight resonance was only fifth-grade. On paper, it looked as though he was at a disadvantage in every way. However, victory and defeat did not depend solely on these factors! Dong! Bei Kun roused his entire body and the resonance projection. Without hesitation, he shot out like a bullet, like a ferocious tiger protecting its territory. The spear in his hands possessed violent and vigorous energy as it lanced towards Li Luo. Li Luo's metal staff was once again wreathed with blue resonant power which looked like endless waves circulating around it, directly colliding with Bei Kun's blow. Dang! When the two metal weapons clashed, shockwaves blasted out from the point of impact, and Li Luo's silhouette could be seen shooting outwards like a cannonball. However, with his quick steps akin to a slippery eel, he was quickly able to regain a sense of balance and managed to mitigate that ridiculously berserk blow. "Hmph. Just Fifth Seal resonant power!" In that single clash, Bei Kun had been able to determine the difference in quality of resonant power. "I thought you had encountered a reversal of fortunes, but it wasnt that great at all." He coldly snorted. As he spoke, he continued to attack like a tiger pouncing on its prey. His spear was once again endowed with mighty strength as it pierced the air relentlessly, creating countless spear shadows that swooped towards Li Luo. It was clear he wanted to take advantage of Li Luo's momentary weakness and to deliver a vicious finishing blow to end it all. Facing Bei Kun's pursuit, Li Luo did not choose to retreat. He remained calm and stood his ground as the spear and rod exchanged countless strikes, letting out resonating sounds through the arena with every clash. The two were entangled closely together, their resonant power constantly fluctuating and creating a rather intense sight for all the viewers. However, as the struggle continued, Bei Kun's expression gradually became uglier and uglier. He was gradually discovering that the resonant power that surged forth from his opponents metal staff was continuously getting stronger over time. Even the geniuses of the First School were unable to see what was happening. "Li Luo is actually able to block Bei Kun's explosive display of strength. That's strange... he clearly only has Fifth Seal resonant power." "Why is Li Luo's water resonant power getting progressively stronger? What's going on?" "That is a high-grade resonance art, the Nine Layered Jade Waves. It is extremely appropriate for water resonance users. It's a move that starts weak but grows stronger over time. The user's strength is like the waves of a sea, gradually accumulating energy over time. This coupled with the water resonance power being extremely enduring is a ridiculously strong combination. As the fight drags on, the stronger the user will become, unless absolute strength is used to break the move completely! It allows one to grind any opponent down." "If Bei Kun is unable to break through this defense, his defeat is certain." The geniuses of the First School had their faces turn grave at this explanation. Even amongst the First School, there were few students that were able to utilize high-grade resonance arts like the Nine Layered Jade Waves. Li Luo being able to effortlessly utilize this art demonstrated his sheer skill. "Li Luo is clearly Southwind Academy's number one expert in terms of resonance arts," said someone amongst the group, causing the rest to sigh. Li Luo did not possess significant amounts of resonant power in the past and so they never felt concerned. The fact now was that he had manifested his own resonance, and they could see for themselves what sort of thorny problems an opponent with a combination of excellent resonance arts and the power to back it up could create. Dong! Just as they were speaking, Bei Kun bellowed with fury. He was aware that his situation was not good and that Li Luo clearly did not have strong resonant power. Yet it was like he was trapped in a whirlpool, gradually having his might siphoned away. Additionally, he wasn't able to explain why Li Luo's resonant power seemed to also possess a certain purity to it. Regardless, Bei Kun knew that the battle could not proceed this way. An ominous glint flashed through his eyes, and with just both palms, he unexpectedly grasped the metal spear tightly. From that stance, shadows of tiger paws could be seen on his hands, resonant power explosively emanating outwards. "High-grade resonance art! Piercing Fang!" Bei Kun took a single step forward with the spear in his hands, akin to a fearsome tiger leaping out of its den, stabbing outwards. This savage blow directly tore apart the countless waves of water resonance power, attempting to impale Li Luo. Li Luo stared at the sudden spear strike that truly resembled a penetrating fang, quickly summoning up all of his water resonance power in response. Resonant power like a massive tide rushed out and infused into his metal staff. The two weapons did not directly clash, but rather crisscrossed and went at each other directly. "You're courting death!" Bei Kun's expression was sinister as his eyes glinted with feral intent. Without the slightest hint of hesitation, he continued to stab forward at Li Luo. At this crucial moment, he suddenly noticed the blue light on the staff flash dazzlingly, his eyes directly struck by this brightness, temporarily blinding him. It was at the very moment that Bei Kun squinted in an attempt to restore his vision that he realized that his spear had struck mid air, striking the space above Li Luo's shoulder instead. "I'm doomed."?Bei Kun's heart turned cold. He did not understand what had just happened, as his spear was originally lunging towards Li Luo's shoulder. There was not enough time to react before Li Luo struck back with his heavy staff, directly smashing Bei Kun's face. Pu! Chi! A mouth of fresh blood and shattered teeth were spat out along with a pitiful cry. Bei Kun was also sent flying, landing outside of the platform with a heavy thud. That pathetic cry echoed around the entire area. Li Luo casually put away the staff and exhaled deeply. The blue resonant power that was being emitted also gradually disappeared. The entire audience was so silent, one could hear a pin drop. The only noise was being made by a crying Bei Kun. But the silence did not last longit was interrupted by ear-rending screams and cheers an instant later. Other than the First School, who had lost, every school was cheering like there was no tomorrow! They could hardly believe what had just transpired... They had witnessed the once-influential individual of Southwind Academy rising from the ashes with an unbelievable radiance. They had seen the one who had once been mocked for having a blank palace and even relegated to the Second School perform a clean sweep of one against three! Zhao Kuo was so excited and emotional that his entire face had turned red. At the same time, he even performed several gestures of contempt at his fellow academy students from the First School, arrogantly cheering... "CAN YOU SEE THIS?! "THE MAN IS BACK!" Chapter 21: Eve of the Examination Endless cheers could be heard from the wooden platform on the Tree of Resonant Power. With the exception of those from First School, everyone was celebrating jubilantly. No one had expected such a result. Everyone had assumed that the competition today would have a foregone conclusion, it was just a formality for the Second School to lose five Gold Leaves. But the tables were turned when the three Sixth Seal Stage cultivators of the First School were singlehandedly wrecked by Li Luo. This was truly an exciting show from start to finish. Most importantly, this entire brouhaha had been preceded by numerous dramatic events. Li Luo was a student of the First School who had been demoted to the Second School, and he had a natural blank palace and apparently limited potential as well... But now Li Luo was standing right in front of everyone with a mysteriously obtained resonance, demonstrating overwhelming strength. Just how complicated would Lin Feng's heart be right now, seeing that the very person he had shunned had come back to haunt him? The students were all amazed at this sight, inevitably focusing on the youth of the hour, reexamining their own thoughts. Could it be that this youth who had once fallen from grace would rise from the ashes? However, wasn't it a little too late...? As the noise continued unabated, the students of the First School were looking at each other in silence and with complicated expressions on their faces. Difa Qing stared blankly at Li Luo. And at this moment, someone behind asked, "Was he not supposed to have a blank palace? How could he suddenly have manifested a resonance?" Song Yunfeng was expressionless as he was unable to fathom how this was possible. "Being able to manifest a resonance artificially may be rare but not impossible. There are numerous heavenly treasures that allow one to obtain an acquired resonance. Unfortunately, these items are so uncommon that one might only be seen within the Xia Kingdom every few hundred years. However, Li Luo's parents are unimaginably mighty, and this might not be something out of their reach," Lu Qing'er piped in. Lu Qing'er's Second Uncle was the president of a branch of the Golden Dragon Bank, which also had branches spanning across the continent. As a result of being so widespread, it naturally possessed knowledge that was not common information. "If he did possess such a treasure, why did he wait till now to use it?" Difa Qing asked. "Perhaps there are some specific conditions for it. I don't know the details." Lu Qing'er gave a wry smile. Difa Qing fell into silence before finally replying, "Is this brat finally experiencing a change of fortune?" The tone was complex as she hailed from the Difa family, one that was in constant struggle against House Luolan. It was significantly smaller than the Song family and hence never directly clashed against House Luolan. As a result, she and Li Luo did not possess significant enmity, except for the fact that Li Luo had stolen Jiang Qing'e from her "How could it be so easy?" Song Yunfeng sad inspidly. "Li Luo's resonance should be a water resonance. Judging by the way he clashed against Bei Kun, you can roughly tell that his is only a fifth or sixth-grade resonance. Such a mediocre resonance may not be bad, but it's definitely not exceptional. "His resonance power should only be that at the Fifth Seal. Can a mere fifth or sixth-grade resonance coupled with Fifth Seal resonant power be considered impressive?" Difa Qing nodded in agreement. If this was the case, then Li Luo wouldn't even be strong enough to rank in the top 10 of the First School. Even though he had heaven-defying talent when it came to the application of resonance arts, it would still be an arduous task to become someone truly outstanding within the First School. Most importantly, the final examination was barely a month away. Just how could Li Luo bridge the gap in such a short period of time? Thus, Difa Qing could only conclude that this was impossible. At this point, Difa Qing could feel the worry within her heart dissipate and heaved a sigh of relief. Even she did not notice that watching Li Luos performance had caused her to feel pressure. She was clearly unwilling to see Li Luo ascend to greatness. Lu Qing'er did not participate in their conversation, merely focusing her gaze upon Li Luo. You've finally resolved the issue with your blank palace.... Now, will you be able to catch up during the final segment of the race? Whilst the cacophony continued around the platform, the area above the platform was filled with deafening silence as the teachers and dean were speechless. Even Xu Shanyue was astonished at this turn of events. Lin Feng, on the other hand, had not spoken from start to end, expressionless like a wooden block. The rest of the teachers, on the other hand, turned to look at Lin Feng, smiles of mockery on their faces. In the end, it was the old dean who ended the deadlock with a clap. "It looks like he truly is the son of those two. I suppose he counts as a late bloomer?" Lin Feng insipidly replied, "Dean, you need to watch your words. Fifth Seal resonant power with a mere fifth or sixth-grade water resonance doesn't mean much." The old dean shook his head. He knew that Lin Feng was feeling extremely dissatisfied at this point, but he continued to smile. "You are simply just too prideful. It's just a matter of time before you suffer because of it." Lin Feng did not reply to that and instead turned to Xu Shanyue. "My First School was simply not up to par. As agreed upon, ten Gold Leaves are yours. These kids have no ability to call their own, and teaching them a lesson is not a bad thing." Xu Shanyue mocked, "I thought you would want to raise the notion of Li Luo re-entering First School." "You're thinking too much. I will let you know right now that he is not that amazing. My First School does not lack such an ordinary student. More importantly, he should be focusing on catching up within this short period of one month. After all, being able to enter Astral Sage College is what truly matters." Lin Feng smirked. He had definitely been caught on the backfoot when Li Luo suddenly appeared with his water resonance. However, it wasn't to the point where he felt a sense of pity for kicking Li Luo out. Furthermore, this water resonance had appeared too late. Li Luo was only at the Fifth Seal Stage, and the grade of his water resonance was not particularly high. Hence, from Lin Feng's perspective, Li Luo had only managed to extricate half of his body from the quagmire he was in. Did Li Luo truly think that the elites of First School were merely decorative objects on his path to the pinnacle? No! As he had mentioned, the most important fact was that the final examinations were about to arrive and Li Luo had very limited time to catch up. After this point, everyone would leave Southwind Academy, so there was no need for him to care about how Li Luo would develop in the future. Missing the opportunity to enter the Astral Sage College would be Li Luo's loss. This would not change even with his status as the young lord of House Luolan. After consoling himself, Lin Feng's expression became more relaxed as well. At this point, the old dean proceeded to the platform and waved at Li Luo. Seeing this, Li Luo paused for a moment before finally walking towards the dean. "Good day, Dean." Li Luo greeted him with a smile. The old dean smiled happily as he examined Li Luo. "Have you solved the problem of your blank palace?" Li Luo nodded. "Yes. It's a fifth-grade water resonance." When Lin Feng heard Li Luo speak, he couldn't help but smile. "Li Luo, your water resonance is considered mid-grade. But don't worry, if you work hard, you will definitely achieve something." "Teacher Lin Feng, you don't have to worry too much about this. Although the resonance's grade can affect one's cultivation speed, it's still possible to reach the Duke or even the King Stage with a fifth-grade resonance," Li Luo patiently explained. Lin Feng replied almost mockingly. "Reaching the Duke or King Stage with a mere fifth-grade resonance? These are just childish fantasies. Do you truly believe in them?" The old dean waved his hand, indicating for Lin Feng to stop, before saying to Li Luo, "Your confidence is what's most important. However, there's only a month left before the final examination. If you want to catch up, you will have to put in untold times more effort than others." Li Luo nodded in agreement. "I understand." After a few more perfunctory sentences, he let Li Luo leave and at the same time turned to face the audience. "There is barely a month's time left before the final examination. In two weeks time, we will hold our preliminary examinations. Additionally, the Astral Sage College has published their basic requirements for the year. You will have to be at least at the Seventh Seal Stage." This proclamation came down like a sledgehammer on numerous students' hearts. The Seventh Seal Stage was an insurmountable barrier for many, and everyone felt frustrated and dejected upon hearing this news. Only some of the most elite students within the First School were smiling. Being the best college of the Xia Kingdom, even when considering its peers in the surrounding kingdoms, the Astral Sage College was not a place where people could enter as they pleased. "No one below the Seventh Seal Stage..." Li Luo smacked his lips in response. He did not feel that there was anything strange with that request. He was currently at the Fifth Seal, so there were two more stages to go. It looked as though he would have to train feverishly if he wanted to succeed. Furthermore, this was just the most basic requirement. One still had to engage in battle as well. Thus, if Li Luo required more insurance, he would clearly have to temper his waterlight resonance again. The only problem was that the gap between a fifth-grade resonance and a sixth-grade resonance was not tiny. After doing some quick calculations, it truly seemed like a coincidence that the entire Tianshu Province's income for House Luolan would just barely be enough. He would wipe it clean. As he was deep in thought, the students who were in the vicinity gradually started to scatter. At this point, he suddenly noticed someone approaching him. When he turned to look, he noticed that it was Lu Qing'er calmly looking at him. "Congratulations, Young Lord." When he saw her, his instincts kicked in and he reflexively wanted to avoid her. However, just as he took a step away, he awkwardly stopped himself. "Hello hello. How are you doing?" Li Luo replied with the most perfunctory of greetings. "You're not planning to hide?" Lu Qing'er probed. An embarrassed Li Luo quickly replied, "Hide? What do you mean? No such thing has ever happened!" Lu Qing'er did not bother to follow up on that and continued, "Li Luo, I have always been very thankful for your guidance in the resonance arts. It's just unfortunate that you've chosen to actively distance and hide yourself from me. I have never coveted your position, and you should know that that isn't something that is given but must be earned with strength. "Li Luo, I am now the strongest within Southwind Academy. If you want to reclaim this throne, then you will have to beat me. I used to worry about hurting your feelings and never wanted to say this to you, considering your situation. However, things are different now since you have solved the issue of your blank palace. If you truly are a man, then you will reclaim what is rightfully yours." At this sudden declaration, Li Luo could only bitterly smile. "Then it looks like I need to work hard." Lu Qing'er smiled in response, but Li Luo could sense a cold and slightly annoyed glint leaking out of her eyes... "I am waiting for you. Let me tell you now. Your actions these past few years have caused me to appreciate you a lot less. If I have the chance..." At this point, she stopped, the cold glare in her eyes evident of her stance. After speaking, she turned and left. Li Luo was left speechless as he watched her gradually disappear into the distance, only able to shake his head helplessly. It seemed as though he had offended her. It seemed that the prettier the lady, the more petty they were! In the midst of his sigh, he could feel that yet another individual was focused upon him, so he turned his head to look. Right atop the wooden platform was a frosty-looking youth absolutely glowering at him, his expression seeming to be a warning. This was the second strongest student in the First School, Song Yunfeng. Their two gazes intersected and clashed. Song Yunfeng continued to scowl at him with a sharp and combative glint in his eyes. He then lightly shook his head and coldly mouthed some words. "Li Luo, don't stick your nose where it's not supposed to. Stay away from Lu Qing'er." He believed that Li Luo would understand what he was trying to say, as this was something quite obvious. On the other hand, Li Luo, who was not too far away, was frowning, muttering to himself, "What the hell is that fool trying to do? Why doesn't he just shout out what he wants to say? Why is he making things so difficult?? Moving his lips like that makes him look like a mouse who is sneakily eating scraps. Sigh...what is he trying to get at?" As he could not decipher what Song Yunfeng was trying to say, he simply shook his head and couldn't be bothered anymore, turning to leave. On the other hand, Song Yunfeng was still completely focused on Li Luo's silhouette. His eyes seemed to ooze gloominess as he squinted at him. Li Luo's previous gaze had reminded him of what Li Luo was like at his most glorious period in Southwind Academy. The Li Luo then radiated brilliance and was unmatched. However, things were no longer the same... Song Yunfeng was so furious at this response that the wooden railing he was grasping cracked. Li Luo, what exactly are you trying to do? Do you truly believe that a 5th-grade resonance will allow you to do as you please? Chapter 22: The Price of a Sixth-Grade Resonance Knowledge of Li Luo's fifth-grade water resonance spread throughout the school very quickly. This naturally became the hottest topic of discussion. "Who would have thought that Li Luo would manage to rise from the ashes! An acquired resonance... this is something Ive never heard of." "I heard that it was a treasure left behind by his parents! It's clearly something rarely seen." "Having great parents truly makes me green with envy! I'm so jealous!" "Well, it's not that amazing. After all, it's just a fifth-grade water resonance. It's not that exceptional, and the final examination is barely a month away. How can he possibly catch up to those at the top with so little time?" "Yeah. He may have beaten Bei Kun and his goons, but those three aren't even in the top ten of the First School. I heard the top ten are all at least at the Seventh Seal Stage. Song Yunfeng and Lu Qing'er are the two scariest ones out of the lotapparently theyre at the Eighth Seal or higher already..." "Mm. Li Luo has already squandered the most crucial time for growth. I don't think he can catch up in a month." Whilst everyone was fervently making Li Luo the topic of discussion, the man himself had just finished a round of cultivation and was quickly making his way out the academy. "Even though I beat Bei Kun today, it was more draining than I expected. If not for borrowing the light resonance power of my resonance to blind Bei Kun at the crucial moment, I might have taken even more time than I wanted..." Whilst on his carriage back home, Li Luo continued to analyze the day's battles. He wasn't looking relaxed as expected. Instead, a dissatisfied and solemn expression was plastered over his face. At this rate, his current strength coupled with the waterlight resonance and his expertise at resonance arts would easily allow him to contend with a Sixth Seal Stage cultivator. However, if he were to encounter a Seventh Seal stage expert, his chances of victory would be extremely low. "This is not enough. This is FAR from enough," he murmured to himself. His aim was to enter the Astral Sage College. The number of hopefuls that were competing with him were too many to count. If he was not at the top, his odds would be too low. The biggest constraint that everyone had mentioned was his lack of timebarely a month was left before the crucial moment. If he wanted to catch up, he would have to quickly improve his resonant power, and it looked like tempering his waterlight resonance was the only way. Only then would he have the confidence to face off against Lu Qing'er and those other elites. The key problem still lay in tempering his waterlight resonance to the sixth grade. This would be no easy matter... "I guess I need to have a discussion with Elder Sister Cai Wei..."?Li Luo's lips were puckered at that very thought. He had this strange feeling that if he were to mention needing huge amounts of fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights to Cai Wei, she might very well just devour him alive... .... The old manor, the administrative office. Cai Wei was currently sitting at her table, carefully inspecting the book of records. She was dressed in a pale-yellow robe and her egg-shaped face was enthralling as always, possessing an air of grace. She had already been at work for quite a while and was getting tired, hence she reached forward and gingerly placed the book down on the table. Hu! It was as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders as she gently heaved a sigh of relief, looking clearly more relaxed. Weng! It was at this point that ?the door suddenly swung open and Li Luo strode in with gusto. "Elder Sister Cai Wei!" Bang! When the door was slammed, Li Luo noticed the relaxed Cai Wei in front of him. Her mind had clearly not registered this sudden intrusion, and her beautiful gaze seemed a little dazed at the sight of Li Luo. The atmosphere suddenly seemed to freeze at this moment. Cai Wei immediately snapped to attention, sitting up straight as though she had been electrocuted. Her fair complexion was tinted with the red of embarrassment whilst her gaze stared coquettishly at Li Luo. "Did no one ever teach you to knock before entering?" Li Luo was currently dripping with cold sweat as he hastily nodded. "I'm sorry, Elder Sister Cai Wei! I will definitely take note of this in the future!" Seeing his respectful attitude, Cai Wei no longer felt ashamed but still asked brusquely, "May I know what instruction the Young Lord has?" Li Luo looked around sheepishly, making sure that no one else was around before carefully closing the door. "I want to let Elder Sister Cai Wei see a certain treasure of mine..." His voice was lowered, but before he could finish his sentence, he was shocked silly. This was because he saw Cai Wei whip out a gleaming bow, a dangerous smile on her beautiful egg-shaped face. "Young Lord, before you do anything rash, don't forget that I'm also a resonant master." Frightened, Li Luo hastily waved his hands, bitterly smiling. "Elder Sister Cai Wei, what do you mean? What are you trying to do!?" A little taken aback as well, Cai Wei's raised her eyebrow slightly as she asked curiously, all the while focused on Li Luo's every move, "Then just what sort of treasure of yours are you referring to?" Li Luo was a little confused at this turn of events... However, he didn't speak anymore and instead willed his resonant power to surge. In a blink, blue resonant power started to shroud his body, blazing upwards. The sight of the resonant power resembled waves of water flowing so much that one could literally imagine hearing it. He had revealed his fifth-grade water resonance. Pa! Cai Wei gradually lowered the bow in her hands as she asked in surprise, "You... you have a resonance?" Li Luo nodded. "A fifth-grade one too." Cai Wei was absolutely stupefied at this scene. Only after a good minute had passed did she finally react. "Is this the result of the secret art left behind by the two House Lords?" Li Luo nodded in response. At this point, she came to her senses. Thinking of her previous actions, her face flushed a bright crimson-red. Li Luo's previous words seemed to have held a deeper meaning, and she wasn't a naive youth...hence she was flustered and even thought that Li Luo was about to do something extremely unsavory... She felt incomparably embarrassed at this turn of events. Cai Wei, oh, Cai Wei. What a huge humiliation! Still, she was someone who had encountered all sorts of experiences and very quickly composed herself, smiling as though nothing had happened. "Congratulations, Young Lord! If Qing'e knew of this, she would be elated." Li Luo nodded. "There's only a little problem. Perhaps Elder Sister Cai Wei might have already guessed what it is..." "Do you still require spirit liquids and purifying lights?" Cai Wei frowned slightly after hearing his last sentence. "Mhm. Unfortunately, I will need fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. This resonance which my parents left behind requires endless amounts of spirit liquids and purifying lights to cultivate. Otherwise, it might very possibly dissipate..." Li Luo did not want to mention the fact that he could endlessly temper his resonance with copious amounts of spirit liquids and purifying lights. If news of this were to spread, the situation would definitely turn grave, and he temporarily did not wish for this to be revealed, at least not until he could protect himself. "Fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights..." The frown on Cai Wei's face deepened to the point that even her two eyebrows were touching. Fourth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights roughly cost around a thousand pieces of skygold each. Fifth-grade ones would easily cost over five times that. This was definitely an expensive consumable good. If Li Luo only required a few, then this would not be a problem. However, from experience, Cai Wei understood that what Li Luo needed was probably in the hundreds... This would not be a small sum. Cai Wei's expression was constantly changing as she struggled with this though. What was more surprising to Li Luo was that she did not find any reasons to push back and merely nodded. "I understand. I will do my best to carry out your instructions." She raised her head and saw Li Luo's absolutely flabbergasted expression before breaking out into a smile. "Did you think that I was going to reject you? You are the Young Lord of House Luolan. Everything belongs to you and Sister Qing'e. So long as you're not being coerced into it, whatever you want will become a reality. In any case, now that you have a resonance, you will finally be able to hold some influence within House Luolan. This is incomparable to the physical costs of these spirit liquids and purifying lights. How could I possibly reject your request?" Extremely touched, Li Luo passionately replied, "Elder Sister Cai Wei! You're truly great at understanding others! In this case, could you please get me several dozen portions immediately?" Cai Wei began to massage her temples upon hearing Li Luo's excited follow-up. "Well, this can be done. It's just that if you require a similar amount again, we don't have the funds to purchase more." House Luolan's businesses in the Tianshu Province only brought in around three hundred thousand pieces of skygold a year. The previous request for fourth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights had already cost around a hundred and fifty thousand pieces of skygold. After buying another thirty pieces or so, there would barely be any money left. Cai Wei sighed deeply. "Young Lord, I plan to sell off some of the businesses within the Tianshu Province. "House Luolan does not have much strength within the Tianshu Province. Thus, many businesses can be considered burdens to us as we are unable to properly protect them. In a sense, we are overstaffed here. Combined with the suppression of the three families, if this were to continue, it would only result in a grievous loss to us whilst taking up precious resources. The key reason lies with the three families. The three of them have an alliance in place to deal with House Luolan jointly, as they all have similar goals. If we were to voluntarily offer up some businesses and execute this well, it could very possibly lead them to struggle amongst themselves. Ultimately, this will also breed internal strife when their benefits are compromised, making it harder for them to deal with House Luolan in a united fashion." Li Luo considered her point of view and nodded in agreement after a while. "Elder Sister Cai Wei is truly decisive. You are making a sacrifice for the greater good. I am honestly unfamiliar with such matters and will leave this in your wise hands. Regardless of what you choose to do, I will support your decision," Li Luo said in praise of her. "I am truly thankful for your trust." Cai Wei gave a small smile. Li Luo waved his hands and then a thought suddenly came to mind. "Oh, yes! Does the Tianshu Province have any resonance artificers? If I could craft my own, then it would undoubtedly be cheaper than buying them off the market, yes?" "Well, of course we have resonance artificers. House Luolan has businesses in every aspect of the economy. This sort of profession is always in demand as the supply of spirit liquids and purifying lights is never enough. Our House Luolan has plenty of resonance artificers who are able to craft third-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. However, for those of a higher grade, the number of resonance artificers who are able to do so are a lot less, thus our production capabilities for that are also low. When it comes to fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights... I'm afraid there is no one in Tianshu Province who is able to craft them. All of those that can be bought in the market have been imported from Xia City." A sudden revelation dawned upon Li Luo. Of course! Someone who could craft fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights would be minimally a fifth-grade resonance artificer. Such individuals would only be found in cradles of civilization, the subject of any cultivator's worship. Why would they be hiding in such a desolate area like the Tianshu Province? It was natural that they were rarely seen here as a result. "Can Elder Sister Cai Wei bring me to where House Luolan crafts their spirit liquids and purifying lights? I have a water resonance and thus would like to gain some knowledge about the path of a resonance artificer." The price of these tempering treasures was exorbitantly high, and he was only talking about fifth-grade ones. In the future, he would even require seventh, eighth, and even ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights! Just how was he going to find them, much less pay for them? He also knew that in the entire Xia Kingdom, there were very few spirit liquids and purifying lights of the 7th-grade and above sold each year. The only way would be to rely on himself. Thus, he had to make preparations to progress on the path of a resonance artificer. Cai Wei did not disagree. "Alright. I will take you there tomorrow." Chapter 23: Suncreek Villa The next day, Li Luo attended Southwind Academy as per usual. When he entered the Second School's training field, he could distinctly tell that the originally rowdy field had quietened down by quite a bit, numerous respectful gazes looking at him. The old Li Luo was not considered weak within the Second School; only Zhao Kuo could beat him after all. Truthfully speaking, what everyone felt towards him was only pity and nothing else. Why would they respect him? That made no sense. The way they saw it, Li Luo was decently strong, but he still had a blank palace. This meant that his resonant power was limited. It was just a matter of time before they would surpass him. However, Li Luo had demonstrated his acquired resonance in the competition yesterday, furthermore sweeping all three opponents from the First School in a single bout. This led them to understand that Li Luo was truly not on the same level as them. Although a fifth-grade resonance was not considered high, it was more than sufficient. This combined with his talent in resonance arts was like adding wings to a tiger. The future Li Luo may not necessarily reach the absolute peak, but he would definitely rank in the upper echelons. Thus, who would dare to pity Li Luo even now? On top of that, he was also House Luolan's Young Lord. Just who had the right to pity someone so much better than them in every way? As they saw Li Luo walk past, certain students even took the initiative to greet him. "Brother Luo." There were even some daring girls who complimented him directly. "Brother Luo looks extraordinarily handsome today." Taking these greetings in his stride, Li Luo merely smiled at them before returning to his usual seat. At this point, even Zhao Kuo was looking at him with a burning gaze. "You're a man, right? Can you not look at me that way?" Li Luo frowned. Zhao Kuo chuckled as he feigned a melancholic expression. "It looks like I have to give up my title of number one in the Second School..." "Who cares about such trivialities!? Set your sights further," Li Luo snapped. "Further? In that case, all the best! Once you bring glory to Southwind Academy's males, we will cheer for you from the sidelines!" Zhao Kuo retorted. "What do you mean?" Zhao Kuo angrily explained, "Didn't you know? The other academies of the Tianshu Province have been constantly insulting us, saying that we are all feminine sissies, that we lack any form of manly vigor. Eastpool Academy is exceptionally hateful. They always take the initiative to mock the males of Southwind Academy. We first produced the legendary Sister Qing'e and now the strongest one of our generation is Lu Qing'er. It's as though we can only hide behind girls!"[1] Of course, there were other academies in the Tianshu Province. It was just that most of them were not as famous as Southwind Academy. In recent years, Eastpool Academy had risen through the ranks dramatically and was looking to contest for the title of the best academy in the Tianshu Province. As the two were bantering, Xu Shanyue entered the training fields. It looked as though his mood wasn't bad, his usual, serious expression replaced with a smile. "Good morning, students. The First School has kindly provided ten Gold Leaves for the Second School's use. From today onwards, we will have ten more to distribute." Hearing Xu Shanyue's words, the class cheered in excitement. The final examinations were approaching and these leaves might very well provide them with an opportunity to take another step forward. "These Gold Leaves were obtained by Li Luo's solo victory. All of you should express your gratitude directly." After which, the entire class broke out into raucous applause. There were even some delicate and good-looking girls who shouted out bravely, "I'm willing to have lunch with you to express my thanks!" Everyone could only stare in envy at his good fortune. Li Luo helplessly smiled, but deep down he sighed. He could not understand where their fascination in him lay and could only ignore their teasing. Xu Shanyue clenched his fist, signalling for everyone to settle down before proceeding on to the day's lesson. Three hours later, the class ended and Li Luo approached Xu Shanyue, looking to take the afternoon off. "You're taking leave again?" Xu Shanyue queried as he thought about the request. If this was in the past, he wouldn't have hesitated to reject his request. However, Li Luo had managed to beat the First School and had given him the credibility to stand tall against Liu Yang. Hence, he acceded to it. "Sure. Do remember that the final examination is about to arrive and you've already missed out on a week of training. You need to quickly catch up, or there will be no hope in entering the Astral Sage College." Li Luo smiled and agreed, waving goodbye before quickly taking his leave. Outside the academy gates was a luxurious carriage, akin to a moving palace. As Li Luo made his way into it, he realized that Cai Wei was already sitting within, by the window. In her hand was a round laced fan, lightly fluttering. Beside her was also a cup of piping hot tea, the entire scene accentuating her mature beauty. This coupled with her beautiful curves and exquisite features would absolutely captivate any mortal man. One could clearly see that Cai Wei was a lady with refined mannerisms. The choice of carriage was not only luxurious-looking but also comfortable, demonstrating her exceptional taste that was even better than Jiang Qing'e's. Li Luo had a feeling that Cai Wei's background was not simple. The only question here was why had she chosen to run all the way over to House Luolan to handle miscellaneous tasks? "Have you eaten? I've prepared lunch for you." Cai Wei batted a glance at Li Luo, her slender, jade-like fingers beckoning at the table in front, which was currently laid with a sumptuous feast. "Elder Sister Cai Wei is truly too considerate. Whoever marries you will truly be blessed," Li Luo praised. Cai Wei was capable at managing the affairs of a family whilst being beautiful and mature. No matter how one looked at it, she was truly outstanding. Amongst the women he had met, in terms of attractiveness and temperament, Jiang Qing'e was the most extraordinary. Lu Qing'er and Cai Wei were both equal, with their own redeeming features. "Your words are truly sweet." Cai Wei smiled as she beckoned for Li Luo to eat. At the same time, she continued to explain, "Our House Luolan has a specialized department whose purpose is to refine spirit liquids and purifying lights. It's known as the Suncreek Villa, and it is decently well known throughout the market for their tempering treasures when we look within the Xia Kingdom. The Suncreek Villa's headquarters is in Xia City and it has three branches spread throughout the Xia Kingdom. Coincidentally, one of these branches can be found in the City of Southwind. The Suncreek Villa is responsible for a significant amount of the profits House Luolan rakes in yearly. Hence, within House Luolan, Pei Hao has also fought the hardest to take control of them, trying all means to do so. The president of this particular branch left some time ago for some reason and the position was left vacant for a while as a replacement could not be easily found. Pei Hao recruited the vice president and attempted to use him to take control of this branch. Luckily, Qing'e realized his plans and very quickly dispatched someone to clamp down on those moves. As a result, this branch of the Suncreek Villa has some internal complications, ultimately affecting the amount of spirit liquids and purifying lights it produces." "Pei Hao, that bastard! Truly a waste of air." Li Luo couldn't help but vent. He previously wasn't interested in these matters, but now that he had to utilize significant amounts of resources from the house, he realized just how much trouble that white-eyed wolf really was. If House Luolan had actually been united, then the amount of resources he could mobilize wouldn't just be this piddling three hundred thousand skygold! Slightly depressed, the feast in front of him seemed to have lost some of its fragrance The carriage passed through the crowded City of Southwind, eventually stopping at the northern part of the city. Li Luo and Cai Wei both got off the carriage. They could see a humongous pavilion in front of them with a?Suncreek Villa?sign hung right in front. The Suncreek Villa possessed strict security with numerous protectors, but they immediately made way and let the duo through once they spotted them. They entered the building unobstructed, and at this moment, a group arrived to receive them. Li Luo could see that this group was split into two factions. The group on the left was led by a smiling middle-aged man, while the group on the right was led by a lady that was amazingly beautiful, such that any man who saw her would instantly perk up with attention. She was an elegant young lady with a pretty complexion; a pert, high nose; and a pair of silver circular glasses. She had long hair that cascaded down her back and she carried an air of undisguised arrogance. At this moment, Cai Wei quickly brought Li Luo up to speed. "The one on the left is Zhuang Yi, he's the vice president dispatched by Pei Hao. The beauty on the right is Yan Lingqing. She is a genius resonance artificer from Astral Sage College. She is also Qing'e's close confidante. She is currently a fourth-grade resonance artificer and also one of Qing'e's reinforcements." Li Luo seemed a little shocked at this as he couldn't help but to stare at the slender, glasses-wearing, cold, and arrogant beauty. He would never have expected that she was also from Astral Sage College, the place he had always dreamed of attending. 1. What Zhao Kuo actually says is that the men of Southwind Academy possess strong Yin energy and feeble Yang energy. Because females are traditionally Yin and men Yang Chapter 24: Yan Lingqing While Li Luo was still in shock at that bombshell revelation, the two groups reached the duo. "Welcome to the Suncreek Villa, Young Lord and General Manager Cai Wei. Keke. Your presence here truly illuminates our humble dwelling." The one named Zhuang Yi immediately rattled off the top of his tongue, an honest and enthusiastic look on his face. Compared to his hearty reception, Yan Lingqing was much cooler in response. She merely glanced at Cai Wei before taking a quick look at Li Luo. Following which, she stuck her hands in her pocket. It didn't seem like she was planning to introduce herself. "Vice President Zhuang Yi's words are too kind. The Young Lord is here to take a look at his house's businesses. There's nothing special about this after all." Cai Wei gave a small smile. Zhuang Yi was stunned for a moment before he hastily smiled and nodded. "It was I who spoke out of turn." After which, he rushed to Li Luo and greeted him respectfully before excusing himself politely and heading off to settle his other matters. Li Luo took in all of this and realized it was clear that Zhuang Yi was fully supporting Pei Hao. Hence, when they first met, despite Zhuang Yi's warm reception, he kept his distance and remained on guard. This was clearly something that was faked. On the other hand, despite the cold reception from Yan Lingqing, she still continued to stay with the duo, and did not look to get away at the first opportunity. However, after seeing Zhuang Yi speedily leaving, her expression turned slightly gentle. "Elder Sister Cai Wei, may I kindly know why you are here today?" Her voice was crisp and sweet, sounding like a gentle stream flowing, pleasant to the ear. Cai Wei walked forward and tightly grasped Yan Lingqing's forearms before smiling as well. "I brought the Young Lord here to take a look around." Both of them possessed amazing temperaments and were matchless beauties, hence when they stood side by side, it was a feast for the eyes. At the same time, it also allowed one to clearly see the differences between the two. If Cai Wei was like the vast mountain ranges, with large humps that protruded from the ground, then Yan Lingqing was more similar to the massive plains where horses roamed... As Li Luo's gaze swept past the two of them, his conspicuous actions were inadvertently spotted by Yan Lingqing... Her snow-white chin raised slightly as she said disdainfully, "Little Brother, just what are you trying to compare...?" Li Luo could only innocently blink his eyes at that accusation. Without caring further, Yan Lingqing huffed and dragged Cai Wei away. Li Luo didn't really mind either and did his best to keep up. As they entered the depths of the Suncreek Villa, they walked onto a bridge. When one stood upon the bridge, they were able to see that there were two refining platforms that spanned countless levels. Each level of these refining platforms was split into numerous smaller rooms. Each room had a transparent, crystal wall, and peering through it would allow one to see countless individuals dressed in white busily working. Peering closer inside each room, there was a table laid out with numerous transparent crystal bottles. These white-garbed individuals were taking all sorts of bottles and canisters, constantly concocting something. Occasionally, these crystal bottles would emit a blue light, signifying the creation of a spirit liquid or purifying light. "Elder Sister Cai Wei, there are two fourth-grade, nine third-grade, sixteen second-grade, and thirty three first-grade resonance artificers in this branch of the Suncreek Villa." Li Luo continued to peer curiously as Yan Lingqing's crystal-clear voice explained. Hearing this, he smirked inside. Cai Wei was the General Manager and naturally already knew of these matters and hence it was clear that she was only saying this for his benefit. Jiang Qing'e's bosom friend here may seem quite cool and uncaring, but she was actually a nice person at heart. At the same time, he understood that she was doing this for Jiang Qing'e's sake. They continued to walk and observe the surroundings as they made their way to Yan Lingqing's workspace. This was her refining workshop. "I suppose Elder Sister Cai Wei isn't here just to see me?" At this point, she removed her outer robes. revealing a simple outfit within which outlined her slender curves. Her gaze was currently fixated on the refining platform, her thoughts focused upon it. "It's because of the Young Lord." Cai Wei gave a wry smile. "He wants to become a resonance artificer." Yan Lingqing gave her a curious look and asked, "Isn't he a ..." She didn't finish her words, but the implication was clear. Wasn't Li Luo a natural blank palace? Why was there a need to become a resonance artificer? Cai Wei lightly patted Li Luo and directed a mischievous expression toward him. "Go and start your show. Let's give our little genius the greatest shock of her life." Li Luo was speechless at Cai Wei's attempt to tease her friend. However, he activated his resonance, causing water resonant power to gradually arise around him. "This... this is a water resonance?" Yan Lingqing was truly surprised at this turn of events, so much so that she propped up her glasses on her pert, little nose. "You have a resonance? What?" Li Luo nodded and sincerely said, "This is a fifth-grade water resonance, and I want to learn some resonance artificering arts in order to become a resonance artificer." After hearing his request, Yan Lingqing's eyebrows knitted together in slight confusion. "Isn't it almost time for Southwind Academy's final examination? Why are you not bitterly cultivating? Why don't you try your best to get into the Astral Sage College before we discuss any further? After all, the Astral Sage College has the Resonance Tempering Hall, where you can learn from many excellent teachers." Li Luo could only smile sheepishly. "I want to start familiarizing myself with this." Yan Lingqing seemed to have understood something upon hearing Li Luo's reply. Even though Li Luo had manifested a resonance, it was true that this was a little too late. With his current strength, he might not be able to make it into the Astral Sage College, and it would only be a matter of time before he would embark on the path of a resonance artificer. He still had a way out. "It's rare that the Young Lord wishes to improve so fervently. I kindly beseech this genius to guide him," Cai Wei added in. Yan Lingqing rolled her eyes at Cai Wei's comments, immediately placing a crystal bottle in front of Li Luo. "I believe you should have some rudimentary understanding of what resonance artificers do, yes?" Seeing that Yan Lingqing was going to teach him, he quickly nodded. Ever since he obtained his water resonance, he spent some of his free time reading up and learning foundational knowledge on this subject. At this point, Yan Lingqing flicked her finger and a line of blue resonant power shot out of her index finger towards a bundle of books, adhering to it. With another flick, the books were thrown right in front of Li Luo. "Read all of this." Li Luo didn't say much but simply got to work immediately, sitting down at the table and delving into the subject matter. "Why don't you take a seat? I have some things I need to do," Yan Lingqing lightly said to Cai Wei after seeing Li Luo obediently begin his study without any indication of impatience. Following which, she proceeded to continue with the work that required her attention. Cai Wei, on the other hand, lazily stretched and took a seat, quickly dozing off At the same time, within another room of the Suncreek Villa "What have the Young Lord and the General Manager been up to?" Zhuang Yi was sitting on his seat, questioning an individual in front of him. "Nothing much. They took a walk and were observing things before heading back to Vice President Yan's workshop," the person replied. Zhuang Yi nodded. "Tail them closely. Watch out for whoever they interact with and take note of these people. The most important thing now is to ensure I become the president of this branch. Once I'm successful, I can chase away Yan Lingqing and all of her people. At that point, everything will be in my control." "Understood!" Zhuang Yi waved his hand and that individual retreated. A chilling smile appeared on his face. "Jiang Qing'e, did you think that finding a little wench from your school would be enough to stop me? Let me tell you the truth! You're just dreaming! This branch of the Suncreek Villa belongs to me, Zhuang Yi!" Chapter 25: Resonance Smith By the time Li Luo finished going through all those books, five hours had passed. He exhaled deeply, slowly rubbing his sore neck. Yan Lingqing and Cai Wei had been gaily chatting beside him the entire time. Upon hearing him, they stopped and looked over. "Not bad. It looks like you are pretty patient." Yan Lingqing indifferently judged him. Despite the tone, it seemed as though she was still quite satisfied with Li Luo's performance. Patience was crucial for a resonance artificer. They had to spend countless repetitive cycles concocting and refining numerous materials in the process of improving their skills. At the same time, they had to be precise and not make mistakes. Just this fact alone required one to practice for a long period of time. Yan Lingqing got up and approached the workstation before signalling to Li Luo to come over. Atop the workstation were numerous crystal bottles, all filled with various strange and weird materials. "Refining spirit liquids and purifying lights is, at its most basic level, simply following a formula to its completion. This will allow these numerous materials to combine perfectly by relying on their unique characteristics, and to get rid of impurities. The final result will be these tempering treasures." Yan Lingqing picked up a crystal bottle that contained a blue flower. The surface of the flower was constantly rippling and diffusing some sort of energy. "This is a Three Leaved Algal Bloom." As she spoke, her slender, jade hand lightly shook the bottle and surprisingly, the flower instantly disintegrated into dust. At the same time, Li Luo was able to see water resonance power emitted from Yan Lingqing, which she then guided directly into the crystal bottle, directly fusing with the remnants of the flower. "During the process of refinement, we have to utilize either water or light resonance power to fuse with the materials. This allows us to amplify the unique characteristics of these items. One has to be extremely careful with the strength of the resonance power. Too much and it will ruin the material, too little and the refinement process will also fail." Her water resonance power continued to pour into the crystal bottle, and just a brief moment later, one was able to see that the material had gradually fused together to form a dark-blue liquid. Immediately after, Yan Lingqing proceeded to follow a set of predetermined steps. She quickly blended over ten other materials in a special sequence flawlessly and effortlessly, evidence of her familiarity with the subject. Half an hour later, the materials and liquid were mixed together. However, things were not as simple as that as the two items seemed to be repelling each other, even to the point of boiling over and causing an explosion. "What happens next is the final and also most important step. In order to fuse these two sets of materials together, a certain sort of power is required. This power will ultimately influence the tempering strength of the spirit liquids and purifying lights, and it is the most critical aspect of the refinement process. This power is often referred to as watersource or lightsource. In simpler terms, this is the result of when one condenses one's water resonance power or light resonance power to its utmost." Yan Lingqing then pulled out a rhombus-shaped crystal stone with a crystal jar hanging under it. Her palm was tightly grasping this crystal stone while more blue resonant power was surging out and into it. Ripples could be seen below the stone's surface as it vibrated. A moment later, Li Luo was able to see a single dark-blue drop of liquid gradually dripping from the bottom of the stone, falling into the crystal jar. "This is a polymerization crystal. Its use is to condense one's resonant power into watersource." Yan Lingqing explained right as she directed the watersource into the crystal bottle in which the materials were boiling over. At this point, a wondrous scene unfolded and the chaotic display of the seemingly incompatible materials repelling each other completely vanished. Then a bright, blue light was emitted from within. A single spirit liquid had been refined. Li Luo stared at the liquid, which was radiating blue light, and sighed in praise. "This is just a single first-grade spirit liquid. Hence, the process is extremely simple and not exceptionally troublesome," Yan Lingqing casually said. She was, after all, a fourth-grade resonance artificer, so such a process could be done on a whim. However, Li Luo was extremely cognizant of the fact that despite everything having gone smoothly, as easily as breathing, this was only possible due to the foundation built from countless failures. Even he could understand this as someone with a foundational understanding of resonance artificering. Li Luo gazed at the spirit liquid and asked directly, "Since watersource and lightsource can determine the final tempering strength of the spirit liquids and purifying lights, what determines the quality of the watersource itself?" Yan Lingqing indifferently replied, "The quality of the watersource or lightsource is dependent on one's resonance grade. The higher the grade of the resonance, the higher the quality of the watersource or lightsource produced. Hence, an individual with a high-grade water resonance or light resonance will naturally become a better resonance artificer than an average individual. For example, if Jiang Qing'e were to become a resonance artificer, the tempering strength of her spirit liquids and purifying lights would vastly outstrip most individuals. It's simply a pity that she is completely uninterested in this. Even the Resonance Tempering Hall spent a whole year beseeching her to pick up the fundamentals, but to no avail..." Li Luo nodded. Jiang Qing'e had a rarely-seen ninth-grade light resonance, truly someone favored by the heavens. It truly was unfortunate that she had no interest whatsoever in resonance artificering. "What if she were to create some high-grade lightsource for me to utilize? Would it improve the tempering strength of the spirit liquids and purifying lights the Suncreek Villa creates?" Yan Lingqing shook her head. "It wouldnt work even if two people with similar resonances and grades created two lightsources of completely imperceptible but different characteristics. For example, the materials I have been refining for half a day have already fused with my resonant power. If someone else were to utilize their watersource to complete the refinement, it would cause a conflict and the refinement would certainly fail. However, there are specific secret arts in this world that allow one to condense a special sort of watersource or lightsource that can further improve the tempering strength of spirit liquids and purifying lights. These are known as secret art watersources or lightsources. This is the hidden ace of numerous powers, but our Suncreek Villa does not possess it." Li Luo looked pensive as he listened. He was born with a blank palace and eventually refined an acquired resonance. Most importantly, the blank attribute of his palace had remained, and it allowed him to utilize spirit liquids and purifying lights without limits. His watersource should also correspondingly possess a portion of this blank attribute. Would it be of use to him as a resonance artificer? His waterlight resonance was of the fifth-grade and had the additional attribute of light. The resulting spirit liquid created by him might not be as simple as expected. Li Luo had confidence that if he were to use his waterlight resonance to refine a spirit liquid and purifying light, the result would not be inferior to one refined by someone with a seventh-grade water or light resonance. In fact, one would rarely even see a seventh-grade water or light resonance resonance artificer. Most importantly, there was no rush. He would take his time to experiment once he embarked on his journey to be a resonance artificer. As Li Luo was still pondering the numerous implications of his resonance, Yan Lingqing wiped her glasses. "If you truly want to become a resonance artificer, come here whenever you're free every day. I will teach you the basics, and when you're able to refine a first-grade spirit liquid or purifying light by yourself, you will officially be a first-grade resonance artificer." "Then I would sincerely like to thank Elder Sister Lingqing for this." He had achieved his goal today and he couldn't help but smile exuberantly, truly thanking her for her guidance. Yan Lingqing coolly waved him off and put on her long robe, dragging Cai Wei out of her workshop. .... During the next period of time, Li Luo's life became even more fruitful and strict. During the day, he would learn in Southwind Academy. After which, he would cultivate in the skygold room in the old manor, followed by some resonance art practice. Lastly, he would head to the Suncreek Villa and, under the guidance of Yan Lingqing, learn the arts of a resonance artificer. Whilst all of this was happening, Cai Wei was purchasing fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. The moment they reached his hands, he would spend some time tempering his resonance. Time passed extremely quickly, and Li Luo could feel that he was growing stronger as each day went by. It wasn't until the day before the preliminary examinations that Li Luo finally reached the Sixth Seal Stage. Chapter 26: An Ordinary Preliminary Examination Southwind Academy was bustling with activity on this day. The atmosphere seemed to be fired up as everyone geared up for the preliminary examinations. This preliminary examination was basically a qualifying round. Only the surviving twenty individuals would be able to represent Southwind Academy in the final examinations. The Academy Final Examinations, as they were also known as, was a gathering of all the academies in the Tianshu Province in which they would engage in rounds of battles. All of this was part of the selection for the Astral Sage College's strict entry requirements. This was also to say that only by passing through this qualifying round and entering the top twenty would one have the right to struggle for a place within the Astral Sage College. Of course, many students also understood that the Astral Sage College was a goal that was simply too lofty. If they were able to perform outstandingly during the final examinations, they would still be able to attend a respectable college in the Xia Kingdom. Although these other colleges and institutions were not as famous, as large in scale, or as strong as the Astral Sage College, they were still viable paths for one's future. Hence, this final examination was the final chance for the students to demonstrate their capabilities. At Southwind Academy's central training field. The entire place was swarmed with a sea of people. There were tens of rings that had been constructed to serve as the competition fields. The rules were also quite simple: one competitor had to be knocked out of the field or forced to forfeit before the time limit was over to be considered a victory. When Li Luo and Zhao Kuo arrived in the area, they were shocked at the hustle and bustle. "Hmph! It truly seems a little noisy." Zhao Kuo laughed. "Although this is considered a qualifying round, to the vast majority of the students here, this is also their final chance to demonstrate their capabilities," Li Luo replied. Zhao Kuo nodded as he scratched his head with a melancholic expression on his face. "I don't even know if I qualify to enter the top 20." With Li Luo's sudden rise, Zhao Kuo was now considered to be the second strongest within the Second School. Looking at Southwind Academy as a whole, his chances of entering the top 20 were not small. However, this also required a little bit of luck. If he were to successively encounter individuals that were stronger than him, his overall record would also be tarnished and he might very well be eliminated. "Everything is up to Lady Luck. Well, luck is something that's innate, and from the looks of things, you might not survive a few bouts after all," Li Luo casually quipped as he looked around. Zhao Kuo's face turned green as he scolded, "You bastard! I curse that you encounter Lu Qing'er in the very first round!" "No you." "No youuuuuu!!!!" Whilst the two bickered freely, an ear-piercing announcement echoed out from a platform overlooking the field. Everyone's attention shifted to it, and they could see Dean Wei walking out with the rest of the teachers following behind. "Good morning, students. The preliminary examinations are about to start. I hope that all of you here will do your utmost and display your strongest state. The ranking today will influence your future. The examinations will last three day and the results of these battles can be seen on the stone pillars situated in the four directions of the field. I will not speak any more unnecessary words and hereby announce the start of the preliminary examinations!" As the words resounded around the field, the shouts and excitement became even more intense and palpable. Li Luo and Zhao Kuo, on the other hand, had made their way to a stone pillar. On the stone pillar hung a projection crystal. Large amounts of information was scrolling through it as they read it. After half a minute, they discovered their opponents for the day. Zhao Kuo immediately heaved a sigh of relief. The two opponents he would be facing did not exceed his expectations. This was sufficient for him. Li Luo's expression was also indifferent. His two opponents were both from the First School, but they were not even as strong as Bei Kun. This, however, was normal. Southwind Academy had almost a thousand students. What were the odds of him encountering a metal plate that was ripe for the kicking so quickly? On the contrary, Zhao Kuo and him were considered to be the metal plates that no one wanted to encounter. "It's almost my turn. I will go and prepare myself. All the best!" Zhao Kuo looked at the time and said goodbye to Li Luo, excitedly tunneling into the mass of humans and disappearing in a flash. Li Luo shook his head as he made his way to his own battle stage. His first round was also about to begin. After reaching his assigned battle stage, Li Luo waited for around half an hour until the administrators announced his name, directly jumping atop in a single motion. Li Luo's appearance had also attracted the attention of the people around. Furthermore, he had previously beaten Bei Kun and his two friends in one go. He had once again regained a certain level of prestige. However, not everyone had witnessed that battle personally, so they continued to hold Li Luo in contempt, thinking that his display of prowess was a mere exaggerated tale. Now that Li Luo was actually on the field, they would personally get to knock him down to size. Li Luo's opponent was a skinny youth at the Sixth Seal Stage. His expression was a little bitter as he was considered to be average even amongst the Sixth Seal cultivators of Southwind Academy. Although this wasn't bad, who would ever have expected him to be so unlucky as to encounter Li Luo in the first round? Furthermore, Li Luo had manifested a resonance and was ascending towards the skies! "Begin." Once the administrator saw that both parties had entered the battle stage, he gave the command to start. The skinny youth did not hesitate to rouse all of the resonant power within him. At the same time, he quickly assumed a defensive position, clearly planning to react to Li Luo's move instead of taking the initiative. Li Luo did not hesitate either. Blue resonant power akin to massive tides of water surged out and circulated around him. He dashed out like a bolt of lightning, executing an explosive resonance art. The battle ended much quicker than anyone had expected. In just the short span of a few minutes, Li Luo's tempestuous assault rained down upon that skinny youth. His defense shattered instantly and he could only choose to resign. Hua! The people surrounding the battle stage burst into an uproar. Numerous horrified gazes were levied at Li Luo, especially from those at the Sixth Seal Stage, their expressions grave and sunken. They could not tell how Li Luo could have gained such explosive power in such a short period of time. It seemed as though even Bei Kun would be inferior in this regard. Li Luo was unconcerned with the looks he received from the audience. Once the administrator declared his victory, he jumped off the stage and disappeared amongst the crowd. Li Luo's second match was not long after, and it was even more relaxed than the first. His opponent was completely dispirited and did not even wish to fight, directly conceding. Hence, Li Luo's first day was a complete victory. After finishing the battles, Li Luo made preparations to leave. He had to rush to the Suncreek Villa to continue his learning of resonance smithing. After undergoing this period of practice, he could gradually feel that he was about to successfully create a first-grade spirit liquid. Right as he weaved through the crowd, Li Luo could sense someone in front of him looking directly at him. It was Lu Qing'er. She was currently wearing white, body-fitting practice robes. Her long legs were slender and accentuated by the robes whilst it snugly wrapped around her perfect waist. Her long hair was also tied up in a ponytail that was let down elegantly. All of this gave rise to a scene so beautiful that one could only sigh wistfully when seeing her. However, when Li Luo saw her, he could only give a helpless smile and a greeting. "Have you finished your bouts for today? It shouldn't have been too hard." These words were all crap. Lu Qing'er was number one in Southwind Academy. Anyone who encountered her would probably directly forfeit. Lu Qing'er sized up Li Luo and replied, "It looks like you've grown stronger again. So where do you think you rank in this preliminary examination?" "I should be able to enter the top 20. Being able to participate in the final examinations will be sufficient." He casually smiled. He was sincerely disinterested in competing for the highest position he could. There was no need to do so, as a higher rank wouldn't bring about any benefits. In fact, if his ranking was too high, he might even be specially targeted by other academies. When Lu Qing'er heard his words, she frowned. "With your strength, I feel that reaching the top ten isn't impossible." "Do you really think so highly of me?" Li Luo laughed. "Li Luo, I feel that you have no need to hide your strength so deeply. Only by fully demonstrating your capabilities will you be able to make those who doubt you shut up." Li Luo felt a little helpless at these words. Lu Qing'er might seem like an elegant and graceful lady, but her personality was one that only sought greater strength. Perhaps this was also why she kept tabs on him. After all, he was the only one who had the ability to suppress her in the past. Thus, she held a special interest in him. Completely opposite of her, Li Luo's personality was not the flamboyant sort. If there was no need to do so, he would not burst forth with his full capabilities for everyone to see. Perhaps this was a habit that he had unknowingly picked up as a form of self-protection after his fall from grace. "I understand. I will do my best." Lu Qing'er did not have any bad intentions when she mentioned all this. Hence, Li Luo could only nod and agree with her before quickly finding an excuse to slink away. Lu Qing'er continued to watch his back as he left, also feeling slightly helpless before turning to leave in the other direction. As the two left, neither had noticed that on a battle stage not too far away was a pair of stalking eyes. A certain Song Yunfeng had been observing the two after an utterly ruinous battle. His gaze was fixated upon the direction Li Luo had left in, completely immersed in gloominess. "I clearly warned you... but still you wish to challenge me?" Chapter 27: First-grade Refining Workshop After leaving the academy, Li Luo did not rush to the old manor but instead to the Suncreek Villa. The Suncreek Villa's protectors had recently become accustomed to the sight of Li Luo turning up, hence they respectfully greeted him before returning to their duties. Entering the lightly scented Suncreek Villa interior, Li Luo could feel his spirits slightly lifting. This period of studying the resonance artificering arts had truly developed his interest in this matter. "Haha. The Young Lord has truly been diligent in coming to the Suncreek Villa for these past few weeks." Just as Li Luo was in the midst of pondering how he could best refine a first-grade spirit liquid, he was dragged out of his daze by a certain laugh. Turning his head to look, he noticed Vice President Zhuang Yi beaming right at him. "I heard that the Young Lord has manifested a fifth-grade water resonance," Zhuang Yi said curiously. Li Luo had already spent many days practicing the tempering arts, so the news of him possessing a fifth-grade water resonance had already started to spread. Li Luo closely observed this Vice President who had thrown his lot in with Pei Hao, gently nodding. "Indeed, I'm currently learning the tempering arts from Elder Sister Lingqing." Zhuang Yi continued to smile. "Vice President Yan is a genius of the Astral Sage College. Her abilities truly aren't bad. However, her experience has some limitations. If the Young Lord wishes to learn the tempering arts, your humble servant may not be talented, but I believe I can provide some constructive advice." Li Luo smiled upon hearing this. This Zhuang Yi truly seemed to be big-hearted with those words. However, even an idiot would know that he was trying to closely monitor Li Luo and then personally report the news to Pei Hao. Would he even sincerely guide him? The choice was obvious if he had to choose between Jiang Qing'e's best friend and a lackey of Pei Hao. There was no hesitation. Hence, he lightly shook his head. "I feel that Elder Sister Lingqing isn't bad. Perhaps when I do have unanswered questions, I will personally look for Vice President Zhuang." "Ah, that really is a shame." Zhuang Yi gave an emotional sigh as though he felt that this was truly unfortunate. Li Luo did not continue to speak and was about to leave before he suddenly recalled something and turned back. "Oh, yes, Vice President Zhuang, I do have a question. I've heard from Elder Sister Lingqing that some of her refining workshops do lack specific materials from time to time. In fact, I heard that you're in charge of procuring more materials. Would you be able to replenish the stock?" Upon hearing the request, Zhuang Yi frowned slightly before responding in a troubled tone, "Young Lord, this is unfortunately something I cannot assist with. There are times when the materials we purchase encounter some quality issues and thus shortages do occur from time to time. Since the Young Lord has raised this concern, I will pay greater attention to it." Facing Zhuang Yi's respectful tone and the seemingly reasonable, watertight excuse, Li Luo did not push the matter but gave him a deep look before turning to leave. Zhuang Yi, on the other hand, continued to observe Li Luo as he left, the smile on his face gradually disappearing. At Zhuang Yi's side was a lackey who softly said, "Vice President, it's truly unexpected that the Young Lord has manifested a fifth-grade resonance. This is truly shocking..." "It must have been a heavenly treasure left behind by the two House Lords. It truly is a waste to lavish such an expense on a wastrel," Zhuang Yi indifferently commented. "However, it is just a fifth-grade resonance. It's not exceptional and it won't be so simple for the Young Lord to re-emerge as a contender for the house." Waving his hand, he ordered, "Bring this news to Young Master Pei Hao. Furthermore, let's expedite the confiscation of the first-grade refining workshops. That bitch Yan Lingqing is truly an eyesore." "Yes, my liege." ....................... Li Luo had just entered a first-grade refining workshop. Numerous compartments with crystal walls as barriers divided the room, with each compartment possessing an individual hard at work. Furthermore, Li Luo noticed the tall and slender Yan Lingqing walking around, in her long robe and both hands in her pockets. Her expression was clearly icy as she patrolled the area. She then paused in front of a particular compartment, unenthusiastically observing a particular first-grade resonance artificer's refining process. Being directly observed by Yan Lingqing caused the resonance artificer to feel a little nervous. He quickly drew out a thin crystal needle engraved with a precise measuring scale. This was a tempering measurement needle with a simple function. It was used to check the tempering strength of a completed spirit liquid or purifying light. The crystal needle dipped into the liquid within the crystal bottle and then the measurement scale gradually lit up increasingly. In the end, it settled at the 46% mark. Yan Lingqing saw this and coldly commented, "If this sort of spirit liquid and purifying light were taken out for sale, it would only ruin the Suncreek Villa's reputation." The resonance artificer could only dejectedly lower his head. Yan Lingqing did not become softhearted at this display of remorse, only continuing to mercilessly tear into him. "Your previous refinement had no less than four errors. The White Leaved Fruit was not refined with sufficient heat control, the Moonlight Juice used was too thick, the Smokeless Water was too thin, and most importantly, at the final step, your water resonance power did not attain the minimum saturation requirements. "Refine it again." After which, she turned and immediately swept her gaze across all of the first-grade resonance artificers. Everyone was silent out of fear, burrowing their heads into their work and focusing on refinement. Yan Lingqing carefully wiped her glasses, her beautiful face remaining as chilly as ever. It was clear that the results of this first-grade resonance artificer were not up to standard. A trace of gloominess could be seen in her pupils. Although she had come at the behest of Jiang Qing'e, she had come in without any assistance, and her influence within this branch could be considered to be even less than Zhuang Yi's. Within this branch of the Suncreek Villa, there were three refining workshops. They were split into first, second, and third-grades. Different graded refining workshops were thus responsible for the refinement of different grades of spirit liquids and purifying lights. Upon receiving Jiang Qing'e's order, Yan Lingqing had taken over the first-grade and second-grade refining workshops. However, the third-grade workshop remained firmly within Zhuang Yi's grasp. The two parties had, as a result, clashed multiple times both openly and secretly for the control of these refining workshops. Whoever controlled these workshops would indirectly control the majority of the resonance artificers. As the Suncreek Villa existed to refine spirit liquids and purifying lights, resonance artificers were the most important resource available. However, Zhuang Yi seemed to be unable to sit still any further in recent days. He had started to make moves on the first-grade refining workshop. His reason was that he had managed to raise a disciple that could refine a 56% tempering strength first-grade spirit liquid. This would be the highest tempering strength available in the Suncreek Villa's first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. Hence, with this reason, Zhuang Yi spread rumors that Yan Lingqing was unable to guide the first-grade resonance artificers effectively by extension and was not a good fit to be in control. In fact, in recent days, there were signs that some of the first-grade resonance artificers were slightly moved by this rationale. Yan Lingqing could faintly feel that if things were to proceed this way, control of the first-grade refining workshop would be seized by Zhuang Yi. Although she possessed the backing of Jiang Qing'e and Cai Wei, Zhuang Yi was not doing anything wrong on the surface. They were unwilling to directly boot this old man from the Suncreek Villa when he had yet to do anything wrong, as this would also be bad for morale. Such an action would also cause chaos to ensue within the management of the Suncreek Villa and would ultimately affect the amount of refined spirit liquids and purifying lights. In the end, House Luolan would end up being the loser. Her heart was slightly disgruntled and in turmoil as she proceeded to walk into Li Luo's refining workshop. She gave a quick glance and did not say anything. Li Luo was also very casual as he strode into an empty refining compartment. Beside him, a gorgeous young lady softly said to him, "You're back, Young Lord." Li Luo smiled as he nodded and proceeded to tidy up the materials on the refining platform. He also softly replied, "Sister Yinghua, why does it seem like Vice President Yan's mood isnt that great?" The young lady who was addressed as Sister Yinghua stuck out a tongue at him in response. "We've all been scolded for an entire afternoon now...." ?Then she gave him the rundown of the current state of things. After Li Luo heard all this, he finally understood that everything was for control of the first-grade refining workshop. This was indeed no small matter. If Zhuang Yi were able to take control of it, it would also be a massive blow to Yan Lingqing's influence and prestige. Her position in the Suncreek Villa would only shrink from that point on. Li Luo frowned as he didn't want to see such a sight. Furthermore, the Suncreek Villa was a large portion of House Luolan's Tianshu Province income, almost half of it. At a point where he required large amounts of capital, he did not want such a complication to arise, as it would affect him significantly. Most importantly, Zhuang Yi was Pei Hao's lackey. With his personality, the entire Suncreek Villa might even be completely swallowed by that white-eyed wolf. However, all these thoughts were pointless now. Li Luo could only focus on what was ahead of him. The formula for the first-grade Azure Jade Spirit Liquid was on the platform in front of him as he prepared the materials, beginning his practice for the day. Two hours of practice went by quickly, and just as Li Luo was getting more familiar with the refinement process, the large doors to the first-grade refining workshop had suddenly been pushed open. Everyone halted in their tasks as they glanced over towards Zhuang Yi and his minions who had just barged in. Merely looking at the way they had busted their way in, one could tell that they had ill intentions. Chapter 28: Li Luos First Time Zhuang Yi and a column of his men had ferociously busted into the first-grade refining workshop, instantly causing the atmosphere to become tense. Surprised gazes were cast in their direction. Yan Lingqing had also noticed their entry. Her face downcast, she icily demanded, "Vice President Zhuang Yi, how can you act so rudely?" Zhuang Yi's face was full of smiles as he replied, "Vice President Yan, there is no need to be agitated. I'm here for the issue we raised previously. Ever since the first-grade refining workshop was placed under your command, the amount of spirit liquids and purifying lights produced have decreased. Furthermore, there have been numerous pieces that are not up to par. This has severely affected the Suncreek Villa's business." Zhuang Yi looked deeply worried and even sick at heart at this point. Yan Lingqing coldly retorted, "A reduction in production? Aren't you most clear on why this is the case? If you had not reduced the amount of materials provided, how could this have happened?" "Vice President Yan, you are slandering my good name! We have been lacking materials recently, how could I just create more from nothing? Even though Vice President Yan is from the Astral Sage College, you might be lacking some experience and your guidance might not be appropriate for the Suncreek Villa's first-grade resonance artificers. Your pointers might instead mislead them," Zhuang Yi said with a frown on his face. No one dared to interfere in this war of words within the first-grade refining workshop. Everyone understood that this was an open battle between the two vice presidents, and anyone who dared speak out of turn would inevitably be turned into dust by the aftershocks. Zhuang Yi continued to stare at Yan Lingqing. "Vice President Yan, as resonance artificers, we should use results to back our words. You've already been in control of the first-grade refining workshop for quite some time, but the results clearly haven't been exemplary. The first-grade resonance artificers you have guided are only able to produce first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights that barely exceed 50% tempering strength. On the other hand, my disciple, Shi Yun, is already able to refine a 56% tempering strength Azure Jade Spirit Liquid. You have to know that the minimum requirement for the Suncreek Villa's first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights is 53% tempering strength. Thus, Vice President Yan should act for the good of the Suncreek Villa. I'd recommend you hand the first-grade refining workshop over to me; otherwise, if things proceed this way, our first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights might no longer have a market in the Tianshu Province." After speaking, Zhuang Yi turned to face a few of the higher-ups of this branch of the Suncreek Villa. "Don't you feel that what Im saying makes sense?" These higher-ups remained deep in thought. Even though they did not wish to involve themselves in this scuffle between the two, Zhuang Yi's words made a lot of sense, and as an organization, only results mattered. If Zhuang Yi's disciple was able to reliably produce 56% tempering strength spirit liquids and purifying lights, this would indeed be beneficial to all. Hence, some of the higher ups reluctantly spoke out. "Vice President Yan, why don't you let Shi Yun manage the first-grade refining workshop? This way, you can focus on the second-grade refining workshop. Furthermore, this is our Suncreek Villa's most important product." Yan Lingqing was emotionless. If she truly gave way here, this would mean that she had lost in the battle against Zhuang Yi and would clearly indicate that the direction of the winds would blow against her. Gradually, she would be forced back more and more. However, if she did not take a step back here, with how aggressive Zhuang Yi was and with the voice of reason on his side, this would also cause a negative blowback on her end. Thus it truly seemed as though she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Zhuang Yi stared with interest at the clearly conflicted Yan Lingqing, a smirk gradually forming on his face. So what if she was a genius of the Astral Sage College, was she not still tender and fresh-faced? Weng! At this point in time, as the pressure on Yan Lingqing was multiplying, the tense atmosphere was shattered by a blue light exploding forth from a specific refining compartment. This sudden change of events caused everyone some degree of astonishment. Everyone turned around, only to see a certain Li Luo grasping a bottle filled with an azure liquid and an expression full of glee. This was the first successful spirit liquid he had ever produced, and it had been refined under such tenuous circumstances. After refining this bottle of Azure Jade Spirit Liquid, Li Luo drew out a tempering measurement needle and tested it. Surprisingly, he saw the measurement scale on the needle swiftly climb upwards. Ultimately, the needle stopped at the 60% tempering strength mark. Hua! When all of the first-grade resonance artificers saw this sight, they couldn't help exclaiming in shock! One after another, everyone rushed forward to take a look. "60% tempering strength? The spirit liquid that the Young Lord refined has a tempering strength of 60%!" "How can this be possible?!" The first-grade refining workshop was filled with cries of disbelief and terror! No one could understand how this was possible, and all the attention that had been focused on the battle between Zhuang Yi and Yan Lingqing dissipated. Everyone rushed towards Li Luo to take a closer look. After everyone had a chance to lay eyes on the tempering measurement needle's scale, there was a deathly silence. All of their shocked gazes were directed at the smug Li Luo. They were well aware that he had been learning resonance artificering arts for no more than two weeks! Within such a short span of time, he had managed to not only produce a first-grade spirit liquid, but also produce one with such terrifying tempering strength. Was this truly what one called a blessed genius of the heavens? "Make way." Yan Lingqing's voice caused the group to disperse quickly as she strode over with her long, slender legs. Her alluring gaze was purely focused on the Azure Jade Spirit Liquid in Li Luo's hand. "Let me take a look," she instructed. Li Luo naturally made way and passed the crystal bottle over. Yan Lingqing then quickly poured out a drop of the Azure Jade Spirit Liquid to check it personally. Her face seemed a little moved at this sight. "This Azure Jade Spirit Liquid has unmatched purity. It's clearly able to reach the point of 60% tempering strength." She then shifted her focus onto Li Luo. She never wouldve expected Li Luo to also be a true genius at resonance artificering. This was also his first attempt! Recalling the first time she refined Azure Jade Spirit Liquid, the finished product only had 57% tempering strength, which clearly wasn't a bad result. At this point, she seemed to think of something, and a cunning smile appeared on her cold face. She grabbed the bottle containing the Azure Jade Spirit Liquid and turned around, looking at the equally surprised Zhuang Yi. "Vice President Zhuang Yi, I dont believe I will hand over the reins of the first-grade refining workshop just yet." Zhuang Yi's face turned incomparably dark as he scowled at the bottle of spirit liquid. He had clearly heard everyone's exclamations. This brat Li Luo had managed to refine a 60% tempering strength spirit liquid? If he or Yan Lingqing, fourth-grade resonance artificers, were to take action personally, the first-grade Azure Jade Spirit Liquid would likely only reach the 65% tempering strength mark. Based on his memory, he had not personally refined a first-grade spirit liquid or purifying light in numerous years as such a task was a waste of his time. It was inefficient to do so, and it would fetch perhaps only tens of skygold. This was the first time he had heard of someone managing to create a spirit liquid with a 60% tempering strength on their first try. His disciple, Shi Yun, had spent an entire year polishing his craft before managing to reach a tempering strength of 56%. The difference between the two was like comparing mud to the clouds. Zhuang Yi's mouth twitched a bit before he stiffly answered, "Vice President Yan, did you perhaps utilize some underhanded means? The Young Lord here has barely touched upon the realm of resonance artificering. As I recall, he only started two weeks ago." Yan Lingqing indifferently glanced at him. "I'm sure everyone here observed the Young Lord personally refining this. Your excuse seems a little too shameless, no? Perhaps you'd like the Young Lord to personally demonstrate his skill to you?" There were numerous individuals around who nodded in agreement. They had clearly seen Li Luo personally refining this spirit liquid. Zhuang Yi's expression stiffened further as he forced himself to dryly laugh. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!" Although he did not respect Li Luo in his heart, this was still the Young Lord. How could he dare to take him lightly in front of everyone? "Vice President Zhuang Yi, if I were to refine a first-grade spirit liquid with an even higher tempering strength, do you think that would give me the right to be the supervisor of the first-grade refining workshop?" Li Luo smiled as he dealt yet another blow to Zhuang Yi. Zhuang Yi gave a ridiculing smile. "We would have to defer to Vice President Yan's opinion on this." He also understood that today's attempt had resulted in a disastrous failure. Thus, he quickly gave some conciliatory words before turning around to leave quickly with a depressed expression on his face. The atmosphere finally cooled down in the first-grade refining workshop. Following which, numerous congratulatory words came in from all around and everyone began to look at Li Luo with newfound envy and fervor. Li Luo gladly accepted the compliments before swiftly rushing off to continue his practice. A certain alluring gaze continued to focus on Li Luo as he made his way. "Who would have thought that his first attempt would result in a spirit liquid with such high tempering strength. It looks like you are truly a genius when it comes to resonance artificering." At the Astral Sage College, Yan Lingqing had seen numerous geniuses, but this was the first time she had seemed someone with so much natural talent. What she found most unexpected was that Li Luo's water resonance was only at the fifth-grade, so what did that mean? This meant that Li Luo possessed a natural affinity and sensitivity towards fusing and harmonizing the characteristics of these materials. This was something innate, and only certain geniuses in the Resonance Tempering Hall of the Astral Sage College possessed such ability. "Perhaps this was all luck as well," Li Luo wistfully suggested. If he knew how highly Yan Lingqing regarded him, he would have definitely felt extremely awkward. He truly didn't possess this so-called genius. The reason why his first spirit liquid ever had a 60% tempering strength was due to him relying on his waterlight resonance's unique characteristics when it came to refining spirit liquids. When the result was produced, he noticed he had underestimated the impact the water resonance power and light resonance power had on fusing the final product. Yan Lingqing was disinterested in his thoughts. "It was lucky that you were around this time. I will not bother with superfluous thanks, and the Suncreek Villa's profits technically all go to you so nothing more needs to be said." She immediately paused after saying all this, and a smile bloomed on her snowy face. "However, my mood isn't bad. I will treat you to a meal tonight, then!" Li Luo originally wanted to reject her offer as he wished to rush back home to practice his resonance arts... but upon thinking about how strict Yan Lingqing usually was, his survival instincts kicked in and he immediately gave the most radiant smile he possibly could and agreed almost instantly "Well then... nothing could please me more!" Chapter 29: Im Still a Child! Night had fallen upon the City of Southwind. Lanterns were lit up all around, heralding the hustle and bustle of nightlife as the chilly wind blew past. "Your performance today wasn't bad! It truly helped me out of a pinch! Down this cup!" In a winehouse facing the street, Yan Lingqing was grabbing a cup of wine and shrieking. Her usual cool and collected demeanor had turned into a rarely seen heroic and unrestrained temperament thanks to the assistance of liquid courage. Li Luo was also a little stupefied at this sudden change of events. Helpless, he could only gently clink cups and then stare in shock as Yan Lingqing downed the entire cup, which was the size of half her face, in a single breath. This way of drinking seemed to run completely contrary to Yan Lingqing's bespectacled and cold appearance. It was a complete change in personality! Similarly, numerous gazes within the winehouse had sneakily shifted towards them as Yan Lingqing truly was quite an attractive individual. "Elder Sister Lingqing, you don't have to say more. Ultimately, I'm just protecting my spending money..." Li Luo laughed. "Perhaps that might be true. But that bastard Zhuang Yi, always waving around those qualifications of his around me... I've suffered more than a few times thanks to him... ?I've never seen eye to eye with him." Yan Lingqing let loose. At the same time, she continued sizing Li Luo up. "However, you've truly amazed me, and now I have a whole new level of respect for you. I had always thought that this Young Lord was just some sort of mascot!" Li Luo was a little embarrassed upon hearing those words. Wasn't she being a little too honest? Not wasting any time, Yan Lingqing refilled her large cup and continued, "Frankly speaking, there's still a huge gap between you and Jiang Qing'e." "That is to be expected..." Li Luo honestly admitted. Jiang Qing'e was exceptional, so much so that even the Astral Sage College was merely another stepping stone to her. This sort of honor was something even the prince of the royal family would not be able to receive. "Though I will continue to struggle and work hard." Li Luo stared at his wine cup and smiled. Yan Lingqing playfully retorted, "Oh? It sounds like you truly have a thing for Jiang Qing'e." "Sister Qing'e's excellence does not need to be elaborated on. If I said I never had any funny ideas about her, I'm afraid even you wouldn't believe me," Li Luo said honestly. He had been with Jiang Qing'e for many years, and their relationship and feelings had naturally become more and more complex. Adding fuel to the flames was the marriage agreement, and from Li Luo's perspective, the two had become deeply intertwined. Li Luo was sure that this feeling was not exclusive to him but also extended to Jiang Qing'e. It was impossible for her to treat him as an ordinary person, and this was something that Li Luo could sense after being with her for so long. "How honest." Yan Lingqing downed yet another cup of strong wine. Nodding her head, she gave a smile with a deeper meaning. "If you truly have these sorts of thoughts, then you have a long way to go. You're currently still in the City of Southwind despite all this. Perhaps when you enter the Astral Sage College one day, you will realize how frightening your opponents are." Li Luo grasped his wine cup, feeling slightly dejected as he thought of how to reply. "Well... I'm still Jiang Qing'e's husband-to-be." Pausing slightly, he chuckled. "If anyone truly wants to harm me, they'd still have to go through Sister Qing'e. I think that when that happens, the ones who will find it most unbearable will be those opponents themselves." Yan Lingqing's beautiful pupils widened a little at this statement, and she glared at Li Luo. "Wait... aren't you just hiding behind your woman?" Li Luo replied with conviction and sincerity, "Isn't it the duty of the bride to protect the groom? What's wrong with that!? Huh?" Yan Lingqing, who was slightly taken aback, couldn't help but exclaim, "You... that's going too far!" Immediately after, she burst into laughter as she understood Jiang Qing'e's personality best. She truly would do such a thing and treat these competitors as pieces of meat, a double blow to their ego and prestige. Li Luo smiled as he refilled her cup, the two continuing to drink. Towards the end, as he felt his head starting to spin, he noticed that Yan Lingqing had already collapsed atop the table. Li Luo could finally sigh a heave of relief. He shook Yan Lingqing gently and realized she was completely unresponsive, leaving him speechless. In the end, he lifted her up with one hand on her slender waist and the other on her knees, gradually carrying her away. As Li Luo carried Yan Lingqing out of the winehouse, numerous envious gazes were trained upon him! However, he did not possess their vile thoughts. He quickly flagged a carriage over and a then certain lady then came out to receive them. This was something previously arranged by Yan Lingqing as she knew that she'd definitely go big before she went home. Li Luo carefully lifted Yan Lingqing into the carriage before informing the attendant, "Please take Vice President Yan home." The female attendant respectfully nodded and then proceeded to guide the carriage away. On the streets, Li Luo watched as the carriage was bathed by the numerous lights within the city. He stretched lazily as he recollected the conversation he had with Yan Lingqing, eventually smiling wryly. "I guess I have to work harder." Although he didn't mind having Jiang Qing'e protect him, he couldn't be a stain on her reputation either, right? As he turned to leave, within the swiftly leaving carriage, the originally drunk Yan Lingqing suddenly opened her eyes. As she lazily lay within the carriage, she murmured to herself, "Not bad indeed. He clearly didn't try to take advantage of me. When I get back, I have to let Qing'e know that while her little husband is not very strong, he is definitely someone that this elder sister recognizes!" .... When Li Luo woke up the next day, he could feel a pounding pain in his head. Feeling completely helpless, he made a mental note to reject any more drinking excursions with Yan Lingqing. After hastily cleaning up, he made his way to the front hall, where he spotted the charming and alluring Elder Sister Cai Wei waiting for him for breakfast. Li Luo gave an apologetic smile at this point "Did you have a few drinks with Yan Lingqing last night?" Cai Wei grinned as she passed him a bowl of porridge. Li Luo nodded. "Who would have expected Elder Sister Lingqing to drink so... heroically?" "Lingqing truly is too much. You're just a child. Why did she take you out for drinks?" Cai Wei chided. Upon hearing this, Li Luo felt dissatisfied. "Elder Sister Cai Wei, don't take advantage of my youth! Aren't you only a little older than me? You almost sound like my mom." Cai Wei glared at him before she praised, "I heard of what happened at the Suncreek Villa yesterday. You're not bad! You've finally reached a point where you can assist us in the bigger picture. I've also taken the opportunity to dispose of some of our more useless assets in the Tianshu Province. I've even provided a bargain for the Difa family and the Bei family. Hahaha. I heard that the Song family tried to discuss some new terms with the other two families, but to no avail. They stonewalled the Song family and said that this wasn't part of the deal. This has created friction and made it more difficult for them to reach a consensus when it comes to dealing with House Luolan. Now that we have gotten rid of some of these burdens, our coffers have been replenished and we should be able to complete your requested purchase smoothly soon." Li Luo was extremely excited. "Elder Sister Cai Wei, you're just too capable! Unlike Elder Sister Lingqing, who can't drink but still gorges herself silly!" Cai Wei's thick eyelashes flapped as she blinked in slight confusion. "She can't drink?" Li Luo nodded. "She drank till she blacked out yesterday! I even had to carry her to her carriage." Elder Sister Cai Wei had a playful expression on her face. "My dumb little Young Lord. Yan Lingqing's alcohol capacity is incomprehensible. She could out drink ten of you and her face wouldn't even turn red." Upon hearing this, Li Luo was flabbergasted. "You didn't have any unsavory thoughts about her, did you?" Cai Wei said as she sized him up. "If you did, she will never utter a single good word about you when she's with Qing'e." At this point, Li Luo quickly racked his brains as he tried to recollect what happened the previous night. It seemed as though he had not done anything untowards to her... Only upon this realization did he wipe his forehead free of cold sweat. He had almost been toyed with by Yan Lingqing. With a slightly awkward expression, he placed his bowl down. "I'm heading to the academy." Turning away, he swiftly ran off as Cai Wei's melodious laughter echoed out, further increasing his sense of indignation and grief. These elder sisters were just too cunning, and Li Luo had been played like a fiddle. I'm truly just a child like they say! Chapter 30: Vagrant Yu Lang When the indignant Li Luo finally arrived at the academy, he noticed that the previously ecstatic atmosphere had lessened significantly. In fact, some of the students even had looks of dismay on their faces. Evidently, the majority of them were those that had not done well in the previous day. However, there was no choice. Someone's happiness would come at the cost of someone's sadness. In a qualifying examination like the preliminaries, those who were not strong enough would naturally be eliminated. "Brother Luo, you're here!" Zhao Kuo exclaimed when he saw Li Luo, immediately rushing up to him. "Of your two battles today, one won't be as easy. You're against the First School's Yu Lang. Do you remember him?" "Yu Lang?" Li Luo racked his brain before finally nodding in agreement. That fellow had a bit of fame within the First School, and his strength ranked amongst the top 20. It was said that he possessed a sixth-grade wind resonance that provided him with unparalleled speed. "That guy is at the Seventh Seal Stage and is significantly stronger than Bei Kun." Zhao Kuo's expression became slightly grave at this point. "Seventh Seal, huh?" Li Luo puckered his lips. This would definitely be a troublesome opponent. However,Yu Lang should be within the threshold of those that he could beat. Hence, he patted Zhao Kuo on the shoulder and smiled. "Relax, I have faith in myself." Zhao Kuo did not say anything in response as he knew Li Luo's personality. If Li Luo truly knew he had no chance of victory, he would not be putting up a brave front. Whilst the two were speaking, a student from Second School came running over. "Brother Luo, there is someone outside looking for you." Li Luo became a little apprehensive after hearing this but still headed out. Standing in the shade of a tree was an unruly-looking youth with a mane of hair that flapped around him. Li Luo instantly recognized this youth. It was his next opponent, Yu Lang. "Are you looking for me?" Li Luo smiled. Yu Lang swept away the hair covering his eyes before giving a deep look at Li Luo. "Who would have expected that after so long, you would manage to rise again? You truly live up to your previous reputation as the man who once ruled Southwind Academy!" Li Luo sighed before replying impatiently, "Don't speak such meaningless words." "How is this meaningless?" Yu Lang replied in dissatisfaction. In the end, Yu Lang stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point. "Song Yunfeng approached me, and he knew I was your upcoming opponent. He even offered a significant price for me to injure you with all my might." Li Luo was a little stunned upon hearing this before he laughed. "Are you telling me your secrets? Or do you plan to take advantage of muddled waters?" "Che! I, Yu Lang, may be unrestrained, but I still have a bottom line. You once guided me in resonance arts, and I owe you for that," Yu Lang disdainfully replied. "I am here to remind you that if you are not strong enough to be my opponent, then quickly give up for your own good. Of course, if you've hidden your newfound strength so deeply that even I will be beaten silly... if that's the case, then play along with me! Hmm, I suppose you could heavily injure me and send me flying out of the stage. This way, I can even take a bit out of Song Yunfeng's compensation pool.... Plus, that bastard is a foolish spendthrift. He's offered a huge sum after all Oh, yes, that bit about compensation is just something extra I tacked on to the agreement with Song Yunfeng. I don't think we will have to go that far though... Li Luo, you might not be aware, but this Yu Lang in front of you is no longer the Yu Lang of the past who tripped over his baggy pants!" Li Luo may have been slightly cunning, but he was almost shocked blind at the audacity of Yu Lang's grand plan. In the end, he could only helplessly reply, "You truly are trouble... so I'm reporting you to the teachers." This chain of events completely caught Yu Lang by surprise. His jaw dropped while staring at Li Luo. "What kind of bastard are you, Li Luo?! Do you think its easy for me to earn a little bit of money? How can you, a young master, know my pitiful troubles in life?! Why would you make life difficult for meeeeeeeeeee!?!?!" he ferociously scolded! "Scram, scram, scram!" Li Luo frowned as he waved his hand to chase away this nuisance. It had been years since they last spoke, but he was still as strange as ever, with even stranger schemes... Yu Lang coldly snorted as he ruffled his hair and turned to leave. Li Luo continued to stare at him, making sure he was leaving before waving goodbye. "Although this information wasn't that important, thank you nonetheless!" Yu Lang paused upon hearing his comment, coldly snorting before leaving. "Young people should always strive to do their best instead of resorting to these means!" After Yu Lang left, Li Luo frowned slightly. Song Yunfeng's desire to fight had been getting more intense. All of this was due to his infatuation with Lu Qing'er, but also partly to do with the enmity between their families. "I've been keeping a low-profile, why are you still targeting me!?" .... The first round in the morning went by with no complications and there was nothing much to say. Before he knew it, it was already afternoon and time for Li Luo's match with Yu Lang. On the battle stage, Yu Lang's unruly mane floated with the wind as he coldly stared at Li Luo. "Li Luo! It's your misfortune to be facing me!" Meanwhile, the battle stage was surrounded by numerous audience members. Everyone was extremely interested in this particular fight as it was the first time Li Luo would have to face off against a strong opponent. Facing Yu Lang's theatrics directly, and in front of such a large crowd, caused Li Luo to feel a little embarrassed. He definitely did not want to get sucked into Yu Lang's circus show, as it would demonstrate he was no different from this fool Thus, he quietly activated his resonant power, a pure-blue aura gradually emitting from his entire body, flickering towards the sky. Even the audience nearby could literally feel the air becoming more humid with his presence. Following the administrator's order to begin, Yu Lang, who had been posing, immediately surged with explosive, green resonant power. One could hear the wind whistling and howling by as this resonant power was emitted. Suddenly, he flashed towards Li Luo like a bolt of lightning, so fast that even the onlookers could only catch a trace of his shadow. His burst of speed caused Li Luo's eyes to focus intently. Meanwhile, the audience was cheering endlessly as this was a sight to behold! Yu Lang's speed was clearly ferociously swift! Peng! In the blink of an eye, a fist shrouded in wind and wrapped with a green light struck at Li Luo like a bolt from the blue. Li Luo could only see a fist speedily increasing in size right in front of his eyes, almost completely blocking his vision! Yu Lang was clearly not going to hold back during this fight. Stumbling slightly, he responded with a calm, open palm instead, with blue resonant power gushing out directly, forming a massive, impenetrable wall of water! The wind-infused green fist struck squarely, and the impact caused the water wall to ripple intensely. "Waowu!" A weird cry echoed out. Yang Lu's body flickered in response, and numerous afterimages appeared as his speed increased. These afterimages surrounded Li Luo, and each and every one of those fists and legs were wreathed with green light, howling with piercing wind as they attempted to drown Li Luo in a flurry of blows! This was a savage direct assault! Facing these berserk blows, Li Luo quickly adopted a defensive position as the layers of water around him deformed slightly due to the physical strikes, constantly warding off attacks towards his vitals. To the ones watching this battle, they all understood that Li Luo was planning to drag this into a battle of attrition. This was not surprising as water resonances tended to be more enduring and were better suited for it. The more the fight delayed, the clearer Li Luo's advantage would be. "Li Luo is once again demonstrating his mastery of the Nine Layered Jade Waves," some of the more astute students commented. The Nine Layered Jade Waves had once been demonstrated by Li Luo on Bei Kun, and it was perfectly designed for drawn-out battles. One would constantly accumulate greater amounts of power, building up towards a devastating blow that would frighten anyone! However, Yu Lang was significantly stronger than Bei Kun, so it would not be such an easy task to ward off his tempestuous blows. "Waowu!" Yu Lang exclaimed strangely once again. His index and middle fingers bent into a hook-like shape and suddenly pierced out with green light condensing on those fingertips. The green light was incomparably radiant, constantly pulsing with energy. "Wind Finger!" This finger attack that swept towards Li Luo like a tornado directly perforated the water wall that surrounded him and stabbed towards his chest like a bolt of lightning! Noticing that the opponent's move was blitzing towards him with incomparable might, Li Luo understood that he had nowhere to hide, so he took a deep breath of the moist air around him. "Gentle Water Fist!" Li Luo pushed a palm out that was shrouded with blue resonant power. Just as the two attacks were about to collide, his five fingers stretched outwards in a flicking motion, directly creating numerous waves within the sea of water resonant power that surrounded him. This created a huge water vortex in the space before him as a result. On the other hand, Yu Lang's Wind Finger's green light was gradually stripped away by the devastating grinding power of the water vortex, eventually getting completely entangled by this move. By the time the Wind Finger passed through the water vortex, the attack had been stripped of its fangs! Peng! The fist and finger then collided. Their resonant power clashing instantly, sending shockwaves rippling around the stage. Both Li Luo and Yu Lang had been struck directly by the aftershocks, and the two quickly retreated away from each other. Hua! Everyone burst into an uproar at this very sight. Shocked glances were directed towards Li Luo. He had actually managed to weaken Yu Lang's strongest offensive move into a generally harmless strike? Yu Lang was at the Seventh Seal Stage! This was also wind resonance power, which was supposed to have an offensive edge over water resonance power! "Li Luo's usage of his resonance art was just too mystical. He was able to utilize the Gentle Water Fist to its greatest effect, dispelling Yu Lang's brute-force move. How impressive! The Gentle Water Fist is merely a middle-grade resonance art, yet it can perfectly counter Yu Lang's high-grade Wind Finger," said a member of the audience as he sighed in appreciation. "Li Luo's resonant power is only at the Sixth Seal, which is definitely weaker than Yu Lang's. Yet he is able to persist in the fight for so long..." "The title of Southwind Academy's resonance art expert is not for show!" "..." Whilst the people were cheering, Yu Lang's mouth changed into a grin as he focused on Li Luo. This brat truly had hidden his strength deeply! He had not gained any advantage in their previous clashes, which went completely against his own expectations. "This brat is truly quite abnormal."?Yu Lang had even wanted to take things a little easy, but he had no right to do so! However, this was great! Only a fight like this would hold meaning! Yu Lang's eyes blazed with excitement as he proceeded to launch his next round of attacks. Green resonant power once again billowed out of him and he shot out like a bullet, taking his speed to the extreme. Just as he reached his maximum sprint, he suddenly realized that he had lost his sense of balance, and he mysteriously lost his footing and slipped. Yu Lang's expression was changing constantly from that of excitement, to surprise, to shock when he looked at his feet in the midst of falling. It seemed that at some point, his legs had been entangled by Li Luo's blue resonant power. This resonant power was like a water snake, coiling around both his legs. When he reached his peak speed, it caused him to lose his sense of balance. "This is..." Yu Lang's pupils tightened when he realized what had happened. Li Luo, watching him lose his balance, let out a smile. "Low-grade resonance art, Water Snake. "You're too careless, Yu Lang. Haha." As Li Luo spoke, he took a step forward and chained that move with a double-palmed follow up. Water resonance power cascaded out of him, a sight that reminded the audience of the waves of the sea. "Although youre no longer tripping due to your baggy pants, things haven't changed. You're still going to fall, and it's because of my water snake!" Finishing off his banter, he directly slammed his palms into Yu Lang's flying chest. "F*ck me! Li Luo! You tricked me!" Yu Lang screamed as he was sent flying away! Bang! Whilst he cursed, he was blasted away, eventually colliding with a wall outside the stage, causing a loud bang. At the moment he landed, a fountain of fresh blood spurted out of Yu Lang's mouth, almost ten meters high! At the same time, copious amounts of fresh blood oozed out of every crevice on his robes, instantly causing him to turn into a bloody figure, a sight that truly horrified the audience. Li Luo, on the other hand, stood there in a slight daze, his lips twitching slightly. This was clearly going too far! Did the human body even have that much blood?! A completely nonsensical sight! He hadn't even hit him that hard... Was this genius trying to swindle Song Yunfeng out of such a large sum that he could retire in peace? Chapter 31: Encountering A Strong Enemy The uproar beneath the stage continued until Yu Lang was quickly carried away on a stretcher. Despite the din dying down, looks of complete astonishment and horror were still levied upon Li Luo. They were terrified by Li Luo's absolutely merciless blow! Li Luo was speechless at this, silently cursing that bastard Yu Lang. That vagrant had dragged his name through the mud! As he stood on the stage, his gaze sweeped the four directions before finally pausing on a particular seat. Song Yunfeng was sitting right there with a group of friends, gaily chatting. When he noticed Li Luo's stare, he raised his head and returned him an indifferent look before continuing with what he was doing. Li Luo was also uninterested in giving him a piece of his mind, so he turned to leave. "Brother Luo, you are truly ferocious! Even Yu Lang was ruined by you!" Zhao Kuo praised as he ran over. "That brat is just putting on a show." Li Luo had a good understanding of his opponent's strength, and if they had continued brawling, he might be the eventual victor, but that would have taken quite a while. Judging by today's results, his current battle strength was on par with that of a Seventh Seal. Entering the top 20 would not be a problem. All that remained were the last two battles tomorrow. If he was able to win both, he would definitely enter the top 20 and could finally take a breather. It was said that once the top 20 had been determined, they could choose to continue battling to determine their ranking amongst the group. Li Luo was not interested in this competition as simply being one of the twenty meant he would be qualified to participate in the College Final Examinations. Thus, there was no need to engage in this meaningless battle. If he had time, he'd much rather practice refining spirit liquids and purifying lights. After the battles for the day ended, Li Luo did not immediately leave the academy, as the pairings for the battles on the following day would be released soon. He wanted to know who he would be up against. Luckily, he did not have to wait long, as an hour later, a metallic ringing resounded throughout the field. Li Luo and Zhao Kuo both made their way to a stone pillar. The stone pillar was surrounded by numerous students, and Li Luo quickly glanced over the flowing characters on the projection screen. Very quickly, he managed to find his opponents for the next day. His first opponent was a Seventh Seal student from the First School. This opponent was known to be significantly weaker than Yu Lang and would not pose a threat to him. Unfortunately, when he discovered who his second opponent was, his gaze gradually narrowed into a squint. "Brother Luo! What a disaster! Your final opponent is Song Yunfeng!" Zhao Kuo cried out almost involuntarily when he discovered Li Luo's opponent. Indeed, Li Luo's final opponent was the second strongest student in the First School, Song Yunfeng! Some of the other students had also heard the commotion, and pitiful looks fell upon him. Although Li Luo had recently managed to make a comeback, even managing to beat Yu Lang today, it looked as though his lucky streak had ended. "Song Yunfeng is apparently at the Eighth Seal! Shit! It doesn't get unluckier than this" Zhao Kuo sighed as he also felt pity towards Li Luo. Li Luo, on the other hand, didn't seem too concerned. "None of those that have survived till the end are weaklings. It's not that unusual to encounter him." "No worries! Even if you lose a round tomorrow, your place in the top 20 is basically set in stone," Zhao Kuo said, intending to console Li Luo. Although Li Luo smiled and nodded upon hearing those words, his eyes held a trace of gloominess. No one knew exactly what he was thinking. On the other side of the field, Song Yunfeng had also managed to identify his opponents for the next day. Upon seeing that his opponent was going to be Li Luo, he stared at the screen for a good half a minute in a daze before revealing a vicious smile. "You've had such a glum face the entire time today, yet you're suddenly smiling? Why the change?" Difa Qing, who had been following him around, asked curiously. "Well, that is because I finally get to face off against an opponent that brings me joy! I never thought heaven would grant me my greatest wish!" Song Yunfeng beamed. At this point, Difa Qing noticed Song Yunfeng's opponent for tomorrow. "Wow, so it's going to be Li Luo? I suppose that's normal since both of you have had a streak of victories. The chances of this happening weren't small... However, his luck isn't great. His winning streak ends now, I suppose," Difa Qing replied, slightly shocked. She had a clear understanding of Song Yunfeng's might, and Lu Qing'er was the only student in Southwind Academy with the strength to suppress him. Even though Li Luo had finally started to ascend to the skies, there was still an insurmountable gap between him and Song Yunfeng! She could already imagine the scene of tomorrow's battle. It would be no different from crushing dried and rotten branches underfoot for Song Yunfeng. Furthermore, she also knew that Song Yunfeng absolutely detested Li Luo, whether it was due to personal matters or the struggle between their families. Thus, as soon as the battle commenced, Song Yunfeng would utilize the quickest measures to savagely crush Li Luo, bashing him into the ground. For a brief moment, Difa Qing even felt a trace of pity for Li Luo. The result was already predetermined. However, Li Luo truly had it coming! If he knew that Song Yunfeng liked Lu Qing'er, why had he not distanced himself from her? After all, an envious man that had been provoked would not act rationally. Li Luo, on the other hand, left the academy as soon as he saw who his opponents were for the next day. Zhao Kuo could only say goodbye with a look of sympathy on his face. Whilst on the carriage back, Li Luo's eyes were closed as he remained deep in thought. The battle with Song Yunfeng the next day would be unimaginably difficult. The opponent was at the Eighth Seal and possessed significantly denser resonant power. Furthermore, he also had a seventh-grade Crimson Eagle resonance. Seventh to ninth-grade resonances were considered high-grade, and thus Song Yunfeng's resonance fell in that category. One should not underestimate what a high-grade resonance was capable of. The power produced by a seventh-grade resonance was not the same realm as middle-grade or low-grade resonances. The resonant power was denser and also possessed some form of spirituality. Spirituality was a difficult concept to explain; it was something that was ephemeral and could only be experienced when it was used on one's opponents. Thus, the seventh-grade could be considered to be a watershed. Those who could cross this gap would be in possession of an almighty resonance. Additionally, within the threshold of a high-grade resonance, they were also further classified into upper and lower distinctions. This was not applicable for first to sixth-grade resonances, and it allowed one to better differentiate the potential within these high-grade resonances. Song Yunfeng's Crimson Eagle Resonance was a lower seventh-grade. Thus, regardless of resonant power or resonance grade, Li Luo was one step behind Song Yunfeng, and this battle was clearly not in his favor. No one had high hopes for the battle between the two. Even Li Luo himself was no exception. "This is truly very troublesome," Li Luo mumbled to himself. Although his waterlight resonance was unique in its own way, it was still only a fifth-grade resonance. Even though the spirit liquids and purifying lights refined by it were not inferior to what a seventh-grade resonance could refine, this was not applicable in the context of a battle. His resonance was unlikely to have any advantages in a head-on collision. If he could somehow temper the waterlight resonance to the sixth-grade by tomorrow, he would definitely feel less pressure. Despite constantly chewing through his supply of spirit liquids and purifying lights, he had still been unable to increase the grade. More time was needed, and this was not enough to put out the inferno burning at his gate. "Should I just concede instantly?"?Li Luo scratched his head. This was honestly a possible choice. No matter how he considered the situation, this was the most normal and expected potion. Everyone knew of the huge gap between the two and that it was basically uncrossable. If he knew the result but still persisted, would that not make him a masochist? Li Luo continued to ponder. He had no plans to visit Suncreek Villa today, so he went straight home. Even if there was no alternative choice, he would still prepare himself for the worst. Chapter 32: Agitated Li Luo When the next day came, Cai Wei greeted Li Luo, who had just arisen. He looked absolutely terrible, with black eye-circles and sluggish movements. It was as though he had not slept well the previous night. "What's wrong? Didn't sleep well?" Cai Wei asked with concern. Li Luo shook his head and smiled. "The academy has been having their preliminary examinations recently, and I think the stress has gotten to me." He didn't want to mention the situation of him having to face off against Song Yunfeng today. There wasn't any point. Cai Wei nodded knowingly, and her radiant and beautiful egg-shaped face had an encouraging expression. "Do your best! I'm sure you can do it!" "Oh, Yan Lingqing asked about you yesterday. It seems that you didn't go to the Suncreek Villa?" While hurriedly stuffing several mouths of porridge into his mouth, Li Luo garbled, "Please let her know that once my preliminary examinations are done, I will spend more effort on resonance smithing. If she wants to find me for a chat, I will be more than pleased to do so then!" Cai Wei smiled mischievously. "Why did you not tell her personally?" "I was afraid she might beat me to death," Li Luo answered honestly before devouring his breakfast. After waving goodbye, he quickly ran off. Seeing this scene, Cai Wei could only shrug helplessly as she watched Li Luo escape, wryly shaking her head. After which, she continued to have her breakfast as though nothing had happened, slowly chewing and enjoying it. ... "Li Luo." As Li Luo made his way to Southwind Academy, he heard a familiar, clear, and crisp voice behind him. Turning around, he saw the good-looking and immaculate Lu Qing'er sitting right beneath a massive viridescent tree. Lu Qing'er was currently wearing a black, short-skirted academy uniform. This coupled with her snow-white skin made the sight of her even more attractive. Her thin waist and short skirt further accentuated her slender legs. She was so eye-catching that everyone who was in the vicinity would furtively glance at her every so often. Li Luo, hearing her greeting, immediately walked over and gave a casual smile. "I heard you're going to be facing off against Song Yunfeng today?" Lu Qing'er asked as her brows knitted together in a frown. Li Luo could only nod in response. "What do you plan to do?" Lu Qing'er asked. Li Luo paused for a moment before frankly responding. "I'll probably just give up on the fight." Hearing this response, Lu Qing'er gave a light laugh, but there was no intention to mock him. Instead, she only seriously nodded. "That is a very logical decision. There is no need for you to prove yourself against him. With your talent in the resonance arts, the gap between you two will lessen in time." "I feel the same way too." At this point, Lu Qing'er became slightly silent and solemn. "I'd like to apologize for what has happened. I think that part of the reason why the situation has devolved to such an extent is because of me." Li Luo smiled, "Well, honestly, you're barely the problem. It mostly has to do with the relationship between House Luolan and the Song family. Of course, I think the bigger reason is that Song Yunfeng is afraid." "Afraid?" Lu Qing'er's almond-shaped eyes blinked curiously. Li Luo gave an insipid smile. "Well, he's afraid that I will return to that form I had in the past. If that were to happen, he would forever live in my shadow and all of his effort throughout the years would go to waste. People would ridicule him." If anyone else heard these words, they would think that Li Luo had a screw loose in his head. Furthermore, the Song Yunfeng of today had much more influence and standing in the academy than Li Luo. Lu Qing'er, on the other hand, looked pensive. She was extremely clear about how outstanding and exceptional Li Luo was in his prime. Even now she found it hard to match up to him, much less Song Yunfeng. "So, he wants to firmly suppress and completely crush you before you are able to mature? This also serves to fortify his own confidence?" Lu Qing'er asked. "Most likely." Li Luo nodded. "If this is the case, then he won't let you give up so easily," Lu Qing'er commented. "I hope he won't do that. If that's the case..." Li Luo mumbled. Following which, he waved goodbye to Lu Qing'er and walked in the direction of the Second School, where he heard some indistinct shouts. "...then I will have no other choice." Lu Qing'er stared at his leaving silhouette, slightly shocked as Li Luo didn't seem to be pushed to his wits end. Perhaps he had some other means to avoid the fight with Song Yunfeng? ... Li Luo's first fight ended without any surprises. The second battle was organized as the final fight of the preliminary examinations. It seemed as though it was set up to be a fitting finale to the examination. The field was a hubbub of voices and shouts whilst innumerable students crowded around it. On the upper platform sat Dean Wei Sha and the rest of the teachers, ready to watch the battle. "Keke. Who would have expected Li Luo to clash with Song Yunfeng? Do you think there will even be a fight?" Dean Wei gave a lengthy laugh. Lin Feng put on an indifferent smile. "What sort of meaning is there in such a pointless battle?" Xu Shanyue sighed darkly. "There might not even be a battle. This is completely imbalanced, and an instant forfeit would be best. There's no need to fight and humiliate himself." Although Li Luo was from the Second School and Xu Shanyue was extremely biased towards him, the odds were clearly stacked against Li Luo. The gap was large, and it seemed impossible. The old dean nodded as he sighed. "Li Luo has already entered the ranks of the top 20. This already demonstrates his exceptional speed in catching up. If he was given more time, reaching Song Yunfeng's level would not be difficult. However, with how little time there has been, he is still lacking." As they continued to banter, the atmosphere came to a head as the appointed time of battle approached silently. Song Yunfeng got up from his seat and confidently floated atop the battle stage. His upright posture and handsome face seemed to create an image of a heroic warrior. When Song Yunfeng took the field, enthusiastic cheers resounded throughout. One could see his exceptional reputation and fame within the academy by looking at the crowds display of excitement. On the other half of the field, Li Luo also gradually made his way atop the stage under the watchful eyes of the crowd. "Wow, he's so handsome! He's even better looking than that Yunfeng guy!" Although Li Luo did not make any fancy moves when entering the stage, numerous girls immediately screamed their heads off when he stood atop the battle stage. He had inherited his parents' excellent genes and he truly was top-notch when it came to appearances. Relatively speaking, Song Yunfeng looked like a peasant standing next to royalty. Comparatively speaking, the two individuals atop the battle stage had tuned out all of these extraneous elements and focused their minds on their upcoming fight. Li Luo stared at Song Yunfeng directly as he raised his hand. Before he could speak, Song Yunfeng dully asked, "Are you planning to give up?" Li Luo smiled. "Are you planning to humiliate me with words? So that my hot headedness will lead me into a direct clash with you?" Song Yunfeng's eyelid twitched upon hearing this blunt accusation. He indifferently replied, "I will not humiliate you. I just think that your parents must be proud of a son like you, bringing them fame with your courageous moves." With that provocation, the entire field turned silent. Who would have thought that Song Yunfeng's words would be so blunt and insidious? Li Luo was also a little stunned upon hearing those words. Following which, he gave Song Yunfeng a thumbs up. "Truly amazing. This is truly a single fatal blow! Well, since it's come to this..." At this point, Li Luo started to stretch his neck muscles and cracked his knuckles. Immediately after, he rushed at Song Yunfeng with a toothy smile. The only thing was that his pearly-white grin seemed to be filled with a trace of ruthlessness. "Come on, then, Song family's son of a b*tch! I'll give you one chance to fight. Lets see if you're good enough to take a bite out of me!" Chapter 33: Egg vs Rock Once Li Luo made that insult, everyone here knew that he was not planning to back out! He would clash with Song Yunfeng head on! However, this collision would be akin to smashing an egg against a rock... there was no hope. "Brother Luo..." On the side of the Second School, numerous fellow classmates were fraught with worry. Zhao Kuo especially was constantly pounding his fist in anxiety. "Song Yunfeng, you bastard! That's such a low blow!" Everyone else nodded in agreement. Song Yunfeng had clearly resorted to underhanded means to provoke Li Luo, truly shameless. Within the crowd was a certain Yu Lang. He was still lying on a bed, tightly wrapped all over in bandages. In order to demonstrate his professionalism in acting out his role, he remained tightly bedridden, but even then, he would not miss this show, opting to have his bed dragged near the stage... "What is Li Luo trying to do? Does he want to be abused?" Not far away, Lu Qing'er was also observing the machinations on the stage. Her face was wreathed in a dark frown. She had expected Song Yunfeng to throw out some taunts in order to incite Li Luo; however, even then she did not think that he would target Li Luo's two missing Duke Stage parents. Clearly, Li Luo held a deep sense of gratitude and respect for his parents. Even though he could shrug off insults towards him, he would never let anyone else tarnish his parents' names and honor. Frankly speaking, Song Yunfeng did not possess any right or stature to even attempt to smear the Dukes. However, when faced with this situation, Li Luo was unwilling to take it sitting down. Lu Qing'er gaze swept across the battle stage, eventually resting upon Li Luo. At this point, the thought struck her. Had Li Luo really been forced into a confrontation with Song Yunfeng because of those words? On the stage, Song Yunfeng's icy glare was focused on Li Luo. The phrase "Song Family's son of a bitch" uttered in front of the entire audience had also caused him to feel incensed. Despite that, he did not continue to spar with verbal barbs. That was pointless. He would wait for the battle to begin, then he would completely thrash Li Luo. The best retort would be to literally step on Li Luo's face in front of all. Once the administrators had confirmed that neither of the two parties were planning to forfeit, they solemnly announced the commencement of the final fight. Bang! The moment the start of the fight was declared, Song Yunfeng immediately summoned all of his crimson-red resonant power, sheer energy blasting into the skies. Within the resonant power, one could vaguely see the form of a Crimson Eagle materializing. This was Song Yunfeng's seventh-grade resonance, which specialized in blazing heat and berserk power. Song Yunfeng did not hold back at all, his Eighth Seal cultivation demonstrated for all to see. A suppressive atmosphere also exuded from him, directly oppressing one's spirit. On the other side, Li Luo similarly channelled all of his resonant power. Blue resonant power that looked like the waves of the sea wrapped around his entire body. Directly comparing the strength and density of resonant power, it was obvious to the audience that Song Yunfeng held a significant advantage. This directly caused the mood to turn slightly gloomy. Just how could Li Luo overturn such a stark disadvantage? Impossible! At this moment, Li Luo placed both his palms in front of him in a stance. The blue resonant power around his body gradually started to ripple, and everyone could see that he was activating his oft used Nine Layered Jade Waves. The Nine Layered Jade Waves weakness was that it required a period of time for it to reach its peak. Unfortunately, Song Yunfeng wouldn't just sit around and twiddle his thumbs while this happened. "Hmph!" Song Yunfeng, who noticed this, immediately snorted. He circulated the crimson-red resonant power around him whilst he explosively shot towards Li Luo. A bolt of crimson light lanced across the stage with speed akin to a cannonball entrapped within a fiery tornado. A leg lashed downwards like a fiery hammer, directly chopping down towards Li Luo. Song Yunfeng was not planning to play around, and immediately exerted his full strength. His only desire was to launch a blitz of attacks, quickly trampling Li Luo beneath him. Facing Song Yunfeng's ferocious and merciless assault, Li Luo immediately started brandishing his palms in a circular motion, his water resonance power directly forming a water curtain to defend against the attack. Weng! Unsurprisingly, when faced with Song Yunfeng's berserk resonant power, the water curtain immediately gave way like a piece of paper. A simple touch of his moves directly shattered Li Luo's paltry defense, and the Nine Layered Jade Waves followed suit right after. Song Yunfeng's absolutely tyrannical force had completely crushed Li Luo's attempt with a simple move. A dull thud resounded when Song Yunfeng's foot made contact, shockwaves rippling immediately after. Li Luo, on the other hand, was directly knocked flying tens of meters away, almost out of the stage and disqualified. Hua! The entire crowd gasped at this scene. This was only the first exchange, and the stark difference in strength was evident. Song Yunfeng completely suppressed Li Luo. Even though he had excellent talent in the resonance arts, it was useless against absolute might. Lu Qing'er's pretty face looked grave at this moment. Even with her breadth of experience, she saw no way for Li Luo to make a comeback. "Don't give up, Brother Song! Beat him up!" On the other side of the stadium, Bei Kun and Difa Qing were currently standing with a group of Song Yunfeng's friends. Bei Kun was cheering agitatedly at this point. Difa Qing was silent though, only shaking her head in response. The gap between the two was just too vast! There was no chance to turn things around. On the stage, Li Luo's fists were stained with some crimson-red energy. He immediately willed icy-blue resonant power to surge out and extinguish the crimson-red residue. Vapor hissed into the sky when the two energies clashed, and Li Luo slowly savored the burning pain. He finally had an understanding of how strong Song Yunfeng was. "This level of strength..." A glint flickered through Li Luo's eyes. Hu! Yet at this point, Song Yunfeng was not planning to give Li Luo any chance for rest. He immediately launched a vicious assault, akin to a hawk attacking its prey. The air whistled as his swift moves swept towards Li Luo. Li Luo raised his head and saw a crimson light rapidly approaching him. He was right at the edge of the battlefield, and if he was not careful, it would be the end of the game there and then. However, his expression did not hold any trace of worry, nor did he seem demoralized. He took a deep breath and immediately activated his water resonance power. Executing certain hand seals, a resonance art took shape. A faintly blue water curtain took form in front of him, looking vaguely like a thin mirror. Some of the audience immediately recognized the move. "High-grade resonance art, Water Mirror Art?" Lu Qing'er's eyes briefly lit up. The Water Mirror Art was a defensive resonance art that did not possess much defensive power. Instead, it was able to reflect a portion of the opponent's attack to mitigate the damage. However, the Water Mirror Art alone would be unable to even slightly hinder Song Yunfeng's savage and cruel flurry of blows. In that brief moment, Song Yunfeng had already pounced right in front of Li Luo. Staring at the thin water curtain, a trace of ridicule and coldness could be seen in his gaze. Li Luo might have a wide repertoire of resonance arts, but if he thought that a mere Water Mirror Art was going to stop him, then he was truly too naive. After which, Song Yunfeng mustered even more power and punched outwards. The fist that rushed towards Li Luo was like a screaming, red eagle eager to devour its prey. At the moment the blow was about to strike the water curtain, Song Yunfeng could vaguely make out a blurry humanoid shadow within the mirror. This reflection was also simultaneously lashing out against him with a crimson-colored fist. The two fists collided, and he could feel his fist punching through the water curtain as well. Bang! At this point, a low rumble could be heard. When the resonant power energies collided, they created a tempest that swept away all of the debris around them, scattering it in every direction. Li Luo's body was shaken and he was forced back two steps. Just another step would cause him to fall off the stage. However, no one was focused on that. Instead, their attention was all placed upon Song Yunfeng, who seemed to have received a massive backlash from his attack. He had actually been knocked back countless tens of steps, barely stabilizing himself! Immediately looking up, Song Yunfeng's face was full of shock. He had actually been pushed back? How did Li Luo's Water Mirror Art possess such terrifying recoil strength? The rebounded energy had reached a level equal to 70% of Song Yunfeng's previous move! This was in a realm of power completely impossible for an ordinary Water Mirror Art to attain! Hua! The audience erupted in endless uproar and astonishment at this scene. Song Yunfeng, on the other hand, had an expression of uncertainty as he viciously scowled at Li Luo. Li Luo's Water Mirror Art was truly damn strange! Chapter 34: Li Luos Water Mirror Art "How is this possible? How can his Water Mirror Art block Song Yunfeng's full-strength move?!" The entire audience was shocked silly by this development. Everyone had looks of puzzlement on their faces. They were not unfamiliar with the Water Mirror Art, and some of the water resonance users in the crowd also utilized this move. However, blocking Song Yunfeng's attack like Li Luo had just done was just a pipe dream for them. This clearly incomprehensible situation had unfolded right in front of their eyes. Difa Qing's beautiful eyes had widened into full moons and her jaw dropped. "Did I just see something supernatural?" Bei Kun was equally dumbfounded. Lu Qing'er, who was not far away, also had a look of surprise. Her slender eyebrows were raised, her eyes focused on Li Luo. It was as she had guessed: Li Luo did have some means to deal with Song Yunfeng! Even an impossible situation could be turned around by him! Amidst the cacophony of shouts, Li Luo shook his stinging arms before making his way into the inner part of the stage. He stared at Song Yunfeng, whose expression was flickering between jubilation and frustration, smirking and rushing towards him. Deep down, he could feel a great sense of accomplishment and joy spreading through him. His experiment had truly succeeded! The resonance art he had just used looked like the Water Mirror Art, but there were some additional intricacies to it. This was because Li Luo had infused it with light resonance power, layering the Shadow Reversal Art atop it. The Water Mirror Art would reflect a portion of the attack back to mitigate its effect, while the Shadow Reversal Art was designed to reflect the opponent's attack as a counterattack. These two reflective resonance arts had layered to become an exceptionally strong Water Mirror Art that could reflect even the strongest attacks! Li Luo had experimented and discovered that when the two arts were perfectly synchronized, they might even be able to cause severe harm to the opponent! Using their own abilities to counter themselves! This modified version of the Water Mirror Art had been renamed to the Waterlight Demon Mirror. "Stop screwing around and pretending to be mysterious! Do you really think that you can change the inevitable outcome?" Just as Li Luo was celebrating to himself, Song Yunfeng's expression turned gloomy and he shot out explosively towards Li Luo. His fingers were arched like talons, and as he slashed down, sharp, crimson-red talons materialized from his resonant power, tearing through the skies. There was no hesitation as he continued his stream of attacks. Li Luo immediately reacted with his strengthened Water Mirror Art, and a thin curtain once again appeared in front of him. Peng! Song Yunfeng's savage blow collided directly. A muffled sound could be heard when their moves clashed. Both of them were simultaneously forced back. Song Yunfeng had prepared himself for the recoil and hence did not end up embarrassed like the previous exchange. However, his expression instantly became uglier as he realized that Li Luo's Water Mirror Art was too insidious. Every clash felt as though he was punching himself instead of the opponent! What in tarnation was this? Could it even be considered a Water Mirror Art? Song Yunfeng's blitz had been stonewalled by Li Luo, and the entire audience gulped in trepidation. This happening once could be considered luck, more than that demonstrated skill. It wasn't only them who were confused. Even the ones sitting on the raised platform, such as the old dean, Xu Shanyue, Lin Feng, and so on, were equally startled by the scene before them. "Li Luo's Water Mirror Art is clearly normal," the old dean commented in surprise. The rest of the teachers nodded in agreement. The run-of-the-mill Water Mirror Art would never be able to leave Song Yunfeng in such a miserable state. "It's reflective strength has similarities to the Duke resonance art Mysterious Water Mirror," a teacher commented. However, this was quickly met with a rebuttal. "Do you really think Li Luo is able to utilize a Duke Stage resonance art with his Sixth Seal Stage resonant power?" The one who previously raised this point was silent and unable to reply. Duke Stage resonance arts required immense amounts of resonant power, so much that even a Tenth Seal Stage cultivator might not be able to utilize them. "That is definitely a Water Mirror Art," Xu Shanyue concluded after close observation. "However, it looks as though Li Luo has also modified it." The other teachers stared at each other blankly. Modifying a resonance art? Although they all knew that Li Luo was extremely gifted in understanding and executing resonance arts, this idea seemed preposterous. Could a person of his caliber and cultivation level even have the ability to do so? Unfortunately, this seemed to be the only possible explanation. "He truly is the son of those two..." In the end, the rest could only sigh at the thought of this. On the other hand, Teacher Lin Feng had been completely silent from the beginning, his face completely black. This entire scene had played out completely different from his expectations. Back to the battle stage, the audience were cheering repeatedly in waves at the intensifying battle. Song Yunfeng looked so gloomy, it was frightening. He stared daggers at Li Luo as he continued to ponder his next action. Every time he wished to take action, he would be reminded of that special Water Mirror Art and could only stop himself. "Do you dare to attack me?" Song Yunfeng said through gritted teeth. He realized that Li Luo could only use the Water Mirror Art to counter his moves. So long as he did not take the initiative to strike, Li Luo's Water Mirror Art would be useless! Li Luo grinned upon hearing those words. Slightly shaking his head, he retorted, "I wouldn't dare. Why don't you try?" Song Yunfeng was so furious upon hearing this that he was trembling in anger! He finally experienced firsthand what it meant to be frustrated and indignant! He was clearly multiple times stronger than Li Luo, but this damned tortoise shell of a move just kept hindering him! His hands were truly tied! Song Yunfeng was not a complete imbecile. He gradually calmed himself down and began to consider his options. All of a sudden, he dashed towards Li Luo. The difference this time was that he had suppressed his resonant power significantly. "This Water Mirror Art is a high-grade resonant art, so it's resonant power consumption must be considerable. If I can force Li Luo to consistently activate it, then he will be drained of his resonant power! When he is no longer able to sustain the move, he will no longer have any means to fight back anymore, and there will be nothing to fear,"?Song Yunfeng mused to himself. When Li Luo saw Song Yunfeng's change in tactics, he could also sense the reduced resonant power output by Song Yunfeng. Thinking things through, he was quickly able to grasp his intentions. "Looks like he does have a brain after all. However, if he suppresses his resonant power, why would I be afraid of him?"?Li Luo smiled. Song Yunfeng's tyrannical advantage came from his superior resonant power. Now that he was resorting to his hands and feet instead, what was there to fear? Hence, he took the initiative to move towards Song Yunfeng. The two bodies directly clashed, hands and feet pummelling each other, bereft of resonant power. Even then, their physical prowess could produce sonic booms upon attacking. The two were fighting in close combat, a complete frenzy from the position of the onlookers. However, as things went by, Song Yunfeng's expression changed for the worse. He had discovered that without the assistance of his resonant power, he had no way to overpower Li Luo! Song Yunfeng's gaze was filled with fury, and he suddenly burst out with his full potential, punching out with a berserk blow infused with crimson resonant power, hoping to deal an unexpected, vicious blow. When his fist was about to collide with Li Luo, the dreaded water curtain once again appeared. Clearly, Li Luo had prepared himself to execute the resonance art at a moment's notice. Peng! When his furious fist collided with the water curtain, massive amounts of resonant power rebounded back towards Song Yunfeng, forcing him to retreat in complete depression. Li Luo had similarly been forced back, but the strain on him was less evident. Rubbing his knuckles, he gave a smile that was not a smile to Song Yunfeng, seemingly provoking him. "Li Luo!!!!! I would like to see just how many times you can keep this up with your paltry Sixth Seal resonant power!" Song Yunfeng screamed with an ashen face full of exasperation. ?Crimson-red resonant power surged out of him like a tide as he attacked with everything he had. He was at the Eighth Seal Stage, so his resonant power was significantly denser and greater than Li Luos. Even though Li Luo possessed a water resonance, he would still use the most direct method to grind down his reserves! Song Yunfeng did not bother to take a break. He immediately activated all of his resonant power to launch yet another battery of blows. In response, Li Luo continued to use his Water Mirror Art as per before. Peng! A familiar scene took place when the two were knocked back. For the next few moments, the audience continued to watch dumbstruck as the two continued the exact same set of motions Song Yunfeng charged forward like an enraged bull, while Li Luo activated his Water Mirror Art much like a matador with his cape. Then a bang would be heard and the two would separate. No one felt that this was exceptionally strange. They all knew that Li Luo had less resonant power to begin with and that it would be a matter of how long he could keep up. These repetitive clashes continued until Li Luo's thirteen Water Mirror Art was broken. The water resonance power shrouding Li Luo seemed to have thinned out and lost its original sheen. This was the sign of resonant power exhaustion. Some within the crowd immediately voiced their regrets. It looked like things were coming to a close. Song Yunfeng on the other hand finally leaked out a cold smile. "What are you going to do now Li Luo? You're all out of juice!" Bang! Never one to let up an opportunity, he sprinted forward, summoning up all of his crimson-red resonant power. At this point, even his eyes had been infused red, making him look like a demonic eagle pouncing on its prey. Seeing Song Yunfeng's relentless offensive, Li Luo did not do anything. Instead, he silently stood at his current position, watching the furious, red shadow gradually growing larger in his view. At the moment when that blazing fist was about to strike, when Song Yunfeng was just an inch away from Li Luo, the attack was suddenly forced to a halt. A hand had tightly clutched onto Song Yunfeng's arm, preventing him from going any further. Frustrated, he turned to look and noticed the administrator standing right beside him, directly preventing him from making any further moves. "What the hell are you doing?!" Song Yunfeng howled. The administrator was expressionless, directly pointing at a stone pillar. Atop it was an hourglass, and no one else had noticed that the sand had stopped flowing. Li Luo exaggeratedly loosened his sore shoulders, giving the most radiant and gentle smile he could at Song Yunfeng. "Oh! It looks like time's up, you idiot... Perhaps you wanted some overtime?" Chapter 35: Draw! Instead of the expected cheers, the crowd had gone silent. Everyone looked at the scene before them in complete stupefaction before turning towards the hourglass. The battle had been too intense and no one had paid any attention to the round timer. The battle was over before they had realized it... They suddenly understood that although Song Yunfeng was planning to deplete Li Luo's strength, Li Luo was similarly also playing for time! They had completely overlooked this fact. Now that the hourglass had completely emptied, the battle would be over as a draw, based on the rules. This was to say that Li Luo and Song Yunfeng had actually fought to a standstill. This was completely unexpected! No matter how one looked at it, this sort of result should not have occurred. Song Yunfeng was superior to Li Luo and had a huge advantage in both resonance and resonant power. Thus, this was supposed to be a walk in the park for Song Yunfeng, akin to him crushing dried roots underfoot. Regardless of how much Li Luo could struggle, there was no way to compete against a seventh-grade resonance coupled with Eighth Seal Stage resonant power. He had no advantage whatsoever. Unfortunately, the result begged to differ. A scene of complete domination had been juxtaposed into a draw... Their gazes naturally drifted towards the individual who had overdrafted his resonant power, the sickly-pale Li Luo. Gradually, admiration emerged within their eyes. The only exception was Bei Kun. He looked as though he was constipated, and his complexion was truly a sight to behold. Difa Qing, who was standing at the side, sullenly stared towards the stage. Her gaze seemed lifeless and her heart was in turmoil. Only after a period of time did she take a deep breath, deeply gazing at Li Luo. Although Li Luo looked pale and weak, it was as though she could see a radiant brightness emanating from him. It reminded her of a particular legend who had been immortalized in Southwind Academy's monument of honor. However, she quickly snapped out of that strange dream. Li Luo might have created a miracle, but he could barely hold a candle to Jiang Qing'e. On the battle stage, Song Yunfeng was sluggishly taking in the scene in front of him. All of a sudden, he lashed out at the administrator. "I was clearly about to beat him! He had no more resonant power left! I would have won! Just give me another second. Just one second!!!" The administrator frowned at the irate and completely ballistic Song Yunfeng. This fellow used to be a gentleman who spoke kindly to everyone around him, but now that he didn't get what he wanted, his true colors were shown. "The rules are THE RULES. If there has been no victor declared once the hourglass is out of time, the result is a draw," the administrator stated flatly. "Bullshit!" Song Yunfeng growled ferociously. How could he accept a draw as a result? His face would be dragged through the mud if word got out! The administrator did not bother with him. He proceeded to announce, "This battle is now over. It is a DRAW!" "Brother Luo is AWESOME!" The moment the administrator announced the result, the Second School erupted into violent cheers and celebration loud enough to topple a mountain... Everyone in the Second School was exceptionally excited as Li Luo's excellent performance had brought much face and respect to their Second School. The completely bandaged Yu Lang even managed to barely open his mouth to croak out some comments. "Is this weirdo truly rising to the top again? Even Song Yunfeng suffered..." ?Amidst the ear-piercing howls of jubilation, Lu Qing'er quietly stared at Li Luo's silhouette. It felt as though she had been transported into the past, staring at that still immature but exceptionally talented genius who had taken the first step into learning resonance arts before any of them. Even then, he would casually give out pointers to help everyone out. The Li Luo from back then was extraordinarily outstanding. Lu Qing'er even saw him as something of an idol back then, setting him as her target. However, once his blank palace manifested, all of his wonder completely shattered. "I just knew that he would definitely get back on his feet. Back then he was truly dazzling. However, he is still too weak. I want to see you climb to the top. Then I will defeat you fair and square!" Lu Qing'er's hair gently swayed with the wind whilst her bright pupils burned with anticipation of their future battle. She gave Li Luo another glance before turning to leave. Who would have expected the demure and sweet beauty Lu Qing'er to possess such a strong intent to compete and battle! On the battle stage, Li Luo stared at the extremely gloomy Song Yunfeng and sighed. "Sheesh. I gave you a chance, but you didn't want to take it. You truly ARE useless, my friend." Hearing that jibe, Song Yunfeng became even more incensed. He scowled at Li Luo. "Now that you've missed this opportunity, I don't think you will ever have another chance to do so!" Li Luo completely disregarded Song Yunfeng's venomous glare as he walked forward and even lightly patted him on the shoulder. With a smile on his face, he continued his tirade. "I haven't forgotten your attempt to smear my parents' names. We will settle this properly in the future." Gritting his teeth, Song Yunfeng gave a cold chuckle. "Well, then, I'll be waiting." Li Luo nodded and, without uttering any more extraneous words, proceeded to leave the battle stage. The students of the Second School were already waiting for him, hoisting him above their heads and cheering as they departed as a group. With that group leaving, the atmosphere of the field died down. The remaining audience members curiously looked at Song Yunfeng before gradually dispersing. Li Luo was simply supposed to forfeit today. Instead, he had been provoked by Song Yunfeng into a fight, and instead of an overwhelming victory for Song Yunfeng, he had been taken for a ride by Li Luo, turning him into the butt of a joke. One could imagine how this news would spread throughout Southwind Academy and what sort of legends it would give rise to. Song Yunfeng had officially become a stepping stone of someone else's story! On the raised platform, the old dean and the teachers were silently in deep thought. This result had also exceeded their expectations. After a period of time, the old dean finally sighed. "Li Luo never sought to win. His intention was always to play for time and obtain a draw. No one expected him to actually succeed." Xu Shanyue, on the other hand, had smiled until his cheeks were sore, letting his expression do the talking instead. Li Luo had won him a lot of face and respect. Despite Song Yunfeng being one of the most elite students of the First School, almost on par with Lu Qing'er, he had actually been taken for a fool and dragged into a draw. Would anyone dare to say that the Second School possessed insufficient talent now? No one truly felt that this was a draw. This was because the difference in strength between Li Luo and Song Yunfengwas just too vast. One was at the Sixth Seal Stage and had a fifth-grade resonance. Song Yunfeng? Eighth Seal Stage cultivation and a seventh-grade Crimson Eagle resonance. This was incomprehensible. Even if a teacher was placed in this scenario, they would have no idea how they could possibly turn the tables. Li Luo, on the other hand, had done so! This was truly something deserving of praise. Not everyone was like Jiang Qing'e, with a ninth-grade resonance. When there was a will, there was a way! Lin Feng's expression was also as dark as night. Faced with Xu Shanyue's laughter, he couldn't hold it in any longer. "Li Luo's performance today was impeccable. However, the preliminary examinations have a time limit. What about the College Final Examinations? He will require true ability then and will be aunble to rely on such underhanded means. There's no meaning in this." ?Xu Shanyue coldly snorted. "Li Luo might make further improvements by then." "Even if he improves again, he'd at most be at the Seventh Seal Stage," Lin Feng cooly retorted. The old dean waved his hand, indicating for the two to stop bickering. He stared in the direction where Li Luo had gone before giving the duo a good look. His face immediately became stern. "Li Luo's performance is his problem. I want to remind you that during the College Final Examinations, our Southwind Academy needs to maintain our position as the number one academy of the Tianshu Province. If any mistake ariseshmph!" Upon hearing the old dean snorting coldly, the teachers all shivered within their hearts. Lin Feng paid particular attention to those words as he knew that they were meant for him. The First School had the best students and also monopolized the lion's share of resources. The College Final Examinations was a litmus test for whether they truly deserved all this. Lin Feng also knew that the previous First School teacher had ruined Southwind Academy's prestigious name of the number one academy during the last College Final Examinations. He had been directly booted out of the academy by an incensed old dean. Thus, if the academy did not perform well, he would not be spared either. The thought of that caused Lin Feng to feel shivers down his spine. He hurriedly assured, "Please relax, Dean. Our First School's might is evident for all to see. We will maintain the academy's honor and reputation." "Good." Only then did the old dean's expression soften a little. Without speaking further, he turned and left. His departure allowed everyone else to heave a sigh of relief. An angry dean was truly frightening... "Eastpool Academy seems to be extraordinarily aggressive this year. I hear that they have the full backing of the Governor's Mansion and that they've been rising through the ranks recently, almost catching up to Southwind Academy. The top student is the son of the governor, and I believe he goes by the name of Shi Huang? It's said that he possesses heavenly talent and is no weaker than Lu Qing'er. Thus, this year's College Final Examinations will not be so simple." Some of the teachers discussed worriedly. Lin Feng gave that teacher a glare and indifferently replied, "Eastpool Academy's foundation cannot compare with ours. If they want to wrest our title away, they have to get the agreement of the First School." Following which, he walked off. The rest looked at each other in dismay. Some weren't happy with Lin Feng's arrogance, but they were helpless in this situation. Grumbling to themselves, they walked away as well. "Well then, we'll leave you to handle it. If something goes wrong, then let's see who gets the last laugh." Chapter 36: First Grade Tempering Treasure Market With the final battle leading to a draw, Li Luo's position was now firmly entrenched within the top 20 for the preliminary examination. Based on what had happened in the past, the top 20 would have another round of selections to determine their internal ranking. However, Li Luo was completely uninterested in this meaningless demonstration. Whether one was the twentieth or the first, they would all still get an equal chance to participate in the College Final Examinations. Participating actually had a chance of being detrimental, because if one were to reveal their trump card, other academies would prepare for it and it would only make their life more difficult. Therefore, wasn't it better to keep a low profile? It wasn't as if getting first place warranted a reward from the old dean or anything! In fact, if it was not for Song Yunfeng stubbornly provoking him repeatedly, he would have chosen to forfeit instantly! He never felt any shame in giving up if he was unable to win. It was a loss as far as he was concerned, as he had been forced to reveal his upgraded Water Mirror Art. This was too unworthy a platform to demonstrate his ingenuity! Hence, when Xu Shanyue had asked if he was willing to compete for the top 20 ranks, he simply responded with one word. If he had time, he would want to temper his resonance and hopefully upgrade it to the sixth-grade before the final examinations started. Xu Shanyue was not surprised and wished him well. Preparations for the final examination were key after all. The rankings were out the next day, and the Second School had two representatives: Zhao Kuo and Li Luo. The two could be considered peas in a pod, with Li Luo getting the fifteenth position and Zhao Kuo the sixteenth, separated by just a hair. Li Luo's fame had greatly risen as a result of that final battle. The students all reckoned that if he was willing to compete, the top ten positions were not out of reach. However, he had given up the opportunity to compete and was given the rank accordingly. These twenty would represent Southwind Academy in two weeks time at the College Final Examinations. They would struggle for the right to enter the Astral Sage College. As the most elite school of the Xia Kingdom, the Astral Sage College provided a certain number of places for entry each year. The only catch was that each and every place would be hotly contested for. Each and every year, Southwind Academy usually managed to obtain the greatest number of spots, which was how they had cemented their reputation as the top academy in the Tianshu Province. It was not as though they did not have competition. Eastpool Academy, for example, was a close competitor. Although they did not have as great a foundation, their rate of ascension through the ranks had been ferociously quick. Coupled with the support of the Tianshu Province's Governor's Mansion, they had managed to prove themselves a worthy contender for the position of top dog, especially with their stellar performance in recent years. It was rumored that Eastpool Academy was hoping to unseat Southwind Academy this year, and a fierce battle between giants was expected. After the preliminary examination, Southwind Academy would normally have a week of holidays. Students could choose to head back home or continue to cultivate within the school. Li Luo chose the former. Within the old manor, inside Li Luo's room. Li Luo's eyes were closed tight, his body lightly emanating light. In front of him was a pile of already-utilized fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights After a long period of absorption, he gradually opened both his eyes. A trace of blue light flickered through his pupils. "This is the last bottle..." He stared wistfully at the now-empty crystal bottles and shook his head in sadness. Cai Wei had already managed to purchase 83 bottles of fith-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights for over 400,000 pieces of skygold. This was a massive investment. If not for the sale of certain House Luolan businesses, their finances would have been unable to support his lavish expenditure. The worst part was that even after utilizing so many tempering treasures and his fifth-grade resonance improving by quite a bit, the distance to the sixth-grade was still quite large. As a result, he had to figure out some way to allow his waterlight resonance to reach the sixth-grade before the final examinations. The most recent battle with Song Yunfeng might have been a draw, but Li Luo did not feel proud or content with that. He knew that if not for that time limit, he would have suffered a complete loss, left defeated and on the ground. A draw could not possibly occur within the final examinations. If one wanted to earn the right to enter the Astral Sage College, they were also required to possess sufficient strength. The most elite students across the academies of the Tianshu Province would participate. The battles would undoubtedly be intense and fierce, far from what occurred within Southwind Academy. Additionally, Li Luo had already selected a new energy cultivation art, which required a minimum of a sixth-grade resonance to practice. Thus, the sixth-grade waterlight resonance was something he urgently required. "Based on the rate of my progression, if I want to temper my resonance to the sixth-grade, I still require one more batch of fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. "However, it seems like Elder Sister Cai Wei often takes the long way around whenever she spots me. It's almost as though she doesn't want to see me..."?Li Luo was left with a conundrum. Cai Wei had even avoided breakfast in recent days, perhaps spooked by the idea that Li Luo would want some more spirit liquids and purifying lights. Fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights weren't random cabbages found on the street. Each one cost at least 5,000 pieces of skygold, and 50 would be 250,000 pieces of skygold. This was already close to a year of income for House Luolan's businesses in the Tianshu Province. Thus, Li Luo completely understood why Cai Wei would avoid him. Even though she was an excellent general manager, the moment she took over the Tianshu Province's businesses, she had only constantly sold off House Luolan's properties instead of turning things around. This was basically ruining her reputation and career Even so, she had not given up on the situation nor resigned, leading Li Luo to look at her with immense respect and appreciation for her broad-mindedness. Unfortunately, Li Luo had no alternative. This acquired resonance was a money-sucking black hole. It was a great thing that his parents had left behind House Luolan for him! Otherwise, he would just drop dead in five years "Let's first head to the Suncreek Villa."?Li Luo was a little depressed. House Luolan was surrounded by both internal and external problems, so he could not keep taking without giving back. Even if all of it could be mobilized at his beck and call, he would not actually take it to the extreme and completely sell off everything. If he actually did so, he would inevitably fall into disrepute. Most importantly, everyone would think of him as an ignorant, arrogant young master! This was a label that Li Luo did not want Thinking things through, he came up with a few ideas and made his way towards the Suncreek Villa. At the Suncreek Villa, he directly went to Yan Lingqing's refining workshop. However, once he pushed the door open, he saw two familiar silhouettes sitting together, discussing something. A trace of concern could be seen on their expressions. Naturally, they were Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing. When they saw Li Luo, they exclaimed in surprise, "Young Lord?!" "What are you guys talking about?" Li Luo smiled as he walked in. Numerous crystal bottles containing spirit liquids and purifying lights were on the table in front of the two beauties. One of the bottles contained the first-grade spirit liquid he had personally refined before. "We are discussing this year's sales performance of the Suncreek Villa," Cai Wei answered directly without any reservations. "It's not great?" Li Luo frowned slightly when he heard this. The Suncreek Villa was responsible for half of the Tianshu Province's income, and if performance faltered, this would affect him greatly. Yan Lingqing pointed at the crystal bottles with her slender, jade-like finger, her voice clear and cold. "There are two families competing with us in the first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights market. One is House Luolan with our Azure Jade Spirit Liquid, while the other is the Song family's Pine Nut Villa. They produce this product known as the Wondrous Sunshine Light. Both are quite similar in tempering strength, and in previous years, we captured perhaps 80% of the market as a whole. However, in recent times, the Pine Nut Villa has improved the tempering strength of their Wondrous Sunshine Light. The average tempering strength is now close to 57%, which is almost on par with the best spirit liquids that the Suncreek Villa is able to produce. As a result, they have managed to control over half of the first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights market, and our corresponding portion has decreased accordingly. If this continues, the Suncreek Villa will eventually lose the battle against the Song family, bringing about great harm to the Suncreek Villa and, more importantly, House Luolan as a whole!" Li Luo listened intently, and his expression became solemn. "How is the Suncreek Villa's production rate when it comes to first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights?" "The Tianshu Province's Suncreek Villa is able to produce five first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights a day, 150 in a month. This goes into the market for roughly 50 pieces of skygold per item. In a year, the total comes up to about 90,000 pieces of skygold. Deducting the costs would give us a profit of about 30,000 pieces of skygold," Cai Wei said honestly. It was clear that she possessed an in-depth understanding of House Luolan's finances within the Tianshu Province. Li Luo gave Cai Wei a thumbs up in praise before becoming slightly surprised at these estimates. The first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights alone brought in 10% of the Tianshu Province's profits! One could tell how important the sales of spirit liquids and purifying lights were. This was not completely unexpected because high-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights were not wilfully squandered by people. Most of those who purchased first-grade and second-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights were not individuals with first or second-grade resonances. Instead, it was people who wanted to support the expenditure of squandering higher grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, thus utilizing these lower grade treasures as replacements. The trade-off was that these lower grade tempering treasures would inevitably cause a quicker build-up of impurities. There was no other option as not everyone was a rich young master like Li Luo. After hearing about this, Li Luo's first thought was that he could not let the Suncreek Villa's businesses be affected. This would inevitably hurt him directly when it came to obtaining more spirit liquids in the future "How could the Pine Nut Villa's Wondrous Sunshine Light improve in tempering strength?" Li Luo asked. "What determines a spirit liquid and purifying light's tempering strength is dependent on three aspects. The formula, the experience and strength of the individual, as well as the quality of the materials." Yan Lingqing continued indifferently, "After investigating the Wondrous Sunshine Light, it looks as though they have made minor changes to the formula. It looks as though the Song family has spent a large sum to hire an expert to make adjustments to it." Cai Wei's left hand was wrapped around her lower chest, propping up her right arm, which her chin was resting on. Frowning, she said, "Furthermore, that troublesome Zhuang Yi has been using this as a pretext to attack Lingqing, clamoring for her to be kicked out of the Suncreek Villa as if this entire issue of lessened sales is due to her." The two of them were standing side by side, and Cai Wei with her unknowing actions had accidentally caused the natural differences between the two to be accentuated even further. Yan Lingqing's lack thereof could only be described as unfortunate As though Yan Lingqing had subconsciously realized something, she emotionlessly pushed Cai Wei's right arm down. Cai Wei did not react initially, but her egg-shaped face was quickly flushed red in embarrassment. At the same time, she gave Yan Lingqing a strong pinch. After this brief exchange, the two focused their attention back onto Li Luo but realized that he was completely in a daze. Recovering gracefully, he put on a serious expression. "When we are discussing serious issues, don't fidget around. You two are mature adults after all! If this happens again, I will have to criticize your actions," he admonished. This immediately elicited cold snorts from the duo before they continued their discussion. "Is Zhuang Yi still creating trouble?" Li Luo asked to get things back on track. Upon hearing his name, Yan Lingqing's face blazed with fury. "That bastard has been finding trouble for me all day long. He has been creating layers upon layers of internal conflict within the Suncreek Villa. The reason for our reduced production rate has to do with him." "He truly is a disaster. Can we not figure out some way to get rid of him?" Li Luo grinned evilly, completely dissatisfied. Here he was, trying his best to raise a large amount of funds, but this troublemaker was creating more trouble instead of assisting him? Cai Wei frowned. "The current Suncreek Villa is a group lacking a leader. Lingqing is too new and does not wield much influence. Zhuang Yi, on the other hand, is an old and established individual. Many of the resonance artificers within the Suncreek Villa trust him, and without a proper reason to dispose of him, it would inevitably create even more internal troubles. Furthermore, that damned Pei Hao is also supporting him." Li Luo scowled upon hearing this. Pei Hao, that white-eyed wolf, was the greatest danger to House Luolan. Zhuang Yi could only truly affect the Suncreek Villa. Pei Hao, on the other hand, sought to gobble up the entirety of House Luolan. This was someone trying to steal his lifeline. The moment House Luolan was gobbled up, how could he find resources to satiate his bottomless acquired resonance? With his looks? Pei Hao had already established himself, while Li Luo was just a growing sprout, completely incapable of contending against him. In the meantime, all he could do was hide behind Sister Qing'e and slowly develop As he continued trying to think of a method, someone came to report a new development. "Young Lord, General Manager, and Vice President Yan... Vice President Zhuang has summoned Suncreek Villa's entire management. He says there is a huge issue at hand. Would the three of you kindly attend?" Upon hearing this announcement, the three of them were stunned by this event, looking at each other whilst frowning in dismay. Just what was that troublemaker up to this time? Chapter 37: Battle for President Suncreek Villa, discussion hall. When the trio arrived, they noticed that there were no empty seats. This was because the entire senior management of the Suncreek Villa had arrived. Right in front of them was Zhuang Yi with a beaming smile on his face. Sitting right by his side was a dour-faced old man "Hmm?" Upon seeing that old man, Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing both let out soft cries of surprise before explaining the situation to the slightly confused Li Luo. "That old man is known as Zheng Ping. He is an elder of the Suncreek Villa's headquarters. His influence in the organization is huge, and he belongs to the founding generation of the Suncreek Villa. He has been around since it was first established by the House Lords. However, this old man is known to be extremely pedantic and strict, a bag of smelly and stubborn bones. He usually resides in the Xia City headquarters. Now that he has suddenly arrived without giving us any notice, I can only imagine that things have gotten pretty bad." After the explanation, everyone in the discussion hall stood up and greeted Li Luo respectfully. Even Elder Zheng Ping from the Suncreek Villa's headquarters stood up and respectfully uttered, "We greet the Young Lord." "Elder Zheng is too courteous." Li Luo flashed him a smile as the trio got to their seats. "May I kindly know when Elder Zheng arrived in the City of Southwind?" Yan Lingqing suddenly asked. Elder Zheng Ping expressionlessly replied, "The Tianshu Province's Suncreek Villa has been performing poorly this year. Headquarters has thus sent me here to take a look. At the same time, they've dispatched me to settle the issue regarding the presidency of this branch." At the same time, he glared strictly at Yan Lingqing. "Vice President Yan, I've already seen the reports. The first-grade refining workshop under you has performed abysmally. As a result, the reputation of the Suncreek Villa in the Tianshu Province has been tarnished. What do you have to say about this?" Yan Lingqing coldly replied, "If you want to know why, you can ask Vice President Zhuang. I'm sure he can provide a more accurate answer." Zhuang Yi immediately retorted, "Vice President Yan is simply incapable. Don't push the blame onto others." "If it was not for you secretly blocking the supply of materials to my first-grade workshop, to a point where I was unable to operate on certain days, would I have had such a terrible result?" Yan Lingqing snorted. Zhuang Yi immediately protested, "House Luolan's situation in the Tianshu Province is simply not great. Some of the materials come from the three families as well, and they have always sought to suppress us. What lands in my hands is naturally not much. Furthermore, the third-grade refining workshop in my management is the best performing workshop in the Suncreek Villa! Should I simply give it to you too? To let you reap the benefits of my efforts?" "You!" Yan Lingqing was so incensed she slammed the table beside her. "Silence!" Elder Zheng Ping bellowed. He severely glared at both Zhuang Yi and Yan Lingqing. "All of you have your reasons, but this old man does not care. I'm only concerned about the Suncreek Villa's results. Whoever causes the Suncreek Villa to decline, or tarnishes its reputation, will not be forgiven. The Tianshu Province's performance has been getting worse, and the key reason is that there is no president. Thus, headquarters has discussed the issue and given the order. The branch in the Tianshu Province will immediately elect a new president!" His proclamation immediately silenced the entire discussion hall. The members of senior management did not make so much as a squeak, as they understood that this would be a battle between Yan Lingqing and Zhuang Yi. The worst part was that they were just the vanguards. There was an entire larger battle raging around their skirmish, thus they would only quietly watch from the sidelines. A glimmer flickered through Li Luo's pupils. What Zheng Ping had said was not wrong. The Suncreek Villa in the Tianshu Province had too much internal conflict, and if stability was wanted, a new president would be necessary. Most importantly, just who would the elder choose? As he pondered over the circumstances, Li Luo smiled and asked directly, "Elder Zheng Ping, who do you feel is most suitable to be president?" Zheng Ping may have treated Yan Lingqing rudely, but when facing Li Luo, he maintained a sense of decorum. After deep thought, he announced, "If we follow the Suncreek Villa's eternal rule, it should be the one who is best at managing the refining workshops." Zhuang Yi, who was at the side, let out a sneaky smile. He personally managed the third-grade workshop, which also surpassed the other two in absolute sales. Hence, this rule was most beneficial to him. At this point, Elder Zheng Ping continued, "This is, of course, according to the rules. If the Young Lord has any suggestions, please let them be known. This old man can relay your suggestion to headquarters as well. However, we will still have to decide who will be the president now; otherwise, this old man will be stuck here until that has been done. I hope the Young Lord will not fault me for this, as I only have the Suncreek Villa's and House Luolan's interests at heart." Although Zhuang Yis expression remained unchanged, his heart was in turmoil! Why did that damn old man have to speak so much?? Li Luo gave the elder an eye and had an idea. It seemed as though Elder Zheng Ping's appearance was not as Yan Lingqing had suspected, that someone else had dispatched him to cause trouble for their faction. At the very least, he was not on Pei Hao's side. The biggest fear for them was if the individual suddenly appointed by headquarters to visit the Tianshu Province was involved in the proxy war between Jiang Qing'e and Pei Hao. Luckily, Elder Zheng Ping was a neutral party and was known to be a stickler for rules. It seemed as though this was the result of the battle fought in the shadows. From a certain point of view, this was not bad news. The only issue was that if traditional rules were utilized to judge the most suitable candidate for president, then Yan Lingqing would be at too much of a disadvantage. Furthermore, the third-grade refining workshop that Zhuang Yi controlled was the Suncreek Villa's most profitable one as well. What it raked in was significantly greater than both the first and second-grade refining workshops combined. Yan Lingqing also understood this point, and her pretty face turned frigid. Her pretty eyes were also laced with fury, almost as if she was about to erupt. Li Luo, sensing the anger, immediately grabbed the back of her hand before looking at Elder Zheng Ping with conviction. "So whoever's refining workshop does the best will then become the president?" "Yes." Elder Zheng Ping nodded. Li Luo sighed deeply before continuing, "This idea isn't bad. Let's go ahead with this." His words were immediately met with hushed discussion. Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing were astonished by this. They were unable to understand his intentions. This seemed to mean that he was giving up the fight for president. Zhuang Yi was also shocked at this development for a moment before quickly recovering. "The Young Lord truly is broad-minded! Isn't it right that we just want the Suncreek Villa to be the best that it can be? Ultimately, doesn't the Suncreek Villa exist to enrich the Young Lord?" he said with a huge smile. Elder Zheng Ping was a little surprised as well. "Young Lord, do you truly wish to do this?" Li Luo nodded and did not say anything else. He immediately got Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing to follow him out of the discussion hall. Once out, Li Luo separated himself from the two. At this point, Yan Lingqing immediately berated him. "Li Luo, just what are you trying to do? This rule does not favor me, so why did you agree? If you don't want me to be here, just say the word! I will immediately head back to Xia City!" Cai Wei was also staring at Li Luo intensely. From what she knew of him, he was not an impulsive individual, but his actions today seemed to show otherwise. Yan Lingqing had come to the Tianshu Province's Suncreek Villa to provide help and reinforcements. Only with her here were they able to prevent their current state of affairs from getting worse. However, everything seemed to have been thrown into disarray with that one line. Li Luo smiled in response. "My two dear elder sisters, I am definitely not a fool. Can't you see that I'm worthy of your trust?" Cai Wei shot him an unconvinced look before the two of them turned around and left in a huff, not interested in entertaining him any longer. "Although the rules don't benefit Elder Sister Lingqing, don't you think that this is the best sort of situation, one where she can legitimately compete for the role of president? At the same time, we have an opportunity to get rid of this cancer known as Zhuang Yi." Li Luo smiled. The two paused in their tracks and turned back to look at Li Luo. This was a good opportunity... However, Zhuang Yi clearly was in a position of strength! If they were to play with fire, they might very well get burnt. At this point, a glint flickered through Cai Wei's eyes as she stared at Li Luo in shock. "Could it be... that you have a way to turn the tables?" Chapter 38: Secret Art Watersource The moment Cai Wei blurted out those words, Yan Lingqing couldn't help but to turn and glare at her. "What sort of solution can this buffoon have? He's barely spent any time on resonance artificering!" she spat out furiously. She did not continue her tirade because Li Luo had not even spent a month on this. It would be a fantastical story if he was able to reverse the dreadful situation they were in. Li Luo smiled and did not speak. Instead, he beckoned for the two of them to enter Yan Lingqing's refining workshop, closing the door after them. Only then did he continue speaking. "I understand that the Suncreek Villa is responsible for half of House Luolan's Tianshu Province profits, roughly 150,000 pieces of skygold. Within the Suncreek Villa, the first-grade refining workshop contributes 30,000 pieces of skygold, the second-grade workshop 40,000 pieces, and the third-grade 80,000 pieces." "If you understood the situation, then why did you go and shoot your mouth off? There's clearly a huge gap! How can we possibly catch up?" Yan Lingqing angrily thundered. As she was managing two of the refining workshops, she was extremely clear of the facts. The third-grade workshop significantly exceeded the first-grade and second-grade workshops in value and also had the best performance each year. This was like the difference between heaven and earth, something extremely hard to bridge. "More importantly, the Suncreek Villa's Azure Jade Spirit Liquid has been suppressed by the Pine Nut Villa's Wondrous Sunshine Light. This has directly reduced our sales of spirit liquids, and in this situation, forget turning things around, our performance will only get worse!" Li Luo smiled again. "And so this is our top priority to fix! We need to first stabilize the Suncreek Villa's first-grade sales and improve its reputation in the market." Yan Lingqing snorted. "As I previously explained, there are three aspects that affect the spirit liquids and purifying lights tempering strength. Materials, the resonance artificer, and the watersource or lightsource. The Azure Jade Spirit Liquid has a perfected recipe, and with our current abilities, we cannot make further inroads in terms of improving it, unless we can hire an expert resonance artificer. However, this requires a lot of time and capital, neither of which we have! "A slow remedy cannot address our current situation. I'm sure the Song family has prepared for quite a while for this, waiting for the perfect time to strike. As House Luolan is now struggling internally, they took advantage of the opportunity to deal this vicious blow!" Cai Wei mused. "Our only response is to improve our resonance artificers skills and experience. However, with such a small period of time, it's impossible to suddenly expect everyone to explode in potential and for the standard to rise just like that. This isn't a fantasy story! Its unrealistic!" Yan Lingqing quipped. Cai Wei continued to stare intensely at Li Luo, smiling. "Didn't the Young Lord produce an Azure Jade Spirit Liquid with 60% tempering strength?" Yan Lingqing rolled her eyes at Cai Wei. "How many spirit liquids do you think a single person can produce? Even if we turn him into a cash cow, he can barely squeeze out any milk!" Li Luo's handsome face turned a shade of black. Although he didn't mind refining first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, he was still a respectable individual! Why did they have to demean him like that? And a cow of all things! "Well then, the only solution is to improve the watersource or lightsource," Li Luo continued, not willing to bicker with the two. Yan Lingqing unhappily replied, "This is dependent on the resonance artificers resonance grades and affinities. Could it be that you're willing to improve the resonances of all the resonance artificers in the Suncreek Villa? If we had a secret art watersource or lightsource, it could allow us to improve the tempering strength of our spirit liquids and purifying lights. However, this is a closely guarded secret for even major powers! Our Suncreek Villa simply does not possess this." Li Luo lightly chuckled upon hearing this. "That might not be the case." The duo stared at him with a trace of bewilderment. Under their careful scrutiny, Li Luo removed a crystal bottle from his robe. The bottle was half-filled with a deep-blue liquid. "Do you want to give this a try?" he asked. Yan Lingqing's eyebrows rose in suspicion. "As I told you before, you simply can't just use someone else's watersource. Only a secret art watersource..." Before she could finish her sentence, Li Luo uncorked the bottle and a steady stream of pure energy wafted outwards. This was what caused Yan Lingqing to pause in her tracks, staring in astonishment at the crystal bottle. As though possessed, she immediately snatched the crystal bottle out of Li Luo's hand and gently poured a droplet onto her finger. Carefully inspecting it, the shock on her face only grew more intense. "There is no attribute or characteristic mixed into this. Could this be a secret art watersource? ?This sort of purity is even higher than what someone with a seventh-grade water resonance can produce. How could you have obtained such a high grade secret art watersource?" Yan Lingqing asked as she grasped Li Luo's hand crazily. It seemed as though she had lost all sense of rationality at this sight. Secret art watersources were differentiated by grade. The one Li Luo had taken out had already reached the purity of a seventh-grade one. Such a pure watersource could definitely increase the success rate and tempering strength of spirit liquids when utilized, something truly rare. Li Luo could feel a piercing pain due to how tightly Yan Lingqing was squeezing his hand. Seeing how agitated she was, he slowed down his words in an attempt to calm her down. "Elder Sister Lingqing, don't be too flustered. Can we use this watersource for refining spirit liquids and purifying lights?" "Of course we can! A secret art watersource of this purity would definitely allow the Azure Jade Spirit Liquid to reach 60% tempering strength, at the least when used in the refinement process. This would be more than enough to beat the Wondrous Sunshine Light at its own game! The only problem is that the amount is too little. If we were to use it for refinement, it would only be enough for around 30 spirit liquids." Her beautiful pupils were firmly affixed on Li Luo, completely different from her usual, indifferent, and icy gaze. It seemed almost incompatible with the personality Li Luo knew her for. "What if we were to use it on second-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights?" Li Luo asked after a moment of thought. "It might be true that using such a treasure on first-grade spirit liquids would be almost wasteful. However, it's as I saidthe amount of watersource is simply too little. If we were to use it on second-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, I'm afraid we would only be able to refine a few of them. It might be more efficient to use it to refine first-grade spirit liquids..." Yan Lingqing replied. Li Luo felt a little awkward deep down. This "secret art watersource" was the watersource condensed by his waterlight resonance. Due to his blank palace, even the watersource he condensed possessed a trace of its void affinity. In essence, it was just like a secret art watersource, able to be used by anyone for resonance artificering. However, this half a bottle was something he had managed to produce only after three days. He was currently only at the Sixth Seal Stage, so his resonant power was not extremely dense nor plentiful. Thus, the amount of "secret art watersource" he could produce was also limited. "I guess we can first use it on the first-grade Azure Jade Spirit Liquid for now then. If I'm able to pass a bottle like this to you every three days, would it allow the first-grade refining workshop to become the best performing workshop within the Suncreek Villa?" Li Luo asked. Cai Wei paused to consider. "The first-grade refining workshop sells about 150 bottles of Azure Jade Spirit Liquid a month. This roughly adds up to about 90,000 pieces of skygold a year. The third-grade refining workshop brings in 210,000 pieces of skygold. For the first-grade refining workshop to surpass the third-grade, we would need the sales to increase manifold. There will be some significant difficulty involved if we wish to purely rely on the first-grade refining workshop. "Well, if we have sufficient amounts of this secret art watersource, it would not be difficult to increase our sales by that much! With how pure this secret art watersource is, utilizing it on first-grade spirit liquids for refinement is akin to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Thus, the tempering strength would definitely increase significantly." Yan Lingqing said confidently. Clapping his hands, Li Luo laughed. "Then it looks like our problem has been solved." Yan Lingqing was a little dazed at his response, spacing out for a moment. Had this arduous problem been resolved in such a simple manner? How could it be so simple? Yan Lingqing exhaled deeply. It truly wasn't as easy as Li Luo had mentioned. It was only because Li Luo had managed to produce an item that surpassed everyone's expectations. If anyone else knew that he was utilizing such a treasure to create first-grade spirit liquids, they would inevitably curse him angrily for being the fool and wastrel that he was! The two ladies glanced at each other, tacitly agreeing to not ask Li Luo how this secret art watersource had come about. The way they saw it, it likely had to do with a secret passed down by the two House Lords. "It looks like the Young Lord might be House Luolan's harbinger of wealth!" Cai Wei laughed whilst coyly covering her mouth. Her beautiful face was absolutely bursting with joy. "Although the secret art watersource might be a little small in amount, it will definitely be more than sufficient to meet the Suncreek Villa's needs in the interim." Yan Lingqing's small and square head lightly nodded. The Suncreek Villa currently only sold 150 bottles a month, and at the rate which Li Luo would provide it, this would definitely meet all their existing needs. "Alright, I won't speak of this anymore. I have to go and make use of the time we have to produce the first batch of enhanced Azure Jade Spirit Liquids. We first need to build a reputation for our new product and improve public opinion..." Yan Lingqing tightly grasped the bottle of deep blue liquid as though it was her baby and immediately rushed off. Li Luo and Cai Wei could only helplessly look on before they left the refining workshop together. Yet before Li Luo could say anything, Cai Wei immediately started to stride away quickly, and he had to quickly reach out and stop her. "Elder Sister Cai Wei, are you trying to get rid of me?" Li Luo asked angrily. Cai Wei innocently looked at him. "Young Lord, what are you trying to say? I have many tasks to settle!" "Elder Sister Cai Wei! I've just resolved the Suncreek Villa's predicament! You can't just ignore my outstanding service and contributions..." Following which, Li Luo furtively glanced around in every direction before lowering his voice. "I still need a batch of fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights." A trace of bitterness could be seen in Cai Wei's eyes as she looked at Li Luo. "Young Lord, it has barely been a month, yet you've gobbled up almost 800,000 pieces of skygold. This is two years of the Tianshu Province's profits. At the rate you're going, we just can't afford to feed you any longer!" Li Luo seemed a little ashamed at this point. The speed at which he burned through skygold was indeed a little excessive. However, he had no choice! This acquired resonance was a skygold-devouring beast! He could only praise his parents for leaving behind an entire house as the foundation for him. Otherwise, reaching the Duke Stage within five years would be an impossible dream... "This will be the last batch of fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. I promise," Li Luo swore. Upon hearing those words, Cai Wei paused for a moment before lightly gritting her teeth. "Fine... then I will have to sell two more businesses." Simply saying that caused Cai Wei to feel a little bit of sadness in her heart. With her abilities in management, she had never thought that she would have to sell the businesses under her to maintain the state of affairs. She had no choice in this matter... Li Luo was, after all, a bottomless pit. Still she was extremely dissatisfied. Li Luo gave a dry cough and smiled as he nodded. He truly wasn't lying. His waterlight resonance was about to reach the sixth-grade, so fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights would no longer be required. At that point, he would only require sixth-grade ones Of course, this was something he hid in his heart and refused to speak of. At least for now... Otherwise, Cai Wei might simply just quit in frustration on the spot. Chapter 39: Buffed Azure Jade Spirit Liquid For the next few days, Li Luo spent half of his time cultivating the old manor and the other half at the Suncreek Villa, practicing his resonance artificering arts. He was already able to produce a single first-grade Azure Jade Spirit Liquid reliably each day. He could be considered a full-fledged resonance artificer now. Additionally, the Azure Jade Spirit Liquid he refined had tempering strength that was constantly increasing as he gained more experience. However, he was not satisfied with just this. Thus, he started to experiment with second-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. These were several times more complex to refine than first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, with more complicated materials and processes. As a result, he was faced with innumerable failures. Li Luo was not disheartened or anxious despite this. Failure was the mother of success and also an invaluable experience. So long as he continued to accumulate experience, it was just a matter of before he would succeed in becoming a second-grade resonance artificer. Luckily, the last batch of fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights were finally sent over by Cai Wei. As he continued to guzzle these tempering treasures down, he could faintly feel that his waterlight resonance was gradually approaching the sixth-grade. In the interim, he had also managed to raise his resonant power to the Seventh Seal and was jubilant. He was not surprised by this, as he had spent painstaking effort cultivating in the cultivation room of the old manor. Coupled with the purity of the resonant power produced by his waterlight resonance, his cultivation was simpler and quicker. Thus, he was effectively no weaker than an individual with a seventh-grade resonance. At the same time, he had also received good news from Yan Lingqing. The first batch of enhanced Azure Jade Spirit Liquid had been refined. The Suncreek Villa. An intricately carved box was placed atop the table. Inside it were 40 crystal bottles, filled to the brim with azure-green liquid. This was the enhanced Azure Jade Spirit Liquid. Yan Lingqing's face was full of undisguised excitement. She said to Li Luo and Cai Wei, "The secret art watersource provided by Li Luo is unfathomably pure! As a result, the first-grade refining workshop's success rate has increased significantly. Originally, we could only produce five spirit liquids a day, but now we can produce ten! Furthermore, the tempering strength of these spirit liquids is around 60%. These are definitely considered high-quality first-grade spirit liquids!" As Li Luo listened, he frowned. Based on his quick math, if they produced ten bottles a day, a year's income would only be around 180,000 pieces of skygold. There was still a gap between that and the 3rd-grade refining workshop. He immediately voiced his concerns as a result. "That's something I can solve. Leave it to me!" Cai Wei flashed an enchanting smile at the group. "How does Elder Sister Cai Wei plan to do this?" Li Luo asked with a little bit of surprise. Cai Wei continued to smirk. "The Golden Dragon Bank has been stocking up on first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. They are also paying higher than market price, at almost 60 pieces of skygold a bottle. If they choose to purchase the Suncreek Villa's Azure Jade Spirit Liquid, we can set up an agreement that will definitely allow us to exceed the profits of the third-grade refining workshop. "Additionally, and more importantly, the Golden Dragon Bank possesses a stellar reputation, and their choice will definitely demonstrate just who produces the highest quality first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights in the Tianshu Province. Their endorsement is actually the most valuable thing here." Li Luo took all of it in and understood the situation. The Golden Dragon Bank had always been a purveyor of fine goods and would normally never even deign to look at low-grade treasures. If they had a need for them, they would naturally gravitate towards the very best. If one were chosen by them, they could even work out an agreement for future business whilst improving the reputation of the maker's products. This would be excellent publicity in and of itself. "I will drop by the Golden Dragon Bank later. I hope the Young Lord will also accompany me. I want to take advantage of your looks... and reputation," Cai Wei stated with a grin. The Golden Dragon Bank had always remained neutral. However, it also possessed titanic strength, and in the Xia Kingdom, no one would wantonly provoke them. On the other hand, they also prized harmony and wealth creation, thus they never sought to create enemies either. Li Luo was House Luolan's Young Lord. Even though his influence in the family had wavered, his title was still his own, deserving of respect. He had no objections, and frankly, he only wanted to ensure that the Suncreek Villa was under his tight control. That way, it could continue to churn out skygold for him... He definitely wouldn't mind being brought along as a mascot. "Let's go." He picked up the box and left with a smiling Cai Wei. .... The dazzling and luxurious-looking Golden Dragon Bank was constantly bustling with people as one of the most popular areas in the City of Southwind. When Li Luo and Cai Wei entered the bank, a female attendant immediately rushed out to attend to them. After finding out that they were looking for President Lu, she explained that he was currently welcoming another group of guests and that they would have to wait for a while. Without anything else to do, the two found a place to sit and awaited President Lu. Yet just as Li Luo sat down and started staring at the fascinating tiles on the ground, he noticed a slender leg appear in his sights. Glancing upwards, he realized that Lu Qing'er's pretty face was directly in front of him. She was wearing a black, short skirt, contrasting against her white thighs, creating an enthralling sight. Combined with her fine, black hair draped behind her, she was like a fairy in the flesh. "What is the Young Lord doing here?" she asked curiously. "I'm looking to discuss business with President Lu." Li Luo smiled. Lu Qing'er stared at the box beside him, directly getting to the meat of the question. "Is it first-grade spirit liquids?" She was naturally well-versed with all the issues regarding the Golden Dragon Bank, especially their recent demand for first-grade spirit liquids. Li Luo nodded. "Does such a simple matter require the involvement of the Young Lord?" Lu Qing'er continued to question. Ultimately, high-quality first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights were still just that! First-grade treasures! Whether it was House Luolan or the Golden Dragon Bank, the cost to purchase them would merely be a drop in the ocean. Li Luo sighed and said in a low voice, "You will never understand the struggles that a young lord in dire straits faces..." Lu Qing'er couldn't help but laugh, then her gaze shifted to the mature and charming beauty beside him. "This elder sister is extremely gorgeous. Does the role of a general manager in House Luolan have such strict requirements too?" Cai Wei lightly laughed. "Younger Sister, you are also very beautiful. I'm sure your suitors in Southwind Academy are as plentiful as the clouds. I wonder if the Young Lord is also one of them?" "Don't drag me into this pointless thing..." Li Luo dryly coughed. "Let me bring you to find Second Uncle. He's currently dealing with the people from the Song family. They've taken the initiative to approach us, directly hawking their Wondrous Sunshine Light after they found out that our Golden Dragon Bank was searching for first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights." Li Luo and Cai Wei glanced at each other. It had slipped their minds that the Song family would have similar thoughts. They weren't idiots after all, and they wanted to borrow this opportunity to rise above their stature and improve the reputation of the products they refined. "Won't we be interrupting their discussion?" Li Luo may have sounded a little embarrassed, but he had already stood up, ready to go. "Well, there's no decision being made," Lu Qing'er commented indifferently before turning around to lead the way. "Though you should already be aware of the quality of the Pine Nut Villa's Wondrous Sunshine Light. I might be able to lead the way, but if you want Second Uncle to change his mind, you need to prove your ability with the quality of your goods." "I, Li Luo, have always been an outstanding and upright individual. I would NEVER rely on my connections," Li Luo declared heroically... Lu Qing'er sighed lightly and did not want to bicker any further. She directly led the two through the corridor. They eventually reached a VIP room, and someone familiar was seen walking out of it. "Song Yunfeng?" Li Luo exclaimed in surprise. Song Yunfeng also saw Li Luo and was slightly astonished. At the same time, he frowned and addressed Lu Qing'er directly. "Qing'er, why did you bring him here?" "Li Luo and my Second Uncle have a meeting, and so I decided to lead them here," Lu Qing'er said with an unchanging expression. Li Luo looked at her radiant and beautiful face. A beauty was truly able to lie without batting an eyelid! Her performance was absolutely perfect! Song Yunfeng's expression turned dark as he couldn't tell if she was lying. However, he had no choicethis was the Golden Dragon Bank and not his Song family stomping grounds. In the end, he could only stare wistfully at Lu Qing'er walking in. Glancing at the box in Li Luo's hands, he indifferently commented, "Li Luo, there's no need to waste your time. Your Suncreek Villa cannot compete with my clearly superior Pine Nut Villa." Li Luo chuckled. "You might be surprised. Did you ever consider the idea that we would end up in a draw if we fought?" Song Yunfeng's composed demeanor was instantly shattered, his face a steel green as he furiously glared at Li Luo. If looks could kill, Li Luo would have been shredded into a thousand pieces! Li Luo, on the other hand, ignored him, directly walking into the room with Cai Wei. Chapter 40: Ambushing Pine Nut Villa Bright incandescent lamps illuminated the massive reception room. The portly President Lu with a face full of smiles was sitting right in the front. A tall and well-built middle-aged man with an imposing aura was sitting opposite him. This was the Song family's Head, Song Shan. They were clearly in the midst of a discussion when Lu Qing'er led Li Luo and Cai Wei into the room, directly interrupting their conversation. Song Shan was slightly taken aback by these new proceedings. However, once he saw Li Luo and Cai Wei, the smile on his face receded slightly and his expression turned a little apathetic. President Lu was similarly astonished, but before he could speak, Lu Qing'er gently said, "Second Uncle, the people from House Luolan are here." When he noticed the look in his niece's eyes, his lips twitched slightly as though he wanted to say something. Despite the sudden developments, he reacted quickly and started nodding his head. "Since you're here, why don't you quickly take a seat?" Song Shan immediately placed the teacup in his hand on the table with neither too much nor too little force and frowned at President Lu. "President Lu, could you kindly explain what is going on?" President Lu chuckled and replied, "The Song family's head need not overthink things. Our Golden Dragon Bank believes that harmony breeds wealth after all. At the same time, we also have another condition: that is the goods sold by the Golden Dragon Bank must be of certain quality." "First-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights can be considered lower in grade, but we also require them to be of the highest quality. Otherwise, our reputation would be tarnished. Hence, we will have to do a final selection." Li Luo and Cai Wei immediately took their seats and nodded in agreement. "President Lu is truly wise." Song Shan's expression turned cold, as if he'd been submerged in freezing water. He indifferently glanced at the duo before removing all pretenses of politeness, whilst playing with the teacup in his hands. "President Lu, let's not waste any more time. The Suncreek Villa's Azure Jade Spirit Liquid cannot compare with my Pine Nut Villa's Wondrous Sunshine Light. We have absolutely trashed them in the market in terms of sales and performance. The difference in tempering strength is vast, and I'm sure President Lu has already done his own investigations on this. Frankly speaking, there is no one within the Tianshu Province with the ability to produce a first-grade purifying light that can surpass ours. It's impossible. If President Lu feels that the Suncreek Villa truly is the better choice, you can say so directly and the Pine Nut Villa will pull out of this competition." Song Shan truly was a bold individual. He had spoken convincingly and without holding back, directly stating the truth. President Lu chortled to defuse the tension. "Please don't be angry. I am aware of the Pine Nut Villa's high-quality Wondrous Sunshine Light. However, we also have to let others demonstrate their capabilities in the spirit of fairness. If your product is the best at the end of the selections, I will have to sincerely apologize to you." Song Shan's expression immediately eased up upon hearing those words, then he continued to banter with President Lu for a bit more. Occasionally, he would glance briefly at Li Luo and Cai Wei, a cold smirk on his face. He knew all about the Suncreek Villa's internal situation. For a long time, the position of president had been left unoccupied. Yan Lingqing and Zhuang Yi were constantly scuffling, neither willing to give in, and chaos roiled the villa. In the end, Li Luo had been sent to the Golden Dragon Bank to compete against their Pine Nut Villa. That brat clearly couldn't fathom how high the heavens were. Did he really think that his position as a Young Lord was worth anything? Song Yunfeng was sitting next to Song Shan, expressionlessly watching the show. Lu Qing'er, on the other hand, was standing beside President Lu. She was a slender beauty, looking pure and sweet, a completely different sort of beauty compared to the mature Cai Wei. Unfortunately, her gaze held a trace of doubt and worry. She understood that if Li Luo was unable to bring out first-grade spirit liquids that were at least comparable, there would be no chance of her Second Uncle choosing the Suncreek Villa. On top of that, Song Shan and Song Yunfeng would only look down on them even more. Once President Lu placated Song Shan, he immediately looked towards Li Luo and Cai Wei. "The two of you should also understand the Golden Dragon Bank's requirements. First-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights might be considered low grade, but we require a minimum tempering strength of 55%. Anything less than that will not be considered." Cai Wei gave a confident smile. "President Lu, the Pine Nut Villa's Wondrous Sunshine Light have a tempering strength that barely reaches 56%, is that right?" "Barely?" Song Shan's eyelids twitched upon hearing her derogatory comment. "General Manager Cai is truly arrogant. If I recall, the Suncreek Villa's high-quality products barely reach 52%." "Well, as the head of the Song family, you ought to know that this is all in the past." Cai Wei smirked. Li Luo immediately placed the box he had brought atop the table, revealing the 40 bottles of Azure Jade Spirit Liquid for all to see. "President Lu, let me introduce you to our newest product from the Suncreek Villa. This is our enhanced Azure Jade Spirit Liquid. It's tempering strength is 60%," Cai Wei announced in a gentle and soft tone. "60%?" Both President Lu and Song Shan's expressions fluctuated greatly, the former looking very surprised, the latter coldly smiling. President Lu waved his hand and an attendant arrived with a tempering measurement needle. After inserting it into the liquid of one of the bottles, the group closely scrutinized the result as it stabilized at the 60% mark. "It really does possess 60% tempering strength," President Lu said in shock. Song Shan indifferently replied, "The Suncreek Villa truly has many tricks up their sleeve. The only question here is which third or fourth-grade resonance artificer produced this Azure Jade Spirit Liquid? Could it have been one of those two fourth-grade resonance artificers of the Suncreek Villa?" President Lu was lost in thought for a brief moment. A first-grade spirit liquid was extremely low-grade. If a few third or even a fourth-grade resonance artificers opted to lend a hand to refine this, then attaining a 60% tempering strength spirit liquid would not be hard. However, wasting a skilled resonance artificer's time to produce such a spirit liquid would essentially be a huge loss for the Suncreek Villa. Using their time to create third-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights would be significantly more efficient in terms of value, vastly surpassing the profits first-grade spirit liquids could bring. Song Shan's subtle meaning was that the Suncreek Villa was willing to go to any means to achieve their goals, even if they had to get their third-grade resonance artificers to refine a batch of these spirit liquids and purifying lights. President Lu turned to look at Li Luo. "Young Lord, you must understand that what the Golden Dragon Bank requires is not just a single batch. These orders will continue over an extended period of time. If the Suncreek Villa is unable to reliably produce spirit liquids of a similar tempering strength, that would not be pleasant for any of us." Song Shan indifferently drank two sips of tea. He obviously did not believe that the Suncreek Villa had the ability to consistently produce Azure Jade Spirit Liquid with 60% tempering strength. Could they really afford to constantly sacrifice the time of third-grade resonance artificers to refine these low-grade goods? If they truly did so, it would just be a matter of time before the Suncreek Villa collapsed due to their foolishness. Li Luo faced President Lu's questioning gaze directly, remaining as calm as before. "President Lu, please rest assured. House Luolan is a big family with big businesses and corresponding interests. We would not act foolishly over such a small matter. We wouldn't be so foolish as to use our third or fourth-grade resonance artificers to refine such low grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. This is something House Luolan would never do. If President Lu chooses to purchase our Azure Jade Spirit Liquid, I can guarantee that the Suncreek Villa will be able to produce this reliably in the long run. Additionally, the tempering strength will be no lower than 60%. In fact, all of the Azure Jade Spirit Liquid produced by the Suncreek Villa will be of the enhanced version. We will produce the best first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights in the entire Tianshu Province!" Looking at how calmly Li Luo had responded, President Lu felt his heart quaking. Could it be that the Suncreek Villa could reliably improve the quality of their Azure Jade Spirit Liquid without relying on the assistance of third-grade resonance artificers? Li Luo had given his guarantee on it! He wasn't the only one who was shaken by this fact. Song Yunfeng and Song Shan were equally shocked by this revelation. Li Luo was simply too confident, and it looked like he was speaking the truth. Even Song Shan started to question himself. Did the Suncreek Villa's Azure Jade Spirit Liquid have some sort of breakthrough in quality? How could this be possible!? Just half a month ago, the Suncreek Villa's Azure Jade Spirit Liquid could barely reach 52% tempering strength. How could it have improved so greatly in half a month's time!? If that was not the case, then how could Li Luo declare so confidently that they would be able to produce this enhanced Azure Jade Spirit Liquid for the long run? The entire room was plunged into a brief period of silence. Lu Qing'er, on the other hand, was looking at the box of spirit liquids with renewed interest. She was surprised too, and she had a strong feeling that this had to do with Li Luo. President Lu's plump hand grasped a bottle of Azure Jade Spirit Liquid and he paused in deep thought. A few moments later, his face burst out into a smile and he looked at Song Shan. Apologetically, he addressed him. "Song family's Head, I believe we are temporarily unable to cooperate with you." Song Shan did not burst out in anger upon hearing those words. Instead, he placed his teacup down and gave a resigned smile. "President Lu, I believe we will have further opportunities to collaborate in the future. Since you've made your decision, we will take our leave. Haha. If the Suncreek Villa's goods ever have issues, please come and find our Pine Nut Villa instead." Song Shan truly had the grace and magnanimity expected of a family head. He was not put down by Li Luo's ambush and instead even gave Li Luo a smile. "The Young Lord is young and capable. I heard that you even managed to fight my son to a draw during the preliminary examinations. It looks like House Luolan will be in good hands. I'm sure that it will have a limitless future." Li Luo courteously replied as well. "It was merely a fluke." Song Shan simply smiled, no longer speaking, directly leading a glum Song Yunfeng away. Once the two Songs took their leave, President Lu made his way to Li Luo with a hearty smile. "I've heard from Qing'er that you've resolved your issue with the blank palace. That is truly a cause for celebration! But before that, why don't we sign an agreement regarding the Azure Jade Spirit Liquid?" Cai Wei immediately took this as her cue to walk forward and directly settled the conditions with President Lu. Whilst the two were busily discussing the terms, Li Luo stretched lazily. Lu Qing'er walked over at this moment. "Congratulations." "It's all thanks to you. Otherwise, things might have gotten dicey." Li Luo thanked her sincerely. Without Lu Qing'er's help, the Song family might have signed the contract with the Golden Dragon Bank before they got a chance to hawk their wares. The situation wouldve been extremely tricky in that scenario. Lu Qing'er waved her hand and reminded him, "However, you need to put in more effort. Don't forget about the College Final Examinations that are coming up. The biggest regret will be if you miss out on the opportunity to enter the Astral Sage College." Li Luo nodded in agreement. All of a sudden, Lu Qing'er spoke out. "Are you free during this holiday? I have no one to spar and exchange pointers with. If you're free, come and spar with me. It's mutually beneficial." "Do you take me for a sandbag? No, no, no..." Li Luo hastily said. He was speechless! How could this even work out? Upon hearing his reply, she gave him a faint smile and glared at him for a good few seconds before swiftly turning to leave. ....... Outside the Golden Dragon Bank, in the Song family's carriage. Now that there was no one else around, Song Shan's expression turned incomparably gloomy. The Suncreek Villa had indeed been heavily suppressed by their Pine Nut Villa in recent times. Who would have expected them to counterattack with such a vicious blow, directly slapping them across their faces? Although the cooperation with the Golden Dragon Bank would not be significantly profitable, the crux was that it would raise the reputation of their Wondrous Sunshine Light. It would further cement their position in the Tianshu Province's first-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights market. However, it had all been ruined by Li Luo. "Dad, can the Suncreek Villa reliably produce Azure Jade Spirit Liquid with 60% tempering strength?" Song Yunfeng couldn't help but ask. Song Shan gave an insipid reply. "We will have to wait and see." "This is truly a vicious blow. We've paid a huge price to tap into Elder Sister's connections and invited an expert resonance artificer to improve upon our Wondrous Sunshine Light's formula. In the end..." Song Yunfeng lamented. "This is just first-grade purifying lights." Song Shan shook his head. "Even if the Suncreek Villa wins this battle, they will not be able to win the war against the Pine Nut Villa. "Your elder sister has already sent news that she's about to return to the City of Southwind. At that point, she will directly take over the Pine Nut Villa and we will naturally be victorious." Song Yunfeng revealed a look of excitement. His elder sister, Song Qiuyu, was a student of the Astral Sage College's Resonance Tempering Hall with outstanding achievements. With her support, the Pine Nut Villa would truly have a pillar to rely on. "The most important thing now is the College Final Examinations. I hope that you will be able to regain the face that you've lost," Song Shan stated coldly. "I will bring you with me on a trip to the Governor's Mansion for the next two days. Shi Huang, the son of the governor, is Eastpool Academy's number one student and also the same age as you. Perhaps the two of you can get along and become fast friends." "Governor's Mansion?" Song Yunfeng was a little startled at this. Shi Huang was Southwind Academy's greatest fear in the upcoming College Final Examinations. With his background as the son of the governor, he was the most influential individual in the Tianshu Province amongst the younger generation. He was head and shoulders above everyone in terms of background, with the exception of Li Luo. Of course, that would only be the case if House Luolan was in its golden era. No one would speak of Li Luo and Shi Huang in the same breath, whether in terms of influence or background. They were seemingly miles apart. Chapter 41: The Presidents Position On the second day, after the Golden Dragon Bank had finished signing a long-term agreement, Li Luo used his position as the Young Lord to convene a meeting of the senior management of the Suncreek Villa. In the discussion hall, Vice President Zhuang Yi was late and even indifferently grumbled on his way in. "My third-grade refining workshop is currently busy refining third-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. Time is tight! We even have to make up for the gap left by the first-grade refining workshop..." Upon sitting down, he immediately looked at Li Luo with a smile. "I seek your understanding, Young Lord." "It must have been hard on you," Li Luo replied courteously upon seeing that fake smile of his. The smile on his own handsome face never lessened. After all, the problem in the Suncreek Villa would be finally solved today, and it would then continue to churn out endless profits for him! That way, he could buy even more spirit liquids and purifying lights... Why would he not be excited? Zhuang Yi felt a little uneasy upon seeing Li Luo's wide smile. However, he did not take this feeling to heart. Although Li Luo was the Young Lord, he wasn't in charge of anything, and technically Zhuang Yi was someone from Pei Hao's side. Li Luo could not easily get rid of him without rhyme or reason. Elder Zheng Ping was also in attendance as he was equally curious about why Li Luo would want to convene a meeting. As almost everyone was here, he started to speak. "Young Lord, please kindly enlighten us as to why you have gathered everyone here." Li Luo smiled. "It's not about something frivolous. Elder, you did mention previously that the lack of a president posed a problem for the Suncreek Villa." Zheng Ping was a little startled at how things were proceeding, and he immediately frowned. "Did we not come to an agreement before? We will compare the results of the ones in charge of the refining workshops to decide the victor. Unfortunately, Vice President Yan seems to be at a significant disadvantage." "Does the Young Lord want to change the rules for selection? These are the ironclad rules of the Suncreek Villa. Even though you're the Young Lord, you cannot change these rules on a whim! That's improper," Zhuang Yi said. The rest of the management did not speak a single word. However, the expressions on their faces seemed to say that they were siding with Zhuang Yi. Faced with everyone's doubtful glares, Li Luo waved his hands. "The rule is wonderful. There is no need to change it. I just want to say that the results are now out for everyone to see." The confusion in the eyes of everyone present continued to deepen. Even Zhuang Yi was a little taken aback before he gave an excited smile. "Does the Young Lord want to crown me as the victor? Or did Vice President Yan take the initiative to give up?" Upon hearing these words, the group of senior resonance artificers seemed to suddenly understand something. It was true that based on the rules, Zhuang Yi's third-grade refining workshop vastly outperformed the first and second-grade refining workshops. With such a huge difference, it was possible that Vice President Yan would have chosen to give up. "Give up? In your dreams!" Yan Lingqing's eyebrows arched in contempt as she gave a cold smile. Cai Wei lightly chuckled at this point. She took the agreement out and directly passed it to Elder Zheng Ping. "Our Suncreek Villa has signed an official contract with the Golden Dragon Bank. We will produce Azure Jade Spirit Liquid for them on a long-term basis." After glancing through the document, Elder Zheng Pings expression suddenly changed. "Azure Jade Spirit Liquid with 60% tempering strength? Are you messing around? How can the Suncreek Villa supply Azure Jade Spirit Liquid with 60% tempering strength?!" Elder Zheng Ping's face turned green and he slammed his palm against the table. He stared at Li Luo as he said in a heartbroken tone, "Young Lord, how could you possibly have signed such an agreement? You're practically destroying the Suncreek Villa's reputation by agreeing to this!" Everyone in the discussion hall looked at the trio in shock after they heard the words spoken by Elder Zheng Ping. They would never have expected them to come up with such an unbelievable contract! This was not a joke! The Suncreek Villa's first-grade resonance artificers could not refine such a spirit liquid! Even Zhuang Yi was flabbergasted, but internally he was jumping for joy. He didn't even have to act, as Li Luo had just dealt the death blow to Yan Lingqing himself. Azure Jade Spirit Liquid with 60% tempering strength was simply impossible for the first-grade resonance artificers! "Hai..." Zhuang Yi heavily sighed as he raised his voice towards Cai Wei. "The Young Lord might not be knowledgeable, but how could the General Manager make the same mistake?" He then turned his gaze to Elder Zheng Ping and the rest and emotionally said, "Are they possibly hoping for our third-grade refining workshop to take on the task of refining all these Azure Jade Spirit Liquids? This is clearly a ploy to destroy the Suncreek Villa! I will never agree to this! Elder Zheng Ping, you've seen for yourself what these people want to do. The Suncreek Villa has to quickly select a president. Otherwise, if things proceed this way, we will no longer be welcome in the Tianshu Province!" Li Luo silently looked at the passionately speaking Zhuang Yi, not putting a halt to his words. After Zhuang Yi finished his outburst, he turned over to look at Elder Zheng Ping with a steely, green complexion. "This contract will not require the help of any of the Suncreek Villa's third-grade resonance artificers. It will be completely fulfilled by the first-grade refining workshop." Elder Zheng Ping frowned as he said with a grave voice, "Young Lord, our Suncreek Villa's first-grade refining workshop simply does not possess this capability." "That was in the past." Li Luo gave an indifferent smile as he picked up a box that was sitting by his feet. Upon opening it, he revealed dozens of bottles of enhanced Azure Jade Spirit Liquid. "Elder Zheng Ping, this will be the enhanced Azure Jade Spirit Liquid produced by our Suncreek Villa. The tempering strength will be at least 60%, and 40 bottles have already been provided to the Golden Dragon Bank. The remaining ten are here for you to see. In the future, we will be producing a greater quantity of this enhanced Azure Jade Spirit Liquid, up to a total of 300 a month. Based on their market value, the first-grade refining workshop will outperform the third-grade refining workshop." Each of Li Luo's words directly reverberated around the discussion hall, shocking everyone into silence. Everyone looked at him in complete stupefaction. It was as if they were enthralled by a bunch of fantastical tales. "Enhanced Azure Jade Spirit Liquid? What is that? I've never heard of this! Our Suncreek Villa's first-grade refining workshop can produce Azure Jade Spirit Liquid with 60% tempering strength? What kind of crap are you spouting!?" Zhuang Yi resentfully shouted, his tone impolite. Perhaps he was feeling restless at the change of events. However, Li Luo's calm and collected demeanor didn't make him seem like someone who was spouting crazy words. The rest stared at each other blankly, while Elder Zheng Ping remained deep in thought. He immediately took out a tempering measurement needle and directly pierced it into one of the Azure Jade Spirit Liquid bottles. The result was clearly at the 60% mark. Everyone's eyes widened at the sight of the mind-boggling results. "The enhanced Azure Jade Spirit Liquid was not refined by Vice President Yan. The first-grade refining workshop has been sealed for the last few days, but it will be open to everyone later, for you to see for yourself if you wish. Nothing that the Young Lord has said is false. All of the Azure Jade Spirit Liquid produced by the Suncreek Villa in the future will reliably be at 60% tempering strength." Cai Wei's soft and gentle words seemed to echo in the huge chamber. Even Elder Zheng Ping was left in a daze. He could not imagine how this was possible. However, the facts in front of him spoke for themselves. This was not a farce, and Li Luo had no need to come up with an elaborate lie to trick them. Elder Zheng Ping finally recovered a while later, heavily sighing with a bitter smile. "If what you say is true, the first-grade refining workshop will outperform the third-grade workshop. In this case, I hereby proclaim that Yan Lingqing will lead the Suncreek Villa branch in the Tianshu Province as the..." "I DISAGREE!" a visibly frustrated Zhuang Yi screamed as he angrily slammed the table. "There is definitely something strange going on. How can the first-grade refining workshop reliably produce 60% tempering strength Azure Jade Spirit Liquid?" Elder Zheng Ping's expression turned solemn. "It doesn't matter if you disagree. At the very least, there is a contract with the Golden Dragon Bank proving their point." Zhuang Yi's expression turned green. "I don't believe this! It's impossible! How can they reliably produce this enhanced Azure Jade Spirit Liquid!?" Li Luo immediately stood up and lifted the curtain at the front of the discussion hall. From where they stood, they could observe what was happening in the first-grade refining workshop. At the moment, there were first-grade resonance artificers busily refining spirit liquids. At the same time, someone collected the recently refined Azure Jade Spirit Liquid and brought it over to the discussion hall. When the box of enhanced Azure Jade Spirit Liquid was displayed in front of the group, no one doubted Li Luo's words any longer. How could they when the evidence was right in front of them? Zhuang Yi's face turned incomparably pale as he plonked onto his seat, continuously murmuring to himself. Everyone knew that Zhuang Yi had been on the cusp of victory. Yet the unimaginable had happened and his fall from grace was just too quick... That stubborn old man Elder Zheng Ping, on the other hand, had a face full of smiles. He stood up to make an announcement. "From here on, Yan Lingqing will become the president of the Suncreek Villa in the Tianshu Province!" Applause rang out in the discussion hall. Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief whilst leaning against a chair. This entire fiasco hadn't been easy. On the bright side, at least his money bag was safe for the time being... Chapter 42: Governors Mansion In order to celebrate Yan Lingqing's promotion to president, an extremely elated Yan Lingqing invited Li Luo and Cai Wei to join her in the evening. This was when Li Luo saw the true extent of her drinking stamina. Even more terrifying was Cai Wei matching her cup for cup heroically. The two were flushed from their relentless drinking, and Li Luo was left cowering in fear like a little quail. "Li Luo, as long as you can increase that secret art watersource support, I will definitely be able to make the Suncreek Villa's spirit liquids and purifying lights the best in the whole Tianshu Province!" Red-faced and pumped full of liquid courage, Yan Lingqing turned a fiery and beautiful eye to Li Luo. "Of course. I will do my best." Li Luo smiled and nodded. He was only at the Seventh Seal Stage. If he could reach the Resonant Master Stage, the quality of his resonant power would rise correspondingly. At that time, he would be able to provide even better watersource. If the Suncreek Villa could dominate the spirit liquids and purifying lights market in the Tianshu Province, then House Luolan's annual profits would soar, allowing Li Luo to rise. "Well then, a pre-emptive toast. To the Suncreek Villa's monopoly in the Tianshu Province." Cai Wei gave a coy smile. The alcohol had relaxed her already pretty features, giving them a different but equally alluring look. The three touched their cups together with smiles. ...... After helping Yan Lingqing settle the Suncreek Villa's internal dispute, Li Luo felt a weight lift from his chest. In the following days, he was seen less often at the Suncreek Villa. As the holidays were soon ending, Li Luo had another important matter to consider: the College Final Examinations. The College Final Examinations would determine who would be nominated to enter the Astral Sage College. As the most elite college in the Xia Kingdom, it was the holy grail for many young men and women. No power in the Xia Kingdom dared to look down upon the ability and status of the Astral Sage College. Before the Xia Kingdom had been founded, there had been other dynasties. These dynasties had come and gone, and still the Astral Sage College endured, a testament to its deep-rooted power. There were also rumors that there were King Stage experts in the Astral Sage College. That was why even being the Young Lord of House Luolan was nothing compared to being an Astral Sage student. For Li Luo, there was no other option to secure a brighter future. Besides, there was that promise with Jiang Qing'e. The College Final Examinations would encompass all of the middle and high schools, and each would be able to send their 20 finest students to compete for places at Astral Sage. The number of places varied year on year, but generally speaking, the top 10 were more or less guaranteed to make it in, while things were less certain for the remaining. Therefore, Li Luo's target was to make it into that secure top 10. "Reaching the top 10... won't be easy." Li Luo's face was creased with worry as he sat in the skygold room, having just finished his training. Although Southwind Academy was the best school in the Tianshu Province, that was no reason to dismiss the other schools. Although most of the other schools' candidates were indeed largely not worthy of consideration, there would be a few capable ones amongst them, and those would add up to a considerable number indeed. Besides, there was also Southwind Academy's greatest threat and rival, Eastpool Academy. One could only imagine how hard it would be to break free from the cutthroat competition. Li Luo was at the Seventh Seal Stage, and his waterlight resonance should reach the sixth-grade before the examinations. Still, it made him restless with worry. He was improving, but so were the others. Li Luo could not afford to take these examinations lightly. He focused seriously on his own abilities and techniques, and discovered a shortcoming. His most glaring weakness was the lack of a powerful offensive technique. Previously, against Song Yunfeng, he had managed to run rings around him and used his Water Mirror Art to fight him to a draw. Impressive as it was, all the more did it declare Li Luo's lack of an offense. He did not pose a threat to Song Yunfeng in their fight. But this was not a problem limited to Li Luo, rather it was a challenge that all water resonance users faced. It lacked the destructive punch of the fire, metal, and lightning resonances. Of course, the water resonance held the edge in drawn-out battles, but that was too passive a style for Li Luo's taste. He had to think of a way to improve his offense. Other water resonance users might be stumped, but not Li Luo. He was not just a pure water resonance user, he was the ultra-rare waterlight resonance user! Coming out of his musings, Li Luo got up and left the skygold room, heading for his private library. ...... Governor's Mansion, City of Southwind. Every citizen of the Xia Kingdom fell under the purview of the governors - the Governor's Mansions were therefore the centers of power and influence. "Keke, my old friend Song, I have been wanting to invite you to the Governor's Mansion for some time now. A pity that I was just too busy recently and couldn't make time until today." From within the guest hall of Governor's Mansion, bright laughter. Its source was a gaunt middle-aged man. Although he was smiling, he had an authoritative bearing about him. This was the governor of the Tianshu Province, Shi Qing. He was a Heavenly Dipper General, the first sub stage of the General Stage. In a lower position near him sat the head of the Song family, Song Shan. "The esteemed Governor is always busy, of course you would not have time like us idle peasants," Song Shan replied laughingly. "Brother Song, you mock me." Shi Qing smiled in response. He lifted up his teacup and looked at the leaves floating on the surface. He remarked casually, "The Song family's movements have not been discreet lately. You must have enjoyed much at the expense of House Luolan." Song Shan replied, "All thanks to the great Governor." "A pity, House Luolan. If those two had not disappeared, House Luolan might well have led the five Great Houses in the future." Shi Qing smiled humorlessly. "Well, the brightest candles burn quickest. If not..." He suddenly paused. "House Luolan is floundering to keep its head above water. May the Song family treasure every opportunity," he said while looking at Song Shan. "Many thanks to the governor for his instruction. Our Song family will definitely remember your grace." Shi Qing smiled and then changed the topic. From the nearby lake outside the guest hall, Song Yunfeng listened to the faint murmur of voices within and then cast his eyes towards the water. There was a white-clothed youth there, his hair trimmed short, save for a long ponytail at the back. His hands were full of fish food, and he was busy feeding the fish. After he was done, he dusted off his hands, then a maid respectfully offered a cloth. He casually wiped his hands and then came walking towards Song Yunfeng. As he neared, his features came into view - an ordinary-looking face, with a ghost of a smile hanging on his lips. But looking at this unremarkable-looking youth, a slight tingle of trepidation shot through Song Yunfeng. This was the governor's son, Shi Huang. He was also the top student at Eastpool Academy. "Yunfeng, my father has said that in this year's College Final Examinations, I have to help Eastpool Academy take the title of best school in the Tianshu Province," Shi Huang said with a smile. "With senior brother Shi Huang's abilities, it seems entirely probable," Song Yunfeng replied. "Not at all. Your Southwind Academy's Lu Qing'er is no slouch. She will make a formidable opponent," Shi Huang said. Song Yunfeng nodded in agreement. He knew of Lu Qing'er's strength. "Although I do not fear her, I dislike unknown factors. Therefore, I might need your cooperation on some matters regarding the College Final Examinations," Shi Huang stated mildly. Song Yunfeng's face changed, and he frowned, troubled. "Senior Brother Shi Huang, are you asking me to betray Southwind Academy?" "Sheesh, you make it sound so ugly. Do you really think of Southwind Academy as your own family? It is but a stepping stone in our journey of cultivation. As long as you clinch a top 10 spot, you'll naturally be able to advance to the Astral Sage College. At that time, will you even care about Southwind Academy?" Shi Huang chortled. "Anyway, don't worry. I won't ask you to do anything too noticeable." He sketched a casual gesture in the air. "It is also my father's will. The dean of Southwind Academy had a feud with my father in the past. He tried to stop my father's rise at every turn. Therefore, the golden title of best school in the Tianshu Province must be taken away from him." Song Yunfeng thought about this for a long time, and finally nodded in a pained way. Only then did a warm smile fill Shi Huang's face. He reached out and gently patted Song Yunfeng's shoulder. "Oh, and I hear Li Luo has a resonance now? And you two fought to a draw?" Song Yunfeng's eyes clouded upon hearing those words, and he said stiffly, "He pulled a fast one on me, that's all. If we meet in the exams, he has no chance of even a draw." "I see..." Shi Huang pondered for a moment. "A pity. I wanted to test the young lord during the examinations. But hearing that from you has dulled my interest considerably." "There is no need for Senior Brother Shi Huang to trouble himself with such a brat. If the opportunity presents itself, I will clean him up," Song Yunfeng said. "Just as well. "This person... I haven't met him many times, but I have quite the dislike for him," Shi Huang snorted. Hearing that raised Song Yunfeng's suspicions. Seeing his reaction, Shi Huang laughed, and he said resentfully, "An ugly matter. Back then, my father went to House Luolan, seeking Jiang Qing'e's hand for me... "Haha, in the end, the two House Lords rejected him. "How dare they... They wanted to keep her for their son... "A pity their son grew up so useless. How can he hold on to such a fine woman?" Song Yunfeng was taken aback when he heard these words. Now he finally understood why the governor's family had moved in secret to support the revolution and help them devour House Luolan. So this was why... Chapter 43: Sixth Grade Waterlight Resonance When Li Luo was left with his last three bottles of fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, his waterlight resonance finally evolved, reaching the sixth grade. In his bedroom, Li Luo sprawled on the carpet, a wild look of triumph on his face. Less than a month before, Li Luo had been written off with his blank palaces, his future bleak. And now, his unique waterlight resonance had reached the sixth grade. Resonances had nine grades, and a sixth-grade resonance was above average, no matter how you looked at it. One more upgrade and he would be well and truly in the high-quality resonance tier. Besides, the waterlight resonance's unique nature meant that its sixth-grade power was comparable to that of some seventh-grade resonances. Therefore, just in terms of resonant power, Li Luo had already caught up to many of his excellent peers. As far as he knew, only Lu Qing'er and Song Yunfeng had seventh-grade resonances in the whole of Southwind Academy. And even within their generation in the Tianshu Province, the number of seventh-grade resonance users could be counted on one hand. Even with a ninth-grade resonance monster like Jiang Qing'e eclipsing his achievement, Li Luo knew that a seventh-grade one still had its own noteworthy shine. Ninth-grade resonances were extremely rare. Why else would the Astral Sage College open a special recruitment for Jiang Qing'e? The Astral Sage College's requirements were very strict. They had seen more geniuses than carp in the Yangtze River, so even an ordinary genius would not move them to open their doors so readily. Li Luo raised his palm. A blue resonant power condensed on his fingertip. The resonant power was pure, and the refreshing sound of waves came floating forth. He could feel that his resonant power had become more solid and pure after advancing his waterlight resonance. He was not far from the Eighth Seal now. The blue resonant power finally coalesced into a ball of water about the size of a fist. He flicked his finger, and the waterball shot forth. It smashed into the wall with startling ferocity and created an explosive flash of light, dazzling an unprepared Li Luo momentarily. He chuckled. This resonance art was not at all unusual. It was a very common mid-tier art. When hit, the water resonance power would enter the target's body and then their speed would take a hit. However, this move lacked offensive power, and did not deal much damage. Therefore, Li Luo had fortified and improved this mid-tier resonance art. He had infused light resonance within it. The resulting water bullet was not only faster, but could also release a blinding light to distract his opponent. Therefore, he renamed this improved Water Bullet Art to Waterlight Bullet. In order to prepare for the College Final Examinations, Li Luo had made all kinds of efforts, and refining the Waterlight Bullet was one of them. Li Luo turned around, and the last three fifth-grade spirit liquids caught his eye. He sighed deeply. In less than a month, his waterlight resonance had jumped two grades. This was an astonishing speed indeed, but Li Luo knew that the blistering pace was about to grind to a halt. Unlike the fifth-grade ones, he could not buy sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights by the hundreds. Considering the price, a fifth-grade spirit liquid cost about 5,000 gold, whereas a sixth-grade spirit liquid might reach 30,000 gold Besides, going from the sixth grade to the seventh grade was a milestone leap. It was the cross from a middle-grade resonance to a high-grade one. Therefore, the amount of spirit liquids and purifying lights needed was incredible. If he assumed that he needed 200 spirit liquids and purifying lights, that totaled to six million gold, which was roughly a year's income for the whole of House Luolan. And given that House Luolan was rife with problems both internal and external, it was impossible to expect six million gold to be pulled out to support him. Besides the financial limit, there was also the question of supply. As far as Li Luo knew, perhaps only ten sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights would appear on the market in the Tianshu Province each month. Therefore, he felt that it was simply impossible to bring his resonance to the seventh grade here. Unless he went to the capital of the Xia Kingdom. Looking further ahead, if he wanted to bring his acquired resonance to the ninth grade, the capital required would be staggering. Even all of House Luolan's resources would be insignificant in comparison. It seemed like this acquired resonance was going to be quite troublesome indeed. Of course, his blank palaces meant that he could also absorb lower grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, although they would be less effective. However, now that he had a sixth-grade one, imbibing the fifth-grade liquids would be several times less effective compared to sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. Therefore, doing so was not going to save him any money in the grand scheme of things, but they could be an emergency replacement. Li Luo's heart was heavy as he thought through this, but luckily, that was not the only special card he had up his sleeve. When he entered the Resonant Master Stage, he would be able to fill his second resonant palace with a second resonance. Therefore, even if he was crippled by a lack of funds, the second resonance might well help him move forward nonetheless. Besides, only when he filled his second resonant palace would Li Luo's unique advantage truly shine through. My single sixth or seventh-grade waterlight resonance might lose to your ninth-grade resonance, but what if I had two resonances? Three? If I can't beat you with one, I'll just increase the numbers! This advantage would probably serve him well against any opponent under the Duke Stage, unless he met some other super genius who had managed to realize their second resonant palace before reaching the Duke Stage. Still, those were probably as rare as his blank palaces, right? Besides, even if he did meet them, it was still going to be three resonances against two. His mind in a muddle, Li Luo gave a loud, retching cough to try and quash the scattered thoughts. At the same time, he pulled out a piece of blue jade. On it was written a new energy cultivation art, which Li Luo had personally chosen for himself. The Black Waterfall Breathing Technique was a high-grade cultivation art, and required the user to have a sixth-grade resonance. It was more refined than the Azureflood Meditation Diagram that Li Luo had cultivated previously. Besides, with his improved water resonance power, it would allow his resonant power to surge forth even more explosively than when he used the Azureflood Meditation Diagram. This was exactly what Li Luo was looking for. Li Luo carefully read the Black Waterfall Breathing Technique. When he felt the first glimmers of understanding, he began cultivating it. For the next two days, Li Luo devoted most of his energy to the cultivation of the Black Waterfall Breathing Technique. The day before the holidays ended, Cai Wei sent someone to inform him that the resonant artifact he had asked them to help forge was finished. Chapter 44: The Examinations Begin Li Luo excitedly strode into the hall, immediately seeing the well-rounded and soul-stirring Cai Wei. Her egg-shaped face made her seem even prettier than a flower, a wide smile on her face. However, Li Luo saw her often, so he was completely immune to her charm. He shifted his gaze to what was important: the iron box atop the table nearby. He vaulted across without hesitation, instantly ripping the cover of the box off. Within the box rested two short blades, both glinting with cold light. They were roughly a third of a meter in length. One had an azure-colored handle with a wavelike ripple pattern on it, reminding one of the waves of the sea. The other had a dull-white handle which was supposedly crafted from Sunspirit Metal, able to produce piercing light when the sun shone upon it. These two shortswords were crafted with metals that contained water resonance power and light resonance power respectively. They would serve as effective conduits through which Li Luo could channel his unique resonant power, further amplifying his capabilities in battle! The hilts of both blades looked like the mouth of a beast, fangs bared, an extremely intimidating appearance. When looking at these blades as a whole, they possessed a more obtuse arc than usual, looking slightly bent. Yet this didn't take away from the fact that they gave off a feeling of exceptional sharpness, cold light seemingly flowing through the blades themselves. Li Luo immediately grasped the dual blades, gently engaging in a sword dance in an attempt to get a feel for them. All of a sudden, a wind-rending sound could be heard when Li Luo swapped to a backhanded grip in the blink of an eye. His posture and actions made him seem extraordinarily dashing and elegant. "Not bad," Li Luo contentedly said while nodding his head. "The azure one will be known as the Ripple Blade, while the other will be known as the Flare Blade," he casually stated. "These are just standard resonant artifacts. They have not reached the level of treasures." Cai Wei's perspective of things were at a higher level, and she could easily discern the quality of these weapons. Although they possessed a slightly special shape, their true worth was not exceptionally high. Resonant artifacts also possessed different grades to differentiate their qualities. There were ordinary resonant artifacts, and those that surpassed them in quality were known as treasured artifacts. There was a stark difference when one compared treasured artifacts to resonant artifacts. Treasured artifacts were significantly more powerful and rarer than resonant artifacts. Additionally, each and every one of them was astronomically expensive. On the other hand, treasured artifacts required a certain amount of resonant power before they could be utilized. Li Luo was currently at the Seventh Seal Stage, so even if he had one, he would be unable to demonstrate even a fraction of its true might. "This is good enough. Once I reach the Resonant Master Stage, I will look for a suitable treasured artifact." Li Luo smiled. His two resonant artifacts had been crafted purely for the College Final Examinations. "Thank you, Elder Sister Cai Wei," Li Luo said with gratitude. Cai Wei waved her hand. "I believe your final examinations should be starting soon. The City of Southwind seems to have become much more bustling in recent days. The numerous academies within the Tianshu Province have already dispatched their elites here." The yearly College Final Examinations was a significant event that attracted countless people. The huge battles were an exciting topic and the atmosphere was often lively. Li Luo nodded. "There are three more days till it begins." Cai Wei's beautiful gaze held a trace of concern. "Are you confident you will do well?" Although Li Luo had finally awakened his water resonance, it was relatively late compared to the rest of his competitors. Hence, Cai Wei was unsure if Li Luo would be able to make up for this difference during such a short span of time. She was extremely clear of the importance of being able to attend the Astral Sage College. If Li Luo was able to qualify, his influence and prestige would soar. At the very least, some of the people within House Luolan would no longer look down upon him, and he would even be able to bear some of Jiang Qing'e's burden. He sheathed the dual blades by his waist, his palms caressing the handles of both weapons as his face let out a contented smile. "You can rest assured, Elder Sister Cai Wei. I cannot lose." If he was unable to accomplish even this step, annulling the marriage would just be a pipe dream! ... The holidays finally ended. Li Luo returned to the academy, and both him and Zhao Kuo were summoned by Xu Shanyue almost immediately. "You've reached the Seventh Seal Stage?" Whilst chatting casually, Li Luo discovered that Zhao Kuo had also managed to enter the Seventh Seal Stage during this holiday, eliciting surprise. Zhao Kuo only had a fifth-grade resonance, which was very average. Being able to reach the Seventh Seal Stage demonstrated his tireless effort and the endless suffering he must have endured to attain this result. The massive, bear-like Zhao Kuo scratched his head and laughed. "I didn't return home this holiday and stayed in the academy to cultivate. The academy provided me with some special training that allowed my last minute efforts to reap this success, allowing me to break through." "During these past ten days, Zhao Kuo has been cultivating as though his life depended on it!" Xu Shanyue, who was leading the two, chuckled whilst he heard them banter. He had clearly recognized Zhao Kuo's diligence and hard work during this period of time. Li Luo immediately gave him a thumbs up. "Amazing." "How can I compare to you? You're handsome and endowed with such perceptiveness when it comes to resonance arts. Now that you've awakened a water resonance, it's very likely you will become a legend in Southwind Academy, much like Sister Qing'e!" Zhao Kuo said honestly. "Even when I'm famous, I will still be friends with you! You're truly the most honest person I've met, and you never lie. Even though you're a little uncool..." Li Luo nodded and sighed emotionally. "Of course! I will need Brother Luo to look out for me during this final examination." "Easy. Once I'm in the top position, I will directly drag you into the Astral Sage College." "Wow how tyrannical!" "..." Hearing their shameless bragging, Xu Shanyue's face turned a little gloomy before turning around to snap at them. "Quiet, you fools. We're here." Li Luo and Zhao Kuo immediately snapped to attention and stopped spouting their nonsense. Ahead of them was a patio where quite a few individuals were roaming around. These were the top 20 in Southwind Academy. Li Luo recognized Lu Qing'er, Song Yunfeng, and Difa Qing's familiar silhouettes. Currently, the group was staring at the two in amusement. They had clearly heard all of their nonsense while they were bragging proudly Despite the ridiculing gazes that the group was giving the two, Li Luo's demeanor was indifferent and unshaken. As long as he didn't feel embarrassed, the ones who would be feeling the heat were the ones that mocked them! Zhao Kuo, on the other hand, had a simple and honest smile on his face, demonstrating his ineffable and cheerful personality. In the end, the group only shook their heads and went back to what they were doing. These two had the thickest skins they had ever seen. Li Luo was clearly a little in over his head. He had previously barely managed to eke out a draw between him and Song Yunfeng, and now he was claiming he would take first place? He hadn't even asked Lu Qing'er for her opinion! Within the group was also the old dean. His gaze was filled with mirth as he shot a glance at the duo. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he said, "It looks like everyone is here. Since that is the case, I will now explain the rules of the final examination." Everyone trembled when they heard those words. They all immediately focused on each and every word the old dean was about to say. "The College Final Examinations will officially begin in three days time. The twenty of you will represent Southwind Academy as the representatives. I only have one request, and that is to defend the title of the best academy in the Tianshu Province! Additionally, the Astral Sage College has announced that fifty students from the Tianshu Province will be selected to join them during this round." The group seemed to have become more tense upon hearing this. Fifty spots meant that there were several fewer positions than the previous year. In this case, the competitors would undoubtedly struggle even harder than before. "As per the previous round, the top ten in the College Final Examinations will automatically receive the opportunity to join the Astral Sage College. The remaining forty positions will be distributed amongst the top ten academies. The academies in the eighth, ninth, and tenth position will be allocated one slot each. fifth, sixth, and seventh will receive two slots. Third and fourth will receive five slots, with second place receiving six slots. Finally, the top academy will receive fifteen slots!" When the last sentence was uttered, it instantly caused a hubbub to erupt. No one had thought that the College Final Examinations would allocate such a significant share of slots to the top academy. Even in previous years, although the top academy would receive more rewards, it had never been as unbalanced as this. Teacher Lin Feng from the First School had a face full of smiles and encouragement as he looked at Lu Qing'er. "Qing'er, in order for the academy to obtain the position, we require your help to take first place." The old dean nodded as he looked warmly upon her. Their hopes were pinned on Lu Qing'er. This was also normal as she was the trump card of Southwind Academy. Under their ardent gazes, Lu Qing'er remained as calm as before, only lightly replying, "I will do my best to fight for victory." The old dean nodded and then informed her, "However, you must keep an eye out for Shi Huang of Eastpool Academy. He is extremely strong and will be your key rival." Upon hearing that name, Lu Qing'er's expression became slightly grave and she attentively nodded. "From tomorrow onwards, you will no longer have to come to the academy. Instead, you will head to Whitespirit Garden. That is the location where the numerous academies of the Tianshu Province will gather. In three days, you will enter Whitespirit Mountain. That will be the battleground for the final examinations." After this last series of exhortations, he summarized his parting words. "Southwind Academy has been led by this old man for dozens of years. Its honor is more important than my life. Hence, I sincerely hope that all of you will do your best during this final examination to preserve the honor and reputation of the academy." The old dean's face was dignified as he gave a final bow. The twenty students were immediately taken aback by this development, quickly returning one as well. In the end, the old dean waved his hand to dismiss the group, leaving everyone with mixed emotions. Li Luo walked out of the patio, staring wistfully into the blue sky, feeling his heart lightly surging. The College Final Examinations had finally arrived. It was a pity his parents weren't around to see this... If they really were... perhaps they would be looking at him disapprovingly and saying something along these lines... "This son is just too dumb. Completely different from our brilliant Qing'e!" It was said that when Jiang Qing'e took her final examination, she completely suppressed each and every student from every other academy. She was so dominant that they wouldn't even dare to let out so much as a fart without hiding in fear. No one would dare to infringe upon Southwind Academy's prestige. Only when she finally entered the Astral Sage College did the numerous academies of the Tianshu Province begin to rile up in celebration, tears filling their eyes. Compared to Jiang Qing'e's blinding resplendence, Li Luo had encountered all sorts of ups and downs. In fact, just a month ago, no one even held any hopes of him participating in the final examinations Thinking of all this, Li Luo's excitement tampered down a notch, as though someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over him. "Just what is the meaning to all this?!"?he lamented. Chapter 45: Whitespirit Garden The Whitespirit Garden was nestled in the outskirts of the City of Southwind, back against Whitespirit Mountain. It had been the location for many College Final Examinations before this. On the second day, Li Luo and the others prepared to head to the Whitespirit Garden together, led by Lin Feng and Xu Shanyue. They were greeted by a huge crowd milling around. Many stalls had organized themselves into long avenues that stretched out endlessly. It was a bustling sight. However, this was to be expected. A major event such as the College Final Examinations might only formally involve the elite students of each school, but in reality, everyone had an interest in it. Everyone wanted to see which young brave would leap ahead of the pack and become the foremost leader of the new generation in the Tianshu Province. It was the highest honor. As they filed into the Whitespirit Garden, the atmosphere heated up a notch, the cacophony of the crowd greeting them from all sides. Their arrival was immediately noticedthe reputation of Southwind Academy in the Tianshu Province was quite something after all. "These are the top 20 from Southwind Academy?" "Wow, that long-haired beauty must be Lu Qing'er. I heard she's the best in Southwind Academy." "She's probably going to get first place in the College Final Examinations this year." "Maybe not. Eastpool Academy's Shi Huang is also unreasonably strong. I don't think he's any weaker than Lu Qing'er." "Which is Southwind's Li Luo? I heard Jiang Qing'e is his fiance. Disgusting. How dare he sully my goddess." "There! The handsome one. That's Li Luo." "Money, status... he's the Young Lord of House Luolan." "Hmph. Not impressive, family power. The respectable youths build their own reputation." "I heard he fought the second-place Song Yunfeng to a draw in the Southwind Academy preliminaries." "Damn, you're irritating. Shut up, will you?" "..." Snatches of speculation occasionally floated across to the ears of the Southwind students. Both Lu Qing'er and Li Luo were featured prominently in the gossip, the former for her ability and the latter for his special reputation. A ways away, there was a stone pavilion on an elevated ground. Three figures could be seen within, eyes locked onto the Southwind contingent as well. Two young men, one young woman. One of the young men was strappingly built, his fiery-red hair especially prominent under the sun. The other was a more scholarly-looking type, and noticeably thin. The young woman was clad in green, a dainty little thing with picture-perfect features. Her most distinctive characteristics were green, vine-like tattoos on the back of her hands. These three were not at all no-namers. The red-haired youth was Xiang Liang, from the Tianshu Province's Dawn Academy. He was their first seed, and a power to be reckoned with. The skinny scholar was Zong Fu, first in Midday Academy. The petite girl in green was Chi Su, first in Dusklight Academy. All three were hot favorites to reach the top ten in the examinations. "That's Lu Qing'er? Looks strong." Xiang Liang's voice boomed out, the fiery battle will in his eyes trained on Lu Qing'er. "I sense a dangerous aura from her," Zong Fu said neutrally, frowning. "The one ranked first in Southwind Academy has never been an easy opponent. But we have to be glad that we're not in the same cohort as Jiang Qing'e; otherwise, we would be flushed out in a trice." Chi Su laughed. Xiang Liang and Zong Fu nodded with deep feeling. "Jiang Qing'e is a terror. A ninth-grade light resonance is terrifying. I pity those in her batch." "But in this Southwind batch, only Lu Qing'er and Song Yunfeng need watching. We have nothing to fear from the others," Xiang Liang said confidently. Although his school could not compare to Southwind, that was precisely why Dawn Academy could concentrate much of its resources on him. Although there were not many like him in the Tianshu Province, he was definitely not the only one. In order to secure such talented students, each school would go to great lengths. "What about Li Luo? I heard he fought Song Yunfeng to a draw in the preliminaries," Chi Su said. Xiang Liang scoffed. "That's because he used some special move to play for time. In the end, his resonant power was completely spent as well. Another second and Song Yunfeng would have done him in." "A clever trick, but it won't work in these exams." Chi Su said a little regretfully, "A pity, him being so handsome." It was the intellectual Zong Fu who reminded, "Arrogance is a flaw. The fact that Li Luo managed to beat Song Yunfeng shows that there is an odd streak to him. To be safe, there is a need to test his true strength. Only then can all unknowns be negated." "Don't worry about that. I'll think of something." Xiang Liang made a face. "Whatever." Chi Su turned. "Have you two received Shi Huang's message? He wants us to meet him tonight to discuss something." Xiang Liang nodded. He was a little apprehensive about meeting the governor's son, the only one who could stand against Southwind Academy's Lu Qing'er in a straight fight. "That is a reputation we have to respect." Zong Fu nodded slightly as well. "His target must be Southwind Academy, coincidentally ours as well. After all, Southwind Academy has relaxed on their best-school laurels for too long. They always get the most entrance placements. If we can beat them down, that would be good news for all the other schools." Chi Su smiled as well. "If not for such an important person, we would not have been able to join forces." Although Southwind Academy was the ultimate rival for many other schools, there was a lot of internal competition amongst themselves as well. Without a strong anchor to rally around, such unity was hard to build. Therefore, Shi Huang's initiative was welcome indeed. ..... Li Luo and the others followed Lin Feng and Xu Shanyue into the accomodations in the Whitespirit Garden. Li Luo was coincidentally matched with Zhao Kuo. The two were tidying up their room when there was suddenly a knock on the door. Li Luo opened and saw a hyperactive face pop up close to him. The person had a book in his arms. "Buy some information, Brother?" Those words immediately called to mind the sneaky illegal peddlers hanging around furtively at the gates of Southwind Academy, selling dodgy books. "Yu Lang, when did you transfer here?" Li Luo laughed. It was none other than Yu Lang, who had vomited blood in exaggerated fashion after losing to Li Luo. He grumbled, "This is firsthand information about all the top students from the famous schools. Plus, the top 10 predictions are featured." "Oh?" Li Luo's brow creased. Quite some foresight on this guy, to know that such information would fetch a pretty penny. And it seemed like he had worked on it for a long time. "Quite a talent for money-making." Li Luo praised him. He bought one out of support. "Of course. I've put blood and sweat into the information. I guarantee it's useful," Yu Lang vowed. Li Luo flipped it at random. The smile on his face froze at seeing his own name. Li Luo, Southwind Academy. Young Lord, House Luolan. Once trash, now a genius on the comeback, seems to have a fifth-grade water resonance. Specialties: Very handsome, but good looks never won anyone placements. Low chance of entering the top 10. Li Luo roared with angry laughter. He was about to unleash his fury on Yu Lang, but the wily merchant was already gone like the wind. A voice came from far away. "I'm just protecting your information!" Li Luo gritted his teeth.?As if, you little rascal. Don't let me catch you again. Chapter 46: Road Less Traveled After chasing away the irritant known as Yu Lang, Li Luo took the information and went back to his room, carefully pouring over it's contents. However, the more he read, the more attentive he became. He realized that a lot of the information was useful and legitimate. It seemed as though Yu Lang had indeed put in quite the effort. This was not a casual attempt to swindle the naive, but a true repository of knowledge! Of course, with regards to the information on Li Luo, other than him looking handsome, which he begrudgingly admitted was true, the rest was all false! His attention was then focused on the information regarding who was speculated to be the top 10 strongest individuals in this competition. First place, Southwind Academy, Lu Qing'er, upper seventh-grade ice resonance. Suspected to be at the Ninth Seal Stage. Beauty and strength coexist in this female. She has never lost a single battle in Southwind Academy. Second place, Eastpool Academy, Shi Huang, upper seventh-grade lightning resonance. Suspected to be at the Ninth Seal Stage. Likey the only person able to compete with Lu Qing'er. Has the potential to be number one in the final examinations. Third place, Dawn Academy, Xiang Liang, lower seventh-grade fire resonance, Eighth Seal Stage. An elite student nurtured with all of the resources at Dawn Academy's disposal. His strength is not to be underestimated. Fourth Place, Southwind Academy, Song Yunfeng, lower seventh-grade Crimson Eagle resonance, Eighth Seal Stage. During Southwind Academy's preliminary examinations, he was victorious in all rounds save two. One was a loss against Lu Qing'er and the other a draw against Li Luo. Fifth Place, Dusklight Academy, Chi Su, lower seventh-grade Poison Ivy resonance, Eighth Seal Stage. Sixth Place, Zenith Academy, Zong Fu, lower seventh-grade water resonance, Eighth Seal Stage. Seventh Place... Li Luo continued to scrutinize the entire list before sighing in admiration. If he had not read this, he wouldve still been in the dark, unaware of the Tianshu Province's numerous crouching tigers and hidden dragons. However, this seemed reasonable in retrospect. The Tianshu Province's numerous academies might not have foundations as deep as Southwind Academy, but they still possessed the ability to nurture an elite student or two. Even a blind cat would eventually catch a mouse, and their efforts might one day bear fruit and they might just obtain the top position if the stars aligned. If that happened, their academy's reputation would soar into the skies and all their efforts would bear fruit. Additionally, all of those contending for the top 10 positions were minimally at the Eighth Seal Stage. There were no weaklings amongst them! "It looks like entering the top 10 will be a challenge," Li Luo muttered as he rubbed his chin. He currently had Seventh Seal Stage resonant power and was slightly weaker than those contenders. The bright side was his unique waterlight resonance, which would provide him with certain advantages when push came to shove. If he had to face Song Yunfeng openly again, he would no longer have to resort to his previous methods of trickery and forcing things into a draw. In the top 10, Lu Qing'er and Shi Huang were on a separate level of their own as they were potentially at the Ninth Seal Stage. Both were exceptionally proficient in resonance arts and were likely to be the only two able to win first place. However, Li Luo was also temporarily uninterested in attaining first place. Why? He was simply not strong enough! He had a sixth-grade waterlight resonance, but those two possessed upper seventh-grade resonances. Their backgrounds were also not to be scoffed at, ensuring that they had received ample resources not inferior to his own. Perhaps if the two of them were inanimate objects, he would be able to leapfrog and beat them! Furthermore, he wasn't Jiang Qing'e with a ninth-grade light resonance, able to completely suppress them. Others wouldn't even dare to raise a finger against her! Even when Pei Hao wanted to find trouble, he had to wait till he had reached the late stage of the Earth Fiend Stage. Yet even when faced with the early stage Jiang Qing'e, he found no advantage! From this example alone, one could clearly see how tyrannical a ninth-grade light resonance was. Thus, Li Luo's current goal was to muddle into the top 10 positions of the final examinations. Securing a slot in the Astral Sage College would suffice. He wasn't too interested in being at the top, as it was firstly impossible, and secondly just too eye-catching! It would draw the ire and lust of his enemies! After experiencing what it was like in the past, he had determined that developing steadily in obscurity was the way to go! If the conditions were right, Li Luo wanted to achieve his goal quietly. He wanted to enter the Duke Stage and hold on to his dear life! Furthermore, he only had five years left, and this acquired resonance was like a Sword of Damocles hanging over him, always leaving him in anxiety and unrest. Whilst Li Luo was engrossed by Yu Lang's compiled information, the sky gradually turned dark. Zhao Kuo wanted to grab a bite with him, but when he saw Li Luos focused expression, he decided to leave him be. He snuck out by himself and planned to bring some food back for him. "This information is quite comprehensive, and full of useful insights." Li Luo, who had finally finished assimilating the information, let out a sigh of praise. After screening through this information, he had a better understanding of the numerous elite students from other academies and their abilities. Additionally, he could sincerely feel that Yu Lang had deliberately left out information on him, to prevent anyone else from making preparations against him. Otherwise, he would have been able to write quite a comprehensive summary on him based on the information that was available, and not just leave that line of rubbish in. "It seems I've truly made a mistake in thinking badly of Yu Lang..." Li Luo muttered. At the same time, his stomach began to churn out rumbling sounds and he finally realized that the sky was already pitch black. "Why is that guy Zhao Kuo not back yet? Does he want me to starve to death and then get the entire dormitory for himself?" Li Luo questioned. At this point, hurried knocks could be heard on the door. Yu Lang's voice could be heard coming from outside. "Li Luo! Your friend Zhao Kuo has been intercepted by some individuals." Li Luo opened the door with a frown. "What are you talking about?" Yu Lang shrugged his shoulders. "That brat seems to have gotten into an altercation with people from Zenith Academy. The one leading the group is Zong Fu. If you've read my information, you should know who he is." "People from Zenith Academy? What are they trying to do?" Li Luo asked in surprise. "Well, Zong Fu has deliberately shown himself. If I said that they are targeting Zhao Kuo, I dont think you would believe me," Yu Lang grumbled. "So they are targeting me?" Li Luo asked with a pensive look on his face. "They probably want to feel you out," Yu Lang explained. "I've been keeping to myself this whole time! Just why?" Li Luo was a little astonished at this development. This Zong Fu guy was in the top 10. Why would he bother with small fry like him? "It looks like he's being cautious, which totally seems to fit his character," Yu Lang explained. Li Luo was truly someone who held a low profile. His most outstanding achievement was being able to force a draw against Song Yunfeng. "Well, since he dares to bully my brother, I don't care who he is! I won't take this lying down!" Li Luo said furiously while walking out of his room. Yu Lang scratched his head. Judging by what Li Luo was saying, wasn't he simply being played like a fiddle by his enemies? ... At the Whitespirit Garden's western side, a significantly large group had stopped to watch a commotion that was currently taking place, forming a blockade amidst the bustling crowd. In the sea of people, numerous Zenith Academy students had surrounded Zhao Kuo, loudly arguing. Everyone else was watching in interest. "What's going on?" "I heard someone from Southwind Academy molested a girl from Zenith Academy." "Was it really that bad? Where is the girl?" "Where? Hmph. The girl was pretty ordinary... Are the people of Southwind Academy so thirsty that they set their grubby hands on every girl they see?" "..." In the midst of the raucous laughter, Zhao Kuo was feeling extremely frustrated. His eyes were ablaze with fury as he physically bashed his way through the encirclement, immediately breaking out into a sprint after that. However, just as he started running, he could feel vigorous resonant power surging from behind him. A frigid palm was placed directly on his back, and the undulations of resonant power directly forced Zhao Kuo's body to come to a halt, unable to move any further. He turned his head and saw an elegant and skinny youth. "What are you trying to do?" Zong Fu replied with a wry smile, "Brother, the situation has not been resolved. You need to get someone from Southwind Academy to give us an explanation about this." "Are you trying to coerce me?" Zhao Kuo asked gloomily. Zong Fu smiled. "If Southwind Academy doesnt dispatch someone with enough face to provide an explanation, I will simply have to take matters into my own hands and fix you up. We need to provide an explanation to our fellow disciples after all." "My ass. She looks even manlier than me, and I look like a bear. Who in the right mind would want to molest her?" Zhao Kuo fumed. Zong Fu ignored him, simply keeping him in place. The crowd who was watching the scene gradually grew in size. As the two continued to exchange verbal barbs, some movement could be seen in the crowd. Zong Fu's gaze lit up with excitement when he saw Li Luo stride in heroically. "He really came."?Zong Fu started celebrating internally. Now that Li Luo had appeared in person, he would be able to finally get an idea of how strong he really was. He would be able to determine if he was truly a wolf in sheep's clothing... or someone who was worthless. Whilst he was still relishing in happiness, he saw Li Luo immediately turning around to shout. "This way, Supervisor. This bastard is clearly violating the rules, trying to start an unapproved fight! Quickly catch him and strip him of his right to participate in the final examinations!" The smile on Zong Fu's face instantly froze and his joy was quenched by a figurative bucket of cold water. He immediately saw a teacher garbed in a supervisor's uniform standing there emotionlessly. "F*ck," the originally refined and polished Zong Fu uttered an unimaginable vulgarity. He would never have thought that this Young Lord would act so... lawfully! The past two days were filled with all sorts of scuffles in the Whitespirit Garden as the numerous students competed against each other in secret. Yet no one would actually utilize the rules to solve their problems! Who had ever met someone who would run bawling to a teacher whenever there was conflict? Wasnt this just too shameless? This Young Lord was truly one that traveled the road less taken. Chapter 47: A Punished Zong Fu Consternation showed on the faces of many of the students present. No one would have thought that the gallant rescuer Li Luo would bring a supervisor to the table. "Damn, this Young Lord is an unreasonable one." "What a coward. He wouldn't be afraid of Zong Fu, would he?" "A fight between students, and he actually went crying to the teacher?!" "Right? Eh but it does seem like the correct thing, right? Internal fighting is actually against the rules though." "You... you're right, but... but..." One of the spectators stammered. Of course, the one actually in the right was Li Luo. His decision to call the supervisor was faultless. But why did it just feel so wrong? As they stood around glumly, Zong Fu hurriedly let go of Zhao Kuo, whose back he had been clinging firmly to. He then turned smilingly to the supervisor. "Mentor, we weren't fighting. Just playing." "You were clearly going to beat me up," Zhao Kuo said. Zong Fu flushed as he retorted, "Impossible! Don't slander me." Li Luo stepped forth with an inviting smile. "Don't worry. Go ahead and speak your true mind. Bravely now." Zong Fu forced a smile. "It was nothing. Nothing at all." The teacher sized up the situation and saw the girl from Zenith Academy, built like a bear. He pursed his lips. "Couldn't find a better one to go for?" Zong Fu was completely embarrassed. Zenith Academy had always been majority male. Female students were few and far between, and this junior sister was the only girl in their top 20, and she was beloved by all of them. "You, three hours of standing punishment. One minute less and your dean can come and collect you," the supervisor said coldly. In truth, student fighting was rampant, and they always shut an eye on the situation. But now that Li Luo had come to report it, they had no choice but to respond, or they would lose their jobs. The supervisor turned to leave after delivering the punishment. Low snickers came from the crowd, although it was uncertain who it was directed at. Zong Fu stood there, frustrated but afraid to move. Li Luo walked up to him and smiled. "Did you think I would be so easy to bully? Going after Zhao Kuo to force me out?" Zong Fu stared at him and then sighed. "Others said the Young Lord was nothing to fear, but I feel that you were the dark horse of these examinations. I just wanted to test you." Li Luo was surprised. "You see me that highly?" Zong Fu nodded. "I know how terrifying Jiang Qing'e is. I don't believe her fiance would be a good-for-nothing." "You've fought Jiang Qing'e before?" One surprise after another. Zong Fu's shoulders slumped. "Fought my ass. She stared at me once, and my legs were already numb with fear. "But Li Luo, seeing you so insistent on hiding your moves has got me very curious about what you are truly hiding. I look forward to your performance in the examinations." "You'll know it when you see it." Li Luo smiled and clapped Zong Fu on the shoulder. "Well then, keep up the excellent standing form. I'm off to sleep." He turned and led Zhao Kuo away, their departure followed by many odd glances from others. Zong Fu watched them leave, screwing his mouth up with frustration. Something dawned on him. "Damn, standing punishment means I can't attend Shi Huang's rendezvous. He wouldn't think I'm a traitor and not showing him face, right?" ...... A room, somewhere in the Whitespirit Garden. Shi Huang greeted Xiang Liang and Chi Su with a warm smile, even pouring them tea himself as he spoke to them with great courtesy. The three chatted for a while. Chi Su frowned. "Where's Zong Fu, that fellow!" Xiang Liang felt like something was off too. Zong Fu did not seem like the kind of guy to show no interest in Shi Huang. He would definitely show up if he could. Shi Huang's smile did not reach the depths of the dark look in his eyes. Zong Fu would not be slighting him, would he? Just then, there was a knock on the door, and someone entered to whisper into his ear. A look of surprise flitted across Shi Huang's face. He waved the person away, then turned back to the other two with a smile. "It seems like Zong Fu won't be able to make it tonight." "Why not?" Both Xiang Liang and Chi Su were surprised. "He went to suss out Li Luo and ended up getting reported to the supervisor. His punishment was three hours of standing." There was an odd look on Shi Huang's face as he said this. "Huh?!" both Xiang Liang and Chi Su blurted simultaneously. They looked at each other, not sure whether to be amused or angry. "Li Luo seems to play against expectations." Xiang Liang could not help but chuckle. To even go and tattle to the teacherwas he not afraid of being ridiculed? "Perhaps he knew he was outclassed by Zong Fu, so it was his only choice." Chi Su supplied. "I already said, there's no need to test Li Luo. He's not the one to watch here. He doesn't warrant such caution." Xiang Liang clicked his tongue dismissively. Shi Huang said with good humor, "Zong Fu's caution is commendable. If met in the examinations, Li Luo should be dealt with, of course. Avoid any accidents later on." But he did not seem too bothered by this, instead turning the conversation to the main topic at hand. "Although Zong Fu is absent, our purpose today will not be delayed. "We all share the same goal: to dethrone Southwind Academy from its prized seat as the best school in the Tianshu Province. "And the strongest they have this year is Lu Qing'er. As long as we deal with her, Southwind Academy will lose its first-place title. At that time, the number of entrance slots allocated to them will drop as well. "My suggestion is simple. In the final stage, we must work together to force Lu Qing'er out." Xiang Liang and Chi Su looked at each other. They both saw the doubt in the other's eyes. "It is not easy to team up against Lu Qing'er. Given her strength, she should still be able to retreat safely. Besides, the final stage will be full of other strong opponents. If we focus too intensely on her, others may slip in and collect." Shi Huang smiled slightly. "Everything has been arranged. You need only appear at the time and place that I have determined." The two were silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "Then it will be as you say. Southwind Academy has led the Tianshu Province for too long. It is time the crown has a new bearer." Shi Huang's smile widened as he lifted his teacup. The three toasted each other. "Well, then. Nice working with you." Chapter 48: An Encounter with Shi Huang For the next two days, Li Luo was left alone, although he had to bear odd looks whenever he went out. Did he care? Of course not. It was nothing compared to what he had experienced over the last two years. Whitespirit Garden, Wind Restaurant. Li Luo and Zhao Kuo had come for a meal, but when they went up the stairs, they saw the hall packed to the brim with boisterous young men and women, and the roaring wave of chaos and laughter put them off. "That's too many people," Zhao Kuo murmured. Li Luo agreed. He had just turned to leave when he spotted someone in the distance waving to him, from a seat near the window. He looked more closely. Lu Qing'er. "Let's go get a free meal out of her." Li Luo did not hesitate, making a beeline for the table with Zhao Kuo behind. But as he neared, he saw that Lu Qing'er's table was already seated with Difa Qing and Song Yunfeng. "Feel free to join, if you wish. There's space," Lu Qing'er said, gesturing at the empty seats with her delicately-manicured finger. Difa Qing shot Li Luo a look, but this time it was not followed with her previous sneering. She sat in silence, drinking her water. It was Song Yunfeng who felt more up to his usual belligerence. He felt that they should know better. Instead, Li Luo planted his ass right beside him with a grateful cheer. "All my dear schoolmates, what a sight for tired eyes." Zhao Kuo joined him. Song Yunfeng's expression turned grim. He said sourly, "Li Luo, I heard you got into trouble again. There are so many other schools here at the Whitespirit Garden now, can you not ruin Southwind Academy's reputation? You're making things difficult for the other Southwind students." Li Luo matched his grim tone. "If you feel ashamed about any of my actions so far, I suggest you quit school as soon as possible." This elicited a new wave of anger from Song Yunfeng, and also a slightly upward twitch of Lu Qing'er's lips. Song Yunfeng scoffed. "Who are you to tell me to leave school, Li Luo? I'm saying this for your own good. Don't think you can go around causing offense to other schools just because of that one draw. You clearly know best how meaningless that was." However, Li Luo seemed not to hear him, instead turning to Lu Qing'er, who was hailing over a waiter. "Help us order a meal, thanks." Lu Qing'er did not reply, but she added two decent meals to the order when the waiter came. This infuriated Song Yunfeng even more, the flames of jealousy burning strongly within him. He had never dared to speak to Lu Qing'er in such a casual fashion before, but this bastard Li Luo had done so while ignoring him? "The examinations start tomorrow. Are you all prepared?" Lu Qing'er asked, not intending to listen to them sniping at each other anymore. They all nodded, then the topic was smoothly changed. Li Luo did not participate much, concentrating on his meal. But halfway through their meal, he sensed the atmosphere change drastically. He looked in the direction of the change. Someone was approaching. It was a nondescript-looking youth, but the aura he gave off was tyrannic, a cold, cruel air that juxtaposed jarringly against the warm smile on his face. Everyone took him seriously. Eastpool Academy, Shi Huang, son of Governor Shi Qing. After Shi Huang made his way up the stairs, he headed straight for their position, and asked with a smile, "Excuse me, may I draw up a chair?" Lu Qing'er's eyes flicked up briefly, then she replied coolly, "Sorry, we're full." Still smiling, Shi Huang took a chair from the adjacent table, who did not dare to object. They recognized him. Shi Huang sat on the other side of Song Yunfeng. "Qing'er, our fathers are acquaintances. Surely there's no need to be so frosty." "And we are rivals. Surely there's no need to fake any amiability. Tiring, isn't it?" Lu Qing'er countered. Shi Huang gave a tight smile. "Both of us are destined to meet in the Astral Sage College. We'll be peers there. Why the animosity? "Isn't that right, Yunfeng?" He directed the question sideways. Song Yunfeng nodded quietly. Li Luo was happy with his meal. He put down his bowl and chopsticks, turning to Lu Qing'er. "Done eating? How about a walk for digestion?" The tension in Lu Qing'er's neck eased slightly. She knew that Li Luo was helping her defuse the situation. She didn't want to hang around fencing with Shi Huang either. Shi Huang's eyes narrowed. He picked up a broad bean and flicked it with his fingers with a loud crack. It shot forth like lightning, a silver streak aimed straight for Li Luo's face. But just before it landed, an ice-infused chopstick crashed into the lightning-charged broad bean, sending it flying and burying itself deep within a pillar. A small ring of frost covered it. Lu Qing'er looked at Shi Huang coldly, and her frosty aura seemed to swell. "Shi Huang, stop picking fights." The commotion here had stirred up the hall as well. Furtive glances were being thrown their way. When the crowd saw that it was Lu Qing'er and Shi Huang, they were immediately excited. Could it be that the first place hot favorites were going to duke it out here? Sensing the crowd's attention, Shi Huang smiled. "A slip of the hand... I hope you don't take offense, Young Lord." Li Luo shook his head, saying exasperatedly, "I'm not angry, but you're wasting food. It seems like you haven't been taught well at home. Has Governor Shi not been teaching you properly? If your house is lacking whips, I can send two over." Shi Huang's smile did not falter. "The Young Lord is exactly right. I will be more careful next time." "Recognize your mistakes and change. That's a good boy." Li Luo nodded approvingly, then left with Zhao Kuo. Lu Qing'er shot one more frosty look at Shi Huang and then left as well, Difa Qing scurrying in her wake. Song Yunfeng gave Shi Huang a long look and followed. Shi Huang sat down, unperturbed. He scooped up the few remaining broad beans on the table and threw them into his mouth with quick movements, his eyes cold and calculating. "This Li Luo. Is he hiding his power? Or is he truly powerless? I really want to find out,"?He mused to himself, shaking his head with a wry smile. Forget it. A crippled young lord should pose little threat to him. Lu Qing'er was the key to toppling Southwind Academy from their first place title. Still, Li Luo was quite a detestable guy indeed. Seemed like he would have to make some arrangements for his early elimination. Chapter 49: The Final Examinations Begin! Time flew by quickly in the Whitespirit Garden. In the blink of an eye, the final examinations were about to begin. The entire area was swamped by an ocean of people that was steadily growing in size. People from all corners of the Tianshu Province were rushing here to witness the exciting climatic selection! At the foot of Whitespirit Mountain was a viewing platform, currently squeezed full of individuals who were trying to get a view. At the forefront of that area was a spacious and lavish pavilion that was built to house the most influential and respected individuals. A short moment later, numerous esteemed individuals from the Tianshu Province made their way towards the pavilion, including Wei Sha of Southwind Academy and Shi Qing from the Governor's Mansion, attracting the attention of everyone around. As the two most influential individuals in the Tianshu Province, they made their way to the middle of the pavilion, where a luxurious reception was prepared for them. "Keke. The old dean still looks quite feisty and full of spirit. That's not bad at all!" Governor Shi said with a face full of smiles. Dean Wei similarly responded with a meaningless smile. "I heard Governor Shi has been rather unsatisfied with Southwind Academy being at the top." "Just baseless rumors." Governor Shi shook his head, unwilling to speak any more about this. Immediately changing his tone, he continued, "The title of top academy in the Tianshu Province has to be attained with true strength! This is an unchangeable fact. Unless of course Southwind Academy falters, then there isn't any other choice, is there?" Hearing his provocation, the old dean replied indifferently, "To be honest, when my Southwind Academy's prestige was being established, no one had ever heard of you nor Eastpool Academy..." Governor Shi had taken over the reins of the Tianshu Province in recent years, and the two had constantly been at odds with each other. One point of contention was Southwind Academy and its reputation. To the old dean, Southwind Academy's reputation was no different from his own child. He would never tolerate anyone who dared to harm it! On the other hand, the Xia Kingdom's royal family would often review the performance of their numerous governors. As the old dean led the top academy in the Tianshu Province, he possessed a significant amount of clout during these reviews. With how often the two were at loggerheads, how could he possibly provide any sort of positive comment? This naturally led to Governor Shi being unable to rise any further in the ranks of officials. As time went by, their enmity deepened, and the verbal sparring today was only an expected result. This year was especially important for Governor Shi. If his performance evaluation was still not up to par, then he would most likely be dispatched to a lower tier county, one significantly weaker than the Tianshu Province. This was also one of the key reasons why Shi Huang wanted to usurp Southwind Academy's position as top academy. They had no other choice. The stark contrast between the icy-cold atmosphere in the center of the pavilion and the surrounding hustle and bustle was jarring. The heads of the Song, Difa, and Bei families were all enjoying the sights and sounds as they chatted gaily. The Golden Dragon Bank's President Lu was also beaming with happiness as he took his place. This final examination was exceptionally important to him as his prized niece would be participating! In another part of the pavilion, Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing had also arrived as House Luolan's representatives. They were very interested in observing how their Young Lord would perform during this trial. As they were also extremely close compatriots of Jiang Qing'e, they treated Li Luo as if he was a younger sibling. With how handsome he was and that growing sense of gravitas, it only added to his charm. Of course, once in a while, he'd be an absolute pain in the ass, just like any younger sibling "Do you think the Young Lord will be able to reach the top 10?" Cai Wei asked as she gracefully leaned against the chair. She slowly peeled a banana, savoring it with light bites. Any male who witnessed this sensuous scene would undoubtedly feel a fire burning inside. Yan Lingqing's slender, jade-like fingers drummed against the stable. "You vixen! Can't you do things less flamboyantly?!" "Well, there's no one else here..." Cai Wei said, aggrieved. At the same time, she passed over a slice of cantaloupe from the table. "Why don't you have a bite? It will aid your development into maturity." "You are truly unrepentant! Give you an inch and you want a mile!" Yan Lingqing furiously shouted. Did she think that she could do whatever she wanted since she was so well endowed?! Immediately taking revenge, she quickly held Cai Wei down with one hand whilst enthusiastically tickling her with the other. Cai Wei was completely thrown into disarray as she trembled with uncontrollable laughter, unable to struggle free. In the end, she could only beg for forgiveness. "Forgive me! I'm in the wrong! I'm in the wronggggg... aghhhh!" The pitiful expression on Cai Weis face was the complete opposite of the usual calm and collected demeanor she maintained when settling the numerous affairs of House Luolan. Yan Lingqing gave a cold snort before finally heading back to her seat. "Li Luo should have reached the Seventh Seal Stage, and looking at how things are going, it should be quite difficult to attain a top 10 position." "However, if Lu Qing'er is able to attain the top position, Southwind Academy will likely take first place again and obtain 15 extra positions. It is very likely Li Luo will obtain a slot to enter the Astral Sage College. " Cai Wei gave a light chuckle. "I personally think that it won't be difficult for the Young Lord to enter the top 10." Yan Lingqing gave Cai Wei a surprised look, her eyebrows arched. She simply could not understand where Cai Wei's confidence in Li Luo stemmed from. "Don't judge him based on how warm and friendly he seems. Entrenched in his bones is a deep sense of pride. Coupled with the fact that he is the son of those two and also the fiance of Qing'e... With his personality, he might not be obsessed with taking the top spot, but I'm afraid he would never be able to accept charity from others. He won't allow himself to have a free ride into the Astral Sage College. Instead, he will struggle for it with all his might," Cai Wei explained. "On the other hand, the most crucial thing is that I feel that our Young Lord is not such a simple person. He definitely has hidden his abilities very deeply." The last sentence left Yan Lingqing in deep thought. It was true that Li Luo would often give others an unfathomable sort of feeling. He had manifested his resonance a mere month ago, yet what he had achieved was monumental! "I hope he can rely on his own capabilities to enter the top 10 and obtain the right to enter the Astral Sage College. The ones that enter the Astral Sage College through alloted quotas tend to be seen differently. Coupled with the fact that he's the Young Lord of House Luolan and Jiang Qing'e's fiance, things will become more than awkward for him. Keke. Now that I think about it, Li Luo entering the Astral Sage College might not actually be a good thing." Yan Lingqing polished her spectacles at this point, a look of pity appearing on her face. Cai Wei also gently nodded. She had experienced the trials of Xia City and had a good understanding of the Astral Sage College. At the same time, she was exceptionally clear of how famous Jiang Qing'e truly was. Perhaps saying that she was the center of attention in the college would not be an exaggeration. Li Luo had spent his time till now sequestered in a corner of the Xia Kingdom, the City of Southwind. It was so distant that even the winds would not reach him. Conversely, once he took the initiative to enter the Astral Sage College, he would finally bear and understand the full brunt of Jiang Qing'e's radiance and glory. A weak-willed individual would never be able to survive. As they spoke, the atmosphere in the field seemed to have reached a crescendo. The duo turned to look at the groups of students dispatched by the academies. As they swept through the crowd, they could easily spot the eye-catching Li Luo with a head of silver-grey hair standing in the group from Southwind Academy. "The Young Lord truly is a sight for sore eyes. Dying his hair truly did make him look more attractive than before," Cai Wei casually commented. This was met with a snide remark. "Psh, just a himbo. Shallow!" she spat. Despite that, she had to admit that Li Luo truly was blessed with excellent genes passed down from his good-looking parents. No one could pick out any faults with his looks. In front of countless gazes, a figure garbed in a robe that sparkled with starlight appeared atop a high platform. The robe he was wearing was extremely eye-catching, constantly twinkling with silver brilliance. This was the attire worn by the teachers of the Astral Sage College. This esteemed individual was someone dispatched by the Astral Sage College to act as a supervisor for this examination. "Good day, my students from the Tianshu Province. I am Mentor Anlie, a teacher from the Astral Sage College. Thank you for being here. Without further ado, let me explain how this year's examination rankings will be graded: a point-based system!" The teacher from the Astral Sage College looked to be around thirty years old. Someone of his age becoming a teacher in the Astral Sage College only demonstrated his excellent abilities. After which, numerous teachers from the different academies began distributing crystal tiles to each and every student. Li Luo and the rest received one as well. Each of these crystal tiles were about the size of their palms, atop was inscribed their respective academy crests as well as their names. "When the examination begins, all of you here will go through two rounds of evaluation tests. How well you fare in these two evaluations will determine your basic points. Students are forbidden from mutually assisting each other during these two evaluations, but anything after that is fine. Being able to snatch someone else's crystal tiles and basic points will serve as the great divider! Of course, one cannot take their fellow academy mates' tiles and points. Your destination will be in the southwest side of Whitespirit Mountain. That location contains the ruins of an ancient city, also known as Whitespirit Ruins. When you arrive, you will naturally understand the rules." After he made the announcement, the faces of all the students gradually turned serious, and the air was filled with a palpable tension. After the last rule was explained, Anlie glimpsed into the sky briefly before breaking out into a resplendent smile. "I've said enough nonsense for now! Under the authority vested in me, I hereby announce the beginning of the College Final Examinations!" The moment these words were spoken, the turbid atmosphere seemed to have boiled to a peak, exploding outwards and enveloping everyone. The final examination had finally begun! Chapter 50: Test Your Mind, Not Your Muscles BOOM! As soon as Mentor Anlie declared the start of the examinations, trees began to sprout, cracking the ground as they grew into a long corridor. It was pitch-black within, and it led into the heart of Whitespirit Mountain. Leading the Southwind contingent were Lin Feng and Xu Shanyue. The two waved to their students behind them. "Let's go." As they spoke, the students' silhouettes glowed with an assortment of resonant powers. Finally, they all charged into the corridor. At the same time, the other schools were stirring as well. The tension was electric. The silver-robed Mentor Anlie from the Astral Sage College walked into the pavilion. Both Governor Shi and the dean dipped their heads slightly in acknowledgment. "Thank you, Mentor Anlie." Although Anlie was slightly below them in terms of strength and influence, his title as a teacher and representative of the Astral Sage College demanded some respect from them. Besides, Anlie was young. Although he was just a Silver Spark teacher, he had the potential to rise to the Gold Gleam rank. Once he was promoted, he would be an influential person within the Xia Kingdom. The Astral Sage College divided their teachers into three tiers: Silver Spark, Gold Gleam, and Violet Vibrance. The hard requirement for Silver Spark teachers was to reach the Earth Fiend level, while for Gold Gleam teachers the standard was Heavenly Dipper General. The highest ranked teachers, Violet Vibrance ones, had to be at the Duke Stage. But even in the arcane depths of the Astral Sage College, a violet-robed teacher was a rare sight indeed. Anlie bowed back smilingly in response. He then sat down. "Many crouching tigers and hidden dragons sleep in the Tianshu Province. This year's examinations are especially intense. I wonder if Southwind Academy will continue to hold their lead, or if a dark horse will gallop ahead." His question was one that neither Governor Shi nor the old Dean could answer. They could only smile politely in response. They then directed their attention to the crystal wall, which was divided into many separate mirrors. When the time came, the photographic rocks embedded in Whitespirit Mountain would stream information to them. At the same time, they would be recording the ranks and points of all the students, updating them in real time. ...... As the students got fired up outside, Li Luo followed the crowd into the tree-enclosed corridor. He realized that the more they advanced, the more forks appeared in their way. It seemed to be separating the crowd up. With each division, more and more were separated, until those around him were mostly strangers. However, Zhao Kuo was still with him, as well as a few other Southwind students. This continued for a few dozen minutes, before Li Luo and the others finally came to a dead-end, marked by a wooden door. In response to their arrival, the gigantic wooden door began to open slowly. Li Luo and Zhao Kuo shared a look, then they cautiously followed the small party forward. After the last person entered, the wooden door closed and light bloomed within. They saw that they were in an enormous hall, seemingly made completely out of wood, and with a sturdy feel to it. All of them looked about warily, hushed. Li Luo and Zhao Kuo were off to the side, also looking all around them. They had heard from the Astral Sage College teacher that they would first meet two basic challenges to test their foundations. This was probably the first of them. But what sort of test would it be? Just as Li Luo thought this, a sound suddenly came from the side. He looked upwards sharply and saw two yawning black holes above. The voices were coming from within. The voices steadily grew louder, and soon enough everyone was on their guard against the two holes. Squeak, squeak! Suddenly, two streams of black mass gushed out from the holes, the cacophony deafening. It was an unending stream of four-winged bats! These bats were robust-looking. About the size of a person's face, they had a sinister look to them, sharp teeth and claws as well as red eyes. Without any pause, they swarmed the students below. The students scrambled to bring their resonant power to bear, dealing with the four-winged bats in all kinds of manners. It was obvious now that they would have to defend against the four-winged bats for their first test. Li Luo began to channel his resonant power as well. He did not dare to let them get close, and so employed long-range attacks to snipe them out of the air. As the bats continued to grow in number, there was suddenly a shout of alarm from one of the students. They had been slashed across the body by a bat, and their point crystal flickered red. "Don't let the bats hit you, or your basic points will decrease!" someone hollered. Some began to panic, having already been hit a few times. Clearly, they would not emerge from this first round with a good score. "I see." Getting a feel for the battle, Li Luo fought in close coordination with Zhao Kuo, fending off the bat attacks from all directions. However, the flock seemed limitless, coming on again and again. Finally, Zhao Kuo roared in frustration, "I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE! IM TOO TIRED!" Li Luo's gaze swept the field. He saw a wall of four-winged bats, with no gap in between. His eyes flashed. He then seized Zhao Kuo by the hand and dragged him in a retreat to the side. "Don't move, or my resonance art will dissipate," he said, then he called forth his resonant power. A thin veil of flowing light covered their bodies. Under the flowing light, both of their silhouettes began to grow fainter and fainter. "Is this the Water Shadow Art, a mid-grade resonance art?" Zhao Kuo was amazed. But as the bats swarmed them, he could not help but question, "Brother Luo, this isn't going to help. Shouldn't we cut down the bats?" Li Luo said nothing. He continued to apply his resonant power until both their bodies were glowing in a pool of light. With no response from Li Luo, Zhao Kuo could only grit his teeth and resist the urge to strike out at the offending bats. But just as he braced himself for the attack, the four-winged bats suddenly froze as though they had lost their target. Confused, they finally milled around and turned to attack the others. "You..." Zhao Kuo's eyes were bulging. "You can do that?" He could not believe it. A middle-grade Water Shadow Art could shield them completely? He looked down and saw that he had turned completely invisible. He marveled, "Brother Luo, your Water Shadow Art is sick! It's like an invisibility cloak!" "Just a simple trick of the eye. It utilizes refraction through water to hide us within the light rays. A small trick. If someone concentrated hard enough, we would be seen..." Li Luo said without much pride. "Wow! That's still very impressive. I've never seen anyone use the Water Shadow Art so skilfully before," Zhao Kuo praised. Li Luo smiled in response. What he had glossed over was the fact that ordinary Water Shadow Art users could not use it this well. Only he, with his light resonance imbued within it, could affect it thus. "No need to fight now. Just wait here until it ends," Li Luo said calmly. "Brother Luo, you're not only a handsome face, you're pretty smart behind those pretty looks. The Astral Sage College must be going blind since they didn't extend a special invitation to you." Zhao Kuo whooped with good cheer. "Ha, please! It's going to be our school soon enough. We're so good, they'll open the door for us! No need to worry now," Li Luo said generously. "Wew, and a big heart under that fine brain too," Zhao Kuo said. Suddenly with time to kill, he was intending to butter up his dear Brother Luo a little more, when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure being harangued by four-winged bats. "Brother Luo, that guy looks a little familiar," he said. Li Luo looked over and winced. Who else would it be but Yu Lang, screaming as he scrambled away from the bats? "Hmm...? Him again? Nothing to see here, let's go..." Li Luo said dryly. Yu Lang was a sixth-grade wind resonance user, and swiftness was his specialty. Although he was yelling desperately, he was still managing to keep abreast of the bats. "Something's not right, Brother Luo. That dog is charging over to where we are. Does he know we're here?" Zhao Kuo asked tensely. Li Luo looked. Damn, he was right. What a real pain in the ass. As Yu Lang neared, his ratty little eyes locked onto them. With a terse voice, he called, "Brother Luo, Brother Luo, save your brother." Li Luo feigned death. "If you don't save me, I'll attract a whole horde of bats to collide with you." Getting no response, Yu Lang immediately threatened them. "Damn it, Yu Lang, you bastard! Don't you have any morals? Just you wait... Someday, someone will club you over the head when you least expect it. And I can't promise it won't be me!" Grumbling, he reached out a hand and seized Yu Lang by the shoulder. With a flash, he hid him within the light as well. In the direction Yu Lang had come from, the four-winged bats froze again and then headed off in another direction. Chapter 51: The Three Zeros The situation in the hall was as sloppy as a bowl of porridge. All of the students were fighting and dodging as best as they could, but the sheer number of bats soon wore them down. They were riddled with bloody scars from the bats' claws and teeth, and the crystal tiles on their chests glowed with red light each time they were struck. Only a few stronger students had the presence of mind to join forces, and they suffered only minor losses. While everyone was busy fighting the bats, no one noticed that there were three twinkling silhouettes off to the side, casually dodging the bats as they chatted about the others. "Haha, look at that guy, his face was almost torn off." "Damn, that was unlucky. His face was savaged. Probably a bad case of psychological trauma in the future?" "Pity." "..." The three watched on with sympathy, and also a little regret that they had forgotten to bring snacks. Munching on melon seeds, Li Luo suddenly shot Yu Lang a look, frowning. "Can you not come so close? It's gross, you know?" He was holding Li Luo's hand tightly, and also constantly edging closer. The sour stink of sweat was repulsive. Yu Lang jabbered, "You're a bad guy. What if you throw me away? Of course I have to hold on tightly." Li Luo was speechless. If not for Yu Lang hiding information about him, he would really have kicked him out... "Brother Luo, is this not a perfect performance? I feel like this deserves nothing less than full marks." Zhao Kuo's smile could not be any more smug. Li Luo nodded. They had avoided all the bat attacks. In terms of points, no one could beat them. The three relaxed and watched. After about half an hour, the bats seemed to follow some invisible command and turned away, flocking back to the two yawning black holes in the ceiling. Evidently, the first test was over. Many bleeding and battered students slumped to the floor. From above, a crystalline light beamed through, passing through each student. They saw numbers begin to appear on their crystal tiles. "Oh? I have a foundation score. 46 points!" "I've got 50 here." "Damn, just 20 for me!" "..." A mixture of celebration and sadness rang out through the hall. In the midst of these medley of emotions were a completely devastated Li Luo, Zhao Kuo, and Yu Lang. Their crystal tiles showed a score of 0. "How is that possible?!" Zhao Kuo's jaw dropped. "We perfectly evaded the four-winged bats!" Yu Lang shouted angrily, feeling cheated. Li Luo pondered it for a moment. "Could it be that the Water Shadow Art was too good, and even blocked the light? So we were overlooked?" Zhao Kuo froze. Could it be? Was the Water Shadow Art really that strong? "It seems like that searching light didn't land on us at all." Yu Lang agreed after recalling the moment. The three looked at each other, still dispirited. Who would have thought that this would be the outcome... They had been eagerly awaiting their full-mark distinction, but they had hidden so well that now they were left with zeros. That was too much! "I won't accept it! I'm going to complain! This is their mistake!" Yu Lang burst out. Li Luo screwed his face up thoughtfully. "If we leave now, we'll be forfeiting the exam entirely. Forget it. Zero be it. In any case, the foundational score is just for skirmishing. And there's one more round, right?" Yu Lang calmed down a little at this, subsiding to an angry mutter under his breath. Li Luo dispelled the Water Shadow Art, and the three appeared. Many turned to them at the flash of light, and there were expressions of shock all around to see the three zeros. Even the worst besides them had a few pitiful points. That was as bad as it got. No one else had gotten zero. What had these three done? Sniggers of laughter soon rang out across the hall. The three of them took it stoically. They were done here, so they moved briskly towards the wooden door that had just opened up at the other end of the hall. Damn, they had been laughing hard a few moments ago, and now the tables had been turned on them. Fate was one fickle mistress. ... As the trio turned to the next stage, there was a commotion at the foot of Whitespirit Mountain as well. Because on the huge crystal wall, numbers were jumping, and names appeared one after another. All eyes were on it, and exclamations and gasps could be heard periodically. The numbers jumped on for a while, and then finally stopped. Those at the top had a full score of 100. That was the maximum score of this trial. Unsurprisingly, Lu Qing'er, Shi Huang, and a few others were all ranked at the top. The many pairs of eyes continued scanning the list downwards. Suddenly, someone gasped. At the bottom were three strange scores... Even the worst among the students had 1 point, a participation point. 0 meant that they had never even been seen. Therefore, these three zeros immediately sent the spectators into an uproar. Especially when they saw the three names. Southwind Academy, Li Luo. Wasn't that the Young Lord of House Luolan? He had quite the reputation within the Tianshu Province. How had he fallen down to zero? What was going on? "Hey, the zero wouldn't be the Young Lord, would it?" Cai Wei's cherry lips parted in surprise upon seeing the glaring score. Yan Lingqing frowned. "Who else in Southwind Academy is called Li Luo besides him?" "How could it be zero?" Cai Wei did not know whether to laugh or cry. What was happening? Yan Lingqing shrugged. "How would I know?" "But it doesn't matter. These two rounds are just for foundational points. The real decider is the elimination match later on." Irritated, Yan Lingqing said, "This Young Lord sure knows how to make others worry." ... Within the central pavilion. The old dean, Governor Shi, and Mentor Anlie were also caught off guard by the three zeros. Governor Shi smiled. "Old Dean, your Southwind students are truly something special." The old teacher frowned as he looked at the three names. He felt the beginning of a headache. What on earth were those three pinheads doing? They were an embarrassment. Irritated, he ignored the governor's taunts. This was just the first round. It did not matter that much. However, he hoped that the three hooligans would cut it out in the next pat. Or did they think he was too old to beat some sense into them? Chapter 52: Spectral Face Demon Ivy When the three walked out of the tree-covered hall, the scenery before them changed drastically. It was a sinister, gloomy forest with huge trees that stood tall. The dark branches were dense enough to hide the sky and gave one a foreboding feeling. Li Luo and the others looked around them and very quickly spotted a crystal wall before them. This was clearly new. Faintly glowing words flowed across the crystal wall. When they read it, their faces turned serious. "This stage is about harvesting Spectral Face Fruits." A special type of plant known as the Spectral Face Demon Ivy grew in the dark forest. It had an aggressive, violent nature and loved to strangle any life form that drew near to it. It would bury the corpse in its roots and feed on the meat to nourish itself. After a Spectral Face Demon Ivy matured, it would bear a Spectral Face Fruit. The goal of the second round was to gain a Spectral Face Fruit. Those who obtained one would be awarded with foundational points. "The Spectral Face Demon Ivy is not easy to deal with. The demon ivy is covered with poisonous thorns and is a vicious foe. Realistically speaking, even an eighth-grade resonance user would be hard-pressed to take a Spectral Face Fruit alone," Zhao Kuo said worriedly. On the verge of slipping away, Yu Lang froze mid-step. "I suggest the three of us join hands and get Spectral Face Fruits. What do you say?" "You looked on the verge of taking off. Don't let us stop you," Li Luo snorted. A little embarrassed, Yu Lang denied it. "Impossible. We have just been through life and death together." Li Luo shook his head. This weasel was hard to trust. However, he did not reject Yu Lang's suggestion. Although he might not be able to get a Spectral Face Fruit himself, having more people might help. If many hands made lighter work, why not? "Let's go," Li Luo said. He led the way deeper into the dark forest, with Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo following close behind. The three walked on deeper into the forest. Several dozen minutes later, they heard a disturbance far away to the right. The three looked around at each other and then headed forward with tacit understanding. Parting the shrubbery, they saw that there was a large, black tree in a muddy patch just ahead. A black vine was coiled around the tree, bristling with black thorns. It thrashed and whipped around like a shadowy python, with enough force to produce a whistling sound. The visage of a sinister face could be vaguely made out on the rough bark of the coarse trunk. It made them uneasy. A Spectral Face Demon Ivy. However, there were already about six or seven figures around it. Clearly, they had joined forces against it. Jets of resonant power flew through the air as they battled the Spectral Face Demon Ivy. The demon ivy was giving as good as it was getting. The poisonous vines whipped out again and again with terrifying strength, and they were frequently rewarded with miserable yelps. "A sorry sight." Yu Lang stared at them. These people were only around the Sixth Seal Stage. Even with numbers, they were still outclassed by the demon ivy. Each time the tendrils hit them, the sickening, whip-like cracks sent prickles of fear down their scalps just from listening. This sound brought back memories of the stick their parents used to beat them with. In just a short amount of time, the group was badly wounded and fled in a wretched state. Luckily, the attack range of the demon ivy was limited; otherwise, they would have been screwed. The trio shook their heads after witnessing the bad trumping. "Quite a thorny problem, eh," Zhao Kuo said worriedly. Although they were stronger than the previous group, it was still not going to be easy to bypass the frenzied and spiky defense to get the Spectral Face Fruit. "Yu Lang, you go test it out," Li Luo said after a moment's thought. Yu Lang pulled a long face. "What? Why me?" "You're a wind resonance user. You're the fastest. Who else?" Li Luo snorted. Lacking a good response, Yu Lang grumbled and trudged forth. His green resonant power surging forth to bathe his body, he shot forth like a blur, blowing gusts out behind him. "Oof. Truly the fastest man in Southwind Academy," Zhao Kuo hooted with surprise. Li Luo stared at the figure ahead, blurry from his speed. The guy was indeed fast. And it was clear that he had devoted much effort to cultivating speeda shrewd decision. Sshhh! As Yu Lang rapidly approached, the demon ivy sensed an incoming presence, and the serpent-like vines began to respond. He dodged adroitly, but the closer he got, the more vines were turned on him, as though the demon ivy sensed the threat growing larger. Yu Lang's speed slowed in the face of the harassment, his swagger disappearing. Finally, he chose to retreat. With a flash, he was safely out of its attack radius, back beside Li Luo and Zhao Kuo. "It's hopeless. I can't even get close, let alone get the Spectral Face Fruit." Yu Lang was panting and wiping the sweat pouring from his face. "On the contrary, I think it's pretty achievable." Li Luo smiled smugly. Yu Lang's speed had already pushed the Spectral Face Demon Ivy to the limits of its attack rate. "Next, we will attack together. Zhao Kuo, up front to tank. I'll support him to suppress the frontal attack of the demon ivy. You go in from the flank to get the fruit." "This means that Zhao Kuo is going to get it real bad." Zhao Kuo gave a wry smile. "Don't worry. I'm all tough skin and hard bones." Li Luo nodded in appreciative acknowledgment. Since they were working together, they had to each bring their individual strengths to bear. He was not going to let Zhao Kuo get by without pulling his weight just because he was a friend. Neither would Zhao Kuo accept that sort of favoritism. "Alright." Yu Lang had even less of an opinion. Their simple battle plan laid out, the three did not waste any more time. Li Luo pulled out his two shortswords, and Zhao Kuo loosened the axe off his back. "Go!" At Li Luo's whispered command, Zhao Kuo roared and charged, his powerful frame rampaging towards the demon ivy. A faint glimmer of silver resonant power covered him. When activated, his Silver Bear Resonance made his body even more durable and expanded it by a significant margin. Weng! The demon ivy responded promptly, its tendrils snaking out lightning quick, whistling through the air with their speed. Zhao Kuo's giant axe swept in beautiful arcs, a whirling storm that cut down all the vines hurtling towards him. Jade-green liquid spurted everywhere after each swing. Suddenly, the mud below him exploded and vines burst from the ground, binding Zhao Kuo's lower torso. Almost immediately, a slash of blue light cut them apart. Close behind Zhao Kuo's muscular frame was Li Luo, wreathed in his own blue resonant power. His two swords never paused, constantly seeking out the next vine trying to tie down Zhao Kuo. The two steadily drew closer to the demon ivy. But the closer they got, the more violent the demon ivy became. More and more vines stretched towards them, each one whipped up into a desperate frenzy. Li Luo tried his best to cut them down, but some of the vines still managed to lash themselves around Zhao Kuo. He gritted his teeth, uttering not a single sound as deep and bloody streaks appeared on his flesh. He pushed forward. Another step. And another. "Yu Lang, go!" Judging the moment, Li Luo yelled out to their flank. "Alright!" Already waiting on the sidelines, Yu Lang shot forth upon hearing the command. His speed pushed to its maximum, he pounced toward the Spectral Face Fruit in a flash while the demon ivy was preoccupied with the pair's attacks. Yu Lang was extremely fast. He was close to the Spectral Face Fruit in the blink of an eye. But just as he stretched out a hand to grab it, the soil at his feet exploded. A mysterious stranger shot forth, intent on beating Yu Lang to the fruit. "Fuck!" Yu Lang's face tightened as he swore. Someone had been waiting to swoop in! Yu Lang stared, eyes wide, as his prize was on the verge of being stolen from right under his nose. Nearby, Li Luo bellowed, "Yu Lang, shut your eyes!" He lifted his hand, his face grim. A blue ball of light formed on his fingertip and shot forth. The blue light ball exploded near Yu Lang and the intruder, shrouding them in an explosion of dazzling light. Chapter 53: Earth Resonance Lian Zhong Hearing Li Luo's shout startled Yu Lang. Closing his eyes would put him in an even more vulnerable state than he already was, with the intruder in his face. But given his understanding of Li Luo, he set his jaw and shut his eyes. As the dazzling light burst out, Yu Lang avoided the blinding effect. Based on his last mental picture, he reached out a hand for the Spectral Face Fruit. However, the intruder caught the flash full on. Their eyes burned, and they could not help but recoil away. The bright light vanished in an instant. The Spectral Face Fruit was in Yu Lang's hand. His face hard, he pulled out a stiletto from his sleeve and charged it with green resonant power before giving it a merciless flick towards the scrabbling figure. "Hmph." Understanding that they had lost, the intruder scoffed and punched out. Yellow resonant power boomed out, clashing fiercely against Yu Lang's attack. The resonant powers exploded against each other. The intruder was only slightly shaken, whereas Yu Lang was sent flying back, sprawling on the ground nearby. The moment Yu Lang grabbed it, Li Luo and Zhao Kuo fled from the demon ivy's attack radius. They barreled over to Yu Lang's side, staring down the shadow ahead. "Keke, quick movements. Can't believe I didn't snatch that." The stranger laughed casually. They could make out that it was a tall, broad-shouldered youth, with a head of short hair. His well-sculpted body announced his barbaric strength. It was an intimidating physique. "Eastpool Academy?" Zhao Kuo spotted the crystal medallion on their adversary's chest. The school logo was Eastpool's. "Eastpool Academy's Lian Zhong. He's second in Eastpool, sixth-grade earth resonance, Eighth Seal," Yu Lang immediately recited. Thanks to his compilation and research, he was very familiar with the elite students from the major schools. Li Luo's face was rather neutral. "Eastpool kids just love to steal stuff, huh? Sounds like a problematic teaching philosophy, if you ask me." "The rules dont say anything about stealing," Lian Zhong replied with a cheeky grin. "Indeed. A hit to your pride though, for sure. You were burrowed for such a long time like a little mole, but you still ended up empty-pawed. Frustrated?" Li Luo mocked. The cheekiness on Lian Zhong's face evaporated. He had indeed laid in ambush for a long time. He was so sure that he had it in the bag, and had even prepared a few choice taunts. But Li Luo had reacted very quickly to turn the tables on him. "Li Luo, I've underestimated you." Lian Zhong's eyes were on him now. He laughed it off. "But this is nothing. No need to get all cocky." "You mean you have your eye on me now?" "Can't be helped. Boss sent the word out that he's too busy to deal with you, so he asked us to amuse you," Lian Zhong said with a sardonic smile. "Shi Huang?" Li Luo probed. "Not much point in fighting here. There's no points to gain from it. After this stage though, I'll come find you when the eliminations start," Lian Zhong said. His eyes swept across Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang. "If you two know which way the wind's blowing, stay away from him. Boss has ordered all Eastpool students to target him. There's nothing but trouble by his side." "Your mom's ass." Zhao Kuo glared back at him. "Can't wait for you Eastpool mongrels to come and deliver us free points on a plate." Yu Lang waggled the stiletto in his hand and said in a serious tone "Li Luo and I are bonded in life and death, we go as deep as the sea. I'll never leave him... unless you have money." "Boring. As you wish." Lian Zhong shook his head and left, vanishing into the dark forest. "Hey, at least give me a sum to work with! We can negotiate!" Yu Lang called out hurriedly. He was on the verge of chasing, but Li Luo held him back. "No point tangling with him here. Can't get his points either." "Damn, that was unreasonable," Yu Lang fumed. They were unsure if he was angry about the ambush, or the lack of an asking price. Zhao Kuo turned to Li Luo with a worried expression. "Brother Luo, if the Eastpool kids are really after you, let's go assemble a team of our own." If they did not bring their own forces, they would be overwhelmed. "No rush. Let's see how it goes." Li Luo still looked composed. Clearly, Shi Huang was still not taking him seriously, sending lackeys like Lian Zhong. But if that's how he wanted it, it was going to be like attacking dogs with meat buns, all give and no take. Wait, that wasn't right. He wasn't a dog. "Well, our spoils." Yu Lang held out the Spectral Face Fruit. "Give it to Zhao Kuo first. He tanked the most." Li Luo laughed. Zhao Kuo was still covered in bloody lacerations, a woeful sight. But the wounds were all physical, and his sturdy constitution would soon put those to right. Zhao Kuo did not comment, reaching out a hand to take the Spectral Face Fruit. Anyway, he was going to help Li Luo and Yu Lang get their own Spectral Face Fruits. He tore the Spectral Face Fruit apart with his hands, taking out the core within. He squeezed it until a drop of green liquid fell onto the crystal medallion on his chest and was absorbed. The points on his crystal medallion immediately jumped to 100. "Let's go. Second fruit," Li Luo said. The two continued on. In the next hour, the three managed to find two more demon ivies. Repeating their tactic, they were able to get two more Spectral Face Fruits unmolested. Both Li Luo and Yu Lang reached 100 points as well. Now that they were all done with the task, there was no point in getting any more fruits. The three immediately headed for the third elimination round without delay. ....... Foot of Whitespirit Mountain. The crystal wall was constantly shimmering with updates. Many were watching the clips with great interest. The top of the board was filled with full-mark rankers, a whopping 200 points. Of course, it included the likes of Lu Qing'er and Shi Huang. There had been two particularly sensational clips featured on the crystal wall. First was Lu Qing'er. She was standing casually on top of a Spectral Face Demon Ivy, the frustrating vines completely encased in ice. Her long hair flying free, that lithe body and alluring facethe scene was a declaration of the Southwind valedictorian's charms. The second scene was Shi Huang, a smile on his face and a fruit in hand. Behind him, the demon ivy was black and smoking, still sizzling with electricity. These two had beaten their respective demon ivies with pure strength to take their Spectral Face Fruits. A worthy score, and support for them increased. Everyone understood that the first place title was probably between these two now. Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing were not too interested in these two. Their eyes were fixed on the lower half of the board. When they saw Li Luo's points jump to 100, they finally sighed with relief. Although this was just for a foundational score, two zeros for Li Luo would have been a fiasco. As more students got their Spectral Face Fruits in their own ways, the mood was starting to pick up here. Everyone knew that these preliminaries were just an appetizer. These foundational scores were for the elimination match. Therefore, the exam would only truly be underway when the eliminations started. .... Inside Whitespirit Mountain. Li Luo, Yu Lang, and Zhao Kuo walked out of the gloomy forest. A river appeared before them, and on the opposite bank, there was a complicated terrain of hills and valleys, well furnished with large forests and rocks. They shared a look. Across the river, the elimination arena. They did not hesitate, using their resonant powers to cross the broad expanse of the river. They touched down on the other side, signaling the beginning of the elimination. Chapter 54: The Three Fishermen When the three passed the river and set foot on the other side, they saw a few others nearby. However, the two parties made eye contact and then they mutually split away, moving swiftly into the complicated terrain. Li Luo and his friends plunged into a dense forest, with birdsongs coming from the mountains around. Their faces were all serious. "What are your plans?" Li Luo asked Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang. Zhao Kuo smiled. "I initially thought I would get some points first in the elimination round. But now I think I'll stick to you." "Because of Lian Zhong?" Li Luo said, "There's no need for that. I'm not too worried." "Brother Luo, you can handle yourself, no doubt. Of course I know you're not afraid of him. I'm just worried they're going to bring a whole gang against you. Although I'm not as strong as you, perhaps I could share some of the load if it comes to it," Zhao Kuo said. And then he cracked a bigger smile. "Plus... points are going to come faster with Brother Luo, eh?" Li Luo smiled back. He knew that Zhao Kuo was looking out for him for the most part, but he did not pursue the matter further. He nodded to Zhao Kuo. "And you?" He turned to Yu Lang. Yu Lang fiddled with his fringe, then said soberly, "You know what I'm capable of. I can slip through the ranks of this competition like a fish through water. If you are willing to hire me at a high price, I can give you a discount on behalf of our friendship. Just 1,000 skygol- HEY!" Before he could finish, Li Luo and Zhao Kuo had already walked on, leaving him behind. Yu Lang panicked. "500 skygold!" Li Luo still ignored him. Yu Lang burst out, "If you're not happy with the price, counteroffer, damn it! Some respect please! I wonder which school you learned those disagreeable manners from." "Five skygold." Li Luo sketched a careless wave with his left hand. "Deal!" Li Luo almost sprained his back laughing. "Scum, you're really scum." Yu Lang said loftily, "If you dare to ask, I dare to respond. Li Luo, you think you can shame me with five skygold? How naive." Li Luo shook his head, but the humor was still in his eyes. He knew that both Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang were truly worried that he was Eastpool Academy's target and that they had chosen to follow and protect him. Despite their vastly different personalities, both were good friends worth keeping. "I have an idea," Yu Lang suddenly said. "We are too obvious if we move as a trio. I think we should send Zhao Kuo ahead alone. Li Luo will use Water Shadow Art to hide the two of us following behind." Li Luo caught on. "Fishing?" The bait was going to be Zhao Kuo, a stolid, honest guy that would catch the eye of every dirty player. They were going to swarm all over him for his points. "Good idea." Zhao Kuo chuckled, screwing his face up in an attempt at panicked horror, as though he was properly terrified. "Zhao Kuo, your acting skills are wasted at Southwind Academy, man." Yu Lang stared at him, mouth wide. Zhao Kuo gave him an impertinent bob of the head back in response. "Settled, then," Li Luo decided. The three-man fishing team was formed. ...... Deep in the forest, the dappled sunlight filtered through the dense canopy. A meek figure skulked through the trees, his eyes darting about constantly. He was the very picture of caution. Occasionally, he would melt back into the shadows and observe for a while before proceeding again. Truly a meek and scared person. Behind this cringing figure, Li Luo and Yu Lang stood in the shadows, well hidden. They were lost for words at Zhao Kuo's immersive acting. "This man's completely in character now," Yu Lang marveled. He thought his own acting skills were quite something, but now he saw that Zhao Kuo was a fellow thespian indeed. Li Luo nodded fervently. He felt that Zhao Kuo indeed had potential. He put a lot of care into the details. "But the others are cautious too." Li Luo looked at one particular shadow. He had discovered some time ago that there were two people watching Zhao Kuo, although they had not made their move. Instead, they had been tailing and observing Zhao Kuo him too. Clearly, they were trying to ascertain if Zhao Kuo's caution was for real. Both had tested Zhao Kuo out many times already, but Li Luo's camouflage still held. Unbeknownst to them, they were the ones being hunted. Li Luo could sense that their patience was waning. Zhao Kuo's acting was extremely natural. He had them hook, line, and sinker. Just as Li Luo flirted with the idea of a proactive action, the leaves rustled and two shadows streaked forward, landing in front and behind Zhao Kuo, neatly trapping him. Zhao Kuo paled. He shouted, "What are you trying to do? I'm from Southwind Academy! You dare to test me!?" His performance was world-class. Li Luo and Yu Lang lapped it up from their front-row seats. The two who had appeared were from two different schools. They were not at all weak, both Seventh Seal Stage cultivators. "Man, we followed you for so long. You're Zhao Kuo from Southwind Academy, aren't you? I saw you in the examination intel... Cut the crap. Hand over your points," the two accosters said. "In your dreams!" Zhao Kuo yelled. His silver resonant power shimmered into view. Seeing him move, the two did not hesitate in their attack either. Hefting their swords, they shot towards him cat-quick in a pincer movement. A ruthless attack. But just as their attack was about to land, a gentle breeze rustled behind the two. Their hairs prickled. To their horror, the cringing expression on Zhao Kuo's face was gone, now replaced with a smug, mocking smile. "Damn it, we've been had!" They realized what was going on and started cursing themselves. They had been very careful in scouting the area. How had they not detected these two? What sneaky behavior! A chill ran through them. They knew that they had walked into a trap. Focusing their resonant power, they attempted to take down the actor, Zhao Kuo. At least with a hostage, they would have some bargaining power. Zhao Kuo saw through them. But he neither hid nor backed down. Instead, a fierce look entered his eyes. His large axe twirled so fast, it made a wheel, and he charged the pair. Dang! The clash of steel sent sparks flying out. Zhao Kuo grunted as he felt the jolt of the shock run through his body. These two were not weak at all. Naturally, came out of the clash in better shape. Still, before they could press his moment of weakness, the two blasts of resonant power caught up to them from behind. HACK. The two spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood and rolled on the floor like freshly plucked gourds. When they tried to rise again, they found an azure-blue short sword and a stiletto resting lightly on each of their necks. "Brother, one sudden move and there will be blood," a light voice sang from beside him. The two looked at each other bleakly. "Damn, you Southwind Academy students really play dirty. Fishing?!" "Hey, if you didn't bite, we wouldn't have caught you." Li Luo laughed. He beckoned to Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo to take off their crystal medallions. They cleaned out their points. When their crystal medallions' points drained to zero, an urgently flashing red light followed. And then a beam of light extended out to truss them up tightly. Clearly, they had been eliminated. The lights purpose was to bind them and prevent them from interfering with the competition. After taking their points, the trio did not even bother with parting words, immediately turning to leave. Their conversation drifted backwards. "Not a bad haul. I wonder who the next unlucky bastard will be." "Hope they're fatter than these two." "But damn, Zhao Kuo, you're a born actor. They followed so cautiously for half an hour, but still fell for it." "Haha, it's nothing. Still some details to polish. I should have added a bit more fear when they appeared to catch me. I think that's more realistic." "Your work ethic is admirable, Sir." "Hey, love the work you do, right?" "Well, yes..." Chapter 55: Into the Mist As the schools moved into the elimination phase, the scores on the crystal wall began to change more and more rapidly, reflecting just how intense things were. Numerous pairs of eyes were all riveted on the wall. Occasional gasps or groans could be heard as they each monitored their own students. Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing were also watching their Young Lord's score. When they saw his score increase, both relaxed into a smile. "The Young Lord is doing his best," Cai Wei said coyly, gently fanning herself with an intricate, flower-patterned fan. "He probably hasn't met any strong enemies yet. As the round wears on, all that will be left are the stronger survivors. Then his true mettle will be tested," Yan Lingqing reminded her. Cai Wei's smile was still bright as a flower. "Still, I believe the Young Lord can do it." "So confident?" "Because handsomeness is justice," Cai Wei said piously. "You and your nonsense." Yan Lingqing propped her silver-rimmed glasses higher and turned away. ..... In the dense forest. Ting! Li Luo and the others had surrounded one unlucky bastard. Before his desperate eyes, they cleaned out his points, leaving a tearful, dejected slump in their wake. "We're at 1,500 points already." Li Luo looked at their crystal medallions. They had spent most of the morning gathering these points, farming them off a school of greedy and unfortunate fish. "Seems like the river's running dry though," Zhao Kuo fretted. In the last hour, that unlucky chump had been their only catch. "Word of our fishing reputation's getting around," Li Luo said. Their morning of fishing had not gone without its own hiccups. Some fish had slipped away due to their uncommon ability. They would definitely spread the word about the Li Luo Fishing Company. Pre-warned students would not take the bait. "Well, fishing was never going to get us the win. As more and more people get eliminated, the time will come when we have to fight," Li Luo said, unconcerned. Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang nodded. They knew this too. The three were biding their time, even while on the move. They continued a cautious foray forwards, but they soon realized that there was a thin mist building around them the more they moved forward. It started to thicken rapidly. Li Luo paused, frowning. "Something's off. We're retreating." They turned immediately, retracing the path they had come from. After a few minutes, Li Luo turned around and saw that Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo had mysteriously vanished. Li Luo thought for a moment. He searched the nearby bushes and found clumps of a grey mushroom. These fungi were responsible for emitting the disorienting mist. "Misleading Mushrooms..." Li Luo gnashed his teeth. The mist from these mushrooms could cause one to confuse directions and even lose track of time and space. Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo must have stumbled off, and now they were lost. "What a pickle." Li Luo stomped down on the Misleading Mushrooms. Although the fog was troublesome, it should be finite. If he waited for it to clear a little, he should be able to find the others. At the same time, some distance away in the fog. Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang were together, and they had also discovered that Li Luo had gone missing. Uncomfortable as it was, they could only advance cautiously. After some time, they heard footsteps from up ahead and perked up happily. Zhao Kuo called out tentatively, "Brother Luo?" The footsteps got crisper, and soon a figure appeared before them. Their faces changed. It was not Li Luo. It was, however, a familiar face. The one who had tried to snatch their Spectral Face fruit, Eastpool Academy's Lian Zhong! He smiled coldly at them. "No Li Luo, but instead the two lackeys." Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang wasted no time in beating it. They had walked into his trap, even though it was meant for Li Luo. But just as they turned, two others dropped down into their path of escape, cutting them off. There were four others. And from their crystal medallions, they were all from Eastpool Academy. "We'll have to duke it out!" Zhao Kuo's eyes flashed. But Yu Lang raised his hands hurriedly. "Surrender! We surrender!" Lian Zhong was taken aback, his lips quickly lifting in a sneer. "Are Southwind Academy students all this spineless?" Zhao Kuo bellowed, "YU LANG! What are you doing?! You think they'll let you off just like that?!" "Zhao Kuo, Brother, they're targeting Li Luo. That has nothing to do with us," Yu Lang wheedled. "Damn it, you wretch!" His face contorted with rage, Zhao Kuo's fist flew out. Yu Lang dodged it hastily, his face a little troubled. "You're going too far. We're not even Li Luo's actual brothers." He turned to Lian Zhong, who was enjoying the show. "Come on, let me off." Lian Zhong snickered. "Didn't you say you and Li Luo were bonded by life and death or something?" Yu Lang gave him a sheepish smile. "A joke. Rhetoric, is all. But if you're willing to let me off, I can help you find Li Luo. He gave us a special way of communication just now." Zhao Kuo's eyes bulged as he charged over to bludgeon Yu Lang. But two Eastpool students held him down. Lian Zhong's eyes narrowed. "And I'm supposed to believe you?" Yu Lang's eyes were wet. "If you listened out for information, you would know that Li Luo and I actually have a deep enmity. In the Southwind Academy preliminaries, he was merciless, wounding me deeply. I was bedridden for many days, and even now my body hurts when it rains. "I was unlucky enough to run into them earlier and was coerced to join up. That's all it was." An Eastpool student whispered to Lian Zhong, "I've heard of this guy before. He's a real money-grubber. He would do anything for profit. He was indeed beaten badly by Li Luo in the Southwind preliminaries. I heard from a friend in Southwind that Li Luo beat him to a pulp. It was so gory, it brought the spectators to tears." Lian Zhong frowned. Yu Lang piped up again. "Actually, I hinted to you previously." "Hinted what?" Yu Lang gave a sly smile. "I asked you to up the price... If you did, I would've helped you." Lian Zhong started. Indeed, Yu Lang had said that. But how could he have believed it? And yet it was all in character for Yu Lang. Could it really have been a hint? This guy was truly despicable if it were true. Lian Zhong crossed his arms. "If you can really lure Li Luo here, I'll let you go," he said casually. Whether he was lying or not, if Li Luo could be baited here, all was good. Yu Lang leaped up. "No problem!" "Zhao Kuo is good friends with Li Luo. We can use him as a hostage. When Li Luo comes, threatening Zhao Kuo will render him helpless." He was even proactively setting up the trap. Lian Zhong could not help but reel a little. "Aren't you betraying your teammates a little too easily?" Another sheepish grin from Yu Lang. "Yu Lang, you good-for-nothing. Just wait! I'll never forgive you!" Zhao Kuo howled as he struggled. "Truss him up and gag him," Lian Zhong ordered with a wave. Four Eastpool Academy students crowded up to tie Zhao Kuo. Lian Zhong stood beside Yu Lang and placed a chopper on his neck. "Now, use your communication method to get Li Luo here. "If he doesn't come, you're both eliminated immediately." Yu Lang thumped his chest proudly. "No worries, Boss. Li Luo will fall for it for sure! When you catch him, please give him a harsh beating on his face. I've suffered beside that devastating handsomeness for all too long!" Lian Zhong absently reached up to touch his own coarse and plain features. A wave of hatred rose in him. He also hated those pretty boys who had the world eating out of their hands! Yu Lang's words had struck a nerve. Fights could be lost, but pretty boys had to die! And the prettiest of boys like Li Luo had to be cut up into a thousand pieces! Chapter 56: Lure Li Luo After Yu Lang and Lian Zhong made their pact, Yu Lang pulled out a bamboo whistle and blew a reedy and shrill sound out into the mist. Zhao Kuo immediately redoubled his struggles upon hearing the sound. The four Eastpool students struggled grimly to pin him down. Zhao Kuo's face was red from exertion, his tears streaming from frustration. He stared dementedly at Yu Lang as if he wished he could swallow him whole. Seeing such a reaction from Zhao Kuo assuaged the last vestiges of Lian Zhong's suspicions. Relaxing, he was sold by Yu Lang's despicability. That guy didn't have the slightest bit of backbone in him. Still, that suited him just fine. "Walk. Slowly." Lian Zhong ordered. Yu Lang began to shuffle forward obediently. ...... Within the gradually dissipating mist, Li Luo's eyes flew open. He heard some whistles. He frowned slightly to himself, his fingers tapping against the trunk of a tree as he listened to the whistles. "Five? Probably Lian Zhong? Unlucky for those two," he murmured to himself. Before their fishing commenced, Li Luo had established some simple protocols with the others. One of them was a rudimentary signal system. If such a situation arose, those still free would embark on a rescue operation as soon as possible. If the enemy was too strong, they would enlist the help of other Southwind Academy students. "Lian Zhong..." Li Luo's mouth hardened, his fists curling around the hilts of his swords. A cold look crept into his eyes. "I let you go the other time. Did you think I couldn't deal with you?" Li Luo turned, heading towards the direction of the whistle without hesitation. He vanished into the fog. ...... Within the fog, a few figures were slowly moving forward. In front, Lian Zhong was pressed up against Yu Lang. Behind, the four Eastpool students with Zhao Kuo wedged between them. The whistle continued to ring out. Lian Zhong scowled. "Where the hell is he?" "The fog's so damn big," Yu Lang grumbled back irritably. "Maybe he ran really far away?" "Hurry up, then," Lian Zhong snapped. "You're wasting our time." Yu Lang hurriedly complied, blowing the whistle as hard as he could. Unnoticed behind them, something stirred in the mist. A faint blur of watery light. While all eyes were forward, a palm stretched out from the mist and clamped down over the mouth of the person furthest back. A fist crashed into his temple and then unconsciousness followed. The other three Eastpool students reacted immediately. "AMBUSH!" Ahead, Lian Zhong whirled about, angry and fearful. He turned straight into a blue ball of light sailing into his face. Peng! It exploded in a blinding light. Those caught by it cried out and shut their eyes, feeling as though their eyeballs had been stabbed. Zhao Kuo, who had shut his eyes in time, barged his way past three others and disappeared into the fog. "Fuck, we've been had!" Lian Zhong swore. In his rage, he swung his cleaver down at Yu Lang. But a slight push off the balls of his feet, helped along by his wind resonant power, and Yu Lang was clear of the swing. "Haha, a donkey trying to catch the wind?" Yu Lang taunted him. He also vanished into the mist. Lian Zhong's face was ugly to look at. His yellow resonant power exploded from his body, scything out in the direction that Yu Lang had come from. Dang! A pair of shortswords imbued with blue light countered in response. Lian Zhong gripped his cleaver tightly, staring deep into the mist. Li Luo emerged, twin swords in hand. He was smiling straight at him, Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang flanking him. "You dare to trick me?" Lian Zhong glared at Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo. He knew now that there must have been messages hidden in the whistles. He had come, but he had come forewarned, rumbling their ambush and turning the situation. Yu Lang sighed softly. "Brother, it was not deception. It was just... business!" He batted his eyelashes at Lian Zhong meaningfully, You wanna... up the bid? Lian Zhong's face was red, his breathing labored and his eyes wild. "Hey, this guy is pawing like an enraged bull. Should we retreat? The mist is going to fade soon," Yu Lang said anxiously. Li Luo did not budge. "Retreat?" He laughed. "I took great effort to get this big fish to bite. I'm not about to release it." Yu Lang's jaw dropped. "Did you smear lard all over your eyeballs? Are you seeing this guy? Eighth Seal, and he has three helpers with him." "You two handle those three. No problems, I assume?" Li Luo asked. "You're for real?" Yu Lang was sobering up real quick. Li Luo's eyes were locked on Lian Zhong. He nodded lightly. "He's worn on my patience long enough. It's about time he paid the price." Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo looked at each other for a long moment before finally nodding slowly. "Just as well. I've wanted to take down these bastards for a while now." Zhao Kuo's eyes lit up with pleasure. His axe whooshed a few trial swings. On the other side, the angry Lian Zhong was in disbelief. "You're not running?" He could not understand it. Li Luo had gone to great pains to save Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang. They should be fleeing into the mist now, the most rational of options. But Li Luo seemed ready to fight him. Did his handsome looks absorb all his brain cells? Hefting his cleaver, Lian Zhong swished it lightly through the air. He turned to Li Luo, and the smile on his face hardened cruelly. "Li Luo, don't think I won't dare to lay hands on you just because you're the Young Lord or something. If you lose here, the only one that falls is House Luolan." Li Luo smiled slightly. "Don't be too quick to jump to conclusions. Its embarrassing when the tables turn, you know?" "Oh? You think you're that good?" Lian Zhong sneered. He beckoned to the other three. "Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo are yours. I'll deal with Li Luo." The three complied. Seventh Seals, three on twothere was nothing to be afraid of. "We'll go first. Take care of yourself. Give us the signal if you're out of your depth, and we'll find a way to extricate," Yu Lang assured him in a low voice before bounding after Zhao Kuo in another direction. The three opponents followed. As they drew apart, only Li Luo and Lian Zhong were left here now. Lian Zhong looked at Li Luo with a mixture of disdain and cruel pleasure. This time, he wasted no more words. His yellow resonant power burst forth with the skill of an Eighth Seal cultivator. An intimidating presence indeed. "Li Luo, too late to regret now!" "Watch me turn your face into minced meat!" As he shrieked his laughter, Lian Zhong surged forward, his blade gleaming with yellow light as it delivered a brutal chop towards Li Luo. Chapter 57: Water Edge Art Whoosh! Lian Zhong was not holding back. His Eighth Seal resonant power was fully utilized now. A menacing, yellow blade arced towards Li Luo. Li Luo had no intention of dodging at all. Instead, he lifted himself up to the balls of his feet and darted forth like an eagle. His two swords were in hand, swirling blue with his water resonance power. Dang! When the swords met, resonant power boomed out, the aftershock rippling through the leaves. Lian Zhong's face whitened. Li Luo was completely unfazed by his Eighth Seal power. He could not suppress Li Luo in a clash! "Impossible! He should only be a Seventh Seal!"?Lian Zhong was alarmed! "Seems like the Eighth Seal doesn't count for much." Li Luo let a grin show. With his waterlight resonance at the sixth-grade, plus his resonant power at the Seventh Seal, an Eighth Seal would not trouble him as much as Song Yunfeng had during the preliminaries. "I'll make you eat those words!" Lian Zhong shouted with a vindictive hysteria. His resonant power again surging forth, he chopped and cleaved in a frenzy. But Li Luo was faster. His two swords in hand, blue light pulsed out as he twirled them, a continuous attack that pressed Lian Zhong hard. Fury in his eyes, Lian Zhong had his hands full dealing with it. Dang! Dang! The two fought for dozens of rounds. The clashes of metal rang out through the forest. But as the battle wore on, Lian Zhong felt that the intensity of Li Luo's attacks and resonant power only grew more vigorous. "The Nine Layered Jade Waves? That's a high-grade water resonance art!"?Lian Zhong paled. This water resonance art would gradually accumulate power as the battle wore on. Once it reached peak strength, he would be hard-pressed indeed. Lian Zhong was a veteran in battle. He immediately called upon all his yellow earth resonant power, imbuing his sword. "High-grade resonance art, Earth Slash!" He brought his cleaver down and split the earth in a yawning gap. But still Li Luo's blades twirled, and waves of sword light continued to wear away Lian Zhong's attacks. "Trying to stop my Nine Layered Jade Waves? Seems like you're not strong enough." Li Luo chuckled. Lian Zhong's face was grim now. He could not understand what was happening. Li Luo was clearly only a Seventh Seal. How could he be this strong and hard to deal with? In their previous clash, he could clearly sense that there was something odd about Li Luo's resonant power. It could stand up against his earth resonance power surprisingly well. It seemed like Li Luo's resonance was of a high grade. But from the information he had, wasn't Li Luo's resonance only a fifth-grade? Why was it so hard to deal with? While Lian Zhong was flustered, Li Luo only grew sharper as time wore on. Nine Layered Jade Waves' power was built up now. Time to counterattack. Li Luo's azure-blue power had reached its peak. The light on his Ripple Blade also glowed bright as it chopped down towards Lian Zhong's chest. A punishing blow. Lian Zhong had to be wary of Li Luo's explosive counter. The built-up power of the Nine Layered Jade Waves was not to be taken lightly. He took a deep breath, summoning up his yellow, earthy resonant power. With a roar, he molded it a shimmering armor of light. "High-grade resonance art, Earth Armor!" A faint, yellow armor shimmered into existence around him. It looked reassuringly strongdefense was the specialty of earth resonance users after all. Lian Zhong no longer dared to underestimate Li Luo. He had best bring all that he had to the table. Weng! The blue slashing attack landed against the armor of light and caused it to shudder violently. Cracks appeared, and Lian Zhong himself was sent stumbling back a dozen steps, until he crashed heavily against a tree trunk. He felt a stinging pain in his chest, but also relief. Thanks to his sturdy armor, he had managed to defend against Li Luo's attack. "What a solid shell." Li Luo marveled. Earth resonance specialized in defense. Lian Zhong had been contesting offense up till now, setting aside his natural strengths. Switching to defense made him an even tougher opponent. Lian Zhong was all serious business now. Their clash so far had made him understand THAT Li Luo was indeed a good match for him. He had even been forced to rely on his advantage of defense to sap Li Luo's stamina. "Li Luo, you're indeed very strong. A Seventh Seal, but able to push an Eighth Seal like myself. Still, it's impossible for you to win." His dull, yellow power continued to feed into his armor. Li Luo rubbed his chin as he eyed the impregnable light armor with some irritation. "Good man, you're such a coward! Can't win so you're going to turtle up? Weren't you full of swagger just a moment ago?" Lian Zhong sniffed and ignored Li Luo's taunts. He said, "Well, come beat me, then!" Li Luo snorted. "What a pervert... "But I'll allow it." "Pfft. All talk." Lian Zhong taunted. Li Luo smiled slightly. He put away his Flare Blade and wielded his Ripple Blade in a single hand. In the next instant, water resonance power surged up along the length of the blade. Slowly, the azure power formed a knife shape of its own. It was like a blade of fast-circulating water. "High-grade resonance art, Water Edge?" Lian Zhong recognized it immediately, and he relaxed. The Water Edge Art was one of the more offensive moves available for basic water resonance users. It used rapidly circulating water to bring about a searing effect. But ultimately, water resonance power was not suited to offense. It was practically impossible for Li Luo to break his armor like that. Li Luo bent over his water edge and smiled softly to himself. "Perhaps an ordinary Water Edge Art might not work... "But my Water Edge Art is not ordinary." As he spoke, a dazzling sparkle of light suddenly shined on the blue edge. Only Li Luo himself knew what was happening. He had imbued his light resonance power into it as well, creating thin channels through which his water resonance power was funneled. This meant that the water resonance power was now circulating at a terrifying pace. Such an unorthodox method would definitely produce a Water Edge Art that was... special. Li Luo dubbed it... Reinforced Water Edge Art, Version 1! Lian Zhong was eyeing the water edge apprehensively. Was the color becoming purer? What was going on? He felt a sense of foreboding. Li Luo did not keep him in suspense for too long. He leaped forth, the Ripple Blade in his hand still pulsing with jade light. "COME AT ME!" Lian Zhong roared. "I'M NOT AFRAID!" As he bellowed, the water edge in Li Luo's hand cut past his earthy, yellow armor. Li Luo landed behind Lian Zhong. He did not turn around, but calmly sheathed the Ripple Blade back at his waist. Behind him, Lian Zhong's face had frozen. The next instant, his armor shattered. His body keeled over, raising a cloud of dust as it landed. No one else had noticed this, but there was a crystal winking as it recorded the entire battle, displaying it on the crystal wall at Whitespirit Mountain. Chapter 58: Big Developments Foot of Whitespirit Mountain. The chatter had swelled to a loud bustle now. On the crystal wall, names shimmied up and down, and the screens beside it showed off the highlights of particularly intense fights, drawing the occasional gasp from the spectators. The scene changed. A clip of two people facing off in a forest. In a pavilion, a bored Cai Wei was carefully peeling a grape. She was just about to pop it into her dainty mouth when her eyes fell on the crystal wall. "That person looks like the Young Lord." Cai Wei started. Yan Lingqing perked up as well, looking over at the two figures facing off. "Indeed..." Cai Wei sat up straight, the grape forgotten. "Who is he fighting?" Yan Lingqing did not know either, but she quickly gleaned the news from the whispers all around that were quickly growing louder. "Second place in Eastpool Academy, Lian Zhong. Sixth-grade earth resonance, Eighth Seal." "Why would Li Luo cross such a strong enemy?" "It's inevitable in the elimination match. Even if he avoids trouble, trouble will come looking for him." Cai Wei's perfect brows creased slightly. Under them, her beautiful eyes were fixed on the scene unblinkingly. Yan Lingqing gave it her full attention now as well. Both knew that it would be a tough fight. As they watched intently, Li Luo and Lian Zhong began their fight. Each thrilling clash drew small, anxious facial twitches from the two women. But as the battle drew on, their astonishment grew more and more apparent. They saw that Li Luo was not at all at a disadvantage. He was clearly only a Seventh Seal, but he had an Eighth Seal firmly in hand. Especially with his final Water Edge skill. When his Ripple Blade sliced through Lian Zhong's light armor, Cai Wei was so excited, she slapped the table. "The Young Lord is awesome!" Yan Lingqing was staring too, cherry lips parted slightly in surprise, a look of stunned disbelief all over her face. She did not think that Li Luo would be able to handle a strong Eighth Seal opponent so handily. It was a perfect fight, and he played it out flawlessly. As Li Luo calmly sheathed his sword, she was struck by the contrast to the diligent youth who quietly crafted spirit liquids and purifying lights at her workshop. He was now brilliance incarnate. Perhaps this was the real Li Luo. Using warmth and cheek to hide his light... "Seeing this, I'm starting to believe that he can make it to the top 10," Yan Lingqing said in delight, a spark returning to her clear eyes. Outside the pavilion, there were also other exclamations. Clearly, they were not the only ones surprised by the outcome. In the main tent, the dean, Governor Shi, and Mentor Anlie were watching the same fight. The old dean was all smiles now, unable to hide the grin that was creeping across his face. "The second-placed student at Eastpool Academy was defeated by Southwind's rank 15, Li Luo? Haha, interesting." "Isn't it very interesting indeed, Governor Shi?" Governor Shi was shaking slightly as he forced the corners of his mouth up. "He lives up to the title of the Young Lord of House Luolan. Extremely unexpected." "This is Young Lord Li Luo from House Luolan? The one with a marriage agreement with Jiang Qing'e?" Mentor Anlie suddenly asked. The old dean nodded, beaming. "Indeed, he has good looks... Keke, this Li Luo hasn't entered the Astral Sage College yet, but his name is already famous in our school," Mentor Anlie said with a strange laugh. "Defeating an Eighth Seal doesn't mean his entry is guaranteed now, does it?" Governor Shi said thinly. "Well, I think you're in for a good show," the old dean said in an unwavering voice as he looked up. .... Of course, Li Luo himself was oblivious to the sensation his battle was stirring. He was busy dragging a fainted Lian Zhong somewhere else. As he cautiously parted a bush, he could see that the fight ahead was intense. He was surprised to see that Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang had the battle well in hand, despite the numbers advantage from Eastpool. Zhao Kuo was faring well as a meat shield, his huge axe swishing through the air as he tanked much of the offense. Around him, Yu Lang zipped back and forth, swift as the wind. His hit and run tactics had three of their opponents down on the ropes. If things continued this way, it seemed like the hurting would begin in earnest soon enough. Smiling, Li Luo walked out. All the fighters frozenot just Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang, but even the Eastpool students stared at him, fear in their eyes. Their fear only doubled when they saw him dragging an unconscious Lian Zhong with him. "Damn, Li Luo, you're sick. You actually beat Lian Zhong?" Yu Lang said, mouth agape. Li Luo nodded, smiling. He threw him to the ground before him, then turned to the three Eastpool students. "Still gonna resist?" The three of them had lost all will to fight. They turned, preparing to scatter. But Li Luo was ready. With a flick of his finger, Waterlight Bullet flew out and exploded, rewarding him with three identical, pained howls. Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang took the chance to redouble their attack. In short order, the three were also on the ground. "Let's split their points," Li Luo said. "Woah, this is a real big fish." Yu Lang's eyes were gleaming now. The four of them all had a generous amount of points, especially Lian Zhong, with a whopping 2,400. As tempting as the prize was, Yu Lang did not seem inclined to take Lian Zhong's points. Instead, he said, "Li Luo, you keep Lian Zhong's points for yourself. Zhao Kuo and I will split theirs." The others added up to slightly over 1,000 points. Although it was not as juicy as Lian Zhong's stash, it was a considerable sum nevertheless. Li Luo was about to say something, when Zhao Kuo chimed in as well. "Brother Luo, you beat Lian Zhong alone. We can't be ripping you off like that. Besides, you have the potential to make it into the top 10. No need to be dragged down by the likes of us." Li Luo relented under their insistence. Taking off his crystal medallion, he cleaned out Lian Zhong's points. With smiles that resembled shark grins, Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo did the same to the other three from Eastpool Academy. "Our boss won't let you get away with it!" they howled in desperation, tears of frustration streaming down their faces. With this, Li Luo's points reached 3,900, while Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo had passed the 2,000 mark. Although they could not see the leaderboard, Li Luo reckoned that he would be in the top 30 now, while Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo should be in the top 100. He grinned. Although the top 10 might still be a ways away, he was closing in. "Our brothers over at Eastpool Academy are really generous." "I wonder if any more generosity is headed our way." Towards the end of the elimination round, the survivors would be tough. Taking points from them would not be at all easy. Therefore, Lian Zhong delivering himself up on a silver plate was highly welcome. "Let's go. We're probably not far from Whitespirit Ruins," Li Luo said. With him leading the way, the three left. At Whitespirit Ruins, this elimination round would reach a white-hot climax. Chapter 59: Whitespirit Ruins After defeating the little team led by Lian Zhong, the trio occasionally encountered other tough opponents, but these clashes ended with tears on their opponents' faces, and their points in the trio's pockets. Two hours later. They were standing on high ground, gazing out at the expanse of wasteland before them. There had been a castle here once, but the ravages of time had brought it low. A whole field of broken rubble stretched as far as the eye could see. There were also huge trees and vines that obscured their view of the rubble. This was Whitespirit Ruins, and also the location of the final battle of the College Final Examinations. The three of them stared warily for a long while before closing in. At the edge of Whitespirit Ruins, they discovered a shining crystal wall. There were letters floating on it, detailing the final rules. The rules were simple. When there were ten people left in Whitespirit Ruins, the College Final Examinations would be declared over. Points would then determine their placings. Suddenly, their crystal medallions lit up, then a beam of light projected a translucent screen in front of them. "It's the scoreboard." Yu Lang gasped. They could indeed see it here at Whitespirit Ruins. Li Luo examined it. First place was Lu Qing'er, with 9,500 points. "Hooo. That's hot. How many did she finish off?" Li Luo marveled. They had used all sorts of tactics, baiting and even the lucky encounter with Lian Zhong. Even so, he had only 4,000-odd points. Lu Qing'er had doubled his score. She must have been a war goddess, cutting down all in her path. To no one's surprise, Shi Huang was in second place, with 8,300 points. Those after him hovered around the 5,000 mark, while Li Luo spotted his own name in 17th place. As for Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo, they were in the thirties. "Brother Luo, if the going gets tough, you should split. Our ranking is roughly our limit now. We can go down in a flash of glorythat's probably the last bit of use we can be to you. I think Yu Lang's on the same page, eh?" Zhao Kuo said as he scanned the board as well. Hearing this, Yu Lang was quiet for a few more seconds. "I feel like I still can go." Zhao Kuo tsked him, shooting him an angry glare. "Go where? You're done." Yu Lang nodded glumly. Alright, alright, he was done. Although Yu Lang was not above getting ahead by hook or by crook, on the whole he was of the same mind as Zhao Kuo on this one. The two of them were Seventh Seals, nowhere near the monster that Li Luo was. If they met an Eighth Seal, they were probably bound to lose. And as the number of tough competitors swelled at Whitespirit Ruins, they would quickly turn from helpers to burdens. Only ten would remain here at Whitespirit Ruins in the end. They could not possibly dream of reaching the final ten without being a huge source of stress and liability for Li Luo. Even if Li Luo did not mind, they could not accept such an outcome. Besides, there was not much point in them entering the top 10. As long as Lu Qing'er took first place, then there would be plenty of entrance placements for Southwind Academy, and they would benefit too. Li Luo smiled at their words. "We'll see when the time comes." His only goal was to enter the top 10 and get an entrance placement. Lu Qing'er was already there to secure first place for Southwind Academy as a whole, so there was no need for him to steal the spotlight. "Let's go. We'll find a place to hole up in Whitespirit Ruins." Li Luo waved them on, leading the way into the confusing terrain of Whitespirit Ruins. At the same time, at the opposite side of Whitespirit Ruins. Shi Huang stood before a crystal wall, scanning the scoreboard with a cool gaze. His eyes lingered on Lu Qing'er's name for a long while. "Boss, Lian Zhong's name is not on the list. Something must have happened to him!" an Eastpool student exclaimed. Shi Huang was puzzled by that. He carefully checked the list. Indeed, Lian Zhong's name was absent, although he did see Li Luo in 17th place. His eyes narrowed. He had sent Lian Zhong to take care of Li Luo. And now Lian Zhong was gone, while Li Luo was sitting pretty on the board? "He must have been ousted by Li Luo," Shi Huang said coldly. "Huh? Isn't Li Luo just a Seventh Seal? How's that possible?" those around him asked doubtfully. "He must have something up his sleeve. Besides, did you all really think Li Luo was useless?" Shi Huang said with a cold smile that did not reach his eyes. "This Young Lord must have been lying low all this time." "Should we deal with him?" Shi Huang dismissed it. "The most important target now is Lu Qing'er. Although Li Luo is a bit of a dark horse, he still doesn't warrant a change in our plans. "Ignore him for now," Shi Huang said, walking into Whitespirit Ruins. "After Lu Qing'er is dealt with, he'll be as trivial as a clown on the bridge." Not long after entering Whitespirit Ruins, Shi Huang spotted a fresh symbol carved on one of the ruined walls. He grinned and followed the mark onto a ruined street. A few minutes later, he ended up in a dilapidated hut. In the gloom, four people awaited. They were Xiang Liang, Chi Su, Zong Fu, and Song Yunfeng, the four whom Shi Huang had an agreement with. "Shi Huang, you're still trailing Lu Qing'er in points." Xiang Liang smirked as he walked in. Shi Huang gave a thin smile. "A temporary lead. It does not matter." "Speak, then. When do we move?" Chi Su asked. "The most important thing now is to confirm Lu Qing'er's position and complete the plan. Leave her no room to escape. If she does get away, she will not be so easily caught a second time. And she can also play for time or cut the survivors down to the last ten to force the exams to end," Zong Fu stated clinically. Shi Huang nodded, turning his eyes on Song Yunfeng. "I'm afraid we will have to trouble Song Yunfeng for this one." He smiled. Xiang Liang and the others also turned to him. Uncomfortable under their stares, he could also feel a sense of hostility emanating from them. Xiang Liang and the other two were not from Southwind Academy, so it was normal for them to want to take down Lu Qing'er. But Song Yunfeng was also of Southwind, yet he was helping Shi Huang win against her. That was a little distasteful. Although for their interests, they were happy to have an inside agent like Song Yunfeng, but that did not curb their disdain for his character. "I'm ready," Song Yunfeng said, trying to repress his uneasiness. "Then we are much obliged. In this matter, your contribution is the greatest," Shi Huang said, his face the very picture of sincerity. Chapter 60: Ambush All Around As time passed, more and more students arrived at Whitespirit Ruins. Those that made it here were veterans of numerous battles and had risen above the others. They were more or less the elites of their generation in the Tianshu Province. Their arrival here immediately shattered the gloomy silence of the ruins, heated battles breaking out all over. The frenzy was reflected on the scoreboards as well, now visible both in and outside Whitespirit Mountain. Occasionally, a name would disappear and be replaced by another, indicating an elimination. As the cutthroat battles continued, all eyes were on the rapidly changing board. The numbers dwindled and the stakes rose. ..... In a broken building. Li Luo listened to the sounds of battle nearby and then looked at the scoreboard displayed by his crystal medallion. He sighed. "It's too quick." In just over an hour, the 100-odd students had been cut down to just 60. In this time, he had not met anyone, and his score had not changed. As a result, his rank had fallen from 17 to 23. "Brutal." Zhao Kuo agreed. As they spoke, a blur whizzed in. Yu Lang. "It's chaos out there. Fights everywhere." Yu Lang had been scouting for information. His wind resonance was well suited for it. "Found anything?" Li Luo asked. Yu Lang nodded, suddenly sober. "I stumbled upon Shi Huang. And he has Xiang Liang, Chi Su, and Zong Fu with him." Li Luo looked up sharply. "They're in an alliance?" "I suspect theyre teaming up against Lu Qing'er," Yu Lang said solemnly, licking his lips. In these examinations,no one but Lu Qing'er could trouble Shi Huang. Zhao Kuo's face turned grim as well. It seemed like their hopes of getting into the Astral Sage College didn't just lie on Li Luo's shoulders. Perhaps Lu Qing'er was the less certain condition. Only by winning could she secure their school enough additional placements for them to succeed. Li Luo was looking troubled as well. "It seems likely. Shi Huang's cunningness runs deep. He must have planned for everything. If Lu Qing'er is truly their combined target, she is in danger." If such was Shi Huang's plan, then they had to ensure that she remained safe no matter what. If Lu Qing'er was eliminated, then the rest of Southwind Academy would fall like chaff before Shi Huang. Even Li Luo could not handle Shi Huang, Xiang Liang, Chi Su, and Zong Fu all at once. Li Luo was quiet for a while, then he let out a deep sigh. "Which way did they go?" he asked Yu Lang. Yu Lang quickly pointed. "Are you going?" "You know how important Lu Qing'er is. I have to go take a look. If she's in trouble, we're in trouble." Li Luo sighed. Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo nodded. "You two stay here. It's easier for me to get around alone." "Alright, take care." They understood that they would be in over their heads in a battle at that level, so they didn't object. Li Luo nodded, then he turned around without a word. He left without a sound, his azure-blue resonant power cloaking him. ...... Somewhere in Whitespirit Ruins. Lu Qing'er was sitting on a ruined tower, her features fresh. Her white top was clinging to the curve of her chest and her slim waist. Her long, white pants hugged her firm rump but let loose her shapely and long legs free. It emphasized her figure extremely well. Her long hair hung at just about the level of that hour-glass waist. She was a stirring sight, especially contrasted against the dour and woeful ruins. She pulled out a little cloth bag from the folds of her clothing. There was some dried fruit inside, and she chewed slowly, replenishing the day's exertions. Suddenly, she jerked, seeing someone approach. She looked closely and saw that it was Difa Qing. They had run into each other at Whitespirit Ruins, and of course the latter had been overjoyed to see her. She had wanted to stick together, and Lu Qing'er had no objections. Since they were peers, she didn't mind helping her out. "Qing'er, you're truly a champion for us girls. All those guys were crushed by you." Difa Qing gushed over her. Lu Qing'er smiled slightly. "It's not over yet." Difa Qing nodded. "In these exams, Eastpool Academy is indeed a strong contender. I'm worried about Shi Huang." "He's very strong." Lu Qing'er concurred. Even she considered him a threat. "Mm. That's why same-school students should stick together. That's why I left a mark just nowSong Yunfeng told me about it. He said that if I came across you and felt you needed help, I should let him know with that mark. If he saw it, he would help," Difa Qing said in a sunny voice. Lu Qing'er choked on her dried fruit. She stared at Difa Qing frostily. "You're saying you left Song Yunfeng a mark nearby?" Difa Qing was scared at the sudden hostility. "Y-yes? What's wrong?" she stuttered. "Song Yunfeng is the second best in Southwind Academy. If he helps you, there's no need to be afraid of Shi Huang." Lu Qing'er looked at Difa Qing for a few dozen seconds. She then stowed her cloth pouch, her face stony. "I'm leaving. Don't follow me." "Qing'er... You- what's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" Difa Qing anxiously asked. Lu Qing'er ignored her. Leaning forward on the balls of her feet, she leapt lightly off the tower, landing on a pile of broken rocks and taking off swiftly. Although she did not know what Difa Qing's mark would bring, she did not want to reveal her location so easily. It made her feel unsafe. "Hopefully, it's just overthinking,"?Lu Qing'er thought to herself. Just as she was about to slip away, her lithe body suddenly seized up, and the rocks under her exploded with a brilliant green light, snagging her exposed ankle. The attack caught her off-guard. Even so, Lu Qing'er was not completely unprepared. She remained calm, sending a current of her ice resonant power towards her foot. The green light was frozen, and materialized as some sort of green vine. Clap, clap, clap! Sounds of clapping from ahead. Lu Qing'er looked up and saw a figure standing on top of a broken wall, smiling at her. Shi Huang. To her flanks and behind her, others appeared, cutting off her escape routes. "Got you, Lu Qing'er." Xiang Liang's eyes were gleaming as he laughed. To her front, Shi Huang. On the flanks and back, Xiang Liang, Chi Su, and Zong Fu. All three were formidable opponents. Things looked dire. Not far away, a crystal winked, feeding the scene back to the crystal wall at Whitespirit Mountain. Back at the foot of Whitespirit Mountain, the audience exploded with excitement. Chapter 61: Hunting Lu Qinger When Lu Qing'er appeared on the screen, surrounded on all sides, there were looks of consternation back outside Whitespirit Mountain. "That's Southwind Academy's Lu Qing'er? First on the leaderboard?" "She's being targeted? That's Shi Huang, and Xiang Liang, Chi Su, Zong Fu. Hoo. All the top few in points." "Southwind Academy is in trouble now. Shi Huang came well prepared. He must have plotted this earlier. If they can knock Lu Qing'er out, then Eastpool Academy will probably overtake Southwind Academy by eliminating their leader." "Cheeky lads, ganging up on such a beautiful, wee lass." "Well, no such rule. Lu Qing'er was careless, is all." "..." The chatter swelled with excitement. No matter which side you were on, this battle promised to be the most spectacular one in these exams. In the pavilion, Yan Lingqing and Cai Wei were staring at the crystal wall, faces stiff. "Lu Qing'er is in trouble," Cai Wei said. "They're ganging up on Southwind Academy," Yan Lingqing said shrewdly. They had accurately pinpointed Lu Qing'er's location, then Shi Huang had come personally. He had even invited three others who were currently on the top 5 standings. They were giving Lu Qing'er no room to escape. "Trouble." Cai Wei scowled. Li Luo was from Southwind Academy, so naturally she was on Lu Qing'er's side. Besides, Lu Qing'er had helped the Suncreek Villa out before, so of course Cai Wei did not want to see her eliminated. Still, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. In the main pavilion, the atmosphere had become stifling. It seemed like the air itself had gone still. It was the old dean's turn for a black mood. His body pulsed with a robust resonant power, casting an aura of intimidation around him. Nearby, Governor Shi sat unfazed, a small smile playing across his lips. "Governor Shi must have gone to great lengths to plan this, eh?" the old dean asked curtly. This plot did not only involve Eastpool Academy, but even conspirators from three different schools. This was a plot long in the works, and no sudden get-together. Xiang Liang, Chi Su, and Zong Fu were mere students. The fact that they would choose to work together with Shi Huang meant that their respective schools had given them such direction. And the only one in the Tianshu Province capable of uniting multiple major schools against Southwind Academy was Governor Shi himself. "Southwind Academy has held the title of best school for too long," Governor Shi said cheerfully. "This is but the will of the masses." "Governor Shi, your coming to the Tianshu Province can be likened to a rat dropping in a cauldron of soup," the dean said caustically. A hint of anger flashed in Governor Shi's eyes. He stated simply, "My hand was forced by you, Dean." "Don't worry. This year at the royal court evaluation, I will give you a poor review again. At that time, Governor Shi will probably give up the position," the dean said icily. Governor Shi responded with an equally cold smile. "Oh, don't worry. If you lose the title of best school, then Southwind Academy's evaluation holds no weight." Electricity sizzled in their mutual glare, a wordless communication of anger and hate that only heightened the tension in the main pavilion. Mentor Anlie just sat there, ignoring their altercation. He had seen all too many of such politicking. As long as no rules were broken, he would not step in. He was completely focused on the crystal wall. Inwardly, he thought that the lass Lu Qing'er was in a pitiful position... Within the expanse of broken buildings. Lu Qing'er's cold gaze was fixed on Shi Huang, who was in front of her. "You must have gone to great lengths to put this show together," she said, her voice ringing out clear and cool. "A gesture of my great respect for you, Qing'er." Shi Huang smirked. She shook her head slightly, knowing that words were useless. Her petite frame surged with icy-white resonant power, and her ice-silk gloves began to freeze over with flakes. It was almost like a tiger's tongue; a light graze would tear into flesh. These custom ice-silk gloves were Lu Qing'er's weapons. The other three began to harness their resonant power as well. Each readied their weapons as they stared mercilessly at Lu Qing'er. The tension was palpable. In the next instant, the three moved as one, each from their respective direction. Three beams of light shot forth, caging Lu Qing'er. Lu Qing'er's own ice resonant power flared out to meet them. She did not back away, but instead took the fight to them. As her power howled around her, the air around them grew thicker, and patches of frost could be seen on the cracked ground beneath them. Bang! The four resonant powers clashed in spectacular fashion. But the ones who were dismayed were the three attackers. They could sense the power behind Lu Qing'er's ice resonant power, sweeping away their own attacks. "It's really a Ninth Seal's power!" "A high-grade seventh-grade ice resonance!" Then the three attacked again. "Crimson Fire Palm!" Xiang Liang shouted, pushing his fire resonant power to his palms. A flaming crimson palm print flew towards Lu Qing'er. "Poison Ivy Hex!" Clasping her hands together, Chi Su sent her venom-green power snaking out along the ground, forming green tendrils that whipped out at Lu Qing'er's feet. "Water Whip!" Zong Fu waved his long sleeves and sent a blue whip flying through the air. It was packed with moist power, aimed at Lu Qing'er's head. They had clearly coordinated this beforehand. Their well-choreographed attack targeted Lu Qing'er's vitals. "Frost Halo!" Lu Qing'er stomped her foot, and an icy-blue halo shimmered into existence around her body. It expanded smoothly, freezing all that it touched. The three attacks were nullified. They faltered. Lu Qing'er did not. She charged Xiang Liang, her dainty hands already moving, calling forth more icy wind as she moved, so they would have to fight in the bitter chill. Lu Qing'er's onslaught overwhelmed Xiang Liang in an instant. If not for Zong Fu and Chi Su coming to his rescue, he would have fallen all too quickly. The chaotic melee in the ruins was hard to keep track of. It was three on one, but everyone could see that Lu Qing'er held the upper hand. Such fighting ability left the spectators in awe. What beauty! What skills! Seeing the situation on the verge of souring, Xiang Liang finally roared to their mastermind, "Shi Huang, what are you waiting for?!" Bang! Just as he shouted, a shrill thunderclap echoed across the wreckage. A bolt of lightning streaked towards Lu Qing'er. Her eyes hardened at this new attack, but she was still unhurried. After all, she already knew that Shi Huang would join the fray eventually. Her ice resonant power gathered at her silk gloves, and they seemed to be shrouded in crystals. Her palm darted out to connect with the lightning spear. Sshhh! Ice and lightning clashed and scattered across the field. Lu Qing'er was shaken slightly, while the attacker was sent retreating. This might be the first time in the exams that Lu Qing'er had not had the upper hand in battle. Worry crept up on her youthful features as her eyes tracked the crackling figure. "A high-grade seventh-grade lightning resonance. Formidable." "Qing'er, your high-grade seventh-grade ice resonance is equally deserving of respect," Shi Huang replied jauntily. "Still, you're not getting away today." Lu Qing'er remained quiet for a few beats. Shi Huang and her were evenly matched. With his three lackeys in the fight, she was indeed at a disadvantage. But if they thought that was all it would take to get Lu Qing'er to come quietly, they were naive. "Since you want to play, I'll entertain you till the last," Lu Qing'er said coldly. They felt a chill run down their scalps at those words. All eyes on her. Lu Qing'er stretched out her hands and gently removed her ice-silk gloves. With that, her bare hands were now exposed. Their eyes narrowed. Shi Huang was suddenly looking serious too. "Is she finally going to use that trump card..." Chapter 62: Hands of Ice Jade When Lu Qing'er peeled off her gloves, all eyes were on her hands, perfect unblemished skin in a beautiful alabaster. They must have been shaped by a divine being. Her hands had an otherworldly beauty to them, as if they were carved straight out of mutton fat jade.[1] When she revealed her hands, the three youths present were entranced by their beauty, even Chi Su, who was a girl. Beautiful faces, they had seen plenty. But seeing hands that held such beauty, this was a first for them. It was a pity that Lu Qing'er kept them hidden under silk gloves all the time. There were also icy patterns that could be seen faintly on Lu Qing'er's hands, which were exuding a cold mist. "Be careful. That's Lu Qing'er's secret technique, Hands of Ice Jade... She might only be a Ninth Seal, but that technique could trump some Duke Stage resonance arts, Shi Huang warned them sharply. The others stiffened up upon hearing this. They looked at Lu Qing'er's beautiful hands with renewed caution. Duke Stage resonance arts were on a completely different level than Ten Seals Stage fighters. They themselves were unable to use such high level resonance arts, and yet Lu Qing'er's ace could be used even before entering the Resonant Master Stage. That was a scary prospect indeed. They were starting to understand why Shi Huang had called them together to deal with Lu Qing'er even though he was quite strong himself. This trump card must have been what he was afraid of. Lu Qing'er, the ice queen, wasted no words. Without any changes to her frosty expression, she moved toward Shi Huang's position. Deal with Shi Huang first, apparently. Shi Huang had anticipated that. With a flash of lightning, he retreated. The lightning resonance also specialized in speed, much like the wind resonance. Lu Qing'er immediately changed targets, giving up on their leader and turning to Xiang Liang. Xiang Liang panicked. He did not have Shi Huang's speed, and could only call forth his fiery resonant power with a shout. At the same time, his sword burst into flames. He charged Lu Qing'er. Hu! The blade sang through the air, but Lu Qing'er did not seem concerned. With a flick of two fingers from her left hand, a gust of icy wind blasted out against the attack. Dong! A clear ringing sound like a bell, and Xiang Liang found his blade encased in a thick ice coating that doused his fire resonance instantly. It expanded swiftly, and soon he was encased in ice on the spot. One move, and the Eighth Seal Xiang Liang was down! Lu Qing'er's Hands of Ice Jade was chillingly strong indeed. Chi Su and Zong Fu immediately ran for it. But having shown her trump card, how could Lu Qing'er just let them go so easily? She sent two well-aimed shots at their legs, creating ice shackles that rooted them. Another flick from two fingers, and two more ice sculptures were formed a few moments later. In the blink of an eye, these three top rankers on the leaderboard had been dealt with by Lu Qing'er. However, after dealing with the three of them, the faint icy patterns on her left hand started to dim. Clap, clap! From behind, applause. "The brilliant Hands of Ice Jade." Shi Huang praised her gleefully. Lu Qing'er turned to him with a neutral expression. But this time, Shi Huang did not run. Lu Qing'er sent her right fist pressing forward, icy wind howling with it. It seemed like even the air itself was freezing. It slammed straight into Shi Huang's chest. Shockingly, he was not frozen. Across the surface of his skin, lightning crackled. An electric armor. "Qing'er, if your Hands of Ice Jade was complete on both hands, you could break my Voltaic Plating. But with just one hand? Not yet, it seems." Shi Huang smirked. His own trump card, revealed. Against the full brunt of the Hands of Ice Jade, Shi Huang had to be cautious. But now that she only had half her strength left, he had nothing to fear. In other words, he had gathered the other three as meat shields against the Hands of Ice Jade. All had gone according to plan. They went at each other with full force, draining away their energy. Finally, Lu Qing'er's heart sank as the patterns on her right hand dimmed. Her Hands of Ice Jade were expended. Bang! Just then, Shi Huang struck with lightning speed. A savage fist boomed out, smashing into Lu Qing'er's abdomen. Her petite frame was sent flying, and she crashed heavily into a pile of jagged rocks. Blood appeared on her lips. "Qing'er, what a shame. The final victor is... me," Shi Huang said, his smile almost apologetic. He walked over to the helpless Lu Qing'er. Seeing the situation, Lu Qing'er sighed inwardly as well. She looked at the approaching Shi Huang dejectedly. As unhappy as she was, there was nothing more she could do. "I'll have your points." Shi Huang reached out a hand, pawing at the crystal medallion on Lu Qing'er's chest. Swish, swish! Just at that instant, dozens of lightballs whistled out of nowhere, exploding between Shi Huang and Lu Qing'er. A blinding light. Shi Huang was caught off guard, and his eyes were pierced with pain. Still, he quickly stretched out to snatch at Lu Qing'er. Nothing but air. Panicking now, he forced his throbbing eyes open, and he saw a figure clutching Lu Qing'er and vanishing into the ruins. Shi Huang flew into a rage and rushed forward. He leaped over a broken wall but saw no traces of anybody. All good humor was gone now, replaced by a towering mood. That person had escaped quickly, but still Shi Huang had recognized him. "That damn Li Luo!" Shi Huang hissed through gritted teeth. "He's ruined it!" 1. Mutton fat jade is one of two types of jade, and is also known as nephrite. The other one is chicken bone jade. Chapter 63: Its the Ol White Knight to the Rescue! In the crumbling ruins. Shi Huang was fuming so hard that vapor was actually rising from his body. There was a demented look in his eyes. He was just on the verge of eliminating Lu Qing'er, his greatest obstacle, and now Li Luo had whisked her away! The feeling of his painstakingly constructed plan going to ruins was enough to make Shi Huang blow his top. How he wished he could tear Li Luo into a thousand pieces! Shi Huang's eyes swept the ground for traces of Li Luo's trail, but he saw nothing. The pair seemed to have vanished into thin air. He searched for a while, then deemed it fruitless. He took a deep breath, struggling for composure. He returned to the three ice sculptures and used his resonant power to thaw them. All three were blue in the face as they crawled out of the ice, shivering uncontrollably. It was quite a while later before they finally began to recover. Shi Huang looked at them. "Lu Qing'er has been taken away by Li Luo. Our mission is not yet complete." "We must move quickly to find them. I injured Lu Qing'er. She will need some time to recover, and her Hands of Ice Jade are temporarily spent. She will not be able to use them for a while. As long as we find her, eliminating her will be easy." The three nodded. They had gone to such lengths, so they did not want to come up empty-handed. "Just the few of us alone will not be enough, I fear. The terrain is confusing too. I suggest we spread word of Lu Qing'er's grievous wounds. There are also other students in Whitespirit Ruins. In peak condition, they would not dare to cross her, but with her injured and holding so many points, there will be bolder ones who would attack," Zong Fu said suddenly. The others immediately approved of this, and even Shi Huang's eyes lit up. "Let's go. Give them no time," Shi Huang ordered. Then they scurried away. ...... Outside Whitespirit Mountain. When Lu Qing'er was suddenly rescued, a huge cheer went up outside. After all, for those not invested, the winsome Lu Qing'er was a much more appealing side to back. Besides, she was the underdog. However, they also knew that Lu Qing'er had been injured. Even though she had been saved, they had only bought some time. "It seems like it was the Young Lord who saved Lu Qing'er." Cai Wei had a sharp eye, and she seemed to have identified him. Yan Lingqing cocked her head. "This Li Luo is an oldhand at rescuing damsels in distress. Timing, method, all perfect. What girl could resist?" Cai Wei gave a half-smile. "Could it be that Qing'e will have a new rival?" "That will be something to watch," Yan Lingqing said with relish. The lighthearted atmosphere here was a stark contrast to the mood back in the main pavilion, although the old dean had also lightened up a little with Lu Qing'er's rescue. Still, he had not spoken, because he too knew that Southwind Academy was in a dire situation. With Lu Qing'er heavily injured, it was too much to ask to take down Shi Huang. Beside him, Governor Shi sipped his tea serenely. He was not overly affected by Lu Qing'er's rescue. He also knew that this development had come just a little too late. She was no longer the biggest problem. As long as Shi Huang found her and took her points, all would be well. At that time, the coveted title of best school in the Tianshu Province would fall to Eastpool Academy. The thought brought a faint twitch of happiness to Governor Shi's lips. Oh, the rescuer was Li Luo? That House Luolan boy was indeed a vexing one. But no matter; as long as he remained in control of the Tianshu Province, there were all too many options for him to create trouble and instigate House Luolan's fall. ...... Somewhere in Whitespirit Ruins, Li Luo gently laid Lu Qing'er down in a natural tree hollow. He lowered his head to find Lu Qing'er's eyes locked dead on his face. "Although I know the impact of my white knight rescue has devastated you, I hope you can control yourself," said a deadpan Li Luo. Lu Qing'er bit her lip, her willowy brow dipping in reaction to the sharp pain coming from within. She knew her injuries were not trivial. "How bad is it?" Li Luo asked. She sighed, discouraged. "Quite bad. I'll be much weaker in fights from now on. I was too careless." "That's bad. Shi Huang and his goons will be hunting us desperately. If he's smart, he'll call the other students. We'll be dug out sooner or later." Li Luo frowned. "I'm sorry." Lu Qing'er hung her head. "What are you sorry for?" Li Luo asked, surprised. "I wasn't able to get first place. I let everyone down. Southwind Academy will lose the additional entrance slots," Lu Qing'er said softly. "How's that your business? Entrance slots are to be earned individually. Additional slots, your first place, all those are your individual accomplishments. If you can't take them, it's just bad luck for the other Southwind students," Li Luo said indignantly. "The Lu Qing'er I know isn't this shy. Were you hit over the head or something?" She stared at him huffily. "You're the one hit on the head." Li Luo grinned. "Oh, I almost forgot. You're injured, and I have a water resonance. I can help you heal!" "I'm afraid these injuries won't completely heal in so short a time." Lu Qing'er hesitated. "Heal what you can," Li Luo said. His waterlight resonance was special, and both water and light resonances had rejuvenating properties. Combined, they should be able to work some healing miracles. He reached out to clasp her small, white hand with his own. He had just taken hold of her hand when Lu Qing'er jolted upright. She vehemently pulled her hand back, her usually fair complexion now blushing furiously. She stared at him embarrassedly. "Hooligan, what are you doing!?" Li Luo was startled by her reaction as well. "Using my water resonance power to heal you." Lu Qing'er stammered. "Wellwell don't hold my hand!" Li Luo shook his head, dumbfounded. "My resonant power is faint enough as it is. Through clothing, it will be even weaker. Or you could turn around and I could pull your clothing down a little?" Lu Qing'er's pearly whites grated against each other, staring him down furiously like a little mother tiger. "Fine! No healing! Too hard to coddle! Let's just wait here for elimination, then!" Li Luo was irritated now. This girl was troublesome. Such a fuss over healing! Even he would get angry! "Wait." Seeing him rise, Lu Qing'er hurriedly stopped him. She hung her head. "I was wrong. Continue, please." Li Luo sniffed, then sat back down. He stretched out a rough hand to take Lu Qing'er's own. Perhaps because of her technique, her small hand was especially cool to the touch, almost like jade itself. It put some naughty thoughts in his head. But Li Luo kept his expression blank, quickly channeling his resonant power. Blue power flooded through his hand, entering Lu Qing'er's body and repairing damage. As his water resonance power flooded through her, she was surprised by its purity. Its regeneration was far more effective than she had anticipated. A slow warmth spread within her, and the pain faded. She glanced up at Li Luo holding her hand and then dipped her head so her long hair covered her face. Her face was red as a tomato, and her body was also quivering. It was a sight not often seen. Lu Qing'er was not actually unwilling to let Li Luo hold her hand. But because she cultivated the Hands of Ice Jade, it made her hands especially sensitive when she was not channeling power through them. That was the reason she wore the ice-silk gloves, not allowing others to touch her hands. Li Luo had grabbing her hand roughly and then later made her apologizethe usually proud Lu Qing'er felt humbled. Chapter 64: Hostages No More Within Whitespirit Ruins, things were a mess. The remaining students had all received messages from Shi Huang's camp that Southwind Academy's Lu Qing'er was badly injured and in hiding. It sparked a wave of greed. Everyone knew that she was first on the leaderboard. If Lady Luck brought them to her, wouldn't they shoot up to first place instantly? Usually, they would be afraid of her strength. But now that she was injured, what was there to fear? And so the greedy students-turned-bounty-hunters started to comb the area for her energetically. ...... Shi Huang was perched on a tall, brick feature, emotionlessly monitoring the changes in Whitespirit Ruins. They had been searching for an hour now, but Li Luo and Lu Qing'er seemed to have vanished. No one could find them. "I don't know what's going on. It's unsettling," Shi Huang said, cocking an eye at Xiang Liang and the others. Zong Fu said, "There's no need to panic. With such a methodical search, they won't be able to hide much longer." Shi Huang let out a long sigh. He knew that getting nervous was not going to help. But he could not dispel the uneasiness that weighed on his mind. Suddenly, he heard a rustle. Turning, he saw Song Yunfeng walk out from the ruins nearby, someone in hand. "I should be able to help you force Li Luo out," Song Yunfeng said with a small smile. He gestured to the trussed up figure with him. "This person is called Zhao Kuo, a good friend of Li Luo in school. He and Yu Lang were following Li Luo before. "Li Luo was able to track you down probably because of Yu Lang. What he didn't know was that while he was tracking you... I was tracking him. "When you fought with Lu Qing'er, I went in and caught Zhao Kuo. But Yu Lang got away." Zhao Kuo was bound hand and foot, and even gagged for good measure. He could only stare furiously at Song Yunfeng. They had actually been aware of Song Yunfeng's presence, but they had dropped their guard against a schoolmate. After all, it did not make sense for them to compete against one another, which would be counterproductive. And yet Song Yunfeng had struck deviously. In that moment of crisis, Zhao Kuo had thrown himself at Song Yunfeng, buying Yu Lang time to get away, but sacrificing himself. Song Yunfeng ignored his furious gaze. "Although we cannot kill during the exams, we can play with this guy. I'm sure that once Li Luo gets wind of it, he won't be able to resist coming to save his good friend." "Haha, Yunfeng, you're a godsend!" Shi Huang laughed loudly. He turned to Chi Su. "Put this Zhao Kuo up in a prominent place. I want to see whether Li Luo will choose his brother or Lu Qing'er." Zong Fu frowned. "Isn't that a bit excessive?" Shi Huang dismissed it with a wave. "It's all Li Luo's fault for poking his nose in. All of this started because of him," he said indifferently. Chi Su obliged. She lifted a hand, and green vines stretched out to bind Zhao Kuo. ...... In the tree hollow. Li Luo opened his eyes, looking at Lu Qing'er, still blushing red as a tomato and quivering. He found it peculiar. "You alright?" Her teeth were biting hard against her rosy lips as she shook her head. "Is it done?" she asked in a faint voice. Li Luo nodded and smiled, letting go of her hand. Her entire body relaxed, as though relieved of a heavy burden. The blush slowly receded while Lu Qing'er checked her wounds. She was astonished. "My injuries are more than 80 percent recovered." It had been just about an hour, and Li Luo had worked a miracle. Were his healing powers so strong? "Li Luo, you're amazing!" Lu Qing'er squealed. Li Luo sketched a bashful gesture. "Make use of what time we haverecover some resonant power." Lu Qing'er dipped her head, shutting her beautiful eyes. She started to channel her own energy cultivation art to recover power. When Li Luo stood up and poked his head outside the tree hollow, his expression turned dark as he spotted something. Glancing back at the recovering Lu Qing'er, he used his water resonance power to cloak himself in the Water Shadow Art, then he slipped out of their hiding hole. Li Luo moved swiftly through the wrecked landscape. A few dozen minutes later, he paused in a well-hidden place, watching the scene ahead. High on a weathered tower, Zhao Kuo hung. Shi Huang and the others were around him, keenly watching their surroundings. "Li Luo, I know you can see us. I'll cut the crap. Give us Lu Qing'er, and I'll free your friend," Shi Huang shouted loudly. Silence all around. "If you don't come out, then your friend's pride will be ground to dust today." Shi Huang sneered. He picked up a stone, crushing it into pieces in his hand. With each flick of his fingers, he sent a piece smashing painfully into Zhao Kuo. The pain was intense enough to make him break out into a cold sweat. He had been ungagged, but still he gritted his teeth, not making a sound. He knew that they were doing this to lure Li Luo over. "Tough, aren't you?" Shi Huang said with a cool smile. Flick, flick, flick. Now the pieces were charged with lightning resonance, and they thudded into Zhao Kuo with dull shocking sounds. He writhed and thrashed like a fish on the hook. Shoosh! Just at this moment, a green streak breezed in. "Shi Huang, you ball-less scum! When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna dip you in the latrine!" Shi Huang cocked an unconcerned eye at him. "That's Yu Lang," Song Yunfeng informed him. "Zhao Kuo, I'm here to save you!" Yu Lang shouted. He shot forth like a bullet towards the hanging Zhao Kuo. Song Yunfeng snorted. He sent a casual backhand into Yu Lang, who did not defend himself, taking the blow. Blood spurted forth from Yu Lang's lips, but he still moved like a leaf cutting through the wind, drawing ever closer to Zhao Kuo. Shi Huang frowned. He attacked. But suddenly, a burst of green light spewed from Yu Lang's mouth. It landed squarely on Zhao Kuo's chest, smashing his crystal medallion. Yu Lang suddenly froze. Song Yunfeng was stalking him like a hungry tiger. Calmly, he plucked the crystal medallion from his own chest and then crushed it. "Haha, I've got no medallion now. I'm out. Come fight me, then." Yu Lang hooted with glee as he danced a little jig, taunting them. Shi Huang, Song Yunfeng, and the others all paused. They had assumed Yu Lang was here to save Zhao Kuo. But in truth, he had never intended to do so. He was here on a suicide mission to eliminate them both. They could not do anything to eliminated students. That was against the rules. As the reality of the situation dawned on them, their faces were as sour as if they had swallowed lemons. Chapter 65: Three, Two, One, Done! An empty plain amidst the ruins. Yu Lang had a cheeky grin on his face as he sat on the ground. Still dangling in the air, Zhao Kuo was chortling as well, swinging with the wind. "Yu Lang, you rascal. Youre smarter than you look. It's like you have a brain!" "You praise me too much," Yu Lang said, scratching his head in a bashful gesture. Shi Huang looked at the two. They were of no more use to him now. And all they could do was throw angry words at him. There was no need to bother with them anymore. Song Yunfeng was the more frustrated one. He had come up with this plan, and Yu Lang had ruined it completely. "Yu Lang, you two had the chance to make it to the top 10. Why choose to be eliminated here? You think it's worth it?" Song Yunfeng needled him. Yu Lang drawled lazily back at him, "A blockhead like you wouldn't understand, Song Yunfeng. Yu Lang here might like money, but even I have standards. At the very least, I wouldn't do something like backstab my own school to help out other schools." "Your words mean nothing. I will go on to the Astral Sage College. And you two, your careers end here," Song Yunfeng replied coldly. Yu Lang smirked at him. "Really? Even Li Luo fought you to a draw last time. Who's to say what's possible or not?" A dark shadow crossed Song Yunfeng's eyes. This Yu Lang really had a poisonous mouth. Shi Huang cut him off with a gesture. "Enough. This plan has failed. We will continue to search for them inch by inch. They cannot hide for long." Song Yunfeng nodded, turning away from Yu Lang. Unbeknownst to them, Li Luo was watching this all with a calm expression. His expression was calm, not a single ripple of emotion showing. And yet those familiar with Li Luo would know that this was extremely unusual for this usually warm and amiable man. Something was wrong. A calm expression was intense anger for Li Luo. His gaze lingered on Shi Huang and Song Yunfeng for a few seconds, then he turned, moving swiftly and surely away. As he left, Shi Huang seemed to sense something, as if an enemy had been watching him. He turned vaguely in that direction. Could it be Li Luo? Best if it was. Surely that exchange must have angered him. Then again, what could a weakling's anger do? Inside the tree hollow. When Li Luo returned, Lu Qing'er was still recovering. He did not disturb her, instead sitting down and cultivating with his eyes closed. Another hour passed. When the sun began to set, russet rays cast long shadows on Whitespirit Mountain. Vision fell, but Li Luo could hear more voices coming their way. The searchers. Li Luo opened his eyes to Lu Qing'er's lovely eyes staring at him. The latter quickly averted hers. "How's the recovery?" Li Luo asked. "Not bad," Lu Qing'er said with a pretty smile. Li Luo was silent for a few beats. "Right now, can you still beat Shi Huang?" Lu Qing'er hesitated. She shook her head. "I can't. Shi Huang is not weaker than me. If my Hands of Ice Jade were in peak condition, I might be able to. But now that it's expended, it will not recover in a short time. Plus, my injuries are not completely healed. "Besides, Shi Huang's Voltaic Plating Armor is quite daunting. Without the Hands of Ice Jade, I can't break it." Li Luo's face fell when he heard that. Didn't that mean Shi Huang would get first place sooner or later? Lu Qing'er sensed something off about Li Luo's mood. She asked cautiously, "Li Luo, what's wrong?" "I will have Shi Huang and Song Yunfeng eliminated before the top 10 are decided," Li Luo said ruthlessly. "They captured Zhao Kuo and humiliated him, trying to force me out. But in the end, Yu Lang snuck in to eliminate Zhao Kuo himself, then smashed his own crystal medallion. Examination suicide," Li Luo said tonelessly. Lu Qing'er's beautiful features were lit with anger now. "That's too much!" Now she knew why Li Luo was thrown off. His usual, sunny demeanor was gone. He was truly angry now. "I'll help you. Shi Huang is hard to deal with, but if we fight to the bitter end, he might not win!" Lu Qing'er suddenly said after a long silence. Li Luo looked at her. He saw a vengeful resolution in Lu Qing'er's eyes that surprised him. Could she have something else up her sleeve? But it seemed like such an ace, if it existed, would come at a heavy price. Otherwise, she would not have held it back when she was already at the brink of elimination. "Not necessary." Li Luo was moved, but he shook his head, smiling. "I'll deal with Shi Huang. You take care of Xiang Liang, Chi Su, and Zong Fu." Lu Qing'er stared at him, aghast. "You? Deal with Shi Huang?" Although she did not want to crush his spirit, the truth was that Li Luo was only a Seventh Seal, while Shi Huang was a Ninth Seal with a seventh-grade lightning resonance! That was far stronger than Song Yunfeng and the others. Li Luo gave a reluctant smile. "Well, I didn't intend to steal your spotlight this time around, but who asked them to push me like that? "Don't blame me for it. My hand was forced." "Oh, who cares about the spotlight. But you... Don't put on a brave front, okay? I already said I can help you beat Shi Huang," Lu Qing'er said with a stomp of her foot. She was afraid that Li Luo would recklessly go solo and end up in Shi Huang's hands. "Have some confidence..." Li Luo smiled. "You're a Seventh Seal! Light years apart from Shi Huang!" Lu Qing'er cried. "That at least is true." Li Luo agreed. "So I intend to reach the Eighth Seal!" Lu Qing'er was speechless. "What? "Three... "Two... "One "Done." Li Luo breathed out. Lu Qing'er was confused as all hell. She was just about to speak, when her eyes went wide as she stared at Li Luo in shock. She could sense the resonant power within him stirring... His resonant power had increased? He was really an Eighth Seal?!! She was absolutely flabbergasted. Was this some sort of prank?! Was Li Luo really this amazing? Chapter 66: Li Luos Anger In the tree hollow, Lu Qing'er was still reeling from Li Luo's change. Her pouty, little mouth was now hanging open, a marked contrast to her usually cool demeanor. It was a cute side of her that was rarely seen. Li Luo was tickled by her expression too. "Haha, I'm kidding. I prepared a lot before these exams, and was already on the verge of a breakthrough. Thanks to the stimulation from Shi Huang and Song Yunfeng, I cultivated a little and managed to break through." Lu Qing'er seemed convinced, but she shot him a dirty look nonetheless. For a moment, he had her believing that he could really break through at will. One, two, three, silly me. "But your cultivation speed is quite frightening. I feel like it's above average for a seventh-grade," Lu Qing'er continued suspiciously. Li Luo nodded. "I used spirit liquids and purifying lights to increase my quality." Lu Qing'er accepted this with a slight nod and did not pursue the topic further. She returned to the main question. "But even if you're an Eighth Seal now, you've only closed the distance to Shi Huang halfway. Your chances of winning are still slim." Shi Huang was a Ninth Seal, and with a high seventh-grade lightning resonance. It was, by nature, an offensive and speedy element that was hard to deal with, and ferocious in battle. In comparison, Li Luo was a fresh Eighth Seal, and a passable sixth-grade-or-so water resonance... The gap felt drastic. "Let's just go with this first," Li Luo said. Seeing his determination, Lu Qing'er complied. If she could finish off her opponents speedily, she could go and help Li Luo. While the two were talking, a head suddenly popped into the tree hollow. He was agog with surprise at seeing the two, then yelled out happily, "HERE!" Ping! He had just shouted when a blast of ice resonant power landed on his face, freezing it solid. He had been culled before he could even yelp. Still, his call had attracted the attention of those nearby, and many were flocking over now. But as they neared, they saw Li Luo and Lu Qing'er walk out. "Lu Qing'er's fine? Were we had by Shi Huang?" Seeing a recovered Lu Qing'er and a frozen unfortunate beside her changed their minds quickly enough. Lu Qing'er had already put her ice-silk gloves back on, and she glared at the vultures. "Get lost. Our goal is Shi Huang." Her icy voice was backed by icy power at the ready. The gravel beneath her feet was already icing over. The other students turned pale and quickly ran away, inwardly cursing Shi Huang for being a sneaky liar. Lu Qing'er wasn't hurt badly at all! After chasing the others away, the pair remained where they were. They knew that Shi Huang and the others would arrive soon enough. Indeed, they were not kept waiting long. A few minutes later, a few people could be seen rushing over from the west, leaping agilely over the terrain. Shi Huang, Song Yunfeng, and company. They paused in front of Li Luo and Lu Qing'er, staring with alarm at her vastly improved condition. "Qing'er, your injuries are healed?" Shi Huang asked, his face full of concern. She ignored his oily concern, instead turning to Song Yunfeng. "Song Yunfeng, you're an ingratiate." She had been ambushed by Shi Huang and the others previously precisely because Difa Qing had left markings as Song Yunfeng had instructed her. He was the one who had enabled this. Song Yunfeng quailed a little under her ice-cold stare. "Qing'er, I have my own troubles!" he stuttered shamefully. Her stare continued to bore into him, her chill working deeper into his psyche. Cracking under her fury, Song Yunfeng snapped back with his deepest feelings, "You pretentious girl! I've wooed you for so long, and you didn't even respond! Let's see how high and mighty you'll be after you get eliminated!" His anger was directed at both of them. Li Luo must have played a part in Lu Qing'er's quick recovery. He did not know what they had been up to during this time. Besides, Li Luo was the white knight who had rescued Lu Qing'er. Recalling her attitude towards him, the fires of jealousy were lit in Song Yunfengs heart now. "Li Luo, you must have been born in the year of the dog, since you like to poke your nose everywhere," Song Yunfeng lashed out. Li Luo cocked an eye at him. "Says the filthy traitor who sabotaged Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang." Song Yunfeng sneered. "Even if I hadn't done it, they would have been eliminated sooner or later." Li Luo smiled. A very unsettling smile that had doubt seeping into Song Yunfengs bones. Shi Huang's eyes were darting back and forth between Lu Qing'er and Li Luo. "Hey, Li Luo, this matter has nothing to do with you," he pointed out with a smile. "I'll let you leave, how about that? Then you'll still have a chance of making it to the top 10, hmm?" Li Luo turned his smile on him. "But now I am very angry. I don't want you to enter the top 10." Shi Huang choked on his laughter, pointing at his head. "Has your anger made you lose your mind? Seems like your brain is affected by the turn of events. "Yes, Qing'er might be better, but you're naive to think that she can beat me." Li Luo shook his head. "I have no intention of letting her defeat you. I was planning to do it myself," he said with full conviction. Shi Huang did not even bother to laugh at that one. Beside him, Song Yunfeng and the others also stared at Li Luo as if he were an alien, lost for words at the sheer ridiculousness of his declaration. Had Li Luo lost his mind? While they were still speechless, Lu Qing'er turned to Li Luo. "So I'll deal with Xiang Liang, Chi Su, and Zong Fu? What about Song Yunfeng? Shall I deal with him as well?" Li Luo scratched his chin. "Before the main course, I think I need an appetizer. Song Yunfeng will do just fine." "Understood." Nodding prettily, Lu Qing'er turned to her targets. They were all flustered now. Lu Qing'er was actually intending to let Li Luo take Shi Huang down? "What should we do?" Xiang Liang and the others turned apprehensively to Shi Huang. Shi Huang's eyes narrowed. "Lu Qing'er's Hands of Ice Jade cannot be used. Go keep her occupied. I'll be there to help you once I deal with this," he said flatly. The three hesitated, then they finally nodded. They cautiously turned to face Lu Qing'er. And as they spread out, now it was Li Luo alone, facing Shi Huang and Song Yunfeng. All of this was fed back to the foot of Whitespirit Mountain, raising a loud clamor. This was even more outrageous than the ambush on Lu Qing'er. Chapter 67: Let The Acting Begin At the foot of Whitespirit Mountain, the atmosphere was as volatile as a cauldron of bubbling oil. "What am I seeing? That's Young Lord Li Luo of House Luolan, right? He's going to fight Shi Huang and Song Yunfeng alone?!" "Unbelievable! That Li Luo's not even in the top 10 candidates, right? What's making him so plucky?" "No idea, can't read him." "But that boy looks so handsome. Maybe he has some real talent." "Ehhh, all that glitters is not gold." "You must be blind. That isn't gold, it's a brilliant diamond." "...." Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing sighed softly to themselves. "What is that young man up to now?" It was quite a headache. Previously, Li Luo was a low-profile kind of guy. If others didn't bother him, he would prudently get on with his life. But now he had sprung up to challenge Shi Huang and Song Yunfeng. The gap was quite astounding. "Can he really beat Shi Huang and Song Yunfeng?" Cai Wei asked doubtfully. She had always had confidence in Li Luo, but it was the enter-top-10 kind of confidence, whereas he was in deep now. Yan Lingqing had no answer to that. She pinched an elegant brow. "I wouldn't know." The storm cloud hanging over the two ladies was as though their own little brother was in a rebellious phase. In the main tent. The glum dean was watching too. Surprisingly, he did not feel surprised. Instead, a thrill ran through him. This Li Luo... Perhaps because he knew Li Luo's parents too well, looking at Li Luo step up put a lightness in his heart. Logically, there was no way that Li Luo should be able to take on Shi Huang. But instinctively, a glimmer of hope seemed to present itself. "The bravery of this Young Lord is quite commendable." Governor Shi laughed. "Pity that he... isn't Jiang Qing'e." He shook his head. The old dean turned a deaf ear to him. No point in getting into a fight now. Let the kids fight, and all would be clear. He was busy staring at Li Luo's thin profile. He suddenly recalled the excitement he felt back when Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had dropped Li Luo off at Southwind Academy. Back then, Southwind Academy already had Jiang Qing'e. With the addition of Li Luo, Southwind Academy's reputation within the Xia Kingdom would only bloom. But that excitement had died down quickly after Li Luo's blank palaces came to light. It was a bitter pill of disappointment for him to swallow. But now... "Li Taixuan, Tan Tailan, is your son a late-blooming miracle?" ... With all eyes on him, Li Luo turned to face Shi Huang and Song Yunfeng. "How shall we play," he beamed. "You're bluffing! I can deal with you alone!" Song Yunfeng jeered. He had just started forward when he found Shi Huang's hand on his chest. Shi Huang smiled slightly. "Why go alone? Whether he's truly confident or faking, why even offer him a chance? We'll go together. Faster that way." Song Yunfeng hesitated. "Looks like we're thinking too highly of him." "I'm not afraid of thinking highly of him. I'm afraid that our plan goes awry," Shi Huang said coolly. Seeing him so cautious, Song Yunfeng gave in with a resigned nod. The two brought their resonant powers to bear and shot it towards Li Luo. "Nggh..." Seeing their simultaneous attack, Li Luo was flustered as well. "Hey! Where's the cliche fight-the-lackey-first, boss later?" "You're full of crap," Song Yunfeng scoffed, redoubling the intensity of his attack. Li Luo had been on the verge of pulling out his shortswords to meet the enemy, but faced with one more than he had bargained for, he froze, instead turning tail and running away. Shi Huang and Song Yunfeng naturally gave chase with all their strength, blasts of resonant power still flying out in pursuit. Li Luo dodged adroitly. "Li Luo, weren't you all cocky just now? You're just a chicken!" Song Yunfeng mocked. Li Luo ignored him, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other as fast as he could. With a final burst of speed, he sprinted into an area with a build-up of broken walls. Song Yunfeng and Shi Huang had their hands full just chasing him. Swish, swish! As they rounded the corner, lightballs greeted them. Strong explosions pierced their eyes with light, disorienting them. But both were prepared. Shutting their eyes, they thrust their weapons in front of them, calling forth powerful gusts of power that swept away the buildings. By the time they opened their eyes, Li Luo had vanished. Shi Huang's face was black. He leaped up on a big boulder, scanning the horizon. He could see a faint shadow fleeing in the distance. Towards... where Lu Qing'er was fighting Xiang Liang and the others. "Luring the tiger away from the cave? Sneaky devil!" Shi Huang's eyes went flat. Li Luo was trying to pull them away from Lu Qing'er's fight and then turn back to help. Help Lu Qing'er secure a swift victory, then face them together? "He's going to help Lu Qing'er. I'll go stop him!" Shi Huang shouted to Song Yunfeng. In a flash of lightning, he was gone, a silver streak charging after the fleeing shadow. He opened his lightning resonant power to the maximum, and soon caught up to the faint shadow. Fashioning his electric power into a spear of lightning, he pinned the shadow to the wall. It did not even make a sound. Instead, his spear flew on through it and embedded itself against a stone wall. Shi Huang's face whitened. There was only a faint echo of power that held the shape of the shadow. But Li Luo was not here. "Shit, it's a trap! This is the real bait! His target is Song Yunfeng!" Shi Huang was furious. He had been played hard by Li Luo! Li Luo had no intention of going to help Lu Qing'er. He wanted to separate the two and then take down Song Yunfeng. But... How could that punk think he could take down Song Yunfeng so quickly? Dismissing the thought, Shi Huang turned back as fast as he could. Meanwhile, Song Yunfeng was also speeding across the tricky terrain, trying to catch up to Shi Huang. But as he leaped over a broken brick wall, a bolt of blue resonant power came arcing his way. The sudden attack left Song Yunfeng scrambling. And then he understood. His expression was disdainful. "You think I'm as soft as a rotten persimmon? "Li Luo, I'm going to let you know how lucky you were in the last" While shouting, Song Yunfeng shook his silver spear, calling forth the depths of his power unreservedly. He sent forth his spear against the blue sword slash. Dang! The clash of metal. When their resonant powers clashed, the resulting shock was enough to crumble the nearby walls, raising a dust cloud that slowly drifted down. Song Yunfeng's expression only grew uglier as he threw forth his strongest attack with reckless abandon. Peng! Song Yunfeng was sent flying, crashing painfully into rubble. "draw?" His voice cracked. Chapter 68: Let the Spotlight Shine "What did you just say?" Li Luo looked at the battered Song Yunfeng with polite puzzlement. The latter was a miserable wreck on the floor. Li Luo's single slash had creamed him. Flecks of blood could be seen on Song Yunfeng's lips. "You, you're an Eighth Seal?" He looked up at Li Luo in disbelief. "Impossible!" In that clash, Li Luo's resonant power had been a match for his own. Moreover, he was deeply shaken by how pure Li Luo's water resonance power was. And the robust, mature feel to itit felt like a seventh-grade water resonance! Wasn't his water resonance a fifth-grade? Song Yunfeng wondered if he was dreaming. Li Luo let out a soft sigh. "Well, that's a tale that starts 16 years ago. I had just been weaned, and on that day..." Song Yunfeng was listening closely. He did not hear Li Luo lean forward, waterlight gathering under his feet as he zipped over to Song Yunfeng and slashed at him brutally again. Song Yunfeng hurriedly parried, but the force of the slash forced him to a single knee. "You tricked me?!" he yelled. "Very clever, you have seen through me." Li Luo encouraged him. Another kick flashed out whip-like into Song Yunfeng's chest, sending him flying face-first into mud. Before he could stand up, Li Luo was on him again, his sword twinkling and roaring with the power of a tidal wave. Song Yunfeng was overrun. An Eighth Seal Li Luo with equivalent matching power and tricks up his sleeveit was keeping him so busy that he had no time to think. Tricks unbecoming of the young lord of House Luolan! Li Luo had soon carved Song Yunfeng up like a turkey. He was a woeful, bleeding sight. He knew that things could not go on like that. With a primal scream, his own resonant power burst forth, charging Li Luo recklessly with a scarlet spear. Li Luo lifted a palm up, and waterlight seemed to shimmer before him. "Giga Reflection Art!" Hearing this shout, Song Yunfeng recalled how Li Luo's sneaky Water Mirror Art had reflected his power on him, even though he was only a Sixth Seal then. Now that he was much stronger, wouldn't the Water Mirror Art's reflective ability be even stronger? Song Yunfeng pulled up short at the last moment, checking his strength. To his horror, no water mirror formed before Li Luo. Instead, all he saw was a handsome face grinning smugly at him. "Gotcha." Li Luo chuckled. He darted forth with the Ripple Blade, its Water Edge spinning so fast that it was humming. One chop from Li Luo neatly severed Song Yunfeng's spear in two. Dong! The ring of steel, then Song Yunfeng was staring at his broken spear, stricken. The blade came down on him again. "Ah!" He screamed, fresh blood spurting from his chest. Li Luo heard a rustle in the wind behind him and saw a black-faced Shi Huang charging over. "LI LUO, HOW DARE YOU!" Shi Huang yelled, loud enough to make his eardrums throb. Li Luo ignored him, sending the pathetic Song Yunfeng flying with a kick. His other leg casually hooked up the broken spear and sent it flying. Weng! The broken spear pierced Song Yunfeng's shoulder, pinning him to the wall. Shi Huang had arrived. Furious, he sent a spear lancing towards Li Luo, jerking from its electrical charge. Li Luo moved backwards easily, landing on a wall. "Hey," he said cheerfully, "rushing back for dinner?" Shi Huang's eyes flicked over to Song Yunfeng, dangling from the wall. He frowned. The latter was heavily injured, his fighting ability temporarily nullified by Li Luo. He looked back, the anger in his eyes fading away. "Li Luo, everyone underestimated you. "You are the one in Southwind Academy whose waters run deepest." Li Luo smiled. "You're too kind." Shi Huang's expression was neutral. "No need to get a swollen head over it. The game is in motion now. You'll change nothing." "Well, I won't know if I don't try," Li Luo said with a small smile. "I have just one thought right now..." His gaze swung back and forth between Shi Huang and Song Yunfeng. "As Yu Lang said... to dip you two in the latrines." Shi Huang shook his head. Useless words. He lifted his spear, pointing it at Li Luo. "Enough with the bluster. You're only making a bigger fool out of yourself. "Show me what you got, Li Luo. Otherwise... I will wipe the floor with House Luolan's reputation." With those final words, his lightning resonance crackled into life, his Ninth Seal resonant power brought fully to bear. Bang! Shi Huang shot forth with a low rumble, his speed bewildering the eye. Truly a terrifying lightning resonance. Weng! In a few breaths, he was already in front of Li Luo, his lightning spear seeming to slice the fabric of reality itself as he thrust it. It crackled ominously. Li Luo responded with his strongest offensive skill, the Water Edge Art. He charged his blue resonant power to its maximum. His twin blades sliced out, leaving faint traces of blue light in their wake. Ding! Blade and spear clashed, generating an impact that scattered the gravel. In this straight clash, Shi Huang did not budge an inch, whereas Li Luo was sent skidding backwards. A clear advantage for Shi Huang. "Eighth Seal resonant power... "But such purity. I couldn't destroy your body with my lightning resonance." Despite his advantage, Shi Huang looked slightly troubled. There was a bizarre purity to Li Luo's resonant power. He possessed a seventh-grade lightning resonance, which was already fairly dominating. Cultivators with such high-grade resonances could gradually grind away at their opponent with each clash, corroding their opponent's resonant powers. It was an advantage of these higher-quality resonant powers. Although he had beaten Li Luo back, his lightning resonance had been unable to penetrate his body and diminish his fighting power. Li Luo whirled his twin blades experimentally. He now had a feel for how strong his opponent was. No wonder even Lu Qing'er was wary of him. Ninth Seal, seventh-grade lightning resonance. A worthy opponent indeed. Li Luo suddenly grinned. He was not at all worried about how strong his opponent was. Instead, he found himself bubbling with excitement. All these years, his blank palaces had bred in him an aversion to showing his true self. He always liked to play his cards close to his chest, it gave him a sense of safety. Low-profile, as much as he could. Although he had been growing while keeping his head down all these years, a fierce battle will coursed deep down in his bones. After all, he was the son of two Dukes. Very well, then. After so many years, it was time to take center stage. Let the spotlight shine! With a small laugh to himself, he channeled the resonant power within him. Gripping his blades tightly, he shot towards Shi Huang. Chapter 69: The Great Showdown with Shi Huang Ding! Ding! Within a broken-down hamlet, two figures charged with resonant power clashed in a blur of sword and spear, leaving cracks on the walls nearby. The loose gravel beneath their feet was churned up, clattering against the walls almost as if in a rhythm. Li Luo was fully focused, his blades whirling and cutting without pause as he sent wave after wave at Shi Huang. In contrast, Shi Huang looked much less concerned. Even against Li Luo's constant attacks, he chose to overwhelm them with brute force. His spear swept out time and again, charged with lightning resonant power, beating back the swords. It was an intense clash of weapons and resonant power. And yet Shi Huang could see that he had the upper hand. His spear found gaps in Li Luo's offense, threatening him menacingly. Each time, Li Luo's sword would shoot out little orbs of light that dazzled him, forcing Shi Huang back. Although he had the upper hand, Shi Huang's resentment lingered. It was still not a situation he had planned to find himself in. Taking advantage of a gap, the lightning power on Shi Huang's spear leaped into a new frenzy and his eyes gleamed. "High-grade resonance art, Thunder Bird's Call!" Electricity welled from the tip of his spear, and a shrill bird call sounded. It was as loud as thunder, and it rendered Li Luo's ears temporarily deaf. His world silent, Li Luo saw the accumulation of lightning coalesce into an angry thunder bird that swooped forward. Li Luo's waves of sword light were blasted away by it. But just as the spear was about to reach him, a mirror of water shimmered into existence. "Waterlight Demon Mirror!" Weng! The thunder bird crashed into the water mirror, rippling the surface. A powerful energy surfaced in response, crashing into the thunder bird. Boom! The shockwave of resonant power left many more cracks in the walls of the hamlet. Both Li Luo and Shi Huang were sent flying backwards, their feet leaving deep gouges on the ground. Shi Huang stared keenly at Li Luo. "Is that the damned Water Mirror Art you used to fight Song Yunfeng to a draw?" He was clearly well informed about Li Luo. "You can call it... the Great Stalemate Art!" Li Luo joked. Shi Huang ignored his nonsense. Waving his spear, he called forth his lightning resonance and sent another Thunder Bird's Call forth. Li Luo lifted a hand, summoning the Waterlight Demon Mirror again. Again, both were forced back. The intense battle continued. Despite his advantage, Shi Huang could find no way to break through Li Luo's Waterlight Demon Mirror. The battle reached a stalemate. The spectators outside Whitespirit Mountain were shocked by this unexpected turn of events. The Young Lord of House Luolan's reputation had been lackluster for these past few years. Who would have thought he would rise so spectacularly during the College Final Examinations? Then again, the apple would not fall far from the tree. Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing were gaping in shock as well. Before they knew it, Li Luo was an Eighth Seal. Just a month ago, he still had blank palaces. Although they knew he had caught up a little in that time, such a ferocious rate of cultivation was mind-boggling. It seemed like he had been preparing for this chance for a long time. With a completely astounded audience watching from outside, the battle between Li Luo and Shi Huang continued for many more minutes. Each time, Shi Huang came with the same attack and was met by the Waterlight Demon Mirror's responding counter. But the last time, Shi Huang's body was covered with a faint, sparkling light, as though forming an electric armor around him. The counter attack was immediately absorbed by the lightning armor, which grew stronger. Li Luo's eyes widened, and he hurriedly retreated. But Shi Huang was quicker. His spear swept out, an arc of lightning catching Li Luo's body. Peng! A dull thump accompanied the electric shock, and Li Luo was sent flying. His shortswords dug into the ground, skittering backwards for a long time before he finally found footing. A smear of blood could be seen on his mouth, and he could feel an intense, piercing pain in his chest. All from a single attack of Shi Huang's spear. Luckily, he was a waterlight resonance user with powerful regeneration powers. With a quick activation of his powers, his wound began to heal speedily. Li Luo looked up. Shi Huang was looking at him neutrally, spear in hand. The electric armor he was sheathed in had absorbed the counter attack from his own Waterlight Demon Mirror. "Voltaic Plating, eh..." Li Luo frowned. Lu Qing'er had warned him about thisShi Huang's killer move. Voltaic Plating not only greatly enhanced Shi Huang's defenses, but also augmented his offense and speed. It was quite a useful move. While Li Luo was still reeling, Shi Huang did not intend to give him any space to breathe. With a quick twist of his body, he was on the move again. This attack was even more ferocious than the last. Li Luo did not take it head on. A flick of his finger sent forth a Waterlight Bullet that impeded Shi Huang's attack. But he was ready. Shutting his eyes, the electric-charged spear thrust in Li Luo's direction. Pools of waterlight shimmering beneath his feet, Li Luo swiftly slid away, out of the attacking area of effect. Shi Huang's attack did not cease. As inexorable as a storm, he came pressing forth. More walls cracked in their wake as Li Luo desperately retreated and Shi Huang grimly chased, a leaping bolt of lightning in pursuit of flowing, glowing water. All of Li Luo's moves were rendered useless now. Shi Huang with Voltaic Plating had completely outclassed Li Luo. Sighs of regret came from the spectators. At this point, the disparity was all too clear. Ultimately, Li Luo just could not beat the Ninth Seal Shi Huang. It seemed like Southwind Academy's best school title was in danger. Chapter 70: Li Luos Arrow Boom! Boom! Within the wreckage, faint sounds of thunder boomed out. Some distance away, the other schools' students were watching Shi Huang throw his full strength time and again, constantly forcing Li Luo back. If this continued, Li Luo would be eliminated before too long. They shook their heads. Although Li Luo's growth had been ferocious, he was just that bit of oomph short of taking on someone as strong as Shi Huang. A pity. Ding! Another brutal clang of sword and spear, and Li Luo was again sent flying, crashing straight into a broken building. Shi Huang's spear was upright as he stared into the wreckage, cutting a striking figure as electricity leaped and danced across his skin. "Li Luo, trying to play a stamina game? I dont think you're quite there yet," he said, a hint of contempt in his voice. "If you want to keep some pride, hurry up and surrender." Inside the building, the light was dim. Li Luo was leaning against a wall, and he laughed to himself when he heard Shi Huang's voice. "Tough indeed," he mumbled. "Seems like I was a little naive. I thought I could keep this in reserve, but it seems like I need some firepower after all." With an arrested expression, he grasped his two swords and hit them together, hilts first. Both hilts were engraved with snarling beasts, and now their fangs connected. With a light twist, they clicked into place. At the same time, the curves of his blades began to deepen. It looked... like a big bow made from his swords. A silver-blue bow. Li Luo pressed a finger at a spot on the blade, and a small hole appeared, silver string springing out. Li Luo twirled it out gently to string his bow. This was the special resonant artifact he had custom-made. Usually in the mode of twin swords, others did not know that it had another form, a big bow that Li Luo had dubbed the Dewlight Bow. He curled his hand tightly around the hilt-grip. He did not want to reveal his hidden ace just yet, but clearly if he kept his head down any longer, it would be chopped off. He looked up at the figure of Shi Huang outside, lips curled in a cold, cold smile. Outside, Shi Huang seemed to have sensed that something was wrong. Frowning, he transformed his spear into a silver bolt that flew into the building. Boom! He was rewarded with a boom of resonant power. Someone leaped out, landing gently on a vine-covered rock. Li Luo. Shi Huang clenched his fist, and his spear was called back. He was slightly worried, especially about the silver-blue bow in his opponent's hands. Both inside and outside Whitespirit Mountain, there was puzzlement. What was he intending to do? "What damned trick are you up to this time?" Shi Huang asked indifferently. Li Luo did not reply, instead choosing to take a deep breath and drawing his bow. His resonant power formed a faint arrow of light on the strings. Both arrowhead and shaft were glowing, formed by his light resonance. Only Li Luo himself knew that the light resonance structure was full of holes and gaps, which he then filled in with water resonance power, creating a synergy between them. It was as if water was being carried forth by light, at an indescribable speed. If water could reach such speeds, who would dare to call water resonance soft and weak? Li Luo could feel the resonant power fading from his body, but there was a smile on his face. This resonance art was based on a high-grade water resonance art called Riverflow Art and another high-grade light resonance art called Flowing Light Art... After numerous failures, Li Luo managed to express his dual resonant nature and successfully crafted this art. This arrow, he called it... The Dewlight Skystream Arrow. This was Li Luo's strongest attack now, and his final trump card. Shi Huang had been very composed this whole time, sure that there was nothing Li Luo could do. But When the arrow of light appeared on Li Luos silver-blue bow, his face changed. He could feel a strange prickling sensation, as though he was facing an incredibly strong opponent. "Impossible! He's just an Eighth Seal. How can he pose a threat?"?Shi Huang's eyes were wide. He had the Voltaic Plating. He did not even fearLu Qing'er at full strength; what was a mere Li Luo? What was that arrow of light? Could it be a Duke Stage resonance art? But an Eighth Seal could not possibly activate such a resonance art! But if it wasn't a Duke Stage resonance art, how much damage could it do? Shi Huang started to back off. Facing Li Luo's unknown attack, he did not charge recklessly, but instead chose to retreat. He believed that this was Li Luo's final attack. As long as he could evade it, Li Luo would be at his mercy. Li Luo looked calmly at the quickly retreating Shi Huang. Lightning was fast, but could it be faster than light itself? His bow now pulled to a full crescent, Li Luo released his hooked fingers. Twang! A light humming rang out. A bolt of light shot forth at a speed that confounded the eye. Boom! His hairs standing on end, Shi Huang shouted, "Lightning Steps!" Electricity crackled to life at his feet, and he reached his maximum speed. Useless. He could only watch as the light shaft sped into his vision, and a wall between them suddenly opened up with a hole. Evening sun filtered through it. Sensing the danger he was in, Shi Huang called forth his resonant power and hurled his spear forth in the form of an electric dragon. Ting! A crystal-clear sound. Eyes wide, Shi Huang watched as his lightning-charged spear shattered. The light arrow continued on its path, punching through Shi Huang's extended left palm and leaving a clean hole. His Voltaic Plating did not manage to hold up for even a breath before it was penetrated. "Ahhh!" A scream of pain. Shi Huang's left shoulder was gushing with blood, and he fell to the ground, heavily wounded. Slumping against a broken wall, blood bubbled out from his mouth. And all around Whitespirit Mountain, silence fell. Chapter 71: Im Afraid Of Jumping At the foot of Whitespirit Mountain, the light arrow had stunned the entire crowd into silence. They stared at the screen agog, fear and disbelief plain on their faces. What had they just seen... The undisputedly dominant Shi Huang had been shot down by a bow that Li Luo had pulled out of God knows where... It was like a dream. Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing's rosy lips were parted in surprise as well. They closed their eyes, then opened them again. The screen was still the sameShi Huang had been shot down. "What's happening?" Cai Wei asked a little blankly. An instant ago, she was worrying about Li Luo's elimination, and now Shi Huang was the one squawking on the ground. It was too much for Cai Wei's ample chest to take. Yan Lingqing bit her lip. "I think Li Luo has beaten Shi Huang." Cai Wei slowly leaned back on her chair, a small smile spreading across her lovely features. "From now on, who will dare to call the Young Lord a mere mascot?" Although only for a month, Cai Wei had been looking after Li Luo, and she was quite fond of him. She treated him like her own brother. And as the overseer of House Luolan's affairs in the Tianshu Province, Cai Wei knew very well how much Li Luo had struggled with his cultivation. Besides his endless capacity for spirit liquids and purifying lights, Cai Wei found the Young Lord very likeable despite his shenanigans. She was filled with joy and relief at his miraculous win. From now on, those within House Luolan would not disdain him anymore. Yan Lingqing nodded. Li Luo's performance today was sensational. He must have been hiding it before. "The Young Lord is so different from his parents," Yan Lingqing remarked. Those two had dominated their entire generation in the Xia Kingdom. They were stellar, whereas Li Luo was much more restrained. Those that did not know better might even think that Jiang Qing'e was more like their child, and perhaps Li Luo was adopted... "The issue with the blank palaces affected the Young Lord greatly. Even after he solved it, he opted to stay out of the spotlight. He keeps his secrets up his sleeve, it makes him feel safe. He grows quietly, with less frivolity," Cai Wei observed. "I think that if not for Song Yunfeng and Shi Huang forcing his hand, the Young Lord would probably have settled for a peaceful top 10," Yan Lingqing said wryly. It was entirely possible, given Li Luo's personality. His goal was to enter the Astral Sage College. First or not, he didn't care. "I don't think it's a bad thing though," Cai Wei said with a gentle smile. Yan Lingqing rolled her eyes at her. "You're too soft on him." "But he's so handsome." Cai Wei smiled. ... "Hahaha!" As the two women were enjoying a quiet moment of happy relief, the old dean in the main pavilion was laughing uproariously. He shook the entire tent with his laughter, until even those outside were looking over. "Oh my, truly the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!" His face was flushed with energy, all traces of fatigue and worry gone. He slapped the table hard. "See that?" he demanded of Governor Shi. "The power of my Southwind Academy?" Governor Shi seemed preoccupied with his tea, although the eyes reflected on the surface of the cup were furious. A completely unexpected turn of events. Li Luo had been on the verge of losing. And then a miraculous arrow. All these years of planning, shot down by one arrow. Governor Shi tried his best to suppress his rage. And failed. "Can you be QUIET! "QUIET, you old plank!" The dean's temper matched his. "You shriveled-up onion, you think you've the right to decide when I talk?" Governor Shi's face was terrible to behold. His terrifying resonant power began to radiate from his body, a large, green python rearing and hissing. A lower seventh-grade green python resonance! "Oh, you want to fight? Come on, then, I've had enough too!" the old dean said with a humorless laugh. His own crimson resonant power flared up, a flaming beast with its hooves in magma. Lower seventh-grade, the Fire Eating Ape. These two Heavenly Dipper General experts readied themselves. Even though the room was made of stone, it began to crack under the mighty surges of energy. Mentor Anlie shouted out to them urgently, "Gentlemen! We're in the middle of the examinations. If you cause a fuss here, the Astral Sage College might just reduce the number of entrance slots to the whole Tianshu Province next year!" These words brought the bickering pair up short. The dean sniffed, retracting his resonant power. With a dark face, Governor Shi did likewise. Mentor Anlie shook his head, turning back to the screen. Shi Huang's left arm had been skewered by the arrow, left heavily wounded. He would be severely compromised in battle. It was more or less wrapped up. Albeit wrapped up in a way that no one had predicted. "Word has always been that the Young Lord of House Luolan was useless. It seems that they were false whispers." ... In the ruins. Shi Huang was still moaning on the ground, blood spurting from his arm. He could sense many pairs of eyes watching, intimidated now by his downfall. They were dismayed by this outcome too. Not far away was Song Yunfeng, still dangling from the spear pinned to the wall. He was stammering to himself, Impossible. Impossible He could not believe that Li Luo had beaten Shi Huang! This was completely illogical. Shi Huang was a Ninth Seal with an upper seventh-grade lightning resonance! He was a beast in battle, and Lu Qing'er was the only one in the Tianshu Province who could pose a threat to him. But now Li Luo had shot him down. Song Yunfeng felt bitterness rise within. If not for Shi Huang's status, he would have screamed abuse at him and accused him of rigging the fight. He had not experienced it for himself, so he could not fathom why a simple arrow had undone Shi Huang so easily. Still, his understanding did not affect reality one way or another. Li Luo was standing on the vine-covered stone, looking at the bleeding Shi Huang with a neutral expression. He did not move, seemingly luxuriating in Shi Huang's predicament. He even sprawled in a sitting position, one hand on the bow, the other hanging loose. He looked like a demon king, and the other students watching from the shadows were petrified. They did not dare to make a sound, for fear of attracting Li Luo's attention. They all held their breath. After a few minutes, someone flew in. It was Lu Qing'er speeding over. She was holding a rope in one hand, towing three people who were tied up. Xiang Liang, Zong Fu, Chi Su. Evidently, she had beaten them. The first thing she saw was Song Yunfeng nailed to the wall. Surprised, she continued on past the ruined hamlet, then her footsteps slowed. Before her, there was a pool of blood, within which Shi Huang lay. He looked barely conscious, pale as a ghost. Lu Qing'er was truly astonished. Behind her, her three captives were even more shocked. She looked up to Li Luo, his face composed. She shuddered at the power he commanded. She approached him now, feeling as though they were back in their first year, when Li Luo was a giant. "Are you alright?" she asked softly. Li Luo looked down at her and then the tension whooshed out of his body, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from him. "You're finally here... "Quick, help me get down. I've run out of resonant power, I'm afraid of jumping down. What if I hurt myself?" Lu Qing'er stared at him. It was both exasperating and hilarious. He had posed up there for so long, only because he had run out of resonant power? Chapter 72: Why Must You Force Me Li Luo was on a particularly tall stone pillar, and there were plenty of jagged rocks below. His arrow had taken up all of his strength. Given how many people were watching him, if he jumped down helplessly, they would pounce on his weakness. He was worth too many points to pass up on. And so Li Luo had casually sprawled on top, his air of casual confidence holding them back. Lu Qing'er leaped up beside him with a waft of perfume. She stretched out a small hand to him. "Gloves on?" Li Luo checked. Yes, they were. Otherwise, they might both be screwed. Lu Qing'er shot him a look. She cut an impressive figure herself, a heroine straight out of a tale. She took hold of Li Luo's hand, then leaped down from the stone pillar. With both feet firmly on the ground again, Li Luo felt much better. He looked over at the three captives. "Slaughter these three too?" They looked at him with trepidation, even more so than when they regarded Lu Qing'er. After all, it was a nightmarish scene that lay before them. It was Zong Fu who sighed and said, "I said before that you, Li Luo, might well be the greatest unknown factor in these examinations. Guess I was right." Xiang Liang and Chi Su were silent. They had scoffed at Zong Fu's prediction, and never once had they taken Li Luo seriously as a threat. But now they could see that Zong Fu's prudence was well-founded. If they had planned more carefully and saw his strength properly, they might not be in as bad a state as they currently were. Li Luo waved it off. He went to drag Song Yunfeng down from the wall, throwing him beside Shi Huang. At the same time, he charitably helped Shi Huang stop the bleeding, so he would not die from blood loss. That would be a troublesome ending. Shi Huang opened his eyes weakly. "Li Luo, you hid it well," he said resentfully. Li Luo grinned and then feigned a tortured expression. "Ah, why must you force me so? I just wanted to be in the top 10. Why did you all force me to go this far?" Behind him, Zong Fu and the others swallowed. This was a little too much. Indeed, Shi Huang was so worked up that he was quaking. He retched another mouthful of blood. "Hey, don't be so anxious, youre going to vomit blood." Li Luo hurriedly calmed him down, then used his crystal medallion to check the scoreboard. He saw that there were only thirteen people leftno, twelve now. There were twelve. "Phew, all's good. I almost missed it." He smiled with relief. "Know what I'm going to do next?" Li Luo said, beaming at Shi Huang and Song Yunfeng. There was something chilling about his smile. "I said that I would ensure you two were eliminated from the top 10." Shi Huang's face was pale now, and his fear showed. "Li Luo, you're cruel!" Being eliminated from the top 10 would mean a loss of entrance slots. He might not even be able to go to the Astral Sage College. That would be absolutely devastating to Shi Huang. Beside him, Song Yunfeng was yelling as well. "Li Luo, you can't do this! You'll incur the wrath of the entire Song family and the Governor's house!" "Childish." Li Luo shook his head and said peaceably, "When you do something wrong, you have to pay the price. It's time for you to pay." He took down their crystal medallions, clearing out Shi Huang's points immediately. He erased Song Yunfeng's points as well, although students from the same school could not obtain each other's points. Shi Huang and Song Yunfengs scores were reduced to zero. Li Luo clapped loudly. "A big hand for Shi Huang and Song Yunfeng, for their achievement of eleventh and twelfth place!" Their faces were ugly to behold. Xiang Liang and the others were quaking in their boots. This Li Luo was a real terror. Lu Qing'er was looking at Li Luo quietly. For some reason, she felt a tinge of fondness grow in her at seeing him like this. Li Luo had been too unobtrusive for the past few years, an unremarkable, harmless thing. But Lu Qing'er liked to see him in the spotlight, like how he was back when they first entered Southwind Academy. He had scolded her unreservedly while teaching her resonance arts. "The exams should enter the countdown to the end now," she said happily. Li Luo turned to the other three with a frown. "You three got off easy." Since he could only eliminate two from the top 10, he had chosen Shi Huang and Song Yunfeng, who were higher up on the hate list. Which meant that these three were in the top 10. Even if their points were cleared out, they would simply be at the bottom of the top 10. Hearing this, the three broke into ingratiating smiles. "Brother Luo, we were forced. The higher-ups in our schools directed us to do what we did. We took so many resources from our schoolswe had to obey." "But don't worry, once we get into the Astral Sage College, you'll be our leader. Your wish, our command!" Li Luo ignored them, turning to Lu Qing'er. "Clear their points. It irritates me." Lu Qing'er smiled slightly. "No." Li Luo started, unsure of how to react. From the side, Zong Fu helpfully reminded him, "Brother Luo, she means that if she takes our points, she will overtake you and steal first place in the exams." Xiang Liang and Chi Su's eyes widened, looking between the two. Lu Qing'er had defeated them, so naturally their points belonged to her. She could take first place, fair and square, but she had purposely chosen to place behind Li Luo. What was going on between these two? What was their relationship? Even Zong Fu looked at Li Luo in admiration. He was so cool. He was already engaged to a godly beauty like Jiang Qing'e, and he could still play around? Hearing Zong Fu's reminder, Li Luo belatedly realized that by clearing out Shi Huang's points, he was in first place. He panicked now. "Qing'er, quickly now. I have a bit of a firstplaceophobia, you know?" "You'll get used to it." A wide smile filled Lu Qing'ers face. "Lu Qing'er!" Li Luo cried. "Don't do this!! How did I wrong you, why must you hurt me so? "Quick, please, I don't want to be first. I'm begging you. PLEEEEEEASE!" Lu Qing'er sat down on the gravel. The setting sun bathed her in rosy golds and reds, and she propped her chin on her slim hands, smiling happily at the fuming Li Luo, still wringing his hands. And then a gong echoed across Whitespirit Mountain. Within Whitespirit Ruins, the survivors heaved sighs of relief, filled with a wild joy. But not Li Luo, who was looking glum at the ending gong. Unfortunately, he was in first place. Chapter 73: The Exam Finishes When the final bell rang, there was a congratulatory mood among the audience as they processed the results. Clearly written, first place. Li Luo, Southwind Academy. This win was beyond everyone's expectations. Back when the exam had first started, no one thought that it wouldn't be the hot favorite, Lu Qing'er, or perhaps the only threat she faced, Shi Huang. Definitely not the under-the-radar, no-results-to-speak-of Li Luo! The young lord of House Luolan was no stranger to the people of the Tianshu Provinceafter all, House Luolan had begun at the City of Southwind before expanding to the Xia Kingdom. They were once the pride and joy of the Tianshu Province, their bragging fodder to outsiders. And as the son of those two, Li Luo could not help but receive attention. But when his blank palaces came to light, everyone sighed inwardly. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had burned so brightly all their lives, but their son had inherited none of their talent. "Like a tiger giving birth to a puppy." Li Luo had heard such remarks all too many over the years. Some had even said that perhaps Jiang Qing'e was the true child of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, and that Li Luo must have been adopted or something. The nasty remarks went on and on. And with today's result, their impression of the young lord was renewed. Although this youth might not have the sharp, invincible air of Jiang Qing'e, he was warm and enigmatic. It seemed like you would only know what cards he had to play when crunch time came. A different look from his parents, and even Jiang Qing'e. Outside, the Southwind Academy teacher Xu Shanyue looked up at the board, frozen in a thrall. Finally, he broke out of it. "You see that? Li Luo's first!!" Beside him, Lin Feng's expression was complicated. He did not know if he should be happy or sad. Although Southwind Academy had maintained their best school title, the glory had not gone to his First School. It was with the Second School, whom he had poured scorn on. Although Li Luo had shown some promise during the last few weeks, Lin Feng had dismissed it. His read was that no amount of catching up from Li Luo would bring him to Lu Qing'er or Song Yunfeng's level. After all, he had lost so much time. But now the winner of the entire exam was Li Luo. He turned to look at Xu Shanyue, features twisted in wild triumph. He felt a strong squeeze of regret grip his chest. He regretted not letting Li Luo back into the First School when he had shown signs of a comeback. And now that Li Luo was champion, Lin Feng would be regarded strangely from now on. After all, Southwind Academy had never had a champion that wasnt from the First School before. He, Lin Feng, would be spurned, while Xu Shanyue would be glorified forever. So although Southwind Academy had managed to defend its title as best school, Lin Feng felt a sudden urge to wail. Xu Shanyue had just gotten his emotions under control when he suddenly noticed the expression on Lin Feng's face, bitter as though he had been forced to eat out of the toilet. He shook his head in sympathy, at the same time feeling gratitude. "Teacher Lin Feng, you're a real brother. I won't argue with you next time!" Lin Feng gave a smile as though he had been eating lemons whole. His voice wheezed out of him faintly. "Eh, hehe... wer, we're all brudders... same house... too kind..." ... Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing stared at the first place name for a long time and then exploded with joy. "What a surprise!" Cai Wei rejoiced. "Fufu, Li Luo sure plays it quiet. If word of this gets to Qing'e, she'll be completely astounded." Yan Lingqing nodded approvingly. "If the Young Lord can get into the Astral Sage College, his prestige in House Luolan will rise as well. Perhaps he will take some of the burden away from Qing'e," Cai Wei mused. Yan Lingqing nodded. Although House Luolan was plagued by problems both internal and external, there would always be those loyal to the king, namely Li Luo. After all, he was the blood kin of the two House Lords, and his right to rule was the most substantiated, even more so than Jiang Qing'e. However, his blank palace conundrum had cast a dim pallor on his future. Some had given up on him, but if he continued to perform well, he would be able to unite them again. At that time, he should be able to firmly take the House Lord seat, with Jiang Qing'e's support. At that time, House Luolan would finally return to stability. Both women were very much looking forward to that day. ... In the main tent, Governor Shi was completely silent when the result was declared, but the thunderous aura radiating from him scared everyone off. The old dean didn't care. He was on his feet, clapping as hard as he could. "Well done, my lad. Truly the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. Everyone looked down on you, even this old myopic geezer!" he roared. Governor Shi gave a short bark of laughter. Without a word of farewell to the dean or Anlie, he rose and left. Mentor Anlie shrugged and turned to the dean. "Congratulations, Dean Wei Sha. Southwind Academy has clinched the best school title again." On the scoreboard, Li Luo and Lu Qing'er were in first and second place. This was Southwind Academy's best result in recent years, and the full 21 entrance slots would be swept up by Southwind Academy. One could only imagine how many families would go through fire and brimstone to send their children to Southwind in the near future. Even if those children could not win slots themselves, the sheer power of the school's reputation might see them into the Astral Sage College. Dean Wei Sha could not stop grinning. While all this was going on, the students within the arena were starting to exit as well. The cheers were especially loud when Li Luo and Lu Qing'er appeared. This was a real bother for Li Luo, who had been thrust into the spotlight. His handsome looks were already troublesome enough, and now adding strength into the mix? That was way more pressure than a young man could handle! "Brother Luo, you were so cool!" Zhao Kuo yelled ecstatically. He might have been eliminated from the top 10, but given Li Luo and Lu Qing'er's result, there was a slot in the Astral Sage College with his name on it, considering his rank in Southwind Academy. The other Southwind Academy students were all smiles too, looking at Li Luo respectfully. Those additional entrance slots had been won for them, almost all of them, thanks to him. There was a Chinese saying that went: when one ascends to Heaven, even his chickens and dogs rise with him. Li Luo shared a big smile with Zhao Kuo, clapping him on the back. He turned to search for Yu Lang in the crowd. He found him fervently clasping the hand of a particularly cute junior, his face serious. "Do you know why Li Luo could beat Shi Huang? It was all thanks to my painstaking efforts to unsettle Shi Huang. That's why Li Luo won. Half the credit is mine, but being such a great brother, I don't begrudge him the glory. I'm not that kind of guy." The naive little girl stared at him with adoration. "Rascal." Li Luo was speechless at the guy. His brain ran on a different wavelength from others. Lu Qing'er, who had been talking to a bunch of junior girls, turned to him with a faint smile. "They say that today is a great day, and there will be celebrations tonight. They ask if you're attending." Li Luo sighed. These gatherings didn't mean much one way or another. Everyone would come fawn over him, and the girl fan club would try to make moves on him. Today, they would be more ferocious. Therefore, he nodded in assent in the end. Chapter 74: Song Qiuyu A cool night breeze blew through the City of Southwind. It did nothing to cool the heated celebrations going on within, as the crowd started to shuffle out of Whitespirit Mountain in an outpouring of excitement. Li Luo and the others decided to celebrate at the Tower Qingfeng. The Tower Qingfeng was built along the Qingfeng River, hence its name. It was a beautiful location, and also the tallest restaurant in the City of Southwind. This gathering was wholly sponsored by the rich lady, Lu Qing'er. She had booked the entire Tower Qingfeng and invited many young men and women to join in the celebration. Li Luo was sitting with Lu Qing'er, and they had indulged in a couple of drinks. Her rosy blush was especially clear on her snowy skin. Under the warm lights, she captured the hearts of all present. One student came to offer a toast. "Brother Luo is truly awesome. You and Sister Qing were the perfect duo, getting first and second. You'll be a legend in Southwind Academy." Li Luo glared at the guy. It was the sort of stuff you could only say here at the City of Southwind. If it were Xia City, it would be a completely different story! Beside him, Lu Qing'er twinkled a smile, touching glasses with the student. "Damn Song Yunfeng, that traitorous vulture. He's from Southwind Academy, but he helped other schools attack Sister Qing! Scumbag!" Some drunken students were beginning to get rowdy. These curses drew calls of support from the others. After all, this was a classic betrayal, which was hard to stomach. Difa Qing came looking for Lu Qing'er with her cup, guilt written on her face. "Qing'er, I'm really sorry about what happened. If I hadn't left the marks, you would not have been ambushed." Lu Qing'er shook her head with a small smile and touched cups with her. It was a consolatory gesture, but Li Luo acutely sensed some stiffness in her gaze. Evidently, there was now a black mark next to Difa Qing's name in Lu Qing'er's book. Perhaps in her heart, she had already labeled Difa Qing as someone not worth associating with. After all, whether on purpose or accidental, such a blunder was not one that Lu Qing'er approved of. Making friends with fools would cause one trouble again and again, and they would bring out the pitiful, innocent face afterwards. "Li Luo, I was biased against you before. I hope you don't hold it against me. I didn't have foresight. Your performance today marks you well worthy of Sister Jiang," she said to Li Luo in a small voice. Li Luo waved it off with a smile, but he did not comment further. Perhaps sensing the coldness from Lu Qing'er, Difa Qing took the hint and left. Li Luo looked at Lu Qing'er, seeing a hard look on her face after Difa Qing's apology. "What's wrong?" he asked, puzzled. "Nothing much. Just thinking that fools make me angry," Lu Qing'er said emotionlessly. Li Luo was quite confused by this answer, but it was best not to guess the minds of young girls. He changed the topic. "Although Song Yunfeng got eliminated outside of the top 10, doesn't it mean he gets a slot too?" In the preliminaries, Song Yunfeng had ranked second. If placements were given out according to that, Song Yunfeng was guaranteed a place. "Logically, yes." Lu Qing'er thought about it. "But our dean is known to be a stingy man with a stingy heart. Song Yunfeng tried to take money from both sides. He almost cost Southwind Academy the best school title. I dont think hell let Song Yunfeng have his way." Li Luo nodded. That made him feel better. It would leave a bitter taste in his mouth if he had slogged his butt off just to help Song Yunfeng enter the Astral Sage College. Now the old dean's pettiness looked like an especially endearing trait. While Li Luo and Lu Qing'er were heartily celebrating, there was a table higher up in the Tower Qingfeng, where some people were looking down at them with a amused looks. Among them was a girl in a yellow shirt. Her features were lovely, although her perfectly arched brows were on the thin side, giving her a mean look. She listened emotionlessly to the curses about Song Yunfeng drifting up from below, some anger flashing across her eyes. Her name was Song Qiuyu, and she was Song Yunfeng's sister. She a student in the Astral Sage College. She had just arrived in the City of Southwind today and was already greeted by some unwelcome news. "To think the champion in the Tianshu Province's exams would be that trash Young Lord." Two young men were sitting on either side of Song Qiuyu, and the one who had spoken was a short-haired man in green, toying with his wine cup. "Jingming, he's trash no longer. If he can become the champion, he must be quite competent," Song Qiuyu said. The one she called Jingming was Difa Jingming, Difa Qing's elder brother. "Still, the Tianshu Province as a whole is weak. I hear that other stronger provinces had Tenth Seal fighters during their final exams," the other young man pointed out casually. "Mo Ling, we know your Beiqiu Province has an abundance of talent. It ranks well in the top 10 provinces, doesn't it? The Tianshu Province is only average, so stop comparing us," Song Qiuyu said peevishly. Mo Ling was from a house in the Beiqiu Province that was blooming with talent as well. Plus, the Beiqiu Province was far larger and had far more talent compared to the Tianshu Province, so it was understandable that he looked at them with a slight sense of superiority. The youth called Mo Ling chuckled. "I meant no offense. No one would dare to underestimate the Tianshu Province after they produced Jiang Qing'e." Mo Ling had feelings for Song Qiuyu. He had accompanied her back to the Tianshu Province on the pretext of protecting a beautiful lady. They were all students at the Astral Sage College. Mo Ling could tell that Song Qiuyu was not happy about the gathering of juniors below. He gave a slanted smile. "I guess those peeps below could be considered our juniors next time we see them. Shall we go say hi?" He had already risen to his feet. "Forget it. They're inconsequential," Song Qiuyu said. Mo Ling waved her off. "As their future senior, I feel it is necessary to familiarize them with the character of the Astral Sage College." He headed down. Song Qiuyu smiled, but she called out after him with a hint of impatience. "Don't overdo it. Don't scare them." Difa Jingming downed his cup in one gulp. "The night is long. Some entertainment sounds good." Neither were worried about Mo Ling. After all, he was at the second Resonant Master Stage, Pattern Genesis Tier. The students celebrating below, who were not even Tenth Seals, were like newly-hatched baby chicks compared to him. Precisely how big was the difference between the Ten Seals Stage and the Resonant Master Stage? They were about to be given a thrilling lesson on that just before entering the Astral Sage College. Chapter 75: You Want to Assassinate Me? A few rounds of drinks later, Li Luo judged that it was about time and suggested they call it a night. After all, everyone was probably tired after the exams, so perhaps they should all head back for a good night's rest. The others were a little reluctant, but they still nodded agreement. Pa! Just at that moment, a crisp slap was heard outside the curtain. "Watch where you're going, eh?" Pulling aside the curtain, a Southwind student was clutching his face, staggering to the floor, dazed. Behind, a young man walked in, greeting them with a smile. "Sorry for disturbing your celebration." "This guy wasn't watching where he was going and bumped into me." He pointed at the youth on the floor. "And so you hit him?" Lu Qing'er said, raising an eyebrow coldly. Spotting her, a gleam entered his eyes. He had already identified this girl as something special while observing from upstairs. Up close, she was truly a delight. Those features, that bearingshe was definitely a prize even in the Astral Sage College. He smiled apologetically at Lu Qing'er. "Sorry. Reacted too quickly." "You must be Southwind Academy students. Seems like you did well this year. I'm an Astral Sage College student. I'll probably be your senior in the future." Mo Ling grinned. Hearing this, the Southwind students looked at him in surprise. This person was from the Astral Sage College? Li Luo fixed him with a look. "Seems like a hostile presence." "I just wanted to meet the champion of the Tianshu Province's exams." Mo Ling said, looking back at him with a lopsided smile, "But truly, an Eighth Seal taking first place? The Tianshu Province must have many troubles." A surge of angry glares. "He's here to make trouble," Lu Qing'er said softly to Li Luo. He nodded almost imperceptibly, then stepped forwards to Mo Ling. "Friend, we do not know each other," he said in a hushed voice. "No need to cause trouble, right?" Feigning surprise, Mo Ling said, "What are you talking about? I'm just here to say hi as your future senior." "You WHAT?! You want to assassinate me?!" Li Luo shouted out hysterically. Mo Ling jumped. "Whatassassinate?" Was this guy wrong in the head? Since when had he ever said assassinate? He was just here to exact some petty revenge on Song Qiuyu's behalf. "Protect the Young Lord!" While he was still confused, a few figures appeared, resonant power at the ready. They were all at the Resonant Master Stage. These were Li Luo's bodyguards. Although House Luolan was not in a good situation, the Young Lord would still be accompanied by bodyguards. That was just common sense, wasn't it? Although these bodyguards rarely made their presence known, hearing the word assassinate brought them all ready to spring into action. They immediately rushed over without hesitation, crowding Mo Ling. His face changed. "I didn't! I was just going to greet him!" he cried. He was caught completely off guard. Before he had even started anything, this guy had already sicced his bodyguards on him. They ignored his protest and started to pummel him with resonant power-charged punches and kicks. Mo Ling hurriedly brought forth his own resonant power in defense. However, he was perhaps only as strong as one of the bodyguards. With so many of them around, he was soon yelping on the ground, enjoying knuckle sandwiches by the dozen. The Southwind Academy students were watching, astounded. This young lord was a real enigma. He had called the teacher last time, and this time it was bodyguards in action. It seemed like it was impossible to ever face him in a fair fight... Still, this time the guerilla tactics left them feeling extremely satisfied. Above, Song Qiuyu and Difa Jingming were shocked at the turn of events as well. Throwing down their cups, they hurried over. "What are you doing?!" the two shouted. They immediately called forth their own resonant power, ready to intervene. With a wave of his hand, Li Luo's bodyguards retreated, leaving Mo Ling on the floor, cradling his bruised face. "Young Lord Li Luo, you're a tyrant. Why did you order your bodyguards to attack him?" Song Qiuyu demanded. "Brother." Difa Qing gasped at seeing Difa Jingming. "That's Song Qiuyu, Song Yunfeng's elder sister. And Difa Jingming," Lu Qing'er said to Li Luo. "This guy must be here to cause trouble on their behalf." Li Luo looked at the two and smiled. "Are you with him? He tried to assassinate me. Could you two be the masterminds?" Damn, flipping the metaphorical table right from the get go. "Assassinate? Don't slander us! He's our friend, and hes just here to greet you as your senior." Song Qiuyu burst. Mo Ling crawled up from the floor as well, his face badly bruised. He glared angrily at Li Luo. "When did I say that I was going to assassinate you?" He was boiling with anger and humiliation. Damn, he hadn't even put his plan to motion before he was wrongly accused and jumped on. Shameless! Li Luo said in a hushed voice, "I heard you say..." Mo Ling shouted, "I said I was here to say hi as your senior!" "Oh, is that what it was..." Li Luo clapped his hands together. "I've ruined things for many people today, so I was worried that there would be a few resentful ones who would try to kill me. I've been high-strung all day. I must have heard wrongly." Mo Ling shook in anger. "How about this? I'll pay your tab today, as an apology," Li Luo said with a bright smile. Song Qiuyu's face was like ice. Given who they were, who would care about a table's tab? Li Luo had done this on purpose. Before Mo Ling could cause any trouble, he had decided to get the jump on him. "Do I look like I need your paltry coins?" Mo Ling spat at him. Li Luo smiled thinly at him. "What else can I do?" Song Qiuyu fell silent. They had intended to let Mo Ling come here and cause some trouble and anger Li Luo. He would probably lose his cool and challenge Mo Ling to a fight, then they could let him taste pain. But this Young Lord had none of that youthful hotheadedness, not even with a beautiful girl by his side. He was not a reckless one. And now that things had come to a head, they realized that they could not actually do anything to Li Luo, unless they wanted to jump him together and beat him up. But with so many bodyguards around, it would get really sticky. So finally, Song Qiuyu cast one more dark look at Li Luo, then she helped Mo Ling to his feet before leaving without a word. Difa Jingming was still regarding Li Luo. With a final smile, he turned to nod at Difa Qing, then he left with the others. Although they had left, the mood had been ruined, and the party broke up soon after. Li Luo and Lu Qing'er were standing at the foot of the Tower Qingfeng. "Song Qiuyu is studying at the Resonance Tempering Hall in the Astral Sage College. She might have returned to challenge your Suncreek Villa," Lu Qing'er said. The Suncreek Villa had seen its production quality rise sharply thanks to Li Luo's spirit liquids. Their sales were booming, whereas Pine Nut Villa was gasping for air. "Because of the Tianshu Province's Festival of Purifying Spirits next month?" Li Luo murmured. Each year, the Tianshu Province would hold a festival related to spirit liquids and purifying lights. All of the brewers would take part, and there would be many games for them to win and vie for a larger share of the market. Li Luo also knew about it. The Suncreek Villa was currently busy with preparations. As for Song Qiuyu, she was probably back for the festival as well. Li Luo frowned slightly. The Suncreek Villa was blooming under his support. Sales were rising by the day, and skygold was flowing in like a river, all to help him secure the funds to buy more sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. How could he let Song Qiuyu interfere with his greatest source of capital? Chapter 76: Aid for the Song Family Late night, Song family residence. Song Qiuyu was sitting in the living room with Mo Ling, channeling water resonance power from her slim hands to wipe away his bruises. Walking by, Song Shan noticed this and gasped slightly. "What happened to Mo Ling?" "We were at the Tower Qingfeng. He wanted to greet the Southwind Academy students and talk about the Astral Sage College with them. Li Luo accused Mo Ling of trying to assassinate him and set his bodyguards on him," Song Qiuyu said irately. "Hngh! Li Luo again!" Song Shan sat down on the main chair, troubled and angry. Song Yunfeng being eliminated from the top 10 by Li Luo had made the joke of the Song family. And now treating their valued guest this way? It was too much. "Brazen brat. If this happened in Xia City, he would be left eating through a straw!" Mo Ling burst out angrily as well. He had been badly humiliated today, accused of being a killer before he had even done anything, and then beaten up badly. "The Suncreek Villa has seen explosive growth since Li Luo took over too. Their first and second grade spirit liquids and purifying lights have improved greatly in quality, and our Pine Nut Villa is barely making ends meet. We think that he might be using a secret watersource. Perhaps Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan left it for him," Song Shan said tiredly. "Our Pine Nut Villa's Wondrous Sunshine Light formula was corrected by a tempering master that I consulted in Xia City. It's definitely stronger than the Suncreek Villa's Azure Jade Spirit Liquid. But our tempering strength has fallen behind so much. A special watersource is the only explanation." Song Qiuyu frowned. "If this continues, the Songs' Pine Nut Villa will be completely ruined by the Suncreek Villa," Song Shan grumbled. Song Qiuyu nodded with equal worry. Mo Ling looked at them and laughed. "Qiuyu, why the long face? House Luolan's Suncreek Villa isn't that outstanding when you look at the whole of Xia. They're just big fish in the small pond of the Tianshu Province. Look at Xia City. How mediocre they are there!" "Those that do not bow when they speak have no back pains to complain of. Your Mo family's Inkwater Villa is among the best in the Xia Kingdom. Of course you can look down on the Suncreek Villa," Song Qiuyu groused. Mo Ling sighed. "Haven't we talked about this? In the future, all of the third-grade and under spirit liquids and purifying lights from the Inkwater Villa can be sent to the Song family. The Song family will be the Inkwater Villa's retailer in the Tianshu Province. "Our Inkwater Villa formulas are several cuts above the Suncreek Villa's. With that power, the Song family will definitely beat the Suncreek Villa flat." Song Shan's face was still doubtful even after such reassurance. "But there are still some conditions yet to be worked out with the Inkwater Villa." Mo Ling made a grand gesture. "Uncle Song, say no more. I know what you want. Part of the reason for my visit is to hammer out all the details on behalf of my elders. There are some concessions that the Inkwater Villa is willing to make. As long as our Inkwater spirit liquids and purifying lights can dominate the entire Tianshu market, both you and I will be winners. "Besides, Li Luo is getting really cocky. I'm going to show him what it means to pay!" "Well..." Song Shan finally smiled now, then he sighed with relief. "I have much to thank you for. I know that the power of the Inkwater Villa is substantial, far more than what the Songs command. I will not say more, then, but I promise that the Song family will definitely help the Inkwater Villa gain footing here in the Tianshu Province." Mo Ling assured him it was nothing. After chatting a bit more with Song Qiuyu, he left to rest. After Mo Ling left, the shy smile on Song Qiuyu's face vanished. "Looks like it was useful to bring him to the Tower Qingfeng today." "I didn't expect Li Luo to act that way. Otherwise, Mo Ling would not have conceded so quickly. He would have played for more time if not for Li Luo." Song Shan sipped his tea, his expression cheerless. "Who's to say that letting the Inkwater Villa into the Tianshu won't be akin to letting the proverbial wolf into the house? Although their spirit liquids and purifying lights' formulas will be handed over, I understand that those are unimportant. What is crucial are the secret watersource and lightsource, the Black Swampwater and the White Moonlight. "It is these sources that make their Inkwater Villa formulas shine with full potential. "We might be inviting them to wrap their hands around our throats instead." Song Qiuyu gave a soft laugh. "Still, could it get any worse? Our market share in liquids and lights is paltry. Without strong support, we're just feeding the Suncreek Villa at this point." Song Shan sighed deeply. "Damned House Luolan. Damned Li Luo. Damn it all." "Do not worry. I came back home precisely for the Festival of Purifying Spirits. I will represent the Pine Nut Villa as the foremost resonance artificer. With my win and the support of the Inkwater Villa's spirit liquids and purifying lights, we will be able to turn things around," Song Qiuyu said. "Your rival should be the Suncreek Villa's Yan Lingqing. Are you confident?" Song Shan said. "Yan Lingqing? Old rivals. We crossed paths countless times in the Astral Sage College." Song Qiuyu gave a cool smile. "But this time, she will lose for sure." Song Shan nodded, feeling pleased. Song Qiuyu changed the topic. "How is Yunfeng?" "Not badly injured, but devastated," Song Shan replied. In the preliminaries, Li Luo had managed to beat Song Yunfeng to a marginal draw thanks to the Water Mirror Art. Song Yunfeng had never once considered Li Luo an equal match, but now? In the exams, Li Luo had easily thrashed him, as if he were far below Li Luo in strength. It had crushed Song Yunfeng with a huge inferiority complex. "Will he be able to make it into the Astral Sage College?" Song Qiuyu scowled. Song Shan hesitated. At the behest of the Governor's Mansion, Song Yunfeng had ended up helping Shi Huang against Southwind Academy. It had invited much loathing. However, his position in the preliminaries was clear. One of Southwind Academys entrance slots should go to him. However, however. Southwind Academy's old dean was a stubborn rock, hard and petty as could be. He had not even shown courtesy to Governor Shi. Who knew what he would do? "I hope Wei Sha isn't too unreasonable about this." Chapter 77: The Three Tiers of the Resonant Master Stage The excitement after the exams continued for many days in the City of Southwind. Such was its influence. After the exams, the students at Southwind Academy would have a week off before they went to school to get their entrance slots and officially end their term at Southwind. Because he had gotten first place, Li Luo was being given a lot more attention, which was frustrating for him. For these past few days, he had not even gone outside, instead choosing to stay at home, quietly researching resonance arts. In his free time, he studied spirit liquids and purifying lights. It was an idyllic but fruitful time. ... Ting! in a practice room in the old manor. Li Luo was throwing a barrage of attacks at full power with his shortswords. His target: a bodyguard in the old manor. He was at the first tier of the Resonant Master stage, the Sprouting Seed Tier, and he was holding back as he sparred with Li Luo. In resonance cultivation, the Resonant Master Stage came after the Ten Seals Stage. The Resonant Master Stage was divided into three tiers. The first tier was the Sprouting Seed Tier, where the resonant power in one's palaces would be gathered into a seed-like lump and then be reborn anew. The second tier was the Pattern Genesis Tier. At this tier, one's resonant power would start to mature and gain depth. This would create pattern marks across one's resonances, which were called resonance patterns, hence the name of the tier. The third tier was called the Evolving Resonance Tier. At this tier, one's resonances would begin to change, in preparation for the breakthrough to the next tier. If Ten Seals Stage cultivators were beginners, then it could be said that those at the Resonant Master Stage had finally taken a step into the door to cultivation. The difference between them was huge. As for how huge, Li Luo was all too aware as they crossed swords. Although the bodyguard was holding back his strength to roughly a Tenth Seal's, Li Luo found that none of his attacks could pose any threat to his opponent, unless he combined his swords and used his most powerful arrow. Ding! With a blue sheen of Water Edge on his swords, Li Luo chopped against the bodyguard's metal staff, but the rebounding shock sent him staggering back a few paces. He stopped, irritated. He flicked his hand towards his opponent, calling an end to it. "Impressive, Young Lord. You're only an Eighth Seal, but I feel the pressure." The bodyguard cupped his fist in respect. This was not empty praise. After he suppressed his resonant power, he could feel that Li Luo's attacks were indeed posing a threat. There were other bodyguards watching the practice arena as well. They were nodding to themselves too, and they looked at Li Luo in a new light nowwith respect and satisfaction. His win at the Tianshu Province final examinations had forever banished his image as a useless cultivator with blank palaces. Even if Li Luo never reached Jiang Qing'e's level, no one would look down on him anymore. This young lord of House Luolan was gradually beginning to let his light shine. Li Luo responded with a smile and a nod, then he walked to the side of the training room. He spotted Cai Wei waiting for him there. Today she was in a red skirt, adorned with peony designs in lace. It was an intricate piece that only further emphasized her spicy bodyline. She was as alluring as a newly bloomed flower. In the sweaty heat of the training arena, many of the guys did not dare eye her openly, but they still surreptitiously snuck glances. The admiring gaze that was the nature of guys. "Sister Cai Wei." Li Luo greeted her with a smile. "The Young Lord is very diligent, training so hard even after your win," she said fondly. "First place in the Tianshu Province doesn't hold much weight. I heard that the champions in the stronger provinces were Tenth Seal cultivators." He shook his head. His words were true. The Tianshu Province hovered around the middle in the Xia Kingdom. There were stronger provinces elsewhere. "You were looking for me?" Li Luo asked. "Lingqing came over, so something's probably up," Cai Wei said. "Let's go, then," he nodded. They left the training arena together, walking through a long corridor to a living room where they met Yan Lingqing, currently clad in green. She had on a pair of silver rims, which made her look especially strict. She started speaking the moment they were seated. "Let me give you the update. Recently, the Suncreek Villa's profits have been huge, thanks to the secret watersource you've been providing. If the current profits keep up, this year's revenue could be one million skygold. Subtracting away the capital, we would still have 300,000 skygold in profits." Li Luo was exuberant. 300,000 skygold was the entire profit of House Luolan in the Tianshu Province each year. This year, the Suncreek Villa alone had achieved that. It was tremendous. Of course, this was mainly because of the secret watersource that he had been providing. And now that he was an Eighth Seal, he could provide even more than before. Therefore, the watersource's usage had also expanded to their second-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, contributing to an explosion in their revenue. He did some rough calculations. 300,000 skygold should be able to get him about ten sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights... ...Too few. Li Luo was resigned to it. He knew how hard it was to enhance acquired resonances. Finishing her report, Yan Lingqing continued, "Did you meet Song Qiuyu a few days ago at the Tower Qingfeng? Was there a guy called Mo Ling with them?" Li Luo nodded, surprised. "That guy was trying to cause trouble. We had an altercation." "Mo Ling is from the Mo family in theBeiqiu Province. They're one of the major families dealing in spirit liquids and purifying lights. Their Inkwater Villa ranks in the top 10 in the whole Xia Kingdom. Their connections run very deep. "According to our information, the Song family might choose to work with the Inkwater Villa and bring them into the Tianshu Province to crush the Suncreek Villa," Cai Wei said softly. Li Luo frowned. The Song family had called for aid. "It must have been Song Qiuyu who instigated that meeting at the Tower Qingfeng. She must have purposely set up the clash between Mo Ling and you to help ease their alliance." "That woman has a calculative mind. There's nothing she won't stop at to get her way," Yan Lingqing said in a disapproving way. Li Luo gave a helpless smile. So he had inadvertently helped Song Qiuyu. He had underestimated her. "Song Qiuyu must be back to take part in the Festival of Purifying Spirits next month. She will probably compete to be the best resonance artificer in the Tianshu Province, lending more strength to the Pine Nut Villa," Yan Lingqing said. "Sister Yan, you're the representative of the Suncreek Villa. Can you beat her?" Li Luo asked. "We are old rivalswe clashed many times in the Astral Sage College. We had wins and losses. I don't know how this match will turn out, but I will not underestimate her. I'll do my best to prepare," Yan Lingqing said, her fighting spirit glowing from behind her silver-rimmed spectacles. Song Qiuyu had ignited a spark in her. "Seems like Sister Lingqing's archenemy," Li Luo joked. "When you get to the Astral Sage College, you'll know just how sour things were between us." Yan Lingqing pulled a face before turning serious again. "But I'm worried that they will force the Inkwater Villa's liquids and lights into our market." "How good are the Inkwater Villa's products?" Li Luo asked. "If they enter the Tianshu Province, they're probably targeting third-grade and below. From what I know, the Inkwater Villa's first-grade product is called the Blackstar spirit liquid, tempering strength of 62%. "Their second-grade product is called the Blackmoon spirit liquid, tempering strength of 61%." "And the third-grade product, the Blackglory purifying light, has a tempering strength 60%." Li Luo's eyebrows shot up. That was truly an established shop in spirit liquids and purifying lights. Such products outclassed anything the Suncreek Villa could offer, and they would be even further behind if not for his watersource. However, he was not too worried. While their formula might not be as polished, Li Luo was confident they had the advantage in watersource. The first batch of improved Azure Jade spirit liquid that the Suncreek Villa was currently offering was still based on his fifth-grade waterlight resonance. Therefore, if Li Luo wished, he could create an even purer batch of watersource... by far. Because it had been sufficient so far, he had not brought it up. But if the Inkwater Villa was going to push the issue, then he was going to bring out the big guns. The three continued to discuss matters for a while, then Yan Lingqing left hurriedly to prepare for the Festival of Purifying Spirits. After she left, Cai Wei suddenly retrieved three glass phials from her bosom, setting them gently before Li Luo. "This..." Li Luo's gaze was drawn to them. There were faint light patterns on them. They were clearly of a much higher quality than any spirit liquids or purifying lights he had seen before. And he could sense the powerful flowing within the phials. "Sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights?" Incredulous joy spread across his face. He had been using the remaining fifth-grade ones, but he found them sorely lacking in efficacy after his waterlight resonance reached the sixth-grade. He had been agonizing over it for a long time. He wanted to ask Cai Wei to procure some, but the price made him hold his tongue. He eventually decided to purchase them after he made it to Xia City. But now Cai Wei had given him a wonderful surprise. "Young Lord, although I don't know why you can use seemingly unlimited amounts of spirit liquids and purifying lights, I'm not too curious. Your recent performance proves that they are worth it. "Therefore, even though our cash flow is tight, your sister here scrimped and saved to help you secure these three sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. It's not much, but they should prove useful," Cai Wei said, glowing with pride. Her goose-egg face shone with radiance. Li Luo eagerly took them. He turned to Cai Wei, moved. "If I wasn't afraid of being beaten by Sister Cai Wei, I would have hugged you already." Cai Wei laughed cutely, fanning herself with her flower fan as she batted her eyelashes at him. "Save that talk for the girls at your school. To an older woman like myself, those honeyed words hold less power than that pretty face of yours." She left, her figure swaying in a stirring fashion. Li Luo watched her sexy figure go. He absently touched his cheek and sighed. Damned good looks. Even Sister Cai Wei couldn't help herself. Chapter 78: The Old Deans Revenge Their short holiday came to an end, and Li Luo returned to Southwind Academy. Standing outside the campus, he looked upon the familiar gates with nostalgia. Today, he would formally end his term at Southwind Academy. All those years of memories, come to a close. Still, whatever the future brought, Li Luo knew that his cultivation at Southwind Academy had molded him for years to come. The way that he still held an aversion to being in the spotlight was because of his hubris back when he had first entered Southwind. From his heroic ways to a blank palace cultivator, he had tasted both heaven and hell. The lesson had nurtured him not to show himself. He would rather hide himself tightly, grow in secret. Perhaps one day, when he was a Duke or King, he could relax a little. Unfortunately, these exams had undone all of his past anonymity. "Damned Shi Huang, damned Song Yunfeng..." Li Luo cursed. He just wanted to breeze into the top 10, but those two bastards had forced his hand into taking first place. "And that Lu Qing'er as well. It was obviously her win..." Li Luo continued muttering. "Ungrateful, aren't we? I let you win, and you're muttering behind my back," said a lighthearted girl's voice. Li Luo turned to see Lu Qing'er, dressed in Southwind Academy's uniform. Her willowy legs extended out beautifully from the short, black skirt, dipping down under her knee-high white socks. The creamy thighs sandwiched between them were riveting. Li Luo chuckled dryly. Lu Qing'er did not mind him. She stepped forth to walk by Li Luo's side, a small smile on her face. They were like the perfect couple, a hunk and a babe. Envious glances came from all around. Before, some taunting remarks would have made their way in, but now that Li Luo was the champion, his reputation had started to overtake Lu Qing'er's. As they walked in, many called out greetings, and they nodded appropriately in response. After passing through a boulevard, they heard shouting up ahead, where a crowd was forming. "Song Yunfeng, you loser, you dare show your face at Southwind Academy?" And other such remarks were being thrown around. Li Luo's eyes widened. Song Yunfeng? He dared to come to Southwind Academy? He quickened his steps, squeezing through the crowd with Lu Qing'er. He saw Song Yunfeng dressed in black, red-faced. He was flanked by two alert bodyguards from the Song family, here to protect him. In front of Song Yunfeng was a familiar figure, groaning and frothing blood at the mouth. Li Luo looked closer. Wasn't that Yu Lang? What was that guy playing at? "Brother Luo, Sister Qing, thank goodness you're here. This Song Yunfeng is too much. He not only dared to return after betraying Southwind Academy, he even slapped Yu Lang unconscious after he tried to greet him. It's outrageous!" The students clamored upon seeing the duo. Li Luo was alarmed. Was Song Yunfeng really so boorish? He had to be aware that he had incurred the public wrath. Would he still start fights? Li Luo rubbed his nose. There was more going on here than there appeared to be. Especially... whenever it involved the slippery Yu Lang. He stared at the groaning Yu Lang. His acting was way overboard. He had much to learn from Zhao Kuo. "You're full of shit. I didn't beat him, I just asked him to leave me alone and shoved him. I didn't even use strength!" Song Yunfeng asserted furiously, a vein throbbing on his temple. He had not wanted to come to Southwind Academy at all, but the dean had sent a message to the Song family, saying that all who did not come personally to pick up their entrance slots would be automatically forfeited. Therefore, Song Yunfeng had no choice but to come, knowing the barrage of backlash that was sure to follow. Li Luo and Lu Qing'er shared a look. They ignored Song Yunfeng, sensing that there were larger factors at play here. And soon enough, a bunch of campus security was hurrying over, aggressively accosting Song Yunfeng and his bodyguards. "What are you doing!?" the bodyguards shouted. "You dare to beat up students on Southwind Academy's school grounds? Are you tired of living?!" the security personnel shouted. With a huge surge of resonant power, they seized the two bodyguards and Song Yunfeng all together. From behind, the dean emerged, a whole group of teachers surrounding him. They were all looking angry, especially the dean. His shouting began from afar. "You brazen dimwit, you've gone too far now. Do you think I'm already in the grave? How dare you disrespect Southwind Academy's rules!" The old dean's rage had many students cringing in fear. Song Yunfeng's heart sank, uneasiness flooding through him. Looking about, the old dean seemed to spot the fallen Yu Lang. "Song Yunfeng," he cried, "you are heartless and cruel! You crippled him!" Song Yunfeng was seething with rage. This was too much. He had only pushed Yu Lang away. Crippling? That was slander! The dean paid no attention to his furious gaze. "From now on, I rescind the student status of Song Yunfeng from Southwind Academy! "Throw them out!" The security team obliged, casting the three out. Song Yunfeng still struggled furiously. "I don't accept it! You can't kick me out, I've broken no rules!" The dean looked at him coldly. "Report me, then, if you don't accept it. Go tell the Astral Sage College. When they send out the order to fire me, you can enter the Astral Sage College." Song Yunfeng's furious shouting faded away as he was dragged out, finally vanishing from earshot. "That acting was too dramatic," Li Luo said to Lu Qing'er in a low tone. "If Song Yunfeng had made it into the top 10, then there would be nothing the dean could do about his entrance slot. But since you ensured he was out of it, the dean has many ways to deny him the placement," Lu Qing'er whispered back. "Other deans might respect the rules, but our dean is a bit of a small-minded guy. He would throw away his pride to get the last word in an argument." A hush fell over the crowd as Song Yunfeng was dragged out, and then a smattering of knowing applause. The old dean put up a smug hand in acknowledgment, then indicated that they should disperse. He prodded the still-moaning Yu Lang with his toe. "Your acting needs work. If not for my lack of shame, we wouldn't have pulled it off." Yu Lang sprang to his feet, groaning. "Dean, Sir, your sudden mission gave me no time to prepare. Feelings need to be properly calibrated, y'know?" The old dean harrumphed, but a smile remained on his weathered features. "I can tolerate students not contributing to Southwind Academy's glory, but not those that betray us knowingly. "No matter how much trouble it invites, I won't give them an ounce of Southwind's spoils." Li Luo chuckled. The old dean's pettiness was legendary, but today it seemed quite adorable to many students. At least it had forced the unlawful expulsion of Song Yunfeng... Perhaps there was some merit to it. Chapter 79: The Holidays Are Here After Southwind Academy's graduation ceremony today, this cohort of students would be considered to have formally graduated. They would be heading to other college-level institutions all across the Xia Kingdom, continuing their cultivation or turning to other occupations. They might never meet again. After the ceremony, Li Luo, Lu Qing'er, Yu Lang, and Zhao Kuo received a private summons from the dean to his garden. "Thanks to you four, Southwind Academy has managed to keep the best school title this year. I guess I owe you thanks," he said, smiling at them over the bush he was pruning. Zhao Kuo made a non-committal incline with his head. He knew that he had not done much other than ride Li Luo's coattails to glory. Yu Lang, on the other hand, was smiling as bravely as though he had bled and fought for Southwind Academy. "Sir, it seems unnecessary to call us here just for thanks, Li Luo said. "Am I really such a dead plank to you?" the dean replied irritably. "Dean, Sir!" Yu Lang burst out. "You are my most respected person. I won't let you speak about yourself that way. Take the word dead out!" The dean brandished his shears threateningly at Yu Lang, who leaped back in alarm. "Hmph. "From now on, youre not students of Southwind Academy. In two months, all of you will be headed for the Astral Sage College. That is the place where you young ones can chase your dreams. But regardless of where you eventually land, you will always be my Southwind Academy alumni. "Although you all did quite well in the exam, that's no basis for arrogance. When you get to the Astral Sage College, you'll learn just how vast the Xia Kingdom is. There are plenty of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. "Of course... If you can become like Jiang Qing'e, you can ignore what I just said." They nodded. Besides the more flighty Yu Lang, the other three were solid, grounded characters. Especially Li Luo. If not for this final exam, he would still be happily burrowed in anonymity, his bottomline untested. After his short parting speech, the dean reached into the folds of his clothes and pulled out pale-yellow pills. Puffs of fragrance came from them. "These are Bitter Lotus Pills. When your resonant power reaches the Tenth Seal level, you may use one. They will accelerate your resonance consolidation, increasing the chances of success. Take these as an additional reward from the exams." The four were delighted. Pills were a rare sight, unlike spirit liquids and purifying lights, which were consumed in large quantities. They were more pricey, and it was an extremely generous gesture on the dean's part. They had heard that Bitter Lotus Pills were distilled from the sap of trees of resonant power. Only large schools could cultivate such things. And for beginners still in the Ten Seals Stage, there was no better medicine than the Bitter Lotus Pill. Many people failed multiple times when condensing their resonances. This cost them precious cultivation time. The Bitter Lotus Pill could steady their transition. "Sir, if anyone calls you a plank to my face, I'll be the first to teach them a lesson!" Yu Lang vowed fervently. The old man shot him a sideways look but decided against replying to this slippery character. He handed over the pills. "Go, then. I hate to admit it, but the Astral Sage College is truly an elite school, peerless in all of Xia. "You'll only come in touch with the true reality of this world after you enter the Astral Sage College. "Your futures are bright. I will be eagerly listening out for news of you here in Southwind Academy." Hearing the grudging honesty in his voice, the four were a little moved. They bowed to him and turned to leave. He laughed, calling after Li Luo, "Boy, youve made your parents proud." Li Luo halted. Looking up to the clouds rolling by above, he felt a lump in his throat. He had thought himself impervious to what others said, but the old dean's words had touched something within him. Perhaps all his hard work had not been for naught. Deep down, he knew that it was not that he wasnt concerned with the opinions of others, but simply that he cared too much about not letting his parents down. He loved those seemingly unreliable parents very much. And they loved him as well. ... After the Southwind graduation, Li Luo again returned to his previous rhythm. Just as he had said, he did not slack off just because of his victory. In the larger scheme of things, the exam was nothing but a small skirmish. After two months of holidays, he would head for the Astral Sage College. There, he would see the true crop of talent that existed in the Xia Kingdom. But this time, he swore to be even more anonymous at the Astral Sage College. In these two months, Li Luo set himself a target. He wanted to reach the Tenth Seal. If he could, he might even try consolidating his resonances and entering the Resonant Master Stage! He had heard of other province winners being Tenth Seals. In another two months, the truly elite students could be at the first tier of the Resonant Master Stage already. Li Luo felt that he could not let up. Of course, this was not the most important thing... His life was already ticking down from its five-year limit! Although it was important to keep his head down, it was also important to survive! ... The holidays slowly rifted by. After about half a month, Li Luo found that he had reached the Ninth Seal, as he expected. Besides that, his practice with spirit liquids and purifying lights had seen swift improvements. He could already brew second-grade liquids and lights, and he could be considered a qualified second-grade resonance artificer. All in all, Li Luo was pretty satisfied with the progress that he had made in this half a month. As his resonant power inched ever closer to the Resonant Master Stage, Li Luo started to leaf through the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art that his parents had left him. There was another important question to consider. After he reached the Resonant Master Stage, what primary and secondary resonance should he fill his second palace with? Chapter 80: Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel Bedroom. Sunlight filtered in through the window, landing on Li Luo's back. He had a jade-tablet scroll in his hands, held up to his brow. His eyes were closed as he flipped through it. [1] On the jade-tablet scroll was the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art that his parents had left him. A long time later, he finally opened his eyes. He massaged his brow lightly. Despite his fatigue, his eyes were full of fire. Li Luo had been looking forward to his second acquired resonance for a long time. As he finally started to get familiar with the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art, Li Luo was starting to realize just how hard it was to get acquired resonances. The Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art was made of many materials imbued with various strands of energies that were forged into the required object. For example, in order to forge an acquired fire resonance, one would need to find all sorts of fire-energy materials and then use a special method to forge and temper them until their varied energies reached harmony. And then one would need to use blood essence from one's own spirit soul to activate it. Finally, you would have produced a passable acquired resonance. The most tedious part of this process was accumulating the materials, and the repeated calibrations to find a harmony. In other words, the Godly Forging Art was not just a labor of skill, but also one of hard work. After reading the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art, Li Luo knew that much of his remaining years would be spent on this. But the good news was that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had left some notes at the back of the jade-tablet scroll detailing some of their past attempts. This was valuable experience that could help Li Luo save precious time, something that he barely had. Most importantly, they had left him a hint. It was a suggestion that perhaps it would be good if the primary attribute of his second acquired resonance was wood. The reason for this was tied to the blood essence and lifespan that Li Luo had lost in gaining his first acquired resonance. Although the waterlight resonance could help replenish losses, for safety's sake, a wood resonance was a good insurance policy. This was because a wood resonance would not only have restorative properties, it would also have detoxifying properties. It would further boost his survivability. With water, wood, and light resonances, any damage that Li Luo took would no longer hurt his core. "Wood resonance, eh..." Li Luo lapsed into deep thought. He had originally thought to choose an offensive second resonance. But his parents had suggested the wood resonance. He would have to adjust his thinking. Well, his waterlight resonance had been sufficiently modified, and he was getting by offensively. Perhaps a primary wood resonance would be workable. Besides, the wood resonance was more about control. He could explore that further. First trap his opponent, then make them a pincushion for his arrows. Still, that didn't seem very fitting. Maybe he would be seen as a sadist who loved torture... Regardless, he already had handsome looks. No need to care about how he looked when he fought. Li Luo made his decision. Channeling resonant power to his palm, he pressed it on the jade-tablet scroll. Twang! A beam of light shot out from the scroll, pouring out before expanding. Finally, it took shape as a six-colored wheel of light. On the wheel of light, there were many holes. 128 of them, to be precise. One side had 86, the other 42. The one with more holes was the primary, the one with less was the secondary. And in the center of the wheel was a curious indent with many arcane patterns running out from it. This was the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. This was a support item that was crucial to getting an acquired resonance. It was fairly tricky to make, definitely way beyond Li Luo's current abilities. Luckily, his parents had left him one. If he wanted to forge his second acquired resonance, he would have to gather all sorts of materials and learn special methods to distill them. Finally, he would have to fill the holes on the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. When both sides were fully complete, he would have to add his own spirit soul and blood essence to finish it. Li Luo stared at the six-colored light wheel for a long time, then he shook the jade-tablet scroll to stow it away. If wood was going to be the primary attribute, what about the secondary? How should he choose? He sat in front of the hearth, deep in thought. The harsh rays of sunlight gently transitioned into the dull red of evening. Li Luo finally exhaled deeply and put brush briefly to paper. He wrote two words. Wood. Earth. This was the best he had come up with. Primary wood, secondary earth. Woodearth resonance! Since wood's specialty was in control, then it should be honed to the fullest. The best support for a wood resonance was an earth resonance. Their synergy would further reinforce the control he could bring. Besides, both water and light would synergize quite well with a wood resonance as well. And the defenses of an earth resonance would further help his survivability... For all these reasons, Li Luo made his decision. Done, he hesitated no longer, leaving the room in search of Cai Wei at the old manor. He told her his request. "Young Lord, you need materials with wood and earth energies?" Although Cai Wei found this request strange, she accepted. "There are some leftover things in the old manor's storehouse. I will retrieve them for you. If they are insufficient, I'll send someone to purchase what you need from the market." Although these materials were not cheap, the Suncreek Villa was swimming in skygold. Much of the financial pressure had been alleviated, so they were no longer forced to pinch pennies like they did at the start. "Thanks, Sister Cai Wei." Li Luo gave her a jaunty wave and left her to her business. Her lovely eyes watched his back, and she smiled as well. She could sense that Li Luo was in a good mood today. After putting away her account book, she personally went to take care of his errand. Thanks to her frightful efficiency, she had the first batch of materials delivered to his room within two hours. In the room. Li Luo pulled out a green plant from a jade box. It had green, windchime-shaped flowers. This was a woodbell flower, a rare flower with wood properties. Mouthing the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art's incantation, Li Luo pressed it with his fingers and pushed his resonant power in. Weng, weng! After a moment, a thumb-sized flame appeared on his palm. This flame was special. It had a translucent sheen to it, as though devoid of any element. "This is the Acquired Resonance Flame?" Li Luo looked at it curiously. The flame was the core of the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art, and only materials forged within the Acquired Resonance Flame could become acquired resonances. However, Li Luo's own resonant power was still too weak. That was why the Acquired Resonance Flame he had summoned was only a small one. "Well, Ill do my best." Li Luo shook his head exasperatedly. Plucking one woodbell flower, he lit it with the Acquired Resonance Flame. However, he failed to control the heat properly the first time, reducing it to smoking ash. No matter, failure was the mother of success. The second, third, and fourth woodbell flowers all met the same fate. "Come on! Why's it so hard?" Li Luo was feeling frustrated now. He could only take it as a learning experience. He moved on to another material and tried again. After burning away several materials, Li Luo finally felt like he was getting the hang of things. He finally managed to forge a rare grass with earth properties. He formed a dark-brown liquid, which he put into one of the holes on the six-colored light wheel. It immediately lit up, shining with a faint light, and a connection formed to the hole beside it. Li Luo's heart leaped when he saw this. He forged yet another material, this time putting it into the hole that was connected. However, the moment he added it, the six-colored light wheel started to quiver, as though trying to expel the material. A rejection reaction Li Luo hurriedly pulled it out. This meant that the material was not suited for his acquired resonance. Next, Li Luo continued to try out various kinds, until he finally found one that was not rejected. With the second hole filled, another strand of light extended out from it towards a third hole... Li Luo would have to fill all the holes on the six-colored light wheel, and also achieve a balance between the primary and secondary sides before the acquired resonance was properly forged. But when night fell, Li Luo had only managed to fill four holes. And he was completely drained. This was an exhausting process. However, he was not impatient. After all, he was still some time away from the Resonant Master Stage. Before that, he had time to slowly experiment with materials and piece the six-colored light wheel together. That would be the time when he would get his second acquired resonance. He could not wait. 1. It's hard to explain exactly what the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art is written on, but you can imagine many jade tablets strung together to form a long scroll. Here are some images:?https://wantubizhi.com/pic/%E7%8E%89%E7%AE%80/ Chapter 81: The Festival Begins As Li Luo methodically filled up the holes on the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel, another half a month of holidays passed. But in this half a month, Li Luo's resonant power did not reach the Tenth Seal level. He was still at the Ninth Seal. Evidently, progress slowed as one climbed. Previously, he had been helped by the aid of the skygold room, not to mention he had kept up his studies despite his blank palaces. That had helped him to accrue some latent potential. But now all that was spent. His cultivation speed had returned to normal. Also, now that the examinations had been over for a month, the excitement was finally dying down. Now the Tianshu citizens were turning their attention to another major event on the horizon. The Festival of Purifying Spirits. In this world of resonances, the importance of resonances could not be overstated. They determined one's cultivation. They determined everything. And spirit liquids and purifying lights could improve one's resonance grade. They were consumables that could not be missed out on. Therefore, anything that concerned these liquids and lights would always attract attention. After all, the examinations were mere entertainment for those not involved. Spirit liquids and purifying lights, however, affected every single person's own abilities! The Festival of Purifying Spirits would attract all of the villas across the Tianshu Province. They would send their finest resonance artificers to fight for the title of Artificer Prime. Having the Prime would greatly improve the reputation of the villa, and affect its market share. The profits at stake were enormous. All of the villas in the Tianshu Province had started preparations long ago, including House Luolans' Suncreek Villa. ... The venue of the festival was one of the arenas in the City of Southwind. Li Luo arrived with Cai Wei, and he was surprised by the number of people. "It's really crowded," he remarked. "The festival has already been underway for three days. But so far it has been just a product exhibit. The real show starts today," Cai Wei replied. "How is Sister Lingqing doing?" Li Luo asked. "No idea. She was buried in her books for a long time, and I didn't dare to disturb her. But she's already here. You can ask her yourself." Cai Wei shrugged. Li Luo nodded. The two walked towards the area that the Suncreek Villa had been allocated. They found Yan Lingqing leaning on the rail and looking towards the center, where a refining platform was being assembled. Evidently, the tempering contest today would be held there. "Seems like Sister Lingqing is really serious about today," Li Luo called out. Yan Lingqing propped up her silver-rimmed spectacles. "I don't mind losing to anyone besides Song Qiuyu," she said mildly. "And are you confident?" Li Luo asked. Yan Lingqing fell silent. "Both Song Qiuyu and I are fourth-grade resonance artificers. We should be pretty evenly matched. I've chosen a fourth-grade spirit liquid that I'm most familiar with. I can consistently produce it at about 58% to 60%. And as far as I know, the fourth-grade liquids and lights that Song Qiuyu has produced so far are just a little behind that. "If nothing has changed drastically, my chances of victory are slightly higher. "But the Song family is working with THE Inkwater Villa now," Cai Wei chimed in doubtfully. "They're going all out. Would they prepare something special..." She looked around them carefully. "Do you think Song Qiuyu will bring out a fifth-grade liquid or light?" "Impossible!" Yan Lingqing immediately replied. "I have only barely grasped the basics of a fifth-grade resonance artificer, and all my attempts to temper a fifth-grade spirit liquid have resulted in failure. How could Song Qiuyu achieve it?" Seeing her so resolute, Cai Wei desisted. After all, Yan Lingqing was the expert in spirit liquids and purifying lights. She knew her field best. Li Luo smiled. "It seems like everyone can bring an assistant when tempering. Have you chosen yours, Sister Lingqing?" She turned her beautiful eyes to him. "You don't trust me?" "I'm just concerned," Li Luo replied sincerely. "I don't really mind if Sister Lingqing wins or loses. Even if you lose, I don't think a swing in reputation will affect the quality of the Suncreek Villa's spirit liquids. There really isn't a need to feel too pressured." Her look softened. "I'm not pressured," she replied out of habit. But as she turned away, she looked back, lifting her sharp chin ever so slightly. "But if you want to be my assistant, feel free to do so. You're the Young Lord anyway. Not like I can control you." Li Luo grinned. Her aloof character was quite endearing. After tying up the conversation, he went into the arena, planning to look around at other spirit liquids and purifying lights. Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing watched him from the balcony. The former smiled. "Seems like our Young Lord has quite the tender side to him." Yan Lingqing sniffed. "Kids are meddlesome. Even if something really crops up, what can a second-grade resonance artificer do to save the situation?" "Harsh words. I sensed you were moved back there though," Cai Wei teased. "Huh!? I have fawners aplenty! You think those few words can move my stone heart? Do you know what my nickname was back in the Resonance Tempering Hall? "Stone Hearted Maiden!" Yan Lingqing proudly puffed out her chest. Cai Wei pulled a face. "What's there to be proud of? Did you temper your brain into a spirit liquid by any chance? "Besides... that pose doesn't suit you." Yan Lingqing glared at her. Wicked vixen! How dare she make fun of her figure! I'll get you! She reached out a naughty hand to tickle Cai Wei's tummy and chest. The two women squealed mischievously on the balcony, looking like a pair of young girls. ... Not fortunate enough to see this, Li Luo was ambling around the arena aimlessly, browsing through the products of the various villas. He was a second-grade resonance artificer after all. Being exposed to more products would broaden his understanding of spirit liquids and purifying lights. He indeed learned quite a lot from his wanderings. After quite some time, Li Luo finally decided to head back when he suddenly saw a familiar figure. Lu Qing'er. Today she was dressed in a fashionably pale green. Her short skirt was paired with white lace socks. Her lovely looks were complemented by the white parasol she was holding. She was constantly drawing looks from others. However, there was a nasty fly hovering nauseatingly near her. It was a familiar figure. Mo Ling, who they had clashed with back at the Tower Qingfeng. This guy was a real playboy. Despite his obvious intentions towards Song Qiuyu, he was still flirting. He was standing by her side, smiling happily as he tried to chat her up. Lu Qing'er was keeping her expression under control, but Li Luo knew that her lack of expression indicated that she was irritated. He snuck up on them and whispered. "Selling flyswatters. 5,000 skygold apiece." Chapter 82: Mo Ling, Again The sudden sound by her ear made Lu Qing'er jump. She turned to face Li Luo with a happy gleam in her eye. Her girlish smile was a stark contrast to the stony expression from before. "Your flyswatter's too expensive. Trying to rip me off?" Lu Qing'er laughed. "Can't be helped. Your fly's too big. I suspect it's perverted," Li Luo said with full seriousness. The corners of her mouth twitched. Mo Ling's face darkened. "Li Luo, trying to start something?" "I'm just talking with a schoolmate. None of your business." Li Luo smiled. "Well, I'm your senior. You're being rude," Mo Ling said coolly. "That attitude is going to make you pay when you're in the Astral Sage College." "Then I guess I'll bring a few more bodyguards with me," Li Luo replied. Mo Ling's eyes flashed. He knew that Li Luo was reminding him of the Tower Qingfeng incident. Still, he knew that there was no point in kicking up a fuss now. He swallowed his anger. "Laugh while you can, Li Luo. After today, the Inkwater Villa's spirit liquids and purifying lights will dominate the Tianshu Province, and your Suncreek Villa will be screwed." He stomped off. Li Luo shook his head. "How did you attract such a wasp?" he asked, turning to Lu Qing'er. She glared at him. "Nonsense. I was just wandering around. No idea why he would come over." She was annoyed that Li Luo had implied that she had invited him. Li Luo hurriedly pacified her. "My bad, my bad. Sister Qing'er is as pretty as a floating lotus. You were unlucky to float into a pile of cow turd." She rolled her eyes at him, slightly mollified. "The Inkwater Villa has established an alliance with the Song family. They will definitely make their move during the festival," she said with a hint of worry. "Don't worry. I'm prepared," Li Luo said indifferently, waving it off. Lu Qing'er was a little curious, but she did not press further. Instead, she stared closely at Li Luo. "You're a Ninth Seal already?" "You're a Tenth Seal already?" Li Luo countered. Their physical closeness allowed him to detect the faint frost energy she was emitting. It was much colder than before. Clearly, her resonant power had gotten even more robust. She was a Ninth Seal before, and reaching the Tenth Seal by this month was normal. She nodded slightly. She was holding a parasol due to the hot weather, and now she inclined it slightly to shade Li Luo as well. "I can probably reach the first tier of the Resonant Master Stage before I enter the Astral Sage College." "Impressive." Li Luo whistled, giving her a big thumbs up. "You should buck up too. Don't think we'll be anything special in the Astral Sage College just because we ranked first and second in the Tianshu Province. The other newcomers from stronger provinces will be really intense." "I heard that there's a streaming competition when we get in, that decides what class we go to. It will be far harder than the College Final Examinations," Lu Qing'er told him severely. Li Luo nodded. Of course he would not underestimate the other newcomers. He wasn't qualified to do so. The Tianshu Province was only mid-tier in Xia Kingdom. If he really thought first place in the Tianshu Province meant anything, then he would truly be a fool. As the two chatted pleasantly, Mo Ling had stalked off angrily to the Pine Nut Villa. He spotted Song Qiuyu watching the crowd. "Who's pissed you off now?" She snickered at him. "Met that Li Luo again. Grr," Mo Ling said, grinding his teeth. "No worries. After today, I think he'll regret the way he's treated you," Song Qiuyu said uncaringly. Mo Ling nodded, his expression softening. "Are you ready?" "I'm roughly as strong as Yan Lingqing, but with your Mo family's secret recipe, I will definitely beat her. Hehe, I can't wait. That little squirt was really stuck up. I'm going to enjoy the look on her face when I beat her, Song Qiuyu said gleefully. Hearing her coquettish laugh while he enjoyed the view of her hourglass figure, Mo Ling was starting to feel an itch in his heart. He reached out towards her waist. She twisted away, teasing him. "If my father sees you, you had better be ready to propose marriage or leave Tianshu." Mo Ling hurriedly replied, "I don't mind getting engaged immediately, as long as you are willing." "Let's wait for a good time." She smiled. He could only nod. She again turned to the arena below, her eyes losing their warmth. Of course she had seen Mo Ling flirting with Lu Qing'er. The guy did his thinking with his lower half. If he wasn't still useful to her, she would have ignored him. However, they still needed the Inkwater Villa's help to deal with the Suncreek Villa. For now, she would have to endure him. She could kick him away once her mission was accomplished. A gong interrupted her thoughts, and there was a pronounced increase in the crowd's chatter. Song Qiuyu looked eagerly. Finally, the tempering contest was here. When the gong sounded, Li Luo and Lu Qing'er also followed the crowd towards the center of the arena. Li Luo could see that Yan Lingqing had already made her way there. Her willowy figure, silver-rimmed spectacles, and long, flowing hair had caught the eye of many men. "Does House Luolan hire based on looks? That majordomo Cai Wei is a real looker, and this president of the Suncreek Villa is an ice queen too." Lu Qing'er teased him as she checked out Yan Lingqing. Li Luo had no immediate rejoinder to that. After all, both women were indeed great beauties. If others did not know that Jiang Qing'e was the one who had arranged for them to come here, he would indeed be slandered as a playboy. "I'm heading over to Second Uncle's side. Want to come with?" She crooked a finger towards the Golden Dragon Bank's seats on the spectator platform. Although the Golden Dragon Bank was not a villa, their deep business connections made them interested in the proceedings as well. Li Luo shook his head and smiled. "I'm going up." He indicated to the arena. Lu Qing'er's surprise showed. "You're competing in the tempering arts?" "I'm just going to assist Sister Lingqing. And gain some exposure. After all, I'm a resonance artificer too." Li Luo grinned. "I'll be rooting for you." Lu Qing'er laughed. Batting her luscious lashes at him with interest, she waved him off with a dainty hand before turning away with her white parasol. Li Luo headed for the stage, where Yan Lingqing currently was. Chapter 83: An Old Grudge On stage, there were refining workstations made of transparent crystal. Yan Lingqing was in one of them, currently arranging her things. She looked up when Li Luo walked in. "You really can't get away from that girl no matter where you go." She had spotted him walking around with Lu Qing'er. "Coincidence," Li Luo clarified. "I think she's a little interested in you," Yan Lingqing said. "No way! I won't let you sully our pure and platonic friendship!" Li Luo objected. She coughed once dryly. "Well, it's none of my business, but the girl has standards. Still, I wonder if you will be able to hold back the queens over at the Astral Sage College." "It's getting out of hand now. Queens? Then what am I? A king?" Li Luo countered. "You wish." Yan Lingqing scoffed. She handed him a formula. "This is the spirit liquid I'm going to refine. Familiarize yourself with it." Li Luo carefully read it. The fourth-grade spirit liquid was called Cyanobacteria. It was a rather difficult spirit liquid to get right, as fourth-grade liquids went. Evidently, Yan Lingqing was holding nothing back against Song Qiuyu. He scanned the list of ingredients and then inhaled sharply. There were more than 400 of them. Processing each one perfectly would be quite a test of one's refining skill. "This is the formula for a fourth-grade spirit liquid? Incredible." Li Luo marveled. He could only refine second-grade spirit liquids for now, for which he had to handle at most 100 types of ingredients. That was nothing compared to a fourth-grade spirit liquid. Besides, the fusions between the fourth-grade ingredients were even more complicated. For second-grade ingredients, at most a fusion of two ingredients was required. But for fourth-grade ingredients, up to six ingredients needed to be fused. It was a huge leap in difficulty. Staff members were starting to deliver refining ingredients, and they were soon neatly piled up nearby. As the assistant, Li Luo went to inspect them. Yan Lingqing smiled approvingly at Li Luo's meticulousness. Time ticked on, and soon the various head resonance artificers of the villas in the Tianshu Province were all in their own refining workshops. Li Luo spotted Song Qiuyu entering the Pine Nut Villa's as well. The moment she stepped on stage, her eyes met Yan Lingqing's. Electricity sizzled between them. Yan Lingqing showed a blank face, but veins could be seen popping from her clenched fist. "Why do I get the sense that you hate her a lot?" Li Luo asked curiously. Yan Lingqing was one who rarely cared about anything besides spirit liquids and purifying lights. And yet she reacted strongly to Song Qiuyu. Yan Lingqing fell silent for a moment. "We used to be on pretty good terms. I even forced a recommendation to get her into my teacher's refining group. But in one crucial competition, her error caused our group to lose. Our teacher was furious and kicked her out. "That wouldn't be anything major, but later on she entered another refining group. Specifically, the one that beat us in the last competition because of her error." "That's mean." Li Luo agreed. Yan Lingqing was silent. It was not hard to guess that Song Qiuyu had probably been bought out by that team. And as the one who had recommended Song Qiuyu, Yan Lingqing probably felt complicit in the betrayal and apologetic towards her teacher. No wonder it was hard for her to control her feelings around Song Qiuyu. She bent her head and continued arranging the ingredients. Li Luo did not press further, joining her until the bell rang. A loud cheer went up from the crowd. Staff entered the stage and announced the various resonance artificers and their villas. As their names were read, they were greeted by cheers from their supporters. All of them had made a name for themselves in the Tianshu Province. From the spectator stands, President Lu of the Golden Dragon Financial Group laughed as he looked over at the Suncreek Villa's refining platform. "That Li Luo is really everywhere." Lu Qing'er smiled. "He's a resonance artificer after all. He's here to gain experience." The lavishly-dressed President Lu turned to Lu Qing'er and probed cautiously. "I say, Qing'er, haven't you been rather close to Li Luo recently?" Lu Qing'er's eyes moved. "So what?" she replied calmly. President Lu chuckled nervously. "Well, I just wanted to say that Li Luo is already an engaged man..." Lu Qing'er looked at the handsome young man behind the crystal wall and was quiet for a beat. "That engagement is only in name, isn't it?" "Who knows..." President Lu wrung his hands. "Second Uncle, you're imagining things. I'm not interested in Li Luo. But he helped me before, and saved me before. That made us close. You wouldn't deny me my friends, would you?" Lu Qing'er demanded. "No, no..." President Lu quickly shook his head. He seemed relieved. "Well, it's good that you're not interested. You're going to the Astral Sage College, and that's in Xia City. Your mother is there... And it's best to mention Li Luo as little as possible in front of her." Lu Qing'er's eyebrows went up. "Why?" President Lu chewed on the inside of his cheek for a while. "It's baggage from the last generation, really. Best not to ask. Just... don't mention Li Luo in front of your mother." Lu Qing'er's eyes narrowed, but finally she nodded. For some reason, she suddenly felt irritated. Ding! Ding! The sound rang out with a sense of urgency this time, and it was clear that the competition was about to begin. The crowd yelled and cheered. Within their refining workshops, the resonance artificers squared their shoulders and prepared themselves. In the next moment, there was a flurry of water and light resonance power in each workshop, and the artificers started to prepare their ingredients. The competition had begun! Chapter 84: The Fifth Border "Frostriver Algae, half a strand. "Panshan Vitality Roots, three. "Qianxi water, three standard measurements. "..." Within the Suncreek Villa refining workshop, Yan Lingqing was issuing crisp, clear instructions, all of which Li Luo was swiftly following. He would measure out whatever she needed and hand it over. As Yan Lingqing picked up each crystal vial, she added water resonance power to crush the ingredients and release their special properties. There was no idle chit chat now, not during the competition. It was going to be a sprint from start to finish. However, Li Luo was picking up many things from the efficient way that Yan Lingqing was working. Her understanding of ingredient integration was superb. She deftly worked through the complex steps, and he knew that he would have ruined everything if it was left to him. She was indeed quite an expert in refining. But Li Luo also knew that this was just the start. Outside, there were commentators discussing the competition. Although those outside might not fully understand the processes, looking at the tense expressions of the resonance artificers helped them feel immersed in the situation. The tension was infectious. More and more crystal vials began to line up on Yan Lingqing's rack, twinkling with blue light. Their preparation was finished. Beads of sweat had started to appear on her beautiful face, but she did not even have time to wipe them. All her attention was concentrated on the vials in her hands. Her water resonance power worked nonstop, fusing yet more ingredients. The fusion of ingredients looked simple, but it required precise control of one's resonant power to remove the impurities from within them. One had to wield the resonant power for hundreds of passes before the required essence could be properly extracted. To the untrained eye, it looked like just a channeling of resonant power into the crystal vials, but there were invisible changes happening behind that image. A classic case of the experts watching the hustle and the laymen enjoying the bustle. This was a time for the resonance artificers with higher-grade resonances to distinguish themselves. A higher-grade resonance was easier to wield, and it could compensate for a lack of experience. Watching her beautiful face carefully, Li Luo hesitated for a moment. This time while arranging the ingredients, he flicked a finger and injected a dribble of waterlight resonance into it. "Skyleaf Juice," Yan Lingqing said. Li Luo immediately handed it over to her. Yan Lingqing took it, imbuing her water resonance power and crushing it entirely. But this time, as the ingredients fused, her hands clenched tightly. She was shocked. This fusion had gone much more smoothly than before. When channeling her resonant power into the crystal vial, there seemed to be another special force inside making things effortless. However, this was a competition, so she had no time to examine it carefully. She could only quickly finish her work and move on to the next step. Li Luo was still carefully watching her expression. Seeing her not panicking was a relief. So his bit of resonant power had not interfered with the fusion. Perhaps it was helping. This was no surprise. After all, Li Luo's resonant power worked like a special watersource; it could accommodate other water and light resonances. His waterlight resonance was a sixth-grade one, but compared to single-element resonances, it was definitely comparable to a seventh-grade. Yan Lingqing's own water resonance was a lower seventh-grade. Therefore, Li Luo was technically stronger than her based on pure resonant power alone. However, because she was the main artificer, and Li Luo's power was a weak Ninth Seal's, his waterlight resonance had only helped to ease the situation. Besies, he knew that Yan Lingqing did not actually need his help for the Cyanobacteria spirit liquid. Therefore, his assistance had been just a testing of the waters. Time continued to pass under their frenzied and tense pacing. At this step, the refining was in its final phase. Li Luo breathed easy now. There had been no problems with her refining, and the fourth-grade Cyanobacteria spirit liquid had been completed. Ding! A bell rang out, and the voice of the judges could be heard. "Greenlight Villa, Zhao Feng. Fourth-grade Greenlight purifying light, success. Tempering strength: 55%!" "Whitefang Villa, Liu Tong. Fourth-grade Whitefang spirit liquid, success. Tempering strength: 56%!" As these were announced, Yan Lingqing did not seem fazed, calmly holding up her Cyanobacteria spirit liquid. However, her composure did not hold up for long, because a surprising announcement was made. "Pine Nut Villa, Song Qiuyu. Fifth-grade Dainty spirit liquid, success! Tempering strength: 53%!" ?Wow! The entire arena broke out in an uproar. Many were looking at Song Qiuyu, who was holding up a vial with a smile on her face. Fifth-grade spirit liquid?! The Pine Nut Villa's Song Qiuyu had actually completed a fifth-grade spirit liquid?! Many of the other resonance artificers paled. They were virtually all fourth-grade resonance artificers. No one was a fifth-grade artificer, and yet Song Qiuyu had produced a fifth-grade spirit liquid? That would crush the competition! Whether this was a stroke of luck or otherwise, it had been produced in the competition, and it was rightfully her result. Song Shan and Mo Ling both grinned triumphantly. As for House Luolan's side, the flower fan in Cai Wei's hand faltered and her lovely goose egg-shaped face stiffened. She looked worriedly over at Yan Lingqing and Li Luo's refining workshop. The atmosphere was thick with tension. Yan Lingqing had been focused on her ingredients, and suddenly she froze as if petrified. The crystal vial in her hand did not move an inch. She stared at it, and the energy began to leak out of her. "How could she have... a fifth-grade spirit liquid?" Yan Lingqing stammered to herself. Peng! A slip of her resonant power, and the crystal vial shattered. The liquid dripped down her fingers. She placed both hands on the desk to steady herself. Her head was hung, her long hair covering her face entirely. There was no point in continuing now... Song Qiuyu had produced a fifth-grade spirit liquid. Even if her Cyanobacteria spirit liquid turned out to be a resounding success, it would still fall short. Li Luo looked at her, her resignation obvious. Through the strands of her hair, he could see that her eyes were watery. It was his first time seeing Yan Lingqing so vulnerable. Li Luo looked up at Song Qiuyu. She was gloating, her victory assured. Li Luo saw her looking over at Yan Lingqing with a superior sense of mockery. He was silent for a few moments, then he suddenly spun Yan Lingqing around. He stared into her watery eyes. "Sister Lingqing," he said tersely, "you are definitely better than Song Qiuyu. I don't know how she managed to refine a fifth-grade spirit liquid, but if she can do it, you can do too!" Yan Lingqing shook her head. "I've never succeeded, not even once," she whispered hoarsely. "Perhaps not before, but perhaps you can do it now. We're already behind anyway. What's there to lose?" Li Luo whispered back. He took her fair hand and wiped it dry with his clothing, encouraging her tenderly. "Sister Lingqing, I don't really care about what victory or defeat here will do to the Suncreek Villa. I just think that you're an excellent artificer. How could you lose to her?" She looked blankly at his chiseled features. Although still raw with youth, there was a strong will there that drummed up the courage in her. She bit her lip and gave him a small nod. "Then... let's try." Chapter 85: With Our Powers Combined "Sister Lingqing, which fifth-grade spirit liquid are you most familiar with?" Seeing her perk up, Li Luo smiled encouragingly. "Heavenward spirit liquid. I'm most familiar with its formula, and it's the one I've been practicing. But like I said, I've never succeeded before," Yan Lingqing said. He nodded and called over the staff to tell them that they were going to change their refining materials. Very soon, a new batch of ingredients was streaming into the refining workshop. Song Qiuyu had already walked out of her own refining workshop with a superior smile. "Yan Lingqing, still struggling? No way you can turn the tables," she gloated to herself. She was feeling very good about having decisively beaten Yan Lingqing. Back at the Resonance Tempering Hall, Yan Lingqing had always been firmly in the lead. Later on, Yan Lingqing had brought Song Qiuyu into the refining group, but that teacher had continued to favor Yan Lingqing and treat Song Qiuyu coldly. It had made her extremely resentful and jealous. She felt that her talent was comparable. The teacher's bias was unfair! Although Yan Lingqing was kind, it was a kindness that smacked of pity. She did not want it. Yan Lingqing, you were just trying to show off how nice you were! "Now it is my win!" ... "Ready." Li Luo looked over at Yan Lingqing. The latter took a deep breath and then nodded gravely. "Glass solution, 10 drops!" Li Luo immediately pulled out a transparent fruit and squeezed gently until 10 drops were in a test tube. He put a pulse of resonant power in. This one was slightly more than his experiment previously. He handed over the test tube, and she started to purify it and condense the medicinal properties. But this time, she could feel a strong and vital resonant power that was helping her tune things. She was taken aback by its presence. Most crucially, it was not at all hindering her processing. It was as though someone had secretly added a powerful watersource to it. And then a jolt of understanding flooded through her, making her turn to look at Li Luo anew. If she still did not understand at this point, then she would truly be a numbskull. She did not speak about it, quickly settling herself. With the help of that revitalizing resonant power, she swiftly began to purify the ingredients. "Citric Drizzle Fruit. "Cloud Rootgrass. "Blossom Paste." The names tumbled off her tongue in quick succession, and Li Luo promptly supplied the ingredient each time. Time ticked on. The other resonance artificers were done. There were successes and failures, but none of it mattered. Before Song Qiuyu's fifth-grade spirit liquid, they were all defeated. Therefore, all eyes were now turned to the last refining workshop yet to finishSuncreek Villa. "Not giving up yet?" Mo Ling was smiling smugly up from the Song family's viewing area. He shook his head. "Yan Lingqing, struggling like a fish on the hook. Does she think she can produce a fifth-grade spirit liquid too?" "Impossible. She's not at the fifth-grade level yet. Even Qiuyu could not have done it if not for the secret Inkwater ingredients." Song Shan gave a calculated smile. "The moment Qiuyu is declared Artificer Prime, we will announce the launch of the Inkwater Villa's products. It will definitely cause a huge stir, and the Suncreek Villa can basically pack up and close." Song Shan's heartbeat quickened as he imagined the moment. After today, the Pine Nut Villa would be the best villa in the Tianshu Province. At the Golden Dragon Bank's spectator area, President Lu frowned. "There must be some trouble at the Suncreek Villa side. The Song family is working together with the Inkwater Villa. They delivered huge quantities of their secret formulas before. They must be aiming to crush the Suncreek Villa today." Lu Qing'er was alarmed to hear this. The Song family must have been planning to make their move at this festival. Their goal? To surpass the Suncreek Villa and dominate the spirit liquids and purifying lights market in the Tianshu Province. Over at House Luolan's side, Cai Wei felt a tingle of excitement upon seeing Yan Lingqing rally herself. She knew of the grudge between the two. If she lost here, it would be a big mental blow. Still, she was very anxious. She did not understand how Yan Lingqing could possibly turn this around. Soon enough, another bell rang out, reminding participants that the time limit was approaching. Song Qiuyu folded her arms across her chest, resting her head against the crystal wall at an angle. She cocked an eye towards a fully-focused Yan Lingqing, watching her struggle with pleasure. "Yan Lingqing, how helpless! It will not save you," she hissed. Ding! Another bell. Yan Lingqing put down her hands. Her face was pouring with fragrant sweat, her chin tucked in. Close to 1,000 ingredients had been prepared, and the toil on her had been incredible. However, the preparations were all done. It had gone much more smoothly than she had ever done before. But the final step was to refine the watersource and then fuse all of the prepared mixtures together to form the final spirit liquid. It was an equally important step. Yan Lingqing took a deep breath and picked up a polymerization crystal. Li Luo put his hand on hers. Yan Lingqing looked at him, puzzled. If not for the gravity of the situation, she would have thought he was hitting on her. "Sister Lingqing, let's do this together." Li Luo gave her a sunny smile that dazzled her for a moment. Recovering, she nodded. Although she did not really understand what he was doing, she trusted him. Both used their resonant powers together, infusing the polymerization crystal. A pure light settled within the crystal. Next, droplets of watersource began to condense and drip down into a crystal vial. Li Luo's face was pale. He had used up virtually all of his resonant power. Although he was much weaker than she was, the purity of the watersource that he could produce was a cut above Yan Lingqing's. With the two working together, the result would have to be better than a watersource that Yan Lingqing produced alone. Holding the vial up, Yan Lingqing looked at the purest watersource she had ever produced. It was all thanks to Li Luo. She again turned to stare at him, and he grinned at her weakly, his face pale. "Sister Lingqing, the show's yours." With a slight incline of her head in acknowledgement, she started to bring the ingredients together, adding test tubes to the bottle of watersource. When they injected the watersource, the test tube solutions glowed, filled with lifeforms fusing together and creating new possibilities. The changes would take the better part of a minute before subsiding. Within the crystal vial, the liquid bubbled and quietened, and its color gradually faded away. At the same time, beams of light danced merrily within. Hua! The crowd was getting excited now. The resonance artificers were even more astonished. From the dancing lights, they could tell that this was more than a fourth-grade spirit liquid. It had to be a fifth-grade spirit liquid! Yan Lingqing stared at the crystal vial, lost in thought. Finally, she stretched out a trembling hand and inserted the tempering measurement needle. It climbed to 58! Her eyes lit up like the sun. The crowd roared, led by the commentator. "Suncreek Villa! Yan Lingqing! Fifth-grade Heavenward spirit liquid, SUCCESS! Tempering strength, FIFTTTYYYY EIGHT!" ROAR! After a stunned silence, the crowd exploded with excitement. The Suncreek Villa had barely finished in time, but they had managed to produce a fifth-grade spirit liquid! And it was even higher than Song Qiuyu's! Incredible! Amidst the cheers, the smirk on Song Qiuyu's face was frozen in time. Chapter 86: The Momentum Turns Again Wave after wave of crowd chatter echoed around the arena. Everyone was amazed at the outcome. A comeback at the last moment by Suncreek Villa's Yan Lingqing. She too had made a 5th-grade spirit liquid! "WHAT!" Song Shan and Mo Ling thundered, springing out of their chairs aghast. They were completely incredulous. "Impossible! IMPOSSIBLE! There must be a trick!" Mo Ling snarled. Yan Lingqing was clearly only a 4th-grade resonance artificer. How could she have made a 5th-grade spirit liquid? Anger clouded Song Shan's face, brewing like a storm. The sudden turn of events had devastated his perfect plan. It was foiled completely. Over at the Golden Dragon Bank side, President Lu's eyes were round as saucers as well. He rubbed his portly chin. "Too much of a coincidence, isn't it? When did Yan Lingqing become capable of refining 5th-grade spirit liquids too?" "If Song Qiuyu can do it, why can't she?" Lu Qing'er laughed with relief. President Lu fumbled for an answer. "Well normally speaking, neither should be able to. But both HAVE been able to. Could it be luck?" "Who knows." Lu Qing'er said indifferently. All that mattered was that Suncreek Villa had won. Li Luo would be happy now. President Lu looked at her and shook his head. However, he too was happy that Suncreek Villa had won. After all, Song Yunfeng had betrayed Lu Qing'er during the exams, and he wasn't happy about it at all. He had dealt business with them with a grudging manner since. If not for the fact that she had turned out safe, he would not have let the matter rest so easily. Over at House Luolan's side, Cai Wei sank down in relief. Her hand was thumping her chest repeatedly, trying to calm herself down. "How did Lingqing do it? Was she inspired by the young lord's good looks? But she's not that kind of superficial girl?" Yan Lingqing was not like her. She didn't care about a person's looks at all. Still, who cared because Suncreek Villa had gotten the ideal result. "Impossible!" "How could she have created a 5th-grade with a higher tempering strength than me?!" Song Qiuyu was completely floored. When she recovered, she immediately objected. Her attractive features were twisted in spite now. "There must be a trick!" She yelled at the judge. He ignored her. His only responsibility was to judge the outcome. After confirming that Yan Lingqing's product was indeed a 5th-grade spirit liquid with a 58% tempering strength, he immediately announced the winner. "Suncreek Villa's Yan Lingqing, no mistakes in tempering. 5th-grade spirit liquid, tempering strength 58%, first place!" "I declare Suncreek Villa's Yan Lingqing the winner!" Whao! Loud gasps and cheers filled the arena after the decision. This was a spectacular comeback. "Wow, we won!" In the refining workshop, Yan Lingqing was stunned. Joy lit up her beautiful features, and she turned to hug Li Luo, cheering and jumping. Li Luo hurriedly raised his hands, declaring his innocence. But feeling her slim, fragrant body pressed against him was a unique feeling that curvier bodies just could not give him. She quickly got her emotions under control, a slight tinge of embarrassment in her eyes. "That's not my fault though!" Li Luo protested his innocence. What an unreasonable woman. She had jumped him, and now she was angry? Yan Lingqing sniffed, then waved a joking fist at him. She could not hide her overflowing joy at having made the comeback. "Congratulations, youre the Tianshu Province's Artificer Prime," Li Luo said brightly. She rolled her eyes at him. The title was worth exactly zero gold. She didn't really care about it. What mattered more was getting a win over her long-time rival, Song Qiuyu. "It's not like you don't know how I won... But with this success, I feel like perhaps truly becoming a fifth-grade resonance artificer is not far away now." She gushed. "Impressive." Li Luo gave her a thumbs up. If she could become a fifth-grade artificer, then she would truly be a respectable expert in the field on a wider scale. She turned to regard him with her gorgeous eyes. She knew that he was essential to the win, and that was still a source of puzzlement for her. He was clearly only a second-grade artificer. His water resonance did not seem to have that high of a grade either. But the water resonance he had produced was brimming with vitality, even stronger than hers. Li Luo was clearly hiding some secrets. Still, she had the presence of mind not to ask it here. She was not an overly nosy person. Since he was not volunteering information, she wasn't going to pursue the issue. She set this matter aside for now. With the refining complete, Yan Lingqing and Li Luo walked out of the refining workshop. She looked over at the spiteful Song Qiuyu and said coolly, "Sorry to deny you the win." Song Qiuyu snapped, "Yan Lingqing, I don't believe you can refine a fifth-grade spirit liquid!" "I don't believe you can either," Yan Lingqing retorted. "If you have doubts, we can go get the results verified. See if we used any little tricks in our work." This competition was just a part of the festival. It was not particularly major, and so many of the rules were a little iffy. But if Song Qiuyu truly wanted to push the issue, they could get the results verified by professionals. Still, it was as she had said. She did not believe that Song Qiuyu could make a fifth-grade spirit liquid, because she understood her ability well. She must have pulled off something dirty. Song Qiuyu bit her lip so hard that it left a bloody line. In the end, she did not dare to pursue the issue. She was unsure. Mo Ling had sworn that the Mo familys secrets could not be detected, but she did not dare risk it. They had already lost. Besides, the title of Artificer Prime would've just been the appetizer to their plan. Although it might not have gone as smoothly as they hoped, it did not actually affect their subsequent operations. She turned a hateful eye on Yan Lingqing. "You think you've won? Dream on!" She swallowed her anger and turned to the crowd. In a clear voice, she declared, "Everyone, the Song family has big news to announce. From today onwards, the Song family will be working together with the Inkwater Villa to produce a new line of spirit liquids and purifying lights. "First-grade Blackstar spirit liquid, 62%. "Second-grade Blackmoon spirit liquid, 61%. "Third-grade Blackglory purifying light, 60%." This was greeted with astonishment and excitement from those present. The famous Inkwater Villa was, of course, a name that many in the Tianshu recognized. This was great news for the average consumer. Higher quality at the same price? Who would pass it up? Presently, the best choices were the first-grade Azure Jade spirit liquid and the second-grade Ruby Slush spirit liquid from the Suncreek Villa. Both were about 60%. It seemed like the Song family's newest line would surpass that! They now saw that this was the bigger goal of the Song family today. The championship fight was merely a boost to their reputation. Even though they had lost the title, the new line of products had quality that would speak for itself. The momentum was with the Song family now. It truly did not matter where the title went. The true winners here were the buyers. Yan Lingqing's heart sank when she heard the news. So that could not be denied. How would they deal with the Song family's move? Yan Lingqing helplessly turned to Li Luo, but she found him with a cheerful grin on his face. Somehow, it made her heartstrings tighten, then she felt the tension evaporate from her body. Chapter 87: Upgrades, Upgrades Everywhere The excitement continued for a long time. The Song family's move had huge implications. Working together with the Inkwater Villa? The Inkwater Villa was famous throughout Xia. In terms of expertise and scale, they were far beyond any villa in the Tianshu Province. It was like releasing a tiger into the sheep flock. One could only imagine that most of the spirit liquids and purifying lights market would now fall into the Song family's hands. And the Suncreek Villa would fall just as quickly as they had risen. Song Qiuyu's expression eased up. She looked loftily at Yan Lingqing. "You might have won the competition, but the Song family has beaten the Suncreek Villa." However, bright laughter erupted from a nearby Li Luo. She looked over at him. "Is that amusing to you?" Li Luo nodded, but didn't reply. Instead he turned to the crowd. "Everyone, the Suncreek Villa also has an announcement to make. From today onwards, we will upgrade our first-grade Azure Jade and second-grade Ruby Slush spirit liquids. By my calculations, the new spirit liquids will probably have a tempering strength of 64%" Wow! This announcement gobsmacked the entire crowd. Even the other resonance artificers stared at Li Luo, open-mouthed. 64% for first and second-grade spirit liquids? If that could be mass-produced, it would be a quality that would rank in the top 10 even in the whole Xia Kingdom. The other top 10 products were all the result of countless experiments and trials by the huge powers. These groups had invested a lot of time and effort to stabilize their formulas. And now the Suncreek Villa was saying they could achieve it? "You're talking out your ass, boy!" Mo Ling shouted from the Song family spectator stands. Li Luo's mouth was too big. How dare he have the cheek to say he could reach 64% with the Azure Jade and the Ruby Slush? That was a tall order even for the Inkwater Villa. Song Shan looked as though he had swallowed something slimy. He wanted to dismiss Li Luo's words as nonsense, and yet there was a slight unease he could not shake off. This Li Luo was always an enigma. Over at the Golden Dragon side, President Lu turned to Lu Qing'er in surprise. "Another upgrade to the Suncreek Villa's spirit liquids? So soon?" She blinked back at him innocently, indicating that she did not know. Song Qiuyu was equally stunned at the announcement. "What are you blabbing about? Not even the headquarters of your Suncreek Villa could achieve that. You? A small branch? What do you think spirit liquids and purifying lights are, kid? You think they'll leap and dance at your command? Other major villas have gone through countless trials and experiments and done a ton of research to gain experience. Only then could they inch up their quality by a fraction. The Suncreek Villa's spirit liquids and purifying lights could barely touch the fifties a mere two months ago. They had barely been able to hold ground against other villas in the Tianshu Province, let alone compete against the Pine Nut Villa. They had suddenly managed to muster a drastic improvement, but surely they couldn't pull it off a second time so soon, right? Yan Lingqing remained silent. There was doubt in her eyes. She did not know if even she could do it. But after what had just happened, her confidence in Li Luo had deepened significantly. And since he had dared to announce this publicly, he had to be prepared. Li Luo waved to someone behind him and immediately a servant of House Luolan hurried forward with a black box. He opened the box to reveal dozens of spirit liquids and purifying lights within. They were Ruby Slush and Azure Jade from the Suncreek Villa. Li Luo took one out casually and then tested it. To everyone's shock, the tempering strength was actually at 64%. The crowd went wild. Still beaming, Li Luo continued, "From today onwards, both Azure Jade and Ruby Slush will be at 64%. If any fall below that, the Suncreek Villa guarantees a full refund. No questions asked." It was a bold declaration that made his commitment clear. Song Qiuyu's sour face was back. She wanted to accuse Li Luo of hiring expert artificers to produce them, but with that proclamation, it signified that he was confident in producing them long-term, and ensuring quality. She shook with rage and frustration. She had worked so hard for today to be successful. She had snared the Inkwater Villa and engineered the alliance, all in order to destroy Yan Lingqing and the Suncreek Villa. And now it was all in the water. She had lost to Yan Lingqing, and now their new products had been soundly beaten by the Suncreek Villa as well. They were well and truly a laughing stock. "No way! No way!!" Mo Ling howled, having broken down completely. He refused to believe that the Suncreek Villa could produce such quality liquids and lights in the long term. "Li Luo must be lying!" Song Shan stood up, his face expressionless. Ignoring the raving Mo Ling, he turned and left. There was nothing that could be changed about today's outcome. The Song family's moves had all been easily swept aside and negated. No, they had been turned fully to their opponent's advantage. 64% tempering strength. It would forever be a mountain that crushed the Song family. There was no coming back from this one. Again, the Song family had been crushed and rolled over. He remembered that it was not always this way. Before, the Song family had devoured all of House Luolan's assets in the Tianshu Province. They were flying high. How had it become like this? In his mind's eye, Li Luo's face appeared. Everyone knew that House Luolan's Jiang Qing'e was to be envied. But had they been sleeping on this young lord? Still waters run deep, but he struck with the deadliness and unexpectedness of a viper. "Let's go. Show's over." President Lu stood up as well, smiling at Lu Qing'er. "Although I don't have much proof, my years of business instinct is telling me that the Young Lord is something special. "He might not have the same sharpness that his parents and Jiang Qing'e have, but he knows how to pick his moments. That is a strength uncommon for those his age. I think he will be a match for Jiang Qing'e in the future." He turned to leave. Lu Qing'er tilted her head to look at Li Luo and smiled faintly as well. "I think so too," she said softly. Thinking about how they would soon head to the Astral Sage College together to begin a new chapter of their lives, she felt an inexplicable tingle of anticipation. Chapter 88: Preparing to Leave After the festival, on the carriage taking them back. Li Luo, Cai Wei, and Yan Lingqing were riding together, and the two were looking wide-eyed at Li Luo. "Look, I know that I have a really pretty face, and we've spent so much time together that you must be having some thoughts. But in order to keep your relationship with Sister Qing'e intact, I suggest you control yourselves. If you can't, I suggest you discuss this with her," Li Luo sincerely warned them after the staring was getting out of hand. "Tsk." They both tsked him. This guy was getting bolder by the day. "Young Lord, you're a man of many secrets indeed. But it's time to spill. How are we going to maintain 64% strength in the future?" Cai Wei asked. "Easy. I've improved the watersource's purity. So the tempering strength has increased accordingly." Both were speechless. Yan Lingqing had guessed at least that much. After all, the only factor in spirit liquid quality that Li Luo could influence was the watersource. Still, even Yan Lingqing was amazed by how much he had purified the watersource before. Had he managed to do so again? "The Songs went to great lengths to secure all that external aid. They must have gone through an endless series of negotiations and talks. After all that, they lost to a simple watersource purification... I almost feel sorry for Song Qiuyu now." Cai Wei shook her head, smiling. Li Luo matched her smile. Luckily, the Suncreek Villa had not yet pushed out any third-grade spirit liquids. As a Ninth Seal, he was not strong enough to output so much watersource. Otherwise, he would have raised it as well and totally shut the Songs out of the market. "But you're heading to the Astral Sage College soon, right? What will we do about the watersource then?" Yan Lingqing asked suddenly. It went without saying that the Suncreek Villa's spirit liquids were only where they were thanks to Li Luo. When the enabler left, how could they ensure quality? He had already guaranteed refunds for anything less than 64%. Li Luo had already thought of this. "When I go to Xia City, I'll send back a batch of watersource every month to ensure quality." And as Li Luo's resonant power rose, the amount of watersource he could produce would increase as well. It should be able to meet the needs back here at the Tianshu Province. Both women nodded in approval. "But if you go to Xia City, Lingqing and I should go with you," Cai Wei said. "After all, I came to the Tianshu Province to stabilize the businesses here. Ive finished all of my tasks. I should be returning to Xia City as well." Yan Lingqing nodded as well. "The Suncreek Villa is doing well. The other day, headquarters sent over a fourth-grade resonance artificer as the vice-president, appointed by Jiang Qing'e. He must be trustworthy; I can leave matters here to him." She gave him a sly smile. "Actually I'm still a student at the Astral Sage College. When you get in, you will have to call me senior sister." "Indeed, it would be a waste for talents like yourselves to remain at the Tianshu Province." Li Luo replied with a laugh. Cai Wei was the administrator of House Luolan. Because of their troubles here, Jiang Qing'e had sent Cai Wei to hold down the fort at the Tianshu Province. As for Yan Lingqing, she was a gifted student at the Resonance Tempering Hall in the Astral Sage College. She had agreed to come to the Tianshu Province at the behest of Jiang Qing'e mainly to improve her skills. Now that he was leaving the Tianshu Province, the two of them would not linger either. "When do you plan to move?" Cai Wei asked. "I probably need another half a month or so," Li Luo replied. There was still a little over a month left in his holidays. And he needed to fill as many holes on the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel as he could, to build his second acquired resonance. "Just about right, timewise. We'll make arrangements, tie things down, and be ready to leave around that time as well," Cai Wei said cheerfully. "I haven't seen my babe Qing'e in a while now. I miss her," Yan Lingqing said eagerly. Li Luo nodded emphatically. "I miss my babe Qing'e too. I wish I could give her a big, lovey-dovey hug." Yan Lingqing suddenly turned serious. "I suggest you be more circumspect at the Astral Sage College. If you really make a move, I suspect you will be clubbed to death." Li Luo started. "Is it illegal to hug my fiance?" He grumbled. "Are the Astral Sage College people so barbaric?" Yan Lingqing rolled her eyes at him. ...... The days after the festival passed peacefully, reverting to a state of calm. The Suncreek Villa was doing better and better by the day, steadily dominating the spirit liquids and purifying lights market. This was the highest annual profit that they had ever turned. When there were just two weeks left until the end of the holidays, Li Luo's resonant power finally managed to reach the threshold, and he broke into the Tenth Seal. At this level, it was time to prepare for the next step, the Resonant Master Stage, and consolidate his resonance seed. Still, it was going to take time. As for his Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel, Li Luo had worked on it steadily, and now only two holes were left. Still, these two holes eluded his every attempt. He could not find suitable ingredients that the wheel would accept. His guess was that the wood and earth elements in the ingredients were insufficient. Which meant that these last two holes needed to be filled with something really rare. He had specially gone to visit the Golden Dragon Bank, but the ingredients there did not meet his standards either. Finally, President Lu mentioned that if he wanted even better ingredients, he would probably have to visit the Golden Dragon Bank's headquarters in Xia City. There, he would probably find something that would meet his needs. With that, Li Luo took it as a sign that it was really time to leave for a bigger pond. Chapter 89: The Luolan Situation City of Southwind, east gate. Li Luo stood before the carriage, looking out at the city with a complex expression. For as long as he could remember, most of his life had been spent here. And now he was leaving. He let those memories play through his mind now. Finally, he turned and lifted the curtain, entering the carriage. "Let's go." At his order, the convoy started to move. The road to Xia City was a long one. Even at full speed, they would take close to ten days. And since Li Luo was the young lord of House Luolan, safety was a priority. He had brought many bodyguards with him. The convoy thundered on, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. Although they were moving swiftly, the wide, spacious carriage was quite stable. Li Luo sat cross-legged on one side. Opposite him, Cai Wei was sitting with one leg elegantly draped over the other, reading a book with great interest. Deep in the carriage, there was a little space where Yan Lingqing was currently working on her spirit liquids and purifying lights to kill time. The two women were accompanying him to Xia City, having completed the tasks that they had set out to do in the Tianshu Province. "Sister Cai Wei, how is House Luolan looking right now?" Li Luo suddenly asked, turning from the scenery flying by. She lifted her eyes from her book and considered his question. "Not too good. You should know that House Luolan has tempted many. It has many lucrative businesses all over the Xia Kingdom. Each year it turns millions of skygold in profits. It's enough to turn any eye. "And now House Luolan is besieged with problems inside and outside. Its invited vultures, swooping around. If not for the remnants of House Luolan's strength and the potential that Jiang Qing'e demonstrates, I'm sure someone would have made a move on House Luolan long ago." Li Luo was silent for a while and then shook his head. "If there was truly a power eying House Luolan, those paltry deterrences would not be enough." Jiang Qing'e indeed had shocking potential, but potential was not strength. Besides, if not for the fact that she was protected by her status as an Astral Sage College student, there would probably be many who would attempt to kill her off. Cai Wei looked at him with surprise. "What are you thinking?" Li Luo responded slowly, "I think it's the threat of my parents Or rather those powers cannot be sure that my parents are truly gone. They are worried that if they overstep, one day my parents will return... and they won't be able to save themselves." The wrath of two Duke Stage experts was enough to give anyone pause here in the Xia Kingdom. Cai Wei thought it over, then nodded in agreement. "The Young Lord's thinking is sound." "Still, this threat will only weaken as time passes. We are fat cattle, too tempting for the hungry tigers." Li Luo sighed softly. Even he did not know how long the threat of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan could hold the scavengers at bay. Perhaps one day, any day, those other houses would gain intelligence confirming things, then it would only be a matter of time before House Loulan was finished off. When would that time be? Li Luo scowled. Very likely, next year's House Luolan Housemeet. Pei Hao would be the first to cause trouble and incite damaging moves against House Luolan. Which meant that time was of the essence. He was but a Tenth Seal kid. These enemies were savage tigers and wolves. How he wished he had a few more years! In a few years, he and Jiang Qing'e would both be at the Duke stage. At that time, they would rule this place! Li Luo sighed deeply. Unfortunately, those people were not going to give him that much time. "How are the elite powers in the Xia Kingdom treating House Luolan? On the surface," Li Luo asked. "If you take away the Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank because of their unusual positions, the Xia Kingdom's royal court is the strongest among the elite powers. Although in recent years, the royal court has been in turmoil. The ruler is young, and a steward is governing in lieu. Below the royal court, there are various illustrious houses and the five Great Houses. "Among the five Great Houses, Houses Duze and Jiyan have the strongest enmity with House Luolan. House Lanling sits neutral, while House Jinque has passable relations with us. Or rather... they have plans to use House Luolan to chip away at the other stronger houses," Cai Wei explained. "These factions all have their headquarters in Xia City. While you were at the City of Southwind, you might not have felt affected. But once you step into Xia City, I'm afraid trouble will always be knocking at the door." Li Luo nodded. He was prepared. Although Jiang Qing'e was handling matters on behalf of House Luolan, ultimately he was the rightful owner. He had been left unmolested at the City of Southwind, ensconced away from the politics. Plus, his blank palaces meant that they had all ignored him as an invalid. But now he was one step closer to the whirlwind of politics. It was unavoidable. Still, this was his responsibility as the young lord. He could not leave Jiang Qing'e to shoulder all the burden. He might have been helpless and unqualified before, but now he had his own strength, and it was his duty to lend it. "Understood..." Li Luo nodded thoughtfully. "My parents really left behind a mess, huh." They were in a mess partly because he was not strong enough. He had to grow stronger, as quickly as possible. And in the Xia Kingdom, there was no better place for that than the Astral Sage College. Therefore, he was very happy to have secured admission there. ... The trip was not at all tedious, not with beauties to accompany him. It passed in leisurely fashion. A few days passed in the blink of an eye. Their convoy had reached the capital of the Xia Kingdom. Li Luo stood on the carriage, looking far ahead. He could see the silhouette of a large metropolitan area. It was still some distance away, but already he could see how intimidating it was. It took one's breath away. The City of Southwind was not even a fraction of this. "Well, as expected of the capital," Li Luo said. Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing were smiling with pleasure. They were finally back. "That was a smooth journey. Better than I expected," he said to them. But just as he spoke, they spotted some people on a high slope nearby. They were raising a banner hurriedly. Li Luo could see a golden sparrow on the flag, wings outstretched. It glittered in the sun.[1] "Is that House Jinque?" Cai Wei asked, surprised. Li Luo was surprised too. He had made no effort to keep move to Xia City a secret, so it was not difficult for others to find out. He had imagined that his first encounter would be with unfriendly forces trying to stop or toy with him. However, he didnt expect it to be with House Jinque, who was supposedly on decent terms with House Loulan, who had made first contact. What did they want? The question was answered soon enough. A messenger galloped over on a crimson horse-like creature, announcing loudly as he came, "The young mistress of my house invites the young lord of House Luolan to meet." "The young mistress of House Jinque?" Li Luo looked over at Cai Wei. "The young mistress is called Si Qiuying. She's the same age as you. She should be heading to the Astral Sage College as well," she answered. "I guess you two haven't met before?" Li Luo pondered this. "Perhaps another one infatuated by my dashing looks?" The two women rolled their eyes. Li Luo chuckled. "Overthinking helps no one. I'll know when I meet her." He leaped out of the carriage, landing lightly on the back of a sturdy crimson beast. "No need for bodyguards?" Cai Wei called. Li Luo waved her off. No one would be foolish enough to actually do anything to him in Xia City. No matter how much House Luolan had fallen, it still had some power. The red creature brayed and then galloped back up the steep slope. At the top of the slope, expensive fur rugs had been laid out on the grass. On it was a long table, behind which a green-haired girl sat in a kneeling position, her quiet eyes watching Li Luo's approach. 1. Jinque literally means golden sparrow. Chapter 90: Si Qiuying Li Luo looked at the green-haired girl behind the table as he got off the horse. She was wearing a form-fitting but casual dress that accentuated her curves. She was kneeling behind the long table, her legs bare. Her eyebrows were artfully drawn, an artist's touch on porcelain skin. Her silky, green hair cascaded down and swayed in the breeze. She was indeed quite a beauty. Li Luo followed her lead, kneeling at the long table. He threw a smile her way. "Si Qiuying?" "Li Luo?" She smiled back, her voice lilting as a nightingale's call. He nodded. "I guess I recognized you right." "In terms of looks, you've perfectly inherited the best of the two House Lords," she said lightly. "Reading between the lines, it means I've not inherited much else?" Li Luo countered. "I didn't say that. Not to the face of the champion of the Tianshu Province's exams." She smiled. "Are you from Xia Academy?" Li Luo asked. Like Southwind Academy, Xia Academy was also a high school-level institution. However, it was much more famous, being in Xia City itself. She gave a graceful nod. "However, just second place." "Impressive, from a school in the top 3." Li Luo praised her. Although she had not revealed her resonant power, he could sense that she was probably at the Resonant Master stage. Through their short exchange, Li Luo was starting to build an impression of her. Warm on the exterior, and a cool pride running deep in her bones. Still, that was understandable for the young mistress of House Jinque. Plus, they were much more powerful than House Luolan currently was. "Miss Si, you wouldn't be here to welcome me, would you? I don't think the likes of me would justify such respect," Li Luo suddenly stated. Si Qiuying did not immediately reply. Instead, she pointed a slim finger towards Xia City. "There are people from Xia Academy intending to give you trouble today. The one behind this is Duze Beixuan." Li Luo was taken aback. "I haven't even offended him before." "House Duze has been at odds with House Luolan for a long time," she said wryly. "He dares not make trouble for Sister Qing'e, so he can only turn on you." "Well, thanks for that." He nodded, cupping his hands in respect towards her. She eyed him. "Li Luo, you do know the position House Luolan is in, dont you?" He sighed. "Spit it out please. All this prevarication is tiring. You're not even that old, there's no need to speak like you're all old and stuffy." Her brows drew together slightly. "I'm asking you if you want to protect House Luolan," she said sternly. "Well, of course. But I'm hounded by wolves on all sides. It's not going to be easy," he replied. "I have a method that can protect House Luolan," she said serenely. Not waiting for his response, she pressed on. "An alliance by marriage between House Luolan and House Jinque. Together, we will be a force to be feared." Li Luo started, eying her with hesitation. "Eh, sorry. I'm already engaged. I can't get engaged to you." Now it was Si Qiuying whose composure slipped. "I didn't mean you and ME!" she snapped at him, her pale skin flushing slightly. "I meant my elder brother and Sister Qing'e!" "Well, that's even more out of the question," Li Luo said apologetically. Si Qiuying glared at him. "Li Luo, don't play the fool with me. You know the implications of what I propose. If you want to protect House Luolan, you need to pay a price. If you are willing to initiate the cancellation of the engagement with Sister Qing'e, and consent to the marriage between my brother and her, then we will all be a family. We will stick together and protect House Luolan to the end." "Is this your will? Or do you speak for House Jinque?" he asked. "As long as you agree, it is House Jinque's will. A marriage between my brother and Sister Qing'e will bring many benefits and little harm," she replied. "Well, in that case I don't agree." She stared at him with irritation. "Are you giving up on House Luolan?" "Of course I want to protect House Luolan. But I also want the person in question." He grinned. "You are too greedy. Greedy people never end up well, and the friendship of House Jinque is not extended to avaricious people," she said coldly. He shook his head and smiled. "Miss Si, you are naive. Do you think this is friendship? Between factions, there is only the weighing of benefits." "House Jinque and House Luolan are still friendly. Do you think this is some fairy-tale friendship? Wrong. House Jinque is simply worried that House Luolan will fall too fast and feed the other houses. Even in its miserable state, House Luolan can still take the burden off House Jinque." "So, Miss Si, if you are representing House Jinque, then do not speak to me of friendship. "House Luolan may look to be on shaky ground, but still it stands. And not because of any friendship with House Jinque. If you still do not understand, go ask your parents. I am in no mood to educate the illiterate." He had spoken in a neutral tone, but there was an undertone of abrasiveness intended to anger Si Qiuying. "Pa!" Her small hands slammed the table, and her resonant power pulsed forth. He looked at her mildly. "Miss Si's behavior has not left me with a good first impression of House Jinque." "Li Luo, you go too far!" she hissed. "Best take a look at yourself first," Li Luo said calmly. "I might be from the City of Southwind, but you can't just treat me like an ignorant bumpkin." "I was just giving you a suggestion," she said coolly. Li Luo rose. "I have never thought that House Luolan needed to rely on others, because I know no one can be trusted. Anyone who wishes to target House Luolan will have to go through me." "I guess I'll ask Sister Qing'e," Si Qiuying said coldly. "Oh yes, they would have to go through my fiance as well." She stared at him angrily. "You talk a lot. If not for Sister Qing'e, House Luolan would have been plundered long ago." "Which backs my point. A reliable fiance is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" The gnashing of her teeth was clearly audible now. She took a few deep breaths, realizing that she had underestimated Li Luos brazenness. He didn't seem to feel embarrassed in the presence of women. Instead, he seemed to relish it. Li Luo ignored her. He looked far across the land and saw another group. One among them bore a banner with House Luolan's emblem. Leading them, Li Luo could spot a beautiful and familiar figure. He whistled to them, then cocked his head back for another brutal parting shot. "Oh look, my fiance is here to pick me up." Chapter 91: Hello Again, Jiang Qinge The approaching group swiftly arrived at the bottom of the high slope. Si Qiuying took one look at the approaching party led by the beautiful figure, then she tersely said to Li Luo, "Since you don't agree to my proposal, take it as I said nothing." She threw him a meaningful look, indicating that he should not mention their discussion in front of Jiang Qing'e. Li Luo was still smiling, his eyes fixed on the approaching girl. She arrived on her horse, wearing a short, navy-blue vest and a battle skirt. Her long, white legs and gorgeous body were enough to bring the dead back to life. The perfect heroine. She turned her deep, gold eyes to Li Luo and then to Si Qiuying. "Little earthworm,[1] are you interested in my Young Lord? Courting him aggressively?" she asked mildly. Si Qiuying forced a nervous laugh and pleaded, "I just wanted to see the champion of the Tianshu exams in the flesh." Jiang Qing'e turned to Li Luo. "Is that so?" Si Qiuying desperately shot Li Luo looks. "Miss Si over here asked me to cancel our engagement. She wants to start a new one between you and her brother." Little girl, how naive! You should have asked Southwind Academy what Li Luo was famous for. It was tattling! Si Qiuying's smile froze on her face, but her eyes were burning holes into Li Luo. Jiang Qing'e's face did not change one bit. "Little earthworm, are you trying to burrow out of the ground? You dare worm into my business?" Si Qiuying shrank away. "No, please let me explain, Sister Qing'e," she said in a small voice. She ran away. Jiang Qing'e flicked a finger and sent a pellet of light whistling out. It smacked against Si Qiuying's shoulder with a tiny ring. Uuuuu! Si Qiuying cried, clutching her arm. She turned to Jiang Qing'e, beseeching tearfully. "Sister Qing'e, I was in the wrong! Please don't hit me anymore." Jiang Qing'e dispelled the light resonance. "I wont do it again. "Also, stop trying to tie me up with your brother. He might be excellent, but hes not my cup of tea." Si Qiuying was sulky. "Sister Qing'e, my big brother is quite the catch. Even the Astral Sage College mentors say that he has the makings of a Duke!" "Duke?" Jiang Qing'e scoffed. "That's it?" Si Qiuying balked. Those words from anyone else would be bragging, but from Jiang Qing'e? She bit her lip and then looked across at Li Luo, who was enjoying the show. "Maybe he can't compare to Sister Qing'e, but he's definitely better than that one." Jiang Qing'e smiled. "Maybe not... two months ago, Li Luo had blank palaces. Now he's first in the Tianshu Province. Give him some time, and he might just top the Astral Sage College's newcomers." "Sister Qing'e, your imagination has to have a limit," Si Qiuying said scathingly. Although Li Luo's improvements in a mere two months could not be denied, him becoming the best in the new cohort was quite impossible. This was the Astral Sage College! The cream of the Xia Kingdom crop, all gathered in one place. What was Li Luo worth in this group!? Jiang Qing'e turned away, dismissing her with a flick of her hand. Si Qiuying had no choice but to get up and put on her shoes. Throwing one last angry look at Li Luo, she turned to leave. Only after Si Qiuying had slunk off with her retinue did Li Luo speak. "That was harsh. I've just arrived and you've heaped resentment on my plate." Once Jiang Qing'e's words got out, Li Luo felt that it was going to complicate his life at the Astral Sage College by a big notch. "I think you might be angry at me, but Im not really sure." Jiang Qing'e gave him a puppy-eyed look with her golden eyes, and she cocked her head innocently. Li Luo was planning to scold her, but the words stuck in his throat. She was so cute. Jiang Qing'e, it must be illegal for you to be so pretty and act so cute. Regretfully, she soon returned to normal. "Not bad. It would have been enough to get into the Astral Sage College, but to think you took first place too." "Sheesh. I was forced. I was forced from start to finish." Li Luo shook his head, indicating that he didn't want to elaborate. She made a small noise of amusement and did not pursue. Li Luo was aghast. Was she really not going to ask? He had finally gotten hold of something he could talk about to her, and she was not going to bite? Damn, that sucked. But still, he could only swallow it. He couldn't very well start talking about it. That would be embarrassing. He gulped. "Let's go. I want to see Cai Wei and Lingqing, I haven't seen them in a while," Jiang Qing'e said. She took hold of her beasts' reins and draped a long leg over it, heading down the slope. Li Luo could only follow grumpily. The two made their way down as the sun began to set. Golden hour cast long shadows on the two, and from afar they seemed to merge into one. Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing were watching from the carriage. "They look like the perfect match." Yan Lingqing nodded in agreement. She had never been too concerned with looks, but she had to admit that few could compare to Li Luo in that aspect. Soon enough, Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo were with them. "Qing'e, I've missed you to death!" Yan Lingqing joyfully flew forwards to hug Jiang Qing'e. The latter's beautiful but aloof face warmed up considerably as she patted Yan Lingqing's back gently. Cai Wei's eyes were filled with joy as well. She was not as worked up as Yan Lingqing, but she came forth for a small hug too. Each of Jiang Qing'e's hands circled a waist. "Sister Cai Wei, Lingqing, thanks for all your hard work." Behind her, Li Luo was feeling a little extra as he watched the three women hug. They had been through a lot at Southwind together after all. They were comrades now. He wouldn't mind celebrating together with them. "Li Luo, come celebrate with us." Yan Lingqing's voice floated over. Li Luo looked over and was just about to reply when he saw Jiang Qing'e cocking her head at him, a half-smile on her lips. He kept his expression blank. "Girls' celebration, that doesn't interest me," he said indifferently. Low giggles. He stood there and watched them catch up for what felt like the longest time. Finally, they seemed to come to a pause. Yan Lingqing and Cai Wei got on the red horses, while Jiang Qing'e got into the carriage. Li Luo was about to mount up as well, but he saw Jiang Qing'e looking at him with mischief in her golden eyes. "Aren't you coming in? I still want to hear about your time in the exam." Li Luo started, then coughed quickly. "Well, there's nothing much to..." "Forget it, then." She started to close the door. "Hem. Well, if you insist on hearing about it, I guess I could tell you." Li Luo hurriedly changed directions. In a flash, he was boarding the carriage happily. Jiang Qing'e, you playful little minx. 1. TN: Qiuying's name is written ӱ, meaning autumn husk. Qing'e is calling her , meaning earthworm. Both are pronounced Qiuying, with the exact same intonation, so who knows the difference in speech anyway Chapter 92: A Special Connection Since they were already very close to Xia City, the convoy slowed its speed and blended in with the flow of traffic. The thoroughfare was starting to get lively as well, with foot and vehicular traffic both swelling. Xia City was truly a large metropolis. In the carriage. Li Luo recounted his story of the College Final Examinations in a moderate tone. "I just wanted to slip into the top 10 and get an entrance slot, but those people forced my hand." Jiang Qing'e was sprawled on the table, one hand propping up her chin. "Lu Qing'er seems quite interested in you." She smiled. Li Luo almost choked. Was that the point of his story? "We're just platonic. Classmates," he clarified. "That doesn't mean anything. I always thought that she was quite good. If you can win her favor, that means you're quite attractive," she said sweetly. Li Luo looked at her lovely face, deep into her golden eyes. He could sense that she was truly not very bothered. But her not being bothered made him bothered. It meant that Jiang Qing'e hadn't really started to think of the two of them as a pair. She had her own feelings, and there was no doubt that they were complex. Perhaps she thought of him more as a childhood sweetheart, or an older sister and her younger brother. Perhaps she didn't know herself. But there was one thing he was sure of: Jiang Qing'e might be his fiance in name, she might trust him unconditionally and do many things for him, but in truth, she had yet to think of them as lovers. Still, not even lovers were as trusting of each other as this complex relationship that she shared with Li Luo. He sighed. He knew that such things could not be rushed. He just had to go at his own pace. If he wanted to sort this mess out, then the one necessary step was to cancel the engagement between them. Only then could Jiang Qing'e be free of her complex feelings, and truly begin to consider what they were to each other. Making a move on Jiang Qing'e was not to be taken lightly and could not be done prematurely. "Still, I have to congratulate you. Your results in the exams were outstanding," Jiang Qing'e said appreciatively, oblivious to the internal struggle that Li Luo was going through. "Does this mean I've reached your expectations for the first goal?" he joked. "Exceeded expectations, I must say." She had truly not expected him to do so well. Two months ago, he was a blank palace cultivator. Surpassing all of his peers in this time was testament to his talent and effort. "Any additional rewards?" Li Luo asked. She thought about it. "Well, I'll let you spar with me." Her lip twitched. "If you win, there really will be a reward." Li Luo paled. Fight with you? Do you think I'm so keen on receiving a thrashing? If I could beat you, would I still be here talking crap with you? I would beat you up and take vengeance for all these tough years! "But I'm more surprised that you actually turned House Luolan's profits in the Tianshu Province around. It's at a historical high, and Cai Wei has told me that it's all thanks to your contributions at the Suncreek Villa," Jiang Qing'e said with real feeling. "I had no choice. If I hadn't found a way to increase our profits, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to feed myself," Li Luo grumbled. "Did Cai Wei tell you I need a ton of spirit liquids and purifying lights? I've used a lot of them in the past two months." Li Luo stretched out his palm, showing her his blue water resonance power. The purity made her eyes widen. "When you first solved your blank palace problem at the old manor, your resonance grade was not this high," she said. From the purity, she would believe him even if he said he had a 7th-grade water resonance. But she clearly remembered that his resonance was far from this when she saw it back at the old manor. This had to be the result of the huge quantity of spirit liquids and purifying lights that he had consumed. Still, she was doubtful. Had he truly consumed so many liquids and lights in a mere two months? "It's because of the acquired resonances. My palaces can take a lot more impurity than others. That's why I can use spirit liquids and purifying lights without care to increase my resonance quality." Li Luo grinned. This was the only person he could trust fully. There was no need to hold secrets around her. "I see." She was still shocked. So this was the power of acquired resonances. No wonder he had improved so quickly. "My resonance is already at the sixth grade, so I need a lot of sixth-grade liquids and lights. House Luolan's profits in Tianshu are already insufficient to feed me, you know." It was his turn now to act cute with Jiang Qing'e. "So... Sister Qing'e, please feed me~" She laughed and ignored the teasing. "How many sixth-grade liquids and lights to advance?" "About 200. Conservative estimate," Li Luo quickly said. Sister Qing'e was the best. Cai Wei was too soft, she couldn't be depended on. "Two hundred??" Jiang Qing'e did some quick calculations. Sixth-grade liquids and lights went for 30,000 skygold apiece. 200 meant... six million skygold? She shook her head. "Forget it. I can't afford you. I think I'll get someone to take you back to the City of Southwind." Li Luo was devastated. "Jiang Qing'e! House Luolan has businesses across the land. Have you been embezzling the money? It's just a mere six million, why can't we afford it?" She glared at him. "Businesses across the land? The great roof of Luolan has been leaking non-stop. I've been desperately trying to fix it, but it's like plugging a flood with a pacifier. The savings have been dwindling these past few years. "And Pei Hao. He's taken three pavilions, finances, and the human resources divisions too. You heard him as well. His three pavilions won't send another penny to headquarters. How on earth would you think House Luolan is rich?" Li Luo was aghast. He had looked forward to coming to Xia City so he could tap on House Luolan's headquarters' resources. But they were poor here too? Then what was the point of being a young lord?! "Two hundred sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. I can't get them immediately, but don't worry. I'll purchase them for you here and there. It will take some time though," Jiang Qing'e said. Li Luo breathed out. Well, that was to be expected. "But thanks to your great work at the Suncreek Villa, I intend to involve you in the Suncreek Villa's headquarters. Pei Hao has been vying hard to take control there. If you can have it firmly in hand and grow it to a top-10 villa in the Xia Kingdom, then I think a mere 200 liquids and lights will be chump change for you." She gave him an encouraging fist pump with her dainty, little hand. "Wow, thank you very much for your kindness," Li Luo said tonelessly. Make the Suncreek Villa a top-10 villa... Jiang Qing'e, you blackhearted maggot. Listening to the sounds outside, she opened a window, and a majestic view of the city rolled into view. Turning her golden eyes back to Li Luo, his youthful and almost childish features were reflected in her wide eyes. She reached out a hand and placed it on the back of his. It was cool, firm, perfect. She leaned in and spoke softly, her words clear as a cold ray of moonlight despite the din outside. They reached deep within him and calmed him. "Li Luo, welcome to Xia City. "And, I'm really happy you could come here," she said with a knowing smile and a glint in her eye. She was truly happy. A beauty's smile was a weapon in itself, and Jiang Qing'e's smile was a godly weapon. Li Luo was sunk. He suddenly felt a strong urge to fight someone for her. Speak, Sister Qing'e! Who shall we cut down today? Chapter 93: Si Tianming The streets of Xia City were far grander than Southwind's. Straight rows of neatly paved stone, properly spaced. The roads were well connected and well planned, an efficient network linking up high-rise buildings that one could lose oneself in. There was no end to the people. Noisy, bustlingthe roar of the crowd was omnipresent. This was Xia City, the heart of the Xia Kingdom. While Li Luo was contemplating this intimidating city from his carriage window, Si Qiuying was on another street, stopping in front of an inn at a prime location by the road. She entered a posh room. "Oh, you're back?" A youth was sipping tea, lazily watching the street. He smiled when she walked in. He cut a handsome, noble figure, his brow sharp and his eyes keen. However, he had the same hair as Si Qiuying, green and smooth. It was a family trait. This was Si Qiuying's elder brother, Si Tianming. "What's wrong? Met the Young Lord?" Si Tianming asked cheerfully. "Yes! A little slime! He tattled at the first sign of trouble. A childish, little kid!" she burst out. "And Sister Qing'e is so biased. She actually hit me," Si Qiuying complained. She had always been on good terms with Jiang Qing'e, who had treated her like a little sister. Now it was clear that she favored Li Luo much more. "You're the childish one... Do you know what her relationship with Li Luo is? You were asking for it, trying to compete with Li Luo," Si Tianming said impatiently. "I'm not fighting with him... Big Brother, Sister Qing'e said she's not interested in you," Si Qiuying said. Si Tianming just laughed it off. "Of course shes not. Isn't that clear enough on the daily? "Besides, someone as excellent as Jiang Qing'e definitely can say that." Si Qiuying was still not happy. "Big Brother, maybe you can't compare to Sister Qing'e, but you're a hundred times better than Li Luo, right? "You're a 4th-Star Hall student in the Astral Sage College. You're powerful, and even the mentors say that you have great potential to become a Duke!" "And you think a Duke will impress Jiang Qing'e?" Si Tianming sighed. "Qiuying, I told you before: the right to call off the engagement between Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e does not actually rest with Li Luo, but with Jiang Qing'e. If she isn't willing, no one can change a thing." "Besides, I might like Jiang Qing'e, but that doesn't mean I have to pursue it." Si Qiuying sulked. "Big Bro, you think you're a love saint? Let me ask you: if you were given the chance to woo Sister Qing'e, would you?" Si Tianming gave her a sheepish smile. Si Qiuying gave him a look. "Believe in yourself, Big Bro! Your talent, your strength, your reputationyou're one of the elites in the younger generation of the Xia Kingdom. Persevere and Sister Qing'e will definitely see the good in you! "And you're definitely a better match compared to Li Luo!" Si Tianming gave an exasperated smile. "Just keep your nose out of those matters. Also, don't go causing trouble for Li Luo either. There's no need. He's the Young Lord of House Luolan after all. If you cross him, I will not interfere when Jiang Qing'e comes for you." "I couldn't care less about him," she said snootily. "But he pissed me off today. The next time Duze Beixuan wants to cause trouble for him, I'm not going to help him." Si Tianming shook his head. It was not like the young lord couldn't handle himself. He was the champion of the Tianshu Provincehe must have earned it. However, House Duze seemed to be on the move lately. Perhaps House Luolan was their target... ... The carriage turned through the expansive streets, finally stopping outside a residence. This was the House Luolan headquarters. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e stepped out. He whistled at the residence in appreciation. The old manor at Southwind was big, but it paled in comparison to this. Bodyguards patrolled the perimeter in groups while keen eyes were scanning from the watchtower. "I've already informed the management to gather at headquarters tonight. Since you're the young lord, you should be familiar with the backbone of House Luolan," Jiang Qing'e said. She looked at Li Luo. "These managers are in charge of House Luolan's businesses in Xia City. You should know that 60% of our yearly income comes from outside of Xia City, while a full 40% depends on the businesses in Xia City." Li Luo was surprised to hear this. House Luolan's Xia City revenue held a much higher percentage than he had expected. Truly the capital of the Xia Kingdom. "When I first took over House Luolan a few years ago, the Xia City businesses had been decimated by Pei Hao. But after a few years of rectification, I've managed to cut away a lot of his meddling. Things here should be quite stable," she continued. "You must have gone through a lot." The proportion of House Luolan's businesses in Xia City was major. If Pei Hao was allowed to rot their assets here, House Luolan's headquarters would be doomed. Luckily, Jiang Qing'e had stepped in to save House Luolan in time. As the two spoke, they had already walked through the main doors. Suddenly, a huge, burly figure cannonballed right at Li Luo, a loud voice booming out. "Oh, my Young Lord! You're finally here in Xia City! This old ox has missed you so much!" Li Luo felt like he was being attacked by a bowling ball. He was seized up in a hug that felt like a steel vice, squeezing all the air out of him. The person before him reeked of oil, a pungent odor that assailed Li Luo's nostrils. "Uncle Biao, you're strangling him." Jiang Qing'e laughed, rescuing Li Luo. The burly man let go of him, and finally Li Luo could get a good look at him. He was a bald middle-aged man bulging with muscles. He was covered in a sheen of oil and had an almost barbaric look to him. At his waist, a pig cleaver gleamed. "And you are..." Li Luo stared at him. He had a vague impression, but he could not recall this mans name. "Young Lord, it's me, Ox Biaobiao. Don't you remember me? I even made your meals when you were young," the bald strongman anxiously said. It lit up Li Luo's memory. Indeed, there was once a baldie accompanying him when he was young. But after a shift in the headquarters' manpower, that memory had come to an end. "Uncle Biao has spent the longest time in House Luolan. Back when the Master and Mistress founded House Luolan, he was there. His cooking skills are famous in Xia City, and even now he oversees the food matters here," Jiang Qing'e told him brightly. Li Luo clapped his hands. "I remember! "Uncle Biao! You look like a real hulk, but you're so gentle that you won't even kill a chicken. I remember you lured me into the kitchen when I was young, to get me to help you kill the chicken!" Ox Biaobiao's face froze. "Young Lord, your memory is very good," he said sheepishly. "You remember well indeed." Li Luo burst into laughter. Despite his ferocious appearance, his personality was the complete opposite. His looks alone could probably bring children to tears, and yet he wouldn't dare kill a chicken. Everyone said that the pig cleaver on Ox Biaobiao's waist had probably never touched blood in its life. It was pure decoration. The moment of hilarity over, Li Luo confirmed that this was indeed an old hand of House Luolan. He was deserving of trust. "Uncle Biao, I'll be in your care again from now on." Li Luo reached out a hand to clap his meaty shoulder. Ox Biaobiao took his hand, moved. "I had long wanted to go to the City of Southwind to take care of the Young Lord, but Little Jiang here didn't let me. Now that you're in Xia City, I will feed you until you pop." He measured Li Luo's arm. "Young Lord, you're scrawny. I'll whip up a huge pot of nourishment!" He turned and rushed away. "Uncle Biao is as high-strung as ever." Li Luo smiled at the muscular figure hurrying off. "Uncle Biao can be trusteed. I intended for him to take control of some of House Luolan's assets, but he refused. He just wants to be in the kitchen," Jiang Qing'e said. "Whatever he's willing to do. No need to force the issue." Jiang Qing'e nodded. "Let's go, then. I'll take you around. We'll eat later. The management should be here soon. Today might be a little more tiring." Li Luo smiled at her. "What's this compared to how much you've suffered these few years, Sister Qing'e? You're so amazing." "Your words have become sweeter. You must have had a lot of practice with the girls in school," Jiang Qing'e said with a curious smile. "Are you jealous?" She made a small, vague noise and strode off. Her lofty voice called back to him. "Jealous? Nothing to be jealous of yet. Work hard, and maybe one day I'll know what that is." Li Luo stared at her elegant figure and hurried after, irritated. How was he supposed to reply? Jiang Qing'e, you're too much. We've drifted... No... You've been so aloof today... This didn't fit the mood. Oh forget it. "What's for dinner tonight?" Chapter 94: An Important Custom "Young Lord, this is a Nine Fungi Bear Bladder Soup. It uses nine different kinds of lingzhi mushrooms and has the gall bladder of a Pyreghost Bear and other assorted beasts. It's very nourishing. "And this rice with spirit fruits has the cured juices of plenty of spirit fruits. The rice is three-month energy rice. After coming to maturity, we leave it in a place with high natural energy and let it bask for three months. "And this one..." In the dining room, Li Luo, Jiang Qing'e, Cai Wei, and Yan Lingqing were seated. Ox Biaobiao was scurrying back and forth with heaping platters. Each dish was fragrant as could be. "That's too much nourishment." Li Luo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He thought Ox Biaobiao was speaking metaphorically, but it seemed like he was serious on making Li Luo more herbal than a poultice. "Your body is growing at this phase of your life, Young Lord. You need more nourishment. You can't go wrong," Ox Biaobiao beamed. "Thanks, Uncle Biao. Let's eat." Jiang Qing'e seemed to accept it as normal. Thanking Ox Biaobiao, she began eating. Li Luo followed her lead, taking hearty helpings of these delicacies that were hard to get a hold of in the City of Southwind. He enjoyed them fully, giving Ox Biaobiao a big thumbs up to show his appreciation. After stuffing himself, Li Luo felt a strong fire within his body that made him feel hot all over. Thanks to Biaobiao's exceptional culinary skills, even Jiang Qing'e and Cai Wei could not maintain their decorum, and tucked in with uncommon fervor. Ox Biaobiao watched them tackle the mountain of food with a big, satisfied smile on his face. When they had all eaten their fill, he called servants over to clean the tables and then serve them each a cup of sweet tea. "This is Floweret Steeped Tea. After eating those highly nourishing foods, you need something strongly calming to quench the fires of the body." Li Luo drank it all in one gulp and then felt his body begin cooling down immediately. It seemed like the resonant power within him had grown stronger. "Uncle Biao's the best," Li Luo marveled. Ox Biaobiao's laughter boomed out. "Young Lord, you're too kind. I will prepare it for you daily. Nourish you up." He packed the table and took his leave. Li Luo stared at Ox Biaobiao's retreating figure with a tingle of suspicion. He kept saying Li Luo was empty and needed nourishment... Just a casual remark? Or... did he know something? Two months ago, he had gained acquired resonances. He had indeed been empty of blood essence, and even his lifespan had been shortened... But he had not even told Jiang Qing'e, to spare her the worry. Could it be that Uncle Biao... knew? Impossible. Li Luo turned back to Jiang Qing'e, who was delicately sipping at her tea. "How strong is Uncle Biao?" he asked in a low voice. She looked up at him. "I saw him use resonant power a long time ago. Roughly at the Resonant Master stage." Li Luo didn't really believe that. He was average...? She seemed to guess what he was thinking. "There's no need to speculate. All we need to know is that Uncle Biao is trustworthy. That's all," she said simply. Li Luo thought about it and nodded. Indeed, there was no need to overthink it. Whether he was stronger than he let on or not, if he wasn't going to volunteer information, they shouldn't push it out of him. After all, if his parents had entrusted all food matters at House Luolan's headquarters to him, he had their absolute trust. Jiang Qing'e unhurriedly sipped her tea. Finally, she rose. "Let's go. It's about time." Li Luo stood up as well, sucking in a deep breath. It was showtime. A declaration of the young lord's presence to all at House Luolan's headquarters, and that he was here for good. In the future, he would be one of the controlling powers here. It was a simple yet highly significant custom. Calming himself, he followed Jiang Qing'e out of the hall. They passed through a long corridor and pushed through a set of doors at the end. The blindingly bright lights inside forced Li Luo to squint as he entered. When his eyes adjusted, he saw that many people were seated behind the long tables at both sides of the room. They were all looking at him with unreadable expressions. There was a strange stiffness in the atmosphere here. Jiang Qing'e's voice rang out to break it. "Do you all not see the Young Lord here?" Only then did they stand up in twos and threes, cupping their hands. "Our respects to the Young Lord." Li Luo smilingly replied to them in kind. "My respects to you too." They could all see that this unusually handsome young man had inherited the looks of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. However, none of their charisma or natural commanding presence were visible. Instead, all they saw was youthful greenness. Many of the higher management at House Luolan had forgotten about Li Luo ever since his blank palaces had come to light. Even though he was the rightful heir to the house, his blank palaces had pronounced his death sentence. No one would be willing to leave House Luolan in the hands of a powerless young lord. Therefore, they had put him out of mind in recent years. And now the mascot of House Luolan had appeared before them again. However, he was no longer the same blank palace cultivator that he once was. He was first in the Tianshu Province's exams and had earned his place in the Astral Sage College. Although the difference between him and Jiang Qing'e was still huge, he was no longer a complete invalid. If the two truly married in the future, perhaps there would still be hope for House Luolan. Unsure of how to feel yet, they again cupped their hands in respect. "This is Pavilion Master Lei Zhang, on the Council of Nine. You should have met him before. He is the only Pavilion Master who remains at House Luolan's headquarters. He is also in charge of the headquarters' security matters." She pointed to a middle-aged man in the foremost seat on the left. Li Luo had noticed him when Pei Hao had come to the old manor. "This is the master of the resonant artifacts workshop, Yuan Jin." Li Luo looked at him. He was a scholarly middle-aged man that did not look at all the part of a resonant artifacts expert. "And the pill workshop mistress, An Hongyan." She was a beautiful matron with a prim air about her, clad in white. "Greetings, Young Lord." The three that Jiang Qing'e had just introduced held high positions in House Luolan, and they all bowed to him. Li Luo nodded in acknowledgement. He neither appeared too friendly nor too cold. Li Luo noticed something wrong. The Suncreek Villa's headquarters management was not here. He turned to Jiang Qing'e, who was also looking cold and angry. Her voice rang out with steel in it. "Where is the Suncreek Villa's President Hanzhi?" Chapter 95: Presidential Takeoff Jiang Qing'e's voice rang out coldly, met by mutters and exchanged glances within the hall. "Miss, someone was sent to the Suncreek Villa's headquarters to convey the message. President Hanzhi should have hurried over if he received the message," Lei Zhang said. Jiang Qing'e nodded. "Seems like we have a problem." "Is President Hanzhi Pei Hao's man?" Li Luo asked. Today was his presentation as the young lord of House Luolan. The management staff knew it was important. Even if they did not respect him, they had to respect Jiang Qing'e. And if this Hanzhi was planning to disrespect both, then he had to be a diehard Pei Hao supporter. Jiang Qing'e shook her head. "Hanzhi is not one of Pei Hao's. He has always swung between us, a shrewd and cunning person. There's no reason he wouldn't be here..." "If he's not here, there must be trouble." "Or," Li Luo said softly, "he found a buyer even more attractive than either of you?" The entire room turned to him in horror. This meant... Hanzhi had betrayed House Luolan?! Jiang Qing'e's eyes narrowed too, then her expression became even more grim than before. She felt that Li Luo's guess might just be exactly right. As the whispers grew around the room, there suddenly came the sound of hurried footfalls from outside. An old man barged in. Li Luo recognized him as Zheng Ping, who had come to the City of Southwind before. He had affirmed Yan Lingqing's position there. Zheng Ping was an elder of the Suncreek Villa's headquarters. He had a wealth of experience. Right now, his weathered face was creased in anger. "Young Lord, Young Mistress, that scumbag Hanzhig suddenly announced that he's leaving the Suncreek Villa for House Duze's Bigswamp Villa. Before he left, he took half the Suncreek Villa resonance artificers with him. Worse, the cursed devil even burned the formula research center!" Zheng Ping shouted hoarsely, his face miserable. There was a collective gasp across the meeting room. All of House Luolans management was dismayed. Was Hanzhi crazy? A betrayal of House Luolan, poaching the Suncreek Villa's resonance artificers, and arson at the formula research center?! A loud outcry of anger exploded in the meeting room. Li Luo's face was grave. He had worked in the Suncreek Villa's branch workshop before. He knew well that the most important thing to a villa was the resonance artificers. If Hanzhi was dissatisfied with the Suncreek Villa, he could have chosen to leave, no problem. But to break and bury the Suncreek Villa with his departure? And the formula research center. That was the lifeblood of any villa. Immense capital had been poured into experimentation and research. And now it had all been burned down by Hanzhi. It was a devastating loss. One more point. He could have chosen to leave any time, but he had purposely waited for the young lord's return to do such a despicable thing... No one would believe that it was not a targeted attack on Li Luo. "Silence." Jiang Qing'e's voice sharply silenced the hall. "This is a well-calculated plot of House Duze against House Luolan." There was no apparent anger on her face, only seriousness. Her calmness helped them control their anger as well. "House Duze again..." Li Luo sat down beside Jiang Qing'e. He had heard it straight from Si Qiuying's lipsHouse Duze had it in for him from the moment he set foot in Xia City. This was a masterful stroke they had delivered. "They must have spent quite a lot to pull Hanzhi to them. Otherwise, he would not have dealt such a cruel blow," Jiang Qing'e said. This was not only a move against House Luolan, but also against the new leader, Li Luo, the young lord. They had purposely chosen their timing to completely embarrass Li Luo and reduce his standing within House Luolan. After all, a change in leadership being immediately met with such a tragic betrayal was sure to get people pointing fingers at Li Luo. They might even say that the young lord was so out of touch with the management that their people were fleeing from him. Li Luo sighed inwardly. So these were house politics? Cruel, savage, cutthroat. Compared to them, the City of Southwind's Song family looked like a child's squabble. "House Duze has gone too far! This is underhanded!" Lei Zhang shouted in a trembling voice. "We have always been rivals. It is naive to blame our enemies for being harsh," Jiang Qing'e said flatly. "We will remember this. We will pay them back when the time comes." Although she was angry, she quashed it down with logic. She knew that House Luolan could not engage in all-out war, if the house was to survive this storm. "Young Lord, Young Mistress, the Suncreek Villa is in disarray right now. You have to do something. "Pang Qianchi is only adding fuel to the fire. He says that since Hanzhi has left, there should be a new president..." Zheng Ping reported with barely suppressed fury. Jiang Qing'e turned to Li Luo. "Pang Qianchi is a Pei Hao supporter. He has always blocked my interventions at the Suncreek Villa. When Hanzhi sat back neutrally, Pang Qianchi could control many things at the Suncreek Villa." Li Luo gave her a small nod. This was similar to the situation back at Tianshu, although this Pang Qianchi was probably much harder to deal with than Zhuang Yi. He had heard the story regarding the headquarters' vice president back at the City of Southwind. He was once a strong contender to be President of the Suncreek Villa, and was favored over Hanzhi at one time. However, his parents ended up choosing Hanzhi over Pang Qianchi. Perhaps his resentment of Li Luo's parents was the reason he immediately turned to Pei Hao the moment they disappeared. But now it seemed like neither Hanzhi nor Pang Qianchi could be relied upon. He could not blame his parents. When House Luolan was in its fledgling years and growing, they were sorely lacking talent. They could only make do with what they had, and make a note to replace the bad people later. But before these two could be replaced, they had vanished. "Elder Zheng, please help calm things down over at the Suncreek Villa's headquarters. Tomorrow, the young lord and I will personally go and sort things out. Do not worry. The Suncreek Villa is precious to the House Lords and many of the elders. We will not let it fall into ruin," Jiang Qing'e said soothingly to Zheng Ping. "Alright." Zheng Ping immediately turned away after paying his respects to Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e. He hurried off. With his departure, the mood in the meeting hall returned to normal, although this was only on the surface. House Duze had chosen the perfect time to strike, souring the young lord's return. Starting tomorrow, word would spread all over Xia City, and they would be made fools of. House Duze was disgustingly low. Chapter 96: The Suncreek Villa Headquarters The next day. An early-rising Li Luo sat down to another nourishing feast by Ox Biaobiao. This one was enough to raise a wave of heat up his nostrils. He tapped them gingerly, checking for a nosebleed. After breakfast, Li Luo followed Jiang Qing'e to the Suncreek Villa's headquarters. And as an important member of the Suncreek Villa and the House Luolan management, of course Cai Wei was there too. They sat comfortably in the spacious carriage, the fragrance of the three women mingling sweetly in the air within. "Qing'e, although Hanzhi didn't lift a finger when he was president, Pang Qianchi was a bit more circumspect with him around. Now that Hanzhi is gone, he'll run rampant for sure," Yan Lingqing said worriedly, fussing with her silver-rimmed spectacles. "The Suncreek Villa's headquarters is in shambles. We have to quickly appoint a new president to calm things down and get production underway, or the losses will continue to escalate," Cai Wei fretted. "Probably Pang Qianchi's goal..." Jiang Qing'e nodded. "Given Pang Qianchi's reputation and artificer skill, there's no one who can compare to him. He'll definitely be the favorite in the running for president. Even the moderate majority would choose him." "But if we make him president, there's going to be trouble. Pei Hao will be able to step all over us. It's a one-way ticket down to our doom," Cai Wei said. "Urgh," Yan Lingqing hissed. While she might be competent enough to hold her own in the Tianshu Province, her skills were insufficient here at the Suncreek Villa's headquarters. Her appointment would have to be forced through, and it would incite dissatisfaction. The stubborn old geezers in the Suncreek Villa would be first on the protest line. "It's not as though we don't have other candidates though," Jiang Qing'e said with a light laugh. Yan Lingqing and Cai Wei looked at her, astonished. She nodded forwards, gesturing with her dainty, little chin. Yan Lingqing and Cai Wei turned to look at Li Luo. "Me?" Li Luo was startled at the sudden nomination by Jiang Qing'e. "Although I'm a resonance artificer, I'm only a second-grade... That's definitely not enough to become the Suncreek Villa's president, right?" Jiang Qing'e smiled. "Ability-wise, perhaps. But you have another advantageyour status. "You are the young lord of House Luolan. Even the old geezers at the Suncreek Villa would have no reason to refuse your support at headquarters. Besides, you're not without your own accolades. The Tianshu Province's Suncreek Villa flourished under Lingqing and your care. You should be proud. "You might not even have noticed it yourself, but you are the best person to take up the role of president." There was a spark in Yan Lingqing and Cai Wei's eyes as they saw the merits of Jiang Qing'e's idea. Li Luo mulled it over. "I guess I could take up the president role temporarily. But look at the state of the Suncreek Villa's headquarters! Resonance artificers leaving in droves and internal strife aplenty. If the Suncreek Villa wants to get its future back on track and compete against top villas like the Bigswamp Villa, there must be changes." "I already spoke to Sister Qing'e last night about them." Jiang Qing'e fell silent for a moment too and then finally nodded seriously. "You are the rightful young lord of House Luolan. If you think it is possible, I will support you." "Then my early thanks to Sister Qing'e for your support." Li Luo grinned. Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing looked back and forth curiously, in the dark regarding this exchange. ...... The Suncreek Villa's headquarters were at the south of Xia City, in the same region as the headquarters of House Luolan. However, the sluggish city traffic and complex road systems meant that more than an hour passed before they arrived. Xia City was much bigger than the City of Southwind. Compared to the City of Southwind's branch office, the headquarters here were much grander as well. There were stone lions flanking the main doors, and flights of steps that elevated the dignity and grandeur of the place. Through the main doors, towering buildings loomed within. There was a constant flow of people both ways. Occasionally, they would stop and gesture at the headquarters, laughing among themselves. Evidently, news of the resonance artificer migration to the Bigswamp Villa had spread far and wide across Xia City. As their coach rolled to a stop, their arrival was immediately noticed by the bystanders. "That silver-haired kid, is that the young lord of House Luolan, Li Luo?" "What a dashing young man, the spitting image of his father. Wow! Back in the day, Li Taixuan was the dream guy of many noble girls in Xia City. He got himself some haters because of that." "Li Luo looks ready to surpass him." "Heh. Li Taixuan was popular because he wasn't just a pretty facehis talent was unbelievable. The Youngest Duke in the Xia Kingdomnow that's a title that shines brightly. This Li Luo, though, a prettier vessel, sure, but far more hollow." "I heard that it was precisely his arrival that made President Hanzhi run away..." "Does that even make sense?" "Haha, who knows? But there must be some connection, right? Can't be a coincidence." "......" Li Luo ignored the whispers around him as he ascended the stairs with Jiang Qing'e, Cai Wei, and Yan Lingqing, entering the building. Within the compound, the usually picturesque environment was now in tatters. There was no one of rank to welcome them, only a few servants hurrying forth. "Where are the elders and Vice President Pang?" Jiang Qing'e asked calmly. The servants looked at each other, then bowed them towards the back. "Elder Zheng Ping and the others are arguing with him," they whispered. Jiang Qing'e swept past them without further comment. Li Luo and the others hurried after her. They passed through a short boulevard to a courtyard centered around a fountain. There were many people here, all dressed in the Suncreek Villa resonance artificer robes. "Gentlemen, Hanzhi was sick in the head. He not only betrayed the Suncreek Villa, but also burned down our research labs. We should never have made him president. It should always have been Vice President Pang!" someone shouted. Their collective anger at Hanzhi had put them in an agreeable mood to anyone else. "Yeah! Hanzhi's a damned animal! Let's put Vice President Pang in charge!" "We need to fill the position quickly and get things under control. Vice President Pang's the logical choice!" Elder Zheng Ping stood firm amongst them. "The Young Lord and Mistress will make the decision. Who are you to decide?!" "Things were fine before that young lord came! A real harbinger of trouble..." someone grumbled. "Who's that talking nonsense?!" Zheng Ping glared at the crowd. "When did a puppy like you grow a spine? The Young Lord has come to smooth things over. His presence brings nothing but good. You shortsighted sparrows, stop your chirping!" No one dared to argue back. Elder Zheng Ping's fiery temper was famous in the Suncreek Villa. "Keke, no need to get angry, Elder Zheng Ping. No one is blaming the Young Lord. But it's understandable that everyone's a little flustered in these times." A bright voice rang out, and a man walked out from the crowd. The middle-aged man had thin eyes and a warm expression on his face. There were cheers upon his arrival. "Vice President Pang, you're here!" Elder Zheng Ping looked at him with a hostile expression. "Pang Qianchi, I'm not even going to waste my breath on you. The Young Lord and Mistress will be here shortly. There's no need to play these crowdpulling games. They will make their own choices. Just wait and see." The narrow-eyed Vice President Pang Qianchi snickered softly. But before he spoke, someone from the crowd called out, "We'll only acknowledge Vice President Pang in the Suncreek Villa. Only he is qualified to lead the Suncreek Villa! We won't accept anyone else!" Elder Zheng Ping was seething fit to burst, his anger whitening his face along his wrinkles. He too knew that Pang Qianchi was swooping in for the kill. Hanzhi's betrayal was very fortuitous for him. Elder Zheng Ping also knew that in terms of qualifications and ability, there was no one who could match Pang Qianchi. There was no one else who would win the approval of the Suncreek Villa's artificers. If things blew up yet again, perhaps even the remaining resonance artificers would leave. That would be the final nail in the Suncreek Villa's coffin. Even he could not see a way out of this dilemma. Just as he was despairing, a calm voice cut through the noise. "I think... that I can give the president position a try." Chapter 97: I Guess Ill Be President When the crisp voice cut through, the quarreling resonance artificers fell into a stunned silence. A hothead shouted, "Which arrogant idiot is that!?" An angry roar of agreement followed his call, and they turned as one in the direction of the voice. Their voices faded away. They saw a silver-haired youth looking at them with a wry smile on his face. Beside him was a willowy diva staring coldly at them. Jiang Qing'e. Her presence confirmed the identity of the young man, and it was mildly amusing to watch their faces contort in embarrassment. As panicked as they were, no one dared to maintain the bluster from before. "What? No respect for the Young Lord and Mistress?!" Elder Zheng Ping roared. The resonance artificers hesitated briefly and then murmured their respects in a ragtag chorus. Pang Qianchi was looking at Li Luo with alarm. He had seen him once before, a long time ago when the house headquarters was still in the City of Southwind. The young Li Luo already showed his resemblance to Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan back then. Elder Zheng Ping pushed past the crowd and cupped his hands respectfully to the pair. "Young Lord, what did you just say?" he asked worriedly. "I said that since the position of the Suncreek Villa president lies open, I'll take up the role temporarily," Li Luo said casually. Elder Zheng Ping stammered in confusion. "Ah... but...." He was about to say that it was completely against the rules, but this was the young lord. Who else was more qualified to bend the rules as he pleased? The Suncreek Villa resonance artificers also looked around at each other with a disapproval that they could not voice. They were unsure of how to broach the issue. Pang Qianchi spoke with just a hint of mockery. "Young Lord, surely there is no need to humble your esteemed self to the lowly position of president. Such roles are not even worthy of your attention, although mere mortals like us work hard to even achieve them. "If an august presence like yourself sweeps in to take it, then it's rather unfair to us normal mortals who have worked so hard for all these years at the Suncreek Villa, don't you think?" Pang Qianchi belied his cunning in these words. Every point he made seemed to speak on behalf of the Suncreek Villa artificers. At the same time, they were laced with an underlying challenge. It was working, and the resonance artificers stirred in response. Li Luo looked at Pang Qianchi for a few moments. This old fox was indeed harder to deal with than Zhuang Yi. "I am a resonance artificer too, albeit a second-grade one. I cannot compare to your wiser selves. But I think the job of president is not just about creating spirit liquids and purifying lights. The president must have the ability to make the Suncreek Villa stronger," Li Luo commented mildly. "I wonder, do you know about what happened at the Tianshu Province's Suncreek Villa? In yesteryears, the profit was roughly 100,000 skygold, but under my leadership it increased to 300,000, a full threefold increase. "If I remember correctly, the Suncreek Villa headquarters only turns a yearly profit of about one million?" Li Luo asked calmly, soothing the crowd and working to unravel their defensiveness. Had a mere branch of the Suncreek Villa managed to turn a 300,000 skygold profit? That was a full third of the headquarters! Yan Lingqing stepped forwards. "It is indeed as the Young Lord says. If anyone doubts it, you can check for yourselves." Seeing how sure Yan Lingqing was, the whispers were fading away now. If it was true, then this young lord was a real monster indeed! Although ability was important for the role of president, wasn't the ultimate goal to make the Suncreek Villa stronger? Pang Qianchi's jowls quivered with anger. He had not expected Li Luo to show up in person. "Young Lord, are you trying to discourage us?" Pang Qianchi burst out. "Does Vice President Pang find my appointment discouraging?" Li Luo countered. Pang Qianchi could not reply to this, so he skirted the issue. "I have worked hard on behalf of the Suncreek Villa for all these years, and everyone here can attest to that. I competed against Hanzhi for the president position, but the two House Lords chose him. I accepted my loss. But now Hanzhi's betrayal shows that they made the wrong decision. Why can't the Young Lord work towards righting that wrong?" Li Luo smiled at him. "Vice President Pang has indeed worked hard on behalf of the Suncreek Villa for many years. But now? Will it be for Pei Hao?" "Pei Hao is also a disciple of the two House Lords. I am loyal to House Luolan, and all I do is for its sake!" Pang Qianchi asserted stoutly. "Hanzhi's betrayal means that the Suncreek Villa is now short an experienced fifth-grade resonance artificer. If the Young lord continues to break all the rules, the Suncreek Villa might well lose another experienced master." His threats were coming forth more clearly now. With Pei Hao supporting him, evidently Pang Qianchi was not afraid of Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo. After all, Pei Hao could kick up a real fuss if they did anything to him. That would only harm House Luolan further. "Pang Qianchi, you insolent!" Elder Zheng Ping was red in the face. Pang Qianchi was unafraid, lifting his head defiantly. "I just want the Young Lord to be more reasonable. All that I have done is for the Suncreek Villa's good!" "Will you all support me?" He turned to the other artificers. There was some hesitation, then they slowly came forth one by one. "Vice President Pang is indeed the best choice to be president." Their views were not wrong. In terms of ability and experience, there was no better candidate. But... How could these be the only terms they had considered? Hearing their voices, Li Luo empathized. Who would choose an unknown young lord over the familiar presence that Pang Qianchi held in their hearts? He did not get angry. Instead, he walked forwards to the stage. "Do you know how I managed to raise the Tianshu Province's Suncreek Villa to where it is in a mere two months?" They looked at each other, curious. After all, he was a mere second-grade resonance artificer. How had he managed to turn around an entire branch of the Suncreek Villa? "It's very simple. I mastered a special watersource. I believe that with this watersource, the Suncreek Villa's headquarters will also see a huge improvement. Entering the top 10 will not be beyond reach." There was a loud uproar of surprise at this. "Secret watersource?! The Young Lord has a secret watersource?!" As resonance artificers, they knew how incomparably precious secret watersources were to a villa. The formula for one's own trademark waterlight resonance was worth more than millions of skygold. After all these years, the Suncreek Villa still had not come up with its own patented watersource, such was its rarity. As for the famous villas in the Xia Kingdom, each had multiple secret watersources and formulas. Therefore, if the Suncreek Villa wanted to become a top villa, the foremost requisite was to find their own patented formula. Hearing that Li Luo actually had his own patented formula was enough to knock them out of their preconceived notions. Pang Qianchi's expression did not slip. "Even though you have a secret watersource, how pure is it? Something just above average will not be able to make up for the gap." Li Luo had to smile at Pang Qianchi's stubbornness. He pulled out a few glass bottles and tossed them out to the resonance artificers. Stubbornness? I have just the cure. Elder Zheng Ping took one bottle as well. After quickly opening it, he poured out a few drops and tested what was inside. There was astonishment on his old, creased face. "This... this secret watersource is at least a seventh-grade! A high seventh-grade in purity!" WOW! The other resonance artificers tested the purity, and everyone was equally amazed. Their hands shook as they passed around the bottles reverently. Upper seventh-grade... A watersource of such quality could perhaps only be found in the best of the Xia Kingdom's villas! All of the artificers looked at Li Luo with a new light of enthusiasm now. With such a pure watersource, they could not only refine much better spirit liquids, but frequent refining with it would also improve their own resonance arts. With some luck, they could break through their respective bottlenecks and reach the next grade. This was similar to how Li Luo had helped Yan Lingqing create a fifth-grade spirit liquid back during the Festival of Purifying Spirits... This was why all resonance artificers wanted to join villas with watersources of high purity. It was better for them to hone their refining skills there. And with that seventh-grade secret watersource, Li Luo had stolen away all of their hearts... Li Luo looked at Pang Qianchi with a half-smile on his face. "Anything else, Vice President Pang?" Chapter 98: Li Luos Strength Pang Qianchi stared at Li Luo, and the corners of his eyes seemed to be spasming. He was unprepared for Li Luo's finishing move. The details of Tianshu's branch had not reached headquarters, so even he was not sure of what had happened there... He knew now. Li Luo's secret seventh-grade watersource was the magic behind Tianshu's success. But how could Li Luo have such a powerful watersource?! Could it be an inheritance from the two House Lords? But if that was the case, why would he not take it out earlier? With a watersource of such quality, the Suncreek Villa would definitely be many times stronger than it currently was! Pang Qianchi reeled from the confusion. Li Luo ignored him. He turned to the other resonance artificers. "So, am I qualified to be president now?" Silence greeted him, and the hothead from before hung his head shamefully. In this situation, silence meant consent. Elder Zheng Ping's rage had already subsided fully. "No objections from me," he stated. He spoke on behalf of many of the moderate artificers, who were fully intending to lend Li Luo their support now. Pang Qianchi's face was stony as he struggled with his anger. In his mind, the position of president was already his, but now Li Luo had swooped in to take it away. All of his carefully ministrated opportunities had been thoroughly swept away. It seemed like he had no other reason to block Li Luo's ascension. However, he had already swayed many resonance artificers to his side before this. Although Li Luo might have won this battle, he had yet to win the war. With those who had promised to follow him, he could continue a secret struggle against Li Luo. He would start attending the Astral Sage College soon, so he would not have much time left with them. Once he left, wouldn't the Suncreek Villa be back in his hands again? He had run a tight ship with the Suncreek Villa before. Was a young lord really going to change anything? Thinking thus, Pang Qianchi managed to calm himself. So be it. The fight would simply take a little longer than expected. Pei Hao had already told him: just hold on until next year's housemeet. He would make his move then. And when House Luolan was dust, who would care about a lord of nothing? When Pang Qianchi fell silent, Li Luo's gaze swept their ranks. "Since there seems to be no objections, then I will assume the role of the Suncreek Villa's headquarters president. I ask for your kind regard." The gathered resonance artificers dutifully applauded. Such was the temptation of an upper seventh-grade watersource. "The proverb goes: a new boss cracks the whip three times. Let me crack the whip for the first time." Li Luo declared. He turned to Pang Qianchi. "Vice President Pang, you have worked very hard. I give you a year's leave. Please enjoy your rest at home." In other words, a temporary removal of Pang Qianchi. Pang Qianchi remained unmoved. Was this young lord so naive to think that removing him would lessen his influence at the Suncreek Villa in any way? Those he had swayed to his side would be his eyes and ears. He would simply use different methods to interfere in the Suncreek Villa's affairs. Some resonance artificers frowned doubtfully. Li Luo seemed to be moving too hastily. It might not be good for the Suncreek Villa's future. But before anyone could speak up on Pang Qianchi's behalf, Li Luo suddenly announced, "I know that some of you have been swayed by Pang Qianchi, and your allegiance is with Pei Hao." There was a jolt of panic suddenly, and some queasy looks could be spotted on faces. Pang Qianchi frowned as well. He stared at Li Luo. What was he planning to do? It was not a hard guess to make, but what could he do? "Perhaps you think you can communicate with Pang Qianchi in secret, but you're underestimating the intelligence network of House Luolan..." Li Luo said with a calm expression. He pulled out a scroll that was sealed with wax. "This is the list of all who have turned to Pang Qianchi's side." There was even more restless shuffling now, but no one spoke. They waited quietly. The tension in the atmosphere was palpable. Pang Qianchi started. Was he intending to cull them based on the list? If so, that was incredibly bold. Still, the price would be a thorough sacking of the Suncreek Villa. With some resonance artificers stolen away by Hanzhi, if Li Luo chased even more of them away, it would be virtually impossible for the Suncreek Villa to resume normal operations any time soon. That would be a huge loss. Elder Zheng Ping's face was rigid with tension as well. One wrong move, he knew, would bring the whole Suncreek Villa crashing into disaster. The silence continued to build until some found it difficult to breathe. "I haven't looked at the list yet." Li Luo said calmly. And then he pulled out a flare, setting the scroll on fire. The flames ate at the paper hungrily. He then carelessly tossed the burning scroll aside. He had their attention now, and all eyes were staring at the burning scroll. They did not understand. As for Pang Qianchi, he was staring at Li Luo fearfully now. He seemed to have guessed what Li Luo was up to. "Gentlemen, you all know what has been going on in House Luolan in recent years very well. The fact that all of you have remained here through these hard times speaks of at least some loyalty. "It is normal for you to falter in hard times. Therefore, I pledge to you here, in the capacity of a young lord, that all you have done in the past will be wiped away clean, just as this namelist burns. As long as you are willing to work hard on the Suncreek Villa's behalf in the future, you are a valued member. "Have no fear, your previous allegiances will not be used as blackmail against you." His declaration gave them much to ponder. They did not know if the namelist he had was real, but that was not important compared to the significance of the pardon he had just pledged. Clearly, he was prepared to extend his generosity in order to assure the stability of the Suncreek Villa. "Moreover, the Suncreek Villa intends to take out 20% of all profits in the future, which will be passed on to the resonance artificers as remuneration, through higher salaries and other perks." If Li Luo's burning of the list had been enough to make them reconsider, this further push was enough to bring them over into joy. Resonance artificers joined villas for two purposes. One was to improve themselves, and the other was to earn money. After all, they all had families to feed. Li Luo had first presented them with a high-purity watersource that would help them improve in the future. And now, a salary increase. 20% of the Suncreek Villa's profits was no small numberit was enough to match what the best villas were paying. This meant that the Suncreek Villa would have a bright and rich future ahead of it. How could they not rejoice at such news? Moreover, they were sure that this declaration would bring resonance artificers flocking to the Suncreek Villa. Anyone with the slightest shred of acumen could see that the Suncreek Villa was about to take flight in the near future. They looked at Li Luo with renewed passion now flaring in their eyes. This young lord was far more capable than they had expected. As for Pang Qianchi, the blood was steadily draining from his face as he watched Li Luo appeal to the artificers. He had made one masterful move after another. It would pull away the majority of his followers. Li Luo's combination of punches was enough to undo much of the work that he had done before. Pang Qianchi was getting the feeling that his hands were being tied tighter and tighter. They had underestimated this young lordhe seemed to be a more formidable opponent than they had given him credit for. Chapter 99: I Want To Quit At the courtyard with the fountain. When New-Boss Li Luo was done cracking his whip thrice, everyone was staring at him with many thoughts crowding their minds. Their contempt from before was gone, replaced with a new respect. Elder Zheng Ping had heaved an inward sigh of relief as well. He had feared Li Luo would take a barbaric bulldozer approach characteristic of his age, lining up half their artificers on the chopping block. It might feel satisfying, but the Suncreek Villa would take a heavy hit as well. Moreover, it would give the Suncreek Villa a bad reputation. It was not only about chasing out their resonance artificersthe subsequent hit to their image would make a comeback that much harder. Fortunately, Li Luo had not chosen such primeval methods. Instead, his triple whip crack had smacked the doubt out of the artificers and gotten them believing in the potential of the Suncreek Villa again. Although it would not purge them of Pang Qianchi's influence and tricks, it was a good start. He believed that the temptation of the secret watersource and Li Luo's management would pull the Suncreek Villa back on the right track in good time. Pang Qianchi looked at Li Luo glumly, then he turned and left without a word. Li Luo had won the hearts at the Suncreek Villa in record time, and his troublemaking had failed. He could only hunker down now and wait for his next opportunity. As Pang Qianchi left, the resonance artificers looked around at each other and then bowed to Li Luo. "Our respects to the President." Li Luo waved it off with a smile. "Go about your work. Don't worrythe Suncreek Villa will soon be back on the right track. The Suncreek Villa will be stronger than it ever was before." The resonance artificers noted his words as they dispersed. As they started to leave, Li Luo breathed out in relief. He turned around to look at the three women who had not said a word the entire time. "How was that?" He grinned. All three, including Jiang Qing'e, stared at him. They didn't speak, but there was surprise in their eyes. "Not bad," Jiang Qing'e said, pleased. "Better than I imagined." Of course she was appreciative. She had always dealt with the Suncreek Villa's problems as best as she could, and yet she had been unable to interfere much. The best that she could do was maintain the stalemate. Since she was not a resonance artificer, she did not understand matters here too well. Of course, more importantly, there were just too many problems at House Luolan, and she did not have the time to deal with them all. Trawling back through what had just happened, she could find no flaws in the way Li Luo had pulled his whip-cracking stunt off. Especially the burning of the listit did not matter whether it was real or fake. More importantly, the gesture alone would pull artificers back away from Pang Qianchi. Although things were not cleanly solved, their situation had improved greatly. Of course, none of this would be possible without Li Luo's high-purity secret watersource. That was a strong temptation for the resonance artificers. The secret watersource was the reason his pitch went smoothly. Yan Lingqing fiddled with her spectacles, her rosy lips curving up in a smile. "Seems like the secret watersource is very useful indeed. I wonder if the Young Lord has enough." Perhaps out of the three women, only Yan Lingqing could guess where it came from, thanks to Li Luo assisting her during the Festival of Purifying Lights. Li Luo sighed in response. She had raised a good point. He was only a Tenth Seal cultivator, so the amount of secret watersource he could produce each day was limited. Besides, he had promised the Tianshu Province's Suncreek Villa a set amount of secret watersource each month as well. That would already take quite a toll on him. If he was going to supply the Suncreek Villa's headquarters as well, he would be squeezed dry. Luckily, he was not far from his breakthrough to the Resonant Master stage. Once he broke through and formed his resonance seed, his resonant power would improve by leaps and bounds. He should be able to get by then. Cai Wei stared at him grumpily. "One word from you, and now 20% of the Suncreek Villa's profits are locked away. Won't you spare a thought for me, fretting over every gold piece to get your spirit liquids and purifying lights?" Li Luo flushed. "Sister Cai Wei, we have to look ahead. The Suncreek Villa's situation is terrible, and we have to hold on to the few resonance artificers we have left. We have to entice more to come back as well. It's the only way to restore the Suncreek Villa," he pleaded. "Ai, ai, I was actually reprimanded by the Young Lord," Cai Wei moaned theatrically. Jiang Qing'e laughed. "Sister Cai Wei is pulling your leg. We believe that the Suncreek Villa will become a top 10 villa in your hands. We believe in you." "Eh, I hope so," Li Luo groaned. He had just arrived in Xia City, and already such a burden was being thrust on his shoulders. It truly would be no easy task. And right now, the amount of secret watersource he could produce was not enough. Other top villas had a never-ending supply of secret watersources and lightsources. Therefore, if the Suncreek Villa was to truly make it big, they wouldhave to think of other ways to secure their sources. It could not rely on one person forever. Li Luo briefly chatted with the three, then he left for the office, Elder Zheng Ping by his side. Now that he was the president, he had best acquaint himself with the matters at hand. This took a full day. Night had fallen on Xia City, and Li Luo was sprawled tiredly in the office chair. He looked over at Jiang Qing'e, who had been with him the whole day. "Sister Qing'e, these past few years must have been difficult for you," he groaned sympathetically. He was only taking over the Suncreek Villa, and already he was bushed. He could only imagine the enormity of her task, looking after the entirety of House Luolan. She stretched her arms lazily, revealing the fullness of her figure. Although she was less curvy than Cai Wei by a little, the overall picture was still perfect. "If you really feel for me, manage the Suncreek Villa well. That will be one thing off my plate," she replied. Li Luo was feeling an oncoming headache. After reading through the Suncreek Villa's books for the whole day, he was getting a better sense of the situation here. Still, it made no improvements in his mood. There were just so many damned problems at the Suncreek Villa. If he had known this, he would not have shot his mouth about being a top 10 villa. If not for the fact that he was scared that Jiang Qing'e would immediately drag him off to the practice room for a sparring session, he would have asked if it was too late to tender a resignation. Chapter 100: The Golden Dragon Banks Headquarters Clearly, quitting was out of the question. But just like Li Luo had realized, the Suncreek Villa had many problems. There were three that were particularly serious. First was the resonance artificers who had left. Ex-president Hanzhi had taken close to half of them with him. It was a terrible loss. After all, resonance artificers were their production power. Without them, the production volume of the Suncreek Villa would be compromised. Second was that the Suncreek Villa lacked high-level resonance artificers. There used to be five fifth-grade resonance artificers, including Hanzhi and Pang Qianchi. With the former betraying them, and the latter put on leave, they only had three left. It was a pitiful number. The other top 10 villas in the Xia Kingdom, such as the Bigswamp Villa from House Duze, had dozens of fifth-grade resonance artificers, and even a generous handful of sixth-grade artificers... The gap was incredible. The third problem was that the spirit liquid formulas the Suncreek Villa used were not considered high-grade. They could only barely be considered middle-grade. In the Xia Kingdom, formulas were classified into five star grades, with one-star being the lowest and five-star being the highest. The Suncreek Villa's formulas, such as the Azure Jade spirit liquid that Li Luo was most familiar with, was only considered a two-star. Li Luo had only defeated the Inkwater Villa's Blackstar spirit liquids thanks to the brute-force domination that his seventh-grade watersource provided him. Their Blackstar spirit liquid was a three-star formula. Li Luo flipped through all of the formulas that the Suncreek Villa had. The highest was their main product, the third-grade White Feather spirit liquid, which used a three-star formula. As for four-star formulas, they did not even have a single one. If the Suncreek Villa was to become a top 10 villa in the Xia Kingdom, a single three-star formula alone was not going to cut it. Li Luo frowned and looked over to Zheng Ping. "Elder Zheng, start recruiting resonance artificers as quickly as possible, or our production will not be able to keep up." He could only deal with these problems one at a time. He couldn't summon expert resonance artificers from the ether, nor could he create a formula on command. Those things took too much time to research, so there was no choice but to buy them. However, the price of high-star formulas was a real nail biter. The Suncreek Villa could not afford them. "Yes, Sir," Elder Zheng Ping said. He paused. "Young Lord, how soon will that high-purity watersource be provided to headquarters?" Li Luo was again getting the feeling that he had bitten off more than he could chew. Although half the Suncreek Villa artificers were gone, the volume produced was still more than Tianshu's branch. Of course, that meant that they needed more watersource as well. And he was just a Tenth Seal kid! How could he feed all these ravenous artificers? But he had already made the promise, and he could not renege on it now. That would be the end of the Suncreek Villa's reputation. "I'll make some preparations. I should be able to provide headquarters with a batch soon," Li Luo said with a reassuring smile and a sinking heart. Elder Zheng Ping nodded, eyes gleaming eagerly. Li Luo did not dare linger. After sending out some more orders, he concluded business for the day and then left the headquarters with the three women. He felt that the most urgent thing for him now was to quickly break through to the Resonant Master Stage. Otherwise, this frail body of his would not stand up to the merciless watersource wringing that was to follow. But before that, he had to make a trip to the Golden Dragon Bank, where he had left his final two pieces of wood and earth materials for a long time. He had to temper his second acquired resonance. ... The next day, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e met and set out for the Golden Dragon Bank. Although security in Xia City was good, Li Luo still brought a few third-tier Resonant Master bodyguards along with him. Just in case. Although it was a mid-sized power in the Xia Kingdom, the Golden Dragon Bank's position was special. Its headquarters was located in the most prosperous district, and it took up a sizable plot of land as well. It was far more magnificent than the branch at the Tianshu Province. From afar, it was a towering behemoth stretched out across the land that struck fear and awe into people's hearts. Outside the Golden Dragon Bank's headquarters, a constant stream of people flowed in and out of the majestic, bronze doors. Although three huge doors were open, the crowd was still bottleneckedsuch was its popularity. Li Luo followed them in, stepping into a hall so big, it felt like a courtyard. The dome was about a dozen meters high. From it hung an expensive, crystal chandelier, lighting up the hall as bright as day. There were many different desks arranged around the hall, and many ushers dressed in the rich uniform of the Golden Dragon Bank were directing customers. Li Luo did not pause here, continuing down the corridor. At the end of the corridor was a high-level area, where there were fewer people and the noise of the crowd fell to a whisper. The brightly-lit hall sparkled with crystal cabinets, where rare and luxurious goods were displayed. These were evidently far higher in quality than those displayed outside. Of course, the prices were different as well. When Li Luo walked in, he was immediately met by a beautiful and sexy female usher. Her looks and manner were a class above those outside. "Sir, what do you require today?" The beautiful girl bit her lip as she stared at Li Luo. She had seen many people in her time at the Golden Dragon Bank, but such a handsome youth was a first for her. Behind her, a few other young girls stopped, frustrated that she had beaten them there. Li Luo gave her an unconcerned smile, already immune to such struggles over him. "I need rare materials that have wood and earth properties," Li Luo said. "Of what energy grade, Sir?" she asked carefully. Rare materials were also divided into grades, such as the 100-grade, 1,000-grade, 10,000-grade, etc. These were indicators of the energy that the materials held. Put simply, the maximum amount of energy that these rare materials could reach. Li Luo thought about it. "Let's look at the 1,000-grades first." Most of the rare materials he had seen at the Tianshu Province's branch were 100-grade materials. There were far fewer 1,000-grade materials, and none of them were suitable. "Certainly. Follow me, please." She smiled happily. 1,000-grade rare materials were valued in the thousands of gold. The nonchalance of his tone indicated that this youth was very rich indeed. She liked these customers best. She turned and walked ahead, making sure to accentuate the sashay of her hips. Li Luo couldn't care less. He was already used to such womanly wiles from Cai Wei. This little minx held no attraction for him at all. As he followed her onwards, there was a beautiful girl on the second floor who had spotted him. She was dressed in green and white, with lacy socks below her short skirt. Her bored eyes suddenly lit up with pleasure. Chapter 101: Duze Beixuan Lu Qing'er was the girl on the second floor, at a window in a posh, private suite. There were many others in there with her, other young people with eminent backgrounds. This was a reunion. Only, Lu Qing'er was not too interested in this reunion. When she spotted that familiar figure in the hall below, a small smile spread across her small face. "Qing'er, what are you looking at? It's rare to see you smile." A brawny youth laughed warmly from behind her. Lu Qing'er turned to him. "Big Brother Ning Zhao." "Aunt Yu asked me to take care of you and show you around Xia City, so I invited friends over today, but it seems I read you wrong. You don't like crowds, huh?" The youth called Ning Zhao gave a rueful smile. He gestured at her. "You were just a small girl when I first met you all those years ago... And you're a beautiful young woman now." Lu Qing'er gave him a dutiful smile back. Ning Zhao's father was the vice president of the Golden Dragon Bank's head office. He was an experienced man, and second in status to her own mother, Yu Hongxi. Ning Zhao himself was also a student at the Astral Sage College. He would probably enter the Two Star Hall this year, and would be her senior in the future. Still, she cut him off mid-speech. "I have a friend downstairs. I'll go meet them." Turning, she bounced away quickly. Ning Zhao watched her elegant figure leave, letting his feelings show in his eyes. He was honestly taken aback by her transformation. A few years ago, she was a refreshing little girl, but now she was an enigmatic beauty. When she entered the Astral Sage College, there would be plenty of admirers drooling over her. "Friend?" But recalling the rare pleasure on her face, Ning Zhao frowned slightly, his gaze drifting downwards to the hall as well. ...... On a crystal counter. The pretty girl took out a few boxes made of jade, opening them carefully for Li Luo. Within were precious rare materials, deeply steeped in earth and wood energies. "Great Sir, these are all 1,000-grade rare materials of wood and earth resonances." Li Luo marveled over them. He had come to the right place indeed. The selection of 1,000-grade rare materials was extensive. Each one would be a rare find at the Tianshu Province's Golden Dragon Bank. Li Luo carefully looked them over, feeling out their energy levels. After a long while, he regretfully put them down. "Sir, are you not satisfied?" she asked with concern while showing no impatience at all. For one with such divine looks, even a frown was charming. Exactly her cup of tea. Li Luo shook his head. "It seems like 1,000-grade materials will not do. Do you have 10,000-grade rare materials?" Her eyes lit up even brighter. 10,000-grade rare materials were worth tens of thousands of skygold. This young man was even richer than she had thought. But just as she was about to speak, another voice came from the side. "I'll take care of this customer from here." She looked up indignantly. Who was trying to steal her man away? Whirling around, she saw a small and pretty face, and she almost lost her composure in fright. She quickly rearranged her irritated expression into a compliant one. "Young- Young Mistress... You're here?" Of course she knew the daughter of the Golden Dragon Bank's President Yu. "This is my friend. I'll see to his needs," Lu Qing'er said with a small smile. Nodding hurriedly, the girl turned and left obediently, albeit regretfully. "Qing'er?" Li Luo was not too surprised to see her here, considering who she was. "Young Lord, you have been dazzling our young girls nonstop since you set foot in the Golden Dragon Bank. If you became a frequent customer, would our business operations grind to a halt?" she teased. "I am sorry," Li Luo said with a show of great regret. "It's my parents' fault. I had no say in the matter." Lu Qing'er rolled her eyes at him. He was getting bold indeed. "I came to Xia City earlier than you. My mother was pestering me to accompany her... Oh, and I heard about the Suncreek Villa. Are you alright there?" Lu Qing'er asked with frank concern, her earlier playfulness vanishing. "I got played out by someone. It's normal, and definitely nothing new in these past few years." Li Luo shrugged. "Good luck, then. Given your abilities, you will definitely be able to restore House Luolan to its former glory." She encouraged him. "You think that highly of me, huh..." He laughed and shook his head, changing the issue. "So," he said suggestively, "you said you would... see to my needs?" "Any need. Just say the word," she answered his smile with her own, extending her arms and charging her ice silk gloves with frost energy until they gleamed dangerously. "What service do you wish for?" "Just look at that attitude..." Li Luo scolded her piously. "Well? What are you still fooling about for?! Bring me your 10,000-grade rare materials." She shot him a withering look. "10,000-grade rare materials are few and far between even for the Golden Dragon Bank. Especially wood and earth resonance ones. We normally keep them in the auction room. I can bring you in for a look." "Well, then, woman. Less yapping, more walking." Li Luo waved her on imperiously. Lu Qing'er was irritated at being treated so unceremoniously like a waiting woman, but she swallowed the impulse to trounce him soundly and led the way. Still, her amusement was showing clearly on her fair features. ...... On the second floor, Ning Zhao watched Li Luo and Lu Qing'er walk away, his thoughts melancholy as he nursed a wine cup. He had seen the look of happiness on Lu Qing'er's face, one that he had not been able to bring out. Who was that silver-haired youth? "Keke, that's House Luolan's young lord, Li Luo..." a bright voice said from beside him. Ning Zhao turned around and saw a suave, blue-haired youth by his side, grinning down at Li Luo. "Young Lord Beixuan seems well acquainted with him," Ning Zhao replied with a smile. This was the young lord of House Duze, Duze Beixuan. "We of House Duze are very concerned with every move that House Luolan makes. Our rivalry runs deep. Of course I know my enemies well," Duze Beixuan said with a wicked grin. "House Duze has recently poached the Suncreek Villa's president and made the Suncreek Villa a laughing stock, I hear," Ning Zhao said. "Of course, the bigger joke is Young Lord Li Luo taking up the role as a second-grade resonance artificer." Duze Beixuan chuckled. "They couldn't very well give it to Pang Qianchi. He's Pei Hao's man." "Oh, Brother Ning Zhao, can you help me find out what Young Lord Li Luo is doing at the Golden Dragon Bank?" Ning Zhao looked down. "I'm afraid that's against the rules. Protecting customer secrecy is one of the Golden Dragon Bank's tenets." Duze Beixuan smiled. "I hear that Lu Qing'er and Li Luo were very close back at Southwind Academy. He even saved her during the college entrance exams..." Ning Zhao's look turned dark. Lifting a wine jug nearby, he filled his cup to the brim, then downed it in one go before striding away. Duze Beixuan followed, still grinning. Chapter 102: A Little Monkey Li Luo and Lu Qing'er left the hall and entered another spacious gallery screened off with a pearl curtain. Walking close by, Li Luo could smell her faint, womanly scent. "Your resonant power is much stronger already... Resonant Master?" Li Luo suddenly asked. She nodded slightly. "A few days ago. You?" "Perhaps a bit more time here." Li Luo winced. He had been at the Tenth Seal stage for a while now. It was time to prepare for the jump to the Resonant Master Stage. "Good luck with that. School starts in less than half a month. Competition's going to be intense, you know," Lu Qing'er said. Li Luo nodded. He was on the verge of a reply when a small boy suddenly burrowed past him, hiding behind him. The boy looked to be about eight years old. He had jet-black eyes and was rather cute. Still, he had a suspicious look about him at the moment, skulking around. "Hey, kid, go play somewhere else." Li Luo frowned. He could see a few figures nearby weaving in and out of the crowd, craning their necks left and right as they searched for someone. "Help me hide," the boy whispered. Although his voice was tiny, there was a ring of command to it. Clearly, he was used to getting his way... Perhaps he was the heir to someone important. Li Luo couldn't care less, shrugging him off and shooing him away. "I'll give you 3,000 gold!" The boy hurriedly said. "Do I look like someone whos in need of money?" Li Luo frowned, feeling offended. Did he look like Yu Lang, for crying out loud. The little monkey was annoying. Li Luo stretched out a hand sternly. "5,000." Without a word, the boy handed over a golden dragon note worth 5,000 gold. Li Luo's jaw dropped at his straightforwardness. Still, he stuffed the golden dragon note into his sleeve and said mildly, "Well, a man like me can't stand the strong bullying the weak." He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and used the Water Shadow Art, causing him to fade away to a mere faint presence. The boy felt himself all over, fascinated. Nearby, the searchers turned away after finding nothing. Li Luo followed Lu Qing'er, pushing the boy from his mind. Since she had not stopped him from helping the boy, he was probably the heir to some important family, while those searching for him were his bodyguards. Still, there was not much harm that could come to him if he remained in the Golden Dragon Bank. The two continued on. Lu Qing'er led them into an oval auction room, where there were many others seated. They found empty seats and had just settled back when they discovered someone to their left. Li Luo saw that it was the boy from before. He frowned sternly. "Are you following me? Trying to get the money back, are you? Look, kid, you might be young, but I see a lot of character flaws already." The boy screwed up his face, but his retort was interrupted by a cough. His face turned a little pale, his energy evaporating. Seemed like he was quite a frail child. Li Luo was a little concerned. Was the little monkey trying to trick him? Lu Qing'er smiled. "Oh, let him stay." Since Li Luo had hidden him before, they were a little responsible if he was running amok. Keep him here for now, and she would get someone to pick him up later. And also check which family he belonged to. Li Luo nodded. Seeing the boy cough repeatedly, he pulled out a small bottle containing the watersource he had refined, tossing it to him. "If you wanna feel better, drink it." He did not know why the little monkey was so frail, but his watersource had healing properties thanks to his waterlight resonance, so it should be able to help the boy feel better. The boy caught the bottle but stared at him wide-eyed. Was the man a fool? He wasn't about to drink some unknown liquid from a stranger. But it didn't seem too polite to throw it away. He stuffed it away in a pocket and turned back curiously to the auction. Seeing the kid spurn his goodwill, Li Luo rolled his eyes. Forget it. Do as you will. He turned back to the auction, ignoring him. During this time, Duze Beixuan and Ning Zhao had entered and seated themselves as well. Duze Beixuan smiled maliciously in Li Luo's direction. "What's the Young Lord going to do with wood and earth rare materials?" Ning Zhao shook his head. He looked a little uneasy as he looked over at Li Luo, seated with Lu Qing'er. Duze Beixuan wasn't paying attention to him. He had wanted to mess with Li Luo when he arrived at Xia City, but House Jinque's Si Qiuying had stopped him then. It was about time he had his fun. House Duze had a long-standing feud with House Luolan. Any trouble to Li Luo was welcome to him. Although he couldn't really cause Li Luo much harm here, there were other ways of being nasty. He settled down to wait in anticipation. About half an hour later, a bell rang. The auction was beginning. An auctioneer appeared on stage. The middle-aged man bowed, opened the stage, and then began to call the auction. The auction here was not held one item at a time. Instead, multiple items were laid out at the same time, and a simultaneous bidding war would ensue. As a result, things got very lively immediately. "Material number one, an embersnake fruit, 800 years old, and a fine 10,000-grade rare material. Starting bid 11,000 gold, do I hear 12,000! "Material number two, zephyrock, another beautiful 10,000-grade rare material. This one's going at 16,000thank you, I see 17,000! "Material number three..." The auctioneer's crisp, business-like voice rattled off bids and introductions, cutting himself off time and again as the bidders raised their signs. The atmosphere grew livelier and livelier, but Li Luo sat back, uninterested. As the fierce bidding proceeded, 10,000-grade rare materials were snatched up one after another. About 10 minutes later, Li Luo finally spotted something he wanted. There were four materials laid up here, two wood and two earth. Each was marked at around 15,000 gold. These four were all 10,000-grade rare materials that Li Luo needed. "Millennial Greenwood Core, a 10,000-grade rare material. Starting bid 15,000! "Essence of Dragonsbed, 10,000-grade rare material. Starting bid 15,000! "..." Li Luo jumped right in, raising the bid for both to 20,000 immediately. From his observations before, he knew that most of the bids ended at roughly 20,000. He wanted to skip right past the bickering and kill the competition. It should be enough to give the other interested bidders pause. Just as he predicted, the quick raise to 20,000 was enough to discourage all the other bidders after a moment's hesitation. After all, that was roughly the price for 10,000-grade materials. It was not worth it to go beyond that, and there were other items still up for sale today, tomorrow, and every day after that. There was no rush. "Any more bidders, going once?" The auctioneer surveyed the crowd, raising his voice with a dramatically hopeful tone. "Going twice, these four excellent rare materials..." Just as his hammer was about to land, a sign shot up, and a mocking voice called out, "25,000" The sudden increase in bid made Li Luo inhale sharply in shock. Auctions were auctions after all. So a challenger had appeared. Chapter 103: The Prodigal Son Li Luo looked over to the raised sign and saw a blue-haired youth looking in his direction. He threw a friendly smile Li Luo's way. Li Luo saw nothing but sharp teeth in that smile. "Who's that?" he asked. Lu Qing'er's well-trimmed brow creased a little. She hesitated. "The young lord of House Duze, Duze Beixuan. "Li Luo, he's targeting you. He's trying to inflate your bid." "So that's Duze Beixuan, eh." Li Luo was taken aback. Sizing up the blue-haired youth, he breathed out. "Well, in terms of looks, the young lord of House Luolan has House Duze beat, in spades. That's one battle won." The little kid beside him rolled his eyes. Was a war between two houses all about looks? Lu Qing'er did not smile. She knew that Li Luo's wisecrack meant that he had marked Duze Beixuan well. Li Luo looked at him for a moment more, then raised his own plaque. "26,000." Duze Beixuan coughed lightly, raising his own sign without hesitation. "30,000." There was a slight mutter in the auction room now, and people were starting to recognize Duze Beixuan. "It's the young lord of House Duze! Duze Beixuan!" "Whose price is he inflating?" "I don't know, never seen him around before..." "That's the young lord of House Luolan, Li Luo. He's too easy to recognize. Keke, no wonder Duze Beixuan's upping the bid. He's found an enemy." "Haha, I heard that House Luolans young lord had his Suncreek Villa president headhunted by House Duze. A real blow for the Luolan young lord..." "It's hard to avoid a fight when those two meet." The entire auction house was interested now, watching a bidding war break out between two historical rivals. Lu Qing'er was very worried now. 30,000 for a 10,000-grade rare material was pricey. Plus, four of them meant a staggering 120,000. That was no small sum. Li Luo still looked calm. Neither did he look in the mood to talk to Duze Beixuan. He raised his sign again. "32,000." Duze Beixuan gleefully raised his own. "35,000." "37,000." "40,000." With this raise from Duze Beixuan, the muttering had grown much louder now. Such was the financial power of House Duze's young lord. Hundreds of thousands of skygold could be thrown away without batting an eyelid. Li Luo smiled at the price and then gave Duze Beixuan a thumbs-up from afar. He was not intending to bid further. The price was too high, and far beyond reason. "This Li Luo is quite a composed one, eh?" Ning Zhao chuckled. He had thought a last-minute outbid would tilt him off the edge. Duze Beixuan nodded with a wry smile. "A little harder to deal with than I imagined. I'm afraid I'll get scolded for bringing these four rare materials back at that price." Still, he had a satisfied expression. After all, House Duze had been successful for many years now, accruing an unstoppable financial momentum. House Luolan was on the way down. How could Li Luo hope to compete against him? "43,000!" Just then, a reedy, little voice piped up. All heads turned to the voice. It was the little boy beside Li Luo, raising his plaque with boyish excitement. Li Luo's eyes bulged. He looked over with a mixture of disbelief and respect. "Which family are you the prodigal son of?" "You're the prodigal son." The boy squabbled right back. Duze Beixuan was looking at the boy with uncertainty. "Who's that?" he asked Ning Zhao sharply. Ning Zhao shook his head. "I don't recognize him, but he seems to be familiar with Li Luo. Is he intending to use a kid to play with you?" Duze Beixuan snorted, irritated. "This Li Luo is really an interesting one." He raised his plaque. "45,000." The boy had spotted Duze Beixuan eying him as well. "What is he saying?" he asked, craning his head indignantly as he tried to peer over his high-backed chair. Li Luo stroked his chin. "He's saying that little monkeys like yourself should go home and drink their milk to grow into strong apes." The little boy flushed in anger. "50,000!" he yelled. There was a shocked silence in the auction house as they all looked over at the furious boy. 50,000 apiece for four 10,000-grade rare materials meant a total of 200,000. It was a princely sum. Even Duze Beixuan was staggered by this. His gaze wavered and then, with a sudden smile, he threw down his sign in surrender. Although he did not mind spending 200,000 on four rare materials, he did not wish to blow money unnecessarily. Since someone was willing to let him out of this one, he was going to take it. His mission to cause trouble for Li Luo had already succeeded. Finally, the four rare materials were awarded to the boy. There was a huge commotion over the messy conclusion. It was a little bit of a letdown. Li Luo turned to the boy, still lost in the thrill of winning a bid for the first time in his life. "Are you going to get a beating when you get home?" he asked with concern. The boy shook his head. "Nope." Li Luo was flabbergasted. How rich was his family? "But I don't carry that much money around with me." He gave Li Luo a bright and innocent smile. "Can you lend me some?" "My little friend, you are still very young. Beatings will do you good once in a while." At this time Duze Beixuan had made his way over, throwing another warm smile Li Luo's way. "Li Luo, finally we meet." Li Luo's eyes flicked up, taking in the blue ponytail neatly tied up behind him. A rather respectable impression, although there was slyness in his manner. "Hello." Li Luo nodded back affably. "I hear your dad was beaten 18 times by mine back in the day." Duze Beixuan's eyes narrowed and he forced a bitter smile that looked more like a grimace. "Young Lord Li Luo, still basking in the glory of yesteryear, I see. That only makes you look weak. Let's wait and see. Perhaps in a year, House Luolan will have to change its name. "Besides, what does 18 losses even count for? At the Astral Sage College, you'll go through tenfold that." "Are you threatening me?" Li Luo said. "Perhaps I am..." Duze Beixuan said with a sly smile. He turned to the boy. "Pretty clever, I must say. You used a kid to avoid being cast as a wastrel. Nice scapegoating. "Still, you're going to have to pay up." He inclined his head to the auction staff making their way over with Ning Zhao. Another staff member was bearing the four rare materials that the little boy had won, beaming. "My Young Master, we graciously await your payment." The boy blinked and then pulled out 20,000 in golden dragon notes from his pocket. "That's all I have with me." The staff member's smile froze on his face. "Young Master, please stop pulling my leg." Duze Beixuan was mocking Li Luo openly now. "Come now, you can't be such an ungracious loser. Cough it up." The boy frowned. "I won the bid. What does this have to do with him? How about you just wait a while, and I'll send someone to get the money." Lu Qing'er spoke up now as well. "Li Luo and the young gentleman do not know each other." Ning Zhao gave an impatient laugh. "Qing'er, people saw them enter together. And from the way they talk, it does not seem like they do not know each other." "According to the rules of the auction house, those under 10 years old are not to be given an auction plaque," Lu Qing'er countered coolly. "And yet he was allowed to bid. Is this not the fault of the auction house?" It was the staff member's turn to sweat profusely. "Seems to me like there are many problems surrounding this bid," she continued. "Perhaps we should take the items back and re-auction them tomorrow." "Miss Qing'er," Duze Beixuan protested, "surely you are being too biased towards them." This was unheard of. Bidding was all about the atmosphere and flow of the room. No one would stand for it. Ning Zhao agreed with a troubled expression. "Qing'er, that's not really in the rules." "It was the auction house's mistake to begin with," she stated calmly. Things were getting tense, and Duze Beixuan reached out a hand to grab the small boy. "If we do not sort this out today, none of you will leave." Li Luo marked his move with disapproval and was about to intervene, stretching out his hand. Just as he did so, another hand beat him there, flashing out like an eagle's claw to clamp Duze Beixuan's own wrist in a vice-like grip. "Who dares?!" Duze Beixuan roared. He looked up to see a gaunt, pale man standing behind the boy. He looked at Duze Beixuan emotionlessly, his dead eyes sending a chill down Duze Beixuan's spine. "We were talking... but you had to resort to violence. Did the House Lord of Duze not teach you manners?" Chapter 104: The First Princess The gaunt man who had appeared behind the boy was enough to send a chill down Duze Beixuan's spine. He could sense that this grip was deadly. The man was like a viper poised to strike, his entire body's resonant power lurking right under his palm on Duze Beixuan's wrist. This was definitely an incredibly strong opponent. At least a Heavenly Dipper General. Could this be the boy's bodyguard? What on earth was his status? Any Heavenly Dipper General expert would be highly esteemed even within House Duze. They would serve his father directly and were beyond even Duze Beixuan's own protection. And this little boy had such a mighty protector? While he was still shaking in fear, the pale man let go of him. "If my young master has bid for something, of course it will be paid for," he said calmly. Li Luo was a little wide-eyed himself. There were really many crouching tigers and hidden dragons here in Xia City. A casual stroll, and already he had snarled up one. The pale man seemed to possess an uncanny ability to make himself unremarkable, but Li Luo remembered him. This man had been sitting nearby for a while. He had been with them from the start... Clearly, those bodyguards from before were just for show. This was the real protectoran ever-present shadow. He had not appeared before to avoid hindering the boy's fun. Perhaps the entire Water Shadow Art exchange had also been witnessed by this man. Li Luo coughed in embarrassment. Duze Beixuan hastily stepped back, an uneasy look on his face. Beside him, Ning Zhao had sensed danger from this man as well. From behind, a Golden Dragon Bank staff member rushed out breathlessly. "I'm sorry for interrupting you, your eminences. President Yu has just said that these ingredients will not be charged. She just hopes that everyone can have a good time." A staff member respectfully offered the four materials to the kid. He blinked twice and then shook his head disinterestedly. "But Sis said we can't take others' things for free." "I don't want them anymore. You can have them," he said to Li Luo before dissolving into another fit of coughing. His face grew even paler. "Young Master, let us return." The pale man bowed. The boy could only nod regretfully, turning to follow him out. After they left, the tension in the atmosphere eased. Li Luo looked at the rare materials and turned to Lu Qing'er. "What should we do with these?" "My mom said they're free." Lu Qing'er smiled. Li Luo shook his head. He did not like handouts. "Go with the base price, then." She nodded, understanding. "Well then, I won't stand on ceremony." Li Luo nodded after a moment's pause. These rare materials were too important to him to pass up. Duze Beixuan watched all this with a grim face. "Li Luo, we will meet again, many times, in the Astral Sage College. I hope you are as lucky each time," he said casually. He turned and left. Li Luo sighed. Another troublemaker in his way. The last person that forced his hand was having trouble even getting into the Astral Sage College now. Oblivious to those below, there were two people watching them from behind a glass screen on a higher level of the Golden Dragon Bank. They were two richly dressed women. One was a matron in a red skirt, her long hair neatly arranged and held together with a fish-shaped hairpin. She was a strong, beautiful woman with a charismatic air about her.[1] She resembled Lu Qing'er in many ways, although with a more mature depth to her beauty. She was Lu Qing'er's mother, the president of the Xia Kingdom Golden Dragon Bank, Yu Hongxi. "A messy squabble. We've embarrassed ourselves before the First Princess," Yu Hongxi said with an apologetic smile. Beside her was a world-class beauty. She was dressed in white, her long hair intricately dressed into a phoenix-shaped knot. She had a regal look about her that extended to her piercing eyes. Her stunning allure exuded from her every feature, from her elegant nose bridge to her lush, dark lashes and sexy lips. A woman on the tall side, her swan-like neckline could captivate one for ages, if one was not already distracted by her ample chest. If Li Luo were present, he would admit that he had finally found someone who could compare to Cai Wei. However, while Cai Wei had a more friendly presence, this woman had an air of icy authority about her that demanded respect. This woman was no common person either. Her name was Gong Luanyu, and she was the eldest princess of the Xia Kingdoms royal court, and also sister by kin to the current king. The old king had been on the decline for the last few years, while the new king was still too young to ascend to the throne. Kingdom matters were being attended to by the regent prince, and the eldest princess held responsibilities too. She was perhaps the most powerful woman in Xia Kingdom at the moment. Besides that, she was also a Four Star Hall student at the Astral Sage College, a level higher than Jiang Qing'e. "It was my younger brother being a nuisance. We've inconvenienced President Yu." The First Princess smiled back apologetically as well. "His Majesty is at that boisterous age. Playfulness is to be expected," Yu Hongxi replied lightly. The two continued chatting for a while. After some time, the First Princess decided it was time to take her leave. Yu Hongxi saw her off and then looked down through the glass panel to see Li Luo and Lu Qing'er standing close together, shoulder to shoulder. She frowned a little. "That kid... he looks eerily like that bastard Li Taixuan." ...... At the back door of the Golden Dragon Bank, bodyguards had already cordoned off the entire area. A golden carriage rolled to a stop, thronged by a platoon of bodyguards. The First Princess stepped in to see the little boy, who was tugging away at his cheek. He pulled off an entire layer of plaster, and his face changed dramatically. Underneath, his skin was even paler, making his jet black eyes shine even more brightly than before. "Sis!" he exclaimed happily when she entered. The First Princess regarded him sternly. "You're the emperor of the Xia Kingdom, but youre still so playful. There are bodyguards around, but what if something happens to you?" This little kid was the current emperor of the Xia Kingdom, Gong Jingyao. He swallowed nervously, tugging at his ear. "Sis, I'm sorry." Only then did her expression soften. "What happened today?" His bright smile returned, and he happily told her everything. "Haha, that Li Luo is fun. He purposely goaded me into bidding against Duze Beixuan. I pretended to be fooled and played along." The First Princess laughed gaily at that as well. "Duze Beixuan is a chip off the old block. A small mind that houses little else besides revenge... "That Li Luo is quite the surprise. I thought he was sharp like Jiang Qing'e, but now it seems that he was born into intrigue and cunning." "Sneaky fellow. He even swindled me out of 5,000 skygold," the little emperor grumbled. The First Princess was about to reply when she saw the boy's face suddenly turn a shade paler, his breathing becoming ragged. Bloody lines started to surface on his cheeks. Her heart raced, knowing that his old illness had triggered again. She hurriedly pulled out a bottle stowed in the carriage, looking for his medicine. It was empty. "All used up?" A flicker of despair arose in her phoenix-like eyes. She recalled ordering her servants to always have the medicine on hand. How useless were they?! "Back to the palace. Immediately!" she cried out. The carriage picked up speed. She desperately held on to his hand, sending pulses of resonant power into his body to help him ease the pain. The little emperor's illness had struck him when young. Each episode was a painful and miserable experience. With no medicine on hand, he could only take the fit in full force. The bloody lines on his face began to thicken. Finally, he pulled out a bottle from his pocket in his pain. The First Princess was not looking, and he started to gulp desperately. She noticed quickly and snatched the bottle out of his hands. "What is this!?" she cried. "How can you be drinking some unknown liquid!?" But her anger quickly evaporated. She could see that the bloody lines were already subsiding. More importantly, the little emperor's face had been scrunched tight from the pain, but it was now much more relaxed. Even the well-seasoned princess was stunned by the transformation before her. 1. TN: Lu Qing'er's mother's surname literally means fish. Chapter 105: Jiang Qinges Warning Within a charging carriage. The little emperor's face was much healthier already, the blood lines receding. He seemed to be breathing easier as well. The little emperor took a labored breath, then delight flooded his face. "So he didn't lie to me." The First Princess was still looking quite cross. "What is this? Who gave it to you?" "Li Luo... he saw that I was looking sickly and then gave this to me. He said it would ease things if I was feeling bad," the little emperor told her honestly. "Sis, I didn't want to take it either, but that episode was really bad. I couldn't help it." "Li Luo?" She examined the bottle carefully and then poured out a drop onto her hand. She tested it. "Strange, it seems to be a watersource from water resonance power. But with an uncommon purity." Water resonance power indeed had healing properties; this was nothing strange. But in all these years, she had hired many water resonance experts to treat the little emperor, but to no avail. Why was Li Luo's watersource effective? Of course, it had only eased the little emperor's pain a little. It was about as effective as the medicine that the little emperor was taking. "No more taking unknown substances. Remember, you are the emperor of the Xia Kingdom now. We only have each other in the royal court now, sister and brother. You can't come to any harm." She stowed away the bottle. He nodded obediently and then laid down to rest. Only after he fell asleep did the First Princess pull out the bottle again, regarding it with glistening eyes. "Li Luo... "That young lord from House Luolan is something special." ... Back at House Luolan's headquarters, there was a comfortable silence in the night. In a tower. Li Luo pulled out the four rare materials that he had purchased.He prepared to begin tempering them into his Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. Suddenly, he spotted a figure flitting by the window. He smiled and pushed the window open. Jiang Qing'e was perched on a window beam, looking out at House Luolan. The two of them shared neighboring buildings, and there was a window beam that joined them. He paused, then he flipped through the window and joined her on the beam. He saw that she was clad in pajamas. The slightly loose-fitting top was not at all dowdy when she wore it. She seemed to have just finished showering, and her long hair was still damp, her eyes relaxed. She looked softer than usual, having shed some of her usual heroine demeanor. Li Luo drank it in, her figure and womanly scent. He turned to look out at the expanse of House Luolan's headquarters as well. "Cute pajamas," he said. There was a slightly plump swan patterned across her pajamas, a jarring contrast that ended up being cute. She smiled softly. "The Mistress made it for me," she said with a hint of pride. "My mother's skills are lacking indeed," Li Luo said dryly. She put a warning hand on the back of his neck, ready to chop. "No insulting the Mistress." Li Luo laughed. He looked up to the bright moon. "Qing'e, what's the Noble's War?" She shuddered a little and then slumped down a bit. "You will know when you enter the Astral Sage College," she finally said. "There's no need for me to tell you now." Li Luo accepted that. "And my parents. They're okay, right?" She nodded firmly. "They must be alright." "I think so too." He smiled. She looked at him. "Don't worry," she said softly. "Even without the Master and Mistress around, I won't let anyone bully you." "Do you think I'm a little kid?" Li Luo grumbled. She laughed and tousled his hair. "Aww, youre not a widdle kiddie no more." Li Luo sulked a little, but he told her about the day's events as she continued to play with his hair. "Oh?" She was a little shaken by his tale. "According to what you say, the boy's bodyguard must at least be a Heavenly Dipper General... And even the Golden Dragon Bank gave him face. For President Yu Hongxi to personally declare the materials free... not even the young lords of the five Great Houses would warrant that. "There's only one person in the whole Xia Kingdom who fits. "It's the little emperor of the royal court." Li Luo almost fell off the beam. "That little monkey is the little emperor?" As the young lord of House Luolan, Li Luo was not about to fall over worshiping the royal court. Still, he was rather envious of them. Now knowing that the boy was the little emperor, his heart shrank a little. "The old emperor has been on the decline for the last few years, but the new emperor's too young to take the throne. Affairs of the state have fallen to the regent and First Princess... "The First Princess' name is Gong Luanyu. She's a Four Star Hall student at the Astral Sage College, and one of the strongest in the school," Jiang Qing'e said. "How do you compare?" Li Luo asked curiously. "The Astral Sage College is divided into four star halls. Each year, when you pass the exams, you will be promoted to the next hall. I'm currently in the Three Star Hall, one lower than the First Princess. Besides, in terms of strength, she's definitely better. Although that might not be the case in a year's time," Jiang Qing'e said with a hint of smugness. Li Luo gave her a big thumbs up. "Oh, and school starts in less than 10 days' time. The most important thing for newcomers will be the Choosing of the Mentors. Basically, streaming the students. "The Astral Sage College is divided into three streams. The strongest are the Violet Vibrance mentors, followed by Gold Gleam, and finally Silver Spark mentors," she continued. "You must remember that mentor choice is very important. The stronger one's mentor, the more resources you get. And in the Astral Sage College, the resources are unmatched in the Xia Kingdom. So you must secure a high-ranking mentor to take you under their wing." Li Luo nodded seriously. The Astral Sage College was really something else, even sorting mentors with students. But the Violet Vibrance mentors were said to be Duke Stage experts! "As for how to choose a mentor, you will know in time. But let me warn you. This time there are five Violet Vibrance mentors, and there is one amongst them that you should never attach to. You cannot choose him as your mentor," she said very seriously. "Who?" Li Luo was astonished. "That Violet Vibrance mentor is called Shen Jinxiao..." Jiang Qing'e's loathing for the person was extremely plain to see on her face. "Why?" Li Luo asked, sensing that something was up. "Back when I entered the Astral Sage College, he was my mentor. And then he eventually confessed his feelings to me... "I hated that, and sought out the headmaster of the Astral Sage College to change mentors." Li Luo's jaw dropped. "Dear Sister Qing'e, just how far do your charms extend? Even a Violet Vibrance mentor stands no chance?" "He might be a Violet Vibrance mentor, but I was born with a 9th-grade light resonance," she said loftily. "It gives me an acute sense of a person's goodness or evil. I know that person's heart. Best keep a respectful distance. Got it?" she warned him soberly. Li Luo nodded. I mean, shouldn't love rivals be other excellent students? How had he managed to face off against a Violet Vibrance mentor straightaway? This House Luolan plump swan... Truly a terror. Chapter 106: Forging the Woodearth Resonance After the late night talk with Jiang Qing'e, they both returned to their rooms. But Li Luo did not retire yet. He still had an extremely important task tonight: to temper his second acquired resonance. He pulled out the jade-tablet scroll and gave it a light shake to call forth the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. It was currently shining brightly from its many filled holes, lighting up like a night sky of stars. Li Luo had spent blood and sweat to bring it to where it was, tirelessly experimenting with hundreds of wood and earth rare materials. Now he was down to the final two holes which he was about to plug. Li Luo first took out a wood element 10,000-grade rare material. He could sense the vital power of the wood element within, wafting forth. It was definitely much stronger than the other materials he had tempered. Li Luo first divided it into several parts and then conjured up his Acquired Resonance Flame to temper it. The first two parts were burned away by accident, but the third one succeeded, melting down into jade-green liquid energy. Li Luo took a deep breath and carefully tipped it into one of the holes on the wheel. As the energy entered, the entire wheel began to vibrate slightly. Finally, with Li Luo watching anxiously, a thread of light extended from the hole, linking with the surrounding holes. This one had succeeded! Li Luo was exultant. He had gone to great lengths to secure this 10,000-grade rare material, and it had lived up to his expectations. One last energy hole left. Li Luo snatched up an earth 10,000-grade rare material and continued tempering. This one was much harder to fill. He wasted a full 10,000-grade rare material, but luckily he had a second one ready. After more than half an hour, Li Luo managed to produce an ocherous, yellow liquid energy and successfully fill the last hole. And now the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel was finally complete. Twang! Finally, the entire wheel was shining resplendently, the network of light threads forming a complete pattern. Li Luo allowed himself a brief smile. But there was one final step. He bit his finger, drawing blood. Forming a complex pattern, he pressed his finger into the indent. Weng! Li Luo could sense his blood rapidly being sucked out of him. More importantly, there was a blinding pain that shot through his skull; it was his spirit soul being torn apart! To create an acquired resonance of one's own, one had to use their own spirit soul and blood essence as catalysts. There was no other way. The drain continued for a long time, until Li Luo felt like he was on the verge of collapsing. Suddenly, the pull vanished. Li Luo fell on his ass, his face pale and his eyes watery. He sat there for many long minutes before he finally got a grip on himself. He beat his forehead with his palm. It felt like someone had been hammering nails into his skull. "Fuck," he groaned. He slowly got to his feet and saw the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel before him. In the center, a viridescent light danced. Deep within it, however, he could see a ruddy, yellow light in the green. It was pulsing with life, overflowing in visible waves. Li Luo could not take his eyes off it. After a long time, he finally stretched out a trembling hand, picking up the ball of light. The moment he touched it, he could feel it resonate with his being in a blissful and smooth chord. Perfect harmony. Li Luo's second acquired resonance was a woodearth resonance. A rush of ecstasy flooded his body. He wanted to whoop, to bellow his joy and triumph. Just as he was standing there grinning ear to ear, the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel began to shudder. The shaking got stronger and stronger, until cracks started to appear. And then, with a final bang, it exploded into a shower of light. "What the fuck?" The grinning Li Luo leaped back as he cursed. Why had the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel exploded? He reached out desperately, fruitlessly trying to hold on to some of the light bits. They winked out of existence. He was distraught. Was this his hubris? But he managed to calm down after a bit. This had nothing to do with pride. But the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel could only work once... "My parents' specters said that the method to get the third acquired resonance out of the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art was in Xia City's Golden Dragon Bank headquarters..." He gave an exasperated sigh. He would have to find time to go take a look, but there was no rush. He had a long road of cultivation ahead of him before he would need the third acquired resonance. Besides, the thing was probably safer in the Golden Dragon Bank headquarters than anywhere else. Li Luo pulled out a jade box and then carefully put this acquired resonance inside. He could not use it yethe would have to reach the Resonant Master Stage before he could temper it. But suddenly, a thought occurred to him. Back when he tempered his first acquired resonance, he had lost a great deal of lifespan and blood essence. Would the second tempering subject him to the same? Li Luo was very worried about this. It seemed like his parents... had not mentioned it? Or perhaps... they did not know either? "Logically, acquired resonances should exact a heavy toll on one's essence. The first time, my resonant power was weak, and so I had to pay a heavy price. Now that I have some measure of power, perhaps the toll will not be as heavy." Li Luo reasoned it out in his mind. He was sort of convinced. Good, this thing should not send him straight to the grave hopefully. Now he just had to wait for the day of his breakthrough. He had a feeling that it would be very soon. ... In the next few days, Li Luo did not leave his house, cultivating hard within House Luolan's headquarters. And although Jiang Qing'e had warned him that she would not be able to buy him all 100 in one go, a modest and consistent supply of sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights was making its way to him, helping him improve his sixth-grade waterlight resonance. Although it was still a ways away from reaching the seventh-grade, it was only a matter of time. Time ticked on, and Xia City was growing livelier by the day. Because the Astral Sage College was about to start a new year. Chapter 107: Resonant Master Stage When there were still three days remaining until the start of the school year, Li Luo finally managed a breakthrough. However, his first attempt at consolidating his resonance seed failed. This was nothing surprising. It was a difficult process, and Li Luo had approached it with a "just-try" attitude. He had not even used the Bitter Lotus Pill that the old dean had given him. But the next day, Li Luo decided to rev himself up and go for it! He entered the skygold room. He lit some sandalwood incense, which would deepen one's connection with heaven and earth. It would help with breakthroughs. He gulped down the Bitter Lotus Pill in one go. Let the breakthrough begin. This time around, it went without hiccups. In fact, it went so smoothly that there was actually little to get excited about. A few hours later, Li Luo succeeded. He was now at the Sprouting Seed Tier, the first tier of the Resonant Master Stage. "Easy enough." Li Luo congratulated himself. On a whim, he decided to check the resonant palaces within him. He saw that in his waterlight resonant palace, there was a little globe of light floating. And at its core, there was a little sphere of light, about the size of his thumb. The sphere of light was azure-blue in color, and sounds of rushing water could be heard from it. It was not real water, but the flow of Li Luo's resonant power. And within the watery resonant power in the light sphere, there was yet another strange light, pure and brilliant. This was the resonance seed that he had consolidated. It was a waterlight seed. The first tier of Resonant Master Stage was called the Sprouting Seed Tier. It was further divided into two sub-tiers. The first sub-tier was called the Clear Seed Sub-tier, while the second was the Flowering Seed Sub-tier. Each sub-tier was further divided into lower and upper classes. The Clear Seed Tier referenced how the resonance seed would appear translucent. Because the resonant power within it was faint, it could not leave a mark on the surface of the resonance seed. These marks would dot the surface of the resonance seed. The more resonant power marks left on the seed, the stronger one's resonant power was. And when one's resonant power more or less covered the whole surface, the petal-like pattern that would appear would mark one's achievement as a Flowering Seed cultivator. After a certain time, the petal-like marks on the resonance seed surface would merge into an arcane pattern. This was the second tier of the Resonant Master Stage, the Pattern Genesis Tier. However, there was no need to think that far ahead. Li Luo had just reached the first tier of the Resonant Master Stage, the Sprouting Seed Tier, the Clear Seed Sub-tier, and a lower class. He was a Lower Clear, for short. If he wanted to make it to the second tier, there was a long way to go. "My resonant power is so much stronger." Li Luo stood up and tested his water resonance power. It was far stronger than when he was at the Ten Seals Stage. Evidently, there was a huge leap between the two major stages. Li Luo stretched out a hand, calling forth a sphere of water with light within. With a flick of his finger, his Waterlight Bullet shot out against the shiny wall of the skygold room, bursting in a flash that lit up the room as bright as day. His Waterlight Bullet was many times stronger than before. If someone took it head on, they would probably be blinded for some time. "Not bad. With this much power, I should be able to cope with the watersource demands from headquarters." The Suncreek Villa had been breathing down his neck recently, and if he didn't hand over some watersource soon, the resonance artificers would likely start wondering if he had lied. Curbing his elation, Li Luo now turned to the treasure box on his table. It was his second acquired resonance, the woodearth resonance. Now that he was at the Resonant Master Stage, it was time to fill his second blank palace. He could not wait. He knew that the first acquired resonance merely helped him to stand on the same level as his peers, closing the gap between himself and the geniuses of his generation. Only the second acquired resonance would really help him pull away. His hand closed around the verdant, green sphere of light. It shimmered softly, the emerald glow reflected in his eyes. He had been worried about this, unsure of the price he would have to pay for this second acquired resonance. The first time, he had cut his lifespan down to five years. What about this time? What if he cut his lifespan down to nothing at all? Wouldn't he be screwed? The odds seemed slim, but he still had to prepare himself. He closed his eyes, holding the woodearth resonance for a long time. Finally, he opened them again, his resolve set. He had already committed to this from the moment he had taken the first acquired resonance. There were many things that he had to do, and to do them required power. He wanted to maintain House Luolan on behalf of his parents. He wanted to tell Jiang Qing'e that he would be the one protecting her, and that she could rest easy. Damn, that would be seriously cool of him. Surely the plump swan would be moved by that? Plus, hadn't that plump swan just warned him two days ago that even Violet Vibrance mentors were chasing her? If he wasn't at least that strong, how was he going to protect his fat, white bird? And of course, he still had to go find his parents. No risk, no reward. A resigned smile on his face, Li Luo hesitated no longer, shoving the emerald light into his mouth. Boom! Li Luo could feel it enter his body, then a roaring response of resonant power erupted within him. It was trying to repel the second acquired resonance. His first acquired resonance had sensed a foreign presence. Li Luo curbed it as much as he could, trying to guide the woodearth resonance as best as he could to his second resonant palace. The process took a full hour. Li Luo's face was flushed and his sweat was pouring down his forehead. But he did not slack off one inch. Through sheer determination, he crammed the woodearth resonance into his second resonant palace. After it entered the resonant palace, the resisting resonant power within him settled down immediately, as though it had lost its target. Before he could even sigh in relief, he suddenly sensed a powerful suction from his second resonant palace. It was sucking up his blood essence. Rapidly. An indescribable pain seized him. The second acquired resonance was ferociously devouring everything within him, and he felt himself fading away. His consciousness slipping away from him, Li Luo was completely unable to resist. As his vision slowly faded away, his body keeled over and fell to the floor. A final thought crept into his mind. "Damn, am I really going to die?" Chapter 108: Problems Li Luo struggled to open his eyes. Were his eyelids made out of lead? When he finally managed to crack them open an inch, he spotted a familiar bedframe. He breathed again. He inched his neck to the side, looking around. He spotted a Jiang Qing'e. She was leaning against the bedpost, eyes shut in rest. Still, the light was hitting her just right, making her nose bridge extra charming. Even in sleep she was beautiful. And she must have been watching over him for goodness knows how long. She seemed to sense the change in his breathing, and her eyes flew open, her golden eyes staring into Li Luo's own. Their eyes met for a long while. Jiang Qing'e broke the silence with a faint smile. "Awake?" Li Luo nodded, struggling to sit up. Jiang Qing'e propped him up with a pillow, her hair caressing his face as she leaned past him. It tickled. Both his face and his heart. "You fainted in the skygold room last night. Someone found you when they were cleaning." She searched his face. "Ran into trouble when cultivating?" Li Luo gave her an uneasy smile and then searched within his body. He could sense that his lifespan had not been further diminished, but there was a sense of hollowness that he could not explain. He must have lost something. Again he dived, this time into his second resonant palace. He could sense the green within, charged with life. In the heart of the green there was dark yellow, and the two supported each other to further sustain the energy. Li Luo knew that he had successfully tempered his second acquired resonance. However, his woodearth resonance was extremely low quality. It was the poorest first-grade resonance possible. Still, it was normal. The fact that Li Luo could even acquire it was thanks to Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan's tireless research. His success was already a miracle, and beggars could not be choosers. In any case, he could improve it endlessly with spirit liquids and purifying lights. With his current finances, he could easily raise it to a fourth or fifth-grade resonance. Besides, Li Luo was pleasantly surprised to find a leafy-green resonance seed in his second resonant palace as well. However, this one was only the size of a green bean, much smaller than the one in his first resonant palace. It was due to a lack of resonant power. But as Li Luo grew stronger, his second resonance seed would also grow. Li Luo marveled at it. He was liking it more and more. In this instant, he finally understood why it was said that his advantage would only truly shine once his second resonance was acquired. A resonance seed's advantage was that it could absorb energy from the cultivator's surroundings. This was a clear advantage over Ten Seals Stage cultivators. As for Li Luo, these dual-resonances would enable him to absorb worldly natural energy much faster than anyone else. It was basically cultivation at double speed. The resonant palaces were also used to store resonant power. They served as vessels, and they had a maximum capacity. Once filled, it was hard to deliver power beyond that saturation point. At that time, the only options were to aim for a breakthrough to the next tier, or try to grind and improve that capacity through a long and arduous process. With a second resonant palace, Li Luo's maximum resonant power capacity far exceeded others of his level. Of course, the grade of one's resonance determined the quality of the resonance seed as well. The higher the resonance grade, the better the resonance seed consolidated. Whether in terms of energy absorption or maximum resonant power capacity, quality mattered for the resonance seed. For example, Li Luo estimated that he would have to raise both his acquired resonances to the seventh-grade before he could compete against Jiang Qing'e's ninth-grade light resonance. Still, it was already an overwhelming advantage. Given enough time and improvement, Li Luo's acquired resonances would come into their full awesome power. "What are you drooling about?" Jiang Qing'e asked impatiently. The corner of Li Luo's mouth had fallen open in a silly smile. He gave her a mysterious smile, then he reached out to take her hand in his own. Not waiting for her response, he channeled green resonant power through his palm. Her golden eyes widened, her lips parting in surprise. "This is.... wood resonance power?! How did this happen? Didn't you have a water resonance?" she croaked hoarsely. Li Luo grinned. "Guess." Her eyes lit up. "You managed a breakthrough. You opened your second resonant palace?" Li Luo pretended to think it over. "Hmm, sounds good." He did not tell her about his last blank palace. Perhaps she wasn't ready for it yet. She stared at him in wonder. "This is my first time seeing someone with two resonant palaces before the Duke Stage. "Li Luo, I knew you were something special. You might have been a blank palace cultivator, but your rare talent cannot be denied. No one will dare say you've let down your parents now." She broke out into a blissful smile. Li Luo forgot how to breathe for a moment. "Sister Qing'e, I'm so touched," Li Luo said. Jiang Qing'e smiled. "Li Luo, touched is touched, but if you touch my hand again, I'll beat you up." He hurriedly retracted his hand from hers. "Can't the patient get a little benefit?" She shot him a look. She had been here the whole night watching over him. Benefits? Just then, the door was pushed open, and Li Luo saw Ox Biaobiao and his shiny head rush in. He was holding a bowl of piping hot soup. "Young Lord, you're awake!" he exclaimed happily. Li Luo nodded. "Sorry to make you worry, Uncle Biao." Ox Biaobiao offered the soup with a flourish. "Young Lord, you are too frail. Fainting while cultivating! You should eat more." Li Luo dug in heartily. From the first bite, he could feel a wave of heat flush through him. Evidently, Ox Biaobiao had made this especially for him. "Thanks, Uncle Biao," he said gratefully, turning back to the soup. The nourishing ingredients helped him feel a little stronger. Ox Biaobiao bobbed his head smilingly. He reached out a greasy hand and took hold of Li Luo's wrist. "Let Uncle Biao see what's wrong with you." "Sure." Li Luo shrugged. Ox Biaobiao held his hand seriously, seemingly searching for something. After a while, the smile he always wore fell off his face. Both youngsters were shocked by that. There was a moment of quiet surprise, then Ox Biaobiao let go of his hand. He spoke gravely. "Young Lord, this is no small matter." Chapter 109: Royal Sap Li Luo felt like his heart had stopped beating for a moment when he heard Ox Biaobiao. "Uncle Biao," he forced a smile. "Whatever are you talking about?" Beside him, Jiang Qing'e's own hands were clenched anxiously as they waited for his answer. "Young lord, do you feel a strange sense of hollowness?" "It's no misperception. Young lord, you've indeed lost something very important this time round." Li Luo frowned. It was as Ox Biaobiao had said, and yet there had been no change to his lifespan. Had he lost something else? "What you've lost is your foundation, the basis of what gives you potential." Ox Biaobiao explained patiently. "Young lord, given your current physical state, it's almost impossible for you to improve no matter how hard you cultivate." This was akin to a death sentence, and Li Luo paled. Instead of his lifespan, he had paid for his second acquired resonance with his potential?. With his foundation sundered, did it mean he could not reach the next breakthrough? In that case, then all he had was 5 years of life! If he could not reach the Duke stage in 5 years, all his efforts would be for naught. Li Luo would not believe it. He could not believe it. Ox Biaobiao might think it was true, but it could not be that bad. Li Luo still had his waterlight resonance and his woodearth resonance. Both specialized in recovery. With time, surely he could make up for the lost foundation. Perhaps this was why Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had urged him to choose a waterlight, followed by a wood resonance. These two acquired resonances together would give him the best mitigation to the debilitating aftereffects. But this was still terrible news to Li Luo. He was racing against time to cultivate. This impediment would further hold him back. He would end up paying the price in time. "Uncle Biao, is there any solution?" Jiang Qing'e broke the silence. Ox Biaobiao rubbed his bald head. "Perhaps not for others, but maybe I can do something." Li Luo looked at Ox Biaobiao with delighted surprise. "I know a way to nourish one's foundation. It's called the When The World Shatters Miracle Paste. It is made of many rare materials, and it can heal one's core. It's only useful for those below the General Stage," Ox Biaobiao said. Almost as though it was made especially for him! Although, the Miracle Paste name sounded a little dodgy Li Luo thought about it. "Uncle Biao," he said with deep feeling, "my future depends on you now." "Say no more," Ox Biaobiao replied heartily. "This old ox here will do everything in my power to help you." "When will you start refining it?" Jiang Qing'e asked. Ox Biaobiao scratched his rough cheek. "The miracle paste needs many rare ingredients. They will take some time to gather." "Uncle Biao, just leave them up to me. I will summon all of House Luolan to hunt them down at once," Jiang Qing'e said. He nodded. "But there is one main ingredient that is impossible to search for." "What is it?" Li Luo asked quickly. "Royal Sap is a very rare treasure indeed. It only appears at energy confluences. If ingested, it's as powerful as an eighth-grade spirit liquid. It's also a necessary ingredient for refining ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights," Ox Biaobiao explained. Li Luo was amazed. He had never heard of this amazing thing before, but he instantly knew it would be extremely rare and expensive. Could it really be found? "Haha, Royal Sap is hard to find for anyone else, but not for the Young Lord and Mistress. You should have a chance to get it," Ox Biaobiao said. "And why's that?" Li Luo asked curiously. It was Jiang Qing'e who answered softly. "Because Royal Sap is produced by the Astral Sage College. I received some before, but I've already used it all." Li Luo swallowed. The Astral Sage College was truly something special. They even had such rare resources? Jiang Qing'e looked at him. "You're familiar with Trees of Resonant Power, I trust? There was one at Southwind Academy as well. But compared to the Tree of Resonant Power at the Astral Sage College, Southwind Academy's looks like a tiny sprout. "The Tree of Resonant Power at the Astral Sage College will surpass your imagination. Its canopy extends over much of the sky above the school. It is possibly where the worldly natural energy is densest in the entire Xia Kingdom. That is why it produces Royal Sap on a frequent basis. "Important missions and competitions at the Astral Sage College often offer Royal Sap as a reward. "When you enter the Astral Sage College, those chances will be open to you as well. You cannot pass them up. "I will be trying to win some for you too, so we can brew the Miracle Paste." Li Luo sighed. "Sister Qing'e, you treat me too well. I would dedicate my life to you, but I guess we're already engaged." She clobbered him over the head with her fist. "Less of the buttering up." Ox Biaobiao smiled at their banter, then he turned to leave, taking Li Luo's empty bowl and chopsticks with him. Li Luo watched him go. "Our Uncle Biao really knows a lot." Ox Biaobiao had instantly told him about a miracle paste the moment his hollow being had been identified. It was a coincidence too good to be true. Jiang Qing'e nodded slightly. "A hidden flag that the House Lords left behind. But he has never asked a word about House Luolan's matters before." Li Luo started to wonder if he was wrong about his parents not knowing about the aftereffects of the second acquired resonance... "Don't worry too much about Uncle Biao. Not even I know if he truly has power, or if he is just a slightly more knowledgeable chef," Jiang Qing'e said. "Why worry about those things when I can worry about myself? I would rather depend on myself than anyone else to protect House Luolan." Li Luo agreed with a smile. "Rest well, then. School opens in a few days. Remember my warning, and acquit yourself well," she said with a warm smile Li Luo breathed out. "Finally, the Astral Sage College." He had been looking forward to entering the most elite institution in the Xia Kingdom for a while now. "Oh yes, I heard that you're super popular everywhere in the Astral Sage College. Will I be treated unfairly?" Li Luo mused glumly. Jiang Qing'e's lips twitched slightly. "He who wears the crown must bear the weight. You're engaged to me. Of course you have to endure your trials." "I already offered to annul the engagement," Li Luo said very sincerely. "You're still a long way away from that," she said, amused, reaching out to tussle his hair. "Don't worry. "If anyone bullies you in school... "I'll beat him up." A ray of sunlight found its way through the window, lighting up her face. Li Luo's heart skipped a beat. Oh Qing'e, you're a cruel one. How could he not respond? Chapter 110: Heaven and Earth, Dragons and Tigers Now that Li Luo had reached the Resonant Master Stage and also tempered his second acquired resonance, he spent his next few days feebly throwing his sick body into what resonance arts research he could. Ordinarily, talented individuals who reached the Resonant Master Stage could start to access General Stage resonance arts. These were far better than the entry-level resonance arts. There was a saying that Generals were divided into heaven and earth, but also dragons and tigers. Heaven and earth, because Generals were divided into Heavenly Dipper and Earth Fiend Generals. As for tigers and dragons, they referred to the class of resonance arts. Dragon-tier resonance arts were stronger, while tiger-tier resonance arts were weaker. They were often abbreviated to dragon-general resonance arts and tiger-general resonance arts. In the entry Resonant Master Stage, one would normally work with tiger-general resonance arts, while dragon-general resonance arts were usually used when one had fully entered the General Stage. By Li Luo's estimation, the Dewlight Skystream Arrow that he had used to defeat Shi Huang had a penetrative power that roughly matched the average tiger-general resonance art. Plus, his Dewlight Skystream Arrow had the unique advantage of being a combination of two entry-level resonance arts. This meant that it would cost less resonant power to use than tiger-general resonance arts. Still, Li Luo knew that his fusion of entry-level resonance arts would ramp up in resonant power cost as well, if he were to deliver something effective against stronger opponents. It was time to advance to tiger-general resonance arts. Back at House Luolan's headquarters, there were many resonance arts, manuals, and archives stocked. Li Luo sat near the window, enjoying the warm sunlight. He sipped a steaming ginseng tea that perked him up. The ginseng tea was made for him by Ox Biaobiao, and it would also nourish him. "Sheesh. What kind of youngster am I..." Li Luo sighed at his cup. Ginseng tea and sun? It felt like he was living a retiree's life. Li Luo soon turned to the tiger-general resonance arts displayed before him. These were all water and wood resonance arts. Although he had four resonances to play with now, water and wood were his main resonances, while light and earth were supports. For now, they could only augment his main strengths. For example, Li Luo might be able to use some water or wood tiger-general resonance arts, but a light or earth tiger-general resonance art would be far more than he could handle. Besides, although he had filled his second resonant palace and now had a woodearth resonance, he was still far from reaching complete mastery over all four to the point where he could meld them at will. Forget four, he couldn't even meld three of them together. In fact, he was only scratching the surface of melding two resonances. Usually, only those at the Duke Stage would begin to truly use double resonance powers. The reason for that was simple: 99 percent of people would only fill their second resonant palace at the Duke Stage. As for a true blend of three resonances, that was usually the mark of a King Stage expert. Of course, at that time it would be the combined strength of three King-level resonances. Perhaps Li Luo could give it a try once he filled his third blank palace. He pored over one tiger-general resonance art after another, getting more and more immersed in his research. These tiger-general resonance arts were far more complex than the entry-level resonance arts that he had been working with so far. They were more intricate and complicated by tenfold at least. He could already tell that they would demand a lot of time and energy to cultivate successfully. Their individual complexity meant that it would be even harder for Li Luo to merge two of themthe difficulty would be compounded. However, Li Luo had a natural advantage in resonance arts over his peers. Besides, he had done much prior preparation and homework. These tiger-general resonance arts were difficult, but he wouldn't be stumbling around in the dark. Although they would still require a lot of time and experimentation, it was not a hopeless process. "Combining two tiger-general resonance arts is something I must work up to slowly. I wonder if I can use a tiger-general resonance art as the anchor and then augment it with an entry-level resonance art. That's more manageable," he mused. Finally, he made his choices and began working on his master plan. ...... Time passed, and the Astral Sage College's opening drew nearer. Before school opened, Li Luo received a message sent by Lu Qing'er. Apparently, Yu Lang, Zhao Kuo, and the others had arrived at Xia City, and they were inviting him out to hang. Li Luo snorted. Those louts had finally dawdled their way to the city. Still, it would be nice to see them after so long. He sent his agreement. The next day, they met at an inn alongside Kaijiang Street in the city. Li Luo was surprised to see that Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo were not alone. With them were Zong Fu, Chi Su, and Xiang Liang. "Hello, Brother Luo!" The three immediately leaped to their feet. Li Luo nodded at them. "They are...?" he asked while looking at Lu Qing'er. "Forgiven. We'll be peers from now on as well. I won't hold it against them," she said cheerfully. "Besides, we're all from the Tianshu Province. We have the same home!" "Yes, yes! Sister Qing is so kind!" Zong Fu hurriedly nodded. "Brother Luo, we were too full of ourselves before. We will take on any favor that Brother Luo asks of us in the future." Xiang Liang chimed in very honestly. "We just want to follow Brother Luo to greatness." Li Luo found this funny, but in truth he bore no ill feelings against the three of them. Otherwise, he would not have let them pass the exams so easily. "Let bygones be bygones. We're all students from the same homeland. Let's look out for each other," he said, sitting down. All three looked extremely relieved. "Brother Luo, a few days ago the Tianshu Province's governor, Shi Qing, was transferred to the Nanman Province. He must have pulled some strings, but Shi Huang got an entrance slot to the Astral Sage College there," Zong Fu reported very earnestly. "Governor Shi is truly a capable man." Li Luo smiled, but he did not mind it too much. Shi Huang was competent. With a powerful father, it was not too hard to get him admitted. He had expected something of the sort to happen. Still, he didn't feared him before, and there was nothing to fear now either. He quickly pushed Shi Huang from his mind, exchanging wine and tales with Yu Lang, Zhao Kuo, and the others. A few cups in, Yu Lang's face was flushed like a beetroot. "Actually, I arrived in Xia City long ago, but I only met Zhao Kuo a few days ago. I've been up to plenty in Xia City," he said smugly. "What now?" Li Luo asked, amused. "I'll show you something good," Yu Lang said proudly in a dreamy tone. "I'm sure you could use the information." He pulled out a book, which he handed over to Li Luo. Li Luo looked at it. "The Astral Sage College, Newcomers' Ranking!" He was amazed. "You researched the new students at the Astral Sage College? How did you get their information?" The others looked awed as well. After all, these newcomers had come to Xia City from all over the kingdom. Information did not flow easily over such great distances. Compiling all their information was a feat that not just anyone could accomplish. Yu Lang waved a modest hand. "There's a student administration in the Xia Kingdom, right? They deal specifically in such matters." "That's confidential information though, right?" Lu Qing'er asked. Yu Lang nodded. "I eyed this administrator. The man likes to inn-hop in his free time, so I made friends with him. I asked him to help me get the information." Li Luo stared at him. "Is he mad? He gave you confidential information so easily?" "Going out on a limb for friends is natural, isn't it?" Yu Lang said piously. "More like crippling him by stealing his limbs." Zhao Kuo snorted. "Tell the truth," Li Luo demanded. Looking at them, Yu Lang confessed sheepishly, "All I did was record him when he went upstairs with a wench. And then I told him that my good conscience demanded I tell his wife. And... then he gave me a copy of the Astral Sage College newcomers' information." The table was silent for a long time, then Li Luo sighed. "Yu Lang, you're a dirty bastard." Chapter 111: Newcomers Rankings Li Luo was used to Yu Lang's scummy ways, so he soon recovered from the shock. Conflicted, he eventually opened the newcomers' rankings. The first page he flipped to contained a drawing of a long-haired youth. He was swarthy and had a wild look about his eyes. He looked like some exotic beast straight out of the jungle. There were lines across his face that made him resemble a tiger, and made him even more intimidating. Almost like a tiger, but in human form. Li Luo warily looked at the picture. Even though this was but a drawing, it was still enough to convey the intimidation that the man exuded. His eyes flicked down to the information. "Qin Zhulu, from the Xiyu Province's Xiyu Academy. His father is an important general in the Xia Kingdom army, Qin Zhenjiang. "He has an upper eighth-grade resonance, a Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance. About as strong as a Pattern Genesis Tier (second-tier Resonant Master) cultivator. The Xiyu Province is located at the border of the Xia Kingdom, and it is constantly locked in war. Qin Zhulu grew up in the army, and the constant fighting bred a streak of savagery in him. He is as fierce as a tiger. "With his strength, he is practically the best among the Astral Sage College's newcomers! "A fierce guy, Qin Zhulu," Li Luo said thoughtfully. An upper 8th-grade resonance, with Pattern Genesis Tier strength. This was perhaps the highest resonant grade that Li Luo had seen, except for Jiang Qing'es. Also, he was already at the second-tier of the Resonant Master Stage... That cultivation speed was unnerving. Li Luo himself had only just made it into the Resonant Master Stage. Looking at how terrifying he was, one could readily believe that many enemies had died at his hands. Compared to him, fresh-faced students at the Astral Sage College looked like harmless, fluffy bunnies. "Qin Zhulu. I've heard of him before. He never makes friends. A loner and a killer. To him, there is nothing but battle. I heard that his catchphrase is: women, they only slow down my beheading speed," Lu Qing'er said, leaning over and reading gravely. Li Luo shook his head. "That's a little too wild! No girl's gonna like him like that." "Not true. Qin Zhulu is a favorite among many girls at Xiyu Academy. For some reason, although he is completely merciless against male opponents, he restrains himself a little against girls. I heard he's afraid of women." Li Luo was flabbergasted. "Afraid of women?" A god of war like him, afraid of women?! Zhao Kuo shook his head in sympathy. "Seems like he'll be single for life. That brings an end to the general's line." Yu Lang pondered this. "Li Luo, you had better be careful. If he's afraid of women, maybe he swings the other way. And seeing how handsome you are, he'll definitely hit on you." Li Luo stared at him and patted his waist. Where was his sword when he needed it? Lu Qing'er rolled her eyes. "He's appraised as even more feral than Duke spirit beasts." "That means a lot," Li Luo said appreciatively. He had never seen Duke-class spirit beasts before, but looking at the eyes of this Qin Zhulu, he could believe it. "Your information booklets are getting more and more polished. You've even got drawings now." Li Luo complimented Yu Lang. This was even more comprehensive than the one that Yu Lang had made for the Tianshu College Final Examinations. "It's really my friend who did all the hard work," Yu Lang said modestly. Li Luo snorted. Some friends Yu Lang had. He suspected that the "friend" had seriously considered killing Yu Lang to keep his secret when he handed over the information. Li Luo ignored him and flipped on. "Second among the newcomers, Wang Hejiu. From the Xia Kingdom's royal family, the oldest family around. Solid foundation, with an eighth-grade poison resonance. Suspected to be at the Sprouting Seed Tier with the power of an Upper Flowering Tier cultivator. [1] The youth called Wang Hejiu was smiling so wide that his eyes were almost closed. In his hand he held a green fan made of jade, and he looked like a jolly enough guy. It was especially jarring that he had a rare poison resonance. It could create a toxic resonant power that ran rampant through its victim's body. "The Astral Sage College is really something else... All these newcomers are insane." Li Luo whistled appreciatively. This Wang Hejiu was no slouch. "Third newcomer, Bai Doudou. From the Gusu Province's Frost Mountain Academy. The Bai family is also one of the most powerful in the Xia Kingdom. With a lower eighth-grade resonance, she's estimated to be at the Sprouting Seed Tier with an Upper Flowering cultivator's power." Bai Doudou wore her hair neatly cropped around the ears. She had a fresh, almost boyish face, but there was a hint of steel in her eyes that showed she was not to be messed with. "Fourth newcomer, Duze Beixuan, from Xia Academy, which is one of the top five academies in Xia Kingdom. The young lord of House Duze, he has a lower eighth-grade Deepwater Kun resonance. He is estimated to be at the Sprouting Seed Tier with an Upper Flowering cultivator's power." This one wasn't new to Li Luo. He had met him at the Golden Dragon Bank. [2] "..." "Seventh newcomer, Xin Fu. From the Anhai Province's Academy of Darkness. With an upper sevemth-grade shadow resonance. Sprouting Seed Tier, with a Lower Flowering Tier cultivator's power." This person had another rare resonance, shadow, so Li Luo paid them more attention. Xin Fu was pictured as wearing a black hood, their face hidden in shadow. A mystery indeed. Li Luo continued scanning the book. The top 10 were all at least Flowering Seed Tier. He spotted Si Qiuying at number 13, and then his own name at 19. Lu Qing'er was relegated to 20. "Talent is well-hidden everywhere," Li Luo mused. Poison and shadow resonances were so rare that he had never seen them before. It was eye-opening indeed. "It's a great book you've got there. You should be able to make some decent cash off it," Li Luo told Yu Lang. It was very important information for him. "Oh you... I'm embarrassed!" Yu Lang said bashfully. Still, his pride in this masterpiece was evident in his eyes. Lu Qing'er shook her head. "If you had put all that effort into cultivation instead, you'd already be a Tenth Seal." He was still only a Ninth Seal, while Zhao Kuo was even loweran Eighth Seal. Yet Zhao Kuo had not slacked off much. Only, he had a fifth-grade resonance, and that held back his improvement. Yu Lang gave her a resigned smile and then turned back to Li Luo, blinking innocently. "Do you really think that's my best work yet?" "What else is there?" Li Luo asked, aghast. "Well, what do you think everyone cares about the most at the Astral Sage College?" "Who's the strongest, of course," Xiang Liang said impatiently. "Wrong!" Yu Lang wagged a finger at him. "Don't you want to know who's the prettiest?" Xiang Liang and the others were interested now. This man had his head on right. Who cared who was the strongest? In any case, they wouldn't be able to compete. But the prettiest girl... Now that was a topic close to their hearts. Yu Lang carefully retrieved another book from the folds of his clothing. "This is my magnum opus, the ratings of the newcomers at the Astral Sage College!" Li Luo frowned. "Look here, Yu Lang," he said gravely. "That's very wrong of you. We're here at the Astral Sage College to cultivate. Your wicked ways have to be checked. "Let me check it real quick. I will ascertain just how wrong you are." He snatched the book. Whoosh. Zhao Kuo, Xiang Liang, and Zong Fu were immediately on his back. Gingerly opening the book, the first page was a list of names. Li Luo's eyes shot back up to Yu Lang with annoyance. Zhao Kuo and the others sat back down slowly, looking at Yu Lang with some respect. They had seen people play dead before, but here was a true master, practicing his craft as hard as he could. Number one on the rankings... House Luolan's young lord, Li Luo! Had this jester included guys as well? Li Luo put down the book carefully and gently on the table. He smiled beatifically at Yu Lang. Yu Lang could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand. "Er, look here, Brother Luo, the ratings are not about gender. Given your good looks, of course you're first!" "I see," Li Luo said. "I heard you're buying dinner today." Yu Lang nodded nervously. Li Luo banged the table with his hand. "INNKEEPER! Bring out every treasure you have. Every delicacy you can pull out of your ass!" 1. TN: Reminder that the Sprouting Seed Tier is divided into Clear Seed and Flowering Seed, and then lower and upper for each. 2. TN: Kun is a legendary giant fish that can also transform into a giant bird. Most often portrayed as a giant, winged whale (sometimes with sharp teeth). Google image  for some pretty cool pictures. Chapter 112: Rated Number One The shop's finest delicacies were not dished up, after much sniveling and a mental breakdown on Yu Lang's part. However, the condition was that all guys would be removed from the book. Zhao Kuo and the other guys heartily approved of this. Who cared about the guys' ratings? "I think it's good. Can't we girls get some eye candy too? I think Li Luo is definitely the best-looking guy among the newcomers!" Lu Qing'er objected. "I would rather people appreciate my hard work in cultivation rather than my looks," Li Luo grumbled. "Cut it!" She rolled her eyes at him. "They might be against it, but I support you," she told Yu Lang. "Me too." Chi Su chimed in. "Sister Qing'er is the kindest," Yu Lang said tearfully. Li Luo again turned back to the book. He was amazed to see that the girl ranked first on the list was not Lu Qing'er, but someone called Bai Mengmeng. Picture included. A girl in a white skirt, her youthful beauty radiated out of every pore. Her long hair flying free and a soft, welcoming look in her eyes. One could not help wanting to rest in her embrace. There was information below. Bai Mengmeng was from the Bai family of the Gusu Province. She was the younger sister of Bai Doudou, and she had a water nightmare butterfly resonance. "I think... you shouldn't support Yu Lang just yet," Li Luo said softly. Seeing Lu Qing'er's puzzlement, he handed the book over without saying another word. Lu Qing'er did not take it. "I'm not interested in that," she said loftily. But still her eyes flicked down briefly. When she saw Bai Mengmeng's name in first place, the temperature in the inn suddenly fell. Yu Lang sensed trouble. "Sister Qing'er, I can explain." Lu Qing'er gave him a sweet smile. "Yu Lang, where exactly do you think she has me beat?" Zhao Kuo was suddenly full of sincerity. "Bai Mengmeng might be extraordinarily pretty, but I think she's a point short of Sister Qing'er." "Sister Qing'er has an aura that outclasses her." Xiang Liang agreed. "Bai Mengmeng can definitely be number two," Zong Fu said, nodding rapidly. Yu Lang quailed under Lu Qing'er's glare. "Er, Sister Qing'er, in terms of just looks alone, that is to say, er On paper you might be ahead of her, but she has this presence, you know..." he stammered. "When I look at her, she makes me go soft and mushy inside. It's very moving," he concluded. Lu Qing'er nodded slowly. "True. I guess I can't match that softness." She turned around, speaking in her softest, kindest tone. "Oh, innkeeper, Sir, today my friend here is buying dinner. For the entire inn." Yu Lang's face drained of all color. "Wait! I just did some reconsidering. Actually, Sister Qing'er has an independent and cool streak that is a perfect fit for what youngsters are looking for nowadays! How silly of me not to consider that! The only one who belongs in first place is you, Lu Qing'er!" She raised a brow at him. "I don't really care about such things. Change it or not as you wish." Yu Lang hesitated. "Then... not?" "Innkeeper." She waved. "I understand! Sister Qing'er!" Yu Lang howled. He was truly naive to take a woman's words at face value. Lu Qing'er smiled back at him. "Yu Lang, your book will definitely be a big hit!" He sat back down and stared glumly at his cup. It was so hard to make art these days. Powerful factions would twist the work to suit their agendas one way or another. He was left largely by himself, the others poring over the books and discussing them. The information within was definitely going to be helpful for the Choosing of the Mentors that was so important for their time at the Astral Sage College. The gathering ended on a happy note. They walked out of the inn, hearts content. They were just about to go their separate ways when they spotted a figure leaning against Li Luo's carriage, her golden eyes watching them. Her incredible beauty froze Zhao Kuo, Xiang Liang, and the others in their tracks, and they struggled with themselves. They obviously recognized that face, being famous throughout the Tianshu Province. Jiang Qing'e! They could feel an inexplicable sense of dread as they looked into those eyes of pure gold. Even the miserable Yu Lang gulped nervously, his legs turning to jelly. Somehow, they felt like kids who had snuck out and were caught by their parents. Jiang Qing'e might not be Li Luo's parent, but she was his fiance! Li Luo was surprised to see her as well. "Sister Qing'e? What are you doing here?" She stalked over, her dark-blue wrap and long hair flowing backwards as she walked. She was one sexy woman. "I just finished some business here, by coincidence. I saw your carriage, so I thought I would wait for you and go home together." She smiled at him. Her eyes drifted past Li Luo to Lu Qing'er behind him, who was also staring at her. Their eyes met in an electric moment. Yu Lang, Zhao Kuo, and the others had a sudden urge to start running away. This was Jiang Qing'e, for goodness sake. A legend at the Tianshu Province. "Junior Qing'er, we meet again," Jiang Qing'e said, smiling at her politely. Lu Qing'er stared at the confident features of the other woman. Even she had to admit that Jiang Qing'e was perfect in every way. Still, she did not look away, nodding and smiling back. "Senior Qing'e is as pretty as ever." "Li Luo told me all about the College Final Examinations. I hear that I have all of you to thank for his win," Jiang Qing'e said. "Given his strength, first place was all too easy, even though he didnt want it," she replied. The others had fallen as quiet as mice while this exchange played out. Senior Jiang was too intimidating. Only Lu Qing'er could stand up to her, but just barely. Jiang Qing'e's polite smile was still firmly in place, but she did not comment further. "You are all friends of Li Luo. If you meet any trouble at the Astral Sage College, come find me. I'll do what I can to help." "It's getting late. I'll head back with Li Luo now." She stretched out a hand to pull Li Luo into the carriage. It rolled away, the wheels clattering against the well-lit path. The remaining people stood at the inns entrance and watched them go for a few moments. "So that's Senior Jiang? She's so sexy!" Chi Su gushed, her eyes bright as stars. Yu Lang wiped the cold sweat off his brow. "For a moment there I thought I was going to be beaten up." Lu Qing'er did not comment, gesturing for the Golden Dragon Bank carriage to come over. "Well, I'm heading home too. See you at the Astral Sage College." The carriage rolled away as well, the curtain falling over the window. The others looked around at each other. Yu Lang sighed. "Well, I pity Li Luo a bit at least. So good looks?can?be a problem." Zhao Kuo and the others were about to nod in agreement, but they caught themselves just in time. Damn, were they in any state to be pitying others? Who're you kidding?! Chapter 113: Schools In After the night reunion, Li Luo again buried himself in his resonance art research, and soon enough school rolled around. In this time, he had managed to use a ton of spirit liquids and purifying lights before to catapult his woodearth resonance from the first grade to the fourth grade. At this level, his woodearth resonance would be of some use. Li Luo was not doing so bad in terms of strength. He was a Clear Seed Tier cultivator, but one with a sixth-grade waterlight resonance and a fourth-grade woodearth resonance. The two resonance seeds absorbed worldly natural energy simultaneously, allowing him to cultivate faster than he did before. Plus, his resonant power capacity was higher than that of his peers. Li Luo was finally starting to enjoy the various benefits that his resonant palaces brought. With all these advantages, it shouldn't be too difficult to snag himself a Violet Vibrance mentor, right? ... There was an unusual buzz in Xia City on the day of the Astral Sage College's opening. Although the Astral Sage College was not even within Xia City's limits, it was a mere half day's journey away and was still considered to be within Xia City's influence. As such, it was necessary to pass through Xia City to reach the Astral Sage College. And as the capital of the Xia Kingdom, many students would pass through or linger there. The Astral Sage College had an exalted status in the Xia Kingdom. Its every move was watched by the great powers within the kingdom. These new students were the fresh blood that would one day make their way into the elite ranks of power in the Xia Kingdom. In the future, Duke experts might well rise from their midst. Any early investment into these talents would definitely pay off exponentially. While Xia City was buzzing with excitement, House Luolan's carriage had already rolled out early. "The Astral Sage College is at the southwest of the Xia Kingdom. It was built against the back of the Gukun Mountain Range, the longest and greatest in the Xia Kingdom. You should learn about it. It basically divides the Xia Kingdom into two regions. Many spirit beasts dwell in those mountainsperhaps half of all spirit beasts in the Xia Kingdom. In the deepest regions, there are King spirit beasts, so even Duke stage cultivators do not dare to wander too deeply." In the rumbling carriage, Jiang Qing'e was giving Li Luo a brief sketch of the Astral Sage College's basics. "Still, the Gukun Mountain Range is a natural training ground for the Astral Sage College to hone its students. The school even creates assignments to develop parts of the Gukun Mountain Range, sending students out to hone themselves," Yan Lingqing supplemented. She and Jiang Qing'e were both Three Star Hall students. After her stint to the Suncreek Villa to polish her skills, she was back now that school had reopened. "You will slowly get more familiar with the information over time. But for you newcomers, the Choosing of the Mentors today is critical, as I told you before. Before you enter Three Star Hall, your mentor will be your guide and supporter." Jiang Qing'e fixed Li Luo with her golden eyes. "Li Luo, do not take the status of an Astral Sage College student lightly. Nor should you take the power of being a Violet Vibrance mentor's student lightly. It is no lighter than your position as the young lord of House Luolan, because it means that you have a Duke Stage expert behind you. "Just like House Luolan now, so frail that it sways with the winds of fate in the Xia Kingdom. Yet because I have a ninth-grade light resonance, everyone knows that I am the uncommon power holding down things for the house. Do you think they have not considered assassinating me? "They have. But they do not dare. "Because of how brilliant I am, I have special favor from the Astral Sage College. This means that no one dares to touch me. They can only come at me in fair and open ways. As long as I can deal with these, we will have our opportunity to strike back in the future. "So, Li Luo, you must demonstrate your potential at the Astral Sage College and make them acknowledge you. It will be your greatest safeguard." He looked at her face, more serious than usual, and nodded. House Luolan was a juicy piece of meat for the taking, and many would risk a lot for a bite, even if they had to commit crimes like assassination. It was not an uncommon method. Securing a Violet Vibrance mentor was evidently the best way to stave off these predators. "Don't worry. I'll definitely do my best." Yan Lingqing tapped her cheek. "Qing'e, it's rare to see you being so talkative." She cocked her head towards Li Luo. "You have a water resonance. When you start specializing in earnest, why not try entering the Resonance Artificers Hall? Come find me and I will help recommend you." "Thanks, Sister Lingqing." "When you reach the Astral Sage College, Lingqing will bring you to registration and then preparation for the Choosing of the Mentors. It is a grand event for the Astral Sage College, and many of the powers in the Xia Kingdom will send representatives to witness it," Jiang Qing'e said. "You won't take me?" Li Luo asked. "Do you want to experience hell on earth? If you don't mind, I can definitely accompany you," she said amusedly. Li Luo started. "Ah, actually, I would prefer to grow a little stronger first." He had caught on. Given how popular she was in the Astral Sage College, if the two appeared close right from the start, it would make Li Luo a living beacon for "unfortunate accidents. Although this was not going to help much, aggravation should be avoided where possible. Li Luo had no intention of whacking everyone over the nose right after strolling in the door. Seeing his fumbling expression, Yan Lingqing burst into laughter, and even Jiang Qing'e was smiling. Their horse and carriage sped on. A few hours later, Li Luo heard the loud sounds of the crowd outside. He pulled aside the curtain, looking out at the street. A majestic mountain immediately crowded most of the horizon in his view. Behind it, he saw an entire forest of mountains, stretching out far beyond what he could see. There was a pageantry about them, their age a declaration of their power and endurance. Just looking upon them was awe-inspiring. There was a set of stone steps ascending the side of the mountain, climbing all the way into the clouds. At the top of the stairs was the entrance, made out of white jadestone. It twinkled with a mystical, starry light, three words carved into the banner above in an impressive hand. The artistic masterpiece was a bold declaration of the school's domination. Astral Sage College "The words above the entrance were written by a King expert," Jiang Qing'e said from behind Li Luo. A King expert... He looked at the words with renewed awe. They were just carved characters, but there was life and energy in them. It was hard to imagine how powerful the writer must have been, to leave behind such energy even in their writing. It made one... look beyond. A brief flash of excitement tingled through Li Luo as he looked up the stone stairs and the large collection of buildings at the top. His new school. He had a feeling that the story of his life would begin its first real chapter here. Chapter 114: The Belle Sisters As they rolled up to the gates of the Astral Sage College, Jiang Qing'e disembarked first, flitting up the endless flights of stairs towards the campus. Li Luo and Yan Lingqing left a little later. He could clearly see that there were many older students who gave way to Jiang Qing'e as she passed, nodding in greeting, while trying (and failing) to hide their feelings for her. The new students looked at her with a mixture of surprise and respect as she passed. This was Jiang Qing'e, the legendary ninth-grade resonance user. She was famous both in the Astral Sage College and throughout the Xia Kingdom. They could not help feeling excited, looking forward to cultivating in the same school as such a legend. "Weeew," Li Luo whistled. "That's some reputation indeed." "This is nothing... Soon you'll know the true extent of your fiance's star power here in the Astral Sage College," Yan Lingqing said. Li Luo sighed. No need for soon, he already knewif even Duke Stage Violet Vibrance mentors were chasing her, what more did he need to know? Wrestling with his complex feelings, Li Luo followed Yan Lingqing up the stairs. The view changed dramatically when they passed through the white jade doors. Firstly, they saw an endless buildup of school buildingstall, towering architecture that sprawled in every direction. There was a dignity to the campus, built up over thousands of years of history. A wealth of years that demanded respect from the visitors within its halls. The buildings were just a small part of it. Even more impactful was the enormous tree whose canopy nearly blocked out the sky. The Tree of Resonant Power looked like an embodiment of eternity itself. It made one feel small and insignificant. Its branches covered most of the sky above the Astral Sage College, and gathered worldly natural energy to it. Even from a distance, Li Luo could sense the terrific speed at which it was gathering energy from all around. No wonder it could produce a treasure like the Royal Sap. Truly, the Tree of Resonant Power at Southwind Academy was like a tiny seedling compared to this... Still lost in awe at his surroundings, Li Luo let himself be dragged to the newcomers' reporting place by Yan Lingqing. After a simple registration process, Li Luo was given a newcomers jade tablet, which he would need for the Choosing of the Mentors. "Now shoo." The one handling registration was a Two Star Hall student. He stared at Li Luo's information for a long time, as if trying to remember something. Seeing the situation, Yan Lingqing quickly ushered him away. As he was leaving, Li Luo heard a small commotion behind him and turned to see two figures walking together. One of them was leggy, hair neatly cropped around her ears. She had fresh features and a smattering of freckles. Her cool expression was a subtle warning of danger to those around her. Li Luo recognized her immediately. Third place on Yu Lang's rankingBai Doudou. Behind Bai Doudou was another young woman who resembled her. She was more than a class ahead of her. Her perfect features were almost doll-likeporcelain skin and wide, sparkling eyes that were like jeweled pools come to life. Compared to Bai Doudou's taller and slimmer figure, she was slightly shorter, but that only made her even more appealing and huggable. The commotion was a horde of admirers gawking at the young lady. Bai Mengmeng. Li Luo recognized her as well. The sister belles among the newcomers. Bai Mengmeng was indeed very pretty. She had the potential to compete against Lu Qing'er. No wonder Yu Lang had risked life and limb to rank her first. "Worthless flies, shoo." Bai Doudou gave an icy glare to the hot, passionate looks being thrown their way. The fan club scattered, ashamed and not expecting such vehemence from Bai Doudou. Bai Doudou sniffed, leading Bai Mengmeng on to register. Li Luo kept his eyes to himself, preparing to leave with Yan Lingqing. But just as he turned around, he took an inadvertent step back as he found himself face to face with two people staring at him. One was a face familiar to Li Luo. Duze Beixuan was staring at him with a toying look. And beside Duze Beixuan was a tall girl with a head of flaming red hair and lips. She was a beauty in her own right, but there was a meanness in her eyes. "Are you Li Luo?" she asked coolly. He frowned, trying to place her. Since she appeared so close to Duze Beixuan, she was the friend of his enemy. "Yes?" Yan Lingqing was looking unfriendly. "Duze Honglian, what are you up to?" Li Luo took in this information. Duze Honglian... She was a member of House Duze as well. "Yan Lingqing. I'm just here to see Jiang Qing'e's future husband. Why so protective?" She smirked. Her voice was just high enough to carry to those nearby, sparking a small commotion. The murmurs spread quickly, and astonished looks were soon trained on Li Luo. "That's Jiang Qing'e's future husband?!" "Yeah, he's called Li Luo. The young lord of House Luolan, and he does have a marriage commitment with Jiang Qing'e. She's even said so herself!" "Disgusting. What does this kid have that makes him think he stands a chance with Senior Qing'e?! Besides those pretty boy looks, he's got nothing." "Well... honestly, he's more than just a little handsome though..." "Tsk, shallow. So what if he's handsome? Handsome guys are aplenty in the Astral Sage College! Plus, we're talking about talent and potential here!" "..." An undercurrent of jealousy and resentment ran through the crowd around Li Luo, and there was definitely a belligerent mood in the air. Li Luo was again tasting the star power of Jiang Qing'e at the Astral Sage College. He had thought it would be enough to keep his mouth shut, but still this conundrum was going to rear its head at the first instance. "Duze Honglian, what mischief are you up to now? Just because Qing'e has always thrashed you, that doesn't mean you should take it out on Li Luo," Yan Lingqing retorted angrily. She could see that Duze Honglian was painting Li Luo red for the angry bulls all around. "Just speaking the truth. Or are you saying your darling junior here doesn't have the guts to acknowledge it?" As sexy as her flaming red appearance was, her words reminded one of a devilish snake spitting venom. "You!" Yan Lingqing glared at her. She had masterfully maneuvered Li Luo into a dilemma. If he acknowledged it, it would be an open invitation for resentment. If he denied it, he would be seen as lacking a backbone. That was not going to help his cultivation at the Astral Sage College one bit. Li Luo looked at her for a moment, then he smiled and took two steps towards her. She continued staring at him coolly, with no intention of backing away. Why should she be afraid of some kid? His eyes met hers. "Duze Honglian..." he said softly. She snickered. "Well? No answer?" "Duze Honglian!" Li Luo shouted angrily at her, the impatience and anger in his voice carrying far. He took two steps back, still shouting. "Stop trying to force yourself on me! Stop confessing! I already said that it's impossible between us! I'm an engaged man! Even if you degrade yourself to a mistress, Qing'e would never agree to that! Just let me go, please!" His pained plea hushed up the whispers all around them, turning them to shock at the sudden development. Even the disdain on Duze Honglian's face froze in an instant. Chapter 115: Honglian Wants to Be a Mistress When the crowd suddenly hushed, they looked back and forth between Li Luo and Duze Honglian, unsure of what to make of what they had just heard. Even Duze Honglian liked Li Luo? Willing to be his mistress? That was insane! Ordinarily, such a claim would be laughed at. But Li Luo was as handsome as they came. It made them rethink if Duze Honglian really had a soft spot for him. "Damned pretty boy young lord!" Some of the male students were getting wild-eyed and looked ready to swallow Li Luo whole. Although Duze Honglian was constantly being outdone by Jiang Qing'e, she was still a Three Star Hall student and excellent in her own right. She had her fair share of admirers as well. Had even Duze Honglian fallen to Li Luo's damned good looks? That bastard! Not only does he have Jiang Qing'e on the marriage table, he snagged Duze Honglian's modesty too?! The covetous glances that came their way was enough to freeze the smile on Duze Honglian's face. Hot anger flushed through her at his impudence. How dare he besmirch her reputation! Like you?! Be your mistress?! Who do you think you are!? "Li Luo, I'll kill you!" Her voice was shaking from the barely suppressed rage. Li Luo took two more hurried steps back. "Honglian," he pleaded plaintively, "forcing it won't make it work. Let me go." There was amusement in his look, just for her. Weren't you trying to sling mud at me? Well, here's some right back! It was a pyrrhic victory at best, but he wasn't going to back down from this. "Li Luo, what nonsense are you on about?!" Duze Beixuan shouted. Li Luo's vicious reply would be dismissed as nonsense by anyone with half a brain, but rumors rarely went north of the mouth to that cerebral filter. If word got out that his elder sister and Jiang Qing'e were fighting over the same guy, many heads in the Duze family would explode out of sheer anger. "Beixuan, we both need to seriously think about this as well. Will I end up as your brother-in-law? Married to your elder sister?" Li Luo sighed in brotherly commiseration. Boom! As he spoke, a terrifying blast of resonant power exploded from Duze Honglian, wreathing her in maroon flames. "Li Luo, I'll kill you!" There was killing intent in her hot eyes. She sent forth a terrible blast of maroon fire at Li Luo. "Duze Honglian, how dare you!" Yan Lingqing shouted, leaping forth to shield Li Luo with her body. Water resonance power welled out of her to quench Duze Honglian's attack. Peng! The two resonant powers clashed together, but it was obvious that Duze Honglian held the advantage. Yan Lingqing winced, forced back under the weight of the attack. She was only a third-tier Resonant Master, far below Duze Honglian. [1] "Yan Lingqing, fuck off, you weakling," Duze Honglian screamed. "I'm going to seal that yapping trap of his!" She was moving almost as soon as she had finished speaking, another scorching palm attack burying Li Luo and Yan Lingqing in flames. Twang! A column of light descended from above like the sword of god. It was aimed directly at Duze Honglian. She could clearly sense the immensity of the power behind the impending attack. Her eyes narrowed. Not an unfamiliar power... She had fought its user one too many times. Jiang Qing'e! She rolled her eyes in frustration, but she did not dare to take Jiang Qing'e's attack. With a clap of her hands, the maroon power blossomed mid-flight into a flaming, red lotus that rescinded back into her body. Boom! The tremendous power of the light column blasted the red lotus into smithereens, creating an aftershock powerful enough to send the nearby students flying. Duze Honglian herself was forced back many steps, her maroon fire sparking weakly before fizzling out. Anger and embarrassment swamped her, but she finally forced down her resonant power. "She's too weak? What about me?" An unfriendly voice came from above. The light parted above Li Luo and Yan Lingqing, and Jiang Qing'e appeared. She had a huge sword in hand and a menacing look in her golden eyes as she challenged Duze Honglian. "Duze Honglian, after losing so many times to me, are you too scared to challenge me anymore? Decided to switch to easier targets like freshmans?" she said mildly. "If you want to fight, I'll see you on the battleground. I'll beat you until you can't walk out on your own." She was riled up by Duze Honglian picking on Li Luo. "Just go ahead and try!" Duze Honglian spat. The rivalry between the two girls was apparent to all. This only further confirmed things for the other students. Jiang Qing'e was fighting Duze Honglian? Over Li Luo!? Sensational news in the Astral Sage College! But at this time, a bunch of people clad in gold and silver leaf-patterned robes ran out. The older students backed away when they arrived. This was the law enforcement squad of the Astral Sage College. They were usually Three and Four Star Hall students, and they maintained order in the school. A handsome youth with bright, green hair stood in front of the squad. He looked at the two girls impatiently. "Jiang Qing'e, Duze Honglian, today is enrollment day for the newcomers. Fighting is bad for the Astral Sage College's reputation." This was Si Qiuying's elder brother, Si Tianming. Jiang Qing'e stared at him. Now that the enforcement squad was here, fighting was no longer an option. Reluctantly, she let her light resonant power fade away. Duze Honglian was still chomping at the bit. "Li Luo besmirched my reputation! He must be punished!" she snarled at Si Tianming. Li Luo sai in a martyred tone, "Honglian, if you must be unreasonable, I'm willing to be punished for your sake." He made it seem like he was willing to take on all the blame on her behalf. But this only made her angrier than ever. Li Luo was only making her sink deeper and deeper. Si Tianming felt a headache incoming. He actually already knew the truth of the matter. The Duze siblings had come to aggravate Li Luo and cause him trouble. But Li Luo was not about to lie down and take it, biting back as good as he got. Duze Honglian then flew into a rage. "Alright, that's enough. Leave," Si Tianming said to Duze Honglian and Duze Beixuan. He turned to Li Luo. "You should know when to stop as well," he warned him. Li Luo merely smiled. If Duze Honglian hadn't come to cause trouble, he wouldn't have started any. But he was going to fire back if he did. Duze Honglian looked like she was ready to incinerate Li Luo to ashes where he stood, but she knew it was not possible now. "Little brat, I'll remember this! I won't let you get away with this!" Li Luo opened his mouth for another retort, but Si Tianming quickly stepped between them. "Alright, alright. Go on now." He was almost positive that Duze Honglian would lose her mind if Li Luo spoke any more. Duze Honglian whirled and stormed off. Li Luo was evidently more than she could handle. Duze Beixuan looked darkly at Li Luo. His intentions were clear, although he said nothing. After the Duze siblings left, things gradually returned to normal, although odd looks were still occasionally thrown Li Luo's way. Jiang Qing'e cocked her head at Li Luo. "Now you've opened hell on earth for yourself, haven't you?" He shrugged. "I was forced." How was he to know that Duze Honglian would come looking for trouble. Since he couldn't beat her, he could only ensure that her reputation was tarnished as black as his own. "That was a sick move, Li Luo. Hahaha! She must be seething." Yan Lingqing shook with laughter, looking at Li Luo with respect. She turned to Jiang Qing'e. "So... willing to accept Duze Honglian as the mistress?" she teased. Jiang Qing'e gave her a sweet smile. "No. But I'll accept you as a mistress," she countered. Yan Lingqing blushed and stammered, "You wish." "Ahem." Si Tianming had come up to them. He shot the girls a look, then he directed his comments to Li Luo. "Junior Li Luo, in trouble from the moment you stepped into the Astral Sage College. "Oh, let me introduce myself. I'm Si Tianming, Si Qiuying's elder brother." Li Luo took one look at his bright, green hair. "Funnily enough, I guessed that." Si Tianming was a little taken aback. He seemed a little snippy from the get-go. He shook his head, looking past it. "Although Duze Honglian started it, your insults were quite cutting. She has her own admirers in the Astral Sage College. There's going to be trouble for you from now on." Li Luo smiled back a little more warmly. Si Tianming had a cooler head than his younger sister. "I didn't want to anger her either. But it seemed inevitable," he replied. "Then be ready for the trouble that's in your future," Si Tianming stated. Li Luo sighed, then stood dramatically behind Jiang Qing'e. "I have friends in high places." Si Tianming goggled at him, then barked a wry laugh. "Your House Luolan young lord is a special one." 1. TN: 3rd tier = Evolving Resonance Tie Chapter 116: Are You Challenging Me? Jiang Qing'e said indifferently to Si Tianming, "Li Luo has a knack for using his advantages." Si Tianming could do nothing when they were that united. With a final warning to Li Luo, he left with the squad and a slightly wounded heart. Jiang Qing'e turned to Li Luo. "Done with the registration?" He showed her his jade tablet. "Let's go, then. To Newcomers' Hall. The Choosing of the Mentors will begin there," Jiang Qing'e said. "Must we go together?" Li Luo grinned. "At this point, there's nothing left to hide," she said, then she blinked innocently at him. "But I must say I quite like the way things turned out. You always lack a little pressure. Perhaps this is for the best." "Best?!" Li Luo objected as he followed her. "What's up with Duze Honglian anyway?" "Just someone who lost to me for three straight years. Perhaps she turned on you after finding no breakthrough against me." "That's heartless. I'm just a child." "Child? I think the rumors of me and Duze Honglian fighting over a husband will never end." "Oh well. The defense of the weak; all I had to attack her with were words. It made her suffer a hundred times worse than any slap though." They walked away as they spoke, ignoring the glances thrown their way. Within the crowd were the sisters Bai Doudou and Bai Mengmeng as well. "Was that Jiang Qing'e? She's beautiful." Bai Mengmeng marveled in her breathy voice. "Ninth-grade light resonance..." Bai Doudou was mesmerized. "Truly a legend. That light resonant power just now was unnervingly strong. Even someone as strong as Duze Honglian had her defense easily broken." "Is Li Luo the young lord of House Luolan? Is he really engaged to Jiang Qing'e?" Bai Mengmeng giggled. "But he is very handsome." Bai Doudou gave her a stern look. "Stay away from that guy, you hear me? You're not allowed to have any relations with him." "Elder Sis, what are you talking about?" Bai Mengmeng said lightly. "I'm not interested in him. I just want to research spirit liquids and purifying lights." Bai Doudou nodded approvingly. Her younger sister was too soft. She would curl up when bullied, and that Li Luo looked like he could eat her for breakfast. It would be best if she kept the two apart. "Excuse me, are you Bai Mengmeng?" From behind, a warm and compelling voice greeted them. The two sisters turned around and saw a youth with bangs and a small frown on his face. "Hello, I'm Yu Lang. I wonder if we could become friends." The downcast youth gave her a bright smile. Bai Mengmeng took one look at him and hid behind Bai Doudou without saying a word. "Go away," Bai Doudou said acidly. "I have no other intentions. I just want to get to know her and be friends," Yu Lang said very sincerely. "I give you three seconds to disappear from our sight. Otherwise, you won't even make it to the Choosing of the Mentors," Bai Doudou said. She had spoken with a quiet lack of emotion that was especially unnerving. His sense of danger as acute as ever, Yu Lang was gone almost as soon as she spoke. "......." Bai Doudou sniffed. "Ball-less rat. You dare flirt with my sister in front of me?" "It's a gall-less rat." Bai Mengmeng poked her cheek. "Sis, Dad and Mom have corrected you many times. You have to get rid of that habit. It sounds too vulgar for a girl." "Ball, gall, it's all the same," Bai Doudou said impatiently. She took her younger sister by the hand and left. ...... Li Luo, meanwhile, had arrived at the site of the Choosing of the Mentors with Jiang Qing'e and Yan Lingqing, which invited many stares. It was a huge, circular hall with a dome roof that exposed the sky. The outer edge was lined with many rings of spectator stands built in a theater style. The arena was packed full of people, a sea of black heads bobbing about. There had to be thousands of people here. "Your position should be written on your newcomer jade tablet. Go find it, then wait for the Choosing of the Mentors to begin," Jiang Qing'e told Li Luo. "It starts here?" he asked quizzically. "No, this is just a holding area. When the Choosing of the Mentors begins, there will be a transport design beneath the hall that will bring you to a special place," Jiang Qing'e clarified. Li Luo nodded hesitantly. "Good luck, Li Luo. We'll be watching you from here." Yan Lingqing waved encouragingly, then she dragged Jiang Qing'e by the hand to the spectator stands. Li Luo looked at the two beautiful girls disappearing off into the crowd and then tugged his eyes unwillingly back to the crowd in front of him. He looked at his jade tablet. "Third northern ring, vertical 39, horizontal 56." Li Luo puzzled it out and headed for his designated position. He had spotted complicated markings on the ground, with circles a meter and a half in diameter drawn at regular intervals. He guessed that these were the transport designs, and their jade tablets told them which design they had been assigned to. He finally found his position, but he was surprised to see that everyone else was giving the area a wide berth. He saw that there was a single person standing in the middle of the circle. His heart almost stopped. A sight to instill fear in even the bravest hearts. Shoulder-length hair, a swarthy complexion, and tiger stripes on his face. Li Luo immediately understood why people were avoiding him. Number one on Yu Lang's power rankings, Qin Zhulu. "He is truly terrifying." Li Luo shook his head in amazement. The drawing had been enough to make him wary, and the real deal was far scarier. No wonder no one dared to go near him. Li Luo double checked. Qin Zhulu was standing in the space he was assigned to. He hesitated, then stepped out. As he neared, Qin Zhulu's eyes shot open. They were as cold as death, and Li Luo felt like he was being stalked by an apex predator. He did not falter, but continued forwards. "Excuse me." He gave Qin Zhulu his best friendly smile. "Sorry, but you're in my spot." Qin Zhulu looked down at the position marker, then looked back up with a stony face, dumb as a post. "Excuse me. This is my spot," Li Luo repeated. Qin Zhulu stared at Li Luo. "Are you challenging me?" he rumbled in a deep, bestial voice. Li Luo was speechless.?How did you work that one out? I was just telling you you're in the wrong spot, for goodness sake. "I'm not challenging you," he clarified. "But this is really my spot. Show me your jade tablet." Qin Zhulu pulled out his newcomer jade tablet and stared at it. Li Luo peered over. "Look, yours says sixth southern ring, vertical 76, horizontal 58. You can just head over there."[1] Qin Zhulu stared at Li Luo and stuffed his newcomer jade tablet back into his pocket. "Are you challenging me?" he asked in his deep voice. Who the hell is challenging you, damn it! You're the one challenging me, eh?! Li Luo was dumbstruck. Was this guy from military school or barbarian school? Did he even understand human speech? Li Luo stared at him for a moment. "You can't find your position, right?" It was indeed a rather confusing layout here in the arena, and even Li Luo had taken a while to puzzle it out. This guy seemed to lack any sense of direction. He likely had a simple mind. Qin Zhulu stared at Li Luo even more fiercely, but Li Luo sensed that he was covering up some insecurity. "He can't be this weird,"?Li Luo thought to himself. "Look, give me your jade tablet, we'll swap. You can stand here, and I'll go find the other spot." He offered his jade tablet. Qin Zhulu looked at the proffered jade tablet for a good, long time. Finally, he took out his own and made the swap. Their trade done, Li Luo stared at him with odd fascination. This guy really had just decided to wing it after he could not find his spot. Qin Zhulu accepted Li Luo's incredulous stare impassively. He was still dumb as a post. For some reason, Li Luo felt that his dark face had gotten even darker. Finally, he shook his head and turned away with the tablet. Qin Zhulu watched him go. Then he closed his eyes again and started meditating. 1. TN: This is the un-quickest math I've ever seen. For the record, the Chinese characters for the tablet numbers don't resemble each other either. Chapter 117: Vice Principal Su Xin The number of newcomers only continued to increase, and the noise of the crowd swelled in proportion. At the theater-like seats, powerful Xia Kingdom officials had started to gather as well. They were very respectful, a testament to the Astral Sage College's special power. Heralded by a small drum roll, a few people walked out with a special escort on the highest platform. One of them was a beautiful middle-aged woman in lavish robes of red. The red robes were patterned with a constellation centered around a moon in the midst of the stars. She seemed like a personable character, smiling warmly at those around her. "That's the vice principal of the Astral Sage College. Seems like she'll be hosting this one," someone remarked. Li Luo studied her closely. She reminded him of a vast oceanlulling on the surface, with great power running deep. The vice principal of the Astral Sage College was a Violet Vibrance mentor. Clearly, she was at least a Duke expert, and perhaps the best of them. By her side was a small child wearing robes of gold. The child did not look more than seven or eight years old. He was a pale child, with a pair of bright, black, button eyes that shone with intelligence. The golden robes with dragon patterns was enough to declare who he was: the ruler of the Xia Kingdom's royal court. "The little emperor I met at the Golden Dragon Bank?"?Li Luo looked at him in surprise. He looked different from how Li Luo recalled. Beside the little emperor was another tall woman in white royal robes. Her hair was elaborately tied up in a phoenix knot, and she exuded grace with every step. She was a born aristocrat. Her features were extraordinarily exquisite too: a high nose-bridge; lovely, slim eyes; and alabaster skin. Most attractive of all were the two generous mounds on her chest, a bust that had Li Luo sighing in appreciation. Finally, he had seen someone comparable to sister Cai Wei. Still, their demeanor was completely different. One was coy, the other demanded respect without exception. "It's the Emperor and First Princess!" "The First Princess is a Four Star Hall student at the Astral Sage College. She also runs the enforcement squad. If you cause trouble in school, you're screwed," someone whispered. Li Luo finally took his admiring eyes off the First Princess, turning to the last person. It was a tall-shouldered middle-aged man with a solid charisma to match his stature. His face was unreadable and mysterious. In terms of sheer presence, he probably overshadowed Vice Principal Su Xin. Li Luo immediately knew who this stern-looking man was. He was the man holding the most power in the Xia Kingdom. The Regent, Gong Yuan. The appearance of these four demanded absolute respect, and everyone bowed before them. The Astral Sage College discouraged kneeling within its grounds. Even the head of the royal court was a mere spectator here. The four nodded in acknowledgment. The little emperor, the First Princess, and the Regent took their seats, while Vice Principal Su Xin moved forward. "New students, on behalf of the school, I welcome you to the hallowed halls of the Astral Sage College." Vice Principal Su Xin's warm voice washed over them, and the crowd quietened in peaceful obedience. Li Luo sensed this and was amazed by how deep her power ran. Mere words were enough to sway the mood of the entire crowd. Any banal inanities that fell from her lips were given new life, soothing feelings and compelling the listeners. "Next, we will begin the Choosing of the Mentors, the most important event for new students. This will decide your mentors at the Astral Sage College, which will greatly affect your lives here." There was a sharpening of interest as she spoke of the competition. They hung on every word she spoke. "When the Choosing begins, the transport designs beneath your feet will be activated, and you will be transported to a different region. There will be many spirit beasts of different strengths. They each carry either a silver or gold talisman. "Silver talismans correspond to a Silver Spark mentor, while gold talismans correspond to a Gold Gleam mentor. Defeat any spirit beast, take their talisman, and you will be assigned that mentor. "There are also additional missions that award gold and silver talismans. As for how they will be announced, you will know once the competition begins. "Of course, some will ask: what about Violet Vibrance mentors?" Vice Principal Su Xin smiled slightly. "Violet Vibrance mentors do not have a corresponding talisman. They will be watching all of the students during the Choosing. If they feel that you have potential, they will naturally choose you." Wow! A mixed bag of responses greeted this. Some students shook their heads sadly, all too clear about their own strength. The Violet Vibrance mentors were Duke experts. Cultivating under their guidance meant receiving the lion's share of guidance and resources, but it was not at all easy to be noticed. Li Luo frowned. This "potential" thing was a little vague. Vice Principal Su Xin continued explaining a few more rules. "In ten minutes, the Choosing of the Mentors will begin. Prepare yourselves." She concluded, then turned to sit back down. "Vice Principal Su Xin, I hear there are five Violet Vibrance mentors choosing this time," the First Princess said with an endearing smile. Vice Principal Su Xin nodded back. "I wonder if any of these kids will catch their eye." "This batch of students is quite strong. I'm sure the one from the military academy will be hotly contested by the mentors," the First Princess replied. "An upper eighth-grade resonance is rare in any cohort. It's expected to be popular." The Regent joined in the conversation. "The students are great, but even more impressive is the power that backs the Astral Sage College. Duke Stage experts can easily start their own houses or sects in the Xia Kingdom, but seeing them consent to teach at the Astral Sage College impresses me greatly." "The royal court rules the hundred provinces of the Xia Kingdom. Your power is indisputable. The Regent is too kind," Vice Principal Su Xin replied politely. "Not at all, not at all." The Regent laughed. A gong struck, and there was a tightening of concentration among those present. A blinding light flooded out from the floor of the hall. Columns of light appeared, enclosing the students within. Li Luo could not react to it, and a light column quickly whirled him away. Let the Choosing of the Mentors begin. Chapter 118: Mentor Shen Jinxiao When Li Luo recovered his vision, he found himself on the side of a mountain, surrounded by huge trees. It was a wild and untamed world. Deep in the jungle, occasional bestial cries sounded, followed by rising flocks of alarmed birds. Li Luo took out his shortswords from his bag, strapping them to his waist. He picked a direction and moved swiftly. He occasionally ran across other students, but they simply moved on with no intention of conversing. Keeping up his hurried pace for a few minutes, Li Luo ran into a black spirit beast that looked like a cross between a tiger and a leopard. A weak spirit beast, a black panthera. Spirit beasts were classified into several categories. Weak spirit beasts were at the Ten Seals Stage in strength, while average spirit beasts were roughly at the first-tier of the Resonant Master Stage. Strong spirit beasts were at the second or third-tier of the Resonant Master Stage. Spirit beasts beyond that level would undergo a metamorphic change. They would be a lot more sentient, and their strength was stupendous. They were simply dubbed General spirit beasts, for their commensurate strength. Higher than them were the legendary Duke spirit beasts, each one powerful enough to raze a city by themselves. Li Luo spotted a faint, silver gleam on the black panthera's head. He looked more closely. A silver talisman. "So defeating this weak spirit beast gets you a silver talisman and a Silver Spark mentor." It was likely that the gold talismans were on the average spirit beasts. A first-tier Resonant Master beast was roughly what he could handle. What about Violet Vibrance mentors? Was he supposed to defeat strong spirit beasts? Those had to be at least at the second-tier of the Resonant Master or above. Was the system forcing the elite students to challenge themselves? High standards... as the Violet Vibrance mentors deserved to set. Li Luo did not attack the black panthera. He had no interest in wasting time getting silver talismans that he did not need. He turned and left. Back in the Newcomers' Hall, the sea of heads had disappeared, now replaced with light screens projected through crystals. They reflected where the new students were, including Li Luo, who had turned in search of his next target. Yan Lingqing watched the screen with mixed feelings. "I wonder if Li Luo can catch the eye of a Violet Vibrance mentor." "With his abilities, he'll be fine," Jiang Qing'e reassured her. She knew that Li Luo's dual resonant palaces were a rare talent comparable to her own ninth-grade resonance. If everything was just a matter of strength, she was not at all worried about a Violet Vibrance mentor taking a liking to Li Luo. But... There was worry in her golden eyes. She was worried about Shen Jinxiao, one of the Violet Vibrance mentors. She was wary of this man who had once mentored her. He was a man who had kept his true self behind a wall, concealed so cleverly that even her ninth-grade light resonance had barely helped her glimpse the true nature of that person. She knew that he was cunning. And he bore ill will against her. That was why she had decided to change mentors. Given the immense potential of her 9th-grade light resonance, the Astral Sage College had consented. And if Shen Jinxiao was going to take a hand to interfere with Li Luo, it would be much harder to deal with. He knew all too clearly that her Achilles heel was Li Luo. ... Tang! Sounds of heated battles echoed in the forest. Li Luo had his swords in hand, charging them with blue resonant power. Shaping them into Water Edge, he sent his power slicing forth with a shrill whistle. His swords glinted dangerously as he launched a barrage of attacks on the average spirit beast before him. Ting! Tang! Sparks flew as steel clashed against scale. Charged with light resonant power, his Water Edge was even sharper than before. Soon enough, he cut his way through the scaled armor, leaving the average spirit beasts blood streaming out. Roar! Infuriated by its injuries, the average spirit beast grew more violent, swinging and smashing with its heavy, spiked tail. In its wild thrashing, the tail whipped up to some serious speed. "Waterlight Demon Mirror!" A mirror of water shimmered into existence before him. Now that he was at the Resonant Master Stage, it was much brighter than before. Boom! The ponderous tail slammed into the Waterlight Demon Mirror, breaking it. Still, the backlash of energy ran right back up the beast's tail. ROAR! The spirit beast howled painfully as the tail was pummelled from the counterattack. It knew fear now, and it turned to flee. Shoosh! Li Luo gave it no such opportunity. A Waterlight Bullet burst before its eyes, blinding the miserable beast. It ran blindly, crashing into trees as it went. It was a hopeless escape. When it recovered its vision, the first and last thing it saw was a blue blade lancing towards its shoulder. A clean skewer through its brain from the side. It buckled one final time in a death throe and then ceased. Li Luo wiped his brow in relief, then he took the gold talisman from its tail. With this, he had at least secured a Gold Gleam mentor. With his insurance in place, he could now turn his attention to the problem of securing a Violet Vibrance mentor. He continued forward until the trees gave way to a pristine lake, then suddenly he stopped on his tracks. Beside the lake was a person holding a bunch of leaves. He was folding each one into a little leaf boat and then floating them down the lake. Li Luo did not know who it was, but he recognized this persons clothing. The robes of an Astral Sage College mentor. With purple light. A Violet Vibrance mentor. Finished with the leaves, the Violet Vibrance mentor stood up and turned to him with a genial smile. "There you are, Li Luo. I've been waiting for you for so long. "Let me introduce myself. I'm one of the five Violet Vibrance mentors... Shen Jinxiao." Chapter 119: The Methods of Shen Jinxiao Sunlight glinted merrily off the ripples on the lakes surface. The Violet Vibrance mentor called Shen Jinxiao stood by the lake, looking down at his own reflection. He looked friendly enough, but a chill ran down Li Luo's spine when he saw him. This... Was he the Shen Jinxiao that Qing'e had mentioned? Li Luo looked at him closely. He was a handsome man, and the Violet Vibrance robes added prestige to his charm. There were golden runic patterns extending out from both his temples, ending in a pale-gold rune on his brow. Even without exuding any resonant power, his very person screamed danger. Li Luo was sizing him up cautiously when the latter smiled at him. "I was once Jiang Qing'e's mentor. I wonder, has she mentioned me to you before?" Li Luo ignored his question. "What is Mentor Shen doing here?" Although he was very cautious of this person, there was nothing he really feared. This was the Choosing of the Mentors, an event that countless people were watching. Even though he was a Violet Vibrance mentor, there was nothing he could do to him openly. Shen Jinxiao walked forwards. "Li Luo, I've taken a liking to you. I intend to take you under my wing," he said cheerfully, handing over an item he had pulled out. Li Luo looked at it. A violet talisman shining with a curious light. This was a Violet Vibrance mentor's talisman. With it, one would become their student. Exactly what Li Luo needed, except not this man's. "Li Luo, take it, and you will have completed your goal," Shen Jinxiao said with an encouraging smile. Li Luo looked up slowly from the violet talisman. He took a step back. "This doesn't seem in line with the rules, does it, Mentor Shen? "Violet talismans should be earned after rigorous trials. Giving it to be like this puts me in a difficult spot." Shen Jinxiao waved it away lightly. "I know your potential. So we can skip the rigorous trials part." Li Luo shook his head. "Mentor Shen, we seldom treasure things that come to us too easily," he said formally. "I wish to go through difficult trials and come to a final decision. "If Mentor Shen is free, perhaps you could stick around. I'll go prove myself, then I'll come back and find you." He continued to back away. But he immediately felt a surging of worldly natural energy from all around him. It felt like his feet were glued to the ground. "Mentor Shen, you won't let me go?" Shen Jinxiao regarded him with his smile still in place. "Why won't you accept my good will? Any other student would be dying for this chance." Li Luo hesitated. "Because... "I want a female mentor!" he declared righteously. Shen Jinxiao's smile looked more like a dangerous leer now. "Li Luo, will you really not reconsider? There are only five Violet Vibrance mentors in this Choosing. If you reject me, the other four might not take you, out of respect for me. After all, you are no Jiang Qing'e. You do not have her potential to appeal with. "They will probably not risk offending me for a passably good student like yourself." Li Luo frowned. "Is Mentor Shen threatening me?" "You can say that." Li Luo laughed. "Since you think I'm only passably good, and there are so many better candidates out there, why would you only invite me?" "Make good use of your last chance, Li Luo." "Mentor Shen, you seem a little overeager," Li Luo said warily. "I don't know what you're up to, but nothing in this world comes for free." Shen Jinxiao regarded him for a few seconds, then he stowed the violet talisman back in his robes. "You've lost your last chance, Li Luo. "It seems like you have to taste pain before you will treasure a violet talisman." He raised two fingers and spoke through them. His voice echoed around the entire area. In a radius of dozens of miles, all students suddenly heard his voice in their ears, Li Luo included. "Violet Vibrance mission: take down Li Luo. Whoever defeats him will be awarded one violet talisman." This put a real damper on Li Luo's plans. This was low. The moment Li Luo didn't take his carrot, he whipped out his stick. "Don't worry about whether my actions are against the rules or not. Here at the Astral Sage College, Violet Vibrance mentors have far greater power than you can imagine. As long as your life is not threatened, there's just about nothing I can't do," Shen Jinxiao said mildly. He reached out with one finger and poked Li Luo lightly on the head. Suddenly, a column of light surrounded him, extending up towards the sky. It could be seen clearly for many miles around. "This pillar of light will linger for a while. All the other students will be able to find you thanks to it. You want the favor of other Violet Vibrance mentors? Here's your chance to acquit yourself. If you can get yourself out of this one, perhaps other Violet Vibrance mentors will notice you." Shen Jinxiao snickered to himself. "Well... begin your performance. I'm very much looking forward to it." He dissolved into a speck of light, vanishing on the spot. Li Luo watched him disappear with a dark look.?Shen Jinxiao, was it? You dog, I'll remember you. Looking up, he tried everything he could think of to get rid of the pillar of light, but he failed. Finally, he gave it up. Something a Duke expert had pulled off was not something a puny Resonant Master like himself could dispel. He drew his shortswords and charged back into the forest, hoping the trees would at least dim the light somewhat. Time to see the extent of the incoming gank. Hopefully, there wasn't anyone too strong. Otherwise, he would be screwed. When Li Luo rushed into the forest and the hunt began, the announcement of the Violet Vibrance mission appeared for those on the spectator stands as well. Its appearance was greeted by a collective gasp of surprise. Chapter 120: Getting Ganked Shen Jinxiao's Violet Vibrance mission had appeared on the screens in the hall. Immediately, students in Li Luo's vicinity were starting to converge on his position. "What's going on?" "Is a Violet Vibrance mentor giving this new student a test?" "Li Luo? The young lord of House Luolan?" "Hehe. Poor fella. How's one supposed to survive a gank like that?" "A bit harsh, yeah." "..." On the highest dais, the little emperor recognized Li Luo on screen. "That's unfair. Isn't this bullying?" He piped up innocently. The First Princess laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Absolute fairness rarely exists in this world," she said softly. "Violet Vibrance mentors have the highest authority to test the new students. It is one of their responsibilities." "Of course... this test from mentor Shen Jinxiao seems a little slanted, doesnt it?" She directed the last question to Vice Principal Su Xin. Su Xin nodded solemnly. "Indeed, it is a little outside the box. But during the Choosing, Violet Vibrance mentors can do anything they wish to test students, as long as they do not risk their lives. "Still, this might be a good opportunity for the student Li Luo to prove himself. If he can demonstrate his potential and excellence, he will be showered in laurels." The First Princess did not comment. Performing well when ganked was no easy task. It was likely that he would end up being a stepping stone for others. Li Luo was in trouble. "Shen Jinxiao is going too far!" Yan Lingqing cried from her seat. This was blatant bias. Who could deal with a gank like this? Jiang Qing'e was expressionless. There was no outward anger, but her calm eyes held killing intent. Jiang Qing'e reached out a finger and traced it lightly on the stone railing in front of them. Bits of stone flew as she carved two words into it. Shen Jinxiao. Yan Lingqing had a look of surprise when she saw Jiang Qing'e calmly carving his name. "What are you doing?" she asked in a hushed voice. Jiang Qing'e wiped the words away as casually as she had carved them. "Practicing the markings I'll leave on his grave. After all, he once taught me before; it's only proper for me to buy him a gravestone." Yan Lingqing's jaw dropped, then she giggled. Jiang Qing'e, you're really a monster. Already ready to bury a Violet Vibrance mentor? Are you that angry? ...... The stir that the Violet Vibrance mission had created in the Newcomers' Hall was nothing compared to the action on the battleground. In a radius of dozens of miles, the students that received the mission perked up with wild enthusiasm. A Violet Vibrance mission so quickly? Defeat Li Luo? That was an easy violet talisman! Many of the students pulled out books containing the newcomers' information that they had bought at exorbitant prices. They looked up Li Luo. "First in the Tianshu province? Completely average in strengthhow did he trigger a Violet Vibrance mission?!" There was nothing in his bio that gave them pause besides his identity. But on the battlefield, status was irrelevant. "It's basically a free violet talisman!" Many students rejoiced. They raced at full speed towards the column of light. The lure of a violet talisman was enough to get them riled up. ..... "Hahaha, Li Luo I can't believe you're in so much trouble already!" In another region, Duze Beixuan erupted in raucous laughter when the mission appeared. "Impressive. Truly impressive, to be worth a Violet Vibrance mission. "So be it. I was planning to take you down anyway. Is this not the perfect chance?" Duze Beixuan chortled, still shaking his head. He began to move too. ...... "Are Violet Vibrance missions all so strange?" The short-haired Bai Doudou was puzzled. Li Luo was that guy they had met at the registration, right? He was a handsome guy, but what had he done to trigger this mob mission? "Forget it, I don't care. I just want a violet talisman." Bai Doudou hefted her long spear, dragging the tip across the ground and creating a shower of sparks. Her wind resonance surged forth to carry her forward as swiftly as the breeze. The secret behind her speed was in her feet, which seemed to ride the wind itself. ... Somewhere in the forest. A swarthy and fearsome youth was sitting on a mountain of average spirit beast corpses, his hands full of gold talismans. He gave them a shake, and they tinkled gently against each other. He had received the Violet Vibrance mission too. Qin Zhulu. "Gank? Li Luo?" Qin Zhulu did nothing for a moment, then he pulled out the newcomer jade tablet from his robes. Li Luo's name was written on it. "It's him?" He recalled the silver-haired youth who had swapped tablets with him. So the Violet Vibrance mission was to take that guy out. He stuffed the jade tablet back and carelessly tossed the gold talismans out. They were not what he wanted. Here at the Astral Sage College, he needed the best mentors. Those below the Duke stage were not qualified to teach him. Still, a violet talisman won in such an unfair fight meant nothing. "Maybe beating strong spirit beasts will get me violet talismans? That's better." Qin Zhulu looked up at the light column in the distance. He shook his head. "I'll not attack you. Count this as returning the favor for taking your spot. "May luck be with you." He stood up, uncaring of his gore-covered appearance. He moved casually, heading in the direction where he sensed stronger spirit beasts. Those had to be strong spirit beasts. Perhaps he could find one that was at least equivalent to a third-tier Resonant Master in strength. Hopefully, it would be strong enough to amuse him. Chapter 121: First Movers Advantage Swish! Li Luo zipped through the trees, his hands never straying far from the shortswords on his waist. His entire body was tense, ready to fight at any moment. He had no idea how many students were in the vicinity, nor how many powerful fighters there were. He could not drop his guard. He looked up to see that his light column was indeed being partially filtered by the trees. Still, anyone close enough would be able to see it. "The light pillar should run out eventually. I just have to survive until it does. Then the gank will be over,"?Li Luo thought quickly. Still, he had to think about how to deal with the gank first. Besides the top three, he wasn't afraid of anyone in a one-on-one fight. But two fists seldom won against four. Once surrounded, he would be screwed. They could even tire him to death. What to do? He scanned his surroundings. There was nothing of use here. He could go deeper into the forest, where the spirit beasts were aplenty. Anyone trying to gank him would have to watch their own backs then. The spirit beasts would be his best bodyguards. Before the gank materialized, he would head deeper. Shoosh! Increasing his speed, he broke out of the treeline ahead and spotted three figures hurtling his way. Both parties called out. Li Luo's identity had yet to register in their minds. Seeing their lack of response, Li Luo thought quickly. "Have you seen the shining guy yet?!" he hollered. He was taking the initiative. The three shook their heads. "Y'all go left! I'll go right! Don't let him get away!" he cried, then he turned and charged into another patch of jungle. The three students were a little confused. Who was that? Why was he ordering them around? "He's looking for someone whos lit up?" one of them asked. "But... he was lit up too!" another exclaimed. "Could it be that others are also lit up?" There was a moment of quiet confusion as they worked it out. Finally, they saw the light. "Fuck! That WAS Li Luo!" "After him!" "Get him! How dare he toy with us!" The three turned red from embarrassment. Li Luo had taken advantage of them and tricked them. Who knew that the hunted could pretend to be the hunter. The three turned and charged in the direction that Li Luo had gone. While they were running full speed, a few light balls suddenly burst before their eyes, the strong flash blinding them. They fell to the floor, clutching their faces in agony. A figure streaked out of the woods, blue resonant power cloaking it in a veil of water. He moved extremely quickly, his blades flashing out across their legs and drawing blood. All three cried out in pain. Li Luo was making sure they wouldn't be able to walk for a while. By the time they recovered their vision, all they saw was a figure bearing two shortswords disappearing in the distance. They felt a chill of fear. This was a ruthless opponent. Meanwhile, Ruthless Li had already pushed them out of his mind. After dispatching them, he continued heading deeper into the jungle. He did not dare let up. The three he had just met indicated that many more students would be swarming the area soon. Hopefully, he had beaten the crowd. ...... A few miles away. Puffs of smoke were rising in a rhythmic pattern as a signal from another part of the forest. Yu Lang was perched high up on a tree branch, squinting as he tried to make out a light pillar far away in the distance. He leaped down to Zhao Kuo, who was busy sending out the signals. The two had met by coincidence and were also in Li Luos vicinity. They had also received the mission to hunt Li Luo. "Li Luo is really a magnet for trouble. I wonder what he did to incur this mission," Yu Lang grumbled to Zhao Kuo. "I told you. Handsomeness is expensive. You have to pay the price eventually." Zhao Kuo scowled. "This is strange as hell. Which Violet Vibrance mentor is testing Brother Luo?" "Test, your ass. This is a witch hunt!" Yu Lang snorted. "A gank of this scale, not even the first-place Qin Zhulu could get out with certainty, let alone Li Luo. They can squash him to death with sheer numbers." "Well, the signal's sent. If Zong Fu, Chi Su, and Xiang Liang see it, they should hurry over," Zhao Kuo said. "I don't care. I dont have high hopes for them," Yu Lang said. "Yu Lang, stop talking about people behind their backs. You're like a woman." A shout came from behind, then three people burst out of the woods, panting heavily. "Oh look, the circus is complete!" Yu Lang said cheerfully. "Out with it! What's the plan?" Zong Fu said moodily. "I'll get right to it since we're all here. Li Luo is in trouble again. Big trouble. I intend to help him," Yu Lang said. "Look, Im not trying to be a wet blanket here," Zong Fu said, "but a gank of this scale? We'll just end up as food." "Do you remember what Vice Principal Su Xin said? This Choosing of the Mentors is not just about beating spirit beasts for gold and silver talismans. Our performances will determine the end result." Yu Lang smiled. He gestured at the light pillar in the distance. "A lot of people are closing in for the gank. If we go there, we'll not be of much help. Let's think a little more creatively. This position is perfect for ambushing any students that come from the southwest direction. We'll set a trap here, finish off some straggler students. By doing this, we'll take some heat off Li Luo and perhaps net ourselves some bonus points in the bargain. "I'm sure that the Violet Vibrance mentors are all watching closely. Maybe they'll appreciate us using our brains." The others looked around, surprised by his suggestion. "I agree." Zhao Kuo nodded. Helping Li Luo, plus bonus points. No objections from him. Zong Fu and the others hesitated for a long while. Finally, Zong Fu gritted his teeth. "I'll do it. But you have to tell Li Luo that the one I really want to follow is Senior Qing'e!" Xiang Liang and Chi Su were happy enough to follow Zong Fu's lead. Given their strength, they could get gold talismans at best. Perhaps following Yu Lang's lead was a shot at a better score. It was enough to risk for. "What do we do next?" they asked. "Next, we put our acting skills to the test." Right on cue, Zhao Kuo showed them a convincing idiot's stutter that impressed them all greatly. Damn, this giant of a man was a god of acting. How had the puny Southwind Academy raised a pair of geniuses like these two? Chapter 122: Intercepting The Encirclement Ding! The clang of resonant power-charged steel echoed through the forest, sending flurries of leaves rippling outwards. Li Luo was perched high on a tree branch, swords in hand as he warily watched the two guys charging over from his right. He could tell from their first clash that they were both Lower Clear in strength, roughly as strong as he was. They also must have been champions or close in their province. "Stop running, Li Luo! You can't get away, just let us complete the mission!" one of them shouted, brandishing his serrated sword. A grey resonant power covered his body, making his skin look like stone. He had a stone resonance, which was considered a variation of the earth resonance. The other youth hefted an iron club. The vague silhouette of a red ape hovered behind his body. "Damn, they came too fast,"?Li Luo thought to himself. He was starting to reach the deeper parts of the forest now, and the spirit beasts had definitely helped stave off some pursuers. Still, there were plenty who had slipped the net, and those who could repel the spirit beasts were rather strong. "Come now, brothers, why must you force me so? Since I'm so handsome, how about we sit down for a good chat, eh? What do you say?" Li Luo said, trying to buy time to think. "Damn, disgusting! Cut him down!" Both shouted in disgust. Their resonant powers flew out, coming at him from both his sides as they leaped forward with weapons raised. Teng! Li Luo flexed his legs, bending a branch to propel himself straight forward. "Li Luo, you're insane!" Seeing him charge the two of them, they laughed coldly. Li Luo was a Lower Clear like themselves. One against two, what chance did he stand? "Crimson Flame Smash!" the club-wielding youth shouted. His club glowed red with heated resonant power. Li Luo summoned his Waterlight Demon Mirror to deal with this ferocious club attack. Crack. The club crashed into his Waterlight Demon Mirror, smashing it into pieces, but not before it landed a vicious counter that sent the youth flying backwards, almost losing his grip on his weapon. With one opponent out of the picture, Li Luo turned to the stone resonant user, charging his shortswords grimly with water resonance power. Reinforced Water Edge Art! He clashed with his opponent head on. This time, the stone resonant user paled. He could sense that the incoming attack was far stronger than his own resonant power. "Impossible! He's only a Lower Clearhow can he be this strong?!" His desperate protest went unanswered as he was also sent flying, crashing into a tree trunk with such force that it snapped. A trickle of blood ran down his mouth, and he looked completely shaken. "See? Should have sat down and talked it out after all." Li Luo flashed him a grin and then beat it, fleeing deeper into the woods. He was not intending to get tangled up with these two. The club-wielder watched Li Luo go, but he did not chase. He had seen how Li Luo had thrashed his companion. "How is Li Luo so strong?" the club-wielding youth demanded of the stone resonant user. He helped him up. "No idea. The newcomers' information said that Li Luo should have only just broken into the Clear Seed Tier. But I feel like he's at least an Upper Clear in strength," the stone resonant user complained, wiping blood away from his mouth. "Seems like the violet talisman is out of our reach, then," the club wielder said resignedly. His friend nodded. Suddenly, there was movement in the trees nearby. They saw a blue-haired youth emerge. "That's... Duze Beixuan?" Both immediately recognized the fourth-ranked newcomer. "Did you two just tangle with Li Luo here? Seems like you couldn't stop him." He grinned at the pair. They scowled at him. Duze Beixuan was unfazed. "Which way did he go?" he asked. The club-wielder pointed unwillingly. "He's very strong. Not at all like a new Clear Seed Tier cultivator." Duze Beixuan was already swiftly moving past them. His condescending voice floated back to them. "He's not very strong. You are very weak." Both flushed in anger. "Rude." "Luckily, we gave him a random direction." ... While things were getting heavy deep in the forest, another incident was happening somewhere else. A slim youth with narrow eyes was smiling at a girl that was in his way. "Friend Qing'er, what do you mean to do by blocking my way?" He fanned himself with a jade fan as he spoke. Lu Qing'er stood before him impassively. "Wang Hejiu, are you going this way to attack Li Luo?" Wang Hejiu was ranked second on the newcomers' ranking. Wang Hejiu smiled slightly. "Defeat Li Luo, win a violet talisman. A worthy pursuit." "Then I cannot let you pass," Lu Qing'er said. "Friend Qing'er, you are not my match," Wang Hejiu pointed out. "Why do this?" "Even delaying you would be good," Lu Qing'er said mildly. She removed her ice silk gloves, revealing her dainty hands. Li Luo could not possibly be in a good situation right now. Wang Hejiu would be a huge threat to him. She had to do what she could to delay him. Still, the disparity between them was all too clear. If she wanted to hold him for even a minute, she would have to pull out her final trump card immediately. Fortunately, it was no longer as damaging to herself as before, now that she was at the Resonant Master Stage. Wang Hejiu looked at her in surprise. "Friend Qing'er, if you consent to date me in the future, I can accept your request today." He smiled. His reply was a blast of icy resonant power that left the ground frozen. "Well, then I'll just have to show you the gap between us," he said. BOOM! Green resonant power plumed from his body like a mist, and the leaves beneath his feet turned black immediately, as if they had rotted. Their resonant power shot forth and clashed. Chapter 123: Fishing in the Woods Mei Feng was a Lower Clear student who had also received the Li Luo assignment. He was very happy when he got it. Although there were many others chasing Li Luo down and his odds probably werent very good, hey, a guy could dream, right? And what if he just happened to deliver the final blow? As a Violet Vibrance mentor's student, he would be kicking it with the elites of the Astral Sage College. Perhaps he would even catch the eye of some pretty senior girl. That was the path to success in life. He happily bounded on towards his target. As he passed through a small patch of forest, he heard a rough voice calling out to him. "Whoa there, friend!" Mei Feng looked over suspiciously. He saw an honest-looking youth walking over. Tall and sturdy, he had a face so plain, it looked like he might never have told a lie in his life. "Yes, friend?" Mei Feng asked companionably enough, relaxing at the sight of a guy exuding honest from his every pore. "Are you chasing Li Luo too, friend? Truth be told, I am too. I also have a few other teammates here, and we intend to team up against him. If you're interested, you could join us. We are more likely to succeed together, I say. There are too many others hunting him down. Alone, I'm afraid I can't compete." He spoke with a self-deprecating sincerity that appealed to Mei Feng. He pondered this, then smiled back. "Can I meet the others first?" he asked. "Oh, of course." The earnest young man agreed, giving him an affable smile as he led him onwards into the forest. Their brief exchange was all the earnest youth needed to get a sense of Mei Feng's strength. Mei Feng saw the group now. They were being led by a youth with sad eyes. "With Brother Mei Feng here, we can definitely get rid of Li Luo and win ourselves the top prize!" The leader cheered and welcomed him. He seemed to defer to Mei Feng, as if he would lead them all to victory. Mei Feng smiled, satisfied. A decent bunch of guysthey had the foresight to see his strength and were polite as well. He could see to it that they were well looked after in the future. "Well, I think we're good in numbers. Let's go." Mei Feng beckoned them on. They nodded eagerly. "Let's go." Before they had gone far, the sad-eyed youth suddenly said, "Brother Feng, there's a mosquito on the back of your head. I'll help you get rid of it." Mei Feng felt this was a strange thing to point out. Before he could say a word, the sad-eyed youth had produced a club out of nowhere, and he brought it crashing down on the back of his head in a flash. Bonk! It made a nice, clean thump. Mei Feng felt a sharp pain, then his eyes rolled back and he passed out.?This friend is a fool,?he thought as he sank down into unconsciousness. Why had he hit the mosquito so hard? As Mei Feng keeled over, Yu Lang looked down at him. "This guy is really dim. We have to get to know him better in the future." Zong Fu rolled his eyes. "Better not show yourself before him again, you'll make him angry." "An angry dimwit is the scariest." Xiang Liang nodded. "What kind of demon are you?" Chi Su demanded of him. Yu Lang held up his hands in surrender at the vigorous protests. "Alright, alright. His loss. Missing out on a steadfast friend." Zhao Kuo ignored him, busy dragging the snoring Mei Feng to a nearby clearing where seven or eight others were piled up. "We've done a lot. Li Luo would be proud. One last job, then we're done here," Yu Lang said. They nodded and got ready. Zhao Kuo wandered out of the forest, ready to lure the next target. Before long, a streak of light could be seen in the distance, moving fast enough to whistle through the wind. Zhao Kuo perked up. "Friend, a moment, please!" The blur of light stopped, and Zhao Kuo saw a tall girl with short, neat hair before him. She wielded a long spear and looked at him neutrally. Zhao Kuo gave her his friendliest smile, and at the same time screamed internally. He recognized her. Third on the rankings, Bai Doudou! Their fishing scheme had landed them a shark this time! "What's the matter?" While Zhao Kuo's stomach churned, Bai Doudou regarded him coolly. "Er, are you going after Li Luo?" He struggled to keep things convincing. "We gathered a group that's planning to go after him. If you're interested, we could go together." Bai Doudou thought it over. The forest was vast, and it would take some time to search alone. With others to do the leg work, she could save a lot of time and effort. She gestured forward with her chin. "Lead the way." Zhao Kuo sighed inwardly, but he did not hesitate to lead her on. This was a savage shark they had snared. If they let her get to Li Luo, she would pose a huge threat. They might not be able to hook her, but they could delay her as long as possible. That was perhaps the most they could do. Hearing the two of them approach, Yu Lang and the others hurried forward to greet them, all smiles. But when they saw Zhao Kuo show up with Bai Doudou, their smiles froze on their faces. Yu Lang was seized with a strong desire to run away. Damn me, Zhao Kuo, you bastard. Why would you bring mother shark here?! He shot Zhao Kuo a look, but the latter gave him a small and grim nod. He had purposely brought Bai Doudou here. Yu Lang understood, shrugging wryly to himself. What else could they do but play it out? It felt a bit like trying to crack a rock with an egg, but if their acting went poorly, it wasn't like they were going to die. "You again?" Bai Doudou's eyes narrowed when she spotted Yu Lang. He gave her a sheepish smile. "Greetings, Sister Bai. You're actually my idol," he said sincerely. Looking at Yu Lang and the others, Bai Doudou suddenly said, "You're not looking for teammates against Li Luo. You're ambushing people here, right?" "Sister Bai, you wound me." Yu Lang hurriedly denied it. "Faint breathing from multiple bodies in the next clearing. They should be unconscious. Your prey from before?" she asked thinly. Boom! The game was up, and Zhao Kuo took the chance to swing his metal club at her back with all his might. A short blast of green resonant power answered his attack, and Zhao Kuo was sent flying. "Get her!" Yu Lang yelled. Zong Fu, Xiang Liang, and Chi Su all jumped into the fray without hesitation, burying Bai Doudou in a barrage of attacks. She twirled her spear casually, a confident smirk on her lips. "Like a praying mantis blocking the oxcart." An overwhelming wind resonant power howled forth, shaking the entire forest. Chapter 124: Battle By the River Deep in the jungle. Li Luo was sitting on a moss-covered boulder by the creek, his clothes tattered as if he had just been through a war. Which he had. Just a while ago, he had fought off a dozen people here and there. It had taken him everything he had to get away. He was exhausted. If not for his dual resonant palaces and his two resonance seeds absorbing worldly natural energy, as well as the stamina that his water resonance gave him, he would have been crushed by that gauntlet. Sigh. Li Luo shut his eyes, channeling his energy cultivation arts and healing as best as he could. His hard-won peace was short-lived. His eyes flew open as he scanned the vegetation. Sure enough, someone walked out. "How does it feel to be hiding like a rat?" the blue-haired man asked evilly. Who else but Duze Beixuan? Li Luo looked at him gravely. "Duze Beixuan, if you're harrying me about becoming your brother-in-law, I have to advise you not to continue. Jiang Qing'e will not accept." A vein pulsed on his temple. "Li Luo... Stretched thin but still with a foul mouth, I see. "I want to see if that foul mouth of yours can still yap with my foot on your head." "Stop, stop," Li Luo cried. "I just want to cultivate quietly in school." "Trying to buy time to recover?" Duze Beixuan sneered. "You think you're my match even at your full strength?" Duze Beixuan was not looking down on Li Luo per se. He was simply confident in his own strength. With an eighth-grade Deepwater Kun resonance and his resonant power already at the Upper Flowering, a Lower Clear like Li Luo was far from his level. [1] "Then could you wait for me? If you give me half an hour, I'll concede that you're a true gentleman!" "What do you think I should do?" Duze Beixuan smirked. A colossal kun surged up behind him. Li Luo sighed. Damn, looks like House Duzes young lord wasn't born yesterday. Oh well. He stood up from his boulder and faced Duze Beixuan. A lower eighth-grade resonance and an Upper Flowering tier cultivatorhe had Li Luo beat in every aspect. Every obvious aspect. Who knew that Li Luo had two resonant palaces and resonance seeds, for instance? In terms of raw power, Li Luo was actually equivalent to a Flowering Seed Tier cultivator. The difference between them was not as large as it seemed. He had been dealt a rough hand thanks to Shen Jinxiao. Just as Shen Jinxiao had said, the other four Violet Vibrance mentors might not risk offending him just to take Li Luo as a student. After all, they had to have some mutual respect as fellow Duke experts. After all, he was not Jiang Qing'e. Her potential was enough for them to chase shamelessly. Li Luo? Not there yet. But he knew that he had to win acceptance from one of them. It was not just his cultivation at stake, it was his life as well. Jiang Qing'e had already explained it clearly to him. What was he to do? Simple. Demonstrate his potential. Show that he had enough potential, that he was worth the offense to Shen Jinxiao, and impress the Violet Vibrance mentors. How? Duze Beixuan looked like the best stimulus. "Well, then, if lying low won't do, I'll just have to..." He whipped out the two shortswords from his waist, a confident smile on his handsome features. "...blind them with my brilliance." ... Their face-off was being displayed on the screen at the Newcomers' Hall, garnering lots of attention. "House Duze's Duze Beixuan has cornered Li Luo." "That's it for him, then. Duze Beixuan has a lower eighth-grade Deepwater Kun resonance, and he's an Upper Flowering, for crying out loud. Li Luo is screwed as can be." "Still, he's held out unexpectedly long." "Its no use, he's gonna lose to Duze Beixuan here. He'll have to settle for a Gold Gleam mentor at best. Once you start off on the wrong foot at the Astral Sage College, it's very hard to catch up later." "Yeah, the gap only grows." "House Luolan will have to depend on Jiang Qing'e alone." "..." Duze Honglian was watching grimly, her arms folded across her chest. "Bastard, let my brother stitch that mouth of yours shut." Thinking of how Li Luo had sullied her reputation was enough to make her itch with frustration. Even as a baseless rumor, it was spreading all the same, and there was nothing she could do about it. On the opposite side, Jiang Qing'e was watching just as intently. She coughed disdainfully.?Just watch, Jiang Qing'e. Watch your future husband get stomped by Beixuan. "Duze Honglian keeps looking over with her ugly mug." Yan Lingqing whispered to Jiang Qing'e. "She's lost to me too many times. She can't see any hope now, so she can only try to get some satisfaction out of Li Luo," Jiang Qing'e said unconcernedly. Yan Lingqing nodded. "But that Duze Beixuan isn't easy to deal with," she added worriedly. "He's far stronger than Li Luo." "I believe in Li Luo," Jiang Qing'e said simply, her golden eyes still fixed on the screen. "Which of you thought he would beat Shi Huang and win at the Tianshu exams?" "That's naive," Yan Lingqing argued. "Duze Beixuan is much stronger than Shi Huang. A lower eighth-grade resonance is nothing to mess with." "Neither are Li Luo's dual resonances." High up on the spectator stands. "Sis, can Li Luo win?" the little emperor whispered, his eyes glued to the screen. He didn't like Duze Beixuan, not after their meeting at the Golden Dragon Bank. And although Li Luo had tricked him, his impression was much better. Li Luo had even given him the watersource, which had eased his pain, so he was rooting for Li Luo. The First Princess' red, phoenix eyes were also fixed on the screen. "On the surface, Li Luo doesn't stand a chance." [2] "Awww..." the little emperor groaned. "Victory is not always determined by strength." She smiled with anticipation. She had seen information on Li Luo. She knew that he had defeated Governor Shi's son, Shi Huang, despite the disparity in strength. She sensed that Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were built differently. Jiang Qing'e was an omnipresent light, illuminating the four corners of the earth with her radiance. Li Luo was a fathomless swamp, unremarkable on the surface but running deep underneath. Of course, this was just her womanly intuition. Whether she was right depended on Li Luo now. Hopefully, he would not let her down. After all, he was the son of those two, and Jiang Qing'e's finance. 1. TN: Reminder that a Kun is a giant winged whale, sometimes with sharp teeth. 2. TN: Red phoenix eyes have upturned outer corners, a pretty traditional Chinese beauty standard. Chapter 125: Showdown with Duze Beixuan Shing! Duze Beixuan loosened the heavy battleaxe from where it was slung on his back. He seemed like a soft and cunning character, but his weapon was savage and straightforward. His mighty resonant power was already swirling around him, a deep, blue light that formed a vague, whale-like shape behind him. A giant kun. The Deepwater Kun resonance was a beast resonance. The legendary beast possessed ferocious strength that came from its bulk. One twist of its body in the ocean was enough to raise tidal waves that reached the skies. This particular beast resonance could also control water volume. In other words, it was similar to a water resonance, although not as pure in form. For example, a Deepwater Kun resonance could not refine spirit liquids and purifying lights. Still, it had its advantages, namely an overwhelming physical strength that would enhance one's fighting strength when complemented with resonant power. "A lower eighth-grade resonance is really quite something." Li Luo gawked at it. By his reckoning, his sixth-grade waterlight resonance might be able to match an upper seventh-grade resonance, but a lower eighth was something else entirely. Shing! Still marveling, he unsheathed his shortswords, and their blue resonant power flared to life. He leaped forward, taking the initiative in the fight. Weng! A reinforced Water Edge Art made the air hum as his water resonance power spun at supersonic speeds. "Shoo!" Duze Beixuan scoffed at Li Luo's attack. His lumbering battleaxe swung out, unleashing a huge wave of energy accompanied by a deafening boom. Ding! Sword and axe clashed in a terrific wave of energy that blew away the leaves around them. Li Luo leaped back, one hand going to cup his mouth.?Pew! Pew! Pew! A volley of water arrows rained down on Duze Beixuan. He flung his battleaxe up, summoning a thin curtain of water that nullified the water arrows. At the same time, his hand clawed at Li Luo. "Swallow!" Duze Beixuan yelled. The resonant power on his clawing hand suddenly exploded, then it reversed. A powerful sucking force yanked Li Luo towards his opponent. This was the devouring ability of the Deepwater Kun resonance. In the sea, a single gulp from the kun's maw could create giant whirlpools that destroyed all. Li Luo frowned in concentration as he planted his feet firmly on the ground. A dull, yellow light shone around them, and suddenly he was anchored to the ground. As the suction force howled around him, he remained unmoving. He was stealthily using his earth resonance. Duze Beixuan was shocked that Li Luo was immune to his sucking attack. Water propelling his feet forth, he surfed toward Li Luo. Cold fury in his eyes, he brought his battleaxe down in a savage blow. "High-grade resonance art, Flowing Wave!" In the wake of his swing, waves backed his axe, further amplifying his already brutal strength. This was a nasty blow. Li Luo lifted a palm, summoning his Waterlight Demon Mirror. Peng! The battleaxe broke the mirror, but Duze Beixuan was unprepared to deal with the blowback from his own attack. Still, he was competent enough to quickly counter it with a burst of pure resonant power that nullified it. The battleaxe again thrust out towards Li Luo's chest. Li Luo blocked it, his twin shortswords crossing defensively before his chest. Tang, tang, tang! Parrying desperately, Li Luo was forced back. Duze Beixuan gave him no breathing room, his battleaxes point extending out like a spearhead that lanced at him threateningly. Cornered like a rat. The furious exchange continued for dozens of rounds. Li Luo was constantly being forced back, and Duze Beixuan was constantly pushing forward. The advantage of Duze Beixuan's lower eighth-grade resonance and Upper Flowering cultivation shone brightly in battle. "Li Luo, where's that glib tongue of yours now? Stick it out, then! Cmon!" Duze Beixuan taunted him, attacking him with both words and steel. "Li Luo, I'll have my foot on your face today. See how "Oh, fuck!" Suddenly, his foot sank deep into the ground, as though there was a swamp there. He lost balance and pitched forward. Chortling in glee, Li Luo responded with a stomping kick that left a fat footprint on Duze Beixuan's face. He was just about to follow stomp with steel when Duze Beixuan roared and sliced out with his battleaxe. Li Luo hurriedly retreated. Duze Beixuan got to his feet, his expression ugly. When had the ground here become a swamp? "You used water resonance power to make this patch a swamp? No. How could your water resonance power do that?" Duze Beixuan muttered. When poured into the ground, water resonance power could indeed create a swamp. But the amount of resonant power needed was immense. Li Luo should not be able to pull it off at his current level. Li Luo gave him a smile that very clearly said: none of your damn business. Of course, he was able to do it not because of his water resonance power, but because he had used earth resonance power as well. Still, the effect was modest. It was just enough to trip Duze Beixuan. Wiping away the footprint on his face, Duze Beixuan turned to Li Luo again, who sensed that Duze Beixuan's resonant power had gotten even more untamed now. Li Luo had managed to make him lose his cool. Peng! Duze Beixuan firmly planted his battleaxe in front of him and crossed his hands. Wave after wave of intense resonant power pulsed out from within his body. Duze Beixuan's skin rippled with deep, blue light and turned coarse. His fingers bloated up, then his entire person swelled. Li Luo had a sense that this was going to be something big. Duze Beixuan shouted in an almost inhuman voice. "Tiger-general resonance art, Bulk Up!" ...... Whoo, whoo! A fearsome wind picked up, howling through the forest. Even the thickest of trees groaned and creaked, in danger of being uprooted. Such was the power of the wind. They were in complete disorder. Zhao Kuo, Zong Fu, and the others were all lying flat on the ground, staring up fearfully at the young woman. "You want to get me? With that measly bit of power? Ball-less rats." Bai Doudou scoffed at them. Zhao Kuo yelled as he scrambled to his feet, throwing a handful of ash at the same time. Hu! The wild wind screamed, and the puff of dust was gone. Bai Doudou's spear struck Zhao Kuo squarely on his chest, sending him flying. He crashed against a tree and did not get up again. "Out of my way. I've no time to waste playing with you," she said dismissively. If she lingered here any longer, someone else would finish Li Luo off first. Swish! A figure shot past her. Eyes flinty, Bai Doudou flicked a finger. A blade shaped itself out of wind and sliced across the figure's chest. Shing! A long line of blood was drawn. "Ah!" The person cried out. He tumbled to the ground, ungainly as a rolling gourd. As he rolled past Bai Doudou, he snatched a jade ornament at her waist. Covered in mud, Yu Lang grinned triumphantly at the jade ornament he now clutched. Bai Doudou's hand flew to her waist, then she whirled on him. "Give it back, or taste pain." Yu Lang pursed his lips thoughtfully. "This jade ornament seems quite important. I saw that your sister has one too." Gripping her spear tightly, she was already advancing on him. "If you want it, come and get it! If you can catch me, I'll give it to you! Heeheehee!" Yu Lang hooted gleefully, turning to flee like the wind. "Filthy thief!" Bai Doudou shrieked. Li Luo forgotten, she shot after him, eyes ablaze. Meanwhile, Zhao Kuo, Zong Fu, and the others lay on the floor in a daze. They slowly got up and stared in the direction that the two had gone towards. They prayed that Bai Doudou would not beat him to death. They looked back towards the deep forest. Brother Luo, we've done our mediocre best. The rest is up to you now. Chapter 126: The Showdown Continues Duze Beixuan's Bulk Up tiger-general resonance art was nothing new to Li Luo. He had studied it beforeit was the best compliment for beast resonances. With their already superior bodies, any further strength synergized well to create an even greater advantage. This tiger-general resonance art was almost mandatory for all beast resonance cultivators. Which was why Li Luo knew exactly how much trouble he was in when Duze Beixuan's chest started to swell up in size. Boom! Duze Beixuan stomped the ground with godly strength, propelling himself forward. His battleaxe was raised, going straight for Li Luo's head. Li Luo's swords flared blue in response. Ding! Li Luo parried, but the sheer brute strength made Duze Beixuan's weapon more bat than battleaxe. The mighty swing sent Li Luo flying, his arms trembling from the impact. He was completely outclassed this time. Despite his knowledge, he had underestimated his opponent's strength. The wind had whooshed out of Li Luo, and he was bleeding in a few places. Duze Beixuan came at him again, raining down blows again and again. Li Luo parried desperately, his Water Edge a blur as his sword danced swiftly. Ding! Ding! They exchanged a few dozen more blows, and Li Luo was fully on the retreat. With one final Waterlight Demon Mirror to stave him off, Li Luo leaped up on top of a tree. He put his swords together, the beasts on the hilts biting against each other to form a bow of blue silver. He drew, and an arrow of fluid light appeared. "Plenty of parlor tricks... and no game!" Duze Beixuan sneered, leaping at Li Luo. He calmly locked on to the charging Duze Beixuan and let fly. Dewlight Skystream Arrow! Weng! It streaked out with blistering speed. Duze Beixuan's eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by the speed. Still, he was not Shi Huang. He was far beyond Shi Huang in all aspects, and so he dealt with Li Luo's unconventional attack calmly. Waves of resonant power started to pulse from the tip of his battleaxe, overlapping with each other until they formed a robust shield. He spun the battleaxe like a windmill, forming a solid barrier. Ding! The Skystream Arrow drew sparks as it scraped and shrieked against the axe, stirring up waves in the nearby creek. Duze Beixuan was as shaken as his barrier. That attack had managed to break his rhythm, forcing him back. The penetrative power of that arrow was astounding. "A tiger-general resonance art?"?Duze Beixuan thought, staggered. It had the penetrative power of a tiger-general resonance art, yet it seemed to lack a certain amount of punch at the back. He looked up warily, only to see Li Luo already drawing his next arrow. The Dewlight Skystream Arrow was a combination of two advanced resonance arts, but it was far less draining than a true tiger-general resonance art. With his Resonant Master power, he could use a few more. If one was not enough to break Duze Beixuan's defense, then he would shoot two! Three! Weng! Weng! Two more shots exploded forth with a boom, as if they had broken the sound barrier. Two more Skystream arrows lanced towards Duze Beixuan's face and chest. Duze Beixuan hurriedly began to spin his battleaxe again. Ding! Ding! Two more shots landed on the battleaxe barrier, the force enough to make it falter. A gap opened up in his defense. Weng! Another Skystream Arrow broke past the defense, aimed straight at the soft spot between Duze Beixuan's legs. Duze Beixuan felt an instinctive shrinking of said parts in fear, and he hurriedly brought his battleaxe down to alter the arrow's course slightly. It passed between his legs, but the rifling wind behind it was enough to score blood on both his legs. Fresh blood running down both his legs was a scary sight. Duze Beixuan wiped cold sweat off his brow as he glared up at Li Luo, more furious than ever. "Are you alright? Need me to help you with some healing? I have a water resonance, its very good at healing," Li Luo said. At the same time, he was drawing his bow again, sending another Skystream Arrow headed straight for Duze Beixuan. "Li Luo, I'll kill you!" Duze Beixuan howled and struck out at it with his battleaxe. He was red in the face now, and he suddenly pointed at Li Luo, opening his mouth. "AWWWGH!" A deafening sonic blast boomed like the roar of a beast. The blast of the sound made Li Luo falter, and his Skystream Arrow's power was lessened significantly. Although Li Luo quickly recovered, he immediately gave up his arrow attack. Instead, he sent out a hail of Waterlight Bullets and retreated hastily. Just in time. The battleaxe slammed down right where he was standing a moment ago. Duze Beixuan had capitalized on his momentary reprieve to counterattack. He had seen Li Luo's strongest move nowthat light arrow with supernatural speed and penetrating power. He would not let himself become the target again. Li Luo's own quick reactions confounded Duze Beixuan briefly with his Waterlight Bullets. He landed in the creek, water resonance power swirling at his feet. In a flash, he was drawing again, aiming another light arrow at Duze Beixuan. He had fallen back smoothly, with the practiced moves of an experienced fighter. Duze Beixuan was growing more and more frustrated at Li Luo's slipperiness. He was only a Lower Clear, but those strange arrows, that damned reflecting mirror, and those confounded Waterlight Bullets had foiled him time and again. "Let's see how many more you can shoot!" Duze Beixuan snarled. Li Luo was only a Lower Clear, so his resonant power should be far inferior to Duze Beixuan's own. If the battle dragged on, an opening would appear eventually, and he would pounce then. And so the two continued fighting, from the bank to the creek. Using the flowing water to his advantage, Li Luo continued to keep his distance, sending a relentless stream of light arrows. Duze Beixuan pursued him endlessly, trying to close the distance while he fended off the attacks. On a nearby mountain, Shen Jinxiao stood with his arms crossed, watching the heated battle in the creek. Li Luo was holding out a lot better than he had expected. Still, Li Luo had yet to show any miraculous potential, which was comforting to him. Even though he was the young lord of House Luolan, a barely above average student like himself would not warrant a Violet Vibrance mentor going out on a limb for him. "Just you wait, Li Luo. When you find out you're left scrambling for a Gold Gleam mentor, you'll come begging for the precious violet talisman I offered you..." And once Li Luo was in his grasp, the bait would make Jiang Qing'e cooperative. He let a small smile show, his eyes blazing with a mad obsession. "Qing'e, you will not escape me." Chapter 127: The Iron Blooded Yu Lang Somewhere outside the jungle, away from the intense Duze Beixuan-Li Luo fight. Half of the clearing was covered in frost, the other half completely devoid of life as all of the vegetation had withered. In the center, two people were facing off. Lu Qing'er looked down at her hands. They were covered in a viridescent green, poison gas, that was rapidly eating away at the resonant power within her. She accepted this calmly. It was within her expectations. She looked up calmly at Wang Hejiu, who was frowning at her. He himself was encased in ice up to his shoulders. Obviously, he wasn't going to be able to move for a while. "Must you do this, Friend Qing'er?" he asked mildly. "Your Glacial Prison is very impressive, but it will only hold me for a while. My poison resonance in you will wreak far greater damage through your body." "Delaying you this long is enough," Lu Qing'er said serenely. He looked closely at her. "Was it worth it? "The school might help you nullify the poison, but you will be in great pain for a long while. All to hold me up for a few moments." "I'm happy to," she said simply. He regarded her anew, then burst into laughter. "Friend Qing'er, my interest in you just deepened again. "Will you really not consider getting together with me? "Whether in background, talent, or potential, I think I'm better than Li Luo." Lu Qing'er looked at him indifferently. "Not as handsome, though." His smile froze. Really? So shallow? ... "Aaahhhh!" Yu Lang was pitched to his feet yet again, tumbling like a gourd. He crawled to his feet again, his face covered in bruises. But the wind howled from behind him, and another gust smacked him in the back, sending him tumbling forth another few meters. "Give me back the jade ornament!" Bai Doudou's voice rang out from behind. Yu Lang was completely exhausted, but he still clutched firmly on to the jade ornament. "Nope! Kill me if you dare!" Bai Doudou was furious. She cocked a fist and punched him in the head. "AHHH! SHE'S KILLING MEE!" Yu Lang wailed. "You shameless little!" Bai Doudou choked in her anger. She had never seen such a shameless person, and she started to beat him even harder. Pfffft! A spray of blood spurted from Yu Lang's mouth, enough blood to stain the entire ground around him red. Bai Doudou immediately stopped. She was hitting him hard, but surely it wasn't enough to cause this. "Youare you alright?" She frowned, prodding the bleeding Yu Lang with her spear. He lay there unmoving as a dead fish. She bent down to check his breathing. Just as she stooped over, the dead fish miraculously came back to life, wrapping himself around her like an octopus. The two lost their balance and tumbled to the ground. Boom! A heroic burst of green resonant power from Bai Doudou sent Yu Lang flying again. He crashed into a big rock, and his face paled. More blood leaked from his mouth. He was sprawled on the ground. He felt like he had been dismembered. Bai Doudou was green in the face as she inspected her bloody clothes. Gross. Yu Lang was truly gross. "I'll kill you!" Bai Doudou shouted furiously, her spear flashing out towards Yu Lang. "Kill me, then," Yu Lang said tearfully. "I might have an 80 year-old mother at home and ten younger siblings who depend on me, but I'm not afraid to die." The spear stopped at his brow. "What a virile mother she is." She snorted. The spear shaft struck Yu Lang painfully on the wrist. With a cry, he dropped the jade ornament. Bai Doudou snatched it up, carefully wiping it clean before hanging it on her waist again. "Stay away from my sister," she warned the limp Yu Lang. "Or I will feed you to the dogs." She turned to leave. Pa! She felt a hand clutching her ankle. Yu Lang summoned up the last of his strength. "Who gave you permission to leave?" She turned and looked at Yu Lang properly. Covered in ugly wounds and bleeding out, he was still trying to stop her. It stirred something within her. He was shameless and spineless, but his tenacity was admirable. "What's your name?" she asked. "Yu Lang." "Yu Lang, you're a fool. If this was not in school, I might have killed you. "The difference between us is ridiculous. You think you're smart to test my patience again and again? "Is this for Li Luo's sake? Is he worth it? He is the young lord of House Luolan. You might think of him as a brother, but he probably just thinks of you as a disposable pawn." Yu Lang was silent for a while. Then he smiled at her, showing her his bloody teeth. "Little girl, what do you know? You think a man of my experience knows less than a pampered princess like you? "Back in the day, my parents broke the family bank to send me to Southwind Academy. I didn't know a thing then, not even the resonance arts the teachers were teaching. It was Li Luo who taught me everything, starting from my first resonance art. He gave me the courage to keep going to school! "Sure, it might be nothing to him. But I will forever remember that grace. He is my friend forever!" "What does it matter what he thinks? And so, Bai Doudou, if you dare walk away today, I'll..." Yu Lang took a dramatic breath. "I'll die on you!" "..." Is this guy nuts? What would I care if you died? "Get away." She kicked him away, but lightly. She didn't want to really kill him. Yu Lang crawled forward and grabbed her foot again. "Bai Doudou, you she-devil, remember this well. You caused the death of an innocent student the day you entered the Astral Sage College! "If I die, I will become a ghost and haunt you." "Shut up!" She started to stalk away, then she suddenly sat down on a boulder nearby. "No damn point in going now. Li Luo must have been finished off already." "No guarantees." Yu Lang smiled weakly. "Well, I tried my best. I managed to stop Miss Number 3 of the newcomers. Hehe. That will make a good story." "If it were anyone else, you wouldn't even have an unbroken bone left in your body." She rolled her eyes. "What's with you acting all kind? You think all I need is unbroken bones?" he said indignantly. Bai Doudou had such an adorable sister. But why was she so fierce? She shook her head and ignored him. Yu Lang prattled on a little more, but suddenly Bai Doudou noticed that the chattering had stopped. She looked over to see him unconscious in the pool of blood. She sniffed. "Ignorant bastard." Chapter 128: Dual Resonances Revealed Splash! Roar! The serene, bubbling brook had been stirred up by the intense fight. Li Luo skated backwards on the water, his bow of blue silver sending Skystream Arrows at Duze Beixuan in a relentless stream, keeping him at bay. But Li Luo was starting to feel uneasy. His opponent was being too passive. That didn't make sense, unless he was charging up something terrifying. Just then, Duze Beixuan gave a loud grunt of exertion, and Li Luo felt his strength surge forth. "Kun Rising!" he roared. Shoosh! The Skystream Arrow vanished. Li Luo blinked. It was gone! And Duze Beixuan had vanished as well. Peng! An earsplitting boom sounded from his side, and he saw a battleaxe hurtling towards him like an angry dragon. It shot towards him with incredible strength, locked in on Li Luo's weak point. Li Luo was given a huge fright, and he hastily parried with his bow. Ding! This one was enough to wound Li Luo. His shoulders were aching from the impact, and he was flung backwards. "His speed, strength, and defenses have increased again?" Li Luo said to himself, shaken. Duze Beixuan had outdone himself yet again. Still reeling, a figure dashed towards him fast enough to split the waters of the creek. Another cold glint of battleaxe came for him. Li Luo hurriedly parried it again, but this time even a few blocks were enough to wear him out. He was sent flying again, this time landing in the woods. Duze Beixuan appeared in front of him, dragging his heavy battleaxe. He looked like an unstoppable juggernaut. He was staring at the woods, his battleaxe dragging along the ground. "Li Luo, are we done with the monkey tricks? Time to end it? I was just playing with you. You think a Lower Clear like you can match an Upper Flowering like me? "My resonance grade is higher. My resonant power is greater. How are you gonna compete?" He taunted Li Luo, walking into the forest. He looked at Li Luo, who was under a tree, with snake-like eyes. "Done running, rat?" He lifted the battleaxe lazily, pointing it at Li Luo and gathering his resonant power. "Let's end it, then." Li Luo rubbed his numb shoulder gingerly as he grinned. "You think youre cool? The slow walk and the big talk? Maybe you think it makes you look like a hero. "I think it's very foolish. "You see, with all that time you've bought me, I've almost finished building your coffin already." "Still trying to act tough?" Duze Beixuan said acidly. He took one powerful step forward, his battleaxe coming up in a dangerous arc toward Li Luo. Li Luo remained where he was, not moving an inch. The battleaxe grew larger and larger in his eyes. When it was a mere few feet from his face, the tree behind Li Luo suddenly shook. With a flash of green light, thick tree vines suddenly sprouted, coiling around the battleaxe like pythons. It could not move. "Wood resonance? "Who else is interfering in our battle?" Duze Beixuan shouted, shocked at the sudden development. Li Luo grinned. "Who else is here but you and me?" Duze Beixuan stared at him with narrow eyes. "What are you talking about? Are you trying to tell me the wood resonance was you? You're obviously a water resonance user, idiot. You can't possibly evoke a wood resonance!" Li Luo chortled. "Didn't you ask me how I was going to deal with you? Let me show you something really cool." He smashed his hands together, and both his resonant palaces flared to life. Two different resonant powers burst out of his body. Blue resonant power, languid as the wave. Green resonant power, vital and alive. The two elements mixed all around Li Luo's body. There was no disharmony between the two. Duze Beixuan's eyes grew wide as saucers. Li Luo's mocking voice came at him. "Water resonance, mine. "Wood resonance, also mine. "Sorry, but there's nothing wrong with your eyes. I am indeed... the legendary double resonant palace cultivator!" ...... Whoosh! The revelation did not just stun Duze Beixuan, but also everyone else within Newcomers' Hall. Many were on their feet, staring at the youth on the screen. Double resonance?! Could he have been that one-in-a-million who had managed to open their second resonant palace when he broke through to the Resonant Master Stage?! How incredibly rare was that?! Although everyone knew that there was a fraction of a chance that a second resonant palace would appear with the breakthrough, the chances were astronomically low. It was about as rare as Jiang Qing'e's ninth-grade light resonance! And now they had seen the miracle actually happen! Forget the grade of Li Luo's second resonance, just its existence alone was enough to mark him as special. He would have an advantage that no one else could access. Double resonance powerthe domain of Duke experts! Although with his strength, his mastery might only call forth puny versions of both resonances, but it was still extremely beneficial. The crowd was busy reevaluating him. When they first heard that the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan was mediocre, they all secretly felt comforted. Those two were too brilliant, and they even had the ninth-grade light resonance user Jiang Qing'e in the house. The ordinary Li Luo seemed fairer. But now they realized that they had celebrated too early. Li Luo did not have a high-grade resonance, but the rare double resonance was enough to make up for the difference. "Water resonance? Wood resonance?! He has both?" Duze Honglian was staring at the screen with a mix of horror and disbelief. "I don't believe it!" she shouted angrily. How could House Luolan be so blessed? They weren't going to stop at a ninth-grade light resonance with Jiang Qing'e? Now a dual resonance young lord to boot?! "Wow, dual resonances! That's awesome!" Yan Lingqing squealed, clapping her hands in delight. She turned to hug Jiang Qing'e in celebration. "You knew already? That's why you sat there calm like a fisherman!" Jiang Qing'e smiled back. "He is of the bloodline of the House Lords. How could he ever be mediocre?" On the highest spectator platform. Vice Principal Su Xin had been watching quietly up till now, and now clear surprise was showing on her face. "Dual resonances... A rare sight indeed," she said. The First Princess inclined her head as well, also surprised. "Congratulations, Vice Principal. I see that the Astral Sage College is about to produce another rare talent." Vice Principal Su Xin smiled. "Dual resonances are certainly rare. But this talent does not guarantee one's performance in the future. Everything still depends on his nature and transformations." "Still... potential indeed. The Astral Sage College will definitely show him favor and attention." The First Princess understood that the Astral Sage College's love of talent had taken a fancy to Li Luo's dual resonances. Vice Principal Su Xin's words meant that Li Luo would be saved much unnecessary trouble and prejudice in the future. Her red, phoenix eyes turned back to watch the handsome youth with his dual resonances. Although House Luolan had lost two Duke stage experts, their progeny and disciple were glowing with the same light. Perhaps in time they would indeed raise House Luolan up from the ashes, blazing again in its former glory. Chapter 129: Layering Resonance Arts "Dual resonances..." Duze Beixuan struggled to control his emotions. He was a mess insideconfused, angry, jealous... He had always looked down on Li Luo. They were both young lords of their houses, but Li Luo had spent his whole life in the lowly Tianshu Province, plus he used to be a blank palace cultivator. By everything Duze Beixuan knew, Li Luo was a mediocre man through and through. Li Luo might have suddenly risen to take first place at the Tianshu Province exams, but he had not taken it too seriously. After all, the Tianshu Province was a middle-of-the-pack kind of province. So what if Li Luo had won? He himself was a lower eighth-grade resonance user. He outclassed Li Luo in both talent and potential, and had the sense of superiority to accompany the reality. Li Luo's parents were special, he could not deny that. His own father had been beaten by Li Taixuan 18 times. It was not common knowledge in the Xia Kingdom, but neither was it a secret. For him, none of that mattered. The last generation's business stayed with them. As long as he could crush Li Luo like a bug, then everyone would understand that each generation started afresh. He, the young lord of House Duze, was fit to crush the young lord of House Luolan. And all had gone as he had planned, until Li Luo revealed his double resonances... It was bizarre, unexpected, and stressful. "No way!" Duze Beixuan shouted. He swung his battleaxe wildly with a volatile burst of resonant power. It smashed the tree branches into pieces, then he turned to attack Li Luo again. Li Luo was quicker. "Tiger-general resonance art, Arboreal Bindings!" All the trees in their vicinity shuddered to life, glowing green. A ferocious, howling wind picked up, and giant tree branches shot towards Duze Beixuan, binding him. Duze Beixuan howled dementedly. His battleaxe chopped left and right as he spent both physical and resonant power with wild abandon. He cut all of the coiling branches cleanly with each cut. Duze Beixuan realized that the resonant power behind them was not particularly strong, which meant that Li Luo's resonance grade should not be very high. That at least was a consolation. "Trying to bind me with this pathetic thing? You wish!" He sneered as he chopped away in a frenzy. He started to inch towards Li Luo. Li Luo was not at all surprised by this outcome. His woodearth resonance was only a fourth-grade. Even with a tiger-general resonance art, it was hard to pose any real threat to Duze Beixuan. Except this was just the beginning. Putting his hands together, he called forth his water resonance power. "Tiger-general resonance art, Heavy Water Art!"[1] His water resonance power flowed forth in navy-blue streams. They landed on the flying branches. Whoosh. Green and blue melded, and the tree branches lashed out at Duze Beixuan with renewed vengeance. Duze Beixuan leaped to meet them again. But this time, he felt a pang of fear. He found that his battleaxe could no longer cut through them. The vines and branches were much stronger now. Drip, drop. Water dripped from the branches, and each drop that landed on his battleaxe made it heavier and heavier. "Heavy Water Art?" Duze Beixuan was scared now. Li Luo had fused the Arboreal Bindings with the Heavy Water Art. This made the Arboreal Bindings much stronger, just like how a water-soaked whip would lash out with much greater force. Whoosh. More heavy branches flew at him from behind. This time, he did not dodge in time, taking a painful lashing across his shoulders. His clothing split immediately, as did the skin beneath, exposing fresh blood. Duze Beixuan saw red. With a demented bellow, his battleaxe moved again, a scything dance of steel that put up a flawless defense. Peng! Peng! Peng! The tree branches were snake-like whips, lashing out at him with punition. Even though his defense was solid, it was gradually worn down. Li Luo watched the harangued Duze Beixuan cheerfully, using the back of his bow to whittle some branches down into wooden arrows. He nocked one, drew, and fired. It flew through the gaps of the branches with a shrill whistling sound and buried itself in Duze Beixuan. It was not a particularly deadly moveabout half a finger's depth was not going to kill anyone. Still... the humiliation was incredible. Li Luo did not even enter the fight directly. He stood outside, firing wooden arrows one after another until Duze Beixuan was starting to look like a porcupine. Duze Beixuan was going mad with anger. These wooden arrows weren't too threatening, but the humiliation was eating away at him from the inside. "Li Luo, you rat! Are you too afraid to face me in a man-to-man fight?!" he howled. At the same time, he was starting to panic. The waterlogged branches were wearing down his resonant power reserves very quickly. He could feel himself growing weaker by the moment. Along with Li Luo's constant harassment, he was really in a bad situation. He raved on, trying to goad Li Luo into a close-combat fight. That way, he would stand a slim chance of turning the tables. But Li Luo was too shrewd to fall for this. He responded to each verbal insult with a physical stinging instead. Son of a bitch! Peng! Finally, Duze Beixuan's knees buckled. Several branches sent the battleaxe flying, while several more trussed up his hands and feet. In the blink of an eye, all that was left exposed was his head. Duze Beixuan struggled furiously, but his heart sank. There was no way he was getting out of these branches reinforced by the Heavy Water Art. Li Luo picked up the battleaxe and pointed it at his face. "Well, here I am now," he said seriously. "Come on, then. Let's fight a fair mat-achh! Ugh!" Mid-shout, one tree branch lunged into his mouth and stuffed it for him. Li Luo shook his head with disappointment. "The first match between the young lords of House Duze and House Luolan, ending in a no-show by the cowardly Duze Beixuan." Duze Beixuan was so angry that he fainted on the spot. When his eyes rolled back into his head, Li Luo sighed with relief. He himself was getting pale, and he quickly dispelled the branches. He sat down on the ground to catch his breath. If Duze Beixuan had held on any longer, he would have crumbled too. A fourth-grade wood resonance was a little too weak. The wood resonant power was a little too thin for his needs. Still, it had tided him over this one. His head perked up again. Shen Jinxiao had appeared before him. The Violet Vibrance mentor stared at him with an odd look. "Oh, Mentor Shen, here again?" Li Luo welcomed him with a smile. "Have you had lunch?" he asked cheerfully. Shen Jinxiao looked at him. "Li Luo," he said slowly, "who would have thought that you were hiding a dual resonance... I have underestimated you." Li Luo laughed. "Who goes out into the world without a few trump cards?" Shen Jinxiao nodded. "You truly are the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan." "Mentor Shen, what have you got planned next?" Li Luo asked. Shen Jinxiao did not reply, but a deadly look flashed in his eyes. He quelled it. Not even a Violet Vibrance mentor could break the rules of the Astral Sage College. If he did, no other place would accept him, even though he was a Duke Stage expert. "If you've got nothing planned... I guess it's my turn?" Li Luo beamed at him. Shen Jinxiao said nothing, his eyes narrowing. Li Luo sat on the ground and looked up to the sky. He took a deep, deep breath, then shouted, "HEY VIOLET VIBRANCE MENTORS! AM I NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?!" His shout echoed through the forest. Silence. A few moments later, the sky shook, and suddenly four Violet Vibrance mentors descended from the sky. Boom, boom, boom! Four pillars of violet light landed around Li Luo. In each was a violet talisman, shining with light. It was the epitome of luxury. Evidently, all four other Violet Vibrance mentors had been awaiting this moment. No longer caring about Shen Jinxiao, they had extended themselves to Li Luo directly.[2] 1. TN: If you google heavy water, the picture that pops up looks like a thicc ass. I'll accept my bonks and see myself out now. 2. TN: Feels like those The Voice talent shows where all judges slam their buttons. Chapter 130: Li Luos Choosing of the Mentors The scene of Li Luo being surrounded by four violet light columns was shown on the screen at Newcomers' Hall, where the crowd was murmuring excitedly. Clearly, the potential of Li Luo's dual resonances was enough to move the other four Violet Vibrance mentors. Far more tempting than any desire to avoid stepping on the toes of a Duke expert like Shen Jinxiao. Hence, they had all extended talismans to Li Luo. He only needed to pick one of them, and he would be accepted as a disciple to that Violet Vibrance mentor. The older students, free of the other considerations the adults had on their minds, simply marveled at the sight. After all, having Violet Vibrance mentors fighting over him was testament to Li Luo's excellence and potential. It was a rousing sight indeed. "Wow, that Li Luo's something special. He flipped the whole game, and now the Violet Vibrance mentors are fighting over him," the little emperor exclaimed. He had watched Li Luo fight and then win, with eyes shining all along. It had been a close onewho would have thought that he would manage to flip things around? "Vice Principal," the First Princess asked excitedly, "who do you think he'll choose?" "I wouldn't know." Su Xin laughed. "Although, looking at Li Luo's Arboreal Bindings, I guess his second resonance's grade is not very high. His combined strength might be stronger than a lower eighth-grade but weaker than an upper eighth-grade. "The four mentors must be intrigued because dual resonances are just so uncommon." The First Princess inclined her head. "Rare indeed. After all, these are dual resonances, the sort of strength that only Duke experts can touch. Even a shallow dabbling in that strength will be a considerable advantage for Li Luo. "It will definitely be helpful when he shoots for the Duke Stage himself in the future." She paused and then added, "Still, Li Luo is quite a.... unique person." When she recalled how he had snuck around and peppered Duze Beixuan with arrows, she fought a smile. Li Luo was the complete opposite of Jiang Qing'e. Jiang Qing'e was prim and proper, defeating her opponents with a clear advantage of strength that left them with no reprisal. As for Li Luo, he lacked this completely, preferring words and cunning to save himself the trouble. I don't need you convinced. If you die of anger, that's still a win for me. Truly an... exception. ...... While the VIPs in Newcomers' Hall were cooing over Li Luo, the man in question was looking around at the four pillars, a big fat smile slowly spreading on his face. "Well, Mentor Shen, looks like this Li Luo has some value after all..." Shen Jinxiao ignored him. He knew that the moment Li Luo revealed his dual resonances, his plans to target him had failed. If Li Luo were only a passably good student, then none of the Violet Vibrance mentors besides that woman would cross him for Li Luo. They were all colleagues at the Astral Sage College, so they would show some mutual respect. But Li Luo was not just a passably good student. He was a pass-with-flying-colors student with phenomenal dual resonances. Shen Jinxiao's reputation had just taken a hit. Dual resonances were not that far below a ninth-grade resonance. Whoever accepted Li Luo would stand a great chance at producing a Duke Stage expert in the future. He had lost this round. From the moment the four violet talismans appeared, he had cut his losses and stood coldly at the side. Li Luo did not aggravate him further, instead turning to the four violet talismans with some consideration. Now overwhelmed with choice, he had no idea how to proceed. "Esteemed mentors, how am I supposed to choose?" Li Luo asked sheepishly. He knew that all four were watching from somewhere. There was a short silence, then a woman's voice came calmly. "My name is Chi Chan. All four here will do well by you, but I have an edge over them. I show Shen Jinxiao no courtesy at all. I was watching you even before you revealed your dual resonances. Although, in truth, if you had lost to Duze Beixuan, I would not have chosen you. Not because of Shen Jinxiao, but because you would be unqualified." There was no response from the other three offers. Although Li Luo's dual resonances were rare, as mighty Duke experts themselves, they had their own pride. They were not going to squabble like housewives here. Now that someone had spoken up, they remained silent. Apparently, what Chi Chan had said was true enough. She and Shen Jinxiao had some bad blood between them. Li Luo considered the words of this female mentor named Chi Chan. He found no down sides, and so turned to the other three violet talismans. "Many thanks to the three mentors for your favor," he said respectfully. They understood his choice, and they disappeared without a word, light columns and talismans vanishing as one. Li Luo looked at the last violet talisman and put his hands together, bowing deeply and respectfully to it. His first greeting and acknowledgment of a new teacher. "Student Li Luo greets the mentor." With that, he had chosen his mentor at the Astral Sage College. Their relationship would continue until Li Luo entered the Three or Four Star Hall. The violet talisman landed silently and gracefully in Li Luo's hands. "Shen Jinxiao, you can go now if you've nothing else to do," an unfriendly voice stated. He gave a thin smile and turned. In a whirl of resonant power, both he and an unconscious Duze Beixuan vanished. After he left, silence fell again. Chi Chan did not speak again, and Li Luo rose. He looked at the violet talisman in his hand. In its center was the character "Chi", exquisitely carved. "Chi Chan, huh..." Li Luo smiled to himself. With a Violet Vibrance mentor, he had backing now. He would have to treat her well in the future. He stowed the violet talisman carefully, then he sat down cross-legged to rest. With this talisman in hand, his part in the Choosing of the Mentors was over. Next, he just had to wait to be summoned out. "I wonder how things are for Qing'er, Yu Lang, Zhao Kuo, and the rest..." Chapter 131: To Each Their Own At the same time that Li Luo finished choosing his mentor, in another part of the woods. Lu Qing'er's fair skin was heavily splotched with toxins now. They had run amok within her body, and she was in excruciating pain. Still, she grimly held on quietly. Opposite her, Wang Hejiu's frozen arms were beginning to thaw out under his own resonant power. "Friend Qing'er, it seems like your Glacial Prison's limit is here. It's quite an impressive move. If you had just a bit more resonant power, I'd be held here by you for the whole day." Wang Hejiu congratulated her. "You've successfully delayed me, but do you think that Li Luo can fend off the others?" Lu Qing'er did not reply. Her consciousness was fuzzy. But before she faded into blackness, purple light blazed in the sky. Two columns of violet light appeared before Lu Qing'er and Wang Hejiu. Within them, two violet talismans. One floated gently down on Lu Qing'er's head. Its light neutralized the poisons in her body, making wisps of poisonous, green energy rise from her head and dissipate. Wang Hejiu looked at the violet talisman before him and bowed courteously before reaching out for it. He was not surprised. Given his talent, he was not worried about being chosen by a Violet Vibrance mentor. Lu Qing'er receiving one was a surprise. After all, strictly speaking, she had not held her own at all in this battle with Wang Hejiu. She had simply held him there for a while with her Glacial Prison. Although surprised, Lu Qing'er was still grateful. "Thank you, Mentor," she said softly as she took it. ... In another small forest. Zhao Kuo and the other three were lying on the ground, too tired to move. They had been trounced soundly by Bai Doudou, and they were still aching and stinging all over. "I wonder if Yu Lang was beaten to death," Zhao Kuo said with some sympathy. Still, they knew that that, at least, would not come true. After all, the mentors were watching over the Choosing, and they would not allow the students to die. Pain, however... was absolutely on the menu. One look at Bai Doudou and you knew she was no gentle spirit. Plus, Yu Lang was the kind that was just begging to be beaten up. They winced just imagining the combination. Suddenly, a golden light appeared in the air. Zhao Kuo looked up in wonder. "Am I hallucinating? I thought I saw a gold talisman." The other three were staring up at the sky silently as well. A few beats later, they leaped to their feet, pain forgotten. They rushed like mad men towards the golden light. The four snatched gleefully. Each held a gold talisman, their faces lit up with unbridled joy. "We've been graced with gold talismans?" Zhao Kuo whooped. Zong Fu nodded vigorously. "They're really gold. Was our work really acknowledged by some mentor?!" They were ecstatic. After all, it was difficult for those of their strength level to get gold talismans. Especially Zhao Kuo, who was especially lacking in both strength and potential. Therefore, he had set his sights on a Silver Spark mentor from the beginning. But now he had gold? This was beyond their wildest dreams. All four whooped and cheered, over the moon at their gold talismans. Getting beaten up was worth it! ...... Far away in the forest. Bai Doudou looked up instinctively. A ray of purple light was before her. She stretched out and took the violet talisman with great pleasure. "Many thanks, Mentor," she said respectfully. Although she had also been expecting one, having the talisman in hand was still a relief. She opened it to see a "Mi" on it. "Mentor Mi Er?" She naturally knew about this Violet Vibrance mentor. Mentor Mi Er was the mentor she wanted the most because they both had wind resonances. If she could train under this mentor, she would definitely grow very quickly. Still lost in the glow of pleasure, Bai Doudou was startled by a second flash of purple light. "Who else is there?" And then her eyes fell on the unconscious Yu Lang. "This guy?!" Bai Doudou was absolutely aghast. This good-for-nothing was shameless and useless, not to mention he was rather weak. He? Win a Violet Vibrance mentor's favor? Surely this was some sort of joke?! The purple light did indeed land on the unconscious Yu Lang. In the light, his injuries rapidly healed, and his eyes flew open. The first thing he saw was the violet talisman. Yu Lang hesitated for a few seconds, then he pounced on it, pinning it to the ground under his body. "This one's mine! I got it! It's mine!" he yelled. He looked up warily at Bai Doudou. "It's mine, I say!" he repeated. She was speechless. "What are you so worried about? It came for you. No one can take it away." "For me?" Yu Lang said in sheer disbelief. "A Violet Vibrance mentor chose me?" "Maybe they made a mistake, she said huffily. "No way!" Yu Lang objected furiously. "It's here already! It's mine! Even if it's a mistake, I'm gonna stick to this Violet Vibrance mentor! He has to take responsibility for me!" Bai Doudou facepalmed. There was no end to this guy's shamelessness. Yu Lang pulled out the squashed violet talisman and then bowed deeply to it. "Hey, Mentor, I've already done the thing. I've called you Mentor now, you know? We can't change things anymore." Satisfied, he held it up for a close look. "Who's this Mentor Mi anyway?" Bai Doudou blanched. "What?" She choked. "Mentor Mi Er as well?!" She ran forward and snatched his violet talisman. True enough, the character Mi was carved on it. She took out her own. The two were exactly the same. Her face turned grey. How could this be? This shameless scumbag had the same mentor as her? "Hey, you too? Does it mean we have the same mentor?" Yu Lang peered over and was surprised. She threw one of them back to him, stomping over to a rock and sitting down. She was seized with a sudden urge to change mentors. Yu Lang carefully stowed his own and then sidled up to her with a grin. "Friend Bai Doudou, I hear each Violet Vibrance mentor only takes three students. We'll be companions in the future. Please take good care of me. "As for my character, I think you already have some understanding of it. I'm the kind of guy who would stick knives in my armpits for a friend. We might have had some misunderstandings in the past, but it's okay. We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other. "But I'm thinking that after you get to know me, is there just the teeniest, tiniest possibility that you could, you know... introduce me to Bai Mengmeng....?" She kneaded her temples. "One more word and I might just kill you," she said softly. Yu Lang fell silent, sitting down ruefully at the side. He pulled out his violet talisman, rubbing it and examining it, his face still pleased as could be. She let her head fall into her hands and groaned inwardly. This mouthy, shameless bastard? One of her companions? Blasphemy. Chapter 132: Chosen Ones Now that the Choosing of the Mentors had proceeded thus, Li Luo waited about an hour or so more before he saw a circle of light appear under his feet. The space around him blurred, and he vanished before he could react properly. When things stopped spinning, he was already back at Newcomers' Hall. The roar of voices was deafening but comforting. The newcomers were all reeling from their experiences and still discussing them. Vice Principal Su Xin gave them a moment to compose themselves. She warmly said to them, "The Choosing of the Mentors is over. Congratulations, one and all. From today onwards, you are officially students of the Astral Sage College. "Here, you will grow stronger. At the same time, you will start to learn the realities of our world. "Those with silver and gold talismans, you will each take a list with the mentors' names and information. You may choose freely and then report to them accordingly. "Usually, each Silver Spark mentor takes about 50 students, while Gold Gleam mentors take about 20. If the mentor you choose is already full, then you will have to choose another." Su Xin continued, "I would also like to congratulate the 15 students here who have won the approval of our Violet Vibrance mentors and become their students." The board lit up with the names of those chosen, as well as their Violet Vibrance mentors. The excitement rose as all eyes were drawn to the board, carefully checking the names. Li Luo was curious as well. Mentor Cao Sheng: Qin Zhulu, Lu Qing'er, Yin Yue. Mentor Shen Jinxiao: Wang Hejiu, Duze Beixuan, Qi Luozi. Mentor Chi Chan: Li Luo, Xin Fu, Bai Mengmeng. Mentor Mi Er: Bai Doudou, Qiu Luo, Yu Lang. Mentor Chu Zi: Yi Lisha, Qian Ye, Si Qiuying. There were many interesting things to point out, which the crowd discussed with great relish. Li Luo was surprised to find that Bai Mengmeng had the same mentor as he did. He had a vague impression of the Xin Fu person. They were ranked seventh in Yu Lang's book, with a special shadow resonance. Of course, even more shocking for him was seeing Yu Lang's name. "How did that guy pull it off?"?As hyped as Li Luo was, he was just as confused. It wasn't that he felt like Yu Lang was undeserving. Still, compared to the other names up there, his strength was not at all comparable. Besides, his resonance was only a sixth-grade, which was pretty average among the new students. Yet he had won the approval of a Violet Vibrance mentor. It made one itch with curiosity. While Li Luo was still pondering this, Yu Lang was looking at the list too. He let out a strange shriek of anger and sadness.?"Damn, that bastard Li Luo. How did he manage to get into the same group as Bai Mengmeng?!"?Damn, when she got used to Li Luo's dazzling looks, he wouldn't stand half a chance. Lu Qing'er was a little disappointed to see that she was not under the same mentor as Li Luo. When she spotted Bai Mengmeng's name, she bit her lip in frustration, sensing danger. Bai Mengmeng was very pretty. That soft, adorable look was a killer for many guys. While she was sulking silently to herself, Qin Zhulu was staring at his two companions' names. Lu Qing'er, Yin Yue. Those were obviously the names of girls. Qin Zhulu's dark face became stiff. What sort of arrangement was this? Why would they give him two girls as partners? Was he supposed to cultivate and do missions with girls? Qin Zhulu felt like he had been targeted in this one. He could only rail inwardly.?"Why must they challenge me like that!?!"?Among the newcomers, Si Qiuying was staring agog at Li Luo's name. Evidently, she was surprised that he had been chosen by a Violet Vibrance mentor. "What on earth did Li Luo do in the Choosing? How did he get chosen by Mentor Chi Chan?" she stammered. All of the students were looking at the newly chosen top 15 with envy. "Of these five groups, the strongest overall should be mentor Shen Jinxiao's group. On the newcomers' rankings, Wang Hejiu ranks second, Duze Beixuan fourth, and Qi Luozi 15th. That's the best group overall." "Mm. Qin Zhulu might be strong, but both Lu Qing'er and Yin Yue are ranked outside of the top 15. They'll probably drag the group down." "Who's Yu Lang? Never heard of him." "Mentor Chu Zi's group seems pretty strong too. Yi Lisha is fifth, Qian Ye sixth, and Si Qiuying 13th. No slackers on that front." "..." "Li Luo's been chosen by Mentor Chi Chan," Yan Lingqing said happily. Jiang Qing'e inclined her head with barely suppressed relief. The problem of Li Luo's Choosing had been resolved. From the start, Jiang Qing'e had thought Mentor Chi Chan was the best choice. Firstly because she was a water resonance cultivator too, and also because she didn't like Shen Jinxiao very much. Li Luo successfully becoming her student meant that the threat of Shen Jinxiao was significantly mitigated. However, she would not have chosen him if his performance hadnt truly been outstanding. Fortunately, his fight with Duze Beixuan had won him four options, and also the acknowledgment of Mentor Chi Chan. "Everyone, although only 15 have been chosen by Violet Vibrance mentors, do not be discouraged. In the future, if you can demonstrate your own brilliance, it is possible that the Violet Vibrance mentors will extend an additional slot. Here at the Astral Sage College, we let no pearls fall by the road." Vice Principal Su Xin's warm voice gave them some final encouragement. The heated excitement in Newcomers' Hall finally subsided. That's right, there was still a long road ahead of them. As long as they continued to work hard, they might still win the favor of the Violet Vibrance mentors. After all, there were a lot of new students, and there were plenty of hidden talents just lurking in their midst. In past cohorts, there had been cases where Gold Gleam students ended up bucking the trend and surpassing Violet Vibrance students. Although the chosen 15 were indeed strong, this was just the beginning. The future was yet to be written. Many things could change. Those final words of hope from Vice Principal Su Xin brought the Choosing of the Mentors to a formal close. And their lives at the Astral Sage College to a formal opening. Chapter 133: Gong Shenjun After the Choosing of the Mentors came to a close, Vice Principal Su Xin turned to the little emperor, the First Princess, and the Regent with a big smile. "You have graced us with your presence at the Choosing." "Vice Principal, you are too kind. Besides, I'm still a student here." The First Princess laughed. "It's boring at the palace. The Astral Sage College looks fun. Can I come here and cultivate sometime?" "The Astral Sage College's doors are open to all with strength, and blind to any status," Su Xin answered brightly. "And given His Majesty's abilities, it should not be difficult to get into the Astral Sage College. "But at that time, you will probably have to hide your identity." The boy practically glowed with eagerness. The First Princess patted him on the head. "But his body is frail." She sighed. "He needs medicine regularly. For many years, we've searched high and low through the Xia Kingdom, but no one has managed to heal him." "I understand a bit about the condition," Su Xin said sympathetically. "His Majesty has an inborn frailty. It's hard to heal by normal means and needs the healing resonances of light, water, and wood. Moreover, it needs not just a singular element, but a Duke-level mastery of two of them." "It's easy enough to find a Duke expert with water, light, or wood resonance, but for a water resonance cultivator who has also awakened light or wood... that's much rarer. "Besides, even such a person might not be able to cure this natural frailty. Perhaps not even... a King cultivator with all three mastered." A brief look of despair flashed on the First Princess' face. A King expert... That was incredibly rare within the domain of the Xia Kingdom. And to find one with water, light, and wood resonances? It was basically impossible. "Do not fret." The Regent sighed. "We'll definitely find someone." The little emperor tugged on her sleeve. "It's alright, Sis. I'm used to it anyway." "Hey, isn't Li Luo's second resonance a wood resonance?" He piped up. "Does that mean that when he becomes a Duke and opens one more resonant palace, there's a chance?" Even Vice Principal Su Xin was shocked by the realization. "Logically, yes. But Li Luo is only a first-tier Resonant Master. Who knows how long it will take him to reach the Duke Stage. Besides, resonance affinities are up to fate. There's no guarantee that he will have a light resonance." "But there's still a chance," the First Princess said with shining eyes. "Yes, let's keep an eye out," the Regent said. "But just an eye," he warned. "It wouldn't do to hope too much and be disappointed later." She nodded. It was the rational thing to do. They chatted briefly and then prepared to leave. The First Princess rose gracefully, the little emperor in hand. Her eyes briefly paused in Li Luo's direction. The Regent, Gong Yuan, followed them, an impressive figure of power, quiet and confident. He also took a brief look at Li Luo on his way out. ... The crowd in Newcomers' Hall was dispersing, and Li Luo was trying to look for Yu Lang and the others. But things were so confusing that he gave up on the idea, instead heading to where Jiang Qing'e and Yan Lingqing were. He was definitely a closely-watched figure now, and there were many passing looks and open stares as he weaved his way through the crowd. If he was a hot topic because of Jiang Qing'e before, then now he had won his own credit here in the Choosing of the Mentors. "Congratulations, Li Luo. You've knocked off all the socks now," Yan Lingqing said, looking at him proudly over her silver-rimmed spectacles. "I don't want to be so popular." Li Luo sighed. "I might have won, but at what cost? Duze Beixuan took a fall to force me to stand out. What a cunning man." "Alright, enough." Yan Lingqing snorted. Jiang Qing'e looked at him, amusement clear in her golden eyes. "Not bad. Becoming Mentor Chi Chan's student is a rather good result. Don't get big-headed now.?He?might not stop at that." Li Luo nodded slightly. He knew that she was referring to Shen Jinxiao. He was a Violet Vibrance mentor and a Duke expert after all. He held an eminent position in the Astral Sage College, and getting in his bad books was nothing good. Fortunately, even Duke experts had to follow the rules in the Astral Sage College. As long as he was careful and did a whole lot of sticking close to Mentor Chi Chan, there was probably little that Shen Jinxiao could do to him. Li Luo suddenly felt a disturbance behind him. He turned around to see a line of people file in. They all looked young, but they bore themselves with uncommon gravitas. They were dressed in the Astral Sage College's uniform, but there were four stars emblazoned on their uniforms. These were all Four Star Hall students. No wonder they walked with a carelessness in their stride. It was born not of recklessness, but an over-familiarity with every part of school. Compared to them, the new students had to be much more careful about every aspect of their school lives. Leading the line of Four Star Hall students was a handsome guy with a well-chiseled face and bright, intelligent eyes. His good looks were as reassuring as a cool, spring breeze, but his eyes made you sit up straight and respect him. He also had a head of blond hair that was very recognizable. He was leading the Four Star Hall students like smaller stars gravitating around the sun. The newcomers hurried to get out of his way, sizing him up with trepidation. Some of them greeted and smiled back at their acquaintances, who swelled with pride at being acknowledged. They looked at the curious newcomers. "You guys don't know who this is, right?" they said, their comments purposely directed at the pretty girls. The enthusiastic young girls shook their heads. "That is Gong Shenjun, the Regent's son. He's the same age as the First Princess." "He's also one of the Seven Astral Pillars. Do you know why they're called that? It's the highest honor for students at the Astral Sage College. It is the highest rank that students can reach." "Even among the Seven Astral Pillars, Gong Shenjun might just be the strongest. Which means he can be considered the strongest student in the Astral Sage College." Many of the newcomers gasped upon hearing this. The son of the Regent? This person was royalty too. Outside of school, they would have to call him Your Highness. Of course, outside was outside. As new students, they were much more impressed by him being the strongest student. Being able to rise to the top of the Astral Sage College, this illustrious schooljust how awesome was that? They immediately took a closer look. The center of admiration and surprise, Gong Shenjun, walked through Newcomers' Hall towards Li Luo. Li Luo inhaled sharply. He calmed himself down. Gong Shenjun did not know him. He could not be here for him. He had to be here for his plump swan. Yan Lingqing whispered in his ear. "You guessed right, Li Luo. Your greatest rival is here." Chapter 134: The Second Step of the Promise Paying no attention to the eyes on him, Gong Shenjun led the procession over to where Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were. He smiled in a friendly manner. "Junior Jiang, I was lost in cultivation and missed the Choosing today. But I heard that Junior Li Luo performed superbly and was chosen by Mentor Chi Chan." He then turned to Li Luo. "My sincere congratulations on your splendid performance, Junior Li Luo," he said in a refreshing voice. Li Luo thought about what his reply would be for a few brief moments. If it were too cold, he would be seen as petty and defensive. He returned the friendliness. "Senior Gong is too kind. It was nothing too splendid, just a bit of luck that Mentor Chi Chan took a liking to me." Jiang Qing'e's face was neutral. "It was just the newcomers' choosing. Senior Gong praises him too highly." "Haha! Junior Jiang, your standards are too high. Not everyone is a natural ninth-grade resonance cultivator like yourself. Even before you began your choosing, the Violet Vibrance mentors were fighting over you. We haven't seen that in Astral Sage College in a hundred years." Gong Shenjun had a compelling charisma to him, made even more seductive by his charming manners. It was hard to bear him any ill will. Even though Jiang Qing'e might know his true thoughts, she could not call him out on it openly. "Senior Gong, don't underestimate Jiang Qing'e's fiance. He might hide himself well, but dual resonances are just as rare as ninth-grade resonances." An unfriendly voice cut in. Duze Honglian. She stalked over, tall and sultry. Her fiery-red lips featured in many of the guys' dreams. "Duze Honglian." Jiang Qing'e acknowledged her mildly. "I seem to recall your performance was not as good as your brother's. "Didn't you meet your first opponent, me, and then... lost?" Duze Honglian looked ready to commit murder. Gong Shenjun cut her off preemptively. "Honglian, the newcomers have just arrived today. Do us a favor and don't start anything here," he said with a bite of impatience. Duze Honglian bit back her words. She looked at Gong Shenjun with softness in her eyes. He was indeed a wonderful guy in all aspects. Jiang Qing'e had no interest in lingering here. After saying a quick farewell to Gong Shenjun, she led Yan Lingqing and Li Luo away. Duze Beixuan sniffed and stomped away. Today had been infuriating. She had failed to cause trouble for Li Luo, getting the tables turned on her instead. Moreover, her brother had lost to Li Luo in the Choosing. Gong Shenjun watched the two girls leave, then finally let a glimmer of emotion show on his face. "Dual resonances... This House Luolan young lord is not as common as the rumors have made him out to be,"?he thought to himself. "Your Highness, you're too reserved in your courting of Jiang Qing'e. Your greatness is definitely deserving of her," one of his followers said softly. "Li Luo might have an engagement, but surely Your Highness has many ways of voiding it." Gong Shenjun shook his head wryly. "You're too short-sighted. Someone like Jiang Qing'e would not be bound by just an engagement. Those that can see clearly know that the engagement has no actual meaning. "What I want is Jiang Qing'e's heart. Someone like her cannot be rushed. I can only bide my time and wait for my chance. "As for Li Luo... "There's no need to target him. If I want to win Jiang Qing'e's heart, the more I attack him, the more she will hate me. "So if I can, I will be on his side. Others do not see that getting close to Li Luo is truly the best way of getting close to Jiang Qing'e." He smiled darkly. "It will be difficult to stomach, for sure. But until my goal is complete, some subterfuge is necessary. "Victory belongs to he who lasts. "As for my eligibility, I also believe that Jiang Qing'e will come around in time." He waved a hand to close the topic. "Let's go." ... "Gong Shenjun seems a real pain," Li Luo said to Jiang Qing'e after checking behind him. Gong Shenjun was clearly interested in Jiang Qing'e, but he played a flawless game and caused no offense. No verbal threats, no moves against their engagement. There was nothing for them to dig into. "He's an expert in the game, kid. You're no match," Yan Lingqing said with feeling. Gong Shenjun was royalty, and his father, Gong Yuan, was the Regent, the most powerful man in the Xia Kingdom for now. Gong Shenjun himself had exceptional talent, as one would expect of the foremost of the Seven Astral Pillars. He was even rumored to be the strongest student. In all ways, Li Luo could not compare. Li Luo nodded. "Still, as exalted as he is, his goal is merely my starting point." Yan Lingqing gave a surprised and thoughtful nod. Indeed, Gong Shenjun was doing all he could to secure an engagement to Jiang Qing'e. But Li Luo had already achieved this while he was still a kid playing in the mud. "You're quite good at consoling yourself, I must say," Yan Lingqing said roughly. Li Luo threw his hands up. "What else can I do? That guy's really awesome." Jiang Qing'e suddenly stopped walking. She turned her head to him. "No need to be too humble. Gong Shenjun is high-born, but what does that matter? Royalty bows its head alike to King experts. Nor does the royal family dare to cross the Astral Sage College. "So in the end, strength is still king. He might be one of the Seven Astral Pillars, but that's only because he's a year older than us. You have dual resonances. In a few years, who's to say you won't overtake him? "In my heart, Li Luo, you are inferior to no one." The evening sun rouged her lovely features. Behind her, the grand architecture of the Astral Sage College. Above, the umbrella of the Tree of Resonant Power's canopy stretched over. Even Yan Lingqing was struck by how beautiful Jiang Qing'e truly was at this moment. Plus, Jiang Qing'e was so kind to Li Luo. After knowing Jiang Qing'e for so long, she had never seen her encourage and console a guy like this. What was this tight feeling in her chest? If she was feeling like this, imagine Li Luo. He put a hand on his own chest, trying to calm his overly excited heartbeat. "The greatest of furies are dedicated to the beauteous," he quoted. "So, Sister Qing'e, what is it that you're actually trying to say?" he asked curiously. Jiang Qing'e smiled at him. "Remember your promise to me? You completed the first step, getting into the Astral Sage College. "The second step, I want you to become the strongest newcomer in the Astral Sage College. "Gong Shenjun might be powerful, but I want everyone to know that his only advantage over you is age, and nothing else. "So what if he's the son of the Regent? My House Luolan's young lord will not lose to him." Li Luo was taken aback. "Er, strongest newcomer? Surely there's no need?" he protested. He had already shown his trump card, his second resonance, when he beat Duze Beixuan. And Duze Beixuan was only ranked fourth. The three ahead of Duze Beixuan were no slouches either. In fact, they were positively terrifying. Moreover, he was pretty comfortable where he was. Strongest newcomer? The spotlights on that were a little too glaring. Not at all to his liking. Jiang Qing'e's sweet smile was still in place. "If you complete this, I'll give you a reward, you know." "What reward?" Li Luo's interest was piqued. She cocked her head at him. "I'll reward you by pretending I didn't see you and Lu Qing'er making eyes at each other?" Li Luo almost spat blood. Jiang Qing'e, don't think you can slander others just because you're pretty! Chapter 135: Mentor Chi Chan After setting the second mini goal for Li Luo, Jiang Qing'e left with Yan Lingqing, leaving a spluttering Li Luo to fume by himself. "That's too much." Li Luo grumbled. But in the end, he moved past it, knowing that Jiang Qing'e was just trying to spur him on so he wouldn't rest on his laurels after getting into the Astral Sage College. As if he would. House Luolan was in shambles and his parents were missing. Although he had gotten into the Astral Sage College, it had come at the cost of a new Duke enemy. And there was Gong Shenjun, a smiling man with a grim plan to be his love rival. If only he could just raise one tier a day. Five days to Duke, ten to King. He would kill Shen Jinxiao with one kick and then punch out Gong Shenjun's teeth from his sunny smile. "IF ONLY!!" He sighed. There was no time to slack off. "Ah, I guess I'll go see my new guardian." He checked the information sheet that he had received. Mentor Chi Chan's address was clearly written on it, and so he checked his bearings and pushed off immediately. Along the way, he passed many other young students all dressed in the Astral Sage College's star-speckled uniform. The number of stars indicated which hall they belonged to. The pretty senior girls were all in short skirts, showing off plenty of leg as their skirts swished in a tantalizing manner. The Astral Sage College was indeed a place of temptation. Enjoying the sights along the way, Li Luo eventually reached Mentor Chi Chan's place. It was a quiet, little building with a small garden in front. Little spots of light were scattered across the ground. Li Luo spotted a cute, little figure already there. Her hourglass figure was a marvel, and her long hair was pinned at the top with a butterfly ornament. The gentle breeze tugged playfully at the corner of her skirt, coaxing out just a few more inches of fair leg from beneath. Her face was extremely beautiful as well, with large, lucid eyes that spoke volumes, and a dainty, little nose and mouth. Bai Mengmeng. Li Luo walked up and greeted her with a smile. "Hello, Bai Mengmeng." His sudden call made her jump, and she quickly looked up at him. Her face reddened when she looked at his face. "...Hello," she said meekly. And then she was looking down at the ground again, her fingers tightly crossed against each other. Wow, this was some extreme shyness. So this was what Yu Lang liked? Too bad the heavens had been deaf to his wishes. He had teamed up with Bai Doudou instead. Bai Doudou seemed to repel all softness. Yu Lang might well be beaten up every day. "Is this Mentor Chi Chan's place? Why didn't you go in?" Li Luo asked. "Mentor Chi Chan said that we should go in once we're all here," Bai Mengmeng replied earnestly. He looked around. "There's one more person, right? Called Xin Fu? He sure lacks punctuality, that loafer." Bai Mengmeng was quiet for a beat, then she pointed to a shadow leaning against a tree. "He's there. He was here much earlier. We're waiting for you, actually." Li Luo started. Looking closely, he saw a dark figure in the shade, dressed completely in black. The guy was even wearing a hood that covered half his face. His eyes flitted up to meet Li Luo's own, then flicked away. A.w.k.w.a.r.d. Happily, the doors swung open by their own accord, and the three looked around before shuffling in. They took the cobblestone path through the flower bushes and saw a spacious pavilion in the middle of the greenery. A bamboo curtain hung down on all sides, and windchimes adorned each corner. The breeze made them tinkle gently, a sound that soothed them. "Come in." A steady voice called out. The three obediently filed in past the bamboo curtain. It was clean and neat inside, with only three futons placed in the center before a short table. A woman was sitting cross-legged behind the table, clad in mentor robes. Purple stars glittered on her robes, enigmatic and awe-inspiring. They were the mark of a Duke expert. All three were trying to size up Mentor Chi Chan on the sly, awestruck by seeing this Violet Vibrance mentor up close. Her hair was tied up neatly behind her with a blue silk ribbon, but they could not see her face clearly. She had covered most of it with a black veil that only left those icy eyes exposed. Her slightly baggy robes definitely hid some curves underneath. She had an aloof appeal that was as much cutting intelligence as it was physical. "Greetings, Mentor." All three immediately offered her their respects. "Sit." She indicated the three futons. They sat. "From today onwards, you will be my students. According to the rules of the Astral Sage College, I will guide your cultivation and see you as far as I can," she said clinically. They got the feeling that she was not too interested in them. Or in anything at all. "Thank you, Mentor," they replied dutifully. "No need. This is my duty. The better you perform, the higher my evaluation score from the school, and the greater my rewards. What? You think we Dukes stay in school to teach out of love?" Her blunt answer was a shocker, and the three gave sheepish smiles. Damn teacher, if you're so blunt, how are we to cultivate that soppy teacher-student relationship? "In school, I will get you enough resources. Of course, you have to work hard also. You can't blame it on your mentor's reputation if the outstanding Gold Gleam students steal all your resources. "All you need to do is focus on cultivation. Ignore everything else. If there are any dirty attacks, I'll block everything that's against the rules." Li Luo could feel her eyes on him while she said this. She was clearly referring to Shen Jinxiao. He was touched. If he wasn't worried about his first impression being ruined, he would jump on her and hug her leg and beg for protection. "Each of you have your own advantages. "Li Luo has dual resonances. Xin Fu has a rare shadow resonance. Bai Mengmeng might be the weakest out of the three of you, but her Nightmarish Water Butterfly resonance is special. It's one of the rare few water beast resonances that can refine spirit liquids and purifying lights. She might not be as strong as you, but she's a genius in researching spirit liquids. The Resonance Artificers Hall has been trying to secure her entry for a long time," Mentor Chi Chan continued. Bai Mengmeng dipped her head shyly at being praised. She suddenly felt a burning gaze and peeked up shyly to see Li Luo staring at her hungrily. He swallowed some saliva. As though he was ready to swallow her too. She trembled in fear. This guy was handsome enough, but he was scary. "Let me give you some important news next. But before that, each of you can ask me one question." Mentor Chi Chan had a neutral way of speaking that was rather reassuring. Li Luo snuck a peek at the other two. Xin Fu was as mute as a melon. In fact, he hadn't spoken a single word. Bai Mengmeng was just super shy, so he hesitated a little, but he eventually raised his hand. "Speak." Li Luo's eyes were rather serious, but there was no hesitation in his question. "Mentor, what is the Noble's War?" When he asked, it almost seemed like the windchimes quietened and the wind died. A sudden blanket of silence fell on them, caused by the change in mood of the Duke expert before them. Chapter 136: The Truths of the World Within the pavilion, the subsiding of wind and chimes made the silence pronounced. Li Luo looked straight at Mentor Chi Chan. Her composure seemed to slip a little, and she sealed off all sound by manipulating the worldly natural energy around them. Evidently, the Noble's War was an important term even for a Duke expert like her. Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng were looking at him sideways as well. This guy's question seemed to have managed to unsettle even their mentor. They had vaguely heard of the Noble's War before, but they were equally clueless about it. After all, it was so far removed from their lives. The silence continued for a while. "Because of your parents?" Mentor Chi Chan broke the silence herself. Li Luo nodded solemnly. "Your question," she said slowly, "actually touches on the heart of what I was about to tell you next. "About the truth of this world." The three of them were puzzled. "The truth of this world?" "First, I need to explain this world... You all know of the Xia Kingdom. You also know that there are other kingdoms besides Xia. But what about beyond that?" she asked. The three struggled to process this. To them, the Xia Kingdom was huge enough, vast beyond any hopes of conquering. It was hard to even think of life outside of Xia when it concerned them so little. "The Xia Kingdom is located in the East Divine Continent, where there are factions as plentiful as the stars. The Xia Kingdom is counted among one of the strongest powers here, but we are not without our enemies. There are three others here just as strong as the Xia Kingdom. They are the Golden Lion Court, the Iron Sand Empire, and the Holy Sun Dynasty. Outside of the East Divine Continent, there are nine other divine continents. The ten divine continents make up the foundation of all humankind. This information was mind-bending. The sheer scale of the world was something that was hard to process immediately. The Xia Kingdom that had always been their world... how small it actually was. "In these three nations, there are also sage colleges that are comparable in strength to the Astral Sage College." She looked at her three students. "Do you know why these schools exist? Why they were built?" The three shook their heads dumbly. "Because of the Academic Federation." There was a mark of respect in her eyes when she spoke these words. "Academic Federation?" She nodded. "The Academic Federation is one of the most powerful entities in this world. All the elite schools across all 10 divine continents are its members. The Astral Sage College is one of them." They inhaled sharply. Such an incredibly powerful body. They shuddered at the thought. The Astral Sage College was already an unfathomable power to them. But now Mentor Chi Chan was telling them that similar powers were dispersed all over, and the Astral Sage College was but a member of this greater Academic Federation? How freaking powerful could the federation be? It was truly hard to comprehend. Li Luo was thinking about something else: what was the reason for something of such power to exist? To rule the 10 divine continents? "You might be thinking why such an entity like the Academic Federation exists," she continued, as if reading their minds. "The Academic Federation exists because?Others?exist." She emphasized the word, speaking it with uncharacteristic hatred. The three felt a chill. For some reason, their instincts were telling them to be very afraid. "What is that?" Li Luo finally pressed. "It's said that countless years ago, human civilization reached a golden era. In those days, countless technologies were born. The strength of humankind was incredible. We prospered, and as a result, we violated nature itself. A devastating change happened. A reflection of our world appeared. "That reflected world is known as the shadow world." Li Luo hung on to her every word, as incredible as it sounded. Another world? How strong was it? How strong was humankind back then? Was the average person a Duke or something? "The reflected world was not too great a problem when it first appeared. But we did not know that it could gather the evil thoughts of the entire human race. At some point, from evil intention, the Others were born. They inherited human powers and grew strong very quickly. "Others are unknowable, untouchable. They are extremely dangerous and hard to destroy. Moreover, they can eat away at our minds with their corrupting influence. These Others are like a plague, a virus. When they appeared in this world, they caused untold damage, killing and creating chaos. "Others were born of humankind's evil, and they toppled us from our glory. "After innumerable years of war and purging, we humans finally managed to gather the tremendous energy needed to sever the two worlds, stopping the corruption of the reflected world. But not completely. The Nobles' Battlefields are the places where our world joins the shadow realm. "The killing has never stopped since. "The Academic Federation's existence is to eradicate and repel the Others. It exists for the Others. You could even say that it safeguards the survival of all humankind." Li Luo's mouth was a little dry. "So the Kings and Dukes enter the Nobles' Battlefield to fight the Others and stop them from invading our world?" Chi Chan was silent for a while. "Yes," she finally said. "The Nobles' Battlefield is brutal, far more than you can ever imagine. This is also why only Kings and Dukes can enter. Only they stand a chance of surviving. "When Dukes go to the Noble's War, not even one in ten make it out alive." Li Luo felt cold then, a cold despair that chilled every last inch of his body. His parents had gone to great danger. "Why must they go?" Li Luo asked, trembling. "Because if the Kings and Dukes do not go, then the Others will enter our world. The devastation and killing they would bring is unimaginable." "Why my parents?" Li Luo pleaded. If the Nobles' Battlefield was such a dreadful place, one where even Duke experts could not protect themselves, why had Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan cast him and Jiang Qing'e behind and gone ahead? Other Duke experts treated it as warily as a hungry tiger. But they had gone ahead? "I understand your thinking. Not every Duke expert has the courage to enter the Nobles' Battlefield, because the death rate is too high. "Humans once tried not entering the Nobles' Battlefield. But in the end, it resulted in outbreaks of Others. They rampaged across the divine continents, wreaking havoc beyond imagination. "Through long years of experimentation, we found that once the number of Kings and Dukes falls below a certain level, an outbreak of Others is triggered. We would have no choice but to send in reinforcements. Of course, most of them will be Dukes..." she said softly. The three were rigid with fear now. These Others seemed to be forcing humans to sacrifice a never-ending stream of Kings and Dukes as cannon fodder. "The Nobles' Battlefield is too dangerous, and so eventually we all resorted to a lottery to choose the next candidates. "It is known as the death lottery, divided into white and black slips. White means life, black means death. Those who draw black are sent to the Nobles' Battlefield." Chi Chan looked at Li Luo. "Both your parents drew black slips. They went to the Nobles' Battlefield. "They did not want to leave you, but they had to. No one can defy the death lottery. Those who do..." Her face grew very serious. "...have no place to be throughout the 10 divine continents." Chapter 137: Ill Be Leader Silence greeted Chi Chan's remarks. The three students were still reeling from the magnitude of the information they had just received. No one had told them about the cruel reality of their world before. They understood, however. Such news would cause widespread panic. It was best kept classified. "The Nobles' Battlefield is special. Although death and danger are everywhere, they come hand in hand with opportunities. According to some rough statistics, there are far more Dukes who rise to King on the Nobles' Battlefield compared to their counterparts outside. "There are also many brave Dukes who volunteer to go and train themselves. "But whether volunteers or conscripts, everyone who goes to the Nobles' Battlefield deserves our respect," she said softly while looking at Li Luo. "Because they have gone, those of us who remain can cultivate in peace and improve ourselves. "They are heroes." Li Luo was silent. Heroes? He felt a little sick. Given the choice, which parent would willingly abandon their child for that place of death? "Although the Nobles' Battlefield is the main channel through which Others enter our world, it is not the only one. The Others are constantly opening new pathways, which we call Other Nestportals. "Other Nestportals are unpredictable. Each unpredicted appearance causes countless deaths. Entire nations have even been wiped out before, with no one left alive within a 10,000 mile radius. "Other Nestportals are the grim objective of the Academic Federation. Once one appears, all schools must immediately send their best to exterminate it. "The various nations are constantly locked in endless conflict, and even the schools are always competing. But against the Others, all differences are put aside." She spoke gently, knowing the impact of what she had just dropped on these children. In a few short moments, their peaceful bubbles had been shattered. Now they were faced with a greater reality, and their stress was compounded. "There is no need to worry too much about this. The Others are a common threat to all of humanity, but that's not something you kids should worry about. If the sky falls, taller people will hold it up," she quipped wittily. They forced smiles. Such news needed time to digest. But she was indeed rightsuch information was meant to broaden their horizons. Given their current strength, they had neither the ability nor the position to worry about the Others. It was a distant problem. But now Li Luo understood why Jiang Qing'e had been so reticent on the topic. It would only have added to his worries needlessly. He couldn't very well go charging to the Nobles' Battlefield where his parents were, no matter how worried he was. He felt anew just how important it was to be powerful. The Others had to be put aside. He had to worry about conquering the Astral Sage College first. No matter how scary they were, they couldn't be any scarier than him being dead in five years, could they? How was he supposed to be scared of anything if he was dead? This seemed to ease the tightness in his chest a little. As they each dealt with the information in their own ways, the atmosphere of tension slowly ebbed. Mentor Chi Chan did not speak further on the Others or the Nobles' Battlefield. "From now on, you three will live in the adjacent building. There are three floors, one for each of you. "I will individually instruct you each day during cultivation, and also apply for cultivation resources for you." Li Luo's eyes lit up. "Can we get spirit liquids and purifying lights?" he asked eagerly. "I just need sixth-grade ones. Not too many, even ten a month would be good." She shot him a look. "You think the Astral Sage College is a charity?" she demanded. "Who's going to pay for ten sixth-grade spirit liquids a month!?" "What about five?!" Li Luo argued. "None! The Astral Sage College doesn't hand out spirit liquids like door gifts!" she snapped at him. "But if you really need spirit liquids and purifying lights, I can help you speak to the Resonance Artificers Hall. They produce some, but you will have to pay. Since you're a student of the school, they might give you a ten percent discount." Pay? That sucked. Li Luo sighed. He had thought things would go a little more smoothly. "Mentor, can I ask another question?" he tried again. She stared at him, then at Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu, who were quiet. This Li Luo was an unruly one. "Speak." "Please," he asked seriously, "would you tell me how to get Royal Sap?" "Royal Sap?" she repeated. "You're really not one to aim low, are you?" she said with some dry humor in her voice. "Royal Sap is a precious resource in the school. If you contribute to the school, you might be rewarded with some." "What counts as contribution?" he asked curiously. "For example, winning glory for the school and what not... Didn't I just get through telling you that the Astral Sage College is not without its rivals? Even in the East Divine Continent, there's endless competition. Powers as numerous as the stars, and sage colleges are not rare. They're our rivals for sure. Who doesn't want to become the strongest school in the East Divine Continent? "You should know that the strongest school in the East Divine Continent is richly supported with resources from the Academic Federation. The entire school benefits. The competition to win that title is intense. "And of course, the competition cannot be between the mentors or principals. That would be unbecoming. It has to be in competitions between students. "If you do well in those competitions, the school would be happy to provide you all the Royal Sap you wish." Li Luo's face fell. This smacked strongly of the same process as Southwind Academy. Wasn't Southwind just as obsessed with being the best school in the Tianshu Province? The Astral Sage College was just as shallow! Just what kind of irony was this? More importantly, he was just a One Star Hall student. Where was he going to get resources to fight for the Astral Sage College? Clearly, that was for stronger students in the Four Star Hall, or those like Jiang Qing'e, right? "Besides interschool competitions, if you can earn 5,000 points in school, you may also redeem a Royal Sap," Chi Chan added. "School points? 5,000?" All three looked curious. "There's nothing strange about it. Your daily performance and missions will earn you points. Each month's exams, school missionsthere are countless ways to earn points. The school point system is meant to encourage the students' cultivation. It is a time-tested method. "Do not underestimate these points. They can not only get you many special cultivation resources that only the school has, they can even get you Duke energy cultivation arts. They have many uses, and they will follow you through your entire school life. Its best to accumulate those points diligently," she advised them. "Monthly exams?" Li Luo repeated doubtfully. These school points seemed hard to get. Perhaps he could buy them off others with skygold? All sorts of clever thoughts were springing forth in his head. He was the young lord of House Luolan after all. He still had some sort of backing. Mentor Chi Chan seemed to read his mind. "Points must be earned individually. They cannot be traded, and the school severely punishes such actions. Each student must respect this well." Li Luo blushed inwardly, but he showed nothing at all outside. He turned to Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu. "Heard that, guys? Remember the mentor's teachings, and don't sully our group's name." Bai Mengmeng blinked back at him innocently. Xin Fu just looked at him. "Also, you three are a group from now on. If there are any missions, you three will probably move together. It's best that you choose a group leader among yourselves. Someone to sort out internal troubles when they pop up," she continued, ignoring his rubbish. "Leader?" Li Luo recoiled inwardly. No privileges and all responsibility. Definitely a euphemism for scapegoat. No thanks. Only an unlucky child would be saddled with such a role. Li Luo entered a state of great mindfulness. With his eyes, he observed his nose. With his nose, he took in the smells of his being. He was peaceful, he was invisible. The moment one of the other two made a sound, he would jump behind them, full support, no questions asked. "Xin Fu is moving... Youngsters, they just can't sit still." Li Luo could sense a disturbance by his side. He smiled in victory. Xin Fu raised his hand. A bare whisper came from under the hood. "I... forfeit." Bai Mengmeng looked at the floor. "Me... me too," she said in a small voice. Mentor Chi Chan nodded, then turned to Li Luo. "They've forfeited. That means Li Luo's the leader," she said decisively. His smile froze on his face. He swore inwardly. Damn! He had let his guard down. These clowns were even weaker than he had imagined. I was still observing you guys! Yet you quit on me?! What kind of fighting spirit was that?! Chapter 138: Group Dynamics In another building, while Li Luo was being sabotaged into becoming the leader by default. Yu Lang was sitting docilely on his futon, with Bai Doudou and another youth called Qiu Luo to his left and right. In front of them was a scrappy-haired guy who just looked really dowdy overall. He stretched out lazily. This was the Violet Vibrance mentor called Mi Er. "Well, I've told y'all all y'all need to know. Anyways, work hard, eh," Mi Er said, getting to his feet. "Anything else to ask?" Yu Lang and Bai Doudou shook their heads, but Qiu Luo shot Yu Lang a haughty look. "Teacher, I want to know why we have such a weak teammate. "Put bluntly, he will only drag us down. He might even affect our team's evaluation score." Yu Lang's eyelid twitched, but his smile remained in place. He stayed silent. Bai Doudou frowned slightly. Mentor Mi Er smiled back. "Why must you slight your teammate so?" "I'm not slighting him. That's just the level hes on. I don't like carrying deadweight around. Sixth-grade resonance, Ninth Seal cultivation? He is not fit to be my teammate." Mentor Mi Er stroked his chin. "Well, I had a sixth-grade wind resonance myself back when I became a Duke." Qiu Luo was shocked. "But still, not every sixth-grade resonance cultivator can mirror Mentor's achievements," he argued. Mentor Mi Er smiled. "Yu Lang might not be as naturally gifted as you are, but he will be a good teammate. Trust me." He turned and left. Qiu Luo shook his head in frustration. "I have no idea how you fumbled your way into a violet talisman, but if you force your way into a class above your own, the only one who will suffer is yourself. "You will see that even the Gold Gleam students will overtake you," he said as a parting shot. Yu Lang frowned slightly as he watched Qiu Luo go. "Taunts are just hot air. If you believe in yourself, work hard and chase him," Bai Doudou said neutrally. "The only thing scorn does is fuel my motivation!" Yu Lang vowed. "Qiu Luo, eh..." Bai Doudou nodded to herself. Yu Lang might seem wayward, but he was quite a passionate guy. Perhaps some provocation from Qiu Luo would turn out to be constructive. "I'll get my good brother Li Luo to beat him up!" Yu Lang finished with vindictive triumph. Bai Doudou almost bit her tongue. She clutched her chest. How naive had she been? Had she really believed in this guy for a moment? She shot him a glare of disgust and turned away as well. Yu Lang watched her leave. He gave a bitter chuckle and then sighed. It seemed being a Violet Vibrance student wasn't going to be a walk in the park... ... "You guys drink?" Lu Qing'er looked at the burly middle-aged man grinning as he clutched a wine jar. He spoke to them with a companionable air, as though ready to pour for them if they indicated. Lu Qing'er was a little troubled. This was her Violet Vibrance mentor, Cao Sheng? He didn't look reliable at all. She sighed inwardly. Beside her, Yin Yue was shaking her head as well. She looked to be quite the cultured lady. It seemed like the two of them were the only sane ones in the room. Which brought her to the last person. Qin Zhulu stood impassively in a corner, leaving a healthy and reasonable distance of 800 meters between him and the girls. If not for the limits of the room, Lu Qing'er was quite sure he wouldn't even be in sight. "Is he that scared of women..." Lu Qing'er shook her head, sharing an exasperated look with Yin Yue. "Why wasn't I in the same group as Li Luo..."?Lu Qing'er gritted her teeth. She had hoped so hard for it. "Keke, I say, Qing'er." Mentor Cao Sheng hiccuped warmly at her. Lu Qing'er forced an uncomfortable smile. "Mentor." "How is your mother?" he suddenly asked roughly. A look of surprise flitted across her face. Yin Yue was looking over, curiosity clear on her face. Even Qin Zhulu had looked up. "Mentor you... know my mother?" Lu Qing'er asked with uncertainty. "Oh yes, old friends," Cao Sheng said with a soft sigh that hinted at a deep story. "I can't help but remember her once I see you "You didn't choose me because of that, did you Mentor?" she asked sharply. "Oh no, no. Your potential qualifies you to be a Violet Vibrance student, Qing'er. Don't sell yourself short, he hurriedly clarified. "..." She clenched her fist suspiciously. He was looking very guilty. She would have to ask her mother properly on her next trip home. ..... "I only have one command for the three of you. Become the strongest group among the newcomers," Shen Jinxiao said, cold eyes regarding Wang Hejiu, Duze Beixuan, and Qi Luozi. Beneath his calm tone, there was an implicit demand of absolute submission, and a threat of what would happen otherwise. All three nodded seriously. "Beixuan, you lost to Li Luo in the Choosing, but there is no need to be discouraged. You were simply caught off guard by his dual resonances. Li Luo's second resonance is of a low grade. His potential is limited." His chilling gaze lingered on Duze Beixuan. "I hope you can redeem yourself next time you face him. Students of Shen Jinxiao do not lose to the same person twice. Isn't that so?" Duze Beixuan was sweating from the pressure. "Do not worry, Mentor. I will cultivate as hard as I can to wash this shame away!" Shen Jinxiao's eyes flicked down. "Lose again, and I will have to get Wang Hejiu to win back your pride." Wang Hejiu opened his jade fan, smiling as he tapped it against his palm. Li Luo? Lu Qing'er had sacrificed herself against him, all for this guy. If given the chance, he would love to test the power of the young Luolan lord's dual resonances. If the young lord lost, perhaps Lu Qing'er would give him a chance. The image of her unblemished, porcelain hands still remained fresh in his memory. He was a perfectionist, and he cherished the flawless. Those slim, jade-like hands were perfect works of art. If he could just clasp them to his breast, that would be the greatest pleasure in life. "If you need something, just say the word." He smiled at Duze Beixuan Duze Beixuan looked back at him emotionlessly. He then bowed to Shen Jinxiao and left. Chapter 139: My Team The next morning. Li Luo had risen and washed up. He was standing on the balcony on the third floor, looking out at the grounds. Across the carefully gardened greenery, he could see groups of students wearing heavy, specialized suits of armor and running in cadence, sweat pouring down their backs. This heavy armor was able to suppress one's resonant power. Therefore, the wearer had to constantly expend resonant power to counter its weight, or be crushed under it. Privately, the students gave it the nickname of troll armor. This was life at the Astral Sage College. Full of hope and light. Li Luo stretched lazily. He patted his groaning stomach and then headed downstairs. On the second floor, he saw an easel set up, and a black-robed figure hunched over it, moving his brush with great concentration. Li Luo sauntered over. "Morning, Xin Fu," he greeted. Xin Fu glanced at him from under his hood and gave him a barely perceptible nod. After a day together, Li Luo already knew that he was as reticent as could be. He was like a living shadow. If you did not look out for him, you would totally forget he was there. Still, Li Luo was the leader, so he felt like he should show some concern for his fellow teammates. He stood beside Xin Fu and looked at his easel. He scratched his chin and appreciated his work. "Your chicken drawing has great charm, I say." Xin Fu's brush stopped. A few seconds later, he quietly said, "I'm drawing a phoenix." Li Luo almost fell over backwards. He looked at the little chicken, er, phoenix, on the canvas suspiciously... The thing was a few grains of rice away from a chicken drawing, damn it. A phoenix? Just how underfed are your phoenixes, for goodness sake! They're scrawny! "Did you just start painting? It's not a bad hobby. Helps to regulate the emotions and all that," Li Luo finally said after some long thought. Xin Fu's brush started its unsteady journey across the white paper again. "I've been painting for ten years now," he finally said after an even longer pause. Li Luo almost added a spray of blood across the painting. His mind couldn't take much more. Ten years? And he was still this bad? I could draw better with my feet! Forget it, a strange teammate. Let it be. He quietly headed downstairs. On the first floor, Li Luo was just contemplating what to do for the morning meal when Bai Mengmeng appeared in a short skirt-apron in the living room. She carefully placed breakfast on the table. Looking up at Li Luo with large, liquid eyes, her face broke out in an endearing smile. "Good morning, Leader. I've made breakfast, no need to go to the school canteen." Looking at this adorable, little angel, Li Luo's heart lightened. Luckily, he had one normal teammate. Considerably cheered up, he said thanks and sat down. The first mouthful of food stopped right behind his teeth, as if frozen in time. He stared at the food, appalled. It looked like it had been prepared with great care, but it tasted like pig feed. He could not imagine how she had done it. Careless, he was. A normal teammate, he thought he had. Just kill me now, I'm tired of it all. "Leader, what's wrong? Is it... not good?" Bai Mengmeng asked anxiously, seeing his odd reaction. Li Luo looked at her anxious face. So pure. So cute. He swallowed, both the food and his real thoughts. "Delicious," he said with a smile. She gave him a happy and relieved smile. He spotted Xin Fu coming down the stairs. "Brother Xin Fu, come quickly!" he called out heartily. "Mengmeng has made breakfast!" Xin Fu stared at the very pleased Li Luo suspiciously, but he ended up walking over. Bai Mengmeng quickly offered him up a serving of breakfast too. He said an awkward thank you and took it. The first mouthful of food stopped right behind his teeth, as if frozen in time. He looked up at a beaming Li Luo with a complex expression. He swallowed, then reached for another big bite. "Leader," he mumbled, "Mengmeng's hard work was all for us. We will finish the food." "Damn, this guy doesn't hold back,"?Li Luo thought. Under the earnest and hopeful gaze of Bai Mengmeng, he began to shovel it down too. Bai Mengmeng's eyes crinkled happily. She hummed as she served herself and then began eating with enjoyment. Looking at how happy she was, Li Luo and Xin Fu stared at each other, confirming confusion in the other's eyes. Did she actually like the food? The Bai family was an ancient family from the Gusu Province. They held great power in the Xia Kingdom. Surely their food could not be this bad, right? Li Luo shook his head in sympathy for Bai Mengmeng. The door was pushed open, and Chi Chan strode in. She waved to indicate they need not rise. "Today, we will begin the first lesson. Later, you will go with me to the underground training room," she said. "Mentor, when can we go to the Tree of Resonant Power?" Li Luo asked. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu looked up as well, interested. It was perhaps what all newcomers looked forward to the most. The Tree of Resonant Power, whose canopy shaded the school. It was the symbol that everyone recognized. "The worldly natural energy near the Tree of Resonant Power is too overwhelming. New students can only go there once every three days as it is too much for you," she explained. "So you can only go tomorrow." They nodded, impressed. The Trees of Resonant Power in their previous schools were daily visits. Here, they could only go once every three days because of how powerful it was...? What a luxurious reason. After breakfast, the three eagerly followed Chi Chan to the underground room. Guidance from a Duke Stage expert! First up was Li Luo, while Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu sat cross-legged at the side to observe. "Give me your hand." She reached out with her own. Li Luo hesitated a moment, but eventually he stretched his hand out. He knew that she wanted to examine the dual resonances within him more clearly, to better guide him. He hesitated because of his third resonant palace. At this stage, he did not want to reveal it yet. Dual resonances were enough to make his enemies sit up and notice the young lord, but things were still under control. But if his third resonant palace were exposed, he would be public enemy number one. House Luolan's enemies would not wait until he continued maturing. They might strike immediately, and perhaps not even a Violet Vibrance mentor would be able to protect him from them. The Astral Sage College might be a strong deterrence, but why even put himself in such a situation? Still, there was no reason to refuse here. His third resonant palace had yet to be opened; it was currently hidden deep in his body. If she did not go too deep, it would be hard to discover. Calming himself, he stretched out his hand, allowing her to grasp his wrist. Chapter 140: First Lesson Mentor Chi Chan closed her eyes and felt out Li Luo's body. He stared back at her black-veiled face intensely. "Hmm?" She mused. His heart almost stopped. "You have a water resonance and a wood resonance, right? Your water resonance feels like a sixth-grade, but the purity... strange. It's comparable to an upper seventh Your wood resonance is much weaker, only a fourth-grade, but it has the same strange purity." She looked at him curiously. "Did you use some special treasure? Your resonant power is quite high quality." "Perhaps." Li Luo shrugged vaguely. She was intrigued, but not too surprised. Li Luo was the young lord of House Luolan after all. His parents were Duke experts, and it was not surprising that they would leave him treasures to improve his resonant power purity. "Li Luo, your second resonance grade might not be high, but having dual resonances is your greatest advantage. It's a power not usually unlocked before the Duke Stage. "Although you cannot possibly master both fully, even skimming the top is enough for you to enjoy a unique advantage. "Use your dual resonances." Li Luo complied, calling forth blue and green in a splendid color display around him. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu watched with interest. It was their first time seeing someone with dual resonances before the Duke Stage. "Your resonant power... you have two resonances, but not a dual resonance. You cannot even combine them in a simple manner." She shook her head. "A true dual resonance is perfectly melded; a single resonant power with two distinct properties. The resulting power is far stronger than ordinary resonant power. "In your current state, you would have to channel water resonant power to use a water resonance technique and then switch to wood resonant power to use a wood resonance technique. It's too complicated and tricky. Your opponent will easily break through the gaps." Li Luo thought this over. Indeed, his two resonant powers were very clearly separated. They could be used in a way that did not interfere with each other, but they were not combined. He was just not strong enough. "Want to see a real dual resonance?" she asked with a proud smile. Li Luo nodded eagerly. She lifted her palm and called forth a roaring wave of resonant power. The sound of water filled the training room. And then he saw the gushing water resonant power coalesce before Mentor Chi Chan, forming a blue tiger that stood ten feet tall at the shoulders. It was deep blue in color, but it had a sparkle like jade. Its roar was an earsplitting roar of both tiger and ocean. Li Luo trembled as he looked at it. The blue tiger looked so real. "My first resonance, as you should be able to tell, is a water resonance. "Do you know my second?" Chi Chan asked. Li Luo took a closer look at the blue tiger. "A beast resonance?" he ventured. She inclined her head. "Indeed, my second resonance is an upper seventh-grade jade tiger resonance." Li Luo was awed all over again. No wonder she was an ambivalent character of calm and fierceness. Her second resonance was... a mother tiger. This time, she could not glean Li Luo's train of thought from the look on his face. "This blue jadewater tiger is the amalgamation of both my resonances. It has the supine power of my water resonance, and also the ferocity of my jade tiger... "It is very strong. Ordinary Heavenly Dipper Generals cannot even take a single swipe from its paw." Li Luo was impressed. This was what a Duke's dual resonance could achieve? Heavenly Dipper Generals were already quite a force to be reckoned with in his book. But they would be smacked into oblivion by this blue tiger. He was made keenly aware of just how strong a Duke expert was. Compared to this, the two separate powers within him were as unmerged as could be. He wasn't discouraged. Although dual resonances were hard to cultivate, he was already one leg in. Others weren't even qualified to start this journey. And he was pleased with the power that was promised, on display before him. "Cultivating dual resonances comes in three steps. First, a minor merging. Second, two becoming one. Thirdly, sentience. For those at the Duke Stage, they normally do not need any special cultivation, and the third step comes naturally for them. Of course, that's for Duke cultivators. Don't try jumping the gun. "If you can reach the first step, you'll be able to combine the two powers for a short while. That alone will allow you to fight like a fish in water at the Resonant Master Stage. "Next, I will force your two resonant powers to merge through external power every day. You need to get the feeling of two powers merging, and try to get them to interact. "Don't expect to get there any time soon. You're not at the Duke level. Take it slowly," she counseled. Li Luo nodded eagerly. "Thank you, Mentor," he said gratefully. Only a true Duke expert could guide him to experience dual resonance cultivation properly. If he were to experiment it alone, who knew how much effort and time he would take? "Also, you're learning the refining arts? "I have some understanding of the refining arts. I'm a passable seventh-grade resonance artificer, and also hold a post at the Resonance Artificers Hall... You can ask me if you have questions about that aspect as well," she mentioned off-handedly. Li Luo blinked.?"Great Mentor, Madam, I would very much like to stick to you like a wart. May I?" That was what he would really love to say to her now. A seventh-grade resonance artificer was considered top-class in the Xia Kingdom. If one wanted to bring their villa to the top ten level, a seventh-grade resonance artificer was an anchor of top-class reputation. Having one guide him in the refining arts... This wasn't a mentor, this was an angel! He realized just how much of a leg up it was to secure a Violet Vibrance mentor. She gave him a few more pointers, then she turned to Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng. Before they knew it, most of the day had passed. "We'll stop here for today. Our future lessons will be conducted similarly. I have no strict demands of you, but there is a ranking battle in the Astral Sage College at the end of every month. They are team battles, not individual ones. Those that place well will win school points. They are one of the numerous ways available to accumulate points. "Also, if a Violet Vibrance team is overtaken by a Gold Gleam team three times consecutively, then the weakest of that team might be eliminated. Of course, exceptions can be made, such as for excellent refining researchers like Mengmeng..." she said to them. They nodded seriously. It looked like Violet Vibrance students couldn't let their guard down one bit. After enjoying the perks of a Violet Vibrance mentor, none of them were willing to let them go. Li Luo was feeling this acutely now. However, kicking him down to 30th place was quite out of the question. Although... that Yu Lang punk might be in danger. Li Luo frowned, worried. Hopefully, the wastrel would buck up... Chapter 141: Hidden Enemy Li Luo sprang out of bed the next morning, eager to visit the Tree of Resonant Power. He washed up and then headed downstairs. On the second floor, Xin Fus black hood was closely bent over a canvas. This time, Li Luo kept his concern to himself and headed downstairs. On the first floor, Bai Mengmeng was busy in the kitchen, carefully preparing breakfast. Looking at the beautiful girl, Li Luo sighed. They said beauty stimulated hunger, but he couldn't very well eat like that forever. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. He opened it to a familiar and gorgeous face. "Sister Qing'e?" Li Luo exclaimed with a delighted smile. Her elegant figure was framed beautifully in the door, legs demurely put together from under her battle skirt. She was glowing in the morning light. Hanging on her finger was a little bag, which she handed over to Li Luo with a smile. "This is the most famous red glutinous cake from the Astral Sage College's canteen. It's the best breakfast." "You're a savior!" he cried, hot tears of gratitude almost leaking from his eyes. "Any later, and I would be tortured again." He gestured ominously inside. She looked past him to the cute figure of Bai Mengmeng bobbing around the kitchen. "Benefiting from the situation and STILL playing coy? Hmph!" "You have to eat it yourself to know," Li Luo said morosely. She ignored that. "Walk with me." Clearly, she had something on her mind. He informed Bai Mengmeng and followed her out. There was a lake nearby, its mirror-like surface unrippled as a light, morning mist protectively hovered above it. Huffing and puffing students in troll armor occasionally jogged past them. They could not resist throwing intensely jealous looks at Li Luo, who had the privilege of taking a morning stroll by Jiang Qing'e's side. After all, she was a Three Star Hall student and was famous throughout school. She was just about as popular as the Four Star Hall First Princess. Li Luo had grown immune to those looks a long time ago. "So," he said through a big bite of red glutinous cake, "what's up?" She regarded him for a moment with her golden eyes. "About the Nobles' Battlefield. Has your mentor told you about it?" His hand paused midway to the bag of cake. He nodded heavily. "No wonder you didn't tell me earlier," he said quietly. "It would have been unnecessary stress." "Well, I'm too weak to do anything about it," he said regretfully. "Me too," she said softly. "There's no need to beat yourself up over it. A goal is not a bad thing." He nodded. The pounding feet of morning joggers in step filled the silence. "I wonder how my parents are..." "They're surely fine. We shouldn't worry ourselves needlessly. Rather than worry about their safety at the Nobles' Battlefield, we would do well to be more careful here," she warned. He frowned. "What do you mean?" She walked beneath a willow tree and looked down into the water. Li Luo sensed a hardness about her. "You know how people are chosen for the Nobles' Battlefield?" "Death lottery," he said. "There aren't too many Duke experts in the Xia Kingdom, roughly a few dozen... Both the Master and Mistress drawing the black at the same time seems... too coincidental." Her quiet voice barely carried across to his ear. He shivered in the rapidly-warming morning sun and felt some blood drain from his face. "You mean... they were sabotaged?" Li Luo whispered. She reached out to catch a falling leaf. "I have no evidence. Just a guess, an instinct." "But manipulating the death lottery is beyond the average person. Who could be that powerful?" She toyed absently with the leaf. "If I had to guess, only three factions in the Xia Kingdom possess that power." "The Astral Sage College, the royal court, and the Golden Dragon Bank." Li Luo swallowed a lump in his throat. Indeed, these three were the strongest factions in the Xia Kingdom. But what could be their motive? Was there really one? "I know this guess sounds far-fetched, so I haven't voiced it yet. But now you are in Xia City, and also at the Astral Sage College. You're starting to move into the radar of various powers, so I thought you better be warned. Perhaps I'm merely seeing things in the shadows. But it's always better to be careful." He nodded. "It all comes back to not being strong enough." She nodded with deep feeling. If only she was a Duke already. She could pursue her suspicions freely then, with no fear of recourse. They suddenly heard footsteps nearby, and both turned to face their source. "Keke, Senior Jiang, I thought I recognized your back profile. It's really you." A cheerful voice called out. Li Luo saw that it belonged to a strapping youth. He was reasonably handsome, with piercing eyes and a noble brow. He wore his troll armor easily, his expression untroubled. He was clearly quite a strong cultivator. There were two stars on his uniform, marking him as a Two Star Hall student, which was one higher than Li Luo. The stranger met his gaze with an affable smile. "You're Junior Li Luo? I've heard of you. I'm Ye Qiuding, a Two Star Hall student." "Hello, Senior Ye," Li Luo replied back. "You need something?" Jiang Qing'e asked mildly. Ye Qiuding hurriedly waved. "We have just finished training and have picked this as our rest spot. I happened to spot Senior Jiang here and thought to come say hi. Did I interrupt something?" Li Luo saw a big group of a few dozen resting nearby. They were all dressed in troll armor, panting and sweating heavily. All of them were Two Star Hall students. Some of the resting students were looking at Ye Qiuding talk to Jiang Qing'e, knowing smiles and sniggers on their faces. Jiang Qing'e shook her head. "I just bought Li Luo breakfast." Ye Qiuding looked at the red glutinous cake in Li Luo's hand enviously. "That's the first time I've seen Senior Jiang deliver anyone breakfast. Junior Li Luo, you're a lucky man." "Keke, I won't intrude any further. Senior Jiang, please feel free to find me if you need me for any more missions in the future. I will definitely do my best." He smiled cutely at her and waved as he left. Li Luo sighed irritatedly as he left, then he pointed accusingly at Jiang Qing'e with the red glutinous cake in hand. "Tell me, just what is going on here? "From the moment I stepped into the Astral Sage College, it's been old lions and mean wolves salivating over you. And now this rambunctious puppy... My goodness, the variety is endless. Jiang Qing'e, are you asking to be punished by the House?" Chapter 142: Resonant Luminescence Lakeside. Jiang Qing'e looked at Li Luo's "stern" stance in amusement. She then looked back out at the still lake, Ye Qiuding already forgotten. She knew he was kidding. "Have you forgotten how the House settles disputes? Shall we adjourn to the sparring room?" she asked with a trace of relish. Li Luo hurriedly pulled his accusing finger back. "I'm trying to have a civil conversation here. How barbaric of you. My mother really raised a bad girl." She laughed. "That guy's reputation in the Two Star Hall is pretty good. He's probably ranked in the top three. "We had a mission where we needed a new student. He was quite good, so we asked him. That's how I know him. That's all." "Cai Wei and Lingqing told me that I would understand what unstoppable charm looked like when I got into the Astral Sage College. I guess this is it." Jiang Qing'e shook her head. She couldn't be bothered answering that tired topic. "All I want right now is to get to the Duke Stage as quickly as possible. To protect you, to protect House Luolan, and also investigate the death lottery for my mentors. "Anything or anyone else... "I would be happy if they fell off the edge of the world," she said indifferently. Scary. She looked back at him and smiled, stretching out a hand to ruffle his head out of habit. This time, he intercepted her, catching her little hand within his own. She was surprised but didn't flinch, only looking at him in amusement. "Look, Qing'e," Li Luo grumbled. "If you could be a bit more appropriately demure at a time like this, I think the mood would be great." Jiang Qing'e thought about it. "Demure?" Her amusement showed even more. "I want to fulfill your wish, Li Luo, but it's impossible before you defeat me." He was crying inside. Life was hard when your fiance was too outstanding. Meanwhile, Ye Qiuding had walked back to his group, his bubbly demeanor all but gone. "Brother Ye, is that kid the young lord of House Luolan? The one engaged to Senior Qing'e?" someone asked. Ye Qiuding nodded tersely. "The lower floor of the tower gets the moonlight first, but only because it is closer to the pond," his friend quoted. "I heard that his parents agreed to it because she owes them everything." Ye Qiuding waved him off. "Rumors like that can't be trusted. Those two are Duke experts. They might dote on their son, but they wouldn't do something like that." Still, the thought lingered on his mind. "Brother Ye, you're better than Li Luo in every way. You should press your suit. Someone of Senior Qing'e's caliber doesn't come around often." "Yeah, Brother Ye. If you can get her... hehe. All the guys here at the Two Star Hall will be able to hold our heads high. Do you know how many suitors she has in the Three and Four Star Halls?" "I think she quite likes your type, Brother Ye. Otherwise, why would she have invited you to that mission?" Ye Qiuding scolded them in good humor. "Get back to training, you louts. Want to get in trouble again?" As he herded them on, he turned back to take a look at the lake. He saw Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e laughing together. She was looking at him with a soft tenderness that he had never seen elsewhere. His eyes hardened. Then he turned away and left. ... After bidding Jiang Qing'e goodbye, Li Luo returned to the house. The moment he entered, he saw Xin Fu sitting at the table, glumly choking down Bai Mengmeng's breakfast. From under his hood, his eyes betrayed nothing, but under his table, his legs were quaking badly. Li Luo suppressed his smile and walked over. "Breakfast, Leader?" She turned her large eyes on him. He gestured to the half-eaten red glutinous cake in his hand. "Not today. Someone got me breakfast, and I couldn't refuse." Xin Fu looked up angrily. "Is that from Senior Qing'e?" Bai Mengmeng asked enviously. "I saw her just now. She's really beautiful." Li Luo nodded and smiled. Mentor Chi Chan walked in the door. "I'll take you to the Tree of Resonant Power after breakfast," she said. All three perked up immediately. She handed out three purple jade tablets to them. There are four types of leaves on the Astral Sage College's Tree of Resonant Power. No change to the three types that you have seen before: bronze, silver, and gold leaves. The fourth type is unique to the Astral Sage Collegewe call them violet jade leaves. "Violet jade leaves are only for Violet Vibrance students to use. Those are your plaques, and your violet jade leaf numbers are written on them." The three took them carefully. Li Luo carefully looked at his. It was smooth to the touch, and there were words etched on it. One Star Hall | North Zone | Branch 97 | Number 5. "The Tree of Resonant Power is vast. Each hall is assigned a different zone. Generally, the higher the star hall, the greater the confluence of energies in the area assigned. As one grows stronger, more of the worldly natural energies' density can be utilized properly. "Also, during your first visit to the Tree of Resonant Power, if you're lucky or talented, you might trigger a resonant luminescence. No need to panic. The Tree of Resonant Power is simply giving you an additional gift. "Resonant luminescence?" the three of them asked, puzzled. "Put simply, when you visit a place with such dense worldly natural energy for the first time, your cultivation might resonate with the Tree of Resonant Power to fill your body with worldly natural energy. "The filling process is a little like a baptism. Those who are blessed by it will feel their resonant power improve by a leap. Each year, it happens when the newcomers visit the tree for the first time. It is not too rare, and its definitely a good thing if you receive it. "Violet jade leaves also increase the chances of resonant luminescence happening." They tightly clutched their violet jade tablets in wonder. Just how far did the privileges of Violet Vibrance students extend? They had truly been given a wonderful head start. "Resonant luminescence also varies in strength from person to person. It depends on the brightness and duration." Chi Chan glanced at Li Luo with a half-smile. "In the last century, the strongest resonant luminescence was gifted to Jiang Qing'e. The brightness was said to have been spotted from some places in Xia City." Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng also stared at him. Senior Qing'e was truly a legend everywhere. Li Luo kept his face neutral. So the plump swan had kept this one quiet from him too, huh... Still, it seemed like he would have many people comparing themselves to him when he went to the tree. Nothing new Truly, the pressure of having such an excellent person as his fiance was quite heavy. Could anyone understand his pain? Chapter 143: Under the Tree of Resonant Power After breakfast, Li Luo and his team eagerly followed their mentor, Chi Chan, out of the building, heading for the Tree of Resonant Power. They saw a slow convergence of people all headed the same way, a majestic exodus drawn to the locus of power. Clearly, all the students were headed for the tree, although it was big enough that everyone was headed for separate zones. Finally, they reached the One Star Hall designated climbing area after 20 minutes. Here, they could feel the overpowering immensity of the tree. The main trunk's girth was astounding, a pillar of wood that reached up into the heavens. The branches were so thick that light barely filtered through in specks. Underneath it, humans were as insignificant as ants. Most impressive of all was the worldly natural energy. Even before they climbed the tree, they could sense it overflowing, buzzing, pulsing. It was everywhere. It was a bonanza of energy beyond what they had ever experienced before. Many other mentors had led their new students here as well, and the place was lively with chatter. Li Luo spotted a familiar figure. There was a dirty energy that he could detect a mile away. The dirty man himself, Yu Lang. Yu Lang's eyes lit up when he spotted him in turn, hurrying towards him through the crowd. Li Luo watched his hasty approach. Why the eagerness? Was this the power of friendship? Had the absence of a few days made his heart this fond? Li Luo was just about to greet him when Yu Lang's rough hands shoved him aside. Yu Lang's passionate eyes were firmly locked on Bai Mengmeng. He started forwards. "What. Are. You. Doing?" A cold voice rang out behind him. Yu Lang froze, almost creaking as he turned around, terrified. Bai Doudou was glaring at him. Yu Lang grinned broadly. "Why, of course I'm here to see my good brother," he said casually, clapping Li Luo on the shoulder and giving him a brotherly shake. Li Luo played along to a performance that fooled nobody. "How's the canteen food?" "Er, passable. Haven't you gone?" Yu Lang asked, puzzled. "Bai Mengmeng has been making breakfast for us, so I haven't gone," Li Luo replied. Yu Lang's jaw dropped. Damn, this was the paradise he could only dream of. Why couldn't he get Bai Mengmeng's breakfast of love? Why was it Bai Doudou's daily whippings? Bai Doudou blanched and looked at Li Luo apprehensively. "Mengmeng has been making breakfast?" Li Luo saw some pity in her eyes. "Did you eat it all? Did you say anything?" she quickly asked. Li Luo knew what she meant. "Well, of course we ate it all. She made it so kindly..." Bai Doudou looked relieved. This made her towards him soften. "But what's with her?" Li Luo asked. How could she eat something so bad so calmly? Did she not know it was off? Bai Doudou hesitated. "Mengmeng was hit with a rare poison when she was young," she said in a low voice. "She lost her sense of taste..." Li Luo's face tightened. No sense of taste. Everything that passed through her lips was tasteless. Such a cute, adorable girl, stricken with such a flaw. His heart went out to her. Yu Lang was a little teary-eyed as well. "What an angel of a child." He rounded on Li Luo. "You ungrateful brats. Mengmeng making breakfast! Even if it were SHIT, I would eat three large bowls!" His agitation made the last part of his declaration carry a little further than he had intended. Those nearby paused their conversations and looked over in disgust. This guy could eat three large bowls of shit? Was that something to be proud of? Li Luo backed away silently, and Bai Doudou buried her face in her hands. "Can you shut! Up!" she hissed at him. Yu Lang coughed twice, then quailed under her fury, obediently shutting up. Li Luo laughed to himself. It looked like Yu Lang had been well-trained by Bai Doudou in just a few days. "One word to my sister, and I will skin you, she said, then she brushed past Li Luo with a smile for her sister. The two sisters clung to each other happily. Yu Lang watched them sourly. "Li Luo, have you ever known the tragic pain of having your blissful marital home wrecked before? Why must misfortune befall me so? I mourn my loss." "Don't worry, you're just a toad squatting on the riverbank, drooling at the swans in the pond. You should still be eons away from knowing that sort of tragedy. In fact, you probably won't live that long," Li Luo said to console him. "Besides, I think Bai Doudou might be more your type." Yu Lang stared at him. "We know each other, right? Must you be that vile?" "Bai Doudou..." He took one look at her. "She's a mother shark, all savagery and no feelings. Me and her?" he whispered in fright. "Impossible. No way. I'd rather die. I'll say it now: if there were only two living women left in the world, I wouldn't be with Bai Doudou!" Li Luo grinned. "Think you're a great catch, do you? "Bai Doudou has a lower eighth-grade resonance, her potential is immense. Her family is powerful, and she looks really good, shes just not as charming as her sister. You would rather die? As if anyone's forcing you." Yu Lang was stung, but he shook his head firmly. "No way. I still think the pure and sweet type like Bai Mengmeng is more my thing." Li Luo shook his head. "Oh, yes..." Yu Lang suddenly said. "Have you heard about Qing'er?" "What's wrong?" Li Luo asked, frowning. Time had passed in a blur in his first two days. There were so many things to tend to, and he couldn't afford to slack in his cultivation. He had barely stepped out the front door. "Wang Hejiu keeps chasing her," Yu Lang said. "Qing'er held him back for you during the Choosing of the Mentors. She fought the guy and took a big loss. He was interested in her already, and he has been going over to her place frequently these past few days. Tongues have already begun to wag among the new students." Li Luo stiffened. He had heard about how Yu Lang, Zhao Kuo, Lu Qing'er, and the others had helped him by absorbing some of the pressure. Of course, he was very touched. He had chosen his friends well. Yu Lang and Zhao Kuos group had been swept by Bai Doudou, but she had clearly gone easy on them. There was no way they could hold her, not even with all the prayer in the world. Li Luo didn't really take it too seriously. But Wang Hejiu. He must have caused Lu Qing'er a lot of pain. That was a debt he owed her. As a man, he had to pay it back. And now this guy dared to harass Lu Qing'er... She was his good friend and comrade in battle. As if he would let this little poison birdie bully her! If you fly into a bad place, birdie, you have no one to blame if you can't get away later. Chapter 144: Li Luos Suggestion Li Luo made a mental note to teach Wang Hejiu a lesson, but with thousands of new students milling around, he couldn't really wade around in search of Lu Qing'er. That would have to wait. Dong! A booming gong sounded from the top of the Tree of Resonant Power. The mentors below were on hand to maintain order. "Students, you may climb now. Remember the leaf number you're holding, don't go to the wrong place." The eager students swarmed up the meandering path on the trunk, shepherded by their mentors. Li Luo and the others followed the flow of people up. They pattered up the wooden ladder, listening to the whispering rustle of leaves around them. A few minutes of climbing later, the Astral Sage College was but a tiny dot below them. The vertigo was dizzying. Along the way, many branches broke away from the main trunk. They shimmered bronze, with a generous smattering of silver and a more modest splash of gold, marking the concentration of resonant power within. Each of these leaves were twice as wide as the leaves on Southwind Academy's own Tree of Resonant Power. Even from a distance, Li Luo could sense the power concentrated on each leaf. "It's incredible." Li Luo marveled in wonder. Its existence was a miracle. Just how deep did the Astral Sage College's power run? And the Astral Sage College, with all its might, was just another member of the Academic Federation. Even now, he was still wrestling with the scale of it all. No wonder it was the greatest power in mankind. While Li Luo was gaping like a fish, he spotted a familiar figure up ahead in the crowd. Lu Qing'er herself. Lu Qing'er's leggy figure was clad in her usual, short skirt and white lace socks. But today, she had sensibly taken off her extra top layer and wrapped it around her waist for modesty. It gave her an even more girl-next-door feel, and many students were sneaking glances as they climbed. Her figure-hugging, short-sleeved top showed off her alabaster skin to full effect, and her long limbs and sleek figure were all on display. She seemed to grow even more alluring with each passing day. Li Luo quickly caught up to her. "Well, well. Isn't this the golden flower of Southwind Academy?" The sudden call startled her, but she very quickly recognized his voice, turning around with an expectant smile. "Oh? It looks like the Young Lord still remembers me. I thought you would have forgotten your old friends, now that you have a new compatriot." As for who the new compatriot was, it went without saying. "Rubbish. Can our special relationship be compared to that of shallow acquaintances?" Li Luo objected. Her look softened. "And what exactly do we have between us?" She bit her lip. "Comrades in battle, just like Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo. I have an idea. The four of us should form a team as the Four Heroes of Southwind. No one will dare cross us." She glared at him like he was the biggest idiot in the world, then continued on ahead at a brisk pace. "My spot, " she said abruptly, then she turned away towards her violet jade leaf. "Li Luo, you moron!"?she screamed inwardly. Four Heroes of Southwind? You three can go ahead and be the Three Idiots of Southwind! "Eh..." Li Luo watched her huffy departure, nonplussed. He hadn't even gotten the chance to ask her about the little poison birdie. What was her hurry? "Was there something wrong with the Four Heroes of Southwind?"?He frowned. It was an excellent plan. If anyone messed with Lu Qing'er then, they could have a reason to jump in. "Maybe she wasn't feeling well. I'll properly explain the idea to her next time..." He shook his head as he continued up the wooden ladder. A few minutes later, he reached the place where he should turn off. His eyes trailed upwards, round with amazement. Violet mist clung to the leaf, which was about a few square feet in area. It glowed like a piece of purple jade. Worldly natural energy was gathering rapidly, dense enough that the naked eye could see it. This mist was actually worldly natural energy in a potent density. It was indeed much denser compared to the gold leaves that he had seen earlier. Li Luo was almost drooling. He could not wait to test out the effects of this violet jade leaf. When he started forward, a figure loomed before him. A dark-skinned terror that Li Luo needed not face to recognize. Qin Zhulu. Li Luo coughed once, and Qin Zhulu turned around impassively. "Although I don't know why you're standing here, if I had to summon all my intellect and make a guess, you're lost and cannot find your violet jade leaf," Li Luo said apprehensively. The quiet rustling of leaves was the only response he got. Qin Zhulu stuck out his violet jade tablet. "I'm not trading!" Li Luo hastily said. Qin Zhulu scratched his head. "Help me find where it is, then." Li Luo gave in. He checked the number and took note of their location. "You just head along this way for eight more turns, then go right and take the third branch, then another left. You'll see your leaf there." Qin Zhulu was quiet for a few seconds. "Take me there?" Li Luo was dumbfounded. "That was clear enough! Damn, is there nothing but fighting in that head of yours? How about some orientation, huh?" Qin Zhulu took his jade tablet back and moved on, head hung. Li Luo's heart went out to him. "Hurry up, then. Let's not waste time." He brushed past Qin Zhulu, setting a quick pace. Qin Zhulu hurried after him. A few minutes later, Li Luo had led him to his leaf. "Here it is." Li Luo pointed and turned to leave. "Thanks." Qin Zhulu hesitated. "Hey, your dual resonances are cool. Wanna fight me some time?" Li Luo was speechless. Was your idea of thanks to beat people up?! There's something wrong with your brain! Alright, I, Li Luo, am officially scared of you now. I'll definitely avoid this muscle-brained fool from now on! "Well, thanks for that," Li Luo said churlishly. He quickly retraced his steps back to his own violet jade leaf. The faint mist that swirled around him was refreshing. It felt like the flow of resonant power in his body was growing quicker. There was a wooden, lotus-shaped seat in the middle of the violet jade leaf. Li Luo sat down and felt his heartbeat slow. With his eyes half-closed, he excitedly began his first cultivation here at the Tree of Resonant Power. Chapter 145: First Tree Visit Another melodious bell rang, a rich sound that settled over them peacefully. A breeze picked up, and the entire tree began to sway ever so slightly. There was a responding surge of worldly natural energy. The energy swelled forth, shooting through to the branches, creating little vortexes of energy on the leaves. At the center of each vortex, a student. Everyone sank down into their cultivation. At a wooden platform near the new student zone. Five people were lounging there, either silent or speaking softly. They were the five Violet Vibrance mentors. Shen Jinxiao was sitting in front of a short table, kettle in hand as he poured himself cup after cup. His gaze strayed in the direction of a certain violet jade leaf, eyes staring into the mist. "Mentor Chi Chan, are you satisfied with guiding Li Luo and his dual resonances?" he suddenly asked, turning cheerfully to the slim woman sitting some distance away, her face carefully veiled in her usual black. Her eyes were unflinching, as if she had not even heard him. He was not discouraged, continuing as if to himself, "Li Luo's second resonance's grade is not high. A fourth-grade? Fifth? If he can't master true duality, then all he has is a slightly more substantial resonant power reserve. A low-grade dual resonance cultivator might not even beat a lower eighth-grade single resonance user. He only beat Duze Beixuan due to the latter's carelessness." "As meddlesome as a dog catching mice. A pity, Shen Jinxiao, when you could spend your time learning to be a better person instead," Chi Chan commented mildly. Pfft! Mentor Cao Sheng spluttered over the wine jar he was nursing. He wiped his mouth, looking at the spray of wine on the floor with regret. Shen Jinxiao gave her a greasy smile. "I was just concerned for Mentor Chi Chan. After all, you're quite young yourself, and you haven't raised many heavy-duty hitters in these past few years. And in another year or two, perhaps the Academic Federation will open the Mirror of Heaven Pagoda again. If Mentor Chi Chan is still as ordinary as ever, you might well lose your chance again this time." "It's a pity you couldn't keep a student like Jiang Qing'e. Or your own chance would be secured," she nonchalantly sniped back. His eyes narrowed with an ominous rumble of worldly natural energy at that snarky comment. Mentor Chi Chan met his gaze coolly, and the temperature seemed to drop. "Ahem..." Mentor Mi Er cleared his throat to break them up. "Who do you think will get the brightest resonant luminescence this time?" "Probably Qin Zhulu, if everything goes according to calculation," a gaunt, scholarly Violet Vibrance mentor replied cheerfully. "He possesses an upper eighth-grade resonance and a soul that lives for battle. His potential is remarkable." This was the fifth Violet Vibrance mentor, Chu Zi. "Wang Hejiu, Bai Doudou, Duze Beixuan, and Yi Lisha have lower eighth-grade resonances too. With luck, they stand a chance," Mentor Cao Sheng said with interest, setting aside his jar. "Still, resonant luminescence is not just about resonance grade. It also depends on one's faith... An inner mettle and belief in oneself, a dedication to cultivation... That is just as important as resonance grade." "We've seen Gold Gleam and Silver Spark students trigger resonant luminescence before, and brighter ones than Violet Vibrance students too. It's all conviction." The others nodded. As Duke experts, they understood this concept well. Still, inner mettle and belief? It was a power that less mature cultivators like these students might not understand. A strange blast of resonant power interrupted their conversation. They looked over to see a light glowing on one of the violet jade leaves. It slowly began to spread. "So fast?" The five mentors were all surprised. They could see through the light that it was Qin Zhulu. The light flowed through his body, shining very brightly. "This one's light is quite intense. I haven't seen one like this in the last two years." The others agreed, admiring it. Still, no one was surprised by Qin Zhulu's resonant luminescence. After all, his resonance grade and self-conviction were both stronger than his peers'. Not long after, other glows of resonant luminescence began to pop up here and there. These were definitely the elites among the new students. The many luminous glows all across the tree made for a magical moment. ... While light glows were spreading outside, Li Luo's attention was firmly within, on the two resonant palaces in his body. They were currently absorbing huge quantities of worldly natural energy, and he was using his energy cultivation arts to maximize the process as best as he could. Within his two resonant palaces, his resonance seeds absorbed the energy as quickly as a dry sponge with water. He could see that faint specks of resonant power were appearing on the surface of his resonance seeds. As his resonance seeds continued to thirstily absorb the energy, they also grew bigger. He was pleased with the development. The Astral Sage College's Tree of Resonant Power was indeed special. This first cultivation session had yielded much better results than he had expected. As more energy began to flood in, the two resonance seeds began to quiver slightly. Li Luo could feel a curious disturbance in the energy. He smiled to himself. He knew that his resonance seeds were responding to the worldly natural energy outside. His resonant luminescence was here. ... At the same time, on another violet jade leaf. Yu Lang closed his eyes, absorbing the worldly natural energy from all around him. His cultivation was going well, but no resonant luminescence. Clearly, his sixth-grade resonance was a little too low. Yu Lang felt a prickle of impatience and anxiety, which he quickly quashed. "I'll have to pull out my ultimate move, I guess." He told himself.?"I AM YU LANG!"?he shouted in his mind.?"I HAVE AN EIGHTH-GRADE RESONANCE, AND I WILL BECOME THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE! "I AM YU LANG! I HAVE AN EIGHTH-GRADE RESONANCE, AND I WILL BECOME THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE!" He repeated this phrase over and over again, until there was no other thought in his mind. He continued to shout within his mind, and a stern look crept across his face. If someone could peek into Yu Lang's mind, they would be amazed at the gall of the guy trying to hypnotize himself. And he wasn't even hypnotizing someone else. He was trying it on himself... Layer after layer, until he truly believed that he had an eighth-grade resonance, and that he would become the fastest man alive. By all logic, such hypnotism shouldn't work, but... only with a guy like Yu Lang. At this moment, in his mind, he truly had an eighth-grade resonance. A roar of worldly natural energy erupted on his violet jade leaf, and his resonant luminescence emerged! Chapter 146: Li Luos Perseverance On the platform, the five Violet Vibrance mentors watched the beams of light shoot forth. They had seen this many times before. It was not hard for cultivators to trigger resonant luminescence during their first cultivation session on the Astral Sage College's Tree of Resonant Power. Of course, it was not extremely common either. Each year, there were probably about 20 to 30 who were skilled enough. Usually, most of the Violet Vibrance students would succeed. After all, those who could qualify as Violet Vibrance students came from stronger positions, compounded by the advantages of violet jade leaves. It was actually rare for Violet Vibrance students to not experience it. Shen Jinxiao drank by himself, his eyes still locked on Li Luo's position. There had been no resonant luminescence from his leaf yet. Still, Shen Jinxiao did not think he was incapable. Li Luo's ability was undeniable. As low grade as his resonances might be, two were better than one. Combined, he was equal to an eighth-grade. Shen Jinxiao was not wondering about the if, but about the how. How bright would it be... But before Li Luo's resonant luminescence appeared, Mentor Mi Er yelped in surprise. The others looked over to see a light from Yu Lang's violet jade leaf. The light was comparable to the likes of Duze Beixuan and Bai Doudou's. "I recall that Yu Lang has a sixth-grade wind resonance. I thought he would be one of those unable to trigger it. Well, well," Mentor Chu Zi said with good humor. Mentor Cao Sheng put down his jar and squinted over at Yu Lang's position. "His light looks quite ethereal, y'know? Means he's triggered it through belief, not resonance power. Not bad. It might just make up for his average talent." The other mentors nodded approvingly. Yu Lang was definitely the weakest among this batch of Violet Vibrance students. He would have to work doubly hard to catch up to the others. And that required an inextinguishable belief in himself. If he could not even do that, then he stood no chance at all. Conversely, if his will was unwavering enough, he might even turn some impossibilities to possibilities. Resonance grade only made one's cultivation journey smoother, and granted a deeper potential. But one's faith was critical to how far one could realize that potential. While the mentors were distracted by Yu Lang's success, Chi Chan's eyes flicked back to Li Luo's position. Energy was starting to bloom from his body, creating an energy vortex that glowed with resonant luminescence. First, a blue resonant luminescence. A wave-like swirl of light that played across the surface of Li Luo's skin. When it faded, a second resonant luminescence appeared, this time a brilliant green. "Li Luo actually got two resonant luminescences." Cao Sheng hiccuped. "Rare sight," he hooted. "Two, but the brilliance is dimmer compared to Qin Zhulu's, let alone Jiang Qing'e's," Shen Jinxiao said dismissively. Cao Sheng and the others nodded in agreement. Indeed, Li Luo's two resonant luminescences were lukewarm compared to Jiang Qing'e's sun-like brilliance. Still, it was rather normal. Her ninth-grade light resonance was exceptional. No one in the Astral Sage College had come close in a hundred years. Perhaps if Li Luo's dual resonances were both eighth-grade, he would stand a chance. Chi Chan did not comment. Li Luo should not be compared to Jiang Qing'e. He had done well enough so far, and Shen Jinxiao was just nitpicking without much basis. Shen Jinxiao lost interest after Li Luo's resonant luminescences passed without a spectacle. Dual resonances might put Li Luo on par with Duze Beixuan and the other eighth-grade resonance cultivators, but that was a loss that he could stomach. There were also occasional bursts of resonant luminescence from the Gold Gleam students, but they were much dimmer than the Violet Vibrance side. Ultimately, few could overcome the gap in talent. Those who were favored with resonant power were envied by the others. They felt the rush of worldly natural energy fill them, and their resonant power got a solid boost. The resonant luminescences continued for about ten minutes. That was the average time, with Jiang Qing'e's lasting about 20 minutes. Bai Doudou opened her eyes, pleased with how much her resonant power had grown. It was about as much as a month of hard cultivation. She looked over to Yu Lang's seat, where the resonant luminescence was starting to fade away as well. "This guy... he managed it?"?She knew that he had a sixth-grade wind resonance, the weakest among the Violet Vibrance students. She had thought it unlikely for him, but clearly she had underestimated him. "You're not so bad," she mumbled. Yu Lang's eyes opened blearily, then they shot wide open. "Damn, I'm at the Tenth Seal now?" The resonant luminescence had actually helped him break through. With a little more accumulation, he could gun for the Resonant Master Stage! He felt like jumping up and whooping. Success came to those who were prepared. Although he himself had zero clue how on earth he had prepared More and more resonant luminescences were fading away, until finally only one remained steadily alight. Li Luo. Still, it should be over soon, right? They waited and waited. Another eight minutes passed, but still the resonant luminescence remained. The Violet Vibrance mentors' eyes were growing rounder by the minute. "18 minutes? He's about to match Jiang Qing'e!" Cao Sheng exclaimed. Shen Jinxiao's face was as dark as Chi Chan's face was radiant. All eyes were on Li Luo now. The other mentors shared a look. Li Luo might not have the brightest light, but damn did he have the longest. Chapter 147: Flowering Seed New student zone, Tree of Resonant Power. Many students were finishing up their first cultivation session. The ones that were done were staring in shock at a particular violet jade leaf. There was still a two-colored resonant luminescence going on. Even the elite students like Qin Zhulu and Bai Doudou were surprised. Their own resonant luminescences had only lasted for about ten minutes, which was rather decent. Even the legendary Jiang Qing'e had only managed 20. Even so, 20 had already broken the record. But Li Luo had already managed 18 minutes. Was he going to surpass Jiang Qing'e? Those last two minutes ticked by quickly enough. At the 20-minute mark, the light from Li Luo's body still did not cease. Hua! Students all over the tree were shouting. Li Luo had actually surpassed Jiang Qing'e in duration! She had a ninth-grade light resonance, for crying out loud! "Li Luo!" Duze Beixuan hissed with jealousy. Why was Li Luo there every time he turned around? "Li Luo is lasting so long..." Si Qiuying murmured in surprise, looking at the two spheres of overlapping blue and green light. She had not expected that. He had not made an impression at all during their first meeting. Which made her recall Jiang Qing'e's words. That Li Luo might one day top the newcomers at the Astral Sage College. Si Qiuying had not dared to retort to Jiang Qing'e openly then, but she hadn't thought much of it. Jiang Qing'e was just defending Li Luo. But now... She bit her lip. No way. Li Luo had indeed taken an unusual win over Duze Beixuan, but top newcomer? He still had a ways to go. Qin Zhulu, Wang Hejiu, Bai Doudou... none of them were going to be lying down. Lu Qing'er smiled when she looked over, seeing a whole crowd of students gawking over Li Luo's light. Back at Southwind Academy, he had developed a meekness in his personality, a defensive mechanism in response to his blank palaces. It wasn't a bad thing, but her heart went out to him sometimes. He was brilliant, and he didn't lose to anyone... not even Jiang Qing'e. Someone with his skills should be popular as well. Therefore, she watched his rise in the Astral Sage College with quiet enjoyment. He had started to make waves left and right. "Damn, Brother Luo's owning it." Yu Lang whistled. "I guess hes going to be known as the man who can last the longest in the Astral Sage College." He nodded proudly. He would talk it over with Zhao Kuo and the others. Maybe they could make a signboard with "Longest Lasting Man" on it or something. Hang it at Li Luo's place and let all of the Astral Sage College know. The five Violet Vibrance mentors were silent as the new students went wild, but on the inside, their minds were equally blown. They stared in utter silence. All of them wanted to know just how long he would last. Time ticked on. Another 10 minutes. And still his resonant luminescence was going strong. Only after another 10 minutes did it start to dim, before fading away. A total of 40 minutes. Twice as long as Jiang Qing'e! The sound of the students collective exhales of amazement was heard all across the zone. Some were sniffling. 40 minutes was ridiculous. Another record at the Astral Sage College, and this one left second place in the dust. It seemed like this record might never be broken. There was a stunned silence among the five mentors. Chi Chan's eyes were bright, and one could only imagine that she was smiling widely under her veil. This was joyous news indeed. "I guess there's something special about Li Luo's dual resonances after all," she said with a hint of mockery. Shen Jinxiao knew that there was nothing he could say to flip the situation to his favor. He poured himself one last cup of tea and downed it alongside his anger. "Haha, that kid's something special. He might not have the brightness that Jiang Qing'e did, but that staminait's like he is a damn tree, man. I wonder who's stronger overall," Cao Sheng said before belching. "In all these years, it's my first time seeing a resonant luminescence last that long as well." Mi Er agreed. "So this is why dual resonances are special? But it still shouldn't be this long," Chu Zi said, puzzled. Li Luo's dual resonances were not of a high grade. Together, they were maybe an eighth-grade. He hadn't even mastered proper duality in his cultivation yet. How had his resonant luminescence lasted so long? The other mentors shook their heads in puzzlement as well, eventually accepting that they still did not fully understand how dual resonances worked at the Resonant Master Stage. "Whoo!" Li Luo took a long, lazy stretch. He felt a rare snugness in his own skin, a good feeling all over, as though he had just soaked in a spring of spirit liquids until even his bones were saturated. He took a look at his resonant palaces. Both of his resonance seeds had become much fuller, and there were resonant power marks all across them with petal-like patterns. ...The Flowering Seed Tier. His resonant luminescence had helped him jump from the Clear Seed Tier straight to the Flowering Seed Tier. That was quite significant. "Settle down, students. The Tree of Resonant Power is active only for a limited time each day. Use it wisely. Cultivate," a mentor reminded them. The students eventually calmed back down, quickly returning to their own training. As for Li Luo, his resonant luminescence might have ended, but he was not yet done with cultivating. There was still time left, and he was feeling good. He should draw in some worldly natural energy to firm up his resonant power. He closed his eyes. Before he knew it, six hours had passed. A disruptive crackle sounded, signaling the end of the cultivation time. The students relaxed. "Not bad. It was worth the wait." Li Luo was pleased. His first visit to the tree had been extremely fruitful. He had probably covered a couple of months' worth of cultivation. He stood up and stretched. His eyes narrowed. They had landed on a violet jade leaf some distance away, which students were surrounding. It was Lu Qing'er's position. She had probably just finished her cultivation, and her pretty features were currently in a neutral expression. Which meant that she was irritated. And the source of her irritation was not hard to pin down. It had to be the fan-waving, greasy, smiling "nice guy" who was doing his best to talk her ear off. Wang Hejiu. Li Luo frowned. It was natural to chase pretty girls, but one had to consider if the other party was willing, right? Otherwise, it was harassment. And in Lu Qing'er's case, it sure looked like harassment. Are you messing with my friends, little poison birdie? In all my years of life, I've never met someone as obnoxious as you. Chapter 148: A Pesky Birdie Lu Qing'er's patience was wearing thin. In the last few days, Wang Hejiu had come calling incessantly. The moment there was time to spare, he was on her front door, trying every possible method he could conceive of to create a reason to meet. She had never met a more tiresome person. This time was no different. She had lingered after cultivation because she wanted to talk to Li Luo. She should have foreseen that Wang Hejiu would come after her yet again. "Qing'er, I think we grew close during our battle. I was too heavy-handed during the Choosing. I couldn't sleep for nights afterwards, so I kept coming to you to apologize." He said this with deep contrition. Deep down, he was checking her out. Sexy, lace thigh-highs under a short skirt, and a waist so slim he wished he could slip an arm around it. Best of all was her unblemished, alabaster skin, and those hands sheathed in the ice silk gloves that did nothing to hide their perfection. He could not stay away from her. "No need to apologize," she replied, projecting as much disinterest as she could into her tone. "We were opponents during the Choosing. You did nothing wrong, so please stop using that as an excuse to find me." "Qing'er, must you be like that?" he asked plaintively. "I have no other intentions but to get to know you better. Please believe in my sincerity." She turned on her heel and walked away. His jade fan reached out, a grin on his face as he prepared to stop her from leaving. When he lifted his hand, a whistling sound made him pause. He whirled around, coating his fan with resonant power as he lifted it defensively. Psh, psh! A few water arrows melted away, dripping harmlessly to the ground. "Hello there. Your upbringing is horrible, friend. If harassment was all that was needed to chase girls, would there still be single men in this world?" Lu Qing'er turned at the humorous and familiar voice. Li Luo pushed his way out of the crowd, walking over with a smile. Wang Hejiu frowned when he saw Lu Qing'er's face brighten up. "Are you Li Luo?" He cocked his head. "I might be a little arrogant about this, but it's really hard not to recognize me, given how handsome I am," Li Luo said. Wang Hejiu's eyebrows almost spasmed. He knew that Li Luo was trying to goad him, but the urge to beat him up was hard to hold down in the face of such shameless remarks. His face smoothened. "Li Luo, don't try to create trouble. We have no enmity. Why are you doing this?" "Indeed, I often assume that everyone is good," he replied, walking up to stand in front of Lu Qing'er. "But from the moment you injured her in the Choosing, you chose to sow the seeds of hostility between us." Lu Qing'er had stopped Wang Hejiu for him. Since Wang Hejiu had hurt her, Li Luo was obligated to stand up for her like a man. The Choosing of the Mentors was a free-for-all. He had no problem with Wang Hejiu coming at him for a violet talisman. But to harass Lu Qing'er after the Choosing? That was going overboard. Lu Qing'er was staring at Li Luo's back with shining eyes. The tension here was immediately noticed by others nearby. After all, this was Li Luo, the man who had just broken the resonant luminescence time record by a gigantic margin. Versus Wang Hejiu, second in strength only to Qin Zhulu. It was going to be epic. Wang Hejiu looked at Li Luo with disinterest. "And what can you do about it?" "I hope you can leave my friends alone. This sort of harassment is not only ineffective, you're only going to make her hate you more." Wang Hejiu laughed derisively at him. "I have my ways. Who are you to teach me, Li Luo?" "You stubborn little poison birdie." Li Luo rolled his eyes. "What did you say!?" Wang Hejiu snarled. "I was speaking nicely to you, but you didn't listen. Are insults the only thing that will get through?" You better go check. I, the young lord of House Luolan, have never lost a verbal battle before! Wang Hejiu's fan glowed green, and he waved it, sending a wave of smoking, green energy forth. Li Luo's own resonant power answered. Bending two fingers, he slapped the jade fan aside. Peng! Both attacks were equally nullified. "Oh? The Flowering Seed Tier already?" Wang Hejiu said, reassessing Li Luo. From his strength during their brief clash, he could tell. "Seems like the resonant luminescence did you good. "But. "Do you think you're the only one who gained something?" Wang Hejiu clapped his fan shut, then he showed the full extent of his resonant power aura, resulting in gasps from those around. "That resonant power..." "Wang Hejiu's broken through to the second tier of the Resonant Master Stage, the Pattern Genesis Tier!" "Well, he was already at the Lower Flowering Tier. It wasn't far, and he had the resonant luminescence too." "Amazing. No wonder he's ranked second." Wang Hejiu calmly let his aura fade. "Let me teach you something else, kid. Never make contact lightly when you're fighting a poison resonance user." He gestured at Li Luo's finger. A green light still lingered on it, a poison that was eating away at his body. Li Luo lifted his finger, inspecting the poison curiously. It was special indeed. Even the briefest contact had allowed it to spread. However, he did not panic. He simply channeled his wood resonant power. The two shades of green collided at his finger. In a trice, the poison was nullified. Wood resonance had antitoxin properties. "That little bit of poison?" Li Luo yawned. "Couldn't kill a chicken." "Impertinent!" Wang Hejiu's eyes flashed with anger. "Wang Hejiu!" A voice interrupted him. "I already said that I'll deal with Li Luo." Li Luo looked toward the source of that voice. Duze Beixuan, already closing in on him. Lu Qing'er looked around. Was he planning to fight? She took a step forward, ready to stand by Li Luo's side, but she was interrupted by flower vines suddenly twisting around her feet. She reacted instantly, frost energy coming up to guard herself. Turning her head, she saw a girl with a ponytail grinning at her. This was Qi Luozi, the teammate of Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan. "Li Luo!" Duze Beixuan called. "I was careless at the Choosing. Let's go again!" He tensed, ready to spring at Li Luo. But suddenly, a dark bolt of energy slammed into Duze Beixuan's stomach. He doubled over at the attack, punching out reflexively with a blast of energy that dispelled it. He turned to see a figure clad entirely in black, standing in the shadows nearby. "Xin Fu?" He noted coldly. A phosphorescent light appeared above Lu Qing'er's head, lowering itself on her. The vines holding her feet receded rapidly. Lu Qing'er saw a small girl, sweet and adorable, giving her a bashful but friendly smile. Bai Mengmeng. Chapter 149: Charisma The sudden appearance of Duze Beixuan, Qi Luozi, Xin Fu, and Bai Mengmeng made the situation escalate quickly. What started as an individual face-off between Li Luo and Wang Hejiu was now a staredown between two teams. "Ooh, are the two Violet Vibrance teams going to fight?" "Shit, that's a great show!" The other students whispered as they came crowding over. "Wang Hejiu, shame on you. You look like a goblin, so stop your harassin'~" A voice sang out from the crowd. Somewhere else in the crowd, another person picked up the catchy jingle. "Wang Hejiu, shame on you. You look like a goblin, so stop your harassin'~" The crowd laughed. Wang Hejiu swung around. "Who was that!" he demanded. "Say it to my face if you dare!!" "I don't dare!" the first voice quipped back without hesitation. A vein pulsed on Wang Hejiu's temple. He was shaking with fury. Li Luo, on the other hand, was shaking with laughter. The voice had been purposely altered just now, but how could he not recognize it? Yu Lang, that impudent, little imp. The second supporter was probably Zhao Kuo. Wang Hejiu was just about to turn his wrath on the crowd when he sensed another strange wind blowing. Weng! A spear forcefully buried itself between the two groups, its shaft twanging from the impact of the throw. "Who's bullying my sister?!" a cold voice demanded. The person landed beside the spear, snatching it up in a practiced move and spinning it. The tip glinted dangerously in Qi Luozi's direction. Bai Doudou. Who would have thought that even she would join the fray. Wang Hejiu's face darkened further at her arrival. "Bai Doudou," he said coldly. "This matter does not concern you." "If you harm my sister, it concerns me," Bai Doudou replied acidly. Wang Hejiu's face scrunched up in anger, and he was just about to reply when an overwhelmingly savage aura loomed. He looked up to a platform above him to his right. He saw Qin Zhulu standing there, arms folded across his chest, standing motionless as a statue. He said nothing, but the passive aura was enough to make Wang Hejiu tremble. The crowd was getting excited now. Even Qin Zhulu had made an appearance. "See that?" Li Luo told Wang Hejiu. "This is charisma. We're here in school to cultivate. If all we do is piss people off, wouldn't you say we've failed?" "No need for the smart talk, Li Luo. Better pray we don't meet at the monthly ranking battle." He turned to Lu Qing'er. "As for Qing'er, I won't give up," he said in a much softer tone. "Besides," he turned back to Li Luo. "You're an engaged man. Best keep your nose out of others' business and stay away from Qing'er, if you care at all about her reputation at all. If you end up offending president Yu and the Golden Dragon Bank, you'll be screwed permanently." Wang Hejiu was a poisonous character. Even when he knew he was beat, he couldn't resist a few parting shots. Duze Beixuan threw one last cold look Li Luo's way, then he turned and left. Qi Luozi was waiting for them at the periphery, having backed away much earlier. And so the altercation ended on a somewhat anticlimactic note. The crowd was a little disappointed. Li Luo turned back to look at Bai Doudou and Qin Zhulu. He was not too surprised at the appearance of the former, here to play white knight to her sister-in-distress. Qin Zhulu, however, was a surprise. When he shook himself from his thoughts, Qin Zhulu had already disappeared. "Quite a protective leader you have there," Li Luo said to Lu Qing'er. She shook her head. "You've misread the man. Do you know that in a mere three days, he's asked Mentor Cao Sheng for a transfer 18 times? But Mentor Cao Sheng rejected him every time. "Yesterday in training, Mentor Cao Sheng ordered him to spar with Yin Yue. He jumped through the window and ran away. Yin Yue was almost crying from exasperation." Li Luo's mouth fell open. Was Qin Zhulu really that afraid of women? That was really something new. "A worrying outlook for the military school's future." Li Luo sighed. His military academy must have torn their hair out dealing with him too. This was a ticking time bomb. They would rather be wiped out by some super-strong enemy. Lu Qing'er did not seem too interested in why Qin Zhulu had come. Instead, she batted her eyelashes at Li Luo. "The Young Lord was very cool today." Li Luo waved it away casually. "Oh, enough with the obvious." Lu Qing'er unwrapped her extra top from around her waist, putting it back on. "Then I wonder, what does the Young Lord think of Wang Hejiu's last words?" she asked almost too casually, tweaking the collar of her shirt. "What?" Li Luo asked, surprised. "Oh. He's a perverted guy. All his thoughts are a little warped. Besides, our friendship is strong enough to bear any slander." He paused. "Your mom wouldn't beat me up over that, right? That seems a little too petty and excessive. I mean, she runs the Golden Dragon Bank in the Xia Kingdom!" "No talking bad about my mom!" Li Luo sighed. "Well, if you think our friendship will affect your reputation, I'll be more circumspect next time." "I didn't say that!" Lu Qing'er hastily said. "But your question showed your doubt. I guess I overestimated the depth of our relationship," Li Luo said sadly. "I really didn't!" Lu Qing'er said nervously. "Alright, I was wrong. I shouldn't have asked." Li Luo grinned. "Well, since you've turned over a new leaf, I'll let it pass. I'm off to find Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo for a meal. I guess I'll let you treat us to make up for it." He paused mid-step. "Hey if your mother wants to beat me up, you have to stop her!" He ran away. Lu Qing'er glared after him. Played again by that cheeky Li Luo! [1] 1. TN: The author uploaded a picture of Yu Lang. It's available at https://bkimg.cdn.bcebos.com/pic/00e93901213fb80e7becf402f39f382eb9389a503e9d?x-bce-process=image/watermark,image_d2F0ZXIvYmFpa2UxODA=,g_7,xp_5,yp_5/format,f_auto Chapter 150: School Points After his first cultivation session at the Tree of Resonant Power, Li Luo's life fell into a fruitful and orderly rhythm. In the training room. Li Luo and Chi Chan were sitting in the lotus position opposite each other. They each had a hand stretched out, and their palms were in contact, her palm below his. There was a faint warmth coming from her palm. Li Luo was oblivious to the sensation, his face screwed up in concentration. In his palm, two resonant powers emerged, a deep sapphire-blue and an emerald-green. His water and wood resonances. They were clear and distinct elements. But when they appeared on Li Luo's palm, an unstoppable force crushed them, forcing them to inexorably merge. An unsteady sphere of light was formed. Within the sphere, his water and wood resonances struggled to break free. "Feel that moment when the resonances are in harmony. You must dispel the repulsion between them. Make them one in your heart." Her voice was as calm as the ocean. Li Luo's mind quietened as he dived into his resonant powers. One was ice and silk; cool, supine, fluid. The other was life incarnate, a heartbeat and pulse that never ceased. Neither would budge on its nature, until Chi Chan forced them into each other. A brook's deep currents flowing through a tree's roots. He had the image for a brief flash, but then Chi Chan broke the contact between their palms. It was like taking the bridle off two untamed horses. They ran amok. Boom! With a faint puff, both resonant powers on his palm vanished. Li Luo opened his eyes and made a noise of frustration. Training his dual resonances was incredibly difficult. It demanded precise control, a subtle finesse that eluded a novice like himself. "Don't be discouraged. If dual resonances were so easily mastered, the Duke life would be very easy." Chi Chan said stoically. Li Luo nodded wryly. He had been at the Astral Sage College for half a month now. Besides his visits to the Tree of Resonant Power every three days, he had spent his time learning to master dual resonances from Mentor Chi Chan. However, the difficulty had caught him off guard. Luckily, he had a Duke expert as a mentor to show him the way. As it was, his cultivation was moving at a painful crawl. However, she was rightdual resonances had always been the special domain of Duke experts. Li Luo was just a weak little Resonant Master. It was almost like putting a heavy ax into the hands of an infant. "Slow and steady. If you can even get the first step of dual resonances, your strength will improve greatly. You will even be able to take down Wang Hejiu without trouble," she said. "Mentor, that's not right," Li Luo said with a straight face. "Take down Wang Hejiu? We are all schoolmates. We should be lifting each other up." Chi Chan just stared at him, amused. Given the chance, you would love to break Wang Hejiu's skull, Li Luo. Of course, he was waiting for the first opportunity to stomp you to the ground too. All for the girls. She ignored his crap. "You might have dual resonances, but don't underestimate the others. Those that can rank highly among the newcomers are all uncommonly strong. They are rare jewels, now being polished under the skilled hands of their respective mentors. They're improving at godly rates as well." Li Luo nodded. Underestimating others was not his thing. It was the opposite of his thinghe preferred to flip the tables on people when they let their guard down after underestimating him. "Mentor... are there any other treasures or such things that can help one cultivate faster?" Li Luo suddenly asked. Chi Chan was taken aback. "How fast?" she asked suspiciously. Li Luo scratched his chin. "Something that can make a person reach the Duke Stage in five years." "Duke in five years?" She was speechless for a moment, then she nodded. "There is?" Li Luo exclaimed. She nodded again. "After training ends, go back and take a bath, then have a good night's sleep," she said gravely. "When you enter your dreams, you can be a King or even higher! As you please!" Li Luo's bamboozled face was priceless. Bai Mengmeng's head dipped down, her shoulders shaking in laughter. Even Xin Fu's lips twitched. "Mentor, you're pulling my leg," Li Luo said, red-faced. "Wasn't it you who pulled mine first?" she replied mildly. "Duke in five years? You think your dual resonances are that ridiculous?" Li Luo squirmed. "Well Mentor, how long do you think I'll take to reach Duke?" "Dukes need talent and potential, but they also need the right character and a bit of luck. Who's to say for sure? But for you? Perhaps in ten years or so." His face fell. Ten years? In five years, he would be dead. That was all the lifespan he had left to his name. Hadn't he worked hard just to get access to the cultivation resources and mentorship that only the Astral Sage College could provide, all so he could get stronger faster? She looked at him more closely. She had sensed an undercurrent of urgency in his cultivation, but she had not thought too much of it. After all, House Luolan was not in a good state, and he was worried about his parents on the Nobles' Battlefield. It was only normal for him to want to get stronger quickly. "Li Luo," she said more kindly. "Cultivation cannot be neglected, and it cannot be rushed. Or you run the risk of stumbling." He forced a listless smile. He could not possibly tell her about his lifespan, and so she could not understand his burning urgency. "However, there are many methodical ways to increase one's cultivation speed in the Astral Sage College. Of course, the Tree of Resonant Power is necessary. You can also seek more advanced energy cultivation arts. I see that your energy cultivation art is not a Duke level art." She raised her eyebrows at him. "Energy cultivation arts..." Li Luo was still using the upper-General stage Black Waterfall Breathing Technique. Although it was quite good, it, of course, fell short of Duke level energy cultivation arts. Then again, those required one's resonance to be at the seventh grade. But his waterlight resonance was stuck at the sixth grade. Although he had tried his best to improve it as quickly as he could, there had been no results so far. She knew his frustrations well. "Ordinarily, virtually all Duke energy cultivation arts make demands on the user's resonance type and grade. But it is not a rule without exceptions. Perhaps there are no exceptions to be found in House Luolan, but this is the Astral Sage College." Li Luo perked up hopefully. "The Astral Sage College has such energy cultivation arts?" "If I remember correctly, there is a Duke energy cultivation art somewhere called the 12 Step Weave. It only requires the user's resonance to be a sixth-grade." Li Luo was overjoyed. It felt like having a pillow slipped under your head just as you jumped into bed. This 12 Step Weave was perfect for his situation. "Besides trading up your energy cultivation arts, there is one other thing in the Astral Sage College that is very helpful for cultivation. It can help you cultivate faster at no risk of harm to your body," she continued. "What is it?" he asked eagerly. She smiled. "Energy liquid." "Er, energy liquid?" The name was as uninspired and boring as could be. "Don't sleep on this one. Energy liquid is a special product of the Astral Sage College. It's made from the sap of the Tree of Resonant Power, and definitely ranks in the top three favorite things among students," Chi Chan told him. Li Luo wanted to cry and hug every brick of the school. Oh, Astral Sage College, I love you. It was a wise choice to come here indeed. "Mentor, how can I get these two things?" Li Luo asked, fired up now. Her veil stirred as she smiled underneath it. "Very simple. The 12 Step Weave costs 3,000 school points. One vial of energy liquid, 300." Li Luo choked. He looked down at his feet for a moment. "Mentor," he said with utter seriousness, "can I take out a loan on school points?" She cracked up. "What do you think?" Chapter 151: Special Training From her spirited laughter, Li Luo knew his loan plan was not going to float. But damn, he was a beggar when it came to school points. The 5,000-point Royal Sap was still waiting for him. Now he needed the 3,000-point 12 Step Weave and a 300-point energy liquid? "Mentor, you might as well not have said anything," he grumbled. "Well, at least now you have a goal." She laughed. "There's a monthly ranking battle coming up, right? If you can score well there, it's a nice injection of points." Li Luo was immediately interested again. "How many points can I get?" She addressed Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng as well. "The monthly tests are different from what you have experienced before. They are team battles, which means the three of you need to work together. Understand each other's abilities and styles. Only then can you bring out the best of your team. "In the ranking battles, points are assigned based on the teams you beat. A Violet Vibrance team is worth 500 points, a Gold Gleam team is worth 100, and a Silver Spark team worth 20." Li Luo could barely keep himself from drooling. Why did he feel a sudden urge to purge the entire newcomer population? No, no. He had to have a conscience. He would let Zhao Kuo and the others go. Qing'er could pass too. Although, she had an absolute abomination in her team by the name of Qin Zhulu; it wasn't really clear who was going to give the pass here. The opposition team? No chance. Li Luo had privately dubbed Shen Jinxiao's team the opposition team. But ultimately, the ranking battles were team battles. So far, Li Luo had never tried working with anyone in battle. During the Tianshu exams, he had worked with Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo, but they had not become closely synergizing teammates. The dynamics of a team battle were definitely more advanced. "There will be team battles for future school competitions as well. This is a necessary process to get used to your squads. Most importantly..." She hesitated but pressed on. "If you need to fight the Others in the future, the chances of survival are higher in a squad." They shuddered. Others... Although they had never encountered one before, ever since their first day at the Astral Sage College, they knew about the existence of a higher danger that was intertwined with their futures. They had to become prepared. "As for the monthly ranking battles, I don't have too high a demand for you. If you want points, by all means go and fight for it as you naturally would. School points are the currency for cultivation resources, which means a step up over other students. So you can decide for yourselves how important the ranking is," she said simply. Li Luo licked his lips, passion burning in his eyes. He had the greatest stake here. If their cultivation was delayed, both Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng could accept it, unpressured as they were. He, on the other hand, had a sword hanging over his head, which would drop when his five years were up. As easy-going as he might seem to those around him, deep down he wrestled with a hellish anxiety daily. "Well, whether points are important or not, if our results were terrible, we would be letting you down, Esteemed Mentor! You said you have some sort of rivalry with Mentor Shen Jinxiao, didn't you? As your protgs, we feel compelled to help you win this rivalry!" Li Luo vowed sincerely. "And if anybody doesn't work their butts off for this target, then they would be disrespecting you, Esteemed Mentor!" Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu were absolutely boggled, staring at Li Luo suspiciously. Why did it feel like they just had a huge burden placed on their shoulders? Had they just been volunteered involuntarily? But still, Li Luo's words were not without their own logic. They couldn't let Mentor Chi Chan down, could they? The two eventually nodded assent. "We are all excellent and filial students," Li Luo said with relief. "We will indeed repay our mentor for all her precious guidance." He knew firsthand just how weak-willed his two squad mates were. The memory of them forfeiting the leadership was still fresh in his mind. He had been worried about the ranking battles. If they continued in that vein, he would be a one-man sitting-duck team against the opposition team. It was not like he was giving them much choice anyway. He made it sound like they were tying their mentor to a stake and kicking down the graves of their ancestors if they said no. How could they not say yes? Chi Chan stared hard at Li Luo. She had no idea what he was thinking, but she chose not to rumble with him. After all, it was quite a feat that he had managed to rally the likes of Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu. "In order to train your squad's synergy and familiarity, I'll give you special training." Chi Chan lifted her hand, and her resonant power streamed forth, eventually becoming a blue tiger of light. The glowing tiger gave a lifelike growl. They could sense how savage and strong it was. "Three hours per day. "If you beat it, you get to eat." Her veil fluttered as she snorted in amusement. "If you don't beat it, starve." ... Roar! A terrifying roar came from the tiger, and the training ground exploded into action. The glowing tiger raked the air, shimmering with resonant power. Ping, ping, ping! In one graceful leap, it broke out of the three students' surround. One bat from its paw smothered their attacks in a flash and then them sent them flying to the edge of the arena. The blue tiger paced within, staring at the three mouse-like students outside. They sat up and stared at it in dismay. "The tiger's really strong," Bai Mengmeng said, crestfallen. This was the third day they were fighting it. For all three days, their combined efforts had failed to defeat the glowing tiger made from Mentor Chi Chan's resonant power. Li Luo rubbed his face. "The tiger is about a 2nd-tier Resonant Master in power. It's a whole class stronger than us. Plus, it's made of resonant power, but it's sentient. If I'm not wrong, it even has battle experience from its time with mentor Chi Chan." "Mentor Chi Chan's amazing," Bai Mengmeng said in admiration. It was a casually summoned resonant power tiger, and it had them in the dust. If not for the fact that it wasn't out to kill them, they would already be dead many times over. Such was the power of a Duke Stage expert. On the other side of the training field, Chi Chan enjoyed lunch on her short table. She took one look at her three miserable students, then flicked her hand, sending three flatbreads whizzing to their hands. "Haven't beaten it yet? Continue the flatbread diet," she said mildly. They bit down on their cold, tough flatbreads vengefully. "We've eaten the flatbread for three days already," Li Luo complained through sore teeth. "It's stale flatbread." "Leader, I'll make you guys some food after Mentor Chi Chan leaves," Bai Mengmeng said kindly. Li Luo's teeth stopped moving, and this time it was not because of the flatbread's resemblance to baked leather. He shared a furtive look with Xin Fu, their panic mirrored in each other's eyes. "Mengmeng," Li Luo said, drawing himself up, "although our mentor won't know, we can't let ourselves down like that. To become strong, we have to depend on ourselves and press on. Since we made a promise to our mentor, we will only eat these cold, hard flatbreads until we beat her stupid tiger. "It's a test of our will." Xin Fu nodded solemnly in agreement. "I'm sorry. You're right, Leader," Bai Mengmeng said contritely. "Being able to know one's wrongs is a great blessing." Li Luo nodded sagely. They had truly dodged a bullet there. Compared to Bai Mengmeng's food, he would rather eat the flatbread. Still, he couldn't very well say that, or he would hurt her feelings. Plus, she had a demoness for a sister that wouldn't let them off. Of course, he could always pin the blame on Xin Fu's head, but he still had his limits. He was the leader after all. "Still, we can't keep eating flatbread forever. We have to get rid of that thing ASAP." Li Luo swallowed the rest of his flatbread in two huge bites since chewing didn't seem to improve its texture much. He stared at the relentlessly pacing blue tiger. "In these three days, I realized that my speed drops a lot when I'm within five feet of the tiger. I think it might be the Heavywater Halo, a water-based resonance art. It slows the opponents' movements and attacks. That's why it can dodge us so easily," Li Luo explained. Xin Fu also volunteered information. "Once, my attack landed, but didn't penetrate. There's a powerful defensive resonance art on it as well." Li Luo frowned. This was impossible. "Um, Leader," Bai Mengmeng said meekly. "I realized that when we attack, it always turns a scale on its left breast away from us. Could that be its weak spot?" Li Luo nodded. "I noticed that too. Let's give it a crack." He conferred some more with the two, kneading his forehead with his fingers as they made plans. "One more crack at it. If we win here, dinner's my treat at the canteen," Li Luo said. "I can make dinner too." Bai Mengmeng enthusiastically spoke up. Li Luo bit the inside of his cheek. Way to crush the morale, Mengmeng. Chapter 152: The Squad Shapes Up "Let's go!" At Li Luo's whispered command, the three charged. Li Luo took the lead, his wood resonant power summoning green vines that held the blue light tiger down. Swish! Swish! It gave a growl. Its keen claws made quick work of the vines, as if they were made of shredded paper. It then leaped at Li Luo. "Waterlight Demon Mirror!" His waterlight mirror shimmered into place. The mirror shattered, but he successfully repelled the tiger claw. "Chaos Shadow Blade!" A black light streaked past Li Luo's shoulder, a keen dagger headed straight at the tiger. The blue glow around the tiger slowed the shadow blade down, and it cut down the attack with the other paw. During this time, Li Luo had leaped high into the air, drawing his shortswords and combining them in one smooth move. He drew his bow, channeling his resonant power into an arrow of light. Swoosh! The arrow of light flew at the tiger. As it neared, it slowed down in an unnatural manner. "Mengmeng!" Li Luo yelled. A crystalline resonant power appeared as she waved her tiny hands. A twinkling cloud of pollen started to fall over his arrow of light. "Butterfly Powder!" Her powder seemed to have a cleansing effect that removed the delaying effects on the arrow. Shoosh! Its speed now unhindered, the light arrow continued straight on its journey, towards a certain scale on the glowing tiger's left breast. Ding! It hit the scale, and Li Luo's eyes widened. Another layer of defense on the tiger fur was triggered, rippling out as it absorbed the impact. The arrow strained against the defense and finally penetrated just as it split. Chi Chan smiled into her teacup. From within the light arrow, another concealed bolt of black light, a hidden arrow that punched straight through the weak spot that its shell of light had opened. It buried itself deeply in the scale. Roar! The glowing tiger froze, then it exploded into a shower of light. The three looked at the drifting light specks with delight. "Did we do it?" Bai Mengmeng cried. It was too good to believe. Li Luo blew out his cheeks. Behind him, Xin Fu hunkered down in his shadow, a slight quirk on his lips. Chi Chan walked on to the grounds. "Three days, and finally you show some semblance of basic cooperation. I feel like I'm teaching three little pigs." They hung their heads in embarrassment. "Still, you're not completely hopeless." She turned to Li Luo. "As the leader, you should have a basic understanding of your teammates' strengths and traits. Only then can you orchestrate the perfect attack. "The three of you need to find your own roles. "Li Luo has water and wood resonances. His water resonance sustains him in the fight, so he isn't afraid to draw it out. His wood resonance helps him control the field, locking down the opponent. His offense is varied and decent. "Xin Fu has the shadow resonance. He can only keep to the shadows and cannot execute head-on attacks. Only while Li Luo is attacking can he slip in through the shadows and deliver a critical strike. "Bai Mengmeng's Nightmarish Water Butterfly resonance is not suited to offense, but it has cleansing properties and can induce slumber and drowsiness. It is also a special form of control. "As for general tactics... If the three of you were to form a complete team, Li Luo would be your main offense, with Xin Fu waiting to strike, while Bai Mengmeng supports you from the back. You need to watch the situation and alert each other, or render aid when needed." They absorbed this intently. Her analysis of their strengths and weaknesses was spot on. Perhaps only when they could execute her vision could they reach their true prowess. "Continue training like that when you have spare time outside of cultivation. I'm sure you know how strong the other squads are. How well you can synergize will determine your result in the competition. "That's it for today. Go rest." ... Astral Sage College, Bank of Points. The hall was a popular place. There was a constant flow of people both in and out of it. Jiang Qing'e and Yan Lingqing had just arrived. Many pairs of eyes were trained on the pair, distracted by Jiang Qing'e. She walked to the exchange counter and pulled out a special badge. The mentor accepted the badge. "What would you like to exchange it for, Student Jiang?" "12 Step Weave," she said calmly. "What are you doing with that?" Yan Lingqing asked, puzzled. "For Li Luo. He only has a sixth-grade resonance, so he can't use Duke energy cultivation arts yet. The 12 Step Weave is one of the few Duke energy cultivation arts that don't need a seventh-grade resonance," she explained. Yan Lingqing's eyebrows shot up. "So that's why you've been taking on so many missions in the last few days. You've been so busy, I've barely seen you around. You were earning points?" Although Jiang Qing'e accumulated many points every year, she used them all up regularly. These two weeks had been particularly rough. "It can't be helped. Li Luo's just entered the school, so he can't even take on missions. It'll be a huge time sink if he's the one to collect 3,000 points," she said. "You're too nice to him," Yan Lingqing said almost sourly. "Am I not nice enough to you?" Jiang Qing'e teased her. She was in a good mood as she waited for the 12 Step Weave to be handed over. Yan Lingqing pushed her spectacles up. "Not nearly enough." The mentor looked up from his checking. "Student Jiang, someone else has taken the 12 Step Weave," he said, shaking his head in apology. "If you need it, you might have to wait for quite some time." She frowned. The 12 Step Weave was a niche item. There were not many people who would buy it. Who could have taken it so coincidentally at this time? "Mentor, can you help me check which student bought it?" Jiang Qing'e asked. He did not mind. A moment later, his eyes widened. "The 12 Step Weave was taken by mentor Shen Jinxiao for research," he said with surprise." "He left a note in the records. If any student needs it, they can talk to him." Yan Lingqing could feel cold anger rising from the girl beside her. Jiang Qing'e took her badge back wordlessly and turned to leave. Yan Lingqing hurried after her. "You're not going to find Shen Jinxiao, are you?" "Shen Jinxiao? As if. I'm going to Vice Principal Su Xin to impeach him." Yan Lingqing's mouth fell open. Chapter 153: Impeachment Astral Sage College, Gilded Palace. This was where the highest authorities of the school were, the Violet Vibrance mentors, and a few experienced Gold Gleam mentors. They alone could decide the major matters of the school. Vice Principal Su Xin's office was within the Gilded Palace. Vice Principal Su Xin was in a bit of a tough spot now that Jiang Qing'e was in her office and asking for Shen Jinxiao to be impeached. Beside Jiang Qing'e was a middle-aged brunette with a severe face. This was Jiang Qing'e's current mentor. Her name was Huo Xu, and she had a fiery temper to match her name. [1] "Su Xin, that maggot Shen Jinxiao is getting worse by the day. If you can't deal with him, leave him to me. I'll squeeze him until even his balls explode!" Huo Xu shouted. Su Xin blanched at the coarseness. "Er, Mentor Huo Xu, calm down. Let's wait for Mentor Shen Jinxiao before we sort this out." Huo Xu turned her nose up haughtily. "Im sorry to trouble you, Vice Principal," Jiang Qing'e said. Su Xin waved it off, and the two shared a warm conversation until the door swung open. Shen Jinxiao walked in with a smug smile on his face. "Vice Principal." She inclined her head slightly and then went straight to the topic. "I think you have probably heard. Jiang Qing'e accuses you of... immoral, unfair treatment, and impeding a students cultivation for selfish purposes." "A heavy crime." He sneered. "However... since when could normal students directly accuse a Violet Vibrance mentor, and to the vice principal no less? I seem to recall that there is a process that goes through the Gilded Palace." "Shen Jinxiao, as slippery as ever. Besides, Qing'e is no ordinary student anymore. She's already a candidate for the Seven Astral Pillars, and she will be formally appointed at the end of the year," Huo Xu snapped. His eyebrows shot up. The Astral Sage College's Seven Astral Pillars were the highest positions that students could achieve. Once appointed, they were equal in status to Violet Vibrance mentors and could participate in administrative decisions. If Jiang Qing'e was already a candidate, then she was indeed not just an ordinary student. However, one prerequisite to becoming a Seven Astral Pillar was becoming a Heavenly Dipper General. Could Jiang Qing'e really reach that this year? Ordinarily, students entered Four Star Hall before they contested for the honor. "Exceptional. Able to contest for a position in the Seven Astral Pillars while being a mere Three Star Hall student!" Shen Jinxiao said insincerely. "But still, I don't understand the reason for her accusation," he said, shaking his head sadly. "Mentor Shen Jinxiao's actions during the Choosing of the Mentors can be seen as targeting Li Luo, and now you have taken away the 12 Step Weave, which is suspicious. Those are my reasons." "I merely wanted to draw out Li Luo's abilities during the choosing. How could he have attracted four Violet Vibrance mentors otherwise?" he drawled lazily. "As for the 12 Step Weave, that is a coincidence. I am indeed conducting some research, so I took it. I had no intention of targeting anybody. "Besides, I even took the trouble to leave a message that any student who needed it could come find me. Qing'e, doesn't it all seem like a bit of an overreaction to run to the Vice Principal immediately? "Shen Jinxiao, do you think we can't read you? You're just spiteful that Qing'e broke your relationship into pieces!" Huo Xu yelled. "You chicken gizzard, you're not fit to be a mentor!" Shen Jinxiao frowned at her insults. No wonder all the male mentors ducked away when they saw her coming. Vice Principal Su Xin kneaded her brow. This was a delicate matter to deal with. She would rather have it settled privately than escalate it to a meeting. Su Xin mediated. "Mentor Shen Jinxiao, the 12 Step Weave cannot possibly hold much research value for you. I suggest you return it for now. It wont take a long time to be restocked" Shen Jinxiao smiled casually. "Since the Vice Principal orders it so, naturally your wish is my command. "However... you know that the newcomers' first monthly tests are coming up. As one of the organizers, I intend to make the 12 Step Weave an additional prize for the team that takes first place. "Keke, I even paid for it out of my own pocket." Shen Jinxiao smiled apologetically. "Don't worry. If the winning team expresses that they do not need it, I will return it, then Qing'e can buy it." Su Xin took a good, long look at him. It was a perfect counter move. Shen Jinxiao's plotting was more sophisticated than she had expected. At this step, there was nothing else she could negotiate. As the vice principal, she could not force a Violet Vibrance mentors hand. Besides, his actions were, strictly speaking, within his authority, even though they smacked of foul play. Both taking the 12 Step Weave and making it an additional test reward. "Shen Jinxiao, check yourself," Huo Xu said in a quiet tone that Su Xin understood to be her deadliest. Shen Jinxiao's smirk did not waver. Huo Xu took a deep breath, but Jiang Qing'e grabbed her hand to stop the imminent outburst. "Let it be as it is, then," she said to Su Xin. "My thanks to the Vice Principal." She turned and pulled Huo Xu out by the hand. Throughout this entire conversation, she had not looked at Shen Jinxiao once. Su Xin fixed Shen Jinxiao with a stern eye. "Mentor Shen Jinxiao, my vision of the Astral Sage College is not limited by conservative views. If you truly like Jiang Qing'e, pursue her openly. Your plotting and subterfuge is quite ungentlemanly. "Besides, it's not working, and it just makes her angry. "You're a Duke now, true, but how long do you think Jiang Qing'e will take to reach your level? If she overtakes you one day, what will you do?" Shen Jinxiao's eyelids fluttered, but his smirk remained. "If there's nothing else, Vice Principal, I'll take my leave." He waved a casual hand and turned away. She watched him go with apprehension. Shen Jinxiao. What on earth are you up to? 1. TN: Huo means fire. Chapter 154: The Ultra Rich Woman After the day's training ended, Li Luo bathed and changed. He was entranced by the handsome youth in the mirror staring back at him, and he spaced out for a few minutes. He shook himself from his reverie at last. "Just a pretty face, hollow underneath."?He sighed. He needed spirit liquids and purifying lights so badly. He had been at the Astral Sage College for more than 20 days now, and his supply of spirit liquids and purifying lights had been exhausted. He had run out two days ago, and it felt strange. He had gotten so used to them. That batch of spirit liquids and purifying lights had mostly helped his woodearth resonance, bringing it from the fourth grade to the fifth-grade. However, his first resonance, the waterlight one, still remained at the sixth grade. Moreover, it was a long way away from the seventh-grade. The main limiting factor was the steep price of sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. Although Jiang Qing'e had guaranteed him a continuous supply, it was not enough to keep pace with Li Luo's cultivation. He understood, but he was unhappy nonetheless. The Suncreek Villa's profits were climbing steadily at headquarters thanks to his secret watersource, but it wasn't going to make him a fortune overnight. He had to take things slow. "I'll just have to endure it." Li Luo hung his head and walked out of the room. He headed for the second level of the basement, a refining workshop. Chi Chan would give him and Bai Mengmeng refining advice here in their free time. There was a crystal wall on one side of the workshop, where one could see within. Li Luo saw Chi Chan standing outside with her hands in her pockets and looking in. He went to take a look. Inside the refining workshop, a petite girl was on the refining platform. In front of her was an entire assembly of bottles and flasks. Her hands were a blur as she performed complex procedures, adding, distilling, and creating even more glowing liquids. She turned briefly to look at the whiteboard behind her, which was already covered in a scrawling mass of numbers. Li Luo stared at her. She looked like a completely different person, her usual, demure look gone. Instead, her face was almost like a robot as she worked on her calculations with calm and collected precision. "That's Bai Mengmeng??" Chi Chan heard the disbelief in his voice. "Mm. Rather, it's Bai Mengmeng in a dream state." "What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled. "It's a special place for her. Her Nightmarish Water Butterfly resonance has powerful hallucinatory effects. For some reason, she can use it on herself as well. "She can induce a dream-state for herself, and when she does so, her ability to do research increases greatly. In this state, she can overcome many obstacles that she usually can't." Li Luo was amazed. So she was... sleep-walking? Sleep-researching?! That was insane! "So far, Bai Mengmeng has created more than 10 different spirit liquids and purifying lights. Although they are all fourth-grade and below, the best among them was rated a four-star spirit liquid. Li Luo was even more impressed now. In the Xia Kingdom, liquid and light formulas were classified into five grades, with one-star being the lowest and five-star being the highest. Four-star was already considered superb. Even the best that the Suncreek Villa offered was only a three-star formula. Despite the vast amounts of money they had thrown into research, they had yet to come up with a four-star formula. And yet this little girl had already beaten their research headquarters. Her formulas alone could probably fetch tens of millions of skygold. She was a low-key ultra-rich woman! Her net worth was probably higher than the entire Suncreek Villa. "Why do you think the Resonance Artificers Hall is drooling over her?" Chi Chan laughed, interrupting Li Luo's thoughts. "Many mentors have come to find me in the last half-month." Li Luo wiped a tear from his eye and stared at her with such a hot intensity that it seemed like he could melt the glass. That was a treasure of a girl inside. If he could just bluffno, invite her to the Suncreek Villa, what heights could the combination of his secret watersource and her research reach? Of course, if he could also get an artificer like Mentor Chi Chan to anchor things there, the Suncreek Villa would immediately reach the top ten. Millions of skygold a day. His waterlight resonance would reach the seventh-grade. The eighth-grade! For all three resonances, if he had them! Li Luo was trembling with greed. "I have no idea what you are thinking, but that vibrating is creeping me out. Stop it immediately, or I'll kick you out," Chi Chan warned the drooling Li Luo. He stopped it immediately. "You better not be thinking of taking advantage of her," Chi Chan warned him, displaying her uncanny ability to read his mind. "She might be a pure girl, but her sister and the Bai family aren't all harmless herbivores like her. You're asking for a world of pain." "Mentor!" Li Luo burst indignantly. "How could I?! "I merely wanted to exchange skills with Mengmeng. As the leader, it's my responsibility to care for my members!" She ignored his nonsense. "Another thing. There is an additional prize for the upcoming monthly test. Do you know what it is?" He shook his head curiously. "The 12 Step Weave." He opened his mouth and no words came out. He closed them again. "Mentor," he sobbed, "I'm so touched. You go too far for me." The 12 Step Weave's hefty price tag was a great worry for him. But now it was the monthly test's reward? Wasn't this an amazing chance for him? Who else could be so nice to him, besides Mentor Chi Chan? She shook her head. "Wasn't me. It was Shen Jinxiao. He even paid for the 12 Step Weave out of his own pocket to make it an additional prize." Li Luo stared at her, blinking stupidly. Shen Jinxiao? Had that old bag found a conscience? Or lost his marbles? Chapter 155: Joss Sticks On The Grave "Shen Jinxiao... "Has he lost his mind?" Li Luo decided to speak his thoughts out loud. Mentor Chi Chan was on his side. Li Luo would sleep more soundly if Shen Jinxiao fell off a cliff. Although his actions were very strange, Li Luo was not about to assume any kindness. "Not at all. But you're righthe's doing you no service either. Rather, he's delaying you from getting the 12 Step Weave." "Huh?" "I heard that Jiang Qing'e went to the Bank of Points yesterday. She also thought of getting you the 12 Step Weave and went to buy it. "But she was a step too late. Shen Jinxiao had already taken it, and he left a note saying that anyone who needed it could look for him." Well, that was a nasty move. So Shen Jinxiao had planned it all. Take the 12 Step Weave away as hostage to force Jiang Qing'e to go to him? "She did not go to him. Instead, she went to Vice Principal Su Xin to impeach him. "Shen Jinxiao thought of a good reply to her mediation, which was to offer it up as a prize for the monthly battle. He is indeed allowed to do such a thing, and Vice Principal Su Xin could find no fault with his conduct. "Which means that his hand was forced when he made it the prize. However, his goal was achievedto deny you the 12 Step Weave for a while." She shook her head in disapproval. "Shen Jinxiao is obsessed with Jiang Qing'e, the only one who can soothe his inner fire. And yet she doesn't care for anyone but you." Li Luo's face was absent of his usual, light-hearted attitude, and Chi Chan sensed a dark anger bubbling within him. Ffff. Li Luo let out a long hissing breath. "I better start collecting mud and making joss sticks. The day Shen Jinxiao is buried, I'll stick a big one on his gravestone." Chi Chan did not chastise him for his extremely insolent remark. Shen Jinxiao did not conduct himself as a mentor should, anyway. He deserved what he had coming. Li Luo was currently in no position to do anything about Shen Jinxiao, but the enmity between them was rapidly deepening to the point of no return. "Brazen, aren't you? I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan would declare a Duke expert as an enemy." He grinned. "I'm just daydreaming. I can't really cross him now. I beg for Mentor to protect me." There was a glint in her eyes and a flutter of her veil that he had come to recognize as an amused snort. She clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry." She reassured him. "I want to put a joss stick on his grave too." Li Luo started. He recalled that she had mentioned having a history with Shen Jinxiao, but clearly it was more serious than he had thought. But wasn't this just perfect? "Mentor," he said as he grinned, "looks like I made an inspired choice during the Choosing." "Well, before you grow some teeth, you had best hide your hate for Shen Jinxiao, no matter how deeply it runs. I quite like your style of hiding your light under a bushel. Stick to it," she told him. He gave her a small nod. "Oh, yes. Since Shen Jinxiao has so generously donated the 12 Step Weave, I feel like you should make a bid for it. "If you can really get it, you will not only have saved a huge amount of school points... Shen Jinxiao will also be very embarrassed." She snickered. Li Luo was tickled by the idea. But he had two pushovers with him. Did he really stand a chance... Still, it would be sweet if he could get the 12 Step Weave just like that. He started to rehearse a victory speech. "Er, anyway, I'll do my best," he eventually said. She nodded, her eyes flicking back to Bai Mengmeng. "She's almost ready to come out of the dream state." Li Luo saw her straighten up, and the fey, blue glow in her eyes dimmed. A few moments later, she was normal again, her shy, demure look back at home on her cutesy features. Winter was over, and spring had come again. Li Luo found this hard to process. Could one person really have two personalities? What was this, roleplay? Quite exciting. The post dream-state Bai Mengmeng did not look too surprised at the research that she had produced, but she did not continue it. She couldn't follow it very well when she was out of the dream state. She carefully packed away her notes for her next dream-state session. "If you're here to refine, go on in. The two of you could exchange skills," Chi Chan said, turning to leave. Again, Li Luo had the distinct feeling that she could read his mind. "Mentor Chi Chan is the best." He sighed. Psychic or not, she had given him a chance to interact with Bai Mengmeng. How often did such nice teachers come along? Shaking his head to himself, he swiped up a cup nearby and filled it with hot water. Donning his brightest smile, he walked in. "Mengmeng, you've worked for quite some time. You must be tired, huh? Do you want some hot water?" She looked up from her packing and flushed slightly at the sight of Li Luo offering the cup. "Um Leader," she said in a small voice, inspecting her nails. "Your smile is very greasy. Chapter 156: Leftovers Greasy.?Li Luo was almost disgusted with himself. Greasy was a word that best fit mongrels like Shen Jinxiao. How could an urbane, righteous gentleman like himself be greasy?! "Mengmeng, my heart was already breaking when I saw how hard you were cultivating. Your crushing words have brought it to the brink of completely shattering. Anyway, you must be tired. As your leader, I came to show concern out of the goodness of my heart! How could you attack me like that?!" he cried sorrowfully. Bai Mengmeng was flustered by his accusations. "Sorry, Leader," she said, her head hanging. "I didn't mean to attack you. I just... spoke too casually from the heart." "..." This was like a second bolt to Li Luo's heart. So... you DID think that in your heart? He shoved the cup unceremoniously over to her. "Drink it." She hastily took it and began to carefully sip from it, sneaking glances up at him. He shook his head. Looked like he had chosen the wrong approach. Clearly, there was not much point trying to butter up the butterfly girl. Perhaps a more direct approach was in order. "Ahem... "I heard Mentor Chi Chan say that you researched many formulas before, even a 4-star formula." She nodded a little shyly. "It's nothing much. They're all fourth-grade or below." "That's already fabulous. You're still so young; there's so much room to grow. You'll definitely be able to make even better formulas in the future," he said heartily. "Yes! Thank you, Leader," she said, her sunny smile as sweet as a spoonful of honey. "And what happens," Li Luo said, so casually that he could have been yawning, "with those formulas?" "My house takes them," she told him earnestly. "Most are sold to the villas. Our Bai family doesn't really hold any stake in the spirit liquids and purifying lights market." Li Luo felt his stomach plunge with anxiety at missed opportunities. Regardless, he had expected this. Clearly, Bai Mengmeng did not know the worth of those formulas, but the Bai family behind her did. "Leader, are you interested in spirit liquids as well?" she asked him with wide, guileless eyes. "Er... nope. Just asking." He had originally intended to weasel some high-star grade formula out of Bai Mengmeng so he could use it for the Suncreek Villa. It would definitely be worth a fortune, a fortune that the Suncreek Villa could not afford otherwise. But abusing the relationship with Bai Mengmeng to get such an unfair deal would feel like bullying. He couldn't bring himself to swindle such a gentle creature. Ultimately, neither he nor the Suncreek Villa could offer anything of value. His enthusiasm cooled as his thinking crystallized. Bringing the conversation to a smooth end, he walked over to a refining platform and gathered some ingredients to refine spirit liquids. Li Luo could already refine second-grade spirit liquids. Given how much stronger he had grown recently, he decided to attempt third-grade spirit liquids. However, his failures were thorough. Third-grade liquids were a whole scale harder than second-grade liquids. He was going to need a lot more practice. The 12 Step Weave and spirit liquid formulas were weighing heavily on his mind today, and his practice went even worse than usual because of this. He even failed at the first step a few times, causing the entire refining to fail. Boom! A stray surge of energy shattered the crystal flask in his hand, the spilled liquid's glow rapidly fading to a disappointing dark-green. A merge failure. Li Luo put it aside, shaking his head in frustration. Today was not a good day for practice. He said goodbye to Bai Mengmeng and prepared to leave. "Leader, I'll help you tidy up the refining platform, she said with concern, seeing that his workstation was a mess. "Thanks." He accepted. He wondered what Yu Lang would say if he knew how kind-hearted and demure this girl was. His eyes would probably get as round as a rabbit's. Too bad he was enjoying none of Bai Mengmeng's kindness. Instead, he lived daily under Bai Doudou's iron fist. As Li Luo relished the mental image, Bai Mengmeng finished up the cleaning. She took his failed refining product and was about to throw it down with the wastewater. But as the viscous liquid flowed to the edge, a pungent odor filled her nostrils. Any ordinary person would probably have done everything in their power to avoid it, but Bai Mengmeng stared at it. She hesitated, then brought the crystal vial up and pressed it against her lips. Pa! The crystal vial slipped out of her hand, shattering on the refining platform. Li Luo paused, the refining workshop door half-open. He turned back hurriedly, looking at her with alarm. Her eyes were quivering, as though she were about to cry. There was a smear of dark-green liquid on her lip. The failed product he had made just now. He almost fell over with fright. Was this girl's brain addled? Who on earth would drink failed chemical experiments? Who do you think you are?! What do you think is going to happen to me if Bai Doudou finds out about this?! He hurried back over. "Are you alright?" he asked urgently. He took a clean handkerchief, ready to press it against her mouth. She ducked away, darting towards the table. Desperately, she tried to scoop up the remaining liquid. Frantically, she pawed among the glass shards on the table, oblivious to the blood running down her hands. Li Luo hurriedly grabbed her hand. "Bai Mengmeng, are you crazy?!" He was really worried now. She didn't seem normal at all. She struggled ineffectually against his grip. "It- it's bitter! Bitter!" "Bitter?" Li Luo glanced at the spilled liquid and hesitated. He reached out a finger and dabbed it cautiously into the liquid, then transferred a drop into his mouth. Immediately after, his entire face scrunched up. It felt like the taste of a beast's liver had just exploded in his mouth. "Eurgh!" He dry-retched a few times. "Disgusting! What are you talking about?" She reached out a slim finger and dipped it into the dark green liquid, then brought it trembling to her mouth. Not only did she not retch, but instead she flushed, overcome by emotion. "It's bitter! This taste. It's been so many years, but I remember!" Bai Mengmeng stared at Li Luo, eyes wide and beseeching. Right. Bai Mengmeng had lost her sense of taste, right? Then how would she know that this liquid was bitter? Which meant... He turned back to the dark-green liquid. This nonsense he had cooked uphad it awakened her sense of taste? Could there really be such a miracle? Li Luo had no idea what to think. Chapter 157: Bai Mengmengs Request In the refining workshop. Li Luo and Bai Mengmeng's hands were still clasped as they stared at each other. Disbelief against desperation. "This thing... makes you taste bitterness?" She nodded so vigorously that she looked like she was in danger of getting whiplash. He felt like the taste was the height of nausea, but for Bai Mengmeng, who had tasted nothing for many years, it was a delicacy. If Li Luo hadn't stopped her, she would probably have licked the entire table clean! "Hey, calm down. Get a hold of yourself!" he said nervously, seeing a fervor in her eyes that bordered on madness. He cast around and found some fruit on the table, which he handed over to her. "Here, try this." She took a big and eager bite, then she shook her head in disappointment. "Nothing." It seemed like his failed mixture had allowed her to taste bitterness temporarily, but not enough to heal her taste loss entirely. "That's not very useful, then," he said glumly. As if some random mess could have healed her. "No, Leader, it's very useful!" she said in a high-pitched voice. "You let me taste bitterness for a moment," she said tearfully. "Maybe something in your failed product can stimulate my sense of taste!" "If we can find it, I might be cured! "Leader, please, I'm begging you! Please help me!" She clutched his clothing desperately, her usual shyness completely gone as her voice rose steadily in both pitch and volume. Li Luo felt a little embarrassed to see Bai Mengmeng of all people throwing herself at him. He tried to speak, but he was interrupted by the door opening. A shadow filled the doorway, and Xin Fu's face popped in. Li Luo and Bai Mengmeng were practically intertwined. A long silence. "Sorry, I thought I heard voices, so I came to check it out. I checked nothing out. Carry on," Xin Fu mumbled, then he shut the door behind him. He leaned against the door on the other side, breathing heavily.?"They wouldn't kill me to keep the secret, right? "Leader's unbelievable. Making a move on Bai Mengmeng already? "I wonder if Senior Qing'e knows? Or perhaps she agreed to this? Leader's already gotten her under his belt? "Damn, truly a paragon, this leader,"?Xin Fu thought to himself. He helpfully locked the door behind him as he left. "He wouldn't have misunderstood, would he?" Li Luo wondered aloud after the door slammed. Xin Fu had looked at him as though he were a beast. It was an uncomfortable feeling. Bai Mengmeng did not care. "Leader, please!" Li Luo pried her off him. "It's not that I don't want to help you," he said, straightening his clothes with some irritation. "But I don't know how I made it either. How am I going to cure you?" "It might have been sheer luck, but there must be a way to replicate it. If we try, we might succeed!" Li Luo was a little doubtful. Did she know how much work the experimentation would be? "Leader, if you can cure me of my taste loss, I'll... You can have my body for four years!" she burst out, desperate as she also knew the improbability of what she was asking. Li Luo stared at her in horror. Bai Mengmeng recovered a little, flushing. "No, I mean, I'll give my four years of research of spirit liquid formulas to you! Leader, I can see that you're interested in them!" Li Luo felt his heart start beating again. In fact, this was a much more exciting proposition than the former. The little girl had shrewdly gone to the heart of his interests. There was clearly a good brain working in that dainty little skull. Given her unique research methods, four years of results would be worth a gigantic fortune. It might even be more than the Suncreek Villa's entire net worth. "Silly girl, don't you know how much you're worth?" he said with a dry chuckle. Her doe-like eyes were clear. "I do," she said seriously. "But... I really want to experience flavors again. I don't want to be eating candle-wax everyday. Leader, you've never lost your sense of taste, so you don't know how horrible it is. You don't know how sweet that repulsive bitterness was for me." He looked at her imploring eyes. Perhaps it was as she had said. Those that had never experienced such things before wouldn't be able to understand the misery. "Mengmeng, you're correct. I do need high-grade spirit liquid formulas. I find it hard to refuse your trade. But," he said sternly, "there's no need to sell your body to me. The greed of Li Luo is not without its boundaries. "I'll do my best to see if I can help you regain your sense of taste. If I succeed, I just ask that you can sell any high-grade formulas to me with priority. "In terms of price, I'll match the market rate. Although, given House Luolan's situation, I can't cough up that much immediately. I'll take it out of the proceeds each year. I think in the long term, it's a fair price." "Really? Leader, will you really help me?" She jumped up and down, ecstatic and grateful. "I feel like you've listened to exactly none of my conditions," Li Luo said pointedly. "Yes! Yay! I agree completely, Leader! I'll do anything you say!" she babbled. Er. Still, he understood that she was a little overwhelmed, so he kindly passed over it. "In that case, let's analyze the leftover product. See if we can identify the ingredients and the changes." He collected the remaining liquid on the table, and the two bent over it for examination. Immersed, hours passed before they realized it. In the end, they had managed to ascertain the ingredients, which were not particularly rare, nor did they have any curious properties. They had no clue as to how it had stimulated her senses. "Let's leave it here for now. We'll come back to it," Li Luo suggested. Her heavily fatigued eyes still looked at the liquid longingly, but she felt bad making Li Luo accompany her like this. She nodded. Creak. The door to the refining workshop opened again, and this time it was Chi Chan who walked in. She eyed the two of them suspiciously. "Were you two planning to spend the night here?" She jiggled the chain on the door. "It was very well locked. What exactly were you two up to?" Bai Mengmeng blushed and ran away. Li Luo swore. "That Xin Fu!" He turned to Chi Chan with his most sincere face. "Mentor, we didn't do anything!" She leaned against the door, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Trying to dazzle the girl, Li Luo? I've underestimated you." "I'm INNOCENT!" Li Luo wailed angrily. Chapter 158: A Tough Life The next morning. When Li Luo went down to the second floor, he saw Xin Fu again engrossed in his painting. Remembering how he had locked the door on them, Li Luo stalked over, glowering. This guy. He looked like a bored guy, or actually, a bad guy. He was just about to drop an impassioned sermon when he was distracted by the canvas. It was no longer chickens being drawn. Today, it was the refining workshop. There were two people roughly brushed in. Li Luo stared at it. "Leader," Xin Fu called out proudly, "how's my drawing? I was inspired by you and Mengmeng in the refining workshop yesterday. I call it Taking Root." Li Luo could not believe his eyes.?Damn, locking the door yesterday wasn't enough? You had to draw it as well?! Taking Root?! I'll pull your teeth out by the roots! And those two wispy brushstrokes are supposed to be me and Bai Mengmeng? Who the hell could tell?! In any case, Li Luo felt that it would be best to nip this problem in the bud as soon as possible. He clapped Xin Fu on the shoulder with a bit more force than necessary. "Look here, Xin Fu. It looks like I'll have to get in a good sparring session with you over the refining workshop affair." Xin Fu faltered for only a moment. "Well, if Leader is inviting me to spar, I don't dare to refuse. "But. "I'm the kind of guy who babbles nonsense when I'm beaten up. I'm afraid I might just run off to Bai Doudou and tell her that you and Bai Mengmeng spent the night in the refining workshop." Li Luo's eyes widened. He pointed at Xin Fu with a trembling finger, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly. This morose, little man seemed unremarkable, but he sure had a mean streak hidden deep down. Although he hadn't actually spent the night with Bai Mengmeng in the refining workshop, they had spent a considerable amount of time alone. If Bai Doudou learned about it, she would definitely get agitated enough to knock his head off his neck before she calmed down enough to start asking questions. Xin Fu, straight to the nerve. No wonder this guy was built to be an assassin. Still, Li Luo wasn't about to back down. "Well," he said slowly, "I guess I'll have Mengmeng make you all three meals a day from now on." The brush froze mid-stroke, pooling black ink on the same spot. Xin Fu stared at Li Luo in dismay, aghast at his vicious imagination. "Alright, Leader, you win. "I'll erase this painting!" Li Luo patted him on the back with a satisfied smile. "Well, get on it later. Breakfast." The two of them descended the stairs to see Bai Mengmeng busying around. She flitted around like a graceful butterfly, a real joy to look at. The pair sighed and sat at the table with an air of resignation. Dimpling at them, Bai Mengmeng set out two breakfast plates that were clearly not made by her. The two looked at her in surprise. "I bought these from the canteen," she explained. "I... I don't really know what my food tastes like, so... I feel like... you might not like it," she said hesitantly. Both guys felt a little guilty seeing her abase herself, and immediately shook their heads. "Oh, we like it very much!" "Really?" Her face lit back up. The two guys smiled and nodded. Very soon after, they were not smiling anymore. Bai Mengmeng had rushed back from the kitchen with two more servings of her cooking. "Well, since you like it, its a good thing I also made some." Li Luo and Xin Fu stared yearningly at the replaced breakfasts. Why couldn't they have kept their fat mouths shut? Their hellish mornings looked like they were on the verge of ending. Why did they have to bring it back? "What a disaster of astronomical proportions," Xin Fu muttered under his breath. It was unclear who exactly he was blaming. Li Luo shook his head. Life was tough, but he hadn't expected it to be this tough. The two lowered their heads and ate. They hadn't made much headway into their meal when a knocking interrupted the gloomy atmosphere. Bai Mengmeng went to open the door. Li Luo looked up when he heard her exclaim, and he was surprised to see that it was Yu Lang and Lu Qing'er. Yu Lang's smile was as bright as the sun when Bai Mengmeng opened the door. Lu Qing'er's smile was a little more reserved as she looked at the cute little girl. "Best of mornings to you. I'm Yu Lang, a brother so close to Li Luo that we're practically the same person." He stretched out a hand as he introduced himself. "I'm Lu Qing'er. We're both friends of Li Luo here to see him." Lu Qing'er also stretched out a gloved hand. Bai Mengmeng seized Lu Qing'er's hand. "Sister Qing'er's hand is beautiful." Lu Qing'er's eyes softened. Bai Mengmeng was just too adorable. No wonder few guys could resist her charm. "Mengmeng, I'm here too," Yu Lang said, wriggling his own hand expectantly to catch her attention. Bai Mengmeng glanced furtively up at him. "I know you," she said meekly. "Sis told me not to have any contact with you, or I'll catch a foul disease." Yu Lang's hand withered.?Bai Doudou, how dare you slander me like this! "Come in, guys," Li Luo said from behind. Bai Mengmeng ushered them in. They saw Li Luo and Xin Fu at the breakfast table, and Yu Lang immediately let out a strangled cry. "Could that have been made by Mengmeng?!" Both guys nodded. Yu Lang's jealousy shot through the roof. In a flash, he planted his ass right beside Li Luo. "I want to taste Mengmeng's breakfast too!" he cried. He took a bite. The chirping birds outside were silent for a moment. Gulp. Yu Lang's enthusiasm was evaporating very quickly. He swallowed with great difficulty and then carefully set the utensils down. "Hehe, I almost forgot. Actually, I ate breakfast before I came. Hehe," he said to Li Luo. "No matter," Li Luo said casually. "Its only two breakfasts, your stomach will be fine." He noted the despair in Yu Lang's eyes. Chase Bai Mengmeng? Who was the one who said he could eat three big bowls of shit?! Oh, hubris. Luckily he didn't spit out that mouthful, or Bai Doudou wouldve pulverized the shit out of him. Yu Lang threw Li Luo a defeated look. "Well, its a pity because Qing'er went to buy breakfast for you as well. But you already ate." Li Luo looked over to see food in Lu Qing'er's hands. Lu Qing'er's faint smile was still in place. "No matter. How can my canteen breakfast compare to Mengmeng's handiwork? "If no one eats it, I'll just throw it into the lake to feed the fishes." Li Luo spotted the danger signs. She had bought it specially for him after all. It would be too churlish not to accept it. He smiled. "No worries, I have a big appetite. Give it here, I'll finish it all." "Really?" Lu Qing'er's smile was a little more genuine now. He smiled and nodded, taking the packet and eating. "Leader, you're really blessed. People are buying you breakfast every day." Xin Fu said quietly. Li Luo grimaced.?Little brother, could you stop creating trouble for me for just one moment!? Is this your rebellious phase?! Chapter 159: The Squads Train "Oh? Who else is delivering breakfast to Li Luo?" Xin Fu's words had caught Lu Qing'er's interest, and her very sweet smile was suddenly back. "Senior Qing'e," Xin Fu answered gravely. Lu Qing'er's eyelids flickered. "Senior Qing'e and Li Luo have a special relationship. Theres nothing odd about her buying him breakfast." She turned her smile to Xin Fu. "Xin Fu, you're really special as well. I'm sure many girls are lining up to buy you breakfast." Xin Fu squirmed a little under his hood. Lu Qing'er was actually the second girl to talk to him since he had entered the Astral Sage College, besides Bai Mengmeng. Also, her kind words somehow seemed to cut a different way. He snuck a look at Li Luo. Was this some sort of counterattack against the leader? Had he ended up burning himself with the hint he had dropped? Something felt off. By right, the leader should be the one in trouble now. A girl as wonderful as Lu Qing'er should be feeling jealous, right? But... she was attacking him together with the leader? Was Lu Qing'er's brain too big for him? Or were the leader's moves too high-level? In any case, Xin Fu felt like he had lost somehow. His respect for Li Luo increased further.?Sir, you truly are a role model of our generation. Li Luo snickered to himself at Xin Fu's confusion.?You bad boy, trying to trip me up? Right back at you, kid. Feeling good, he shot an appreciative glance Lu Qing'er's way. She replied with a cool look, eyebrows raised as if in challenge. There was something off about it. Li Luo gave up. This girl was hard to understand. He bent over and focused on his food. "Oh," Yu Lang said as they ate. "Mentor Mi Er and Mentor Chi Chan plan for our squads to fight a practice match today." Li Luo and Xin Fu looked up in surprise. "Our teams?" Mentor Mi Er's team was Bai Doudou, Qiu Luo, and Yu Lang. "I heard Mentor Chi Chan mention it yesterday. She said that the sparring training will help us understand each other, and help each other improve," Bai Mengmeng offered helpfully. Li Luo nodded. "I guess I'm matched against Yu Lang." "No fair!" Yu Lang shouted. You're picking on the shortest straw here! I'm going to fight Bai Mengmeng today. I want her to beat her tiny fists against my chest. "Leader, you had best take on my sister." Bai Mengmeng smiled at him. "Bai Doudou is their leader, and you're our leader. You wouldn't put us up against her, right?" Xin Fu rolled his eyes at Li Luo. Li Luo felt sweat start to prickle on his brow. Bai Doudou was no easy target. He was going to have to go all out against her. "How strong is Bai Doudou now?" he asked. Yu Lang answered candidly, "She's already at the Pattern Genesis Tier, the second tier of the Resonant Master Stage. Should be a First Pattern." "Ah, second tier..." Li Luo sighed. Still, it was to be expected. He himself was only a Lower Clear during the Choosing of the Mentors. In less than a month, he was already a Lower Flowering. Although the resonant luminescence had helped, his progress had been swift. Bai Doudou was an Upper Flowering during the Choosing. It stood to reason that she had progressed to the second tier. The Upper Flowering Tir and the Pattern Genesis Tier were only one level apart, but it was a marked difference. The Pattern Genesis Tier meant that the resonance seed had hit a certain milestone of completion in which the resonant power was strong enough to manifest on the surface of the seed. The Pattern Genesis Tier had five different ranks. Each was a new resonance pattern on the resonance seed, which was why it was also called the Five Pattern Tier. It seemed like he would have to pay attention in the fight against Bai Doudou. If he was thrashed, his dignity as leader would suffer. After breakfast was over, Li Luo brought Lu Qing'er and Yu Lang around on a tour of the premises. He intended to skip the second floor, but the two caught sight of Xin Fu's painting. "Li Luo, you bastard!" Yu Lang yelled immediately. "What were you doing with Mengmeng here?!" Lu Qing'er was looking unfriendly as well. "A man and woman alone in a room, and you even left a memento? Charming. Young Lord, I never knew you were such a romantic." Li Luo was speechless. How the hell could you tell it was him and Bai Mengmeng? It was just two wispy brush strokes! "Xin Fu just casually drew this. What on earth are y'all seeing in it?" he protested. Yu Lang pointed at the wispy line. "That." His finger jabbed pointedly with each word. "Is. The. Two. Of. You. He might as well have spelled your names out on it, for goodness sake. How on earth could I not see it?!" Lu Qing'er folded her arms and stared at him scathingly. Li Luo suddenly felt tired. Could there be something wrong with his aesthetic sense? It still looked like a scraggly stroke to him. How on earth could they see it so clearly? Something was wrong with the world. Xin Fu mysteriously appeared by his side. "Leader, when one person accuses you, they might be the problem. But when everyone is accusing you, you might be the problem!" Li Luo was seized by a sudden urge to strangle Xin Fu with his hood. He shook his head and stomped off, finishing the tour in a bothered state of mind. Next up was the squad battles, and so Yu Lang was staying. Lu Qing'er was returning to her training, however, and she left with irritation obvious in her mood. Leaving the building, Lu Qing'er took the path by the lake. The morning mist had yet to lift, and the misty lake was quite a magical sight. Her thin outer wrap and short skirt brought out the best of her charms, and the mist gently cloaked her. Many students stopped to stare at the mysterious beauty. But she was not interested in them. She picked up a branch and absently tore the leaves off one by one. The feelings of a young girl were complex indeed. Soon enough, the branch was bare, and she sighed to herself. She tossed it aside, preparing to head back. She turned around and felt a jolt of surprise run through her. She saw two people on the path in front of her, looking at her. She knew them wellJiang Qing'e and Yan Lingqing. Lu Qing'er's eyes met Jiang Qing'e's. In that moment, a spark of tension sizzled. She hesitated, then turned to meet them, approaching with a steady smile. "Senior Qing'e." Chapter 160: The Girls Face Off The morning mist lingered, honey-gold rays bathing the lake with a warm light. Three beautiful women stood by the lake, looking like angels in the fantasy-like lighting. Yan Lingqing regarded the approaching Lu Qing'er with faint interest. This girl had clearly been interested in Li Luo since their time together in the Tianshu Province. Still, it was not unexpected. Considering what Li Luo brought to the table, it would be stranger if girls were uninterested in him. This Lu Qing'er was something special. She had not backed down upon seeing Jiang Qing'e, instead coming up to them. It spoke of inner pride and self-confidence. Enough to consider herself worthy of taking on Jiang Qing'e and the legacy she had. Besides, Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo were engaged. If Lu Qing'er had feelings for him, she should be feeling guilty right about now, so coming up to them was a surprising move indeed. Yan Lingqing could feel a slight stirring of excitement. Another entertaining show was about to begin. "Qing'er, were you at Li Luo's?" Jiang Qing'e asked neutrally. Lu Qing'er inclined her head. This meeting was no coincidence. Jiang Qing'e might have seen her and Yu Lang headed for Li Luo's earlier. "We went to meet Li Luo and his squad," she replied. "You don't look too happy," Jiang Qing'e said with a faint smile. "Is that because Li Luo is as responsive as a fish carved out of wood? It's very normal. He's still young, and you two have been close for a while. If the topic isn't breached directly, I'm afraid he won't make the leap to realize that you have romantic feelings for him." Yan Lingqing's eyebrows shot up. Jiang Qing'e's opening move was insanely daring, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. A lower-born opponent might have fainted from that statement. Lu Qing'er was indeed a little ruffled, but she still looked like she was in control. She gave a small nod of confirmation. It looked like she indeed had the mettle to take on a queen. "What are you trying to say, Senior Qing'e?" Lu Qing'er asked slowly. Jiang Qing'e's golden eyes regarded Lu Qing'er in turn. "I think it was you who had something to say?" Lu Qing'er shook her head. "I don't, really. If Senior Qing'e is trying to tell me to back down because you are engaged to Li Luo, then I'm sorry to say that I can't oblige." Yan Lingqing's fingers curled in anticipation. Lu Qing'er was even better than she had expected. A counter attack against the wife-to-be? Hoo! "Oh? Why is that?" Jiang Qing'e asked, interest piqued. Lu Qing'er fearlessly looked into her golden eyes. "Because your engagement is a loveless one. Perhaps Senior Qing'e knows best just how much of it was born of gratitude to Li Luo's parents. "I'm not saying that you have no feelings for Li Luo. Conversely, perhaps he holds an important place in your heart. A place more important than romance. "You are not blood-related, and yet maybe you think of him as an irreplaceable part of your family. For him, you would do anything. Perhaps even more so than I." Lu Qing'er paused. "But... that is not what marriage is about. Senior Qing'e, you like Li Luo. But you also do not like Li Luo. At least not right now." Masterful! Yan Lingqing whooped inwardly. This Lu Qing'er was no slouch, delivering an incisive emotional riposte straight to Jiang Qing'e's heart. As Jiang Qing'e's best friend, she knew best that Jiang Qing'e valued Li Luo more than her own life. But... she had yet to really be romantically moved. This was not Jiang Qing'e's fault. And perhaps she had never taken romantic relationships seriously. After all, what more could even be done to strengthen the bond between her and Li Luo? Still, emotions were complicated, and it was clear that Jiang Qing'e had not fully sorted out the complexities of her relationship with Li Luo. Jiang Qing'e's eyes widened at Lu Qing'er's words. "And so?" she said mildly. "And so you should take the lead and annul the engagement, if you truly care about Li Luo." "That seems very ideal for you. I'll annul the engagement, which gives you free rein to pursue him openly?" Lu Qing'er did not deny it. "That is the best outcome for Li Luo." Jiang Qing'e inclined her head. "Well, from a certain perspective, what you say makes sense." Lu Qing'er's eyes widened with a cautious delight. Had Jiang Qing'e really been swayed? It was quickly quelled. "Canceling the engagement is impossible..." Jiang Qing'e said, bringing down a metaphorical bucket of cold water over Lu Qing'er's head. "The marriage was approved by the House Lords, my mentors. Rest assured that no matter how complicated the feelings between Li Luo and I, this engagement will not change." Lu Qing'er clenched her fists. "Senior Qing'e, you're being selfish!" she burst out. "You don't care about Li Luo's feelings at all! What if... what if he really likes someone else in the future? Will you rather he be sad? For you?" Yan Lingqing nodded. It was a valid question. What's your reply, Jiang Qing'e? Jiang Qing'e cocked her head slightly, then broke into a smile. "You wouldn't be talking about yourself, would you? Are you that confident?" Lu Qing'er flushed, but she met her eyes. "Can't I be?" "Well, it's not that you can't..." Jiang Qing'e leaned against a stone railing, tilting her chin up in a queenly manner. "...but House Luolan is a big place. I don't mind another woman in the house." Not only Lu Qing'er, even Yan Lingqing was speechless at that. Jiang Qing'e, have you lost your mind?! Lu Qing'er reeled for a good while. "Jiang Qing'e," she whispered in an almost mortified tone. "Wh-what are you saying!?" "Must I really spell it out? If you're that capable, I really don't mind," Jiang Qing'e said mildly. But I do mind!?Lu Qing'er cried in her heart. Jiang Qing'e had pitched a real curveball. It had blown all of her prepared thoughts away. But she backed down, shaking her head as she turned and fled. Thoroughly intimidated. "A little too forward, don't you think?" Yan Lingqing said, watching the fleeing Lu Qing'er. Jiang Qing'e did not reply. "You... weren't for real, right?" Yan Lingqing asked carefully. "You think?" "I don't know..." Yan Lingqing shook her head. "But if you were for real, all I can say is-" "-to include you as well?" Jiang Qing'e teased. Yan Lingqing punched her in outrage. "Do you want to die?!" She turned serious. "Jiang Qing'e, your attitude just now was not that of a girl talking about her fiance. Rather... It was like an older sister choosing a bride for her younger brother. "Li Luo... might not like that. Jiang Qing'e, I know that your feelings for Li Luo are complex, perhaps so much so that no one besides you can understand them. But I think that if you keep this up... a time might come when you will regret it." Jiang Qing'e remained silent for a long while. "Are we still going to Li Luos place for a meal?" Yan Lingqing broke the silence eventually. Jiang Qing'e carelessly pressed down against a stone on the railing, crushing it to powder. She turned and started walking away. "We are not. I'm afraid I might treat his head like that stone if I see him now." Chapter 161: First Team Clash Training field. Six people from two squads were currently lined upLi Luo and Bai Doudou's teams. Their mentors, Chi Chan and Mi Er, were watching from the sidelines. "Mentor Chi Chan, how's Li Luo's dual resonance cultivation coming along?" Mi Er asked. "He hasn't grasped it yet." She shook her head. "That's to be expected. Dual resonances are a highly advanced skill. Li Luo's only at the Resonant Master Stage. It won't be easy. "Which means," he chuckled, "chances are that I'm going to win this practice match. You don't have anyone to stop Bai Doudou." It was true enough. Bai Doudou was already a First Pattern, Pattern Genesis Tier. She was far stronger than Li Luo and Xin Fu, and her speedy wind resonance was quite decent on offense and speed as well. She would decimate them like a hurricane through dry leaves. Qiu Luo was an Upper Flowering, while Yu Lang had just managed to reach Lower Clear. On Li Luo's side, the theoretically strongest was Xin Fu. Like Qiu Luo, he was an Upper Flowering, while Li Luo was a Lower Flowering. Bai Mengmeng was an Upper Clear. Overall, Bai Doudou's team was much stronger. Chi Chan smiled over her teacup. "I'm very interested in seeing how far your three winds have come." Indeed, Mi Er's team of Bai Doudou, Qiu Luo, and Yu Lang were all wind resonance cultivators. They were known collectively as the three winds. Agile, speedy, and suited to closing the battle cleanly. On the field, the six were finishing up their respective warm ups. "Li Luo, you had better take care of my sister, or else.... hmph," Bai Doudou said loftily, spear in hand. "Well, just leave her alone, then," Li Luo said. Bai Doudou shook her head with a smile. "Not a chance. This is a battle. No sisterly affection here." Bai Mengmeng stuck her tongue out at her sister. "So cute!" Yu Lang groaned. Bai Doudou shot him a withering look, her spear twitching in his direction. He was scared back into soberness. The two mentors declared the start of the battle. Boom! All six called forth their respective powers. Li Luo stepped forth, swords in hand. Bai Mengmeng took a mirrored step backwards, her palms glowing with an astral power. Xin Fu simply vanished. The three had already built some basic synergy through their training. Just as their mentor, Chi Chan, had suggested, Li Luo was the main offense and anchor. Xin Fu would lurk and pounce on opportunities, while Bai Mengmeng hung behind in support, also providing a second pair of eyes on the battle from a distance. None of this divide-and-conquer tactic was to be seen on the other side. From the starting gun, all three streaked forward like identical arrows, charging over at full speed. "Attack Li Luo, finish him off!" Bai Doudou ordered. They had no fancy battle plan. Li Luo was the core of the opposing team, so they would focus on taking him out first. With Li Luo gone, the other two were destined to fail. And their setup was suited for lightning-quick battles, keeping up wave after wave of relentless offense until their opponent crumbled. Whoo! Wind howled as three different attacks screamed their way towards Li Luo. An answering blast of astral light from behind Li Luo filled their view with phosphorescent light. "Careful! That's Mengmeng's resonance art, it can cause hallucinations!" Bai Doudou shouted. Yu Lang and Qiu Luo saw that Li Luo's figure blurred and then two more identical Li Luos appeared to his left and right. All three Li Luos attacked as one. Bai Doudou's eyes narrowed. Her green resonant power flashed out on her spear, sending three green-tipped prongs of power lashing out at them. All three passed through the figures. "They're all fake!" Qiu Luo exclaimed. Bai Doudou had realized it at the same time. Her spear whirled around to face Yu Lang in one sure movement, and she stabbed behind him. DING! It was blocked by a pair of shortswords just as it was about to hit Yu Lang. Li Luo, cloaked in his waterlight, shimmered into view. His sneak attack had been intercepted. She had read that he would seek an opening with their weakest teammate, Yu Lang. Yu Lang broke out in cold sweat. "Damn you, Li Luo!" he yelled. "Still picking on the soft persimmons. I'll fight it out with you!" He raised his knife and bellowed. In the next moment, he was running away as fast as he could. "Get him!" he hollered. Li Luo snorted. The guy was slippery, and he wanted to get him out of battle first. But Yu Lang knew him too well and ran away immediately. He couldn't afford to chase. Bai Doudou and Qiu Luo were flanking him fast, spears at the ready, glinting coldly. They had guessed that he would prioritize Yu Lang too and had purposely left him out as bait. When he showed himself, they were ready to strike. Li Luo was still getting used to this high-paced fighting, which he had never experienced before. Team battles were a different kettle of fish. Bai Doudou and Qiu Luo were closing fast. He lifted a hand, his already-prepared resonance art bursting forth. "Tiger-general resonance art... "Dendrical Intervention." Green light poured from his palm, snaking out in coils towards the attackers. His power coalesced into wispy vines that wrapped everywhere, sprouting flowers and leaves as they grew, bringing new life onto the battlefield. When exposed to sunlight, they grew rapidly. The tender stems roughened into bark, and soon, large trees were standing all around them. The snaking, green power was disruptive, shifting the terrain all around them. Bai Doudou and Qiu Luo cut down the vines as quickly as they could. But from the first cut, their expressions turned guarded. There was something odd about the plants. Chapter 162: Mistral Knights Charge Thunk! Both Bai Doudou and Qiu Luo were looking apprehensive as they sliced through the vines. There was a special hardiness to them, and the wood resonant power imbued within was especially vibrant and full of life. This was no ordinary Dendrical Intervention! DING! DING! Soon enough, the vines outgrew the pace of their attacks, and the two were slapped several dozen times. Bai Doudou stood her ground, spear darting and weaving like a swift needle, undoing Li Luo's weave of vines. Qiu Luo, however, was steadily being forced back. Bai Doudou glanced over but was too occupied to help. Instead, she leaped forth swiftly, spear lancing straight for Li Luo. First, to the root of the problem. Li Luo slapped his palms together, and the vines responded immediately, focusing their attacks on the approaching Bai Doudou. At the same time, the flowers on the vines withered away, funneling all of their stored energy into the green wood. Just as Bai Doudou and Qiu Luo had realized, this was no ordinary Dendrical Intervention. He had included light resonance power in it, and it strengthened his plants with a resilience not normally seen with Dendrical Intervention. It was a special skill that Li Luo had spent a long time thinking up, specially to counter their tiger-general resonance arts. The green vines lashed out with the speed of striking snakes. Bai Doudou stood her ground in the face of the rapidly expanding overgrowth. She gripped her spear in both hands and stepped forth, pulling her entire body taut. "Tiger-general resonance art, Peregrine's Cry!" A falcon's shriek accompanied a flash of green light on Bai Doudou's spear, and suddenly it was cutting through the green wood like a hot knife through butter. Li Luo was alarmed. Bai Doudou was even stronger than he had anticipated, enough to overwhelm his Dendrical Intervention with brute strength. He retreated. However, there was no way he could get away from the lower eighth-grade wind resonance Bai Doudou. In a flash, she closed the distance between them, spear thrusting towards Li Luo. A shadow loomed over her as her hand darted out. A short dagger, so dark with shadow resonant power that it seemed to absorb light from around it, contorting its exact shape. Xin Fu. Bai Doudou was forced to give up her attack, moving her spear to defend. DING! A flash of green on black burst outwards when the spear answered the dagger. She was shaken, while Xin Fu was painfully thrown backwards. There was a flash of shadow resonant power, then he was gone again. He had bought the few precious seconds that Li Luo had needed to pull his shortswords, now gleaming with blue Water Edge power. He leaped at Bai Doudou, eager to see just how strong a Pattern Genesis Tier cultivator was. Bai Doudou's eagerness mirrored his own. She wanted to see how strong a dual resonance user was. Both went at it with all they had, blasting towards each other with their powers fully unleashed. DING! A clash of steel and resonant power. Bai Doudou staggered back half a step, Li Luo several. So the lower eighth-grade resonance and Pattern Genesis Tier Bai Doudou was still a cut above him. Things did not just end there. The two leaped again, their resonant power bubbling forth through their weapon conduits. Sparks flew from their furious fighting. Again and again, they came together and separated in a blistering blur of weapons. In such a direct clash, Bai Doudou was inching ahead, while Li Luo was being forced back step by step. Yet Li Luo did not break. His resonant power reserves ran deep, and with the endurance of his water resonance, he continued to deny Bai Doudou a convincing win. The stalemate irritated Bai Doudou, an irritation that grew with each passing moment. Li Luo was clearly only at the Lower Flowering Tier, a full tier below her. "Helix Gust!" Bai Doudou took careful aim and made her move. The spear in her hand spun out, the rifling effect stabilizing its thrust and lending extra velocity as she attempted to punch through Li Luo's block. DING! Another clash of metal. Li Luo was sent skidding back, and the Water Edge power on his shortswords flickered out for a long while before flaring back up. He felt the shock of the blow all the way up to his shoulders. Bai Doudou was scary. Li Luo glanced over at Qiu Luo. She was already free of his previous attack, and was now stalking him again, conserving her strength and biding her time. And Yu Lang, that sneaky boy... A jolt of realization. Yu Lang had not stopped running since just now. In fact, he was running around like his life depended on it, his tongue even hanging out from exhaustion. "Is he spasming?"?Li Luo thought. No, something felt off. But there was no time to pursue that mystery. Bai Doudou and Qiu Luo were coming for him again. He sensed a threatening aura from them, an attack deadlier than before. Both of them were charging him like knights on horses, their auras and strength at their peaks. Li Luo tensed, retreating as quickly as he could. Luckily, he was not alone. At the same time, a fey light spewed forth to cover his retreat, and his surroundings melted into a swamp. From its murky depths, vines came snaking towards Bai Doudou and Qiu Luo. "Ignore them! It's Mengmeng's illusion!" Bai Doudou shouted, her eyes firmly fixed on Li Luo and nothing else. Still, Qiu Luo could not help but slow down a fraction. Despite knowing it was an illusion, every single one of her senses was screaming at her that she was riding into a swamp. Li Luo could feel them gathering their strength. They seemed to be maintaining some sort of formation, although there was a gap in it. Yu Lang. A brainwave flashed through his mind. "Xin Fu," he yelled, "stop Yu Lang!" Bai Doudou's eyes flickered in panic. She hesitated no longer. "Now!" she yelled to Qiu Luo. "Mistral Knights' Charge!" Wind resonant power armored the pair, and they were like horsemen in a stampede, intent on trampling every obstacle in their path. Li Luo felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand in dread. "Leader, watch out!" Bai Mengmeng cried out from behind him, sending a cool shower of glowing light that washed his paralyzing dread away. Li Luo tightened his grip on his shortswords, keeping his body limber yet ready for anything. At this time, the yelling and running Yu Lang started to steam. Resonant power was rising from his body, and his speed suddenly increased to superhuman levels. All of a sudden, there was a sharpness to his aura that had not been there before. He carelessly plucked a spear from the air, never once breaking his quickening stride. He seemed to be running on air. Once he linked up with the other two, their formation would be complete. Three riders in an armor of wind, a wedge to tear through them. He was still a few paces away when a pitch-black shadow tripped him up. A shining dagger sheathed in tenebrous power flashed in his path, a well-calculated trajectory aiming for his weak point. Yu Lang hurriedly turned to deal with it. Even with his newfound power boost, he was pressed hard by Xin Fu, who was much stronger. The disruption succeeded. Yu Lang failed to complete their team formation. Bai Doudou assessed the situation clinically and then pushed forward without hesitation. Their formation mightve been lacking one corner, but she and Qiu Luo together were enough. Li Luo alone could not stop their attack. Two beams of green light roared forth as twin, green dragons of fury. Li Luo was strangely calm. In the face of great danger, his mind clarified. He stopped moving backwards. His knuckles whitened as he gripped his shortswords. A memory flashed before him. He saw Mentor Chi Chan forcing his two resonant powers together. The bizarre melding clicked in his mind. Just like a green flash in the quiet gloom of dawn that announced the rising sun. He moved on instinct but with certainty. He planted his feet and sprung, not backwards but toward his attackers. His two swords struck out savagely at the two green spears of light. Bai Mengmeng clapped a hand over her mouth in horror. Chi Chan's own resonant power surged forth, ready to prevent serious injury to Li Luo. Blue on green, each sword snapped against a spear. Time itself seemed to stand still as the wood and water resonant powers dancing along Li Luo's blades merged in glorious harmony. Resonant power bubbled, then it overflowed like a cauldron of hot oil. Raw, unstoppablea relentless escalation of power roaring forth through an intangible floodgate that was now broken. Li Luo seized the moment with grim determination. DONG! A shrill explosion rang out, a harsh, deafening sound. Like thunder, a tremendous rumble of resonant power swept out across the entire training field. Chapter 163: Wind Harvester Tang! Ripples of resonant power pulsed out from the epicenter of the clash. The ripples carried the three fighters with them, sending all of them flying. They painfully crashed on the ground outside of the training area. All three lay inert, clothes tattered and torn. Bai Mengmeng looked between Li Luo and Bai Doudou, then ran towards Li Luo. After all, they were still in battle. She belonged to Li Luo's team. Bai Mengmeng carefully helped him up. Dark blood was drippinig from all ten of his fingers. "Leader, are you alright?" she asked anxiously. His rapturous smile was a jarring contrast to her worried frown. He looked down at his hands. He had felt it. In that moment, his two resonant powers had melded. It was brief, it had hurt him as well, but it had succeeded. His dual resonance cultivation had made another step forward. Bai Doudou and Qiu Luo were crawling to their feet as well, looking stunned. "That's... dual resonance power?" Bai Doudou was appalled. Li Luo's resonant power was clearly weaker than hers. Yet in a straight clash against the combined strength of her and Qiu Luo's Mistral Knights' Charge, both parties had suffered equally. The burst of power at that crucial moment had been incredible! "He did it?" Qiu Luo said in disbelief. Dual resonances should be the right of Duke experts, for goodness sake! How could a puny Resonant Master like Li Luo get it so fast? "No way." Bai Doudou shook her head. "If he really mastered it, the fight wouldn't even have lasted this long. He must have squeezed it out by luck at that crucial moment." She looked over at Yu Lang, who was sprawled on the ground. She nudged him with a foot. "Are you alive?" He was lying in a steam cloud of his own sweat, his skin ruddy from overheating. "Doesn't feel like it," he wheezed. "What's up with him?" Li Luo had walked over as well, puzzled. Yu Lang had been running non-stop since the start of the battle. It made no sense. "A unique art of Mentor Mi Er, the Wind Harvester. It's said that when our mentor only had a sixth-grade resonance, he used this unique resonance art to make up for the disparity between himself and the other talents of his generation. "The art requires the user to constantly channel wind resonant power while running. Through continued friction between wind and skin, a powerful energy is built up for a very short period of time... "But intense agony accompanies the friction. Each use of the move is torture. Mentor Mi Er asked us who was interested in learning it. Qiu Luo and I didn't choose it. Yu Lang alone did." Li Luo fell silent. Bai Doudou and Qiu Luo had no need for such an art. They were naturally talented and therefore had no need to kill themselves during each battle for such brief power. Yu Lang had chosen it because he had no other choice. If he wanted to stand on the same stage as other skilled fighters like Bai Doudou and Qiu Luo, he had to pursue power in every way he could. Mentor Mi Er's Wind Harvester was indeed well suited for him. Although Yu Lang showed a slovenly face most of the time, there was an inner steel in him that could match the best of them. This might well be his only real advantage. His skills were painfully inferior to the other Violet Vibrance students. Li Luo stretched out a hand to the boiled lobster on the floor, who groaned. "Li Luo, I haven't mastered Wind Harvester yet. When I do, I'll show you my prowess." "I don't know why you're insisting on this. Look at you. You're not fit to be in a Violet Vibrance squad. Don't kill yourself. Go to a Gold Gleam squad, where you can be comfortable. Staying here will tire you out. It tires all of us out," Qiu Luo snapped. "Woah," Li Luo frowned. "Thats a little harsh, isn't it?" "Am I wrong?" she asked acidly. "If he didn't drop the ball today, our Mistral Knights' Charge would not have lacked a wedge point. Even with your clutch dual resonance skill, you would have lost without question. "Don't you dare call me out just because he's your friend. He's not on your team. You're not the one paying the price for his weakness." "I just think there's no need to hate on Yu Lang just because he's weaker," Li Luo said mildly. "No one knows the future. What if Yu Lang overtakes you someday? If that time comes, should he kick you off the team for being a burden?" "That will never happen. Your fantasy example holds no weight." "Hey, forget it." Yu Lang hastily interjected. "I did drag my team down. She's right that I'm barely scraping by in a Violet Vibrance squad. So... "... I will use this chance to improve myself here as much as I can, and live up to the expectations of a Violet Vibrance student!" he vowed. Qiu Luo had been hoping that Yu Lang would realize the disparity through this battle and give up. But his sudden change in attitude slapped her smugness right back at her. Li Luo grinned. Yes, this was the shameless rascal he knew. As if he was going to let some words get him down. That was a severe underestimation of just how durable his ego was. "Enough! All of you shut up!" Bai Doudou shouted, seeing Qiu Luo ready to argue. "Yu Lang's skills are unusable at the present," she said to Qiu Luo. "But that doesn't mean you can slight his efforts up till now. You and I both know the agony of cultivating Wind Harvester. But whether Yu Lang is qualified to stay or otherwise is not our decision, it's Mentor Mi Er's. So stop talking about useless things." She turned to Yu Lang. "You are the weakest link in the squad, no doubt. But I hope you can turn that shame into drive and catch up quickly." Yu Lang nodded with some shame, quailing before her anger. Li Luo was seized with a sudden urge to laugh. Yu Lang's impudence had the tenacity of a hydra, but it had been totally quashed by Bai Doudou's temper. There was always someone stronger out there. Outside the training field. "Seems like we can roughly call it a draw," Chi Chan said. Mi Er nodded. "Li Luo's quite something. Already touching the power of dual resonances? It might be volatile and brief, but it's a good start. "When he really masters the beginner level of dual resonances, he will put on a real show in the monthly battle. The son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan really lives up to their reputation." "Your side is doing well also," Chi Chan replied. "They got the Mistral Knights' Charge down quickly. But I must say, the one that surprised me most was Yu Lang... "Wind Harvester is not something that just anyone can bear. I know that some students have tried it, but I don't recall any who didn't give up. Will Yu Lang be the first?" Mi Er smiled and shrugged. "Who knows... but Yu Lang has a tenacity that surpasses his talent. In a way, Wind Harvester is perfectly suited for him. He should know what a precious chance this offers him. I believe he won't give up easily. "His performance is quite unstable. It's a bit like panning. You never know when a bit of gold will show up." Chi Chan nodded. The monthly battles would be the time for these young talents to show off their accomplishments. A donkey or a stallion? It would all be clear on the racetrack. "Oh yes..." Mi Er suddenly said. "I heard that the Umbra Cave is about to open." Chi Chan nodded gravely. "A little early this time, isn't it?" He frowned. A look of foreboding flashed past her eyes, and she sighed deeply. "It means the principal's seals have been broken early." The two sat for a moment in a dark and worried silence. This was not good news at all. Chapter 164: Governor Squad Before they knew it, a month had passed at the Astral Sage College. In this month, they had started to ease into the rhythm of school. Things were starting to look less foreign and more familiar. Now getting into their respective grooves, their natural optimism was making them look to the future again. As the end of the month neared, things started to get lively in anticipation of the battles. At the end of each month, the ranking battles were fought, squad against squad, to determine where each of them stood. The ranking battles were a highlight at the Astral Sage College, spurring students on against each other. The generous rewards were also a major source of school points for many students. School points were extremely important in the Astral Sage College, and this alone was incentive for students to prepare as best they could. Which made the ranking battles always interesting to watch. ... Astral Sage College, a window seat in the canteen. Li Luo was seated with Yu Lang, while Zhao Kuo, Zong Fu, and a few others were also nearby. "Just three more days to the ranking battles." Yu Lang looked around grandly. "Well," he said, carelessly examining his nails, "hopefully none of you will be unlucky enough to meet me. I don't show mercy." "Just leeching off Bai Doudou, aren't you?" Zhao Kuo pointed out shrewdly. The others heaped scorn on him accordingly. Li Luo was about to join in when he spotted Lu Qing'er in the distance. He waved her over. She looked at him with a contemplative look, but she eventually joined them. "Why do I feel like you've been afraid to see me these days? You're always slow to reply to meal invitations," Li Luo said in suspicion. "N-no idea what you're talking about," Lu Qing'er said, lowering her head for a nervous sip of water. "Really?" Li Luo said doubtfully, but he did not pursue. He turned back to Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo. She blew bubbles into her glass, disturbing the reflection of her beautiful face. Her mind was full of the encounter with Jiang Qing'e the other day. Especially that wantonly bold statement... Did Jiang Qing'e know how many restless nights that had cost her? "She's wild." Lu Qing'er flushed as her imagination started to run wild. She was starting to feel a little hot. "Are you sick?" Li Luo asked, noticing. "No!" She turned her head away from him. Li Luo was about to press, but Zhao Kuo interrupted him. "Brother Luo, actually, I asked you to meet here today because I need to tell you something." "What's that?" "You remember Shi Huang?" Li Luo nodded. Of course. His biggest rival in the Tianshu Province. Although, he had not heard anything about him since entering the Astral Sage College. There were thousands of newcomers after all. "Is he up to something again?" Zhao Kuo wouldn't mention a guy like Shi Huang for no reason. He nodded. "Brother Luo, the Violet Vibrance squads are at the top, so your eyes are firmly set only on the other Violet Vibrance squads. I don't think you know how intense the fighting is at the Gold Gleam level. "In this month, there have been countless clashes between Gold Gleam squads, and there's one team making a huge reputation for itself. It's called the Governor Squad." Li Luo started. "Governor Squad? What kind of name is that?" "Others gave them that name because all four of them have a common point. Their fathers are all provincial governors in the Xia Kingdom," Zong Fu told him. In the Astral Sage College, Violet Vibrance squads had three members, while Gold Gleam squads had four. Silver Spark squads had five members. "And Shi Huang is in this squad?" Li Luo caught on. Zhao Kuo nodded. "The leader of the Governor Squad is called Shen Ya. He's quite strong, actually. Ranked 10 on Yu Lang's newcomer rankings. Everyone thought he would be chosen by a Violet Vibrance mentor, but he ended up being left out." "Quite unfortunate." Li Luo agreed with sympathy. Five Violet Vibrance mentors, choosing 15 students. You'd think tenth place would get in easily enough. "Besides Shen Ya, the other two in the Governor Squad are called Feng Ze and De Xiyan. Both also placed in the top 20... "A very strong squad. Rumors say their goal is to defeat a Violet Vibrance squad," Zhao Kuo said solemnly. "You mean... me?" Li Luo grinned. They nodded seriously. "What, they think our team is weak?" Li Luo said unhappily. "Isn't there a bottom scraper called Yu Lang out there as well?" "How dare you!" Yu Lang cried. "You think you can compare to the might of Great Leader Doudou?" "They chose Brother Luo's team probably because of Shi Huang," Zhao Kuo continued. "But they are well prepared. From what we hear, the Governor Squad is not just intending to do it alone. They've coordinated with one more elite Gold Gleam squad." Li Luo frowned. Two elite Gold Gleam squads? This couldn't be taken lightly. These were strong opponents. With numbers, he could very well be taken down. "That was important information, lads. I owe you one," Li Luo said seriously. Without forewarning, this double ambush might well have turned things against him. Zhao Kuo snickered. "Actually, that's not even the main thing we came to tell you today." "There's more of them?" Li Luo said, aghast. Was he that hated? Who else was coming for him?! "No, no..." Zhao Kuo assured him. "It's like this. We just happen to have some beef with that elite coalition the Governor Squad has formed. Also, we want their points. So..." "... so we also formed our own coalition and plan to end them." Zong Fu finished. Li Luo stared at them in surprise. The mantis intent on hunting the cicada does not notice the oriole behind. Was this the level of scheming going on among students nowadays? "Well, I approve," Li Luo said. He was always happy to see trouble headed the way of his enemies. "But... there's a problem," Zhao Kuo added. "Even with our squad alliance, we might not be able to take down that elite group." "......" So it wasn't an oriole behind the mantis. It was a drooling locust. "Then what the hell was the point of this conversation??" "Well, we were thinking... Maybe Brother Luo could send one person from your squad to support us for a bit? If you could just delay the Governor Squad a little, we could swallow them whole." Zhao Kuo grinned. Their audacity left him without words. "Well. Aren't you guys real geniuses." So in the end they were asking him to help them get a big feast of points. Still, their plan was workable. If he had to lend them one person to attack, it would have to be Xin Fu. Bai Mengmeng wasn't strong enough. Which left him and Bai Mengmeng to hold off the Governor Squad for a time? Li Luo considered it while they all looked at him expectantly. Finally, he nodded. "Let's do it." The others whooped. "We knew you'd say yes, Brother Luo. We even gave the plan a name." "There's a name? What is it?" "Operation Protect Us Brother Luo!" Li Luo sprayed their faces with a mouthful of rice. Chapter 165: Squad Names After working out the details with Zhao Kuo and the others, they split up. Li Luo walked back with Lu Qing'er and Yu Lang. Li Luo was brought to a sudden stop at the foot of the stairs. Four people were approaching, one of them a familiar face. Li Luo's greatest rival in Tianshu, Shi Huang. In the few months since, Shi Huang had lost much of his keenness. His face was haggard, and there was a sunken look about his eyes. The other three with him were new faces to Li Luo. One among them walked like their leader. He had long, parted hair, which gave him an unkempt look exacerbated by his fierce, bushy eyebrows. The coarse-looking youth smiled. "Li Luo, I've been looking forward to meeting you." Li Luo regarded him for a moment. "Shen Ya?" Since he seemed to speak on their behalf, Li Luo assumed he was the Governor Squad's leader. Shen Ya nodded with a grin. "What an honor, Li Luo knows my name. I guess that means you know our plan too?" "It's good for kids to have ambition," Li Luo told him earnestly. "Thanks for your encouragement. We'll do our best to take you down," Shen Ya said with a lolling smile. "Good luck. But you should know your own strength. It wouldn't do to go hunting tigers and ending up mauled. That would be a joke." Li Luo nodded to them and tthen left with Lu Qing'er and Yu Lang. He did not speak a word to Shi Huang. Losers warranted no attention. Shi Huang sensed it. He stared hollowly after Li Luo. "Forget it. He's not the useless young lord he was back at Tianshu anymore." Shen Ya shook him encouragingly by the shoulders. "He's a dual resonance user, a genius who can even defeat Duze Beixuan. "But if we can cause trouble for such a giant, it's something to celebrate." Shen Ya led the three away to the door of a posh suite. They knocked and entered. Within were Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan. "You're here," they said, looking up at the four. "We just met Li Luo." They sat down. "Riled him up good and proper." Shen Ya grinned. "We don't need you," Duze Beixuan said stiffly. "We can destroy Li Luo and the others in the ranking battles, barring accidents." Shen Ya chuckled. "Didn't such an accident happen to you once already? Would it be so strange if another happened this time?" Duze Beixuan's eyes went flat. "Shen Ya, do you think I would take the so-called strongest Gold Gleam squad seriously at all?" Wang Hejiu quickly opened his fan between them. "Now, now. We can talk nicely. No need to get prickly." Shen Jinxiao snatched up a cup on the table and took a drink. "Of course, we'll do our best to cause trouble for Li Luo. We've offended him already. What I want to know is: will we get our reward?" He stared at the pair. "Next year, will Mentor Shen Jinxiao choose a new Violet Vibrance student from our group?" "Mhm. "And now," Wang Hejiu smiled. "Never bring it up again. We will deny it anyway. Got it?" Shen Ya glowered at him, but he finally nodded. ... When Li Luo returned back to their tower, he went looking for Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng to discuss the situation. Especially Xin Fu, whom he needed to dispatch to help Zhao Kuo and the others. He might be the leader, but he had to respect his squad's opinions as well. "The Governor Squad is after us probably because Shi Huang and I have history. You guys are being implicated." Bai Mengmeng smiled as brightly as a flower. "Leader, we're a team now," she said encouragingly. "If they come and find trouble with you, they're after all of us. You don't need to feel sorry about it." Li Luo felt very comforted. "Xin Fu? Regarding helping Zhao Kuo and the others?" Xin Fu made an unenthusiastic grunt of assent. Li Luo rolled his eyes. Time and again he was discouraged by the sheer absence of fighting spirit or opinion from the guy. "Well then, we're decided. Xin Fu will help Zhao Kuo and the others, Mengmeng and I will keep the Governor Squad busy. "Also, I hear that the five Violet Vibrance squads will be dropped into separate locations in the battlefield, so there's no need to fear outside interference in the early phases. "Leader, can the two of us hold out? I've heard of that Governor Squad also. They're very strong. We can't let a Gold Gleam squad lower our guard. Li Luo rubbed his chin. "Of course we won't. I'll make preparations." Bai Mengmeng nodded. "Oh, today Mentor Chi Chan said that we have to register for the ranking battles, so we should give our team a name." "My sis called theirs the Wind Rider Squad. Qin Zhulu's team is called the Clear Moon Squad, while Yi Lisha's team is called the One Autumn Leaf Squad. Wang Hejiu's is called the Golden Gate Squad..." [1] One of the names puzzled him. Clear Moon? It didn't take much brains to realize that the two girls had made the name. But their strongest fighter, the leader, Qin Zhulu? Was he not even allowed to put his name in? What was going on in their team? And Wang Hejiu. Could they lick boots any more passionately? "Well, I've had an idea on my mind for a team name since a while back," Li Luo said, fixing them with a bright, knowing smile. They looked at him in surprise. "From hereon, we'll be called the Fairness & Justice Squad! Because our looks are super fair, and fairness is justice," Li Luo said seriously. It couldn't get any lamer. Xin Fu fought a spasm on his face, and he opened his mouth. "Anyone who objects," Li Luo continued, "has no confidence in their looks. That's a sad, sad thing." Xin Fu swallowed his comments back down. He did not care about looks that much, though he didn't think of himself as ugly. Bai Mengmeng blinked innocently with her large, liquid eyes. "I think Leader's name is very well thought out." "Mengmeng, your taste is impeccable," he praised. "Well, since no one objects, then I'll have Mentor Chi Chan sign us up with that name tomorrow." Li Luo stood up and stretched out his hand. "Let's celebrate the birth of a legendary squad. The future trembles because it knows we are coming." Bai Mengmeng obediently put her little hand on top of his. Xin Fu indicated that it was too childish and lame for him. Li Luo smiled at him in a fatherly way. "Mengmeng, Xin Fu looks very tired from cultivation. If he's too tired, maybe you could make a few more meals for him so he doesn't have to go all the way to the canteen." A hand quickly slapped down on top of the other two. Xin Fu forced a smile from under his hood. "Leader, there's no need to bother Mengmeng." Li Luo smiled back at him understandingly. "That all depends whether you're on board." 1. TN: Clear Moon is Qingyue, taken from Lu Qing'er and Yin Yue. One Autumn Leaf is Yi Ye Qiu, which comes from Yi Lisha, Qian Ye, and Si Qiuying's names. The "gold" in Golden Gate Squad is Jin, which comes from Shen Jinxiao's name. Chapter 166: The Ranking Battles Begin The roar of the crowd of the ranking battles was a crescendo that began many days in advance. Whispers and excitement sprouted from individual hearts and minds, sparking off against each other to start little fires of tension, fanned on by the flames of inexorable time marching them all on towards the day of reckoning. A rousing drum beat sounded in the morning, booming out to every last corner of the school. As new students, Li Luo and the others were assigned to fight in the west of the Astral Sage College. The undulating mountains and complex terrain made for a good battleground. The thousands of newcomers were dispersed to various entrances in all directions, awaiting the start. Li Luo stood in the crowd, looking around. Each squad leader was wearing a badge on their chest reflecting their squads status, either gold or silver. As long as the leader's badge was taken, the team was considered eliminated. Violet badges were worth 500 school points, gold badges were worth 100 school points, while silver badges were worth 20. More importantly, the victors were also entitled to a third of the defeated team's winnings as an additional prize. For example, if you defeated a team that already had three badges, then you could take one of them away. Which meant that all these students around him were no longer students. They all looked like walking badge stands to him. If he could take all of their points, he would have tens of thousands of school points! He would treat himself to TWO Royal Saps, not just one. One for making potions, one to sip and enjoy the taste. Energy liquid, 300 points? Pfft, peanuts. "Leader, you're staring. And drooling," Bai Mengmeng reminded him helpfully. Xin Fu was looking at him strangely as well. Li Luo looked like a hungry ghost admiring the roast chickens. The squads around them sensed it, and they started to inch away uneasily. Li Luo smiled sheepishly. "Keke, I was, er, missing food from home," Li Luo said. "Hmph. Does your food at home look like people?" someone asked aggressively. Li Luo looked over to see a youth with ashen skin. "Hey, you look familiar... Oh, I remember! You're the stone resonance user who tried to do me in during the Choosing. What's your name?" Two people had tried to hold him up, and this guy was one of them. What Li Luo did not know was that after this guy failed, he had met Duze Beixuan and pointed him the wrong way after taking a dislike to Duze Beixuan's attitude. "My name's Ye Hua. And you better remember it! "I'll definitely become a Violet Vibrance student in the future," he declared stoutly. Li Luo nodded encouragingly. "You look like a promising young man. I'm sure you can do it." He turned away. The guy looked a little slow in the cognition department. Li Luo looked at a high platform to the right of the area. There sat the five Violet Vibrance mentors. Below them were the Gold Gleam mentors. Clearly, they were also the facilitators for the newcomers' ranking battles. "The other Star Halls' battles are today as well, I guess... I wonder how Qing'e is doing?"?Li Luo wondered to himself. The school was vast enough to host various halls' large-scale battles at the same time. In truth, there was little to be worried about over there. Jiang Qing'e had long dominated the Three Star Hall. Each ranking battle was probably just a formality for them to transfer her school points. That was awesome. He wanted to be farming chives without a care in the world too. The Violet Vibrance mentors' magnified voices interrupted his daydreaming. "All students, prepare. The ranking battle will end at sunset. Before then, fight to your hearts' content. As long as your badge is not taken, the fighting continues! "At the first bell, Silver Spark squads will enter. Ten minutes later, Gold Gleam squads will enter. Violet Vibrance squads enter last." This was a protective measure for the weaker teams, so they wouldn't be instantly wiped out by stronger teams in the first few moments. After all, these ranking battles were a case of big fish eating small fish, and small fish eating shrimp. And they, the Violet Vibrance squads, were, without a doubt, the undisputed apex predators. He smiled dreamily to himself as the first gong sounded. There were mad yells as Silver Spark squads rushed in, squeezing through the passage and quickly vanishing into the battlefield. Li Luo stared after them forlornly. It somehow felt like his school points had grown legs and were running away. Dong! Ten minutes later, the Gold Gleam squads entered as well. Compared to the first chaotic wave, the Gold Gleam squads entered with much more poise and determination. They were all excellent fighters, placed highly among the newcomers. Some were even stronger than the Violet Vibrance students. They had simply not been chosen for various other reasons. After the Gold Gleam squads entered, only Li Luo's squad was left now, in a peaceful silence. "Does anyone feel like, er, ring-of-swords, got-each-others'-backs, impenetrable-defense kind of vibes?" Li Luo said, looking around him. "Leader, stay focused," Bai Mengmeng said softly. "Low-profile." Xin Fu agreed. Li Luo sighed. He himself was a master of the low profile, but after meeting Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu, he was starting to feel like this mastery could reach many levels deeper. Dong! The third bell rang. Li Luo waved them on. "Let's go! Leader here will lead you into a banquet of slaughter!" Leading the way, he charged into the battlefield. Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng followed. Their field of vision expanded greatly after they passed through the tunnel. Not a single squad was to be seen. "Wow, they legged it really hard," Li Luo said, disappointed. It looked like their job was going to be to flush out some Gold Gleam and Silver Spark teams to at least get some points. "Let's go cut the chives!" he sang, picking a direction and hurrying along. They were going to have to hit the road hard to catch up to the 20 minute head start. They didn't go too far before they spotted a Gold Gleam team of four waiting just outside a forest. "Oh, it's you, stone boy," Li Luo said with surprise. The team was led by that stone resonance user. "Who are you calling stone boy!? Ye Hua yelled. "You wouldn't be here to feed us, would you?" Li Luo smiled. "Li Luo, I don't believe you're worthy of being a Violet Vibrance student. I'm going to finish you off! Come get us if you dare!" Ye Hua declared. Li Luo smiled and was about to step forward, but Xin Fu stopped him. "Leader. Something's off. There are a lot of people in the forest!" Xin Fu warned him urgently. Li Luo's eyes narrowed in concentration. "Indeed. Hey, stone boy. You ignominious igneous, I wasn't even planning to beat you up. Don't you think you've bitten off more than you can chew? I underestimated your ambition." Ye Hua stiffened. It seemed like their plan was going awry, all thanks to Xin Fu. "Well, since the ambush is foiled... CHARGE!" Ye Hua yelled, smacking his hands loudly together. The forest behind him shook, and people started to appear. By rough count, there were no less than ten Gold Gleam squads. "Li Luo, your Violet Vibrance squad is the strongest here. If we let you have your way, the Gold Gleam squads will be eaten up one by one. We've decided to work together to polish you off first!" "Too bad not everyone thinks this way. This is all I have," Ye Hua said with some regret. Li Luo stared at the dozens of hungry shadows in the trees and sighed to himself. This Ye Hua wasn't just promising, he was a bloody genius. The other Gold Gleam squads would be avoiding Violet Vibrance squads, but not this guy. He was going to hunt them instead. Ye Hua's read of the situation was good too. It was indeed rationally the best choice. The Violet Vibrance squad in the area was always the greatest threat. Before they could establish dominance, it was easier to get other teams to join up. As time passed and the Violet Vibrance squads built up a reputation for themselves, the other teams would start to fear them, and it would be hard to form alliances like that. Ye Huas timing here was perfect. Well, Gold Gleam members were thinkers too. If they got all high and mighty just because they were Violet Vibrance students, they were bound to get the tables turned on them. "Let's go! Show the Violet Vibrance squad our might!" Ye Hua exhorted them. He himself led the charge. Behind him, a swarm of Gold Gleam students joined in. "Leader, what now?" Xin Fu asked tensely. Bai Mengmeng's fists were tight with tension. "What now?" "Run now!!" Chapter 167: Surrounded By the time Li Luo's cry to run had finished echoing around the woods, he was already long gone. Bai Mengmeng hurried after him, while Xin Fu vanished with a quick twist, streaking ahead of them like a wraith. Their clean escape had thrown Ye Hua off. This Violet Vibrance squad thought really quickly... "Where's your pride as a Violet Vibrance squad, damn it?!" he yelled after them. Shouldn't Li Luo be puffing out his chest and yelling that 30 wasn't enough to take him down or something? Could he have them all for himself or something? "Pride, my ass! Is pride worth any school points?!" Li Luo's voice came floating back to him. Ye Hua gnashed his teeth in frustration. "Let's chase them! If they escape, they'll come for revenge. None of us can stand up to that!" The other Gold Gleam squads nodded vigorously. They had already made their move, so now they had no other choice but to see it through. Besides, if they could eliminate a Violet Vibrance team, it would give them bragging rights for a year. And wouldn't the Violet Vibrance mentors think them worthy of being taken in? The dozen Gold Gleam squads gave chase in Li Luo's direction. Seeing the dust clouds behind them, Li Luo cursed. "Damn, haven't these guys heard of respect for Violet Vibrance squads?" Xin Fu's voice came back to him. "Leader, what about that banquet of slaughter you were mentioning?" Li Luo focused on putting one foot in front of the other, but he did make a mental note against this highly contrary squad mate. He would have Mengmeng prepare this guy a real banquet indeed. Bai Mengmeng was the one who explained kindly. "You can't blame Leader, they have too many people. We might be able to take down a few, but they would wear us out. Besides, we don't know how many more reinforcements they have. That's why leaving was the smart choice. Isn't that right, Leader?" "Er..." Li Luo was stunned. Had he put that much thought into it? He had just felt overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and decided to avoid it. "Erm, hem, yes, Mengmeng, you're absolutely right. As the leader, I have to display foresight. After all, our goal isn't just a few measly gold badges," Li Luo stated casually as he nodded. All was well, he pretended. "Leader, you're so clever," Bai Mengmeng praised. Xin Fu was a little suspicious. "Are we going to just keep running?" Li Luo kept an eye behind them. "Perhaps not... That's, like, over a thousand school points right there. Since they've kindly gathered themselves, wouldn't you say that's a chance?" Xin Fu almost ran into a tree. Was Li Luo thinking of taking on a dozen Gold Gleam squads? Their pursuers had an overwhelming numbers advantage, and there were some quality fighters among them as well. Even though their squad was individually stronger, they would be dragged down by the shoal of piranhas in such conditions. "Xin Fu, use your cloaking skills. Go ahead and scout the terrain. If you see any place with both a forest and a creek, let me know immediately," Li Luo ordered. Xin Fu was silent this time. With a quick twist of his body, he sped ahead as a shadowy blur. His speed far outclassed Li Luo's own. "Shadow resonance, eh." Li Luo marveled. Xin Fu was really assassin material, a born scout. Shadow resonance was the perfect lurk role, striking from the shadows at defenseless opponents. Its only weakness was a full frontal assault. "Mengmeng, make an illusion of Xin Fu so they don't know we're one short. "Also, let's slow down a little. Give them the impression they're gaining on us." Bai Mengmeng immediately complied, her starlight power twinkling forth to create a shadowy figure by their side. They took off again. All of this was watched by the five Violet Vibrance mentors on the high platform. Of course they would be interested in the Violet Vibrance squads. "This Li Luo. I feel like I've seen him present his bum to his opponents more often than his face," Cao Sheng hooted mirthfully. "Well, it's not his fault. Ye Hua is a capable one, being able to persuade so many Gold Gleam squads to follow him in such a short time. Theres potential right there, Chu Zi said appreciatively. Chi Chan shook her head, bothered. Li Luo's team was unlucky. The other four Violet Vibrance squads had free reign, facing no united opposition. She glanced over at Shen Jinxiao, who was sipping his tea with a satisfied expression. He had not said anything, but Chi Chan knew that he was watching. Perhaps he was waiting for Ye Hua's army to take out Li Luo's squad. She turned back to watch the battlefield. Li Luo, do your best! I'm still waiting for you to get the 12 Step Weave and throw it in Shen Jinxiao's face. If you let me down, I'll let you have it real good. ... Li Luo had been running for about a quarter of an hour. Ye Hua and gang were being very patient about it. Or rather, perhaps they understood that once Li Luo and the others got away, their alliance would quickly crumble and internal fighting would start. That would be the perfect time for Li Luo to swoop in and take them all down. So there was no other way but to commit. They had to get Li Luo's Violet Vibrance squad eliminated first! They chased grimly. Finally, they saw the trio ahead vanish into a patch of forest, probably intending to lose them in the confusing terrain. The other Gold Gleam squad leaders called out to him. "Ye Hua, what should we do?" He thought about it for a few moments. "We can't give up now. Chase on. This patch of forest is not very wide. We can surround them inside." "I suggest we form groups of three Gold Gleam squads. Keep within distance to support each other. If we hold to our formation, they don't stand a chance to break us! "If they want to attack, we just need to hold them off until the others come to cut them off!" The others nodded. All the Gold Gleam teams who had managed to chase this far were clearly quite strong, and they had ambition. They would not pass up on the chance to defeat a Violet Vibrance squad. Most importantly, if they gave up now, it would be an open invitation for Li Luo and the others to descend on them like a vengeful spirit. Decision made, they fanned out quickly and rushed into the forest ahead. They spread out into smaller groups and weaved swiftly through the trees. Very quickly, Ye Hua's group found the tracks of Li Luo's squad. He immediately gestured, and a dozen resonance art attacks flew out towards the position of the three. Boom! Head-sized craters peppered the ground. Ye Hua stared in dismay. Their attacks had passed clean through the three figures. Which then vanished. "An illusion?" he croaked. "Where are they?!" At that moment, another squad raised the alarm. "They're there!" Ye Hua cried. "Quick, let's go!" The Gold Gleam squads swarmed over. A moment later, their surround was complete. They stealthily crept towards the vegetation ahead, but they only spotted a draining puddle of water. Another group to the west raised the alarm. Ye Hua and the others rushed over. But when they arrived panting and out of breath, it was only to see three more disappearing figures. "Damn it, they're toying with us!" Ye Hua shouted. Thanks to the repeated false alarms, their surround formation had now been properly shaken up. "That cunning Li Luo!" Ye Hua was starting to feel uneasy. Their surround was looking rather shaky. Suddenly, more and more teams started raising the alarm around them. Which meant that all of the teams had met with illusions as well and had sent up the signal for support before confirming things. It was hard to blame them for panicking. Without an overwhelming advantage in numbers, the Gold Gleam squads were food. "We're losing it!" Ye Hua watched his orderly formation start to fray. The Gold Gleam squads were not listening properly now. Finally, he made his decision. "Retreat! Don't linger here, our encirclement has failed!" Not caring about the other Gold Gleam squads, he led his own squad out. Meanwhile, in a secret location, Li Luo listened to the sweet sounds of false and panicked alarms being raised all around him. He looked at his squad and cracked his neck and loosened his limbs. "Well then, next up is us..." Chapter 168: Counter Attack Two Gold Gleam squads hurried out of the forest. "Let's go. The whole plan got flipped upside down out there. Li Luo has cooked up some mummerythere are illusions flying everywhere. He can't be caught." "Let's run far away right now, escape the revenge." The two teams scurried away in fright. But they scurried straight into Li Luo, Xin Fu, and Bai Mengmeng. The two teams made noises of disgust. "Damn, this must be the fourth or fifth set of illusions we've seen already." "Yeah, you recall the first ones? We were begging on our knees for minutes, but then they vanished on us." "We've been fooled!" "Ignore them," one leader said irritably. "Let's get out." They nodded and sped up, aiming to pass through. Li Luo and his squadmates were a little shocked. Were Gold Gleam squads so brazen nowadays? Just going to walk straight past them? This was a little humiliating, Li Luo felt. So just as they walked right past him, he yelled, "GET 'EM!" Sneaky Li Luo had already attacked by the time he shouted. Green resonant power burst forth from his palm. "Dendrical Intervention!" The two Gold Gleam squad leaders were immediately mummified by vines. Their teammates were sent flying. The two leaders cussed in terror and disbelief. "Fuck, they're real?!" They would have continued hollering, but a few vines stuffed their mouths shut. While Li Luo was dealing with the two leaders, Xin Fu's shadow resonant power scythed out, making deft work of the others. Bai Mengmeng used her illusionary powers, and three Gold Gleam students stared at her fey lights in abject terror. Xin Fu finished up his three Gold Gleam students as well. In a short two minutes, the two Gold Gleam squads were down for the count. Li Luo was pleased, holding up two medals. "200 school points!" he cheered. "Congratulations, youre eliminated." Li Luo tossed them to the ground. Relieved of their gold badges, they were now forbidden from moving or interfering with the competition. The two leaders scowled at him. "Li Luo, you're pathetic!" "How so? You guys strolled right before me as if I didn't exist. I was about to chide you for not respecting yourself!" he said. They wanted to cry, but no tears came. This was a classic case of "boy who cried wolf. How were they supposed to know this time it would be real? Li Luo pocketed their gold badges and ignored them, leaving quickly with Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu. After all, there were still other Gold Gleam squads waiting. They wouldn't let them get away so easily. That would waste their chase. Their squad began to hunt down the others quickly. Having lost their numerical advantage, the Gold Gleam squads tasted the pain of facing a Violet Vibrance squad first hand. If they did not have at least three teams grouped together, they withered before the trio's onslaught. Not a single team escaped unscathed. In a short 20 minutes, nine teams were eliminated. 900 school points in the bag. ... "They're counterattacking." Ye Hua cowered in the forest, hearing resonant power booming out all around him. His plan was theoretically perfect. Maintain the formation, don't let Li Luo's team break back out. Once they had the trio surrounded, there was no way they could take on a dozen Gold Gleam squads at once. Even though many of them would be wiped, the ultimate victory would have been theirs. Li Luo's cunning had thrown him off. The illusions had scattered them into chaos and thrown them off their rhythm. He had tried his best to maintain order, but he had failed. The plan was screwed. He saw that they were the only team left now. The other Gold Gleam squads had either scarpered or been scuppered. The temporary alliance was over. "Forget it, let's go. We have to get out of here." Ye Hua shook his head sadly. They were at the edge of the forest already, and were almost clear. He increased the pace. Sunlight shone through ahead, at the treeline. They were so close to the exit. But they froze dead in their tracks when they saw Li Luo leaning casually against a tree, grinning at them. "Leaving?" he asked. Behind him, Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu were nowhere to be seen. They had to be lying in ambush. "Stone boy, I underestimated you. You almost got me." Ye Hua's jaw tightened. "Stop giving me weird names! I'm Ye Hua, not stone boy!" Li Luo waved it away carelessly. "So, what's your plan now?" Ye Hua sniffed. "I've lost. Nothing much to say. But I don't plan on handing over my badge lying down." He stepped forward, his resonant power turning him ashy white as a stone skin formed. His squadmates looked resigned to their fate, but they showed no signs of surrender. They too readied themselves. Li Luo chuckled at their ready stances. "Hey, I'm just taking a badge, Im not out for serial homicide." His eyes twinkled at them. "Hey, stone boy," he suddenly said. "Want to not get eliminated?" Ye Hua was so hopeful that he ignored the nickname. "What do you mean?" he ventured warily. "I can let you go. I'll even give you two gold badges. But after that, youll have to complete a task for me. How's that?" Ye Hua exchanged looks with his squad. They had no idea what he was talking about, but anything had to be better than elimination. "Can we know what it is?" Ye Hua asked carefully. "Nope. But it can't be worse than losing here, right? What am I going to ask for? Your lives?" Ye Hua pondered. This made sense, but... "How about four gold badges?" he asked tentatively. Li Luo drew his shortswords with a menacing grin. "Stone boy, if your head is harder than my blades, I'll give you four badges. How's that?" Chapter 169: Encounter Ye Hua grumbled as he pocketed the two gold badges and stomped off. "Will they do as you say?" Xin Fu asked as they watched his squad go. "That Ye Hua's a clever guy. He was enterprising enough to get a group together. No hard feelingsit's just part of the ranking battle system. He was good to get that many together, so I don't hold it against him. "But now I've let him go and even made a deal with him. I paid him upfront as well. If he reneges, then he'll have really crossed us... "So I think he'll make the right choice," Li Luo said cheerfully. Xin Fu nodded. Li Luo was the leader. He had decided, and that was that. The Xin Fu brain could kick back and chill. Besides, if he were to suggest something and it went badly, wouldn't that mean he would have to bear the burden? With the leader taking responsibility, he could sit back. Li Luo ran the gold badges through his fingers. They had nine before, and he had paid Ye Hua two. Seven left. 700 school points. "700 each is not a bad start," Li Luo said brightly. The chase had given them quite a rocky start, but these 700 points made up for everything. Xin Fu was smiling in a pleased way as well. School points were all an Astral Sage College student could ask for. 700 was enough for two vials of energy liquid. "Leader, you're awesome." Bai Mengmeng dimpled, happy as well. "Well, the MVP this time was Mengmeng. Without her illusions running interference, we wouldn't have cracked them." He gave her a big thumbs up. This was no empty praise. Her Nightmarish Water Butterfly resonance might be weaker offense-wise, but its utility was formidable. When used well, it could be just as strong as other powerful resonances. Xin Fu nodded in agreement, and Bai Mengmeng blushed. "Let's push on. The ranking battle has only just begun. There are still plenty of bunches of chives for us to harvest." Li Luo sprung up and led the way deeper into the battlefield. ... As time wore on, the battles grew more and more intense. Over 1,000 squads fought it out with any means they had. It made for quite a spectacle. On a high dais outside of the battlefield. The five Violet Vibrance mentors watched intently, no fight escaping their eyes. "Mentor Chi Chan, what's the score looking like now?" Cao Sheng asked. She was tasked with recording the points. She answered in a clear voice. "Bai Doudou's Wind Rider squad is in the lead with 1,700 points. Second: Qin Zhulu's Clear Moon squad, 1,600 points. Third: Wang Hejiu's Golden Gate squad, 1,500 points. Fourth: Li Luo's Fairness & Justice squad, 1,480 points. Fifth: Yi Lisha's One Autumn Leaf squad, 1,400 points. "There are some promising Gold Gleam squads, but none have broken the 1,000-point mark yet." "The Wind Rider squad has three wind resonance users. They're best suited to quick mowing," Cao Sheng observed. "No Gold Gleam squad that crosses their path really stands a chance of getting away. Their point lead is to be expected." Shen Jinxiao smiled calmly. "No need to worry. The big fish are busy feeding on small fish for now. It's about to be over though. When the big fish meet, that will be when things get interesting." "I hope things get interesting," Chi Chan replied. "After all, Mentor Shen Jinxiao has very kindly forked out 3000 school points to get the 12 Step Weave as an extra prize. If things are boring, his money's wasted." The other three Violet Vibrance mentors let their amusement show. Of course they could hear the sarcasm in her tone. They also knew the backstory. Still, everything that Shen Jinxiao had done was within the rules, both taking the 12 Step Weave and making it an additional prize. It was why he had been allowed to proceed, even though his agenda was clear to everyone. Shen Jinxiao remained unfazed. "Whatever spurs the students on. I'm perfectly willing to pay." "I sure hope that stands when the battle is over," Chi Chan said. He looked over with a drawling smile. "Is Mentor Chi Chan implying that I would not be willing to cough it up if Li Luo won? "Let me put that fear to rest. A mere 3,000 points? If Li Luo can earn it, it speaks of his efforts in cultivation. I will be happy for him. "However..." His voice turned menacing. "I'm very afraid that Li Luo will not meet Mentor Chi Chan's expectations." "We'll know at the end," she said with a frosty smile. The two continued to fence with words, lexical stabs delivered between false smiles. The other mentors were more or less used to it. ... "I say, Brother, are you guys the rabbit squad or something? I chased you guys for a full ten minutes for this badge!" Li Luo panted, grumbling as he snatched the badge from a defeated Gold Gleam squad. "It's not very polite to run from the moment we meet, right?" The leader just stared at him.?Damn, we're a humble Gold Gleam squad plodding along. What are we supposed to do when demons like you appear? Find a silver platter and lie down on it? Li Luo stashed the gold badge away. "That makes 1,680 points now." He smiled at Bai Mengmeng. He did some quick math. The 12 Step Weave was 3,000, the Royal Sap was 5,000... He was so far away. "This sucks." Li Luo sighed. As time wore on, the Gold Gleam squads were getting craftier and craftier. Some even ran the moment they were spotted, and chasing them down always took some time. It made him think back fondly to the squads that Ye Hua had delivered up to them. Although their start had been a little shaky, the feast had been awesome. Li Luo bent down next to the creek to wash his hands, preparing to continue his hunt. A gust of wind blew in on the other side of the creek. Three figures walked out into view. Li Luo looked up to see that they were looking at him. Things got quiet. Their leader was a young guy in thin clothing. His skin was sallow, while his eyes had an unusual gleam to them. He had a dull-yellow sash tied to his forehead and was clad in shorts and a pair of flip flops. An unusual getup. He had a guy and a girl with him. The guy was unfamiliar, but Li Luo recognized the girl immediately. Si Qiuying! Which made the identities of the other two clear. Yi Lisha, Qian Ye. Li Luo's eyes tightened. So this was the first Violet Vibrance squad he would face. Chapter 170: Merger The two Violet Vibrance squads faced off on opposite banks while the creek burbled obliviously in between. Li Luo stood up slowly. "Hello there, friends. Fancy seeing y'all here." Behind his back, he made a fanning gesture. Some distance away, Xin Fu faded into the shadows. Bai Mengmeng took a few steps back as well, positioning herself behind Li Luo and preparing her resonant power. Yi Lisha and the others regarded Li Luo briefly, then the members looked to their leader for a cue. Yi Lisha's smile was forced. "Fancy seeing you here, Li Luo and team." The friendliness on both sides was as genuine as a three dollar bill. One almost expected the creek to freeze over with how cold the atmosphere was. Yi Lisha rubbed his cheek. "Would you believe it," he ventured, "if I said we were just passing by?" Li Luo regarded him for a few moments. "Understood. So... we part ways?" "Good!" Yi Lisha eased up a little. He was very wary of Li Luo's team. After all, Li Luo had even beaten Duze Beixuan before, and he was a dual resonance user. He was definitely a formidable foe. His squad was busy farming Gold Gleam and Silver Spark squads. If they lost against Li Luo here and now, not only would their earnings halt to a stop, they would even have to give up a third of their points. And even if they won, Yi Lisha couldn't see them escaping unscathed. They might even be picked off by Gold Gleam squads in their weakened state. That would be a crying shame. So this was not the time to be fighting Violet Vibrance squads. He believed that Li Luo was of the same mind. Besides, neither had any grudge to settle. There was really no good reason to duke it out here. As they both tentatively felt each other out, the relief on both sides was apparent. Li Luo's eyes flicked over to Si Qiuying. Her eyes had never once left him since they met. Li Luo threw her a friendly smile, then slowly backed away. Both teams made sure they were out of each others attack range before turning their backs. Yi Lisha breathed out. "Phew. We almost went and did it there." "I don't mind fighting them. I'm curious to see how strong Li Luo's dual resonances are," Qian Ye said recklessly. "Once we fight, there's no stopping. You want points? Or brief, petty satisfaction?" Yi Lisha asked exasperatedly. Qian Ye paused. "Points it is." "There will be more chances. But not right now." Yi Lisha smiled back at him. Si Qiuying kept silent throughout. She was pretty well acquainted with just how strong Yi Lisha was. She knew that although he was placed slightly lower than Duze Beixuan on the newcomer rankings, Yi Lisha was not necessarily weaker, and she knew both of them quite well. As the young mistress of House Jinque, Si Qiuying had seen many experts before. Even so, Yi Lisha had her respect. This leader was no ordinary fighter. But today, this leader that she had acknowledged had treaded very carefully around Li Luo's squad. Timing aside, it spoke of Li Luo's prowess. Which troubled Si Qiuying. A mere few months ago, when she had met him on the way into Xia City, she would never have dreamed that this young lord from the remote Tianshu Province would so quickly be leading a pack as elite as the Astral Sage College's. Jiang Qing'e had said that he might well become the best of the newcomers. She had turned her nose up at that, dismissing it as Jiang Qing'e's defensive retort. But now... she wasn't sure. "Qiuying, we're leaving." Yi Lisha's voice broke her reverie. She saw that her two teammates had already gone on ahead. She pushed her feelings aside. With one last look back in the direction of the river, she turned and followed her squad. Perhaps this ranking battle would be enough to test if Li Luo could become first among the newcomers. ... After parting from Yi Lisha's squad, it had been smooth sailing for Li Luo's squad. They had fortuitously stumbled across two Gold Gleam squads and three Silver Spark squads, scooping up another wave of points. And just about this time, Li Luo noticed some special markings, which he had agreed on with Zhao Kuo and the others. If he just followed these marks, he would meet up with them. According to their plan, Zhao Kuo and the others would find a way to tail the Governor Squad. Which meant that both would be close. The Governor Squad was quite strong, and they were out for his blood. If the final showdown was going to be with the Golden Gate squad, then this tumor had to be eradicated first. The squad picked up speed. In a dense forest. A large crowd was lounging about, some standing, some sitting, while some were posted on lookout. It was a sizable group of eighttwo Gold Gleam squads. Four of them were Zhao Kuo's team, while the other four were helpers they had enlisted. "Zhao Kuo, is Li Luo's squad really going to help us? You wouldn't be exaggerating your relationship, would you?" the other leader couldn't help asking, impatient with how long they had been kept waiting. His squad was starting to have doubts as well. Although Zhao Kuo was also from Southwind Academy, he was extremely average in strength. Still, he had sworn that Li Luo would show up to help. Then again, could they really take his word for it? "And Zong Fu, and you others. Say something," the leader grumbled. He couldn't really figure out what was up with this team. Out of the four, Zhao Kuo was probably the weakest. In fact, he was so weak that it was surprising he was even a Gold Gleam student. And yet he was somehow the squad leader. This, and many other reasons, made him and his squad unable to take Zhao Kuo's squad seriously. Zhao Kuo was calm. "Don't worry. Wait a while longer. They're a Violet Vibrance squad, they must be harvesting points along the way. Of course it will take a while. If they find the markings, they'll definitely come." Zong Fu backed him up. "Yup. Don't worry, Squad Leader Xu Ge." "We can't help worrying," the leader called Xu Ge complained. "We're stuck behind the Governor Squad and the Sky Blade Squad. If they rumble with us, we'll be screwed. We won't even be able to escape. "I'm just saying that if you're not sure Li Luo's coming, just admit it. So we can prepare ourselves." Zhao Kuo wasn't too happy about their lack of confidence, but he kept his cool. Just then, he saw Zong Fu suddenly stand up. With a jolt of excitement, he turned to see three people walking over. Who else but the man of the hour, Li Luo. "We met a few teams along the way, spent some time finishing them off," Li Luo said to them with a smile. He smacked Zhao Kuo across the shoulder blades. "Your drawings are seriously ugly," he complained. "You could give Xin Fu a run for his money." He smiled a greeting at Zong Fu and the others before turning to the other squad. "Sorry we kept you waiting." The Gold Gleam squad leader Xu Ge was all smiles now, bobbing his head agreeably. He could tell that Li Luo was much more familiar in tone when he spoke to Zhao Kuo. So Zong Fu had been telling the truth when he said Zhao Kuo was the only one who truly had Li Luo's ear. And now he understood why Zong Fu and the others were content to have Zhao Kuo as their leader. It was probably not that he was the most capable, but rather he had the connection to Li Luo. "Brother Luo, how do you do? No, no, your timing is just perfect. Brother Zhao here set everything up," Xu Ge hastily said. Li Luo nodded. After a short briefing, he was up to speed, and there was nothing else to be said. "Well, we're all ready now. Let's go." Chapter 171: Its A Trap "Brother Luo, the Governor Squad and the Sky Blade Squad were spotted moving together an hour ago. From their movement, it looks like they're moving deeper into the battle arena, looking for your tracks," Zhao Kuo told them. "The leader of the Governor Squad, Shen Ya, is an Upper Flowering, while the other three are Lower Flowering. "All four members of the Sky Blade Squad are Lower Flowering cultivators. The two squads are counted among the best among the Gold Gleam squads. They should not be underestimated." Li Luo gave a small nod of acknowledgment. The two squads were much stronger than any squad he had met so far. If they were jumped unprepared, the eight would pose a threat. "Our two squads will take on the Sky Blade Squad," Zhao Kuo said. "They're stronger than us, so we'll bring numbers, and even then, we might not be able to win. We'll need some strong firepower from you guys." "As planned." Li Luo nodded. "But the catch is if Xin Fu comes to help us, it might just be Brother Luo and Mengmeng taking on the full brunt of the Governor Squad," Zhao Kuo said, raising his eyebrows at Li Luo. "Don't worry, I'm good." Li Luo assured him easily. Zhao Kuo dropped it. He knew Li Luo well through their years of friendship. He wouldn't say such a thing lightly. ... Somewhere in the forest. Shen Ya was sitting under a tree, tossing a fruit up and catching it again, taking bites in between. Shi Huang and the others were lounging around as well. A group of four others walked into their clearing, all with blood-red swords strapped to their hips. "Let's get moving if you're done resting, Shen Ya. The faster we catch Li Luo, the faster we can end them, the burly youth said peevishly. "You talk like you're just slaughtering a pig." Shen Ya snickered. "We're not afraid of Violet Vibrance squads. Not like the others." He snorted. "Okay, then." Shen Ya got to his feet. At his casual gesture, the two squads moved off. They fanned out quickly, without a word, forming a defensive perimeter that proved their battle experience. They moved like this for several minutes until Shen Ya's eyes flickered. He sensed that something was off. He turned around to the Sky Blade Squad and shouted, "Liu Que! You guys alright?" There was no response from the other team as they continued moving forwards. Shen Ya frowned. With a flick of his sleeve, he sent several resonant power shots towards the Sky Blade Squad. They passed through their bodies harmlessly. "Illusions?" Shen Ya raised a hand and halted their advance. They grouped up immediately for safety. "Li Luo's squad must be using Bai Mengmeng's power," Shi Huang said urgently. He brought his lightning resonant power crackling forth. "Quite a canny guy. He knows we're attacking him, so he thought to get the jump on us?" Shen Ya smiled. "Li Luo, if you have any pride as a Violet Vibrance student, how about not sneaking around?" "That's the most obvious taunt I've ever heard, but I guess it works," a cheerful voice replied. Shen Ya swung around to see Li Luo perched on a nearby tree. "You separated the Sky Blade Squad from us? Heh, as a Violet Vibrance squad, you're scared of just two Gold Gleam squads?" "If I can finish off my opponents using an easier method, why not do it?" Li Luo replied. Shen Ya's lip curled upwards. "What an honor, to be so highly regarded by Leader Li Luo. But I only see two here... Xin Fu has gone to help Zhao Kuo and the others finish off the Sky Blade Squad quickly, I expect?" Li Luo's eyes narrowed. "Surprised we know your plan?" Shen Ya gloated. Li Luo's cheerfulness sloughed off his face. "The team that joined Zhao Kuo... you arranged it?" "Impressive instincts, Leader Li Luo," Shen Ya said with some surprise. "Indeed, we set it all up. This whole plan was Shi Huang's idea. He knew about Zhao Kuo and you, so we cooked this up..." "Do you still think Xin Fu and Zhao Kuo's squad will make it back?" ... BOOM! Blasts of resonant power ricocheted off the tree trunks. More than 10 people were locked in a chaotic melee. Zhao Kuo and Xu Ge's squads were taking on the Sky Blade Squad. The Sky Blade Squad was clearly not up to the task. Harried on two fronts, they were constantly on the back foot. "Xu Ge, don't let up now. Full steam ahead! Brother Luo's side must be suffering too!" Zhao Kuo urged him loudly. Xu Ge appeared by his side, nodding seriously. "Alright, all out!" He channeled his resonant power to his palm and then thrust outwards. But this attack was not aimed at the Sky Blade Squad, but Zhao Kuo's unprotected back. Right before it landed, a shadowy wave of energy dispelled the palm attack, sending him flying. Xu Ge's three squad mates had turned on Zong Fu and the others at the same time. Their faces were white with horror. "Xu Ge! What are you doing?!" Zhao Kuo shouted at him. "Can't you see? It's all a setup. You've been hooked!" The Sky Blade Squad's leader, Liu Que, laughed loudly. He drew his blood-red sword and chopped vengefully at the shadow, a fiery trail of resonant power flashing out. "Xin Fu, you might have saved him, but I see you now!" Dagger on sword, the inky darkness triumphed over the crimson. However, the light of the clash lit Xin Fu up clearly. The other three Sky Blade Squad members had come to surround Xin Fu as well. "Haha, so what if you're a Violet Vibrance student? We're still going to get you good!" Xin Fu was rigid with tension, his dagger in a defensive position before him. They had been played. ... "Li Luo, you're a member down. Still think you can take on the full might of our Gold Gleam squad?" Shen Ya chuckled. "Well..." Li Luo considered it. "Why not?" Shen Ya nodded. "Yes, it's possible..." "...which is why, to express my profound respect for you, I have prepared three more Gold Gleam squads in this forest." He fired a signal high into the air, which screeched as it left a clear smoke trail. Shen Ya watched it with a smug smile. He turned back to Li Luo and rolled his shoulders lazily. "So tell me, Li Luo... How are you going to get out of this one?" Chapter 172: Its A Counter Trap "Prepared three Gold Gleam squads, eh..." Li Luo's eyebrows went up, and apprehension started to set in. Only he and Bai Mengmeng were left here, and they were outnumbered. Another three Gold Gleam squads would put them in serious trouble. "You've really planned this out well, I see," Li Luo said slowly. They must have purposely let Zhao Kuo know about their plans and then set up Xu Ge's squad with him. A secret alliance. They already knew all about Zhao Kuo's plan from the start. Even after separating Xin Fu, they had taken the extra precaution of getting three Gold Gleam squads to lie in ambush. Layer after layerit was a meticulous plan indeed. "Of course. Against you, prudence is the best course of action. Our first strike has to be decisive so we, the Governor Squad, can make a name for ourselves. No matter the price, we will not fail. "Naturally, many of the suggestions came from Shi Huang. Li Luo, you have to admit that sometimes your enemies know you even better than yourself," Shen Ya gloated. Shi Huang spoke up coldly. "Li Luo, I swore to you I'd take my revenge! Ever since that day I lost at Tianshu!" "That's a very blatant declaration of war," Li Luo said. Shen Ya trembled with charged resonant power, but he did not attack yet. "Li Luo, I know that your dual resonances are fearsome. You even beat Duze Beixuan. I'm not so foolish as to attack you yet." His smile turned into one of mockery. "I intend to wait for the cavalry to arrive. With three Gold Gleam squads as reinforcements, you'll know what it means to be caged. Sorry, Li Luo, your first taste of failure in the Astral Sage College will be at my hands." ... Boom! Three squads were locked in a furious fight in the forest. The Sky Blade Squad completely ignored Zhao Kuo's squad, leaving them entirely to Xu Ge. The four of them were entirely focused on attacking Xin Fu. Xin Fu was an Upper Flowering, while the four Sky Blade Squad members were Lower Flowering. Individually, they were weaker, but against their combined might, it was Xin Fu who was in trouble. Their combination of attacks could only be dodged, not countered. Occasionally, he sent back an attack that met with a well-prepared defense, easily blocked. His only option was to use the unique prowess of a shadow resonance and play for time. "Haha, Violet Vibrance students are nothing much. Scampering up and down like a monkey." The Sky Blade Squads leader, Liu Que's, voice dripped with scorn. Xin Fu ignored it. He knew that they were trying to goad him to fight head on. And then he would lose badly. A good shadow assassin had to be patient enough to wait for an opportune moment. Seeing Xin Fu immune to his goading, Liu Que gave up the approach, falling silent and concentrating on attacking. On the other side, Zhao Kuo and his squad were locked in a heated battle against Xu Ge's squad. "Xu Ge, you mutt! How dare you betray us!" Zhao Kuo shouted at him. He was burning with anger and guilt at having let Li Luo down. He had spread the information about the Governor Squad to Li Luo. And yet he had played straight into their hands. The grubby hands of a willing and eager ally, Xu Ge. The leaked intel had definitely put Li Luo and the others at risk. "Keke, don't blame me, blame yourself for not being careful enough." Xu Ge snickered. "Both our squad and Brother Luo's squad will remember you," Zhao Kuo promised ominously. Xu Ge squirmed a little. He wasn't afraid of Zhao Kuo, but of Li Luo's Violet Vibrance squad... that was still a presence to be feared. Still, he had already committed so much. No backing out now. "Oh, and what does that remembrance do? Are you going to kill me?" Xu Ge asked. "All we have to do is sink you both today, and Li Luo's group will be the first Violet Vibrance squad to lose their place! "Quickly, finish them off!" he shouted to his squad. They obliged, doubling down on their resonant power and forcing Zhao Kuo and the others backwards. The situation was on the verge of tipping. But just as they were pressing forward for the final blow, a few more people darted out of the trees ahead. Xu Ge and the others hesitated, then they quickly fell back to a safe distance. "Who dares?!" he yelled. Zhao Kuo and the others were surprised as well, unsure of who the new intruders were. A Gold Gleam squad walked out into the open. Their leader was the one who had met with Li LuoYe Hua. Ye Hua cracked his neck experimentally. "Excuse me, was it you guys who ordered a Handsome Hunks Beating?" ... Three Gold Gleam squads were hurrying through the woods. "Quick, quick, Shen Ya's already given the signal. Go and surround Li Luo!" The three leaders urged their teams. "If we beat a Violet Vibrance squad, we'll be famous!" "Wooh, can't wait!" Their advance was jerked up short by a sudden hailstorm of arrows. The sudden attack forced them to duck down for desperate cover. "Who's that?!" a squad leader shouted. Four Gold Gleam squads walked out of the woods. "Friends, we're all minding our own business here. What are you doing?" the three attacking squads demanded. One leader of the four squads grinned. "Going to attack Li Luo and his friends?" The three squads were silent, their hearts sinking. "Sorry, but we took a reward too. We just need to keep you here to earn a nice, sweet amount of school points. So do us all a favor and just wait right there." The leader waved, and his four Gold Gleam squads jumped them. ... Deep in the mountains. Li Luo made himself comfy on his tree, peacefully looking down at Shen Ya and his squad. Time ticked on, and he showed no intention of attacking. Shen Ya was starting to feel uncomfortable. Once their reinforcements arrived, Li Luo's chances of winning would evaporate. Why was he not more worried? If he was not worried, then Shen Ya was worried. It was a worry that only grew steadily with each passing moment. His reinforcements were late... Li Luo suddenly burst into laughter. "Well?" he said mildly. "Tardy reinforcements?" Shen Ya and the others looked at him with dismay. "What did you do?!" Li Luo laughed gaily, his hands resting lightly on his swords. "I didn't underestimate you at all... but you underestimated me. "Did you think that Li Luo was just a handsome face to make you feel better about yourselves, ugly boys?" A vein pulsed on Shen Ya's temple, but he took a deep, calming breath. "The reinforcements were just for backup. Even without them, do you really think our full complement will lose to the two of you? "Li Luo, I'll finish you today!" Shen Ya's resonant power flared up. "Get them!" he growled. All four shot towards Li Luo. Chapter 173: I Like It Too Swoosh! Four simultaneous attacks from Shen Ya's squad swept out with choreographed precision, cutting off any retreat from Li Luo on all sides. Li Luo stood his ground calmly, letting them do as they pleased. Shoosh! Their attacks all passed harmlessly through him. And then he faded away from sight. "An illusion!" Shen Ya shouted, panicking. Was this Bai Mengmeng's power? My God, it was frustrating. "Watch out! Don't get separated!" he barked. As long as they could stay together, even Li Luo would pay a heavy price to take them all down. Just as he spoke, a light blinded him with a flash, and he raised a hand instinctively. Li Luo appeared in the next instant, blade chopping down at him. Panicking, he unleashed his resonant power in a desperate blast to repel Li Luo. Again, his power passed through, connecting with nothing but air. "Another damned illusion?!" he seethed. Suddenly, bursts of light were erupting all around them in the forest. Each spawned a Li Luo that came running at them. Soon enough, there were a dozen Li Luos charging them. "Impossible! How can Bai Mengmeng summon so many illusions?" a Governor Squad member cried out. Shi Huang squinted against the constantly dazzling lights and spotted a puddle of highly reflective water. The water mirror was strategically reflecting the lights to create more illusions of Li Luo. "It's Li Luo's water resonant power! He set up water mirrors everywhere to multiply Bai Mengmeng's illusions. We're... in his trap," Shi Huang said urgently. "Be careful! One of these illusions must be real!" They were more or less expecting that, conserving their resonant power in each attack as they continued to test each illusion. But the illusions were relentless. More and more "Li Luos" came at them from all directions in the trees. They were starting to sweat now. Was this Li Luo's plan? To tire them out with illusions? But they didn't dare to let the illusions get close. What if the real deal was hiding among them? They were stuck. Focused on clearing the Li-llusions, they did not notice that the ground beneath their feet was starting to turn slushy. "Look out below!" Shen Ya yelled in fright as he suddenly felt a coolness around his feet. Too late. The ground beneath their feet gave way, becoming a swamp that sucked their feet in. "Damn it, he softened the ground with his water resonant power!" Shi Huang shouted. But how could Li Luo pull this off so quickly? Ah. Earth resonance power. Boom! Combining their powers, they prepared to blast the swamp to bits and escape. But just at that instant, a green light interrupted their concerted attack, vines snaking out to bind them. They hurriedly turned their attention to this new threat, but the series of attacks had worn down their response. One member fumbled, and the vines wrapped him up tightly. With a final, choked scream, he was dragged down into the swamp, and not heard from again. The other three were panicking now, desperately trying to get away. Which meant that they were starting to spread out. "Get back! Back away from this place!" Shen Ya commanded them. Finally, he was starting to understand why Li Luo was so hard to deal with. The combination of two resonance arts opened new possibilities that slipped through their defenses. Shi Huang and the other remaining members fled without hesitation. Too late to flee. A "Li-llusion" raised its hand, sending little pellets of light forth that popped right before the last member's eyes. "Argh!" The guy screamed, clawing frantically at his eyes. His spear ignited with fire resonant power and he swept it out before him in a wild, blind swing. Useless. Water Edge-reinforced steel met his weapon, sending his spear flying away with a deft twist. At the same time, a sword hilt rapped him sharply on the shoulder. The guy went down with a heavy grunt of pain. Boom! Having finished off another member, Li Luo whirled around as thunder boomed. Shi Huang had his own spear in hand, already charged up with electrical power and writhing like a live dragon. Li Luo smiled and lifted a palm. "Dendrical Intervention!" More vines flew out to lash against Shi Huang's spear attack. Splinters were sent flying, but the lightning could not penetrate his defense. Bong! A flash of leafy-green light connected with Shi Huang, throwing him violently. Shi Huang was seized with bitter despair. Back at the Tianshu Province, he had lost to Li Luo, but it was because of that one trick arrow that he had not been careful about. But now Li Luo was crushing him at every turn. There was no use in despairing now. Li Luo had already turned to him again. Surely Li Luo was planning to take him out with his next move, leaving Shen Ya alone. His electrical energy crackled to life around him as he prepared to pull back. Behind, Shen Ya could read his intention as well. His own golden resonant power propelled him forward in a blur as he raced to Shi Huang's rescue. Shi Huang turned to flee, but he found himself face to face with an ethereal curtain of pollen. A demonic butterfly fluttered in and out of the curtain. Shi Huang's mind went blank. Rumble! His lightning power lapsed with a muted boom, jolting him back to the present. The demonic butterfly was gone. "Bai Mengmeng!" Shi Huang spotted her smiling sweetly nearby behind a tree. "She doesn't deserve your ugly gaze. Our gem of a sister is beyond you louts." A voice said in his ear. In his peripheral vision he saw a heavy fist, then he was brained. Bonk! He felt a sharp pain on his skull, then his vision faded to black. Li Luo's voice came to him as he sank down. "You failed again. It's alright. Try harder next time." Shi Huang down, Li Luo turned to the last man standing, the Governor Squads leader, Shen Ya. He grinned. "I hear you like two-to-one odds." Li Luo's two shortswords dragged against the ground. Behind Shen Ya, Bai Mengmeng had stepped out as well. Li Luo's grin widened when he saw Shen Ya's bleak expression. "I'm afraid I like it too..." Chapter 174: Feeling Better Yet? The forested area was a woeful scene of splintered trunks and churned soil. Shen Ya had lost all hope. In a mere ten minutes, their entire squad had been totalled by Li Luo. Three out of four were down, and he alone was left. If it were a raw competition of resonant power, he would win. After all, Li Luo was only a Lower Flowering, while he was an Upper Flowering. But Li Luo's dual resonances had proved incredibly unpredictable to deal with, thanks to the combinations between water and wood. Plus, Bai Mengmeng's unique powers had nullified their numbers advantage quickly enough. No wonder this guy could take Duze Beixuan down. He sighed heavily. The dazzling reflection from the water mirrors were fading. That had to mean that they were drying up, the water resonant power consolidating back with its user. He lifted his glittering, golden longsword, pointing it at Li Luo. "You're good. Really good. I thought my plan was perfect, but still you beat it. "I have nothing else up my sleeve, but at the end of my sleeve is a strong wrist holding a good blade. I want to know how strong a Violet Vibrance student is. If you want to truly convince me of your strength, come fight me one on one." Li Luo looked at him as though he was speaking bird language. "Why the hell would I care if you're utterly convinced? "I just want a third of your badges. Does utter conviction get me any more?" Shen Ya shut up now. His last thread of hope evaporated when Li Luo refused to take his bait. Take more of their badges? Don't make me laugh... Out of words, he let his golden resonant power envelop his body. The longsword in his hand shone brighter than before. Shen Ya was a metal resonance user.[1] Li Luo looked at his metal resonant power and recalled the traitor of House Luolan, Pei Hao. Damn, metal resonances really liked to manifest themselves in losers! Shoosh! Shen Ya made his opening stab at Li Luo. Li Luo did not shy away, answering with his reinforced shortswords. The sound of crashing waves could be heard. Blue on gold, their weapons crackled loudly as each sought the upper hand. A dozen rounds later, Shen Ya's face was even bleaker than before. Clearly, his resonant power was better than Li Luo's. But why did he not feel any advantage at all? His offense was relentless and strong, but Li Luo's water resonant power never once wavered off his blades. Inexorable and timeless as the tide, the sharp edge of his metal resonance offense was blunted. "Tiger-general resonance art, Blade Whirlwind!" Out of ideas, he resorted to his best resonance art. With a gleam of gold, a hundred blades seemed to appear out of nowhere, glittering menacingly in the sun as they began to spin together. They flashed out at Li Luo in a flurry of yellow. He stood his ground, legs apart, movements unhurried. His water resonant power brought his shortswords to life. They leaped like fish breaking the waves, smacking the golden blades away. He smiled to himself. This was a tiger-general resonance art he had been practicing recently. It was called Dancing Pisces. His blades danced and leaped like fish. They seemed gentle, but they had hardened at the perfect time and pushed away the blades coming from below. They put up a flawless defense against the torrent of blades. Shen Ya was completely broken now, his fear and panic showing. From start to finish, Li Luo had only fought him with water resonant power. His dual resonances had been held in reserve. Such was the difference between the two. Li Luo was too strong. "If you're spacing out even at this time... I'm not going to hold back," Li Luo quipped. He stepped out, waterlight pooling beneath his feet and lending him speed. The two dancing fish locked tails, forming a pair of watery scissors. Li Luo struck him with a running blow as he passed. Shen Ya looked down at his limp hands, blood trickling down from between his fingers. Unable to grip his sword any longer, it fell to the ground with a clatter. He was screwed. He made one last desperate run away into the forest. Shoosh! A fey light held him, then a thin blade landed lightly on his throat. It was as delicate as a butterfly's wing. A beautiful girl in blue smiled angelically back at him. "If you run away, how are we going to get badges?" she said almost shyly. Shen Ya sighed. The resistance leaking out of him, he sat down on the floor. Li Luo sheathed his swords a little grumpily. "That's it? You've a problem with perseverance." Shen Ya scowled at him. "You're a problem yourself. Your cultivation level is lower, so how are you stronger than me?" Li Luo grinned in reply. Although he had yet to master dual resonances, two resonant palaces gave him a deep reserve of resonant power. How could Shen Ya hope to compete? By his estimation, those at the first-tier of the Resonant Master Stage would need at least an upper eighth-grade resonance to compete with him. Although those with that criteria were already at the second tier of the Resonant Master StageQin Zhulu, Wang Hejiu, Bai Doudouhe wondered how he would match up against them. "My woodearth resonance is already a fifth-grade, but it's still a little low. After the ranking battles, I should try to get it to the sixth grade as quickly as possible,"?Li Luo thought to himself. If he couldn't get his sixth-grade waterlight resonance to rise to the seventh grade just yet, then he would focus on the easier upgrade. With two sixth-grade resonances, he could take on an upper eighth-grade opponent! Caught up in his thoughts, Li Luo sat down opposite Shen Ya. He seemed to be in no hurry to take his badge. "Are you still hoping the Sky Blade Squad shows up?" Li Luo chuckled. "Can't I?" Shen Ya said stiffly. "I'm about to be eliminated, but seeing something, anything, not go your way would make me feel better." Li Luo shook his head and waited with him in silence. About ten minutes later, the sound of urgent footfalls could be heard. Shen Ya looked up hopefully. The newcomers walked into sight. Shen Ya looked down sadly. Li Luo inclined his head at the group, led by Zhao Kuo, and then smiled at Shen Ya. "Feeling better yet?" 1. TN: metal and gold both use the same word jin Chapter 175: Loss-making Shen Ya's last vestiges of hope evaporated as soon as Zhao Kuo and the others strolled into sight. So the Sky Blade Squad had been decimated. His planutterly broken. He slumped against a tree trunk. "You win, Li Luo," he muttered. Li Luo ignored him, instead going to shake hands with Zhao Kuo. "Brother Luo, have you tied things up on this end?" Zhao Kuo and the others hurried over. They looked over at the listless Shen Ya. His face told them all they needed to know. It was a shocking resultthe strongest Gold Gleam squad had been taken down by just Li Luo and Bai Mengmeng. Incredible. Zong Fu and the others looked at Li Luo with profound respect. "Looks like you tidied up your end as well," Li Luo said cheerfully. "Brother Luo," Zhao Kuo said with shame in his voice, "I'm sorry I compromised us and put you in danger." If not for Li Luo's contingencies, Xu Ge's betrayal might well have been enough to turn the tide on them. Li Luo waved it off casually. "Don't mention it. If you hadn't alerted me at the start, I might have been done in by them as well." If he hadn't been told about the Governor Squad's evil intentions, he might not have made such preparations, and subsequently wouldve fallen to the combined onslaught of the Governor Squad and the Sky Blade Squad. Then again, he might not have lost, but it would have been a very close fight. Li Luo didn't like close and risky knife fights. He much preferred bringing guns to knife fights. There was rustle behind them, then more people walked into view. It was Ye Hua. "Stone boy." Li Luo waved. "Stop calling me that!" "Thanks a lot for this, stone boy," Li Luo beamed. Li Luo had not only let him go after fighting him, but had even given him some points. He had asked for Ye Hua to watch for his signal, and also to gather some Gold Gleam squads just in case. Back then, he had just made standard contingencies, unaware that Xu Ge would end up betraying them. He had simply felt that the information that he was being targeted had spread too easily. There had to be more to it. Still, results-wise, Li Luo's response had been spot-on. Ye Hua stared at the recalcitrant Li Luo helplessly. "Ah, forget it. But our business is done. Time to settle up." He indicated the four Gold Gleam squads that had helped with the ambush. "I've gotten my reward, but I promised them a gold badge each just for showing their strength." Li Luo flinched visibly. Well done, stone boy. Made free with my purse, eh? One gold badge per team. Four teams, four gold badges, 400 points! A sizable sum indeed. "Hey, you wouldn't run out on the bill, would you..." Ye Hua accused. "It's slightly steep, but it can't be helped. It cost good gold to get them to overcome their fear of the Governor Squad, you know. They're the best Gold Gleam squad after all." Li Luo shook his head exasperatedly, then he took out four gold badges and threw them down. Although it had cost him dearly, he couldn't be ungrateful. Ye Hua handed out the badges, saying, "Leave quickly, before he changes his mind and wipes you all out." The four Gold Gleam squads were happy. "If you need to hire us again in the future, be sure to let us know, Brother Luo." They left in good cheer. Li Luo watched them glumly. After hustling for so long, he had just been working to get points for others. 400 freaking points. "Well, if there's nothing else, I'm going too." Ye Hua waved. He sensed a strangeness about Li Luo that he felt was better to avoid. The guy wouldn't be ready to rob him back, would he? He decided to beat it. "Well, thanks," Li Luo said with no thankfulness whatsoever. "Come find me if you're in trouble next time. But I will charge a fee at that time too." "I wouldn't be able to afford you," Ye Hua called from a distance as he hurried away. Li Luo turned back to Shen Ya and took a third of his badges. It only added up to slightly over 300 points. Damn, he was still short. Life sucked. "Brother Luo, we took down the Sky Blade Squad and Xu Ge's squad. We got slightly more than 400 points there. Let me give you some," Zhao Kuo said apologetically. Li Luo glared at them. It was out of the question. Zhao Kuo's squad was only middle of the pack among the Gold Gleam squads. It was definitely much harder for them to get points. How could he possibly take that away from them? "Seems like you made a loss on this one." Shen Ya smirked. "That's not how losses are calculated," Li Luo said calmly. "Now that you're out of the picture, there'll be no more annoying mice to deal with when the fight with Wang Hejiu rolls around. If I just finish off the Golden Gate Squad, there'll be no shortage of points." Shen Ya snorted. "Youre that confident you can defeat the Golden Gate Squad? I'll be waiting for the, er, good news." Li Luo stood up and stretched lazily. "In any case," he yawned, "none of that concerns you anymore. Your ranking battle is over." Shen Ya was regretting his choices now. If only they had not crossed Li Luo. Given how strong his squad was, they could have gone much further, gotten many more points. Li Luo looked up at the sun inching down towards the horizon. The battles would end when the sun set. Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng moved up behind Li Luo. He smiled at them. "Well then, the small fry has been dealt with. "I think we're ready for the main course now." Chapter 176: Curtains Rising Li Luo's squad had gathered 2,800 points, and the sun was well on its way to setting, harsh yellow fading into a soft, rosy orange. With it came a proportional increase in the sense of danger. Towards the end was when the most intense battles were fought. The squads that were left must have triumphed in many battles and were all experienced. Weng! Suddenly, five columns of violet light shone down from the sky. They indicated the positions of the five Violet Vibrance squads. This was intended to hasten the ranking battles, and also to create chances for Violet Vibrance squads to fight. After all, they had been farming Gold Gleam and Silver Spark squads so far, but at the close, they had to provide a good show, right? Besides, each violet column of light was different. The one tinged with light green had to be Bai Doudou's Wind Rider Squad, and the dark green one should be Wang Hejiu's Golden Gate Squad. Yi Lisha's One Autumn Leaf Squad had a yellow sheen to it, while a maroon light marked Qin Zhulu's Clear Moon Squad. The last one, a bluish light column, indicated Li Luo's Fairness & Justice Squad. It was also a sort of indicator for the Gold Gleam squads. If they had the guts to take on a Violet Vibrance squad, this was their chance. Of course, it would be an incredible bounty if they won. Naturally, not many Gold Gleam squads were that ballsy. Reckless courage was seldom rewarded. The appearance of the violet light columns heralded a change in the game. ... "The show's about to start." The five Violet Vibrance mentors watched from above, finally showing some interest. "Wowee, those two Violet Vibrance squads are very close to each other." Mi Er laughed. Chi Chan looked. "It's Qin Zhulu and Yi Lisha's squads... They'll probably fight." Although Yi Lisha was probably not too excited about fighting Qin Zhulu, the latter's personality would probably see him charging towards the nearest Violet Vibrance squad in his vicinity. "Poor Yi Lisha," Chu Zi said sympathetically. Cao Sheng shook his head. "You're too humble. Qin Zhulu is the carry of his team, while Lu Qing'er and Yin Yue support him. Yi Lisha's team has three balanced fighters. They'll do well, regardless of the outcome." As the two mentors exchanged niceties, the other mentors looked at the other pillars. The other three Violet Vibrance squads were rather spaced out. However, the Fairness & Justice Squad and the Golden Gate Squad would probably clash. Probably. As if even mountains and seas could keep those two squads apart. Which meant that the Wind Rider Squad was going to be left out. What would they do... Shen Jinxiao looked over at Cao Sheng. "Can I get some wine?" he asked lightly. Cao Sheng pushed the jug towards him with an agreeable smile. Shen Jinxiao filled his cup to the brim. "A good show needs a good drink." His meaning was as obvious as could be. "You're really setting yourself nice and high, aren't you?" Chi Chan said with a frosty smile. "The height will come in handy when you hang yourself later." His eyes narrowed. Opening his mouth to retort, they were suddenly all surprised by a loud bang. They turned to see firework-like words floating in the air. It was a squad name. Black Swan squad. "Looks like the Three Star Hall ranking battles are over already," Cao Sheng said appreciatively. "The Black Swan Squad again." "Jiang Qing'e's there. There are many talents in the Three Star Hall, but none can compare." Mi Er agreed. "Her ninth-grade light resonance is legendary. I hear that she's aiming for the Seven Astral Pillars this year... If she wins, she'll have broken the Astral Sage College record to become the youngest Seven Astral Pillar ever," Chu Zi remarked. The other Violet Vibrance mentors all sighed. That ninth-grade resonance was truly awesome. Shen Jinxiao was silent, looking at his wine cup instead of the fireworks. Suddenly, the taste seemed a little sour. Hff. He turned back to the One Star Hall battlefield. Hopefully, the results on this side could stop it from going completely sour. ... "We have two choices now. One, we go and find the One Autumn Leaf Squad. Two, we go and hunt Gold Gleam squads. In this phase, they must be flocking to us." Lu Qing'er conferred with Yin Yue nearby, and also an irate Qin Zhulu sitting a good ten meters away. "What do you think, Qing'er?" Yin Yue asked with proper courtesy. "I dont think it's a bad idea to play it safe and hunt Gold Gleam squads, if we just want points. The One Autumn Leaf Squad is strong, and their fighters are balanced. We might not come out ahead if we fight them." Yin Yue nodded. "I agree, Qing'er." Both girls turned to Qin Zhulu. After all, he was the leader. Qin Zhulu shifted uneasily. "No use in fighting Gold Gleam squads," he muttered. "We just want points. It doesn't matter how we get them, right?" Yin Yue said. She didn't actually like confronting others, especially when they were much stronger. Ordinarily, Qin Zhulu would have run far away from a confrontation with the two girls, but he wasn't about to pass up on the opportunity to fight a Violet Vibrance squad. "No, I can't let them go. They're challenging me," he growled. Lu Qing'er's eyebrows shot up. "Er, how are they challenging us?" "They're so close to me. That's a challenge!" Lu Qing'er and Yin Yue stared at each other with exasperation. Give a dog a bad name and hang him. But in the end, they both agreed. He was their leader and their strongest fighter. They had to respect his opinion. ... While Qin Zhulu's squad was deciding on their target, two violet columns were racing towards each other. To nobody's surprise, it was Li Luo and Wang Hejiu's squads. "Well, it seems like no one dares to cause trouble for the Wind Rider Squad," Yu Lang said with some regret, hands on his hips. "Leader, I suggest we team up with Li Luo and go beat up the little poison birdie." He craned his neck around to face Bai Doudou. She toyed with the spear in her hands absently. "Two on one, what's the point?" "I'm worried that Mengmeng will be injured by Wang Hejiu and the other baddies." She glared at him. "Injuries are normal in battle. Besides," she continued, "if they really hurt Mengmeng, I'll deal with them next time. Both squads have looked forward to this for a long time. I think even Li Luo would frown on intervention." Yu Lang held his tongue. Given what he knew about Li Luo, he would only be too happy to welcome a two on one. Still, Bai Doudou didnt look sold at all, so he gave it up. "What then? Are we just going to wait here?" Yu Lang said glumly. "We'll go hunt Gold Gleam squads," Bai Doudou said. "Seems like the light pillar allows us to send out messages as well. If you use resonant power, you can make simple words." She looked over at Yu Lang. "How about you do something? See if you can attract some Gold Gleam squads over, and we'll bag them." He started. "Me?" "Qiu Luo and I aren't good at this," she said impatiently. Yu Lang nodded. "Well then, I guess I'll have to show you my unique strengths." He walked up and poked a finger into the light column, sending a thread of resonant power upwards. A few moments later, words appeared in their violet column, shining brightly for hundreds of miles. Bai Doudou looked up and gulped nervously. A line of bold words hung proudly over them. "THIS IS YU LANG. TRASH GOLD SQUADS, COME FOR MY ASS!" Chapter 177: The Battle Begins In the rapidly dimming sunlight, Li Luo's and Wang Hejiu's light columns moved rapidly towards each other before finally halting. They met at a long, narrow gorge between two enormous mountains, the singular passage through. Waterfalls roared down the geographical marvel, spitting froth and water over greenery that bloomed in the humidity. "Nice place. Hopefully, its beauty takes the sting out of your first defeat." Wang Hejiu remarked to Li Luo and Bai Mengmeng as he looked around at the water-coated boulders. Xin Fu was already well-concealed. "Normally," Li Luo said brightly, "once the villain says something like that, they lose." "Villain?" Wang Hejiu chuckled. "Do you think you're a hero?" "His looks are very noble," Bai Mengmeng squeaked. Wang Hejiu was taken aback. Were all these girls equally shallow? What did it matter if a guy was handsome? Was his nose not equally fragile before a fist? "Enough," Duze Beixuan snapped. "Time for payback for the Choosing." He stepped forward, and his resonant power surged forth, a tremendous force that made Li Luo's eyes widen. "Pattern Genesis Tier?" That was unexpected. He had thought that Duze Beixuan would need a little more time to get there. Seemed like his pure spite and fury after the Choosing had spurred him on really hard. "That was too obvious. I told you to conceal it and lure him in," Wang Hejiu said tiredly to Duze Beixuan, his own poisonous, green power seeping forth. That had the toxic strength of a Pattern Genesis Tier cultivator too. "Li Luo, we have two First Pattern cultivators here. Your strongest is the Upper Flowering Xin Fu. And you are a Lower Flowering..." He smiled wide as a Cheshire cat. "Please tell me. What gives you confidence to fight this? "Don't waste our time. Hand over your badges quietly. Wouldn't that be better?" Shing. His response was a quick unsheathing of Li Luo's shortswords, twin aqueous weapons of death gleaming with the keen, watery silver of Water Edge. "Back off, Mengmeng," he said with an uncommon gravity. Taking on two Pattern Genesis Tier opponents wasn't going to be easy. Xin Fu could only wait for his chance. He could not reveal himself casually, and even less so Bai Mengmeng, who would instantly be done in by the deadly pair. Li Luo stood alone, the first and final bastion of his team. That was his determined role. "Leader, be careful!" Bai Mengmeng called out, her voice thick with worry. She knew how crucial he was. Perhaps no other Upper Flowering cultivator would be brave enough to stand against these two formidable opponents. Li Luo nodded wordlessly. He shot forth with suddenness, spraying gravel behind him that skipped and hissed over the shallow waters. Neither Wang Hejiu nor Duze Beixuan held any grand illusions of single combat. Both moved as one. The three figures collided with incredible power on both sides, shaking the gorge walls with their impact. Boom! The nearby creek was shaken so hard that it slopped, sending pearly droplets of water spraying upwards. Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan were left unmoving, while Li Luo was sent flying backwards, skidding across the watery surface. He had been outclassed in this first clash. Expected. He might have dual resonances, but he was facing two resonances as well, wielded by superior cultivators. This would be an uphill struggle. Neither Wang Hejiu nor Duze Beixuan slowed. They pressed their advantage, closing in on Li Luo with their attacks. He used his Dancing Pisces move, concentrating on defending against their furious onslaught. The battle was white-hot in intensity. Ding! Ding! The clear peal of ringing steel rang out. Ding! Li Luo's blade turned Duze Beixuan's spear aside, redirecting the power into a nearby wall that shuddered and groaned. Another seaweed-green blast of power hissed out at him, its foul, acrid stench sharp in his nose. Vicious and calculated. But just at this moment, a shadow loomed behind Wang Hejiu. A slash of saturnine light on a dagger blurred from its speed struck out towards the back of his skull. Wang Hejiu frowned but dealt with it matter-of-factly. After all, both he and Duze Beixuan had been on guard against the lurking Xin Fu this whole time. His fan snapped open, flipping behind him to block the menacing dirk. Toxic, green energy hissed and ate away at the shadow resonant power, finally even leaping for Xin Fu himself. Xin Fu twisted. There was a dark implosion of energy, then he disengaged, vanishing again. "Annoying." Wang Hejiu clicked his tongue irritatedly. Xin Fu might not pose too big a threat, but he was keeping them on their toes, unable to let their guard down. He was also a constant disruption to their planned attacks. Wang Hejiu did not linger on the retreating Xin Fu, instantly turning back to attack Li Luo in concert with Duze Beixuan. All the heat was on Li Luo now. As long as they could take him down, the battle was as good as over. While the battle raged on, Qi Luozi summoned her own dark-green power. She clapped her hands together, funneling her resonant power into the gravel shores. Vines started to sprout rapidly. Suddenly, a fey light made her vision blur and whirl. The battlefield was swimming in her eyes, vague shadows in the distance that she could not focus on, no matter how hard she tried. "Bai Mengmeng..." She frowned. Bai Mengmeng stood close by, a slim rapier pointed at her. "Leader's under enough pressure," she said quietly. Qi Luozi snorted. "You think you can stop me? You're just an Upper Clear cultivator. I'm a Lower Flowering." Bai Mengmeng suddenly gave her a pure, winsome smile. "It doesn't matter. If you hurt me, my sister will beat you black and blue." Qi Luozi only stared silently. Then she sighed. Her eyes went flat, and the gravel under Bai Mengmeng was suddenly writhing with green vines that bound her legs. "I'll just have to test that out, then." Her words echoed emptily around her as the vines passed through thin air. The illusion wavered, then faded. "An illusion?" Qi Luozi frowned. "I might not be able to beat you, but I can keep you occupied. That's enough." Bai Mengmeng's voice came at her from all directions. "A competition to see who falls first? You or Li Luo." Qi Luozi sneered. "Leader says his best trait is endurance." Qi Luozi snarled about her and cursed again. "Li Luo, you wretch!" she shouted, looking around at the many illusions of Bai Mengmeng with uncertainty. Chapter 178: Resonance Art Combinations Ding! Li Luo blocked another thrust of a spear, the impact knocking Water Edge off his sword, making it boil away into mist. Li Luo staggered back another step. Another toxic-green blast of energy from the fan, striking out like a viper, punctuated by the foul odor of decomposition. Li Luo's other blade parried it. "Waterlight Demon Mirror!" The fan hit the mirror of water, sending the poison resonant power spraying outwards. The fan almost slipped in Wang Hejiu's grip, and Li Luo ducked away. Both were attacking with everything they had, and they were starting to score. Li Luo's hands were bleeding from the repeated abuse, and his arms were stinging from the pain. Fortunately, his waterlight resonance and wood resonance were three recuperative elements. Each time he was injured, the three regenerative sources kicked in to heal him quickly. This was the reason why Li Luo could hold out against the combined attacks of Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan for so long. His tenacity alarmed both opponents. They had pushed themselves hard and were panting heavily, yet Li Luo was still grimly holding on. He showed no signs of yielding. That was sick. Surely not even the famed endurance of a water resonance user could last this long? They exchanged looks and saw their own determination mirrored in the other's eyes. Li Luo's strong front had to be on the verge of breaking. They just had to keep up the offense. Both stepped forward as one. Li Luo sensed it, and he moved several steps backwards in response. One of his short blades glowed with wood resonant power. "Tiger-general resonance art, Arboreal Bindings!" The trees around them seemed to spring into life, thick vines burgeoning forth to bind Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan. These vines were covered in little flowers that absorbed light energy from around them, reinforcing the vines. Li Luo had added his light resonant power into it to strengthen the tiger-general resonance art. "Tiger-general resonance art, Heavy Water Art!" After Arboreal Bindings, Li Luo followed up with a well-prepared water resonance art. Navy-blue liquid splashed over the vines. They instantly grew even more ponderous and powerful, weighted vines that smashed rather than lashed. Moreover, if one observed carefully, one would see that the heavy water also had grains of sand floating within it. This was no ordinary Heavy Water Art. Li Luo had injected some earth resonant power into it to increase the weight. Li Luo's two resonance arts were even more polished than when Duze Beixuan had last faced them during the Choosing of the Mentors. While he was grimly tanking the attacks, he was also charging up for this devastating counterattack. Shing! The vines screamed through the air, whistling powerfully. Both guys answered head-on with their resonant powers. Bong! Bong! The spear and fan took on defensive positions, bracing themselves against the sturdy vines. When the attack landed, both showed identical expressions of shock. "What power!" Wang Hejiu frowned deeply. The vines were heavy as battering rams. Each smash from the vines left his hands numb from the impact. "It's Li Luo's combined resonance art!" Duze Beixuan shouted. He was scared now, having lost once to it already. And this time, he could feel that Li Luo's combined resonance art was much stronger than before. "The power of dual resonances. This isn't even dual, just combined, yet it's already so hard to deal with," Wang Hejiu marveled. "But Li Luo, did you think we weren't prepared to face your combined resonance arts?" "It's quite surprising the first time, but without that element of surprise, it isn't so effective." Wang Hejiu sucked in a deep breath. Bluish-green patterns of light appeared on his cheeks, gathering at his lips. He then blew out, "Tiger-general resonance art, Corrosive Wind!" Woo, woo! The wind howled from his lips, an alien, eerie gust that ate away at the power on the vines, corroding them. Duze Beixuan made his move at the same time. Aquamarine resonant power bloomed forth. "Tiger-general resonance art, Kun's Roar!" Woo, woo! A dark-blue sonic wave rippled out from his own mouth, reinforcing Wang Hejiu's corrosive wind. The wave swept up all the limp vines and sent them bowling back towards Li Luo. He desperately scrambled backwards, caught off-guard by Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan's well-coordinated resonance art combination. It had completely broken his offense. As expected of elite Astral Sage College students. After a period of adjustment, they were starting to develop combined powers. It quickly wore away the advantage of Li Luo's combined powers. Eyeing up the expanding sonic wave with trepidation, Li Luo faltered. "Xin Fu," he called softly, "can you block this one?" A shadow shimmered into view beside him. "I can," Xin Fu said, even more impassive than usual. "But I can only block an attack of this degree once. And then I will be out of the fight." "Are you sure you can handle it alone after that?" Li Luo smiled. He could feel the two resonance seeds within him vibrating violently in his resonant palaces. He nodded. "Alright," Xin Fu said simply. Li Luo retreated. Dark shadows gathered before him, spreading like ink in water. Xin Fu put his palms together. "Sable Veil!" The dark shadows exploded into reality, creating a new world of darkness that cast the entire gorge into gloom. The wave of sound and poison was swallowed up inside Sable Veil. Boom! The energy tore and shredded away at the darkness. The violent struggle persisted for half a minute, then the black veil was ripped apart, shredded and riddled with holes. The devastating wave had sundered it. From within the darkness, Xin Fu's body flew out, smashing against a tree. He stirred weakly, wiping away the blood from his mouth. His entire body was covered in dark-green gashes. He shook his head. If the ranking battles were just a little later, he might have reached the Pattern Genesis tier, mitigating their advantage. He looked at Li Luo. "All yours, Leader," he mumbled. Chapter 179: Jiang Qinge and First Princess Li Luo's and Wang Hejiu's squads were locked in an exhilarating battle, and many of the mentors' attention was with them. Even further away, a sparse group of people were sitting on a high wall, watching. It was a good position that allowed them a limited view of all three battlefields. There were light screens that also showed footage from the various battlefields. Since the One, Two, and Three Star Hall students were fighting it out, the only ones free enough to sit back and watch were the Four Star Hall students. They were also the strongest and most experienced students in the Astral Sage College, holding themselves with a confidence befitting their training and elite status. Once they graduated, generous offers would be extended to them from the five Great Houses, the royal court, and other esteemed families. These Four Star Hall students were lounging around and offered their commentary to each other. Suddenly, a tall figure landed elegantly on the tall wall, and all eyes shifted over. They looked at the person with a mixture of surprise and passion. Gold eyes, a long ponytail, and beauty that was nothing short of divine. Who else but Jiang Qing'e? Even though she was only a Three Star Hall student, none of the Four Star Hall students present dared to take her lightly. After all, it was no secret that she planned to challenge the Seven Astral Pillars soon. She was just awesome! Even Gong Shenjun had only won the title as a Four Star Hall student. If Jiang Qing'e succeeded, she would set a new record. Jiang Qing'e ignored the looks that had turned her way, walking straight to the One Star Hall side and locking on to a screen. She heard light footsteps behind her and turned, sensing a shift in the crowd's mood. The First Princess. She was not in royal garb today, instead choosing a snug, off-white trouser and blouse combination that looked much more practical. Still, her busty curves strained from below the neckline, and so she had chosen a lavender covering as well, for modesty. The two women had very different charms. The First Princess had the cold, authoritative bearing of royalty, while Jiang Qing'e had a fresh, straightforward appeal. A stately elegance versus a sinuous one. The First Princess had a reputation and popularity that matched Jiang Qing'e's, especially among the Four Star Hall students, who respected the two equally. She was the whole package: beauty, brains, and station. "Junior Jiang, have you finished the ranking battles before the time limit? That's astounding," she said in a friendly manner. There was a hidden mechanic in the ranking battles. When a squad reached a certain number of points and secured first place, the battle would be declared over even if the deadline of sunset had not yet arrived. However, it was a mechanic that was rarely activated. After all, the number was not an easy one to reach, requiring an almost perfect clean sweep that included elite squads in the mix. Jiang Qing'e met her gaze. "We were lucky. Two of the strongest squads didn't cross paths with us, so we were able to end things." "Ah. I thought Junior Jiang might perhaps be anxious to see how the One Star Hall side was faring," the First Princess said with a half-knowing smile. Jiang Qing'e matched her half smile and nodded. "I am indeed interested in Li Luo's situation." The First Princess was a little surprised by the honest answer. "You care deeply for him." "Of course." The First Princess changed the subject. "I hear Junior Jiang is challenging the Seven Astral Pillars this year." Jiang Qing'e nodded. "This might be a sensational new record... But I hope you won't be challenging me," the First Princess said with quiet humor. Jiang Qing'e laughed. "One would pick at the softest persimmons. No matter how you look at it, Your Highness is not that. I'm not that irrational." "Well, I'm relieved," the First Princess said. Jiang Qing'e smiled along with her. She could sense that the First Princess had come over with good intentions. She did not mind, and sensed no ill will from her. A working relationship between the two was mutually beneficial. She sensed a new pair of eyes on her. She looked over, and he smiled back and nodded. Gong Shenjun. He was surrounded by many Four Star Hall students. They hooted as Gong Shenjun said hi to Jiang Qing'e. Gong Shenjun ignored them, turning away after greeting her. "My royal brother seems to have a special interest in you, Junior Jiang," the First Princess said lightly. Jiang Qing'e's golden eyes were like miniatures of the setting sun. "We can be friends. And nothing more," she said neutrally. The First Princess' eyes flickered, then she turned back to the screen. "How do you think Li Luo's fight will turn out? He's already down a teammate, it doesn't look too good." "Don't underestimate Li Luo, Your Highness. When hes involved, miracles can happen any time before the final outcome." The First Princess smiled as she heard a hint of pride in that remark. It was surprising because Jiang Qing'e had ended her own battle early without showing any pride at all in her staggering achievement. The First Princess leaned forward on the railing, her ample chest on full display forward, where there were no eyes. "Well then," her red, phoenix eyes turned to the silver-haired youth. "Let's see what miracle today brings..." Chapter 180: Dual Resonances The gorge was in a woeful state, as though every natural disaster in the book had just passed through. Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan walked out from the smog, smiling as they looked at Xin Fu's slumped form. "One down, Li Luo," Wang Hejiu said. Xin Fu might have stopped their attack, but he had paid a heavy price. He was out for the count for the rest of the battle. Without his interference, they could run more concerted attacks against Li Luo. A powerful advantage for them. "Anything else that can turn the tables?" Duze Beixuan sneered. Li Luo looked at them calmly. "You know what? Turning the tables is, like, the most classic of classic plots for the hero." Wang Hejiu snorted. "Still living in your sweet, summer dreams? Li Luo, every single student in the Astral Sage College fancies themselves a hero. They were all elevated above the rest around them, hailed as geniuses. "Only after arriving at the Astral Sage College do they realize that they're merely better than average. Here, they see greatness above them. "You... should realize that too." Li Luo shook his head. "I guess you still don't believe in me." He sighed. "I guess I'll have to show you another special quality a hero has... breakthrough in battle." He took a long, shuddering breath, and the flow of worldly natural energy warped around him. Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan jumped back, alarmed. Water resonance and wood resonance energy! The two aspects flowed deep into Li Luo's body, resonating deeply within him. His resonant power suddenly jumped to the Upper Flowering level. A sub-tier improvement. The two of them stared in disbelief at the newly improved Li Luo. "Believe me now?" Li Luo said with a smug grin. "You purposely withstood our attacks to stimulate the resonance seeds within your body," Wang Hejiu said clinically. "The great pressure of battle forced the resonance seeds within you to the point of breakthrough. "Li Luo, that was ballsy. If it hadn't gone well, your internal organs would be exploding right about now, and your resonance seeds would be shattered." Li Luo grinned. "Well, theyre looking very unshattered at the moment." "And don't get ahead of yourself. You're pressuring us well, I'll grant you that. But beat us? I think that's more than you can handle." Duze Beixuan was of the same mind. "One small step, from Lower to Upper Flowering. You think that changes anything? "We've dragged this out enough. Let's finish him," he said to Wang Hejiu. Wang Hejiu nodded. The two shot forth like identical cannon bursts. Toxins and the Kun's sonic attack came at Li Luo again, with a terrifying magnitude that declared the resolve of the two attackers. Li Luo faced the roiling mass of venom and vibrations, searing the picture into his mind. He closed his eyes and gripped his swords. Two different-colored resonant powers covered a blade each. He pressed the swords together, scraping blade against blade. Screech! The shrill grating sound echoed against the gorge walls. From the instant the blades touched, Li Luo's two resonant powers began to resonate with each other, creating a blinding light! A terrifying burst of resonant power. Weng! He sent out two crescent slashes of resonant power from his shortswords, far more powerful than anything his resonant powers could have individually produced. They cut through the destructive wave easily, both poison and sonic attacks vaporizing upon contact. A rare moment of silence gripped the gorge as rocks quietly fell apart, cleanly sliced in two. Duze Beixuan and Wang Hejiu stared in shock. Their combined resonance arts, defeated by one slash from Li Luo? "That power..." Wang Hejiu's face was twitching. "It's beyond a First Pattern," he whispered hoarsely. "Dual resonances." Duze Beixuan spat these words like a curse. "But his control is probably unstable. He might not be able to use it a second time..." Before he finished speaking, Li Luo sent his blades slashing down again, and two more identical slashes of energy fanned out. Weng! They were headed straight for the pair. Their fear showed, and they answered with their best resonance arts. Daaaang! A hollow, metallic ringing, then their resonant powers were brushed aside. Wang Hejiu's folding fan and Duze Beixuan's spear shuddered from the impact, and both were forced a dozen steps backwards. Desperation and anger. This was the power of dual resonances? Li Luo had only just reached the Upper Flowering Tier, and yet he was stronger than two First Pattern cultivators combined? "Dual resonances are finicky in control. He must be faking it somehow. Surely not a third..." "Quiet." Wang Hejiu interrupted Duze Beixuan. "Li Luo must be in the zone, a temporary high after getting his dual resonances for the first time. It will definitely end. Don't force the issue now. We retreat, play for time, and wait for him to lose focus. He'll be weak then." Duze Beixuan was prickly at being overruled, but he swallowed it. Defeating Li Luo was the priority here. "Let's back off." The two began to move away as quickly as they could. A black curtain fell upon them, and they lost their sense of direction for the moment. Xin Fu's hood fell off his face, exposing his gaunt face, which was even paler than usual. "Leader," he groaned. "There's really not a drop of power left in me..." "Damn, it's Xin Fu!" Duze Beixuan snarled. Hadn't they wiped him out already? Wang Hejiu was frustrated too. The black veil was harmless enough, but it confused their orientation. They might well be walking straight into Li Luo. As they stumbled around in panic, a familiar rumbling came from the ground, and they felt something grab their ankles. "Don't panic, it's Qi Luozi!" Wang Hejiu hurriedly stopped Duze Beixuan from snapping them in two. Shoosh! The vines swept them off their feet, dragging them out of the black veil. They landed heavily beside Qi Luozi. "Retreat!" Wang Hejiu shouted. The three turned around, but instead of the singular passage of the gorge, there were now dozens of paths before them. "An illusion." Bai Mengmeng's doing. It was just about useful enough in slowing them down. Li Luo closed his eyes and crossed his swords, this time digging deep into the shining points of light within him and channeling his twin powers down into the ground. The ground split open, and a jade tree began to grow at super speed, sprouting leaves as it grew. After a few moments, it was already a tree of resonant power about two meters tall. Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan stared at it warily. "Tiger-general resonance art, Warrior Cultivar?" "How did it grow so fast? What's he up to now?" Chapter 181: Emerald Arrow of Wood The tree of resonant power grew on, urged by Li Luo's power. It sprouted jade-green leaves that sparkled with a mystical light. Water resonant power trickled down the length of its trunk, absorbed into the tree. Wood resonance and water resonance came together, xylem and bark. The tree of resonant power's leaves wilted as quickly as they had grown. Soon, only the heart of the tree was left, sparkling with crystal sap within. Within was a tremendous, condensed power. Dual resonances! One that was even more stable than the dual resonance slashes that Li Luo had just used. Li Luo finally opened his eyes slowly, and he gave Wang Hejiu's squad a slow grin. He stretched out his hand, and the core of the tree flew up obediently. Wood shavings peeled away like magic, until a thick, jade-green arrow of wood was left in his hand. His shortswords bit against each other, forming the silver-blue bow. Notching the wooden arrow, Li Luo could feel his bow tremble, barely able to harness the power of its load. "Seems like I need to upgrade the bow too..."?Li Luo thought to himself. Regardless, he sighted down on the three stooges, who were looking at him with trepidation. The winning hand. "I can't believe we've been pushed this far..." Wang Hejiu said with a suffering expression. This battle had been many times harder than what he had expected. Li Luo should have crumbled before him and Duze Beixuan, but he had not. And now he had even brought out the dual resonances. He felt like his second place ranking was a little shaky. "Pull out the trump card. We're not too good at it yet, but we have no choice but to try. I know we were saving it for Qin Zhulu, but if we don't use it now, we might not even get out of this," Wang Hejiu said to his squad. Both nodded soberly, seeing the truth of his words. Qi Luozi started it, forest-green resonant power taking shape as vines that formed a stent-like tube with the diameter of a bowl. It looked like a cannon's bore. Wang Hejiu placed his hand on it, his poison resonant power flowing in. Duze Beixuan matched him, his own resonant power mixing within. The cannon glowed, and Qi Luozi strained to contain the power within. "No... more..." she said through gritted teeth. "Can't... hold... on!" Wang Hejiu looked faint himself, swaying on the spot. He nodded vaguely to Duze Beixuan, and both slammed their hands onto the cannon. "Venomous Kun Cannon!" BOOM! The cannon roared, spitting green sparks and a giant beam of resonant power. A sickly-green Kun appeared, its skin dripping with acid. This was a masterpiece of a resonance art combination, its power an awe to behold. "That's quite something..." Li Luo watched with some apprehension. Finally, he managed to stabilize his bow, and he let fly with his rough wooden arrow. Weng! A shrill twang reported off his bowstring as an emerald streak shot out. The wooden arrow did not fly with any remarkable speed, soaring out at roughly the same speed as the other light arrows he had fired before. Yet behind its ordinary appearance was an overwhelming reservoir of power. Li Luo's dual resonances! Shoosh! It looked like a stone from David's sling, soaring out towards the skull of Goliaththe Venomous Kun Cannon. There was no colossal or epic reaction. The arrow silently whistled through the Kun, and its toxins dissipated along with the power. Some light scarring could be seen on the arrow. Shoosh! The arrow punched through the Venomous Kun, emerging on the other end with a shaft looking much the worse for wear. The dismay on the trio's faces was stark. Had their trump card failed to fully block Li Luo's arrow? Just how perverse was this dual resonance crap? The arrow could not hold its shape any longer, exploding in a colossal blast of resonant power a few feet away from the three. They were caught up in the blast and were sent flying into the gorge walls. They all coughed up fresh blood, heavily wounded. Li Luo shook his head weakly and sank down on a stone himself. He did not even have enough energy to lift a single finger. The arrow had taken every last bit of energy out of him. Wang Hejiu, Duze Beixuan, and Qiu Luo staggered to their feet with great difficulty, squinting at the unmoving Li Luo, equally spent. "Let's go... while he's spent. Go!" Wang Hejiu said with great difficulty. The three of them were in poor condition, not much better off than Li Luo. All thoughts of taking Li Luo's team were put away. Their goal now was just to protect their own points. Surely Li Luo had no more strength to chase them, right? Just protect their points. Call this a draw and save some face. The three helped each other up and turned to leave. Li Luo tried to laugh, but he only managed a weak splutter, his lips too weak to open properly. He and Xin Fu were out of commission, but surely their group could count to three? Bai Mengmeng stood in the way of Wang Hejiu's squad, bright, liquid eyes staring at them and dainty rapier in hand. Wang Hejiu stared at her, a lump in his throat rising until it felt like his Adam's apple was twice its size. How could he have forgotten? The final member. Ordinarily, she was not even worthy of their attention, but now the three were barely on their feet. She was invincible before them. She bit her lip. "Well... hand over your badges, please. My hand normally trembles when I hit people, and I don't really want to risk hitting you in a critical spot." Their faces soured. Finally, Wang Hejiu took out their badges, tossing them down before Bai Mengmeng. A third of their points were now forfeit. Bai Mengmeng put her hands together. "Thanks, thanks," she said fervently. Her courtesies did nothing to improve their moods. They knew that a storm awaited them on the horizonthe dark wrath of their mentor, Shen Jinxiao. The days ahead were going to be bleak. Chapter 182: First Princess Invitation Many were watching the conclusion of the Li Luo-Wang Hejiu battle. Even among the Four Star Hall students there was surprise and respect. Li Luo's dual resonances were insanely powerful. This was the power of a Duke? Li Luo had barely scratched the surface of it, and the power was already incredible. How far would he go when he managed to master it? Perhaps he would even be equal to a ninth-grade. Jiang Qing'e watched with a faint smile. As much as she believed in Li Luo, it was always nice to have the result in stone. She looked back at the First Princess, her red phoenix eyes wide in surprise. She had gone along with Jiang Qing'e's words, but deep down, she had not truly believed Li Luo could be equal to both Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan. Dual resonances was a power that even she aspired to obtain. "Junior Jiang, this is truly a miracle. It's my first time seeing dual resonances used before the Duke Stage." "Li Luo is of the line of those two House lords. How could the apple fall too far from the tree?" Jiang Qing'e replied. "Dukes Xuan and Lan were the youngest Dukes in the Xia Kingdom. Indeed, they were extraordinary." The First Princess agreed. Even Jiang Qing'e had to acknowledge the emotional tact that the First Princess had. No wonder the Four Star Hall students were in love with her. "I see that Li Luo has both a water resonance and a wood resonance. Is that correct?" Jiang Qing'e nodded. "Junior Jiang surely knows, but His Majesty has natural frailties that require long-term medication. For many years, the royal court has sought out powerful healers, but to no avail. Someone said that the weakness can only be treated by powerful water, light, or wood resonances..." "Li Luo might only be a Resonant Master cultivator, but I wonder, could he try treating His Majesty?" The First Princess bit her lip slightly when she finished. Jiang Qing'e's eyebrows shot up. "Li Luo? Treat His Majesty?" "I know it sounds crazy," the First Princess quickly replied. "But I don't want to rule out any possibility. Surely it is worth a try." Jiang Qing'e hesitated. The First Princess reached out a hand to clasp hers, her red phoenix eyes beseeching. "Don't worry. Even if it doesn't work out, the royal court will hold no grudge. "Please. Take it as a desperate sister trying to save her younger brother." Jiang Qing'e was a little moved, but she had the awareness to know that the First Princess was no innocent little girl either. She ruled the city and the kingdom with clear strategy, and her request for Li Luo to treat the king was definitely no spur-of-the-moment request. The chances of success seemed slim. It seemed doubtful that Li Luo could pull off anything Duke experts could not. But there was another layer to this request. A deeper meaning... If Li Luo made the attempt, then House Luolan would be connected to the First Princess, regardless of the outcome. She would be drawn closer in connection. Sometimes, a small trigger like this was enough to further a relationship. Which meant that the First Princess was courting her favor. Jiang Qing'e thought it over. She was not intending to refuse a friendly hand from the First Princess. After all, they were the most powerful faction in the Xia Kingdom besides the Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank. Strengthening ties with them was good news for House Luolan. Jiang Qing'e nodded. "Since Her Highness has asked personally, we will do our best to assist. But I beg you not to get your hopes up. Li Luo's resonances might be aligned, but he is still a mere Resonant Master cultivator." The First Princess smiled happily. "My thanks to Junior Jiang and Junior Li Luo." "Your Highness is too kind." At this time, Gong Shenjun walked over, with his usual entourage behind him. "Congratulations, Junior Jiang. Not only did your own ranking battle end early, but Li Luo has overcome a great opponent as well. I think the two of you will be twin champions," he said brightly. "Senior Gong praises us too highly. An ordinary ranking battle does not count for much." "Ah, your standards are too high. Maybe you've so many titles that your hands are full, but this is Li Luo's first win. A good start counts for much, you know." Jiang Qing'e knew his intentions, but there was nothing to fault in his words without seeming cold. "Then I accept your kind words." Gong Shenjun then turned to the First Princess. "Luanyu, you were smiling really happily a moment ago. Were you speaking to Junior Jiang about something?" "Oh, nothing much, but I plan to invite Li Luo to try treating His Majesty." Gong Shenjun's surprise showed. "Oh... that's worth a try." He was about to dismiss it, but he thought better of it with Jiang Qing'e still present. He changed the subject. "Junior Jiang, I hear Umbra Cave is opening this year. That's huge. If we get the chance, let's work well together." Jiang Qing'e nodded. Gong Shenjun turned and left. The First Princess watched him go. Gong Shenjun was well-versed in networking as well. His thoughts were often clear enough to those around him, but his conduct left no room for criticism. Perhaps he also understood that he was walking a tightrope towards his goal. His capacity for concealing things was reminiscent of his father. "Your Highness, I'll take my leave first. I'll let Li Luo know about His Majesty. If there's no problem, we'll arrange a time." The result of Li Luo's battle was out, and Jiang Qing'e had no interest in lingering here now. She bade the First Princess farewell, then she leaped off the high wall. The First Princess watched her go with a faint smile. Jiang Qing'e had immense potential. If Gong Shenjun managed to win her, it would spell trouble in the future. She didn't want that. She turned back to survey the screen, Li Luo's results still shining brightly on it.?Protect your fiance well, my boy Chapter 183: Sunset Li Luo's battle aside, other battles elsewhere were coming to a close as well. In the wake of a newly leveled forest stood Yi Lisha's squad and Qin Zhulu's squad. Hff. Frosty air blew out gently from the corner of Lu Qing'er's mouth. Her ice silk gloves were off, and the leaves nearby were all coated in a thin layer of ice. She was barely able to move, her entire body covered in thin chains that glittered with starlight. The chains were rapidly breaking down under her frigid defenses, growing thinner and thinner. Finally, they fell off. Lu Qing'er stood up. Si Qiuying was on the ground before her, icicles pressed up against her vital points. If she made the slightest move, they would take her life. "My win this time, Qiuying. By a little," Lu Qing'er said weakly. Si Qiuying ground her teeth in frustration. "I would have had you if it were night!" Her star resonance waxed with power in the night, when the stars were out. This was not a favorable time for her. Lu Qing'er did not reply to the meaningless excuse. Yes, and her powers would be much stronger in an arctic environment as well. She lifted her eyes to the forest ahead. Where Qin Zhulu had been fighting. "Violet Vibrance squads are all something else,"?Lu Qing'er thought to herself. Completely unintimidated by Qin Zhulu's reputation, the One Autumn Leaf Squad had used Si Qiuying's starlight resonant power to obscure their light column and then circled them for an ambush. In one decisive move, they had immediately taken out Yin Yue. However, Qin Zhulus reputation was no sham. He still took them on, one against two, going up against Yi Lisha and Qian Ye. She was left to face Si Qiuying, and had secured a narrow victory. "I wonder how Qin Zhulu is doing..." Lu Qing'er fretted. Her battle with Si Qiuying had worn her out completely, and she was in no condition to lend Qin Zhulu any strength. "He's strong, but Yi Lisha and Qian Ye together might be able to take him!" Si Qiuying declared. She might have lost by a little here, but it did not change the overall pictureLu Qing'er was more or less out of commission. As long as Yi Lisha and Qian Ye could fight Qin Zhulu to a standstill, then there was nothing to lose from a draw. Both Lu Qing'er and Si Qiuying could only wait quietly. They did not have to wait long. Heavy footsteps soon came, and both girls looked up with eyes wide. The one that stomped out came with a fearsome aura that quietened the birds perched in the trees. Qin Zhulu. He was covered in bloody wounds, but his face was lit up with a rare grin of delight. "WHOOOO!" Qin Zhulu howled. He tossed a bag towards Lu Qing'er with a flourish. It clinked merrily with Yi Lisha's badges. Lu Qing'er caught the bag with relief. Si Qiuying paled. "IMPOSSIBLE!" she burst out. "How could Leader and Qian Ye together have lost?! What kind of monster is he?!" ... In another place, the battle was still raging on. Bai Doudou, Yu Lang, and Qiu Luo were zipping through the forest at full throttle. All three were looking rather worried because a full complement of more than 10 Gold Gleam squads were madly chasing after them. They were forced into running in haphazard zigzags to avoid the squads. It was like a pack of hounds chasing down a lone wolf. "Damn, these guys are too much. That's too many people, the cowards!" Yu Lang was pale with fright. He could distinctly hear the chants from behind. "Beat Yu Lang to death! Beat Yu Lang to death!" Come on, guys, I'm just a tool here. Don't direct your anger only at me! "Dead end ahead." Bai Doudou said tersely. Yu Lang and Qiu Luo looked ahead to see a cliff. The floating clouds indicated that it was not at all a shallow cliff. The Gold Gleam squads closed in from behind. Qiu Luo swallowed nervously. "How about we, er, hand him over?" Yu Lang stared at Qiu Luo, aghast.?Damn, are you even human? I've done so much for the team, and you're so eager to hand me over? "They can't kill you, they can only beat you up. At least we can keep our points," Qiu Luo argued. Yu Lang shook his head vehemently. "My pride can't take it. How could I ever face them again?" "Face? Pride? Since when did you care about those things?" Qiu Luo snorted. Bai Doudou silenced them. "Enough. We are not handing over our squad mate. Full speed ahead and break through!" She brandished her spear with a gleam of focused excitement. The other two resignedly took up their positions, with no choice but to follow suit. Their wind resonant power blooming forth, all three shot forth in a knights' charge. Ahead of them, the dozen Gold Gleam squads were yelling as they formed a defensive line to counter the charge. But right before they connected, the last sliver of sunlight dimmed on the horizon. The sun had fully set now. Dusk. All of the students suddenly relaxed. The first ranking battle was over. Yu Lang and Qiu Luo both sighed with great relief, although Bai Doudou looked a little wistful. Yu Lang coughed and swaggered right up to the Gold Gleam squads, walking among them without a care in the world. "Well, that was a good exchange, boys. Let's grab a drink together when we can. You guys are quite something, to make a Violet Vibrance squad flee like mad." Two of the leaders puffed their chests out proudly. "Violet Vibrance squads are weak against numbers... But that Yu Lang guy in your squad is too cheeky." "Oh, what's your name again?" Yu Lang blinked and smiled grandly. "Qiu Luo. My name is Qiu Luo." Chapter 184: The Most School Points Silence fell on the Violet Vibrance mentors' platform along with the sun. They had each witnessed the same thrilling battles all across the field. But their reactions were all very different. Shen Jinxiao looked like he had just been force fed poison. His squad had lost, and to Li Luo's squad no less... Chi Chan was not about to pass up the opportunity to rub salt in. She sipped from her cup, and the water tasted like sweet, sweet victory. "My thanks to Mentor Shen Jinxiao for your investment." Shen Jinxiao's own wine was tasteless in his mouth, but he downed it regardless. "It is no shame to lose to the power of dual resonances." He showed no outward anger. Duke experts all had experienced their fair share of wins and losses. Plus, its not like there was anything he could do now. Run in and clobber Li Luo over the head and take back the 12 Step Weave? He could, if he wanted to utterly destroy his own reputation. "Li Luo is a real gem. His dual resonances are not stable enough to beat Wang Hejiu's squad, but that Warrior Cultivar... truly inspired," Cao Sheng praised. Mi Er nodded in agreement. "Water along with wood resonant power, to encourage its growth. Warrior Cultivar is not the most offensive move in the book, but a stable one for sure. He combined his powers in the heart of the tree and stabilized his dual resonances... impressive." "But this technique requires someone with wood and water resonances. Without the nourishing flow of water resonant power, the wood would take too long to grow." "And then to shape the wood into an arrow and fire it out with resonant power... All of these steps combined were what allowed Li Luo to overcome Wang Hejiu's squad." "It was a close one, but to have come this far was no easy task at all." The other Violet Vibrance mentors were all in agreement. Li Luo's dual resonance attacks might be chicken feet to them, but he was a mere Resonant Master... "I think Li Luo might be in second place now when it comes to individual rankings. I wonder if he could take on Qin Zhulu? That boy took on Yi Lisha and Qian Ye at once. He's a freaking tiger in battle," Chu Zi said. "Li Luo's wooden arrow might be powerful, but it might not be deadly enough against Qin Zhulu. If that arrow were stopped, Li Luo would have nothing left in the bag. His arsenal is still quite limited," Chi Chan said. These were no humble words, but mere facts. Li Luo's arrow was perfectly suited to the attack against Wang Hejiu's squad. But against Qin Zhulu, he might well tank the attack once, and then Li Luo would be left defenseless. After all, Qin Zhulu's Second Pattern strength and upper eighth-grade resonance made for a strong combination. While the mentors were speaking, the exit to the arena had opened, and the students were filtering out. Some teams were all smiles, others looking regretful or bitter. On the whole, the mood was still good. This had been the first experience of squad battles for many, and the novelty of it was exciting. Several minutes later, basically all the squads were out. They now looked at the high platform, where the final results and rankings would be announced. Mentor Chi Chan stood up, her black veil landing an extra air of mystery. "The newcomers' first ranking battles are officially over." She raised a hand, and a light screen appeared accordingly. The hundreds of teams were all displayed. A loud muttering broke out as everyone searched for their squad names. Li Luo, Bai Mengmeng, and Xin Fu stood together, looking. They realized that the rankings started from sixth place, with the top five still hidden. Not a single Violet Vibrance squad was on the list, which meant that they had swept the top five slots. "Its amazing that Wang Hejiu's squad still stayed in the top five. They must be really good..." Li Luo remarked. Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng stared at him. No shit... "You think we can get first place?" Li Luo asked them. They might have beaten Wang Hejiu's squad, but he had heard that Qin Zhulu had beaten Yi Lisha's squad as well. They might well be their greatest competition. In truth, Li Luo was already satisfied with the points they had. He wasn't that interested in first place... Although the additional reward of the 12 Step Weave would be pretty sweet! It would be important for his subsequent cultivation. After all, the weight of his five-year lifespan still hung heavily over his head. He had to carefully set out goals and make good use of the time he had. No boost could be overlooked. Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng looked at each other doubtfully. Every single person among the newcomers feared Qin Zhulu. Luckily, Li Luo had been on fire, and they had defeated Wang Hejiu's squad. Otherwise, Qin Zhulu would definitely be in first place. Chi Chan began to announce the top five. One Autumn Leaf Squad, 2,200 points, ranked fifth. Golden Gate Squad, 2,300 points, ranked fourth. Wind Rider Squad, 3,900 points, ranked third. The crowd chattered excitedly. It had been a close fight, although the One Autumn Leaf Squad and the Golden Gate Squad had clearly lost. Which meant that the Fairness & Justice Squad and the Clear Moon Squad had both beaten one Violet Vibrance squad each. No one was surprised by the Clear Moon Squad's result, thanks to Qin Zhulu's presence. But Li Luo's squad beating a Violet Vibrance squad was something fresh indeed. Ability-wise, Li Luo's squad appeared to be one of the weaker ones. If he hadn't beaten Duze Beixuan before, many would even consider them weaker than some Gold Gleam squads. They looked at Chi Chan with eyes filled with expectation for the most important results. A glimmer of a smile clearly showed under her veil. "Second place, Clear Moon Squad, 5,200 points." "First place, Fairness & Justice Squad, 5,300 points." Wow! The crowd let out a roar of excitement in response, and all heads turned towards Li Luo's direction. Fairness & Justice, eclipsing the Clear Moon... It was a mere 100 points that separated first from second place. Bai Mengmeng stood rooted in shock, and even Xin Fu smiled happily from under his hood. An unexpected result. Li Luo was stunned for a few moments, then he recovered. Well, it was close, but they had won... Qin Zhulu was staring at Li Luo too, his gaze fiery. "This Li Luo makes my mouth water." Lu Qing'er and Yin Yue's jaws hit the ground at almost the same time. Lu Qing'er stared at him with an unfriendly expression. "I meant that his dual resonances are very special. I want to fight him," Qin Zhulu hurriedly explained, seeing their looks. Lu Qing'er breathed a sigh of relief to herself, then she resumed ignoring him. I'm already tired from fighting the swan. Now you come out of left field? The huge swan might be too powerful to tackle head on, but clobbering a deer like you? There are too many ways! For example, I could just find pictures with hundreds of women and scatter them all around the Astral Sage College?[1] 1. TN: The "e" in Jiang Qing'e sounds like goose or swan, while the "lu" in Qin Zhulu is the character for deer. Chapter 185: Jinxiao Scheme Boom! As the rankings were announced, a bunch of fireworks exploded overhead, and four words appeared above the students. Fairness & Justice Squad. "Wow, it's beautiful! Yay leader, the whole school knows about Fairness & Justice squad now!" Bai Mengmeng clapped her hands happily, the pyrotechnics above mirrored in her lucid eyes wide with happiness. Li Luo stared glumly up at it. "That ain't much use." It was merely there to tickle the pride of the students. No real use. Zero stars! Xin Fu nodded approvingly. He didn't like ostentation, and was just about to voice his rare support for their leader. "The fireworks are too small. If they have one over the whole Xia City, that would be a lot more sincere." Li Luo said. Xin Fu swallowed his words back down and stared at Li Luo with a disgusted look of betrayal. I overestimated you, leader. You're shallow as ever. Boom! Another shower of fireworks, and another squad name was shown. Fire Fairy Squad. It came from where the Two Star Hall students were competing. Li Luo recalled Ye Qiuding, who he had met with Jiang Qing'e previously. He wondered if that guy was from Fire Fairy squad. He had also heard that the Three Star Hall battles had ended early, taken by a team called Black Swan squad. Of course it had to be Jiang Qing'e's team. As for the Four Star Hall students, they no longer participated in ranking battles. After all,those with decent talent were already at the Earth Fiend General stage, while the best among them were reaching the Heavenly Dipper stage. This was a standard not to be disrespected even throughout Xia Kingdom. Battles without the threat of real blood and fire had already lost its meaning for these students. While the new students were distracted by the fireworks, mentor Chi Chan walked up, a purple scroll in hand. Li Luo's heart leaped. Li Luo sensed that she was smiling behind the veil. "The first place squad wins an additional Duke-level energy cultivation art, the 12 Step Weave. It is worth 3000 school points." "However, there is only one energy cultivation art, so one of your squad must be chosen to receive it. The other two will win an additional 3000 school points." They were the center of envy. The 12 Step Weave was a rather special Duke level cultivation art that allowed those with a 6th-grade resonance to use it. That was very tempting for many 6th-grade resonance users, although of course the price of 3000 school points was just as much of a barrier. By the time they had accumulated that much, most would be Two Star Hall students already. Not every team was a Violet Vibrance squad like Li Luo's, bagging thousands of points each time. For the others without the 12 Step Weave, the additional 3000 points was an incredible bounty indeed. Leader Li Luo stepped fowards as representative. He took the 12 Step Weave solemnly from Chi Chan's hands, and then turned to the crowd. "It is a great honor to win this prize today," he said gravely. "The one I'd like to thank most is mentor..." He suddenly felt a curious pressure swamp him, and his breathing became labored. It continued for a few moments, until Chi Chan realized what was happening. She stepped forward to break the hold on Li Luo. "Mentor Shen Jinxiao," she said mildly. "I believe you don't have the right to stop students from making their prize speeches?" Shen Jinxiao answered with a sneer, and shot a warning look at Li Luo. Warning him to quit while he was ahead, and not push it. Li Luo naturally received the message. Loud and clear. He smiled back. Threatening him? A Duke expert who could only glare at him? Shen Jinxiao's hands were tied. The status of Violet Vibrance mentor created many excuses for Shen Jinxiao to target Li Luo. But at the same time, his position within Astral Sage College limited what he could do as well. His Duke powers were well able to squash Li Luo like a bug. Yet now he could only glare warnings. Sticks and stones, Shen... Li Luo coughed. "Well, actually it's nothing much." The Violet Vibrance mentors looked a little disappointed. They had been on the verge of pulling out the popcorn. Li Luo opened his mouth suddenly. "I firstly want to thank mentor Shen Jinxiao for the generous sponsorship for us new students. So I want to say something to mentor Shen Jinxiao..." "Keep it up! Don't stop!" The students cheered and clapped loudly. They took up the chant. "Don't stop! Don't stop!" None of them knew the hidden meaning in Li Luo's words, or the reason why Shen Jinxiao had offered the 12 Step Weave. All they knew was that this mentor had paid out of his own pocket for the welfare of the new students. Although they had not gotten any share of the reward this time, it gave them a good impression. Mentor Shen Jinxiao was a swell guy! Of course it was best if such welfare didn't stop! Eager glances were all turned Shen Jinxiao's way. Li Luo smiled warmly. "Mentor Shen Jinxiao is the soul of generosity. I represent all of us and make this plea: we hope that mentor Shen Jinxiao can continue the extra incentives. It's not about how much it is, but the gesture alone will touch us." "I've even thought of a great name for this. The Jinxiao Scheme!" Many students nodded approvingly, and the anticipation was stoked to a new high. "I wonder if mentor Shen Jinxiao will agree to this childish request of us students?" Li Luo said plaintively. Shen Jinxiao looked like he was having a stroke, facial spasms barely suppressed. Li Luo the bastard, he really could kill without knives. He? Support an additional prize for the ranking battles? Perhaps once or twice would be negligible, but over a year or two it was a gigantic sum. More importantly, the students might be oblivious to the meaning behind Jinxiao Scheme, but his colleagues would be sure to laugh their asses off. He looked over at Chi Chan, Cao Sheng, and the others, who had taken a sudden interest in observing the floor and the sky. They seemed to have not heard what Li Luo had just said, but he could sense the barely suppressed amusement leaking out of them. Shen Jinxiao had tried to trip Li Luo up, but now the tripwire seemed to be wound around his own neck. Shen Jinxiao spoke up with a neutral voice. "It's a good suggestion, but this is no small matter, if it is continued in the long term. It needs the vice principal's approval." "Let me speak to vice principal Su Xin and get back to you." He turned and stalked off. Li Luo grinned and waved him off. "Excellent. Capital. Safe journey, mentor Shen Jinxiao. I will ask you regularly about Jinxiao Scheme!" Shen Jinxiao had a dark aura that seemed to absorb the pale moonlight shining down on him. The other mentors were snickering quietly among themselves. They looked at Li Luo but said nothing, turning away. "Li Luo, you won first place, and today's the Ghost Festival. How about a celebration?" Lu Qing'er's sweet voice came from nearby. Her beautiful figure was even more breathtaking under the gentle moonlight, and her legs were getting even more attention than the lunar rock of the same pale color. She drew many stares as she passed. Li Luo looked up at the bright moon in the sky with some wistfulness. Another year, another Ghost Festival. It was a day for family, and he missed his parents. He wondered how they were doing on the Nobles' Battlefield... He swept the thoughts to the back of his mind. There was nothing that could be changed about that. The only thing he could do now was focus on getting stronger. Reach the Duke stage, and then he could go after them. He smiled back at Lu Qing'er. "Great windfall today. Call Yu Lang, Zhao Kuo, and the others... I'll treat them to a champion leader's dinner. Tell them not to miss it." Chapter 186: The Black-Robed Duke The bright moon hung high in the night sky like a jewel on blue velvet. Xia City basked in its silver glow, its own night lamps and houses casting an orange radiance in response. House Luolan's headquarters contributed to some of that radiance, its defenses tight as bodyguards patrolled the perimeter. Yet at present, a black shadow passed the defenses stealthily, entering the property. He was clothed in black from head to toe, a suspicious character by all accounts. Yet the guards of House Luolan moved past him without batting an eyelid, or even taking the slightest notice. They had not all gone blind. Rather, this enigmatic intruder possessed powerful arts to cloak his presence from all outsiders. It was a mark of his incredible skill. "Is House Luolan completely useless after losing Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan?" he mumbled to himself, shaking his head as he made his way deeper in. ... House Luolan headquarters, back kitchen. Having just finished preparations for dinner, Ox Biaobiao strolled out of the kitchen, his bald head gleaming with a miniature reflection of the moon. He looked up at the real deal and sighed. "Li Taixuan, Tan Tailan, you two bastards... Saddling me with the kids? What am I? Your nursemaid? "I was damned unlucky to meet you two." He rubbed his head ruefully and turned to regard House Luolan. "Watch the kids, watch the house... I'm not a watchdog, damn it." Ox Biaobiao's hands slid down to the shining cleavers at his sides, walking out past the kitchen and into the shadows. A corridor in House Luolan. The enigmatic black shadow walked on without a care in the world. Abruptly, he stopped, staring intently into the darkness ahead. "So there is one hidden in House Luolan..." "I say, little tramp, I see your ilk skulking around year after year on the night of the Ghost Festival. Finally felt bold enough to come in, eh?" Ox Biaobiao emerged from the gloom with a grim smile. "A powerful Duke expert, whiling away years as a chef at House Luolan. Should I praise Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan for their persuasion, or decry your willingness to slave?" The shadowy figure spoke with measured pace, his voice coming from all directions. "Little tramp, all you do is skulk around, too afraid to show yourself. You remind me of the rats feeding off swill in the kitchen," Ox Biaobiao said. "All these years spent languishing at House Luolan's headquarters, not setting foot outside even once. House Luolan is in shambles, and yet you have not lifted a finger. I am curious. Why?" Ox Biaobiao laughed. "House Luolan was always for the two kids to try their hand out. Who cares if it succeeds or fails?" "I'm curious too. You and the others who have been watching House Luolan. Why? Who are the powers behind you? You've been watching House Luolan for a long time now," Ox Biaobiao said, his eyes turning cold as well. The black-robed intruder smiled thinly. "Why bluff? Of course everyone wishes to know the secrets that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan left behind. I appeal to you: leave behind the ruined House Luolan and your guard. Whatever promise you have to Li Taixuan and the others, your years of service must have repaid them all. If you join us, your future will be brighter than it is here." "Join you?" Ox Biaobiao echoed. "Sure. And do tell, what is your factions position in the Xia Kingdom?" The intruder shook his head with a wry smile. "Tell me the secret that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan left behind, then I will initiate you." Ox Biaobiao sighed. "Well then... up yours, and your mother." The intruder said no more, wordlessly gathering energy. With a sudden wrench, he bent the energy to his will, summoning a carpet of black fire that covered the sky. One palm stretching out of a black sleeve, he flicked a finger upwards, and the black flames obediently moved to the tip. This was just a small flame, but no one would doubt its deadliness. "Let me see just how strong the watchdog Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan left behind is," he said with a cold smile, flicking the black flame out at Ox Biaobiao. Ox Biaobiao watched the flame fly forward at a controlled pace. It seemed impossible to avoid, but he did not look worried at all. He rubbed his bald head with some consternation. "Since when... "...did a fourth-rate Duke get to look down on me?" Clang! A cold flash of light, and a clear, metallic timbre rang out. It seemed like a demigod had climbed out of hell itself, such was the savagery of the move. Ox Biaobiao appeared behind the black-robed intruder. He did not seem to have moved an inch; even his cleavers were still resting on his belt. An after-image of Ox Biaobiao remained at his original position for a moment longer before it faded with the night wind. The black flame had frozen in mid-air, then it fell apart, sliced cleanly into two. It then dissipated. A thin line of light was visible in the middle of the black-robed figure. He had also been split clean in two. "What fierce knife skills..." The black-robed man said, now much more serious than before. "Fascinating. A chef who never sees blood, and yet is able to cultivate knife skills not seen in the Xia Kingdom in centuries... Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan are really something else, to get someone like you on their side. "But it only makes us even more curious about their secret. Ox Biaobiao, you will not be able to hold on to it. "I can feel that the wards they left are fading with the years. And as for you, perhaps it is not that you will not leave House Luolan's headquarters, but that you cannot... "You're just a dog, chained here by them." His body caught fire and burned away into nothingness. The worldly natural energies returned to their normal equilibrium, and the sounds of the night returned. Ox Biaobiao looked morosely at the spot where the intruder had been standing. He had made a run for it. Moreover, he had not sent his real body, only an energy clone. Still, only a Duke should have been strong enough to penetrate the wards that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had set around House Luolan. The fact that the black-robed Duke could send an energy clone inside was a clear indication that the wards were indeed waning. "What a pickle..." Ox Biaobiao shook his head and looked up at the moon again. "Looks like I'll have to talk to the kids." [1] 1. TN: The author uploaded a picture of Bai Mengmeng, which I've reuploaded to https://imgur.com/a/3Od1fNO Chapter 187: Redeeming Royal Sap The next day, Li Luo was whistling happily as he skipped down the stairs. When he reached the first floor, he was surprised to see many familiar faces gathered. On the left, Jiang Qing'e, hair elegantly tied up. She was glowing like a jewel in the morning sun, a living, breathing fantasy. Beside her, Yan Lingqing, elbows against the table and hands propping up her face, on which there was a look of mischief. Jiang Qing'e and Yan Lingqing were sitting opposite Lu Qing'er, who was graceful as a willow leaf, skin as fair and lustrous as the morning dew on it. Yan Lingqing's amusement was clearly directed at Lu Qing'er. They had met along the way, and Lu Qing'er had boldly greeted them again instead of running away after her last defeat. Jiang Qing'e showed no signs of attacking this time, instead speaking calmly as though nothing had happened before. Eventually, they arrived at Li Luo's place together. Both girls looked rather calm, although there was an intangible tension flowing. ...Interesting. In the middle of the three girls, Bai Mengmeng stood innocently, a fresh, white lotus flower blooming by herself. As the host, she was dutifully pouring tea for the three girls. Jiang Qing'e, Yan Lingqing, and Lu Qing'er spoke occasionally, although even Bai Mengmeng could tell that there was an air of coolness. The descended Li Luo was immediately the focus of attention. "Er, why are you all gathered?" Li Luo asked with uncertainty. He also spotted Xin Fu at the foot of the stairs, who was concentrating hard on his easel, as though trying to capture this scene. "Leader," he said hurriedly upon seeing Li Luo, "would you like to appreciate my latest masterpiece?" Li Luo laughed carelessly. "No need, I already deeply understand your artistic ability." Xin Fu glared at him with growing resentment. Li Luo ignored him, walking over to the table. "Well, my three lovely, radiant suns, you set our humble abode alight." Jiang Qing'e gave him a small smile. "Congratulations, first place." "It wasnt all me, Mengmeng did a lot as well," Li Luo said modestly. Behind him, Xin Fu looked up.?What the hell?! "Keep it up. When you defeat Qin Zhulu, you'll be first among the new students," Jiang Qing'e said. Li Luo shrank a little inside. It had taken everything he had to beat Wang Hejiu's squad, even pulling out a clutch dual resonance attack just to secure his Pyrrhic victory. Against Qin Zhulu? The odds were maybe 30-70. Him 30, Qin Zhulu 70. After all, while his dual resonances might be roughly equal to an upper eighth-grade resonance, Qin Zhulu had a Second Pattern on top of that... Plus, Qin Zhulu was an absolute monster in battle. Li Luo highly doubted he would be able to stop his attacks. "Go for it, Li Luo," Yan Lingqing sang playfully, looking over at Lu Qing'er. "Remember, Qing'e said she would reward you if you were first." A slight disturbance crept up on Lu Qing'er's face, like the first crack of ice over a frozen lake. Jiang Qing'e carelessly swept up a banana on the table and stuffed it in Yan Lingqing's pouty mouth. "Eat your bananas." Yan Lingqing protested furiously by taking a savage bite out of it. "I, ah, I'll do my best." Lu Qing'er joined the conversation now. "Since we get some time off after the ranking battles, I came to find you so we can go back to Xia City together." Li Luo nodded and smiled. "Great. But before that, there's something I have to do. Wait for me, Qing'er." "What is it?" Li Luo grinned. "I just earned myself a hard-won 5,000 points, didn't I? Time to go get what I need the most." ... Bank of Points. Li Luo, Jiang Qing'e, and Yan Lingqing. "Wonderful morning! One serving of Royal Sap, please!" Li Luo said breezily, handing over his badges to the mentor with a grand flourish. Many students were looking over curiously. Royal Sap was one of the most prized resources, and not many students could redeem it. Especially One Star Hall students. "Thats the guy that got first place in the ranking battles, Li Luo. No wonder he has so many points," they whispered. "Wow, just a month into school, and already 5,000 points..." Another sighed. "Is that Jiang Qing'e with him? I heard they're engaged. That's one lucky dog." The general sentiment was that ten Li Luos were still not equal to one Jiang Qing'e, his win notwithstanding. After all, she had so many wins, she had to be tired of them by now. Li Luo ignored the comments he had heard too many times before. He was fully focused on the mentor before him. After ascertaining the amount, he took out a dark-green box. The life force inside it was tremendous. He opened the box and carefully retrieved a bamboo container roughly the size of a palm. It was thin enough that a viscous liquid could be seen sloshing within. The paste-like substance seemed to be the embodiment of life itself. It morphed and shifted between light and liquid with a life of its own. Runic patterns were carved all over the bamboo container, containing the energy within. It was impressive. Very impressive. "That's Royal Sap?" Li Luo marveled, his anticipation building. The mentor placed the green box in front of Li Luo. "That's a lot... seems plenty for my use?" Li Luo stretched out a hand. The mentor blocked his hand. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded. "Isn't it mine?" Li Luo asked, perplexed. "All yours?!" the mentor almost screamed. "You couldn't afford this box of Royal Sap even if you sold off the entirety of House Luolan!" Li Luo stared at him. The mentor was not jesting. He took out a specialized syringe made of bark and extracted one drop, which he transferred to a green vial the size of a thumbnail. "There you go." He placed it in front of Li Luo. Li Luo stared at the mini green bottle with immense disappointment. He had no idea how much Royal Sap Ox Biaobiao would need to make him the miracle paste, but there was no chance this measly drop was going to cut it! I saved up 5,000 points for this?! You're ripping me off!! He stared angrily at the box of Royal Sap. The mentor noticed. "Student Li Luo," he warned him with a drawl. "Control yourself. Since the day the Astral Sage College was built, not a single person has successfully stolen anything from this place." Chapter 188: Birthday Li Luo managed to control himself. After unceremoniously stuffing the little bottle into his pocket, he heard Jiang Qing'e pulling out her own badges. "I'll have one too," she said. The mentor repeated the extraction process, handing her another drop of Royal Sap. Jiang Qing'e took it and casually passed it to Li Luo. "That's all I can get with the points I just earned. Don't worry, we'll get more eventually. You still have time," she said. Li Luo stared at it and shook his head quickly. "I can't. It must be very useful to you too." Royal Sap couldn't even be bought outside, even if one had the cash to splurge. Since Jiang Qing'e was on the verge of reaching the Heavenly Dipper General Stage, she definitely needed Royal Sap desperately. "I can earn points much faster. Besides, I hear the Umbra Cave is opening this year. That's the real source of points. Don't worry about me." She dismissed it. "Alright, enough nattering, let's go." She shooed them away. Yan Lingqing gave him a sickly sweet smile. "Are you overcome with gratitude?" Li Luo sighed. "I would dedicate my body to her if only I were given a chance." Yan Lingqing rolled her eyes. "In your dreams." "Now let's go. The others look ready to swallow you whole, Royal Sap included," she pointed out. Li Luo noticed that many students were cracking their knuckles ominously in his direction and eyeing his Royal Sap. They had never imagined that something so precious could just be given as a gift. Li Luo's life was surely too sweet. And it was a gift from Jiang Qing'e, no less! The engagement was enough to stoke their jealousy to the maximum, but after witnessing her hand him the Royal Sap that had been bought with her hard-earned points... They were surely going to go crazy. Not just the students, but the mentor as well. He was a man too, and he was once an Astral Sage College student as well, so he understood what incredible fortune it was to have the favor of such a girl. This Li Luo... had he saved the world or something in his past life? Feeling the heated glares, Li Luo decided to bail with Yan Lingqing before their emotions got the better of them. Out of the Bank of Points, Li Luo, Jiang Qing'e, and Yan Lingqing left the Astral Sage College, moving towards the vehicle prepared by House Luolan. House Luolan's finest bodyguards flanked it. Once out of the Astral Sage College, all safety measures were up to the individual. And it was always better to err on the side of caution. In front of the House Luolan carriage was a busty figure in a skin-tight qipao. She was looking sexy enough to warrant the security detail even without Li Luo around. Who else was it but Cai Wei? She smiled when she saw the three, waving her fan at them. They waved back. Cai Wei first greeted Jiang Qing'e and Yan Lingqing, then turned to Li Luo with an impish smile. "Well, young lord, how is school treating you?" "I just wanted to cultivate in peace," Li Luo said blandly. "But things happened and I ended up first place in the monthly battles." "Wow! Congratulations." "But also, can you also settle up the shortage of secret watersource? Suncreek Villa, both Tianshu and headquarters, have been chasing me daily." She said sweetly but firmly. Li Luo shuddered. Damn, holidays had just started, and already she was planning to squeeze him dry? "Sister Cai Wei, do not worry. I'll get it done." He replied. "Young lord," she said coyly from behind her fan. "A young man like yourself should be firm and vigorous. You wouldn't be going limp on me, would you?" "I'm not limp at all!" Li Luo said outraged. Jiang Qing'e felt the conversation was derailing quickly, and intervened. "Enough teasing, Cai Wei." "Aww, Qing'e's so caring." Cai Wei tittered. Li Luo rolled his eyes. He looked around but Lu Qing'er was nowhere to be seen. Strange... didn't they agree to head off together? "Looking for Lu Qing'er? She was waiting here for you, but the Golden Dragon Bank people came, and she had to leave first." Cai Wei said. Li Luo nodded. "Well, let's be off too then." They departed. Far behind, there was a luxurious carriage with golden dragons painted on it. A beautiful matron in red was eyeing the young girl by her side. "Qing'er, you wouldn't have fallen for that Li Luo, would you?" She asked. Lu Qing'er carefully masked the jolt in her heart. "Mother, what are you on about? Li Luo and I are just friends. He helped me a lot back in Southwind Academy." Yu Hongxi narrowed her eyes. "That kid attracts beauties like a harem. He's definitely a playboy. Stay away from him." Lu Qing'er wasn't too happy about that. Wasn't she one of the girls around Li Luo as well? "That's nothing to do with Li Luo. Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing are both Jiang Qing'e's friends, and they also work at House Luolan. It's normal, isn't it." She replied. "Well, who knows." "Li Taixuan was no good, and his son's definitely no good as well." Yu Hongxi said primly. Lu Qing'er looked at her, astonished. "Mother... you liked Li Taixuan?" "And so what? Li Taixuan might be a rotten character, but he's very skilled. Back then there were many high-born girls chasing him." Lu Qing'er pondered this. "And they all lost to Tan Tailan? Even a great beauty like you?" Yu Hongxi reached out an ungracious hand to pinch Lu Qing'er's cheek. "Making fun of your mother?" Lu Qing'er laughed and hugged her. "I just find it unbelievable. You're beautiful and extremely capable. Xia Kingdom's Golden Dragon Bank is run so properly. The accounts are flawless." Yu Hongxi was mollified. "Well, I just had a soft spot for Li Taixuan back in the day, that is all. There's nothing much to regret there. Besides, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan came to Xia Kingdom together. If I had gotten to Li Taixuan earlier, she wouldn't have stood a chance." "And what about mentor Cao Sheng from Astral Sage College?" Lu Qing'er suddenly asked. "Mother, you know that he took me as his student right?" "An admirer who failed to woo me. He only reached a Duke because of my help as well. He tried to court me after that, but I rejected him. He was heartbroken and went to Astral Sage College to be a mentor. I've not met him for many years." "He looks like a slovenly and coarse character, but is sensitive to even the slightest setback. Like a child." Suddenly her mentor's reputation seemed to darken a little. "But he's not a bad person, and I guess he has a good eye, since he took you in as a student. Otherwise I wouldn't even bother with him again." Yu Hongxi continued. "If not for mentor Cao Sheng, a 7th-grade like me probably wouldn't have a Violet Vibrance mentor." Lu Qing'er said dully. Yu Hongxi patted her head. "7th-grade? Your birthday's in a few days time. Mother here hasn't been stinting on the spirit liquids and purifying lights. By my calculations, your ice resonance should be close to the 8th-grade now." Lu Qing'er perked up, pleased. "Really??" Back in Tianshu, her 7th-grade resonance had been exceptional, but now at Astral Sage College, she was again a small fish in a big pond. It was hard to do anything amazing with it. Lu Qing'er didn't mind too much, except that Li Luo was shooting far ahead now, and she didn't want to fall too far behind. Besides, Jiang Qing'e was a 9th-grade! "I've been giving you plenty of quality spirit liquids and purifying lights ever since your resonant palace was opened. It's no surprise that you're reaching the 8th-grade," Yu Hongxi said with a satisfied tone. "Also, it will be your birthday present." Yu Hongxi was the anchor of Xia Kingdom's Golden Dragon Bank. The resources at her disposal eclipsed House Luolan's by far. And for her precious daughter, there was no expense too great. "Thanks, mum!" Lu Qing'er hugged her fiercely. Still, there was one last shred of hollowness in her eyes. What she really wanted to talk to her mother about was her father. She only had vague impressions of him from when she was a child. Her father had left, and then there had been no more news. However, the proud Yu Hongxi had treated him as dead, and ignored him thereafter. All these years, Lu Qing'er had never dared to press the issue. When she did, her mother would fly into a temper, and so finally she had buried the issue deep within her heart. "Mother, can I invite friends for my birthday?" Lu Qing'er whispered into her ear. "I bet it's Li Luo." "He helped me a lot before! You can't be biased against him just because of what happened in your generation." Yu Hongxi shook her head, bothered. She was tempted to refuse, but it was Lu Qing'er's birthday. "As you wish." She saw Lu Qing'er's face brighten, and her own mood darkened in response. This was an ill wind that could not be encouraged. Li Taixuan had broken her heart, and so be it. Was her daughter to suffer the same fate at his son's hands? Chapter 189: Unrelaxing Holiday Li Luo's carriage trundled peacefully down the long, dusty road back to Xia City. Inside the carriage, spring reigned in the form of feminine voices twittering and three fresh, flowery beauties. Among the girls, it was Cai Wei who did most of the talking, reporting on the happenings of House Luolan in the last month. Most of the houses matters had fallen on her shoulders, with Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo both at school. Li Luo knew that without her, Jiang Qing'e would be even more heavily burdened. Cai Wei's management skills were peerless, and the tangled mess of everyday affairs at House Luolan had been sifted through her orderly hand. "There have been no major changes with House Luolan's enterprises, except for the Suncreek Villa. Thanks to the Young Lord's secret watersource, this month's revenue reached 300,000 skygold." Jiang Qing'e stared at Li Luo, golden eyes bulging. The Suncreek Villa's headquarters had only managed to pull in about a million skygold a year previously, averaging about 100,000 a month. Li Luo's secret watersource had tripled it? In a year, the Suncreek Villa would earn three million? That was half of House Luolans total revenue the previous year! Li Luo felt a little tingle of happiness. The big swan had always been too excellent, and nothing that Li Luo did could surprise her, until now. He carefully masked his smugness, smiling modestly. "Well, it's all as planned," he said casually, examining his fingernails. "The Tianshu's Suncreek Villa enjoyed the same bounty." "But this month alone, we have bought seven sixth-grade and over twenty fifth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights because of the Young Lord's wanton overconsumption," Cai Wei continued with impeccably heartless timing. "Which puts our expenses at 320,000 skygold, so we're 20,000 skygold in the red." Li Luo's fingers curled fearfully into his palm. Sister Cai Wei! Why the backstab?! "Well, well, Young Lord. Looks like you've dug a deep ditch for yourself," Yan Lingqing said, enjoying his dismay. "Money is meant to be spent," Jiang Qing'e said kindly. "And it's not gone to waste. The spirit liquids and purifying lights are invested in Li Luo. Once he masters his dual resonances, House Luolan will have a new Duke, and all of it will pay off." Li Luo was moved. Big swan, you're the best. But still, he felt like he had to make amends for the loss. "Cai Wei, is there still room for improvement in the headquarters' revenue?" If he could raise Tianshu's revenue that much, then headquarters should be able to increase by far more, given the larger scale of production here. "Theoretically, yes... But don't forget that the Suncreek Villa headquarters isn't exactly doing all that well right now." With a sinking jolt, Li Luo recalled that House Duze had dealt him a sneaky hand by poaching the last president, Hanzhi, along with nearly half his resonance artificers. For a villa, resonance artificers were the engines of production. No matter how much secret watersource or materials you had, it meant nothing without resonance artificers to convert them. "That dog..." Li Luo cursed. Hanzhi could fuck right off, but the resonance artificers... that hurt. "How's the recruiting been?" Jiang Qing'e asked. Cai Wei dipped her chin. "I've been recruiting, raising the pay, and also using the Young Lord's secret watersource as a selling point... but results haven't been as good as expected." Li Luo frowned. An upper seventh-grade secret watersource was pretty good. It should have been a great attraction for many resonance artificers. Why was it not working? "Who's poaching them again?" Jiang Qing'e asked. "Who else? Of course it's House Duze's Bigswamp Villa. They've spent a fortune stealing Hanzhi and our artificers. How could they just sit back and let us recover? "For the last month, they've been watching the Suncreek Villa closely. I'm sure they're equally shocked at how well it's been doing. They've steeled their resolve and doubled down to steal even more resonance artificers and limit our recovery." "House Duze again..." Li Luo brooded. In school, the House Duze siblings were causing him no end of trouble, and outside, in Xia City, they were undermining House Luolan at every turn. At least the battles inside the school went by the book. Outside... houses fought without mercy or rules. Violence and power reigned supreme. House Duze's goal was to strike House Luolan's name off from the Five Great Houses and pick their bones clean. A thought occurred to Li Luo that if he and Jiang Qing'e were not in the Astral Sage College right now, and under its protection, House Duze would probably already have used some underhanded means to wipe the two of them out. House Luolan would fail by itself without anyone at the wheel. "The free agent resonance artificers in Xia City have more or less been wooed over by the Bigswamp Villa, at more favorable conditions than we have given. They're using their wealth advantage to choke us out." It was simple yet effective. If not for Li Luo's secret watersource, the Bigswamp Villa's tactics would probably have wiped them out already. Even so, the Suncreek Villa was not in a good enough position to attract good resonance artificers. And without more resonance artificers, they couldn't expand. Which meant no growth for House Luolan. "Let's take that slowly. As long as the Suncreek Villa holds firm, we will eventually grow," Jiang Qing'e said reassuringly. Li Luo and Cai Wei nodded. House Duze might be flexing on them, but they couldn't lose their cool. "Oh, there is another, more urgent matter," Cai Wei said. "According to my information, many resonance artificers from the Xiling Province's Suncreek Villa are making their way to Xia City. Pang Qianchi corresponded with them before. I sense... trouble." Li Luo was surprised. "The Xiling Province's Suncreek Villa branch?" Besides headquarters, the Suncreek Villa had two other branches. One was at the Tianshu Province's City of Southwind, the other was at the Xiling Province. However, the Xiling Province was Pei Hao's territory, and the Suncreek Villa branch there had mutinied against the headquarters long ago. A wave of resonance artificers known to associate with Pang Qianchi, all migrating to Xia City. For what? "Pei Hao must be behind this," Jiang Qing'e said. Whether the Xiling Province resonance artificers or Pang Qianchi, they were all Pei Hao's allies. It was unthinkable that they would move without the mastermind's direction. "Pei Hao..." Li Luo's eyes turned cold at the name. He was the main troublemaker that was tripping House Luolan up both inside and outside. "Inform Pavilion Master Lei Zhang to keep an eye on Pang Qianchi... More importantly, we need to find Pei Hao if we can. My gut is telling me that he might be in Xia City," Jiang Qing'e said. Li Luo frowned. "Pei Hao's here?" In their last encounter with Pei Hao, he had split up House Luolan's Council of Nine. If he was in Xia City, it was definitely not to see the sights. She nodded. "That's my feeling." "If he's in Xia City..." Li Luo said with a murderous glint. "Can we find an opportunity to wipe him out?" Killing Pei Hao would not undo the mess that he had created for House Luolan, but it would stop the problem from getting worse. They could stabilize and recover much more quickly. "Actually, Pei Hao's not the one I'm most afraid of... I'm more afraid that there's a greater power supporting him," Jiang Qing'e said in a low voice. Li Luo concurred soberly. There had to be some elite power supporting Pei Hao. Otherwise, he would not have been bold enough to rebel immediately after his parents' disappearance. But who could it be? House Duze? Or House Jiyan? They were the two strongest powers positioned against House Luolan, and they had reasonable motive to do so. Or was it someone else? Li Luo kneaded his brow. It seemed like his vacation was not going to be a relaxing one. Chapter 190: 100,000 Points Li Luo and the others had barely set foot in House Luolan before Ox Biaobiao greeted them with a hearty soup and a big smile. "Young Lord, you're looking a little healthier after a month, but the nourishing soups cannot be missed. Drink it all, quickly!" Ox Biaobiao urged him. Li Luo smiled back at him and took the soup. "It's been a whole month, Uncle Biao, and the first thing you can think of is soup!" He gulped it down. "Uncle Biao, about that miracle paste... How much Royal Sap is needed?" Ox Biaobiao looked at him with surprise. "Young Lord, you've come into some?" As one of the most precious resources at the Astral Sage College, a mere month was shockingly quick. Li Luo waved it off modestly, then produced the two thumbnail-sized bottles. Ox Biaobiao examined them. "Indeed, Royal Sap. Superb job, Young Lord. "At this quantity, another 20 bottles should be enough to refine the miracle paste." Ack. Li Luo's mouthful of soup sprayed out. He stared at Ox Biaobiao. 20 bottles? Beside him, Jiang Qing'e sighed. She was prepared to learn that this bit of Royal Sap was not enough, but this was a little drastic. 20 bottles of Royal Sap was 100,000 points! A herculean task, even for her. "Uncle Biao, you're killing me here." "Young Lord, I'm completely serious. The substance and potential you have lost would kill the development of anyone else. It's almost impossible to find anyone who can heal that sort of foundational gap throughout the Xia Kingdom. You're lucky that this old ox here knows about it." Li Luo nodded glumly. His second resonance had brought him great power and even allowed him to taste the dual resonances of a Duke. But the price was heavy indeed. Everyone was dazzled by their power, but they didn't know that under his shiny reputation hid a yawning hole. His battered foundations would hold him back from the General Stage. If word of it got out, he would again be the target of disdain, just like when he was a blank palace cultivator. "Uncle Biao, don't worry. The price of Royal Sap might be high, but we have some time. Li Luo's still far from the General Stage. I think we'll make it if we work hard," Jiang Qing'e said soothingly. Li Luo looked at her, conflicted. Clearly, she intended to help him work towards the 100,000 points needed... But Royal Sap was incredibly important for her as well, especially if she was going to challenge the Seven Astral Pillars. If all her points went to him, her own cultivation would be impeded. Li Luo opened his mouth, but she shook her head at him. He swallowed his words back down. The only thing left for him was to earn as many points as he could, to ease the burden on her. Ox Biaobiao looked at them with rare sternness. "I know that Royal Sap is difficult to get, but you're not children anymore. How will you grow without stress?" Both stiffened up at this uncommon reproach, but they nodded. After all, neither had ever treated him as a subordinate. "Besides, do you think this is all the pressure you'll have to face?" They looked at each other. "Uncle Biao," Jiang Qing'e said softly. "What do you mean?" He rubbed his bald head and blew out a breath. "Well, I'd planned to keep it until you were at least Heavenly Dipper Generals, but the situation is worse than I expected. I have to let you know." Both children sobered up immediately. They had long suspected that the mysterious Ox Biaobiao had been left at House Luolan for good reason. However, they had trusted his discretion and not pressed for an answer. He sat down heavily. "Last night, an unknown Duke expert trespassed at House Luolan." Shock. Duke expert?! ?Trespassing at House Luolan headquarters? Who? Why? Was he trying to kill them? "A Duke expert entering House Luolan headquarters?" Jiang Qing'e asked urgently. "How could it not trigger anything? I wasn't notified of any alarm." "It was just a Duke too afraid to show himself. Besides, his real body didn't come, just an energy clone. I got rid of it." They fell silent again. Who actually was Ox Biaobiao? He knew too much, even the arcane ways of healing Li Luo's foundation. There was no way he was just a simple chef. And now he had finished off a Duke's energy clone. Not just Li Luo, even the usually composed Jiang Qing'e was reeling from this information. "Uncle Biao..." "I always knew you were the legendary hidden hero," Li Luo said sincerely. "Whether or not you are interested in my knees, I would like to fall upon them for you." Jiang Qing'e knew that he was trying to hide his shock with a glib facade. "Legendary hidden hero my foot," Ox Biaobiao laughed. "I'm just a good-for-nothing who can't leave House Luolan." Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were alarmed. But he did not elaborate on that. "In recent years, a dark power has been investigating House Luolan's headquarters, although you two might not have been aware. "They have been content to just watch up till now, but last night they finally entered headquarters." Ox Biaobiao looked at them. "Do you know... what they're looking for at House Luolan?" Chapter 191: Underground Palace Ox Biaobiao's words hung in the air, and Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e looked at him with a mixture of confusion and surprise. They had no idea what he was talking about. "What are they looking for at House Luolan?" Li Luo asked hoarsely. "Something your parents left behind... and also if they are still alive." A sharp intake of breath from the pair. "Aren't the master and mistress at the Nobles' Battlefield? Why would they come to headquarters to ascertain their fate?" Jiang Qing'e pressed. Ox Biaobiao smiled wryly. "That's why those two are awesome. Did you really think they would go to the Nobles' Battlefield without any backup?" They stared at him. It felt like every new sentence Ox Biaobiao dropped unlocked a whole new world. He smiled at their stunned expressions. "Come with me." He rose. They hurried after him through the house, finally reaching... the kitchen. Where Ox Biaobiao always was. He walked towards a wall, flicking a jet of resonant power at it. Immediately after, it shone with bright lights that arranged themselves into a neat set of lines. Clack, clack! Strange whirring and clicking sounds filled the room, then the patterned lights formed a staircase leading underground. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e stared in wonder. "This is the entrance. The key is my resonant power. Of course, both of yours work tooI just never told you about it before," Ox Biaobiao said as he led them downwards. The pair were speechless as they followed him. After they entered, the lines faded away, and the wall returned to normal behind them. As they walked deeper onwards, the light eventually faded away, and they saw that they were in a spacious, underground palace. There were even more glowing runes here, arranged in some sort of pattern that eluded their grasp. In the center of the underground palace was a stone dais. A dragon and phoenix had been carved into it, and there was a candle burning at the head of each mythical creature. One flame was crimson, the other a deep blue. Li Luo gasped. He could feel a blood connection with the aura from the candles. "These... are?" Jiang Qing'e seemed to be sensing the same thing, her eyes wide as she waited on Ox Biaobiao's answer. "You guessed it," he smiled. "These are the natal fires of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. They represent their current condition. If the flame burns bright, they are in no mortal danger." Li Luo felt a great weight lift off his chest. He shivered with relief, feeling the goosebumps prickle across his skin. All these years, it had been a worry that he had carried with him. Of course, he proclaimed his confidence that they were alive and well, but the Nobles' Battlefield was a great unknown. Over time, the seed of doubt had grown within him. After all, the Nobles' Battlefield was fraught with enough danger to scare even Duke experts like Mentor Chi Chan. And it was so feared by Dukes that they had to choose fighters by lottery. He had thought that there was no way to assuage his worries, but now these flames were burning brightly before him, warming his heart. He felt a pure joy come to life within him, and he smiled. "That's great..." Jiang Qing'e's voice broke, her golden eyes watery as well. All these years, she had been just as worried as he was. "Uncle Biao, why didn't you tell us earlier?" Li Luo asked with no resentment. There had to be a good reason. "Because there are people in the Xia Kingdom even more interested in their condition than the two of you." His words had a sinister ring to them. Could it be that the mysterious Duke intruder last night had been trying to find the underground palace? "Do you think this underground palace is just a simple house for the two natal fires?" Ox Biaobiao gestured to the complicated light runes that covered the walls in a dizzying scrawl. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e looked around them. Their meager abilities were definitely not going to be able to understand the mysteries of this place. "Actually, throughout all these years, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan's natal fires have been severely weakened time and again. In the worst cases, they were barely flickering. After all, the Nobles' Battlefield is one of the most dangerous places in the world, and even Dukes can only try and defend themselves. Both children shuddered as they imagined the terrors that ran wild out there. "But eventually, they were able to make it through because of this underground palace... It was a secret they left behind. I really have to hand it to those two, they're extremely resourceful. "See the dragon and phoenix carvings? They were handcrafted by Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. If they're in serious danger on the battlefield, these two carvings can transmit an emergency burst of power. Their trump card for survival. "This trump card has saved them more than once in these years. "You might not fully appreciate just how miraculous this is. The Nobles' Battlefield is special, and not even Kings can easily channel energy within. Yet Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan pulled it off." Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e nodded humbly. "They're really wise," Li Luo said with an approving nod. "Is this what the Duke intruder was after?" Jiang Qing'e asked. "Did he break into this place to ascertain that they are alive?" House Luolan had been beset by many misfortunes in the last few years, but the threat of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan returning had held their enemies at bay. "Not just to ascertain... Once they break in, they can snuff out the natal fires. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan would be severely injured. "A severe injury in a place as dangerous as the Nobles' Battlefield could very well be fatal," Ox Biaobiao said. Their eyes went flat. Who was this stranger, and why was he so vicious? "But don't worry yourselves about it. The underground palace is divided into two parts. The external wards covers the entire House Luolan headquarters. No Duke intruder will be able to enter without seeing their strength severely compromised." "Why have I never sensed its presence?" Jiang Qing'e asked doubtfully. She had been at House Luolan's headquarters for many years. "Because it isn't of much use to those below the Duke Stage. There is no way you would have felt it. "Do you know what the source of the defensive ward's strength is?" They shook their heads. Ox Biaobiao grinned. "This one should shock you. It's..." He pointed upwards. "House Luolan." Chapter 192: Secrets "House Luolan?" Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e repeated. They had no idea what Ox Biaobiao was talking about. The defensive power over House Luolan that stopped other Dukes from entering... came from House Luolan? How did House Luolan have such power? Ox Biaobiao smiled at their confusion. "Well, more accurately, it comes from House Luolan's presence. "It sounds fantastical, but the wards indeed have such a power. They were calibrated at the time that House Luolan was built. The stronger House Luolan is, the greater its presence, which in turn strengthens the defenses. It's quite a marvelous trick. "But conversely, the weaker House Luolan is, the smaller its presence, which diminishes the strength of the defensive wards. When House Luolan ceases to exist, the defensive ward will vanish completely. "The intruder was able to send an energy clone in precisely because House Luolan has been in trouble for the last two years. The Luolan presence must have weakened quite a lot. "This is the main reason why I'm telling you all this now. The defensive wards need a stronger presence, and the only ones who can get it done are you two." They sat up straight. So the fortune of House Luolan directly affected the protection of the House and its underground palace... It sounded crazy, but Ox Biaobiao had no reason to lie to them. And they were not arrogant enough to think themselves the best judges of what was possible in the world. Still, stabilizing and strengthening House Luolan had been their goal all the while. Which meant that they had to get House Luolan more people, money, and reputation. That was good. Both were pleased that their goals now had an additional purpose: they actively had to keep Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan safe, rather than just passively awaiting their return. "Uncle Biao, since you could kill that Duke intruder, you must be a Duke yourself, right? If you could use that power, a lot of House Luolan's problems would be solved," Li Luo pointed out. House Luolan was beset by hyenas because they lacked a strong Duke to stand up for them. If Ox Biaobiao could plug that gap, the situation would be much better. He sighed. "You've overestimated this old ox..." They cocked their heads curiously. "Too much past history, and I won't tell you all of them one by one. Just know that I can't leave House Luolan's headquarters. "My strength is limited in many ways as well. I won't act unless the situation is extremely dire," he said, a shadow of helplessness flitting across his face. The two were a little afraid to hear this, but it was to be expected. If Ox Biaobiao could really intervene, he would not have watched House Luolan decline to its current state. With a little flex of his powers, Pei Hao would be put in his place. "One more question... Who did the intruder represent? House Duze? House Jiyan? Or another elite power?" Li Luo asked. "Also, was the death lottery of both my parents a conspiracy?" These were important questions. They had to figure out who was out to get House Luolan. Ox Biaobiao smiled ruefully. "I have no idea who the intruder represents. It's all too easy for a Duke to hide their own signature. And there is quite a number of Dukes in the Xia Kingdom... "As for the death lottery, I have no idea either. But there is certainly a mysterious agent out to get House Luolan... "In recent years, they have been snooping around House Luolan, although the defensive wards had kept them at bay in the past. But after a few years, I'm afraid that they might have figured out the limits of the defensive wards. The attacks have been more frequent and forceful lately... "A few months ago, when Pei Hao threw House Luolan into confusion... Perhaps it was calculated to weaken the defensive wards further." Jiang Qing'e was quiet for a while. "Uncle Biao, I have another big question... "Why would this unknown agent be after House Luolan and the natal fires?" Li Luo's heart raced. There had to be some bigger plot afoot. Ox Biaobiao sighed. "Firstly, I have something important to tell you... Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan are not from the Xia Kingdom. They came from beyond." Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e froze. "Outside the Xia Kingdom? You mean, other kingdoms?" Li Luo asked. Ox Biaobiao smiled but did not reply. "As for this dark organization..." He walked forward and tapped lightly on a spot near the dragon and phoenix carvings. A black stone compartment opened silently, revealing a sharp stone needle. There was a rhombus crystal on its point. It sparkled with an otherworldly light, pulsing with a rhythm that seemed to reflect the breath of the world around them, worldly natural energy passing in and out at a measured pace. Ox Biaobiao stared at the rhombus crystal with admiration. "This is the core of the underground palace. When Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan are in trouble, it is this thing that transmits energy to them... "I think the dark organization is after this thing. "It's called 'divine matter.' You guys might not have heard of it before, but all Dukes in the world dream of it. They would give anything for it. The legends say it allows them access to the secret of Kings..." Chapter 193: The Goal Is To Strengthen House Luolan "Secret of Kings?" Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e had never heard of it before. Of course, it was not just them. The King Stage was a realm that seemed beyond everyone from the Xia Kingdom. The number of Kings since the Xia Kingdom's founding could be counted all too easily. And right now, perhaps only the very seldom seen principal of the Astral Sage College was one... Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e could imagine how hard the path to King was, and why Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan would attract a lot of attention if it was known that they had such a secret. Maybe the intruder was after that. Things were getting interesting now. His parents were not from the Xia Kingdom, and they had such a wondrous treasure. Li Luo suddenly felt like they had kept a lot of secrets from him. "Uncle Biao, is there a reason you decided to share all this information now?" Jiang Qing'e asked quietly. "Sharp," he said with a sober smile. "I'm afraid our enemies have clearly mapped out the limits of House Luolan's defensive wards. I think the defensive wards will reach their weakest state in about half a year's time. "Our enemy might make good use of that... They might come in swarms to invade headquarters, seek out the underground palace, extinguish Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan's natal fires, and take away the divine matter. "If things get to that point, I'm afraid I will not be able to stop them." They were dismayed. A mere half a year? If that was true, then House Luolan was in great danger! "So in this half a year, I hope that you can make House Luolan strong, or at least stable. Then we can deal with them better." They knew the gravity of the task laid upon them. They thought they had time, but things were urgent. Half a year... No breathing room at all. Still, there was no choice but to get it done. The alternative was invasion, extinguished natal fires, and no more divine matter. That was an unacceptable outcome. "Uncle Biao, don't be too worried. The intruder's background might be unknown, but they must have their own fears, considering how stealthily they've been moving so far. I think that any drastic move they make will definitely catch the attention of the Astral Sage College, the Golden Dragon Bank, the royal court, and other great powers... "They may or may not know about the divine matter, but I think a little chaos and confusion might be to our advantage," she pointed out. Ox Biaobiao nodded. Their enemy had moved very cautiously, perhaps to keep House Luolan's secret from others as well. "Of course, we cannot pin our hopes on others. We have to work hard to make House Luolan strong," Jiang Qing'e asserted. The other two nodded. Ox Biaobiao was relieved now that Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were up to speed. "Uncle Biao, you should have told us earlier." Li Luo smiled. He chuckled. "And what were you going to do about it, Young Lord?" The remark chafed. Did he see Li Luo as too weak before? Ox Biaobiao suddenly stared at Li Luo. "House Luolan's situation is pressing, but you should spare some attention for your own lifespan, Young Lord." Li Luo stared at him, astonished. He knew?! Back when Ox Biaobiao had said he was hollow, he had guessed that the old man knew. But now he was making it plain as could be. "Lifespan??" Jiang Qing'e whirled around, horror-struck. Her eyes pinned him. "What's this about lifespan, Li Luo!?!" she demanded in a trembling voice. "You don't know? He didn't tell you?" Ox Biaobiao rubbed his head and smiled apologetically at Li Luo. "My big, fat mouth..." "Uncle Biao, please shut it immediately." Li Luo seriously suspected that he had done it on purpose! "Li Luo, explain. Now!" Jiang Qing'e shouted. "Er, it's nothing much..." Li Luo said in a small voice. "Back when I solved the problem of the blank palaces, I paid a small price... leaving me with five years left to live." Boom! Light resonant energy exploded out of Jiang Qing'e's body, oozing and flowing from her. It was undirected, a loss of emotional control. Her power pooled around her, lighting up the shock and hurt on her face. She could not believe it. Five years of life?! Li Luo only had five years left to live?! He hurriedly calmed her down. "Don't worry, it's temporary. As long as I can reach the Duke Stage within the five years, all of my lifespan will come back!" That worked a little. Her light resonant energy faded away, but her anger did not. "Duke in five years?" In five years, he would be 23 years old. It was unheard of to become a Duke by then. Perhaps not even Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had pulled it off. Jiang Qing'e might be on track to breaking that record, but she had a ninth-grade light resonance. Li Luo might have dual resonances, but to get that far... He nodded eagerly. "Don't worry, I'll definitely do it in five years! Not like there was a choice. I had to, if I wanted to solve the problem of my blank palaces." Jiang Qing'e fell silent, then she sighed. The matter was already decided, and it could not be changed. Accept it and move on. Still, she was not ready to deal with Li Luo yet. Angry. She was angry that he had kept such an important fact from her. Li Luo could only smile apologetically at her and throw resentful looks Ox Biaobiao's way.?Damn, Uncle Biao, we had no beef! Why did you have to do me like that!? Ox Biaobiao grinned and left. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e followed, then they emerged in a deserted corridor rather than the back kitchen. "Keep the secrets I've shown you today close. Let no one else know. And just focus on how to make House Luolan strong. "Good luck." Ox Biaobiao waved them off, then he turned and left. Li Luo turned back to the still-silent Jiang Qing'e. "Sister Qing'e, don't be angry, okay?" he said in his best innocent voice. "Come with me to the practice room." She stalked off. Li Luo gulped, his legs turning to jelly. But eventually, he squared his shoulders and followed. ... Practice room. Li Luo strapped on his protective gear, wooden sword in hand as he looked painfully across the room. Jiang Qing'e cut a sexy figure in her own gear. Although her face right now was not at all appealing. She looked ready to beat the stuffing out of him... Oh well. If that was what it took to appease her anger, then he would take it. Swish! Her wooden sword hissed through the air, and Li Luo's vision seemed to glitch as she suddenly appeared before him. The wooden sword sliced down! It was too quick to block! Li Luo gave it up, closing his eyes. He was salted fish, hanging on the rack. Ting! He felt the breeze of the sword passing and clenched his jaw, but the sword landed lightly on his shoulder. He opened his eyes cautiously. Close up, he could feel her trembling, her always-steady eyes now trembling with great fear. His heart melted. "Sister Qing'e, I've made you worry." He sighed. She came even closer, pressing her forehead to his. Their eyes were close enough to reflect each other's faces. She closed hers. "You must do it, Li Luo," she whispered. "Promise me." He nodded with a tender smile. "I will. "I promise." Chapter 194: Progression Plan The next day, a freshly washed Li Luo heard a knock on the door. He opened it to see Jiang Qing'e standing outside. She handed him a box. "These are the spirit liquids and purifying lights that Cai Wei prepared for you." Li Luo received it eagerly. His spirit liquid stock in school had been exhausted, and going a few days without had been agony. This fresh batch would sate him for a while. "Perfect. Thanks, Qing'e." "Thank Cai Wei. She's gone to great pains to squeeze out spare cash to get you these spirit liquids even though House Luolan is barely tottering along. Li Luo nodded solemnly. House Luolan needed a lot of cash to get back to its feet, and his liquid cravings were costing them hundreds of thousands of skygold. She must be troubled. Perhaps Cai Wei had never imagined she would one day be forced to live such a frugal life. The two walked side by side. "You only have four and a half years left. I think it's best if you make some concrete plans. No more leaving it up to fate." She said this so seriously that Li Luo could only nod obediently. "By my calculations last night, you have to reach the Second Changing of the Evolving Resonance tier by the end of One Star Hall." The Resonant Master stage was divided into the Sprouting Seed tier, Pattern Genesis tier, and Evolving Resonance tier. The Evolving Resonance tier was further divided into four Changings. "Evolving Resonance tier, Second Changing..." Li Luo mused. He was only an Upper Flowering for now. Next was the Pattern Genesis tier, in which there were five patterns... It was going to be a long, long climb, and many of his peers spent a long time there. He knew that most of the decently skilled students managed to reach Second or Third Pattern by the end of One Star Hall. The very diligent and talented might make it to Fifth Pattern. To reach the Evolving Resonance tier, and Second Changing at that... wow. Not many students reached that level even by the end of Two Star Hall. "I was a Second Changing when I finished my first year. And an Earth Fiend by the end of my second year." "Your lifespan is limited. Time is running out. You can't afford to be slower than me." She glared at him fiercely. "So you must reach the Evolving Resonance tier by the end of the year. And Second Changing!" "If you lag behind at this first step, what chance do you stand? Cultivation is only going to get harder from there on!" "Focus on your cultivation for the rest of the year. I will convert all of my points into energy liquid for you. Outside of school, House Luolan will finance all the cultivation resources you need." Li Luo stopped walking. "Qing'e, you need to cultivate as well. If you give me all your points, how are you going to compete against the Seven Astral Pillars at the end of the year?" "I have a 9th-grade light resonance. No one can compete in terms of cultivation speed. Don't worry about me." "Yeah, yeah. A 9th-grade light resonance isn't invincible you know. The Seven Astral Pillars aren't exactly easy either." He argued. Astral Sage College's Seven Astral Pillars were all poised to be Dukes themselves. Jiang Qing'e's 9th-grade light resonance was rarer indeed, but they had an additional year of experience on her. Besides, their special status gave them access to far more resources than others. While Jiang Qing'e was improving, so were they. What they lacked in natural cultivation speed, they could make up for with their copious amount of resources. Jiang Qing'e was too clever not to know this. Li Luo was very touched by her gesture, but he had to reject it. She stared at him. He stared back. Then suddenly he smiled disarmingly. "Qing'e, I'm very touched by your concern, but trust me, okay? It's just the Evolving Resonance tier right? I'll breakthrough and show you at the end of the year." She held his gaze for a few moments, then looked away. "We don't have that time. Do you think you can take it easy? I'll give you two months to reach Fourth Pattern. If you can't, we do it my way." Jiang Qing'e compromised. "Two months to reach Fourth Pattern..." Li Luo considered it. It would be very difficult, but he didn't bargain further. It was a reasonable pace if he was going to reach Duke in five years. "Alright." He nodded. Still, Jiang Qing'e's sense of urgency was making him anxious too. True, the five year limit had hung over his head before, but he had just sort of worked towards it without a concrete plan like what Jiang Qing'e was laying out. With her supervision, there would be no more slacking off for him now. Perhaps that was a good thing? Was he a masochist to accept the whippings so readily? She nodded back. She was twisting his arm on this one, but it couldn't be helped. She couldn't let him relax one bit. Otherwise on the day that he died, she could not bear it. Her master and mistress had left Li Luo in her care. If she let them down, it would haunt her for life... Although that might not be for very long. Given her personality, if Li Luo's doomsday came, Death would probably get a buy-one-get-one-free deal. Their negotiations over, both were left without any sign of relaxedness. They turned down the corridor together and came to the hall. Cai Wei was already waiting. "We need to go to Suncreek Villa today. Some resonance artificers that Pang Qianchi mobilized are already causing trouble there." She said with a concerned face. "All the resonance artificer circles in Xia City are watching us. If we don't handle this well, we might never be able to recruit another artificer again..." Although that branch of Suncreek Villa had rebelled under Pei Hao's control, but it was still formally under the name of Suncreek Villa. If others saw it as an internal coup, it would damage Suncreek Villa and House Luolan's reputation. Before, Jiang Qing'e might not have cared so much, but now she knew the defensive wards of House Luolan were at stake. The presence of House Luolan lent it strength... Suncreek Villa was a part of House Luolan. It would compromise the wards. Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo looked at each other. They knew that much was at stake today. "Let's go. We have to deal with it, no matter how troublesome it is." Li Luo said with a smile, leading the way out towards the trouble. Chapter 195: At The Headquarters Doors Front doors, Suncreek Villa headquarters. Elder Zheng Ping was looking glumly at the broad path where a throng of people were dressed in resonance artificer robes with the Suncreek Villa badge pinned prominently. Many people were gathered around outside, watching the altercation with interest. Whether engineered or otherwise, news of the Suncreek Villas internal coup was spreading fast and far across Xia City, and many powers had sent listening ears out. "Tang Yun, Lu Xiaofeng, you two are veterans of the Suncreek Villa. Back when the House Lord sent you to develop the Suncreek Villa's branch, you colluded with Pei Hao instead. How dare you show your face here now!" Elder Zheng Ping shouted. The two middle-aged men in front of the group shook with barely suppressed mirth. "Hey, hey, Zheng Ping, Old Zheng, that's not a nice thing to say. Pei Hao is a disciple of the House Lord. They went missing, and Pei Hao works for House Luolanwhat's wrong with them helping Pei Hao?" a mocking voice called out. Elder Zheng Ping looked over. "Pang Qianchi, didn't the Young Lord remove you? How dare you come out." It was the former vice president of the Suncreek Villa's headquarters, who had lost to Li Luo in the running for president. He had been confined to his house. Pang Qianchi sneered. He had spent all these long years at the Suncreek Villa gathering allies, so he was not at all worried. That was why he had dared to challenge for the post of president. The way he saw it, the Suncreek Villa would crumble without him, and Li Luo would eventually come begging for him to help restore things. But in the last month, the Suncreek Villa had not crumbled as he had predicted. Instead, its profits were steadily rising, and he couldn't sit still any longer. He had invited a few former associates for a chat to understand the situation at the Suncreek Villa. But the refusals to even meet him came one after another. Li Luo had exerted speedy and firm control over the Suncreek Villa. Pang Qianchi knew that it was because of Li Luo's secret watersource... The purity was a great draw for many resonance artificers. Besides, he had also increased their pay. What more could they possibly want? Pang Qianchi couldn't let things continue as they were, so he had gathered Tang Yun and the other resonance artificers for another clash. "Elder Zheng Ping, I might have been removed from the position, but I'm not a criminal. Am I supposed to be on house arrest or something?" Pang Qianchi snickered, gesturing at Tang Yun and the others. "I'm just here to speak out on the side of justice for these brothers. They worked so hard to develop the Suncreek Villa, but now they're being neglected. The Young Lord has a secret watersource but is unwilling to share it with the branch; that's a little cold-hearted, isn't it?" Elder Zheng Ping spluttered, so angry that he almost laughed. This damned bunch was really trying to play both sides. Siding with Pei Hao, but still demand the Young Lord's secret watersource? But he couldn't say this out loud without exposing the internal fracture of the Suncreek Villa. Their reputation was on the line. Besides, not all of the branch's resonance artificers were on board with Pei Haothey were just sandwiched in between. If they took too hard of a stance, they might push those people to the other side. He sniffed coldly. "We can discuss the rest inside. What's the point of blocking the whole street like that?" The man called Tang Yun was sitting at ease in front of the resonance artificers. "As long as the Young Lord is willing to give the secret watersource to the Xiling branch, we'll go." Zheng Ping was huffing through his beard, showing how worked up he was. But there was nothing else he could do. It was up to the Young Lord and Miss Jiang. At a stalemate, they continued the silent standoff. More and more people were gathering around. . A nearby inn. Beside the window, Duze Beixuan was looking down with a satisfied smile. "I want to see how Li Luo gets out of this one. I've even helped him spread the word." Beside him was the fiesty, fiery Duze Honglian. "He's got some wits, that one. I thought Hanzhi was enough to topple the Suncreek Villa, but it seems like he's shored them up once again." Duze Beixuan frowned. "I heard that Li Luo managed to produce a secret watersource with an upper seventh-grade purity. That turned things around." "Upper seventh-grade secret watersource..." Duze Honglian's eyes narrowed. It was a rare find. Even their illustrious Bigswamp Villa had only managed to produce one after years of constant research and upkeep. With such a powerful tool on hand, it wouldn't be hard for the Suncreek Villa to stabilize their situation. With enough time, they could even turn things around. But their disadvantage was their lack of foundation. In terms of formula research, they were years behind the Bigswamp Villa... "The Suncreek Villa is desperately short on resonance artificers. If they can't handle this one, let's help them air their dirty laundry. See how many resonance artificers remain there after that," Duze Honglian said snidely. Duze Beixuan nodded with malicious pleasure. He desperately wanted to vent his frustration after losing at the ranking battle. . Another seat, some distance away from the Duze siblings. Pei Hao was sitting in a private room, sipping his tea contentedly. He was not looking out the window, but instead examining his own reflection in the cup. His return to Xia City this time had been quite hasty. He had not expected Li Luo to bring such great changes in just a mere few months. Not only had he gotten first at the Tianshu examinations, but word was that he had revealed dual resonances in the Astral Sage College... Pei Hao felt like he had just blinked, and things were already slipping out of control. The young lord he had written off as a cripple, now out of the wheelchair. "Li Luo..." He suddenly crushed the teacup in his hand, looking out at an approaching carriage. "Seems like our duel has to be brought forward. "Enjoy the appetizer I've sent you." Chapter 196: Have It All Clack, clack! The carriage ground to a halt before the Suncreek Villa's headquarters. Li Luo, Jiang Qing'e, and Cai Wei alighted. All eyes turned their way. "Wow, having a party?" Li Luo remarked cheerfully, looking at the resonance artificers sitting in silent protest at the doors. Elder Zheng Ping hurried forward and quickly told them everything. "Young Lord, Miss Jiang, this is no easy matter to deal with. Some of the resonance artificers here are just caught in the crossfire. I'm afraid the mastermind behind this is Pei Hao." Jiang Qing'e's golden eyes surveyed the scene calmly. "Li Luo is president of the Suncreek Villa. He knows how to deal with this. I won't interfere." Elder Zheng Ping gritted his teeth. "Young Lord, shall we be a little more decisive? Expel the Xiling branch from the Suncreek Villa entirely. Before they ruin our nameand the name of House Luolanany further." Privately, Jiang Qing'e agreed. She was a no-nonsense type that liked to cut the fat. The Xiling branch was tainted, controlled by Pei Hao. Amputate and cauterize. Sure, a few innocent resonance artificers might be caught up, but that was the price to pay. Besides, they were probably all too aware of Pei Hao's agenda, he was simply claiming to be helpless. Li Luo regarded the protesters for a few long moments. He did not acknowledge Elder Zheng Ping's suggestion, instead strolling forward to the two middle-aged men sitting at the front. "Are you two Branch Presidents Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng?" The two hesitated for a moment, suddenly reminded of the overwhelming presence of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. Deep down, they recalled respect. Those two had a reputation so strong that they were still feared years after they had disappeared. "Young- Young Lord..." "Let's speak standing up, shall we?" Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng looked at each other and scrambled to their feet. Li Luo had spoken politely but with a charisma that they found hard to deny. When Pang Qianchi saw their deferent stance before Li Luo, he sensed that things were starting to go sour. Plus, he had tasted the Young Lord's sneaky methods firsthand. He quickly stood up himself. "Young Lord, since you're finally here, please give an explanation to all of these brothers from the branch. "Everyone is from the Suncreek Villa, so why can headquarters and Tianshu branch get the secret watersource but not the Xiling branch? Are you showing favoritism here?" Zheng Ping glared at him angrily. As if you didn't know why the Xiling branch wasn't getting anything! "Pang Qianchi, you've already been removed. You don't have the right to speak!" Zheng Ping shouted. Pang Qianchi turned up his nose. "I might have been removed, but I'm still a loyal and old hand here at the Suncreek Villa. Ive contributed my blood and sweat to building up the Suncreek Villa. These brothers from the Xiling branch worked with me as well. Of course I will speak out against unfair treatment!" "If the Young Lord thinks I'm out of line, you can expel me from the Suncreek Villa immediately." Pang Qianchi's move was clever. He was playing the moral card here. If Li Luo really threw him out, it would unsettle the resonance artificers at the Xiling branch. Li Luo looked over the resonance artificers, gaging their mood. Many of them were fired up and were looking at Pang Qianchi with respect. The old dough fritter was oily and puffed up as ever. "And what is it that you think we should do?" Li Luo asked him amiably. "The Young Lord should provide the Xiling branch with his secret watersource," Pang Qianchi immediately answered. "If supplies are insufficient, the formula of the secret watersource can be handed over to the Xiling branch, and that will save transport costs." Elder Zheng Ping dearly wanted to slap him across the face. A dog yapping before a lion. Hand over the secret watersource formula? Go to hell. "This guy is just here for trouble," Cai Wei muttered to Jiang Qing'e. Jiang Qing'e remained calm. "He's just trying to goad Li Luo. One wrong word in anger, and it will spark even more resentment and rebellion among the Xiling artificers." She looked up towards the inn nearby. She could not see him, but she sensed that Pei Hao was nearby, watching. Was he trying to see how much trouble he had brought them? Jiang Qing'e's eyes flashed dangerously. Pang Qianchi waited for Li Luo's response. He was disappointed to see the young man completely unfazed or angered. His expression was thoughtful instead. Li Luo looked at them. "You want the secret watersource?" Tang Yun nodded. "Young Lord, the secret watersource is very beneficial for us resonance artificers. If we refine with it over a long period of time, our artificing skills will improve." Li Luo gave him a faint smile. "I seem to recall that the Xiling branch hasn't contributed any money to the headquarters for the past few years." Lu Xiaofeng faltered. "Ah, Young Lord, we wouldn't know about such things. We give our due contribution to the branch, but... We don't know whether it reaches headquarters." That was a little sneaky. They would hand over the contributions to Pei Hao. As if he would pass it on to headquarters. Li Luo continued to smile at them until they looked away guiltily. He had spoken nicely to them, but they had not responded with honesty. Still, he did not scold them. After another deliberate pause, he turned to the resonance artificers. "I can provide you with the secret watersource." A collective gasp. Li Luo was giving in! Li Luo waved off Elder Zheng Ping before he could protest. "But there are conditions. I will extend a month-long probation period to all of you. In this period, you will do your refining at headquarters. There will be all the secret watersource you can use. "Your pay will be exactly the same as the resonance artificers here at headquarters. I trust all of you know that it's far higher than before... "If you perform well in this month, I will supply the Xiling branch with secret watersource after the probation period. "What do you say?" He swung on the gaping Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng. The resonance artificers took up muttering among themselves. Clearly, they were inclined to take up the offer. They had come to protest the favoritism with the distribution of the secret watersource, and Li Luo had agreed to answer their demands. A month's probation period should be no problem at all. The mood was clear enough to Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng. "The Young Lord has made many concessions. We would be unreasonable to accept," they said begrudgingly. Pang Qianchi's expression was sour. Where was the fighting? Where was the rebellion? But Li Luo had given so much ground. How could he fight on? Especially when all these resonance artificers were looking so satisfied. Cai Wei was quite surprised by Li Luo's approach. "When did the Young Lord become such a smooth talker?" Jiang Qing'e smiled. "That boy has a big appetite." Cai Wei's penciled eyebrows rose. "He means to have them all? There must be many of Pei Hao's agents among them." "Of course. But weren't there a lot of Pei Hao's agents at headquarters before as well? Where are they now?" Cai Wei nodded. It was a battle of persuasion, and currently the Young Lord was winning. By far. Li Luo gestured, and the seated resonance artificers got to their feet and started to briskly move into headquarters. The crowd that had gathered started to disperse as well. Li Luo stood at the door, smiling broadly in the direction of the inn. He clapped loudly, looking all around him. "A small gift, but delivered with great feeling. I accept it with thanks." Chapter 197: Destroy "The balls on that guy, taking in all the Xiling artificers..." Duze Beixuan frowned. "He wants them all at the Suncreek headquarters." Duze Honglian smirked. "Thanks to our manipulation, they haven't been able to get the resonance artificers they want. With such a big influx of them right before him, of course he's tempted." "Ambitious and charismatic." "Pei Hao has held Xiling under his independent rule all these years. If headquarters can absorb them back, it'll be a welcome relief for them." Duze Beixuan nodded. "Pei Hao's a smart guy with a plan. I don't believe he's here to give Li Luo a care package." "Me neither." Duze Honglian's eyes narrowed in pleasure. "No matter what he's planning, we can just sit back and watch. The more chaos at House Luolan, the better for House Duze." "Send people to watch the Suncreek Villa and inform us about any news. We'll definitely help them spread it." Duze Beixuan nodded eagerly. ... Suite of the inn. Pei Hao watched emotionlessly as Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e ushered the artificers into the Suncreek Villa. Although he was some distance away, he could make out the conversation that had just transpired. "Cocky after getting your dual resonances, eh?" Pei Hao said to himself with a mirthless chuckle. He recalled how important Li Luo had been while Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan were around. Each time he visited the house lords, he would prepare precious gifts for the young Li Luo. Especially in the first few years of his birth. Everyone had rejoiced at the heir of House Luolan, who would definitely lead the house to many more years of continued greatness. Li Luo had been the center of attention back then. Li Luo, born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The destined heir of House Luolan. While he, Pei Hao, had been treated like a slave, sent wherever he could be used best. He had not shown these emotions back then, but the fires of jealousy had been lit in his heart, and they burned at him every day. So what if Li Luo was higher-born!? Why should he become the master of House Luolan?! Moreover, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had even arranged his marriage to Jiang Qing'e while he was just a child, the perfect bride that many sought. How they loved him! But karma worked in strange ways. Soon after, the house lords were sent to the Nobles' Battlefield, and nothing was heard of them again. As for Li Luo, his blank palaces had surfaced, and the weight of everyone's hopes had crushed him into oblivion. Pei Hao usually stayed away from alcohol, but when he heard that news, he drank three jugs of wine that night. His ambitions started to whisper in his ear again. He started to pull others to his side. Li Luo's blank palaces were his strongest weapon. No one wished for the future house lord to be weak. Who wouldn't want a brighter future, a better life? With a bit more time, he could well have had House Luolan under his thumb. But... Jiang Qing'e had intervened. She stood at the fore of the house, running it with deft skill and charm. She justified her position as the personal disciple of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, a more authentic position than an honorary disciple like he was. Her ninth-grade light resonance dazzled and impressed, and she drew supporters like moths to her brilliance. Soon enough, Jiang Qing'e had stabilized the situation at House Luolan, and pitted herself against him. If not for his iron grip over a few of the Pavilion Masters, he would probably have been ousted directly by Jiang Qing'e then. Too brilliant. She might well be on track to break the speed record of making Duke, set by Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan previously. A few months ago, Pei Hao had moved decisively, marshaling all of his supporters in a decisive split against Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo. But the bad news did not stop. Li Luo had solved his blank palaces problem! He was the champion in the Tianshu Province and was headed for the Astral Sage College. He had even revealed dual resonances! The useless cripple had now risen to glory. Pei Hao felt like a fool. If Li Luo had just revealed his dual resonances earlier, Pei Hao would have hidden his ambitions... Was the guy just toying with him? In that case... Let's go at it! A violent streak flashed across his face. He might not have Li Luo's dual resonances or Jiang Qing'e's ninth-grade light resonance, but at least he still had some power to call upon. House Luolan swayed with each breeze the world's changes brought. How could it stand on such broken foundations? Besides, did they really think that he, Pei Hao, was working alone? His struggle against Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e had only just begun, and the resolution was far in the distance. Suddenly, the lights in his room dimmed, and a crack slowly opened in the wall nearby. He rose and entered the crack, stepping carefully along the gloomy staircase until he emerged in another brightly lit room. The room was clean and empty, save for a figure sitting at the window where the light fell. The person's back was turned to him, while the view of the window was framed such that the Suncreek Villa was just out of sight. Pei Hao stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Your work?" The figure chuckled. Pei Hao nodded. "A little appetizer for Li Luo." "Li Luo is not the person he once was." Pei Hao clenched his fists. "I don't know if he was faking the blank palaces," he said slowly, "but it's naive to think he can save House Luolan. "Besides, Great One... your powers are great. If you had but consented to take a hand, House Luolan would not have stood for so many years." "We have our own considerations. Focus on your own tasks. Since you've come to Xia City yourself, you must be prepared. "Our goal is very simple. We simply need you to continue weakening House Luolan. I await your good news. Do this, and you shall have everything you want. "Do not disappoint me." Pei Hao looked at the figure, and his eyes drifted out to the window. Just out of sight, the Suncreek Villa was there. He lowered his head again. "Rest assured, Great One. What I cannot have, I will destroy before I let Li Luo enjoy it." The figure laughed. "Why the hate for Li Luo? Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan treated you well, I presume?" Pei Hao fell silent. "I have nothing but love and respect for the two house lords." "Keke, and so you hate Li Luo? Is this jealousy? To receive their unconditional love from birth, doting on him in a way that you would never receive, no matter how hard you tried." "Should I not be jealous? "All that affection, and then to be engaged to a world-class girl like Jiang Qing'e while he was still swaddled..." The figure chuckled again. "Indeed, it would make one jealous. "So... let us destroy him." Chapter 198: Testing 1, 2, 3 Suncreek Villa headquarters. The halls were thronging with resonance artificers, but they were clearly divided into two halves. On the left, the Suncreek Villa headquarters' personnel. On the right, the Xiling artificers led by Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng. The original members were looking at Tang Yun's bunch with anger. They knew what had happened at the gates. These were obviously Pei Hao's people. How dare they come here and shamelessly demand the secret watersource! This was daylight robbery! In their righteous anger, they forgot that some among their own number had once been Pei Hao supporters as well. At this time, they had already forgotten that. Who was Pei Hao? A poisonous, narrow-minded presence, leading them down into the darkness. Thankfully, the Young Lord had saved them. There is only the Young Lord in our hearts! And his secret watersource! Tang Yun's group shifted uneasily under the glares, but there was nothing much they could say. They feigned nonchalance, their desire for the secret watersource keeping them there. Li Luo stood on the stage in front, Jiang Qing'e and Cai Wei behind him. He smiled at the resonance artificers who had been with him so far. "Everyone, please. Have no discrimination for our Xiling colleagues. In my eyes, they once contributed to the Suncreek Villa." Tang Yun, Lu Xiaofeng, and the others were looking a little less sure of themselves now. Li Luo seemed like a very generous person. The Xiling branch had been branded with Pei Hao's mark and was more or less a slap to Li Luo's face. Yet he seemed to bear them no ill will, no forceful treatment, and had not even expelled them from the Suncreek Villa. Instead, he had made concessions, inviting them into headquarters and promising to provide them with the secret watersource. They... felt a little ashamed. "Hmph, Tang Yun looks well. The Young Lord treats you with full respect and kindness. You had better repay it." Elder Zheng Ping scowled. Tang Yun and the others smiled with uncertainty. What else could be said at this time? They were indeed grateful, but... they were still Pei Hao's people. "In this month, the Suncreek Villa headquarters has performed extremely well. I have to thank everybody. We lost much after Hanzhi shook things up, but that's all water under the bridge now. I believe the Suncreek Villa will once again become great. "My goal is to make the Suncreek Villa one of the top ten villas in the Xia Kingdom. At that time, all of you will be esteemed and famous resonance artificers!" Li Luo stated compellingly. The headquarters' resonance artificers responded enthusiastically. They had all seen the changes at the Suncreek Villa in the last month with their own eyes. And they knew very well that Li Luo was the source of these changes. Although the Suncreek Villa had a long way to go to reach that goal, they were sure that under the Young Lord's leadership, they would get there. After all, he had already worked miracles before their eyes. And when the Suncreek Villa reached that glory, their own status and compensation would inflate beyond their dreams. Definitely something anyone would work towards. Tang Yun and the others felt a pang of envy for these resonance artificers. They did not know if Li Luo was speaking the truth, but they were words of hope. As for them, from the Xiling Province, the progress there had been lukewarm. Pei Hao was merely treating the branch as a gold generator. They knew that there was no chance of the Xiling branch having a bright future. On stage, Cai Wei chuckled quietly to Jiang Qing'e. "The Young Lord is getting very experienced at playing people's hearts." "He's starting to wear that role with confidence." Jiang Qing'e agreed contentedly. Only a confident person could convince others. The belief that he could do itit was a powerful magnet for hopes and dreams. In the cheery atmosphere, Tang Yun and the others were feeling more and more uncomfortable by the moment. He coughed. "Er, Young Lord, I wonder, when we can start refining spirit liquids and purifying lights?" Li Luo smiled. "No need to worry. Your refining time will not differ from the headquarters' resonance artificers. Elder Zheng Ping will assign you spaces." "And... Will wel have ample amounts of the secret watersource?" Lu Xiaofeng asked hesitantly. Li Luo nodded. "The same supply as the other resonance artificers. No difference." The branch artificers sighed in relief. That was all they wanted. If Li Luo simply wanted to use them as labor for this month, that was easy as could be. "One more thing..." Tang Yun bit the bullet. "Young Lord mentioned a test. How is that conducted?" They were afraid that he had laid a trap there. Jiang Qing'e and Cai Wei were curious as well. It was the most important point left unaddressed. Once Tang Yun and the others passed the test, Li Luo would have to supply them with secret watersource in the future. If he made it too difficult, everyone would know he was just toying with them. He would not win them over. All eyes on him, Li Luo smiled calmly. "I just mentioned the test off-hand... "But just to reassure everyone, perhaps I'd better explain clearly. "The test is very simple. You all know that I'm a water resonance user, and also a second-grade resonance artificer myself. I'm trying to reach the third grade though... "In this one month, you may send any resonance artificers, including your branch leaders Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng, to compete against me. We will refine spirit liquids and purifying lights. But because of my grade, it's limited to third-grade spirit liquids and below. "We will compete in three rounds, a first-grade, a second-grade, and a third-grade spirit liquid. Same ingredients, and, crucially, no secret watersource. "As long as you can beat me in just one round, you will have passed the test." Li Luo beamed at them with a confident and friendly smile. "What do you guys think of that?" Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng looked at each other. "We can join too?" they asked incredulously. They were fourth-grade resonance artificers. Even though the product was limited to third-grade and below, their experience would definitely help improve the tempering strength of the more basic potions significantly. And they only had to win once? Whether Li Luo could even succeed in refining a third-grade spirit liquid was up in the air. How was he going to compete? Immediately declare them the winner? Was Li Luo really just lying down and letting them walk over him? Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng were very confused now. They looked at Li Luo's beaming face again.?Young Lord, perhaps we were wrong... are you actually very stupid? Chapter 199: Invitation The test was set to begin in two days time, and there would be three days between each round. The total time of nine days would end just in time with Li Luo's holidays. After all, he had to solve this problem before he could return to school. The branch artificers were satisfied with the tests format. It seemed like Li Luo was truly making concessions to them. After all, it was unimaginable that they would fail the test. Even if his refining arts were superb and gave him an advantage for first and second-grade spirit liquids, what about third-grade ones? Could he even make them? It would probably be a breeze for them. Plus, they had Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng, two qualified fourth-grade resonance artificers. They were already congratulating themselves on a successful negotiation as Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e left headquarters. In the carriage. "The artificers were looking at you like the idiot child of the family." Cai Wei giggled. Li Luo smiled. "Indeed, it looks like a giveaway, doesn't it." "And how will you solve the problem of the third-grade spirit liquid?" Jiang Qing'e asked. She knew that his first and second-grade spirit liquids were excellent, surpassing even Yan Lingqing. But the problem was that he was only a second-grade resonance artificer... "Well, it should only take a few days to become a third-grade resonance artificer," Li Luo said casually. Cai Wei clapped enthusiastically. "Somebody give the Young Lord an acting award or something." Jiang Qing'e laughed as well, but then her smile faded away. "Don't waste too much time on the refining arts. I ditched them in order to cultivate faster as well." She was the true genius in the refining arts. A ninth-grade light resonance could create spirit liquids and purifying lights unique in the entire Xia Kingdom. In the Astral Sage College, the Resonance Artificers Hall had courted her time and again, but to no avail... Jiang Qing'e was bent on setting the Duke record, and nothing would distract her from it. So she would rather leave aside her potential in the refining arts. Li Luo gave her a tentative nod. He also knew that the refining arts would detract from his time and energy, but he had no other choice if he wanted his resonances to improve. Besides, the course was charted now. And the Suncreek Villa indeed needed Li Luo in his role as a resonance artificer. "Pei Hao is cunning and evil. He would not give you such a beautiful present. I'm sure there's poison hidden in this somewhere," Jiang Qing'e reminded him. Li Luo nodded. He could not overlook that point. He might loudly declare his thanks for the present, but deep down, he had to be on guard. If not for the fact that they were so desperately short on resonance artificers, he might not have accepted Tang Yun and the others. "I'll get Elder Zheng Ping to keep an eye on them. And also strengthen the security at the Suncreek Villa. We'll be notified immediately if anything untoward happens." "Pei Hao is still lurking in the shadows. We don't know his plans yet, so we can only keep our guard up everywhere. React as we need to," Jiang Qing'e said. It was indeed a nervous time, waiting for the enemy to strike. "I've also sent people to track Pei Hao. If given the chance, we can just finish him off and save us a whole load of trouble," she said with a quiet but deadly intent. Cut off the problem at the source. That was an idea. Li Luo nodded, but he was sure that someone as wily as Pei Hao would not give them such an opportunity. "Oh, yes..." Jiang Qing'e suddenly turned to Li Luo. "Familiarize yourself with optimizing the healing properties of water and wood resonances. In the next few days." Li Luo was puzzled. For what? "Remember the little emperor you met at the Golden Dragon Bank? He has a natural frailty. The First Princess asked me if you would try to help heal him." Li Luo's jaw dropped. "That's a longshot! I heard even water resonance Dukes couldn't do a thing. What's a Resonant Master Stage cultivator like me going to do?" Water and wood might both have healing properties, but he was far from even becoming a Duke. The First Princess might be prone to having her head in the clouds, but she didn't seem like an irrational person. Or perhaps she had another goal? Jiang Qing'e smiled. "Yes, she probably wants to befriend me, but I didn't reject. Most of the royal power currently lies with the Regent, but the First Princess is formidable in her own right. It's good for House Luolan to be well connected." Li Luo considered that. Jiang Qing'e's potential was worth courting, and the First Princess had chosen to ask him to try healing the little emperor. Regardless of success, the two factions would be seen as closer. The healing was probably just an excuse. "Alright, I'll go back and read up a little." He agreed. The First Princess was still a powerful ally, one that House Luolan would do well to have. It might be a little early to call them formal allies, but friendly relations was a good start. The First Princess was a deep and foresighted thinker. She was not the kind who was content to rest on her laurels. If she eventually moved to help bring the little emperor to power, it would definitely be a complex and thorough campaign conducted through every means possible. Soon enough, they arrived back at House Luolan's headquarters. The three alighted and were immediately greeted by a messenger. "Young Lord Li Luo and Miss Jiang Qing'e?" This man was wearing the richly decorated badge of the Golden Dragon Bank. Li Luo nodded. He respectfully handed over a gold-embossed invitation. "In five days' time, my young mistress will celebrate her birthday. The president would be pleased if your august selves could consent to attend." "Qing'er's birthday?" Li Luo was startled. He took it with a smile. "Please let President Yu know that we will definitely be there." Their relationship with Lu Qing'er aside, the Golden Dragon Bank was too important in the Xia Kingdom for them not to reciprocate such courtesies. The messenger gave a pleased nod and then hurried away. "President Yu Hongxi, inviting us?" Jiang Qing'e said with a cynical smile. "What's wrong?" "You might not know, but Yu Hongxi and the Mistress fought long and bitterly back in the day. She rarely speaks to House Luolan in her official capacity and definitely not often," Jiang Qing'e said mildly. "Er, because of my dad?" "Who else?" "Wow, I didn't know dad was such a playboy. I despise him." Jiang Qing'e rolled her eyes at him. "Yu Hongxi is a formidable woman. That was how the Mistress rated her back in the day. And being able to sit as the Golden Dragon Bank's president for so long demonstrates her skill in both fighting and strategy. She is not to be underestimated." Li Luo grinned. "I'll have to see it firsthand." Jiang Qing'e raised her eyebrows at him. "I think you just might," she said darkly. Chapter 200: Unyielding Form The next two days kept Li Luo on his toes from morning to night. First was the refining arts revision, improving his third-grade spirit liquid completion rate. Once he could create it for the first time, he would be an honest-to-goodness third-grade resonance artificer. Besides, he had to keep up his own cultivation. He didn't know if Jiang Qing'e even believed her own excuse of keeping him in shape, but she dragged him to the practice room for an hour each day... to beat him up. "Stimulate the cultivation." He was a quivering mess every time, his legs wobbling and groaning as he limped out. Li Luo had no idea how effective it was, but he swore his ability to take beatings was getting better... After his daily beatings, Li Luo also had to study up on the healing properties of water and wood resonances. ... In a workshop. Li Luo was hunched over an injured beast on the table. There was a visible trace of blood on it, which he put both hands over. He called forth his resonant power, water and wood resonant powers merging in his palm to call forth powerful regenerative abilities. After a few moments, the scar was already healing rapidly. A decent result. Li Luo wasn't surprised. They were the healing elements, after all. Plus, his water resonance even had light resonance supporting it. Which was another healing element. Still, the light resonance was secondary to his primary water resonance. It was not as strong, but the three healing elements gave Li Luo confidence that he could eventually recover from anything unless he was killed in one hit. He let the animal go. He had already familiarized himself with the healing ability quite a bit, healing many injuries over the day. In truth, he felt like he had neglected this aspect previously, tunnel-visioning on the strength and power that the elements could bring him. Healing was quite magical as well. "Definitely worth exploring..." ... Third day, practice room. Jiang Qing'e hefted a long, wooden spear. "Ready for today's serving?" "I feel like you've just been venting your anger on Punching Bag Li Luo for the last two days. Are you still angry about me hiding the lifespan thing from you?" he grumbled. "Not at all." She smiled guilelessly. "I am really just training you. Your resonant power control will become more mature with this." Beautiful women were always good at lying, and Jiang Qing'e was so beautiful that she could lie about needing organs, and people would probably rip them out for her gladly. "Fine," he conceded. "I won't fight today, then..." He threw down the weapon in his hand and walked to within ten meters of Jiang Qing'e. "Come at me with your close-combat resonance arts. Attack my body." Li Luo put his palms together, channeling his blue and green energies. In it, he mixed a thread of light resonant energy. All three healing powers were imbued into his body. They appeared as a faint light on his skin, forming some vague patterns. Jiang Qing'e was surprised at the amount of vitality teeming within his body. "Healing powers? "After two days, you're now using it on yourself?" She raised a slender hand and summoned glowing power, bright as the sun. Pushing out slightly, the light dissolved into shining needles that caged Li Luo. Weng! Weng! They began to prick away at his skin, drawing wells of blood. Li Luo did not flinch. Through the pain, he did not make a sound. Although he was repeatedly being injured, his flesh continued to respond as though it were alive, healing itself at great speed. Li Luo was delighted. In this state, his regeneration was superhuman. In a life-or-death struggle, chances were that it would end being life for him. The light needles faded away. Li Luo was covered in blood, but he was completely unharmed. "Water and woodthe healing is miraculous," Jiang Qing'e said. "Youre just in the beginning stages, but already they help the body's recovery rate." She was truly surprised by how strong it was. She had only used a fraction of her power, but then again, it should have been a decent attack against someone of Li Luo's level. "I call this state Unyielding Form. It can increase my physical regeneration for a short while, but it costs a lot of resonant power, so I can't hold it for long," Li Luo said with some pride. Jiang Qing'e smiled. "Many water and wood resonance users employ something similar to strengthen their bodies, so it's nothing too special. I hear that some can even enter an unkillable state. "But... "For some reason, your healing powers feel a little different. Is this the advantage of dual resonances?" Li Luo smiled. Of course it was the additional light resonance that was supporting his other two resonances. While it wasn't as strong, it was the perfect accent to enhance them. "Let's leave it at that for today. Oh, isnt today the first test against the resonance artificers? How have they been performing these last two days? Elder Zheng Ping reports that they're diligently refining. No one's pulling anything." Jiang Qing'e was not too happy about that. She would rather their enemy show their hand earlier. "There's no point in overthinking it. We'll deal with whatever comes," Li Luo said calmly. "First on the list: the first test at the Suncreek Villa headquarters." Li Luo had prepared well for this. It would determine whether he could snag up the resonance artificers. For the first test, he would show some respect... and crush them. Chapter 201: Crushed Suncreek Villa headquarters. The Xiling artificers were in a great mood, with happy, confident laughter punctuating their pleasant conversation. Most of them had never even seen an upper seventh-grade watersource in their lives, let alone had the opportunity to work with one. They were drunk on the sublime feeling of power it gave them. It truly helped them find profound revelations. The Suncreek Villa headquarters was a good place. Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng sighed with contentment. They had never seen their artificers so enthusiastic before. It came from being in an environment that was alive with hope. If they could, they would want to stay at the Suncreek Villa's headquarters. But the matter was not that simple as they had already been branded with Pei Hao's mark. Although headquarters had given them the secret watersource as agreed, they could still feel that they were being watched closely for signs of trouble. Neither side resented it. If the Young Lord had any brains at all, he should indeed be wary of them. And his wariness was well warranted... Pei Hao had not intended this to be a gift. But as for what Pei Hao's plan was, even they were not sure. His only command to them had been to go to the Suncreek Villa headquarters. Tang Yun sighed. It didn't feel good to be in the middle of the sandwich. He swept those feelings aside. "Today's the first test. What do you say?" "I heard the Young Lord's first-grade spirit liquid is superb, with 64% tempering strength. That's quite high, but probably because of the secret watersource. If neither of us are given secret watersource, I guess he'll score 61%, maybe 62%," Lu Xiaofeng predicted. Tang Yun nodded. "He said that we can participate too, but I don't think there's a need. He's been very generous so far, but if we take advantage of it, that could look ugly." Lu Xiaofeng considered it. "We can't send anyone too bad either," he warned. "I mean... you know our position." Tang Yun scratched an itch with irritation. "Let's send Liu Fu, how about that? He's a third-grade resonance artificer, a full grade higher than Li Luo." "He can produce a first-grade spirit liquid with about 60% tempering strength. That should be roughly equivalent to the Young Lord. Give the man some face." Lu Xiaofeng nodded. "We'll be the baddies, then. Headquarters is going to dislike us even more after this." Tang Yun pulled a face. The Young Lord had indeed treated them with graciousness befitting his power. It was a pity that he was labeled as a blank palace cultivator when he was young. Otherwise, perhaps House Luolan would not have fallen to its current state. While they were mulling over their decisions, Li Luo, Jiang Qing'e, and the others appeared in front of the resonance artificers. "How have the last few days been, gentlemen? Hopefully no one is treating you badly?" Li Luo asked warmly. The branch artificers nodded with full agreement. Li Luo cut straight to it. "Today's the first test," he said to Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng. "Let's begin. I've already ordered the ingredients to be prepared. They're exactly the same. You can send people to check them." Both shook their heads quickly, expressing their trust in the Young Lord. "Who are you sending today?" Li Luo asked. Tang Yun smiled sheepishly. "We're sending Liu Fu today. He's a third-grade resonance artificer." Oof. A collective grunt of sympathy from the resonance artificers. "Truly shameless and thick-skinned," Elder Zheng Ping growled. "The Young Lord's only a second-grade, and you send a third? Might as well go yourselves!" The branch artificers were looking a little embarrassed. Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng could only smile sheepishly and play it cool. "No need for admonishment, Elder Zheng Ping, it's all within the rules. I did say that they could send anyone." Li Luo waved it off generously. The branch artificers felt even worse now. The Young Lord was practically a saint... Li Luo turned and led the way to the refining workshops, which were full of ingredients. To ensure absolute fairness, Li Luo had even implemented a lottery. He had the third-grade artificer Liu Fu draw a lot at random and choose his refining workshop. The refining began. Li Luo was a second-going-on-third-grade artificer, while Liu Fu was a third-grade artificer. A first-grade spirit liquid should be easy peasy for both of them, and so there was nothing too exciting about the refining process. Still, in terms of attitude, Li Luo seemed a little calmer, while Liu Fu was stiff with tension, afraid of making a mistake. The refining only took a quarter of an hour or so. Liu Fu finished first, immediately testing his spirit liquid. 61%! Liu Fu's face showed a glimmer of pride. He had outdone himself. The branch artificers whispered excitedly among themselves, pleased with his result. Elder Zheng Ping frowned. He knew what Li Luo was capable of usually, but they did not know how he would fare without the boost from the secret watersource... While they were worrying, Li Luo finished up quickly enough. He dusted off his hands and admired Liu Fu's work. "Well, test's over," Li Luo said to elder Zheng Ping. "We'll be off, then, much to do." He turned and left with Jiang Qing'e and the others. Elder Zheng Ping was a little startled by Li Luo's abrupt departure. Was he so unconfident in the result that he had to leave immediately? Tang Yun and the others were of the same mind, but they showed some politeness and waited for him to leave before swarming up. "Elder Zheng Ping, please test the tempering strength of the Young Lord's work," Tang Yun said. He gave a surly grunt of acknowledgement. Taking up the tempering measurement needle, he stuck it into Li Luo's spirit liquid. The needle rose... and rose. 68%. Elder Zheng Ping rubbed his eyes, sure that he was hallucinating. A 68% first-grade spirit liquid? Truth be told, he had never seen one before. Still, 68%. He wordlessly handed the needle over to Tang Yun and the others. They stared at it for a long time, then stuck it back into the spirit liquid. And again. And again. Eventually, they put it down. They looked in the direction that Li Luo had gone in. Now they understood why he had left so quickly. He was not unconfident, but was rather sparing them the humiliation... Just how scary was this Young Lord?! Chapter 202: Golden Dragon Secret Key "Young Lord, leaving without even waiting for the result looks cool and all, but aren't you afraid of rocking the boat a little too much?" Cai Wei teased him. "If it were Tang Yun or Lu Xiaofeng competing, maybe I wouldve stayed. But a third-grade resonance artificer? No need, I think," Li Luo replied. He was only one step away from the third-grade resonance artificer, and he had a waterlight resonance. Although both had the same ingredients, he could make the secret watersource himself... How could they hope to compete? If Li Luo managed to lose this, he might as well give up on refining spirit liquids and purifying lights forever. Yan Lingqing regarded him thoughtfully. "Are you trying to crush them into submission with the first round?" Li Luo smiled. "I'm just showing them what I'm capable of, and also the future and potential of the Suncreek Villa. All of this, Pei Hao cannot give them. I believe that the upcoming tests will definitely sway some hearts and spark a chain reaction. "And once they start to waver, I'll promise them a clean slate. I don't believe that Pei Hao has more sway than me over them." "An arduous process," Jiang Qing'e noted. Li Luo shrugged. "No choice, given how much House Duze is pressuring us. This is the only way to get resonance artificers. If we gain this batch, the Suncreek Villa will develop much more quickly and will eventually be able to stand up against their Bigswamp Villa." "But news of the test result will probably reach Pei Hao very soon. He will know what youre planning. I think he's prepared this time," Jiang Qing'e warned. Li Luo nodded. Of course he had thought of that as well. However, he was openly appealing to the resonance artificers, with no hidden plans or motives. To stop him, Pei Hao would have to play dirty. And so he would be extra vigilant over the next few days. "Oh, right, tomorrow is Lu Qing'er's birthday party. Yu Hongxi dotes on her so much. She's not only inviting many handsome young men, but also preparing a generous gift," Jiang Qing'e said. "What's this generous gift?" Li Luo asked, interest piqued by those two words. "The Golden Dragon Secret Key." "Golden Dragon Secret Key?" Li Luo had never heard of it before. "It's said that the Golden Dragon Bank developed a secret cultivation space called the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. It's for the important people of the Golden Dragon Bank and their children to cultivate at. It has special connections between heaven and earth and is very beneficial to cultivation. It's one of the bases of the Golden Dragon Bank. Li Luo was suitably impressed. The Golden Dragon Bank was not just what existed at the Xia Kingdom; the real headquarters was a titanic entity in the wider world, far beyond what his imagination could muster. The Xia Kingdom Golden Dragon Bank that they were familiar with was but a teeny, tiny branch. Even so, it was still one of the greatest powers in the Xia Kingdom. "It's said that every year, the Golden Dragon Dao Fields open for a month, and the Golden Dragon Secret Key allows access to cultivate inside. "The Golden Dragon Secret Key is normally gifted to those in power, and their children. However, they're occasionally given to partners as a present. "Because Yu Hongxi has offered a few secret keys on the occasion of Lu Qing'er's birthday, many factions in Xia City are very interested," Jiang Qing'e said with a smile. "Sister Qing'e is interested?" Li Luo asked. "Im interested, but the Golden Dragon Dao Fields are vast and divided into many levels. The keys given out this time are for those at the Resonant Master Stage. I think her objective is to find a suitable partner for Lu Qing'er, and for them to enter the Dao Fields together," Jiang Qing'e said. "Those at the Resonant Master stage, huh..." Li Luo nodded. Jiang Qing'e's guesses were probably correct. It was to find a partner for Lu Qing'er. "Such is the power of money." Li Luo sighed. Such keys were beyond the power of the great houses to even offer, and yet the Golden Dragon Bank could dish them out freely. The ability to create rifts to a sacred cultivation spacethat was an ability far beyond them. Probably only King experts could do so. "I hope you can acquire a Golden Dragon Secret Key. Cultivating inside will be very beneficial for you." Li Luo was fighting against time right now, and he could not afford to pass up any opportunity. Which was why Jiang Qing'e had immediately taken an interest in this information. Li Luo smiled sheepishly. "Of course it would be great to get, but I suspect it won't be so easy." "Why ever not? Just go ask Lu Qing'er, she would love to give it to you," Yan Lingqing teased. Jiang Qing'e shook her head. "Yu Hongxi runs this. I dont think Lu Qing'er can help." Li Luo laughed it off. How could the young lord of House Luolan use underhanded means like that? Besides, it was as Jiang Qing'e had said. Yu Hongxi was running this, and it would be naive to think that Lu Qing'er could do anything to influence the outcome. "Since Yu Hongxi has invited so many young braves, she must have prepared a test of some sort. Just acquit yourself well," Jiang Qing'e said. Li Luo nodded. It would be great if he could really get one of the Golden Dragon Secret Keys. But if he didnt, he wouldn't beat himself up over it. His cultivation was urgent, but he shouldn't lose his head chasing down every last opportunity in desperation. Ultimately, he was still quite confident he would get it done. ... A quiet place in Xia City. Pei Hao was sitting in a stone pavilion, facing a scowling Pang Qianchi, who had just told him everything that had happened at the Suncreek Villa headquarters. "Li Luo's trying to sway them with his own refining talents and the advantageous conditions at the Suncreek Villa headquarters," Pang Qianchi complained. Pei Hao poured Pang Qianchi a cup of tea. "All as planned, isn't it?" "Pei Hao, Sir, Tang Yun and the others are not yours through and through. If Li Luo eats away at their loyalty, they might change sides... After all, he IS the rightful young lord," Pang Qianchi said. "I know." Pei Hao nodded. Pang Qianchi was puzzled by Pei Hao's calmness. "Does Sir Pei Hao have something else planned?" Pei Hao did not reply, instead lifting his teacup to salute Pang Qianchi. "There's no rush. "Let Li Luo have his moment." Chapter 203: Celebration The celebration was located at a villa connected to the Golden Dragon Bank premises. As the embodiment of wealth and fortune in the Xia Kingdom, Yu Hongxi was definitely pulling out all the stops for her beloved daughter's birthday. It was going to be a real blast. Grand carriages trimmed and gilded with precious metals slowly trundled up the driveway, sending off their finely bedecked passengers. Much of the upper class of the Xia Kingdom was gathered here. The great houses and families all had dealings with the Golden Dragon Bank, which was famed for their neutral position on any affair. No one had more friends than they did. Perhaps the Astral Sage College could compete in power and status, but the school never made friends or alliances. Education remained an aloof pursuit where money changed hands with smiles. Of course, there was also the Xia royal court, the traditional seat of power that would always command respect. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e attracted many looks from the moment they alighted, most of them directed at the significantly more famous Jiang Qing'e. Still, many well-dressed girls eyed Li Luo with a gleam of interest. He had inherited his parents' devastatingly good looks, even though this version still looked a little raw. What he lacked in maturity he made up for with the glowing vitality only youth could grant. His head of silver hair marked him, a pale moon that enchanted many a lass. Neither of them paid much attention to the gazes. Instead, they looked to the main entrance, where two people were welcoming the guests. Lu Qing'er and Yu Hongxi. Today, Lu Qing'er was dressed in a flattering, pastel dress that gave her figure every last emphasis it could want for. From beneath, her legs peeked out, clad in her signature, white-lace socks. Green silk fell modestly around her waist, fluttering shyly with the wind. Her winsome face was lit up with a constant smile as she greeted her guests and blushed appropriately at the praise they slipped her in their congratulations. Beside her was Yu Hongxi, clad in her usual red. Her mature beauty was a clear contrast to her daughter's, but her status was naturally intimidating. Side by side, the two looked more like a pair of sisters than mother and daughter. Lu Qing'er smile was cordial enough, until she spotted Li Luo. And then her smile was syrup-sweet. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e moved forward and handed their invitations to the waiting ushers, then they bowed slightly to Yu Hongxi. "Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e of House Luolan offer our congratulations." Yu Hongxi's smile never wavered as she flashed it on the pair, although her calculating eyes did linger on Li Luo for a brief moment more. He was very much like Li Taixuan. And also like Tan Tailan. Thinking of the two brought complex feelings to the fore. She laughed lightly. "We are graced by your presence. Please, head on inside." Her attitude was neither too warm nor cold. "I'll show you in," Lu Qing'er said happily. Yu Hongxi immediately turned her sharp disapproval on her daughter. "You are the main host tonight. There are still guests to be seen. You intend to leave and ignore them? Churlish." "I'm not even doing anything here." Lu Qing'er protested irritably. Li Luo cut in with a smile. "Hey, see to your guests. We'll catch up later inside." He turned and ascended the stairs with Jiang Qing'e. Lu Qing'er tore her eyes away wistfully, only to find her mother's fixed on her. "More guests, Mother," she said emotionlessly. In a flash, Yu Hongxi's smile was back in place, greeting her guests as she put her daughter's troubles aside for the moment. Inside, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e had walked into the villa, which was lit with a tasteful arrangement of lamps and chandeliers. They blended into the cosy chatter of the lively crowd. "Well? What do you think of Yu Hongxi?" Jiang Qing'e asked. "Somehow, I have a bad feeling. I feel the pressure from her," Li Luo admitted. Yu Hongxi might have a flawless smile, but Li Luo was, nevertheless, uneasy. "Well, she's a Duke after all. One of the stronger ones here in the Xia Kingdom. Not to mention her control of the Golden Dragon Bank. Wealth itself is power. Even the First Princess has to show her respectdon't be fooled by her beauty," Jiang Qing'e pointed out. "Still, she feels a little... cold, to me. Or rather, disinclined?" Li Luo mused. The corner of her mouth twitched. "It's your fault for looking like your parents. If there's someone who could break Yu Hongxi's heart, it would be those two." Of course, she had sensed another reason, which she wasn't about to mention to Li Luo. He felt like wringing his hands helplessly. Putting the last generation's troubles on the next? Yu Hongxi might be a real female empowerment role model, but she still had some pettiness in her... ...is what he would only say in his mind, but never out loud. "Lu Qing'er's changed a little as well," Jiang Qing'e said, changing the subject. "Her frost aura is much purer than before. If I'm not wrong, her resonance has risen to an eighth-grade now." Li Luo halted mid-step. "Eighth-grade ice resonance?" It was his first time hearing of someone close to him raising their resonance from the seventh to the eighth-grade. It was a huge gap to close. Those without his talents could only consume a limited amount of spirit liquids and purifying lights. If Lu Qing'er had reached the eighth-grade, that meant that she must have consumed seventh-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights from the moment her resonant palace opened. "Well, it's no surprise. Seventh-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights are expensive, but probably not to the president of the Golden Dragon Bank. "If she wills it, Lu Qing'er could have a waterfall of seventh-grade spirit liquid if she so wishes." Li Luo sighed. There was no other way to describe Yu Hongxi but filthy rich. If only he could command the Golden Dragon Bank. His dual resonances would probably already be at the seventh-grade. As they talked, their feet had carried them to one of the most brightly lit pavilions, where a familiar figure stepped out. "I saw you two earlier already. What are you talking about?" a pleasant voice asked. Li Luo looked up to see a willowy figure with a royal bearing. Who else but the First Princess? Chapter 204: Among the Princes The First Princess was clad in an imperial gown of rich brocade, her hair done up with dangling, golden ornaments that flashed and tinkled with each movement of her head. Her voluptuous chest was the only exception to her otherwise slender figure, although her royal bearing was enough to discourage too blatant an interest in it. Li Luo had to admit that the First Princess was one of the few in the Astral Sage College who could compete with Jiang Qing'e in looks. Right now, she was regarding the two of them with a warm smile. "Greetings to the First Princess." They bowed. She exchanged a few pleasantries with Jiang Qing'e, then turned to him with a small smile. "Li Luo's informed about that, I trust?" He assumed it was about healing the little emperor, and nodded. "I'll do my best, but I hope Your Highness will not get your hopes up too high." "Have no fear," she said softly, a shadow crossing her face. "That is something I've gotten used to after all these years." She merely aimed to pull relations with Jiang Qing'e closer, an unspoken understanding that both parties were inclined to. Li Luo nodded. He knew well enough too, but it was always better to clarify. "Shall we go in?" The First Princess ushered the two into the building with a smile. The inside of the building was as bright as day, and the closed walls amplified voices and sounds to create an even livelier atmosphere. People were scattered in twos and threes across the spacious hall. Each of them represented powerful interests. "Jiang Qing'e, I didn't expect you two to be in the mood for a celebration, considering the sad state of affairs House Luolan is in." A hostile voice greeted them. It was none other than the fiery Duze Honglian, with her brother by her side. "I didn't expect you to be in the mood for a celebration either, considering the one-sided bloodbath in our last fight," Jiang Qing'e replied blandly. Duze Honglian's jaw muscle twitched. "Honglian, watch yourself carefully, lest you make a farce of the place we are in," the First Princess said with a small smile. Even Duze Honglian was respectful to the First Princess. She sheathed her anger and raised her glass. "As wise as you always are, Your Highness." With a parting look of spite at Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo, she turned and left. "Duze Honglian has continued to nurse her anger for all these years after you crushed her," the First Princess noted. "If she loses in strength, then words are all she can fight with. The next time we face off, I will crush her even harder. Perhaps it will register in her memory longer," Jiang Qing'e said quietly. Well, it looked like the enmity ran fast and free both ways. She changed the topic. "Many braves are here to win the Golden Dragon Secret Keys. Li Luo, you fit the criteria, and can definitely give it a try." Li Luo smiled. "It looks like I have stiff competition. I'll give it a crack and see if I'm lucky, I guess." As he spoke, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure standing in the harsh light up ahead. A body built like a brute, and as mute as the pillar he stood beside. He spoke to no one, and no one dared to go near him either. Qin Zhulu. That guy was invited too? It made sense, given that Qin Zhulu's father was a great general in the Xia Kingdoms royal court. Once he spotted Qin Zhulu, Li Luo suddenly realized that familiar faces were everywhere. Schoolmates like Wang Hejiu were also present, and there were also Two Star Hall students. Like the guy he had met with Jiang Qing'e previously, Ye Qiuding. And another figure scowling at him. It was none other than the guy who had helped Song Qiuyu back at the Tianshu Province. Mo Ling, was it? From the Inkwater Villa. Li Luo ignored him. The crowd parted, and a man walked out, turning heads as he passed. The man was an impressive figurenone other than Gong Shenjun. He raised his glass in greeting. "Junior Jiang and Junior Li Luo, greetings." Both dipped their heads towards him. "Luanyu, you seem closer and closer with Junior Jiang every time I see you two," he laughed. "Surely there's no need to envy a relationship between girls?" the First Princess replied sweetly. Gong Shenjun laughed, then lowered his voice. "There were movements with the royal guards today. Have you brought His Majesty out?" "Royal Brother, well-informed as always." "For something so big..." He looked at Li Luo. "Are you planning to let Junior Li Luo give it a try? You could have just invited him to the palace, you know? Well, I won't say too much, since you've already gone and done it. Just be more careful of His Majesty's safety next time," Gong Shenjun reminded. "As you say, Royal Brother." Gong Shenjun smiled at Li Luo. "We are in your debt. But no pressure, just do what you can." He smiled at Jiang Qing'e and left. "Senior Gong Shenjun is truly a shining beacon," Jiang Qing'e said. "The royal court is lucky to have him." The First Princess did not comment, but smiled lightly as she touched her glass to Jiang Qing'e's. Li Luo kept his thoughts to himself. Too much greatness was not necessarily always a good thing. An excited cheer came from the crowd as Yu Hongxi and Lu Qing'er walked in. Yu Hongxi was leading the way, a middle-aged man by her side. He looked ferocious as a lion, especially with his mane of red hair. "That's the lord of House Jiyan, Zhu Qinghuo," Jiang Qing'e said in a low voice to Li Luo. He saw that there was another youth by Lu Qing'er's side. He had a head of red hair too and was a handsome devil as well. "That's Zhu Xuan, his son. He's a Two Star Hall student, and he leads the Fire Fairy Squad, which is first in the Two Star Hall." Li Luo's eyes widened. Ah, so this was the leader of the famous Fire Fairy Squad? Chapter 205: Zhu Xuan The celebration officially began with the arrival of the birthday girl, declared by an orchestra that serenaded her arrival. Yu Hongxi watched the festivities proceed with an approving eye, then she turned to look at Lu Qing'er. She was currently surrounded by many eligible young men. Zhu Xuan, Ning Zhao, Wang Hejiuthey were all excellent prospects of her age. "Keke, President Yu, what do you think of my boy?" The house lord of Jiyan, Zhu Qinghuo, walked up to her. "Zhu Xuan has exceptional potential." Yu Hongxi smiled. "Ahh haha! I think hes a fine match for Qing'er." "Let's not meddle in their affairs," Yu Hongxi said, shaking her head. "If they are really interested, we can always support them later." Zhu Qinghuo gave a nod of understanding. Yu Hongxi's reply was vague but not a direct refusal. Which meant that if Zhu Xuan was interested in Lu Qing'er, she would not object. That was enough. Zhu Qinghuo raised his glass smilingly. The power of gold and status that the Golden Dragon Bank commanded was immense. Closer ties would naturally be welcome for House Jiyan. Of course, the grand prize would be courting Yu Hongxi herself. A pity that this matron was a deadly and shrewd mind that even he did not dare to cross casually. She touched her glass to his. "The Golden Dragon Secret Keys being given out this time are also to select some fine youngsters to accompany Qing'er into the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. Going through tough experiences brings youngsters closer together." As a House Lord, Zhu Qinghuo naturally understood her meaning. "Yes, indeed! Don't worry, President Yu. I've already told my son to do his best." Yu Hongxi smiled and nodded. In truth, she had had the same exact conversation with many other excited parents already. She had noticed her daughter's soft spot for Li Luo, which was only getting mushier by the day. Of course, she was against it. Her own enmity against Li Luo's parents aside, the simple fact that Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were already engaged was enough to get a firm no from her. Whether the engagement was merely in name or otherwise. However, her parenting wasn't that unsubtle either. She knew that an ultimatum to stay away from Li Luo would only stoke rebelliousness. The way she saw it, Lu Qing'er liked Li Luo because there hadn't been much competition in the Tianshu Province. Here at Xia City, the heart of the Xia Kingdom, talents teemed like carp in a river. With some nudging on her part, Lu Qing'er would soon be exposed to many great talents of her age, and her feelings for Li Luo would be diluted accordingly. Such was her subtlety. For example, the Golden Dragon Secret Keys... If young men like Zhu Xuan and Ning Zhao could get the keys and accompany Lu Qing'er, they would definitely become much closer. Who knows? Perhaps Lu Qing'er's feelings for Li Luo would eventually fade away. Trouble saved for her, and for Lu Qing'er's future. An ideal outcome. As for Li Luo getting the Golden Dragon Secret Key... The kid was just a first-tier Resonant Master. Whereas Zhu Xuan, Ye Qiuding, Ning Zhao, and many others were already at the third tier. The kid couldn't be that strong, could he? ... "Qing'er, happy birthday." Wang Hejiu was all charm and sincerity before her. "I hope we can separate matters of school from outside life." She did not like him very much, but Lu Qing'er would not show it here and now. She gave him the minimum effort smile-and-nod and then turned away. After exchanging some inane pleasantries with Zhu Xuan, Ning Zhao, and the others, her eyes flicked up. "Excuse me, I'll go greet other guests." Zhu Xuan and the others nodded courteously, and she moved with a spring in her step towards Li Luo. Wang Hejiu watched her go and sighed. "She's gone to Li Luo again, hasn't she? They're very close in school." Ning Zhao frowned. "Qing'er and him must be just normal friends. They came from Southwind Academy together. It's understandable that they're close." Wang Hejiu fanned himself lightly. "Perhaps. But I hear Qing'er sometimes buys Li Luo breakfast in school." Ning Zhao was looking less sure now. "She must be clinging on to familiar things from the Tianshu Province. Once she's used to life here at Xia City, her thinking will change," Zhu Xuan said. "Getting a Golden Dragon Secret Key and accompanying her into the Dao Fields will definitely be an opportunity to help that change along," he declared confidently. Ning Zhao eyed Zhu Xuan with new wariness. As Two Star Hall peers, he knew Zhu Xuan's qualities well. If Zhu Xuan got his chance with Lu Qing'er, his own chances would slip. "That President Yu. Why would she do this key thing..." he grumbled to himself. His own father was highly placed in the Golden Dragon Bank, just below Yu Hongxi. Like Lu Qing'er, he too had direct access to Golden Dragon Secret Keys whenever he wanted. Without this contest, he would naturally go in with her to train, and perhaps open the door to her heart. But Yu Hongxi had made it an open competition, and now the solitary oak had many other trees to compete with. Still, no amount of resentment was going to change Yu Hongxi's decision. Soldier on. ... While each was plotting his courtship, Lu Qing'er had reached Li Luo's side, glass in hand. "Greetings, Your Highness, Senior Jiang." Lu Qing'er smiled at the two girls, raising her glass in welcome. "Junior Qing'er." Both turned to the birthday girl with warm smiles. Li Luo raised his glass as well. "There are too many guests today. I'm sorry I cannot be a more attentive host," Lu Qing'er said politely to the two girls. "I also invited Yu Lang, Zhao Kuo, and the others," she said to Li Luo. "They declined." "They would feel a little uncomfortable in such a situation," Li Luo explained. These were the aristocrats of the Xia Kingdom, practically nobility. Commoners like Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo would feel like fish out of the water here. Lu Qing'er inclined her head. "I understand." "After the holidays, I'll get them to celebrate with you again." Li Luo smiled. Her eyes lit up briefly, but she hid it quickly. "Let's talk again then." She looked around. "Are you interested in the Golden Dragon Secret Key?" "Would anyone at the Resonant Master Stage not be?" he answered honestly. She nodded. She had tried to wheedle one out of her mother, but her mother had flipped it on her by making it a birthday highlight instead. "Good luck, then, she managed. Li Luo nodded lightly. While they were talking, the First Princess was regarding the calm Jiang Qing'e with some amusement. This Li Luo was truly a ladies' man like his father. Chapter 206: The Fight for the Keys As the evening wore on, bellies warmed with wine mellowed the conversation into a pleasant murmur. The orchestra's music died down, and Yu Hongxi walked up to the stage. Anticipation rose as all eyes turned to the woman in red. "Thank you, all of you, for coming to my daughter's birthday celebration. "Let me get straight to it. As you all know, I've put up several Golden Dragon Secret Keys as the highlight of the celebrations today... "They are limited to those at the Resonant Master Stage, and all who are eligible are welcome. I dare not call our Golden Dragon Dao Fields peerless... but I think they are quite good," she said with dry wit. She then produced a golden key shaped like a dragon, its scales glittering with a mystical power. Many eyes were on that golden key between her fingers, and even some Dukes showed interest. The Golden Dragon Dao Fields were vast, their own world with many different levels. These secret keys might only allow access to the outer level, but the Dukes were interested in the depths. It was a pity that the Golden Dragon Dao Fields was a closely guarded property, the fruit of countless hours and fortunes poured into the project. Only the Golden Dragon Bank's people could cultivate inside, while others had to be invited. Not even Dukes were allowed entry freely. "That's the Golden Dragon Secret Key?" Li Luo squinted curiously. He didn't know much about the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, but it was probably pretty incredible to open a new space out of nowhere. "Golden Dragon Dao Fields... Creating something so incredible just speaks of the Golden Dragon Bank's power," the First Princess said with some awe. Jiang Qing'e looked at her. The First Princess had always been attracted to power. She herself was one of the most influential people in the royal court, which was the foremost power in the Xia Kingdom. And yet an anomaly like the Golden Dragon Bank was enough to make even her feel powerless. Still, it was a comment that did not require a comment. "It seems we have strong competition," Jiang Qing'e remarked to Li Luo. He nodded glumly. Yu Hongxi had said that any Resonant Master could participate, which made the odds suck for a first-tier like himself. No matter how strong he was, the odds of him beating third-tiers like Zhu Xuan or Ye Qiuding were very low. An unfair competition! "Take heart. I doubt the keys will be decided in a straight-up brawl, Jiang Qing'e said. "Mm. Today is Lu Qing'er's birthday after all. It would be quite unsightly to fight here. The method of the contest must be something else." The First Princess agreed. Li Luo nodded. He would see how it went. If there was a chance, he could give it a shot. Otherwise, no point in forcing it. "This contest for the Golden Dragon Secret Keys will not be a fight of steel and fist," Yu Hongxi continued. "We will use another method." She raised a hand, and her resonant power flowed through the crowd, parting it gently until a wide area was cleared. Around the area, her resonant power formed a screen of light. "The Golden Dragon Dao Fields are not without their perils. Inside, one may occasionally encounter the Green Alioth, a savage manifestation of wind-based energy. The Golden Dragon Secret Key will shield you, but it is still a great threat. "The test will be a simulation of the Green Alioth. All who wish to compete only need to step within the area in front. The one who lasts the longest against the Green Alioth I summon shall win the Golden Dragon Secret Key," Yu Hongxi said, pointing at the area she had demarcated with resonant power. There was a loud muttering of surprise at this. After some deliberation, Zhu Xuan was the first to confidently stride in. Following which, Ye Qiuding, Mo Ling, Wang Hejiu, Duze Beixuan, and a few others followed. Soon enough, there were a dozen people in the middle, all the elite seeds of the Astral Sage College. "So that's how it is..." Li Luo smiled to himself. In a straight fight, he would have slim odds of beating third-tier Resonant Masters like Zhu Xuan and the others. But in endurance... He had created his Unyielding Form after being beaten up by Jiang Qing'e in the last few days! He could use it! "No need to thank me," Jiang Qing'e said with a kind smile. Li Luo scowled at her. This plump swan was getting ahead of herself. After all the pecking of the last few days, she expected thanks? Black-hearted! He ignored her, walking up into the space. Lu Qing'er clenched her fists tightly when she saw him move forward. Her face was emotionless, but inside, she rooted for him. Yu Hongxi's eyes did not miss Lu Qing'er's excitement. She knew her daughter too well. Her daughter was excited and nervous. But skilled as Li Luo was, he was only a first-tier. It would be an uphill climb to best out the third-tier competitors. Li Luo noticed a reticent Qin Zhulu right beside him. "You're interested in such celebrations too? Interested in the secret key?" Qin Zhulu looked at him. "My dad made me come," he grunted. "He said it was this, or accompany him to the brothel." Li Luo swallowed.?Damn, your father's a real madman. Are you sure you're really his son? He threw Qin Zhulu a look of sympathy, but he was not sure of what else to say. The competitors assembled, Yu Hongxi took out a jade bottle that was carved with intricate runes of light. The sound of howling began. "Prepare yourselves." With a smile, she flicked a bead of resonant power at the jade bottle's opening, then a powerful, green gale blasted towards Li Luo and the others. Chapter 207: Green Alioth Whoo! Whoo! The green gale built up to a howling frenzy, and even those behind the screen of light could not suppress an involuntary shudder. All eyes were on the youngsters in front as they were swallowed up in the tempest. Zhu Xuan's own fiery-red resonant power flared to life, flickering against the impact of the wind. Lower eighth-grade fire resonance. The captain of the strongest Two Star Hall team. Zhu Xuan's strength and potential were beyond doubt. Indeed, he stood tall with confidence. Behind him, Ye Qiuding, Mo Ling, Duze Beixuan, Wang Hejiu, and the others followed suit, their own resonant powers braced and ready for the onslaught of the Green Alioth. Shoosh! In the instant that the Green Alioth swept over them, they cringed in fear. The Green Alioth had some sort of penetrating power, breezing past their defenses to attack their bodies directly. Shing! Soon, all of their flesh was ripped and tattered, glistening with gashes that dripped with blood. The Green Alioth was much stronger than they had anticipated. But no one budged an inch. Everyone here was strong, and not the kind who would give up at the first sign of trouble. Li Luo looked at the wounds barely covered by his tattered clothing with mild interest. "Quite a stiff breeze," he mumbled to himself. Yu Hongxi's Green Alioth was many levels weaker than the real deal, but it was still enough to shred their resonant power defenses. And this was just the beginning. Whoo! The green wind came at them relentlessly, blowing through every crack in their defenses to eat at their flesh. At the start, everyone held on fine, but as time wore on, more and more pained faces could be seen. Everyone was bleeding freely now, flecks of blood vanishing into the winds. Some feet were wavering, steadily being forced back by the Green Alioth. If they were pushed out of the light screen, they would be considered eliminated. The stronger ones, like Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding, stood at the front, their strength advantage allowing them to anchor themselves firmly. The second-tier Resonant Masters were slipping backwards. Li Luo as well. He saw that Duze Beixuan and Wang Hejiu were a step ahead of him, both bleeding freely and slipping backwards as well. "Li Luo! Looks like you're going to be eliminated first!" Duze Beixuan shouted through gritted teeth. Li Luo was speechless.?Damn, you're getting wrecked yourself. Do you have no shame? He ignored them, looking ahead to where Qin Zhulu was still standing his ground. However, his wounds were fairly horrendous. His upper eighth-grade Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance had the notable resilience of all beast resonances, which was the main reason why he could hold on. There were not more than five people who could still hold their ground here. Outside the light screen, Jiang Qing'e was watching Li Luo intently as he was forced back step by step. "The disadvantage in cultivation level is clear," the First Princess said softly. This might not be a head-to-head fight, but Zhu Xuan and the others had a clear advantage still. "It's still too early to say," Jiang Qing'e replied. The First Princess laughed softly, her red phoenix-eyes on Li Luo. "What trump card does he have now? You make me curious..." Jiang Qing'e smiled. The First Princess was an astute woman, to glean so much from her simple reply. On stage, Lu Qing'er was watching Li Luo with her heart in her throat as well. Each time he was forced back a step, she trembled in fear. And seeing his skin torn to shreds, she could not help but worry even though she knew they were just superficial wounds. At the same time, she was thinking that if Li Luo really couldn't get a Golden Dragon Secret Key here, she would think of another way to secure him one... Only high-level associates at the Golden Dragon Bank could get the keys. She was already assessing which would be easiest to target... Li Luo was starting to feel his limit approaching. He took a deep breath and waited no more. "Unyielding Form!" With a low but firm growl, he activated both resonance seeds within him, and his resonant power kicked in, blue and green mixing within him. Warm healing power bubbled out of him, washing across his entire body in a flush of power that faded away with his wounds. He began to heal at a supernatural pace. By the time the Green Alioth left the finishing taper of a scar on his skin, the opening end had already begun to heal. Li Luo's backwards movement stopped. And incredibly, he took a step forward. "Eh?" The crowd noticed it immediately, the only salmon moving upriver against the raging rapids. Moreover, it was the first-tier Resonant Master Li Luo. Some of the second-tier challengers had already been forced out. Li Luo brushed aside the droplets of blood forming on his cheeks as he braved the wind, taking step after steady step forward. He moved past a dumbstruck Duze Beixuan and Wang Hejiu. "Impossible!" they whispered hoarsely. Li Luo was weaker than them. Surely dual resonances were not enough to overcome the Green Alioth, right? Li Luo had no attention to spare them. He plodded on, step after step, until he passed Qin Zhulu. Qin Zhulu followed his advance with a hungry look. He licked his lips... This Li Luo was always a surprise. He wanted to go some hard and heavy rounds with him, to test the power of the dual resonances for himself. Qin Zhulu gritted his teeth, and dug deeper. The roar of a tiger rumbled from his throat, and a golden tiger shimmered into view superimposed on his body. Green Alioth fought Golden Tiger in a shower of sparks. Qin Zhulu stood firm. Li Luo halted right beside him, no longer moving forward. He could sense that the green light from Yu Hongxi's bottle was intensifying, charging up for an even more savage attack. The outcome of the Golden Dragon Secret Key would depend on this next wave... Chapter 208: Go With the Wind As Yu Hongxi's jade bottle shone even brighter, the crowd watched, enthralled. They could feel that the upcoming wave was going to be something huge. With it, the final result would be decided. At the head of the pack was Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding. Both were third-tier Resonant Masters, and their resonant power could hold out the longest. Slightly behind them were two or three other bright stars, slightly older than the leaders, but extremely promising in talent. They had failed to enter the Astral Sage College for various reasons, but they had applied themselves with great diligence and were still extremely skilled. Behind them, Li Luo and Qin Zhulu. They were definitely the weakest ones left, cultivation-wise. But still, just making it this far was already a surprise. Many in the crowd shook their heads in amazement and accepted it as the power of the Astral Sage College's elites. Wang Hejiu, Duze Beixuan, and the others were the last in the pack. They were in trouble, steadily being forced back by the Green Alioth. Weng! Following a loud screech, a green wall of wind shot forth with a new intensity, intent on smashing everything in its way against the light screen. This blast was enough to force Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding back several steps, their defenses crumbling rapidly under the onslaught. Streaks of blood appeared on their bodies. If even these two were in trouble, there was no need to mention those behind them. The second-tier Resonant Masters were out of the game. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu were again sliding back several steps. With a defiant roar, Qin Zhulu's skin glowed with a faint, golden sheen that did not hide the redness of his face. His defenses strengthened by another tier. Even so, the Green Alioth continued to mercilessly lay into him. His eyes had a wildness in them that matched the wind. He stood his ground, seemingly oblivious to the pain he had to be feeling. Li Luo's resonant power was not as strong, so he was now behind Qin Zhulu again. Still, Unyielding Form was helping him to stay in roughly the same spot. However, he could feel his resonant power being depleted at a frightening pace, fueling his healing. Such was the cost of Unyielding Form. At this rate, Li Luo feared he might not make it to the end of this wave of the Green Alioth. While Li Luo held strong with Unyielding Form, Wang Hejiu, Duze Beixuan, and the others had been swept out past the barrier. Eliminated. Duze Beixuan's foot slipped for the last time, and he was propelled out of the arena. His flight was calmed by the steady hand of his elder sister, Duze Honglian. Duze Beixuan let his dismay show. "How can Li Luo possibly last so long?!" he demanded. Both he and Wang Hejiu were clearly stronger than Li Luo. Duze Honglian stared at the silver-haired youth with a deep frown. "The Green Alioth is scarring him badly, but if you look closely, you'll see that he's healing at a rapid rate... "If I'm not wrong, it's the regenerative powers of the water and wood resonances combined. He's accelerated his healing greatly." Dual resonances were looking more and more nasty to deal with by the day. Individually, neither resonance was considered high-grade. And yet put together, they achieved unusual results time and again. "But his resonant power is depleting rapidly, which means this accelerated healing costs him greatly. Given his resonant power tier, he won't make it until the end of this wave," Duze Honglian predicted confidently. "After this wave, probably only Zhu Xuan, Ye Qiuding, and Qin Zhulu will be left." Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan nodded. This was an outcome they could accept. Qin Zhulu, the undisputed first of their year that they acknowledged. As for Li Luo, his elimination would go a long way to soothing their wounded prides. Just as Duze Honglian predicted, more and more people caved before the wind, flying out like uprooted trees. Only four were left now: Zhu Xuan, Ye Qiuding, Qin Zhulu, and Li Luo. Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding's clothing were badly tattered and bloodstained, but their resonant powers were holding strong. As for Qin Zhulu, he was just using the power of his Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance to fight on. All eyes were on Li Luo. Even Duze Honglian could sense his resonant power dwindling away rapidly. How could the stronger people present not sense it? The prediction was 30 breaths' time. After that, Li Luo would be shriveled and spent. Which meant that the secret keys would probably go to Zhu Xuan, Ye Qiuding, and Qin Zhulu. On stage, Lu Qing'er's knuckles were white from anxiety. Jiang Qing'e's gaze was steady. She also refused to give up. Yu Hongxi was watching Li Luo too. He had surprised them all to make it this far, but it was about time. Water and wood might have boosted his recovery by a lot, but he was still a first-tier Resonant Master. The lack of resonant power should undo him. Li Luo stood unflinchingly against the wind, but he could feel the resonance seeds dry up within him. The searing pain was getting backed by an increasing pressure, but all of this only made him calmer. Calm as a lake in winter. "It's almost time..." In these last few days, he had suppressed the feeling of an oncoming breakthrough, and now he let it go. His resonance seeds trembled within. Resonant power patterns began to bloom across his resonance seeds, becoming more and more numerous until they joined together to faintly resemble a flower. Weng! A curious keening started to sound from within his body. The worldly natural energies were bending around him. Bottling up within him. He absorbed them all, as if he were a forest and all the bits of energy were birds here to roost. They settled onto the branches, coming home to their rightful place, his resonance seeds. The parched seeds shone with a renewed luster. Li Luo's resonant power kicked back into gear, a higher gear. His healing powers were enhanced, and Unyielding Form was now even stronger than before. Loud gasps broke the tense silence, and even those like Yu Hongxi and the First Princess were staring with eyes wide. Of course they knew... Li Luo had made the breakthrough to the second-tier, the Pattern Genesis Tier. He had made clever and risky use of the Green Alioth's pressure... Chapter 209: Zhu Xuans Request Li Luo finished his breakthrough to collective surprise. "That bastard! Not again!" Duze Beixuan shouted in disbelief. Li Luo had done the same damn thing during the ranking battles to stop their ultimate move. "Not exactly. His last breakthrough was probably a clutch, but this one... Seems like he's been holding it back for a while," Wang Hejiu said. Duze Honglian nodded. "It was too smooth a breakthrough. He must have been holding it in reserve for a while..." "Sly dog. Did he know Yu Hongxi was going to call the Green Alioth?" "Or perhaps Lu Qing'er told him beforehand," Duze Beixuan said. "We can't rule that out," Wang Hejiu said, irritated. ... "Did Li Luo get inside information on this?" the First Princess asked Jiang Qing'e half jokingly. "If I said no, you would believe me?" The First Princess bit her lip. Jiang Qing'e was impossible to rile. "If others said no, I might not believe them, but if you said it, Id believe it." She smiled. Jiang Qing'e was too proud a character to lie. Which meant that Li Luo had come well prepared. Blind to the requirements of this challenge, he had simply kept a trump card for the advantage of surprise. The First Princess smiled to herself. Li Luo was quite different from his parents and Jiang Qing'e... The other three were all straightforward brilliance, shining brightly as the sun, proudly and without the need to hide. But Li Luo was like wheat in the field, soaking up light and looking unremarkable. Until suddenly he wasn't. ... Yu Hongxi's jade bottle fizzled, the Green Alioth receding. She looked at the still-standing Li Luo, and did not miss the joy in her daughter's eyes. Yu Hongxi sighed. To think that Li Luo would still hide something like that... Plus, she had not even told Lu Qing'er about the test format, worried that she might tell Li Luo beforehand. The Green Alioth that she had summoned should have disadvantaged Li Luo in every way. Was he on guard against her? Or was it a coincidence? The boy might look harmless, but he was as deep as an iceberg. How had Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan raised a boy so different from themselves? In terms of personality, it was clearly their disciple Jiang Qing'e who took after them more. When the wind faded, Yu Hongxi walked up to the four survivors. "Congratulations for making it to the end." She flicked a finger, and four golden beams of light shot out towards them. The four received the golden, dragon-shaped keys gratefully. They felt cool in their hands, gleaming with a mystic energy. "The Golden Dragon Dao Fields will open in a month's time. Bring that key to the Golden Dragon Bank, and we will send you in." The four nodded. "Now go rest," she said with a kind smile. Golden Dragon Bank experts moved forward to treat their wounds and offer a change of clothes. Li Luo refused medical attention, having already healed all of his wounds. He went to a side room to get changed, and he found someone waiting when he came back out. A head of fire-red hair. Zhu Xuan. Li Luo planned to walk right past him, but Zhu Xuan deliberately stepped in his way. "Yes?" Zhu Xuan could not be considered typically handsome, but there was an appealing confidence and swagger to his manner. His iron grip on the top rank of the Two Star Hall probably added to that confidence. "Junior Li Luo," he said with a thin smile. "I've heard much about you, and today I see that your dual resonances live up to their reputation." "Ah, youre very kind. I presume you didn't wait for me here just to offer these kind words?" "Indeed. There is something I hope you agree to." "Go on." "It's nothing much," Zhu Xuan said frankly. "Four of us have Golden Dragon Secret Keys. I hear that when we enter the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, it will be in teams. I hope that if Lu Qing'er comes to find you inside, you can turn her down. I want to be in her group. "This is President Yu's wish too. She hinted this, and my father approves fully as well. I know that Junior Li Luo and Lu Qing'er have a good relationship, so I would be very grateful if you refused her." He smiled broadly. "House Jiyan would also be very grateful." Li Luo showed no surprise at this request. "Heh, maybe you misunderstood President Yu's intentions?" "Junior Li Luo, that is beside the point. Consider my request. House Luolan is in a poor state, harrowed badly by House Duze. If House Jiyan moves against you at this time, I fear that House Luolan might just crack," he said with no pretense. "Wow. A threat?" "I just hope Junior Li Luo can consider my suggestion. I dont think you would refuse a new friend. "Or do you have plans for Lu Qing'er?" Li Luo shook his head and stuck out two fingers. "Two points. Firstly, Jiyan and Luolan have always been on bad terms. Do you think I believe House Jiyan doesn't wish to kick House Luolan while it's down? You very badly wish to. But House Jinque is holding you back. So don't come pretending you're some kind soul in front of me. Second, Lu Qing'er is my friend. If she needs my help, I will offer it. You want me to turn away a friend... Sorry, but just how deluded are you?" Li Luo looked right at Zhu Xuan's rapidly souring face. "Besides, you should be talking to Lu Qing'er about this. If you're sincere enough, she just might consider it. Your brain must have overheated from your fire resonance to come to me with these petty calculations." Zhu Xuan's smile was completely gone now. He nodded. "Junior Li Luo, you're a lot more stubborn than I imagined. Very well, words are wasted on you, but I hope the day doesn't come where you wish they had not been." He left, waving over his shoulder. Well, that was that. Li Luo ignored the threats. There had never been bridges between House Jiyan and House Luolan to burn anyway. They got on like oil and water. Still, House Luolan was in a difficult state. He turned and hadn't gone two steps when he saw two stars shining brightly at him. They were not in the darkening sky, but instead in the sockets of Lu Qing'er's face, right above her bright smile. Chapter 210: Tool Lu Qing'er was hiding in the pillar's shadow, her pale skin glowing like a crystal. She was even more enchanting with the contrast, her long, dark hair cascading down to her waist. Li Luo jumped a little. "You heard the guy?" Lu Qing'er's smile was filled with delight. She nodded. "I thought the Young Lord would sell me out." Had Zhu Xuan approached him knowing that Lu Qing'er was nearby? If he had shown any signs of wavering in his reply, Lu Qing'er wouldve been sad. If so, that guy was more canny than he had thought. "Zhu Xuan is quite low, although he's the young lord of House Jiyan. Childish requests. I dont think he's very sincere about you. Might want to be careful." Li Luo sighed. Sneaky or otherwise, Li Luo wasted no time in painting him as black as he could. Lu Qing'er rolled her eyes at him. "I don't care whether he's sincere or not. I wouldn't get on the same team as him in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields." "He will be heartbroken. He's so eager," Li Luo said. "He's just after my mother's hold on the Golden Dragon Bank." She sniffed. "You can't make him out to be so bad... What if he wants both the girl and the gold?" Li Luo suggested. "In his sweet dreams!" Lu Qing'er's eyes flashed dangerously. "Li Luo, you wouldn't sell me out because others tempted you, right? "I'm not too familiar with the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, but I hear that other countries' branches also send people. Competition is intense. I need a reliable teammate," she said winsomely. Li Luo thumped his chest. "Don't worry. Given how close we are, Zhu Xuan could offer to dismantle House Jiyan into wooden planks and I wouldn't bat an eyelid." Lu Qing'er was over the moon. "Now can you sheath that dagger?" Li Luo asked plaintively. He pointed to her other hand, where she held a gleaming, icy dagger. "Oh this? Hehe, don't misunderstand. I'm just using it to peel fruits. Here." She handed over a beautifully peeled fruit. Li Luo stared at her. Still, he and Lu Qing'er went way back. If she needed help in the Dao Fields, he wasn't going to turn her away. He took a big bite. "Your ice resonance reached the eighth-grade?" Lu Qing'er nodded happily. "I'm jealous," he said, sighing. He could just imagine the amount of spirit liquids and purifying lights needed to make that leap. Yu Hongxi was really a wealthy woman. Who wouldn't want her daughter? "Perhaps the Young Lord blessed with dual resonances should not envy my little lower eighth-grade ice resonance. After all, you've already beaten two lower eighth-grades," she stated with a laugh. Duze Beixuan and Wang Hejiu. Li Luo grinned as well. He was happy enough to pass time in pleasant conversation with her, but soon enough, a servant came to inform her that President Yu was calling. Lu Qing'er had no choice but to go. Today was her birthday after all. She waved wistfully to him and turned to leave. Li Luo headed back to the main room to find Jiang Qing'e. She was with the First Princess, who smiled at Li Luo's return. "After the reception ends, we'll trouble Junior Li Luo for a bit of your time." Li Luo nodded. This was clearly a hopeless task, but he had to go through the motions of it. After all, it was their chance to firm up a connection with the First Princess. Both parties were happy to do this. The candles wore down with the night, and people began to take their leave. The First Princess smiled at Yu Hongxi. "President Yu, we thank you for lending us your space." Yu Hongxi nodded. "Think nothing of it. After so long, His Majesty must be bored." The First Princess laughed. "Out of the palace, everything is interesting to him." Yu Hongxi laughed at that. "This way, please." She led them into an inner villa and stopped outside a room. Li Luo felt many presences lurking in the shadows. Bodyguards. Yu Hongxi pushed open the door, and the First Princess led Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo in. "Mom, what are they doing?" Lu Qing'er asked in a hushed voice. "The First Princess wants Li Luo to try and treat the Emperor." "Really? I heard that many Dukes could do nothing about the Emperor's natural frailty... why would she have Li Luo try?" Yu Hongxi smiled. "Another ax to grind." A jolt of understanding. So they were just using Li Luo as a tool [1] 1. Recently took illustrations of Lu Qing'er and Li Luo from the author's weibo. https://imgur.com/a/stN2YV8 Chapter 211: Healing Test Li Luo stepped into the brightly lit room and found himself face-to-face with the boy he had met before. This time he was dressed in plain robes, although his youthful features still exuded a casual confidence. The foremost power in the Xia Kingdom's royal court was something different. "Your Majesty." Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e bowed slightly in greeting. He nodded gravely, eyes on Li Luo. He still remembered the guy who had deceived him at the Golden Dragon Bank. The little emperor was sitting on the edge of the divan, a grey-cloaked old man with a sallow face beside him. The old man's eyes seemed almost shut, and he rocked back and forth weakly. Yet Li Luo could sense a tremendous aura from this person. This had to be one of the strongest experts within the royal palace. Clearly, the First Princess had made preparations for his visit and also... precautions. If during the healing process he did anything untoward, the grey-cloaked old man would probably sense it and intervene. The First Princess grasped the little emperor's hand briefly. She turned to Li Luo, wasting no words. "Can we start?" There was a carelessness to her attitude, despite her friendliness. Li Luo could sense that she held no hope at all regarding this healing. If not for the fact that the First Princess wanted to coat this courting of Jiang Qing'e with some subtlety, she might have even skipped these motions entirely. Still, Li Luo said nothing about it. He understood that he was a tool, but House Luolan would be helped by this connection, so he did not mind. "Junior Li Luo, please remember that nothing that happens here today should leave these walls." She warned him, then she had the little emperor remove his shirt and face his back to them. His back was scrawny, the bones of his shoulder blades and spine clearly visible behind his sallow skin. No one paid much attention to this because they saw a lotus flower etched onto his back in a faint hue of dark green. However, half the "green lotus" was stained black. It gave him an ominous feeling. Li Luo could not tell if he was imagining things, but the black half almost seemed alive and moving. The sinister blackness was eating away at the green lotus on the little emperor's back. Changing it into a black lotus. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e stared at it with sick fascination, riveted by the ghastly sight. "This..." Li Luo hesitated. "This is His Majesty's illness... The green lotus has been on his back since birth. It is a rare trait called the Yin Yang Green Lotus. It is considered a benign, even blessed, sign. "But for some reason, it mutated, invaded by the blackness, as you can see. Our sources say that once the green lotus turns completely black, His Majesty's flesh will decay. The odds of survival are ten percent," the First Princess said, her voice hoarse as she ran her polished nails tenderly across the lotus design. "In all these years, we have found many water, wood, and light resonance experts to treat him. There were even Dukes of uncommon talent, but none of them could work any change to this. We can only mitigate the black invasion with medicine. "There are not many Dukes in the Xia Kingdom, and dual resonance Dukes with dual healing elements are even rarer. Wood and waterJunior Li Luo, you give me hope. Perhaps if one day you can become a Duke, perhaps you could truly heal His Majesty." Li Luo sighed inwardly. This seemed hopeless. Still, he had to follow through; otherwise, things would get really awkward. He sat down on the edge of the divan and smiled at the boy. "Hello, Your Majesty. We meet again." The little emperor looked at him disdainfully from the corner of his eye. "Liar." Well, that was a little embarrassing. He had indeed incited the fight between the little emperor and Duze Beixuan. How was he supposed to know that the kid was actually the little emperor himself... But then again, his deception must have been all too clear to the emperor, who must have just been playing along. Li Luo squirmed a little. This boy was still a child, but he was not to be messed with. Li Luo coughed. "Well, er, Your Majesty, I'll begin, then." The little emperor ignored him, completely uninterested. Li Luo did not mind his attitude. He was fully focused now, bringing forth his dual resonances. Blue and green power concentrated on his palm. Although everyone was just going through the motions, Li Luo was going to take this seriously. His best healing power glowed, warming his palm. The First Princess was interested in his dual resonances, so she was watching closely. The reticent man in grey nodded from under hooded lids. This was indeed dual resonance power. And yet somehow the water and wood elements seemed especially bright. Of course, this brightness was due to the light resonant energy imbued within, although it was well-hidden under the stronger primary resonances. Sapphire-blue and jade-green orbs met in his palm, condensing against each other until Li Luo created a single drop of liquid energy, which he carefully placed on the lotus tattoo. Weng! The drop of liquid energy was sucked into the lotus like a drop of rain on parched soil. Everyone looked on with a faint glimmer of hope, despite themselves. Chapter 212: Healing Result Bated breath in the room, the bystanders bent over the little emperor's back. "No hope, no chance,"?every single one of them thought. And yet The lotus tattoo on the little emperor's back remained unchanged. There was a resigned look in the First Princess' red phoenix eyes. She sighed softly to herself, battling a disappointment she thought she had been ready for. The other Duke healers often administered their treatments with loud whirls of sound and fury, sometimes causing the green light to grow strongly, battling the black lotus' qi at other times. Of course, all of those tries had failed to do much. Still, at least such epic struggles stirred hope within. This completely unremarkable action left them a little unsure of how to feel. Li Luo's resonant power seemed to be too weak to even effect any change. Li Luo looked a little embarrassed himself. "Junior Li Luo, don't take it to heart," the First Princess said kindly. "This is not the first failed attempt." Li Luo hung his head. "I'm sorry you took the trouble, Your Majesty." The little boy nodded mutely, his face a little faint as it usually was. Li Luo rose and moved towards Jiang Qing'e, who gave him a sympathetic look as well. "Your Highness, since the attempt has been made, we'll be taking our leave," Jiang Qing'e said simply. Both sides had achieved what they had come here to do. The First Princess inclined her head, giving them permission to go. "Wait." A hoarse voice rasped. The First Princess looked curiously at the grey-cloaked old man beside the bed, as did Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e, for whom he was still an enigma. "Grey One, is there something wrong?" the First Princess asked. The old man's hooded eyes flared open, bright, profound eyes that locked onto the little emperor's back. "Your Majesty, let me have a closer look," he said in a voice like dry paper. The little emperor looked at him, nodding as he stopped dressing himself. The old man's eyes began to glow, as he carefully inspected the little emperor's lotus tattoo. The First Princess could sense something strange about his manner. She knew how powerful he was, and that he might well see something they could not. But was the change for better or worse? Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were standing worriedly together. What if the attempt had instead worsened the little emperor's condition? Surely not. A little Resonant Master cultivator like him couldn't cause much harm The tension built in the silence, until even the First Princess was watching with rigid attention under the bright lights. If the little emperor came to any harm here because of her, there would be hell to pay in the royal court tomorrow. Her reputation was on the line. The old man continued his meticulous inspection for several minutes. On his face was surprise and shock. Li Luo watched the rollercoaster of emotions on his face.?Damn, say something, old man! My heart can't take this much longer! He finally finished his inspection. "Your Highness," he turned to the First Princess, "there is indeed a very slight change in the lotus tattoo on His Majesty's back." "What change?" she whispered, almost afraid to hear the answer. He hesitated, then pointed at the lotus tattoo. "After my examination, I have determined that the black lotus energy has receded a little." They stared at the spot where he had pointed. It was a protrusion in the black design that was incredibly smallperhaps the size of a tiny petal, if the black lotus was a fully bloomed flower. And... It was still black! Li Luo stared intently at the spot. He could not detect any difference. It looked black as it could be to him. That was it? Was the old man exaggerating? The First Princess ran the two steps forward. "Grey One, are you sure? The blackness has faded a little?" She could not overlook this. The black lotus energy had faded a little? That was something none of the experts had been able to achieve thus far. By their explanations, the black lotus energy was a product of dual resonances and was exceptionally tricky to undo. But why had it become fainter? A small change, but still a change. The old man known as Grey One nodded solemnly. "Your Highness, I might be getting on in my years, but my eyesight is as good as ever. And I have memorized every minute detail of the lotus tattoo after all these years. My judgment is without error." The First Princess breathed out deeply, her heavy bosom heaving. "The cause?" Grey One was silent for a moment. "I know it sounds unbelievable, but the only possibility is our friend here." This was hard to swallow, even for the logical minds of the First Princess and Jiang Qing'e. "Surely not?" Even Li Luo himself forced a dry chuckle. None of this was making sense. The great Duke healers had failed, and he could do it? "Could it be a natural recovery by His Majesty?" Li Luo offered. He sure didn't want them to pin the heavy responsibility of healing the little emperor on him. What if it went wrong? Who was going to shoulder the blame? Grey One shook his head silently but firmly. He had looked after the little emperor all these years. Of course he knew the lotus tattoo best. In all these years, the lotus tattoo had continued to worsen, the black spreading over the green. There had never been a reversal before. Their years of experience had taught them just how stubborn and deadly the black lotus energy was. Even dual resonance Dukes had struggled against it. They had even asked the principal of the Astral Sage College before. He was a King, but he was unsuited to healing. He had not been able to help at all. The black lotus energy could perhaps only be dispelled by someone who wielded all three healing resonances. But Kings were incredibly rare already, and the odds of finding the perfect King were astronomically slim. Which was why today's events had shocked the old man so deeply. He turned to the First Princess, awaiting her decision. Her face was frozen underneath the lights, then she turned to Li Luo. "We cannot pass up any opportunity, no matter how slim the chance might be. "Junior Li Luo, please try again!" If Li Luo's healing had some small effect, they could test it again to ascertain that the change was caused by him. Li Luo balked. She jerked forwards to him. "Junior Li Luo, this is very important. If you can heal His Majesty, the royal court will be indebted to you!" she pleaded. "I'll support you in everything you desire!" He could not help but blush at such a goddess begging him so fervently. "Eh, but..." he stammered. "Tha- that was the last drop." He was just a little Resonant Master. How would these General Stage experts understand how dry he was?! Chapter 213: A Step Closer The First Princess blushed at his words. "I'm sorry, I have pushed you without consideration." Li Luo was only a Resonant Master. That single drop of liquid energy was all he had. He had to be 80 or 90 percent spent now. Truly wrung dry. But... An apologetic look arose in her red phoenix eyes. "Junior Li Luo," she said softly, "I know my request is unfair, but still I must make it. We have to ascertain the cause of the change. "I ask for your help one more time. If you can really treat the Emperor, we will all be deeply indebted... "Whenever you wish, at any time, call and we will answer to repay this debt." Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e looked at each other with uncertainty. What was the First Princess implying? Or did she know that House Luolan had trouble headed its way? It was not unthinkable. As the center of power, the royal court's intelligence networks ran deep, as did its power. It sat at the core of a great network of information, while House Luolan was merely at a fringe position. However, was she referring to the unknown agent moving against them? Or worse, was the royal court itself involved in the conspiracy? In the absence of more information, everyone else was suspect. After all, House Luolan had a great treasure to protect, one that held the secret to becoming a King. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e exchanged a look, seeing the answer they needed in the other's eyes. They needed a strong ally. Perhaps the First Princess had been willing to draw closer ties with Jiang Qing'e before, but it would have been a cautious and reserved relationship. Before Jiang Qing'e formally reached the Duke Stage, their relationship would have been rather casual. That was all they could have hoped for. After all, one was the center of power, the other was a beaten house. If they wanted to renegotiate the relationship, they would have to bring something worthy to the table. Who would have thought that the day would come so soon? And the negotiating table itself had become the negotiating chip. Li Luo suddenly had the First Princess losing her composure... Could he really have the power to heal the little emperor's natural frailty? No onenot the First Princess, and not even Li Luo himselfhad believed anything would come of this, and yet the Grey One had spoken with conviction. The temptation of the little emperor's health had drawn deep commitment from the First Princess, and now the threads of fate had drawn them close. The commitment that they would answer when House Luolan was in need. Such was the importance of the little emperor's wellbeing. "Your Highness, I will try again." Li Luo nodded. "But I will need a few hours. My resonant power is completely spent." A few hours was a tricky duration. Neither long, nor short. And yet the little emperor had a schedule to keep. He had to return to the palace in time. The First Princess took out a jade bottle, shaking out a single pill. "This is a revivification pill. It can greatly boost your resonant power recovery. I think you will find that it is exactly what you need." Li Luo was tempted to say that he could recover by himself, but considering his state, he decided it was wiser to accept it. He swallowed it, then he sat down in the lotus position to recover his lost resonant power. The little emperor was looking at Li Luo. "Grey One, can... can he really make me well again?" The grey-cloaked old man smiled tenderly at him. "Your Majesty, there is certainly a slight fading of darkness in one corner of the lotus tattoo. That is a hard fact. "Whether it is due to Li Luo... We will need him to test it again. The little emperor looked at Li Luo with doubt. Could he really be a better healer than all the Dukes? The little emperor was so caught up in his thoughts that his face started to flush red, and soon a wheezing cough followed, along with a wracking pain that contorted his face in misery. He clutched the divan and keeled over. The old man knew at a glance that the boy had become too worked up, which had triggered an episode. He pulled out medicine and made the little emperor swallow. The First Princess quickly came to his side as well, calming him. She turned to Jiang Qing'e. "I have never dreamed that this would happen." Both knew that this was supposed to be nothing more than playing doctor, but things had gotten real all of a sudden. "With him around," Jiang Qing'e noted with amusement, "miracles have a way of happening." The First Princess smiled. "Before this, I would have doubted it. After tonight? No longer." "Your Highness, don't get your hopes up before we confirm things..." If Li Luo truly had the ability, that would be ideal. But if this were all just a false alarm, then the royal court members would be crushed. The First Princess gave her a slight nod in acknowledgment, then she settled down quietly to wait for Li Luo to recover. It took close to an hour. When Li Luo opened his eyes again, he could feel many people staring at him in silence. He immediately went to the little emperor's side. Both palms bringing resonant power forth, he squeezed out another drop of precious healing energy, which he dripped onto the lotus tattoo. Everyone held their breath. The same resultno disturbance, and the drop vanishing into the back. The squinted eyes of the old man were wider than ever before, his breathing ragged with excitement. "Well? Grey One?" There was an unusual note of anxiety in the First Princess' voice. His face was solemn as he nodded. "Your Majesty, Your Highness... A bit of black lotus energy has indeed faded with Li Luo's drop of power." The First Princess sank down into a chair. For once, her red phoenix eyes turned truly red as tears of happiness welled. Chapter 214: Im Out You could hear a pin drop in the silence of the room. Who was Li Luo? Who am I??Even Li Luo himself was starting to wonder. One drop of healing energy at a time, he was the light at the end of the dark tunnel of despair that the Xia royal court had been in. And as he grew stronger, it seemed expectable that he could thoroughly free the little emperor from his condition. A miracle, one that not even the worldly old man in grey could explain. The First Princess struggled for composure. How many years had she agonized over the boy's condition? The years of disappointment had run her ragged before she knew it. The little emperor was her direct kin. Back when her father had fallen, he had entrusted the boy to her. She had done her best, but the affliction had resisted her best efforts. She moved to Li Luo's side. The silver-haired youth's wavering eyes met her red phoenix ones with uncertainty. "Li Luo," she asked softly. "Can you help me? Can you treat His Majesty?" Li Luo smiled weakly at her. "If I wasn't willing, we wouldn't be here." The First Princess nodded. "Treat him. The royal court begs you." Li Luo understood that she was announcing their debt for this deed. Of course, allies would not always remain so. But at least it was a guaranteed umbrella of safety for the foreseeable future. Fate had zipped them up together in a tight seam. "I don't understand what's happening myself," Li Luo admitted. He reached out to grasp the First Princess' trembling hand. "But I'll do my best." They clasped hands tightly but briefly. The First Princess' perfect features turned to Jiang Qing'e. "Junior Jiang, you are my lucky star." If not for Jiang Qing'e, the First Princess would never have suggested that Li Luo treat the little emperor. "Your Highness, I hope you can keep this matter of Li Luo's healing a secret as well," Jiang Qing'e said with a small smile. The royal court was always full of intrigue. The young king's star was rising, but he was not yet in full power, even with the First Princess behind him. Jiang Qing'e might not understand the full extent of the court's machinations, but she sensed that it might not be wise for Li Luo's healing abilities to be too widely known. It might well invite trouble. The First Princess's eyelids flicked with understanding. "Don't worry, I intend to keep it quiet. But... I cannot hide it forever. After all, His Majesty's condition is constantly watched by the healers as well. There are too many tongues there to silence. Im sure you understand." Jiang Qing'e nodded. "As best as you can." The little emperor was too important to be overlooked for long, but perhaps they could buy some time. "And... "Li Luo might be able to treat His Majesty, but you have also seen how weak he is. At this rate, it will take all too long to remove the black lotus energy. It's not a feasible plan. I hope you do not rush Li Luo with the healing. Give him time. Let him increase his strength," Jiang Qing'e said. The First Princess was silent. She was not a hard-headed person, so she saw the logic in Jiang Qing'e's words. Li Luo had given them hope, but at this rate it was like pouring cups of water on a barn fire. Jiang Qing'e was suggesting that they stop using the cup so he could at least upgrade to a bucket or something. Farming the fish before you fished it. A wise strategy. "I understand. Of course. How about once every other month? "I think that when he enters the General Stage, there will be more marked progress." Li Luo sighed with relief. At least he wasn't going to be milked dry. Three times a day? Not even a body of iron would hold out. "But..." She smiled shyly at Li Luo. "Today is the first time, and we would ask a little more of Junior Li Luo. We still have three hours before we have to return to the palace. Would Junior Li Luo push one more healing?" She shook the bottle of revivification pills hopefully. "Three more times tonight, hmm?" Li Luo trembled in fear. Three? Three more times? They were really sucking him drier than a desert. He turned pleadingly to Jiang Qing'e, but she shrugged sympathetically. The deal was made. He surrendered, turning to take another revivification pill. He swallowed it down and settled back to let the recovery happen. In the next three hours, Li Luo pulled out three more healings. At the end, he stumbled out of the room, pale as a ghost. He wobbled straight past a bemused Yu Hongxi and Lu Qing'er, muttering, "I'm out, I'm out No more!" The mother and daughter looked at each other. What on earth had happened in that room? Chapter 215: A Helping Hand "Li Luo, are you alright?" Lu Qing'er asked with concern. "Just a little exhausted after treating His Majesty." Li Luo waved it off. Lu Qing'er pursed her lips doubtfully. She had been drained of resonant power before, but she had never looked as ill as Li Luo did right now. Still, he was on his own two feet. "President Yu, Li Luo has been worked hard today. We'll be taking our leave now," Jiang Qing'e said courteously. "Rest well." Yu Hongxi nodded kindly. Jiang Qing'e helped her silver-haired fiance out, Lu Qing'er's worried look escorting every staggering step. Not long after the pair left, the First Princess and the little emperor said their goodbyes and left as well. With the departure of the First Princess and the little emperor, the presences that had been lurking in the shadows left, their unseen bubble of protection moving with their charges. "Mom, do you think Li Luo's healing worked?" Lu Qing'er whispered. "Nonsense... The emperor's condition has stumped even Duke healers. Li Luo's dual resonances are poor imitations of the real deal." Yu Hongxi shook her head, all too used to her daughter's flights of fancy. And yet... Her Duke sensitivities had noted a lightness in the First Princess' steps when she departed. The little emperor even more sohis body language practically screamed with happiness. One did not rise up to lead the Golden Dragon Bank without developing a keen read of every situation. She felt that something extraordinary must have happened in the last few hours. But what could it be? Li Luo, the proxy for closer ties with Jiang Qing'e? Had he actually healed... ... The royal carriage made its stately way down the broad expanse of the street, the route secured and cleared ahead by a swarm of bodyguards. Inside, the little emperor's babyish face shone with excitement and eagerness. "Sis, am I really going to be healed?!" He tugged happily at her hand. "Can he really heal me?" His little head felt a little woozy from the excitement. It felt like a pizza had just fallen out of the sky. The First Princess' expression mirrored his own delight. She patted his head fondly. "We confirmed it, didn't we?" Back when Li Luo had given the little emperor his spirit liquid, she had been mildly surprised that it had the same effect as the little emperor's medicine, but she had not thought too much about it, thinking it was just a water resonance's effects. How wrong she had been. "But how did he do it?" The little emperor persisted. Her hand on his head paused thoughtfully. "Well... I find it strange as well. How indeed?" She directed the last two words at the grey-cloaked man next to them. "Young Lord Li Luo must be special... The condition should be difficult for ordinary dual resonances to resolve, and yet his can. There must be something unique about his powers that we have yet to discover. "If Your Highness has doubts, I can probe his resonant powers deeply next time for any strangeness." She considered it, then she shook her head. "No need. Li Luo's parents were extraordinary in many ways. Their methods were always differently inspired. It only makes sense that they left Li Luo something special. "Right now, we're on good terms with Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo, and we will need his strength to heal the emperor. We will not break this hard-won connection for privacy. "What's special about Li Luo's resonant power doesn't concern us too much. His ability to heal the king is the key here." The old man nodded. "Your Highness, are you intending to declare friendship with House Luolan?" the old man asked again. "Jiang Qing'e's potential will eclipse all... By my estimation, she will reach Duke in less than three years. She will be the youngest Duke in all of the Xia Kingdom. "Is what I thought before tonight. Now I see that the sun's golden brilliance has blinded me to the moon's silver glamor. Ah, Li Luo, how you surprise me. "House Luolan might be in a rough patch now, but those two are holding things down. They are inexorable. With time, there is nothing that House Luolan cannot overcome. House Luolan is worth declaring friendship with." The old man was silent for a beat. "Still... There are many powers set against them. Many Dukes are interested in the King realm secrets that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan have left behind. House Luolan's defensive wards have been weakening over the years. Last Ghost Festival, an intruder's energy clone invaded... "It could be dangerous for us to cross them, Your Highness. Will you truly extend the hand of aid to them when they are overshadowed by their enemies?" She looked out of the carriage window, at the dark backdrop of night, watching only the stars. "We move as always, decisively. Sitting on the fence only invites more trouble later." The old man looked at her in surprise. "And if they don't live up to your expectations?" She sighed as the star she was watching ducked behind a wisp of cloud. "Then House Luolan is doomed regardless. My helping hand will only shore up their defenses. Whether their boat makes it through the storm is still up to them..." Chapter 216: The Third Test It was two days after Lu Qing'er's birthday passed uneventfully. Li Luo took advantage of the peaceful days to quickly familiarize himself with the power that accompanied his newfound breakthrough to the Pattern Genesis Tier. There was also the matter of the second test at the Suncreek Villa. For the second-grade spirit liquid, both Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng still refrained from participating, and again Li Luo handily won. The result was just as Li Luo hoped for. The branch artificers spoke of Li Luo with respect now. After all, they were all resonance artificers. Refining skill was the one thing that they did not dispute. Li Luo might only be a second-grade resonance artificer, but his talent was exceptional. His first and second-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights were envied by even fourth-grade artificers like Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng, not to mention the others. In the first two days, they had all been guarded and wary. But as Li Luo's promises had proved true, their guard had relaxed under the kindness of his ways... Elder Zheng Ping was secretly sounding out the ground, and it seemed that the wavering had already begun among them. Everything was moving as Li Luo had envisioned. ... "Today's the third test," Cai Wei said with some worry. She was with Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e in the hall of House Luolan's headquarters. "Young Lord, things have been going too smoothly," she emphasized. Li Luo nodded thoughtfully. He was of the same mind. And yet the resonance artificers were already turning to him... and Pei Hao's trickery was nowhere to be seen. Had he really been gifted this present? Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e exchanged looks. Pei Hao's foresight and planning could not be underestimated. It would be naive to think they had won. "If he's planning anything, it must be within these next two days," Jiang Qing'e said. Today was the third test. If it passed smoothly, then the branch artificers would be sent back empty-handed. Already used to the good life here at headquarters, many would definitely choose to stay when faced with that prospect. Pei Hao would definitely make his move before then. "I've already prepared a sizable number of guards at the Suncreek Villa, and made many other secret preparations." Li Luo nodded seriously. "Let's just proceed as planned for now." Jiang Qing'e agreed. "If you can really persuade the branch artificers, the Suncreek Villa's numbers will swell significantly. With your secret watersource, we'll definitely rise up in Xia City. Li Luo stood up and faced the sun, exhaling deeply. All according to plan, his plan to bring the Suncreek Villa to greatness and riches. Especially the riches. A source of gold would go a long way to securing House Luolan's strength. And of course, it would also provide him with the high-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights he needed... Most importantly, the defensive wards that Uncle Biao had spoken of. Surely they would recover as well, right? "Let's go," Li Luo said to the others, leading the way out of House Luolan's headquarters. It was time to reap all the branch artificers he had spent so long nurturing. It was time to see what Pei Hao had cooked up. Li Luo walked out with a small smile on his face. Surely Pei Hao had never imagined that the blank palace young lord would one day face him in a head-on battle here at Xia City. ... Suncreek Villa headquarters. The mood today was ambivalent among many of the branch artificers, who were standing together in a tight clump. The headquarters' resonance artificers stood by the side, but after all these days of working together, conversations diffused between the two groups, free of the mistrust and discrimination present when they had first met. Some of the friendlier ones even mingled quite freely, and their candid exchanges put even more doubt on the faces of the branch artificers. In front of them, Elder Zheng Ping stood with Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng. He eyed the two loftily. "Today's the third test. When it ends, so does your time at headquarters." The two were silent. "I say," Elder Zheng Ping burst out, "haven't you felt the Young Lord's sincerity during this time?!" Tang Yun grimaced. "We are branded with Pei Hao's mark. The Xiling branch has already sunk itself too deeply with him." "He's just using you as labor! Besides, do you think he left headquarters unmolested? Look at the resonance artificers all around you. Many of them were recruited by Pei Hao. But did the Young Lord mind? "Don't judge the Young Lord with a narrow heart and mind. He might be young, but his skill and generosity are limitless." Both experienced artificers looked conflicted, but eventually chose to remain silent. The young lord's kindness had softened their hearts, but it had not yet undone the years of support that Pei Hao had provided. They were not yet ready for a complete turning away from Pei Hao. "Let's just wait until the end of the test." Tang Yun sighed. He did not know what to do. He would take it one step at a time. If they won here, then they would see whether Li Luo would keep up his end of the promise. If he did, they could return to the Xiling branch with the secret watersource, their goals accomplished. The branch artificers would probably follow them back then. "Aish, you stubborn fools," Elder Zheng Ping snapped. A murmur broke out. Li Luo, Jiang Qing'e, and his entourage had arrived. Many resonance artificers clapped upon seeing them arrive. Li Luo waved in acknowledgment as he reached Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng. "Well, gentlemen? I trust you'll face me this time?" They exchanged a look and stepped forth. Among the resonance artificers, Tang Yun's skill was highest. He was close to a 5th-grade artificer. The resonance artificers muttered and shook their heads in disapproval. The young lord had been more than generous in his treatment, and now Tang Yun was going to take the stage himself? That was unbecoming. Tang Yun ignored the muttering. "Young Lord, allow me to learn from you firsthand..." "But this time we're competing on a third-grade spirit liquid, and the Young Lord is only a second-grade artificer. "Oh, I was in a good mood yesterday," Li Luo said brightly. "I managed a 3rd-grade spirit liquid... "Guess I'm a third-grade resonance artificer now." Chapter 217: Birds of Passage Spirit Liquid Li Luo's casual remark was met with incredulity. Why did this young lord's artificing improve as frequently as one drank tea? Wasn't he just a second-grade one a few days ago? They themselves had gone through many years of cultivation to reach the third grade themselves. Li Luo had taken, what, half a year? Was he really that talented? "Young Lord, you're an artificing genius," Tang Yun said admiringly. Then again, resonance artificing up to the third-grade was still considered foundational. With enough talent, one could move through those grades rather quickly. "Still, you have only just reached the third grade. I'm afraid you might not be too familiar with third-grade spirit liquids. Are you sure we should proceed with this test?" Tang Yun asked. Tang Yun was a fourth-grade, going on fifth. Although Li Luo was a third-grade, the disparity in experience should be huge. Li Luo might have dominated the first two tests, but Tang Yun was not at all worried about this third one. With identical ingredients, his own experience and ability would put him at a tremendous advantage. Li Luo smiled. "We've already agreed on this. How could I cancel it now? But don't feel burdened, and simply do your best." Tang Yun was humbled by Li Luo's kindness. Why was he, with the advantages, being comforted instead? "It's about time. Let's get started," Li Luo said. They moved briskly forward to the refining workshops, each with adjacent and identical piles of ingredients laid out neatly. Everyone was familiar after two tests. Both competitors moved to their refining workshops, screened off behind transparent glass. Jiang Qing'e, Cai Wei, and Yan Lingqing stood together in a group, their different types of beauty attracting many furtive glances. Jiang Qing'e's golden eyes roved about constantly. She somehow got the feeling that the Suncreek Villa was being watched by an uncommonly high number of eyes today. "Lingqing, the Young Lord is still behind Tang Yun even though he has risen to a third-grade, right?" Cai Wei whispered to the professional. "Ordinarily, no amount of talent would allow a third-grade artificer to compete with an experienced fourth-grade artificer..." Yan Lingqing folded her arms across her bosom. "It's not just about tempering strength. I suspect Li Luo fails quite frequently when refining third-grade spirit liquids. If it were anyone else in his position, I would say there was no point to this competition," Yan Lingqing said frankly. This was going to be a different test from the first two. Li Luo had been familiar with the first and second-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, but a third-grade spirit liquid was not only much more difficult, but he would also be less familiar with it. Which would lead to inevitable errors. "So he's going to lose?" Cai Wei whispered fearfully. Yan Lingqing shook her head. "I said if it were anyone else in his position." She smiled at the slender figure in the workshop. "That guy is more than meets the eye." A fair competition, identical ingredients, and no secret watersource. But... because Li Luo had helped her refine spirit liquids before, she might well be the only one who guessed that Li Luo was the creator of the secret watersource. The branch artificers might think of the Young Lord as a kind and fair person, but they didn't know that they were all being played hard. Still, his plan so far had been ingenious. And Yan Lingqing saw absolutely nothing wrong with it. This had always been an all-out struggle. The match was already underway. Both were creating a third-grade spirit liquid called Birds of Passage. It was a two-star formula, nothing particularly fancy. As the president of a Suncreek Villa branch, Tang Yun was very familiar with the Birds of Passage spirit liquid. He moved through the procedures with practiced efficiency, fusing ingredients and manipulating them with his water resonant power in precise movements for purification. Many were nodding in approval at the mastery on display. Having risen to branch president was proof that Tang Yun's skill was not in question. He was showing every sign of breaking through to the fifth grade soon. That was considered a master anywhere within the Xia Kingdom already. The headquarters' resonance artificers were looking into the other workshop worriedly. They could see that Li Luo's refining methods showed a lot more inexperience. There were occasional fumblings, and his speed lagged behind Tang Yun's by a considerable margin. It was something they all understood. It was inevitable that he was unfamiliar with third-grade formulas. Failure was part of the process. Li Luo was already doing quite well. Despite his occasional slip-ups, he was proceeding with decent pace towards completion. Time ticked on. ... Nearby, in a luxurious inn. Pei Hao lounged idly in his chair, Pang Qianchi fidgeting nervously by his side. The latter threw occasional nervous looks in the direction of the Suncreek Villa's headquarters, although he was too far to be able to see anything. "Pei Hao, Sir, are you not worried?" Pang Qianchi blurted out. Pei Hao smiled lazily and poured himself yet another cup of tea. "Oh, the show is just about to start. "I wonder if Li Luo can handle what I've really sent him." Chapter 218: A Poisoned Gift Soon enough, Tang Yun was nearing completion. A third-grade spirit liquid was truly nothing special for an experienced fourth-grade artificer like him. Twenty minutes later, Tang Yun emerged from the refining workshop smiling triumphantly, a crystal vial in hand. Within it, a pale-red liquidthe completed Birds of Passage spirit liquid. There were cries of admiration at the speed at which he had made it. They turned now to the other refining workshop, where Li Luo was still the very picture of concentration, carefully putting his ingredients together. If speed was an indicator of ability, things were not looking good for Li Luo. Still, the resonance artificers could not help but wonder. Why would a new third-grade artificer ever challenge a fourth-grade artificer like Tang Yun? Was he prepared to lose the third round? Did he intend to hand over the secret watersource to the Xiling branch without any trade-off? That seemed too easy. Especially given how calm Jiang Qing'e was. Her golden eyes were unflinchingly steady, and when the headquarters' artificers looked over at her, they felt their hope renewed. They settled back into a restless murmur, awaiting Li Luo's completion. It took a full hour. Li Luo had made many errors which had cost him time, but luckily not quality. Finally, he emerged with pale-red liquid in his crystal test tube as well, and there was a collective sigh of relief from his supporters when they saw his refining go well. Li Luo wiped the sweat off his brow. He had actually been prepared to fail and restart from the beginning, although thankfully his mistakes this time had not cost him too heavily. He moved to the area between the two refining workshops, facing Tang Yun. "Young Lord, your talent is incredible," Tang Yun said with sincere praise. Although Li Luo had taken a lot more time, he had ultimately succeeded. Generally, the success rate of newly improved resonance artificers was quite shaky, but Li Luo had managed to produce the Birds of Passage spirit liquid under such high stakes. A testament to his talent. Li Luo smiled wordlessly and beckoned for the tempering measurement needles. "We are at the final step now, President Tang Yun. Are you ready?" Tang Yun's needle hovered above his product. "The Young Lord is generous." He sighed to himself. "I shall not stand on ceremony." He plunged the tempering measurement needle into his Birds of Passage spirit liquid. All eyes were on the climbing indicator as it slowly rose through the markings. "57." This result was greeted by many nods. The Birds of Passage spirit liquid was only a two-star formula, and so the limit of its tempering strength was roughly around 60 percent. 57 percent was not the maximum, but it was still a decent result. Especially compared to a newbie like Li Luo. Most fresh third-grade resonance artificers found it hard to break the 52 percent barrier. Li Luo put the tempering measurement needle into his own. He laughed. "Well, I'll be... 58? That's lucky. Just a hair higher than President Tang Yun's..." He lifted his needle high up for them to see. All that could be heard was the collective thuds of the resonant artificers' jaws hitting the floor. Li Luo's Birds of Passage spirit liquid had won? How?! Wow! And yet this was the same Li Luo who had reasonably heard them out, kindly offered them opportunities, and then won them over with sheer talent. The result might be surprising, but no one suspected Li Luo of rigging the contest. Tang Yun was equally shocked. He stared mutely at the tempering measurement needle in Li Luo's hand. "Your talent frightens me," he said simply. They had had the same ingredients - that had been checked endlessly. And both had refined openly before the others, so there was no question of cheating. The result had to be accepted. Tang Yun was forced to believe that Li Luo was simply a monster. He had heard of such geniuses before, their supernatural instinct giving them an exquisite control over each combination of ingredients. Li Luo must be that. Li Luo almost felt bad for Tang Yun as the latter tried to smile bravely. Under ordinary circumstances, there was no way he could have won. It was all thanks to his waterlight resonance and the secret watersource he could produce as a result. Still, it was not really cheating either. It was indeed a part of his skill, his natural talent. Still, he wasn't about to explain this to anybody. Li Luo turned now to the branch artificers, who were looking as shifty as ants on a hotplate. They had lost, and failed all three tests. According to their agreement, they would return to Xiling and headquarters would never provide them with secret watersource. Their time at headquarters was over. The thought alone was enough to make their panic bubble over. Move away from these comfortable surroundings, back to the Xiling branch with no future? There, they would eke out their existence day by day. Here, they could advance to greater heights. They didn't want to leave. But Pei Hao had sent them! It had been Pei Hao who had instigated this entire affair, fanning the flames of resentment until they had mobilized and come here in protest. It had been Pei Hao who had promised them fairness and justice. How could headquarters still keep them now? Li Luo stood up and addressed them directly. "If anyone wishes to stay at Suncreek Villa headquarters, I welcome you on behalf of House Luolan." "Pay no mind to matters of the past, to whatever Pei Hao might have ordered you to do. You have my word that we will not pursue it; you've experienced as much in your stay here." Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng breathed easier to hear that. It was good to see the young lord had ambition, and wasn't entirely inhuman. He was aiming to recruit them all. Could they stop it? They exchanged a wry smile. This young lord had deftly maneuvered them from protesters to supporters. Truly the son of the two House Lords. But even if the others chose to stay, Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng would not. They still felt like they owed too much to Pei Hao. Both stood up. "Young lord, your generosity overwhelms us, and we have been blessed with it far beyond what we deserve. If our brothers wish to stay here for a brighter future, I beg you to let them stay." Both cupped their fists in respect. Li Luo was surprised. "Will you not stay?" They shook their heads with a pained smile, and turned to leave. Dang! Just then, a curious gong sounded out, sending a wave of sound rippling out through Suncreek Villa's headquarters. As the gong rang out, Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng felt some wetness at the corner of their eyes. They rubbed it, and came away with hands wet with fresh, red blood. Li Luo's eyes widened in horror. Standing between the two, he could see the steady stream of blood pouring out from their eyes, nose, and ears, running so freely that the red turned to black. Li Luo was dumbstruck by the dystopic scene. He turned numbly around, only to see that all of the branch artificers were struck the same way. In the middle of summer, the sun beat down on Li Luo's back, but his shivering would not stop. As the screams started, Li Luo's eyes went flat. So this was Pei Hao's plan. A gift of poison. Chapter 219: The Appropriate Course Arrk! The grotesque gurgles of resonance artificers choking on their own blood filled the room. For the artificers themselves, it was their worst nightmare come to pass. Blinded by their own blood, they dropped to the floor like flies. Utter chaos. The other resonance artificers rushed over, yelling and trying to rouse the fallen. "Don't panic! Check their vitals!" Jiang Qing'e's clear voice of command cut across the confusion, heeling them in. "So Pei Hao shows his hand, finally," Jiang Qing'e muttered to Li Luo. "A murderous hand, it is!" Cai Wei hissed. "He must have poisoned them all beforehand. He intends for them to die in the Suncreek Villa." Yan Lingqing's eyes went cold with realization. "The other parts of his plan must already be in motion. He's probably spreading the news of House Luolan poisoning its resonance artificers all around Xia City. He will kill our reputation stone dead." "He might even be spreading rumors that the poisoned artificers had all used Li Luo's secret watersource, casting doubt on it," Li Luo postulated. "No sane person would believe those lies, but rumors fly faster than wind resonant power. "The truth rarely matters when the epidemic of sensation runs rampant. "If the rumor takes hold, no resonance artificer will ever be willing to join the Suncreek Villa ever again. We'll be ruined." Li Luo's face was devoid of any emotion now, his smile completely gone. Those that knew him well knew that his killing intent had finally awakened. "What's your plan?" Jiang Qing'e regarded him calmly. Li Luo took a deep, steadying breath. "I anticipated a poison of some sort. I even had healers check them over the last few days, but the results were clean. "It was no ordinary poison. That gong sound must have been the trigger for the poison. Pei Hao must be watching us at all times. Ahhhh, none of that matters now." Li Luo could feel his frustration building inside, even as the artificers' sands of life trickled down the hourglass of death. "Sister Lingqing is right. Pei Haos aim is to destroy the Suncreek Villa." They could not allow it. The Suncreek Villa was an economic vital point for House Luolan that they could not give up on. Pei Hao had to have a powerful backer to launch such a daring attack. What was his objective? All too clear: the destruction of House Luolan's defensive wards. "We cannot let them die here at headquarters," Jiang Qing'e emphasized. Their entire reputation would be ruined if the resonance artificers died here. Li Luo nodded. He glanced up to a group of people rushing over from a distance away. "Those are the healers I employed. I had them on standby for emergencies. Looks like the decision paid off." Jiang Qing'e nodded with approval. Perhaps they might not be able to dispel the poison, but it was always the first option to explore. The healers paled when they saw the artificers bleeding from every orifice. "Your best efforts in purging the poison, please. If you cannot, analyze its composition and I will purchase the needed antidotes immediately," Li Luo said crisply. "Please do your best. House Luolan will reward you greatly for your efforts." The healers hurried off to begin their examinations. Less than 10 minutes later, they came to report. "Young Lord, the poison is extremely rare and extremely strong. We can slow the poison's course, but expelling it is tricky." Li Luo had expected something of the sort. If Pei Hao's poison could so easily be dispelled, he would not be Pei Hao. "Can you tell the components?" Li Luo asked. When studying for the little emperor's treatment, he had crammed some basic physician knowledge as well. They conferred briefly, then produced a hastily scribbled list. "We definitely need these. If the Young Lord could see to their expedient procurement, it would go a long way in helping these people." Li Luo scanned the list briefly and nodded. He then beckoned Elder Zheng Ping over. "Note everything on this list and buy it immediately." Elder Zheng Ping hurried off to carry out his orders. Jiang Qing'e's eyes flashed with new realization. "If these ingredients are helpful, then Pei Hao must have already taken care of them." Li Luo's eyes narrowed. "You mean he's bought them all up in advance?" She nodded. "Pei Hao is not working alone. The powers behind him must have fortunes to spare. He just needs to buy himself time for the poison to do its work. When they die, he wins." Li Luo inhaled sharply. Pei Hao's heart was cold as ice. This attack was vicious and well calculated. "If there is one place left in Xia City where those special ingredients can be bought..." Jiang Qing'e said meaningfully. He nodded. There was no better-stocked cornucopia than the Golden Dragon Bank. "Still, things might not go smoothly there either, unless..." She smiled at him. "You have to go yourself. Use your connection." Li Luo gave her an exasperated nod. Of course he knew she was referring to Lu Qing'er. There was no time to talk more. "I'm going." He sped off like the wind. A powerful shadow followed after, as did a few others. "Pavilion Master Lei Zhang will escort you. Do not worry about the Suncreek Villa, I'll guard it myself," Jiang Qing'e called out. Li Luo nodded as he ran, leading his small group towards their only hope. Chapter 220: The Rush For Herbs Li Luo emerged from the Suncreek Villa's doors to see the vague stirrings of a crowd gathering and pointing. The whispers had grown louder. Just as they had anticipated, word had spread of the poisoning almost as soon as it had happened. Pei Hao. The culmination of his coup de grace. Li Luo ignored them. Taking the reins of his beast from a waiting guard, he heeled its flanks hard and galloped away. Pavilion Master Lei Zhang and a dozen bodyguards escorted him. They thundered along to stares that were perhaps a little more knowing than they should have been. "Young Lord, our reputation is being destroyed with every wagging tongue," Lei Zhang said tersely from beside him. He had sent a few ears out to listen. The rumor was that Li Luo had flown into a rage after the branch artificers refused to obey him, and had poisoned them all. Li Luo gave him a curt nod of acknowledgment. "Ignore them all and focus. Get to the Golden Dragon Bank and get our antidotes. If we can just save them, the truth will get out." Lei Zhang nodded, comforted by the steel-like calm and resolve he saw in the young man's eyes as he dealt methodically with a madness that Pei Hao had previously reserved only for Jiang Qing'e. He had risen from his reputation as a useless young lord to earn Pei Hao's twisted respect. Perhaps this was a sign of Li Luo's growth too? As they rode, Lei Zhang was on constant watch around them, his resonant power always a whisper's touch away as his eyes roved for signs of danger. It would not be beyond Pei Hao to also try a direct attack on Li Luo. That was why Jiang Qing'e had sent bodyguards with him. Still, Lei Zhang's worries were either unfounded or his presence was enough deterrence. They reached the Golden Dragon Bank safely, and Li Luo ran in. He grabbed hold of a service staff, who recognized him immediately and bowed courteously. "Can you help me check if the Golden Dragon Bank has these ingredients?" Li Luo handed over the list. The man looked it over, his eyebrows frowning deeper and deeper as he scanned each item. "Young Lord Li Luo, the ingredients here... Amber wormroot and ambient saltpeter have all been reserved by medicinal houses all over the city. They have cleaned out our stores." Li Luo ground his teeth in frustration. Even the Golden Dragon Bank? Pei Hao's sponsors had deep pockets indeed. How was he supposed to turn the tables? Lei Zhang's face was grim. Although the ingredients they needed were high-grade, they were not highly perishable or frequently used. Only a fool would think the spike in purchases was a coincidence. Li Luo was quiet for a moment. "Please find Lu Qing'er for me. I have an appointment." The staff nodded promptly, ushering him to a luxurious waiting room and asking him to wait. Li Luo did not wait for too long before he heard light footsteps in a familiar cadence. Lu Qing'er's beaming face rounded the corner a moment later. Her smile froze when she saw his stony face. "Something wrong at the Suncreek Villa?" Such was the knowledge of one placed at the center of Xia City's activities. And also, Li Luo had spoken to her privately on her birthday, telling her that the Suncreek Villa might soon be in trouble. He had asked if she would stay at the Golden Dragon Bank if she could, in case he came with requests. Li Luo nodded and told his tale. "I urgently need some special antitoxins. But the Golden Dragon Bank's supply of amber wormroot and ambient saltpeter have been suddenly cleaned out. "Those are rarely bought precisely because of their price. Clearly interference is at foot. And if even the Golden Dragon Bank is cleaned out, then everywhere else should be dry as well." Li Luo nodded. "Any ideas?" Lu Qing'er chewed it over. "They must have bought up everything that the Golden Dragon Bank put up on the market recently, but the Golden Dragon Bank is huge. There has to be a storehouse somewhere for contingencies. I believe those two ingredients should be somewhere." "Young Mistress, the storehouses cannot be opened without the President's writ!" the staff behind Lu Qing'er protested. "Which we do not have!" Lu Qing'er looked at him loftily. "I do." "If the storehouse is opened so casually, I'm afraid the Vice President will use that to attack the President..." "Oh, please," Lu Qing'er snorted. "Don't underestimate my mother." "Come," she said to Li Luo. "The clock is ticking away." "Qing'er," Li Luo muttered fervently. "Many thanks. I'll owe you one. I'll do anything you say in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields." "I'll hold you to that," she said happily with a toss of her head as she led the way. Li Luo hurried after. A few minutes later, they were standing before an enormous storehouse, ringed by an army of security personnel. As they walked up, someone darted out into their path. "Qing'er, you cannot open the storehouse. It's against the rules." It was Ning Zhao. His father was a vice president of the Golden Dragon Bank. Lu Qing'er raised one eyebrow coolly. "Why not?" "Qing'er, I'm not here to make trouble for you," Ning Zhao said defensively. "But you're going to need the President's writ, or the guards are not going to listen to you." Lu Qing'er flipped a dainty hand up to reveal a jade slip pincered between two fingers, its rose-gold filigree catching the sunlight. Ning Zhao stared at it agog. "How did you get that?" "No need to worry on my behalf," Lu Qing'er said dismissively. "I have the writ, and everything here is by the rules. Besides, I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm going to take a small amount of ingredients, which I will sell at twice the price. Don't forget that the Golden Dragon Bank's motto is harmony breeds wealth. "I'm here to make us money. Out of my way." She brushed past Ning Zhao and led Li Luo onward to the store, thrusting the jade writ into the hands of an old man. He doubtfully examined it, but he eventually nodded after ascertaining its authenticity. He ordered some servants to get the ingredients requested. "A moment, Young Mistress." Lu Qing'er nodded. "Li Luo," Ning Zhao said in a low voice. "You are the young lord of House Luolan. It's unseemly of you to be encouraging Qing'er to break the rules. President Yu will not be happy when she finds out." Li Luo looked straight into his unfriendly eyes with disinterest. "Oh, your concern is very flattering. I'm not taking them for free though. As Qing'er says, I'm willing to pay double for them." "Is this about money?" Ning Zhao sneered. Li Luo matched him in snideness. "You know well that the Suncreek Villa is in trouble, but here you are trying to stop me in every way. Do you have another agenda?" Ning Zhao bared his teeth. "Watch your black tongue, Young Lord. Best clean up your act at House Luolan before you even point a finger outside." Li Luo regarded him as he would a muzzled rabid dog. He turned away to wait for the ingredients to arrive. Ning Zhao smiled to himself. Surely the people he had sent to inform President Yu would have reached her by now. Qing'er must have stolen the jade writ, and President Yu would not be happy about that. And if he calculated right, her displeasure would be turned on Li Luo. Perhaps she would kick him out directly. Ning Zhao smugly settled back to wait. Qing'er might be enamored, boy, but you think President Yu's going to let you off? Chapter 221: Vice President Ning Que Outside the Golden Dragon Bank storehouse. Li Luo breathed easier as he watched the storehouse open up. Thank goodness for the Golden Dragon Bank's comprehensive stores. "Don't worry," Lu Qing'er said softly. "With these materials, the Suncreek Villa's problem will soon be solved." Li Luo nodded gratefully. "Thank you so much, Qing'er." She smiled and was about to reply, when an angry shout interrupted. "Stop!" A group of people were hurrying towards them, led by a middle-aged man with a face like thunder. "Father!" Ning Zhao said smugly. "That's the vice president of the Golden Dragon Bank, Ning Que," Lu Qing'er said in a low voice. She felt a prickle of fear as well. He was highly placed at the Golden Dragon Bank. She might be able to handle Ning junior, but Ning senior was a different kettle of fish. With his appearance, the storehouse warden also gestured for the workers to stop their access. "What do you two think you're doing?! Is the storehouse to be casually opened for no good reason?!" Ning Que shouted. Lu Qing'er lifted up the jade writ in her hand. "I have the writ," she said defiantly. "I have permission." Ning Que barely glanced at it. "Qing'er," he said icily, "does the President know you took it?" Lu Qing'er's hand froze. Ning Que was sharp enough to see her hesitation. "Stealing the President's jade writ is a violation of the bank's rules. You are young and I can let this pass. Go away now. I'll handle things here." Lu Qing'er clenched her fist in frustration. The father and son pair were a pain in the ass. All she wanted was some herbs that wouldn't harm anybody, and still they wanted to stand in her way. But Ning Que was too highly placed for her to override him simply with the jade writ, and she was starting to get nervous. Li Luo's need was urgent. People were dying. Ning Que ignored Lu Qing'er, staring disdainfully at Li Luo. "Close the storehouse." The guards looked at each other, but they quickly moved to do as he bid. The giant doors started to rumble inwards. Ning Zhao's gloating smile was growing on his face. He had no beef against Li Luo, but Lu Qing'er going out on a limb to steal the jade writ for him made him boil with jealousy. But just before the doors boomed shut against each other, there was a flurry as the guards all stood at attention. "Greetings, President." Lu Qing'er turned around to see Yu Hongxi in her usual, red skirt, striding over. "President." Ning Que quickly raised a hand in respect. Yu Hongxi nodded at him, her eyes flicking about the gathering, taking in information with efficiency. "What's going on?" she asked casually. "President," Ning Que immediately said, "your girl, Qing'er, must have stolen your jade writ while you were not looking. She's trying to open the vault." Lu Qing'er bit her tongue. Ning Que was one slimy bastard. Li Luo sighed to himself. "President Yu," he said, "this has nothing to do with Qing'er. I simply wanted to buy some herbs at twice the price, so I asked her for help. I had no idea things would get this complicated." It seemed rather obvious that Lu Qing'er had taken the writ without permission, and Li Luo could not allow her to take the fall. As a man, he had to protect her. Lu Qing'er opened her mouth to deny this, but Yu Hongxi stopped her. "Vice President Ning, I let Qing'er take the writ. The Golden Dragon Bank believes that harmony breeds wealth. Someone is here with a high asking price. We have no reason to refuse." Li Luo and Lu Qing'er's jaws dropped at the same time, astonished that she was not only not reprimanding them, but even taking their side. Vice president Ning Que was equally stunned, and Ning Zhao could not help himself. "President, why would this-" His father cut him off. "I see," Ning Que said with a cold smile. "But, President, don't you think that selling these herbs to House Luolan will invite more trouble in the future?" Yu Hongxi's decision to sell to Li Luo would definitely be noted by the powers trying to orchestrate the fall of the Suncreek Villa. Yu Hongxi laughed lightly. "The Golden Dragon Bank has never cared about such things. "We're here to breed wealth, not trouble. If anyone interferes with our wealth-breeding, then someone's going to start bleeding. "I think that's something that everyone understands." Ning Que had no further comment. He waved his people over and then left. "Take out the herbs," Yu Hongxi said to the storehouse manager, who hurriedly nodded. Yu Hongxi wordlessly stretched out a hand to her daughter, who hurriedly put the jade writ in her hand. Yu Hongxi's other hand stretched out to pinch the cheek of a girl doing her best to appear cute, harmless, and adorable. "You're getting quite bold, stealing something like that. "Did someone put you up to it?" "No! I just took it preemptively," Lu Qing'er hurriedly said. She smiled winsomely and hugged her mother. "Aw, Mom, you're the best." Yu Hongxi had defended her against Vice President Ning Que and hadn't chased Li Luo away. She had definitely helped Li Luo out here. Lu Qing'er was very happy. Yu Hongxi's eyes turned to Li Luo. "Many thanks to President Yu." She pondered him briefly. "If you hadn't stood out to defend Qing'er, you wouldve been rolling down the entrance steps right about now." Li Luo hung his head embarrassedly. "This matter started because of me. I wouldn't let Qing'er take the fall." "Youre responsible, I'll give you that." At least he was a decent type, like his father. She looked over to where the guards were working busily to load up the herbs Li Luo needed. "Li Luo." He quickly turned to her. "Although these herbs are usually not particularly expensive, emergencies lead to extraordinary prices. I'm sure you understand," she said mildly. Li Luo nodded. Without these herbs, Tang Yun and the others would be dead at the Suncreek Villa's headquarters in a pool of their own blood. The loss of reputation for the Suncreek Villa would be impossible to come back from, and House Luolan would fall with it. Double the price was steep, but not as steep as the cliff edge they were on. "You mean..." Lu Qing'er tugged anxiously on her mother's sleeve in a wordless plea. Yu Hongxi ignored her. "The Golden Dragon Bank never loses in a deal," she said slowly and with great meaning. "I want you to remember that you owe me a favor. "I will eventually collect it." Li Luo was silent for a moment. "If it is within my power, I will do my best to do whatever you ask." Yu Hongxi nodded, satisfied. "Remember that well." Chapter 222: Yu Hongxis Offer Outside the Golden Dragon Bank. Yu Hongxi and Lu Qing'er were at the entrance with Li Luo. The expensive herbs had all been loaded up onto wagons, ringed by Lei Zhang and other protectors. Yu Hongxi looked at Li Luo and sighed. "Li Luo, you might have managed to procure these herbs, but there's no guarantee that the resonance artificers can be saved. "Your enemy has planned this for a long time. I'm afraid they won't let you stop them so easily." Li Luo looked thoughtful for a moment, then he smiled. "Thank you, President Yu. I'll do my best to deal with it." "Sometimes, your best is not enough. "If the Suncreek Villa is destroyed beyond all hope of recovery, it might be time to lose the tail to live." Li Luo started. "Er, like a lizard?" "The Golden Dragon Bank can buy the Suncreek Villa from you. I will give you a good price for it. When House Luolan stabilizes, you can buy it back at the original price," Yu Hongxi said. Li Luo was taken aback by this offer. It was very generous, a get-out-of-crisis-free card, as it were. The capital he would receive for the Suncreek Villa could tide House Luolan over for a long time, and then eventually he could buy it back. It was an offer that was very kind to him indeed. Li Luo could sense that she meant well, and that was perhaps the most surprising thing of this entire offer. After all, the Golden Dragon Bank under her rule had never been close with House Luolan. Regardless, goodwill alone was not going to make him accept the offer. "You have my profound thanks, President Yu. If the time comes for such a drastic step, I will consider all options. But before that, I must do my best to save the Suncreek Villa. It's my parents' legacy. I can't abandon it so lightly." She nodded, not surprised by his answer. "I'll take my leave now." He bowed slightly to her, and delayed no longer. With a wave of his hand, the convoy left at speed. "That Li Luo kid might seem gentle as a meandering river, but there's a streak of pride in his bones running as deep as his father's." Lu Qing'er clung onto Yu Hongxi's arm happily. "Thanks, Mom." "Whatever for?" "For all your help today, and then even giving Li Luo a last-resort option." Lu Qing'er beamed. She knew that her mother never made bad deals, but she wasn't going to be earning much with the Suncreek Villa deal that she had offered. The Suncreek Villa was an empty shell right now. And even the shell was tainted by rumor. From what she knew, Yu Hongxi had never treated House Luolan with any intimacy before, especially after Jiang Qing'e had taken over the reins. There was brief, occasional business, but even then, House Luolan was the weakest connection the bank had among the five Great Houses. Which was why her mother's generosity today was so unexpected. Yu Hongxi's lip twitched. Back when Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan were running the house, she had not wanted to connect with them. And then the whirlwind changes at House Luolan took place, and Jiang Qing'e had taken charge. She was an outstanding person, but the disciple was all too similar to her mistress. She couldn't help but be reminded of Tan Tailan every timethe only woman who had bested her before. Both Yu Hongxi and Jiang Qing'e were strong personalities. They handled business in a professional manner but went no further. Li Luo was different. He had a warmer, more flexible personality; he knew when to stand firm and when to bend. Of course, she had to admit that he looked a lot like Li Taixuan... That really helped in getting her interest. ... In a luxurious suite, while Li Luo was rushing back. "Li Luo managed to get the herbs?" Pei Hao snickered as the news reached him. "Impressive." "Is the Suncreek Villa out of danger, then?" Pang Qianchi asked worriedly. "As if it would be that simple," Pei Hao said with a bite of impatience. "This special poison is my finest work. You would be underestimating me to think it could be so easily nullified. "Those herbs are indeed useful, but only in the right hands. Those healers Li Luo brought won't be able to do a thing." "You..." Pang Qianchi gawped. "You checked all the healers that he employed?" "What, you think I've just been sitting around drinking tea?" Pei Hao said from his chair, drinking tea. The golden sword earrings he wore glittered as he leaned back. "There are only a few healers capable of dealing with my poison. And I arranged for all of them to take temporary leave from Xia City." Pang Qianchi looked at him with renewed wariness and respect. Those great healers were all important people. To be able to convince them to leave... It meant Pei Hao's backers were incredibly powerful. "Then allow me to congratulate you, Sir. The Suncreek Villa will be in ruins from this day." Pang Qianchi smiled at him. Pei Hao shook his head. "Actually, no, I do not want the Suncreek Villa to be in ruins. After all, my master and mistress left it behind. I just didn't want it to rise so quickly in that young lord's hands. "With a bit more time, he would have grown it into a rock-solid treasure that would see House Luolan flourish and grow stronger." He looked out the window, his expression unreadable. "I truly underestimated that young lord before." As reports on Li Luo's movements had come in recently, each was a disturbing enough nudge that moved Pei Hao from indifference to alarm. All in the short span of half a year. As the young lord's reputation began to grow in House Luolan, Pei Hao realized that even those he had turned were starting to whisper otherwise. Although he had quashed the stray thoughts amidst his followers, he could not help but sit up and notice Li Luo's influence. After all, Li Luo was the rightful heir of House Luolan. Even Jiang Qing'e could not compare in that regard, let alone a namesake disciple like himself. Plus, Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo were engaged. The two worked as one. They might well stabilize House Luolan by working together. In another half a year, it would be time for House Luolan's housemeet. Pei Hao had originally planned to come to Xia City and have a showdown with Jiang Qing'e over House Luolan at that time. But Li Luo's rise had forced him to change his plans, moving them ahead. "Pei Hao, you are skilled and wise, and Li Luo is only a fledgling. If not for his lineage, how could he ever hope to compare to you?" Pang Qianchi smiled ingratiatingly. Pei Hao shook his head slowly in distaste. "Exactly. It's frustrating. All my years of hard work, and he strolls in with the name of 'rightful heir' to take it all. And those two House Lords left him quite a lot before they left." Pang Qianchi laughed weakly, unsure of how to reply.?Well... of course Li Luo would be doted on by his parents. What were they going to do? Favor a namesake disciple like you instead? But he understood Pei Hao, who had worshiped the very ground the two House Lords stood on. His idolization was extreme, and it had twisted him. The slightest sign of affection for Li Luo was like a dagger in his heart. It was... pitiful. Oblivious to his underling's thoughts, Pei Hao continued to gaze out at the Suncreek Villa, a small smile playing across his lips. Li Luo, what I can't have, I will never let you have. Not even if I have to destroy it. Chapter 223: Antidote When Li Luo arrived at the Suncreek Villa with the herbs, he was greeted with relief. "Young Lord, that takes the top off our worries." Even Cai Wei showed her happy relief. "The others couldn't get a thing?" Li Luo could tell from their expressions. Jiang Qing'e shook her head. "Amber wormroot and ambient saltpeter are all sold out all across the city's apothecaries." "Luckily, you sent me to the Golden Dragon Bank," Li Luo said, comforted. Yan Lingqing was inspecting the herbs with a spark of hope in her eyes. "How is it that the Golden Dragon Bank didn't run out? Surely Pei Hao would not have missed such an obvious place." "It had run out. I got them from the storehouse of the Golden Dragon Bank." "Wow. I heard the storehouse requires the permission of Yu Hongxi herself to open. Very daring of you." Something in her voice seemed to indicate that there was more to it. "In any case, it was thanks to President Yu Hongxi. Without her approval, we wouldn't have been able to get these herbs," Li Luo briefly explained the situation, and the curious softening of Yu Hongxi's attitude. "Perhaps only you could have brought about that outcome," Jiang Qing'e said with mild amusement. "Had it been me, Yu Hongxi wouldn't even have shown up, let alone show me the inside of the storehouse." "Really?" Li Luo said, astonished. Jiang Qing'e nodded. Both she and Yu Hongxi were headstrong personalities that could sense the coolness and stubbornness in the other. Neither was willing to lower themselves. Yu Hongxi was not on good terms with Tan Tailan, who just so happened to be Jiang Qing'e's greatest idol. Even for the sake of House Luolan, Jiang Qing'e's pride was too great to swallow. Swans walked with grace and pride, never lowering their heads. [1] Jiang Qing'e turned to the gathered healers. "The ingredients are here. Quickly, the antidote." "Yes, Miss Jiang. We will do our best to create one. However, it just so happens that my master is not in Xia City. Otherwise, his expertise would have this sorted out in a jiffy." The one who had spoken was a young man with a studious but warm smile. He was very excited around Jiang Qing'e. "We're counting on you." She nodded at him with calm eyes. Li Luo barked a short laugh. He remembered this healer. His name was Qin Wang, and he had built a modest reputation for himself among the healers in Xia City. His master was one of the best, and also one that Li Luo had failed to hire. Qin Wang had accepted his invitation grudgingly, his arrogant attitude a sour start to their relationship. But in the short time that Li Luo had stepped out, he was now wrapped around Jiang Qing'e's finger, dying to make the antidote that they needed. Such was the power of charm. All the tools had already been laid out, and the herbs were quickly brought in. The sharp aridity of brewing formulas soon filled the room. Neither Li Luo nor Jiang Qing'e left. They had to supervise the processthe herbs were too important, and they could not be sure that there wasn't more trouble hidden among the healers. Li Luo's hastily crammed healing studies from his work on the emperor allowed him a basic understanding of what was happening, although he would have been totally lost if he had to come up with the antidote himself. He had neither the time nor the energy to spare on healing. Li Luo conferred with Jiang Qing'e while waiting. "Do you think they can create an antidote? Or rather, will their antidote really be effective?" Jiang Qing'e looked at him in glum silence. "How do you see it?" Li Luo sighed softly. "Unsure. Pei Hao's preparations have been flawless at every step so far. If the herbs alone can solve things, that would be too good to be true." "I didn't tell you just now, but when you went to get the herbs, I sent out people to find the finest healers in Xia City. And guess what? None of them are in Xia City presently." Li Luo's eyes widened in realization. Who could have the power to do something like that? Definitely, it would be beyond Pei Hao. "That dog..." Li Luo swore softly but with deep feeling. Cai Wei interrupted them. "The poisoned artificers' conditions are worsening. The poison must be spreading, along with the rumors of a tainted secret watersource being fed to them after they offended the Young Lord..." She felt sick at the vile slander being hurled at them. It would not only ruin the Suncreek Villa, but Li Luo himself. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e frowned. The situation was going from bad to worse. Still, there was nothing that could be said. All they could do was create the antidote. They turned as one to the busy healers, moving with a sense of urgency as they brewed and analyzed. Two hours passed before there were cries of triumph. They saw the healers gathered around Qin Wang, who was triumphantly holding a green vial aloft. The antidote they had created was within. However, it was not yet complete. Just like spirit liquids and purifying lights, the final step of creating antidotes was a process that healers called the Awakening. [2] Put simply, one would imbue healing resonant power into the antidote, fusing raw power with natural ingredients to produce a stronger detoxifying effect. Like spirit liquid-refining, this required a user with strong healing resonant power. A random power might ruin the delicate composition of the solution. This first dose of antidote had been produced by Qin Wang, who proceeded to awaken it. A drop of highly concentrated resonant power was added to the bottle, then a sharp smell rose with a pop. The healers all had pleased smiles on their faces at the smell, which indicated a successful Awakening. "Brother Qin, you are truly a worthy disciple of Master Lu Long." They gathered around, congratulating him on his excellent work. Qin Wang puffed up his chest proudly. "Miss Jiang, your wish was indeed my command." Jiang Qing'e looked at him with approval as well. "Master Qin, you do Master Lu Long proud... Let's test the antidote, then." She lifted a hand, and servants carefully heaved in a wooden chest. Inside were samples upon samples of black blood. "This is blood from the poisoned. If the antidote works, it should be able to purify the blood." Qin Wang took out one sample carefully. He knew that the poison was powerful, and there was no guarantee that his antidote would work. Everyone held their breath as he unstoppered the sample with trembling hands and poured the antidote in. The poisoned blood immediately reacted, the glowing, green light hissing as it ate away at the black blood. The black blood started to turn paler and paler. "It's working!" The healers rejoiced. Their ecstasy was short-lived. Soon enough, the blackness rallied, mutating and eating away at the green light in kind. A few short moments later, the green light in the liquid winked out, and the blackness was revived again... A foul odor marked the death of the green liquid. Qin Wang's face was pale, and the other healers likewise. The poison was much worse than they had imagined. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e shared a long, solemn look. As they had predicted. The ingredients were correct, but negating the poison wouldn't be so easy. Pei Hao's plan was one step ahead of them. Clearly, he wasn't going to quit until the Suncreek Villa fell... 1. TN: Funny, cos in my mind swans are ungainly waddlers on land and do, indeed, dip their heads quite a bit. 2. TN: Translated Awakening from 㾦, which literally means to dot the eyes. You can read the full story here. http://www.dragonboat.org.hk/?q=en/about-dragonboat/eye-dotting-origin-tradition Chapter 224: Half-Finished Products There was an air of gloomy dismay in the room. The other healers did not think themselves better than Qin Wang. If even his antidote had failed, what chance did they have? The poison remained stubborn, and time was running out. Cai Wei and the others were looking more concerned than ever nowif this kept up, some of the resonance artificers would die, lending even more power to the wings of the rumors flying around. Li Luo's expression was serious but not defeated. "The antidote was not completely useless. It simply lacked sufficient healing power to overcome the poison at the end." It had used the right combination of ingredients, and its effectiveness had been proven before their eyes. But the healers could not imbue that last punch of power to the antidote that would help it outlast the poison. Qin Wang looked at Li Luo with a frown. "The Young Lord understands the healing arts, I see. But your understanding is probably not sufficient. The antidote I made was perfect in all accounts. However, the poison still beats that." The other healers concurred with nods. "Young Lord, Miss Jiang, it seems like there is nothing we can do about this poison," a healer said regretfully. There was resignation in his tone. Qin Wang's failure had leached away their confidence. Jiang Qing'e's frown was so deep that her eyebrows were almost touching. These were the best healers available already. If they left, all hope was lost. Besides... She shared a look with Li Luo. There seemed to be something off about this Qin Wang. He had fought so hard to produce the first sample of the antidote, and yet had given up so quickly. Was he planted here to influence the other healers to give up? "Young Lord, I'm afraid we cannot be of any help." Qin Wang sighed regretfully. "However, my master will soon be back in Xia City. You can ask him to come around then. Perhaps there is hope." Li Luo ignored that.?Hope? The Suncreek Villa will be Screwedcreek Villa by the time your master comes back. Jiang Qing'e already knew that Qin Wang was preparing to leave. And when he did, the other healers would do so too. If the healers gave up, they would truly be in trouble. But right now, not even she had any ideas. Their best healer, Qin Wang, had created his best antidote, and it had been useless. Checkmate. Just as the feeling of resignation was swelling among the healers, Li Luo suddenly spoke up. "I wonder, what grade is Master Qin's wood resonance?" Qin Wang was surprised by the question, but he answered, "Lower seventh-grade." "And this is the highest among all of you?" The other healers looked around confused, but they nodded. "And the Awakening... the higher the resonance grade, the better, correct?" "It is indeed a factor," Qin Wang answered with some irritation. "Just like with refining spirit liquids and purifying lights, the higher the grade of the user, the better the final product. But what are you trying to say, Young Lord? The poison is beyond us." Li Luo ignored his attitude and turned to the healers, who were already beating the mental drums of retreat in their minds. "Gentlemen. This poison is hard to deal with. If you declare yourselves unable to help, I cannot force you to do the impossible. But I ask for one last favor, which is to create batches of half-finished antidotes for me." The healers stared at him uncomprehendingly. "You mean, up till before the Awakening?" one healer asked hesitantly. Li Luo smiled and nodded. That was even more confusing. Without Awakening, the antidote was not even an antidote. It would be weaker than ever. What circus was Li Luo running? Qin Wang was equally confused. Had the Young Lord lost his mind and decided to play doctor? "That is all I would ask of you. Regardless of the outcome, you have House Luolan's thanks," Li Luo said, cupping his fist in respect. The healers muttered doubtfully among themselves, until Qin Wang laughed. "Well then! If the Young Lord requests this, then we will see it done, since you invited us here. "But let us be clear. After we make the half-finished products, the Young Lord will leave us alone. Is that fair? After all, there really is nothing else we can do." Li Luo smiled and nodded. With this agreement out of Li Luo, the healers roused themselves into action, still shaking their heads in puzzlement. Without the final step, the process was quite quick. In less than an hour, the half-finished antidotes were lined up neatly before him. Li Luo ushered them out into the hall, then closed the door after them. Now it was Jiang Qing'e, Cai Wei, and Yan Lingqing left with him, staring at him perplexedly. They knew that Li Luo was not a reckless person, however, and believed that he had a plan. "That Qin Wang is a bad egg." Li Luo snorted. "Probably Pei Hao's mole. One, to monitor our progress, and two, to influence the healers to leave, Jiang Qing'e said calmly. Li Luo sighed. "That ingrate is meticulous to a fault. He's already gotten us cornered and is still throwing obstacles our way..." Jiang Qing'e cocked her head at him in amusement and anticipation. "So, Li Luo... "What is it that you intend to do?" She gestured at the half-finished antidotes. "If you had them stop before the Awakening... a half-baked healer like you wouldn't be thinking of attempting it, would you?" Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing stared at him. Li Luo sighed. "Well, actually, I just wanted to live among you as a commoner. But now I've no choice but to show you just what a genius y'all have been living with..." Chapter 225: Li Luo Shines In the hall, all three girls stared at Li Luo as if he had gone mad, unsure of what to make of his bizarre proclamation. Li Luo dropped the theatrics. "Qing'e, you're right," he said, walking over to the half-finished antidotes. "I do intend to awaken these antidotes myself." Li Luo might have just declared himself a King with fifty resonances, given the reaction of the three girls. "Don't be foolish. These are all the antidote leads we have... and you know that other healers' resonant powers are imbued within. Your resonant power might well clash with the existing work and destroy the solution. As a resonant artificer yourself, you know this," Jiang Qing'e said gravely. Cai Wei was worried... for Li Luo's sanity. Had the boy really lost it this time? Li Luo smiled back at them. "I know it well... but where do you think the secret watersource I provide the Suncreek Villa comes from?" Jiang Qing'e and Cai Wei looked confused, but Yan Lingqing burst out, "You?! You made it!" Li Luo nodded, surprised. "Sister Lingqing knows me well, it seems. You guessed my secret." She looked at him like he was a talking unicorn. "When you helped me refine the spirit liquid, I suspected..." "But how? How can you do it?" Li Luo extended a finger, concentrating his resonant power onto it. A single drop of resonant power liquid condensed on the tip, which he showed to them. The three girls crowded in for a closer look. It was so familiarthe secret watersource that they had seen and handled and used all this time. The two were completely the same. "Its not impossible. Wasn't I a blank palace cultivator before? Later, various reasons allowed me to get resonances, but my resonant power still has a powerful ability to encompass things. I call it void affinity. It allows my resonant power to merge with other resonant powers without rejection," Li Luo explained. "The secret watersource is made from my own resonant power." The three girls were reeling from the information. It was the first time they had heard of someone able to create a secret watersource from their own resonant power the moment they unlocked it. "So the secret watersource is not from the Master and Mistress, but from you..." Jiang Qing'e said in a half-whisper. "No wonder the Young Lord was always pale and unsteady after handing over a batch of secret watersource. He was squeezing himself dry." She opened her fan to hide her grin. Li Luo blushingly scolded them. "You guys gonna keep pestering me? Do you think my body's made of steel or something?" Yan Lingqing turned and squished Cai Wei in a delighted hug. Jiang Qing'e could barely contain her smile as well, but seeing Li Luo's embarrassment, she quickly switched the topic. "So you intend to Awaken these half-finished antidotes yourself?" "Those healers had lower seventh-grade wood resonances at best. I have two resonances with healing power. I'll definitely be stronger. These antidotes are good, theyre just lacking firepower. With my Awakening, they should be a few notches stronger." Li Luo nodded. "I don't know if it will be effective, but you all saw how the healers were already giving up thanks to Qin Wang. I think I'd make a better attempt. My healing skills might be weaker than Xin Fu's drawing skills, but all I'm doing is putting the finishing touches on an almost-finished product." Jiang Qing'e nodded. There was no other alternative after all. Cai Wei smacked Yan Lingqing off her back, and all of them settled down to watch Li Luo try. Li Luo pulled out one vial of antidote, concentrating his green and blue resonant powers into it, along with a bright shine of light. The girls could sense the warm powers of life that belonged to the water and wood resonances. The blue and green mixed into a drop of highly concentrated liquid energy, which he placed in the vial. As it mixed with the antidote, the entire mixture shone brightly, an effervescence of light and liquid in a harmonious reaction. And then the antidote settled, becoming purer than ever. Li Luo's experiment had succeeded. A perfect melding of his resonant power with the antidote. Just as he had made the secret watersource. This was a first for the three girls watching. It looked like even Li Luo's blank palaces were a gift. But it wasn't time to celebrate yet. There were no guarantees that Li Luo's reinforced antidote would be strong enough to neutralize the poisons. Li Luo knew the same, and so he plucked a flask of poisoned blood and poured his antidote in. Green and black hissed and fought within the mixture, spreading and struggling for dominance. They watched on with bated breath. The antidote was swallowed by the blackness and then reemerged, still shining brightly. This process repeated many times. Gradually, it grew resistant to the poison, then it began its counterattack. Now it was the green light spreading, pushing back the blackness with swiftness. When the blackness was completely gone, the room was silent. They stared unblinkingly at the vial, waiting for any reemergence. There was none. Clean blood, completely purified. All four were shocked by this success, the creator included. Li Luo had not expected things to go this well. Heaven was great. Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief, turning to beam broadly at the others. "Ladies, thank you for coming to another show of Luo's Miracles." Slow smiles spread across red lips, then their exultance bubbled over as they whooped and cheered. Li Luo had done it! He had turned the tables! With these antidotes, the crisis of the Suncreek Villa was over! Jiang Qing'e stepped up to him, his bright smile still reflected in her golden eyes. His eyes widened as she came closer and closer, and then her arms slid around his neck and she melted into his arms. Her lips came close to his ear. "Well done. Here's your reward." Chapter 226: Poison No More The sudden, fragrant embrace was as surprising as it was welcome, but Li Luo had barely begun to relax into it when he felt her pulling away. His heart felt empty. "That's too short," he complained. Cai Wei's laughter tinkled in the air. "Oh, Young Lord, don't be so hasty. There will be many more opportunities. If you continue to do well. "And..." She pointed a manicured finger at the remaining antidotes. "There's so much more antidote not yet awakened. Think you can keep it up, Young Lord?" She batted her eyelashes innocently. Li Luo put his hands indignantly on his hips. "Don't you dare say I can't!" And then he began to awaken the other antidotes. For the next half-hour, Li Luo squeezed himself dry of every last drop of resonant power, until every last dose of antidote was finished. When the final dose was completed, Li Luo slumped back in his chair. His entire body felt rubbery and aching. Cai Wei applauded, delighted by his endurance. Yan Lingqing served him a cup of hot tea. "Young Lord, this is ginseng tea for you. Replenish yourself." Li Luo rolled his eyes and then downed it in one gulp. Feeling some trickle of strength returning, he forced himself to his feet. "Time is ticking. Use the antidotes immediately." Jiang Qing'e nodded, throwing the door wide. She summoned servants to move the antidotes. Outside the house, Qin Wang and the other healers had yet to leave. They watched the movement of antidotes with much curiosity. What were they planning to do with the half-finished things? Especially Qin Wang. There was mockery in his eyes.?Oh, Li Luo, you ignorant, desperate boy. But both Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e walked right past him. "Take these antidotes to the victims," they told Elder Zheng Ping. "Er, y-yes," Elder Zheng Ping stuttered. He did not know what had happened within the room, but he had heard from the healers that they had not succeeded. Still, personal doubt gave way to his trust in Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e, and he hurried to fulfill their command. The poison victims were all laid out in the courtyard before the house, where a ghastly miasma hung in the air above their spot-riddled bodies. The headquarters' artificers were moving among them worriedly. They knew that Xia City had heard the news already. If these branch artificers died here, the Suncreek Villa's reputation would be completely trashed. Elder Zheng Ping and the other servants started to pour the antidotes into the mouths of Tang Yun, Lu Xiaofeng, and the others. They waited in agony, unsure if death was taking the artificers or sparing them. Even Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were nervous. The antidote had neutralized the poisoned blood, but a good indication didn't guarantee results... In the stifling silence and stillness, it felt like time itself had stopped. About a quarter of an hour later, someone yelled, "The black spots are fading!" Everyone crowded over to look. Indeed, the dark, diseased spots on their skin were growing steadily lighter by the moment. Soon enough, they were completely gone. Whoa! The victims opened their eyes and started to vomit noxious, black blood. The smell was nauseating. Bleurgh! More and more of them were regaining consciousness and vomiting black blood. They were purging the poisons! The antidotes were working! Raucous cheers filled the air. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e heaved huge sighs of relief as well. The only ones not overjoyed were Qin Wang and the other healers. They stared at the awakening victims with sheer confusion. What was going on? They had made the antidotesbut how? How had their half-finished products worked? What had happened after they left? Qin Wang's curiosity scratched away at his composure like a relentless little mouse. Finally, with a forced chuckle, he asked, "Young Lord, Miss Jiang, what on earth happened? How did our half-finished antidotes become effective?" Li Luo grinned at him. "Well, I dunno... Maybe half-finished products create miracles better? Maybe it was the journey all along." Qin Wang grinned back, but on the inside he was cursing and swearing in absolute confusion. What on earth was this nonsense? Journey of what, damn it?! Li Luo was screwing around with him. But there was no way to force an answer out of Li Luo, and besides, he was getting a little sweaty at the way Li Luo was staring at him closely. "Ack." Li Luo was considering how to deal with Qin Wang when a loud cough interrupted. Both Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng were leaning to the side, stirring weakly as the black blood dribbled out from their lips. Li Luo hurried over, gesturing for them to look around. "Gentlemen, I'm sure you understand what happened now?" Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng looked at the feeble branch artificers all around them, and there was real anger in their eyes. "Pei Hao, you vile beast!" All was clear as day. Pei Hao must have done something to them, then lured them to the Suncreek Villa headquarters to die. His intention was to crush House Luolan and Li Luo under a mountain of gravestones. Neither believed that Li Luo had been the one to poison themthere was nothing he could gain from it at all. And if not Li Luo, then the culprit was obvious. "It must be the wine that Pei Hao provided on the trip!" Lu Xiaofeng shouted. The other branch artificers were finding their feet now as well, adding their own angry voices in agreement. Tang Yun turned to Li Luo, contrite. "Young Lord, we are sorry. We were used, and we caused trouble for you." The others quickly added their thanks as well. Li Luo waved it off. "All of you are the Suncreek Villa's people. I wouldn't let you die right before me. "And now... Presidents, are you intending to head back to the Xiling branch?" he asked them. They gave a bitter laugh. "The Young Lord jests. As if we would dare to return to that vile Pei Hao... If the Young Lord will have us, we would gladly stay and work for headquarters." Li Luo nodded, pleased. "Oh, but before that, I would ask something of you two gentlemen..." He looked up, past the walls of headquarters. Pei Hao had laid out a huge game, but it was time to pack it all up for him. Chapter 227: Spectators Outside the Suncreek Villa. Crowds were milling around, having seen dark clouds of gas rise up from the Suncreek Villa's courtyard. In a nearby inn, a couple of excited lookers were eagerly waiting for something to happen as well. They knew that the result might make or break House Luolan. "These rumors in Xia City are getting out of hand. Are they idiots? No matter how foolish Li Luo might be, he wouldn't kill his branch artificers right in his headquarters." The speaker was a slim girl with long, green hair, her mouth currently curled upwards in disdain. House Jinque's Si Qiuying. Beside her stood her brother, Si Tianming. They too had hurried over upon hearing the news. After all, House Jinque and House Luolan had some relations. If House Luolan suffered, then the general situation for House Jinque would not be good either. "Rumors are scary precisely because they are spread by idiots," Si Tianming said with a laugh that did not reach his concerned eyes. "Pei Hao really concocted a vicious scheme this time. The man is cruel and deadlywhen he strikes, he always strikes for the heart. "I wonder if Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo can tide through this one..." Si Qiuying sniffed. "It's Li Luo's fault for being greedy. Those branch artificers were clearly there to cause trouble. Who asked him to invite them in? He could have ignored them and all would be well." "That's naive, Sister," Si Tianming said, shaking his head. "If Li Luo hadn't taken them in, it would have been enough reason for them to attack. Besides, he doesn't lack guts and ambition. He clearly wants to absorb them and strengthen the Suncreek Villa." "So he ate the pie without checking to see if it was poisoned." Si Qiuying scoffed. Si Tianming turned to look at her. "You seem quite worried," he said curiously. Si Qiuying jolted, baring her teeth at him. "I'm only worried about Sister Qing'e!" she said defensively. "Oh? I've heard you mention nothing but Li Luo all this while. A while back, you couldn't even be bothered with the guy." Si Tianming smiled. She sniffed. "I admit he's talented. I underestimated him before," she said honestly. Indeed, she had thought nothing of the bumpkin lord fresh from the City of Southwind. But as he settled into the Astral Sage College, he started to grow into his strength, and was now considered second only to Qin Zhulu among the new students. Si Qiuying might be prideful, but she was reasonable enough as well. She did not deny Li Luo's skill. Si Tianming laughed. "Well, shouldn't you have... you know? Not looked down on him at the start?" She reddened, reaching out to smack him. "Th-thats none of your business!" "What are you so happy about anyway? The more Li Luo's stock rises, the less chance you have." Si Tianming sighed deeply. "There was never a chance." Seeing her brother so resigned was a real damper on her own mood. She had thought of Li Luo as nothing but a pretty face, but it seemed like her brother didn't stand a chance now... Li Luo wasn't just pretty, he was pretty good. Her brother's chances were dwindling away. In comparison, it was Si Tianming who was more open-minded. He fancied Jiang Qing'e, but he quickly dealt with his own feelings. His was one of the more friendly gazes currently fixed on the Suncreek Villa's headquarters. "Hopefully, Li Luo gets through this..." There was nothing they could do to help, not against the sudden and vicious blow that Pei Hao had struck. ... "I say, the Suncreek Villa surely will be ruined this time, right?" Duze Beixuan crossed his arms smugly. "That Pei Hao is quite something... A vile, disgusting ingrate." Duze Honglian smirked. "Well, an ingrate's ingrate is quite a lovable thing indeed." Duze Beixuan laughed. "He even managed to move all the best healers away from the Suncreek Villa. That's quite a sum of money..." "I think the Suncreek Villa will be dead in the water this time." Duze Beixuan smiled with vindictive glee. If the Suncreek Villa was knocked out, House Luolan would be in deep trouble. Surely that would take some wind out of Li Luo's pompous sails back in school. ... "Damn those assholes. How dare they attack my beloved brother Li Luo while I was gone." A bunch of people were gathered outside the Suncreek Villa, an equal mix of boys and girls. One of them was swearing colorfully. Who else could it be but Yu Lang? With him were the usual suspects like Zhao Kuo, but today there were also a couple of unusual suspects, namely Bai Doudou and Bai Mengmeng. They had come to Xia City to enjoy themselves a few days ago, but they had heard the news. "And what could you possibly do?" Bai Doudou snorted. Yu Lang sighed. "My good brother Li Luo is a naive boy. If it were me, I would have called a bunch of people to dress up in House Duze's livery, and beat the artificers to death at the door. Then I'd come out to scold them all very soundly. Moral high ground. No trouble." "....." Zhao Kuo and the others stared at him speechlessly. This man was a genius. The entire plan stunk of Yu Lang. "I suggest you find a job at House Luolan in customer service," Zhao Kuo said. "20/20 plan, Yu Lang, but only in hindsight," Bai Doudou retorted. "Besides, you think House Duze's people would beat up resonance artificers for no good reason? You think people are dumb? Who'd you fool?" Yu Lang grinned. "It's a dumb plan, but if no one caught me in the act, House Duze could scream the roof down and I wouldn't admit to it." In any case, Yu Lang's dastardly ideas had put the mood of the group at ease. Bai Mengmeng's wide eyes thoughtfully turned to the Suncreek Villa. "No wonder Leader was so anxious to get his hands on formulas for spirit liquids and purifying lights. So the Suncreek Villa was in trouble..." Bai Mengmeng's long lashes fluttered. She had spent the holidays immersed in spirit liquid research, and she had gotten some inspiration that would probably lead to a breakthrough soon. Perhaps if it succeeded, it could help her leader. Of course, she hoped that he would acknowledge her efforts and also work hard on getting her sense of taste restored... ... "Wow, it's getting more and more crowded." Pang Qianchi snickered at the crowd outside the Suncreek Villa. "It seems like the time of reckoning for the Suncreek Villa has come." Pei Hao laughed. He had prepared extensively for this. Even Li Luo's healers had been mere pawns. There was no way Li Luo could turn this around. And without the Suncreek Villa, House Luolan would become a huge weight around Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e's shoulders. He stood up, walking over to the window. Finally, he was out of the shadows and ready to take centerstage, luxuriating in the fruits of his plan. "The headquarters' gates are opening!" Pang Qianchi said excitedly. Indeed, the doors began to part, as did Pei Hao's greasy lips in a grin of relish. Time's up. Surely it would be Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e, defeated and slumped? Aha. He could see two people walking out... Tang Yun? And Lu Xiaofeng? Damn his eyes, why were there ghosts walking around in broad daylight? Pei Hao's smile froze on his face. Chapter 228: Curtains Drop The long-shut doors to the Suncreek Villa had finally opened before the curious onlookers, and a whole crowd of people flooded out. The crowd gasped when they recognized themthe branch artificers of the Suncreek Villa. And in the lead, Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng. They were fine? Confused mutters broke out. Were the rumors false? True, the artificers were looking pale, but they weren't looking poisoned at all. Behind them, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e strolled out, feigning a casual indifference to the looks directed their way. There were hostile ones and happy ones. Of course, most of them were here-with-the-popcorn ones. Li Luo ignored them all, instead nodding to Tang Yun. The latter took a deep breath. He stepped forward and raised his hands to the crowd. "Everyone. From today onwards, the artificers of the Xiling branch will join the Suncreek Villa's headquarters. We renounce all ties to the Xiling branch." His bold announcement was greeted by utterances of surprise. This was the happy ending to a strange day? Not only had the resonance artificers not been poisoned to death by Li Luo, they were choosing to join him and renounce the Xiling branch. The 180-degree change in attitude was unfathomable. Something must have happened to make them change their minds so strongly and turn away from Pei Hao... What could it have been? New rumors were starting now, more interesting ones. Tang Yun had not said anything about what had happened, but sometimes, imagination ran wilder than the truth... Who was the poisoner, then? There was only one likely answer in many of their minds. After making their curiously short announcement, Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng led their artificers back into headquarters. Li Luo favored the crowd with a smile. "Thanks for all the concern, everyone. But the Suncreek Villa is fine now. Disperse, please." With nothing else exciting happening, the crowd wandered off soon enough. Li Luo turned to see a group of students hurrying over. His expression brightened as he hurried forward. Yu Lang's smile was blissful. "Oh, he might be the great lord of House Luolan, but his sincerity towards his friends is touchingly humble." He opened his arms. Li Luo ducked under his armpit, wrinkling his nose as he passed. "S'cuse me. Thanks." "My feelings!" Yu Lang protested loudly. "Consider them!" Li Luo rolled his eyes and ignored him. He turned a welcoming smile to Bai Doudou and Bai Mengmeng. "Leader Bai, Mengmeng, I didn't know you were here in Xia City! Welcome, welcome! Come, come, let's go to the Suncreek Villa." He ushered them in heartily. Bai Doudou wasn't used to Li Luo's sudden warmth. She could feel that it was directed more at Bai Mengmeng. "Alright." Bai Mengmeng agreed without thinking too much. She was very respectful towards her leader, and she accepted easily enough. She was in a pale, flowery dress today, her smile sweet enough to attract bees. Li Luo shared a warm greeting with Zhao Kuo and the others, then he led them all inside the Suncreek Villa, introducing them to Jiang Qing'e. "Sister Qing'e, this is Bai Doudou, the strongest female leader in the One Star Hall. Bai Mengmeng, you've met her already..." Jiang Qing'e nodded with a courteous smile, her eyes lingering slightly longer on the Bai sisters. Bai Doudou she had heard of before, but Bai Mengmeng was the one that intrigued her more. She had heard Li Luo speak of her expertise in spirit liquids and purifying lights. Her formulas were worth many times the Suncreek Villa's entire history of research. She also knew that Li Luo was practically drooling over Bai Mengmeng's skill. If the Suncreek Villa ever wanted to become a top ten villa, Li Luo's secret watersource alone would not be enough. The other half of the equationformulaswas just as important. No wonder Li Luo was so excited. "Senior Jiang." Bai Doudou was a little intimidated. Jiang Qing'e was as close to an idol as she had. Bai Mengmeng had seen Jiang Qing'e many times before, but her aura was still intimidating enough to send her meekly hiding behind her elder sister's back. "Welcome to the Suncreek Villa. You are welcome guests. We're a little busy today, so forgive us for the lack of hospitality." Jiang Qing'e smiled again, more warmly this time. She gestured them inside. ... "Just like that?" Si Qiuying's eyes were wide in disbelief, watching the crowd vanish into nothing. "Well, well," Si Tianming remarked with equal surprise. "Seems like we both underestimated Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo. They seem to have dealt with this one easily enough." "It must have been Sister Qing'e," Si Qiuying remarked with conviction. She was a diehard fan of Jiang Qing'e. Li Luo might be up and coming, but he was still far from her star. "Perhaps," Si Tianming said neutrally. He knew well that Jiang Qing'e's brilliance did not usually extend to spontaneous reactions. Neither could confirm their suspicions, but he had a hunch that the Young Lord's contributions in this save were not as light as Si Qiuying wanted to think. Regardless, all was well for House Luolan now, and House Jinque was happy to see them do well. ... "What the hell is that wretch Pei Hao doing? How did he get beaten so easily?" Duze Beixuan was in a snappy mood. He felt like he had gotten his hopes up for nothing. Foiled by Li Luo again. Duze Honglian was looking sour as well. So much hype for so little result. "Seems like the X-factor is inside the Suncreek Villa..." Duze Honglian shook her head irritatedly. Pei Hao had done as well as he could, but something had tripped him up. "That Pei Hao... Not only did he fail to destroy the Suncreek Villa, he's sent them a whole fleet of resonance artificers! Is he hurting or helping Li Luo?!" Duze Beixuan demanded. The secret watersource had already helped the Suncreek Villa build its way back to good profitability, and House Duze had spent a lot to keep resonance artificers away from the Suncreek Villa for a while. It was an expensive and temporary solution to keep them down, hoping for the Suncreek Villa to fail. But now Pei Hao had sent them reinforcements galore, and House Duze's own efforts were all for naught. With their influx of resonance artificers, the Suncreek Villa would definitely expand rapidly again. Duze Honglian was not as angry, but still quite disappointed. "Let's go. It's over already, no use griping about it. We need to report to the Bigswamp Villa and get them to ramp up the pressure. I have a bad feeling that if the Suncreek Villa truly hits its stride, it's going to be a real threat to the Bigswamp Villa." She turned to leave. ... Compared to these scattered pockets of disappointment, the real bag of glowering depression was to be found in a certain posh suite where Pei Hao could be found. Pang Qianchi looked uneasily between the floor and his boss, sensing the dark, glowering anger from the other man. He had been anticipating the juicy fruits of victory, but instead it was a bomb full of shrapnel. It had shredded his ego painfully. Pei Hao let out a long, slow hiss that broke the silence. Pang Qianchi laughed nervously. "Do not worry, Sir. This was just a warm up. There will be more opportunities. Jiang Qing'e is hard to deal with." "No," Pei Hao interrupted. "I think I lost not to Jiang Qing'e this time, but to Li Luo." "Er... that's unlikely, Sir. Li Luo might have a bit of smarts, but he's still far from Jiang Qing'e, isn't he?" "Just a gut feeling," Pei Hao stated calmly. "Well... what next?" Pei Hao shook his head and walked away. "Slowly. That was just the pre-show. The Housemeet in half a year will be the climax. "Hopefully, Li Luo holds on to the Master and Mistress' legacy. Otherwise... House Luolan will change hands." Chapter 229: The Trail of Pei Hao At the Suncreek Villa, it was like the sun had come out after the storm. The tension and fear of the poisoning was a thing of the past, and now the villa was stronger than before, swelled with artificers. Relief and satisfaction shone in the smiles of the resonance artificers. Li Luo brought Bai Doudou, Bai Mengmeng, Yu Lang, and the others around the Suncreek Villa, eventually stopping at a broken-down building that had been badly burned. "This used to be the Suncreek Villa's formula research center. On the day I came to Xia City, the president of the Suncreek Villa was poached away by the Bigswamp Villa. He not only took many resonance artificers with him, he also burned down our research center. We lost much that day." Li Luo gestured sadly at the ashes. "That's horrible," Bai Mengmeng said, her fists clenched. She liked researching formulas, and she knew how much time and effort they required. The president was free to leave, but burning down the research laboratories was cruel. Sympathy welled in her. Even a young lord like Li Luo had many troubles to struggle with. "The Suncreek Villa is sundered, and the stress..." Li Luo sighed. "I can barely get a good night's sleep these days." He shot Yu Lang a look. Yu Lang had no idea what Li Luo was up to, but he sensed that he had something planned for Bai Mengmeng. Not the person herself, but something she had. After barely a moment, Yu Lang nodded along. "No wonder your hair's turned even whiter since we reached Xia City," he said sympathetically. "Even your handsomeness has taken a hit. "It's all my fault," he berated himself. "I'm useless. If only I could help you, I'd do so with all my strength." Li Luo sent him an approving wink. This guy was a real wingman, the perfect improviser. And he cared not at all about the slight on his looks. Bai Mengmeng eyed his hair carefully. "It's still very pretty," she murmured. Yu Lang coughed to get her attention. "Yes, a very special color, isn't it? Do you like it? I can dye my hair that color." "I think a skinhead suits you better," Bai Doudou remarked, casually pulling out a sharp dagger from her waist, which she tapped against Yu Lang's head. "Want me to help you with that?" "Ah, no need, no need. My body is a temple granted by my great parents. I've suddenly decided to leave it as it is." While Yu Lang was keeping Bai Doudou distracted, Li Luo turned to Bai Mengmeng. "If you've nowhere to go during the holidays, feel free to come play at the Suncreek Villa's research labs. Our facilities are very complete, and it's a great place for you to experiment." Bai Mengmeng cocked her head with some rare amusement in her eyes. "Leader, are you trying to get me to work at the Suncreek Villa?" Li Luo almost choked, caught out by Bai Mengmeng. She looked so innocent and harmless that one often forgot how sharp she actually was. Li Luo didn't bother hiding it anymore. "With your talents, which villa in Xia City wouldn't want you? I know the Suncreek Villa is weak, and it is nothing to you. But I will build it to become the best villa in Xia City. Some day." Bai Mengmeng nodded noncommittally. Li Luo squired a little, embarrassed that his offer had been ignored. Well, you missed every shot you didn't take. Bai Mengmeng was a prize that every villa would chase. They would hurry to fulfill her every request. "Well, er, no matter. Perhaps... If you..." Li Luo stammered. "Leader, forget about those things... You know what I want," Bai Mengmeng said softly. She put one finger to her cherry-red lips. "Didn't I promise you before? If you help me regain my sense of taste, I'll even sell my body to help you research spirit liquids." Li Luo wrung his hands. "I dunno... feels a bit like I'm threatening you." She shook her head. "You might not feel it's an equivalent exchange, but only because you've never lost your sense of taste before. But to me, it's my wildest dream." Li Luo smiled at the seriousness on her face. "Well, I guess I've learned something from you." Bai Mengmeng smiled back. "So just focus on helping me get it back." Li Luo pondered it. "Well, about that... I've actually had a bit of a brainwave." Bai Mengmeng's smile bloomed on her face like a flower. "Actually, I've had a bit of a brainwave regarding spirit liquids as well." Li Luo nodded. "Message received." The two exchanged a smile of understanding. Suddenly, Li Luo spotted Jiang Qing'e waving him over from a distance away. He excused himself and hurried over. "What's wrong?" He sobered up instantly when he saw her looking deadly. "Pavilion Master Lei Zhang's message. Our people have found Pei Hao's trail." Li Luo's eyes went flat, and suddenly he matched her for killing intent. Although they had gotten past this crisis, it had been too close for comfort. If not for a healthy dose of luck, they might well have been doomed. Li Luo would very dearly like to hang Pei Hao up by his feet, force feed him a gallon of his own poison, and play a symphony using only the gong sound that triggered it. House Luolan was strongest in Xia City, where their headquarters, and now Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e, was located. Pei Hao's forces were spread all around the Xia Kingdom. Since he had dared to wander into the tiger's den, then it was up to them to ensure he didn't escape without a mauling. "Gather people. Surround him. Time to give him back as good as we got," Li Luo said with a steely expression. Jiang Qing'e nodded. "If we can, we should just end him right now. Save ourselves more trouble at the Housemeet in half a year." Li Luo nodded in agreement. Pei Hao gone would be a huge load off his chest. Still, they had to be cautious of the powers that backed him. In any case, there was no reason not to pursue and respond now that they had his trail. It would be fantastic if they could finish that ingrate off. Chapter 230: Night Attack Night fell on Xia City with scarcely a shadow, its prosperity showing through the well-lit streets. In the south of a city, one dingy alley was the exception. Through its length, a black shadow flitted past, quick and agile as a monkey on the rooftops. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e walked into the alley, Lei Zhang at their back. They paused before a courtyard, where the elite guards of House Luolan lay in ambush. "Young Lord, Young Mistress, Pei Hao is just ahead," Lei Zhang whispered, his eyes peering forth with wariness. Li Luo turned to Jiang Qing'e. "How do we do this?" Pei Hao was an Earth Fiend in strength, far stronger than a second-tier Resonant Master weakling like himself. Tonight, it was going to be the Jiang Qing'e and Lei Zhang show. He was just here to join the peanut gallery. Jiang Qing'e's beautiful face was bright under the moon. She did not acknowledge Li Luo's question, instead pulling out her sword. She lifted it up, light resonant energy gathering on it, and with a single chop she blew apart the door into wood splinters. "We do it like this," she said mildly, already speeding forward with sword in hand. Li Luo gave her back two thumbs up. And then he followed. Li Luo and Lei Zhang charged in along with the other bodyguards. Along the way, Li Luo and the others were met with no resistance. In the stone pavilion at the back, they saw a solitary figure, drinking and enjoying the moonlight all by himself. Pei Hao. Seeing his relaxed stance, he must have known beforehand that they were here. He turned around as they charged in. "Young Lord," he smiled. "Its been a mere half a year, but look how you have grown." "Ah, high praise. I must say, your antics these few days have caused us a great deal of trouble." Pei Hao shook his head. "Mere tricks. They were easily dealt with by the Young Lord, weren't they?" "Brother Pei Hao, since you're here at Xia City, why not come and rest at headquarters? We're all House Luolan people. No need to refrain." "Oh, no hurry," Pei Hao said with a hoarse wheeze. "In half a year, there will be no refraining." Jiang Qing'e had no patience for this polite verbal fencing. "I don't think you have half a year left." A brilliant flash of light resonant energy burst forth as she swung her sword in a deadly arc. A glowing crescent moon more than ten feet long sliced through the stone pavilion. Golden resonant power boomed out in response, a metallic, golden rumble of power blocking the attack. Plosh! The aftershock was enough to shatter the entire stone pavilion. Pei Hao shot through the crumbling roof, landing on a fake hill feature in the garden. He was wreathed in a golden halo, a long, golden sword in hand. He shone like a star, his resonant power so blindingly brilliant that it hurt one's eyes to look at him. Jiang Qing'e was undeterred, flying after him through the debris. Her light resonant energy danced along her skin in a curious pattern, seemingly part of her flesh. Pei Hao noted the light runes on her skin. "You're already at the Fiend Body Stage?" The Earth Fiend Stage was further divided into early, intermediate, and late. The intermediate stage was defined by the fiend body, which became the alternate name for the tier. The last time they had crossed swords half a year ago, Jiang Qing'e was at the early stage, and already she had moved one up. Supernatural cultivation speed. Besides, her power was beyond that of an ordinary intermediate Earth Fiend... Such was the power of a ninth-grade light resonance. A glimmer of uncertainty shone in Pei Hao's eyes. Jiang Qing'e ignored his remark, answering only with more attacks, each fueled with a grim and deadly determination. Slowly, her light attacks seemed to catch fire, such was their brilliance. The rocks at her feet were starting to melt from her light resonant energy. Plosh! "Incandescent Flame!" Fiery light swished down, cutting through the darkness. Li Luo's eyebrows rose. There was anger in Jiang Qing'e's movements, one that had been conspicuously absent from her entire handling of affairs at the Suncreek Villa today. Finally, an avenue for her pent-up rage to be unleashed. Pei Hao had been wary of her light resonant energy when they fought half a year ago, but on the whole, he had fought with skill to spare. This time, things were different. "Golden Swordsplitter!" Pei Hao shouted. His golden longsword vibrated, faster and faster until after-images could be seen, and then suddenly they were full swords by themselves, flying out to meet her flames of light. Rumble! The epic clash shook the entire garden. As they backed away, Pei Hao raised a hand, and the golden swords swam around his body like fish. There was still smoke hissing off them, slightly melted from the light flame attack. "Incredible strength," Pei Hao muttered to himself. "Enough with the oohs and aahs," Li Luo said. "Pavilion Master Lei Zhang, everyone, get him!" Single combat? What is this, an exhibition match? You think I brought a whole army to spectate an exhibition match? Pavilion Master Lei Zhang immediately complied, leaping into the fray. The entire yard was a blur of people and weapons, all of them attacking Pei Hao. He was soon surrounded good and proper. Pei Hao stood his ground on the fake hill, his expression unconcerned as he fought on. His golden swords closed ranks around him in a bristling defense. Suddenly, a tremendous wave of resonant power swept across the whole field. An eagle claw of tenebrous dark power sent Lei Zhang flying heavily backwards. RUMBLE! Lei Zhang slammed into a wall, cracking it from the impact. His body slumped down in a heap. The elite guards of House Luolan retreated hastily. Li Luo turned in dismay in the direction of the attack. A grey-robed elder stood there. The old man smiled thinly at him. "It's been many years, Young Lord. How you have grown... "Perhaps you don't remember this old man anymore. My name is Mo Cheng." Li Luo's eyes widened in recognition. Mo Cheng, one of House Luolan's Three Great Ancestral Elders. Chapter 231: Ancestral Elder "Mo Cheng..." Li Luo whispered in disbelief. House Luolan's great ancestral elder was the last person he expected to defend Pei Hao. These three ancestral elders were highly placed within House Luolan. Although they remained apart from House Luolan's daily operations, they held heavy responsibilities nonetheless. The three ancestral elders did not even reside at Xia City usually, and Li Luo had not even seen them since he came to headquarters half a year ago. "Elder Mo Cheng," Li Luo said flatly. "I would love to know why a sworn protector of House Luolan is defending Pei Hao. "Or were you perhaps bought by him? As I understand, the three elders have special status, and answer only to the House Lords." Mo Cheng's wizened face creased in a small smile. "Young Lord, I am not subject to Pei Hao's commands. I simply do not wish to see House Luolan's dirty laundry aired in public. If we cause a fuss here, the whole Xia Kingdom will laugh at us." Li Luo spluttered a laugh. "Where were you when Pei Hao was poisoning resonance artificers at the Suncreek Villa? Causing a fuss? Dirty laundry? I didn't see your noble self there to stop him." Mo Cheng's smile did not fade. "Pei Hao is one of the candidates in the running for house lord. As an ancestral elder, I have a duty to see to his safety." Li Luo shook his head in frustration. Pei Hao had come to them back then with Elder Mo Cheng's plaque in hand. And now the latter had appeared to defend him. They were clearly close. "In the running for house lord? He isn't even first in line. It was my parents' legacy that was left behind," Li Luo said coldly. "Young Lord, you make many assumptions. In my eyes, you're a young lord, and Pei Hao is a young lord too... He is the disciple of the House Lords. And back then, the House Lords decreed that anyone who was recognized by two elders and four pavilion masters was in the running. Pei Hao qualifies," Mo Cheng said solemnly. "Elder Mo, he is a namesake disciple, Li Luo corrected sharply. My parents only took one true disciple: Sister Qing'e." Elder Mo smirked. "A disciple in name is still a disciple. Actually, it really doesn't matter. All you need to know is that Pei Hao qualifies for the running. In the end, all you have to blame is yourself. If only you had shown your dual resonances and potential earlier. Why else would anyone in House Luolan waver?" Li Luo sighed out loud. "I very dearly want to know which mighty power is backing Pei Hao, to even turn two elders to his side. Still... aren't you worried that my parents will return?" "We aren't... Our actions don't violate the rules that the two House Lords set!" "Heh," Li Luo chuckled. "Is that a guilty conscience I smell?" "Nothing you say matters," Mo Cheng said, recovering his composure. "In half a year, all will be decided at the Housemeet. And according to the House Lords' rules, only Pei Hao and yourself are in the running." He looked over. "Of course, Miss Jiang is very skilled, but strictly speaking, her status as heir is incomplete... She does not have the support of two ancestral elders." Li Luo nodded. "I hear you. I'm supposed to go up against Pei Hao at the Housemeet? And Sister Qing'e can't interfere?" Mo Cheng smiled and nodded. "After all, that's how house lords are chosen. If you can win at the Housemeet, you'll be formally appointed. At that time, all the wandering hearts will return to your side, and House Luolan will be complete again. "Even those who are on Pei Hao's side won't have a leg to stand on." "Well calculated, I must say," Li Luo remarked. "A second-tier Resonant Master against an Earth Fiend. Is your brain screwed, or is mine?" Elder Mo smiled infuriatingly. "Seems unfair, doesn't it? Those are the rules though. Or perhaps you could secede to Pei Hao and then challenge him again when you're strong enough." Li Luo laughed. "It all boils down to the fact that Pei Hao is scared of Sister Qing'e." "A ninth-grade light resonance is exceptional." Pei Hao spoke up mildly from behind. "It would scare anyone, and I'm not ashamed to admit it." Li Luo shook his head. "Enough with the crap, Elder Mo. Perhaps according to House Luolan's strictest rules, Sister Qing'e might not qualify, but you know well that she's engaged to me. We are one, and so she is qualified to fight in my place. "Which means," he said with a taunting smile Pei Hao's way, "if you want to fight me, you'll have to go through her first." Mo Cheng's eyes narrowed. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan were noble people... How had their son grown up lacking any scruples? "You are running away... Even if Miss Jiang takes the win for you, no one will be persuaded. They might follow her, but no one will follow you. "And how will the other powers in the Xia Kingdom see House Luolan? A husband hiding behind his wife? Preposterous." Li Luo rubbed his ear off-handedly. "The easy road is the way of the privileged." Mo Cheng's sneer was growing by the moment. Li Luo was more pathetic than he had expected. He thought the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan would have some pride, that he would fight to the bitter end. Outcome aside, he had to convince them with his attitude. None of that was to be seen. Li Luo had chosen to cower behind his strongest queen on the chessboard. Beat her first! Manliness? Privilege? He didn't care! He shook his head with disdain. "Perhaps you'll change your mind when the Housemeet comes, Young Lord." "Stop right there," Jiang Qing'e said coldly. "You think you will take him away so easily?" She had remained silent up to this point, content to let Li Luo lead their conversation. Mo Cheng snorted. "Oh, Miss Jiang. A ninth-grade light resonance is exceptional indeed, but you are no threat to me. Yes, I know that you've marshaled most of House Luolan's forces outside this courtyard, and it will be hard for us to win if we really fight. "However... are you planning to fight?" he asked smugly. "There are too many eyes in Xia City, and many must already be here..." "Problems at the Suncreek Villa during the day, and now a fight between the Young Lord's faction and an ancestral elder? Surely not." "Since the cake is already ruined," Jiang Qing'e pointed out, "there is even less reason to avoid breaking the eggs." "Do as you please." Mo Cheng shook his head, walking out uncaringly, side by side with Pei Hao. Her hand tensed on the hilt of her sword, but Li Luo waved her back. There was really no good reason to fight now, not when they had no guarantee of holding the two. Pei Hao brushed past Li Luo. "Remember, Li Luo, you have half a year more." Li Luo cocked his head with a smile. "Thanks for the reminder. Oh and..." He licked his lips and nodded encouragingly. "That was a sweet present indeed." Chapter 232: The Six Month Deadline In the end, Li Luo let Pei Hao walk away. "Let" as much as one could "let" the sun rise. With the Heavenly Dipper General Mo Cheng around, not even the combined strength of Li Luo's forces could emerge unscathed from a straight fight. And if the Heavenly Dipper General chose to flee, there was no one capable of stopping him. There was no point in trying to do the impossible. And Mo Cheng was rightthere were many eyes watching them. It was time to call an end to a busy day at House Luolan. Li Luo watched Pei Hao and Mo Cheng disappear into the night, and he listened to the crickets chirp at him in disappointment. He had a sense of foreboding that tonight would not go the way he hoped, and indeed the killing of Pei Hao had been foiled. Pei Hao would not have been so foolish to slip up at the end. Still, Ancestral Elder Mo Cheng appearing to protect him was unexpected. "Traitorous old man." Mo Cheng had lapped up the esteem of House Luolan and now turned against the house. "How did people as smart as Dad and Mon leave behind so much flotsam?" Li Luo demanded of Jiang Qing'e. She laughed, her radiant resonant power fading away. "Perhaps they never cared too much. As long as they were around, nobody could cause any trouble for the house. "I'm sure Mo Cheng was a model worker in every way when they were around, serving without complaint. Maybe they just never thought the day would come when they would both leave House Luolan at the same time." Li Luo wrinkled his nose. As if that bunch of filth ever worked an honest day in their lives. Perhaps his parents had not been careless in choosing their people, but were rather powerless to fend off the enemies swarming them. "If only Uncle Biao could fight." He sighed. Ox Biaobiao was a Duke at least, although he was unable to step out of headquarters for mysterious reasons. Neither could he use his powers with abandon, it seemed. That was a great pityHouse Luolan badly needed a Duke to shore up its foundations against the winds of trouble. It would definitely give their enemies a healthy dose of wariness. The wrath of a Duke was nothing to be trifled with. "Uncle Biao's circumstances are special. We can't think of him as a deployable force." Jiang Qing'e shook her head. She was not that discouraged, having come from worse circumstances. At least now she had Li Luo to help her. The Suncreek Villa had recently risen again, and House Luolan's situation had taken a turn for the better. If they accrued enough capital, they could definitely grow much stronger. "I've already sent someone to inform Elder Yuan Qing. He will come back to House Luolan headquarters tomorrow. When he returns, we will be much stronger." Li Luo nodded. Elder Yuan Qing was the only one of the three ancestral elders still loyal to him and Jiang Qing'e. At his command, the elite troops of House Luolan silently fell back. Only Pavilion Master Lei Zhang and a few others remained. The two walked back out to the well-lit streets of Xia City, where the cheery, orange flames comforted them. But then they looked up, and the dark sky seemed on the verge of smothering all that lived below. "I'm afraid the Housemeet in half a year's time will determine the fate of House Luolan," Jiang Qing'e said. Li Luo nodded. Not only would the official house lord be chosen, but Ox Biaobiao had also mentioned that the defensive wards would dip into a slump during that time. House Luolan would be very vulnerable, especially against Duke enemies. The convergence of the two... anything could happen then. If Ox Biaobiao himself strolled in wearing a wedding dress with Pei Hao in hand, he probably wouldn't bat an eyelid. "There's no time." Li Luo sighed. Half a year was just not enough. "Plenty for you to get done in that time," Jiang Qing'e said seriously. "It's a ninth of your remaining lifespan. Remember, you have to reach the third tier of the Resonant Master Stage by the end of your first year. At least the Second Changing of the Evolving Resonance Tier. It's difficult, but you must do it to remain on track to becoming a Duke in five years. "A five-year Duke needs not only talent, but luck as well... And it's lucky that you have the Golden Dragon Secret Key. I hear the Golden Dragon Dao Fields are a magical place. Even in the periphery, it will definitely do you a lot of good. I hope you take it seriously, and not just as a holiday." "The Golden Dragon Dao Fields next month, huh..." Li Luo mused. Of course it would be a good opportunity. He would not pass it up. "And also the matter of the Royal Sap..." Li Luo felt a headache coming on at the mention of those two words. According to Ox Biaobiao, he would need roughly 100,000 school points' worth of sap. He wouldn't be able to get it even if he placed first in the ranking battles for a full year. But if he couldn't solve his hollowness, he wouldn't be able to get to the General Stage. Li Luo's cultivation could not afford such bottlenecks. Others had a lifetime to overcome it, but Li Luo had four and a half years. His cultivation was a desperate race against the sands of time. He had to try everything that he could. He could not let a foundational weakness trip him up. He had to rectify it promptly before the problem grew bigger. "We are returning to school tomorrow. Regarding the points, there should be a chance for a huge surge in the upcoming month." "Oh?" Li Luo perked up. "I guess you haven't heard of Umbra Cave?" "Umbra Cave?" He frowned. He recalled that Mentor Chi Chan had mentioned it before in passing. There was fear in Jiang Qing'e's eyes that made Li Luo afraid too. Anything fearsome enough to make her scared made him scared too. Jiang Qing'e took a deep, steady breath. When she spoke again, her voice was a haunting whisper. "In the Umbra Cave are the Others." Chapter 233: That Which Is Called Umbra Cave "Others..." Li Luo felt a lump in his throat which he swallowed. Not an answer he had expected. When he had learned of the Nobles' Battlefield, where Kings and Dukes marched relentlessly in to die, Li Luo had known the Others were to be feared. And yet there had been this sense of disjunct - the Others were far away, a problem he only had to deal with when he neared Duke strength. And now Jiang Qing'e was telling him that there were Others in the Umbra Cave under Astral Sage College! So they had always been nearby? "The Others are not just confined to the Nobles' Battlefield. They are entering our world through rifts that can be anywhere. Xia Kingdom is quite lucky - there aren't many rifts here, and as a result the common populace is largely oblivious of the problem." "In other rift-filled regions, Others appear all over, leading to Other Disasters. Many once-rich and powerful countries have been led to ruin because of them. Under Astral Sage College, one such rift point links the two worlds. It's called Umbra Cave." "Astral Sage College was built in part to contain the rift. Astral Sage College's principal spends most of his time in Umbra Cave, keeping it under control. He also fights the stronger Others, preventing them from escaping into our world." Li Luo had a sudden lurch of understanding. So that was why the principal was rarely seen. So he had a greater burden to bear. "Although the principal can suppress the rift, but he cannot completely destroy it. The open connection with the shadow world leaks pollution into our world, which manifests as Others when it grows strong enough. The pollution and Others are endless, and can never be fully eradicated. And yet if they are allowed to grow strong enough, they will rush out of Umbra Cave and wreak havoc." "The principal alone is not enough - and he is busy dealing with the stronger Others. That is why every once in a while, Astral Sage College opens up Umbra Cave for cleaning duties. Mentors conduct a sweep of pollution and stronger Others." "Still it is not enough... and so the cleaning duties are also given to the Three and Four Star Hall students. It's also seen as a test of sorts." "Each cleaning is rewarded generously with school points. Of course..." Jiang Qing'e's voice almost cracked. "It is very dangerous, and each cleaning sees casualties. It's not a surprise if an entire squad is wiped out." Li Luo felt a chill run down his spine. Astral Sage College had seemed like an idyllic place of cultivation to him. And yet such great dangers lurked closer than he had thought. Still, destroying the Others was a collective responsibility. If they really escaped, the whole of Xia Kingdom would probably be destroyed. "At first, only the Four Star Hall students were given the cleaning duties. Later on, Three Star Hall students were involved. In the last few years... Two Star Hall students were also included, albeit the best squads only." Jiang Qing'e looked straight into Li Luo's eyes. "Do you know what this means?" He shivered in the night breeze. "It means that the pollution in Umbra Cave is intensifying, so we need more cleaners?" She nodded. "I don't know why that is. But I do know that the principal has been seen less and less in recent years. Which means that the task demands a King's full attention." "So there's a chance that One Star Hall students might be involved this time?" Li Luo asked. "It's not impossible, although it will likely be limited to the Violet Vibrance squads. There might also be changes to the participation format. You will know soon enough. Violet Vibrance squads are usually ordered to take it up, whereas other squads have both reason and permission to refuse. If you refuse, you'll be expelled." Jiang Qing'e said gravely. Li Luo knew this should be no surprise to him. The Violet Vibrance squads were given the best guidance and the best resources... of course they should have correspondingly heavier responsibilities. He had never thought Astral Sage College was a charity giving handouts. "Perhaps it wasn't such a good thing entering Astral Sage College after all." Li Luo sighed. Perhaps only the stronger factions in Xia Kingdom knew about Umbra Cave - it was not public information. The price for Astral Sage College's favorable cultivating conditions was the threat of Umbra Cave. "Some things can't be avoided." Jiang Qing'e pointed out. Li Luo nodded. He had no intention of avoiding it. Quite the contrary - now that he knew about Umbra Cave, there was a strange eagerness building within him. He wanted to know the enemy that his parents were currently facing. "As long as one makes it back successfully from cleaning, each squad gets points... ranging in the five-digit range. Of course, there can be more depending on performance." Jiang Qing'e said. "Five-digit points from one mission..." Li Luo was practically drooling. After all, he had only gotten 5,000 points or so from his hard-won win at the ranking battles. "If the school does include One Star Hall Violet Vibrance squads in this cleanup mission, I think they will use stronger-weaker pairings. A high-star Hall squad will lead a lower-star Hall squad. In that way, weaker squads won't die so easily due to the lack of experience." "If that happens," Jiang Qing'e continued, "I suggest your Fairness & Justice squad join our Black Swan squad." Li Luo's heart leaped. Jiang Qing'e's squad was one of the top ranked squads in Three Star Hall. If they could team up, the risk would definitely be much lower. He was happy to ride her coattails to success. "Won't we be trouble?" Li Luo dearly wanted to take up the offer, but still had to ask. She shook her head. "Heh, you're the first in One Star Hall after all." Li Luo nodded gratefully. What she didn't say was that the weaker pairings also included Two Star squads. Which meant that Three Star squads usually picked Two Star squads. A One Star squad like Li Luo's was definitely going to be weaker than the Two Star squads. But it couldn't be helped, if she was to help Li Luo get points. Time to go convince her two squad mates. After all this time, they knew her way of doing things. If they didn't agree... they would fight until there was agreement. Chapter 234: News of the Others The next day, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e handed over all their affairs back to Cai Wei, and then followed Yu Lang, Bai Mengmeng and the others back to Astral Sage College. Li Luo immediately felt much freer upon entering the school compound. He felt safe there. At the same time, there was a marked tension among the more senior students, and worried faces were to be seen everywhere. Probably because of Umbra Cave. After all, if the sweeping missions were activated, these senior students would be sent into Umbra Cave. Death and injury awaited within. Casualties. It was a simple word, but when it applied to your peers that you had been through thick and thin with, it hit different. Jiang Qing'e and Yan Lingqing split from Li Luo's group the moment they reached school. Soon enough, it was just Li Luo and Bai Mengmeng heading back to their tower. Li Luo's bright laughter and Bai Mengmeng's giggles filled the air, as they moved with light steps towards their tower. The pair came to an abrupt halt at the stone steps before the tower. The tree's shadow was unnaturally large. Li Luo had almost stepped in it when he realized what it was, catching Bai Mengmeng before she stepped on it. "Xin Fu," he said kindly. "Why are you squatting here? You look... pitiful." He looked like an orphan waiting to be adopted. Bai Mengmeng jumped backwards in alarm. "Sorry, Xin Fu, I didn't see you there." Xin Fu looked up glumly from under his hood. "Er..." A thought occurred to Li Luo. "You wouldn't have spent your entire holidays here, would you? Don't you have friends to go out with? Xin Fu shook his head mutely. He had barely spoken a word to anyone here at Astral Sage College. Of course he didn't have friends. Li Luo had guessed as much. The man was reticent to a fault, perhaps because of his shadow resonance. One barely noticed his presence, and he was often overlooked. "That's really pitiful." Li Luo sighed. Bai Mengmeng looked at him with sympathy as well. "Xin Fu, we'll definitely take you with us when we go out next time. I did walk around trying to find you before I left. I walked all around, but didn't see you anywhere." She explained. "When you left, I was sitting right here," he said morosely. Bai Mengmeng's face froze. "Erm, well, I really didn't see you." Xin Fu shook his head and gave a suffering sigh. "Oh, you're all here." The three looked over to see Chi Chan walking over, her slender frame clad in her usual veils. The three students hastily greeted their teacher. Chi Chan nodded to them. "Well, since you're all gathered let's begin today's lesson. I have important news for you today." She turned and walked to the garden with a seriousness in her bearing that made Li Luo pretty sure what she was going to talk about. He'd bet a sixth-grade spirit liquid it was going to be Umbra Cave. All three hurried after her to the spacious pavilion, and the four seated themselves. "Well, you might have heard bits and pieces of what I'm going to talk about, which is Umbra Cave." Chi Chan said immediately. She went over some basic information about Umbra Cave. Li Luo took it a bit more calmly, having heard it from Jiang Qing'e. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu needed a little more time to deal with it. Especially the former, whose fair skin was looking even paler than ever. She looked scared enough to faint. They too were struck by how close the Others really were. "This month, the school will organize purging missions. The Two, Three, and Four Star Hall squads will all participate. We received news that the pollution this time is especially bad, and even some of the most peripheral areas have been contaminated. This time, the One Star Hall Violet Vibrance squads might also be called." She looked at them gravely. "The summons are compulsory. If you reject, you will be expelled." "Umbra Cave not only threatens Astral Sage College. The school protects all of Xia Kingdom from Other Disasters. Whether you do it for school or family, you should have no reason to refuse." The three students nodded stoically, showing the steel and perseverance that had helped them win their positions as Violet Vibrance students in the first place. "However, even though you are called, senior squads will accompany you, imparting experience and protection." She said, nodding with satisfaction at how well they were taking this. "Mentor, can you tell us more about the Others?" Li Luo asked. Whether they were called up for the purging missions this time or not, they now knew that it was inevitable in the near future. "It is about time to tell you," Chi Chan concurred. "I told you before that the shadow world was born of the evil of humankind. These others are those evil thoughts incarnate." "Others are deadly and strong, and come in all shapes and forms. They are largely divided into four classes. Eroding class, Disaster class, Catastrophe class, and Other Kings. Eroding class others eat away at your character, allowing your evil thoughts to surface and take control of your body. Eventually you will succumb to their control; become their puppet." "Erosion is a classic power of the Others... in all these years of culling at the Umbra Cave, many have fallen to their own comrades, corrupted by the evil influence of erosion." Even Li Luo felt clammy when he heard this. Not only did they have to be on guard against the Others, but also against their own squad mates? If it came at a critical moment, they might well be doomed. "The Eroding class Others are also dichotomized into white and red eroders.... as their evil wills grow stronger, they gradually transit from white to red." "White eroders are roughly second-tier Resonant Master in strength, while the red eroders are at the third tier... If you are assigned to purging missions, these will be the ones you take on." "The Disaster class Others are at the General stage in strength, while the Catastrophe class Others are as strong as our Dukes. Once such an Other appears, it can turn a prosperous city into carnage in the blink of an eye." "As for Other Kings..." A moment of dread, as Chi Chan's voice wavered slightly. "I hope we never meet those. Each one is truly a reckoning on its own. They have enough corruptive power to turn an entire country mad." Her three students shared a collective shudder. Although she had not said it explicitly, it was implied that Other Kings could only be dealt with by human King stage cultivators. She took a deep breath. "The Others normally have grotesque appearances, but the more they resemble humans the stronger they get. So if you see one that looks exactly like us, whether in Umbra Cave or elsewhere..." "Better run." The three students nodded fervently. "And now, let's continue the lesson for today. There is no news confirmed on the purging missions yet, so you may continue cultivating for now." She said with a small sigh. "Hopefully you will not be called upon." If they were activated, it indicated the Umbra Cave pollution was very serious. That was not good news at all. Chapter 235: Clashing Opinions Astral Sage College, Three Star Hall. A training arena. The middle-aged woman called Huo Xu was examining her three students' progress, and she gave them a stern smile. "Looks like all of you have been keeping up your training. Especially Qing'eif you keep this up, it's very likely you'll break through to the Heavenly Dipper General Stage by year's end. Your chances of beating the Seven Astral Pillars will be much higher." Jiang Qing'e nodded. "Now, I'm sure you must have heard the news already. The Umbra Cave will open this month. The purging missions will, of course, include you. You're not newbies, and it won't be your first time going in, so I won't repeat all the usual stuff. Just take a moment, remember the danger you know it holds. Be careful. "Soon, we Violet Vibrance mentors will enter the Umbra Cave first. We will punch deep in to wipe out the stronger Others. "This time, you will bring a junior team with you. As for how you choose the junior team, that will be up to the squad." Huo Xu stood up, then waved and left. As she left, Jiang Qing'e turned to her two teammates, who were breathing out in relief. "Mentor's as strict as ever." Her teammates were one girl and one guy. The guy was skinny and had sharp features, his skin dark as a coal in the fire. He had keen, piercing eyes, and when he smiled, his brilliant, white teeth almost seemed to sparkle. His name was Qiu Bai. The other girl was a diminutive figure with a ponytail. She was in a white training uniform that didn't fully hide her womanly figure. Her name was Tian Tian. These were Jiang Qing'e's teammates in the Black Swan Squad. "Good going, Leader. If you beat the Seven Astral Pillars, you'll have set a new record," Tian Tian said. Qiu Bai, who was examining his own reflection seriously in a hand mirror, nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Jiang Qing'e looked at them. "Any thoughts on the junior team we bring?" Tian Tian's smile was cat-like. "Leader, we already have a lead." "Oh? Who?" "Who else? Your biggest fan in the Two Star Hall, Ye Qiuding," she teased. Qiu Bai looked up from his mirror. "Ye Qiuding's quite strong. His Nature's Cauldron Squad clinched second place in the last ranking battle, just behind the Fire Fairy Squad." "Ye Qiuding joined us on a mission before as well. It makes sense that we choose them again," Tian Tian pointed out. "I don't intend to ask him," Jiang Qing'e said calmly. Her teammates looked up in surprise. "You dont want to choose Ye Qiuding? Who then? Of course the Fire Fairy Squad would be even better, I guess." "I intend to bring the Fairness & Justice Squad." "The Fairness & Justice Squad?" Qiu Bai ran over the name in his mind. Didn't seem like it rang a bell among the Two Star Hall teams. Tian Tian got there first. "You mean the One Star Hall team? Their leader's Li Luo, isn't it? Leader, you..." Even Qiu Bai put his mirror away at this. "A One Star team?" He frowned. "That doesn't seem too appropriate." They might have given way in other circumstances, but the Umbra Cave was nothing to mess with. A mistake there might prevent them from making it out. Of course they would want to choose their best chancethe strongest team possible. They had never brought a One Star squad into the Umbra Cave before. "I admit it's for selfish reasons. But the Fairness & Justice Squad isn't weak. They're the top squad in the One Star Hall," Jiang Qing'e admitted. "I dont believe theyll drag us down. And I will do my best to cover their weaknesses in the Umbra Cave." Tian Tian sighed exasperatedly. "They're promising, yes, but they're just a One Star team..." "Won't you reconsider, Leader?" Even Qiu Bai was speaking up. Jiang Qing'e was silent for a moment, then she shook her head. "Sorry. That's my stand. Even if they're lesser in any way, I can plug the gap. I hope you can trust me on this." Qiu Bai and Tian Tian shared a look. Their cool and rational leader always had a blind spot where Li Luo was concerned. "Leader, you know the dangers of the Umbra Cave as well. Of course we believe in your skill, but how will we cover any crisis that comes up?" Qiu Bai pleaded. "We will cover it with my life." Tian Tian inhaled sharply. Jiang Qing'e would go so far for this man? Weren't they only engaged? Still, it was a clear declaration of a special relationship, if she was willing to put her life on the line. Li Luo was a lucky man. "Well, if that's your choice... We'll have to settle it according to our squad rules," Qiu Bai casually said. He took a few steps back, and black flames roared to life, shrouding him. They parted, and a fire-tipped spear appeared in his hand. Tian Tian splayed her hands and stepped back as well, her green resonant power taking the silhouette of a bird. Her flapping wings raised coiling gusts of wind. The squad rule was simple. When the opinions didn't match, brute force was the decider. Jiang Qing'e's golden eyes gleamed with amusement. "Couldn't we have just done this earlier? Save me some breath. "Still, thanks." Both sides understood that when it got to this stage, it meant that they had accepted her suggestion... Why? Because they couldn't beat her, damn it! Even so, it was a formality that had to be upheld. There was a grimace from the pair and then, with an upheaval of resonant power, they charged. Chapter 236: Four Star Formula The next few days passed with no news about purging missions for One Star squads. The school was probably still discussing it. As a result, Li Luo and the others were keeping up with their cultivation as usual, now that they knew the purging missions would come around later, if not sooner. The stronger they were, the better their chances of making it out of the Umbra Cave alive. One day. Li Luo had just finished his training in the underground basement. He made his way upstairs to see Bai Mengmeng setting the table with a sumptuous meal. "Leader. Done with training? I brought these back from the canteen." She smiled at him. "You're a treasure," Li Luo said happily, sitting down at the table. She sat opposite him. Grinning, Li Luo pulled out a small bottle with an opaque liquid inside. He set it down carefully in front of Bai Mengmeng. "A present?" she said, surprised. "Try a drop," mumbled Li Luo, busy trying to stuff an entire hunk of crispy, golden, barbecued pork into his mouth. She looked at the liquid dubiously, then her eyes widened as she looked at Li Luo with a joy she could scarcely believe. She reached out with a quaking hand and put a drop on her tongue. She went rigid with shock. "This... is sweetness?!" Li Luo nodded and grinned. "I told you I had an inspiration. I made this flavor taster over the last two days. It's sweet, indeed. Once I get it all down, you should be able to taste the full range of flavors. Then your sense of taste should be fully restored." Bai Mengmeng clutched the bottle tightly. "Leader, thank you," she said softly. Li Luo waved it off, but his nonchalance faltered when he saw large teardrops streaming down her face. "Er..." Just then, footsteps were heard from the staircase. Xin Fu had come down the stairs just in time to see Bai Mengmeng crying as if her heart was broken. All sorts of dramatic love intrigues flashed through his imagination. Finally, his attention settled on Li Luo. Playboy. "Bad time?" he asked softly. Li Luo rolled his eyes at him. Bai Mengmeng hurriedly wiped away her tears, a little embarrassed. "Mengmeng, I said I would restore your sense of taste. Trust me," Li Luo said kindly. "Besides, we are such good friends with such a good relationship. For you, forgoing sleep and food is worth it," Li Luo said with a noble sigh. Bai Mengmeng carefully stowed the bottle. "Leader, I haven't been slouching on my formula creation either." She smiled happily. "Oh, what are those compared to our friendship! Take it easy. At your own pace." He took a deep swig of water to hide his expression. "I've worked on this formula for many years," she said eagerly. "If all goes well, it'll definitely be a four-star formula!" Pffffff! Li Luo's mouthful of water sprayed out. If not for a last-second turn of the head, he would have sprinkled the entire table of food very nicely with saliva. "Four- four-star formula?" After so many years, the best that the Suncreek Villa had come up with was a three-star formula. Even for the best villas, a four-star formula was a great treasure of inestimable value. How many times had Li Luo dreamed of a four-star formula for the Suncreek Villa, to take it to new heights? Each time he woke up from the dream, he could only sigh sadly. It was a daydream indeed. Even if one occasionally appeared on the market, the price was unbelievable. And now Bai Mengmeng had said that she was on the verge of completing one! It was like a pizza falling out of the sky. There was a hint of impish mischief in Bai Mengmeng's eyes. "Oh, yes, a four-star formula. I've worked on it for many years." Li Luo stared at her. "Look here, Mengmeng," he said seriously, "we're still young. It's alright for us to have some late-nighters. We should work with all we got. We can take it." "Ahem..." Xin Fu sat down. "Leader, your greed is showing." Li Luo ignored him. His entire brain was filled with thoughts of a four-star formula. He was seized with a sudden urge to kidnap Bai Mengmeng and lock her in the lab until she finished. All his casualness had evaporated before the temptation of a four-star formula. He squashed his emotions down violently and hurried over to pour Bai Mengmeng a bowl of warm soup. "Thanks, Leader." She took the soup with a grateful smile. "Don't worry, Leader, this formula will definitely be the Suncreek Villa's." Ah, bliss. How he wanted to kidna- invite her to the Suncreek Villa... There was a mood of optimism and cheer as they dug in. Dong! A low, rumbling gong sounded, echoing all across the Astral Sage College. It didn't sound good. All three put their chopsticks down slowly. The door swung open, and Chi Chan walked in. "No time to eat," she said brusquely. "The Umbra Cave's open." "The school's decided that One Star Violet Vibrance squads must also join, for the experience. Come with me." They looked at each other. The time had come. Chapter 237: Ye Chengying Li Luo's squad hurriedly crammed some food in their mouths before heading out after Chi Chan. As they walked, they could see many others hurrying about their business. These were Two, Three, and also Four Star Hall students, all of whom would be participating in the purging missions. A mobilization of this scale made one nervous. This past, peaceful month was a thing of the past now. In its place was taut tension and stress. These were the horrors of legend, the Others. As more and more people appeared, Li Luo noticed that they were all heading for the Tree of Resonant Power. "The Umbra Cave is right under the Tree of Resonant Power," Chi Chan confirmed. The students were surprised. So they had been cultivating above the Umbra Cave all along? "The Tree of Resonant Power isn't just for cultivation purposes," Chi Chan said, lifting her head up to survey the tree. "It also helps to suppress the Umbra Cave's power. If not for its help, the principal alone would not have been able to hold it back for so long." Li Luo swallowed. It really seemed like the Umbra Cave was the real reason for the Astral Sage College's location. A thought occurred to Li Luo. "Mentor... the other Sage Colleges, are they all built to suppress rifts like the Umbra Cave as well?" "Sharp, aren't you?" she said with an approving smile. "Indeed, it's the case for all Sage Colleges... It is the reason for the school network." That was impressive planning. So all around the world, these powerful schools were plugging the gaps and preventing widespread carnage. Soon enough, they reached the Tree of Resonant Power, where an undercurrent of tension tinged the crowd's voices. There was a teeming mass of people, yet they were clearly divided into their halls. Compared to the louder One and Two Star Hall groups, the seniors were a lot more composed. Clearly, their many experiences with purging missions gave them a good sense of what to expect. There was a stirring in the Four Star Hall crowd, and Li Luo looked over to see that two stars had arrived. Gong Shenjun and the First Princess. Gong Shenjun was the ultimate specimen of a man. Good-looking and hailed as the strongest of the Seven Astral Pillars, it was hard to say which of those features attracted the girls more strongly. And if Gong Shenjun was a god to the girls, then the First Princess was a goddess to many of the guys. If not for Jiang Qing'e, she would be the undisputed goddess in school. "While the Umbra Cave is open, Three and Four Star Hall students are the main culling force. At this time, even the Seven Astral Pillars will come," Chi Chan said. Li Luo was interested now. The Seven Astral Pillars was a name he was pretty familiar with nowthe seven strongest students in the Astral Sage College that everyone wanted to be. Still, Li Luo had only seen Gong Shenjun and the First Princess so far. The other five were still a mystery. Were they all going to show up today? He wanted to see who they were. After all, Jiang Qing'e would challenge one of them at the end of the year... He didn't have to wait for long. "Look, another Seven Astral Pillar!" Bai Mengmeng pointed excitedly. "That senior's figure is incredible," she said admiringly. "Oh?" Li Luo looked over, analytical mode on. Indeed, there was another tall figure standing with Gong Shenjun and the First Princess. She had long hair and was clad in a latex suit that left nothing to the imagination. Many of the girls were looking over enviously. Her face could be considered classically pretty, except for the complete lack of emotion. Her eyes looked like death itself. A real contrast to the other youthful ones. She might not even be as pretty as Bai Mengmeng, but one's eyes rarely made it up to her face. That body. Oh. My. God. "She's called Ye Chengying, from House Lanling. I hear she takes on side jobs sometimes," Chi Chan said. "Side jobs?" Li Luo repeated, puzzled. "As a killer." "..." Well, that was quite an intense side hustle. "Better be careful, Li Luo," Chi Chan said with a sudden grin. "Seeing the way House Luolan is going, someone might well hire her to kill you." "..." Li Luo started to sweat. "Er, surely not? We're all schoolmates." "Well, school is school. Business is business. No clash there." "Mentor, please. I'm a timid one." While they were discussing Ye Chengying, no one noticed that Xin Fu had looked up from under his hood and was staring intensely at her. Ye Chengying seemed to sense it, and she turned her cold eyes his way. Xin Fu hurriedly lowered his eyes. Ye Chengying's eyes lingered on him long after, and then finally she turned away indifferently. Chapter 238: The Umbra Cave Opens After Ye Chengying, the other Seven Astral Pillars started to show up one after another, each stirring interest with their arrival. "That one's called Wang Chao, from one of the three great families of Xia. He has a lower eighth-grade topaz beast resonance. He probably has the strongest defensive abilities among the Seven Astral Pillars..." Chi Chan introduced. Li Luo and the others saw a barrel-chested youth with a glimmering, golden hue to his skin. He stood there like a wall of gold, and there was an immovability to his stance. "That one is Zhong Taiqiu. His father is one of the few governors in the Xia Kingdom that control three provinces. He has a lower eighth-grade devil python resonance." Zhong Taiqiu looked rather unremarkable, with a friendly smile that puffed his cheeks upwards to the point that his eyes were slits. Still, there was a slippery feel to the man. "Governor of three provinces." Li Luo was suitably impressed. This was on a completely different level from Shi Huang's father. Perhaps he had too much bad history with governors' sons before, but Li Luo took an instant dislike to Zhong Taiqiu. "The girl on the far left is called Qiao Yu. She's the one with the most ordinary background in the Seven Astral Pillars. Her accomplishments are all results of her sheer hard work and ability. She has a lower eighth-grade lightning resonance, and a fiery temper to match. She doesn't like those pompous elites who think very highly of themselves. You'd best stay away from her, Li Luo. You're exactly that sort of elite." Qiao Yu had a neat, short bob of silver hair, and she was pretty in a girl-next-door sort of way. She could be considered as good looking as Ye Chengying, and she wore modest, plain clothing, including long pants that showed off her height. Li Luo was stung. "Mentor, perhaps my background is quite elite, but do you really think I'm puffed up and loose?" Chi Chan's eyes flicked over to Bai Mengmeng. "Oh, do I?" Li Luo shook his head irritatedly. He had no idea why his mentor had developed this wrong impression of him. It was the curse of being handsome... which he had no control over. "I think you've seen the last members of the Seven Astral Pillars before. House Jinque's young lord Si Tianming... He's the one who most recently ascended to the Seven Astral Pillars." "Si Tianming, huh..." Li Luo looked at the man with oily, green hair. Welp, another one he didn't quite like. Now all seven were gathered. Such was the importance of the Umbra Cave, that not a single Seven Astral Pillar could be absent. As more and more students started to gather, a few of the tree's branches began to twinkle with light, and Vice Principal Su Xin appeared. Her cheeks were drawn with tension, a sharp contrast to her usual, warm and smiling composure. It was a sobering look. "Students. You all know why you are here. "The Umbra Cave is open, and the corruption within spreads rapidly. We must cull it quickly, before it overruns into the world as we know it. "This year's purging missions begin now. "The corruption is especially bad this year, so the school has decided to include One Star Violet Vibrance squads as well. You will need to find a Three Star Hall squad to pair up with you when you enter." A low muttering broke out. Even for the seniors, it was the first time they had seen One Star squads being included. The First Princess frowned. "I wonder how bad the extent of corruption is this year, to warrant this." Although only their Violet Vibrance squads were included for now, it looked to be a clear pilot test. Which meant that eventually, One Star Gold Gleam squads might also be included. The Umbra Cave was in bad shape for sure. As the First Princess of the Xia Kingdom, she was even more worried than the others, as this concerned her kingdom. If the Umbra Cave fell, it was not only the Astral Sage College that would suffer, but all of her territory. That was not an outcome she could accept. Gong Shenjun nodded in agreement. "I suggested to the school before: why not open the Umbra Cave to all the powers in the Xia Kingdom and get them to help? But the school simply replied that the time was not yet right." "I'm sure they have their own considerations. The Umbra Cave is nothing to take lightly. It has to be carefully handled because the stakes are high." "Perhaps," Gong Shenjun said slowly, looking at Vice Principal Su Xin. The vice principal's voice rang out again. "As per our past cullings, the Violet Vibrance mentors will lead the first batch to wipe out the strongest Others. They will advance deep in, to lend the principal their strength. "The second batch will be Four Star squads, cleaning up any stragglers that might have been overlooked. "The Three Star squads and Two Star squads should focus on improving the general safety, cleaning up what you can." Strategy explained, she turned to the Violet Vibrance mentors by her side. "If we're all prepared... Let's go." The mentors nodded solemnly. In the next moment, worldly natural energy surged in a kaleidoscope of colors, forming a web that stretched across the whole sky. A keening sound filled the air, covering the entire school. Shoosh! A ribbon of rainbow-colored resonant power arched in the sky, twisting in ancient and complicated runes before connecting to the trunk of the Tree of Resonant Power. Rumble! Suddenly, the Tree of Resonant Power cracked with a loud bang, as though some beast had been awakened. The gap in the trunk grew wider and wider at the base, until finally there was an ancient door about a dozen feet wide. There was a primalcy to it, an ancientness that seemed to precede all that they had ever known. Creak. The heavy, wooden door slowly creaked open. Behind it, complete darkness. Whoo! An eerie wind howled from within, and the temperature in the courtyard plummeted. A wave of terror blew past the students. They looked at the black gap with trepidation. This... was the Umbra Cave? Chapter 239: Choices The chilling feeling continued to pulse out periodically from behind the ancient wooden door, ?putting fear into the students' hearts. A fear of the unknown. As the door opened, Su Xin shouted her commands. "Besides the Violet Vibrance mentors tasked to protect the school, the rest will follow me in now. "Students, sort out the pairings amongst yourselves." Streaks of resonant power shot forward, hovering in front of the door to the Umbra Cave. These were the Violet Vibrance mentors, a formidable force commanded by the school. "I'm going in too," Chi Chan said to her squad. "Find a Three Star squad willing to pair with you. They will instruct you on the specifics of what to do inside." They could hear the concern in her voice, even though they could not see her expression behind the veil. "I hope to come back and see you three safe." "You take care too, Mentor." She inclined her head and turned to join the others in front of the door. And then the Violet Vibrance mentors disappeared through the gap. "What a force..." Li Luo marveled. These Violet Vibrance mentors were all Dukes. Seeing them move in force was an impressive sight. They could probably trample House Luolan's special defensive wards without a second thought. Such was the might of the Astral Sage College. Vice Principal Su Xin herself entered, and now the students were left whispering amongst themselves. The remaining mentors yelled for order. "All students, prepare! If you need to pair up, pick among yourselves now." They dissolved into a chaotic discussion. Li Luo noted that the Four Star students remained above the uneasy mood. They quietly went about their preparations, their calm belying their experience in the Umbra Cave. Still, the dangers of the Umbra Cave were not merely overcome with experience. Each purging mission saw casualtiesboth death and injuries. Once they entered, it was almost certain the same number of people would not be coming out. Unlike the first years, the Four Star Hall students were already used to the casualties. Neither expulsion nor entering the Umbra Cave was an inviting option, but by their fourth year, many students had come to silently accept this deadly responsibility. After all, they had all developed some sort of affection for the Astral Sage College after their years of cultivation here. "Leader, are we going to go find a Three Star Hall team?" Bai Mengmeng asked anxiously. From what Vice Principal Su Xin had said, a team as green as theirs would be much safer with a stronger Three Star squad. All of the other Violet Vibrance squads were heading over to the Three Star Hall students. The senior students were avoiding them scrupulously. Of course they would rather pair with the Two Star squads, even if the other option was the champion of the One Star Hall... The additional responsibility of protecting new students was a very tiring one. Of course, mentors were clarifying the additional rewards for successfully bringing back a newcomer team. It was making some of the Three Star squads reconsider. Still, the truly elite Three Star squads did not care about such small handouts. As long as they had a free hand to do their culling in the Umbra Cave, they would earn points galore. Burdens? No thank you. The first year Violet Vibrance squads were hitting walls everywhere. They might well be the biggest fish of their One Star pond, but here they were small fry. "Leader, the Three Star Hall students are ignoring us." Bai Mengmeng fretted. Still, it was understandable. No One Star team had ever entered the Umbra Cave before. Li Luo shrugged with uncertainty. Jiang Qing'e had said that she would take them, but back then he hadn't understood the immensity of the danger... He didn't want to drag Jiang Qing'e down. He would rather just chill at the entrance or something. Get a little experience, even if he had to forgo the points. Suddenly, a wide swath opened up in the Three Star Hall crowd. Jiang Qing'e's sylph-like figure strode out. Behind her, her two irate teammates. She walked straight towards Li Luo. "Senior Jiang." A voice cut in. "For this purging mission, how about our Nature's Cauldron Squad joins you?" She paused, turning to see a Two Star squad stepping out into her way. The speaker was none other than Ye Qiuding. He smiled with confidence. "Senior Jiang, we have worked with you together before. We understand each other well, and I dont think well let you down if we team up." He looked behind Jiang Qing'e with another confident pump of his eyebrows. "Senior Qiu? Senior Tian? What do you say?" Qiu Bai and Tian Tian shrugged noncommittally. They would have been pretty happy with Nature's Cauldron Squad, but their leader was too strong. "Leader, do you wanna reconsider? Ye Qiuding's squad would be a welcome addition for any Three Star squad. Li Luo and the others are getting into the Umbra Cave for the first time. It's not necessary for them to follow us, actually. It might actually be more dangerous for them," Qiu Bai said in a low voice. According to the school rules, the Three Star squads only needed to take a junior squad, but not necessarily a One Star squad. It made sense to choose a Two Star squad that could actually help them out. Jiang Qing'e just shook her head slightly, her golden eyes not even flicking an inch in his direction. Li Luo needed a mountain of points for Royal Sap. He had no time to gain experience only in the Umbra Cave. 100,000 points. No risk, no reward. With her, at least things would be in her control. Maybe it wasn't too fair to her two teammates, but Jiang Qing'e had sworn that she would cover their weaknesses with her own strength. Jiang Qing'e shook her head again. "Sorry. Given your squad's strength, I'm sure there are better squads out there to take you." She was already gone by the time her words were out, striding straight up to Li Luo and taking him by the wrist. "You. And your squad. You're coming with us." Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu thought she was the coolest thing they had ever seen. The Three Star Hall students stood in awe. And confusion. Jiang Qing'e? Choosing a newcomer team? Life was strange indeed. Chapter 240: To Each Their Own Jiang Qing'e choosing Li Luo's team was a shocking decision for the other students. The Black Swan Squad was the strongest in the Three Star Hall. Each time they entered the Umbra Cave, they basically cleaned the most corruption, killed the most Others, and earned the most points. For a squad of their caliber, it was all about efficiency. An efficiency that would inevitably be hampered by a newcomer team, which would trip them up. It was expected that the mid-level teams would be the ones accepting the newcomers. They were not strong enough to worry about efficiency, not weak enough to have no headroom to spare... A sweet spot where the trade off with the point reward was just about right. Still, surprise turned to jealousy soon enough. Jiang Qing'e, choosing to protect Li Luo. To the point where she would give up a ton of points. The purging missions in the Umbra Cave also ran according to a leaderboard. The first ranked team would always be showered with rewards. In the past few purging missions, the Black Swan Squad had always dominated in the Three Star Hall. With a burden this time, the other squads smelled opportunity. Which made the other Three Star squads happy enough with this arrangement. "Lovey-dovey, aren't they?" Duze Honglian sneered. Jiang Qing'e was really giving up a lot for Li Luo. Still, it was all because she could completely thrash her two squad mates, quashing any dissent with sheer power. "Nobility has its price, and for you it'll be the first place reward." She chuckled. Her younger brother, Duze Beixuan, was also involved in the purging mission, but she had not teamed up with him. Firstly, she might be the leader of her group, but the power dynamic here was not so imbalanced that her whims could rule the squad. Secondly, she wasn't that arrogant. Newcomers were weak, even if they were Violet Vibrance squads. They would definitely only slow down the Three Star Hall students. The right way was for these newcomers to get familiar with the Umbra Cave in their own way. When they were stronger, it would be a pleasure to work with them But until then, they should stay out of everyone else's way. Jiang Qing'e ignored the crowd, pulling Li Luo along with her towards where the mentors stood, straight past the Four Star Hall students. The First Princess had noticed this as wellshe was always aware of Jiang Qing'e's movements. "She is a little too sweet to Li Luo. But I wonder if the silver spoon in his mouth is really the best way to help him grow," Gong Shenjun remarked. The First Princess' red phoenix eyes were thoughtful as she recalled how Li Luo had surprised them again and again at crucial times. "Why do you think Li Luo will be a burden?" Gong Shenjun started. "A Three Star squad's culling will definitely involve Disaster Class Others... You know the danger of that," he said with a disbelieving laugh. "Li Luo's only a First Pattern right? The gap is huge." "Perhaps." The First Princess smiled mysteriously. Gong Shenjun looked at her again. For some reason, he felt like the First Princess had been paying special attention to Li Luo lately. "Li Luo's handsome, but surely that's not it..."?he thought to himself. If there was one thing that was certain about his royal younger sister, it was her ambition. Li Luo's dual resonances might be unique, but to her highly-set sights, they were merely above average. There should not be anything going on between the two. While Gong Shenjun pondered this, Jiang Qing'e had already led Li Luo's squad over to a mentor and registered them. The mentor handed each of them a plaque of green wood. Li Luo turned the greenwood plaque carefully in his hands. It was cool as ice to the touch, leaching the heat slowly away from his palms with a slight stinging feeling that was somehow comforting at the same time. "This is made from the Tree of Resonant Power. It's called a greenwood comforter, and it will guard your heart against the corrupting influence of the Others. Wear it at all times in the Umbra Cave," Jiang Qing'e warned them. Noob Li Luo, Noob Bai Mengmeng, and Noob Xin Fu nodded obediently. "When in the Umbra Cave, we'll all be one team. Let's get to know each other," Jiang Qing'e said. Li Luo looked over at Jiang Qing'e's squad mates, smiling respectfully. "Please take care of us inside, senior brother and sister." Both Qiu Bai and Tian Tian kept their doubts to themselves. The matter was settled, and they had to commit to their leader's decision, for better or worse. "Stick to us inside. Don't do anything crazy," Tian Tian said with a kind smile. "We have time now. The Violet Vibrance mentors will probably take half a day to open the path before we are cleared to enter," Jiang Qing'e said. Li Luo's squad nodded. ... The chaos eventually began to settle, the One Star teams finding willing teams after some time. There was one snag, however. The Two Star squad Fire Fairy Squad had approached Lu Qing'er, Qin Zhulu, and Yin Yue. "Qing'er, how about our two squads team up? We're only in the Two Star Hall, so our mission isn't too dangerous. We might serve both our purposes well working together." The leader of the Fire Fairy Squad was Zhu Xuan, and he was currently turning up the charm. Lu Qing'er's eyes were still lingering on Li Luo as he was being dragged away by Jiang Qing'e. She wasn't bold enough to hold his hand before everybody. Still... they were engaged after all. The thought irritated her enough to not want to deal with Zhu Xuan all of a sudden. "Well, I don't care either way, but you'll have to ask our leader." Qin Zhulu's eyes widened.?Damn, now you remember I'm the leader?? Why am I the meat shield now? Still, the ferocious countenance of Qin Zhulu normally intimidated people too much to see the subtleties of his expression changes clearly. Before Zhu Xuan spoke, Qin Zhulu had already shaken his head. "If you can keep your squad's girl away from me, I'm good." That was a dastardly request that caught even Zhu Xuan off guard. The Umbra Cave was a dangerous place. How the hell was he going to keep squad mates apart like that? That was dangerous as hell! The busty girl in Zhu Xuan's squad stared angrily at Qin Zhulu. Was this guy a moron? In the end, Zhu Xuan left, bitter and confused. No way could he get along with that weird guy. ... "Leader, we've been slighted." Ye Qiuding was still looking in Jiang Qing'e's direction, his back to his teammates, who were offering sympathetic encouragement. "Jiang Qing'e's reckless. Our squad is way stronger than that one." Inside his sleeves, Ye Qiuding's fists shook with anger. He hadn't expected Jiang Qing'e to abandon the better option by far. Was this still the same rational Jiang Qing'e that he thought he knew? Ye Qiuding took a deep breath, then he shelved his anger and led his team away silently. "Interested in working with us?" He had barely turned away when another voice called out to him. He saw that it was Duze Honglian. Ye Qiuding frowned. "Come with us. We have the best chance to win first place. Show Jiang Qing'e the error of her ways as well," Duze Honglian said with an arrogant drawl to her voice. Ye Qiuding's eyes drifted to the dream couple, huddled together in the distance. "Well... why not." Chapter 241: May Fear Be Gone "We will be placed into the outer periphery of the Umbra Cave. In the zone, there are purified spots that the school has painstakingly carved out. We will be sent to the nearest purified spot according to the number on our Greenwood Comforters. "There will also be many other squads nearby. Our combined job is to clear the area around our purified spot." In the noisy courtyard, they were huddled together, Jiang Qing'e patiently explaining the plan to the newcomers. Li Luo's squad took out their greenwood plaques, spotting "13" in the corners. "There are also purification towers in the zone, with purification runes carved all over them. But because of the corrupting influence, the power in the runes has been completely spent. We need to use the purification dust that the school gives us to refresh these runes and bring the tower back to life. "Once the towers are re-energized, the purifying light will gradually cleanse the entire area." The newcomers listened with rapt attention. Finally, the great mystery of the Umbra Cave was becoming clearer to them. "Sounds... easy enough?" Li Luo said. Tian Tian laughed from the side. Her arms were crossed, her generous curves not fully hidden by her baggy clothing. "While re-energizing the tower, the purifying energy triggers the Others. They will come swarming to the tower. "Which means," she said, leaning in, "we will be completely surrounded on all sides by Others. No room for error. Either we successfully get the tower running and cull the Others, or we die, overwhelmed by the horde." Li Luo bit his tongue. "Since the school has done so much preparation within the Umbra Cave, why not just leave it permanently open and maintain the purification towers?" he asked. From what Jiang Qing'e had explained, it seemed like these purification towers were rather effective. Why bother shutting it away and giving the corruption time to reassert itself? "Because of the dark tide. Every once in a while, a dark tide will form in the depths of the Umbra Cave. It's a black hole of evil energy that spills over from the shadow world, a terror beyond imagining. "Even Dukes have to be careful when the dark tide is in effect. That's why the purgings have always been back and forth. When the dark tide comes, we have to back off, but that wipes out the purification towers. We have to wait for it to recede, then we move in to reactivate the towers. Otherwise, the darkness will take hold and spawn even more Others. In the end, they will grow strong enough to breach our world." Li Luo's respect for the shadow world was growing healthier and healthier by the moment. It had looked like a puny, little gap in the tree, but it demanded all of the Astral Sage College's strength to hold at bay. He gave up asking about permanent solutions to the Umbra Cave... Clearly, they lacked any such strength. Qiu Bai and Tian Tian were looking curiously at the patiently explaining Jiang Qing'e. It was a side of their leader they rarely saw. She was not the kind who liked long conversations. Anyone else in Li Luo's position would have received zero words from her. Soft spots. Which was strange for them. Did Jiang Qing'e really think of herself as Li Luo's future wife? What manner of sorcery did Li Luo possess? Soon enough, time passed, and the evening sun was a red orb low in the sky, its rays a mellow warmth ready to bow gracefully away to the coolness of the night. Dong! A low gong that startled the students sounded. They looked over to see the huge, greenwood doors rumble slightly, an eerie howl behind them. As though something was rattling it from the other side. The experienced students took it more calmly, but some of the newcomers were freaking out. Be that as it may, one of the runic patterns on the doors began to glow with a dim light, and soon the shuddering subsided. "It's just the sounds of the Violet Vibrance mentors coming into contact with the stronger Others," Jiang Qing'e said calmly. "Although, this means it's about time for us to go in." Right on cue, a mentor called out, "All students, standby. "Four Star Hall students and Gold Gleam mentors, enter first!" The already-prepared wave of students and mentors made a final check on their weapons and then stampeded in. "May fear be gone." "May we live long." The quiet chorus of voices affirmed their unshakable belief, and like a coordinated army, they marched through the greenwood doors as one. The newcomers were awed into silence. Even through this, they could tell the difference between the seniors and themselves. Not just in strength, but in sheer belief and willpower. After four years at the Astral Sage College, they had already gotten used to the dangers of the Umbra Cave and had even developed some basic defenses against the Others. No wonder these Four Star Hall students often regarded them with disdain and amusement. What they had gone through was way beyond what the newcomers had ever seen before. Li Luo was equally awed. The Astral Sage College's strength did not just lie in the teachers. They had the best of the new generation as well. He was suddenly struck by how broken House Luolan was in comparison. "That's the battle chant of the Academic Federation. It's been passed down through generations, and is meant to strengthen our faith," Jiang Qing'e said. "The Gold Gleam mentors and Four Star Hall students will comb for stronger stragglers. They also act as roaming reinforcements to deal with emergencies." The march to go inside lasted for a full hour. An hour later, the last Four Star Hall student finally disappeared through the door, and Jiang Qing'e was first on her feet immediately. Long legs standing firm under her battle skirt, and high shoes on her feet. Alongside was the navy shawl that she always wore, that added just the right touch of queenly charisma. She was by far the most arresting sight among the Three Star students. She hefted her heavy sword, swinging it effortlessly. Shing. "May fear be gone. "May we live long." Her voice rang out clear and calm, and the Three Star students heeded her clarion call as one, calling out the chant after her. "May fear be gone." "May we live long." The navy shawl fluttered like a queen's mantle, and she led Qiu Bai, Tian Tian, and Li Luo's team forward. Behind her, the rest of the Three, Two Star Hall students. Soon, the doors were looming before their eyes, and the crack opened, swallowing all light from outside. Jiang Qing'e cocked her head, looking back once at Li Luo. Their eyes met, then they stepped forward as one. Together they stepped through the light into darkness, into the yawning gloom and whatever threat awaited them. Chapter 242: Purified Spot Number 13 When Li Luo opened his eyes, he saw a grey and dreary world before him. Soot-colored clouds drifted past in the sky like puffs of chimney smoke, low enough to feel oppressive. Visibility was limited, and low voices seemed to float out of the foggy translucence, whispering straight into their hearts. They were getting jumpy, but then the Greenwood Comforters on their chests blew a cool air that calmed them down. Whoosh. Li Luo was quickly alert again. He cast his eyes about his surroundings, noting many other flashes of light as the others were appearing around him. He saw that all of them had arrived in stone towers within a spot, each one shoddily built and an assortment of heights. They happened to be near the center, and the tip of their stone tower winked faintly with light that shone downwards to form a screen. The black fog stopped at the barrier, dissipating rapidly when it came into contact with the light. This spot seemed to be the purified spot that Jiang Qing'e had told them about. This was purified spot 13, their one shelter in the Umbra Cave. "How does it feel?" Jiang Qing'e's concerned voice preceded her. Behind her were the other four. "Feels bad," Li Luo admitted honestly. There was an oppressive feeling about the place, and he felt like there was something twisting and sinister lurking just out of sight in the fog, ready to twist its way into his heart. And they were still within the purified spot. It would definitely get worse once they stepped out. "It's your first time in the Umbra Cave, and you're weaker than the usual student who passes through. You'll get used to it," Jiang Qing'e said to them. Qiu Bai and Tian Tian nodded as well, not laughing at them at all. This might be the first time in the Astral Sage College's history that One Star Hall students were being sent in. It was anybody's guess how they themselves would have fared if they had been sent into the Umbra Cave as newcomers. Li Luo took a deep breath. He looked around to see that roughly a hundred people had gathered nearby. "What now?" Li Luo asked. "Begin purging?" "There's no hurry. Purging missions don't just span a few days. We'll find a place to rest, a temporary shelter. Then we plan." Jiang Qing'e pointed at the tall tower behind them. "That's the heart of the purified spot, fashioned out of the branches of the Tree of Resonant Power. However, the transport only works once per day. From now on, the school will send daily provisions through this." "Seems like we're in for a long one," Li Luo said. "There's no need to get too down. The Umbra Cave is not without its benefits. Cultivation is faster here, and the chances of a breakthrough are higher. The three newbies looked up in surprise. "There's such a thing?" "It's said that the laws of nature are different here... Its a limbo between our world and the shadow world, where limitations are lowered. The Nobles' Battlefield is like that too," Jiang Qing'e said. "Stronger, even. The Kings and Dukes who go there do improve at slightly faster rates than average. That's why some experts do volunteer to go there, seeking that risky edge. "Additionally, the stress and grueling danger trains one's will. All things said, the Umbra Cave is the perfect training ground, and probably many more would choose to come here if not for the dark tide." Jiang Qing'e said this with a hint of personal interest. She was one of those who would relish the challenge. "Leader, you could probably drop the word 'many. Not many have a lion's bravery like you," Qiu Bai said dryly. "When we finish our purging mission, I'll be the first one out of here. I don't want to stay a moment longer than I have to." Tian Tian agreed, flicking her hands away from her. Others were creepy. She didn't want to encounter them at all. Jiang Qing'e smiled. To each their own. Another group of people approached them. The one leading them was Duze Honglian. Beside her, Ye Qiuding's Nature's Cauldron squad. Small world. Duze Honglian folded her arms across her chest. "Jiang Qing'e, I'm afraid your first place position can't be held in this purging mission," she said half smugly, half challengingly. Jiang Qing'e showed no emotion at all on her face. She merely looked at Ye Qiuding by his new leader's side and then brushed past. Jiang Qing'e's too-cool-for-school attitude was nothing new to Duze Honglian, yet it pissed her off every time. And damn if she didn't have the skill to back that attitude... Still, they had a great advantage this time, and they had a good chance to overtake Jiang Qing'e. Just one victory would go a long way towards cooling her resentment against her long-time rival. Li Luo followed Jiang Qing'e, sliding past Duze Honglian and her gang. As he passed Ye Qiuding, the latter turned his head along with Li Luo. "Li Luo, I will show Senior Jiang that she made the wrong choice." Li Luo's eyebrows went up. "Oh, do your best," he said with utmost sincerity. "You see, she told me that I have to stick by her side throughout all the Umbra Cave purging missions in the future. Bothersome, don't you think? If you could do your best to free me, I'd definitely thank you." He left. Ye Qiuding stood petrified to the spot, as though electrocuted. His squadmates looked at him sympathetically. Ye Qiuding was seized with an urge to jump into the dark tide with Li Luo. Insolent scumbag! Chapter 243: Different Feelings Jiang Qing'e and Li Luos squads began to make their preparations for the purging mission. At a dark place in the Umbra Cave. Wraith-like figures moved through the deep fog, voices muffled in the gloomy, smoky air. The tapping of light footsteps. This person wore the robes of a Violet Vibrance mentor from the Astral Sage College. It was none other than Shen Jinxiao. He traversed the fog easily, completely unafraid of the evil he knew lurked nearby. He stopped at one point, looking down to see pale, bloated hands twisting around his ankle like snakes. The evil aura swamped his leg, trying to invade his body. Shoosh! The fog around him swirled, all manner of other things stirring to life in response. It converged into a dark wind that blew against him. Shen Jinxiao was unfazed by this sudden attack. His own resonant power formed a shield, brick-like and impenetrable. "Flame God's Halo." With a low mutter, a huge halo of fire rippled out of his body, raising the temperature around him. The halo was covered in fiery symbols that seemed to resemble a dragon's scales. The black mist evaporated before it, and the dangers hidden in its murk were burned to a crisp. As well as the pale hands. Soon, the entire area had been cleansed. Such was the power of a Duke. After the area had been purged of corruption, Shen Jinxiao moved towards a hill, hands clasped behind his back as he contemplatively gazed deeper into the Umbra Cave. There was a powerful aura beyond, one that gave him pause. He could sense the overwhelming power within, a beacon of raw, elemental strength that drew the danger to it. The principal. He stood in a balance against the powers of the Umbra Cave. "King-class experts are something else."?Shen Jinxiao sighed. A long time ago, he longed to taste that power. However, the breakthrough to King was incredibly difficult. Many geniuses before him had been foiled at this hurdle. "Time to move some plans ahead... for the sake of my path to King."?His head jerked backwards, to another location in the Umbra Cave. "Ninth-grade light resonance... brilliant as the sun, and heart as clear as glass. No evil can even get in. "Why is Li Luo so important to you?"?Shen Jinxiao mused to himself.?"If he dies before you, will that break your pure heart?" With a flare of his robes, he moved on. At the spot where he stood, the ground began to crack, revealing a sinister human face that poked out of the ground. It stared in the direction that Shen Jinxiao had gone with a nasty smile, then it sank back down again until it was a mere thread of black on the ground. It moved backwards swiftly. ... Some time later, Li Luo's group had already found a place to camp: on the top floor of a stone tower. It was barely adequate in terms of facilities, but space-wise it was enough for everyone to have their own room, so the two squads chose it. They handed out the special jerky that the school had prepared. It was said to have been soaked in energy liquid to encourage healing and stave off hunger. One piece could last most of the day. Hunger dealt with, Jiang Qing'e spread a coarsely-made map on the stone table. In the center was a tall tower magically glowing with light rays. This was the purified spot that they were at. There were other, smaller towers depicted nearby in a discouraging black. "Those are the locations of the purification towers, and they're currently dark because evil has overrun them. They haven't been activated yet. "Once they are, the map will show them as lit," Tian Tian told them. The newcomers nodded, impressed. This rough map was not at all as shoddy as it looked. It could reflect changes in the purification tower status? That would save them a lot of trouble. "Don't look down on the map. It's very useful. As good as the Greenwood Comforter," Jiang Qing'e told them. Li Luo touched it, and his hand jerked in surprise. "Is this made of the tree's bark?" Tian Tian and Qiu Bai looked up at him curiously, nodding. Now he understood. The grand tree that sheltered all of the Astral Sage College seemed more and more important by the day. The students cultivated with it, the Umbra Cave was defended by it, the door was activated by it... It almost seemed like the entire school revolved around the tree. Without it, there would be no school. "The density of the tower's darkness is different... Is that because the corruption levels are different?" Bai Mengmeng asked. "Indeed. That's an astute observation." Jiang Qing'e praised her. Bai Mengmeng blushed and looked down. "As she said. The corruption levels are different around each purification tower, which is why the school has divided them into a simple three-level system. "The area around the purification tower where we land is generally level one. However, the further we get from the safe base, the stronger the darkness is. That would be level two..." She gestured with her finger at some of the further points on the map where the darkness was indeed more pronounced. Li Luo nodded in understanding, then he looked at the furthest edges of the map, where two towers were depicted. They were almost completely black, like a pair of eyes staring out of the map. "Those... are level three purification towers?" Li Luo asked. Jiang Qing'e nodded solemnly. "The two most dangerous places, and also the ultimate goal of our purging mission. "The corruption there is especially bad, and the chances of stronger Others appearing is also higher. It's hard to deal with, but we eventually must go." Li Luo nodded woodenly. Qiu Bai laughed, breaking the tension. "High risk, high reward, eh? Level three purification towers are worth 10,000 school points, you know." Li Luo's head jerked up so fast that he almost sprained his neck. "10,000 school points?" he croaked. Their hard-won first place in the ranking battle had barely squeezed 5,000 school points. And one level three purification tower here would get him twice that?! Jiang Qing'e inclined her head. "10,000 points for a level three purification tower, 4,000 points for a level two purification tower, and 1,500 points for a level one purification tower." This was a crazy point scale. The ranking battles were looking cheap in comparison. Suddenly, the map on the table looked like a drawing of riches. There had to be dozens of purification towers, right? How many was that in total? Li Luo's heart was beating like mad. So this was the best way to get points in the Astral Sage College... No wonder Jiang Qing'e was desperate to bring him along. Rinse and repeat a few times, and suddenly 100,000 points didn't seem that far out of reach. "Besides the tower bonus, eliminating Others also gets points," Tian Tian continued. "500 points for a white eroder from the Eroding Class, and 800 for a red eroder. "Disaster Class Others are divided into Earthly Disaster and Heavenly Disaster Classes. The chances of Heavenly Disaster Class Others appearing isn't too high in our zone, so we just need to watch out for the Earthly Disaster Class Others. "Even the Earthly Disaster Class is further classified, but it's quite simple. Greater Earthly Disaster Classes are roughly equivalent to a late stage Earth Fiend cultivator, and worth 4,000 points. Lesser Earthly Disaster Classes are worth 2,000 points. "As you can see," she chuckled, "prices are all clearly marked." Li Luo felt his fear give way to greed. Raw, unfettered greed. "So when do we start?" Tian Tian and Qiu Bai were looking at Li Luo's over-eager appearance apprehensively. This was a bold kid. Only Jiang Qing'e was looking amused. She rolled up the map. "No time like the present. "Oh, and..." She turned to look at the three of them properly. "Welcome to the test... of the terror of the Umbra Cave." Chapter 244: Stumbling Mind At the main gate at purified spot number 13. Li Luo and the others stood before the light barrier, on the edge of the peaceful sanctuary. Outside, sinister, dark fog roiled, obscuring their vision. The opacity was the crux of their fear. Who knew what lurked beyond? It was always the unknown that made one's imagination supplement the fearand who knew one's fears better than oneself? Jiang Qing'e's squad was calm, being familiar enough with the Umbra Cave through their years of experience. The same could not be said for the twitchy newcomers. Past the barrier, there would be nothing shielding them from the raw reality of the Umbra Cave. Other teams were nearby as well, and Li Luo sensed that they were watching with at least some amusement alongside their sympathy. "Jiang Qing'e, first time for the first years, eh? How many attempts do you think they'll need to overcome the Stumbling Mind?" Duze Honglian's gleeful voice came from behind as she swaggered up with Ye Qiuding's squad in tow. "Stumbling Mind?" Li Luo asked. "What I told you about just now," Jiang Qing'e said, ignoring Duze Honglian completely. "The corruptive influence of the shadow world permeates the black fog completely. The transition is especially difficult the first time. After all, such people would never have experienced it before. They are especially vulnerable to the corruption before they get used to it. "The corruption will affect your reason, play with your emotions... And so we call it the Stumbling Mind. You three will definitely encounter it as well. "Still, there is no need to worry even if you fail to overcome it quickly. It's just a matter of time, and once you build sufficient resistance, we'll be good to go." Jiang Qing'e explained everything lightly, but Li Luo understood. If the three of them faltered here, they would bring down the efficiency of the mission, since Jiang Qing'e's squad would have to wait for them. Duze Honglian was watching with relish. "The Umbra Cave is a freaking gauntlet of troubles." Li Luo sighed. Even stepping out was dangerous. No wonder the school had never sent One Star Hall students before. Too green. "Well, let's give it a try," Li Luo said to his two teammates encouragingly. "Best if we can clear it in one." The two nodded seriously. All three stepped out of the purified circle together. In the first instant, Li Luo felt the temperature plummet to an extremely uncomfortable chill. Voices. They whispered to him, speaking right into his ears, into his heart. They told him of his worst fears, promised them to him with a conviction he could not ignore. They came at him from all directions, and he was lost to them for a moment. Eyes. He felt eyes on him, watching, watching closely. He spun around. They were watching him. He could feel them. Right on him. Right behind him. There! He spun again. Saw nothing. Fog. The dusky darkness clung to him like cold condensation, and suddenly he felt clammy hands reach out to take him, to drag him down into what had to be death. Absolute terror, swamping his every sense. Li Luo clung desperately to his sanity. His face was pale, his breathing ragged. From behind, Jiang Qing'e watched closely. If the three showed signs of trauma, she would reach out to pull them back, and they would have failed the first Stumbling Mind attempt. Which would be normal. These were One Star Hall students who were entering the Umbra Cave for the first time. She fully expected that they would take two or three attempts to get used to it. Which would put them a few days behind other squads. The level one purification towers would have been cleaned up by the others already. Duze Honglian smirked behind, watching Li Luo flail in terror. Oh, Jiang Qing'e, such is the price you pay. Ye Qiuding fought to keep his expression neutral, but there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. Li Luo stood his ground, even as the whispers continued to tell their tale of despair, weaving the illusion of doom tighter and tighter around him. Li Luo might be a newcomer, but his heart was not as frail as one might expect. Terror failed to overwhelm his reason. He was blind now, the darkness fully cloaking the others from him. He could hear voices, but they all sounded menacing. And still, he grew calmer and calmer. The Others were scary, dangerous, deadly. But what was his goal here in the Umbra Cave? To earn his 100,000 points. What would happen if he failed? No Royal Sap. No progress beyond the General tier. No life after four years. Duke in five years? A foolish dream. If he didn't get the points, he was screwed either way. Was there anything more frightening in the world than imminent death? I'm going to die, damn it! Why would I be afraid of you mongrel Others?! The fire in his brain started and chased back the shadows of fear far back into the corners of his mind. His vision cleared. Everything was normal again. The malicious whispers from Duze Honglian's group came to an abrupt end. Li Luo opened and closed his hand experimentally. "Does this mean I've passed?" he asked with a tone of surprise. Inwardly, he laughed. Heheh, he sure was a good actor. "Seems very easy." Bai Mengmeng's voice replied. He turned around to see her looking around with clear cognition in her eyes. "You... you're okay?" Li Luo said, taken aback. She'd been quicker than him. She blinked. "I felt something bad, so I went into my hypnosis state, and then it was gone." Li Luo's jaw dropped. The hypnosis state that she refined spirit liquids in? During that time, Bai Mengmeng had been calm, collected, and completely dismissive of any emotion that disrupted her work. That worked against the corruption? That was cheating. Li Luo cursed himself. Damn, the real pro was right here instead. Suddenly, Jiang Qing'e jerked forward, moving right to the edge of the barrier. At the same time, Li Luo felt a deadly killing intent approach. He whirled around to see Xin Fu, eyes red with pure spite and murderous intent. Still, the red haze passed in moments, and Xin Fu was himself again. He looked up at Li Luo. "Is it over?" Li Luo nodded wordlessly. Well, well, so both of them were pros. Chapter 245: Hand Spiders On The Road Li Luo's squad had passed with flying colors, to the consternation of many watching. Many among them had spent several days trying to overcome the trauma of Stumbling Mind And yet these three had cleared it like a bothersome fly. They felt cheated of a show, and also somehow humiliated. Were newcomers these days all made of such stern stuff? Jiang Qing'e was pleasantly surprised, while Qiu Bai and Tian Tian goggled at them. These newcomers were more reliable than expected. They had already mentally prepared themselves for a few days' wait. Jiang Qing'e's radiant smile seemed to light up the gloomy air around them. Ignoring the infatuated looks her way, she walked out of the barrier, only pausing briefly to deal with the transition. Qiu Bai and Tian Tian followed just as easily. "Let's go. It's time to get purging," Jiang Qing'e said, striding ahead into the fog. Li Luo's squad hurried after, while Qiu Bai and Tian Tian brought up the rear for defensive purposes. Duze Honglian watched sourly as they disappeared into the fog. "Let's go. We have targets to hit as well," she said peevishly. "We're going to clear a level three purification tower before Jiang Qing'e's group. If possible, we'll take the other level three purification tower too. "If both are ours, then our points will definitely be the highest in this purging mission." Her team nodded eagerly, just as ready to beat Jiang Qing'e for once. Although the Black Swan Squad was strong, surely Li Luo's newcomer squad was far behind their own in terms of firepower. Jiang Qing'e would definitely move more cautiously than usual. Duze Honglian stepped out of the barrier as well, leading her own team onwards. Behind them, other teams were starting to move out as well, and the still silence of the Umbra Cave now stirred with action. ... The murk was a troubling presence. The lack of vision and constant whispers grated on one's nerves, wearing away at their wills. Li Luo and the others walked on, passing the occasional stone lamp hung from pillars along the road. They had energy stones within them that emitted a faint light to guide the students. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu were extremely jumpy, their movements jerky. Li Luo was much calmer. The figure ahead of them gave him a sense of security. It was dry, tedious plodding, and none of them bothered with conversation, instead choosing to concentrate on keeping a good pace. On and on. The tedium did not last for long. A strange wail came from ahead, and Jiang Qing'e halted. She raised her hand. Behind her, the others prepared their resonant powers and weapons. One moment the fog remained blank, and then the next there was a loud chittering as black creatures leaped out of the dark. They looked like spiders, but a closer look sent a chill down Li Luo's spine. At the ends of their claws were not tapered ends, but dismembered hands that looked grotesquely spliced on. And in the middle of each spider's body was a human mouth, complete with pearly-white teeth. Hee hee! The human-hand spiders laughed like babies, the high-pitched voices jarringly horrific. "These are the lowest level of Others, hand spiders. Their laughter can cause hallucinations, but if you simply shield your ears with resonant power, you can deal with them easily enough." Jiang Qing'e called back calmly. Her sword rose as she charged, tearing into their ranks. RUMBLE! An arc of light resonant energy turned the hand spiders to ashes, their high-pitched laughs of delight turning to screams. "The Others are really twisted," Li Luo said with deep feeling. His scalp was still crawling from the encounter, and he patted his head to make sure there wasn't a hand spider on his head or something. "They are born of evil thoughts... which came from all of us. Our hearts. That is why you can see human parts attached to the Others. "The hand spiders are as easy as they come. They can't even strictly be considered white eroders. When you see Disaster Class Others, you'll truly know what twisted is," Jiang Qing'e explained while she double checked the map. She beckoned for the others to gather around. "Our goal today is this level one purification tower. Over the next few days, we'll push to clear these towers to secure a safe path back," Jiang Qing'e said, pointing at a line of level one purification towers. They nodded. Their main goal was the level two and three purification towers a little further ahead, but the Umbra Cave was too dangerous. Before they went that far, they would have to clear the way there. If the danger was too great, at least they could fall back in a safe manner. A cautious and prudent approach. Tian Tian scrutinized the route. "Leader," she said quizzically, "your route isn't the most direct path to the nearest level two purification tower." Jiang Qing'e pointed to another spot. "Because I intend to go there." Li Luo looked to see that she was pointing at an area marked with a bloody skull. He didn't need any explanation to know that it was an incredibly dangerous place. Qiu Bai looked up at her, alarmed. "The forbidden zone?" Tian Tian was a little quicker. "Not the forbidden zone," she said, looking at Li Luo. "The Onyx Lake outside, right?" Chapter 246: Onyx Lake "Onyx Lake?" Qiu Bai scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I almost forgot there was one outside the forbidden zone. "But it's only a level two Onyx Lake, meant for- ah." Jiang Qing'e wanted to send Li Luo in to improve himself. Qiu Bai and Tian Tian exchanged a doubtful shrug. Clearly, this whole excursion had been planned for the sake of one silver-haired pretty-boy. Even they were starting to feel jealous. Even though they were engaged, Jiang Qing'e was going way beyond anything a fiance would do now. Perhaps she had already given up on getting first place from the start. With burdens number one, two, and three tagging along, their purging effectiveness would not be as high. Still, they weren't going to object. Jiang Qing'e was the main engine driving the Black Swan Squad. They both owed her too much for past glories, and they were willing to give up this one. "What's this Onyx Lake?" Li Luo asked. "Remember that the Umbra Cave is the limbo between two worlds, much like the Nobles' Battlefield, although weaker?" Jiang Qing'e said. "The Umbra Cave functions differently from the world outside, most notably in the presence of the dark tide, which scrambles and twists the natural order of energy. But nature has a way of reasserting itself. For every poison, an antidote naturally arises. In the Umbra Cave, such special places exist, and the Onyx Lakes are one of them. "There is actually no lake water in the Onyx Lake. Instead, its filled with worldly natural energy that is condensed into liquid form. The theory is that the dark tide chases the worldly natural energy away, and it then flees into these lakes. "It's the only good place in the Umbra Cave. If one can fully submerge themselves, the cultivation benefits are substantial, especially the first time. If you are strong enough, it might raise your cultivation by a tier. A while back, I managed a breakthrough myself." "Ah, Leader," Tian Tian interrupted. "As far as we know, there aren't more than five people in the entire history of the Astral Sage College who managed a breakthrough the first time," she chided. "Still, of course it's worth a visit." "Won't the detour slow down our purging speed?" Li Luo asked. "We can always go after we're done, right?" He felt that Jiang Qing'e was running this purging mission however she wished, and her teammates were just along for the ride. It was bad enough that Jiang Qing'e was dedicating all her time to him. Bringing her two teammates along for the ride felt doubly bad, especially since they could have won first place otherwise. "Onyx Lakes have a finite amount of energy," Qiu Bai said lightly. "If we go too late, other students might have used it all. Anyways, don't worry about it," he said, waving a hand indifferently. "We owe our leader too much. It's time to pay some of it back." They were good friends indeed. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu didn't say a word, but they knew who was boss now. They just had to hop on their leader's coattails, who was hopping on Senior Jiang's coattails, and they would ride the coattails' coattails to glory... "Why is the forbidden zone forbidden, anyway? Super strong Others?" Li Luo asked curiously. Jiang Qing'e shook her head. "No Others exist in the forbidden zone." What? Then why on earth was it forbidden? "Not only Others exist in the Umbra Cave. There are also spirit beasts. They somehow entered the Umbra Cave from the outside world and then got trapped here. They are strong to have survived, but they have been driven mad by the dark tide. They are feral and savage, eating humans and Others alike. "There is one Heavenly Dipper General-class spirit beast in this forbidden zone, and there are suspicions that it's actually even stronger than that. Possibly even a Duke-class." No wonder it was a forbidden zone. With such a monster around, not even the Others would show up. "The school has sent Violet Vibrance mentors to stamp it out before, but the beast is adept at camouflage. It lays low when it senses stronger presences, and it knows the terrain too well. The Violet Vibrance mentors were stumped. "Fortunately, it doesn't wander out of the forbidden zone. We simply have to avoid rousing it, and it will leave us alone." Li Luo nodded. This spirit beast was probably the baddest boss around. Best leave it alone. Route explained, Jiang Qing'e packed up and led the way forward. They hastened along the road. As they traveled, they encountered all sorts of Others, but they were too low level to be anything remarkable. Jiang Qing'e had explained that the Others' corruptive abilities were still present even in the weakest of foes. Many careless students had fallen after rampaging through the weak Others, ending up as mindless killing machines themselves. They had to maintain a pure heart throughout, allowing no evil in. Still, the Others they saw were not even Eroding Class, and Li Luo and the others didn't have to lift a finger. Finally, they climbed a small hill to find a dead forest ahead. From amidst the ebony branches, a single white tower could be seen. The black mist was especially dense around the forest. The haunting whispers were especially loud as well. "That's our first target." Jiang Qing'e pointed. The three newcomers were worried. They could sense the dangers ahead. As expected, the area around the purification tower would be the most dangerous. "Are we going in now?" Li Luo's hands were getting itchy from not having done any work in a while. Jiang Qing'e leaned back against a trunk nearby. "Level one purification towers aren't difficult. Go purify them, Fairness & Justice Squad," she said with a hint of amusement. Li Luo's squad stared at her. They were going to do it themselves? Li Luo stared at her, looking for signs that she was joking. She wasn't. Damn, weren't you protecting me like a precious treasure all along the way? This seemed like an unreasonable difficulty jump. Could they really deal with this level one purification tower themselves? What were the chances of them getting wiped instead? Chapter 247: Fairness & Justices Independent Mission On the slope, Li Luo and his squad were still staring at Jiang Qing''e in disbelief. Qiu Bai and Tian Tian were taken aback as well. A level one purification tower was easy peasy for them, but for Li Luo''s squad? They were first years, in the Umbra Cave for the first time, and fighting Others for the first time, for goodness sake. They were filled with confusion and panic during their first encounter as Two Star Hall students. Without seniors to guide them along, they would have been in trouble for sure. How would a One Star Hall team fare? Jiang Qing''e had been looking after Li Luo better than a baby, and then suddenly she was yeeting him out into the forest. The difference was uncanny. "Well? Is there a problem?" She regarded them with cool, golden eyes. "You might be first years, but are you too scared to deal with some Eroding Class Others? It''s no small risk, I''ll give you that. But... are we here to do risk-free purging? "I can definitely protect you throughout. I can make it so that you don''t need to lift a finger at all. Is that what you want?" The disbelief in Li Luo''s eyes slowly faded away into understanding. "Got it, Qing''e." She couldn''t always be keeping him safe. It would rob him of his edge, and his courage. No wonder she had been giving them a crash course along the entire way. It was to prepare them for this. A test for Li Luo. See how much value this newcomer team was going to bring. He swung around abruptly to study the dead forest with eager eyes. "Scared?" he asked his butterfly girl and shadow boy. She blinked back at him innocently. "Well, I''m just the support. Good luck out there in front, Leader!" Xin Fu''s head lifted up an inch, letting the light fall on his pale but determined face. "A keen blade fears no Others," he said, voice raspy with tension. "Look here, Xin Fu," Li Luo said. "We''re just going to cleanse a teensy, weensy, measly, puny level one purification tower. If you sneak around whispering like that, the Others are going to think we''re planning to swallow the spirit beast in the forbidden zone or something." Xin Fu was speechless. "The Fairness & Justice squad rides out to take the tower, my fair lady," Li Luo declared grandly. Jiang Qing''e nodded. "We''ll be watching from here. We''ll move on when you reactivate the tower. If you don''t, we won''t move." Li Luo grimaced. The swan was a real hen when she decided to get pecking. He nodded in acknowledgment and started down the hill towards the forest. His team came with him. Tian Tian looked over at Jiang Qing''e. "You really intend to let them take the level one purification tower alone? Both Li Luo and Xin Fu are First Patterns, and Bai Mengmeng is not even at the Pattern Genesis Tier. There are at least five white eroders at the Pattern Genesis Tier down there, stronger than any of them individually. Plus, you know how the Others fight." Qiu Bai nodded in agreement. "You should test them more cautiously. An entire level one purification tower might be more than they can chew." Jiang Qing''e broke into a radiant smile, first at her team, then at the advancing figures ahead. "Oh, don''t look down on our young lord." Qiu Bai almost blushed at the sheer power of her beauty, and Tian Tian gave way as well. "Alright, Leader, you win. Your smile''s too cute. We love you deeply and you are correct. Say do you think Duze Honglian''s pitted herself against you because she''s secretly smitten too? Maybe she''s being contrary because she wants your attention." Jiang Qing''e rolled her eyes. ... Li Luo''s trio soon reached the forest. Dark mist hung on dead branches in a dystopic imitation of cotton candy trees, and the ever-present whispers continued to eat away at their resolve. Again, they couldnt shake off the impression that they were being watched. Shing. Li Luo unsheathed his swords, then he moved noiselessly into the unwelcoming forest. Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng followed closely. The moment he stepped into the treeline, he could sense a cold wave of hostility. Their enemies were somewhere... above. He looked up just as a shadowy streak of energy flew out from behind him, pinning a creature down. It was a bird-like Other with a sickly, white plumage. He looked closer at the strange wings... Of course. They were made of rotten fingers. The shadowy power had come from Xin Fu. "Leader, are we going straight to the purification tower?" Bai Mengmeng asked, looking around anxiously. Li Luo shook his head. "Once the reactivation process begins, the Others within the forest will swarm and attack. Given our current strength, we can''t possibly deal with them all if they flock, so we''ll have to pick off stragglers and thin some numbers. We can only reactivate the purification tower when we''re sure we can handle the rest." They were not going to hide from the Others, but take the fight to them instead. Still, Li Luo''s decision was the most rational one. Weaker leaders would have chosen the more dangerous and cowardly route of hiding instead. "Alright." They concurred with his decision. They moved ahead swiftly for a few more minutes, until Li Luo sensed something and halted. His resonant power swirled in readiness around him, Water Edge flowing on his shortswords. He peered ahead worriedly at the disturbed fog ahead, then a creature several zhang tall strode out. It had extremely long hands and legs but no head. Instead, all of its limbs were attached to a single, large eyeball. The sclera was especially wide, and the eye turned on them with malicious attention. They had no time to guard themselves. The black pupil swirled like a vortex, and they found themselves freezing up. It was an immediate firsthand lesson regarding the dangers of the Umbra Cave. Chapter 248: Eye Other In the grey shroud of mist, all they could see was the eye monster. All around them were trees, but only pieces of themcracked wood, long dead, promising them the same fate would soon be theirs. It held them all, mesmerized, a horror straight from the nightmares that had awoken them in their childhoods, making them weep for hours. Ss. Ss. The eye monster made a strange hissing sound as it swung its sharp claws at the trio, trailing a ghoulish miasma in the attack. There was corruption on the claws. If it made contact, it would enter their bodies, leaving a fatal wound. Weng! The black claws raked against Li Luo''s scalp, clamping down. It squeezed. The digits passed through his head without resistance. The eye contracted briefly in confusion, then it narrowed in frustration as the three figures faded away. Illusions! The hissing grew even more furious now. "The Umbra Cave really is dangerous as hell." Li Luo sighed, walking out from behind a tree. Their eyes were protected with resonant power. He had made the prudent suggestion for them to use illusions to scout ahead, while they would follow at a safe distance. Which meant that the eye monster''s bewitching effect had gone to waste. "Leader, you''re awesome." Bai Mengmeng praised him with dutiful applause. "Oh, you. Your illusions are the real star here." Li Luo congratulated her in turn. Shoosh! While the two were busy slapping each other on the back, Xin Fu was already taking care of business. He was most at home in this dim environment. With a few quick leaps, he was behind the eye monster, dagger in hand. A tongue of shadow resonant power licked out from the blade, wavering in length from moment to moment. He reversed his grip, aiming to drive it into the fleshy eyeball like a stake. A milky-white aura pulsed out from the creature, then a claw reversed its direction, lunging at bewildering speed to block Xin Fu''s attack. Golden sparks clanged out, a brief flash of bright yellow in the monochrome. Xin Fu faded back, using the mist to his advantage. "Careful, it''s quite strong. A white eroder, should be about Second Pattern in strength," he called from the shadows. "Second Pattern, huh..." This was a notch stronger than both Li Luo and Xin Fu. But luckily, they had already nullified its hypnotic abilities. "Watch yourself, Mengmeng." Li Luo warned her, then he shot forth, shortswords in hand. His Water Edge hummed with intensity, cutting through the air. Within him, both resonance seeds flared to life, supplying energy to their user. He charged the Other, the dull roar of a tide coming from his blades. With a frustrated screech, the eye creature moved to meet him, white energy on its claws. They clashed and disengaged again and again. More sparks. Li Luo was fully concentrating now. The impact of each clash felt powerful enough to rip his arms off at the shoulder, and yet he stubbornly stood his ground, tanking the attacks. He might be up against a Second Pattern, but his dual resonances allowed him to stand up to it without too much of a disadvantage. As the battle dragged on, the eyeball was gradually turning from white to red, becoming more aggressive and unpredictable. Li Luo was weaving in and out of its long claws, trying to close in, when the eye itself suddenly started to glow, sending a greyish-white beam of light straight at his face. Too fast! He was caught off guard... A butterfly of pure starlight fluttered past his face, its wings opening to shield him from the grey light. It only shielded him for a moment, its paper-thin shape eviscerated by the attack in a flash. The single moment was enough. Li Luo had already made his escape, leaving the grey light to sail on and bore a hole in the tree behind him. The tree immediately began to decay before their very eyes. Li Luo blanched. If not for Bai Mengmeng''s save, he would be rotting away right now. Foiled yet again, the eye monster was working itself into a frenzy. It leaped at Bai Mengmeng. Midair, Xin Fu struck. He unleashed a blistering series of shadow strikes faster than the eye could see. They punched through the monster''s defenses and connected with its fleshy eye-body. Milky-grey pus spurted out. Its ire now raised, the creature shot another beam of grey light at Xin Fu, who retreated hurriedly. It charged after him, but suddenly the ground beneath it became as gooey as a swamp. Its feet sank in. It was ready when Li Luo appeared before it, shooting another attack his way. "Watch out!" Bai Mengmeng cried from behind. Li Luo barely batted an eyelid. Swords raised, resonant power gathered on the edges as he started to fashion a pathetic little ball of light. "Waterlight Ball." It popped in a brilliant flash, briefly lighting up the mist. When the attack released an insignificant pop, the eye monster let out an anguished wail. Sticky pus spurted out in every direction and black smoke billowed. It began to crumble, and after a few moments, there was no trace that it had ever existed. Xin Fu appeared beside Li Luo. "Just like that?" he asked, shocked. Bai Mengmeng had run over timidly as well. "Seems like it''s scared of strong light." Li Luo nodded. "It might have some strong abilities, but it has weaknesses too... The eye was too large. It''s very weak against light. "I noticed that it was flinching away from light in our clashes before, especially whenever sparks flew. Careful observation helped me find its weakness." "Still," said Xin Fu doubtfully, "that waterball attack of yours seemed especially bright. It''s not a normal attack, is it?" "Ah, a special house blend," he said lightly. He saw that there was a black fragment left on the ground, charged with some evil will. He bent down and gingerly picked it up, throwing it into a bottle that he carried. Proof of points earned, to be brought back to school. "First blood." With the eye monster settled, Li Luo was in good spirits. They had had their first encounter with the Others and emerged triumphant. It hadn''t been easy, but together they had overcome it with the power of friendship. "Let''s keep on clearing them out in that direction." Li Luo gestured ahead. Their first win had put some confidence back in their hearts. Both nodded, and they set off. On the slope. The three third years were watching the battle intently, and their surprise showed when Li Luo''s group managed to take down the eye Other. "Not bad. Illusions to scout the way, and an intelligent seeking of the Other''s weak point..." Tian Tian said in admiration. These three were way better than she had expected. "Most importantly, they didn''t charge ahead recklessly to clear the purification tower. They''re sweeping and preparing the ground first, so they don''t get swamped later." "They were a little panicky at the start, but they''re doing well. These newbies aren''t half bad," Qiu Bai said with an approving nod. Jiang Qing''e was still watching the forest, especially a spot where the black mist was particularly dense. "This is just the beginning... "Save your judgment for when they successfully reactivate the purification tower." Chapter 249: The Others Cannibalization Boom! A tremendous blast of resonant power bent a tree at the thickest part of its trunk. Li Luo''s figure was sent flying through the trees. A dark figure appeared behind him, supporting his back and breaking his fall. The two landed safely. Whoosh. Li Luo was winded. The dead tree was breaking down in front of them. It was a wily one, looking exactly like a tree except for two gigantic human hands. An Other. It had stood there quietly, blending in with the environment, and it had even resisted attacking their illusions. When the real trio passed, it had struck. It was a close shave. The ambush had caught them off guard, but luckily it had a limited attack radius. The three managed to escape, catch their breath, and regroup before finishing it off. Bai Mengmeng carefully picked up the fragment it left behind. As she stretched out her hand, she saw a long, black gash on her arm. Some strange power was affecting her because of it, and her mood started to turn dark. Li Luo quickly went over, taking her arm. Condensing a drop of liquid healing energy, he let it fall on the wound. SPLATTER! Faint, black smoke rose from her wound, accompanied by a hissing sound of the corruption being expelled. A moment later, her arm was as good as new. Bai Mengmeng was delighted, running her finger experimentally over her skin, which was as smooth as new. "Thank you, Leader!" For a girl, complexion was very important, and Li Luo''s healing result was definitely going to be popular. "Leader, me too." A blackened arm was stuck out by a hopeful Xin Fu. Li Luo''s kindly smile faded away. "Look here, Xin Fu," he said with the air of a remonstrating parent, "scars are the mark of manliness, and this little bit of pain makes our spirits stronger. If you can''t even bear this, we should leave the Umbra Cave right now!" Xin Fu was a little confused by the strange encouragement, but he nodded. "Er... yes. You''re right." Li Luo nodded approvingly. Phew. His healing cost a lot of resonant power. Bai Mengmeng was a girl, and so he should take care of her, but the two guys as well? He''d be drained before they even reached the purification tower! "Hmm, we''ve finished off what? Four white eroders so far?" Li Luo asked. His squad nodded. "Judging by the direction and distance, we''re only left with one last zone to clear," Bai Mengmeng judged, pointing to their right. Li Luo felt a little pang of fear. That was the place he had avoided so far. The black mist was densest there. Surely the strongest Others were waiting there. The previous four they had met had all been white eroders, but strictly speaking, they were normal strength ones, at about Second Pattern in strength. Stronger ones could well be Third or even Fourth Pattern... tough opponents indeed. Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng matched his sobering mood. They too understood that their biggest obstacle lay ahead. "Well, let''s go see what we''re up against," Li Luo finally said. Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng followed, and the three cautiously moved on. Strangely, the zone was suspiciously devoid of any Others. Completely deserted. "Weird. The other places had low-level Others everywhere. This place is sterile," Li Luo said in a low tone. Plosh! Just then, there was a huge collision of evil energy from ahead. They shielded their bodies with resonant power and rushed over. When they broke out of the mist, their eyes narrowed in shock. A scene of carnage opened up before them, blood and guts in piles. In the middle, a monster without skin. The bloody, red flesh of its body lay exposed to the environment. The flesh bulged, and a gruesome tentacle began to grow from the body. This fleshy Other was bound by some grey chains that prevented it from escaping, no matter how hard it struggled. They stared, unsure of what to make of this scene. This Other was a cut stronger than any they had met so far, and probably a Third Pattern in strength. And yet... it didn''t seem to be doing too well? "What''s going on?" Bai Mengmeng whispered. "A fight between Others," Li Luo slowly replied. So Others fought among themselves too. While processing this new information, they saw a piece of white human skin float out of the mist like a magic carpet. Except unlike the fairytales, this one had a pair of eyes on it. The human skin Other had to be the source of the chains, and it was quite evenly matched against the fleshy Other. Strange roars and groans filled the air as the two nightmarish brutes duked it out. The human skin Other expanded and expanded and then it fully encompassed the flesh Other. Rumble! The skin stretched and bulged, and furious struggling came from below. Occasionally, tumor-like swellings rose, distending the surface of the skin, but it was eventually squashed down. The human skin Other was eating it. The scene was appalling, and bizarre enough that it made their skin crawl. Eventually, the human skin Other won, the struggle subsiding. A large, pale tentacle began to grow from the human skin''s surface, and stale blood leaked out from underneath. "It''s getting stronger. When it finishes, it might be a Fourth, even Fifth Pattern," Xin Fu whispered urgently. "Shall we sneak an attack now?" Bai Mengmeng asked. Li Luo chewed on this for a few moments, but he eventually shook his head. He sensed that they might have some small advantage now, but it wouldn''t be enough to put them in a good situation. "Let''s not panic. Human Skin over there will need some time to fully absorb Fleshy... "Let''s use this chance to reactivate the purification tower. If it can''t stop us because of its feeding, that would be ideal. When the tower is activated, it''ll be dealt with naturally. "And if it comes... "We''ll have to prepare a nice, warm welcome for it." Chapter 250: Purification Tower Reactivated "That''s the purification tower?" Li Luo and the others saw a white tower ahead, ringed by fallen leaves black with age. But within a meter of it, everything was perfectly clear, without any black mist at all. Evidently, the purification tower might be dormant, but it was still just powerful enough to repel the corruption. Li Luo and the others walked over closer. The purification tower was five or six meters tall, and its surface looked as smooth as white marble, although on closer look, it proved to be some sort of patterned wood with a comforting, musty smell. It was almost a given that the purification tower was also made from the Tree of Resonant Power. Li Luo carefully pushed open the door and crept in. To their surprise, the inside of the tower was lit with a dim fluorescence that had a soothing effect. The interior was simply furnished; empty save for a little, stone platform where intricate lines of light glowed. "Let''s prepare," Li Luo said. He took out a bottle filled with purification dust that would reactivate the runes. He placed it on the stone platform. Hum~ The light of the stones glowed in response, and the bottle shuddered more and more violently, spilling its contents. Glowing dust danced on the platform to an invisible rhythm, and the runes grew brighter and brighter, finally absorbing the dust in. As the runes took in the dust, the entire purification tower began to vibrate, humming to life and glowing with purification light. The light pulsed out, awakening a response from the black mist. Like pouring ice into a bubbling fryer. SPLATTER! An ear-splitting cacophony of howls, as the Others were drawn to their antithetical beacon. The purification tower was reactivated, and it instantly began to work its purification on the corruption in the area. On the slope. Jiang Qing''e and her squad looked at the pulsing light, surprised. "They pulled it off!" Qiu Bai whooped. "Theyve managed to clear out most of the Others in the forest... Still, that last Otherthey probably won''t be able to deal with it, right?" Tian Tian said. They could all sense the last Other, and how strong it was. "It was a Third Pattern, but after eating the fleshy Other, it''s now a Fourth Pattern. Once it completely digests and absorbs that power, it might even rise to become a red eroder in strength." A Fourth Pattern would be well beyond Li Luo and the others. They would pay a heavy price if they encountered it. "Leader, are we going in?" Jiang Qing''e''s eyes wavered slightly. "A little while more." Tian Tian''s eyes widened. "You wouldn''t be thinking of leaving them to deal with it, would you?" "Let''s wait and see." Although it would be easy enough for them to finish it off, it would do Li Luo''s growth no good. She didn''t mind protecting him, but not at the expense of his development. Deep in the dark forest. With the purification tower activated, Li Luo''s squad did not linger, backing out of the purification tower at speed. They were glancing in that one direction apprehensively. With most of the zone cleared, the only threat left was that last human skin white eroder... Well, technically it was no longer a human skin eroder only. It had already started to show signs of peaking as a red eroder. "Leader, is that Other going to come?" Bai Mengmeng fretted. Li Luo chewed his lip. "Come or not, we''re prepared. Effective or not... Well, we''ll find out." "We dont really need to worry. Even if we fail, we have guardian angels, eh?" He grinned. Bai Mengmeng smiled, comforted. But if Senior Jiang intervened, would that mean that they had failed? As a girl, she didn''t really care about pride or anything, but she could sense that both Li Luo and Xin Fu had a strong streak of it running within them. Perhaps even at the cliff''s edge, the two would fight rather than open the parachute of safety. Like in the situation they were currently in. Bai Mengmeng stared ahead into the mist. Hopefully, her leader''s preparations were effective. RUMBLE! A sudden surge of corrupt energy, followed by a shriek. They turned as one, pale and sweaty, watching the barren branches of trees fall one by one, closer and closer. The human skin Other was here! In a few short minutes, it was upon them. The thing that emerged from the mist was different from what they had seen. It was ponderous, and it was now scuttling like a scorpion. Eight hands, dripping with fresh crimson, leaving deep prints on the ground as they propelled it ever closer. It had no nose or mouth where its face was, only a pair of milky-white eyes glittering with malice. It charged in the general direction of the hated purification tower, as well as the three guardians standing in its way. Evil energy surged forth, a vortex of chaotic, violent destruction. Fresh meat! Time to eat! Chapter 251: Flowing Shear Boom! The eight-limbed Other pawed at the ground, raising clouds of dry dust as it tensed up, ready to spring. The corrupt energy it was radiating left the three with no doubts about its strength. At least a Fourth Pattern! In a direct clash, they would be trampled flat. They hurried out of its way. Dong! The eight-limbed Other landed and whirled, springing again. Its eight legs (but actually hands?) adroitly maneuvered it around. The three hastily deployed their escape skills to dodge again. All three were prepared for overwhelming power, and they knew all too well that the twisting vortex of corruption would take them in a trice if it contacted them. The desperate fleeing continued for quite a while. On a nearby tree, Jiang Qing''e''s squad watched with tense faces. "Leader, they''re in trouble," Tian Tian said. Qiu Bai nodded. "Close to Fifth Pattern for sure. Pretty dangerous for them." Jiang Qing''e remained silent, her golden eyes closely following the battle, but her squad could sense her light resonant energy building. Preparing to attack. A pity. One more step and Li Luo''s squad would have been able to purify an entire tower by themselves. Still, there was no need to beat them up over it. They had already performed very admirably for newcomers. The eight-limbed Other redoubled its attacks, fleshy limbs thundering forward towards the three. It headed straight for Li Luo. It could sense that he was the greatest threat among the three. This time it was even faster than before, and it was all too clear that Li Luo wasn''t going to make it. An ominous shadow loomed over him. Jiang Qing''e''s heavy sword came up, light resonant energy gathering. Whoosh! The ground beneath the Other gave way, revealing a pit. Li Luo was just on the edge. The Other was not. It fell in with a heavy thump. "What-" Qiu Bai sputtered. "They must have dug it before. There''s water inside too, probably water resonant power. But for what?" Tian Tian mused. A little dunking wasn''t going to take down a white eroder. Jiang Qing''e''s hand loosened up. She had no idea what they were up to, but knowing Li Luo, it would probably be good. Surely he had something up his sleeve? Li Luo sprang up before the Other could claw its way out. "Fluttering Star!" Bai Mengmeng cried out. Her astral resonant power formed a butterfly of light that caused the thrashing Other to freeze up as it faced unknown illusions. It reasserted itself very quickly, smashing through Fluttering Star with its corruptive powers. "Blight Bindings!" Xin Fu cried. Long, black shadows extended out from him, the lines wrapping themselves across the Other before solidifying. They managed to stop it from climbing out of the pit. "Leader, I can only do it for five seconds!" Xin Fu said through gritted teeth. "Xin Fu! Language! You vulgar animal, Mengmeng''s here, bless her heart," Li Luo cried out. Xin Fu almost spat blood at him. Was this the time for joking?! Still, Li Luo was actually moving his feet as fast as his tongue. He was busy unleashing a resonance art that he had been preparing for quite a while now. "Tiger-general resonance art, Flowing Shear!" Swoosh! The water in the pit formed a huge sphere of water, the Other still struggling within. The water began to spin, picking up tremendous velocity as it squeezed and tore at the Other''s body. The enormous pressure was starting to peel the white skin away. Underneath, red flesh showed, and a strange roar sounded. The other Other had shown back up! Li Luo''s Flowing Shear had forced it out again. Human Skin howled in misery and fear. It was facing a two-pronged attack now, both the external, shearing water sphere attack and an internal war as the fleshy Other tried to claw its way out. No matter how it struggled, there was no way it could fight this. After a few tense moments, there was a high-pitched keening, and the eight-limbed Other split into two. "Leader, it worked! You''re a genius!" Bai Mengmeng squealed, clapping her hands. Xin Fu gasped as well. He had had his doubts about Li Luo''s plan, a violent, forceful separation of the two Others. He wanted to stop Human Skin''s evolution and cause them to fight among themselves. Li Luo''s brain sure worked in different ways... Their leader was a real gem. Xin Fu felt his respect rise for the brain under that head of silver hair. Li Luo took their success a little more calmly. He alone knew that he had strengthened his Flowing Shear significantly. Other cultivators might just circulate water around, and there was a limit to the speed they could reach. But his water was sharpened by his light resonance, forcing it to far greater speeds that could even harm the human skin Other. He had much higher chance of success than others might think. Shing! The water sphere burst, and two creatures tumbled out. But both of them were significantly diminished now. Clearly, the separation had taken a heavy toll on both. They stared at each other with blatant hate, ready to tear each other to bits. But they did not. Both turned and ran. They might not be too intelligent, but they had an instinct for survival. They knew that they were too weak to remain here. Run. Straight into Li Luo and Xin Fu. Li Luo drew circles in the air with his swords. "Trying to get your skin out of the game? Stay a while, I promise I''m only going to cut you... skin deep." In their weakened states, both were roughly only First Pattern in strength. It was the best time to finish them off. Xin Fu didn''t bother with bad jokes, instead choosing actions over words. Li Luo followed, irritated. This time, the fight went down very differently. The three seniors stared numbly at the turn of events. The solution had come out of left field... This guy had cooked up some 200 IQ moves right here. Squeeze the food back up and make it fight the eater? Qiu Bai and Tian Tian shared a look. "Well, today was a real eye-opener." Jiang Qing''e just sat there, smiling to herself. Li Luo''s performance was perfect. Chapter 252: With Flying Colors The fight in the forest was over sooner than expected. Two weakened white eroders stood no chance at all against the combined power of the three. They were cleaned out before the purification tower was even fully up and running. Still, they were thoroughly worn out, and they sank down to the ground, not wanting to move another inch. The battle with the eight-limbed Other had been the most harrowing. If it hadn''t landed in the pit, their plan would have been screwed. Flowing Shear required some environmental support in order to be effective. Hummm! The light pulsing from the purification tower began to grow in strength, and soon the entire forest was lit up, and then some. The black mist faded and eventually disappeared under the light. The air was clear once again. The oppressive feeling lifted from them. They had done it! One level one purification tower reactivated! "Not bad. Congratulations on your first successful solo mission." The senior squad appeared, and Jiang Qing''e had a glowing smile on her face. Li Luo looked up at the lovely legs standing over him, but he couldn''t summon the energy to budge an inch. She stretched out a hand to him, and he took it with some surprise. Her hand was warm and comforting. He didn''t want to let go. He stood up with her help, then reversed his grip to hold her hand. "Is this a reward?" He grinned. "Have some ambition, do you? I''ll leave you the next level two purification tower, and if you can do it solo, the reward will be ample. How''s that?" Li Luo pulled his hand away quickly. "No thanks, I choose life." No way. They had already been forced to pull some 200 IQ moves out of their asses to deal with that eight-limbed monstrosity. In a straight fight, their odds of winning were probably 40 percent at best. And if that was the level of a level one purification tower, how strong would a level two be? There would at least be red eroders, and perhaps even some Disaster Class Others. Their newcomer team would be food for sure. Jiang Qing''e''s reward might be very tempting, but a level two purification tower... dream on! Only an idiot would take it! Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu were impressed by his rationality. Only their leader could admit his shortcomings so righteously. "Being able to reactivate a level one purification tower is a good achievement already. And the cannibalizing Other was a rare sightthose don''t show up often at level one towers." When faced with an enemy close to a Fifth Pattern in strength, even Two Star squads would keep their distance, let alone a One Star squad like theirs. Of course, they hadn''t beaten it with strength alonethey had used brains to augment their strategy. Then again, all was fair in war. "Well, in any case, we finished that job," Li Luo said, pleased with himself. It was a valuable experience. Now he had a better understanding of the dangers in Umbra Cave and the scope of the purification tower tasks. And if even the number one newcomer team was having such difficulties, their peers were probably struggling as well. "When you saw the human skin Other eat the flesh Other, you chose not to attack. Did you already plan to use Flowing Shear then?" Jiang Qing''e asked. It had seemed like nothing at the time, but in truth, it was an impressive decision. It showed confidence in his own abilities, foresight, and an intuitive understanding of the Others. Li Luo shrugged. "I just felt like the eating wasn''t going down too smoothly. Both were quite evenly matched. If we attacked when the consumption had just begun, they would probably be separated easily, and not weakened as much. They''d probably team up against us before turning to fight each other again." Calculating, foresighted, decisive. "Weren''t you afraid of the worst case?" Tian Tian asked. "Yeah, if the eight-limbed Other finished consuming, it would definitely become a red eroder. A third-tier Resonant Master, more than you could handle for sure." Qiu Bai agreed. "Well, what other choice did I have?" Li Luo asked impatiently. "No other chance at it. Besides..." He turned to smile impishly at Jiang Qing''e. "Why worry with a guardian angel around? Otherwise, I might have made more contingency plans." Jiang Qing''e inclined her head. "It was a good choice. The Umbra Cave is fraught with dangers, and there is no definite guarantee of safety. Sometimes, following through with a decision can lead to victory." She was delighted with how well Li Luo was doing in the Umbra Cave. He had shown both grit and sensitivity, valuable qualities in this place. All in all, he had passed her test with flying colors. Qiu Bai and Tian Tian didn''t comment, but their impression of the newcomers rose significantly. This dual resonance-wielding young lord was a spicier piece of ginger than they had expected. Jiang Qing''e unrolled the map, and they saw that the purification tower was now glowing with white light. Jiang Qing''e prodded it with a finger, and two faint lines of script appeared. Black Swan squad. Fairness & Justice Squad. Li Luo was astonished. "Even names? Is it reflected on the maps of other squads too?" Jiang Qing''e nodded. "Even the maps are made from wood pulp from the Tree of Resonant Power. They are linked on a deeper level with the wood of the purification towers. It''s actually important as seeing the progress of others helps stave off the feeling of isolation and encourages the squads." Li Luo shook his head in admiration. The school would stop at nothing to get them to kill Others. "We''re making good time. Let''s keep heading on. But this time we''ll move with speed. Best keep up, you three," Jiang Qing''e said, rolling up the map. They nodded humbly. "Let''s go. I want us to be outside the forbidden zone in three days'' time." She pushed on, not giving them too much time to rest, striding off in the direction of the next purification tower. They groaned, feeling the lactic acid burning in their legs. There would be little time for recovery in the next few days. Chapter 253: Outside the Forbidden Zone In the next three days, Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo''s squads went on a rampage, reactivating a total of five level one purification towers. Li Luo got his first taste of not only fighting strong, but also fighting fast. Their times of true rest were few and far between, always having to keep their guard up. Jiang Qing''e was truly leaving them on their own now that they had proven themselves, and they had to keep their wits about them at all times. No more guardian angels; they worked side by side and were delegated a proportional share of the work. They did come across a few more freak Others, but by applying their growing trove of experience, they were never left as desperate as their first play had been. Still, they were nothing compared to the Black Swan Squad, which blitzed through the Others near the level one purification towers ruthlessly. They were in no danger at all. By the time Li Luo''s group had cleared out their designated zone, they always found the Black Swan Squad relaxing at the purification tower, job done and awaiting their rendezvous. Li Luo''s squad would show up out of breath and tired out, and the Black Swan Squad would be lounging around, barely giving them time to recover before blithely announcing that it was time to move on. The breakneck pace ran Li Luo''s team rough and hard, but then they looked at the diminutive Bai Mengmeng on their team grimly keeping up with the pace, never once asking them for quarter. Her tenacity was a real surprise for Tian Tian and Qiu Bai. The Fairness & Justice Squad had truly earned their first place position. They might be green, but under that greenness was considerable talent just waiting to shine. In time, they might well become the strongest squad in the Astral Sage College. The rough three days had not been without reward. Their school points bank continued to rise thanks to their grinding, as did their own resonant power. In just three days, they had matched their cultivation progress of half a month back in school. If one could just survive the horrors of the the Umbra Cave, the cultivation payoff was great. Three days later, they finally reached their next destination. The outside of the forbidden zone. They stared at the hills ahead of them with amazement. In the mountain range, the mist was white, devoid of the dark pallor that was omnipresent around them. There was not a single sign of corruption either. If they kept their eyes firmly ahead, they could almost pretend they were back in the outside world. A pretense that was simply that. They knew that within the clear terrain lurked an even greater danger. The threat they sensed was far greater than any of the purification towers they had cleared before. The mad spirit beast that had eluded even the Violet Vibrance mentors. Students like them would be dead without question. "That beast seldom comes out," Jiang Qing''e reassured them. "Throughout all these years, many students have come to this onyx lake, but none of them were ever targeted by the beast. So there''s no need to worry." The newcomers nodded in relief. They saw that other students were making their way over as well. "Onyx lakes are some of the best places in the Umbra Cave. Each time the Umbra Cave opens, students will rush over to take as much of the limited energy reserves as they can. The later you arrive, the weaker the effect," Tian Tian said. "Weve made good time. We''re probably the first wave, when the effect is strongest," Jiang Qing''e said with a satisfied smile. "You guys have done well for the last three days. Take this as a nice reward." Three eager faces looked up at her, and she led them down from the high slopes towards the valley. It took them a full hour to make their way down the treacherously steep and winding road, but as a consolation, the black mist was much thinner here. Soon enough, they stood before the lake, glittering like an onyx mirror. It was a strange lake. There were many glossy, black lotus leaves on the nearby banks. They were thick and sturdy, and some of them already had people standing on them. Li Luo looked to the center of the lake, where he saw a beryl-green glow come from deep within. It was pulsing with worldly natural energy, deep and resonant. There was no water in this lake. Only worldly natural energy, condensed. Behold, the onyx lake! The appearance of their squads raised quite a fuss, especially when those present spotted Jiang Qing''e. Three Star Hall students rarely wasted their time at a level two onyx lake, as they had cultivated here so much that the effects were waning. They had all moved on to seek stronger onyx lakes. Jiang Qing''e could not possibly use it either, and so their reason for coming here could only be for their three babies'' sakes. Even the onyx lakes were a competition for the finite resources on offer. Jiang Qing''e paid no mind to the sullen glares thrown her way. She flicked a finger, and her heavy sword crashed down from the sky, stopping an inch above a lotus leaf. A golden ring of energy bloomed around the leaf with a muted boom. "Mine," she said calmly. Li Luo''s squad blinked in amazement. They had no idea how this thing really worked, but clearly the closer to the lake, the better. Not only had Jiang Qing''e secured them prime seats, but the ring helped deflect some of the pressure as well. This was an excellent coat, with nice, broad coattails begging for a ride. The sword had landed on one of the prime spots, one that many of the others had been eying hungrily... before Jiang Qing''e had swaggered in to claim it. Still, no one said anything. There were other good spots up for grabs, ones they wouldn''t have to go up against Jiang Qing''e for. Not everyone thought that way. "Senior Jiang, that''s against the rules, isn''t it?" a voice said sharply. Everyone jumped and looked curiously in its direction. Who would be so bold to cross Jiang Qing''e? Chapter 254: Onyx Leaves A flurry of heads turned towards the owner of the voice. He was one of three people on a nearby black lotus leaf, a scrawny youth currently rigid with righteousness and nervousness. The whispers broke out. "It''s Wang Yufeng, a Two Star student." "He''s what? Top ten there?" "And so he thinks he stands a chance against Senior Jiang? Nutters." Li Luo''s gaze flicked over and stayed on the two people behind Wang Yufeng. Familiar faces. Song Qiuyu and Difa Jingming. Song Qiuyu had tried to help the Song family topple the Suncreek Villa back in the Tianshu Province, but Li Luo had foiled their plans there. So the feud had started. And again, Li Luo suspected that her hand was in this disagreement "I''ve broken the rules?" Jiang Qing''e repeated calmly. "Everyone knows that onyx lakes should be free-for-alls that depend on each individual''s own ability. Senior Jiang is very strong. If you were here to take onyx leaves for yourself, none of us would resent that. But you''re here to take them for Li Luo That''s a little unfair for the rest of us, isn''t it?" Song Qiuyu timidly tugged at his hand. "Yufeng, forget it. Senior Jiang is very strong. Let''s just back off on this." Wang Yufeng''s face darkened further upon hearing that. "If strength alone could trump the rules, that would mean we don''t respect the institution of the Astral Sage College." These strong words had the students sitting up straight. Plus, if Jiang Qing''e had her way here, it would indeed cause all of them to lose out. Now that Wang Yufeng had volunteered to stick his neck out first, they were happy enough to back him up. The stirring and muttering grew more belligerent. Li Luo looked at Song Qiuyu. That woman was truly skilled at manipulation. Back at the Tianshu Province, her vehicle of mischief had been Mo Ling. And now it was Wang Yufeng eating out of her hand. Although onyx lakes held vast reservoirs of energy, this energy was actually warped and mutated. Not even a Heavenly Dipper General could safely immerse themselves within one. Then why come to an onyx lake, you ask? Because within each onyx lake grew an onyx tree, which would produce leaves from condensed worldly natural energy, known as onyx leaves. With each pulse of energy from the onyx lake itself, the tree would spit forth onyx leaves. These leaves were the treasures the students coveted. Each leaf could be split into three parts, and the squad members could place them on their tongues. It would give them immunity from the savage currents of energy in the onyx lake, and allow them to submerge fully and cultivate. In other words, they were tickets to the lake. Get leaves, get in, and get strong. Or sit outside on the banks and watch. Obviously, those who were closer to the front stood an advantage in catching the leaves. That was why Jiang Qing''e had chosen the spot. "Ever since the onyx lakes were discovered, everyone has always competed by themselves," Wang Yufeng asserted again. Jiang Qing''e shot him an angry look. "You''re overthinking things. Of course Li Luo and his squad will snatch onyx leaves themselves. I do not intend to help them. I''m just here to take a spot on their behalf, which, according to my knowledge, doesn''t violate any rule." "Hmm..." Her declaration calmed the crowd down. Wang Yufeng started. He was stungall that bluster and rhetoric was... for nothing? He felt a little foolish. Song Qiuyu laughed. "Senior Jiang, do you really mean that? A newcomer team competing against the Two Star squads for onyx leaves?" "Do I look like a liar?" Jiang Qing''e met her eyes coolly. Song Qiuyu looked away, afraid. She inched behind Wang Yufeng for safety. "Well... but I mean... a newcomer team? We''ve never seen one before. They would be making history if they got any." She said this in a neutral, almost admiring, tone, and yet somehow she managed to imply that the Two Star students would be extremely humiliated if Li Luo''s squad succeeded. "Song Qiuyu," Jiang Qing''e said. "That''s your name, isn''t it? I suggest you focus more on your cultivation. Hiding behind others does not make you stronger." Song Qiuyu reddened, flushing with humiliation and anger. Did Jiang Qing''e just imply that she was cowardly? Still, there was nothing she could say in the face of such power, and she prudently bit her tongue. "Don''t worry," Wang Yufeng said tenderly to her. "As long as Jiang Qing''e does not interfere, Li Luo''s squad will not get any onyx leaves today." Song Qiuyu nodded dispiritedly. Wang Yufeng felt angry seeing her that way. Jiang Qing''e was throwing her weight around against them. So be it. They would take it out on Li Luo. Throughout all this, Difa Jingming had remained silent. He took one look at Wang Yufeng, whose thoughts could not be more transparent. Inwardly, he shook his head. Oh, Qiuyu, why go up against Li Luo? Ever since he took first place at the Tianshu Province, he had been on a one-way shooting star to glory. Woe to the one who decided to stand in the way of a shooting star. Burning was all that awaited. Jiang Qing''e ignored them now. She had already lowered herself by replying to them in the first place. "Go on, then. I''ve gotten you a good location, but getting the onyx leaves will be up to you. Remember that it''s rarely a struggle of raw strength... which you guys can''t win anyway. It''s about fastest fingers first," she advised them. The three nodded, then they moved onto the lotus leaf. Qiu Bai and Tian Tian were sizing up the Two Star squads present. "Are you sure Li Luo and the others can do this?" "Sounds exactly like what I was asked when I had them reactivate the level one purification tower on their own." "Well, if you put it that way..." Chapter 255: Compete Li Luo and the others stepped up onto the black lotus leaf. They were surprised to find that it as sturdy as a block of stone. These black lotus leaves had been transformed by the waves of worldly natural energy that constantly pulsed out from the lake. The energy pulses came on and on relentlessly. Many of the other squads had to use their combined strength just to stand up against these pulses. In comparison, Li Luo''s squad was having an easy time of things. Jiang Qing''e''s sword was still emitting the halo of light energy that nullified most of it. Although she could not help them take the leaves directly, she had saved them a lot of strength, which they could fully devote to leaf-snatching. The other Two Star Hall students looked on enviously. This wasn''t against the rules, and it was an awesome perk to get. Green, green jealousy. There was probably no other male student in the Astral Sage College that Jiang Qing''e would be so tender and devoted to. Li Luo ignored the glowering, although he did sneak a sideways look to confirm the hostile look on Wang Yufeng''s face. Trouble for sure. Plus, they weren''t far apart. If onyx leaves came in their general direction, it was inevitable that they would clash over them. "Leader, we have to be careful of Wang Yufeng. He''s a Fourth Pattern, and he has a lower seventh-grade thunder falcon resonance. Speed is his domain," Bai Mengmeng said quietly to him. Xin Fu nodded. "Getting onyx leaves is more about speed than strength. So if Wang Yufeng is going to pick on us, we''re in trouble." "Lower seventh-grade, thunder falcon resonance, huh..." Li Luo''s eyelids moved. "No worries. Just follow the plan." Jiang Qing''e had already explained how onyx leaves were usually fought over, and he had cooked up an appropriate strategy. As for how effective it was, they would have to find out in a bit. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu nodded. The three waited silently, awaiting the pulsing energy from the onyx lake. They waited for two tense hours, and then a shrill howling suddenly picked up. All the students sat up, ready. All eyes were on the glittering depths of the onyx lake, ready to receive its treasures. The number of onyx leaves was random and limited. On a bad day, only one would be yielded. On a day where there was just one, the fighting would be especially intense. How many would come out today? The energy in the lake pulsed out, and the water danced and bubbled from the agitation. Higher and higher it churned, and then there was a swift- Whoosh! A tide of energy licked up towards the sky. Trees in the vicinity were blown over, and some of the weaker squads tumbled off their black lotus leaves. Only the stronger squads managed to hold on by supporting each other. Li Luo''s squad stood steady, thanks to the protective halo of light. Without it, they might have been blasted back to the entrance of the Umbra Cave Thanks to Jiang Qing''e''s help, they could ignore the overflowing energy and focus fully on the lake. All three held their breath. In the center of the energy wave, there were three black silhouettes. Three leaf-shaped silhouettes. Onyx leaves! Three! Wow! The students roared in excitement as one. They were sent flying in three different directions, and one of them was headed straight for them. Whoosh! Before they could act, a silver streak flew past them, headed straight for the leaf. Wang Yufeng! He could have chosen any of the three leaves, but he had chosen theirs on purpose. Still, he was indeed skillful enough to do so. His lightning speed was faster than any of the other squads, and he appeared in front of the leaf in a flash. Song Qiuyu smiled smugly as she saw Wang Yufeng closing in on the leaf, even throwing a smirk Jiang Qing''e''s way. Too clever for your own gooda wasted trip for Li Luo! Wang Yufeng closed in on the leaf with vindictive triumph. There were few among the second years who could out speed him. Li Luo? The thought was laughable. Neither water nor wood would help him here. His hand reached out towards the leaf. Shoop! A streak of light shot past him, accurately skewering the onyx leaf. Dang! It looked like a mere leaf, but the metallic ring of the light arrow striking it belied that it was made of much more durable stuff. Wang Yufeng''s hand clawed foolishly at air. He flew into a rage and whirled, only to see Li Luo grinning impudently at him, bow in hand. The arrow of light must have been his work. The kid was cunning. Using an arrow to interrupt? It would not be so easy! Wang Yufeng turned again and shot toward the spinning leaf at the speed of light. Shoop! Another arrow of light changed the leaf''s course. "Again?!" Wang Yufeng sneered, now prepared. "Falcon''s Claw!" A predator''s claw of electricity crackled to life, closing around the arrow with preternatural speed. The arrow vanished. An illusion! His eyes narrowed. Shoop! Shoop! An entire volley of light arrows was headed his way all of a sudden, fast enough that he could not discern real from fake. He faltered. What sort of tactic was this?! By the time he recovered, they had already sped past him, smacking the onyx leaf into a different direction. Straight towards Li Luo. Wang Yufeng''s rage fueled his speed, and again he turned into a blur as he hunted down the leaf. His skills were true, and in a few heartbeats, he was on the leaf again. As was another arrow of light. He flicked a contemptuous finger that shattered the light arrow, but this time it split into another mini light arrow that pushed the onyx leaf onwards. Whoosh. The onyx leaf was knocked into a small clump of trees nearby, where it was knocked again by another burst of shadow resonant power. It continued to ping pong around. Dang! Picking up speed with each directed hit, the leaf soon reached Li Luo. Wang Yufeng was fast, but not faster than energy itself. To his credit, he was almost upon Li Luo, but the latter''s hand had closed over the leaf decisively. Wang Yufeng could not stop in time, and his speed carried him into Li Luo, bowling them all over. He furiously untangled himself from the mess of limbs, snarling as his resonant power crackled around his person. Li Luo idly played with the leaf. "Senior Wang, are you intending to take it by force?" He gestured meaningfully to a nearby tree, where Jiang Qing''e, Qiu Bai, and Tian Tian were watching expressionlessly. Wang Yufeng blanched. Li Luo wasn''t pulling any punches. "Senior Wang, sometimes lightspeed isn''t enough. Sometimes one needs... a bright mind." He tapped his own temple and grinned. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu squirmed. Leader, that''s a lot of salt in the wound. Chapter 256: The Husband Show-Off "You!" Wang Yufeng burned with anger and humiliation. He was clearly the stronger one. Given his speed, taking an onyx leaf shouldve been a piece of cake for him. But Li Luo had not intended to race him at all. He had simply let his techniques do his work for him. Superb teamwork had allowed them to triumph. He, on the other hand, had been too arrogant, not bothering to call Song Qiuyu and Difa Jingming to assist. Although, they couldnt match his speed either. In any case, the leaf was in Li Luo''s hand, and many had witnessed his humiliating loss against Li Luo. He was speedy, but not speedier than an arrow of light. Wang Yufeng almost wanted to find a hole and bury himself, just to get away from everyone staring at him. As angry as he was, he didn''t dare to use force against them either. Firstly, it was against the rules. Secondly, no one would report his violation of the rules, because Jiang Qing''e and her team would cheerfully beat him to a pulp first. In the end, he quickly returned to his black lotus leaf. "Sorry," he muttered to Song Qiuyu. "I slipped." Li Luo''s gloating smile was directed at her, and she was seized with an impulse to heap scorn and abuse on Wang Yufeng for being useless. A Fourth Pattern, and one of the speediest in the Two Star Hall, had lost against Li Luo?! She forced a smile instead. "That had nothing to do with you. Li Luo is cunning. Don''t worry, we can get it next time." Wang Yufeng nodded glumly. He had intended to please Song Qiuyu with this clash, but now he was a laughing stock. The other two onyx leaves had been quickly snatched up by two delighted squads as well. Meanwhile, the other squads were looking at Wang Yufeng with disgust. He was top ten in their year, and yet he had lost to Li Luo. What a disgrace. Jiang Qing''e raised her hand, and the huge sword lifted up and obediently returned to her hand. "Well?" She turned to her squadmates with a pleased smile. "Well, that was unexpected as all hell." Li Luo''s team had not even set a foot off the lotus leaf, and yet the onyx leaf was in their hand. Perfect teamwork and strategyit had thoroughly impressed both Qiu Bai and Tian Tian. In contrast, the arrogant Wang Yufeng''s brute force had fallen flat. "An excellent leader," Tian Tian said honestly. Qiu Bai was in agreement. To be this far behind your opponent and still win the leaf? Even a fool could tell that it wasn''t just mere luck. Li Luo''s team was something special. Jiang Qing''e''s eyes shone with delight at her teammates'' recognition. "C''mon, Leader. We gave a few compliments, and you''re preening like a mother hen," Tian Tian chided. Jiang Qing''e was usually cool and distant, immune to any sort of flattery. But after they barely acknowledged Li Luo, she was practically cooing. Jiang Qing''e smiled without reservation. "The most precious thing has been acknowledged. Can''t I be happy?" Tian Tian swallowed. Somehow, those mushy words didn''t seem to belong in Jiang Qing''e''s vocabulary. Li Luo was clearly incredibly important to her. Surely their relationship ran deeper than the formality of a promised marriage, right? Even Tian Tian was starting to feel a little jealous now. Li Luo had to be some kind of god to win this goddess. Meanwhile, Li Luo had broken up the onyx leaf and handed a third each to Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu. "Do we really stick these in our mouths?" Bai Mengmeng asked dubiously, wrinkling her nose at the ugly leaf. It was even leaking some strange pus. "Bear with it." Li Luo and Xin Fu urged her, then they stuffed the leaf into their own mouths. There was some astringency, but they could feel the pressure of the lake''s energy disappear from around them. "Like magic," they marveled. Bai Mengmeng followed suit, scrunching up her face as she tried not to spit it back out. Meanwhile, the other two squads that had gotten onyx leaves were already eagerly wading into the onyx lake. "Let''s go," Li Luo said to them. With a smile in Jiang Qing''e''s direction, he turned and strode down to the onyx lake. When the three figures vanished into the murky energy haze, Jiang Qing''e turned away. "Each of the 38 steps in the onyx lake enhances one''s resonant power by a notch if the cultivator can bear the pressure... How many steps do you think Li Luo will make, Leader?" Tian Tian asked. Qiu Bai smiled. "I recall Leader here setting a record. She reached the 38th step and jumped two stages. That was a real sensation." "I think Li Luo will also reach the 38th step," Jiang Qing''e said confidently. Her teammates'' eyes widened, then they gave up the topic. Jiang Qing''e could go that far because she had a ninth-grade light resonance. Li Luo might have dual resonances, but they weren''t that strong. Even added together, they couldn''t compete against a ninth-grade light resonance. So why on earth did Jiang Qing''e regard him so highly...? Still, Li Luo had worked enough miracles for them to wisely hold their tongues. He had earned a suspension of doubt. Also, Jiang Qing''e was getting a little too excited about showing off her husband-to-be. Chapter 257: 38 Steps As they descended into the onyx lake, Li Luo and his team saw a fathomless crater filled with not water, but raw, rich worldly natural energy swirling in a gigantic whirlpool. The size and power of the huge swirl made them feel small in comparison. The edges of the crater were not smooth, with long, wicked rocks sticking out at haphazard angles. "Ready? This onyx lake has 38 steps. Each step allows us to imbue our bodies with more energy... Let''s set our target at the 35th step for now." Li Luo grinned. Bai Mengmeng stuck out her tongue. "Leader, your goal''s too far for me. I think I can only reach the 32nd step or so." Out of the three, she was the weakest, still only at the Flowering Seed Tier. "Well... let''s just do our best. The deeper we go, the better the effects. Plus, it''s our first time in an onyx lake, when the effects are strongest. We can''t waste this chance." Li Luo nodded encouragingly to her. The three spoke no more, taking the deep plunge down. Their feet soon connected with the solid stone below, and they instantly felt energy surging into them, charging their bodies with a refreshing tingle. It ran through every passage in their bodies, even clearing up their sinuses. They gasped at the sensation. It passed in a few brief moments, and they were left with a vague sense of dissatisfaction. "That''s too short," Xin Fu grumbled. "But I do feel like my resonant power has grown a little," He added delightedly. Li Luo nodded. He could sense that both of his resonance seeds had come alive in response to the power, although they had not been charged much. Then again, it was just the first step. "Leader, it feels like you charged for a few more seconds than us..." Xin Fu said. "Really?" Li Luo said, surprised. The few seconds had passed all too quickly. He hadn''t noticed... Bai Mengmeng thought it over. "Hmm, yes." The first step was over in five or six seconds. A few seconds longer... Did that mean the effect on Li Luo was approximately double? "Let''s keep going." In the next few minutes, the three cleared ten more steps. Li Luo noticed that the charging time for him was indeed noticeably longer than his squadmates. Just on the tenth step, he could already feel his resonant power growing rapidly. The single resonance pattern on his seed was growing brighter by the moment, swimming like a glowing dragon. "Perhaps it''s because of the dual resonances." Li Luo shrugged. Being able to take energy into two seeds instead of one was indeed a significant advantage. The two accepted it as such. However, Li Luo alone knew what was actually happening. If the charging process could be likened to a sumptuous feast, then Li Luo had two stomachs, while others only had one. He was a resonant power glutton, greedily wolfing down every last scrap of power. Far superior absorption compared to the others. Li Luo felt a trickle of excitement course through him. If he could make it to the bottom of the stone steps, how much power would he gain? It was indeed a miraculous opportunity. Buoyed, Li Luo eagerly continued downwards. Two hours passed in a flash, and now the trio were at the 30th step. All three were practically glowing with resonant power now. They were starting to look saturated. None of them showed any indication of stopping. Instead, they were all greedily looking forward. In just two hours, they had probably covered as much ground as two or three months of hard cultivation! However, the pressure on them was starting to grow more noticeable. Even the onyx leafs protective effects appeared more diminished in the face of the tremendous crushing force they were feeling. Any further, and it would be a test of their strength. They took the leap to the 31st step together. Two other squads had arrived as well, although they were sweating profusely, gritting their teeth and trying to withstand the pressure. Eventually, one person crumpled under the pressure, his body shooting upwards with the current. He was carried upwards and outwards quickly enough, his face still pale from the exertion. The trio had no time to worry about others. They themselves were feeling the pressure as well. The weakest among them, Bai Mengmeng, was clenching her teeth so hard that her jaw was popping. Li Luo raised his eyebrows at her. She understood, but she shook her head. He nodded, and the three continued on. Step after step. They were at the 34th step now. This was Bai Mengmeng''s limit, but her perseverance had paid off. The resonant power within her roared with life, building her stronger and stronger. Her final result was a jump from the Lower Flowering Tier to the Upper Flowering Tier. She sighed with both relief and regret, and gave a parting wave to the two boys as the current took her out. She was not a particularly ambitious person, nor was she too interested in fighting or challenging limits. This was enough for her. Li Luo nodded slightly to her. He was already surprised that she had made it this far. Any further and she might end up injuring herself instead. As they watched Bai Mengmeng leave, Li Luo and Xin Fu exchanged a look, then they moved down to the 35th step together without hesitating. Chapter 258: To The Limits As soon as Li Luo''s foot touched the 35th step, he could feel the worldly natural energy surge through the point of contact, running through his body like a maelstrom. It was free, and it was glorious. The onyx lake was the energy''s refuge from the dark tide, and yet even that was not enough. Energy always sought a safer home. Compared to the harsh environment in the onyx lake, it would rather choose a cultivator''s body. That was why one''s resonant palace would exert a powerful attraction on the energy, sucking it up and enriching it. The deeper one went, the greater the influx of energy. Volumes of worldly natural energy surged into Li Luo like a water cannon attached to his feet. His two resonance seeds were swollen with power now, and Li Luo could sense a breakthrough incoming. Whoosh! Just then, he heard a muted bump from beside him. He saw Xin Fu''s face screwed up in concentration, huge beads of sweat on his forehead. He was swept up and away against his will, his energy spent. There was regret in his eyes because he had not made the breakthrough to a Second Pattern, which was his goal. The breakthroughs in the Pattern Genesis Tier were much more difficult. Bai Mengmeng had managed a Sprouting Seed Tier breakthrough, but Xin Fu had not managed to clear a step. However, his efforts were not wasted. The resonance seed within him was already bright and full, and there were freckles of power beginning to formthe signs of a budding second pattern. He was just one step away. He waved to Li Luo too, but the latter was fully focused. Only three more steps. He wouldn''t give up now. The pressure surrounding him was nothing compared to the mental pressure he felt. The changes at House Luolan, his diminished lifespanthey hung over his head like the Sword of Damocles. He might appear calm and easygoing to others, but on the inside, he had been fighting a dark anxiety that no one knew. The onyx lake was one opportunity that he could not afford to pass up, especially not his first dip in. Jiang Qing''e had warned them that any future entry would only bring discounted rewards. If Li Luo wished to break through now, he could reach the Second Pattern. But he did not choose to do so. He held on for the moment. On her first time, Jiang Qing''e had descended to the 38th step and jumped two stages in one shot. Li Luo was sorely tempted. It might be incredibly difficult, but he was going to go for it. Five years to reach Duke. How else was he going to get there? His eyes hardened with resolve. Xin Fu saw the tightening of his shoulders from behind, and he nodded to himself. There was no one else around Li Luo now. The other two squads had already exited. After all, the 35th step was beyond the limits of most people. He took a deep breath and continued down. ... Outside the onyx lake. As the other squads began to emerge one after another, they soon realized that one person was missing. "Li Luo''s not out yet?" "I heard from the others that he went down to the 35th step, but he isn''t out yet. He must be going for the last three." "What? How bold is that guy? Really? The last three?" "Heh, the pressure on the last three steps is incredible. There''s nothing like it. If he forces the issue, it might just backfire on him." "Well, he''s got dual resonances. So maybe he''s got twice the ambition too..." "I wonder if theyre really that strong..." Song Qiuyu and Wang Yufeng were stony-faced. "Even I could only make it to the 36th step," Wang Yufeng said scathingly. "How far does that First Pattern brat think he can go?" Song Qiuyu did not reply, but there was a malicious glint in her eyes. Hopefully, Li Luo had bitten off more than he could chew. Hopefully, he would choke on energy and crawl back out with nothing. On the tree branch. "So he''s really going for the last three, huh," Tian Tian said with awe. Qiu Bai nodded. "Ambitious." Jiang Qing''e showed no surprise. She knew the pressure he was facing. And she knew the logical choice for him. Once, she had thought that she alone needed to make the quick leap to Duke. Then she could shoulder House Luolan''s burdens, and Li Luo would be freed. But now she knew of his shortened lifespan, he was in with her on the race. There would be no idyllic life for them. That was why she had put him through trial after trial in the Umbra Cave. Better take small risks with one''s life now, before it was all gone. Unconsciously, her hand tightened around the hilt of her sword as she stared deep into the energy vortex of the onyx lake. Li Luo, I believe you can do it. Others think that House Luolan has a phoenix of light, but they don''t know that we also have a dragon hidden in slumber. ... Whoosh! Li Luo landed on the 36th step, and the impact almost sent him flying. The energy was all around him and within him, a typhoon of madness, and he was in the thick of it. It felt like if he didn''t concentrate hard enough, he would be shredded apart from outside and within. He could even hear the shrill squeaking of his bones being crushed. Worldly natural energy flooded his body like a river through a broken dam, so violently that his insides felt raw from the chafing of the power flow. Li Luo stood there calmly and took it. He had expected something like this. His body thirsted, and he wasn''t going to complain about a storm. He treasured every last bit with his hurting body. The higher one''s resonance grade, the higher the affinity with the energy, and the easier the energy flow would be to handle. Jiang Qing''e, for example, must have done well with her ninth-grade light resonance. There was nothing better to deal with the energy pressure. Li Luo might not have that, but he had his own advantages. Not only did he have dual resonances, he had four affinities! Although his light and earth resonances were secondary, they were nevertheless attuned to some small parts of the worldly natural energy flooding into him. Li Luo breathed through the pain and held on. Both his resonant palaces were glowing in dual colors now. The raw power was slowly refined within his body as he absorbed the four elements he needed. Gradually, he extracted the blue, green, yellow, and white out of the black energy. Peeling apart layers from the raw material. The energy stream subsided now, held at bay by his four glowing lights. His resonant palaces absorbed as much as they could, as fast as they could, channeling power to his two resonance seeds. They were vibrating and humming now, so violently that it seemed like they might explode. Still Li Luo kept on, forcing one foot in front of the other. He walked off the edge. The 37th step. Another notch on the pressure, but Li Luo was ready for it now. He braced himself accordingly. Still, no amount of mental fortitude could deny his physical limitations. His skin was being shredded by the pressure, bloody scars and patches appearing as pieces of skin were shorn off in the cruel vortex. Li Luo ignored it. His eyes were firmly fixed on the ultimate goal. Without hesitation, he walked forward, smoothly and surely. The 38th step! Chapter 259: Two Breakthroughs The 38th step brought about a new, more intense ringing in Li Luo''s ears. This was as strong as the energy vortex got, and by gosh was it the wildest ride he had ever been on. The mad roar was all around him, and he could feel himself being blown about like a leaf in the wind. It was hard to even concentrate. This 38th step was insane. The cuts on his skin widened and widened, flayed open by the energy vortex. He was starting to feel cold, and a little faint from the loss of blood. Whoosh. He took a deep breath to steady his mind, even when his body was being tossed about like a ragdoll. He could not afford to panic. He could not afford to back down. He forced himself into the lotus position and moved his focus inwards. Water resonance. Wood resonance. Light resonance. Earth resonance. Primaries. Secondaries. He struggled to master the flow, to pull what he needed and could use out of the black channel of raw, untapped power. He accomplished this by steadying himself with the endurance elements of water and wood. If only he could hold on and sort the stray energies out, he could grow rapidly here. If he could survive the energy vortex. As time passed, Li Luo noticed that the energy membrane around him was starting to thin in places. Once it broke, he would feel the full brunt of the energy vortex. He would die, no question about it. "I guess my dual resonances started off too weak." A fifth and sixth-grade resonance couldn''t compare to a single ninth-grade. In fact, if it wasn''t for the fact that he had an additional two bonus secondary resonances, he might not have held on for as long as he did. Li Luo eyed the energy membrane on his body. Underneath it, his four resonant powers flowed in a thin sheen that almost looked like it was part of the membrane. It wasn''t just about the quantity of energy he could store. More didn''t directly equal better. He had to use it well, use it strategically. Now was the time to play to his strengths and utilize the unique advantages of his dual resonances... take as much of it as he could wield. After all, it was actually Duke-level power, and he had barely scraped the top of this power. He couldn''t hold his dual resonances together for long, and so he usually saved it as a final defense for crucial moments. Still, if he could hold out until his breakthrough, the energy vortex''s effects would be diminished, and he might just survive. Li Luo felt the two resonance seeds within him, shining as bright as stars even when he closed his eyes. Almost there. Shrrrk. With a ripping sound, Li Luo felt the energy membrane around him start to tear. He did not hesitate, casting it off. Simultaneously, his two resonance seeds pulsed, sending a pure stream of water and wood resonant power. They mixed. Dual resonances! Hum! Blue and green mixed into a glittering turquoise sheen that covered him, a defense that he had manufactured himself against the energy vortex. Li Luo was frozen in place, fully concentrated on making sure this final defense did not fail. Dual resonances was the domain of true Dukes, but Li Luo''s clutch move would hold him for a few moments together. Hu hu! The energy vortex was held at bay outside of his defenses. All the while Li Luo continued to absorb more and more worldly natural energy. After a while, even his turquoise skin started fading, growing dimmer and dimmer. The energy pressure threatened. Li Luo smiled and relaxed. The time had come. The cannon was loaded. No longer did he suppress the breakthrough now. He let the power fully explode from his resonance seeds. The second pattern formed very quickly, as if an invisible hand had run a well-inked brush across the surface of his seeds. Pattern Genesis Tier, Second Pattern! It wasn''t over. Li Luo had held it back for so long exactly because he wasn''t content with a singular breakthrough! Even after the second pattern formed, the seeds still glowed with power. Wave after wave of resonant power rippled over the seeds'' surface, until the beginnings of a third pattern could be seen. The mark grew clearer and clearer, but the seeds grew dimmer and dimmer. All their power was being exhausted here. Li Luo stood up and folded his body into a complex stance. He also changed his breathing pattern. 12 Step Weave: Fourth Step, Inhale-Exhale. This was the Duke-level energy cultivation art that he had won from the last ranking battle. In his cultivation so far, he had managed to master the basic steps. This was the perfect time to call upon it. He sucked in a titanic breath, as if he were a dragon ready to breathe fire. Gurgle! He sucked in a gigantic mouth of energy into his belly! He repeated this four times! With four giant gulps of energy, he supplemented his resonance seeds'' dwindling stores, and his third pattern formed with energy to spare. Three full patterns now, bold and clear on the surface of his seeds. Li Luo''s sweat stopped now. With this jump, the pressure of the vortex suddenly dwindled away from deadly to manageable. A smile slowly spread across his lips. He had done it. Just like Jiang Qing''e, a double breakthrough! Chapter 260: Sneaky Gains Pattern Genesis Tier, Third Pattern! Li Luo could feel the new energy coursing through him, building him anew. His resonant power was on a whole new level compared to what it was before. And as a Third Pattern, he could stand against the top 30 in the Two Star Hall with sheer power alone. Accomplishing this in less than half a year at the Astral Sage College was not unheard of, but it still classified him as one of the undisputed elites. Li Luo was pleased with himself. This was one of his largest jumps in recent history. The onyx lake had been well worth the trip. All the pain he had been through fell away from memory as his success glowed within him. If he had spent all his time in school, he would have taken two months to get this far. As for other students, they might not match him even by the end of the first year. That was how rare and effective the onyx lakes were. To get ahead in this world, both luck and skill were necessary. Now perhaps only Qin Zhulu could stand against Li Luo in the One Star Hall. As for Wang Hejiu, Bai Doudou, and the others, they were already eating his dust. Even at the start of school, Li Luo had been able to hold his own against them in battle. It had always been his resonant power holding him back. Now that he could stand here comfortably, he continued to absorb what other energy he could. The more the better. While absorbing, Li Luo looked deeper into the dark abyss ahead. The 38th step was supposed to be the limit, but if so... what was below? On impulse, he flicked a Waterlight Bullet forwards. Whoosh! A bright, illuminating pellet whizzed off into the murky depths. After a few moments, it was snuffed out by the energy vortex, but Li Luo could see a stone wall below, where a large, black tree grew. On the tree, there were black leaves that swayed and rippled with the waves of energy, some of them being ripped off each time. The onyx tree and its onyx leaves. Li Luo also noticed that only the top layer of leaves were being blown off by the energy waves. There were many more leaves pressed up against the stone wall that were sheltered against the energies. No wonder only two or three leaves blew out each time. "I wonder if I can grab some." Since onyx leaves were tickets into the onyx lake and cultivation, the students outside were desperate for them. Each time, they fought like lions over the few leaves that were released. If Li Luo could grab a handful here, he could trade them for Other fragments. Others could get their shot at cultivation, and Li Luo would win a whole bunch of points for himself. Plug a bit of that 100,000 point bank he needed... Win-win, eh? His eyes brightened with the thought, and he almost slapped himself on the back. Great idea, you! Without hesitation, he combined his blades and sent a light arrow whistling forth. Still, dreams were much prettier than reality. The light arrow had only flown a dozen meters before it was lost to the buffeting energies. Li Luo frowned. The energy disruption here was too strong for other energies to pass through cleanly. It was like throwing wooden spears against a wall. No matter how hard you threw the spear, it was always going to bounce away. So it wasn''t such an easy goal after all. Surely he wasn''t the first one to have made it to the 38th step and think of this money-making scheme. Then again... no one else had his advantages. Maybe he could make this work. Still, resisting the environment was tiring, and his dual resonances were more or less depleted for the moment. If he was going to make a move, any move, he probably only had one last shot left in him... After that, he would have to leave before his defenses expired. He lifted his bow again, this time with a sense of urgency. His two streams of resonant power flowed upwards, gathering at his bow. This time his light arrow was much more slender, barely a thread of light that connected bow and string. Yet on this faint thread danced more penetrative deadly power than Li Luo had ever summoned before. Hum! The bow sang, and the light arrow charged with blue and green shot forth. As it passed through the energy field, it flickered and wavered. Still, this time it made it through without slowing, punching through many of the connections between tree and leaves. Crack! As planned, black leaves were separated from the tree. Whoosh! The black onyx leaves immediately took flight in the energy current, swiftly ascending upwards. Li Luo had prepared silk strings, reinforced with resonant power, and was ready and waiting to snag them up. He roughly counted them. Eight onyx leaves! He smiled at them with a maniacal grin of greed. And then a cold chill passed through his spine. Danger. He looked back down again. He sensed a pure evil, emanating from the depths of the onyx lake. And it was staring at him. His scalp crawled with a prickling sense of danger. He could not explain it, but the desire to get out immediately was overwhelming. He hesitated no more, kicking off with the leaves in hand, letting the current take him back up. Faster, he prayed. The current couldn''t get him away fast enough. He didn''t even know what lurked below, but he knew that it was something far beyond his abilities! ... Deep in the mountains of the forbidden zone. A certain dark cave. Crimson beast eyes flared open with a feral growl. They were fixed in the direction of the onyx lake. The onyx lake ran very deep with tunnels, and one narrow tunnel ran directly to the ruby lake that it usually cultivated in. It could sense a strange power that compelled it. Could it be... dual resonances? Had another Duke come to challenge it? No, this was a Resonant Master kid. But... with dual resonances? There was thoughtfulness in the crimson eyes, a human-like intelligence that pondered the notion. It seemed to recall something as its huge body rose out of the lake. A natural dual resonance user? Well then. If it ate the kid, wouldn''t it move a step closer to Duke-level power? Greed filled those eyes, alongside a savage intelligence that would stop at nothing to fulfill its goal. Chapter 261: Businessman Li Luo All eyes were on Li Luo as he burst out of the onyx lake, the last one to emerge. His resonant power was clearly far stronger than it was when he went in. So he had made a breakthrough. But... had he reached the 38th step? Jiang Qing''e saw the wild look in his eyes. "What''s wrong?" Li Luo forced himself to calm down. He hesitated. What if he had simply imagined the threat down below? Now that he was out of onyx lake, the ominous depths seemed a world away, and the feeling of danger had passed, as if it had never affected him in the first place. Eventually, he shook his head, indicating it was nothing. "Did you make it to the 38th step?" Jiang Qing''e looked at him more closely and realized that she did not need an answer. The resonant power coming from him was more than what a single breakthrough could bring. Li Luo nodded with a smile. "I reached the 38th step and then I made a double breakthrough. Third Pattern now." Wow! His words were met with a wild gasp. Li Luo had made it to the 38th step?! And a double breakthrough just like Jiang Qing''e?! Too damn awesome! Qiu Bai and Tian Tian were looking a little thrown off as well. Li Luo had done it... "Impossible!" The voice came from Song Qiuyu, who had lost her composure. Her face was livid. Li Luo had snatched that onyx leaf out of their hands... What if they hadn''t set themselves against him? What if they hadnt made it so he had a clear target to focus on? Would he have failed? She felt the sour taste of regret fill her mouth. Wang Yufeng was blinking stupidly as well. The 38th step was beyond him, even. And yet Li Luo, a One Star Hall student, had done it? It seemed too fantastical to be true, and yet the resonant power pulsing from Li Luo''s body was all the proof that he needed. In less than two hours, he had undergone an incredible metamorphosis. "Leader, you''re amazing!" Bai Mengmeng cheered for him enthusiastically. Xin Fu looked at him admiringly as well. Back when they had just started school, he was ahead of Li Luo by one stage, and now Li Luo was already two ahead of him. Even with the cultivation disadvantage, Li Luo had still managed to beat the likes of Wang Hejiu. It was hard to imagine how strong he was now. He was probably ready to take on the true champion of the One Star Hall, Qin Zhulu himself. Li Luo was the center of envy. A consecutive breakthrough to Third Patternhe was now considered strong even within the Two Star Hall. Even Wang Yufeng himself was only a Fourth Pattern. Li Luo was already hot on his heels after half a year. A speed to rival Jiang Qing''e''s. Her eyes were soft and golden. "Since you''re done here, let''s go," she said happily. They had gotten great gains here. Now they should continue on their purging mission. Li Luo grinned. "Hang on, I''ve got business to attend to." He slowly pulled out a bunch of familiar-looking black leaves. Her mouth dropped open. "Ahem!" Li Luo drew their attention with a cough, then fanned himself with the black leaves. The students rubbed their eyes incredulously. They wanted the leaves so much that they thought they were hallucinating. How could Li Luo possibly be holding a bunch of onyx leaves? You have to be kidding. Some started to laugh weaklythe madness had gotten to them. Li Luo reaching the 38th step was hard enough to believe, but at least that had been done before. Who had ever heard of someone bringing onyx leaves back from the lake? Amidst the denial, some of the sharper ones saw the opportunities. Their breathing grew heavy with excitement. Li Luo stepped up. "Ladies and gentlemen, while I was in the onyx lake, I saw the onyx tree and took some onyx leaves... "Yep, these right here. Your eyes aren''t playing tricks on you." He waved them and smiled. Silence. Growing excitement. Eyes locked hungrily onto the leaves. Qiu Bai and Tian Tian were staring open-mouthed. Things were going crazy. They had never seen such a thing before! "How did you get those leaves? The worldly natural energy should have formed a barrier that''s impossible to penetrate." It was Jiang Qing''e who asked him. The astonishment was even more justified coming from her. She had been to the 38th step and seen the same leaves, but she had come short. "The dual resonances," Li Luo said smugly. "Normal resonant powers can''t penetrate them, but my powers are anything but normal." Dual resonances were truly something else. No wonder Dukes were so powerful. The others couldn''t care less about the explanation. All they wanted was the leaves, not the backstory of how they had come about. How was he going to distribute them? None of them thought that he was just flaunting it in their faces. They would just lead to public anger and no profit. "So I guess everyone''s interested," Li Luo said, cutting straight to it. "Half a bottle of Royal Sap for a leaf. "Fair trade is no robbery. I''ll trade with anyone." Chapter 262: Li Luos Game One leaf for half a bottle of Royal Sap. The other students'' eyes widened at the price. It wasn''t cheap. One Royal Sap was 5,000 school points. Half a bottle was 2,500 points! Not everyone could bulldoze purification towers like Jiang Qing''e''s group. Most teams might aim to just take one tower down. According to past calculations, most squads left the Umbra Cave with about 5,000 points. 2,500 school points was no small price to pay. But, but, but. If the trade-off was the opportunity to cultivate in the onyx lake, it might just be worth it. After all, school points were traded for cultivation resources... the onyx lake was skipping this whole process to help them achieve the end goal of cultivation. The students stirred restlessly, tempted. Jiang Qing''e did not know whether to laugh or cry. Li Luo''s entrepreneurial spirit was on another level. Still, he had earned those onyx leaves with his own strength, so he could do whatever he wanted with them. "Li Luo, onyx leaves are released for free with the pulses of the onyx lake. Now you''ve gone in earlier to take leaves and intend to sell them at outrageous prices? Thats a little too underhanded, isn''t it?" Song Qiuyu''s cool voice sounded. The other students paused, doubt creeping back on their faces. Li Luo lazily cocked an eye at her. "Firstly, even though I''ve taken these leaves, there are more that will continue to be released by the lake. If people aren''t interested in my leaves, they''re more than welcome to keep waiting. "Secondly... "Only a few leaves are available every time they come up, and there are a lot of teams here. Only the stronger teams like yours stand a chance, while the others are going to end up empty-handed. "Now I''ve come up with a simple solution for more teams to get leaves, but you''re not happy. I guess you want to keep the privilege of cultivating in the lake for yourself?" Song Qiuyu''s eyes narrowed. Li Luo had turned the tables back on her. "Li Luo''s right. The waiting time for the lake''s leaves is too long, and the leaves are too few. We can''t get any. Rather than pining away here, we might as well spend 2,500 school points to get a leaf," a student suddenly said. "Yeah!" "Me! I''ll pay!" Once the floodwaters broke, the students all clamored for the leaves. Poorer students. Seeing them flood forth, Song Qiuyu held her tongue, fearful of incurring more wrath. Li Luo cheered inwardly. "Li Luo," one student cried, "we don''t have Royal Sap with us right now. Can we pay you when we get back?" "By all means," Li Luo said expansively. "Such minor problemsdon''t let them trouble you. I went through all this effort to get the leaves just so that everyone could cultivate more conveniently." They cheered at that, with the exception of Song Qiuyu. This guy was just here for a profit. Noble support of their cultivation? My foot! Li Luo was happy enough to accept their notes. If anybody tried to default, he''d bring Sister Qing''e when he went knocking! More and more people were lining up, and then a squabble even broke out. Finally, Li Luo had to organize a raffle. Soon, seven happy squads were departing to cultivate in the lake. They were pleased with their purchase. The energy in the onyx lake each time was limited, and an early entry promised better rewards. Wang Yufeng and Song Qiuyu were looking sour. No one knew when the next wave of leaves were coming out. Which meant that they would be using a weaker onyx lake compared to these teams! The cultivating effect was getting worse and worse by the moment. Li Luo counted his seven promissory slips with satisfaction. Three and a half bottles of Royal Sap. 17,500 school points. A big chunk off his 100,000. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu were looking at the new tycoon in awe. He had not only mined the onyx lake for all it could give him, he had gone one step further to mine it for all it could earn him. He was truly the king of business acumen. "Neatly done." Tian Tian whistled appreciatively. Qiu Bai too didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. Li Luo dusted off his hands, then he sauntered over to Wang Yufeng, Song Qiuyu, and Difa Jingming. They looked very wary to see him approach. "Li Luo, what do you want?" Wang Yufeng stepped forward aggressively. Li Luo smiled cheekily at Song Qiuyu. She''d been bothering him all day, and he always took his revenge. However, some days he preferred to serve it cold. Like today. "Want to buy a leaf?"he asked politely. They stared at him. In truth, they very much wanted to buy a leaf, but their pride had held them back before. They also assumed that Li Luo would refuse to sell one to them. They watched desperately as Li Luo''s seven leaves were traded. Although they stood a chance in snatching free leaves, the timing of their release could vary. More importantly... the people that had just entered the lake were going to diminish the energy within. So even if they managed to snatch leaves later, their cultivation would be affected. To them, 2,500 points wasn''t a big deal. They would gladly pay it for an early entry into the onyx lake. "What do you mean? You still have a leaf?" Wang Yufeng asked cautiously, trying hard to keep the hunger out of his voice. "One last one, yeah." Li Luo nodded with a smile. Wang Yufeng swallowed. One last leaf... what was Li Luo up to? Song Qiuyu looked at the smiling man and felt a twang of unease. "Are you buying it? Half a bottle of Royal Sap, no credit though." Li Luo grinned. Wang Yufeng was tempted, sorely tempted. Half a bottle of Royal Sap was nothing... but he didn''t believe that Li Luo would be so kind to them. But were they really going to give up on the onyx leaf just because of their suspicion...? He looked over at Song Qiuyu, and she nodded guardedly. "Sure," he said. "We''ll take it." Li Luo took out the leaf, then he exclaimed in surprise. "Oh goodness, this onyx leaf seems to be damaged." They looked closely. Only half a leaf was left. Half a leaf wasn''t enough for three. It was only enough for two. A squad had three people though. Li Luo sighed with some regret. "It''s a little damaged, but I guess it sort of works." He lifted it up. "Do you still want it?" Now the deal was changed, and they stared at it, tormented. So close yet so far. Song Qiuyu glared at him. Now she understood Li Luo''s game. Chapter 263: Stirring in the Forbidden Zone Outside the onyx lake, Wang Yufeng, Song Qiuyu, and Difa Jingming stared at the one battered leaf in Li Luo''s hand. They were not idiots. From the moment Li Luo revealed the damaged leaf, they knew what he was up to. Sowing the seeds of discord, forcing them to give up one of their members. No matter how they used this leaf, one person would be left behind. Surely that person would be resentful. Perhaps someone would step up to magnanimously offer themselves as the sacrifice, but still What Li Luo was offering was a poisonous leaf. He made no attempt to hide it. They could choose not to take the leaf, if they could resist the temptation to cultivate in the onyx lake. As long as all three could resist the temptation, then Li Luo''s plan would be ruined. As if all three could resist the temptation. "Hello? Do y''all want it or not? If not, I''m leaving." Li Luo yawned. He acted like he was about to put it in his pocket. Song Qiuyu darted forward and snatched the leaf, thrusting a small bottle into his hands. It was half a bottle of Royal Sap. Li Luo turned and left immediately, uncaring as to how they would use the leaf. Song Qiuyu watched him go. "You two use the leaf. I''ll wait for next time." "Qiuyu, you don''t..." Wang Yufeng protested. "If we divide the leaf, we should use the fairest method: let the strongest take it, so it can do the most good." Song Qiuyu cursed inwardly. As expected, the silent Difa Jingming''s face froze for a brief moment, although he recovered quickly. "Indeed, that''s fair. Qiuyu, you and the leader go ahead to the onyx lake. I''ll wait for next time." "Don''t worry, Jingming," Wang Yufeng said apologetically. "We won''t let you down. We still have time in the Umbra Cave. We''ll find a way to make it up to you." Difa Jingming waved it off easily. Song Qiuyu opened her mouth and then closed it again. Difa Jingming had been a friend for many years, and their families were close as well. He was one of her best friends at the Astral Sage College. Her reason screamed out at her to speak up on his behalf. But that would wound the pride of Wang Yufeng. Doing that went against her personality too. Stuck in her dilemma, she remained silent, although she knew that her silence would disappoint Difa Jingming and strain their relationship. What could she do? Neither she nor Wang Yufeng could pass up the temptation of the leaf. Neither was willing to wait for the next wave, when the effects would be lessened. They knew that Li Luo had sold them a poisoned leaf, and they had accepted it gladly. She had underestimated how sly Li Luo could be. He had used no violence, no intimidation in the form of Jiang Qing''e. He had offered a trade, pure and simple. There was nothing to fault him for. One simple leaf, and their entire squad was sunk. She might well have lost a relationship that she had spent years cultivating. A heavy price. Even Song Qiuyu was regretting her earlier decisions now. Why did she have to cross a guy like Li Luo? He might not be as strong as Jiang Qing''e, but his methods were even more cutting than anything she brought to the table. As for Song Qiuyu''s regrets, Li Luo couldn''t care less. He had grown two stages here at the onyx lake, and made a tidy profit. A respectable haul. Li Luo went back to his group. "Sorry we took up so much time here," he said apologetically to Tian Tian and Qiu Bai. They had spent most of the day here doing nothing. In that time, Duze Honglian and Ye Qiuding had been surging ahead, pressing their advantagethey had already cleared a level two purification tower. Tian Tian''s laugh tinkled out. "Sharpening the axe does not delay the chopping of wood. You guys are much stronger now. You''ll be of help even when we deal with the level two purification towers." They owed their leader enough that they were obliged to be gracious till the very end. It didn''t really matter if Duze Honglian won once. Under the banner of their supreme leader, they would have plenty of chances to stomp them again in the future. Jiang Qing''e pulled out the map and examined it. True enough, two of the level two purification towers were already lit. One of them had Duze Honglian''s name on it. "Don''t worry. It doesn''t mean we stand no chance to catch up," she said calmly. Just then, a bloodcurdling howl sounded from the valley beyond, a howl powerful enough to make the trees tremble with its sound waves. It was met with a mad crackle of energy that leaped up from the lake in response. A frightened hush fell on the students. They nervously looked out towards the deep jungle. That was the forbidden zone, where nothing lurked save one... The Heavenly Dipper General stage spirit beast, that was stronger than all others! But why would it be roused today? What had happened? Even Qiu Bai and Tian Tian were looking concerned now. They could see a blazing trail of black smoke and dust in the distance, and something incredibly powerful was stampeding through the forest. From the thickness of the smoke plume, many trees had to be falling. The thing was huge... and it was headed straight for them? There were frightened mutterings from the other students as well. "There''s no need to fear," Jiang Qing''e called loudly. "It''s said that the principal himself set the runes around the forbidden zone. The spirit beast cannot come out." This was new information to many of the students, but given Jiang Qing''e''s reputation, they simply trusted her. The students remained, but nervously, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble. Li Luo frowned. Somehow, there was a familiarity to this approaching presence. And then it hit him. It was the same as the threatening presence he had sensed in the depths of the onyx lake. It had to be the General spirit beast in the forbidden zone! Was it coming for him? Because he had stolen the onyx leaves? Li Luo paled. Surely not. Those leaves weren''t that important, especially to a General Stage spirit beast. He could vaguely sense greed. And hunger. A desire to swallow him, specifically him, whole. If it wasn''t because of the onyx leaves, why else would it be here? In the depths of the onyx lake, Li Luo had demonstrated uncommon power... His eyes widened in realization. The dual resonances. The mark of a Duke expert. It was said that the General Stage spirit beast was on the verge of the breakthrough to Duke itself. Perhaps it wanted his powers, wanted to eat him to grow stronger? Truly bestial instincts. Li Luo swallowed hard. Somehow, once he thought of this, he was convinced. If it were true, he was in great danger. He prayed that Qing''e''s information on the principal''s runes was correct. If they had disappeared over time, then he would be target number one today. He felt his legs go weak with fear. Rumble! The churning, black smoke was drawing ever closer, and now even the mountains trembled with the charging thing. Many students were already fleeing for their lives. Li Luo was contemplating fleeing, when suddenly a mysterious stream of light fell from the sky. It formed a large, ancient rune symbol. The seal! The symbol flashed in the air, and suddenly the presence was halted in its tracks. Within the rising black smoke, the same bloodcurdling roar sounded again, this time held long and loud in frustration. The mountains themselves shook in fear. Chapter 264: Another Other Roar! Again, the entire place trembled in deferent response to the power that the roar demanded. From within the rising cloud of black smoke, a pair of feral, crimson eyes stared, maddened with fear and rage. There was a power stopping it from leaving the forest. It had thought that the magical barrier would have weakened with age, but it seemed strong enough to hold the creature for now. It roared again, thwarted. The dual resonance cultivator was just there, so close on the opposite side. And so puny. If it could just get through, it could swallow him in one gulp. And with the power of dual resonances, it would surge through its current bottleneck in cultivation. So close... yet so far. The arcane rune that hovered in the air held it firmly. Roar! It pawed the ground, monstrous claws grating against rock. But in the end, it was still fearful of challenging that power. Or rather, the wielder of that power. That was too strong a presence for it to deal with. It had once seen that wielder, and it learned the taste of fear then, its survival instincts screaming while it trembled and hid. Finally, it backed away, and soon even the black smoke dissipated as well. It had retreated. Accordingly, the protective rune in the air faded and winked out of sight as well. A corresponding flash of energy appeared on the peak of the mountain in the forest. Everyone at the onyx lake breathed a collective sigh of relief. Luckily, the spirit beast was still trapped by the principal. Otherwise, they would have had to abandon the lake and run. Li Luo''s sigh of relief was just a little deeper than the others. If the spirit beast had really broken out, he wouldve been in the hottest of soups. He was so sure that it had come for him. A Heavenly Dipper General spirit beastperhaps not even the Seven Astral Pillars could take it. The strongest here was Jiang Qing''e, and she herself was only a Fiend Body, the intermediate Earth Fiend Stage. She was far from the beast''s strength. So luckily, all had ended well. "If it had gotten out, there would''ve been a lake of blood to rival the onyx one," Tian Tian observed quietly. Qiu Bai nodded. The spirit beast was as strong as a Heavenly Disaster Class Other... which should not appear at the periphery of the Umbra Cave. Even the Four Star Hall squads would flee before one! "The principal is super strong. Just one rune was enough to hold the spirit beast back," Li Luo marveled. "That word holds a shred of the principal''s will. Which means that it has some sentience... And a piece of a King is far beyond our ken. It''s a great power indeed." Jiang Qing''e agreed. She looked out at the mountain peak and bit her lip. "One day," she said so softly that only Li Luo could hear, "you and I will be there too." "Eh? Me as well?" Li Luo teased. "Not everyone''s a ninth-grade light resonance overachiever, you know." "Oh? As if your dual resonances arent just as valuable." She smiled back. "I get the feeling your limits haven''t even been tested yet." Li Luo looked away so she wouldn''t be able to see his eyes. Somehow, she was really sharp today. Indeed, two resonances was not all that he had... When he reached the General Stage, he would be able to put a real fear even into Dukes. Just dual resonances? Behold a General with triple resonances! "Let''s go. Our cultivation sidequest here is done. We''ll aim to take down level two purification towers now," Jiang Qing''e said before turning away. There was unspoken enthusiasm from the three newcomers, who were itching to test out their new strength. Level two purification towers were much more difficult to clear than level one towers. White eroders were everywhere, and there were even considerable numbers of red eroders. And where the corruption was thickest, there might even be Disaster Class Others. That was equivalent to General Stage cultivators. Those would have to be left to the Black Swan Squad. Of course, the first years would give those a wide distance, but with their increased strength, they could polish off the white eroders with ease, and even the weaker red eroders could be taken down with good strategy. Jiang Qing''e pointed at a few level two purification towers, indicating the route they would take. And at the final stop... The ominous red signal that indicated a level three purification tower. If they could clear that, then their purging mission would come to a sweet close. ... A towering mountain, shrouded in soot-black smoke. The mist hung especially low and thick here, as if the humidity was higher. It was all an illusion, of course. Within the mist hung dry, parched branches, drooping like the dead arms of a scarecrow. Chittering, whispering voices. Occasionally, a shadow would flit through the black mist, only to be met with a powerful burst of evil energy. A scream, a crunch, and then it was gone. In the abyssal cracks of the mountain, a heap of white bones lay. On the heap was a chair of bone, padded with flesh. There was a long figure coiled up on the ghastly throne. Its body was that of a centipede''s, its limbs clicking and clattering restlessly, but its head was human. The evil in its eyes was enough to inspire despair in weaker-willed humans. This was an Earthly Disaster Class Other! It had six eyes, and all of them were fixed on the courtyard outside. Amidst the littering of bones, many Others were cannibalizing each other. The human-centipede opened its mouth, wider and wider until it was half the size of its face. It sprayed a lead-black mist that engulfed the Others and swept them all into its mouth, which bristled with razor-sharp teeth. They were sucked into the gleaming maw, and suddenly there was only eerie silence in the courtyard. It opened its mouth again to let out a shrill call. It would attract more Others here, to fight among themselves. But this time around, no Others responded. How dare these lesser beings ignore the command of the king of this domain! The human-centipede gathered up its many legs and crawled to the entrance, ready to bring its anger down on its unruly subjects. Hee hee! As it started to crawl towards the entrance, it heard a gleeful chuckle that made it curl up defensively. A sense of dread overwhelmed it. It knew the feeling of dread well. It was the same feeling that its prey felt moments before it crunched down on them. All Others knew it well, locked in the fierce, desperate struggle for survival. An even stronger Other! The human-centipede lowered its head to see a freakish, grinning face form on the surface of the ground itself. The grin was wide... and persistent. All resistance leached out of the human-centipede, and it unfurled its body and obediently crept into the grinning mouth. Chapter 265: Where Are The Others For the next ten days, Black Swan and Fairness & Justice squads charged ahead at full speed. They cleared three level two purification towers and also made two return trips to the purified spot to replenish supplies. Clearing level two purification towers was difficult as hell. The tough opponents meant that the first years could not afford to drop their guard in the slightest, or they would risk being swarmed by white eroders. Cannibalization was also more rife, which meant that even the surviving white eroders were usually Third Pattern or above in strength. If not for their huge cultivation increase at the onyx lake, they would have been left cowering helplessly outside. At the level two purification towers, even the Black Swan Squad switched to serious mode, no longer as relaxed as they had been at the level one towers. Most of the time, Li Luo''s squad was left to fend for themselves against a motley assortment of Others. They didn''t want to have to be watched over all the time. The most dangerous moment had been when they faced a Fifth Pattern white eroder. It was already showing signs of turning red, and was a few notches stronger than the human skin eroder they had met previously. They had won through inspired and seamless teamwork, but all three emerged with heavy wounds. Still, defeating a Fifth Pattern was testament to their growth since entering the Umbra Cave. Xin Fu managed a breakthrough through one of the battles, reaching the Second Pattern and adding more firepower into their arsenal. As the three stared at the body of the Fifth Pattern white eroder fading away, their hearts swelled with a sense of accomplishment. Next on the list: red eroders. Only if they had to. Damn, the Umbra Cave was dangerous ... Before a cliff. Jiang Qing''e stood looking out into the misty skies, her navy-blue shawl fluttering in the wind. Her posture was stiff, weary, and numb from the repeated battles of the last few days. More Others had fallen by her hand than Li Luo''s entire squad combined. The more Others one killed, the more susceptible to corruption one became. Ordinarily, students would kill until they reached a reasonable limit, then they would return to the purified spot to cleanse themselves for a time before resuming their missions. With her ninth-grade light resonance, Jiang Qing''e was fearless against the corruptive influence of the dark. Along the way, her brilliance only grew, a warm lamp that guided them through the saturnine and dreary landscape. The others stood in a loose huddle behind her. Li Luo''s squad had changed as well. There was a grim set to their features now that had been missing before. They had spent about two weeks in the Umbra Cave now, and they had experienced more danger here than in the sum of their entire lives so far. Mortal peril was a sobering experience. It brought one face-to-face with the harsh realities of life and how fragile it was. It was a potent cocktail of trauma and fear that inevitably changed a person, whether for better or worse. After all, Others were no kind souls. Once they spotted a weakness, they would make sure you were punished for it as hard as they could. All of them were looking out past the cliff. Plains stretched out below, and on the grey-green grass lay a woeful ruin. The eerie shrieks that occasionally sounded from within were somehow even more chilling than what they had experienced so far. This was a level two purification tower, but the corruption was especially dense, more so than the several level two towers they had dealt with so far. "This tower''s outside of the purified spot''s range. Completely. It means that if we can clear this tower, our final goal is close." Jiang Qing''e''s clear voice cut through like a fresh breeze through the mind-numbing haze and rot, calming their hearts. "Being outside the purified spot''s range completely means that the Others here are stronger as well," Tian Tian warned them. Jiang Qing''e frowned. "Perhaps it is time for a change of strategy. This time we won''t be doing the cleanup before reactivating the tower. We''ll focus on pushing straight to the tower and reactivating it." "Won''t that invite an attack from every single Other in the area?" Li Luo asked. Jiang Qing''e inclined her head. "We''re too close to dangerous outer areas. Speed is crucial in this one. Lingering will increase the risk. Of course, our two squads alone won''t be enough. We''ll need help." She pulled out a scroll from her pack, made out of the same rough bark as their map. "This is a boundary scroll. I traded for it back at the purification spot. When we reach the tower and activate the scroll, it will form a barrier that keeps out anything below red eroder class. We only need to clear out the Others within the barrier to buy enough time to get the tower reactivated. "Once reactivated, the purification light will wipe out the rest of them." Li Luo nodded. This plan would work. Although it also meant that anything coming through the barrier was going to be a red eroder or stronger. They were going to deal with the reds for sure now. A real nightmare. "When the barrier is activated, we will clear the Others within as quickly as possible," Jiang Qing''e said to them. "The three of you will stand as the final defense around the tower. Li Luo''s squad nodded. Now was not the time for heroics. Plan explained, Jiang Qing''e''s fingers tightened on her sword, and she swept down the cliff. Behind her, the other five followed. Soon enough, they were approaching the black mist, now so dark it almost looked like a wall. They took a breath and headed in, weapons at the ready to cut through anything while they punched their way deep into the heart of the zone. Yet there was nothing. Not a single attack came. There wasn''t even a single Other around. The silence was somehow ominous, and the claustrophobia caused by the black mist ate away at their composure. Even Jiang Qing''e was a little unsure of what to do. "What''s going on? The corruption is so thick here, but theres not a single Other?" Tian Tian said worriedly. "There must be an unnatural Other somewhere. Stay wary," Jiang Qing''e said. "The plan remains. Reach the purification tower. See if we can reactivate it." The others nodded as well. They proceeded with redoubled caution, working their way inch by inch through the condensed mist of corruption. The two squads moved from drier ground to wetter, swampy mud, but still things were quiet. They were completely unimpeded in their advance. Which made things all the scarier. Any anomaly in the Umbra Cave was never a good thing. Finally, they made it to the level two purification tower. The faintly glimmering tower before them was almost a relief. Almost. Where were the Others here? The place was completely deserted. If not for the unactivated tower before their eyes, they could almost have believed that another squad had beaten them to it. But if the tower was still dark, where were the Others? Chapter 266: Grinnings on the Wall The two squads stood puzzled in front of the tower. They were smart enough to know that this could not be a good sign. If the small baddies were absent, that meant that there had to be a big baddie around... "The tower, for now..." Jiang Qing''e said after some hesitation. "When the purification light clears the area, we can search it better." There were no objections. Sure, it was strange that the Others were missing, but that was no reason to abandon the mission at this point. Reactivating the tower would also give them a measure of safety. They moved into the purification tower cautiously. Everything looked to be in place, and they began the reactivation. Hum! As the purification tower began to glow, the spreading light started to push the black mist back, and their vision improved by the moment. They all felt a wave of relief. That, at least, was going as planned. It seemed like they had just gotten a level two purification tower for free. If it wasn''t for their worries that this was part of something worse, they would be pretty happy with the result. After the purification tower was completely activated, Jiang Qing''e gave the orders. "Maintain formation. We will scout the area. Do not be separated." Although their speed would be limited, this was the safest way to proceed, especially when they weren''t sure what was happening. There were no objections, and Jiang Qing''e hefted her heavy sword and took point, scouting the area for clues. They moved at a prudent pace. There were many more stone ruins in this area, which used to be a purified spot. However, at some point in history, the dark tide came in a tidal wave and smashed many of the structures here, and it was now merely a purification tower. The group kept their resonant powers at the ready, but they met with no obstacle more troublesome than broken walls. This was way too sanitized to be normal. As they crossed another broken wall, Li Luo suddenly halted. A cold trickle of fear ran down his spine. Things had gone quiet. His comrades'' footsteps were gone. He looked towards Jiang Qing''e''s position. Empty. All around him, not a soul was to be seen. He looked back at the purification tower and saw that it was still glowing. Still, it brought no relief. Had they walked into a trap? Weren''t the Others gone? He pulled out his shortswords, running Water Edge over them. The wall in front seemed to swirl and warp before his very eyes, then a grinning face appeared. The grin was evil, and the mouth opened unnaturally wide. Inside the mouth was an abyssnothingness... fathomless. His fear built up within him, colder and colder, and then suddenly it was gone. Li Luo felt the beginnings of a smile on his own face, a dark urge that twitched his lips up slightly at first. Soon enough, he was grinning widely. He took a step towards the smiling face. Just then, the greenwood comforter on his chest released a burst of icy power, and his mind clarified for a moment. His two resonant palaces roared to life. Dual powers of green and blue surged out of him instinctively, lashing out wildly. BOOM! He was himself again, scrambling backwards with a forehead of cold sweat. He screwed his eyes shut, afraid to look at the sinister smile on the wall. Shing! A powerful and familiar power bloomed around him, a comforting light that dispelled the dark madness in him. Jiang Qing''e''s light resonant energy. Li Luo opened his eyes to find himself in a half-standing ruin. Before him were the smashed fragments of a black wall, which seemed to have just been smashed by Jiang Qing''es sword. "Are you alright?" Li Luo hesitated. He had been utterly manipulated, a puppet commanded. No ordinary Other could have done that. This one was far more powerful than anything they had encountered thus far. "What... was it?" he asked, voice shaking. "Corrupting illusion realm," Jiang Qing''e said grimly. "Only a very powerful Disaster Class Other could have made one that strong." "Corrupting illusion realm? Disaster Class?" No wonder the takeover had been so completely immersive. "Where are the others?" he asked hurriedly. His question was answered almost as soon as he asked it. They crawled up from the opposite side of the newly broken wall. Evidently, they had been taken by the corrupting illusion realm too, and Jiang Qing''e shattering the wall had freed them all. "That was way too strong," Tian Tian muttered weakly. "Even we were taken without realizing it." "Are you alright?" Li Luo asked his squadmates. They shook their heads miserably. "Luckily, Senior Jiang saved us with her light resonant energy before the illusion realm fully took hold." Li Luo was relieved on their behalf. So they hadn''t seen that smile of madness. He had only managed to shrug free of it by repelling it with his dual resonances. "There''s something off about this place. What was the smiling face on the wall?" Li Luo asked. She didn''t reply, cocking her head and listening intently. Suddenly, she attacked, sending a beam of light straight at Li Luo. Shing! It whistled past his shoulder to connect with the approaching Qiu Bai, sending him flying backwards. Everyone was stunned. "Nobody move," Jiang Qing''e commanded. They all stood there, afraid. Surely Jiang Qing''e had her reasons Qiu Bai got to his feet, hurt and disbelief written across his face. "Leader, what are you doing?" Jiang Qing''e moved her hands swiftly, creating a ring of light that expanded into a hoop. She laid it on the floor. "Qiu Bai, step into the circle of light." Qiu Bai hesitated, looking at the circle. Then he snickered. It was a snicker that had Li Luo''s scalp crawling. Qiu Bai''s mouth was growing wider and wider. It tore his cheeks, and still it was growing, fresh blood dripping down his chin. It was the same grin as the one on the wall from before! Chapter 267: Seeds of Corruption When a maniacal grin spread across Qiu Bai''s face, everyone besides Jiang Qing''e stepped back inadvertently. Bai Mengmeng was white as a sheet, horror in her eyes. Li Luo was feeling a little weak in the legs himself. Qiu Bai was probably facing the mad grin within the corrupting illusion realm right now, but his greenwood comforter was not effective enough. He was being held in the throes of madness. There was a sick feeling in his stomach. Qiu Bai wouldn''t be easy to deal with. He was one of the elites of Three Star Hall, and he was an Earth Fiend General as well. Although far from Jiang Qing''e, he was an experienced opponent. Even so, he had fallen into the trap? How strong could the Other that created this be? Pssss! Qiu Bai hissed at them. His resonant power surged forth with the power of a violent tornado, aimed directly at Li Luo. Li Luo flicked a Waterlight Bullet in response, even as he turned to flee. No way was he going to be able to stand up against Qiu Bai. Retreat was his only option. The Waterlight Bullet blinded Qiu Bai completely, but he did not claw at his eyes in pain as other victims did. He continued forward, a zombie of smiling insanity. A fiery spear appeared in his hands. Dang! A green rapier knocked it midair, and the two weapons were locked in a long stalemate before they disengaged. "Thanks, Senior!" Li Luo yelled as he continued running. Jiang Qing''e stepped in now, her light resonant energy manifesting in the shape of an arrow that came from above. It shrouded Qiu Bai completely. Rumble! The fire spear in his hands moved upwards in a fountain, until it was a flowing veil of lucent fire, shading him from the light arrow. It was not enough, and the light arrow crushed its way through relentlessly. The disparity in power was obvious. Qiu Bai sensed this, and was already turning to flee. Shoop! A lasso of light encircled him and tightened. Soon, he was trussed up and completely immobilized. Qiu Bai struggled violently, but the light stretched and contracted on him like a second skin. Tian Tian breathed out with relief. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu huddled up with Li Luo. "Leader, what''s going on?" "Did you two see the grinning face on the wall?" They both shook their heads. Jiang Qing''e had shattered the illusion for both of them before they got that far. "You''re lucky, then," Jiang Qing''e said grimly as she walked over. "The illusion you were trapped in is a corrupting illusion realm. Only Disaster Class Others can fashion such a thing. "We encountered such a thing before, but..." She looked back warily at the wall she had smashed. "This is the first time I''ve seen that leaving a simple smile mark on the wall can unleash such power. Even someone as strong as Qiu Bai fell. Something so strong, I suspect it''s a Heavenly Disaster Class Other. "Such an abomination should not appear here." Li Luo''s squad swallowed hard. The Disaster Class was divided into Earthly and Heavenly. Heavenly Disaster Class equaled Heavenly Dipper General. How could something so strong be here? Hadn''t the mentors already swept through? And there were supposed to be Four Star Hall students forming a defensive perimeter deeper in "There are always those who slip the net. It''s not unheard of," Tian Tian said calmly. "We were unlucky." "Then all the Others here..." Li Luo''s voice trailed off. "Yes, probably eaten by the Heavenly Disaster Class." Jiang Qing''e nodded. "Bad news. It''s only going to get stronger." The first years were reeling. They were still struggling with Eroding Class Others. This was way out of their league. Again, the sheer horror that was the Others was imprinted deeply upon them. They looked at the trussed up Qiu Bai, still drooling from the side of his lunatic smile. The sides of his mouth had been ripped apart, and the flesh shone red and bloody. If even an Earth Fiend like Qiu Bai could fall, what chance did they stand? Li Luo absently touched the sides of his mouth. He suddenly didn''t feel like smiling at all. "What are we going to do about Senior Qiu Bai?" Bai Mengmeng asked. "His condition is fine," Jiang Qing''e replied. "The seed of corruption has been exposed. We just need to bring him back under the influence of the purification tower, and he should recover in a bit. "What''s even more horrifying are the hidden seeds of corruption. They might suddenly come to life like an ambush from within. No one knows if their teammates have been affected. And suddenly, in the crucial moment in battle... "Like a cold knife in the back." Li Luo and the other two paled. Seeds of corruption were terrifying to think about. "Senior Jiang, can you sense them?" Xin Fu asked in a shaky voice. "You managed to hold Senior Qiu Bai after all." "His corruption is not severe, so my ninth-grade light resonance has some effect. But once the seed of corruption takes hold deep in a person''s heart, not even I can sense it," she said. They looked at each other with uncertainty. "Let''s get Qiu Bai purified first." Jiang Qing''e flicked a finger, and her heavy sword scooped up the end of the lasso that Qiu Bai hung from. It flew ahead to the purification tower. With each purifying pulse of energy from the tower, the madness faded from Qiu Bai''s face little by little. A few minutes later, his eyes returned to normal. He looked around at his situation and grimaced with understanding. He twisted himself free of the sword and landed on his feet. "Sorry about that, Li Luo," he said with a wry smile in apology. Li Luo didn''t reply. "Is he really himself again?" he whispered to Jiang Qing''e instead. She nodded. Satisfied, he smiled tentatively at Qiu Bai, then sent him a jolt of healing power for his mouth wounds. It made him look like a freak. Qiu Bai smiled gratefully at him. "Er, don''t. smile," Li Luo said uneasily. He wasn''t over it yet. Qiu Bai composed himself. "Qiu Bai, you''re a disgrace to our squad. An Earth Fiend falling prey? Even the newbies are fine." Tian Tian chided him. He hung his head. "Sorry, I got careless. I didn''t expect a corrupting illusion realm here at a level two purification tower. "Leader, we have a huge problem now, don''t we?" he said to Jiang Qing''e. "What do we do?" She looked out into the distance, lost in thought for a while. Finally, she reached out a slim hand, and her gigantic sword came flying back obediently. "Mission''s canceled. We''re returning to the purified spot immediately. The school must be informed of this." Chapter 268: Decisions No one challenged Jiang Qing''e''s decision. If they really came across a Heavenly Disaster Class Other, they would be doomed. Heavy injuries at best, death at the worst. Others of that level were way beyond their league, and they knew it. Of course, choosing to retreat meant that they would be giving up on the level three purification tower at the end of their planned route. The loss of points was significant. Still, points could be earned in other ways, life could not. Perhaps if it had been just the Black Swan Squad, Jiang Qing''e might have chosen a riskier path. But they had the Fairness & Justice Squad with them now. Against something that strong, Li Luo''s squad would be nothing more than a burden, plain and simple. Their decision made, they headed back the moment Qiu Bai was fully recovered, making a beeline for the purified spot. However, while they had made their decision, another squad nearby had made a different decision. . In front of a purification tower. Duze Honglian''s long hair was a mess, but she simply swept it tiredly out of her face and turned to regard her team at the purification tower. One of her group members was hung up on the purification tower, the vestiges of a manic smile still on their face, and the signature lip wounds still bleeding. A member of Ye Qiuding''s squad had fallen to the corrupting illusion realm, infected by the seed of corruption. He had suddenly sprung on them from behind, and they had scrambled to deal with it. Luckily, this person wasn''t too strong, and she had managed to subdue the corrupted member quickly. "Senior Honglian, something''s fishy. That corrupting illusion realm was too strong," Ye Qiuding said grimly. Duze Honglian nodded. "At least a Disaster Class. Maybe even Heavenly Disaster Class." There was a note of concern in her voice. Why would such a strong Other be in the outer perimeter of the Umbra Cave? "Should we stop the mission?" Ye Qiuding said hesitantly. A Heavenly Disaster Class enemy was more than they could handle. Duze Honglian was silent for a beat. "Something that strong is probably cannibalizing everything in its way. Which means... If we can push forward, the level two purification towers ahead are likely all completely clear. A bit of risk could get us those towers for free. That''s a whole bunch of free school points just begging to be swept up!" Ye Qiuding''s jaw dropped. "We''re not stopping?" The others turned to stare at her as well. "If we want to win first place, we have to take some risks," Duze Honglian said firmly. "I have a good plan. We can push ahead cautiously. If that thing has really cleared the way ahead, we can reactivate the purification tower. "I have a good guess that the Other is deep within the Umbra Cave. It''s probably headed for the level three purification tower, where there are stronger Others to cannibalize, those of a similar Disaster Class. "And... if they are weakened because of their fight, that''s our chance, isn''t it? Have you all thought about how many points that is?" The others looked tempted. They had gotten this current level two purification tower for free. If not for the corruption turning their team member, they would have been completely unscathed. And if the other level two towers ahead were just as smooth, it would be easy points. Still, the risk was there. If they did meet the Heavenly Disaster Class Other, they would pay a heavy price indeed. Ye Qiuding was still doubtful. Tempted as he was by the points, the horror of the grinning face was still foremost and fresh in his mind. "Don''t you want to win this purging mission?" Duze Honglian pressed. "If our risk pays off, Jiang Qing''e will be left far in the dust. "She''ll regret not choosing you." Ye Qiuding''s face twitched at that. A somber resolve took hold, and he nodded with sudden vehemence. "Let''s do this. But if things don''t look good, I hope we can retreat without hesitating." "Of course," Duze Honglian said, clapping her hands together with finality. "I don''t want to meet that thing either. We''re just following its trail. It can eat the Others, we''re just there for the tower. To each their own." Decision made, they waited for their teammate to recover, then they headed onwards. Tempted as they were by the points, they still proceeded with extreme caution, and that compromised their pace. They took most of the day to reach the next level two purification tower. As they warily approached, they were delighted to find that Duze Honglian''s prediction had been spot on. The purification tower was deserted! Another easy reactivation, and now their spirits were buoyant from their success. A free meal was always a great feeling. "We''re close to the level three purification tower..." Duze Honglian said, eyes alight. "Shall we press on?" "If the grinning thing is there, it''s probably fighting other strong Others. We might have a chance to sneak in and clean up. A level three purification tower! Just like that!" Her predictions had been accurate so far, and the others were swayed. A level three purification tower for free?! Too tempting to pass up on. "Let''s just go take a look. If things look bad, we can always run for it," she promised them. They nodded, then they set off eagerly. A long time later, they had made their cautious way to the top of a mountain. The blanket of mist ahead was oppressive. A white tower was poking out of it, breaking the monotonous landscape of grey. The level three purification tower. "It''s very quiet. No sound, no movement," Duze Honglian observed, her eyes alight with satisfaction. Just as they had encountered at the level two purification tower before. Did that mean that this level three purification tower was also cleaned out already? Served up on a silver platter? They roused themselves and got ready to move out. "Wait!" Duze Honglian suddenly shouted, sensing something. They all paused. Her face was bloodless as she pointed one shaking finger in the sky ahead. The mist was darkening from a stony grey to a dark obsidian in color, and it was moving. Curling upwards like smoke, curling up into... a grin. Grinning right at them. Chapter 269: Transport Tower By the time the Black Swan and Fairness & Justice Squads returned to the purified spot, two days had passed. Seeing the huge light barrier glowing strong and impregnable, they breathed sighs of relief, relaxing for the first time in two days. They had been watching their backs and each other constantly, dreading when the corrupting illusion realm would next show up. They were back at the safest place now, and could finally afford to drop their guard. They shuffled into the purified spot, which was rather empty. Most of the students were out and about, working on their purging missions. They did not dawdle, but headed straight to the message tower. They intended to get word of the Heavenly Disaster Class Other back to the school, where an appropriate response could be formulated. If the Heavenly Disaster Class Other was out there cannibalizing Others, it wasn''t so bad. But if it got strong enough, it could come to the purified spot Human flesh and emotions held great temptation for the Others. These things were antithetical to their nature, and therefore they were drawn to it. If a supremely powerful Heavenly Disaster Class Other came sieging, it would spell trouble for the entire purified spot. They would be completely massacred, and it would be a huge disaster for the school as a whole. Even Jiang Qing''e was taking this very seriously. If things got to that stage, not even she would be safe. "Sister Qing''e!" A happy voice called out to them, and Jiang Qing''e paused and turned. It was a familiar figureSi Qiuying. It was their first time meeting her in the Umbra Cave so far. Beside her, both Yi Lisha and Qian Ye gave Li Luo friendly smiles. Si Qiuying came running over. "Sister Qing''e, I thought you''d be taking down the level three purification tower about now," she said quizzically. "What are you doing back here?" Jiang Qing''e looked at them. "Are you all about to head out?" Si Qiuying nodded. "Don''t. Don''t leave the purified spot." She was on decent terms with Si Qiuying''s brother, and House Jinque was nominally a friend. They were worth a friendly warning. Si Qiuying looked surprised, as did the Three Star squad they were working with. Jiang Qing''e had too much of a reputation for the Three Star squad to think that this was some prank. "Jiang Qing''e, what''s happened?" "We encountered a roaming Other that''s incredibly powerful out there. It''s cannibalizing other Others," Tian Tian said, her eyebrows knitted with concern. "At least a Disaster Class, and likely a Heavenly Disaster Class... It must have snuck out from the depths." Her information was received with alarm. "Heavenly Disaster Class?" Yi Lisha croaked. The other Three Star squad leader was a young man with extremely mature features, called Luo Saihu. He frowned. "Are you sure? You''re not pulling our leg?" "Why else would we be back?" Qiu Bai said irritably. "Vacation or something?" Yi Lisha paused. "If it''s roaming around outside, it won''t come to the purified spot, will it?" "Won''t it?" Li Luo said dryly. Yi Lisha had nothing to say in reply. If something that strong came, there would be nowhere to run for them. "I think it''s recovering its strength with all the feeding right now. When it''s back to full strength, it will probably come closer to the purified spot. Be careful; don''t make a decision you''ll regret," Jiang Qing''e said in parting, then she briskly continued on to the center. Li Luo and the others followed, leaving Si Qiuying''s group looking around at each other. "What should we do?" Qian Ye said helplessly. They had already planned out their route to get their next haul of points. Yi Lisha rubbed his chin. "Points are important... but I think life is importanter." Luo Saihu let out a long sigh. "If it were anyone else, I''d doubt the truth of it, but Jiang Qing''e... You can''t help but believe her." She had a strong streak of pride and a straightforward character. Jiang Qing''e was not one to play petty games. "Let''s stick around for a bit," Luo Saihu finally said. The others nodded. Yi Lisha looked at the departing squads. "Li Luo''s a lot stronger," he said thoughtfully. Qian Ye''s eyes narrowed. "I felt it too. He was never weak, but he was covering his lack of cultivation level with resonance variety. This time... he feels like Qin Zhulu to me." "He''s grown damned strong in the Umbra Cave. Probably first in our year already?" Yi Lisha mused. Si Qiuying bit her lip. It had just been half a month. It felt like Li Luo was growing every time she blinked. She had seen how strong Qin Zhulu was for herself. He had taken on both of the guys in her squad alone, and held his own. Even though Li Luo''s squad had won the first ranking battle, Qin Zhulu was still the undisputed individual champion. They could attribute it to Li Luo''s luck that he hadn''t met Qin Zhulu then. But now Li Luo might be stronger. The way he was growing, no one could doubt it. Si Qiuying recalled Jiang Qing''e''s words, back during her first encounter with Li Luo on the hill ... In the middle of the purified spot was an especially tall stone tower. This was the heart of the purified spot, where the light barrier originated. Within the stone tower was an ancient tree root that was joined to the tower itself. The intricate, swirling runes on the floor were a transport rune, powering the school''s supplies that were sent once every few days. There were some ordinary school mentors here who were in charge of maintaining order. They found one mentor and told him the news. "What? Heavenly Disaster Class, you say?!" the mentor exclaimed, white as a sheet. The other mentors came crowding over when they heard his cry. Immediately, the mood got tense. These mentors were not fighters. They were just in charge of administrative supplies. "Mentors, this is not the time to panic," Li Luo said calmly. "We need to inform the school as soon as possible, so they can send reinforcements. "If possible, I suggest we should also send out an alert to the squads who are out, and recall them back to the purified spot. It''s even more dangerous outside, and it''s better if we can join forces here to defend if the thing comes." The mentors nodded fervently and gratefully for the voice of reason. "When is the next activation of the transport tower?" Jiang Qing''e asked urgently. The transport rune was not always available. There was a cooldown time, and it roughly recharged every week or so. The mentors looked around helplessly, then gestured to the heap of resources nearby. "We just completed the last transport two hours ago..." Chapter 270: Arguments The mentors'' admission was greeted by a gloomy silence, and they all looked at the generous pile of resources lying before them. They wished they were not there. Delivered just two hours ago... Which meant that they would have to wait seven days for the next opportunity? So many things could happen in seven days! What if the Heavenly Disaster Class Other came? How would they defend themselves? Despondent curses were muttered, and the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty was thick in the air. "We should have come faster," Qiu Bai said, frustrated. "We came as quickly as we could already," Tian Tian said impatiently. "We didn''t stop to rest at all. And who couldve guessed that it was going to be a two-hour margin?" "Shame..." Xin Fu sighed. Jiang Qing''e recovered quickly. "First, we should get the news back to the school. Hopefully, they can think of something." The other mentors nodded. One of them pulled out a bright, green leaf and offered it to Jiang Qing''e. She clasped it flat between her palms. Closing her eyes, a thin wafer of light was soon imbued into the leaf, along with a message that would be transmitted back. This done, she walked to the ancient tree root in the middle of the stone tower and pasted the leaf firmly against it. Gradually, the leaf faded into the root and disappeared. The news had been sent, but it would take a while for it to arrive back outside. "I just hope the thing is out there eating its fill and doesn''t come here," Qiu Bai prayed fervently. "Best not pin our hopes on our enemys failures," Li Luo said. "Mentors, can we send out a warning to call back all of the squads still out there?" They hesitated. "Well, the warning call has a limited radius, and only those nearby will hear it. Also... "Only you six know about the Heavenly Disaster Class Other. The other students might not believe it. And if we call them back before things are confirmed, and nothing happens to persuade them, I''m afraid..." His voice trailed off in a silent plea for them to understand. They did. If nothing happened, the students would be outraged, thinking that Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were playing some sort of prank to obstruct them from getting points. That was an understandable opinion to hold. After all, each squad only left once they had made plans down to the very last detail. No one would appreciate such meticulous plans being dashed. "I will do what must be done," Jiang Qing''e said quietly. "Sound the alarm. I will bear what responsibility I can." She did not care whether they believed her or not. The more stragglers there were out there, the more easy prey there would be for the enemy. They would be turned into puppets under its control, and turned against the humans. The mentors were persuaded, and they activated the tower. A high-pitched keening sounded, then energy waves began to fly out far into the distance. The energy waves were invisible to their eye, but they felt it on their greenwood comforters, which turned warm in response. Any student that the energy could reach would feel the same warmth. It should send all of them running back to see what had happened. The more squads gathered here, the better their chances of success if the Heavenly Disaster Class attacked. Safety and strength in numbers. As Jiang Qing''e''s group walked out of the stone tower, they saw that the students within the purified spot had all gathered. They were looking at her curiously, wondering why the alarm had been sounded. Yi Lisha, Si Qiuying, and Qian Ye were among them, but they knew what had happened. Still, they were surprised that Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo had managed to convince the mentors to sound the alarm. It meant things were serious. The squads were crowding around, trying to demand an explanation from the mentors at the stone tower, but they refused to answer, saying that they would explain once everyone was gathered. The squads stood there, hungry for answers and unhappy about it. Half a day passed. The crowd was swelling now, more and more squads returning. At the same time, the unhappy muttering was growing louder. They questioned each other in belligerent tones, loud enough for the mentors to hear. Why were they back? Jiang Qing''e judged the time to be right. She signaled to Li Luo, and the two of them stepped out. Her reputation was enough to silence them, and they gave their full, rapt attention to the undisputed goddess of the Three Star Hall. She looked at each of them deliberately, her honey-golden eyes setting hearts racing. The tilt of her chin was a cool, unspoken challenge to each of them, and none of them dared to think themselves worthy of this proud girl. They looked away before she did, bashfully, before they lost control of themselves. Li Luo was quite a looker himself, but beside Jiang Qing''e, he was overshadowed by a considerable margin. Where he was usually dazzling, he was now barely a spark of interest shining in some of the girls'' eyes. Everyone else was looking at his fiancee. "We met a roaming Other in the outer regions. It is likely a Heavenly Disaster Class, so we sounded the alarm. We suspect that it will eventually move towards this location. All those outside are in grave danger." Jiang Qing''e spoke in an even tone, laying out the facts simply. Here, the facts were all that were needed. They were shocking enough without any dressing up. "Heavenly Disaster Class?!" "Why would something like that appear here?!" A loud clamor began, disbelief thick within the voices. If not for Jiang Qing''e''s incredible reputation in school, she would have been jeered away already for causing a needless panic. Even as it was, there were many not ready to believe her. "I hope that all of you can remain here at the purified spot and not go out for missions. Wait for the school''s support," Jiang Qing''e said. They looked at each other. Staying at the purified spot was worth zero points. That was going to be a hard loss to bear. A Three Star Hall student finally spoke up. "Jiang Qing''e, are you saying that you saw that Heavenly Disaster Class with your own two eyes?" "We did not," she said, shaking her head. "We came across a corrupting illusion realm that it left behind, and judged from its strength that the creator must be of that class." "But there are Disaster Class Others who are good at corrupting illusion realms. They might have misled you. And an ordinary Disaster Class is not enough to warrant this extent of precaution," the Three Star Hall student countered reasonably. Others nodded in agreement. No one wanted to waste their time growing old here. "Senior Jiang, you wouldn''t have failed to clear the level three purification tower and then cooked this up to hold the rest of us back, would you?" a voice shouted in accusation. Song Qiuyu. "What are you on about? Would someone of Jiang Qing''e''s strength and character do that?" The Three Star Hall students turned on Song Qiuyu in an instant, defending their queen. "Am I unreasonable to doubt? Staying here is a waste of time. We haven''t even seen any sign of that Heavenly Disaster Class Other. How do we know it''s real?" Song Qiuyu defended herself furiously. There were a few slow nods in her favor, and angry voices started to argue urgently. "Peace," Jiang Qing''e called, and there was silence. "Firstly, I am not stopping you from leaving if you wish. "Secondly, I dont think we are the only ones who have encountered its traces already." Her cool, golden eyes roved through the crowd, and a fearful silence greeted her. "Perhaps some of you have met it already. "Perhaps some of you... are already corrupted." Chapter 271: Commander Chaos greeted Jiang Qing''e''s implied accusation, and suddenly the students were looking at each other with doubt and fear in their eyes. The students started to edge away from each other, and soon enough there was good distance between each squad, and even among squadmates. Although they did not know if the Heavenly Disaster Class Other Jiang Qing''e kept talking about was real, it couldn''t hurt to be safe, right? The seniors knew how horrifying the Umbra Cave could be. Nightmares beyond imagination. "Senior Jiang, you''re just causing chaos!" Song Qiuyu accused her. Jiang Qing''e ignored this. She instead turned to the students and smiled. A bright and radiant smile that took their breath away. Many eyes widened in surprise. And then, infected by her charm, they smiled too. They quickly suppressed their smilesit was embarrassing after all. But... Not everyone could stop smiling. A few among the crowd smiled wider and wider, until their jaw muscles strained and tore under the pressure. Maniacal grins on bloody faces. Splash! Roar! Teammates turned on teammates, struck dumb by the sudden changes. Screams sounded out. Amidst the screaming, mad laughter, and suddenly resonant power was flying back and forth as the maddened students started to attack everything in range. The entire scene dissolved into chaos. "Don''t panic! Work together! Subdue them!" Li Luo shouted above the din. To their credit, the Astral Sage College students recovered quite quickly. They rallied promptly, and soon, concerted attacks were being put together to take down the corrupted students. A few brief but bloody moments later, those students were lying on the ground, heavily wounded. The students were still reeling in shock. They had not suspected that their own friends had already been corrupted, so stealthily and on such a large scale. Li Luo hopped down from the raised platform they had been standing on, sauntering up to Song Qiuyu, who was gaping like a fish out of water, her hand pressed hard over her mouth. "Put your hand down. And give me a smile," Li Luo told her. Song Qiuyu glared at him. This bastard was taunting her. "If you don''t dare to smile, I''ll have to suspect you''re corrupted. Then I''ll have to attack," Li Luo said, casually unsheathing his shortswords and giving them a few test swings. Song Qiuyu looked around to her friends for help, but they were more leery now. In such strange times, they didn''t think Li Luo was joking around. She removed her hand and bared her teeth in close resemblance to a smile. "Happy?" "According to our findings, smiling might help expose the seed of corruption within a person. You are a prime suspect because of how opposed you have been to us so far. I would like you to smile for a full hour to be sure," Li Luo said gravely. Song Qiuyu froze. An hour? She glared angrily at him. He had to be kidding. Li Luo ignored her and turned to the other squads. "Are you convinced now? Ordinary corrupting illusion realms are not this dangerous." They muttered in agreement. "Now is not the time to panic," Tian Tian called loudly. "We should secure this purified spot and see to our own defenses. We might be able to stand against it. Our mission here is to buy time for the school to get word and send us reinforcements." Everyone nodded, heartened by the plan. "Senior Jiang, we''ll do anything you say!" one student called. "That''s right. Senior Jiang, you''re the leader in the Three Star Hall, and according to the school rules, you can assume the mantle of overall commander in emergencies. All of us will obey you." More and more voices called out in support of her leadership, convinced by her reputation. Jiang Qing''e had no interest in titles, but there was coordination of forces to be done, and she could do it. She shared a quick look with Li Luo and then stepped forward. "Place the corrupted students near the stone tower. The purified light will cleanse them. "Place mirrors at all the entrances to the purified spot. All entering students must maintain a one-minute smile before they can enter." The thought of students smiling into mirrors for a full minute would usually be a pretty comical thought, but not when the sight of bloody cheeks and lop-sided mania was fresh in their minds. They shuddered instead. "Li Luo was rightsmiles might well be the trigger for the seeds of corruption. Still, I suspect it is only a superficial trigger for those not seriously corrupted. In any case, it''s a good first pass," Jiang Qing''e warned. They nodded seriously. Seeds of corruption could indeed be buried deep. The Heavenly Disaster Class Other was going to be troublesome enough. They had to make sure their own teammates were at least on their side. Next, Jiang Qing''e divided them into sections and allocated work to bolster their defenses. She was relieved to see them hurrying off to fulfill their tasks. Things were finally moving in a good direction. They had done all they could now. All that remained was to hope that the Heavenly Disaster Class was going to spend more time roaming outside. Given how Others usually worked, it would probably lead an entire horde of Others to attack them all at once. Tower defense in real life. Now Jiang Qing''e was the overall commander, and that changed the dynamic here. They were preparing for war now. At the entrances, squads were still streaming in, and naturally there were some arguments over the strange new security measures. But after the first corrupted student was exposed, there were no more arguments. Gradually, the student numbers swelled to a respectable size, and all of them had cleared the smiling test and were now put to work. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were standing on top of a tall tower, surveying the horizon. In the half a month since the purging mission had begun, much of the black mist had cleared away. But the blackness in the distance still left them uneasy. "Qing''e," Li Luo suddenly said, "why do you think a Heavenly Disaster Class Other has made its way here?" She looked at him in surprise. "What do you suspect?" He shrugged. "Just a feeling Heavenly Disaster Class means Heavenly Dipper General, right? Not even the Seven Astral Pillars could deal with it safely." "Afraid?" she asked, reaching out to put a comforting hand on the top of his head. "Don''t worry, I''ll protect you." Li Luo huffed. "One day I''ll be able to do that back to you." Amusement arose in her eyes. "Do your best. I''ll be waiting." She pulled out the map to study it as part of her routine, but Li Luo saw her eyes widen in alarm. "What''s wrong?" She pointed to an area on the map. "A level two purification tower we reactivated before. It''s been corrupted again." Li Luo looked to see where she pointed. Indeed, one of the glowing towers from before had gone dark again. Chapter 272: Rescue A previously reactivated level two purification tower was now corrupted again. Li Luo knew what that meant. Clearly no ordinary Other could have done it. Perhaps not even an Earthly Disaster Class Other could do it. It had to be the grinning son of awhat was it a son of, exactly? In any case, it was clearly on the move, and by the looks of it, it was heading towards the purified zone... Not good. It was moving faster than they expected. "I think it was Duze Honglian''s group that reactivated it," Li Luo said. Jiang Qing''e nodded. "That''s not good. They''re not back yet, right?" He wasn''t too fond of the Duze siblings, but they would be a strong addition to the team. Duze Honglian was very strong, even within the Three Star Hall. Jiang Qing''e shook her head. "I''ve been keeping an eye out. No word of them. But if they''re smart enough, they should almost be back." "Hopefully." Li Luo sighed, rubbing his brow worriedly. Why couldn''t the Umbra Cave just be a simple point-gathering mission? One worry after another. Hopefully, the school would respond soon. ... Astral Sage College, in a large, underground basement with an unusual layout. The ground and walls were covered in roots. People walked back and forth, carrying supplies and other things. On a few raised platforms of stone, some people were sitting in the lotus position, each one holding a thick root. Light was constantly being sent out through these roots. One of them opened their eyes suddenly, a bright, green leaf in his hand. "Emergency!" he called in a hoarse tone. Everyone turned, and a Violet Vibrance mentor hurried over. He took the leaf and examined the message. He paled. "Heavenly Disaster Class at purified spot 13?" "How much longer before the next transport?" he demanded of those beside him. "Seven days... we just used it today." He frowned. That was too long. If there was truly a Heavenly Disaster Class, it would swallow all the students in a flash. The defenses of the purified spot would probably not last. Once it fell, all of the students there would fall alongside it. That would be a catastrophe for the school, and it would affect its reputation all over the Xia Kingdom. Not good at all. "Damn! How did a Heavenly Disaster Class Other make it into the outer zone? Who''s at purified spot 13?" Someone quickly handed him a name list, which he scanned. "Jiang Qing''e? Duze Honglian? That''s the cream of the third year crop for sure... but not even they would be able to take on a Heavenly Disaster Class..." Jiang Qing''e, Duze Honglian, and Li Luo were all elite students in school, and they were closely watched by the higher-ups. If anything happened to them, there would be trouble. He made a quick decision. "Send word to the Four Star Hall students closest to purified spot 13. Get them to support the purified spot with haste." "Yes, Sir!" He let out a long, frustrated sigh. "I hope they make it in time." ... Deeper in the Umbra Cave, the sweeping zone was where Four Star Hall students and some Gold Gleam mentors usually worked. There were virtually no white eroders here. The weakest were red eroders, and Disaster Class Others were rather common, although not yet rampant. They would occasionally find Heavenly Disaster Class Others here, and the battles with those were always perilously close. All the Four Star Hall students in a certain area suddenly received a message on their greenwood comforters. An SOS signal, urgent, sent from the school. Save purified spot 13. The sudden request left them fumbling, unprepared for the likes of such a big threat appearing in the back line. But the Umbra Cave was vast beyond belief, and they were the closest. However, it would take ages for them to arrive on the scene. They might not make it! At a gathering point in the zone. The squad here had received the same signal, and they were currently debating it. Were they going to make it in time? If they couldn''t, wouldn''t it be a wasted journey? The most striking figure in their midst was the First Princess. She was clad in a shift of light lavender. Despite its practical and modest cutting, the rich material belied the true worth of its wearer. "Purified spot 13? Where Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e are? That''s unlucky..." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, conflicted. The other Four Star Hall squads were still arguing around her when she stood up and tapped her staff of white jade against the ground with a low thunk. The group quietened. Her usually-smiling face was uncharacteristically stern and stiff. "Enough," said her icy voice of steel. "Our fellow students are in mortal danger. If we do not go, all of them will die in this barren land. "If you are no longer students of the Astral Sage College, I can ask nothing of you. But if you are... we have a duty to save them. "Whether we make it in time or not is a question for later. We will not give up on them." She turned and headed out of the purified spot. Immediately, a group of Four Star Hall students followed her. The others shared resigned looks before finally slouching their way after her. Soon enough, the spot was empty. The First Princess'' commanding presence in the Four Star Hall was undisputed. She was not surprised to hear their footsteps hurrying after her, but her eyes were staring far away in the direction of purified spot 13. Mainly because of Li Luo. The key to her little brother''s treatment. "Li Luo... hold on." Chapter 273: A Deep Corruption By the third day that purified spot 13 had laid in their defenses, roughly 80 percent of the teams had made it back. Their base was swelling with numbers. Still, there was a worry that hung over them like a dark cloud. This would be their first encounter with a Heavenly Disaster Class. There were also many students who had their seeds of corruption exposed upon their return. Each time, a wave of panic arose, leaving a sickly and lingering fear in the air even after it was dealt with. It was a powerful engine of paranoia. One moment, you were laughing with a trusted teammate. The next, their laughter would turn to an evil cackle, and they would be ready to gouge your eyes out. This Heavenly Disaster Class was far more sinister than any Disaster Class that the third years had come across before. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e kept a close watch on the purification towers, and they saw that they were going dim in a line. Getting ever closer to the purified spot. The Heavenly Disaster Class Other was coming. A terrifying truth to accept. There was nothing else they could do but fortify the purified spot and pray for reinforcements. One day, news came that Duze Honglian''s squad had shown up outside the purified spot. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e immediately hurried over to the entrance. They had been very interested in their movements. Duze Honglian''s squad was the second strongest, right behind Black Swan. Their presence in the purified spot would be a welcome infusion of strength. And also... Duze Honglian''s group had been pushing in the exact opposite direction as the line of dimmed purification towers. Which meant that if they had been bold enough, they might have encountered that terror in the flesh. Which was not good news. Just the traces it had left behind were already enough to cause widespread panic and turn students. A face-to-face encounter? They had best be wary against Duze Honglian''s group. As they drew close to the gate, they heard raised voices between the student guards and Duze Honglian''s group. Both sides ceased when Jiang Qing''e showed up. "What''s going on?" she asked, her quiet voice radiating with power. "Senior Jiang, they''re trying to barge in and not pass the Vile Smile Mirror!" one of the guards protested. Vile Smile Mirror was the nickname that had emerged among the students. Despite its silly name, everyone respected the importance of the test. If Duze Honglian ignored it, she was risking all of their lives. Jiang Qing''e turned her cool gaze to the incoming squad. "They want us to waste time grinning here like idiots? What nonsense," they said defensively. Jiang Qing''e looked closer. Beneath their righteous bluster, there was fear lurking in their eyes. Ye Qiuding''s eyes were hooded as well. Jiang Qing''e examined each of them carefully, noting that Duze Honglian was being carried by another member. Her face looked pale as death. She had remained silent all this while, but she returned Jiang Qing''e''s scrutinizing gaze defiantly. "You''re badly hurt." Jiang Qing''e walked around until she was close to Duze Honglian. "You met the Heavenly Disaster Class, didn''t you?" There was a knowing look in her golden eyes. The students around them gasped and took two inadvertent steps backwards. "None of your damned business!" Duze Honglian hissed. "Ordinarily, it isn''t. But the thing is coming here, and soon. We have to make sure there''s no corruption in our ranks," Jiang Qing''e said calmly. "Duze Honglian. Tell me: are you corrupted?" Duze Honglian looked away. The golden eyes swept across the incoming members again, calculating, assessing, judging. "Put her down," Jiang Qing''e suddenly said. The student hesitated, but they eventually set the girl down gently. She was weak from injuries and pain, and her legs buckled under her. Jiang Qing''e caught her before she hit the floor. Duze Honglian slumped helplessly against the golden-haired girl. "Jiang Qing''e, what are you doing?!" Jiang Qing''e ignored her, instead running a finger lightly across the girl''s back. She sensed a slight, prickling pain in her own finger. Eyes widening, she ordered female students to form a circle for privacy, with Duze Honglian in the middle. Ignoring Duze Honglian''s protests, Jiang Qing''e ripped her shirt off, and she grimaced at what she saw. The female students screamed and ran away. Right in the middle of Duze Honglian''s back was a sinister face, grinning and moving. Jiang Qing''e quickly put the shirt back on Duze Honglian. This was not good. It seemed almost branded on her back, a much deeper mark than the other seeds of corruption they had seen so far. "Greedy for school points, you wanted to clear the empty purification towers behind the Heavenly Disaster Class. But you ended up tangling with it?" Jiang Qing''e guessed. Sullen silence. "The corruption is deep, very deep. Before too long, it will start eating you from the inside out. You will then become a puppet for that Other." Jiang Qing''e reached out a hand to pat Duze Honglian on the waist. "This beautiful thing will soon be pulp." Now Duze Honglian''s fear showed on her face, mixed with despair and a desperate craving for life. She reached out to grab Jiang Qing''e''s wrist in a vice-like grip, swallowing her pride. "Jiang- Jiang Qing''e... help me!" Chapter 274: Duze Honglians Squad Returns The rivalry between Duze Honglian and Jiang Qing''e had started even before their time at the Astral Sage College. Both of them were personal disciples of their respective house lords, and of the same age. As a result, they had always been compared to each other. But Jiang Qing''e always came out victorious in every aspect. For someone as proud as Duze Honglian, it was grating. Years of accumulation had made it a sore spot on her ego, and in her mind, Jiang Qing''e was her greatest rival. Moreover, their houses were in conflict, and there were many points of friction between their houses, further curdling their relationship. Nothing changed when they entered the Astral Sage College. Duze Honglian declared war on Jiang Qing''e on day one, but whether she liked it or not, the gap between the two never stopped widening. That was perhaps the most crushing thing for Duze Honglian. She was too proud to give up the fight against Jiang Qing''e, but now, faced with her own imminent demise to the corruption, her pride had finally cracked. She was begging her greatest rival to save her. It had taken all of her courage, and now the shame within her was burning as strongly as the wounds on her back. She closed her eyes and turned her face away. Jiang Qing''e showed no emotion at Duze Honglian''s admission of defeat. She had personally never seen Duze Honglian as a rivalit had always been one-sided. Her own eyes had always been set higher. "The corruption is too deep. I''m not sure if I can banish it," Jiang Qing''e said softly. Duze Honglian stiffened in defiance. She made to shrug the other girl off, unwilling to keep begging her rival. "But. "I will try. If I don''t, you will become a puppet of the madness. Strengthened by it, you would be a great threat to us." Duze Honglian sank back down in despair. "Both your squads must maintain your smiles in front of the Vile Smile Mirror. And check yourselves from head to toe for traces of smile marks. Then we will place you under supervision. You will not be allowed to wander, not until all suspicion has been cleared," Jiang Qing''e said to the others, Ye Qiuding included. The two squads looked rather unhappy about it. Jiang Qing''e was jailing them. "It''s nothing personal. But you''ve had actual contact with the Heavenly Disaster Class, and Duze Honglian is deeply corrupted. We don''t know how clean you are. These are necessary measures that no one is immune from. Comply, or be subdued." A fierce Jiang Qing''e was a rare sight, and the two squads quickly obeyed. They stood before the Vile Smile Mirror and smiled. Everyone was relieved when none of them lost control. Everyone except Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, who exchanged worried looks. The mirror test often revealed superficial corruption. Which meant that they were possibly too corrupted to stumble at this test. Still, that was just a guess. They could not bar them from entering the purified spot on that pessimistic guess alone. Plus, if they were left outside, the grinning demon would take control of them even more quickly. They were allowed in. "Qiu Bai, Tian Tian, arrange an escort and make sure they are closely guarded," Jiang Qing''e said in a low voice. They nodded and stepped forward. "Can you still walk?" Jiang Qing''e asked the weakened Duze Honglian. She angrily brushed Jiang Qing''e''s hand aside and started forward, but she stumbled after two steps, her body going limp. Jiang Qing''e''s hand snaked out under her buckling knees, sweeping her up into her arms like a baby. Wow. It was a miraculous sight, the proudest challenger, Duze Honglian, the prickly flame, now gently cradled by the golden princess. Drastic. Sensational. Even Duze Honglian was flustered. "Jiang Qing''e," she spluttered, "put me down right now!" "Do you think we have time to waste? The grinning demon will arrive soon. When it triggers the seed of corruption within you, no one will be able to save you," Jiang Qing''e snapped at her. There was no one else Jiang Qing''e trusted to carry Duze Honglian, not when the corruption was so deep. Only her, with her natural resistance to corruption. She moved wordlessly, carrying Duze Honglian to a stone room in a tower, where she laid Duze Honglian down on a bed of granite. "On your belly." Duze Honglian complied, and then she heard a ripping sound as Jiang Qing''e tore her clothes away to reveal her back. The sinister grin was still there. Jiang Qing''e regarded it for a moment, then pulled out a bottle of purification dust, which was intended for reactivating purification towers. She dashed the dust on the grin. Phish! Black smoke spurted out like water thrown on bubbling oil. The reaction was violent, and Duze Honglian tensed from the pain, veins bulging on her hands as her fingers clawed against the stone. She fought for control against the agony. Stubborn pride alone stopped her from crying out, and she gritted her teeth. Roar! The grinning face gurgled, and its mouth opened wider. Then it retched the purification dust back out. Except now the dust was completely black, its purification power completely spent. Cackling laughter taunted them. "Purification dust is useless. It will consume my flesh and use it to negate it," Duze Honglian said weakly. "Which means the face is already joined to your flesh. I have to defeat it first and sever the link with your body before it can be banished. Otherwise, I''ll kill you in the process." "How can you possibly banish a Heavenly Disaster Class mark? Surely it''s beyond even your ninth-grade light resonance?" "Indeed. So I will need an assistant." Jiang Qing''e turned to the door. "Come in." A figure slipped in, and Duze Honglian raised her head to see that it was Li Luo. If she had any strength at all, she would have screamed. Or perhaps burned him down to ashes. How could he just saunter in when she was half-naked on the bed?! Her face reddened. Jiang Qing''e, you''re just having fun, aren''t you?! Chapter 275: Courting Humiliation "Jiang Qing''e, what''s the meaning of this!?" Duze Honglian spat as she remained chest down on the bed, afraid to get up. "If I were a Heavenly Dipper General, I could cleanse the corruption by myself," Jiang Qing''e said calmly. "But I''m not. So I need a helper." "There are many qualified female students around, couldn''t you get them?! What could a second-tier Resonant Master like Li Luo do?!" "He has dual resonances. Even though he can''t hold it for long, the power he can produce is of a higher level than any of us. It''s best suited to take down the corruption. "Besides, Li Luo was taken in by the grinning demon''s corrupting illusion realm once before. He broke out by himself thanks to his dual resonances, and he was completely uncorrupted afterwards. "Something that none of you managed." Duze Honglian couldn''t believe her ears. A corrupting illusion realm powerful enough to trip up veterans like themselvesa mere second-tier Resonant Master had beaten them? Then again, Jiang Qing''e had never been one to lie about these things. Could Li Luo really be the one to help her cleanse the corruption? She squirmed uneasily at the thought, her naked back exposed to Li Luo. If he was going to put his filthy hands all over her skin, she would probably faint. "Duze Honglian, I''ll say it once again. I have no time to care about your pride or modesty. When the grinning demon appears, it will trigger the corruption in your body, make you its puppet, and force you to turn on us. I will not have that happen," Jiang Qing''e said severely. "Shelve your pride. Remember how badly it served you when it drove you to get those purification tower points and landed you in this." Duze Honglian bit back an angry retort, the shame of the truth burning within her. She turned her head to the other side, implying her acceptance of Li Luo''s presence. Li Luo walked forward a little sheepishly. Jiang Qing''e had been pretty harsh. "Must I really be here?" he whispered. "Seems a little inappropriate." "Life and death is at hand," Jiang Qing''e said, face unchanging. "Every other detail is minor. Besides, I only need you to help suppress the grinning face for a moment. Nothing else." "Er, got it. What do you need me to do?" "Use your dual resonances to scatter the face for a moment, separating the link with her flesh. I''ll cleanse it then," Jiang Qing''e said tersely. Li Luo nodded. A simple enough plan. He carefully examined the grin on Duze Honglian''s back, sizing up the problem. Her figure was very good, and her skin was lustrous in areas not touched by the grins marring the complexion... He''d better stop staring, or Jiang Qing''e might kill him. He called forth water and wood, resonant powers mixing within his palms in a soothing glow. He pressed his palms against her back, and Duze Honglian stiffened at the contact. A light shiver ran down her spine at the warmth. Weng! The dual resonances attacked the grinning face. A wrenching crack sounded, almost like a bone breaking. The grin was smashed right through the center, and the remnants formed thin, black lines that escaped deeper into the flesh. Duze Honglian grunted in pain, cold sweat beading on her forehead. This was even worse than before. Jiang Qing''e pounced, her light resonant energy shining forth from one hand as she poured the purification dust with the other. Purification dust infused with light resonant energy. It fell like golden sand, glittering and dancing on Duze Honglian''s back. Phish! Black steam began to billow from Duze Honglian''s back, escaping from every pore at speed. Li Luo was encouraged by this. It meant the cleansing was working. This process lasted for an entire hour. Finally, Duze Honglian''s back was no longer a billowing chimney of black smoke. When the last wisp faded away into the air, the grinning face was completely gone. Jiang Qing''e retched from the exertion. She then wiped the sweat from her brow and squatted down. The cleansing was a straightforward process, but it had demanded clockwork control over her resonant power as she forced each piece of the corruption out of the body. Duze Honglian looked to be in equally bad shape, fatigued by the various powers fighting within her body. "What are you waiting for? Get him out of here!" she snarled weakly. Jiang Qing''e nodded to Li Luo. "Go on first." Li Luo shrugged. It''s me, Li Luo, your tool. Use me and throw me away. Still, it was always prudent to keep a safe distance from a thorny rose like Duze Honglian. He left quickly. Duze Honglian''s body slumped down further with relief, her expression complex. "Best not pull the you''ve-seen-me-naked, now-take-responsibility thing on my fiance," Jiang Qing''e said mildly. "There are many empty rooms in House Luolan, but you''re welcome in none of them for hanky panky business." Duze Honglian snorted. "You think a lady like me would hanker after your little rascal?" Then she suddenly smiled. "Say, Jiang Qing''e, at a crook of my finger, I could have Li Luo infatuated over me and divorcing you. Wouldn''t that be fun?" "You?" Jiang Qing''e said with a half-smile. Duze Honglian felt vaguely humiliated by that. In the privacy of the room, she came to her knees, arching her back sensuously and showing off the full beauty of her curves. "I what?" Jiang Qing''e stood up, crossing her arms across her own ample chest. "Not bad, I guess. But in all these years, when have you ever beaten me in anything? You''ll just be courting more humiliation." Chapter 276: Heavenly Disaster Arrives Jiang Qing''e''s simple statement was like a slap across Duze Honglian''s face. She quietly sniffed and then dropped the topic. After all, she was the one who taunted Jiang Qing''e first, and now it had backfired. Besides, she would never do such a thing as seduce Li Luo. So what if Jiang Qing''e cooed and fawned over his dual resonances like a precious baby? She wasn''t so keen. Compared to truly stellar men like Gong Shenjun, Li Luo was merely a commoner. Duze Honglian rose and draped a shirt over her gorgeous body, hiding the curves. Her face was still a little wan, but she was moving with a lot more health now. "Best use what time we have to recover. The Heavenly Disaster Class Other is coming. I hope that you can be of use when it does. And not a waste of our efforts," Jiang Qing''e said as she headed for the door. Duze Honglian scowled. The prickliness between them had not faded at all. "Jiang Qing''e," she called out grudgingly, "I owe you two for this. "But don''t think that will change my attitude towards you. We stand at opposites because of our houses. As a House Duze representative, I will continue to move to crush House Luolan without mercy." Jiang Qing''e paused and tilted her head back. "Don''t overthink this. We saved you not because of your status, we just didn''t want you to become a problem later. "As for how you treat House Luolan, it does not matter at all. All these years, none of what you have plotted has mattered at all. So don''t overestimate yourself, or underestimate House Luolan." She pushed open the door and left. Duze Honglian scowled as the door swung shut. So all that she had done was nothing, was it? As if House Luolan hadn''t been limping for all these years! If not for Li Luo''s resurrection of the Suncreek Villa, House Luolan would still be dirt poor. Li Luo. Her scowl softened, then it hardened again. The little brat had seen her naked on the bed already. Damn Jiang Qing''e! She had definitely done it on purpose! "Ah, shit," Duze Honglian swore before sitting down in the lotus position on the bed to recover her strength. ... Jiang Qing''e descended the stone tower and saw Li Luo waiting for her at the bottom. "Is she going to be okay?" Jiang Qing''e nodded. "Ah, to think that we would end up helping her..." Li Luo sighed. Duze Honglian had caused House Luolan trouble multiple times in the past. They were as immiscible as oil and water, but now water had saved oil. "Even without Duze Honglian, House Duze would still continue their war on House Luolan. It''s a question of house stance. Besides, we''re in an emergency. We''re saving her to save ourselves." Li Luo nodded. Best deal with the small problems underfoot before the big problem came knocking. "Well, any gratitude, reflection, repentance, and all that?" He grinned. "She says she intends to seduce you until you''re head over heels for her, and then you''ll divorce me," Jiang Qing''e said sweetly. Li Luo''s grin froze on his face. "Damn, what a treacherous woman," he said, trying to keep his face indignant. "We saved her, and she''s trying to wreck us?!" "Very vexed, are you?" She cocked an eye at him. "Very vexing figure she has as well, hmm?" Li Luo hastily shook his head. "The only thing that vexed me in that room was how to deal with the grin." "The grin on her back, and not your face, I trust?" "Hey now," Li Luo whined. "That''s very unreasonable of you. The one that got me in there was you. And now the one complaining about it is also you??" Jiang Qing''e relented. "Well, if Duze Honglian wants to do that, you could seduce her right back. Then we could have a spy in House Duze." Li Luo was speechless. How seductive would he have to be to get her to betray her own father? Then again, he knew Jiang Qing''e was joking, trying to blow off some stress in the midst of a very stressful day. "Duze Honglian''s corruption won''t come back, will it?" he asked, trying to bring the conversation back to a straighter track. "I think she''s clean now. Corruption is always weakened the moment it is exposed. In fact, it''s Ye Qiuding and the others that I''m worried about now." Li Luo frowned. These seeds of corruption were a troublesome business. They could be hiding anywhere, and there was nothing they could do against an invisible enemy. They couldn''t very well ignore them either, waiting for these landmines to blow up under their feet. They had to ferret them out. Jiang Qing''e''s face darkened as she checked the map. "The closest purification tower has turned corrupted again now." Li Luo''s eyes widened. The tower was a mere half-day away. Which meant that the Heavenly Disaster Class Other would be here in that time. Contact imminent. "Can we really deal with it?" Li Luo asked. A Heavenly Dipper General, and a very strong one at that. Even Gong Shenjun or the First Princess would have a hard time taking it on alone. "Who knows? In another half-year, I might be able to take a good crack at it. At that time, I would welcome the challenge." Li Luo''s eyebrows flew up. Which meant that she believed she would make another giant breakthrough in half a year? Was a ninth-grade light resonance really that awesome? "Let''s go. Get the word out, have people stand ready." Jiang Qing''e cut through his thoughts. Li Luo swallowed and nodded. As word spread of the Other''s imminent arrival, the atmosphere of fear thickened another notch. Preparations were carried out with stiff hands and whispered words, although they could not explain why they were whispering. Nervous glances were directed in the northwest direction, where the previously purified air was hazing over with a waxy, grey mist again. The whispering was back now, and they could hear it pressing up against the barrier. Half a day later, the grey mist was completely black again. It was like the first day they had entered the Umbra Cave. An ear-splitting shriek rang out, and they stared in its direction. A black wave was roiling its way through the mist. It looked like the end of the world, and many students felt a prickling of fear on their scalps. The Heavenly Disaster Class Other was finally here. Chapter 277: The Siege of Others The bubble of clean air in the purified spot was the last sanctuary left. Pressing against its barriers was black mist, and through the insubstantial border came whispering voices and wraith-like figures, weaving in and out of the mist. Glowing red eyes stared hungrily into the bubble, eying the fresh meat within. Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and a few others were standing on a tall wall, looking out at their enemy''s disposition. As predicted, the Heavenly Disaster Class had brought a whole horde of minions with it. Castle defense 101. The light barrier that the tower emitted was keeping them safe for now, and as they stared out at the swirling, smoky mist, many students felt a little safer knowing that their structural defense was still intact. As for how long this sense of safety would last, no one knew. Duze Honglian was pacing the wall as well. After half a day, she had more or less recovered. "It''s the same one," she whispered hoarsely. I can sense it. "It''s unbelievably strong. I clashed with it for only a brief moment, and that was enough to succumb to such deep corruption. We don''t stand a chance." Li Luo wasn''t too surprised at that result. Even an Earth Fiend like Duze Honglian was nothing in the face of a Heavenly Dipper General. "It''s likely that it even let you go just so you could lead it here," Jiang Qing''e pointed out. Duze Honglian''s jaw dropped in horror. Jiang Qing''e''s words were blunt but probably true. Otherwise, she would not even have had the chance to escape. "So what''s the plan?" she asked. Even though they were not on good terms, they were all grasshoppers on the same rope now. If they lost here, it was over for all of them. "See how the purified spot''s defenses hold up. If it can keep the Heavenly Disaster Class at bay until reinforcements come, that would be best," Li Luo answered. "I hate to be the wet blanket, but don''t get your hopes up on that," Duze Honglian said dryly. Li Luo was quiet for a beat. Duze Honglian didn''t seem willing to fight at all. She must have been scared into submission by her first encounter with the thing. But besides fighting against it with their full strength, what other option did they have? Open the barrier up and surrender? Youd have to be kidding. As they spoke, they noticed that the black mist was moving most clearly above them. It parted and shifted, until it formed a large, grinning face in the air. A grin all too familiar to the students belowit had haunted their every waking moment. It wavered and flickered in the air, the shadowy eyes staring evilly down at them, inspiring an overwhelming terror in all who gazed upon it. Ssshh shhhh! Hissing laughter. It was communication, but not with humans. At the signal, Others suddenly started charging out of the black mist to throw themselves against the barrier. Straight out of a nightmare, they took on all shapes and forms, grotesque amalgamations of human and creature parts. Phish! As they threw themselves against the light barrier, the Others fizzled, fading away into black smoke. Many students breathed sighs of relief. At least the purified spot defenses were holding. Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, Duze Honglian, and a few others knew better. The grinning demon was just testing the barriers strength. After a wave of testing, the black mist gathered again, and now even more Others charged out. This second wave was much stronger. They were all Eroding Class, and some were even a pinkish color. Close to red eroders. In the wild, many squads would need the power of teamwork to take one down. Here, they were merely cannon fodder to be thrown against the barrier. There was no subtlety to this attack. They simply threw bodies against the barrier to weaken it. This time, the students noted that the barrier was dissolving them much slower. Some of the Others managed to give the barrier a good shake before dying. Uneasy muttering broke out, but Jiang Qing''e raised a hand to calm them. "Everyone, follow our plan and charge the tower in the center with your strength. At her command, the first wave of students rushed over to the tower and sat around it cross-legged. Their resonant powers were soon being funneled into it. The barrier shone with new light, gaining some of its former luster. The students cheered at this. "Hiss..." The grinning demon flew above the center of the purified spot, floating above the barrier. The dark eyes gradually began to glow a demonic red, giving new life to the grin. Its unholy power passed through the light barrier without trouble. As Li Luo looked at the grin above them, he could feel a scrambling of his thoughts, and killing intent welled within him. He salivated. Blood. He wanted blood. His hand went to wipe his mouth dry, and he found that the corners of his lips were twitching upwards. "Guard your spirit!" A powerful light energy flooded through him, and suddenly Li Luo was himself again. He shuddered. That was too close. Even through the light barrier, the grinning demon could work its influence. And if even he was susceptible... He saw that many students were looking up at the grin now, and their own mouths were starting to curl upwards... The weaker ones had already lost control, their jaws starting to tear. It was a sign that the corruption was taking hold. Li Luo shivered. This was the power a Heavenly Disaster Class Other had? Just looking at it could spread corruption. It was mighty beyond belief. Could they really hold out until reinforcements arrived? Chapter 278: Corruption Reflection Within the purified spot, more and more students were looking up at the grin, as if commanded by a higher power. Once their grins grew to the widest point, they would lose control and fall under the grinning demon''s spell. "We''re screwed. The grinning demon''s power can penetrate the purified spot. We can''t stop it at all," Duze Honglian wailed. "Shut your yapping mouth." Li Luo scowled, rubbing his chin. It wasn''t as though they hadn''t anticipated something like that. He stepped forward. "All water and light resonance users!" he shouted in a loud voice, "Use your resonant powers to form water and light mirrors!" He led by example, creating a waterlight mirror a few meters in diameter and aiming its smooth surface upwards. Weng! Jiang Qing''e followed suit, creating a light mirror dozens of times larger than Li Luo''s and putting it beside his. The students who still had their wits about them hurried to do the same. Soon enough, light and water mirrors were floating upwards to the sky, tessellating up with each other to form a flawless screen. The screen was pointed back at the demon. When it looked down now, all it saw was its own grinning face smiling back at itself. It screeched, an inhuman sound that made the black mist churn furiously. The crimson eyes began to leak tears of blood that fell on them in a gory shower. Hurt, it fled back to the safety of the mist. With the grin retreating, the influenced students slowly came back to their senses. After a brief moment of uncertainty, their spirits were revived and they let out wild cheers. They had actually managed to repel the grinning demon''s attack. So it could be dealt with this way! "What?" Duze Honglian exclaimed. "How did you..." Such a powerful demon, driven back? And it seemed like they had managed to hurt it as well? "Don''t just wring your hands. Wring your brain," Li Luo said snootily. "Since everyone who looks at it is affected, it must spread corruption through sight. It makes sense to reflect it back visually." Duze Honglian flushed with humiliation, doubly so when she knew that it was justified. Li Luo''s counter had been undeniably effective. "Its a pity that we couldn''t have waited until it had intensified the smile. Perhaps we could have damaged it more then," Jiang Qing''e said wistfully. They had managed to deliver it the equivalent of a sharp sting, but no real lasting damage. "It couldn''t be helped. The price would have been chaos in the purified spot." If order within their ranks were lost, they might have fallen apart from within even before the barrier fell. Still, the mirror trick would only work once. The grinning demon would not attack so incautiously again. Regardless, they had managed to put a stop to one of its stronger moves. Now they turned their attention to the horde of Others dashing themselves to death against the light barrier outside. They had won the first round, but the grinning demon held all the advantages. Who knew how much more it had up its sleeve? Most worrying of all was the fact that its corrupting power could permeate the light barrier to affect those inside. The purification barrier was their final defense. If the grinning demon''s moves could get through it, then they were in much greater danger than before. Neither Li Luo nor Jiang Qing''e paid attention to the minions charging the barrier. The real threat was the Heavenly Disaster Class Other itself. It was the only one that could ravage their defenses. Now that they had repelled it once, it was sure to try again. These few moments of peace were surely the calm before the more deadly and vicious storm that it would bring next. They watched the black mist intently for signs of movement. Duze Honglian, Qiu Bai, and the other elite Three Star Hall students came to stand with them. Finally, the mist began to stir again. From its dark folds, a figure walked out. He was a few meters tall, a little giant that resembled a human in every other way, with no strange features. Save one. An evil smile on his face. His grin stretched from ear to ear, and the gleaming teeth and crimson eyes were first to be seen through the mist. The crimson eyes were locked dead on Jiang Qing''e, acknowledging her as the only real threat within the base. But just a small threat, all things considered. In this area of the Umbra Cave, the Heavenly Disaster Class was the apex predator. The only thing in its way was the purified spot''s defensive barrier, which was charged with powerful purification magic. It was difficult to take down immediately. Still, it had its methods. Reaching into its mouth, the grinning demon began to retch. A dark, sticky sludge was coughed up, and it began to shape the mud. Soon enough, it made a black mud figurine. With the excess black mud, it formed a mini mud platform. The students watched with enthralled horror. They had no idea what was happening, but it couldn''t be good. They couldn''t go out and put a stop to it either. In the end, they could only watch the grinning demon build an entire fleet of mud platforms and mud figurines. It looked like it was planning a war model or something. A cunning, dangerous war. Finally completed, it stood up. And then, with controlled madness, it began to dance. Chapter 279: The Grinning Demons Plan Dark clouds, dark mist, dark whispers. A never-ending stream of Others kept charging the barrier, and all the while, the grinning demon hopped and raved its mad dance in their midst. It was bizarre and preposterous, but not a single student laughed. Even someone with the brainpower of an ass hair would know that something terrible was incoming. Yet they couldn''t do anything now. They would have to deal with whatever appeared. "Highest alert!" Jiang Qing''e called. "Be ready for anything!" Outside the purified spot, the demented howling of the monsters was deafening. Inside, a tense silence. Finally, the grinning demon was done with its dance, and its grin seemed to deepen even further. Rows upon rows of gleaming, black fangs. Kekeke! Dark power dripped off its fangs onto the mud figurines that it had made. There was a little hiss each time the power dripped onto a mud figurine, and then nothing. The students waited and waited in trepidation. Perhaps something had gone wrong with the demon''s ritual? "Argh!" They had hoped too much. Suddenly, a scream came from their midst. They whirled around to see black smoke billowing out of some students'' bodies. Their mouths were being ripped open by some invisible force, and their screams soon turned to giggles of madness. Waves of corruptive energy washed over them, overwhelming them and taking control of their bodies. In a few short moments, these students had become puppets, marked by their dull, red eyes. They attacked the students closer to them. The situation in the purified spot dissolved into chaos. Li Luo surveyed the situation worriedly. "The undiscovered corrupted ones..." "Those black mud figurines must be linked to the seeds of corruption inside their bodies," Jiang Qing''e said. "It has triggered them and turned them into puppets now." Clearly, they hadn''t managed to detect all of the corrupted students. The grinning demon had planted these seeds very deep for this very situation and purpose. Duze Honglian shuddered. If she hadn''t been cleansed by Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo, she would be in the same state now. "Be careful of Yuan Xiong and Ye Qiuding! They met the grinning demon alongside me as well, there''s a high chance they were deeply corrupted!" Boom! She spoke not a moment too soon. One stone tower was suddenly crumbling, a girl running like hell out of it. It was Tian Tian, who had been watching over Ye Qiuding and Yuan Xiong! She was running pell-mell away from the dust and smoke. Behind her, a few figures emerged, walking slowly. It was Yuan Xiong, Ye Qiuding, and a few others, the tell-tale sign of blood all over their faces. Their dull, red eyes were locked on Tian Tian. "Leader, they''ve grown much stronger after they got corrupted!" Tian Tian yelled a warning up to Jiang Qing''e and the others. "No need to panic," Jiang Qing''e called loudly to all of the students. "Work together, suppress them. "Form a defensive line near the central tower, and don''t let them get close. Their goal must be to break the central tower and remove the purification barrier!" The students rallied around Jiang Qing''e, and a semblance of order was restored. Soon, they were working together to repel the corrupted students. Now the goal was clear: keep the central tower standing. If the purification barrier fell, they would be overwhelmed by the horde of Others. Sure death! The threat of death sharpened their senses, and they fought with redoubled vigor. Li Luo, Duze Honglian, Qiu Bai, and other key leaders were spaced out to maintain order. Only Jiang Qing''e remained on the high wall now, watching the situation with a calm and sharp eye. She was also keeping watch on the grinning demon itself. For now, the situation was manageable without her. She had to be alert to any new changes that their ultimate enemy might wreak. She knew that she was the only one who might even pose a semblance of a threat to the grinning demon. But even so, there was an indisputable gap between her strength and the demon''s. She had to wait for a good chance. She stood tall on the wall, blood-scented wind fanning her hair out behind her. Her hand rested gently on the hilt of her giant sword, its blade plunged into the ground. ... Weng! Li Luo''s shortswords cut out again and again, and he managed to send another corrupted student flying. He stepped forward to close, but another streak of corrupted energy came at him from the flank. His swift reflexes threw up a mirror of light that blocked it. Crash! The mirror broke, reflecting the attack back to his attacker, who negated it easily and sent another bolt of black lightning his way. Dang! Li Luo took the attack on his blades. Incredible blasts of resonant power followed in quick succession, and Li Luo was forced back, parrying furiously. His hands were throbbing from the sheer impact alone, although the attacks were mostly elemental in nature. The corruption warped the appearance of the students, but this one was still recognizable. "Ye Qiuding?" Li Luo frowned. Even before corruption, Ye Qiuding was a third-tier Resonant Master, far stronger than himself. Now that he had the evil boost, Li Luo was hopelessly outmatched. Ffft! Ye Qiuding''s crimson eyes glinted maliciously, and he sent another terrific blast of power Li Luo''s way. Li Luo swore and dived away. Ye Qiuding continued pursuing him relentlessly, sending punishing attacks his way while ignoring everyone else. "Does he hate me that much?" Li Luo fled desperately, cursing. Ye Qiuding should have traded his intelligence for corrupted power, but this single-minded dedication to hunting Li Luo down was unusual, to say the least. Which meant that at the primal level, this guy was still obsessed with Jiang Qing''e. "Son of a bitch, I can''t believe you''re still jealous even when corrupted." Ye Qiuding''s speed was too great. Soon, Li Luo was cornered, and he turned to face his attacker. Even after the onyx lake, he was still only a Third Pattern, whereas Ye Qiuding was already at the Evolving Resonance Tier! Still, Ye Qiuding was alone, and Li Luo was not. A burst of starlight resonant power swarmed Ye Qiuding''s face with starry butterflies. A streak of shadow power cut out towards Ye Qiuding. Although Ye Qiuding managed to shrug off Bai Mengmeng''s Fluttering Star easily, it bought Li Luo a precious second to make his getaway. A sizzling bolt of shadow energy flew out like an arrow, aimed directly at Ye Qiuding''s vitals, but he casually plucked it out of the air. Li Luo lowered his swords. "Any later and all you''d have is my corpse to bring back!" he grumbled to his squad. "We can''t beat him as we are either," Xin Fu grumbled right back. Even with the three of them together, Ye Qiuding was still stronger. After all, he was one of the elites in the Two Star Hall, and now he was boosted by the corruption as well. "Well, if we can''t beat him, we''ll just have to call for backup," Li Luo said cheerfully. He beckoned to another group, and soon another squad was with them. Three very familiar figures indeed. Yi Lisha, Si Qiuying, Qian Ye. The two squads sandwiched Ye Qiuding in the middle. Without hesitation, all six attacked as one, ready to take their Two Star Hall senior down. Chapter 280: A Chance The grinning demon had planted seeds of corruption everywhere, and now it was reaping its harvest, tearing apart the purified spot from within. It was indeed a cunning plan that far outstripped the depths of their preparations. Although the corrupted students were few in number, the grinning demon had ways to boost their power significantly. Even with the numbers advantage, the uncorrupted students were hard-pressed to take them down in a short time. In a crowded alley, Li Luos squad and Yi Lisha''s squad were facing off against a corrupted Ye Qiuding. Even in a six-on-one, Ye Qiuding still had the advantage. His Evolving Resonance Tier strength plus the corruption boost had the two squads on the ropes. He just wouldn''t stay down, wouldn''t die. It was the two squads that were suffering a smattering of injuries here and there. Tang! Li Luo''s swords hummed through the air, Water Edge refined to its sharpest as they cut towards Ye Qiuding, currently wrestling Yi Lisha. He channeled water upwards and wood downwards, laying down roots that burst upwards at Ye Qiuding''s feet and trussed him up. The roots withered almost as soon as they touched Ye Qiuding, succumbing to the corruption. A moment of constriction was enough to at least push Ye Qiuding slightly off balance. Both Li Luo and Yi Lisha were elites in their year. They both seized the momentary gap, pincering Ye Qiuding between sword and fist. Crash! Flesh and metal crunched into him from both directions. To no avail. A muttered word from Ye Qiuding sent a wave of corrupted power that repulsed them and shook the air with its raw strength. The pair were thrown away. Li Luo recovered rather quickly since he was stronger, but Yi Lisha could not break the impact before he was slammed into a stone wall. The air was punched out of his lungs, and he coughed up blood on his lips. They had attacked together, and now had been forced back and taken down. This was the sheer disparity in their power. The two squads were leaping to their leaders'' rescue now, their faces grim as they watched Ye Qiuding warily, black smoke rising in lazy wisps from his body. "Li Luo, something''s not right. The bugger''s getting stronger and stronger!" Yi Lisha said angrily, wiping the blood away from his mouth as he scrambled to his feet. Li Luo nodded somberly. He felt it too. At first they could squash him with their numbers, but now he could feel their advantage diminishing. They weren''t getting any weaker. Ye Qiuding was somehow getting stronger. If this kept up, they could forget about taking him down. Hell, they would be lucky to escape alive. Time to call more backup? But everyone was occupied as well. Backup might not be available. Although they had contained one of the big dangers here, Li Luo was keeping an eye on the other fights as well, and they had not concluded. Clearly, the same corrupted strength was boosting them everywhere. "Is this the grinning demon''s doing?" Li Luo didn''t know how long they would continue to keep growing stronger. But if it kept up for too much longer, they would soon be screwed. And once the central tower fell, their barrier would fall too. Heavenly Disaster Class. Yikes. "We have to buy time until reinforcements can join us. Hold him, somehow," Li Luo said calmly. The situation elsewhere was hovering on a knife''s edge as well. If they let Ye Qiuding run free, he would definitely head for the central tower immediately, and he would likely proceed to set off a whole series of unfortunate events. The others responded with sharp, terse nods, keeping their chins down as they gathered their resonant powers and then charged him in a formation. While fights were breaking out all over the purified spot, Jiang Qing''e remained in her spot on the high wall, surveying the entire battle. She noticed that the corrupted students were getting stronger and stronger. She turned to the grinning demon outside the purified spot, sitting cross-legged in the midst of his mud platforms. She brought a hand up to her face, drawing a glowing finger across her brow. "Illuminating Eye!" A thin, golden line appeared across her eyes, and suddenly her vision cleared. She could even see through the black mist, spotting the ranks of Others that stretched out on and on. She focused on the grinning demon. Thin lines of black light appeared in her enhanced vision, linking its body to the mud figurines. "It''s greatly weakened. It''s siphoning off its own energy into the corrupted, using the figurines as mediums. That''s why they''re growing stronger..." The grinning demon was essentially transferring its power into the purified spot. The line of gold faded from her eyes, and she adjusted her grip on her heavy sword. She continued to wait calmly, although now she started to gather her energy. Behind her, the skirmishes raged on, piteous screams punctuating the hubbub of shouts and clashes of weapons. As the corrupted students grew stronger, the fights turned more and more bloody. Jiang Qing''e paid it no heed. She continued to stand on the high wall, watching, turning a deaf ear to all cries for reinforcements. She was waiting for her chance. The grinning demon was weakening itself to power the corrupted students. It brought chaos at a price, a price that Jiang Qing''e was about to collect. A chance at its head. Black vapor rose from the corrupted students, faster than the purification tower could clear. Soon, even the dreaded whispering could be heard within the barrier, further weakening the defenders'' resolve. The noises of battle in the purified spot rose again as the corrupted students grew yet another level stronger! They were closing in on the central tower now. It was time. Jiang Qing''e moved. Like a vengeful angel, she burned with the light of a thousand suns. Within the nimbus of brilliance, a heavy sword wielded by a slim figure. She tore through the purification barrier and was on the grinning demon in a flash. She brought her sword down in a fury of metal and light without hesitation. The execution had begun. Chapter 281: Execution Jiang Qing''e took off like a blazing meteor, and heads tracked her movement across the entire battlefield. They were in awe of her unusual burst of power, and that she was also facing the grinning demon head-on. A Heavenly Disaster Class, as strong as a powerful Heavenly Dipper General! Surely not even a ninth-grade light resonance was a match for this! And if she didn''t succeed in one blow, the grinning demon would surely tear her to bits. One could only imagine what the loss of their champion would do for the defenders'' morale and firepower. Still, there was no second thought in the mind of the heroine. She shot forth like an arrow leaving the bow, eyes locked on to her target. No one knew how this would turn out. But the fact that she dared to try roused courage in all of them. Li Luo''s heart was in his throat as well. A firework of hope, blazing into the darkness that loomed ahead. His firework. Trailing the navy-blue shawl behind her like a piece of the night sky. Shing! An iridescent shimmer started to sparkle on her skin, and the black dust that hung over the battlefield slid off her. Duze Honglian, Qiu Bai, and the others gasped. "The glassy Fiend Body... Her Fiend Body''s complete..." "Her cultivation speed''s incredible!" The other students might not know what the glassy body meant, but to Earth Fiends like themselves, it held great meaning. Her Earth Fiend qi was close to completion now. She was but a step away from Heavenly Dipper General. No wonder Jiang Qing''e was rumored to challenge the Seven Astral Pillars at the end of the year. She was already close to Heavenly Dipper General, whereas the rest of them were only at the early stage of Earth Fiend. Even though they always assumed that Jiang Qing''e was stronger than them, still she was ahead of their guesses. How would they ever catch up? Was her ninth-grade light resonance really that overpowered? Weng! Her sword blazed with the heat of the sun, burning a deep gouge in the ground as it trailed behind her, hissing with blue smoke. She brought it up effortlessly, a quick twist to set the point forward. Golden light flickered against the crimson eyes of the demon, and its grin only grew wider. Ffft! A spluttering laugh burbled out from the demon. It seemed completely unsurprised by Jiang Qing''e''s attack. Jiang Qing''e noted its readiness with a flicker of uncertainty. Had it left this opening on purpose to bait her in? It was entirely possible for it to be that cunning. It could overcome the primal instinct that usually ruled the Others. It might even be a better thinker than some humans. She did not panic. The light on her sword''s edge redoubled in intensity as she committed. Whoosh! The grinning demon opened its maw and took a deep, sucking breath. Rumble! The mud figurines vibrated and then released black smoke that the grinning demon inhaled back in. The energy that it had previously dispersed was now being regathered. At the same time, the corrupted students in the purified spot were weakening in strength. Some were even returned to themselves fully. "Quick! Suppress and tie up all the corrupted students!" Li Luo shouted. A hard-won window had been bought by Jiang Qing''e. Morale lifted and the students rallied together, quickly subduing the corrupted students. Outside, the grinning demon made a brief, keening sound as if testing its power. The ground reverberated in response. It raised a giant, clawed hand that seemed to suck in what little light remained in the world. A darkness that would destroy all. The world under that palm was without light, save for one blazing sword of hope that slashed defiantly against it. Claw against sword. Boom! The impact was colossal, the aftershock rippling outwards as it tore away at the topsoil. The other Others were bowled away backwards back into the mist. Within the purified spot, they despaired as they saw their champion of light gradually losing, wounds chipping away at her. Jiang Qing''e was not strong enough to beat the grinning demon. "Tsk tsk! Chi chi!" The grinning demon garbled its strange laughter again as it brought its claw down again with a vengeance, smothering the light from the sword. "Leader, get out of there!" Qiu Bai and Tian Tian screamed. Li Luo watched with horrified fascination. His knuckles were white from his death grip on his hilts, but he stood his ground. He knew that he would only be a burden to Jiang Qing''e if he rushed in. Panicked screams came from the students. Jiang Qing''e did not retreat. She was calm, as though her attack being broken was also within her calculations. That attack was not enough to harm a Heavenly Disaster Class. She stepped forward. As she did, she tenderly moved a palm over the edge of her sword, as if caressing it. A small spray of blood landed on the broad blade. The fragmented sword light started to knit itself back together, now radiating with a new divine power that brought a sudden halt to the grinning demon''s laughter. It turned its palm back against its foe. Evil energies gathered until it formed a large, swirling vortex, ready to swallow any attack. Jiang Qing''e took a deep breath. Reaching into the glowing sword light, she pulled out a flaming sword. "Sword of saintly fire, cleanser of all, burn all that is unholy." Light turned to fire now, and she seemed to become an angel, an avatar against evil. The sword swept up even as she made a long dart sideways to dodge the black vortex attack. Fire lanced towards the grinning face. A savage thrust, as deadly for the demon as it was perilous for him. Between protecting herself and killing the enemy, Jiang Qing''e had chosen the latter. The grinning demon was not prepared for such a reckless move, but it was too late to defend itself. The flaming sword struck down, cleaving its face. At that moment, time seemed to stop. Chapter 282: Dead End Boom! Outside the purified spot, a violent tornado of energy raged on, ripping up the ground with gouges. Jiang Qing''e''s slight frame was sent flying, and her sword sailed through the air to plunge blade-first in the ground nearby. She coughed once, and a mouthful of fresh blood bubbled forth. The light resonant energy around her started to fizzle. A sign of heavy injuries. The grinning demon''s claw had connected hard. Ignoring her own broken body, she desperately looked behind her, wanting to see the damage she had inflicted in return. That had been her strongest attack ever. The grinning demon had divided up its own strength to lure her out, and Jiang Qing''e had read it perfectly and responded in turn. It was a game of chess, but her pieces were weaker. Even so, she had chosen that risk because it was her best chance. Her best chance to break their slow slip into defeat. If she could just beat it, then they would not be left praying for reinforcements like damsels in distress. Otherwise, if they sat there and let the Heavenly Disaster Class Other play out its entire arsenal of tricks, she wasn''t confident that the purified barrier would hold out for many more days. Sometimes, the best defense was a good offense. The grinning demon''s face was split by a long scar that still glowed gold at the seams, running down the entire length from brow to chin. Small, golden flames flickered at the edges of the scar. The grinning demon reached up to touch its face gingerly. A mere Earth Fiend had caused this much damage? It hadn''t seen this coming. Light resonant energy was truly a powerful weapon against it. Many students cheered when they saw the wound. Had the grinning demon been severely injured as well? An eye for an eye? The scar was still expanding, the golden flames eating away at more and more of its face. It seemed like its head would eventually split into two. But now the grinning demon bellowed, low rumbling roars devoid of the mad glee that was its signature. A black vortex bloomed out of its body. A short pause later, Others began to charge towards it, running in without hesitation. Each disappeared within the grinning demon''s body, and the golden scar started to fade away. Dismay greeted this sight. The Heavenly Disaster Class'' devouring ability was terrifying. Roar! It bellowed in anger again. This wound was serious enough to impede its future growth. It had set the trap for Jiang Qing''e, but now it had been bitten in turn. If it had known that this would be the outcome, it would not have made the trade. Still, regret was useless for it now. It turned its attention back to its ultimate goal of breaking the purified spot. Once down, all that fresh meat within would be more than enough to replenish the energy that it had spent. With another unearthly scream, it summoned more Others that leaped towards the wounded Jiang Qing''e. She was the strongest defender here. If she could be killed, they would be severely weakened. Now that she was injured, it was the best time to finish her off. Li Luo ran to her as fast as his legs could carry him, praying that he would make it in time. "Leader!" Bai Mengmeng shouted after him. This was suicide for Li Luo. He couldn''t care less. He could not afford to sit by and watch Jiang Qing''e be torn apart before his very eyes. Before he could get there, a figure in red beat him to it. A dark-red whip snaked out to coil itself around Jiang Qing''e''s waist like a lasso, and it pulled her back through the barrier with a tremendous yank. Duze Honglian caught her up on the high wall. "Saved you back. Now we''re even." Jiang Qing''e didn''t reply, still looking regretfully at the rapidly fading scar she had left behind. It had been a powerful blow, but not enough to finish it off as she had hoped. The crisis was delayed, but not averted. Li Luo appeared by her side. "How are you?" he asked worriedly. She examined her injuries. The grinning demon''s attack had shaken up her resonant palace, and her resonant power flow was completely awry. Serious injuries. "Not good." She had expected injuries, but she had hoped that she could defeat the demon in exchange. In her current state, she would pose no more threat to it. The situation was not looking good. "You did very well," Li Luo said, holding her hand tenderly. "Less of the lover cooing, for goodness sake. The grinning demon''s on the warpath now," Duze Honglian snapped at them. They looked up to see the Other furious at Jiang Qing''e''s escape. It screeched in fury. Although it had avoided death after devouring many Others, it was still wounded. It knew that those in the purified spot were waiting for reinforcements. When those arrived, its chances would be gone. It barely hesitated before it leaped into action again, its body swelling as it flexed its power. The Other began to eat itself. The sharp teeth turned downwards to feast on its corpulent body, freshly gorged from its eating spree through the black vortex. Soon, all that was left was the grinning face, a disembodied head dozens of meters in size, hovering in the sky. It cackled again, then it opened its mouth to spray a sticky, black rain of sludge down on the barrier. The rain droplets were putrid and corrosive, eating away at everything they touched like an acid rain. Phish! As each drop landed on the barrier, they evaporated with a hissing sound. However, the purification power of the barrier weakened ever so slightly with each drop it repelled. There was way too much black rain. Its power would not last. "Surely that''s its original plan..." Duze Honglian watched the black rain, aghast. "It probably won''t stop until the barrier breaks." The students started to panic again. Clearly, this was an extremely powerful move by the grinning demon. They could only watch helplessly as the final barrier above them broke. Bai Mengmeng, Xin Fu, and the other first years came to stand with them, seeking comfort and advice. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e stared at the black rain above them, both leaders at a loss for words. "Umbra Cave, eh. To think that we all might fall here." Li Luo sighed deeply. Jiang Qing''e shook him by the shoulder. "Don''t worry," she said softly, "I won''t let you die here." Li Luo recognized the resolve in her voice all too well. At the last moment, she would probably send him away with all her power. Perhaps even giving her own life in the process. He would not have that. He looked up at the barrier again. "How long do you think it''ll last?" "Probably another three days," Jiang Qing''e answered doubtfully. "Three days..." There was a gleam in Li Luo''s eye. "I might just make it in time." Jiang Qing''e''s eyebrows shot up. "What are you thinking?" Li Luo smiled brightly at her. "I''m thinking of going to get help." Chapter 283: Li Luos Plan "Help?" Even Jiang Qing''e was confused by Li Luo''s words. The students were the only ones in this area. Anyone else would be deeper inthe Four Star Hall students and the Gold Gleam mentors. Even so, they were too far away. Who else was going to come to their rescue here? Duze Honglian glared at him. If there was help to be had, they would have gathered them long ago. As if Li Luo had anything to offer at this moment. "When two tigers fight," Li Luo offered tentatively, "they wound each other." Confusion greeted his enigmatic statement. "You mean..." Jiang Qing''e''s eyes widened in realization. "The spirit beast in the forbidden zone?" Was that his idea of help?! "Li Luo, you''re insane," Duze Honglian said witheringly. The suggestion was so ludicrous, it insulted their intelligence. "Let''s not even get into whether the spirit beast will just destroy us all when it arrives. How are you even going to get to the forbidden zone and lure it over? Impossible tasks, one after another! "Or," she said, "are you using this as an excuse to run away?" Bam! Jiang Qing''e slammed her sword into the ground. "Duze Honglian. Don''t think I can''t finish you off even when I''m injured." "Oh, as if my reasoning is any less valid! Does he think the spirit beast is some kindly little puppy? Besides, the principal''s seal can''t be unraveled!" Li Luo was silent. Duze Honglian was not wrong in her fleshing out of the challenges. He struggled with the same difficulties too. "Can it get any worse than our current situation?" Jiang Qing''e countered. "The defenses of the purified spot look like they can''t hold out until reinforcements arrive. And when it falls, we will die with it. If we''re doomed anyway, we might as well let Li Luo try." Duze Honglian did not listen to a word of it. She was sure that Li Luo had deemed them doomed and was just trying to get out alive. But so be it. Li Luo was not important to them. If the purified spot fell, where could he run to? The Others would run rampant all over, the corruption would increase, and a mere second-tier Resonant Master would be dead sooner or later. And even if he did manage to eventually get out alive, the school would investigate him thoroughly. And then expulsion was sure to follow. She crossed her arms. "Do as you will. Your lies will be exposed in the end." The others stood in a more moderate stance, conflicted between hopefulness and doubt. Ultimately, none of them saw any chance of success in Li Luo''s plan, but neither did they fancy arguing with the likes of Jiang Qing''e over that either. Jiang Qing''e turned to Li Luo. "Do you need any other help for this plan?" He shook his head. "I''ve scouted the terrain before. There''s a river leading from the back of the purified spot all the way to the forbidden zone. I can move quickest with water resonant power to get there. As for the other problems that she mentioned, I''ll find a way. "More cooks are going to spoil the broth here." Jiang Qing''e nodded. "Just be careful you''re not cooking hot soup and jumping in yourself. Go, then. Bring us hope." Time was of the essence, so Li Luo did not linger. "Three days. I will find a way to save us all." "You will succeed... Or we all die here. And for us, House Luolan dies with us. Wouldn''t that be a waste after all these years?" Li Luo grinned and nodded, then he left. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu had rushed up as well, but they knew they could offer no help to their leader. "We trust you," they said simply. Li Luo was touched. Others had laughed at his plans, and Duze Honglian had probably voiced the thoughts that were on their collective minds. But not his squad. After all the time that they had spent together, they understood Li Luo quite well. "I''ll be back," he said to them. Then he leaped off the high wall, wending his way through the purified spot towards the back. Yi Lisha, Qian Ye, and Si Qiuying watched him go as well. "Do you guys think he''s for real? Or is it an excuse?" Qian Ye asked. Yi Lisha rubbed his chin. "Sounds harebrained as hell, to be honest. I don''t see how he''s going to overcome all that''s needed to make the plan work." "I don''t know if the plan will succeed, but I don''t think he intends to run away," Si Qiuying said softly. While Li Luo might look like an easygoing guy, he was probably just as competitive as Jiang Qing''e deep down. A proud guy like him would never run away. "Well, hardly anyone will agree with you once the news spreads." Qian Ye wrung his hands. "Who cares what they think," Yi Lisha said grumpily. "If the plan fails, we all die. Then there''ll be no thinking left." The sobering statement made his squad fall silent. They had not expected the Umbra Cave to be this dangerous. It was their first time here, and already it seemed likely that everyone would be wiped out. Everything was up to fate now. While they were lost in their own melancholy thoughts, Li Luo had already left by a passage from the back and reached the river he had mapped out. It would lead him straight to the forbidden zone. With the river''s speed boost, he could save a lot of time. But getting there was not the hard part. Everything else was. He rode the river, propelled forward by his water resonant power. He looked like he was skating on it, zipping forward out into the unknown. Chapter 284: The Seal Thanks to the river, Li Luo managed to reach the outskirts of the forbidden zone ahead of schedule. After just half a day, the familiar mountain range was already in view. Now it was time for the hard part. One mistake would ruin him. The next step was actually pretty easy too. He had already lured out the beast once, by accident. Back at the onyx lake, he knew that it coveted the dual resonances in his body. That was why they had that incident back then. The mark of a Duke''s power, but housed in a frail, little resonant master. The combination was irresistible for the spirit beast. Surely this time it would come for the bait again. Which left another problem: the principal''s seal The seal was placed on a mountain top, and they had witnessed its power for themselves last time. It was what had stopped the spirit beast from roaming out of the forbidden zone. If Li Luo couldn''t get it cleared, it would be like holding bananas against the glass for the monkeys at the zoo. If it couldn''t come out, the plan was screwed. To think that their ally''s seal would end up as the biggest problem However, Li Luo had some ideas that he was planning to try. The best one was... beg! Beg who? The seal itself, of course! Jiang Qing''e had mentioned that the principal''s seal was sentient. The principal had left a fragment of his will in it, so it was linked to him. If Li Luo could appeal to it directly, it might just work. This was an iffy idea on paper, but Li Luo felt that a King expert might be incredible enough to do such a thing. With enough strength, the impossible could become possible. In any case, he would have to try to find out. If not... He would stand outside and taunt the spirit beast until it went berserk and broke the seal. A very extreme idea. In that state, it might swallow him in one gulp the instant it broke out. Not a good plan. He oriented himself with the terrain and identified the mountain, then he quickly climbed towards its peak. Four hours later, Li Luo arrived at the top, out of breath as he gazed upon a green stone. On it, the character for seal was written. It looked like a scratchy and shallow carving. If Li Luo had not seen its power with his own eyes before, he would never have suspected that a King expert had carved it himself. Li Luo carefully approached, and he was heartened by the fact that it didn''t seem hostile or anything. "Er... "Principal, this student is Li Luo, a One Star Hall student. I came here because there''s a Heavenly Disaster Class Other that managed to get into purified spot number 13. We''re in a really bad situation, so I wanted to release the spirit beast and lure it over to fight the Other. "It might sound like a crazy plan, but big dreams make big wins, Sir. I''m going to have to just go for it. I hope you can help me out here, wise Principal." Li Luo bowed to the rock awkwardly. However, the rock remained as silent as... a rock. Li Luo tentatively reached out and placed his palm on the seal. He felt a cool, stinging sensation, and he flinched a little, but then there was nothing. He frowned with disappointment. "Oh, come on, Sir," he muttered to himself. "Standing by and watching us die is very unbecoming of a principal." It seemed like he would have to execute Plan B. But suddenly, he felt like something was off. Things were too quiet here. The sound of the wind had vanished completely. Turning back around, he saw that there was now a figure in the lotus position on the green rock. He was a middle-aged man clad in a green shift. His eyebrows were completely white, and yet his eyes were profoundly deep and dark. He sat there quietly, as immovable as a mountain. Watching Li Luo. His quiet gaze had Li Luo feeling a bit like some powerful beast was watching him, his instincts screaming that this was danger. He swallowed hard. This man''s identity was all too clear, even without him saying a word. It had to be the mysterious principal. "Student Li Luo greets the principal." Li Luo bowed deeply. This might well be the strongest person he had ever met in his life. The man laughed. "Li Luo... "Born with blank palaces, and grew three of his own. Acquiring resonances is a rare art form indeed. "You''re the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, correct?" His few simple statements blew Li Luo''s mind over and over again, and he staggered back, too shocked to speak. It was the first time anyone had actually guessed his secrets. Just how terrifying was this guy? Chapter 285: Principal Pang Qianyuan Gulp. Li Luo looked at the middle-aged man nervously, feeling somehow more naked than if he had taken off all his clothes. The man laughed warmly at his discomfort. "Li Luo... I am Pang Qianyuan, the principal of the Astral Sage College." Li Luo blinked, noting his name. "Principal, Sir, we hear so much about you in school, and now I can see that you live up to every inch of your god-like reputation." Li Luo didn''t know how he should treat this person, who was way beyond him in both status and power. "Oh? I''ve not even been around the school in many years. Surely not many have actually seen me," "Er..." Damn, called out for his empty flattery. "What a sweet mouth you have there, lad. No one really called me god-like back then. God-damned, more like." Li Luo frowned. "Surely they were jealous of your accomplishments. Don''t take it to heart, Sir. Perhaps you should pay them a visit after a few years." Pang Qianyuan nodded. "That person''s name is Li Taixuan." "Li Tai- my dad?!" Pang Qianyuan nodded. Li Luo gaped like a goldfish. "Er- he... well. Brave, er, blunt man, my father." Who knew his father was so ballsy? Calling a King expert god-damned? He must have really not loved life. "Li Taixuan... He came from beyond, so naturally he''s a wild dragon." Pang Qianyuan laughed. Li Luo laughed along politely. His father was only a Duke. Perhaps more a worm than a dragon compared to this King. His thoughts were written too clearly on his face. "King is higher than what your father was," Pang Qianyuan said, "but he didn''t come from weak stock either." Li Luo started. "Surely not stock superior to the Academic Federation?" "Hmm, the Academic Federation is indeed one of the strongest factions in this world... but it is not invincible. There are a few powers that can equal it in this world." Li Luo''s mind reeled from this information. He had just learned not long ago that the Academic Federation was the great institution protecting their world. There were others who were equally strong? He hesitated. "And my father came from one of those families?" Pang Qianyuan fell silent for a moment. "I guess your parents really didn''t tell you anything." "Haha, maybe I was picked up from the garbage dump." Pang Qianyuan shook his head. "Well, if they didn''t say anything, it''s not my place to tell you. Perhaps you will learn it all in good time. All I can say is..." He paused to choose his words carefully. "Heavenly King Li''s bloodline runs deeper than you can imagine." Heavenly King Li? What on earth was that? Was he referring to where his father currently was? And what was a Heavenly King? Li Luo had never heard of it before. "The world is wider than you can imagine, sonny. The limit of your horizons here in the Xia Kingdom are paltry in the view of the divine continent, which is, again, minuscule to the world. In fact, our divine continent is known as the outer divine continent. You can imagine how disdained we are." Outer divine continent... Did that mean that there was an inner divine continent, then? More and more new information. The principal had given him a lot of information to think on. Who was his father, really? And why would he have come to the supposedly rural and backward outer divine continent? His parents had clearly kept all this information from him. He did not know why, but surely they had good reasons. Perhaps the information did not benefit him at all. Li Luo''s mind was racing with new possibilities and thoughts, but he managed to put them aside for the moment. None of it would be relevant if he was dead, which might well happen soon if he didn''t execute a brilliant plan regarding the spirit beast. "Principal, you know why I''m here, right?" Li Luo got straight to the point. Pang Qianyuan nodded. "A Heavenly Disaster Class slipped out, eh? Quite a disaster for the outer periphery indeed." "Can you help?" Li Luo asked hopefully. If Pang Qianyuan, with all his mysterious powers, could reach out and wipe the Heavenly Disaster Class Other away, they would all be saved without any trouble. "This form is only a fragment of my will. My real body is in the deepest part of the Umbra Cave, fighting some truly terrifying abominations. If my real body were here, it would probably far exceed even your imagination." Li Luo''s shoulders slumped. "I can''t solve all your problems, but I know of your plan. Heh. You said your father was ballsy, but you''ve got a real pair yourself. "Bait the spirit beast out of the forbidden zone with your own body... That is something most people wouldn''t even dream of in a nightmare." Pang Qianyuan chuckled with a gleam of admiration in his eyes. "I support your plan. I''ll remove the seal for you. At the same time, I''ll send you a little present as thanks for saving all the students at the purified spot." Li Luo started, but the man was already fading away. Whoosh! The mountain wind''s howling returned as suddenly as it had disappeared, and life started up all around him again. Pang Qianyuan was gone. And so was the rock with the seal on it. Li Luo opened his hand and saw that the word seal was now faintly visible on his palm. Chapter 286: Beast Baiting "The seal''s in my hand?" Li Luo stared at it, puzzled. He could feel that some information had been planted into his brain as a result of the seal, and his eyes widened. The principal had transferred the seal to him hoping that he could seal away the spirit beast for good. Of course, he himself was not strong enough, which was why the seal''s power was here for him to tap on. Even so, the seal itself was only strong enough to contain the spirit beast, not completely subdue it. Which was why he would need to wait for the perfect moment. Such as... when it was lured away by a brilliant young man and fought a Heavenly Disaster Class Other and managed to win, saving students but also becoming very badly injured in the process. The stars would have to align for him to succeed. Not even the arrival of Violet Vibrance mentors would make his plan any more likely to succeed. Their presence would likely chase the beast away instead. But now... perhaps some of the stars were already in place. Lure the spirit beast to fight the Heavenly Disaster Class. There was no other outcome but for one to fall. And whichever triumphed would definitely be weakened. With the rest of the defenders, perhaps they could win. The seal was a secondary bonus mission. The main goal here was to lure it over to fight the Heavenly Disaster Class. Could he lure it? Li Luo eyed the wide expanse of forested mountains before him, mist hanging at the highest peaks. He had no idea where the spirit beast was. Neither could he just flail around blindly with his dual resonances. They were punyit would be like shouting out into the ocean. The spirit beast might not be able to sense him. Last time, he was in the onyx lake. Li Luo looked towards its direction. The depths of the lake had to be linked to the place where the spirit beast cultivated. Which was why it had sensed him so clearly back then and came charging over so quickly. Li Luo headed straight for the lake. Currently, it was completely empty, with not a single soul to be seen. From his perch on a large tree, he had a good view of the energy, still pulsing steadily from the onyx lake. He pulled out his shortswords, their slight, crescent curves gleaming like pale moons. Pointing them at the onyx lake, he charged them with resonant power. Weng! The powers combined in mid-air, twisting and entangling until they were an inseparable singular, plunging into the onyx lake. Before exploding. In a subterranean cave deep in the mountain network of tunnels, a pair of scarlet eyes flared open. The beast''s eyes were flaring with surprise. A faint hint of the dual resonances? Was it imagining things? While it hesitated, another wave of dual resonance power hit the waters of the lake. Its hesitation vanished. The same dual resonances from before! Was the human kid back? The beast leaped into action, charging in the direction of the power. Like before, it charged madly in a direct line, trampling anything in its path and leaving a wide swath of smoke and noise in its wake. Li Luo spotted it soon enough, and he ran for it immediately. Any headstart was precious, and he had to get to the river as quickly as possible. There was no way that he was faster than the spirit beast. He would only be safe with the river''s current on his side. Otherwise, he would be the bait that was eaten. The spirit beast was unaware that the seal had already disappeared. Surely it would hesitate for a while at the outskirts. That would equate to more precious time for Li Luo to run. He pumped his arms and legs as fast as he could, and the trees were a blur beside him. He ran as he had never run before, because this time his life truly depended on it. Behind him, the spirit beast had slowed as it neared the outskirts of its zone. The smoke trail had faded accordingly, and Li Luo caught a glimpse of a black-armored, three-tailed beast behind him. As it snorted, its breath vaporized a few trees under its nose. As he predicted, it began to prowl restlessly near the perimeter. It looked fearfully at the mountain peak where the seal had been, and it roared in defiance. But today the seal''s power was gone! What had changed? Torn between fear and frustration that its prey was getting away yet again, it lashed out with its tails. The human pest had foiled it once. Today, he had somehow wandered back into its territory. There was no way it would let the kid get away a second time! This time, it had to have that double-flavored tidbit! Muscles bunching, its tails coiled for balance and it leaped, ready to take on the seal. Leap after leap, clawing forth with its strength. Soon, it found itself further than it had ever gone before, and still the seal was nowhere to be seen! Did it mean that the seal had finally expired?! Thank the heavens! It was free! Roar! The trees near Li Luo shook from its roar, and Li Luo could hear savage triumph in the noise. The beast was out of the mountains. Another roar sounded from ahead, but fortunately, this one announced the river''s proximity. Breaking through the tree line, Li Luo landed in the river and used his water resonant power to propel him forwards. From the corner of his eye, he saw a three-tailed beast in hot pursuit. He resisted the strong urge to look behind him. It wasn''t going to help. He had to focus, remain calm, and eke out every last iota of speed he could. Now he just needed to get back to the purified spot, and all would be fine and dandy. "Please let me succeed" was the prayer on his lips. Chapter 287: Borrowed Power The river wound through the barren plane like a silver snake, the only sign of life in the dreary land. A gentle current rippled its surface like scales. Tonight, its quiet, flowing gurgle was disrupted. At one end, a young man was frantically propelling himself along its length with his water resonant power. He had a head of hair as silver as the river, and below it was a handsome face, taut with tension. Behind him, a rampaging monster was charging at him, splintering the trees in its way like they were matchsticks. It was never a fun business to be chased down by a Heavenly Dipper General Stage spirit beast. Roar! The good thing was that the current was with him. The bad thing was that it meant the wind was blowing from behind him, and on it he caught a whiff of blood-scented breath. Behind him, the three-tailed beast pounded the ground furiously, bounding and loping towards its delicious little treat. It had thought that getting out of the forbidden zone meant that things were over, but this little mouse was a lot faster than it had expected. Clearly weaklike a mousebut somehow he flew like the wind across water. In frustration, it spat out glowing orbs of energy at the fleeing figure, but at that distance, they lacked accuracy, faltering before they reached Li Luo. They splashed into the water behind him. Boom! They exploded underwater, causing giant waves. Li Luo quickly used his water resonance to calm things, and his wood resonance stabilized his internal flow of energy. Not once did he look back or stop. He might have escaped its wild attacks, but Li Luo''s gut told him that the beast was closing the distance inch by inch. He had underestimated this General Stage spirit beast after all. Even with the current and his water resonant power, it wasn''t that easy to keep ahead. "I''m still a long way away from the purified spot, especially at this speed," he thought to himself. Could he keep it up? Staring death in the face was exhilarating. A slight slip up would probably lead to his death. Moreover, if he thought that those failed energy balls and a straightforward chase was all the spirit beast had, he would be as naive as a newborn baby. Still, there was no point in wasting brainpower on what it might come up with. Li Luo was walking a tightrope, and it was best to focus on putting one foot in front of the other until something came up to prevent that. He racked up his water resonant power a notch, until the river was spraying out from behind him like a motorboat. Two hours passed in this fashion. There was no more empty bellowing coming from behind any more. The beast had fallen silent, pouring all its energy into single-minded pursuit. Both of them settled into a long race. Li Luo started to feel a prickle of unease creep up the back of his neck. The silence was playing havoc with his imagination, more so than the roaring had. He tensed and prepared his resonant palaces to burst into action at any time. Whoo! An eerie howling suddenly picked up behind him, and he started to sweat even more heavily. He couldn''t resist it. He glanced back. He caught a glimpse of three colossal tails, slowly heating up from cold black to a warm red. Even at this distance, he could see the heat distortions in the air around them. He didn''t know what was coming, but he knew he wasn''t going to like it. Full speed ahead, captain legs. Weng! Sure enough, he heard a humming sound from behind him. And then ahead of him. He froze in his tracks all of a sudden, and his heart seemed to stop beating. Right in front of his eyes, space was warping, and suddenly a huge beast stepped out in front of him. It stood astride the river, feral eyes surveying the puny human before it. Through some mystic art, it had managed to teleport and close the distance between them. Faster than light. In that instant, Li Luo knew that strong spirit beasts were not to be underestimated. BOOM! It stomped one paw, a thunderous smash that sent a black slash of energy at Li Luo. It was wider even than the river, and the entire section between them was smashed. It charged right behind the attack. The beast was closing in on him from the front, and this force was going to be unstoppable. Hope trickled away. Too strong. He couldn''t even breathe. Like prey paralyzed in shock and horror. But something deep within him awakened. He shook off the fear and faced it grimly. Not only did he not dodge, he even stepped forward! The beast bared its teeth in surprise, but its charge did not slow. Shoop! "Foul beast, today I seal you for good!" Li Luo cried out, holding his palm out. The seal glowed. The three-tailed beast skidded to an abrupt halt, sirens of fear wailing within its mind. That familiar seal! It had been captive under it for all these years! So the seal hadn''t disappeared, it had been transferred to this human! But why? A trap. Its hair rose out of instinct. Uncertainty. Fear. After all these years of being imprisoned, it had grown to fear that seal''s power, and the man behind it. A god-like presence that was well beyond its means. Could it be that this weak-looking human was all part of the trap? Lure it out and subdue it? The human''s face was resolute... triumphant, even. There was not a shred of fear to be seen on his face. With the seal, could the human be stronger? Survival was the foremost instinct. It leaped out of the river, fleeing. Escape first, think later! Even as its legs carried it away, its bestial eyes were still intently watching Li Luo for danger. The human rushed forward to the spot where it had been... And then kept on rushing forward. Running away. The three-tailed beast skidded around in confusion. The seal''s energy it had sensed was gone. Suddenly left in silence, the wind howled gleefully in its ears. Had it... just been pranked? Chapter 288: Fighting for Time "F*ck, that was too close!" Li Luo''s hands were still clammy from how close that had been. He could hear his heart thumping loudly. He had just swaggered out from right under the spirit beast''s nose. It had been a middle finger to death''s face. If the three-tailed beast had just been a little less afraid, or even sent a casual attack to cover its retreat, he would likely be dead. Luckily, it was too afraid of the seal. Before it confirmed the seal''s power, the beast chose caution. And therefore, Li Luo had hope. He looked down at the ancient seal. Indeed, it had some strength behind it, but to think that it was enough to kill the three-tailed beast was foolishness. The principal had said as much. It could be used if the three-tailed beast was injured, but not if it was in peak condition. Of course, the three-tailed beast didn''t know that. All it knew was that the extremely powerful principal was a force to be feared. Even when only a representation of him was being wielded by someone else. Borrowed power. Li Luo glanced back and saw that the path was clear. Still, he was pretty sure his plan was still on track. The beast possessed the right mix of intellect and greed. It would chase on. If Li Luo''s seal was strong enough to defeat it, he wouldn''t be on the run. Once it figured that out, it would come. In the meantime, Li Luo would run. He calmed his beating heart and sorted out his thoughts. These tricks had been thought of beforehand. Only by staying calm and doing what he could was there a chance for him to pull this off. There would be no guaranteed safety in this mad situation. He could only choose the path that risked his life the least, with the best odds. He pounded on, zipping across the river''s surface like a streak of silvery-blue light. Soon enough, he heard movement behind him again, and he could see a dust trail in the distance. The three-tailed beast was coming again. Even at this distance, its rage preceded him, a new frenzy to the way it shook the earth. Whew. Li Luo felt simultaneously nervous and relieved. At least it was coming. If it ran away, the plan would be over. Also, oh sh*t, it was coming. The chase began again. This time the three-tailed beast was not as hesitant. It was watching Li Luo''s hand while it chased, assessing, calculating. Li Luo kept his hand firmly shut, not exposing the seal at all. The three-tailed beast grew impatient and began to close the distance. Just as it prepared to pounce on him, Li Luo suddenly stopped. "Foul beast, let''s die together!" he screamed like a beast himself, turning around to aim the seal''s light at the three-tailed beast again. He looked fully ready to die together. The utter conviction in his eyes swayed the beast, and again it leaped away in fright. Did Li Luo really mean to die together with it? It didn''t know, but it was afraid to find out. Which meant that again Li Luo slipped away ahead of it. Soon enough, the dreadful, thundering chase began again, this time resuming much quicker than before. One could only cry wolf so many times. The three-tailed beast was no fool. Each time Li Luo pulled off the same stunt, it grew a little bolder, a little surer of the seal''s limits. The seal was not strong enough to kill it. Still, it chose prudence, biding its time for a good opportunity. It would leave no chance for Li Luo to hurt it in his death throes. Li Luo gladly welcomed this prudence. If he kept this up, he would reach the purified spot soon. It was just there, ahead of him. Hope surged in his chest. ... "Something''s not right." Duze Honglian was looking at the purification barrier, which was incredibly thin at this point, a pitiful collection of dim gossamer where it had once been a dense and comforting layer. They had estimated that the barrier would last three days, but now it seemed like it would break before that. The students looked up in helplessness and fear. "The grinning demon has increased the corrosive power," Jiang Qing''e said in a voice still soft from her injuries. She looked towards the back of the purified spot. "Still holding out hope for him?" Duze Honglian snorted. "Only you would believe his harebrained scheme would succeed. Does he think a General Stage spirit beast can be commanded like a house puppy? "How''s he going to run from it?" At this point, Duze Honglian stopped talking. Soon enough, she would be back on the topic of Li Luo having run away. The plan was just an excuse. "I wish he had run away," Jiang Qing''e said in response to her unspoken thoughts. "Its a pity that Li Luo is not like that." Duze Honglian snorted again. "The purification barrier will be down soon. We have no choice but to try and fight it as best we can. Can you fight?" Jiang Qing''e did not reply, but curled her fingers around her sword hilt. That would be the end. It was likely that the entire purified spot would fall to the grinning demon. They had no other choice but to fight for every additional second. She hoped that when it came to that, Li Luo would stay away. Perhaps he could live. It was a futile hope. Li Luo would not come back alive unless he had made his plan succeed. Time ticked on. The atmosphere grew more and more tense, building up like gas. Stifling. Choking. And ready to explode into full-blown panic with just a spark. Drip. A drop of sticky, black sludge landed on the stone wall in front of Jiang Qing''e, eating away at it with relish. The purification barrier was broken. Chapter 289: Reinforcements Arrive When the barrier broke, the black rain stopped. Using it had taken a heavy toll on the grinning demon, and it would not use it again unless it had to. Now that the most troublesome barrier was down, it could turn to less expensive methods. The cessation of the rain did no favors for the mood of the defenders. The Others were prowling on the edges tentatively, and more emerged from the smoky haze. The grinning demon stood its ground, its grin stretching wide as the smell of fresh blood filled the air. A heavy price it had paid, but now the shell was cracked, and the flesh inside was there for the taking. With another inhuman screech, the Others surged forth as one roiling, black wave. Some students screamed. Duze Honglian and the others were pale as well. "Fight!" Jiang Qing''e shouted. She herself lifted her heavy sword. It took every ounce of her strength to do so despite her injuries, but she was the cornerstone of the defense. She had to raise their morale. Digging deep, she pulled enough light resonant energy to make her sword shine a light across the entire battlefield. She took a deep breath. "May fear be gone! "May we live long!" This was the battle cry of generations of students in the Umbra Cave. It fortified their spirits and gave them new courage. Intangible yet real, it warmed their souls and put strength back into them. "May fear be gone!" "May we live long!" Their replying roar drowned out the whispers, and the students closed ranks. "Prepare to meet the enemy!" Jiang Qing''e shouted. They stood with resonant powers at the ready, weapons gripped tightly as they watched the first wave of Others approach. They were afraid. But when the alternative was death, they would fight with all they had. At least they would die with a bit more dignity that way. BOOM! Soon enough, the fight with the Others broke out full-scale, and the students were fighting harder than they had ever fought before. Some were covered with blood, others had already gone berserk. No one tried to preserve energy within their bodies. They would rest when they were dead. Of course, some students fell as well, buried under piles of enemies. When the Others turned to their next opponent, there was not even a corpse left behind. The sanctuary was now covered in carnage. Jiang Qing''e, Duze Honglian, Qiu Bai, and other Three Star Hall students formed an anchor on the front line. They bore the brunt of the attack, wading into where the fighting was deepest, and taking on the most Others. Even so, the purified spot was falling. Jiang Qing''e''s sword bludgeoned into another rank of Others. She was conserving energy now, light resonant energy flashing for only an instant during connection and winking out the moment her enemies were cut down. Her mastery was incredible. Her golden eyes were fearless as she turned to the grinning demon. "Duze Honglian." Duze Honglian''s whip of red iron snaked out, and more Others fell in a flash of flame. She turned to her rival. "The grinning demon is weakened. The two of us will take it down. Qiu Bai, Tian Tian, hold the line with the others!" Duze Honglian stood wordlessly for a moment. She knew that the two of them were the strongest on the field. But with Jiang Qing''e still injured, even their combined powers would not be enough to take down the grinning demon. It was going to be a one-way trip forward. Still, they would eventually lose by attrition otherwise. "Let''s go. Anything that Jiang Qing''e dares to do, Duze Honglian does too, she said harshly. The two girls stepped forward as one, cutting down the Others in their way as they made their way towards the ultimate enemy. Qiu Bai, Tian Tian, and the others watched miserably. They knew what the conclusion would be. But was there any other option? Gamble it all. That was all they could do. But just then, there was a new force that began to make the ground tremble. Boom, boom, BOOM. The sounds were growing louder and louder. Mini earthquakes, hitting one after another in a steady rhythm. Many of the students looked around, fearful that this was another trick of the Heavenly Disaster Class Other. Both girls halted, then they realized that the new shock was coming from the back of the purified spot. They whirled around. BOOM! BOOM! Louder and louder. And then they spotted a gigantic figure, looming tall above all of them, charging towards them at speed. At the same time, a hysterical voice piped up from somewhere in front. "Out of the way! "Out of the way!" Jiang Qing''e recognized the sweet voice immediately. "It''s Li Luo!" "Li Luo?" Duze Honglian repeated in disbelief. The little brat was back? What mummery had he cooked up now? "Out of the way, everyone!" Jiang Qing''e echoed his calls. The students complied, fleeing to the high wall. BOOM! With a deafening crack, a building exploded in a cloud of dust. There was a figure running for his life at the front. "Li Luo!" Yi Lisha and Si Qiuying recognized the familiar figure. "Leader!" Bai Mengmeng cheered. He ignored all of them, concentrating all his energy on his feet. Neither of his resonances were suited for speed, but he was making it work. A root appeared on the ground in front of him as he ran. His foot lifted off it, and it sprang him forward for a little boost. He landed smack in the thick of the fighting. Completely surrounded by Others, and the Heavenly Disaster Class was nearby as well. Did he have a death wish? He skidded to a halt and ran his hand through his hair, slick with sweat. He pointed his blade at the grinning demon. "Hey, dog face, the Astral Sage College''s guardian beast is here now. Accept your fate!" From behind him, a roar answered, and another colossal shaking punctuated by dust clouds followed. A huge figure sailed out of the haze, landing in the middle of the purified spot. It was as big as a hill. Amid the chaos of the battlefield, there were some clear sections. In the very middle stood Li Luo, alone. Behind him was the three-tailed beast, its tails swiping from side to side, twitching in anticipation. A mere Resonant Master had the Others backing away from the titans in the middle. And furthest from the students was the grinning demon, its grin now fading a little. This three-tailed beast was a real threat. A true threat. Had the little human brat brought reinforcements? Chapter 290: The Lonely Hero The chaotic battles ceased while the giants fought, and Others and humans alike regrouped warily. There was a tacit understanding that bigger threats were afoot. The three-tailed beast watched them all warily, its glowing, ruby eyes flicking between Li Luo and the grinning demon. It could sense the corruptive power from the latter. It was strong. Very strong. Since when had there been one that strong in these parts? And the cunning human. Could he have lured it here to weaken them both? The grinning demon bared its teeth in distrust. Was this spirit beast some sort of guardian? Reinforcements. Just when it was so close to cleaning out the juicy, fresh meat in the purified spot. It turned to the new threat and hissed in anger. No one would stop it from getting its rewards today! The three-tailed beast sensed the growing hostility and turned to the demon. It was the undisputed king of the forbidden zone, and it would rise to the challenge. It let out a warning roar. The situation here was messy, and it wouldn''t dive right in from the start. It had no intention of fighting needlessly. As long as it could have the human kid, it would bbe happy enough to leave. But the warning roar made the grinning demon tense up in suspicion. It sounded like a declaration of war. Both the beast and the demon had some primal intelligence. It served them especially well in survival, but not in higher forms of communication. Their savage spirits clashed against each other, and their warring natures surged forth. In response to the three-tailed beast''s roar, the grinning demon started to gather its own corruptive power, sending it in a towering plume up to the sky as intimidation. Still, it was not yet using its full strength. On the wall, Jiang Qing''e and the others anxiously watched on. Like Li Luo had envisioned, the forbidden zone''s spirit beast had been lured here. But would they fight? What if the spirit beast turned on them? For sure the three-tailed beast was not any guardian or friend of theirs! Once it was enraged, it would happily slaughter everyone in the purified spot. It was clearly pretty smart. So far, it had resisted the urge to attack the grinning demon. It wouldn''t fight a Heavenly Disaster Class Other for no good reason. If the two were in a stalemate, the only ones to lose out here would be the students. Had they simply brought an additional problem upon themselves? Even Duze Honglian was sweating profusely now. This situation was too hot for her blood. "Why does it feel like this is adding fuel to the fire when we''re tied to the stake?" she muttered. Beside her, the others'' legs were turning to jelly. "Li Luo''s not afraid. What are you all afraid of?" Jiang Qing''e said mildly. That stiffened their backs somewhat. They were all cowering here and cringing from the pressure. What about Li Luo, who was out there between a demon and a beast? It was a miracle that he was even on his feet. "Still, prepare yourselves. We''re committed already, and in way over our heads. An extra beast doesn''t make much of a difference." She didn''t want to get their hopes up. Things still looked bleak, no matter how you cut it. If the two titans didn''t fight, the purified spot would still be doomed. It was just that now they would be doubly doomed. "Leader, we can''t just let them keep up this staring," Tian Tian whispered urgently. Jiang Qing''e nodded. She knew that the two monsters were sizing each other up. Neither was willing to make the opening move, but such a stalemate would be disadvantageous to them. They had to seize the advantage while things were still in flux. If Jiang Qing''e attacked now, they might anger the beast to turn on them. And then the grinning demon would know they were not allies after all. They could not make the first move. Who then? A silver-haired man between them. Li Luo was the best choice to act. Still, he was in a precarious position. If he advanced, the grinning demon would smash him to a pulp. Retreat, and the three-tailed beast would eat him alive. It seemed like a stalemate. What could he do? They averted their eyes from Jiang Qing''e out of consideration. And yet, it seemed impossible that she would allow Li Luo to sacrifice himself like that But something was moving now. Li Luo slowly raised a palm towards the air. He grinned at the people on the wall. He brought his hand down in a forward motion. "CHARGE!!" he yelled. His shortswords glittered, and he made his lonely charge towards the horde of Others. The students had tears in their eyes. Some of the girls were crying freely. "Leader," Bai Mengmeng sobbed. Xin Fu stared silently at his back, committing it to memory. "That guy..." Yi Lisha sighed. "It''s the first time I''ve had so much respect for a peer." Si Qiuying quietly thought to herself that perhaps she had finally found someone equally worthy of respect as her brother. "I''m sorry... Li Luo," she thought in her heart. Duze Honglian showed no emotion, but in the end she turned to Jiang Qing''e. The latter was staring at Li Luo, paralyzed in shock. Her knuckles were white around the hilt of her sword. On the battlefield, the lone hero leaped into the sea of enemies. Chapter 291: My Hero Heedless of the danger, Li Luo charged into the sea of Others, their arms hungry and welcoming. The torrent of whispering voices came gunning for his mind. He was immune. He was on the brink of death, on a strange, feverish high that closed off his mind to everything else. He charged on, a lamb bounding into the tigers den. There was no escape there, but he chose to go anyway. He was enough of a tactician to understand that the stalemate could not be allowed to continue. The plan could not be allowed to fail here. He had to push the plan along. Only he could do it. Only he was in the right place. Up to this point, he had come to the same conclusion as the rest of the students. But unlike them, he believed that there was a thread of hope. A desperate hope that the three-tailed beast would not sit idly by and watch him be taken by the Others. Li Luo knew that the three-tailed beast wanted his power. That was why it had chased him for so long. Would it let its target be eaten by someone else? Probably not. And once it moved, the grinning demon would move too. Stalemate broken. As for Li Luo? With chaos came opportunity. But this was all a long shot. If the three-tailed beast hesitated just a moment too long, chances were that Li Luo might be eaten alive. That would be a tragedy. A humongous bet. The stakes? Li Luo''s life. There was no other choice though. He was pale but determined. Soon enough, he was in the thick of it, weaving and ducking through the mad horde. The one plus-side was that he didn''t have to care about who was friendly or not. Everyone was unfriendly. The grinning demon did not move a muscle. But his minions were not as disciplined. They leaped up like frogs, maws wide open as they snapped at the silver fly. Giant bodies flew left and right as he continued to dodge and pray. They passed by so close that he could even see the spittle in their mouths. Li Luo was purposely cutting it close with his dodges. Each one made his heart squeeze with fright. He had to keep up the danger to tantalize the beast. BOOM! Just as Li Luo felt like he was going to be overwhelmed, he sensed a huge movement from behind. Aha! It charged the Others that were swarming over him. Crackle! A whole bunch of Others were incinerated with one angrily hot breath. Li Luo''s own skin was scorched badly, but he could move through the pain. A little giggle escaped his lips. The three-tailed beast was attacking his attackers. Warning them to stay away from its prey. Li Luo waved to it energetically. I love you, baby. The three-tailed beast''s answer was a gigantic tail swipe towards Li Luo, aiming to snag him. Li Luo dodged nimbly, and the wide-area attack swept a few more Others away. Painful howling. The grinning demon could hold back no longer. It seemed clear enough that the three-tailed beast was not only saving Li Luo, but challenging it as well. Guardian beast, confirmed. In that case, it would fight to the bitter end! The grinning demon snarled, its black energy surging forth in a roiling wave. Pss! Black sludge sprayed from its mouth. Each pile of sludge formed a pale arm in mid-air, which snaked out swiftly towards the three-tailed beast. The sight of the grinning demon spitting a hail of disembodied arms was enough to make everyone''s skin crawl. Roar! The three-tailed beast turned to face the grinning demon''s attack. With a wild bellow, it released more burning energy in response. A giant claw raked out, smashing the Eroding Class Others into pathetic smears on the sides of the deep gouges it left in the ground. Boom! Both sides clashed in a titanic struggle. Li Luo was sent flying by the epic aftershock. He whooped like a madman as he sailed through the air. Mission accomplished! Once their primal instincts took over, they wouldn''t stop fighting until one side was dead. He had done it. He felt a hot lump in his throat. He wanted to cry from relief and elation. For all these days, he had been strung up tight, and now the tension was finally gone. Ssshh shhhh! He was numb from fatigue, ready to keel over and collapse into a dead sleep. But when he closed his eyes, the whispering sounds of more Others came for him. As his vision dimmed, he saw a dozen of them loping his way. Shit. But once he relaxed, he found that he could not summon strength again. He had lost control of his body and was lying there helplessly. "Foiled... after all that?" he thought in frustration. Weng! A beam of golden light cut through the enemies. BOOM! A blade followed behind, beheading those that remained in a single clean stroke. Jiang Qing''e landed beside him. Behind her, Duze Honglian, her squad, and some other Three Star Hall students. They had come to retrieve their hero. Li Luo closed his eyes in relief and let his body go limp. Jiang Qing''e quickly scooped him up and then leaned his head tenderly against her shoulder. His breath was hot against her neck. She blushed a little, but this was not enough to make her let go. She reached out to pat his head, then she lowered her own to his ear. "Li Luo, this time, you''re my hero." Chapter 292: Clash of the Titans After saving Li Luo, the group quickly retreated to the high wall. The Others slinked back, afraid now that their leader was occupied. Li Luo was greeted like a hero. Two and Three Star Hall students alike cheered with reverence at their exhausted hero. He had saved them all. If not for the huge risk that he had undertaken, all of them would have been torn to bits and eaten. If they made it back to the Astral Sage College, Li Luo''s reputation would be godly. He would definitely be showered with awards and rewards. Jiang Qing''e set Li Luo down to rest, and the others crowded over. "Li Luo, you''re awesome! How did you manage to get the three-tailed beast here?" Tian Tian gushed. "It ran over the moment it saw me. I think it was dazzled by my handsomeness." Tian Tian and the others all laughed. He wasn''t cheeky anymore. To them, he was their hero, and the funniest man alive. "Its a good thing our leader insisted on bringing you with us on this purging mission. Otherwise, we''d all be dead," Qiu Bai said piously. "I always knew our leader was perfect. I feel ashamed for ever doubting her." Tian Tian looked at him in disgust. Still, who would have thought that their savior would not be the strongest fighters like Jiang Qing''e or Duze Honglian, but a newcomer to the Umbra Cave and a first year? Li Luo had exceeded all expectations this time. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu squeezed their way past the crowd too. "Leader," she said with glowing eyes, "you''re going to be the school idol from now on." Li Luo waved it away modestly. "Leader, the moment you left the purified spot, I composed the quote for your grave, but it''s okaywe can always use it another time." Li Luo stared at his other teammate. Was this boy cursing him? He should learn from Mengmeng. But with the outpouring of gratitude and well-wishes from everyone else, Li Luo had to let Xin Fu go (resentfully) for now. Duze Honglian hung back from the crowd, arms folded stiffly across her chest. Not even she could find any fault with his accomplishment now. He had laid his life on the line for it. His courage had to be admitted. In the past she had not really paid much attention to him. Jiang Qing''e had been her one and only rival. But now Li Luo was a real threat after he had proven himself in this crisis. The young lord of House Luolan was a guy who was happiest flying under the radar, but he might just be as dangerous as Jiang Qing''e herself. No wonder House Luolan had been recovering ever since he appeared. She had thought it was Jiang Qing''e''s credit alone, but Li Luo must have had a crucial hand in it. Ultimately, Li Luo had saved all of them, which meant that she sort of owed him one. Of course, it didn''t mean that enemies could become friends. They were destined to be enemies. The cheering on the wall continued for a long time, until their bubble of elation was popped by a particularly powerful energy explosion that rocked the entire spot. Li Luo, now slightly rested, climbed back to his feet as well. The spirit beast and Other were still duking it out, raw bolts of energy and corruption flying back and forth. The fury of their fighting left craters across the entire field. They flinched with every impact, unable to keep their eyes open even though they knew it was coming. "Well? Who do you think will win?" Li Luo asked. "The three-tailed beast has a big advantage. It''s unusually strongseems like the rumors that it was trying to break into Duke Stage has some ground to it. It has had the grinning demon well in hand from the start of the battle." "Although the grinning demon is a Heavenly Disaster Class, in terms of pure battle power, it''s a little short. Plus, it spent a lot of its reserves breaking down the purification barrier. It''s not doing well in the fight." "I think the grinning demon will lose, but the spirit beast will pay a heavy price for the win." The ideal outcome: one dead, one injured. And when the three-tailed beast was injured, the seal in his hand would work just fine. He couldn''t wait. The epic battle was a bloody affair, now white-hot in intensity. Both were throwing out their complete arsenal in order to deal as much damage as they could. The three-tailed beast had raw gashes all across its flanks, still smoking with black gas. The grinning demon''s face was in even worse shape. It looked like someone had stomped all over it. Claw marks riddled its body, making its grotesque Other body even more hideous than it already was. It was badly injured. The grinning demon lurched forward again, but its corruptive power was markedly weaker now. It was mad with anger. Just at the crowning moment of its victory, this damn animal had come to ruin everything. Hee hee! It screamed an insane laugh, and the countless Others started to rush over as if commanded by some intangible force. They were closing in on the three-tailed beast from behind. The beast roared, sending jet after jet of its flame attack against them. The horde was overwhelming. Some of them fell, but they were immediately replaced by others. Their speed did not slow. A torrent of black finally reached the three-tailed beast... and then moved past it. They were not charging towards the three-tailed beast, but toward the injured grinning demon! They didn''t seem to be in the mood to treat the grinning demon''s wounds. The grinning demon sensed that something was off, and it screamed in defiance. The scream held no more power. Overtaken by waves of Others, it disappeared under their combined power. Anguished screams from under the mass of monsters. The students watched wide-eyed as the seemingly invincible grinning demon was pulled apart by its minions before their very eyes. Some ripped off chunks of flesh and then scampered away to safe places to enjoy it. Almost like a buffet. Its army had backfired... When its power waned in its fight, so did its control over the lower level Others. When its mastery faded, it was simply a resource for them to eat. A reverse devouring. Like a swarm of raving piranhas, they tore their former master to bits, and then melted away into the gloom. Suddenly, the plains were quiet again. No one cheered. They could see the three-tailed beast still standing, bleeding from its wounds. Its crimson eyes were still bright as it now turned towards them. Chapter 293: Green Luan Rivulets of blood ran down the fur of the three-tailed beast as it turned to the defenders of the purified spot. It was a frightened silence that greeted it. Li Luo might have dealt with the grinning demon, but the three-tailed beast could very well be an even larger problem! It was even stronger than the grinning demon. And who among them could stand up against the beast that had taken down the Other? It was heavily injured, but it was still much stronger than anyone they had. They had celebrated too early! The students were dispirited all over again, and their shoulders slumped in resignation of their death. This rollercoaster of emotions between hope and despair was too much to bear. Even Jiang Qing''e and the other third years didn''t know what to do. "Let''s go. Hold out as long as we can. At least the beast is alone. If we lose here, everyone can scatter and run away. A few of us should leave," Jiang Qing''e said calmly. The grinning demon had them surrounded with Others previously. Once their barrier broke, they would have died without exception. But now, although their new foe was stronger, it was alone. It was, perhaps, a slight improvement. Plus, the spirit beast might be savage, but it probably wasn''t as keen on human flesh compared to the Others. The others saw the dark humor in the situation and smiled grimly. No one blamed Li Luo for his plan. At the very least, he had bought them time, if nothing else. Perhaps they would have been able to bring the spirit beast down if the grinning demon hadn''t been reverse cannibalized by its own kind. Or if it had bought enough time for reinforcements to arrive. The three-tailed beast stomped its way over to them steadily, shaking the ground with each step. The students couldn''t breathe. There was some amusement in those crimson eyes. It was toying with its food. The most classic play of beasts everywhere: play with the prey until it died. Jiang Qing''e did not intend to go down that way. The third year veterans all stood strong with her for now, but the Two Star Hall students might break down at any moment. Li Luo stepped out before she could. Everyone stared at him, agog. "Well, since I''m the one who made this mess, I guess I should clean it," Li Luo said, pulling up his sleeve as casually as if he had spilled milk on the table. He was quite satisfied with his performance so far. This would be a very satisfying end to things. Him, wrapping up the festivities. The seal on his palm was crying out for satisfaction. The students looked at him doubtfully. Was he planning to do it alone? Sure, he had pulled off some pretty epic stuff so far, but surely this was impossible, right? "Li Luo, we''re not blaming you for bringing the beast here," Tian Tian said hesitantly. "There''s no need to atone with your death." All the students nodded agreement. "I''m not going to die," Li Luo said indignantly. Qiu Bai sighed. "There rest of us are though." Li Luo stared at him. Damn, man, you''re still breathing, aren''t you? Don''t get all nihilistic on me! I''ve been running my ass off the last few days and even I haven''t given up yet. "You''re really going?" Jiang Qing''e suddenly cut in. Li Luo nodded gravely. "One must bear one''s responsibilities." Some of the female students were in tears, but Jiang Qing''e had a look of happy amusement in her eyes. "Go on, then." "Er..." This wasn''t right. Had she always been such a blunt person? Wasn''t she going to tearfully beg him to live or something? He had even prepared a nice, heroic script. Now he couldn''t even use it. "Go on, then." She poked him. "Sister Qiang, that''s very unkind of you. How could you send Li Luo to face that thing alone?" a student called out. Li Luo saw that Jiang Qing''e was still smiling. Had the plump swan sensed that he had something up his now-rolled-up sleeve? Was she that astute? Damn, he had been expecting some comfort or reward. Those were hard to come by. Why did swans have to be smarter than they were affectionate? He kicked up a cloud of dust grumpily and started forward, but a cool, slim hand suddenly slipped into his own. His heart skipped a beat. She gave him a glowing smile, looking down almost shyly as the wind blew a wisp of hair across her face. "I''m counting on you this time. But you''ve made me see my own failings this time. I''ll work hard in the future so you never have to take such risks again." Li Luo''s heart warmed and chilled at the same time. It was very touching, but were those words that the girl should be saying to the guy!? Still, a little reward was better than no reward. He gave her hand a little squeeze, then he walked on. "Leader," Xin Fu said, catching up and matching his stride. "Do you still need my gravestone quote?" "Off with you," Li Luo said irritably. This guy must have caught on too... Why was he so damn readable nowadays? He hopped down off the high wall, walking on towards the three-tailed beast. It stared at him, and its killing intent filled the air. It was the cunning human that had played it. If not for this kid luring it here, it would not have spent so much resources and energy fighting that grinning demon. But now that was behind it. First it would eat this kid and then the rest of the scraps behind it. "Why, hello there," Li Luo said affably to its rumbling growl. Like an engine roaring to life, the three-tailed beast leaped forth with a deafening cry, ready to shred Li Luo to bits. Its shadow eclipsed him, and he looked especially small under it. No more delays. It was time to eat the human. Li Luo raised his palm, and the seal in his hand glowed. Finally. WHISH! A rumble of wind and thunder suddenly swept in. A bolt of green light appeared, swifter than anyone could register. It arced across the entire sky, in the shape of a green luan on the wing. [1] The students gasped. "Hold it right there, foul beast!" BOOM! The howling wind formed a green wall around Li Luo, and the three-tailed beast ran headlong into it. The wall shattered, and the beast was thrown back, winded. While Li Luo was still reeling, a column of green light suddenly landed before him. Li Luo saw a tall, willowy figure with a staff of white jade. That arresting figure, that strength, Li Luo recognized her in an instant. The First Princess! Reinforcements were here! But Li Luo felt a strong surge of resentment come forth. I''ve hunted this thing for days. Are you going to steal my thunder just like that in the end?! 1. TN: A luan is a mythical creature, pretty close to a pheasant (or phoenix if you''re romantic). Usually symbolizes peace. Chapter 294: First Princess Timely Arrival The opportune appearance of the First Princess left the entire group of students momentarily dumbstruck, then they erupted with raucous cheers of excitement and relief. Their faces were scrawled with expressions of fervour and solace. They had been granted a new lease of life. No one had foreseen this development, that a savior would appear in their most dire of times. The First Princess possessed almighty Heavenly Dipper General strength, ensuring that even the three-tailed beast would not find her an easy foe to dispatch, despite its power. Furthermore, her arrival heralded the fact that reinforcements were likely to be approaching as well. Their sticky situation had been resolved by a significant margin. At the same time, hearing the hallelujahs from the crowd caused the First Princess to heave a sigh of relief. It looked as though their defenses had not been breached completely. She had made it in time. Turning her head to glance at Li Luo, she queried, "What is our lone hero doing against the three-tailed beast? Hurry and leave this place to me." Li Luo blankly stared at the First Princess''s heavenly features, an expression that looked as though he was on the verge of breaking out into tears. "Dear Princess, couldn''t you have taken a detour?" If the First Princess had arrived just a tad later, he would have cleaned up the entire situation perfectly. That would have been the ideal ending! The truth was that Li Luo had been hunted by this three-tailed beast for many days. Pent up frustration and fury had built up within him, and this was the best opportunity to let himself loose. The First Princess was a little shocked, immediately shooting an annoyed glance at Li Luo before huffily replying, "A detour? So that I would be just in time to retrieve your corpse? You little bastard, you don''t know how to appreciate others good intentions! I have not rested a wink during these last few days, rushing here without pause through the days and nights. In the end, I even left my team behind, all so that I could arrive here even quicker!" Li Luo finally had a good look at the First Princess at this point. To his surprise, her usually immaculate bun had a few strands out of place and her usually pristine and noble charm seemed to have been lost. She had clearly selflessly rushed here with all her strength when the clarion call for help was made. "The First Princess is truly a sterling paragon of our generation.." Li Luo sighed as he gave her a thumbs up. Although the situation had been stabilized through his actions, the lady in front of him had rushed here to save them. This debt of friendship had to be recognized and returned! "Are you alright though?" the First Princess quered as she inspected Li Luo from head to toe. Surprisingly, this devious man seemed to be completely fine. He was a little worn out, but otherwise, he seemed to be in the pink of health. "I thank the First Princess for her concern." Li Luo grinned. "Of course I''m worried. Why else would I have bolted over here? Well, you clearly know the reason why. His Majesty finally has a faint ray of hope in recovery, so how can I condemn him to his doom?" Nodding, Li Luo agreed. With the other party''s strength and status, there was no need to do so. She did not beat around the bush and got straight to the point. Li Luo was her only concern and nothing else. However, it was not for him as a person, but the fact that he was the only source of salvation for her brother. The First Princess did not continue with idle words, directly turning to face the three-tailed beast, a grim look forming upon her face. "Didn''t you say that a Heavenly Disaster Class Other had appeared? How did it turn into a peak stage Heavenly Disaster Class spirit beast?" Furthermore, she was a little confused as the spirit beast in front of her also seemed a little familiar... "The Heavenly Disaster Class Other has already been dealt with," Li Luo replied dryly. This answer left the First Princess dumbfounded. The Heavenly Disaster Class Other had been killed? Just who could have managed such a feat amongst this group? Was it Jiang Qing''e? That didn''t seem very plausible. A ninth-grade light resonance was tyrannical, but it did not possess such demonic might. Additionally, Jiang Qing''e was still in the Earth Fiend Stage. Suddenly, a realization dawned upon her. "Could it be that this spirit beast was the one who finished it off?" "Oh! The First Princess truly is a sharp one!" Li Luo smiled. Even though she had managed to guess what had happened correctly, she still felt that something just didn''t seem right. "Then how did this peak General Stage spirit beast appear here?" It was too coincidental that a spirit beast could conveniently dispose of their troubles at their moment of crisis. "Hmm, that... Well, I lured it from the forbidden zone," Li Luo cheerily explained. The First Princess looked as though she had been struck by a thunderbolt. No wonder this spirit beast seemed familiar. This was the spirit beast that had been imprisoned in purified spot 13''s forbidden zone zone! But how had Li Luo managed to bring it out? Sweeping her gaze across the battlefield, she finally noticed the signs of a cataclysmic and grisly battle, most likely the result of the confrontation between the Heavenly Disaster Class Other and the spirit beast. "You purposely led the spirit beast here to borrow its might to handle the Heavenly Disaster Class Other." Her expression and gaze towards Li Luo were filled with complicated emotions as she had fully understood the daring and danger of this plan. However, she still had to admit that this was the one solution that could have changed their fate. At the very least, this spirit beast''s confrontation with the Heavenly Disaster Class Other had bought them precious time. Otherwise, the only thing she would have been greeted with would have been a pile of dried husks. "Li Luo, you''re truly impressive," the First Princess reluctantly conceded. "You truly deserve the title of the hero of the masses if everything was truly orchestrated by you!" "First Princess, there''s no need to exaggerate. I''m just trying to save myself after all." A wry smile on her face, she replied, "However, your current predicament isn''t any better than your previous situation." Her lovely eyes once again focused on the three-tailed beast that had paused in its tracks upon her arrival. A trace of seriousness gradually materialised in her gaze. "Unfortunately, this spirit beast is even stronger than that Heavenly Disaster Class Other. The only bright side is that it has been injured heavily. If I had to face it at peak condition, I would not be its match unfortunately. Perhaps I would only be able to buy time for reinforcements to arrive. By then, this would no longer be an issue." Although the First Princess possessed Heavenly Dipper General Stage strength, she was still a notch weaker than the three-tailed beast. This was a peak General Stage spirit beast that had even touched upon the path of the Duke! A victory against it would definitely be hardfought. However, buying time was of no concern. "You should retreat back to the wall." The First Princess'' grip tightened around a white jade staff, preparing to clash against the spirit beast. Upon seeing this, Li Luo could feel a headache coming. "Your Highness, although I am very thankful for your timely intervention, to be honest... you can just leave this up to me." The First Princess was stopped right in her tracks, a look of complete bafflement on her face. The entire scene was head scratchingly strange. Li Luo wanted her to leave the spirit beast to him? One that she would have trouble dealing with? "Li Luo, are you trying to pull a prank on me? This isn''t the time to mess around," the First Princess spoke in exasperation. Li Luo did not continue to speak superfluous words. Instead, he took a deep breath and raised his palm towards the beast, pointing it directly at the spirit beast not too far away. The seal in the middle of his palm began to emit a radiant glow. Splash! Roar! In that very moment, tens of thousands of scintillating rays of light lanced out of his palm, directly piercing the void between the two before completely enveloping the massive body of the three-tailed beast. Roar! These chains of light had taken the spirit beast by surprise, eliciting an immediate struggle to escape. Yet the seal left no space for retreat, immediately glowing with even more resplendent intensity. They were like snakes made of light, drilling their way into the already gaping wounds of the spirit beast, further rending its flesh and coiling themselves around the bones of the beast. Roar! The three-tailed beast roared with mournful and pitiful cries at this act. Realizing that the situation was not looking optimistic for it, it began to struggle with renewed ferocity, a raging flame bursting out and enshrouding it, turning it into a flaming titan of a beast. Its very existence scorched the earth and caused it to crack. With its last struggle, the massive creature began to retreat. Seeing this sight, Li Luo was extremely surprised. He had truly underestimated the intelligence of this three-tailed beasthe had never expected it to retreat in such a situation. Its self preservation instincts were truly exceptional. Ultimately, the seal on his palm was lacking in strength. Furthermore, his body just wasn''t strong enough, and he could not supply the seal with greater amounts of resonant power. A furrowed frown on his face, he immediately turned to face the First Princess, stretching out his hand and very naturally lightly grasping hers, completely disregarding the look of shock on her face. "Sorry, but I need to borrow you for a second," he chimed in with a radiant grin on his face. Right at this moment, the First Princess could feel the resonant power from within her, explosively rush out like a tide through their combined channel. Chapter 295: Sealing the Three-tailed Beast With the First Princess'' deep reserves of power working as a battery, the seal on Li Luo''s palm powered up, its energy swelling. More and more chains of light lashed around the three-tailed beast, biting deep into its flesh until it caught against bone. RAWGH!! Like never-ending thunder, its howls shook the earth. No use. Supported by the First Princess'' resonant power, the three-tailed beast was finally caught, and its body began to fly towards Li Luo. Its ponderous body was rapidly shrinking, and it soon dissolved into a mere stream of light that was sucked up by the seal on Li Luo''s palm. "Seal!" Li Luo shouted, slamming his palm on the ground. The light rays reversed directions obediently, now splaying out over the ground in a formation that cracked the soil. From underneath, a stone statue of the three-tailed beast emerged. The statue was trussed up in chains. Finally, the three-tailed beast had been sealed for good. At that moment, the ancient seal on Li Luo''s palm faded, but in its place he felt a warmth around his wrist. A dark-red bracelet was forming around his wrist. He shook his sleeve down over it instinctively, hiding it from view. Whew. "All done." He turned around to see a pair of astonished phoenix eyes regarding him. The First Princess could not process what had just happened. She had fought tooth and nail against the three-tailed beast in a harrowing fight, and yet Li Luo had sealed it away so easily? What sort of sorcery was this? What had happened in his short time here in the Umbra Cave? Her mind was still reeling, but her court training allowed her to hold her composure. "What did you just do?" she asked in a steady voice. "I used the seal that the principal left behind." Li Luo grinned. "It''s a sentient piece of work, so it grasped my plan and transferred itself to my hand. But the seal wasn''t strong enough, so I had to weaken the three-tailed beast first." "The principal''s seal..." It had never occurred to her that the seal could be used in such a way. Her face went dark as realization hit her. "Which means it didn''t matter whether I came or not?" She had charged towards them at full speed for days, not even caring that her hair was a mess. But they actually didn''t need her? She glowered at Li Luo, seized with an urge to clobber his silver head. Li Luo started and backed away. "Er... don''t say that. Without your resonant power, I might not have been able to seal the beast." She glowered some more. Anyone could be a battery. Plus, they had other strong fighters here like Jiang Qing''e and Duze Honglian. Their powers combined were probably pretty close to her own. Of course, it was great that they were all safe, but the First Princess still felt somewhat resentful. Her ample chest heaved with a sigh. "Well, I have to hand it to you, Li Luo." Her tone was neutral, and he had no idea what she was implying. She turned and walked off towards the purified spot. Li Luo watched her slender figure go. Women were really hard to please sometimes. Even royalty had their immature moments. Was I wrong to seal the three-tailed beast?! You couldn''t beat it either That was just plain unreasonable. Li Luo turned back to look at the statue, and he rubbed at the red ring on his wrist. A moment later, he headed back for the purified spot too. On the high wall, everyone was still entranced by the statue. The spirit beast had been even more terrifying than the grinning demon, but Li Luo had easily sealed it away... That''s right, not the First Princess, but Li Luo! They had seen clearly that the First Princess had not done anything. Li Luo had handled it all by himself. It was so preposterous that they started to wonder if they were all in a dream Or perhaps the grinning demon''s illusion world? One student slapped himself, and the sound was enough to convince other students. Yup, it was real. Li Luo had sealed the beast. "That seal he used... it must have been the one that the principal left at the forbidden zone. Somehow he must have managed to transfer it to himself and then used it when the beast was injured." Jiang Qing''e spoke their thoughts. "No wonder it looked familiar," Tian Tian confirmed. "Which means," Qiu Bai added, "that guy already had the way to suppress the beast prepared? Then all that martyr act was bullshit?!" "Junior Li Luo''s seal must not have been a guaranteed win. He was still very courageous." A random senior girl defended him. "..." Qiu Bai was speechless. Li Luo''s popularity was already taking root. Did it really mean so much to be handsome? The girls had been blown away by him so easily. Still, none of it really mattered compared to the fact that they had finally overcome the crisis. Many students were ecstatic, on a high of relief at having survived. They were totally worn out after everything that had happened in the last few days, both physically through fighting and mentally after struggling with their imminent deaths. Moreover, they had survived completely uninjured. The First Princess walked among them, reassuring the students that more reinforcements were following soon and that they would soon be safe. She walked over to Jiang Qing''e and the other third years. "Thank you, Your Highness," Jiang Qing''e said in greeting. "Don''t mention it. So many days of road dust, all to be a resonant power battery, the First Princess said dryly. "House Luolan''s young lord is a real madman, to take on a Heavenly Dipper General Stage spirit beast as a Resonant Master." Jiang Qing''e shook her head. "That was not his strength, Your Highness. It was the principal''s." "Still, the beast was even stronger than a Heavenly Disaster Class. The guts on the boy to lure it over from the forbidden zone... House Luolan has a sleeping dragon in its eaves." In the past, Duze Honglian would have jeered, with no care that it was the First Princess who had said it. But now she held her tongue. Because if not for Li Luo''s plan, the purified spot would have fallen to the grinning demon, and all of them would be dead. There was nothing that anyone could criticize about Li Luo''s contribution. In the past, she thought that her younger brother was highly talented, that he wouldn''t lose to anybody. But having seen Li Luos performance here, Duze Beixuan started to pale in comparison. "After this, Li Luo''s popularity and reputation in school will skyrocket. He''ll be the star of his year." Reputation was a curious thing. Sometimes, strength alone couldn''t earn it. Jiang Qing''e looked at her fiance, who was currently chatting and laughing with his own squad. They were thronged by many grateful students, including many Three Star Hall students. She smiled. Reputation? As if Li Luo ever cared about such things. The guy only cared about getting 100,000 school points on this trip. Still, at least they were out of danger now. Even for someone as tough as her, it was a huge relief. Chapter 296: Dark Red Bracelet Approximately half a day later, the majority of the dispatched reinforcements steadily streamed in. The arrival of these saviors greatly strengthened the morale in the stronghold, giving rise to endless cheers. These reinforcements were led by Gong Shenjun, and they marched in valiantly. However, the first thing that caught their eye was the colossal three-tailed beast statue. Everyone looked around in confusion. "Wasn''t the call for help due to a Heavenly Disaster Class Other''s sneak attack? How did it transform into a spirit beast?" "This seal looks extremely complicated. Could this perhaps be Your Highness'' doing?" "Amazing." "It looks like our effort was for naught. Your Highness has already single handedly dispatched of the danger." One Four Star Hall student after another began to chime out in praise. Although they could not understand even an iota of the intricacies of the seal, this did not prevent them from intinstictively comprehending its magicalness. Gong Shenjun pondered over the situation with an absentminded look on his face, slowly shaking his head. "No. This is definitely not the handiwork of Luanyu. However, the resonant power emitting from the seal clearly originates from her." Yet all these thoughts only brought about even more questions that baffled him. Only the First Princess had the power to deal with such a creature. Who else could have resolved the students'' predicament? Then again, just who could create a seal of such power? They had many questions but no clear answers. The team of rescuers then swarmed into the stronghold, where they were met with the raucous cries of happiness. All of the students immediately came up to welcome them. The First Princess, Duze Honglian, and the rest were no exception. "Luanyu, I had not expected you to snatch away the prize." Gong Shenjun laughed with a warm expression on his face. Yet a hint of suspicion lurked within his gaze. The First Princess had simply arrived too quickly. The location she had come from was further than him. Ultimately, she was the first to arrive, demonstrating that she had truly exhausted herself to respond to these summons. Although rescuing a fellow student was their duty, her swift response and the lengths she had gone through to save the students seemed abnormal to say the least. Based on his estimates, if Purified spot 13 had truly been attacked by a Heavenly Disaster Class Other, this could only have been chalked up to bad luck. Even if they had rushed over, he would only have found rotting corpses, making their journey a complete waste of time and effort. With this in mind, why would they even bother to rush over? On the contrary, the First Princess had made her way over with all due haste. None of this seemed to add up in his mind, especially with his understanding of the First Princess'' personality. She might seem amiable and approachable, but beneath that warm exterior hid a cold and steely personality. As members of royalty, they had lived through too much political intrigue, and naturally this resulted in all of them wearing a mask for their own protection. The First Princess wore one, and so did he. Hence, everything about this rescue led to countless questions and surprises. "Could it be that it was due to Jiang Qing''e? Perhaps she''s trying to sway her heart?" Gong Shenjun''s gaze glinted with curiosity as he continued to guess. He knew that the First Princess had been striving to pull Jiang Qing''e into her orbit. Her potential was worth the investment. The First Princess'' beautiful face let out a wry smile. "With how dangerous things were, if I had come any later, countless students might have perished. Hence, I did my best to get here, hoping to save whomever I could." The surrounding crowd''s gazes were filled with endless gratitude upon hearing the words of the First Princess. Although the situation had been resolved by Li Luo''s numerous measures, the First Princess'' timely arrival had demonstrated her concern and care for the students. Gong Shenjun smiled in response, unsure if the First Princess was merely trying to rally the crowd. She had indeed arrived quickest and was deserving of praise. "It looks like the credit for being the savior will only belong to you." Upon hearing those words, an incandescent smile lit up on her face without skipping a beat. "Does Brother Gong believe that I have the capability to overpower a spirit beast that was approaching the Duke Stage?" "A great spirit beast which has begun to comprehend the path of the Duke?" He immediately focused his attention onto the stone statue. Even he would have difficulty dealing with such a beast''s attacks. He was only at the Heavenly Dipper General Stage, far from comprehending the mysteries of the Duke Stage. "Then just whose handiwork was responsible for the sealed spirit beast?" Everyone was equally flabbergasted at that realization. If the First Princess had not taken action, how had these students resolved their predicament? "To be honest, this was all for nothing. Even if I had not come, this purified spot would have been fine," the First Princess spoke frankly. She had no intention of lowering herself to steal someone else''s credit. "I don''t get it. What happened? Only you could have possibly dealt with such a great spirit beast. Which one of these muppets could possibly stand a chance?" Gong Shenjun retorted with a furrowed look on his face. Jiang Qing''e? She might be overflowing with potential, but ultimately she was merely at the Earth Fiend General Stage. If she had entered the Heavenly Dipper General Stage, things may have been slightly different. "Li Luo brought about this miracle," the First Princess explained with a complex look on her face. This bombshell left the Four Star Hall students shellshocked. Even Gong Shenjun''s jaw dropped as he looked at the slightly dispirited First Princess. It took a moment before they were able to compose themselves. "You mean Li Luo had a way of dealing with this great spirit beast?" Some of the Four Star Hall students burst out in laughter at the outlandishness of this statement. Impossible! Yet their guffaws were met with a somber expression on the First Princess'' face. She was not joking, it seemed. The students who had been saved did not retort either, merely nodding their heads in agreement. Staring blankly at each other, the guffaws gave way to another round of confused looks. Wasn''t Li Luo a new One Star Hall student, on his very first expedition to the Umbra Cave? It was mind-boggling to even think about how this newbie could have resolved a situation that the First Princess and Gong Shenjun would struggle with. "It was truly settled by Li Luo." At this point, Duze Honglian spoke up with a complicated look on her face. She had never expected that there would be a day where she would stand up for Li Luo. This was the cold, hard truth after all. After which, she briefly explained Li Luo''s entire plan and how he had managed to seal the great spirit beast. With Duze Honglian''s narration, Gong Shenjun''s expression couldn''t help but turn awe-struck, and his gaze seemed to deepen. The rest of the Four Star Hall students had incredulous looks on their faces. Their impression of Li Luo had undergone a massive change. A new student, thrown into a new environment, had achieved so much? Being able to summon such bravery amidst dire circumstances was truly not a simple feat. Gong Shenjun gradually snapped out of his trance, immediately sweeping his gaze across the crowd. Surprisingly, Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo were nowhere to be found. "Junior Li Luo is the master of miracles." No one had expected that such an unorthodox plan would resolve their situation. It undoubtedly required a trace of luck, but this was merely one part of it. Being able to come up with this audacious plan and executing it himself demonstrated the mettle of a man. A hint of respect flickered through Gong Shenjun''s eyes. For one, he had never looked down on Li Luo. How could the esteemed Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan give birth to a complete wastrel? At the same time, he still seemed to have underestimated that unassuming young lord... Meanwhile... "This dark-red bracelet appeared after you sealed the three-tailed beast?" Whilst Gong Shenjun was enjoying his reception, Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo were huddled together in a nondescript stone hut. She was very naturally holding on to Li Luo''s hand, her golden irises focused on the bracelet. Li Luo had taken the initiative to inform Jiang Qing''e of this new development. Furthermore, the two were extremely close, so there was no room for secrets between them. As the two held hands, Li Luo was once again given the opportunity to fully appreciate Jiang Qing''e''s ravishing countenance. It was indeed a soul-stirring sight. Her snow-white complexion gave one the impression of holding the finest polished jade. Taking advantage of this moment, Li Luo couldn''t help but give her little hand a tight squeeze. "Stop messing around," Jiang Qing''e snapped as she glared at Li Luo, almost causing his soul to fly out of his body in fright. Releasing her hand, she spoke solemnly. "This bracelet contains some sort of mighty power within, something even my resonant power is unable to penetrate. The strength within is vast and boundless, something I am unable to handle. It should not have been created by the three-tailed beast. "I''m afraid this has to do with the Principal. Perhaps it''s something he left for you." Chapter 297: Sealing Treasured Artifact "The principal left me something?" Li Luo had thought that the seal''s power was gone when it vanished from his hand. Had it been transferred to the dark-red bracelet instead? King Stage experts worked in mysterious ways. And how this bracelet worked was a real mystery to him indeed. "Maybe you should try channeling your resonant power through it. If the principal left it to you, maybe only you can unlock it," Jiang Qing''e suggested. Li Luo nodded and sat down in the lotus position. Closing his eyes, he summoned his resonant power and pushed it towards the bracelet. He felt a strange jolt when his power touched ita vast consciousness that swallowed up his own. The principal! Li Luo jerked within his mind, and he suddenly found himself in a black void. The only thing present was a stone platform a few meters across, the one that he was currently standing on. In the middle of the platform sat a cross-legged person, smiling at him. "Principal?" Li Luo exclaimed with surprise and relief. "So you pulled off the plan. Not bad," Pang Qianyuan said with a hint of approval. "You are too kind," Li Luo said modestly. "If not for the Principal''s support, I wouldn''t have been able to run away from the three-tailed beast for so long. "My plan was just hare-brained madness. It was full of holes." "Not everyone could have kept to their method in the madness." Pang Qianyuan chuckled. "It takes a rare combination of courage and coolness. That character trait is more important than any high-grade resonance, mark my words." On the outside, Li Luo smiled bashfully. On the inside, he thought, More, Principal, Sir! Praise me more! I just love to hear those words from you! But Pang Qianyuan suddenly stopped talking, fixing him with a penetrating look. Li Luo squirmed a little, hiding his transparent thoughts with a cough. "So, Principal, Sir, what brings you here? And what''s with the bracelet?" "This is just the last shred of my will I attached. I''ll soon fade away." The figure smiled. "As for the bracelet... it''s a treasured artifact. It is a special present for you." "A sealing treasured artifact?" Li Luo marveled at the bracelet anew. Even among treasured artifacts, it was probably quite a high-quality one. Treasured artifacts were a higher grade of resonant artifacts, and commensurately stronger. Crucially, treasured artifacts had mystical powers that would help one in both cultivation and battle. Some of the stronger and rarer treasured artifacts could even help build ones'' resonances naturally, without spirit liquids and purifying lights. However, those treasured artifacts were so rare that the Xia Kingdom''s Golden Dragon Bank probably had never even seen one. A flash of understanding came to Li Luo soon enough. "A sealing treasured artifact... So what''s sealed inside?" "Youre a sharp one, aren''t you?" Pang Qianyuan laughed. "Well, surely you''ve guessed by now?" He flicked a finger, sending a little light forth into the darkness. It danced like a drunken firefly out into the blackness, then exploded like a mini firework. In the brief moment of illumination, Li Luo caught sight of what lay below the platform they were on, and he inhaled sharply. He could not repress an involuntary shiver. Below him, a huge beast lay in slumber. Its three tails were locked down by huge chains. The three-tailed beast! Li Luo immediately recognized it. "But you- Wasn''t it sealed?" he stammered. He could not help but doubt what he had just seen. The three-tailed beast wasn''t in the stone statue at all! It was in his bracelet! "The thing outside''s just for show. Its meant to help you avoid some unwanted attention, is all. Well? Are you happy?" Pang Qianyuan grinned. "No way..." Happy? Li Luo was probably closer to tears. He had a literal horror locked away in his wrist. Logically, no seal would hold forever. What if one day the three-tailed beast found a way out? "Principal, please stop toying with me. I just did the school a favor," Li Luo whined. "I know my dad scolded you before, but surely you shouldn''t take it out on me." Pang Qianyuan snorted. "Alright, enough faking it, kid. You''re just trying to find out what I''m intending... "This beast''s name is the three-tailed heavenly wolf. It''s already close to Duke Stage. One day, if it truly reaches that level, it will be quite a force to be reckoned with. "Currently, I have it sealed, and I can teach you a secret art that will allow you to draw on its strength by utilizing the treasured artifact. For a short amount of time, you will receive tremendous strength. "Well, what do you think?" he said with a half-smile. Ulp. Li Luo swallowed, highly tempted. "The three-tailed heavenly wolf''s strength in addition to my own?" Li Luo would take all the strength he could get. In half a year''s time, House Luolan''s Housemeet would require every resource he could muster, if he wanted to see the house safely through the crisis. He would have to participate in the battles, and there would be strong opponents aplenty. By Li Luo''s estimation, only Heavenly Dipper Generals would qualify. In all likelihood, he would be watching Jiang Qing''e from the sidelines, helpless to do anything for her against the layers of intrigue and plotting that were sure to make an appearance. That was hard to bear. He wanted to be with Jiang Qing''e, to fight side by side to protect House Luolan. But he was too weak. Half a year was too little time. But with Pang Qianyuan''s secret art, maybe there was a shot. Li Luo calmed down quickly enough. This was still too good to be true. Pang Qianyuan wasn''t about to give him the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s power just as a mere reward. Surely there was another price to be paid. Seeing Li Luo move from eager temptation to calm calculation, Pang Qianyuan smiled even wider, pleased with his control. A steady mind in the face of both danger and riches... this kid was truly of Heavenly King Li''s bloodline "Indeed. You''re not getting it for free. I will give you this, but you need to do something for me in return... "Do you accept the deal?" Chapter 298: The Principals Request Accept the deal? Li Luo stared at Pang Qianyuan with some confusion. What could a mighty King like Pang Qianyuan need from a weak little Resonant Master like himself? A king asking a beggar for a favor? If the principal ever left the Umbra Cave, the whole Xia Kingdom would bow in submission before him. Duke experts were nothing before him! And now this King was asking him, humble Li Luo, for a favor... He shrugged off the dissonance. "What does the Principal want of me?" For now, the opening offer of the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s power was very tempting. It would allow him to participate in the battle at House Luolan''s Housemeet in half a year''s time. He would not have to sit on the sidelines and let Jiang Qing''e face the wolves alone. Pang Qianyuan did not answer him immediately. "I''ll tell you in a bit. First, let me warn you that the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s powers might be very tempting for you, but you''re clever enough to know that no power in this world comes for free. "The heavenly wolf is a feral creature," Pang Qianyuan continued slowly. "And you are far from it in strength. The power you borrow will be tainted with its feral nature, and it will affect you. It will make you bloodthirsty... a process I call ''lycanthropy. Once you go too far, you will be a slave to the wolfish nature. It is a terrible fate. "So I have to warn you to use the power judiciouslyonly in the most dire of situations." Li Luo nodded gravely. He had considered such a possibility as well. Every power had its drawbacks. He knew this too well from the price that he had paid for his acquired resonances. He fully intended to use it sparingly. Just another trump card up his sleeve. "My thanks to the Principal for the warning." Li Luo was still grateful that Pang Qianyuan was looking out for him to such an extent. The principal nodded with a smile. "You are a clever child. I sense that you would have felt that corrupting tug on your mind even without my warning. But as your teacher, I guess I do have a duty to warn you. And more importantly... "I wouldn''t want your mother to come after me." Li Luo smiled sheepishly. Was his mother really that much of a tigress? She could be very motherly... although he admitted that it wasn''t often. "As for the favor..." Pang Qianyuan brought the topic back, his face turning serious. "In truth, you should probably do it even without me asking you to." Li Luo cocked his head, puzzled. "At the end of this year, the various schools in the East Divine Continent will participate in the Holy Grail Meet, a grand affair organized by the major schools in the East Divine Continent. "The winner will be awarded a holy object known as the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, something handed down by the Academic Federation. It''s incredibly powerful, and one of its functions is its ability to suppress the Umbra Cave." "If our Astral Sage College can take the Dragon Bone Holy Grail this year, the Umbra Cave will remain silent for many years, and the dark tide will also subside. We will not have to risk student lives to purge the corruption. "That is why the Dragon Bone Holy Grail is so coveted among the schools in the East Divine Continent," Pang Qianyuan continued seriously. "Do you see how it could boost a school''s resources? Many cultivation resources and lives could be saved." Li Luo was awed by this information. Now that he had experienced the Umbra Cave first-hand, he had a newfound appreciation for its dangers. Even though they had gotten over the past crisis largely unscathed, there had still been a few casualties. Bright young men and women of roughly the same age were now dead, their potential gone. As for the survivors, they had come in laughing and smiling, but the harsh reality of Umbra Cave had left them grim. Everyone had lost friends here. What if his friends had been among the dead? Yu Lang, Lu Qing''er, Zhao Kuo... how would he feel? A look of resolution crept over his face. The Umbra Cave was endless, a yawning abyss that demanded the constant sacrifice of lives to keep it placated. The burden could not be given upholding it was the purpose of the Astral Sage College after all. To suppress the Umbra Cave and prevent the Others from rushing out into their world and causing untold destruction. At that time, the innocent humans in the Xia Kingdom would be devastated. Li Luo believed that their Astral Sage College was not the only one who faced such problems. Every other school had to be pained by the toll of lives that the Umbra Cave exacted on them. The Dragon Bone Holy Grail was a reprieve from that heavy burden. With the few years of time it could buy, the school that held it would see their talent pool flourish. They would save a ton of cultivation resources, including, of course, their most precious resource: human talent. Which was why the prize was so attractive. "Sir..." Li Luo snorted in disbelief. "You would have me go compete for the Dragon Bone Holy Grail? I''m just a newcomer. I wouldn''t be able to do well in a competition with such heat." Pang Qianyuan chuckled along. "Of course not... each school sends their creme de la creme to the Holy Grail Meet. You might be one of our best, but it wouldn''t completely be on your shoulders. "I want you to do something if we end up winning the Dragon Bone Holy Grail." He contemplated Li Luo carefully. "If we can get the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, I need you to put some of your blood essence into the cup at a special place. Li Luo, that is my request. "Your blood essence," Pang Qianyuan said soberly, hiding nothing from him. Li Luo started at the strange request. It was bizarre, and he had not seen it coming at all. What on earth did Pang Qianyuan want with his blood essence? Chapter 299: Heavenly Libation Chant Li Luo stood in silence for a moment on the stone dais. Pang Qianyuan''s curious request had him at a momentary loss. A mighty King needed the blood essence of a mere resonance master? The difference in power was like the gap between a human and an ant. What would he ever want with an ant''s blood essence? Because of his special triple resonant palaces? Surely not. Three resonant palaces was rare, but a King already had his three resonant palaces! Three mighty resonant palaces, all filled up. There was no reason to hanker after his three resonant palaces, which were only partially filled. But if not the resonant palaces, then what on earth could he offer to a King? Li Luo''s head jerked up. He understood. "Is it the blood of Heavenly King Li that the Principal is after?" Pang Qianyuan looked at him oddly. "Well, I already said you''re a sharp one," he admitted with a nod. "Your bloodline is special. I need it as a catalyst. But rest assured, I will not do anything to harm you. If I might be allowed to brag, I am a King after all. There''s nothing I need to fear from someone like you, regardless of your bloodline," he said with a hint of complacency. "As for why I really need your blood essence... I can''t tell you that for now. "All I can say is that in half a year, there might be some major changes at the Xia Kingdom. Perhaps not even the Astral Sage College will come through unscathed. I need to make preparations. Major changes? In half a year''s time? Wasn''t that exactly at the time that there would be major changes for House Luolan? Were the two somehow connected? "Sir, you are a King, and there''s no one in the Xia Kingdom who is your match," Li Luo blurted. "What could be so momentous that even you can''t control? "And isn''t the Astral Sage College backed by the Academic Federation? With such a powerful institution, what is there to fear?" "It''s complicated," Pang Qianyuan said after a pause. "Besides, our Astral Sage College might be a member of the Academic Federation, but you should be aware that struggle is everywhere. Do you really think all is well and harmonious within the Federation?" Li Luo stared at the principal with some alarm. A steady pair of eyes met his own. "I am just doing the best I can to protect the Xia Kingdom. Whether I succeed or not is up to fate." Li Luo pondered this. Everything the principal had said today spoke of forces far beyond the power of a puny little Resonant Master. As if the Xia Kingdom would soon be shrouded in darkness. "If you still have doubts, there''s no need to answer immediately. The matter can wait until we return triumphant with the Dragon Bone Holy Grail in tow. Without it, there will be no need for your blood essence," Pang Qianyuan said in concession. Li Luo nodded. He did need some time to take it all in. "As for the secret art I mentioned, I will give you the first half for now. It''s no big secret, but given your current ability, you won''t be able to draw out too much of the heavenly wolf''s power without losing control." Pang Qianyuan laid a fingertip on Li Luo''s brow, and a little bolt of light wriggled into his head. There was a flash, and a string of information was suddenly clear in Li Luo''s mind. He carefully read the information, mouthing the words silently. "Heavenly Libation Chant?" "This secret art needs to be paired with a special formation that I''ve already put into the bracelet. You just need to join the two in the future, and the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s power will be available to you. "But be warned," Pang Qianyuan said solemnly. "Only use it when you must. It is a tricky thing to deal with if you turn feral." Li Luo nodded. "Don''t worry, Sir, I understand. And I will think carefully on what you said, at least until we return with the Dragon Bone Holy Grail." Pang Qianyuan nodded. Without the Holy Grail, there was no need for this conversation. "As for the Holy Grail Meet, you can ask your mentor for more information. I don''t have much time. I won''t linger here." His figure started to fade away. Li Luo leaped forward with his brightest smile. "Principal, Sir, a moment, please." Seeing Pang Qianyuan''s suspicious look, he pleaded, "Sir, it''s said that a commander never lets his men go hungry. And I''ve done great work here in the Umbra Cave now, haven''t I?" Pang Qianyuan eyed him. "And I''ve given you the seal, haven''t I?" "Well, but someone had to go lug the wolf over from the forbidden zone, didn''t he?" Li Luo countered. "What do you want?" Pang Qianyuan grunted. "I''ve shed blood, sweat, and tears for the school, but it can all be replenished for the small price of 100,000 school points," Li Luo said. "Don''t get ahead of yourself, boy! Trying to climb all over me now?" Pang Qianyuan snapped at him. "Climb over you? I saved all the students at the purified spot. Surely the school owes me a reward for this?" "And surely it''s not 100,000 points," Pang Qianyuan countered back. "Besides, the school has its own rules for rewards and punishment. Your merits will be decided in due time, and Su Xin will surely come to a good conclusion. What''s your rush?" Pang Qianyuan said churlishly. Li Luo put on his best puppy face. "Since you ask," he said mournfully, "I''ll just have to give you the details. Because of my blank palaces, I ended up with a hollowness in my foundations. With your might, surely your greatness can sense it within me. I need 100,000 points worth of Royal Sap, or I might just be dead by the end of the year. And then even if the Astral Sage College lifts the Holy Grail in triumph, I''ll already be with the holy spirit. There won''t be any blood essence left for you to have, Sir." Pang Qianyuan looked at Li Luo again, his suspicion softening. "I did sense an emptiness within your body from before..." he conceded. "I thought it was just due to your youth and wanton recklessness..." Li Luo winced. That was harsh. He could count the number of girls whose hands he had held... on one hand. How on earth was he wanton? But for the 100,000 points, he would let it slide. "Principal, Sir..." Seeing Li Luo prepare another salvo of wheedling, Pang Qianyuan cut him off irritably. "Alright, I''ll talk to Su Xin about it. That''s it, then. Goodbye." Without waiting for Li Luo''s reply, he vanished in a puff of green smoke. "He probably has a wind resonance," Li Luo grumbled. "He sure runs away fast." Well, he had shot his shot. Time to see if the principal would accommodate him later. He turned back to look at the darkness all around him and peered down at the beast again. This time, he was no longer afraid. In fact, he was feeling quite excited. All in all, a good turn of events. Although the three-tailed heavenly wolf had more power than he could handle, it was still a trump card. Still, the foreboding news about trouble in half a year''s time was a bit of a sobering thought. It seemed like the Xia Kingdom was in deeper waters than he had thought. Still, that was a problem for another day. And he could only do something about it if he was stronger. All he had to focus on now was making it past Resonant Master. With that thought on his mind, he walked out of the black space. Chapter 300: River Of Evil Darkest part of the Umbra Cave. The world here was warped, twisted in a constant doomsday state. The natural elements had gone mad, an endless conflict of water, wind, earth, and fire throwing up natural disaster after natural disaster. Not even Duke experts dared to set foot here. There was a single golden lotus amidst the chaos, on which a person quietly sat. He was clad in the Astral Sage College''s uniform, although his uniform was lined with stars made of gold thread. Principal Pang Qianyuan. His eyes slowly opened, deep and thoughtful. They surveyed his surroundings for notable changes while a smile slowly spread across his face. "The House Luolan kid is quite an interesting one. His personality is completely different from Li Taixuan and Tan Tailans." Back when he had met Li Luo''s parents, they were only at the Duke Stage. But with his Heavenly King Li bloodline, Li Taixuan had shown him not an ounce of deference at all. Li Taixuan was naturally brilliant, and there wasn''t much of a doubt that he would eventually make it to the King Stage. The two treated each other as equals. As for Tan Tailan... She was another special one. She seemed to have come from humble stock, but her talent was beyond doubt. Even someone as brilliant as Li Taixuan bowed before her talents. It was said that she had raised waves in the divine continent even before she had become a Duke. She was a woman to walk the world with, and even someone as proud as Li Taixuan had bent his head and followed her to the rural East Divine Continent. Both Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan were bold, bright characters, naturally born to talent and brilliance that burst out of them at every turn. It gave them a confident swagger in their demeanor. Compared to them, Li Luo was a lot more cautious. But from the events at the purified spot, Pang Qianyuan knew that he had a lot more hidden under the surface. He was the complete opposite of his parents, and yet he was not one to be bullied easily either. Pang Qianyuan turned his attention back to the dystopia around him. There was a huge fracture in the earth, revealing a yawning abyss that roared with the sound of rushing water. He was strong enough to see past the darkness to the dark river than ran within. The dark river water moved sluggishly, thick with corruption. Any amusement from thinking about Li Luo vanished. This was a river of evil, where all the evil in the world eventually ended up. It was said that at the heart of the shadow world was a sea of evil, where all the rivers of evil flowed to. Even a King like himself was wary of the river of evil. Even Dukes would lose themselves within, turned into monsters. The river of evil was the root of all the problems here in the Umbra Cave. From within its meandering length, a pair of eyes peered out, meeting Pang Qianyuan''s own. They were a good distance apart, but sparks of tension still flew. In its state of chaos, the worldly natural energy churned up more disasters for thousands of kilometers. "Krrk krrk." Hints of malicious, mocking laughter came at him from the dark waters. Pang Qianyuan noted it impassively. He had fought the being in the dark river for many years now, and they understood the other well. They were closely matched, still waiting to see who would make the first slip up. Privately, Pang Qianyuan felt that the scarier thing was humans. They were a complicated mess of goodness and evil. They were hard to classify, and therefore he didn''t know how to act upon them. And for all these years, he had been trapped here against his own will. Although within the Xia Kingdom, within the school... Dark forces were stirring too. He wondered if they would be able to bring the Dragon Bone Holy Grail back this time. Life would be much easier with it. Sighing to himself, he closed his eyes again. ... When Li Luo regained consciousness, he was already out of the black space. Well, all in all it had been a productive talk with Pang Qianyuan. He looked up to see a pair of clear, golden eyes watching him tenderly. "Well, how are things?" Jiang Qing''e asked casually. "It''s indeed a present from the principal," Li Luo said. He was about to tell her what had happened, but she cut him off with a wave. "Since the principal chose such a subtle method, he must have his reasons. Better not tell me anything for now." Li Luo paused, then nodded. Whether the three-tailed heavenly wolf or the matter of his blood essence, both seemed like they would just make Jiang Qing''e worry anyway. She might even control the bracelet to prevent him from using it with disastrous consequences. As for his blood essence, that was another big question. For his safety, it was likely Jiang Qing''e would tend towards overprotection. Li Luo decided he would judge these things for himself. He could always tell her when he got a little stronger also. "Ah, do you know about the Holy Grail Meet?" he asked instead. "Holy Grail Meet?" She nodded, surprised. "Of course. It''s one of the most intense clashes between schools in the East Divine Continent. It might well be the highlight of one''s school life. "The Holy Grail Meet is usually held once every four years. The next one should be at the end of this year." "I heard that the winner gets the Dragon Bone Holy Grail," Li Luo continued. "Who won the last one?" "Last time it was the Enlightened Sage College, from the Holy Sun Dynasty. A very strong school that often dominates. We have had many clashes with them in the past," Jiang Qing''e answered. "Most of the time, they win," she added. "Holy Sun Dynasty, Enlightened Sage College, eh..." Li Luo frowned. He hadn''t followed such news closely before. A school much stronger than the Astral Sage College? Their own school seemed powerful enough already. Just how strong was this Enlightened Sage College? "There are a total of five sage colleges in the East Divine Continent. Besides the Enlightened Sage College, the other three are pretty strong too. And of course, it won''t just be these five schools competing. There are also many other darkhorse schools that should not be underestimated, even if they haven''t won the title of sage college yet." It seemed like the Holy Grail Meet was much tougher than he had expected. "Has the Astral Sage College even won this thing before?" he asked, dismayed. Jiang Qing''e thought it over. "I think so... but maybe not in the last 30 or so years." Li Luo''s jaw dropped. Damn, Principal, not even once in the last 30 years? Why the hell would you think we stand a chance this time? Forget the second half of the Heavenly Libation Chant. I''ll just play around with the first half... because that seems like all I''ll ever get. Chapter 301: Transports Arrived Li Luo was just venting, really. After all, the Holy Grail Meet was right before House Luolan''s own troubles. The three-tailed heavenly wolf''s power would be perfect to tip the scales in his favor. Li Luo wondered if Pang Qianyuan was aware of House Luolan''s situation, and that Li Luo would definitely accept his deal. But, but, but. What were the chances that the Astral Sage College would win the Dragon Bone Holy Grail? He turned to Jiang Qing''e, face screwed up with thought. "Do you think the Astral Sage College stands a chance to win this year?" She inclined her head. "Its possible. Perhaps more possible than the other years." "Why?" There was a twinkle in her eyes. "Because this time round, the Astral Sage College has me." Li Luo stared at her. What an arrogant lady. Do you think you can carry the Astral Sage College''s chances on your shoulders alone? Maybe she just could. Jiang Qing''e had strolled through her time at the Astral Sage College breaking records left and right. She was on track to becoming the most outstanding student that the school had seen in the last century, and representing them at the Holy Grail Meet would indeed inch their chances a little higher. Damn, Li Luo had been out-swagged. "But... "The Holy Grail Meet''s system is complicated. It''s not something that an individual can win alone. Even with me, the chances aren''t that much higher," Jiang Qing''e clarified. She regarded him thoughtfully. "Perhaps it would be a little higher with you." "Me?" Li Luo said, surprised. She laughed. "Did you think that you wouldn''t be of help? When did you start thinking so little of yourself?" "I don''t," Li Luo protested. "But I''m just a One Star Hall newbie. The gap between me and you veterans is huge. What help could I be?" He was a Third Pattern, and Jiang Qing''e was an Earth Fiend. The First Princess and Gong Shenjun were already at the Heavenly Dipper General Stage. There was an insurmountable gap. "The Holy Grail Meet is not that straightforward, like I said. There is a place for students of every hall in the competition. After all, the Holy Grail Meet is a test of student quality. Are the One and Two Star Hall students not students too? They are the freshest blood circulating in the system," Jiang Qing''e patiently explained. "From what I know, the past Holy Grail Meets have been divided into two phases. The first phase is a fight by hall. "This means that you''ll be pitted against your peers. The last ones standing will be the strongest, and called the ace students. These students are granted championship points. The school with the highest points wins the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. "So if you win the One Star Hall ace student title, we get points too." Jiang Qing''e smiled at him. Against other peers? Perhaps he did stand a chance after all. After all, only Qin Zhulu could contest him for first place in their school now. Unless the other schools had many students as strong as Qin Zhulu, Surely they did. Otherwise, the Astral Sage College would not have been denied the Dragon Bone Holy Grail these last three decades. There was still some time before the Holy Grail Meet as well. Li Luo would use it to improve himself. Just like that, Li Luo started to process the Holy Grail Meet in his mind. A loud outburst of cheering from the purified spot interrupted his thoughts. The pair turned back as one to see a large energy rift in the middle of the purified spot. Jiang Qing''e got to her feet. "Seems like the transport design is activated again." Li Luo slouched down further in relief. "Finally. Out of this ghastly place." They had been in the Umbra Cave for about a month now. It had taken a heavy mental toll on them, especially his final heroic spurt. If he had screwed up, all of them would have been corpses. With such a huge crisis averted, surely the school would cut purified spot 13 a break and send them back now. Finally some reprieve. "I wonder if the principal granted my wish..." Li Luo thought to himself. 100,000 points. Although it was possible that their combined haul this time might well reach 100,000 points, he didn''t want to squander Jiang Qing''e''s points. She needed a lot of cultivation resources too. ... On a high tower at the purified spot. Twin purple flashes announced the arrival of two powerful mentors. "Mentor Chi Chan! Mentor Shen Jinxiao!" they cheered. The gauze over Chi Chan''s face did not hide the deep frown on her brow as she hurried over. Her squad was here. If anything had happened to them, she would be devastated. As for Shen Jinxiao, he had fortuitously returned to school at the same time, and the two had rushed over. Her frown eased up a little when she saw the tower still standing. If the purified spot still stood, then perhaps not all was lost. Her frown eased up even more when she saw Gong Shenjun and the First Princess. Her mood lifted. If they were here, even a Heavenly Disaster Class enemy could be dealt with. "Shenjun. Luanyu. Has the Heavenly Disaster Class been taken care of?" Shen Jinxiao asked lightly. They nodded. "Casualties?" Shen Jinxiao asked more seriously. "Some," the First Princess answered. "But everything is under control. "We were lucky you made it in time," Shen Jinxiao said. "You have averted a huge disaster, and the school will surely reward you." Strange expressions greeted him. "Mentor Shen, I wouldn''t dare to steal credit. Actually, Li Luo had already taken care of it all by the time I arrived." Chi Chan and Shen Jinxiao looked at the First Princess, stunned. Chapter 302: The Mentors Arrive "Li Luo?!" Chi Chan and Shen Jinxiao exclaimed together incredulously. If not for the fact that those words had come out of the very sane-looking First Princess, they would probably have dismissed it as a joke. They gaped at her for a moment. Seeing the two Violet Vibrance mentors in shock, the First Princess''s heart stirred with a little self-interest. But she inclined her head. "Yes, Mentors. Strictly speaking, it was Li Luo who did it all. "When I arrived, he already had the situation under control. He was the one who did the most, while all we did was get here." Chi Chan looked at Gong Shenjun for confirmation. "I arrived later than Luanyu." He shrugged. "The great spirit beast was already sealed by the time I arrived." "Great spirit beast?!" Chi Chan and Shen Jinxiao surfaced from their shock only to be thrown back down again. Especially the latter. What the hell had happened here? Wasn''t it a Heavenly Disaster Class? What was this about a great spirit beast? What was going on? The First Princess explained the situation, including Li Luo''s luring of the three-tailed beast from the forbidden zone over to fight the Heavenly Disaster Class Other. In the end, he had sealed the three-tailed beast away with the help of the principal''s seal. All the mentors were dumbfounded, including the two Violet Vibrance mentors. You could do that? What on earth had possessed Li Luo to make him provoke another monster? Wasn''t he afraid they would both turn on him? He had to have guts for brains. Also, he had some incredible luck. With the support of the principal''s seal? The thought had never occurred to them before. Most scarily of all, he had actually pulled it off. He had single-handedly solved this entire crisis. If not for his mad plan, they would probably have arrived at a scene overrun with Others... and no survivors. An approving murmur broke out among the mentors. Chi Chan was smiling quite broadly now. Things had gone way better than expected. That kid Li Luo had puffed her chest up with pride. "Li Luo has done great work this time," Shen Jinxiao said. "Bring us to see the sealed great spirit beast. Even though we''re at a purified spot, it''s best to be prudent." The First Princess and Gong Shenjun bowed, leading them out to general cheers and applause as they went to the statue. Shen Jinxiao and Chi Chan looked at the statue. "Indeed, that''s the three-tailed heavenly wolf from the forbidden zone." "I heard that it was already close to Duke. If it had succeeded, the school would probably have chosen to give up on purified spot 13 entirely. It''s good that it was sealed away before that," Chi Chan remarked. Shen Jinxiao was looking at the inscriptions closely. It was indeed a powerful ward, and the power had a familiar flavor to itthat of the principal. Shen Jinxiao stepped suddenly forward, his resonant power crackling forth. "The three-tailed heavenly wolf is a wily beast. For safety''s sake, we should let it out now, and then you and I should destroy it." Shen Jinxiao''s sudden movement had the students scattering backwards in alarm. Although there were two Violet Vibrance mentors present, the three-tailed heavenly wolf would go on a rampage once let out. There might be casualties if it ran wild. Chi Chan was surprised. She was about to object, but Shen Jinxiao had a point. It felt unsafe to leave such a beast alive here at the purified spot. She did not object. "Wait!" They turned to the direction of the yell, and saw Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e pushing their way out of the crowd. It was Li Luo who had shouted. "Li Luo, we are about to finish the wolf off for good. Do you have an objection?" Shen Jinxiao said. Li Luo first bowed courteously to Chi Chan, then turned back to Shen Jinxiao with a smile. "Don''t be so hasty, Mentor Shen. The seal cannot be touched." "Oh, and why not?" Shen Jinxiao said with a smile. "Li Luo, I know you''ve done great work, and the seal is also your handiwork. But leaving the beast here is a time bomb. Destroying it is the best way." The other students nodded. A seal was a temporary solution. If the beast could be killed once and for all, that would be a greater relief. Li Luo swore inwardly. There was no three-tailed heavenly wolf in that piece of rock though. How would he explain it if Shen Jinxiao broke it open? His entire situation could be rumbled, just like that. Damn, this Jinxiao was really a pain in the butt, even when he wasn''t trying. When I grow stronger, I''m going to crush you like a bug! Li Luo spoke calmly. "We can''t destroy it because the principal said so. As to why, I don''t know either. You can go ask the principal yourself." He was happy enough to pass the burden of proof on. Shen Jinxiao probably wouldn''t run off and verify things. Even if he did, the principal would probably cover for him. The principal. It was a handy name to use indeed, and a very powerful one. The students accepted his words straight away, as the principal was like a god to them. Since he had chosen to work through Li Luo and his seal, it made sense that he would also leave Li Luo any warnings or advice regarding the seal. Shen Jinxiao frowned. Li Luo had played a strong card indeed, one that he could not contend with. Still, he found it fishy. There was no reason why the principal would give such an instruction. "If that''s what the principal said," Chi Chan commented neutrally, "then let''s leave it be for now." She found it odd as well, but when Shen Jinxiao and Li Luo clashed, she always preferred to side with the latter. He was her own student. The former was a scumbag. Shen Jinxiao shot her a withering look of profound distaste, but he finally conceded. "As you wish." He hadn''t thought too much about it, dismissing it as Li Luo wanting to leave some memento of his crowning glory here for the students to idolize. "And the body of the Heavenly Disaster Class?" Shen Jinxiao asked. "What about it now?" Li Luo said irritably. It was Chi Chan who answered. "For Others of that class, they leave behind corruption even when they die. The remnants need to be properly purged. Especially since this one died close to the purified spot." "Well then..." Li Luo pointed it out. Somehow, he was always paranoid whenever Shen Jinxiao was involved. Perhaps he was just too sensitive. Shen Jinxiao ignored Li Luo, sweeping past him to the area he had indicated. With a powerful wave of resonant power, he evaporated all the lingering black mist and scoured the land of all traces of corruption. Behind him, Li Luo looked on with deep suspicion. Somehow it looked like a criminal clearing up the scene of the crime. Shen Jinxiao turned back to them. "Mentor Shen, doesn''t it seem a bit strange that a Heavenly Disaster Class Other would appear here?" Li Luo suddenly asked. "I wonder if there was potential for investigation. Somebody working in the shadows to bring it out, for example?" Shen Jinxiao''s face was neutral as he waved a hand lazily. "Youngsters shouldn''t get lost in their flights of fancy. The number of Heavenly Disaster Class Others appearing in the outskirts of Umbra Cave is low, but not zero. "There are bigger problems to deal with in the deeper parts of the Umbra Cave, and no one has the time or patience to conduct such a baseless investigation. "All of you should prepare to leave," he said, addressing the students in general. "Your purging mission is complete, and you can return to school to recover." He turned, striding away to the center of the purified spot. The students cheered at his announcement. Among their cheers were frequent mentions of Li Luo''s name. Shen Jinxiao''s eyelid twitched with irritation. Not only had he failed to accomplish his objective, he had even brought Li Luo''s reputation to new heights. What a bother. Chapter 303: Funeral Only the brutal and dark experience of the Umbra Cave could make them crave peace so much. All they wanted at this point was a time without the threat of death hanging over their heads at every moment, with their nightmares coming to life all around them. It wasn''t just Li Luo. All the other students were enjoying the peace with their eyes closed, just sitting happily and luxuriating in it. Li Luo swiveled his head around to remark to Jiang Qing''e, "All of humankind should be grateful to the Astral Sage College for their peaceful life here in the Xia Kingdom." He had not known about it before, the lives they paid each year to keep the Others at bay. It seemed like the Astral Sage College was the Xia Kingdom''s great protector, while the royal court was just the ruler. Privately, he felt like the Astral Sage College was the most noble in the Xia Kingdom as well. Jiang Qing''e agreed on this point. Regardless of whether the Astral Sage College had another agenda, their willingness to sacrifice so many resources, student lives, and even teacher lives to keep the Umbra Cave at bay deserved its place in the good books of history. Nearby, an endless stream of students continued to file out of a wooden door, including many who had been at the same purified spot as Li Luo and the others. Students at other purified spots had also finished their purging missions, and were starting to exfiltrate from the Umbra Cave. The courtyard was loud with happy voices of relief. For now, no one was allowed to leave. The students were tightly enclosed by many mentors. After leaving the Umbra Cave each time, there had to be a check. For corruption. Some students might have been unknowingly corrupted after fighting the Others for extended periods of time. If it was not detected early, the corruption would seed itself deeper, leading to disastrous consequences. That was why the corruption check was crucial each time. Two Violet Vibrance mentors took to the air above them, and suddenly there was a spray of light that separated into individual threads of energy, reaching down to them. The energy threads were icy cool, and at the same time they made them all feel very relaxed. When the body relaxed, hidden things would be exposed. "Argh!" There was a startled cry as a student started to buck and thrash. Black mist started to appear around her face, twisting her expression. She had been corrupted. From the first hint of black, mentors were converging on her, quickly holding her down and then taking her out of the courtyard. Corruption at this test was usually not very serious. After some purification time, they would be fine. That student would probably spend the next few weeks in the purification chamber. After the first find, there were a few more students who were revealed as corrupted, but they were all subdued and escorted away in good time. Finally the two Violet Vibrance mentors landed back on the ground, wiping away the energy threads. The check was over. Many of the students felt relief wash over them. Li Luo was relieved as well, but when he turned to Jiang Qing''e, he saw that her face was still rather solemn. "Isn''t it over yet?" "Wait and see." The two Violet Vibrance mentors walked to the front of the crowd. "Congratulations on surviving this purging mission. "All of us are very happy to see each of you make it back. Except... not all of you are here. Some students will forever languish in the Umbra Cave." The crowd fell silent immediately, grave expressions on young faces. Each of them let their sorrow come to the fore. Many of the deceased students had been familiar to them. Perhaps a month ago, they had been drinking and making merry together. Now they would never see them again. Some sobbed quietly to themselves. The two Violet Vibrance mentors started to speak again, this time calling out the names of those who had fallen. "Two Star Hall, Chen Zhen." "Two Star Hall, Liu Ming''er." "Three Star Hall, Meng Qi." ... As each name was read out, a bit of light flew out from the two mentors'' sleeves. It was actually a shining leaf, on which the name was written. The leaves floated along to the Tree of Resonant Power and fastened themselves to an open branch firmly. Li Luo understood in a flash. Each leaf on the tree represented a student who had died in the fight against the Umbra Cave... Throughout all these years, the Astral Sage College had built its grand yet macabre symbol in the resistance against the Umbra Cave. Finally, the last leaf was attached to the Tree of Resonant Power, and the two mentors bowed their heads, speaking solemnly together in quiet prayer. "May fear be gone." "May we live long." The students echoed along obediently after them. "May fear be gone!" "May we live long!" Li Luo looked up to the tree. It was nothing but a gravestone to him now. "Why doesn''t the school invite other experts from the Xia Kingdom to deal with the Umbra Cave? Surely the losses would be less that way." "Firstly, the students that enter the Astral Sage College are the best, and the rest of the Xia Kingdom might not match their standards," Jiang Qing''e replied. "Besides, students might be younger, but their hearts are usually a bit purer. We are not impervious to corruption, but compared to the experts outside, who have darkened their personalities in the gritty world, students stand a lower chance of getting corrupted. "Privately, my mentors told me that the Astral Sage College once reached out to these other experts in times of need. They were indeed stronger than the students, but they were much more easily corrupted and turned. Overall, they caused more harm than good. "That''s why the school has always been very cautious about inviting external experts to help." No wonder the school would continue to pay this gruesome price each year. It had no choice. Of course, while things were largely under control, there was no need for the school to call for aid. As for the deaths... They were regrettable but also inevitable. Li Luo felt sympathetic for the mourners all around him. "Suddenly, I really want to get the Dragon Bone Holy Grail for the Astral Sage College." With the Holy Grail, they would face no deaths for at least four years. Although this meant that some other school would then have to go without the panacea, Li Luo was not enough of a saint to care that far. All he could manage was contributing to the improvement of the Astral Sage College. Chapter 304: Stoking the Fires After the funerals were complete, the Violet Vibrance mentors took their leave, and the poignant mood gradually lifted. Besides the first years like Li Luo, the other students had been through this at least once, so they could bounce back with resilience. Many of them left already looking forward to their futures, discussing news and hauls from their Umbra Cave trip. News about purified spot 13 spread to the others, with the names of Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e loud in the mix. Everyone heard that they had been targeted by a Heavenly Disaster Class Other. It was quite sensational news. All the students knew how terrifying a Heavenly Disaster Class Other was. Being targeted by one could spell doom for the entire purified spot. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e hadn''t even made it out of the courtyard before a figure broke in a run over to them. "Li Luo, are you alright?" Lu Qing''er had come looking for him the moment she heard the news. Seeing her beautiful features tight with anxiety, Li Luo gave her a reassuring smile. "Healthy as can be, as you can see." "Junior Qing''er is very concerned about Li Luo, I see," Jiang Qing''e stated. Lu Qing''er met her eyes squarely. "I am always very concerned about my friends." "And I am pleased to express gratitude for your concern on Li Luo''s behalf." "It''s nothing," Lu Qing''er said with a thin smile. Li Luo was getting the sense that there was something odd going on between the two, but Lu Qing''er strode away huffily before he could say anything. Some Two Star Hall students watched the exchange. "Li Luo, you''re so much stronger now!" a loud, roaring voice called. Qin Zhulu. Li Luo smiled and nodded. "Ive grown a little, I guess." His eyes widened as he looked at Qin Zhulu properly. "You''re... at Third Pattern too?" He could sense that Qin Zhulu''s resonant power was much stronger than before as well. In fact, he felt that this guy was already at the limit of the Third Pattern, ready to break through to the Fourth Pattern at any time. But that was not surprising. He was a Second Pattern back when Li Luo was still an Upper Flowering. Li Luo had managed to shorten the gap thanks to the onyx lake, but he hadn''t fully closed it yet. "He went to hunt white eroders by himself all the time in the Umbra Cave. He almost died a few times," Lu Qing''er explained. She had lingered around when she saw her leader make his way over. Li Luo bit his tongue. This guy was a lunatic. Even when Others were concerned. "Li Luo, when can we fight? You''re the only worthy opponent in One Star Hall now," Qin Zhulu said, his eyes burning bright with excitement. Although Li Luo was strong before, the cultivation stage disparity had left him behind. But now Li Luo was also a Third Pattern. Their battle would be legendary. He had long wanted to face dual resonances in battle. Li Luo felt a little uneasy being stared at so hungrily by this beast of a man. "Er, some day, I''m sure." Qin Zhulu was about to press him, but suddenly a loud wail came from behind. "Li Luo! Oh, Li Luo! My goodest brother!" Li Luo scowled as he turned to the familiar voice. "Are you crying?" he asked a sniveling Yu Lang. Yu Lang wiped away his tears as he staggered towards Li Luo in relief. "My brother, I was worried to death when I heard you met a Heavenly Disaster Class Other." He clapped Li Luo on the shoulder and then turned to Bai Mengmeng beside him. "Mengmeng, are you alright? Are you hurt? Do you need me to check your body?" "..." Horny mongrel, are you even concerned about me at all?! Bai Mengmeng took one look at Yu Lang, then sidled away until Li Luo shielded her from him. Yu Lang started to swing Li Luo around when another sharp voice cut in. "Out of the way." He turned furiously, but then he shrank back when he saw Bai Doudou stomping over. "So, er, you guys really met a Heavenly Disaster Class?" Li Luo nodded. "Since you''re alive, then you must have been tenderly treated by Senior Jiang, eh?" he said with a knowing wink and nudge. Li Luo ignored him. "And I hear that you extorted a lot of Royal Sap. Are you short on it? Want me to lend you a bottle? But I have to say it firstyou have to return it eventually. It''s hard for me to get points as well," Yu Lang said. Li Luo was surprised that word of his Royal Sap payments at the onyx lake had traveled so far. And how the hell had it become extortion?! He smiled and shook his head. "Keep it for yourself. I have what I need." Yu Lang might be a loose sort of guy, but he was very loyal to his friends. A bottle of Royal Sap was 5,000 points. It might not be much to Li Luo, but it was probably Yu Lang''s total savings so far in the last half a year. Although the purification towers at purified spot 13 had all gone dark again because of the Heavenly Disaster Class Other, the school had not treated it as a failure, but awarded points according to the map records. Which meant that even without any additional rewards, Li Luo was flush with points. Meanwhile, Bai Mengmeng had taken her little sister''s hand, fussing over her. Her stomach dropped from fear when she initially heard that a Heavenly Disaster Class Other had appeared where her beloved sister was. "Senior Jiang, many thanks to you," Bai Doudou said with deep feeling. Surely she was the reason that Bai Mengmeng and the others had returned safely. Bai Mengmeng giggled. "Sis, Senior Jiang did a lot, but it was my leader who did the most. It was he who sealed the Heavenly Dipper General Class great spirit beast at the end as well." Bai Doudou and Yu Lang almost fainted, while Lu Qing''er and Qin Zhulu looked at Li Luo with identical expressions. Bai Mengmeng proudly told them the whole story. The reaction was predictable. Li Luo had been the one to solve purified spot 13''s crisis...? Li Luo waved it away modestly. "I just did as I should. I might have risked my life, but for the lives of my peers, I was willing to do it. "Besides, I think the school will acknowledge my contributions." He gave Yu Lang a humongous elbow dig to the ribs. "Understood?" "Understood fully, Boss," Yu Lang said without missing a beat. "The school will definitely reward you richly, as you should be. And if they don''t, even humble bystanders like myself will get very angry. We would start protests and other things of that sort. "I think this should be worth at least 30,000 points." Li Luo coughed. "Dream bigger, young man." "Er, 50,000 points?" "Very conservative you are, young man." Yu Lang stared at him. How greedy was this guy? Aren''t you afraid the school will expel you for daylight robbery? "100,000?!" Li Luo nodded smugly, giving Yu Lang an approving nod. I''ll leave this matter to you. Since he didn''t know if the principal had passed on his request, he had to stoke the fires on his side as well. Still, it was best that it wasn''t him to do it personally. Which was where Yu Lang came in. My goodest brother, do this for me, and I''ll treat you right in the future as well. After a quick, covert discussion with Yu Lang about the details, Li Luo looked up to see someone else calling out to him again. This time it was Yan Lingqing. Jiang Qing''e drew his attention. "Go to Lingqing first, there''s news." "What is it?" "Aren''t you concerned about how to expand the Suncreek Villa? Some of the higher grade resonance artificers are graduating this year..." She smiled. Li Luo''s eyes lit up. The Astral Sage College''s Resonance Artificers Hall had the best and brightest talents. Those that graduated each year would become prime targets. He had dreamed of snatching them up for a long time now. With high-quality resonance artificers, the Suncreek Villa would be firmly set on the right track to fortune. A stronger Suncreek Villa would mean a stronger House Luolan. Of course, this meant stronger defensive wards... which would be crucial when turbulence came to House Luolan in half a year''s time. This was an opportunity that could not be passed up. Chapter 305: Li Bi A cool breeze waltzed lazily through the peaceful night air at the Astral Sage College. In an inn on campus. This inn only opened for business for a time after the Umbra Cave opened. It was there for students to let loose after a highly stressful experience. The inn sold a special drink called Aphid''s Brew, made from a peculiar insect found on the Tree of Resonant Power. Its secretions were processed into a drink that had a powerful calming effect. Near a window sat Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and Yan Lingqing. Li Luo lifted the kettle to pour more green liquid into the two girls'' cups before filling his own. He held the brew in his mouth for a moment to savor its unique effects, then swallowed. A knot of tension that he didn''t know he had unraveled itself. "I heard you two faced a Heavenly Disaster Class Other at purified spot 13. I was worried to death," Yan Lingqing said, her hand still tight on Jiang Qing''e''s own. Jiang Qing''e smiled. "Sister Lingqing, which talent have you invited tonight?" Li Luo cut straight to the chase. "Senior Li Bi. She''s one of the rare fifth-grade artificers in the Resonance Artificers Hall, and she has quite a reputation as well. If you can bring her into the Suncreek Villa, many people will follow," Yan Lingqing said with a satisfied tone. "Fifth-grade resonance artificer..." Li Luo almost drooled, and the relaxing brew before him was not the reason. Only the Resonance Artificers Hall could attract a talent like a fifth-grade artificer, which would be a huge boon to any of the top villas in the Xia Kingdom. "If she''s willing to come to the Suncreek Villa, I''d even give her the position of president," Li Luo said with undisguised greed. After all, the previous president, Hanzhi, who had been poached away by the Bigswamp Villa, was a fifth-grade artificer as well. An artificer of that tier was considered highly placed even in the top ten villas. "Assuming she even wants the position," Jiang Qing''e said, sipping her brew with relish. "That''s true. A small scale operation like the Suncreek Villa doesn''t hold much attraction," Yan Lingqing admitted. "Senior Li Bi only agreed to hear me out, but I think the only thing that might pique her interest is our upper seventh-grade secret watersource. "It''s the only thing we have to offer, and it isn''t even unheard of among the top villas, so..." She trailed off without much hope. Li Luo understood. It was hard to persuade a great buddha to settle in a small universe like theirs. She wasn''t even a friend or family member of theirs, so there was no reason for her to take such a risk in her future and remain with them. At the top-tier of villas, she could mingle with even more skillful artificers and improve herself. There would also be higher quality formulas for her to practice with. The Suncreek Villa was a barren wasteland compared to that lush cornucopia of opportunity. "We''ll do our best," Jiang Qing''e said calmly. If their guest was completely uninterested, it wasn''t like they could hold her at knifepoint and make her join. "It''s all your fault," Yan Lingqing said with a petulant slap to Jiang Qing''e''s wrist. "My- pardon?" Jiang Qing''e laughed. "With a ninth-grade light resonance, you''d be a sixth-grade artificer by now. You''d be the number one resonance artificer in the Xia Kingdom, and then the Suncreek Villa would have no more troubles. What a waste of talent," Yan Lingqing grumbled. Jiang Qing''e smiled but did not reply. What could a sixth-grade resonance artificer accomplish? Could she refine the crisis that House Luolan was in? Resonance artificers had status, but it was only enough to make powers court them. She preferred to wield that power for herself. She wanted to be a true mistress with her own strength, not purchase it with spirit liquids and purifying lights. That was not like her. Which was why she had brought her ninth-grade light resonance onto the path of cultivation. Li Luo didn''t comment. He understood that choice well. Perhaps if his parents were still well and healthy at House Luolan, Jiang Qing''e might have become a resonance artificer. But since their disappearance, Jiang Qing''e had shouldered the house''s burdens, a burden that Li Luo had not been able to carry with his blank palaces. She had the luxury of neither time nor energy to spare on artificing. He himself had only chosen artificing because of the way his acquired resonances had developed. Otherwise, he would have given the discipline a wide berth as well. As they spoke, a tall, slender figure paused in his visual periphery. She was wearing a blue shift, simple attire that did not distract from her fresh beauty. Her hair was cropped short in a practical fashion. Yan Lingqing jumped up to wave her over. She approached, and Yan Lingqing took her hand with an eager smile, escorting her to a seat. "This is Senior Li Bi." "I''m sure Jiang Qing''e needs no introduction. And that is Li Luo," Yan Lingqing said, gesturing to the other two. Li Bi smiled at Jiang Qing''e. "Junior Jiang''s name rings in every ear. Your talent is thunderous." "Senior Li is too kind," Jiang Qing''e said with a gracious smile towards her Four Star Hall senior. Li Bi nodded slightly in Li Luo''s direction. "Junior Li Luo." Neutral, with neither coolness nor warmth. "Senior Li Bi." Li Luo responded in kind with a winsome smile. Since they were here to win her over, he had to do some manly dazzling of his own. Whether it worked or not, he was prepared to use everything he had. They all settled down, Yan Lingqing lively and cheerful. After chatting for a while, Li Bi finally brought up the topic herself. "I hear that the Suncreek Villa has an upper seventh-grade secret watersource," she said, looking directly at Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo. Jiang Qing''e glanced over at Li Luo and then nodded, retrieving a vial from the folds of her clothing. She offered it to Li Bi with a smile. "Youve heard right. This is no secret." Li Bi examined it carefully, then opened it and extracted a single drop with a delicate manipulation of her resonant power. Dipping a thread of power in, she wrapped it carefully around a sample of the watersource. Her eyes widened slightly. "This is indeed an upper seventh-grade. It must be the secret behind the Suncreek Villa''s rise in the last half a year." She set the bottle down and turned to face Li Luo squarely. "But the Suncreek Villa is riddled with weaknesses. There is no grand artificer to hold it down. It lacks high star formulas. A strong watersource is a good start, but it is a strong spark with no kindling. The Suncreek Villa cannot compete with the elite villas." "They themselves do not lack strong watersources. I do not think the Suncreek Villa will go too far. Neither do I think that I am in the position to help you go far." She spoke candidly with them and dropped a small, apologetic smile in Jiang Qing''e and Yan Lingqing''s direction. "I know your intentions for inviting me out tonight, Junior Lingqing. I''m sorry I could not be of more help," she said with a shake of her head. "I cannot join the Suncreek Villa." Chapter 306: High Grade Faces Neither Li Luo nor Jiang Qing''e were particularly saddened by the rejection. It was to be expected. It was just business between schoolmates, not something worth sacrificing one''s future over. "Senior Li Bi, the Suncreek Villa is full of potential. We''ll definitely become one of the top villas in the Xia Kingdom!" Yan Lingqing said with a final rally. "Perhaps what you say is true," Li Bi said with an impatient smile. "But how long will you take? In that time, I could already be training at the top." Yan Lingqing fell silent. Li Bi had spoken the stinging truth. Why bet on a rising star when you could already be shining with the best? Potential was a risk that she did not have to bet on. Neither was she that close with Jiang Qing''e to do her a favor. "I am sorry," Li Bi said to soften the blow. "I understand that the Resonance Artificers Hall has invited the headquarters of the best villas to meet in five days'' time. They intend to let them meet the graduating artificers for networks to be established. "Villas who are invited will not pass up on this chance to recruit the best. They will bring their top game to attract the best talents. "If you want to make the Suncreek Villa great, it is an opportunity you should not pass up on. Every person you can recruit will be a strong boost to your ranks," Li Bi suggested kindly. Li Luo flinched. "Unfortunately," he said sourly, "it seems like we haven''t been invited." "Cai Wei has brought no news." Jiang Qing''e nodded. Li Luo was a little resentful. A chance would be a fine thing, but they weren''t even going to give him one. Li Bi paused for a moment. "Well, it''s not impossible for you to be invited." Li Luo perked up, smelling an opportunity. "Senior Li Bi, what do you know?" "The invitations are decided by the high-grade artificing mentors," Li Bi said with a knowing smile. "I understand that Mentor Chi Chan is one of them. "She is your mentor, is she not? Go to her and beg for a favor. The Suncreek Villa should be allowed to be present, I think." Li Luo''s mouth was a little dry. The veiled tigress was always a difficult tackle. Especially because she was especially good at reading his mind and turning up whenever he was in a strangely compromising situation. But for the sake of the Suncreek Villa''s future... he could take a crack at it. "I thank Senior Li Bi for your advice," Li Luo said with a grateful smile. "It''s nothing..." She seemed to be on the verge of adding another comment but then thought better of it. Li Luo knew anyway. Whether they were present or not, they would recruit nobody without the ability to attract the artificers. Still, Li Luo had a plan. "Oh, Yan Lingqing, here to fawn and grovel for talent again?" An unpleasant, sneering voice cut into their conversation. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e turned with angry faces to see a girl in green walk over with a disdainful leer on her face. Behind her, a table of students sniggered softly, evidently in the same party as her. "Here''s a tip, Mei Xuan''er: if you keep your mouth shut, no one''s going to assume you were born without a tongue," Yan Lingqing retorted with some acid in her tone. The rare vehemence in her usually gentle voice made Li Luo sit up and pay attention to the girl called Mei Xuan''er. She was not bad looking, although not as pretty as Yan Lingqing. The clearest difference was her thin lips that gave her a mean look. "Mei Xuan''er is also a member of the Resonance Artificers Hall," Jiang Qing''e murmured to Li Luo on the side. "She graduates this year, like Li Bi. She is a fifth-grade artificer too. "I heard from Lingqing that the two of them don''t get along. Apparently, Mei Xuan''er fancied a senior who spurned her and ended up trying to woo Lingqing... who Lingqing rejected. "After that, Mei Xuan''er started loathing her out of jealousy and pit herself against Lingqing." Li Luo shook his head. That was petty. "Keke, Yan Lingqing, stop trying to pull everyone you come across to the Suncreek Villa. I mean, it''s more of a fiery crater than anything. "And you, Li Bi," she continued with a facetious tone, "don''t let Yan Lingqing''s air-headed nonsense addle you. Someone of your talent has the top villas lining up around the block for you." Li Bi frowned slightly. "My business. Not yours." She was too proud to be used for such a cheap jibe. Besides, she had already made her decision. Mei Xuan''er wasn''t fazed by this. Li Bi was just a convenient tool for her to get her taunt out against Yan Lingqing. Indeed, her words were affecting the slim girl, who was glowering behind her silver rims. "And this must be the young lord of House Luolan, Li Luo," she said, turning next to him. Li Luo barely blinked in her direction. "Junior Li Luo, if the Suncreek Villa needs talent, you could always try asking me. If you kick Yan Lingqing out, I might even consent to go to the Suncreek Villa. How about that?" Li Luo scratched his chin lazily. "Switching out a fourth-grade for a fifth-grade? Seems like a good trade." "Of course it''s a good trade," Mei Xuan''er said, eyes alive with spiteful pleasure. "Sorry, the Suncreek Villa has a rather unique way of hiring, you see," Li Luo said, injecting just the right hint of apology into his tone. "For us, artificing grade is only the second most important qualification. "For us, the most important thing is the grade of ones looks. For example, beauties like Senior Lingqing and Senior Li Bi here are very welcome. Senior Mei, you might be quite talented, but your face is too plain. I''m sorry to say that the Suncreek Villa cannot accept you." "Pfft-" A snorting laugh almost escaped Li Bi''s lips, and Yan Lingqing''s own twitched upwards as well. Mei Xuan''er''s face froze, and she stared hatefully at Li Luo. Her looks?! It was precisely her rawest nerve, given her history with Yan Lingqing! "Don''t worry, Senior Mei. I hear there''s some medicine with beautifying properties somewhere in the world. Perhaps you can try them. The Suncreek Villa''s doors are always open to applications," Li Luo said encouragingly. "F*ck you!" Mei Xuan''er screeched at him in a most unladylike manner. Did you think a goddess like me would really go to your hovel of a villa?! I was just using your name to humiliate Yan Lingqing! You snobbish little prick! Jiang Qing''e, who had been silent all this while, stood up as suddenly as the insult had spilled from Mei Xuan''er''s lips. She shot a sharp warning look at the hysterical girl, who felt a tremble of fear cut through her rage. Mei Xuan''er took a few steps backwards warily. "Watch your words," Jiang Qing''e said with chilling softness, "or I will return your lack of courtesy with my own." Mei Xuan''er seethed silently on the spot. Behind her, her companions had leaped to their feet at first, but they slowly shrank back down once they weighed their odds against Jiang Qing''e. She was not somebody they could cross. Mei Xuan''er knew the difference in strength as well. She swallowed her anger and stalked off, vowing to foil Yan Lingqing''s recruiting plans forever. After chasing Mei Xuan''er away, Yan Lingqing''s face was still morose. She was not angry, but sad instead. Her efforts in recruiting all this while had not gone well, and she was feeling discouraged. A warm hand took her own and gave it a gentle squeeze. Yan Lingqing looked up at Jiang Qing''e. The girl of light warmed her heart, and they emptied their cups of Aphid''s Brew. Li Bi decided it was time to leave, and rose to her feet. "Senior Li Bi, a moment more, if you please." Li Bi turned back quizzically. Hadn''t she made her stance clear enough? "Senior Li Bi, as you say, the Suncreek Villa holds little interest for you now... "But what if I told you that the Suncreek Villa''s secret watersource will continue to grow in purity. An eighth-grade watersource. Does that catch your interest?" Not just Li Bi, but even Yan Lingqing and Jiang Qing''e stared at him in shock. Chapter 307: Li Luos Brag "Eighth-grade secret watersource?!" They stared at him with tenth-grade surprise, including Li Bi, who was struck dumb. Both Jiang Qing''e and Yan Lingqing shared an uneasy look. What was happening? They were privy to the true secret behind the watersourceLi Luo himself. How could that change? Suspicion flashed in Jiang Qing''e''s eyes. Li Luo nodded slightly to reassure them, then turned back to Li Bi. "Senior Li Bi," he said with a wide smile, "you heard me right. Our secret watersource will continue to improve. The purity will rise to the eighth-grade." Li Bi was not swayed by his affirmation. According to her knowledge, there couldn''t be more than three villas in the Xia Kingdom with an eighth-grade secret watersource. An amateur operation like the Suncreek Villa? Impossible. As a fifth-grade resonance artificer herself, she knew just how rare and precious a watersource was. If the Suncreek Villa truly had such an asset, they would already have risen to greatness. Their squalor was all the evidence she needed. "Junior Li Luo, is this some sort of jest? I assure you I do not find it amusing. Even if you somehow contrive to trick me into the Suncreek Villa, losing public trust will be a nail in your coffin," Li Bi warned him gravely. Each year, there were villas that used devious methods to lure talents from the Resonance Artificers Hall. Their aim was to get the artificers first and then think about making it after they had faked it. Those were the most deeply hated villas. If Li Luo planned on such an approach, the Suncreek Villa would be on the black books of every artificer in the Resonance Artificers Hall. "Be assured that I intend to do no such foolish thing," Li Luo said. "I am just asking, hypothetically. If the Suncreek Villa had an eighth-grade secret watersource, would you be willing to come?" Li Bi considered him for a long time before finally nodding. An eighth-grade secret watersource was a powerfully rare asset to be working with. If she could work with something that pure, it would not only improve her skills, but also her grade. Although the Suncreek Villa might be weak in other places, an eighth-grade watersource would be great enough to eclipse its other flaws. If Li Luo''s words were true, the Suncreek Villa would rise to glory very quickly with an eighth-grade secret watersource. They would shoot up to become a top villa in the blink of an eye. Li Luo smiled with satisfaction. "In that case, I ask Senior Li Bi to consider not accepting other villas'' offers first. In five days'' time, the Suncreek Villa will find an invitation to the Resonance Artificers Hall. At that time, we will show what we are truly capable of offering. "Senior Li Bi, I promise you that you will not be disappointed." Li Bi''s doubtful gaze met Li Luo''s own steady eyes, and she noted the confidence in them. After a moment, she looked away to the cup that she was slowly prodding at. Yan Lingqing leaped in to coax her as well. "Senior Li Bi, a few days will be no loss to you. Li Luo isn''t one to exaggerate, I promise you!" Li Bi eventually gave in to Yan Lingqing with an exasperated nod. "Alright, Junior Li Luo. I will wait for the Suncreek Villa''s pitch." "If what you say is true, I think I will not be the only one who will consider joining. I think some of my other talented peers will be of the same mind." Which meant that she would even bring friends. Without waiting for further comment, Li Bi rose again, nodding to Jiang Qing''e and Yan Lingqing on her way out. Nearby, Mei Xuan''er watched Li Bi leave with gloating satisfaction. Surely the talks had failed. Yan Lingqing was so naive to think that she could drag others down into the mud she was in. The Suncreek Villa was the pits. She fully intended to make her opinion of them clear to anyone who would listen. The resonance artificers would be giving them a wide berth after this. Back at Li Luo''s table, Yan Lingqing was looking at him worriedly. "An eighth-grade secret watersource? Are you for real? You better not be making an empty promise." She had to present a united front with him when Li Bi was around, but now she made her doubts clear. Jiang Qing''e leaned in for his answer as well. Li Luo grinned. "I don''t have an eighth-grade secret watersource presently." Yan Lingqing felt the Aphid''s Brew leaving her body. She was seized with a sudden urge to grab him by the ear and toss him out the window. "But in five days, I will!" Li Luo clarified hastily. The tips of his ears tingled when he saw her eyes narrow with deadly intent. "What do you mean?" Yan Lingqing asked, hand halfway towards him. Li Luo instead turned to Jiang Qing''e with a cheery smile. "Qing''e, dear, help me send a letter to Sister Cai Wei. Tell her to send 50 vials of sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights to the school, as fast as she can." "50 vials?" Jiang Qing''e sputtered. Li Luo''s face was fully serious, and she nodded dumbly. "I will send the letter. But 50 vials is over a million skygold... We might just be able to hear Cai Wei''s screaming from here." Li Luo''s cheeriness faded away when the image of Cai Wei berating him filled his mind. House Luolan needed money on every front, and he was the ultimate black hole, sucking away at their finances. But it couldn''t be helped. He needed those spirit liquids and purifying lights. Badly. After returning from the Umbra Cave, he could sense his sixth-grade waterlight resonance evolving. Inwardly, he was giddy with excitement about it. He had been feeding it millions of skygold worth of spirit liquids and purifying lights, all in hopes of reaching that critical breakthrough. Up till now, it had shown no signs of coming through. Li Luo was disappointed, but he had not given up. He knew that the jump from sixth to seventh-grade was a milestone. A sixth-grade resonance was considered a middle-grade resonance, while a seventh-grade was considered high-grade. He believed that this would be an extremely hard improvement to achieve, but the payoff would be proportionately huge. And when his waterlight resonance reached the seventh-grade, the secret watersource he produced would likely reach the eighth-grade without much difficulty. That would help the Suncreek Villa grow stronger much more quickly. Together with Bai Mengmeng''s four-star formula, the Suncreek Villa would be catapulted to greatness. All the invested capital would be made back. "I''m not sure if you''re planning to swim in those liquids or something," Yan Lingqing said snappishly, "but if you don''t produce an eighth-grade watersource on the day, I won''t envy your fate." She knew that Li Luo was the creator of the secret watersource, but she did not know that he could absorb spirit liquids at a near-unlimited capacity. "Before that," Jiang Qing''e interjected, "I think the most urgent order of business is to get invited. As for that, it''s all up to you." No one else was familiar with Mentor Chi Chan, so Li Luo was the only candidate who could ask for the favor. Li Luo didn''t flinch. He stood up and headed for the door. Hopefully, he had won her enough glory in the Umbra Cave to sweeten her mood enough. Yan Lingqing watched him go. "Can we really do well at the recruitment?" she mumbled listlessly. She knew the Suncreek Villa''s situation all too well. Average resonance artificers, run-of-the-mill formulas, and a surprisingly good secret watersource. But the best villas would be recruiting too. A single glowing point was nothing compared to the stars that would be present. She believed that the Suncreek Villa would be able to grow strong in the future, but this was too soon. Jiang Qing''e poured Yan Lingqing another cup of Aphid''s Brew. "Don''t worry. Li Luo doesn''t usually brag without some measure of confidence," she said with a reassuring smile. "Plus, you weren''t in the Umbra Cave this time. You don''t know half of what he bragged about inside there. It was much more ridiculous, and he pulled it off anyway." "Oh?" Yan Lingqing perked up. "What did the kid do? Tell me." The two girls settled back with their jug and spoke leisurely. Chapter 308: The Back Door Li Luo scampered over to his mentor''s tower. The refreshing scent of pine and cypress filled the garden, and in their cooling shade, Li Luo spotted Chi Chan in a pavilion, enjoying a cup of hot tea as the wind tickled the chimes into a soothing jingle. Li Luo walked up and bowed deeply to his mentor before planting his ass down with a cheeky grin. Chi Chan was in a loose-fitting black dress, her hair still wet from the bath that she had clearly just taken. Her veil was still in place, and her eyes turned lazily to regard him. "Yeees...?" she said. "I wanted to ask Mentor to let me in through the back door. I was wondering if you could let the Suncreek Villa take part in the upcoming Resonance Artificers Hall recruitment," Li Luo said, getting straight to the point. Chi Chan snorted with amusement. "Usually," she said, "people try to sneak their way through the back door with some prudence. Discreetly. Not kick down the door, hinges and all, on the way in." Li Luo grinned. "Mentor, please." Chi Chan reached into a sleeve and took out a golden leaf, which she tossed to him. On it was carved the mark of Resonance Artificers Hall. "There, the invitation," Chi Chan said casually. Li Luo was speechless. So easy? Sure, he had guessed that she would eventually cooperate, but not so easily. "When the participants were being decided, I reserved an invitation for the Suncreek Villa, but I didn''t tell you. If you hadn''t come to ask me for it, I wouldn''t have handed it to you." She took a long sip of tea and smacked her lips. "Do you understand why?" she asked, cocking an eye at him. Li Luo hesitated. "Because you think there''s not much point in the Suncreek Villa joining this meet?" "Youre very self-aware." She smiled. "Then why give it to me now?" "Because you are a smart boy. You don''t do useless things. If you understand the immensity of the task and still take it on, then you must have something planned. "I have no idea what it will take for you to do well there, but since you have the ambition and confidence, I will do my part as your mentor to support you." Li Luo felt like crying. "Mentor, you love me best." She was unfazed by his acting, curling her fingers around her cup again. "I hear you asked the school for a reward of 100,000 points." Li Luo started. Had Yu Lang worked that fast? The kid was really a master of fanning flames. His wind resonance had to have something to do with it. He was truly a master of people skills. There was no way he was about to admit anything though. He shook his head stoutly. "No such thing. I might have saved countless lives and did the school a great and amazing favor, but that''s something any student of the school would have done. Even if the school doesn''t give me a single point, I will have no complaints!" Her veil fluttered as she snorted particularly loudly. "You''ll probably hear about a reward within the next few days. If Vice Principal Su Xin asks for an opinion, I''ll speak on your behalf. "You don''t have to be too shy about it either. You saved maybe a hundred lives back at the purified spot. The school has to reward that accordingly, for accountability." Li Luo was moved beyond words. "Erm, Mentor Chi Chan, do you know my father?" "Eh?" She stared at him suspiciously, confused by the question from left field. "I guess not. I thought my dad was too charming, and that that''s the reason why you dote on me so much, Mentor." Crickets chirped merrily on the cypress boughs for a few moments. "Shoo." Hot tea suddenly rose from the cup, forming a smoking arrow that hurtled towards Li Luo. "Mentor, I regret everything!" Li Luo wailed. He emerged cautiously from the pillar he had taken refuge behind, and ventured another cheeky smile as he set the teacup in front of her with exaggerated politeness. "Mentor," he suddenly asked, "do you think there''s anything fishy about the Heavenly Disaster Class Others appearance?" "What are you thinking?" Chi Chan said with a frown. "Not thinking, just instinct... thinking. Insthincking." He grinned impudently at her. "I wonder, could it have been lured over on purpose?" "Are you suspecting Shen Jinxiao?" Chi Chan asked. "Suspicion is no use though. The school would not investigate a Violet Vibrance mentor on the basis of your suspicion. More importantly, I don''t see how an investigation would yield anything. "Keep those suspicions to yourself. When you''re strong enough to face him as an equal, then you can voice those thoughts." Li Luo nodded. It was true enough. One day, when he was stronger, he could talk all the smack he wanted about Shen Jinxiao. He could even say things like "your face offends me" and other such crap. Li Luo stood up, sort of cheered by the thought. With an enthusiastic wave for his mentor and benefactor, he took his leave. Chi Chan watched him go, setting down her teacup. Shen Jinxiao, was it really you? ... Li Luo headed straight for his dormitory after leaving his mentor''s place. In five days'' time, the best villas would be gathered. It would be no easy task to win hearts over those eminent villas. Even if he completed his predicted evolution, an eighth-grade secret watersource wouldnt be enough to entice people. He needed a strong formula for it as well. Currently, the Suncreek Villa didn''t have a single four-star formula. As for the top villas, they would have at least one, if not several. Combined with their secret watersources and lightsources, the spirit liquids and purifying lights they produced would leave him in the dust. He needed to bring more if he wanted to dazzle his audience at the meet. The answer... a four-star formula, of course. "I guess I''ll go poke Mengmeng a little. Hopefully, she understands where I''m coming from," Li Luo thought to himself. After circling their tower, however, he found no sign of her. Instead, he found Xin Fu in the shadowy crook of the staircase, honing his dagger intently. "Hey, friend. Seen Mengmeng around?" Li Luo asked. Xin Fu looked up, surprised. "You found me?" He had used a camouflage art to blend in with the shadows. How had Li Luo seen him so easily? Was his skill that weak? "Mengmeng''s in the refining workshop. She went there immediately after returning," he replied. "Right... practice hard. I guess your arts aren''t as strong as you thought." With a sanctimonious nod, he headed for the basement, smirking to himself. His illuminating eye skill had broken the shadow wall! That will teach you to compose gravestone quotes for me! I better keep you busy. That''s why I''m the leader! Xin Fu looked back down at his reflection on his shining blade, lost in self-doubt. Li Luo hummed a tune as he headed down the stairs. Through the transparent crystal wall, he could see a small figure hunched up over the refining workshop. The board behind her was teeming with notes. Li Luo paused for a moment outside, then he decided he wouldn''t break her concentration after all. He turned to leave. He thought that he should spend some time working on his taste-restoring spirit liquid too. Otherwise, if she brought him a four-star formula and he didn''t have the goods to exchange for it, that would be extremely embarrassing. Chapter 309: The Great Treasure Bai Mengmeng What Li Luo hadn''t counted on was the embarrassment would come knocking a lot quicker than he expected. The next morning, he was still lost in sleep when an urgent knocking roused him from his dreams. He opened the door and peered out drowsily. Bai Mengmeng. She had dark eyebags, which looked comically odd on her fair face, but he barely noted it because of her words. "Leader! Leader! I''ve done it!" "Done what now?" he asked blearily. "Four-star spirit liquid formula!" She said triumphantly, blushing with pride. Those magic words wiped the drowsiness away from him, and suddenly he was wide awake. "Done?!" "Mm!" Bai Mengmeng nodded madly. "I''ll get changed!" Li Luo yelled with excitement. Seizing her hand, he dragged her into the room and closed the door. On the balcony, Xin Fu had been trying to get some sun, when he saw this bizarre scene take place before him. More artistic inspiration. Crash! Very soon the door burst open with a loud bang, and Bai Mengmeng leaped out, blushing to the tips of her ears. "Why would Leader bring me into the room when he''s changing..." She whispered to herself, touching her warm cheeks. "But... he has quite a nice figure." The door flew open again to reveal a fully dressed Li Luo, who gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Too excited." She shook her head kindly. She too was excited, just not that excited. "Let''s go to the refining workshop. I can''t wait to get my hands all over your stuff." Li Luo took her hand and shot off. His eyes glanced past Xin Fu on the balcony. Xin Fu gave him a bright, sunny smile. Li Luo had a bad feeling about the kid, but now was not the time. He could only hope the kid would stop trying to bury him. The two reached the refining workshop quickly enough. Bai Mengmeng pulled out a special slip. It was a waterproof and fireproof paper, designed to hold ink for a long time. Her meticulous writings were all over it. She handed it over with great ceremony to Li Luo. "A third-grade spirit liquid, four-star formula." She announced proudly. Li Luo took it as carefully as if it were his newborn child. These words were worth a fortune, precious knowledge detailing reactions that made the spirit liquids. Li Luo read it, rapt. As a third-grade resonance artificer himself, he had come across a fair amount of formulas himself. Enough to know that Bai Mengmeng''s formula was nothing less than an inspired masterpiece. Each line of instruction on that paper represented countless experiments. Each experiment was carefully crafted by a fine mind, intimately familiar with the properties of each ingredient, and with a natural intuition for their combinations. Finally, this was the result. "Truly befitting of a four-star formula..." Li Luo marveled. In Xia Kingdom, spirit liquid formulas were divided into five star gradings. The higher the star grading, the rarer and more powerful the spirit liquid was. Simply put, the higher the star rating, the higher the upper-limit of the tempering strength. Take a third-grade spirit liquid, for example. A two-star formula could reach about 60% tempering strength. A three-star formula could reach 65% tempering strength. A four-star formula could reach a whopping 70% tempering strength at the limit! Which meant that generally, the quality of the formula determined the potency and worth of the spirit liquids and purifying lights. With a poor formula, even the best artificer with the best watersource could not push past a certain hard limit. Just like a skilled chef couldn''t cook with no ingredients. With unlimited talent and a pure watersource, the formula became the limiting reagent. The final result would be mediocre. That was why it was so important for villas to have good formulas. Of course, reaching that hard limit was easier said than done as well. Back when Li Luo had competed against Tang Yun, he had created a third-grade spirit liquid with a two-star formula. The limit was 60%, but he had only managed to achieve 58%. Of course, Li Luo had been fresh into the ranks of a third-grade artificer, but it nevertheless proved that maxing out the potential of low formulas was easier said than done. "Since it''s a third-grade formula, I can try it out myself," Li Luo said eagerly. Bai Mengmeng nodded. Her own talents leaned towards research, while her actual execution skills were not as spectacular. Although she was the creator of this formula, she hadn''t actually made her own creation before. It was always going to be a combination of theory and execution. Of course, making this formula was 90 percent of the work. There were plenty of ingredients at the refining workshop, left over from Bai Mengmeng''s experiments. Of course, they were the exact ingredients needed for this formula. Li Luo began refining immediately. From the moment he started, his enthusiasm started to fade away into worried concentration. Suncreek Villa had third-grade formulas, but they were far more straightforward compared to Bai Mengmeng''s. Truly a four-star formula. Li Luo failed dozens of times from the get-go. He was looking a lot surlier now, and then threw Bai Mengmeng an embarrassed smile. "It''s my first time working with something so sophisticated. Forgive me." Damn, he was the young lord of House Luolan, for crying out loud. Since when had he become so pathetic? "You can do it!" She encouraged him. Li Luo nodded fervently, then threw his energies back into his task. Suppressing his impatience, he began to tackle the problem with cool-headed analysis. This time round, things went a lot smoother. After a full two hours, Li Luo had burned his way through almost all the ingredients in the workshop. But his refining process was almost at the end as well. Before him stood 18 different test tubes. Each one held a concoction of hundreds of ingredients. Li Luo took a deep breath and rubbed his palms together. He held them up, and brought his resonant power forth. The contents of all 18 test tubes rose obediently, hanging in mid-air before starting to swirl. A ring of swirling liquids, intertwined with resonant power. This process continued for several minutes before the spinning began to slow. A twinkling liquid had emerged, and Li Luo guided it gently into a crystal vial. As the last drop plopped into it, Li Luo lifted the vial up with wild joy written all over his face. "I DID IT!" Bai Mengmeng was equally emotional, and she raced to the nearby table and back wiht the tempering measurement needle. Li Luo stuck it into the crystal vial. Two pairs of eyes watched the instrument eagerly. The indicator jumped immediately to the 60% mark. Li Luo gasped. That was insane. His first attempt, and already it was stronger than the Birds of Passage spirit liquid he had made back at Suncreek Villa! When he mastered the formula, surely the tempering strength would rise even further! It was a sensational result, testament to the effectiveness of Bai Mengmeng''s formula. "Wow! I did it!" Bai Mengmeng grabbed both his hands in her own and pumped them up and down, lost in her elation. Li Luo looked down at the girl before him. A great treasure! Chapter 310: Budding Butterfly Spirit Liquid In the refining workshop, the boy and girl hopped up and down like a pair of excited bunnies. Just as Li Luo had known from the start, the girl in front of him was a genius in artificing research. Even though it was just a third-grade spirit liquid, a four-star formula was godly. It was probably worth more than the Suncreek Villa''s entire net worth. Half a year ago, the Suncreek Villa was not even on the villa rankings. After Li Luo joined, their watersource had helped them power through to some modest standing as a half-decent villa. Still, their standing was shaky, and it had been easily undermined by Hanzhi''s betrayal. If Li Luo had not intervened, the Suncreek Villa would have closed its doors by now. But Li Luo also knew that his successes so far were not enough. A secret watersource was only one of three success factors. He needed good artificers and formulas as well. Neither could be won by force, especially the latter. But with his godly luck, Li Luo had stumbled across a genius from the moment he set foot in the Astral Sage College. He felt like getting on his knees and thanking Mentor Chi Chan for putting this team together. Mentor Chi Chan, thank you for your love! At the same time, he now looked at Bai Mengmeng with a "deeper interest. Bai Mengmeng suddenly looked a little uncomfortable, pulling her hands back shyly. "Leader," she whispered, "wipe your mouth." Li Luo hurriedly wiped his saliva away. That was embarrassing. He glared at her to hide his embarrassment. Bai Mengmeng giggled a little. "Leader," she said, puzzled. "It was your first time making the spirit liquid, and you already got such a high tempering strength. You didn''t even use the secret watersource yet." As it was his first time following a four-star formula, she had expected him to reach 58% at best. But Li Luo had pulled off 60%. "You''ll know next time," Li Luo replied enigmatically. As if he hadn''t used ithe had indeed used his secret watersource, secretly adding it into the mix. "But..." Li Luo hung his head. "I haven''t finished the taste-restoring spirit liquid yet." He had made a pact with Bai Mengmeng that he would restore her sense of taste in exchange for the formula. She had already delivered successfully, while he was still empty-handed. Bai Mengmeng smiled impishly. "There''s no rush, I''ve waited so many years, a while more is okay." "I''ll finish it soon," Li Luo vowed. "Don''t worry." Bai Mengmeng nodded. She handed over the formula to Li Luo with great formality. "Leader, this four-star formula is yours from now on." She handed over her years of hard work to him. Li Luo received it with great formality as well, and stowed it with great care. "Don''t worry, Mengmeng. I''ll make sure your formula will become the most famous one among the third-grade formulas in all of the Xia Kingdom." Only the top villas had four-star formulas in the third-grade spirit liquid market. Once he improved his waterlight resonance to the seventh-grade and combined this with a fortified watersource, he would be able to punch with the best. And then the Suncreek Villa would be up there with the best in the third-grade spirit liquid market. "Leader, you haven''t named it yet." Li Luo thought about it for a moment. "Let''s call it the Budding Butterfly Spirit Liquid." Bai Mengmeng looked at him with wide eyes. It was named after her and her Nightmarish Water Butterfly resonance. [1] "That seems... too bold?" she said shyly. "It is your work," Li Luo said seriously. "I want everyone in the Xia Kingdom to know that this was made by a girl called Bai Mengmeng." She looked at him, eyes welling up with emotional tears, and she nodded. Li Luo began to clear the table after a while. When he was done, he realized that the room was rather quiet. He saw that his squad mate was fast asleep on the table. Her hair fell down beautifully, framing her innocent, little face. Li Luo looked at the dark eye circles that spoke of her work through the night. It hadn''t been a normal all-nighter either. It must have been a highly stressful one, to have worn her out so thoroughly. Now the frenzy was over, and she had passed out, relieved that her work was done. Li Luo was very touched. This four-star formula would be of great help to him. He called her softly but got no response. She was in a deep sleep, but this was no place to sleep. He hesitated, then he scooped her up in his arms, ready to bring her back to her room. "She''s really light." She was limp in his arms as he walked out the door. When he passed by the first floor, he heard a knock. Li Luo''s hands were full. "Xin Fu," he called, "get the door." "Are you sure?" his teammate''s voice asked from the room. Damn, what was wrong with this guy? What was there to second-guess about opening the door? "Of course!" he yelled. "Okay, then!" Xin Fu replied with relish. Li Luo''s eyes narrowed with suspicion. Then he remembered the girl in his arms. "HEY, F*CK, WAIT!" Clack. The door swung open. Outside were two familiar figures, who locked on to Li Luo and the girl in his arms immediately. Li Luo, hugging Bai Mengmeng. Li Luo looked back almost guiltily. Jiang Qing''e and Lu Qing''er... The temperature plummeted in a flash. 1. TN: Budding Butterfly features "Meng" from Bai Mengmeng''s name. Chapter 311: Embarrassing Times Somehow, the sun shining brightly through the doorway did nothing for the chill in the air. Li Luo looked at the two girls with some dread. How would a fiance feel seeing her betrothed with a beautiful, young girl fast asleep in his arms? Was his life in danger? Li Luo soon had his feelings under control. What was there to be afraid of? He saw a friend sleeping, and she had helped him so much. He was just returning the favor and getting her back to her room. He gathered up his courage and mustered up a confident smile. "So, why are you girls here?" As they took in the scene, Jiang Qing''e''s eyebrows went up with just a hint of amusement, while Li Luo could hear Lu Qing''er''s teeth gnashing from where he stood. Jiang Qing''e entered first. "Asleep?" she asked calmly. "Better get her to her room first." Li Luo nodded, turning to bring her up the stairs. On the way, he passed Xin Fu, who was perched on a step. "Leader," he said, tugging his hood lower, "your back is a little wet." "And your mouth is a little big," Li Luo snapped back. Did Xin Fu have to point it out? Lu Qing''er walked in as well, sitting down at the table. "Are there really that many rooms at House Luolan?" she muttered to herself. Her voice was not particularly loud, but Jiang Qing''e heard her anyway. Of course, the golden-haired girl remembered how she had used those words to send Lu Qing''er fleeing. Was this Lu Qing''er''s jibe back that she should watch Li Luo more closely? Jiang Qing''e sat down too. "One room, two rooms, not much difference," she said indifferently. Lu Qing''er stared at her. "You''re a savage, Senior Jiang! You''ll regret those words." Jiang Qing''e propped her chin on her hands and cocked her head. "I''m waiting." During the girls'' verbal fencing match, Li Luo managed to settle Bai Mengmeng in, and he now hurried down the stairs. "Mengmeng worked through the night researching spirit liquid formulas, so she''s completely worn out. She fell asleep in the refining workshop." Jiang Qing''e noted the happiness in his voice. "A good result?" Li Luo pulled out the formula recipe out with a flourish. "A four-star formula for a third-grade spirit liquid." Both girls gasped at it. They also knew the value of that tiny piece of paper. Especially for the Suncreek Villait was a real lifesaver. "Incredible research," Jiang Qing''e said with admiration. She herself had never touched resonance artificing herself, but through her years of managing House Luolan, she had paid much attention to their greatest asset, the Suncreek Villa. After all the years of effort and capital poured into the venture, no one had managed to create a four-star formula before. Yet Bai Mengmeng had done it alone, and at such a tender, young age. "She just gave it to you like that?" Lu Qing''er asked disbelievingly. As the young mistress of the Golden Dragon Bank, she knew the market value of a four-star formula perhaps better than any of them. It would fetch tens of millions of skygold. "Well, of course part of the proceeds will belong to Mengmeng, but strictly speaking, I''m getting a real steal here." Of course he couldn''t reveal the matter of her taste buds. It was her secret to share. "With this four-star formula, the Suncreek Villa stands a real chance at the Resonance Artificers Hall event," Lu Qing''er noted. "It''s not enough." Li Luo knew that it was a big step in the right direction, but it would not carry them all the way to success. "Qing''e, did Sister Cai Wei send the spirit liquids and purifying lights yet?" "She''s almost torn her hair out thanks to your request," Jiang Qing''e replied with some sympathy for their administrator. "She just spent a large sum in the last few days to shore up some of House Luolan''s enterprises. Your sudden request was too much. Perhaps in three days, she would have had an easier time of things, but you only gave her one day." Li Luo felt a little pang of guilt. His request was urgent, but the meeting was soon, and he didn''t have time. "But in order to meet your request anyway, Cai Wei went to the Golden Dragon Bank. She went to take a loan. For you, she even threw away her pride." Li Luo was stunned. "The Golden Dragon Bank? They''ve always been very strict about loaning eligibility." "Well, we shouldn''t have been eligible," Jiang Qing''e said, gesturing at the other girl sitting quietly at the table. "But luckily, the young mistress of the Golden Dragon Bank spoke up on your behalf at great length. President Yu eventually caved in and made an exception." "Thanks, Qing''er!" he exclaimed. Lu Qing''er shook her head and smiled, then she lifted up a silver chest. "The spirit liquids and purifying lights you wanted are here. I really didn''t do much. The Golden Dragon Bank is all about business. House Luolan has always honored their credit, so a few days in the red shouldn''t be a big deal." In truth, a million skygold was nothing to her, and she could have all too easily paid for it herself. But she was wise enough not to. It would change the entire dynamic, and others would make fun of Li Luo for being broke. "But my mother asked me to remind you to make a trip to the Golden Dragon Bank when you''re free. She says she wants to discuss the matter of the Golden Dragon Dao Fields with you," Lu Qing''er said. "The Golden Dragon Dao Fields, huh..." Li Luo nodded. Of course he had not forgotten. He was very curious about that mysterious place. Perhaps there would be more twists of fate contriving to help him get stronger still. He didn''t have much time. He needed every last bit of help he could find. "After I settle the meet, I''ll go and find your mother," Li Luo promised. Lu Qing''er smiled mischievously. "Oh, and one more piece of news. I hear that the Bigswamp Villa is sending Hanzhi to represent them for this meet." Hanzhi... Li Luo''s eyes went flat at the mention of the name. The Suncreek Villa''s traitorous president! Li Luo really didn''t like the guy. He was always free to leave, but poaching the Suncreek Villa''s resonance artificers was extremely detestable. Plus, committing grand arson at the Suncreek Villa''s labs was just straight up nasty. They had lost many years of painstaking research as a result. "The Bigswamp Villa is doing this on purpose," Jiang Qing''e noted coolly. Li Luo nodded. It was a move, calculated specially against him. When the new talents saw the ex-president of the Suncreek Villa, they would be reminded. If even the president had run away to the Bigswamp Villa, what more could the Suncreek Villa offer? Even before they got to the demonstrations, the Suncreek Villa would already be trashed in the minds of the students. Li Luo sighed. It seemed like the difficulty had just been ramped up another level. He patted the box full of spirit liquids and purifying lights. Just as well. The higher they fly, the harder they fall. And from their crater, the Suncreek Villa would rise. Chapter 312: Sentient Resonant Powers For the next few days, Li Luo was very busy. First was the refining of spirit liquids and purifying lights. He could feel his sixth-grade waterlight resonance tingling already. He fed it accordingly with spirit liquids, and it absorbed it all with supernatural efficiency. If anyone else could see the speed at which he consumed them, they would have thought that he had lost his mind. Only someone like Li Luo, with the void affinity of his blank palaces, could hold such a tremendous capacity of spirit liquids. Any other resonance would have been completely saturated and be unable to evolve any further. Improving his waterlight resonance was the most important task for the Artificers'' Fair. He would be the one to create the Budding Butterfly Spirit Liquid. Although Yan Lingqing and Tang Yun were fourth-grade resonance artificers, Li Luo did not believe they could make a better third-grade spirit liquid. Most importantly, the other villas would not send a third-grade resonance artificer to make third-grade spirit liquids. They would choose more experienced resonance artificers, to show off the range and depth of their expertise. That was how Li Luo would distinguish himself. If a third-grade resonance artificer like him could stand out, that would be truly sensational. He would be the dark horse that stole the thunder of the show. It was the hardest approach, but also the one that would pay off the best. With the completion of his four-star formula and his waterlight resonance on the cusp of reaching the seventh-grade, Li Luo felt confidence building in him. Of course, all of this rested on the assumption that he could reach the seventh-grade. Which came back to him gulping spirit liquids like a drunkard at the inn. Besides absorbing the spirit liquids and purifying lights, Li Luo''s spare time was spent in the refining workshop. He had to familiarize himself with every step of the Budding Butterfly Spirit Liquid. A four-star formula was many levels harder to craft than a three-star formula. He wasn''t planning to fail dozens of times at the Artificers'' Fair. The Suncreek Villa would become a laughing stock if he did that. He was so busy that time seemed to fly by each time he checked. During these days, stories of the Heavenly Disaster Class Other at purified spot 13 had spread throughout the school, drawing more attention and bolstering Li Luo''s reputation further. Many of the students spoke admiringly of his daring plan to lure the spirit beast over from the forbidden zone. It was a mad plan, but pulling it off required courage in the face of a bleak situation. Even the proud and experienced Four Star Hall students paled at the thought of luring something even stronger than a Heavenly Disaster Class Other. They shook their heads and muttered about young calves not knowing to fear tigers. They knew that even among the Seven Astral Pillars, no student in the Astral Sage College wouldve dared to take on the great spirit beast. Except Li Luo, apparently. He had escaped, and he was only a puny, little Resonant Master. Purified spot 13 had held out until the reinforcements arrived... No, actually, the reinforcements hadn''t even been important. According to the accounts, Li Luo had used the principal''s seal to take care of the great spirit beast as well. Which meant that Li Luo was the MVP for sure. They had him to thank for their lives. A glory unparalleled in the history of the Astral Sage College. He was truly a legend in the school now. And his status reached this point in a day more or less. Of course, there were suggestions floating around that Li Luo should be generously rewarded. Otherwise, there would be no proper closure to the affair. The voices built up some significant momentum. Finally, the Gilded Palace, the highest administrative body of the school, announced that discussions were ongoing regarding the reward, and of course the school would not let such merit go unrewarded. There was only a day left before the Artificers'' Fair now. Li Luo''s waterlight resonance still had not reached the seventh-grade. And he had already finished the batch of spirit liquids and purifying lights. He had truly underestimated the chasm that divided a middle-grade resonance from a high-grade one. Li Luo walked out of the tower in a daze. It was noon, and the sun''s warmth was welcome. He shook his befuddled head. The intense absorbing and refining practice had left him in a poor state. He could feel that his waterlight resonance was powerful enough to evolve, and yet he lacked one final push to trigger it. As if there was a thin barrier stopping him. He knew that this was the infamous bottleneck. Li Luo wasn''t panicking. On the contrary, he was quite calm. He knew that the more anxious he was, the slower things would move along. There was a lake just on the other side of the road, so Li Luo took a stroll along its banks and headed for the little island at the center. Along the way, he passed many students, who now regarded him with an equal mix of curiosity and respect. Li Luo knew that Yu Lang must have been busy helping him boost his reputation further. It seemed like his 100,000 points might well land in his lap soon. Cheered by the thought, Li Luo walked on until he reached the center of the lake. He warily eyed the figure amidst the large gravel. Mentor Chi Chan. Li Luo hesitated before walking up to her. She was in her customary black outfit, but now she was barefoot, letting her feet rest gently on the smooth pebbles. "Mentor." Li Luo greeted her. "Your primary resonance is on the verge of a breakthrough." Li Luo stared at her in surprise. "The resonant power is overflowing out of you. That''s one of the sure signs. I''ve been watching you for a few days now. Of course I know." Li Luo grinned. "And of course you are going to give me some advice, right?" She arranged herself into a more comfortable sitting position, letting her feet trail in the cool lake water. "The jump from sixth to seventh-grade is particularly drastic. Crossing the barrier from middle to high changes things at a fundamental level. "The mark of a high-grade resonance is sentience in one''s resonant power. This tiny spark of awareness cannot be underestimated. You have tangled with many opponents with strong resonances. You know as well that their attacks were harder to deal with. "Imagine two armies fighting. One faction only knows how to make a straight charge, while the other understands the principles of formations, of strategy, to divide and conquer... If they clash, the former always loses." Li Luo nodded. He understood the principle of it, and he had faced many strong opponents, but... "Sorry, Mentor, I haven''t really felt it myself before, to be honest. When I clashed with Duze Beixuan and Wang Hejiu, I didn''t feel it too clearly." He shrugged. "Dual resonances are too strong, and I smashed their resonant power cleanly." From his reading of her mood, Li Luo felt like he had said the wrong thing almost the moment he finished speaking. Chi Chan slowly turned to him and began to laugh. A nasty sort of laugh. BOOM! A gigantic wave of lake water broke the calm surface, and a water tiger roared. With a swishing crack of its tail, it batted Li Luo, who flew into the lake. Li Luo howled and splashed. It was cold inside. Chi Chan sniffed. I was instructing you on resonant powers, and you want to show off your dual resonances? Better cool your swollen head in the lake for a bit. Chapter 313: Seventh-grade Waterlight Resonance Li Luo was shivering uncontrollably in the center of the lake, feeling a little grouchy. He was telling the truth though! When he fought the likes of Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan, whatever little glimmer of sentience their resonant powers possessed had been drowned out by sheer power. Dual resonances were super awesome. "Dual resonances are very powerful, but you wield them like an ogre''s club. Sheer power, used in a short and furious blast. Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan aren''t that much stronger than you, so they crumbled before it. But your opponents will only get stronger from hereon. Overwhelming them directly with brute force will not always work. "At that time, whoever wins the struggle of sentient resonant powers will have the upper hand in battle," Chi Chan said. Li Luo nodded seriously. He knew the truth of it. His dual resonances were very strong, but they cost a lot of energy. They couldn''t last. "Your primary resonance has gained enough power for the breakthrough, but you are short one last step. That is resonant sentience." She paused for a moment. "Which is strange. At this stage, the sentience usually comes naturally. For some reason, it is harder for you. Perhaps it has something to do with the dual resonances..." Li Luo squirmed a little. She knew that he had dual resonances, but she didn''t know he actually had two more secondary affinities behind them. Water primary, light secondary. These two were compatible elements, or at least they had been up till this point. If they gained sentience, there would inevitably be friction. Perhaps the stronger water resonance would suppress the weaker light resonance. That had to be what was holding him back. Which meant that all of this was caused by the upset balance between his primaries and secondaries. If he wanted to get out of this situation, he would have to strengthen the weaker light resonance. At the very least, it would have to be strong enough to shrug off the water resonance''s pressure on it. Once it achieved sentience, then things would be smooth sailing again. His eyes lit up with new energy. "Mentor, I know what to do." Mentor Chi Chan took a look at her student, then she stood up on the waters surface. A wave of water rose up around her, and when the swirling subsided, she was gone. Li Luo himself used his water resonant power to help him float on the lake''s surface. He sorted out his thoughts while the sun dried him. The light resonance was secondary. Even when he was absorbing worldly natural energy, his primary resonance would naturally absorb more energy. If he wanted to change that state of affairs, then he would have to begin from the absorption process. Li Luo stretched out his hand and commanded the water to rise. He formed it into palm-sized water mirrors and arrayed them around him. Tilting them all upwards, he directed sunlight onto his body. He could feel his light energy rising to the fore. Li Luo used the 12 Step Weave energy cultivation art. However, this time he purposely suppressed his water resonance absorption in order to balance his powers. Although this was usually a detrimental thing to do, Li Luo''s aim here was not raw progress, but building harmony. With his calibrations, the 12 Step Weave helped bring both resonant powers into his body at approximately an equal rate now. Waterlight resonant power flowed through his veins. When it reached his first resonant palace, it flowed into his resonance seed. Li Luo could sense slight tremors from his first resonant palace. Markings were starting to appear on the surface of his resonance seed. His resonant power was changing. Li Luo''s heart leaped. As hypothesized, the imbalance between his powers was what had been limiting him. They had been locked in an intangible struggle to reach sentience, and of course his secondary resonance had lost. Allowed to take their natural course, his water resonance would have awakened first, followed by his light resonance much later. That would have delayed his overall progress significantly. And Li Luo did not have that kind of time to spare. The Artificers'' Fair was tomorrow. If he didn''t pull a seventh-grade waterlight resonance out of his ass, then the four-star formula would not have as sensational an impact as he had hoped. Encouraged that his method was working, Li Luo calmed himself down and continued. Within his body, an equal amount of water and light energy continued to enter his waterlight resonant palace. The patterns on his resonance seed started to deepen and clarify. Approximately two hours passed. Suddenly, Li Luo heard a loud humming from his resonant palace. As if a thousand sparrows had started hopping and chirruping all at once. It was the resonant power within him, awakening. Li Luo opened his eyes. He could feel that his resonant power had not increased that much, but now the power came to him more easily. His mastery over it was much better. He sent forth an experimental thread of energy, forming a spout of water. In the core of his spout was a thick band of glowing light. Li Luo flicked out his finger, cutting through the surface of the lake. He judged that both the speed and power were much stronger than before, and he grinned to himself. He had fed this thing millions of skygold over the last half a year. Finally, he was a seventh-grade. It was harder than raising a child, for crying out loud! Chapter 314: Artificers Fair The Resonance Artificers Hall had a rather unique system compared to the rest of the Astral Sage College. The students were also divided into four star halls, but as a support vocation, their fighting skills were understandably lacking. That was why dangerous tasks such as the Umbra Cave would not involve them. Of course, if any student was brave enough to volunteer, the school would not stop them. Still, that did not mean that they did not contribute in other ways. Their benchmark was tied to the number of successful spirit liquids and purifying lights they made each year. These were either consumed or sold by the school to defray expenses. In truth, the revenue did not just defray expensesit brought in a sizable fortune. If you treated the Astral Sage College as a separate entity, it would definitely be seen as the number one villa in all of the Xia Kingdom. It was to be expected. Close to a third of the elite resonance artificers in the Xia Kingdom had walked out of the Resonance Artificers Hall''s doors. That was why they attracted many villas each year to the career fair, and the villas would try any method available to win them over. No one would ever feel that they had too many resonance artificers. Besides, these were elite resonance artificers. Although the Artificers'' Fair seemed like a simple affair on paper, it was actually a vicious and desperate scrabble between the top villas to secure talent. It was definitely a major event in the spirit liquid industry. The Resonance Artificers Hall was located in the southeastern section of the Astral Sage College. The place was filled with lakes, glistening like shining mirrors from above, while a network of elegant bridges criss-crossed their surfaces, joining the buildings up. It had a completely different look compared to the Cultivators Hall. Today, traffic on the bridges was especially heavy, and the loud chatter resulting from the influx of guests was amplified by the way their voices carried over water. In the center of the entire location was a courtyard made entirely of white jade. It floated in the middle of a huge lake and was enclosed by stone steps that extended outwards and upwards, giving spectators an unhindered view. People had been scurrying back and forth to the courtyard since the early hours of the morning. Besides the resonance artificers clad in the Resonance Artificers Hall''s uniform, there were also others who had come in the colors of their respective villas. Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and Yan Lingqing had arrived at the crack of dawn as well, where they met up with Cai Wei, Tang Yun, and other managers from the Suncreek Villa. Tang Yun and the other artificers looked around the Resonance Artificers Hall in wonder. "So this is the legendary Resonance Artificers Hall. We dreamed of making it to this paradise when we were younger." Li Luo smiled politely. Was this their lament of a life wasted? In their younger days, Tang Yun and the others had evidently failed to enter the Astral Sage College and, as a result, the Resonance Artificers Hall. The fact rankled. Not because he was so concerned over Tang Yun''s future, but rather that the Suncreek Villa only had one person who had graduated from the Resonance Artificers Hall... Yan Lingqing. While he chewed on that unappetizing fact, another storm arrived. "Young Lord," Cai Wei snapped at him. "Just how bottomless is that appetite of yours?" Li Luo smiled at her weakly. It was very bottomless indeed. So bottomless that if he actually told her the truth, she would probably quit on the spot. So for the sake of her feelings, he wouldn''t tell her. "Sister Cai Wei, do not worry. All the investment will pay off," Li Luo assured her. "Today I will fill the ranks of the Suncreek Villa until we are bursting. And then we will take off to glory and greatness." Cai Wei scowled prettily at him. "Do you think I don''t know where we stand?" She was one of the core managers of House Luolan, and she oversaw most of their businesses, the Suncreek Villa included. It was precisely this understanding of their position that made her pessimistic about their success here at the Artificers'' Fair. She felt that it wasn''t even a wise decision to participate at all! Although the thought of getting the Resonance Artificers Hall graduates was tempting, it was a delectable cake that the Suncreek Villa had no business trying to secure a piece of. Forcing their way forward would only backfire on them and make them look like fools. And by the pained expression on Tang Yun''s face accompanied by regular sighs of resignation, Cai Wei wasn''t the only one who felt that way. Neither of them could see a reason for the Suncreek Villa to participate in the Artificers'' Fair. Look at the caliber of the other participants, for goodness sake! If this were a forest, the other villas would be like weathered oaks. They had laid down extensive roots and grown to an impregnable size. The Suncreek Villa was a sturdy, young tree that had been growing at a rapid rate, but they were unable to compete with the historical majesty of the others. A small, puny villa going up against the might of these giants. "Young Lord, how about I take your place later instead? You are still young, and I''m sure you have been busy with cultivation..." Tang Yun offered dubiously. Although Li Luo showed promising talent in artificing, his youth and lack of experience would put him at a severe disadvantage. He would cause them to lose face. Tang Yun would rather endure the humiliation on his behalf. Li Luo did not really know how to handle their pessimism, but he did not bother to explain either. "Don''t worry," he said, waving off Tang Yun''s offer. "Leave it to me." Suddenly, he felt weighed down by the tension emitting from all of them, even Jiang Qing''e. Tang Yun and the others were clenching their jaws tightly, their anger all too apparent. Li Luo could guess even before he turned around to spot a group of people walking down a bridge. Everyone else gave way to them. It was a familiar bunch of faces indeed. The siblings Duze Honglian and Duze Beixuan. The House Duze contingent followed behind. The anger of the Suncreek artificers was not directed at the Duze siblings, but instead at the man who was standing by their side. He was a rather powerful-looking man, clad in a fine set of artificer robes. A friendly-looking smile was currently fixed on his well-chiseled features. Li Luo immediately guessed it. This had to be the previous president, Hanzhi. There was only one vile traitor who could get the entire Suncreek Villa riled up, including Jiang Qing''e. "That dog!" Tang Yun swore from between gritted teeth. The Bigswamp Villa''s artificers trouped across the bridge. They had spotted the Suncreek artificers and were looking at them with mocking looks that spoke volumes. Clearly, they were surprised to see the Suncreek Villa on such a big stage. "I say, Li Luo''s gone mad. He can''t tell good from bad at all. Does he think the Suncreek Villa stands a chance here?" Duze Beixuan sneered. "Just focus on ourselves," Duze Honglian said flatly. "No need to care about anything else." Her brother was taken aback. Usually, his sister would back him up, but now she did not seem keen on the taunting. "Sis, House Luolan is our rival. You can''t change your stance just because of what happened in the Umbra Cave," he argued. "You''re overthinking it," Duze Honglian said after a slight pause. "It''s true that they rescued me in the Umbra Cave, but that changes nothing. I just think that taunting serves no purpose... After all, the results will say it all. "Besides," she said, turning to stare her brother full in the face, "haven''t you realized that with Li Luo, the more you taunt him, the tougher he gets?" Duze Beixuan started. "Surely he can''t do that every single time!" Still, he seemed convinced enough to call off the taunting. The Bigswamp Villa''s contingent walked on past the Suncreek Villa''s. Hanzhi''s oily smile paused slightly longer on Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo. They knew the poison he was hiding behind that friendly facade all too well. He did not say anything, nor did he have to. He knew the wretched position that they were in very well, and their inability to challenge him. They did not deserve proper attention. But just as his eyes flicked away onwards, Li Luo suddenly stepped forward. "President Hanzhi, long time no see." The whole Bigswamp Villa group stopped and turned. Duze Honglian frowned. Hanzhi turned to Li Luo, his smile not faltering one bit. "Young Lord Li Luo, I am now the vice president of the Bigswamp Villa, and no longer the president of the Suncreek Villa. You may add a vice before my title." Li Luo waved it off. "No worries. With your methods, I''m sure you can finish off the president quickly enough and take his place." The Bigswamp artificers stiffened, although a few looked at Hanzhi apprehensively. Hanzhi''s smile subsided by a few millimeters. "Young Lord Li Luo, did you stop me for such a meaningless exchange?" "Oh no," Li Luo shook his head. "I wanted to thank you." His face was the very poise of sincerity. Hanzhi smiled back coldly. As if. Li Luo sighed. "My thanks are genuine. If not for a poisonous sleazebag like yourself leaving the Suncreek Villa, how could we have improved so rapidly since?" A few quiet sniggers. "Actions speak louder than words, Li Luo." Duze Honglian cut in. "A clever tongue will win you no graduates." She turned and walked away. The Bigswamp Villa''s people hurried after her. Hanzhi paused a moment longer. "Young Lord, you are a clever boy. But still only just a boy... "A stage like the Resonance Artificers Hall''s fair is too big for the Suncreek Villa. It will swallow you. Forcing your way forward will only end in disgrace. "Because the two House Lords treated me kindly once, let me offer you this piece of advice: take the Suncreek Villa and leave this place. You will lose everything that you have worked so hard to build up." He then walked on. Chapter 315: Hanzhi As for Hanzhi''s friendly-sounding advice, Li Luo just smiled and shook his head almost pityingly. The livelier the pre-fight, the sweeter his victory would be. "Let''s go, then. To our places." He beckoned to his seething employees, then he led the way with Jiang Qing''e into the courtyard, heading for their allocated place. Along the way, they ran into Li Bi, who was with a group of friends that were all outstanding students as well. "Senior Li Bi!" Yan Lingqing waved enthusiastically. Li Bi turned around at the call, smiling at Yan Lingqing before speaking to Li Luo. "Junior Li Luo. The Suncreek Villa really came, I see." "And it''s all thanks to Senior''s advice." Li Bi gave him a puzzled but polite smile. She didn''t know if it was something to be thankful for. The Suncreek Villa looked shabby compared to these other villas. "Who''s your representative? Lingqing?" Li Bi asked. She knew that the Suncreek Villa had no fifth-grade artificer, so their strongest had to be someone of Yan Lingqing''s level. Yan Lingqing pointed a hesitant finger at Li Luo, who smiled. "Senior Li Bi, it will be our young lord taking the stage." Li Bi stared at him in shock. "Do you even know what you are doing?" she burst out. She could not understand it. The Suncreek Villa was the weakest villa present. And they were sending a third-grade resonance artificer? Were they intending on creating the greatest comedy act ever? "Senior Li Bi, I know what I am doing. And believe meI won''t make free with the Suncreek Villa''s reputation," Li Luo said seriously. Believe you? On what basis, that was preposterous?! At best, the Suncreek Villa could enter the third-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights category. But other villas would be sending fifth-grade resonance artificers armed with high-star formulas. The Suncreek Villa''s only promising point was their upper seventh-grade watersource, which other villas had as well. A third-grade resonance artificer with a low-star formula? Li Luo could never hope to compete. They would be laughed out of the courtyard. How was that supposed to attract any Resonance Artificers Hall students? Li Bi looked at him with disappointment. "Do as you will." Then she left. She had been charmed by his confidence back at the inn, but now she saw that it was mere bluster. Her friends turned to her when they were out of earshot. "That''s Li Luo?" they asked curiously. "He''s become very famous recently." "Oh yes, I heard he performed superbly in THE Umbra Cave. The school is giving him a special reward." "And he''s easy on the eyes too," a fashionably dressed senior said archly. "At least I''ll have eye candy at the Suncreek Villa." Some of the other girls tittered excitedly as well. "Looks like Senior Bing Tao''s heart''s aflutter. But Jiang Qing''e has laid claim to that one. So be careful she doesn''t beat you up." Bing Tao sighed and then shook her head. "Still, pretty looks alone aren''t going to bring in the business. The Suncreek Villa is too weak. They have a dim future. "You seemed interested a few days ago, no?" she asked Li Bi. "Must be that Yan Lingqing and her sweet talk. Still, you''d do well to see this matter with a clear head, you know." Li Bi sighed. Bing Tao was her good friend. Although the latter was only a fourth-grade artificer, she was excellent too. She had admitted some interest in the Suncreek Villa to her friend a few days ago, but Bing Tao had dismissed it as far-fetched. Now that she knew it would be Li Luo representing the Suncreek Villa, her last hope had vanished. Forget it. If Li Luo wanted to be suicidal, there was nothing she could do about it. On the other side. "Oh no, Senior Li Bi looks very disappointed." Yan Lingqing wailed. "It''s all your fault, Li Luo." She glared at him. "Why did you have to insist on participating?!" Li Luo was speechless. Was there no one who believed in him?! "Well, we''ll see," he managed. At their allocated position, he spotted a few more familiar faces. Yu Lang, Lu Qing''er, Zhao Kuo, Bai Mengmeng, Xin Fu, and a few others had all come to lend their support. Li Luo beamed and waved enthusiastically. Yu Lang chopped the air decisively. "Gentlemen, reveal the banner." Zhao Kuo and the others cheered as they unfurled it. On it were the words "Fly high, Brother Luo! The fan club will always be right behind you!" Yan Lingqing covered her face. "Can they not?" she whispered. "It''s incredibly embarrassing." Li Luo puffed his chest out proudly. "I think it''s swell," he said fondly. "Good for morale, at any rate." "And if we lose later??" "At least Yu Lang and the others believe in me. That''s one better than you guys," Li Luo complained. Yan Lingqing barely had energy left to shrug. Lu Qing''er was of the same mind. "Beware the hubris. What if the Suncreek Villa flops?" "I believe in Li Luo!" Yu Lang declared stoutly. "Besides, I have a backup plan." He waved grandly to Zhao Kuo and the others. They sneakily unfurled another banner. "Don''t worry, Brother Luo! Try again next time!" Lu Qing''er didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. They had every outcome covered. Confidence in Brother Luo, my foot! Chapter 316: Ling Zhaoying The courtyard steadily grew more lively as the morning wore on. Even the Cultivators Hall students were here to watch the entertainment. Watching some refining was a nice, relaxing change after their purging mission in the Umbra Cave. Besides the Suncreek Villa, every other villa present was easily in the top 20 in the Xia Kingdom... Such was the standard for an invitation. These villas had all proved themselves as highly capable. In comparison, the Suncreek Villa was unproven on every front. This was where the lions gathered. Meeker villas were like scavengers that were afraid to pick up scraps while the kings feasted. They would end up empty-handed for sure, and that would just be humiliating. The crowd suddenly parted for a group. They were led by the First Princess. Behind her was a retinue of skilled artificers. Their arrogant expressions were an unspoken declaration that they knew just how good they were. "That''s the Skypalace Villa, a subsidiary of the royal court. They are the foremost villa in the Xia Kingdom... Excepting the Resonance Artificers Hall, of course," Yan Lingqing said to Li Luo. He nodded. He had heard of the Skypalace Villa before, of course. One could not help but hear about the best. Even among these villas, they always had the first pick at the Artificers Fair each year. Fortunately for the other villas, the Resonance Artificers Hall had set a hard quota on the recruitment numbers for each villa; otherwise, the Skypalace Villa would be sweeping up most of the talent each year. Li Luo was pretty confident that the Suncreek Villa could be ranked top 10 in another six months. But to overtake the Skypalace Villa? There was still a long way to go for that. At least for now, it was too lofty a goal. Not long after the Skypalace Villa''s arrival, a rich voice called out, and the crowd fell silent. Everyone turned to the stage. The Resonance Artificers Hall''s elites walked out on stage, fronted by a beautiful matron in pure-white robes. Her golden hair was like a crown on her head, and her features exuded mature wisdom befitting of a queen. "That''s the dean of the Resonance Artificers Hall, Ling Zhaoying," Yan Lingqing said with reverence. "She''s the only eighth-grade resonance artificer in the Xia Kingdom. "She has an upper eighth-grade light resonance." She grinned at Jiang Qing''e. "This is the dean who kept trying to persuade Jiang Qing''e to join the Resonance Artificers Hall but failed every time." "An eighth-grade resonance artificer with an upper eighth-grade light resonance..." Li Luo marveled. Besides Jiang Qing''e, this was the highest quality light resonance he had seen so far. After all, water and light resonance cultivators were rather rare, and there were far fewer of the latter compared to the former. That was why in their industry, there were always far more spirit liquids than purifying lights. Plus, this dean was an eighth-grade resonance artificer. Resonance artificers were different from alchemists in many ways. Most pertinently, spirit liquids and purifying lights often cost far less than pills and potions of the same grade. However, many pills and potions could not be used more than once, as they made drastic changes to one''s core. Overdosing could lead to destabilization. However, this difference only applied to spirit liquids and purifying lights below the seventh-grade. At the seventh-grade and above, there was a sharp spike in the price of spirit liquids and purifying lights, and they were seldom seen as well. The reason was very simple. The number of seventh-grade resonance artificers could be counted on one''s fingers. What about eighth-grade artificers? The dean of the Resonance Artificers Hall was the only one who could make such things. One could only imagine the price each one would fetch. They might not even be for sale. Perhaps only a small group of Duke experts could afford such rarities. And for something of such quality, they were probably willing to hand over a sizable fortune. At such a high level, resonance artificers were on par with alchemists. This was also why Li Luo had chosen the path of a resonance artificer after he acquired his resonances. At least he could make his own spirit liquids and purifying lights in the future. He would not be at the mercy of others. The queenly Ling Zhaoying walked on to the stage and surveyed the crowd. She started to speak in her rich, throaty voice. "Welcome. We are all familiar with each other, and we know why we are here. I will not repeat the same, tired old phrases. On behalf of the Resonance Artificers Hall of the Astral Sage College, I welcome all of you eminent guests. I hope that our graduating students find good homes with you. "As for the rules of the Artificers'' Fair, everyone has already been informed beforehand. Without further ado, let us begin." She was concise to the point of being almost brusque. Before the crowd had properly settled in to listen, her opening was already over. "This Ling Zhaoying''s a real character." Li Luo chuckled. "Well, she''s an eighth-grade resonance artificer. Her status in the Astral Sage College is rather special. I heard that the principal went to great lengths to invite her to the school," Jiang Qing''e said. Li Luo nodded. That made sense. An eighth-grade resonance artificer was a walking miracle. No matter where they went, they would be hotly fought over. Even Dukes were not as valuable. A Resonance Artificers Hall mentor walked out. "The first round of the fair is the third-grade round," he declared in a booming voice. "There are six villas participating. "Bigswamp Villa. Artificer: Vice President Hanzhi, fifth-grade resonance artificer. "Ultraviolet Villa. Artificer: Vice President Huangfu Xu, fifth-grade resonance artificer. "Arctic Blizzard Villa. Artificer: Vice President Bing Ling, fifth-grade resonance artificer. "Inkwater Villa. Artificer: Vice President Mo Tai, fifth-grade resonance artificer. "..." At the last name, the mentor''s booming, confident voice faltered. "Suncreek Villa... Artificer: President Li Luo. Ah... third-grade resonance artificer." The crowd processed this with confusion. Surely he had read it wrongly? Or they had heard it wrongly? Out of the six villas, the other five were elite villas, their reputation well-known. And then suddenly the Suncreek Villa... They only knew that it was affiliated with House Luolan, but they were nobodies in the rankings of the Xia Kingdom. Even House Luolan itself was more well-known. Most importantly, the other villas had all sent forth fifth-grade resonance artificers to refine a third-grade spirit liquid, because that would allow them to maximize the potential of their formulas and demonstrate their best. Not the Suncreek Villa, which was sending a mere third-grade resonance artificer... Li Luo''s name was recently spoken of with some modest approval within the school grapevine. But still... How could he hope to compete? The crowd was strangely silent as they pondered this bizarre twist. Hanzhi stood up first, his signature false-smile firmly fixed on his face. "Give us your best, Vice President Hanzhi," Duze Beixuan said with a smirk. "The better you acquit yourself, the worse off Li Luo will be." Hanzhi smirked back. "Don''t worry, Young Lord. The Bigswamp Villa has nothing to fear from the Suncreek Villa." Duze Honglian was a little more objective. "The Bigswamp Villa has never once considered the Suncreek Villa our rival. They are far from where we are. We have bigger fish to consider. Vice President Hanzhi, you will do your best in the third-grade round so that the Bigswamp Villa can be the best out of all the competitors, not relative to just one underdog." Hanzhi nodded solemnly. "You are right, Young Mistress. My perspective was too limited." At the same time, on the stage where the leaders of the Resonance Artificers Hall were seated. Dean Ling Zhaoying turned to the woman by her side. "This Li Luo is your student, is he not, Chi Chan?" Li Luo''s mentor nodded. "The kid asked me to pull strings to get him in, so I let him." "Hes only a third-grade resonance artificer, and hes here to create a third-grade spirit liquid? Does this boy think he''s Jiang Qing''e?" Ling Zhaoying remarked with a sunny smile. "Is that resentment I hear?" Chi Chan noted mildly. "What a waste, that girl. A ninth-grade light resonance! Even I haven''t reached that level, not after a whole lifetime!" Ling Zhaoying tutted. "Watching that potential just sit there is killing me!" She slapped her chair for emphasis, and that drew some startled looks. "To each their own. If she does not fancy the path of a resonance artificer, would you force her onto it?" Ling Zhaoying shook her head. It was a topic that she had visited and revisited many times over the last few years. She turned her attention to the silver-haired youth instead. "Well, let''s see what this House Luolan kid has up his sleeve, since he dares to go up against fifth-grade resonance artificers. "If he''s here to make a farce out of the Resonance Artificers Hall''s meet, then the Suncreek Villa will be banned from my hall for life." Mentor Chi Chan shook her head. She knew that Ling Zhaoying had always resented Jiang Qing''e''s choice, and it lent a sour cast to her words. She didn''t really mean that threat, but it was still true that the Suncreek Villa would be thoroughly disgraced if Li Luo did not pull off a miracle today. And so... She looked back at her cheeky, little protg. Was this kid really going to deliver? Chapter 317: Hack You To Death Li Luo stood up, heedless of the astonishment around him. "Seems like no one believes in the Suncreek Villa." He grinned at Jiang Qing''e and Yan Lingqing. "I wonder why." Yan Lingqing was in a black mood indeed. "Do your best out there," Jiang Qing''e said with her signature incline of her head. She knew that Li Luo had the four-star formula from Bai Mengmeng, which would help them shorten the gap with other villas... but not close it. After all, the other competitors were all fifth-grade resonance artificers. Creating third-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights was a walk in the park for them, and they would surely be able to produce some fine liquids and lights. Li Luo was just a third-grade artificer. How could he possibly make up for the gap between them? Cai Wei fanned herself, trying to curb her own irritation. The Suncreek Villa had finally managed to claw together a modest reputation, and they were in a much better situation than before. But a loss here today could send them tumbling back down to square one. Still, it wasn''t her place to demand otherwise, not if the ultimate decision-makers, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, had agreed to this. More importantly, she understood the two of them. They were even more invested in House Luolan and the Suncreek Villa than she was. It was impossible that they did not know the implications of failing here today. If they had chosen to go ahead anyway, then they had to have something up their sleeves. As for what it was... she would just have to wait and see. Li Luo walked out of the Suncreek Villa''s position and headed to the center, where a refining platform had been prepared for him. Over at the Skypalace Villa, the First Princess had spotted Li Luo. The boy seemed to show up everywhere. First the uproar in the Umbra Cave, and now he was here at the Artificers'' Fair as well? He was either on a roll... or entirely mad. The First Princess looked over at a middle-aged man by her side, whose hair was shot through with white. "Master Gui Xu, is there any chance a third-grade resonance artificer can challenge the fifth-grade artificers?" The man called Gui Xu laughed. "Your Highness, are you referring to President Li Luo from the Suncreek Villa? It''s very difficult." He continued without prompting, "The Suncreek Villa lacks the experience and depth in their research. Compared to elite villas like the Bigswamp Villa, they are outclassed in every aspect. "The three major factors in artificing are the artificer, the formula, and the secret watersource. "First, in terms of resonance artificer, the Suncreek Villa is far behind, third-grade against fifth. "As for formulas, the Suncreek Villa has never shown a four-star formula before. Whereas for these elite villas, the only reason they would join the lowly third-grade competition is because third-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights could be one of their market specializations. All of them will bring four-star formulas, without exception. "As for the secret watersource, I hear that the Suncreek Villa has recently come into possession of an upper seventh-grade secret watersource. This is their only advantage. The other five villas only have lower seventh-grade watersources. It''s perhaps an inch ahead for them in this case... "Even so, the difference between an upper and lower grade is not enough for them to turn the tables. "That''s my assessment... President Li Luo should stand no chance at all." The First Princess nodded thoughtfully. Gui Xu''s opinion was professional. It was measured, calculated, and based on a wealth of experience. But she wasn''t about to take it wholesale. She knew that Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo had to have reached the same conclusion as Gui Xu. So why had they come anyway? They had to be trying something, and they had to be fairly confident to risk the Suncreek Villa''s reputation. But what could possibly make Li Luo that confident? The First Princess was extremely curious. After the incidents at the Umbra Cave, she no longer underestimated Li Luo. The man was as innocuous as an ice cube, floating along harmlessly under the bright sun in the skyJiang Qing''e. And yet he was like an iceberg, hiding his dangers under the water. This Li Luo was definitely more than met the eye. As he walked up on stage, it brought him in close proximity to Hanzhi, who smiled at him warmly. Li Luo threw a careless look his way. "Oh, Hanzhi." "Is there something else you have to say to me, Young Lord Li Luo?" Hanzhi asked breezily. "When given the chance, I will get people to hack you to death. When you set foot outside in the future, remember to get House Duze to arrange more bodyguards for you." Hanzhi''s smile froze on his face. He was taken aback by the stark, naked threat and pure venom that backed Li Luo''s menacing declaration. This was lawless! Hanzhi''s composure slipped. "You are breaking the rules, Young Lord Li Luo," he said darkly. "House Duze might respond in kind to the artificers of the Suncreek Villa." "Oh, the rules were already broken a long time ago. You burned them down to ashes along with the research labs of the Suncreek Villa." Li Luo strolled on to his assigned refining platform. Hanzhi watched him go, glowering. Eventually, he huffed and swept it from his mind. House Luolan was on shaky ground as it was. They had their hands full just keeping afloat. Threaten him? That was naive. Did Li Luo think that he would be intimidated by that? So be it. If you are going to threaten me, then I''ll deal with you in kind. And this is the best opportunity for me to deal with you, when you''ve served yourself up on a silver platter! The tale of the Suncreek Villa''s former president taking down the current onethat would be one for the books. The perfect nail in the coffin that had been built steadily around the Suncreek Villa over the last few years. Li Luo paid no more attention to Hanzhi after that, although he did still have a serious killing intent against the guy. Hanzhi had not only betrayed House Luolan, but also ruined their work. Li Luo was still seething over that. House Luolan had not treated him badly either. Hanzhi had been able to rise to a fifth-grade artificer thanks to the generous support of House Luolan. But now that the house was weak, he was happy to kick them while they were down to ingratiate himself with his new employer and flee to House Duze. That was the starting bell marking the death of rules. Li Luo had not dealt with this matter beforehand because he had had too many other things on his plate. And Hanzhi had laid low after joining the Bigswamp Villa as well. Until now, at least, when he was personally taking part in their competition to snub them. Li Luo''s words were no empty threat. If he saw the chance, he would gladly bring the might of House Luolan down to finish off Hanzhi without a second thought. Li Luo stood still at his refining platform, looking up at the huge crowd. It was a lot of pressure. Li Luo was unaffected. He knew that few among them believed in him, but this was a necessary part of his plan. The more they doubted him, the greater the shock would be when the result was announced. They would remember the Suncreek Villa all the more because of it. He believed that after this Artificers'' Fair, the Suncreek Villa would firmly be on an unstoppable track up to glory, even if they would not immediately become one of the top villas. Ting! A bell pealed once, the clear note hanging in the air. The voice of the Resonance Artificers Hall mentor boomed out again. "Let the third-grade round officially begin!" Chapter 318: Challenging the Fifth-grade Artificers With the cry heralding the start of the competition, the atmosphere of the fair immediately heated up. The spectators fervent gazes were focused upon the elevated platforms. The audience also included numerous Resonance Artificers Hall students, all of whom possessed a lack of familiarity with the scene presented before them. As a result, their eyes were glued to the artificing process of these uncommonly crafted spirit liquids and purifying lights, determined to better understand and appreciate the process. On the six refining workshops, the five fifth-grade resonance artificers possessed looks of indifferent calm. Utilizing their expertise and skills to refine third-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights was complete overkill. If not for the fact that each house was planning to demonstrate their ultimate piece of work, a junior fourth-grade resonance artificer would have been more than enough. Their smooth and graceful movements bellied their experience. Water and light resonance energy gushed out like tides, flowing with complete ease and control with just minor movements of their fingers. It was as though life was imitating art itself. The resonant power enveloped the numerous materials on the refining platform, harmoniously disintegrated into fine powder as they formed a glorious symphony within the crystal vials. Immediately after, a dazzling flash preceded the sublime fusion of the ingredients. It has to be said that Hanzhi and the other fifth-grade resonance artificers were truly the best individuals for showcasing the splendorous wonders of each artificing villa. Their exceptional abilities were cleanly brought to light amidst the refinement of spirit liquids and purifying lights. Everyone who had the privilege of watching this scene was only left with a sense of awestruck appreciation. However, not everything went as planned, and some discordant elements had been thrown into the mix Boom! A crystal tube on Li Luo''s refining platform shook violently and vigorously when the materials merged, eventually culminating in a chaotic, explosive display. He had made a mistake during the final step of fusing the ingredients together. Honestly speaking, such a sight was not uncommon. However, compared to the smoothly flowing movements of the fifth-grade resonance artificers, Li Luo''s misstep seemed all the more glaring. Low whispers began to circulate around the fair. Even an illiterate fool could tell that Li Luo''s skills were not up to par, relative to the other competitorshis actions were jerky and unrehearsed. The difficulty of concocting a third-grade spirit liquid was not something to be scoffed at. Everyone''s attention was focused atop the refining platform. Specifically, Mei Xuan''er guffawed unrequitedly at this sight, immediately turning to face Li Bi. "See? Looks like I wasn''t wrong after all. The Suncreek Villa is a dumpster fire. Once you jump in headfirst, you''re doomed." Li Bi didn''t bother to retort, whereas Bing Tao simply nodded, whispering in a hushed tone, "Mei Xuan''er may be irritating, but her words aren''t wrong. The Suncreek Villa has always been weak. Furthermore, they only dispatched a third-grade resonance artificer. Aren''t they just trying to ruin what''s left of their own reputation?" "If they don''t even bother to maintain their own reputation, it''s a terrible place to be." Li Bi paused for a brief moment before sighing helplessly. "I have never said that I would definitely join the Suncreek Villa. Enough, let''s just await the end of the competition." Bing Tao waved her hand in defeat, not mentioning anything else. On the other hand, Mei Xuan''er was cackling gleefully. The Suncreek Villa would inevitably become the biggest joke during this Artificers'' Fair. Their entry had only tarnished the high standards of the fair. Although her words were unpleasant to hear, some of the students were inevitably affected, darkly nodding in agreement. It looked as though all hope was lost. Li Luo, on the other hand, was completely disregarding what was happening amongst the audience. He was fully focused and concentrated on the refining process. The distractions of the world had all but disappeared in his mind. His expression was calm, and he was seemingly unaffected by the previous mistake. This would not be the last time such a scene would occur, and hence it was nothing to be concerned about. The number of failures would be inconsequential. Ultimately, what truly mattered was refining a third-grade spirit liquid within the allocated time. He extended his palm, and resonant power that took the form tendrils snaked out, directly wrapping around the ingredients. In a blink, they were completely refined by his power, ridding them of their impurities before being separated into their appropriate amounts. After a brief moment of measurement, the ingredients were combined in a crystal tube. The process of fusion began anew. Time gradually passed as Li Luo continued to experiment in wide view. His subsequent attempts led to another three failures. However, he wasn''t the only one disappointed in himself. The other fifth-grade resonance artificers, with the exception of Hanzhi, also felt the same way at his wastefulness. Although fifth-grade resonance artificers did not possess a guaranteed chance of success, they did not act so frivolously. However, Li Luo was completely unconcerned with their opinions. With his unparalleled ability to concentrate, his Budding Butterfly Spirit Liquid had reached a third of the way to a complete fusion. Such progress lagged behind his "peers," but he was unflustered, taking things into his own rhythm. Atop the elevated platform, Dean Ling Zhaoying''s expression lit up for a moment as she focused on Li Luo. "Li Luo''s spirit liquid has undergone more than 10 different steps of fusion... This is not something a three-star formula can achieve." "As I said, this brat isn''t a complete numbskull. He wouldn''t attempt to do something he had no chance of succeeding in. It looks like this is his hidden ace," Mentor Chi Chan dryly commented. "So it looks like he''s using a four-star formula?" Ling Zhaoying nodded. "I don''t know where in the world he could have found something like that, but I don''t think I''m wrong." Mentor Chi Chan''s gaze held a trace of interest. Ling Zhaoying was an eighth-grade resonance artificer and was extremely astute. If she said so, then it had to be true. As for how he could have obtained a four-star formula... Mentor Chi Chan had her suspicions as she broke into a smile. This Li Luo must have bewitched that brat Bai Mengmeng! Why else would she work so hard for his sake? "However, even with a four-star formula, the gap isn''t so easily closed." Ling Zhaoying smiled as she stroked her chin. "It has increased his odds at least. Who knows what other tricks Li Luo might have concealed?" Mentor Chi Chan replied. It looked as though things were heating up. "Oh? Do I sense favoritism?" Ling Zhaoying smirked. Chi Chan was beaming, but she did not reply. Logically speaking, Li Luo''s chances of success were abysmal. However, common sense often didn''t apply to this devil. He''d only leave people in shock, and it wouldn''t be the other way around. Tick tock tick tock. Time continued its inevitable march as the competition proceeded. Under the watchful eyes of the audience, the other five resonance artificers were reaching greater levels of completion. Hanzhi was particularly eye-catching. He was the only one to not have made a single error thus far. Even some of the great villas sixth-grade resonance artificers nodded in appreciation of his abilities. This Hanzhi possessed talent. Although he had been led astray in the past, entering the Suncreek Villa had eventually provided him with the environment to develop his potential, reaching his current height. Duze Beixuan and Duze Honglian were both looking at the scene atop the refining platform in satisfaction. Hanzhi''s performance was truly commendable. "It looks like Hanzhi''s determination to demonstrate his worth is clear for all to see. I''d thought he would be nice enough to spare his old home some pity." Duze Beixuan grinned. Duze Honglian tartly replied, "Normally speaking, most traitors are ruthless towards their previous affiliates. I think Hanzhi wants to completely wreck the Suncreek Villa''s morale. That is the most important thing in his eyes." "Sister, don''t you think the result has been set in stone?" Duze Beixuan casually remarked. "Li Luo has been too ostentatious recently. This might finally be an opportunity to suppress him properly." Duze Honglian listened without comment, pausing for a moment. If it was in the past, she would have coldly chuckled by now, completely disregarding Li Luo. Yet the incident in the Umbra Cave had changed her. This brat was truly mysterious and unfathomable. As a result, her reply lacked conviction. "Perhaps? I suppose the outcome will clear that up." Chapter 319: Successful Artificing Dong! The sun rose higher into the air, bringing with it physical heat to match the atmosphere below. And then the same clear gong that had announced the start of the round rang out across the refining platforms, and everyone sat up straighter. It signaled someone''s completion. To no one''s surprise, the first to finish was the Bigswamp Villa''s Hanzhi. He lifted a crystal vial with a satisfied smile. Dark-gray liquid swirled within, almost paste-like in its consistency. It was filled with an ash-like sediment that danced with surprising lightness despite the thickness of the solution. Those familiar with spirit liquids and purifying lights recognized it immediately. It was what the Bigswamp Villa used to compete against the other elite villas: the Coarse Dust Spirit Liquid. This was the Bigswamp Villa''s only four-star formula among its line-up of third-grade spirit liquids. There were approving cheers and applause for his work. Hanzhi seemed well-placed to win this round. Not only had he executed a flawless artificing, but he had done so in the fastest time. Both Duze Honglian and Duze Beixuan were smiling, satisfied with his work. Hanzhi rubbed his hands together with great pleasure, then he looked over at Li Luo''s side. The boy seemed oblivious to the fact that Hanzhi had already finished. He was still a ways away from succeeding. Hanzhi smirked. A mere third-grade resonance artificer? No amount of talent could help him overtake a fifth-grade resonance artificer. Of course, speed wasn''t one of the judging criteria. The final tempering strength was everything. Hanzhi was pleased with his work today. He was confident that his spirit liquid would be the finest out of all that was produced today. With this, he could talk as big as he wanted. Not long after Hanzhi finished, the other four fifth-grade resonance artificers finished as well. They also looked well-pleased with their creations. Which made everyone turn towards the last competitor, Li Luo. He had yet to finish. Step by step, he moved through the procedure. His concentration was absolute, and he was lost to the world that watched his every moment from every angle. Over at the Suncreek Villa contingent, Yan Lingqing and Cai Wei were beside themselves with anxiety. Despite willing herself to relax, Jiang Qing''e''s back had grown straighter and straighter over the course of the competition, and now her golden eyes were tightly fixed on Li Luo, hunched over his refining platform. "Come on, Brother Luo!" Yu Lang rallied the gang for a cheer. Lu Qing''er and Bai Mengmeng were identical quivering lumps of nervousness. Their shouts soon had a few Cultivators Hall students joining in. They were only here for fun after allthey did not care about politics or factions. Besides, Li Luo''s heroism in the Umbra Cave had earned him a lot of respect, and they showed it now through open and generous support. Soon enough, the cheers picked up lusty momentum, leaving the other villas amazed. They had not expected Li Luo to be so famous in the Astral Sage College. Hadn''t he just entered the school half a year ago? Li Luo was as oblivious to the encouragement as he had been to the silent pressure. He was entering the most complicated phase now, where complex reactions between his tricky compounds were finally starting to trigger. Rows of test tubes were laid out before him, and he weaved an intricate symphony of artificing with his fingers. His waterlight resonance danced in threads, sending sparkling light twinkling off the transparent gloss of water and glass. Each movement of his fingers sent streams of resonant power into a test tube, catalyzing reactions and amplifying their potency further and further. Like a courtesan waving her sash, Li Luo threw more threads of power, his entire being engrossed in his task. He charmed the audience and ingredients alike, seducing them to his will. He looked perfect, invincible. He could do no wrong. When the ingredients began to fuse, more and more impurity leached away, until they all sparkled like crystals under the light. Up on the stage, Ling Zhaoying frowned. "There''s something strange about the boy''s resonant power." "Li Luo has a dual resonance," Chi Chan answered. "It''s to be expected." "No..." Ling Zhaoying said uncertainly. "It''s not the dual resonances... His resonant power is making those ingredients purer than they should be. "It''s a purity that matches the other fifth-grade resonance artificers. Very strange..." Chi Chan was surprised by this. "How can that be? His first resonance is water, but the second is wood. Surely wood resonant power offers no help to making spirit liquids and purifying lights." Ling Zhaoying shook her head to clear the irrational irritation she was feeling. "Well, in any case, the kid has some good foundations. He made a few mistakes at the start, but he adjusted quickly enough. I think this one should be a success. And I was right... that looks like a four-star formula to me." Chi Chan was not surprised either. Li Luo was a third-grade resonance artificer, so a third-grade spirit liquid was just at the limit of what he could accomplish. Success was not guaranteed, but it was nothing surprising either. Still, this wasn''t the autobus. Just finishing was not enough. The tempering strength was everything. It was a quantifiable mark of the strength of the villa you stood for. Now that everyone had started with equal footing of a four-star formula, a third-grade resonance artificer like Li Luo should technically be far behind the other fifth-grade resonance artificers in terms of execution. That was precisely why there were two number grades separating them. As for the seventh-grade secret watersource, the other five fifth-grade artificers had them as well. How was Li Luo going to catch up? Time ticked on, and the competition was almost at a close now. As the cheers and yells rang out, Li Luo''s resonant power suddenly roared forth in a majestic surge, and all the solutions rose up from their bottles to form an eddy in the air. Within the ingredients, the resonant power was an anchor, holding them all together, polishing them until starlight began to glimmer and glow from within. Finally, drops of dewy liquid began to trickle down into the crystal vial that Li Luo was holding out, already partially filled with the secret watersource that he had prepared. Hiss! A thin tendril of smoke rose out, still glittering with speckles of starlight. It danced on the rim of the vial like a freed fairy. Budding Butterfly Spirit Liquid, finally completed. The entire audience gave him rapturous applause. Li Luo finally noticed it, the sound returning to his ears and brain as his concentration faded away. He received it with a grateful smile. His schoolmates were awesome. "All he made was a third-grade spirit liquid," Mei Xuan''er said, shaking her head in disgust. "From the way his fan club''s going crazy, you''d have thought he beat all the other fifth-grade artificers." "The results are not out yet," Li Bi chided, frowning. "So I don''t see why you have to let your tongue loose already." She was getting annoyed by Mei Xuan''er''s shrewish complaints. "As if it makes a difference," Mei Xuan''er sniped back. Li Bi remained silent, turning back to watch Li Luo walk towards the mentor on stage for the last step of the whole process. The most important step of all. The tempering strength test. Chapter 320: Stealing The Show The crowd fell silent when the organizing mentor began to walk towards where the liquids and lights were arranged on a table. An excited hush swept across the crowd as they waited for the results. The mentor first walked towards Hanzhi''s platform. The latter took a welcoming step back, gesturing with a smile towards his creation. The mentor nodded and picked up the spirit liquid, inserting the tempering measurement needle. A few seconds passed. The crowd was still eagerly silent. "Bigswamp Villa, Hanzhi. Your spirit liquid has a tempering strength of... 66%," the mentor announced with a broad smile of approval. A loud cheer sounded, and those well-versed in the business nodded in approval. A four-star formula for a third-grade spirit liquid should have an upper limit of about 70%. Hitting 66% already qualified it as an excellent spirit liquid. Of course, Hanzhi was able to achieve this because he was a fifth-grade resonance artificer. A third-grade resonance artificer should only be able to reach about 63%. Which was also the average standard of the Bigswamp Villa''s Coarse Dust spirit liquid on the market. After all, not even the Bigswamp Villa had the luxury to assign their fifth-grade resonance artificers to refine third-grade spirit liquids. It was not an efficient allocation of their manpower. "Barring any sudden upsets, I think Hanzhi should be the highest scorer," Gui Xu told the First Princess. She nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Upsets... they were precisely things you could not predict after all. "And Li Luo?" Gui Xu snuck a look at her sideways. Somehow, she seemed very interested in the boy. Could there be something going on between them? Gui Xu considered it for a moment. "Their only selling point is the upper seventh-grade secret watersource. If Li Luo is using a three-star formula, no amount of genius will push him past 60%that''s the upper limit of a three-star formula." "And if Li Luo uses a four-star formula?" "I haven''t heard of the Suncreek Villa possessing a four-star formula," Gui Xu said, surprised. "Just because you haven''t heard of it doesn''t mean they will never have one," the First Princess said with a slight smile. "Since Li Luo can pull an upper seventh-grade secret watersource out of his hat, who''s to say he can''t pull a four-star formula out of thin air too?" Gui Xu rolled his eyes inwardly. The First Princess did not understand the liquids and lights industry. Formulas were worth millions of skygold. Each four-star formula was carefully tracked and monitored by the experts in the industry. A four-star formula pulled out of thin air? Impossible. However, since the First Princess had pressed him for an answer, he had to reply, out of deference to her rank. "Even if Li Luo had a four-star formula, a third-grade resonance artificer like him would only be able to produce something between 60% and 62%. That''s the insurmountable difference between him and the other fifth-grade resonance artificers like Hanzhi. "If Li Luo achieves 63%, I would see that as a huge victory for him already. He would have essentially proven that he simply lacks the experience as a resonance artificer. It would indicate that he can match their results once he reaches the fourth-grade, which is something only geniuses among artificers can claim." The First Princess nodded again. Meanwhile on stage, even the organizing mentor could not resist a quick comment. "Congratulations," he said to Hanzhi. As a resonance artificer himself, he knew that this result was impressive. Even before he tested the other artificers'' products, he knew that Hanzhi''s was likely to be the highest. Hanzhi nodded back in courteous acknowledgment before turning to look at Li Luo. Li Luo was busy stretching out the kinks in his back. That had been a really tiring process. Sensing Hanzhi''s gaze, he straightened up to look at him. "Hack you to death!" he mouthed silently. Hanzhi''s eyes flashed with anger. Oh, Li Luo, your words might be full of fire, but they will not save you from your loss today. The mentor continued to test the creations of the other four fifth-grade resonance artificers. "Ultraviolet Villa, Huangfu Xu. Tempering strength 64%. "Arctic Blizzard Villa, Bing Ling. Tempering strength 65%. "Inkwater Villa, Mo Tai. Tempering strength 64%. "..." The cheers rang out non-stop for them. Fifth-grade resonance artificers showing off their skills on a simple product had a charm to it, the pleasure of seeing a product finished to near-perfection. Of course, Hanzhi still remained at the top. 66% was still the highest so far. After examining the other five artificers, the mentor finally reached Li Luo''s refining platform. All eyes were on him now. Everyone knew that this test was the real highlight of this competition. Was the president of the Suncreek Villa really that confident? Or was it all just youthful bluster? If it ended up being the former, the Suncreek Villa might well emerge from this competition as the ultimate winner. If it were the latter, they would be laughed out of the Fair. "Go ahead, Mentor," Li Luo said casually, handing over his Budding Butterfly Spirit Liquid. "Well, don''t be too stressed, young man. Take it as a challenge against fifth-grade artificers." Li Luo nodded breezily. The moment the Budding Butterfly Spirit Liquid was placed in his hand, the mentor sensed something different. From the pale shine of the liquid, he could tell that this spirit liquid was something special. His eyes widened in surprise. The rising scent was pure and thickfar beyond the quality a three-star formula could hope to achieve! Quickly, he dipped the tempering measurement needle in, and his eyes steadily grew rounder as the reading climbed. 63... 64... 65! The needle slowed, but did not stop. Finally, it climbed up to 66%! That was on par with Hanzhi! How was that possible?! For one irrational moment, he thought that the tempering measurement needle was broken. But all of the tempering measurement needles he had prepared had been rigorously checked beforehand. They were all custom-made, specially to avoid errors. Which meant that Li Luo''s spirit liquid was truly at 66% strength! It was not a three-star formula at all! With his years of experience in the industry, he knew that this was nothing less than a four-star formula! Apparently, Li Luo had not brought a knife to the gunfight after all. But that could not be right. Even a four-star formula should not have been able to reach 66% in the hands of a third-grade artificer! All of these fifth-grade artificers had four-star formulas as well, but only Hanzhi had made it to 66%. What was Li Luo''s edge? The mentor stood rooted to the spot, reeling from the shock. "Mentor, your announcement? Everyone''s waiting," Li Luo said affably. He jerked back to reality and stared at the silver-haired youth before him. Kid, you sure know how to steal the show." Chapter 321: Go Wild For Daddy The mentor was supposed to announce the results, but he had gone silent. In the lapse, people were starting to speculate in whispers. "Must be because the tempering strength''s too low, and the mentor''s trying to save Li Lost some face," Mei Xuan''er cackled. Some of the Resonance Artificers Hall students gasped. Surely it couldn''t be that bad, right? Li Bi''s eyes narrowed in curiosity. What had the mentor seen that had affected him so? She knew this mentor well, both in terms of personality and ability. He was the rather solid type, and there was not much that could shake him. What was on that needle before him? An atrociously low number? Or a magically high one? These were the only two possibilities. "You don''t think Li Luo''s done something insanely impressive, do you?" she asked Bing Tao. Bing Tao patted her hair thoughtfully. "I don''t see it happening... Something more impressive than what the five fifth-grade artificers could produce? That seems unreasonable." Li Bi nodded. As a fifth-grade artificer herself, she knew that she would crush any puny third-grade artificer that came up against her. Besides... Li Luo wasn''t even on the same starting line as the other resonance artificers. He was surely using a three-star formula against their four-star formulas! A poorer runner, and a disadvantaged starting position. This was one race he stood no chance of winning. But if it wasn''t insanely impressive, was it mournfully bad? Surely not. It wasn''t as if Li Luo had just hawked and spat some saliva into the vial. While Li Bi''s musings were only half-invested, over at the Suncreek Villa''s side, Yan Lingqing, Cai Wei, Tang Yun, and the others had forgotten how to breathe. Cai Wei twisted her fan hard enough that the wood creaked in complaint. "What''s that mentor up to? Trying to stoke some suspense?" "Something must have happened," Yan Lingqing said with uncertainty. Tang Yun sighed. It was probably nothing good... Only Jiang Qing''e remained her usual, serene self, hands composed neatly in her lap as she patiently waited for the result to be revealed. As agonizing as the wait felt, it was actually not that long. The mentor recovered quickly enough, then he lifted the tempering measurement needle high in the air. "Suncreek Villa, Li Luo. Tempering strength... 66%!" When his voice rang through the courtyard, a stunned silence greeted these words. All eyes were on him, conveying only two types of emotion: disbelief and wild disbelief. 66%?! Li Luo''s third-grade spirit liquid was at sixty-whopping-six percent?! Wasn''t that on par with Hanzhi?! Impossible! "Impossible!" The cry came from many of the villas who were watching. They had been in the business for years. They knew very well just how ridiculous this was. Over at the Skypalace Villa, Master Gui Xu was gaping like a goldfish. "But... That''s... Surely... a mistake?" Leaning back in her chair, the First Princess surveyed Li Luo over the tips of her crossed fingers. Somehow, the result was a surprise, yet also somehow not a surprise. Li Luo had indeed come prepared. She did not think that there had been a mistake. As a member of the Astral Sage College, she knew how qualified the mentors of the Resonance Artificers Hall were. It was unthinkable that they would make such elementary mistakes. She was much less shocked than the others present. No one had expected a miracle from Li Luo, except those who had already seen him work one back in the Umbra Cave. Still... even the First Princess was awed. This Li Luoif she hadn''t reached out to him, she wouldn''t know that he was electrically charged with a thousand volts of surprise power. He was like a treasure troveyou could keep digging, and still there would still be more to uncover. House Luolan might have lost its two house lords, but these two young stewards were slowly but surely shoring up the foundations around their fallen castle. The First Princess felt sure that given enough time, House Luolan would see glorious days again. And yet it was precisely time that they lacked the most. She frowned slightly. Half a year. Although her royal uncle currently wielded most of the power in the royal court, she was still the First Princess and also sister by kin to the emperor. She knew the situation that House Luolan was in. House Luolan had a secret chamber, and it was housing an item that even Dukes drooled over. And yet that chamber sat unguarded by a proper Duke. Only defensive wards stood around it, and that was not enough to deter the covetous ill-wishers. They circled the house like hungry sharks, and even she was a little afraid of how many there were. Not even she could say how House Luolan would end up in half a year''s time. ... "66?! You must be JOKING!" Duze Beixuan had fallen out of his chair, his face as shocked as if someone had just punched him. He kicked the chair aside. "That bastard Li Luo must have cheated! He must have bribed the mentor..." Duze Honglian was stunned as well, but she quickly recovered. "Silence!" she commanded icily. What an idiot of a brother. How could he possibly accuse the Resonance Artificers Hall mentor? If the Resonance Artificers Hall took offense, the Bigswamp Villa would never see another artificer walk through their doors. Duze Beixuan came to his senses. He righted his chair and sank back down into it reluctantly. "Li Luo is just a third-grade artificer with no four-star formula. How can he possibly compete with Hanzhi in tempering skill?!" Duze Honglian took a deep breath. "I don''t know either," she said calmly. "But quell your rage. It does us no good. "I told you, the boy is fey. Be on guard against him at all times." Duze Beixuan noted his sister''s words with dismay. Surely there had to be a limit to how much of a monster Li Luo could be. This wasn''t even logical, damn it! The crowd broke out into an uproar, disbelief and excitement rippling through their ranks as it built to a vibrating crescendo. Yu Lang grandly leaped to his feet. He spiked his hair up grandly, then he planted his hands on his hips. "LET IT GO!" he yelled. "GO WILD FOR DADDY! DON''T HOLD BACK YOUR EMOTIONS!" Literally everyone gave him weird looks. This guy had lost his mind. On the stage, Chi Chan smiled behind her veil. "Well?" she asked Ling Zhaoying. "Exceeded your expectations?" Ling Zhaoying''s beautiful features were creased in a small, defeated smile. "Interesting. "Why does House Luolan produce so many monsters?" Chapter 322: Sixty Six When the mentor announced Li Luo''s result, the disbelief that greeted this declaration was resounding and expected. Hanzhi was the most flabbergasted. He wanted to ask the mentor if he had seen the needle wrongly. Perhaps it was 56 and not 66. Understanding the disbelief and uncertainty in the audience, the mentor spoke again without prompting. "Suncreek Villa, Li Luo. Tempering strength 66%. No error!" The crowd''s uproar subsided a little. With this confirmation, there was no more room for doubt. Hanzhi''s face was contorting and twitching uncontrollably. He could not accept this outcome. He could not believe that a mere third-grade artificer had managed to equal his result. On what basis?! He had used a four-star formula! The Suncreek Villa''s upper seventh-grade secret watersource was not that much better than the lower seventh-grade secret watersource that the Bigswamp Villa had provided him. It was impossible for Li Luo to pull ahead because of that. And no amount of artificing talent could have closed the gap either! Although their tempering strength was the same, this was a terrible humiliation for Hanzhi. Fifth-grade against third? No matter how thick his skin, he could never declare this a draw. Not if he had any pride or respect for the effort he had spent achieving the last two grades. However, Hanzhi''s devastation was not yet complete. The mentor started speaking again. "I declare the third-grade round of the Artificers'' Fair closed. The results are in, and the final winner is the Suncreek Villa''s Li Luo. "Although both him and Bigswamp Villa''s Hanzhi achieved 66% tempering strength, Li Luo''s needle is slightly higher. In accordance with the rules, I declare him the winner." He pulled out two more tempering measurement needles and stuck them into the two spirit liquids again, lifting up the result as clear confirmation. The truth was plain for all to see. Indeed, both spirit liquids had reached the 66% mark, but Li Luo''s was slightly higher. It was an insignificant difference, one that would usually be ignored. But this was a competition, and precision counted. Li Luo''s win was well-deserved and rightful. However, this was the final straw that broke Hanzhi. His rationality bubbled over, and his friendly smile turned into a snarl as he shook with rage. Losing to a third-grade resonance artificer? How would he ever face the world again? He was already experiencing a lot of friction in his relationships with the Bigswamp Villa''s artificers. They had said many unkind things to him ever since he arrived. And with this crushing defeat, he could only imagine how much worse his days at the Bigswamp Villa would get. "CHEAT! He must have cheated!" Hanzhi could bear it no longer, his voice rising to a hysterical pitch. "Mentor, you are a resonance artificer too! You must know that it''s impossible for a third-grade resonance artificer to make a 66% third-grade spirit liquid! How can a third-grade formula produce 66% anyway!?" With each accusation, Hanzhi''s finger jabbed accusingly at both Li Luo and the mentor. The other five resonance artificers nodded in agreement as well. They could not accept the fact that they had all lost to a third-grade artificer. The mentor turned to Li Luo. "I''m sure you can explain this?" he offered mildly. Li Luo had laid low just for this moment. Now was the moment. Thank you, Mentor! Li Luo smiled gratefully and nodded to the mentor in appreciation as he stepped forward to the center. The crowd hung on his every move. "Hark, the traitorous ex-president of the Suncreek Villa speaks. Indeed, when your poisonous fumes hung in our air, we only had three-star formulas. But after you burned down the Suncreek Villa''s laboratories, we rebuilt from square one. Thanks to our benefactor, we were able to obtain a four-star formula at her great expense. "That is why I call this spirit liquid the Budding Butterfly Spirit Liquid. "And now you can have my heartfelt appreciation if you stop looking at us as a broken villa, broken while you were captain at our helm." The mentor blew out some air through puffed cheeks. That was a lot of damage. Li Luo had managed to deftly pack a condensed summary of Hanzhi''s crimes into his explanation. Burning down research labs was quite a travesty in the world of spirit liquids and purifying lights. Everyone understood how difficult and precious research was. Hanzhi jumping ship was not a problem, but firing the deck before you jumped was just blatantly callous. Of course, the powerful factions in Xia City knew of it, but many of the Resonance Artificers Hall students had not known. Li Luo''s words brought a fresh wave of hostility against Hanzhi. At the same time, sympathy for the Suncreek Villa arose. Hanzhi clenched his fists tightly, a tight knot of horror and panic within him. Li Luo had twisted a knife in his reputation. He would forever be ruined in the world of spirit liquids and purifying lights in the Xia Kingdom. "Who would think that such a vile, traitorous, spiteful, emotionless, wretch was amidst us all along!" an anguished voice cried out. "You''ve brought shame to all resonance artificers! If I were one myself, I would rather turn down employment than work in the same lab as you! Whos to say you wouldnt burn it down with me inside!" The crowd turned in surprise to the owner of this impassioned outburst. They saw a youth seized in the moment, his eyes wild with emotion. "Ah, don''t look at me," he said in a voice most humble and noble. "I am just an unrelated audience member with a sense of justice." The students near him snorted. Weren''t you just exhorting students to go wild for daddy a moment ago? Do you think all of us have the memory of a bee? "F*cking Yu Lang!" Duze Beixuan felt like his liver was on the verge of bursting. That cheeky punk was happily leading the Bigswamp Villas artificers'' minds in the direction of resignation. Duze Honglian''s expression was grim as well. Li Luo and Yu Lang were the perfect duo to play off each other. Even if they dissociated themselves completely from Hanzhi now, the Bigswamp Villa would still be affected. It was... vexing. On stage, Hanzhi was a quivering mess of rage, and he pressed on. "Li Luo, even with a four-star formula, there is no way you could have achieved 66% tempering strength!" he spat. "There has to be more!" The other artificers nodded in agreement. Li Luo''s smile only grew wider, and he looked at the raving Hanzhi almost kindly. Where else would he find such a good partner to work with him? If it wasn''t for the fact that you burned down our labs, I would have thought that you were actually our ally. He coughed once for attention, then he turned to the crowd and bowed slightly while beaming brightly. "And now I would like to make an announcement. "After half a year of growing our business and developing, we finally have made some modest accomplishments. I would like to present it before all of you today." Li Luo fished out a crystal vial, showing them all the sparkling liquid within. All eyes were on it. Some had already guessed. "Indeed, perhaps some of you can recognize it... It is nothing special, really, just a bit of our secret watersource." Li Luo smiled, savoring the moment. "However, theres just one teensy, little thing... "It is an eighth-grade watersource." Chapter 323: Plentiful Supply Eighth-grade purity for a secret watersource! Li Luo''s words were met with a sharp collective gasp. Some of the other villas'' participants leaped to their feet, thoroughly unsettled. The Cultivators Hall students might not fully understand the implications of this declaration, but they enjoyed the bizarre reactions of the resonance artificers all the more for it. "My God!" Yan Lingqing''s pretty, little mouth was currently wide enough to put an entire fist in. She was wildly delighted when Li Luo revealed the four-star formula. To think that he would also have an eighth-grade secret watersource! She felt like she was floating on air. "Cai Wei, quick, bite me! Make sure I''m not in a dream!" Yan Lingqing thrust her hand in front of Cai Wei''s face. Cai Wei gave her a withering look, then one hand shot out to pinch her snow-white cheek like a crab''s claw. She gave it a good, hard twist to add some color to Yan Lingqing''s complexion. "Owie!!" Yan Lingqing''s eyes watered from the pain, and she glared at Cai Wei. Cai Wei giggled. Truth be told, she was in a strange state of mind as well. It felt like it was raining pizzas, and she had wondered if she was in a dream herself. But it was too painful to pinch herself, and since Yan Lingqing had volunteered "Qing''e, did you know about this already?" Cai Wei asked the girl who had been sitting there calmly since the beginning. "How dare you keep it from us! We were wilting away from the anxiety!" Yan Lingqing burst out. "I only knew he had a four-star formula as well. Not about the secret watersource," Jiang Qing''e said soothingly. "But Li Luo isn''t the reckless type. Since he pushed to get this chance, I guessed that he had something else prepared. That''s why I wasn''t too worried." Tang Yun had finally recovered enough to speak. "The Young Lord is a genius. With this four-star formula and an eighth-grade secret watersource, the Suncreek Villa will rise like never before!" The other resonance artificers cheered as well. An eighth-grade secret watersource should have been far beyond their reach, but now the young lord had delivered it straight to them! Which meant that they could get a share of it in the future, right? Even one tiny sample would be enough to satisfy them. At this moment, they were incredibly thankful that they had chosen to join the Suncreek Villa. Yu Lang nodded with satisfaction. "The guy''s got promise. Looks like he managed to learn quite a bit from hanging around me. Budding Butterfly Spirit Liquid, eh... hey! It sounds like your name, Mengmeng!" Bai Mengmeng gave him an earnest smile. "I made it, so Leader said he would name it after me as thanks." "Li Luo, you bastard!" "Eh?" Lu Qing''er''s unfriendly interest shifted to their direction as well. "Friend Yu Lang, I think you should watch your words," Bai Mengmeng said innocently to him. "Or I will tell my sister." Yu Lang almost choked on his next insult. "Alright, calm down, don''t be hasty. We wouldn''t want to cause any deaths today, would we?" Lu Qing''er pursed her lips. She knew that Bai Mengmeng had made the formula and gifted it to Li Luo, but to think that Li Luo would name it after her... This little girl looked sweet and harmless, but she was clearly not one to hold back either. ... "Eighth-grade watersource..." The Duze siblings were completely thrown off by the revelation. This was even more sensational than him acquiring a four-star formula. "How did he get something that pure?" Duze Beixuan croaked. Duze Honglian rubbed her brow tiredly. Even she felt like cussing right about now. Was Li Luo some sort of portal to a world of treasures? It sure felt like he could pull them out whenever he wanted. After all their years of effort and mountains of skygold poured into research, the Bigswamp Villa''s four-star formulas could be counted on one''s fingers. In half a year, Li Luo''s Suncreek Villa had already come up with one? The secret watersource was even worse. His upper seventh-grade secret watersource had always been a threat, and now he had elevated it to an eighth-grade?! Did he think he was some sort of cotton-candy seller? A new variation every day! Only the strongest of all the villas, the Skypalace Villa, had an eighth-grade secret watersource. None of the other villas had such a treasure! That was how rare it was. And somehow, according to Li Luo, they had made it in half a year?! Bullsh*t! "No wonder he managed to reach 66%." Duze Honglian sighed. The whole picture was clear now. With the help of a four-star formula and the eighth-grade secret watersource, Li Luo had managed to overcome the disparity between their artificing skills. "The Bigswamp Villa lost badly this time." It felt almost biblicalSuncreek David taking down Bigswamp Goliath. Duze Beixuan slapped a chair out of sheer frustration. The Suncreek Villa had always been a centerpiece target in their strategy against their rival, House Luolan. It had been going well so far, although inciting Hanzhi''s betrayal had come at a hefty price. They had reasoned it out as a crucial step towards putting the Suncreek Villa in the coffin, but now the necromancer Li Luo had brought them back from the dead. The bastard had to be possessed by the gods or something! "Well?" The First Princess inclined her head to look at an astounded Gui Xu. "Well, there''s nothing to say," he said with an arrested expression. "Four-star formula, eighth-grade secret watersource... who pulls these things casually out of the air? "Our own Skypalace secret watersource came at an astronomical price. You know that best, Your Highness." She nodded. "Li Luo could not have acquired it. I suspect his parents might have left it to him." The two enigmatic House Lords... it was possible that they had left many treasures to their heir. Gui Xu nodded. "Regardless, now the Suncreek Villa has all the needed components to be a real powerhouse. They might even become a threat to us." He lowered his voice. "Should we... do something about that? House Luolan and the Suncreek Villa are plagued by vicious storms at present, and it is always easy to act in troubled times." The Skypalace Villa was backed by the royal court of the Xia Kingdom. If the First Princess so chose, they could crush the Suncreek Villa easily. "I have my own plans," the First Princess said coolly to him. "Don''t act on your own accord." Gui Xu nodded hastily, chastened. She was trying to befriend Jiang Qing''e due to her staggering potential, so she would definitely be treating House Luolan well. Furthermore, there was the business of Li Luo treating the emperor''s natural illness. That alone would stop her from doing him harm. There were bigger fish to fry, especially in half a year''s time, when everything would change. It was also the time when the Regent would hand over the rulership back to the emperor. She did not know if her uncle would do so, but she was moving in the shadows to make preparations... ... The eighth-grade secret watersource was a trump card that blew everyone out of the water. It had also blown Hanzhi''s mind. He stared at the secret watersource in Li Luo''s hand in horrified fascination. He had never seen such a wondrous thing before. "Was that from the two House Lords? "WHY! If only they had revealed it earlier, I would have led the Suncreek Villa to become the greatest villa in the Xia Kingdom. Why would I have ever betrayed you?!" Hanzhi howled. He had only abandoned the Suncreek Villa because it had no future. If only he had known that Li Luo would pull out an eighth-grade secret watersource! Not even the Bigswamp Villa had such a resource! He stood there, waves of regret and frustration coursing through him. Li Luo ignored the traitor. He turned to the gathered Resonance Artificers Hall students with a bright and welcoming smile. "Esteemed senior brothers and sisters. The Suncreek Villa did not choose to participate in this fair for fun. "As the president of Suncreek Villa, I extend our official invitation to all of you. Although the Suncreek Villa is small and lacks the illustrious history our friends here provide," he said while gesturing around, "we do have one small advantage... "For example..." He lifted the secret watersource high up in the air, and they were enthralled by the little vial of liquid diamond. He grinned widely, like the big, bad wolf ready to pounce on Little Red Riding Hood. "Our secret watersource is in plentiful supply." Chapter 324: Flavor of the Month: Suncreek Li Luo''s juicy announcement was received with a few chuckles that were not at all malicious. Rather, they were thoughtful chuckles from the Resonance Artificers Hall students who were now interested. The Suncreek Villa was indeed much weaker than its competitors... for now. With their four-star formula and an eighth-grade secret watersource, their rise was only a matter of time. And just like Li Luo had said, the Suncreek Villa was small, and their talent pool was small. Which meant plenty of eighth-grade secret watersource for them to use. That was the biggest draw. After all, why would resonance artificers want to go to the best villas? It was exactly because they could provide the watersource that would help them improve their refining arts the quickest. But the competition against colleagues in those villas was cutthroat. A newbie would not get access to those premium resources immediately. They would have to work their way up. In comparison, they could skip this entire trial by fire if they went to the Suncreek Villa. Of course they would be tempted! Suddenly, the Suncreek Villa didn''t look like a broken-down amateur lab anymore Li Bi blew out a long breath. It was finally starting to sink in. She looked at Li Luo with renewed amazement. He had actually done it! She had been extremely disappointed when she heard that Li Luo would compete, thinking that he was going to make a farce out of it. But now she stood corrected, and she flushed a little with embarrassment. From beside her, somebody squooshed her in a tight hug. She started a little, but she recognized that it as her friend Bing Tao, who was squealing with excitement. "What''s up with you?" Li Bi asked. "Oh, Ah Bi, you''re a genius!" Bing Tao gushed. "You could tell that the Suncreek Villa was so strong? Was it Li Luo who confided everything in you?" Her voice was loud enough that others were turning around to look. Li Bi felt a little embarrassed, but she did not show it. "Well, Junior Li Luo came to find me personally. Of course he told me... things." She was not lying outright. Li Luo had indeed told her that the Suncreek Villa would bring an eighth-grade secret watersource... although she had not believed it. No one would have, in her circumstances. If you had to choose just one other villa besides the Skypalace Villa to have it, no one in their right mind would have guessed the Suncreek Villa. "Ah Bi, are you going to join the Suncreek Villa?" Bing Tao asked brightly. Li Bi hesitated. She hadn''t rejected Li Luo outright, although she hadn''t accepted either. Before this competition, she could have changed that state of affairs as she wished, but with the Suncreek Villa''s landslide victory here, perhaps she didn''t have that much of a say now. Sure, she was a fifth-grade artificer, but there were other fifth-grade artificers as well, and surely they were all interested. So the question was not just whether she was interested, but whether they were still willing as well... Although her feeling was that Li Luo would likely be agreeable, she did not dare to speak too boldly before things were confirmed. It would be embarrassing if things didn''t go well! "Probably," she hedged. "Hehe, then help me tell Junior Li Luo that we''re interested in joining too." Bing Tao said, giving her another big squeeze. "Ooh yes, yes!" A few of their other friends nodded eagerly as well, eyes shining. Looking at them, Li Bi felt a sudden tingle of irritation. I''m not even in yet myself, and I''m supposed to speak up for all of you? "Surely there''s no need..." she stammered. "Don''t you all have much better choices?" "Aw, there''s nothing better than the Suncreek Villa out there. Not even the Skypalace Villa. They''re strong, but we''ll be plankton in that pond. The seniors will squeeze us dry. But I hear that the Suncreek Villa only has fourth-grade artificers right now. We''ll be the gang bosses!" Bing Tao whooped. "The only reason we all wanted to choose the Skypalace Villa was for their eighth-grade secret watersource. If the Suncreek Villa has one as well, it''s the much easier route up." The others nodded eagerly in agreement. Li Bi grimaced. From disdain to puppyish adorationthe contrast was all too drastic. Still, it was understandable. No one could have predicted this outcome, herself included. "I''ll help you ask," she conceded with a sigh. "But if you''re rejected, don''t blame me." They all nodded happily. None of them knew Li Luo personally, while Li Bi had been invited by him to chat personally before. Her help was definitely going to be a better way in compared to a cold application. The world is a strange place, Li Bi mused to herself. The Suncreek Villa had gone from obscure villa to flavor of the month. She looked over again at the silver-haired youth, his cool, confident smile and good looks. Suddenly, she felt that working under him was going to be great. She snuck a look at Mei Xuan''er. The fire had leached out of her, and now she was sitting woodenly on her chair, trying her best to blend into the furniture. The Resonance Artificers Hall students around her were looking at her with amusement as well. The higher one flew, the harder they would fall. Li Bi privately thought that if she had been in Mei Xuan''er''s position, the embarrassment would have been enough to spur her on to dig a hole big enough to fit a two-acre mansion. Still, she was no friend of Mei Xuan''er''s. The girl''s poisonous words had been as much aimed at her as they had been targeting the Suncreek Villa. Just desserts. Li Luo was reading the students reception of his statement, and he was getting a good vibe. He had successfully completed his mission here at the Artificers'' Fair. If all went well, the Suncreek Villa should soon be expanding rapidly. It would be an injection of talent far beyond the boost that Tang Yun and the others had provided. It was a little cruel to compare, but Tang Yun and the others were chaff compared to the fine seeds of the Resonance Artificers Hall. Although, this also meant that the demand for the secret watersource from the Suncreek Villa would increase sharply. Li Luo''s grin subsided a little, and he knocked on his waist with his fists. Such a heavy burden for one so young... Good job, me. Dad, Mom, I''m almost sure that you two ran away because you didn''t want to deal with this mess Li Luo sighed as he took his leave. Now he could turn his attention to his own improvement. He had to keep up with the Suncreek Villa''s progress, or he would be wrung drier than a desert towel. Chapter 325: Brother and Sister The Suncreek Villa had no more business at this fair, because the fourth and fifth-grade rounds were beyond their level. It had taken all of the stars to align for them to even compete at the third-grade level. Without all of those conditions met, there was no way they could even begin to contest. For now, it was enough. With the Budding Butterfly Spirit Liquid, they could take a large share of the third-grade spirit liquid market. That was enough to shoot them up to a good standing. Li Luo returned to the Suncreek Villa''s zone, where he received a hero''s welcome. Tang Yun and the others regarded him with burning passion. They would have brought out the drums and gongs in celebration, but they had to take where they were into consideration. "Well, Cai Wei? Any comments on this blackhole of spirit liquids?" Li Luo asked smugly. Cai Wei was all charm now, her fan framing her face at her most favorable angle. "Young Lord, you were amazing," she said, large eyes glowing. "From now on, the Suncreek Villa will definitely need much more secret watersource, so we''re counting on you to produce at full capacity. If the artificers riot because we''re out of watersource, that would be a disaster." There was a teasing look in her eyes. Li Luo''s smugness evaporated. Cai Wei was not one to mess with. She had gone straight for his jugular. Before he could reply, Yan Lingqing had grabbed him by the lapels. "Oh, well done, Li Luo!" she said with fake anger. "Well done not telling us and worrying us sick! Do you even trust us at all?" Li Luo looked straight into her eyes. "Sister Lingqing," he said sincerely, "your words wound me. Without you, the Suncreek Villa would have closed its doors a long time ago. If I didn''t trust you, who would I trust?" "Pretty words," she said, mollified. He was very handsome, and his face was very close. She flushed a little and pushed him away. "Your seduction skills are growing by the day," Cai Wei ribbed him. "Even Lingqing''s affected now." Yan Lingqing huffed, then beat Li Luo''s chest with a small fist. "I''ll let you go this time, but if you hide anything from me again, I''ll make sure you regret it," she pretended to threaten. Li Luo quickly nodded. "It will be as you say. But for now can you go list those students interested in joining us? You''re a Resonance Artificers Hall student as well, so you know them best. See who''s a good fit in both ability and character." "You sure know how to think of me... when there''s work to be done," she grumbled. "Hey, this should be a happy task. Im giving it especially to you, so you can take all the revenge you want. Remember all those who were mocking you about a crater? Now''s your chance to show them!" Li Luo said, cleverly flipping it around. "Your foot must be itching to deliver two good kicks to that Mei Xuan''er. What better time to do it?" Yan Lingqing''s eyes lit up at the prospect. Indeed, now that they had won, the task should be pretty sweet. "Alright, I''ll do it for Qing''e''s sake," she said huffily. Li Luo grinned and gave her a thumbs up. The girl''s fake-angry look was quite cute. Recruitment delegated, Li Luo turned to Jiang Qing''e. "Well, what did you think of my performance?" Jiang Qing''e looked at her fiance, puffed up like a peacock, and could barely hold her smile down. "Perfect. I couldn''t have done it better myself. "Like I told you before, Li Luo, you''re as good as anyone else around, myself included. Actually, I think you''ve done more for House Luolan in the last half a year than me. "Those are all my most sincere words. Feel good?" She smiled. Li Luo breathed in deeply, his face ecstatic. "Feels terrific." Hearing those glowing words of praise from the proud and reticent plump swan was a rare treat indeed. It made all that hard work feel worth it. She was just too brilliant herself. Besides spirit liquids and purifying lights, Li Luo was still behind her in every other aspect. "That''s all you need to be satisfied?" "Keep at it," she said with another small smile. "If we can steer House Luolan clear of the troubles half a year from now, those few words of praise will be nothing compared to what you''ll get." "Ah, and what is it I will be getting?" Li Luo asked. Jiang Qing''e gave it a quick think, then she lowered her voice. "We could even get married on the spot." Li Luo''s head almost blew up from the excitement, but he calmed himself down quickly. "No." "Why?" she asked, surprised. "The steps are not right. Like I said before, we have to cancel the engagement first. And then you can write me another one. That''s a proper engagement," Li Luo said seriously. To anyone else, it might have sounded as unnecessary as taking off one''s pants to fart, but both Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e understood the difference. And the significance. "Must we really?" she asked softly. "In my heart, you will always be the most important person, Li Luo. I would even die to protect you." "And I you, Qing''e," he replied with a tender smile. The two locked eyes, then Jiang Qing''e felt a sudden surge of irritation. She reached out a hand to pinch Li Luo''s ear. He did not avoid it, but he felt a little uncertain. He remembered how she always went for the ear during their childhood squabbles. But now there was only a warm caress, and no pain. She gently rubbed his ear, the gesture incredibly intimate. Angry jealous hisses came from the students around them. Damn, if they had known this would happen, they wouldn''t have cheered for the guy! Lu Qing''er was grinding her teeth flat as well. Sly Senior Jiang, using your position to take advantage of Li Luo! Bai Mengmeng propped her elbows on her knees, and her chin on her hands. "They''re really adorable. You know what Leader and Senior Jiang look like?" Lu Qing''er stared frostily at her. "Brother and sister, yes." Chapter 326: Celebration The Artificers'' Fair ended as a success. As a competitor, Li Luo spectated the fourth and fifth-grade competitions, and was blown away by the difference in standard. He was humbled by how far the Suncreek Villa still had to go. Still, they had shown great potential, and with the eighth-grade secret watersource, they had a solid foundation now. He believed that they would make it to the top before too long. When the Artificers'' Fair concluded, each villa left with new recruits. The two biggest winners were the Suncreek Villa and the Skypalace Villa. The latter was a long-time hot favorite, dominating the previous competitions. The former was a dark horse, outpacing everyone save the champion. Seeing Yan Lingqing surrounded by a throng of students, Li Luo felt a warm flush of satisfaction. And then he and Jiang Qing''e watched heads turn as the First Princess made her way over to them. "Congratulations to the both of you. The Suncreek Villa has made waves here today," the First Princess said with a small smile, fresh as a spring breeze. "You flatter us, Your Highness. We were merely lucky, whereas the Skypalace Villa is actually strong," Jiang Qing''e replied. "Junior Li Luo, your popularity has been through the roof recently." The First Princess laughed. "Eh, I was just a product of the circumstances. If I could live a quiet life as an heir to Dukes, I would be more than happy to stop risking my neck." He sighed theatrically. "Heir to Dukes, hmm? Very droll," she noted. Li Luo had an amusing way of speaking sometimes. "I hear that the Gilded Palace has already decided on the reward for your heroic acts in the Umbra Cave." Li Luo perked up immediately. Obviously, the First Princess had a much more extensive and sensitive information network. He hadn''t heard a thing about it yet. He was actually quite anxious to know the answer. He was counting on it to help him with his hollow foundation problem. Although he was still some ways away from reaching the General Stage, it was a serious problem best dealt with sooner than later. Who knew what other problems would crop up later? "Seems like the 100,000-point reward is coming." The First Princess did not beat around the bush. Li Luo heaved a huge sigh of relief inwardly. "Many thanks for the information, Your Highness," Li Luo said gratefully, his happiness spreading across his face. "The news would have come tomorrow at latest anyway. It wasn''t much." The First Princess turned to Jiang Qing''e with a half-smile. "Qing''e, I wanted to borrow Li Luo tomorrow." "Is it about His Majesty''s healing?" The First Princess nodded. "It''s been more than a month since the last time. But this time we cannot go out, so Li Luo would have to go to the palace." "Sure," Jiang Qing''e replied easily. "No problem." "Then I''ll take him to the palace tomorrow." After a few short exchanges, Li Luo''s schedule for the next day was suddenly settled. It made him feel incredibly ignored, but he held his tongue. Still, who did they think was the acting head of House Luolan, damn it! The two chatted a bit more, then the First Princess left. "We should celebrate tonight," Li Luo said to Jiang Qing''e. "And gather the interested students as well. Get some networking going. Are you coming? I''ve already made preparations." Jiang Qing''e was usually not interested in such things, but this was an unusual victory that meant much for the Suncreek Villa, so she smiled and nodded. "Quite confident in yourself, I see. To even have the celebration planned beforehand," she observed. Li Luo grinned. Of course he was confident. A four-star formula and an eighth-grade secret watersource? All they had on him was experience, and he even had a waterlight resonance that no one knew about. As time passed, the throng of students around Yan Lingqing swelled to a ridiculous size. "That many?" Li Luo exclaimed. "Theres probably quite a few that aren''t graduating yet in the mix as well," Jiang Qing''e said, looking closely. "Lingqing''s smart enough to get the recruitment started early. It saves us time next year, and they might be able to help us out with part-time work as well." Li Luo was impressed. Lingqing had always been thorough that way. She had spent three years at the Resonance Artificers Hall, so she understood the talent pool well. She was truly the best person to handle recruitment. "Li Luo, what do you think of my work?" Yan Lingqing strutted over with an army behind her. Li Luo gave her a big thumbs up, then he smiled at the girl by Yan Lingqing''s side. "Senior Li Bi, I wasn''t bragging now, was I?" Li Bi reddened slightly. "I was shortsighted," she said generously. "The President''s skills are incredible." She had even called him President. "We''ll be counting on all of you to bring the Suncreek Villa up from now on." Li Luo welcomed all of them with a smile. "Today is a blessed day for the Suncreek Villa. If you arent busy, please join me for a great celebration feast tonight. We''ll drink until we drop!" Li Luo declared. Then they cheered. Next, Li Luo went around to invite the MVP Bai Mengmeng, runner-up MVP Lu Qing''er, and the cheerleaders led by Yu Lang. They were the center of attention here. Most of the villas were run by middle-aged people, and they had other business to tend to. They did not linger after their business here was concluded. Unlike them, Li Luo was only a student at the Astral Sage College, so he did not need to care about those things. Duze Beixuan and Duze Honglian watched the lively crowd from a distance, their faces equally sour. It seemed like the Suncreek Villa was now impregnable. "Damn, we had them on the ropes. How did they make a comeback in just six months?" Duze Beixuan cursed. "As if you don''t know the answer yourself," his sister said peevishly. "I swear, Li Luo''s even more troublesome than Jiang Qing''e," Duze Beixuan complained. Duze Honglian was of the same mind. When Jiang Qing''e was at the helm, House Luolan had managed to stay afloat, but barely. It had always been House Duze coming out ahead, making the moves and making steady progress. Ever since Li Luo came to Xia City, it had been House Luolan with the initiative. The boy was really a demon. Hanzhi had come skulking back to them now, and he could feel the prickling looks of the other artificers on him. "Young Mistress, Young Lord, I have failed the Bigswamp Villa. I was useless. Please allow me to retire," Hanzhi said bitterly. He knew that things would be awkward at the Bigswamp Villa if he stayed. Duze Beixuan swung on him, happy to finally have an outlet to vent on, but Duze Honglian cut him off with a warning hand. "Vice President Hanzhi, leaving immediately after failing is not a wise choice. The struggle between the Bigswamp Villa and the Suncreek Villa is not yet over. If I were you, I would continue to bide my time." Hanzhi looked up at her in wonder. "I''ll die for you and yours, Young Mistress!" he vowed with feeling. She nodded impassively, then turned away. The loyalty of a proven traitor meant nothing to her, but it did not matter. She did not intend to let Hanzhi go, because he still represented a mark of shame for the Suncreek Villa. He had value in that aspect. It was better to hold on to him for now. Although, she still had the same thought as her brother... How did you lose that one? Useless bum! Chapter 327: Slimeball The next day, Li Luo realized that someone had glued his eyelids shut. Ah, no, it was just that they were extremely heavy. He opened them and stared at the familiar ceiling above his bed. His tongue had been cut. Ah, no, it was just cleaved to the roof of his mouth. He pried it off and groaned. His throat was dry as a desert, and his head was throbbing with a marvelous hangover. Memories of the previous night came flooding back to him. An unrestrained celebration, a mad run straight into drunkenness. How on earth had he made it back? He did the hardest sit-up of his life, and was shocked to see himself in his usual pajamas. His body looked thoroughly clean, and his clothes even had a nice fragrance lingering on them. After scrambling up to his feet, he washed up and changed into clean working clothes. As his resonant power healing started to kick in, the throbbing in his head subsided. His mind was clearing as well. He pushed the door open. He immediately spotted Xin Fu, bent over a canvas and drawing furiously. Li Luo hesitated, then he decided to ask, "Who changed my clothes yesterday?" Xin Fu barely spared him a glance. "That depends if you''re talking about outer wear or underwear." "Huh????" "At first it was Lu Qing''er who helped you take off your outer clothes," Xin Fu said patiently, still drawing as though he had all the time in the world. "But later, she was chased out by Senior Jiang, and then everything else was her. "She helped you clean your body and get you into pajamas. Oh, she also spent the night here, in Mengmeng''s room." Li Luo was extremely confused. He felt very touched but also very... touched all over. She had seen everything and touched everything?! That sucked! She had taken advantage of him! Xin Fu looked up at his confused expression. "Leader, best keep such things to yourself," he advised. "If you tell anyone else, I''m afraid you''ll be beaten to death before the day is over." Li Luo stared at him loftily. "What''s wrong with a fiancee cleaning her fiance''s body?" And then he whirled around haughtily and headed down the stairs. Xin Fu noted the spring in Li Luo''s step as he headed down the stairs. Tsk, lying man. The first thing Li Luo saw in the hall was Jiang Qing''e sitting near the window. She was not in her customary light armor and battle skirt. Today she was in a form-fitting blouse and trousers that softened her entire look. The morning sun streaming in wreathed her curvy figure in long shadows and bathed her in a mellow, golden hue. She was a stirring sight. Li Luo was about to greet her when he spotted another person. This one was in black, and she had a dry but classy manner about her. Mentor Chi Chan. The two were sitting opposite each other at the table, steam rising in small wisps from their cups of hot tea. Hearing his footsteps, they turned to him as one. Li Luo smiled at them, then sat down at the table. "Good morning, both of you." "Your heroics yesterday even had Dean Ling''s attention." Chi Chan laughed. "And so she''s declared that she''s dying to have me enroll in Resonance Artificers Hall?" Chi Chan''s smile faded away. "Still drunk? Is your ego inflated with booze or something?" "You mean I still can''t compete with Sister Qing''e''s ninth-grade light resonance?" he asked forlornly. Chi Chan shook her head. "Looks like it''s not just your ego inflated with booze. Your whole brain is sloshing with swill too, apparently. A true ninth-grade light resonance is far more terrifying than you can imagine." Li Luo''s face fell. Damn, Mentor. Did you have to crush your student''s spirit so early in the day? Am I your student, or is the plump swan?! Jiang Qing''e was smiling quietly to herself as she beckoned towards the kitchen. Bai Mengmeng came bustling out with a piping hot cup. "Leader, this is hangover soup. Have some, it will make you feel better," Bai Mengmeng said pleasantly. Jiang Qing''e reached out for it. "Thanks, Mengmeng," she said with a smile. Li Luo quickly added his thanks as well. While Li Luo was nursing his hangover cure, Chi Chan changed the topic. "As for your Umbra Cave reward, the Gilded Palace has agreed to give you 100,000 school points as a reward." Although he had already heard the news from the First Princess, Li Luo still whooped. He was on the verge of smiling, then he stopped himself instinctively. Some remnant trauma from the grinning demon. "Thank you, Mentor. I''m sure you fought hard for me to get it," he said gratefully. "I''ll take those thanks because I did indeed fight hard for you. Shen Jinxiao was particularly vehement in his objections. He said that the reward was excessive, that it would set a dangerous precedent in the future." "That old dog, I''ll beat him to death sooner or later!" Li Luo cursed. Chi Chan pretended not to hear that. She reached into her clothing and pulled out a black crystal card. "The points are all inside. Take it." Li Luo reached out eagerly and carefully. 100,000 points. If not for the Umbra Cave, he would have taken forever to earn such a sum. Plus, he had earned this himself, completely without Jiang Qing''e''s help. That was the best outcome. After all, Jiang Qing''e was going to challenge the Seven Astral Pillars at the end of the year. She would need all the resources she could get too. Jiang Qing''e was smiling widely as well. She was in a good mood. After all, Li Luo''s hollow foundation was one of her biggest worries. With these 100,000 points, he would have enough Royal Sap to solve that problem. One big problem off the table. Chi Chan chatted briefly with the pair, then she took her leave. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e tidied up, then they said bye to Bai Mengmeng before heading out to the Bank of Points together. The two walked along a leafy boulevard, dappled light paving the way under their feet. Jiang Qing''e had her hands in her pockets, taking leggy, casual strides forward. Along the way, many turned to watch them. "Ahem. "I heard you changed my clothes last night? "How could you? If you didn''t get my permission, you''re violating my modesty, you know?" Jiang Qing''e stretched lazily, yawning as she walked on. "Your modesty is an imaginary creature. People hear of it, but no one''s actually seen it before. My sword, on the other hand, is a very real thing. Want to see?" Li Luo trembled. Jiang Qing''e cocked her head and stared at him from head to toe with a slight smile. "Besides... "There''s nothing on that body I haven''t seen when we were young. What is there to hide?" Li Luo burned with embarrassment. Jiang Qing''e, you''re a real slimeball! Chapter 328: Hitching A Ride With The First Princess When Li Luo carried a green, wooden trunk out of the exchange palace hall, the very sight of it confounded every student and mentor who saw it. Such a reaction was warranted. No one, not even a mentor, had ever expected a student to spend 100,000 points on Royal Sap. Wasn''t this completely overkill? Were all new students so plucky? "It looks like I''ve once again shocked the entire college," Li Luo joked with Jiang Qing''e. Jiang Qing''e continued to strut beside him, lightly replying, "It looks like your severed foundation issue can be considered to be resolved. However, you still can''t relax. I''m sure you understand your unique situation." The sword hanging over his headthe inevitable five-year limit to reach the Duke Stage was something that loomed over him. His pitiful life was at stake, and he was definitely motivated to redouble his efforts. The last thing he wanted was a short-lived glory and life! "The original plan I had for you was to reach the Second Changing of the Evolving Resonance Tier by the end of the year. However, this is the absolutely lowest bar possible for you to overcome. If you can prove your mettle, then perhaps you might be able to take a breather," Jiang Qing''e said mercilessly. Li Luo did some quick mental math. With the wondrous encounter at the onyx lake, his resonance power had jumped, directly entering the Third Pattern of the Pattern Genesis Tier. This windfall had saved him at least a month of bitter cultivation, buying him crucial time. Yet when all was said and done, reaching the Second Changing by the end of the year was still an arduous task. Even when looking at each of the ten strongest freshmen of each batch, being able to enter the Pattern Genesis Tier whilst still being in the One Star Hall was a rarity. The Second Changing was an even higher hurdle to surmount. Exceeding such expectations would be extremely difficult. "I will do my best." Li Luo, on the other hand, was neither depressed nor disheartened, only nodding his head with all seriousness. All of this affected his little life. He had no other route to tread, except to struggle for that glimpse of hope for survival. The good thing was that he had this wonderful backing known as House Luolan. Although it was no longer in its heydays, a starving camel was inevitably larger than a horse. It provided him with significant amounts of resources to allow him to succeed. Combined with the contribution points from the college, his debaucherous lifestyle full of squalor could be barely sustained. "Now that the Umbra Cave mission has temporarily been completed, things will definitely ease up for a period of time. What you now need to focus on is the opportunity within the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. This opportunity is extremely difficult to come by, and if you are able to properly reap the benefits, your strength will take a leap forward, Jiang Qing''e helpfully reminded him. Li Luo nodded. He was extremely curious about the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. The Golden Dragon Bank clearly possessed capabilities beyond his wildest imagination. It was a superpower that surpassed the Xia Kingdom. Even the Astral Sage College was not qualified to speak on equal terms with the headquarters. Naturally, the Golden Dragon Dao Fields that were constructed by the bank would be anything but ordinary. "What do you plan to do now, then?" Li Luo followed up. "A quick rest for a few days and then I will reapply to enter the Umbra Cave," Jiang Qing''e replied after a moment of pondering. "Back to the Umbra Cave?" Li Luo asked in surprise. He had experienced the environment there, and everyone was perpetually kept on their toes. The cold and suppressive atmosphere cast a shadow over everyone''s mood. An ordinary individual would treat the Umbra Cave as a death sentence! If they had a choice, they would never step back into that accursed land. Furthermore, the tasks assigned were arduous and life-threatening. Jiang Qing''e had actually taken the initiative to go back? "The Umbra Cave is an excellent place for cultivation," Jiang Qing''e explained softly. Li Luo''s expression was complex. He was cognizant of why Jiang Qing''e was also throwing herself into trial after trial, struggling to improve her cultivation. Ultimately, House Luolan''s situation was dire, and the housemeet in half a year was the true calamity. Thus, she had to exhaust all means necessary to strengthen herself, even voluntarily entering places of immense danger, all to serve as a grindstone for her improvement. In the end, Li Luo did not say much, but he steeled his determination in his heart. He would enter the Dao Fields and find his own opportunities to obtain greater power. House Luolan''s disaster would not be borne by just Jiang Qing''e alone. As the duo walked out of the college, they noticed a golden carriage, emblazoned with the emblem of a golden Luan, stopped right by the gates. It was the First Princess''s personal carriage. Surrounding it was a team of elite wolf riders, their gazes cold and vigilant. As the two approached the carriage, the First Princess got up and smiled as she walked towards them. "Your Highness, I will leave Li Luo to you." Jiang Qing''e said. The First Princess'' lips pursed into a thin smile. "You can relax, Qing''e. I will definitely return him in one piece." Jiang Qing''e laughed in response, and after exchanging a few more cursory greetings, she waved goodbye to Li Luo and turned to leave. "Junior Li Luo, please." The First Princess indicated for him to board the carriage, her exceptionally beautiful face graced with a radiant smile. All of a sudden, Li Luo could feel that the gazes of the surrounding students had become piercing. The numerous students who were merely making their way around were staring daggers at him upon this sight. In fact, the majority were Four Star Hall students. The First Princess truly possessed significant stature within it! Although the crowd felt that the First Princess was not romantically inclined towards Li Luo, this brat was still the very first individual to be personally invited by Her Highness onto her carriage. This was a sight that incited jealousy. No longer being able to handle the sharp looks of the public, Li Luo immediately hopped into the carriage. The interior of the carriage was spacious and tidy. A row of bookshelves was placed on one end of the carriage, and beneath it was a desk with a lit stick of fragrant incense. This aromatic scent cleanly permeated the entire interior. The First Princess followed suit shortly after, gracefully sitting down on one end whilst beckoning towards Li Luo. "Please take a seat." Li Luo, one who never stood on courtesy, also found a spot opposite her. "It looks like Her Highness has helped to increase the hatre... I mean my popularity within the college." "You''re popular enough as it is. This much more shouldn''t faze you." Gracefully, she lifted a teapot and personally poured Li Luo a small cup of steaming tea. Unable to accept this, Li Luo hurriedly accepted the cup and joked, "With such a great honor accorded to me, I will definitely have to give my life for Your Highness." "Your words don''t seem to match your actions," the First Princess replied whilst shaking her head at his insincerity. Although she was one for conquering the hearts of others, she could discern that beneath Li Luo''s warm and amicable demeanor bellied an individual with unmatched pride. Wanting to win his heart was not realistic, and thus she had never planned to do so. She had always assumed that Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e would become a pair. Not wanting to harp on such meaningless chatter, she spoke up. "Junior Li Luo, do you think you can resolve His Majesty''s ailment within half a year?" Li Luo paused to consider, scratching his head. "I do not dare to make promises I cannot keep. Your Highness should know that although I can treat the issue, my personal resonant power is simply too weak. Thus, I can only take things slow." His response was met with furrowed eyebrows. "Your Highness, is there a reason for your urgency?" "The sooner you can resolve this, the better." A glimmer flickered through the First Princess'' eyes as she shook her head. "Then I will have to do my best!" Li Luo smiled. He could tell that there was a pressing reason for this deadline; however, he was not inclined to poke his nose into matters of the royal family. After which, the two began to chat about other things, such as the numerous ongoings within the college. The First Princess'' natural charisma took full bloom as the duo talked about everything under the sun, creating a harmonious atmosphere within the carriage. The carriage sped along its path, finally entering the vicinity of Xia City. The royal palace might have been tightly guarded, but upon seeing the First Princess'' personal carriage, they allowed it to travel unobstructed. Eventually, it pulled to a halt in front of a grand palace. Li Luo and the First Princess made their way out and were greeted by the bows of the imperial guard, giving him a chance to experience what it felt like to be royalty. Entering the palace hall, Li Luo once again managed to see the Little Emperor. His Majesty was dressed in yellow emperor''s robes, exuding an aura of regality. Unfortunately, the only thing that detracted from his majestic appearance was his pale demeanor. When the Little Emperor saw the First Princess, he let out a look of jubilance, which only deepened upon seeing Li Luo. Li Luo was here to help him treat his illness. "Sister!" The Little Emperor immediately ran over to grab the First Princess'' hand. Upon this sight, she gently patted his head and spoke a few words to him before turning to face Li Luo. "Shall we begin?" Li Luo nodded his head in agreement. The First Princess arranged for the Little Emperor to be sent to the back of the palace to prepare himself. When Li Luo finally entered the room, he had already changed into a simple set of pajamas. Li Luo did not beat around the bush, sitting down cross-legged behind the Little Emperor whilst instructing him to remove his upper body robes. Although the Little Emperor paused for a brief moment, he did as he was told and disrobed, revealing an emaciated torso. Shockingly, a lotus pattern could be seen engraved onto his back, intertwined with the position of his meridians. Li Luo maintained his composure, feeling that the Little Emperor''s skin looked even more fair as a result. "I''m going to begin." After which, Li Luo closed both his eyes, focusing on channeling his resonant power, preparing to start the therapy. Atop the bed, lustrous resonant power began to bloom from him. Throughout this process, the First Princess continued to sit by their side, quietly observing the treatment. Time gradually went by, and half a stick of incense had passed. At this point, an imperial guard strode in, speaking to the First Princess in a low voice. "Your Highness, the Regent is here to visit Your Majesty." Her eyes flickered as she lightly commanded, "Watch over His Majesty." It seemed as though she was speaking to herself, as no one responded. The only thing that seemed to have changed was that the shadows now seemed to have changed their object of focus. Immediately after that, she got up and calmly walked towards the palace hall. Chapter 329: Ambition When the First Princess reached the side chamber, she saw that the Regent had already arrived. Clad in his python robes, he cut an impressive figure. [1] "Greetings to my royal uncle," she said, entering with a courteous smile and curtsy. The Regent smiled back. "Luanyu, back from the Umbra Cave? It went well, I trust?" The First Princess nodded. "Smoothly. After all, Principal Pang watches over us." "Principal Pang is a gold needle in the haystack of the Xia Kingdom," the Regent said. "We are all much safer with him guarding the Umbra Cave." They exchanged a few more pleasantries before the Regent got to the heart of the matter. "Is His Majesty well? Is Li Luo of some help?" The First Princess'' smile did not falter. She was not surprised that he would have found out about Li Luo. After all, his reach was great, as was his information networks. Apparently, she had not managed to keep this from him either. And since she had invited Li Luo over for a second time, it was easy enough to deduce that there had to be benefiting from him somehow. The First Princess decided that there was no harm in speaking more frankly. "Mhm. His condition frustrated every healer we knew before this, so I saw no harm in letting Li Luo give it a try. It does seem to be just a tiny bit effective, so I see no harm in letting him try it out a bit longer. There''s no other way anyway." The Regent''s surprise was evident. "If even the Dukes with healing expertise can''t do anything about it, how is it that a mere Resonant Master can?" The First Princess shrugged truthfully. "I do not know. Perhaps something to do with his dual resonances?" "Indeed, dual resonances are rare for a Resonant Master. But all of the Dukes have dual resonances too," the Regent replied. Still, he did not pursue the matter beyond that comment. "Well, the world is a strange place. Perhaps the boy has some unique powers. Still, his cultivation level is weak. Best watch over him closely so he doesn''t hit a bottleneck. It concerns His Majesty greatly." "As Royal Uncle says." The First Princess dipped her head. A few more pleasantries were exchanged before the Regent dived in again. "Luanyu, you''ll be out of school in another half a year, yes? It''s about time for marriage as well. There are many potential suitors in the Xia Kingdom. Have you taken an interest in any? Just say the word, and your royal uncle here will take care of it for you." This one threw the First Princess off, but she recovered quickly. "I have never considered that problem before," she said almost shyly. "No one has won my heart yet." "Well, keep a lookout on the daily. I know you are proud by nature, and a talented person. But these are important life matters that cannot be dismissed easily." The First Princess nodded with a small smile of acknowledgment. "I thank Royal Uncle for the concern in my life matters. If I can see His Majesty take the throne successfully, that would be fulfillment enough for me. Which reminds me... "It will be time for His Majesty to take the throne in half a year''s time," she said with a sweet smile. "You have worked very hard all these years. But the agreement that you had with my father will finally be complete. "I hope Royal Uncle is prepared for your own life matters, and does the coronation ceremony justice." The Regent sighed. "The Little Emperor is no longer little. Time sure flies. "Don''t worry, Luanyu," he said with a smile. "I''ll make the coronation ceremony a grand affair. It should satisfy you." "My thanks to Royal Uncle!" The Regent waved off the thanks, then he left shortly after. The First Princess continued to hold her smile until he was out of sight, before she let it fade from her face. "Trying to get me married off so quickly?" she muttered to herself. She knew the ruleonce married, she would be off to her husband''s, and would not linger at the royal palace. The emperor was still young. If she left, then the Xia Kingdom would fall back into her uncle''s hands. Her father''s empire would no longer be in their direct line. Who would be the true power in that situation? For all these years, the Regent had bathed in his power. Governors paid homage to him and obeyed him. If this kept up, they would eventually support his ascension to proper kingship, even though he himself had no such ambition. Even though? As if. The First Princess sighed to herself. If not for all her workings behind the scenes, the situation today might be much worse. That was part of the reason why she admired Jiang Qing''e so much. Both were in very similar situations. Hopefully, her uncle would cooperate and hand over the reins smoothly at the coronation ceremony in half a year''s time. It was that, or potentially civil war. She clenched her fists tightly, both in dread and to steel herself. ... After the Regent walked out, he boarded a luxurious carriage that was waiting for him by the road. It was emblazoned with his python mark too. He sat in the dim carriage and let it take him onwards. "That lass Luanyu is urging me to give up power?" He laughed snidely to himself. In the gloom of the carriage, something stirred. A voice came to him, a bare whisper in the air. "Was that not your promise with the old king?" "I am just afraid that the emperor''s youth will weaken the royal court with inexperience. It is the royal family holding the power in the Xia Kingdom now on paper, but in reputation, the Astral Sage College is a cut above us. And it''s lucky that Pang Qianyuan has been in the Umbra Cave all this time. Otherwise, who would be the true ruler here in the Xia Kingdom? One word from Pang Qianyuan, and a new era could be ushered in. The Xia Kingdom was built by us, the Gong family. We are the rightful rulers. The Astral Sage College is just a thorn in our side. Our ancestors should never have allowed them to settle here!" He raved on, the fury in his voice building up. "I once suggested to the Astral Sage College that they would do well to give me a vice principal position there. They were arrogant enough to refuse." Gradually the fury faded away back to calm. "It is often said that there are two rulers in the Xia Kingdom: the royal court and the Astral Sage College." "Preposterous. When has a nation ever had two rulers?" His eyelids drooped slightly. "For all these years, I have used this power to grow our roots. The Little Emperor is too young. He would waste all my years of effort. I am just doing what''s best for them as well." "Hehe, tough love? If I didn''t know what you''d actually done, I might actually have been touched by that speech." "Besides, you might be the Regent here at the Xia Kingdom, but rightful rule belongs to the Little Emperor. Many will still back him here at Xia. And the old king might well have left something powerful behind... "Back when your Gong family settled here at the Xia Kingdom, they set up a defensive ward around the entire kingdom, but they passed the right to wield it to the Little Emperor. You cannot afford to be unruly, because you cannot best that defensive ward''s power," the raspy, almost mocking voice said. "If you want to take it down, you will need a King''s power. Only a King''s power... "Thats a little out of reach for you. But I have a suggestion that you might want to consider." The Regent said nothing, but there was a shocked look in his eyes. He closed them. The carriage fell back into silence. 1. TN: Royals wear dragon robes, but honored officials can wear python or flying fish robes because of the visual similarity. Chapter 330: Words from the Heart Wew. Li Luo breathed out and let his resonant power fade away. Looking at the scrawny back of the Little Emperor, the green lotus seemed to have gotten just a touch lighter in color. "It really works," he noted tiredly. "Your Majesty, it''s done." The boy had been sleeping fitfully, but he was jerked awake. He hurriedly put his shirt back on. "Li Luo, you''re amazing. I always feel so much better after you treat me. You''re much better than those Duke quacks." Li Luo laughed. It was at times like this that he was reminded of the boy''s youth. If he was truly stronger than a Duke, he wouldn''t be screwing around in a place like this. He would have gone straight to school to teach Shen Jinxiao the lesson of his life, via stomping on his face. And Pei Hao. That one required a stomping too. He was still lost in his stomping fantasies when the First Princess reentered the room. She saw the boy looking much more fit, and she brightened up as well. Li Luo''s treatment was really working. "Sis!" the boy called out. She tenderly straightened out his shirt, then turned to Li Luo. "Junior Li Luo, thank you so much." Her words were soft, and she had a different look from her usual regal composure. She was truly moved by Li Luo''s help for her brother. The feeling was completely aromantic. It was the same feeling of gratitude a desert wanderer had when he came across an oasis. In half a year, they had to be ready for the struggle for power. And the Little Emperor''s frailty might well become an excuse for the other powers to pounce upon. Even if Li Luo could not cure him completely by then, if he could just go without any spasms or accidents, that would already do wonders for the First Princess'' peace of mind. "Thank you, YourHighness. House Luolan needs friends like yourself." The First Princess inclined her head in understanding. "We are like souls in the same boat after all." Li Luo laughed at that. "Your Highness is too humble. Surely you know the storm that House Luolan is weathering? The vultures circle." "Do you think the vultures do not fly here as well?" Li Luo was drawn up short. This was the first time that the First Princess had spoken of her own history and secrets. It had been brief, but symbolically important. It was a gesture that marked their deepening relationship. "In half a year, it will not just be House Luolan that will face trials. The king and I also stand on the cusp of important changes. "The wolves prowl for House Luolan''s treasure. If they are not repelled, the house will end in death. House Luolan will be no more here in the Xia Kingdom." She looked at him full in the face. "We are the same. At the coronation ceremony, we will find out if my brother can truly take the throne and wield the royal power that is rightfully ours. "According to the promise, my royal uncle will step down. But I am not sure he will do so willingly. Power is a curious thing. Those that taste it often develop an addiction," she said evenly. Li Luo felt a prickle of fear. He was an outsider to royal intrigues, and House Luolan had never gone up against the royal court. He had not imagined that their factions would be just as vicious. It was sobering information. It meant that the Xia Kingdom would never be the same after that. The regent had laid down deep roots while on the throne. He had gotten comfortable with his power. If he did not go willingly, uprooting him would devastate the Xia Kingdom one way or the other. No wonder the First Princess was so anxious about the Little Emperor''s illness. Any weakness would be exploited by their enemies as a way to undermine his reliability and credibility. And the more the Regent rose, the further away the First Princess would fall. "Li Luo, I am not telling you this to ask House Luolan to stand with us. Bluntly speaking, House Luolan cannot even stand with us," she said with an apologetic but firm smile. Li Luo nodded. They were ugly words, but true ones. In a fight of this level, without even a Duke to hold them down, they would be blown away like cannon fodder. Their relationship was built on the foundation of Jiang Qing''e''s potential and Li Luo''s curious healing abilities. With that alone, they had won the First Princess'' confidence. They might not be standing together on the battlefield, but both knew that their futures were connected now. Of course, Li Luo would be hoping that the First Princess'' faction won. Compared to the power-hungry regent, whom Li Luo had always been a little leery of. The man was too dangerous and wily. If House Luolan came too close, he would swallow them whole without leaving a single bone behind. "Your battle will be tough as well. I do not know what House Lords Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan have left to you, but the treasure is an irresistible temptation for many. You will probably face many Dukes. "Although both you and Jiang Qing''e are valued students at school, I am not sure it will be enough to turn away the pack of wolves. They will not pass up on the chance to smash House Luolan''s headquarters. Plus, Principal Pang has not left the Umbra Cave in years, diminishing the Astral Sage College even further, and with it any protection you might hope to rely on." Li Luo nodded. "Do you know which powers are against us, Your Highness?" She shook her head. "It all depends on who is tempted." He sighed. This fight was not just about the five Great Houses. There were many more besides them. Hyenas and vultures, on top of the wolves. The weighty topic addressed, the First Princess brought the conversation into lighter waters, and they had a pleasant time together. And then she personally escorted him out of the palace, even calling him a carriage. "Your Highness," Li Luo said, turning to her with a smile. "House Luolan has fallen far. "But I will not let my parents'' legacy be destroyed so easily." He had chosen his words with care, and they smashed through one needling doubt that had nestled like a rock in her heart. She returned his smile. "And neither will I." Chapter 331: Rewards after Hard Work When Li Luo reached House Luolan, he sought out Jiang Qing''e immediately to fill her in on the conversation with the First Princess. "She confided that much in you?" Jiang Qing''e was astounded. Out of all the girls she knew, the First Princess rated a solid brick wall on a scale of difficulty to read. The two spoke cordially on most days, albeit with some guardedness. But getting the First Princess to open up was no small feat. And her words to Li Luo had brought them to a new level of closeness. "Perhaps its because I can treat the Little Emperor..." Li Luo offered. Jiang Qing''e nodded slightly. "So the struggle at the royal court is white-hot in intensity too. It will be a turbulent six months." "The entire political landscape of the Xia Kingdom might change." Li Luo sighed. Why couldn''t they have a bit more peace and quiet? "Will the regent give up power willingly?" he asked. "I have not interacted much with him in the past, but he is not truly noble as he seems. I recall both the Master and Mistress saying that he was not a good person." "Which means that buddying up with the First Princess means we''re baddy-ing up with him? And I get the feeling he knows I can heal the Little Emperor," Li Luo groaned. "That doesn''t matter. Obviously the First Princess will do her best to protect you on this matter. Besides, if the regent opposes you, it shows his own lack of impartiality. It does him little good in their internal politics. "Also... I mentioned before about the mystery of the Master and Mistress'' death lottery. It seems like the regent is one of the great suspects." Li Luo agreed. One had to wield great power to influence the death lottery. There were not many who would fulfill that criteria. "The regent has not openly moved against House Luolan before, but still he is a suspect. I think that the First Princess gaining any advantage over him is good news for us." Li Luo nodded. "But outside help is still outside help. We must rely on ourselves first and foremost. In the face of absolute power, no amount of plotting can help us. "Regardless of whether the secession goes well or not, House Luolan has its own troubles to face. We either win, or we crack." They shared a look and saw their same resolution mirrored in the eyes of the other. They had given blood, sweat, and tears for House Luolan. They would not allow it to be broken. "In the next two days, some of the students will be entering the Suncreek Villa. Lingqing is overlooking things over there, but we should always expect some teething problems. Please try to help out if you can," Jiang Qing''e said. Li Luo nodded. Resonance Artificers Hall students were all prideful people, and rightly so, given their abilities. Other elite villas like the Skypalace Villa might haze them a little to wear them down, but the Suncreek Villa was not like that. Their strongest were fourth-grade resonance artificers. There would be friction that arose from this reversed dynamic. Still, he believed that Yan Lingqing and Cai Wei could handle it. He could step in if needed. "Besides that, I''ve already given all the Royal Sap to Uncle Biao. He says the miracle paste will take a while to make, and that you should be patient." "Alrighty. That''s not urgent for now anyway." "And you should also prepare for the Golden Dragon Dao Fields." "Got it... Hey, Qing''e, your nagging is starting to sound like my mother''s." She was quiet for a moment, and they stood together for a moment. It was a cool, autumn day, and the yellowing ginkgo leaves covered the floor in pale gold. Li Luo looked at the smile that had lit up her face, and he suddenly had an urge to run away. Her slim hand clamped down on his shoulder before Captain Legs could steer his vessel to safety. "Sister Qing''e, what are you doing?!" "Well, if I were the Mistress, then there''s one more thing I would do." "Aw, can we not?" "Let''s go. You''re free anyway. The practice arena calls." The tall girl strong-armed her protesting fiance into the practice room, where she shut the door firmly behind her. Strange sounds could be heard from behind it. ... Over the next two days, Li Luo spent much of his time at the Suncreek Villa overseeing the transition. They were already back to the height of the Suncreek Villa''s success in the past, and their artificers were stronger than Hanzhi now as well. The Suncreek Villa was the golden goose of House Luolan, and the golden eggs made up Li Luo''s pocket money. He had to protect it carefully. Just like the two leaders had foreseen, there were teething problems for the newcomers. This was inevitable, but Li Luo had a simple trick to deal with it. He simply released the first batch of eighth-grade secret watersource, and suddenly they were all absorbed in their newest toy. It was like putting metaphorical blinders on them. No one cared who was beside them anymore. They just wanted to charge straight onwards. Soon, the Suncreek Villa was in a good rhythm, and the working pace was picking up steadily. Both Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing were happy to see it take off. They decided to treat the young lord who had made all of this possible. It was a moonlit night at the House Luolan headquarters. The wind shuffled along at a languid pace, enough to keep the night cool, but it was so barely perceptible that the night was quiet. In a stone pavilion sat Li Luo with Jiang Qing''e, Yan Lingqing, and Cai Wei. Besides the visual feast, there was also an actual feast, laid out in sumptuous fashion on the table. The four ate and chatted. "It''s all thanks to the Young Lord that the Suncreek Villa has found such a quick rise to success. If you have any requests, just say the word," Cai Wei said teasingly. Li Luo looked deep into the eyes of the doll-like beauty. "Anything?" his voice trembled. Cai Wei batted her eyelids. "Spit it out and find out," she said playfully. "Vixen, how could you tease a betrothed man?" Yan Lingqing said in disgust. Jiang Qing''e continued eating, smiling without comment. Li Luo looked at the sexy Cai Wei and licked his lips. Encouraged by her come-hither look, he gathered his courage. "Dear Cai Wei, I want... "...you to give me five seventh-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights each month!" Her face froze. "Young Lord, tonight is actually my retirement dinner. Working as a manager at House Luolan is too hard, so I''m quitting. We will part at dawn." Li Luo was speechless. Damn, this was a real quick change. Yan Lingqing was shaking, smacking the table with one hand for emphasis as the laughter peeled out of her. Jiang Qing''e just smiled. "Sister Cai Wei, you said anything!" Li Luo whined. "Seventh-grade liquids and lights cost 300,000 skygold apiece. Five bottles is 1.5 million skygold. In a year, we would be spending over ten million. "Sure, the Suncreek Villa is taking in good profits now, but it can''t possibly all go to feed a black hole like you! "Unless you want me to sell House Luolan''s other businesses!" Li Luo hastily laughed to soften the sharpness of her tone. "Well, maybe not five bottles a month. Surely we can negotiate it?" Cai Wei rubbed her brow, all playfulness gone from her manner. But she did not say no either. She knew that all of House Luolan''s businesses were ultimately there to serve the two leaders of the house. Still, she wanted a bigger source of wealth first before she started feeding them so much. "Only one bottle of seventh-grade spirit liquid for now. I can provide a few more fifth and sixth-grade ones," she finally said after some lengthy calculations. "Perhaps two bottles of seventh-grade spirit liquids when the Suncreek Villa gets a little bigger. "Young Lord, seventh-grade spirit liquids are on a completely different level from sixth-grade ones, you know. I can count the number of qualified artificers who can make those on my fingers. They''re far rarer and far more expensive than sixth-grade liquids and lights by an entire scale," Cai Wei grumbled. "Alright, whatever you think best, Cai Wei. One bottle a month it is." At this rate, Li Luo would never fill up his acquired resonances. He was broke already at the seventh-grade. How on earth would he survive the eighth and ninth grades? Acquired resonances had their own bottlenecks to overcome. He was feeling it now, although he couldn''t really tell it to Cai Wei, who would not understand. Since his seventh-grade spirit liquid intake was going to be limited, he had better channel more of his liquids and lights into his woodearth resonance. It was only fifth-grade for now, so it should improve a little more quickly. If he could bring his woodearth resonance to the seventh-grade in the next half a year, he should become much stronger. Seventh-grade dual resonances against a ninth-grade singular resonance. Surely he stood a chance? Now that the Suncreek Villa was on a good track, he would head to Golden Dragon Bank tomorrow. It was about time for the Golden Dragon Dao Fields to open... Chapter 332: Lin Suo The next day. When Li Luo reached the Golden Dragon Bank, he spotted a familiar, hulking figure amidst the crowd of people. Qin Zhulu. He stood there like a pillar, his expression stony. "What are you doing?" Li Luo asked him. He looked extremely relieved to see Li Luo, and melted back down from pillar to hulking human-beast. "Why wouldn''t you go in to find Qing''er..." A female staff member hurried over and bowed. "Young Lord Li Luo, the Young Lord asked me to wait for all of you here. Please come with me." She turned to regard Qin Zhulu apprehensively. "This gentleman arrived earlier, but he ignored me whenever I spoke to him." Li Luo laughed. No wonder he was standing here like a pillar. He was afraid of her. "You walk in front," Qin Zhulu said tersely. Li Luo chuckled, then he gestured the girl on. He followed a step behind, and Qin Zhulu a few more steps behind him. The chatter of the bank''s patrons faded away when they entered the back hall. Li Luo saw two more people ahead. One of them was not at all unfamiliar. Zhu Xuan, who had also won the right to enter the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. The last person was a stranger to him. He was rather skinny, with a plain face that was smiling slightly. Zhu Xuan turned to Li Luo when he entered. He put on a thin smile that was quite obviously forced as he walked up to Li Luo and Qin Zhulu. "Junior Li Luo has been making waves at school recently," Zhu Xuan said politely. "You praise me too much," Li Luo said modestly. "It was only 100,000 points. I''m sure that after close to two years, Senior Zhu Xuan has earned that small sum ages ago." Cheeky bugger. Of course Zhu Xuan had not accumulated that many points yet. He swore inwardly, but he kept his face neutral. "Oh, is Senior Ye Qiuding not here yet?" Li Luo asked. "He was seriously corrupted in the Umbra Cave, and he also suffered other serious injuries, so he is still recovering. I''m afraid he won''t be able to enter the Golden Dragon Dao Fields," Zhu Xuan said. "That''s too bad," Li Luo said sadly. Zhu Xuan chuckled. "I heard half of those wounds were delivered by Junior Li Luo personally," he challenged. "Please do not slander me, Senior Zhu Xuan. Why would I attack Senior Ye Qiuding? I attacked an Other, not a human," Li Luo explained with a serious face. Zhu Xuan sniffed but did not reply. Li Luo had indeed been justified. "Oh, and this is?" Li Luo turned to look at the last unknown youth. The skinny boy smiled at him again. "This is Lin Suo. Since Ye Qiuding couldn''t come, he''s replacing him," Zhu Xuan said simply. He was not interested in speaking more with Li Luo, so he turned and walked away. Lin Suo went with him. Li Luo watched them go, especially that youth Lin Suo. He sensed that Lin Suo was a dangerous person. "His killing intent is very strong. A savage one," Qin Zhulu suddenly said. Li Luo looked at him. Qin Zhulu had followed his military father through battlefields uncountable, so he was extremely attuned to such things. His read was probably accurate. He wondered who had recommended Lin Suo. Frowning, he let the staff member usher him onwards to a beautifully decorated hall. Zhu Xuan and Lin Suo were there. Also, Li Luo spotted Yu Hongxi and the vice president of the Golden Dragon Bank, Ning Que. By their respective sides, Lu Qing''er and Ning Zhao. Lu Qing''er''s features lit up with true pleasure upon seeing Li Luo, and her beauty bloomed even more radiantly than before. Yu Hongxi noted this transformation out of the corner of her eye. It was a real pain to deal with. Her daughter made eyes at Li Luo at every turn but never admitted her feelings. She had planned for two bright peers to accompany Lu Qing''er to the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, hoping that she would forget Li Luo after spending some time making memories with other suitors. But against all expectations, Li Luo had passed her test and made it into the placings. A difficult child to keep down. Still, she was too shrewd and seasoned to show this displeasure openly. She nodded in acknowledgment towards Li Luo and Qin Zhulu. "Thank you for taking the time today," she said to the four of them. Yu Hongxi might not have the youthful, sugary voice of her daughter, but she had her own brand of lush, mature beauty. Her voice was as rich as molasses. "I wanted to gather you here today to talk about the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. They should be opening in a few days'' time. As per the rules of the Dao Fields, all who enter form squads of three. Including Qing''er and Ning Zhao, you will be six, which nicely forms two squads." "These two squads will be centered around Qing''er and Ning Zhao, who are part of the Golden Dragon Bank group that the Dao Fields were built for. The four of you will play supporting roles. "Of course, even supporting roles will benefit you more than you can imagine. Besides the Golden Dragon Mountain writ, which you cannot obtain, there is no other difference for the rest of you." "Golden Dragon Mountain writ? What''s that?" Li Luo asked. Yu Hongxi looked at him. "At the heart of the Golden Dragon Bank''s headquarters is a place called the Golden Dragon Mountain, a sacred place of cultivation for our members to train. The Golden Dragon Mountain occasionally sends out these writs to the branches. These writs allow entry. Put simply, you are here to support either Qing''er or Ning Zhao on their mission to obtain one. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu shared a sour look. It sure was good being part of a rich conglomerate. A super-exclusive premium cultivation place? Given how rich and powerful the Golden Dragon Bank was, it was surely an awesome place. Probably even more awesome than the best that the Astral Sage College could provide. Life was a bed of roses, and if you were rich enough, the roses didn''t even have thorns. "Any questions?" Yu Hongxi asked. Li Luo raised his hand earnestly. "President Yu, I would like to make a sincere inquiry. Is it too late for me to join the Golden Dragon Bank?" [Author''s Note: I put a picture of Yu Hongxi up on my Weixin today. Go take a look, President Yu''s very pretty.] Chapter 333: Pocket Sphere Li Luo''s ridiculous question made even the veterans like Yu Hongxi do a double take. Lu Qing''er snorted with laughter. "I suggest you give up on that idea. Not even ordinary members of the Golden Dragon Bank can enjoy those privileges. Only myself and Vice President Ning Que are eligible, as are our sons and daughters." Li Luo let his regret show. As for the awesome Golden Dragon Mountain, he was itching with curiosity. Of course he would welcome the chance to check it out. But from what Yu Hongxi had just said, apparently only the highest echelon of the Golden Dragon Bank could qualify. If that werent the case he wouldn''t have minded taking a position at the Golden Dragon Bank nominally. Well, he''d overthought things. "As for the four helpers, the Golden Dragon Bank would like to express our gratitude to you. Regardless of whether you come back with the Golden Dragon Mountain writs, we have prepared this for you." Yu Hongxi raised her hand, and four girls walked forward bearing jade platters. On them were four small, silver chests. The girls opened the chests, and the four boys saw a silver sphere in each one. They looked like enormous pearls, although they were covered in wavy lines of power and glowed faintly. Li Luo recognized them. "A pocket sphere?" Like their names implied, pocket spheres were spherical tools that opened up a space within that could be used to store things. Pocket spheres were incredibly expensive, rated at millions of skygold. Plus, they were not even readily available on the market, or even at the Golden Dragon Bank. House Luolan had a few in the past, but his parents had taken them all away with them. Neither he nor Jiang Qing''e had any pocket spheres. Again, this was partly because of how rare they were. Any on the market were snatched up almost immediately. Secondly, House Luolan was too poor for such luxury expenditures. Of course, pocket spheres were incredibly handy, even though they did not directly increase one''s fighting power. Yu Hongxi handing out four of them was extremely generous. Li Luo was once again struck by how good it was to be rich, to be handing out door gifts with seven-digit prices. They hadn''t even done anything yet. The other three were just as awed. It was testament to Yu Hongxi''s ability to read them, as well as her power, to choose a gift that could excite people even of their caliber. As the staff offered them forward with respectful congratulations, the four eagerly reached out to take their gifts. These pocket spheres were even threaded with custom gold bracelets that fit snugly around their wrists. Li Luo immediately put his on and used his resonant power to activate it. The space within was not that vast. One could probably fit two tables inside. It was an ordinary pocket sphere. The highest grade ones could probably fit the entire Golden Dragon Bank inside if one wished to. And someone who could afford something that expensive might just wish to. "Our thanks to President Yu," all four chorused together with deep satisfaction. Yu Hongxi waved it away with a smile. "One more thing. We need to decide the squads." "Let''s leave it to Qing''er and Ning Zhao to choose." "Choosing your teammates is very important," she said in a purposely casual tone while staring hard at her daughter. "Stronger teammates give you a better chance of getting the Golden Dragon Mountain writ. Your choice should be based on that alone." Lu Qing''er stared straight ahead and blinked. "Keke, let Qing''er choose, then," Vice President Ning Que said with a fawningly generous smile. Lu Qing''er stepped forward. Yu Hongxi examined her tea cup with deep interest, posing as if she did not care. Zhu Xuan puffed up his chest and put on his best smile. Warm. Friendly. Confident. The writ will be yours, girl. Just choose me. Lin Suo stood there with his usual, faint smile. Li Luo stood there with his usual smile. Qin Zhulu took a huge step backwards. "I think the most important thing for a squad is synergy. I choose Li Luo and Qin Zhulu," Lu Qing''er said after only a short moment''s consideration. Her voice rang out loud and clear. Zhu Xuan''s smile froze. Li Luo was sort of expecting this. Qin Zhulu trembled in fear. Bang. Yu Hongxi set her teacup down on the table with just a little more force than required. "Synergy is important, but so is raw power. Will you not reconsider?" Lu Qing''er shook her head. Yu Hongxi clenched and unclenched her fist, then breathed out heavily. She had expected Lu Qing''er to make such a choice, but it was still vexing to hear it confirmed. Her daughter was too free with her heart! Better options had been prepared for her, and still she was choosing Li Luo! This was for the Golden Dragon Mountain writ! It concerned her future! Still, she was outwardly composed. Since Lu Qing''er had made such a choice, she could not oppose it outwardly. If her daughter''s rebelliousness was stoked, there would be a huge fuss. "Alright, since that is your choice, take responsibility for the outcome, whatever it may be," she said coolly. "Keke, is this alright President? It seems like you''ve left Ning Zhao a better deal." Vice President Ning Que laughed. Out of the four, Zhu Xuan was the strongest, a Second Changing of the Evolving Resonance Tier. Lin Suo was a First Changing. In comparison, Li Luo and Qin Zhulu were both still at the Pattern Genesis Tier. With the first two as teammates, Ning Zhao seemed to stand a better chance of getting a Golden Dragon Mountain writ. "The teams have been decided," Yu Hongxi said neutrally. "Vice President Ning Que will take Zhu Xuan and Lin Suo to the adjourning room to brief them more." Ning Que nodded cheerfully. He knew that Yu Hongxi was angry right now, and it was best not to push her too far. Standing up, he led Ning Zhao and a frustrated Zhu Xuan and Lin Suo away. Qin Zhulu''s lips almost moved. He wanted to tell Zhu Xuan that he would have traded places with him any time. But before he said anything, he could feel a sharp, piercing look from Lu Qing''er warning him to do nothing of the sort. It was a very uncomfortable look. Plus, he knew that if he did it, Lu Qing''er would definitely take revenge on him. The two were in the same squad in school, and they had been working together for a while now. He was all too familiar with her methods. Based on his experience, it was best for him to keep his mouth shut. It was best not to anger the women. Chapter 334: Dao-gold and The Reservoir The hall was much quieter after Ning Que led Zhu Xuan, Ning Zhao, and Lin Suo out. Yu Hongxi''s face was carefully blank, although her disapproval was radiating off her in waves. Lu Qing''er was worried that Yu Hongxi would speak words in her upset state and make things awkward. She quickly went to tug on her mother''s crossed arms and played coy. "Mom, Li Luo and Qin Zhulu might be a teensy weensy bit weaker than Zhu Xuan, but I''m familiar with them. I believe that trust is more important than power." Yu Hongxi looked at her sharply. "So Zhu Xuan is not trustworthy? I don''t think he''s done anything to deserve that unkindness." "I''m just not familiar with him," Lu Qing''er protested. "We haven''t really talked much. Of course I can''t just trust him." Yu Hongxi sighed deeply. "There are few Golden Dragon Mountain writs out there. And even within the area you will be in, the competition is strong. There is an ability cap of General Stage, and also an age cap this time around, but the three of you are still at a sore disadvantage. "Other teams wll at least have a Second Changing teammate. All three of you are at the Pattern Genesis Tier. How will you compete? "Team composition-wise, Ning Zhao''s side stands a much better chance of getting a writ." "Not necessarily," Lu Qing''er argued back. "Li Luo might only be a Pattern Genesis Tier in strength, but he managed to take down even a Heavenly Disaster Class Other in the Umbra Cave. The school gave him 100,000 points. As strong as Zhu Xuan might be, he would be dead in a flash in the same position, wouldn''t he?" Yu Hongxi was a little taken aback. This was the first time she had heard such news. "President Yu, please do not believe Qing''er''s exaggerations. I had many other factors on my side. If it had been me alone, I too would have been dead in a flash in the same position," Li Luo hastily explained. Lu Qing''er was too good at boasting. Yu Hongxi pondered this strange, new information, then finally shook her head. "Since Qing''er has chosen you, then I will not say any more." She turned to Li Luo. "Li Luo, you owe me a favor. You said you would do something for me. I will not make it too difficult for you. Just bring Qing''er out with a Golden Dragon Mountain writ, and the debt will be cleared. What do you say?" Li Luo''s eyes almost rolled into the back of his head. This was "not making it difficult" for him? Although he did not know what other squads the Golden Dragon Bank would have inside, they could not be weaker than Zhu Xuan''s team. Snatching a writ from under all their noses would be no easy task. Lu Qing''er quickly jumped to his defense. "Mom, you can''t put people on the spot like that. I was never that interested in Golden Dragon Mountain anyway. I think the Astral Sage College''s great enough as it is." Yu Hongxi looked at her daughter sternly. The Golden Dragon Mountain prepares your future. The Astral Sage College is barely a place for the present." She looked back up to Li Luo. "Will you promise? If you can do this, you will not only have repaid the debt, but when you meet trouble in the future, perhaps I will even aid you." Li Luo frowned. "And what is this aid that President Yu speaks of?" She looked away. "Who knows?" she said mildly. Li Luo considered this for a few moments. "Firstly, let me say that President Yu has no need to extract such promises from me. I am in the same squad as Qing''er, so naturally I will spare no effort in getting a writ for her. Qing''er has helped me greatly in the past, and I will do my best to help her achieve her goals here. "Perhaps I will not be enough. But I will not give up until the last scrap of energy leaves my body. "As for President Yu''s offer for help, that tempts me greatly too, but there is no need. If I accept that, then my help to Qing''er becomes conditional... and tainted." Yu Hongxi looked straight at Li Luo, who met her gaze unflinchingly. She was struck by the resemblance to the man who had taken the Xia Kingdom by storm. His emotional intelligence and skill had opened the door to every noble girl''s heart... including herself. Li Luo might be lacking in many aspects compared to his father, but this deep-seated pride was not one of them. She sort of admired it. Lu Qing''er was biting on her lip as she stared at Li Luo with shining eyes. Quiet. Qin Zhulu was quietly commiserating by himself as well. Why on earth am I here?! Why can''t these Ghastly Dog Dao Fields ask for two-man teams? Why did he have to be in this team? "As proud as your father," Yu Hongxi finally said. "But sweet words can roll off any tongue. Let''s see how it ends. "Let me explain the rules of Golden Dragon Dao Fields," she continued. "It is extremely vast, and it is divided into the inner fields and outer fields. You will be at the outskirts of the outer fields. "There are too many branches in the Golden Dragon Bank group, so not everyone can be together. We are often divided into a multitude of field zones. "Each field zone will have close to 100 squads, and there will only be five or six writs available." Li Luo swallowed. Five or six percent chance was quite tight. "There are two key features that you will need to know about: dao-gold and the Reservoir." "Dao-gold? The Reservoir?" Both Li Luo and Qin Zhulu were listening intently. "Dao-gold can be thought of as a special currency, but it is not made of gold at all. Rather, it is fashioned from the energy of the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. "When you enter the Dao Fields, you will be given a length of dao incense. If you find any treasures, wondrous herbs, or kill any spirit beasts, you may light it, and the Dao Fields will take them away naturally, leaving dao-gold of equivalent value behind. "You may also light it if you defeat others. They will not be killed, but eliminated instead." "And what do we do with the dao-gold?" Li Luo asked. "That brings us to the Reservoir. Within the Reservoir lies many treasured artifacts, a veritable hoard that exceeds our Xia Bank''s own stash by an exponential scale. Everyone who enters the Golden Dragon Dao Fields can enter the Reservoir once, to find the treasured artifacts that you desire. "Of course, if you wish to take them away, you will need to buy them with dao-gold. The higher the treasured artifacts'' quality, the higher the dao-gold price. Call it welfare for you supporting fighters." Li Luo''s eyes were round as saucers. The Golden Dragon Bank was too damn rich! An entire reservoir of treasured artifacts? He trembled at the opulence. Treasured artifacts! Besides the pocket sphere that he had just gotten, the only other artifact he had was the seal from the principal. Not even his two short blades were treasured artifacts. The Golden Dragon Bank was drowning in riches. Even a testing affair for their juniors was conducted so luxuriously. "Dao-gold is not just for purchasing at the Reservoir. When you leave the Dao Fields, the dao-gold in your hands will burst into flare, and the power they hold will be transferred to your bodies. If you''re lucky, you might get a breakthrough on the spot. "That is why dao-gold is also known as the fortune that makes you rise," Yu Hongxi said with a smile. Li Luo was suitably awed. "I really want to join the Golden Dragon Bank family." What was this overwhelming jealousy that was consuming him?! The Golden Dragon Dao Fields were too awesome! "I understand now," quipped Li Luo. "We''re going there to earn dao-gold, right? Get filthy rich, arm ourselves to the teeth at the Reservoir, and then go snatch the writs?" Yu Hongxi nodded. "That''s very characteristic of the Golden Dragon Bank''s way of doing things," Li Luo observed. "Still... it sounds fun." Yu Hongxi rose. "Those are the rules of the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. There are a few days before it opens. Prepare as best as you can." She walked over to stand right in front of Li Luo. "Do your best. Show me how much of Li Taixuan''s talent you''ve inherited. "I hope you don''t disappoint me." Chapter 335: Resonant Reserve Secret Art For the next few days leading up to the Golden Dragon Dao Fields'' opening, Li Luo did not rest. Rather, he spent all of his time deep in cultivation. He had no choiceit would not be easy to get Lu Qing''er a Golden Dragon Mountain writ. Especially not when the three of them had no real talent to bring in. He had no idea how strong the other Golden Dragon Bank branches were, but just Ning Zhao, Zhu Xuan, and Lin Suo alone were already stronger. It was going to be difficult to shine among all those strong teams. Still, Li Luo could not blame Lu Qing''er for choosing him. He had only gotten the chance to enter largely thanks to her, and she had helped him plenty as well in the past. It was a welcome opportunity to try and repay her. Therefore, Li Luo spent a few days in a mad whirlwind of cultivation, even inviting Jiang Qing''e to spar with him. ... House Luolan headquarters, practice room. Li Luo shot out like a bolt of lightning, shortswords shining with resonant power. He unleashed them in a torrential storm of power that flashed out towards Jiang Qing''e, standing calmly with a black, wooden practice-sword. She took a single step, measured, confident, and unhurried. A quick twist of her wrist, a gleam of light on her sword tip, and Li Luo''s attack was completely negated. The storm of resonant power flew by harmlessly. The exchange continued for a while more, then Li Luo''s eyes flashed. Crossing his swords, he executed a perfect combination of his two resonances. The sound of titanic waves and colossal trees swaying filled the room. Dang! He brought them down parallel in a swing against Jiang Qing''e. It took all his might, and the resonant power poured out in a magnificent cascade. Jiang Qing''e stood there like a rock. Li Luo was sent flying several dozen paces backwards. Li Luo was sweating profusely as he lay there on his back like an upended turtle. "That''s insane. I used all my strength. Couldn''t you at least... take a polite step back or something?" Jiang Qing''e laughed. "I almost decided to catch that attack with my hands. Don''t underestimate the Fiend Body Stage. I''m many magnitudes stronger than you are." He couldn''t even break her defenses with his full strength? That was screwed up. He creaked up to a sitting position. Jiang Qing''e walked over with a steaming, fragrant handkerchief, handing it to Li Luo. He wiped his sweat, closing his eyes as he deeply inhaled the intoxicating scent. "Honestly, a squad like yours might sneak around and get some lucky breaks in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, but it''s going to be quite difficult to get the writ," Jiang Qing''e told him bluntly. "Lu Qing''er made her choice not to get any writs," she said with a knowing smile. She was there to enjoy the sights. Li Luo sighed. He had sensed it too. Lu Qing''er had shown no real interest in the Golden Dragon Mountain writs. Otherwise, she would have chosen Zhu Xuan and Lin Suo. Choosing him and Qin Zhulu was tantamount to a confession. He did not blame Yu Hongxi for being angry. Lu Qing''er had chosen a couple of tourists for her team. "Lu Qing''er is not unintelligent," Jiang Qing''e noted. "Maybe she purposely chose this team to make you give up on the writ, and then you can focus on growing at your own pace." Li Luo nodded. It was a possibility. However... "Even if she''s not interested in the writ, I cannot go in with that mindset. President Yu''s already hammered it into me. It would be letting her down, and also irresponsible towards Qing''er." Jiang Qing''e smiled. She agreed with Li Luoit was not seemly to ride Lu Qing''er''s coattails into the Golden Dragon Dao Fields and then spend the time playing around. Plus, it was not at all like Li Luo. Of course, it was also unwise to offend Yu Hongxi, one of the most powerful women in the Xia Kingdom. The Golden Dragon Bank might have been neutral all the while, but it still paid to remain in their good books. "That''s a lot of pressure." Li Luo nodded back. "I''m prepared. Besides, theres no way it can be worse than a Heavenly Disaster Class Other from the Umbra Cave, right?" Jiang Qing''e nodded, her mind already on ways of improvement. "Your dual resonances are quite impressive. When the power gap is not too big, the sudden outburst can overwhelm many opponents and turn the tables in most situations. "But there''s a glaring weakness: the unsustainability. That''s normal since you''re only at the Pattern Genesis Tier. You lack resonant power in general, and even more so when you''re burning it at twice the rate." Li Luo nodded glumly. The price of powera Duke''s powerwas high. His window was always uncomfortably tight, and one wrong movement or mistiming would cost him dearly. Plus, Mentor Chi Chan had told him about the three steps of dual resonances before. First, a minor merging. Second, two becoming one. Thirdly, sentience. He was only at the roughest stage of the first tier. "Since a lack of resonant power is the problem, are there ways for me to strengthen that?" Li Luo asked. "A secret art to temporarily enhance it? Those harm the body greatly, and are generally only used in life or death situations. I''m afraid they won''t suit you." Li Luo sighed. "But..." Jiang Qing''e said as a thought occurred to her. "There might be something else that''s suitable. "There is a rare secret-art," she continued, "that can allow the cultivator to store resonant power temporarily within the body. They are called resonant reserve secret arts. If you can cultivate one, you can use it to store a reserve of power within yourself and then unleash it in a time of need. "It''s not as extreme as the other kind, which will damage your foundations." Li Luo was overjoyed. This seemed like a match made in heaven for him! "That''s awesome!" Li Luo whooped. Jiang Qing''e smiled at his happiness, but she splayed her hands helplessly. "Awesome, but no such secret art exists in our House Luolan archives." Li Luo stomped the ground childishly. Then what on earth was this? A prank?! "Resonant reserve secret arts are quite rare, and it would be strange if we had one. If you really want one, you can ask the Golden Dragon Bank. Since you''re on decent terms with them at the moment, President Yu might just acquiesce to extending a favor." Damn. Yu Hongxi again. She was formidable enough that Li Luo was always a little nervous to go to her. He was more scared of her than he was of the First Princess. Still, it was not like he could choose to not go. "Besides that, you should also ask about the background of that newcomer, Lin Suo. From what you described, he doesn''t seem like a simple person. Best be careful," she advised. "What do you mean?" Li Luo asked, surprised. "You think he''s after me?" "It''s not impossible," Jiang Qing''e said analytically. "The Golden Dragon Dao Fields are not within the Xia Kingdom. Its a good place for murder. "As for who sent him, I do not know either. Perhaps Pei Hao, perhaps House Duze or Jiyan. House Luolan is not short of enemies, and finishing off our young lord would be a welcome move for many of them. "In any case, best err on the side of caution." Li Luo was extremely discomforted by this new, sinister thought. He got to his feet resignedly. Well, off to the bank. Chapter 336: Resonant Bubble Art "You want a resonant reserve secret art?" Yu Hongxi looked up from her desk at Li Luo, frowning. "Such things are highly uncommon." Li Luo nodded. "Precisely the reason why I thought the Golden Dragon Bank would be a good place to start. Please, President Yu. The Golden Dragon Dao Fields are opening soon. It''s a bit last-minute, but I think I could get a little stronger." She approved of his desire for improvement. In truth, she had given up on securing the writ from the moment Lu Qing''er had picked her team. She would think of another way to get it for her daughter. But even still, she approved of Li Luo''s desire to face the Dao Fields head-on. Clearly, he was not one to just lie down and wait for opportunities to be served up to him. She called in one of her staff members and gave some orders. The girl nodded and backed away obediently. After a short wait, she returned with a box that held two scrolls of jade. "Resonant reserve secret arts are not easy to procure. The Golden Dragon Bank only has two. See if they suit you." Li Luo''s eyes lit up with pleasure. The Golden Dragon Bank was amazingCthey even had two of such a rare thing. He walked forward and gingerly unrolled both scrolls. One was called the Inner Pocket Art, the other was the Resonant Bubble Art. The Inner Pocket Art was suited for cultivation with specialized materialsa pouch of sorts within the body where one could store excess resonant power. The Resonant Bubble Art was rather similar, also requiring some crystalline dust in its cultivation. Once completed, there would be a bubble of sorts within one''s body where resonant power could be stored. Each had their advantages. The Inner Pocket Art could store resonant power for longer, whereas the Resonant Bubble Art could store more resonant power. However, the bubble would automatically dissipate as time passed, and it needed to be supplemented with energy constantly. Li Luo considered at length, and he eventually chose the Resonant Bubble Art. It required water resonant power, which Li Luo happened to have. Of course, the more important consideration was its capacity. More capacity, more power for the dual resonances. For him, the constant energy upkeep was not as much of a concern. He had two resonant palaces active, and so he could absorb worldly natural energy faster than others. This drain would be minimal. "President Yu, I''ll choose the Resonant Bubble Art." Yu Hongxi suddenly flashed a smile at him. "Then I thank you for your business. The Resonant Bubble Art costs 3.53 million skygold." Li Luo resisted a sudden urge to throw the scroll in her face. "3.53 million for this?!" As powerful as this scroll might be, surely it was not worth that much. At over three and a half million, it was more expensive than some dragon-general resonance arts. "Rarity comes at a premium. This is business," Yu Hongxi said with a beatific smile. "I can''t afford it!" Li Luo scowled. He was already scrimping and saving just to get some seventh-grade spirit liquids. Where was he going to find three million and change to buy this? If Sister Cai Wei knew, she''d probably quit on the spot. "Oh Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, you have raised your child poorly. He groans and grumbles over the slightest expense!" Yu Hongxi exclaimed. "I don''t want it anymore," Li Luo said, now surly. He turned to leave. "Wait, wait," Yu Hongxi called out. "Kids. Can''t hold their temper." She gestured to the box. "Take it. Consider it my investment in Qing''er''s writ. If you can get it, the secret art is yours for free. If not, then 3.53 million skygold and not a penny less. I will not leave Jiang Qing''e alone for a day until I am paid." "You think I, the grand young lord of House Luolan, cares about a paltry few million skygold of pocket change?" Li Luo said, puffing up indignantly as he reached out to grab the scroll greedily and stuffed it into his pocket sphere. "But Qing''er and I are friends. For the sake of her future, I had best do what I can for me... for her." Yu Hongxi watched his charade with amusement. Li Luo had as much bluster as he had speed and greed. He was a more flexible character compared to his father. "Oh, and President Yu..." Now that the resonant reserve secret art business was settled, Li Luo''s mind turned to Jiang Qing''e''s other reminder. "What''s the deal with that Lin Suo person?" Yu Hongxi understood his line of thought immediately. "You think he''s targeting you?" "You think it''s impossible?" "I understand your caution." She nodded with sympathy. "House Luolan is beset with wolves, and such care is necessary. But Lin Suo does not come from other powers. He is from the Golden Dragon Bank''s branch in the Tiancang Province. We gave the slot to another of ours, since Ye Qiuding is absent." Oh, so Lin Suo was one of their own... Had he overthought things? In any case, it was still better to be cautious. He noted Yu Hongxi''s reassurances and then rose to leave. He was eager to give the Resonant Bubble Art his full attention. He paused at the door, then turned back to Yu Hongxi, who was already poring over her documents. "President Yu, thank you." She might have said that she was helping him as an investment in the writ, but she had still shown him much kindness. Li Luo did not know if it was because of Lu Qing''er or his father, but favors were favors. Although someone of her stature probably did not need his gratitude, he would repay it if the chance arose. Yu Hongxi waved in acknowledgment without looking up. Only after the door closed did she put down her papers. "Li Taixuan, Tan Tailan," she said softly to herself. "You''re really sanguine about leaving this broken mess of a place behind." Chapter 337: Entry After getting the Resonant Bubble Art, Li Luo spent all of his remaining time learning it. Efficiency-wise, it seemed to be his best chance of growing stronger quickly. Fortunately, cultivating the Resonant Bubble Art was not too difficult, especially with Li Luo''s natural aptitude and intuition for resonance arts. In a mere day of experimentation, he had gotten the basics down. House Luolan, in a room somewhere in a tower. Li Luo was sitting in the lotus position. He jerked his palm upwards in a lifting motion, and a sapphire-blue pearl appeared on his palm. This was a water jewel, an essential material for the cultivation of the Resonant Bubble Art. In just two days, Li Luo had wasted hundreds of pieces of this precious material before he finally got the hang of the Resonant Bubble Art. Fortunately, these water jewels were not particularly expensive. Boom! Li Luo clenched his fist, shattering the water jewel into dark-blue dust. He breathed hard, inhaling the crystalline dust. The cool, icy sediment started to move through his body. Li Luo used his water resonant power to enclose each piece of crystalline dust, then they started to work their magic within him. Li Luo had done this step countless times in the last two days, and he was practiced enough to do it in his sleep. He closed his eyes and put his hands together, repeating the process yet again. As time passed, his resonant power began to fuse with the crystalline dust, and finally faint bubbles began to emerge within his body. These bubbles were curious things. They floated around with a swirl of resonant power on their thin membranes, as though ready to pop at any time. These were the resonant bubbles that the Resonant Bubble Art made. Four bubbles was currently Li Luo''s limit. From the scroll''s description, the maximum was 12 resonant bubbles. Li Luo divided them up, sending two each to his waterlight and woodearth resonant palaces. When they entered, a connection formed. His resonant palaces began to feed a slow drip of power to the bubbles, filling them up. The resonant bubbles began to change in nature. Two of them were now glowing with a resplendent blue, while the other two were a dull, deep green. Waterlight and woodearth resonant powers. Li Luo smiled to himself. Success. He considered his current state. Four bubbles would probably allow him to become significantly stronger for a moment, but once they broke, the resonant power would quickly dissipate, and not return to his resonance seeds. He would have to use it up quickly. The Resonant Bubble Art had many drawbackswonky power, a cap to the power storage, and even a time limit. No wonder few people wanted to cultivate it. Still, there was one advantage for Li Luo that did not apply to anyone else. He had dual resonances, which were able to best utilize the additional resonant power. It made the Resonant Bubble Art much more powerful for him. Others might not know what to do with that additional bit of power, but Li Luo knew exactly where to put it. Whew. Li Luo exhaled deeply, turning to the window to watch the rays of sunlight streaming in. Today, everything was complete. Tomorrow, the Golden Dragon Dao Fields would open. He was quite excited to take on this legendary place. ... The next day, Li Luo bade farewell to Jiang Qing''e and headed for the Golden Dragon Bank. The serving girls led him to the inner sanctum, and finally out again to a large courtyard made of an ashy brown-stone. Some of the huge rocks had been carved into statues. In the middle, there were other complicated heaps of stone that formed a raised platform. By the time Li Luo arrived, Yu Hongxi, Ning Que, and other important people of the Golden Dragon Bank were already waiting. Lu Qing''er waved to Li Luo, while Qin Zhulu stood petrified by her side. Not far away were Ning Zhao, Zhu Xuan, and Lin Suo. As he approached, Lin Suo smiled at him. Li Luo smiled back out of reflex, then moved to stand by Lu Qing''er''s side. "Everyone''s present now," Yu Hongxi said. "We will activate the transporter and send you all into the Golden Dragon Dao Fields." "Remember that you must hold tight to the Golden Dragon Secret Keys you got earlier. When the Green Alioth comes for you in the Dao Fields, none of you will be able to withstand it. The Golden Dragon Secret Keys will help reduce its power by 90%." That threat made Li Luo double check his pocket sphere, closing his fingers over the comforting metal key to reassure himself. So it was not just proof of entry, but also a talisman. "But don''t think that the Golden Dragon Secret Key means you can underestimate the Green Alioth. The remaining 10% is still enough to wipe you all out individually," Yu Hongxi warned them. "If you want to pass each wave, your entire squad will need to work together. If you reach your limits, the keys will break and release enough energy to send you back. But you will no longer be allowed to enter." They all nodded solemnly. "That is all I have to say. Prepare to enter," she commanded. Everyone moved to prepare, and soon the entire courtyard was humming as a portal of energy opened up before them. The statues also started to glow, then they shot beams of light towards the center. They formed a large door of energy. Yu Hongxi watched it with a critical eye, judging its size. When she was satisfied, she turned to the six youngsters and nodded. They all moved forward and then jumped into the portal together. Yu Hongxi watched them go. The portal would remain open until all of them returned. Whether that was with a writ or without, it was out of her hands. Fate would decide. Chapter 338: Golden Dragon Dao Fields Li Luo felt space warp around him as his senses faded away. It felt like forever, and it felt like only a brief moment. Suddenly, the Golden Dragon Secret Key started to burn in his hand, then a golden light burst forth like a compass arrow, expanding until it formed a large bridge. It breached the void, opening a way forward. When Li Luo stepped on it, he was immediately blinded by golden light, too dazzling to look at. His eyes were scorched sore by the dizzying brightness, and he took a long time to recover. When he finally adjusted, he saw that there was a piece of land far ahead in the distance. It looked huge, but Li Luo was able to see its ends because of how far away he was. He realized that the golden arrow-bridge was carrying him toward that piece of land with incredible speed. He glanced around and saw two more beams, carrying Lu Qing''er and Qin Zhulu, and then further away a cluster of three streaks that had to be Ning Zhao, Zhu Xuan, and Lin Suo. Casting his eye further, he could see hundreds more, all headed for the same piece of land. They had to be the squads from other branches of the Golden Dragon Bank. It was a spectacular sight. The golden bridge carried him on, faster and faster, until he was finally in the air above the land, looking down at mountains and rivers that dotted the terrain. Whoosh! Suddenly, a powerful, green wind swept towards Li Luo. Screech! The green wind clashed against the golden light with a shrieking sound, biting away at it until the gold started to give way at certain points. Li Luo already had his resonant power ready to defend himself, but when the green wind came for him, it bit through his defenses as easily as if they were tofu. His skin was torn, leaving a small gash behind. As thin and inconsequential as it looked, Li Luo gasped sharply. The pain was excruciating, cutting deep into his soul. More and more jets of wind were starting to pierce the golden defense now, and Li Luo started to sweat. He saw that the others were also panicking at the sudden appearance of the wind. "So this is Green Alioth? Terrifying." Clearly, Green Alioth not only blew throughout the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, but also around it. All who wished to enter had to pass its trial first. Fortunately, the Golden Dragon Secret Key blocked most of it; otherwise, he would not have been able to survive even one wave of it. It was powerful enough to shred him until not even a bone was left intact. Even with the key''s protection, it was very difficult to defend against alone. Li Luo gestured to Lu Qing''er and Qin Zhulu, then they grouped up rapidly so the golden light overlapped for all three of them. Not far away, Ning Zhao and the others were doing the same. Those three were all at the Evolving Resonance Tier, and were more or less dealing with it well after an initial adjustment period. In comparison, Li Luo''s squad was being worn down quickly, since they were much weaker. If this continued, they might not even pass through the belt of Green Alioth. "Li Luo, what do we do?" Lu Qing''er asked urgently. Although she was not too interested in the writ, she still wanted to bring Li Luo in to look for opportunities. It would be a huge waste if they could not even get in. Li Luo thought for a moment. "We''re losing out because we don''t have enough resonant power. We don''t know how long this belt of wind will last. If we run out of resonant power, we''ll be in a bad spot. "The wind is coming from the front. We cannot take turns tanking it at the front like the others are doing. We''ll put the strongest defender in front, while the others support that person." They turned to look at Qin Zhulu. He cringed. With an upper eighth-grade Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance, he was clearly their best defender. Which meant that he had been nominated as meat shield. Still, Qin Zhulu was cool-headed enough to consider the bigger picture, so he stepped forward mutely, taking up his duty without complaint. "Little Lu is a very dependable man," Li Luo said. Qin Zhulu glared at him. "Don''t go around giving me weird names! Tchah!" Green Alioth swept in again, and he closed his mouth, setting his jaw grimly. Lu Qing''er laid a hand on Qin Zhulu''s back, sending forth her power. "Black Ice Armor!" Qin Zhulu was immediately encased in shining, transparent armor with a faint, black cast to it. It protected him from much of the Green Alioth''s damage. Li Luo reached out as well, still grinning. He used his own healing powers to boost Qin Zhulu''s recovery. With their support, Qin Zhulu bellowed with triumph, drinking in the newfound boosted power. His muscles bulged, and golden tiger stripes began to show faintly on his skin. Phish! Green Alioth blew with renewed frenzy, but with the ice armor and Li Luo''s healing, Qin Zhulu stood strong. Their advancement speed picked up. Nearby, Ning Zhao, Zhu Xuan, and Lin Suo saw Li Luo''s squad pushing ahead with a new burst of speed. This shocked them. They had expected them to be badly beaten by the wind, but they had quickly adapted. All across the breadth of the void, streaks of gold light pushed against and then past the belt of Green Alioth, making it safely to the land beyond. Li Luo''s squad managed to make it through safely, and then a powerful gravitational force brought them back down to land. Their keys helped guide them back until solid ground was beneath their feet once more. Li Luo looked around. He saw that they were in a deep mountain-gorge, covered in thick snow. The trees around them were frozen. "This is the Golden Dragon Dao Fields?" all three wondered privately. "The worldly natural energy is very dense hereit''s nothing like the world outside," Lu Qing''er observed. Li Luo nodded. This was only the outskirts of the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, but already the worldly natural energy was more saturated than he could remember. He could only imagine how favorable the conditions could be when one went deeper in. The Golden Dragon Dao Fields were truly a Mecca for cultivation. Suddenly, Li Luo found that an extra item had appeared in his hand. It was a short piece of golden incense. This had to be what Yu Hongxi had mentioned earlier. Burn this to get your loot redeemed for dao-gold. "Alright, let''s get started. We''ll head east, pick herbs, kill beasts, earn dao-gold, and then swim at the Reservoir with our treasures!" Li Luo punched the air. Lu Qing''er looked up from her cupped hands, still trying to blow some hot air on them. "As if it''d be so easy," she laughed. She was buoyed by the beauty of the landscape. Unlike the Umbra Cave, the Golden Dragon Dao Fields were breathtaking. There were no abominations like the Others. If not for Qin Zhulu sticking around, she would have considered this trip perfect. Dong! Something fell from above, hitting her squarely on the head and making Lu Qing''er yelp. She caught the object before it touched the ground and saw that it was a snow-white fruit with runic patterns on it. It also emitted an alien fragrance. She examined it for a few moments, then turned to her team. "Do you think this is one of the rare herbs?" The two boys looked at each other and shrugged. "Maybe. Want to try?" They gathered a few of them, then lit the golden incense. Golden smoke rose, circling the white fruits. To their astonishment, the white fruits started to fade away and then disappeared before their very eyes. At the same time, a rift appeared in front of them, and four round, golden coins rolled out, landing at their feet. They looked at the golden dragon marks on them and fell silent. Dao-gold... was this easy to get? After their hellish time in the Umbra Cave, this seemed too good to be true. Chapter 339: Deals A Deal "Maybe it''s just a coincidence. It would be a freaking fairytale if dao-gold was so easily earned," Li Luo said. "The Golden Dragon Bank might be rich, but they can''t possibly make it so easy, right?" Lu Qing''er and Qin Zhulu expressed agreement. Logically speaking, dao-gold was like any other currencyif it were too easily obtained, it would lose its value. Perhaps they were really just plain lucky. "Let''s continue on. We''ve just gotten started. Harder days will come." Li Luo grinned, waving them on. They plodded through the thick snow onwards into the forest. About 40 minutes later, Lu Qing''er suddenly stepped on something in the snow. She bent down curiously and picked up a crystal-like root. It smelled fragrant too. She turned it over in her hands. "Is this a rare herb too?" Li Luo was stunned for a second, then he shook his head. "Cmon, no way. What do you think they are? Cabbages? We can''t possibly be finding them left and right!" "One way to find out," Qin Zhulu said in his gravelly voice. He lit the golden incense and then the same process happened. The glass-like root faded away and disappeared, and three shiny gold-coins rolled out of a rift to land in the snow. Another silence. The three stared at the coins, nonplussed. "Er," Lu Qing''er said with uncertainty as she picked up the coins. "Why does it seem like dao-gold isn''t particularly important here at the Dao Fields?" "Can it be that the amount of dao-gold needed is huge? Like maybe we would need thousands of dao-gold to get one treasured artifact?" Qin Zhulu scratched his head. Li Luo was completely confused as well. "But surely such rare herbs need time to grow, right? They can''t be all that easy to produce even at the Golden Dragon Dao Fields... "Am I some sort of bumpkin?" Li Luo wondered aloud. "Do I just... not understand the scale of this holy land of cultivation?" Lu Qing''er and Qin Zhulu had no reply to him. They had never set foot outside of the Xia Kingdom before, so they had no idea about how the larger world outside worked. Perhaps they were indeed the proverbial frogs in the well. They continued forward, occasionally coming across more herbs, and not once meeting any danger. They already had more than 50 dao-gold pieces... Because they had no basis for comparison, they had no idea if 50 pieces was extremely few or many. "We might have just stumbled across an herb-rich patch," Li Luo finally concluded. That was his best guess. Just when they spoke, a wounded spirit beast charged out of the trees nearby. But before they could act, the spirit beast toppled to the ground and died from its wounds. They stared at each other. "Something''s wrong, right?" Qin Zhulu swallowed hard. This spirit beast was not easy to deal with. In good condition, the three would have had to combine their full strength for a chance to beat it. But now it was dead at their feet. It felt like an insult to their intelligence if they were supposed to take this as luck. It was raining presents everywhere, damn it! "I got itm" Li Luo said in a low tone of relief, slapping his forehead. Li Luo patted the carcass of the spirit beast. "You see, there''s a very simple explanation... It means I''m the Chosen One." Qin Zhulu stared at him. "What the hell has any of this got to do with you? You haven''t even found a single rare herb along the way, it''s always been..." They both turned slowly to look at Lu Qing''er. Her beautiful eyes went round, and she pointed at herself disbelievingly. "Me? How is that possible?" Neither Li Luo nor Qin Zhulu could see how it was possible, but it had indeed happened. All of their bounty so far had been picked up by Lu Qing''er. And this beast that had conveniently died at their feet. Li Luo sighed solemnly. "I have a bad feeling about all this." It was too good to be true. And in Li Luo''s experience, that not only meant it wasn''t true, but that something very, very bad was coming. "That just makes it all the more interesting!" Qin Zhulu declared, his face flushing with excitement. Li Luo was speechless. Brother, you''re really a battle demon. But can you at least look at where you are? Everyone here at the Dao Fields is basically an Evolving Resonance Tier cultivator. We three Pattern Genesis scrubs would be lucky to survive, you know? Lu Qing''er tugged at Li Luo''s sleeve. "Let''s just stay here and not go anywhere. Then we might not be targeted." She was not too interested in the Golden Dragon Mountain writs anyway. This snowy gorge was quite picturesque and fun to play around in. And they could get some dao-gold and some good rewards when it all ended. "If I stay here with you until it ends, your mom will stick my head in the vault and open and close the door on my neck repeatedly," Li Luo protested. He could only imagine the extent of her fury. She had paid good money for him to be a qualified bodyguard. Romp in the snow?!! "I''ll explain it all to her," Lu Qing''er said hurriedly. "She won''t be mad at you." Li Luo was just about to speak when he abruptly stopped. Qin Zhulu had frozen on the spot as well. He pulled out his spear. Li Luo turned around to the snowy forest on the right side. "Alright, sneaking''s over. Come on out." Lu Qing''er had a fright when she heard this, and she quickly channeled her ice resonant power. Three figures suddenly emerged from the snow. Li Luo and the others watched them warily. They were all youngsters, and the one in the middle seemed like their leader. He gave them an odd smile. "We accidentally drew too near. You''re sharp. I didn''t expect you to detect us." "Seems like you''ve been following us for a while now," Li Luo noted mildly. The green-robed leader nodded with a smile. "A while. So, I wonder, could you enlighten us on how you managed to get dozens of dao-gold without doing anything? "As for us..." He wrung his hands irritatedly. "We''ve been in this area for half a day, and haven''t seen a thing." Li Luo nodded sympathetically. "That''s a real shame." "So how did you do it? How do you stroll around and just get gold? What''s the deal?" Li Luo''s face was serious. "The deal''s a deal. But we''ll have to know what''s your deal and if you''re the real deal before we deal." Confused silence. "Heh." The green-shirted leader laughed. "Looks like we got ourselves a real wisecrack here. "Well, if you don''t want to talk..." He lazily unsheathed his lancet, its keen blade gleaming with a green energy that they recognized as wind resonant power. As he curled his fingers more tightly around the hilt, a small gust cleared the snow away from his feet. "...then I guess I''ll have to beg for alms..." Chapter 340: Harsh Beatings Clang. As the green-clothed leader made his threats, the other two pulled out their weapons as well. There was a mean glint in their eyes. Li Luo shook his head disapprovingly. "That''s a nasty attitude, guys. No alms today." The leader snorted. "Let''s not do this the hard way. By the looks of your golden dragon design, you guys are from the Xia Kingdom. It''s not that weak a place, but why is your squad so pathetic?" "And I see that you three are from the Polar Wolf Kingdom''s branch." "Ji Sun, at your service," the leader said with a mocking bow. "These two are my friends. "Come now, lady and gentlemen. I don''t want to have to fight you. In fact, if you wish, we could even team up. Of course, you''ll have to give us 80% of the profits. "In exchange, we''ll protect you." Lu Qing''er''s face was rigid with anger. Li Luo sighed. "80%? Are you sure you guys aren''t loansharks? Because your hearts are black as hell. "Besides... look at you. One First Changing and two Third Patterns. You''re not that much stronger than us, brother. What makes you think you can charge a protection fee like that?" Ji Sun''s eyes narrowed. "Seems like you don''t just want to be taken down. "You want to be taken out!" These words were punctuated by a deafening crackle, a violent streak of energy that came from behind Li Luo. He shuddered as it passed him, an avatar of savagery with his spear out, attacking Ji Sun. He was a tiger incarnate, burning through snow as he charged. Qin Zhulu. Fighting was in his blood, and he had an instinctive grasp of when things were about to turn violent... and to act one step ahead of that. Roar! Ji Sun leaped back with alarm, taken back by the ferocity of this sudden attack. "An eighth-grade beast resonance! No wonder he''s such an animal!" Ji Sun yelled to his companions. Still, he was only a Third Pattern! Ji Sun stepped forward to meet him, lancet at the ready. Wind energy twisted around it. He cut out in a curious, slicing motion, sending a fan of wind that cleanly chopped away at the trees around them. It made its clear imprint in the snow. Bang! The two clashed with a monstrous bang, resonant power on resonant power. Ji Sun staggered back two steps from the impact, while Qin Zhulu was sent back a few steps, almost losing his balance. Qin Zhulu had come out worse from their clash due to the marked difference in their cultivation levels. He was completely unfazed, the bright joy of battle burning bright in his eyes. His entire body trembled with the excitement of being in battle. Ji Sun eyed him warily. "Impressive Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance. If you were a Fifth Pattern, I would be pretty scared of an upset. But a Third Pattern... far from sufficient." "I''m guessing you''re the strongest in this squad. Will you all behave if I take this guy out?" Lu Qing''er was about to retort, but Li Luo cut her off. "Yup. You got it, boss man. Old Lu here is our strongest. "Old Lu, he''s all yours. Buy us all the time you can." Qin Zhulu looked approvingly at Li Luo. He wasn''t happy that Li Luo had called him the strongest. He was just happy that Li Luo had left him the strongest, Ji Sun, to fight. He probably couldn''t win, but it did not matter. Fighting was all that mattered, and who cared if the result was death or injury. Roar! Qin Zhulu plunged his spear into the ground and roared, his resonant power swelling forth with his voice. Golden tiger stripes began to surface on his skin, and his voice deepened with a tiger''s growl. His eyes had become cat eyes, deadly and watchful. He was a hunter now, ready to take down his target with any means possible. Snatching up his spear, he shot forth in a blur towards Ji Sun. Ji Sun watched him come. "Guo Xiang, Xu Ling, the other two are yours. I''ll handle this guy." "Haha, no problem, Boss. Let''s see who can finish off their opponent first." They were both Third Patterns, while Li Luo and Lu Qing''er were Third and First Patterns respectively. Ji Sun nodded. The gap in power on all sides was clearhe was not worried for them. He turned back to his target. Green wind resonant power started to swirl around his entire body, until he seemed to almost hover just above the ground. His steps were light and speedy, his control precise. He darted forward, seemingly floating from position to position like a dragonfly. Qin Zhulu showed none of that precision. A wild tiger with a single fanghis outstretched spear, roaring loud enough to shake the air. Ji Sun snapped his wrist forward with a powerful blast, snuffing out the energy around the spearhead. "I have time. I''m going to play with you." He smirked. "Or perhaps you care for a wager? Want to see if my friends over there will end things faster than us?" Qin Zhulu smirked right back at him, his tiger stripes glowing anew. "Not sure how long you can last, but your friends over there are about to be ended real quick, I reckon." He bared his teeth. Ji Sun looked at him as though he was crazy. Qin Zhulu was already on the move, a relentless attacking force. ... At the same time, Guo Xiang and Xu Ling were pincering Li Luo and Lu Qing''er. Both were eying the latter with great interest. "Hey, Old Xu, leave the girl to me, eh? I''ll wipe your loan clean from last time," Guo Xiang said, pumping his eyebrows at his friend. Although they would not dare to do anything blatant here at the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, copping a feel or two in battle wasn''t going to incriminate them. Xu Ling swore. "Alright, you bastard. Don''t take too long, eh? We might attract others. I''ll test out this other bugger." He turned to Li Luo. He would rather take on the pretty girl than the handsome guy any day. What the hell did a guy need to look that good for anyway? Well, he would bring him back to average looks later with a few well-placed stomps on his face. Shing! Xu Ling spread his palms, and razor-sharp claws extended out from his fingers, glowing silver. At the same time, his stance opened up with a wildness that was reminiscent of Qin Zhulu, and icy power swirled around him. Seventh-grade snow wolf resonance. He was quite strong as well. Probably as strong as an average student in the Astral Sage College''s Two Star Hall. He was not planning to be careless against Li Luo. They were evenly matched as Third Patterns after all. Still, all he needed to do was play it safe until Guo Xiang finished his battle, then they would be on good footing again. "You''re not very smart, friend, turning down our leader like that." Xu Ling did not wait for Li Luo''s reply. Bending down, he loped gracefully towards Li Luo, a white wolf imbued into his spirit. His claws glittered in the snow. Li Luo let the white shadow flit closer to him, his own shortswords held loosely in his hands as his waterlight resonant power played over them. He darted forward to meet Xu Ling square on. Water Edge Art? Xu Ling smirked to himself. Common plebeian street trick. Coating his claws in a layer of icy crystal to reinforce them, he slashed out. "Tiger-general resonance art, Icy Wolf''s Fangs!" His fingers were spread in partial imitation of a snarling wolf''s maw. Li Luo was unimpressed by his opponent''s fancy moves. He countered with a simple sword slash. Dang! The clean ring of metal. Xu Ling paled. From the power on Li Luo''s swords, he knew that the Water Edge was not ordinary. His own hardened claws had deep scratches on them. What the f*ck was this Water Edge Art?! How could a Third Pattern make such a cheap trick so strong?! He had to at least be a Fifth Pattern in power! Xu Ling felt his insides twist with panic. This person was cunning! He did not know how strong the tiger-man tussling with his captain was, but he couldn''t possibly be stronger than this freak! They had been had! Xu Ling''s voice bubbled in his throat, but a withering force clamped down on his claws before he could call out to his teammates. He screamed as they shattered. He tried to retreat, but his feet seemed to be moving in slow-motion. His attacker was already behind him. The two short blades slashed across his chest, sending fresh blood spraying. Xu Ling''s eyes were wide as he crashed heavily to his knees. He could not believe that he had lost in one move. Li Luo plunged his swords into the bloody snow and squatted down, bringing his face close to Xu Ling''s. "You see, my friend," Li Luo sighed. "The harshest of words deserve the harshest of beatings." Chapter 341: Ji Sun - Complicated [1] Xu Ling had been crushed, being struck so strongly that he lost consciousness with a single blow, unable to realize the gravity of the situation. As a result, he could not muster any response to Li Luo''s kind words. Perhaps this was for the best as he would definitely suffer more than just a physical injury. Losing in such a straightforward manner did not indicate that he was weak. Instead, he had been beguiled by Li Luo''s mindtrick, convincing him that he was facing an equal opponent. As a result, he had not expected the stark difference in strength. This greenhorn had perhaps just gotten a first taste of what reality was truly like: cold and merciless. Glancing at the collapsed Xu Ling, he realized that it seemed impossible to kill any of his opponents in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. The Golden Dragon Secret Keys would naturally protect their holders. This was in line with the bank''s motto: harmony breeds wealth. There was no need to create unnecessary disputes resulting from this activity. Furthermore, most of those who were able to enter had backgrounds of significance, so dying here would cause a catastrophe. Just as Li Luo concluded his battle with frightening haste, the other youth by the name of Guo Xiang had just arrived in front of Lu Qing''er. With a dashing smile and a gentle tone, he spoke out. "Dear Miss, if you''re unable to hold on any longer, please give up quickly. As a gentleman, I will have to oblige." "I think your teammate is the one that can''t hold on any longer," Lu Qing''er icily retorted. Raising his eyebrow curiously, it suddenly struck him that the other end of the battlefield was eerily silent. The sudden realization frightened him, and he quickly turned to look. Yet he was only greeted with the sight of Li Luo, a face full of smiles as he slowly strode across the snowy plains, shortswords in hand. Right behind him was Xu Ling lying in a pool of his own blood. Guo Xiang was taken aback by this development. He was flabbergasted and left in a daze. Hadn''t it just been a moment since the fight began? How had Xu Ling already been disposed of? Is this brat the one who did it? Isn''t he supposed to be a mere Third Pattern? Damn it! Is Xu Ling throwing a tantrum since he couldn''t have a round with the girl? Whilst Guo Xiang was lost in his own thoughts, a bitter-cold wind was summoned by his opponent. As she struck out with a single palm strike, the frigid air around the hand roiled violently, freezing the air around it. This attack landed squarely on Guo Xiang''s chest, but the result was completely unexpected. Guo Xiang''s body disintegrated into numerous snowflakes, fluttering in the sky. "A snow resonance?" Lu Qing''er''s expression was filled with surprise. Fighting such an opponent in this icy battleground was akin to giving a tiger wings! Glancing around in every direction, she realized that Guo Xiang''s presence had completely vanished. Even his resonant power could not be sensed. Guo Xiang was able to conceal his presence amidst the snow and ice. Li Luo had leisurely strutted over and arrived with a grin at this point. "Wow, this snow resonance truly is a rare one." "Do you really think you can hide? Don''t forget that there is both ice AND snow here." Lu Qing''er snorted coolly. Ice resonant power surged out of her as she gestured with her glowing hands, summoning the ice all around them. "Ice Crystal Binding!" At this moment, countless dust-like ice crystals sparkled and spread outwards with Lu Qing''er as the nexus. A moment later, Li Luo noticed that these ice crystals were congregating at a certain location on his right. Gradually, a human silhouette could be made out. It was the darned Guo Xiang. On the other hand, Guo Xiang''s expression was ugly as he stared at his body, which was now encrusted with ice crystals. Channeling his own resonant power violently, he managed to swiftly dispel all of the ice crystals. Even though he had managed to rid himself of this plague, his figure was now clear for all to see. Li Luo cackled as he lunged towards him with his shortswords in hand. "I need to see for myself just what sort of monster you are!" Guo Xiang''s expression changed as he faced the dashing Li Luo. With a snort, all of the resonant power within him exploded outwards as he waved his hands. Snowflakes riddled the sky and air and then coalesced swiftly. "Tiger-general resonance art, Great Snow Leopard!" When the snowflakes gathered, they took the shape of a snowy leopard, completely wreathed in frigid air. It immediately pounced towards Li Luo. Li Luo''s expression remained unchanged as he hacked downwards with a simple, fluid motion. Waterlight resonant power enveloped his blades right as he activated his Water Edge Art. With the Waterlight resonance reaching the seventh-grade, his waterlight resonant power had naturally become even purer, and his overall reserves had also increased. Not only that, a seventh-grade resonance possessed sentience, further aiding the strength of his resonance arts. As a result, his waterlight resonant power had improved not just quantitatively, but qualitatively as well! Thus, this led to an evolution of the resonance art, which Li Luo happily dubbed the Overpowered Water Edge Art. It was his favorite resonance art at the moment. Although the grade of the resonance art was not high, it could demonstrate mind-boggling might, way beyond anyone''s expectations. Xu Ling had underestimated his Water Edge Art, and as a result, he had been struck down where he stood, even before he could react! It would be no surprise if Xu Ling became depressed as a result. Looks truly were deceiving. An expert cultivator had been struck down by an unassuming-looking blade! After all, no one could predict that the fusion of water and light resonances could result in such simple but destructive results. The Water Edge glinted as it continued to surround the shortsword. Li Luo swept one blade downwards confidently, striking the Snow Leopard. Unsurprisingly, the elemental creature was cleaved into two, exploding into a mass of snowflakes! Without skipping a beat, he swung his other blade towards Guo Xiang, intending to end things. Just before the blow was about to land, Guo Xiang suddenly squatted down and started cowering in fear. "Stop! Don''t hurt me! I believe you now!" Weng! The descending blade stopped a few inches away from him. The series of developments had left Li Luo a little surprised. This brat was truly a genius, knowing when the odds were against him and quickly admitting defeat. With a chuckle, Li Luo swapped to the flat side of the blade and smacked Guo Xiang''s forehead, knocking him unconscious. "Wow, you''re truly impressive. An average Third Pattern can''t even hold a candle to you." Lu Qing''er sighed as she observed Li Luo''s efficient elimination of foes. "Theyre just two minor bandits, that''s all. Nothing special about it." He didn''t feel particularly accomplished at this achievement. Xu Ling''s resonant power felt weak and unstable, and it was likely because he had just entered the Third Pattern Tier. His strength wasn''t extraordinary either, his resonance being lower seventh-grade. This was nothing when compared to Li Luo, who had a seventh-grade waterlight resonance and a fifth-grade woodearth resonance. Even without using dual resonances, he was easily able to crush him like a dried twig! "Let''s go and help Qin Zhulu. He must be under significant pressure, Li Luo said. The two quickly turned and quickly made their way towards the icy snow-forest. Berserk clashes of resonant power could be constantly seen as the battle was indubitably more intense. A moment later, the duo finally arrived on the scene, managing to catch a glimpse of the combatants engaged in a fierce struggle. Wave after wave of resonant power exuded outwards with each clash, devastating and felling the massive trees around them. Qin Zhulu''s eyes were completely crimson at this point, the golden tiger stripes on his body undulating with every strike as though they were constantly absorbing worldly natural energy. His entire body had swelled several times larger and the heavy spear in his hand was pulsating with a dark-red resonant power. Each blow he delivered was massive and like a peal of thunder as he attacked Ji Sun. Again and again, the strikes were accompanied by piercing sonic booms, rending both air and snow alike. Despite being faced with this onslaught, Ji Sun seemed calm as ever, moving rapidly and constantly weaving in and out, dodging and leaving afterimages behind. Only after successfully evading the majority of Zhulu''s attacks did he take the opportunity to strike back. Each time the lancet struck out silently like a gust of wind, it left behind a trail of blood in its wake as it effortlessly sliced through flesh. However, these scratches were of no concern to Qin Zhulu. He retaliated in kind with a heroic offensive, unafraid of death or injury. As a result, this sort of berserk fighting style indirectly restricted Ji Sun, placing him in a situation where he was unable to quickly dispatch his opponent without suffering grievous wounds. Regardless, if things proceeded the way they had been, Qin Zhulu would eventually be whittled down over time. Ji Sun was at the First Changing of the Evolving Resonance Tier. When it came to comparing resonant power reserves and quality, he held the upper hand over Qin Zhulu. Alas, this predictable situation was now plunged into chaos. Why? Both Qin Zhulu and Ji Sun could sense Li Luo and Lu Qing''er approaching. One was clearly prepared for this outcome, whereas the other was left dumbfounded. Recognizing the disadvantageous situation, Ji Sun retreated slightly whilst keeping a close look on Li Luo. "Well, well, well. It looks like someone here has been hiding his true strength." He had originally assumed that the strongest fighter of the group would be the upper eighth-grade Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance trash, but it seemed he was mistaken. Clearly, it was this dog-looking brat that was the most secretive with his strength. "Thanks to you, I have gotten a taste of how the Xia Kingdom''s Golden Dragon Bank carries themselves." Ji Sun laughed coldly. Li Luo was unconcerned with these meaningless words, quickly retorting, "Sorry, but I have an important question to ask of you." Unfortunately but not unexpectedly, this was met with an indifferent gaze. However, Li Luo did not take this to heart, directly pointing at Lu Qing''er. "Do you know why pies keep falling from the sky wherever she walks?" 1. TN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NPBIwQyPWE Chapter 342: Surrounded As Li Luo''s words hung in the air, Lu Qing''er and Qin Zhulu both looked at him, flabbergasted. Ji Sun narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?" "Nothing." Li Luo blinked. "Just a feeling." "And why would I tell you such a thing?" "Ah, such uncooperative behavior," Li Luo said regretfully. "The beatings will continue." Ji Sun sneered at him. "Do your worst, kid. What do you think you can do? You and that weak bunch? Two Third Patterns and one First Pattern!" Although Guo Xiang and Xu Ling had been finished off a lot quicker than he had expected, he was not too worried, since he knew how much weaker they were. He himself was a third-tier Resonant Master. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu might be big fish in their small ponds, but he was in a different class from them. He couldn''t help but laugh at them. He simply could not understand. Why would a bunch of scrubs charge him so recklessly? Roar! Qin Zhulu could no longer hold back his battle will. The invisible dam of control within him burst, orange-gold tiger stripes bursting forth on his skin. His hefty spear led the way like a battering ram charging at Ji Sun. "I was just toying with you before," Ji Sun sneered. "You really think you can take me on?" He took half a step back, his lancet flashing in his hand. Green wind gusted around his weapon, then it flew out in a deadly slash that furrowed through the soil as it went. Dang! Slash against spear, the resonant powers clashed in a mad spiral that sent the nearby snow flying. Ting, ting! Tang, tang! As they fought, currents of wind were building up around Ji Sun, little green swirls that hovered protectively around him like layer upon layer of armor. After a while, it grew dense enough that it hummed around him with the power of a sonic wave. And then, when he clashed against Qin Zhulu, he suddenly shot it all forward. The deadly armor of wind sloughed off him and slashed through Qin Zhulu as quick as lightning. Deep, bloody wounds riddled his flesh, and the tiger warrior howled. He retreated frantically. Ji Sun pressed his advantage, matching his opponent''s every step. He was relentless, a hurricane bearing down on Qin Zhulu. But a new person had entered the fray, leaping out from behind Qin Zhulu. Li Luo. "Hmph. Show me what you''ve got!" Ji Sun jeered. His wind-power lancet weaved intimidating patterns in the air. Ji Sun charged. Li Luo''s swords glittered with Water Edge. Water on wind. Tang, tang! Ji Sun''s confidence faded a little from their first clash. He could sense how crisp and pure Li Luo''s resonant power was. It was not at all weaker than Qin Zhulu''s Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance. "This guy has an eighth-grade water resonance?!" Ji Sun was taken aback. This was a strange squad. Their cultivation levels were weak as hell, yet all of them had high-level resonances. If these two guys were not Third Pattern but Fifth, he probably wouldn''t even be able to beat a single one. As shaken as he was, Ji Sun''s hand did not hesitate at all. A flip of his palm sent another attack scything out, again with that deadly hum of sonic-charged power. But the attack that had left Qin Zhulu wounded was not effective at all. Li Luo''s body was covered in a layer of wooden armor that tanked the attacks easily. "Wood resonant power?!" If he had been surprised before, this time Ji Sun was floored. He stared at the wooden armor on Li Luo''s body and wondered if he was dreaming. Why would this guy have two resonant powers?! Wasn''t that the mark of a Duke? Ji Sun felt befuddled. BOOM! His befuddlement was soon knocked right out of his skull by a berserk Qin Zhulu. He fought as if he were demon-possessed, his spear twisting and striking with precision and power. An agile dragon baring its fangs, wielded by an equally supple tiger. Dang! Ji Sun parried furiously, almost deafened by the loud and repeated ringing of metal. He was starting to look worried now, as he was forced back step after step. But before he could say a word, he felt cold frost pooling under his feet. Lu Qing''er, not far away, was on the move. She was only a First Pattern, and she was well aware of the gap between herself and Ji Sun. That was why she did not attack directly, instead choosing to reduce Ji Sun''s speed through her long-range power. Ji Sun hurriedly banished her negative buffs, but they took just a moment longer than he had planned for. Another eighth-grade resonance that was just that much harder to deal with. "What the hell is going on?! Three eighth-grade resonances?!" Ji Sun yelled, outraged. Did it rain ninth-grade spirit liquids in the Xia Kingdom, by any chance?! By the time he had shrugged free of the frost, Li Luo and Qin Zhulu were upon him again, unleashing a coordinated attack that he did not dare ignore. He tore his eyes away from Lu Qing''er and focused on the two guys in his face. This two-pronged attack was especially vicious. Two Third Patterns as strong as they were could negate most of the advantage that Ji Sun had. The three were locked in a hair-raising battle. It was a stalemate full of action, and Ji Sun''s heart sank even as he attacked and parried. He knew that the situation was already starting to turn against him. Although his two opponents were weaker than him in resonant power, they had other tricks up their sleeves. Qin Zhulu''s Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance enhanced his physical strength, and he had an iron will that made him fight like a freaking robot. Li Luo was even worse. His water resonant power was incredibly pure, and he also had a wood resonance to complement it. All he had was a cultivation level advantage. But from the way they were dealing with his attacks, the situation was already clearly out of hand. Moreover, there was an eighth-grade ice resonance girl running interference at every turn, negating the speed advantage that his wind resonance should have gifted him. His legs were on the verge of giving out, and so was he. Ji Sun despaired. He had looked at this sitting-duck team as heaven''s gift to him. But now he saw that they were actually elite ducks. Well, when the going got tough! With a ferocious swing of his weapon, Ji Sun sent both Li Luo and Qin Zhulu flying back, then he disengaged and ran away. Shoop! A tree root snaked out like a python, coiling itself around both his feet. He tripped and went down. As he struggled fruitlessly, two short swords and a spear tip ended up at his neck. Ji Sun was completely trussed up, and he could barely cock his head to look at Li Luo and Qin Zhulu. Li Luo squatted down and patted him kindly on the head. "And now, friend, can we have a good chat?" Chapter 343: Golden Dragon Qi With Li Luo happily patting his head, Ji Sun was so infuriated, his veins could be seen throbbing on his head. Directing a dark stare at Li Luo, he finally decided to speak. "Who would have expected that I, the great Ji Sun, would have my aspirations sunk due to an unseen ditch!" ; ; "Huh? What do you mean unseen ditch? We''re clearly a huge river! Are you blind?" ; Ji Sun snorted and couldn''t be bothered to argue any further. "So what if you won? Do you think this is over? Your troubles have only just begun!" ; Li Luo gave him a meaningful look, but he also had a grin on his face. "So you DO know something... Friend, why don''t you explain further?" Ji Sun remained as indignant as ever, refusing to even catch his eye. "Who do you think you are? What should I tell you? It''s not like you can kill me!" ; "Why don''t you help a friend in need? There''s no need to make things difficult. Can''t we settle this harmoniously?" Li Luo sighed as he stroked his chin. His invitation was met with a cold harrumph and a lack of a response. As though part of a prearranged play, Qin Zhulu''s gaze turned a little fiendish. "Let''s break his arms and legs first, perhaps he might want to loosen his lips then." ; "What an ignoramus. So long as I receive a serious injury, I will immediately be placed in a state of suspended animation. I might be considered eliminated, but you definitely wont be able to harm me." ; Hearing his disdainful reply, Qin Zhulu was absolutely seething with fury. This dogshit Golden Dragon Dao Fields was such a pain! All the participants were too well-protected. How could this be fun? ; Li Luo grabbed Qin Zhulu. "Now, now, there''s no need to be so rude. What''s wrong with you? Why are you always trying to beat people up on a whim, or worse still, kill them! Anyway, I saw some Amorous Blossoms on the way here. Why don''t you find them and feed him some?" ; "Amorous Blossom?" Qin Zhulu was left in a daze upon hearing this idea. This was a herb that spirit beasts liked to chew on when it was mating season as it aided them into heat. ; Lu Qing''er blushed and bit the corner of her mouth upon hearing this diabolical idea. Ji Sun''s stoic expression finally softened up as he shouted, "What are you trying to do?" "Hey, don''t worry. We won''t harm you. After we feed you some Amorous Blossoms, I will find you a spirit beast for a companion. Don''t worry, don''t worry... I''ll do my best to find a female one!" Li Luo consoled Ji Sun''s face turned green. Damn it! What did he mean by trying to find a female spirit beast for him? "Damn it! You won''t have a good death!" Ji Sun swore. This bastard was too muchnothing was too low for him! "I''ll give you three seconds to decide." Li Luo smirked as he raised his fingers. "One." "Brother... Please! Just ask away!" Before Li Luo counted to two, Ji Sun quickly spoke out with utmost sincerity. At the sight of this change of heart, Qin Zhulu scolded, "How lowly!" This worm wasn''t worried about his bones being broken and seemed so determined to take the secret to the grave. Yet upon hearing Li Luo''s wondrous idea to feed him an Amorous Blossom and trap him with a spirit beast, he lost all sense of dignity and even tried to forge rapport with Li Luo by addressing him as brother! The world truly was pragmatic! Ji Sun''s expression seemed a little forced, but he no longer bothered with Qin Zhulu. He had wanted to resist further, but this bastard had no qualms with taking things to the extreme! One would prefer to be grievously injured than be subject to Li Luo''s imaginative ideas! At least physical injuries could be cured. Maladies of the mind were a different sort altogether. With a beaming smile on his face, Li Luo nodded in agreement. "Friend, you truly are an outstanding talent even amongst peers! Perhaps you might want to explain just what is happening?" Even Lu Qing''er looked over. Anyone would be curious as to why they were so lucky. Ji Sun glanced at Lu Qing''er briefly before speaking dejectedly. "Am I right to say that this girl here is from the Golden Dragon Bank?" Li Luo nodded simply. "Then how did none of you do your homework on the Golden Dragon Dao Fields? You should have been able to guess the reason why." ; Li Luo and Qin Zhulu were not from the Golden Dragon Bank and hence were definitely not privy to the secrets of the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. At this point, Lu Qing''er''s turned a little red in embarrassment. She was only here to gallivant and sightsee amongst the fields! Why would she do any homework? This Ji Sun was truly hateful, touching upon her sore spot. She truly wanted to freeze his mouth shut at this point. "If I''m not wrong, she is exuding Golden Dragon Qi," Ji Sun explained as he stared at Lu Qing''er with unconcealed envy. "Golden Dragon Qi?" Li Luo asked, his eyebrow lifted in interest. "Simply put, when she entered the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, she could have formed a resonance with the space, or maybe she possesses a high degree of affinity with this place. As a result, a trace of Golden Dragon Qi must have itself attached to her. You can think of this ephemeral qi as a blessing, providing all sorts of lucky encounters to the individual. Although it has no effect outside of the dao fields, it is a separate matter altogether within the dao fields. She will become a lucky starwherever she goes, fortune will follow. Any natural or rare treasure will fall into her hands," Ji Sun explained. ; "Someone attracting Golden Dragon Qi is rare but not impossible. However, this is the first time I''ve seen it in person." Lu Qing''er, Li Luo, and Qin Zhulu exchanged glances. The Golden Dragon Dao Fields were truly mysterious, able to create such strange miracles. ; Simply put, Lu Qing''er was now a beacon of fortune. Anywhere she chose to go would inevitably cause treasures to fall into her lap. Li Luo paused and muttered something to himself. Instead of excitement, his eyebrows furrowed into a frown. This Golden Dragon Qi might bring numerous benefits, but in this world, having too much treasure was a crime if they could not protect it! It would attract unwanted attention. ; Furthermore, the strength of their group was not top-tier in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. If they caught the eye of covetous leeches, it would be practically impossible to defend themselves. At that point in time, the stronger groups might even capture Lu Qing''er and turn her into a treasure-seeking compass! Being forced into such a role would inevitably be a terrible experience. Lu Qing''er evidently came to the same conclusion as her expression darkened. Qin Zhulu did not comment either. Although his personality made him yearn for opportunities to engage in exhilarating combat, the one who would be the focus of attention would be Lu Qing''er and not him. Thus, he would not get the chance he desired. Lu Qing''er took the initiative to suggest, "Why don''t we hide here for a bit? "So long as my Golden Dragon Qi is not exposed, it should not lead to any further trouble..." Li Luo stopped to consider. Temporarily taking a strategic halt would be a good idea. They could take the opportunity to understand how the Golden Dragon Qi worked and could then take precautions to prevent it from being revealed. At that point, they would be safer. ; It was then where he noticed that Ji Sun was looking at him with a strange expression. As though remembering something, Li Luo felt as though he was struck by a bolt of lightning. He slowly turned to face him and asked in the most polite of tones, "Hello, friend. By any chance, did you happen to spread news of this?" Ji Sun gave a forced smile. "Of course not." Leering at him for a couple of seconds, Li Luo cautiously asked, "It looks like our dear friend here wants to have a taste of the Amorous Blossom..." Ji Sun''s expression changed in fright, hurriedly returning to his previous honest and sincere appearance. "Actually... When I was tailing you in secret, I wanted to be cautious in dealing with your team. Thus, I captured all three of your appearances and wrote down the news of the Golden Dragon Qi into the Polar Wolf Kingdom''s Flying Wasp Scroll. I sent it to another group from my kingdom..." The atmosphere immediately turned heavy as Li Luo and Lu Qing''er glared at him with unkind gazes. Unable to control himself, Li Luo scolded, "Is there something wrong with you? You had such a wonderful opportunity to yourself, but you decided to share it with another group? Jeez!" ; "Well the other group leader is my close brother... If something unexpected did happen to me, then this lucky break could then be secured by them... Why would we let outsiders benefit from this?" ; Damn him and his generosity! What nonsense was he babbling about, preventing outsiders from benefiting!? Li Luo viciously glared at Ji Sun right at this juncture. Ji Sun could feel a chill go down his spine. "Friend... Please honor your words. Please don''t give up on your humanity..." Gritting his teeth and holding down a belly full of fury, Li Luo waved his hand. "Drag those two other buggers over and let''s send all three of them on their way!" Chapter 344: Luck Chapter 344: Luck Golden smoke gradually rose in a spiral into the sky. Ji Sun and his two friends were then enshrouded by the smoke as space twisted, warping them away without a trace remaining. The void shattered at this point, and ten pieces of dao-gold landed on the ground. Li Luo leaned down to pick up the dao-gold and heaved a sigh. So what do we do now? Qin Zhulu asked as he cleaned his heavy spear. What else can we do? Lets get rid of the other group from the Polar Wolf Kingdom; otherwise, we will always have a sword hanging over our heads. The only bright side is that this experience has taught us the importance of hiding the presence of the Golden Dragon Qi. We cant be careless anymore, Li Luo declared. From Ji Suns words, the other group from Polar Wolf Kingdom were roughly as strong as his group. If they were well prepared, they would definitely be able to swallow them whole. Additionally, once the other group received the news, they would most likely rush over at full speed. Hence, they just had to wait for the right opportunity to strike. Lu Qinger lightly nodded as she apologetically said, I thought this would be free and easy. It looks like Ive attracted quite some trouble. Dont say that! Were all here just to muck around. This doesnt even count as a problem. The group from the Polar Wolf Kingdom just happened to be in the vicinity, and once theyre dealt with, we can keep a much lower profile. This way no one will pay attention to us, Li Luo consoled as he waved his hand, revealing a dashing and confident smile. Trust me, good-looking people cant possibly have bad luck! Bang! Meanwhile in a mountain forest elsewhere Berserk resonant power exploded forth in clash after clash. Fiery-red resonant power swept across like a tidal wave of flames, and all the trees that it passed through were turned to ashes. Within the depths of the dark forest were two figures who had fallen to the ground, cutting a sorry picture. Both were drenched in blood as they stared at a figure walking towards them, out of the smoke, with utmost horror. This figure was a bare-handed youth. The most striking thing about him was that each of his fists were enveloped by a mantle of dark scarlet resonant power. It looked almost like hot magma flowing over his fists, exuding a tyrannical and extremely sweltering aura. [1] At this juncture, the two miserable-looking individuals were glaring at the youth with both fear and fury. Dont overdo it, Zhao Ziyang. We never bothered you, so why did you suddenly act out against us? The youth grinned confidently. Well, maybe its just that I dont like looking at your faces? The answer was clearly not what the duo was expecting. It was frustrating and caused them to feel even more indignant. This Zhao Ziyang was from the Iron Sand Empire, possessing an eighth-grade Lava Resonance. He had also reached the Second Changing of the Evolving Resonance Tier. In the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, someone of his caliber could be considered one of the strongest. [2] Based on their intel, Zhao Ziyang was on the list of individuals they should never aggravate, lest suffer the consequences. Despite feeling outraged, the two swallowed down their fury. Sir if we have offended you in any way, do let us know and we will definitely apologize Hmm? I heard that you were rushing somewhere, talking about some sort of good luck and treasure? Zhao Ziyang cut straight to the chase with a smile. Without skipping a beat, the duo immediately gave forced smiles. You must have misheard, good sir. Zhao Ziyang continued to grin as he walked towards the two, knocking them out with a single kick each. After which, he reached a hand out and began to search their bodies. Not long after, he fished out a small bamboo tube. He opened it, and a piece of paper was revealed. Looking closely at the piece of paper, his gaze gradually softened into crescents as he beamed radiantly. So it looks like someone actually possesses Golden Dragon Qi A look of interest arose in Zhao Ziyangs eyes. Luckily for him, this piece of paper also contained a significant amount of detail and information, including the location and the appearances of the group that possessed the Golden Dragon Qi. At this point, the sound of wind splitting could be heard, and two shadows flashed beside him. Hes gone. That captain of theirs sure knows how to run, one of the new guys said slightly helplessly. Zhao Ziyang casually replied, Just a rat, thats all. No need to be concerned. Crucial intel has already fallen into my hands. After which, he passed the paper to his teammates. The two quickly screened through the information before revealing looks of utter surprise. Golden Dragon Qi? This is a walking gold mine! If we can capture her, wont we have more dao-gold than we can spend? Zhao Ziyang nodded as he smiled like a cat with cheese. Lets go. This information came at the right time. The early bird catches the worm, and were the early ones now. What about these two fools? The other teammate pointed at the unconscious duo that Zhao Ziyang had helpfully handled. Offer them up. Zhao Ziyang waved his hands as he strode out of the forest. Nodding in agreement, the two spent some time to burn golden incense and eventually received a few pieces of dao-gold before hurriedly rushing to catch up. Not long after the trio left, a ripple of resonant power could be seen where they last were. A single figure descended from the sky into the charred clearing. His expression was gloomy-green as a look full of fury glanced in the direction Zhao Ziyang had gone toward. This was the team leader of the two that had been offered by incense. He was the individual Ji Sun had contacted regarding the news, a member of the Polar Wolf Kingdom. Ji Sun had never expected his friends to encounter such rotten luck. After receiving news of a windfall, they were determined to rush over and claim their due prize. However, it was beyond anyones imagination that they would encounter Zhao Ziyangs team, and even worse, have him overhear their conversation This was some damned unfortunate luck indeed! All of his teammates had now been eliminated, leaving him to fend for himself. Wanting to achieve any form of good result would be impossible now, much less struggle to obtain the Golden Dragon Qi. The news had already been discovered by Zhao Ziyang, and if he went alone, it would be akin to walking into the jaws of a lion, offering himself up as dao-gold. Resentment coursed through him at the thought of his reward being snatched away. He was unwilling to let this bastard off so easily after taking advantage of him! At this moment, a trace of cruel enlightenment could be seen in his eyes. Well, if someone wanted to steal his bone, even if he couldnt win, he wouldnt give him an easy time! He had decided that he would spread news of the Golden Dragon Qi far and wide, and all the groups would inevitably be attracted by this. Although he couldnt beat Zhao Ziyang, there were a hundred other ways he could cause him endless misery. The other top teams would do that for him. Zhao Ziyang, you damned monster! Just you wait! Furiously exhaling, the captain turned around to leave. Snowy Mountain Range Li Luo and friends were currently on top of a mountain, utilizing the white snow to camouflage and hide their presence. Meanwhile, they were laser-focused on observing the vicinity with their advantageous highground. They had already been waiting for at least half a day. Once the Polar Wolf Kingdom team arrived, they would quickly destroy them and leave! This group from the Polar Wolf Kingdom are such slowpokes! If they move this slowly, therell be nothing left for them! The frigid temperature was causing Li Luo to sneeze continuously as he grumbled. Lu Qinger smiled comfortably. This was the perfect environment for her as she possessed an ice resonance. As a result, she had an exceptional resistance to cold temperatures. Theres no rush. Patience is, after all, a virtue. If you cant hold on any longer, we can always withdraw. Lu Qinger consoled Li Luo before taking out a fragrant, red fruit from her pocket and passing it to him. Heres something I picked off the ground. Since we dont lack dao-gold, why dont you eat it? It should help to bolster your resonant power. Wow, the Golden Dragon Qi really is too awesome. He sighed upon receiving it. Not standing on ceremony, he immediately took a bite and started chewing, the fruit melting away with the lightest touch. Simultaneously, the fruit turned into a warm current that surged into his body. Not wasting any resource, Li Luo immediately circulated the 12 Step Weave and began to refine the medicinal strength, gradually feeling his resonant power growing. This was a sight for sore eyes. The Golden Dragon Dao Fields was a wondrous place, full of happiness! As he snacked away, Li Luo could feel a bitter gaze focused in his direction with his well-honed senses. Turning around, he saw a certain Qin Zhulu peering intently at the unusual fruit in his hand, swallowing his saliva as he attempted to resist the temptation. Ah! Im sorry, Xiao Lu, I only have a single fruit. If I find another, I will be sure to share it with you! Lu Qinger hurriedly said. Upon hearing those words, Qin Zhulu silently turned away. He should never have come to these damned golden crappy fields! Yet at this very moment, Li Luos expression changed as he looked in the northwest direction. Someone is here. Lu Qinger and Qin Zhulu turned to face the same direction and spotted three silhouettes speeding towards their current location. Wait a minute! Something isnt right. Li Luos eyes had resonant power circulating within them, creating the ability to see as far as a hawk. His complexion turned a little gloomy when he realized that further away, there were numerous groups converging onto this location. Lu Qinger and Qin Zhulu also noticed this anomaly, and their faces changed for the worse. Didnt you say that good-looking people have good luck? Qin Zhulu quipped quietly. Li Luos face turned pale as he exclaimed angrily, Damn his mother! That dog shit Ji Sun! He has no morals at all. Didnt he say that he only told one group about us? Just what is this? 1. TN: Is that you, Fire Fist Ace? ? 2. TN: Nope it looks like Akainu ? Chapter 345: Intercepted Chapter 345: Intercepted After his tirade, Li Luo heaved a sigh. This was completely unexpected. Normally speaking, wouldnt someone want to keep the secret of the Golden Dragon Qi to themselves? This was a secret they should have taken to the grave! How did that Polar Wolf Kingdom team turn this knowledge into common information for all!? Could such churlish people even exist in this world? The thoughts of the foolish were unfathomable. What do we do now? There are a few too many groups Lu Qinger asked with a frown on her face. If we have no choice, then we fight! Qin Zhulus battle spirit blazed with vigor as he made that suggestion. Of course, Li Luo did not accept this barbaric solution for their predicament. They werent even that strong in the grand scheme of things, and now they were at a disadvantage in terms of numbers. Going ahead with Qin Zhulus plan was absurd. Lets run and hide. The situation has become too complicated, and we should avoid the brunt of things if possible Li Luo finally decided. Lu Qinger had no comments, but Qin Zhulu seemed a little dissatisfied. However, in a situation where it was two votes versus one, he had to acquiesce to their choice. Brother Zhao, the situation seems a little off. It looks as though there are other groups heading in the same direction as us. Just as Li Luos merry band of friends had discovered more visitors, Zhao Ziyangs team had the same revelation when scouting ahead. Zhao Ziyang frowned upon hearing this, quickly ascending atop higher ground to take a glance for himself. The sight made his expression glum. It looks like the little rat from the Polar Wolf Kingdom has been stirring the pot. How despicable, actually spreading news of this all around. However, this was quite reasonable upon second thought. After being completely maimed by their vicious group, they had no other choice but to make life difficult for them as a form of revenge! It was just that this act of breaking the pot so that no one could monopolize it was truly unbearable. The number of groups gathering here were not small, some possessing combat strength no weaker than his. If all of them caught up, obtaining the Golden Dragon Qi would be several magnitudes more arduous. Continue advancing, we have to take advantage of our head start. If we can enter the mountain range first and capture that wench with the Golden Dragon Qi, then we can take the chance to escape. We have to proceed with due haste. Otherwise, the rest of them will catch up. Jing Zhi, release the Bloodwing Mosquitoes. They will assist us in locating the group hiding within the mountain range faster. Upon hearing Zhao Ziyangs command, one of his teammates nodded his head and took out a square jar. Biting his fingertip, he first let blood drip into it before smashing it onto the ground. Bzzzzz! Immediately after, a black cloud composed of countless red-winged mosquitoes rose from the debris. They surged in the direction of the mountain range and vanished into the distance in the blink of an eye. Go! Zhao Ziyang waved his hand, indicating that the hunt had begun. He shot off like a speeding bullet, legs shrouded with raging, red resonant power. Each time he took a step, he would leave behind a charred patch. The trio quickly made their way into the mountain forest. Not long after they entered, other groups made their way to the edge of the mountain forest as well. Upon realizing that time was of the essence, each and every team utilized their own special capabilities to commence the chase. Inadvertently, the entire mountain forest became abuzz with activity. Somewhere within the mountain forest. Li Luo and his little team were currently rushing away. This brief period of time allowed them to sense the endless eruptions of resonant power coming from the numerous teams rushing in. Clearly, quite a few of them were scuffling with each other. Li Luo, with our current speed, its very likely that someone will catch up with us shortly. Based on what Ji Sun told us, he has also engraved our likeness onto the scroll! The moment we encounter someone, they will definitely be able to recognize us, Lu Qinger said. Li Luo nodded in agreement. Time was tight. Lets head east to that patch of high ground, Li Luo suddenly suggested as his eyes glinted. It seemed that this was a man with a plan. That open patch? Wont we be more easily found? Qin Zhulu frowned. We want to be ostentatious and stick out! The more teams focused on us, the more space we will create for ourselves. Qin Zhulu didnt seem to understand what Li Luo meant, but Lu Qinger understood the gist of it. If they were caught by a single elite group, their situation would undoubtedly be extremely precarious. More groups focusing on them would raise the possibility that they would fight each other and possibly provide a diversion. Simply speaking, this plan did not seem rational at first glance, but it would make sense once one pondered more deeply. This was probably Li Luos plan, or so Lu Qinger assumed. She trusted him wholeheartedlyhe would definitely figure out a solution. Right at this moment, Li Luo frowned and fired out a single bullet of resonant power, which resembled a droplet of water. This water droplet pierced through a leaf, boring a neat hole and adhering to a tree. Pausing, he sauntered over, and one could see that within the resonant power droplet was a mosquito with blood -red wings. Well now, it looks like weve been discovered. Li Luo continued to stare at the Bloodwing Mosquito with a furrowed brow. Experts were as common as clouds in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. They even possessed such mysterious means to locate and pursue someone. We need to hurry up. Signaling the others to move, he turned tail and left with redoubled haste, the other two tailing right behind. Their destination: the highground to the east. Roughly an incense sticks worth of time after, a river tens of meters wide appeared right in front of them. This was the last obstacle between the team and their high ground. Resonant power surged forth from the trio as they forded the river. Unfortunately, their luck had finally run out. Berserk and scorching resonant power exploded from right behind them, and a youth clad in scarlet resonant power that resembled flowing lava shot right after them. Ive been waiting here for a while! Not interested in speaking further, he struck out, releasing a fist phantom akin to magma erupting from a volcano, both in terms of heat and explosiveness, ripping through the air. The blow was even backed by a tyrannical aura, enveloping all three of them, almost rooting them in place. The sudden ambush had also taken the trio by surprise. Just analyzing this simple magma fist phantom allowed them to understand the gravity of the situation. This youth possessed strength that far surpassed Ji Sun! Roar! Qin Zhulu snarled as golden tiger stripes materialized and his demonic qi exploded outwards. He lanced forward with the heavy spear in hand, domineering and undeterred, summoning his full might to clash against that fist phantom. BOOM! Upon collision, the astonishing force behind the fist phantom knocked him flying all the way across the river, causing him to land heavily on the ground. Qin Zhulus wild and raging resonant power had been completely extinguished. His spear was dyed a crimson red, emanating such high heat that the areas where he gripped the spear started sizzling with white smoke. Yet it was not enoughthe magma fist phantom continued flying unabated towards the remaining two. Ever the gentleman, Li Luos gaze flickered as he delivered a palm strike at Lu Qingers waist, knocking her flying towards the relative safety of the opposite bank. As the magma fist phantom approached, one could feel the blistering heat exuding from the attack, burning the skin. Remaining calm, Li Luo took a deep breath, summoning his waterlight resonant power and quickly forming a radiant water mirror. Mysterious Mirror Art! The magma fist phantoms reflection could be seen on the radiant surface of the mirror, and immediately after, an identical fist phantom flew out from within the mirror! BOOM! Frantic, blazing waves of resonant power exploded outwards upon impact, causing waves of heat to radiate outwards. The mirror shattered at this point, and the original attack had shrunken significantly, but it continued to viciously fly at him. Although Li Luo remained calm, his gaze seemed to have become untold times gloomier. This preliminary exchange had let him understand how vast the gulf was between him and the assailant. This fellow was more than twice as strong as Ji Sun. It was very likely that he was a Second Changing of the Evolving Resonance Tier. There were countless tiers of difference between the two. As it stood, a frontal clash with both Li Luo and Qin Zhulu cooperating had been crushed in the most direct way. Despite all this, Li Luo remained unfazed and unfrightened. The opponent might be mighty, but he wasnt so easily defeated by a single probing attack. Retreating slightly and jumping backwards to create some distance, he unsheathed his shortswords. With the Water Edge completely coating both his weapons, they turned into blades of resplendent light, almost akin to swimming fish, as his resonant power channeled through them. Just in the nick of time, he slashed downwards, the shortswords gradually severing through the lava resonance power which made up the fist phantom. His sword technique seemed to be filled with mysticality, giving all who saw it a sense of relief. At this point, he neatly landed on the opposite side of the river like his teammates. Both of his shortswords were dyed crimson-red, steam endlessly emitting from them. The bright side? That probing magma fist phantom had finally been neutralized. The unfortunate price was that cracks had started to emerge on his shortswords as a result of the high temperature and stress they had faced. Clap, clap, clap. Sounds of applause resounded across from the forest on the opposite end. Three silhouettes slowly made their way out of the shadows, and the one in the lead was naturally Zhao Ziyang. In fact, he was staring at Li Luo with immense interest. Wow, that was pretty impressive. A Third Pattern was able to receive my fist? Chapter 346: Gathering the Wolves Chapter 346: Gathering the Wolves When Zhao Ziyang and his squad appeared, Li Luo locked on to him immediately. He watched him warily, noting the resonant power pulsing from his body. He was probably around the Second Changing of the Evolving Resonance Tierthe same as Zhu Xuan. Li Luo weighed his chances. If he did not use dual resonances, his two resonant palaces alone would give him enough power to fight a Fifth Pattern of the Pattern Genesis Tier and stay even. With his dual resonances, he could take on a First Changing cultivator of the Evolving Resonance Tier. That was a significant leap across major tiers, but Zhao Ziyang surpassed even that. Still, with his Resonant Bubble Art prepared from before, Li Luo was not completely without weapons. The problem was that neither his dual resonances nor the Resonant Bubble Art could be sustained for long. They were there to secure a quick win. This guy did not look like a quick win at all. His resonant power was flowing out of him in powerful pulses. In their first clash, the purity and clarity of his attack marked him as probably an eighth-grade resonance user. Strictly speaking, Li Luo probably could not beat him alone. The difference in their cultivation levels was too big. Li Luo sighed. Just when he thought he had overcome that problem from a while back. Still, he believed that he had come further than anyone else, even the upper eighth-grade Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance user, Qin Zhulu. The Iron Sand Empires squad, eh? Li Luo said, eying the badges on their chests with a glittering, red motif. The Iron Sand Empire was much more famous than the Polar Wolf Kingdom, and it was at least as strong as the Xia Kingdom. So its you three with the Golden Dragon Qi? Zhao Ziyang grinned at them, sizing them up before his gaze stopped on Lu Qinger. Intel says its you, girl. She stared at him with an expression as frosty as her resonance. Under her feet, a layer of ice started to form over the withered grass. Could you have the wrong person, friend? These woods are a confusing place, Li Luo offered. Zhao Ziyang ignored this. Hand her over, he said mildly, and Ill let you two walk. No minced words, no beating around the bush. A straightforward and direct threat. He was in control here. His read of the situation was spot on. Through one brief exchange, he had already determined how strong their squad was. Three Pattern Genesis Tier cultivators, and not a single Evolving Resonance to be seen It was a pathetic lineup. He could not believe that the Golden Dragon Qi had appeared with them. Beginners luck! Qin Zhulu laughed coldly at him. Slamming his heavy spear into the ground, his resonant power began to build like a tiger stalking its prey through the tall grass. Li Luo sighed. Youre really a berserker, you know? He hefted his own shortswords at the ready. Zhao Ziyang let his amusement show. You dont know your own strength, I see. Your determination to protect your friend is commendable, but you should know your own limits. Im not even going to harm her. I just want her help. Neither Li Luo nor Qin Zhulu budged an inch. Zhao Ziyang shook his head. Clenching his fists, a glowing, ruby-colored power sprang forth, flowing along his arms like veins of lava. Fine. Ill finish you two pests off and then take her away. He stepped forward. Wait, Li Luo suddenly said. Zhao Ziyang smiled at him. Thought things through? Li Luo did not answer him, but fished out a signal tool from within his pocket sphere. He sent the flare shooting high into the sky with a high-pitched firework-whistle. It bloomed grandly above them, a cluster of pyrotechnics that announced their location to all. It would definitely attract the attention of anybody in the vicinity. Li Luo put his pocket sphere away and then calmly turned back to Zhao Ziyang. Okay, continue. Zhao Ziyang stiffened, dark anger flashing on his face. This bastard was toying with him! Trying to attract other squads to create chaos? Smart, arent you but you wont survive until then! Zhao Ziyangs foot slammed into the ground with a thunderous boom. It cracked with a loud report under him as he shot forth like a bullet. He was facing Li Luo in a heartbeat. Get the other two. Ill handle this punk. He bared his teeth, releasing a hiss of hot air from his mouth. Li Luo had pissed him off. Zhao Ziyangs two companions looked at Li Luo almost pityingly. The kid had no sense of danger. Angering Zhao Ziyang always ended in pain. Loads of it. The flame-fisted youth was a rash and impetuous character. And once he attacked, he never stopped until his job was done. Vermilion energy shone around him, crackling the air with its temperature. He shot towards Li Luo like a comet. Li Luo started to run away like a comet. Zhao Ziyangs speed was terrific. He caught up to Li Luo in a matter of seconds, his insistently furious fists punching out attacks like a jackhammer. He was a wave of heat, and Li Luos skin felt the scorching burn from up close. Li Luo continued to duck and weave, only choosing to engage when he could not avoid an attack. He would take it with his blue shortswords. Tang, tang! Fist on blade, and still the sound was metallic in its ring. A few short exchanges later, Li Luo was covered in fist-shaped scorch marks. He was smoking from burn wounds, completely outclassed by Zhao Ziyang. Zhao Ziyang smirked at him, disdainful of his evasive approach. Buying time? You might be able to cause some serious trouble for other teams in this. Youre smart, but you forget yourself. You think a puny Third Pattern like you deserves to come compete in a place like this? Li Luo privately thought to himself that Zhao Ziyang might seem like a fiery, powerful guy, but he had a really narrow mind. Not even he would have stooped so low with the personal attacks. No wonder no one had joined the fray yet even though Li Luo had spotted some squads watching nearby. They were probably too weak. They would be squashed into fish paste if they joined. Joining such an unequal fight wouldnt benefit them at all. Li Luo regarded Zhao Ziyang with unconcerned amusement. This guy was really something else. Dang! After another clash, Li Luo suddenly slid away. Opening the distance between them with one sinuous move, he changed the grip on his swords, and his eyes turned serious. Zhao Ziyang came at him again, large strides that ate ground between them. He thundered on, fists cocked and ready. He unleashed a tremendous punch that was backed by a roaring river of vermilion power that twisted like a python. Tiger-general resonance art, Flaming Serpents Punch! The dried leaves on the ground were turned to ashes before they could even catch fire, such was the intensity of the heat. His attack shot forth, leaving a black streak on the forest floor in its wake. Zhao Ziyang was holding nothing back with this punch. Eighth-grade Evolving Resonance Second Changing. His power was indisputable. Li Luo stood his ground this time, to the surprise of the eyes watching from the sidelines. His blades crossed and drew two sword patterns in the air. The python punch attack rapidly grew larger in his vision, and Li Luos two resonance palaces roared to life, sending a torrent of resonance power from his resonance seeds. The torrent of power was further cranked up a notch as his four resonant bubbles were popped as well, releasing yet more resonant power into the flow. His body was flooded with power beyond his limits. Dual resonances! Li Luo raised his swords and leaped at the fire punch attack head-on. Dang! The clash was colossal, and Li Luo was sent flying backwards, staggering to maintain balance. Each foot he tried to put down left deep imprints in the ground as he countered the impact bit by bit. No one was watching him. They were all too busy looking at Zhao Ziyang. Because he had been sent staggering back a couple of steps too. And there was a thin trickle of blood flowing down his knuckles. Even the wind seemed to cease, and silence fell over the battlefield. Chapter 347: Negotiations Chapter 347: Negotiations It was quiet in the forest. It was a shocked silence that filled the air. No one had expected the likes of Zhao Ziyang to have his attack repelled by a mere Third Pattern opponent. Moreover, his resonant power protection had been broken, and now his fist was bleeding. The wound was not deep, but it was symbolic. His defenses had been penetrated. A mere Third Pattern against a Second Changing?! It was unbelievable. Plus, Zhao Ziyang was no slouch. With his eighth-grade lava resonance, he not only had fiery power, but rocky defenses as well. It was a balanced resonance of both attack and defense. There should have been no weakness for Li Luo to exploit. This handsome, silver-haired youth was a strange one indeed. Brother Zhao? His teammates called out to him with uncertainty. Both of them were First Changing, and they were having an easy time against the other two. Of course, Lu Qinger was much weaker, so most of their efforts had been concentrated on Qin Zhulu. They had also been paying some attention to Zhao Ziyangs side, and they were shocked by his injury. As his teammates, they understood Zhao Ziyangs capabilities well. Back in the Iron Sand Empire, he was among the elites of his generation. He had always been the one challenging those above his class. How had the tables flipped on him today? Zhao Ziyang bent his head to look at his fist. The wound healed right before his eyes, but the glower on his face did not fade away as quickly. At his age, he was at the Sage College in the Iron Sand Empire. Those that he respected had always been seniors who were of a higher cultivation level. And even then, they treated him with mutual respect. It had bred a strong sense of pride within him. Today, this pride had been exposed as arrogance. To think that I would one day see dual resonances wielded by one not yet a Duke. This is indeed a wide world we live in. Miracles happen, Zhao Ziyang said slowly, almost to himself. The shock deepened for the spectators. Dual resonances?! A mere Third Pattern youth had dual resonances? What kind of godly luck did he have to be blessed with a second resonant palace so early? Li Luo felt the watchers in the trees turn to study him. No wonder he dared to go up against Zhao Ziyang. So he had this strange resonance situation. Li Luo was not surprised by Zhao Ziyangs reaction. There was no hiding the truth of it once he used it, and Zhao Ziyang was no fool to overlook it either. He just stood his ground, shortswords held loosely but ready. There were cracks all over his blades. These two swords had been forged a long time ago, and they would not last much longer. He curbed his own irritation. This counter of dual resonances plus four resonant bubbles should have gotten him better results. He wanted to at least wound Zhao Ziyang, and not just give him a scratch across the knuckles. Still, it was Li Luos first time using it in a real battle, so he was a little raw. If he tried it again, he would probably be able to draw out better effects. A pity he wouldnt have time to try it again. After his four resonant bubbles burst, the resonant power faded away. There would be no repeat of that attack. Plus, he was in a weakened state after using his dual resonances. The cultivation level difference is still too big, Li Luo lamented to himself. This guy was far stronger than Ji Sun from before. Even with his best moves, he could only barely stand his ground. However, his true goal was not just to beat Zhao Ziyang. He wanted to bare his fangs to the other wolves watching. He had to let them know that these three Pattern Genesis Tier cultivators were no easy meat. Sometimes, deterrence was more than half the battle. Zhao Ziyang took a careful step forward. What is your name? Li Luo looked coolly at him. Im Yu Lang. [1] Lu Qinger and Qin Zhulu stared at him. Alright, Yu Lang. Im surprised that the Xia Kingdom has managed to raise such a talent. I assume youre from the Astral Sage College too? Heh, everyones going to pay more attention to you guys at this years Holy Grail Meet. I, Yu Lang, fear nothing. Come at me with whatever you have, Li Luo said haughtily. Zhao Ziyang said nothing in return. However, his arrogance had been cut back down into guarded pride after seeing Li Luos strength and dual resonances today. Neither did he directly demand for Li Luo to hand Lu Qinger over. That was one of Li Luos goals toounleash his strongest attack and show them that he was on the same level. Otherwise, there was no chance a bunch of rabbits like them could keep the wolves away. Yu Lang, you should know that your dual resonances bring no resolution to this matter, Zhao Ziyang continued. Golden Dragon Qi is rare. Now that it has appeared, we will not let it go. Shes a walking treasure, and you alone cannot possibly keep her safe. He waved back his teammates, calling off the attack on Lu Qinger and Qin Zhulu. It was a gesture of his sincerity to negotiate. Li Luo grinned at him. And you can keep us safe? Zhao Ziyangs face was emotionless. Li Luo had lured over many teams. Even as strong as he was, he would be overwhelmed by all of them. He realized that this was not a prize he could take for himself anymore. From within the woods, a flurry of resonant powers approached. Squads were starting to appear left and right. Keke, Iron Sand Empire friends, dont think youre going to get that juicy prize all for yourself. You might break your back trying to carry it, someone called out, their warning dripping with greed. The Golden Dragon Qi has to be divided up equally, someone else called. Zhao Ziyangs eyes flashed with anger, but he quelled it. You got us into this situation, he said to Li Luo. How do you propose we get out of it? Everyone turned to him. Before, none of them would have paid him any attention, but now his strength and dual resonances granted him some basic respect. More importantly, they were in a complex situation, and someone had to get the unraveling started. As the possessors of the Golden Dragon Qi, this youth called Yu Lang and his team were in the best position to do so. Li Luo smiled at all of them. Well, since were in this mess, I know theres no way I can have the Golden Dragon Qi all to myself. I guess I dont mind splitting it. But. His smile grew wide. As great a prize as the Golden Dragon Qi is, do you think it can support so many? 1. TN: AHA HOW THE TABLES TURN. ? Chapter 348: Wolf on Wolf Chapter 348: Wolf on Wolf Li Luos toying words made Zhao Ziyang and the other squad leaders narrow their eyes. There were about 20 to 30 teams here, close to 100 people. If everyone had a bite of the Golden Dragon Qi, it would be meaningless. Just like Li Luo had saidit couldnt feed them all. What are you thinking? Zhao Ziyang asked. Li Luo took some time to dust off a large boulder, then he sat down on it and made himself comfortable. He stretched out four fingers. Four teams. Im only willing to share it with four teams. Any more, and the qi will be too faint to do anything. As for who these four teams will be He looked around indifferently. I couldnt care less. The hungry teams started to look around at each other warily. This kid was a monster. He wanted them to turn on each other, and he would share the bounty with the top four teams? Brilliant strategist, this Xia Kingdom friend. Cold laughter rang out, and Li Luo turned to see a slender and sexy girl stride forth. Her skin was a dusty bronze that gave her an exotic look, as though she were a female leopard fresh from the mountains. Sexy. And savage. Her short-cropped hair framed an arrogant expression that was turned against Li Luo presently. You want us to fight among ourselves and use the chance to escape? she accused him. Besides, you might have dual resonances, but youre only at the Pattern Genesis Tier. As if you could beat Zhao Ziyang in a straight fight! Perhaps I should test that. She took another small step forward, resonant power curling forth in a forest-green leopard silhouette. Li Luo was looking at the badge on her chest. Rainforest Dynasty? Rainforest Dynasty, Gu Ying, she said coolly. Li Luo nodded. This Gu Ying was strong, perhaps as strong as Zhao Ziyang. And given that he was weakened and no longer had resonant bubbles, he would be at a severe disadvantage if they fought. Well, Miss, if you have no interest in my suggestion, youre welcome not to participate. Li Luo yawned. Like a fish on the chopping block challenging the knife, Gu Ying hissed. Little boy, this is no place for you Pattern Genesis babies. Before Li Luo could speak, Lu Qinger stepped forwards with an icy expression. An interesting comparison. Another one Ive heard is the fish struggles until death, or the net breaks. We do not want to leave the Golden Dragon Dao Fields either, but if you force us to, we will. She twirled her fingers and fashioned a long, sharp icicle, pincering it like a cigar between index and middle finger. If I get severely injured, the Golden Dragon Secret Key triggers, and I leave. She reversed the grip, now holding the icicle like a dagger. Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying paled. They hadnt come all the way here just to see the Golden Dragon Qi fade away right before their eyes. This ice girl was a plucky one. Li Luo was equally shocked by her movement, and he frowned at her. What are you doing? he whispered urgently. Lu Qinger heard the dismay in his voice and turned to him, puzzled. Put it down, he instructed quietly. I promised President Yu that I would protect you. Before I collapse on the ground, I dont want to see you try that sort of thing. If you trust me Of course I trust you! Lu Qinger quickly replied. She hesitated, then let the icicle fall to the ground. Li Luo took a step forward and looked squarely into the eyes of Zhao Ziyang, Gu Ying, and the others. My proposal remains unchanged. Four teams. That is the limit of what I will accept. If you dont like the idea, the talks are off. Come at me as you will, and I will deal with you. His words were stated with a quiet confidence that radiated from his eyes. He was in a tough situation, but he was supremely confident that he could get out of it as he wished. He raised his hand, letting his sleeve fall away to reveal the demonic red-seal. Zhao Ziyang stared at it with some worry. He was not angry, but curious. Why would Li Luo be so confident while surrounded by such strong opponents? Was it the dual resonances? That was not enough to turn the tables. Not with only Pattern Genesis power backing it. Although he did not know the source of Li Luos confidence, at least Lu Qingers threat was one he could understand. She could ensure that no one of them got it. That alone meant that they had to approach this situation cautiously. Gu Ying was silent as well, frowning to herself. Silence fell again, but this silence was fraught with tension and uncertainty. Some of the weaker squads were looking belligerent. They knew that if Li Luos plan was accepted, they would be the first to lose out. The bastard really knew how to stir up trouble. The tense atmosphere dragged on. Suddenly, someone could hold it back no longer, flying towards Lu Qinger in an attempt to spring an unexpected kidnapping. It caught them all by surprise, and many froze, unsure of what to do. Li Luo stood there calmly, showing no signs of responding. The would-be kidnapper was closing in on Lu Qinger. A wicked smirk on his face, he reached out with his hand. BOOM! A magma punch fell on his head from the sky, crushing him into the ground. His back arched backwards with a sickening crack, and he vomited fresh blood. ROAR! Zhao Ziyangs foot was on the attackers head. He looked up, flaming power cloaking his body. Scum, begone! he growled, his voice radiating with power. Many of the squads faces fell. They knew that Zhao Ziyang attacking meant that he had decided to back Li Luos plan. Golden Dragon Qi was a tasty, tasty cake, and only four squads could get a slice. If they wanted to be one of the privileged four then they would have to see who could survive until the end. Like a dam breaking, bursts of resonant power filled the air all of a sudden, and the squads duked it out in a royal rumble. The wolf pack was fighting among itself. Chapter 349: Role Reversal Chapter 349: Role Reversal The howling of the cold mountain-air was punctuated with the sound of relentless clashing and an acrid smell of blood. Pockets of resonant power erupted throughout the forest, forming gorgeous but deadly fireworks for all that managed to see it. A trace of blood could even be seen with each explosion, adding a visceral beauty to the sight. Li Luo, on the other hand, was calmly sitting atop a rock, surveying the chaotic rumble. His gaze was merciless and cold. Since these animals wanted to hunt them down, he would ensure that a pound of flesh would be paid in turn. The hunters had become the hunted. Still, the balance was precarious and could change at any time. Qin Zhulu walked over. Arent we supposed to escape in the chaos? Lu Qinger glanced over as though in agreement. Li Luo smiled and shook his head. Theres no need to do so. The moment we attempt to escape, the entire battlefield will be focused on us. They will definitely set aside their differences to deal with us. Honestly, the moment we revealed that we posses Golden Dragon Qi, our situation turned precarious. With our strength, we are unable to properly protect this, so it is no longer a blessing or a curse! In the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, we cant take a leading role as a result. A trace of helplessness could be heard in his voice. If the Golden Dragon Qi had not been revealed, they could amass massive benefits whilst remaining hidden. The unfortunate bit was that they had been discovered by Ji Sun and friends. What was even worse was that that damned fellow had spread the news to his fellow teammates from the Polar Wolf Kingdom! That wastrel of a team hadnt managed to protect the information either! One had told another and now every single clown in the vicinity had gotten wind of this. Even if we did manage to escape for the moment, they would inevitably encircle us with their larger numbers. Thus there is no point in engaging in meaningless activities. Li Luo explained as he focused on the intense battle occurring within the forest. Since we cant monopolize the Golden Dragon Qi, getting some valiant knights to assist us is the next best option. Lu Qinger nodded in agreement. This was the most logical and possibly only option. If they remained greedy and tried to keep the benefits all to themselves, an early elimination would be their result. It was clear that Li Luo had already come up with a contingency plan once this fiasco started. However, it would be difficult to execute this in reality. The most crucial fact was that their group was too weak. Three Pattern Genesis Tier individuals were no different from ants in the eyes of Evolving Resonance Tier cultivators. Upon meeting them, the likely outcome would be subjugation and not negotiation. Once they fell into the hands of their opponents, the initiative would be lost. Against all expectations, Li Luo had stopped Zhao Ziyangs attack and seemingly demonstrated might no weaker than his. This caused the rest to take a step back and reassess the situation. The final outcome? The battle royale in front of them. Qin Zhulu sat down next to Li Luo. It seems that you have improved once again. Li Luo had single-handedly blocked Zhao Ziyangs assault, and this was something he could not match up to. Based on his own private evaluation, he could at most deal with a Fifth Pattern opponent without much trouble. On the contrary, anyone stronger, such as those in the Evolving Resonance Tier, would completely overwhelm him. Zhao Ziyang was a Second Changing to boot. Li Luos uncanny strength had far surpassed his. Just half a year ago when he first entered the Astral Sage College, his might far eclipsed Li Luos. The Li Luo then had yet to show his keen edge, but with the turning of time, he had demonstrated his radiant presence with his dual resonances and ingenuity. Li Luo grinned. Qin Zhulu may possess an upper eighth-grade Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance, but he had a seventh-grade Waterlight resonance and fifth-grade Woodearth resonance. He would not lose out if it came to a contest of resonant power. So long as he did not meet a ninth-grade resonance, no one else was his match amongst peers of similar tiers. When it came to surpassing those who were of a higher tier, his ace in the hole would be his dual resonances as they could bring about frighteningly explosive might. But this possessed a fatal drawback: it could not be sustained for long. If he could not obtain the opportunity to eke out an advantage, then he would be placed on the backfoot with the high consumption of resonant power. The situation before encapsulated this perfectly. If Zhao Ziyang had continued to fight, considering that four of his resonant bubbles had been used up, he would undoubtedly have fallen into a disadvantageous position. Sigh. At the end of the day, we are just a little too weak. Otherwise, why would we have to borrow someone elses strength? Li Luo sighed with regret. Most of the groups within the Golden Dragon Dao Fields were at the Evolving Resonance Tier, so Pattern Genesis Tiers like them were just begging to be oppressed. Hey! If even you are belittling yourself, where does that leave us? Huh? How can we even bear to live anymore!? Lu Qinger couldnt help but to snort in annoyance. Most of the groups are in the Two Star Hall in their respective sage colleges. Youre able to skillfully maneuver around their encirclement despite their overwhelming strength. This is already something exceptional that others cant achieve, even if we throw two more Qin Zhulus into the mix! Hearing that comment, Qin Zhulu stared at Lu Qinger. Just why did she have to use him as a basis for comparison? With a matter-of-fact tone, Lu Qinger continued as she glanced briefly at Qin Zhulu. Well, if there were two more of you, theyd just knuckle down and attempt to force their way through. Even if you had a harder head, the only result would be a bleeding, broken skull if you resorted to brute force. Qin Zhulus expression turned rigid. He couldnt deny that that was the case. It was his personality, forthcoming and direct! He wouldnt bother with any of these fancy, schmancy plans. If they were truly surrounded Well then, hed fight to the death! What are we going to do when four groups are remaining? he asked curiously. Li Luo nodded. The last four groups will be our future allies and bosom friends. Wed need to make love, not war, figuratively. Qin Zhulu spat on the floor in disgust. What the heck did he mean by make love not war? If these wolves had the opportunity, what theyd wish most dearly would be to tear Li Luo to shreds! After all, they had been forced to dance in the palm of his hand. Regardless, these brats were putting up a great show. Kicking back and relaxing whilst watching was pretty good after all. The trio then made themselves comfortable and proceeded to enjoy the entertainment. The royal rumble lasted for an entire hour, completely devastating the forest. Countless teams were eliminated mercilessly. At the end, four groups were victorious, and they made their way to the trio. Zhao Ziyang and Gu Yings group were both part of the four. Each and every one of them exuded a baleful air as they strode out. Quite a few of them were riddled with wounds, each dripping fresh blood. Evidently, they had all paid a heavy price for their final standing. Divided, the teams were as weak as loose sand, especially when infighting was added to the mix. Otherwise, if everyone banded together, the trio would have no way to resist, and they might have obtained the Golden Dragon Qi with less effort. Hence, the gazes which Li Luo and his friends were showered with seemed a little ill-intentioned, even ominous. Yet Li Luo took everything in stride and pretended as though he had seen nothing. Instead, he greeted them with a face full of smiles as he arose from his seat while applauding them. Congratulations for surviving the ultimate selection! Youre now the last four winners. Gu Ying glared at Li Luo, clenching her teeth. Yu Lang, was it? Ill remember you well. I hope for your sake that we dont encounter each other during the Holy Grail Meet; otherwise, there will be hell to pay. The other three groups coldly snorted in agreement. Gu Ying had helpfully vented their feelings. Without skipping a beat, he replied, I was concerned someone might attempt to game the situation! Hence, I didnt explain everything fully. Either way, if we do meet again, there is no need to be merciful. At the same time, he reached a hand out to the group. However, so long as we are in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, I will recognize you as my friends. You can rest assured that we will distribute the spoils from the Golden Dragon Qi fairly. At this point, Zhao Ziyang and the rest did not bother with Li Luos outstretched gesture, yet their expressions softened a little. If not for the uncountable benefits, these three troublemakers would have already been sent out violently! They were here only for the Golden Dragon Qi and the dao-gold it conferred. Friends, were all bosom buddies now. We can go forth together, but do keep in mind that we caused a massive disturbance today. Im afraid to say that other groups will likely attempt to ambush us. When push comes to shove, we will leave it up to you, Li Luo excitedly explained. He didnt mind their cold demeanorshed make up for the difference with his enthusiasm. From this moment forth, you will be the guardians of our Golden Dragon Qi! I hereby proclaim you as the Golden Dragon Qi Protectors! With his passionate and fervent words, the frigid facade of this group of unlikely allies finally cracked as emotions could be seen on their faces. In fact, some were even in a slight daze Damn it, there was something wrong about this entire situation. Hadnt they come here to rob and plunder? How had they mysteriously turned into the Golden Dragon Qis mightiest protectors? Huh? Midasthefloofs Thoughts Hello Everyone! Happy New Year to everyone! Hope everyone is doing well. Unfortunately as mentioned, moving forward we will only be releasing a single chapter a day as we have essentially caught up with the authors release rate, starting with this one. However dont be to dejected, the author releases an extra chapter or two occasionally and we will see how we can release extra chapters for you guys! Enjoy the rest of 2021 for those in a later timezone and I hope to ride through 2022 with everyone of you here! Midasthefloof Chapter 350: Reunion Chapter 350: Reunion The Golden Dragon Qis protection alliance had finally been decided. Although they were an alliance filled with inner conflict and distrust, the structure of things had been grudgingly confirmed. Of the four squads, Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying were the strongestat Second Changing of the Evolving Resonance Tier. The other two squad leaders were First Changing, which was a decent level as well. It was quite an impressive lineup to roam this area with. Which was why in the first two days, things went smoothly. Besides some reckless squads that insisted on standing in their way, nothing major happened. Those squads ended up as a little bit of extra pocket change to supplement the dao-gold from the Golden Dragon Qi. Zhao Ziyang, Gu Ying, and their other protectors were satisfied as well. Lu Qingers Golden Dragon Qi was even more of a golden goose than they had expected. Even though the earnings were split, it was far more than what they would have earned on their own. That helped motivate them all even further. But the good times couldnt last. Word of the Golden Dragon Qi had started to spread, and many of the desperate and empty-handed teams were starting to converge on their location, forming their own groups. The stronger teams came forth more directly to negotiate, asking to be allowed to join the protection alliance and gain a share of the profits. In these negotiations, Li Luos squad remained silent. It was Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying who had the strongest objections. If they joined forces with these stronger teams, how could they be content keeping the original few squads around once they tasted those profits? Their blatant refusal enraged those teams and only made their way forward harder. Even more teams started to oppose them, and the protection alliance suffered for it. Finally, Zhao Ziyang decided that it was most prudent for them all to keep their heads down. They no longer moved forward boldly, but kept away from the main route in order to avoid the largest groups of attackers. At our speed, and on our current route, we will reach the Reservoir in five days. Li Luos group were in a gorge. They had set up camp beside a stream that ran deep and cold with snowmelt. They had made a campfire, its merry flames keeping away the chill and filling the air with the pleasant scent of oak. Five days, huh The rest of the alliance nodded slowly. Five days was an endurable duration. Gu Ying nursed some angry scars on her wrist, which were still seeping blood through the bandages. Her exhaustion was plain on her face, her cheeks and brow sagging from the fatigue. The last few days had been high-intensity battles, one after another without much pause. Li Luo smiled at her. Let me help you treat that. Were all travelers on the same road anyway. Gu Ying regarded him warily for a moment but then relented, taking the bandages off and stretching out her arm. Thanks. Li Luo shook his head cheerfully. If I might express my humble opinion, I think you guys are a little too possessive about the Golden Dragon Qi, he said as he summoned his healing powers and started to treat her. Like a bunch of dragons on the gold pile. Whats wrong with letting the stronger teams join? Standing apart from the others is like trying to cut down all the trees in the entire forest. Why not bend with the wind? Youre a really flexible one, arent you? Zhao Ziyang replied scathingly. Li Luo should be the one troubled. After all, all those people were here for Lu Qingers Golden Dragon Qi. But now he was the one at ease, while theyhis bodyguardswere bleeding for the cause. Although they were doing this for their own profit, something didnt sit right with them. I hope we can get to the Reservoir quickly. Our little band can be disbanded then. I hope everyone gets the treasured artifacts they wish for and does well in the battle for the writs, Li Luo continued cheerfully, refusing to let Zhao Ziyangs negativity taint the conversation. This was an uplifting thought. Once at the Reservoir, their dao-gold would come into use. After all, the battle for the Golden Dragon Mountain Writs was everything. In that battle, Golden Dragon Qi would count for nothing. They feasted on their grilled fish and contemplated this happily. A sudden warning whistle from their lookout broke the peaceful silence. Someones here. Li Luo, Zhao Ziyang, and Gu Ying looked at each other carefully. They immediately moved to extinguish their fire, then they turned to the direction of the whistle. They swiftly moved through the light, brushy terrain and very quickly reached the whistler. He beckoned them over and pointed to where three figures were approaching. Just one squad? Li Luos squad looked over with a jolt of surprise. Since they had smashed their way through many of the squads, the number of individual squads trying to take them on had dwindled away. Li Luo, they look familiar, Lu Qinger whispered by his side. Li Luo nodded. From the resonant powers of the squad, he had recognized them as well. Ning Zhao, Zhu Xuan, and Lin Suo? You know them? Zhao Ziyang asked, frowning. This squad was pretty strong. There was even one among them who might be his equal. Its the other squad from the Xia Kingdom, Li Luo said with an enigmatic smile. Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying looked at each other worriedly. This alliance was getting more and more complicated. They had been ridden hard like horses, at least comforted by the fact that Lu Qinger and her two friends were supposed to be under their control. They could always assert themselves if needed. But now an elite squad from the Xia Kingdom was here. The power dynamics were shifting. This was not good news for them. While they hesitated, the squad had already arrived. Indeed, it was Ning Zhao, Zhu Xuan, and Lin Suo. There was some staring on both sides. Zhu Xuan stepped forward. This is what you meant when you promised President Yu youd take care of Qinger? he spat disbelievingly at Li Luo. Trapped between stronger forces, with no will of your own? Ah, strong words, Li Luo said, unperturbed. I prefer to think of it as a joint win. Youre deluded, Zhu Xuan snapped. Qinger, I apologize for arriving late. It must have been undignified for you. Just tell me. You can come with us. No matter how hard things get, we can take you away. Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying scowled at that, shifting their hands to their weapons. This guy would dare to snatch the Golden Dragon Qi away from right in front of them? Lu Qinger checked Li Luos expression carefully, then shook her head. Its just a training excursion. No need to take things so seriously. The sights here are quite pretty. Zhu Xuan was stunned. Zhao Ziyang and the others heaved an inward sigh of relief. Ning Zhao spoke up as well. Qinger, he said worriedly, if you dont want to leave, we respect your decision. But for your safety, we have to accompany you. If anything happens to you, what would we tell the President? Accompany? Zhao Ziyang echoed. Did you ask for our permission? An additional squad meant a slimmer cut of the profits from the Golden Dragon Qi. Zhu Xuan returned his unfriendly look. We are all of the Xia Kingdom. Do you think we need your permission? Oh, is that right? Zhao Ziyangs eyes glittered, and his vermilion power began to seep forth. Lava resonance? Zhu Xuan noted warily. His own flaming resonant power blazed forth, and the temperature rose. Suddenly, they were on the brink of a fight. Li Luo suddenly stepped out between them. Come now, everyone. Theres no need for such hostility. There are other enemies lurking around. If we fight, only they win. Both sides backed down a notch. Zhu Xuan smirked at Li Luo. It looked like Li Luo was in a tough spot, squished between strong forces. Clearly, he was trying to beg them to come to his rescue. Right? But there were too many strong squads eying them sharply, and Zhu Xuan held his tongue. He led Ning Zhao and Lin Suo over to Lu Qingers side. A tentative peace being established, they all moved deeper into the forest by tacit agreement. Li Luo hung at the back of the formation, watching both Zhu Xuan and the nondescript Lin Suo carefully. Although they were all from the Xia Kingdom, that did not mean they were rescuers. They might even be more dangerous than Zhao Ziyang Yu Lang, you never told us that there was another strong team from the Xia Kingdom, Gu Ying and Zhao Ziyang hissed as they came flanking him. I dont want to split the profits any further, Zhao Ziyang declared. Li Luo shrugged helplessly. I dont want to either, but youve seen for yourselves Theyre the main force, were just the backups. If we dont agree to what they say, therell be trouble for us when we get back. Im sorry that I cant let you fight openly like that. Zhao Ziyang glowered. So youre going to let them stay? Thats your choice? Li Luo showed him his best conflicted face and sighed deeply. They are much stronger than my squad, and theyll just ignore whatever I say. So if you want to do anything, dont say its on my behalf. I dont know anything. He let his last statement hang pregnant in the air and then quickened his pace forward. Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying looked at each other and broke into identical, satisfied smiles. Chapter 351: A Show Chapter 351: A Show The addition of the other Xia Kingdom team into the protection alliance made the already-complicated composition even more complicated. The next day, their journey was marked by a fragmented and tense mood. The protection alliance had dissolved into three fractions. One was the outsiders: Zhao Ziyang, Gu Ying, and the others not of the Xia Kingdom. One was Li Luo, Lu Qinger, and Qin Zhuluthe weakest but also the core reason for this alliance. The last was the newcomers: Ning Zhao, Zhu Xuan, and Lin Suo. Of the three, Zhao Ziyangs faction was clearly the strongest, while Ning Zhao, Zhu Xuan, and Lin Suo were slightly weaker, but close enough to make a fight difficult. Especially when they were beset by other teams lurking about, it was not wise to make a move before being fully prepared. Which meant that all of them were playing it safe for now. Of course, safe did not mean civil. They still had bitter arguments, and through it all Li Luo stood in the middle like a venerable old sage, urging peace and unity. Like a helpless wife wheedling at her husbands sleeve. Prickling and rubbing against each other, the protection alliance made their way towards the Reservoir. Each day, the protection alliance continued to be attacked by other squads. They survived the bitter fighting, and with it came considerable rewards. When night fell, they commenced the much-welcomed gold dividends. At the campfire, Li Luo popped a crispy piece of grilled meat into his mouth, crunching down on the golden-brown skin and savoring the burst of meaty oil that flooded his mouth. Bliss. He carved out another small piece and handed it to Lu Qinger. She took it and gave him a beautiful smile before taking a small, elegant bite. Still, the meat was too oily to be eaten with much elegance, and soon her red lips were coated with oil, glistening in the campfires light. Beside them, Qin Zhulu was devouring huge hunks of meat as though he had been starved for days. The Golden Dragon Dao Fields suck, he belched with dissatisfaction. Not what I wanted at all. True to his character, what he wanted was nonstop hunting, killing, and death. But somehow now they were being carefully chaperoned by a bunch of super-strong bodyguards. Although squads had come after them like mad in the last few days, neither he nor Li Luo had needed to lift a finger. Li Luo had told him stoutly that their most important job was to protect Lu Qinger, and so they would not leave her side. Qin Zhulu had no comeback for that, not when even Zhao Ziyang and the others were in full agreement. Of course, the latter group had an additional agenda, which was not to let those three out of their sight. Whatever their reasons, Qin Zhulu had not fought anybody in days. He could only watch from the sides as Zhao Ziyang and the others hurtled into difficult battle after difficult battle, while he could only swat flies on the sidelines. Li Luo rolled his eyes. Qin Zhulu was incorrigible. Did Qin Zhulu know how much trouble he had gone through to get them in this cushy position?! And the guy was complaining about boredom? Talk about first-world problems. If youre feeling bored, just eat more. Look at Qingers great appetite! Shes rounded out a little in the last few days, I feel, Li Luo said. Lu Qingers hands flew to her cheeks in alarm. Rounded out? Where?! Li Luo was startled by her overreaction. No, no, Im just kidding, he laughed weakly. She glared at him, half embarrassed, half upset. She gave him a small punch. Li Luo took it without complaint. He was more bothered by the fact that the atmosphere had turned bristly again. Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying, and even Zhu Xuans group were staring over at them. Li Luo could understand their anger. They had been out all day defending the alliance, bleeding and suffering for it. Now they just wanted to lick their wounds in peace, not listen to nonsense from these three. If there was a table present, they would have flipped it. Ahem Li Luo coughed and changed the topic. Lets talk about happier things. Such as todays take. He fished out a cloth bag and upended it on the ground with a flourish. A bunch of trinkets rolled out. Todays haul of dao-gold. Everyone stared at it greedily. In the protection alliance, Li Luo managed the take of dao-gold. Mainly because he was the weakest, everyone knew that he could not run away with it. Thats all the dao-gold for today. And With all the greedy eyes watching, Li Luo fished out a stick from the campfires fuel pile and divided it up. Thanks for your work, everyone. Come get your rewards. Wait, Zhao Ziyang suddenly said. He pointed at the heaps of dao-gold. Theres an extra pile today? he said testily. Its for them, of course, Li Luo said, surprised, pointing at Ning Zhao and Zhu Xuan. We didnt agree to give them equal shares, Zhao Ziyang said, the volume of his voice climbing dangerously. Ning Zhao and Zhu Xuan did not respond well. Whats wrong with you? they demanded. Dont try to start a fight. We fought the enemies today too, didnt we? Whats undeserved? Secretly, they were amazed by the amount that Li Luo had set out. In the few days before they had joined up, the sum total of their profits had not even equaled this. Only now did they realize how amazing Lu Qingers Golden Dragon Qi was. No wonder Zhao Ziyang and the others had been hunted down so relentlessly. We can give you a share, but surely you cant get equal shares from the get-go, Gu Ying said. Perhaps in a few days, when we can judge your performance. Zhu Xuan flung his hand forth and took the dao-gold that Li Luo had allocated, making sure to leave a trail of fire from his sleeves. Enough bullsh*t. This is ours, earned fair and square. Qinger is from our Xia Kingdom Golden Dragon Bank. The fact that WE let YOU share the profits is already very courteous of us. If youre not happy with this, were happy to match you in whatever you do. Or split. Big mouth, Zhao Ziyang hissed, his anger announced loud and clear. Who do you think you are? His vermilion resonant power glowed on his arms. Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere was gone. Li Luo hurriedly stood up. Oh, come on, why must we keep doing this? This is no time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves. We defeated a lot of people today, but there are more out there. In-fighting only gives them chances, right? Come on, guys. For me? Lets get along. He patted the air calmingly, then turned to Ning Zhao and Zhu Xuan. You guys just joined, so perhaps its right that you put in a little more. How about this: well hand tonights guard duty to you? Zhu Xuan glared at Li Luo. He did not want to fight with Zhao Ziyang right here, right now. They were at a numbers disadvantage. He grudgingly nodded. Rising to his feet, he gestured to Ning Zhao and Lin Suo, then they walked away from the campfire. Soon, a measure of peaceful silence fell, and they listened to the pops and crackles of the wood for a few moments. Still, Li Luo could sense simmering anger from Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying. Well, well. After an entire day of acting, it seemed like tonight was finally going to be his turn to watch a show. Chapter 352: A Night of Chaos Chapter 352: A Night of Chaos The temperature fell as night deepened, and fog condensed in a thin, white haze all about them. The fire was going strong in the middle, and around it they had erected some simple tentage. Li Luo sat by the fire, keeping watch on his surroundings. Neither Zhao Ziyang nor Gu Ying were around, although their four teammates were here, both for their protection and as guards. Li Luo stretched lazily, inhaling deeply. A familiar fragrance clung to the wet, night air, and he turned to see Lu Qinger approaching. She sat down beside him. She had just returned from her bath in the mountain spring, and her green tresses hung damp, drying slowly as she held it out towards the fire. Not going to rest yet? Li Luo asked cheerfully. Are you plotting something again? she whispered, ignoring his courtesies. Li Luo made sure everyone was out of earshot before replying, Plotting? Who? And against who? You? Stop playing the fool with me, she said with a steely look. Tell me straight: did you betray Zhu Xuan and the others? Li Luos smile showed that he was impressed. Lu Qinger had always been a smart one. His actions in the last two days had been enough for her to piece things together. Let the dogs bite each other. It does not matter to us, he said softly. Dont think that Zhu Xuan and his team are here to protect us. Its more likely that they only came because they heard that you have the Golden Dragon Qi. Believe me, only Im true to you. Qin Zhulu is half a barbarian, so hes only half true. All that I do is for you. Li Luo looked deep into her eyes. Lu Qinger smiled, resting her chin on her hands. Very charming. Well, I do believe you. Whatever you decide, Ill support you fully. Even if Ning Zhao or Zhu Xuan make trouble for you when we get back, Ill help you speak to my mother. Li Luo gave her a big thumbs up. I love your very rational way of speaking. Qin Zhulu emerged from the treeline, holding his heavy spear loosely. He was covered in sweat and wood splinters alike. Evidently, he had been taking out his frustrations on the local vegetation again. Giving Li Luo a disapproving grunt, he put his spear on his shoulder and disappeared into the tentage. Li Luo didnt know how to react. He had no idea how to handle this man-child-bear who growled like a kid not allowed to play outside. He spoke briefly with Lu Qinger, then watched as she returned to the tents as well. Li Luo looked further out into the night, to where Zhu Xuans team was on guard. Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying were probably leading people their way Tonight promised to be intense, but it was none of his business. He was just a good boy waiting by the tent. In the thin fog. Zhu Xuan was perched high on a tree trunk, back leaning against it with his arms crossed and an emotionless expression. Slightly ahead of him was Ning Zhao, seated comfortably on a thick branch with his legs dangling off. He was bouncing a tiny spark of lightning resonance between his hands, humming each time it returned to his kunai knife. Neither spoke, simply watching the forest with an expectant mood. A chilling breeze blew through the forest. Zhu Xuan turned his neck and watched the dark shadows between the trees. Sneaking around so suspiciously I knew you bunch were dirty. Two people walked out of the darkness. Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying. Zhu Xuan, your squad arrived late. Of course you should play by our rules. Wait a few days, prove yourselves, Zhao Ziyang said coolly. We werent planning to do anything to you, not until you pushed the limits and took our profits. So now we arent going to play nice either. Shameless, Zhu Xuan sneered. Do you really think the Golden Dragon Qi is yours alone? Without our protection all this time, do you think they could have held on to the Golden Dragon Qi? Were just claiming remuneration that is rightfully ours. Gu Ying tittered. And dont pretend youre so noble either, she challenged. Arent you here for the same greedy reasons? You think we would believe youre saints? Zhu Xuan refused to admit it. The Golden Dragon Qi is with Qinger. Shes from the Xia Kingdom, same as us. Were definitely a hundred times closer than you are. Which makes your exploitation all the more heartless, Gu Ying said maliciously. Zhao Ziyang took another step forward, his vermilion resonant power heating up the space around his arms. Enough talk. Zhu Xuan, I give you a choice. Will you leave? Or will we make you leave? Zhu Xuans answer was to pull out a flaming, red brass-staff burning with power. Ive always wanted to know if your lava or my fire resonance was stronger. Ning Zhao followed his lead, silver kunai crackling and humming with electricity. Zhu Xuan, looks like greed has made you stupid, Gu Ying said, shaking her head. You think a squad like yours can hope to compete? She waved a hand. From the shadows, more people emerged, staring down Zhu Xuans team. Zhao Ziyang commanded an alliance of four squads. Although they had left a few to watch Li Luo and the others, they still had an overwhelming advantage in terms of numbers. Zhu Xuan watched them appear with noted indifference. He had expected it, of course. Oh, Zhao Ziyang, do you really think we would remain here without any preparations of our own? Youre not the only clever person in the world, he said mildly. Zhao Ziyang and Gu Yings eyes narrowed with suspicion. Zhu Xuans red brass-staff was raised high in the air, and he sent up a column of fire that lit up the night sky. Soon enough, they heard the familiar sound of whistling wind that announced the arrival of more people. A few moments later, there were blinking flashes of resonant power seen through the trees. At least a dozen people. Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying tensed. Looks like youre well-prepared! Zhu Xuan laughed. I already knew you wouldnt accept us willingly. Luckily, I found others who would. Youve made many enemies along your way here whereas Ive made many friends. Zhao Ziyang, since you wont share a sip of the wine, Ill have to take the whole jug away. Im not even going to leave you the pithy dregs. Bold words. Show me, dont tell me! Shouting, Zhao Ziyangs vermilion power burst forth as he shot towards Zhu Xuan, his arms glowing with deadly power. Zhu Xuans own bronze staff was red-hot with his fire resonant power, creating its own heat wave as it distorted the air around it. He met Zhao Ziyangs attack head-on. Dang! It was a colossal clash that signaled the start of a larger conflict between the two groups fighters. The peace of the night was shattered in a flash. Chapter 353: Extraction Chapter 353: Extraction The night remained as dark as the mood that hung in the air. Li Luo peered into the darkness, which was occasionally interrupted by flashes of resonant power. The number of flashes surprised him greatly. This Zhu Xuan is a real nasty piece of work himself. Although he had suspected that Zhu Xuan had not come alone, he had assembled a small army for himself, by the looks of him. He had brought a gun to a gunfight. Clearly, he had no intention of sharing the Golden Dragon Qi with Zhao Ziyang and his gang. Not only was he hoping to take Zhao Ziyangs place, he intended to replace the rest of the protection alliance with his own as well. This guy sure didnt aim low. Ambitious, and charismatic enough to get all these people to rally for his cause. If not for Li Luo egging on Zhao Ziyang to spring a fight, Zhu Xuan would probably have taken his time to maneuver his troops into position and then clean them all up at once. And once Zhao Ziyang was prised away from the prize, then Zhu Xuan could swoop in to protect Lu Qinger. He might even find an excuse to send the rest of her squad away. After all, Zhu Xuan bore him no good feelings. I wonder if Zhao Ziyangs guys can stand up to Zhu Xuans Li Luo idly wondered. If Zhao Ziyang happened to turn the tables, he was going to have to find another opponen- er, protection alliance partner. However, the present chaos also seemed like a good time for them to make their escape. Li Luo suddenly realized that the campfire had become rather quiet. The watchers on guard had gone still. Li Luos nostrils flared as he detected a strange odor in the air. His eyes widened. Dizzying gas! A heavy stupor crashed over his skull, but in his flash of clarity, Li Luo used his wood resonant power, flushing out his body with the detoxifying resonance. A few moments later, the haziness cleared. His expression did not. Something serious was going down. He scrutinized the darkness carefully, then he finally locked on to a certain spot. Come out. Nothing. And then he heard light footsteps as a figure stepped out quietly. His eyes were locked onto Li Luo. The campfires swaying flames cast a flickering mix of illumination and shadow, but the suboptimal light was enough for Li Luo to make out the face. The enigmatic Lin Suo. From the start, Li Luo had sensed that this guy was trouble. You didnt fall to the Gauze Cloud? Lin Suo asked pleasantly. Did Zhu Xuan send you? Li Luo frowned. He had clearly underestimated Zhu Xuan. Not only had he assembled an army to take on lava-fist, he had even sent his partner to prevent Li Luo from escaping. Lin Suo just smiled. Li Luo was watching him alertly. He was very leery of this guy, and he privately suspected him of being an assassin snuck in by some power that wanted to see House Luolan fall, here to kill him. Although Yu Hongxi had said that Lin Suo was from Golden Dragon Bank, that had not made Li Luo a single bit less cautious. If Lin Suo was after him, he would not pass up on such a good chance Although Lin Suo was only formally a First Changing, Li Luo felt that this man was not that simple a character. Lin Suo showed no inclination to chat. His resonant power shot forth, a hue of red even darker than Zhao Ziyings vermilion power. There was a rusty smell that Li Luo found all too familiar. This was blood resonance? A rare power indeed. Lin Suo turned into a rust-red blur as he streaked towards Li Luo. What speed! Li Luo barely took his knives out in time, his own resonant power sputtering to life with ragged speed. His weapons flashed out in identical, deadly swings, cutting towards the mysterious attacker. The streak passed his blades easily, evading him as Lin Suo appeared behind Li Luo. He ignored Li Luo completely, moving towards a tent. Lu Qingers tent! Lin Suo sprayed a mouthful of bloody resonant power that landed on the tent and dissolved it instantly, revealing a sleeping Lu Qinger. He pounced. The bizarre sequence of events had Li Luo frozen in place, unsettled and unsure. Who had sent this guy? Why hadnt he taken the chance to finish Li Luo off? Regardless, he could not allow Lin Suo to harm Lu Qinger. Lin Suo stretched out a hand to the sleeping girl, but he felt a deadly swath of resonant power blast past him. It was deadly enough that he had to respect it. His outstretched hand was flung backwards, delivering a backhand blast of crimson power that deflected Li Luos swords. Ding! Li Luos ears rang from the attack. He was alarmed to see that the dual resonant powers on his blades had been completely extinguished. That power was far beyond what a First Changing could use! He was at least as strong as Zhao Ziyang or Zhu Xuan! This Lin Suo was indeed hiding his true strength! Why did you go to such lengths to hide your power? he demanded. Who sent you? And what are you after, if not me? After you? Lin Suo said with a mocking laugh that was carried away by the wind. Young Lord of House Luolan, the world does not revolve around you. I have no interest in you. Now, if you know whats good for you, get lost. Li Luo cringed a little. All this time he had assumed Lin Suo was after his back, but now it seemed like his guesses were wrong. If not me, then Qinger? Werent you from the Tiancang branch of the Golden Dragon Bank? Arent you afraid of President Yus wrath? Whats your intention? Lin Suo ignored Li Luo, instead pulling out a shining, black gourd that was about the size of his thumb. He balanced it carefully in the center of his palm, then he flicked it with a finger towards the sleeping Lu Qingers brow. Some black smoke seeped out of the gourd, hovering over Lu Qingers head for a moment before being sucked back in. To Li Luos horror, he saw a golden aura begin to rise from Lu Qingers forehead, as if it were being sucked into the black gourd. That mystical, golden mist had to be Golden Dragon Qi! This Lin Suo could extract the Golden Dragon Qi from within Lu Qingers body?! Midasthefloofs Thoughts As an apology for COMPLETELY FORGETTING TO UPLOAD THE CHAPS. Please find one surprise chap for everyone here ???? Enjoy! Chapter 354: Lin Suo, The Mysterious One Chapter 354: Lin Suo, The Mysterious One Li Luo felt his stomach sink when he saw the golden aura being sucked away into the black gourd. At least now he could finally confirm that Lin Suos target had been Lu Qinger from the start, and not him. Or rather, just the Golden Dragon Qi? But Lu Qinger had only gotten the Golden Dragon Qi after entering the Dao Fields. Lin Suo had entered before that. Did he know this whole time? And why wasnt Lin Suo afraid of Yu Hongxi? Did he think he could get out of this alive when he got back to the Xia Kingdom? Li Luos mind was racing with questions, all while he evaluated the situation. Lin Suo was definitely not an easy person to deal with. Still, his objective was clear. Ultimately, he had to save Lu Qinger. That was all. Regardless of Lin Suos plans. Two separate streams of resonant power flowed within himwaterlight and woodearth. He channeled them to his blades and kicked away at the ground, launching himself forward. Li Luo slashed out wildly to cover his advance, his flurry of swordlight attacks leaving deep gouges on the ground. Fool. Lin Suo shook his head. So what if you have dual resonances? Youre just a mere Third Pattern. He pulled out an iron mace and started swinging the bulky, bludgeoning weapon over his head. Blood-red power flew through the air, becoming crimson plum blossoms in the air that floated towards Li Luo. The contrast was bizarre enough to make Li Luo blink. He could sense that there was something dark about them. He did not dare to dawdle, immediately combining his resonant powers. Whoosh! Swords glowing with a fresh coat of power, he slashed away at the blossoms. Each time one was cut, it dissipated with a dark hiss. Li Luo was cutting his way through the crimson flowers, slowly and surely approaching Lin Suo. His four resonant bubbles popped, filling him with fresh strength. Ding! The crimson mace moved with surprising dexterity despite its ponderous bulk, deftly deflecting Li Luos attacks. Through it all, Lin Suo barely moved, his defense impregnable. Li Luo was getting less and less confident by the moment. Lin Suo seemed even stronger than Zhao Ziyang or Zhu Xuan. Even when fighting against Li Luos full strength, he seemed to be handling it with ease. This guy had really hidden himself well! Ding! Another clash, and Li Luo was sent staggering back into a clump of bushes. Lin Suo stepped forward to press his advantage, when suddenly a tigers roar broke into the fray. Heavy spear sweeping out in a deadly arc, the new attacker leaped at Lin Suo with no hesitation. Qin Zhulu! A pang of irritation showed on Lin Suos face, although he was still not worried. Another twirl of his mace created three hoops of blood that floated around him as a defense, and he turned to deal with the new attacker. Ding! The roaring tiger-youth was sent flying with a splendid smash of the mace, his golden stripes battling against the bloody impact of the mace. Crash! His body smashed into a tree and broke it. He sprung up again in a trice and started charging again, his own eyes red with the hunger of battle. He was oblivious to the wounds that the mace had left behind, deep enough to pulp the surface of his flesh. Each of Qin Zhulus attacks were incredibly savage. They were reckless, risking his life again and again just to cause a little bit more harm to his opponent. Lin Suo was fighting more cautiously to protect himself. After all, he held the advantage, so there was no need to trade damage with a weaker opponent. Swoosh! From where Li Luo had backed away into the trees, a streak of light flew out, headed straight for Lin Suos throat. It was an arrow, fashioned with resonant power. Lin Suos eyes widened at the speed. He opened his mouth reflexively to spray his corrosive blood at the new attack. It formed an arrow of blood that flew on course to crash against the arrow of water, but the latter had a core of light energy as well. It changed course mid-air, then it homed in on Lin Suo again. His defense had missed? Lin Suo panicked, then he threw his arm up to brace himself. The arrow shot past him. Turning, he saw that it had buried itself in the black gourd hovering above Lu Qingers brow. Ding! There was a clear ringing sound as the black gourd was sent flying. It was not broken, but it had been knocked out of position. The flow of golden mist stopped. Now it hung in the air with the faint roar of a dragon echoing all about them. Lin Suos face darkened. At the same time, in the forest some distance away. The messy battle had ground to a sudden halt because of the dragon roars they could hear. Both Zhao Ziyangs faction and Zhu Xuans faction paused, looking over with alarm. Thats the camp! Zhao Ziyang exclaimed. And is that golden column the Golden Dragon Qi? Gu Ying hissed. Someones set it free?! Zhao Ziyangs group turned on Zhu Xuan furiously. Your methods are vile. Since you cant win, youll set the Golden Dragon Qi free?! Lu Qingers mother is the president of the Xia Kingdoms Golden Dragon Bank. She wont let you off! Zhu Xuan was cringing with horror and fury. You think I dont know?! he shouted back indignantly. Why the hell would I do something like that? Besides, I dont even understand the Golden Dragon Qi well. How could I possibly release it? As if its not your lackey doing it right now! Zhao Ziyang thundered. Zhu Xuan froze. Indeed, he had sent Lin Suo over, but it was just to hold Lu Qinger and the others in place. After all, Li Luo was always bad news. He had to stop Li Luo from sneaking Lu Qinger away under the cover of chaos. But he had not ordered Lin Suo to release the Golden Dragon Qi from Lu Qinger. He had spoken the trutheven though he might have agreed to it if he knew, he didnt know it was possible! Gu Ying took Zhu Xuans shocked silence as an admission of guilt. You poisonous toad, we were just trying to get some dao-gold. Youve killed the golden goose now! Even Zhu Xuans helpers were turning on him now. Whats going on, Zhu Xuan?! If you release the Golden Dragon Qi, what are we going to do?! Zhu Xuan was sweating bullets. Ning Zhao quickly came to his side. Whats going on? he asked in an urgent whisper. If the Golden Dragon Qi is destroyed, Qinger might be safe, but we wont be. President Yu will break every bone in our bodies when we get back! How would I know whats going on!? Zhu Xuan snapped at him. That Lin Suo! Somethings fishy! They were no longer paying attention to him. Zhao Ziyang and all the others were rushing back towards camp at full speed. Zhu Xuan swore and gnashed his teeth, then he followed, his eyes burning with rage. Lin Suo, you bastard, what the f*ck have you done?! Chapter 355: Lin Suo Leaves Chapter 355: Lin Suo Leaves When the black gourd was sent flying, Lin Suos anger was more real than any reaction he had shown before. He immediately rushed over to Lu Qingers side. Roar! The tiger was up again. Qin Zhulus golden tiger-stripes were as bright as ever, and his body was swelling with a blend of resonant power and raw physical strength. It seemed like a dark tiger silhouette of burnished gold was superimposed over his person. Immediately, his stance grew even more feral and wild. Qin Zhulu charged, spear in one hand and equally deadly tiger claws flashing on the other. Both were aimed straight at Lin Suo, rending the air with their keen edges. Enough! Lin Suo had had enough of this tiger, who was more persistent than a fly. A backhand sent a crimson palm print flying out towards Qin Zhulu. Blood Print! Boom! The bloody palm print was powerful enough to make Qin Zhulu wince. This attack was far more powerful than what he had used before, because the resonant power had sentience that made it interact in different ways. This was already a Third Changing level of power! This was definitely the strongest person they had met since entering the Golden Dragon Dao Fields! Lin Suo was this powerful?! Crash! The simple palm attack wounded Qin Zhulu badly. His heavy spear bent under the pressure of blocking the attack, and it sprung back to send him flying. His golden tiger stripes were wiped out as if by the hand. Pfffft! A spray of fresh blood spurted from his mouth, and he staggered several steps back. Lin Suo laughed coldly. He moved again to finish off Qin Zhulu for good. Swoosh! A volley of light streaks came whistling at him, aimed at his vitals. Frowning, Lin Suo turned and brandished his mace, smashing the arrows of flowing light into bits. Li Luo was really irritating. Although the light arrows were not very powerful, they were fast enough that he had to be very careful with intercepting them. He took two seconds to evaluate, then decided to ignore Li Luos irritations. First, he would finish off Qin Zhulu. Without the attacker in his face, Li Luo was just a nimble mouse who could cause little harm. Just when he decided to ignore the arrows of light and turned away, he saw a fresh volley sail through the air in the corner of his eye. Something about them gave him pause. He saw that one of them was tinged with a pea-green pulse. Something was off. His crimson power twirled around his fingers, and he raised two of them. Tiger-general resonance art, Finger of Blood and Bone! A compressed burst of crimson resonant power shot from his finger, zinging from arrow to arrow. The rest of the volley vanished, leaving behind the greenwood arrow. There were some strange markings on the shaft of the arrow, and he could see dual resonances mixed in it. This arrow alone pierced through his blood finger attack, continuing on its way to him. A slight chill passed through Lin Suo. A mere Third Pattern could penetrate his counterattack? This was the power of dual resonances? They were truly something special. Perhaps he had underestimated that kid. But no matter what, he still believed that sheer power alone was enough to overwhelm Li Luo. Lin Suos finger peeled apart by itself, fingernail cracking backwards and ripping off his flesh like a banana peel. A bone shot out of his finger, also tinged with red power. It flew out towards the greenwood arrow. Ping! The clash scattered both powers. Where the blood resonance touched, the ground withered. Where the wood resonance touched, the grass flourished. Finally, the greenwood arrow was spent, snapping in two like a twig. The red and white finger-bone still had energy in it, carrying on its path towards Li Luo. A mirror of water caught sunlight as it flickered into existence. At the same time, tendrils wrapped down protectively from the trees to form a wall. With these, the rest of its power was also negated. In the dim light of the forest, Li Luo saw the finger bone finally come to a rest just mere inches from his body, having penetrated almost all of his defenses. Evolving Resonance tier, Third Changing, huh Li Luo looked at the finger. This was truly the strongest person in this area. Not even Zhao Ziyang or Zhu Xuan could compete. Since when had there been such a strong competitor in the Xia Kingdom? Lin Suos resonance was probably only a seventh-grade. How had he reached Third Changing at such a young age? It seemed impossible that someone from a rich family like Zhu Xuan would have less resources or talent than him. Plus, Lin Suo had come from the Tiancang branch of the Xia Kingdoms Golden Dragon Bank. How had he become so powerful? A mere branch of the Golden Dragon Bank should have much more modest resources. It was Lu Qinger who was the young mistress of the central headquarters. He quelled his rising suspicions, focusing on the matter at hand. Lin Suo made no further move. He could see that Zhao Ziyang, Gu Ying, and even Zhu Xuan were all returning now. It seemed unlikely that he could continue extracting Golden Dragon Qi from Lu Qingers body. He had only managed to extract it halfway. Swoosh! Swoosh! The others were all returning. Whats going on? Zhao Ziyang demanded, looking furiously around before pausing on the unconscious Lu Qinger. Li Luo walked up, looking coldly at Zhu Xuan and Ning Zhao. Lin Suo extracted half the Golden Dragon Qi from Qinger. Is this your doing? Have you thought about the consequences? Both Zhu Xuan and Ning Zhao scowled at him. Are you insane? We still plan to go back to the Xia Kingdom after this. What rotten brain would think this is a good idea? And whats your explanation, Lin Suo? He did not really suspect that Zhu Xuan or Ning Zhao had a hand in this, because they were rational enough to see that Yu Hongxi would be after their blood in the very near future. And her wrath was something that neither Ning Zhaos vice president of a father nor Zhu Xuans House Lord of a father could stop. Zhu Xuan rounded on Lin Suo. Whats the meaning of this?! I asked you to watch them, not extract Qingers Golden Dragon Qi! Lin Suo snickered. Zhu Xuan, you and I never walked the same path. Forget it, Im wasting my breath. Well, Ill be leaving. He shook his head and carelessly stretched out his hand, making the black gourd fly obediently to his grasp. Leaving?! Did you think well let you?! Zhao Ziyang shouted. Lin Suo turned to look him in the eye. Taking a single step forward, he let his blood resonant power flow without any clear direction or intent. The quality alone was enough to make Zhao Ziyang and Zhu Xuan pale. Evolving Resonance Tier, Third Changing? they stammered in disbelief. I dont intend to fight you. You might have the numbers, but if I want to leave, theres nothing you can do to stop me. And now that the Golden Dragon Qi is ruined, theres no more bounty to be had. Do you really want to fight me over a useless Golden Dragon Qi? Lin Suo mocked. Zhao Ziyang and Zhu Xuan stiffened, weighing their options. If you want to fight, Ill see you on Golden Dragon Mountain. With a deliberate look at Li Luo, he turned and shifted into a crimson streak of light that was soon out of sight. Li Luo watched him go, letting the killing intent rise and consume him for an instant before suppressing it again. This was not the time to act. But his opponent was going nowhere. They would meet again. And when that time came, Li Luo would be fully prepared to give it a go. Chapter 356: Torn Up and Fed to the Dogs Chapter 356: Torn Up and Fed to the Dogs When Lin Suo left, the rest fell into a dejected silence, all the fight having left their slumped shoulders. They had fought over Lu Qinger, and now that the Golden Dragon Qi was half gone, there was no real golden goose to speak of. Their plan to ride her to riches was over now. Li Luo ignored them all, moving to Lu Qingers side. Taking hold of her wrist, he started to impart wood resonant power into her to clear the poison. A moment later, her lashes fluttered and she stirred. Qinger, are you alright? Li Luo helped her up with concern. She winced. Theres a weird hollowness in me I think the Golden Dragon Qi has been half taken away from me. But otherwise, Im fine. Although she had been paralyzed, she had still retained her senses, and so she knew that it was Lin Suo who had attacked her. Li Luo was just happy that she was fine. Had anything happened to her, Yu Hongxi would be after him. After he ascertained that she was fine, he turned to Zhao Ziyang and the others. Now that we have no more gold source to depend on, what are your plans? Were definitely going to look for Lin Suo. Zhao Ziyang considered Li Luos declaration. Lin Suo is a Third Changing. Even three-on-one, you cant beat him. Not even any one of our squads could beat him three-on-one. If youre going after Lin Suo, we cant help you. We have our own mission to fulfill. Now that the Golden Dragon Qi was gone, Lu Qinger no longer held the same value that they had. Zhao Ziyang had no wish to tangle with a Third Changing over nothing. Li Luo accepted his reasons. To each their own. Well, in that case, lets part ways here. Li Luo shrugged. Zhao Ziyang nodded. He hesitated, then spoke again. I suggest you not go find Lin Suo. A Third Changing is more than you can handle. Li Luo just blinked, unconcerned. Zhao Ziyang saw that Li Luo had no intention of being dissuaded, and turned away, leading his squad off. The other squads lingered a little, in denial and regret, but they eventually went their own ways as well. Gu Ying beckoned to Li Luo before leaving, and spoke quietly to him when he came near. I wont suggest you not go looking for Lin Suo. On the contrary, I urge that you hunt him down no matter what, and see that the Golden Dragon Qi is returned to Lu Qinger. What do you mean? Gu Ying turned to look at the green-haired beauty behind them. Do you think she is unharmed after half the Golden Dragon Qi was suddenly taken from her? I dont think shes telling you everything. I saw some information in the archives of the Golden Dragon Bank before. The Golden Dragon Qi is a special bequest and a mark. Those marked by it will be richly rewarded when they enter Golden Dragon Mountain. Now that Lu Qingers Golden Dragon Qi is spoiled, it will affect her future greatly. Perhaps even her fate. I dont know whats up with that Lin Suo but he not only knew about these secrets, he lay low in your Xia Kingdom squad until this chance appeared. I think everything that happens from now on will have grave implications. I suggest you get the Golden Dragon Qi back if possible. Gu Ying threw her hands up. How you go about that, I have no idea. Lin Suo is very strong, and not even I can take him on. You three might have to pray for heavenly intervention. Im telling you all this as thanks for helping me treat my wounds, she said begrudgingly before she left. Li Luo brooded over her words. Gu Ying had simply confirmed his suspicions that not everything was well with Lu Qinger. He turned towards her. What did she say? She said its best we get the Golden Dragon Qi back from Lin Suo, Li Luo said vaguely. Lu Qingers eyes widened even as she averted them. But we Actually, theres no need, I think the Golden Dragon Qi was just a pluswe wont miss it. Qinger, youre looking down on me, Li Luo said sternly. Lu Qinger looked up, horrified. Li Luo, I would never! Hey, youre just worried that I cant take Lin Suo on. But I even took on a Heavenly Disaster Class Other. Why would I be scared of that guy? He IS uglier than an Other though, Ill grant you that. Li Luo, Im not looking down on you, I just think theres no need to take such a risk Childish, Li Luo said dismissively. Lin Suo is no risk at all. Let me tell you this. If I left things as they were and went back to meet your mom, that would be a real risk! Dont say bad things about my mom, Lu Qinger sulked. But she knew the truth of it, and no one knew Yu Hongxis personality better than she did. If she found out that Li Luo had sat by and done nothing after the Golden Dragon Qi was taken, she would not only be disappointed, her impression of Li Luo would fall as well. If it really comes to that, Ill never be able to set foot in the Golden Dragon Bank without fearing that your mother will cut that foot off. We might never meet again. Lu Qingers chest heaved at the thought, her eyes forlorn. She suddenly looked up at him. Li Luo. There was icy fury in her eyes all of a sudden. Help me find that Lin Suo well tear him up and feed him to the dogs! Chapter 357: Plans Chapter 357: Plans Li Luo was taken aback by the abrupt shift in Lu Qingers attitude. Er, well, I doubt we can do anything that violent in the Dao Fields. Or find dogs to feed. I was just speaking metaphorically. She rolled her eyes. But theres one thing I dont understand If Lin Suo is really from the Xia Kingdoms Golden Dragon Bank, then hell go back with us when this is all over. Isnt he afraid of your mother? Lu Qinger smiled thinly. Thats why hes going to Golden Dragon Mountain. If Im guessing right, hes making a shot for a Golden Dragon Mountain Writ. If he gets a writ, and gets someone to make the preparations outside ahead of time, he can be sent to the designated place immediately. It might not even be the Golden Dragon Bank headquarters at the Xia Kingdom. This Lin Suo has hidden at the Tiancang branch for a long time, plotting Im his target this time, and his plot is comprehensive indeed. To understand the Golden Dragon Dao Fields so well Li Luo said meaningfully. Lu Qinger nodded. He must be from the Golden Dragon Bank, without a doubt. Of course, our organization is more than the Xia Kingdoms headquarters. He might even be planted by the headquarters of another country, or even other divine continents Why so much effort just to target you? Or is your mother the target here? Li Luo did not think that Lu Qinger wasnt brilliant. But surely she did not warrant a plot of such deep sophistry, right? Im not sure either, Lu Qinger said doubtfully. She had her suspicions. Although her mother controlled the Xia Kingdoms Golden Dragon Bank, that was nothing particularly remarkable. Destroying her Golden Dragon Qi was a much more significant action. Perhaps it had something to do with the father that she hadnt seen for years. But that was a long story that had nothing to do with Li Luo. Neither was it a good story. Li Luo did not press. Well, in any case, were getting the Golden Dragon Qi back. I promised your mother to protect you in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. If we get robbed blind just like that, Ill never be able to face her again. And we cant let that guy get his hands on a writ, Lu Qinger said grimly. I hope to deliver him in one piece, unharmed, back to the Xia Kingdom headquarters, where we can rectify that unharmed status properly. We might be nice most of the time, but they will learn to fear the anger of the gentle. We have our ways to deal with such things. If Lin Suo comes back under us, I think we have ways to prise information out of him, no matter how hard his skull might be. There was a new iron in Lu Qingers voice that Li Luo had not seen before. He was a little unsettled by the callousness that had suddenly appeared in her attitude. This was his first time seeing the demure little girl turn so cold and ruthless. This had be the side of her inherited from her mother, it was just that she usually kept it hidden. When Lu Qinger saw Li Luos alarmed expression, she quickly recovered. It was Lin Suo who started this! I I just want to kill him. Thats understandable, right? Li Luo swallowed hard and nodded to pacify her. Oh, er, yes. Very reasonable. But the three of us cant take on Lin Suo, I think? she said, her thoughts already turning to business. Li Luo nodded. Be confident in your judgment. You dont have to say I think.'' Lu Qinger beat his chest again for the cheeky remark. So we need reinforcements? Li Luo scratched his chin and gestured for Lu Qinger to look around them. She saw not a soulthe other teams had all left. They had all come for the Golden Dragon Qi, but it wasnt worthwhile if it wasnt in one piece. Now that it was gone, who would bother to stay? Not even Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying would cross a Third Changing opponent for no reason, let alone the rest of them. After all, there was no strong bond or enmity between them, save a little competition. There was one other person besides the two of them, however, and he was brimming with enthusiasm. Paying no attention to his gruesome wounds, Qin Zhulu leaped to his feet and swung his spear, spraying them with an equal mix of blood and sweat. He seemed to feel no pain as he leaped about unhindered. Instead, there was joy and excitement in his eyes. Li Luo wondered privately if perhaps Lin Suo had accidentally beaten the brains out of this guy. Could it be that beast resonance users were all a little berserk? Ning Zhao and Zhu Xuan have snuck off as well. Looks like they arent planning to help us against Lin Suo, Qin Zhulu said, wiping off some blood from his jaw. Li Luo had expected as much. If the two were the responsible kind, they would not have sent Lin Suo to come do the dirty work on them. Those two bastards. They started all of this. If they hadnt, Lin Suo wouldnt have had an opportunity to do anything. Lu Qinger swore, her breath hazy with frost power. They had been doing fine for themselves, thanks to Li Luo manipulating Zhao Ziyang and the rest of the four squads into being their bodyguards. If not for Zhu Xuan throwing a spanner into the works, not even a Third Changing could have found an opportunity alone against the whole of the protection alliance. When we get back, my mom will have something to say to them! she said vengefully. Forget about those two dirtbags, Li Luo said, shaking his head. Theyre one short now, so theres little chance of them even getting a writ. They gambled on the unknown factor in their team and now theyve lost big. What then? Are the three of us really going to find Lin Suo and deal with him alone? Lu Qinger asked with concern in her voice. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu were Third Patterns, while she was a First Pattern. All of them were far from Lin Suos level. One on one, she couldnt even last one round against him. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu would not last five rounds. Such was the difference in power. Lu Qinger saw no way to win against such a strong opponent. Its very difficult, Qin Zhulu reluctantly agreed. He liked battle, but he liked to win as well. Lin Suo was enough of a threat that his battle-crazed brain was cracking the reins for once. Li Luo was silent for a moment. Do you trust me? Lu Qinger smiled. Of course I trust the jewel of a man who can even take down a Heavenly Disaster Class Other. Qin Zhulu snorted. He just waved a hand wordlessly, then sat down to rest. Women made his scalp crawl. If any girl said such a thing to him, he would probably have punched her in the face. Poor Li Luo. It was all his fault for growing up so handsome. Li Luo looked over almost indignantly at Qin Zhulu. What kind of look was that?! Im the one who should be pitying you! He shook his head and ignored the musclehead. Although their responses had been honey and grit, they meant the same thing. Besides, there was no real chance of death here in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, so at most they were squandering a chance, and not their lives. Ill need to make some preparations over the next few days. Li Luo absently touched his wrist, where a red bracelet was marked. If he had any trump cards left up his sleeve, it would be this bracelet with the three-tailed heavenly wolfs power that was literally in his sleeve. However, the power came with many risks, and he had to prepare accordingly first. Lets continue heading towards the Reservoir. Ultimately, the treasured artifacts there are very important to making us much stronger. If we can get some good items there, we might stand a better chance against Lin Suo. Li Luo looked down at the shortswords strapped to his waist. They had served him faithfully for a long time, but now he had outgrown them and was urgently looking for a replacement. He hoped that he would find something suitable at the Reservoir, something that could carry him well into the next tier of combat. Chapter 358: First Encounter Chapter 358: First Encounter For the next few days, Li Luo, Lu Qinger and Qin Zhulu continued heading towards the Reservoir. This time they moved faster than they had before. The reason was simple: word that the Golden Dragon Qi was broken had spread, and they were no longer an attractive target. The other squads were happy to leave them alone. Also, they were no longer stopping every few minutes to pick up treasures or sacrifice spirit beasts that ran over to them and committed suicide at their feet. All of this made their journey much faster. However, the trio did not take things easy, instead speeding up the pace and cultivating with a new frenzy. They were all preparing as best as they could for the big battle that was surely on the horizon. Although it was impossible to catch up in such a short amount of time, every little bit helped. Perhaps they could inch up the chances of a miracle happening. The sun set on another day, the evening reds spreading across the warm sky. It was a breathtaking view, but simultaneously, it was a symbolic reminder of the blood resonance user that was just ahead of them. Li Luo was sitting with his legs dangling over a piece of elevated ground. He was scouting a patch of forest up ahead, where he heard occasional beastly growls and grunts. Trees shook and occasionally fell over, along with stray blasts of resonant power. Qin Zhulu and Lu Qinger were teaming up to kill spirit beasts. It would help them earn some dao-gold, and was also a good form of training. Li Luo noted their efforts over the last few days. Although both had given him their reassurance that they trusted him, they did not intend to just lie down and hand over the burden in entirety to Li Luo. He might have worked a miracle against the Heavenly Disaster Class Other, but it was hard to believe that he could replicate it. They did not know what he was planning, but as teammates, they had a duty to try and share the burden. Someone as proud as Qin Zhulu would never consent to being a burden, while Lu Qinger could not bear to see Li Luo suffer when getting the Golden Dragon Qi back. After a while, Li Luo had seen enough. He stretched, smiling to himself. He had two very reliable teammates. Still, they were like ants chasing a horse. The gap could not be closed so easily. Since they could not make up the difference with hard work then perhaps it was time to cheat. Li Luo again looked at the red cuff on his wrist. The sinister, red light filled him with dread. Heavenly Libation Chant he muttered to himself. Ever since he acquired that resonance art from Principal Pang, he had been working on it. However, it was a complex piece of work. Even with his aptitude for resonance arts, this one was a real puzzle. It had taken all of his effort and talent to crack open a modest road into its mastery. But still, he could not bring the full power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf to bear. According to the Heavenly Libation Chant, one would firstly need to use the secret art to fashion a Heavenly Libation Mark. This step had frustrated Li Luo for the longest time. He had tried all ways and means, but he had yet to successfully create the mark. Principal Pangs secret art was no common manual. Still, just because it was difficult did not mean he was going to give up. This was his strongest ace after all. Li Luo put all other thoughts aside, then he stretched out his arm and cut a gash with his sword. Immediately, blood flowed down freely in a steady trickle. Li Luo did not let the blood drip away. Using his will, he concentrated on the life force within, holding and gathering it. Slowly, he formed a rough imprint of a dark-red mark. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. Although creating the mark did not take a great toll on his resonant power, it instead drained his will and spirit. Just a short attempt was enough to leave him drained. And still the mark was not yet complete. In fact, his will was not even strong enough to form it fully. The half-finished mark started to quiver, his blood starting to fall away as his will over it weakened. Li Luo was not surprised by this outcome. He had been foiled here many times before. But this time he did not intend to give up. He knew that he had to try and break through his limits. If not, who knew how long he would take to safely pass this step without risk? He did not have so much time to waste. His eyes were hard and his jaw set. With a heroic wrench, he drew even more blood, forcing himself to finish the last part of the mark. Weng! When the last stroke was drawn, Li Luo could feel something click in place and thrum through his entire body. Whoosh! He saw a line of blood extend out of the dark-red mark all the way to the bracelet on his wrist! He stared at it as the connection firmed up between mark and bracelet. Suddenly, Li Luos consciousness lurched. His surroundings seemed to change. The mountains disappeared, and darkness stretched on endlessly underneath his feet. Growls and chains clanking could be heard in the darkness ahead, as though some imprisoned beast was struggling to get free. Three tails writhed and lashed out like large serpents. The three-tailed heavenly wolf! It had sensed Li Luos presence at this moment, and suddenly the red, demonic beast was launching itself at him with all its might, trying to kill Li Luo. The giant claws rented the air and came to an abrupt, jerking halt a few meters away from Li Luo, held fast by the limits of the chains. A bead of cold sweat trickled down his face. At the same time, its blood-red energy came at him, conducted through the chains to extend across the ground. The three-tailed heavenly wolf suddenly froze, no longer struggling. There was a wily look in its eyes. The blood-red power came sweeping across the ground, blanketing it and claiming the darkness. Li Luo sensed that something was not right. It was as though the wild anger of the wolf had suddenly been condensed and focused into one single purpose. Him. He felt his vision turning red, and an overwhelming urge to destroy and kill welled within him. The power of the heavenly wolf! And with it, the will of the three-tailed heavenly wolf. What a beast! Li Luo had underestimated the influence of its will on him. He was still too weak. Even with the Heavenly Libation Chant to control the wolfs power, the corruption of its will was more than he could handle. Acting decisively in his time of peril, Li Luo smashed the Heavenly Libation Mark on his wrist, breaking it. Both the power and terrible will evaporated from him in an instant. Bleurgh! The rush of energy leaving him made Li Luo puke blood. It moved so quickly that it made a small vacuum of energy upon its exit, turning some of the rocks around him to powder. Li Luo wiped the blood away, his head hanging limply as he looked at his bloody arm. So thats a spirit beast that almost made it to Duke level. A tiny shred of its will, and I almost lost control. He heard a rustle nearby, and looked up to see Lu Qinger and Qin Zhulu hurrying over. They had detected the disturbance in energies. Li Luo, are you alright? Both looked at the wreckage around him. Li Luo smiled and shook his head. There was still some red in his eyes. Lu Qinger came up close and stared closely at his eyes. Theres something off about you. Is it a cultivation bottleneck? She suddenly took off the ice-silk glove on her right hand, then hesitated briefly before placing it in Li Luos hand, blushing. A wave of icy resonant power joined them. Li Luo could feel that the icy coolness was stabilizing him. It calmed him and spread like coolant foam over the embers of madness that smoldered within him. Li Luo found that the need to destroy and kill had faded quickly, and now his heart was as cool as ice. That Its Crystal Heart, which calms your spirit and helps you remain cool and unaffected by external pressures. I trained this to help when I was in the Umbra Cave. You must have been too anxious in your cultivation, and your resonant power overwhelmed you. Li Luo was moved to tears. He clutched tightly at Lu Qingers hand with both of his own. Qinger, youre a real darling. She flushed redder than the evening sky, while Qin Zhulu, who had just arrived, took one look at the mushy scene, swore, then turned and stomped away. Chapter 359: The Reservoir Chapter 359: The Reservoir Lu Qingers Crystal Heart technique was like a welcome rain on a parched desert for Li Luo. The corruption power of the three-tailed heavenly wolfs power was just as strong as a Heavenly Disaster Class power. Although he had finally succeeded in creating the Heavenly Libation Mark, the three-tailed heavenly wolf was too strong for his will. He had been forced to sever the connection too quickly. If not, he would have fallen to its madness and gone on a rampage. This had been a good test for Li Luo to see the extent of the three-tailed heavenly wolfs power. No wonder Principal Pang Qianyuan had cautioned him about using it. However, Lu Qinger had now brought Crystal Heart into the picture. It might just be the game-changer that he was looking for. Although it might not be able to completely nullify the influence of the heavenly wolfs will, it could weaken it significantly. Lu Qinger reacted very strongly to Li Luo taking her hand, but still she pulled back and changed the topic. What happened to you? Why were you so worked up? You looked like you were in a dangerous place just now. Li Luo took a few deep breaths, now fully in control again. It was just a secret art I was training. He grinned. If we want to beat Lin Suo, ordinary methods arent going to cut it. Li Luo, if a secret art is making you take such risks with your life, Id rather not chase the Golden Dragon Qi, Lu Qinger said, frowning. She looked him deep in the eyes, then realized that she was not going to be able to change his mind. At our current speed, well be at the Reservoir in two days time, Li Luo said, again changing the topic. He turned to look away into the distance. Hopefully, I can get something suitable for myself. These two shortswords are almost unusable. If he could not find something decent for the showdown against Lin Suo, he would be at another severe disadvantage. The Reservoir is full of treasures, ones far beyond our imagination. All we need is sufficient dao-gold, and we wont have to worry about choices, Lu Qinger assured him. That would be nice, Li Luo said with a gleam of anticipation in his eye. For the next two days, the trio hurried along without much rest. They were already close to the Reservoir. When they climbed a tall hill, they saw a lake in the distance, sparkling like a mirror in the sun. It was filled with tens of thousands of glinting objects. A dazzling sight. Thats the Reservoir? Its opulent, Li Luo marveled. Treasured artifacts were expensive, and having that many all thrown into the Reservoir was incredible. If one cashed it all in, there probably wasnt enough skygold in the whole Xia Kingdom to buy it. It was another reminder of the sheer financial power that the Golden Dragon Bank commanded across nations. Besides, all the treasures within were treasured artifacts, not just resonant artifacts. In terms of refining skill required and durability, they were far more advanced compared to ordinary resonant artifacts. It was said that the final step of creating treasured artifacts was known as the eye opening. Simply put, the treasured artifacts were connected to the rest of the world through a small opening that resembled a human eye, which was how the name had come about. Stronger treasures would have more special eyes that made them more attuned and connected with the world. Treasured artifacts had three different types of eyes. White eyes, gold eyes, violet eyes. Each eye was further divided into upper and lower grades. The most common treasured artifacts were white-eyes. They probably made up the majority of the treasures inside the Reservoir, but their common-ness was a misconception. It was only the wealth of the Golden Dragon Dao Fields that made them seem common and cheap. Outside on the market, even a white-eye treasured artifact would fetch millions of skygold. Gold-eyes were even more expensive, starting at five million and ranging up to close to ten million. Violet-eye treasured artifacts went without saying. They were items that even Dukes wanted. Their price was hard to imagine. Its said that although the Reservoir looks like a lake, its actually a space that the Golden Dragon Bank made. All of the various Reservoirs that are scattered throughout the Golden Dragon Dao Fields are connected, Qinger said. Li Luo nodded. He looked out to see that there were many other figures hurrying towards the Reservoir. It was even more lively than the showdown over the Golden Dragon Qi. There had to be close to 80 percent of the teams gathered here. You see that mountain behind the Reservoir? Lu Qinger pointed in the distance. Both Li Luo and Qin Zhulu looked, and their eyes widened. There was indeed a golden mountain range, twisting like a golden dragon. At the head of the dragon was an extremely tall peak, almost like the dragons horn. It was a majestic sight. That is Golden Dragon Mountain, where Golden Dragon Mountain Writs are won. That is the final destination of this training mission, she told them. Li Luo nodded thoughtfully. That was where they would find Lin Suo. And have their intense showdown. Third Changing He grinned at Qin Zhulu. If we win, we can hold our heads so high, well be in danger of spraining our necks. It would be a crazy upset. Qin Zhulu licked his lips in anticipation. But before that, well have to arm ourselves. Get as strong as possible, he said, waving them on. Lets go see how loaded that Reservoir is. He could not wait. Treasures with prices untold. Although he could not buy them all, nothing in this life came free. Lu Qinger and Qin Zhulu were equally excited, and all of them headed down the slope with some new speed. The atmosphere at the Reservoir was already lively. The Reservoir shone like a mirror, almost too blinding to look at directly. It rippled and sparkled in the sunlight, throwing large sheets of light all around. They could see squads walking in with great eagerness. They vanished in a flash of white light when they touched the water. They also saw more flashes of white light bringing teams back out. Those that came out all had the same delighted grins on their faces as they marveled at the powerful treasured artifacts they had earned within. Each of their weapons sported white eyes. We can only enter the Reservoir once. Weve split up our dao-gold evenly, so each of us has 930. According to the information I gathered, white-eye treasured artifacts go for about 300 to 700 dao-gold. Which means that we can get one each, and then use the rest for a cultivation breakthrough later. I suggest we dont spend it all, Lu Qinger told them. What about gold-eye treasured artifacts? Li Luo asked. They are very rare in the Reservoir. It would be hard to come across one unless you looked hard for it. Even then, theyre often priced at a minimum of 2,000 dao-gold. Thats not something that a team of our level could get, Lu Qinger explained. Li Luo felt a pang of regret. White-eye treasured artifacts were already very expensive, but of course he was greedy enough to lust for a gold-eye treasured artifact. Then again, he was getting ahead of himself. The Golden Dragon Bank had not become rich by handing out freebies and cheapies to outsiders like him. Lets go on in. Li Luo led the way, and they eagerly ran forward to where riches awaited. The white light took them in a flash, and they vanished. Chapter 360: Selecting Treasures Chapter 360: Selecting Treasures The moment Li Luos foot touched the waters of The Reservoir, the white light blinded him, forcing his eyes shut. When he cautiously opened them a few moments later, the scenery before him was completely different. He seemed to have been transported to the bottom of the lake, although he found himself within a bubble. Thanks to its protection, he could walk around safely underwater. This is the inside of The Reservoir? Li Luo looked around in wonder. He saw shimmering shoals of fish swim freely by. He was still admiring their shiny fins when suddenly one swam particularly close, and he realized with a start that the fish was translucent and he could see a mini shortsword within it. The weapon was pulsing with enormous energy, and there was a small white slit on its hilt C like a white eye. Thats a treasured artifact?! So all of these fishes are made out of treasured artifacts?! Li Luo was hyped. Suddenly the schools of fish all around him looked like money. He had never been happier to go fishing. Golden Dragon Bank was truly insane. Li Luo stood there shaking from the shock of his revelation for a few moments before he roused himself with a sigh. This level of power was incomparable. Not even Astral Sage College could hope to match them, let alone a paltry house like Luolan. He could not possibly imagine just what sort of power the central headquarters of Golden Dragon Bank wielded. But Li Luo shook it off soon enough. How deep the Golden Dragon Banks pockets ran had nothing to do with his current situation. First he had to find himself a suitable treasured artifact. Thinking thus, Li Luo started forwards, watching the passing fish more closely. But he was not in a hurry to close in on one. After a period of observation, Li Luo realized that the white light on the fishes differed in strength. If his guess was right, the fish with a stronger light probably held upper white-eye treasured artifacts, while the weaker lights were lower white-eyes. As for fishes with golden light not a single one was to be seen. That too was to be expected. Gold-eye treasured artifacts were probably rare. Li Luo reached out a hand experimentally to catch a fish that was swimming past. As his hand closed easily around its white nimbus, the fish did not struggle, lying quietly in his hand. There was a miniature green longsword within it. The faint light from the fish soon formed itself into words before Li Luos eyes. Nine-Essence Sword, lower white-eye. Made from nine-essence wood, strengthens wood resonant power. Price: 380 dao-gold. Li Luo scanned it briefly, then let the fish go. He was not good with longswords, having grown used to his dual shortswords and bow. They offered him both close and long range offensive options. A moment later he caught another fish. Black Palagonite Armor, upper white-eye. Forged from a hundred layers of black palagonite hardened ninety-nine times in fire. Hardy against metals but weak against water resonant power. Price: 600 dao-gold. Li Luos eyes lit up. An upper white-eye defensive treasured artifact this time. With this armor, his defenses would be much stronger, but what he needed right now was not something defensive, nor did he have enough dao-gold on hand to get more than one item. He had to leave some for cultivation after all. Regretfully, he let this one go as well. Li Luo browsed a few more white-eye treasured artifacts, but none of them caught his eye, and he let them all go as well. 10 minutes of searching later. Li Luo finally found something he was excited about. Mantis Blades (Dual-hilted), lower white-eye. Made from golden mantis thorns, keen enough to cut stone. The deadly power of a mantis arms. Price: 510 dao-gold. Li Luo was immediately sold on it. Dual swords was exactly what he needed, although it was far more expensive than other lower white-eye weapons. Probably because it was two for the price of one. He stared at this fish for the longest time, then finally gathered his grit and prepared to make the exchange. But just as he was about to do the deed, another fish swam by with a light so bright that it was unmistakably an upper white-eye grade. Li Luo reached for it curiously. However, he was disappointed to see that it was not a treasured artifact weapon. Instead, a milky-white pearl floated inside the fish, pulsing with a peaceful, warm light. It reached him in soothing waves through the belly of the fish. Seraphs Pearl, upper white-eye. Holy light trapped within this pearl can be released as a barrier that protects the spirit and repels corruption. Consumable object. Price: 630 dao-gold. Protects the spirit and repels corruption Li Luos mouth watered. Was this not the perfect answer to the three-tailed heavenly wolfs corrupting will? Was that not his biggest problem right now? Even though Lu Qinger had Crystal Heart, but it was unable to completely purge the wolfs will from him. What if Li Luo lost control in the next few days? This Seraphs Pearl was an insurance policy. A very expensive insurance policy. And if he bought Seraphs Pearl, he would not have enough left over for the Mantis Blades. And he badly needed a weapon Agony! Li Luo wanted to howl his frustration to the skies. Isnt it just some dao-gold?! Cant I take a loan?! Well, he couldnt. This was the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, not the Golden Dragon Bank where he could work something out with Yu Hongxi Li Luo was torn, wrestling with himself for the longest time. Finally, he made a decision. His eyes closed, as did his fist around Seraphs Pearl. He thrust the Mantis Blades away from him, and left The Reservoir in an impulsive fit. The blades werent meant to be! He would just get someone else to forge him another treasured artifact when he got back! Chapter 361: Easter Eggs Chapter 361: Easter Eggs While Li Luo wrapped up his dilemma, Lu Qinger was struggling with one of her own. She too was spoilt for choice. Therere so many how do I choose one? She had about seven or eight fishes near her, each one with a different white-eye treasured artifact. Some were upper and some were lower grade, and she could not make a decision. Finally she caught hold of one fish, an upper white-eye inner armor that would add a solid boost to her defenses. They would be chasing down Lin Suo soon, and she knew that she was the weakest, and protecting herself would be important. But just as she was about to make the transaction, she spotted a faint glimmer of golden light nearby. Curiosity piqued, she made her way over. She saw that there was a large seabed reef, with a small slit amidst the gray corals. It was narrow enough that only Lu Qingers slimness allowed her to fit snugly through. The space within was not large either, and only dimly lit by the light filtering in from outside. Within it, there were three fishes swimming in a lazy circle. The white light coming from them was not like the other fishes. Lu Qinger saw that there was a thread of gold in the white light. Quickly taking them up for a closer look, she saw that each of them held a white-eye treasured artifact, although the white eyes had a faint gold line in the middle. Gilded white-eye? As young mistress of Golden Dragon Bank, there was much knowledge that she had been exposed to. She immediately understood what it was thanks to her expertise with handling treasures before. Gilded white-eye referred to upper white-eye treasured artifacts that were on the verge of becoming gold-eye treasured artifacts. It was a hint of the power within that was just waiting to come out. In other words, such treasured artifacts were the best of the white-eye treasured artifacts, and naturally the most expensive as well. Although still considerably inferior to true gold-eye treasured artifacts, but they were also a notch stronger than upper white-eye treasured artifacts. That was why Lu Qinger was so surprised to see not one, but three of them here! She looked at them again. One was a black armor, another was a rhombus-shaped jewel with some sort of icy power, and the last was a bow with some light-rune trimmings. A wonderful spread Lu Qinger sighed regretfully. From what she had seen so far, all the upper-grade treasured artifacts had cost over 500 dao-gold per piece. These gilded white-eyes had to be 1000 or more, she estimated. Not a price she could afford to pay. Still, it couldnt hurt to look. She pulled the icy jewel close. Its frosty energies were probably a good fit for her resonance. Sunless Globe, upper gilded white-eye, made from subterranean dark crystal and forged to preserve the icy power of the stone. Will greatly increase ice resonant powers efficacy. Price: 200 dao-gold. Lu Qingers eyes lit up with pleasure. This Sunless Globe seemed almost custom-made for her. Eh? She gasped. Wait 200 dao-gold?! How was that possible?! She rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Indeed, it was 200 dao-gold, with no extra zeros. Impossible. Could it be miswritten? she mumbled to herself. If other upper white-eye treasured artifacts were 500-600 dao-gold, then how could something far superior to them be 200 dao-gold? It was too far off the mark. A sudden thought occurred to her and she stretched out a hand to catch hold of the other two fishes. Blacklight Panoply. Upper gilded white-eye. Made from blacklight steel with superb defenses. The armor is heavy and requires strong physical stamina. Price: 200 dao-gold. Lambent Hawkeye. Upper gilded white-eye. This bow is fashioned from the bones of the lambent hawk, which can be activated by resonant power. Fires at the speed of light, unleashes a sonic wave that disrupts enemy state of mind. Price: 200 dao-gold. Three gilded white-eyes for a total of 600 dao-gold? That was the price of a single ordinary upper white-eye! How?! Was this some sort of easter egg? The coincidence was too good to be true. Moreover, these three treasures were a perfect fit for her team. Sunless Globe for her icy powers, the cumbersome Blacklight Panoply for the tireless beast-man Qin Zhulu. Perhaps now he would also have the defenses to balance his recklessness although knowing him, he might simply take it as the green light to be even wilder than before. As for the Lambent Hawkeye wasnt Li Luo using two shortswords and a bow? They might as well have written their names on it already. It would be insulting her intelligence if she was supposed to accept this as coincidence. In any case, her mind was made up. She made the transaction, paid 600 dao-gold, then left with her new treasures. No matter how these treasured artifacts came about, they were already here, and she was not about to pass them up. They would need the best equipment if they were going to take on someone as strong as Lin Suo. Li Luo had even started to prepare some sort of dangerous secret technique for her sake. She had to do her best too. With these three gilded treasured artifacts, their chances would be much better. The Golden Dragon Dao Fields this time had been extremely odd from the start. Back at Xia Kingdom, she would ask her mum what was happening Quickening her pace, she came out to see Li Luo and Qin Zhulu already waiting for her. Qin Zhulu was running his fingers up and down a powerful-looking black spear, as heavy as his last. He could not take his hands off his new toy. Li Luo was looking more ambivalent, nervous, excited, but also worried. Youre back. Found something suitable? he grinned when she arrived. She ran to them and took hold of Li Luos sleeve, then led him quickly to the shelter of some trees. Come with me, both of you, she whispered. Both boys looked at each other, puzzled, but followed. As they slipped into a small grove, Lu Qinger immediately pulled out Blacklight Panoply and Lambent Hawkeye before they asked any questions. Both stared at the golden line in the middle of the white-eyes for a long time in stunned silence. PS: Ive hit a slump in Tiktok, so I wrote two chapters today. See my Tiktok for more details, haha. Chapter 362: Starting Gun Chapter 362: Starting Gun In the little copse all was quiet for a long while before Li Luo and Qin Zhulu began to stir. They shook their heads to clear it. These are gilded white-eyes! Youre really something else, Qinger, Li Luo said to her admiringly. You actually managed to sneak treasured artifacts in. The Golden Dragon Dao Fields had a quirky rule, which was that those who came in were not allowed to bring treasured artifacts from outside. That was why Li Luo and the others had all come in with ordinary resonant artifacts. Suddenly Lu Qinger had two gilded white-eyes with her. They had no idea how she had pulled it off. She rolled her eyes at him. I cant work miracles like that. I just got these out of The Reservoir. Li Luo shook his head. Come on, Qinger, no need to treat us like strangers here. Its not like were going to rat you out for this. Got them out of The Reservoir? That would be the real miracle. They had been right there with her as well. After so long, Li Luo had not seen many upper white-eyes, and not even a single gilded white-eye. Besides, the upper white-eye treasured artifacts were already priced at about 500 dao-gold. These two looked like they were four-digit-worthy. How could Lu Qinger possibly have gotten that much dao-gold? It was impossible that she could have gotten them. Qin Zhulu nodded in reticent agreement. Im not lying, she said impatiently. I did get them out of The Reservoir. Besides these two, I also have this She showed them the icy jewel that immediately cooled the air around them. They were priced at 200 dao-gold apiece, so I only spent 600 dao-gold. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu shared a perplexed look. Lu Qinger was looking serious, and she wasnt the kind to be lying with a face like that. But 200 dao-gold for a gilded white-eye? That was the sort of bargain only to be found for expiring cabbages. Er whats going on? Li Luo frowned. Something was off. I dont know either. But I suddenly saw a crevice in The Reservoir, and found these three inside, Lu Qinger explained. Could they be because of the half Golden Dragon Qi that you still have? Qin Zhulu asked. Lu Qinger splayed her hands to signify her cluelessness. Li Luo sighed. We have been running rings inside these Dao Fields, but in truth its been running rings right back around my head. Doorstep delivery of such treasures. That was all too kind. But for whatever reason, theyre here now. No reason to throw them away, Li Luo said. Hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras. He would just accept them for now. They had a big battle up ahead, and these treasures would be very useful. Thats exactly what I thought, Lu Qinger nodded, handing over Lambent Hawkeye to Li Luo and Blacklight Panoply to Qin Zhulu. Test them out? Li Luo eagerly took Lambent Hawkeye with both hands. The limbs of the bow seemed to be made out of some white crystal that was hollowed inside to further reduce the weight and increase its draw. He could feel the spirit of the lambent hawk carved lovingly in every choice that had made the weapon. He pulled the string back, and the white gut bent obediently to the perfect tautness against his fingers. A little thrum of power tingled at his fingertip, and the cry of the lambent hawk could be faintly heard. Sweet weapon! Li Luo exclaimed. He could feel the power of this weapon on its own, and it was in harmony wiht his own light resonant energy. Which became just a little more lively within him. A simple pull of this bow was all it took for him to realize the difference from his shortswords and the silver-blue bow it made. Resonant artifacts could never hope to cross the gulf of difference in ability. While Li Luo was testing his bow out, Qin Zhulu was doing the same with Blacklight Panoply. The moment he donned it, he felt impregnable as an iron fortress. The black armor glinted with dark light as it shifted along with his bodys movements. Wearing it made him feel invulnerable. With his black spear and this black armor, Qin Zhulu felt ten times stronger than before. Awesome! Qin Zhulu whooped. Although Blacklight Panoply was heavy, but physical strength had always been one of his better attributes. Not even the Third Changing Lin Suo could cut him down easily now, he believed. And when the time came to face him, Qin Zhulu believed that this armor would allow him to go all out even more than before. Lu Qinger was also admiring her Sunless Globe, resting prettily on top of her ice silk glove. Its smooth surface rested snugly against the patterned lace. Weng! A navy blue ripple of frost energy bloomed from her glove, and its icy power was enough to send a thrill down the back of Li Luos neck. Lu Qinger might only be a First Pattern, but the power he just saw was enough to cause a severe frostbite even to him, a Third Pattern. Seemed like the Sunless Globe was quite the accent to her frost power. I think you can start accumulating more of those snow globes, Li Luo grinned. Ive even thought of a good title for you. You will be Empress Snowager. That sounds absolutely terrible, she said flatly. The Popsicle Queen? Is the Lambent Hawkeye making you allergic? she asked sweetly. Shall I take it back. Li Luo grinned and gave it another fond pat. Its just lovely, thanks. Ill pay you back the price in skygold when we get back to Xia Kingdom. Lu Qinger scowled at him. If you talk any more nonsense, Im going to get angry. Its a gilded white-eye! Li Luo protested. Its too expensive. He knew that both his and Qin Zhulus gilded white-eye treasured artifacts had to be worth at least five million skygold back outside. It was no small sum. Isnt getting treasured artifacts all to help me in the end? Lu Qinger said severely, ending the conversation. She rounded on Qin Zhulu, who was hesitating whether to speak. And you shut your mouth too! Qin Zhulu was stung. He hadnt even opened his mouth yet, so technically he could not shut it. Anyway, it was all Li Luo who started this, why was this his fault?! Lu Qinger stomped out of the copse. Li Luo watched her go and shrugged to himself with a helpless smile. So Qin Zhulu asked in a low voice. We keep the stuff? Well, I guess Qingers kindness should be accepted. Lets do our best to get her a Golden Dragon Mountain writ as a return gift Of course if you still feel bad you can pass me the money, and Ill bring her out and spoil her with food and gifts. Qin Zhulu looked at him. Li Luo. Li Luo sighed, then tucked Lambent Hawkeye away into his pocket sphere. Qin Zhulu did the same with his armor. These treasures were to be saved for the big fight, where they could provide a surprise factor. The two walked out of the copse, when suddenly they heard a thunderous rumble from a valley quite a distance away. Every single person in the vicinity of The Reservoir froze, and turned to the direction of the sound intently. It was where Golden Dragon Mountain was. There was also a majestic whirlpool of worldly natural energy spinning lazily in the air above Golden Dragon Mountain. It was breathtaking. Thats the sign that the Golden Dragon Mountain writ is about to appear! Lu Qinger exclaimed. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu watched on curiously. As did every other person in the area. They all watched the energy vortex, which continued to gather and grow. More than 10 minutes later. Suddenly five beams of golden light rained down from the middle of the vortex, landing at the peak of the colossal Golden Dragon Mountain. The Golden Dragon Mountain writs are here! There are five of them! Go, go, go! Suddenly there was a mad rush at The Reservoir, as squads hurried to regroup and head over. Five Golden Dragon Mountain writs. Li Luo blew out a long breath of air, then turned to Lu Qinger and Qin Zhulu. The funs about to begin. Lets go too. The goal is simple. If we cant find dogs to feed Lin Suo to, well just beat him up until he can fit in a kennel. And also, get a Golden Dragon Mountain writ! Chapter 363: Up the Mountain Chapter 363: Up the Mountain The appearance of the Golden Dragon Mountain Writs was like a bolt of lightning, electrifying the atmosphere. All the teams at the Reservoir scrambled to head out for Golden Dragon Mountain. Everyone understood that there were only five writs and more than a hundred teams, which meant that only the best among them would actually stand a chance. But that did not stop them from trying. What if they succeeded? That irrational hope was all they had. As for Li Luos trio, they followed the masses towards Golden Dragon Mountain as well. Half a day later, they finally made it to the foot of Golden Dragon Mountain just as the evening sun vanished over the horizon. Many of the teams were camping around here for the night. When they arrived, someone waved to Li Luo, and he saw that it was Gu Ying. He walked over to her with a smile. We meet again. I didnt think youd be brave enough to chase him, she replied. Wasnt it you who told me that its best to get the Golden Dragon Qi back? Gu Ying nodded. I hope youre prepared. Its not going to be easy to take the Golden Dragon Qi from a Third Changing opponent. One more piece of info, free of charge. If you want to find Lin Suo, you can choose the fourth peak. Lin Suos already put out the word that hes staking a claim to the writ there. This is pretty normalthe strongest teams will declare where theyre intending to go. That way, these heavy movers can divide up the spoils among them and wont clash with each other. Li Luo looked up at Golden Dragon Mountain. Indeed, while it had looked like a simple triangle from a distance, he could see many secondary peaks from this angle. And the fourth peak that Gu Ying mentioned had to be one of them. Many thanks. Li Luo cupped his fist. Dont mention it. It was easily available if you asked anyone else anyway. She waved it away. I hope you succeed. Lin Suo has already taken down quite a few teams single-handedly. Hes really strong, and that blood resonance is not at all easy to deal with. She nodded a farewell and left with her team. Quite kind, isnt she? Lu Qinger said too casually, eying Gu Yings sexy figure and checking Li Luos reaction. Shes a really nice person, Li Luo agreed. Nice person? Lu Qinger said sharply. Look at Zhao Ziyang. Did he bat an eyelid at you after the Golden Dragon Qi disappeared? Gu Ying is just lusting after your looks, she said snootily. Thats shallow, Li Luo protested. Besides, its not like I can change my looks! I just want everyone to see who I am inside! The effort I put into cultivation and the grit in my character! Qin Zhulu winced. Could you not be so loud about it? Everyones turning to look! Lu Qinger rolled her eyes at him as well. This guys skin was so thick, he could give the Blacklight Panoply a run for its money. Li Luo coughed to hide his embarrassment. Er, well, anyway, it looks like were heading for the fourth peak! he said hastily. Therell be a Golden Dragon Mountain Writ there as well, so perhaps Qinger could explain the details of the process to us. Lu Qinger nodded. Firstly, dont think that climbing Golden Dragon Mountain will be a walk in the park. There are many dangers, and one of the most inevitable ones is the golden aquiline wasps. They are small-bodied spirit beasts with big stings. They win because of their numbers, and we need to be careful of interception zones infested by the wasps. And we have to be quick about the ascension. Once someone reaches the peak, the energy barrier will begin to form. Once the barrier around the peak is fully formed, the peak will be sealed off from the rest of the mountain, and no one else will be able to enter. Li Luo nodded. I assume these golden aquiline wasps dont have any attacks other than their stings. Like ants taking down an elephant. If were caught, well be finished, but we wont be caught or finished. I have a plan! Qin Zhulu was surprised. Already?! Li Luo is quite a reliable guy at times. When we start climbing the mountain, youll take point, Li Luo said, clapping Qin Zhulu on the shoulder. Your defenses are awesome, and you can just tank them all. With me and Qinger supporting you from behind, well definitely break through at full speed! he said encouragingly. Qin Zhulu winced. That was the plan? That was just meat shielding with extra words! What kind of monster would suggest such a plan? Dont worry, youll be fine, Lu Qinger reassured him. The golden aquiline wasp has a painful sting, but youre strong enough to bear it. Qin Zhulu grunted, but he accepted the plan. After all, he was indeed the designated tank among these three. A tanks role did not include rights and privileges. Dirty work, all day every day. Little Lu understands. Hes a reliable teammate. Li Luo cheered. Qin Zhulu ignored him. This guy was a dual-resonance maggot, and even Lu Qinger was being corrupted by him. When the energy barrier at the foot of the mountain dissipates, well go. There was a huge barrier of gold barring their way, preventing anyone from getting an unfair head start. They finished their preparations and then waited in silence. They waited for about two hours before loud chatter from the crowd woke them from their lounging. The energy barrier was fading away rapidly before their eyes. BOOM! When the energy barrier was gone, resonant power started to crackle to life. Everyone shot forward, charging up the mountain. Li Luos trio followed. From the base of the mountain, the crowd divided up into five smaller groups headed for the peaks that held Golden Dragon Mountain Writs. Li Luo looked ahead to the front of the pack, where a familiar, vermilion streak stood out from the rest. He was moving with great speed and was steadily pulling away from the rest of them. Lin Suo. Li Luo locked on to him grimly. Mongrel, if I dont finish you off here and now, Ill make sure Yu Hongxi shows you what despair truly is! Chapter 364: Golden Aquiline Wasp Zone Chapter 364: Golden Aquiline Wasp Zone Shadowy figures zipped up the mountainside in the gloom of the evening, fast enough to blow tunnels of leaves up in their wake. From afar, they looked like little rivulets of light flowing up the great beasts head in reverse. Li Luo and his squad grimly poured on the speed in silence, focusing all their energy into moving forward. Although they were one of the weakest squads here in terms of resonant power, they all had advantageous resonance grades. Qin Zhulu with an upper eighth-grade, Lu Qinger with a lower eighth-grade, and Li Luo with dual resonances. That put them at average or above average in terms of fighting ability. And if you included their three new gilded white-eye treasured artifacts, they were a force to be reckoned with. Another ten minutes or so and well be in the golden aquiline wasp infestation zone! Lu Qinger shouted to them over the howling wind. Both responded with a terse nod, looking up at the golden belt of clouds ahead, swaying and shimmering gently. They knew that once they got closer, they would be able to make out the wasps that made up those clouds. Li Luo raised a hand as a preparatory signal for them to penetrate through. Ten minutes passed in a blur. Up close, they could hear the deafening hum that made their eardrums vibrate. Li Luo could make out the golden aquiline wasps as well. They had golden-yellow bodies and long, needle-like proboscis that made one shiver just looking at it. Prepare to charge! Li Luo yelled, largely in the direction of Qin Zhulu. The latter let loose with a low roar that activated his Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance. His body began to bulge with new muscles, and finally the golden tiger stripes covered his skin in a final wrapping of power. Li Luo and Lu Qinger took up defensive positions behind him and then they charged into the golden aquiline wasp infestation. The wasps hummed angrily in response, their stingers aimed at Qin Zhulu. He swept them aside with his black spear, its sizable girth working like a bludgeon against their slight bodies. He crushed them to pulp with each swipe, and both Li Luo and Lu Qinger helped out, guarding against any wasps that came too close to his flank. The golden aquiline wasps came on and on. As the meat shield, Qin Zhulu was feeling the worst of it, and there were so many wasps that the stings broke through his defenses frequently enough. Qin Zhulu was getting stung badly. After landing their stings, the golden aquiline wasps would thrash and die in agony, but they left behind wicked-looking stingers sticking out of Qin Zhulu. Soon enough, he looked like a tiger who had been playing with a porcupine. His face was locked in a tight grimace. Although these stings were not particularly life-threatening, they hurt like mad. With another low growl, he released a short pulse of resonant power that blew the stingers out from his skin, each one popping up with a small spurt of blood. Qinger, stop the bleeding! Li Luo ordered. She immediately put a palm on Qin Zhulus body, sending out frost energy that covered the wounds. Li Luo used his own healing resonant power to speed Qin Zhulus recovery. Feeling his wounds ease up made him sigh in relief. These two were quite reliable supports. It was always easier to tank if you knew the others had your back. Twirling his spear, he charged into the fray again, knocking golden aquiline wasps left and right as he headed straight for the peak. Li Luo was watching their surroundings closely even as he followed his teammate ahead. The other squads were all too busy to care about anyone else, howling as they made their painful way through the infestation. He was watching their front intently. A crimson streak of light blazing through the wasps. Lin Suo must have cultivated some sort of illusion resonance art that allowed him to avoid most of the wasps attacks. He was far ahead of them now. Li Luo even sensed that Lin Suo was gradually increasing his speed, intent on breaking free of the pack. He probably aimed to activate the barrier at the peak as quickly as possible, leaving as many outside as he could. Then the Golden Dragon Mountain Writ would be his for sure. Things were not looking good for Li Luo. Lin Suo was navigating this impediment much faster than he had expected. A Third Changing of the Evolving Resonance Tierit was at times like these where the difference showed. Li Luo and his squad fought forward as hard as they could, and Qin Zhulu bore the rain of stings with stoic determination. Around them, the yelping and howling had become much more infrequent since people were dropping out. Li Luo paid no more attention to them. He was most worried about Lin Suo pulling ahead with frightful speed. If this kept up, they would be left behind. They might not even make it to the peak before Lin Suos barrier fully formed. A few tense moments later, Li Luo made a decision. Qin Zhulu, don it! They could not hide it any longer. Qin Zhulu perked up, pulling out the Blacklight Panoply from his pocket sphere. He clapped it onto his meaty frame, and the armor seemed to come to life on its own, obediently wrapping around him and tying itself up at the joints and seams. A dark light gleamed across the armor from head to toe, and Qin Zhulu suddenly became a shiny, black tank. Ting, ting, ting! The golden aquiline wasps stings were completely repelled by the Blacklight Panoply. They made ineffective pinging noises that drained some energy from Qin Zhulu but did not harm him. Renewed, Qin Zhulu charged forward with fresh vigor. The three remained on the tail of the crimson figure up ahead. Their sudden increase in speed was so surprising that even Lin Suo noticed. He turned and frowned. Haunting me like a ghost. He was not expecting them to really chase him. So they found a battle armor treasured artifact in the Reservoir. Looks like quite a good one too, Lin Suo muttered to himself as he watched Qin Zhulu from the corner of his eye. This armor was helping them resist the golden aquiline wasps with relative ease. No matter. Let me show you the gap in our strength. Lin Suo smirked arrogantly. His crimson power roared and he shot forth like a rocket, leaving a rust-red trail in his wake. After a few short minutes, he had passed through the golden aquiline wasp infestation belt. When he broke through, there was a great disturbance in the energies around him. A curtain of energy gradually began to descend. Right outside the wasp zone was the boundary line for the barrier. Li Luos trio felt a little pang of trepidation, and they moved forward with a new burst of nervous speed. They were not far from breaking out of the belt now. Lin Suo watched them approach, a little startled by how well they were doing. He raised his hand, gathering some crimson power on his fingertip. Finger of Blood and Bone! Psst! Again, his fingernail tore backwards of its own accord with a sickening ripping sound, and his finger bone flew forward like a bullet rifling through the air. He was aiming at Qin Zhulus foot. He could see that the three were only making good progress thanks to Qin Zhulu tanking everything for them. Take down the tank, and Li Luo and Lu Qinger would drown in the sea of golden aquiline wasps. Qin Zhulu saw the blast of crimson light come for him, but he was being held down by the wasps. He could not face Lin Suos attack. And given how strong Lin Suo was, he just might not be able to tank this one. Ignore it! Charge on! Li Luo said tersely. Qin Zhulus eyes flashed. Setting his jaw, he charged. The crimson light came on. It was just about to hit them when a bowstring suddenly sang with the cry of a lambent hawk. A curiously bright, white arrow of light flashed past Qin Zhulu, smashing into the white finger bone. BOOM! The two bursts of resonant power canceled each other out, evaporating the golden aquiline wasps near the collision. The white finger bone still had some leftover energy, breaking past the first light arrow. Another spirit arrow followed, then another, each one slowing the finger bone attack by a good margin until finally it cracked. Get ready to break out! Qin Zhulu rumbled. Summoning a new torrent of resonant power, he barreled through the last layer of golden aquiline wasps, carrying them out to blessedly-free air again. Li Luo and Lu Qinger were right behind him, and they broke out as well, panting from the adrenaline rush. Behind them, the dense, shimmering cloud of golden aquiline wasps buzzed on, but they did not pursue. The barrier of energy slowly descended between the wasps and them, closing down with finality. And in front of them was a smiling Lin Suo. Chapter 365: Rematch with Lin Suo Chapter 365: Rematch with Lin Suo Golden Dragon Mountain, fourth peak. Lin Suo faced the trio, who were still panting from their close shave with the wasps and the energy barrier. You really came his voice trailed off on a note of amused disbelief. Lin Suo, are you that eager to get the writ? Why not come back to the Xia Kingdoms Golden Dragon Bank for a holiday with us? Li Luo invited him warmly. Lin Suo laughed and shook his head. Why would I do something suicidal? Do you think Im as dumb as the three of you? Three Pattern Genesis Tier cultivators chasing me? In the outside world, you would have been dead today. Perhaps not, Li Luo argued. What if we made a plea so impassioned that it touched you and you decided to come back to the Xia Kingdom with us? Lin Suo snorted. He clenched his fist, summoning crimson power that burst forth with a wet, rusty smell. No chance, Li Luo. Not even if your tongue were as silver as your hair. You cannot get the Golden Dragon Qi back from me. And I will get the writ without trouble and fly on to higher stages. Not even Yu Hongxi can do anything to me. As for you, you promised Yu Hongxi youd take good care of Qinger, but now youve dragged her around in the mud. You think youll be seen as anything else besides a loud-mouthed scumbag? Youre the scum! Drooling down the jaw of a trash-loving mongrel! Qin Zhulu snapped back at him with surprising eloquence. He was not comfortable with verbal sparring. Sweeping up his heavy, black spear, he sent powerful thrusts of energy torpedoing through the air. Lin Suo looked at the energy blasts with disinterest. His own blood resonant power adhered to his body with coagulated stickiness. He sent out a few bloody palm prints that knocked Qin Zhulus attack aside easily. The difference in resonant power. Lin Suo was at the Evolving Resonance Tier. Not only was there a difference in resonant power quantity compared to the Pattern Genesis Tier, there was also a qualitative difference. Evolving Resonance meant that the resonance was even more aligned with the user. For example, Lin Suos blood resonance was no longer just raw power, it emulated the special properties of blood, becoming even more corrosive and permeating. As he continued to grow stronger, his resonance would evolve alongside him. If Qin Zhulu could reach the General Stage with his Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance, it would probably take on a more tangible beast shape. BOOM! The bloody palm prints blasted past his spear torpedos, continuing on towards Qin Zhulu. With a low roar of despair, he prepared to tank them. But before he did, Lu Qinger had made her move as well, her palms rapidly icing over to form a sphere of frost that crashed into the palm prints. Crash! The ice sphere shattered, but it reduced the resonant power of the attack significantly. Qin Zhulu carefully aimed his spear and skewered the bloody-palm attack. It was like taking on a rhinoceros charge. The impact blew Qin Zhulu off his feet, and his entire body was shaken up badly. Luckily, the Blacklight Panoply released a ring of black light that negated the rest of the resonant power. While Qin Zhulu and Lu Qinger were dealing with the attack, Li Luo had attacked from the right side as well, his twin swords slashing out. Ding! Lin Suos blood resonant power seemed to harden around him, blocking the swords easily. You cannot even begin to imagine the difference between us. He laughed loudly. And then he counterattacked, sending wave after wave of bloody energy at Li Luo. Li Luo scrambled back desperately. The tables were flipped on him now, from attacker to defender. He had to block each wave of energy with all his strength, and still it shook him from head to toe. Just like Lin Suo had saidan unimaginable difference. Li Luo took cover behind a cluster of large trees. Charging his palm with leafy-green power, he sank it into one of the trees. Rustle! The trees seemed to spring to life, sending snake-like vines twisting out towards Lin Suo. He did not seem concerned in the slightest, his blood resonance leaping to meet them and rotting them all away to nothing. Swish! With a flash of red light, he appeared before Li Luo, and his truncheon came crashing down. It moved through the air with a dull whistle, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Clang! Li Luo blocked it with both his shortswords, but this time the impact was too much to take. His shortswords had finally reached their limit and both broke with a disheartening crack. But at the same moment, Lin Suos eyes widened slightly. The ground under his feet had become extraordinarily soft, almost swampy. He sank in rapidly. Underneath Li Luos feet, water resonant power kept him afloat. He quickly circulated some energy through his numbed arms to get them back up and working again. Qinger! Ignoring his wounds, he shouted loudly to her. She slammed her hands to the ground, charging it with ice resonant power. Instantly, the swamp froze over. Lin Suo was encased in frozen mud, flash frozen and incapacitated for the moment. Li Luo did not relent. Using his wood resonant power, he sent more vines out to bind Lin Suos arms. Qin Zhulu, get him! he shouted. Boom! The ground shook as Qin Zhulu lowered his spear like a lance, gathering resonant power as he charged forward. He was like a knight, except he was not borne by a herbivorous steed. His spear was on track to ram direcctly into Lin Suos skull. Their teamwork was excellent. Lin Suo was looking fearful now. Li Luos well-executed plan had caught him off guard. Get off me! His eyes widening as he watched the spear approach, Lin Suo screamed and lashed out madly. The blood seemed to create a boiling layer over his skin that melted the frozen swamp and rotted away the vines. He spat out mouthfuls of blood that bloomed into vortexes of energy between himself and Qin Zhulu. Pssh! Each time Qin Zhulu passed through a vortex, his speed reduced significantly, and he felt his body become heavier. When the spear tip was a few centimeters away from Lin Suo, he could no longer budge. No matter how hard Qin Zhulu strained, he was completely unable to move forward. F*ck! Qin Zhulus neck muscles strained under the exertion. Finally, he cast his spear aside and leaped on Lin Suos face like a wild animal. Crash! A ferocious fling from Lin Suo sent Qin Zhulu flying. He was on the floor a dozen meters away, covered in wounds. Lin Suo was also dazed. Qin Zhulu had done his best to tear Lin Suos face off, leaving his face bloody and teeth loose. He looked equally woeful. But Lin Suo was angrier than ever now. He had not imagined that three Pattern Genesis fleas could ever deal such damage to a mighty Third Changing like himself. Screaming, his resonant power came forth again. He rose into the air and landed on a tree. Layer after layer of crimson resonant power formed rings around his body, pulsing out with an erratic wildness. His anger had consumed him, and he was holding nothing back anymore. Li Luo looked at the enraged Lin Suo charging up with everything he had, and he reached into his own pocket sphere and pulled out the great, white bow made to resemble a hawk with its wings outstretched. Everything depended on this now Lets see who will be left standing! Chapter 366: In Synergy Chapter 366: In Synergy Lin Suo swayed on top of the tree, continuing to gather red plasma that flowed around him in swirls. He stared at Li Luo with a deadly fury, ready to wipe out the irritating opponent who had actually managed to make him panic for a moment. He had felt true fear for a moment back then. All caused by three Pattern Genesis Tier nobodies. Lin Suo spat out a mouthful of frothy blood that he had been gurgling. Clapping his hands together with a thunderous crack, the swirling blood spread out into a mist that settled over his skin. It slowly began to form a crimson silhouette that flickered like a body double. Tiger-general resonance art, Blood Buddha! The bloody silhouette clarified into an angry visage of blood. Lin Suos aura blew up into a whole new level. Clearly this was his ultimate move. Li Luo blanched a little, then he signaled to the other two to be careful. He himself retreated, drawing the Lambent Hawkeye as he went. A blast of energy flew forth in an arrow of light. The light arrow moved with great speed, even faster than the waterlight arrow that had taken many an opponent by surprise with how fast it moved. This was the power boost that a treasured artifact like the Lambent Hawkeye brought him. Even Lin Suo could barely track the movement of the attack. He was surprised by the speed, but not afraid. Speed without power was nothing. He tanked the light arrow with his bloody visage. Pssh! The light arrow melted away into the visage. The gory power around Lin Suo churned as he turned, speeding towards Li Luo so quickly that he left afterimages behind him. Li Luo ran for it. Lin Suo was in peak condition right now. He would be like a praying mantis trying to stop a wagon. Lin Suo was fast, and he caught up to Li Luo in a matter of moments. BOOM! What felt like a tower of steel crashed into Lin Suo from the side, throwing him off his course. Crash! Lin Suo was sent flying a dozen meters, but so was the steel-encased figure. He smashed through a few trees. And then he stood up again as if nothing had happened. Gripping his heavy, black spear tightly, he charged Lin Suo again fearlessly. Lin Suo frowned. Qin Zhulu was a real pain in the ass. His attacks were not particularly threatening, but they were disrupting his attempts to shut down the only possible threatLi Luo. Plus, Qin Zhulu had always been a tough guy, and now he was encased in that black armor. He was as impregnable as a turtle shell. He turned on Qin Zhulu first. Well then, if you want to die, Ill grant you death! He swung his mace, which was gleaming with blood, and charged Qin Zhulu. Clang, clang, clang! Each time they clashed, Qin Zhulu was badly rattled from head to toe. Soon, his palms were bleeding from the sheer effort it took to hold on to his weapon during each exchange. Still, he fought on without making a single sound. He risked his life again and again to attack Lin Suos vitals. His efforts were heroic but fruitless. Every single attack was nullified by the bloody visage that protected Lin Suo. Such was the disparity between their powers. Luckily, Lu Qinger had joined the fray as well. She chipped in with well-timed attacks that helped Qin Zhulu catch his breath, buying him precious time at crucial moments. But even with the pair working together, they were still badly outclassed by Lin Suo. While Qin Zhulu was fighting Lin Suo with all his might, Li Luo was in a nearby tree. His keen eyes were watching intently for the slightest opening. He took a deep breath and drew his bow. Within his body, both resonant palaces shuddered as they generated power. His four resonant bubbles popped. The two resonant powers clashed, mixed, struggled, and finally melded. The synchronization between his dual resonances gave Li Luo a dramatic increase in power. His fingers danced across the bowstring, and a light arrow formed in the shape of a hawk. This was the Lambent Hawkeyes power, its ability to channel its users resonant power into the arrow and fire it with a sonic-boom attack. The stronger the wielder was, the more powerful the arrow would be. Li Luos dual resonance-charged light arrow was many times stronger than before. It flew out with a pair of resonant power wings, streaming through the air like a hawk in full flight. And at the tip of the arrow was the hawks sharp beak, brimming with remarkable and deadly power. Halos constantly bloomed from the arrows tip, peeling away as it hurtled on. This was the strongest attack Li Luo could muster right now. Lin Suo inhaled sharply as he fought off Qin Zhulu and Lu Qinger. He could sense Li Luo gathering his energies for this attack, and he could sense that Li Luos arrow would actually pose a serious threat to him. With the treasured artifact, Li Luo was a force to be feared. With a sudden, effortful blast of blood resonant power, he forced Qin Zhulu back in the instant that Li Luo fired. The hawks defiant scream rent the air, and the sky turned white with light. The sonic boom attack made Lin Suos brain buzz with a foggy haze. He frowned but quickly shook it off. Hands tightly wrapped around his mace, he prepared himself to deal with Li Luos strongest attack. He knew that if he could just stop this one attack, Li Luos squad would be set back drastically. The advantage would be his again, once they had spent their greatest weapon. Swoosh! The white light swept out past him. Just as Lin Suo prepared to receive the light arrow, it suddenly veered away to his right. Had it missed? Bizarrely, it was headed straight for Lu Qinger. Qinger! Li Luo yelled. Her slim hands moved, icy resonant power forming on her lace gloves. She created a mirror of ice that deflected the light arrow. Swoosh! The arrow was deflected, but not towards Lin Suo. Instead, it was flying back to Li Luo. Lin Suo was completely wrong-footed now. He had no idea how this attack was unfolding. His confusion was soon replaced with fear. He saw Li Luo also holding up a mirror of light to reflect his own arrow. When the hawk-arrow of light pierced his mirror of light, it was reflected yet again. But this time, it seemed to become even faster, leaving a faint afterimage in the air. Swish! Even someone as strong as Lin Suo could only see a glimmer of white light ricocheting around. Before he knew it, it was in his face, and cold sweat ran down his forehead. What speed! Li Luo was an unsettling bag of tricks! How had he increased the light arrows speed with his mirror?! Lin Suo bellowed, his resonant power surging forth. His crimson visage turned an even more brilliant shade of red, crossing its fists before him like a shield. Pssh! The light arrow was almost there. All three watched with bated breath as their best hope pierced the blood visage. Pssssssh! The blood visages arms were penetrated by the arrow, which buried itself in Lin Suos chest. Crash! Lin Suo was sent flying, spitting a mouthful of blood that sprayed through the air. This time it was an injury rather than an attack. Lu Qinger and Qin Zhulus eyes widened in delight. Their incredibly strong foe had fallen! Chapter 367: Octagold Shield Chapter 367: Octagold Shield Both Lu Qinger and Qin Zhulu felt a thrill of exuberance when they saw Lin Suo wounded. This was their first attack that had really connected in any meaningful way. This attack cooked up by Li Luo was really unexpected. As happy as he was, Qin Zhulu still had his sharp battle-sense. Heavy spear in hand, he leaped forward to press the advantage while Lin Suo was wounded. Shining with dark-red power, he stabbed out at Lin Suo. Qin Zhulu might come across as slow and awkward in many situations, but he was in his element in battle. A true beast, honed with a lifetime of experience in fighting. He understood the importance of kicking the opponent while they were down. Weng! It was a vicious thrust that whistled through the air. But when the spear tip touched Lin Suos body, a dark, golden light repelled the attack. Clang! The clear sound of metal, with a cluster of sparks. The resonant power ricocheted back, and the shock traveled back up Qin Zhulus arm. He staggered backwards, shaking his head in confusion and pain. Both Li Luo and Lu Qinger were dismayed as well. An octagonal-shaped shield of gold was floating before Lin Suo, shining gently. In the center of the shield was a small, white mark that resembled an eye. Upper white-eye treasured artifact?! Lu Qinger exclaimed. This was not that great of a surprise. After all, Lin Suo had been to the Reservoir as well. Of course he would come out with something. They were just surprised that he had chosen a defensive upper white-eye treasured artifact. There was another mark on the Octagold Shield, evidently from Li Luos previous attack. Lin Suo slowly crawled to his feet. His face was black as a storm, and blood still dribbled down from his lip. Although the Octagold Shield had slowed down Li Luos arrow, the impact had passed through to his vital organs. He was both fearful and angry. Never had he dreamed that a mere Third Pattern of the Pattern Genesis Tier would be able to cause such damage to him. If he hadnt pulled a defensive upper white-eye from the Reservoir, he might already be face-down in the water. Looks like I underestimated you, he called up to Li Luo, who was still perched in the tree. Dual resonances are quite legendary. But I dont think you have a second attack like that ready. Li Luo sighed. Indeed, that had been his strongest, once-off attack. He had used both his dual resonances and resonant bubbles and channeled them into his Lambent Hawkeye. Lastly, he had reflected the attack with his Broken Mirror technique, which had no other real function besides increasing the speed of light resonant energy attacks. But sometimes speed could be power. Through his many processes and additions, Li Luo had managed to construct that strongest arrow. Without an upper white-eye treasured artifact like the Octagold Shield, they would have ended this battle already. A pity. There was not much time to beat himself up over it, because Lin Suo was ready to do the beating on his behalf. This time he turned to Li Luo, sure that no such powerful attack was coming again. Of the three, only Li Luo was a potential threat. Once he was finished off, the other two would be nothing to be feared. But he had barely started towards Li Luo when the steel tower Qin Zhulu barred his way, heavy black spear in hand. Scram, scram, scram!! Lin Suos voice was building to a hysterical scream. Qin Zhulu was the epitome of irritation. He was wounded, but he was still ready to fight. Again and again. He was like a zombie, clambering to his feet to stand in his way at every turn. Without Qin Zhulus intervention, he would have caught up to Li Luo long ago. Clang! Clang! He sent crushing attack after crushing attack from his mace. Qin Zhulu parried desperately, deflecting them with a shrill screeching sound as they glanced off his spear. Qin Zhulu was angry as well, his eyes red with battle lust as he advanced on a Third Changing opponent with no fear in him. He welcomed the challenge. Li Luo watched this carefully. At a signal, Lu Qinger appeared by his side. Qinger, give me a shot of Crystal Heart, he said tersely. She looked at him doubtfully, knowing that he was about to try that risky secret art. She worried for him, but she also knew that this was not the time or place. Setting her jaw, she put a hand on Li Luos back. Crystal Heart! A cool wave of energy flowed into Li Luos body. It did not harm him, instead calming him down until his heart was like a cold crystal, impervious to negative emotions. Be careful, she blurted out. She then fled, moving to help Qin Zhulu. Li Luo was completely calm now. He knew that Crystal Heart alone was not enough. The three-tailed heavenly wolfs corruption was too strong. Crystal Heart would only help lessen it slightly. He pulled out a pearl, faintly glowing with a holy light. That was the upper white-eye Seraphs Pearl that he had pulled from the Reservoir. This was the real core of Li Luos defense, and the main reason why he would dare to try and tap into that power. With a flick of his hand, he popped the Seraphs Pearl into his mouth. Another wave of seraphic energy spread across his entire body, calming his entire being. The effect was far stronger than Lu Qingers Crystal Heart. Li Luo drew a sharp finger across his wrist, letting some blood flow. He pressed his hands into the blood with deliberate intent, channeling his will to shape it as he needed. Heavenly Libation Chant. According to what Pang Qianyuan had taught him, the Heavenly Libation Chant had three tiers, known as the Three Chains of Heavenly Libation Chant. He was only using the first chain. He had yet to master the second chain, so it was best not to screw around with it. With each chain, more of the three-tailed heavenly wolfs power was unlocked. Li Luo could not control so much power yet. As for the third chain of the Heavenly Libation Chant, it was in the second half of the Heavenly Libation Chant manual, which the principal had yet to give him. In his practice, Li Luo had always taken multiple attempts to create the Heavenly Libation mark required, but this time the combination of Crystal Heart and the Seraphs Pearl helped him succeed on the first try. Still, this did not mean he could get careless. Li Luo knew where the real difficulty lay. The corruption of the three-tailed heavenly wolfs will. If he could not hold that corruption at bay, not only would he be hard-pressed to utilize its power, he would also lose his mind to the savage will of the beast. But with his heart calm and still as deep water, Li Luo did not hesitate. The Heavenly Libation Chant helped the line of blood connect from his arm to the dark-red bracelet. He was flooded with a power that was both familiar and savage. Chapter 368: Clove At First Shot Chapter 368: Clove At First Shot The power almost overwhelmed him. He could feel it bursting at the seams, ready to climb out of him and run away. Red veins started to pop in his eyes, and his face twitched as he fought for control. His jaw was tight and his upper lip lifted in a feral grimace. Li Luo was completely different from how he usually was. How he longed to rip! To tear! To kill! His heart howled with the need, trying to wrest control from his rationality. It would make him a puppet, a killing machine that would take down everything in his way. The world in front of him was tinted with a faint, red sheen. A voice whispered in his ear. Is it really so bad to just give in? To kill? But eventually, Crystal Heart and the Seraphs Pearl helped him maintain a clear portion in his mind. He desperately clung to it like a rock in the turbulent madness that crashed all around him as he drew the Lambent Hawkeye. He had to release the power before it turned on him. Weng! When Li Luo released the string, all of the power rushed out of him in one draining surge, funneled into the light arrow that strained his bow like a wolf on a leash. It pulsed with charged life, trailing tail feathers of uncontainable power that spilled out from behind. This time, the light arrow was not the shining, pure yellow from before, but instead a dark-red projectile with a menacing air about it. The point of the arrow quivered as it tried to contain the energy within, blooming with halos of power that thrummed out in its wake. This arrow was incredibly powerful. Holding the bow taut was killing him. The string bit into Li Luos drawing finger, deep enough to expose bone to air. Blood hit the floor in a steady drip as he aimed. His entire arm was screaming from the effort, and his muscles spasmed painfully. The attack would take everything out of him. And then some. Lu Qinger, Qin Zhulu, and Lin Suo were locked in battle, but all three sensed the attack coming. What power! Qin Zhulu marveled, his eyes wide. He knew that Li Luo had a trump card hidden, but this was way beyond his calculations. This power far surpassed an Evolving Resonance Tier Third Changing! Lu Qingers eyes were also wide, but unlike Qin Zhulu, she was more worried than delighted. She had seen the redness in Li Luos eyes and knew that the power cost him dearly. Hopefully, he had not paid a price too heavy. Back! Lu Qinger seized Qin Zhulu by the arm and dragged him away urgently. He cringed violently at the physical touch, and almost jerked away out of instinct. But he realized that the battle with Lin Suo had taken so much out of him, he could barely move. He let Lu Qinger help him retreat. As for Lin Suo, he had lost all interest in Qin Zhulu and Lu Qinger, turning to Li Luo in fright. The dark-red arrow of light was being aimed in his direction. F*ck! You must be cheating! Lin Suo swore, his face turning green. This power was way beyond his level, and he could feel his knees shaking in fear. How could Li Luo have such power?! It didnt make sense! What sort of secret art could be so terrifying?! Lin Suo felt a strong surge of regret. If only he had finished off Li Luo at any of the earlier opportunities he had If only the kid wasnt a freaking monster! He did not stand his ground. He was smart enough to spend all his energy trying to escape, heading immediately for the dense forest to try and defray some of the arrows energy. Li Luo sighted in on his opponent and steadied himself. He let go. Caw! The shriek of a hawk, amplified until it was practically a sonic boom. The streak of red light bore down on the fleeing Lin Suo in a blur of speed. Boom! This time, the sound wave was far stronger than before. It vaporized all of the trees in a flash. Even at a considerable distance, Lu Qinger and Qin Zhulu fell to the floor, clutching their ears in agony. As for Lin Suo, his ears were bleeding from the impact, eardrums shattered by the sound. His entire head was throbbing and his vision blacked out for a moment. He stood still, trying to recover. He turned to face the attackit was too fast for him to outrun. In this life-or-death situation, he screamed in defiance and unleashed all the remaining resonant power he had, charging his Octagold Shield to create the strongest defense he could. Weng! A golden nimbus hummed to life, protruding from the Octagold Shield. Swoosh! The red arrow blasted through the layers of light like a ballista bolt through paper. A few short moments later, it reached the metal of the shield itself. The golden light defense had barely done anything. As the light was snuffed out like a candle, Lin Suos eyes were filled with resignation. There was little more than he could do. The Octagold Shield was cracking under the power of Li Luos attack. CRACK! The shield buckled, and the relentless, red bolt flew on, burying itself deep in Lin Suos chest. The head emerged from his back, and still the arrow flew on, carrying him through the air. It plowed through a tree, cleaving it in two before pinning him to a rock wall further behind. The rock reported the impact with a loud crack and a deep fissure. One arrow had decided the victory. Qin Zhulu and Lu Qinger stared in wonder at the lifeless Lin Suo, pinned to the rock. Li Luos arrow was amazing. Such power as a Third Pattern was this even humanly possible? Li Luo slumped down from the perch in his tree. Lu Qinger started towards him, but Qin Zhulu suddenly reached out to hold her back. Somethings wrong with Li Luo. Lu Qinger saw that Li Luos face was twisted in a feral grimace, a snarl that she had never seen on his features before. He looked more like an animal at the moment. Was he corrupted? Qin Zhulu wondered aloud. Lu Qinger turned pale, but she insistently shrugged off Qin Zhulus warning hand. She continued to walk towards Li Luo, whose eyes were locked on her, hungry as an animal. She did not care, walking on until she was right in front of him. She slipped her small hand into his, using Crystal Heart again. Li Luo, she said tenderly. Its over now. Li Luo fought the redness in his eyes, closing them as he took deep breaths. Slowly, the mania faded away. When he opened them again, he was back to normal. He ran his fingers through his hair and smiled grandly at Lu Qinger. Was that not the coolest shot you ever saw? She laughed, tears of relief brimming at the corners of her eyes. She reached out to hug him tightly. Li Luo was startled by the sudden affection, quickly opening his hands to show his innocence. Thats too forward be careful! If Jiang Qinge sees this, therell be trouble. Lu Qinger pouted. Im not afraid of her! Li Luo felt like crying. Of course youre not afraid. The one shell beat up isnt going to be you! Chapter 369: Dividing the Spoils Chapter 369: Dividing the Spoils The battleground was a mess. Li Luo sat under one of the trees that had not been leveled. Lu Qinger was bent over him, tenderly helping him bandage the wound on his palm. Although Li Luo had healing abilities, the wound was so deep that he would probably take a few days to recover. Qin Zhulu was slumped over like a ragdoll nearby, too tired to move an inch. He had been ridden hard as well, caked in thick patches of dried blood from when he had tanked Lin Suos attacks. He had paid a heavy price too. At the moment, there were more wounds than unblemished skin for Qin Zhulu. It was said that the best defense was a good offense. Indeed, Qin Zhulus constant aggression had kept Lin Suo too busy to attack Li Luo. Of course, the Blacklight Panoply had augmented his defenses and closed the gap between a Third Pattern and a Third Changing. Beaten up and bedraggled, now he had to watch the guy and girl beside him. He was not envious. Rather, he felt emotionally uncomfortable, like a third wheel. Wrestling with both physical and emotional discomfort, he scooched over and lowered his upper body down with a groan, lying flat down and staring up into the sky. There was nothing he could do about the others, but perhaps he could find some rest. The great battle had completely worn them out. Although they had had the numbers advantage, it was not enough to overcome the disparity in strength. All three were doing their best to recover. Close to twenty minutes later, Li Luo creaked to his feet and walked over to Qin Zhulu, clapping him on the shoulder. Qin Zhulu snorted and rolled his eyes. Youre dry yourself, man. How are you going to heal me? You did the most. Li Luo grinned. Ill find a drop or two. Brace yourself! Li Luo squeezed out some healing power. Qin Zhulu winced in relief, the healing power easing him up like a shot of oil into rusty joints. He grunted and his breathing grew lighter. The pleasant feeling lasted a full ten seconds before vanishing. Thats it? Qin Zhulu demanded. I told you it was only a few drops, Li Luo responded. Rising to his feet heavily, he plodded towards Lin Suo, who was still pinned to the rock. Qin Zhulu swore and followed, scrambling to his feet while using his spear as a crutch. Li Luo looked down at Lin Suo. There was a huge hole in the latters shirt, and his chest had caved in slightly, broken ribs paving the way down to a yawning hole through which his organs could be seen pulsating gently. Lin Suos breathing was ragged. He was on the verge of death. But thanks to the Golden Dragon Secret Key, he was still holding on to one last breath. Light-headed and disoriented from his state, he looked up at Li Luo with eyes unfocused but filled with a deep resentment. He was boiling with anger, because the tables had been turned on him. A honest-to-goodness Third Changing like him, beaten by a Third Pattern! Li Luo ignored the poison in the wounded youths gaze, giving him a hearty smack on the shoulder. Brother Lin, since we came together, we should go back together. Thats all neat and tidy, wouldnt you say? Ill treat you to a meal when we get back, if theres a chance. Qin Zhulu stared at him. Li Luo was a dark-humored bastard. When they went back, Yu Hongxi would probably flay him to within an inch of his death. Have a meal together? The only chance would be through a straw. He made a mental note that Li Luo was the kind of person who would kill you cheerfully, then hum a ditty while he dug you a grave. Eurrgh! Lin Suos reaction was an aggravated mouthful of blood before he fainted. Thats all you got? Li Luo demanded of the unconscious youth. He was only sending this guy back to the Xia Kingdom. Kids these days were too soft. Li Luo reached out to grab Lin Suos pocket sphere. Rummaging through it, he quickly found the black gourd that held half of Lu Qingers Golden Dragon Qi. Qinger, catch, he said, casually tossing it over. She reached out to catch it with both hands. The moment it landed on her cupped palms, a golden mist rose from it, which Lu Qinger breathed back into her body. The transition lasted for a dozen breaths of time before all was quiet again. The black gourd lay inert in her hands. I feel the same she said with uncertainty. Well, the Golden Dragon Qis a strange thing. Li Luo shrugged cheerfully. Puny Resonant Masters like us wouldnt know what its about. Lu Qinger nodded. Li Luo upended the pocket sphere and pulled out the Octagold Shield next. There was a nice, clean hole in it, and its energy levels were badly dimmed. It had somehow been broken by the attack. Still, upper white-eyes were upper white-eyes. If he dropped a little gold for the repairs, it would make a great defensive tool. He paused thoughtfully before handing it over to Qin Zhulu. Its yours. All three of them had helped to make the win come through. Li Luo had no intention of taking all the spoils for himself. Lu Qinger had her Golden Dragon Qi back, and that was not divisible. But their meat shield had worked hard, and he deserved his rewards. Qin Zhulu took one look at the Octagold Shield, then shook his head. You did the most. Keep the shield. Besides, you might need a defensive treasured artifact more than I do. I already have the Blacklight Panoply. Li Luo shook his head. I want the pocket sphere though. He intended to give it to Jiang Qinge when he got back, which was why he had given up the shield. Take them both. Give me a million skygold in return, Qin Zhulu said unconcernedly. Little Lu, you treat me so well, Li Luo said with puppy eyes. I actually have a few drops of healing energy in reserve, do you want me to give them to you? Nah, stay away from me. Qin Zhulu scowled at him, then turned and stalked away. Li Luo grinned. He knew that this was Qin Zhulu being nice, but he wasnt going to stand on ceremony. The Octagold Shield was indeed going to be helpful for him. As for the pocket sphere, the price was probably slightly over a million skygold, so Qin Zhulu was asking for a reasonable price. Li Luo tucked the pocket sphere away, satisfied. Well, you should go get the most important thing now, he reminded Lu Qinger, gesturing at the peak of the mountain, where a golden light shone. Within, a golden writ floated. The Golden Dragon Mountain writ. Lu Qinger turned to look at it reverently. She walked right through the light unhindered and took the golden writ. A life-like golden dragon was inscribed across it. Its scales gleamed and caught the light from different angles, giving the impression that the dragon was moving. Faint dragon roars could even be heard from the precious writ. Lu Qinger examined it with a mixture of curiosity and delight. Although she had not come expressly to get the writ, it was definitely what her mother wished for. Surely Yu Hongxi would see Li Luo in a different light now that they had come out with a good result, right? A little bit of pride sprouted in her chest as she imagined her mothers surprise at the outcome. I bet you feel embarrassed for underestimating Li Luo now! Chapter 370: Dao Fields Closing Chapter 370: Dao Fields Closing When Lu Qinger took the Golden Dragon Mountain Writ, the light on the peak faded away, indicating that the fight on this peak was over. Of all five lit peaks, this was the first one to be claimed. Which was why when the golden light faded away, it drew much surprise from the other participants. They all knew that the strongest individual present, Lin Suo, had staked his claim to that peak. As a Third Changing cultivator, he had taken down many teams single-handedly, inspiring fear in them all. The other elite teams had avoided challenging his peak because of his strength. When the light faded away, everyone naturally assumed that Lin Suo had done it as expected. Soon enough, the light on the other peaks winked out one after another as their writs were also claimed. Soon, all the peaks were dark again, the writs in the hands of new owners. Suddenly, the five writs shone brightly like stars, drawing attention to their beholders. Li Luo looked out to the other peaks, where he could make out a few familiar figures Both Gu Ying and Zhao Ziyang seemed to have claimed one. He was not surprisedthey were among the strongest teams here. They, on the other hand, were extremely surprised to see Li Luos trio with the writ. Them?! What about Lin Suo?! They could not believe it. That was Lin Suos peak where was the man? There was only one explanation, an unthinkable explanation. Lin Suo had been defeated. How could they have won?! Zhao Ziyang stammered to his team. He was well aware of how strong Lin Suo was. Third Changing was a notch above him, and even with his allies, the battle would be close. That was why he had been reluctant to challenge him, even when Lin Suo had destroyed the Golden Dragon Qi, killing off their golden goose. But now the mighty Lin Suo had lost to the team of Yu Lang?! How?! Lin Suo was as shrewd as he was strong. He would not underestimate his opponents. Gu Ying was of the same mind. She did not think it possible that this was all part of Lin Suos purpose. Not getting the writ was a failure, plain and simple. And it might even cost him his life He had crossed the young mistress of the Xia Kingdoms Golden Dragon Bank in a vicious plot to steal her Golden Dragon Qi. Back at the Xia Kingdom, surely Lu Qingers parents would be furious. His only chance to survive was to get the writ and immediately secure passage on to greener pastures. Without the writ, he would be sent back the way he had come to an ending that everyone could predict. Yet with so much at stake, Lin Suo had lost. Lin Suo had every incentive to do his best which meant that his opponents had brought enough power to beat him at his best. But Lu Qingers trio were only Pattern Genesis Tier cultivators! Gu Yings mind immediately jumped to Yu Lang. He had struck her as a resourceful youth, one not only as pretty as a jewel, but as valuable as one too. He was the hardest to read it had to be him. And her instincts told her that this Yu Lang had to be the largest factor in Lin Suos downfall. Dual resonances it was as rare as a ninth-grade resonance. Yu Lang Gu Ying and Zhao Ziyang both muttered the name to themselves with some wariness. Yu Lang was from the Xia Kingdoms Astral Sage College. At years end, he would almost definitely be at the Holy Grail Meet, where the best of the elite schools talents would come together. Although Yu Lang was only a One Star student, from what he had shown, he would definitely be closely watched at the Holy Grail Meet. He would be a dangerous opponent then. Looks like well have to relay that information to our school once we get back. If we meet Yu Lang during the Holy Grail Meet, itll be best to find a way to eliminate him as soon as possible. Before he causes any trouble. Many of the students thought that way to themselves. Which meant that in the near future, the name of Yu Lang would be spread far and wide across the schools of the East Divine Continent. Yu Langa formidable foe. With this thought going through the minds of all the participants, energy vortexes began to form in the sky, sending down pillars of light. Each pillar fell neatly around one team. That means were going out, Lu Qinger told Li Luo and Qin Zhulu. Which means its time for the final step, Li Luo said eagerly. The final step he referred to was the dao-gold cultivation breakthrough! When they left the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, all the dao-gold they had remaining would be converted into energy that would help their cultivation. Besides the Reservoir, this was one of the most prized components of being able to enter the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. The unconscious Lin Suo still lay at Li Luos feet, and the bugger still had some dao-gold on him. Unfortunately, the rules of the Dao Fields was that dao-gold could not be stolen. Lucky bugger. The energy column hummed, and Li Luo, Lu Qinger, Qin Zhulu, and the unconscious Lin Suo all rose into the air. They looked out at the light columns scattered all across the mountain range, people rising up like some sort of holy ascension. It was a splendid sight. As they were lifted up, he could see dao-gold flying out of his pocket sphere. Every piece of dao-gold was burning up into golden flames. They scattered around him like a swarm of energetic fireflies, vibrating hard before they zoomed towards him as one. Li Luo closed his eyes in anticipation. Each little ball of fire entered his body smoothly and silently. It was a vigorous and pure energy that spread within his body, going off like soda bubbles in a glass. They bubbled out of him, and he glowed at odd spots with a fiery light even as he continued to rise through the air. All around him, the same phenomenon was happening to every other participant. Higher and higher they rose, until they were sucked up by the energy vortex and taken away. After less than ten minutes, the lively mountainside was quiet and dark. The only thing that had changed was the destruction and damage that they had left behind. Chapter 371: Fifth Pattern Chapter 371: Fifth Pattern When Li Luo opened his eyes again, he was back in a familiar placethe backyard of the Xia Kingdoms Golden Dragon Bank. His first response was to check his body. He found his resonance seeds glowing and wobbling unsteadily, sparking with new resonant power that had not fully integrated itself inwards. Five resonance marks could be seen on the surface of his resonance seeds. Resonant power burned steadily around it like a stars corona. Li Luo was stunned. He was a Fifth Pattern?! His resonant power had brought him from the third subtier of the Pattern Genesis Tier to the fifth?! He was pleasantly shocked. He had estimated one subtier at best. But the dao-gold cultivation breakthrough had exceeded all of his expectations by a happy margin. Was the dao-gold cultivation breakthrough that strong? Li Luo was overjoyed. Two subtiers meant that he had pushed his cultivation schedule by two or three months, which was a godsend for someone short on time like himself. And it was not just his resonant powerhe realized that the ugly wound on his palm had also healed completely. He marveled at the meticulous nature of the Dao Fields; they had really thought of everything. Not only did they top you up full of power and stuff your pockets with treasures, they even gave you a kiss on the head and healed your wounds before they sent you on your way. Completely healed? Li Luo jerked around with a sudden realization. BOOM! He was smacked with a terrible roiling wave of resonant power, wet with the rusty smell of blood. Who else but Lin Suo? Li Luo understood the menacing glint in Lin Suos eyes immediately. The latter was charging over to seize Lu Qinger before anybody could react! Dog! Li Luo shouted. He had been careless. Of course the Golden Dragon Dao Fields had not just healed the wounds of their trio. The half-dead Lin Suo had also been fully restored! Not even Li Luo could do much to stop him at the moment. Lu Qinger had noted Lin Suos movements as well, but she stood stone still, staring at Lin Suo with an icy gaze and making no move to defend herself. CRACK! When Lin Suos hand clawed out at Lu Qinger, a ferocious swish came from above, lightning quick and out of the blue, smashing Lin Suo into the ground. He lay sprawled in a crater, coughing blood in a way that spoke of crushed organs. He was hit so badly that even his skin had broken down, blood seeping out of woeful splotches. Soon enough, he was as sorry a sight as before the Golden Dragon Dao Fields had healed him. Li Luo looked up to see Yu Hongxi and some of the Golden Dragon Banks higher-ups standing outside the transportation formation. Her face was full of cold fury as she stared down at Lin Suo like he was a maggot. She was a terrifying avatar indeed. A Duke expert. Li Luo shuddered a little. This was his first time seeing Yu Hongxi attack out of anger. The intensity it was a Dukes rage, raw and unfettered. Enough to bend worldly natural energy to her will. No wonder Lu Qinger had not moved a muscle in the face of Lin Suos attackshe had absolute trust in her mother. Lin Suo? What are you doing!? Vice President Ning Que shouted severely, alarmed. No one besides Yu Hongxi had reacted in time. They had hesitated because Lin Suo was also a member of the Golden Dragon Bank. Yu Hongxis motherly instincts had kicked in. Of course she would protect her daughter. She did not care about what Lin Suo intended, good or bad. Raising a hand against her daughter was out of bounds. If he died for it, so be it. Li Luo, Lu Qinger, and Qin Zhulu walked out of the transportation formation, along with the conflicted-looking duo of Ning Zhao and Zhu Xuan. Mother. Lu Qinger ran to her mother, pointing at Lin Suo. Someone must have sent him. He was out to get me. She told her mother everything that had happened in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. Golden Dragon Qi? Both Yu Hongxi and Ning Que gasped upon hearing the news, and an excited murmur broke out among the other higher-ups. When they heard that Lin Suo had stolen Lu Qingers Golden Dragon Qi, Yu Hongxis delight turned to anger. Ning Zhao, is what Qinger says true? Vice President Ning Que quickly asked. Ning Zhao nodded. Father, it is Lin Suo was a bad egg, and he even had us fooled. We thought we were joining forces to protect Qinger, but that scum attacked her in secret. Vice President Ning Que and the other higher-ups were looking sober. This was a grave matter. Lin Suo had hidden his true intentions very well. It was beyond the work of a mere Resonant Master. Planting an agent so deep for so many years meant that there had to be a deeper, more sinister plot behind it all. Perhaps he had been waiting for this opportunity all the while? But why sabotage Lu Qingers Golden Dragon Qi? Yu Hongxis face was like stone. She turned to Lin Suo, who was still crushed into a crater at her feet. Guards, take him to Dragon Dungeon. Make him talk. I want to know who was behind this. A dozen shadows appeared immediately. They pulled black, spiked chains out of their sleeves, which they wrapped tightly around Lin Suo. The spikes buried themselves in his flesh, biting into his skeleton. They dragged him off into the sky and vanished. Lin Suo had not been able to even make a sound. Li Luo silently bade him farewell. Goodbye, friend. Looks like I wont be able to treat you to that meal like I hoped. Still, all I did was to bring you back to the Xia Kingdom. The rest has nothing to do with me. If you have a complaint, take it up with Yu Hongxi, Brother. He jerked back to reality to find Yu Hongxi staring at him. He quailed a little, her terrifying presence from a moment ago still fresh in his mind. He could see that the wrath of the Xia Kingdoms Golden Dragon Bank leader was not to be incurred. Unless one had a death wish, of course. While he squirmed, her features suddenly melted to a warm, glowing smile, filled with satisfaction. Li Luo, you did very well. I am proud of you. Li Luo was a little startled by her sudden change of attitude. Er, he offered cautiously, does this mean I dont need to pay for the Resonant Bubble skill? Chapter 372: Internal Conflict Chapter 372: Internal Conflict Li Luos question took Yu Hongxi by surprise. She rolled her eyes at him. Yes, its yours, with my compliments. Li Luo gave her a big thumbs up. President Yu is the best. Under your steady captaincy, Xia Kingdoms Golden Dragon Bank is steered into bountiful seas and bonanzas of treasure. That silver tongue, Yu Hongxi muttered to herself, shaking her head. This kid was not at all like his father, a proud and almost careless man. He rarely paid attention to anything, seeing it all as below him. Getting a kind word out of him was harder than pulling teeth. Whereas this Li Luo was all to eager to pour on the honey for a gold piece. Still, Yu Hongxi was in a good mood. Lin Suos hiccup had not affected the outcome. Lu Qinger had won back the Golden Dragon Qi, and a Golden Dragon Mountain writ to boot. An ideal result. Mother, that Lin Suo hid his powers really well. He was a Third Changing. We only managed to beat him and get back the Golden Dragon Qi thanks to Li Luo. Lu Qinger said with a winsome smile at her mother. Well? I chose right, didnt I? Yu Hongxi looked down at her daughter trying to hide her pride, and smiled affectionately at her. This lass was trying to rub one in at this time? She just wanted the win over her mother for doubting her choice of Li Luo as a teammate. Still, Yu Hongxi had no complaints with Li Luos performance. Just as Lu Qinger had said, the three Pattern Genesis cultivators taking down an Evolving Resonance third tier Lin Suo was a remarkable achievement. Although she had not seen the fight herself, but as a Duke she could clearly tell who had done the bulk of the work. Li Luo was truly Li Taixuans son. Even without the overweening pride of his father, he had the same ostentatious flair to his work. I must thank you deeply for helping Qinger secure both Golden Dragon Qi and Golden Dragon Mountain writ, Yu Hongxi said to Li Luo and Qin Zhulu. She was not ungracious with her praise at a time like this. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu shook their heads. Dont need to be so courteous, President Yu, Li Luo said brightly. We got a lot of treasure in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields too. Were very grateful to you for the opportunity to enter as well. Yu Hongxi inclined her head. She did not continue with meaningless pleasantry, wrapping up the conversation deftly before seeing them out with Lu Qinger. You have worked hard in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields this time, and Im sure you must be tired. Please return and rest well. If you ever have need of help, you can find me here at the Golden Dragon Bank. I will do my best with whatever I can, she said to the pair. Both Li Luo and Qin Zhulu acknowledged her offer of help gratefully, then waved goodbye to Lu Qinger and departed. They had been in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields for close to a month. Although it was not as harsh an environment as Umbra Cave, but it had still been tiring. They were eager to get some rest. Lu Qinger watched Li Luo go, her smile fading away with his figure in the distance. She turned back to her mother. Mum, this time in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields has been strange from start to finish. Lin Suo must have been a planted martyr, ready to give his life for a cause. His skills might not even have been properly trained, but perhaps implanted with some forbidden arts at the cost of his lifespan. I was in error not to check him properly before. I should have been able to detect it, Yu Hongxi frowned. She had sensed a glimpse of Lin Suos strange power when she attacked him previously. Who planted him? Lu Qinger demanded. Yu Hongxi was silent for a moment. That is hard to say. I will go back and expel the entire upper management of Tiancang provinces branch. But not before I hang them up by their feet and find out what they know. Maybe they dont know anything? Lu Qinger offered. If they knew, then they have failed me. And if they do not know, still they have failed us, Yu Hongxi stated flatly. Lu Qinger nodded, and asked another question that had been on her mind. And the Golden Dragon Qi. Why was it with me? Yu Hongxi smiled. It is definitely bestowed to one of those who are directly affiliated with the Golden Dragon Bank. And it wasnt only you who received it. Surely its not that odd? But why did Lin Suo know that I would get it, and then come to get it? Lu Qinger pressed. Yu Hongxi shook her head to show she did not know. Mother, do you know how breaking the Golden Dragon Qi would have affected me in the future? Yu Hongxi sighed softly. It would have stunted your future. Holders of the Golden Dragon Qi will enjoy great gains if they set foot on Golden Dragon Mountain. If the Golden Dragon Qi was spoiled, you would have lost that chance at a blessed fate. So someone wanted to stop me from going to Golden Dragon Mountain? It could be the work of my enemies, Yu Hongxi said angrily. The position of Xia Kingdom Golden Dragon Bank leader attracts much envy, both from within and without Mum, you might be president here, but in the larger scale of things, surely that doesnt count for much, Lu Qinger said half-teasingly. Everything seemed off in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields this time. It seemed like there were people helping me from the shadows as well. Thats something that not even you could do, right? And for the final dao-gold cultivation breakthrough, the three of us managed two breakthroughs each. But from what I know, that seems a little stronger than what we should have had Moreover, for someone to have trained a martyr like Lin Suo and hidden him even from you for all these years it speaks of something big. I think we are facing opponents that might even be beyond you. Yu Hongxi glared at Lu Qinger. Was her daughter belittling her? Mother, Im not looking down on you! Lu Qinger hastily clarified. Im just analyzing things objectively. And what else have you deduced? Yu Hongxi said, curbing her pride. I think, Lu Qinger said carefully. This might have something to do with my dad? Is Lin Suos superior an enemy of my father? Yu Hongxi looked down at the floor in silence and continued walking on. Perhaps not an enemy, but even kin? she said softly. Chapter 373: Rest and Relaxation Chapter 373: Rest and Relaxation In the next two days, Li Luo remained at House Luolans headquarters, not setting one foot outside the door. He was both recovering from the fatigues of the Dao Fields, as well as familiarizing himself with his newfound strength. In a garden. Li Luo sprawled lazily on a chair, limbs draping over its arms. The mild sunlight was as warm as a blanket, coaxing him off into a comfortable drowse. Nearby was Cai Wei, today in a tight red top that flared out daringly at her knees. It hid nothing about her figure. She was here to report on Suncreek Villas progress in the last month. Li Luo was well-pleased with it. Thanks to the addition of Li Bi and the other talents from Resonance Artificers Hall, the scale of Suncreek Villa had increased dramatically. Fueled by his secret watersource and Bai Mengmengs four-star formula, Suncreek Villas returns were higher than they had ever been. This was just the start. When the resonance artificers settled in proper and Suncreek Villas reputation began to grow, so would the results. Suncreek Villas prospects were incredible. Two slender fingers placed a peeled grape precisely on Li Luos lips. He grinned, pushing the grape against his teeth, and leaned back to look upside-down at Cai Wei. Sister Cai Wei, from my upside-down perspective, your mouth is a frown. Thanks to my amazing deduction skills, I know that rightside-up, youre actually smiling. And I know exactly what that smile means. Cai Wei shoved the grape in with a bright smile. Well in that case, hand over this months load please. Li Luo chewed the grape sourly. Ill have you know that the last training was arduous, and- Cai Wei cupped his chin and pushed his mouth shut. Hush now, be good. I cant help it either. Suncreek Villa is clamoring for secret watersource every day. If you stop providing, Suncreek Villas results will suffer. She turned to her other side and picked up a case which she opened in front of him, showing two glass phials inside. The liquid was filled with a rousing vitality that awoke a thirst in his resonant palaces. Li Luo immediately sat up straight. Seventh-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights?! Ah, has the young lord found his motivation again? Li Luo waved grandly. Exactly what I needed after my last breakthrough. You are so predictable, she smiled. If thats enough for you, why not prepare more secret watersource C increase the yield of Suncreek Villa? Li Luo pulled a long face. Sister Cai Wei, remember the proverb: thin streams flow longest, he lectured her with irritating superiority. If you squeeze too hard, you might break the golden gooses neck. Youre no weak sponge anymore, Cai Wei said tartly. Surely you can take some squeezing? Still, she was half-teasing. Well in any case, Suncreek Villa has its success today mostly due to your secret watersource. Thats a good thing, but in the long run its risky. A single supply source is too sparse C not diversifying is a big risk. Li Luo nodded in surprise. Sister Cai Wei, thats some great foresight. It was hard to predict the future. Especially when blackholes like the Housemeet were on the horizon. And was Li Luo going to always stay at Xia Kingdom? He did not know himself. And if he left, Suncreek Villa would quickly revert back to its broken state. This was a situation they had to deal with beforehand. What are you thinking, sister Cai Wei? Nothing concrete. I just think that Suncreek Villa might need to prepare some other secret watersource as a standby. Of course, a supply with high quality and purity is not easily acquired. But regardless, preparations need to be made. Mm. Ill leave that to you, and also look out for more news on that front, Li Luo grinned. She rolled her eyes at him. He was sure taking this lightly and laying it heavily on her. Sister Cai Wei, I have another request, Li Luo said, pulling out the damaged Octagold Shield. House Luolan has smithing businesses as well. Can you get someone to repair this? And also help me do some shopping C see if there are twin shortswords treasured artifacts that suit me well. At least upper white-eyes, although gold-eye treasured artifacts would be best. Cai Wei received the Octagold Shield with trembling hands. Gold-eye treasured artifact? Li Luo sure said it casually enough. But such treasured artifacts were not common, and they had a price tag to match that rarity. Gold-eye treasured artifacts went for several million skygold. Even with Suncreek Villas rising profits, they were not printing money here. Still, Cai Wei did not gripe about Li Luos extravagance. She sighed. Gold-eye treasured artifacts are rare, and twin shortsword-types rarer still. But I will keep a look out. Still, I think its more likely I find upper white-eyes or gilded white-eyes. Li Luo nodded. Im counting on you, he said with real sincerity. Its my fault for always being so reliable, she sniped back at him. After discussing the details of the next batch of secret watersource, she hurried off on her business. After all, all matters in House Luolan, big and small, needed a final pass from her. She was the keeper of all matters, reporting everything that required attention to Li Luo and Jiang Qinge. If not for this dependable manager Cai Wei, Li Luo and Jiang Qinge would not have any time left over to cultivate at Astral Sage College. As she left, Li Luo settled back down for his nap in the sunshine. A short while later, he sensed his sunshine blocked, and opened a grumpy eye to see a tall, slender figure with arms crossed, and looking down at him. The sunshine peeked through her hair, lending it a golden shine that was entrancing to watch. On her shaded face, her golden eyes were like pools of liquid gold, drawing him in. Sister Qinge, youre back! Li Luo exclaimed happily. He had not seen her in the last two days. She had gone back to Umbra Cave to train. Jiang Qinge looked him up and down, then smiled. Not bad, another jump. Fifth Pattern? Seems like this trip to the Golden Dragon Dao Fields was well spent. Li Luo sat up happily and looked at the beauty by his side. He noted the chips on her armor and splotches of dark liquid, and understood that she had probably cut her Umbra Cave training short to rush back once she heard news of him. Perhaps a few hours ago, she was still fighting abominations in that sunless place. Li Luo felt a sudden surge of worry for her. He reached out and took her hand in his. She looked back at him with a smile, not resisting. And then she felt an object roll into her hand. Looking down curiously, she saw a silvery pocket sphere. A present, Li Luo grinned. She looked at it in surprise, her own reflection smiling back at her from the pocket spheres silvery surface. She turned it over in her hands. It was cool to the touch, but warmed her heart. Suddenly hardworking, suddenly a present did you do anything thats going to anger me? she demanded of him with narrowed eyes. Li Luo puffed up his chest indignantly. Okay, forget it. I know you can act. She grinned back at him, stifling his epic monologue. She reached forwards to pull him into a tight hug. She rested her cheek lightly on his shoulder, raising her hand up to look at the pocket sphere from around his neck. I like the present very much, she whispered into his ear. Chapter 374: Historical Baggage Chapter 374: Historical Baggage In the garden, Li Luo tugged Jiang Qinge until she sat down with him, and he recounted what had happened in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. So Lin Suo was not targeting you, but Lu Qinger She was surprised as well. Perhaps they had been too paranoid C they were clearly not the only ones with enemies. But that Lu Qinger is really lucky you guys really lucked out on many fronts inside there, Jiang Qinge pointed out observantly. Li Luo nodded. He could sense that Lu Qinger had hidden things from them. Perhaps she had guessed something, but if she was not ready to share, Li Luo was not planning to ask. Everyone had their own secrets to hide. He had also heard before that the dao-gold cultivation breakthrough was only a minor boost, and even a token improvement for the unlucky ones. A single breakthrough was considered very good. And they had enjoyed a double breakthrough each Well, the Golden Dragon Dao Fields are controlled by the Golden Dragon Banks headquarters, or perhaps one of their important people. They might not be able to intervene blatantly, but it would be all too easy to fiddle and tweak. Like the three gilded white-eyes C it would be foolish to think that there was no one behind that. Li Luo nodded. Seems like Qinger has friends in high places. Or perhaps its something to do with her father, whos rarely seen at Xia Kingdom. Qingers father? Li Luo repeated. Youre right C Ive never seen him before. Is he not from Xia Kingdom? Hey- that President Lu from Tianshus Golden Dragon Bank wouldnt be her uncle, would he? he noted with a sudden jolt. I hear that things were complicated back then. The version I heard was that Yu Hongxi was interested in mentor, but he got together with your mother. Yu Hongxis pride made her leave Xia Kingdom. When she returned, she was already with a young child C Lu Qinger. That President Lu came along with her as well. Of course the rumors were that President Lu was Lu Qingers father, but later those whispers died away. Neither Yu Hongxi nor President Lu treat each other in a likely way. Jiang Qinge recounted. Li Luo pursed his lips thoughtfully. So the last generation had quite a happening time as well, didnt they? Even a strong woman like Yu Hongxi had her soft spots. His dad must have been a real lady-killer. Lu Qinger wouldnt be my sister, would she? Li Luo suddenly blurted in a big-brain moment. Dyou think Yu Hongxi ran away with my dad for a tryst? Its not completely out of the question, Jiang Qinge said with a wary look. If thats really the case, mentor is in trouble. Your mother would beat him to death. Li Luo shivered. His mother had a scary side to her. Well, I treat all of the above as hearsay. But I think that the events in Golden Dragon Dao Fields this time must have something to do with Lu Qingers father. Perhaps hes highly placed in Golden Dragon Bank? And Lin Suo might be sent by her fathers enemies. But as to the depth and purpose of this attack, its hard to tell without more information. Definitely a question for Yu Hongxi, and not us, to ponder. Jiang Qinge said. Why would Qingers father remain far away from Xia Kingdom for so many years? I heard that she hasnt even seen him herself for years. Li Luo mused. Everyone has skeletons in the closet. Why care about it so much? Or Jiang Qinge looked over at an excited Li Luo, Are you interested for other reasons? Im just concerned for a friend! Li Luo said, alarmed. Jiang Qinge smiled and changed the topic. I heard from Cai Wei that you asked her to look for a twin shortsword-type gold-eye treasured artifact? Li Luo nodded. My last pair was broken in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. Normal resonant artifacts wont cut it for me now, so of course I need treasured artifacts. Gold-eye treasured artifacts would be ideal, but if not I could settle for an upper white-eye or gilded white-eye. With enough money, upper white-eyes and even gilded white-eyes should be readily available. There should be a decent selection from which you can choose. But gold-eyes are rare. Even within Golden Dragon Bank, they might handle less than 10 in a year. And to narrow it down further to twin shortswords will make it even rarer. Even in House Luolan, gold-eye treasured artifacts were rare. The Imperial Fortress Sword she currently used was one of them C left to her as a present from her two mentors when she had enrolled in Astral Sage College. By the time Li Luo entered school, they had already disappeared, and so there was no such present for him. Jiang Qinge felt a sudden desire to spoil Li Luo a little. Twin sword gold-eye treasured artifacts are hard to find even within Golden Dragon Bank, but if you really want them, theres a place where you can choose as you wish. And more importantly you can get it for free. Jiang Qinge finally said. Li Luo stared at her in shock. Could there be such a good thing in this world? The whole world knew that Li Luos favorite word in the world was free! Which imbecile would happily let me walk away with a gold-eye treasured artifact? Li Luo asked. Jiang Qinge smiled sweetly at him. The treasure vault of Astral Sage College. Li Luo stared at her, agog. Youre asking me to rob the vault of Astral Sage College?! I er, am not unwilling, but I dont think I have the skill. You really have no boundaries, she rolled her eyes. She couldnt believe he had actually considered it for a moment. How would the school give me a gold-eye treasured artifact for free? Theyre no charity? Li Luo asked impatiently. Normally not a charity, no. The schools treasure vaults are seldom thrown wide open to students, except for some special occasions remember the Holy Grail Meet? Li Luo nodded. Of course he did. Plus, principal Pang Qianyuan had left him a super-difficult mission as well. Li Luo still had no idea how he was going to accomplish it. The Holy Grail Meet lets just say that the school views it much more seriously than you can imagine. There are still more than two months to the Holy Grail Meet. In the month that you were away at the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, the school had already started extra training. Therell also be special training for the Violet Vibrance squads. In the next month, the special training will only intensify. Its best you dont skip those. After every month of special training, Astral Sage College will invite some of the neighboring schools for a sparring match. The scrimming helps us get a sense of where they are at, and also its good practice. Dont treat the scrims lightly C Astral Sage Colleges reputation is at stake. And this time round were hosting. If the hosts lose badly with home ground advantage, its going to be pretty bad for both school reputation and individual morale. Jiang Qinge was looking very serious now. In order to encourage the students to fight hard for glory, whoever can do well and uphold the reputation will be allowed a free gold-eye treasured artifact from the school treasure vaults, as a reward. Li Luo sat up so straight you could use his back as a ruler. Sister Qinge, Ive decided to forgo those things you call meals from now on. Im off for special training! For the glory of the school! It is the duty of this humble student to fight for it! Chapter 375: A Gift for Bai Mengmeng Chapter 375: A Gift for Bai Mengmeng In the end, Li Luo did not run pell-mell through the night to get back to school, because Jiang Qinge pointed out that the mentors would all be sleeping already. No one would see his enthusiasm. Li Luos motivation dried up at that point, and he generously offered to spend the night with Jiang Qinge instead. After dinner, Jiang Qinge returned to her own practice. Li Luo sighed deeply, then went to take a long shower and turn in. The next day, Li Luo and Jiang Qinge returned to Astral Sage College together. She was going to continue her cultivation in Umbra Cave C even though the place was sinister and dangerous, but if one could deal with the corruption from the Others, the rewards were considerable. When they reached school they parted ways. Li Luo almost told Jiang Qinge to be careful in Umbra Cave, then thought better of it. For newcomers like him, Umbra Cave might be quite an intimidating place, but for Jiang Qinge, it was just a harsher training environment. After saying his goodbyes, Li Luo headed back for his tower. The first thing he saw when he pushed the door open was Xin Fu, having breakfast at the table. The latter was equally surprised to see him there. Youre back, he said in his usual lackluster tone. Im back, Li Luo agreed. Youve missed out a lot of special training in the last month, Xin Fu said with a hint of smugness. You dont even know what youve missed. Im already a Third Pattern myself. If you continue lazing about, I might even take your leader position, Li Luo. I see, Li Luo said, relishing every moment. Sorry to say, Im already Fifth Pattern. Xin Fus chopsticks fell with a clatter as a burst of shadow resonant power blasted his chair against the wall. Good morning, leader! Have you had breakfast already? Theres some here for you if you want. Li Luo waved it away. Very kind of you. Anyways, it seems like you havent really been working hard in the last month. Id better report that to mentor Chi Chan. After all, Mengmengs the support in our team. When we fight stronger teams, the two of us need to take all the heat, so youd better not fall behind. With my authority as a leader, I command you to reach Fourth Pattern in a month! Smiling broadly, he sauntered off to the basement. Xin Fu stared at his retreating figure, and rubbed his chin ruefully. Fifth Pattern how is he such a freak? I miscalculated. Leader lives up to his title after all. While Xin Fu was doing some self-reflection, Li Luo had already made it to the bottom of the stairs, and spotted Bai Mengmeng deeply engrossed in her spirit liquids and purifying lights research. Today she was in a powder-blue lab coat that hung loosely on her petite frame. Her face was flushed and glowing. She was currently in her research trance, and her eyes were as cold as a lake in winter. She measured out ingredients with robotic precision, the other hand taking down detailed notes on the changes. Li Luo did not disturb her, instead watching silently from the side. A full two hours passed before Bai Mengmeng spotted Li Luo. She came to a halt, and the coldness faded out of her eyes as emotion returned to her face. Leader? Youre back! She exclaimed with delight. Li Luo nodded and grinned. I have to say, your personality switch is fascinating. While researching, Bai Mengmeng had been in full concentration mode. No interruption could make her so much as flinch, but now she was her usual bubbly, bobbing self. Like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Bai Mengmeng blushed, but did not say anything. She lowered her head to her research notes. Li Luo came up to the table with a mysterious smile. Mengmeng, this time I brought you a present. Bai Mengmengs hand froze, and she looked up curiously. Li Luo reached into his pocket sphere and pulled out a rainbow-colored confectionery with a flourish, setting it in front of Bai Mengmeng. Rainbow cake, made specially by a great chef in House Luolan. Its extremely delicious, even rated within the whole of Xia City. Li Luo knew that she had no sense of taste, but was giving her cake? What was the meaning of this? Had he forgotten? Or was he just teasing her? Her smile faded away and she nodded hesitantly. Ill have a taste. She reached out for the cake. Into her extending hand, Li Luo placed a moss-green test tube. Ah, drink that first before you eat it, he beamed. Bai Mengmeng looked doubtfully at the strange test tube, and then her delicate eyebrows started to twitch. Leader, this what is this? she asked with a trembling voice. Drink it and find out, Li Luo urged her with a smile. Bai Mengmeng uncorked it with mixed feelings welling within her. Anticipation, and also fear that her hopes would be dashed. Uneasiness if it would work. But finally she closed her eyes and tipped the contents of the entire vial into her mouth. The icy, sticky liquid rushed down her throat, a strange sensation that made her almost want to vomit it back up, but she held on, swallowing it all down. After swallowing it, Bai Mengmeng did not feel any different, besides a numbness on her tongue. Her face fell. Li Luo offered her the rainbow cake. She hesitated, then took a pinch and put it into her mouth. The fluffy cake melted in her mouth. Li Luo watched on anxiously as well. Of course, this liquid was the potion to restore her sense of taste, that he had made in the last two days while resting at House Luolan. If his calculations were right, this should solve Bai Mengmengs problem. Bai Mengmeng held the cake in her mouth, not moving an inch, and not showing any expression. Li Luo continued to watch anxiously. Did this mean that it had not succeeded? He was kicking himself mentally when suddenly he saw a large tear roll down her cheek, followed by more and more. Mengmeng? Li Luo asked cautiously. He didnt know if she was sad or happy She reached out for the cake with both hands, cramming handful after handful into her mouth until her cheeks were bulging like a hamsters. Leader I can taste it! She sobbed. My sense of taste, its back! she said with a trembling voice. Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief. Looks like he had succeeded after all. He smiled fondly at the girl who was busy chewing cake and crying. Careful there, dont choke. Bai Mengmeng was busy cramming the last few smudges of cake on her face into her mouth. The sweetness might be normal for anyone else, but only those who had lost their sense of taste would find it doubly precious. It was as though light had returned to her world. As the last bit of cake finished up in her tummy, she wiped her red eyes once more, then stepped forward and flung her hands around Li Luo. She could not express her gratitude enough. Leader, thank you, she said softly into his ear. Li Luo smiled a little embarrassedly. These girls C why did they only use hugging to express gratitude? Ah well, since she was so overwhelmed, he would overlook the fact that they were taking advantage of him. Chapter 376: Ticket Match Chapter 376: Ticket Match The young girls hug very quickly ended. She looked almost mournfully at the empty cake plate. Dont worry, theres plenty of time to eat all the goodies in the future. Li Luo laughed. Bai Mengmeng nodded so vigorously her neck looked like it was in danger of falling off. Leader, she said fervently, Thank you so much! Aw, this is nothing. You helped me so much as well. At least half of Suncreek Villas performance in the last month has to be credited to you. And anyways, it was what I promised you. Just dont blame me for taking so long, Li Luo said lightly. She shook her head. Everyone weighed value differently. Perhaps to Li Luo, helping her regain her sense of taste was nothing; far from the value of a four-star spirit liquid formula. But to her, the value difference was the exact opposite. Until now, she had only eaten for the sake of sustenance. Everything tasted like wax C a daily torture that she had become inundated to. And each time she had to pretend that nothing was wrong, to avoid any more unwanted attention. Leader, for all the formulas I make from now on, Ill definitely consider Suncreek Villa first! she vowed. Oh how could we ever accept? Theres no need just maybe eight or nine formulas would do, too many and we would feel embarrassed, Li Luo said, his bashful tone at sharp contrast with the greed in his words. Bai Mengmeng giggled. Talking to her leader always put her in a good mood. Oh right. I wanted to ask you if you had done any research regarding lightsources or watersources? Li Luo asked, suddenly remembering his recent conversation with Cai Wei. My Nightmarish Water Butterfly resonance is affiliated to water resonance, so Im a bit more familiar with watersource. But even so, all my efforts so far have been focused on the formulas, but not on secret watersource. She cocked her head inquisitively at him. Leader, do you still need secret watersource? Suncreek Villas is already very good. It would be hard to find better in the whole of Xia Kingdom. That secret watersource er costs a lot. Suncreek Villa will need more sources to support its output in the future, Li Luo explained. Bai Mengmeng nodded in understanding. Well if leader has a need, Ill spend some time researching it see what I can come up with. Li Luo was deeply moved. Mengmeng, I will definitely give you a satisfactory price for it. She smiled and shrugged. She really did not care about such things. While the two spoke, the refining workshop door inched open a crack, and Xin Fus voice slipped through. Mentor Chi Chan is here, she asks you to go up. Both Li Luo and Bai Mengmeng jumped at the sneaky fellows voice. What on earth was he playing at? Was he some kind of voyeur or something? Still, this was no time to sort him out. He and Bai Mengmeng quickly tidied up and then went up to the living room. Morning sun streamed in the window, and sat in the light drinking tea was their learned and elegant mentor, Chi Chan. Oh? Fifth Pattern? Seems like the Golden Dragon Dao Fields did you quite a lot of good. Chi Chan said, holding her teacup aloft with her fingers. Li Luo grinned. I was just lucky. Went along for a good ride. I hear Qin Zhulus Fifth Pattern now as well? Chi Chan asked. Li Luo nodded. Which means that in One Star Hall, you two are the strongest now. Even Wang Hejiu and Bai Doudou only managed to reach Fourth Pattern in the last month, Chi Chan noted. Logically, yes. Li Luo agreed. Before his waterlight resonance reached seventh-grade, he would probably have been on par with Qin Zhulu at the same cultivation level. But now his waterlight resonance was seventh-grade, and if they fought, Li Luo would probably have the upper hand. Especially his arrow attack. The sudden surge in power was probably too much for Qin Zhulu to deal with. Of course, this meant that he would have to tap upon the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf. Still, all in all he could well be considered the undisputed king of One Star Hall in Astral Sage College. Chi Chan shook her head. Its not enough. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu looked at her, shocked. Fifth Pattern was not enough? Li Luo was shocked as well. Not enough to fight in the Holy Grail Meet? Oh, Li Luo, since when did you become so naive and adorable? Chi Chan laughed at him. You think a puny Fifth Pattern can do well at the Holy Grail Meet? Im only referring to the ticket match in a months time. Ticket match? Do you mean the scrim? Li Luo clarified. Well, you can call it a scrim if you want. But the scrim has more significance than that. Only those who win in the scrim are allowed to participate in the Holy Grail Meet. Which means that tickets to the Meet are up for grabs here. Its basically an early preliminaries for the Holy Grail Meet, Chi Chan told them. As for Astral Sage College, our assigned competition this time is Blue Abyss Sage College. Theyre quite strong as well, and their reputation is well known throughout East Divine Continent. Li Luo, Xin Fu, and Bai Mengmeng looked at each other. If they couldnt defeat this Blue Abyss Sage College, they couldnt even join Holy Grail Meet?! This was no joke at all. They knew that each of the sage colleges treated the Holy Grail Meet very seriously. It was not only a fight for reputation, but also about possession of the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. The magical item could grant their school reprieve from Umbra Cave, saving the school many resources and even student lives. That was a benefit that they would all fight for! And the supposed scrim was actually an early preliminary C only one of them would be able to qualify for Holy Grail Meet. Basically elimination-style, come early. Li Luo groaned. Suddenly the light-hearted casual practice he had imagined had turned into a bloody and intense all-out fight. The starting horn for the Holy Grail Meet had come earlier than expected. An early salvo of cannon fire, even before the real battle started. How does the ticket match work, anyway. Were only One Star Hall students C surely the pressure isnt on us? Li Luo asked. Thats where youre wrong. Whether ticket match or the actual Holy Grail Meet, all students from One to Four Star Hall play an important part, and contribute to their schools victory. She took another sip from her tea cup, then set it down gently. Of course, youre right that the Three and Four Star Hall students face a little more pressure, but that does not mean the younger students arent important. Set the Holy Grail Meet aside for now C in the ticket match a month from now, the two sage colleges will each select seven members from across all four halls. Besides One Star Hall, the other three halls will send two representatives each. The seven will face off against their counterparts from the opposing school. Whichever school wins four out of seven wins the ticket. Li Luo considered this. So only the strongest of each hall gets to represent. Mentor, I heard that the school has a big reward for whoever helps to secure the ticket? Chi Chan nodded with a faint smile. Indeed. Whoever helps win a ticket will be allowed into the treasure vaults to choose a gold-eye treasured artifact. Li Luo sighed deeply. Although I have generally preferred the quiet life, but I am a student of Astral Sage College after all. My love for the school runs deeper than Qin Zhulus voice. Therefore, I have no choice but to accept and represent the school, since I am the strongest amongst them. Chapter 377: Angelwood Hollow Chapter 377: Angelwood Hollow Li Luos quiet-life self-recommendation earned himself an eye-roll from Xin Fu and a giggle out of Bai Mengmeng. Their leader was always so straightforward. He hid nothing, skipping and hooting straight for the gold-eye treasured artifact in the schools vaults. Chi Chan ignored his cheeky statement and coughed lightly to get their attention again. And like I said, Fifth Pattern is not enough. Dont underestimate me, mentor, Li Luo argued. You dont know what a savage fighter I am now. Chi Chan ignored him again. Seven matches in the ticket match. Each is important. If there is one that we are confident of winning, that would be over at Three Star Hall. She smiled confidently. Of course, Im referring to Jiang Qinges match. Ninth-grade resonance, hardworking, and one of the most talented students that Astral Sage College has seen in a hundred years. The school has high hopes for her. Not just the ticket match, but she stands a good chance of being the strongest Three Star Hall student in all of East Divine Continent. Its basically a free win for Astral Sage College. As for the other six matches, its hard to tell before the fight begins. Blue Abyss Sage College is not as strong as some of the others, like Enlightened Sage College. Still, they pour hard work and resources into their students, and it goes far. They might not have as good a batch of students compared to us, but from our intelligence, we hear that this iteration of Blue Abyss Sage College has two upper eighth-grade students. Li Luo, Xin Fu, and Bai Mengmeng shivered a little. Two upper eighth-grades that was very strong indeed. Even in Astral Sage Colleges One Star Hall, they only had Qin Zhulu at that level. Of course, they also had Li Luos unusual dual resonances. The other sage colleges must have their own hidden talents as well. They could not let their guard down just because Astral Sage Colleges reputation was slightly better. Still, resonance grade is important, but it does not mean everything. Strength is drawn from many different elements. In a fight to the death, a high resonance grade grants an advantage, but no guarantee. Mastery of the resonance arts, mastery in usage, tenacity, and of course luck. Seizing opportunities in battle. We cannot be sure yet which of the upper eighth-grade One Star Hall students will take the field. But in a month both may well reach First Changing. Which means that they will step onto the field with an advantage over you. Dont ask me how they did it C each sage college has its own advantages, and will surely use them as best they can to build strong students. So if you want to defeat them, you have to reach the Evolving Resonance tier in a month as well! The gap between Pattern Genesis tier and Evolving Resonance tier is quite big. Even with your dual resonances, you might not be able to fully overcome an upper eighth-grade. And surely whoever steps onto the battlefield as your opponent will possess the same qualities of a good fighter. Li Luo nodded. Back at the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, he had been a Third Pattern. Although he had not feared First Changing opponents thanks to his dual resonances and Resonant Bubble art, but those opponents had seventh-grade or below resonances. Against someone of Qin Zhulus caliber, he would still be at a disadvantage. For example, Zhao Ziyang had a lower eighth-grade resonance, and was a Second Changing. Even with his full strength, Li Luo had only managed to tear down his defenses. If they had fought to the death, Li Luo would likely have lost excluding the three-tailed heavenly wolf from the equation. After all, those with eighth-grade resonances constantly lived and fought the best. Who among them didnt have the will to win? Such opponents could never be underestimated. Although Li Luo had defeated the Third Changing Lin Suo, but Lin Suos resonance grade was only seventh-grade. More, Li Luo had needed the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf to defeat him. Li Luo did not intend to use such a ghastly power for the ticket match. Firstly, the corruption had to be countered with Seraphs Pearl, but even so some vestiges of corruption would linger, especially if he used it too frequently. Secondly, if he had to use his trump card even during the ticket match, he would be saving nothing for the main show! Just as mentor Chi Chan had said C if he truly wished to become Astral Sage Colleges One Star Hall representative, he would have to get to First Changing to win a nod of approval. Also, if he reached the Evolving Resonance tier, he would only be one more stage away from the goal that Jiang Qinge had set him: Second Changing. Before he reached this point, he had thought her targets had been quite ambitious. But through his various opportunities, suddenly he found that he wasnt too far away after al. Mentor Chi Chan, how strong can the One Star Hall students at the Holy Grail Meet potentially be? Li Luo asked. The strongest One Star Hall students? Chi Chan considered it. If you want to be the strongest, you would probably need to be Second Changing, or better. Li Luos eyes bulged. Or better?! Wasnt Jiang Qinge only Second Changing herself at the end of the first year? You mean there are others who can compete against her from the other sage colleges? Chi Chan looked at him. She told you that? Is that not the case? Li Luo replied, puzzled. Chi Chan laughed. It is sort of true Jiang Qinge was indeed only a Second Changing at the end of One Star Hall. But there is a catch. It was not where she could reach, but where she chose to reach. Mentor, are you saying she purposely suppressed her cultivation speed? Li Luo said in disbelief. Mm. This was hotly contested even within the school. Although Second Changing is already a stupendous achievement at the end of One Star Hall, but its not the limit of a ninth-grade light resonance When Jiang Qinge was interviewed about it, the final conclusion pointed to her energy cultivation art as the reason. She did not choose the energy cultivation arts of Astral Sage College but instead the one that your parents prepared for her. Chi Chan said. That energy cultivation art is incredibly profound but strangely suppresses the cultivators power in the early stages of cultivation. Li Luo frowned. That was very confusing. All energy cultivation arts existed to make cultivation stronger. Why would his parents give her one that held her back instead? If I guess right, her energy cultivation art follows the iceberg theory C store a lot but show little. The suppression creates a pressure that will one day explode. Chi Chan said, as if reading his mind. Li Luos eyes narrowed. A long suppression, all for an explosive push someday? When would that day be? Clearly, Jiang Qinge had not told him everything about this. In any case, there is no need for you to treat Jiang Qinge as the gold standard for strength at the Holy Grail Meet, Chi Chan continued. It is not the maximum standard possible besides, when Jiang Qinge was a One Star Hall student, there was no Holy Grail Meet. Without the Holy Grail Meet, the school will not lavish resources on the students. For example, the special training that you are undergoing. Natural individual talent is important, but the power of resources cannot be underestimated either. You should know this all too well. Li Luo nodded. Whether in Umbra Caves onyx lake or Golden Dragon Dao Fieldss dao-gold cultivation breakthrough, he had achieved enormous breakthroughs that had catapulted him onwards. Without them, Li Luo would probably only be at the Fourth Pattern. Also, Im not the one with the final say on the One Star Hall representative. All the Violet Vibrance mentors are eying the position. Although you and Qin Zhulu stand the best chance, but its really a race in the next one month to see who can break through into the Evolving Resonance tier, Chi Chan reminded him. Li Luo nodded. Seven matches at the ticket match. Each played a part in determining if Astral Sage College could qualify. The school would definitely take this decision seriously. They would not casually recommend him without careful consideration. Mentor, whats the special training lined up? Li Luo asked curiously. She smiled. You guys are in luck. To have the Holy Grail Meet not even a year into your school life. The school has really brought out everything you could ask for. Theyve opened Angelwood Hollow for you. Angelwood Hollow? the trio asked. Its a small space carved out of the Tree of Resonant Power. The essence of the tree is collected there. It will greatly increase ones cultivation speed, and does not harm ones foundations or core. Especially now that all of you are aiming for the Evolving Resonance tier C the hardest leap within the Resonant Master stage. Once you succeed, you will be at the peak of the Resonant Master stage, and begin your power accumulation for the uncharted territory of the General stage. The energy essence in Angelwood Hollow has been stored by the Tree of Resonant Power for years. It is normally left alone, but only for a competition as important as the Holy Grail Meet does the school unlock this special resource for the competing students to get a needed boost. Furthermore, only Violet Vibrance students are granted the privilege of using it, she told them. The three nodded, humbled by their privilege. The world was not always and completely fair. The school wanted the best students, and would of course spend its limited resources on those with the greatest potential. The Gold Gleam and Silver Spark students would have to follow the rules. Be prepared to move at any time. The other Violet Vibrance squads will also enter Angelwood Hollow at the same time. That is the final special training that the school has lined up for you. She rose and moved to the door. All three watched her go, eyes shining with curiosity and anticipation. Chapter 378: A Beaten Yu Lang Chapter 378: A Beaten Yu Lang The Tree of Resonant Power was as majestic as ever, its crown an entire canopy of its own that sheltered the school. And in its shade, Li Luo met Yu Lang again for the first time in a month. The latter was looking up at the leaves and sunlight pensively. The wind blew his hair away from his face, leaving his melancholy bare for the world to see. What are you looking at? Li Luo said, walking beside him and looking up curiously. Yu Lang did not reply, continuing to look up. Li Luo felt like something was not right, and tilted Yu Langs head back down. Li Luo saw that his friends eye was badly bruised, as though he had been given a solid punch in the face. Who would do that to my big brother Yu Lang?! he yelled. Yu Lang waved him to silence. Not so loud, he said almost embarrassedly. He looked sidelong to where Bai Mengmeng was standing with Bai Doudou. Leader thinks I havent been improving much lately. Shes been giving me some tough love. These are marks of her whipping me into shape. So thats what all this moody acting is about, Li Luo grumbled. Yu Lang coughed and puffed up his chest. Thanks to the love of my leader, Ive already reached First Pattern. Youve changed, Li Luo sighed, shaking his head. Youre no longer that arrogant Yu Lang of the past. F*ck, if you were beaten breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, youd lose your appetite for arrogance too, Yu Lang said tearfully. Li Luo clapped him on the shoulder. Its for the best, he said encouragingly. Next time youll be better at surviving. Youre a Violet Vibrance student too, so Im sure youll take part in the Holy Grail Meet. Youll know how important it is to be strong then. Yu Lang looked quizzically at him. I wouldnt give two sh*ts about Holy Grail Meet. And even if I was entered, Id just go there to get by. As if the school would expect any glory out of me. Li Luo smiled mysteriously at him. Yu Lang felt a cold chill run down his spine. Li Luo. Have you done something that you should apologize for? My brother, you are as dear to me as an arm or leg, Li Luo said piously. What would I ever do to you? Hey! Yu Lang shouted. That used to be my line! The friendly bicker broke out almost immediately, and was interrupted a while later when Bai Doudou came up to them, holding Bai Mengmengs hand. Li Luo, she said gratefully, thank you. Li Luo looked at Bai Mengmengs red eyes and guessed that it was for restoring her sense of taste. He waved easily. Its nothing much. Mengmeng helped me a lot as well. This was just what I promised her in return. No, I owe you one, Bai Doudou said seriously. If theres a chance in the future, Ill repay you. She turned and left, tugging Bai Mengmeng along by the hand. Yu Lang stared at him in astonishment. Li Luo, what on earth did you do? How did you make that old tigress into such a warm little kitty? I just helped Mengmeng solve a little problem of hers, Li Luo shrugged. Hey, you heard it, Bai Doudou owes me one. Shall I tell her to beat you up a little less? Yu Lang perked up, then quickly deflated. Ah forget it. Its for my own good anyway. Are you in love with the beater? Li Luo asked, looking at him strangely. Do you think I, Yu Lang, am that sort of person?! I, I have the hardest bones in the whole of Astral Sage College! The whole school knows that! Li Luo rubbed his chin. Do you think my good looks will work on Bai Doudou, you think? Li Luo, youre too ignorant. You might be just slightly more handsome than I am, but none of that will work on Bai Doudou. Shes not that superficial. Yu Lang laughed. He had no idea what Li Luo was getting at, but for the moment he seemed back on solid ground. My charisma, my talent, and my efforts I think theyre much more outstanding than yours though Li Luo continued. Yu Langs face changed. Alright, brother Luo. I admit that you are handsome. So theres no point going for that fish! Li Luo gave him another hearty slap on the back. Yu Lang, he said, amused. I didnt know that you liked that type He really was in love with the beater. Yu Langs internal struggle continued on for a bit. Im not, I actually like the soft and cute type he mumbled as a final protest. Forget the cotton candies, Li Luo advised him. Bai Doudou is a headstrong one. She might not be opposed to you at the moment, but still far from actually being fond of you. Best work hard and look ahead. Yu Lang considered this for a moment. Hey, Bai Doudou cant be more headstrong than senior Jiang, right? Teach me, brother Luo C how are you hooking up with so many girls even with a fiance like that? Li Luo glared at him. Friend, you can eat sh*t if you so please, but talking sh*t will get you punched. I only make honest friendships. Yu Lang was about to reply when a familiar voice interrupted them from behind. What are you guys talking about? What hook ups? Li Luos head whipped around with a wide, cheesy smile for Lu Qinger. She was clad in Astral Sage Colleges uniform today, custom-made to a flattering cut for her petite frame. She was also in her signature white lace socks. Yu Lang said he wants to hook up with Bai Doudou, Li Luo said without missing a beat. He asked me to help him make a plan. Lu Qinger was immediately interested. You like Bai Doudou? Yu Lang stared at them, aghast and speechless. Finally he surrendered to Lu Qingers curiosity and decided to run away. He always said that he liked the soft and cute type, but now hes fonder and fonder of the one that beats him, Li Luo chuckled. Lu Qinger cocked her head. Bai Doudous not a bad person. She treats him strictly, but its for his own good. Yu Lang probably senses that. But I think she does it because shes the leader. Kindness out of interest in him as a partner? I doubt its that strong yet. If Yu Lang wants this, hed better work hard. Li Luo agreed. Out of the many girls in One Star Hall, Bai Doudou might lose out to the greatest beauties like Lu Qinger and Bai Mengmeng, but in terms of popularity, she was up there with them. Especially among the girls, Bai Doudous elan was highly respected. With her refreshing candor and impressive abilities, many girls saw her as an idol. Oh, hows it going on your end? I mean that Lin Suo Li Luo asked. Not paying attention to it, Lu Qinger laughed. But given my mums personality, he probably wont see the light of day ever again. Li Luo nodded without much sympathy. Lin Suo had made a vicious attempt on Lu Qingers life and future. This was the price he paid. As for the powers backing Lin Suo, that was none of his concern as well. He would leave Yu Hongxi to her own troubles. At this time, the One Star Hall Violet Vibrance squads were all gathered. Li Luo spotted Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan looking warily at him. They had also heard the rumors that Li Luo had reached Fifth Pattern. He was ahead of them now. Both were extremely disheartened by this news. When school had started, they had been overwhelming ahead of him. Li Luo was not feeling very heartened himself. Seems like the other students have been improving a lot as well. The legendary Golden Dragon Dao Fields might have brought Qin Zhulu and I to Fifth Pattern, but Bai Doudou, Wang Hejiu, and the others are pretty close behind still. Thats because while we were in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, the Violet Vibrance mentors were working hard on their students as well, Lu Qinger replied. The Violet Vibrance students are important seeds that are nurtured with all the schools resources. Astral Sage Colleges cultivation resources cannot be underestimated. Besides, I dont think your estimation is accurate, she continued with a smile. From what I know, even Wang Hejiu only managed to reach Fourth Pattern just a few days ago. Which means that their resonant patterns are not as well marked as yours or Qin Zhulus. The dao-gold cultivation breakthrough gave us a full double breakthrough, cutting no corners. Which means that theyre early-Fourth Patterns, whereas you and Qin Zhulu are late-Fifth Patterns. Li Luo snorted. Theres no such thing, though. Its just a way to visualize it. In any case, you and Qin Zhulu will definitely reach Evolving Resonance tier first, at this rate. I hope so, Li Luo said, as he looked up to see the Violet Vibrance mentors approaching. Next, they were probably going to enter Angelwood Hollow he was indeed curious to see how good this precious resource was, that Astral Sage College usually kept closely guarded. Chapter 379: Absinthe Energy Chapter 379: Absinthe Energy As their mentors arrived, the Violet Vibrance students stood up dutifully to follow them up the Tree of Resonant Power. Along the way, they spotted many other students cultivating. The students looked back at them with both envy and curiosity. It was a privileged group that walked in their midst, and news of the Violet Vibrance squads special training had already spread. To be able to access resources that the school usually guarded jealously that was what the students were most envious about. Although it invited a fair bit of resentment, but there was nothing to be done for it. The Holy Grail Meet neared, and only the best of the students would be favored with the schools resources, watering their chosen seeds in hope of fruit. Li Luo and the others headed on amidst the gazes, until they came to a place near the top of the Tree of Resonant Power. They were already past the clouds now, and when they looked down, the whole of Astral Sage College stretched out under the wispy cotton veil. In the distance, they could even make out the build-up that was Xia City. Finally, Chi Chan and the other mentors came to a halt. They had stopped at a wooden platform fashioned out of the Trees trunk. In the middle of the platform was a door made of green wood, with a swirling rune in the middle that gently sucked worldly natural energy from its surroundings like an exhaust fan. Chi Chan, Shen Jinxiao, and the other Violet Vibrance mentors all pulled out a violet seal each, that they pressed to the greenwood door. It vibrated in response, then creaked open slowly. Behind the door was a pool of green light, too bright for them to make out anything from the outside. Go on in then. Shen Jinxiao said neutrally to them as he stowed his own violet seal in his robes and led the way in. The Violet Vibrance students eagerly crowded after, unable to contain their curiosity. Once inside, they stood on the spot, disoriented by the sudden change. When they recovered their bearings, they found themselves on a greenwood platform, almost identical in design to the one outside. Before them was a huge greenwood pillar that rose up into the sky, almost like it was a narrow, vertical mountain that propped up the entire space. Along the pillar were emerald platforms that stuck out at intervals, going on upwards in layers as high as they could see. This is Angelwood Hollow? Li Luo gasped as he stared upwards, lost in wonder. Chi Chan cocked her head at him. Want to go up and test it out? Without waiting for his answer, she swiped a hand, summoning a gust of energy that propelled him up on to one of the emerald platforms. Li Luo righted himself carefully, pulling a pair of short blades out. These were temporary resonant artifacts that he had dug up C they were not even lower white-eyes. Still, they were functional enough for a place like this. Li Luo was looking about when suddenly the faint emerald mist suddenly condensed, forming several figures. Swish! Each of them had a wooden spear that gleamed with a leafy green light. They stabbed at Li Luo. He raised his twin swords and summoned his resonant power, moving to meet them with his blades. As he drew close to them, Li Luo realized that they had empty eye sockets, despite their humanoid appearance. It made them extremely creepy. Swish! Swish! Water Edge cut cleanly through their necks with practiced combative efficiency. He sheathed his blades and stood there easily. These emerald figures were only roughly at First Pattern in strength, and did not pose a real threat to him. As Li Luo beheaded them, the green figures started to warp into a green mist that rose drifted through the air towards Li Luo. Absorb them. He was prepared to duck away, but Chi Chans call out to him stopped him up short. Looking dubiously at the green mist, he let it come to him. The moment it touched his body, it rapidly began to seep in. Li Luo could feel a strangely pure energy flow through him, entering his resonant palaces with no resistance at all. They were easily absorbed into his two resonance seeds. He didnt even have to spend any effort to process it! Li Luo did not know if he was imagining it, but after taking in the green mist, his woodearth resonance seemed to grow a little more active. It was as though he had just consumed a spirit liquid. Not only did the peculiar mist assimilate well into his resonance seeds, it could even strengthen his resonant power like spirit liquids and purifying lights?! That was some incredible effect, for sure. Li Luos eyes lit up with wonder. You can call these things absinthe puppets. They are formed from the mystical energy in Angelwood Hollow. The higher the platform, the stronger the absinthe puppets. As long as you can beat them, you can get the absinthe energy that they convert into. Absinthe energy is incredibly pure and forgiving. It does not clash with any resonant power, which is why you will be able to strengthen your resonant power foundations readily with it. Besides, absinthe energy also improves your resonance C it has the same effect as spirit liquids and purifying lights, albeit weaker and in a different form. Still, it doesnt hurt. Mentor Chi Chans spoke loudly and calmly, her voice carrying to reach all the Violet Vibrance students. There were stunned nods in response. Usually, energy absorbed through the environment had to be processed with energy cultivation arts C and the quality of those would determine the final amount that they could use. But this absinthe energy could skip that step? That would definitely increase their cultivation efficiency by a huge margin. As for the resonance refining effect, that was incredible as well. Before this, all they knew was that the effect of liquids and lights were unique. However, spirit liquids and purifying lights were expensive brews, and not a sustainable way of growing stronger. Although the effects here might be weaker, but who cared when they were free! Li Luo sighed contentedly. No wonder this place was usually off-limits. It was heaven. He could only imagine how hard it was to create and protect such a place, for the school to guard it so carefully. But as magical as absinthe energy is, there is a daily limit. And when divided up across the halls, the amount reserved for One Star Hall students is even smaller. If you want to get more absinthe energy, your squad needs to climb up the layers as fast as you can, Chi Chan said meaningfully. Let me make it even clearer. To get the limited amount of absinthe energy available each day, whichever squad climbs the fastest will naturally get the largest amount of what is allocated. Do you understand? Shen Jinxiao The five Violet Vibrance squads looked at him, alarmed. Which means the more they had, the less there would be for the other squads. Even at this highest level of privilege, still there was competition. Shen Jinxiao waved his long sleeves in a grand gesture. Enough talking. If youre all ready, your special training begins now. Chapter 380: Special Training Begins Chapter 380: Special Training Begins Beryl-green mist floated within Angelwood Hollow, swirling gently about the platforms. Li Luos shortswords hummed with Water Edge, whistling keenly through the air. Through the green mist, a dozen figures leaped at him, landing all around him. Their greenwood spears stabbed at his vital points. Li Luo took a step inwards to his team, and suddenly his shape shimmered. In the next instant, many different Li Luos appeared, leaping out at the absinthe puppets. They only had a basic intelligence, and were unable to tell real from fake. Their response was just to stab away at the Li Luo in front of them. The spears passed easily through the illusions, dissipating them. Shing! From the other side, one of the Li Luos was more solid than the others. His sword gleamed, metallic brilliance refracted through its sheen of water. With a practiced slice, he finished off two absinthe puppets expertly. Three more jumped into the fray, their wooden weapons charged with a faint green power that flickered like fire. Again they stabbed at Li Luos vital points. Swoosh! A shadow at Li Luos feet took them, smothering out the green flames in a wave of darkness. Black chains of power tripped them up at the feet. The absinthe puppets stumbled forwards. Li Luos blade was there to meet them, slashing out at the off-balance adversaries. When his blade next stopped, three absinthe puppets lay inert on the ground, carved up. Xin Fu appeared behind Li Luo, his own short dagger humming with a dark light. His black resonant power flowed and dripped like liquid night, caressing his blade with a curious smell of blight. They had made quick work of five absinthe puppets, but Li Luo and Xin Fu did not relax. There were still a dozen more, green resonant powers flickering wraith-like ahead. Mengmeng! Li Luo called out. Starlight power sailed out over their heads, and their outlines began to twist and warp. More illusions appeared beside them, until they now looked like an army standing against the outnumbered absinthe puppets. Charge! All the Li Luos and Xin Fus hollered, surging forth. Among their clones, Li Luo and Xin Fu slipped in and out of the chaos, cutting down absinthe puppets left and right while they were distracted by the fakes. Shortsword and dagger stabbed and slashed in perfect mechanical synergy, until the last absinthe puppet fell over. As the last one fell, the two boys finally straightened up in relief before slumping down to the floor, wiping the pouring sweat from their forehead. Their faces sagged with fatigue. Bai Mengmeng squatted down in concern. Shall we call it a day? Li Luo shook his head stubbornly. Were not even at the limit yet. Were at the 19th level now. Just one more and well be at the elite level. I want to taste that juiciness today. Weve come so far! This was their fourth day in Angelwood Hollow. Each day they would do their best to push through the levels, onwards and upwards. The 19th level was as far as they had pushed in the last four days. Li Luo glanced to the right side. He could see the other four Violet Vibrance squads fighting their hardest as well. On the first day, Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuans team had been the most effective. They were the only squad with two Fourth Patterns. Although Li Luo and Qin Zhulu were both Fifth Pattern, but their squads lagged slightly behind. On the first day, Wang Hejius squad had climbed a full six platforms. Li Luos and Qin Zhulus had only managed five each, while Bai Doudous and Yi Lishas squads reached the fourth. Still, the lead had been short-lived. As Li Luos and Qin Zhulus squads found their groove, they learned to work around their cores, and managed to turn the tables back on Wang Hejius squad. Currently it was Li Luos and Qin Zhulus squads who had reached the 19th level. Wang Hejius was at the 17th, while Bai Doudous and Yi Lishas were at the 16th level. Of course, the comeback had come on the shoulders of Li Luo and Qin Zhulu, who were both tired to the bone. Still, the cultivation benefits had been worth it. As for the elite level that Li Luo had spoken about, it appeared once every 10 levels. The absinthe energy would be especially dense there, condensing into a single, super-strong absinthe puppet. Only by defeating it could they move on, and of course taking down this boss would give them a huge boost of absinthe energy. A rare chance, begging to be plucked. At the 10th level, the first boss had only been a First Changing, which they had taken down without much trouble. The next one at the 20th level would definitely be much stronger. Of course, after fighting an entire day, even Bai Mengmeng was fatigued, let alone the main fighters Li Luo and Xin Fu. That would only ramp up the difficulty. The 20th level boss would not be easy at all. But they had no other choice. The amount of absinthe energy was limited each day. In the past few days of cultivation, Li Luo and the others had always milked it to the limit. If they couldnt defeat this boss today, it would only take up their quota for the next day. And if they gave up here, Qin Zhulus side would definitely overtake them. The guy had a competitive streak a mile long, which they knew all too well. Even though they were friendly, but a competition as a competition. Going easy was not only disrespectful to his own squad, Qin Zhulu would not like it either. Todays problems will be solved by the us of today. So that tomorrows us can take on tomorrows problems. Li Luo vowed, springing to his feet. He turned towards where the green mist had formed a ladder that would take them onwards. He waved his team first, and led the way up the ladder as the leader. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu followed. Watching them from on high were Chi Chan, Shen Jinxiao, and the other Violet Vibrance mentors. Who knew that Li Luos squad would be the first to challenge 20, the balding mentor Mi Er said cheerfully. Hes completely different from when he first enrolled. Not even Qin Zhulu could beat him now, Cao Sheng said. Dual resonances are coming into full strength now, arent they, Chu Zi said, with an approving nod. Im sure the One Star Hall representative in a month from now will be decided between Li Luo and Qin Zhulu. Chi Chan remained silent amidst their praise, although there was a soft look of approval as she watched her students. Just because theyre the first to challenge it doesnt mean theyll be the first to pass it, Shen Jinxiao said stiffly. After all, its much harder than their last boss fight at the 10th level. I doubt a first-time clear is possible. The other Violet Vibrance mentors voiced their agreement in acknowledgment of the difficulty. Only Chi Chan remained silent, eyes still on the trio ascending to the 20th level. Whether they could clear it or not It all remained to be seen. Chapter 381: The Difficulty of the 20th Level Chapter 381: The Difficulty of the 20th Level As the trio ascended to the 20th level, the faint green mist immediately started to move, blowing towards a single spot. A few moments later, a figure walked out of the hazy agglomeration. They watched the figure warily. This one was different from the other absinthe puppets that they had faced. There was a layer of green wooden armor that glowed with some sort of mystical reinforcement. The same light was present on its wooden spear. This was an advanced absinthe puppet, and they could feel the pressure of the fight. This was a far more formidable opponent compared to the other minions. Should be a Second Changing. Li Luo noted calmly, eyes narrowed as he judged the energy flows around the puppet. Both Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng paled slightly. They had guessed as much, but as a Third Pattern and Second Pattern, the disparity was still extremely daunting. Phew! Lucky its not Third Changing. Li Luo said with a happy sigh. His teammates stared at him. Carry on with the bragging, leader, Xin Fu urged him. A few more times, and I might even believe it myself. Leader, you always make us feel safe in times of danger, Bai Mengmeng giggled behind her hand. Li Luo waved modestly. This wasnt really bravado. After all, he had mostly faced Evolving Resonance tier opponents in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. Both Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying had been Second Changing, just as strong as this absinthe puppet. However, back then he had only been a Third Pattern, and already able to put up some resistance and pose a threat. Now he was a full-blown Fifth Pattern. The increase in strength meant that he wouldnt be fumbling around like he did previously. In truth, he was itching to test himself out against a Second Changing. What would be the outcome? Even if the advanced puppet in front of him was only a puppet without too much intelligence, it was still a good enough target. Leader, if the 20th level is just one measly advanced absinthe puppet, weve hit the jackpot! Xin Fu exclaimed happily. Li Luo was inclined to agree. Three of them against a Second Changing was not difficult. But then it struck him that there was still a lingering patch of mist behind the advanced absinthe puppet. As that faded, he saw a few more figures walking forwards. Xin Fus expression froze. Six more absinthe puppets. Although they were not as strong as the Second Changing advanced absinthe puppet, but the leader of the six was a First Changing, while the other five were either Third or Fourth Pattern. Jackpot?! This is a pisspot! Li Luo said, bonking Xin Fu on the head in disgust. Xin Fu was on the verge of tears himself. This 20th level was a huge step up in difficulty. One Second Changing alone was difficult enough to deal with. But the puppet had brought a whole host of puppet baby brothers with it. The advanced absinthe puppet didnt give them much time to commiserate. The green spear was leveled forwards as it charged with a low, dull roar. Behind, the First Changing absinthe puppet and its friends followed suit. Shing! Li Luos swords flashed out of his scabbard. He took a deep breath. The situation has changed. Follow Plan Two and move accordingly. He took a quick step to his right, while Xin Fu adn Bai Mengmeng took a corresponding one to the left, creating some distance. The advanced absinthe puppet adjusted its course accordingly towards Li Luo without hesitation, sensing that he was the strongest. The First Changing puppet and its other friends moved towards Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng. Li Luo did not let Xin Fu and Bai Mengmengs situation distract him. They might be slightly weaker, but playing off each others strengths would allow them to buy some time. Time that he would spend C preferably as little as possible C in taking down the advanced absinthe puppet. Otherwise they would fail this level. Failure wasnt the end of everything. They could always try again tomorrow, but it would be a waste of absinthe energy quota for both today and tomorrow. Perhaps the breakthrough to the Evolving Resonance tier just waited on the opposite side of this level? Cultivation was like that C an accumulation of effort. The advanced absinthe puppet was already in attacking range, beryl-green light forming a green bird that flew towards him, wings outstretched. Dang! Li Luos two rivers of energy merged within him, blue and green on his blades as he blocked the attack from the advanced absinthe puppet. Tang tang tang! Sparks flew, as they reported on the fury of the energy that was being traded. The pair clashed dozens of times in a few short but breathless moments. Although Li Luos frame was shaken with each blow, but his feet stood firm. He smiled grimly. This advanced absinthe puppet could not compete with Second Changing elites like Zhao Ziyang. Still, from this clash he understood that he could stand up against some Second Changings now. If thats the case, this is going to be easy Li Luo adjusted his grip on the hilts. His resonant bubbles had already increased in number from four to seven, and the additional booster was much more significant than before. Dang! This time when their weapons clashed, it was the advanced absinthe puppet that staggered backwards, its spear bouncing off. Li Luo let the impact of their clash push him back as well, skidding backwards in a controlled manner. Suddenly there was a watery light on his sword. Ive just mastered a new skill, he said softly to himself. Id appreciate some feedback! Splash! Roar! The roar of a wave accompanied his sword as he slashed a crescent of power that was several meters wide. Like a moon of water, it whistled through the air towards his opponent. Like a water-cutter, the velocity of the water screamed through the air. Even the Violet Vibrance mentors stared in surprise. Thats the advanced form of Water Edge Art Thousand Watery Knives art! Chapter 382: Thousand Watery Knives Art Chapter 382: Thousand Watery Knives Art Splash! The watery blade cut down with fearful strength, hissing through the air with a shrill hum. It scored a blow against the armor of the advanced absinthe puppet, leaving a deep, marked gash. The advanced absinthe puppet clearly had quite powerful defenses, but it was useless against the powerful serrating capabilities of Thousand Watery Knives art, that was created to cut armor. Not a bad offensive skill at all, Li Luo congratulated himself. This Thousand Watery Knives art was the latest resonance art that he had been working on. It was the advanced form of Water Edge Art. Water Edge Art coated ones weapons to increase the penetrability and damage, but Thousand Watery Knives art manipulated resonant power itself through the blade in a stream. This created a much more powerful and far-reaching attack. Even among the tiger-general resonance arts, this was considered a difficult one to master. Li Luo had set his eye on it a long time ago, but had not met with success not until he reached the Fifth Pattern and his resonant power finally reached the requirements. But although he was well-satisfied with the results, he could see that there was still plenty of space to grow the skill. For example, he could add light resonant energy to increase the speed of the water resonant power. Perhaps it could even rival a dragon-general resonance art in power. However, modifying skills like that was not an easy task. Thousand Watery Knives art was difficult enough as it was. Li Luo still had his eyes locked onto the advanced absinthe puppet. With its chest injured, the green energy dimmed a little, but did not fade. The puppets were like zombies, incapable of feeling pain. It clutched its wooden spear and continued charging, albeit a little shakily. Leaning forward on the balls of his feet, Li Luo reveled in the power of his swords as he slashed the air in anticipation. Dang! The two figures crossed again. Li Luos left sword blocked the incoming spear, while his right sword landed precisely along the previous slash he had landed with the power of a waterfall. The advanced absinthe puppet was cleaved cleanly into two, dissolving into green mist. He had taken care of the advanced absinthe puppet in record time, and now he turned back to Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu. Xin Fu had already locked down the First Changing absinthe puppet, although he was clearly at his limits. His resonance affinity was not suited to head-on battle. As for Bai Mengmeng, she was keeping the other absinthe puppets occupied. She had not touched a single one of them at all, instead creating an endless stream of replicates. The low-intelligence absinthe puppets simply attacked whatever was in front of them, and so she had a more straightforward time. Li Luo prioritized Xin Fu. With his added strength, the battle was swiftly concluded. The First Changing absinthe puppet fell within a minute to their combined strength, cut down cleanly and dissolving into mist. With the two greatest threats mitigated, the two boys went to help Bai Mengmeng finish off the other absinthe puppets, and then the 20th level was clear and empty. The three flopped to the floor in ungainly fashion, tired but exuberant. Three portions of green energy appeared from above, descending into them. The warm and pure energy was bliss, and the three closed their eyes, enjoying the rewards of their labor. While Li Luo and the others absorbed the absinthe energy, the other squads found that the mist on their platform was gradually fading away. It was the same phenomenon that had happened at the end of the last few days. It meant that the quota of absinthe energy had been reached for today. Clearly, Li Luo and the others had taken the rest of the quota with their triumph over the 20th level. Damn, Li Luo beat us to it. Qin Zhulu said regretfully as his opponent faded away. They had been preparing for their own 20th level challenge, but were a step behind. Li Luos squad had taken the lions share of the energy today. When did Li Luo become so strong? Yin Yue sighed to herself. Although Li Luo had performed well enough in the past, but many of the One Star Hall students still regarded Qin Zhulu as the strongest in their year. However, Li Luos performance during the special training had outshone Qin Zhulus own showing. Seems like the One Star Hall representative for the ticket match will be between you two, Lu Qinger told her leader. Qin Zhulus eyes shone with great excitement. I dont really care about representing. I just want to fight with him all out. That guys gotten ridiculously good after going to the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, Yu Lang complained. Bai Doudou looked at him sidelong. Li Luo came out of Southwind Academy, same as you. Look how far hes pulled ahead. You better not be thinking of slacking off during this month of special training. Yu Lang was crestfallen. What gave you the idea that all students who walked out of Southwind Academy were the same anyway?! Jiang Qinge came out of Southwind Academy too. Am I supposed to compare myself to her too?! This woman could be very unreasonable at times. Still, his past painful beatings told him that now was the time to nod and shelve his emotions, before another painful beating was added to the grand collection. Dual resonances are quite impressive. That 20th level advanced absinthe puppet must be a Second Changing? To finish it with some composure Li Luos really untouchable now, Yi Lisha said admiringly. I guess the ticket match representative is Li Luos. Qin Zhulu seems like he cant beat him now. I wonder if he might even be the strongest One Star Hall contender at the Holy Grail Meet? That would be a real glory that Astral Sage College hasnt seen before. Qian Ye said to his team. Yi Lisha started. Strongest One Star Hall student in East Divine Continent eh thats a pretty bold declaration. Dont you think its possible? Qian Ye laughed. Yi Lisha hesitated. Its very difficult. Even with dual resonances, we cant estimate the power that other elite schools have. Who wouldnt come to the Holy Grail Meet with their best preparations? In truth, I wouldnt be surprised no matter what sort of monster appears at the Holy Grail Meet. Well, well just have to see. Si Qiuying listened to her two teammates talk, her mood dull. She was remembering a fateful day half a year ago, when this youth had been completely unremarkable. And now people were considering him as the strongest One Star Hall student in the whole of the East Divine Continent? When had this guy reached such heights? Compared to the half-celebratory mood of the other squads, Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuans squad had the grimmest mood of them all. Both of them were looking bitter. They were the ones who wanted to see such an outcome the least. After all, both of them bore a grudge against Li Luo, not to mention that their own mentor also wanted to see him fall. None of them had seen Li Luo as a rival back at the beginning, disdaining him back when school had first started. And now they realized that the one they had held in contempt was a step ahead of them. That was hard to stomach. But Li Luo was already ahead of them now. Catch back up to him? Easier said than done. We have to think of something, Wang Hejiu said tersely.Otherwise well never be able to catch up to Li Luo during the special training. If this chance passes us, we might never get another one to turn the tables. Duze Beixuans eyes glittered as he nodded. Chapter 383: Li Luos Slump Chapter 383: Li Luos Slump Time flew during special training, and before they knew it, half a month had passed. In these two weeks, news of the upcoming ticket match and the Holy Grail Meet had spread all around the school, and it was all the students could talk about. After all, it concerned the schools reputation, which was glory for all of them. All of the students were proud to be members of Astral Sage College. There was a new sense of unity amongst them that had grown in the last month, as they looked forward to the ticket match where they would all be on the same side: Astral Sage College against others, trying to get into the Holy Grail Meet. As for the ticket match format, that had also been announced, and the seven representatives was also a hotly discussed topic. While the other students were busy talking each others ears off, Li Luo and the others were working their butts off, cultivating furiously within Angelwood Hollow. They charged up the platforms, fighting hordes of absinthe puppets. In the past two weeks, Li Luos Fairness & Justice squad led the way, already reaching the 33rd level. After the 30th level, the difficulty increased sharply. From 20 to 30, they could still break through multiple levels a day, but once they hit 30, it was strictly one level per day before they ran out of steam, unable to go any further. After 30, the absinthe puppets grew overwhelming in both quantity and quality. They almost lost once as well C if not for a clutch piece of teamwork, they would have wasted an entire day. And as they faced harder and harder tests, all of them were pushed to their limits. This was normal, and in the history of Angelwood Hollow, all of the One Star Hall students had basically gotten stuck around stage 30 plus. Still, the last half a month had seen great improvements in the Violet Vibrance squads. Bai Doudou, Wang Hejiu, and Duze Beixuan had all managed to push one level up to Fifth Pattern, while Xin Fu had reached Fourth Pattern. Bai Mengmeng had reached Third Pattern, and even Yu Lang managed to reach Second Pattern. Still, the most outrageous of all was Qin Zhulu. Three days prior, he had managed the most difficult breakthrough of them all, completing his Pattern Genesis tier and ascending to the Evolving Resonance tier. With it had come a huge boost in power. Qin Zhulu was the first in their cohort to reach Evolving Resonance tier! As news of his breakthrough spread through the school, he immediately catapulted past Li Luo to become the most favored for representing the school. The students even formed friendly factions that supported Li Luo and Qin Zhulu respectively, and many hot debates broke out between them. Qin Zhulu has an upper eighth-grade Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance. Hes a monster in battle, and now a First Changing monster at that. Hes definitely going to represent One Star Hall against Blue Abyss Sage College. I heard that they have an upper eighth-grade student too. Li Luos dual resonances has complexity for days. Do you know how many battles hes won from a cultivation level deficit in the last half a year? But if hes not making it to the Evolving Resonance tier, thats a big handicap. Therere another ten days or so to the ticket match, right? Li Luos going to make it for sure. You heard it here first. Still, theres something odd about this. Li Luo was a Fifth Pattern, same as Qin Zhulu, when they went to Angelwood Hollow. I hear that their squad is pushing at a higher level than Qin Zhulus, so how is it that Qin Zhulu made the breakthrough first? Who knows? Maybe its got something to do with his dual resonances. Such thoughts were echoed tirelessly throughout the school. After all, One Star Hall might only be sending one representative compared to two from the other halls, but this one spot was extremely important. Li Luos slump was of great concern to not only the students, but even some of the One Star Hall Violet Vibrance mentors. This Li Luo doesnt seem to be showing signs of breakthrough at all, Cao Sheng noted, as he watched the students below fight. Mi Er nodded. Ever since Qin Zhulus breakthrough, they had been watching Li Luo closely, but six days later there was still no news from Li Luo. Evolving Resonance tier is a completely new tier compared to Pattern Genesis, Chi Chan said with a worried frown. At that level, the resonance seeds within the cultivators body will begin to evolve according to their resonance affinities. With dual resonances, Li Luo will need to undergo two evolutions while others only need one. And to do a dual evolution simultaneously its more than twice as hard to control. Still, Chu Zi said, it means that if he completes it, his ability will rise far more than that of other single-resonance cultivators. The special training will end soon, Shen Jinxiao said with relish. And soon the ticket match will begin. His time is running out. A mere Fifth Pattern? I would nominate Qin Zhulu without a doubt. It really doesnt matter who, as long as they do Astral Sage College One Star Hall proud, Cao Sheng shrugged. And anyway Qin Zhulu has been eying Li Luo as his rival. Given his nature, Im sure he wants to see Li Luo reach the Evolving Resonance tier as well, before they have a formal battle to see whos stronger. Shen Jinxiao shook his head. It doesnt matter how unique dual resonances are. I cannot accept a Fifth Pattern representing One Star Hall. On this matter I am purely impartial. I am merely thinking of Astral Sage Colleges One Star Hall reputation. Your acceptance or otherwise matters not, Chi Chan said snappishly. There will be due process to decide such things. Ah, please dont get angry, mentor Chi Chan, Shen Jinxiao said with an oily smile. I am indeed just expressing my opinion. Of course we will vote accordingly when the time comes. But do not expect many of us to vote for a Fifth Pattern to represent, even if he fights way above his cultivation class. Imagine the message that we would be sending to the other sage colleges. Astral Sage Colleges strongest One Star Hall student is a Fifth Pattern? How ungainly. So what if hes a Fifth Pattern? Chi Chan retorted. Surely you know that Li Luo defeated a Third Changing as a Third Pattern in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields? I have indeed, Shen Jinxiao replied. But that was not Li Luos work alone. He had the help of Qin Zhulu and Lu Qinger. Besides, the Third Changing he fought had not earned his cultivation level truly, but was boosted through some unknown arts. He might not be much stronger than a Second Changing with an eighth-grade resonance. Even Bai Doudou, Wang Hejiu, and Duze Beixuan have reached Fifth Pattern. If Li Luo stalls here, he might soon be left behind. Chi Chan shot Shen Jinxiao a filthy look, but did not engage further. Arguments here were useless. She had better spend more time thinking about how to help Li Luo achieve his breakthrough. Although it was an even higher hurdle for his dual resonances, but she believed that he could overcome it. Besides, even if Li Luo failed to make the breakthrough in time, his unique fighting abilities might still see him triumph over Qin Zhulu. While Chi Chan and Shen Jinxiao bickered, the topic of their argument was busy doing his best in the fights, oblivious to the politics above. Actually, he knew the reason for his slump better than anyone else. Others thought that he was wrestling with two simultaneous evolutions But actually he had four resonances to worry about Water and light resonances. Wood and earth resonances. Primary and secondary. Others just needed a simple, straightforward evolution, while he had to deal with the interaction between four. Of course it was going to be extremely difficult. He sighed to himself. For now, he could only curb his impatience. They had a bigger problem to deal with. Their squad had reached their limit, and it was hard to go any further Chapter 384: Cooperation Chapter 384: Cooperation Li Luos team was stuck at level 36 of Angelwood Hollow. This level had completely stumped them. Its too hard, how can we beat it?! Xin Fu complained. Li Luo massaged his brow, irritated at their predicament as well. There were dozens of absinthe puppets here, and four armored advanced absinthe puppets leading them. From their energy flow, these were probably Second Changing. Behind the four Second Changing absinthe puppets were three more First Changing ones. And behind them a dozen more ranging from Third to Fifth Pattern. Put bluntly, this was a freaking mini zombie army. The line-up was much harder than level 35, which had already taken every last bit of strength out of them. They knew that given their ability, it was close to impossible to beat level 36. The absolute limit of their strength. Although Li Luo had not made it to Evolving Resonance tier yet, his resonant power had grown much stronger. He was able to take on two Second Changing advanced absinthe puppets by himself. But four that was too much. More importantly, even if he could deal with the four big guns, Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng together could not deal with the other absinthe puppets. And if the two of them fell, then Li Luo would be overwhelmed and buried alive by the minions. The outcome was clear. Li Luo felt a headache incoming. He looked glumly around, where there were energy disturbances from the other squads fighting. It was not just from the One Star Hall Violet Vibrance squads, but also the Two Star Hall ones. They were also undergoing special training in Angelwood Hollow, although they were far ahead of the first years. Level 36 is too hard for us. We wont be able to complete it. Lets go back to do level 35 again, Xin Fu said resignedly. Second time clearing a level, the absinthe energy is much weaker, Li Luo groaned. He still needed an ocean of absinthe energy to reach his breakthrough. Repeating levels? Could he reach his target in the next 10 days? Xin Fu scratched his head. He knew that Li Luo had to be worried about his breakthrough to Evolving Resonance tier. After all, Qin Zhulu had already done it. With Wang Hejiu, Bai Doudou, and the others reaching Fifth Pattern, it felt like they were on the verge of overtaking him now. But without any change to their firepower, they were not going to be able to clear level 36 for sure. In their glum silence, Bai Mengmeng spoke up timidly. If we cant beat level 36 alone, how about working with other teams? We might have to split the absinthe energy, but if were efficient enough, I think it could make up the difference. Li Luo looked at her in amazement, then started to clap. The idea was simple, but he had not thought of it before. This was not an unreasonable thing C at the earlier levels it was not at all feasible to split up the absinthe energy, but now if they were unable to push ahead alone, perhaps a strong ally was exactly what they needed. Win-win. Mengmengs the smartest, Li Luo praised her with a huge thumbs up. She laughed shyly. Well, its normal for weaker people to think this way. Youre too strong, so you always think of relying on your own strength. What a great girl. She was even good at consoling him. Ill go talk to Qin Zhulus guys. Theyre already at level 35, so theyll be stuck here soon. Li Luo called out to them, already hurrying back downwards. When Li Luo reached Qin Zhulus platform, he saw Qin Zhulu finishing off the last absinthe puppet, releasing a whole cloud of green mist. He was an incredibly impressive sight. His entire body thrummed with power, and the tiger-shadow of burnished gold layered over him was intimidating, to say the least. Now he was at the Evolving Resonance tier, his Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance was starting to reach a new dimension of strength. Lu Qinger immediately spotted Li Luos arrival, and hurried towards him with a smile. Stuck at level 36? You even know that? Li Luo blurted out. Lu Qinger waved it away. Were near our own limits, so we know all too well what you must be facing. We had to fight level 35 a few times before we could pass it. I guess we wont be able to beat 36 by ourselves as well. If you didnt come to find us, I would probably have gone to find you to talk about the exact same thing. Li Luo nodded, then explained the enemy line-up of level 36. Four Second Changing advanced absinthe puppets Lu Qinger was stunned. That was indeed much stronger than the level 35 lineup. It was going to be difficult for one squad to beat it alone. I wonder if we could work together. Both of us could get rewards otherwise unattainable, Li Luo offered brightly. Lu Qinger cocked her head at him, then suddenly smiled. Sure, Ive no objections. She looked over at where Qin Zhulu was sitting with his eyes closed, absorbing absinthe energy. Dont worry, I make the decisions in this squad. Li Luo grinned and nodded. She hesitated for a moment. Are you alright? Youre not affected by the whispers going around school, are you? Of course, she was referring to Li Luos slump over the last two weeks. Dont worry, I expected as much. Evolving Resonance tier that wall wont hold me forever, Li Luo reassured her with a smile. She was relieved to see him in good spirits, and pumped her fist. Go, Li Luo! You can do it! The alliance between Li Luos and Qin Zhulus squads to take on level 36 had been well noted by the other three Violet Vibrance squads. They had to respond accordingly as well C a different approach was going to be needed once the going got too difficult. After some consideration, Bai Doudous squad went looking for Wang Hejius squad. After all, they were the next strongest squad available. To their amazement, Wang Hejius squad rejected the offer to cooperate. Bai Doudou was a proud personality as well. From the first word No, she was already stalking off angrily. Why did you reject Bai Doudou? Duze Beixuan asked Wang Hejiu doubtfully, watching her go. Wang Hejiu smiled thinly. Bai Doudous squad does not meet my requirements. Even if we work with them, we cant catch up to Li Luo and Qin Zhulu. You cant be thinking of Yi Lisha, surely? Theyre even weaker! Duze Beixuan frowned. Wang Hejiu smiled smugly. Dont you think therere other better choices? Nonsense, Duze Beixuan said irritatedly. There are only five of us One Star Hall Violet Vibrance teams His voice trailed off in realization, then looked up at the platforms far ahead. You want us to work with Two Star Hall Violet Vibrance squads?! The other One Star Hall squads are going to call us freeloaders! Words, Wang Hejiu said coldly, are just words. As long as we can find a Two Star Hall Violet Vibrance squad willing to cooperate, we might even break level 40. We could make history in the One Star Hall records. Or do you want to see Li Luo get the majority of the absinthe energy day after day? Im not going to play second fiddle to that guy! Those words stiffened the back of Duze Beixuan, and he fell silent. Chapter 385: Wang Hejius Choice Chapter 385: Wang Hejius Choice With the alliance between Li Luos and Qin Zhulus squads, the meta finally started to shift. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu took on the four Second Changing advanced absinthe puppets together, while Xin Fu,Bai Mengmeng, Lu Qinger, and Yin Yue worked as a separate team to hold down the other absinthe puppets. In truth, Li Luo and Qin Zhulu needed less than 10 minutes to finish off their side, destroying the advanced absinthe puppets as ruthlessly as if they had been removing weeds. With the four advanced absinthe puppets taken down, the problem became much simpler. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu cut off manageable waves of absinthe puppets while leaving the rest with their teammates. As a result, the level which had stumped them all was now cleared easily. As the voluminous absinthe energy descended upon them, they all cheered happily. This alliance had changed the dynamic of the special training. In one day, the two squads did not even stop at their usual one level per day. They continued to move on to level 37. With this newfound speed, they started to pull further ahead of the other squads. Bai Doudous and Yi Lishas squads started their own alliance, and they too found new speeds. Surprisingly it was Wang Hejius squad which continued their slow, individual crawl. Soon enough they were left far behind by the other four, who had no idea what they were thinking The next day, their questions were answered. Wang Hejius squad had cleared four levels in one day! Originally, the Li Luo-Qin Zhulu squads had reached level 38, while Wang Hejius squad was only at level 34. But in a single day, Wang Hejius squad shot up to level 38, as though they had doped up on steroids or something. The results were stupendous. How had Wang Hejius team suddenly become so strong? Impossible! Staring over, they spotted a team with them that they had not seen before It was the Violet Vibrance squad led by Ye Qiuding from Two Star Hall! Wang Hejiu was actually working together with a Two Star Hall in Angelwood Hollow! Damn, thats against the rules, isnt it?! Yu Lang swore. The others were not happy about it either. After all, the absinthe energy quota in Angelwood Hollow was divided by halls. For example, 10 portions for One Star Hall, to be divided between five One Star Hall squads. That was the size of the pie. If now Ye Qiudings Two Star Hall squad joined them, then it was basically six squads fighting for the same pie! He was basically giving away what belonged to One Star Hall! Li Luo frowned. Wang Hejius actions were bending the rules dangerously far. He understood the thought C with the help of a Two Star Hall squad, they could clear more levels, and get more absinthe energy. Sure, maybe Ye Qiudings squad got the better end of the deal, but of course Wang Hejiu would rather help Ye Qiuding than the other One Star Hall squads. They were his rivals after all. Plus, the personal grudges. With Ye Qiudings squad in the mix, Wang Hejius squad fought like hamsters put into cyborg suits. They could get the majority of the absinthe energy that was bad news for Li Luo. Thats too much, Lu Qinger said angrily, stomping her food. Leader, since they want to play dirty, why not ask senior Jiang to help us as well? Xin Fu suggested. Three Star Hall is not training in Angelwood Hollow, Bai Mengmeng reminded him. So its not possible. What then? Xin Fu moaned. Well strictly speaking, what theyre doing is unfair, but not against the rules, Li Luo said thoughtfully. Lets see what the five Violet Vibrance mentors think about this. The others nodded glumly, settling back to wait. Li Luo was right. While Wang Hejiu and Ye Qiuding teamed up, the One Star Hall Violet Vibrance mentors were indeed embroiled in a bitter argument. Shen Jinxiao, just how unscrupulous are your students? In order to get more absinthe energy, they would stoop so low and harm everyone? Or is this all just part of your plan? Chi Chan was the first to fire an accusation. Mentor Chi Chan, Shen Jinxiao said mildly. Is this against the rules? Shen Jinxiao, this is not a wordplay debate. Rules are guidelines for morals. As One Star Hall students, of course they should preserve goodness for One Star Hall. To give it away to others speaks of their traitorous hearts. Chi Chan shouted. It seems like mentor Chi Chan does not see Two Star Hall students as part of Astral Sage College? Shen Jinxiao countered. Preposterous! Chi Chan thundered. The other mentors frowned, unsure of how to deal with this. The matter was not clear-cut. Indeed, Wang Hejius actions were over-the-top, but such conduct had not been explicitly banned in Angelwood Hollow. They might chastise Wang Hejius squad for using unscrupulous means to get absinthe energy, but they could not stop it. Therefore, after a heated discussion, Cao Sheng stepped in. Lets report this to the Gilded Palace first, and leave it to vice principal Su Xin to adjudicate. The other Violet Vibrance mentors nodded. Chi Chan gave a final cold sniff. She knew that this would be the final course of action, actually, but still she wanted to give Shen Jinxiao a piece of her mind before that. The other Violet Vibrance mentors held their peace, but it was clear that they were not happy with Shen Jinxiao either. This had gone too far, and if word got out, the other Halls and mentors would laugh at their shame. Li Luos and Qin Zhulus squads waited for a long time, and heard nothing from the mentors. They understood what it meant then. Silence meant consent. Wang Hejiu had found a powerful exploit that not even the Violet Vibrance mentors could stop by rescinding their cultivating privileges in Angelwood Hollow. They suspected that Shen Jinxiao had a strong hand in this whole affair. That son of a b*tch Li Luo swore inwardly. Outwardly, he turned to Qin Zhulus squad. Well, are you brave enough to go up against the Two Star Hall Violet Vibrance squads? Qin Zhulu gave him a lopsided grin, his eyes half mad and half determined. Exactly what I wanted! Chapter 386: The Final Day Chapter 386: The Final Day Wang Hejius invitation to Ye Qiudings Two Star Hall squad definitely angered the One Star Hall Violet Vibrance squads. After all, it had been a fair, internal competition before this. Wang Hejiu was the one who had thrown the door open and invited the wolves in. There was only so much absinthe energy to go around. If Ye Qiuding took most of it, then it was them who would lose out! But since the Violet Vibrance mentors had not intervened, then they must have accepted it. After all, there had been no explicit rule against it. Perhaps none of the mentors had anticipated that someone would get desperate enough to disadvantage their own peers so viciously. Anger right now was not helpful. The other four One Star Hall squads redoubled their efforts. Every level they beat was one less portion of absinthe energy for Ye Qiudings squad. Of the four, Li Luos and Qin Zhulus squads were doing better. As the two strongest One Star Hall squads, the alliance crushed their way through level 38, and began level 39 on the same day. Level 39 was much harder than level 38, and both squads could feel the tremendous pressure during the fight. They did not cave in, but continued fighting onwards. The two leaders took on 70 percent of the enemies, and with that, carried their team during the fight. They were fighting against the clock, because they knew that the Wang Hejiu-Ye Qiuding alliance had already reached level 39. Tomorrow was the last day of special training. The goal for Wang Hejius alliance was clear: to beat level 40 by that time, and gain a boost of absinthe energy that would be beyond their dreams. His overweening ambition whispered to him that this would be exactly what was needed to reach the Evolving Resonance tier. If he really succeeded, he would be the first One Star Hall student to reach after Qin Zhulu. At that time, Li Luo would fall behind again. Leader Ye, Li Luo has already started on level 39, Wang Hejiu said anxiously. Now that they were technically on the same level, he was starting to feel a little uncertain. Ye Qiuding took a look as well. Dont worry, he said calmly. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu might be strong, but level 40 is not so easily beaten. Back then, even Zhu Xuans team had to reach Two Star Hall before they could pass it. I see, Wang Hejiu said, forcing a smile. But that Li Luo is a bit of a demon. Especially after Umbra Cave Ye Qiudings expression darkened. Umbra Cave. With it, Li Luo had risen to glory, and he, Ye Qiuding, had become a joke. It was all because Li Luo had stolen his spot. If not for Li Luo, Jiang Qinge would probably have chosen to ally with him. And the outcome would have been very different. His jealousy and anger consumed him. As Li Luo proved himself time and again, everyone was coming around to the idea that this young lord of House Luolan was brilliant in his own right. Before, everyone had felt pity for Jiang Qinge. Compared to her brilliance, Li Luo looked like a blemish, a dark spot, the mud in which the pearl had fallen in. They whispered of his status as young lord, and of Jiang Qinges sense of duty and obligation to her missing master and mistress. The relationship had looked as unequal as could be. No one felt that more strongly than Ye Qiuding. He considered himself better than Li Luo in every regard, except status at birth. He felt that he could compete with Li Luo and now found himself a laughing stock. Lets go. Since you invited us, we will definitely fulfill the task to your satisfaction, Ye Qiuding vowed. Squashing his jealousy back down, he stood up. Wang Hejiu smiled and nodded. Ye Qiudings anger was so strong he could smell it. He would use it, harness it to his advantage. Both of them wanted the same thing, united in their enmity against him. That was part of the reason why he had turned to Ye Qiudings squad as well. Zhu Xuans squad was stronger, but they were busy with an even higher level, and had no time to come down to help. The two squads made their preparations, then began level 39, an intense fight against the absinthe puppets. Battle raged back and forth. Both Li Luos alliance and Wang Hejius alliance beat level 39 almost at the same time. The remaining absinthe energy for the day was drained clean. Still, everyone knew that level 39 was just the appetizer. Tomorrows level 40 was everything. Whoever passed it first would get the majority of the absinthe energy available. Bai Doudous and Yi Lishas squad gave up on the push. They knew that they would have no chance to compete against Li Luo and Wang Hejiu, and were now taking the last day easy. The last day of special training arrived in due time. When Li Luo and the others reached the Tree of Resonant Power, they found a large crowd of One Star Hall students there. Li Luo, Qin Zhulu, do your best! Beat the traitor Wang Hejiu! Wang Hejiu, vile dog! I cant believe you went crawling to Two Star Hall! One Star Hall betrayer! The insults from his peers made Li Luo grin. He snuck a look at Wang Hejius squad. They were looking embarrassed as hell. Wang Hejiu met his gaze. Li Luo, is this your doing? he demanded. Li Luo shook his head. Nothing to do with me. But I would like to formally state my commendation to whoever did it. I care not at all about reputation, Wang Hejiu said coldly. As long as we beat level 40 first today, we would have made history. I might even reach the Evolving Resonance tier myself. Who cares about a little chatter in that case? Ah, but what if youre chatted about, and also denied the benefits? Li Luo laughed. Wang Hejiu gave him a chilly stare, then turned away. Li Luo watched him go as he rubbed his own chin. He beckoned to Yu Lang, who was lurking around behind him. A familiar modus operandi, Li Luo said to his friend, who was grinning ear to ear. Your work? Yu Lang waved it away modestly. Since he dares to do it, I thought Id help him get the word out. He might say that he doesnt care about it, but it sure does satisfy me enormously. Li Luo gave him an approving shake on the shoulder. Amidst the cheers, Li Luos alliance walked into Angelwood Hollow like heroes. No judgment, no booing. It was a heartening feeling. The two squads prepared themselves to take on level 40 on the final day of special training. Chapter 387: The Level 40 Fight Chapter 387: The Level 40 Fight Tang! On level 40, Li Luo led the way with his shortswords in hand, Qin Zhulu and his heavy spear right behind him. Backing them up were the other four members. They were focused firmly on the front, eyes straining to see what awaited them when the mist cleared. The answer was three figures. Three absinthe puppets clad in full battle armor, their slightly crooked bodies bent over giant halberds blade down in the ground. They could feel the pressure radiating from these three. Surprisingly, Li Luo was quite relieved. These three might be stronger than any puppet they had fought before, but they were not Fourth Changing yet. From the energy around them, he judged them as elite Third Changing. Each of them were a notch stronger than Lin Suo had been at the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. However, puppets still had the dullness of puppets, after all. They might have power, but not the higher intelligence needed to fully use the power with skill. Their battle tactics were limited, which made them slightly easier to deal with. Wow, three advanced absinthe puppets of this level Qin Zhulu gripped his spear tightly and licked his lips. I can only hold off one, he said to Li Luo. Li Luo stared at him with amazement. Thats a very bold statement, little Lu. Do you recall how badly Lin Suo trounced us back at the Golden Dragon Dao Fields? Qin Zhulu scowled at him. I was only Third Pattern then. Im First Changing now! Even if I had to face Lin Suo again, Id beat him one on one! Well, happily youll probably never see him again, Li Luo grinned. Well, as you wish, one of them is yours to beat. Qin Zhulu stared back at him. He had only said he could hold off one, not take down one but then again he wasnt about to admit that to Li Luos face. Sure. No problem. Surely things couldnt get any worse than when they fought Lin Suo. He was much stronger now that he was at the Evolving Resonance tier, and his Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance had also grown accordingly. What about the other two? Qin Zhulu asked. Ill deal with one, and the last one will be left to the other four. If they team up, they should be able to buy some time? Li Luo decided. You can deal with one? The special training had given them all surprising improvements, and only Li Luo had remained at the same level as he was. Qin Zhulu was not trying to put him down, but rather give him a good reminder. These advanced absinthe puppets were stronger than Lin Suo! Li Luo gave him a haughty look as thanks for his concern. Looks like you forgot who was the MVP in defeating Lin Suo. Qin Zhulu gave no further comment. After all their time working together, he knew that Li Luo was not a reckless person. Since Li Luo had decided this was the arrangement, he was happy enough to follow along. Well, this is the plan then. Still, even if Xin Fu and the others work together, they probably wont be able to buy much time. If neither of us can secure a win, they might be the first to crumble. Besides even if they can buy time, if we lose in speed to Wang Hejiu and Ye Qiuding, then theres not much point either. Li Luo paused for a moment for his point to sink in. In the end it all comes down to us. He looked Qin Zhulu square in the eye. The glory and reputation of One Star Hall C we are its protectors! Qin Zhulu was getting fired up as well, flexing his muscles enthusiastically. Lets fight! His savage resonant power roared forth, and suddenly he was more beast than man. Li Luo nodded approvingly at him. This berserker was really easy to rile up. He turned to Xin Fu, Lu Qinger, and the others, but Xin Fu cut him off before he could deliver his rousing speech. Dispense with the chicken soup for the soul, leader. Well buy you every minute we can. If you cant take yours down, shout and well all run away together. Li Luo sighed. Smart teammates were useless. He preferred big dumb muscle like Qin Zhulu. Shout and bluster a little, and they would run forth like madmen. Well, take care of yourselves, Li Luo called out to them as he turned to face the second advanced absinthe puppet with swords in hand. Xin Fu and the others turned towards the last one. Over on the other side, Wang Hejius alliance had made their own decisions as well. Ye Qiuding was the strongest among them, a Second Changing. With his versatile skillset, he should be able to deal with one of the advanced puppets, although he would probably need quite a lot of time. His other two teammates would deal with one more, while Wang Hejius squad would face the last. In terms of line-up, it was clear that Wang Hejius side had a big advantage. And it was basically a guarantee that Ye Qiuding would take down his puppet, and the way forward was clear for them. On the other hand, Li Luos side didnt even have victory guaranteed. Above, the five Violet Vibrance mentors watched the two fights silently. Chi Chan was tense, her lips white from how hard she was pressing them together. Shen Jinxiaos own lips were slightly parted in a smirk. He had brought many fine wines with him today, and sent full cups flying towards the other Violet Vibrance mentors with a flick of his finger. The other mentors were not inclined to make a fuss over his facetious attitude, and smiled politely as they accepted the cups. Only Chi Chan reached out to crush the cup to dust, its contents evaporating with a harsh hiss. Professionalism. Shen Jinxiao was unfazed, drinking happily as he occasionally looked down at the battles. He smiled. Chapter 388: Hard Fight Chapter 388: Hard Fight The 40th level rang out with explosions and bangs, blasts of energy being traded back and forth. Li Luo shot forth amidst the chaos, eyes firmly fixed on the advanced absinthe puppet and its huge halberd. He had tuned out all the other fights. His only mission was to take down this stronger-than-Lin Suo puppet in record time. If they lost the advantage to the other alliance here, it would all be for naught. Li Luos shortswords gleamed with Water Edge. As he neared, he lifted off the balls of his feet, light as a dancing swallow. His resonant power was concentrated on his swords, two twig-like blades against the tree-trunk monstrosity of an ax. The absinthe puppet raised its halberd in defense. The blades were deflected with a pitiful spray of sparks, and the puppet stood like a rock. The huge halberd was flipped, swung out in a reverse sweep aimed to cleave Li Luo into two. He dodged adroitly, allowing the huge and deadly arc of green light to pass by harmlessly. He shivered a little, knowing that it could have ended him if it had connected. Its first move not succeeding, the advanced absinthe puppet leaped forward, its ax spinning in a blur as it closed in on Li Luo with a deadly whirl of blades. The hum of blade through air made a keen, whining sound, as though the weapon was crying out for his blood. Li Luo watched it carefully while summoning his resonant power up. An azure-blue sword flew out, charged with incredible penetrative power and leaving after-images of blue swords in its wake. Thousand Watery Knives Art! With such a powerful advanced absinthe puppet as his opponent, Li Luo did not hesitate to pull out his dual resonances as well as the Thousand Watery Knives Art, one of his strongest moves to date. Weng! The water-charged weapon crashed against the advanced absinthe puppets halberd, and this time the cascade of sparks was impressive to behold. Li Luo was sent flying, while the advanced absinthe puppet staggered back two steps. Its defenses were rock solid, and it felt no fear. It steadied itself before coming at Li Luo again. Li Luo leaped backwards. He was still reeling internally from the last clash, and afraid of the absinthe puppets attack. In the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, he had his trusty meat shield Qin Zhulu to help him tank attacks. This time, he only had himself. Fortunately, his resonant power was much stronger than before. Although he had yet to make it through to the Evolving Resonance Tier, Angelwood Hollow had helped him grow stronger nevertheless. Previously, that attack would have left him bleeding internally. As he flew backwards through the air, Li Luo carefully watched the absinthe puppet chasing him. Reversing the grip on his hilts, he sheathed his swords and reached into his pocket sphere to pull out a silvery-white bow. Lambent Hawkeye. This bow made the absinthe puppet slow its advance as it assessed the new threat. After a moment, it glowed green again, and its armor was suddenly coated with a fresh layer of energy swirls. An armor reinforcement. Although these puppets lacked greater intelligence, they still possessed a threat assessment function to calibrate their defense and offense accordingly. Whish! Li Luos finger was a blur on the string, sending out a dozen light arrows that screamed forward, filling the air with hawk cries. Each one flew straight and true towards the absinthe puppets vital points. Every single one was blocked, only shaking the absinthe puppet slightly. More energy vortexes bloomed across the surface of its armor to negate the light arrows. Occasionally, an arrow found its way through the bolstered defenses, but these did not deal too much damage, especially not to a puppet that did not feel pain. It muscled onwards through Li Luos arrow storm. Li Luo took a quick look around to assess their situation. Qin Zhulu didnt seem to be faring too well himself, although he was definitely keeping his absinthe puppet busy. As for Xin Fu and Lu Qingers side, the situation was a bit worse. Even with numbers, the absinthe puppet was smacking its way through them. It didnt seem like they would last too much longer. The puppet was closing in on him, but Li Luo couldnt resist. He looked further over to Ye Qiudings side. Two figures were fighting well, keeping level with their opponents. Ye Qiuding was evenly matched with his, trading blows in a good exchange. That was to be expectedYe Qiuding was a Second Changing. With his other skills and weapons, he would definitely be able to match up to a Third Changing advanced absinthe puppet. Ye Qiuding was the one who would swing the battle for them. Time was running out. While Li Luo thought, his hands were still busy, sending a constant barrage of arrows towards the absinthe puppet. It responded accordingly, its armor blooming with energy vortexes that blocked the arrows. This was not a useless endeavor, because Li Luo was marking out the weak points on the puppets armor. Strictly speaking, they were not weak points, but rather bands on the armor where the energy vortexes spawned a little slower. Right hip Li Luo muttered to himself. He understood that he had to take his shot now. Time didnt permit much dawdling, and Ye Qiuding was going to win his fight soon as well. Whew. He sucked in a deep breath to steady himself, a look of determination creeping into his eyes. He would only have this one shot. ROAR! Just then, the ground shook as his own opponent roared. The halberd swung around in a fury to whip up a green cyclone that bore down on Li Luos position. He hurriedly raised his hand, calling up his water resonant power to form defensive whirlpools. Whirlpool Barrier. Swish, crash! The green cyclone smashed through them as though they were brittle cones of glass. Li Luo held up his bow as his last defense. CRACK! Li Luo was sent flying, his sleeves completely ripped up by the force of the attack. A trickle of blood stained his forearm. Li Luo ignored it, instead taking advantage of the distance to draw his bow again. Dual resonances activated! Seven resonant bubbles popped! Weng! Within him, his resonant power ratcheted up again and again, condensing on his bow. The arrows wings of light spread wider and wider. He breathed out halfway, then released his finger. The scream of the hawk announced his attack. High up, the Violet Vibrance mentors watched him. Li Luos arrow punched far above his cultivation class. But as Duke experts, they could tell immediately Li Luos attack was not going to be enough. Chapter 389: Feather in the Cap Chapter 389: Feather in the Cap Swoosh! The piercing arrow from the Lambent Hawkeye torpedoed through the air towards the advanced absinthe puppet. It was too fast for the eye to track, and even from above, the Violet Vibrance mentors only saw a streak of light. The absinthe puppet fared even worsethe attack had already connected by the time it reacted. The arrow punched into its right hip. The defensive vortexes were not fast enough. An overwhelming injection of light energy sheared its way through the vortexes and armor. This time, the attack sent the absinthe puppet flying. Its armor was badly damaged now, but it was not completely broken yet. Green energy held the parts of the armor together like sinew, an organic, reactive defense that would not break. Li Luo frowned when he saw this. Its defense was frustratingly resilient. Even his full-powered arrow had not managed to penetrate it cleanly. One more he muttered to himself. Putting away his bow, he pulled out his shortswords to finish the job. Resonant power surging forth, he sprinted forward. His blades gleamed. Lifting them high, he brought them down in a powerful, diagonal slash. Thousand Watery Knives Art! His attack wobbled out through the air, a graceful arc of water that looked soft and elegant but actually packing deadly power. The Violet Vibrance mentors shook their heads. It was a powerful attack, beautifully executed, but still not enough to take down the absinthe puppets armor. And if his best attack could not take it down, the armor would eventually heal itself. Li Luo would run out of firepower. Pity, he was so close Cao Sheng sighed. Hey Mi Er suddenly said. This Thousand Watery Knives Art is much stronger than before. The Violet Vibrance mentors looked closer. True enough, the water resonant power flowed much faster this time. The speed of the resonant powers flow determined the damage this attack could cause. It was the core of the attack. With a flow this fast, it was definitely much stronger than before. Bringing the Thousand Watery Knives Art to this level not only demanded a high level of resonant power, it also required a deep mastery and understanding of the nature of the move. And Li Luo had mastered this move not too long ago! While the Violet Vibrance mentors were still puzzling it out, Li Luo was sure of himself. His Thousand Watery Knives Art had been strengthened with his light resonant energy, drawing out the best of his waterlight resonance. This was another advantage of his dual resonances. Any resonance art could be easily modified to become much stronger thanks to his additional elements. Li Luo had not spent the last month of special training idlyhe had experimented tirelessly to refine his Thousand Watery Knives Art. This one should be enough. Weng! The attack cut through the advanced absinthe puppets hip, devastating energy burrowing its way into the gash on the armor. Li Luo stood easily on the spot, watching the absinthe puppet take step after step towards him. A few steps later, its halberd slid from its unfeeling fingers, and its entire torso flopped over at the hip, separated cleanly into two. The absinthe puppets demise was met with much consternation from all around. Qin Zhulu could not believe his own eyes. He himself was locked in a tough fight, but Li Luo had already finished up his? Who was the real Evolving Resonance Tier cultivator here? He stared so hard that his own puppet almost got a free swing through his neck. He hastily turned back to his own fight. He had thought that reaching the Evolving Resonance Tier ahead of Li Luo meant that the gap was closed but now it looked like a naive thought. Slightly further away, Xin Fu, Lu Qinger, Bai Mengmeng, and Yin Yue cheered. Li Luo had broken the fight clean apart, and now things were in their favor. On the other platform, Wang Hejiu was the first to notice this development, because he had been watching Li Luo closely all this time. He almost tripped over his own feet in surprise, and barely avoided taking an ax to the face. Wang Hejiu, what the hell are you doing?! Duze Beixuan yelled at him. Even though they had the numbers advantage, the absinthe puppet was a deadly foe. There was no room for carelessness. Li Luos beaten an absinthe puppet! Wang Hejiu shouted back. Duze Beixuans dismay was clear on his face. He could not resist looking over. Indeed, one absinthe puppet lay fallen at Li Luos feet. Impossible! Hes a Fifth Pattern just like us! Duze Beixuan snarled. The three of them together could barely hold their own, but Li Luo had beaten one alone?! That was even faster than Ye Qiuding! Were dual resonances really that powerful?! Could he really sneer at the usual concepts of cultivation levels and resonance grades?! Leader Ye, please hurry it up! Li Luos already taken the lead! Wang Hejiu shouted over desperately. Ye Qiuding was locked in a harrowing battle with the absinthe puppet. He was gaining an advantage, slowly but steadily. With a little more time, his victory was assured. Wang Hejius shout made him anxious, but he was an experienced enough fighter not to make careless, panicky mistakes. He gritted his teeth and did his best to fight faster but with equal prudence. Still, he could not completely eradicate his nerves. Li Luos faster win had severely affected his state of mind. On the other hand, Li Luo did not care about what was happening on their end. After taking down his absinthe puppet, he reassessed the situation and moved towards Qin Zhulu. Although Qin Zhulu was on the back foot, with Li Luo joining the fight, they should be able to secure a win in record time. Qin Zhulu heaved a huge sigh of relief when he saw Li Luo hurrying to his rescue. Chop chop, no time to waste, Li Luo called out as a reminder. His dual resonances had a time limit to them. In a long fight, he would run out of firepower. Qin Zhulu answered with a terse nod, ramping up his own resonant power to the maximum. With a tigers roar, he pounced forward to rip into the absinthe puppet. The battle was a race against time. Li Luo and Qin Zhulus teamwork had been honed in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. They fell into a familiar rhythm and broke their second absinthe puppets defenses shortly after Ye Qiuding had taken down his own. A few minutes later, their second absinthe puppet was down. They turned to their teammates immediately, before the second body had even hit the floor. Bai Mengmeng and Yin Yue were already injured, and only Xin Fu and Lu Qinger were still holding on desperately. They had endured enough. Rescue was here. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu charged straight in, and immediately the pressure was all but gone. The situation became a lot safer for all of them. The five Violet Vibrance mentors watched the turn of events with amazement. The outcome seemed pretty clear at this point Despite the best efforts of Ye Qiuding and Wang Hejius squad, they were a step behind. Shen Jinxiaos wine-sipping had already stopped. He was now watching intently, his wine cup held aloft but forgotten. Cao Sheng and the other Violet Vibrance mentors were watching with surprise but also some amusement. It was indeed an unexpected outcome. Wang Hejiu had called a Two Star Hall squad to his rescue and still lost. Once word of this got out it would be a real feather in the cap for the One Star Hall students. Li Luo was really a mysterious, little rascal. The other mentors were a little more reserved, but Chi Chan was openly laughing. One could just imagine how widely she was smiling behind her veil. When the third absinthe puppet on Li Luos platform fell, she rose to her feet slowly and stretched lazily. Mentor Shen Jinxiao, youve really helped out the reputation of the One Star Hall with this brilliant maneuver. Allow me to thank you on behalf of all the One Star Hall students. Shen Jinxiaos face was like stone, but in his hand, the wine began to bubble and evaporate. Chapter 390: Woodearth Evolution Chapter 390: Woodearth Evolution When the third absinthe puppet faded away into green mist, Li Luo, Qin Zhulu, Lu Qinger, and Xin Fu all plopped down to the floor, completely spent. They exchanged excited and tired smiles. They had overcome all expectations and beaten level 40 first! A result that would make anybody doubt their eyes. This was going to be a huge feather in their cap once word got out. The Two Star Hall students would not dare to assume any superiority over them just because they were seniors; they would probably be a lot more humble after this. A brief minute after Li Luos side won, Wang Hejius side finished up their battle as well. But there was no celebration for themthey knew that they had lost this race. Since Li Luos alliance had beaten level 40 first, they would get the full amountfar more absinthe energy than second place would. Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan kicked out at the ground in disgust and anger. They had paid a heavy price and even endured the insults of their peers, all to secure the help of Ye Qiudings squad to beat level 40 first and indulge in the bonanza of absinthe energy that awaited the winner. But now all that abuse was for nothing. Like going for wool and coming back shorn. They were completely devastated, and Ye Qiuding was equally aghast. Although their loss here did not affect them too much, they had trashed the reputation of the entire Two Star Hall. Their peers would definitely hate them for it. Why would you stick your nose in other halls business if you couldnt handle it? F*ck! Ye Qiuding swore colorfully. He had already lost much of his reputation after the fiasco that was the Umbra Cave. After this, he would be the fool of the Two Star Hall. Li Luo was really a f*cking demon! On the other side, the f*cking demon was busy high-fiving his friends and enjoying their much-anticipated rewards of absinthe energy. After the three advanced absinthe puppet corpses faded away, the absinthe energy rained down upon them, thick columns of pure energy that encompassed them within. Li Luo and the others sat in the lotus position, allowing the absinthe energy to wash over them. Even split between the two squads, the energy was plentiful for all of them. Soon enough, their bodies were teeming with energy. Li Luo was busy filling his two resonance palaces to the brim with the powerful and pure energy. Soon enough, both his resonance seeds were shining and full. The five patterns on his resonance seeds were already as bright as could be. Both of them glimmered and shimmered, as if on the verge of transformation. And yet not yet. Li Luo still could not reach the breakthrough. He did not fret. Instead, he started to try other methods. He put the absinthe energy equally into both his resonant palaces, trying to get them to trigger the evolution at the same time to get him into the Evolving Resonance Tier. So far, he had underestimated the tremendous amount of energy he needed to fill two seeds. The ticket match was nearing. If he wanted to represent One Star Hall, he had better haul his ass over to the Evolving Resonance Tier. Even if he failed, he could still fight his way there, of course But sometimes, cultivation level spoke loudest. Best to get this breakthrough here and now. Li Luo hesitated no more and switched his energy directionhe plugged his waterlight resonance and sent all of the energy towards his woodearth resonance. Li Luos new plan was to first get his woodearth resonance to the limit. Since the resonance grade was lower, it would require less energy. And once the woodearth resonance evolved, he would be in the Evolving Resonance Tier. Even if the evolution was not complete, he should be able to bring his waterlight resonance through sooner rather than later. Wave after wave of absinthe energy. They flowed into his brownish-green resonance seed, flushing it with energy until it was shining like a star. Li Luo could feel that it was on the verge of bursting, unable to take any more energy. He did not stop, continuing to force feed more energy in. More. More. Soon enough, his woodearth resonance seed was quivering, the patterns on its surface spreading like lava overflowing from a volcano. Li Luo knew that the limit had been reached. Crack! He heard something breaking apart, and Li Luo instinctively felt his woodearth resonance seed give way. He was not alarmed, but instead triumphant. This had to be the evolution. More and more cracks started to appear along the patterns of the seed, then an emerald-green resonant power oozed out. Slowly, the resonant power formed a little sapling of jade. Its roots were planted firmly in the resonance seed. It laid down more and more, until the entire seed was covered with the roots. Roots digging deep, the sapling grew into a tree that replaced the resonance seed, silently taking its place in the resonant palace. This was an affinity evolutionno longer raw, shapeless power, but a manifested symbol of the element. Basically all wood resonances grew trees. For the Duke experts, their wood resonant power manifested as an entire forest, so bountiful was their power. Li Luo only had one handsome, little tree for now, but there was an additional patch of brown dirt at the base of the tree. The dirt was also glowing with life. Li Luo knew that the tree was the manifestation of his wood resonance, while the dirt was the manifestation of his earth resonance. His woodearth resonances manifestation might look similar to other wood resonance users, but the little patch of dirt could not be underestimated. It was a base for his tree to grow even stronger, making it more difficult to uproot. Within his resonant palace, the little tree swayed happily. As it swayed, resonant power fell from its leaves, and the resonant power it was even stronger than that which came from his waterlight resonance, even though the latter had the higher grade. Such was the power of the Evolving Resonance Tier. Of course, strictly speaking, it was his woodearth resonance that had kicked him over the line Li Luo sighed with relief. In the end, the copious amount of absinthe energy from level 40 had managed to get him over the line. Although his dual resonances had allowed him to enjoy some ridiculous advantages in battle, it sure was a pain in the ass to upgrade. Still, the hard part was over now. [TN: The last member of the Duze Beixuan-Wang Hejiu squad is a girl called Qi Luozi. She had some vine resonant power and has been completely forgotten by the author] Chapter 391: Special Training Ends Chapter 391: Special Training Ends When Li Luo opened his eyes again, he saw that Qin Zhulu, Lu Qinger, Bai Mengmeng, and the others were already done. They were gathered around him, curious. Leader, you managed the breakthrough?! Bai Mengmeng exclaimed. All of them had felt the resonant power within Li Luos body suddenly escalate before it coalesced. That was not a level of resonant power that a Pattern Genesis Tier cultivator could achieve. Li Luo nodded and smiled at them. Indeed, he had reached the Evolving Resonance Tier now, although strictly speaking, only his woodearth resonance had made the leap. His waterlight resonance remained at the Fifth Pattern level. Still, he was not worried. Now that one had succeeded, he would just put all of the worldly natural energy he got from now on into his waterlight resonance. It was only a matter of time for it. And when the waterlight resonance breakthrough came, his resonant power would shoot up again. And then the interaction between two equal powers at a greater level would only make him even stronger. Thats just wonderful, Bai Mengmeng said, her angelic face beaming. She knew that a lot of gossip regarding Li Luos slump had been spreading around recently. Now that he had overcome it, all those naysayers would shut up. Leader, youve really done the One Star Hall proud now, Xin Fu said admiringly. The respect in his voice was evident. They knew that Li Luos win had helped them secure the overall win. Plus, he had won faster than both Wang Hejiu and Ye Qiuding. Everyone played their parts, Li Luo said, shaking his head modestly. Li Luo, youre stronger than ever. Although I feel like youve overtaken me again, if you want to be the One Star Hall representative, youll still have to fight me first, Qin Zhulu vowed, eyes shining with anticipation. In fact, lets do it right now! Lu Qinger stared at him as though he was mad. Li Luo just made his breakthrough. Hes exhausted both physically and mentally. Do you think itd be fair to fight him now?! Leader Qin, its not nice to take advantage of others. Bai Mengmeng piped up as well. Nnggh Qin Zhulu struggled for words. Sure, Li Luo had just been through a hard fight, but he seemed spry and ready after his breakthrough. Besides, Qin Zhulu himself had fought hard as well All in all, he didnt think that he was taking advantage of anybody, but settled for sighing inwardly, thinking that women were fearsome creatures. Li Luo waved it away. Indeed, this is not the place to fight. As for the ticket match representative, lets see what the Violet Vibrance mentors say. Qin Zhulu nodded. He couldnt care less about the ticket match. All he wanted to do was fight Li Luo until either one of them dropped. Even if it was him, he wanted to know how far apart they were. The five Violet Vibrance mentors appeared in the air above them. Todays cultivation session is concluded. Its also the last day of special training. Angelwood Hollow is closed from tomorrow onwards, Chi Chan announced. They all nodded, Li Luo a bit regretfully. Angelwood Hollow had been a paradise for cultivation. In a mere month, he had managed to close that gigantic gap between the Pattern Genesis Tier and the Evolving Resonance Tier. This place was actually even better than the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. If he could cultivate here until the end of the year Li Luo estimated that reaching Fourth Changing might even be possible. Still, that was fancy daydreaming. The absinthe energy in Angelwood Hollow was extremely precious, and it needed to recharge and replenish for a long time after each use. There was no way they would give him such a luxury. The month of special training has been hard for all of you. Go back and get a good rest, Chi Chan said to them. Also, there are three more days until the Blue Abyss Sage Colleges representative contingent reaches the Astral Sage College. At that time, the ticket match will officially begin. That got their attention. They all knew how important the ticket match was. Only with the tickets would they be able to participate in the Holy Grail Meet, the most important competition for all the elite schools in the East Divine Continent. It was not just for glory, but for real rewards. One of the rewards was the lives of the many students that fell each year to the Umbra Cave. The Umbra Cave was the reason for the sage colleges establishment, but it was also a source of pain for all of them. Sacrificing student lives was just part of the price they paid for the heavy responsibility they shouldered. Being a student of such eminent colleges meant that one took the risk that came with the privileges. If they could win the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, the Umbra Cave would be sealed for a few years. That was a priceless resource for any school. That was why all the schools would hold nothing back at the Holy Grail Meet! A prize that they could not pass up on. Im sure you know the format of the ticket match by now: seven matches, one of which is our One Star Halls. We dont care how the other matches go, but the One Star Hall must win. As for our representative, we will make a decision in the next two days. Also, we will be disseminating information on the Blue Abyss Sage College to all of you soon. Study it well. Although the Astral Sage College is stronger than the Blue Abyss Sage College in terms of average strength and foundation, we should never underestimate any sage college. When they set their heart to a goal, they can achieve anything. The students nodded solemnly. Chi Chan put up her hands formally to signify that the special training was now concluded. Li Luo and the others shuffled out of Angelwood Hollow. Outside, they stood on the boughs of the great Tree of Resonant Power and breathed. Li Luo stared at Xia City, barely visible on the horizon. In about a years time, he had gone from blank palaces to the Evolving Resonance Tier. Still, it was no time for conceit or letting up. Li Luo knew that he had embarked on this journey as a race against his fate. House Luolans Housemeet was coming up soon. To survive that, both he and Jiang Qinge had done their best to improve themselves. House Luolan was the lifework of his parents, and he would not let anyone take it away from him. Chapter 392: Information Chapter 392: Information Not long after special training at Angelwood Hollow ended, news had spread across the entire Astral Sage College. The outcome shocked the entire school. Who would have thought that Wang Hejiu, with the addition of Two Star Halls Ye Qiuding and his squad, would still not be able to clear level 40 first? Instead, it had been snatched by Li Luo and Qin Zhulu. Students who had not seen the battle could not believe it. They could not understand it. Ye Qiudings Violet Vibrance squad was an elite squad in Two Star Hall. How had they not been able to beat a bunch of One Star Hall students? Had they spent the extra year of time cultivating out of a dogs kennel? Many had assumed that Qin Zhulu and his upper eighth-grade Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance had closed the distance between the two squads. But soon enough the truth had gotten out, and the curious gazes began to swing to Li Luo a Fifth Pattern was capable of such feats? The senior students were starting to seriously reevaluate Li Luos ability and potential. If he had been so godlike at Fifth Pattern, what more now that he was at Evolving Resonance tier? Had he already overtaken the elite Two Star Hall students like Ye Qiuding and Zhu Xuan? A lower Hall overtaking a higher Hall. Such a record-smashing result had only been achieved by one other in the history of Astral Sage College C Jiang Qinge. Was Li Luo going to join her up in the hall of glory? On a balcony, in the residential tower. Li Luo was lazing around on a chair, eyes half-closed as he soaked up some sunshine. A thin voice and delicate fragrance approached, and Li Luo opened his eyes to see Bai Mengmeng in front of him. She had a small smile on her face, and she set down a pot of fresh tea and a folder in front of him. Mentor Chi Chan passed us the information. Li Luo sat up immediately. Information on the Blue Abyss students? Bai Mengmeng nodded. Li Luo immediately took the folder with great care. For the last two days, he had been waiting eagerly for this. Thanks, Mengmeng, Li Luo said, not forgetting his courtesies. She smiled, then hurried away, leaving him to it. Li Luo quickly opened the file, reading it seriously. Although One Star Hall only had one fight, but all seven fights were going to be important. As for the One Star Hall representative, it was likely going to be him. The first few pages in the folder had information on the two Four Star Hall representatives from Blue Abyss Sage College. These should be the two strongest students. Blue Abyss Sage College, Zhong Nan. Upper eighth-grade granite resonance, and already a Heavenly Dipper General. Hailed as the Great Shield of Blue Abyss Sage College. Threat level: 5 stars. There were a few pictures attached behind, showing an unremarkable-looking young man with thick brows and a slight ashy-gray sheen to his skin. Upper eighth-grade granite resonance, and a Heavenly Dipper General huh Indeed, the other sage colleges were not to be underestimated. This Zhong Nan was Seven Astral Pillar-level even within Astral Sage College. And the 5-star threat rating was probably as high as it got. He continued reading. Liang Kui, Four Star Hall representative, lower eighth-grade lightning resonance. Heavenly Dipper General. Hailed as the Great Spear of Blue Abyss Sage College. Threat level: 4.5 stars. This was an ugly man with a dangerous scowl. The frown on his face C he was the kind of guy who screamed stay away with every fiber of his being. These two were probably the strongest in Blue Abyss Sage College now. On Astral Sage Colleges side, Gong Shenjun would probably represent them, as the strongest among the Seven Astral Pillars. As for the second representative, it might be First Princess or one of the other Seven Astral Pillars. In truth, he did not understand their strength well, so it was hard to say how these elite battles would end up. He did not really have a stake in the Four Star Hall battles, though. He turned instead to the Three Star Hall information. That one he cared about more. Jiang Qinges opponents. He was surprised to see a very beautiful girl in the pictures. She had a slim but well-shaped body, a lovely face like a peach blossom, and the classic fair-skin-red-lips combination. Her cherry lips were half-turned up in a smile that seemed to both challenge and invite. Zhao Huiyin, Three Star Hall representative. Upper eighth-grade metal resonance. Earth Fiend intermediate stage, suspected late stage. Hailed as the Vixen of Blue Abyss. Tricky opponent, threat level: 5 stars. Li Luo was surprised to see that her threat level rating was even higher than Liang Kuis. Of course, threat level was not all about pure power. It was probably calibrated according to each Halls average power. After all, there was no way that Zhao Huiyin would ever fight a Four Star Hall student, no matter how strong she was. He was also surprised by Zhao Huiyins upper eighth-grade metal resonance. From her appearance, she lacked the hardness and sharpness in her features that metal resonance users usually grew into. He tapped the picture thoughtfully. This Zhao Huiyin might well be Jiang Qinges opponent at the ticket match. She seemed like a difficult opponent, but he had absolute confidence in Jiang Qinge. As did the rest of Astral Sage College. After all, she was not called the strongest Three Star Hall student in East Divine Continent for nothing. He continued reading. Yan Tai, Three Star Hall representative. Lower eighth-grade fire resonance, Earth Fiend second stage (Fiend Body stage). Threat level: 4 stars. Fu Xiu, Two Star Hall representative. Lower eighth-grade sonic resonance. Third Changing. Threat level: 4 stars. Fan Fan, Two Star Hall representative. Lower eighth-grade bone resonance. Third Changing. Threat level: 4 stars. He skimmed only briefly through this information until he reached the last page. If he was the representative for One Star Hall, then this one would be his opponent. Chapter 393: Lu Cng and Lu Cng Chapter 393: Lu Cng and Lu Cng When Li Luo flipped to the last section, he was surprised to see two faces staring up at him, and way more information than he had expected. Lu Cng, One Star Hall representative. Upper eighth-grade Solaris Python resonance. First Changing. Extremely favored by Blue Abyss Sage College, and a star at this Holy Grail Meet. Threat level: 5 stars. Lu Cng, One Star Hall representative. Upper eighth-grade Lunaris Python resonance. Twin brother of Lu Cng. The two brothers resonances are naturally affiliated, and their combined power is superbly strong. The two brothers defeated a Third Changing opponent together while both at Fifth Pattern. Threat level: 5 stars. Li Luo stared at the information, reading it through again. He wasnt quite sure what to make of it. This world was really full of strangeness. He might have dual resonances, but Lu Cng and Lu Cng had twin resonances Divided they were perhaps more manageable. Together it was scary to think about. [TN: The Lu brothers names (½ and ½) are romanized in the same way, except for the tone (pinyin). This was the best I could do, although now they look Italian or something] Still, there was only going to be one representative from One Star Hall this time. Only one of them could fight. That made the threat a little less intimidating. Li Luo poured from the pot that Bai Mengmeng had delivered, taking small sips of the hot tea. His eyes remained on the two pictures. Their appearance was completely the same, and the similarity ended there. One was dressed in white, the other in black. One had a warm smile on his face, the other a cold, expressionless stare. The contrast was jarring. Li Luos instincts told him that either one would still be a tough opponent. We really cant underestimate the other sage colleges, he sighed to himself. This is just the ticket match, and already the opponents are so strong The Blue Abyss Sage College representatives would be arriving in a couple of days. Many of the Xia Kingdom powers were responding accordingly with attention, and of course there were betting windows opening all over Xia City. Many of the Xia Kingdom citizens supported Astral Sage College. Although this was technically just an interschool competition, but Astral Sage College held a special place in the hearts of the citizens. Its glory was Xias glory; its failures Xias failures. If entry to the Holy Grail Meet was snatched away by Blue Abyss Sage College from right under their noses on home ground, it would be a painful humiliation to bear. Li Luo set his cup down. He was thinking of principal Pang Qianyuans task for him. If they couldnt even take the ticket match, then it was laughable to even think about the mission of getting the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. Still, One Star Hall only had one fight in the ticket match. Even if he was chosen and won, he would only have secured them one out of seven. Still, that was all he could do C focus on getting that 14% or so. The rest would be left to the rest of the school management to handle. Li Luo threw the papers back on to the table, then leaned back and closed his eyes. Time for some serious planning. The next day, Li Luo was notified to go to one of the practice arenas. When he arrived, he saw Chi Chan alongside the other One Star Hall students, as well as a rare sight in the form of vice principal Su Xin. And also, Qin Zhulu. Today was the day that the school would choose between him and Qin Zhulu. Vice principal Su Xin conferred with the other Violet Vibrance mentors, then looked at the two boys warmly. Both of you are the best in your year. Tomorrow, Blue Abyss Sage College will be here, and after a day of rest and readjustment, the Holy Grail Meet ticket match will officially begin. Both of you know how important the Holy Grail Meet is to Astral Sage College. We must not lose this ticket match. Although One Star Hall only has one fight, but it is an important fight nonetheless. I hope that whoever is chosen will give it their best. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu both nodded. They were students of Astral Sage College after all. Upholding the schools reputation and winning glory was part of their responsibility too. The selection method is straightforward: the winner is chosen. Thats what the One Star Hall Violet Vibrance mentors have agreed upon. So Whoever wins today will be chosen, vice principal Su Xin finished. The two nodded and entered the arena. Qin Zhulu was as excited as he had been back in Angelwood Hollow C he was almost crying from excitement. Li Luo, I have waited for this day for so long. Li Luo grinned back at him. For the longest time you could have beaten me easily, any time you wanted. Indeed, he had been much weaker than Qin Zhulu for a long time. If they had faced off then, Li Luo would have stood close to no chance of winning. Qin Zhulu shook his head. I dont care about winning. I want to fight an opponent that will make me sweat out of my toenails. The you back then could not give me that. But the you today can! Through all the times they worked together, both had a measure of the others strength. In truth, he himself knew that his chances of winning were quite low, but he did not care. He just wanted to fight a no-holds barred battle with Li Luo. Li Luo reached into his pocket sphere and pulled out his swords. Come, Qin Zhulu, he called, twirling them into complex patterns. Today, I will satisfy you. Qin Zhulu smiled widely, his eyes turning red as his golden tiger stripes started to emerge. The animalistic aura overtook him. ROAR! Two savage resonant powers ripped into each other. An hour later. The doors to the practice arena opened again. Students were already gathered outside, waiting to see the results firsthand. Two people walked out. The first was an exceedingly bright-eyed Li Luo, silver-gray hair handsomely tousled on top of his head. His clothes still bore singes and marks of battle, but he walked with a strut in his step. Behind Li Luo was Qin Zhulu, slouching his way forward. He was covered in many more wounds, but he looked equally pleased and satisfied, with no discouragement to be seen. Before all the students, Qin Zhulu pulled out a dark green ring, made of greenwood. The emblem of Astral Sage College was carved into it. ROAR! Seeing the ring, the students cheered. This was the mark of a representative, and others like Jiang Qinge and Zhu Xuan had already received theirs. A ceremony. Qin Zhulu presented the ring solemnly to Li Luo. Li Luo took it and wore it on his finger, then raised his hand for all to see. Under the bright sunlight, the moss-green ring shone brightly. A moments pause in wonder, and then the cheers broke out like a waterfall. With this, the final representative for the ticket match had been decided. One Star Hall representative, Li Luo. Chapter 394: Zhao Huiyin Chapter 394: Zhao Huiyin The next day, Astral Sage College buzzed with a lively mood. It was the day that the Blue Abyss Sage College contingent would arrive. The school had arranged an appropriate welcome, and even the VIPs from Xia City had made an appearance. Of course, the students had also all turned out C to see other sage colleges was a rare chance. Loud chatter filled the school. Li Luo stayed away from the chatter. He had already studied the information from Blue Abyss Sage College, so there was no need to go see the real thing. Not like he could glean anything new anyway. He spent his time in the middle of a lake, just opposite his tower. Li Luo stood on the middle of the lake, eyes half-closed in concentration as his light blue water resonant power started to flow forth. It rippled down from head to toe in a pulsating rhythm, forming a sort of water armor. In front of him, Chi Chan stood with arms crossed. She spoke softly, letting the wind and water carry her voice over to him. With your dual resonances and the gilded white-eye Lambent Hawkeye, your offensive abilities are considered outstanding among those of your caliber. But you lack defensive abilities. I recommend you choose this tiger-general resonance art: Heavy Water Toga. It concentrates your water resonant power into heavy water, then cycles it around your body as a water armor that is not easily detected. It can give you a measure of safety against surprise attacks that could otherwise be deadly. As she guided him, the water began to condense into a thin, dark armor that flowed across his skin. Chi Chan too a hard look at his attempt, then poked at his chest with one finger. She had not put much resonant power into the poke, but it was enough to pop the water toga like a bubble. Your heavy water lacks sufficient speed, she said strictly, as the water crashed down back into the lake. Use your whole body. Again. Li Luo did not lose heart, but silently began his next attempt. If your heavy water is not sufficiently concentrated, then its just a flashy waste of resonant power. She continued to poke away at his armor again and again. Heavy water needs to be three-ply. You have them, but youre not layering them well together. Shapeless, yet with form. Unseeable. Continue. Your heavy waters too thick. Are you trying to make elephant skin? On and on it went. Time ticked on, and Li Luo grew steadily more exhausted as the sun began to set over the lake. The red glow lit up both of them like an alarm. Mentor, Ive no more resonant power, Li Luo groaned. She laughed. Your techniques still full of holes, but to be able to get Heavy Water Toga to this state in a few days speaks of your talent in resonance arts. The ticket match starts the day after we will continue tomorrow. If you can finish it in time, it will supplement your fighting abilities greatly. Li Luo nodded. Thank you for the guidance. As your mentor, its just my duty, she said unconcernedly. If you can win at the ticket match, Ill get some of the credit too. She walked off across the water, vanishing quickly into the distance. Li Luo followed, putting heavy foot after heavy foot one in front of the other until he had plodded his way back to the stone bridge that would take him back to his tower. Finally, the excitement around school had died down in the evening, although he could still hear discussions here and there about the Blue Abyss Sage College students. Li Luo ignored it all, lost in thought about the Heavy Water Toga art. He was not paying attention when someone coming from the opposite direction collided with him, pressing up against his body. Li Luos instinctive reaction was to stick out his hand to support the person, but his palm connected with soft, fragrant flesh, eliciting an almost sexy moan. Woops. It was a girl. She tumbled past his hand into his arms, and clutched at his chest for balance as well. Li Luo was afraid to move any further, putting on a friendly smile instead. Friend, are you alright? The girl in his arms looked up at him and smiled. She was beautiful. Li Luo felt a jolt of electricity run through him. Hanging around the likes of Jiang Qinge gave him a strong immunity to beauties, but he had just seen this face yesterday Blue Abyss Sage Colleges Three Star Hall representative, Zhao Huiyin. To think that this would be their first encounter. Around them, people were slowing or stopping, curious and envious. Many recognized Zhao Huiyin. After all, she was the most easily recognized out of the Blue Abyss Sage College group. It had nothing to do with her ability, and everything to do with the fact that she was a total babe. The Astral Sage College male students were looking enviously at Li Luo. Damn this guy and his luck with girls! Zhao Huiyin blushed, and quickly stood up. Sorry, I was looking at the scenery and didnt see you. Li Luo quickly retracted his hand and gave her a friendly nod. Senior Zhao is gracious. You know me? Zhao Huiyin said in surprise. Ive read your information, and someone as beautiful as yourself is hard to forget. Im sure that senior Zhao recognizes me as well? As the One Star Hall representative, he was sure that Blue Abyss Sage College would have done their research on him. Zhao Huiyin looked closely at him. Youre Li Luo from Astral Sage Colleges One Star Hall? He nodded, then realized that they were standing a little too close. He could smell the fragrance coming off her body. He took a step back. Zhao Huiyin took a step forward, clutching onto his arm. I twisted my leg. Sorry, can I lean on you? More jealous hissing from all around them. This luck with the ladies was going too far. Why couldnt they be the ones who had bumped into Zhao Huiyin instead? Li Luo stared at her for a moment, feeling something was off. Soon enough he realized that the temperature around him was falling rapidly, and it had nothing to do with the setting sun. He looked up. And saw Jiang Qinge standing in front of him. Chapter 395: Emotional Plotting Chapter 395: Emotional Plotting Li Luo jumped a little to see Jiang Qinge here at the bridge as well. Could it really be such a coincidence? She was watching his every fumble and fondle with Zhao Huiyin calmly, neither distress nor amusement in her eyes. And she stood her ground, not approaching. Li Luo was just about to wave to her, but Zhao Huiyin took the chance when he raised his arm to press closer. The two looked as though they were embracing. Jiang Qinge turned and walked away. Li Luo frowned, then gave her a rough shove, uncaring of their gender difference anymore. It was a good, solid push, but she barely moved an inch, as though he had only nudged her gently. Li Luo, on the other hand, had pushed himself backwards two steps. Her exquisite face was looking forlorn, in a pouty, seductive sort of way. Junior Li Luo, she said with a hint of a smile. Is this the rough hospitality of Astral Sage College? Its not very gentlemanly, you bad boy. Senior Zhao, what exactly do you want? he asked testily. Zhao Huiyin batted her alluring lashes innocently. Whatever are you talking about? That collision was intentional, wasnt it? Truly the Vixen of Blue Abyss. Barely set foot in Astral Sage College and already stirring up trouble. I know your goal is not me, but Jiang Qinge. Let me see you knew about me and Jiang Qinge, so you decided to play this trick and get her riled up? You know how good Jiang Qinge is, and you know youll likely face her in the ticket match. Youre trying to get an advantage, using me to provoke her and make her lose her cool, he said coolly. Very clever, senior Zhao. She smiled knowingly at him. Junior Li Luos perceptiveness is matched only by your handsomeness. As for Jiang Qinge, Ive read the information on her many times. Shes unassailable on any front, except a soft spot for you. Seems like the betrothal between you two is more solid than most people imagine. I didnt really believe it myself. An exceptional girl like that, I didnt believe she would go for the other sex. But from her reaction just now, I guess I underestimated whats going on between the two of you. Well, at least I learned something from my little play, she laughed. Li Luo stared at the vexing but gorgeous girl for a moment, then laughed a little strangely. Oh senior Zhao. Angering Jiang Qinge is not a wise decision at all. Believe me, you might just regret it the day after tomorrow. Zhao Huiyin smiled unconcernedly. Oh really? I cant wait. Rather than me, I think junior Li Luo should worry about yourself. Our Lu brothers are hard to deal with, no matter who takes the stage. Li Luo only smiled in response. There was no need to explain or argue further. He flicked a hand dismissively and brushed past her. She watched him go with a half-smile on her face, then stuffed her hands in her pockets and turned to watch the lake. A moment later, she was joined by two figures who stood one at each side. They were dressed in black and white respectively. If Li Luo were still here, he would have recognized them immediately. They were Lu Cng and Lu Cng of Blue Abyss Sage Colleges One Star Hall. Senior, did your plan work? The white-clothed Lu Cng asked brightly. Plan? It was just a casual pass, she said indifferently. I just wanted to see if the engagement was anything serious. After all, Im quite curious as to Jiang Qinges orientation. If only she was a Blue Abyss student. Id love her. She spoke boldly, with no care as to who heard her. The white-clothed Lu Cng was not surprised at her declaration. Senior Zhaos sexual orientation was well-known in Blue Abyss Sage College. But from that little test, I think theres some real feeling between those two. Im not sure what kind of feeling it is, but its quite solid. She laughed. Of course, I wouldnt rule out the possibility that Jiang Qinge did that on purpose to make me feel like Ive successfully angered her, so that I would be the one to get careless in our fight. Lu Cng was stunned. Did you see that Li Luo? she asked, swinging around to face the white-clothed youth on her right. Lu Cng nodded. Sources say he has dual resonances, water and wood Thats really rare, but I think my chances of winning are a little higher than his. Zhao Huiyin looked back out over the water. Dont underestimate him. Astral Sage College is a stronger school than ours. Weve bided our time for many years before the school managed to nurture this lineup. Its just bad luck that Astral Sage College would draw a trump card like Jiang Qinge in the same hand. And also a dual resonance Li Luo. Well, the only way to find out whos better is to fight, Lu Cng laughed, a little arrogance in his tone. Zhao Huiyin nodded slightly, then turned to leave. Lets go. See what sort of delicacies Astral Sage College has. Li Luo walked briskly back to the tower. When he pushed open the door, he saw Jiang Qinge and Bai Mengmeng sitting opposite each other at the table, sharing pleasant conversation. Her golden eyes flicked up to him, then away just as quickly. Bai Mengmeng got to her feet. Leader, are you back from cultivating? Ill go brew you some tea. Li Luo smiled his thanks, then sat down on Jiang Qinges side. Hands on his cheeks, he smiled sunnily at her. You wouldnt really be angry, would you? Youre smart enough to see through Zhao Huiyins little tricks. Jiang Qinge took a delicate sip from her cup with a smile. I guess Ill have to thank junior Lu Qinger for my lack of anger. With her around, how could a feeble attempt like Zhao Huiyins hope to anger me? Chapter 396: Reward Chapter 396: Reward Li Luo was taken aback by Jiang Qinges words. Er, surely not? Lu Qinger hasnt done much, he said, scratching his head. She sniffed lightly to herself. Nothing much? Lu Qinger had come to her and suggested that she call off the engagement to Li Luo. Of course, Lu Qinger believed that there was no true love between her and Li Luo, and that the engagement was a burden to both parties. Still, anyone who dared to go that far with her had done a lot indeed. Compared to that, Zhao Huiyins little bit of skinship was nothing at all. Of course, someone as proud as Jiang Qinge would never let Li Luo know about it. She would deal with any real problems that came up. I know what Zhao Huiyin wants to do, so Im happy to let her feel that shes accomplished it. Let her play her little games C Ill bait her back with them. Lets see who suffers at the ticket match in the end, Jiang Qinge said indifferently as she set her teacup back down. Li Luo was a little startled. Was he just a pawn in the game of chess between the two girls? Do you really need to play such games given how strong you are? Li Luo grumbled. Zhao Huiyin might be strong, but Li Luo had absolute confidence in Jiang Qinge. Even a lion dedicates its full effort to catch rabbits. And saving every little bit of energy counts. Zhao Huiyin is a clever person C and wiser people make bigger mistakes. Any of those would be welcome indeed. Jiang Qinge laughed lightly. Still, shes smart enough not to buy my act maybe. It doesnt matter. Just a small hedging either way. The real result still depends on our abilities. I hope she doesnt let me down. Even Duze Honglian has been squashed so flat she doesnt even have a temper anymore. Im totally bored in Three Star Hall. Except for the occasional happening, I dont find much meaning here. Li Luo was in awe of her boredom. That was the result of her relentless pursuit of self-betterment. It was always lonely at the top of the mountain. How do you weigh our chances of winning the ticket match, do you think? Li Luo asked her. She dipped an elegant finger in her tea, then dripped it on the table and used light resonant energy to shift it into shimmering words. The Four Star Hall representatives are already decided. Gong Shenjun and First Princess. The two strongest among the Seven Astral Pillars do you think theyll secure two victories there? she asked him back. Li Luo rubbed his chin. I guess? He had never seen Gong Shenjun fight before, but he had a rough sense of First Princess power. If Gong Shenjun was even stronger than her, then surely the two could take down Blue Abyss Sage Colleges representatives? Jiang Qinge shook her head. Youve underestimated that Zhong Nan. Ive analyzed his battle scores before. Do you know that hes never lost a single battle ever since he entered Blue Abyss Sage College? Li Luos jaw dropped. Not a single one?! She smiled at his reaction. Most of his battles have ended in a draw. No one at his cultivation level has ever broken his defenses. They have all had their resonant powers run dry at the end. Not even that Wang Chao from the Seven Astral Pillars can rival his defense. Li Luo shook his head in disbelief. Senior Wang Chao was hailed as the strongest defender of Astral Sage College. And still he was weaker than Zhong Nan? If Gong Shenjun meets Zhong Nan, theres a 40% chance it ends in a draw. If First Princess, 60%. The best that Four Star Hall can hope for is one win, and one draw, she said. As for Three Star Hall, the chances of my win are over 90%. Duze Honglian is not very stable, but theres no one outstanding for Three Star Hall on the Blue Abyss side either. Id rate her chances fifty-fifty. Two Star Hall is a wasteland this year. Its a matter of whos worse, really. Nothing much to rate there. One Star Hall what do you think? she suddenly turned to stare at him. Li Luo pondered her question. In terms of facial aesthetics, charismatic persuasion and sexiness, factor in charm and mainstream appeal, and recalibrate for wit I think Astral Sage Colleges One Star Hall representative stands an overwhelming chance to win, he said with utter conviction. Jiang Qinge stared at him. Did he think the ticket match was a beauty contest? If that was the case, shed be invincible in this world already. Li Luo allowed himself a little giggle, then got serious. Ive never met Lu Cng or Lu Cng before, but they make me a little uneasy, somehow. I really cant speak from blind confidence, so I guess Ill just try my best. She nodded in approval at his caution. That makes me relieved. The world is big, and there are unknown miracles everywhere. Even with your dual resonances, there can be others who can rival you for sure. Lu Cng and Lu Cng give me sinister vibes as well. They might be the real aces of Blue Abyss Sage College. Putting their trump cards in the One Star Hall match? Li Luo asked. The element of surprise only works when no one is paying attention. You should know that Blue Abyss Sage College has bided their time for many years to make this bid for the Holy Grail Meet. Theyre slightly weaker than Astral Sage College on average. Without some trump card, itd be hard for them to win. Li Luo nodded. Ill be careful. The two continued to chat, and soon the sun had fully set before they knew it. Jiang Qinge rose to leave. Li Luo walked her to the door. The golden girl was bathed in the light of the full moon, her glowing complexion mellowed in the fair cast of lunar silver. She was like a night lotus, freshly bloomed. Li Luos breath caught for a moment. Jiang Qinge smiled at his staring. Am I pretty? Better than Zhao Huiyin? Id be lying if I said the difference was as big as clouds and mud, but with you around, her honey traps more likely to give me diabetes before I take off my clothes, Li Luo said, summoning his wit back to the rescue. She laughed. Tongue as silver as ever. She waved as she turned to leave. Li Luo caught the wrist of her outstretched hand. Jiang Qinge jumped a little, but did not pull away, instead staring at him curiously. Is there something else? Li Luo cleared his throat. Ahem. So I became the One Star Hall representative. I know? I beat Qin Zhulu two days ago. I have heard this. She nodded. Li Luo glared at her. So Ive become the most valuable player in One Star Hall at Astral Sage College now! Jiang Qinge, do you remember the promise you made previously?! You said that if I became first in Astral Sage College One Star Hall, youd give me a reward! Now Ive done it! Wheres my reward?! She stared at him, eyes wide. Li Luo looked at her surprised face, then sighed with disappointment. Forget it, I know you were only joking. Its nothing. Go on then. Hearing his resignation, Jiang Qinge was a little indignant as well. I really hadnt thought about it yet. What reward do you want? Li Luo rubbed his chin, affecting casualness. He took a good look at Jiang Qinges beautiful face to weigh his chances. She seemed to welcome his staring, completely unbothered. Their relationship ran too deep. She had not shown any resistance to Li Luos advances or movements so far. Even if he did something pretty intimate, shed probably go with it. But her willingness instead disappointed Li Luo, who sighed again. He dropped the casual act. What is it now? Jiang Qinge asked impatiently. Qinge, you make me feel very unaccomplished, Li Luo complained. What? Am I supposed to pull away or resist? I was more worried Id hurt you! she replied. Li Luo mimed being stabbed in the heart as he forced a laugh. Qinge, weve had a complicated relationship in the past, but you know what I really want, including the annulment of the engagement that Ive worked so hard for. Jiang Qinge looked closely at him. She knew that this was not about the annulment, but rather, a change in the nature of their relationship. Li Luo had grown at superhuman pace over the course of the last year. The blank palace youth from Tianshu province had now become one of the greatest in his generation throughout Xia Kingdom. He had been working so hard to get closer to her level. No one doubted his potential anymore, nor did anyone call them unmatched partners. Qinge, I dont need any reward, really, Li Luo sighed. I just want you to lay down the complicated emotional baggage from our past. Treat me as just another interested pursuer. Think about it. If it was just another interested pursuer just now, what would your reaction have been? Jiang Qinge pondered briefly. Hed be dead. Li Luo blanched. Er, surely not? Jiang Qinge laughed. Li Luo, I know what you want to say, she said softly. Even Ive been surprised by your rise in the last year. Like I told you before, youre the match of anybody, including me. But to call you just another admirer thats something I cant do. Before Li Luo could retort, she continued. But whatever you do, whatever we have, youre definitely the admirer with the most chance, and the best able to do so. And the only one worthy of consideration, she added to herself in her heart. It was a bittersweet reply for Li Luo. At least he had a grasp of reality now. Something swirled in her golden eyes. Li Luo, youre right C theres been too much between us in the past. Too deep for me to put aside, but I can try And there is one very clear promise I can give you. What is that? Li Luos heart skipped a beat. She smiled, and again his breath was taken away. On the day you become stronger than me, well annul the engagement. Chapter 397: Gathering of Elders Chapter 397: Gathering of Elders The day of the ticket match finally dawned upon them. On this day, half of Xia City had a ear out towards the nearby campus, and many of the citys highest elites had secured seats through their various connections. Those not as well-connected had to settle for watching footage through specialized equipment that had been placed throughout the cities. It was the match of the year, citizens of Xia Kingdom spraining their necks craning out for the event on the horizon. The first ray of morning sun pierced the horizon, shining onto the cloud layer like a spotlight from below. The ticket match was held at the back mountain range C the clusters of mountains were perfect for stadium seats C stone steps carved into their natural elevation. There was no arena specially carved out for battle, but there were different terrains available, including forests, lakes, and swamps. By the time Li Luo, Bai Mengmeng, and Xin Fu reached, the crowd was already out in strength, little dots of faces covering the mountain faces. The enclosing geography of the mountains only helped to amplify their loudness. Li Luo! At the entrance, he heard the familiar voice of Lu Qinger, and turned to see her waving at him. Yu Hongxi was by her side, in her signature sexy red. Li Luo had expected to see them around, but he was still surprised by the unusual company around them on this day. To Yu Hongxis right was Zhu Qinghuo, the house lord of House Jiyan. Behind him was Zhu Xuan. The Duze siblings were present as well, although they too were standing behind a black-robed man with an unfriendly demeanor. His hands were crossed in front of him, striking an imposing manner. Li Luo had never seen this man before, but immediately knew who he was. House Duzes house lord, Duze Yan. Si Qiuying could be spotted among them as well. There was a man in golden robes before her. He looked to be about the same age as Duze Yan, but much more cultured and polished, looking like a gleaming bar of gold where Duze Yan was an iron ingot. This was the house lord of House Jinque, Si Qing. This was a group of extremely powerful elders. Three house lords of the five Great Houses C that was how important the ticket match was. The elders had been talking among themselves, but paused when Lu Qinger called out. They all turned to the youth walking towards them. Li Luo walked towards them, head held high. After all, he too was the young lord of House Luolan. Even though he might be far from them in terms of ability, but in the absence of his parents, he represented the house. He could not let House Luolan lose face here. The three house lords watched his fearless approach with some wariness. In his stride, they saw an image of the legendary duo. And thinking of those two a measure of caution crept into their eyes. When Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had been around, the entire Duke class in Xia Kingdom had been crushed by them. President Yu, house lords. Li Luo greeted them calmly. House Jiyans Zhu Qinghuo acknowledged him with a small smile. In less than a year, this boy Li Luo has already become the foremost fighter in Astral Sage College One Star Hall. Seems like there will soon be a new dragon and phoenix risen within the halls of House Luolan. Keke, it reminds me of House Luolans golden days when Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan were around. Duze Yan narrowed his eyes at that remark. When House Luolan fell, the other houses had all risen correspondingly. None of them wanted to see House Luolan rise again. If a new Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan emerged, the rest of them would be doomed for more long years of misery! Li Luo looked mildly at Zhu Qinghuo. Of course he understood the malice hidden in those words. There was already a big target on House Luolans back, but Zhu Qinghuo was happily painting the bullseye bigger, and in a brighter shade of red. Sly old dog. Zhu Qinghuo, surely youre thinking too far. Li Luo is only a Resonant Master now. Were you traumatized by the beatings from Li Taixuan back in the day? Jinques house lord Si Qing laughed. Zhu Qinghuos shoulders froze. As if you werent the same, he said coldly. Cant help it if Im not as good, Si Qing said, shrugging it off easily. Li Luo did not rise to the taunts of Zhu Qinghuo, nor was he overcome by Si Qings intervention. The five Great Houses were locked in a complex political mesh. Even if House Jinque appeared a little more friendly, it was ultimately in their own interests to keep House Luolan around as cannon fodder against the firepower of Houses Jiyan and Duze. He would be naive to think that it was out of the goodness of their hearts. Enough, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan might not even be dead yet, Yu Hongxi cut short the oily musings of the house lords. Her words cut back deep, shutting them all up. Zhu Qinghuo and Duze Yan gave it up immediately. That the pair had not yet been confirmed dead was the reason why House Luolan had been left alone all these years, even though it had been vulnerable. The Nobles Battlefield was a very real danger, but if the pair could emerge alive, Xia Kingdom would be shaken up by their return. Besides, they too felt a little hint of defensiveness from Yu Hongxi, which had not been present before. Hadnt she always been cold towards House Luolan before? The two had rarely interacted in the past. Why had things changed since Li Luos rise? Was it because of Lu Qinger? In any case, she was the center of financial power here in Xia Kingdom, and neither dared to reply. They turned away and walked into the tournament grounds. You grow fast, Li Luo, Yu Hongxi said as they left. But youre still a long way aways from protecting your house. I know, he agreed. Still, Ill do my best. Youre much more reserved compared to Li Taixuan. Maybe its just your blank palace start that conditioned you to caution, Yu Hongxi said. But now youre in the open at Xia City. There can be no more hiding. And if you cant hide, perhaps its time to embrace your full shine. Besides, Jiang Qinge might be hailed as a genuis of your time, but I dont think youd lose to her. Do your best. House Luolan has always had stronger women than men. About time you flipped the tables for your time, eh? She turned to leave as well. Lu Qinger beamed at him. Good luck, Li Luo! She followed her mother in. Li Luo stared ruefully at the mother and daughter pair. Was Yu Hongxi helping him? Or was she trying to stir something between him and Jiang Qinge? Women were complicated creatures indeed. Chapter 398: Ticket Match Begins Chapter 398: Ticket Match Begins At the One Star Hall stands, Li Luo filed in with the others to loud cheers. Go, brother Luo! Brother Luo, show them youre the One Star in One Star Hall! Brother Luo, sweep me off my feet until theyre over my head and- The cheers today were raucously creative, for what was now the undisputed first in their cohort after he had defeated Qin Zhulu formally. The One Star Hall area got so noisy that even the Two Star Hall crowd started to look over. Although they traditionally held a psychological advantage over their juniors, it had evaporated ever since the Angelwood Hollow incident, when Ye Qiudings squad had lost out to Li Luos squad. The message was loud and clear now. The One Star Hall cohorts quality was not the same. Although Li Luo was only a First Changing for now, but he could probably take on Third Changing cultivators and win. Which meant that only Zhu Xuan in all of Two Star Hall could give him a fight. Such a glowing record had not been matched by many in the history of Astral Sage College. And none of them had ever been nobodies. Look all they wanted C they had no choice but to acknowledge that Li Luos generation was much stronger than theirs. Plus, when they were in One Star Hall themselves, the goddess Jiang Qinge had been in Two Star Hall, crushing them flat into the dust. They themselves had never even dreamed of challenging their seniors. Not even for the likes of Zhu Xuan. Leader, Astral Sage College will win this thing, right? Bai Mengmeng asked Li Luo. Hard to say before the outcome is decided, Li Luo said with a rueful smile. Blue Abyss Sage College might have a weaker background than Astral Sage College, but they havent been sitting around on their asses doing nothing, thats for sure. And they probably have an ace or two up their sleeve somewhere. Of course, we dont need to be overly paranoid either. Our lineup is freaking awesome too. Let the results speak for themselves. Besides the burden Two Star Hall members, the other Halls all had heavy-duty fighters anchoring the matches. Gong Shenjun in Four Star Hall, Jiang Qinge in Three Star Hall, and himself, the mighty Li Luo, in One Star Hall. Li Luo was watching the left platform as he chatted with Bai Mengmeng, watching an unfamiliar group navigate the crowd. They were a few dozen strong, and Li Luo spotted Zhao Huiyin in their midst. The Blue Abyss contingent. She seemed to sense his eyes on her, and turned in his direction. Their eyes met, then Zhao Huiyin looked away with a coy smile that was noted by the hungry gazes of the Astral Sage College male students. Had Li Luo already subdued one major opponent with his charms even before the battle started? Leader, are you planning to win the war without fighting? Thats impressive. Xin Fu sighed in admiration. His leader was always reaching new heights before he could even dream of them. Li Luo rolled his eyes. It was Bai Mengmeng who had a better read of the situation. Senior Zhao is a master of emotion. I think perhaps only senior Jiang or First Princess can rival her in that. Li Luo gave her a solid thumbs up. Mengmengs read is spot on. That Zhao Huiyin is no kind soul. Those who underestimate her will be swallowed whole without even a bone left behind. Bai Mengmeng giggled. Well, thats if she gets the chance to do the eating. Leader is too smart to not have seen through her tricks. Li Luo sighed happily. Mengmeng was the best cheerleader. A sonorous chime rang through the mountains. As it died away, all eyes turned to the highest platform, where a group of purple-robed figures walked out. These were the Violet Vibrance mentors of Astral Sage College. Following them were the VIPs of Xia Kingdom, including Yu Hongxi and the other house lords. Li Luo also spotted the little emperor, with the Regent by his side. Lastly was the representative of the hosts, vice principal Su Xin. She was escorted by another elder in blue robes, the vice principal of Blue Abyss Sage College. His name was Qiu Jizi. As for principal Pang Qianyuan, he was nowhere to be seen as usual. Many students were disappointed, hoping for a glimpse of their greatest leader at one of the most important events for the entire school. No luck here. The Regent noted the disappointed murmurs of the crowd. Vice principal Su Xin, is principal Pang still inside? The Xia Kingdom elders, including Yu Hongxi, all turned at his question, interested in theh answer. Everyone knew that Pang Qianyuan was considered the strongest in all of Xia Kingdom. Su Xin shook her head apologetically. The principal has been shut away for many years, unable to take his leave. Thats a pity, Regent said. Ive not seen the legend for a good few years now. Please be assured that he should be able to get away soon, she assured him. He smiled and nodded. Thats good. Principal Pang is the only King in all of Xia Kingdom. I have wanted to consult him on the path to King for a while now. Vice principal Su Xin nodded pleasantly back to him before walking to the central position on the platform. She first addressed their guests, Blue Abyss Sage College, speaking courtesies and words of welcome. And then she got down to business. This ticket match will decide whether Astral Sage College is granted a place to compete at the Holy Grail Meet. It goes without saying that we have sent our seven strongest representatives for this fight. I hope that you will do your best. This too is a mark of respect for our guests who have come from afar. The students cheered. It is about time. The time for speeches is over. Let me formally declare the beginning of the Holy Grail Meet ticket match! According to the rules, the battles will be fought from highest to lowest. The first match will be between the Four Star Hall representatives. The crowd roared its approval. Gong Shenjun! Gong Luanyu! As the two strongest students of Astral Sage College presently, their reputation among the students was unrivaled. It was a reputation born of experience and proof, solid and dependable. It was much more real than the reputation of someone like Li Luo, built on intangible potential. The two champions walked out to a stone platform. Gong Shenjun and the First Princess. On the other side, their opponents walked out to face them. Blue Abyss Sage College, Zhong Nan and Liang Kui. All four nodded in acknowledgment to each other. Next would be the drawing of lots to decide their opponents. Both sides were familiar with the process, reaching into a stone box to pull out a pellet that opened to reveal slips of paper within. All four held their slips up. All eyes strained to read them. First Princess held the slip with One written on it, and the corresponding slip from Blue Abyss Sage College was held by Zhong Nan! The Four Star Hall students were looking concerned now. First Princess was going to have to go against Blue Abyss Sage Colleges greatest shield Did she really have the firepower to take down that defense? Otherwise, the first match might well end in a draw. Chapter 399: First Princess VS Zhong Nan Chapter 399: First Princess VS Zhong Nan When the match up was revealed between First Princess and Zhong Nan, many of the students looked concerned, but quickly rallied in support behind their representative. First Princess, you got this! First Princess, youre the best! The Star of Astral Sage! On the lot-drawing platform, First Princess acknowledged her supporters with a gracious smile. Today, she had shed the luxurious outfits, clad in simple purple robes. Still, her natural attributes were too voluptuous to be hidden even by simple clothing. Her fair complexion, too, was a classic mark of royalty. Today, she had tied her hair in a long ponytail, a new style that drew additional attention to her. It was as though she had shed her status as First Princess, and was now just another member of Astral Sage College. Even without the gild of royalty on her, First Princess had raw beauty abound. No wonder all the male students in Astral Sage College had been enamored before Jiang Qinge showed up. First Princess is not only beautiful, she has the charisma. Even Bai Mengmeng was charmed by First Princess. And of course, she was awed by the curves of her senior. Li Luo nodded fervently. First Princess was an exceptional woman indeed. Despite her royal status, she had an approachable feel to her in school. She spoke well, was good natured, and was different from other girls who wielded their charms aggressively. Her stability and cool nature were also her strengths. Still, the results of this lottery were not the best. From Astral Sage Colleges perspective, it was best that Gong Shenjun face Zhong Nan. He stood a better chance at breaking through that rock wall, although it was still not a guarantee In the end, either one might have only secured a draw. The great aegis of Blue Abyss Sage College was as strong as they came. Still, there was great anticipation for this battle. And for Li Luo, he could witness a fight between Heavenly Dipper Generals firsthand. That was a real treat. First Princess turned her phoenix eyes to the young man with a grayish cast to his skin. Senior Zhong Nan, I hope to learn much from you. Zhong Nan simply nodded. I thank First Princess for your courtesy, he droned tonelessly, sounding almost bored. This match concerns the future of my school, Blue Abyss Sage College, so I will do my best. As will I. Dong! The chime sounded to signal the start of the battle. Both Zhong Nan and First Princess leaped down from the stone platform to the mountain range below that would be the battlefield for this match. Ones connection with the world deepened at the Heavenly Dipper General, enough to be able to move through the air at will. This was one of the main differences from the Earth Fiend stage, where one remained grounded. The two descended into a sea of trees. First Princess raised a slim hand, and the worldly natural energy leaped obediently to her command. Thin streams of energy flowed towards her, pooling together in the form of a green Luan that stretched out for a hundred meters behind her. The Luan continued to grow, until every beat of its wings summoned a fearsome wind that made the forest bend and groan. This was her opening move? Li Luos eyes were almost popping out of his sockets. Was this what the Heavenly Dipper General stage was like? Capable of summoning catastrophic levels of damage at will, it was truly worlds above his Resonant Master stage. Caw! The green Luan keened, then swooped out on its wings of light when First Princess jabbed her finger forwards. ROAR! The bird continued gathering energy as it flew, absorbing it from both sky and ground. It flew out like a sword of Heaven, straight and true as it sliced through the treetops, its claws raking deep troughs in the ground. It looked strong enough to level the entire mountain range. The spectators scalps prickled with fear, and thanked the gods that such power was not aimed at them. In the face of the green destruction bearing down on him, Zhong Nan barely blinked. He was perched on top of a tree, stretching out a hand and bringing his own power to bear. A gray-white resonant power started to condense in the air, and soon formed a wall of rock, as wide as the Luans wingspan. ROAR! The green light smashed into the outer face. The first layer of rocks were pulverized immediately. Deeper and deeper it bit into the rock wall. The second layer of rocks were ground down into dust. The third layer was ripped out of the wall easily. On and on the attack traveled, and yet there was always another layer of rock waiting behind. Finally, the attack fizzled out against the last wall of rock. First Princess first attack had been blocked. She accepted it calmly as well. If Zhong Nan could not even defend against such an attack, his reputation had to be a sham. The battle was just beginning. First Princess slender frame rose into the air, green Luan wings spreading out behind her. Blades of green wind showered down on Zhong Nan in a majestic storm of knives. Zhong Nan remained immovable. Again his gray resonant power rose, this time rising through the air like smoke until it covered half the sky. It solidified in an instant, an impregnable rock wall that sheltered him from the rain of knives. All around his umbrella of rock, trees fell to the rain of devastation. The destructive power was incredible. Seeing that her attack was having no effect on Zhong Nan, First Princess desisted. Closing her eyes, she began to gather her resonant power again. This time she was transforming her resonant power within her, fashioning them into tangible shapes. Little orbs of light started to appear behind her. Each of these orbs held a green jewel of light within them, condensed resonant power in deadly amounts. There were a total of seven orbs that began a lazy circle around First Princess. On the viewing platform, even the Dukes eyes were wide open in admiration at this mastery and power. Seven heavenly pearls, that First Princess had produced. This was quite a feat, and not an attack to be underestimated. Chapter 400: Seven Heavenly Pearls Chapter 400: Seven Heavenly Pearls Seven heavenly pearls First Princess has both talent and foundation, for sure. Everyone, including Li Luo, was very impressed with her display of power. The Heavenly Dipper General stage was divided into two sub-stages. Heavenly Pearl stage. Heavenly Resonance stage. It was called the Heavenly Pearl stage because ones resonant power would begin to naturally condense into these pearl-shaped forms at the Heavenly Dipper General stage. They were called heavenly pearls because of their magical properties; when resonant power formed these pearls, they became even stronger. Because heavenly pearls were condensed energy bodies, they reacted crisply to the worldly natural energy around them. In battle, they made one even stronger. It was said that the Heavenly Pearl stage had nine pearls. This meant that one could technically max out with nine heavenly pearls. However, those that reached that stage were rare. Creating each heavenly pearl not only severely tested ones talent and potential, but also required a ridiculous amount of cultivation resources. That was why most of the Heavenly Pearl stage cultivators chose to aim for the breakthrough to the Heavenly Resonance stage once they reached about five pearls. Only the truly brave would choose the longer path of condensing more heavenly pearls, maximizing their capacity before they chose to make the breakthrough. Of course, their eventual breakthrough would pay off with both a deeper foundation and power ceiling compared to those who made the breakthrough at five heavenly pearls. The Heavenly Pearl stage was basically a preparatory stage. This was also why it was impressive that First Princess had seven heavenly pearls. It was testament to her ambition and drive to go for more. From the moment she revealed her seven pearls, it signaled the beginning of the battle in earnest. BOOM! Worldly energy started to gather naturally around her heavenly pearls, forming a cyclone of worldly natural energy powered by the seven pearls. The pearls hummed as they gravitated towards each other slowly, until they were touching. The ring of pearls was vibrating with such energy that it were warping the space around it. First Princess face was tense with concentration as she bent her fingers slightly, then extended them with a decisive point towards Zhong Nan. Behind her, the seven heavenly pearls roared forwards, re-entering her body and flowing to her fingertip. Her fingertip glittered with brilliant green light. Luans Wingstorm. The scream of the luan filled the skies as a thin thread of green power shot forth. The power of typhoons were contained within that thin thread of power. Evidently, First Princess had prepared a special move to take down the defensive specialist Zhong Nan. First Princess move was enough to put a look of concern on Zhong Nans face. He took a deep breath and dug deep into his own reserves of resonant power. Behind him, pearls of light began to form as well. There were seven of them as well! However, the seventh heavenly pearl he produced was noticeably dimmer in brilliance compared to the other six. He stomped the ground heavily. Nine-layered Heavenly Stone Barricade! Rumble! The earth opened up obediently with craters, hissing a grayish resonant power upwards like geysers. They formed layer after layer of stonework in front of Zhong Nan, interlocking and reinforcing each other. They were further linked by threads of glowing white power. It made one despair just looking upon it. Whoosh! The green light lasered the doors, and the overflowing power leveled the trees nearby. Three stone barricades fell in an instant. Which left six more. Still, it was just the beginning. By the time the dust and debris cloud from the first impact dissipated, three more laser beams had flown out to take down a barricade each. With a tremendous rumbling, the last remaining barricades fell soon after, and still there was one last laser beam that punched clear through, zipping towards Zhong Nans body. As the green light flashed towards him, Zhong Nan took one heavy step back, his foot smashing into the ground with the weight of a mountain. He crossed his arms before him, and they glowed with ashy gray power, hardening into ancient rock. Ping! The green light flowed around his arms, pushing him further and further backwards. His legs strained to anchor him, but he was carried away hundreds of meters backwards as they left two narrow furrows in the ground. Finally Zhong Nan managed to hold his ground. He still showed no signs of panic, and a crack appeared on his forearms, but was quickly patched by his white resonant power. Gasp! On the viewing platform, everyone inhaled sharply. To think that Zhong Nan was so sick that he could defend against First Princess best attack and emerge unharmed. The great shield of Blue Abyss Sage College was nobody to mess with. Everyone could tell that Zhong Nan had not made a single offensive move yet. All of his skill was concentrated in defense, and his goal was clear C not to secure a win, but to endure until time was up. The students eyes flicked frequently to the brass pot on the viewing platform, in which a half-meter long joss stick was planted firmly. When the joss stick was completely burned, then a draw would be declared. First Princess did not seem to share the same fears as the spectators. Her eyes were just as steady. She had expected as much C especially because her sources of information extended far beyond what Astral Sage College could provide. When she studied his battle records, she had seen such defensive abilities well recorded. Still, she had come prepared as well; prepared to test who had the greater endurance. She was not one to surrender easily. Eyelids fluttering down in concentration, the green luan figure appeared beneath her feet again, as did the seven heavenly pearls behind her. The pearls entered the green luan figure. Whish! The ethereal figure grew more and more solid with each heavenly pearl that entered it, until now it looked like a real green luan ready to take flight. Overwhelming power threatened. First Princess stood precisely on the head of the figurine, and then her cherry-red lips moved. Secret green luan technique: Luans Conflagration! Chapter 401: To Cook A Tortoise Chapter 401: To Cook A Tortoise Kiii! The exultant shriek of the green luan agitated the air with its sonic vibrations. And then green fire spilled from its beak, spreading out to enclose a large area around Zhong Nan. The green flames were special. They spilled forwards with a lightness to them, as though the essence of wind was captured within the heat. They drifted across the ground in a sea of fire that burned down everything in their path. The temperature in the mountain range steadily climbed. Zhong Nan was drowned in a sea of fire. He was fully serious now, sensing the skill level and the very real threat that these flames posed. First Princess had specially prepared this secret technique to deal with him C the flames were too fast, and too widespread to avoid. His only way of dealing with it was to tank it head-on. Although He indeed did not lack head-on tankability. Zhong Nan put his hands together and closed his eyes. His gray-white power started to form rings around his feet that began to expand outwards. All that they touched C tree, leaf, flower C all of it turned to stone. With Zhong Nan at the center of the locus, a huge area several meters wide was turned into a zone of stone. BOOM! The green flames roared on relentlessly. Zhong Nan stood his ground and did not budge, although the set of his jaw was grim as he braced himself. The Immovable Xuan Art. Suddenly he pulsed once more with gray light, and suddenly the entire stone zone shattered all at once into rock dust that hung in the air for a moment before it started to gather. In a few short moments, it had reformed into a gray tortoise dozens of meters tall. The enormous tortoise stood quietly, calm turtle eyes peering out from its ancient and well-weathered shell. The green flames fell from the sky onto the great dome of keratin, spilling off to burn the ground all around it. The tortoise stood calmly, not budging an inch. It let the fire burn away at it. From the viewing platforms, the students were awestruck by the scene. Where a lush forest had once stood, now green flames burned in its wake, burning as high as the canopy used to be. And in the midst of this forest of fire, the gray tortoise stood unmoving. Li Luo was just as awed as the rest of his peers. This is the power of a Heavenly Dipper General? Both the sea of fire and invulnerable tortoise displayed magnitudes of power that were far beyond his own capabilities. He was feeling very inadequate as a Resonant Master right now. Still, he was not completely discouraged. Heavenly Dipper General might be a faraway dream for now, but he had complete confidence he could reach it in three years time. He had to. Or he would be dead. Leader, do you think Zhong Nan can endure that? Bai Mengmeng whispered, watching the struggle below with eyes wide open in fascination. Even at a distance, they could feel the sweltering heat. There was a pang of sympathy in her voice, for Zhong Nan. Of course, she was not hoping that he won, but his situation looked extremely nasty indeed. Turtling desperately in the midst of flames from all sides. To be able to hold on through the conflagration demanded intense skill and willpower. It was an admirable feat indeed. An opponent worthy of respect. Li Luo watched the flames carefully. If this was a fight to the death, itd be hard to say who would win. But this is a timed fight. First Princess green flames are awesome, but I think Zhong Nans reputation has spread further than those flames ever will First Princess is testing his willpower with this move C once his will wavers, then his perfect defense will crumble, and it will be her win. Still he paused. Zhong Nan has never lost a single battle throughout his entire record. Do you think such a man will waver easily? Bai Mengmeng shook her head. The cheers of the spectators had died away now. All eyes were on the tortoise, waiting to see if it would fall. The position of the fighters made the students want to cheer for Zhong Nan, who looked like the underdog. Even the Astral Sage College students hearts went out to him. Blue Abyss Sage College must be very proud of him, vice principal Su Xin said to vice principal Qiu Jizi. Qiu Jizi smiled at the high praise. The kid is not as shrewd as Zhao Huiyin, but we Violet Vibrance mentors think his future brightest. Su Xin nodded in agreement. All was silent except for the roar and crackle of the flames, searching for any weakness along the stone. It did not remain unharmed. The fire was causing definite damage to the shell, which was starting to peel away under the heat. Chips of rock and dust fell away from the shell. Large fragments began to fall, and burn marks developed into weak points that began to deepen. Through the gaps in the flames, an unmoving Zhong Nan stood like a statue. Still, the experts present could tell that the intensity of the flames were ebbing away. They could not be sustained for much longer. From the beginning, the outcome had already been decided. Time ticked on. The great tortoise weakened and weakened, until finally it was at its limit. It crumbled away all at once into white ash. Zhong Nans outline appeared in the ashy cloud, still surrounded by green flames. A collective sigh from the crowd, some out of sympathy for Zhong Nan. But he did not look defeated at all. He looked at the flames without concern as they roared around him. He took a step into the fire. Everyone gasped, then gasped again. Where he trod, the fires went out, and then the adjacent flames winked out as well. In a few short moments, all the flames had been completely extinguished, leaving thick black soot on the floor. Zhong Nan stood still, his gray figure a shining spot amidst a landscape of black. He looked up at First Princess, still floating in mid-air. Thank you for the fight. First Princess smiled back with some irritation. She looked up to see that the joss stick had been burned down. The battle was over. Dong! The gong sounded across the battleground. First ticket match: draw. Chapter 402: Round Two Chapter 402: Round Two The viewing platform was held in enthralled silence when the curtains fell on the first battle. First Princess and Zhong Nan stood in silence for a long moment before the crowd slowly shook off the spell and began to cheer. They cheered sonorously and equally to both sides for a magnificent showing. Although it had ended in a draw, there was no fault to be found in either. They had both done their best preparation, executed their finest moves, and brought the exchange to new heights together. Heavenly Dipper General level battles are really something else, Li Luo said, exhaling sharply. The outcome had been more or less predictable, but watching a rollercoaster and riding one were two completely different experiences. Perhaps in a battle to the death, they might have revealed other trump cards, but in this fight they had been evenly matched. Zhong Nan had defended his title as Blue Abyss Sage Colleges aegis, while First Princess had displayed uncommon power as well in testing him, doing Astral Sage College proud. The crowd slowly quietened, and then suddenly the cheers redoubled loudly. Now the name on their lips was Gong Shenjun. Li Luo looked up to see Gong Shenjun descending slowly to the scorched battlefield. He was clad in white today, his usual handsome and charismatic self. The whole of Astral Sage College rallied behind the strongest of the Seven Astral Pillars, and many girls were gushing over him. Such nobility radiated from him C even the Xia Kingdom elders nodded slightly and smiled their approval. Regent, you are really blessed to have such a great son, House Jiyans Zhu Qinghuo said. Duze Yan nodded as well. His Highness Gong Shenjun brings glory and pride. Such an outstanding member of the younger generation at Xia Kingdom will definitely be a great successor to you, Great One. Regent smiled at them warmly. You are too kind, gentlemen, he said with a modest wave. All of this was thanks to Astral Sage Colleges nurturings. If not for them, Shenjun would not be what he is today. It is you who are too kind, your Highness, vice principal Su Xin replied with a smile. Gong Shenjuns talent and hard work is well noted by mentors and peers alike. His accolades toay are no mere luck. The little emperor frowned at the exchange. My sister is excellent as well, he said loudly. The others were a little surprised, but nodded as well. It is true, your Majesty. The First Princess excellence captured all of our hearts but a moment ago. Who could doubt it? Below, Blue Abyss Sage Colleges Liang Kui had taken to the field. He was a hulking figure dressed in black, but his juxtaposition to Gong Shenjuns white was not at all an equal one. His features were slightly skewed, an abnormality that didnt mark him fully ugly, but stood out starkly against the heroic handsomeness of his counterpart. The girls of Astral Sage College turned their eyes away from him. Liang Kui was long used to such behavior. He ignored them, eyes firmly on his opponent. He showed no signs of wanting to exchange courtesies. With a twist of his hands, he produced a long black spear. It thrummed with energy, and there was a golden mark on its shaft that caught ones attention. This was a gold-eye treasured artifact. BOOM! Electricity blasted out of Liang Kuis being in all directions, summoning an electrical storm that crackled and flashed. The dancing electricity forked out, creating a sinister hiss at each object it touched. In the center of it all, six heavenly pearls began to appear. The distinctive blue-white color of lightning cast strange shadows on his already imperfect face, giving it a demonic cast. The storm demon. Liang Kui was coming in all guns blazing, without any intention of testing the waters. He knew how deep the waters were with this one; probably deeper than he could handle. Anything less than his best, and he would be sunk immediately. Against such a feisty start, Gong Shenjun smiled slightly, and pulled out his own silver spear. Like Liang Kuis weapon, his too was a powerful conduit to focus worldly natural energy on. The space around his weapon seemed to distort because of the overwhelming energy. This too was a gold-eye treasured artifact. Silvery-white resonant power flowed out of Gong Shenjun in rivers, rising into the air like smoke stacks. From their midst, an enormous silver scaled-dragon rose in its signature coiling movement up to the sky. [TN: Scaled-dragon = , or what I usually think of as Chinese dragons. Yknow C the snakey looking ones rather than the fat Charizard/Dragonite types. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiaolong] The silver scaled-dragon beautiful scales took ones breath away just as the deadly claws below looked capable of taking ones life away. Li Luo looked at the scaled-dragon with great interest. Clearly this was Gong Shenjuns resonance. Upper eighth-grade, silver scaled-dragon resonance. This was the first time that Li Luo had actually seen it. Gong Shenjun did not stop there. The energy within his body only continued to grow stronger, and then seven heavenly pearls burst out of his body to float around him, glowing with silvery light. They were even brighter than First Princess ones had been. Li Luo took it all in with a measured eye. Although seven heavenly pearls was already an incredible feat, somehow his gut was telling him that this might not even be Gong Shenjuns full power yet. The foremost student in Astral Sage College might still be holding back. And if that were true, he was truly something special C it took immense confidence to hold back against an opponent of Liang Kuis caliber. While Li Luo was still trying to size up Gong Shenjun, the latter was already responding to his opponent. His spear lined up against Liang Kui, and he still dipped his head slightly as a gesture of respect, even if his opponent had not bothered with the courtesy. Astral Sage College, Gong Shenjun. I look forward to learning from our exchange, my Blue Abyss friend. Liang Kui looked at his stronger opponent, no fear or intimidation on his unflattering features. He slowly lifted his spear up, and spoke in a raspy, thrumming voice. Onnne move, he hummed, as though his entire body was brimming with electrical energy. Hmm? Gong Shenjun inclined his head. Receive onnne move frommm mmme, annnd I surrennnder. [Yus, Ive emphasised the nasal consonants here, which fit the electricity thing. #linguistics] Gong Shenjun laughed. Risking it all on one shot? Are you trying to get a draw in this fight as well? Is this the battle plan of Blue Abyss C to get more draws? Liang Kui did not reply, simply waiting for Gong Shenjuns reply. Gong Shenjun smiled at him, flexing his fingers around his silver shaft. He spoke with a warm and measured pace. You are our guests from afar. As the host representing both school and Kingdom, I am happy to oblige to your request. So friend come at me. Chapter 403: The Storm Demons Spear Chapter 403: The Storm Demons Spear Boom! The moment Gong Shenjun accepted, lightning resonant power burst out of Liang Kuis body, flying up into the sky. Dark clouds began to form out of nowhere, and lightning leaped like fish between them. One mighty bolt of lightning crashed down suddenly, but it was not aimed at Gong Shenjun. It landed on Liang Kui instead. BOOM! Struck by lightning, Liang Kuis six heavenly pearls were agitated, becoming even brighter than before. They now formed a large lightning snake that hissed and coiled. Liang Kui took a deep breath, screwing his face up in utter concentration as his eyes sparked with power. The little threads of electricity were now joining up into thick, roiling tendrils as they flowed in full strength towards the black spear. The six heavenly pearls had entered the black spear as well, and the air around it was distorted from the concentrated energy. It was all too plain to see that Liang Kui was charging up for the ultimate attack of the century. On the other hand, Gong Shenjun stood his ground, not interfering. He was happy to give Liang Kui the time he needed to prepare. One could see it as weak and passive, or absolute confidence. If Gong Shenjun won in the end, he would not only win the battle, but also the hearts and praise of everyone present. Even Blue Abyss Sage College would have nothing to say. That Gong Shenjun was aiming for that outcome spoke volumes of his ambition. Rumble! In a short time, Liang Kui had already charged up an epic attack. He was funneling every last bit of lightning he could into his weapon. He was at the limits of his control, and bits of electricity that escaped from him leaped away to the ground. Even the other Seven Astral Pillars members shuddered at the lethality of the attack that was incoming, while the normal students could not even begin to imagine what would happen to them. This attack would have eviscerated them into a puff of smoke. Pssh! Through gritted teeth, a lazy wisp of white gas escaped. Liang Kuis black spear was heavy with power, criss-crossed with lightning and a figure of lightning appearing behind him in the air. The figure was several dozen meters wide and had four arms. Although its features were hidden in shadowy darknesses, the savage aura it radiated left no doubt that it was demonic. This attack I call it the Storm Demons Spear. But I know that even this amount of power is not enough to deal much damage to you, Liang Kui rasped. And so The hand that gripped the black spear suddenly exploded, his fingers disappearing into a mist of bone and blood. It too was sucked into the spear, which suddenly changed colors from black to dark red. The lightning on it had also changed from blue-white to a demonic red. The aura around the spear doubled sinisterly. Things took a sudden and wicked turn, and the level of fear among the spectators rose as well. The Seven Astral Pillars were looking worried. As he sacrificed his fingers, the storm demon behind Liang Kui reached out one monstrous limb to grip the spear, keeping it upright. And then it gradually drew back its hand in a pitching motion. Time and space itself seemed to freeze. BOOM! A thunderous sizzling sound filled the air as the bolt of blood lightning zipped through the air. It moved at blistering speed, and few of the spectators could actually track its movements. For most of them, a streak of red was all they could detect. The soot-covered battlefield was divided into two by the attack zipping forwards. Of course, the lightning bolt destroyed everything in its path. This was the one shot that Liang Kui had mustered, even sacrificing his hand for it. Gong Shenjun stood his ground. He watched the blood spear streak through the air towards him, and he nodded with approval as he noted the energy aura around the bolt. Truly the strongest spear of Blue Abyss Sage College, he said softly to himself. Still Not enough. Gong Shenjuns own eyes gleamed with silver power, and his irises contracted into the serpentine eyes of a scaled-dragon. In his hands, his silver spear seemed to melt into liquid power, reforming as a mini silver scaled-dragon that coiled itself around his arm before finally sinking under his skin as a spear tattoo. The tip of the spear was at his finger. Gong Shenjun lifted that finger, which gleamed with silver light. Dragon Soul Claw. Roar! A dragons defiant roar accompanied a burst of silver light from Gong Shenjuns finger, and a scaled-dragon burst out of his fingertip, swimming forwards with scales shimmering and fangs bared. The soul of the dragon met the blood spear square on. BOOM! The impact was colossal. The already tattered battlefield was ravaged anew, with deep gouges cutting through fallen tree and broken rock alike. The aftershock radiated outwards like a spiders web, leaving symmetrical, radial gouges on the ground. So strong was the aftershock that it would have reached the spectator stands, but the Violet Vibrance mentors were on hand to negate the shock before that happened. All of them watched the field anxiously. As silver and red energy burned out against each other, it was the silver dragon soul which gave out first. The Astral Sage College students gasped in dismay. Had Gong Shenjun failed to defend against this attack? After bursting past the silver dragon soul, the blood spear continued forwards, aimed straight at Gong Shenjun. The man in white watched it come with a faint smile on his face. He stood his ground quietly, arms loosely at his sides. As the spear neared him, its energy was also being depleted, and when it was within a few meters of Gong Shenjun, the red tint was completely gone. The spear was now black again. Even so, it was a powerful attack that was on track to punch into Gong Shenjuns brow. Dang! A faint white spot appeared on Gong Shenjuns brow, and the black spear clattered downwards. Gong Shenjun reached out to grab it, then casually flicked it with a finger. It flew through the air to land in front of Liang Kui, buried point-down in the ground. He bowed his head slightly. I admit defeat. Chapter 404: Three Star Hall Fight Begins Chapter 404: Three Star Hall Fight Begins Liang Kui had ultimately lost, as expected. Many Astral Sage College students wiped cold sweat from their brows. All as we predicted, they might say, putting on brave smiles, but damn did Liang Kui not give them a good run for their money. For a moment, they had been legitimately worried that the Astral Sage College would end the Four Star Hall battles behind. Fortunately, Gong Shenjun had come through as the strongest student of the Astral Sage College. A dependable fighter. Now was the time for cheering, and the Astral Sage College students celebrated their first win in the ticket match. Li Luo was thinking about Gong Shenjun too. This senior had not just won, he had won it with pizazz. The boost to his popularity and reputation would be amazing. In comparison, the First Princess match had looked almost dull. Although it was a known fact that Zhong Nan was harder to fight, the result sometimes counted for more than the process. And the result was a draw for the First Princess, but a win for Gong Shenjun. It was as simple as that. No one would dare to say that the First Princess was weak, but not many would put her on the same level as Gong Shenjun either. Senior Gong is really strong. Even Bai Mengmeng was full of admiration for him. Next will be Senior Jiang, right? Im really excited about itI havent seen senior Jiang fight anyone for real before. Oh, Ive seen her fight plenty of times. Li Luo winced. But Im always on the receiving end of the fists. She giggled. So her leader trained frequently with Senior Jiang. Leader, what do you think of the Three Star Hall lottery? Xin Fu asked. Li Luo thought it over. The Four Star Hall draw favors the Blue Abyss Sage College. If their Shield had faced Gong Shenjun, its likely they would have lost. And then if the First Princess took down the Spear, then wed have two wins. Thats, like, half the ticket secured, you know. For the Three Star Hall draw, I think the most favorable outcome for us is for Jiang Qinge to face Zhao Huiyin, and Duze Honglian would take Yan Tai. Then wed have some good odds for both fights. But if Jiang Qinge draws against Yan Tai, and Duze Honglian faces Zhao Huiyin probably one loss, one win. Although Li Luo had not seen Zhao Huiyin in action before, their little exchange previously had given him all the character reference he would need. Such a shrewd girl could only be eliminated by Jiang Qinge. Duze Honglian would be swallowed whole. Bai Mengmeng nodded. I want to see Senior Jiang fight Zhao Huiyin too. It will be a thrilling fight. Li Luo agreed. He wanted to see the little fox being eaten by the plump swan too. Not only was the metaphor hilarious, it would have been an epic clash of wills. Leader, youre the last match. Do you think itll even reach you? Xin Fu suddenly pointed out. The One Star Halls put at the back precisely because were the least important tier, Li Luo said with a hint of irritation. The odds that things will be decided one way or the other before it reaches me, are high, yes. Although your observation makes my knuckles itch to make friends with your front teeth, it is very true indeed. Thats truly a pity, Leader. Xin Fu sighed dramatically. I so wanted to watch you take the crowd by storm. Li Luo rolled his eyes. As if Id believe you, black-hearted scorpion! At the Blue Abyss Sage College contingent, a girl dressed in arresting red stood up from her seat. One draw and one loss. Zhao Huiyin smiled. Well, thats to be expected. Not the worst case. Senior Zhao, were counting on the Three Star Hall representatives now, Lu Cng said with a bright smile. Zhao Huiyin laughed. Pray that I meet Duze Honglian, then. Ill be in deep trouble against Jiang Qinge. Im sure you stand a chance even against Jiang Qinge, Lu Cng said encouragingly. Zhao Huiyin pouted. Shes a ninth-grade light resonance, for heavens sake! A real ninth-grade! Not some cheated ninth-grade! A gaunt youth walked up to her side and gave them a smile. This was the other Three Star Hall representative, Yan Tai. The two headed down to the lot-drawing platform together. Jiang Qinge and Duze Honglian were already waiting there. Hey, Jiang Qinge, how are you? Zhao Huiyin called out endearingly the moment they were in earshot. Jiang Qinge merely looked at her and gave a small nod. Jiang Qinge, thats really unfriendly of you. Is it because your fianc and I got so close the other day? Its a misunderstanding. Please dont get angry at him. I was just trying to get directions. Zhao Huiyin blinked innocently, her voice the perfect mixture of sincerity and apology. Duze Honglian stared at the two of them, eyes round. What was going on? Fianc meaning Li Luo? Li Luo and Zhao Huiyin did things two days ago? Was that guy such a dog? Zhao Huiyin was a great beauty herself; she had natural charm and she used it well. Maybe Li Luos recent popularity had gotten to his head, and she had managed to hook him? Still, Zhao Huiyin was really something for saying all that to Jiang Qinges face. Taunting her? Pretty interesting. Duze Honglian sniggered inwardly, enjoying the drama. However, Jiang Qinge did not rise to the bait. Friend Zhao Huiyins interest in my houses Li Luo is not unpermitted, she said casually. But House Luolan has strict rules. If you want to join the house, youll have to start as a servant girl. If you do well, you might be able to rise to concubine. Zhao Huiyin flinched inwardly. Her? A servant girl for Li Luo?! Shed beat him to death with the chamberpot! Can I really? she said shyly. Li Luos really such a kind person, and very talented too. Hell definitely be one of the greatest in the Xia Kingdom in the future. He told me the other day that its very normal for men to have a few wives and several concubines. Maybe hell leave a room for me if I stay at the Xia Kingdom. The firewood storage room is also a room, Jiang Qinge pointed out. What room you get depends on how good you are. Zhao Huiyin suddenly laughed. Do you mean that we might very well be deciding who gets the main room and who gets the small room if we meet in the fight? No, it would be to decide if you get the small room or firewood room, Jiang Qinge explained patiently. Friend Jiang, Zhao Huiyin said sharply, surely the Young Lords say counts more. Or is Li Luo nothing more than a puppet at House Luolan? You dont seem to respect him at all. Jiang Qinges golden eyes surveyed her coolly for a long moment, then she stepped forward and thrust her hand into the stone box, pulling out a pellet that she pinched apart with one hand. With a deft twist of her fingers, she let the pellet shell fall, unrolling the paper within all with one hand. On it was written One. Zhao Huiyin followed suit. She narrowed her eyes at her paper, then lifted it high up as well. On it was written One, and this brought a loud roar from the crowd. The first match of the Three Star Hall was going to be Jiang Qinge against Zhao Huiyin. Jiang Qinge looked back at her calmly. Zhao Huiyin, ready for your beating? Chapter 405: Jiang Qinge versus Zhao Huiyin Chapter 405: Jiang Qinge versus Zhao Huiyin First battle of the Three Star Hall. Jiang Qinge versus Zhao Huiyin. The matchup had been received with great interest by the two schools, and the students were all hyped up. This was perhaps even more anticipated than for the Four Star Hall matches. If nothing else, it was because both sides were sending their jewels out for a show. In terms of strength, perhaps the two girls were not as strong as the First Princess, Gong Shenjun, Zhong Nan, or Liang Kui. But in terms of looks, they had them beat hands down. On the viewing platform, a few of the elders were sitting up a bit straighter with their wizened backs. They were all watching Jiang Qinge. Although Li Luo was formally the young lord of House Luolan, everyone knew that she had been the real heart and soul of House Luolan ever since Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had disappeared. And in her case, her strength was just as outstanding as her looks. She had carried House Luolan through turbulent times single-handedly, buying time for Li Luo to come into his strength. With a ninth-grade light resonance, she was talent seen maybe once in a century. In a few years, she might well break Li Taixuans record for reaching Duke. At that time, House Luolan would rise to greatness again. And now she was not alone. By her side, a new power in the form of Li Luo had emerged, with dual resonances. These two youngsters had House Luolan back on its feet. In some aspects, they had even started to overtake the era of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. House Luolan was climbing daily, inexorably, a new sun in the morning sky. Which was not good news for the other houses. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan are really blessed with such a disciple and son. House Luolan rises day by day. If the two of them return hoho. House Luolan will be unstoppable, Zhu Qinghuo said with a laugh that did not reach his eyes. No one replied. Instead, their faces darkened as they read between the lines of his words. The silence grew stiff, and it was Su Xin who replied, Today is an important day for the Astral Sage College. That is why we are here today, and I would ask House Lord Zhu to refrain from bringing politics into it. My mistake, Vice Principal. Please forgive me, Zhu Qinghuo said hastily. She nodded with a smile and said no more. She knew all too well the predatory designs that these schools had on House Luolan, and their heroine, Jiang Qinge, who had saved the house. Jiang Qinge, who had overwhelming potentialif not for how heavily the school valued her, grooming her for the Holy Grail Meet, someone would have secretly taken her down by now. No one wanted to give a ninth-grade opponent time to mature. But the Astral Sage College remained neutral in the house struggle. As long as Jiang Qinge was with the school, these jealous forces were held in check, in fear of the wrath of the Astral Sage College itself. Although the Astral Sage College could not extend such comprehensive protection to every student, they would go out of their way for the rare genius that they saw in Jiang Qinge. She was an investment for them. In the future, Jiang Qinge would graduate, and her future was bright enough to see her leave the Xia Kingdom, and even the East Divine Continent. She would be a great power in the world. At that time, would she be grateful or hateful towards the Astral Sage College? If not for the schools need to remain more neutral, the Astral Sage College would have loved to put out the declaration loud and clear that they were backing Jiang Qinge all the way. Oblivious to the political dance happening on the platform, Jiang Qinge was focused on her battle. Today she was clad in her usual outfit, navy shift and short battle skirt. She was no less beautiful for it. Her ultimate weapon was her face, as if sculpted by the divine powers themselves. Arrange them into her usual, cool expression, and both guy and girl students alike were entranced. Jiang Qinge! Jiang Qinge! They chanted her name enthusiastically when she stepped up. Her reputation and charm were all too evident in their adoration. A figure in red walked up in front of her. Zhao Huiyin. She was a great beauty in her own right. In the Blue Abyss Sage College, she had her own fan club too. Red skirt cinched flatteringly around her hourglass waist, her figure spilled out voluptuously both above and below it. Zhao Huiyin stood barefooted on a huge rock. Oh, Qinge, Im afraid of pain, she said coyly. Please be gentle with me. When you enter House Luolan, roughness will be unavoidable, Jiang Qinge replied casually. Get used to it. Zhao Huiyin bit her lip. Im actually not that into Li Luo. If you become House Luolans lord though I wouldnt mind joining your house. The corner of Jiang Qinges lip twitched. Pity. I already promised Li Luo to take you down in this battle. Zhao Huiyin laughed. In the next moment, golden light burst from her body in spikes, and the rock she stood on was suddenly riddled with holes. Take me down, Qinge? Try me. She brandished a gleaming golden sword. At the same time, the color of her skin started to fade away, becoming almost translucent. Her body looked like glass now, and the worldly natural energy could be seen circulating within her body. At the moment, she looked less like flesh and blood temptation, and more like a priceless jewel. Wow! The crowd exclaimed in surprise. This glassy appearance showed that Zhao Huiyin had surpassed the intermediate Fiend Body Tier, reaching the third and final Glass Fiend Tier of the Earth Fiend Stage. Zhao Huiyin dared to challenge Jiang Qinge because she had the strength to back her words. Chapter 406: Light and Metal Chapter 406: Light and Metal The Earth Fiend Stage was divided into three tiers. Fiend Palace Tier. Fiend Body Tier. Fiend Finisher Tier. When resonance cultivators made it to the Earth Fiend Stage, they grew even more attuned to worldly natural energy, allowing them to draw on a special variety of it known as Earth Fiend Energy. Absorbing Earth Fiend Energy helped ones resonant palace expand and strengthen, which increased ones resonant power capacity. That was why it was called the Fiend Palace Tier. Once the resonant palace reached a critical level of reinforcement, Earth Fiend Energy would overflow and pour out of it, strengthening ones physical body. That was the intermediate tier, the Fiend Body Tier. Each tier even had a unique color, called the Silver, Gold, and Glass Fiend Tiers respectively. A common ceiling for many was the Gold Fiend Tier. Reaching the Glass Fiend Tier was exceedingly difficult because physical body reinforcement was an unfamiliar concept that many cultivators struggled with. Bringing it to the final level was a feat that not many could accomplish. This was why Zhao Huiyins Glass Fiend Tier reveal was such a big surprise. After the Fiend Body Tier was the Fiend Finisher Tier, the final tier of the Earth Fiend Stage. This stage was also defined by a fresh injection of power. Ones body would produce a special type of energy by itself, known as Fiend Dipper Energy. This was the greatest and most recognizable mark of the Earth Fiend Stage. Jiang Qinge, I hear youre at the Glass Fiend Tier as well. Show me, then! Show me how different a ninth-grade light resonance Glass Fiend body looks. Zhao Huiyin laughed, crooking a finger at Jiang Qinge. With a quick flick of her sword, she sent a powerful attack flashing out at her opponent. The arc of golden light flashed up into the sky, then a rain of swords began. Jiang Qinge raised her lovely face to the sky of swords summoned by her opponents metal resonant power. It was a deadly attack, enough to pierce rock itself, and the metallic clangs of swords on the ground all around her was deafening. Zhao Huiyin was quite strong indeed. Still, this attack was nothing to Jiang Qinge. She raised a hand and bent just two fingers. BOOM! A curtain of light descended from the sky, threads of light resonant power circling through it at speeds too fast for the human eye to see. Ping! Ping! The light weave stood strong, as though the blades were puny birds flying headlong into a cliff. They exploded into dust. The light weave looked pristine. Zhao Huiyins eyes widened at the exquisite control and strength of the light resonant energy. It was truly masterful handling, on a clearly higher level than her metal resonant power. A ninth-grade light resonance was really a miracle to behold. There was not much time for gawking. The light screen suddenly expanded, shattering into pellets of light that flew out like a hail of bullets. They were fast enough to outpace most defenses. But Zhao Huiyin was prepared. Raising her hand again, she gathered her metal resonant power into a flat, golden shield in front of her. It had barely formed when the bullets arrived, slamming into the shield with enough velocity to leave lumpy indents. The zinging sound of bullets was all that was heard for a few moments. The impact of the light bullets punched Zhao Huiyin back step by step, and her flimsy shield was beginning to crack. She had not been given sufficient time to properly reinforce her shield, and so it cracked very quickly. When it gave way, Zhao Huiyin leaped backwards defensively. Jiang Qinge moved forward, appearing before her like magic. Her fingers jabbed out towards Zhao Huiyins chest. What speed! Her attacks were already strong enough that they were hard to defend against. On top of that, Jiang Qinge used her preternatural speed to overwhelm her opponents, outpacing them before they could even summon their best defenses. Zhao Huiyin continued to back away hurriedly. Qinge, are you attacking me there because youre jealous? She laughed. Jiang Qinge smiled mildly and then moved again, fingers jabbing out with enough force to tear the air. Zhao Huiyins own curled fingers answered, gleaming in a metal cast. They smashed into Jiang Qinges fingers. [1] Ping! A tinny sound pinged out from the two girls, shrieking uncomfortably against eardrums. Around them, nearby rocks were smashed from the impact. A fissure had even opened up in the ground. Neither girl backed down. Both attacked with full ferocity, leaving blurry after-images in their wake as they maneuvered around to attack the others weak points. Light and metal engaged and disengaged over and over in flashes of gold. Holes were left behind in the ground, dark with depth. It was a thrilling fight that took ones breath away. Both were in great danger throughout. Although both were girls, they fought even more ferociously than the guys. Ping! Another terrific clash left a spider web-shaped crack on the ground. Zhao Huiyin gave a soft cry as she stumbled backwards. She had taken the first hit, her right hand shining with light resonant energy left over from her opponents attack. Her fingers burned with a searing pain. Jiang Qinges own hand was glittering with metallic power from Zhao Huiyins attacks as well, but she nullified the metal resonant power swiftly and easily. A ninth-grade light resonance had the advantage in resonant power quality. A moment later, Jiang Qinge was fully recovered. Looks like my light resonant energy is stronger. She walked towards Zhao Huiyin, gathering light resonant energy again in her hand like a mini-sun. Zhao Huiyins face tightened in fright as Jiang Qinge moved towards her with steady steps. She scrambled backwards. But Jiang Qinge was too quick. Her measured steps were deceptively quick, and in a few short moments, she was in front of Zhao Huiyin. The fistful of light resonant energy smashed down. Just as Jiang Qinge lifted her hand, the fear on Zhao Huiyins face vanished, replaced with a wily smile. Her cherry-red lips parted, pink tongue now coated with a pale-gold power. On its tip was a golden, conical object. Golden Tongue Drill! 1. TN: Why are these girls fingering each other what happened to weapons ? Chapter 407: Metal Rakshasa Chapter 407: Metal Rakshasa Swish! The golden, drill-shaped attack tore through the air, spiraling in an aerodynamic twist that made it even faster. All the spectators were completely fooled by Zhao Huiyin. She had faked vulnerability to Jiang Qinges attack and then sprung an ambush. Anyone else in Jiang Qinges shoes would have panicked at the sudden twist. The drill-shaped attack was right in front of Jiang Qinges face, close enough to be reflected in her calm, golden eyes. At the last moment, she tilted her head coolly to one side, and the attack passed her. Pssh! It whistled past her ear and continued its violent path into the forest behind, where it bore a giant hole through the first tree trunk it ran into. A line of holes could be seen through all the trees in the drills path. It flew on, until it finally buried itself deeply in a mountain wall, deeper than they could see. The penetrative power of Zhao Huiyins attack was stupendous! If this had connected, even a Fiend Body expert would probably have been severely injured. But not even a surprise attack could touch her. Jiang Qinge had dodged it by the skin of her teeth! Whew. Li Luo silently let out his breath. He had a brow full of cold sweat when the sneak attack had been unleashed. Zhao Huiyin had clearly been planning that attack for some time, to put up such a convincing act. And that attack was crazy! From the damage it left on the wall, he could tell that the attack had focused all of its destructive power solely on one tiny spot, and not even a defensive gold-eye treasured artifact could have stopped it. Li Luo was not the only spectator with cold sweat on his brow. Zhao Huiyin was taken aback that her attack had missed. Well, Jiang Qinges reputation is exactly as the reality is, she said with a sardonic smile. Surprise attacks will not work on me, Jiang Qinge said serenely. Light resonances have speed on par with wind and lightning resonances. Indeed, its hard to catch you off guard. Zhao Huiyin agreed grudgingly. Still, she had thought it would be worth a shot. The payoff of something as deadly as Golden Tongue Drill connecting would have been huge. Many stronger opponents had been lured in before. Still, Jiang Qinges acute sensitivities and speed were not to be taken lightly. Reacting to the Golden Tongue Drill appropriately in the heat of the moment might be extremely difficult for anyone else, but it was just another easily-read move for Jiang Qinge. Zhao Huiyin was retreating speedily again. She knew that Jiang Qinge was about to counterattack. Jiang Qinge watched her back away. Twisting her fingers together, Jiang Qinge summoned another thick coil of energy, spreading it out into small light points that floated around her head. Each point of light began to expand and flatten until they became light mirrors. Light energy from the environment responded accordingly, gathering naturally on the light mirrors. Soon, all of the mirrors were sparkling with light energy, like a cluster of flat spotlights around their wielder. They lit up the entire mountain range. Suns Mirror, Jiang Qinge said softly. Swoosh! The mirrors aligned themselves forward, then they shot blasts of light bright enough to make the audiences eyes sting. Many squinted or shielded their eyes. Even then, they could feel the scorching heat blast past them. This was light power intense enough to call the power of fire. Not red flames of traditional fire, but a divine, fiery light. The heat that was born of pure light. What speed! Zhao Huiyin thought to herself, eyes narrowing as she judged the attack. It was even faster than her Golden Tongue Drill! So fast that she could not avoid it! Zhao Huiyins lips parted, golden light gathering again on her tongue. She fired out another one. Golden Tongue Drill! The conical screw attack flew out again, smashing into the light rays that were flying her way. Pssh! The moment the attacks clashed, the drill attack began to melt at frightening speed. The metal resonant power was burned away, and the drill ground to a halt as its grooves melted down. This fiery light could even melt resonant power! Even the elders eyes widened at the effect. All of them had seen light resonance cultivators in action before, of course. Indeed, light resonance could call the power of heat, when concentrated enough that was one of its signature powers. But they had never seen a fiery light strong enough to melt resonant power before! Furthermore, Zhao Huiyins metal resonant power was nothing to sneeze atshe was an upper eighth-grade herself! Even so, it had not stood up against the fiery light. Such was the queenly power that Jiang Qinges ninth-grade light resonance held. Zhao Huiyins dismay was plain to see as she watched her attack liquidized before her eyes. She could feel Jiang Qinge just one step behind her now. All of her carefully planned tricks and attacks had not posed much of a threat to the golden-haired girl from the Astral Sage College. Swoosh! The light rays melted the golden drill completely, then continued on their path towards Zhao Huiyin. She retreated desperately, gathering golden light on her fingertips. This time, it seemed to flow like liquid. Zhao Huiyin was no pushover either. She had honed her metal resonant power to excellence as well. Turning solid metal into liquid spoke of her exceptional control over the element. Liquid Skymetal! Zhao Huiyin flicked out the drop of golden liquid, which expanded into a wave of golden liquid that surged forth to crash against the fiery light. BOOM! This time, the heated light was finally stopped. Zhao Huiyin had no time to feel relieved. The light mirrors above Jiang Qinges head glowed again, and a dozen more light rays flew towards her. Her attack had no pomp, no additional flair to it. Just relentless, pure power that was beauty in its own right. Zhao Huiyin slammed her hands together, digging deep to summon drop after drop of the golden liquid. She gathered them all up in a small sphere and then curled up within it. The liquid metal was rapidly cut away by ray after ray from Jiang Qinge. BOOM! The fiery light rained down on the molten sphere around Zhao Huiyin. The intense heat left the ground unharmed. It was a unique fire that did not harm objects, but would sear flesh badly and even incinerate bone. Part of it was due to the special nature of this fire; it used the victims body as fuel, growing stronger upon contact. The flames of light had completely caged Zhao Huiyin now. Everyone was watching closely. Surely the outcome would be decided here, right? Jiang Qinge narrowed her eyes and poured on the fire. Weng! Suddenly, a scythe of metallic power burst out of the nimbus of light, slicing the flames of light into two. A figure leaped out of its midst. The audience could not believe their eyes, watching in amazement. Zhao Huiyin landed on the ground, her neatly-tied hair now loose and wild. Metallic ripples of power flowed over her glassy body, and she now had a golden pole scimitar in her hands. She slammed the curved blade into the ground with monstrous strength. Her arched and coy eyes now had a demonic look to them, a cold, crazed energy that made them twitch. Zhao Huiyin looked like a completely different person from before. A more dangerous one. Lu Cng and the other Blue Abyss Sage College students leaned back and smiled in relief. So shes pulled it out Senior Zhaos true trump card, the weapon that once created a slaughter in Blue Abyss The Metal Rakshasa. Chapter 408: I am a Fiend Finisher Chapter 408: I am a Fiend Finisher When Zhao Huiyin leaped out with the pole scimitar, the whole audience shouted with excitement. What? What?! Her resonant power is even stronger than before! Look at her eyes! Theres something wrong with her eyes! Must be her trump card. Jiang Qinges pushed her to her limit now! Trump card, frump card. My belief in Sister Jiang will not be shaken! Of course! Senior Jiang has never been beaten ever since she entered the Astral Sage College! The Astral Sage College students shouted excitedly, still rallying behind their champion. Leader, she looks like a completely different person like me when Im researching spirit liquids and purifying lights, Bai Mengmeng said thoughtfully. Indeed. Li Luo agreed. I think she must have cultivated some secret technique to seal off her emotions. Her eyes look real dead right now. In return, it pushes her to some sort of super state that enhances her strength. Can Senior Jiang deal with it? Bai Mengmeng asked worriedly. Zhao Huiyin looked inhuman right now. Bai Mengmeng was right to be worried. Li Luo looked over at Jiang Qinge. She was watching the transformed Zhao Huiyin closely as well. She looked surprised and curious to test her opponent, but there was no fear to be seen. Zhao Huiyin posed a little bit of interest in her advanced state. Not even I know how much power Jiang Qinge is truly hiding. When her opponent is on the same cultivation level Im not sure anyone in the whole East Divine Continent could beat her. Li Luo grinned. Although an unprecedented change in circumstances was always unsettling, he just didnt see Jiang Qinge losing. He might not know the extent to which she kept her power concealed, but he had a good idea of her potential. Even he, chasing with all his might and powered by his dual resonances, sometimes despaired when he thought about catching up to her. She was truly a monster. He sometimes wondered if his parents had purposely found this plump swan monster-genius and brought her back to spur him onwards. Jiang Qinge ignored the oohs and aahs of the crowd. She bent her finger again, eyes still locked on Zhao Huiyin. Above her head, the light mirrors again shot a ray of fiery light. Zhao Huiyin took two small steps and leaped up into the air, pole scimitar swishing down in a grand strike that called forth a crescent slash of power several dozen meters long. It crashed into the fiery light. BOOM! Like fireworks, they exploded with sound and fury. This time, Zhao Huiyin managed to block the fiery light successfully. She did not stop there, rushing Jiang Qinge as she charged her weapon with metal resonant power. The long weapon swept out in a wicked slash. With a flick of her wrist, Jiang Qinge summoned her own heavy sword. Bringing the broad blade up expertly, she angled it perpendicularly and took the impact head-on. Clang! Clang! They were locked in a furious clash of weapons, exchanging dozens of breathless strikes and parries. They bent and swayed accordingly, perfect footwork supporting perfect form as they weaved in and out of their deadly dance. Zhao Huiyin had not dared to attack Jiang Qinge before, but her special state had elevated her to a comparable level. Neither seemed inclined to outclass their opponent with any form of advanced tactic. They threw raw power at each other, brutal clash after brutal clash that showed no signs of slowing. Everything in their path was destroyed. The students could not take their eyes off the fight. They barely dared to breathe or make a sound as they watched the spellbinding fight unraveling before them. Even though the last two matches had been between higher level cultivators, the First Princess match had been a one-sided attack, while Gong Shenjuns match had been even less of a show, over in one attack. Zhao Huiyin had been handily crushed at the start, but now she had revealed new power that seemed to put her on par with Jiang Qinge. Zhao Huiyins true strength is very close to the third substage, the Fiend Finisher Tier. The elders agreed among themselves. The Blue Abyss Sage Colleges foundations run deep indeed. Such a fine young student has a bright future ahead of her. But Jiang Qinge is fighting with restraint. Shes dealing with Zhao Huiyins aggression efficiently. It seems like she still has skill and power to spare just how deep do her capabilities run? She seems to be relishing the fight, enjoying the little bit of entertainment that Zhao Huiyin provides What a fearsome girl, Jiang Qinge. This situation wont last long. The competition time is almost up. Jiang Qinge will probably not allow a draw against Zhao Huiyin. While the elders discussed the fight, the two girls were increasing the pace, smashing their environment around them into gravel in the process. Clang! Another hard clash. Jiang Qinge effortlessly swung her gigantic sword in an attack powerful enough to crack the ground. Zhao Huiyin parried, the shaft of her pole scimitar wobbling dangerously as if it were about to break. The latter was sent flying backwards, her cold eyes surveying her opponent constantly. Time is almost up. Is that all you have? Jiang Qinge asked serenely. A small smile, almost a smirk. The Zhao Huiyin from the start of the battle would have said something back, some banter, some taunt perhaps but she was all business now. Her hands tightened on the pole scimitars shaft. Shifting one hand up, she deliberately cut her finger on the blade, allowing fresh blood to seep into it. There was a deep, golden gash on the blade, almost like a golden eye. Clearly, this pole scimitar was also a gold-eye treasured artifact. No wonder it was so strong. With the addition of blood, the pole scimitar shuddered as if awakening. Thin, crimson lines were starting to emerge, running across the blade and down the shaft. There was a new frequency to the vibration of the worldly natural energy as it rushed to Zhao Huiyins weapon. An even bigger pole scimitar silhouette appeared behind Zhao Huiyin, an image hundreds of meters tall that wavered in the air. It was so high that it even reached the clouds, the blade glittering gold in the blue sky like a sun. Sword qi filled the air. Many of the Fiend Finisher Tier Four Star Hall students watched in amazement. Many of them were at the same level. They were supposed to be the strongest students, just below the Seven Astral Pillars. But even they could sense the immense threat of that attack. Zhao Huiyin was only at the Fiend Body Tier, and yet she was dangerous even to them! She opened her mouth to release a metallic hiss. Her eyes glittered coldly, and she began the chop down. Jiang Qinge, this attack can even cleave Fiend Finishers. Weng! As her blade clashed down, the image of power behind her descended as well. An eerie whistling sound accompanied the falling weapon, which gathered more power and speed as it fell. Even before it landed, the aura of energy around the blade was denting the ground. Jiang Qinge waited below, looking insignificant in comparison. Jiang Qinge looked up, almost admiring the attack. This attack was indeed the best Zhao Huiyin had. Even ordinary Fiend Finisher cultivators might be finished off by this move. Defeating an enemy above your tier was always the mark of a genius. But still This was all that Zhao Huiyin had. Jiang Qinge raised her own heavy sword, her lips curling up in a smile. Can even cleave Fiend Finishers I am a Fiend Finisher. And you cannot cleave me. A wild burst of light energy spilled out of her giant sword as Jiang Qinge swung it up in a ferocious swipe. Swoosh! A column of fiery light roared up from the ground! Even the elders gasped at this attack. They could sense that Jiang Qinges attack was packed with great skill. There was a macabre-green tint to the light, a new power not seen up till now. That was Fiend Dipper Energy! Jiang Qinge had already reached the Fiend Finisher Tier! Chapter 409: The Invincible Senior Jiang Chapter 409: The Invincible Senior Jiang The two mighty blades crossed along the horizon, a majestic clash of gold that bordered the blackened ground and azure sky. The audience watched with bated breath, knowing that the victor would be decided at this moment. Zhao Huiyins descending slash had felt like the sun setting on the day, but now Jiang Qinge had brought a new dawn with her own upward slash, showing a glimpse of her true power. Fiend Finisher Tier! That strike with Fiend Dipper Energy seemed to cut the blue dome of the sky itself. Zhao Huiyins slash might be able to cut down ordinary Fiend Finisher cultivators, but Jiang Qinge was anything but ordinary. BOOM! Smaller pieces of the sword attacks shattered on impact, slicing through everything in the vicinity. They smashed into the viewing platform, splintering the outer structure easily. The Violet Vibrance mentors intervened before the students were hurt, using a combination of their resonant powers to shield the entire area and repair the structures. The students had faith in their mentors covering their safetymost barely took their eyes off the battle. The two attacks grated against each other, expending their energies in a thrilling struggle to the finish. The stalemate did not last long. The light resonant attack charged with macabre green energy was clearly stronger. After a few moments, Zhao Huiyins giant sword attacks started to waver, cracks spreading across the blade. Jiang Qinge looked down. She knew the battle was over. Clang! The curved blade gave a final creak, then it shattered into pieces. Swoosh! The green energy on Jiang Qinges strike did not lessen at all when it cleared through the other attack. It flew on towards Zhao Huiyin. The Blue Abyss girls petite frame was a pitiful sight as the attack bore down on her. The velocity of the attack pushed the air ahead of it in a powerful gust that blew wildly against Zhao Huiyins hair. The cold, emotionless light in her eyes was also blown away, leaving only terror in its wake. She resigned herself to the terrible attack that would soon connect. Clang! Just as the strike was about to land, Jiang Qinge clenched her fist and changed the deadly, slicing strike into a blunt, rounded force. It punched into Zhao Huiyin, sending her flying backwards, winded but unharmed. Her cry of pain was cut short as she felt a sharp tug on her shoulder. She opened her eyes cautiously, only to see that Jiang Qinge had pulled her away by the hand. You Jiang Qinge saving her was the last thing she expected. Jiang Qinge let go of her hand. Youve lost, she stated simply. You shouldve told me you were a Fiend Finisher already. Zhao Huiyin pouted. If Id known, I wouldnt have bothered fighting. What a waste of effort. Oh, youre not too bad. Better than our Duze Honglian. At least you interested me a little. Zhao Huiyin was speechless. What was she, a warm up?! The gap between them was actually huge! Jiang Qinge had been toying with her. She sighed. If only you had come to the Blue Abyss Sage College, Zhao Huiyin said with a suggestive look in her eyes. She stepped closer. Jiang Qinge, you stir me. Ditch Li Luo. Snatch House Luolan. Be the house lord, and Ill join you the moment I graduate! Looks like you need another beating, Jiang Qinge said casually. So fierce Zhao Huiyin pouted. Im serious. That Li Luo kid isnt your match. I cant stand seeing a swan like yourself with a toad like him. Ill bet he cant even beat Lu Cng. Youre not the first to underestimate Li Luo, Jiang Qinge told her. And you wont be the last. But youll find many others to keep you company in the little pit of regret you find yourself in. Zhao Huiyin shrugged. See for yourself, then. Jiang Qinge ignored her, turning to face the Violet Vibrance mentors on the dais. The mentors understood that Zhao Huiyin had run out of steam in the middle of the fight, so they nodded in understanding. Three Star Hall, the first round winner is Jiang Qinge from the Astral Sage College! Wow! Senior Jiang, youre the coolest! Senior Jiang, youre the best! The cheers rang out enthusiastically for the goddess of the Astral Sage College. Her reputation for being invincible made her loved. With this, she was probably the equal of the First Princess and Gong Shenjun in terms of reputation now. The two were indeed watching her closely, their thoughts on their outstanding junior. Junior Jiangs skills never fail to amaze me. Gong Shenjun sighed with admiration. At this speed, shell really reach the Heavenly Dipper General Stage by the end of the year. I wonder which unlucky Seven Astral Pillar member shell target. The First Princess smiled. She might be the strongest Three Star Hall student in the whole East Divine Continent. If she formally takes that title at the Holy Grail Meet, the Astral Sage College will have really made a name for itself. Well, the other sage colleges will come well prepared too, Gong Shenjun cautioned. A ninth-grade resonance is rare, but theres no guarantee that shes unique in this generation. Still, shes one of the hot favorites for sure. The First Princess nodded, looking at Jiang Qinge in approval. In a few years, she would be one of the powers in the Xia Kingdom for sure. Given the opportunity, she would leave the Xia Kingdom behind for greater stages. Although resonance grade was not the end-all be-all of accomplishment, Jiang Qinge had the required character and effort to utilize it well. She had led House Luolan through turbulent times at a young age, displaying uncommon political acumen, hard work, and charisma in the process. From all angles, the First Princess found something to admire about Jiang Qinge. Luanyu, youve become quite close with Junior Jiang recently, havent you? Gong Shenjun asked with a sudden smile. Of course I want to be friends with her, the First Princess replied lightly. Royal Brother, are you she raised her eyebrows. Although Gong Shenjun had not shown any overt inclination so far, the First Princess could read him well enough. He smiled innocently. A winsome and talented lady. Is it not reasonable for all gentlemen to chase such a treasure? Junior Jiang is outstanding, and as a hot-blooded male, its normal for me to take interest. The First Princess gave him a small smile. Im sure youve been observing Li Luo for the last half a year as well. His relationship with Jiang Qinge goes deeper than you can imagine. Gong Shenjuns smile faded a little. He swung away from her to rest his hands on the rail in front, a complex look in his eyes. He had to admit that the relationship between the pair was not to be underestimated. In the beginning, he had thought it an engagement only in name, but in the last six months, their feelings for each other had been plain to see. Jiang Qinge was usually easy enough to approach, but with her cool manner, all who tried came away with the sense that they were talking to her through some sort of glass wall. She was beautiful and courteous, but no heat passed the wall. Especially towards admirers. Till date, all sorts of admirers with all sorts of charms had tried all sorts of methods to woo Jiang Qinge. The results were all the same. They ended up not even being able to be friends. This was also the reason why Gong Shenjun had not made a move yet. An occasional chat was all he had managed, and he had seen no opening to pull their relationship closer. All of this was because of Li Luos arrival. Jiang Qinge was very considerate towards his feelings. Junior Li Luo is really lucky, Gong Shenjun said slowly. Indeed, the First Princess said. Although, if you look at the state of House Luolan, perhaps all is balanced. Royal Brother, Im afraid you stand no chance with Qinge. Best wrap up those feelings and give up soon. Chase someone else. Gong Shenjun just smiled. There was a calculating look in the First Princess eyes. Advice to such a guy was rarely helpful. In fact, it was usually counterproductive, spurring him on to take it as a challenge. The effect was all the more stronger with guys like Gong Shenjun, who were used to winning all the time. Which the First Princess was counting on. If Gong Shenjun tried something, she was counting on Jiang Qinge to break things off with him completely. That would only push Jiang Qinge closer to her. She did not want to see Jiang Qinge closer to the Regent. Of course, Gong Shenjun also had a shrewd sense. He might be wise enough not to bite on her baited advice, but there was no harm in leaving some crumbs for an attempt. The First Princess focused back on the arena. The Astral Sage College now held the lead in the ticket match, but they were due for a real slump now. It depended on whether their subsequent representatives could hold up against their opponents. A level fight was all they needed to win. Chapter 410: Turning Tides Chapter 410: Turning Tides The fight between Jiang Qinge and Zhao Huiyin had brought the ticket match to a sweltering climax, and the cheers swelled again and again. The first three fights are our strongest. This is not a surprising outcome, and the real difficulty comes in the next few, Li Luo commented. Excluding our One Star Hall fight, there are three more fights to be taken by Duze Honglian, Zhu Xuan, and Ye Qiuding. As long as those three can secure one win and one draw, the ticket match will be ours. Lu Qinger and sidled up alongside Bai Mengmeng to be near Li Luo. They were two of the great beauties of the One Star Hall, one cool and elegant, the other pure and cute. Put together, they covered just about all that any hot-blooded male student could ask for. If it turns out that way, you wont even need to fight, Lu Qinger replied. If the result was decided in the next three rounds, then the One Star Hall outcome would not matter. Li Luo shrugged. It doesnt matter if I fight or not. As long as we get the ticket. This isnt the main show anyway. Thatd be the Holy Grail Meet itself. Lu Qinger nodded. Would be a shame though, she said with a mischievous smile. We should let them know just how strong you are. The Astral Sage College is not just a monster in the Three Star Hall fightswe have Senior Jiangs equal here in the One Star Hall too. The students around them who overheard this remark gave her strange looks. Although Li Luo had done well for himself, it seemed overblown to say he was on the same level as the invincible Jiang Qinge. Still, Li Luo and Jiang Qinge had such a special relationship that not even the students knew where to begin breaking it down. They decided to keep their mouths shut. Lu Qinger ignored them. She knew for herself that she was not exaggerating, but speaking from the heart. Jiang Qinge was awesome, but Li Luo was right there beside her. Especially in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. Lu Qinger was one of the few who knew what he had accomplished inside. Li Luo smiled almost shyly to her, but he did not reply. Instead, they all turned back to the arena, where Duze Honglian was now walking out. As the second best in the Three Star Hall after Jiang Qinge, Duze Honglian was strong herself, although her light was often eclipsed by Jiang Qinges brilliance. It was bad luck for her to have been in the same year as Jiang Qinge. All eyes were on her as she took to the field. She was extremely pretty in her own right, and today she was clad in a black bodysuit, trimmed cleanly to give her complete freedom of movement. In her hand was a red-scaled longsword. Tall and leggy, she had a suppleness in her lithe figure that hinted at power behind her grace. And with her cool beauty, she was still a real prize put up against any girl. The Blue Abyss Sage Colleges Three Star Hall representative Yan Tai had taken to the field as well. His weapon was also red, although it was a long pole. He was grinning widely. Neither bothered to exchange words. They fired up their resonant powers immediately. An interesting note was that both Duze Honglian and Yan Tai were fire resonance users. Facing each other, it almost looked like a performance rather than a fight. The starting bell rang out, and the inferno roared to life around the two competitors. A fiery atmosphere with fiery powers. Duze Honglian and Yan Tai were perhaps the matchup with the closest power levels. Both were at the Gold Fiend Tier, and they also had the same resonance. The deciding factor would be who had the greater trump card. [1] They viciously tore into each other, and injuries were soon evident on both. Neither Duze Honglian nor Yan Tai showed the slightest indication of backing down. Instead, they doubled their firepower. Fire was an ethereal element. It had little real substance, and it was hard to wield defensively. Neither fighter chose that route, instead harnessing its destructive powers to its full potential. The spectators on both sides only grew more and more concerned as the battle continued. Both were covered in horrific burns, even on their Fiend bodies. Their movements were starting to grow sluggish as they stubbornly tried not to succumb to their wounds. It was a gory, brutal fight, far more so than any of the previous battles. The round was now a battle of wills. The Astral Sage College students were baying loudly, shouting their support for Duze Honglian. Li Luo winced a little in sympathy. He was quite surprised by Duze Honglian as well. He had not expected her to have such a strong battle will. Seems like Senior Jiang laid a lot of pressure on her, Lu Qinger said perceptively. Li Luo nodded thoughtfully. Duze Honglian was a strong character herself. Jiang Qinge had not just won, she had won with astounding aplomb. If Duze Honglian lost here, it would be doubly devastating. She did not want to lose too badly to Jiang Qinge. Even if she could not bring the Astral Sage College a win, she didnt want to take home a loss either. Yan Tai is very closely matched with her, Li Luo said, scratching his chin. Its hard to call the outcome, but if this continues, I think its likely that it ends in a draw. A gruesome draw, he added. Senior Duze is very strong too, Bai Mengmeng said admiringly. Li Luo nodded. Even though he did not get along with her well on the daily, her current performance deserved praise. At the same time, over at the Blue Abyss Sage College contingent. Zhao Huiyin, Zhong Nan, and the others were also watching the battle closely. This Duze Honglian is harder to deal with than I thought, Zhao Huiyin said with a pang of regret. A pity. I thought Yan Tai would win by a narrow margin. Duze Honglian is not as famous as Jiang Qinge, but then again, who is? She is still not to be underestimated. Zhong Nan agreed gravely. Well, still. None of this is out of our expectations. We still stand a chance. She lolled her head back to look at Lu Cng, and stretched out a hand to pat him on the shoulder. Weve done our best to pave you an even runway now. Go on and take flight. Lu Cng smiled breezily at her. Dont worry, Senior Zhao. If it reaches that final battle, I wont let you down. The battle raged on. Towards the end, the wounds were so horrendous that many averted or closed their eyes. But finally the battle ended. Duze Honglians sword sank into Yan Tais belly at the same time as his own red staff smashed with a sickening crack against her back in a roundhouse smash. Mouthfuls of blood sprayed from both, then they toppled to the ground. As predicted. A draw. People hurried onto the battlefield to pull them out. The applause rang out, thunderous and solemn. Both of them deserved to be honored for their fight. The battle continued. Still, the Astral Sage College had viewed the last fight quite optimistically, but the next two fights left them completely frozen in silence. Because Both of the Two Star Hall representatives lost their fights. 1. TN: Gold Fiend = Fiend Body = 2nd tier ? Chapter 411: The Decider Chapter 411: The Decider Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiudings losses was a nasty bucket of cold water on the spirits of the Astral Sage College. The cheerful, competitive mood in the air had dried up, leaving behind a stuffy, sullen silence. The students were disgusted at the consecutive losses. Before the Two Star Hall, the Astral Sage College had a glowing two wins and two draws. All they needed was one more win, and they would not even have to go to the One Star Hall fight. Ideally, they would secure the Holy Grail Meet invite with a comfortable margin. But the Two Star Hall was a complete disgrace. It was a known fact that the Two Star Hall was the weakest out of the four. The Four Star Hall had the Seven Astral Pillarstheir reserve pool was by far the deepest. The Three Star Hall had the monster Jiang Qinge, who had single-handedly lifted up her entire generation. Even the youngest One Star Hall had the dual resonance Li Luo. The Two Star Hall was a dim, sputtering candle amidst the bright bonfires. Still, the Blue Abyss Sage Colleges Two Star Hall representatives were not particularly strong either. All they had to do was win one no, all they had to do was secure two draws, and overall victory would still have been the Astral Sage Colleges. Not even a single draw. So now both schools were evenly matchedtwo wins, two draws, and two losses apiece. They were back at square one. All of the carefully groomed advantages for the Astral Sage College now nullified. Grrr! The students hissed and cursed, making their frustrations clear. The Two Star Hall students hung their heads in shame. Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding had let all of them down. Their failures had broken the momentum and lead that the Three and Four Star Hall seniors had worked so hard to win. And amidst the booing, the more optimistic ones turned their attention to the One Star Hall. Specifically, the silver-haired protagonist, Li Luo. Suddenly, the round that no one was sure would even come about had become the pivot point for the entire ticket match. So it comes down to the One Star Hall match, the First Princess said, barely hiding her irritation. Who would have thought that the Two Star Hall would be nothing but feeble pushovers? On the spectators stand with her were other famous students, including the rest of the Seven Astral Pillars. They were all looking a little lost. It all comes down to Li Luo now. Can he carry us to victory? a hulking youth asked in a rumbling voice. It was Wang Chao, also of the Seven Astral Pillars. The decider, huh If he wins, theyll cheer him until our ears fall off. If he loses, theyll curse him until his ears fall off Whose ears it gonna be? Zhong Taiqiu snickered. He was one of the Seven Astral Pillars too. Indeed, losing such an important competition would create a lot of pent up anger and frustration, and the losers would get all the heat. Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding were on that list, of course, but if Li Luo lost as well, he would have his fair share of hostility. You shouldnt underestimate that junior of ours, the First Princess said with a knowing smile. We arent, Gong Shenjun replied. But I have to wonder if the Blue Abyss Sage College has been aiming for this from the start. And if all has been going according to their plan, then we can only imagine that they must have planned something for the last round too. You mean theyre betting on the One Star Hall match? the First Princess asked, astounded. How risky is that? Gong Shenjun inclined his head. Lets look at Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiudings rounds. Theyre not really to blame for their losses. Strictly speaking, they were evenly matched. But their opponents brought a reckless resolution to win, and that was where the difference lay. Both their finishing moves exacted a terrible price on their bodies. They might have won, but they will be plagued by permanent damage in the future. To make two excellent students pay such a price The Blue Abyss Sage College must have given them a guaranteedrowned them in riches and other compensation that would make them agree. No ordinary person would be willing to do so otherwise. Glory alone cannot be enough for them to give up their futures. Which means that the Blue Abyss Sage College must have been targeting these two Two Star Hall fights from the start. They could recoup their earlier losses in one vicious spurt of effort. Theyre gambling two brilliant students futures all on this One Star Hall representative. That is the level of absolute confidence they have in him. Li Luo is excellent, none of us refute that. But is he that good? It was an acute analysis from Gong Shenjun. The other students were in full agreement, and now they turned to regard Li Luo with new concern. Were they all walking straight into the Blue Abyss Sage Colleges trap? Or would Li Luo break it all apart? Vice Principal Su Xin turned to her Blue Abyss counterpart. Vice Principal Qiu, Blue Abyss has held nothing back for this competition, I see. Your needling is very unkind, Vice Principal Su Xin, Qiu Jizi said with a mild smile. We are not on the level of the Astral Sage College. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Desperation is not a sustainable form of progress, Su Xin replied. Is that so? Qiu Jizi laughed. Su Xin did not reply. She too knew that such remarks served no greater purpose. Both wanted the ticket to the Holy Grail Meet. Of course, they would hold nothing back. Still, it was grating to see their early lead gone. The elders had come to the same conclusion now, and all their thoughts were on the One Star Hall youth. Keke, looks like House Luolan will steal the thunder today. House Jinques Si Qing laughed. Zhu Qinghuos face was dark, anger simmering in his eyes. Zhu Xuans loss had made him lose face among the houses! Perhaps the thunder might end up electrocuting him instead, Duze Yan said coldly. Yu Hongxi took a small sip of tea. Its not a bad thing for youngsters to taste failure. But the best of them know when success is theirs and reach out to take it. The pressure in this round is high, but Li Luo might just live up to it. The house lords fell silent. At the side, the little emperor pumped a silent fist to himself. He was rooting for Li Luo. Li Luo stood up. Chapter 412: Heros Entrance Chapter 412: Heros Entrance Is this the real heros entrance? The sideshow of the competition is now the main event. Li Luo sighed to himself. Not even he, who usually planned for most things, had expected things to turn out this way. He knew that the Two Star Hall representatives were pushovers, but he expected them to at least have one win in the form of Zhu Xuan. Or at least a draw. Two losses. The unlucky kids. Hed even mentally prepared himself to sit this one out. Now he was going to have to work his ass off instead of resting. The One Star Hall students were going crazy. Just one bunch in particular. Brother Luo, take to the skies! Brother Luo, crush your enemies! Brother Luo, Astral Sages prize!! The One Star Hall students were luxuriating in the spotlight. It was their time to shine now, and by their time, they meant Li Luo do the honors. Thanks, man. If Li Luo won, their hall would be the heroes! Rah rah, blah blah, Li Luo mumbled to himself. What if I lose? Theyll hang me from the nearest branch of the Tree of Power. If he won, his name would be right there in the books with Jiang Qinge and the First Princess. If he didnt Li Luo wished that it wouldnt come to this. He would much rather have Zhu Xuan or Ye Qiuding take a win, and he could live a quiet life. All that mattered was that the ticket ended up in the Astral Sage Colleges hands. Why play out ones whole hand in just the preliminaries? In fact, he was only here for the reward that the Astral Sage College had promised. But now there was going to be no walkover. The Blue Abyss Sage College would go all out for sure. And he was forced to win this. Otherwise, there would be no ticket, and no free treasure from the school vaults. Hed be lucky to escape without a beating. Come on, Li Luo! Dont let the One Star Hall down! Qin Zhulus baritone growl rumbled from behind him. Li Luo looked over to see him standing with Lu Qinger, Yu Lang, and the others. So it has come to this, Yu Lang said gravely. I sensed it with my clairvoyant abilities a long time ago. We are a generation of heroes, and its only fitting that we have a fitting staircase of suspense leading up to our stage. Li Luo, go forth! he cried grandly. Li Luo rolled his eyes. Do you want your acting prize now or later? What actor could become a Violet Vibrance student at the Astral Sage College only with a sixth-grade resonance? Yu Lang demanded indignantly. And become the cornerstone and carry of the team? Li Luo snorted. If cheek were a resonance, youd be ninth-grade for sure. Thered be a seat in the Seven Astral Pillars for you. Lu Qinger, Bai Mengmeng, and the others all laughed. Yu Lang grumbled and kicked the ground. Still, taking a poke at Yu Lang lightened his mood somewhat. He spotted Lu Qinger, a bundle of anxiety and encouragement. Dont worry. The pressures high, but Ive dealt with high pressure all these years, he reassured her. Lu Qinger nodded hesitantly. Although such a final could bring Li Luo great fame, she was worried he would not be able to remain calm under the immense pressure. She was confident in Li Luos abilities, but it would be foolish to underestimate the unknown factor in the equation: the Blue Abyss Sage Colleges representative. She was objective and clever enough to know that the Blue Abyss Sage College had fielded a monster of their own, and pinned all of their hopes on him. Li Luo would do well to keep his emotional state neutral and fight to the best of his potential. Suddenly, there was a flurry of cries behind him, and Li Luo turned to see the crowd parting for Jiang Qinge. Senior Jiang! The One Star Hall students cheered enthusiastically. After her battle against Zhao Huiyin, her reputation had climbed to new heights. She nodded politely to them, walking straight towards Li Luo. Qin Zhulu, Bai Mengmeng, and the others backed away accordingly. Lu Qinger stood her ground defiantly for a moment longer, then backed away as well. Evidently, the senior girl was here to speak with Li Luo. Congratulations on your chance at fame and glory, she said to Li Luo teasingly. He rolled his eyes. Those Two Star Hall dumbos were a real letdown. Well, the Blue Abyss Sage College planned way ahead for this. Neither Zhu Xuan nor Ye Qiuding were exceptional enough to escape their calculations. It was to be expected. Still, Im surprised they would build a trump card in the One Star Hall. Its incredibly risky, Li Luo said. Jiang Qinge nodded. Their faith in Lu Cng and Lu Cng is incredible, she said meaningfully. Li Luo smiled and nodded. I understand what youre trying to say. Dont worry, I wont underestimate them. But Im very curious as to what the Lu brothers have, to win that level of trust. She nodded, then reached out to take his hand in hers, ignoring the exclamations that broke out around them. Theres no need to hold back. Show them your best. I know you dont like the spotlight, but a blaze of glory will send our enemies fleeing. Warn them. Deter them. Li Luo was surprised by her movement, but he squeezed her hand briefly to reassure her, then let go. Lu Qinger pursed her lips. Senior Jiangs moves are always timed perfectly. Is she here to stake a claim on Li Luo? Bold, fearless, straightforward. Just like her fighting style. Lu Qinger would not give up easily! A loveless marriage is unfair to both Li Luo and you, Jiang Qinge! I will save you both from it! A loud bell sounded. Signaling the imminent start of the final round. Li Luo turned, waved to all of his friends, and then leaped down. Jiang Qinge watched Li Luo descend to the battlefield with a faint smile on her face. Today, he would announce to the world that House Luolan had a slumbering dragon ready to rise alongside its phoenix. Chapter 413: Time for Li Luo Chapter 413: Time for Li Luo Li Luo flew down like a giant bird, sending a quick burst of resonant power to his feet so he could tread lightly on the crown of a lush tree before landing on top of a lake. Below the crystalline, green surface of the water, ancient, gnarled trunks protruded from the muddy silt at the bottom, black branches forming an aesthetic contrast against the clear water. Above them stood Li Luo, water gently rippling out from under his feet. His shortswords remained belted at his hip. With his water and wood resonances, this lake was a favorable terrain for him. According to the ticket match rules, the losing school of the previous round was allowed to choose the next rounds battlefield. That was just about the only thing those useless Two Star Hall bums had done for him all day. Li Luo wasnt about to pass up on a free leg-up like that. The crowd turned back to look at the sky. Another figure was descending onto the lake. He gave no heed to grace, plunging down like a cannonball. He struck the water and sent large waves crashing out in all directions. The waves roared out, then died back down barely a meter away from Li Luo. Li Luo saw that his opponent was a handsome man dressed in white. He smiled back kindly at Li Luo. Lu Cng? He smiled and nodded. Thats me. Tell me, friend Li LuoI hear you are a legendary dual resonance user? Dual resonances are rare, but hardly legendary, Li Luo replied with a tight smile. My thoughts exactly, Lu Cng said, still smiling. Friend Li Luo, neither of your resonance grades are particularly high. I doubt that their combined strength is anything of substance either. Youre exactly right. Li Luo agreed, as casually as if they were discussing the weather. If thats the case, how about you surrender now? We could save some time fighting. Li Luo eyed him, then laughed out loud. Youre very similar to your senior, Zhao Huiyin. Are you trying to goad me with words? Is that the Blue Abyss style? I had thought that the abyss was some enigmatic source of power, not your mouths. Lu Cng shrugged. Well, it seems like you are unaffected. Neither of us have any other choice in this battle. Were done talking. Let our abilities decide. Its embarrassing to resort to taunts, especially if the taunter loses. Li Luos shortswords flashed out in his hands. Skimming them across the lakes surface, his resonant power welled up. Underwater ripples churned the mirror-like lake. Lu Cng smiled and nodded as if he were watching an amusing magic trick. Reaching into his pocket sphere, he pulled out a long, green staff. His faint, red power circled him in a thick, tubular coil. It was a red python. The ferocity was equal to Qin Zhulus Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance. And his opponent was also a First Changing. Crash! Lu Cng leaped forward with the sinuosity befitting of his avatar, a greenish light flying out towards Li Luo. Li Luo did not dodge, instead taking the opening blow on his crossed shortswords. Sparks and resonant power flew. Both resonant powers nullified each other. Li Luo could feel the angry power strike out at him like a violent python, a vicious and poisonous bite that he could not allow to touch him. An upper eighth-grade resonance bred resonant power with a life of its own. It would enter him, corrode him, damage him all with a life of its own. Negating any damage would be tricky at best. Li Luo had experienced as much when fighting Qin Zhulu. Without hesitation, he fired up both his resonant palaces, allowing his two streams of energy to mix within him. Dual resonances! Like a volcano, the dormant power roared to life within him. Clang! The clash of sword and staff raised waves several meters high. Lu Cngs green python staff rang out loudly, and the shock of the impact numbed his fingers. His own resonant power was drowned out by the dual resonances. Before this, he had absolute confidence in his upper eighth-grade resonant power. But even that had been repelled. This is the power of dual resonances? Fascinating! His eyes lit up with excitement as his irises started to narrow into cold and sinister snake eyes. BOOM! Scarlet power blasted out again, this time with even more speed from Lu Cng. His green python staff turned into a snake that thrust itself at Li Luos neck, fangs bared. Dendrical Intervention! Li Luo hastily skidded backwards, shaking his sleeves and summoning long, green wooden tendrils of his own. They lashed out at the weapon many times before it was completely stopped. Lu Cngs transformation did not stop at his eyes. Scarlet power flowed out from them, and it looked like he was crying blood. The power covered his body in red scales when it touched his skin, even as it flowed downwards to his feet. He looked like a snake man. Li Luo knew that this was not an actual metamorphosis. Lu Cng had simply managed to reach such a high level of affinity with his resonance that he could adhere it to his skin closely. Lu Cng leaped at Li Luo again. Li Luo skidded backwards on the water, leaning away from the attack. His pointed toes glowed with power as he charged the water under them. Arboreal Bindings! The submerged branches awoke, exploding upwards as they broke the surface. Lu Cng was even more agile than Li Luo, who needed a way to slow him down. Hiss, hiss! Lu Cngs forked tongue flicked in and out of his mouth almost mockingly. His green python staff swept out left and right, smashing the wood into splinters. You think these twigsss will sstop me?! Li Luo ignored him, flicking out a bead of concentrated, dark-blue energy onto the wood. Heavy Water Art! The branches groaned under their newfound weight, and they reached upwards anew. Whack! Whack! The reinforced branches were enough to give Lu Cng pause. One broke past his staff, reaching around to smash into his back. Lu Cng was smacked out of the sky, landing heavily in the water and plunging down a dozen meters deep. He had barely stabilized himself on the surface when the water moved under him. Flowing Shear! The water rose up in a prison that surrounded Lu Cng, spinning violently. It began to close in on him, the swift water threatening to shear him down to bits. Water Arrow! Li Luo flicked out with his fingers, sending little darts of water resonant power flying into the water sphere, where Lu Cng could not see what was coming. Little flowers of blood bloomed within the sphere. It was a brilliant performance, each move carefully layered on the next, building and enhancing the effects of the last. A masterful plan, the First Princess said approvingly. Water and wood resonances already have a good affinity. Even though his resonance arts are not particularly strong, hes using them cleverly to draw out the best results. Li Luos talent in resonance arts is underrated. Gong Shenjun nodded. This is the advantage of dual resonances, and Li Luo understands this well. Still, he might hold a slight advantage, but its hard to say that the outcome will follow suit. If thats the limit of the Blue Abyss Sage Colleges ultimate secret weapon, Ill be very surprised. The other Seven Astral Pillars nodded, eyes on the swirling water sphere. Swish! The water sphere was suddenly torn apart, thinning out under the angry heat that came from within before evaporating completely. A blast of radiating fire energy pierced the skies. Lu Cng emerged, bleeding slightly from multiple cuts. They were light wounds, but they demonstrated that Li Luos masterful resonance art blending had broken past Lu Cngs guard. Li Luo looked at him mildly. Through the previous exchange, he had already ascertained his opponents abilities. Lu Cng was roughly on the same level as Qin Zhulu, or perhaps slightly stronger. Among their peers this was quite good, but still not enough. Li Luo could beat Qin Zhulu, and so naturally he could beat Lu Cng too. It was just a matter of time. Show me your secret weapon. This level of testing is banal and boring, he said indifferently. He did not believe that this level of ability was the fount of the Blue Abyss Sage Colleges confidence. As a strong card, yes, but not enough to be the decider in the all-important ticket match. Lu Cngs glowing-red snake-eyes watched Li Luo closely. He stood silent for a moment, then he closed his eyes. On the Blue Abyss viewing platform, the One Star Hall representative called Lu Cng closed his eyes too. Chapter 414: Amalgamation Chapter 414: Amalgamation When Lu Cng shut his eyes, Li Luo did not sense any disturbance or change. And yet his gut was telling him that something was very wrong about the whole situation. He decided it was best to find out, via taking a nice, big swing with his swords at Lu Cngs neck. He wasnt about to hang around waiting politely for his opponent to finish his grand transformation. Attacking was the only reasonable option. But when his sword was half a meter away from Lu Cng, it bounced off an invisible barrier, leaving a red scorch mark behind. Lu Cng was not stupid enough to leave himself defenseless. But neither was he attacking right now. A barrier was still ultimately a punching bag. It wasnt hitting him back. He rained down slashes on it, moving speedily to cut through it. With each blow he landed, the resonant power barrier shook and wavered. A few moments later, he cut through it with a well-placed double slash from both sides. Lu Cng was open. A blade flashed towards his face. BOOM! His eyes flew open and he punched Li Luos sword with a powerful uppercut, so it flew harmlessly above his head. Lu Cngs fist was unharmed. Li Luos eyes widened. Lu Cngs hair was growing longer right before his eyes, and half of it turned white. The mix of black and white hair was bizarre. The transformation did not stop at the hair. Lu Cng started to vibrate with resonant power. It far exceeded the First Changing level that he had just demonstrated. The sheer volume of resonant power was enough to stir up the lake water around him, gravitating around him in a conical, upward twist. Li Luo was frowning so hard that his eyebrows almost touched. It was uncanny that Lu Cngs resonant power would grow so much all of a sudden. Even his own Resonant Bubble art only increased his resonant power by a portion of his actual strength. Lu Cngs resonant power had grown exponentially! The current Lu Cng was definitely a Second Changing in strength, and perhaps at peak strength within the Second Changing. As ridiculous as this boost was, there was more to come. Ordinary Evolving Resonance Tier cultivators could not compare to geniuses who could wield their powers more skillfully than others. Li Luo was not the only one who could beat opponents above his level. If his calculations were right, this current version of Lu Cng surpassed Ye Qiuding and Zhu Xuan. A horrific improvement. Li Luo noticed that Lu Cngs eyes were different now. One was red, the other black. The only thing that had not changed was the animalistic ferocity reflected in them. At the spectator stands, many of them had noticed the change as well. Lu Cng had become even more dangerous than ever. How did his resonant power increase so much? Lu Qinger bit her lip as she clenched the rail tightly. Somethings not right, Qin Zhulu growled. He had an upper eighth-grade beast resonance too, but he could not fathom how Lu Cng had suddenly increased his own strength twofold. Its not just a simple increase in strength. Theres a shifting in the resonant power within him. Another element. He has a Solaris Python resonance, but now a darker one has arisen within him Jiang Qinge said quietly. She looked at the Blue Abyss Sage College spectator stands, at the youth called Lu Cng.[1] I wonder if it belongs to Lu Cng, who has a Lunaris Python resonance. Lu Qinger, Qin Zhulu, and the others all stared at her, aghast. You mean he transferred his resonant power to Lu Cng? Jiang Qinge inclined her head. Lu Cng is in some sort of semi-comatose state. The resonant power aura around him has completely vanished. This must be the Blue Abyss Sage Colleges ultimate move. The twins have a miraculous link between them. Which means that Lu Cng is now also a dual resonance user? And it seems like his resonances have an even higher grade than Li Luos. Bai Mengmeng frowned. Leader is in danger! Dual resonances had brought Li Luo to fame, and his opponent having the same advantage was not good news. Theyre not the same, Jiang Qinge said, shaking her head. Each of Li Luos dual resonances has a resonant palace. The affinity between resonant palaces allows him to bring out the best of both powers in what we see as dual resonances. Although Lu Cng might have transferred the resonance and resonant power of his twin, the resonance does not have a resonant palace home within Lu Cngs body. He cannot bring forth true multiplication of power, but only an addition of two distinct powers. Besides, without a resonant palace to anchor the power, the borrowed power will not be stable. It will weaken before too long, and even vanish completely. Of course, Lu Cng is currently very strong. Perhaps not even Third Changing cultivators could beat him right now. No wonder the Blue Abyss Sage College believes that he can turn the battle for them. This level of power could trump most other sage colleges in the East Divine Continent easily, let alone take a ticket match. The twins are a walking miracle. If Li Luo wants to win this, hed better have a whole storehouse of ability hidden. Jiang Qinges analysis had put worried frowns on all of their faces. This battle was going to be incredibly difficult. They did not know if Li Luo could pull through. All across the other spectator stands, the Astral Sage College students had noticed the change, and panic was spreading through the crowd. Li Luos slight edge had vanished with this devastating doubling of his opponents power. Only now did they realize that the initial advantage had been an illusionthe two fighters had been merely testing each other. Lu Cng stretched out his neck, and a curious clacking sound could be heard from his spine. He turned his red and black eyes on Li Luo with a chilling smile. Well, Li Luo? I take it your boredom has vanissshed? he said with a hissing laugh. Li Luo nodded vigorously. Oh, yes. In fact, my boredom has vanished so completely that I wish some of it would come back. I didnt know you brothers could do that. The world is vast, and all miracles are possible. You have dual resonances. Other miracles might happen. That makes sense. Li Luo agreed affably. Lu Cng swept up his green python staff and twirled it lazily. Well, if you have no other hidden trump cards, I think the outcome of this match is decided, Li Luo. You might as well give up. Li Luo was just about to reply, but he stopped himself. Lu Cng had not expected a response anyway, preferring to follow up with a deadly attack. He thundered forward, footsteps smashing into the surface of the lake, raising a humongous splash that rained down on the entire arena. Within the splashing rain, black and red resonant power grew steadily larger before it shot forth as a pair of pythons, coiling and twisting around each other. Li Luo reacted without hesitation, his twin shortswords chopping downwards. Clang! A direct clash. This time it was Li Luo who almost lost his grip on his swords. The overwhelming resonant power tore into his defenses with ease. He felt his breath whoosh out of him, and a searing pain burned his chest as he was sent flying backwards. The tables had turned. The crowd gasped. Lu Cng laughed long and loud, sweeping his green python staff back and forth exultantly. Tell me, Li Luo, is this the first time youve felt outclassed by someone at your cultivation level? he asked eagerly. How does it feel? 1. TN: Cng = hidden ? Chapter 415: Epic Fight at One Star Hall Chapter 415: Epic Fight at One Star Hall Li Luo did not respond to Lu Cngs taunts. He knew his opponent was simply trying to make him lose his cool. His water and wood resonant powers circulated within him, healing his wounds quickly. The Blue Abyss Sage College has done well to bet on a horse like you. Or should I say snake? Li Luo grinned. He did not even bother to protest that this was actually a two-on-one. If the Astral Sage Colleges invigilators had not called a halt to the competition, then it was legal. No news was good news for Lu Cng. So the time for speeches was over. Now was the time for action. He had to take down the snake with cold steel. Easier said than done. Lu Cngs boast was true indeedhe was by far the strongest opponent that Li Luo had encountered that was at the same cultivation level. These two brothers resonance transfer was stupidly strong. In terms of raw resonant power, there was no doubt that Lu Cng had him beat. But size wasnt all that mattered. That was why matches were fought. Li Luo grinned to himself. A light of interest and battle will lit up his eyes. BOOM! Lu Cng had stopped the taunting as well, seeing that Li Luo was unaffected. He instead dug deep and produced another two streams of energy. Solar and lunar pythons, their unique elements a deadly combination. There were Three and Four Star Hall talents present, already at the Earth Fiend or even Heavenly Dipper General level. For them, a fight between Resonant Masters was usually quite underwhelming. But now they were all watching intently. Lu Cng had brought something new and deadly to the table. The fact that these seniors had taken notice of a One Star Hall battle proved that Lu Cng was indeed something very special. Their absolute faith in Li Luo was suddenly looking sort of frail. If they lost this battle, they wouldnt even be able to go to the Holy Grail Meet! This would be a devastating blow to the reputation of the school, and the morale of all its students. The green python staff smashed into the lake. Crash! Swoosh! The water parted, and from the watery gap rose a ten-meter-long twin-headed snake. It was striped elegantly down its length in scarlet and stone-gray. It lunged at Li Luo. Li Luo ran as far back as he could, his woodearth resonance throwing up a tree-shaped shield before him. It sparkled beautifully in the sunlight. Arboreal Bindings! Heavy Water Art! Again, he used his trusty combination, wrapping his solid tree in sheets of heavy water to further reinforce it. Clang! The twin-headed serpent smashed into the tree, sending splinters flying. The red-and-black snake crashed through the obstacle that Li Luo had put up with a dreadful hiss, then it charged at him again. Swinging around, its muscular tail sent a powerful wave of water sweeping out towards Li Luo. The wave crashed down and Li Luo was nowhere to be seen. Water Shadow Art. Li Luo reappeared on the other side of the lake. In the same moment, the lake water exploded before him, and a sizzling light of red and black shot out, narrowly missing him. He could smell singed hair. Lu Cng was somehow already in front of him, his green python staff crackling with boundless energy. He pointed it at Li Luos chest, the snake head carving at the top seemingly ready to bite Li Luo at any time. Lu Cng had seen through his Water Shadow Art and predicted where he would escape to. The Astral Sage College students groaned in dismay. You cant hide, Li Luo! Lu Cng cackled. The staff steadily grew larger in Li Luos view, but he remained calm as he faced Lu Cngs attack. Lifting his shortswords, his eyes flashed. All nine resonant bubbles within him burst at once. The boost of resonant power flooded his body. Youre not the only one who can boost! Li Luos shortswords flashed up to meet the python staff. A sapphire-blue light flashed against the staff, boosted power against boosted power. Clang! There were no more spider-shaped impacts now that they were in a watery terrain instead of a land one. However, they managed to raise impressive waves that rose and fell on the crowd. Wiping the water from their eyes, the spectators watched on. To everyones surprise, Li Luo had not fared too badly. He was just about equal. So you were hiding more! Lu Cng barked a short laugh as he sensed Li Luos increased power. Li Luo ignored him. Instead, he shook out his sleeves, sending several light balls flying out to explode between the two. They released blinding lights. Waterlight Balls! Li Luo had developed a thin film of water resonant power over his eyes that would cut away most of the light. One-way blinding was a perk that he had deemed worth the effort of training that tricky bit of resonant power control, and now he leaped at Lu Cng with clear eyes. Clang, clang, clang! Amazingly, his opponent was able to sense him somehow, and he blocked all of Li Luos slashes. Lu Cng hadnt been affected by the light, somehow. They traded more furious blows back and forth. When Li Luos blades landed on Lu Cngs body, they raised sparks, but the red and black scale armor on his body was another layer of defense that frustrated Li Luos attacks. Lu Cngs attacks on Li Luo were not doing too much damage either. There was a thin water coat on Li Luos body that quickly dispersed the blows all across its frame. Heavy Water Toga. For the moment, neither could find a gap in the others armor. The fight time ticked on. Clang! Another furious exchange sent both Li Luo and Lu Cng staggering backwards. Li Luo, your boosted resonant power ran out too quickly. Lu Cng was panting, preparing another vicious swing of his staff as he caught his breath. Your state doesnt last very long either though. Li Luo laughed. Longer than yours! Lu Cng retorted. Li Luo looked over at the joss stick that marked time on the viewing platform. But I can hold out until the end of the round. Do you know whats going to happen if its a draw? According to the rules, therell be a tiebreaker. The two strongest representatives will fight again. Probably Gong Shenjun against Zhong Nan. Not even Gong Shenjun can take down Senior Zhong Nans defenses, Lu Cng sneered confidently. Aha. Perhaps, perhaps and then we go to the next tiebreaker at the Three Star Hall level, Li Luo pointed out with relish. This drew Lu Cng up short. Another Three Star Hall match? They would be screwed. Jiang Qinge was unbeatable. Not even their better option, Zhao Huiyin, who hadnt lasted long in their first encounter, would be able to fight. It was impossible to win there. You think Ill let things go that far!? Lu Cng snarled. He took a decisive step forward, stomping the ground. His shirt exploded, falling to the ground in shreds to leave him topless. Li Luo saw red and black cursed snake patterns burrowing in and out of Lu Cngs flesh. They were impressive inkings, vividly lifelike and with a hypnotic, scaly pattern. Li Luo followed their twists and turns up Lu Cngs well-muscled body and saw that they both ended with their fangs bared on his cheeks. His face was absolutely horrifying to look at, and Li Luo could not help shuddering. From afar, it seemed like a twin-headed snake speeding across the lake. Li Luo could feel the incredible threat. BOOM! Before he could react, Lu Cng had already made his next move. An enormous tsunami, thirty meters high, had risen up and was bearing down on Li Luo. Cries could be heard from the crowd. Li Luo scrambled to find his rhythm. Behind the wave attack, Lu Cng himself was speeding towards Li Luo, his green python staff revving up for a follow-up strike. He smashed the water, disrupting Li Luos energy flow and causing him to stumble into the waves. A humongous serpent tail swung out at him. Clang! Li Luo met it with his blades. In the next instant, his blades shattered, and he himself was badly injured. The multi-layered attack from Lu Cng smashed him deep into the lake, fossilizing him in the muddy silt at the bottom. The wave died down and the ripples slowly faded in the horrified silence of the crowd. All was silent in the mountains. Chapter 416: Li Luos Goal Chapter 416: Li Luos Goal The crash of the wave was still ringing in their ears, and the quiet drip of lake water off the platforms and trees was barely heard in the stunned silence. No one had imagined that Lu Cng would be capable of so much. He had sent Li Luo to the bottom of the lake in one single terrifying attack. Even the Fourth Changing students were looking amazed. Clearly, Lu Cng had been hoping to finish the battle before the joss stick timer ran out. The moment Lu Cng pulled out his Twin Python Malediction, the battle was over one way or another, Zhao Huiyin and the other Blue Abyss students whispered among themselves. The Twin Python Malediction burned both energy sources within Lu Cngs body to produce an overwhelming but ephemeral strength. Once Lu Cng entered that state, the battle had to end. No opponent at Lu Cngs level could possibly deal with it. Li Luos dual resonances are superb. Hes unlucky he had to fight against the Lu Cang brothers. Their unique birth, their transferrable resonant powers, resonance affinity one might consider them dual resonances as well. Although the combination is short-lived due to the lack of a resonant palace, it definitely trumps Li Luos in terms of raw power, Zhao Huiyin said with a satisfied smile. The ticket match belongs to the Blue Abyss Sage College for sure. The other Blue Abyss Sage College representatives laughed with relief. Although they had been steamrolled for the most part in the first half, they had made a heroic comeback. Now the smell of victory was in the air. If they could win here, the reputation of the Blue Abyss Sage College would skyrocket. And with a better reputation would come better students, and the building of a stronger foundation. Even the top students from Astral Sage like the First Princess and Gong Shenjun showed their surprise. With their powerful sight, they could see just how powerful the attack had been from the penetration depth into the lake. If even they were shocked by the strength, what about Li Luo, who had to take the hit? Even the First Princess, with her rock-solid confidence in Li Luo, started to doubt. All of them had underestimated Lu Cng. Leader! Bai Mengmeng screamed, her hand flying to her mouth. Her doe-like eyes were wide open in horror. F*ck, these Blue Abyss dogs hid their sh*t real deep in the blue abyss! Yu Lang swore colorfully. What strength! If that were me, Id be completely incapacitated already, Qin Zhulu muttered begrudgingly. Lu Qinger remained silent, her hands gripping each other tightly as if in prayer. She looked over at Jiang Qinge, whose elegant face was as cool as jade. She was not at all panicked, and this gave Lu Qinger some comfort. Senior Jiang, she asked hesitantly, will Li Luo be fine? Lu Cng is very strong, Jiang Qinge said, watching the waves subside. In any school in the East Divine Continent, he would be considered one of the best. The Blue Abyss Sage College has done well to raise such a freak. She turned to look at Lu Qinger. But strength does not always equate to victory. I do not know what else Li Luo is hiding, but I can sense that he did not try to dodge Lu Cngs attack. On the contrary, he seemed to welcome the attack Lu Qingers jaw dropped. What are you saying? Just a hunch. Jiang Qinge shrugged and turned back to the front. Lu Qinger was a little irritated, but she did not press. In any case, Jiang Qinges words had put her mind at ease somewhat. And all those who knew Li Luo held an irrational belief in him, Jiang Qinge most of all. Lu Cng was strong, but those who had worked with Li Luo before knew that he had a curious tendency to overcome impossible circumstances. Lu Cng might have exceeded everyones expectations, but who was to say that Li Luo had nothing else left in the bag? At the bottom of the lake. Li Luo relaxed, inert, feeling the weight of the water above him. His arms were hurting like crazy, fresh blood flowing freely out into the water and forming murky, maroon clouds around his shoulders. A foreign resonant power continued to eat away within him. Lu Cngs resonant power. The blow from before had severely injured Li Luo. His body was in a woeful state, but his expression was surprisingly calm. There was no fear, no panic, and strangely, it was lit with triumph. He had not had an opponent like this in a long time now. Lu Cng was a worthy opponent for him to show his best against. The corner of his mouth twitched. He looked up through the sparkling water to see the shadow of Lu Cng above, homed in on him. Their eyes met. Lu Cngs expression darkened, and he gripped his green python staff tightly. He saw a look of challenge in Li Luos eyes, as if to say Come on! Do your best! What else have you got? It infuriated him. This guy had been completely pummeled and was still trying to act tough? There was no coming back from this! If you dont want to surrender, Ill beat you until you surrender! BOOM! Again, red and black power flowed out of Lu Cng, this time with a stickiness to it. It crawled along his body to his hand, finally reaching the green python staff. The red and black sludge continued to meld with the green python staff. The lake water turned black around it, as though it were being poisoned. Lu Cng stomped. Splash! Roar! The lake waters parted under his foot, and thick jets of black and red resonant power burrowed downwards, twin pythons of power coiling around his staff. They were headed straight for Li Luo. The entire lake was boiling from the power of his attack. Everyone held their breath, and even the Violet Vibrance mentors were prepared to step in and halt the battle. This attack was way too powerful. If they misjudged the situation, Li Luo might not even survive. At the bottom of the lake, Li Luo watched the spear-like staff-thrust parting the waters above him, drilling its way down. Under him, the silt bed shook with the impact. If it hit him, hed probably die. This was way stronger than when he faced Lin Suo back at the Golden Dragon Dao Fields! The prickly fear of imminent death quietened the world around him, heightening his senses in wave after wave of adrenaline-fueled clarity. Clearer and clearerhe had never felt water this cool before, seen it this beautiful before And then he was pushed over the tipping point, and all of his senses vanished. He no longer felt the currents pushing gently against him. He no longer heard the dull roar of resonant power bearing down on him from above. Only the steady, dull thump of his heartbeat, telling him he was still alive. Li Luo smiled to himself. Yes. This is it. The zone. He closed his eyes. He was with his waterlight resonant palace. Here, his waterlight resonance seed was shining, already saturated with lines of power. Back during the special training period at Angelwood Hollow, Li Luo had managed to complete the evolution of his woodearth resonance, formally reaching the Evolving Resonance tier. However, it was only a partial evolution. His waterlight resonance had not yet reached that state. Through his experimentations, Li Luo had finally hit upon a likely theory C his waterlight resonance was far higher in grade compared to his woodearth resonance. That was why it was harder to evolve, and needed a lot more grinding. Li Luo had thought so at first, but now perhaps there was a way to skip that. This was Li Luos true goal. He wanted to use the pressure from fighting Lu Cng to complete his waterlight resonance! Chapter 417: Waterlight Resonance Evolution Chapter 417: Waterlight Resonance Evolution Blub, blub, blub! The water pressure on top of Li Luo threatened to crush him. It was not just the weight of the water, but the fact that it was being rapidly compressed from above by Lu Cng. The threat of death loomed all around him, but Li Luo was at peace. Because within his waterlight resonant palace, his resonance seed was jumping rapidly like a heart, coming to life now that it was at its limit. Badump! The sound filled his ears and his mind. Lu Cngs staff continued downwards. It was only a dozen meters from him now. The pebbles on the lake bed were jumping and crackling wildly, like popcorn on a pan. They trembled accordingly as the attack bore down from above, turning the lake water black in its wake. Crack! Li Luo heard a distinct cracking sound within him. A solid line gradually grew on his waterlight resonance seed, then it split. Rain fell within his resonant palace, a golden rain warmed by the light of the sun. The thin, golden threads fell on his resonant palace, a nourishing blend of light and water that grew and grew until it was a clear lake within. This was no ordinary lake. It had a mystical resonant power that Li Luo had painstakingly gathered over the course of his entire Pattern Genesis life. Those who could see within the lake would see a glowing ball of holy light that blended gracefully into the waters of the lake, brightening it with a yellow glow. Lost in a trance, Li Luo rejoiced. He had completed his waterlight resonances evolution. At the merest thought, Li Luo summoned a shower of translucent, navy-blue pearls of power. Each one glimmered with a fey light within. All of them were made with his waterlight resonant power. It was on a level way beyond what he had been capable of previously. Li Luo whooped inwardly as he reveled in his newfound power. His eyes flared open, and he was back, fully aware of his position and situation at the bottom of the lake. There was a new light in his eyes as they flicked up to the attack bearing down upon him. His two resonant palaces roared defiantly, flushing him with power. Dual resonance power! He cooked it within him, building it up within the furnace of his body. More. More. He poured on the power, heating it to new heights. This burst of dual resonance power was stronger than anything he had ever made before! Lu Cngs eyes narrowed as he sensed Li Luos heightened power. There was a new sheen to his power that had not been there before. There was nothing he could do at this point. He had committed so hard! Li Luo, Ill end you!! Lu Cng roared. Li Luo reacted with composure. Folding his five fingers into a fist, he attacked without any flashy moves. Just raw dual resonance power, exploding from his wrists as two faint halos of light. Li Luo himself did not know yet, but the two resonances within him had achieved a new level of perfection in their synergy. BOOM! The surface of the lake exploded with the fury of the attacks in its depths. Li Luos punch crashed straight into Lu Cng and his staff. Bang! Lake water exploded outwards in a crown shape, in a radius of dozens of meters around Li Luo and Lu Cng. Lu Cngs face changed. F*ck! He swore fearfully. Li Luos punch had been powerful enough to knock the additional sludge power off his green python staff. It cant be! He was already in his strongest state. Not even an ordinary Fourth Changing cultivator could defend against his attack. Li Luo had his weapons shattered, and he had been sunk to the bottom of the lake. How had Li Luo suddenly produced power that eclipsed his own?! Bang! Bang! Li Luo sent another two power punches flying out, crashing into the green python staff. Clang! Clang! The deafening booms churned the lake waters furiously, as though it were a cup being shaken by a giant hand. Finally, Lu Cngs defenses crumbled. Desperately holding on to his green python staff, his palm split apart from the impact and started bleeding freely, the skin rubbed clean off. His fingers were bleeding and broken too. Li Luos resonant power smashed into his body. Swoosh! The green python staff fell from his unfeeling, trembling fingers, carried away by the impact of Li Luos punch. It sailed through the air. Lu Cng wanted to run, but fear and fatigue numbed his movements. As if he were trapped in slow motion, he could only watch in horror and disbelief as Li Luo easily caught up to him. Sorry, I was using you as a whetting stone but youre a good whetting stone. Li Luo laughed happily, then he let loose another solid punch at Lu Cngs chest. It was like a cannon blast. Lu Cng roared and gathered all his remaining energy into one final blast. His Twin Python Maledict fueled him with wicked strength, and he met Li Luos punch with one of his own. BOOM! The fist-on-fist clash was epic to behold. The audience held their breath. Swoosh! From the bottom of the lake, a blur of green light shot out, piercing through the trees and smashing straight into a mountain wall. The dust cleared, and the audience gasped. It was the green python staff! Half buried in the mountain wall, and still vibrating from the impact. What was going on? Why was Lu Cngs weapon here?! On the Blue Abyss Sage College spectator stands, Zhao Huiyins smile was wiped clean off her face. She tried to look into the lake, but the water was too murky to see what had happened. What is going on down there?! Wasnt Lu Cng winning? Why would he let go of the green python staff? The situation seemed to have changed. In any case, the ticket match was about to be decided for good. In whose favor? Lu Cng, surely? They had all witnessed his strength. Li Luo had been completely outclassed. The silence wore on. Finally, one person emerged from the water, stepping up carefully onto the lake surface. He lifted his head, and smiles broke out all across the spectator stands. It was Li Luo! They saw that he was dragging another person along. Lu Cng. Lu Cngs eyes were shut, and he looked like he had fainted. The result was obvious. Li Luo tottered on the spot, smiling vaguely, his face pale. He looked up at the crowd, which was speechlessly silent. It was at this moment that an indignant voice yelled out from the One Star Hall stands. Hoi, where the f*cks the applause?!! Chapter 418: Reversal Chapter 418: Reversal Some students laughed at the ridiculous comment, but most of them were still looking curiously at the youth who had emerged victorious. Li Luo had won?! They could not believe their eyes. How had he turned the situation? Before they had plunged into the lake, Lu Cng had been dominating. And yet he had lost? And from his unconscious state, he had been outclassed by a fair amount. Their disbelief and curiosity finally gave way to exuberance, and the Astral Sage students started to cheer for their champion. Li Luo! Li Luo! They were hyper-excited. This was a ridiculous comeback. Lu Cngs overpowered ability had seriously diminished their confidence in Li Luo, and the more pessimistic ones had already given up on the Astral Sage Colleges chance at the ticket. No one had expected this turn of events. Of course, without those like Gong Shenjun and Jiang Qinge, Astral Sage would not even have made it this far. But the excitement and spectacle always belonged to the finale. More importantly, Li Luo had managed to pull free of the danger at the most critical moment, and he had stopped the key part of the Blue Abyss Sage Colleges plan to take the ticket match away from the Astral Sage College. This alone was enough for many to brand Li Luos victory with the seal of absolute perfection. The overseeing Violet Vibrance mentors called out the result formally. Astral Sage College, Li Luo. Winner! With this, the ticket match is over. The Astral Sage College ended with 3 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses. The Blue Abyss Sage College ended with 2 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses. The winner is the Astral Sage College! ROAR! The spectators cheered again, a deafening chorus of whoops and yells that shook the mountains themselves. The mood was as high as could be. For the students, the Holy Grail Meet was the greatest event in the East Divine Continent, a competition at the highest caliber. Every school spent years carefully preparing for it, biding their strength and resources accordingly. There were two things that all schools prioritized above all else: one was the Umbra Cave. The other was the quadrennial Holy Grail Meet. And indeed, the Holy Grail Meet had plenty to warrant that level of importance. The Dragon Bone Holy Grail went without sayingthe ultimate prize. With that holy object, the Umbra Cave would be shut away. The winning school could save many of its talents from brutal death and sacrifice. Besides that, the placings of the Holy Grail Meet would also be reported to the Academic Federation, who would then distribute resources accordingly. Resources from the Academic Federation were a huge boon for any sage college. He actually won The First Princess, Gong Shenjun, and the others were still staring down at the battlefield in wonder. Not even at their level had they predicted this outcome. Li Luo is a bag full of surprises. Wang Chao, one of the Seven Astral Pillars, laughed. The others nodded in agreement. A moment ago, Li Luo was getting wrecked, and badly. Yet the moment they had gone underwater, things had been completely reversed. Li Luo must have been hiding some skill up till now. The First Princess phoenix eyes surveyed Li Luo thoughtfully. He was truly one to work miracles when no one expected it. In truth, when Lu Cng had revealed his true powers, no one would have blamed Li Luo if he had lost. Lu Cng was undeniably strong in that state, at the top level even at the Holy Grail Meet. There would have been no shame in losing to him. But Li Luo had prevailed, putting an abrupt end to the Blue Abyss Sage Colleges plans. The First Princess leaned forward on the railing, arms crossed beneath her ample chest. Her red lips parted slightly. She was curious about Li Luo. Of course, not in a romantic wayshe simply wanted to know how much more Jiang Qinges consort was hiding. Do you think he might win the strongest One Star Hall student title at the Holy Grail Meet? She smiled. The others turned to look at her. Thats a little ambitious, Gong Shenjun said casually. Lu Cng might be in the top 10 among One Star Hall students, and Li Luo beating him would put him in the top 8 top 5 even. But the strongest? Those guys are on a different level. You should know what sort of monsters there are at the Holy Grail Meet and Li Luos not the only dual resonance cultivator in the world. The First Princess had to agree with his analysis. Dual resonances were rare, but those who gathered at the Holy Grail Meet were the best in the entire continent. You could not really be surprised by all the walking wonders and unimaginable unicorns that were sure to show up there. When you set your sights that high, what was a mere dual resonance cultivator? Still, even if he doesnt take the title, Li Luo will definitely be one of the most closely watched at the Holy Grail Meet. This observation was one they all agreed with. The battle they had just witnessed would be considered high level even at the Holy Grail Meet. Li Luos victory spoke volumes about his ability. The One Star Hall cheers were still going strong. They were flushed and heady with excitement. Their champion had won a splendid victory for all of them. They were screaming and crying, flailing their hands and yelling nonsense words in glee. Lu Qinger and Bai Mengmeng slumped in relief, the long-held tension seeping out of their bodies. Leader is really awesome, Bai Mengmeng said adoringly. Lu Qingers smile was the mirror image of Li Luos own, broad grins of pure happiness as they enjoyed the moment. There was a soft look in her eyes as she watched the silver-haired youth down below. His handsomeness was like a fine wine, and only got better and better with time. He had matured significantly since their time at Southwind Academyhe was now a more confident, attractive person. She had always thought well of his talent, and that he should get more attention. He was just as good as anyone else. Including Jiang Qinge. She looked over at the golden-haired girl. Sensing Lu Qingers gaze, Jiang Qinge turned to her, a knowing look in her eyes. Well? What do you think of my fianc? Chapter 419: Conclusion Chapter 419: Conclusion Jiang Qinges question was an unwelcome sting. Lu Qinger scowled prettily. Did she have to pull this card now? To her, the engagement between Jiang Qinge and Li Luo was one in name only. On the contrary, she would be more worried if the engagement was annulled. But her womans instinct was telling her that their current relationship was deep but not romantic. Close? They definitely were. Their trust in each other was absolute, but it always looked like Jiang Qinge was taking care of her little brother. That was why Lu Qinger felt the engagement should not exist. If it were not there, she would have openly chased Li Luo a long time ago. They might even be together already. She might even be able to speak openly to the sisterly Qinge about it. Lu Qinger recovered quickly. Li Luo did very well, she said sweetly. Senior Jiang has a wonderful little brother. Jiang Qinges amusement did not fade. She was in an excellent mood, and she had to acknowledge Lu Qingers bravery in challenging her. No need to be envious. Youre Li Luos good friend as well. Good friend. Those two words packed a powerful punch. Lu Qingers smile was painful to hold. The girls were not speaking loudly, but Bai Mengmeng was still close enough to hear. She smiled at both of them, and inwardly gave Lu Qinger a big thumbs up. Just about no one had the guts to take on Senior Jiang. It was a pity that Lu Qinger wasnt strong enough. If she had a bit more firepower to pose a threat, perhaps they could test Senior Jiang for real. While she was intrigued by the friendly atmosphere here, the mood over at the Blue Abyss Sage College was much darker. Zhao Huiyin included, all of them were staring out at the lake, dispirited. All the excitement had leached out of them. This was not the result that they had hoped for. Damn it all! Zhao Huiyin slapped the railing emphatically. How did we lose?! Zhong Nan sighed. Li Luo is harder than he looks. Which we planned for in our calculations! Zhao Huiyin shouted. Lu Cng was their ultimate secret weapon, and he had been used to full effect. And still they had lost. What more was there to say? Zhong Nan laughed bitterly. There was nothing they could do about it. They were weaker. That was all. The Astral Sage Colleges foundation is stronger than the Blue Abyss Sage Colleges. If not for their weak Two Star Hall, we might not even have made it to that last round, Zhong Nan pointed out. Zhao Huiyin gnashed her teeth. She still could not accept the outcome. Victory had been so close. She stared out at the lake, thoughts stormy. Li Luo. He is he is She yelled her frustrations out, voice echoing over the gray lake. Li Luo was just defending his schools glory. They were opponents, fair and square. He had not done anything wrong. Still, he was a surprising one for sure. She recalled her conversation with Jiang Qinge. When she asserted that Lu Cng would beat Li Luo, Jiang Qinge had told her that she wouldnt be the first to underestimate him. And now Zhao Huiyin herself had joined that group. Truly, no common pleb can become Jiang Qinges fiance, Zhao Huiyin thought to herself. She had sensed some talent in her encounter with Li Luo, but nothing compared to the monster that Jiang Qinge was. They looked incompatible on so many levels, besides their equally good looks. But at the conclusion of this epic battle, Zhao Huiyin was forced to change her opinion. No matter what he had used at the bottom of the lake, Li Luo had proved his ability for sure. The rest was unimportant. The Blue Abyss Sage College had lost. Zhao Huiyin stretched lazily, her curves pressing up against her clothing on both front and back. Forget it, a loss is a loss. Li Luo. Ill remember you. And Ill see how far you can get at the Holy Grail Meet. On the highest platform, the atmosphere was equally stilted. The elders of the Xia Kingdom were brooding about the smiling young man below. He reminded them of two familiar personalities. Two personalities that had troubled them greatly in the past. So greatly that they had basically been squeezed and strangled by the power of the pair. Zhu Qinghuo, Duze Yan, and the others kept their expressions carefully masked. Like father, like son, House Jinques Si Qing finally said. We have underestimated that old adage. No one replied. Even Zhu Qinghuo and Duze Yan had to admit that much. They had underestimated this young lord for too long. To be fair, they had had their hands full dealing with Jiang Qinge. And with her around, who would pay any attention to a once-blank palace young lord? Still, hindsight was now slapping them in the face. The overlooked young lord was a dragon in disguise. Perhaps still not as strong as Jiang Qinge, but a formidable foe nonetheless. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan are really luckythey have such great heirs for House Luolan, Zhu Qinghuo said. Duze Yans eyelids drooped downwards in thought. Yu Hongxi was immune to their commiseration. She did not intend to participate. The Golden Dragon Bank was always neutral, and she was not about to change that. Clap, clap! The sudden applause from a single pair of hands made them all turn around. It was the little emperor. The Astral Sage College represents the Xia Kingdom. Li Luos win today has made him a hero not just of the school, but for all of us, he said with a bright smile. Zhu Qinghuo gave a sour smile. Indeed, it is as His Majesty says, the Regent smiled broadly. Li Luo is a real talent in the Xia Kingdom. When he and Jiang Qinge grow up, I daresay we will have two new Dukes. The elders nodded and forced smiles. They had to be happy for the kingdom, but not for themselves. Vice Principal Su Xin stood up, turning to Vice Principal Qiu Jizi. Our apologies, Vice Principal Qiu, she said with a sincere smile. We are the hosts, but this time we are unable to send you off with a smile on your face. Qiu Jizi sighed. Vice Principal Su Xin, you are too courteous. The Blue Abyss Sage College is not as strong as your school. We have no one to blame but ourselves. They exchanged a few more pleasantries, then Su Xin turned to the crowd, her voice carrying clearly to the furthest corners. Our highest commendations to the seven Astral Sage College representatives. They have acquitted themselves well and brought glory to the Astral Sage College. At the same time, we thank the Blue Abyss Sage Colleges seven representatives for the spectacular competition that they have brought us. We will carry their ambitions with us to the Holy Grail Meet. And with this, I declare the Holy Grail Meet ticket match concluded. Chapter 420: A Nice Aftertaste Chapter 420: A Nice Aftertaste That spectacular rollercoaster of a ticket match was over just as suddenly as it had begun. Some students felt a little melancholy in the following days, coming off the high of the fight. The students dealt with it by talking about it. The battle might be over, but it lived on long within their memories. One moment they excitedly relived was the Li Luo fight. Objectively speaking, the One Star Hall fight was the lowest level one, and yet it had been the most thrilling of them all. This also rocketed Li Luos reputation through the roof, earning him a silent supporter base that almost rivaled that of the First Princess, Gong Shenjun, and Jiang Qinge. Reaching this level of fame while at the One Star Hall was a feat that only one person had accomplished before him: Jiang Qinge. Besides, the impact of such an outcome was not just limited to within the school walls. Before Su Xin had even announced the conclusion, messengers were moving swiftly to the rest of the Xia Kingdom to report the news. Not a single detail of the battle had been overlooked. Before long, House Luolans reputation was just as high as its young masters. House Luolans reputation had been hollow all these years, a shell that was accorded some cursory respect. Still, no one ever dared break the shell, for fear that one day the two house lords would actually return that they were not dead but only incognito. And a new phoenix had risen from the ashes of the house, biding her strength against any foe that dared to make a move. The young lord, Li Luo, had been cleanly forgotten, hiding behind the brilliant wings of the phoenix. The only time his name was even mentioned was as Jiang Qinges fianc. But after this ticket match, people sat up and noticed him. The ordinary young lord had shown them a bone-chilling display of power and tenacity in the ticket match. No one would look down on him anymore. And now his helpless display made it look like he was disdaining everyone else. After all, he had been born to such great parents, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. How could he ever have been average? He was surely destined for great things. After the ticket match, House Luolans reputation was given a healthy boost that trickled down to its businesses. Especially the Suncreek Villanow one of House Luolans main businessesit enjoyed a nice boom in sales. Li Luo spent the next few days recuperating. The fight with Lu Cng had been the closest one he had ever fought. The one with Lin Suo had not been as close thanks to the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf. It took a few days before his lethargy started to wane, his empty tanks of energy filling up again. On the third day of rest, Jiang Qinge dropped by to see him after some errands. The two walked shoulder to shoulder along the cobblestone path that circled the lake. They moved in a content and easy silence, oblivious to the students that looked their way curiously. This time, they looked much more friendly towards Li Luo, and some even nodded respectfully as they passed. The two had not strolled for long before they came across another pair. The two people ahead of them had been waiting for them. Zhao Huiyin and Lu Cng. After the ticket match, the Blue Abyss Sage Colleges contingent had not left immediately, instead lingering for a few days to play. Zhao Huiyin smiled widely and waved at them energetically. Li Luo and Jiang Qinge shared a look, then they walked up to them. You havent left yet? Li Luo said a little suspiciously. Not welcome, are we? Zhao Huiyin laughed prettily. Anyway, well be leaving today. We welcome you back to the Xia Kingdom after your graduation, Jiang Qinge said. Like I said. Zhao Huiyin winked. Dump Li Luo and take over House Luolan, and Ill come join you for sure. Li Luos eyes narrowed. He looked over at Lu Cng, who was still staring closely at him. He seemed to have something to say to Li Luo. Jiang Qinge noticed as much, and walked away with Zhao Huiyin as they chatted. Well? Still cant accept the loss? Li Luo grinned at him as he leaned against a stone banister along the lake. Lu Cng shook his head. Not at all. Strictly speaking, Im the one who cheated, using someone elses strength. It was a one-on-two for you. Li Luo felt a little warmer to him. Lu Cng was quite an honest one. Well, its not really cheating. Its your special gift after all. Lu Cng hesitated. Actually, I wanted to know why your final attack that beat me was so strong. Li Luo was surprised. He recalled his final punch back at the bottom of the lake. In that moment, he had evolved his waterlight resonance, but he had managed what he could because of an additional clutch epiphany that he had had regarding his dual resonances. Dual resonances had three steps: minor merging, becoming one, sentience. Previously, his dual resonances had always been at the first step, but his punch back then had reached over into the becoming one step for a brief moment. The dual light halos had been proof enough. In the last two days, he had continued experimenting with his dual resonances as well, but he had not managed to replicate his success. His brief breakthrough was not true mastery. Still, it was a good sign. It indicated that his skill with the dual resonances was improving. Even a brief breakthrough was better than no breakthrough. One made their own luck, after all. Surely he would reach the becoming one step before long. Thats the true power of dual resonances, the becoming one step, Li Luo said cheerfully. He did not hide it. Lu Cng inhaled sharply, then he let the breath out heavily. Thats the power of a true dual resonance user. I might be able to borrow my brothers strength and elemental affinity, but thats only two resonances, not a dual resonance. I cant merge them. I cant get that becoming one power. Li Luo nodded thoughtfully. He had realized as much in their fight. With Lu Cng supporting him, his resonant power was very strong, but the two powers would be separate till the end. They could not merge, and the true power of dual resonances eluded him. Two pythons could not defeat a dragon. Well, youre pretty awesome yourself, Li Luo said with true feeling, giving him a big thumbs up. Definitely still a power worth respecting. Lu Cng smiled back at him. I guess the Blue Abyss Sage College wont be at the Holy Grail Meet this time. But Ill be watching you. All the best. I hope you do well. Your opponents there will be far stronger than me. He hesitated. Another piece of news, for free. You will not be the only true dual resonance user at the Holy Grail Meet. Whoever they are, Im sure youll face the true power of dual resonances as well. Li Luo was surprised, but not too surprised. He nodded gratefully. In that case I might even be a little interested. Chapter 421: School Prize Chapter 421: School Prize On the fifth day after the ticket match, Li Luo finally reached his favorite part of any competition. Prize presentation. Although the ticket match had helped his reputation soar, Li Luo didnt really care. If you had a soaring reputation and a potion worth 10 skygold, you could trade it for 10 skygold. He was a greedy, materialistic rascal, and what he wanted was to see the inside of the school vault. That had been his only goal from the start. I want a gold-eye treasured artifact in my pocket now, please. What he really wanted was a twin sword type gold-eye treasured artifact. Even his backup pair had been shattered in the fight with Lu Cng. And as his opponents got stronger, it was going to be critical to have a proper weapon. A gold-eye treasured artifact would have a marked boost to his fighting ability, which he urgently needed. He could not possibly be using his Lambent Hawkeye all the time, especially in close combat. Although it was a gilded white-eye treasured artifact with a rather solid build, bows were not built to tank things. And if it was whittled down, it might be broken for its actual purpose of shooting arrows. Hed have to spend both time and effort repairing it. He didnt want to have to fight gingerly at the Holy Grail Meet. Which was why he needed a complete arsenal. Li Luo had actually prepared backups. Hed asked Cai Wei to help him search as well, although twin sword gold-eye treasured artifacts were few and far between, and cost a bomb. House Luolans finances might be healthier than they had been for a long time, but lavish spending would quickly put them back in the red. Which was why Li Luo had been eying the school vault this whole time. Ample options, all for free. Perfect. Li Luo was happily skipping alongside his mentor down the school boulevard. Chi Chan swept her robes behind her with a hand, striding forward as aloof as ever. Still, Li Luo could sense that she had been in a good mood for the last few days. Mentor, have I given you a lot of face? He grinned at her impudently. She stared at him. How thick-skinned must you be to fish for compliments like that? she demanded exasperatedly. Mentor, it is more important to be honest than humble, Li Luo said piously. There was amusement in her eyes, and she did not refute his question. You did well. You didnt let me down. But Im in a good mood not just because of that. Its also because Shen Jinxiao is in a bad mood. Li Luo chuckled. Any bad news for Shen Jinxiao was good news for them. They spoke happily about the subject, united by their hatred. The commute passed cheerfully, and they reached the school vault before long. The vault was shaped like a giant tortoise, built after the symbol of defense. Its mouth was stretched open, bronze doors shaped like inner beaks closing it tight. The tortoises shell shimmered in the sunlight, a mesmerizing yet intimidating dome that imparted life into the building. There was already a line of people waiting outside the vault. Li Luo recognized Jiang Qinge, the First Princess, Gong Shenjun, and a few others. Including him, there were seventhe representatives of the ticket match. Why are Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding here as well? Li Luo remarked witheringly. Those two had been defeated in the ticket match, almost costing them the ticket match. The psychological pressure on Li Luo had been huge in the last match. Why were they being rewarded as well? Well, the bigger reason remains unchanged, Chi Chan answered. The school wants to raise the overall level of all the students before the Holy Grail Meet. Giving out treasured artifacts is the most crude way, but its nevertheless straightforward and effective. Of course, the school has its principles as wellexcessive rewards will be reproached by other schools. Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding had barely adequate performances. The school will not give them gold-eye treasured artifacts. They will probably get gilded white-eyes at best. In the end, it was you that carried the school through to the ticket. Without it, the school would have no further incentive to help them along, she said softly. Li Luo flexed his arms belligerently. So these guys were riding on his coattails to glory?! Keke, our ticket match hero finally arrives. The First Princess smiled at him elegantly. The others looked over as well. Your Highness, please dont paint a target on my back. If not for you seniors who laid down the foundation, my match would have counted for nothing, Li Luo said, hastily turning down the idea of being a hero. The idea was so highbrow, it would be like skewering him and hanging him over the fire to roast. Your Highness, please dont bully him. Jiang Qinge laughed. Are you protecting your beloved? the First Princess demanded, a teasing elbow bumping up against Jiang Qinge. Who wouldnt, Jiang Qinge replied directly. Duze Honglian pursed her lips. Gong Shenjun watched the exchange with a polite smile. Vice Principal Su Xin coughed lightly to get their attention. She had a warm smile on her face today, and they lit her kind features well. The students felt comforted by her. Well, Im sure all of you know why we are gathered here, so I wont belay the point. I hope you all find suitable treasured artifacts. She gestured simply with her hand, sending a pulse of resonant power forward. It twisted itself midair into a complex rune that floated towards the bronze doors. The mark pressed itself into the bronze door, spreading against it like a coat of phosphorescent paint on the metal. A moment later, the doors started to vibrate. Deeper in the corridor that was the turtles neck, a low roar rumbled the building. Slowly, the bronze doors opened. Vice Principal Su Xin led the way in. Li Luo and the others looked around happily at each other, and followed eagerly. They walked past a long corridor of stone, with ceiling-to-floor glass panes lining up along the walls. Behind them they could see heaps of treasure, but these were mainly white-eye treasured artifacts, and not particularly interesting. Still, seeing mountains and mountains of these cheaper treasured artifacts was a titillating sight. Li Luo was reasonably cool-headed about it. After all, he had seen an even more ridiculous amount back in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. It gave him some immunity against losing his head to greed. They followed Vice Principal Su Xin down the corridor, struck by the enormity of the wealth that lined their way forward. They soon ended up in a large hall, where ten stone pillars stood. On top of each pillar was a nimbus of light, and what was within made their breath catch in their throats. Energy was being attracted to the nimbuses, as were the students gazes. Ten golden eyes. Mouthwatering golden eyes. Ten gold-eye treasured artifacts Li Luo was seized with an urge to steal them all. Chapter 422: Choose Your Weapon Chapter 422: Choose Your Weapon Each of the ten stone pillars had worldly natural energy gravitating towards their peak, creating a glorious sight of energy orbs in the air above them. Li Luo saw that the nimbuses of light were irregularly shaped, each one changing slightly to wrap around the sword or armor or whatever piece of equipment they held inside. So these are genuine gold-eye treasured artifacts, Li Luo thought to himself. These treasured artifacts had energy auras that far surpassed his Lambent Hawkeye. Moreover, he could sense sentience in the pieces of gear above him. Which meant that they were consciously pulling the worldly natural energy towards them, breathing and absorbing it. These gold-eye treasured artifacts were, in a sense, alive. Only the First Princess and Gong Shenjun were less awed. Given their status as royalty, gold-eye treasured artifacts were rare but not wonders that would make them gawp. The poor kids like Li Luo, on the other hand, were drooling out both sides of the mouth at the same time. Even Jiang Qinge was excited. Although her Imperial Fortress Sword was also a gold-eye treasured artifact, that was the only one she had. Of course she would not mind another. The others were eying the pillars hungrily as well, with the exception of Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding, who knew they would not be getting these treasures. They could only wait for the winners to finish choosing before they humbly accepted what gilded white-eyes the school deigned to provide. Still, a free gilded white-eye was not a bad thing, although it was definitely not on the same level as a gold-eye. Still, they had contributed nothing at all to the win. If not for the others, they wouldnt even be in the vault right now. In other words, Li Luo had given them this gilded white-eye. Given their petty natures, it wasnt in either of them to show him any gratitude. Which Li Luo did not care about. If he had their gratitude and 10 skygold, that just meant he could buy a spirit liquid priced at 10 skygold. Their gratitude? Pfff. He was more interested in the schools gratitude, which was worth one gold-eye treasured artifact. Still, he was disappointed when he saw that there were no twin-sword type treasured artifacts among the ten. It was an outcome to be expected. After all, twin swords had to be forged separately, which meant they technically counted as two gold-eye treasured artifacts. Whether in terms of price or rarity, they were a whole notch higher than other weapons. Li Luos previous pair had just been normal resonant artifacts, not even white-eyes. Of course they were easy to find. But at the gold-eye level, it would be naive to think that they might be lying around in just any armory. Li Luo had been mentally prepared for this outcome, and he was ready to settle for a single sword instead. That was much easier to find. There were two sword-type treasured artifacts among the ten. He squinted at the fine lettering that hung in the air, describing the weapons. Frosty Cave Sword, gold-eye treasured artifact. Made from frozen subterranean ore, harnessing the dual powers of frost and metal with a sleek finish. Known as the Ice Cutter. The sapphire-blue sword winked with cold light that was dulled through the misty, cool air that hung around it like a block of dry ice. Ink Scale Sword, gold-eye treasured artifact. Made from the ink scale fishes that roam the depths of the Eastern Sea. Their knife-like bodies are covered in black scales. Usually swarming in hundreds, if not thousands, they move swiftly where the current takes them. Even Dukes hide from their sheer number. The Ink Scale Sword was a shorter and thinner blade. At regular frequencies, a flash of light would dart down the blade, creating a thin cut in the space beyond its point. Li Luo barely paused on the Frosty Cave Sword, because it was not very compatible with him. He had resonant powers aplenty, but none of them were ice. He would not be able to bring out its powers efficiently. The Ink Scale Sword, however that one piqued his interest. The black light almost hurt his eyes when he stared at it. Such a sharp and powerful edge, it would serve him far better than the pair of sharp sticks that he had been using before. He liked it more the more he thought about it. Do you want these two? Jiang Qinges voice was by his ear. We can take one each, she said, blinking questioningly at him. He felt his heart skip a beat. No, no need, he said hastily. You need the gold-eye treasured artifacts here too. Theres no need to waste it on two swords. Dont you prefer dual swords? Given my cultivation level, I dont think I could handle two gold-eye treasured artifacts if they werent of the same make. Might as well focus my strength on one weapon. Jiang Qinge thought about it and then nodded. Li Luo was right. Gold-eye treasured artifacts were strong, but they wore down on the users resonant power significantly as well. At the Evolving Resonance Tier, Li Luo would not be able to power two of them. Alright, then. Actually, Ive always thought of getting you a gold-eye treasured artifact. After all, mine came from Master and Mistress, but you never got one. She smiled at him. That sounds suspiciously like bragging, Li Luo grumbled. Is it? She opened her golden eyes much wider than usual in feigned innocence. Li Luo rolled his own eyes. Black-hearted white swan. Found anything you like? he changed the subject. She pointed towards a pillar where three golden pearls lay. Each had a small line down the middle, making them look like closed eyes. He looked at the writing. Three Golden Pearl Eyes, gold-eye treasured artifact. Powered by resonant power, and it can weaken or negate resonant power in turn. Once it enters the opponents body, their resonant power will be rapidly nullified. The destructive light comes in three hues, and a combination of the three can disable the opponent completely. Li Luo admired it for a moment. It was quite a unique treasured artifact, suitable for a unique fighter like Jiang Qinge. She would become an even greater force to be feared with it. The school had clearly prepared this room carefully, with an eye on what the students might need for the Holy Grail Meet. While Li Luo and Jiang Qinge were admiring weapons, Vice Principal Su Xin walked up to Gong Shenjun and the First Princess. I know you two dont lack gold-eye treasured artifacts, but this is a mark of the schools appreciation. Choose anything. Gong Shenjun gave her a sudden, curious smile. Anything? The First Princesss eyebrows raised up. Vice Principal Su Xin started, then nodded. Anything. Gong Shenjun grinned more widely. Well, since the Vice Principal has spoken so generously, then I cant be blamed for being greedy. She nodded knowingly. They had spoken at a normal volume, and the others were near enough to overhear this conversation. They looked over curiously, wondering what Gong Shenjun meant. Indeed, ten gold-eye treasured artifacts seemed quite little? Gong Shenjun strode over to the back of the hall and reached out towards an object protruding from the wall. It was a long handle, gray and unremarkable. No one had even paid it any attention before Gong Shenjun. Gong Shenjun eagerly moved towards it. Li Luo felt his heartbeat quicken. That long handle it might be a hilt He shared a look of astonishment with Jiang Qinge. There was a sword buried in the wall! Chapter 423: Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade Chapter 423: Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade With everyone watching in astonishment, Gong Shenjun halted before the wall, looking at the hilt with clear excitement. What is that?! Duze Honglian asked. Neither Jiang Qinge nor Li Luo knew, but they could sense that there was something unusual about that hilt. Although it was covered in dust, a burnished gold tint shone through from underneath. There was no energy aura around the weapon, unlike the others on the stone pillars, and yet it somehow felt dangerous. This sword-in-the-wall in the middle of the schools treasure vault was clearly nothing ordinary. It was the First Princess who explained it to them. If Im not wrong, that should be the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. Made from the Golden-Jade Onyx Elephants tusk, its said to channel the beasts rampage in its offensive power, enough to carve a mountain in two. Gold-eye treasured artifact, huh? Li Luo repeated to himself. He was a little disappointed. For such a mysteriously hidden sword, he expected it to be a violet-eye treasured artifact. Or at least a gilded gold-eye? Just a gold-eye treasured artifact. It wasnt that he thought gold-eye treasured artifacts were any less valuable. It was just that such a huge reaction from a guy like Gong Shenjun had shot his expectations up all the way to the moon. Gong Shenjun was the son of the Regent after all. He surely had expensive tastes, and wouldnt want more gold-eye treasured artifacts. Is there something special about the history of the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade? Jiang Qinge asked carefully. The First Princess laughed softly. It was Vice Principal Su Xin who answered with a smile. This was once the partner weapon of the Principal. The students eyes widened. The Principal! The weapon once used by a King? Suddenly, there was prickly excitement in the air. Even Jiang Qinge was slightly flushed. The Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade was with the Principal for the longest time and witnessed his growth. When the Principal reached the King Stage, the weapon was no longer as useful for him, so he sealed it here. In terms of grade, it is indeed only a gold-eye treasured artifact. But it has a particularly sharp sentience after being with the Principal for so long. In fact, he left it here in the vault with the hopes that the other gold-eye treasured artifacts would nurture it further. Besides that, Kings possessions have a lingering aura called King Qi. Being constantly exposed to it helps to lengthen the path of ones future growth. The excitement in the air only heated up further with Vice Principal Su Xins explanation. This sword was hella good! No wonder Gong Shenjun was so worked up over it. Information about the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade has been kept rather quiet. But I guess nothing slips past you two, Su Xin said to the royal pair. From Gong Shenjuns reaction, he had clearly been aiming for the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade since the beginning. Vice Principal, youre really willing to let us take the blade? the First Princess asked. Like I said, anything here can be chosen. Since you have found the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade, of course it is also one of the options on the table. I will not stop you, she confirmed with a smile. I, she emphasized, will not stop you. But can you pull it out from the wall? They stopped short at that question. Was it so hard to remove a blade from a wall? Like I said, this blade possesses sentience far beyond other gold-eye treasured artifacts, and it has King Qi lingering on it. Moreover, it has been joined to the treasure vault for a long time now. It will not be easy to remove. If you are interested in it, you may try, of course. Whoever pulls it out can select it. Well, Ill give it a try, then, Gong Shenjun said with a broad smile. No one raised any objection. He had been the one to raise the idea first, so it only seemed fair that he got to go first. Li Luo bit the inner wall of his cheek. Of course he was tempted by the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade as well. Still, he felt like these waters were too deep for him. If even Gong Shenjun failed, how could he possibly succeed? Rumble! While Li Luo was lost in his own thoughts, Gong Shenjun had already gotten down to action. He was rapidly bringing his resonant power to bear, summoning all of his heavenly pearls. With a deft rotation of the wrist, he cleared all of the dust from the hilt, leaving its original, burnished gold color exposed. Gong Shenjun laid his palm carefully on the hilt and hesitated. He could feel a strong resistance from the weapon. He wrapped his fingers deliberately and slowly around it. The shriek of metal rang out shrilly in the air. Gong Shenjuns face was grim as he pressed on. His scaled-dragon power coated his arm, and his veins bulged. His heavenly pearls started to settle on his hand, studding it like stars. Everyone could feel the incredible power in his right hand. One punch from this arm would split rivers and mountains alike. How could it possibly not pluck the sword out? BOOM! Gong Shenjun gave a tremendous yank, his resonant power roaring out like a fired engine. A terrific wind started to blow and the entire hall began to shake. His robust resonant power came again and again in steady waves, turning his entire body into a scaled-dragon, starting from his arm. And yet the hilt in the wall did not budge at all, no matter how much power he used. Clearly, the walls of this vault were also built of some special material and reinforced with runes. Otherwise, it would not have withstood Gong Shenjuns strength. It was a riveting sight, and also sort of discouraging. BOOM! One final, superb blast of power, and the residual power echoed off the walls, ricocheting towards the other students. Vice Principal Su Xin negated it with a simple lift of her hand. Gong Shenjuns hair and clothes were in disarray. He panted heavily as he let his resonant power fade back away. He rearranged his clothing more properly, and gave a rueful laugh. No wonder the Vice Principal let us try it. I have overestimated myself. What can I say now? he said, spreading his hands and giving up gracefully. Vice Principal Su Xin nodded kindly to him, and Duze Honglian looked at him admiringly. In the ensuing silence, it was Li Luo who spoke up hesitantly. Well you can say something like sorry? Ive interrupted the treasure selection? Chapter 424: Blade, Come Chapter 424: Blade, Come Li Luos suggestion turned the atmosphere from awkward to super awkward. The others stared at him strangely. Gong Shenjun was trying to step back gracefully, and you just had to kick him off the stage. Sorry for interrupting? Even Gong Shenjun was tripped up by the sudden comment. Junior Li Luo, very humorous, he said dryly. Vice Principal, he said to Su Xin, I am not destined for this weapon. His tone was light, but of course there really was nothing else he could do about it. Vice Principal Su Xin simply nodded. She was not surprised by the outcome. The Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade had been here for many years already. Past students had come here before as well, before Gong Shenjun. No one had managed to pull the sword out. She knew the reason well. The Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade had followed the Principal for many years. With its improved sentience came a strong sense of pride. After tasting a Kings power, how could it acknowledge anyone else? And given how long it had remained in the treasure vault, it was already well integrated with the hall. Trying to take it out with brute strength alone was like trying to uproot the entire vault. As if the school would ever construct a vault so flimsy that even non-Dukes could take it down. So even though Gong Shenjun was the strongest student in the Astral Sage currently, he was never going to be successful in taking the sword out by force. Anyone else want to try? Su Xin asked the others. Since Gong Shenjun had already opened the proceedings, it was only fair that everyone be allowed a chance. The First Princess stepped forward as if on cue. I know its unlikely for me, she said with a sweet smile. But it looked quite fun. And it cant hurt. Su Xin smiled and gestured her forward. The First Princess laid a slim hand on the sword, and a large, green Luan avatar appeared behind her. Beating its wings furiously, it gathered worldly natural energy to it. The power flowed down her slim, pale hand, and she gritted her teeth. A heroic pull! Nothing. The hilt had yet to budge an inch. The First Princess did not seem discouraged, turning away and shaking her head. Im not destined for this weapon either. Now that both Gong Shenjun and the First Princess had failed, the others felt even more hopeless. Clearly, the sword had remained here for many years because it was too strong to be plucked. Mentally, they were ready to give up on it now. Powerful, yes. Unattainable, also yes. However, Jiang Qinge was not daunted. On the contrary, the failures of Gong Shenjun and the First Princess tickled her interest. There was a rare flair of excitement in her golden eyes. Qinge, going to try? Weve never had a ninth-grade light resonance user before. Perhaps the Principals partner weapon will consent to bend its pride for you, Vice Principal Su Xin urged her. It almost seemed like Vice Principal Su Xin wanted to see Jiang Qinge try. Perhaps she stood a chance. Li Luo puckered his lips up sourly. Was a ninth-grade light resonance that awesome? Damn, he was jealous. Jiang Qinge nodded slightly, then turned to Li Luo. Ill give it a try. If I can take the sword, its yours. Everyone stared at her. The First Princess smiled vaguely. Duze Honglian snorted, while Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding screwed up their eyes in frustration. This f*cking Li Luo was carried to victory on a daily basis. Li Luo fought to keep his face straight. After all these years, the golden train to victory was as reliable and speedy as ever. He ignored the others. It was just jealousy, pure and simple. Come on, Sister Qinge! he yelled in encouragement. Jiang Qinge laid her own hand on the sword, and her ninth-grade light resonant power flowed out of her, brighter and brighter as she shot it down her hand. Weng! There was a high-pitched keening sound in the air. The blade, which had not budged an inch during the last two attempts, was responding. And they could see that it was gradually sliding out. There was a new inch of blade that was exposed to the air. It was working! Another inch, and with it a burnished-golden light. The blade grated against the wall with a dull rumble like an ancient elephants. Everyone held their breath. Could it be? But suddenly, Jiang Qinge felt a new force. The hilt came to a halt again. No matter how much resonant power she poured on it, it would not budge again. Still not willing, hmm? Jiang Qinge whispered softly. This Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade was indeed intelligent and stubborn. It pined for its previous owner, and was too reluctant to switch allegiances. The ninth-grade light resonance had tempted it, but it made its choice to stand firm in the end. As you wish, then. Jiang Qinge gave up gracefully, letting her hand fall. She let the sword slide back into the wall, until only the hilt could be seen. She backed away, shaking her head. Vice Principal, this blade is too strong-willed. The shining jewel of the Principal is still bright in its memory. Perhaps no other owner will do. Stubborn, Vice Principal Su Xin said. Like weapon, like owner, she added with dry humor. With Jiang Qinges failure, the others gave up completely now. Those like Duze Honglian lost all interest in trying. Their thoughts were already turning back to the ten gold-eye treasured artifacts on the stone pillars. Li Luo was of a like mind. The failure of those three had proven the difficulty. Even a madman like him gave up hope. Sighing deeply, he turned his thoughts back to the Ink Scale Sword. Perhaps that was his only choice today. Suddenly, he felt a surge of flaming pain on his wrist. He looked down in surprise. It was the dark-red bracelet on his skin Inside it was the three-tailed heavenly wolf. What was going on? Weng! At the same time, Li Luo heard a high-pitched keening from the sword in his ear. His eyes widened as he whirled back to the sword in the wall. Had he imagined it? He thought he saw the sword hilt vibrate Surely he had imagined it. The heat on his wrist flared again, searing hot. A flash of inspiration. The Principal had left him this bracelet and the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade was simping for its owner could it be that the two were connecting? Had the blade acknowledged him as the Principal? Li Luo almost laughed at himself. What madness was this? He raised his palm from a good distance away, pointing it at the wall. Jiang Qinge, the First Princess, and Duze Honglian stared at this bizarre moment. What on earth was this madman doing? Li Luo flushed a little out of embarrassment, but he could only follow through with it now. Half-baked strategies only led to injury. Blade, come! Chapter 425: Blade Has Come Chapter 425: Blade Has Come Li Luos shout made all the others turn towards him. They stared at him uncomprehendingly, and some sneered when they saw his palm outstretched towards the sword in the wall. Li Luo, have you lost your mind? Zhu Xuan spluttered. Does he think he can just shout at it, and the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade will come running? You think youre the main character in a cheap novel? Only Jiang Qinge looked surprised in a positive manner. Could it be theres some resonance between you and the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade? Everyone else thought Li Luo was fooling around. What hope did an Evolving Resonance Tier cultivator have? Only Jiang Qinge believed that Li Luo was not any weaker than the other two. If even she had managed to make the blade hesitate, then it was entirely likely that Li Luo stood a chance too. Jiang Qinge, you might be blinded by love, but you could smell the outcome of this a mile away, Duze Honglian said scathingly, rolling her eyes. Jiang Qinge was the calmest, most rational person she knew in battle. But when it came to Li Luo, she was like a cat in heat. Jiang Qinge ignored Duze Honglian, only looking at Li Luo. Li Luo did not reply either. After shouting Blade, come, it had taken all of his effort to resist the burning pain on his wrist. He looked down, surprised to see his skin still intact and not burned away to the bone. At the same time, the metallic shriek of the sword retuned itself to a sound of joy and urgency. It was not a change that Jiang Qinge, Gong Shenjun, or anyone else could detect. Only Vice Principal Su Xins eyes widened in wonder. Shing! The metallic ring of the sword was audible now, ringing out clearly across the hall. Everyone watched in amazement. Swoosh! The unbudging blade had started to move out of the wall on its own. With each new inch of exposed blade, the golden light shone brighter and brighter, blazing through the entire hall. It was like an ancient elephant emerging from the dusty plains, shaking off the mud and dust to reveal gold and ivory underneath. The blade gleamed in its own light. The students watched, rapt. The sword hilt in the wall was gone. Everyone turned to Li Luo. In his hand was a new sword. An ancient, straight blade. It was now shining with a dewy, new light of gold and jade, covered in a pattern of runes that resembled the wrinkled skin of an elephant. Golden light circulated along the blade, although it did not appear particularly sharp. On the contrary, it was sturdily built with some heft to it. Although the blade felt light enough in his hands, it seemed to slash with immense power when Li Luo swung it back and forth. In the shocked silence of the hall, Li Luo lowered his head to the blade, hunger burning in his eyes. His heartbeat was through the roof. A wild sense of bliss and gratitude fogged his brain with heady ecstasy. Who would have thought that the clowny shout would actually get the Onyx-Elephant Blade to come to him?! The sword that had not budged for Gong Shenjun or the First Princess! It was a casual test that got him unimaginable rewards. Li Luo touched it carefully and felt the power wash through him. This was not resonant power, it was raw, physical power The Onyx-Elephant Blade imbued its user with enormous physical strength. Truly magical. Li Luo smiled with satisfaction. The Principals partner weapon was truly something else. Although it was also a gold-eye treasured artifact, it was in a completely different class from the Ink Scale Sword. His palm moved across the blade. The heavy, solid feel was like petting an old elephant. The blade did not resist, and Li Luo felt secretly relieved. He knew that the Onyx-Elephant Blade had responded not to him per se, but to the bracelet seal on his hand that the Principal had placed. Although the Onyx-Elephant Blade had sentience, it did not have much real brain to speak of. It did not seem to have understood that Li Luo was not the real deal. Otherwise, he would be cowering behind the Vice Principals skirt right about now. Li Luo looked up to see complex expressions and frustration all over the other students faces. Especially Gong Shenjun. His handsome features were rigid with self-control. He could not understand it. Why had the weapon that he had entreated so sincerely with gone to Li Luo so obediently? Werent you supposed to be the Principals partner weapon? Where is your pride from before?! You made me look like a fool. Even the well-bred Gong Shenjun felt like cursing. He settled for a sharp exhale of frustration. The First Princesss lovely face was also covered in surprise, although she was not as affected as Gong Shenjun. The Onyx-Elephant Blade had not been suited to her at all, but she was also puzzled as to why the sword would have chosen Li Luo. Is this kid really that brilliant? Even more brilliant than Jiang Qinge? How has he succeeded where a ninth-grade light resonance cultivator has failed? Her mind was reeling from the strangeness of it all. Li Luo, what the hell did you do? Duze Honglian burst out. What can I say? Fate. And with fate, who can say? Maybe the Onyx-Elephant Blade recognized the potential to be a King in me, so it came. Dream on!! Duze Honglian almost bit her tongue in rage. Potential to be King? Potential to be the King of Thickest Skin, maybe. How the hell should I know what happened? Li Luo said, flailing his hands helplessly. I was just fooling around, and it just came. Maybe it has, like, a, er, rejection limit. We hit the limit, and then it came to the next person who called. Should have been you. You passed up on the chance. Maybe if it had been you to wave at it, it wouldve come to you too. Duze Honglian stared at him. What nonsense was this guy talking about now? This reason was even more preposterous than Li Luos potential to be king bullsh*t. The sword would have come if she had gone first? But what if her chest was wracked with painful regret and hope. Cheeky boy, thats enough. Vice Principal Su Xin laughed. The Principals partner weapon chose you, for sure. I find it surprising as well, but in any case, congratulations. You are now the second owner of the Onyx-Elephant Blade. She was looking closely at him, still surprised by this outcome. She had thought that Jiang Qinge was the most likely candidate. This Li Luo was truly full of surprises at every turn. Li Luos face lit up with happiness at Vice Principal Su Xins words. I can really take it away? The Onyx-Elephant Blade was even more ideal than the Ink Scale Sword for him. Vice Principal Su Xin smiled breezily at him. Like I said before, if you can come here, you can take the Onyx-Elephant Blade away by any means that you can think of. Before long, the real Holy Grail Meet will be upon us. Li Luo, I hope you can carve the Astral Sage College a path to glory with the sword in your hand, she said with great formality. After all he was the Principals chosen one. Chapter 426: Nobles Tattoo Chapter 426: Nobles Tattoo The schools prize presentation came to a conclusion, and Li Luo naturally became the hottest topic on the block again. With the end of the selection, let me once again thank all of you for your contributions to our ticket match win. Vice Principal Su Xin brought the little trip to a proper closing as they stood before the vault entrance. However, Im sure that all of you know that the ticket match is not the end, but only the beginning. Our schools real goal is not a ticket, but the ultimate prize of the Holy Grail Meet the Dragon Bone Holy Grail itself. Those four words. The senior students like Gong Shenjun, the First Princess, and Jiang Qinge were especially moved, understanding the implications of the reward. Throughout the East Divine Continent, all of the sage colleges labored desperately to get the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. It symbolized glory and students lives. The ticket match fight was already hotly contested, and they knew that the Holy Grail Meet itself would be on yet another level of intensity. Li Luo recalled the Principals task to him with some trepidation. As a mere One Star Hall member, how much could he really contribute to a fight on that level? Principal, surely youve overestimated me, Li Luo thought ruefully to himself as he scratched his head. Without the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, he would not be able to get the complete version of the Heavenly Libation Chant. His control over the three-tailed heavenly wolf would be limited, and his secret weapon at the Housemeet curtailed. Without this powerful secret weapon, he might not even be able to participate in the Housemeet. Leaving all of the burden on Jiang Qinges slim shoulders. Not good. Li Luo vowed to do all he could to help secure the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. Vice Principal, what sort of format does the Holy Grail Meet run on? Li Luo asked. The format should follow the long-established precedents. The first is a fight by halls. There, the strongest of each hall will be chosen. Thats the highest individual honor for any student. Of course, this title is far more prestigious than something like the Seven Astral Pillars of the Astral Sage College. And fortunately, we might actually have the strongest Three Star Hall student this time. She beamed at Jiang Qinge. Literally a shining star with her ninth-grade light resonance, Jiang Qinge was the brightest student that the Astral Sage College had seen in many years, and she was predicted to do well even on the big stage of the East Divine Continent. Qinge, if you can win that title, then the Astral Sage College will truly stand a chance in the running for the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, Vice Principal Su Xin declared with hope. Ill do my best, Jiang Qinge said with a neutral tilt of her head. Are there prizes for winning the strongest student title? Li Luo blinked furiously. It cant be just an empty title, right? The title is not empty at all, Su Xin replied with a little laugh. Many generations have chased the glory that it holds. Li Luo nodded in agreement. Yes, yes, Vice Principal. Glory is very good and all, but is there anything a little more substantial? Vice Principal Su Xin looked at the squirming Li Luo. You are a very practical young man. Duze Honglian harrumphed. Why do you care so much? As if you could win it. Li Luo tutted at her with a superior tone. It has everything to do with Qinge. And is there really any difference between her and me? Duze Honglian scowled. This guy was completely shameless. Vice Principal Su Xin almost laughed. The East Divine Continent is only one of the outer divine continents. It cannot compare to the inner divine continents, but we are nonetheless supported by the Academic Federation. The prizes will be generous. For example, one of the prizes for the strongest student is the Nobles Tattoo. What is that? Li Luo pressed eagerly. Put simply, it is a tattoo on the body, Su Xin said. And it does Li Luo believed that any example Vice Principal Su Xin raised would definitely be something special. If he had never heard of it before, it only meant he was ignorant. The Nobles Tattoo uses Duke blood essence as the core ingredient, and it is a magical piece of craft. There are many types of Nobles Tattoos, each with their own special properties. For example, the previous Holy Grail Meet gave out the Nine Jeweled Tree Tattoo. It increases ones worldly natural energy absorption and processing rate. Its a powerful new engine for cultivation. Whew! Li Luo whistled softly to himself. This Nobles Tattoo sounded sick. And it used Duke blood essence as a core ingredient?! That was some high-level stuff. Hed never even heard of it before! Besides, the Nine Jeweled Tree Tattoo sounded awesome. With such a tattoo, cultivation would be smooth sailing as could be. The Nine Jeweled Tree Tattoo is more of a supporting tattoo. There are Nobles Tattoos with more offensive augmentations, while others specialize in defense, survival, or other broad functions. Its almost like a special type of treasured artifact, and yet it is always with you. It cannot be taken away. Still, the drawback is that despite their name, these tattoos fade with time as the ingredients potencies wane. Nobles Tattoos are more commonly found in the inner divine continents. They are quite rare in the East Divine Continent. Li Luo bit his tongue. From this alone, he could tell that the inner divine continents were truly on a different level. Here at the Xia Kingdom, Dukes were rarer than a blue moon. As if they would consent to donating blood essence to make these Nobles Tattoos easily. Only in the inner divine continent could such luxuries be found. The paucity of ability, talent, and wealth there was no way the outer divine continents could ever compete. It was not just him. Duze Honglian and the others had fallen quiet as well, thinking about the same implications. And what about the prizes of winning the Dragon Bone Holy Grail? Li Luo asked eagerly, licking his lips. Vice Principal Su Xin did not laugh at his ambition. Instead, she welcomed it. The Dragon Bone Holy Grail itself is the best prize, of course. But thats from the schools perspective. For you who have won the cup for the school, what would you want? A violet-eye treasured artifact? An eighth or ninth-grade spirit liquid? A secret watersource or lightsource? Or a Duke technique? Vice Principal Su Xins smile grew wider and wider as she continued to tempt Li Luo. Bring the Dragon Bone Holy Grail back, and the school will give you everything within its power to give. Chapter 427: Gong Shenjuns Offer Chapter 427: Gong Shenjuns Offer Vice Principal Su Xin bid them farewell after handing out the prizes and letting them know about more that could potentially come. Whee-ew. The Astral Sage College is truly something else. Wealth stores for days. Li Luo sighed happily. Everything that the Vice Principal had told them about was an exciting reward. Even royalty like Gong Shenjun and the First Princess would be tempted, let alone a mere young lord like him. There was little the school would not do to get the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. Li Luo, congratulations on getting the top prize, the First Princess said with a mischievous smile. I dont deserve that at all, Li Luo replied modestly. Actually, its all thanks to Your Highnesses. If not for your introduction to the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade, how would I ever have had such a blessed outcome? A vein pulsed on her temple, and suddenly her smile looked more like teeth gritting. Are you asking for a beating? Both she and Gong Shenjun had come expressly for the hidden Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. However, neither had expected that the blade would end up in the hands of a puny Resonant Master like Li Luo. Although they had come with tempered expectations regarding the sword, Li Luos reminder was infuriating nonetheless. Li Luo hurriedly tugged Jiang Qinge over, placing her carefully between the First Princess and himself. You should manage your house lord, the First Princess said irritably to Jiang Qinge. If you want to beat him up, feel free, Jiang Qinge said cheerfully. I promise not to interfere. Not a promise I believe, the First Princess tutted. As if anyone doesnt know that youd fall out with anybody who messed with your beloved. A rare blush crossed Jiang Qinges face, and she glanced back to see Li Luos impudently grinning face. She jerked an elbow violently backwards. Li Luos smile froze on his face as the breath whooshed beautifully out of his lungs. He groaned in pain and scowled at Jiang Qinge. The First Princess watched the lovers tussle with amusement. The exchange deepened her understanding of their relationship yet again. Jiang Qinges personality was well known to her. Strong-willed, sticking by her own opinions, and a clever, careful thinker. Combined with her talent, even someone as prideful as the First Princess admired her. That was why she was trying to develop their relationship. Jiang Qinges reputation in school was pristine as well. Although she did not actively reach out to connect with people, she spoke to everyone without a hint of pride at all. Yet the First Princess knew that Jiang Qinge rarely let anyone get too close to her, herself included. Only with Li Luo did she sense Jiang Qinges unshakable demeanor carefully put aside to rest. Their friendly squabble very quickly died down, because Gong Shenjun was walking over to them. He smiled courteously at the three, then got straight to the point. Junior Li Luo. His eyes were fixed on Li Luos face. I have quite a presumptuous preposition. I wonder, would you hear me out? he asked sincerely. If it is presumptuous, Li Luo quipped back at him, perhaps just dont presume to say it? Gong Shenjun was taken aback by his bold and direct rejection to even hear him out. Looks like Junior Li Luo has already guessed it. Indeed, I am here about the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade, Gong Shenjun said, skillfully maneuvering the conversation around his rejection with a royals wit. Id like to ask Junior Li Luo if you are willing to make a trade with me. You specialize in twin swords. I can trade a twin sword gold-eye treasured artifact for the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade that you hold. Twin swords that come in a pair. Li Luo was indeed swayed for a moment. Gong Shenjuns offer was highly tempting, speaking straight to what he wanted. Li Luo glanced over at Jiang Qinge, but she seemed content to remain silent and let him make his own decision. Li Luo was silent for a few moments. Why do you want this weapon, Senior Gong? he asked to buy some time. It was the partner weapon of the esteemed Principal, Gong Shenjun said impatiently. With a Kings possession, I might be able to get a revelation. Li Luos eyes flickered, and then he shook his head. My apologies, Senior Gong Shenjun. A twin sword gold-eye treasured artifact is indeed one of my greatest desires at the moment, but this sword chose me. If I trade it, I might break its little sword-heart. I couldnt be so sword-heartless! The First Princess and Jiang Qinge stifled a laugh. Sword-heart? Gong Shenjun was silent for a moment, then he asked again. Will Junior Li Luo not reconsider? If a twin sword gold-eye treasured artifact is not enough, I can sweeten the deal further. Li Luo shook his head firmly. Alright, then I guess it was presumptuous of me after all, Gong Shenjun said with another wry smile. He nodded to Jiang Qinge and the First Princess, then turned briskly to leave. Li Luo watched him go. Will there be repercussions for my refusal? The First Princess laughed. Dont worry. My royal brother has quite a lot of self-control. You possess something even more valuable than the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade, and he hasnt done anything to you yet, right? Even more valuable than the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade? Li Luo repeated, puzzled. He saw the First Princess meaningful look in Jiang Qinges direction. Li Luo chuckled. Ah, Your Highness is mistaken. I dont possess, Im the possession here. Whatever you say, she said with amusement. In any case, you dont need to worry about Gong Shenjun. He has grown his reputation in school for many years, and he would not stain it on your behalf. Forcing someone to hand over a treasured artifact is not a particularly honorable deed. Li Luo nodded. Oh, and if you have time in the next few days, come with me to the royal palace. Little emperor treatment time. Li Luo nodded. The ticket match was over, and they had another half a month to rest and recover before the main event. As for Li Luo, he had another big question to consider. Now that he was at the Evolving Resonance Tier, it wouldnt be long before he made the breakthrough from the final tier of the Resonant Master Stage to the General Stage. Which meant that he needed to consider the matter of his third resonance. Chapter 428: Palace Chapter 428: Palace At the heart of Xia City was the royal palace, and in the shadow of the magnificent building was an unremarkable villa on the royal grounds. Guards patrolled vigilantly, and there was an intangible web of power that protected it from less physical assaults. This was the Regents palace, and the power that his house wielded was presently even higher than the royal palace. Gong Shenjun alighted from his carriage, striding up the well-maintained pavement back to the villa. Servants bowed as he passed. Your Highness. Your Highness, welcome back. These words, spoken however sincerely, were but chatter in his ear that he had come to take for granted. Cutting across the lush, carpeted hallways, he emerged in a study that overlooked the lake. The room was sparsely furnished, without much in the way of luxury. Not a soul was to be seen, although Gong Shenjun knew that it might well be the most well-guarded place in the entire palace. This was a study that not even ordinary Dukes could hope to approach. Gong Shenjun stepped in front of the study, and the door swung open silently before he needed to knock. He walked in without breaking pace, and saw the Regent taking notes from a couple of books at the table. The Regent glanced up from his work at Gong Shenjun, who bowed respectfully. Royal Father. Regent barked a short laugh. No need for that at home. You did well in the ticket match, he said with pride, laying his books aside. Gong Shenjun shook his head. My opponent was not that strong. Liang Kui is quite a bit weaker than Zhong Nan. Blue Abyss greatest shield is much better than their greatest spear. Not even our Wang Chao can compete against him. I might not have been able to break his defenses in time either. Regent gave a low laugh. It is but a competition, not a fight to the death. No one wins a real battle just by defending. The boy is built for soft, coddled matches. He poses no real threat. He beckoned for Gong Shenjun to come beside him, then he threw the document in his hand down onto the table. Gong Shenjun looked at it, and saw House Luolan written on it. It was not Jiang Qinge who surprised us the most in this ticket match. It was Li Luo. The Regent tapped the cover page thoughtfully. Ive been looking through information on House Luolan in the past six months. This Li Luo is not an easy one. House Luolan is no longer on a precarious beam out above the choppy seas. Ever since his dual resonances were revealed in the City of Southwind, his rise has been unstoppable. House Luolan has stabilized its situation, and the Suncreek Villa flies high under its banner. The house is showing signs of overtaking its heyday with Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan at the helm. I see Li Luos hand in all of this. Regent smiled slightly. Everyone was dazzled by House Luolans phoenix, but the hidden dragon is just as much of a force to be reckoned with. Still, only a fool would imagine that the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan would end up an invalid. Just about everyones a fool, then, Gong Shenjun said gravely. The Regent chuckled in admission. It was so. Blank palaces it was a death sentence that no one had doubted. Imagine killing a fish, packing it in brine until it was well pickled, then smoking it and leaving it out in the sun to bake and it was swimming happily again when you came back. How do you see Li Luo? the Regent asked. Gong Shenjun considered the question for a moment. His potential is superb. Besides, hes not like Jiang Qinge or his parents. He prefers to remain low profile. If not for circumstances pushing him to the fore, I would still be one of those fools who did not believe in his talent. With him and Jiang Qinge in charge, I think its only a matter of time before House Luolan takes the lead. The Regent nodded thoughtfully. But what they lack is time. He paused and smiled. You like Jiang Qinge, yes? Ive said this before as your royal father: if you can court her back successfully, you have my permission to marry. Gong Shenjun sighed heavily. I have not seen even an iota of a chance since Li Luo appeared. All of us have underestimated the connection between those two. Their engagement is no sham. Besides, I thought Li Luo was just an ordinary person before. I thought that I would be able to get close to them, and outshine Li Luo naturally, showing Jiang Qinge my good side. Those were arrogant words coming from anyone else, but Gong Shenjun spoke them matter-of-factly, stating them without any arrogance. He was indeed excellent in every aspect that you could ask for. Status, talent, richeshe surpassed all of his peers. He was the jewel of the new generation in the Xia Kingdom. But unfortunately, Li Luos performance in the last half a year cannot be topped. Gong Shenjun shrugged. I think I dont have a chance anymore. Admitting failure so readily? Thats not like you. One should always face reality straight on. Besides, I might admit to failure, but that does not mean Ive completely given up. The Regent patted the folio on the table again with a sly smile. So you need your fathers help? Jiang Qinges talent is exceptional. That phoenix in our nest would brighten our house greatly. Gong Shenjun smiled. I want to see if I can win her heart first. Youngsters, the Regent snorted. Heads always in the clouds. And it seems like the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade did not end up in your hands? Gong Shenjun nodded irritably. It was a mere possession of Pang Qianyuans, but it witnessed his path to King. Its sentience is very strong. Even you would have trouble subduing it. Just as well. Let it remain in the school vault, then. Li Luo took it. The Regent went dead still, his eyes widening as he searched Gong Shenjuns handsome face. Li Luo took it? he whispered. As unbelievable as it sounds, yes. Thats what happened. The Regent drummed his fingers agitatedly on the surface of the table. Li Luo is getting more interesting by the moment. He gestured wordlessly, and Gong Shenjun left the study accordingly. The study fell back into silence. The Regent half closed his eyes. No more partner weapon, then, he said aloud. The study seemed to dim, and a pair of dark eyes shone out from the gloomy corner. A mere Resonant Master the voice whispered. Li Luo is not worth the attention. The Regent shook his head. The Holy Grail Meet draws near. Li Luo is heavily favored by the Astral Sage College. The school will not sit idly by if anything happens to him now. Relations will be strained in the investigations for sure. It will ruin the greater plan, he said, looking straight at the pair of eyes. A dissatisfied silence hung in the air. You used to praise our plan as perfect, the Regent said, raising his voice. Surely your faith is not shaken just by the loss of one partner weapon? The figure in the shadows flickered and swayed like a candle in the wind, and a raspy laugh floated forth. Let it be. Merely a cherry on the top. It matters not. And what about you Unspoken amusement, almost taunting. After all these years, have you not yet found the resolve to join us? The Regents face was weathered in the candlelight. He took up the kettle and poured two cups of tea. He set one aside and sipped delicately from his own. There was a considering look in his eyes, and he said nothing for a long time. A mottled hand reached out of the shadows to take the other cup. On one of its fingers was a vermilion ring, with an eye on its polished surface. This eye had a white iris instead of the usual black, while the sclera was black instead of the usual white. It stared balefully outwards, as black and white gradually seeped into each other until the entire face was gray. The whispering voice came at him again, out of the shadows. Light and dark are born the same, good and evil die the same. Chapter 429: Yuan Qing Chapter 429: Yuan Qing The lake outside House Luolan was a willing canvas of sun and sky, a rippled rendition of azure-blue and pale yellow. BOOM! Terrific blasts of resonant power ricocheted off each other, generating large waves across the lake that splattered back down noisily as they sprayed the surrounding banks. Two people were fighting on the surface, trading blows back and forth. Li Luo and Jiang Qinge. They were having a sparring match. However, Jiang Qinge had restricted her own resonant power to the First Changing Tier. Even so, there was an obvious difference between the two. Li Luo was being pushed back at will. No matter what resonance art he applied, he was easily repelled by Jiang Qinge. In this sparring match, Li Luo once again learned the meaning of getting wrecked on all fronts. Ping! Li Luo drew water inwards as he activated both his resonant powers. His fist thundered out towards Jiang Qinges face, charged with enough resonant power to create a sonic boom around his wrist as he punched out. Jiang Qinge crossed two fingers, coating them in light resonant energy like a glove. Ping! Jiang Qinges slim frame held her ground easily, while Li Luo was sent staggering back, his feet scrabbling to find purchase on the lake surface. Seems like the strongest One Star Hall student is at his limit, she said teasingly. Limit?! Li Luo was outraged. How could you tell a man that to his face?! He whipped out a straight blade with a leathery elephant skin. It held so much power that the water level around him dipped. Li Luos face turned serious. Jiang Qinges eyebrows shot up when he pulled out the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade, Level One Divine Elephant Power! Weng! The Onyx-Elephant Blade was humming with a faint sound, as if a trumpeting elephant was in the distance. A rush of strength flooded Li Luos arms. The water around him sunk a level further, until he was in a visible water crater. BOOM! With a simple stamp of his foot, the water exploded, and he lanced out at Jiang Qinge with the blade. The sword flashed out, moving feather-light through the air with the weight of an elephant. Light flashed in Jiang Qinges golden eyes. She did not retreat, but struck out with a glittering fist, still coated in what looked like molten gold glass. Clang! The thin sword struck the translucent, yellow hand, both looking fragile as could be. Yet the aftershock from their impact was disconcertingly strong, blowing apart the water of the lake. Li Luo was still sent staggering backwards, while Jiang Qinge swayed, the impact snapping her upper torso downwards and backwards. Her core struggled to hold the force, and then finally she took two steps back. I won! Li Luo declared proudly, sheathing his sword. You won what, exactly? I managed to beat you back two steps. Hows that not a win? he demanded. You think you can just limit your resonant power to the Evolving Resonance Tier and were even? You clearly used your Glass Fiend Tier body just now! So Ive won this sparring contest. I dont know what youre talking about, she said innocently. That was just physical strength. Even if I stood here with my arms by my sides, you couldnt hack past my defenses. Li Luos teeth were itching with irritation. Jiang Qinge was right. She had passed the Fiend Body Tier, so her physical being was already fortified beyond belief. It was not something that a puny Evolving Resonance Tier cultivator like him could crack. Even if she did not use resonant power at all, her body alone would easily withstand anything he could throw at it. The gap was too wide. Still, the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade is something special. Youve only gotten the first level down, and already you can push me back. Ive been studying it carefully for the last few days, Li Luo said. I think I can sense three levels to the Divine Elephant Power, but Ive only unlocked the first one. He was satisfied with the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. It was his first gold-eye treasured artifact, and it was much stronger than the Lambent Hawkeye. Still He rolled up his sleeves with some resignation. Both his arms were covered in long, red wounds, the flesh torn up badly. The Divine Elephant Power is too strong for me. Even a little use tore both my arms to bits. Jiang Qinge touched his forearms lightly, her cool hands titillating on his skin. He could not resist reaching up with his own fingers to clutch her hand. Jiang Qinge dug a finger vengefully into his wound, and he yelped and howled. Weak flesh, she said clinically. Your bodys not strong enough to hold the Divine Elephant Power. If you unlock the second level of this power, it might eviscerate your arms completely. Which means the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade is a little wasted in your hands, she concluded. Im only at the Evolving Resonance Tier, he said defensively. Of course I cant compete with what you have. She tapped her chin. Indeed, physical fortitude is not something that Resonant Masters think about its even in the name. If you cannot strengthen your body quickly, then perhaps you can try healing it quickly instead. Thats your strength, isnt it? After all, you have both water and wood resonances, which amplify healing. Li Luo had thought of it himself as well. It was the most straightforward application of his powers to solve the problem. He had done the same before this as well, creating the skill he called Unyielding Form in order to increase his survivability. However, that sort of rejuvenation was too weak to withstand the Divine Elephant Power. Divine Elephant Power is mainly concentrated in your arms, so you can try concentrating your healing there as well. I recall that there should be some relevant resonance arts using wood and water resonances. You can check them out, Jiang Qinge suggested. Li Luos eyes lit up. This was good thinking from Jiang Qinge. Focus his regeneration to strengthen the effects. Perhaps that would work. Truly the strongest Three Star Hall student in all of the East Divine Continent, he said approvingly, holding a quivering thumb up. She gave him a dry smile at the title, but was cut off from her reply by the sight of a person running towards them. She gestured with a jerk of her head, and the pair headed to the bank. Young Lord, Young Mistress. It was Pavilion Master Lei Zhang, who watched over House Luolans headquarters security. What has happened? Jiang Qinge asked, noting Lei Zhangs grave expression with concern. Young mistress, I must tell you that Ancestor Yuan Qing has returned. Ancestor Yuan Qing? Li Luos eyes lit up at the name. He was one of the three ancestors of House Luolan, and the only one of the three who had not favored Pei Hao. The return of this Heavenly Dipper General ancestor was definitely a welcome boost to their ranks. Jiang Qinge smiled happily, but it faded quickly enough when she saw Lei Zhangs uneasy expression. Something else? He nodded unhappily. Ancestor Yuan Qing was ambushed on his way back. Hes unharmed, but his only disciple was hit with a strange poison it looks like Pei Haos doing. Hes threatening Ancestor Yuan Qing to get him to leave House Luolan. Chapter 430: The Real Target Chapter 430: The Real Target In one of House Luolans halls. Li Luo and Jiang Qinge hurried in and saw a middle-aged man seated comfortably. He was well-muscled, his hair long and braided into a neat ponytail. He was dressed in a simple shift, and his strong features were calm, his eyes bright. He reminded one of a majestic lion, radiating power even while he sat neutrally. A powerful Heavenly Dipper General. This middle-aged man was the only Heavenly Dipper General expert still loyal to House Luolan, to Li Luo, and to Jiang Qinge. One of the three ancestors, Yuan Qing. Yuan Qing looked up as they entered, and his eyes softened when he saw Li Luo. In his youthful face he saw the image of two people that he respected above all else. Yuan Qing greets the Young Lord, he said, rising from his seat and cupping his fist towards Li Luo with a small bow. Li Luo was very surprised by the huge respect that he was being shown. Uncle Yuan, you are an elder of House Luolan, so theres no need to stand on ceremony, he said hurriedly. My youthful frame cant withstand the weight of such respect. Yuan Qings creased face crinkled in a smile. Ah, the Young Lord has grown so much in the years that weve been apart. He turned to Jiang Qinge with a smile. As has the Young Mistress. Even when far abroad, your name was one that often reached my ears. Jiang Qinge shook her head modestly. Rumors travel faster than the wind, which proves that they are even more insubstantial. Honestly speaking, I should not have spent such a long time away from the house, Yuan Qing said apologetically. Otherwise, that dog Pei Hao would not have been so bold. There was a murderous anger in his eyes when he said Pei Haos name. Uncle Yuan, I heard you were attacked on the way back? Li Luo asked concernedly. Yuan Qing nodded darkly. Mo Cheng had a hand in it as well. That old devil has a heart as black as his name. If not for the two house lords granting him all the cultivation resources he needed, he would never have made it to Heavenly Dipper General. Now that they have disappeared, his gratitude has vanished as well. Helping Pei Hao to take down House Luolan? Disgusting! Mo Cheng was the ancestor that supported Pei Hao the most. Li Luo and Jiang Qinge exchanged a look. They could sense his murderous intent. They did not harm me in the ambush, but I think I was never their goal in the first place. It was my disciple. They kept me occupied, isolating her and poisoning her with something strange. Yuan Qing turned to a young girl with short hair. Her pretty features were pale as she sat listlessly in the chair. Black mist was rising out of her alabaster skin at intervals, before burrowing back down like worms. She coughed weakly, and Yuan Qing immediately rose and went to her side. She looked at him, face pale. Master, Master, dont worry about me. Li Luo and Jiang Qinge approached cautiously as well. This is my disciple, Guo Ling, Yuan Qing said tenderly to the two. My my respects to the Young Lord and Young Mistress, Guo Ling said in a faint voice. Li Luo waved to show that she need not worry herself with courtesies. Poison. Truly Pei Haos favorite method. Not the first time hes chosen it. His last poisoning had wreaked havoc at the Suncreek Villa, sending poisoned people and hoping that they would die and ruin the villas reputation. That dirty bastard! Ill hang him up by his feet and break every bone starting from his head! Yuan Qing swore, his resonant power pulsing around him as he was on the verge of losing control. Pei Hao has declared his terms, Lei Zhang said in a low voice. As long as Yuan Qing swears to leave House Luolan and Xia City, he will provide the antidote. Not everyone is as spineless as he is. Yuan Qing sneered coldly. Li Luo and Jiang Qinge shared a look. Pei Hao sure knew how to pick his moments. There was only half a month left until the Holy Grail Meet. Both of them would be away from Xia City at that time. Once they were, House Luolan would need someone to hold the fort. Ox Biaobiao had been the ideal choice, but he was busy making the miracle paste for Li Luo, and it was best not to divide his attention. Moreover, he could not leave the headquarters grounds, which made things inconvenient. Yuan Qing was the next best answer, and he was also strong enough that Li Luo and Jiang Qinge would be happy to leave with peace of mind. Pei Hao must have guessed the same thing, and so he was trying to frustrate their plan to bring Yuan Qing back. That thankless wretch is a viper indeed. Or maybe a python, because I seem to feel him on my neck every second, Li Luo grumbled. Uncle Yuan, dont worry. Let me try to deal with the poison in Guo Lings body. I managed to deal with Pei Haos poison once before. In the last few months, his understanding of poisons had deepened even further through his healing of the little emperor. In a way, he had become a bit of an expert at antidotes. Of course, it was thanks to his water and wood resonances, which had anti-poison properties. Yuan Qing looked at him in surprise. Young Lord, you can nullify toxins? I have some experience, Li Luo answered modestly. Yuan Qing turned to Jiang Qinge, who nodded reassuringly. His doubts cleared. Then I beg you to do your best, Young Lord. Bring her to the bedroom, Li Luo ordered, and serving girls hurried up to do his bidding. Young Lord, Guo Ling said faintly when they were alone together in the bedroom, Please She gestured for him to come closer. If the poison cannot be removed, please let me know and I will take my own life so they cannot use me to threaten my master. I know that he will not betray House Luolan. Li Luo was moved by her words, then he smiled down at her reassuringly. Dont worry. Ill help you. In a room somewhere else in Xia City. Pei Hao leaned on the brick window sill, enjoying the afternoon scenery. The hot sun lit up the streets below, while passers-by scurried back and forth in the shaded avenues. He swung back to the room, taking a moment for his eyes to adjust to the relative darkness. He walked over to the table and picked up his tea cup, then sat down opposite an elderly man in black robes. It was the other House Luolan ancestor, Mo Cheng. You put a Hellish Caterpillar on the wench? What a waste of a rare poison, Mo Cheng lamented. Its such an expensive and exotic one. You could even have used it on Yuan Qing himself. Itd have crippled him. Pei Hao snickered softly. You think Yuan Qing is worthy as a target? What are you talking about? How is the kid any more of a target than Yuan Qing? Mo Cheng asked, puzzled. Pei Hao smiled mysteriously. My target was never Yuan Qing or his disciple from the start. Wasnt the plan to threaten Yuan Qing to leave House Luolan by poisoning his disciple? Pei Hao took a sip of tea. Yuan Qing is a bother, but nothing to fear. His strength has long fallen within our calculations. But Li Luo He likes to neutralize poisons, doesnt he? Let him try this one. Chapter 431: Dual Poisons Chapter 431: Dual Poisons The poison in Guo Lings body is a rare one, called the Hellish Caterpillar. It is a virulent poison that takes the form of a worm, moving through the flesh and blood of the victim and feeding on their strength. It has especially powerful corrosive effects on resonant power, which is why ordinary resonant power is largely ineffective against it. This sort of rare poison would trouble even a Heavenly Dipper General. Pei Hao has really paid a bomb to secure something to scare Uncle Yuan away. Li Luo had gathered what information he could about the poison in Guo Lings body, and none of it was good news. The poison in her body was even harder to deal with than he had expected. It was on a completely different level from the one Tang Yun and the others had been hit with. The Hellish Caterpillar itself used a whole bunch of ingredients that were notoriously difficult to find. Li Luo had only seen their names mentioned in a bunch of arcane books that he had read in the last few months. With no disrespect to Guo Ling, it was overkill. Yuan Qing bunched his fists in anger. Damned Pei Hao! Yuan Qing had left House Luolans headquarters for many years mainly because of how he favored this disciple of his. He had kept her ensconced away from the gritty ruins of House Luolan for all these years. And now he had brought her back straight into the depths of despair. Yuan Qing could not blame himself any more for the decision. If he had known that this would happen, he would have come back by himself. Can you nullify it? Jiang Qinge asked solemnly. Li Luo pondered the question. It will be very difficult. But I think there should be no problem in helping her to stop the spread and disperse the concentration. It should buy us time to find a cure. Have all the remedies I asked for been prepared? Rest assured that we have secured every last one of them, Young Lord. Cai Wei bustled into the room, a short line of servants with her carrying all sorts of packages and envelopes. In good supply. Always reliable, Sister Cai Wei. Li Luo grinned. He delayed no more, rolling up his sleeves and preparing the mixture he had in mind. There were many failures, and it took him a full four hours before he was satisfied with the result. It was not strictly an antidote. It was not formulated to nullify the Hellish Caterpillar within Guo Lings body, but merely to hold it at bay for some time. Guo Ling had already fallen into a coma. Li Luo squeezed her cheeks gently to push her jaw downwards, then tipped the mixture in. He reached out and took her cold hand in his own. The next step was immensely dangerous. He planned to imbue her body with his water and wood resonant powers. Using his dual antitoxin powers, he hoped to weaken the Hellish Caterpillar. Yuan Qing and Jiang Qinge watched tensely, palms sweating profusely. Li Luo closed his eyes, pushing blue and green power deeper into her hands and onward into her body. The power crept along her skin, brilliant colors playing along her pale skin in a healing bath. Very quickly, it touched the black, worm-like gas. At first, Li Luos resonant powers fared quite well. The Hellish Caterpillar was stopped from its advance towards Guo Lings heart, wood and water resonant power covering it in a protective sheen. Besides that, its speed was also slowed down. As Li Luo had predicted, he was able to successfully slow it down, but not eradicate it. Truly a poison that could fell even a Heavenly Dipper General. Still, Li Luos goal here was accomplished. Just as he was about to heave a sigh of relief, the Hellish Caterpillar suddenly went into a frenzy. Li Luo could feel it thrashing madly, and the black worm began to mutate, the shadow-blackness lightening rapidly until it was a dark cherry-red. The Hellish Caterpillar had morphed into a butterfly. A cold pang of understanding flooded Li Luo. A dual exotic poison. Behind the Hellish Caterpillar was a second exotic poison, the Hellion Butterfly. This poison could also fell a Heavenly Dipper General. Heavenly Dipper General-killer poisons against a Resonant Master Stage Guo Ling? Was Pei Hao allergic to money?! Li Luo was willing to bet that Pei Hao had gone to great lengths to secure two poisons of such rarity. But if not Guo Ling, who could the poisons be targeted at? Panic. Li Luo urgently began to pull back his resonant power from Guo Lings body. But the dark cherry-red butterfly poison had been triggered now. It locked on to his resonant power and flew along the stream. It showed no intention of staying in Guo Lings body at all. Li Luo pulled back his resonant power decisively, but he had underestimated the Hellion Butterflys speed. Li Luos head swam, and he could hear the flutter of a butterflys wings fill his ears. His eyes flared open. Whats wrong? Jiang Qinge was the first to notice the change in Li Luos expression. Yuan Qing looked at Guo Ling. The color was already returning to her face. Young Lord, have you managed to remove the poison? he asked in wonder. Li Luo shook his head with a strange expression. Not removed transferred. He raised his own arm and showed them the cherry-red butterfly now flitting in and out of it.. Just like the Hellish Caterpillar, the Hellion Butterfly was in a gaseous form that flitted in and out of Li Luos body. He stared down at it in disgust. Pei Hao is truly a scumbag, but a scumbag with some uncanny planning skills. So many exotic poisons that could take down Heavenly Dipper General experts he really loves me deeply. Chapter 432: Taking It For Myself! Chapter 432: Taking It For Myself! When Li Luo rolled up his sleeve, a dark red butterfly outline could be seen vivaciously fluttering in his skin. The sight of this demonic poison caused Jiang Qinges face to turn steely green. Striding forward, she grasped Li Luos arm, and that ever pretty face transformed into a frosty veneer. Golden eyes surging with fury and killing intent, she unconsciously summoned forth waves of light resonant energy, almost akin to an erupting volcano of radiance. Sister Qinge, calm down! Li Luo immediately cradled her with his hands, attempting to appease this force of nature. Jiang Qinges chest heaved heavily and she closed her eyes to recompose herself. A brief moment later, she reopened her eyes and newfound restraint could be seen from her glare. However, a bone-chilling remnant of her previous fury was still evident within the depths of her gaze. Young Lord Yuan Qings expression had turned a grave gray. Who would ever have expected the debilitating poison within Guo Ling to be a trap?! The true target of this scheme was none other than the wondrous Li Luo! Pei Hao had clearly taken Li Luos ample detoxifying abilities into consideration. He had already factored into his grand plan that Li Luo would inevitably attempt to resolve Guo Lings predicament. His ploy had evidently succeeded now. On the other hand, Guo Lings situation had worsened and Li Luo had also been implicated. This unfortunate result left Yuan Qing full of regret and self-loathing. If only he knew! A Heavenly Dipper General powerhouse was left shell shocked and without words. He simply didnt know what to say. His mind was blank and bereft of any solution to this predicament. Uncle Yuan, please dont blame yourself. That ingrate Pei Hao has always been hiding in the shadows of Xia City, looking for a prime opportunity to deal with us. Even if you had not come, he would have found other means to do so. The result would have been unchanged. Li Luo consoled the distressed elder with a smile. Yuan Qing was considered to be the strongest cultivator within House Luolan with the exception of Uncle Biao. Hence, Li Luo knew that he had to pay exceptional attention and care to him. Hearing Li Luos soothing words, Yuan Qing could only respond with a bitter smile. Lets go. Ill bring you to find the First Princess. The palace should possess healers of the highest caliber. Theyll be able to find a solution to rid your body of this insidious poison. Qinge deeply sighed after she spoke. However, this suggestion was met with a simple rejection. Actually, this might not be a bad thing. The trio looked at Li Luo in confusion. Merely looking at the poisonous butterfly left the Heavenly Dipper General Yuan Qing feeling uneasy. With Li Luo merely at the Resonant Master Stage, a poison flare up would end his miserable, little life. How could this not be a bad thing? In fact, this was an absolute disaster! Li Luos gaze focused upon the butterfly outline. Although this demonic poison is extremely virulent, my situation is enviable. I am trying to see if there are ways to make this poison my own. This sort of rare poison is so seldomly seen that even the Golden Dragon Banks main branch might have difficulty obtaining it. Its a miracle that the rat Pei Hao managed to obtain this treasure. Yuan Qing frowned. Young Lord, dont fool around. This poison is incredibly frightening and must be dealt with as soon as possible. Wanting to control if it is playing with fire! My Lady, please advise the Young Lord! Jiang Qinges lips pursed upon hearing this outrageous idea. I dont support such a dangerous gamble. However, Im aware that you understand your limits best. So, do you truly believe that you have a chance of success? Yuan Qings jaw dropped upon hearing her reply. The world was going mad! He simply couldnt understand why Jiang Qinge felt that Li Luo, a mere Resonant Master, could contest against this terrifying poison. This was too much even if the two blindly trusted each other! Well Ive got to give it a try at least. A grin surfaced upon Li Luos handsome face. A headache was coming for Yuan Qing. Wasnt this too wilful? This debilitating poison was not childs play. A single flare up could very well end him. Unfortunately, Li Luo had already made up his mind and decided to no longer explain himself. Turning around to leave with Jiang Qinge, he informed Yuan Qing to take good care of Guo Ling. I once read about the Hellish Caterpillar and Hellion Butterfly in an old tome about poisons. The fusion of the two results in a capricious corruption that is able to consume the healing powers of wood and water resonant power. As a result, many healers are left completely helpless to it, Li Luo explained as he sauntered away with Jiang Qinge. In order to temporarily prevent this poison from infiltrating the heart and ending my little life, I can endlessly supply wood or water resonant power to the poison to feed it. Although this is merely slaking its thirst, it is not the panacea to the problem. The poison will eventually strengthen and erupt in a frenzy. My situation will truly be desperate then, and perhaps even the gods wont be able to save me. Doesnt this mean that the poison was specifically targeted at you? Jiang Qinge queried with a furrowed brow. Li Luo possessing water and wood dual resonances wasnt any hidden secret. This malady was clearly selected with the intention to target his unique abilities. Pei Hao was truly conniving and determined. If this dual poison is as you say, then I think there is a need for us to interrupt Uncle Biaos refinement of the miracle paste to aid you. Ever since Li Luo had gloriously returned with copious amounts of Royal Sap, Ox Biaobiao had been in seclusion, refining the miracle paste as though his life depended on it. Jiang Qinge had originally not wanted to disturb Uncle Biao as the miracle paste was of even greater importance in the bigger picture. Yet this despicable toxin had left her without any other options. Inviting him to resolve this predicament seemed to be the only solution. No rush, no rush. Li Luo waved his hands. There was no trace of fear within him. Pei Hao has put some real effort into his preparations. He attacked Uncle Yuan and poisoned his lone disciple, and at the same time attempted to chase him out of House Luolan. He knows that we put great importance on Uncle Yuan and hence had to personally deal with Guo Ling. Additionally, it even gave him the opportunity to deal with me by extension! He even had the foresight to ensure that my dual resonances were perfectly countered by these exotic venoms. He must have paid an inexplicable price for this. In fact, everything seems like it has gone according to his plan. Unluckily for him, there are some factors he is unable to account for. At this point, Li Luo paused his lengthy explanation, a smirk scrawled over his face. Lifting up his sleeve, one could see the dark, cherry-red butterfly splotch. With a thought, two different resonant powers lit up and surged towards the poison, shining so radiantly that even Jiang Qinge couldnt see it. With a meal delivered to its doorstep, the Hellion Butterfly ravenously swallowed the resonant power in chunks. Jiang Qinge stared at the sight with utmost focus. Normally speaking, devouring wood and water resonant power should have led to the poison swelling in might. Instead, that expectation did not come to pass, and the poison actually seemed to be trembling Right before her eyes, a wisp of dark-red qi seemed to have separated itself away from the central mass, eventually dissipating. As a result, the Hellion Butterfly seemed to have weakened slightly. Although this was not a massive improvement, it was undoubtedly a step in the right direction. What? How? Even Jiang Qinge was left flabbergasted at this sight. She simply could not comprehend how this poison, after eating its fill of beneficial resonant power, did not strengthen but instead became less potent! Looking at the confused Jiang Qinge brought about a sense of accomplishment for Li Luo. Yet this sense of achievement was short lived as a heavy sword silently materialized in her hand. Jumping back in fright, Li Luo hurriedly explained. Ah! Put that away! The truth is that my resonant power doesnt only contain wood and water resonant power. Demonstrating it for her to see, Li Luo produced a ball of waterlight resonant power within his hand. You will understand once you feel it for yourself. Li Luo smiled. Jiang Qinges golden eyes curiously studied the resonant power. The sparkling waves of energy easily let one understand that this was water resonant power, but there also seemed to be a certain gross incandescence to it. She had never noticed that Li Luos water resonant power seemed to be clearer and more resplendent compared to others. Reaching out testily, she lightly prodded the globe of pure resonance energy. After a few breaths, her luminous eyes shrunk in shock. There was a familiarity to this power! Was this light resonant energy? There was no mistaking it. Although the light resonant power paled in intensity compared to the water resonant power, it was there! Just how could light resonant power appear within Li Luo? Even the calm and collected Jiang Qinge was left befuddled and dazed! Chapter 433: Almost Not Under Control Chapter 433: Almost Not Under Control The dappled light in the corridor cast gray and yellow shadows on Jiang Qinges awestruck face. Her mouth was opening and closing repeatedly, with no words coming out. Such was the shock from the revelation of Li Luos light resonant energy. Li Luo was incredibly pleased with himself. It wasnt everyday that you could turn Jiang Qinge into a goldfish. He stretched out a hand and gathered woodearth resonant power into a ball of light. Here, feel this too. Jiang Qinge looked puzzled, but she reached out a finger and touched the ball. Whenever Li Luo used his resonant power publicly, he always took care to consciously hide the light and earth resonant power. These two secondary resonances were not on the same power level as the primary resonances, but they were good enough to give him that much-needed edge that his opponents rarely accounted for. But now that he was actively exposing the secondary element, it was easy enough for Jiang Qinge to detect the fainter earth resonant power a woodearth resonance. Earth resonant power? She inhaled sharply, but she was calmer by now. Your dual resonances each have a secondary resonance? Li Luo grinned and nodded. No wonder your water and wood resonance arts have always been so strong and a little strange. Everyone thought that it was because of the other resonance, but actually its these two secondary elements affecting them. Water and light, wood and earth These are good combinations. Li Luo, your secrets have secrets. He chuckled. Well, only you know about this secrets secret. Jiang Qinge smiled delightedly. She was extremely comforted by this piece of good news. She had known that Li Luo was special from the beginning. Even when he had blank palaces, she had not once believed that he was destined for a mundane life. Quite something, huh? Li Luo puffed his chest out proudly. The dual secondary resonances had been a secret that he had kept hidden for a long time. He had always planned to let Jiang Qinge know when the time was right, since their closeness was on a different level. They were probably closer than some married couples already. Secondary resonances are indeed very rare. But theyre merely cherries on the cake. In terms of resonant power, they will never be able to compete with your primary resonances, Jiang Qinge cautioned him. Li Luo was in full agreement. If you divided up his power into percentages, his primary resonances held maybe 70 to 80 percent of the weight, while his secondary resonances held only 20 to 30 percent. They were truly supports. For example, Li Luos resonance arts were always water and wood-based. The light and earth resonances only augmented those arts. If Li Luo tried to learn light and earth resonance arts, they would be significantly weaker. And although secondary resonances are rare, theyre not completely unheard of. In fact, theyre not even as rare as dual resonances. Plus, there are miraculous treasures and herbs in this world that can grant them. The Xia Kingdom is a rural little place, but Im sure there will be many such people outside Yes, yes, I understand. I wont let it get to my head. Li Luo rolled his eyes. The slightest bit of pride, and Jiang Qinge crushed it harder than a bug. He did appreciate that she was looking out for him though. Jiang Qinge smiled. So you fed the dual poison some water resonant power, but imbued light resonant energy inside? She intuitively understood how he had weakened the Hellion Butterfly poison. Mm. Light resonant energy has purification properties. But if attacked directly with light resonant energy, the Hellion Butterflys defenses would have been triggered and then it wouldve rampaged throughout my body, complicating things. This way, its like poisoning the poison. Ive blunted its edge at least. Jiang Qinge nodded thoughtfully. Didnt the poison release some poison gas just now? Where did it go? You should know that its incredibly deadly as well. A bit in your body could cause a lot of damage. Li Luo stretched out his hand and put it in Jiang Qinges. She closed her eyes and searched his body with her mind. Inside, she found the ten resonant bubbles. Each was shining like a star, chock full with Li Luos resonant power. Save one. It was not sparkly like the others, but instead filled with a sinister, dark-red swirl. A butterfly seemed to be fluttering inside. A worm seemed to be crawling inside. Li Luo had trapped the escaping poison gas in a resonant bubble. Jiang Qinges eyes widened as she shook her head in admiration. Only you could have thought of something like that. She understood that Li Luo intended to use the dual poisons as a weapon against a stronger opponent. Just another secret weapon to store for a rainy day. Could it be that you guessed that the dual poison was targeted at you from the start? Jiang Qinge suddenly realized this. Every move Li Luo had made had been too measured, too perfect. I must say that I panicked a little when the poison first entered my body. Its quite deadly but then the brainwave came to me. Of course, deadly works both ways I like the power it gives me. Li Luo cackled. With enough power to threaten a Heavenly Dipper General, this poison was something he badly needed. Li Luo, theres no need to push yourself too much. House Luolan has me as well, she said softly. Li Luo had taken great risks to harness this dual poison for his own use. Li Luo looked up into those special, golden eyes. Qinge, I wont let you face all that pressure alone. House Luolan has us. Both of us. Moved by his seriousness and sincerity, she simply nodded. Alright, lets give all of the Xia Kingdom a real shocker when they come and test our Young Lord. Li Luo smiled confidently. Ah, but theres something else I need your help with, Qinge. Hmm? The resonant bubble is a little thin. I dont think it can hold the poison for long. Im feeling a little weak now, so can you charge me up with your light resonant energy to reinforce the bubble membrane? Otherwise, at this rate, the resonant bubble will pop in a day from internal corrosion. I might die. Jiang Qinge stared at his quickly reddening face, then reached out to pinch his ear with two fingers. So in the end everything was almost not under your control, hmm? Chapter 434: Pei Haos Pain Chapter 434: Pei Haos Pain Its done. I put a few membranes of light resonant energy around your poison bubble. The purification that my light resonant energy has should stop the corrosive spread. Jiang Qinge clapped her hands together decisively. She had been working Li Luo over in his bedroom. These layers of light resonant power were not as easy to make as they looked. Because she was leaving it outside her body, she had to first channel her energy into Li Luos body and then manipulate it there. It required exquisite control over ones resonant power. And the stakes were highone bubble bursting would release the poison gas within Li Luo and hurt him badly. In order to create a few extra layers for safety, Jiang Qinge had labored through the night. Youve worked hard, Qinge, Li Luo said gratefully. She was the only person he would trust to do this. At her slightest inclination, she could have the light resonant energy explode or dissipate within him, essentially setting off the bomb that was inside him. Ordinarily, no one would allow another person to leave resonant power in their body like that. But neither Li Luo nor Jiang Qinge felt that this was a risk in any way. Li Luo had asked, and Jiang Qinge had complied. That was all. Also I know why youre trying to harness the dual poison, but you should know that its a double-edged sword. You cant really use it and escape unscathed. It will hurt you just as badly as your opponent, she warned him gravely. She knew that Li Luo was tempted by the dual poisons power, but such a deadly substance was not easily tamed. It would be hard to employ properly as a weapon. Li Luo nodded soberly. Dont worry, Qinge. I understand that. I do find my little life precious too. She nodded and then yawned. Im beat. Im going to sleep. She lied down on the bed, stretched out until her whole body quivered, then snuggled down under the blanket. Li Luo stared at the lithe figure in his blankets. Er this is my bed. I dont mind, she said easily. Li Luo climbed back into his bed. Well then, he said wearily. Im super tired too, so I guess Ill also go to sleep. Shing. He was ready to rest his head on the pillow, but he bumped it against a gigantic sword with a little thunk instead. Li Luo froze, then stood back up. Thats very unreasonable, he grumbled. Its my room! My bed! Jiang Qinge ignored him. Well then, Im going to the Golden Dragon Bank, he said sullenly. Oh? Spurned here, so youre off to find Lu Qinger? Jiang Qinges amused voice came from under the covers. Li Luo rolled his eyes. He intended to make a trip to the Golden Dragon Bank to see what his parents had left him. After all, he should start thinking about his third resonance soon. Rest well, he called as he pushed the door and left the room. Behind him, he heard Jiang Qinge call out. Bring Uncle Yuan with you, so the dog Pei Hao doesnt jump you. Outside House Luolans headquarters, in an inn. Pei Hao was watching the door of the headquarters, a fat, gloating smile plastered across his face. The dual poison has transferred hosts. I knew that the Young Lord would fall into the trap. So eager to win a favor from Yuan Qing. So predictable. He stretched lazily in his chair. One down for good. Even a Heavenly Dipper General would be crippled badly by that dual poison. Li Luo might have water and wood dual resonances, but not even his antitoxin abilities will save him from this. He should be in horrible pain for quite some time, with no choice but to try and keep it at bay with his dual resonances. Even so, he must be on the verge of death. An inevitable poison. I dont think Li Luo will be able to take part in the Holy Grail Meet now. Jiang Qinge will definitely still go, and once the two are split up, well have our chance. Mo Chengs gaunt face broke into a small smile too. Pei Haos plan was perfect. Yuan Qing, Li Luohe had moved them around like chess pieces. Pei Hao, no wonder the great one chose you. It was a great plan. Mo Cheng laughed. Its all thanks to Ancestor Mo Chengs support, Pei Hao said, casually tilting his wine cup towards him in a salute. All at the will of the great one, Mo Cheng said with a gleeful smile. The Housemeet approaches. At that time, you will be the new house lord. Pei Haos grin cracked even wider. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to indulge in a moment of fantasy. The dream that he had longed for for many years. Back when he had first joined House Luolan, he had wanted to protect the place. He worshiped the very ground that the two house lords stood on. He respected them like his own father and mother. When had his attitude started to turn? When Li Luo was born. He remembered that night well. He saw the joy on Li Taixuan and Tan Tailans faces when they held the baby in their arms. A joy that they had never shown towards him, and the seeds of jealousy had sprouted right there and then. He envied Li Luo, born with everything he could possibly want. He hated him for it. Pei Hao could sense that the House Luolan he loved so deeply was not even worth a hair on the head of that infant in the eyes of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. It was unthinkable. Unacceptable. From that moment, his intent began to twist. Whew. Pei Hao breathed out deeply, trying to put those thoughts in perspective and justifying it to himself. If you dont care about the house, then you wont mind if I take it away. Eh? Pei Hao heard Mo Cheng gasp. He turned around and followed Mo Chengs gaze. Strolling out of House Luolans headquarters with his hands tucked comfortably behind his back was Li Luo. With Yuan Qing by his side. Pei Hao watched Li Luo make his breezy way up the path, grinning as widely as if a pizza had just fallen out of the sky and into his hands. His cheeks were rosy pink with health, and he looked as un-poisoned as a person could possibly look. He looked even healthier than he was yesterday. Silence fell in the room. What is going on? Mo Cheng asked a moment later. He looks completely fine. Is he faking it? Pei Hao sneered. Doesnt look like it. Mo Cheng shook his head. The two exchanged a dark look. Although they could not believe that their plan had failed, they could not lie to themselves when the evidence was right before themLi Luo looked completely fine. Could the poison have been transferred to the wrong host? Mo Cheng asked. Pei Hao shook his head. I had the dual poison specially tinkered with by a professional. It will only react in response to the simultaneous presence of wood and water resonant powers. Only Li Luo fits that criteria in House Luolan. He had taken no chances with such an exotic poison, unwilling to waste it on some other person. That was why he had chosen Guo Ling. Even if Li Luo had not taken the bait, he could still have threatened Yuan Qing, which was a decent consolation prize. But now the dual poison had left Guo Lings body, and Li Luo was looking healthy?! Even Pei Hao felt a sudden chill run through him. Was he seeing a ghost?! Shall we take him down? Mo Cheng asked flatly. Pei Hao took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. If we attack him now, the Astral Sage College will definitely react. Although they call themselves neutral, the Holy Grail Meet is very important to them. Li Luo is highly valued. Attacking Yuan Qing by poisoning Guo Ling, theyd still turn a blind eye. And if Li Luo ended up poisoning himself, thats on him. But if we make such a blatant attack, its different. Pei Hao sighed. I was careless. I never thought the blank palace young lord would one day become so valued by the school. Pei Hao waved it off. Forget it. It was only an attempt. Li Luos luck cant hold forever. And were almost at the Housemeet At that time, all will be put to an end, he said, his heart aching painfully. Damn, that dual poison was expensive as f*ck! Chapter 435: Possessions Chapter 435: Possessions Li Luo reached the Golden Dragon Bank without any trouble at all. Still, he wasnt surprised at the lack of ambushes. He was now a highly valued student in the eyes of the Astral Sage College. Not even the likes of House Jiyan or House Duze would dare to lay a finger on him, let alone Pei Hao. Only someone as devious as Pei Hao could have thought of such a roundabout way to poison him indirectly. Even if the school had learned about that, they could have done nothing. A neutral party could not actively reach out to shelter him from all the troubles that House Luolan was facing. If they had been so inclined, they would already have done so back when Jiang Qinge had revealed her ninth-grade light resonance. One word from the school, and no faction in the Xia Kingdom would dare to lay a finger on House Luolan. But the school had not. Neutrality was a big part of their direction, and not even someone with a ninth-grade light resonance could sway them from it. The school had to think about its long-term goals, and the future implications of its actions. Besides, students came and went. Even brilliant stars would lose their shine when they were far away. Neither Li Luo nor Jiang Qinge had ever expected the school to protect House Luolan. They had simply done their best within the school system, laying their potential out and trading it for some individual protection. They were happy that they could buy time to grow. Li Luo stepped into the bank and made straight for Yu Hongxis office. And what wind blows the House Luolan young lord here? Your reputation has been glowing recently. Yu Hongxi looked up at him. She was dressed in her usual red today, bringing out her mature beauty. She waved for her staff to leave the room, then sat back down on her chair, elegant fingers tapping lightly against her cheek as she regarded Li Luo. This tiny bit of reputation? Not even a glow compared to the bonfire that is President Yus reputation, Li Luo said modestly. Yu Hongxi laughed. Oh, Li Luo, she said, shaking her head, your tongue is a thousand times sweeter than your fathers. So what brings you here to the Golden Dragon Bank today? What is this serious business you have with me? She laid a meaningful finger on the stack of documents on her table. Im a busy woman, and I dont like to give just anybody the time of day. It makes me want to fire people. Li Luo swallowed nervously, but he soldiered on. President Yu, I think my parents left some things at the Golden Dragon Bank for safekeeping. Yu Hongxis hand froze, and her mischievous smile faded. Yes, and this is top secret at the Golden Dragon Bank. She nodded. In fact, no one else at the Golden Dragon Bank knows about it besides me. But since you are the last remaining blood relative of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, I will tell you accordingly. Yes, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan left something at the Golden Dragon Bank headquarters. I will take that away now, Li Luo said. Yu Hongxi was silent for a moment. That is your right. She snapped, and suddenly a wave of resonant power pulsed from the ceiling, running across the walls in a phosphorescent, turquoise ring downwards until the room was caged off. All sound outside vanished. Yu Hongxi stood up and showed Li Luo a golden ball of some unknown material in the palm of her hand. I know who you are, and that you are the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan in many ways. Still, this is a necessary process. Drip your blood on this. It will confirm your identity. Only with this verification can you take away what they have left at the Golden Dragon Bank. Li Luo was quite happy to see Yu Hongxi take this so cautiously. After all, there were many ways to change ones appearance in the world. She was truly a dependable and vigilant banker. If a doppelganger had ended up taking the treasure away, it would have been a calamitous error on her part. He stretched out a finger and let a drop of blood fall on the golden ball. Weng! The blood immediately flowed into a runic pattern. A few moments later, the golden ball vibrated and cracked like a flower bud, peeling away to reveal a black key inside. Congratulations, youve passed the test. You are definitely the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. Er, should I be relieved? Yu Hongxi chuckled, then she gestured for him to take the key. She turned to the wall behind her and pressed against it with a complex sequence of resonant power pulses. Gradually, the wall started to rearrange itself, until a shining door appeared. Beyond it was pitch-darkness. Who knew where it would lead? Come with me. Yu Hongxi led the way in, and she vanished into the darkness the moment she stepped through. Li Luo did not hesitate. He trusted that Yu Hongxi would not do anything to him. Even if you didnt trust the person, you had to have faith in the organization. And if his parents had invested so much and trusted the Golden Dragon Bank with their business, then it would definitely be a safe place. He followed her in through the gateway. He found himself in a dark corridor. The walls and floor were polished smooth like mirrors, and faint lines of light zipped through them occasionally. There was a strong and uncomfortable feeling, which Li Luo identified as a complete lack of any worldly natural energy. Even his two resonant palaces seemed to dim a little in the energy desert. Li Luo felt a little uneasy about it. It reminded him of darker times when he had blank palaces. This is the energy-void corridor, where all resonant powers are removed. Only the headquarters of the Golden Dragon Bank in each region are allowed to build it. Even a Duke would be trapped here if they barged in uninvited. Yu Hongxis voice came to him faintly from ahead. A terrifying place. Li Luo shuddered. Was this the Golden Dragon Banks power? Truly impressive. Only our dearest clients are allowed to store things here. Yu Hongxi suddenly stopped, turning towards the left wall as though admiring her reflection in the mirror-like surface. Is it here? Li Luo stared doubtfully at the wall. She nodded. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan left you something extremely important to them. When they came to leave it, your mother took me by the hand for the first time, pleading with me to leave this place for you to open. Two of Xia Kingdoms proudest people bowed before me. I think no one but myself could have achieved that. Well, they didnt have to. No matter what our relationship was, I will always carry out my duties as president of the Golden Dragon Bank properly. Of course I would have kept their possessions according to the rules. But besides you, no one else could take it, unless Principal Pang decides to wipe out the entire Golden Dragon Bank himself. They are among the most brilliant people I know. Especially your motherthe look in her eyes often conveyed that she had no equal. Your father is a little easier to get along with, but truthfully, his pride is almost her equal. And yet for you, they could shelve that overweening pride, if but for a moment. Yu Hongxi looked at Li Luo pensively. What Im trying to say is that your parents really love you. Chapter 436: Third Godly Forging Art Chapter 436: Third Godly Forging Art Yu Hongxis words brought a lump to his throat. Li Luo recalled his motherhands always stuffed deep in the baggy pockets of her clothes, and a relaxed smile on her face. He knew better than most just how proud of a person she really was. Whenever she entertained important guests, Tan Tailan would always pull a long face after they left. Spending time on these idiots darkens my future, she would complain to a young Li Luo. Later on, when Li Luo started to get a little older, he realized that these were all important people in the Xia Kingdom. At times like these, Li Taixuan would come and put a hand around his wifes shoulder. Youre too good to talk to them, Dear. She would roll her eyes right back at him. You think youre any better than me? Li Taixuan would suffer her ratty moods until he couldnt take it anymore, then he would run to Li Luoand Jiang Qinge for solace. The fact that those two had begged Yu Hongxi for something meant that the request was important enough for them to put down their pride. Li Luo immediately understood the worth of whatever it was that was being left to him. They knew well that Yu Hongxi was professional enough to carry out their request even if they did not beg. And to go that extra mile I love them very much too, Li Luo said with a vulnerable smile. Although theres been no news of them for all these years, I know theyll be back one day. Yu Hongxi gave him a small nod. Well, put your key into the wall. Li Luo touched the black key to the smooth wall. Immediately, the solid wall melted away into liquid, some of it reaching out to wrap the black key. A thread of black appeared around the key, spreading across the liquid wall. Go on, then. Only you, holding the key, can enter, Yu Hongxi told him. Thank you, President Yu. She waved it off. I take money and do business. Thats all. Li Luo nodded, then he pushed his way through the liquid wall. Meeting no resistance, the liquid enveloped his body and sucked him in. The sucking continued for a full 10 seconds, and then he finally emerged on the other side. He took stock of his surroundings. He was in a spacious, black, stone room. The walls were embedded with fluorescent crystals that emitted a faint, green glow. He very quickly focused on the center of the stone room, where a short, stone column stood. On top of it there was a black sphere made out of some sort of metal. There was nothing else of note in the room, so Li Luo moved towards the stone column. So the things inside this? Li Luo eyed the black ball. It was familiar to himhe had seen something similar in the City of Southwinds Golden Dragon Bank. He reached out for it and squeezed it lightly. The black sphere melted away like the wall, coating Li Luos hand. At the same time, he felt a sharp prick on his finger, drawing a single drop of blood. A light burst out of the black liquid. It projected a scene all around him, and the stone chamber itself seemed to transform into a peaceful garden that Li Luo recognized all too wellthe old manor of House Luolan back in the City of Southwind. A nostalgic scene. He walked along the mossy cobblestone path and saw two familiar figures in front of him, beaming. One man, one woman. The man was dressed in white, exceptionally handsome features lit with happiness. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he exuded confidence and power that was not to be underestimated. The woman was in a loose, lavender shift, her long hair hanging neatly over her shoulders. Hands thrust in her pockets, she was smiling just as brightly as the man by her side. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. Li Luo rubbed his nose to get rid of the prickly feeling that was filling it up. He did not jump into their arms. He knew it was just a projection. Little Luo, if youre here, Im sure youre not far from the General Stage. I assume youre one of the top students in the Astral Sage College by now. Li Taixuan grinned. What are you talking about? How could a run-down stick house like the Astral Sage College ever hold Little Luo back? Hes definitely the best in all of the sage colleges in the East Divine Continent, Tan Tailan said indignantly. Of course, my dear wife! I was foolish! With such an exceptional mother, how could Little Luo ever be normal? Li Taixuan teased, looking lovingly at his wife. It was a familiar sight for Li Luo, watching his parents adoring banter. Although his mother had always been pushy against his father, the love between the two was greasy enough to have both him and Qinge feeling a little dirty while watching them. Still, every moment that they showed him was a precious memory. Get to the point! Tan Tailan said, slapping her husband gently on the wrist. Ahem, Li Taixuan coughed. Well, its nothing really important I guess Little Luos ready for his third acquired resonance now, huh? With this, youll really shoot to glory. Im so excited for you! In order to temper your third acquired resonance, the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel is the most important thing. Im sure the previous one we left you has been broken by now. After all, it only works once. So what you need to do is make yourself a new one, which means youll need the third volume of the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art. Li Taixuan gestured, and suddenly pages of words flooded Li Luos mind. He briefly scanned them, confirming that it was indeed the third volume that he had dreamed of. He was ecstatic. With this third volume, he had all he needed to forge his third acquired resonance. Always reliable, Dad, Li Luo cheered. This third volume of the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art contains the method to build the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. However, theres a little snag. You have to reach the Duke Stage before you can forge it. Li Taixuan rubbed his chin. Li Luos smile froze on his face. Chapter 437: King Quintessence and Black Plaque Chapter 437: King Quintessence and Black Plaque I need to be at Duke Stage before I can make the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel?! Li Luo was horror-struck by his fathers declaration. Come on, Dad, this isnt even funny! If I was already a Duke, would I need to be here discussing this crap with you?! Forget it, just prepare the coffin for me. Just as Li Luo was despairing, he saw his mother reach out to crunch Li Taixuans ear in a pincer-like grip. Li Taixuan, are you crazy?! Pranking Little Luo at a time like this! Ow ow OW OW IM SORRY! Li Taixuan yelped. Mercy, Dear, MERCY! Li Luo watched on with cold satisfaction. Harder. Harder!! Tan Tailan finally let go after she had finished turning her husbands ear into a beautiful shade of rose red. Tell him properly, or you can go sit in a corner and stay out of my conversation with Little Luo. Li Taixuan hastily nodded, only too happy to have his ear still attached to the side of his head. Well, technically, I didnt lie. You indeed require a Dukes strength to create the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. But dont worry! Dont you know how smart your father and mother are? How could we not foresee the fact that our precious Little Luo would not make it to the Duke Stage in time? Come on, Pops! Enough with the bush beating! Get to the point! Li Luo snarled, knowing full well that he was talking to a projection. But as if hearing Li Luos frustration from the future, Tan Tailan started to wiggle her finger again ominously, and Li Taixuan hurriedly turned serious again. He quickly pulled out a scroll and unfurled it before Li Luo. There were ancient runes on the scroll, swirling in a circular pattern. Your mother and I have made preparations. This is the blueprint for a custom formation. It will allow external power to be converted into acquired resonance flame and help you create your Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. By my calculations, you will only need to find two Dukes to provide you with enough power to make the wheel. Li Taixuan smiled smugly, as though everything was already as good as done. Li Luo put his head in his hands. Find two Dukes to supply him with power? Did his father think that Dukes fell out of the sky and could be called on like cheap entertainment? The only Duke he could count on might be Ox Biaobiao, but was he even up to the task? You probably cant count on Ox Biaobiao, his father said, seemingly reading his mind. Hes frail, so its best not to bother him with this. Li Luo stared at his father exasperatedly. Then he was down to zero candidates. Given the way that House Luolan was, he was already thanking his lucky stars on the daily that the other Dukes were not turning on him. Ask for their help? And even if they offered to help, Li Luo wasnt sure if he could trust them. Dont worry, Little Luo, his mother said. Theres one likely candidate right under your nose. Li Luo nodded in surprise. President Yu? he said aloud. His mother was smiling cheekily. Yu Hongxi is quite an interesting person. Shes the only one in the Xia Kingdom who still has my attention. If I hadnt come here, she would probably be the best woman here. Pity for her Li Luo was a little speechless at his mothers conceit. Besides, making the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel was no easy task. Would Yu Hongxi really be willing to help him with this? Li Luo felt like it was in the air. Yu Hongxi was a principled woman, and the Golden Dragon Bank was a neutral organization. This would be tantamount to joining House Luolans side. Little Luo, are you worried about whether Yu Hongxi will agree? Its reasonable to doubt. Yu Hongxi is a clever but stubborn woman. His mother chuckled. But weve thought of it all already. She jerked her chin at Li Taixuan, and he pulled out two glowing objects. They were jeweled gourds, each one roughly the size of a thumb. They both contained a golden substance, darting and flowing around as though the liquid were alive. Li Luo squinted at it. He could sense a great urge to take it, and also a danger emanating from it. What is this? he muttered to himself. Its King Quintessence, a special essence that all Dukes lust for. If you ask Yu Hongxi for help, offer her one. I doubt she can refuse a temptation like this. King Quintessence? Li Luo blinked. Sounded complicated. He understood nothing. Still, he took the two gourds carefully. He got the gist of itoffer one, get Yu Hongxis help in making the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. Easy enough. If Yu Hongxi agrees, then you just need one more Duke. We dont have someone in mind, but youre a resourceful boy. Im sure you can find someone dependable. Li Luo thought about it. The most natural choice was, of course, Mentor Chi Chan. Although school mentors had to be neutral in house affairs, helping him refine something should be acceptable. And if this King Quintessence was really as awesome as his parents had made it out to be, then it was just fair business. Li Luo felt relief wash over him. His parents might have thrown him into the deep end, but now it seemed like they had properly scouted the waters as well. Alright, so the matter of the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel is settled. Little Luo, is House Luolan doing well? We might have caused you some minor inconveniences when we left, but you and Qinge are smart. Im sure youre managing the house properly. Tan Tailan laughed. Li Luo rolled his eyes at his mothers teasing. Minor inconvenience? Hed almost broken his damn back carrying the damn thing! Still, he craved words from his parents. Any word would do, even teasing. He had not seen them for many years now. He wondered how they were doing on the Nobles Battlefield. But these were projectionsno point in talking to them. Oh, yes, theres something else for you, Little Luo, Li Taixuan suddenly said. He lifted his palm, and a black light swam through the air until it was before Li Luos eyes. A black, palm-sized plaque. He could not for the life of him tell what material it was made of. Metal? Not metal. Wood? Not quite right either. Li Luo rapped it experimentally with a knuckle, and instead of any ringing sound, the roar of a dragon sounded. It was a true dragons roar, and Li Luo trembled down to the depths of his soul. Yet at the same time, he could feel his own blood tingling in response to the sound, resonating with the black plaque in his hand. The prickly, invigorating feeling faded when the sound ceased. As if it had all been a dream. Only the cold sweat remaining on his brow reminded him that he might have just encountered something even scarier than a Duke He looked down at the black plaque and noticed that there was a Li character in the middle. It had something mystical about it. Li Luo felt an awesome power within, and also some strange affinity with it. The strokes of the character dragged on more than they should, creating a long, twisting dragon. Li Luo suddenly recalled the words of Principal Pang Qianyuan. Bloodline of Heavenly King Li. Did the black plaque have something to do with it? Some sort of bloodline between him and his father? Was that the real source of their power? Little Luo, Im sure you still have many questions, but it cant be helped. Your fathers a man of many secrets, and a man with secrets is the sexiest thing alive. Youll know in good time anyway. Take good care of the plaque for now. Youll eventually realize that a broken hut like House Luolan is nothing. Your father has left even larger broken huts for you! Li Taixuan roared with laughter. Li Luo decided to throw the plaque in his hand at his fathers projections head. But the plaque seemed to have a mind of its own. It jumped into Li Luos pocket sphere. I cant get rid of it? Li Luo was astonished. Shoo! Stop scaring my son! Tan Tailan sent a fist swinging towards his head, and Li Taixuan ducked in alarm. BOOM! Li Luo saw a crater in the wall of their old house and cringed a little. Damn his mother was strong. With her unruly husband subdued, Tan Tailan turned back to Li Luo, and the look in her eyes went soft. Dont worry about us, Little Luo. You just need to worry about yourself. That will be the greatest help for us. Understand? Li Luo understood. Staying alive was already a big problem for him. Dont worry, Mother, he said softly under his breath. Tan Tailan bent down and reached out a hand that almost touched Li Luos cheek. He could almost feel the warmth. Little Luo, theres not much time now, so well wrap things up. I believe you and Qinge are both healthy and well. Oh, one more thing about Qinge Treat her well, and dont make her angry. Shes a great girl. And she might also beat you up if you dont treat her well. Also, both you and I owe her, his mother said. Li Luos eyes widened in surprise. He waited to hear more, but his parents figures were fading away now, and suddenly it was black, icy stone all around him again. Li Luo frowned. What did his mothers final words mean? Chapter 438: Excellent Helper Chapter 438: Excellent Helper When Li Luo exited the stone room, Yu Hongxi was already awaiting him outside. Leaning casually against the wall, her expression was dragged down by a hint of sadness, but upon seeing the young man stride out, she recomposed herself. So, have you taken everything? Yu Hongxi queried. Li Luo nodded. Without speaking further, she led Li Luo out. President Yu Li Luo wheedled as he rushed over, moving to her side. I have a tiiiiiiiiny task I need your help with. Relentless and without skipping a beat, she coolly responded, If its just business, we can settle things professionally. I know youve helped Qinger in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields and will give you a discount. But if its anything else that has nothing to do with the Golden Dragon Bank Well, you can keep this request to yourself. I need your help to refine a little something It requires a Dukes vast might. Li Luo didnt hesitate. A flash of surprise could be seen in her eyes before they narrowed in contemplation. What is this brat up to now? What would require a Dukes strength? Nope. Cant do it. Since this requires a Dukes involvement, this thing youre trying to refine must be of great significance. If news of this leaks out, it would inevitably leave a shadow on the Golden Dragon Banks stance of neutrality. Yu Hongxi was not going to lightly accede to such a shady request, so she simply rejected him immediately. On the other hand, her response did not seem to be out of Li Luos expectations. Furthermore, this rejection didnt seem particularly firm No longer planning to beat around the bush, Li Luo coughed and cut straight to the chase. President Yu is truly an esteemed business leader. What if I told you I could sufficiently compensate you? What sort of compensation? Are you trying to hire me for a ride? Yu Hongxis red lips turned into a smirk as she teased him. An old lady like me is extremely expensive. Do you think House Luolan is able to afford me? Yu Hongxis proud proclamation did not faze Li Luo in any way. On the other hand, he gently opened his palm, revealing a jade gourd, a golden object slowly flowing within. The jade gourd on its own seemed pretty uninspirational, and an uninspired, casual glance was all she afforded it. But when she noticed the golden substance waffling around within, her gaze quickly sharpened. She came to a halt, and a passionate look finally surfaced within her eyes. President Yu, I think you know what this is. I dont know Do YOU think this is enough to warrant your help? Li Luo asked earnestly. After which, he proceeded to put the jade gourd away slowly. Yu Hongxi continued to endlessly stare at his hands, as though an intense glare could cause the gourd to reappear. If this isnt enough sigh I guess I have to find someone else, then. Looking at her lack of response, Li Luo could only sigh wistfully. Yet just as he almost completed his slow show, Yu Hongxi reached out and firmly grabbed his hand, directly taking the jade gourd away for closer inspection. You brat! Are you trying to mess around with this old woman? Yu Hongxi snorted with a cold smile. This is definitely some good stuff In fact, if you were to wantonly parade this in front of any Duke Stage expert, youd definitely attract the attention of even more hungry wolves hoping to take a bite out of House Luolan. With an innocent face, Li Luo replied, Well, its because I trust President Yu with my heart and soul that I would dare to do so. Youre not a starving wolf, slobbering over my items, right? Her gaze immediately softened and she became more cordial, all the while fiddling with the jade gourd in her hand. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan clearly left behind some goodies for you. She easily made the connection that this was something that Li Luo had only just obtained. So is this a yes? A brief moment of silent contemplation was punctuated by Yu Hongxis final reply. Although I have no idea what youre trying to refine, this compensation definitely moves me. Im a businesswoman, as youve said. Since the remuneration is sufficient, I have no reason to reject your humble request. Then you have my thanks! Li Luo was absolutely jubilant upon hearing this reply. Immediately, he took out a list of items with a smile. Since President Yu is willing to help, I would kindly like to trouble you with just another small matter. I hope you can help me obtain the goods within this list. These were all materials required for the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel, some extremely complex and rare to find. If he had to locate these ingredients himself, it would undoubtedly take up a significant amount of time. Enlisting President Yus help was definitely the smartest choice. Yu Hongxi took the list and briefly scanned through it. Some of these items here can even be considered to be peculiar and esoteric. I still cant for the life of me fathom what youre trying to do. Uncommon as they may be, they are definitely going to be expensive. I reckon this would cost you around seven to eight hundred thousand skygold. However, this cost is something I can bear for you. President Yu is truly generous and kind! Li Luo emphatically exclaimed. He silently heaved a huge sigh of relief. President Yu was truly a wealthy lady. Only someone like her could casually flaunt hundreds of thousands of skygold. This is just a token sum compared to your King Quintessence. Barely even a drop in the ocean when compared to this items true worth. Im not keen on ripping off the younger generation, and if Qinger knew about this, I would definitely get an earful for the rest of the day, Yu Hongxi casually replied. Okay, so when do we begin? Li Luo replied, Around 10 days from now should be good. The Holy Grail Meet would start in 10 days, and he would have to leave the Xia Kingdom. Hence, he would have to complete the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel before he left. Location? Li Luo gave it a thought, and if he were to request both Mentor Chi Chan and Yu Hongxis help, the location could not be House Luolans headquarters. The headquarters possessed a ward that suppressed the might of any Duke Stage expert, and he would definitely require them to give their all. Thus, he would definitely have to find a safe location to carry out this clandestine task. It would most likely be in the Astral Sage College. Li Luo smiled. There was probably no safer location in the entire Xia Kingdom. Within the school? Yu Hongxi seemed a little taken aback at the suggestion, but she came around quickly. Hmm that would indeed be the ideal place. This refinement will require the assistance of two Dukes, hence I will also need to reach out to someone else to help, Li Luo quickly explained. Yu Hongxis brows furrowed upon hearing his words. I have to remind you, Li Luo, that this King Quintessence possesses an uncanny attraction to any Duke. You cant simply wave this around openly. House Luolan is already in dire straits, and adding fuel to the fire is not the way to go. Li Luo knew that this warning was well intentioned and thus nodded in agreement. Rest easy, President Yu. I am well aware of this, and the other Duke expert I plan to enlist is none other than my mentor, Chi Chan. I trust her, and as a mentor of the Astral Sage College, she is a neutral party to all this too. Chi Chan, hmm? She nodded and no longer said anything. Having had some interaction with her in the past, this was indeed a good choice. I will assist you with gathering the ingredients. When the time comes, I will find you in the school. Li Luo nodded and once again heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully, his kind parents had left behind him these precious King Quintessences. Otherwise, he would have had no way to get a Duke expert to help, and he wouldve been ruined! As both Mentor Chi Chan and Yu Hongxi were neutral, one would naturally have to produce something of equivalent value to obtain their help. Now that half the problem was resolved, he would have to look for Mentor Chi Chan. Things seemed to be looking up now. Chapter 439: Three Favorites Chapter 439: Three Favorites The next day, Li Luo made his way back to the Astral Sage College after saying farewell to Jiang Qinge. There was still roughly half a months time until the Holy Grail Meet. All of the participants were buckling down and working hard to cultivate and train. He was no different. It was time for the final sprint. Upon reaching the college, Li Luo made his way to Mentor Chi Chans residence, finding his favorite mentor sipping tea within the gazebo in the courtyard. Your shoes, remove them. Dont sully my mats, Mentor Chi Chan commanded without batting an eye. Hurriedly removing his footwear, Li Luo immediately mustered the most radiant smile he could as he scrambled into the gazebo, taking a seat in front of the mentor. What are you up to now? The way you rushed over gives me a bad feeling. Mentor Chi Chan glanced over at him with a strange look. The usual Li Luo seemed relaxed compared to this uppity, bouncing rabbit in front of her. Well, I have something really important that I need your help with! Li Luo earnestly explained. Raising a single eyebrow in curiosity combined with a tinge of suspicion, Chi Chan immediately asked, I hope youre not asking me to fight off House Luolans secret nemesis, are you? Even if I agree, the college will never accede to this request either. Mentor, your love for your students is vast and wide like the ocean How could I take advantage of that and be so shameless!? I, Li Luo, am certainly not that type of person! Shaking his head vigorously, he continued, To be honest, I was just hoping you could assist me with refining a certain object. This requires the assistance of two Dukes working together, and the other cooperator is the Golden Dragon Banks Yu Hongxi. Yu Hongxi? Mentor Chi Chan was slightly taken aback. The Golden Dragon Bank is very similar to the Astral Sage College. Both are neutral parties, so why would she accept your request? Without further prompting, she continued, Although I dont know exactly what you want to refine that requires so much help, assisting you doesnt break the Astral Sage Colleges rules. Hmm it should also count as my reward to you for performing so exceptionally during the ticket match. Mentor Chi Chan, did you just agree so easily? Li Luo burst out in surprise. You arent satisfied with this? She grinned. No, no, no I had never expected you to be so decisive. Much better than that fellow from the Golden Dragon Bank I cant be compared with her. She is in charge of the entire Golden Dragon Bank, and her every action will inevitably be scrutinized. Since she agreed to help you, I would definitely not have any concerns. Nodding, he exhaled a sigh of thanks. Since Mentor Chi Chan has so unwillingly agreed to assist me, then I wont let you act for free. Oh? Did you want to bribe me? An almost entertained smile hung on her lips. I think you may have misunderstood what it means to be a Duke Stage expert. Although youre supported by House Luolan, that doesnt mean that you have the means to hire one. My assistance is purely based on the fact that youre my student. If we were to look at proper compensation I dont think anything you can provide would be sufficient. This was the inner pride that all Duke experts possessed. Grinning in response, Li Luo quietly removed a jade gourd from his pocket and lightly placed it upon the tea table. When her gaze fell upon the jade gourd, a golden, flowing substance entered her eyes. The original glimpse of suspicion and confusion was quickly replaced with utter shock. She finally understood what this was! The atmosphere seemed to congeal at this very moment as time seemed to freeze. Ten breaths later, she gingerly reached out and lightly cradled the finger-sized jade gourd. Time. Place. In 10 days. We will be refining the object in the college. I was hoping you could arrange for a suitable location, Li Luo said candidly. Mhm. Mentor Chi Chan nodded in agreement. Although Chi Chan seemed to be calm on the outside, she was now tightly clutching the jade gourd to the point that even veins could be seen on her fair hands. When she noticed Li Luos gaze, she finally let go, and the jade gourd was quickly hidden in her sleeve and put away. A quick glance revealed a slight blush that could be seen even below her veiled face. Chuckling secretly within, it was evident that this King Quintessence possessed utmost temptation even for these mighty Duke experts. The always-calm Mentor Chi Chan had been completely unsettled by the mere sight of this object. However, he was smart enough to not poke the bear, just in case Chi Chan got angry. Mentor Chi Chan, do you think I have a chance to ascend the podium in the One Star Hall Holy Grail Meet? Li Luo quickly changed topics to prevent harping on the situation. Although her mind was full of confused and conflicting thoughts, the unbridled question snapped her out of her stupor. Yeah, if youre talking about winning the most shameless participant competition, your chances of being in the top few are probably unrivaled. Hearing that blunt reply, Li Luo was left a little dissatisfied. What do you mean by that? Do you really think that beating the Blue Abyss Sage Colleges Lu Cng qualifies you as one of the strongest One Star Hall students across the divine continent? she snapped impolitely. Do you mean that Lu Cng isnt even considered to be an average participant? Li Luo retorted. Lu Cng is a strong opponent. Based on my experience, he should be in the top 10 of the East Divine Continents One Star Hall students. Beating him puts you in the top tier of competitors. However, if you feel that this is sufficient to ascend to the top of the One Star Hall rankings, you are sorely mistaken. You are underestimating the trump cards of the other top tier colleges. Do you have any information on these students? Li Luo curiously continued to ask. Yet his query was met with the shake of a head. This ticket match was slightly different from the ones before. If this was in the past, you would have received detailed information on your opponent before the match. This was the norm for an exchange between colleges. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and you were inevitably faced with a surprise during the match. Now, considering the fact that this was just the friendliest of matches, what do you think will happen for the actual Holy Grail Meet? All of the best colleges will indubitably conceal any and all information on their participants! Its a secret they will bring to the grave. If you want to get in-depth information, then you will have to experience it for yourself during the actual meet. Unsurprisingly, this response was met with a regretful Li Luo. Of course, we wont let you go in blind but our assistance will be limited. We should be able to get some general information on the three strongest. And you dont belong in this group, Li Luo. So who are these three champions? The Spear of Enlightened Sage. The Beast of the Sacred Summit. And last but not least, the Infernal Cores Illusory Thunderbolt. Chapter 440: Quasi-Ninth, Duke Art, Dual Resonance User Chapter 440: Quasi-Ninth, Duke Art, Dual Resonance User Spear of Enlightened Sage? Beast of the Sacred Summit? The Infernal Cores Illusory Thunderbolt? Li Luo forcefully spat out their names before unknowingly asking, What does this mean? Mentor Chi Chans willowy fingers were rhythmically thumping against the table, releasing a series of crisp thumps, almost as though her impatience was gradually building But still, she replied with a smile. The Spear of Enlightened Sage should be referring to the student from the Enlightened Sage College. Have you heard of this college? Well, let me tell you now, it was the champion of the previous Holy Grail Meet. They have managed to obtain tremendous amounts of cultivation resources and all sorts of benefits. The years of accumulation have allowed them to reinforce their position as the mightiest sage college in the East Divine Continent. The one known as the Spear is a One Star Hall student who goes by the name of Jing Taixu. He possesses a wind resonance of the Nine Voids Grade. Quasi ninth-grade? What do you mean by that? As you are close to Jiang Qinge, you might not fully comprehend the immense might and rarity of a ninth-grade resonance. Perhaps you might have forgotten what it means to be fearful Constantly living next to a wild beast would naturally desensitize you. For others, being terrified of these mighty cultivators is a self-preservational reaction to danger. People are afraid of vicious tigers, after all. Li Luo was left dumbstruck. Why was Mentor Chi Chan comparing Jiang Qinge to a wild tigress? Between the upper eighth-grade and the ninth-grade resonance exists a cataclysmic gap that is not simply bridged. How should I put it Ever since Jiang Qinge entered the Astral Sage College, no one has seen, or been able to draw out her true capabilities. Even the battle during the ticket match would have been mere entertainment for her. Zhao Huiyin is not an opponent that would force her to bring out her hidden potential and trump cards. Just as you are making preparations against the strongest competitors of the One Star Hall, the rest of the sage colleges Three Star Hall students are specifically researching Jiang Qinges strengths and weaknesses. Its everyones understanding that she is the mountain pass-blocking tiger! Whilst the One Star Hall has three highly and somewhat equally favored victors, the Three Star Hall only has one hegemon: the Astral Sage Colleges Jiang Qinge. Surprise after surprise left Li Luo hanging in utter shock. He had never encountered such a feeling of dread when dealing with Jiang Qinge. Perhaps they had spent too much time together and he never really noticed her strength. And now, her resounding reputation had already reverberated around the entire East Divine Continent. Why? All of this can be attributed to the vast gap between an eighth-grade and a ninth-grade resonance. To better identify the relative strength amongst those who reside in this gap, a new form of resonance grading was developed. This is what the quasi ninth-grade represents. However, just because it isnt an actual ninth-grade doesnt mean that its weak. On the contrary, anything that possesses any sort of association with a ninth-grade resonance possesses horrifying power. Thus, the one in fiercest contention for the strongest One Star Hall student is none other than Jing Taixu, Chi Chan explained methodically. A ninth-grade resonance was truly the dream of countless individuals. Even a quasi ninth-grade was unthinkably uncommon. What about that Beast from that Sacred Summit or something? he continued to ask. The Beast of the Sacred Summit refers to a student from the Sacred Summit Sage College. This sage college also has its own unique points. What its most renowned for is its beast resonances. Amongst the numerous sage colleges of the East Divine Continent, they have the greatest number of students with beast resonances, and this Beast we speak of is one of their students, Sun Dasheng. He possesses an upper eighth-grade Stone Ape Resonance. Sun Dasheng? Thats a pretty domineering name. Li Luo chuckled. [1] Still, isnt this JUST an upper eighth-grade? It might be rare, but that cant be the reason why hes favored to be one of the best. What sort of special abilities does he have that equalize the difference? Mentor Chi Chan nodded in agreement. Looks like you arent as dull as you might seem. Sun Dasheng has demonstrated his capabilities by successfully cultivating a Duke Art. A Duke Art? How can that be? The surprises never stopped coming, and Li Luo was left flabbergasted now. Conventional logic dictated that a Duke Art was something only Dukes could wield with impunity. They possessed heaven-shaking capabilities that even Earth Fiends were normally unable to utilize, much less a mere Resonant Master. How had Sun Dasheng pulled off this miracle? The world is wide and full of countless mysteries. Oddities naturally arise, so theres no reason to freak out over something so minor Mentor Chi Chan was wizened and had experienced the countless vicissitudes of life, so something like this was insufficient to shake her. Thinking to himself, Li Luo also realized that he belonged to such a group. He was born with three blank palaces, and this should have been an even rarer event compared to what Sun Dasheng had achieved. There were bound to be other individuals with special circumstances like him. Although Sun Dasheng can wield a Duke Art, his physical capabilities and resonant power should be limited. Otherwise, if this art was brandished with ease, he would be an absolutely frightening opponent, far surpassing Jing Taixu as the crowd favorite for champion, Mentor Chi Chan explained. Li Luo nodded. Spear of Enlightened Sage Beast of Sacred Summit, well ive explained enough. Do you want to guess what Infernal Cores Illusory Thunderbolt is about? Chi Chan smiled. After a brief moment of thinking, Li Luo blurted outMight this person be a dual resonance cultivator? Remembering his battle against Lu Cng, he had mentioned that during the Holy Grail Meet, Li Luo would not be the only one who could utilize dual resonances. This response was met with a light chuckle. Youre sharp. Your guess is right, and the third person is like you, an individual with dual resonances. She is the Heavenly Inferno Sage Colleges Lu Ming. She possesses an illusion resonance and a thunder resonance, both of the seventh-grade. Illusion and thunder dual resonances, hmm? Li Luos gaze sharpened. An illusion resonance? This was something scarcely seen. Perhaps it was similar to Bai Mengmengs Nightmarish Water Butterfly resonance. Resonances like these did not possess overwhelming offensive might. Instead, they were insidious and tricky to deal with. Having collaborated with Bai Mengmeng multiple times, Li Luo deeply understood where the strength of this resonance would lie. Just how would these dual resonances combine and what sort of spectacle would that create? Li Luo could only sigh at the massive struggle that awaited him. The Holy Grail Meet was truly a place full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Quasi ninth-grade resonance. Duke Art. Dual Resonances. It was no wonder Mentor Chi Chan had told him to be grounded and to remain humble. With your strength today, you will definitely place within the upper echelons of the Holy Grail Meet. Unfortunately, if your target is to be the strongest One Star Hall student, your aim might just be out of reach, Chi Chan kindly reminded him. A solemn expression blanketed Li Luos face. Mentor Chi Chans words did not come from her underestimating him. It was that the favored contenders were all truly monsters in their own right! Of course, your chances arent zero. Her gaze flitted over. I seek your guidance, Mentor. Li Luo very sincerely pleaded for his mentors help in response. The drumming of fingers atop the table finally came to a halt. Dual Resonances, Becoming One. In this remaining half a month, I will guide you personally. If you are truly able to reach the Becoming One realm, then the three championship seeds will become four! Whilst Li Luo continued his intense training with Mentor Chi Chan during this period of time, a certain Cai Wei had come to find the practicing Jiang Qinge in House Luolan. Whats wrong, Sister Cai Wei? Jiang Qinge sheathed her sword, her wry smile and golden eyes focused upon her friend. Cai Wei had come adorned with a flowery hand fan which coquettishly covered her red lips. Nothing much. When I was tidying up the study, I found an interesting object. She laughed. Hm? Cai Wei handed over a folded letter with a mischievous look on her face. Jiang Qinge curiously received the letter and proceeded to open it, reading it carefully. However, what she saw caused her eyebrow to lift lightly. This letter was addressed to Li Taixuan. What left her surprised was that the letter did not come from someone from the Xia Kingdom, instead coming from the Holy Sun Dynasty, a kingdom that was far to the north end of the East Divine Continent. Jiang Qinge recognized this symbol purely because the Enlightened Sage College was situated there. The contents of the letter came from a low profile but ancient family from the Holy Sun Dynasty. The Jing family. The Jing familys head was clearly acquainted with Li Taixuan. Interestingly, the Jing family had sent a request for a marriage with a Qilin son of theirs, known as Taixu. The bride? Yours truly! Jiang Qinge emotionlessly continued to read, yet something at the end caused her to smirk. There was little message written at the bottom of the letter, with a handwriting she was incomparably familiar with. Li Taixuans. Two simple words. Get. Lost. It was a pity that this letter had not been sent out. It had been casually thrown aside, and only today had Cai Wei discovered it. Cough. Qinge, it looks like you were already distinguished amongst peers even years ago Cai Wei giggled. Shaking her head in response. The Jing family is truly bored. After passing the letter back to Cai Wei, she waved her hand. Burn it to ashes. Dont let Li Luo see this. 1. TL Note: Sun Dasheng basically translates to Great Sage Sun. Specifically, this is also known as the title of Sun Wukong, the Great Sage, Heavens Equal. As a result, the name can be seen to be describing the person as one equal to the heavens! Which is pretty much almighty in a chinese literary concept. Hence the comment that is domineering. Interestingly, Sun Wukong is also known as the ape that was born from a magic stone, and this guy has a stone ape resonance probably uses a staff as a weapon too ? Chapter 441: Cruel Cauldron Conditioning Chapter 441: Cruel Cauldron Conditioning The arboreal sprawl cloaked the rocky mountains in a coat of severe green, relenting only to allow dappled sunlight to filter downwards, and the ferocious roar of spirit beasts ringing out upwards. This was the mountain behind the Astral Sage College, the Gukun mountain range. Sweat was pouring down Li Luos face, stinging his eyes. His hand was practically a wiper on maximum speed, but the rain of saltwater seemed endless. He was using his resonant power in every way he could think of to increase his speed, and yet Chi Chan easily maintained her distance a few dozen meters ahead of him. He could not close the distance. The Gukun mountain range had become particularly lively recently. As the Holy Grail Meet neared, all of the Violet Vibrance squads were hunkering down with their mentors here, killing spirit beasts and training themselves. Li Luo saw Chi Chan halt in front of him, and he gratefully scurried back up to her, wheezing heavily. He followed her gaze to see two people fighting a bunch of spirit beasts nearby. They moved well together, taking turns to attack and support each other. The spirit beasts fell with brisk efficiency. Li Luo immediately recognized their familiar movementsXin Fu and Bai Mengmeng. This patch of forest had been marked out by Chi Chan for their training use, which meant that all the spirit beasts in this area were swarming them. It was brutally effective. Even from a distance, Li Luo could feel that both their auras had been hardened significantly, and their resonant powers were much stronger than before. Everyone was racing against time to improve themselves. Am I to train here too? Li Luo asked his mentor. This is not the sort of training you need. For you, the most important thing is to improve the level of your dual resonances, she replied. Li Luo followed her gaze further. The only other thing of note was a volcanos mouth, with an ashy-white plume of smoke rising slowly from it. The heat was distorting the air. With barely a thought, Chi Chan had moved herself over to the mouth of the volcano, and Li Luo again chased her accordingly. Looking down, he could see magma bubbling merrily below him, gurgling like a baby. A very hot, red, wet baby. He swallowed nervously. Er, Mentor, youre not asking me to hop down and cultivate, are you? Ill be in hot soup, both literally and figuratively. My body cant handle this sort of heat. I wouldnt ask you to, she chuckled. Li Luo was very relieved to hear that. He was relieved too, but too soon. She reached out a slim hand and clenched it above the magma. Li Luo saw it start to rise, the neon red magma cooling into an ashy-gray as it solidified in the air. Soon enough, it formed a large, black cauldron. Although the redness was all gone, the cauldron continued to steam and hiss with heat, and Li Luo could still feel it from a few meters away. Get in. Youre going to cultivate inside, she said, jabbing a finger at the cauldron. Li Luo turned an unhealthy shade of green. The damn thing was literally made of magma, and it was an enclosed space. He was definitely going to get cooked in that thing. Given your current resonant power, you should be able to last about 10 minutes in there. After that, youll be completely drained and no longer able to protect your physical body. Youll be burned to a crisp, she told him as casually as if she was explaining how to bake bread. If you want to avoid that, youre going to have to break the cauldron within 10 minutes. However, Ive put a sliver of my dual resonant power into it as reinforcement. Its not very strong, but enough to stop you from smashing it with brute force. Your only hope is to use the true power of dual resonances to nullify mine If you can get your dual resonances to the Becoming One Stage, youll be able to do it. Li Luo winced. He had tried his best to reach the Becoming One Stage ever since the ticket match, but he had yet to replicate his success. It had been a pure fluke. Still, he did not object to the cruel training that his mentor had set up for him. He knew that cultivating at the brink of life and death was the best sort of motivation and inspiration for a breakthrough. Li Luo, the cultivation of dual resonances is indeed very difficult. Because strictly speaking, its not something that a Resonant Master is prepared for. Its the rightful domain of Dukes, and to dare to trespass on natures boundaries is a rare but difficult chance to grasp. And yet if you can, you will have power in your hands that can far exceed your cultivation level. When you reach the Duke Stage, you will naturally grasp dual resonances, and it will even be at the sentience stage, something that you can only dream of right now. But you are not a Duke. You cannot move the resonant power within your body with that level of will. There is no way to brute force thisyou have to let nature take its course. The power within you is like a very special plant. Pulling on it isnt going to make it taller in any healthy way. Youll have to grow it, nurture it. Quieten your heart and feel the pulse, the logic, the system of the two resonances. Understand their nature and then become them. Li Luo had absolutely no idea what the hell she was talking about. But there was a slight glimmer of an idea itching at the back of his mind. He knew better than to chase it, as it would only disappear. Better to leave it be and let it come to him at its own time. Li Luo, youve always been quick to grasp the abstract. The dual resonances are like a pair of unruly, wild stallions. If you can somehow bridle them, they will carry you to fantastic places. It will be the greatest advantage that you can bring forward. If you want to do well in the Holy Grail Meet and beat the three hot favorites, you must pass the hurdle of the Becoming One Stage. I believe in you. Hearing her encouragement cheered him up, and he gave her a huge nod. Dont worry, Mentor! I wont let you down! She nodded approvingly at him. Let us begin, then. Fired up, Li Luo hopped into the steaming cauldron, disappearing into the thick, white smoke. The next instant. A miserable howl of pain and misery, enough to startle the birds off their perches. In the forest nearby. Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng were taking a well-deserved break under a tree after clearing through a horde of spirit beasts. Bai Mengmeng wiped sweat from her face, then she suddenly paused. Did you hear something? Sounded a little familiar. Xin Fus eyes were half-closed in fatigue, his body too sluggish to move. He gave a slow shake of his head. Nope, dont hear a thing Say, do you smell something nice? It smells delicious, like someones grilling meat nearby. Damn, I wish they would share a piece or two with me. Chapter 442: Li Luos Troubles Chapter 442: Li Luos Troubles Li Luos hellish training continued. For an entire week. His howls were heard all around the volcano, loud and lusty enough that even the spirit beasts were pitying him Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng, who were also training nearby, watched their mentor with trepidation as she drank tea casually near the volcano while she cooked their squad leader in a cauldron. She looked as relaxed as if she was at a tea-and-poetry event, while Li Luo was composing poetry that sounded a little like aaaaaaaaaargghghghghgh. The two avoided Chi Chans eye, scooting off to their training. Suddenly, the training that they thought difficult looked like a walk in the park compared to their leaders. Their mentor was taking good care of them. Good luck, Leader. Hope you survive. Li Luo was again gently lifted out of the cauldron in a bubble of water, which set him down against the slope of the volcano. His skin was red as a cooked lobster, but this was skin, not shiny carapace. It was peeling badly at places, and blackened at others. However, the water bubble around him was pumping him full of healing energy that patched him back up. Water resonant power from Mentor Chi Chan. A Dukes water resonant power had healing powers far beyond Li Luos own waterlight resonance. In a few minutes, he was as good as new again. He continued to lie on the ground and pant, staring blankly at the sky. He had made some good progress during his training, but his dual resonances had not managed to reach the Becoming One Stage yet. He did not know why, but they were always just a little short. Mentor, whats going on? His head creaked sideways to look at her. She inhaled deeply, taking in the fragrance of the tea, then he looked up at the mountain scenery. Come here, she said, setting down her teacup. Li Luo creaked over, joints protesting. Put on your shirt, she said impatiently. His shirt had been burned clean away. He had prepared some thermal-resistant pants, but his mentor was not interested in his topless form, even though he had some good definition on his muscles. Li Luo pulled out another shirt from his pocket sphere with a shy chuckle. Give me your hand. Li Luo reached out obediently, putting his overheated hand in her cooler one. Use your resonant power. Li Luo sent out his water resonance, then his wood resonance. She gave him a half-smile. Still trying to hide it? Li Luo started, then laughed weakly. Hehe, Mentor, you found out? I always suspected. Your resonance arts were always stronger than they should have been, and a little different. And I confirmed it by putting you in the cauldron for the last few days. Li Luo shrugged sheepishly. Now he showed his other two clearlylight resonance and earth resonance. Youre really obsessed with hiding things, arent you? Not just dual resonances, but with two more secondary resonances, she said with some surprise. Well, its not a miraclesome people naturally develop these. You dont need to think of yourself as a freak. Hehe, I dont really think that way, Li Luo said. I only hid it out of habit. Always be unpredictable, right? She shook her head. Wily as they come. Still, she knew about House Luolans circumstances as well. He was in more danger than other students. When ones life was on the line, anything you could do, you did. She did not pay too much attention to that. The dual secondary resonances must have given you much range and agility in your fighting up until now, but its also brought some troubles. When what you needed most was raw power, it was a plus. But the crux of the transition to the Becoming One Stage is different. It marks a switch to fine control. At this time, the extra colors within you are muddying the direction. Do you mean that I cant reach the Becoming One Stage because of the dual secondary resonances interference? Li Luo asked, dismayed. She nodded. But I always sift the light and earth out of my resonant powers when I combine them, Li Luo said. Maybe you try to, but its not thorough. The two elements are too deeply entwined. How could a mere Resonant Master like yourself separate them cleanly? Well then, what now? he asked, crestfallen. Its not a difficult problem. You just need to reach the General Stage. Then this will not be a problem, she laughed. You cant do it right now, of course. So the other way is to borrow some external power. What external power? She thought about it for a moment. Flowing Shear. You learned that resonance art, right? The Flowing Shear resonance art? Li Luo blinked, then nodded. He had indeed trained it before. He had used it against the human skin and fleshy Other back in the Umbra Cave to cut them apart from each other. Why not try using some Flowing Shear within your body? Borrow its power to make the cut, and maybe youll be able to reach Becoming One a lot easier, she suggested. Li Luos eyes lit up at the idea. I can do that? But you need to be careful, she cautioned him. Dont go turning your organs into minced meat. Not even my water resonant power can save you from an internal grinder. Why must my secondary resonances be liabilities?! Why cant they be enablers instead, to improve my dual resonances?! Li Luo grumbled, surly at having his expectations dashed. What are we learning now? Chi Chan asked him acidly. Er, dual resonances, of course. And what does DUAL resonance mean? Well, it means combining two resonances. And, she said testily, if you want to add a third resonance into the mix, would it still be called dual resonances? Im sorry to say that it would be called triple resonances instead. Even I havent mastered that yet. What are you griping about?! What gun are you trying to jump? she cried, waving her hands about agitatedly. Besides, your secondary resonances are much, much weaker compared to your primary resonances. The melding would be too unbalanced to create triple resonances. Dual resonance melding is about deep control. Deep control. Deep control!! You are mixing two highly unstable, volatile elements together. Throwing a third resonance into the mix would be chaos. Li Luos eyes lit up with a wicked light. Ah, so even if it fails, I could make a huge-ass explosion? An energy bomb? There was a dangerous look in Chi Chans eye now. Is that what Im trying to teach you? If you really want to die, you might as well jump into the volcano now. Li Luo knew when to surrender. Well, I feel a strong surge of enthusiasm to try the Flowing Shear technique, Mentor! Im going to do very well and work towards the Becoming One Stage, Mentor! He immediately sat down to cultivate, recovering his resonant power. She sighed tiredly, shaking her head. Li Luo was a sharp one, but sharp things were often dangerous. He liked playing with fire too much. Chapter 443: Loser Chapter 443: Loser Chi Chans advice was extremely on-point. After calibrating his Flowing Shear resonant art, he managed to separate the resonant power within him much more cleanly, and he felt like he was making good progress again. He only spent a day experimenting with the Flowing Shear, and now he was already capable of using it at will within himself without injury. And on the ninth day of cultivation in the volcano, he finally managed to reach the Becoming One Stage. BOOM! There was a deafening bang from the volcano, and then the cauldron gave way, shattering into pieces. They fell into the magma below with a noisy splash. Li Luo landed lightly on the mouth of the volcano, his face flushed with heat and excitement. He had finally managed it. Around his wrists, bracelets of shining blue and green power circled. This was the sign of the Becoming One Stage! After all that hardship, he had finally succeeded. Clenching his fists, he could feel the energy swirling within him. Although he was still the same First Changing cultivator, his power was on a completely different level now. He could definitely beat Lu Cng much more easily, he believed. Clap, clap, clap. Li Luo turned around to the source of the steady applause. It was Bai Mengmeng, in awe. Beside her was Xin Fu. Li Luo grinned at them. Mentor, Ive done it! he declared proudly. Well, youre not completely helpless, I guess. If this didnt work, I was just about to call off the cooking, she said. Leader, your screaming has become good entertainment in these parts. A lot of people drop by every day to marvel at your volume, Xin Fu said with a smirk. Li Luo stared at him. Dont listen to him, Leader. Everyone admires your tenacity. Not everyone can tough through that sort of training, Bai Mengmeng hurriedly assured him. Li Luo nodded glumly. If he had known, he would have held his screaming a little bit more, and gone back as a tight-lipped grim hero. But now Mentor, its quite an effective training method. It helps build resilience. You shouldnt show favoritismXin Fu has great potential as well. I strongly recommend him for a course. Xin Fu blanched. This counterattack had come really swiftly. His leader was really petty. Er, no need. Im not aiming to be the strongest One Star Hall student in all of the East Divine Continent or anything, Xin Fu hurriedly reassured her. She ignored their banter. Well call a wrap to all of your training. Go back to school and rest. She whirled back towards the school, and her squad followed her like little chicks behind the mother hen. Back at school, Chi Chan indicated that Li Luo should stay a while more. Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng headed for the tower eagerly for some well-deserved rest. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, Ill begin your refining. Ive already secured a location for you, a cultivation hall that only Violet Vibrance mentors can borrow. I dont know what you want to refine, but there are security wards that will provide privacy, she said. Mentor thinks of everything. Li Luo grinned, pleased with her foresight. He needed the power of two Dukes for the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel, and he knew it wasnt going to be easy. Although the school was quite safe, privacy wouldnt hurt. The pay is very good. Of course I will give you proportional effort, she said with a half-smile. Go and rest, then. Oh and Congratulations. Youve become one of the top four competitors among the One Star Hall students. I look forward to your performance at the Holy Grail Meet. The next day, Li Luo was finishing his preparations in his room when he heard a knock on his door. When the door opened, two beautiful ladies awaited him. On his left was Lu Qinger, in the Astral Sage College uniform, plus her signature, white-lace socks. Her face was glowing with youthful energy. On the right was Yu Hongxi, in her usual red. Standing beside Lu Qinger, one might even think they were sisters rather than mother and daughter. Lu Qinger beamed at him brightly, hanging off her mothers arm. President Yu, you are very punctual. Li Luo hid his surprise that Lu Qinger was here as well. However, he soon realized that her daughter was the best possible cover for a trip to the Astral Sage College. Yu Hongxi took out a pocket sphere, pulling out a silver box from within. These are the ingredients you needed, she said, handing it over to Li Luo. Theyre all prepared perfectly. Li Luo gave her a big thumbs up. President Yu, youre the best! he said excitedly. He had been quite worried about these materials. After all, if he had managed to get two Dukes and not brought the right materials, that wouldve been a huge embarrassment. But clearly Yu Hongxi was highly capable. A mere transaction, she said with an easy smile. Lu Qinger frowned at her mothers words, pinching her elbow. Are you going to make us wait at the door all day? Yu Hongxi asked impatiently. Li Luo hastily stepped aside to let them in. To his surprise, he saw yet another person behind them. A familiar one Mentor Cao Sheng? Today, he was not as slovenly looking as he usually was. He was hunched over, his stature stiff with nervousness. He was rubbing his hands nervously, but together with his hunched back, it only made him look like a suspicious character. Mentor Cao Sheng? Li Luo asked. Oh, keke, I was here to speak to Mentor Chi Chan about something, and I ran into Qinger and President Yu along the way. What a coincidence, eh? His eyes were following Yu Hongxi into the room. Li Luo understood immediately, although he wasnt very sure what he had understood. So Mentor Cao Sheng had a soft spot for Yu Hongxi was there history between them? Didnt Yu Hongxi like his dad? Which meant his old man had been Mentor Cao Shengs love rival? No, Mentor Cao Sheng probably did not qualify as a love rival. After all, his father had only treated Yu Hongxi as a friend. Of course, from Yu Hongxis attitude and the fact that she had gotten married and had a daughter in the flesh with them today, it meant that Cao Shengs feelings were unreciprocated. Ah one-sided love. So sweet, yet so bitter. Li Luo looked at Mentor Cao Sheng with some sympathy in his eyes. In the complicated love struggle of the previous generation, this poor man had emerged the ultimate loser. Chapter 444: Buy Two Get One Free Chapter 444: Buy Two Get One Free Li Luo was still looking at Cao Sheng with pity, while the latter boldly followed them into the house like a lost puppy. Li Luos heart went out to him. Love made fools of us all. Luckily, Im awesome, so I wont know what its like to be rejected. Bai Mengmeng came hurrying over to serve tea to Yu Hongxi and Lu Qinger with an adorable smile. Yu Hongxi nodded in appreciation. This Li Luo, she said mischievously to her daughter, spends all his days in the same house as such a cute girl. She knew that her daughter liked Li Luo. She might acknowledge his abilities, but he was an engaged man. Whether the engagement was real or just a formality, she was still reluctant for him to be too close to Lu Qinger. But young girls had a mind of their own. Yu Hongxi knew that forbidding anything would only be counterproductive. That was why she preferred to drop subtle reminders for her daughter instead. The apple did not fall far from the tree. Lu Qinger was equally sharp, and quickly picked up on what her mother was trying to do. Youre overthinking it, Mom. Squadmates are not chosen by ourselves. Bai Mengmeng looks like she thinks well of Li Luo, Yu Hongxi said mildly. Mom, there are many girls in school who think well of Li Luo. Sounds like playboy potential to me. Only because your mind is dirty, Mom. Yu Hongxi coughed irritatedly. Li Luo showed Mentor Cao Sheng in and seated him opposite Yu Hongxi. Mentor. Lu Qinger greeted him with a smile. Cao Sheng nodded and gave her a hasty smile back. Yu Hongxi looked at him as well. Cao Sheng was sitting as straight as could be, and sneaking surreptitious looks Yu Hongxis way. Mentor Cao Sheng, thank you for taking care of Qinger all this time. Ive wanted to pay you a visit for a while now, but could never make the time, Yu Hongxi said. Oh, no trouble at all, no trouble Qinger is very talented! Just-just like yourself, Cao Sheng added awkwardly. Li Luo and Lu Qinger looked at each other. It was their first time seeing Mentor Cao Sheng this flustered. Mentor Cao Sheng, some wine? Li Luo tried to ease the mood. Oh! Er Li Luo! Well! Cao Sheng stammered. Dont you know that I dont like wine much? A cup of hot tea will do. Dafuq? Li Luos jaw almost fell through the floor. Mentor Cao Sheng, how can you lie like this and not have your tongue turn black? He is the biggest drunkard in the school. And now he is posing as a teetotaler? Youve got to be kidding me. Of course, he couldnt afford to expose Mentor Cao Sheng on the spot and embarrass him, so he gestured for Bai Mengmeng to set another cup of hot leaf liquid in front of Cao Sheng. Lu Qinger was feeling a little embarrassed herself. Mentor Cao Shengs temperament and favorite drink were all well-known to her. But what could she say at this point? It would be too cruel to expose him. Mentor Cao Sheng had a soft spot for her mother. Hed probably been on high alert from the moment that Yu Hongxi set foot in school, and set up his coincidental meeting. A coincidence so forced that Lu Qinger cringed. Yu Hongxi ate financial politics and maneuvering for breakfast. This sort of childish wooing was blatant as could be to her. Still, she was polite enough to entertain him with a few exchanges. They chatted pleasantly enough, but the mood was so cool that Lu Qinger had no doubts about her mothers complete lack of romantic interest in him. Regardless, Mentor Cao Sheng was lapping it up blissfully. Lu Qinger wanted to tell him that no love ever came from a forced relationship. If he hung himself by the neck on the tree, her mother would still not take a second look. When do you start? Yu Hongxi asked Li Luo. As Lu Qinger had predicted, Yu Hongxi had zero interest in Cao Shengs beverage preferences. Er He looked uncertainly at Mentor Cao Sheng, not sure if he should discuss this in front of him. Ive already told Mentor Cao Sheng about your refining. Because both myself and Mentor Chi Chan will be helping you, we will be defenseless. Although the school is quite a safe place, its always better to be cautious. We should ensure we are undisturbed, and Mentor Cao Sheng has graciously volunteered to defend us, Yu Hongxi said. Li Luo was amazed. Were the bodyguarding services of a Duke expert so easily gotten for free? For the first two Dukes help, he had paid out two King Quintessences. And now Cao Sheng was doing this for free?! He was a little giddy with happiness. Like a free pizza that had fallen from the sky. Duke level crust, Duke toppings. Li Luo looked at him with a complex expression. Mentor Cao Sheng, you are a great man. Cao Sheng waved it away happily. Oh, its nothing at all, Li Luo. Just tell me about such things earlier! Of course I would have helped you. Li Luo gave him a grateful smile, but he was screaming inwardly. Mentor Cao Sheng, you crazy bastard. Do you think I dont know what youre usually like? Back when Shen Jinxiao was hammering me into the ground, I didnt see you lift a finger, unless it was to lift your wine cup. It wasnt that he didnt want to cultivate good relationships with the Violet Vibrance mentors either, but no such opportunity had ever presented itself. Li Luo did not mindhe did not expect these elites of the Xia Kingdom to give him the time of day as the young lord of House Luolan. Besides, there was nothing to tie them together. Mentor Cao Sheng deciding to become a kind father was all thanks to the halo of romance that Yu Hongxi had brought. In any case, a Dukes protection would definitely allow todays refining to go more smoothly than ever. He chatted with Yu Hongxi for a while more, then Mentor Chi Chan arrived when the light outside just started to dim a little. Chi Chan showed no surprise at all to see Cao Sheng there. In fact, she almost seemed to have been expecting it. Not one given to gossiping, she greeted both of them simply. Well, were all here. Lets get to it, then. Li Luo rose accordingly. Time to forge the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. Chapter 445: Her Heart Chapter 445: Her Heart In the southwest corner of the Astral Sage College. A red-brick spiral building stood out from among the lush, green grass. It was an unfamiliar place for most students, as only Violet Vibrance mentors with resources to spare could rent the place. Mentor Chi Chan brought Li Luo and the others to one of the cultivation chambers. Pushing open the heavy, stone doors, a glittering arena of white crystal greeted their eyes. The cool room sparkled with golden glamor, and a spacious, stone platform in the middle of the room basked in their reflective spotlight. A wave of worldly natural energy blasted them full on from the moment the doors opened. For Dukes like Chi Chan and Yu Hongxi, it was like a cool and refreshing breeze playing across their faces. For Li Luo, it was closer to a tornado. He felt like he had been dunked into one of those earthenware wine jars the size of a bathtub, and he had drunk every last drop. He could barely stand straight. Mentor Chi Chan had expected as much, so she reached out to steady him. She also sent a jolt of resonant power to fortify him, shaking him out of his drowsy state. Wow, this is intense, Li Luo muttered to himself. This was even stronger than what he had experienced from the Tree of Resonant Power. Is this dragons blood amber crystal? Yu Hongxi asked appreciatively as she stepped into the glittering room. The Astral Sage College is truly something else. This crystal is very expensive. This entire room was built out of it, and it harnesses the harmonies of dragons blood in an inspirational design. Even Dukes would gain greatly from cultivating here. Chi Chan smiled. Very modest, President Yu As if the Astral Sage College could ever hope to compare to the Golden Dragon Banks wealth. Wealth built through a lifetime of scrimping and saving, Yu Hongxi replied. No boldness in luxury like the Astral Sage College. If President Yu finds this too ostentatious, I would be delighted to show you to House Luolans wagon parking yard, Li Luo said. Oh, no thank you. Yu Hongxi smirked. You dont have enough space to park all the wagons I have. Li Luo scowled. Damn, she is ruthless! Get off your high and very expensive horse! You think money alone can make you happy? Li Luo sighed. Actually, money would make him very happy. If he had enough money, his waterlight resonance would already be an eighth-grade And maybe he would have a seventh-grade woodearth resonance to go alongside it. Money could make him very happy indeed. Money he did not have. While Li Luo was brooding about his financial concerns, Yu Hongxi turned to Cao Sheng, who was standing at the door. Mentor Cao Sheng, our safety is in your hands. Mentor Cao Sheng waved eagerly at her. Dont worry, President Yu. I will not let anyone cause trouble to you. Anyway, the school is quite a safe place. I doubt anything would happen. Its always good to be safe. If theres nothing else, she said, turning to Li Luo, lets begin. Her natural business efficiency had reasserted itself. Li Luo was only too happy to oblige. With a gentle flick from Chi Chans wrist, the heavy, stone doors swung shut with a rumble. Cao Sheng stared at the closed door, then planted his own butt outside it. He rubbed his grizzled cheek and grinned like a young boy. He had not spoken so intimately with Yu Hongxi in many years now. Then again, he knew that it was not her faulthe was the one who had not dared to speak to her. In this regard, he was truly a coward. Back in the day, he had not even been able to muster up the courage to confess. He knew that the reply would be a clear refusalshe had told him that she liked Li Taixuan. Afterwards, he left the Golden Dragon Bank and entered the Astral Sage College. Although they still worked near Xia City, he had never gone to find her. She was a proud woman and would probably not tolerate his attention. He had all but cut contact with her. Cao Sheng knew that he was a coward. In his heart, Yu Hongxi was perfect, and he dared not even have the slightest untoward thought about her. But tragically, ones feelings could not be controlled. He could not help but like heran understandable reaction for any hot-blooded man towards a wonderful woman like Yu Hongxi. Cao Sheng sighed deeply. He closed his eyes and let the memories fill his minds eye. He had been a young boy, escaping to Xia City after his family had fallen into ruin. He had nothing more than the threadbare shirt on his back and a growling stomach. He had collapsed by the city wall, resigned to death by starvation when someone threw a hot, fresh bun at his face. The yeasty fragrance had awoken his soul, and he had scarfed it down, sinking his teeth into the plump and piping-hot snack. The bun pressed against his tongue, burning it, and somehow he had enjoyed the feeling. When he had licked the last crumb clean, he finally looked up at his savior. A young girl dressed in red, she was as beautiful as she was proud, staring down haughtily at him. You big lout, come do hard labor for me if you want to eat. She turned away without waiting for his reply. He stood rooted on the spot for a few seconds, then crawled hastily after her. Later on, he had demonstrated his talent and carved his own reputation in the Xia Kingdom as one of the top elites. But all of that was thanks to Yu Hongxi. He laid back and smiled at his memories. In all these years, he had not dared to appear before her, afraid that he would be a bother. But his life had been hers, bought for the price of a steaming bun all those years ago. She had never asked him for anything since then, as though she had forgotten that she had a Dukes life at her beck and call if she so wished. Finally, now she had asked him for something. Although it was just door guarding, he felt that he had to do his best. Slapping his knee, he looked up at the night sky, then turned his head to the right. I say, Old Jin, how about giving tonight a rest, eh? For me? A figure shifted in the darkness, then the veil of black parted to reveal a person. Stepping out into the moonlight was none other than Shen Jinxiao. I had not expected the wildest of my colleagues, MMentor Cao Sheng himself, to be on bodyguard duty, Shen Jinxiao said with a slanted smile. Bodyguarding is an honor, Cao Sheng replied. If she asked me to go do hard labor, Id still do it gladly. A moving, yet pitiful story. Shen Jinxiao sneered. And so strange. You are a Violet Vibrance mentor in the Astral Sage College, one of the few elite Dukes in the Xia Kingdom. Youre of comparable status to President Yu, and you are fully deserving to chase her. Theres no need to sit here steeping in imagination. Steeping is all the heat I can handle in the power of her beauty, Cao Sheng replied. Your obsession, Shen Jinxiao noted. Cao Sheng nodded. And your obsession? Li Luo? Or is it Jiang Qinge? Shen Jinxiao smiled wordlessly. Mentor Shen Jinxiao, I do not want to fight you. Do not make trouble here tonight. I could ignore your tussle with Li Luo and Chi Chan, but tonight, you are up against me. I will not show courtesy, Cao Sheng said with a quiet promise. Under his scraggly hair, his eyes were clear and filled with power. Free of his sappy thoughts of Yu Hongxi, Mentor Cao Sheng flexed the full power that he had earned as a Duke over the years. Shen Jinxiao waved lazily. Im not here to fight you. Eh? Then youre just here to watch me guard the door? Cao Sheng frowned. Shen Jinxiao laughed, then he sat on the stone steps beside Cao Sheng. Cao Sheng frowned, but there was no good reason to shoo Shen Jinxiao away, even though he was a little too close for comfort. Mentor Shen Jinxiao, Ive always felt that your anger against Li Luo was unwarranted. What is it that you are trying to accomplish? Shen Jinxiao remained silent, looking up at the bright moon. In it, he could almost see the silhouette of Jiang Qinge. But his eyes were not on her imaginary face. He looked at her organs inside her, and he licked his lips. I want her heart. Chapter 446: Yu Hongxis Resonance Chapter 446: Yu Hongxis Resonance In the closed chamber. Li Luo was sitting in the middle on the cultivation platform, while Chi Chan and Yu Hongxi were on two futons by his sides. Mentor Chi Chan, President Yu, Im beginning, he said formally to them. They both nodded, a little curious about what Li Luo hoped to achieve by gathering such power in one place. Li Luo ignored their unspoken questions. He reached into his pocket sphere and took out the golden scroll. It immediately filled the air with a magical humming. Li Luo hesitated for only a moment, then he bit down hard on his finger and allowed fresh blood to land on the scroll. This was made by Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, so his blood essence was a simple activation key that would prevent the scroll from being stolen. The blood was absorbed into the scroll and then blazed with light that flooded the chamber. They criss-crossed until a hexagonal ward floated in the air above them. Golden runes swam in and out of the hexagonal plane like sprites. Li Luo whistled. Damn, his parents built some beautiful things. In the meantime, Yu Hongxi and Chi Chan were impressed at a deeper level. A mere Resonant Master like Li Luo might only marvel at the beauty, but Dukes like themselves were blown away by the complexity and intricacy of the formation. The hexagonal miracle before them was one of the most sophisticated constructions that either had ever seen. This was left behind by Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan? The fact that they fashioned a ward of this level speaks of superb mastery and expertise Chi Chan said in awe. Yu Hongxi was even more surprised. Working at the Golden Dragon Bank meant that she had seen a great variety of strange and expensive thingsperhaps even more so than Chi Chan, who lived at the school. And with her worldly experience, she knew that this ward was one that most Dukes would struggle to make. If Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had made it themselves, then the two were even more powerful and talented than she could have imagined. Li Luo was right in the core of the ward. Golden light swirled around him and coalesced as a brazier, then it continued circling him. At that moment, he felt like he could control the entire ward with this beam of gold. At the same time, the swirl of golden light flooded his mind with information on operating the ward. He took it all in for a moment, and he felt more and more relieved as he processed the information. He had been afraid that he would not have enough power to harness these two Dukes powers to build the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. After all, he had barely managed to walk into the cultivation chamber in the first place. He felt like a little fish trying to redirect two rivers. But the information from the ward put him at ease. He realized that this marvel his parents had built could practically run itself. All he needed to do was use the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art, and the ward would guide him to harness Yu Hongxi and Mentor Chi Chans power to fuel the Acquired Resonance Flame and complete the forging. In other words, his role was merely that of a vessel. His parents must have factored in his strength during their calibrations. Sometimes, they seem almost reliable, he thought to himself. President Yu, Mentor Chi Chan, you only need to continuously charge the ward with your energy, he told them. Both of them nodded, then they began to summon their respective powers, tremendous enough to warp the air around them. Chi Chans power came in the form of a sea of water behind her, crashing forth with the roar of the waves and a tiger. Her first resonance was a water resonance, and her second was a jade tiger resonance. Yu Hongxi shot her own resonant power forth, and Li Luo could not resist staring. It was a sea of flowers, brilliant red. In their midst was a gigantic flower that bloomed widely. On its sturdy petals ran lines of royal purple in the pattern of a phoenixs wings. Phoenixs Blood Rose Li Luo immediately recognized the curious flower. It was a flower resonance, one said to be capable of surviving by devouring spirit beasts whole once it gained sentience. He had not expected this to be Yu Hongxis first resonance. Within the sea of flowers, a steaming power rose, flaring up the flowers until they were an even more brilliant red. Clearly, her second resonance was some sort of fire resonance. BOOM! While Li Luo was gawking at their resonances, both had already sent a tremendous stream of power flooding into the hexagonal ward. Boom! Rumble! Two vortexes of energy opened up in the ward, absorbing all of the energy that they were funneling into it. Their energys presence alone was enough to distort the air. Pushing it into the ward was creating a gigantic force, but Li Luo was completely unaffected, cocooned by its magical properties. He took out the material box that Yu Hongxi had provided him, pulled out the ingredients, and placed them in the brazier at the core of the ward. As the two Dukes continued to pour their power into the ward, the points of light on it gradually began to light up. Li Luo calmly began to use the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art. A small spark danced on his fingertip, then it leaped off. Li Luo was a little embarrassed by this tiny, little bit of Acquired Resonance Flame, though it was the most he could produce. If he had to forge the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel with that tiny spark, hed take a lifetime to even boil down the ingredients. Fortunately, he had great powers at his disposal. His own personal, extremely expensive gas burners. A golden halo settled down over Li Luo, acting as a focal point to draw the energy towards him. It then redirected the energy through him and onto the spark. FWOOM! In a few short moments, the tiny spark grew into a roaring flame dozens of meters tall. His finger was like a freaking dragon now, and Li Luo thrust it into the golden brazier. A gigantic fire roared to life, and the refining began. Chapter 447: Sudden Situation Chapter 447: Sudden Situation The refining process was going as smoothly as Li Luo could have hoped for. It was so easy that he even felt comfortable enough to nod off. The ward all but ran itself on autopilot. His only job was to use the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art to create a puny Acquired Resonance Flame. The ward would then turn Yu Hongxi and Chi Chans enormous amounts of power into a special fuel that would boost his Acquired Resonance Flame to the point that it was suitable to refine the ingredients inside the brazier. The herbs and ores continued to bubble and fuse within. This was no ordinary fusion. The ward was expertly designed to fuse all the ingredients in the proper steps and amounts, with not a single mistake. Li Luo didnt have to do anything. This was easier than a walk in the park. This was like riding a carriage through the park. Seeing how relaxed Li Luo was surprised Yu Hongxi. Her eyes widened as she realized how automated the ward was. This ward is sentient? Li Luo had no idea what she was talking about, but Yu Hongxi was a Duke, so she clearly understood the wards intricacies a little better than he did. She was highly impressed. Those two had really never stopped moving forward, even after they had left the rest of the generation behind. Back when they were at the Xia Kingdom, their talent had eclipsed every other expert in their generation. No one else had dared to claim talent of any sort, not when they grew up in the chilly discouragement of those twos shadows. Now that they had been gone for many years, the memory of their brilliance had slowly faded away from Yu Hongxis mind. But this ward had brought it all blazing backthose years of domination by the two. Yu Hongxi controlled her feelings, focusing on pushing more resonant power into the ward. Over at the other side of the chamber, Chi Chan was feeling the same. Seems like therell be no problems with refining whatever this is, she thought to herself. She let some of the tension ease from her shoulders. Although House Luolan had many enemies, none should be able to infiltrate the Astral Sage Colleges grounds. The only pesky one here was Shen Jinxiao, but he would scarcely barge in to cause trouble. Thinking thus, she was happy to push more of her resonant power into the ward. Suddenly, her body lurched. There was a disturbance in the flow of Chi Chans resonant power. She seized up. She fell to the floor, her hand clutching at her veil. Under it, her eyes were filled with horror and pain. No! It cant be! she said hoarsely. After so many years, why has it been triggered now? Chi Chan screeched in agony. From beneath her veil, black marks started to surface, becoming a line of small, black fishes. They burrowed into her eye, turning her right eye completely black. A sinister aura filled the air. Her left eye was normal, but it was struggling frantically. Her resonant power was flying out of control, smashing and ricocheting off the space. Li-Li Luo, watch out! she shouted with her last breath. BOOM! She completely lost control, her resonant power gushing out of her from unexpected parts of her body in a bizarre variety of strengths. It would blast out of her chest at one moment, then ooze from her back in the next. Her entire body was at its mercy, contorted this way and that like a limp ragdoll in the resonant powers fury. Li Luo could not deal with the attacks coming his way. He stood no chance against the wrath of a Duke; he could not even avoid it. The torrent of resonant power was stopped midair by a wave of red resonant power that shimmered together as a wall of petals. It not only stopped the attack, but absorbed some of the power. Mentor Chi Chan?! Yu Hongxi was on her feet, looking over gravely. She had saved Li Luo. President Yu! Whats happened to Mentor Chi Chan? Li Luo gasped. Shes lost control, it seems. Yu Hongxi was watching Chi Chans crazed eyes carefully. That twitch. That aura. Its the corruption of Others. Has she succumbed before? Li Luo looked at his mentor in disbelief. Mentor Chi Chan? Corrupted by Others?! What Other could corrupt even a Duke? Actually, Mentor Chi Chan always wears a veil. Is she hiding something beneath it? BOOM! While they spoke, Chi Chan moved again. Her jet-black eyes were locked onto Yu Hongxi, slim hands punching out with ferocious power that sharply contrasted against her diminutive frame. A blue tiger leaped forth. The black stripes on its back pulsed with power that made Li Luo go cold with fear. Roar! The tiger snarled as it rent the air with its sharp claws. Yu Hongxis fingers moved in a blur as she lifted her chin defiantly. Completing a series of hand motions, she pushed out with her palm. Crimson Flower Palm! Crimson power burst out of her open hand in a circle of petals. The heart of the flower glowed with a dark flame. Ping! The tiger leaped into the petals in a clash of fire and water. Vaporization sent boiling steam out in a vicious spray, but the walls of the cultivation chamber absorbed it all. The tiger retreated, growling and pacing. Yu Hongxi frowned. Chi Chan was in a strange state, but she was not about to kill a teacher. She could only defend, and also defend Li Luo, the puny Resonant Master caught between two Dukes. He would be wiped out like an ant otherwise. Besides, their goal today had been to help Li Luo with his refining. If they ended up fighting all their strength away, they would have none left to help Li Luo. Today would be wasted. Li Luo could not possibly keep the ward running forever. As the core energy within faded, the ward would fade as well. He could not replicate it again. This was a real dilemma. Yu Hongxis mind raced. One more option was Cao Sheng, who was just outside. But the more eyes on the situation, the more muddled the picture. While she was puzzling this out, Li Luo received some information from the ward itself. Clearly, the fighting had triggered some defenses from the ward. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had truly prepared for every single possible outcome. Li Luo was moved by his parents foresight and meticulous crafting. It might have just saved him right now. President Yu, Li Luo shouted to her, transfer your resonant power to me. Ill subdue Mentor Chi Chan! Yu Hongxi was taken aback. This youngster Still, she moved decisively to push more of her power into the ward. Alright, kid, lets see what you can do. Chapter 448: Black Fish Chapter 448: Black Fish As Yu Hongxi continued to force a steady flow of energy into the ward, it began to keen shrilly. A golden ring flowed into existence in front of Li Luo, then it bulged forward and took the form of a cannon pointed straight at Chi Chan. Her eyes were still crazed, but some basal instinct had warned her of the new danger. She turned to Li Luo, the jeweled, blue tiger already loping across the field towards him. Watch out! Yu Hongxi shouted. A Duke had the power to level mountains, and Li Luo was not a mountain. He might soon be a grave mound though, if Chi Chans tiger had its way with him. Li Luo watched the tiger bounding across the field towards him with studied disinterest. Curiously, he did not feel any dangerit had to be because of the ward. Otherwise a Resonant Master like himself would have already been paralyzed by the raging power of a Duke. Heart as calm as a still lake, he followed the nudgings of the ward. Wub, wub! The power that Yu Hongxi was feeding into his Acquired Resonance Flame was burned up all at once, and it passed through the golden ring that was the cannons mouth. The golden ring had a strange effect on the energy. As the raging flames passed through it, they shrank until they were about the size of a fist. In exchange, the ruby-red flames now had a trail of glittering, gold sparks. They snaked out like a fiery dragon. Pssh! The thin, golden fire dragon smashed into the tiger, vaporizing it instantly and traveling onwards to Chi Chan. Chi Chan moved swiftly, gathering her robust power on a fingertip, creating a single, concentrated water droplet. It flew out like a sparkling sapphire, sucking in more worldly natural energy like a black hole as it flew out. Swoosh! Sapphire against ruby, they collided like bullets. Pssh! But again, Chi Chans power was lacking. The water droplet fizzled away, and the golden fire dragon blazed on. It landed on Chi Chans face, burning away the veil instantly. Behind it was a lovely face. Perhaps because she was a water resonance user, her skin glowed beautifully. Everything about her was overflowing with life and vitality, and compelling beauty exuded out of her dainty nose and cherry-red lips, tightly pursed. The only mar to her beauty was a black-fish tattoo on the right side of her face. The little fish seemed alive, wriggling enthusiastically across its facial canvas. On its pure-black body was a single eye that was pure white. It had an almost cartoon-y appearance that was somehow chilling to behold. As the fish swam, it left a trail of black water in its wake. It plunged and leaped out of Chi Chans right eye repeatedly, as if it were a deeper pool of water. This fish had to be the reason she had gone mad. What deep corruption! Yu Hongxi exclaimed. Even she could sense it how strong the Other must have been to leave something of this caliber! Could it have been an Other King?! Chi Chan has met an Other King?! As the golden fire dragon smashed into her face, it wrapped itself around the black fish in a tight coil and squeezed. A faint, gold halo formed around the black fish, sealing it and shrinking it. Chi Chans face gradually calmed back down, and a few moments later, both of her eyes were clear again. As she fell to her knees, Chi Chan lifted her hand to touch her face tentatively. Yu Hongxi rushed over to her. Mentor Chi Chan, are you alright? She had not let her resonant power fade away completely yet, keeping her guarded stance. Chi Chan smiled and shook her head weakly. Li Luo, she called out, Im sorry for ruining your plan. No worries, Mentor, Li Luo quickly assured her. You only ran into problems because you were helping me. She was quiet for a moment as she took out a new piece of veil. Your attack seems to have sealed it away for the moment. It is quite a unique seal. I think it might be able to keep it under wraps for quite some time. Shall we continue? she asked. Yu Hongxi looked at Li Luo. Clearly, Chi Chan was not too willing to explain the black fish on her face, and Yu Hongxi was tactful enough not to push her. Any safety issues had definitely been disclosed to the upper management in the school. Although such corruption was insidious, a Duke like Chi Chan would be able to suppress it under normal conditions. Well if you are feeling okay, Mentor, then lets continue. Yu Hongxi wordlessly took up her position again. Chi Chans eyes were drooping slightly. She seemed almost deflated after the incident, but for the sake of Li Luos refining, she roused herself and again started to funnel resonant power into the ward. After that slight hiccup, the refining continued again. The refining process proceeded smoothly and easily once again, like before. The boredom was very much welcome after the excitement they had just experienced. Li Luo resumed his role as a prop and vessel, allowing the ward to run the show. He had no complaints. It was a form of doting by his parents, and he wasnt about to spurn their coddling. When the first rays of morning light broke through the clouds, so too did the refining come to an end. The magnificent ward started to fade away, as did the golden brazier before Li Luo. From within, a golden nimbus of light landed gently before him. It was a triangular object covered with intricate marks that compelled ones gaze. Li Luo paid zero attention to the mystical object, stuffing it unceremoniously into his pocket sphere. He stood up and stretched lazily. He looked calm as could be, but inside, he was hopping up and down. His Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel was complete. He was one large step closer to his third resonance. Chapter 449: Ichthyic Curse Chapter 449: Ichthyic Curse The cultivation chamber doors swung open. Li Luo, Yu Hongxi, and Chi Chan walked out to see Cao Sheng and Shen Jinxiao by the door. Cao Sheng sprang to his feet with a smile for Yu Hongxi. Cultivation over? I trust all went well? Even as he spoke, he could sense that something was off. Chi Chan was staring daggers at Shen Jinxiao, who was behind him. Shen Jinxiao! It must have been you! Chi Chans water resonant power roared to life as she stepped forward. Wrapping him in a violent swirl of water, it formed a cocoon around him. The water spun faster and faster as the cocoon contracted. Crushing the space within. Shen Jinxiao calmly raised his own crimson resonant power, dissipating her power easily enough. It steamed off harmlessly. A dark-red figure had appeared behind him. The figure had four limbs and a demonic aura to it. Li Luo was shocked. This was his first time seeing Shen Jinxiao reveal his resonance he was an Ifrit resonance user? This was a fire resonance mutation, and a rather rare one. But compared to the table variety, this one was much more aggressive. The fire demon behind him flexed strongly, smashing through the water cocoon thoroughly. With a quick leap, Shen Jinxiao retreated a dozen paces away. Mentor Chi Chan, are you attacking me? Tut tut, breaking school rules now, are we? She stared at him, choking up with anger. Cao Sheng was taken aback by the sudden burst of violence as well. Mentor Chi Chan, is something wrong? Mentor Chi Chan ran into complications during the refining just now, Yu Hongxi said. It seems like she suspects Mentor Shen Jinxiao of having a hand in it. Cao Shengs eyes widened. Is it the Ichthyic curse? Yu Hongxis eyes flashed with understanding for a moment. Was that the black fish on Mentor Chi Chans face? It seemed like this was no secret among the Violet Vibrance mentors. However, Cao Sheng did not explain further. Yu Hongxi was still considered an outsider, and these were not his secrets to reveal. Neither did Yu Hongxi press, understanding her position. Chi Chan continued to seethe, her anger refusing to subside away. Her fists glowed with watery power as she prepared to attack again. This time, an even stronger force descended, pushing her until she hunched over. A person floated down from above. Mentor Chi Chan, what has happened? Vice Principal Su Xin. She was looking serious. She had hurried over after sensing resonant power disturbances of great magnitude within school grounds. Cao Sheng quickly explained the situation to her. The Ichthyic curse was triggered? Su Xin strode quickly over to Chi Chans side, forcefully tilting her chin up and ripping away the veil. Hmm? She immediately saw the golden ring around the fishs tail. It was sealed away? And what a strange seal. Is this some secret art from the Golden Dragon Bank? she asked, startled. In the past, she had been the one to seal away the Ichthyic curse whenever it was triggered. This seal was even stronger than any that she had created in the past. Yu Hongxi was about to speak when she heard a pleading cough from Li Luo. Oh, just a sealing scroll treasure I brought along from the Golden Dragon Bank just in case. I had to use it since the situation was urgent. We are in your debt, President Yu, Su Xin said gratefully. Yu Hongxi waved it away with a smile. After carefully putting the veil back in place, Chi Chan said in a cold voice, I suspect Shen Jinxiao did something to trigger it. I want him investigated! Shen Jinxiao smiled. Ah, but I have been by Mentor Cao Shengs side for the whole night. I dont think anyone would think me capable of pulling off such a fine trick right under his nose. Cao Sheng hesitated. Indeed, I was on my guard the whole night. He did not do anything suspicious, he confirmed. Mentor Chi Chan. I know you have resented and mistrusted me for many years, but what happened back then was a mistake. Ive apologized to you so many times. You have never accepted though Shen Jinxiao paused. But you should not forget who was the one who laid the Ichthyic curse on you in the first place. Please dont slander me. I cannot bear such a heavy crime that is not mine. Chi Chans fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. I wonder, Li Luo suddenly said. Why were you suddenly here, Mentor Shen Jinxiao? And for the whole night? Things were going fine, and then suddenly they werent when you appeared. Doesnt it seem reasonable for some suspicion to be cast upon you? Indeed, I came to see what you were up to, Shen Jinxiao admitted freely. What would a mere Resonant Master cultivator be doing with two Duke experts? I confess that I suspected you of being up to no good, and so I came to protect the schools interests. Or perhaps you would like to clear your name before the vice principal? Tell us what you were refining. Or what use it has. Li Luo smiled and shook his head. Its confidential. Then how can we be sure that its not whatever you were refining that caused Mentor Chi Chan to lose control? Shen Jinxiao said sadly. Perhaps youre the one looking for the scapegoat here. Shen Jinxiao, shut up right now, Chi Chan snarled. He smirked, then he turned and left. Mentor Cao Sheng, please escort President Yu accordingly, Vice Principal Su Xin said. He nodded quickly. Yu Hongxi nodded with a courteous smile. These were school affairs. It was not appropriate for a Golden Dragon Bank outsider like herself to be involved. She took a quick glance at Li Luo and then left. Cao Sheng eagerly followed behind her like a puppy, delighted and yet almost afraid to get too close. As they left, Su Xin took Chi Chan by the hand and briefly conferred with her privately before she left. She only looked at Li Luo long enough to acknowledge his presence, but did not probe as to what he was doing with two Dukes. Only Chi Chan and Li Luo were left now. Mentor, Im so sorry for causing you trouble, he said sincerely. He was not sure why she had lost control, but if he had not sought out her help, things would probably not have turned out this way. It had nothing to do with you, she assured him, then she turned and walked slowly along the stone path. Li Luo hesitated, then followed her cautiously. In the misty dawn, they walked silently for a while. Li Luo, do you know how I got corrupted by an Other? Chapter 450: Ichythian King Chapter 450: Ichythian King Li Luo was, of course, itching with curiosity. He really wanted to know how Mentor Chi Chan had gotten corrupted. He immediately gave her his full attention. You should know that there is a terrifying Other King in the depths of the Umbra Cave that the Astral Sage College guards. Principal Pang has not emerged for many years because of that thing. We named it Ichythian King. A shadow fell over her face as she spoke the name. Ichythian King? An Other King a King-level Other If that thing popped out into their world, it could level the whole Xia Kingdom in a moment. Years of prosperity, thousands of lives, all wiped out in a moment. Back in the day, the Ichythian King plotted to break out of the Umbra Cave and roam the Xia Kingdom. Of course, the school would not allow that to happen. There was an epic battle. The battle went back and forth. Finally, to break the stalemate, the school organized a huge ambush. It was not just comprised of Violet Vibrance mentors, but also other Dukes from the Xia Kingdom. Among them were your father and mother, she added. Li Luo inhaled sharply at the mention of his parents. They were everywhere, had been everywhere. But that ambush ended in failure, and afterwards, the school decreed that no more external experts would be invited to the Umbra Cave unless there was no other choice, she said slowly. Why is that? Li Luo was puzzled. The Astral Sage College was rich enough. Many hands would make light work, right? Because when dealing with the Others, numbers are not always an advantage. It might even lead to disaster, she explained patiently. Part of the Others deadliness is their ability to play on human emotions, especially Other Kings their corruption is terrible to behold. And for experts, they have traveled further along the path to power, and experienced much darkness in their lives. These people are susceptible to the manipulations of Other Kings. That is why the school instead sends young students. Your purer hearts and minds are a precious asset in this struggle. In that ambush, the corrupted experts ended up becoming our biggest issue. The Ichythian King almost broke out of the Umbra Cave back then, but it was eventually beaten back by Principal Pang. Of course, your parents were a huge help as well. They are indeed very strongeven Principal Pang himself acknowledges it. Li Luos heart skipped a beat. To think that the very ground he walked was steeped in such rich history, and that it would be unraveled to him at such an unexpected time. And now he knew why the school would risk student lives rather than hire experts. It was a result of their past failures. As for the Ichthyic curse on my face, that was left by the Other King as well. She sighed deeply. When the Ichythian King was cornered by Principal Pang and your parents, it split itself into nine aspects and fled. I was paired with Shen Jinxiao to chase one of the aspects. The two of us activated a seal resonance art to capture it. But perhaps because the other aspects had all been captured and eliminated, this aspect became the real thing. Of course, the Ichythian King was badly injured at that time. Even though the real one appeared before us, we were able to hold it for quite some time with the seal. We would have bought enough time for Principal Pang and the others to reach us. But Shen Jinxiao was afraid. He fled, leaving me to face the Ichythian King alone Of course, I could not. If not for Principal Pangs arrival in the nick of time, I wouldve died in the Umbra Cave. Even so, I was left scarred by the Ichthyic curse. This is its signature move, and it is capable of corrupting even Dukes. If not for Principal Pang helping me seal the curse, I would have succumbed. From then on, I wore a veil to keep others from seeing the Ichthyic curse. Her voice was calm and quiet, but Li Luo could imagine the storm of emotions that she had to be feeling. The fear. The anger and frustration after being corrupted. The despair. Shen Jinxiao is a cowardly, castrated dog! he swore. So that was the cause of the enmity between Mentor Chi Chan and Shen Jinxiao. No wonder she hated him with a passion. She had been left hanging by him all those years ago. If not for the school rules, she would probably have challenged him to a fight to the death already. Afterwards, he defended himself by saying that he had sent a signal to retreat, but I was the one who insisted on staying. That was why we had not been able to unite against the enemy. Son of a bitch! Li Luo was very worked up now. At first, he had been fully prepared to fake an appropriate level of sympathy, no matter her answer, but Shen Jinxiao was really dogshit through and through. He had backstabbed Mentor Chi Chan, then gaslit her about it. The school should banish that failure of a human being, he grumbled. Chi Chan smiled thinly. Its a wasted cause. After all, only the two of us were there. Not even the school can do anything about a he-said-she-said. At the end of it, Shen Jinxiao was merely chastised. Thats too damn easy on him! Principal Pang must be blind! She shook her head. The school has its own interests and priorities. But so do I. When the right moment comes, I will deal with him. I just hope the school does not intervene. Li Luo was silent for a moment. Mentor, if the opportunity comes, call me along. After hearing your story, I hate Shen Jinxiao even more! I didnt even think it was possible to detest him more than I already did! Whats your story with him? she asked, slightly interested. Li Luo shook his head in a bothered manner. The main problem, he burst out, is that now my mentors beautiful face has to be hidden behind a veil all day. Does he know how much eye candy hes cost me?! Li Luo, how are you bold enough to dare to tease your mentor? she said in a dangerous tone. Li Luo clutched his heart. True words, spoken sincerely, Mentor. Its such a shame for someone as beautiful as you. She could not help but laugh at his antics, knowing that he was trying to cheer her up. Alright, enough, she said, tousling his hair fondly. If you really want to help me, bring back the strongest One Star Hall student title at the Holy Grail Meet. Better results reflect well on me, and Ill have more leverage over the school to use on Shen Jinxiao. Can you do that? She looked into Li Luos earnest eyes, and he nodded with a smile. Of course. But I hope you can promise me one thing as well. Oh? What would that be? Let me be the one to stick the last knife in him. Chapter 451: Pre-Departure Chapter 451: Pre-Departure When he was back in the privacy of his room again, Li Luo immediately pulled out the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. He had not dared to examine it too closely in front of Mentor Chi Chan and Yu Hongxi, even though he trusted them to a certain extent. The secret of his third acquired resonance was too big to entrust to outsiders. This Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel was less of a wheel than the others, since it had three pointy bits that made it triangular. Like before, it was covered in scrawls of runes and patterns. However, while the previous one had been full of holes for hundreds of ingredients, this one only had two simple, hexagonal indents. They were probably to hold just one primary and one secondary ingredient. Which meant that these things were going to be far rarer and more expensive than previously. If the last acquired resonance had been built off quantity, this one was going to be chasing ultimate quality. Li Luo guessed that he was going to have to find Duke-level ingredients. But where he groaned. He didnt even know if the Golden Dragon Banks headquarters would have such rare objects. Plus, their price would be astronomical. The good news was that he only needed two. If he needed a hundred like before, hed probably have to sell House Luolan. Still, even securing two wasnt going to be easy. In any case, it wasnt that urgent of a matter for now. He would have to reach the General Stage to get his third resonance. Although he was already at the final tier of the Resonant Master Stage, he was a long way away from the next stage. [1] Rubbing his hands idly over it, he weighed it for a moment more, then placed it back in his pocket sphere. He needed to think carefully about the elemental composition as well. He took out a piece of paper and drew three circles on it. In the first, he wrote waterlight, and in the second he wrote woodearth. These were his existing dual resonances. Both of them leaned towards the support and control types. Although he had managed to utilize the primary-secondary interactions to augment his resonance arts significantly, there were times when Li Luo felt painfully aware of the lack of raw firepower in his arsenal. Of course, they made up for the lack in a multitude of other ways. If he had been given a free choice, he probably would not have gone with these resonances. But both water and wood were for the sake of his bodyto reduce the negative effects of obtaining an acquired resonance. It was his only choice to try and survive because his foundation was too weak. But by the time he chose his third resonant palace, he would be a General. That was quite a solid and respectable level. Finally, some autonomy in his choice. Li Luo tapped the table thoughtfully. For now, he would not need to consider the support-type resonances. He wrote one word in his third circle. Offense. Fire, metal, lightning, or even a beast resonance were all acceptable options for him. But the final choice would probably be based on what sort of materials he could get his hands on. Perhaps there would be goodies to be won at the Holy Grail Meet. The next day, Jiang Qinge came knocking on his door. How did the refining go? The two were on their usual stroll around the lake, Jiang Qinges long, shapely legs keeping up easily with Li Luo. He told her all about the invitation to Yu Hongxi and Chi Chan. They sat near the lake at one of their favorite spots, and Li Luo told her about what had transpired during the actual refining. Jiang Qinge was silent for quite a while, processing the information quietly. Li Luo looked at her pale reflection in the water, then back to her lovely legs in the flesh. Idly, he wondered which was fairer. He even told her about Mentor Chi Chans Ichthyic curse. Although it was not public information, Li Luo trusted Jiang Qinge to let the information go no further. I think Shen Jinxiao did something, although I have no proof. Li Luo shrugged. Its indeed fishy that he would be there. Jiang Qinge agreed, very willing to give Shen Jinxiao zero benefit of the doubt. So there was a huge battle at the Umbra Cave back in the day, and Master and Mistress had participated as well Her thoughts soon turned to a different topic. Its a good thing for us that Mentor Chi Chan hates Shen Jinxiao so deeply. Another helper for us to send him along the dark path. Li Luo chuckled. Luckily, there was no one around to overhear their conversation, or they would have turned pale to hear two students casually discussing how to kill a Violet Vibrance mentor Jiang Qinge pulled out a case from her pocket sphere and handed it over to him. A batch of spirit liquids and purifying lights from Sister Cai Wei, ranging from fifth to seventh-grade. Li Luo eagerly took it. Just in time. His waterlight resonance had not been growing much recently, and was still stuck as a lower seventh-grade. On the other hand, his fifth-grade woodearth resonance was making good progress. He could probably reach sixth-grade by the Holy Grail Meet, and the boost in strength would be very much welcome. The school will probably be mustering the competitors tomorrow. I hear well be transported from the Tree of Resonant Power. Well be away from the Xia Kingdom for a while. Ive already made the arrangements over at House Luolan, and with Cai Wei there, things shouldnt be too bad. And with Ancestor Yuan Qing back, Pei Hao will probably behave himself for a while, Jiang Qinge said. Li Luo nodded. Jiang Qinge was always a competent force by his side. Li Luo He turned around to see her pensively looking into the lake. When the Holy Grail Meet ends, youll have been at the Astral Sage College for a year Mm, he nodded. Its almost time, she said, inclining her head at him with a twinkle in her eyes. Are you ready? Li Luo understood what she was referring to. At the start of the new year Housemeet. At that time, all of the landmines, comets, and bombs would be exploding from above, below, and around. House Luolan would be thrown into a fateful crisis, he had no doubt. He met her gaze with a confident smile. No matter who comes for House Luolan Ill end them. 1. TN: It is very urgent for the readers because we all wanna know the 3rd resonance ? Chapter 452: A Weighty Send-Off Chapter 452: A Weighty Send-Off The atmosphere at the Astral Sage College had an unusual gravity to it the next day. Students had gathered under the branches of the Tree of Resonant Power, noisy as a concert crowd. All of them were watching the smaller group in front, a group that was fully kitted out and armed. The group that would represent the Astral Sage College at the Holy Grail Meet. At every level, it was an overwhelming majority of Violet Vibrance students. Li Luo was standing with his One Star Hall peers, looking out at the sea of black-haired heads and feeling a bit like a king. I feel like my lifes really taken off now. He heard someone sigh happily from beside him. Li Luo looked over to see Yu Lang red in the face and looking blissful. How much did you drink? Li Luo snorted. Li Luo, Yu Lang said loftily, you best not get cocky. I think that I might well become the most brilliant student in the One Star Hall before the Holy Grail Meet ends. Not just the girls in our year, but all the older sisters in senior years will be throwing themselves at me. I will walk back into the Astral Sage College, arms wide open, Yu Lang said beatifically. They chant my name. Yu Lang! Yu Lang! They rush me. My herooooo~. I will open my mouth to thank them for the welcome, but they will seal it with a kiss. I will try to raise my hand to acknowledge their welcome, but they will press it to their brea- Heroes, Li Luo interrupted, invite enemies like flies to rotten meat. You think you can handle the assassination attempts, saboteurs, and plotting? Yu Lang puffed out his chest. I can handle anything. I am fearless. Thats what it means to be a hero! Ah, Li Luo, you dont know what sort of iron Ive built into myself after a year of training. I can weather any storm! Li Luo gave him a big thumbs up. Youve truly matured. I believe youll do great things at the Holy Grail Meet! Yu Langs eyes narrowed. Sounds like youre trying to trap me, he accused Li Luo rudely. Somehow, thats discouraging. Li Luo you black-hearted scorpion, I wouldnt trust you any further than I could throw you. While the two continued their strangely-paced conversation, the students around them were getting livelier. Soon, it was buzzing with so much excitement that even Li Luo and Yu Lang looked up, sensing that the top brass had come. True enough, Vice Principal Su Xin was seen in front of the crowd, the others in tow. With the whole of the school management present, there was no doubt as to how important the Holy Grail Meet was to the Astral Sage College. On the elevated platform, Vice Principal Su Xin took a step forward, and the crowd fell silent. Beloved students, she said in a warm voice that rang clearly out to the edges of the crowd. Today, our delegation leaves for the Holy Grail Meet. This is the highest interschool competition in all of the East Divine Continent. I think everyone here understands how important it is but there is one person best suited to impress that importance upon all of you. The students began to whisper confusedly. Who else could there be but Vice Principal Su Xin? Vice Principal Su Xin lifted a crystal ball in her hands, and it floated into the air, flattening out like a mirror of water. The sparkling surface dimmed until there was nothing but blackness reflected on its oval surface. Li Luo felt a chill run down his spine. Black was black, and yet that particular shade of black seemed ominously familiar to him. From the blackness, a person emerged in the lotus position, and soon he was clear enough for all the students to see properly. A fresh-faced middle-aged man clad in green. He was sitting alone in the absolute darkness like a bodhisattva, ready to piece the world back together with patience even if it fell apart. The man Li Luo had seen in the Umbra CavePrincipal Pang Qianyuan! Who else he thought dryly to himself. There was no one else who Vice Principal Su Xin would accord that much respect to. But because he had not been seen in school for many years, many students did not react to the appearance of their principal. However, even through the mirror they could sense his aura, so they knew that he was someone strong. Vice Principal Su Xin spoke again. Dear students, I think I had best introduce him this is the Astral Sage Colleges principal, Principal Pang Qianyuan. Now the surprise and amazement started to come. Wow! The crowd exploded with excitement. They were hopping up and down now, pointing and gesturing excitedly. Their principal was a legend, and now he was right before their eyes. Those who had just entered the Astral Sage College had never even seen him before. He had become a mythical figure, only spoken of but never actually heard or seen. And now this god had come to speak to them! It was said that this man was the only King Stage expert in the Xia Kingdom! King Stage an unattainably far goal for many students. He alone was a big part of the reason why the Astral Sage College was so highly respected in the Xia Kingdom! Even through the mirror, this was the honest-to-goodness principal! Principal! Principal! They took up an enthusiastic cheer. It was not just the students who were over-excitedeven the Silver Spark and Gold Gleam mentors were overwhelmed by his appearance. This man was faith itself in the halls of the Astral Sage College. The mans weathered face creased into a graceful smile. He lifted his arms and patted the air gently with his palms once. Instant silence. Everyone stared at him eagerly. I apologize that this is the only way I can meet everyone. I confess that Im not a very responsible principal. I hope you can forgive me, he laughed. Even his laugh had a warm, sonorous ring to it that put them all at ease. Before I knew it, four years had passed, and its time for the Holy Grail Meet again. Ordinarily, I would not appear, because I have to be cautious of my surroundings at all times. But for the Holy Grail Meet, and the Holy Grail Meet alone that is the day that I have been waiting for for all these years. Do you want to know why? he asked seriously. Because I need the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. The Astral Sage College needs the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. Of course, its not just us. Every single school in the East Divine Continent is thinking the same way But thats not our concern. All I know is that many brilliant, young students like yourselves die in the Umbra Cave each year. Bright futures, innocent lives, snuffed out in the darkness of the Umbra Cave. Their bodies are forever buried there. Do you know how many we have lost over all these years? Pang Qianyuan closed his eyes in pain. In the still silence, a gentle breeze rustled through the Tree of Resonant Power, and many students lifted their heads to look at the whispering leaves. Every leaf in the southwest portion of the trees canopy was marked with a face and a name. The students who had passed in the Umbra Cave. The leaves increased in number each year. The silence took on a melancholy pall. Up till now, they had been obsessed with glory, but Pang Qianyuan had laid out the bloody reality before them. The glory and riches were merely a prize the school had set, blood gold that they priced accordingly. Each time the Umbra Cave opened, some of them would not come back alive. The Holy Grail Meets winner could take the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, which meant it determined their fate. They looked upon their representatives in a new light now. Li Luo could feel it, all the hopes and gratitude radiating their way. Even Yu Langs usual, cheeky grin faded away now. Can we win the Dragon Bone Holy Grail? he whispered to Li Luo. Who knows? Li Luo shrugged. Yu Lang screwed up his lip. Li Luo. Hmm? If I can be of help to you in the Holy Grail Meet, in any way, no matter the outcomeeven if you use me as bait, Ill do it! Li Luo blinked, a little embarrassed by Yu Langs outburst. And then he clapped him on the back and laughed heartily. What are you saying, Yu Lang? Would I treat a brother like that?! Chapter 453: Departure Chapter 453: Departure Li Luo thought that Principal Pang was being a real wet blanket on their cheerful, little departure. Still, he knew that the principal had not exaggerated. He had simply laid out the facts, facts that perhaps most of the students vaguely knew but would choose to ignore. Ugly, horrifying facts were seldom pursued voluntarily. The tension hung heavy like a watery mist in the air, yet it was unaffected by the gentle breeze. Within the mirror, Pang Qianyuan looked slowly around the crowd. I did not wish to speak of these things at first. I know it will only increase the pressure on the competing students. But I had to say it, to ask you to fight with the future of the Astral Sage College on your shoulders. Do not think of it as a competition. Think of it as a cruel war. Li Luo could smell urgency in the principals message. Why? Had things in the Umbra Cave taken a turn for the worse? If they could not bring back the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, what would happen to the Astral Sage College in the future? He sighed. None of this was in his control. All he could do was fight as hard as he could so that that question would not have to be answered. Ill not drag this out any longer. I just have one last thing to askto beg of you He lifted his eyes to the platform where Li Luo and the others stood. His expression solemn, he bowed before them at the waist, head lowered. Please do your best to bring the Dragon Bone Holy Grail back. You will be the heroes of the school! Your names will be carved onto the plaques of the schools, remembered forever. Most importantly I will thank you on behalf of all the student lives that you would have saved from a dark fate. With that chilling yet exciting parting shot, his image faded away from the surface. The courtyard was silent. Everyone was absorbed in their thoughts. Vice Principal Su Xin lifted her hand, and the mirror formed back into a crystal sphere that returned to her hand. She resigned herself to the fact that the principal was not one for lifting spirits. He had always worked in a straightforward and dry manner. Stress he felt, and stress he would express, letting it ripple through the Astral Sage College student body. Still, the student representatives were the cream of the crop. A little pressure should be bearable for them. I have just one last thing to say, Su Xin said. She looked directly at Li Luo at the others. Chosen ones, triumph! She said it like a command and a plea, packed with enough emotion to bring tears to the eyes of the students. Triumph! Triumph! The tip of her finger glowed, and the Tree of Resonant Power responded accordingly. A branch bent down and began to elongate, a snaking root that ran across the floor before arching back up again on itself. In a short time, a door of wood was formed. With a gentle creak, it swung open, light pouring out from within. You can enter the Holy Grail Meet grounds by going through here. Of course, I will be with you throughout. Vice Principal Su Xin gestured at the door with a smile. An entire frame of leaves spread out like a shimmering hedge around the door, each one the size of a large plate. Dont be afraid that your heroic actions will not be seen. These leaves will relay the action at the meet. Do your best, and know that the whole school is cheering you on from behind. The thought gave the student representatives heart, and they smiled. If were ready, lets go, she said simply, then she led the way through first. The light swallowed her up. Next were the Four Star Hall students, led by Gong Shenjun and the First Princess. The Three Star Hall students, led by Jiang Qinge and Duze Honglian. The Two Star Hall students, led by Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding. Finally, the One Star Hall students, led by Li Luo and Qin Zhulu. Right before he stepped through, Li Luo took one last look back, and the raw emotion he felt from the watching students blasted him like a heat wave. Their cheers rang loud in his ears. Principal, youre really one to lay on the pressure, he mumbled to himself as he stepped through. While the representatives were departing. In the deepest depths of the Umbra Cave. The elements ran riot here, raw energy morphing freely between whatever forms were decreed to them in the lawless space. Fire raged against wind, forming a tornado of fire that melted into water, then rose again as a mountain of stone. Amidst the madness sat Pang Qianyuan, surrounded by an invisible barrier and untouched by all of it. The space was further tainted with corruptive energy and maddening howls that wormed their way into ones brain. Not even a Duke could last long here. Pang Qianyuan sat there as calmly as a hunter listening to the wolf packs howls. He cast his gaze deep into the void, where a crescent gash marked the liminal space between two worlds. A vast river of darkness was in the gap, filled with unspeakable vileness, evil, and every sort of negativity that existed in the world. It roiled and rolled, and then a shadow emerged from its depths. An enormous, black fish, its every scale reflecting a tortured human face. Its flat, fishy eyes were the pale-white color of bleached bone, and they were fast on Pang Qianyuan. Pang Qianyuan, are those tiny beings your best shot at this? it mocked him. He looked at it expressionlessly, choosing not to engage. He knew that the Others picked away at the darkness in ones heart. After their long years of struggle, he already knew what a wily foe it was. The black river widens, it hissed at him. You cannot stop it. When it brims over and out of the Umbra Cave, your school will fall. All that land will be food for us. With a slap from its colossal tail, it raised a dark wave of water that crashed down emphatically. It snickered softly, then sank back into the black river. Pang Qianyuan watched it go, then sighed softly to himself. In his mind was a single face, the youthful one of Li Luo. The Astral Sage Colleges representatives were strong, stars of their respective generation that eclipsed many of those that had come before them. There was even Jiang Qinge, the monster that was all but guaranteed the title of strongest Three Star Hall student. Yet the one he favored was Li Luo. If his plan paid off, this would be the most brilliant chess move he had ever played. His piece was no simple pawn, but the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. Of the bloodline of Heavenly King Li. Dont let me down now. Chapter 454: A Small Space Chapter 454: A Small Space This time around, the teleportation took even longer than Li Luo had expected. The beryl-green energy stream carried him onwards like a leaf on a river. The howling energy all around them was overwhelming, and soon their senses began to shut down, putting them into a sort of pseudo-coma. Only Vice Principal Su Xin was completely unaffected, while Gong Shenjun, the First Princess, Jiang Qinge, and a few other powerful students could battle it with a bit of success. But all journeys eventually came to an end. When Vice Principal Su Xin saw a white light ahead in the distance, she knew that they had arrived. She used a fingers worth of energy to prod at the dozing students. It helped them gradually recover from their sleep, and by the time they were conscious again, they had already exited the warp tunnel. The first thing that Li Luo saw when he opened his eyes was a green tower made of wood that had the gnarled surface of an ancient tree. There was no sun or moon in this place, but the lack of natural light was substituted by ethereal lights that hung in mid-air, interspersed with wisps of cloud that dressed the air in white cotton. It looked like some sort of paradise. As his eyes adjusted, he realized that the green tower was but one of many that rose up in the distance. And far away, he could hear the sounds of a crowd. Vice Principal Su Xin led them all to the nearest green tower in front. As they approached, they saw a moat around the tower, only it was filled not with water but with worldly natural energy, moving in its natural, vortex-swirl flow. This energy vortex is where you will compete. When the Holy Grail Meet starts for real, you will all jump down and reach your respective proving grounds, Su Xin explained. They looked down curiously at the energy vortex in the water. Do you know where we are? Su Xin suddenly asked them. They looked around at each other, puzzled. How would they know? Jiang Qinge hesitated and then spoke up. A small, isolated space we are in some sort of rare treasured artifact with an inner space, so could it be the Dragon Bone Holy Grail itself? The others gasped. They were inside the Dragon Bone Holy Grail itself? Su Xins surprise was plain to read on her face. Qinge, sharp as always. Im surprised you managed to guess this one. It had to be something that we are already familiar with, and also very special, since you went out of your way to ask us. Only the Dragon Bone Holy Grail comes to mind, Jiang Qinge explained. Indeed. Su Xin nodded. We are within the Dragon Bone Holy Grail itself. See those spires? Each of them is a base camp for one school. The one we are at is the tower designated for the Astral Sage College. They were suitably amazed. If it was capable of creating such a wondrous space, it was believable that it could have the power to suppress the Umbra Cave itself. They soon noticed a signboard attached to a pole in front of the tower that had Astral Sage College written on it. Vice Principal Su Xin pushed open the doors. I give you all 10 minutes to choose your rooms. Then meet me in the main hall on the first floor. I need to explain the rules of the Holy Grail Meet to you. They left in a mad rush, shouting and bustling around the tower. Yet 10 minutes later, they were all gathered obediently in the main hall. Vice Principal Su Xin sat cross-legged on a futon and told them all to take up seats on futons that faced her. Dear students, there are about 12 hours left before the Holy Grail Meet starts in earnest. Time is of the essence, so we will divide up the work. Each hall should select one student to go scout for information. Since all the student representatives from the various schools are gathered in one place, it is the best time for intelligence-gathering. The four halls converged among themselves, then each selected a representative. For the One Star Hall, Yu Lang was chosen. He was the ideal choice in two ways. Firstly, he was the weakest among the Violet Vibrance students, and hence the most expendable. Secondly, he was precisely the sort of sneaky sneak that was suited to the sneaking nature of the job that intelligence-gathering required. Yu Lang stepped out reluctantly. Hmm, maybe Mengmeng should come along? Bai Doudou snorted. Not a chance, boy. Off with you. Her tone promised a swift kick to his bottom, and so he cringed and stepped out obediently. And now, lets get down to business, Su Xin said seriously. The Holy Grail Meet is divided into two parts. The first is a hall-wide battle. The four halls will compete to decide the four strongest students. When the battles start, you will each be transported to your own areas. There, you will need to use the anima gourds given to you to collect anima dew. Anima dew is a special substance filled with an energy unique to the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. It can protect you from the Dragons Belly that you must pass through. With a gesture, Su Xin summoned an image of a sea of flames before them. The Dragons Belly is special because no one below the Duke Stage can last more than 10 seconds inside. That is why you need sufficient anima dew. They say that 99 drops will get a person through safely. Once you pass through, you will have reached the core area: Dragonbone Island. There, the final fight will commence, and whoever manages to sit on the Dragonbone Throne in the end will be crowned the final winner and strongest student. That is the Hall fight. It is always a group effort. All of you need to work together, and no one has ever succeeded alone before. Your goal is the sameto form a supply chain that collects anima dew and feeds it forward to the strongest students. Only then can we send the greatest number of strong students to Dragonbone Island and hold an advantage in the showdown. Which means, she said severely, it is time to put aside all of your past quarrels. For now, at least, you are all in this together. Everyone must treat everyone else as a true companion, if you wish to make it to the end. There was silence while they took in her words. Chapter 455: The Strictest of Warnings Chapter 455: The Strictest of Warnings The hall-wide format for the first half had come as a surprise for Li Luo. All his plans had revolved around squad-work, but now he realized that he had set his planning horizons a little too near. Still, this made sense. Ultimately, the Academic Federation fostered white-hot competition among the schools so that the students would grow stronger. Unity among the students was also important, sometimes even more so than individual strength. There were some in this world who had the strength to rival an army but these students were laughably far from that level. Working with the other Violet Vibrance squads wasnt going to be a problem except for Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan. Those two were turds the length of a baseball bat. Li Luo glanced over at them. Both were frowning heavily at the moment. Sensing Li Luos eyes on them, they looked up uneasily. At school, they had their fair share of conflicts, and their relationship had been strained and sour at best. Not sabotaging each other might be as good as you could have hoped for when you put them in the same competitive environment. Working together? The notion was hilarious. Students, let me say this again. Vice Principal Su Xin was speaking in the sharpest tone they had ever heard from her. The Holy Grail Meet is of paramount importance to the Astral Sage College. I need each of you to act on behalf of the greater strategy. Put aside your petty and selfish interests. Any malicious deeds will be answered with the harshest of punishments, handed out by myself personally. And the school will never again take another student associated with you or yours. That was a threat severe enough to make the students pale. The anger of a gentle woman was feared even by the wisest of them. The threat of cutting all ties. Li Luo swallowed nervously. The school was the ultimate training ground of the Xia Kingdom. If they barred a house or any faction from cultivating there, it would be a devastating blow indeed. Even Wang Hejius expression turned circumspect immediately. The Wang familys dynasty ran far and deep, and they sent many disciples to the Astral Sage College each year. If he killed off that channel for the house, his father would probably strangle him to death with his own hands. Wang Hejiu sensed Vice Principal Su Xins cool look directed at him, and he shuddered. It seemed like the kind vice principal knew of his enmity with Li Luo all too well. Message received, loud and clear. After all, Li Luo was deemed as a competitor for strongest One Star Hall student. If he pulled Li Luo down, the school would not stand for it. At this point, he was feeling like a cornered rat. He forced a smile. Dont worry, Vice Principal. Li Luo and I might have fought childishly in the past, but I know this is different. I will definitely do my best to work with his squad. Duze Beixuan, in the meantime, was getting heat from a different direction. His sister, Duze Honglian. The younger Duze sibling quailed before his older sister. He knew her fiery temper, and she would not hesitate to punch his face in even before everyone here. He hastily nodded. Ill do my best as well. Duze Honglian nodded and then turned away, satisfied. She was worried that Duze Beixuan was too young and stubborn to lay down his pride. But when Vice Principal Su Xin made such a threat, their only choice was to respect it. Not even House Duze could survive without the school. Seems like our friend Honglian over there knows whats up, Jiang Qinges teammate Tian Tian noted. Duze Honglian set the example herself. I will do my best for the good of the hall, she said, addressing Jiang Qinge directly. Jiang Qinge, show us how deep your potential runs. Go take that strongest Three Star Hall student title. None of us have seen you at your 100% yet. I hope to see it this time. Jiang Qinge nodded back calmly. I will do my best. With the help of someone as strong as yourself, things should be a lot easier. Duze Honglians eyes widened, and she could feel a sudden, hot prickle at the back of her throat. To think the day would come when Jiang Qinge would acknowledge her. Duze Honglian had seen Jiang Qinge as a bitter rival from the day the two girls had enrolled, but the gap between them had only grown bigger and bigger. Duze Honglian held on to her anger and pride stubbornly, because if she let them go, all that would be left was despair. But the reality in battle was clear cut. Duze Honglian had to respect Jiang Qinges dominance over her. She herself did not know if she was hanging on so grimly just to earn Jiang Qinges respect. Damn you, Duze Honglian, she scolded herself inwardly. How pathetic can you get? Just one kind word and youre an emotional wreck. Shame! Compared to the One and Three Star Halls, the Four Star Hall was a lot more peaceful. Their class had divided up into two clear sides over the yearsthe Gong Shenjun team and the First Princess team. Both had many followers, and both maintained a cordial relationship with each other easily, as politically-seasoned individuals. They very quickly established their own understanding. As for the Two Star Hall Well, they were a little neglected. Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding could tell that Vice Principal Su Xin had paid them little attention from the start, whether in the form of pointed warning or kind words. Which made them a little troubled. It meant that she held zero expectations for the Two Star Hall. Understandable. Compared to the others, this years Two Star Hall was painfully ordinary. And they had almost cost the school the ticket match as well. Under such circumstances, who would even hold hopes for the Two Star Hall at the Holy Grail Meet? In Vice Principal Su Xins mind, the Two Star Hall was probably just here to make the headcount. Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding shared miserable looks. Was this what it felt like to be the middle child? Damn the feeling sucked. Chapter 456: Golden Resonant Tree Brooch Chapter 456: Golden Resonant Tree Brooch Now that she had impressed the gravity of the situation on all of them, Vice Principal Su Xin returned to her usual, soft, and kindly manner. And theres one more thing to talk about: the format to choose the ultimate winner. After the first hall-level battle, there will be four victorsthe four strongest students. They will each be awarded a golden resonant tree brooch She summoned the image of one to show them a small, gold badge about half the size of her palm. The image of a tree was carved on the flat, shiny gold, its majestic canopy stretching to the ends of the accessory. The number of golden resonant tree brooches determines the ultimate winner. And I might be a little arrogant, she said, smiling at Jiang Qinge, but I daresay one of those brooches is already in our hands. No one disagreed. Even the other schools had marked her down as the top contender. However, the first hall-level competition only provides some advantages. The decider is the second half, the mixed-level competition. In the mixed-level competition, each school forms three-student squads, and all three must be from different Halls. For example, 4-3-2, or 4-3-1. The students listened intently. This was very interesting indeed Li Luo glanced over at Jiang Qinge, and found her looking back at him. They both smiled briefly. Alright, locked in. No matter who the third person was, he was tagging along with Jiang Qinge. NoLi Luo was no longer the same kid he was back in the Umbra Cave. He was much stronger now, much more useful Perhaps even more useful than the deadweights in the Two Star Hall. The squad that wins the mixed-level competition gets three golden resonant tree brooches, which makes it even more important than the first competition. Usually, no school wins three strongest student titles, which means that whoever wins the mixed-level competition takes the victory and brings home the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. Li Luo bit his tongue. Three strongest students? That difficulty level was out of this world. Besides, if one school won three strongest students, they could just form the ultimate team with those three students and steamroll the second round anyway. Probably no school had managed that feat in the history of the East Divine Continent. They only dared to aim for the Three Star Hall title because they had a ninth-grade light resonance monster that came once in a lifetime. Which school would have three lifetimes-worth of karma aligned at the same time? Not realistic. Golden resonant tree brooches are very special treasured artifacts. They are made specially by the Academic Federation. One of their properties is the ability to act as mini trees of resonant power, allowing them to continuously refine your resonance grade. In other words, its as if you are constantly consuming spirit liquids and purifying lights at every minute. Of course, the effect is not as strong, but it will save you a huge expense in the long term. You could almost see skygold raining down in every students imagination. Even the richest of themGong Shenjun and the First Princesswere interested. This was some real value indeed. Of course, the one most moved by this statement by far was Li Luo. His breathing was ragged with excitement. If there was ever a spirit liquid drinking competition, he would make the leaderboard. He would beat all of the other competitors total volume combined. He was the ultimate spirit liquids and purifying lights black hole that vacuumed up money, along with any happiness and hope in Cai Weis life. Plus, he had many resonances. That treasured artifact would have an incredible effect on him. To him, this was even more attractive than a violet-eye treasured artifact. He licked his lips. Target acquired. Ignore the mixed-level competition for now. One step at a time. He had to win the hall-level competition for sure. Plus, the mixed-level competition would be messy, as there would be too many variables to plan for properly. Plus, he was only a small mouse among giants there. With Jiang Qinge and other Four Star Hall students around, it was naive to think that a puny Resonant Master like him would change anything drastically. Which was why if he wanted a golden resonant tree brooch, the hall-level competition was the time and place to get it. Oh, and if someone gets two golden resonant tree brooches, they can request for it to be merged into a violet resonant tree brooch. I trust you are all familiar with the difference between gold and violet Violet resonant tree brooches are much stronger than their golden counterparts, and with it will come unimaginable glory. Few get golden resonant tree brooches, but the number of violet resonant tree brooches is even lower. Su Xin seemed to be directing her words to Jiang Qinge. As one of the top seeds, she had a shot at one. It was hard to say for the mixed-level competition, but at least things seemed more or less guaranteed for the hall-level competition. Jiang Qinge just nodded neutrally. In truth, a resonance-improving treasured artifact might be useful for others, but she was already a ninth-grade. The limit was there. On the other side, Li Luo was staring at the sky. He could not afford to let his jaw point downwards, or his saliva would brim over. He shook his head at the sky. Vice Principal Su Xin, you tease. You devil. You tease. You sure know how to turn a decent, little boy bad. Im so bad, and the only cure is a violet resonant tree brooch. Chapter 457: Ambitions of an Enlightened Sage Chapter 457: Ambitions of an Enlightened Sage Whilst the students of the Astral Sage College pondered over their strategies for the hall-level competition, the others were not idle. Everyone was hunched over, crafting master plans for the exciting battle ahead. Meanwhile, in another isolated space a fair distance away stood a tower marked with the signboard of the Enlightened Sage College. Each college teleported in at a different time due to the varying distances. On the other hand, the Enlightened Sage College, having been the champion of the previous competition, possessed the Dragon Bone Holy Grail and had thus arrived here without much delay. Five people were sitting at a round table at the top of the tower, watching the zones below. We have already crafted a plan for each school. You four are the jewels of the Enlightened Sage College, and your performances will determine if the Dragon Bone Holy Grail can continue to remain with us. The one who had spoken was a man dressed in grand robes of white that matched his snow-white hair. Despite this, his face was youthfulthe glowing skin of a child with dark, bright eyes that shone with intelligence. He was the leader of the Enlightened Sage College delegation, the vice principal, Guo Jiufeng. Jing Taixu, youre definitely one of the most favored contenders in the One Star Hall, but you shouldnt get careless. The other schools havent been sleeping for the last few yearsthey must have cultivated their own talents to take the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. Still, a quasi ninth-grade wind resonance like yours is still an enormous advantage. You might end up taking the title. The handsome youth in green was known as the Spear of Enlightened Sage, and he did not just have the firepower, but also the lanky build to match his name. The corner of his lip twitched up a fraction, more focused on a wisp of green energy that weaved in and out of his fingers playfully. Dont worry, Vice Principal. I understand. Jing Taixu nodded. The Sacred Summit Sage Colleges Sun Dasheng and the Heavenly Inferno Sage Colleges Lu Ming will not be easy to deal with. It will take all I have to deal with them. And we dont know if there are any dark horses from other schools either. Theres too little information. Ill play this cautiously. Guo Jiufeng nodded, satisfied. He was quite sanguine about letting Jing Taixu do his thing. The kid had yet to lose since he had entered the school. Other schools might be strong, but Jing Taixu would never take anyone lightly. Yuan Banshan, the Two Star Hall needs to be even more careful. Our school was the last champion, and all eyes will be on us as target number one. Break up all ganks early, stay low-profile. Guo Jiufeng now turned his eyes to a burly youth who was leaning forward on the table. His well-muscled forearms were bulging with veins. This was Yuan Banshan, the carry of the Two Star Hall class. Although he was not as talented as Jing Taixu, he was still an elite in his year across all schools. He had an upper eighth-grade alp resonance, a variation of an earth resonance. According to our information, Ao Bai from the North Sea Sage College probably leads the pack. Hes ahead of youhis fiend palace is probably close to forming. If you meet him, be careful. Yuan Banshans eyes widened slightly. He was already at the liminal point between the peak of the Resonant Master Stage and the General Stage. It was where the first Fiend Palace Tier was still forming, and those at his level were known as False Generals. But according to Guo Jiufeng, Ao Bai was already breaking out of their bottle-neck? Almost a true Earth Fiend? That was indeed ahead of him. Ill be careful, Yuan Banshan rumbled. Guo Jiufeng nodded. He was a little disappointed with the haul this year in the Two Star Hall. Out of their four halls, this was the weak spot. How far they got was going to be up to luck. He then turned his attention to the next student. He was a lot more ordinary-looking compared to Jing Taixu in terms of facial features, but he had a head of light-blue hair. His long hair was neatly braided so it fell behind him, and when he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits. Lan Lan, I dont think I need to say too much. Your batch is the one that has been nurtured the longestyou entered school right when we won the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, which means that youve enjoyed our boosted cultivation resources for your full four years. And you deserve every resource weve spent on you. I hope you can take the title in the Four Star Hall and bring us a golden resonant tree brooch. Lan Lan nodded slightly. We have prepared for the Holy Grail Meet for many years. As the last champion, we not only got the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, but also other rewards from the Academic Federation. It has strengthened our lineup and foundations greatly. It gives us a significant advantage. That is why the school has great hopes for all of you. The One and Four Star Halls are the most likely wins The Two Star Hall lacks a little firepower, so we hope to make the surprise push in the Three Star Hall. Guo Jiufeng now turned to the last person, a youth clad in grayish silver. This was Lu Jinci, their Three Star Hall representative who was already in the Fiend Finisher Tier. Lu Jinci shook his head, irritated. Come on, Vice Principal. You know that the Three Star Hall competition is the most difficult one, right? Jiang Qinge from the Astral Sage College has a ninth-grade light resonance, for heavens sake. Itll be like running headfirst into a mountain! Guo Jiufeng smiled. Its exactly because Jiang Qinge is overwhelmingly strong that there is a chance. What do you mean? Lu Jinci asked, astonished. Lan Lans eyelids flickered. Hmm get the other students to gank Jiang Qinge? Guo Jiufeng laughed softly. Indeed. She is so strong that no school alone has an answer to her. Which means that joining forces is the only answer. It will be on everyones minds. Simple, is it not? All it needs is a little engineering. If we win by joining forces, Lu Jinci said hesitantly, is that not a little unfair? It looks like the years of peace have made your brain mush, Guo Jiufeng said harshly. Have you forgotten that your years of peaceful cultivation were built on the lives of other students? You stand on a mountain of graves, and another mountain will come after it. And you speak of fairness? Lu Jinci subsided quickly. I understand. I will follow the schools instructions in all things. Guo Jiufeng nodded. Jiang Qinge is a real talent not just in the East Divine Continent, but throughout the Academic Federation, I reckon. The Astral Sage College is really lucky to have such a beast. But we also have a plan to take her down Dipping his finger gleefully in a teacup, he wrote two words on the table. The four students bent over. Swan Hunt. Those two words looked innocuous enough, but somehow sinister. Chapter 458: Rumors Have It Chapter 458: Rumors Have It Swan Hunt. It was a comical name, but no one laughed. Especially the one most involvedLu Jinci. He knew that the innocent-sounding Big White Swan was nothing to fuck with. He had never fought her before, but a ninth-grade light resonance was enough of a name to have him scared shitless. We need to do one thing in this plan. Guo Jiufeng gently tapped the table. We need to make the Enlightened Sage College become Jiang Qinges number one target. She must want to come hunt Lu Jinci. That will make our plan much easier to execute. Lu Jinci winced. What had he done to offend the vice principal recently? Vice Principal, I havent offended her at all. Why would she come after me? Well, go offend her, then. Lu Jinci groaned. Im not good at that. Besides, shell probably ignore me. Guo Jiufeng smirked. Well, I expect as much. Which is why Im leaving this task he turned to Jing Taixu. To you. Jing Taixu nodded reluctantly. Well, if the school orders it, Ill give it a try. I guess I do want to size her up as well. Do your best, Guo Jiufeng told him. But its not a must. It just makes the plan much smoother. If it doesnt work, well just have to hustle harder in other ways. And now, time is of the essence, so go quickly. He waved them off. Oh, and bring Lu Jinci with you. So they recognize each other. Jing Taixu and Lu Jinci left the tower. Junior Jing, whats the plan? Lu Jinci asked. Jing Taixu shrugged. You follow me to the Astral Sage Colleges tower, then we go looking for Jiang Qinge. Just like that? Why would she even bother? Lu Jinci asked. Ah, which is why I will start a fire first. Jing Taixu pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket sphere and handed it over to Lu Jinci, whose jaw dropped. He stared at the words on the paper in disbelief. Breaking news! Rumors that the Enlightened Sage Colleges Jing Taixu has a history with Jiang Qinge! Their parents have already arranged an engagement! Junior Jing, this doesnt seem very believable, Lu Jinci said doubtfully. Its just to draw some attention, stir some interest. Every school has sent scouts out to keep their ears to the ground. All kinds of fake news are flying everywhere. Besides, it isnt all fake. My father did mention before that he knew the Xia Kingdoms Li Taixuan back in the day and offered a marriage arrangement after learning that he had an outstanding female disciple. Still, the offer was completely ignored. Jing Taixu grinned. So you plan to spread that rumor? Lu Jinci asked. Jing Taixu nodded. Jiang Qinge will definitely hear of it. And then I can bring you over to meet her. Shell definitely consent to meet us then, I think. Get her to know about us, and the mission can be considered accomplished. Lu Jinci stared at him suspiciously. Somehow I feel like youre the one who wants to meet her. Jing Taixu flinched, but he recovered quickly with a smile. Hey, its only normal to want to see pretty girls, right? Especially strong ones. Nothing unusual there. Thats not the best way to make a first impression though, Lu Jinci noted. Well, cant be helped. Its the schools command Then again, a rocky start can sometimes be turned for the better. Its more important that she knows me well at first, rather than think well of me. Therell be chances in the future. Youre truly a veteran in these things, huh, Lu Jinci marveled. No wonder I hear that you already have a dozen girls on your plate in your first year. Thanks, Senior. Jing Taixu waved over a One Star Hall student and passed the paper to him, then he passed five more golden dragon notes worth 100,000 skygold each. Here, hide your identity and get some unsavory types to spread these things. Lazy moves. Just getting the basics covered. Jing Taixu grinned. The One Star Hall student hurried off. Alright, now we wait for the information to reach Jiang Qinges ears, then we move. Lu Jinci nodded doubtfully. The Enlightened Sage College student returned to his room to put on a hood and mask. Satisfied that he looked dodgy enough, he made straight for where he knew people gathered. It was a large plaza where many schools had come to look for information. Of course, true or false, no one could tell. The Enlightened Sage College student looked around for someone suitable. He didnt want anyone who looked too smart; otherwise, his own identity might be unraveled. About half an hour later, he finally saw someone suitable. A young man sitting on a ledge, staring out at the lake with a vacant expression. He didnt look particularly bright, daydreaming in the middle of one of the most important events for all schools. Plain clothes, scraggly, scruffy expression, probably in need of money. He moved towards the young man with a bright smile. Brother, want to take a job? The tired and hungry Yu Lang looked up at him grumpily, only to see a dodgy-looking person dressed all in black and in a mask. He was just about to brush him off when the guy handed him a piece of paper. It was a golden dragon note for 100,000 skygold. Spread some news for me, brother, and this 100,000 skygold bill is yours. Yu Lang perked up immediately, and the note disappeared into his pocket. Brother, you have a good eye. You immediately spotted me out of all the people here. You speak my language. He grinned. The Enlightened Sage College student wasnt interested, and he turned and left. Yu Lang first stowed the note properly, then glanced at the information. His eyes widened as he read it again. Son of a b*tch, trying to sabotage my brother Luo?! He chased after the student in black and caught hold of him. Hey, what are you doing?! Brother, can you give me all these kinds of jobs that you have? Youre looking for more people, right? But give me all of it, and I promise Ill deliver! Yu Lang said greedily. Heh, youre crazy greedy. Do this one well, and Ill think about it. Yu Lang groaned. I know what youre saying, he whispered knowingly. How about this: Ill give you a 50 percent discount. Ill do all the dirty work for you! The student in black was astonished. He was the employer, and he was getting a discount?! What in the world was this business model? What a great lad. The student in black grinned. Well, Jing Taixu had told him to get the word out, but he hadnt specified how far. And this greedy kid was super eager. He handed all the slips to Yu Lang to pass out, then he put another golden dragon note on top. 500,000, and he made 300,000. What a great way of doing business. Do a good job, man. He clapped Yu Lang on the shoulder, then walked away whistling. Yu Lang simpered and bowed until he was out of sight, then he hurriedly found a deserted corner and pulled out a pen. He copied the writing style on the messages exactly, modifying them accordingly. Breaking news, part two! But the marriage arrangement eventually fell apart when the Jing family revealed that Jing Taixu has had an erection problem since he was young! Chapter 459: Jing Taixu Loses His Cool Chapter 459: Jing Taixu Loses His Cool Jing Taixu waited at the Enlightened Sage College tower for an hour, then he called Lu Jinci and headed out. Surely the rumor had caught someones ear by now. Perhaps already in Jiang Qinges own dainty ones. The two set out for the Astral Sage Colleges tower. The location had been easy enough to find. Senior Lu, do you think the Vice Principals plan is really going to work? Jing Taixu asked as they moved through the mass of other students. Lu Jinci chewed his lip. I dont know. Ive never fought someone with a ninth-grade resonance before, so I can only imagine what its like. Hey, you have a quasi ninth-grade resonance, dont you? What do you think? Jing Taixu grinned. At the risk of sort of tooting my own horn? I think Senior Lu is in for a whole lot of trouble. He might have a quasi, but it was still a ninth-grade. A whole lot of trouble. Well see who can survive till the end, Lu Jinci said grimly. He acknowledged that it wasnt going to be easy. Much depended on how many other elite schools and students he could rally to the cause, but in any case, there was no smooth sailing to be had on the horizon. Just my luck, Lu Jinci groaned. The East Divine Continents got such a beast in Three Star Hall, and our school still wants to find a breakthrough here? Jing Taixu chuckled. He was just about to reply, but he noticed something unusual about the mood. He looked around at the other students and saw that they were looking at him strangely. He was used to being watched. As the hotshot star of the Enlightened Sage College and even the Holy Sun Dynasty, he had received his fair share of attention. But These people were all looking at him with amused pity! Senior Lu, do you feel like these people are looking at me oddly? Lu Jinci started. He took a careful look around. Yeah, somethings happened, he agreed. Jing Taixu frowned, then he took a few brisk steps forward and caught a female student gently by the arm. Hello, he said with his best smile. I was just wondering if theres anything strange about me? She looked at his face, then blushed. Again, the same look of pity and regret? Jing Taixu was as handsome as they came, but this sort of infirmity What a shame. She took out a flier and passed it to him, then left quickly. Jing Taixu looked down quizzically. It was the news that he had been spreading, so what was the problem His eyes landed on the extra line of words at the bottom. His eyes were as wide as saucers. Even his usually calm personality was rocked. Ill be fucked! It was a rare outburst from the urbane, young heir to the Jing family of the Holy Sun Dynasty, and an unfortunate one to make in light of the fake news. A vein pulsed on his temple. Whats wrong? Lu Jinci asked, surprised by his vehemence. Jing Taixu crushed the paper in his fist. He wordlessly handed it over. Lu Jinci pried it open and read it. What the f*ck?! Wasnt this the news you were spreading? Jing Taixu took a deep breath. Indeed. But someones added an extra line! he said through gritted teeth. Seems like all of them have been altered, judging by the mood. Didnt you send people out in secret? What happened? Lu Jinci asked. That useless dunderhead must have passed all the slips to a single person who wishes me ill. Jing Taixu was feeling quite upset that his plan was backfiring. No wonder the girl had looked at him with pity! Erm Lu Jinci wasnt sure what to say at this point. He pitied Jing Taixu too for the slander, of course, not the erectile dysfunction. And it wasnt like you could prove the rumors wrong anyway. Take off your pants in public? Absolutely crazy. This person is a real cunning one, Lu Jinci said with grudging admiration. Their unknown saboteur knew just what would catch public interest. The original news had been sensational enough already, but this guy was a real master of human psychology. It was a masterstroke of an addition that had flipped the tables completely back on them. Plus, Jing Taixu was a top seed contender for the One Star Hall, so everyone would lap up any news that made him look bad. Should we issue a clarification? Something else? Lu Jinci waved the paper thoughtfully. Its no use, Jing Taixu growled. You think people actually care if I can get it up? Lu Jinci was silent. Of course, everyone understood that fake news was abundant in this placeperhaps all information gathered here was basically fake news. But it was entertaining, nonetheless. Hey, listen, the great genius of the Enlightened Sage College, the one who might take the strongest One Star Hall student titletheres one area where he cant go hard in! A real attention-grabber. Motherfucker, whoever did this is a real master. Jing Taixu shook his head. He had really shot himself in the foot. It must be the Astral Sage College who did this. I think all the information landed directly in their hands, Lu Jinci suggested. Jing Taixu scowled. He would really like to find the guy he had paid and drop him on his head a few times. What sort of luck did he have to immediately be connected with an Astral Sage College guy? Or was he just stupid? Forget it, let it go. He sighed. If this was really done by the Astral Sage College, then Jiang Qinge will know about it. I guess the mission was accomplished, in a way. Lets continue on to the Astral Sage College. In any case, we should still meet Jiang Qinge. Lu Jinci nodded, and the pair continued on their uncomfortable way. Chapter 460: Burning Bridges Chapter 460: Burning Bridges While Jing Taixu was being taken for a ride by the Astral Sage Colleges One Star Hall wind resonance user, Li Luo and Jiang Qinge were enjoying some private time together, leaning on the balcony and looking out at the streets. And then Li Luo noticed a familiar head in the crowd. Yu Lang. Seeing him with Jiang Qinge, the green-haired trickster waved urgently but discreetly to him. Li Luo was a little hesitant, but he went over anyway. Werent you asked to go out and get information? Why have you snuck back? Oh, I got some eye-popping, jaw-dropping information, alright. Yu Lang hesitated. But for you, it might be a bit teeth-grinding and knuckle-clenching too. He handed the unedited version to Li Luo. Li Luo looked at it, and his expression turned dead-serious. He had always been good at holding his composure, but there was clear anger in his eyes now. Rumors and fake news were to be expected, but Jiang Qinge was a line that should not be crossed with him, especially when it involved their engagement. Do we show it to Senior Jiang? Yu Lang asked. Nothing much to hide, Li Luo said, handing it over to Jiang Qinge. Her golden eyes skimmed the paper. She took the news calmly enough, although her eyes lingered on it strangely. Fake news is abound in this time and place. No need to care too much, Li Luo said. This is not completely fake news, Jiang Qinge said. The Holy Sun Dynastys Jing family. They indeed came to us with a marriage proposal before, but Master ignored them completely. The proposal might have a shred of truth in it, but the malice in this is definitely real. Wait- a real proposal?! Why didnt I know about it? Li Luo exclaimed. Well, it wasnt much. It was many years ago, and it was dismissed quickly. I doubt anyone remembers it at all. In fact, Jiang Qinge said thoughtfully, flicking the paper with one finger. Perhaps the only person who remembers it is the proposer himself. Jing Taixu, Li Luo confirmed. Jiang Qinge nodded. Even I took a while to recall it. It has to be him. Whats his goal here? Offending us out of nowhere? This was basically a declaration of war, and they couldnt see the reason. Was Jing Taixu mad? Or was he just insanely strong as a quasi ninth-grade? Maybe an idiot? Jiang Qinge offered casually. Senior Jiang, dont be angry! Ive already punished that lout for you! Yu Lang cackled like a madman. Oh? Yu Lang fished out his modified copy. I managed to snag every last piece of this, and now the Yu Lang version is being circulated instead. Jiang Qinge stared at it, and her eyes widened. She fought a smile. Li Luo peered over her shoulder, and his own eyes widened as well. Yu Lang, youre a genius. Ive truly underestimated you in the past, Li Luo said admiringly. Yu Langs addition had leached the sting out of the first piece of news. It was no longer the main dish, but merely an appetizer to provide context to his addition. Jing Taixu was getting a taste of the medicine that he had been so eager to dish out. Li Luo patted Yu Lang on the back. Thanks, man. The original rumor would have made Li Luo a very angry man. He was protective of Jiang Qinges reputation. But Yu Langs twist had completely derailed the slander, and turned it back on the instigator. He was grateful to have such a friend around him. Yu Lang grinned. Senior Jiang is our ace. How could I let them turn the Astral Sage Colleges Ace of Hearts into the Ace of Spades? Protecting the schools reputation is the duty of all good students, he said piously. Jiang Qinge smiled warmly at him. Thank you. Yu Lang felt a little bashful to be thanked by her. Although she was not the cold and aloof kind, her talent put her in a different league, and it was still difficult to feel friendly with her. Such raw sincerity out of her was a rare sight, and it would unarm even a practiced rogue like Yu Lang. A student rushed up to them. Senior Jiang, theres someone at the tower asking to meet you. He says hes Jing Taixu from the Enlightened Sage College. Li Luo and Jiang Qinge shared hostile looks. Jing Taixu had come in person? Should we see them? Li Luo asked Jiang Qinge. He wanted to see what this guy was made of. Jiang Qinge nodded silently, but there was a subtle tension in her features that expressed her hostility. They went to the entrance and stepped out to see two people standing by a tree nearby. Jing Taixu and Lu Jinci. They walked over to Li Luo and Jiang Qinge. Jing Taixus eyes were locked on Jiang Qinge. He had thought he was ready, but her beauty and presence were still overwhelming. There were many playboys in this world, but Jing Taixu was a practiced master a playman. And even he had never seen a woman of this caliber before. No wonder his old man had swallowed his pride and sent out a marriage arrangement. He had thought that his father was weak back then, but now he understood. Li Luos eyes were locked on Jing Taixu. He immediately disliked him. Jing Squi-shy? he said with a smile.[1] Jing Taixu stiffened. Its Jing Taixu. So it was you guys who modified the information. Li Luo nodded. Well-written, wasnt it? You might not want to hear it, but its the truth. Such a thing indeed happened before, Jing Taixu said. Of course its happened before. House Luolan has had crates upon crates of such proposals over the years. Dont worry too much about it, sir. Li Luo laughed lightly. Jing Taixu looked at this youth, who might even be more handsome than he was. He frowned. And you are? Li Luo of the Astral Sage College. Son of Li Taixuan Oh, and Jiang Qinges fianc. He reached out and took Jiang Qinges hand in his. Which is why your rumors made me very angry, my Enlightened Sage College friend. Jiang Qinge smiled widely and interlocked her fingers with Li Luos tightly. Fianc? Jing Taixu was blown away by this development. Jiang Qinge looked happy as well. Young Lord Li Luo, you are a lucky man. A childhood sweetheart? Blessed indeed. Jing Taixu sighed. Senior Jiang, I did not know of this. No wonder what I did was received extremely poorly. I merely wanted to meet you once, after hearing Father speak glowing praise of you in the past. If I have besmirched your reputation in any way, I sincerely apologize. Jiang Qinge looked at him coolly. When you hear the buzzing of a housefly in your ear, you dont lean in to interpret apologies in its resonance. You smash it to pulp instead. Jing Taixu shrank back a little. He sensed killing intent in Jiang Qinges voice. Lu Jinci took a half-step forward, his own eyes tight on Jiang Qinge. Although they were banned from fighting, Jiang Qinges anger was apparent. They didnt know what she was capable of. Jing Squishy, ah, I mean, Jing Taixu, Li Luo interjected. Ill see you in the hall-level competition. Jing Taixu smiled at Li Luo. How could he not understand the challenge that Li Luo was issuing? Friend Li Luo, Im looking forward to it. Jing Taixu and Lu Jinci walked away. Well, looks like we accomplished what we came for, Lu Jinci said softly once they were a safe distance away. He could feel that they had riled Jiang Qinge up. Jing Taixu nodded. I felt like I just poked a tigress in the face, Lu Jinci said with a shudder. Jing Taixu did not respond. Hey, whatre you thinking about? Lu Jinci asked. I think I fancy her, Jing Taixu said with a sigh. Lu Jinci rolled his eyes. Youve fancied like a dozen people already in your first year. This ones different, Jing Taixu said defensively. Hey, shes already engaged. Youve also made an enemy out of Li Luo, you know. Jing Taixu just smiled. I envy Li Luos luck, but I dont fear his strength. Its not his fault, its just that theres no one in all of the East Divine Continents One Star Hall that I fear. He smiled widely. Lu Jinci had no objection. A boast was not a boast if one had the ability to back up the words. Over on the other side, Li Luo and Jiang Qinge watched the pair leave. Li Luo, Jiang Qinge suddenly said. Hmm? A task for you. Eliminate him in the One Star Hall competition. Oh? Any rewards? Li Luo asked eagerly. She smiled and lifted up their interlocked hands and gave it a playful shake. Sorry, youve already redeemed it beforehand. 1. TN: It was a wordplay joke that was impossible to translate. I tried my best. ? Chapter 461: Officially Begun Chapter 461: Officially Begun There was only an hour left before the hall-level competition. Vice Principal Su Xin gathered the students for a final information consolidation. Over at the One Star Hall side. Everyone was looking at Yu Lang, as he was their representative scout. All the information was with him, and he had just finished exchanging information with the scouts from the other halls as well. Ahem. He coughed loudly, puffing up his chest. Hearken- No nonsense. Only information, Bai Doudou interrupted him bluntly. Yu Lang was devastated. She never let him have any fun Cringing a little, he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. Well, theres a lot of information, but all of you are probably most worried about the elites to take note of. Theres a lot of fake information out there, but theres a good consensus regarding the three hot favorites to take special note of. Is Li Luo among them? Lu Qinger asked. Yu Lang pursed his lips. No. Li Luo is not among them. Student Li Luo, please reflect seriously on your shortcomings. Leader just hides it well. Bai Mengmeng twinkled. Yu Lang wasnt at all happy that all these girls were fawning over Li Luo. Well, he said irritatedly, the three people are the Enlightened Sage Colleges Jing Taixu, the Sacred Summit Sage Colleges Sun Dasheng, and the Heavenly Inferno Sage Colleges Lu Ming. My information suggests that all three are already at the Third Changing. These three are in a league of their own. If we encounter them and were alone, the wisest course of action would be to run. Heroics wont work against them. Third Changing. Li Luo nodded to himself. These three had surpassed all of them, himself included. Li Luo had just reached the Second Changing, but it was worth mentioning that his woodearth resonance had managed to reach the sixth-grade recently. Now he had a lower seventh-grade waterlight resonance and a sixth-grade woodearth resonance. He probably had one of the best resonance advantages among the Second Changing students throughout the East Divine Continent. Jing Taixu and the others might be a level stronger than him, but it was thanks to the copious resources that their schools had showered them with. Of course, they had definitely earned it through their own merits within the system. The Holy Grail Meet was indeed something special. All the schools were going all out for it. Plus, it seemed like the level was increasing from meet to meet as well. The current level with three Third Changing students was much higher than the past three iterations. Besides these three, I also compiled the information on the eight people that are most talked about. They can also be considered to have a good shot. Of course, there might still be more dark horses lurking around besides them Treasure Sage College, Zang Mei, with an upper eighth-grade fire resonance. Second Changing. Thicket Sage College, Lu Qingmu, with an upper eighth-grade wood resonance. Lupine Sage College, Ao Fei, lower eighth-grade lightning wolf resonance. Yu Lang continued rattling off his list until he came to the last item. He paused. He grinned, then he frowned. He hesitated, chewing his lip and thinking it over. He shrugged and was about to continue speaking, then he stopped again. Finally, he steeled himself and soldiered on. Astral Sage College Lu Qinger, Bai Mengmeng, and the others perked up. Astral Sage College, Yu Lang. What. Bai Doudou rolled her eyes. Yu Lang, this isnt the time He pulled a long face. It really isnt! This is what the findings are! Which son of a gun sabotaged me!? He showed them the paper. Indeed, Astral Sage College, Yu Lang was written on it. But Yu Lang was the weakest of them. How had he made it into the list of experts? They looked around, confused. If not for the fact that the four halls had compiled the information together, they would have suspected Yu Lang of pranking them. But the information could be trusted. In the whispers and rumors going around the schools, Yu Langs name was on their minds. And these people would be constantly targeted from the starting gun. For the strong ones, it was a real limiter on their strength. For a weak guy like Yu Lang? He would be crushed. They could already see the scene in their minds: Yu Lang being buried alive and screaming for his mommy and daddy about five seconds into the competition. Li Luo stepped forward with the innocent expression of a newborn. He clapped Yu Lang on the shoulder. Dont worry, my good brother, Li Luo said with great sincerity. I will protect you. Yu Lang was touched. Truly a good brother he could count on. Dong! A loud bell sounded in their ears. All discussions ceased. Vice Principal Su Xin stood up. The competition will start at any moment. All students, prepare. Five minutes later, when the energy vortex appeared at the moat outside their tower, the students were all neatly assembled and ready, assembled by hall. You have all the information you need regarding the hall-level competition, Vice Principal Su Xin said. Remember: strength in numbers. Fighting alone puts you at an unnecessary disadvantage. I think even the Enlightened Sage Colleges Jing Taixu would be eliminated if he were to go up against two or three Violet Vibrance squads alone. Save your heroics for the second half at Dragonbone Island. That will be the time and place for it. Besides that, each hall will have a leader to oversee the entire strategy. All squads must listen to the leader. Li Luo, Zhu Xuan, Jiang Qinge, Gong Shenjun. You four will take charge. They nodded. Clapping her hands, beams of white light flew out to the students. Li Luo looked at the two light spheres in front of him. One of them was a white gourd, glowing faintly. The other was a crystal compass. The anima gourd is used to collect anima dew. The crystal compass will guide you accordingly. It also marks all your locations as shining dots. You can confirm each others locations and act accordingly. Vice Principal Su Xin gave them a final, encouraging smile. Enough words I look forward to seeing what all of you can do. Dong! Another gong sounded out, signaling the beginning of the competition Enter as a squad, and you will be transported to your respective locations. Remember that your first goal should be to group up with each other. Go! The four hall leaders led the way. Li Luo looked back past Zhu Xuan to Jiang Qinge, and they shared encouraging smiles. Li Luo leaped in. Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng followed. All around, students were leaping into energy vortexes, disappearing with flashes of light into the arena. The Holy Grail Meet had finally begun for real. Chapter 462: Anima Cumulonimbus Chapter 462: Anima Cumulonimbus When Li Luo opened his eyes, he found himself on a hillside of ocher soil, surrounded by forest. Swiveling his head around, he confirmed that Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu were close by. Both quickly moved to his side once they had shaken off their disorientation. Li Luo nodded to them, then he pulled out the crystal compass. He checked the light dots and noted that they had subtle differences in shade so one would know which team was which. Looks like were all over the place, Xin Fu noted. Li Luo nodded. Well, were spaced out, but the distance isnt actually too far. They should all be making their way over as fast as they can. Lets poke around this area to see if we can find any anima dew nearby. Hopefully we walk straight into an anima cumulonimbus, Bai Mengmeng said happily. Li Luo snorted. As if. Anima cumulonimbuses were not actually floating clouds, despite their name. They were regions dense with anima dew. Anima cumulonimbuses often became major battlegrounds in the first half of the hall-level competition. Collecting all the anima dew in an anima cumulonimbus was a big deal, and much more efficient than going around collecting sparse droplets. However, anima cumulonimbuses were not easy to find. Moreover, they were not easy to hold. Once discovered, they announced their presence with an ostentatious flash of rainbow light that would attract other schools over. This was one of the mechanisms in the hall-level competition. Anima cumulonimbuses were bonanzas of treasure that every school aimed for. Bai Mengmengs dream that they would stumble on one was understandable, if a little unrealistic. They combed the forest for an hour, and found nothing. Hot, sticky, and bothered, they curbed their growing irritation at how elusive the anima dew was. It seemed like collecting 99 drops was not going to be easy at all. If they couldnt even get 99, did it mean that they wouldnt even be able send a single person to Dragonbone Island? They pressed on. Soon, Yi Lishas squad showed up, joining their party. Together they searched, and finally, a few hours after the start, they came to a lake in the middle of a long river that ran through a valley between two towering mountains. They spotted a drop of pale-gold liquid on a lotus leaf in the middle of the lake, glistening beautifully as the leaf spun slowly around in the current. There was a mystical aura about it. They recognized it immediately. This was the anima dew. Li Luo darted forward and put their first drop of anima dew into the anima gourd. That was the easy part. The hard part was finding dew in the first place. This single, pathetic drop was all they had to show for several hours of hard work. Li Luo stuffed the anima gourd away. This isnt going to work, he said unhappily to Xin Fu, Yi Lisha, and the others. We have to go find anima cumulonimbuses. Otherwise, well be here forever. No risk, no reward. Yi Lisha was still in his usual sandals, splashing back out through the water. Choosing that approach means big battles, he pointed out amiably. We wont have such a peaceful time anymore. It cant be helped. The hall-level competition is structured to eliminate people. Its hard to go against the meta and think we can reach the core region with full strength, Li Luo replied. Yi Lisha nodded. He put his hands on his hips and took a relaxed stretch. Well, youre the boss. Were yours to command, he said with an easy smile. Beside Yi Lisha, Si Qiuying remained silent. She could hear the respect in her squad leaders voice It was not because of Li Luos status, but because of the sheer weight of his performance in the past year. Especially at the ticket matchLi Luo had wowed the entire class there. Even the other Violet Vibrance squad leaders like Yi Lisha had no more doubts about his strength. He was the undisputed king. It was hard to imagine that this young lord from the Tianshu province had once strolled into school without a single eye on him. Yet now Li Luo was number one in the Astral Sage Colleges One Star Hall this was as good as it got. Si Qiuying no longer dared to offer her opinion. It was best to focus on the Holy Grail Meet for now. Bai Mengmeng suddenly interrupted Li Luo and Yi Lisha. Leader, theres a squad sending a distress signal! The two guys turned in alarm. It was best to bring and maintain numbers in the hall-level competition. If any squad was eliminated prematurely, it would be a great loss to their strength. Three small dots had turned red and were blinking urgently on the crystal compass. Distress signal. With a jolt of surprise, Li Luo realized that the squad was Qin Zhulu, Lu Qinger, and Yin Yue! Looks like Qin Zhulus in trouble. Yi Lisha had reached the same conclusion himself. Qin Zhulu was pretty strong even against this level of competition. If he was in trouble, then it was some real trouble indeed. Or was he being ganked? Lets go! Li Luo shouted to them. Turning, he led the way, resonant power propelling him swiftly across the terrain. At the same time, he used his leaders privilege to set the gathering point on the crystal compass to Qin Zhulus location. This meant that all squads would get the signal and head over immediately.. The dots on his crystal compass obediently changed directions, converging on the new location. It seemed like the Holy Grail Meet had gotten real exciting real quick. Chapter 463: Qin Zhulu versus Sun Dasheng Chapter 463: Qin Zhulu versus Sun Dasheng In a forest. Boom! A blast of resonant power ripped a tree from its roots, leaving a gash of dark soil behind. The earthy smell of wet soil filled the air. On a gentle slope, Lu Qinger and Yin Yue watched tensely as two people tore at each other like wild beasts. The dual resonance user, Li Luo, was the only one in the One Star Hall of the Astral Sage College who could stop him. And yet the two girls were watching him have his ass handed to him, and struggling with their own dismay. Even so, Qin Zhulu was holding on through sheer stubbornness, as he always did. Qin Zhulus opponent was darting around him, shrouded in gray smoke. He had ugly, coarse features, a jutting lower jaw and a bulbous forehead. He carried a golden staff, which he swung with great skill. His eyes were wild with exhilaration, bordering on madness. If Im not wrong, that is the Sacred Summit Sage Colleges Sun Dasheng, Lu Qinger said in a low tone. Yin Yue stared at her, aghast. That was a familiar name indeed. He was one of the three top favorites. Just our luck, she said with a short, barking laugh. They had clashed soon after landing. Sun Dasheng had come at them, headstrong and lusting for battlethe exact same personality as Qin Zhulu himself. The two had met in an animal frenzy that needed no words to start the conflict. What are you staring at? Im staring at you? Wanna fight? Wanna fight. Fight. On his part, Qin Zhulu didnt care if his opponent was in the top three or rank one in the whole world. He jumped at every invitation to fight. They hadnt even bothered to exchange names or anything. Lu Qinger and Yin Yue sat aside warily, watching Sun Dashengs own squadmates, who were matching them in terms of caution. It wasnt just one squad that they had either But they were happy for Sun Dasheng to finish up and then leave the girls to him as well. It was pretty obvious that the two girls would be calling for backup, but they were not afraid. That was understandable. With a powerhouse like Sun Dasheng in their ranks, they were pretty much invincible unless the Enlightened Sage College showed up. I hope Li Luo gets here quickly, Lu Qinger said in a low voice. With him around, that monkey will be a lot more tame. Yin Yue was silent, but her worry was obvious in her eyes. Yes, Li Luo was strong, but this was one of the top three they were talking about. Was he really strong enough to beat Sun Dasheng? Some distance away, two Sacred Summit Sage College students had their own whispered discussion. Leader Lu, are we really not going to take those two out first? The small group turned to a lanky youth with a surly expression. As if you dont know what the Boss wants. He always fights first, then thinks later. Still, that guys putting up a pretty good fight. Its not just anyone who can get the Boss interest. Better not jump in right now, or hes gonna scold us like last time. The others nodded reluctantly. Their boss had a crazy temper that they were painfully aware of. The world was a dull and colorless place, save for fighting. Boom! The two fighters clashed savagely again, heavy spear against golden staff. The metallic clashing rings built up pace in an increasing rhythm. Neither would back down. But it was the golden staff that had the advantage in this standoff, snapping out with punishing strikes that forced Qin Zhulu backwards step by step. The hands gripping the heavy spear began to bleed. Qin Zhulu showed no fear at all. On the contrary, his eyes only got more and more wild, the golden tiger stripes on his skin glowing brighter. Each time he attacked, he drew on the strength of the tiger that was his avatar. He loved this battleit sated a primal need within him that no one else had sated ever before. It was even more satisfying than fighting Li Luo. That kid was too wily to go up against him in a mad and reckless brute-strength fight. Even though he already knew he wasnt the biggest, Qin Zhulu had privately always thought of himself as the baddest guy around. But now he realized that there was someone even crazier! Whoo! Eyes turning red, Qin Zhulu continued to thrust and parry with his spear, ignoring the blood that flowed liberally from his palms down the shaft of his spear. His resonant power was unleashed at full blast, unfettered and barely controlled. The tiger avatar hovered behind him. Tiger Demon! A maniacal laugh boomed from Qin Zhulu as he summoned his avatar into his spear, then he sent it cracking forth. The ground gave way under his front foot. Sun Dashengs laughter boomed out in response, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Not bad! Not bad! What an attack! He stepped forward too, creating a crater under his foot. Slate-gray power boomed out in the figure of an ape that leaped to meet Qin Zhulus Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance. Upper eighth-grade, Stone Ape resonance! Monkey Kings Three Strikes: Strike That Moves Mountains! The stone ape swung out with the projection of a mountain at the tip of his staff. Boom! Tiger against monkeythe impact of the collision leveled the forest around them cleanly. Qin Zhulu was part of the levelinghe was sent flying. Kicking fallen trees off him, he got to his feet, swearing. His hands had never left his weapon, nor had the look of joy left his eyes. Again! Sun Dasheng stared at Qin Zhulus bleeding hands. If we go again, youre not going to last. He was lightly injured, but Qin Zhulu was much worse off. Your mouth only lasts. Qin Zhulu spat a mouthful of blood. Sun Dasheng roared with laughter. That made no sense, but I understood you, friend. Alright, I have to say, your fighting ability is respectable. You must be the strongest in the Astral Sage Colleges One Star Hall. Sorry to disappoint you, but Im not. What? Sun Dasheng was genuinely surprised. Theres someone stronger? No way. Although he was stronger than Qin Zhulu, the difference between them was not that drastic. If not for him being ahead in cultivation level, he would be having a tough time. And now Qin Zhulu was saying that there was someone stronger at the Astral Sage College? That person had to be his match! But he hadnt heard of anyone that strong at the Astral Sage College Sun Dasheng shook his head to clear his thoughts. He hefted his staff. It was time to finish this guy off and get back to the mission. Slate-gray power bloomed around him again. Just as he was about to deliver the finishing blow, he sensed a new attack coming at him from a different direction, out of the forest. Pivoting, he brought his golden staff up, blocking a sword slash made of energy. Clang! His jaw tightened slightly. In the attack, he could sense the strength of its users resonant power. Truly, it was stronger than Qin Zhulus. It had a curious knack for penetration, and he had almost been pierced through by it. In the end, he dealt with it by using overwhelming strength. Sun Dasheng turned towards the direction of the new attack and saw one person speeding over. A few moments later, the newcomer landed in front of him. Hello there, friend. If its a fight you want, how about I entertain you? Li Luo said brightly, his eyes carefully studying the injured Qin Zhulu and his opponent. Sun Dashengs gaze lingered slightly on Li Luos face as he frowned. You have a pretty face. But can you fight pretty well? Chapter 464: Test by Proxy Chapter 464: Test by Proxy Whoosh! More people arrived on the hillside near Lu Qinger and Yin Yue. Qinger, are you guys okay? Bai Mengmeng fussed. Lu Qinger was smiling in relief, the hard knot of tension within her easing. Besides Bai Mengmeng, Yi Lishas squad and Wang Hejius squad had both arrived as well, having met on the way here. Besides Bai Doudous team, the Astral Sage Colleges One Star Hall was fully assembled. Their ranks swelled alongside their power. Were fine. We met a squad from the Sacred Summit Sage College. That guys probably Sun Dasheng. Yi Lisha and Wang Hejiu blanched upon hearing that. THE Sun Dasheng? Sacred Summit Sage College? One of the top three favorites? They looked at the guy with the golden staff with trepidation. Indeed, he looked like a real threat. No wonder he can beat Qin Zhulu like that, Yi Lisha whispered. Qin Zhulu was the second strongest among them, and he fought like a tiger. No, even more recklessly than one. That was part of his strengthrelentless aggression that wore his opponents down. Seeing him beaten down this much spoke of the top threes own caliber. Can Li Luo really beat Sun Dasheng alone? Hes still playing the hero at this time, Duze Beixuan grumbled. Although they knew that Li Luo was strong, Sun Dashengs reputation was nothing to mess with. If their carry was taken down by Sun Dasheng, they would all be in trouble. Leaders a very reliable guy, Xin Fu asserted. His moves are always calculated. Besides, dont you see the Sacred Summit Sage College squads waiting around as well? We need to keep an eye on them. The others started, as they realized that there were indeed a few Sacred Summit squads nearby, also eying them warily. It was really a standoff. Both sides were waiting to see how the other would act. Nearby. Sun Dasheng sized Li Luo up. So this is the guy whos stronger than you? he asked Qin Zhulu. Qin Zhulu nodded, still rubbing his numb arm. Sun Dasheng was surprised. I would never have believed it. He looks like that, but he can fight? Ah, my misshapen friend, thats where youre wrong, Li Luo quipped. Its actually rarer that one is ugly and still can fight. Sun Dashengs eyes widened. Are you saying that Im ugly? No, no, I wouldnt. Li Luo waved it off. Id just say you look a little different. Sun Dasheng swung his staff. Enough lip. You want to take him away? Youll have to ask my staff if it agrees. Li Luo laughed. I dont just want to take him away. I think after beating him up like that, you owe him an apology. Sun Dashengs eyes were getting rounder by the minute. I shouldve known someone this handsome would be an absolute airhead. Ive never apologized to anyone before. You want me to apologize? Easy. Take a couple of hits from my staff, and Ill apologize, he sneered. Li Luo nodded unconcernedly. With a flick of his wrist, the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blades shining, yellow and green blade was in his hand. Bring on your couple of hits, then. He turned back to Qin Zhulu. You go over to the others, rest up. Qin Zhulu nodded. He knew that Li Luo had to have some sort of intention for riling Sun Dasheng up. Of course someone like that was not going to apologize. Li Luo just wanted an excuse to fight him. Was he really trying to test the ability of the top three students? Careful. This monkeys a real handful, he warned, using his heavy spear as a crutch while limping off. Sun Dasheng was all business now. Face tight with utter concentration, his slate-gray power and golden staff were wielded in perfect harmony by his ape avatar. Although Sun Dasheng didnt think much of Li Luo because of his pretty-boy looks, he did not show any mercy when he fought. Third Changing upper eighth-grade Stone Ape resonance, Li Luo reminded himself. This guy had to be taken seriously. He was even more of a threat than Lu Cng at the ticket match. His true goal was to ascertain how strong the top three were. After all, Jiang Qinge had already given him a mission: to take down the greatest obstacle, Jing Taixu. That guy had crossed them before, and the battle against him would definitely be epic. Before that, Li Luo wanted to fight Sun Dasheng to get a sense of how strong Jing Taixu might be, through proxy. He hefted the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. Third Changing was indeed one tier stronger than himself, but it didnt mean that his opponent had stronger resonant power. He had dual resonances, and dual secondary resonances. The amount of resonant power stacked up in his resonant palaces was enough to make up for the one-tier difference. The two engines of power began to flow together within him. The Sacred Summit students watching shook their heads. That guys the top leader of the Astral Sage College? Hes got some guts to challenge our leader like that, one student chuckled. I mean, their guy just got beaten up. He has to do something to save face and help them win their morale back, another student offered. Quite the beating too. Shouldve warned him what he was in for. Well, its understandable. Before this, these guys all lived like kings in their little fish ponds. Its made them cocky. The student previously referred to as Leader Lu did not join in the jibing. Prepare yourselves. Once our boss takes that guy down, be prepared to move against the Astral Sage College if they try anything. The others nodded, preparing themselves. While they were speaking, Sun Dasheng had already made his move. Leaping into the air, his gray power spread out like a cloud in the sky. And then his golden staff broke through like sunshine, blasting down towards his opponent. Monkey Kings Three Strikes: Strike That Moves Mountains! Sun Dasheng held nothing back. Immediately from the get-go, the attack that beat Qin Zhulu! The same strike whistling down, with the weight of a mountain packed in it. Nearby, Yi Lisha, Wang Hejiu, and the others cringed. They could sense the level of power packed into that attack. And even Qin Zhulu had not been able to stop it. Was Li Luo really going to be okay? Chapter 465: Two Strikes Chapter 465: Two Strikes Boom! The golden staff fell down on Li Luo like a pillar from the sky, but he merely stood his ground, fingers wrapped firmly around his sword. The dual resonant powers merged within his body. Dual resonance power! He only used it at the minor merging level, not the Becoming One level. Sun Dashengs attack was not that strong. Ever since mastering the Becoming One level, Li Luo could freely interchange between the two levels. Onyx-Elephant Blade charged with power, Li Luo parried the blow. Thousand Watery Knives art! Weng! The sound of whistling blades filled the air with an urgent, buzzing hum. Li Luos blade flashed up with the power of thousands of water streams. It clashed against the golden staff with a deafening clang. Clang! Metal on metal. The already-devastated terrain was leveled once again, leaving not a single tree standing in their vicinity. Both teams peered through the wake of the debris and gasped. The staff and sword attacks had both disappeared. Li Luo was standing in the same spot, sword in hand. A light breeze ruffled his clothes. They were in awe. Sun Dashengs attack had been incredible. No effect? Impossible! How did he defend so easily? The Sacred Summit students were doubly in shock. This was their idol, the one they had absolute trust in. Even Leader Lus composure slipped as he gasped. This Astral Sage College kid was extraordinary. Sun Dasheng was equally surprised. He blinked stupidly at Li Luo, and then battle will filled his eyes. To think theres another dual resonance user here besides Lu Ming! Well, well, he said. He had clearly sensed the peculiar difference in the clash just now. A unique interaction of resonant power! This person had dual resonances! Li Luo grinned at him. Well? You said a couple of hits? Wheres the second strike? Sun Dasheng roared with laughter, excitement spreading across his face in a smile. This unremarkable looking guy was actually deserving of some real attention. To a battle-nut like him, it was like finding an unexpected treasure. Seems like Ive underestimated the geniuses of the East Divine Continent! Sun Dasheng was flushed in the face, gripping his golden staff so tightly that his veins bulged. The gray-white power built up behind him, until it was back in the ape form again. Whats your name? Sun Dasheng asked. An opponent deserving of name-recognition. Astral Sage College, Li Luo. Alright, Li Luo. Sun Dasheng nodded approvingly. I have my eye on you. But your dual resonances are much weaker than Lu Mings. If thats all you got, my second strike is going to overwhelm you. Li Luos heart skipped a beat. This guy had fought Lu Ming before? There was not much time to explore the implications. He could sense the power building up within Sun Dasheng as he lifted his staff ponderously. Monkey Kings Three Strikes: Strike That Moves Seas! Boom! This time around, the slate-gray power did not fly out in a single, consolidated lump like previously. It left the golden staff in a snake-like stream of power that twisted through the air towards Li Luo. It flew effortlessly in the air, but the ground cracked from the resonating pressure. The golden ribbon of power was growing rapidly in Li Luos vision. He dug deep and again merged his resonant powers within him. This time, he produced power that was even stronger than the previous one. Li Luo savored his power, a small smile on his face. This was power that gave one a sense of security. He stepped out and delivered a long, diagonal slice from his own sword. The ground broke first, announcing the power that erupted a moment later from his weapon. Ding! It hit the golden ribbon staff strike, and the sound of tinny metal rang out. This time, it stirred a gust in the still air, howling and echoing around the mountain. The ground that Li Luo stood on was smashed in, leaving a crater half a meter deep. The dust cleared. Everyone watched anxiously. Sun Dashengs second strike was even more impressive than the first. Even the spectators had been thoroughly impressed. What about Li Luo? He calmly strolled out of the dust cloud. He was completely unhurt, and he looked at Sun Dasheng. Are Lu Mings dual resonance something like this? he asked conversationally. He lifted his sword arm. His hand was surrounded by a strange halo of light at the hilt of his sword. The halo seemed to dance with sparkling water, and was also dotted daintily with jade. Sun Dasheng stared at it. Becoming One level, he whispered to himself. Of course he knew about the three levels of dual resonances. Im impressed. To think dark horses like yourself exist at the hall-level competition. Sun Dasheng licked his lips. This was an opponent worthy of a legendary battle. Li Luo chuckled. Youre very strong yourself. You live up to your reputation. Although he had managed to block Sun Dashengs two strikes, they had given him tremendous pressure. Especially the second oneit had even forced out his Becoming One level of dual resonances. This alone proved just how strong Sun Dasheng was. And intelligence suggested that Sun Dasheng still had more in the bag. Duke art. If he brought it out, what would the end result be? And that was just Sun Dasheng. Jing Taixus reputation was beyond his. Damn, Qinge had really given him a big task. In any case, Sun Dashengs strength had given him a good reference point for Jing Taixus own. Sun Dashengs resonant power faded away, and he stashed his golden staff away on his back. Fights over. Li Luo stared at him. This battle nut? Walking away from a good fight? Dont get me wrong, I do want to fight! Sun Dasheng said in response to Li Luos unspoken question. But youre quite strong, so Id probably pay a price even if I beat you, and theres no benefit to be gained from this battle. Its unfair to my teammates, he said ruefully. Li Luo smiled. Sun Dasheng was actually quite a rational one. Just as well that he was on the same page. His goal here to test the waters had already been accomplished. Sun Dasheng returned to his team with one enormous leap and waved them on. Friend, he called out, and what is your name? Qin Zhulu. Haha, Qin Zhulu, youre quite strong also. If I didnt have the cultivation level advantage, I might not have been able to beat you. The Astral Sage College is a real dark horse. Im looking forward to a good show on Dragonbone Island. Sun Dashengs teammates stared at him in surprise. This was unexpectedly high praise. Still, Li Luo had taken two strikes from Sun Dasheng. He was not going to grovel and apologize, but this was his way of admitting it. Qin Zhulus eyes were locked on him. Ill beat you myself in the future. Looking forward to it! Sun Dasheng said with an unconcerned laugh, then he turned to Li Luo. See you on Dragonbone Island. I want to see if you can take my third strike. Without waiting for Li Luos reply, he turned and left. The Sacred Summit Sage College contingent went with him. Wang Hejiu, Duze Beixuan, and the Astral Sage contingent breathed out in relief. Things had almost gotten sticky there. But at the same time, they could see that even Sun Dasheng was wary of Li Luos power. Which meant that he had gotten even stronger compared to the ticket match. He was already at the level where even the giants walked softly around him. Chapter 466: Ace Squad Chapter 466: Ace Squad After the Sacred Summit students left, Li Luo turned to Qin Zhulu. Howre the wounds? Qin Zhulu brushed aside his concern. Nothing major. But that guys strong. He looked in the direction that Sun Dasheng had gone in, eyes still burning bright. That was exactly the sort of opponent he would love to fight against. If it wasnt for the fact that they were in the middle of a competition right now, he would have chased Sun Dasheng down already. Li Luo drew himself up. If I were your father, he said pompously, Id say that I hope you would direct that passion towards the beautiful girls in school and not chase some ugly man. Nothing good will come of it, young man. Lu Qinger, Bai Mengmeng, and the other girls giggled. Qin Zhulu scowled. Dont make fun of me, bastard. Lu Qinger smiled at Li Luo. So, o great leader Li Luo, whats our plan? The others all looked at him enthusiastically. Holding his ground against Sun Dasheng had won back morale for them, even though neither side had really committed fully. After all, Sun Dasheng was no ordinary guy. The top three hadnt just emerged out of nowhere. They had each defended their title against a mountain of enemies. They were survivors, the best of the best. The fact that their leader, Li Luo, could stand up to them placed the Astral Sage College in the running. It gave them hope that the Astral Sage College might just do well in this competition. Even the ones most disinclined against him, Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan, acknowledged his leadership. Lets go find Bai Doudou and Yu Lang, Li Luo said cheerfully with no hesitation. Indeed, they were still missing one last squad: Bai Doudou, Yu Lang, and Qiu Luo. Li Luo pulled out his crystal compass. Theyre lingering in a particular area. I asked Mengmeng to keep an eye on them every hour, but theres been no distress signal from them. I think they may have found something. Since theyre not coming, lets go to them, Li Luo said, tapping the crystal compass thoughtfully. They had come here first because Qin Zhulus situation had been urgent. Now that it was done, Bai Doudous squad was next on the priority list. Could it be that Yu Langs found an anima cumulonimbus? If so, hes a real lucky star, Lu Qinger wondered. Who knows? Li Luo shrugged. Yu Lang was a secret weapon, one so secret that they themselves didnt even know what he did most of the time. Prepare to go, he said, leading the way towards Bai Doudous team. Deep in the mountain range were heavy snow-adorned trees and mountaintops alike with white caps. In a copse. Three people were sitting down and resting. Bai Doudou, Yu Lang, and Qiu Luo. Yu Lang had gathered some wild fruits and cooked them over in melted snow. He offered some to Bai Doudou. Here, Leader, have some food. She accepted it grudgingly and took a bite. You fool. I dont know if youre lucky or unlucky. Not long after they had entered this region, Yu Lang had indeed stumbled across an anima cumulonimbus. But when he had come rushing back to report the news, they had been overheard by some teams that had been stalking them. Without information from other teams, it was indeed difficult to hunt down the exact location of anima cumulonimbuses. Its not my fault, Yu Lang whined. Who knew that they would be so sneaky and have snow snakes? Those things burrow through the snow and listen. We cant even see them! You should have just whispered it. Assume the trees and birds have ears, Qiu Luo said. Yu Lang stared at him. But-but birds have Forget it, Bai Doudou interrupted. The fact remains that Yu Lang found an anima cumulonimbus, and thats a crucial contribution. The turn of events was too coincidental. Not even I noticed those snow snakes. Now we just need to hold out. When Li Luo and the others arrive, well have nothing to fear. Qiu Luo folded once he saw that Bai Doudou was defending Yu Lang. Still, its strange, he said, changing the subject. Theyve gathered quite a few teams, but they arent making their move yet. It seems like theyre afraid of something. Bai Doudou frowned and nodded. There was no reason why their opponents would not attack them. Still, one thing was certain: reprieve was definitely temporary. With more and more teams gathering around, someone was going to move sooner or later. It wouldnt be just one schools teams at that point. Forget it, ignore them. Lets focus on buying time. Li Luo and the others are on the move already, Bai Doudou said, gesturing at the crystal compass. Yu Lang and Qiu Luo nodded. A few teams were gathered in a nearby cluster of trees. Liu Xiao, what do you mean? We have the numbers advantage, we should go capture the Astral Sage College team and force them to tell us the exact location, one youth said impatiently. Theyre just one team! Why would we be scared of them? You say that our backup is coming, but if we wait any longer, their backup will be coming too! The one being questioned was a gaunt youth called Liu Xiao. You dont understand, theres more to this team than meets the eye. Liu Xiao shook his head. What do you mean? If Im not mistaken, this might be the Astral Sage Colleges ace squad, Liu Xiao asserted. The others gasped. How do you know? Because theres a guy called Yu Lang. Havent you paid any attention to the intelligence at all?! Yu Langs name comes up frequently! Can we believe that information, though? Liu Xiao laughed conceitedly. Indeed, some of the information out there is fake, but this information is undoubtedly true. Coincidentally, our Iron Sands Sage College has a senior called Zhao Ziyang. He went to the Golden Dragon Dao Fields before, and met Yu Lang there. Before the Holy Grail Meet, he warned us to be careful of him. He may be the only one besides the Heavenly Inferno Sage Colleges Lu Ming who has dual resonances. His teammates stared at him in consternation. Chapter 468: Liar Liar Chapter 468: Liar Liar The chase in the forest continued. Yu Lang led them on a gamely chase, going as fast as he could while ignoring his wounds. But there were too many of them. They were overtaking him and closing the surround. All of their strongest fighters were on him. But they were still afraid of Yu Langs dual resonances, and also of what he might do if he got desperate when they surrounded him. Moreover, Yu Langs speed was indeed his forte. The combination of these factors allowed him to prolong the chase. But as time dragged on, Liu Xiao and the others were getting impatient. This was going on too long. Enough was enough. Enough! Close in on him! Liu Xiao shouted. He led the way, white energy glowing on his palms and falling off as snowflakes. He fashioned a snow python a few meters long, then sent it spiraling through the air at the fleeing Yu Lang. Yu Lang saw this attack coming, and he put on a desperate burst of speed in response. Even so, half of him ended up trussed up in the snakes coils. POOM! There was a sickening crunch as the snake tightened around him, and Yu Lang retched a mouthful of blood as he tumbled helplessly across the ground. Liu Xiao and the others looked exultant. Somethings wrong, one leader said doubtfully. Hes really weak, another leader agreed. Liu Xiao was looking more uncertain now as well. Perhaps Yu Lang had faked it the first time, but pretending at this time seemed idiotic. When he had snared Yu Lang in his snake, he had sensed that his resonant power wasnt very strong. Perhaps even at the Pattern Genesis Tier. Dual resonances at the Pattern Genesis Tier? Impossible! Liu Xiao, your information is wrong, one leader said flatly. Yu Lang was completely different from the description. And there was no sign of his fabled dual resonances. Liu Xiao, you wouldnt be trying to snag the anima cumulonimbus for yourself, would you? More of them were glowering at him now. I didnt lie to you. Liu Xiao hastily defended himself. Our senior told me that personally! A guy in the Astral Sage College called Yu Lang is a dual resonance user and a real killer. Does this fool look like a killer to you? another guy jeered. Liu Xiao had no response. He burned with shame and confusion. Stay on track. Lets get the location of the anima cumulonimbus out of this guy, one person said. The others nodded, then they turned away from Liu Xiao back to Yu Lang. Yu Lang was aching all over. He wiped the blood from his mouth with one shaking hand, then he turned on them furiously. Which bloody school are you bloody assholes from, eh?! What kind of madness is this? What are you playing at, Yu Lang? Liu Xiao eyed him coldly. Yu Lang was as furious as he was confused. These ten musketeers had ganged up on him, and three of them were even at the Evolving Resonance Tier. The others were higher Pattern Genesis cultivators compared to him. An outclass on all fronts. And they wanted to know what HE was playing at?? Show us your true strength. That would be respectful to us, Liu Xiao demanded. He was still looking at Yu Lang with some expectancy. He was hoping that Yu Lang had some awesome poweranything to help him win back his credit. They had the numbers advantage on him, so even if he revealed dual resonances, they were not afraid. If Yu Lang was truly as weak as he seemed, then Liu Xiao would have lost all face and credibility. Yu Lang stayed quiet. He suddenly felt very tired. Tired of dealing with these lunatics. So he wasnt as strong as them, fine. But just end it here. Why humiliate him? I dont even have enough strength left to suckle on my mothers breast. What power am I supposed to demonstrate? And that was how the strange praise-and-denial stalemate began. Liu Xiao said, Youre very strong! Yu Lang rebutted, Youre very wrong! Liu Xiao yelled, Stop pretending! Yu Lang yelled back, Im not pretending! In the end, Yu Lang gave up. He lay down on the ground and gave up all resistance. Seeing Yu Lang like this made Liu Xiao extremely angry. This guy was a real pain in the ass. He would rather go peacefully than help Liu Xiao win back his reputation? What a poisonous, little shit! The Astral Sage Colleges pedagogies were slippery as hell! Since youre being so stubborn, dont blame me for what I do now, Liu Xiao snapped at him. Were going to strip you and hang you upside down naked. Yu Lang had nothing to say. Damn, this was excessive. A gentleman could die, as long as he had his dignity. These guys had no shame! Even a cornered rabbit would bite if it was desperate! Alright, you want to see my skills? Ill show you! Yu Lang raged. He snatched up his long dagger, fury in his eyes. The group immediately sprang back, weapons at the ready. They hurriedly cloaked themselves with resonant power defenses. Was the hidden genius from the Astral Sage College finally going to reveal his dual resonances? Green wind resonant power rose from Yu Langs body. He was only a Fourth Pattern right now. Although he was nothing like the Evolving Resonance Tier elites in their generation, he had managed to catch up to the ordinary level for Violet Vibrance students. Not like it was going to help much in this situation. But he had no other choice. Chaotic Tempest Slash! Yu Lang leaped forward with an angry shout, slashing out towards Liu Xiao. Liu Xiao summoned up all his resonant power and sent a blast of chill air in response. Ting, ting, ting! The three slashes of green power from Yu Lang barely lasted a moment before they were completely broken. Liu Xiao was incredibly furious. Why!? Why is Yu Lang so weak?! This is impossible! But suddenly, a belated flash of light swept out, a crackling brightness that stood out against the gray, dreary background. Liu Xiao felt a chill run down his spine. Again he summoned his frost powers into an ice python that he sent out against the light. POOM! A huge sound. Following the explosion, Liu Xiaos snake disappeared in a puff as if it were powdered snow. The light attack smashed into his body. Pssssssh! A long arc of blood sprayed out from his mouth, and Liu Xiao flew backward, smashing into a tree. Bizarrely, Liu Xiao was exultant. You see? You see?! I wasnt lying! He has dual resonances! Yes! YES! Yu Lang was absolutely bemused. He looked down at his own dagger. Had he suddenly become strong? He could beat a First Changing elite student? Who am I? What am I?? Yu Lang smiled to himself. He always knew he was a genius. He looked at them again. They were looking fearful now, and backing away slowly. Were they scared of him? Nope. They were looking behind him. Yu Lang turned around to see a large group of people strolling forward. In the lead was a majestic, silver-haired youth, none other than their fresh prince himself, Li Luo. Yu Lang felt tears of happiness form. Li Luo scratched his chin and took a lazy look at the ten people surrounding Yu Lang. He immediately sensed that some of them were even at the Evolving Resonance Tier. Yu Lang, what in the world have you done this time? Why are they all after you, hmm? Yu Lang stared at him, almost exasperated enough to cry. Why? F*ck if I know why! These people are perverts. Chapter 469: Two Dual Resonances Chapter 469: Two Dual Resonances Yu Lang felt happy enough to cry tears of relief when he saw Li Luo and the others show up. Liu Xiaos group, on the other hand, looked cheated. They had delayed too long, and now the Astral Sage College rescue had shown up. Gentlemen, how could you treat the Astral Sage Colleges One Star Halls mascot like this? We cant just let it go, you know. Li Luo stepped forward with a sharks smile on his face. Liu Xiao scrambled to his feet, eyes still on Yu Lang. That bastardhe was indeed the ace of Astral Sage College! Even their own students had acknowledged it! Were they just toying with him all this while? Yu Lang smiled bashfully. Oh, mascot? I dont think Im qualified. So what if the Astral Sage Colleges here? If you trigger the anima cumulonimbus, the rainbow flash will reveal its location immediately. You think you can have it all to yourselves? Liu Xiao countered. If youre smart, youll cooperate with us. Li Luo and the others turned to Yu Lang, astonished. You guys really found an anima cumulonimbus? Yu Lang waved modestly. Nothing to be surprised about. All in a days work for me. But his eyes couldnt hide his pride. Li Luo put an arm around his shoulders and sighed happily. Brother Lang, youre truly our mascot and lucky star. Ill remember your good work here! On the way here, they hadnt even found a single trace, but Yu Lang had already hit the jackpot. They would just ignore the calamity that came after. Li Luo turned back to Liu Xiao and the others. Whoever hit Brother Lang here, step out for your beating. An anima cumulonimbus was a huge deal. Although the rainbow flash would reveal its location to other schools, Li Luo had no intention of sharing it with anyone else. He was prepared to take the risk of going it alone. Its that guy. He beat me the worst, Yu Lang pointed at Liu Xiao. That bastard didnt just beat me up, he was humiliating me. I know Im weak, but that was malicious bullying! Li Luo started as a thought occurred to him. What school are you from? Im from the Iron Sands Sage College, Liu Xiao replied stiffly. Iron Sands Sage College Iron Sand Empire. The events at the Golden Dragon Dao Fields came back to Li Luo in a jolt of clarity. Yu Lang, youre a dual resonance user. Whats wrong with showing us your strength? Liu Xiao demanded. Just as Yu Lang was about to scream at him again, Li Luo cut in. Youre right, he said mildly. Yu Lang is a dual resonance user, but what you guys dont know is that hes not the only one the Astral Sage College has. He flexed his resonant powers, dual resonances that burned true and strong. Im one too. He grinned. Liu Xiao and the others were mindblown. They stared at Li Luos dual resonances agog. Two dual resonance users?! The Astral Sage College had two of them?! Impossible! If a school could get one, they would be burning a mountain of joss sticks to thank the gods. And the Astral Sage College had two?! Why had such big news never been heard of before? Yu Langs mouth fell open as well. He was a little confused at where all of this was going, but Li Luo shot him a look, and he sort of understood. Throwing smoke and confusing people was exactly what he was good at. Wrong information was a poisonous, little stake. It was too weak to drive into an enemys heart, but insidious enough that they might construct a castle in the sky based on wrong information. With chaos came opportunities, especially when they were the ones who had manufactured the chaos. He expected no less of their boss. Li Luos thinking was foresighted indeed. Well, I guess Ill endure a little more pressure for the greater good. A cool look entered Yu Langs eyes, and his entire demeanor changed. Well, the games up. I cant believe you guys are that good. I hid my powers completely, but you still found me out. I am the Astral Sage Colleges secret weapon this year! He had spoken with such conviction that he almost believed himself. Lu Qinger, Bai Mengmeng, and the others stared at him. Liu Xiao and the others swallowed nervously. They were not sure if Li Luo was telling the truth. But Li Luo had indeed revealed dual resonances right before their very eyes, and it was not power that could be faked. Yu Lang had shown no such signs, but all their information had said that he was one too Could the Astral Sage College really have two dual resonance users? If that was the case They should retreat and formulate a new plan. Liu Xiao and the others reached into their sleeves and pulled out smoke pellets, which they threw. Shrill pops rang out, and clouds of black smoke formed, obscuring the vision of the Astral Sage students. Lets go! Get them! Li Luo shouted. Lu Qinger, Xin Fu, and the others all shot forward. Amidst the mess, Yu Lang heaved a sigh of relief. And then he sprang back up. We need to help Leader! She was surrounded too! Thanks for remembering. Li Luo laughed. But dont worry. Qin Zhulu and Wang Hejiu have already gone over there. Yu Lang sank back down again. Im really unlucky, he bemoaned. I dont know what got into these guys. They were super convinced that I was the strongest one in the squad. They attacked me with their main force. If not for my incredible agility, Id probably not have lasted this long. Li Luo looked at him with a blank face. Nothings gotten into those guys. From now on, you are the second dual resonance user of the Astral Sage College! News of the anima cumulonimbus must be spreading now. I need you to get the spread word regarding your identity as a dual resonance user as well. It will help us in securing the anima cumulonimbus. Deterrence is the best defense. I know itll be a lot of trouble and pressure for you, but its all for the schools sake. I believe you can do it. Can you do it? Yu Lang lapped up the encouragement. Of course I can do it! Yu Lang was built to eat pressure and steel nails for breakfast! They came at me ten-on-one. Dyou think I was even scared for a moment?! Li Luo smiled happily. Things were looking up. Chapter 470: Medium Anima Cumulonimbus Chapter 470: Medium Anima Cumulonimbus The battle was over much quicker than expected. The five gathered squads were all from different schools and therefore not particularly united. At the first sign of stormy weather, they scattered quickly. Several minutes later, they were all fleeing in different directions. Some of them had even been eliminated. There were two ways of being eliminated in the hall-level competition. Incapacitation-level injuries would trigger a burst of energy from ones anima gourd that would carry the person out of the arena. The other was if ones anima gourd was smashed. That meant that the person no longer had the qualifications to continue. The anima gourd was not just a simple instrument for carrying anima dew, it was also proof of ones identity as a participant. Not long after Li Luos side had cleaned up, Qin Zhulu, Bai Doudou, and Wang Hejiu joined back up with them. Bai Doudou looked for Yu Lang. Are you alright? Even she had been shocked when he had been jumped by ten different people. She was surprised that he was still standing. Leader, so you do care about me after all, Yu Lang sobbed. What the hell happened back there? she demanded. They thought I was a dual resonance user, Yu Lang whined. Bai Doudou was stunned. She looked over at Li Luo. Did this have something to do with him? Sis, are you okay? Bai Mengmeng rushed up and clung to her arm. Bai Doudou smiled and hugged her back, and the two sisters left for their own conversation. Li Luo could sense Bai Doudous lingering gaze on him even as she walked away with her younger sister. Was this what they called a womans instinct? While pondering, another girl came up to him. It was all because of what you did in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, right? Lu Qinger asked. Li Luo winced. How was she so sharp? Because the guy was from the Iron Sands Sage College? These girls were all too smart for him. They were much harder to lead around than Yu Lang. His wince was all the confirmation that Lu Qinger needed. She smiled, then she turned to Yu Lang. Quick, bring us to the anima cumulonimbus. Hearing her words, they all turned to the green-haired boy with anticipation. None of them had seen an anima cumulonimbus yet. Lets go, then. Yu Lang dusted himself off and led the way. He brought them through the mountain range swiftly, but even with a guide and moving at their fastest pace, they took half an hour to arrive. It was a hill-like structure covered in crawler vines. The gap was so narrow that they had to pass through in a single file line. The bugs made the already-tight gap even harder to push past. I thought this place was suspiciously inaccessible, so I thought Id check it out. The road less traveled has an anima cumulonimbus. Hehe! Yu Lang grinned. Li Luo stepped forward and spotted a damp patch of soil with a strong, rancorous odor. You Youre good. Li Luo didnt know what to say. Yu Lang had found the place because he was looking for a more discreet place to piss. He had pushed past the vines and the rest was history. Dont thank me, thank my bladder, Yu Lang said modestly. Li Luo snorted, then he led the way down the narrow crevice. A few dozen meters later, he reached a wider area. His eyes lit up. Emerging from the crevice, he now stood in a lush valley. There was a waterfall in the middle, crystal-clear water falling amidst some light mist. There were many strange white flowers on the lake at the bottom, their petals opened in a spiral that drew in the mist from above. The mist was being condensed into dew on the soft, white petals. Once the energy mist reached a critical amount, it would coalesce into anima dew. Wow! Bai Mengmeng, Lu Qinger, and the others had emerged from the crack as well, and they gasped at the picturesque scene before them. Its beautiful. What dense worldly natural energy. Bai Doudou began to count. There are 23 of them, she said in wonder. This is a medium anima cumulonimbus. These flowers were anima dew vessels that would be consumed in the process of making the dew. Which meant that the yield here would be 23 drops of anima dew, and no more. Anima cumulonimbuses were divided into small, medium, and large ones, referring to their yield of anima dew. 23 drops was considered medium-sized. Qin Zhulu, Wang Hejiu, Yi Lisha, and the others whooped. So far, their fruitless searches had sufficiently impressed upon them regarding the rarity. They had only found a combined three drops so far. Not bad. Not bad at all. Li Luo was smiling from ear to ear as well. Youve done really well this time, he said to Yu Lang. A medium anima cumulonimbus was a rare find. Yu Lang waved it away piously. We all have a duty to uphold the schools honor. Li Luo laughed again. He looked up at the top of the valley, where a thin film of energy had condensed, forming a screen that protected the mist from escaping further. This meant that even if someone were to scan it from the air or a high place, they would still have difficulty spotting it. But now the issue is, Lu Qinger said, we need to trigger it to get the dew. It will take the whole night, which means if we trigger it now, well only be able to collect the dew tomorrow morning. And triggering it will announce its location. Other teams will swarm us. Therell be a big fight for sure. They fell silent. Well. Li Luo shrugged. Thats the whole point of the hall-level competition. Anima cumulonimbuses act as bait to catalyze the whole process. We shouldnt expect any free passes. Anyway, anima dew is very hard to find. If we want to send more people to Dragonbone Island, we are going to need anima cumulonimbuses. Weve finally found one now, and theres no reason to give up on it. Neither am I planning to work with other schools and split the gains. I want all 23 drops for us, he stated with quiet resolve and power. I agree! Qin Zhulu was the first to shout in approval. Of course they should take it all for themselves. Share it?? The only thing he would be sharing with other schools was his fists! Youre the boss, you decide, Bai Doudou said with a nonchalant nod. Yi Lisha smiled and nodded. Wang Hejiu remained silent, which was consent for him. Consensus achieved, Li Luo clapped his hands together. Good! In that case, you should prepare yourselves. Well be in for a good, long defensive fight. I hope we can show them the power of the Astral Sage College! Chapter 471: Defense Chapter 471: Defense After deciding on their plan, Li Luo and the others hesitated no longer. They immediately triggered the anima cumulonimbus. The one chosen to do the triggering was Bai Mengmeng. She would have to remain still and continuously funnel her resonant power into the anima cumulonimbus to stimulate the worldly natural energy within it into a reaction. Bai Mengmeng was the weakest among them. Plus, her skills were suited to support rather than battle. Putting her on the task would free up the other fighters to deal with the other schools. She leaped down into the lake, dainty as a butterfly, and settled down into the lotus position on the water. Begin. Li Luo nodded. Bai Mengmeng tucked her chin in and closed her eyes. Starry resonant power began to spread from her body, then it was funneled forward into the anima cumulonimbus. With the addition of her resonant power, the worldly natural energy in the anima cumulonimbus began to stir. A kaleidoscope of colors blazed in every direction, refracting off the waters surface to create a myriad of hues that energized the mist. The energized mist was then absorbed into the 23 flowers as usual, and now there was colorful condensation forming in tiny beads on the petals. The sign that the anima dew was forming. It was beautiful, but it was not the most spectacular phenomenon happening at that moment. Everyones eyes were directed skyward. The rainbow lights had blasted through the energy membrane dome above them like a spotlight in the sky. Everyone within 50 kilometers could see it. Wow. Were screwed, Li Luo said dryly. Everyone is going to be on us, Yu Lang said. The Holy Grail people sure know how to start fights. Well, fightings the point of the Holy Grail Meet. Were here to determine the strongest school and strongest students. Bai Doudou was the most grounded in reality. Li Luo nodded cheerfully. Well, ladies and gentlemen, the anima cumulonimbus has been activated. Now were in for a whole mountain of trouble. Im sure the other students are all rushing over. Well be locked in numerous battles, perhaps at the same time, unless we choose to find a partner But like I said, this isnt the time to be sharing. We have to get off to a strong start to earn respect. Any weakness we show here will only make our next play more difficult. It was a tough decision, but I think its the right one. I think the schools that make it to the end will all choose this approach. The others nodded. In a brawl, it was a power play to establish yourself as a lion first, and not a wolf in a pack. Li Luo was aiming to be a lion. Independence was the name of his game. Our mission is to keep them off the anima cumulonimbus. At all costs. All we need to do is buy time until tomorrow morning, and the anima dew will be ours to collect. Once its safely in our anima gourds, it cant be stolen anymore, and the other schools will leave of their own accord. Dew could not be taken away from the anima gourd, not even if the holder was eliminated. This was part of the game too. It encouraged students to fight a little more selflessly, and also gave them more options in a fight. It was also to keep the fights a little cleaner. The mechanic of anima cumulonimbuses already started enough fights. If a school could hold out the entire night without their defenses breaking, then they deserved the rewards of an anima cumulonimbus. Mengmeng, tell us immediately once the anima dew is completely harvested, Li Luo ordered. Alright. Best of luck to all of you. I think I have the easiest job, Bai Mengmeng said shyly. Yu Langs eyes went soft as he looked at the sweet, little girl. Wipe that sickly smile off your face, Bai Doudou hissed at him. Or Ill do so permanently with mouth surgery. Yu Langs smile evaporated. Alright, lets go set defenses. Li Luo clapped his hands, then he set off for the outside of the valley. The others followed. When the column of rainbow light blasted up into the sky, many teams noticed it immediately. Rainbow lightan anima cumulonimbus. And from its brilliance, probably a medium one at that, a youth in yellow commented. The greed and hunger among his teammates was all too evident on their faces. Liu Xiao, looks like your information was good, the youth in yellow said to the person beside him. Liu Xiao had managed to escape after their last disastrous battle, although he was wounded quite badly. The person who had spoken was the One Star Hall leader for the Iron Sands Sage College. His name was Zhao Xingying, and he was a Second Changing, one of the stronger ones in the One Star Hall. Although a medium anima cumulonimbus is a tempting prize, the Astral Sage College is there, Liu Xiao croaked hoarsely. Ive told you already that they might have two dual resonance users. Zhao Xingyings eyes narrowed. Two dual resonance users across four halls would be remarkably rare already. Two within a single hall? In truth, I have my doubts. So do I. Liu Xiao nodded. Im not sure about that Yu Lang person, but Li Luo definitely has dual resonances. And hes very strong. Zhao Xingying considered it. At least one dual resonance user that alone was difficult enough to deal with. And their point of reference for a dual resonance user was Lu Ming of the Heavenly Inferno Sage College. A tough opponent indeed. They had no guarantee of being able to take him down. Plus, there was the X-factor of a possible second dual resonance user. Boss, do we go for this anima cumulonimbus? Liu Xiao asked anxiously. Since were here, how could we give up without a fight? Zhao Xingying said with a tight smile. Whether the information on the Astral Sage Colleges dual resonance users is true or false, we have our own forces, and our own ways of fighting. Plus, we can source for reinforcements. He jerked his head towards the forest around them, where there were others gathering. Hello there, friend. Are you from the Iron Sands Sage College? Im the commander of the Imperial Gem Sage College, Zheng Fuxing. A student stepped out. He had a wiry build, but his muscles looked hard as rocks. And Im the overall commander of the Heavens Path Sage College, Ding Chi, Another youth with flaming-red hair strode forward, a big smile on his face. These two schools were part of the joint force that Li Luos group had decimated previously, which was why they were so eager to show up. Zhao Xingying smiled widely back at them and waved them over. Im the commander of the Iron Sands Sage College, Zhao Xingying. Come closer, friends. Let us talk about the issue of taking this medium anima cumulonimbus. The two other commanders nodded eagerly. With pleasure. Chapter 472: Battle Deployment Chapter 472: Battle Deployment There are three main routes to the valley. Ill take the center and try to draw the other school commanders. Qin Zhulu, Yi Lisha, your squads have the left. Bai Doudou, Wang Hejiu, your squads are on the right. It might be harder on you because of the rumors that Yu Lang is a dual resonance user. They might concentrate more of their forces on you, but while youre suffering, the rest of us will have an easier time. We can throw their allocation into chaos. Li Luo paused to make sure they were all following his plan so far. In the early stages, we might have two or three sage colleges coming at us at once. We might have less numbers, but I believe were stronger individually. Besides himself, an elite fighter, they also had Qin Zhulu, who was on the level of other school commanders. Even if Li Luo himself were not around, Qin Zhulu would still have a shot at being the strongest student. Besides, Bai Doudou and Wang Hejiu were at the peak of the First Changing themselves. Between the left and right routes, it seemed like Qin Zhulu would have an easier time, while Bai Doudou and Wang Hejiu would probably see more heat come their way. Want to send Yu Lang to my side? Qin Zhulu offered. He was happy to share the burden and draw some of the forces his way. Li Luo considered it, but he eventually shook his head. Youre meant to have the advantage on your side. If you can beat your opponents back quickly, that would be ideal. Yu Langs side is supposed to suffer. No need to worry about him. Yu Lang rolled his eyes. Damn, now he was a sandbag. Still, he understood the daring plan that Li Luo had hatched. Routinely allocating their fighters was not going to help them overcome a stronger force. They had to use their one card: the fake information that Li Luo had planted before. Everyone, this is our first fight. I hope the Astral Sage College does well, Li Luo said, cupping his fist to each of them. They exchanged tight, nervous smiles, then they headed off to their respective positions. Lu Qinger lingered a little, her beautiful eyes regarding Li Luo with concern. Li Luo are you going to be okay? Li Luo had already openly revealed that he was a dual resonance user. He would definitely be targeted. And if anything happened to him, it would be disastrous for their schools morale. Their defensive line would also be broken wide open from the middle. Never ask a man if hes going to be okay! Li Luo said indignantly. She snorted. Need me to stay and help you? Student Lu Qinger, Li Luo said imperiously, you were ordered to follow the commanders orders. Even though you are very pretty, you will still be punished for disobedience! Always full of nonsense. She rolled her eyes at him before hurrying off to join her squadmates. Li Luo admired her lithe form from behind for a while and then leaped to the top of a tall tree. He could see the entire battlefield well from there. He eyed the treetops carefully, watching for movements in the leaves that would indicate that people were below. There were many of them coming. Li Luos guess that it was three sage colleges coming for them. The observation went both ways. From his prominent vantage point, many of the attackers had spotted him as well. Suddenly, a student in yellow clothes broke out from the pack and approached Li Luo, perching cautiously on a nearby tree. He was only 20 meters or so away. I assume you are the Astral Sage Colleges commander, Li Luo? Im Zhao Xingying of the Iron Sands Sage College, he said to Li Luo. Li Luo nodded with a casual smile. Im impressed by how well youve kept yourself hidden. There was no information about a dual resonance user, Zhao Xingying said. Ah, weve shown you one as a teaser. Obviously, we cant show you everything. Li Luo winked. You mean Yu Lang? Is he really a dual resonance user as well? Who knows? Li Luo splayed his fingers, palms upward. Commander Li Luo, let me get straight to the point I just want to ask if you intend to take the entire medium anima cumulonimbus for yourselves. Li Luo nodded. Are you sure youre not biting off more than you can chew? Zhao Xingying commented. Better a bigger bite than starving to death. Li Luo grinned. We have three sage colleges gathered here. You think the Astral Sage College can take us all? Well, we have to try. Zhao Xingying paused for a moment. Commander Li Luo, if youre willing, the Iron Sands Sage College can work with you. Lets join forces and send the other two schools packing. So quick to betray your alliance? Li Luo was astonished. Were not allies, per se. We just came for the anima cumulonimbus together. We are happy to work with whoever gets us access to it, Zhao Xingying said candidly. And youre not afraid that Ill tell on you? They wouldnt believe you, and I wouldnt admit to it. Come now, Commander Li Luo, surely youre not that naive. Hmm. And how much do you want? Li Luo asked. Half. Li Luo laughed out loud. Youre quite a greedy one too, I see. I guess we cant make this work. Very confident, I see, Zhao Xingying said, irritated. How about this you three commanders can face off against me. If you win, Ill give the anima cumulonimbus up. If you lose, leave us alone. Agreed? Li Luo offered. Zhao Xingying stared at him. You want to fight us three-on-one? Commander Li Luo, youre a wild one. Its always good to find out where ones limits lie, Li Luo said. An admirable and rousing offer, but I refuse, Zhao Xingying said dryly. We have the numbers advantage. Why would we fight you? A pity. Li Luo sighed. Indeed, Zhao Xingying was too sharp to fall into his simple trick. Since we cannot come to an agreement, this conversation is over. Commander Li Luo, on behalf of the Iron Sands Sage College, the Heavens Path Sage College, and the Imperial Gem Sage College, we declare our intention to attack, Zhao Xingying announced firmly. However, as a mark of respect to you, all three commanders will come to face you. Youll get your wish, in a fashion. He lifted his hand high in the air and made a curt, chopping motion. From behind, resonant powers fired up like fireflies in the dusk. Chapter 473: Forces Meet Chapter 473: Forces Meet With the rising cluster of resonant powers popping across the treeline, the battle for the anima cumulonimbus began. Li Luo was calm in the face of superior numbers. He had no illusions that it would be otherwise. He watched the resonant power flares with a studied expression, even as their users came towards him. He could see that three of them were at the Second Changing. Zhao Xingying was among them. These three had to be the commanders of the three sage colleges. They were definitely very strong. Again, he had never doubted that they would be this strong. They were at the top of their respective classes in their schools. The classic combination of talent waiting to be honed, and a willing shower of resources to provide that honing from their schools. It would be disrespectful and foolish to even hope that any of them would be weak. The three of them teamed up together was a force to be reckoned with. They slowed a few dozen meters away from him. Zhao Xingying smiled at him. Commander Li Luo, this is the Imperial Gem Sage Colleges commander, Zheng Fuxing, and that is the Heavens Path Sage Colleges commander, Zhang Dingchi. Li Luo gave them a slow, calm nod. He knew that Zhao Xingying was just trying to intimidate him. Three strong commanders. Commander Li Luo, Ill ask but one time. Do you intend to keep the entire anima cumulonimbus for yourself? Zheng Fuxing asked in a bassy voice that came from deep within his chest. Li Luo nodded. Commander Li Luo, the fight here will attract even more schools. They might not act yet, but once the first sign of weakness appears in your defensive line, they will definitely come like piranhas for blood. Are you sure this is the wise choice? the Heavens Path Sage Colleges commander, Ding Chi, asked again. Ah, so I will prevent any signs of weakness from appearing in my defensive line by attacking. Li Luo chuckled. Zhao Xingying laughed as well. You mean to make examples of the three of us? Cant I? Li Luo asked mildly. Do you really think you are on the level of Jing Taixu, Sun Dasheng, or Lu Ming? If youre really so strong, why hasnt your name been put alongside theirs? Well, I guess itll be there after today, Li Luo said with all seriousness. The three were a little uncertain about how to respond, so they chose to act instead. Their resonant powers surged forth. Zhao Xingyings was a dark, burnished gold, but it was wielded in a sinuous form that was not usually associated with the color of hard and metallic resonances. He had the saffron crawler resonance. Zheng Fuxings resonant power was black, and it was announced by an oxs bellow. This was the Demonic Battle Bull resonance. Ding Chi had a standard fire resonance, which immediately turned the leaves under his feet to a powdery ash. The three commanders leaped forth as one. They were not foolish enough to test Li Luos depths one by one. There was no need. Strong or weak, their only goal was to defeat him and take the anima cumulonimbus. Besides, he was the commander of the Astral Sage College. Once he fell, the Astral Sage College would be thoroughly demoralized. Swoosh! Zhao Xingying struck first, his golden vines snaking forth quick as lightning. The sharp, whip-like crack punctured the air. Li Luo stomped a foot on the ground, awakening his wood resonant power. Arboreal Bindings! A tree sprung out of the ground, sending its vines out in answer to Zhao Xingyings attack. Gold and brown vines twisted against each other in a wondrous arch of color. Black light exploded from beneath. Zheng Fuxing was clutching an enormous axe. He smashed it downwards with enough strength to shake the ground. Li Luo did not even flinch. With a quick twist, he had the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade in hand, and he used it to parry Zheng Fuxings huge axe. Clang! The ring of metal sent a blast of resonant power booming out from their weapons. Meteoric Pearl! An orb of fire came straight at Li Luos face. Pfft! A spout of water resonant power from Li Luos mouth morphed into the arrow as he spat it out. It crashed into the fiery attack and neutralized it. The three-on-one battle had gotten off to an explosive start, a furious, urgent pace that was as deadly as it was relentless. Li Luo weaved in and out of their attacks, choosing not to retreat even when he could have. Instead, he met all their attacks head-on and subdued them with even more power. Within his waterlight resonant palace, the lakes water rippled as though it were vibrating. The large sun burned brightly within it. Within his woodearth resonant palace, a lush, green tree of resonant power dug its roots deep into the soil and stretched its branches without care. Both of them supplied Li Luo with a flood of resonant power. Clang! The Onyx-Elephant Blade was a slim piece, and yet it moved against the brutal ax of his opponent with quick efficiency. Coated in blue power, it thrust and parried, occasionally spilling splashes of power out from the blade. Li Luo was able to keep both Zhao Xingying and Ding Chi at bay. He clasped both hands together, merging his resonant powers. Dual resonances! Weng! A watery crescent of power slashed through the air. Li Luos Water Edge Art had been raised to heights unheard of thanks to his waterlight resonant power. Conducted through a vessel as worthy as the Onyx-Elephant Blade, it punched way above its resonant art class. Zhao Xingying and his allies could sense it. They had been through countless battles, and their experience told them that this attack could not be avoided. With a shout, they bunched up together and combined their strength against the attack. Clang! A violent clash. Li Luo swayed on the spot, while Zhao Xingying and the others were sent stumbling back a dozen paces. Their expressions were different now. Water resonance, wood resonance What strength. So, Commander Li Luo really has dual resonances, Zhao Xingying said in a low voice. All four of them were at the Second Changing, but Li Luo had come off better in the clash. This was something that only a true dual resonance user could accomplish. After all, he had two resonant palaces, so his maximum resonant power capacity was much higher than theirs. If they had not banded together, they would have been badly injured from that attack. Li Luo did not reply. With a grim smile, he lifted his sword again slowly, holding it up above his head with both hands. His three opponents trembled. Commander Li Luo, you are very strong, and there is no doubt that we would lose to you individually. You might win the battle, but you will lose the war, Zhao Xingying ground out. Our squads are advancing along the other two routes. As long as they can punch through into the anima cumulonimbus, it does not matter that you and I are held here together. And I am sure you can sense that more squads are still lurking in the shadows, watching for opportunities. Arent you afraid that we will wound each other and allow the profit to go to others? This is the time when you should be making some concessions. Li Luo just looked at him with a neutral expression. I trust my companions, he said simply. It will not be so simple for you to break past them. Besides Ive already said that I dont care about the peanut gallery. I just have to destroy you three, and no one will dare to make another move. Resolve crept back into their eyes. Well then, I guess we will find out if dual resonances are as great as they say, or if youre greater than you say! Chapter 474: Two Routes Chapter 474: Two Routes While Li Luo was fighting Zhao Xingying and the other two commanders, the other two routes saw similarly heated fights. Qin Zhulus golden tiger avatar was roaring at full power as he fought with bestial fury. He was in his elementagainst impossible odds that triggered his primal instincts for aggression. His heavy spear twirled effortlessly in his hand as he took on three opponents at once. All three of them were First Changings, but even with the numbers advantage, they were steadily being swatted backwards by Qin Zhulu. His power was undisputedhe had only been overshadowed by a freak like Li Luo. Not even Zhao Xingying could have stood against him in a one-on-one battle. And now that the three commanders were busy with Li Luo, he was the next biggest fish in the pond. The combined school forces had no choice but to assign their three strongest students to deal with Qin Zhulu. And still, the results were not looking good for them. Qin Zhulu was a monster on the battlefield, built for offense, offense, and then more offense. Whether in terms of moves or personality, he had committed all of his efforts into relentless attack. However, he was not defenseless. A glittering armor of ice sheathed him at strategic points of his body, morphing and repositioning to block any attacks that came in while leaving his movements unrestricted. It not only bolstered his defenses substantially, but the armor itself would counter their attacks with a chilling blast of power that numbed them and left them vulnerable. It was like putting wings on a tiger. This frustratingly useful armor had been provided by a beautiful girl in Qin Zhulus squad. She was currently wielding a high-grade ice resonance with skill. The three that were fighting Qin Zhulu could only grit their teeth and soldier on, doing their best to hold the line. Secretly, they prayed that the other fighters were doing better. The other fighters were not doing better. Yi Lishas squad had taken the fight to their opponents as well, holding them back. Plus, Yin Yue had come from Qin Zhulus squad to support them, and they were holding their ground easily. Lu Qinger was truly proving her worth. Not only was she shielding the solo Qin Zhulu, she had to face five opponents all by herself. However, this cloud had a silver lining. These five were un-coordinated, their leaders all being occupied by Qin Zhulu. Which meant that their combined strength was probably not even at the Evolving Resonance Tier. On the other hand, ever since Lu Qingers ice resonance had reached the lower eighth-grade, her cultivation speed had increased. Combined with the resources that the school provided, she was already a First Changing, catching up to the other squad leaders besides Qin Zhulu and Li Luo. In the open clearing, nothing stood between the girl and her opponents. A tuft of snowflakes swirled around Lu Qinger, and the dry leaves under her feet hardened and turned brittle with cold. She looked coolly at her opponents, ice-silk-gloved hands open and ready to fight. Her five opponents trembled. Lu Qinger did not hesitate. Snow-white resonant power blasted forth from her elegant hands, covering the sky in ice before sending it down in a thick blanket on her unfortunate foes. At the same time, she blew out a harsh, icy mist from her lips that obscured their vision and slowed them down. Five on one, and yet they were forced to defend themselves, flailing helplessly in the mist. All in all, Qin Zhulus route was doing very well. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about the last route, where Bai Doudou, Wang Hejiu, and Yu Lang were. Thanks to Yu Langs rumored status as a dual resonance user, the three schools had sent a large number of squads to deal with him. One, two, three six squads?! Yu Lang stared at the opposing force in dismay. We only have two squads. How are we going to fight so many? Scared? Bai Doudou glared at him. Yu Lang shook his head. No, no. Im not scared. Of them. Anyway, I was just thinking that since they have so many people, they might try to slip past us. If they get into the valley, well be in trouble. Bai Doudou frowned. We dont have a choice. We must keep all of them busy. Yu Lang chewed on the inside of his cheek. Well, I mean Itll be too hard to fight them all in a straight fight. We should try to even the odds a little. Bai Doudou stared at him. Whats on your sneaky, little mind now? Yu Lang might be weaker than them, but his brain moved like it had its own wind resonance. Yu Lang smiled cheekily. Why, we do sneaky things, of course. For example he looked over at the impassive Wang Hejiu. We put the covers over their heads and send them poisonous farts underneath! Watch your tongue, Wang Hejiu hissed. Now, now, dont mind my language. Yu Lang hurriedly tried to calm him. What I meant to say was that your poison resonance could be very crucial in helping us turn the tide, with a bit of luck. Wang Hejiu frowned. My poison resonance isnt powerful enough to make them drop instantly. If they have wood or water resonance users in their ranks, theyll be able to nullify it easily. Besides, poison gas works best in an enclosed area. We can set up the environment, Yu Lang assured him. I just want to know this: if we can lure them to a sealed environment, can your poison take them down? Wang Hejiu thought it over. I have a secret art that can strengthen the poison gas temporarily, he finally said. If you can really trap them in a closed environment, I can make them pay the price. Good! Yu Lang said, satisfied. Youre going out to be bait? Bai Doudou asked him. Yu Lang sighed. I might as well They already think Im the second dual resonance user. Only I have the power to tempt them. When I get them where we want them, just lay on the poison. Dont worry about me. If we waste time getting me out, theyll escape, he said firmly. Wang Hejiu looked at him doubtfully. My poison is no joke. And youre already quite weak. When the poison gas gets into your body, youll suffer very badly. Yu Lang shook his head sadly. It cant be helped. If they smell the trap, all our efforts will be wasted. Wang Hejiu looked at Yu Lang. Until this moment, he had never paid the least bit of attention to this guy, but now he felt a bit of respect for his willingness to sacrifice himself. Bai Doudou looked at Yu Lang a little more kindly. Take care out there, she said softly. She did not object to the plan. Indeed, this was a time when heroics were needed. And Yu Lang was good at this. Yu Lang gave them a jaunty wave as he stepped forward. He looked back at the others, basking in their awe and respect for a moment. He felt like a king. He turned back to Wang Hejiu. Look here, mate. I dont think you think too highly of me. Just to confirm youre not going to poison me to death, are you? Wang Hejiu scowled. I dont plan on having my house wiped from the school by Vice Principal Su Xin. Yu Lang nodded to himself, satisfied with the answer. He turned away. Well, Ill be going. Chapter 475: Of Covers and Poisonous Farts Chapter 475: Of Covers and Poisonous Farts On this back I built the mountain, and with these hands I planted the trees, Yu Lang boomed. If you wish to pass unharmed, then pay a price to please! He stood fearlessly against Liu Xiao and the others, and they paused. Careful, this is THE Yu Lang, the second dual resonance user of the Astral Sage College! The others looked around with trepidation. They could see the first dual resonance user taking on three commanders single-handedly and doing well. Such was the power of dual resonances. If Yu Lang commanded similar power, then they were going to suffer for real. But they were not scared enough to call off the attack. They had done some basic mental preparation, so they slowed their speed and continued to creep forward cautiously, intent on surrounding Yu Lang. Even though he was a dual resonance user, they could take him down from all directions. Yu Lang moved back swiftly, taunting them. You think Im a fool? And let me warn you allthis route is closed to you. If you insist on this foolish course of action, dont blame me for showing you no mercy. Yu Lang, if youre really a dual resonance user, why not show us your power? Deter us! Running and hiding like thisyou wouldnt be a fake, would you? Yu Lang laughed. Oh, yes, youre right, Im not a dual resonance user at all. You guessed it, of course. You believe me, right? Activating his wind resonance, he darted to and fro with ease, looking every bit the competent expert. Liu Xiao still had no clue what the truth was. Lets chase on. We cant back down now. But be careful. He must have teammates nearby. The others nodded. The chase continued for a while, and finally Liu Xiaos patience started running out. He gave increasingly aggressive fighting orders, and now resonant powers were flying. Deadly blasts flew through the trees, seemingly sailing out of nowhere, given how obscured vision was in the forest. Yu Lang was sweating through the top of his scalp, but he knew that this was not the time to let them know. Instead, he concentrated all his energy into dodging them, letting the patterns of the wind tell him where to move. Disturbances in the airflow could be sensed way before his eyes could detect them, and he swayed like a willow branch in the breeze to avoid them. He was truly an agile one. Nearby, Wang Hejiu, Duze Beixuan, and the others were watching from their hiding spots. This guys actually got skills! They were astonished. Thats Mentor Mi Ers Classical Wind Art. Yu Langs progress is the furthest in our squad, Bai Doudou told them. Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan were silent. Learning such a resonance art proved that this guy really did not fear death. Theyre entering the zone, Xin Fu reminded them. They all jumped when he spoke.They had forgotten he existed. All of them prepared themselves. Nearby, Yu Lang executed another daring dodge, avoiding a barrage of resonant power attacks. A powerful puff of wind resonant power helped him float back another ten meters, until he was in a particularly dense patch of forest in sunken terrain. Liu Xiao and the others chased grimly. As they rushed in, Qi Luozi struck. Her vines joined the trees together, pulling them tight and sealing the gaps between them. Before the pursuers knew what was happening, they were trapped tightly in a vine enclosure. Wang Hejiu struck from the high ground. Digging deep, he summoned forth roiling plumes of poison gas. It sank down rapidly within the enclosure, withering the leaves as it descended. Behind him, Bai Doudou and Qiu Luo sent swirling gusts of wind to help hasten the poison gas circulation. The attack was effective, and Yu Langs vision blurred immediately. He was giddy and disoriented. Behind him, Liu Xiao and the others sensed that something was wrong. Quick, break through the vines! In their panic, their formation started to falter. Not all of the students were affected. There were plenty of water and wood resonance users in their ranks who were able to quickly purify the poison and turn their attention to breaking them out. Wang Hejiu, your gas doesnt have enough poison! Bai Doudou cried. He scowled. Its hard to push it through empty air. Poison weakens when used this way! he was sweating profusely from his efforts. I saw Duke experts use poison resonances before, Xin Fu interrupted. They could gas out an entire city. Youre really weak. Duke! You said it yourself! Wang Hejiu snapped. This is all a Resonant Master can do, damn it! Still, he knew that he was not delivering on the crucial part of their plan. After a few moments of hesitation, he suddenly pulled out his dagger and cut a few gashes across his body, allowing his blood to flow. He slapped his palms together and injected the blood into his poison, turning the purple a deeper shade of red. The poison gas also grew stickier. Yu Lang could barely move now, blindly stumbling onwards. He was starting to lose feeling in his limbs. But he knew that he was the weakest in terms of resonant power, which meant that those behind him were not even this affected. This little poison birdie sucks balls, he muttered to himself. Its not enough!! Bai Doudou shouted at him. Wang Hejiu turned to her, ready to give her a piece of his irritated mind. He was shocked to see her with a knife in hand. Bai Doudou, what the hell are you doing? Blood strengthens it, right? Look at you! Those measly cuts couldnt feed a damn mosquito! Are you even a man? If you cant do it, Ill help you! She slashed Wang Hejiu across the back, cutting him deep. Fresh blood gushed out. I-what the F*CK! Bai Doudou, have you lost your mind?! Wang Hejiu screamed, arching his back from the pain. He couldnt even care about his image right now as he twisted and squirmed pathetically. He just wanted to get her off his back. Desperately. Duze Beixuan, hold her!! he cried. Duze Beixuan looked a little embarrassed. He had been caught off guard by Bai Doudous sudden move, and now, given the dire situation they were in, he was not too willing to hold her back. He chose to pretend he had not heard Wang Hejiu screaming. Shush now. Xin Fu comforted him. Just use all that lovely blood, thats a good boy. Wang Hejiu dearly wanted to slap them all across their faces, but he knew that this was not the time for blame games, so he hurriedly boiled his blood with his resonant power and injected the blood vapor into his poison gas. This time, the poison finally turned from a pale, lavender color into a rich, royal purple. Now the poison hit Yu Lang like a truck. Son of a b*tch, this poison birdie heard me and went the other extremenow hes trying to kill me! Fortunately, it was not just Yu Lang. His attackers were starting to crumble as well, some of them fainting. Only the stronger ones like Liu Xiao could hold on, and they finally managed to break out of the enclosure of poison. Their numbers were heavily diminished. They broke out into fresh air, gasping gratefully. Bai Doudou swooped down to Yu Lang. She was relieved to see him still on his knees and conscious. Our turn, she said grimly. Duze Beixuan, Xin Fu, Qiu Luo and the others followed her. Taking point, she shot forward like a rider of the wind, straight and true at Liu Xiao and the others. Chapter 476: One Attack Chapter 476: One Attack The trees on the mountainside were a verdant coat that softened the craggy, harsh surface of the rock beneath, but they were being stripped apart from below by fire, glowing lanes of power in the dim blue of night. Intense fights were raging on along all three routes to the anima cumulonimbus. As time ticked on, more squads from more schools were converging. They were also eying the grand prize, and their thoughts turned to the battles that they might have to join. They did not immediately join the fray. Firstly, the squads that had rushed here first were still waiting for the rest of their schools to arrive. Secondly, entering the fray blindly might cause the current fighters to team up against them. They chose the smarter, prudent way: watch and wait to see how the battle would develop. Ideally, they would swoop in when both sides were injured. Most of the eyes were on the main battle, where the Astral Sage Colleges commander had revealed dual resonances. They were stunned. No one had known that the Astral Sage College would hide an ace like this. It was a one versus three, yet he was holding his own. That was stupendous power indeed. But as the number of watchers and backup arrived, an extended battle was not in the Astral Sage Colleges interests. They would want to end things quickly and decisively with overwhelming power that declared their strength to the watchers and dissuade any further attacks. But did the Astral Sage College have such power? A blast of power rocked the trees nearby, and they all bent obediently in one direction. Leaves and grass billowed in a wave of green. All four combatants were locked in the ebb and flow of the battle. As the battle continued, they slowly began to level out the forest around them. Saffron Crawler Palm! Zhao Xingying slammed his fists into the ground, and bright, yellow vines sprouted forth, bunching up and twisting themselves into a giant palm print that pushed forward at Li Luo. The Onyx-Elephant Blade twisted out in response, delivering a keen, diagonal slice. Swish. The Saffron Crawler Palm was sliced into two and dissolved into golden sparkles. Zhao Xingying grimaced. He stared at the blade in Li Luos hand and gnashed his teeth. His Saffron Crawler resonance was supposed to be resilient! Yet all of his previous attacks had been cut by Li Luos weapon as easily as a sharp scythe through wheat. His blade was magical it wasnt just Li Luo! He could see that it was a gold-eye treasured artifact, and a good quality one at that! Li Luos dual resonances were hard enough to deal with on their own. Wielded in conjunction with this godly weapon, he was a real terror. Zheng Fuxing and Ding Chi appeared by Zhao Xingyings side, looking just as frustrated and concerned. Now they knew just how strong Li Luo was. Even combined, they could not find a single bit of advantage over him. No matter how much power they poured, how well synchronized their attacks, Li Luo dealt with it all. Besides, they could feel that Li Luo was looking for a way to take them down. None of them were his match in a one-on-one, and all of them knew it. The moment they were split up, he would take them down faster than they could blink. Although all three were fighting together for the first time, their years of battle experience helped them quickly form a working rhythm that kept them alive and fighting. Still, they knew that the three of them could not take Li Luo down. Zhao Xingyings eyes flicked to their surroundings. Friends from other schools, he shouted, if youre interested in the medium anima cumulonimbus, come join forces with us. We can split the loot! They were locked in a stalemate with Li Luo, and perhaps some chaos would break things wide open again. He believed that even Li Luo would not be able to hold on if one more school joined the fray. Zhao Xingyings shout echoed around, and some squads stirred restlessly. With his invitation, they now had a clear side to enter the battle on. Zhao Xingying had chosen his moment well. However, they were still locked in a moment of hesitation. Li Luo was surprised by Zhao Xingyings straightforward approach. Any more helpers, and youll barely have a drop of anima dew for yourself, he laughed. A bird in hand, Zhao Xingying said coolly. Commander Li Luo, more squads are amassing, and the situation is chaotic. Will you not reconsider our offer? Split the anima cumulonimbus with us, and we can have it peacefully, he pressed. Li Luo shook his head with a smile. Its almost there, he said. Zhao Xingyings eyes narrowed. What? Whats almost there? Why, the number of people, of course, Li Luo said. What do you mean? You see, there werent enough people just now, Li Luo said patiently. Even if I beat you all then, it wouldnt have generated enough reputation for me. I thought more people would make for a better show. Zhao Xingying barked a laugh. Commander Li Luo, you mean to say you werent fighting us with all your strength? Fighting? That was barely warm up, you pompous fool. Ignoring their outrage, he wrapped his fingers anew on the grip of the Onyx-Elephant Blade. His Resonant Bubble Art could already produce 11 bubbles, just one away from maxing out the art. Although right now, two of the eleven had poison in them, and Li Luo wouldnt dare to touch those. He popped seven out of the nine resonant bubbles for now. The rush of resonant power flooded his two resonant palaces. He combined them swiftly before they faded. Dual resonance power! It burst from his hand and leaped to the Onyx-Elephant Blade, which shimmered with rippling water and the vitality of wood. The Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade began to hum from the power charged within it. The sword itself was reacting, satisfied with the power that it was getting. At the same time, a halo of teal power surrounded the blade. Becoming One level?! Zhao Xingying and the others eyes almost popped out. I guess Id be happy to give the anima cumulonimbus away to whoever can take this one attack, Li Luo said lightly. It was not an offer. He didnt let them say yes or nohe simply delivered the attack. Thousand Watery Knives Art. His quiet voice was followed by a thunderous roar, and their vision filled with blue. Countless blades of water flew towards them in a swarm. They covered the entire forest. The forest was shaken, the watchers thrown into a stunned silence. Chapter 477: Badass Chapter 477: Badass The watery knives flew out in a wide arc like a wave against the beach, a silvery-blue attack that stretched out across the horizon. And on said beach were Zhao Xingying, Zheng Fuxing, and Ding Chi, facing the tsunami. The three felt a chill run down their spines. Li Luos attack was terrifying. This was the true power of dual resonance users? Both sides should have been Second Changings, with similarly high-graded resonances. That was as it should be, as they were all their respective schools representatives. And yet this single attack from Li Luo was cutting through any illusion they might have about being on the same level. Join forces! Block this, and hell have nothing left! All the schools are watching! We have to represent our schools well! In the end, it was Zhao Xingying who rallied them with a cry, summoning his golden power first. Saffron Crawler python! His vine power now banded together into a thicker coil that took on life. A golden vine python hissed and snaked out towards the attack. Zheng Fuxing and Ding Chi gritted their teeth and committed as well, suppressing their terror. Bull Demon Cleaves the Mountain! Zheng Fuxing bellowed as he raised his ax high, bringing it down. Behind him, the demonic battle bull did the same, its malevolent, red eyes smoking with ashy power. Midnight-black light flooded Zheng Fuxings ax, then it was released in a powerful swing. Ding Chi cupped his own hands around his mouth and lifted his head high, blowing out scarlet flames that rose into the sky in the form of a fiery sword. It was reverse sword swallowing. The flaming sword blazed through the sky like a comet. All three had used their strongest attacks. The four attacks met in mid-air. All eyes were on the impact. This would determine the battle between the commanders. Boom! It exploded like fireworks when all four collided at the exact same moment. Even the mountain winds were changed, blowing outwards in different directions as they bowed to the attacks. The shockwave shook the trees with a rippling effect outwards. There was now a crater several meters wide at the center of the impact. All of the trees at ground zero had been completely uprooted. Li Luo was sent skidding back a dozen paces, although most of the impact had been absorbed by a waterlight coat that flowed across his skin. The Heavy Water Toga. He steadied himself, then he looked over at his three opponents. They were in bad shape. Zhao Xingying had revealed a chest piece of dark-gray battle armor. It was a powerful defensive treasured artifact, but it now had a deep gash on it. Zheng Fuxing was propping himself up with his ax, fresh blood bubbling out of his mouth at frequent intervals. Ding Chi clutched at his throat, gurgling on his own blood. All three were completely roughed up. Their resonant powers were sparking chaotically, their control unstable. The outcome was clear as could be. The schools who had flirted with the idea of fishing in this pond packed up their fishing rods. Li Luo was way too strong for them. One man alone had taken on three commanders and won! What sort of sorcery was this?! Was he on the level of Jing Taixu, Lu Ming, and Sun Dasheng? No one had told them that the Astral Sage College had such a trump card! Gentlemen, if we keep this up, someones going to be eliminated, Li Luo said with a smile. Zhao Xingyings group was completely subdued now. They had truly underestimated Li Luo, and overestimated themselves. So this is dual resonance power Zhao Xingying muttered to himself angrily. They were all Second Changings. Why was the difference so huge? Zheng Fuxing and Ding Chi were looking uncertain as well. They knew that with this, Li Luos reputation would soar within the Hall-level competition. It looked like the three hot favorites were about to have a new member in their ranks. I still can fight! Zhao Xingying grunted painfully. Zheng Fuxing sighed. The other two routes are not going well either. Zhao Xingying was alarmed. He struggled to reach higher ground and peered over at the other routes. On the left, the disadvantage was largest. Two Astral Sage College squads were winning easily, mostly due to the brute that was probably as strong as any one of the three commanders. No one else could stand up against him. The right was where they had committed most of their forces, but somehow their forces seemed to only be half of what they should have been. Although they still held a modest numbers advantage, they had not broken past the defenses into the anima cumulonimbus yet. Zhao Xingyings hopes faded away. Stuffed on three routes. Their plan to take the anima cumulonimbus had completely failed. If they continued fighting, they would not only walk away empty-handed, but also too injured to even contest other anima cumulonimbuses. The three came to the same conclusion, so they pulled out their whistles and sounded the retreat. The shrill signal rang out over the forest, and the side routes immediately stirred with a different energy. They were full of disbelief. Had they lost? Everyone looked over, but their indignant expressions quickly turned to concern when they saw how badly beaten up their commanders were. Finally, they sighed and complied. Was the Astral Sage Colleges Li Luo really that awesome? Helping their teammates, the three schools retreated. The Astral Sage College squads were too tired to chase. And even though the first three attackers had retreated, there could be more schools watching and waiting for opportunities. Zhao Xingying and the other commanders slunk back quietly with their schools. They knew that they had no more cards on the table that could be used to negotiate with Li Luo. They had lost thoroughly, and there was nothing to say about it. It had been a three-on-one, and they had lost. Any insults to him would only brand them as sore losers. Li Luo was silent too as he watched them go. And then he waved to Qin Zhulu and Bai Doudou, signifying that they should take some time to recuperate. He himself remained on his tree top, sword in hand as he scanned the trees. He drew in a deep breath and shouted. This anima cumulonimbus is claimed by the Astral Sage College. Anybody have something to say about that? The mountain winds and echoes of the valley carried his voice far and wide. A badass move. All the while, the three schools were limping away from him. Nobody dared to answer the challenge of the silver-haired youth! Chapter 479: Anima Storm Chapter 479: Anima Storm The Hall-level competition was in full swing. A full week passed in the blink of an eye. All sorts of fights had broken out throughout this period. Each time an anima cumulonimbus was discovered, it attracted plenty of schools. The nonstop fighting was starting to wear the students down, and this was where the stronger ones were starting to pull ahead. The students began to get a sense of who was truly strong too. Foremost in many of their minds was the Astral Sage Colleges dual resonance user, Li Luo. Those optimistic of his chances even grouped him up with the top three favorites. The man himself did not care though. Li Luo couldnt care less about being in the top four. He was here to be number one. His reason was simple: he wanted the Golden Resonant Tree Brooch. Of course, he had the mission from Qinge as well. Spank Jing Taixu, that naughty boy. This concerned the honor of the young lord of House Luolan. Li Luos team had not been slacking off. They had found a total of four small anima cumulonimbuses and one medium. They now had successfully filled an anima gourd with 99 drops of anima dew. Which meant that the Astral Sage College could now send one person to Dragonbone Island. This was not enough at allLi Luo was aiming to send at least three or four people. He was the commander after all. He couldnt very well just send himself over and ditch the rest. Besides, the more friends they had in Dragonbone Island, the easier a time he would have. The Hall-level competition was about having a team, and he would be much happier with Qin Zhulu and Bai Doudou by his side. However, that was easier said than done. They had spent a full week just to get their first batch of 99 drops. At this rate, they would need a full month just to get three or four peoples share. The Hall-level competition would not last that long. This method was setting too slow a pace for his taste. He wanted to fly ahead. And only a large anima cumulonimbus could give him wings. Unfortunately, large anima cumulonimbuses were notoriously hard to find; Li Luo and the others had not even heard of any discoveries in the last week. But Li Luo was not worried. He knew that as the competition moved on, large anima cumulonimbuses would definitely appear. As he predicted, they received some rousing news on the ninth day. An anima storm has finally appeared? Li Luo thought to himself when he noted the pace that Yu Lang was running pell-mell towards him with. When he delivered the news to confirm Li Luos suspicions, the rest of the group sprang to their feet in surprise, joy and excitement in their eyes. An anima storm was not just a single anima cumulonimbus, but instead an entire region that had many anima cumulonimbuses. There would definitely be large anima cumulonimbus within an anima storm, and perhaps not just one. Anima storms usually appeared deep in the competition terrain. This was the Academic Federations way of announcing to the students that they were reaching Dragonbone Island. It would bring a rousing finale to the first half of the Hall-level competition. All schools that heard the news would definitely converge on the anima storms location at full speed. This was the news that Li Luo had been waiting for. Of course, every single school had been waiting for such news. If he wanted to send more people to Dragonbone Island, the anima storm was his only chance. Yu Lang nodded. We met another school ahead and exchanged information. It probably checks out, because such information travels very quickly. And the anima storm will cause a huge commotion that cannot be concealed. According to the directions they gave, its not too far from usabout a days journey. The Astral Sage students were very happy to hear that. Finally, our meal tickets arrived, Li Luo said, rubbing his hands in glee. Compared to the anima storm, the medium anima cumulonimbus was like a tiny appetizer at best. But I hear that anima storms are very special. I wonder what the challenge mechanic will be for this iteration, Bai Doudou wondered aloud. Li Luo shrugged. Only one way to find out. All rested, you all? Lets go, then. The others nodded and then they packed up their scant supplies and headed towards the location at full speed. Along the way, they spotted many other schools headed in the same direction. Both sides ignored each other, intent on reaching the anima storm as soon as possible. Perhaps because of the rule that anima dew could not be stolen the moment it was secured in the anima gourd, the schools were quite friendly with each other outside of battle around the anima cumulonimbuses, and there was not much reason to be on guard. After all, no one would want to fight a battle over no rewards. This was a refreshing change of pace from the competitions up to now. Or even reality itself. However, ever since the Astral Sage College had staked its claim in the early days of the Hall-level competition, their reputation had spread like wildfire. This was especially so for their commander, Li Luo. Many teams watched them curiously along the way. And at the same time, they kept a safe distance. Their journey was smooth and unhindered, which meant that they arrived at the anima storms general location the following morning. It was an extremely vast lake, perhaps the size of a small sea. All across it were islands scattered like pieces on a chessboard. The schools that had already arrived had staked their flags on the islands, and various designs were waving gaily in the morning breeze. The loud bustle of people had the atmosphere of some sort of water festival instead of a fighting competition. Still more teams were arriving, and they each took up position on a small island. Li Luo looked out towards the middle of the lake. It was presently covered in deep fog, but there seemed to be buildings of some sort within them. It was from that vicinity that worldly natural energy seemed to be rippling outwards across the lake. There were four especially large palaces in the middle, where the energy accumulation was colossal. Li Luo guessed that they were large anima cumulonimbuses. He had to wipe his mouth to check for drool. The greed in his eyes was unmistakable. They were in an anima famine, and now there were four large anima cumulonimbuses The largest cake there was to eat in the Hall-level competition. If he could take a large bite, all of his dreams would come true. Chapter 480: Stairway to Heaven Chapter 480: Stairway to Heaven The Astral Sage College quickly set up camp on one of the small islands as well, unfurling their flag and staking their claim. The moment they did, they could feel the crystal compass in their hands quiver as information began to stream into their minds regarding the anima storm. There were a few quiet minutes while everyone processed the information. And after they were done, all of them started frowning. This is going to be messy as hell, Lu Qinger said softly. Li Luo nodded with deep feeling. He looked up again at the buildings half-hidden in mist. The information had shared that this entire event was divided into four smaller anima storms. Each anima storm would have a large anima cumulonimbus at its center, and several medium anima cumulonimbuses as well. In terms of resources, it was rich enough to have them all salivating. After all, a week of slogging could yield just a medium anima cumulonimbus sometimes. And perhaps a few more small anima cumulonimbuses. Then again, taking these ones was going to be difficult too, just in a different way. The first problem was the Stairway to Heaven. The Stairway to Heaven was a series of steps that they would have to clear before they could access the four large anima cumulonimbuses. It was the only way forward, and not optional. Only after they passed the Stairway to Heaven could they ring the anima bell and begin harvesting the anima dew. Passing the Stairway to Heaven was not going to be easy. Because of the sheer number of anima cumulonimbuses, the worldly natural energy here was out of this world. They would spontaneously form waves of pure energy that pulsed out, sweeping down the Stairway to Heaven and washing away anybody trying to climb it. Besides, only one person could get on the Stairway to Heaven. This meant that they would have to be extremely strong to withstand the energy waves. That said, others could support from the sides. It would be foolish for one person to try it with no external help, even if they were as strong as Jing Taixu. Others had to share the burden. And one person helping was not going to be enough. Far from enough. The whole school would need to help, and then more. The information had revealed that there were four floating stone platforms around the Stairway to Heaven. Each one needed an entire schools strength to support it. With about a dozen members in one school, the entire thing would take about 50 to 60 students to support! That was how powerful the energy in large anima cumulonimbuses was. Put simply, there were two fundamental conditions to open up the anima storm. Firstly, one would have to find a candidate strong enough to scale the steps and ring the bell. Secondly, one would have to find three other schools who were willing to share the support burden. The first was definitely the more difficult of the two. There were plenty of potential helpers, but the person would have to first gain their footing on the staircase alone in order to activate the challenge. Only then could the assistants reach the four platforms to provide energy support. Which meant that this first person would have to be able to stand up against the energy waves alone. Although the first wave was the weakest, it was not easy to bear alone. The second condition was easier. Everyone was already here, and they had to get on with this somehow. In other words, satisfy the first condition, and the second would fall into place easily enough. Now the question is, how strong does that person need to be? Bai Doudou wondered aloud. They all shook their heads. Still, it would not be long before they found out. Many schools were already itching to try their hand at it, and then some of the commanders from the decent schools stepped forward. Thats the commander of the Black Light Sage College, Qian Yiming. I heard he defeated many other commanders. The whispers went around as the first challenger stepped up. Commander Qian Yiming flew up majestically like a crane and then landed solidly on the first step. Boom! The moment he landed, they could hear a crystal tinkling sound at the top of the staircase, then a rush of rainbow-colored energy came down. POOM! The wave of energy hit Qian Yiming, who was pouring in every last bit of his resonant power without holding back. In just a few scant seconds, Qian Yiming cried out painfully. Spitting a mouthful of fresh blood, he tumbled off the stairs into the lake. Everyone was alarmed. Was the energy from the Stairway to Heaven really this strong? Even Qian Yiming couldnt last one wave? If you could not withstand the first wave, the challenge could not even begin. You were stuck. Everyones enthusiasm cooled off now. Although an anima storm was a tempting phenomenon, it clearly was not for everyone. This state of affairs did not last for very long. Soon, another person stepped out of the crowd jauntily, taking to the skies without care. When he appeared, everyone immediately recognized him, and they stared with a mixture of admiration and wariness. Even Li Luo took an interest. This time, it was Jing Taixu! Chapter 482: Li Luos Ambitions Chapter 482: Li Luos Ambitions Lu Qinger turned to Li Luo the moment Jing Taixu left. Youre going to try and activate an anima storm too? He had declared that he did not intend to be anyones bitch. The easiest way to get a big slice of a pie is to bake a pie, Li Luo said cheerfully. Its a whole anima storm out there, people. If we can take it, well be good to go on to Dragonbone Island. Bai Doudou nodded. If we can take it. But From what we saw from Jing Taixu and the others, itll take a Third Changings power to succeed. Li Luo understood what she had left unsaid. Although Li Luos show of strength so far had been beyond reproach, he was still a Second Changing, putting him slightly behind Jing Taixu, Lu Ming, and Sun Dasheng. Most importantly, even if he could withstand the first wave of energy, did that mean he could climb the entire Stairway to Heaven and successfully ring the anima bell to activate the storm? If he failed, he would not only become a laughing stock, he would have also given up on the chance of bringing anyone else to Dragonbone Island. They would have to give up on the anima storm. I think theres no harm trying. Its a little risky, but the payoff is huge. I think its worth it, all in all. Lu Qinger looked glowingly at Li Luo. I dont think Li Luos any weaker than those three. If they succeeded, why cant he? Wang Hejiu rolled his eyes at the infatuated girl. I think we should be a bit more realistic about this, he grumbled. He was still a little sore because he had a soft spot for Lu Qinger, but nothing had ever sparked between them. Lu Qinger ignored his caution. I think its worth a try too, Bai Mengmeng said in a dreamy voice. If were going to go for it, we better get as much of the storm as we can, Qin Zhulu rumbled in his deep voice. Why live like hyenas off the scraps when we are lions? I thought you were a tiger. Duze Beixuan scoffed. Both are kings, Qin Zhulu said, and neither would settle for giving away 40 percent of the kill. It would be demeaning to take those terms. Duze Beixuan fell silent. Well, if youre willing to give it a try, Ill support you, Yi Lisha said. I guess the first wave of energy is a good indicator. Pass that, and we got a shot, I say. A few others voiced their support. Li Luo nodded gratefully in appreciation. Ill give it a try, then. Jing Taixus olive branch was not one hed accept, no matter how sincere the guy might have been. Whether he wanted to smooth over the situation or whatever, it did not matter to Li Luo. His goal was to become the strongest student in the One Star Hall. They would clash in the end. With this decision made, Li Luo hesitated no longer, but set off for the last anima storm, landing speedily on the Stairway to Heaven. The remaining schools watched him, astonished. Someone else is going for the stairway! Whos that reckless?! Its the Astral Sage Colleges commander, Li Luo. Oh? The one whos become famous recently? I hear hes a dual resonance user too! He took on three commanders single-handedly! Hes the fourth hot favorite to win this, I hear. Eh, rumors are always exaggerated. Jing Taixu and the other two didnt build their reputation overnight. Li Luo might be good, but he cant be as good. Did you hear he rejected Jing Taixus personal invitation to join him? Sounds like an arrogant guy. Well, pride comes before a fall. One person among all the spectators was thoughtfully silent. Sun Dasheng leaned on his golden staff and watched carefully. Li Luo had left a deep impression on him. There were not many Second Changing cultivators who could take two strikes from him. He wanted to fight Li Luo for real, but had been busy hunting down anima cumulonimbuses in the last week. I wonder if that guys stronger than the ice queen, Lu Ming? he wondered idly to himself. On another island, Lu Ming was watching Li Luo closely as well. Sister Lu, is that the dual resonance user thats become famous recently? Hes quite handsome, a female student said. Lu Ming nodded. From the resonant powers hes using, he must be a water and wood resonance user. And from that purity, at best a seventh and sixth-grade. Both of her resonances were seventh-grade. Grade-wise, she had the advantage. Can he succeed? Lu Ming had already turned away, unaffected by his good looks. It depends on how good his dual resonance cultivation is. But hes still a Second Changing, so hell have a harder time. What does it matter that he can withstand the first wave of energy? Getting to the top is no easy matter. This is just an appetizer. The other girl nodded in agreement. Jing Taixu had already returned to his island and continued picking teams. He watched Li Luo rise into the air with an unconcerned expression. This young lord of House Luolan was indeed special. Their intelligence had clearly been lacking. But that had nothing to do with the goodwill that he had offered. After all, dual resonance users were rare, but not to him. And he had a quasi ninth-grade himself. Quality over quantity. He did not even fear Lu Ming, let alone an inferior, Second Changing-version of her. His true intentions for offering Li Luo friendship had been called out by the loudmouth from the Astral Sage College. His target was Jiang Qinge. A girl that roused his interest. She had almost become his marriage partner. That thought appealed to him. More importantly, only a ninth-grade could pair with a ninth-grade, right? Jiang Qinge was slated to become the strongest Three Star Hall student. Sure, their school had planned something for her, but privately, Jing Taixu doubted it was going to work So hed better take the strongest One Star Hall title himself. That would just help make his point that the two of them were a couple destined to be together. He was brought back to reality from his dream when Li Luo landed on the stairway. Chapter 484: Li Luos Resplendence Chapter 484: Li Luos Resplendence Hundreds of shadows ascended into the skies simultaneously, and the atmosphere reached fever pitch. The curtains over the event were about to unveil the main attraction, an eye-opening show of anima cacophony. Everyone was clear that they had reached the tipping point of the competition, and also their final opportunity to shine. The events that occurred after this would only involve the best of the best. In the midst of the raucous excitement, Li Luo led his group into the anima storm with the Stairway to Heaven being his aim. Qin Zhulu, Bai Doudou, and the rest gently landed on the stone platform on his right side. There were four stone platforms in total, situated on both sides of the Stairway to Heaven. As per the rules, each stone platform was to be manned by a sage college with the intention that they would share the burden of resisting the torrential amounts of energy raining down upon them. As one ascended the Stairway to Heaven, the flow of energy would grow increasingly strong, to a point where a single individual like Li Luo would be unable to handle it alone. This also included the likes of Jing Taixu. The monstrous tides of energy was not something so easily resisted. The Academic Federation had specifically designed the competition with this in mind. The anima cumulonimbus was not to be monopolized by a single college. Cooperation was the key to victory. Thus, as Li Luo gradually approached the steps, the anima cumulonimbus seemed to come to life, increasing the pressure upon him. Without a glance, Qin Zhulu and the students from the other three colleges made their way atop the stone platforms. There was no hesitation as they took their positions. The strongest participants were placed at the fore with the rest shoring up the defenses. They would correspondingly be subject to mightier resistance than their peers situated slightly further away. As these four chosen ones stepped upon the Stairway to Heaven, berserk tides of energy immediately crashed down upon them without warning. However, something different occurred this time. As the energy rushed towards the challenger, four vortexes magically appeared which siphoned off some of the energy, directly surging into the individuals atop the stone platforms. Qin Zhulu and the rest had their first taste of the savage flows of the anima cumulonimbus. The torrential roar of the energy surge caused the expressions on their faces to warp in horror. This frightening pressure felt like a mountain was placed atop them, suffocating them gradually. Just how monstrous was the pressure Li Luo had endured? Resonant power surged as everyone gave their all to struggle against the energy waves. The longer they could hold on, the lighter the burden on Li Luo. Whilst his companions were sharing the burden, Li Luo indeed had a significantly easier time than he did in his first encounter with the anima cumulonimbus. However, he was very clear that this was merely the beginning. As the ceaseless discharge from the anima cumulonimbus continued, the energy would rise in intensity and strength. Not wasting any time, he took measured steps as he ascended slowly. Brandishing his weapon in front of him and wreathed in a veil of flowing resonant power, each step was deliberate and heavy. A similar scene could be seen on the other three Stairways to Heaven. Jing Taixu, Sun Dasheng, and Lu Ming, however, were moving slightly quicker than Li Luo. Resonant power surged out of them endlessly, counteracting the energy waves and allowing them to fly forth. Out of the three, Jing Taixu seemed to have the easiest time as he effortlessly led the pack. Sun Dasheng and Lu Ming, on the other hand, were slightly slower but on par with each other. The sole individual remaining was Li Luo, who was trudging along in last place. The stark display led the students from the other colleges to shake their heads in disapproval. Li Luos relatively weaker Second Changing tier showed its disadvantage here. His previous performance seemed to have forced him to his limit, and whether he could ascend to the peak of the Stairway to Heaven remained to be seen. It would be a sight to behold if he was inevitably flushed away. Some people relished in his misfortune. They did not have the right to struggle for a piece of the anima storm, and seeing someone else knocked down to their level brought them cathartic release. The jeering looks did not faze Li Luo. He was no stranger to them after all. Witnessing the other threes rapid ascent did not worry him, as he fully understood that this was a natural advantage conferred by greater resonant power. He had his own set of preparations that he had hidden up his sleeves. Continuing to move relentlessly, he hacked at the space in front of him with the Onyx-Elephant Blade, blade light tearing a path through the energy waves. Meanwhile, waterlight resonant power continued to gather within his other hand, forming a seal that seemed to be constantly in flux, emitting a shimmering light. Li Luos experience with the Stairway to Heaven had taught him that the strength of the energy waves pushing against him would rise in intensity every thirty steps. This would repeat all the way till he reached the peak. There were several hundred steps, and by extension, the magnitude of the energy waves crashing upon him would rise by over ten times as a result. His unfaltering efforts eventually led him to step upon the thirtieth step. It was as though a raging dragon was heaving right before him, a splendid torrent of energy coalescing before his very eyes, rushing headfirst into him. Yet Li Luo did not hesitate when faced with this frightening display of energy. Instead of resorting to his previous strategy of forcefully cleaving a path and blunting his momentum, he kicked himself forward, taking the initiative to collide against the energy wave directly. It was like watching a lion cub struggling against a raging river, a pitiful ant struggling against the force of nature. Numerous gazes turned to focus upon him as they gasped in shock. Had this arrogant guy finally lost his marbles? Was he trying to prove his lack of something with this act? Even the front runner, Jing Taixu, would refrain from such a barbaric tactic despite his superior resonant prowess, opting to weaken the momentum of the energy waves before finding the path of least resistance. Li Luo on the other hand? Was he a moth flying into a flame? Instead, he raised his palm, the waterlight resonant power gathered within. In a flash, several water mirrors appeared before him, with a stream of light connecting them. These water mirrors were connected to each other like a phalanx, forming a larger water mirror several meters in length. Waterlight Demon Mirror Phalanx. Torrents of energy screamed past as they rushed at him, finally clashing with the water mirror in front of him. At the point of contact, the water mirror emitted a stupendous amount of retaliatory force before it shattered, offsetting the energy waves with an equally ferocious counter strike. It was akin to seeing two massive rivers crashing into each other, converging at a single point. The repercussions shifted the heavens and the earth! Boom! A thunderous boom echoed from the Stairway to Heaven, shaking its very foundations to the core. It was a sight of absolute horror as the titanic torrent of energy had been struck violently and been viciously ripped apart. What remained was a path of emptiness, an unobstructed avenue for one to pass through. This was the moment Li Luo had been waiting for. Taking advantage of this moment of calm, he launched himself forward without hesitation, each stride covering over five steps. The waves of energy would take time to replenish, and this short period of time was his best chance to advance quickly. In a blink, he had taken over twenty steps, directly overtaking Sun Dasheng and Lu Ming, nipping on Jing Taixus heels. The rapid scaling of the stairway left countless dumbfounded and in awe. This was an incomprehensible sight. Just how had Li Luo ignored the energy torrent and directly bound upwards without resistance? How had he created that heaven-sundering force that had torn the energy waves apart? Was this the power someone at the Resonant Master Stage could even muster? The ones who were most shocked were the other three geniuses. They couldnt believe their eyes, and for the first time, they felt a strange sense of competition coming from this dark horse. Just what had happened? (TL Note: Its Li Luos slap you back in the face special technique of course!) Chapter 485: Head to Head Chapter 485: Head to Head The roar of surprise from the students was uplifting to behold. They stared at Li Luo in disbelief as he made his mad run up the Stairway to Heaven. No one had expected that he would accelerate past Sun Dasheng and Lu Ming. What in the world was going on? Nobody understood at all. Even Qin Zhulu, Bai Doudou, and the rest of the Astral Sage students were just as perplexed. The other three schools that were supposed to support the Astral Sage College were staring open-mouthed. When this endeavor first started, they were worried that Li Luo would not be able to activate the anima storm. They had decided to gamble on this cooperation, but this development wiped away any remaining doubts they had. Li Luo was really something special! He alone had a serene expression on his face. His move was nothing specialhe had just utilized the Waterlight Demon Mirror to trigger a rebound of power. It was a niche move that worked as well as the incoming attack, although Li Luo had managed to master it to the point where the odds were always in his favor, thanks to the light resonant energy that he imbued in it. And he had actually used not just his normal Waterlight Demon Mirror, but the scaled-up version that he had modified himselfthe Waterlight Demon Mirror Phalanx. After some tricky finessing, the reflecting effect of the Waterlight Demon Mirror Phalanx was brought to new heights. The torrent of energy sweeping down the Stairway to Heaven was tremendous, which meant that the Waterlight Demon Mirror Phalanx was even more tremendous. With the energy that he reflected, Li Luo had torn a swath deep into the torrent of energy and ran through like a madman. The gap in the energy was closing ahead of him, but the newly formed energy wave was still weak. Without breaking stride, his Onyx-Elephant Blade flashed out and cut it in pieces as he bounded past the 30th step. His eyes flicked over to the side He was level with Jing Taixu. Both of them were on the exact same step. The crowd could not believe it. Another powerful wave of energy roared out. Jing Taixu did not look over at Li Luo, but he knew that the Astral Sage commander was neck and neck with him. He grew even calmer than before. Li Luo might be slightly weaker in terms of resonant power, but his arsenal was incredibly versatile and could not be underestimated. Technically, there was no direct competition on the Stairway to Heaven. One person ascending did not affect the ascension of the others in any shape or form. But after a moments hesitation, Jing Taixu decided that he would be the first to ascend. It was not a decision with any real reason behind it. If it had been Lu Ming or Sun Dasheng ahead of him, perhaps he would be a little more graceful in conceding. But the person was Li Luo. The fianc of Jiang Qinge That fact alone meant that Jing Taixu could not bear to lose to Li Luo. Not in anything, not even a race to the top of the Stairway to Heaven, even if it had absolutely no bearing upon anything. But to him, how could he talk to Jiang Qinge ever again if he lost here? Jing Taixu smiled grimly to himself. Too bad, Li Luo. Its all Jiang Qinges fault for being so damn charming! He lifted his head and slammed his palms together, summoning a howling, green wind that cycled between his hands at a screaming pace. A moment later, he moved his hands up to his mouth, cupping it on either side, and he blew. Demon Wind Funnel! Whoo! His wind energy was so concentrated that it was no longer the pale, green hue typical of wind resonance users. It had been concentrated into a forest-green color, and the cone of wind energy blasted out like a horizontal tornado. The students watched in awe. Some even shuddered as they watched the colossal funnel spin out towards the wave of energy. Boom! It sheared through the air itself, a dark-green cyclone that ate up anything in its way. It paved the way like a bulldozer, shredding a channel through the energy wave. Jing Taixu pushed on behind it, swiftly climbing the stairway. The students exclaimed at the sheer power that he had shown. BOOM! Just at this moment, another thunderous sound came from Li Luos side, and the students swiveled to see another tremendous force blast through on his side as well. Li Luo shot forth, just as fast as Jing Taixu. The crowd watched rapt as the two figures pushed on grimly. It looked like a head-to-head competition. It was amazing that Li Luo was competing at all. There were few in this competition who could force Jing Taixu to get serious. Most dumbfounded of all were Sun Dasheng and Lu Ming. They looked at the two figures way ahead of them, unsure of what to feel. Is he using the Profound Water Mirrors reflective capacity? Its a smart move, but his resonance art seems too strong to be true, Lu Ming thought to herself. The water mirror that Li Luo employed was not that rare a move, but she had no idea why his was so strong. Both Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng understood that Li Luo had grasped the meta of this challenge way better than they had. He had used the most efficient way: harnessing the energy wave against itself. It was effective, fast, and saved him strength. Neither did it go against the rules. All they could do was acknowledge his brilliance. Just like that, Li Luo and Jing Taixu surged ahead, while Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng were left in the dust. But neither of them panicked. On the contrary, they slowed down their pace even more. It did not matter who finished first or last. What mattered was that they finished. There was no point in throwing precious strength into meaningless competition. Jing Taixu should know this very well as well, which was why they found it very odd. Why was he competing? Why was he so concerned with Li Luo? In front of them, Li Luo and Jing Taixu continued their frenzied race up the Stairway to Heaven, like a pair of vigorous salmon climbing up the waterfall. Wave after wave of energy hit them, and they pushed onwards past each one, undaunted. The students watched with eyes wide. Who would be the first to activate their anima cumulonimbus? Chapter 486: Ringing the Anima Bell Chapter 486: Ringing the Anima Bell Rumble! Boom! Titanic exchanges of energy flew both ways. The Stairway to Heaven continued to beat down on the challengers, who were desperately trying to attack the waves back before they reached them. Ordinarily, the 30th step was supposed to be a milestone. After that, the going was supposed to get even tougher. And yet the two in the lead were currently pushing on as though there was no such resistance. It was not that the energy flow was weak, but rather these two were running with all cylinders fired. Each time they passed 30 steps, the energy would ratchet up another notch, and they would quickly neutralize it and move on. A few minutes later, the two were well in the lead, and very close to the top of the Stairway to Heaven. Miraculously, Li Luo and Jing Taixu were still neck and neck. It was Sun Dasheng and Lu Ming who had slowed down even more. Even they were watching their rivals with interest. Who would finish first? Besides, the energy would be strongest at the end. Perhaps at this most grueling part, the difference between the two would become clear. Li Luo Lu Ming stared at the dark horse challenger, her mind full. The fact that he could keep level with Jing Taixu was testament to his superb talent. The masterful use of the water mirror technique had been nothing less than inspired. But through this period of observation, Lu Ming could see that his Water Mirror Art was taking a toll on him. Each time the energy grew stronger, the gap between the incoming wave of energy and the reflected energy continued to narrow. Which meant that in the last wave of energy, Li Luos Water Mirror Art would be close to ineffective. His speed would be seriously diminished, and he would likely not be able to keep up with Jing Taixu. In the end, the Spear of Enlightened Sage would probably win the race. Ultimately, it did not matter. The Stairway to Heaven did not reward speed. The fact that Li Luo had managed to force Jing Taixu to take this seriously was already a win for his side. At the very least, it made her see him with newfound respect. She had ignored rumors of a fourth contender in the Hall-level competition up till now, but seeing Jing Taixu and Li Luo side by side ahead of her seeing was believing. Boom! Another monstrous explosion rocked her out of her reverie. The wave of energy bearing down on them was the final one, and also the strongest one. Jing Taixus eyes were tight on the energy flow, and he was still looking calm. With a single hand, he summoned green resonant power that formed a green fan, which he brought now in a magnificent swish. Slicing Twister! A large arc of wind energy several meters wide flew out with speed that confounded the eye. Many students barely registered a blur of green and a split-second of howling. It crashed into the incoming energy. Shrrrk. At the heart of wind resonant powers efficacy was its speed. Air was one of the lightest elements, and it was brought to dangerously quick speeds through the resonance. It broke things apart, sheared its way forward, and blew things away. Currently, it was concentrated into a powerful arc that split the energy wave into two. Terrifyingly destructive! Jing Taixu stepped forward into the energy-free wake of his attack, moving onwards to where the anima bell stood at the top. Wow. The students were stunned, in awe at Jing Taixus move. At the same time, a good part of the crowd was watching Li Luo. POOM! Li Luo, as with before, used his Water Mirror Art, the huge, watery, glass surface taking the energy before shattering and converting it into his own. Again, an opening broke out in the energy wave. But just as Lu Ming had predicted, the opening was not deep enough to punch through the entire depth of the wave. It was not going to carry him through. Yet Li Luo did not slow or hesitate. He stepped into the small gap, and soon enough, he was against the unbroken energy wave walls boundary. He lifted the Onyx-Elephant Blade. His dual resonance powers burst forth within his body. A resonant power halo appeared around him. His sword blade glittered with energy, spitting and hissing as though trying to intimidate the obstacle before him. Li Luo knew that it was not enough. He forced even more energy into his sword, until faint patterns of light started to glow on it. Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade, Level One Divine Elephant Power! The power immediately ripped the skin on Li Luos arms, his veins bulging as he struggled to control it. But he grinned through the pain, feeling grim satisfaction at the sheer power he could muster. He brought it down in a decisive slash. This thing was unstoppable. He felt invincible. He ran on towards the top of the Stairway to Heaven. Over at the other side, Jing Taixu had reached the top a moment earlier. He was in front of the anima bell in a trice, and he slapped his hand down on it. He smiled to himself. Li Luo was good enough to worry him, but not good enough to win. He was a step behind. His hand was an inch from the anima bell, when he heard a beautiful peal, a clear ring from a bell just a moment before his own rang out. Jing Taixus eyes narrowed. He whirled around to the other Stairway to Heaven, where he saw a sword stuck halfway in the bell, which was swinging and ringing merrily. A moment later, Jing Taixus own hand hit the anima bell, ringing it as well. His smile was gone. Everyone was watching in stunned silence. Sun Dasheng and Lu Ming had both stopped, staring in shock. Li Luo ambled the last few steps up to the bell, and pulled his sword out. He did not turn around to look at them, but carefully wiped his blade down, then spoke loudly to the air. Well, that was Tedious. Chapter 487: Whos Scarier? Chapter 487: Whos Scarier? Li Luos dry remark was said with enough volume to be carried through the wind and across water. Many looked at him oddly, unsure of what to make of it. Was he referring to himself? Or Jing Taixu? They suspected it was the latter. After all, there was no need to go all out in this challenge to the top. The rational play was what Sun Dasheng and Lu Ming had chosen. On the other side, Jing Taixu had quickly composed himself. He did not respond, seemingly having not heard Li Luos remark. Looking at him, one even doubted that the intense contest had even happened at all. Weng! Both doors to the anima storms in front of Li Luo and Jing Taixu began to open with a hiss of worldly natural energy like a gentle mist from a pressure cooker. This one was a delicious energy, not at all like the hostile waves from before. Some of the energy wafted out over the lake, which immediately glowed golden in response. Lotuses of glittering yellow started to bloom in mid-air, lazily drifting down to settle on the surface of the water. The islands went crazy. Each school desperately tried to grab as many of the golden lotuses as they could. Fights broke out immediately, bursts of resonant power flying back and forth. One school remained unmoving in the chaosthe Astral Sage College. Qin Zhulu, Bai Doudou, and the others were still frozen in amazement. They looked at Li Luo in front of the wakening anima storm with shining eyes. Li Luo had actually rung the anima bell a second before Jing Taixu, opening the way for them. Hehe, Li Luo really showboated hard on this one. Yu Lang casually wiped away the buckets of sweat from his worrying, and now spoke with a tone that he thought was confident, but in actuality wobbled like jelly on a plate. T-that Jing Squishy, ahem! H-ha! How dare he try to f-fuh-fight Brother Luo? When has Li Luo ever not been the coolest guy on the field, huh? It was just a contest to the top of the ladder. Bai Doudou rolled her eyes. Dont get cocky just yet. Li Luo pulled a good trick on that one, but in an actual fight, the others might not just go through the motions when using their powers. Wang Hejiu nodded. Jing Taixu is still very strong. And now hes also angry at Li Luo for beating him. Well have to be very careful. Yu Lang tutted at them. Jing Taixu should listen to advice from his betters. If he would bend an ear in humility, the great Yu Lang here would tell him that he should know when to cut his losses and try to save some face. Otherwise, if my good brother Li Luo gets serious, hell end up as nothing more than a stepping stone. A nervous silence hung in the air as the others tried to ignore him, desperately praying that no one from other schools had heard him. This guy had no fear. Qin Zhulu impatiently pushed past them, striding up the Stairway to Heaven briskly. Now that the energy waves had been deactivated, it was a normal staircase that they could all climb with ease. The other three schools timidly followed. They were now a little embarrassed that they had ever doubted whether Li Luo could ascend and activate the anima storm. After all, he had barely managed to stand his ground against the first wave. But now he had not only succeeded, he had even beaten Jing Taixu there! They had truly won big on this gamble. The three commanders offered Li Luo their profuse thanks, heads bobbing very politely in deference. Li Luo waved it away with a friendly smile. We are all here with a stake in this. Without the three schools supporting us in reducing the energy, we alone could not have made it. Now that the anima storm is open for business, you can go and check the areas that belong to you. Count the amount of anima dew and then split it as we agreed earlier. Hehe, I hope that none of you are thinking of cheating us out of our share. When the three schools had been chosen, Li Luo had, of course, discussed terms with them. Naturally, the large anima cumulonimbus would belong to the Astral Sage College. That was not to be divided. As for the medium and small anima cumulonimbuses, they would be delegated to the three schools. However, they would cede 50 percent to the Astral Sage College at the final harvesting. It was not considered unfair of Li Luoit was a common understanding that had been established. Opening the anima storm was the hardest part of the task. Although the other schools had helped, their role was less crucial. As Commander Li Luo says. We understand this point well. Were already very grateful that youre only taking 50 percent. The other three groups demand 60 percent, they hurriedly assured him. Li Luo smiled and nodded. He looked out over at the lake, tutting in sympathy at the squabbling schools outside, then he walked through the doors into the anima storm. He was curious to find out just how big a bonanza the large anima cumulonimbus was going to be. He had not looked over at Jing Taixus side once, but he could feel a person staring at him. Over at the Enlightened Sage College side, the white-eyebrowed youth approached their commander cautiously. Brother Jing, are you alright? Dont worry about Li Luo. He gamed this challenge well, but in a straight-up clash, he is definitely not your match. Lu Chen, dont underestimate him, Jing Taixu said with a thin smile. If you really believe that he only won because he pulled some novelty trick out of his hat, then only pain and frustration awaits you in the near future. I sort of guessed it that Li Luo would be my biggest threat in the Hall-level competition, even more so than Sun Dasheng or Lu Chen. Lu Chen stared at him in surprise. Jing Taixu actually regarded Li Luo that highly? Jing Taixu settled back down with a new, icy resolve in his manner. And so in order to demonstrate how seriously I take him, Ive made preparations. With that dire announcement, he turned and walked into the large anima cumulonimbus. Lu Chen looked at his commanders back and shivered a little to himself. He pitied Li Luo a little, because he knew just what their leader was capable of. Li Luo was in a whole world of trouble now In all the years he had known Jing Taixu, he had never seen someone earn his ire and emerge unharmed. If someone gave Li Luo a crystal ball to see the future with, hed probably be scurrying over right now to beg for forgiveness from Jing Taixu. A pity Lu Chen shook his head. Li Luo, you dont know the heat of the fires that you play with. Chapter 489: The Sixth Slot Chapter 489: The Sixth Slot Waiting for pizza to fall from the sky was one of the great pleasures in life. Bright and early the next morning, a blazing rainbow of light illuminated the skies across all four anima storms, and the delicious, heady smell of ripe energy roused the students immediately. They knew that the anima dew had finished condensing within the anima cumulonimbuses. Energy had overflowed out of the anima storms throughout the night, creating disparate droplets of anima dew across the lake. However, these were slim pickings compared to the cornucopias of anima dew to be found within the storms. Still, there was no point in eying the fruits beyond their reach. None of them was strong enough to scale the Stairway to Heaven. Li Luo, weve gotten a total of 295 anima dew droplets from the large anima cumulonimbus! Lu Qinger and the others rushed over excitedly to report the good news. They had carefully stored all of it into their anima gourds, and the final count was in. Even before this, they had sort of estimated a figure somewhere in this range, but the results were still music to their ears. 295 droplets thats more than ten times a medium anima cumulonimbus. Large anima cumulonimbuses are awesome. Yu Langs eyes were round as saucers. Li Luo nodded fervently. The difference between medium and large anima cumulonimbuses was exponential. Then again, there were only four of them available, and all the schools were supposed to fight over this. It made sense that the rewards would have to be commensurate with the rarity. It was a nice, fat boost that would save them a lot of legwork. If we can fill five anima gourds, we can prepare to move on to the Dragons Belly and lay some groundwork for the second half of this competition. If we cant, then we might have to wait a few more days, Li Luo said cheerfully. Our goal is to send five people to Dragonbone Island. At the start of the competition, Li Luo had initially set a goal to send three people. But with this unexpected haul, he could now afford to aim a bit higher. Five peoplehe could take all the Violet Vibrance squad leaders. Strength-wise, they ranked the highest. Besides Jing Taixu, Sun Dasheng, and Lu Mings schools, the others will at most be able to send one or two contenders. If we can send five, well be at a good advantage. Qin Zhulu, Wang Hejiu, and the others nodded. With that advantage, they would be well-positioned to take the win. And all this was possible because Li Luo had boldly staked his claim to an anima storm. Even his bitter rival, Wang Hejiu, was very polite to Li Luo now. He had no complaints about Li Luos contributions as their commander. Bai Doudou and Bai Mengmeng hurried over. Li Luo, weve collected an additional 180 drops from the small and medium anima cumulonimbuses. The sisters beamed, flushed with excitement at their riches. 180 drops, huh Li Luo repeated gleefully. They had taken over 400 droplets of anima dew just with this one play. In the last week, they had only managed a little over 100. He was thanking his own guts for not accepting Jing Taixus offer. Ladies and gentlemen, Li Luo said to his school, Im happy to announce that weve met our goal. We have enough to send five people through the Dragons Belly to the final showdown at Dragonbone Island. The other students cheered. But if my calculations are right, we not only have enough to send five people through the Dragons Belly, we also have an additional 80 drops of anima dew. Thats a heck of a lot. I say we see if we can scrounge up a couple dozen more on the way there. If we can, we would be able to send yet another person along as a bonus. Thats a great idea! Duze Beixuan, the ultimate Li Luo hater, was the first to leap to his feet. Among the students, of course the five Violet Vibrance squad leaders were the strongest. But if there were to be one more, who would it be but him? The others were receptive to Li Luos suggestion as well. An additional person wouldnt hurt. Seeing no objections, Li Luo smiled. Well, then the next question is: who should the additional person be? Who else but me? Duze Beixuan shouted immediately. In terms of strength, he was a little weaker than the other Violet Vibrance squad leaders, but compared to the rest of the Violet Vibrance students, he was the strongest. Cant say for certain. Strength isnt all about punching people in the face. Neither are you strong enough to punch enough faces with enough strength to make much of a difference. I think more brains would serve us better, eh? Yu Lang piped up. In truth, he was not aiming for the additional slot at all. He just wanted to take some wind out of Duze Beixuans sails. Are you calling me brainless? Duze Beixuan snarled. Im calling you brawn-less. Lu Qingers cool voice cut through their quarrel. The students turned to her. It seemed like she was interested in contesting as well. With her ice resonance being a lower eighth-grade, and her background as the young mistress of the Golden Dragon Bank, she might have resources beyond the means of the others. She was a worthy consideration for their ranks. Li Luo grinned at them. Anyone else interested? Bai Mengmeng, Xin Fu, Qiu Luo, and all of the others shook their heads. They were fine sitting this one out. Li Luo nodded. Well, lets draw lots, then. Thats fairest. There was a general murmur of assent, and Duze Beixuan swallowed his irritation. Li Luo took a twig from nearby and divided it into three pieces, gripping them in his fist. Longest stick gets the sixth slot. Any objections? The three nodded acceptance, then reached out together to draw sticks swiftly from Li Luos fist. They compared them. Looks like the slot is mine, Lu Qinger said triumphantly, holding up the longest stick with a smile on her pretty face. In truth, she was not that interested in getting to Dragonbone Island. She knew that her strength would probably not make much of a difference one way or the other, but she just wanted to spend a little more time with Li Luo. Maybe help him out a little. Duze Beixuans face was sour as could be, but he had to accept the result. Yu Lang couldnt care less. Even if he had won the lot, he had intended to give it to Lu Qinger. He didnt want to go to Dragonbone Island. They would kick his scrawny ass there. Besides, his ass had already been badly abused in this competition. Due to no effort on his part. With the sixth slot decided, Li Luo clapped his hands together. Well, thats settled. Lets get moving, people. The students scattered off to make their preparations, but one person lingered. Lu Qinger, with her hands clasped coyly behind her back, looking shyly at him. What? Li Luo asked, a little uncomfortable at being stared at this way. Well, thank you, she said softly, twirling the twig piece in her fingers. What are you talking about? Li Luo asked innocently. The end of my twig looks a little strange. You grew it with your wood resonant power, didnt you? Student Lu Qinger, Li Luo said loftily, I have no idea what you are talking about. I am a fair commander, and the Astral Sage College has put its trust in me. If you tarnish my reputation, I will report you to Vice Principal Su Xin. He turned and left. Lu Qinger stared at his hurriedly retreating figure, her eyes glowing with happiness. Chapter 491: Illusion Formation Chapter 491: Illusion Formation Li Luo and the others moved swiftly across the crimson sea. He himself took point, eyes constantly flicking around them to scan for danger, his resonant power at the ready on his fingertips to deal with any sudden changes. The others were equally alert. Pssht. Hisses of vapor and geysers of fire and magma punctuated their advance, and they avoided them prudently. Although the anima dew was supposed to be able to negate the effects of the fire in the Dragons Belly, the water membrane was also constantly being worn down just by the environment. They had no intention of letting it wear out too liberally. The group pressed on, tension in their movements. They came across other schools along the way, but they moved either singly or in pairs. Seeing a group of six made them fearful enough to give the Astral Sage students a wide berth, afraid that Li Luo and the others would attack them. Which meant that they had a smooth journey. Before they knew it, they had already spent six hours in the Dragons Belly. According to the information they had gathered, they had to be in the middle zone of the Dragons Belly by now. They should be out of Dragons Belly in another 10 hours, and on Dragonbone Island. Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief. Just at this moment, Lu Qinger sped up until she was beside him. Her fragrance tickled his nose before he turned to see her. Li Luo, theres something odd. Odd? Li Luo said tensely. I dont like odd. I like smooth and uneventful things. I think the anima dew membrane is evaporating at a faster rate than before. Li Luo stared at her in alarm. You can detect that? He had just taken it for granted that the membrane would be gradually evaporating as they moved on, and had not paid much attention to its condition. It used to take 80 breaths of time before one tick of evaporation would happen. But 10 minutes ago, the rate doubled to 40 breaths of time. Li Luo was amazed. You actually kept track? Lu Qinger blushed. I cant be of too much help here, so I thought Id better pay more attention to the details that I can manage. But nothing changed around us why would the evaporation rate suddenly double? Li Luo nodded. He quickly raised his fist in a sign. The group halted, looking at him doubtfully. Li Luo did not say anything yet. He counted 40 breaths silently to himself, and then saw a tiny shimmer on the water membrane. His face grew serious. Whats wrong, Li Luo? Bai Doudou asked impatiently. Somethings not right. The evaporation rate of our anima dew membrane has doubled, but nothing seems to have changed. Thats not normal. Lu Qinger explained her calculations to the rest, who quickly tested it out for themselves and confirmed the situation. Could this be a normal thing? Wang Hejiu asked cautiously. Its possible, Li Luo agreed. But what if its not? Wang Hejius expression was sober. If it were not a normal phenomenon, they were in trouble. Li Luos prudence was reasonable. In such a dangerous environment, such an insidious difference could see them all eliminated. None of them wanted to be eliminated in such an unsatisfying manner after all their efforts. But theres nothing unusual around us. The anima dew not only separates us from the heat of the Dragons Belly, it also dulls our senses. Bai Doudou frowned. And yet they could not let the anima dew membrane evaporate. That was death. I feel uneasy about it also, Qin Zhulu said in a low voice. Could there be some invisible danger around us? Li Luo felt a chill run down his spine. Maybe it is our eyes that are not seeing reality, he said slowly. You mean were in an illusion? Yi Lisha said, startled. Li Luo formed a seal with water resonant power, creating a drop of dark-blue energy. He dabbed it on his eyes. Water resonance art, Clear Eyes! This was a basic resonance art with not much use besides its ability to see through some illusions. The cool liquid spread across his eyes, and suddenly the world was clearer. Li Luo looked around him, and his eyes widened dramatically. Bai Doudou, Qin Zhulu, and the others hearts sank. Trouble. Without them asking, Li Luo quickly flicked several drops of the same liquid towards their eyes. They allowed the liquid to settle, then they could alsosee the situation around them clearly. Despite the heat, they all turned pale. The sea that they were supposed to be above was now boiling like crazy. It was a flaming sea. Even with the anima dews protection, they flinched at the fury of the flames beneath them. They knew that without the dew, they would have been incinerated to a crisp long ago. And now they knew why the anima dew membranes were evaporating so quickly. Without knowing it, they had walked right into a flaming sea. But how had they come in without realizing it? An illusion? But whose? And why? This isnt an ordinary illusion, its a powerful illusion formation, Li Luo said. And someone created one so advanced that all of us walked in without knowing. I think theres only one person in the Hall-level competition who can achieve that. Bai Doudou gritted her teeth. Lu Ming? Lu Ming was nicknamed the Illusory Thunderbolt, and illusions were said to be her specialty. Lu Qinger frowned. Why would she attack us? Li Luo looked up. Jing Taixu, he called out sternly. Is this your doing? The others jumped, looking around them in alarm. And then a person materialized out of thin air. Jing Taixu! Chapter 494: Bloodline Resonance Art Chapter 494: Bloodline Resonance Art Crash! The Dragons Belly was a scene of molten chaos, lava and rocks spraying in all directions. A spectacular wave of crimson roared up from underneath, hissing at their feet. Li Luo backed away in fright, skidding backwards with his water resonant power for a good hundred meters. The lightning and lava explosion had not only done physical damage, it had completely scrambled his insides as well. His entire system was screaming with pain and disorientation, but he ignored it to check the anima dew membrane on his skin instead. His heart sank. The once-sparkling membrane was now much, much dimmer. It seemed much thinner than before as well. The explosion had badly worn down their anima dew membranes. Li Luo swore inwardly, then he turned to the others. Qin Zhulu, Bai Doudou, Lu Qinger, Yi Lisha, Wang Hejiu. All of them had also scrambled as far away as they could, for safety. Now they were coming back to Li Luo, making their way over as quickly as they could. They all looked grim, having checked their anima dew membranes as well. Some of theirs were in an even worse state than Li Luos. Were screwed, Yi Lisha said with a resigned smile. Im afraid the thickness of our membranes wont even carry us to Dragonbone Island. Damn! Damn!! Qin Zhulu shouted, his voice trembling from frustration. Bai Doudou ground her teeth in silence. It was incredibly frustratingtheir minds had all been on the final battle at Dragonbone Island, and they had tripped on their first step there, before they had even expected any trouble. That damned Jing Taixu. The man was a maniac. All because he thought Li Luo was a threat, he had risked it all to bring him down. And now Jing Taixu himself was paying the price as well. A short distance away, the Enlightened Sage students were huddled together as well, just as miserable. Their anima dew membranes were severely depleted as well. They would not make it to Dragonbone Island either. This sudden slip into their doom left Bai Doudou speechless. The two most likely schools to win were going to be eliminated without even reaching Dragonbone Island? Li Luo stared at Jing Taixu with a deep loathing. The killing intent was building up within him. Jing Taixu gave him an apologetic smile. Friend Li Luo, I miscalculated badly. You are an idiot, Li Luo said witheringly. Perhaps. Jing Taixu agreed with a shrug. But maybe not all is lost. Your anima dew membrane is as badly depleted as ours. You wont make it to Dragonbone Island either, Bai Doudou said with a barking laugh. Maybe I wont make it, maybe I will. Qin Zhulu and the others frowned. What else did this guy have up his sleeve? The anima dew membrane will hold out for a while more. With enough speed, I should be able to make it out. After all, speed is what Im good at, Jing Taixu said with a soft laugh. Sorry, he said to Li Luo. The situations bad, but not all hope is lost for me. I wanted to have a good fight with you in the end, to see if my instincts were right but thats not possible now. He turned to his teammates. Lu Chen, Ill head off first. Even the second-in-command of their school knew that there was no other choice. We dont have your speed, Lu Chen said resignedly. We wont make it to Dragonbone Island. Youll be on your own, but I hope you bring home the title. Dont worry, Jing Taixu told him with a small nod of reassurance. And Ill make sure to settle the score with Lu Ming as well. He wasted no more time, sprouting a pair of green wings filled with wind resonant energy. He was gone a moment later. Gone like the wind. The Astral Sage students watched with a sick feeling in their stomachs. With that sort of speed, it was indeed possible that he might make it to Dragonbone Island before the anima dew membrane evaporated completely. Damn it all! Bai Doudou screamed in frustration. Jing Taixu had dragged them all into the mud and then escaped by himself, leaving them doomed for a slow, unsatisfying elimination. Li Luo watched Jing Taixu go with a blank look on his face. Li Luo, you should go too. Our anima dew membranes are too thin, but yours is a little better. If you hurry, you might make it, Bai Doudou said dully. Qin Zhulu and Yi Lisha nodded as well. Better one lives than none. Its no use, Wang Hejiu said with little hope. Theres no way Li Luo can match Jing Taixus speed. There was no comeback to this. Jing Taixu was a quasi ninth-grade wind resonance user at the Third Changing. We cant just give up like this! Bai Doudou snarled. Li Luo waved his hand tiredly to cease the quarrel. Wang Hejius words were depressing but true. There was no way to match Jing Taixus speed, normally. But if he had no other choice, he wasnt completely out of options His hand drifted towards the red bracelet on his other hand. With the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf, his speed and resonant power would probably get him there in time. But What a waste of energy. It was his ultimate ace. He didnt even want to use it in the Hall-level competition. But in these circumstances, it seemed like he had no other choice. Otherwise, he could not guarantee that he would reach Dragonbone Island. Whew. Li Luo made his decision. He began to recite the Heavenly Libation Chant that would release the wolfs power. Maybe theres a way, a voice called from beside him. Everyone turned around in surprise, even Li Luo. It was Lu Qinger. She hesitated for a moment. Li Luo, do you trust me? He smiled at her. Of course, he said simply. She smiled back gratefully. I have a resonance art that can sheath you in ice armor. It can slow the burn of the anima dew membrane for you. Everyone stared at her in surprise. Qinger you must be joking, Bai Doudou spluttered. You should know how strong the fire here in the Dragons Belly is. How can our little bit of resonant power possibly make a difference? Lu Qinger was the weakest out of all of them. Although her ice resonance was a lower eighth-grade, the rest of them were on the same level! Cant hurt to try, Li Luo said with a curious smile. Resonance grade was one thing, but after working with her in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, he had developed a healthy respect for the riches and powers that backed her. It made sense to him that she would have options the rest of them did not. Give me your hand, she said. Li Luo did so. Removing her ice silk gloves, she hesitated for only a moment before taking hold of his hand with barely a blush. Immediately, a trickle of cool energy seeped into Li Luos hands. In the sweltering heat, he was seized with a sudden thought that it would feel so good to hug a cool thing such as the owner of these hands. Lu Qinger was still a little uncomfortable at having her hand touched, but she pressed on. She bit her own finger, letting blood flow freely from the tip, then pressed it into Li Luos palm with a curious chant. The chant turned her blood into an icy-blue color. Lu Qingers eyes closed, and she spoke a few words. Bloodline resonance art, Eternal Night Ice Armor. Chapter 495: Resonance of the Plaque Chapter 495: Resonance of the Plaque When Lu Qinger spoke with her soft voice, the icy-blue blood coalesced into a seal that radiated with splendorous light. One could see thin lines of clear, blue light emanate from the source on Li Luos palm. The light strands very quickly enveloped his body, gradually taking shape as a complete suit of plate mail. Emblazoned all over the suit of armor was an intricate, dark-red engraving that emanated an absolute frost. The very presence of this rime had a suppressive effect on the berserk heat all around them, pushing it down a notch with a countering force. Yet this was a temporary relief that was short lived when the inferno blazed up again, coalescing and renewing the unfathomable heat. Li Luos icy platemail then began to show hints of melting. However, all this was unimportant. What impressed everyone was that despite the blue-colored platemail melting, it covered the anima dew membrane and greatly reduced the speed of its evaporation. The sight flabbergasted the group. How did this make sense? Had it really worked? What in tarnation was that resonance art, Lu Qinger? It was so immensely mighty that it could erode even the flames of the Dragons Belly. How?! Amidst the looks of shock, Lu Qingers complexion had paled significantly, and she wobbled, weakness taking hold of her now frail body. Luckily, Bai Doudou supported her in the nick of time. Li Luo, this is my final gift to you. The suit of Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail will allow you to temper the rate at which the anima dew membrane dissipates, giving you that much more time and space to struggle. Whether you will be able to reach Dragonbone Island is up to you now, Lu Qinger weakly explained. Li Luo cautiously examined the miraculous armor that surrounded him. This was truly an unexpected solution to the dilemma at hand. He could clearly feel that the Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail was no ordinary resonance art. Despite being taken aback, he quickly recomposed himself and gave an exuberant smile towards Lu Qinger. Your methods are truly unfathomable and timely. This was the best case scenario as he no longer had to pull out his trump card, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. Truly an unpredicted windfall. Looking at the elated Li Luo brought Lu Qinger a great sense of joy. This unique resonance art was something she had practiced long and arduously to master. In fact, Yu Hongxi was extremely dissatisfied that she had picked such a resonance art to train in. Lu Qinger currently only had the capability to master one bloodline resonance art, and instead of picking one that could serve as a lethal blade in times of trouble, she had picked this turtle shell. Ultimately, Lu Qingers wishes took precedence and Yu Hongxi could only sigh in helplessness. It was doubly fortunate that this resonance art was able to achieve the goal she had wanted. Self-satisfaction bloomed within her, knowing that she had managed to assist Li Luo. Unfortunately, with my current resonant power, conjuring just one suit of armor is my absolute limit. I cant help anyone else, Lu Qinger apologetically explained to the rest. Qin Zhulu shook his head. With such dire circumstances, being able to send Li Luo on his way is the best-case scenario. Hurry and move your butt, Li Luo. Dont waste any more time, Bai Doudou chided. The Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail was not a complete panacea to the problem, just a temporary band-aid. The clock was still ticking and its end would come eventually, so the quicker Li Luo took advantage of it, the better. Otherwise, if this was all for naught, that would truly be regretful. Wang Hejiu was also feeling dour. He had struggled to obtain anima dew and finally grasped the opportunity to struggle amidst the titans on Dragonbone Island and now he was struggling against inevitable elimination, only able to watch Li Luo take those last, glorious steps Do your best, Li Luo. I hope you can beat that son of a gun Jing Taixu and express our joy at meeting him in the most barbaric way possible, Yi Lisha joked. Knowing that time was of the essence and seeing everyones expectant gazes, he heaved a deep sigh and nodded. I will. Just as his weighty words descended upon the group, resonant power burst out from his body and he flashed forward with blazing speed. When his feet made contact with the sea of flames, water resonant power rippled forth in response. Gathering force like a coiled spring, he then violently launched himself outwards. A single leap covered over a hundred meters. Although he was not as fast as the sky-soaring Jing Taixu, the speed at which he moved through the sea of flames was nothing to scoff at. Briefly turning around, he could see from the corner of his eye that in a small area far, far away, his compatriots were gradually being smothered by the flames, eventually turning into streams of light that were the sign of elimination. The sight caused him to pause in his steps for a few seconds before he turned and proceeded with renewed vigor. His expression remained impassive, but a hint of malice could be seen within his eyes. Jing Taixu. No. Lu Ming as well. Although Jing Taixu was the main antagonist, Lu Ming had clearly given a significant helping hand. Regardless of her objective, she had played a part. They would reap what they sowed. Otherwise, how could he face his disqualified companions? Li Luo proceeded to rush forward, and the Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail began to slowly melt. Luckily, so long as the armor held up, the anima dew membrane would only dissipate at the lowest possible rate! Judging by the rate at which it melts, I should probably have another eight hours of time left. After which, the anima dew membrane would begin to wear down. When that occurred, it would be impossible to arrive at Dragonbone Island, as the vicious flames of the Dragons Belly would force him out of the competition. I hope I can make it, Li Luo murmured to himself as he redoubled his efforts to speed ahead. He had even bumped into competitors from other sage colleges on the way. Upon seeing his anxious state of mind, they were slightly taken aback. Yet upon closer inspection, they could sense his frail anima dew membrane, which brought joy to those who reveled in seeing others suffering. Who knew how the dratted Li Luo had squandered his anima dew membrane. It was no surprise hed be nervous in this situation. If he failed to reach Dragonbone Island, cheering would be his only game. Thus, the other competitors were full of smiles. Li Luo was considered a potential champion, and being eliminated before the main competition would mean one less tiger on the mountain. Of course, none of this fazed Li Luo. His only play was to make his way. Time passed, and only two hours remained for him. The Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail had shrunk to its thinnest state at this point. Li Luos gaze was unyielding and focused. This was expected, and there was nothing to freak out about. Instead, he channeled more resonant power from his dual palaces, further bolstering his speed. I should be able to make it! Li Luo! Dont give up on yourself! His heart palpitated with emotion as he steeled himself. He didnt want to be kicked out on the cusp of success! Boom! As he continued to push forward relentlessly, a sudden gout of flame burst out from beneath his foot. Dodging reflexively, he managed to avoid the sudden danger. However, a stream of dragons bloodfire seemingly followed him, rushing at him as though attracted by something on his wrist. This sight unnerved Li Luo as that was his pocket sphere! He could not afford to have this treasure damaged, as all of his treasures would inevitably fall out! Despite his best efforts, he was unable to react in time and could only blankly watch that stream of dragons bloodfire collide directly with his prized pocket sphere. Mentally preparing himself to watch the total destruction of his pocket sphere, the sight that unfolded surprised him as well. The pocket sphere was undamaged, and the stream of dragons bloodfire seemed to have vanished completely. Li Luo continued to push forward undeterred, but his expression was one full of confusion. He could feel that something was going on within the pocket sphere. Just what could have absorbed that trace of dragons bloodfire? Li Luo paused for a moment before reaching within, and an object fell into his hands. It was that black plaque engraved with the word Li, which was emanating a mysterious glow. Chapter 0496: Dragon’s Bloodpearl Chapter 496: Dragons Bloodpearl What in the world just happened? Li Luo wondered to himself, staring down in surprise at the cool, black plaque in his hand. It had been left to him by his parents. It had something to do with the bloodline of Heavenly King Li. And now the black plaque had absorbed a dragons bloodfire for him? Li Luo inspected the plaque closely, but nothing seemed to have changed No, wait. There was something on the bottom of the Li character. There was a faint imprint of a dragon there. It was a vague, barely visible imprint, but Li Luo could sense a special and ancient power emanating from it. It was, for all intents and purposes, a shallow, vague imprint of a dragon, and there was no explicable reason why he should feel such tremendous power coming from it. And at the head of the dragon, roughly at the mouths position, there was a faint, red dot. It was so small that Li Luo would not have noticed it if not for his super-thorough inspection. Still, he was sure that there had been no such red dot at the dragons mouth back when he had first received the plaque. So It had just appeared? A jolt of realization hit him. Could it be that the dragons bloodfire had been absorbed into the plaque? What was going on? Li Luo was sweating like crazy from the confusion. He didnt like it when he didnt understand what was going on. Even if it seemed to be a good thing for him. While he was still reeling from his serendipitous encounter, another barrage of dragons bloodfire came at him from all sides. Rudely shaken out of his reverie, Li Luo scrambled to protect his anima dew membrane from instant evaporation. But his alarm was not necessary, and it was soon replaced with pure astonishment. He realized that the dragons bloodfire was flying like birds heading home to nest straight towards the black plaque in his hand. Li Luo froze on the spot, too dumbfounded to move. More and more jets of dragons bloodfire streamed into the black plaque like some sort of magical vacuum, and the dull, red dot was now growing clearer by the second. It looked like an orb of ruby in the dragons maw. Li Luos eyes sparkled with deep interest. Was dragons bloodfire food for the dragon imprint on his black plaque? And what uses did the red dot have? He pondered this for a moment. Should he head to Dragonbone Island as quickly as possible, or let the dragon imprint continue to absorb its fill of dragons bloodfire? His gut told him that a little patience would pay off. The red dot smelled like power and goodness in his future. Li Luo made his decision very quickly. The island could come later. First, the dragons bloodfire stockpiling. Dragonbone Island had to be in chaos right now. The elite schools had all arrived, and intense eliminations were probably going on at this very moment. Li Luo was more than happy to give it a miss. Less work, more rewardshe would sign up for this every time. If he could skip past the first grueling phase of elimination on the island, and also stockpile dragons bloodfire, he might be able to emerge on top of the world. Of course, there was an important disclaimer to all this that the Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail would hold out. How strong was Lu Qingers technique? It was a difficult question to answer. The platemail was unique, but it was limited by Lu Qingers resonant power. Neither was it completely impervious to the extremely destructive heat of the Dragons Belly. Li Luo had been very worried about it up until now. His worries were gone. Because the depletion rate of the Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail had slowed. This was no misperception on Li Luos parthe had paid close attention to it. By right, being swarmed by dragons bloodfire should have melted the Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail significantly, not slowed down its depletion rate. Is it because of the absorption? Li Luo mused. In any case, this was good news for him. If the Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail could hold out, his plan was good to go. Qingers really did me a solid on this one, Li Luo thought to himself cheerfully. Without her protection, his anima dew membrane would have torn long ago, even with the black plaque to absorb dragons bloodfire away from him. He would have had to give up on this competition. But just to be safe, I should drift a little closer to Dragonbone Island, so I can immediately head up the moment Im done here. Li Luo set off again, but at a much more moderate pace this time. Along the way, he sucked more jets of dragons bloodfire into the black plaque like some sort of magnet for fire, making the red dot glow even more brightly than ever. The silhouette of Dragonbone Island could be made out in the distance now, but the black plaque seemed limitless. Li Luo frowned. His Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail was wearing very thin now. Once it broke, there would probably only be ten minutes left on his anima dew membrane. Five more minutes! he thought. If he could not finish filling his plaque in five minutes, he would head off regardless. There was no point in filling the bucket to the brim if he was going to spill it. 300 seconds passed in the blink of an eye. The black plaque was far from satisfied. Li Luo sighed to himself, but he didnt hesitate to make his way towards Dragonbone Island. The Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail melted fully, and now his anima dew membrane started to tank the brunt of the heat again. It was uncomfortably thin now, and he felt the prickling heat on his skin. He curbed the rising panic within him and pressed on. A few minutes later, the red water under his feet grew shallower and he rose up into the air, landing safely on the ground of Dragonbone Island. He was here. Li Luo sighed at the plaque in his hand. You disappoint me, he told it petulantly. Hed wasted so much time on it. Just as he was about to stow it away, the plaque suddenly started vibrating. The red dot was glowing brightly now, and a ball of fire seemed to be emerging from it, hovering above the plaque like a mini sun. Its done? Li Luo exclaimed. But then again, what was done? What was this bunch of dragon spit supposed to do, even though it was very pretty? As though hearing his question, the ball of fire resonated with the Li character on the plaque. Again, he felt the ancient power present around him. And then, to his surprise, a scarlet-pearl object materialized out of the black plaque, with fiery marks deep within its crystalline, garnet depths. The red light faded away from the mouth of the dragon imprint. This is the result of all the dragons bloodfire it absorbed? It seemed magical enough, but what was this thing supposed to do? Li Luo hesitated, then he gripped the garnet sphere tightly in his hand. A dragons roar filled his ears. His eyes widened. He understood. He knew what it was for Wasnt it a primary material for his third acquired resonance? A dragon resonance? Chapter 0497: Red Carpet to the Core Arena Chapter 0497: Red Carpet to the Core Arena Dragon tribe... an extremely strong and mysterious tribe. They were part of the apex layer of the food chain among spirit beasts. Of course, a dragon resonance was considered a beast resonance. It was said that those who possessed dragon resonances had a special ability called dragonfear, which weakened the effects of other beast resonance users significantly. Of course, the effect was slightly weaker against pure elemental resonance users. Still, this unique ability proved that dragon resonances were, at some fundamental level, superior to the other common beast resonances. Back when Li Luo had been considering his third acquired resonance, he had of course thought about this unique and mighty beast resonance, but he was well aware that he would have to procure something with dragon essence. Objects with dragon essence were extremely hard to come by. Li Luo had scoured all the treasures of the Golden Dragon Bank and found none. With that, he had given up on the notionno point dying on this hill. But he had found one here in the Hall-level competition. A dragon essence object. The dragonpearl he was now holding in his hand. He could clearly feel the heat of the dragon fire within, and he had no doubt that it was worth trying to use it to temper an acquired dragon resonance. If he succeeded, it could well be his third primary resonance. Then again, dragon resonances were further split into many different types, each of different strengths. And there might be no way to find out before he refined it. His fingers tightened around the pearl, savoring the feel of latent energy at his disposal and the potential of what he could achieve with it. He looked down at the black plaque in his hand. Materials with dragon essence were rare, and they had strict and complicated conditions and creation processes. It wasn''t as simple as gathering some dragon''s bloodfire. Which made the black plaque all the more enigmatic and powerful. "Heavenly King Li''s bloodline... What in the world is it, actually? He had no answers, so Li Luo gave up on the thought. He carefully stowed the garnet dragonpearl and black plaque. It was really a piece of unexpected luck. A dragon essence object was immeasurably valuable, especially to an acquired resonance user like himself. Perhaps it alone was enough to justify his participation in the Holy Grail Meet. Li Luo looked up from his possession management and finally took a good look at Dragonbone Island, considering his next move. The island itself was red ocher in color, with large, reddish-brown trees that stretched up to the skies. These trees were completely bare of leaves, and their red, skeletal branches were menacingly raised across the skyline. Beyond them was a jagged mountain range that promised a harsh and chilly terrain at the top. "So this is the stage for the final battle, huh..." Li Luo found the island especially quiet, but he was not too bothered by it. After all, he had been in the Dragon''s Belly for a long time. A round of eliminations had probably passed him by already. Silence just meant that people were resting up. By Li Luo''s estimation, less than 10 percent of the students who reached the island remained. That was good. It saved him time. "I must be the guy who had the easiest journey here." Li Luo chuckled to himself. Thanks to Lu Qing''er''s Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail and the black plaque absorbing most of the dragon''s bloodfire for him, his journey through the Dragon''s Belly had been as good as a leisurely stroll. The others would have been yelping their way over hot coals just to make it here. Even someone as strong as Jing Taixu had no choice but to flee once his anima dew membrane weakened, not daring to linger. After a moment''s rest to compose himself, Li Luo set off for the middle of Dragonbone Island. He moved briskly but without hurry, giving himself time to take in the surroundings and note signs of battle. Each time he came across a battlefield, he tried to get a rough gauge of the numbers remaining and strength of the fighters before moving on. As he neared the middle, Li Luo spotted a few heavily injured students. They were on the verge of being eliminated, but they had not yet broken their anima gourds, choosing instead to linger on this island for a while longer. When Li Luo appeared in front of them, they acted as though he were a ghost. They did not understand why he would appear at this time and place. Had he been hiding? But Dragonbone Island was not large. With so many people crowding it, there wasn''t much room to hide. But the sauntering Li Luo did not seem like he had been in many fights. He looked fresh as a spring flower, as if he''d just gotten out of bed or something. Li Luo smiled affably at them, then he asked a few simple questions. Had they seen Jing Taixu? Where was Lu Ming? But they merely rolled their eyes at him. Some even chose to break their anima gourds on the spot and leave. They had fought tooth and nail for a chance here, and their efforts had been frustrated. Seeing Li Luo strolling through the battlefield like a visitor was doubly frustrating. Li Luo did not mind. He continued on deeper into Dragonbone Island. Approximately two hours later. Li Luo was nearing the core arena now. He had to be the only one on Dragonbone Island to have reached so deep and showed up to the finals without having fought a single battle yet. The core arena was an extremely tall and steep mountain that reached all the way into the clouds. There were two paths that wound up its conical face. At the top was the Dragonbone Throne. If anybody could sit on it without facing resistance, the strongest student title of the Hall-level competition would belong to them. Surely Jing Taixu was hauling ass there so he could plant said ass on the throne. Although the Enlightened Sage College had been similarly decimated in the Dragon''s Belly, Jing Taixu alone was probably strong enough to reach the core arena, Li Luo believed. Which route would he have chosen? Li Luo looked at the two routes and scratched his head. Then he fished out a piece of skygold. He flipped it in the air, then he smothered the gleam of the golden coin between his palm and the back of his hand. He decided to take the left path. He liked this path. It was a good path. And a little ways up the path, he could hear the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. Chapter 0498: Lu Ming, Again Chapter 0498: Lu Ming, Again Li Luo strolled up the mountain path. Dull sunlight filtered down through the bare branches above his head, striping the mossy path ahead with yellow and gray. His footsteps were quietened by the carpet of moss, in an already quiet environment. It was almost peaceful, if not for the signs of battle that littered the way. One could only imagine how intense the fighting must have been over the last few days. Meanwhile, Li Luo strolled up the mountain like a hitchhiker. Only at the halfway mark did he start to see scorch marks reminiscent of a lightning resonance user. Three people lay inert on the floor. Their entire bodies were badly burned, flesh grotesquely split as they groaned miserably. Li Luo paused and looked down at them. "Li-Li Luo?" one person stuttered in amazement. Li Luo gave a small laugh when he recognized the person. It was Zhao Xingying, who he had fought when he found his first medium anima cumulonimbus. They had actually made it all the way here. More credit to them. "Looks like you''re out of this one," Li Luo said with a sympathetic smile. "I don''t know when you got here," Zhao Xingying said sourly, "but do you really imagine things are going to go well for you?" Li Luo looked up at the forest ahead. "Lu Ming?" Seeing these three badly done in by lightning resonance, he could not imagine there were many suspects around besides the Illusory Thunderbolt. Zhao Xingying nodded, then he grimaced at the pain of the simple action. "Jing Taixu didn''t choose this path?" Li Luo asked. "Jing Taixu and Sun Dasheng met on the other path, I heard." "Hmm, hmm." Li Luo stroked his chin. The unstoppable versus the immovable. Who knew whether Sun Dasheng''s Duke Art was stronger than Jing Taixu''s quasi ninth-grade resonance? Still, he was going to be putting up quite the show on his side as well. Dual resonance user versus dual resonance user. At least they would be fighting in the same aspect. Satisfied with the information, Li Luo turned away from Zhao Xingying and moved in deeper. Back in the Dragon''s Belly, Lu Ming had been an accomplice in taking him down. Even though Jing Taixu was the mastermind, he was not going to let her slide so easily. Lu Ming''s parting shot had almost sunk them all. If not for the Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail, he might not have even made it this far. His luck had held in the end, but when he thought about all those days spent hunting down anima dew coming to naught, his teeth started to ache. He knew the cure: pass the ache on to Lu Ming, preferably through a punch to the mouth or something. It looked like his minor fears that they would not meet were unfounded. Li Luo did not walk far into the forest ahead before he slowed down and looked around him. A girl was perched high up on a tree, looking down haughtily at him with beautiful eyes. Lu Ming. "Li Luo... I didn''t expect you to make it out of Dragon''s Belly," Lu Ming said, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. "Many thanks for your contributions to my safe journey," Li Luo replied dryly. "Oh, yes, my eliminated friends told me to beat you up as revenge." "I''m afraid they''re going to be disappointed, then," Lu Ming said indifferently. Cool and arrogant. Li Luo unsheathed his Onyx-Elephant Blade slowly, charging it with resonant power until it began to hum. The blade moved like a stick through water, leaving behind ripples in the air. Lu Ming sighed inwardly. Her trap in the Dragon''s Belly had been executed to near-perfection. Ideally, both the Enlightened Sage College and the Astral Sage College would be completely wiped out, while she would have a strong team at Dragonbone Island. She should have had all the advantages. Unfortunately, Lady Luck had disagreed with her plans. Not long after reaching Dragonbone Island, she had met with Sun Dasheng''s group, and a cutthroat battle had ensued. Both sides had been left bleeding badly and retreated. Her group had limped their way over to the core arena, being attacked by other groups along the way and worn down further. Now she was alone. But still, her goal had been more or less achieved. Sun Dasheng going up against Jing Taixu? One of them was going to be eliminated for sure, and the other would be weakened for her to finish off. There was no other major competitor... Or so she thought before Li Luo had shown up fashionably late. Which meant that her trap in the Dragon''s Belly had caught neither of the big fishes that she had been aiming for. She adjusted her state of mind quickly enough, sorting through facts and reassessing the situation. Things could still turn out well for her. Of the three main competitors, she would choose to fight Li Luo if she could. He was a dual resonance user too, but a Second Changing one with resonance grades below hers. She should have an advantage in every aspect. There was no reason she would lose this fight. In other words, she could treat Li Luo as a warmup. Besides, she was curious to see how another dual resonance user would measure up to her. Perhaps he would make for an amusing exchange. Reaching behind her, she took out a golden hairpin with a trickle of lightning jumping up and down its length. She activated the little spark of energy, and it grew in length to become a thin, golden sword. It was even thinner than a rapier; it really just looked like an elongated golden needle. Freed from the pin''s tension, her long hair fell down loosely, dancing in the breeze. Lu Ming leaped down, graceful as a fox. Her resonant power crackled forth, a sparkling, silver lightning that crackled and popped wildly against her skin. It made her look like a mythical goddess. It was time to face the famous Illusory Thunderbolt. Lu Ming showed no mercy. She brought her full power to bear, pouring more and more silver electricity onto her hairpin sword until it glowed like a lightning rod. Dual resonances, Becoming One. From the get-go. A sense of impending doom filled the clearing. "Come, show me your Becoming One Stage." Lu Ming pointed her sword imperiously at Li Luo. "I have no time to waste with banal preliminaries." Li Luo brought forth his own dual resonances without a word, and the signature halo of dual resonances was around his wrist. He lifted his head and smiled, looking behind Lu Ming. "Jing Taixu. Now!" Lu Ming spun around in fear, her crackling sword sweeping up in defense. There was nothing behind her, not even a sliver of a shadow of her feared rival. Weng! The deadly sound of a crashing wave smashed down towards her from behind. She felt a tinge of anger. Li Luo was handsome like a playboy, and apparently he treated women with as little respect as one too. He even dared to lie to a girl? The Onyx-Elephant Blade swept down onto Lu Ming''s neck mercilessly. Chapter 0499: Dual Resonance Users Fight Chapter 0499: Dual Resonance Users Fight Weng! The sword sliced across Lu Ming''s slender neck, and then Li Luo''s face changed. The blade passed through without any resistance. "An illusion?!" Li Luo felt a cold pang of fear as the Lu Ming before him faded away. Wily woman. Boom! A loud report of thunder exploded behind him, and lightning arced over his scalp from the hairpin-sword. Li Luo barely ducked in time, and he could smell the acridity of singed hair from the top of his head. Lightning resonances had speedy attacks indeed. On Li Luo''s right side, a golden, octagonal shield had blocked the weapon''s direct stab. Ting! A clash of metal on metal. The Octagold Shield had a deep dent on it from the sword thrust, which had almost completely pierced through it. The Octagold Shield was a white-eye treasured artifact, and a defensive one at that. Li Luo had repaired it after he had gotten it from the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, and now it was already spoiled again. Lu Ming! My wallet! A troublesome woman. Illusion resonance in one hand and lightning resonance in the other. While not the strongest offensive combination, they still had more attack power than water and wood resonances. If not for his two additional secondary resonances, he would have been completely outclassed. Li Luo looked up and smiled easily at Lu Ming. "Friend Lu Ming, what a dishonest person you are. An illusion as your first appearance? How discourteous!" Lu Ming snorted. Rich, coming from a guy who just pulled off a sneak attack himself. She did not bother answering, instead choosing to attack again. Lightning lanced out from her sword, splitting into multiple forks that shot out towards Li Luo''s weak points. Li Luo eyed the rapidly approaching electrical web attack with trepidation. Lu Ming moved too quicklyher attack was barely a blur in his eyes. Ding! Li Luo raised his Onyx-Elephant Blade. He might not be able to see it coming, but he knew the end-point of the attack: his weak points. The harsh squeal of electricity against metal rang out. The ground cracked under him, scorch marks searing it in a lightning pattern. Overlaid on the electrical web was a wet, shimmering layer of a milky color. Li Luo grimly held on to his weapon. He could feel the lightning resonant power working its way through his hand, numbing him. His stance lost strength as well, as the electricity continued through his legs before reaching the ground. His feet felt wobbly after the attack, as though he were standing on soft mud. Lu Ming had the advantage in this raw clash of resonant power, which was to be expected. She was a Third Changing after all. Li Luo backed away calmly, using his dual resonances to purge the invading energies from his body. His waterlight resonant power and woodearth resonant power quickly worked to help him recover. That was his strengthresilience and endurance. A few moments later, he was completely recovered again. Shaking out his legs, Li Luo gingerly tested them. "Hmm?" Lu Ming made a small noise of surprise. She was surprised that Li Luo had already managed to completely shake off the after-effects. That was much faster than what she was used to. "Your resonant power... it''s strange," she slowly said. Both of them had dual resonances, and hers were definitely supposed to be stronger. And yet there was something about the quality of his that made her uneasy... A resilient and tough opponent that came back again and again. Lu Ming did not expect Li Luo to respond to her remark. She chose to seek out an answer herself, attacking again to see how he would respond. Li Luo leaped backwards and smacked his hands together. Splash! Roar! Muddy hands reached out from the ground to grab at Lu Ming''s legs. She was dangerous when she was fast and unhindered. Time to provide some hindrances. Lu Ming smirked, twisting her feet into a ready stance and lifting off onto the balls of her feet. "Tiger-general resonance art, Lightning Walker." She moved past the hands in a flash, already in front of Li Luo once more. Her sword glinted dangerously, poised to strike. Hair flying out behind her, flared from the static, she was like a general of lightning. Again she struck with the signature of lightning attacksa deadly combination of speed and an offensive punch. "Tiger-general resonance art, Bolt Sword!" Her thin sword boomed with an unnaturally loud sound, transforming into a fat bolt of golden lightning several meters long. It zapped out at Li Luo''s position, leaving blackened furrows in the ground behind it. Li Luo knew he had to do something. This attack was so strong that even other Third Changing opponents would not be able to deal with it. It seemed like Lu Ming had no intention of toying with him. She wanted to finish this quickly and move on to the finals. "Ah, you underestimate me," Li Luo muttered, shifting his grip on the Onyx-Elephant Blade. His resonant bubbles popped, save for the two poison ones. The surge of resonant power flooded him. This wasn''t over. Level One Divine Elephant Power. Li Luo''s arms bulged, his veins wriggling like little snakes under the surface of his skin. As the energy roared through them, the skin on his arms split apart, beads of blood popping out and forming small rivulets. Li Luo allowed a mad grin to spread on his face as he savored the power within him. He watched the rapidly approaching golden thunderbolt bearing down on him like a hungry lion, waiting for the timing. He stepped forward, blade slicing upwards in a violent swing. Homerun! Chapter 0500: Lu Mings Illusion Formation Chapter 0500: Lu Ming''s Illusion Formation Bang! Two extremely berserk resonant powers clashed in a vicious struggle, the shockwaves resonating throughout the forest. The surrounding scarlet-red trees were directly snapped into two by the resounding collateral force, with the remnant pieces splintering into shreds by the sheer force of resonant energy. Lu Ming retreated through the air, landing atop a massive tree that had survived. Her cold eyes assessed the source of this attack. Along one side of the ground also lay a deep sword scar, a chasm gashed into the earth extending all the way in front of her, ending with a large cloud of dust. The entire area was also scorched black, as though it had been bombarded by some judgment from the heavens. There was no hesitation behind that last strike of hers. She had unreservedly mobilized the full brunt of her Becoming One resonant power to summon forth Lightning Walker and was very fully cognizant of its destructive potential. Even a Third Changing would struggle to keep up. On the other hand, Li Luo had chosen to meet it with force. In a normal situation, victory would have easily been hers for the taking. Yet the situation did not seem simple. Lu Ming did not lower her guard as she continued to peer intently at the cloud of dust that had yet to settle from the clash of titans. A brief moment later, her gaze narrowed as a familiar figure strutted out of the dust. Perhaps to no surprise, Li Luo had walked out. He was gripping his blade, and his arms had grown in size and musculature. The skin on them was torn and fresh blood was oozing down his forearms, dying the blade red. However, this seemed to be the extent of his injuriesthere were no lightning or sword scars upon him! Lu Ming''s vicious attack had clearly been deflected completely! "You really are a strange one," Lu Ming murmured. The quality of Li Luo''s resonant power far surpassed anything she had expected. An average Second Changing dual resonance user could never summon up such might. "Did he practice some sort of storage resonance art?" Lu Ming asked herself. Thinking through the clues available, this sort of resonance art was rarely seen and could allow one to increase the amount of resonant power they could bring forth at a crucial moment. The disadvantage was that the amount of power one could store also had limits. At the same time, the sheer amount and quality of resonant power Li Luo could muster was of a completely different class. Meanwhile, while Lu Ming continued to ponder over the source of Li Luo''s strength, Li Luo was not simply going to wait there idly. Raising his palm, he grasped in the direction of Lu Ming''s current position. "Arboreal Bindings!" The tree beneath Lu Ming began to shudder and the branches seemed to have gained a life of their own as they twisted and rushed towards her, attempting to ensnare. In response to the multiple branches that were swarming her like wooden snakes, Lu Ming''s body flashed with a layer of lightning, gathering onto a point on her foot. Boom! Upon making contact with a single tap, the entire tree instantly charred black in an instant and the once lively branches were turned into ashes that rustled with the wind. Li Luo remained unfazed as he continued to channel his wood resonant power, rousing all of the trees surrounding Lu Ming. At the same time, water resonant power surged from within him, and he executed another resonance art. "Heavy Water Art!" With the casting of this resonance art, the numerous tendrils that lashed towards Lu Ming were now engulfed with a layer of blue water, which simultaneously served to improve their might and also their resilience. The improved bindings then smashed towards Lu Ming with renewed fury! In response, Lu Ming hopped into the air with the assistance of her lightning resonant power before firing out tens of lightning bolts, attempting to completely disintegrate the irritating wooden branches. Pssh! However, the result was not the same as the first time. Some of the bindings had managed to escape destruction, appearing before Lu Ming and attempting to bind her limbs. Li Luo''s aim was simple: to restrict Lu Ming''s movements. Her lightning resonance provided her with just too much speed, which was simply too hard for Li Luo to handle if left unchecked. "You do have some ability in combining water and wood resonant arts," Lu Ming dryly commented. Lighting resonant power crackled from beneath her heels, allowing her to float in mid air, directly avoiding the range of the tree branches that struggled to ensnare her. Immediately after, her body flickered at the limit of speed, directly appearing in front of Li Luo. The golden hairpin-sword in her hand crackled with lightning stabbing out before her. And before Li Luo''s shocked eyes, the sword moved so quickly that one could only see its afterimage. What added to the problem was that countless illusory sword shadows had appeared simultaneously, attacking every single exposed spot, stabbing at his entire body with pure malice. The thunderlight sword shadows melded reality with illusions, making this a tough cookie to dodge. It was a perfect application of Lu Ming''s lightning and illusion resonances. The counterattack was indeed as quick as lightning. Li Luo was left in a pickle. He couldn''t differentiate between what was real and what was not. If that was the case, he would break everything with force! Tightly clutching his Onyx-Elephant Blade, his dual resonances kicked into overdrive as he cleaved downwards. That single strike was full of immutable power, something so absolute that even the void was rent in its wake. A piercing explosion resounded with the clash. POOM! With the blade''s strike, the thunderlight sword silhouettes were shattered into pieces one by one before finally clashing with the true attack hidden beneath the rabble. Lightning roiled forth as the two bodies clashed violently. The next moment, the two broke off and reengaged with a fast flurry of blows. One could barely follow the explosive and wild blows that constantly rained upon each of them, inevitably matched with parries and deflects. The surrounding environment was destroyed by the remnant clashing of resonant power. Together, they were like a whirlwind of doom. Whatever unfortunate shrubbery that happened to be near them would undoubtedly be devastated. The two clashed many hundred times in the mere span of a few short minutes. This was a high intensity battle, and the two gradually began to heave heavily. Clang! In the end, the first to let up was Lu Ming. The final clash had caused her delicate body to be knocked away. A sense of grim seriousness could be seen in her eyes as she held her weapon with slightly trembling hands. Li Luo was a monster. "Does his strength come from his weapon?" Lu Ming examined the Onyx-Elephant Blade more clearly. Whenever their weapons clashed, she could feel a surging force emit from the weapon. It felt unrestrained and wild, much like a feral beast. "Li Luo, you have my respect. You are truly impressive," Lu Ming admitted. Li Luo, on the other hand, had a calm expression with all of his hairs zapped upright. Every clash had led to him being occasionally electrocuted by Lu Ming''s lightning resonance... "You have my respect as well, if that means anything..." He laughed, but he stopped immediately as a wisp of black smoke had belched from his mouth. This damned Lu Ming''s lightning resonance was truly troublesomeit was going to turn him into a human BBQ at this rate! Glancing at Li Luo''s disheveled appearance, Lu Ming gave a wry smile. "Though this ends here. I won''t lose to you." "Huh? Really?" Li Luo''s eyes squinted at this point. The usually cold and haughty Lu Ming was now giving a large smile that would unsettle anyone who knew her. Danger. That was the only thing Li Luo''s senses were telling him. However, he did not move when Lu Ming took a step back. What was most surprising was that she had completely vanished upon taking that step! "Li Luo, congratulations. I was saving this move for Jing Taixu, but it looks like you will be the guinea pig." Lu Ming''s voice echoed from all around him. At the same time, Li Luo could see that the environment around him was transforming. The empty forest started to recede, and in its place was an endless sea of flowers spread as wide as the eye could see. Li Luo, on the other hand, was right smack in the middle. His expression changed for the worse. "A damned illusion formation?" This flower sea was definitely an illusion, and he had fallen right for it. Boom! Right at this moment, gray clouds started to quickly gather above him, gradually blanketing the entire horizon. These clouds spat lightning without reserve, accompanied by the rumbling of endless thunder. Li Luo''s expression turned grave. This was not just an illusion formationit had been bequeathed with the power of lightning as well... The combination of the illusion resonance and lightning resonance gave birth to the Illusory Thunderbolt, an illusion formation with no comparison. Lu Ming had finally shown her cards. Chapter 0501: Three Star Hall Ambush Chapter 0501: Three Star Hall Ambush "Li Luo''s been sucked into Lu Ming''s illusion formation." When Li Luo disappeared into the field of flowers, Qin Zhulu, Bai Doudou, Lu Qing''er, and the other Astral Sage students saw him vanish. "Lu Ming''s not holding back now. This is her true specialtyillusion resonance and lightning resonance together, creating a deadly and disorienting formation," Bai Doudou said tersely. They all leaned in closer to the screen worriedly. Lu Ming''s first move back in the Dragon''s Belly had wiped the rest of them out, proving just how troublesome she was as an opponent. And her illusion formation back then had only trapped them, and it had been ridiculously hard to break. Now she would set an even more powerful one, probably one that had offensive capabilities as well. Was Li Luo going to be okay? Besides the Astral Sage students, there were other sage colleges present as well, other eliminated students that were still watching the battle. The Astral Sage students were not only focused on one screen. They were also watching the three other halls fight it out. No, strictly speaking, it was two other halls. The Three and Four Star Halls. The Two Star Hall had already been completely eliminated. Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding had been tossed out a minute ago. The Two Star Hall was in the final round now, and neither of them could withstand the heat. All of the Two Star Hall competitors were standing around with shame on their faces, shuffling their feet in embarrassment. Even though the other Violet Vibrance students were not looking at them with derision, their shame was still apparent. The other halls were still fighting, and they had been the first to lose. It was a known fact that in this year, the Two Star Hall was the weakest group in the Astral Sage College. Although, that had already been made clear in the ticket match. The One Star Hall''s Li Luo, the Three Star Hall''s Jiang Qing''e, the Four Star Hall''s duo of Gong Shenjun and the First Princess. The Two Star Hall, however... Their champions were the pale-faced Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding, who looked like pathetic, sub-par competitors. Maybe they should leave this year? They wouldn''t be able to lift their heads for the remaining two years in school. The two of them could feel their teammates staring at them with a mixture of disappointment and anger. What could they do but pretend to ignore it? They turned their eyes to the One Star Hall''s footage. Li Luo was fighting the dual resonance user, Lu Ming, right? If he lost too, maybe they wouldn''t be in such a tough situation. It was selfish and mean to think this way, but that was all that they could hope for now. A gasp came from the other side of the group. "Senior Jiang''s walked into a trap! Damn, they''re cowardlyit''s four on one!" The others rushed over in alarm to watch the Three Star Hall''s situation. Even Vice Principal Su Xin. The Three Star Hall''s competition was in the middle of the final round, held in a forest. "Attack!" Lu Jinci roared, sending a barrage of resonant power out towards the beautiful figure standing calmly beside a tree. Three other blasts of resonant power followed his, warping the air with their energy. BOOM! All four had used their strongest attacks. They knew that the person that they had surrounded was a real monster. She had swept through their ranks like an elephant through a wheat field, stomping people left and right from the starting whistle. It was overwhelmingly dominant, and Lu Jinci had no choice but to gather allies in the end. Their goal was one and the same: eliminate the strongest of them all, Jiang Qing''e. Everyone knew that as long as she remained in the competition, none of them stood a chance. They had painstakingly managed to lay down this trap, and they had waited patiently in agony. There were five people at first, but their fifth companion was currently occupied with Duze Honglian. Each of these students were the cream of the crop in their own schools. They were at least as strong as Zhao Huiyin was during the ticket match. The four of them combined was a real force to be reckoned with. Four deadly arcs of power filled the air, arching down towards the slim figure. Boom! The mountains shook, demolishing trees and rocks alike. "Did we succeed?!" Lu Jinci peered through the dust eagerly. Surely their attacks had hit, and surely not even Jiang Qing''e could withstand so much damage, right? The dust faded. And so did their smiles. Wings of light were spread, shining brightly through the gritty, gray dust, and illuminating the entire land. One gentle beat of the wings, and worldly natural energy pulsed from them. Jiang Qing''e rose into the sky, her wings beating gently. She looked down upon them with her heavy sword in hand. Those golden eyes were far more compelling than ever before. She looked like an angel of light, ready to bring judgment down upon them. The four students looked up at her in reverence and fear. They knew they were about to be royally smoked. Her voice came down to them, elegant, quiet, and deadly. "So the mice are finally coming out to play?" Chapter 0502: Li Luos Riposte Chapter 0502: Li Luo''s Riposte Whilst Jiang Qing''e descended upon her ambushers, Li Luo was fully sucked into Lu Ming''s illusion formation. In comparison to the heaven-shaking battle taking place on her end, Li Luo''s side was calm and quiet. A gorgeous sea of flowers below, ominous thunderclouds above. Li Luo''s brows were furrowed at this fantastical sight. The gray clouds were filled with maniacal amounts of lightning resonance power and might, an actual force of nature looming. Lu Ming clearly intended for the illusion formation to serve as a supporting tool, awaiting the right moment to strike. Conversely, Li Luo did not intend to sit there idly. He slashed outwards with the Onyx-Elephant Blade, creating countless sword lights that contained heaven-rending might, directing them towards the clouds. Swoosh! Perhaps to no ones surprise, the sword attacks merely passed through the ephemeral clouds to no effect. "It''s an illusion." It seemed that most of the gray clouds that were covering the sky above were illusions. They were designed to obscure and confuse. As a result, he could not locate the actual thundercloud that was the core of the lightning resonant power. "Ugh, tricky and confounding." Li Luo couldn''t help but sigh. Lu Ming had truly perfected the art of utilizing her dual resonances. Her Illusory Thunderbolt would pretty much leave everyone with their hands tied. When Li Luo paused, the thunder clouds above were not going to sit there idly. They roiled with anticipation, and thunderous booms echoed without pause. "It''s coming." An impending attack could be felt in the air as static crackled across his skin. BOOM! As the thought flitted across his mind, a section of the clouds seemed to have come alive, throwing a bolt of lightning that sought to strike Li Luo squarely. Lightning had flashed across the sky, scorching the air, and an acrid smell arose. This was no time to underestimate the opponent and Li Luo understood that. He circulated water resonant power throughout his body, forming a layer of water armor to cover him and protect him. The Heavy Water Toga. Simultaneously, Water Edge began to circulate rapidly atop the blade as his resonant power blasted out, slashing out a beam of sword energy into the sky, once again confronting the lightning directly. At the moment of impact, the sword energy effortlessly sliced through the attack. Li Luo''s gaze furrowed. Another dratted illusion. Was Lu Ming planning to drain him of his resonant power through these little tricks? Boom, boom, boom! At the same time, three more bolts of lightning struck forth, approaching him ferociously. Were these all illusions again? Li Luo was unable to tell and did not dare to shrug them off carelessly. If just one of these bolts were real, it would be a nasty experience. Lu Ming was truly demonstrating a masterful performance in illusions. Li Luo flicked his finger, and the Octagold Shield immediately deployed, protecting him from the impending attack. Boom! The three bolts struck the shield in succession. The first two did not seem to have had any effect, immediately dissipating on contact, clearly demonstrating that they were illusions. However, the third bolt was not the same. Although the Octagold Shield radiantly dispersed the resonant power, a large, black patch that was sizzling with smoke could be seen on it, finally falling by Li Luo''s feet. Li Luo quickly stowed away the exhausted Octagold Shield. Even though it was a white-eye treasured artifact, it could not continuously be used. This brief exchange had allowed him to clearly understand Lu Ming''s strategy. As long as he remained in the Illusory Thunderbolt, nothing was for certain. However, a single moment of carelessness would lead to situations of peril. At the same time, being perpetually on guard would only serve to drain himself both mentally and physically. If he took too long to resolve his predicament, his condition would worsen and Lu Ming could pick him off whenever she chose to. Li Luo stared at the gloomy clouds above him, reminiscent of his mood, in deep thought. This was not an easy situation to get out of. He would need to possess absolute strength to completely tear the illusion formation to shreds. Yet the only way he could do so was to tap upon the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s strength... using it here would mean that he would have less cards to utilize in the remaining battles. At the same time, he suddenly laughed as he realized something. "When it comes to a battle of stamina, you just might not be my equal." Lu Ming possessed illusion and lightning resonances, whereas he had water and wood resonances. In terms of offensive capabilities, the combination of water and wood would definitely be worse. However, when it came to certain things, neither lightning nor illusion resonances had the advantage there. Water resonances, like the waves, were perpetual and continuous, whilst wood resonances were full of life and endless growth. It was a battle of endurance now. Li Luo immediately sat down in a cross-legged position, circulating his wood resonant power before slamming the ground with his palm. "Yggdrasil''s Shelter." At this very moment, a tiny sapling burst out from the ground. With the infusion of wood resonant power, the sapling grew explosively, and it expanded into a massive and lush tree in the span of ten breaths, without any hints of stopping. Li Luo''s actions instilled a sense of wariness within Lu Ming. She immediately activated the illusion formation to strike that strange tree, hoping to extinguish his hopes of a turnaround. In response, Li Luo raised the Onyx-Elephant Blade above his head and spun it in a continuous circle, receiving the numerous bolts of lightning. Under constant pressure, the Onyx-Elephant Blade gradually began to run out of resonant power. Li Luo''s expression was unchanging. He channeled all of his waterlight and woodearth resonant power into the tree, stimulating its growth. The water resonant power improved the rate of growth whilst the light resonant power compounded its effects. A tree also required a strong foundation within the earth to remain unyielding and unafraid of the elements. The earth resonant power within him was the perfect nutrient to solidify and strengthen the tree itself. In just the span of a few short minutes, a tree that stretched towards the sky was born. Li Luo was sitting beneath the massive object, sheltered from the elements. If one looked from above, it would seem like a massive umbrella was protecting Li Luo, each and every leaf shining with incomparable amounts of energy. Lu Ming had now discovered Li Luo''s objective and was inevitably slightly taken aback. This guy was truly a troublemaker! She had wanted to finish things off within the illusion formation, yet this irritant kept coming up with new and strange moves. Now he had parked himself below a massive tree that he was using as shelter, seemingly to counter the bolts of lightning thrown at him. It looked as though she would need a change of plans as the branches and leaves would inevitably nullify the lightning bolts. Hadn''t this fight just turned into a contest of endurance? Lu Ming had thought of eliminating Li Luo through attrition, never expecting that the opponent was thinking exactly the same. Perhaps it wasn''t surprising. Li Luo possessed a water resonance after all, having an advantage when it came to drawn-out fights. Her gaze flickered as her expression turned icy. If this was the case, then she''d no longer bother. It was time to focus all her strength and win in the shortest amount of time possible, burning down Li Luo''s hopes and trees. Both of them were dual resonance users, but she had dual seventh-grade resonances. Her resonant power was also higher by a grade and thus there seemed to be no way that Li Luo could resist her imposing might. Straightening her thoughts, she no longer felt gloomy, and both of her hands started crackling with lightning. Boom! The sky seemed to have gone through another transformation as the thunderclouds receded. The new clouds were even darker, and one could feel that the energy within them was even more berserk, to the point that it was leaking out! When Li Luo sensed the changes above, he raised his head to look, his eyes squinting at this new development. "You don''t want to play around anymore?" he jested, unafraid of the danger.. "Let''s see if your damn thunder can crack my tree apart!" Chapter 0503: Li Luo Breaks the Stalemate Chapter 0503: Li Luo Breaks the Stalemate RUMBLE! The clouds above maneuvered and milled like armies on a battlefield, marshaling a spectacular ball of electrical energy that roiled wildly before blasting out towards the tree above Li Luo. Meanwhile, Li Luo was sitting under the tree, watching the lightning ball gather above his head. His eyes were calm, his body still. But within him, his resonant palaces were in overdrive, sending more and more energy into the tree. The tree continued to grow, its trunk thickening and lengthening, and more and more branches appearing. This tree was made from the wood resonance within Li Luo, and it was strengthened with his waterlight resonance and earth resonant power. It was not just an ordinary tree, but one that was born of four different elements. Boom! Finally, the lightning ball reached a crucial point and exploded on the tree. CRACKLE! POP! The leaves at the top were incinerated instantly. About a tenth of the entire crown was gone in a blink. But soon enough, the ethereal attack faded away, energy spent. The tree was in a miserable state, with more than half its trunk blackened. The entire thing was swaying and rocking slightly in the breeze. Lu Ming''s shoulders relaxed in satisfaction. But before she could celebrate, she saw the blackened areas of the tree heal rapidly, and a new pulse of vital energy flowed through it. The tree was whole again a moment later, standing tall with new leaves and branches in the same verdant green of before. Lu Ming''s jaw dropped. This tree was unbelievably strong. It was almost too resilient for her to believe. She had seen similar moves before, from wood resonance users that she had faced in the past. But those were much weakershe had blasted through them with a single lightning attack and rendered their regenerative powers ineffective. Li Luo''s tree was different. "Is it because he''s strengthened it with his water resonance?" she wondered. But surely water resonant power alone could not create such restorative power, right? "Let''s see how many waves you can withstand, then!" It seemed like this was going to be Li Luo''s final defense. He was going to make her work for it, and she saw no other way than to pour her blood and sweat into it. Once this tree was down, the battle would be over. She stretched out a finger again, injecting lightning resonant energy out into the clouds. More clouds gathered, layer upon layer, until the sky was all but blotted out. Boom! Several moments later, the next attack was ready, and another sizzling ball of lightning flew down. Ping, ping, ping! The tree was shaken madly in the storm. The crown was constantly sheared away and charred by lightning. It stood silently, accepting the baptism of lightning, wind, and rain. No matter what was thrown at it, the tree stood firm. Qin Zhulu, Lu Qing''er, and the others all watched, completely engrossed. They had not thought that Li Luo would choose this way to deal with Lu Qing''er. Both sides were playing to their respective strengths. Vice Principal Su Xin was full of admiration for Li Luo''s rational approach to the problem. Lu Ming''s illusion formation was there to confuse. Once you were trapped inside, you were within her control. Li Luo had not panicked, instead retreating into his own defenses within it. His passivity had nullified the disorientation of the illusion formation. However, this merely kept Li Luo safe while posing no kind of threat whatsoever to Lu Ming. As long as this situation did not change, the advantage lay with the latter. Still, it was hard to think of a better possible outcome. Lu Ming was a dual resonance user as well, and a Third Changing. It was already very good that he was keeping things level. It was not just the Astral Sage College who was watchingall the other competitors in the Holy Grail Meet were all waiting to see as well. Who would be the victor? Boom! Rumble! The lightning storm was relentless. The rest of the sea of flowers had already been burned to a crisp. The tree was the only thing standing in the entire illusion formation. Li Luo lifted his head and closed his eyes. Another pulse of vital energy, and again his tree was renewed, standing strong against the lightning attack. He could feel his resonant power draining away rapidly. Surely Lu Ming was the same. "Lu Ming," he called out with a laugh, "you didn''t expect things to turn out this way, huh?" "Li Luo," she said coolly, "I''ll admit that you''re full of surprises, but there''s no need to get cocky. You can''t break my illusion formation, and you are doomed within it. If you just surrender now, you can keep a little dignity." "A loss is a loss. No such thing as dignity in a loss," Li Luo called back. "What''s the point of this pointless struggle?" Lu Ming countered. "Hmm! Wait, you actually think YOU can win this?" Li Luo called out in an astonished tone. "You can hold out, but the advantage lies with me as long as you are within the illusion formation, since you can''t reach me. You can waste time in here, but victory will not be yours." "Oh really?" Li Luo chuckled. "I disagree." Lu Ming rolled her eyes. It had to be bravado. Li Luo watched the lightning above him carefully. If he used the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf, he could definitely break through it with sheer power, but it was not going to be his choice. He still had other moves. And they were about to succeed. "Lu Ming, I think I''m going to win soon." He laughed. "Li Luo, looks like you''ve added your own hallucinations to my illusions." Lu Ming snorted. Li Luo lifted his head again, looking towards the crown of his tree. It had been broken and regenerated countless times. To be more specific, Li Luo was staring at a black fruit at the top of his tree. The fruit had been zapped by lightning numerous times, and was releasing a black gas that was slowly spreading throughout the illusion formation. Li Luo gripped the Onyx-Elephant Blade and examined his other arm. The black poison had spread through half his arm, turning it a diseased gray. Li Luo''s sword flashed down. With a quick twist, he cut out a huge chunk of meat from his arm, deep enough to reveal bone. Gritting his teeth to resist a groan, he quickly used his resonant power to repair his cut. "Are you mad?" Li Luo''s self-mutilation shocked Lu Ming. But at this time she suddenly felt a sharp pain within her body, and her resonant power went haywire. "What? What''s going on?" She paled and checked her body to see black spots spreading across her skin. "Poison?!" Lu Ming felt a chill run down her spine. When was I poisoned?! Is this Li Luo''s doing? But how?! Chapter 0504: Lu Mings Elimination Chapter 0504: Lu Ming''s Elimination Lu Ming''s white palm was gradually becoming infested with a black poison, resulting in her massive fright. She could not comprehend what was happening. Her entire body was hidden within the illusion formation, and she had never clashed directly with Li Luo. How could this poison have entered her body? "Bastard!" She recomposed herself very quickly, and her aloof face had an ugly expression upon it. Focusing intently, she channeled her resonant power into the poison, hoping to scatter it and resolve her predicament. At the same time, the realization that this was hopeless dawned upon her. As she attempted to remove the poison, its toxicity only intensified as it reacted with her resonant power. In fact, she felt as though her entire body''s resonant power was gradually being stained by this corrupting malady. The reaction of the poison made Lu Ming break out in cold sweat. It was truly virulent! Was it able to erode even resonant power? Lu Ming could only attempt to seal off the poison to prevent it from infecting her body any further. However, as a consequence, she was unable to keep the illusion formation active, helplessly watching her painstaking creation gradually fall to pieces. The sea of flowers began to recede and so too did the clouds of thunder. The surroundings gradually morphed back into the desolate forest, and Li Luo was able to see a familiar silhouette not too far from him. "Haha. It looks like your illusion formation fell apart on its own!" Lu Ming unceremoniously replied, "Hmph. When did you manage to poison me?" With a smile, Li Luo pointed at the black fruit at the top of the half-destroyed tree. "I turned the poison into a fruit, and whenever the lightning struck it, the toxic air slowly mixed into the worldly natural energy, eventually poisoning you and the formation itself "And whenever I summoned worldly natural energy to attack you, I inevitably absorbed some of the poison..." "Bingo!" Unfortunately, Lu Ming was completely displeased to have gotten this right. In fact, she was so incensed that she was on the verge of exploding as she gritted her teeth. "Don''t you think this is too dishonorable? That you''d even fiddle with poison!" "To be fair, if you were just a little more cautious, you would have detected the poison within the worldly natural energy. Plus, I''m not actually a poison expert, and this tactic would hardly qualify as exquisite." Lu Ming was slightly taken aback at the tart reply. This was completely unexpected as she would never have expected such a move from Li Luo... much less so considering that he didn''t possess a poison resonance. "Ahem... I''d also like to point out that this poison is completely unparalleled and mighty... and I don''t have complete control of it either..." Li Luo stood up and lifted his arm, which was still bleeding. He had sliced off quite a bit of flesh, and he looked a little exasperated as he eyed the cut that he himself had inflicted. "Well, this is just another means to manage the poison, and it''s not like I''m not allowed to." What had poisoned Lu Ming was the dual poison that was stored in a resonant bubble. Using the poison from a single bubble had allowed him to create that dubious-looking black fruit. What he had failed to mention was also that this toxic tool was not really a part of his strength, and he had no easy way to control it. As a result, he also suffered from its backlash when he attempted to take advantage of it. This was why he had mercilessly taken rather extreme measures to rid himself of the residual poison. "Breaking your illusion formation was truly troublesome. I may have other methods, but this was the easiest," Li Luo explained. Lu Ming pouted upon hearing Li Luo''s humble brag. Keep showing off, you idiot! What other methods was he babbling about? Anyone who believed his words was a fool. Perhaps the only saving grace was that she did not retort like the typical antagonist, spewing comments of her invincibility before all this and ruining her reputation further... Li Luo''s poison was insidious and his methods were actually sublime. Having been focused on operating the illusion formation, she had not adequately prepared herself and thus fell into his trap. The winner was king, and she wasn''t a sore loser... Well, not outwardly at least. She stretched out her hand and coldly said, "Give me the antidote." An awkward look could now be seen on Li Luo''s face. He once again waved his bloody arm before her. "Hello! Do you see this? Do you think someone with an antidote would take such extreme measures? You haven''t been poisoned that badly yet, so let me help you detoxify your body. I think a chop or two will solve your predicament..." He raised his blade as he walked towards Lu Ming. Shocked, she stumbled backwards a couple of steps before shouting, "Stay away from me! The further the better. UGH! I don''t want your antidote anymore." What a joke. What was this, the middle ages? What if she was left with a couple of large scars after Li Luo''s "treatment?" Her beauty would be tarnished forever! She wasn''t some barbarian from the wilderness. Li Luo paused and helplessly replied, "Well, you should probably admit defeat. Find someone from your college or an adjudicator from the Holy Grail Meet and they should be able to resolve your predicament." Lu Ming was exceptionally depressed right now. Everything had been in the palm of her hand, but this damned Li Luo had pulled some stinky tree out of his hat full of tricks, and that was only the start of her problems. The tree alone would not have been enough to stop her, and she still seemed invincible at the time, at least within the context of her illusion formation as it would have just been a matter of time before she eked out a victory. However, who would have expected another trick hidden beneath the surface? The poison had thrown her plan into shambles. "Well now, don''t be salty. You gave us an underhanded blow in the Dragon''s Belly, and now I''m just returning the favor." Li Luo smiled. Lu Ming snorted loudly. "Well, you might have won with your little tricks now, but what about the final battle? I doubt Sun Dasheng will be able to stop Jing Taixu''s ascent. You will undoubtedly engage in a decisive battle against him. " "Well, that would be a good thing." Li Luo truly wanted to challenge Jing Taixu. "Seems like you''re truly the humble sort," Lu Ming coldly replied with furrowed eyebrows. "If you''re already having so much trouble with me, how can you even compete against him? You meeting him is as good as delivering the strongest One Star Hall student title on a platter. Maybe you can give up now and I''ll fight Jing Taixu on your behalf. Once all has been said and done, I can even let you have half the credit." Li Luo guffawed. "Lu Ming, you seem to be good at math at least. "Frankly speaking, my odds of beating Jing Taixu are higher than yours by quite a bit." Li Luo shook his head and seriously replied, "I disagree. I promised someone that I would deal with him. If I can''t, well... I might be subject to some domestic violence..." Lu Ming didn''t pursue this further. She knew that Li Luo would never agree and just wanted to try her luck. "Regardless, you have won. Thus, you''re the one who deserves to participate in the final battle. However, I will be watching you closely and I hope you don''t let me down. If you let Jing Taixu win effortlessly, my loss here will be the ultimate humiliation!" After she finished, she shattered her anima gourd, transforming into a beam of light that ascended into the skies, disappearing in a flash. Lu Ming. Eliminated. Li Luo stared at the space where she had last been, sighing lightly. It seemed as though he had finally entered the final stages of the competition. After taking some time to recuperate, he gradually ascended the mountain. The path was quiet and peaceful, with no obstructions, allowing him to reach the summit rather quickly. Upon reaching the peak, his steps gradually slowed to a halt. Atop the cloud-shrouded cliffside stood a familiar silhouette with his hands behind his back, overlooking Dragonbone Island. A person he would not forget. Jing Taixu. The Duke Art-wielding Sun Dasheng had been eliminated. Chapter 0505: Ill Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours Chapter 0505: I''ll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours Low clouds were hanging around the peak of the mountain in a knee-high carpet that obscured the ground they stood on. Jing Taixu turned, sensing eyes on him. "Li Luo. So you weren''t eliminated in the Dragon''s Belly after all," Jing Taixu said lightly, looking not at all surprised. "But the fact that you are here proves that my instinct was right. You are the most dangerous person to me in the hall-level competition." Li Luo eyed Jing Taixu carefully. The latter''s clothes were tornclearly the battle with Sun Dasheng had been an epic one. "Looks like the stone monkey didn''t manage to stop you," Li Luo noted. He had fought Sun Dasheng before, so he knew how strong he was. The Duke Art he practiced was a powerful trump card that Jing Taixu had clearly overcome. A rather intimidating prospect. "Don''t worry about that Duke Art." Jing Taixu smiled, seemingly reading his mind. "It''s not actually a genuine Duke Art, just a hacked version to help inflate his reputation. "Of course, even an imitation of a Duke Art is strong enough to pose a real threat, even to me. I had to pull out a few tricks of my own; otherwise, he really would have gotten the better of me." He spoke with a hint of arrogance in his voice. "And you as wellI''m amazed you could beat Lu Ming. She should have you beat, no matter how you look at it," he said guardedly. "Just a few tricks of my own." Li Luo brushed it off modestly. "There''s no trickery in a fight like that. You''re too modest." "Well, thank you for that high praise, then," Li Luo said lazily, pulling out his Onyx-Elephant Blade. "Well, I guess it''s about time to settle things between us now." "Is this because of what happened before? That''s none of my business." Jing Taixu shrugged. "The school wanted to target Jiang Qing''e, since she''s way too strong in the Three Star Hall." "It''s a stupid move to anger her," Li Luo stated. "Your Lu Jinci is going to be buried alive. If it wasn''t for the fact that you can''t kill people here, I would tell you to save yourself the trouble of digging him up and just light a couple of joss sticks right there and then." "Perhaps," Jing Taixu said indifferently. "I don''t really care either way. I''m just here to take the strongest student title for myself." "Well, you''ll have to ask my friend Blade here," Li Luo said, waggling the Onyx-Elephant Blade. Jing Taixu laughed softly. "Do you really think you can beat me, Li Luo?" He stepped forward. Boom! A terrifying wave of green wind power roared out like a tempest from a different dimension, leaving scarring furrows across the land. Li Luo grimaced. This wasn''t Third Changing power! "You''re already a Fourth Changing!" he hissed. So this was Jing Taixu''s trump card! He had another ascension stocked up! And yet somehow, there was a strange hollowness to Jing Taixus resonant power. Perhaps his breakthrough had not come entirely through his own strength. Regardless, it was a monstrous achievement to get this far while still in the One Star Hall. Although the Holy Grail Meet meant a larger supply of resources from the school, Jing Taixu''s potential and strength were indisputable. Even Jiang Qing''e had only managed to reach the Second Changing when she was in the One Star Hall, although no one had forced her to her limits back then. Then again, Jiang Qing''e''s situation was special. She had actively repressed her own cultivation level, so it was hard to tell. Jiang Qing''e''s power was truly a mystery. "I wanted to hide it a bit longer, but Sun Dasheng forced me to reveal it with his blasted moves," Jing Taixu said wistfully. If not for Sun Dasheng, this powerful trump card could have been hidden until a fortuitous moment in the fight with Li Luo. It would have been a powerful advantage. No matter. Even with it revealed, he was confident that it was enough to beat Li Luo. "You see the gap between us now, Li Luo. It''s not something that you can overcome. If what I see is all you''ve got, then this final is mine for the taking." Li Luo stood in silence for a moment. His opponent had a quasi ninth-grade wind resonance and was at the Fourth Changing. Indeed, the gap was large. Not even dual resonances was enough to close the two-tier difference. Not when his opponent was brilliant enough to fight above his own tier as well. "Well, a Fourth Changing is indeed a little tiring to fight," Li Luo sighed. "Not afraid?" Jing Taixu noted. "Looks like you still have more up your sleeve." Li Luo laughed gaily. "Well, I really didn''t hide it... In fact, I gained it. And it''s all thanks to you. "I picked up a little something back at the Dragon''s Belly." He walked forward slowly, gathering energy within him. Energy that rose and rose, until finally it shattered the invisible barrier within him. Li Luo reached the Third Changing. This was not as surprising as it sounded. He was already at the peak of the Second Changing when the Holy Grail Meet had started. The dragon''s bloodfire absorbed by the black plaque had helped him push his resonant power a notch higher. Just like with Jing Taixu, he had wanted to hold this back for a more opportune moment. He had even hidden it against Lu Ming. But now he was forced to reveal it. Jing Taixu''s newfound strength had to be met with something closer, or he would pay too heavy a price in battle. "Break in case of emergency," Li Luo said casually. "Isn''t that what they tell you to do?" Jing Taixu was taken aback, but he quickly recovered. "It changes nothing. I still have the advantage in cultivation level." Li Luo laughed again. "You think that''s the end of it?" Jing Taixu''s eyes narrowed. Li Luo produced a garnet-colored dragonpearl in his hand, weighing the heavy sphere for a moment. He put it into his mouth, and a dragon''s roar rang out within his cranium. He felt a surge of energy fill him. His resonant power grew even stronger than before. Jing Taixu was looking graver and graver by the second. Li Luo''s resonant power was on par with his now. He knew that he had been right about Li Luo. This silver-haired boy was the greatest threat to him in the competition. But Jing Taixu did not panic. He smiled, ready to accept the challenge. His green plantain fan fluttered like a flag of war. Beating an opponent like this would make his strongest student title all the more real! Chapter 0506: Ninth-grade Spirit Avatar Chapter 0506: Ninth-grade Spirit Avatar "Wow, damn, Li Luo''s crazy! Is he a Fourth Changing now as well?!" Yu Lang''s eyes were popping out of their sockets in the Astral Sage College tower. He might not be present to feel the power for himself, but the size of the power indicated that he was level with Jing Taixu''s strength. "No, you crazy hype-man," Bai Doudou said, also peering in closely. "Li Luo''s still, strictly speaking, a Third Changing. It must have something to do with that pearl he swallowed. The increase is probably temporary, but it''ll likely last for this battle." "This is going to be good. A real battle of the East Divine Continent, fitting of the best of the One Star Hall." Qin Zhulu''s laughter boomed out. Such battles were what he lived for, although he had to admit that he had been left in the dust by the likes of Li Luo and Jing Taixu. Still, he believed this was temporary. After the Holy Grail Meet, he would apply for a permit to go to the Umbra Cave. Only in those harrowing moments would a person''s true potential shine through. He needed more brutal training. "I still don''t know if Li Luo can beat Jing Taixu," Yi Lisha said doubtfully. "This is the last step though. If he beats this final boss, we''ll have the strongest One Star Hall student title." Lu Qing''er was craning eagerly to see the screen, her dewy eyes glowing. "Li Luo will definitely win." "Have you guys forgotten how strong Jing Taixu is?" Wang Hejiu asked sourly. "And have you forgotten how you asserted Li Luo would never be the strongest in the Astral Sage Colleges One Star Hall?" Lu Qing''er countered testily. Wang Hejiu flinched. "You''re just blinded. Jing Taixu is not on a level we can compare with." "Jing Taixu''s not a god. He just has a quasi ninth-grade resonance, thats all. He''s not the strongest that Li Luo will meet, and he''ll be a huge stepping stone once Li Luo beats him. "And don''t forget," Lu Qing''er added, "I saw him climb from his time with blank palaces. Jing Taixu might be strong, but has he ever risen above the hopelessness of blank palaces? If Li Luo can overcome that, he can overcome anything, even Jing Taixu." She finished assertively, her voice radiating with conviction and trust in Li Luo. Indeed, her trust in him was not unfounded. She had watched him grow from nothingthe way he was back in Southwind Academy, to the leader of their generation that he now was. He was more than those born with a silver spoon in their mouth. The others fell silent now, even the naysayers Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan. Lu Qing''er was right. Li Luo had tasted despair before, and still his spirit had not been broken. Perhaps that was what made him resilient enough to break away from the rest of them. He showed an easy smile and a lackadaisical attitude to both friends and enemies, but he reserved an unyielding, unforgiving drive for himself. ... Li Luo was reveling in his newfound power, thrumming fiery energy that pounded away inside him. He had ascended to the Third Changing. The dragonpearl''s boost was something that Li Luo had derived as possible after careful inspection. However, it was a temporary borrowing of energy, and it would fade when he removed the dragonpearl. In any case, he was now able to take on the Fourth Changing Jing Taixu. Now they were at the same starting line. It was a fitting start to the finals. Weng. Li Luo gave the Onyx-Elephant Blade a test slash. It sang out gloriously, always craving for more power in its wielder. Li Luo obliged. His halo of Becoming One dual resonance power materialized. Li Luo had no intention of testing the waters against such a strong enemy. Whoosh. Sparkling water moved across his blade in a flowing dance, turning the blade smooth as a mirror. The glistening coat of water on metal was beautiful to behold. Li Luo''s Water Edge Art had been honed to a ridiculous level by now. Its cutting and penetration power were substantial indeed. Li Luo turned to face his opponent. Boom! He slashed out with his blinding, glittering sword, killing intent roaring to life as he aimed for Jing Taixu''s head. His foot left a deep impression on the ground as he violently propelled himself forward. Jing Taixu watched with a small smile of disdain. He stood his ground, hand wrapped around his green plantain fan, dotted with the pale-golden eye that marked it as a gold-eye treasured artifact. In truth, this thing had Li Luo scratching his head. Wasn''t this guy supposed to be the Spear of Enlightened Sage? What the hell was he doing with a leaf? Was he now the Pear of Enlightened Sage or something? "I''ve seen your dual resonance powers before, Li Luo. It''s time for you to see my ninth-grade-level power." Jing Taixu closed his wind resonant power around him until it swirled in a protective cyclone. A faint phantom appeared as Jing Taixu''s shadow, shimmering green with pure wind resonant power. Li Luo had never seen wind resonant power this pure before. And the phantom behind Jing Taixu made his wind resonant energy even stronger than before. "That''s... the special ability of ninth-grade resonance users! Wind spirit avatar!" Li Luo thought to himself. Being at the pinnacle of resonance quality, ninth-grade cultivators were privy to a new type of power that enabled them to handle worldly natural energy with ease. With the wind spirit avatar augmenting his powers, Jing Taixu''s strength reached a new height. That was why these were also known as ninth-grade spirit avatars, the sole domain of those at that privileged leveljust like the dual resonance users. Li Luo was not unfamiliar with such a phenomenon. The swan he had grown up with had a light resonance spirit avatar, and hers was far brighter than this one. Still, Li Luo had thought only a true ninth-grade resonance user could produce a ninth-grade spirit avatar. But this guy had done it with a quasi? Things were getting interesting now. A face-off between dual resonant powers and ninth-grade spirit avatar power. Chapter 0507: Clash of Styles Chapter 0507: Clash of Styles When the legendary wind spirit avatar appeared behind Jing Taixu, there was a sudden increase in the speed of worldly natural energy that gathered towards him, as if he had turned into a vacuum with a stronger setting. His green plantain fan swept out at Li Luo. Splash! Roar! This fan attack raised dust and pebbles along into its wind blast, sweeping up debris that further augmented its offense. Weng! Li Luo cut through the wind with a slice from his sword, parrying the debris with deft bladework. The two clashed with blasts of resonant power that shook the mountains. They fought on grimly, matching each other blow for blow. Jing Taixu had a half smile on his face as he swept his fan out again. "Windfinch." Chirp, chirp. Small green blurs shot out at Li Luothey were little birds made out of pure wind resonant power. Their beaks were especially sharp, even though the points were minuscule. Their sheer number blotted out the sky, and the chirping reached a frightful volume. They gathered in the sky like a gigantic, green cloud. And then they rained down on Li Luo. The Astral Sage champion''s eyes were locked onto the opponent in front of him, and he planted his feet. Resonant power flooded into him from beneath. "Water Wall!" A solid barrier of clear water rose up, then another. And then another. Each layer rose beautifully into the air, a sturdy impediment against the incoming attack. But this alone could not block Jing Taixu''s attack completely, not when it was enhanced by his wind spirit avatar in both speed and power. Still, Li Luo had his own advantages. Namely, the interactions he could call upon between resonances. Earth resonant power was also at his behest. "Crumbling Sands!" The crystal-clear water barriers clouded over immediately. If one looked closely, one would see that the water barriers were reinforced by sediment within them. They not only fortified the defenses of the water walls, but also bit back at any who sought to tear them down. Cheep, cheep, cheep! The cloud of windfinches came at the walls, and they exploded into little puffs of green smoke. "Eh?" Jing Taixu''s eyes widened. Was Li Luo''s water resonance art really combined with a wood resonance art? Why did it look like an earth resonance art instead? Li Luo did not give him much time to consider. He jumped at Jing Taixu with his blade raised as if for an all-out attack. Jing Taixu reversed the direction of his wind energy to power his retreat. "Arboreal Bindings!" Li Luo was ready. His vines sprang out of the ground to tie Jing Taixu down. Having a quasi ninth-grade wind resonance meant that Jing Taixu was even faster than Lu Ming''s lightning resonance. If he could not even compete with the latter in speed, how could he hope to best the former? Best to limit his greatest advantage. Jing Taixu was equally aware of what Li Luo was trying to do. He barely paid the vines any attention, shrugging out a pair of pale, green wings. The translucent wings looked frail, but each individual feather was as sharp as crystal. They broke apart and flashed out as a flurry of knives, shredding the vines to bits. His retreat no longer impeded, he backed away to a safe distance and readjusted to an offensive stance. Jing Taixu did not seek other advantages even though Li Luo was targeting his main one. He made a seal with one hand. Wind resonant power roared forth again, billowing out his clothes as the power was concentrated within him. This time, the green energy manifested as a spear that he hurled at Li Luo. Li Luo immediately activated Level One Divine Elephant Power, the skin on his hand tearing apart as he blocked the attack with utter concentration. Swish, crack! The two slashes from his sword split the spear cleanly in half, and it fizzled away into thin air. Jing Taixu had retreated away already. The electrifying battle was being watched by many more spectators outside. Over at the Heavenly Inferno Sage College''s tower, Lu Ming watched with a small frown of concentration, hands crossed in front of her. "Li Luo''s being completely eclipsed by Jing Taixu''s speed. How can you threaten your opponent when they''re running circles around you?" "Tsk, Li Luo only beat Senior Lu because of his poison. Seems like he''s nothing much after all." Although poison was ultimately allowed by the rules of the tournament, it was still a sour way to win, and many were using it to insult Li Luo. "A loss is a loss," Lu Ming said sharply. "No need for excuses. Li Luo''s current showing proves that he has enough power to defeat me. He only used poison to save his strength for the finals." The bootlickers fell into an embarrassed silence. "Senior Lu, who do you think will win?" One person hastily changed the subject. Lu Ming considered it. "Jing Taixu has the advantage in speed, and his wind resonance makes him elusive. It will be very difficult for Li Luo to land a deadly blow on him. On top of that, he has all the time in the world. He can wait for a mistake from Li Luo and dish out the damage then. All in all, Jing Taixu has a better chance of winning. "But Li Luo knows this just as well, which is why he''s seeking ways to limit Jing Taixu''s speed advantage. It is a difficult challenge." The others nodded like sheep. "Seems like Jing Taixu''s going to win this one, then." Lu Ming did not reply, her eyes still fixed on Li Luo''s image on screen. She stood by what she had said, but Li Luo had a way of making her wonder. It was not him as a person, but something about his resonant power. He was a dual resonance user, and yet his resonant power was strange. The guy was hiding something else. And before those hidden cards were played, the reality of the field was still unknown. At the Sacred Summit Sage College''s tower. Sun Dasheng was squatting ungainly before the screen, his face pale and eyes still twitching with discomfort. He was still feeble and recovering, but watching the battle put the itch back in him to join the fight. It was a pity that he had been eliminated. He scratched his face violently, irritated. "Jing Taixu, that bastard, he really pushed this one. Fourth fucking Changing? That''s madness. "If I were just a bit stronger, he might not have been able to withstand my Demon Ape''s Will." He had only been able to sustain his skill for a dozen breaths of time, and he could see that Jing Taixu had been visibly forced to the limit already. A while more, and the one eliminated would have been the wind bastard for sure. Still, it couldn''t be helped. A loss was a loss. Jing Taixu had the wind spirit avatar, and now he was Fourth Changing. He was indeed stronger. "Come on, Li Luo... as if. No way you''re gonna beat Jing Taixu''s skills and speed." ... "Li Luo, you cannot limit my speed." Jing Taixu laughed gaily. Li Luo had tried all sorts of tricks to trap him, and each attempt had been denied. Meanwhile, his green plantain fan was wearing down on Li Luo with more and more wind attacks. Li Luo ignored this, simply raising his blade and attacking again. Jing Taixu flew out of the way easily like a bird. "Li Luo, you''re panicking," he taunted. Li Luo''s blade froze mid-attack. "Am I?" He smiled. Jing Taixu''s eyes narrowed. Suddenly, he felt a cool sensation plop on his arm. He looked down to see a little, brown droplet of liquid. It looked as unremarkable as a drop of muddy water, and yet his body suddenly felt heavier. Another drop of brown liquid. Then another, and another, until he was drenched in it. His body felt as heavy as lead. Li Luo looked at him with a bright smile. Speed, eh? But what about the speed of your brain? That counted for a lot in a battle. Water resonance art, Heavy Water Art. Earth resonance art, Unchanging Mud. Chapter 0508: Light Spirit Avatar Chapter 0508: Light Spirit Avatar The brown liquid continued to spray across Jing Taixu''s body and even his translucent, green wings, and he soon felt bogged down as though he were in a swamp. A free mind in an unwilling body. "Is this... Heavy Water Art?" Jing Taixu, with his wealth of experience, soon figured it out. The Heavy Water Art was an advanced expression of water resonant power, which was often used to lend weight and punch to attacks. This was especially useful for that element, which was not particularly lent to offensive capabilities innately. But Li Luo''s creative usage had turned it into a limiter instead. Still, despite the Heavy Water Art''s versatility, being "difficult to dispel" was not one of its many good points. Jing Taixu mustered his resonant power, preparing to shake it off. But he realized he could not. His resonant power revved like a tire spinning in mud. It seemed to slough off the droplets, which remained stuck to his body. "Impossible!" He felt a wave of cold sweat break out. This Heavy Water Art is something else! Why is it so hard to remove?! Weng! Li Luo gave Jing Taixu no chance to shake off the trap that he had so painstakingly constructed. He closed the distance, Onyx-Elephant Blade poised at the ready. A halo of light bloomed around his sword. Level One Divine Elephant Power! "Tiger-general resonance art, Thousand Watery Knives Art!" It was a pity that his resonant bubbles had not yet recovered since he had expended them in the fight against Lu Ming, or this attack would have been stronger still. But it did not matter. He was a Third Changing, and with the dragonpearl''s enhancement, he was already about as strong as Jing Taixu. His sword sliced out with imperial authority, and the fabric of space parted in submission before it. Roar! The faint, signature roar that accompanied tiger-general resonance arts sounded out. It was a sound that hovered between a rumble and a hum, a low, guttural vibration that people likened to a tiger. Jing Taixu watched the attack descend upon him, and he knew that there was no way to avoid it. He did not panic, his handsome features calm. He had previously dodged Li Luo''s attacks only because it was efficient, trying to force his opponent to reveal more of what he was hiding. He did not fear Li Luo in a straight clash. Whoosh. Hand gripping his green plantain fan tightly, he made it glow, gathering wind energy to him in preparation. The wind spirit avatar rested on the leafy weapon, absorbing all the wind energy that came to it. Evidently, Jing Taixu did not dare underestimate Li Luo''s attack too much, and so he was revealing cards of his own. "Tiger-general resonance art, Windy Palm!" Hands sluggish, Jing Taixu dragged his fan before him, and a huge, mint-green palm appeared, sucking in everything before it and creating a path of annihilation. Weng! Li Luo''s watery knives flew straight at the palm. Boom! The ground was covered with low-hanging clouds, and the explosion blew them apart. Hidden in their cottony depths, rocks were exposed and shattered at the same time. At the center of the explosion was Li Luo. His water resonant power formed a coat around him. Tiger-general resonance art, Heavy Water Toga. He absorbed the resonant power that came flying out, and Li Luo moved forward again, not repelled. His sword glinted coldly. Dang! Dang! Jing Taixu could no longer avoid the attacks as easily as he had before. He conserved all his energy and concentrated it into his arms, choosing to parry and chop against Li Luo while holding his ground. In a few short, intense paces, the two of them exchanged dozens of blows. Li Luo''s Heavy Water Toga was ripped in some places. Jing Taixu''s green wings were equally battered. Neither showed any mercy or hesitation in their eyes. They met attack with attack, their resonant power bursting out ferociously. Outside the arena, all eyes were on them. In terms of resonant power magnitude, neither Li Luo nor Jing Taixu could compare to the other three Halls, and yet their savagery in battle was unparalleled. This was the final after all. It spoke of Li Luo and Jing Taixu''s quality, to have made it this far. They were some of the greatest talents that the East Divine Continent had produced. Of course their battle would be legendary. However, no one knew which way the cauldron of glory would tip towards. Enlightened Sage College''s tower. The white-haired Guo Jiufeng stared at the screen with loathing. "The Astral Sage College''s Li Luo is stronger than expected, to force Jing Taixu to this stage." Behind him were the other Violet Vibrance mentors of the Enlightened Sage College. As the last winners and hosts, they could bring in more people compared to the other schools. "Li Luo is a dual resonance user too," one Violet Vibrance mentor said. "It''s not surprising that he can do this much, but it''s not surprising that he can''t do more either. This is his limit, and it''s highly unlikely that he can beat Jing Taixu." "After all, not many Fourth Changing cultivators could stand up to him in his current form." Guo Jiufeng nodded. He too knew Jing Taixu''s signature and ultimate move all too well. It was the primary reason why he was not too worried. He turned over to the Three Star Hall side and sighed. Here, his frustration was real. "Jiang Qing''e... she''s really too strong to believe. We thought we had her number, and still she surpassed all calculations." The other Violet Vibrance mentors all had bitter smiles on their faces too. Compared to the Li Luo-Jing Taixu fight, this one was ridiculously overpowered. They were leveling mountains with their attacks. The ground was covered in deep scars. And the source of these disasters was the four-on-one fight in the middle. Even so, Lu Jinci and the others did not have the upper hand at all. An angel of war was fighting against the four of them, a glowing specter wielding a heavy sword that brought judgment and pain down upon them. She was too dazzling to behold. She alone was worthy of being the highlight of the hall-level competition, the one memory that most would take away from this event. She was so strong that even the greats of the Four Star Hall were watching enviously. And behind her was a figure of light, brilliantly clear and shining. It was the image of Jiang Qing''e, save for its four wings. It was absorbing worldly natural energy at supernatural speeds and converting it into light resonant energy, a never-ending source that fueled Jiang Qing''e''s attacks. This four-winged specter was the reason why Jiang Qing''e alone could take on the four of them without breaking a sweat. Because... This was a true ninth-grade spirit avatar. Chapter 0509: Tyranness Jiang Qinge Chapter 0509: Tyranness Jiang Qing''e The light resonant energy blazed out across the sky, imbued with a holy aura that sent any darkness fleeing. Light resonant energy had a powerful purging effect. It purged everything without discrimination. Boom! The energy blazed across the sky like a pillar of light, and it was met with four other strong attacks. The ringing clash of energy shook the earth. The man-made, localized earthquake caused many of the smaller surrounding mountains to crumble. The destructive fallout of their battle far exceeded that of Li Luo and Jing Taixu''s fight. Lu Jinci''s four haplessly looked at the horizon. It felt like they were fighting the sun itselfoverwhelming power in another dimension. They could barely look at it without hurting themselves. A ninth-grade light resonance was truly a different beast. The four of them were elites at the Earth Fiend Stage, and still they were being steamrolled. By the bulldozer that was Jiang Qing''e''s light resonant energy. Of course, all their schools had dug deep for any and all information on Jiang Qing''e, including her performance at the ticket match against Zhao Huiyin. Although she had done well there, it was nothing compared to the power that she was showing here. Jiang Qing''e had hidden her true strength well. It was just as the intelligence had concludedJiang Qing''e had never once had to show the limits of her power before... because no one could push her that far. Lu Jinci readjusted the golden rectangular blade in his hand and gritted his teeth. "You three stall her! I have a secret weapon that might just work!" The other three hesitated for a moment, but they nodded soon enough. In this situation, any help was welcome. If Lu Jinci had a miracle up his sleeve, they were all saved. Thinking thus, all three doubled their efforts to keep the light resonant energy at bay. Lu Jinci retreated quickly, his hands moving in a blur through a process of fixed gestures. Then a malevolent red seal rose into the air. Finally, a wrinkle in the flow of energy. Up till now, energy had relentlessly flowed straight to Jiang Qing''e from all around them, but the seal was now taking energy away from it. The other three were amazed at the blood seal''s power. Jiang Qing''e sensed it as well. "Dragon-general resonance art." Her clear voice rang out. "World of Light." Swoosh! The light filled every corner of the world with a flash of light and an echoing dragon roar. Lu Jinci and the others looked around blankly. All the worldly natural energy around them had been converted into light energy. This meant it would be very difficult for their resonances to absorb any energy. It was a terrible handicap. "What a resonance art. It must be a mid-tier dragon-general resonance art, enhanced by her ninth-grade light spirit avatar so that it''s as strong as a high-tier dragon-general resonance art. Dragon-general resonance arts were the strongest General Stage resonance arts. One could start to really access these at the Earth Fiend Stage, although only low-tier ones. The higher, more advanced ones were far more demanding in terms of cultivation skill and the amount of resonant power needed to support them. The ones fighting were elites at the Earth Fiend Tier, so they naturally had one or two mid-tier dragon-general resonance arts as their trump cards, but now Jiang Qing''e had pulled out something way stronger. Ninth-grade light resonance. It would make a Buddha greedy. "Watch out, she''s going to attack!" Lu Jinci yelled. Her opponents successfully nerfed, it was time for her to go on the offense. Three comets of fiery light descended from the sky. Columns of light filled with purifying fire. Once hit, the unfortunate victim''s resonant power would be completely purged away. Afraid of that outcome, all three students turned their full strength to their own defenses. Weng! A blade thrust out from between the pillars of light. It was a golden sword that almost blended in with the ambient lightJiang Qing''e''s sword. She was coming for him! Lu Jinci felt a cold shiver of realization. "Green Abyss Parry!" He summoned his strongest defense a moment before the golden light washed over him. It was like a blade of grass in the full glory of the morning sun. He stood no chance. Clang! His golden rectangular sword was blasted out of his hands and sent sailing through the air. Lu Jinci''s hands were bare and numb, and he clenched them in fear and desperation. Jiang Qing''e was close to a Heavenly Dipper General in terms of fighting strength, right? That was way too strong! Swish! With an elegant flip, Jiang Qing''e was balancing on her blade, and it shot forward at him, freezing a hair''s breadth away from his throat. Lu Jinci''s eyes bulged as he resisted the urge to swallow his saliva. The swell of his Adam''s apple might well get his throat cut. He looked up into the eyes of his attacker. "So it was you all who spread the rumors?" Jiang Qing''e asked, her icy gaze boring down on him. He felt her killing intent rise, and his fingers curled nervously in response. "Fuck that bastard Jing Taixu. He''s going to get me killed!" Lu Jinci thought to himself. Jiang Qing''e clearly did not take kindly to rumors being spread. That was why he had become target number one. "Jiang Qing''e, I know you''re very strong, but do you dare to accept one attack from me?!" Lu Jinci said through gritted teeth. He scrambled for the blood talisman. It was clearly his strongest move. Jiang Qing''e did not so much as bat an eyelid at his taunts. She simply pressed her palm forward. As her hand moved, a mountain of light appeared. Dragon-general resonance art, Bright Mountain! Boom! When the other three students finished dealing with the fiery comets, they turned only to see the mountain landing on Lu Jinci''s head. A frightful spray of blood spurted as his skull cracked. She was not finished. Jiang Qing''e raised her hand again, creating two more fiery nails made out of pure light. Dragon-general resonance art, Demonbane Nails. They buried themselves deep in Lu Jinci''s palms with sickening squelches, pinning him to the ground. The bright fires burned at him, and Lu Jinci''s screams were terrible to behold. The other three students trembled. This was only a students'' competition, not some life or death fight. Had Jiang Qing''e... gone too far? Chapter 0510: Three Star Halls Results Chapter 0510: Three Star Hall''s Results The scene of Lu Jinci getting wrecked was being watched by students from all over. Many swallowed nervously. Jiang Qing''e''s beauty had lulled them into false assumptions about gentleness and kindness, but she was destroying every single one of those false illusions right now. Luckily, the anima gourds served as protection for the students; otherwise, there would be a legitimate fear of Lu Jinci dying. But in terms of cruelty, it was perhaps justified in a one-against-four situation. And in any case, the outcome of this battle no longer made a difference for most of the eliminated students, so they''d rather support Jiang Qing''e. She was a freaking goddess. What was their other option? Supporting four muscled louts? Over at the Enlightened Sage College side, Vice Principal Guo Jiufeng was scowling at the screen. He was one of the few that knew Jiang Qing''e was doing this as revenge for the rumors that they had spread earlier. "That little girl is a wild child," another Violet Vibrance mentor said with a bitter laugh. "Lu Jinci is done for. He''ll be eliminated shortly, and then the other three don''t stand a chance in hell against her. Our Three Star Halls chances are gone." Guo Jiufeng''s face was stony, save for a muscle twitching at his jaw. If the Three Star Hall lost, their grand plan of winning three titles would fall apart. "Vice Principal, there''s no need to be hung up on this," the Violet Vibrance mentor said to him. "This is only the first stage. We still have a chance." Guo Jiufeng nodded. Of course he understood that, but the second half of the Holy Grail Meet was even more complicated. He was confident that his students had the ability to pull through, but the situation would be fraught with even more unknowns than it was now. They should seize the opportunity in the relatively straightforward first round, but they had underestimated Jiang Qing''e''s strength. "She might be wiping the floor with Lu Jinci, but we''re doing well in two other places. Jing Taixu has a comfortable lead in the One Star Hall, and Lan Lan managed to eliminate the Astral Sage College girl in the Four Star Hall. She was a tough opponent, and the First Princess of the Xia Kingdom." "I''m not worried about Lan Lan," Guo Jiufeng said. "He''s the only student in a hundred years to have successfully learned the Enlightened Sage Scripture. No one is his match in single combat. But Li Luo... "He makes me uneasy. Still, at this rate, Jing Taixu will use his final move and take the win. If he can at least eliminate Li Luo, we''ll have won some face back." ... While the atmosphere over at the Enlightened Sage College was brittle as glass, the Astral Sage College side was going nuts. Everyone was whooping and screaming at the Three Star Hall situation. "Oh my God. Senior Jiang is too crazy! I''m on my knees here!" "She''s worth a hundred of you dogs! Why''d you only send four? You''re 96 short, you doofuses!" "Seems like Jiang Qing''e will take the strongest student title at Three Star Hall after all." Beating her competitors in a four-on-one fight was truly unexpected. Vice Principal Su Xin was all smiles as well. Jiang Qing''e had done their school proud indeed. They had been wise to seed her and pour resources into her. In the middle of the uproarious celebrations, a vortex opened and a figure slumped out. First Princess Gong Luanyu. Her beautiful face was pale and worn out. She had clearly just been through a grueling battle. "Luanyu, are you alright?" Su Xin asked with concern. She shook her head listlessly. "I''m sorry, Vice Principal. I was eliminated." Su Xin put a comforting arm on her shoulder. "No need to apologize. I watched your battle. You did your best. Lan Lan is the champion of the Enlightened Sage College. The fact that you forced out his final trump card is already an admirable accomplishment." The First Princess nodded feebly, her phoenix eyes still apologetic. She was a proud person by nature, and so she was uncomfortable with losing. Still, she was a rational enough person to quickly curb those feelings and join in with the rest. "Qing''e looks like she''s going to win," she thought to herself. "And she still has the advantage in a one-on-four. Could it be that she still has more hidden away?" Vice Principal Su Xin nodded and smiled at the First Princess'' reaction. "Seems like that''s one golden resonant tree brooch secured," the First Princess noted, then she turned to the One Star Hall side. "Li Luo''s in the finals too? I have to admit I''m surprised." The competition for the One Star Hall was very strong this year. Li Luo might have made it to the favorites, but they had considered the finals a bit of a stretch. "Those two are really the most outstanding talents that the Astral Sage College has." The First Princess smiled. "If Li Luo wins too, then they''ll go down in history as a legendary couple." It was not unheard of that a school would take two golden resonant tree brooches in the first round, but for an engaged couple to do it would be a first. It was rare for people their age to already be engaged in the first place. And for both to be geniuses at different halls? Su Xin laughed and shook her head. "Things are not yet decided on this side. Jing Taixu is also one of the favored seeds of the Enlightened Sage College. They have great expectations pinned on him. It''s not going to be easy for Li Luo to beat that." The First Princess nodded. She was just about to speak when she suddenly stopped and sat up straight. "Jing Taixu "Is going to end this." Chapter 0511: Jing Taixus Dragon-General Resonance Art Chapter 0511: Jing Taixu''s Dragon-General Resonance Art Boom! The weathered sword hitting the green plantain fan raised a thick spray of sparks. The rebounding shock pushed both Li Luo and Jing Taixu backwards. There was a half-finger-deep footprint in the ground after the impact. Bang. Jing Taixu gritted his teeth and tensed himself to stop the backsliding. He was no longer calm and smiling like he was before. There was a wild look in his eyes now. He was fired up. Li Luo''s tenacity had surpassed his expectations. Both of them had revealed the majority of their arsenals by now, and they had fought without holding back their energy. Their brutality had scored wounds against each other, but nothing serious enough to decide the battle. Jing Taixu understood that he would have to do more to break the stalemate. But as time wore on, his resonant power was depleting. Eventually, he would not have enough to muster his killing blow. "Li Luo, you''re very good," Jing Taixu said coolly, adjusting his grip on his plantain fan. His hand was bleeding. "But this battle will be mine." Li Luo ignored him, because battles were not won with mere words. Still, he could feel that there was a new frenzy in Jing Taixu''s energy flow. A trump card was coming. He gripped his Onyx-Elephant Blade tighter, leaning into its comforting reliability as he tensed up and prepared for whatever was coming. Jing Taixu stretched out a finger to the wind and cut it with a perfectly controlled burst of wind energy. Not flinching from the pain, he moved the finger smoothly across his green plantain fan, activating a crimson network of power that spread across the fan. Uuuuu! The winds howled with a new, eerie frequency. Under their feet, the gravel rattled. The wind spirit avatar that had been hovering behind him came to rest on the green plantain fan as well. Immediately after, the weapon turned from a leafy green to a much more lustrous hue, as though it had turned to jade. His hand shivered and shook as if he were trying to fight some immense power. But in the end, he managed to bring the plantain fan smashing down. Whoo! A tremendous gust of wind energy burst out from the fan and then hovered in the air, consolidating into a jade-green cloud of power that grew brighter as more and more energy entered it. A dozen breaths of time later, it shot up into the sky, proceeded by the faint sound of a dragon''s roar. Li Luo''s eyes narrowed. That dragon''s roar... could it be a dragon-general resonance art? Is Jing Taixu that strong? A flash of concern arose in Li Luo''s eyes. Dragon-general resonance arts were the domain of those at the General Stage. The energy demands were beyond that of a Resonant Master Stage cultivator. Jing Taixu was truly a genius. Although he had only accomplished it with the help of his wind spirit avatar, this was shocking nevertheless. Weng! It rocked and swayed in the air. Within the nimbus of light was a weighty spear, floating in the air. Each time the cloud of energy rocked around it in mid-air, it wrapped the spear in yet another fold of energy. Looking at the impending attack, Li Luo finally understood why Jing Taixu was hailed as the Spear of Enlightened Sage. It had to be because of this ultimate killing move. To be able to produce General Stage powera dragon-general resonance artwhile only a Resonant Master was impressive. Even though it was a low-tier dragon-general resonance art, it was still far beyond what a tiger-general resonance art could accomplish. Li Luo himself was highly talented at resonance arts, but even he could not fully execute a dragon-general resonance art. Jing Taixu had him beat in this regard. Sun Dasheng''s hacked version of a Duke Art was far from the Duke Art''s true poweran insignificant fraction of the true destructive power. "Li Luo! Sun Dasheng lost to this move of mine. If you can endure it, the golden resonant tree brooch can be yours!" Jing Taixu shouted proudly, then he brought his fan down. "Low-tier dragon-general resonance art, Wind Demon''s Wrath! "Go!" Jing Taixu''s shout sent the spear streaking out like a thunderbolt from the sky, accompanied by a hissing scream as it tore through the air. Li Luo watched the green arch fly towards him. He studied it with serious concentration, sensing the danger of this attack. He wouldn''t be able to stop it with ordinary moves for sure. Fortunately, he had some extraordinary moves as well. Li Luo channeled all his energy into his sword and backed away to buy himself a bit more time. "Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade, Level Two Divine Elephant Power!" His Onyx-Elephant Blade had three levels of power. At the first level, the skin on his arm would be torn because he could not contain the power fully. If the first level hurt him that much already, what about the second level? Li Luo had never tried it before, but he was ready to. Boom! An ancient elephant''s roar thundered out from within his body, and his face seized up. He could feel the enormous power coursing through his arm. And a terrible pain splitting him down the middle. It was as though a massive elephant was charging up across his arm, pulverizing it into bits as it rampaged forward. Li Luo lowered his head and watched both of his arms crumble before his very eyes. Fresh blood rained out in thick streams. This was the barbaric power of Level Two Divine Elephant Power. Li Luo''s body was too weak to contain it at all. If this continued for too long, both his arms would be juiced into pulp. Li Luo did not panic. This was within his calculations. He had no way to strengthen his body in a short amount of time, but he did have something else to help deal with this. Ssss. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils, the thick smell of blood coming to him. He immediately unleashed the resonance arts that he had prepared. "Wood resonance art, Spirit Vine Threads. "Light resonance art, Healing Sprites. "Water resonance art, Spirit Water Art." None of the above resonance arts were particularly advanced, but they played the same role of recovery. That was how Li Luo was planning to counteract the drawbacks of Level Two Divine Elephant Power. If he couldn''t avoid damage, he would just patch damage back up as fast as he could. A network of green vines spread out across his arms, holding the broken flesh together firmly. At the same time, Healing Sprites and Spirit Water helped repair the damage. Combined, their effect far exceeded their individual functions, and Li Luo''s bleeding arms were actually stabilized. It still looked gruesome., like a pair of roughly stitched zombie hands. This was as good as Li Luo could manage. It was enough for him to swing his sword. Looking up at the epic, green spear barreling down on him, he lifted his sword with conviction. A dragon-general resonance art against Divine Elephant Power. Let''s see who has the better animal! Chapter 0512: With Tail Between Legs Chapter 0512: With Tail Between Legs Boom! The constant energy clashes let out shockwaves of energy at regular pulses, thundering against the mountain walls and shaking loose soil and earth. At the center of it all were Li Luo and Jing Taixu. The two were locked in a reckless collision of strength, and their resonant power ran out at the same time. With a final, epic explosion, both were sent flying back until they crashed into the cliffs on opposite sides. They both spat out mouthfuls of blood. The Onyx-Elephant Blade and green plantain fan were sent clattering across the earth. All eyes were watching the two fighters. Now that their two final trump cards had been completely expended, both had ended up badly injured and exhausted. Now who could muster enough energy to finish the other off? The cloud of dust faded slowly. Jing Taixu was on shaky legs as he stumbled forward, reaching out to clutch at boulders along the way to steady himself. His clothes were tattered, his body was badly scarred at places, and his composure was completely gone. But his mind was not on his image at all. He was staring grimly ahead. Li Luo... surely that guy has no more strength to get up, right? Truly a legendary opponent, to actually force mutual injuries even against his strongest move. Jing Taixu''s eyes followed the gash on the floor that ran for several dozen meters. The impact of Li Luo''s counterattack was fearsome to behold. That had to be Li Luo''s trump card as well. But in the end, he was the one left standing. His lip curled upwards in a tired but triumphant smile. It did not spread far on his face. He watched Li Luo slowly get to his feet, a blurry figure in the dust ahead. Li Luo was equally battered, his resonant power frazzled and worn down to a trickle. Plus both his arms were running slick with blood. "You''re still standing?!" Jing Taixu snarled angrily. He just wouldn''t stay down! Li Luo wiped the blood away from his face, covering his arms in still more blood. "You think... you won?" he wheezed. Jing Taixu''s own voice was hoarse from exhaustion. "You don''t even have the strength to take one more step." "Yeah, well, look in the mirror, buddy." Li Luo suddenly gave him an odd smile. "We''re both burned out. We can''t even lift a finger. But, Jing Taixu, I think you''re screwed." Jing Taixu laughed coldly. He turned his own energy inwards for cultivation. He would muster enough resonant power for proper mobility, then go over and stick a sword in Li Luo. His victory was assured. "Jing Taixu, your quasi ninth-grade wind resonance was really something. Amazing speed, huh? But let me ask you something: now that we''re in a race for recovery, do you think your wind resonance is faster, or my water and wood resonances?" Li Luo''s laughter spluttered out. Jing Taixu turned green in the face. He''d forgotten this! Water and wood resonances were far slower elements compared to wind, but they had their own advantages. Water resonances granted stamina, and wood resonances granted endurance. Both were excellent elements for regeneration. In terms of recuperation, of course they would surpass him. Jing Taixu felt a prickle of panic. Surely not? He had gone through brimstone and fire to lose in this way? He focused desperately on his energy cultivation arts, hastening the recovery. A few minutes passed. Jing Taixu felt some stirrings of energy return to his paralyzed body. A trickle of resonant power began to flow back into his parched resonant palaces. He was exultant. He looked up at Li Luo and saw that his opponent was already starting to stretch and twist his upper body. He had a much bigger range of movement. Jing Taixu trembled in fear. "No need to panic! He''s not strong enough yet," Jing Taixu thought to himself. "If he dares to spend his energy coming over, I''ll use my last bit of resonant power to end him!" His self-consolation was brought short when Li Luo pulled out a silver bow from his pocket sphere. "Oh... fuck..." Jing Taixu swore under his breath. This was pathetic! Li Luo cackled weakly to himself. He put a finger on the bowstring and drew back, disregarding the pain in his hands. A thin thread of resonant power formed on the Lambent Hawkeye, creating a needle-thin arrow. This was all he could manage right now, and his hand on the bow grip was swaying all around. Swoosh! He released the arrow at a normal speed. If Jing Taixu had been in peak condition, he could have easily dodged it. But now he could only watch the arrow sail through the air at him. He was a sitting duck. The arrow flew between his legs, grazing his inner thigh, and Jing Taixu felt his balls shrink at the near miss. Too close for comfort! Jing Taixu broke out in a sweat. "Li Luo, what the hell are you doing?! Where the fuck do you think you''re aiming?!" "Ah, a poor shot. Please forgive me, I''m not feeling too good at the moment... you understand." It was already an accomplishment to be able to shoot, let alone care about accuracy at this point. "You just stand there real still, don''t move a muscle, or I can''t guarantee what I hit," Li Luo told him kindly. He pulled the bowstring back again. Shoop! Shoop! Another two needle-like arrows flew out. They were not particularly deadly, and if Jing Taixu werent injured, they would not even have passed his defenses. But that bastard Li Luo kept aiming at his genitals. It was poor aim, but it was exquisite mental torture. Jing Taixu had a feeling that Li Luo was doing this on purpose. That son of a bitch! "Just ignore him for a bit longer. My resonant power''s slowly coming back," Jing Taixu thought to himself, gritting his teeth. Swoosh! Another arrow, this one burying itself in his belly. He felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and he winced. Jing Taixu bit down on his tongue to stop himself from howling in pain. "Oh, oops, almost," Li Luo said with regret. "Alright, last shot," he said seriously. "This one will do it, I promise." He pulled his bowstring again, and another arrow of light appeared. This time, before he could shoot, Jing Taixu ripped the anima gourd away from his belt and smashed it. A pillar of light descended from the sky and caged him within it. Li Luo watched, surprised, then stowed the Lambent Hawkeye away. "Ah, Jing Taixu, your mental fortitude could use some work," he said, shaking his head. Jing Taixu was furious. The finals had completely humiliated him. He had never thought that he would not only lose, but in such an embarrassing fashion. "I''ll remember this, Li Luo!" he yelled as he was beamed up into the sky. Eliminated. As Jing Taixu was removed from the field, yet another column of light came down to catch Li Luo. It was filled with the purest worldly natural energy, and it completely healed all of Li Luo''s wounds. Even his dry resonant palaces were completely topped up. The victor''s reward. Li Luo stretched out his hand, and the Onyx-Elephant Blade flew to him. He lifted his head up and watched the boulders at the center of the mountain shift into a flight of stairs. At the top was a red throne. The Dragonbone Throne. Li Luo smiled. The first golden resonant tree brooch had been acquired. Chapter 0513: One Star Halls Best Boy Chapter 0513: One Star Hall''s Best Boy The result of the One Star Hall''s fight shocked all the spectators. Who would have thought that such an epic battle would end in such an unremarkable finish? Jing Taixu had been scared to death by Li Luo and chosen to give up. Of course, those that understood the battle knew that it was because at that point, Jing Taixu saw no possibility to win. Both had been completely drained and were at their limit. But the dual resonances of water and wood meant that Jing Taixu would never catch up to Li Luo in restoring energy if they were at the same starting point. Jing Taixu understood this well. Although Li Luo had only shot a couple of arrows before Jing Taixu gave up, his shots would have gained their usual accuracy again. Under normal circumstances, those attacks wpi;d ne too weak to harm him, but not when his defenses were completely exhausted. Jing Taixu did not want to lose in such an undignified manner, so he had chosen to surrender instead. Meanwhile, roaring laughter rang out from all the various towers. "Li Luo actually won," Lu Ming repeated to herself in disbelief. Probably nobody had expected this outcome. After all, Jing Taixu had been the undisputed hot favorite, while Li Luo was a nameless dark horse. And now the prime stallion had been outraced. The other students beside Lu Ming looked as though they had just seen a ghost. Previously, they had insisted that Li Luo had only defeated Lu Ming because of his poison tricks. But now even Jing Taixu had lost, and it would be foolish to hold on to their denial. Lu Ming looked at the youth sprawled lazily across the Dragonbone Throne. This guy was something else. "Jing Taixu... that guy''s senses are even sharper than a woman''s instinct," Lu Ming thought with dry humor. He was the one who had come to her first with the plan of eliminating Li Luo, and she was the one who had thought that he was seeing knives in the shadows. But from the result now, Jing Taixu''s instincts were clearly on point. Even so, he had lost to Li Luo when fully prepared. So perhaps those instincts were in facing the right direction, but still not helpful. And Li Luo. He had a sick streak in him, shooting those arrows at Jing Taixu''s crotch to humiliate him. She did not really believe his shots were badly aimed, no matter how weak he was. She shook her head. She had no interest in the enmity between those two. In another tower, Sun Dasheng was equally shocked. He was the first one out of the three who had fought Li Luo. Although he had been surprised by Li Luo''s power back then, he had not thought too much about it. Jing Taixu lost to him? "Seems like there are still many hidden geniuses in the East Divine Continent. I underestimated the competition, but if I can just get to the Fourth Changing, I think my odds against both Jing Taixu and Li Luo will increase by a lot. "One step at a time. Even if the Hall-level competition''s lost, the Holy Grail Meet is not over yet. I can still shine in the mixed-level competition." Sun Dasheng''s confidence was shaken but not broken, even though he had lost to Jing Taixu once already. He was still raring to fight. Over at the Enlightened Sage College, it was as if the sky had fallen down on their heads. Some buried their heads in their hands, sobbing out of sheer denial. Others wrung their hands vaguely. On the Enlightened Sage College''s team, their One and Four Star Hall students were seen as the best seeds. Jing Taixu had been favored by the school from head to toe. And now that careful seedling had been uprooted. Jing Taixu had collapsed before the Dragonbone Throne. At the feet of the nameless Li Luo! It was a devastating blow to the morale of the Enlightened Sage College students. Even the usually composed Vice Principal Guo Jiufeng looked like he had just swallowed a lemon, and he was swallowing more every second he looked at Li Luo''s smug posture on the Dragonbone Throne. "How did Jing Taixu lose?" a Violet Vibrance mentor asked in disbelief. "That sword..." Guo Jiufeng sighed. "If I''m not mistaken, it used to be Pang Qianyuan''s partner weapon. The Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade... Its only a gold-eye treasured artifact, but theres divine power within it. Still, the power demands a lot from the physical body. Li Luo should not have been able to contain it." The Violet Vibrance mentor sighed. Well, such speculation was useless now. The battle was over. A vortex opened, and Jing Taixu fell out of it. He was pale and weak still, but he could sense that the atmosphere around him was horribly off. It was the first time in his life that he was being regarded so disparagingly. He did not shirk away from it, but walked over to Guo Jiufeng. "Vice Principal, I''ve wasted the trust that the school has put in me," he said hoarsely. Guo Jiufeng''s expression was stiff, but he eventually sighed. "You''ve done your best," he said, not unkindly. "There is no need to blame yourself. The Holy Grail Meet is not over yet, and I look forward to an even better performance from you in the mixed-level competition." As the vice principal, he could not berate Jing Taixu publicly at the cost of general morale, even though he was in a dark mood. Jing Taixu nodded and then walked away, unwilling to stay in this prickly atmosphere a moment longer than he had to. Guo Jiufeng turned to the Four Star Hall screen. Their final hope, Lan Lan. This was a far cry from the initial goal that they had set out to accomplish. Three golden resonant tree brooches, with the Three Star Halls one a lucky bid and the One and Four Star Hall ones all but guaranteed. Enough to prove themselves worthy as the former champions. That dream was all but shattered now. Instead, it was the Astral Sage College who had emerged out of the blue and clinched both One and Three Star Hall titles, taking the competition by storm. Guo Jiufeng finally managed to get his feelings under control. The battle was not over. They still had a chance. At least the Four Star Hall golden resonant tree brooch was one he still believed would come home. Chapter 0514: Creating a Legend Chapter 0514: Creating a Legend When Li Luo appeared before the Astral Sage College''s tower, he was greeted with rapturous applause and cheering. The One Star Hall students were fired up behind their champion, who was now the strongest One Star Hall student in the East Divine Continent. The title was hard won and weighty, far more than just being the best in any school. This would definitely also increase the prestige of their class. The number of wins the One Star Hall had taken at the Holy Grail Meet could be counted on the fingers of one hand. It was definitely going down in the history of the Astral Sage College. One Star Hall students were all about raw talent, and it was difficult to nurture them much in the short time that they spent in school before the tournament happened. The other senior students were overjoyed as well, and they now looked at Li Luo with a measure of respect. It was a performance worthy of acknowledgement. Perhaps Li Luo was still beneath them because of the difference in cultivation time, but he would become the strongest in the Astral Sage College in due time, and probably set some new records on the way. He had earned something here, and no one would dare to underestimate him again. "Li Luo, you did very well." Yu Lang was the first to get a word in, looking at Li Luo like a loving father. "After all I did to get you through the Dragon''s Belly, you didn''t let me down." "Rascal." Li Luo rolled his eyes. "Well done, Li Luo!" Bai Doudou gave him a big thumbs up, straightforward and direct as was her personality. "Li Luo, you''re very strong. I''m so lucky to have met you here in the Astral Sage College. But don''t worry, you''ll be my target from now on. I''ll train like crazy to overtake you." Qin Zhulu''s look was more intense and smoldering than that of the girls cooing in the background. Qin Zhulu was an unyielding character, and even so, he had to defer to Li Luo''s skill this time. His "love" was rather stifling, and Li Luo gave him an uneasy if polite smile. It was not particularly comfortable to have a battle demon watching over his shoulder at all times. Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan hung back awkwardly, unsure of how to express their ambivalence. They were not on good terms with Li Luo, and had only grudgingly cooperated this time because of the super high-level threat that Vice Principal Su Xin had laid down upon them. They weren''t happy to see him get ahead, but glad that they had won a championship. "Leader, congratulations! You''re famous in the East Divine Continent now," Bai Mengmeng said happily. Lu Qing''er was standing still, looking at Li Luo with hot tears brimming at the edges of her eyes. Her quivering lips were upturned in a smile. She recalled Li Luo in the early years back at Southwind Academy with his blank palaces. He had used his skill in the resonance arts to forge his own path to become one of the brightest in Southwind Academy even then. Many thought that he had peaked back then. He was in his element, at the pinnacle of confidence and strength. Several years later, he was far beyond what he had accomplished then. She had said it before, and she believed it even now: Li Luo was anyone''s equal, even Jiang Qing''e. "Hey." Li Luo wagged his fingers before her eyes. She snapped back out of her reverie with an embarrassed smile. "Oh, er, congratulations." "It''s all thanks to your Nightmarish Eversnow Platemail. If not for you, I''d have been eliminated in the Dragon''s Belly too," Li Luo said with a grateful smile. She had bought him enough time to get to Dragonbone Island. Without it, he might not have made it. And he definitely would not have had enough time to find dragon''s bloodfire to fill the dragonpearl. And without a full dragonpearl, he would not have been able to match Jing Taixu at his Fourth Changing power, and then he would have had no choice but to pull out his emergency trump card, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s power. Lu Qing''er had played no small part with her supporting resonance art. She smiled happily at him, her heart almost leaping out of her chest with pleasure. The opportunity to help Li Luothat was all she could ask for. Li Luo saw Vice Principal Su Xin waving to him, and hurriedly cut off his other conversations. "Vice Principal Su Xin, I was lucky enough not to dishonor the school," Li Luo said modestly, cupping his fist in respect. Su Xin smiled broadly at him, and her kind voice was even brighter than usual. She reached out and tousled his hair. Very quickly, she retracted her hand, realizing that it could be seen as inappropriate. "Li Luo, you''ve done very well," she said fondly. "You are the pride and joy of the Astral Sage College." "As a student of the Astral Sage College, it is my duty to bring honor to the school," Li Luo said properly. She smiled even wider, pleased to hear it. "The school will remember your contributions well. You will be rewarded in the future." Li Luo smiled and nodded. He could feel someone else behind Vice Principal Su Xin also regarding him, and he craned his neck to see who it was. It was the First Princess, looking at him with wide-eyed curiosity. She was evidently taken aback by his win. "First Princess," Li Luo blurted out, surprised. "Your battle has ended?" He immediately regretted it. The Four Star Hall battle had not yet ended, so obviously she had been eliminated. That was unexpected. The Four Star Hall was indeed full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Truly the strongest students in their respective sage colleges... and it had to be intense competition for someone of the First Princess'' caliber to be eliminated. But she did not harp on his ill-chosen words. "It can''t be helped, I''m not as outstanding as you are, Li Luo," she said graciously. "Congratulations. From this day forth, your name will be known throughout the entire East Divine Continent, let alone the Xia Kingdom. The young lord of House Luolan proves himself worthy to take over his father''s legacy. "No one will call you the tiger''s runt again." After this, the phrase "blank palace young lord" would be purged from the lexicon of every single person in the Xia Kingdom. Li Luo''s potential and strength here had proved that he was Jiang Qing''e''s equal. Previously, House Luolan was known for its rising phoenix, but now a hidden dragon had uncoiled itself to stand at the top of the house in its full glory as well. "I pay no attention to the rumors, Your Highness," Li Luo said easily. Both Su Xin and the First Princess nodded slightly. Li Luo''s temperament and character were also an important reason why he was able to make it to the top. Dual resonances were rare, but not unheard of. And they were definitely not invincible, as Lu Ming had proven. "But Li Luo, it seems like your win has laid down a difficult legend to ever beat even in the future." The First Princess laughed. "Er, legend?" Li Luo was puzzled. Surely that was exaggerated. It was merely a record that would be replaced in four years'' time. The First Princess smiled mischievously. "One strongest title is quite something... "... but an engaged couple winning them together is deserving of being called a legend, you know." Her remark was perfectly timed as another commotion broke out behind them. Li Luo turned to the sound of applause to see an energy vortex appearing. A beautiful girl stepped out calmly. Who else could it be but Jiang Qing''e? Chapter 0515: Two Golden Resonant Tree Brooches Chapter 0515: Two Golden Resonant Tree Brooches The response to Li Luo''s win had been enough to shake the room, but Jiang Qing''e''s entry was greeted so enthusiastically that the tower itself shook. Their cheers reached the skies, ringing far out beyond the tower walls, going on and on. They had to express their ecstasythey were drunk on the feeling of vicarious power. Jiang Qing''e''s win had been so straightforward, it was almost boring. She could be summed up in a single word... invincible! There was no one who was worthy of equal praise, not even Li Luo. He had taken them on a rollercoaster journey, pulling off a spectacular upset against Jing Taixu to take the win in an exhilarating and suspenseful manner. It was satisfying to see him win against an opponent he was closely matched with. But the Three Star Hall fight was satisfying in a different manner. Jiang Qing''e had fought against four single-handedly, and each of them were the elites of their respective schools. They were the biggest fish in their own ponds, but before Jiang Qing''e, they were juicy carp going up against a shark. She had completely destroyed them in glorious fashion, with overwhelming power that smashed them into submission. Even over at the Enlightened Sage College''s side, there was little to say about this battle. Jiang Qing''e''s power level was perhaps the strongest that the Three Star Hall competition had ever seen in the history of the East Divine Continent''s Holy Grail Meets. Absolute power. Before it, all tricks and tactics shriveled away into insignificance. That was why the response to Jiang Qing''e''s win was unanimous and respected by every single student at the Holy Grail Meet, regardless of school. If they could not even beat her four-on-one, there was really nothing more that could be helped. There was no chance of a rejoinder against a win of that magnitude. Jiang Qing''e strode into thunderous applause, still warm from the battle. Her light resonant energy was still flickering around her, lending her a saintly yet intimidating aura. The students near her found it difficult to breathe, and they moved backwards hastily and deferentially, with the exception of a few Four Star Hall students. Her long hair framed her body perfectly, and her light resonance helped to make her skin glow. Her deep, golden eyes were piercing, and they searched the room for one person, and one person only. Those eyes softened when she spotted him, and she immediately moved over. "Li Luo, is the One Star Hall competition over?" Li Luo smiled and nodded. "And how was it?" she asked, eyes locked on his face. Li Luo''s expression turned grave, and he heaved a bitter sigh. Jiang Qing''e''s stomach dropped with a sick feeling. He lost? She felt bad for pressuring him now. Seeing him dejected, she opened her mouth to console him. "Jing Taixu''s strong. I fought him for what felt like forever, but I managed to take the win as the One Star Hall''s strongest student," Li Luo said happily. She stared at him, nonplussed. Managed... to take the win? She gaped at him, his face now grinning petulantly. The bitter resignation had been wiped clean away. Pranked. Her golden eyes seemed to turn a deeper gold as she stood there angry and happy. She looked at his ear, dearly wanting to reach out and pinch it. But they were in public, so she settled for rolling her eyes at him. "Ridiculous." But she smiled despite herself, and her lovely face became even more alluring than before. "Hey, you look even happier about this than about your own win," Li Luo pointed out. "Of course," she said, puzzled. "Because I was guaranteed to win, so there was no surprise there. But there was uncertainty for you." Li Luo somehow felt insulted. The plump swan had just said some really arrogant things in a really normal tone. Still, it wasn''t as if he could say anything about it. Four on one was something that no one else could have accomplished. It had taken every last bit of his strength to fight Jing Taixu. If three more people had jumped on him, he would have been screwed. He had to admit that there was still a big gap in terms of potential and skill between him and Jiang Qing''e for now. That was the harsh reality he had to face. Such was the power of a ninth-grade resonance. Still, Li Luo knew that although the potential of his dual resonances might not be on her level, he had one more big thing on the horizon... his third resonance. Once he reached the General Stage, his third resonance would be activated. If two couldn''t beat nine, then surely three could? The legendary triple resonances... he could almost feel the drool running down his chin. It seemed like he would need a bit more time before he could hold down things for the house properly with his own strength. While the two were speaking, Vice Principal Su Xin approached. "Qing''e, you did very well! You really made a reputation for the Astral Sage College," she said, grasping Jiang Qing''e''s hands tightly. It had truly been an astounding performance. She could just imagine how envious the higher-ups of other schools had to be, that she had a student as strong as Jiang Qing''e. But each school had their own luck in the draw, and Jiang Qing''e was not the first ninth-grade resonance cultivator to be fielded. There had been many before her, from different schools, but not all of them could boast as spectacular a record as Jiang Qing''e. Her brilliance was not just because of her resonance. "You praise me too highly, Vice Principal. I have to thank the school for the resources invested in me, and I hope I fulfilled my duty adequately." Jiang Qing''e had responded with just the right amount of warmth, neither too cool nor too affectionate. She was as unshakable as ever. "You two have an uncannily similar way of speaking. No wonder you''re engaged." The First Princess laughed. "Qing''e, congratulations on being the strongest lovebird couple. I''m sure you will go down in the East Divine Continents history together as legends." Jiang Qing''e turned to her, surprised. "Did Your Highness slip in battle?" Jiang Qing''e asked directly. The First Princess sighed. "It can''t be helped. I''m not as strong as you are. I''m just not strong enough." "I wouldn''t say that, Your Highness," Jiang Qing''e replied seriously. "Perhaps just not as lucky." The First Princess laughed at her gracious reply, then changed the topic. "But if both you and Li Luo have won the titles, then we only need one more and the win is ours." If a school had three strongest student titles, then they had three golden resonant tree brooches in hand. That would put them in an unlosable situation. Previously, the Enlightened Sage College was chasing the dream situation. And now the Astral Sage College was more than halfway there. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e nodded thoughtfully. That was indeed the dream. "The Two Star Hall battle has ended already, won by Ao Bai of the North Sea Sage College... "The only one left is the Four Star Hall." Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e both turned to the screen to watch. The battle was nearing its finale. The Astral Sage College still had a horse in the race. The strongest of them all, Gong Shenjun. Chapter 0516: Four Star Halls Final Chapter 0516: Four Star Hall''s Final Along with Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, all eyes turned back to the final Four Star Hall battle. Many schools were watching closely as well. The unremarkable Astral Sage College had suddenly secured two golden resonant tree brooches before anybody had realized. If they got just one more, weren''t they destined to win? After all, only three golden resonant tree brooches could be won in the second half. If the Astral Sage College could get three here, they would be in an unassailable position. "The Astral Sage College is one of the elite schools. They have a solid reserve of resources for sure. We can''t underestimate them." "I thought it was going to be the Enlightened Sage College with the multiple brooches..." "The Astral Sage College hasn''t even been eliminated yet. Their Four Star Hall competitor''s a guy called Gong Shenjun, a royalty of the Xia Kingdom. I hear he''s quite something as well." "Oh, he''s been undefeated all this time as well. I expect the Four Star Hall finals to be between him and the Enlightened Sage College''s Lan Lan." "If Lan Lan wins, there''s hope. Otherwise, none of us will stand a chance against three brooches." Four Star Hall''s arena was a large lake, still as a mirror, circled by a ring of mountains. This lake was not natural. It was just an ordinary lake an hour ago, but someone had artificially modified it into a gigantic one, many times its original size. In the middle of it was a person standing upright, his light-blue hair almost blending into the surrounding water''s hue. It was tied neatly in a ponytail, and his eyes were narrowed as he watched the horizon with a patient expression. This was the Enlightened Sage College''s Lan Lan. He had defeated many tough opponents to stand on the arena of the final battle, where he was now waiting for his final opponent. He did not wait long. From the forest beyond, a figure emerged cautiously from the tree line. His erect carriage and handsome face spoke of his royal bearing as the son of the Regent of the Xia Kingdom. And as the strongest student of the Astral Sage College, he was definitely respected. Gong Shenjun stared out at the massive lake, feeling the intimidating aura of the opponent waiting for him in the center. This was without doubt the strongest opponent he had faced up till now. "Enlightened Sage College, Lan Lan?" Gong Shenjun enquired with a smile. The blue-haired man in the middle returned the smile. "Astral Sage College, Gong Shenjun?" They both recognized each other, really. "I had guessed Brother Lan would be my greatest challenge. Looks like I guessed right," Gong Shenjun said courteously. "Brother Gong is too humble," Lan Lan said with a shake of his head and a smile. "Whoever dares to underestimate you is a fool indeed." Gong Shenjun stared at the monstrous lake before him. "Brother Lan, this is a little excessive in terms of preparing the field, don''t you think? You''ve completely changed the terrain to give yourself a huge advantage." "I dare not give up even the slightest advantage against someone as excellent as Brother Gong." Lan Lan stretched out his hand, and a wave rose from beside him, bringing a trident within it. At the same time, the entire lake sank, and a huge body of water rose from within it in the form of a gigantic water serpent. Lan Lan was a water resonance user. "If I hadn''t sensed the quality of your resonance for myself, I would find it hard to believe that Brother Lan is an upper seventh-grade water resonance user," Gong Shenjun remarked. Upper seventh-grade meant that Lan Lan''s resonance might well be the lowest quality ever in the Four Star Hall fights. Usually, an upper seventh-grade was considered neither dauntingly low nor high, but still, it was not commonly seen at the Four Star Hall level, especially as a hot favorite for the finals and an opponent that even Gong Shenjun was wary of. One could only say that Lan Lan was an exception to the norm. His existence proved that resonance grade was important, but not the most important factor. Of course, he was perhaps the only one who could push an upper seventh-grade water resonance to this level of performance. That was why Lan Lan was special. "I was just lucky, and managed to cultivate my school''s treasured scripture... Now, enough words, Brother Gong. I know your strength, so there''s no need to test it." Lan Lan stretched out both hands and made a complex gesture. The water underneath him rose in a wave that stretched in a concave arch around him. It refracted the sunlight above into watery lines of light that covered him in a web of power. Water resonant power exploded forth from his body, stretching out from horizon to horizon. Lan Lan''s narrow eyes were suddenly large and round, and his irises had turned into a cobalt shade that was devoid of all emotion. Dark-blue power rose from his body. Gong Shenjun dashed forward at the first instance, intent on breaking his opponent''s build-up, but his eyes suddenly narrowed. He saw a giant figure step out from the void behind Lan Lan. The figure was cloaked, and its head reached into the clouds and could not be seen clearly. Gong Shenjun immediately sensed the threat from it. The pressure was so monstrous that it made heaven and earth tremble. The patch of space where Lan Lan was at was crumbling around him, warping and twisting from the sheer power that he was shaping. Gong Shenjun did not even blink once as he stared and watched for a clue of how to best react. He saw that his opponent''s hair was slowly turning white. With a jolt of understanding, Gong Shenjun realized what was happening. The Enlightened Sage College''s signature resonance art. Duke Art, Enlightened Sage Scripture. Ordinarily, even those at the Heavenly Resonance Stage could not pull it off, let alone those who were at the Heavenly Pearl Stage. The fact that Lan Lan could pull it off with a seventh-grade water resonance was exceptional indeed. At the same time, he would be paying a heavy price to pull this off. As seen from his hair turning white. "An ultimate straight from the get go..." Gong Shenjun thought to himself. Lan Lan was evidently holding nothing back. If he wanted to survive this move, he was going to have to be prepared to risk it all. If this resonance art connected, he would be severely injured if not dead. Gong Shenjun''s concentration was absolute. Despite his reservations, the strongest champion of the Astral Sage College put his best foot forward to face the unknown. Chapter 0517: Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage Chapter 0517: Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage When the mysterious figure appeared behind Lan Lan, it was not just Gong Shenjun who was stunned, but all the spectators as well. Even through the screens, they could sense the terrible pressure from that thing. "This is a real Duke Art," Sun Dasheng thought admiringly. The one he used was an incomplete version, plus he was only a Resonant Master. The difference in strength between him and a Heavenly Dipper General like Lan Lan was as wide as heaven and earth. But Sun Dasheng was not at all discouraged. He knew that Lan Lan simply had a headstart in cultivation. When he reached the Heavenly Dipper General Stage himself, he might well be Lan Lan''s equal. "The Enlightened Sage Scripture in the hands of someone as strong as Lan Lan could take down even a Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivator," the First Princess said seriously. "Back when I encountered him, his Enlightened Sage Phantom was not this well-defined yet." Li Luo was closely scrutinizing the figure behind Lan Lan as well. A fight between Heavenly Dipper Generals was a rare sight indeed. There were not many of them in the Xia Kingdom. For example, House Luolan only had the three ancestors at that level. "The Enlightened Sage Scripture was created by the principal of the Enlightened Sage College. That phantom is none other than an echo of the principal himself, and it contains a fragment of his power," Vice Principal Su Xin suddenly told them. Li Luo and the others turned to her in great surprise. "The principal of the Enlightened Sage College is a King as well?" Li Luo asked curiously. Su Xin nodded. "There are actually not many principals who have reached the King Stage among the sage colleges in the East Divine Continent, but the Enlightened Sage College''s principal is one of them. In terms of experience and power, he is the equal of our own principal, and both of them are considered the finest of the East Divine Continent. "His Enlightened Sage Scripture is notoriously difficult to cultivate, and extremely dangerous as well. One has to cultivate before the principal himself and withstand the pressure of a King. Only then can one gain a true vision of the Enlightened Sage Phantom. "In this process, many elite students have been broken. They not only failed to cultivate it successfully, but were also haunted by a shadow on their spirits. They were mentally crushed, and their cultivation journey ground to a permanent halt." Li Luo stared at her, stunned. The pressure of a King? He could only imagine how tremendous such a thing was. Truly, it was no walk in the park to obtain a Duke Art. And the fact that Lan Lan had managed to do so spoke of his grit and quality. His resonance might not be of a high grade, but his personality was something that other cultivators with better resonances could not compare with. That strength of character had brought him to where he was today. "Vice Principal, can Senior Gong Shenjun withstand Lan Lan''s Enlightened Sage Scripture?" Li Luo asked. Even Jiang Qing''e and the First Princess sat up straighter at this question. Vice Principal Su Xin was a Duke, and her judgment was far superior in accuracy compared to theirs. Her read of the battle would be highly reliable. Vice Principal Su Xin was silent for a moment. "What makes the Enlightened Sage Scripture terrifying is the Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage. The Enlightened Sage Phantom will kowtow three times to you." Li Luo stared at her uncomprehendingly. Kowtow to the enemy? What the hell was that supposed to do? Politely beseech them to surrender? "Kings and Dukes are superior beings, exalted above all. Their status is higher than others of the land, and it is from this higher status that their control over nature comes. Ordinary beings do not dare cross them for fear of their lives. "Can you imagine what would happen if one of these nobles paid obeisance before an ordinary mortal?" Li Luo was still confused, but he tried to follow the thought through. It would probably be uncomfortable, even unbearable. The implications of such a gesture went against every social convention possible. "Nobles abhor humiliation," Vice Principal Su Xin said with a wry smile. "Without befitting status and power, can you stand up to the kowtow of a King? That is the principle on which the Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage is built. "When Lan Lan activates the Three Kowtows, it will be an inferior version of the phenomenon which you will witness. An echo of a King will kowtow to you, but nature itself will cry out at the wrongness of it all. It will create a glitch in the fabric of worldly natural energy and crush the target, seeking to test the person as worthy or otherwise. "If you cannot withstand this, then you will be killed," she said simply. Li Luo broke out in cold sweat. This was a really insane way of getting nature to do the fighting for you. "And that is not the end of the Enlightened Sage Scripture. Another horror awaits. If you are unable to withstand that kowtow, then the Enlightened Sage Phantom will appear within you to terrorize your soul. If you cannot banish that phantom, it will affect your cultivation... Although, luckily, it is not permanent and will disappear in half a year or so." Even Jiang Qing''e frowned at this. The First Princess was unmovedthis was probably old news to her. "The Enlightened Sage Scripture is sick. It even leaves an affliction?" Li Luo groaned. Having one''s cultivation speed crippled for half a year was not something to take lightly. One''s cultivation level increased most rapidly before the Heavenly Resonance Stage. Having one''s progress delayed by half a year in this crucial stage was a heavy price to pay. Vice Principal Su Xin nodded. "That is why the horror that is the Enlightened Sage Scripture is well known throughout the East Divine Continent. It remains to be seen how Gong Shenjun will choose to deal with this." "If he takes but one more step forward, it will activate the Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage. Victory and defeat will be decided in the blink of an eye," Su Xin said gravely. "We do not know what his choice will be." All eyes at the Holy Grail Meet were on Gong Shenjun right now. At the bank of the lake. Gong Shenjun''s handsome features were arranged in a serious expression. He looked at the figure behind Lan Lan with deep apprehension. Clearly, he knew the tale of the Enlightened Sage Scripture all too well. That was why he was hesitating. This final was a crazy gamble. Lan Lan had set up the stage and the stakes. It was up to him to decide whether to accept or not. Gong Shenjun''s eyes flashed, and he slowly raised his foot up. Lan Lan closed his eyes, and the Enlightened Sage Phantom behind him stirred. Gong Shenjun slowly put his foot back down. He smiled and shook his head. "Brother Lan, I choose not to roll the dice with you this time. "But do not worry. The Holy Grail Meet is not over yet. I think there is a chance that we will meet again in the mixed-level competition." He pulled out his anima gourd and smashed it calmly. A column of light descended from the sky. Gong Shenjun disappeared in a flash, leaving the audience stunned. Chapter 0518: Gong Shenjuns Choice Chapter 0518: Gong Shenjun''s Choice The entire crowd was too stunned to speak when Gong Shenjun vanished from the battlefield. He had actually chosen not to fight, breaking his anima gourd and surrendering. With his elimination, Lan Lan would be the strongest Four Star Hall student by default. No one had expected this outcome. Many were disappointed by this resultthey had hoped to see a legendary battle go down between Gong Shenjun and Lan Lan, two of the strongest students that many present had ever seen. Their clash would definitely be at a much higher level compared to the other three halls. Of course, with the disappointment came taunts, the best way that emotionally awkward youths knew how to deal with it. "Strongest student of the Astral Sage College, strongest at cowardice." "He had already made it all the way there. Even if it was a Duke he was facing, he shouldn''t have chickened out, damn it." "What a letdown." "Well, at least now the Astral Sage College won''t have a chance to take three golden resonant tree brooches in one go." The mood at the Astral Sage College tower was a little subdued. They did not understand why Gong Shenjun had not fought. It was quite out of character for him. Retreating under such circumstances would make others doubt the Astral Sage College''s quality. After all, he was supposed to be the Astral Sage College''s strongest student. He represented the lion''s share of the school''s reputation, compared to the other halls. Li Luo was also surprised, and equally surprised to see that Vice Principal Su Xin looked rather unaffected. He had an odd feeling that she had most expected this outcome. A vortex appeared, cutting through his thoughts. Gong Shenjun stepped out. Usually, any appearance by Gong Shenjun would be greeted with cheers and murmurs in a reverent tone, but now the atmosphere was a little chilly. No one felt good about his cowardice. Gong Shenjun stepped out with a neutral expression. "Vice Principal Su Xin, I was not sure if I could win. I''m sorry to have let down everyone''s expectations." "Senior Gong Shenjun," Duze Honglian burst out, unable to contain her frustration, "why did you not fight? Given your strength, who could say that you were going to lose, even though your opponent had already laid down a formation?!" Her ire was plain to see and hear, especially from someone whose admiration for Gong Shenjun was well-known among those who knew her. And to speak to him thus despite the difference in their status and strength was quite surprising. Duze Honglian secretly had a crush on him, as the most eligible male around. But perhaps because she had held too high an expectation for Gong Shenjun, she felt doubly betrayed by his sudden backing out. Gong Shenjun looked at her silently. "Go on," Vice Principal Su Xin said neutrally. "I''m sure you had your reasons. Let everyone hear them." All eyes. Gong Shenjun laughed lightly. "Well, there''s nothing much to explain. I was not sure I could withstand Lan Lan''s Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage. And if I failed, I would be cursed by the Enlightened Sage Phantom, and my strength would be severely limited. If that happened, I would not only lose the hall-level competition, but also not be able to contribute to the mixed-level competition. "The way I see it, the loss of the Four Star Hall golden resonant tree brooch is bearable, but if we lose the mixed-level competition, then we stand no chance at all. That is why I decided to bank the chips for the mixed-level competition instead." Many of the students fell into a thoughtful silence. So Gong Shenjun was thinking of the long term, biding his time for the mixed-level competition? That made sense. After all, the mixed-level competition was three halls in one team, and Gong Shenjun was a crucial piece in that lineup. Of course, if he had won, then everything wouldve been fine and dandy, but if he lost, it was not just the one brooch that was at stake, but also Astral Sage''s chances in the next round. There were three golden resonant tree brooches up for grabs in the mixed-level competition. That was where the champion would be decided. Perhaps Gong Shenjun''s choice was the rational one after all. Besides, he had said it himselfhe was not sure if he could take on the Enlightened Sage Scripture. There was an intangible lightening of the atmosphere. At the same time, Gong Shenjun''s staunch supporters spoke out. "Senior, you only had the school''s win at heart. You knew that this would be an unpopular choice, but you were noble enough to choose it anyway." The other students looked a little ashamed as well. Duze Honglian hesitated but did not speak. Gong Shenjun smiled. "It''s a fact that I surrendered without fighting. Perhaps I do lack some courage, or I would have fought him mano a mano. But I think the chance will come again in the mixed-level competition. Without fear of the after-effects affecting the school''s chances, I will see how strong the Enlightened Sage Scripture is." "Your rational choice cannot be faulted." Vice Principal Su Xin nodded. "But you should know that if you had won there, we would have a huge advantage." Gong Shenjun looked at her in surprise, then he quickly caught on. "We already have two brooches? Junior Jiang, of course, but one more..." "Li Luo," Vice Principal Su Xin answered. "He won the One Star Hall competition and took a golden resonant tree brooch for us." Gong Shenjun looked at Li Luo oddly, then he quickly smiled. "Junior Li Luo, impressive indeed." Li Luo shook his head modestly. "Which means that I missed out on a golden opportunity," Gong Shenjun said fretfully. Vice Principal Su Xin gave him a considerate look. "No matter. Taking three golden resonant tree brooches in the Hall-level competition is ideal, but two still gives us a good advantage. We stand a chance in the mixed-level competition." Li Luo remained silent. A chance, yes, but because there were three brooches up for grabs in the mixed-level competition, it meant that every other school stood a chance as well. Besides the personal gain for himself and Jiang Qing''e, two golden resonant tree brooches as a final result didn''t do the school any good. If they lost the mixed-level competition, their victories would not mean anything. He remained silent because the moment had passed. Smiles were breaking out across other faces as the students were now satisfied that Gong Shenjun had been looking out for the greater good. In any case, Gong Shenjun was an important member in the Astral Sage College ranks. "Everyone, rest well. Now that the first half of the Holy Grail Meet is over, you may well need a few days of rest. Await the format of the second half to be announced," Vice Principal Su Xin said kindly. There was a tired cheer from the competitors, then they returned to their rooms. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e purposely lingered at the back. "Gong Shenjun did not speak the truth," Jiang Qing''e murmured into Li Luo''s ear, her voice further suppressed with resonant power. Li Luo''s eyes widened. "What? Why?" Jiang Qing''e shook her head. "I have no proof, but somehow I feel like... he does not want to win." Chapter 0519: Celebration Dinner Chapter 0519: Celebration Dinner In the respective towers, the students were all headed for their rooms. The hall-level competition had taken a lot out of them, pushing them to their mental and physical limits. Li Luo returned to his room too, where he crashed hard the moment his head hit the pillow. When he woke up again, an entire day had passed. Outside the window, the stars twinkled quietly in the deep blue of night. Even here at the Holy Grail space, it was an entire world of its own. A soft knock tapped at his door. Li Luo arranged his clothing so he was proper, then opened the door to see Bai Mengmeng standing there. She was in a simple, white shift that complemented her fair skin. "Leader, are you well rested now?" she asked happily, face as fresh as a flower. "Vice Principal Su Xin was very pleased with our result in the hall-level competition, so she''s already awarding all the participants 30,000 school points, regardless of the final result. Everyone''s super happy, and we''re celebrating on the second floor. As the hero, you have to be there, you know." "That''s super generous," Li Luo said, perking up at the mention of school points. "It''s quite a sum." 30,000 school points was a sizable budget for many students, and would sustain them for a long time. "It''s all thanks to Leader and Senior Jiang." Bai Mengmeng beamed admiringly at him. Li Luo smiled back. "Well, you guys helped to secure the title for me too. It wasn''t a one-man effort. Let''s go, then. I''m hungry too." The battle had taken a lot out of him, and he was still tired. Vice Principal Su Xin''s feast was likely meant to help them recover spiritually and rouse them for the next round. After all, an even harder challenge awaited them. The two chatted casually as they walked together to the second floor. Pushing past the curtain, they entered a large hall that was lively with student chatter. All the students were here, gathered in their own small circles, laughing and chatting gaily. Li Luo''s arrival was well noted, and even the senior students smiled and nodded at him, raising their wine cups in a friendly gesture. Although Li Luo''s reputation had been growing rapidly before, it had been limited to the One Star Hall; the Three and Four Star Hall students were hardly impressed, even though he was strong for his level. Previously, they were more interested in the relationship between Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. All of that had changed with the end of the hall-level competition. Li Luo was now the strongest One Star Hall student in all of the East Divine Continent. That was not a title to take lightly. Even after the Holy Grail Meet ended, Li Luo''s reputation would definitely continue to grow outside of the Xia Kingdom. House Luolan''s Jiang Qing''e was famous, a truly talented star. And they had been too blinded by her brilliance to see the young lord of House Luolan come into his own strength from behind her. Even though she was still the stronger of the two, no one would dare to ignore the young lord now. His future was equally unlimited. Li Luo nodded back amiably to all the friendly gestures sent his way. And then he followed Bai Mengmeng over to the One Star Hall side. "Ah, the breadwinner of our family," Lu Qing''er said mischievously. Li Luo glanced over at her. All the girls had dressed and done their makeup today with special care, and Lu Qing''er was dressed in her finest. Her classic ice-silk gloves were, of course, present on her snowy-fair skin. Beneath her skirt, her white, lacy socks clung tightly to her long legs. Lu Qing''er crossed her arms, wine cup daintily pincered between two elegant fingers as she smiled at him. She was attracting her fair share of covert glances from the guys in the room. She was a woman of quality, and captivating in her own right. But seeing the way that she was looking at Li Luo, the other male students shook their heads and muttered to themselves. Some guys had all the luck. This guy already had an engagement to Senior Jiang, and here he was, grazing in other, greener fields. Why didn''t Senior Jiang break his leg already? Li Luo ignored the haters, easily accepting a glass of fruit liqueur from Lu Qing''er. "Li Luo, I hear that each school can only send two teams for the mixed-level competition. It''s a pity, I don''t think we will have a chance to fight anymore," Qin Zhulu groaned, slumping into the chair beside him. "Only two squads?" Li Luo asked, surprised. "Yeah, Vice Principal Su Xin leaked some information," Lu Qing''er confirmed. Li Luo considered this information. Each iteration of the Holy Grail Meet saw different formats, so he could not be sure what they would face this time. But limiting each school to two squads upped the difficulty significantly. He would definitely be with Jiang Qing''e. Of course, given his strength, he was not considered elite compared to a Two Star Hall student, but he should be able to hold his own against most of them. Which meant that he and Jiang Qing''e needed only one more Four Star Hall student to join them. There weren''t many choices either. They only had two. Gong Shenjun or the First Princess. Who should they pick? While he was still considering this, he heard footsteps approach from behind. He peered behind him to see Gong Shenjun walking over with a cup in hand and a warm smile on his face. "Junior Li Luo," he said warmly, "your performance in the hall-level competition was truly impressive. All of the Xia Kingdom was taken by storm." Li Luo smiled back politely. "With Qing''e around, it hardly comes to me to win the glory." Gong Shenjun laughed, but he did not contradict him. "Junior Li Luo," he said directly," I''ve come to extend an invitation. I hope that you can join my team in the mixed-level competition. I believe that together we can get the best result in the next round. What do you think of this proposal?" Li Luo was surprised by this move. Was Gong Shenjun here on an open recruitment drive? In terms of power, of course he was the better choice... but was he really going to work with this guy whom he didn''t fully trust? Li Luo pursed his lips. Chapter 0520: Gong Shenjuns Invitation Chapter 0520: Gong Shenjun''s Invitation Li Luo was not sure about Gong Shenjun''s invitation. Foremost in his mind was the last conversation he had with Jiang Qing''e. She had said that Gong Shenjun did not seem to want to win. Why? There was no good reason he could think of. And no one else seemed to have the same suspicions, not even Vice Principal Su Xin. Li Luo had never considered it before either. Winning the Dragon Bone Holy Grail for the Astral Sage College was all pluses and no minuses. After all, the Umbra Cave was the greatest danger in the Xia Kingdom, and they should all be invested in it. Moreover, Gong Shenjun was royalty, ruling over the Xia Kingdom itself. But Jiang Qing''e''s instincts were not to be questioned. Others might laugh at her baseless hunches, but not Li Luo. No smoke without fire, he believed. Jiang Qing''e had a ninth-grade light resonance, so she could read the hearts of others with acuity. Perhaps she had sensed something that the others hadn''t? Li Luo really could not decide. On paper, Gong Shenjun was the stronger option, and he had no good reason to refuse. Together with Jiang Qing''e, the three of them made a formidable team indeed. While Li Luo was still hesitating, a familiar voice came from behind him. "Senior Gong, perhaps we should wait for Vice Principal Su Xin to release more details about the mixed-level competition before we decide." Jiang Qing''e walked up to stand beside him, her face serene and unreadable as always. Gong Shenjun''s smile broadened further when he saw Jiang Qing''e. "Ah, Junior Jiang, perfect timing. Of course, my invitation is not just to Li Luo. You are also part of the dream team that I have in mind." "The pipe in my room is spoiled," Jiang Qing''e said abruptly to Li Luo, grabbing him by the hand. "Lend me your room." She left, taking Li Luo by the hand. Everyone within earshot thought that Jiang Qing''e had gone mad. Spoiled pipe? Lend room? Bathing? Jiang Qing''e was going to bathe in Li Luo''s room?! The air suddenly grew a lot more tense, and suddenly Li Luo''s popularity fell among the male students. "Stop right there, you filthy animal!" Was what many of them thought, but none of them dared to say. Lu Qing''er almost choked, and she accidentally flash-froze the wine in her hand as her composure slipped. Gong Shenjun''s eyes narrowed. Not even someone of his bearing could perfectly hide his emotions. He almost made a move to stop the two, but he managed to stop himself. Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo were engaged. Whatever they did was proper. If Jiang Qing''e wanted to take a bath in Li Luo''s room, not even Vice Principal Su Xin had a reason to stop them. And so, in the strangely tense silence, they watched Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo leave. It was a long while before the cheer from other parts of the hall finally reasserted itself in this part. Gong Shenjun turned away, giving up on his invitations. The others looked at each other. "Heh, that''s why Senior Jiang is my idol," Bai Doudou cheered. "She always does things with such brutal directness. I love it." "It doesn''t matter what you love, there''s no love back," Yu Lang blurted. Bai Doudou turned to him. "What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled. Yu Lang almost jumped out of his skin. "Er, nothing. I mean... Senior Jiang doesn''t seem to love the idea of joining Senior Gong''s team, does she?" Bai Mengmeng nodded. "I got that same vibe," she said thoughtfully. "But why? Senior Gong is indeed the best choice to form a champion team with. Senior Jiang should have no reason to refuse." She posed the half-question to Lu Qing''er, who was still moodily watching Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e walk away. "What are you thinking about, Qing''er?" Lu Qing''er swished her wine-slush, trying to melt it back down again. "Senior Jiang wouldn''t do anything to Li Luo, would she?" Bai Mengmeng blinked innocently. "I don''t know about that... I did hear Senior Jiang promise Leader once that she would give him some sort of reward if he became the strongest One Star Hall student." Lu Qing''er almost fell out of her chair. "Come again? How do you know this?!" "Oh, I overheard it by accident," Bai Mengmeng said with a smile. "You had best do something quick if you''re going to act, Qing''er." Lu Qing''er stared anew at the sweet-faced baby-doll girl. Somehow, she was looking more sinister by the moment. Perhaps she wasn''t as childlike as everyone made her out to be. She''d have to be careful of this one too. ... Li Luo was dragged by the hand back to his room. "Thanks for the save," he said cheerfully, still gripping her hand tightly. "Otherwise, I wouldn''t have known how to reply to him." "It depends on whether you want to win the Holy Grail Meet," Jiang Qing''e replied. "I don''t have any stake in this. We can win it or not. One strongest student title is enough to win riches from the school," she said indifferently. Li Luo frowned. "But I can''t wrap my head around why Gong Shenjun wouldn''t want to win... If we win, the school will be grateful to him, his reputation in the Xia Kingdom will rise, and he could even crush the First Princess and rise with the Regent, his father." "I can''t wrap my head around it either," Jiang Qing''e admitted. "But my intuition remains unchanged." "If you want to win the Holy Grail Meet, we have to avoid Gong Shenjun''s team at all costs," she continued. "If you do not want to win, then it doesn''t matter." Li Luo paused for a moment. "I want to win it," he finally decided. "I promised Principal Pang." "Pang Qianyuan?" Jiang Qing''e''s eyes widened. She was unaware that the two had spoken of anything, but she was not one to probe too deeply. "If you want to win, then we''ll go look for the First Princess. In any case, we can wait until more details about the format of the mixed-level competition are released tomorrow before we decide." She smiled. "And I will help you." "Thanks, Qing''e," Li Luo said gratefully. "Now you can show your gratitude by loosening that claw-like hold of yours," she said primly. Li Luo regretfully let go of her hand. If not for the fact that he had done very well in the hall-level competition, she would have probably held it against him. She stood up. "Which way''s the bathroom?" Li Luo''s jaw dropped as he pointed numbly to the right. "Er... why?" She shot him a look. "The pipe in my room''s really spoiled," she called over her shoulder as she walked into the adjacent room. Li Luo swallowed as he watched her hourglass figure sashay away. His mouth suddenly felt dry. Chapter 0521: A Fragrant Reward Chapter 0521: A Fragrant Reward Pitter patter. Li Luo was sitting in his room, eyes on his books and mind somewhere else. The sound of the shower in the next room was very distracting. Jiang Qing''e was showering right there! Of course they had bathed together when they were young. But that was when they were children, and from the age that they began to realize the differences between men and women, the common bathing had stopped. But now Jiang Qing''e was taking a shower in his room, and it was enough to set his heart racing again. What is she playing at? What a tease. Li Luo sulked and tried to remain calm. The sound of water in the bathroom continued for half an hour before stopping. Then the door of the bathroom gently opened. Li Luo decided to sneak a glance upwards, but his eyes never returned from their journey. Jiang Qing''e''s long hair was down, still damp. She was in a loose-fitting set of white pajamas, which Li Luo recognized as his own, which he had left in the bathroom. Even with the difference in size, Jiang Qing''e''s shapely body filled out the pajamas appealingly in all the right places. And because the pajamas were long enough, they stopped perfectly at the mid-thigh area, revealing her lovely legs that made the room seem somehow brighter. Gulp. Li Luo felt a catch in his throat. Jiang Qing''e was often clad properly in battle clothing, matched with her cool attitude that left a sense of distance with others. But now she looked completely vulnerable. The gap in her look gave a strong appeal in a completely different way. Li Luo was busy looking, and Jiang Qing''e acted as if nothing was wrong. Instead, she walked over to the table and poured herself a cup of hot water, taking two big gulps. "Your pajamas are quite comfortable. They''re clean, right?" Li Luo rubbed his nose. Nope, no nose bleed. "If you like it, I''ll give them to you," he said casually. "Word in school is that Young Lord Li Luo is a real playboy. Are these your moves?" "Who''s been slandering me like that?!" Li Luo demanded, outraged. Jiang Qing''e laughed. Li Luo found himself getting lost in her beauty again. Dark lashes framing golden eyes; smooth, fair skin you just wanted to kiss; a feminine fragrance wafting out of her body heated by the shower... Li Luo coughed to shake himself out of it. "So, Qing''e, what is it you''re planning to do tonight?" She tilted her head at him, golden eyes watching him. "Li Luo, you did very well at the hall-level competition today," she said with a smile. Li Luo hastily waved it away. "It was okay, nothing compared to you, Qing''e... Although I am indeed the strongest One Star Hall in East Divine Continent now." He grinned, lowkey happy to show off. Jiang Qing''e did not burst his bubble. She continued to look at him with a soft expression. "In one year, you broke out of your blank palace state, made it into the Astral Sage College, and became the foremost student in your hall. Today you defeated rivals that started way ahead of you in all ways, and now you are the strongest. Li Luo, youve improved so much this year that even Im surprised. "I''m very happy today," she said softly. She knew that his efforts were also motivated by his desire to help her with the burdens of protecting House Luolan. And he had indeed accomplished it. She had always been angered by those comments deriding Li Luo as useless. Her heart had gone out to him. It had nothing to do with romantic love, but rather a deep bond between them. Although Jiang Qing''e had been very worried about him in the two years where he had blank palaces, she had purposely reduced contact with him. It was not because she had been unwilling to be associated with him. Rather, she was afraid that her own outstanding performance would cause him unnecessary pressure. In the years that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had not been around, she had to take care of both the house and the young lord. Now that Li Luo was growing into his own strength, she felt like she could finally put down a heavy burden. Li Luo heard the kindness in her voice, and he felt a wave of warmth rush through him. He smiled at the beautiful view in front of him. "And so this is a reward for me?" "You could call it that," she said with a bit of a smile. Li Luo took a deep breath, then let it out again. "I''d call it torture, Qing''e." She rounded the table to stand beside Li Luo and then propped herself against it, her legs beside his face. Li Luo suddenly felt like breathing was a difficult task, more difficult than beating Jing Taixu. Watching Li Luo squirm uncomfortably, Jiang Qing''e smiled down at him. "So let me ask youstill thinking of annulling the engagement?" Li Luo kept his face carefully blank. "And if I am? And if I am not?" Jiang Qing''e folded her arms. "If you choose not to, perhaps our relationship will be better, and there will be more rewards in the future." Li Luo swallowed hard. "That''s unfair," he protested. "We''re supposed to have a fair fight, not use these honey trap tactics. I know! You''re afraid!" Her eyebrows went up. "Afraid of what, pray tell?" "I''m getting more and more awesome by the day. At this rate, I''m going to be able to annul the engagement soon, so you''re trying to interfere with me," Li Luo accused her. Jiang Qing''e rolled her eyes at him but gave up on the teasing. She looked out of the window at the night sky instead. "Li Luo, when the Holy Grail Meet is over, you''ll have been at the Astral Sage College for about a year." She sighed. House Luolan''s Housemeet was almost upon them. All the plotting and intrigue planned by their enemies would culminate then. If they could not survive that storm, House Luolan would founder in a sea of betrayal. And his and Jiang Qing''e''s lives might well be at risk. It was a sobering thought. Even though Li Luo''s growth had been explosive in the last year, it was still far from enough to affect the outcome of the Housemeet. That was why he wanted to win the Holy Grail Meet and then bring the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf that Principal Pang would grant him. "House Luolan is the lifework of the Master and Mistress. No matter what others think of it, I will not permit it to be shut down. Even if it costs me my life," Jiang Qing''e said with quiet determination. "Qing''e, we still have to win the Holy Grail Meet first," Li Luo said firmly. It seemed like they were going to have to avoid the unknown factor of Gong Shenjun for now. Although they still did not know why he did not want to win, this win was too important to him to risk it. "Understood," Jiang Qing''e said. She stretched up lazily to her full height, until even the loose pajamas showed a generous band of midriff that had Li Luo''s eyes popping. "Your room''s ventilation is better than mine. I''ll sleep here tonight." She walked off towards Li Luo''s bedroom. "What about me?" he asked hurriedly. She did not even look back, casually flipping the door closed behind her. "Take advantage of the night to do some quiet cultivation in the study? Prepare for the upcoming battle?" Her amused voice came through the door a bit muffled. Li Luo was devastated. Jiang Qing''e leaned with her back against the door and smiled to herself. Surely after she had pulled Li Luo away, Lu Qing''er''s eyes would be glued to Li Luo''s door. She wasn''t intending to leave so soon. Lu Qing''er had been making progress with Li Luo lately, so Jiang Qing''e felt the need to reestablish some dominance. Chapter 0522: Feeling the First Princess Out Chapter 0522: Feeling the First Princess Out The next day, Jiang Qing''e breezed out of Li Luo''s room, looking refreshed after a good night''s sleep. Li Luo waited for a long while before he skulked out of his own door in a grumpy mood. Man, it hadn''t been a good night. Being in the study alone had been uncomfortable. "Jiang Qing''e, you little minx," he swore to himself. "Li Luo!!" A voice called out to him, shrill with a hint of hysteria. He turned around to see Lu Qing''er standing by the staircase. She was staring at him wide-eyed, both furious and frustrated. "Oh, hey, Qing''er." Li Luo waved. "Did Senior Jiang spend the night in your room?" she demanded in an enraged whisper. Li Luo nodded. Her little hand clenched and unclenched, but she did not lose her temper. She had seen Jiang Qing''e walk out of the room just now, and from the gait of her step and mood, Lu Qing''er could tell with her own arts that nothing had really happened between the two through the night. Still, Jiang Qing''e was going to ruin Li Luo''s reputation at this rate! A man and a woman spending the night alone? Who wouldn''t misunderstand?! But then again, the two were engaged. Even if something happened, what could anybody do about it? Lu Qing''er was angry at her own conclusion. "Senior Jiang never plays by the rules!" she wailed. She rounded on Li Luo again. "Li Luo, you are still young," she said seriously. "You have to be more circumspect, you know. Your cultivation will be affected otherwise. Besides, you''re a boy, but you still have to protect your own modesty. Otherwise, no one will want you!" Li Luo''s expression was martyred. Lu Qing''er stuffed a bag into his hand. "Here''s the breakfast I helped you collect, you ungrateful thing." She huffed and stomped away. Li Luo looked down at the bag in his hand and saw that the contents were still steaming hot. "Thanks, Qing''er," he called hurriedly after her. Li Luo leaned against the banister and wolfed down the breakfast. Other students passed him once in a while, throwing him unfriendly and jealous looks. They could do no more. Evidently, news of Jiang Qing''e spending the night in his room had spread faster than a Duke-level wind resonance user could fly. But again, the two were engaged and therefore there was nothing improper about the arrangement, so they could only seethe. Li Luo was just finishing up his breakfast when Vice Principal Su Xin''s voice sounded in the ear of every single student. "Assemble in the main hall on the first floor, everybody." Li Luo crammed the last bit of bun into his mouth and then dusted the crumbs off. He headed briskly down the stairs, curious to hear what Vice Principal Su Xin would share with them regarding the mixed-level competition. What sort of format was it going to be? Li Luo rounded the last corner of the staircase and ran into the First Princess. Perhaps because they were competing, the First Princess was not dressed in her usual finery. She was clad in a simple shirt-and-pants combination in lavender, but their cutting demonstrated fine tailoring nonetheless. Her lithe manner and sexy body made certain appealing parts of her body bounce as she walked down the stairs, and the male students were all eyes. The two paused in a moment of mutual surprise at seeing each other, then Li Luo hurriedly took a step back. "After you, Your Highness." The First Princess threw him an amused look. "Li Luo, I hear Qing''e spent the night in your bed?" "She spent the night in my bed," Li Luo said grouchily. "I was punished with a night in the study room." "Oh? Why the punishment?" she asked teasingly. "Didn''t you do quite well in the first half? I thought there''d be a reward instead." "Enough teasing, please," Li Luo pleaded sourly. "Let''s head down together." She laughed. Li Luo followed by her side, making small talk. Li Luo was watching their surroundings, and when he spotted a good moment, he suddenly leaned in to the First Princess. She did not move away, smiling at him instead. "Something to ask me?" "I wanted to ask if you''re interested in winning the Holy Grail Meet," Li Luo asked directly. She stared at him, surprised. "Would I be here if I wasn''t?" Actually, the rewards were not the main draw for her. Rather, it was the favor of the school, which would be infinitely more valuable to her in her position. After all, the Astral Sage College might claim to be neutral, but it was still an important faction to win over in the Xia Kingdom. She sighed. "Interest is well and good, but there are too many strong opponents at the Holy Grail Meet. I couldn''t even do well in the hall-level competition. How can I aim for anything in the mixed-level competition?" Li Luo grinned. "Difficult individually, perhaps. But you could just find a couple of trustworthy companions." "Each team can only send two squads," she said doubtfully. "And every school has a finite pool of talent. The Astral Sage College can only send out one strong team. You and Jiang Qing''e are definitely in that seeded team, but me? I don''t think so." "Gong Shenjun did better than me in the hall-level competition," she admitted grudgingly. "You three form the ideal team." The First Princess would just have to choose from the remaining members, although none of them could compare to these two. Li Luo was silent for a few moments. "What if me and Qing''e want to team with you, Your Highness?" he asked softly. Her foot paused mid-air over the next step, then a shiver of anticipation shook her from head to toe. She quickly recovered her composure. Li Luo politely averted his gaze. The First Princess turned to him in amazement. "You and Qing''e? With me?" she asked in disbelief. "You would rather not?" "No... but why me? Logically, Gong Shenjun should be your choice." "Because the First Princess is beautiful and kind, and that makes our group a nicer place to be in." She rolled her eyes at him. "Li Luo, this is no joking matter." "Would I joke about something like this, Your Highness?" Li Luo said with a serious smile. "And don''t bother asking me why either. Qing''e ordered me. Perhaps she trusts you more than him?" The First Princess smiled self-consciously despite herself. "Does Qing''e really think that way?" "Or perhaps Your Highness thinks that this is going to be a mistake, and you''re much weaker than Senior Gong Shenjun?" "No way!" the First Princess said indignantly. "His potential might run deep, but I don''t see myself as that much weaker than him. And with Qing''e in support, I''m afraid of no one, not even Gong Shenjun or Lan Lan!" Li Luo smiled and nodded, satisfied. She fixed him with a look. "But you''re serious? You and Qing''e will join me in the mixed-level competition?" This pleasant surprise was too sudden for a cautious person like herself, and she had to confirm the fact again. Li Luo was starting to feel a little grumpy about the whole business again. Qing''e this, Qing''e that, Qing''e by my sidewhat about him, damnit!? The strongest One Star Hall champion was in front of her in the flesh, and she was giving him as much credit as the wallpaper. It was a three-man fiesta, not a two-man comedy show. "Yeah, well, we''ll see about it," he said huffily, stalking off. She reached out to grab his elbow and hold him a moment longer, but Li Luo had vanished already. She gritted her teeth. That little rascal had gotten her all riled up and now he was running away? He really knew how to play with her feelings! Her sudden movement was attracting some curious looks from the other students, and so she resisted the urge to chase after him, instead walking into the hall at her own pace. Chapter 0523: Mixed-level Competition Format Chapter 0523: Mixed-level Competition Format The hall was packed with students from all four levels. Li Luo squeezed his way through to where the One Star Hall students were gathered. "Brother Luo." Yu Lang popped out as if triggered by an automatic sensor. He seized Li Luo by the hand and pumped it up and down heartily. "Oh, Brother Luo, I thought you were just an ordinary and average person in every way, just like me, except for your good looks. But this time, you''ve really impressed me." The hearty hand pumping was matched in vigor by the pumping of his eyebrows in a knowing man-to-man manner. Li Luo took it in stride, idly wondering what trouble his friend had cooked up this time. Yu Lang was about to explain his predicament when Bai Doudou appeared just as magically, her hand pincering the back of Yu Lang''s neck. "You watch your mouth from now on. If you talk about Senior Jiang like that again, I''ll cut your tongue out!" Yu Lang cringed like a caught rabbit. Why is my leader so fierce!? "Leader, have you had breakfast yet? I still have some here," Bai Mengmeng said with a sunny smile, offering him a bag. "Thanks, but Qing''er already gave me some," he said with a smile. Yu Lang was aghast. Why did some people just wake up with a win in the pocket already? Senior Jiang in bed the whole night, then Lu Qing''er feeding him in the morning? If that wasn''t heaven, he didn''t know what was. Bai Mengmeng smiled and nodded, putting away the bag. When she leaned forward to offer the bag, her sharp nose had not detected any other scent on Li Luo''s body. It seemed like nothing had happened between Li Luo and Senior Jiang last night; otherwise, there would definitely have been some mingling of scents. Is Leader''s restraint that strong? He was faced with a goddess like Senior Jiang and didnt waver throughout the night at all? Even Bai Mengmeng had to give him some respect for that. Truly befitting of her leader. While the covert speculation continued, the great hall fell silent as Vice Principal Su Xin walked in, stepping up on the stage. She smiled at them and clapped twice to draw their attention. "Everyone, information on the Holy Grail Meet''s mixed-level competition has been released," she announced to the eagerly listening students. "As you may have heard, each school can only send two squads." This was disappointing news for the rest of the students who had trained hard but knew they would not be chosen. After all, this was a good chance for them to gain once-in-a-lifetime experience and expand their horizons. The two-squad limit shut down that opportunity for most of them. "Vice Principal, why is it so few? There were at least four or five squads in past iterations..." someone asked. Vice Principal Su Xin nodded sympathetically. "That is because this iteration of the mixed-level competition is far more dangerous." The students broke out into confused murmurs. "The mixed-level competition will not be held in a direct competition style, nor is the competition even held within the Holy Grail space." They looked around at each other. Not within the Holy Grail space? "This time, it will involve Others," she stated calmly. The word cooled the atmosphere down fast. Many students were looking fearful. They remembered their time in the Umbra Cave all too well. How was the mixed-level competition going to involve them? Vice Principal Su Xin summoned a bit of light, then expanded it into a map. Li Luo looked at the terrain closely, but he could not find any familiar topographies. This was not in the Xia Kingdom at all. "This is the Blackwind Empire, located in the north of the East Divine Continent. It is a vast nation, comparable to the Xia Kingdom, and a powerful one as well. Despite its reputation, it was met with a terrible catastrophe in the last three years, and the entire nation crumbled. "The reason for this is the Blackwind Sage College, or rather the Umbra Cave that the Blackwind Sage College was supposed to guard. For some reason, there was a breach that was not discovered in time. As a result, the Others entered the Blackwind Sage College and decimated it. "The Blackwind Empire no longer exists. The entire region is rife with Others roaming the land. We call such phenomena Other Disasters. There is no life at all within the land," she said quietly. The students fell into a hushed silence. The Blackwind Empire''s sage college had failed... They were all elite students who had faced the Others in battle before, and they were all currently imagining a land completely overtaken by those monstrosities. A grand nation reduced to rubble. They could only imagine the devastation in that land. "After the Blackwind Empire''s Other Disaster, the neighboring countries all lent aid to suppress it, drawing on the strength of many sage colleges. But clearing out that many Others is no easy task, and progress has been slow." "Vice Principal, are you saying we''re supposed to go to the Blackwind Empire and help with this mission?" Gong Shenjun asked. Everyone else swallowed nervously. No wonder only two teams were allowed. This was crazy dangerous! Vice Principal Su Xin nodded gravely. "Exactly. To cleanse Others in the Blackwind Empire. That is the mission of the mixed-level competition." The students paled. A land completely taken over by Others, transformed into a horrific dystopia. Even Dukes would not dare to wander freely there. What use would students be? Wasn''t it suicidal?! "Vice Principal, there''s definitely been some cordoning off regarding the area of operation, right?" Li Luo asked hesitantly. Of course, there would be regions that were far beyond their abilities, and Li Luo thought it impossible that the Academic Federation would just send them to die. This was the only possible explanation. Vice Principal Su Xin nodded, pointing at one region. "This is called the Red Clay Province. It''s where the mixed-level competition will take place. It has been thoroughly scouted, and the strongest Others there should be Lesser Heavenly Disaster-class." The students heaved sighs of relief. The Lesser Heavenly Disaster-class was equivalent to the Heavenly Pearl sub-stage of the Heavenly Dipper General Stage. For elites like Gong Shenjun and the First Princess, they were manageable with proper squad backup. "After the competition starts, squads will be transported to various locations all around the Red Clay Province. You will also receive maps. The goal is to cleanse the area and purge all Others. Those will then be calculated with points, a process you are all familiar with. We use the same system for our own Umbra Cave. "The final goal is the capital city of the Red Clay Province, Russet Rock City," she said, pointing to a skull symbol at the center of the province. "Once Russet Rock City is cleansed, the mixed-level competition ends. "But let me remind you," she said, looking gravely at each of their faces, "Russet Rock City is where the pollution is strongest. There might even be Greater Heavenly Disaster-class Others there by that time. Be very careful." Even Gong Shenjun and the First Princess looked worried when they heard this. Greater Heavenly Disaster-class. As strong as Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivators. This was going to be a grueling challenge! Chapter 0524: Choices Chapter 0524: Choices The hall was dreadfully silent. Many students were in shock at the idea of facing Greater Heavenly Disaster-class Others. Now they knew why this mixed-level competition was different. Indeed, weaker students like themselves would only come to harm if they participated. Although the school would definitely provide some protection, Others were just too deadly and tricky. Corruption could strike from any direction. It was not just themeven Li Luo was worried by the idea of Greater Heavenly Disaster-class Others. He had faced one before, the grinning demon in their own Umbra Cave. Back then, Jiang Qing''e had given everything she had, ending up seriously injured while barely being a minor inconvenience to it. If not for the three-tailed heavenly wolf that he had lured over in the end, all of the students would have died at its hands. Although they eventually dealt with it, Li Luo would involuntarily flinch whenever he saw anybody smile for the longest time after that. A bit of leftover trauma. That was how scary a Heavenly Disaster-class Other was. And now they were supposed to cleanse a province with such monsters? Were the schools really lacking manpower? He sighed. Well, at least there were going to be two major carries in his squad. At this sort of level, they would be the main fighters, while a puny Resonant Master cultivator like himself could back them up at best. Of course... he had his own backup of sorts. Li Luo touched the dark red bracelet on his wrist. In it was trapped the three-tailed heavenly wolf that had beaten the grinning demon. According to Principal Pang, this three-tailed heavenly wolf was something special. It was already at the peak of Heavenly Dipper General power, equivalent to a Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivator... Back at the Umbra Cave, when the First Princess had rushed to his "rescue," he felt that she would have died to it as well if not for the seal that Principal Pang had given him. "It is a dangerous and risky task, but as members of sage colleges, purging Others is part of our duty. There''s no need to overthink this. Just treat it as another mission to the Umbra Cave. "The two squads will be led by Gong Shenjun and Gong Luanyu." Hearing her nomination, both Gong Shenjun and the First Princess stood up calmly. Although they were also intimidated by the notion of taking on Heavenly Disaster-class Others, they handled the news with aplomb, as befitting of their status as royalty and the two strongest students present. They had experience dealing with Others of that class before. "Next the two squads need two more members each. According to the rules, there cannot be two members at the same hall level." "Jiang Qing''e, Li Luo, you two don''t want to be separated, I assume?" she said a little mischievously. There was a smattering of envious laughter from the others, directed mostly at Li Luo. Although Li Luo''s performance was superb, many still regarded him as inferior to their goddess, Senior Jiang. Not like anyone gave a rat''s ass about what they thought though. Gong Shenjun was looking in their direction as well. He smiled warmly and extended his invitation again. "Junior Jiang, Junior Li Luo, if you two are willing to join my team, I think the three of us stand a good chance of winning the championship." This was no surprise to anybody present. Of course, his main target was to secure Jiang Qing''e to his team. She was definitely the strongest person present outside of the Four Star Hall. Definitely a great asset for the team. Li Luo''s usefulness was a little more debatable. Even though he was the strongest One Star Hall student, there were also Two Star Hall options available. Zhu Xuan, for example. Even though he had not fared too well in the Two Star Hall, he was still a Fourth Changing, whereas Li Luo was a Third Changing. Of course, he had shown that he could temporarily increase his level to the Fourth Changing as well. In any case, Li Luo was not an immediate choice like Jiang Qing''e. But... Everyone knew that the pair was inseparable. They came as a package deal. Vice Principal Su Xin was waiting for their reply too. In terms of strength, the two of them and Gong Shenjun would form the strongest possible team, which would increase the chances of them winning. This was both a competition against Others and other schools. Still, she remained silent. Choosing teams was the privilege of the members, and not even she could force any team to form, even though she was the vice principal. The First Princess'' face was carefully neutral, although there was tell-tale tightness in the rims of her phoenix eyes. She was not sure whether to believe what Li Luo had said to her at the staircase earlier. The strongest choice was Gong Shenjun after all. Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo exchanged a look, and then Li Luo smiled apologetically at Gong Shenjun. "Sorry, Senior Gong, Qing''e and I cannot join your team. "We have to join Her Highness'' team." There was an astonished gasp from the crowd. Gong Shenjun looked genuinely shocked as well. When Li Luo had dodged his request last night, he had suspected that something of the sort might happen, but he had not judged it that likely. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e have chosen the First Princess... Is this just a simple choice that stands by itself? Or do they mean that House Luolan stands with the First Princess? "Senior Gong, you might be the best choice in the eyes of the others, but we already accepted the invitation of the First Princess before the Holy Grail Meet, so..." Li Luo''s voice trailed off with apologetic appeal, then he turned back to the First Princess with a broad smile. "First Princess?" She recovered quickly, not missing a beat. "Royal Brother, there has to be order in all things. I have laid down many efforts in the past to win over Qing''e to my team. I''m afraid you won''t be able to poach her from me so easily." "Luanyu," Gong Shenjun said impatiently, "is this the time to talk about order? Winning the championship and upholding the school''s reputation and honor is what''s important here." The First Princess smiled sweetly but dangerously. "Are you implying I don''t have what it takes to win, Royal Brother?" "I wouldn''t dare," he said courteously, shaking his head. "Junior Jiang, I respect your desire to uphold your promise to Luanyu, but this concerns whether we can bring the Dragon Bone Holy Grail back home with us. I hope you can reconsider. I know that Luanyu is also a good choice, but I do feel that the odds are slightly better with me instead." He spoke with tact and fairness, and many students found themselves nodding in agreement with his reasonable proposition. Surely power was king here, and Jiang Qing''e and Gong Shenjun made the best team. Jiang Qing''e''s face was as still as a lake. She looked at him calmly, waiting for him to finish before she spoke at a measured pace. "In our house, Li Luo makes the decisions. He has spoken. We work with the First Princess. I would not dare to shame him. Sorry, Senior Gong, I look forward to working with you in the future." Her words left them all speechless. Chapter 0525: Kicking It With The First Princess Chapter 0525: Kicking It With The First Princess Everyone looked at Jiang Qing''e oddly after her declaration. Although Li Luo was formally the young lord in House Luolan, everyone knew that Jiang Qing''e far exceeded him in reputation. While Li Luo''s performance had been a delight so far, he was still not the heavyweight that Jiang Qing''e was. It was clear who held the reins of power in their household. Jiang Qing''e''s words were just to help him save face. But even doing so spoke volumes about their relationship. Gong Shenjun showed no emotion in response. He stood silent for a moment, then smiled regretfully. "A pity. I wanted Junior Jiang to lend me her strength and chase the championship together." With this, the team was settled. "Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, are you sure you will choose Gong Luanyu as your squad leader?" Vice Principal Su Xin asked. Both of them nodded. She blinked once thoughtfully but said no more. Choosing teams was a sacred right that could not be interfered with. Besides, even though Luanyu was a little weaker than Shenjun, she was still strong in her own right. All in all, the difference in strength was not that big. Nothing that someone like Jiang Qing''e couldn''t overcome. As for Li Luo... he was a bonus sparrow flitting about the match. Such was the case for mixed-level competitions. "Alright, then, the three of you form a team. I hope you can work well together and bring more success to our school." All three nodded firmly. Vice Principal Su Xin turned back to Gong Shenjun. "Well, it seems like you''ll have to find two other squad members, then," she said with some sympathy. "Whatever is best for the school," Gong Shenjun said with an agreeable nod. "If we win, nothing else matters." Even Su Xin found herself nodding at this attitude. He truly lived up to his reputation as the foremost student in the Astral Sage College. Gong Shenjun picked the Three Star Halls Duze Honglian and the Two Star Halls Zhu Xuan as his two squad mates. Both of them gratefully accepted. And so the second squad for the mixed-level competition was confirmed as well. Both squads looked rather strong, but all in all, the First Princess'' squad seemed a little better because of Jiang Qing''e''s presence. Together with the First Princess, they could probably take on Lan Lan without much fear. As for Li Luo, he was simply too lightweight. Compared to his General Stage squadmates, what could a Resonant Master cultivator possibly accomplish? If not for the stipulation that all three squad members had to be from different halls, the One Star Hall would probably never see the light of day in mixed-level competition. Not like the Two Star Hall would see much action either. Zhu Xuan was also only a Fourth Changing, and not much stronger than Li Luo. Although in this iteration, perhaps only the North Sea Sage College''s Ao Bai was better. It was said that he had reached a quasi General Stage, which was above other Resonant Master cultivators. "This mission is both a competition and a purging mission," Vice Principal Su Xin said to them gravely. "Although you have gone through training in the Umbra Cave before, they are completely different once they reach the outside world. Within the Umbra Cave, the school conducts frequent and thorough filtering to weaken their ranks. In the Red Clay Province, Others have devoured many humans, making them even more dangerous. All of you, please be extra careful." She flicked out wisps of white light as she spoke, and they deposited a white mirror and a crystal phial in their hands. "This is a spirit mirror with many uses. It can update you on squad missions and the point leaderboard. Of course, most importantly, you can smash the mirror if you''re faced with death. The power within will protect you and transport you back to the Holy Grail space, but once the mirror is broken, you''ll be eliminated. "The liquid in the bottle is cleansing dew. Once you clear out the Others in the Red Clay Province, you will need to pour it and create a purification spot. Once there are enough of them, they will join up together and cover the entire Red Clay Province, freeing it from the corruption." The students nodded. This was not an alien concept. They had activated purification towers back in the Umbra Cave as well. This cleansing dew probably had a similar role. "You will get more information once you get into things. The mixed-level competition will officially begin in two days'' time. Go and prepare and rest until then." The atmosphere in the hall lightened once Vice Principal Su Xin stepped out. All eyes were on the two squads, and those closer to Gong Shenjun and the First Princess stepped forward to offer encouragement. The First Princess thanked them as she moved through the crowd towards Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. "A moment," she called out. The two of them turned to her and dipped their heads in acknowledgment. "Your Highness. We''ll be in your care in the mixed-level competition." Li Luo grinned. The First Princess rolled her eyes. "Why so courteous, Young Lord? How could a small vessel like me hope to contain the overwhelming talent that comes from you two?" Jiang Qing''e smiled slightly. "Your Highness is no small vessel." The First Princess took Jiang Qing''e by the elbow in a tender fashion. "Don''t worry, Qing''e, with you and me working together, I''d like to see who can stop us." "I''ll be looking forward to it, Your Highness." "Ah, yes," Li Luo thought to himself grumpily, "the casual snubbing... again." In this squad, his presence was just... pathetic. Chapter 0526: Elder Ling Yu Chapter 0526: Elder Ling Yu Two days passed in the blink of an eye. A circular arena made of white jade had appeared in the Holy Grail space. All the participating students at the Holy Grail Meet were gathered there. They were the handpicked elites of their respective schools, but they were only spectators here. Not many of them would play a part in the mixed-level competition. Squads continued to stream in to rousing cheers from their schools. "Looks like a transport ward," Li Luo said, noting the regulated light patterns across its surface and a latent energy in the floor beneath him. His two squadmates, Jiang Qing''e and the First Princess, nodded in agreement. The two of them standing together was just about the prettiest view in the whole Holy Grail Meet. Moreover, Jiang Qing''e''s reputation had spread far and wide over the last few days. The First Princess was a real beauty as well, and she had that royal bearing as part of her charm. "Why isn''t Jiang Qing''e teaming up with Gong Shenjun for the Astral Sage College?" "Yeah, that''s strange. Gong Shenjun''s the strongest Four Star student, right? They''d be unbeatable together." "You guys don''t give Xia Kingdom''s First Princess enough credit. She''s not that much weaker than Gong Shenjun. With Jiang Qing''e beside her, they''re still damned strong." "Oh and Li Luo too... Keke, a squad with two strongest students? That''s sick." "Ah, but Li Luo''s only One Star. His advantages are nullified by the Two Star Hall students who have an extra year of cultivation on him. He might be strong, but how can he hope to compare to the North Sea Sage College''s Ao Bai?" "Well, I think the strongest squad overall is still going to be Enlightened Sage Colleges. I hear Lan Lan, Lu Jinci, and Jing Taixu are all in the same group. They might only have one brooch on that squad, but it''s the Four Star Hall brooch, which is the most important." "Well, that''s true..." Li Luo could hear them all clearly. He spotted the familiar visage of Jing Taixu some distance away. He was talking and laughing with his two squadmates, Lan Lan and Lu Jinci. As if sensing his gaze, Jing Taixu looked up and their eyes met. The smile on Jing Taixu''s face faded a little, and he looked away stiffly. Lu Jinci saw it happen. "I was about to follow you to taunt them," he said irritatedly. "At least your loss to Li Luo was a dignified one-on-one. What about me? I fought her with a team and still got nailed." He was rather grouchy at how disproportionate the whole thing had turned out. The idea had been Jing Taixu''s, and all he had done was follow him over to see Jiang Qing''e. But he''d been hung up like a slaughtered deer and quartered. Jing Taixu laughed a little apologetically, then he quickly changed the subject. "Senior Lan Lan, please help us save the situation if you can." "Junior Jing, you''ve already sabotaged Lu Jinci. Now you''re trying to sabotage me?" Lan Lan laughed. "Not at all. You''re the strongest in the Four Star Hall, a Heavenly Pearl Stage expert. Even though Jiang Qing''e has a ninth-grade light resonance, she is only an Earth Fiend." Lan Lan shook his head smilingly but did not refute him. Li Luo only took one look at Jing Taixu before turning his attention to Lan Lan. He could sense what a gigantic threat this guy was. "That Lan Lan is really something," Jiang Qing''e said to him in a low voice. "He only has an upper seventh-grade water resonance, but hes strong enough to crush many upper eighth-grade resonance elites." "Although resonance grade provides a cultivation advantage, it''s not absolute. And no one can really compete with the threat of the Enlightened Sage Scripture." The First Princess nodded gravely. Li Luo nodded, noting the apprehension in her voice. Truthfully, he had never met a King expert before. Principal Pang had been an echo back then as well, and even so, he had felt the crushing mountain of pressure from the echo''s presence. Lan Lan had managed to cultivate the Enlightened Sage Scripture despite that. Truly impressive. Li Luo cast his eye out across the other squads, spotting a few more familiar faces. Sun Dasheng, Lu Ming... nothing surprising. They were definitely One Star Hall students that held their ground against even the best of Two Star Hall. Suddenly, Li Luo''s gaze stopped. He saw a handsome, prince-like person with a fan in hand, and he recognized the person from the intel they had received. The Two Star Hall''s strongest student, the North Sea Sage College''s Ao Bai. Although he had not fully broken into the Earth Fiend Stage, his Fiend Palace was already starting to form. This was known as the quasi General Stage, and he was far beyond the other Two Star Hall competitors like Zhu Xuan. "You could throw a stone and hit a genius by accident in this place," Li Luo noted dryly. The cream of the East Divine Continent crop was truly all gathered at the Holy Grail Meet. A gong sounded out, and a person walked out onto the stage. The person was followed by the school representatives. Vice Principal Su Xin was also among them. But it was the main person that had Li Luo''s attention. He was dressed in the Academic Federation''s uniform. The old man had a head of fully white hair, but his eyebrows were dark red and fiery. He had a charismatic aura about him, and Li Luo felt himself heating up physically just by looking at this man, despite the man not showing any signs of resonant power. It was not just him. Many around him were dabbing at their sweat. "That''s the elder who was sent by the Academic Federation to organize the Holy Grail Meet, Elder Ling Yu," the First Princess informed them. Li Luo was very curious. Was this some super-high level guy from the Academic Federation? The red-browed elder took a step forward. Without so much as a word or a smile, his gaze alone was enough to make the chatter of the crowd fade away. When there was silence, he spoke in a gravelly voice. "East Divine Continent students. Firstly, let me congratulate you on making it here. Being chosen to compete in the mixed-level competition means that you are the strongest of your schools. Even so, for many of you, your efforts for your schools will end here. The mixed-level competition this time is different, for reasons already made clear to you. "You will soon head for the Blackwind Empire... No, that empire is no more. There might never be a Blackwind Empire again in the future. It is now completely overrun by Others, and your mission is to purge what was once the Red Clay Province. The corruption level in that area is rather light, and perfect for your training. "One more thing: I''d like to give you all a warning. Others might not be the only thing you have to watch out for." The students sat up straighter at this. Not just the Others? His old, wrinkled eyelids opened up wider. "We suspect that the Umbra Cave that Blackwind Sage College guarded was sabotaged, leading to the Other Disaster." Silence, and the students reeled. The seal on the Umbra Cave had been broken on purpose? They could hardly imagine what sick-minded terrorist or evil faction would do such a crazy thing. Chapter 0527: The Mixed-Level Competition Gets Serious Chapter 0527: The Mixed-Level Competition Gets Serious Elder Ling Yu''s announcement about a possible traitor was met with shock. The Umbra Cave was the stuff of nightmares, the worst enemy of humankind. An Other Disaster was worse than any other sort of disaster. The uncomfortable atmosphere built and built, and then Elder Ling Yu spoke again. "Of course, it''s not certain whether the Blackwind Empire really fell because of a traitor. At present, it remains only a possibility, but one that we cannot dismiss. Just be careful in the Red Clay Province. "Now that the Blackwind Empire has thoroughly fallen, the corruption continues to deepen and expand. It is hard even for us to know what is within. From what I see, the deepening corruption might well have already formed an Other nestportal. Once such portals open, the shadow world has complete access to that location, and the Blackwind Empire will be a true horror indeed. When the Other Disaster broke out, the neighboring countries sent Dukes to scout the place out, but many of them returned injured. Perhaps there are already Other Kings present within," Elder Ling Yu continued tonelessly. The other students were nervously thanking their lucky stars that they had not been chosen. Other Kings... Old man, are you trying to shorten our lifespan until it''s the same as yours?! This was way beyond the pay grade of a student! "I tell you all of this information not to scare you, but to impress upon you how serious the matter is. Your mission will play an important role in the greater plan to stop the Other Disaster in the Blackwind Empire, although we do not have enough resources to completely purge the place. That is why we have chosen to seal it away for now. "The seal is made of an enormous ward that encloses the entirety of the Blackwind Empire. It stops the Others from spreading to other countries. There are many points that will help support the ward. We''ve already established the others, and the Red Clay Province is the last place remaining. Once it is completed, the entire seal will kick into action. "At the same time, other countries will be helping to run interference in other zones, to prevent the strongest creatures in the Blackwind Empire from turning their attention this way. It should buy you more time. "I hope you do not see this mission as just a competition. Your success or failure overall will determine the future of the Blackwind Empire and the safety of all our people. If the ward fails, it will be an unparalleled disaster for all of us." The students were silent as stone. Li Luo shared a worried look with Jiang Qing''e as well. The mixed-level competition had just gotten a hell of a lot more serious. This level of mission... it was high in both difficulty and importance. However, there was no reason to refuse. This was not just about a championship anymore, it was the safety of their home, a responsibility that none of them could run away from. Although the Blackwind Empire was a long way away from the Xia Kingdom, if it got out of control, none of them would be safe. "All of the East Divine Continent''s sage colleges and the neighboring countries together can''t handle an Other Disaster at the Blackwind Empire?" Li Luo asked quietly. "It''s not that simple," the First Princess said, shaking her head. Each school has its own responsibilities to take care of. The principals can rarely leave their schools even for a moment. Just look at the Holy Grail Meetall the schools have sent vice principals only, despite how important this is. The principals can''t leave. They don''t dare to leave. As for the other countries, besides the neighbors, who would send their experts to contain the Other Disaster in a forsaken land? In truth, the cutthroat politics, border disputes, and threat from each other isn''t much easier to deal with compared to an Other Disaster. And as Elder Ling Yu said, the Blackwind Empire is suspected to have Other Kings roaming around. The situation is dangerous and complicated. Only Kings can really deal with such enemies, and yet they are few and far between in the East Divine Continent. "That is why sealing off the area is the best plan for now." "What about the Academic Federation?" Li Luo asked. "Aren''t they super strong? Can''t they send a King over?" "The Academic Federation is very strong indeed," the First Princess said with a sigh. "But the world is much greater than us, and they have many other things to deal with. If not for the Holy Grail Meet, Elder Ling Yu would not even be here. The Academic Federation has its hands full dealing with all the Umbra Caves already. You cannot expect them to be omnipresent and omnipotent. They cannot be saviors. This is not their only concern either, and they are not the only superpower in this world either. "And finally... Kings are precious assets even for the Academic Federation. Before ascertaining the situation at the Blackwind Empire, they would not send such a powerful person. If an accident were to happen, even the Academic Federation would feel the loss keenly." Li Luo hung his head. "Humble pie baked and eaten." The First Princess smiled at that. "Well, the Academic Federation is shrewd, I''ll give them that. The Holy Grail Meet presents a unique opportunity that they''re using well. The elites are gathered here, and yet we are still students who will only leave a smaller footprint, reducing the chances of detection by greater dangers. "And once the Red Clay Province''s purification spot is established, the Other Disaster will at least be contained." Li Luo nodded admiringly. Indeed, the Holy Grail Meet gathering was quite a strong group. The One Star Hall students might not count for much, but the Three and Four Star Hall students were already uncommonly strong and at the General Stage. This level of power was quite impressive in any nation. For example, House Luolan only had the three Heavenly Dipper General ancestors, besides his parents and Uncle Biao. On the dais, Elder Ling Yu had finished with his dire warnings, and he put his hands together. "Students, I will not belabor the point any further than I already have. I hope that all of you who enter the Red Clay Province will follow the spirit mirrors instructions and complete your missions smoothly. "The champions of the mixed-level competition will be the squad with the highest points. As for how points are calculated, you will find out from the spirit mirror once you enter the Red Clay Province. "Does anyone have any questions?" Silence. Elder Ling Yu nodded. "Prepare yourselves, then. Teleportation will happen soon. I await your good news here." With that, blinding light beamed upwards from them, and soon they felt their bodies being squeezed through a rift. The space around the white jade arena started to twist and warp. Less than a minute later, the energy built up to the critical level, and each of them was teleported away. Outside the area, the other students watched them go, wishing them well in their hearts. The mixed-level competition had officially begun. Chapter 0528: Red Clay Province Chapter 0528: Red Clay Province When the dizzying teleportation ended, Li Luo opened his eyes and then opened them wider. The sky before him was a dreary grayish-green. Dark, poisonous, green mist hung in the air, lending to the gloomy complexion of the land. From all around him came low whispers that played on his negative emotions. Li Luo felt like he was back in the Umbra Cave. "This is the Red Clay Province?" Jiang Qing''e''s voice came from behind him. She was carefully studying their surroundings too. The First Princess bent down and took a handful of soil. It was an earthy-red color. "Should be correct. The Red Clay Province produces a red ore that creates a special metal that attracts electricity when tempered. That is why thunder is often heard over the Red Clay Province, and also how the region got its name." "So... what''s the plan, Leader?" Li Luo grinned. "Wow, it''s a real honor to be called leader by the strongest One Star Hall student," the First Princess teased back as she pulled out her spirit mirror and activated it. A map beamed out of it, covered with many red dots. This was a map of the Red Clay Province, and those red dots were the various cities within it. "We''re currently in the periphery of the western area," the First Princess said, pointing with a slender finger. "These hamlets are the places that we must pass, and you can see that the bigger light dots indicate bigger cities. The corruption will definitely be deeper there, and that''s also where the Others should be stronger and greater in number. Of course, that''s where we can get a lot of points. "It seems to me that there are three tiers of points to obtain. Level one would be these isolated hamlets and towns on the periphery. The corruption is light, and they should be easy to cleanse. Once the cleansing dew is placed in the middle, we get 5,000 points. "Level two would be the bigger cities. These are worth 20,000 points if we can place the cleansing dew successfully. "Level three only includes a handful of cities... I count maybe a dozen or so at most throughout the Red Clay Province. Those are worth 50,000 points." "A very familiar system," Li Luo observed dryly. "Yes, it''s exactly the same as what our school uses in the Umbra Cave. I guess it works, so they adopted it wholesale," Jiang Qing''e said. Li Luo remembered that the purification towers in the Umbra Cave had also been divided into three levels. "As a side reminder, these points are not just used for the championship. School points are tied to it as well, which means we get to keep them after the competition and can redeem cultivation resources back at school," the First Princess told them in good humor. "That''s very generous!" Li Luo was now excited. This was a huge amount of points. Even divided by three, it was a huge haul if they could just cleanse a few towns, far more than what they would get in the Umbra Cave. "That''s because the mission is very dangerous," Jiang Qing''e reminded him mildly. The First Princess nodded in agreement. "Also, the points aren''t as important as winning the Holy Grail Meet. It''s not even close in terms of the benefits. So our goal here is still to win the thing." Both Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e agreed wholeheartedly. School points were the cherry on top, but they should not forget about the cake itself. Eyes on the prize. The school points were really a consolation prize for the squads that could not win. "What about this one in the center? How many is that worth?" Li Luo pointed to a sinister, red dot in the middle. He knew it was their final destination, Russet Rock City. "500,000." Li Luo inhaled sharply. "That''s too damn high, surely?" That city alone was probably equal to all the level three cities added up together! "500,000, but probably no one squad can take it all for themselves," Jiang Qing''e reminded him. Li Luo had to concur. All squads would converge on Russet Rock City eventually. As the final goal of the mixed-level competition, the corruption was thickest there. And if there were Heavenly Disaster-class Others there, one squad alone would not be enough. There would have to be cooperation, and so the 500,000 points would have to be split. "We might not be able to get it all, but if we could get just half, we''d be swimming in points," the First Princess said cheerfully. "Well, well, well." Li Luo rubbed his hands. "Looks like we''ll have to fight our guts out over there." Jiang Qing''e and the First Princess glared at him. He sure talked big for a guy who wouldn''t be doing the heavy lifting. "Oh, and do you see this city?" The First Princess pointed to another big, red dot, which was outlined with a faint, yellow border. "This level three city is a compulsory objective. You can take it as the primary mission that the organizers have set for us. If that city is not taken, we not only cannot get points, we will even be penalized a corresponding amount of points." Li Luo''s jaw dropped. "A negative point system?!" The First Princess nodded. "If the organizers have demarcated it as such, then it must be a very important location." "Perhaps a key point for the ward," Jiang Qing''e offered. Li Luo shrugged. "Well, I''m the fly swatter here. Whatever my mistresses decide." "Oh, what a good boy you are," the First Princess said mischievously, reaching out to tousle Li Luo''s silver hair. Li Luo hurriedly ducked away. "Be careful, Qing''e will be jealous." "I''d hardly be jealous of a playboy like you," Jiang Qing''e said without missing a beat. "Don''t slander me," Li Luo protested. "I am Li Luo, the purest of waters, the clearest of crystals." "Pfft." The First Princess watched the two banter. She had never seen this livelier side of Jiang Qing''e before in school. Only with Li Luo did her coolness seem to melt away a little. Suddenly, the First Princess froze, turning in another direction. "Something there." Jiang Qing''e whirled to face the same direction as well. Li Luo was slower, chasing them with all his might. A few minutes later, they reached a high slope and were looking out at a small hamlet covered in dark-gray mist. They could see that there was unnatural movement within the town. They looked at each other, confirming their thoughts. An Other cluster. Chapter 0529: Tale Of A Small Village Chapter 0529: Tale Of A Small Village Wow! A greenish-gray mist hung outside the town walls, coiling around the perimeter like an ethereal concertina wire. Within the smoke, figures flitted here and there, and the villagers'' eyes darted back and forth, desperately trying to track their movements. Finally, they emerged from the gloom, wolf-like creatures with eerily human faces and four limbs looking like human hands. Their human eyes glittered with feral malice, fixed on the walls that were keeping them out. They prowled the outside perimeter, held temporarily at bay by a faint, golden light that covered the walls. The source of this power was a Golden Tiger Talisman that floated in mid-air, surrounded by small, golden fangs. Occasionally, an Other would cry out like a baby and then leap on the talisman. And the fangs would immediately shred it into black pulp. This resulted in a growing pile of foul pulp-sludge at the bottom of the talisman, which was horrid to look at. A disturbance in the mist. The villagers shrank back fearfully, and a tall man-wolf walked out. This one had two faces! "A two-faced man-wolf!" the villagers shouted in dismay. "Commander, we''re doomed now! The tiger talisman probably can''t hold it!" They looked towards a middle-aged man with a grim face for guidance. He pumped a well-muscled arm. "We have to hold the line, no matter what!" he exhorted. "If we fail here, everyone in the village will die! I don''t want my mom to be eaten by all those foul things. Do it for your families! Come on!" The others nodded grimly and tightened their grips on their weapons, summoning what resonant power they could. He heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing the morale go back up and then turned back to the front with a frown. This man''s name was Huang Lou. He was an Earth Fiend cultivator, at the first Fiend Palace Tier. He was a city defense commander in the Blackwind Empire''s heyday. But all of that had disappeared into smoke once the Other Disaster had broken out. Order in the empire had fallen almost overnight. All the powerful factions with a place to flee to were already fleeing without a backwards glance. He had left the city where he worked as well, bringing some close friends with him and establishing a new base in this hamlet. But eventually, the Other Disaster spread here as well. With his Fiend Palace Tier strength and the Golden Tiger Talisman that he had stolen from the city rulers, he had managed to protect this village up till now. But before long, the Others grew stronger. And now the two-faced man-wolf. His instincts told him that it was trouble. Big trouble. Could they hold out even with the lower gold-eye treasured artifact that was their Golden Tiger Talisman? The two-faced man-wolf made a keening baby''s cry, and the other man-wolves rushed forward as one. The green-gray smoke moved forward with them, bringing with it a nauseous stench in the air. Huang Lou immediately activated the Golden Tiger Talisman. Roar! A golden tiger leaped out from the talisman and roared a ring of power that vaporized all of the man-wolves. But the Others showed no fear. They were single-minded killing machines, charging on even as their comrades fell. More and more man-wolves came surging on, and the tiger''s roar rang out a little more weakly with each pulse of power. It did not have infinite energy. And just as the tiger started to weaken, the two-faced man-wolf leaped forward. Both of its mouths shot a jet of sticky, black sludge that flew like arrows, timed perfectly to hit the golden tiger in between roars. Hooo! The tiger whined in pain, and its golden light was extinguished by the black sludge. It disappeared back into the talisman. Now there was a new purplish-black stain on the talisman, as though it had suffered corruption. "Damn it all!" Huang Lou swore, hurriedly stowing the Golden Tiger Talisman away. Without the golden barrier to protect them, the way was clear. The two-faced man-wolf led the way, brackish saliva dripping down its jaws as it made its eerie, baby-like screams. "Prepare yourselves!!" Huang Lou cried, drawing his sword. They were the last line of defense for this village. If they were broken here, the village would be slaughtered completely. "Charge!!" The few dozen defenders on the wall shouted, in part to try and blow away their fears. They had faced the Others many times before, and many of their comrades had fallen before their very eyes. They had watched once-beloved brothers warp and twist before them, turning into monsters. Behind them, other villagers were watching in abject terror. They knew that if the defenders fell, all of them were in for horrible deaths. No, compared to being corrupted by the Others, perhaps dying was the far more preferable option. Boom! Huang Lou''s gray-white resonant power flared into life as he watched the two-faced man-wolf charge straight at him, then his skin hardened. He was a stone resonance user. Bang! Huang Lou led the charge, his sword in hand as he chopped down powerfully at the head of the two-faced man-wolf. The two-faced man-wolf blocked it with a human hand that had wolf claws for fingers. Putrid bile dripped from the fingernails. Clang! The clash of steel on claws sent sparks flying. Huang Lou''s face changed. He could feel the monstrous strength behind his foe''s defense. As a stone resonance user, physical strength was supposed to be his specialization, but even so, he could feel that he was completely outclassed here. Bang! The claws flicked out with brutal strength. Huang Lou was sent flying backwards, crashing hard into the castle wall. A crack appeared on the wall and blood dribbled out from his mouth. "Commander!" The hapless cries from his men. Huang Lou staggered to his feet. From their first clash, he could tell that the two-faced man-wolf was probably an Earthly Disaster-class, equivalent to a Fiend Body Tier expert, the second tier of the Earth Fiend stage. "This is going to be troublesome," he muttered to himself. As a Fiend Palace Tier expert himself, he would have to go all out against an enemy that was a tier higher than himself. Regardless of the result, he would pay a heavy price here. It might well be his last fight. He did not fear death, but there were many people in the village that he had hoped to protect, including his infirm mother who could not walk far. "This is life, and this will be death. The circle is unbroken." Huang Lou sighed. He lifted his sword and watched the two-faced man-wolf''s eyes turn red. Its fur bristled and turned a blood-red color. The next clash was about to break out, when a blinding golden light suddenly lit up on the horizon. A single blazing comet of gold was flying against the velvet-blue night sky, like a wishing star had come to their rescue. A cool voice came from behind it. "World of Light." Chapter 0530: Overwhelming Force Chapter 0530: Overwhelming Force The light across the sky dispelled the gloom over the village, and even the grayish-green fog started to recede rapidly. There was an incredibly pure power arriving. The ordinary man-wolves yelped and shrieked as they began to disappear. Even the two-faced man-wolf''s bile had started to dry up. Awhoo! It howled angrily, turning its demented eyes towards the light and loping towards it. Swoosh! Two beams of light appeared from above like fire from heaven, shooting straight at the two-faced man-wolf. Huang Lou narrowed his eyes. They were nails made out of pure light, burning with heat from their intensity. The nails of light had enough resonant power charged in them to send a shiver down his spine. A shiver of fear and respect hit him, but also a shiver of joy. This was light resonant energy! They were about to be saved by a light resonance expert! Praise the heavens! The two-faced man-wolf sensed the danger behind the attack and fired two more puffs of black smoke from its mouth. They formed two cloud-like claws that flew out at the nails. Pssh! At the point of impact, the two light nails blazed with power, completely evaporating the smoky claws. They continued on their trajectory unhindered, burying themselves into the terrified two-faced man-wolf''s head and tail. Weng! The two-faced man-wolf was pinned to the ground at top and bottom, then the nails burst into flames, burning it from both ends. The two-faced man-wolf struggled desperately, clinging on to its life force. Swoosh! A wash of green energy came from above, and a green Luan bird swooped down gracefully. The two-faced man-wolf was smashed into bits, cutting it off mid-howl. The pieces were quickly incinerated by the light nails. Huang Lou and his other defenders watched the entire development agog. The two-faced man-wolf had been strong enough to raze their entire village, but now it had been so easily disposed of. Huang Lou swallowed hard. That light resonant energy was strong, and the user of the green light stronger still. He cupped his fist and called out to them. "This humble person is Huang Lou. I do not know what manner of ally you are, but let me thank you on behalf of the village. You have saved us." The flashes of light sped over and appeared before him soon enough. Huang Lou and his men squinted curiously through the brightness and then gasped. Before them were two beautiful, young girls. The one on the left had golden eyes with a unique charm to them. She looked cool and aloof, and yet the golden light resonant energy she exuded filled them all with a sense of relief. The one on the right was an out-of-this-world beauty with a kindly expression on her angelic face. She looked a lot more approachable than her companion at first glance, but there was something about the manner in which she held herself... Is this a Heavenly Dipper General expert? With a start, Huang Lou realized that there was one other person, a silver-haired young man who stood behind them. He was handsome enough, but the overwhelming resonant power in front of him had caused Huang Lou to overlook him at first. He was probably a Resonant Master cultivator. Two girls, one guy. A Heavenly Dipper General expert, a light resonance expert he guessed was at the third and final Fiend Finisher Tier of the Earth Fiend Stage, and a Resonant Master. A strange group indeed. Huang Lou forced a smile despite his reservations. "My thanks to you three for saving us." He was polite but guarded. The Blackwind Empire was no more, and what remained was lawless and orderless. He could not be sure that they had helped the village out of the goodness of their hearts, bearing no ill will. He once stood with the might of the Blackwind Empire at his back, and he would not have feared even a Heavenly Dipper General. But things were different now. "You are too kind," the First Princess said with a smile at his welcome. "We too are just carrying out our mission." "Mission?" Huang Lou was puzzled. With no semblance of a system remaining in this land, who would commission rescue missions? "We are from the Academic Federation!" the First Princess explained. "The Academic Federation is joining forces with some other factions to cleanse and cordon off the expansion of the Others." She did not hide their true purposes here. When they entered the town to place the cleansing dew, they would also need Huang Lou''s help. "Academic Federation?" Huang Lou''s eyes lit up with hope. He had heard of that powerful body before in his work at the Blackwind Empire. "Are they coming to end the Other Disaster?" "The Blackwind Empire''s Other Disaster is too severe," Li Luo said gravely. "The Federation can only limit the expansion of the disaster, even with collaborative help. At the same time, we can do some basic cleanups, but completely resolving the disaster is no easy feat." He did not wish to give Huang Lou any false hope. "Ah, thank you for bringing me back from my fantasies," Huang Lou said with a self-deprecating smile. "But it is still a good thing that the Academic Federation is helping. Any life saved is still a life saved." Li Luo nodded. "We''re going to place a cleansing object in the village. Things should be safer afterwards, and it should help stop the corruption from spreading. We''d like to ask for your cooperation." "That''s great!" Huang Lou''s face lit up. He had seen such objects in the past, but creating them was a tricky process that was too advanced for him. If these three could help with that, it would be a real blessing for them. "Please enter, saviors!" Huang Lou ushered them in happily. The trio nodded to each other, then followed him inside the village. The paths within the village were slick with moss, and many curious villagers poked their heads out for a look at the three strangers. Huang Lou announced loudly to all of them that these three had come to set cleansing objects, and they were immediately welcomed warmly with a cheer. Li Luo studied their faces carefully and spotted a faint, green-black tint on many of their complexions. He frowned. This was a clear sign of corruption. Bang! A door on the left blasted open, and a person rushed out on all fours, howling. The villagers nearby screamed and fled. A woman holding a crying baby rushed out and grabbed the chain around the madman''s neck, forcefully dragging him back into the house. Li Luo watched with concern. The man''s face was starting to warp, and the green-black hue on it was markedly obvious. "Get him back in, quick!" Huang Lou ordered, and some others rushed up to restrain the corrupted person. Li Luo''s group waited. After Huang Lou dealt with the incident, he came back over to them. "Although our village is far on the outskirts, the Others have grown stronger over the last few years. There have been more cases of corruption amongst the weaker-willed villagers recently. They lose their minds." "Why don''t you destroy them?" Li Luo asked carefully. Huang Lou sighed. "Close-knit communities in a small village. That man had a wife and a child, as you can see... We can''t really kill him right in front of them, at least not before he completely loses control." Li Luo''s heart was heavy. They had not encountered such a problem back in the Umbra Cave. After all, those who entered the Umbra Cave were elite students. But here at the Blackwind Empire, he was witnessing the devastating effect of Others on ordinary folk firsthand. And this was just the outskirts, where corruption was supposed to be lighter. He could only imagine how much worse things were in the depths of the Blackwind Empire. "When the cleansing objects are placed, such situations should lessen," the First Princess said comfortingly. "I hope you are right," Huang Lou said with a short nod. "We will be leaving after we finish our task," Jiang Qing''e said. "We are headed for Riverguard City. You are from the Blackwind Empire, do you have any useful information for us?" Riverguard City was the primary mission that the school had deemed compulsory for them, a crucial base point for the ward. "Riverguard City?!" Huang Lou exclaimed, his eyes wide with dismay. "You''re going to Riverguard City? You can''t! There are Heavenly Disaster-class sightings there!" Chapter 0531: Four-Limbed Demon-Eye Serpent Chapter 0531: Four-Limbed Demon-Eye Serpent "Heavenly Disaster-class?" Li Luo asked sharply. "Please, tell us more. What did it look like? What abilities did it have? Any defining traits?" This was very important information. A Heavenly Disaster-class Other was huge trouble for them. "It''s quite a coincidence... I was tasked to oversee Riverguard City''s defense before our empire was lost," Huang Lou said with a bitter laugh. "Ah, a commander of defense. Our respects," the First Princess said pleasantly and respectfully. "Just a humble soldier," Huang Lou said, quickly shaking his head. This girl might have a warm demeanor, but he had his suspicions that she might come from royalty, just from her regal bearing. "Riverguard City is considered a big city in these parts. Back when the Other Disaster first broke out, it was one of the central locations to which the Others swarmed. There was one Heavenly Disaster-class among their numbers, which we called the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent." "That''s four more limbs than snakes usually have," Li Luo quipped. "Those four limbs have the power to move mountains, it felt like," Huang Lou said soberly. "Most terrifying of all was its single demon eye. All who looked at the eye would be left bereft of any intelligence, reduced to nothing more than a corpse. "Back then, the Riverguard city lord was a Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivator with three pearls. That was enough to buy enough time for the citizens to escape, but he was eventually defeated as well. That vile beast ate the city lord before the rest of the city." Huang Lou shuddered to himself. He was clearly still badly traumatized by those memories. Li Luo felt the hair on his arms stand. Eating a Heavenly Pearl Stage expert before the entire city... It must have been extremely demoralizing. The First Princess and Jiang Qing''e looked unmoved. "Truly a savage monster," the First Princess sympathized calmly. Her reaction alone was enough to tell Huang Lou that she was definitely stronger than the city lord. And to accomplish that at her age spoke of staggering talent. "From your description, that seems to be a Lesser Heavenly Disaster-class; otherwise, a three-pearl Heavenly Pearl cultivator would not be able to hold it out for long. But after it ate the city lord, it should be stronger than a five-pearl Heavenly Pearl cultivator now. And in the last few years, it has probably gotten stronger still," Jiang Qing''e said neutrally. "Still, as a Lesser Heavenly Disaster-class, it should not be beyond us." Li Luo nodded. The First Princess herself was a seven-pearl Heavenly Pearl cultivator. She alone might well be a match for the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent. With Jiang Qing''e''s help, the fight should be well in hand. "Besides the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent, are there Others at a similar level?" the First Princess asked. One Lesser Heavenly Disaster-class was manageable, but if another showed up, they would be in trouble. Huang Lou hesitated. "I have not been back to Riverguard City since we fled," he admitted. "But I occasionally heard from refugees that the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent is ferociously protective of its territory. All threats within its domain were killed and eaten, both human and Others. "That''s why I think it is likely that the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent is alone. Of course, it might have other strong underlings with it as well. They will not be easy to deal with," he warned. "I really do not advise you to go there." The First Princess and Jiang Qing''e did not reply. Riverguard City was their compulsory objectiveit was only a matter of time before they would have to go, or they would face a point penalty that might well cost them the championship. Li Luo smiled at him. "Many thanks for the warning, Commander Huang Lou. I wonder, do you have any other advice to share? Like about this region, and perhaps any notable Others?" Huang Lou considered it for a moment. "A little. We''ve been here for two or three years after all. The Other distribution is one topic that we track closely to avoid surprise attacks like what you just saved us from..." He fished out a rough map from his pocket and wrote some information on it. It looked simple and sparse, but even Jiang Qing''e showed some life in her eyes when she saw it. It would save them a lot of precious time and energy. Li Luo peered at the map. It corroborated the rough guide that their spirit mirror conveyed, so it was probably pretty accurate. Huang Lou handed the map to the First Princess. "Thank you, Commander Huang Lou. This is very important information for us." With this, they could plan an efficient route to collect points. Huang Lou waved it away. "You''ve saved our village, and this is a small repayment. And if you can really clear out those Others, we''ll have many less threats to worry about in the future. "Oh, yes... if you really can clear out Riverguard City, you could go to Thunderpeal Mountain for a look. It''s about 150 kilometers southwest of Riverguard City." "Why?" Li Luo asked. "There are Thunderpeal Fruits there... one of the famous produce of the Blackwind Empire. Thunderpeal Mountain used to be owned by royalty only, and commoners were forbidden near it. Thunderpeal Fruits were royal treasures, and they bestow mystical properties when refined. It''s said that the most talented of cultivators could even create Thunderpeal Avatars from it, which was the mark of royalty back in the day. "The Thunderpeal Avatar strengthens one''s body tremendously for a short period of time with the electric power that the Thunderpeal Fruit grants. Now that the Blackwind Empire is completely ruined and the royal family no longer exists, Thunderpeal Mountain is sure to be an owner-less land. You three have the strength to go there. You can definitely give it a crack. An opportunity, perhaps," Huang Lou said respectfully. Li Luo made a silent note of this. The three of them chatted a little more and then prepared to set the cleansing measures. The three worked separately to lay down other safeguards and then used the special method to plant shining drops of cleansing dew at various points around the village. The droplets formed a faint barrier of light around the village, and the green-gray mist within it started to dissipate. With the last drop of dew in place, the entire village was now protected. The relief was immediate, and the villagers cheered gustily. Some of the elders were so moved that they got down on their frail knees and kowtowed to the three. Only after the terrors they had experienced would they know how precious a free and clear environment was. Li Luo and the others heaved sighs of relief when their work was done. "Points are in," the First Princess said, checking the spirit mirror. "Let''s go." Their mission was long and difficult. There was no time to linger here. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e nodded, then they cupped fists in farewell to Huang Lou and took their leave. Li Luo was too slow to keep up, and so the First Princess carried him. The villagers waved furiously long after they were gone. In a dim room inside the village, a person lit a joss stick. The pleasant smell of incense filled the room, and the thin thread of smoke formed a screen. Within it, figures seemed to be moving. A whisper of a voice, conveying information. A moment later, the smoke screen dissipated. The person who had lit the joss stick folded their arms, and a low voice filled the room. "The genesis of light and dark are one, good and evil cease as one." Chapter 0532: Riverguard City Chapter 0532: Riverguard City After leaving the village, Li Luo and the squad hastened along their journey to Riverguard City. The dark sky and gloomy fog depressed their spirits along with the neverending whispers in their ears that spoke to the uneasiness within them. It was hard not to be tense in such an environment. It started with keeping one''s guard up, and then soon it reached a state of constant anxiety. Before you knew it, you would be seeing knives in shadows, reaching a state of hysteria before your mind snapped and you became a walking zombie. Fortunately, the three of them had trained in the Umbra Cave before. The First Princess was the strongest of them, and her wealth of experience made her a seasoned veteran against corruption. Jiang Qing''e had a ninth-grade light resonance, so corruption evaporated away before her like morning dew in sunrise. The purification power of light resonant energy was indeed perfect to counter the corruption. Li Luo was the weakest and most susceptible. Therefore, he had come up with the brilliant suggestion that Jiang Qing''e should hold his hand throughout the trip, to grant him the protection of light resonant energy. Jiang Qing''e dearly wanted to ignore him, knowing that the rascal had light resonant energy within him in his secondary resonance. Although it was weaker than his water and wood resonances, it was enough to protect him from corruption. He was suggesting hand-holding for personal reasons. Still, she went along with it. This was an even more dangerous place than the Umbra Cave, so it was still better to err on the side of caution. The two clasped hands as they traveled. The First Princess was a little pained as they traveled. These two are really enjoying themselves out here, aren''t they? The three passed by several more villages, also inhabited. Many of them were old and infirm, eking out a meager and precarious existence and praying that the harsh environment would not crush them. It was a painful and slow death. With the miasma of corruption constantly hanging over them and weighing on their minds, even the Resonant Master cultivators would turn irate and aggressive after a long time. Larger and larger changes to personality would follow, until their reason was completely gone. At that time, the person would still technically be alive, but they would be no better than a corpse. Which was why when Li Luo and the others passed, it was like a ray of hope in an ocean of despair. They were always immeasurably grateful when the cleansing objects were set, providing them reprieve from the corruption. They would no longer need to live in fear that they were all falling prey to corruption. By the time the group reached the vicinity of Riverguard City, five days had passed. They had obtained 65,000 points. On a slope outside Riverguard City. Li Luo and the squad were hunkered down, observing the large city from a distance. Of course, it was significantly larger in terms of buildup, and the corruption was proportionately deeper here. Where there had only been black mist previously, there were black clouds here that hung above the city, darkening the sky at a much higher altitude. Even from the distance that they were at, they could feel the concentration of negative emotions within. The whispers that ate away at one''s sanity and reason, testing one''s mental fortitude. "That''s as dark as I''ve ever seen," Li Luo said seriously. "There are many signs of Others here. It won''t be easy to cleanse this city," the First Princess said. "Looks like we''re in for a tough battle." Jiang Qing''e looked as calm as ever. She turned to Li Luo. "What''s our ranking now?" Li Luo fished out his spirit mirror and checked. "Fourth. That''s not too bad." "First is... the Enlightened Sage College''s Lan Lan''s team, at 80,000 points. Hmm, seems like the point difference isn''t that big yet. No one''s met any tough fights so far." "It''s not surprising." The First Princess shrugged. "But I think the first wave of real tests will arrive any time now." Li Luo nodded. They had all been cleansing some easy villages so far, where the Other levels were not high. From now on, they were moving one step deeper into the Red Clay Province, and places like Riverguard City would be more common. More Disaster-class Others would appear as well. Some of the weaker teams would be stopped here, and the point gap would widen. "What should we do next?" Li Luo asked, looking at the two stronger girls. The First Princess smiled at Jiang Qing''e. "Qing''e, what do you think?" "The situation here is complex," she said neutrally. "We don''t even know if the four-limbed demon-eye serpent is the only Heavenly Disaster-class here. I dont think we should rush into things. I suggest we sneak into the city and scout for information. Act when we have a better grasp of the enemys size and disposition." The First Princess nodded in agreement. "Wise plan. Information is always king, and will save us from greater problems later." Li Luo swallowed hard. They really knew how to make tough decisions. There were black clouds blooming like a mining compound, and they were casually discussing a sneak-in as if it were choosing an inn for afternoon tea. But since the two carries had decided as such, a little flea like him couldn''t say much about it. He nodded obediently. The First Princess pulled out three black talismans from her pocket sphere. "These are cloaking talismans. When attached to your body, they can hide your presence even from Others," she said, handing them out to Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. Li Luo examined the runic markings in wonder. "These are pricey things, Your Highness. Very generous of you." "I have no choice but to break the bank when two eminent students decide to favor me by letting me join their team," she said teasingly. The three shared a laugh as they attached the talismans. Immediately after, the resonant power aura around them was dampened significantly. Even though they could be spotted with the naked eye, resonant power-based senses would come up empty. Preparations ready, the three set off again. For Li Luo''s safety, Jiang Qing''e and the First Princess flanked him, keeping him safe in the middle. They descended the slope together, then moved swiftly and silently along the broken-down road to a breach in the city wall, clearing the rubble and stepping into the corrupted Riverguard City. Chapter 0533: Farming Chapter 0533: Farming The darkness in Riverguard City was immune to the wind, and yet one could almost imagine it as being tangible enough to breathe in. It entered any soul unfortunate enough to be nearby with every breath. It would be absorbed until it coated every inch of the victims insides, turning them to its side. The trio walked through broken streets lined with dilapidated buildings. Some were completely smashed, leaving only waist-high walls behind. Li Luo wondered what had destroyed them so thoroughly. It was hard to imagine that this was once a bustling city, prosperous and lively. With the power of the cloaking talismans, the three exuded no resonant power signature. They moved like silent wraiths through the city, penetrating deeper in. Ssss. They turned the corner to a different street and halted. There was a building before them with red snakes covering the floor, writhing and hissing. A closer look revealed a lack of scales, which made them look more like red, fleshy worms. They had no eyes, their mouths were full of sharp teeth. Others. They were not of a high level, probably White Eroders at best. The three paused for a moment but did not kill them. There was a strange sound that rattled the walls coming from the shabby building they had crawled out of. A few moments later, a strange snake slithered out of the darkness, roughly a dozen meters in length. This snake creature was also made out of flesh and blood only, lacking scales. It left a trail of rotting red behind it that ate away at the ground. It had eight legs sticking out of its body, some sort of bizarre cross between a spider and a python. Worst of all was its human head with completely white eyes that was terrifying to look at. This was a much stronger creature with corruption levels far exceeding its little worms. The trio watched from a safe distance as the snake creature left the house and moved away. "That one should be an Earthly Disaster-class," Jiang Qing''e murmured. "Stronger than the two-faced man-wolf we saw the other day, I think." "That''s the third one we''ve seen since entering the city." Li Luo bit his lip. They had underestimated the number of Others here. Ignoring the Eroding-class Others, which were too numerous to count, there had been three exact copies of that snake so far. And that was clearly not going to be all of them. By his rough estimate, there were at least ten of the bastards around the city. Ten Earth Fiends to take on? They judged these snakes to be at most at the second Fiend Body Tier, thankfully. There was also the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent to contend with. "These were probably made by the Heavenly Disaster-class Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent. All the Others we''ve met in Riverguard City have had a similar form. This is no coincidence," the First Princess pointed out. Li Luo grimaced. If the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent was making minions and playthings, then it had probably developed quite a respectable amount of sentience. "There are a lot of Others around. If the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent can control them all, that would be very problematic. There are only three of us. If we''re busy dealing with the minions and the boss strikes, we could be in grave danger." Jiang Qing''e looked very concerned. The First Princess nodded. She was about to speak, but then she suddenly whirled around to look at the west side of the city. "That corruption!" she hissed. Jiang Qing''e turned as well. There was some drastic movement in the black fog in that direction, indicating a presence many times stronger than the snake creatures. "Should be the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent," Jiang Qing''e said softly. "Should we go take a look?" the First Princess asked. "We can. With the cloaking talismans, it should not be able to detect us. We need to know what class it is in before we can make a plan," Jiang Qing''e answered. The two were decisive personalities, and they moved immediately after their discussion. Li Luo followed closely. This place was freaking dangerous, with Disaster-class Others sprouting up like mushrooms on a farm. A puny little Resonant Master like him was in constant danger. The three moved through more broken pavement. Jiang Qing''e and the First Princess finally stopped after a tense half an hour. They both looked at a multi-storied inn and the uncommonly wide thoroughfare leading up to it. The black fog swayed again, and a five-meter tall figure appeared. It was a white human-snake with four limbs, with a fat snake body slithering lazily along behind it. It was covered in milky white scales. Li Luo looked closer and almost vomited when he realized they were bleached human fingernails, sharpened to triangular points. Above the snake body was the naked torso of an extremely beautiful woman, her long hair seductively draped over her chest. She had a single red eye that glinted sinisterly. This Other looked like a beautiful lamia... except for the damned fingernails. Li Luo did not dare to look too long. He was afraid of the red eye, instinctively sure that it would hypnotize him. The white lamia was probably the strongest Other here in Riverguard City, the same one that had swallowed the city lord. It moved languidly across the street, but one swing of its tail carried it dozens of meters across the pavement. It made its way over to a large garden. The trio quickly scaled the tall inn for a better look at the garden, and they were horrified by what they saw. There were many humans in the garden. So many live humans?! The humans were lying down like corpses, although they could detect some faint signs of life in their bodies. Regardless of gender, the humans'' stomachs were horribly distended. The Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent made a leisurely round to inspect them, then it made a strange hissing sound. Immediately after, the stomach bulges began to stretch and warp, as though something within was stirring and trying to break out. The humans'' mouths opened, but no sound came out. And then their eye sockets burst with sickening pops, oozing with black blood. Two black snakes came out of each human, swallowing the eyes before slithering out of the eyeholes. These meaty, black snakes swam quickly towards the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent, who snatched them up and stuffed them into its mouth, chewing with sickening crunching sounds. Fresh, black blood dripped from its mouth, making the demonic face look even more frightful than before. On the ground, the humans deflated into nothing more than empty skin. It was as though their insides had been completely devoured. When the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent finished its meal, it shot jets of black light back into the humans. Small worms landed on each body and then quickly burrowed their way back into the defenseless people. Afterward, it slithered away again. Li Luo and the others were speechless. They all looked a little green in the face. This Other was farming humans as food for its brood! Chapter 0534: The Plan Chapter 0534: The Plan "That son of a bitch! Or is it the daughter of a bitch?!" Li Luo swore. Watching the human vessel farming going on before him was gory. The humans could only lie there numbly as their stomachs were repurposed for another round of farming. They had become desensitized to such horrors after many cycles. They had lost all hope, all resistance. They simply lay there, resigned to their fates. "An abomination of a bitch." Li Luo concluded his swearing. It made his skin crawl. It was the first time he had seen this level of cruelty and gore from Others. People being used in factory farming. Jiang Qing''e and the First Princess were looking a little ill as well. Despite their strong constitutions, this was truly a little too unpalatable. Not even in the Umbra Cave had they seen something of this level. The First Princess took a deep breath to steady herself. "From what I sense, the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent is indeed a bit stronger than what Commander Huang Lou told us. By my estimation, it is probably a seven-pearl Heavenly Pearl in strength. That''s about as strong as I am. I would be able to hold it down, but beating it will not be easy." "The problem is the army of Disaster-class and below minions that are ready to jump on us." Li Luo frowned. "The Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent is no foolit will call reinforcements to overwhelm us." The First Princess nodded uncomfortably. There were only three of them. It was not a good situation. Jiang Qing''e was silent for a moment before she said, "The Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent is the key to control the entire city. If we strike, we must strike at the head, swiftly and with deadly force. If we can just take down the head, the rest will not be a problem." "Strike at the head..." the First Princess repeated doubtfully. "It will require you and me to go all out. "But if we''re dealing with the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent, what about the rest of the minions? Without you on crowd control, they''ll come for us very quickly." She looked over at Li Luo. "We can''t really leave it to this guy," she said jokingly. Li Luo wanted to feel angry at being dissed, but there was indeed no disrespect in the remark. It was a fact that he couldn''t even beat a single snake creature, let alone multiple of them. Unless he pulled out the three-tailed heavenly wolf trump card. "We might really have to leave it to that guy," Jiang Qing''e said with a small smile. "Eh?" The First Princess stared at her. "I have a plan," Jiang Qing''e explained calmly. "Your Highness, you will fight the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent first and hold it fast. I will use World of Light to control the field, trapping the Earthly Disaster-class creatures within. Li Luo will place the cleansing dew and form a barrier that should hold down the Others for a while. When that is done, I will come to you and we will take down the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent together. "If we can use that window of opportunity to take down the boss, then the rest of the cleanup should go very smoothly. Of course, the difficult part of this plan is that I can only trap the strongest snake creatures within my World of Light. I cannot possibly capture all the Eroding-class Others as well. Li Luo will have to deal with them by himself. "Also, there is a time limit to how long my trap will last. The snake creatures will gradually shrug free of my World of Light. Before that happens, Li Luo must successfully establish the cleansing barrier, or we will be overwhelmed." "Sounds like a good plan," the First Princess said with admiration. "Li Luo, can you do it?" Li Luo turned to Jiang Qing''e indignantly. "Qing''e, she thinks I''m a baby!" he whined. Jiang Qing''e rolled her eyes at him. "Well, if that''s settled, let''s give it a try. Li Luo, if you cannot finish the cleansing in time, retreat without hesitation. Her Highness and I will break away and follow." "We''ll give up on it?" Li Luo asked. "We wont give up," the First Princess answered. "But we would scout for other squads in the surrounding area and work with them to clear this city. We would just have to split the points with them." Li Luo frowned. If they wanted to win, they could not be running around splitting points. Their plan B would lead them away from championship glory. "I''ll do my best," he vowed. It looked like the coffee-carrying back scratcher of the squad had an important job after all. "I believe in you," Jiang Qing''e said simply. The First Princess'' lip twitched. "I believe in you too, Li Luo." "Don''t worry missuses," Li Luo said stoutly. "I will always protect beautiful ladies like yourselves." "Ah, such a honeyed tongue." The First Princess laughed. She pulled out a jade-green scepter marked with a golden eye at one end. Gripping it with two hands, she began to gather prodigious power to her. The jade scepter was a gold-eye treasured artifact, and what looked to be an upper as well. At the same time, a pale, green battle armor shimmered into view, snug about her voluptuous body. She transformed from an adventuress into a knight in a flash. "Qing''e, I''m off." She shot off with an explosion of green energy, propelled by her resonant power. Straight to where the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent was walking. The sudden explosion of power got its interest, of course. With a sweep from its powerful tail, it leveled the building standing between them, locking on to the fast-approaching First Princess. It was not expecting such a strong human to appear in the middle of its territory. And charging at it. It could sense that this was a powerful opponent, one not to be underestimated. Its hiss rent the air, and Riverguard City stirred to life. All forms of Others heeded the call, rushing over to their master. The snake creatures in particular were the strongest and first to arrive. "World of Light! Weng! The blaze of light spread out around her. The luminous enclosure sent the darkness scattering, and the entire area around them was purified. Some of the smaller Others were instantly destroyed. The Earthly Disaster-class Others were frozen in mid-air, the light holding them firmly in place. Jiang Qing''e stood on top of a weathered building, her sword held erect as her eyes darted out across the landscape. Once she ascertained that all of the snake creatures had been caught, she gave Li Luo a look. His stomach lurched with nervousness, but he sucked it up and carried on, sprinting out of the inn and onwards to his goal. Up next, the Li Luo part of things. Chapter 0535: Black Knight Chapter 0535: Black Knight Li Luo sped across the expanse of the city like a streak of lightning. Behind him, the place rocked with gigantic exchanges of energy, and he could feel the prickle on the back of his neck. The First Princess against the four-limbed demon-eye serpent. From the intensity, it seemed like the pair were evenly matched. The First Princess could not defeat her opponent in a short time, and Others were generally strong in survival. It was hard to say who had the advantage in a long battle. To close things, Jiang Qing''e would have to go help the First Princess. But whether she was free to help would depend on him... Li Luo poured on the speed, occasionally passing Earthly Disaster-class snake creatures that were caught up in rings of light. Nearer to Jiang Qing''e, the World of Light had wiped out the lower level Others, making his journey smooth as could be. He reached the first designated spot in no time. Taking out a drop of cleansing dew, he charged it with his resonant power and placed it at the top of a building. Job done, he moved on to the next location without even looking back. He had to make full use of the time that the First Princess and Jiang Qing''e were buying him. In the next 10 minutes, Li Luo ran to various points to place drops of cleansing dew. The city began to light up at many points, and the barrier was close to forming. But the further he got from Jiang Qing''e''s location, the weaker the effect of World of Light. Soon, he began to encounter Eroding-class Others that slowed down his progress. Sometimes he would dodge them, but at other times he was forced to stop and take care of business first. Luckily, he was much stronger now. As a Third Changing, he did not fear Eroding-class Others at all. His Onyx-Elephant Blade made quick work of them, and he charged on. More and more cleansing dew drops were placed. The city grew ever brighter, and he could see success on the horizon. "Three more..." he thought to himself. Three more, and the cleansing barrier would be complete. Things were going smoothly. But Li Luo did not let his guard down, instead becoming even more cautious. He had no interest in screwing things up now. Another efficient slaughter through the Other masses. Two more cleansing dew drops were placed. The last one now. Li Luo was headed for a stone tower that was his final stop. This was already at the edge of World of Light, but thankfully, there were no snake creatures around. Li Luo proceeded with caution and reached the stone tower soon enough. He held a drop of cleansing dew on his palm, activating it. He prepared to fire it out at the position. But of course, something just had to happen before he completed his task. Boom! A powerful presence burst out of a shop window on Li Luo''s right, heating the air around him with an explosion. Behind it, the shop itself crumbled, imploding from the vacuum of energy within. A deadly and sudden attack. Li Luo had just been about to place the final drop of cleansing dew. Even as cautious as he was, still he had let his guard down a little. But not completely. Li Luo reacted quickly, abandoning the cleansing dew to pull out an eight-sided shield. His white-eye treasured artifact. Boom! Even a defensive white-eye treasured artifact only blocked the attack for a few moments before it was completely wrecked beyond repair. Still, it had bought Li Luo some time. He moved backwards, channeling his resonant power through the Onyx-Elephant Blade. "Tiger-general resonance art, Thousand Watery Knives art!" The powerful blades of water and light flashed out. Bang! It was one of his stronger moves, and yet the rain of blades were completely vaporized by the attack, winking out into points of light. Li Luo had already made it out of the area of attack at this point, and before him was a deep ditch, the mark of the attack. Li Luo stared at the shop before him, which had completely crumpled inwards like a paper house. This was power beyond a Resonant Master, nor did the power seem to have come from an Other... "Who are you? Why are you attacking me?" Li Luo called out hoarsely. A pile of earth was moved away from the collapsed shop, and a figure clad in black battle armor stood up. He could see a pair of cold eyes gleaming out from under the visor. Not an Other! A jolt of shock ran through him. There were other humans in Riverguard City? And this person was clearly human. Why would he stop Li Luo from cleansing the area? "Friend, our job here is to cleanse the Others. What good can come from stopping us?" Li Luo called out clearly. This black knight was incredibly strong, probably an Earth Fiend. Li Luo could not win here. Which frustrated him. He was on the verge of success. Was this black knight going to ruin everything? The knight showed no indication of having even heard Li Luo''s question. He drew a heavy, black lance and stepped forward. With an earth-shattering thump, he charged forward, lance leveled as though he were part of a cavalry charge. He thundered through the street at Li Luo with such ferocious power that he shattered the windows of the shops on both sides. Frightfully strong. Li Luo''s mind raced. The black knight had laid in ambush for some time now, choosing a perfect location just outside of Jiang Qing''e''s World of Light so she would detect nothing. His mission: to stop the cleansing barrier from being erected. Why? Wasn''t eliminating Others the common goal of all humankind? Did this person not share that goal? Li Luo''s eyes narrowed. Just as the Academic Federation elder had said... perhaps the Blackwind Empire''s Other Disaster was man-made. Was this one of those unknown enemies? Chapter 0536: So Strong Chapter 0536: So Strong Li Luo watched in fear as the black knight continued to charge him, building up energy that tore down both sides of the street. The one-man rampage had Li Luo''s eyelid twitching in nervousness. A true General Stage, Earth Fiend expert. The difference between them was insurmountable. Li Luo gripped the Onyx-Elephant Blade in both hands, yelling as he stepped forward and sliced down. Boom! His resonant power sent an arc of powerful water slicing out towards his enemy. It was as effective as a praying mantis'' claws against the wheels of a wagon. There was a glint of mirth in the black knight''s eyes as he prepared to charge through the Resonant Master Stage attack. If not for his fear of the light resonance girl, he would have squashed Li Luo much earlier already, without waiting for this final moment. It did not matter. Once this kid was finished off, the entire plan would crumble. When the other snake creatures awakened, the two girls were doomed. His lance crashed into Li Luo''s attack like skewering a firefly. He barely slowed in his advance. A mere Resonant Master But suddenly, the water attack exploded like a firework before his eyes, causing him to stagger. Then light balls flew straight into his eyes, blinding him. It hurt like hell. Such strong light attacks were unexpected. The kid was canny, and the black knight felt a surge of anger at being outsmarted. But what did it matter? As a veteran of fighting, the black knight did not slow his charge, pressing on despite his impaired vision. He just had to connect, and the boy would be smashed into pieces. It would be over for him. At the same time, the black knight began to use his resonant power to recover his sight. By the time he could see again, the youth''s weathered sword had been replaced by a silver bow. The bow was drawn back, locked on to him. Swoosh! An arrow flew out and split into five different projectiles in mid-air. They hissed out to him like striking snakes. This kid might not have much strength, but he sure has a lot of parlor tricks. The black knight frowned. After being hit by Li Luo''s light bullets, he was a little more cautious. He jabbed with his lance, summoning several black balls of energy that smashed the arrows mid-flight before they could reach him. In a flash, he smashed all four that were on track to him. There was one that he ignored, because it was clearly going wide, passing harmlessly a few meters to his side. The black knight saw the corner of the youth''s mouth twitch. He whirled around in a rage. The tip of that arrow had a drop of cleansing dew on it, and it was flying straight for the top of the tower. It had all been a distraction! But how had he not spotted the drop of cleansing dew on it before?! No, he had looked carefully, but his opponent must have used some sort of concealing trick on it. A low level resonance art, but enough to fool him for a glance. The light arrow had moved with great speed, and he was too slow to intercept it. It buried itself in the wall. Weng! When the last cleansing dew drop landed in place, the entire city brightened up immediately. Lines of light shot up to the sky, joining up to form a barrier. A powerful cleansing force exploded all across the city like a lantern coming to life. The black knight roared with fury at having been bested by a puny Resonant Master. He had actually completed the cleansing right under his very nose! Killing intent overtaking him, he whirled on Li Luo with his lance, bellowing in anger like an awakened dragon. His shout echoed all across the city. He was closing in on Li Luo now, deadly intent unmistakable. At this speed, there was no way to avoid it. Li Luo calmly lifted up his hand, moving his other hand to the red bracelet. Just as he was about to activate the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s power, he spotted a familiar figure in the distance. He went limp with relief. Weng! The lance issued a black dragon''s roar, but it was still a few meters away from Li Luo when a barrier of light shimmered into existence between them, blocking the lance. It could not penetrate the wall. The wielder of that light barrier was incredibly strong. The black knight''s eyes widened. The light resonance girl. She is here! The black knight scrambled away, fleeing over the rubble. The plan had failed. It was time to get out. "Flee?" The familiar figure bore down on the black knight with cold fury in her golden eyes. She had already sensed something very wrong the moment Li Luo began fighting, but she could not leave her position. She had been torn with indecision when the cleansing ward had kicked into effect. She had gone to him immediately. Jiang Qing''e reached out to grasp the lance buried in her light barrier. With a blast of power, she imbued it with light resonant energy, turning it from black to white. "Take this with you!" Jiang Qing''e hurled it like a javelin, and it shot out like a torpedo but stronger, because it was punching through buildings with ease. The fleeing figure turned back desperately, but the power of the white lance could not be denied. Boom! An epic explosion. The black knight was skewered by the lance, nailing him to a stone wall that collapsed from the impact. He was buried underneath the collapsing rocks. "So strong!" The black knight thought to himself as the giant rocks buried him. Chapter 0537: Girl Power Chapter 0537: Girl Power The pile of rocks over the black knight looked satisfyingly like a grave mound. Li Luo puffed air to his cheeks and then out. That attack from Jiang Qing''e had been godly. The Fiend Palace Tier black knight had been completely wrecked. Her resonant power faded away, and she turned to him in concern. "Are you alright?" Li Luo smiled and nodded. "I was almost not alright. Damn, that guy was dangerous. He was waiting to ambush me here." Luckily, he had not panicked. "We were careless. We didn''t check to see if there were other humans in the city," she said. "You did very well. You actually managed to get the cleansing barrier up while fighting against a Fiend Palace Tier expert," she said approvingly. She had watched the later half of the battle as she approached. Li Luo had played it to perfection. He had not tried to escape, but faced the problem head on, playing on his opponent''s thought process perfectly to get the last drop of cleansing dew in place. Li Luo smiled in gratitude, then he looked over at the rubble heap. "I''m more worried about who this guy worked for. Why would he try to stop me?" Jiang Qing''e nodded as well. A concerning point. She gestured with a hand, using light resonant energy to lift the rocks away. Both of them inhaled sharply. Underneath was the crushed suit of black armor, but the man wearing it was completely gone. "Like a cicada molting," Li Luo said. Jiang Qing''e lifted up the armor with the tip of her sword and examined it. There were strange, sinister runes on it. "He''s gone. These indicate a powerful escape resonance art was imbued in them. He must have gotten away the instant before the rubble crushed him. But he couldn''t have gotten far," she said, looking alertly around. "Forget it," Li Luo said, putting a cautionary hand on her shoulder. "We don''t have time to waste hunting him down. The mission calls." The most important thing here was still the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent. Jiang Qing''e nodded reluctantly. She knew he was right. The cleansing barrier would only hold the Others for a limited time. They had to get rid of the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent as quickly as possible before the minions were mobile again. As for the black knight, he might have escaped, but he was likely seriously wounded from his own spear that Jiang Qing''e had skewered him with. Hopefully, they had scared him enough that he would think twice before showing up again. Perhaps he would make an attempt to break the cleansing barrier after they had moved on, but there was no need to worry about it. They would be underestimating the Academic Federation if they thought it would be so easily broken. "I''m going to help the First Princess. Take care of yourself." Jiang Qing''e shot off like a streak of light across the sky without a backward glance. Li Luo scaled the tall tower while keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings. He wanted to watch the fight too. The First Princess and Jiang Qing''e together? A rare combination. They were probably the two most outstanding female students of the Astral Sage College presently. With Jiang Qing''e entering the fray, the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent felt the odds turn against its favor, and it hissed desperately, the single demonic eye darting around in fear. "Qing''e, you''re here!" the First Princess cried out. Jiang Qing''e nodded. "I''ll help you to hold it down, Your Highness, but you''ll have to do the bulk of the work." The First Princess'' face lit up with joy. "You''re truly something special." Jiang Qing''e was only an Earth Fiend, and theoretically much weaker than both the First Princess and the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent, yet she was strong enough to hinder their opponent. If she hadn''t known Jiang Qing''e before this, she would have thought she was boasting. Jiang Qing''e just smiled, putting her hands together to form a seal. "World of Light!" This time, the skill prioritized strength over coverage. The resultant field was small and rapidly shrinking. In a few moments, it shrunk from hundreds of meters to tens of meters. From afar, it looked like a halo of light descending from above. And at the center of the ring was the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent. Light resonant energy continued to gather within the circumference, so dense that it almost seemed to form liquid light that rained down inside. Caught in the field, the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent screamed in anger and pain. The drops of light burned it like boiling oil, and the corrupted air began to evaporate. "What a powerful World of Light," Li Luo marveled from his spot. World of Light was a middle grade dragon-general resonance art, but it could well be mistaken for a high-grade one. Li Luo remembered that his parents had gone to great lengths and cost to find this for Qing''e. Dragon-general resonance arts were not cheap, especially such high-quality ones. Jiang Qing''e had worked relentlessly to perfect it, and now she had it at an extremely high level of mastery. Augmented by her ninth-grade light spirit avatar, the strength was truly awe-inspiring. That was why a mere Fiend Finisher Tier cultivator like her could pose a serious threat to the Lesser Heavenly Disaster-class Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent, along with the added bonus that light resonant energy had against their enemies. It was not just Li Luo who was admiring her featthe First Princess'' phoenix eyes were glowing as well. Jiang Qing''e''s suppression was even more effective than she had imagined, and her admiration for Jiang Qing''e only grew further after witnessing her in action. "Thanks, Qing''e. Leave the rest to me," the First Princess said confidently. She was the equal of the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent, and now that it was severely weakened, it would be an easy win for her. Her jade scepter summoned seven heavenly pearls behind her, worldly resonant energy flowing into them and shifting into robust resonant power that flooded into her body. The concentration of energy was enough to rattle all of Riverguard City. After seeing Jiang Qing''e''s performance, the First Princess was motivated to go all out as well. She formed a seal with one hand and brandished the jade scepter with the other. Using it as though it were a brush, she drew inscriptions in the air. Resonant power was poured into the drawing. With each stroke, the sky filled with a little more green light, until two green-colored light scaled-dragons swam in the air before her. The low roar of dragons rang out. And following that, the First Princess'' clear voice. "High-grade dragon-general resonance art, Green Scaled-Dragon Scissor." The scaled-dragons shot forward, smashing into the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent from each side. Chapter 0538: Beauties and the Beast Chapter 0538: Beauties and the Beast Weng! The colossal, green scaled-dragons flew out like a pair of scaled boomerangs, slicing the buildings in their wake clean in two. At the meeting point of their trajectories was the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent. Although it had sensed the danger, it was helpless before the nemesis to its red, corruptive power. Jiang Qing''e''s World of Light was the perfect counter that leached away at its energy, eating away a huge part of its foul, red energy even as it tried to marshal its defenses. The Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent''s single red eye widened in fear as its energy seemed to slip out of its hands like running water. The green scaled-dragons were coming. The light from its red eye split into two different portions, each facing one dragon. The red energy shot out as a weak defense, aimed at mitigating the green scaled-dragon attack. At the final moment, the Other even managed to twist away so the attack failed to behead it as planned. It merely sliced across the right side of the Other''s body. Swish! With a sickening sound, the lower right half of the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent was sliced off cleanly. Two limbs landed on the floor with a squishy flop, leaking black blood into the ground. Its demonic face twisted in pain. The Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent''s snake tail began to thrash wildly, shaking the buildings around it. Its eye had gone mad with pain, anger, and fear, and the black liquid on its body suddenly began to burn with a new evil energy. Its body began to bloat, swelling up with new power. The students could sense its aura climbing and climbing. "Watch out, Qing''e!" the First Princess cried. "It''s fighting with everything it has now!" At the same time, she prepared another two scaled-dragons, sending them scything out towards their enemy. This time, it was not as effective. One of the serpent''s limbs began to twist and warp, creating a new layer of hardened flesh-armor that was much tougher than before. Shing! When the green light connected, it left a gash deep enough to see bone beneath, but it was not strong enough to cut through completely. Evidently, the evil energy that it had just burned had made it much stronger. It turned its singular berserk eye on them. With a quick twist of its body and a flash of red light, it was in front of the First Princess in a trice. She was ready, lifting her jade scepter and calling forth powerful storms and a green shield to harry her opponent. Pssh! The two clashed in a titanic struggle of energies, their attacks rising to the skies. The First Princess was sent flying back a few hundred meters, her green feather shield shattered. Some of the evil, red energy spilled over to her body, but it was stopped by her green battle armor, which corroded slightly. "How vile!" The First Princess was surprised by how strong the serpent''s final struggle was. Still, she understood that the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent could not keep this up forever. All they had to do was hold out and sustain. Once the energy was burnt away, their foe would crumble of its own accord. "Qing''e..." Just as she was about to convey this strategy to Jiang Qing''e, the younger girl stepped up, pressing both hands together in a seal. Pure light resonant energy rose up and turned into five nails of light that burned with fire. Middle grade dragon-general resonance art, Demonbane Nails. When this resonance art was perfectly mastered, one could produce seven nails that would severely handicap the victim''s resonant power when they all landed. This and World of Light were Jiang Qing''e''s best dragon-general resonance arts. One defensive, one offensive. A perfect duo. Swoosh! Swoosh! Five nails embedded themselves deep in the tail of the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent. Their bright flames caused the serpent to thrash reflexively, but its tail was pinned firmly to the ground, causing its upper body to overbalance. It flailed and went down in a writhing heap. "Qing''e, you..." The First Princess was stunned speechless. Jiang Qing''e really fought with a battle style like no other. She was only a Fiend Finisher Tier cultivator, but she showed no fear even against a Lesser Heavenly Disaster-class Other. In fact, she was fighting even more aggressively than the First Princess herself. Of course, this was enabled by the fact that the Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent was mostly focusing on the stronger girl, but Jiang Qing''e was truly punishing it for this target prioritization. Of course, light resonances were especially effective against Others, especially a super rare ninth-grade one. The First Princess understood that Jiang Qing''e wanted to end things quickly, worried that they were taking too long and the snake creatures would be free soon... and when that happened, their dear little boy spectator perched on his tower would be in danger. "What a guardian," she thought to herself, then she blasted out with her seven heavenly pearls again. This time, she reinforced the green scaled-dragon attack with an additional edge of razor-sharp scales to make it even stronger than before. She sent it arcing out with a flick of her hand, and this time, the buildings that she had cut through had their upper floors completely destroyed. Total destruction. The Four-limbed Demon-eye Serpent writhed desperately, but the green power sliced through its neck clean and true this time. Its head landed on the ground, body still spasming. Splat. The head fell with a limp thud, oozing out black blood. Its body began to steam, then it split apart, revealing a horde of little, black snakes that wriggled away. "Qing''e! All of them! They can''t be allowed to escape, or it can reform!" the First Princess yelled urgently. Jiang Qing''e nodded, then she used World of Light again. This time it was executed at its normal scope and power, and again all the corruption within its influence was wiped out. Soon, the ground was fresh and clean again, with not a single snake to be seen. And with that, the terror that had taken over Riverguard City was finally overthrown. The First Princess heaved a sigh of relief, then a slow smile of triumph spread over his face. At this time, the spectator, Li Luo, approached cautiously, giving his two squadmates a big thumbs up. "Tough fight, epic fight. If I could draw, I''d make a Beauties and the Beast drawing as commemoration, or something." The First Princess sat down on a broken stone column. "Cheeky fellow." Jiang Qing''e smiled at him. "Any changes to the points?" Li Luo pulled out the spirit mirror and grinned when he saw the results. "Thanks to you two... we''re temporarily in first place." Chapter 0539: Number One in Points We got 50,000 points for successfully cleansing Riverguard City, and then another 40,000 because this is a compulsory task. The lesser Heavenly Disaster-class also gave us 50,000, so including what we had previously, our total is roughly 200,000." Li Luo was grinning from ear to ear as he danced a little jig with the spirit mirror. They had shot up like a rocket, and even the Enlightened Sage College''s Lan Lan squad had been left far behind in the dust. "That means we''re the first squad to complete the primary mission from the Academic Federation," Jiang Qing''e noted. Li Luo nodded. The primary missions were the difficult ones. When other squads cleared them, it was likely that they would meet Others of similar difficulty too, and also be awarded the additional boost that would even out the score. "Sooner rather than later, I''d think," the First Princess said. "Lesser Heavenly Disaster-classes won''t stop someone like Lan Lan. They might just be a bit slower than we are to clear it." Li Luo agreed. Lan Lan was insanely strong, and his squad was made up of elites as well. They could not underestimate him. "That''s right," Jiang Qing''e suddenly said. "When Li Luo was setting the cleansing barrier just now, he was ambushed by a black knight, roughly Earth Fiend in strength." "Black knight?" the First Princess asked, startled. "Not an Other?" "Not an Other." Li Luo shook his head firmly. "Flesh and blood." The First Princess looked grave. "Seems like Elder Ling Yu''s warning was not just blind speculation after all. Maybe someone was behind the fall of the Blackwind Empire." There was no other reason why the black knight would come to stop Li Luo otherwise. "But you actually managed to get the cleansing barrier up while being attacked by an Earth Fiend expert? That''s impressive," the First Princess stated with a small shiver. If the assailant had managed to stop Li Luo, the cleansing barrier would not have gone up, and today would not have ended with the happy ending that it had. They might not have been killed, but they would probably have failed the mission. It was thanks to Li Luo that they had succeeded. The First Princess'' regard for Li Luo increased yet again. The black knight must have ambushed Li Luo specifically, and yet he had overcome both the surprise factor and the power difference to pull off the cleansing barrier. He was definitely no ordinary Resonant Master. "Just carelessness on the opponent''s part," Li Luo said with a modest shrug when she complimented him. The First Princess smiled to herself. Mere carelessness was not enough to make him overcome an Earth Fiend. Li Luo was really something else. Although he was only a Resonant Master, he always seemed to have more up his sleeve. "I tried to check the city just now. No sign of the black knight," Jiang Qing''e said. "Probably escaped. Hes only an Earth Fiend, so he wouldn''t dare to face us, especially not when the four-limbed demon-eye serpent has already been eliminated," the First Princess said, unsurprised. Jiang Qing''e nodded, then turned back to the city. "The snake creatures are awakening." The cleansing barrier would not hold them forever. The Earthly Disaster-class Others would soon be attacking as well. Still, they were not much of a problem with their leader taken out. "Let''s clean this place up. A few extra points wouldn''t hurt," the First Princess said. "Mm. Her Highness and I will take care of the snake creatures. Li Luo, you''re in charge of the Eroding-class Others. Don''t stray too far from us, in case of ambushes." Li Luo nodded. It was a little embarrassing to always be protected, but embarrassment was better than death, with that black knight lurking about somewhere. The three divided up their zones and began to clean the city. Without the four-limbed demon-eye serpent spreading corruption, and the cleansing barrier exerting a weakening influence on their enemies, they had the entire city purged thoroughly in just half a day. The corruptive mist faded away and the air became clean and bright again. The setting sun hung low in the sky, a lantern of pink held against the creeping navy of night. After clearing their task, the three sat down for a casual meal. "Another 60,000 points," Li Luo reported cheerfully. The Earthly Disaster-class Others had been quite numerous, helping them earn a tidy sum. "Lan Lan and the others are catching up," Jiang Qing''e said, glancing over. The other team had reached about 230,000 points, only 30,000 points behind them. At the same time, they saw Gong Shenjun''s group in fourth place as well. "That makes five squads with 200,000 points or more," the First Princess said. "They must all have cleared their primary objectives." Li Luo agreed. Only those could boost the point score so much. Of course, the strongest teams would be the ones to clear them quickly and pull ahead. Still, there were only five squads who had done it. This was a lot fewer than Li Luo had expected. Then again, his squad had both Jiang Qing''e and the First Princess. The two girls had taken down the four-limbed demon-eye serpent very quickly. Not many other squads had that same level of power. They might well be the strongest duo in the whole mixed-level competition. As for him... an accompaniment here to make music. "With the Riverguard City mission cleared, we''re much more free in route choice now. Any suggestions?" the First Princess asked, poking the spirit mirror to light it up again. Li Luo shook his head. Jiang Qing''e pinched a tiny piece of her bun off with her fingers, then popped it into her mouth and munched thoughtfully. "I thought we could go to Thunderpeal Mountain. Its probably a key area of the Red Clay Province, and I''m quite curious about those thunderpeal fruits too." "Thunderpeal Mountain, eh? It''s quite close to Riverguard City, and since we heard that the Thunderpeal Avatar is royalty-exclusive, this is quite a rare chance for us to experience it. I agree," the First Princess said. "Let''s not pass up on this chance." "Wow, the royalty really know how to take all the goodies for themselves, huh?" Li Luo said, joining in the conversation. The First Princess coughed primly. "Dearest Junior Li Luo, it seems like you have some sort of resentment against royalty?" Li Luo''s smile froze on his face. "I meant it regarding the Blackwind Empire, your most esteemed highness. Everyone knows that you love the citizens like your own children. All of the Xia Kingdom adores you. They would get down on all fours and gallop around if you wished for a horse, Your Highness." She laughed, mollified. "If there are no objections, let''s go to Thunderpeal Mountain next, then." Jiang Qing''e looked at her half-eaten bun, then patted her still-flat stomach. Without warning, she crammed the remaining half in Li Luo''s mouth, and he swallowed it sullenly. She got up and then her eyes turned serious. "But before we leave, we should free those people in the garden." The First Princess and Li Luo sobered up as well, nodding silently. They could not run away from this task. Chapter 0540: Emergency Mission Chapter 0540: Emergency Mission In a large garden within Riverguard City. Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and the First Princess stood on a high wall, looking down at the mass of human bodies laid out before them. As the corruption level within the city dwindled, these people began to get some semblance of reason back. But after regaining their minds, they were not celebrating. Rather, they were crying hard. They were extremely exhausted, but they could not stop the wails, the wracking sobs that shook their bodies. For the longest time, they had been subjected to the most ghastly of horrors and the most excruciating of tortures. They had watched their own kin and even children infested with blood snakes, for the four-limbed demon-eye serpent to eat. Their insides had been liquified and their eyeballs eaten out, ending up as nothing more than bags of human skin. That memory would forever be seared into their minds. They might be physically safe now, but nothing could rescue them from the prison of despair that had a mental hold on them. There was not much consolation that Li Luo and the others could give them. Some wounds simply needed time to heal. The Others are really our greatest enemy, aren''t they?" Li Luo asked sadly. This was the cruelest sight that he had seen to date. Although the Others in the Umbra Cave were evil, they had not been allowed to prey on vulnerable humans. Cruelty was darkest against the weak. No wonder so many Kings and Dukes had to be chosen via lottery to go to the Nobles'' Battlefield. They had to stop the Others from coming to their world. It was a noble duty to protect the entire human race. Or perhaps some of them were just doing it for their families. All who went to that place of horrors deserved respect. The First Princess was not as affected as the two of them. As the first princess of the Xia Kingdom, she was privy to more, and might have been mentally prepared for such horrors. "When the cleansing points in Red Clay Province are all established, the surrounding nations might come to reestablish order. Things will be better then," the First Princess said comfortingly to Li Luo. "Yeah. Okay. Let''s go." Li Luo nodded. He had to shake off the melancholy quickly so he could remain in peak fighting form. Jiang Qing''e and the First Princess took one final look at the hellish garden, then turned and followed their youngest member. The three left Riverguard City, following their map in the direction of Thunderpeal Mountain and making good haste along the way. Thunderpeal Mountain was a few hundred kilometers away from Riverguard City, which would usually take them two to four hours to cover. But in the Red Clay Province, the corruption and infestation of Others forced them to proceed cautiously. They did not come across any more Heavenly Disaster-class Others like the four-limbed demon-eye serpent, but the sheer number of enemies slowed them down significantly. By the time they reached the vicinity of Thunderpeal Mountain, it was already the next day. They stood on a slope where they could get an unhindered view of the mountain. Casting their eyes out, they were excited by the prospect of adventure in a new terrain, their youthful optimism asserting itself. They could see their destination through a V-shaped gap in the mountain range, rising up far higher than its peers. The clouds at its peak crackled with lightning and rumbled with thunder. Near that peak was a massive tree, completely silver in color. It was far from them, and yet they could see that its crown had expanded out enough to cover much of the peak itself. Lightning bolts from the clouds cracked down on the leaves and were absorbed by the tree. It was a magnificent sight. "That''s the Thunderpeal Tree? It''d give our school''s Tree of Resonant Power a good run for its money," Li Luo marveled. "No wonder the Blackwind Empire royalty kept it for themselves," the First Princess said, mouth open in wonder as well. "What a treasure." Jiang Qing''e was just about to speak, but she suddenly stopped, pulling out her spirit mirror. "Seems like we just received an emergency mission?" Li Luo and the First Princess checked their spirit mirrors and confirmed what she had said. "Seems like a squad got lost around here... 50,000 points as reward," Li Luo read aloud. "Since we only got the mission when we arrived here, it''s probably region-locked." "A missing team, huh..." the First Princess said doubtfully. "All of us have spirit mirrors, and if there is any fatal danger, squads can just smash the mirror and escape. Why would a team disappear?" Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo looked at each other, then shook their heads. "Looks like Thunderpeal Mountain could be more dangerous than we thought," Jiang Qing''e said. Li Luo looked up at the mountain range again. The natural thunder and energies here were dense, so much so that the corruption was barely able to enter this area. It was easy to be lulled into a false sense of security. This mountain range was not as clean as it looked. "In any case, let''s go over and take a look," the First Princess said. She was confident in her strength, so she was not too afraid. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e nodded. They had come all the way here already, so they might as well poke around. And there was nowhere really safe in the Red Clay Province anyway. At most, they would meet a strong enemy and fight it. As long as they did not meet a Greater Heavenly Disaster-class, they should be able to face anything. Their next course of action decided, they moved out again. Just as they were about to enter the mountain itself, both the First Princess and Jiang Qing''e suddenly stopped and turned to the right. "Someone''s here." "Should be other squads." "So we''re not the only ones to get the emergency mission." Li Luo nodded. He looked up to the right, and sure enough, he spotted a group coming towards them. Six people, two squads. Li Luo squinted and then his eyes widened in surprise. A familiar figure. Lu Ming? Chapter 0541: Qin Yue, Zhao Beili Chapter 0541: Qin Yue, Zhao Beili The two squads landed swiftly in front of Li Luo''s squad. "Well, well, well. If it isn''t the point leading squad. What an honor," laughed a handsome youth. He had a long spear in hand and was paying special attention to the First Princess and Jiang Qing''e. Li Luo checked the school badge on his chest. North Sea Sage College. The white clothing and well-dressed bearing of the silent student beside him caught his eye. Li Luo realized that it had to be Ao Bai, the winner of the Two Star Hall''s strongest student title. As though sensing Li Luo''s stare, Ao Bai turned his head slightly towards him and nodded in acknowledgment. "Why, if it isn''t Qin Yue from the North Sea Sage College." The First Princess smiled at the handsome youth who had spoken. Qin Yue was the best of the North Sea Sage College''s Four Star Hall. The First Princess had met him in the hall-level competition previously. He was roughly a five-pearl Heavenly Pearl cultivator. He was weaker than her, but still very strong in his own right. "And this must be the Heavenly Inferno Sage College''s Zhao Beili?" The First Princess looked over at Lu Ming''s squad, headed by a gaunt youth. Zhao Beili was slightly more effeminate, but handsome in his own way. He had a slender longsword strapped to his waist, and his long hair was neatly parted behind him. He was the Heavenly Inferno Sage College''s strongest Four Star Hall student, and about Qin Yue''s equal. He cupped his fists towards the First Princess in respect. "Greetings, Your Highness. I saw you in the hall-level competition from afar. I was lucky not to meet you then, or I would have been left with my face in the dust." Both Qin Yue and Zhao Beili were very polite towards the First Princess purely because of her strength. Her status as royalty held no sway outside of the Xia Kingdom. The First Princess had not won the strongest student title, nor was she even considered the strongest Four Star Hall student from the Astral Sage College. Even so, there were not many who could beat her. "Brother Zhao is too humble," the First Princess said with a gracious smile. "It seems like both of your squads were notified of the emergency mission as well?" she enquired of them. Both Qin Yue and Zhao Beili nodded. "We were coming for the Thunderpeal Mountain objective, then this emergency mission popped up. Not sure why a squad disappeared." "Keke, since we''re all here for the same reason, won''t you join forces with us, Your Highness? Safety in numbers," they both said openly. The First Princess did not immediately answer, but turned to Jiang Qing''e. Jiang Qing''e turned to Li Luo. Li Luo didn''t know where to turn. He started to sweat. What was a scrub like him supposed to do? But since the plump swan was giving him such an honor, Li Luo had to step up to it. "Theres no requirement to finish the mission alone," he said affably. "Many hands make light work." The First Princess turned to Qin Yue and Zhao Beili. "Then it would be our pleasure to work with you gentlemen." Qin Yue and Zhao Beili nodded and smiled, but now they looked at Li Luo differently. Of course they had heard of the strongest One Star Hall student Li Luo, but this was the mixed-level competition... One Star Hall students were usually here as helpful, little fleas, and Li Luo was going to be no exception even as the strongest of the fleas. It made sense that the First Princess would check with Jiang Qing''e. Even Heavenly Pearl stage cultivators like them would not dare take her lightly. Her strength would be a huge asset. But Li Luo... was still far from useful. Why would they all look to Li Luo for the final decision? It was vexing. Their conclusion was that the First Princess was being polite to Jiang Qing''e, and rumor was that Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo... had a special connection. Could it be real? Still, they let none of this confusion show on their faces. They simply nodded and carried on as if it was the most normal thing in the world that the point leading squad was being led by a One Star Hall mouse. They introduced their squad members around and made some icebreaker conversation. Li Luo watched on quietly as the squads conferred. He could sense that the North Sea Sage College''s Qin Yue had some sort of special interest in the First Princess. That was not surprising. She was beautiful, but not a delicate ornament to be left in the display case. When the situation called for it, she could roll up her sleeves and wade in with the rest of the Four Star Hall elites. There was definitely much for Qin Yue to appreciate there. While the three squad leaders conferred, Li Luo strolled up to the girl who was glancing at him once in a while. "We meet again. And this time on the same side." Lu Ming folded her arms, drawing her clothes even tighter around her beautiful figure. "I still can''t believe you actually beat Jing Taixu. I thought he would make mincemeat out of you." "Its because I didn''t have to spend too much energy fighting you," Li Luo answered seriously. Lu Ming glared at him. Was he trying to say that she was a pushover? Easily passed? "Hmph, if not for your poison tricks, I would have had you then," she sniffed. Li Luo chuckled and stopped teasing her. "Well, if we meet a strong enemy later, think of how we can cooperate, huh?" She rolled her eyes at him. "As if we One Star Hall students could contribute anything. We''re just here as a formality. Or did you think you were going to be the star of the show again?" "Well, I wouldn''t say that..." Lu Ming was glancing over at Jiang Qing''e occasionally as well, and she finally lowered her voice. "Hey, Li Luo. Is Senior Jiang really your fiance?" "So you''re one of the gossipy ones too," Li Luo said irritatedly. He had thought the cold and aloof Lu Ming would be beyond that. Lu Ming flushed a little. "Anyone would be interested in such news!" she blurted. "She''s the most outstanding girl here at the Holy Grail Meet, and all of us are proud of what she''s done for female students. To think that you and her... "How did you get so lucky with her anyway?" she demanded. "Lucky? Inevitable, I''d say." Li Luo shrugged. "Beautiful girl, handsome man, how could we not be together?" Lu Ming almost gagged at how brazen he was, then she settled for a derisive cluck of the tongue. "What are you guys chatting about?" a cheerful voice asked. It was the Heavenly Inferno Sage Colleges squad leader, Zhao Beili. "I thought Junior Lu Ming would be a little sore after the hall-level competition and refuse to work with Junior Li Luo, but it seems like you guys are really getting along here." "I wouldn''t be so petty, Senior Zhao," Lu Ming said stiffly. "Both wins and losses are normal in competitions." "Indeed," Zhao Beili agreed amiably. "Anyway, this foray won''t be easy. Junior Lu Ming, please be careful. Of course, I''ll be protecting you." Li Luo understood now that Zhao Beili was interested in her. No wonder he would inject himself into the conversation when they seemed chummy. But seeing Lu Ming''s reaction, the interest probably wasn''t reciprocated. "Keke, Junior Li Luo, the three of us have finished discussing our next move now. You should rejoin your squad quickly and prepare to move out," he said with a cool smile. Li Luo was just too handsome, and any girl would fall for him. He had better watch the silver-haired devil carefully. Li Luo sensed the coolness from him but could not fathom why. Zhao Beili surely doesn''t have any brains. Can''t he see Jiang Qing''e watching them like a hawk already? Would I really dare to try anything with her around? Besides, am I really that kind of playboy? He felt a sudden urge to kick the floor childishly, but instead, he waved to Lu Ming like a gentleman and returned to his squad. In any case, the three squads had their basic communications down, and together they headed into the thunder-filled mountain range. Chapter 0542: Thunderpeal Fruits Chapter 0542: Thunderpeal Fruits The thunder rumbled ominously above the advancing squads, amplified and echoed by the steep mountain walls that crowded them in on all sides. Although the corruption was much weaker in Thunderpeal Mountain, the three squads did not ease up their guard. Rather, they were even more cautious than ever, on the lookout for whatever had taken down the missing squad. None of the students who had made it here were weak or foolish by any measure. They were the best of their schools, elite students that had survived and honed their skills through many battles and other dangers. The fact that one squad had disappeared was a huge worry for all of them. The three Heavenly Pearl Stage leaders escorted the entire group. The First Princess took point, the vanguard breaking the way for them. Qin Yue remained in the middle, watching their flanks. The Heavenly Inferno Sage College''s Zhao Beili was the rearguard. With this, they moved in a formation of maximum safety. And this allowed them to move at maximum speed. They traveled deeper into the mountain range, and yet there were no signs of Others at all. It was probably the cleanest region in the whole Red Clay Province. This was good, but an unnerving good. They proceeded with caution. In a dark corner of the mountain range, somewhere else. Corruption was dense enough to drip off the walls as sludge here, even thicker than it had been at Riverguard City. On a stone dais in the darkness. A black knight was lighting a stick of incense that burned with a wicked, red light. The rising smoke formed a screen. The black knight sank to the floor, prostrating himself. "Great One, more squads have come to Thunderpeal Mountain," the black knight said in a voice muffled under the visor. A shadowy, red figure laughed coldly from within the smoke. "More runts from the Academic Federation with no desire to live? Clean them all up. These are new elite students from all the schools. Destroying them will be painful for them." "It''s odd that they would not utilize the neighboring powers. Why redirect the Holy Grail Meet here.... I don''t think things are as straightforward as they seem. They must be up to something else." "But regardless, I am in charge of the Red Clay Province, and I will not let them do as they wish here. Thunderpeal Mountain is an important position for me, and it must remain unmolested. You failed to keep Riverguard City safe, but if anything happens at Thunderpeal Mountain, you know the consequences." The black knight sank even lower to the ground. "Do not worry, Great One. Thunderpeal Mountain was specially chosen and prepared by you yourself. There will be no accidents!" The red shadow nodded harshly, then disappeared with the smoke. "Well, this is Thunderpeal Mountain." The three squads stopped before the one mountain that towered above the others. They were in the heart of the mountain range now. "The journey has been too quiet," the First Princess said, frowning. The others nodded. It made them extremely uneasy to stumble across an Other-free oasis when they were in the middle of an Other Disaster. "If this place is really so safe, then where the hell did the missing squad go?" Qin Yue said exasperatedly. The squads looked around at each other, then they began to charge their resonant powers quietly in preparation. "Let''s head up the mountain and take a look," the First Princess decided. There were no objections, and they were at the top two hours later, looking upon the majestic Thunderpeal Tree. The silver trunk seemed to be made of metal, and its glamor was odd to behold, given that it stood at the center of the massive shadow cast by its branches and leaves. Even for the Astral Sage students who were familiar with their own Tree of Resonant Power, this was breathtaking to see up close. "Still nothing odd..." Zhao Beili said, scanning their surroundings. The lightning flickered out above them, absorbed by the crown of the Thunderpeal Tree. There was no sign of Others. They scratched their heads in puzzlement. Jiang Qing''e was examining the tree carefully. She was looking particularly near the center of the crown, where two silver fruits hung quietly on a branch. Lightning marks covered the fruits, and electricity crackled over them. "These are Thunderpeal Fruits?" The others came over, hearing her words. They all looked at the fruits with interest. Of course, all of them had come to Thunderpeal Mountain initially because of the temptation of the Thunderpeal Fruits. It would at least strengthen their bodies, and if they were talented enough, it would even grant them the Thunderpeal Avatar through proper refinement. Even someone like the First Princess would be interested in this prospect. The First Princess carefully raised a hand, using a tiny slice of green power to cut down the two fruits. She lowered them gently before the group. Everyone crowded in for a closer look and heard an electrical hum buzzing from them. "How amazing," the First Princess marveled. "But there are only two here, and we are many. How should we divide them?" The students'' eyes lit up, especially Qin Yue and Zhao Beili. As Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivators, they were both interested and worthy of contesting it. However, neither spoke recklessly. They found the number of fruits suspicious. The First Princess raised her eyebrows at them knowingly. "An interesting number, is it not? Three of us, and two fruits. Is this a coincidence or someone''s design?" Qin Yue and Zhao Beili frowned. "Your Highness, do you mean someone has done this on purpose to incite internal strife?" Qin Yue asked. "Perhaps," she said. Jiang Qing''e was looking at the fruits closely. "Your Highness, pass me one for a look." The First Princess handed one over quizzically. With everyone watching, Jiang Qing''e held the Thunderpeal Fruit in both hands, then violently twisted, opening it up. A blast of lightning energy was released from within. Jiang Qing''e''s movement saw Qin Yue and Zhao Beili wince as though she had twisted them by the balls. Both made inadvertent movements towards the fruit. But they pulled themselves up short. Jiang Qing''e held out the halves to them, and they could see that the lightning within was black in color, with a strong stench of corruption within. These fruits... held a seed of corruption! They gasped and shuddered to think of how their greed had almost laid them low. There was definitely something odd about this place! Chapter 0543: The Thunderpeal Tree Attacks Chapter 0543: The Thunderpeal Tree Attacks Under the great Thunderpeal Tree, the students stared at the swirling, black mist rising from the seeds of corruption and shuddered. Who would have thought that the greatest temptation was actually holding such evil? If they had really consumed this fruit whole for refinement, they would have been completely corrupted, heart, body, and mind. "That was close," Qin Yue hissed. They had thought the evil plot was the number of Thunderpeal Fruits, but now they realized that it was merely the first layer hiding a much more tragic end for whoever took the fruits. Besides, given how precious Thunderpeal Fruits were, virtually no one would have the presence of mind like Jiang Qing''e to tear one open. Which meant that they would likely have fallen into the trap if not for her. The First Princess'' elegant face was drawn and tight as well. Not even she had anticipated this level of trickery. The Thunderpeal Fruit was produced by the Thunderpeal Tree itself. If there were problems with the fruit, did that not mean that the tree itself was not as benign as it seemed? What was wrong with Thunderpeal Mountain? And there had been so little corruption up till now... "There''s something odd about the tree," Lu Ming said, raising her resonant power defenses as she stepped away from the trunk. She had come to the same conclusion as the First Princess. The others turned back to the trunk of the tree, their respect now replaced with caution. The cool shade of its leaves had suddenly turned chilly. "If the corruption in this mountain range is so faint, why would there be problems with the tree?" Zhao Beili asked, frowning. "What if," Jiang Qing''e said quietly, "the Thunderpeal Tree absorbed all of the corruption?" Suddenly, all of the students felt an urge to run as far as they could. If Jiang Qing''e''s guess was right, then this tree was a ticking bomb of corruption. Li Luo licked his lips nervously as well. So much for peace and quiet. "Well, what do we want to do now?" The one who had asked was Ao Bai, the Two Star Hall winner. He had been quiet so far, understanding that his quasi General Stage strength could not contribute much before his betters. But now that they were in grave danger, he thought it better to speak out and clarify. Jiang Qing''e looked around them. "It''s not about what we want to do anymore," she said calmly. "Haven''t you noticed? The lightning is picking up in intensity." The others looked up to see forks of lightning flash down almost constantly now, gigantic bolts that sizzled with menacing power. "The Thunderpeal Tree!" The First Princess had noticed that the silver leaves were arching downwards at the edges now, intending to trap them within a dome-shaped prison on the mountain. "It''s going to capture us!" Zhao Beili yelled. "Get out!" the First Princess cried, leading the way towards the nearest edge. Boom! But a blinding flash of lightning crackled from under the boughs, and a thick, silver vine lashed out at them with the speed of a striking viper. Bzzst! It was not just one vine, but an entire bunch of them. Each was crackling with enough power to make even the three Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivators blanch in fear. "One and Two Star Hall students, get back!" the First Princess shouted. The power here was not something that the junior students could handle. The First Princess, Qin Yue, and Zhao Beili put up powerful defenses, their heavenly pearls winking into existence. Under their combined defenses, they were able to repel the vines. Jiang Qing''e had the back covered, her ninth-grade light spirit avatar standing like a guardian angel over them, and her heavy sword held in a defensive stance. The suddenness of battle could have unnerved inexperienced students. The three Heavenly Pearl Stage students were unfazed, calling forth enough power to shake the mountains. In the wake of the attack, wooden splinters wafted down to the ground. The attack had been stopped, but the edges of the tree''s crown had finished forming its prison, and they were trapped within. Lu Ming and Li Luo were placed at the rear, protected by their stronger companions. Thanks to the quick actions of the First Princess and Jiang Qing''e, they were well covered. Lu Ming looked out at the dome of boughs all around them. "We''re trapped," she hissed. "The calm before the storm, huh," Li Luo said glumly. "This is not good. We have three Heavenly Pearl Stage experts, but the environment is not favorable to us. The Thunderpeal Tree can constantly harness lightning from around it to attack us. If this keeps up, we will run out of resonant power eventually," Lu Ming assessed. Li Luo nodded. Still, this was something that the First Princess and the other experts knew. They were probably testing out the limits of the tree''s strength, to see if they could join forces and break out in one punch. As for the missing squad, they would have to give that up for now. While Li Luo was thinking this, he suddenly felt the ground beneath him sag. His eyes narrowed. "Beware below!!" Boom! Just as he yelled this, the ground gave way, revealing another batch of electric vines that swept out at their feet. The attack was too fast and too furious for Li Luo and Lu Ming to react properly. At the crucial moment, Li Luo slammed a hand into Lu Ming''s back, pushing her out of harm''s way. One injured person was better than two. With his other hand, he formed the strongest defense he could muster against the vines. Bang! A muffled crash. Li Luo was sent flying, his hair standing up from the electrical power and sizzling with white smoke. He coughed out enough blood to stain both his hands. He was seriously injured, but his arms were wrapped in a bear hug around the vine, preventing it from attacking them further. "Li Luo!" Lu Ming screamed as she watched him sail through the air. Swoosh! A powerful sword sliced down, severing the electric vine in one clean sweep. Jiang Qing''e to the rescue. At the same time, more and more vines came out from underground. Jiang Qing''e''s beautiful features were tight with cold fury. The Thunderpeal Tree was trickier than they had expected, to be able to pull off sneak attacks like this one. The situation was chaotic, and she had no time to coddle Li Luo. Her sword slashed out with frenzied light, clearing the vines. Lu Ming hurried to Li Luo''s side. "Are you alright?" she asked urgently. Li Luo waved weakly, then coughed and wiped the blood from his mouth. "The First Princess and the others have drawn much of the Thunderpeal Tree''s attacks, or I''d be dead already." Lu Ming hesitated. "Thank you," she said sincerely. If not for Li Luo pushing her out of the way, she''d be badly injured now as well. Li Luo smiled at her. "Ah, to let such a beauty see me in such an ungainly position. It is a crime." Lu Ming immediately felt a smile coming upon her, but she forced it back down. "The last time we fought, I didn''t expect someone who poisoned girls to have a gentlemanly side to him as well." "You were an opponent back then. Of course I had to do everything I could," Li Luo said defensively. "I''m kidding. Heal yourself. I''ll watch you." She smiled. Her hand was on the slender weapon by her side, and she turned to watch their surroundings. Li Luo nodded, then he lowered his head to the severed vine he was still holding. The electric energy had faded from it, but he looked at it worriedly nevertheless. He had sensed a weak and vague signal coming out of it when his blood-stained arms were tightly wound around it. That signal... It seemed to be a call for rescue. Midasthefloof''s Thoughts Sorry for the late chapter all! Enjoy :) Chapter 0544: A Special Signal Chapter 0544: A Special Signal The frenzied battle on Thunderpeal Mountain raged on. Mighty blasts of resonant power sheared through electric vines that came at the students from all sides. Even when the vines were repelled, the electricity caused them to explode, keeping the students on their toes. Most of them were being defended against by the First Princess and the other Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivators. They were tanking most of the damage. Jiang Qing''e and the other two Three Star Hall students were helping them out. They were also in charge of sweeping away the electric vines that came at them from below. The entire situation was very disorderly. Li Luo, Lu Ming, and Ao Bai were gathered in a small circle of their own, trying to ward off any attacks that came their way. Li Luo was recovering at good speed, and he felt the tingling numbness begin to fade away from his body. His resonant powers were kicking in with good effect, and he sighed in relief. "Are you better?" Lu Ming asked. Li Luo looked over at the aloof girl with a hint of concern in her eyes. He smiled and nodded. His blackened face and frazzled hair were both comical and pitiful to look upon, but he was only this way because he had saved her. "Watch yourself, then. The electric vines sprouting up from the ground are only getting more numerous." Li Luo nodded, keeping his eyes low. That special signal... had he imagined it? What could it possibly mean? Li Luo was quite curious. He felt that it could be an important message. If it were real, why was he the only one who had sensed it? The First Princess, Jiang Qing''e, and the others were in the thick of battle, and each had cut down dozens of vines. And yet none of them had shown the slightest awareness that any message was being sent. Li Luo desperately wanted time to think. He stared hard at the other combatants, turning his thoughts inwards as he watched the colorful blasts of resonant power fly past without thinking too much... Color! Resonance affinity! Wood resonance! No one else here had a wood resonance! Wood resonant power lent him a unique sensitivity with the plants of the world, and even those that were strangely otherworldly... like the Thunderpeal Tree. Perhaps this was a reasonable explanation for why he had sensed something that the others had not. If that was so, had the cry for help come from the Thunderpeal Tree before them? He thought it a plausible notion. The Thunderpeal Tree was a wonder of the world. It had a tremendous reservoir of energy that it filled constantly. Perhaps it had some degree of sentience. Was it asking him for help? "Li Luo, what are you daydreaming about? Did your injuries worsen?" Lu Ming saw that there was a vague, dreamy expression on Li Luo''s face, and quickly poked him with her sword hilt out of concern. Li Luo shook his head. "I''m fine... Lu Ming, can you help me?" She looked at him strangely. "What sort of help, at this time?" Li Luo hesitated, then he said, "I need to lure an electric vine to attack me, but the electricity is too strong for me to tank alone. I need you to help me relieve some of the attack." Lu Ming stared at him uncomprehendingly. "Get an electric vine to attack you? Have you lost your mind? The first one almost killed you. Are you a masochist or something?" she blurted out embarrassedly. Lu Ming herself had the dual resonances of illusion and lightning, so she was familiar with the unique experience of pain and disorientation that her opponents were often subject to. Sometimes, there were odd ones who enjoyed the pain... was Li Luo one of those? He scowled at her. "I do NOT like being struck by lightning! "I just have some insights that could change our situation!" "Suuuuure......" Lu Ming said doubtfully. But in the end, she agreed to cooperate. Surely not even a mad masochist would indulge in his fetishes at a time like this. "You don''t even believe me..." Li Luo muttered, half to himself. He looked over to Jiang Qing''e, who was scything through the electric vines like a wheat field. She had attracted the bulk of the vines to her already. "Qing''e, send one of the weak vines my way!" The trust between the two was deep enough that she would not question his strange request. Hearing his shout, Jiang Qing''e pulled a face, but she removed the light resonant energy from her blade for a second and twisted it expertly so the flat side faced one of the vines. With a tremendous swing, she batted it expertly over to Li Luo''s position. The electric vine flailed around in a frenzy, uncaring of where it was. The crackling and popping electricity was soon in Li Luo''s face. It hissed and crackled like a dragon, burning even the air around it. Lu Ming screamed inwardly when Jiang Qing''e batted the vine their way. The Three Star Hall girl might be able to deal with it easily, but the two of them were differentshe was only a Resonant Master. She did not dare to slack off. Her slim hands gripped her sword and channeled the full extent of her dual resonant powers, holding nothing back. Weng weng! The thin sword formed its own lightning veil that shot out towards the vine and wrapped around it. Unlike other powers, her lightning was able to land on the electric vine without causing an explosion. Rather, she could mute some of its power. The ground beneath the vine turned black from the reverse flow of electricity. Lu Ming''s move soon fizzled as her sword''s energy ran out. She was sent stumbling backwards a dozen steps, her sword now glowing hot from the attack. "Li Luo, watch out!" she cried. Even with her full strength, she had only been able to weaken the electric vine a little. Li Luo nodded grimly. He watched the vine approach, and he took a deep breath. He channeled his own dual resonances and then stepped out with both palms towards his opponent. He grabbed it with both hands. Bzzst! The electrical energy flooded through Li Luo like a raging river. He again felt the numbing energy take him, and he gritted his teeth and held on grimly. More. He needed more information. The electric vine thrashed in his hands like a python struggling to get free, unleashing violent bursts of energy that cooked the flesh on Li Luo''s palms. But there was no repeat of the special message. Li Luo''s heart sank. Had he really imagined it? He continued to hold on, even though the skin on his hands was starting to char. Just as Li Luo felt like he could hold on no longer, a pair of cool hands pressed onto the sides of his own, and the relief was immense as the electrical flow was partially diverted. "Li Luo, are you mad?!" Lu Ming screamed in his ear. "Do you not like having hands?!" He saw that she had rushed over to help him hold the vine and divert some of the energy flow and heat to her own hands. "Tha nks," Li Luo choked out. "A little more...!" Lu Ming gritted her teeth and nodded. With the two of them holding on, the electric vine started to die away. And the moment the vine''s power ran out, Li Luo again sensed the message. This time, it filled his head with a strange image. A vision of darkness, dripping with sludgy corruption. There were silver tree roots coated in the thick, purplish sludge that seemed to be sucking away at the tree''s life. It crawled up the roots, was absorbed, and then finally turned the silver to black... Li Luo heard the moan of the tree come to him from below. His eyes flew open, regaining normal sight. No wonder they could not see a single Other here at Thunderpeal Mountain. They had all burrowed down to the base of the tree and to work their corruptive magic from the roots instead. Chapter 0545: Tempting Lu Ming Chapter 0545: Tempting Lu Ming As the information flashed through his mind, Li Luo''s eyes flew open, and he was firmly back in reality again. "Li Luo, are you alright?" Lu Ming asked concernedly. Li Luo nodded to reassure her, then he tossed away the limp vine. "What the hell was that all about?" she demanded. "I told youfinding a way out of our situation." Li Luo grinned. "And... Did you find it?" she asked doubtfully. "I did. I also learned why the Thunderpeal Tree is attacking us," he said. She stared at him. That seemed too good to be true, but his expression was utterly serious. It did not seem like he was joking, so she swallowed her skepticism for the moment. "And why is it attacking us?" "Because it has been corrupted," he said. That was nothing newthe seeds of corruption in the Thunderpeal Fruits had proved as much. The bigger question was how. The corruption here was faint, and there were no signs of Others anywhere. Plus, the Thunderpeal Tree was a miraculous existence with incredible energy of its own. How could it be so easily corrupted? "The reason why the corruption here is faint is not due to its absence, but because it''s all concentrated at the base," Li Luo explained patiently, pointing at the foot of the mountain. From the image he had seen in his mind, it seemed like the Others were all gathered at the roots of the Thunderpeal Tree, and doing their evil work from there. Lu Ming considered his words. They seemed logical enough. "And what do you plan to do? We know the tree is corrupted, and it''s attacking us. But truthfully, I don''t think we have enough power to cleanse something of this magnitude," Lu Ming said. The Thunderpeal Tree had power that might well surpass a Heavenly Pearl cultivator, not to mention its magical ability to absorb a constant source of energy from its environment. It was barely using any power to deal with the three Heavenly Pearl experts currently. And such an existence had been corrupted. How difficult would it be to cleanse? They would need a Duke for this. "Perhaps it is possible," Li Luo said. "The distress signal I received came from the remaining traces of sentience that the tree holds on to. It proves that the tree is not completely corrupted yet. If we can just help it out, it should have some ability to cleanse itself. Don''t underestimate the old, wooden thing." Lu Ming was really hoping that what he had said was true. "One more problemif you want to help it, where would you even start?" "The image showed me what I should do," Li Luo answered. "But... it will not be easy." Lu Ming''s eyes flickered. "You mean to go down? To the roots?" Li Luo nodded slowly. Lu Ming''s heart sank. At the base of Thunderpeal Mountain, where the corruption and Others were rife... such a place would be extremely dangerous. "This sort of mission must be entrusted to the Three and Four Star Hall seniors, right?" she said reasonably. "We''re not strong enough to deal with it. The only reason were in this part of the competition is to raise the headcount." "They can''t go." Li Luo sighed. "Why not?" Li Luo raised a finger. "Firstly, the remaining consciousness of the Thunderpeal Tree can no longer control its actions or strength. That is why the corruption can force it to attack us. We need the First Princess and the others to help distract the corrupted part of its will. "Secondly, we are already trapped in the tree''s prison. It is not likely that we can break out of this trap and then re-invade from a different point. Which means that the only solution is for the Thunderpeal Tree to teleport us directly in with its last vestiges of strength. However, this strength is very limited, and can only send us Resonant Masters down. It cannot teleport anybody too strong. "Because of these reasons," Li Luo concluded with a wry smile, "it''s going to be us headcount-fillers that will do the dirty work." Lu Ming was silent for a moment. "Well, Li Luo, you got your chance to be a hero again. I''ll stay here and pray for your success. All the best, good luck, come back safe!" "I''m not the only Resonant Master here, you know..." Li Luo said meaningfully. Lu Ming''s eyes widened. She knew what he was implying. "Li Luo, you might want to be a hero, but I have no such inclination! I have no interest in such things!" She was a rational person who had weighed her odds against the rewards and her power against the challenge. She did not see how their limited strength would be of any use. Although they could break the spirit mirror and save their lives, that was no guarantee either. Hadn''t they just lost a squad who had that very same safety measure? Although they were trapped in the Thunderpeal Tree''s jail, they were not panicking yet. When they had no other option, they could still choose to be eliminateda small price to pay compared to their lives. "Well." Li Luo sighed. "Can''t say I blame you. I see your logic. I just thought that the great Lu Ming was a woman to walk the world with, a fearless Amazon and a fine warrior. I guess I was wrong." "That taunting isn''t going to work," she snorted at him. "And it means nothing coming from a poison-using weasel." Li Luo rubbed his chin. "Actually, I thought of something else also. The Thunderpeal Tree is a gigantic treasure. If I help it out, it''ll be indebted to me, right? Perhaps it''ll give me a few Thunderpeal Fruits in gratitudeuncorrupted, of courseand then I''ll have the Thunderpeal Avatar, right? "But of all the people here longing for the avatar, you''re probably the one who wants it most... right? I mean... you have a lightning resonance, so you can use the Thunderpeal Avatar best. "Right?" Lu Ming''s eyes flickered anew. Their squad had come to Thunderpeal Mountain largely because of her suggestion. And of course, she had wanted to come here for the Thunderpeal Fruits. She had been the most devastated one when they had realized the first two fruits were corrupted. And now Li Luo was suggesting that there might still be a chance at getting some good fruits if they helped the tree out... A sentient tree would definitely pay its debts. Lu Ming struggled with herself for a while. Damn! Damn you, Li Luo, tempting me like this! "There''s nothing much to worry about, actually. I think the most likely reason why the other squad disappeared is that they ate corrupted Thunderpeal Fruits and were unable to break the mirrors in time. We just need to be a little more careful, and we won''t wind up the same way. "With the spirit mirrors, our safety is guaranteed," Li Luo said, giving her one final push as he smelled weakness. Lu Ming gritted her teeth and glared at him. "Fine! We''re going! I''m going with you!" Chapter 0546: Silver Tree Core Chapter 0546: Silver Tree Core Li Luo grinned when Lu Ming finally agreed to come. He was not trying to force her into danger, but there was safety in numbers in an unknown situation, and they could look out for each other. If anything bad happened to one person, the other could quickly break their spirit mirror and take them both out. Even the spirit mirrors were stronger in numbers. Still, they had to let Jiang Qing''e and the others know about their plan before they went in. Li Luo was not shy about it. He gestured to Jiang Qing''e, who let the other Three Star Hall students pick up the slack while she hurried over. Li Luo explained his discoveries and plan to her. "I see... so you want to get to the root of the problem. That''s risky," Jiang Qing''e said with concern clear in her voice. It seemed like they were going into what could be a thick cluster of Others. Could two Resonant Masters really handle things? "Well, we''re not going to deal with all the Others directly," Li Luo reassured her. "That would be impossible for us. We''re really just going to help out the Thunderpeal Tree so it can cleanse itself." Jiang Qing''e nodded decisively. "If you think it''s worth a try, then go ahead. We''re stuck in a stalemate here, and our opponent has unlimited energy. It won''t stay a stalemate for long." She was worried about Li Luo''s safety, but she had no choice but to trust the spirit mirrors. She took down a silver rope from around her neck. It had a milky-white, tear-shaped stone in the middle, and she handed it over to Li Luo. "This is a light jewel that I made with my own light resonant energy. If you are corrupted or controlled, it will provide you a few moments of clarity to break your spirit mirror." Li Luo took the necklace, still warm from her body heat. She clearly wore it at all times. Li Luo nodded gratefully, then wrapped it around his wrist. "I''ll clear the electric vines in the area and escort you to the base of the Thunderpeal Tree. Prepare yourselves." Li Luo and Lu Ming nodded solemnly. Brandishing her sword, she cut a fiery path through the electric vines, with the two first years following cautiously behind. The vines lashed out like a pit of angry vipers, but none could even get close to Jiang Qing''e. "Senior Jiang is truly a rock of reliability. Li Luo, you have to work hard," Lu Ming said in admiration. Li Luo had no reply to that. I''m a Resonant Master for goodness sake. Are you really comparing me to a Fiend Finisher Tier cultivator in terms of safety provision? Irritating. Before long, the trio made it to the tree. They looked up at the huge trunk, far wider than their arm spans. They felt very insignificant. The silver bark glimmered with a faint, neon light. Li Luo did not hesitate, stepping up and putting his palm on the rough bark. The tree sensed his presence and shot a small burst of silver energy that enveloped him. Li Luo reached his hand out to Lu Ming, and she took it after a moment''s hesitation. The silver light covered both of them. It waxed for a moment and then waned, sucking the two in with it. Jiang Qing''e watched the space for a moment more, then turned back to join the fray against the electric vines. Meanwhile, Li Luo was being teleported, the roar of electricity loud in his ears. It was over very soon, and he regained his sight again. The sudden silence after the roaring electricity was deafening. He snapped his fingers experimentally. Looking around, he saw that he was in a pitch-black, underground area, and he and Lu Ming were currently perched on a thick root. The roots here were still glowing silver, which meant that they had not been corrupted. He looked above him. This root compartment seemed to have been enlarged by an external force, and there were things jumping down at them from above. "Li Luo, are those Others?" Lu Ming looked up at the grotesque figures. He nodded. "Others, dangerous and twisted as they come... but they seem to be moving with some sort of clear purpose." Lu Ming frowned. "You mean... they''re being controlled?" Li Luo asked, surprised. "Who would have the power to control Others? They''re not some sort of farm animal that can be trained." "It''s not easy," Lu Ming responded. "But perhaps it is possible to manipulate them or lead them to certain courses of action." Li Luo recalled the black knight in Riverguard City. Could he be behind this as well? But this was no time for meaningless speculation. "Come." Li Luo waved. He had started to feel a curious pull from the moment they arrived, which was the remaining sentience of the Thunderpeal Tree communicating with him. He led Lu Ming onwards as they made their way over the roots, which were thick enough to be bridges. They continued for a few minutes until they reached the end of the root. There, they saw a faint door of light that drew them in. They stood before the door and shared a look, then charged their resonant powers and jumped in together. The light dazzled them for a few moments, then the scene before them was clear again. Both gasped in wonder. Before them was a large, silver heart, pulsing gently. There were many branches leading out of it that then extended into other parts of the tree. This was the core of the Thunderpeal Tree. It had actually grown to such an extent. But the beautiful heart was currently marred by numerous thick, black thorns that had been buried into its body, leaking black mist. These black thorns were even timed to release more black corruption into the heart at regular intervals. Because of them, even the silver branches leading out were gradually turning black. Li Luo was quite sure that these black thorns were the source of the poison. The heart of the Thunderpeal Tree was being weakened by these things, preventing it from cleaning out the Others... Li Luo understood why the Thunderpeal Tree had brought them here now. It wanted them to help it detoxify. Chapter 0547: Detoxify Chapter 0547: Detoxify "You mean it''s telling you to help it detoxify?" Lu Ming repeated in surprise. She looked carefully at the silver tree core turned into a pincushion by the insidious black thorns sticking out of it. Even from a distance, the black mist emitted by it was dangerous to them. "Look, Li Luo, I''m not trying to belittle you, but don''t you think this level of poison is far too dangerous for us?!" she burst out. The Thunderpeal Tree was many orders of magnitude stronger than them, and even it had been brought low by these poisonous thorns. How was a mere Resonant Master like Li Luo supposed to deal with it? He would be snuffed out in an instant. Li Luo inched closer, walking up and down to examine the spikes properly. "It''s really quite a crazy poison. I''d be a fool to think I could neutralize it. Besides, they''re arranged in a special poison formation that completely seals away the tree core and attacks it with rot and corruption. An ingenious setup. "But I think the Thunderpeal Tree is not expecting me to do all the work. All it wants... is perhaps an opening out of this formation," he mused to himself. As he spoke this aloud, the tree glowed once briefly as if in agreement. Lu Ming stared on in wonder. Li Luo scratched his chin. His poison healing skills were quite average, although he had one advantagehe had three resonances that dealt with poison. Water resonance, light resonance, wood resonance. These three together combined produced an antidote effect with rare power, something that he had benefited from many times in the past. It was the most powerful cocktail that blew away poisons. Although Li Luo was not strong enough to get rid of the poison completely, he should be able to weaken it a little at least. Perhaps the Thunderpeal Tree had only sent the call out to him after contact, when it realized that he had this unique ability to help. It could sense power much more acutely than humans. "But still..." Li Luo shook his head. "Brother tree, this poison is a work of genius, and I''m a fool. I wouldn''t know where to even begin." The poison formation was of a complexity far beyond his ken. Even looking at it, he was seeing poison being designed and used in ways that he had never even imagined before. It was an eye-opening experience. He had a feeling that the poison formation was not so easily unraveled. First, he had to identify the logic used, then he could unravel it. Otherwise, he risked making a gigantic mess of things. As if hearing Li Luo''s words, a little spark of electricity popped up on the surface of a root, running down towards where one poison thorn was deeply buried. It bounced around, throwing itself madly against the poison mist, eating away a bit of the darkness. "This thorn''s the key, eh, brother tree? If the poison''s purged from it, you can be a little freer?" Li Luo asked aloud. The tree creaked and groaned in response. Li Luo had met many old people in his life before, and that sort of creaking and groaning sounded vaguely like a yes to him. He was convinced now, and he turned to Lu Ming. "I''m going to give it a shot. Help me watch the surroundings... and remember to stay alert." Her most important role here was to keep her hand close to the spirit mirror so she could save both their lives in case of an emergency. "Yeah. Be careful." She nodded seriously. Li Luo took a deep breath and walked up to the poison thorn. Putting his hands together, he dug deep into his reserves of resonant power. Although he was much weaker than the tree itself, perhaps his addition of water and light resonant powers would help the tree''s own wood and lightning powers. A few minutes later, a drop of concentrated liquid was condensed on his fingertip, and Li Luo carefully let it fall on the spike. The thorn hissed and bubbled instantly, the surface warping and bulging from underneath with a person''s face. It screamed at Li Luo in defiance. Clearly, his one drop of antidote had been useful. "Did it work?" Lu Ming gasped. Even without drawing near, she could see how deadly the poison was. Probably not even Heavenly Dipper Generals would dare to approach it fearlessly. And yet this puny, little Resonant Master was neutralizing it? Although he was not doing too much at the moment, that was because his resonant power was still too weak. If he were a General Stage expert, would that mean that he could easily deal with it? "Is water and wood really such a powerful anti-poison combination?" Lu Ming wondered to herself. She was a dual resonance user as well, so she understood the resultant power of resonance interactions well. And even so, she was amazed by the effectiveness of his. What she did not know was that inside the potent mix of water and wood resonant powers was a faint but highly effective catalyst: light resonant energy. It was the antithesis to poison and darkness, a direct elemental counteract, whereas water and wood worked in more indirect manners. Regardless, Lu Ming was relieved to see that Li Luo was able to do something here. As long as he could gradually reduce the poison, it was only a matter of time before the formation here was broken and the Thunderpeal Tree would regain volition. At that time, the tide would swing to their side. "All''s good." Lu Ming was just starting to relax when a sudden, loud boom shook the entire chamber. Boom! One of the walls had shattered with a shocking explosion, showering them with wood splinters. "You Academic Federation rats are really everywhere," a voice rasped. A black knight stepped out from the breach, gathering his resonant power to him as he walked towards them. "Earth Fiend stage?!" Lu Ming sensed his power, her eyes contracting in fear. An Earth Fiend here in the dark depths of Thunderpeal Mountain where they were far from help?! Weng! Just as the black knight appeared, he did not give them much time to respond. Lifting his hand, his black lance exploded with power, and he hurled it towards Li Luo. Boom! Faster than the eye could see, it skewered Li Luo clean through his body. Chapter 0548: Black Knight Again Chapter 0548: Black Knight Again Weng! The black lance shot out like a ballista bolt, blasting through Li Luo''s body as if it were a frail stick of bamboo, and impaling itself on the silver tree. "Hmm?" Li Luo''s body faded away, to the black knight''s surprise. "An illusion?" His eyes narrowed. "Sneaky, little rat." He roared once, unleashing a blast of sound that shook the entire chamber. Bang! The illusion was shattered and two bodies were thrown backwards, slamming heavily against the tree. Li Luo and Lu Ming. Li Luo wiped blood from his mouth. The black knight''s attack had been too sudden. If not for the precaution that they had taken just in case, they would not have had time to build an illusion when he showed up, and Li Luo would have been skewered for real. "Thanks," he coughed. Lu Ming had her slender sword in hand, and she faced the black knight. "Never mind that now. What''s with this guy? Why would there be other people here?" "Just like elder Ling Yu said, the Blackwind Empire''s Other Disaster might have been caused by people. If my guess is right, this black knight belongs to one of those nasty organizations. Perhaps they were the ones who sabotaged the Thunderpeal Tree in the first place," Li Luo said. "How does causing an Other Disaster help them?" Lu Ming asked, appalled. She too had seen the devastation that the Other Disaster had caused across the land. "You ask me, I ask who?" Li Luo muttered. "I recognize your little, rodent face, rat. I didn''t manage to kill you back at Riverguard City, but now you''ve come calling again I see." The black knight closed his fist, and the lance flew obediently back from the tree wall to his hand. He pointed it menacingly at Li Luo. "Ah, it''s you again," Li Luo said blandly. He could feel a familiarity in the signature of this person''s power. It was the same black knight that he had faced at Riverguard City. "The other time someone saved you. You won''t be so lucky this time," the black knight hissed viciously. He charged his power again, pulsing powerful waves of energy that blew towards them like a hurricane. They could barely stand straight before any attack even came their way. The disparity was just too huge. "Ah, Li Luo. I knew following you was going to be trouble." Lu Ming''s hand was already reaching for her spirit mirror. Two Resonant Masters were not going to be of any use against an Earth Fiend expert. "Don''t panic," Li Luo said calmly. The black knight before them was probably at the Fiend Palace Tier. It was frightening, but not impossible to overcome. He looked down at the crimson ring on his wrist. It was about time to use it, after holding it for emergencies for so long. Lu Ming shivered a little at his fearlessness. Is he insane? Or does he really have something to deal with an Earth Fiend Stage expert? "You don''t frighten me," the black knight sneered. His black lance thundered out again, roaring like an angry dragon. This time, the lance seemed to swim towards them, fluid as liquid mercury, where it was stiff before. There should have been no way that Li Luo and Lu Ming could deal with an attack of this level. Lu Ming''s hand tightened on her spirit mirror. Li Luo''s hand tightened on his crimson bracelet, resonant power bubbling. Boom! Just as both were about to act, a screeching burst of lightning crashed into the lance from above, sending it skittering across the ground. Li Luo and Lu Ming blinked in amazement. The tree was rapidly growing thorns of its own, aiming them at the black knight. "This..." Lu Ming was stunned. "The tree''s saving us," Li Luo exclaimed in wonder. "Looks like the healing just now gave it some strength back!" he cheered. He put his crimson bracelet down. The Thunderpeal Tree joining the fray was an unexpected boon. Weng! Lightning cracked out at the black knight from all sides, whipping him with sizzling bolts of energy. The black knight was forced on the defensive, creating whirlpools of resonant power that absorbed the lightning and turned it to dust. "Hmph, Thunderpeal Tree, you''re just acting tough. If you were at full power, I would not have dared to stay. But if you think this little bit of leftover power can defeat me, then you''re even more naive than I thought." Each time his lance swirled, he created a new whirlpool of power, and soon he was getting used to the lightning attacks. "Your power''s running out, tree!" the black knight hooted. "And then I will crush the rats. You will never escape the Great One''s power!" The silver tree seemed to be straining to draw on its power now. The black thorns buried in its body glinted maliciously. "Li Luo, it can''t hold out much longer. Can we help?" Lu Ming asked urgently. "The black knight is not spending all of his energy on defense. He''s kept some reserved for us. If we charge in recklessly, that''ll be exactly what he hopes for," Li Luo warned her. He thought for a moment, then pulled out his bow. He charged an arrow of light and fired it out at the black knight. Ding! It was stopped by the black knight''s armor, a clear pealing sound as the arrow of light scattered like a sunbeam. The black armor was completely unscratched. Li Luo cringed in embarrassment. This guy was just too strong, and his black armor was clearly no ordinary equipment either. When put on such a strong opponent, it was like giving a tiger wings. But it was just like the black knight had said. The Thunderpeal Tree was running out of energy here, and its attacks were getting weaker. It would not last for too long. And then they would be back in danger soon. Just as Li Luo was thinking about how he could best cause problems for the black knight, a silver tree branch grew out of the ground beside them. It cracked to reveal a coarse, wooden arrow, silver in color. They marveled at its beauty. It looked old and was free of any runic markings and power augmentations, but the silver color was extremely pure. Li Luo could feel that it had extremely pure lightning energy inside. "The power inside is amazing," Lu Ming marveled. As a lightning resonance user, she was clearer than he was about the deadliness of this arrow. Li Luo took it up, delighted. The Thunderpeal Tree was entrusting this one to him to finish off the black knight. What a clever tree this was. Chapter 0549: Whos Who Chapter 0549: Who''s Who "So you want me to get rid of the black knight with this arrow, huh..." The unremarkable-looking arrow was the secret weapon of the Thunderpeal Tree. It was obvious why the tree had handed it over to him. The tree understood that their fates were tied together now. Li Luo was its only hope. If it missed its chance with him, there would be no way to escape the corruption. Nothing could be held back at this point. Li Luo was happy to be entrusted with the secret weapon. He too understood that they were on the same boat. The black knight before them was a common enemy, and he would use anything available to him to ruin his day. He reached out eagerly for the lightning arrow and gave it a tug. He winced. He could not lift it. This was very embarrassing. Li Luo took a deep breath and channeled his resonant power into both arms, reaching for it again. This time he could lift it, but barely. His face was red and contorted from the exertion, and he looked extremely foolish holding an arrow with both arms trembling. Lu Ming understood immediately. "This silver arrow is made of pure lightning power. Since you don''t have a lightning resonance, it''s taking you an enormous amount of physical and resonant power to lift it." Li Luo huffed and nodded. He was only a Resonant Master. This tree was really asking a lot of him. Lu Ming laughed. "The smartest thing you''ve done so far is bring me along," she said proudly. Lu Ming laid her palm on the back of his hand, sending lightning resonant power to him. "Don''t reject my energy. I can use you as a conduit so you can lift it." With the rush of lightning power from her, he reached out for the lightning arrow again. He still felt the same heaviness from before, but it was much more bearable. He felt a rush of gratitude that he had brought Lu Ming along. It was as she said. He had thought two people would be able to look out for each other, but she was proving to be a real asset, creating illusions to save his life, and now providing lightning energy that allowed him to lift the arrow. Li Luo had already fitted the arrow to the Lambent Hawkeye, and he tried pulling the string. It would not budge. He knew that he was not strong enough. He gripped the Onyx-Elephant Blade with one hand and activated his Divine Elephant Power. Level One Divine Elephant Power! Li Luo''s arm bulged, his veins like earthworms under the skin. At parts, it was stretched so tight that it split. Li Luo sat with this new strength for a moment. It was not enough. He notched it up again. Level Two Divine Elephant Power! Another hit of energy flooded his arms from the Onyx-Elephant Blade, and now his skin and flesh were peeling badly. "Wood resonance art, Spirit Vine Threads. "Light resonance art, Healing Sprites. "Water resonance art, Spirit Water Art." Again, he brought out his best combination of resonance arts to heal his arm even while it was broken down by his skill. Even though he was physically able to carry on, the strange feeling of having his arms destroyed and healed at the same time was not a comfortable sensation. He took a deep breath and drew his bow again. This time, he could slowly do it with great effort. The arrow quivered on the string, like an electric dragon ready to strike. Or maybe it was quivering from Li Luo''s trembling arms. Without Lu Ming''s resonant power removing a large part of the burden for him, his arms would have split apart from the effort. Li Luo aimed it carefully at the black knight. With the lock-on of the arrow, the black knight sensed danger. The Thunderpeal Tree was really out to get him. He could sense an itch of trouble tingling. His instincts told him that he could not deal with the power in that arrow! Li Luo was already struggling to get the arrow in place. The black knight knew that he just had to avoid this one, and there would be no chance for a second arrow. The situation would turn to his favor again. The black knight turned into a streak of black light and fled. "He''s getting away!" Lu Ming yelled. A canny fighter, he was retreating to wait out their attack. Clearly, Li Luo had sacrificed much of his power to prepare this one attack. If the black knight got away, he might not be able to pull it off again. Li Luo looked at the fleeing black knight. His eyes narrowed, then he shouted, "Commander Huang Lou, do your brothers and mother at the hamlet know what you''re doing?" The black knight froze, his eyes narrowing. A chill ran down his spine. How did Li Luo know his identity? He froze in a moment of shock and indecision. Li Luo saw his chance and let fly, his bleeding finger gratefully straightening. Boom! A bolt of lightning, faster than the eye could see. It cut through the air faster than the air itself realized, sizzling belatedly in the arrow''s wake. The arrow thudded into the black armor. BOOM! The package of electric power was unleashed all at once. Chapter 0550: Huang Lou Chapter 0550: Huang Lou Boom! The arrow buried itself deep in the hip of the black knight''s armor, which exploded with a cloud of black light around the opening, fighting against the attack. But the damage was too great. Along with the emotional shock, the black knight had totally been caught off guard by Li Luo. The black light began to fade away, until the lightning finally won out over it. The armor cracked. BOOM! With enough cracks spreading across the armor, it finally shattered, and the person inside was smashed heavily against the tree from the explosion. Eurrgh! The black knight coughed up a heavy amount of blood, disbelief in his eyes. He had never imagined that he would crumble here. He was an Earth Fiend expert... beaten by a Resonant Master! Mustering his last ounce of strength, he tried to flee. Swoosh! A tree branch caught him heavily across the chest, bringing his scurried escape to a halt. His body slowly keeled over, the strength leaching out of him. Suddenly, the tree root chamber was empty. Li Luo lowered the Lambent Hawkeye, his arms throbbing painfully. His eyes never left the black knight, watching for any signs of sudden movement. Lu Ming''s lips were tightly pursed as well, watching tensely. She could not believe it... Li Luo had taken down an Earth Fiend expert. Of course, much of the credit had to go to the arrow from the Thunderpeal Tree, but ultimately, Li Luo was the guy who had made it happen. This guy was truly something else. She looked at his badly bleeding arms and felt respect well within her. This guy had become the strongest student not by luck. A cool head, split-second decision-makinghe was better than Jing Taixu by far. Li Luo himself was looking rather calm. From the way his opponent''s chest rose weakly and his ragged breathing, he could tell that he was still alive, although the complete lack of resonant power aura meant that he might not live for long. Satisfied that it was safe, he took a step forward and sliced away the mask with his Onyx-Elephant Blade. The familiar face of a middle-aged man was revealed to him. Huang Lou, who Li Luo and the others had met back at the village. Blood poured down his face, his eyes hazy with death. "Commander Huang Lou, I didn''t expect to meet you here," Li Luo said mildly. Huang Lou''s lips moved, gray eyes on Li Luo. "How... did you know it was me?" "I guessed at Riverguard City. The black armor hid your resonant power affinity, but not the way you used it. I only had a hint of suspicion then, until I saw you at Thunderpeal Mountain. "I remembered that you were the one who gave us information on the Thunderpeal Tree. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but I also suspected... that you were trying to lure us here to finish us off? "Of course, all of that was speculation. I did not dare to confirm it. It was a risk when I shouted. If you had not reacted then, it might have confirmed a negative for me. It was a lucky break." Li Luo grinned. Huang Lou grimaced. So he had given himself away after all. He had tripped himself up over Li Luo''s wild guess, and suffered a grievous wound for it. Huang Lou''s eyes went calm again. "My little friend Li Luo, I have no other request but that you do not tell this to my brothers and mother back at the village." "You know that the Others destroyed the Blackwind Empire," Li Luo said sternly. "And that they were let out by these unknown powers. Why did you help them?" "Do you think I could defend my village for long otherwise?" Huang Lou choked out. "What about the people farmed like pigs at Riverguard City?" Li Luo demanded coldly. "Were they not deserving of your protection? Were you not the commander of their city''s defense?" Huang Lou only replied with a bitter smile. Li Luo watched the life fade from the befallen man''s eyes. "I can choose to honor your final wish, but what will you give me for it?" Huang Lou was silent for a while, and then he closed his eyes. "Li Luo, there is a crimson knight-general overseeing Russet Rock City. Only death awaits you there. Thunderpeal Mountain fell to his machinations as well. I advise you to give it up. The Blackwind Empire is not a place that youngsters like you can mend." His head drooped now, the final breath of life gone. Li Luo looked at the lifeless Huang Lou one more time and then sighed. "Did he say crimson knight-general? Is that his superior?" Lu Ming asked. "Probably. I wonder how strong a crimson knight-general is, to be able to sabotage the Thunderpeal Tree... he might well be a Heavenly Resonance Stage expert," Li Luo said gravely. Heavenly Dipper Generals were divided into the Heavenly Pearl stage and Heavenly Resonance stage. Even the strongest Four Star Hall students like Lan Lan were only at the Heavenly Pearl Stage. If the crimson knight-general had Heavenly Resonance power, then they were in deep trouble indeed. It might seem like only a single sub-stage difference, but the disparity in power was like heaven and earth. Besides, who knew if the crimson knight-general had other greater Heavenly Disaster-class Others serving him? It was a level of power that made him shiver. This mixed-level competition was getting way beyond their pay grade. Li Luo put those thoughts aside. This was no time to be thinking of that. He turned to the silver tree core again. Now that the interruption had been taken care of, he had to continue helping it remove the thorns and complete his mission. Perhaps the Thunderpeal Tree would give him some juicy rewards for his troubles? After all, he had risked his life to save it. Surely the rewards would be very juicy, right? Full of juice? Li Luo''s eyes shone with greedy anticipation. Chapter 0551: Li Luo Breaks the Stalemate Chapter 0551: Li Luo Breaks the Stalemate Boom! Rumble! Thunderpeal Mountain rumbled ominously, electric vines sweeping out in relentless waves towards the three fighters. The lashes cracked out again and again, and the First Princess, Qin Yue, and Zhao Beili held out grimly. Their faces were pale from fatigue. The vines were no real threat to their lives, but neither could they be ignored with impunity. They were worn out by the sheer length of the battle. Stuck on the defense, they had been worn down to the point that none of them could even think about counterattacking. "You two, Qing''e just sent me a message saying that Li Luo''s found a lead to break this stalemate. Let''s hold out a while more." The First Princess''s jade scepter lifted tiredly again, bringing forth the power of her seven heavenly pearls. "Li Luo?" Both Qin Yue and Zhao Beili were skeptical. "The One Star Hall guy?" Their spirits only fell further. Three Heavenly Pearl stage cultivators were worn out. What could a mere Resonant Master do about the situation? The First Princess felt a little sheepish about it. She had her own doubts when Jiang Qing''e had contacted her. She respected Li Luo''s outstanding skills, but he was ultimately still a Resonant Master, and she saw no way for his abilities to ever come in clutch. Still, the boy had a track record of working miracles, and so she still held out a sliver of hope. Perhaps he had really found something special. So she stood firm against the skepticism of Qin Yue and Zhao Beili. "Li Luo is not a reckless person. If he has chosen to take a risk, I would back his call and assume that it is a calculated one. He must have his reasons. Besides... we''ve no other way forward." This didnt convince Qin Yue nor Zhao Beili in the slightest, but they held on out of respect for the First Princess. "Alright, we''ll try to hold out for a while more, but the Thunderpeal Tree is not growing any weaker. If we don''t make any decisive moves soon, the situation will only slip further and further away from us with every passing moment. We should gather our strength while it lasts and punch our way out of this. They no longer cared about fulfilling the mission. They just wanted to survive with their squads. The First Princess nodded. The worst case would be giving up on the mission. They had all underestimated the danger of Thunderpeal Mountain. This was many levels more perilous compared to Riverguard City. Nearby, Jiang Qing''e was meticulously sweeping away the vines as they grew out of the ground, her eyes frequently darting to the Thunderpeal Tree. "Isn''t it over yet? "How are things?" These thoughts ran through her mind constantly. She had absolute trust in Li Luo, so much that she would let him run off to the heart of Thunderpeal Mountain without asking too much. But she could not help worrying. Not like worrying was helping. He was in the middle of the mountain, and the only thing that could help him out of deep trouble was his spirit mirror. "Hmm?" Jiang Qing''e suddenly noticed that the electrical energy on the vines seemed to be becoming weaker. Some of them even drooped limply back to the ground after growing out, sagging towards the side listlessly as they emitted the odd spark. The other Three Star Hall students had noticed this sudden change as well. "The prison''s opening!" the Two Star Hall Ao Bai exclaimed. To their delight, they saw the entire crown of the tree straightening back up, opening a gap of freedom underneath. The malevolent lightning energy had also ebbed away. "What''s going on?!" It seemed too good to be true that the battle was suddenly over. Jiang Qing''e smiled happily towards the tree. Li Luo must have succeeded! She looked up to see the First Princess and the other Four Star Hall students lower their weapons as well, as the Thunderpeal Tree was no longer attacking them. The three strongest students cautiously regrouped back on the ground. "Qing''e, what happened?" the First Princess asked. "Li Luo must have succeeded. He said that the Thunderpeal Tree was attacking us because it had been corrupted and lost its reason. Now that some of the corruption seems to have faded away, the tree must have regained its will." "He... really did it?" The First Princess was astounded. This was her first time experiencing a miracle worked by Li Luo firsthand. Qin Yue and Zhao Beili looked at each other in confusion as well. They could imagine how deep the corruption had to be to affect an entity as strong as the Thunderpeal Tree. A mere Resonant Master had actually managed to remove that corruption by himself? That was something that not even they could do. How had he pulled it off?! Then again, the silent tree before them was proof enough. They had to believe the reality that was before them. "Heh. Hehe. Junior Li Luo is really something special, eh?" Qin Yue chuckled. The three Heavenly Pearl Stage experts were feeling a little chagrined. They were the strongest members present, and yet their weakest member was the one who had gotten them out of danger. It was, frankly, embarrassing. The First Princess recovered very quickly. "This is good news. No matter how, we''ve overcome the problem of the Thunderpeal Tree." Qin Yue and Zhao Beili nodded fervently. The mission was complete, thankfully. ... "Has the Thunderpeal Tree regained its sentience?" Lu Ming exclaimed. Li Luo looked at the silver tree core. It was shooting bunches of silver energy at each spike in turn, tearing away the rot from its trunk. "Almost completely free now. The poison formation seems to be broken, and now it''s picking away at the remaining parts like individual domino pieces. With a bit more time, it''ll be completely cleansed again," Li Luo explained. "The Others eating their way in might be a bit more troublesome, but its probably manageable for the Thunderpeal Tree. With that level of energy, it could sweep them all out quickly enough." "So it''s settled, then," Lu Ming said with great relief. Li Luo smiled and nodded. Actually, all they had done was tip the balance slightly in the tree''s favor, and it had done the rest. Still, that little push was crucial, and there was no doubt that they had rescued the Thunderpeal Tree. Rumble. As the two slumped in relief, they saw a wall open in the root chamber, and a wooden staircase unfurl for them, leading to an unknown area. The two first years looked at each other gleefully. Perhaps the Thunderpeal Tree''s rewards were here. Both walked forward eagerly. Chapter 0552: Imperial Fluxpool Chapter 0552: Imperial Fluxpool Li Luo and Lu Ming ascended the stairs, which seemed to go on forever. When they finally arrived at the top, they spotted a speck of light, and they quickened their pace eagerly. Soon, they could see their destination. Both immediately saw a lake of silver a few dozen meters below them. No, not really a lake. It was not filled with water, but rather a silvery mud imbued with lightning. Electricity jumped and sparked merrily within, cracking with a cheery sound. "It''s the Imperial Fluxpool!" Lu Ming said in a reverent half-whisper. Her eyes were as round as they had ever been. "Imperial... Fluxpool?" Lu Ming nodded vigorously. "I researched the Blackwind Empire''s Thunderpeal Tree before. It''s said that the Imperial Fluxpool is the true prize of the tree. The fluxpool is made of the concentrated essence of lightning that the tree produces. The royal family can only be awarded Thunderpeal Fruits, no matter how great their achievement. Only the ruler alone can open the tree and cultivate in the Imperial Fluxpool." "Sounds like pretty obscure information. How''d you know all that?" Li Luo asked admiringly. "Because I have a lightning resonance, so of course I''m interested in anything that might be useful to me. The Thunderpeal Tree is one of the few rare entities that would benefit me. However, the Blackwind Empire has never let outsiders onto Thunderpeal Mountain, so it was always a faraway dream for me. I heard that anybody who bathes in the Imperial Fluxpool will be able to cultivate the Thunderpeal Avatar!" Li Luo cupped his fist in gratitude to all four directions. "Many thanks, brother tree." Clearly, the Thunderpeal Tree was not as fussy as its human guardians. Of course only the best reward was appropriate to repay its rescuers. Li Luo and Lu Ming immediately moved to the bank of the Imperial Fluxpool without hesitation. Li Luo squatted down, running his hand through the goop. His palm felt a thrilling tingle, as though his muscles and blood were energized by the current. "This is some good stuff!" Li Luo exclaimed. Just a simple pass-through, and he could already sense its potency. It would really bulk up his body. "If I can cultivate properly in this place, I might be able to pull off Level Two Divine Elephant power without my arms turning into mush every time," Li Luo thought happily to himself. If not for his triple-healing powers, he would not have been able to pull off such a physically demanding move. Still, healing should always be a plus, not the basis of him pulling off his moves. Which was why strengthening his body had always been high on his priority list. The Imperial Fluxpool would do just that. "Li Luo, I really have to thank you for this," Lu Ming said a little self-consciously. She knew that following Li Luo into Thunderpeal Mountain had led her to a big break. The Imperial Fluxpool was a godsend for a lightning resonance cultivator like herself, far outstripping what rewards Li Luo would get from it. Which was why she felt like she owed him one. But given her proud and aloof nature, that was not an easy thing to admit. Li Luo waved it off easily. "No need to feel indebted. You saved my ass back there as well. We made a good team. "But if you really want to thank me, can you forget about that poisoning incident?" Lu Ming flushed and did not say more. "I''m going in," she said. "Wait," Li Luo suddenly said. She turned to him. "Don''t we need to take our clothes off? I mean, it''s a bath, right?" Lu Ming blushed furiously. "In your dreams!" She waded in and sat down huffily in the lotus position. The silver sludge leaped up to cover her in strange spikes, almost like a ferrofluid. The electricity crackled deafeningly around her. Lu Ming looked unaffected, as though there was not much of a sensation. She looked like she was being deep-fried, but the actual sensation seemed mild enough. Satisfied, Li Luo walked around to the other side of the pool and hopped in. Plop. The silver sludge came surging to him as well. And then he felt the sizzling power attack his pores like a swarm of miniature bees, their stings relentlessly drilling deep into his flesh. He cramped. He spasmed. He yelped. It was a titillating feeling, a shocking sensation that left him feeling more alive than ever. But damn if it didn''t hurt like hell. "I''ve been pranked!" As he squirmed in agony, he inwardly cursed Lu Ming. Meanwhile, she had cracked open an eye to look at him. Strange. Why does the guy look like he is in a pot of boiling oil or something? She only felt a pleasant tingle on her skin. But from the way he is screaming, it doesn''t seem like he is faking it. Her lightning affinity gave her the answer. She could see the flow of energymost of it was going to Li Luo''s position. It made a gradient in the electrical intensity, and Li Luo''s side was much richer than hers. She understood, looking over at Li Luo enviously. "The Thunderpeal Tree is really a discerning one," she thought to herself. The tree was the only one that could control the energy flow in the pool. It knew that Li Luo had done the heavy lifting in this rescue, and so it was sending more of the reward his way. "This guy really doesn''t know how to appreciate a good thing," she grumbled to herself. Although Li Luo might feel like he was currently being tasered, she would switch places with him in a heartbeat if she could. It was a rare privilege to be granted that pain. Lu Ming contented herself with her own reward, closing her eyes again to focus on her own cultivation. Chapter 0553: Lightning Forge Chapter 0553: Lightning Forge When Lu Ming opened her eyes again, the electric mud had receded. She could feel that her body had become more supple and stronger. Lifting a hand curiously, she flexed her fingers. The faint lightning power shot down her bicep and flared up on her palm with a hum. Lu Ming lowered her head to look at her reflection in the pool. "Thunderpeal Avatar..." She pressed her hand to her chest, and she could sense what felt like a lightning chamber within her. This lightning forge was the source of the Thunderpeal Avatar''s power. Once it was activated, the lightning forge would send a pulse of energy through the user''s entire body, spreading through the muscles, veins, organs, and bones, granting a sudden surge of superhuman strength. Lu Ming walked out of the Imperial Fluxpool, and the lightning mud fell away from her body. She looked over at Li Luo''s side and saw him still cocooned in the mud. He was glowing brightly. The purity of the lightning energy made her sigh with envy. The Thunderpeal Tree was extremely clear with its reward. It had probably given 70 to 80 percent of the energy to Li Luo. Probably not even the rulers of the Blackwind Empire had experienced this sort of treatment before. He would definitely benefit greatly from such pure energy. Lu Ming did not disturb him, instead waiting patiently by the banks of the Imperial Fluxpool. Half a day passed. Rumble. Finally, the electric light faded away from Li Luo, and his body was clearly in sight. There was an afterglow around him that faded away a moment later. Then his eyes slowly opened. Boom! A spark leaped out of his eyes, and there was a ray of light shining out on them that landed on the wall he was looking at. After a few moments, that ray of light faded away as well. Li Luo stood up slowly from the Imperial Fluxpool. His body had been well-nurtured in the pool, and his skin was dancing with lightning, making him look like a sparkling jewel. He could feel the changes within, most clearly in his physical strength. Clenching his fist, he could feel a surge of strength, only this time it was from his actual muscles, and not just granted by the Onyx-Elephant Blade. After his time in the pool, his physical strength had gone up by more than a notch. Furthermore, his resonant power had also been enhanced. He was now properly a Fourth Changing cultivator. That was a happy surprise. He had thought that the Imperial Fluxpool would only train his body. On top of all that, Li Luo found something else inside his body. He saw a lightning forge pulsing with power within him. The forge was almost like a living being, expanding and contracting gently in rhythm with his breathing. At the same time, the gentle hum of a machine came from within him. Li Luo could feel that it was in harmony with his flesh, veins, and bones, making them tingle with life. "This lightning forge... does it power the Thunderpeal Avatar?" Li Luo made this assumption based on his senses. When fully activated, it would grant his body immense strength and speed. Li Luo was extremely satisfied with the outcome. It was like a three-for-one sale. Not only was he a Fourth Changing and one step closer to the Earth Fiend Tier, but he had also gotten a physical buff and the Thunderpeal Avatar. If he fought Jing Taixu again now, he was confident he would crush him easily. "Enough self-admiration, let''s get back," Lu Ming called out to him impatiently. Her voice was beautiful and melodic, but Li Luo sensed a bite of irritation within it. Regardless, he nodded and leaped out of the Imperial Fluxpool. "You''re a Fourth Changing now?" Lu Ming asked enviously when she sensed his aura. So he had gotten a resonant power boost as well. She bit her lip, suppressing her frustration. When she had first met him not long ago, he was behind her in terms of power. But now he was a step ahead. Still, she was not one to bemoan her fate. She vowed to catch up to him in the near future. "And it looks like you have the Thunderpeal Avatar as well. But let me warn you that the lightning forge is a double-edged sword. The pulse that it sends through your body will make it stronger, but if you overload your body, you will be injured badly. "That is why the Blackwind Empires royal family calls the Thunderpeal Avatar the Five Sonic Pulses Body. Of course, we cannot reach the maximum level yet. At most we are capable of using the One Sonic Pulse level." "Five Sonic Pulses Body, huh..." Li Luo made careful note of that information. "You can remember the information... but you might not get to use it," Lu Ming said with a hint of sympathy. "What do you mean?" Li Luo frowned. "The lightning forges within our bodies have just been constructed. To bring the Thunderpeal Avatar to its full effect, one needs to continuously refine it with lightning resonant power. Otherwise, the lightning forge''s energy will be depleted with each use. When all of it is gone, the lightning forge will disappear as well. Understood?" Li Luo was aghast. This meant that without a lightning resonance, it was a consumable without any real long-term increase to his strength. "Still, don''t be too discouraged. Even though it might be temporary, you''ve gotten many other permanent improvements here as well," she added hastily, regretting that she might have been too harsh. He nodded cheerfully. Lu Ming immediately felt irritated again. Is he not at all discouraged? Or does he simply hide his emotions well? In any case, it was not a question she could ask, so she changed the subject. "Shall we go up, then?" He answered yes, and so she turned to lead the way. Li Luo followed, watching her lithe form leap up and away. He smiled and opened his palm. On it sat a silver fruit, covered with electrical cracks. This was the final gift to him from the Thunderpeal Tree, placed into his hand while he was in the Imperial Fluxpool. He could feel a latent and incredibly pure lightning energy within it. He gently caressed the skin, and a speculative look crossed his eyes. Lightning resonant power... lightning resonance, huh. It was not out of the question. He grinned to himself. It seemed like he had an idea of what his third acquired resonance was going to be now. Chapter 0554: Mission Complete Chapter 0554: Mission Complete The great battle on Thunderpeal Mountain had subsided some time ago. Jiang Qing''e, the First Princess, Qin Yue, Zhao Beili, and the others were seated in a tired huddle, recovering as they waited for Li Luo and Lu Ming to emerge. All of them were in good spirits, because each was clutching a silver Thunderpeal Fruit. They were gifts from the Thunderpeal Tree after the battle had ended. A gesture of goodwill, or perhaps an apology for its actions against them from before. Of course, they had received them gratefully. The Thunderpeal Fruit was one of the reasons why all of them had come to Thunderpeal Mountain. But after the last close shave with the seeds of corruption inside fake fruits, they were all a little apprehensive about these fruits. No one dared to refine theirs quickly, and everyone was looking to Jiang Qing''e instead. "Junior Jiang, you have the ninth-grade light resonance. Any signs of corruption?" Qin Yue asked with a tentative smile. Jiang Qing''e knew what he was asking. She placed her hand on a Thunderpeal Fruit and closed her eyes. After a moment, she shook her head. "These Thunderpeal Fruits should be fine." They all heaved sighs of relief and smiled more widely, holding on to their fruits possessively. Except Jiang Qing''e. Her eyes were fixed in the direction of the Thunderpeal Tree. Why hasn''t Li Luo come out yet? Has something happened? "Qing''e, no need to worry. Since the Thunderpeal Tree is responding well to us, Li Luo and Lu Ming should be alright as well. If something has happened to them, it must be a good thing," the First Princess said, trying to soothe the other girl''s worries. "We even got Thunderpeal Fruits. Li Luo was the MVP who broke the stalemate. I''m sure the Thunderpeal Tree is richly rewarding him at this moment." The others overheard this remark as well, and their eyes lit up. They could not imagine what Li Luo and Lu Ming had pulled off to break through this situation for them. Jiang Qing''e gave a small nod, and she was just about to speak when a flash of silver light appeared from the trunk of the Thunderpeal Tree, and two figures were left in its wake. Li Luo and Lu Ming. Everyone rushed over to them. "Lu Ming, are you guys alright?" The Heavenly Inferno Sage College''s Zhao Beili came over, all concerned. Lu Ming nodded in response to her senior''s question. "Li Luo... you''ve grown stronger again?" the First Princess asked, looking closely. Indeed, his aura seemed to have made yet another breakthrough. Li Luo nodded with a grin. "Some good luck helped me get to the Fourth Changing." This was greeted by general amazement. Jing Taixu was the only One Star Hall student who had reached the Fourth Changing. But now Li Luo had managed to catch up to him. Which meant that Jing Taixu would lose soundly in a fight now. Li Luo had truly made good of his opportunities here at Thunderpeal Mountain. Jiang Qing''e was checking him from head to toe for injuries, and found nothing serious. "What happened down there?" she asked. The others'' ears perked up in interest as well. Li Luo and Lu Ming looked at each other, then recounted their adventure without leaving much out. "What? The black knight? The same one from Riverguard City was here at Thunderpeal Mountain too? And you killed him?! That''s a Fiend Palace Tier expert!" The First Princess gasped in disbelief. The others looked over at Li Luo as though he were some sort of monster, especially Ao Bai from the North Sea Sage College. He was at the quasi General Stage himself, not yet as strong as a true Fiend Palace Tier cultivator, and yet a Resonant Master like Li Luo had beaten one. "I didnt do the heavy lifting," Li Luo quickly explained. "The Thunderpeal Tree gave me a special lightning arrow that helped me defeat the black knight." "Even so... it''s a very impressive feat," Qin Yue said. Even with external help, it was likely still great work done on Li Luo''s part. It would be foolish to believe otherwise. And they all knew the difference in power between the Evolving Resonance Tier and the Fiend Palace Tier. The First Princess was looking at Li Luo with wide eyes, and she laid a trembling hand on Jiang Qing''e''s shoulder. "Qing''e, the dragon of House Luolan is growing in power by the day. I think he will soon overtake the phoenix." Jiang Qing''e smiled, a happy and pure smile that made the other male students forget to breathe for a moment. They had not been so struck by her beauty before this. Everyone could see that she was truly happy. Was it because she was happy that her husband was growing to become her equal? Li Luo coughed hastily. "Qing''e, Your Highness, can you guess the identity of the black knight?" The two girls looked at each other in surprise. After a moment''s thinking, they ventured a guess. "The man we met earlier, Huang Lou?" "You even guessed that?" Li Luo was stunned. "The tone of your voice gave it away," the First Princess said with a sly smile and a twinkle in her phoenix eyes. "It had to be someone surprising, and we only met one Earth Fiend individual since entering the Red Clay Province," she pointed out. Jiang Qing''e nodded. "Still, very surprising. Wasn''t he the protector of that village? Why would he help the attackers? He should know better than anyone that they were the cause of the situation that the village was in." Li Luo sighed and shook his head. He could not understand it either. But Huang Lou was dead now, and there was no one to ask. "Oh, do you want a Thunderpeal Fruit? The Thunderpeal Tree gave us some. And you did the most work, so you should get the best rewards," Jiang Qing''e said casually, handing her Thunderpeal Fruit over to him. "Hey, Jiang Qing''e!" the First Princess cried, waving her hands agitatedly. "You can be fond of this guy, but you can''t spoil him rotten! The Thunderpeal Fruit is useful to you too!" Qin Yue, Zhao Beili, and the others were taken aback by this level of coddling. Were these two that close?! Li Luo pushed it back to her with an embarrassed smile. "Qing''e, I got stuff much better than a single fruit down there. You keep this." She took it back without asking more. "Oh, and there''s the mission," Li Luo said, slapping his thigh. He turned around and knocked on the trunk of the Thunderpeal Tree. There was a flash of light, and then three large cocoons rolled out from within, bundles that were tightly wrapped in leaves. The leaves fell away easily to reveal three unconscious people within. "The missing team," Li Luo said. "They swallowed the corrupted Thunderpeal Fruits and ended up in a deadly sleep." "Well, we can just send them out. As for the corruption problem, I''m sure the higher-ups in the Academic Federation can sort them out. It''s none of our concern." The First Princess walked up and snapped the spirit mirrors of the team, and they were transported out in a column of light. At the same time, Li Luo and the others pulled out their own spirit mirrors and checked the points. Mission accomplished. Li Luo was feeling quite satisfied. All in all, this Thunderpeal Mountain mission had ended in a fruitful and meaningful way. Very fruitful. In more ways than one. Chapter 0555: The Parting Squads Chapter 0555: The Parting Squads On a mountain slope at the periphery of Thunderpeal Mountain. The three squads turned for a last look as they left, and they could see thunderclouds descending across the whole mountain, forming a protective veil with the Thunderpeal Tree at its core. "Looks like no one will be able to get in from now on," Qin Yue said with a satisfied nod. The veil was powered by the thunderclouds that constantly fed energy to it, and it would probably take a Duke to be able to break through it. It was definitely engineered by the Thunderpeal Tree, to prevent any more invaders from molesting it. The tree was sealing itself off from the outside world until the corruption within its territory was completely purged. Li Luo looked back reflectively as well. The miraculous entity had some sentience, and it would continue to grow with each passing year. Perhaps a hundred years from now, a thousand years from now, it would still be standing, quietly learning and observing the comings and goings of humankind. He wondered what the tree would be like when he came back again. He hoped that the Blackwind Empire would be in a better state at that time. "Ladies and gentlemen, we part ways here. It was nice working with all of you," the First Princess said, smiling at each of the squads. Now that their mission was over, the three squads had no reason to continue traveling together. Each had their own missions to complete and their individual points to chase. Sticking together would cause more problems in terms of point allocation. Besides, the First Princess was aiming to win first place in this competition. Of course she would not want to split rewards with other teamsthat would only drag them down. Qin Yue and Zhao Beili nodded in understanding. "It was nice working with all of you. But I think if we meet again at Russet Rock City, we might be working together again," Zhao Beili from the Heavenly Inferno Sage College said. He cupped his fist in farewell. Russet Rock City was the capital of the Red Clay Province, and also the final stage of the mixed-level competition. They all knew that a powerful enemy awaited them there, and it was on a level of difficulty that far exceeded the power of any individual squad. At that time, there would have to be cooperation. Besides, there was the information on the mysterious crimson knight-general. Li Luo and Lu Ming had announced it to all the squads. It increased their appraisal of Russet Rock City''s danger up a notch. Qin Yue was quite unwilling to move on. He stared a bit longer at the First Princess and made sure she noticed his feelings for her. He was quite a good catch as well, and it was understandable why he thought he stood a chance to be a good match for her. Still, he understood that this was not really the time for romance. "I hope to be able to work together again at Russet Rock City, Your Highness." The First Princess met his ardent look with a polite smile and nod. Li Luo waved goodbye to Lu Ming as well, and she smiled at him, pearly-whites peeking at him from between her cherry lips. Some of her aloof demeanor had melted away. "We''ll be taking our leave first," Zhao Beili grunted, pumping his eyebrows meaningfully at Li Luo. That kid is a huge threat. He melted our school''s ice queen? In such a short time? If they spent any more time together, Zhao Beili would be able to see the babies popping up. He bid a hasty fist-cup farewell to the First Princess, then almost shooed Lu Ming and his other teammate away in his haste. Qin Yue took the cue and left as well. "Your Highness, your charm is truly of another world. If you wanted it, I think Qin Yue would happily become your minion and lead the North Sea Sage College behind us," Li Luo chuckled. "Young Lord, real recognizes real, I see. Your own charm has made that prickly Lu Ming of the Heavenly Inferno Sage College warm to you really quickly. What was the quote? Danger is an aphrodisiac?" "Your Highness, please!" Li Luo quickly protested. "My relationship with Lu Ming is perfectly platonic!" "Lu Ming is a talented girl, and she has dual resonances as well," the First Princess said loudly. "Her future is bright. If you could pull her over to House Luolan, maybe Qing''e wouldn''t be angry. Maybe she would praise you for doing well instead." Li Luo looked over at Jiang Qing''e, who was merely watching the banter with a half-amused smile. Li Luo backed away hastily. "Your Highness, I was wrong to tease you. I surrender." The First Princess gave him a superior smile, then she patted him on the shoulder. "It''s alright, you can turn over a new leaf. That''s a good boy." You little fool. Fencing against me with words?! I was fighting foxy, old politicians since you were in diapers. Don''t think your charm against schoolgirls is going to work against me! "Our points still put us in first place," Jiang Qing''e said, paying no attention to their conversation. Their excursion to Thunderpeal Mountain had netted them an extra 50,000 points, and now they had 310,000 points in total. This was only a small lead over the second team led by Lan Lan, who had about 300,000 points. Only a 10,000 point difference. "That bugger is really persistent," the First Princess said calmly. Li Luo pulled out his own spirit mirror and studied the map. Many more cities were lit up now, indicating that they had already been cleansed. It looked like the other squads had been keeping busy as well, pushing ahead with full speed. "If we continue along this route, we can hit three level three cities before reaching Russet Rock City. There''ll also be five level two cities and a bunch of level one cities. That''s the highest reward route. Of course, the difficulty is highest too," Li Luo said, pointing it out with his finger. The two girls followed the route he traced and nodded in approval. "Mm, I think Li Luo''s plan gets us the most points," the First Princess agreed. "Let''s do that, then," Jiang Qing''e said decisively. "With full speed." They did not mind the harder difficulty that much. They were a strong squad that could blaze through anything easier than a Greater Heavenly Disaster Class. The First Princess waved them on as the squad leader, making the final order. "We go! "To secure number one!" Chapter 0556: Crimson Knight-General Chapter 0556: Crimson Knight-General In the cold, sooty-black darkness stood an altar-shaped structure. A single person was sitting on top of it in the lotus position. The person was clad in crimson armor that looked wet, as though it had been freshly dipped in blood. He was merely sitting there, and yet he exuded a presence that would make any passers-by shudder with fear, though they would not be able to explain it. The void around him wavered and flickered. A pair of cold eyes opened underneath the crimson helm. In anger. "Worthless thing!" he roared to the skies, heating up the worldly natural energy around him. "Years of planning! Damn it! Wretched Academic Federation!" The crimson knight-general''s voice trembled with fury. He could feel his formation at the Thunderpeal Tree undone. It had regained sentience. All of his careful planning, his various methods to poison the tree, undermine its reason, and finally disable it with corruption. It had all come falling down like a house of cards. He longed to leave his base and roam the lands, cutting down the bastard students where they stood. But he resisted it. It was not time yet. Besides, those little bastards would eventually come to him. "The Academic Federation is cunning. Are they using the Red Clay Province as a testing ground for the Holy Grail Meet? Do they plan on letting their finest students cleanse this area?" the crimson knight-general muttered to himself, eyes gleaming malevolently. "But they can only send students... which means that their forces are stretched thin as well. The schools cannot properly support the Blackwind Empire. The situation here is not something that a few ordinary Dukes can deal with... unless a King comes. Hmph. As if they could easily summon a King. Such experts are few and far between in the East Divine Continent, and they are all weighed down by their own burdens. As if they could spare the time to come here! "Alright then, since these schools want to kill their elites, I''ll oblige. I''ll make you hurt." He stood up decisively and made his way to the door, which he flung open. A ray of faint light streamed in. The crimson knight-general walked out to stand on top of a tall tower. From his vantage point, he could see many buildings that covered the land in a much wider scale than Riverguard City. There was only one city of this scale in the Red Clay Province, and it was none other than Russet Rock City. But what was surprising about this city was that it was not broken down like Riverguard City. Russet Rock City was well-preserved, and its red walls stood tall like giants protecting the city. What was even more shocking was that the city was teeming with people, moving along the streets about their business as far as the crimson knight-general''s eye could see. The place looked to be in the height of prosperity, unchanged from how it once was. "What an illusion," the crimson knight-general marveled, shaking his head. "Truly lifelike. Even an Earth Fiend would lose themselves within it." Even he, who knew for sure that it was an illusion, could not shake off the feeling of realism. Every last detail was perfect, tempting you to reach forward to touch it and confirm the illusion for yourself again and again. The illusion before him was crafted by the one above him. The crimson knight-general looked now to the crimson barrier at the center of the entire city. It was opaque, but he had the power to look within. Within the crimson light was a demonic woman, curled up comfortably like a fox. She was extremely beautiful, and one would easily get lost in her eyes, which were closed at the moment. Even so, there was something otherworldly about her, an alien allure that roused something hot and urgent within any who looked upon her. But not the crimson knight-general. His eyes were firmly fixed on the large, reddish-brown tail that was coiled behind her. If one looked closely, one would see that the tail continued to seep blood, and the red hair that seemed to fall softly along the tail was actually as sharp as needles. From up close, tormented screams came from the blood-red tail. The crimson knight-general could not take his eyes off it. He knew that every last hair on it was crafted from a human sacrifice. This thing had taken a long time to finish off the million people that had lived in this city. A ghastly deed. The crimson knight-general stared and stared, until a vapid, greedy expression spread across his face. He chuckled to himself. He had to claim credit for this horrific masterpiece as well. "After all these years, I''ve finally nurtured it to strength... and yet these Others are really animals. Its started to plot against me as well in the last two years, pfft. "The Academic Federation''s interference will be a great opportunity." When the students came, they would fight it, and it would be a close fight either way. He could easily mop up the remains then. "It''s time to harvest the fruits... soon. "Its a pity that the Thunderpeal Tree plan didn''t work out," he muttered regretfully to himself again. "But no matter... once I repel the Academic Federation''s nosy, little brats, I can go back to deal with it again." The crimson knight-general laughed to himself again, then he put his hands together and made a sign. On one of his fingers was a dark-red ring with a black eye with a white iris carved on it. "The genesis of light and dark are one, good and evil cease as one," the crimson knight-general murmured. And then he laughed again maniacally. "And at the moment they cease, I rise." Chapter 0557: Meeting Lan Lan Chapter 0557: Meeting Lan Lan The mixed-level competition carried on at an intense pace. The Red Clay Province was fraught with dangers that would prevent ordinary humans from moving even a step, paralyzed in fear. Yet the elite student squads were moving swiftly throughout, strong enough to proceed with caution. They scurried across the land, efficient, little groups that moved to deal with the corruption, turning the land from dark to light as they chased down the objectives and points. The points were a powerful source of motivation that spurred them on to take down corrupted city after corrupted city. By the 20th day of competition, the map of the Red Clay Province reflected in the spirit mirrors had already been more than half cleansed, marking the second half of the competition. ... In the morose ruins of a large city, a cleansing light sprayed upwards into the sky from one point, sending a shower of light-yellow power across the region, purging the corruption within. Li Luo stood on a broken tower, checking his spirit mirror. He smiled. "700,000 points. We''ve really been pushing the pace." It had been about 10 days since they had departed Thunderpeal Mountain, and they had not let up even once. Moving at full speed, they had cleansed every single objective along their way, both big and small. Including the extermination of every single Other they had come across. The First Princess and Jiang Qing''e nodded in relief after hearing Li Luo''s announcement. They had pushed themselves hard in the last few days, and they had shouldered roughly 80 percent of the pressure. They had to fight the Disaster Class Others, including quite a handful of Lesser Heavenly Disaster Class Others. They had not had a break at all. Anyone less brilliant than this pair would have crumbled already. The First Princess was clad in a form-fitting set of purple top and trousers. Her long hair was done up in a simple ponytail, and she looked more like a youthful adventurer than an elegant princess. The fighting had also left some gashes in her clothing, exposing the glowing skin underneath, but the battles had worn down any thoughts of modesty here. "What about Lan Lan''s squad?" she asked, phoenix eyes narrowed. "They''re at 660,000 points, Boss!" weakest squad member Li Luo chirruped dutifully. "They haven''t fallen off a bit either," Jiang Qing''e said. Her heavy sword was resting on her lap, and her long hair had come undone in the last fight, cascading softly around her face. She had her aloofness worn away in the heat of battle too, and was speaking a little more warmly now. Li Luo nodded. One main reason why they had worked themselves so hard was because of the pressure from Lan Lan''s squad. But no matter how hard they pushed, the other squad was right there with them. Both Jiang Qing''e and the First Princess had strong personalities. Since they had declared their intention to take the championship, they would do their best to live up to it. Neither would give up easily. "I''m sure they are suffering as well," Li Luo offered. They had fought many grueling battles along the way. Even the First Princess had been injured a few times. Although the strongest Four Star Hall student was in Lan Lan''s squad, he could not possibly be that much stronger than the First Princess, not even with his Duke Art. And on their side, they had Jiang Qing''e, who was definitely much stronger than Lu Jinci. All in all, the combination of Lan Lan and Lu Jinci might not be stronger than the combination of the First Princess and Jiang Qing''e. And if even the First Princess and Jiang Qing''e were feeling exhausted, how much peppier could the others be feeling? It was a test of willpower and endurance to the end. Li Luo walked up behind Jiang Qing''e and placed a tender hand on her back, transferring power over. She froze for a moment, then she relaxed into the warmth of his hand, enjoying the small amount of healing. She half-turned to smile at him, too tired to care about whether he was being truly kind or if he had other things on his mind. Li Luo avoided her eyes, keeping his face straight as he touched her alabaster skin. Still, his healing skills were not bad, and Jiang Qing''e felt slightly better. A while later, she reached around and tapped the back of his hand slightly. He removed it. "Qing''e, if there''s any other place that feels uncomfortable, just let me know and I''ll massage it for you," Li Luo said eagerly. "Oh, Little Li Luo, this big sister over here is feeling the aches all over as well. Can you massage me?" the First Princess called over teasingly. Li Luo was just about to reply when he felt a sudden death stare from Jiang Qing''e beside him. "Your Highness," he hurriedly called back, "what you suggest is improper between us!" The First Princess'' laughter rang out in sweet peals. She was just joking with him. She wasn''t Jiang Qing''e, and if Li Luo dared to actually touch her, she would probably peel his fingernails out. Li Luo rolled his eyes, but he was actually used to the First Princess'' teasing at this point. "Our high-level fighting is almost at an end now," Li Luo said, pulling out his spirit mirror again. "If we keep going, there''ll only be one level three city left, and then we''re clear to head to Russet Rock City." The First Princess and Jiang Qing''e looked to where Li Luo was pointing on the map. "We take down that city and then we''ll be at the final stage of the mixed-level competition... but it won''t be an easy city to take," Li Luo said. "Many other possible routes converge here. We might run across other squads, which will lead to fights breaking out over the city." "We''ll just fight them off, no different from the other contested cities before," Jiang Qing''e said indifferently. Although the inter-squad competition was not as strong in the mixed-level competition, it still existed. For example, a level three city was a big prize worth 50,000 points. No one would want to share it or let it go. Therefore, they would usually fight, and the winning squad won the right to take the city. It was an unspoken rule at this point. Li Luo nodded. "Yeah, but I think there''s a chance we''ll meet Lan Lan''s squad here. Given their speed, it''s likely our paths will cross there." "Surely we won''t be that unlucky." The First Princess frowned. "They might be coming from a completely different direction." "We''ll meet them sooner or later," Jiang Qing''e said calmly. "If we meet them here, we can see how strong they really are." The First Princess nodded. She was not afraid of Lan Lan. "This is just a guess, but maybe we won''t meet," Li Luo said with an easy shrug. If they could take the last level three city smoothly and head to Russet Rock City without too many problems, that would be ideal. "Rest another two hours, then move?" Li Luo asked the two girls. Both nodded. After their rest, the squad moved on from their last objective, headed to their penultimate one. Moving at full speed, they took only one day to reach the level three city. When they arrived, they spotted a swift movement towards them from another direction. It appeared to be three people drawing closer. A mere minute later, they appeared in front of Li Luo''s squad. Li Luo grimaced. The First Princess shot him a dirty look. "Your mouth absolutely sucks. It''s too big, and it jinxes us." Right in front of them was none other than Lan Lan''s squad. Chapter 0558: Fight at the Top Chapter 0558: Fight at the Top Lan Lan''s team stared at the First Princess, Jiang Qing''e, and Li Luo from across the gates of the gray, corrupted city. All six students had guarded expressions, and even the usually calm Lan Lan had narrowed eyes, making them even smaller than usual. The two leading squads of the mixed-level competition had finally met. The tension in the atmosphere was palpable. "Hello there. It seems like we were the ones who arrived first." The First Princess'' opening salvo went out. "Friend Gong, you know that matters not in this competition," Lan Lan replied tersely. "Oh? Was it that sort of barbaric competition?" the First Princess asked mildly. She was the kind of person who wielded both charm and force with equal skill, choosing whichever approach would serve her best. A less experienced opponent would be easily swayed. Not Lan Lan, master of the Enlightened Sage Scripture. "Friend Gong, your squad is topping the leaderboards," he said with an easy smile back at them. "How about you give this city to us?" The First Princess'' amiability vanished. "An impertinent request. You think the Enlightened Sage Scripture allows you to do whatever you please?" "I fight for my school and not my pride," Lan Lan said, shaking his head. "If this were anywhere else, I would let you have it without a second thought." "Pretty words," the First Princess said coolly. "But we are not dealing with anywhere else. The usual rules it is." Meaning they would fight for it. "We are not the only ones fighting for this place," Lan Lan said calmly. "Look around you. The cunning bastards are all flocking like vultures." There were many other squads trying to remain hidden while the two strongest squads fought. "Perfect. Then they will know to fear us." "Are you that confident?" Lan Lan laughed. "We even fought in the hall-level competition." "Things are different now," the First Princess replied testily. "Your Enlightened Sage Scripture is very strong, but I can definitely hold you for some time. Then my two squad mates will finish yours off. I''m sure you know what the outcome will be then." "Hold me for some time?" Lan Lan repeated. "In the time that the Enlightened Sage Scripture takes to prepare? It is such a short time... Junior Jiang might be unparalleled in the Three Star Hall, but I''m not so sure Lu Jinci will hold out for less time than you can. And as for Junior Li Luo, he only clinched a pyrrhic victory over Jing Taixu. I don''t foresee a quick win there either." A threatening edge crept into his voice now. "What I see is that the Enlightened Sage Scripture will be prepared first, and then you will pay the price, Friend Gong." The First Princess smiled thinly in response, flicking her jade scepter and summoning her resonant power in the form of seven heavenly pearls. She moved with no hesitation at all, jade scepter flashing out with void-breaking power. The green resonant power formed the shape of a green luan, soaring out like a star chasing the moon as it swooped down on Lan Lan. With a soft sigh of resignation, Lan Lan began to gather his own powder-blue water resonant power with almost boredom in his movements. A huge hand rose up from within the ocean of water to face the green luan. Boom! The two cultivators met in an epic clash of energies that shook the corrupted energy some distance away in the city. Jiang Qing''e had moved at the same exact instant, a streak of light bearing down furiously on Lu Jinci. Lu Jinci paled, focusing all his energy into running away. Li Luo hefted his Onyx-Elephant Blade and landed lightly before Jing Taixu. "So we fight again," he remarked casually. Jing Taixu looked at Li Luo consideringly. His loss in the hall-level competition had haunted him until now. If he had just held out a bit longer, it would have been Li Luo who lost. And he would have been the strongest One Star Hall student. "Don''t waste your strength, Li Luo. We would not fight for long anyway. The key now is if Senior Jiang can defeat Senior Lu before the Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage can take effect. We should just watch quietly from the sidelines," Jing Taixu reasoned. Li Luo stared at him in surprise. "You don''t think there''s another possibility? Like maybe I could defeat you first and then threaten Lan Lan to surrender?" Jing Taixu stared at him in disgust. "Looks like someone''s gotten cocky after the last win." Li Luo merely smiled, pointing his Onyx-Elephant Blade at Jing Taixu. "Alright," Jing Taixu hissed. "Let''s see what you have to back up that big mouth of yours!" His green plantain fan swept out, wind roaring to life behind it. ... While the two squads fought, many eyes were watching them. Gong Shenjun''s squad was one of them. "Senior Gong, why aren''t we going to help?! Together, the two of you can definitely beat Lan Lan!" Duze Honglian said urgently. "Lan Lan''s squad is the greatest enemy of our school. We can''t let this level three city fall into their hands, or they''ll overtake us." Duze Honglian regarded all of the Astral Sage Colleges squads as one and the same in this competition. They should definitely join forces. Gong Shenjun shook his head slightly. "We can''t move. I can sense that the other squads have locked on to our position. If we join the fray, more squads will fight as well. They would rather not have this delicate balance upset." Duze Honglian hung her head. "Don''t worry," Gong Shenjun said with a reassuring smile. "Luanyu''s squad might not lose. If she can hold out for a while, Junior Jiang might well catch Lu Jinci." "I hope it is as you say." Duze Honglian sighed. Midasthefloof''s Thoughts Ahem, a triple release as apologies for the late chapters. Sorry for the wait my fellow readers :P Chapter 0559: A Second Encounter with Jing Taixu Chapter 0559: A Second Encounter with Jing Taixu A ferocious battle kicked off in a flash, akin to a spark setting off an explosion. The majestic brawl occurred right outside the corrupted city, three distinct groups of mighty resonant power igniting and emanating in all directions. The most eye-catching sight was the First Princess and Lan Lan''s scuffle. The two possessed seven-pearl Heavenly Pearl resonant power, immediately clashing with full force without hesitation, endless resonant power overflowing out of them and into the air. Although Lan Lan had eked out a victory over the First Princess in the previous round, he would not fall into complacency. Their strength did not differ by much, and his only trump card over her was the Enlightened Sage Scripture. At the same time, there was an understanding that he had to rely on said scripture to win. Thus, from the moment blows started being exchanged, he had begun to quietly circulate this technique, taking every opportunity to prepare the Duke Art. Meanwhile, curious gazes shifted to focus upon Jiang Qing''e and Lu Jinci''s battlefield. Everyone knew that the First Princess'' aim was to stall for time, to give Jiang Qing''e the opportunity to turn the tables. Once Lu Jinci was captured, Lan Lan''s hands would definitely be tied. Why? Based on the mixed-level competition rules, the moment one member in a team was eliminated, the overall points of the team would also be deducted accordingly. However, this was an overt ploy that even Lu Jinci was clearly aware of. He had first-hand understanding of the gap in power that existed between the two of them. Even when all of the other Three Star Hall students ganged up upon her, they were only unceremoniously beaten down in the blink of an eye. By his estimations, ten seconds would very possibly be the absolute most he could last against her. Thus, he chose to race away, helter skelter without any hesitation. Lu Jinci heroically burst out with all his might, completely ignoring the terror known as Jiang Qing''e, concentrating all his effort into running away. This was going to be a game of time. Jiang Qing''e was not surprised as she followed in pursuit. Despite the short distance between the two, bridging the gap would require quite some time. Lu Jinci was also at the Fiend Finisher Tier and thus even someone like her would not find it a simple task to catch this rat. The gazes of some of the individuals hiding in the hilly forest turned dark. They could vaguely make out that a massive avatar had started to materialize behind Lan Lan, bringing about a sense of indescribable pressure. Time almost seemed to stop at this very instant. Weng! Whilst attention was focused upon the two peak level skirmishes, a certain somebody was being forgotten. The majestic resonant powers that constantly collided with utmost force had overshadowed a much quieter battle between Resonant Master Stage cultivators. Jing Taixu was brandishing his green plantain fan, summoning countless green wind blades whilst summoning the full power of his quasi ninth-grade spirit avatar. He was basically a force of nature in human form. Yet for all that disastrous splendor, it fell apart almost as quickly as it started before a rapidly rotating blade, leaving Jing Taixu with an unpleasant expression. "You''ve reached the Fourth Changing?" Jing Taixu probed before falling silent. During the hall-level competition, Li Luo had taken advantage of all kinds of strange tricks to temporarily reach the Fourth Changing. The current situation had changed and he could feel that Li Luo''s resonant power had truly become denser and stronger, indicating his breakthrough. On the other hand, Li Luo remained unfathomably calm in the face of Jing Taixu''s question, intensely focused upon him. "Well now, I wonder if the current me can repeat my achievement once again," he quipped whilst tightly grasping the Onyx-Elephant Blade. Level One Divine Elephant Power! Li Luo''s limbs trembled as berserk power rushed into them. He might have been able to resist the strain in the past, but it would come with numerous injuries that would leave his skin and muscles torn apart. But things were different now. Despite wielding the power, he remained completely unharmed, taming it. All this was thanks to the benefits borne from the Imperial Fluxpool. His body had been elevated to a new level. Feeling the might course through him without issue brought a smile to Li Luo''s face. With a thought, he kicked the lightning forge into overdrive as well. Boom! Thunderous roars crackled mysteriously within him when the lightning forge ignited. As the sound of thunder passed through, whether it was his flesh, blood, meridians, or bones, they all seemed to have been awakened by some esoteric power, becoming abnormally active and boiling with vigor. All of this happened within him, and the only outward sign was that a few ripples of lightning seemed to bathe Li Luo''s skin. A glimpse of it could also be seen flickering through his pupils occasionally. The end result? His body felt invincible! Thus, with this in mind, he activated the Level Two Divine Elephant Power without hesitation. Boom! The Onyx-Elephant Blade trembled and a frightening wave of violent energy exploded outwards and into him, as though an ancient elephant was stampeding directly. Both of his arms swelled up massively, demonstrating the titanic strength he now possessed. Blue veins could be seen criss-crossing his arms, throbbing like moving earthworms with every pulse of energy, encasing the earth-shattering power that was ready to erupt at any moment. With great power came great strain. Tiny blood rivulets gradually started to bead on his arms as his body was stretched a little past its tolerable limit. Despite feeling the pain, Li Luo was only all smiles at this point. His arms had not been completely wrecked this time! With the tempering of his fleshly body and the benefits from the Thunderpeal Avatar, Li Luo had managed to resist the strain of the Level Two Divine Elephant Power without the need for recovery resonant arts. He was finally ready. A cold gaze focused upon Jing Taixu. On the other hand, this sight had frightened the crap out of his opponent. Jing Taixu could vaguely sense that Li Luo carried an unfathomable sense of danger! Furthermore, this far surpassed whatever he had seen in the hall-level competition. "Just what the heck did this guy do to get so strong?" Jing Taixu''s felt cold sweat running down his back, and he immediately started to retreat. Waving his green plantain fan, tons of green resonant power began to agglomerate and even the slight hint of a dragon''s roar could be heard. "Dragon-general resonance art, Wind Demon''s Wrath!" With another wave of the fan, the gathered resonant power materialized into an azure-black spear possessing unfathomable power. It flew towards Li Luo, its mere presence causing the space around it to distort. He hadnt shown a shred of hesitation to bring out his strongest killing move to deal with him. This very same move had almost disposed of Li Luo during the last competition. The spear rent the air as it whizzed past, causing a sonic boom with its sheer speed. Li Luo could see the spear gradually growing larger as it approached him. Without skipping a beat, he braced himself, activating his Water Edge and then directly cleaving towards the attack! Weng! A single chop. Terrifying resonant power was emitted from the blow, seemingly warping the space around him. At the same time, a sword gash spanning dozens of feet could be seen arcing through the ground in front of him. This was the power of a single strike. It had far surpassed anything Li Luo had managed to pull off thus far. Ding! The sword light clashed directly with the heavy spear. A crisp and clear ring reverberated immediately upon contact. Then came a thunderous boom that deafened the corrupted city. Chapter 0560: The Fastest Chapter 0560: The Fastest Meanwhile, the battle between the First Princess and Lan Lan had reached fever pitch. The two had a good idea of the other''s strength and thus there was no need to probe. Every blow they exchanged was full of lethal intent. "High-grade dragon-general resonance art, Green Luan Sword Technique." The First Princess took the initiative to burst out with her strongest resonance art. With a shout, green light blanketed the skies and a thousand-foot Luan took shape, fluttering its wings majestically, causing nine green feathers to gradually descend. These nine feathers transformed into sword lights in a blink, each possessing heaven-rending sharpness, warping the space around the Luan. One''s blood could turn cold just from seeing it. Even the ones observing from the side could feel a piercing pain in its presence, testament to its unparalleled power. One does not simply look down upon the First Princess. She was still a peak contender of the Four Star Hall across all of the Sage Colleges across the continent. Lan Lan similarly did not take things lightly. Seeing his opponent bring out her trump card, his expression turned grave. In response, he formed a series of hand signs with lightning speed, leaving behind afterimages. At the same time, the blurry avatar behind him started to take form even quicker. "Green Luan Sword Lotus!" Her emotionless gaze was coupled with a green rune soaring out of the scepter in her hand, with the nine sword lights arrayed around it, forming an elegant sight that instilled both awe and fear within the viewers around her. The green sword lotus exuded terrifying might as it whirled with ferocious intent, swallowing and absorbing all of the worldly natural energy, gaining the strength to constantly tear the void apart. In a blink, it tunneled through the void to arrive straight at Lan Lan. With great speed and momentum, it collided right into him. Under the anxious gazes of all, everyone was on the edges of their seats. Boom! Right at the moment of collision, millions of green sword lights swept outwards with cataclysmic force, eviscerating everything and anything, gouging out deep furrows in the ground near the point of impact. The space where Lan Lan was standing looked to be even more devastated, almost fragmenting under the pressure of its own existence. Sword light blanketed half the sky in a momentary flash of grandeur. First Princess continued to stare at the shattered area of space but 10 breaths later, her expression wryly changed. As the space gradually repaired and restored itself, where Lan Lan used to stand had appeared a mysterious power that gradually radiated outwards. This strange force seemed to possess immeasurable might and was as vast as the abyss! Where it passed through, sword light would be swallowed and dissipate without a trace. Just as quickly as it came, the green sword lotus disintegrated into thin air. Meanwhile, Lan Lan was currently floating in midair, the giant avatar behind him already completely materialized. Incomparable, incomprehensible power radiated from it. Even the curious gazes from within the mountain forest all contained glints of fear. This was Lan Lan''s Enlightened Sage Scripture finally demonstrating its capabilities. "Senior Gong, Lan Lan has brought out his trump card. If we don''t help out now, the First Princess will undoubtedly be eliminated!" Duze Honglian''s expression turned anxious as she blurted out her thoughts. Gong Shenjun calmly watched the scene before him. "As I said before, The moment I act, the situation will become incredibly difficult. Instead, we should hope that Junior Jiang is able to quickly capture Lu Jinci and turn the tables." With that, Duze Honglian immediately turned to look towards Jiang Qing''e, one of many watching the other critical battle unfolding. Bang! Lu Jinci had been struck by another blast of light resonant energy, being knocked flying and crashing into a boulder. However, he completely disregarded his injuries, quickly summoning more resonant power and escaping as though his life truly depended upon it. Right after he moved, a pillar of light crashed down upon where he was just standing, piercing deeply into the ground. His eyes furrowed at the sight of that attack. That was the light resonant energy''s Demonbane Nails, something he had managed to amply experience during the hall-level competition. The moment he was afflicted by it, his resonant power would inevitably be sealed. If this were to happen, the result would be plain for all to see. Defeat. "Senior Lan, please act quicker! I can''t hold on any longer!" Lu Jinci screamed in fear with cold sweat beading down his back. Hearing his cries of help, Lan Lan could feel the urgency of the situation, and his expression turned grim. Staring right at the First Princess, he spoke bluntly. "Since you''re unwilling to back off, then I''ll take you down myself!" He quickly formed a series of hand seals, and the giant avatar behind him started to move. Absolute crushing pressure descended from the skies, blanketing the First Princess in its full fury. Her expression ashen, even she could feel a hint of fear surfacing from deep within. However, this did not mean that she would give up. She steeled her resolve, tightly grasping the green jade scepter, pushing her resonant power to its extremes. Seven heavenly pearls took form behind her, and resplendent brilliance spilled out from them. This was the last stand. The First Princess might be of the fairer sex, but her determination and bravery far surpassed that of any of the guys around her. Lan Lan took a deep breath but remained unflustered. The massive avatar began to act, and the worldly natural energy around it was frantically incited, creating waves of power in its vicinity. Alas, just as he was about to execute the three kowtows, a certain voice piped up, ruining the suspense. "Senior Lan, why don''t you stop there? Look who I have!" The interruption was unexpected, and Lan Lan was taken aback. Turning to face the source of the distraction, his pupils shrank at the sight of what greeted him. [1] Atop a pile of rubble stood a triumphant Li Luo, his hand grasping the Onyx-Elephant Blade with its blade pointing directly at the chest of a kneeling Jing Taixu. There was also a spiritual mirror looming above them. Lan Lan seemed a little lost in thought at that moment. Jing Taixu lost? How... Why...? What happened and how did Jing Taixu lose so quickly? How was this possible? Li Luo may have taken the victory in the hall-level competition, but it was a hardfought, pyrrhic victory. On the other hand, he currently seemed to be radiating with energy, as though he had barely even warmed up! How did he win? Lan Lan glanced at Jing Taixu, whose expression was pale and seemingly in a trance. Some surprised shouts could also be heard coming from within the forest. This was completely outside of everyone''s expectations. Everyone had expected their battle to be drawn out and bitter. Thus, no one had bothered to watch them, considering the fact that speed was the key. In fact, the focus was on Lan Lan and the First Princess. Yet even before Jiang Qing''e was able to corner Lu Jinci, Li Luo had already concluded the battle. This was also before Lan Lan could utilize his final move, forcing things into an impasse. Even Duze Honglian was taken by surprise at this scene. Most people couldn''t even believe their eyes. "How did Li Luo beat him so quickly?" Zhu Xuan asked. Duze Honglian could only heave a sigh. Although she did not understand how this was achieved, Li Luo had truly captured Jing Taixu as a hostage the quickest. If Lan Lan were to continue with his actions, he would have to bear the consequences. Even the valiant and heroic Gong Shenjun was astonished. Paying greater attention to Li Luo, he finally let out a smile. "Our dear Junior Li Luo is truly a man of miracles." 1. TL Note: The ability of the Enlightened Sage Scripture is that the avatar will kowtow thrice, if you''ve forgotten! ? Chapter 0561: Lan Lans Team, Retreat! Chapter 0561: Lan Lan''s Team, Retreat! The awe-inspiring battle had ground to a halt with this development. The avatar behind Lan Lan began to pause. The technique was not released and the offensive was unceremoniously brought to a stop. All because Jing Taixu was a hostage in Li Luo''s hands. If Jing Taixu were to be eliminated, the rules dictated that their team would lose a portion of their points, an amount greater than what could have been earned from conquering this level three city. The path to victory would be an uphill climb, and recouping the lost points would be no easy feat. All of these considerations raced through Lan Lan''s mind as he felt incomparably irritated. These arbitrary rules were frustrating to no end. Whoosh. Even the ever cool Lan Lan heaved a heavy sigh at this situation. Calming himself down, he glared icily at the party pooper Li Luo. It was mind-boggling that Jing Taixu could have been crushed so quickly. He would not have been surprised if Lu Jinci had been the unfortunate one. All of this seemed preposterous. The difference in strength should not have been so large. "Good job, Li Luo!" the First Princess praised. An expression of joy could be seen on her beautiful face, and she had similarly never expected this result. She had resolved herself of the heavy price necessary to resist the Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage. Luckily, Li Luo had become the harbinger of fortune, turning the situation on its head. The situation had changed, and now that Jing Taixu was in their hands, so was the initiative. Lan Lan''s hands were tied as he had to consider his decision carefully. "It looks like we''ve got the upper hand in this clash, Lan Lan." The First Princess beamed radiantly. "You must understand that we are only fighting for the sake of points. If we truly were to put everything on the line, there wouldn''t be much difference between us." She continued speaking with the intent to provide Lan Lan a way to back down. There was no need to tear up all pretenses of cordiality over something so minor. Lan Lan calmly retorted, "It seems that Sister Gong''s team is truly my greatest opponent. If we were to eliminate you here and now... that might actually be a good thing." Coupled with the provocative words, he remained battle-ready, the avatar behind him fully primed. It was clear that he truly was considering the situation extremely carefully. Unsurprisingly, the response he received was a cold snort and a frigid expression from the First Princess. She grasped the jade scepter tightly, similarly unwilling to relent if this was the case. "Then go ahead and kowtow. Let''s see what happens then. I''m not afraid. Try me! If I don''t make you pay a heavy price, then why am I even here?" Lan Lan''s gaze narrowed as his fingertips moved together in the shape of a hand seal. Simultaneously, the avatar behind him began to radiate frightening pressure. Boom! Just as the situation reached an explosive climax, a loud explosion could be heard. A pitiful shadow had been sent flying by a blast of resonant energy, leaving behind a hundred-meter ditch upon landing. The originally spacious road was now cleanly cleaved into two. This sight gave Lan Lan another unpleasant surprise. There was a fleshy lump of meat that went by the name of Lu Jinci lying within the muddy debris. Swoosh! At the same time, a radiant Demonbane Nail began to descend once more, directly penetrating his arm, resulting in pitiful cries and a miserable expression. "Senior Lan, please make your decision quickly. Fight if you want to or run if you don''t! The quicker, the better!" A certain Jiang Qing''e then landed by his side, her heavy sword pressed right atop his head, instantly causing him to zip his mouth shut. His courage had truly been beaten out of him. . He had the misfortune of being soundly beaten twice in a single Holy Grail Meet. Furthermore, Jiang Qing''e loathed his very presence, never pulling her punches. On top of that, the Demonbane Nails could not be resisted by mightier individuals, much less him! Another sigh escaped from Lan Lan''s mouth. Both of his teammates had been captured, and if they were eliminated, he''d lose a good half of his points. That would truly be a penalty he could not afford to pay. Attaining first place would be impossible then. Sacrificing so much for a mere level three city was not a smart move. It would make even less sense to continue his attack on the First Princess. Thus, he made his decision. He immediately released the avatar, and the horrific encompassing pressure it exuded upon the surroundings immediately receded. "Well, fellow student Gong, you''ve won. You truly have two great teammates," Lan Lan helplessly replied. "Oh? Do you finally agree? As I said, this doesn''t mean much. The real competition only really starts at the Russet Rock City. Who knows, we might even have to work together then." Russet Rock City supposedly possessed a Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other, a Heavenly Resonance Stage opponent. Unfortunately, it was likely that none of the teams in the competition would be able to take it on alone. Plus, with the intel from Thunderpeal Mountain, the crimson knight-general was also going to be there, and thus there was definitely a need to remain on cordial terms. "Perhaps." Shaking his head, Lan Lan glanced towards Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. "My two friends, could you kindly release my teammates?" Jiang Qing''e sheathed her sword and flicked her finger, dissipating the Demonbane Nail that had been stabbing into Lu Jinci. The pitiful soul quickly scrambled to his feet with a face full of tears. "Sister Qing''e, I beg of you! Please stop using that resonant art on me!" Jiang Qing''e glared at him momentarily before cooly replying, "We''re enemies. Why should I be lenient?" He continued pleading with a bitter smile. "Sister Qing''e, that''s not true! You don''t need to vent your anger on me! All those bad rumors came from that bastard Jing Taixu! Yes, that scummy guy! Not me! If you really are angry, why don''t you find a chance to beat him halfway to the pearly gates instead?" Jiang Qing''e shook her head. "He''s not worth my attention." After which, she turned away from Lu Jinci, calmly walking away. On the other side, Li Luo was also smiling happily as he put away his Onyx-Elephant Blade whilst staring at the seemingly soulless Jing Taixu. It seemed as though he had been traumatized from the lightning-fast confrontation. Or perhaps he simply did not want to face reality. Before this fight, Jing Taixu firmly believed that Li Luo''s previous victory was a fluke! Mere luck. However, Li Luo had metamorphosed into a monster easily capable of dealing with him. Just how could the arrogant Jing Taixu take it lying down? "You don''t need to worry... To be honest, that last blow wasn''t even me at my peak! The gap between us is actually muuuuuuuuuch larger than this," Li Luo continued to console. Hearing such vicious words caused Jing Taixu''s eyelids to flutter, seemingly awakened as he gritted his teeth. "I simply did not expect you to have strengthened by so much in such a small amount of time! I won''t let you off so easily next time!" "Mhm. Work harder, young one. Your efforts will definitely pay off in the future," Li Luo sagely said as he grinned widely. No longer paying attention to him, he turned to walk towards the First Princess. This once epic nemesis had now fallen into the annals of history. He had been completely surpassed. Jing Taixu had a heart full of grievance, but his only option was to snort in retort, slinking back towards Lan Lan. On the other hand, Lan Lan did not blame his teammates. After cupping his fist towards the First Princess respectfully, he turned to leave and gave up on the struggle for the level three city. The First Princess watched Lan Lan fade away in the distance before heaving a sigh of relief. That great opponent had finally been repelled. Despite the victory, she did not directly enter the level three city, instead turning to face the rabble within the forest, whose presence had long been felt. Now that her hands were not tied up in dealing with the troublesome Lan Lan, she was free to investigate these third parties'' intentions. If they were looking to snatch the level three city, she''d be more than happy to give them the welcome they deserved. Yet with the sight of Lan Lan retreating, the rest of the opportunists lost the confidence to go against the First Princess'' team. They quietly dispersed too. Gong Shenjun did not choose to appear either, taking his team away to another city that had not been purified. Although it was not of a similar level, it was better than nothing. Furthermore, these cities would open the path towards Russet Rock City, where everyone would congregate. Everything would be decided there and then. Chapter 0562: Empty City Chapter 0562: Empty City After the prying eyes retreated, the First Princess retracted her gaze and praised Li Luo with a smile. "You''ve contributed a lot to the success of this fight once again. If not for your timely capture of Jing Taixu, I would have had to struggle against Lan Lan, and who knows how that would have turned out. An unpleasant outcome would be more likely than not." Li Luo shrugged. "Dear Princess, you must be exaggerating! We could have simply ran with our tails tucked between our legs in the worst case! If you had gotten crippled here, our odds of victory would be nonexistent." Frankly speaking, the First Princess had planned to resist the Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage headfirst from the start. Of course, doing that was no child''s play, and any mistake on their part would have led to elimination. If the group leader was eliminated, the remaining points wouldn''t amount to much. Upon hearing those words, she glared at Li Luo. "So what if he started kowtowing? Do you think this princess here is a simple punching bag? Psh. If this damned Lan Lan dares to try it, then I''ll take him on for a couple of rounds and we will see who wins!" Faced with the self-confident and arrogant princess, Li Luo was left speechless. "Let''s go. Into the city!" Jiang Qing''e casually mentioned. The First Princess'' gaze turned to face the decrepit and derelict level three city. "Once this city has been purified, the only real problem left to deal with in the entirety of the Red Clay Province will be the Russet Rock City. The victor will be determined there." Li Luo sighed wistfully. Despite them having a lead of tens of thousands of points, the purification of Russet Rock City provided almost five hundred thousand points! Whichever team managed to get the largest slice of the pie would definitely be able to directly ascend to the top position. However, this also demonstrated the absolute peril it contained. No single group would be able to monopolize the points. Compartmentalizing away their own lamentations, the squad made their way into the ruined city rife with corruption. Yet as they progressed, they noticed something extremely unsettling and strange. The entire city seemed to be empty. Not a single Other could be seen. This led the three to feel taken aback, and they spread out to investigate further. After half an hour later, they regrouped in the center of the city with nothing to show for their efforts. "Where are the Others?" Li Luo couldn''t help but ask. The First Princess and Jiang Qing''e were similarly befuddled. "Could they have been scared away by our battle?" "No... Even during the fight, I did not sense any movement in here." Jiang Qing''e furrowed her brow in consternation. "Hmm, the corruption within the city is also extremely pervasive... This suggests that there were numerous Others here. Just looking around, we can see signs of corrosion on both the grounds and building. There was definitely an extremely strong Other here." "Then where could they all have gone?" Li Luo was similarly confused. Was their difficult faceoff against Lan Lan going to be rewarded with an empty city? Jiang Qing''e shook her head, indicating that she was completely baffled by the sight before her too. "Forget about it. So be it. The purification of the city is where we get most of the points from anyway." The First Princess shrugged after she spoke. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e did not have any other comments. There was probably no need to look deeper into this, as their aim was to set up the cleansing barrier. This was perfectthey''d obtain the points for cleansing a level three city! The three got to work and finished setting up the cleansing orbs throughout the city very quickly. Within two hours, purifying pillars of light arose into the skies. The beams of light then interwove into an increasingly dense net of light, eventually ensconcing the entire city with its cleansing powers. At the same time, the corruption began to recede, and eventually even the city took on a radiant glow. The ease of which the situation resolved itself caused the trio to feel a little taken aback. "Our points just increased. That''s it?" Li Luo felt a sense of disbelief as every single level three city before this had been a herculean task to cleanse. Each possessed a Lesser Heavenly Disaster Class Other, and even the First Princess had to engage in an arduous battle before slaying them. She''d even require Jiang Qing''e''s assistance from time to time! On the other hand, this simple endeavor of theirs had netted them fifty thousand points. "Let''s give it another four hours. If nothing strange happens, we will make our way towards Russet Rock City," the First Princess said. The other two nodded in acceptance of the situation. Time passed by, and they could gradually feel the corruption consistently dissipate with no sign nor shadow of Others. After which, the squad no longer hesitated and left the level three city, making their way towards the final trial, Russet Rock City. Interestingly, what the squad did not know was that this strange situation was also the case in the surrounding cities. Those cities were all completely empty, without any trace of a living Other found within. In the end, all the other squads set up their cleansing barriers and chose to leave, directly making their way towards the final destination. A few days passed. The three were now perched atop high ground, observing the massive and majestic reddish-brown wall that had appeared before them, their expressions gradually becoming more solemn. No trace of corruption could be seen emanating from their objective. It was as though the Other Disaster had never occurred. But anyone could tell that this was impossible. In the entirety of the time they had traveled, they could distinctly feel that they were moving towards the source of the corruption, Russet Rock City itself. There was definitely some devilry at work. The quiet and seemingly uncorrupted Russet Rock City looked even more suspicious as a result. "This city is extremely dangerous," Jiang Qing''e mused as she stared at the humongous walls before them. Her ninth-grade light resonance granted her exceptional perceptive abilities, indicating the perilous situation that lay ahead. It was as though a primal beast was coiled up within the depths of the city, its gaping maw ready to swallow any unfortunate fools willing to step in. "How do I put it? Do we go in?" Li Luo asked curiously. Even Jiang Qing''e was approaching the situation cautiously, indicating that calamitous dangers likely awaited them. It was better to be honest with their feelings, considering that he was just a mere Resonant Master Stage cultivator. The First Princess looked at Jiang Qing''e before gravely saying, "Russet Rock City is completely different from the cities weve been to. The level of danger is probably much higher than what we had faced at the Thunderpeal Tree. My suggestion is that we do not enter alone." "I agree wholeheartedly. Let''s wait here for other squads before we deliberate over our decisions. Perhaps some might be willing to work together." "I can feel that the Other in the core of the city will be no weaker than the grinning demon we had met prior." Li Luo nodded in agreement with Qing''e''s musings. Without being able to clearly identify the risks ahead of them, they would have to remain on their toes. Scrabbling for every last point in this situation would only lead them to early graves. Since the other two did not have any other opinions, the First Princess took her spirit mirror out and emitted a pillar of light into the sky with the aid of resonant power. Anyone else who held a spirit mirror would also be able to perceive this sign, serving as a beacon for the other squads to congregate around. After which, the three sat down and quietly waited, a peace that lasted several hours. Finally, a hint of movement could be sensed as the group looked towards the forest in their surroundings. Countless silhouettes could be seen emerging from the trees, gradually gathering before Li Luo''s squad. Chapter 0563: Teamwork Chapter 0563: Teamwork Countless shadows had burst out of their surroundings with a whoosh. Familiar figures could be seen within the group. Lan Lan''s, Gong Shenjun''s, and the squads they had grouped up with at Thunderpeal Mountain had appeared. Even Sun Dasheng''s squad was here. These were the squads with the highest points in the rankings, possessing unparalleled strength. This was why they had reached Russet Rock City not long after the signal was lit. They had naturally been attracted towards the beacon released by the First Princess like moths to a flame. "Student Gong, we meet again." Lan Lan''s face held a trace of an easy smile before turning to observe the reddish-brown walls of the colossal city, the sight resulting in him squinting suspiciously. "Russet Rock City seems to be exceptionally clean. It''s no wonder you''ve chosen to wait before entering." The rest of the groups similarly made their own observations and judgment regarding the final objective. Any squad that was able to make it here could be considered the cream of the crop, their strength without peers. As a result, the sight before them instilled a sense of fear and anxiety instead of surprise. The First Princess gazed over the group of newfound companions and spoke. "The danger of Russet Rock City far surpasses what we have seen before. I believe no squad can monopolize it and thus we should temporarily set our differences aside and work together." The rest immediately fell into deep thought, no one outright rejecting her proposal. Everyone understood that this final stop would be extremely perilous! It would be the most difficult objective thus far, possessing a Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other with Heavenly Resonance Stage strength. Even the strongest amongst this group, Lan Lan, Gong Shenjun, and Gong Luanyu, were not at that realm yet. Lan Lan continued to ponder deeply before suddenly voicing out his thoughts. "On our way here, we traveled through a small city and noticed something strange. All of the Others within it had miraculously vanished into thin air." With this revelation, everyones expressions began to change into ones of surprise. "Wait, you mean you too?" the First Princess'' face became solemn. "The level three city we had struggled over was similarly an empty city. No signs of Others could be found." "I encountered the same situation too," Gong Shenjun dryly commented. All of the other squad leaders similarly agreed and were met with absolute surprise. It seemed as though all the Others in a several hundred kilometer radius of Russet Rock City had disappeared. "Do you think the Others have all congregated inside Russet Rock City?" Li Luo blurted out. Everyone paused in silence, giving yet another glance at the seemingly spotless Russet Rock City. A certain chilliness could be felt, and if Li Luo''s conjecture was true, the current city before them was a den of doom! The First Princess solemnly replied. "It''s not an impossibility. If things are truly as you say, Russet Rock City possesses an unfathomably strong Other, one with a calling so absolute that all the Others within a few hundred kilometers of the city have been attracted to it." "That is to say, the Others are aware of our presence, and they have decided to congregate to deal with us better," Jiang Qing''e surmised, her gaze furrowing. The cunning and prudence this group of Others had was no less than that of a human. The group felt a little frustrated at this revelation. "Also, I have something else to say. By any chance, has anyone encountered a black knight whilst cleansing the cities in the Red Clay Province?" the First Princess asked. "A Black Knight? I met one..." The one that had spoken up was a burly youth by the name of Lian Zong from the Sacred Summit Sage College. The three from his squad were all built like massive tanks, imposing and domineering from just their sheer appearance. The individuals from the Sacred Summit Sage College specialized in beast resonances. "The black knight was roughly around the Earth Fiend Stage and was able to incite the Others into attacking us. Luckily, we discovered him and crushed his head into a pulp with a single smash," Lian Zong cackled, revealing his pearly-white teeth. Combining those with his meaty complexion, he was the spitting image of a violent street thug. However, the rest of the squads had not encountered any black knights. . "When our group was on Thunderpeal Mountain with the First Princess, we indeed also saw the black knight." Zhao Beili also chimed in to verify the First Princess'' question. At this point, Gong Shenjun sighed deeply. "Are you trying to say that there is some mysterious organization operating in the shadows of the Red Clay Province, looking to undermine our efforts?" The First Princess wryly confirmed it. "The black knights are all at the Earth Fiend Stage and are not considered too much of a threat. However, we stumbled upon some valuable information. There is someone even strongera crimson knight-general. It should be the superior of the black knights. Although we have not faced one directly, there''s reason to believe that it''s a Heavenly Dipper General. As for whether it''s a Heavenly Pearl Stage or Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivator... that I do not know," "Crimson knight-general?" The expressions of the squads who had just arrived turned even more tense. If the information was true, then Russet Rock City was an objective that no single team could solve alone. "Perhaps the intention of this mixed-level competition is to ensure that the squads all cooperate. After all, there are no rules preventing the squads from entering direct confrontations," Qin Yue explained. This statement caused numerous individuals to nod in agreement. Other than the previous scuffle over the level three city, the rest of the squads had often opted to collaborate, such as the situation on Thunderpeal Mountain, where squads from three sage colleges had worked together. If there was an intention for the students to be pitted against each other, there would definitely have been a rule that would allow for the stealing of points between squads. This would inevitably have created hatred and strife. The fact that this was not the case already demonstrated their intent. Additionally, the mixed-level competition was not a simple tournament, unlike before. Resolving the Blackwind Empire''s calamity was the aim of the game, and the opponents were not mere students, but ferocious Others. Lan Lan gave a slight smile as he calmly said, "I have no disagreements with working together. Additionally, if we fail to cleanse Russet Rock City, the entire mixed-level competition will be considered a failure." The other groups fell into a temporary silence before agreeing with him. Trying to rush into Russet Rock City before truly having a grasp of the danger within was suicidal. Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this. If all of the best squads could work together, their accumulated firepower would truly be frightening! Even a Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other would be something they could take down! As he swept his gaze across the students, he counted roughly eight squads. Two squads belonged to the Astral Sage College and the Enlightened Sage College each. One was Lu Ming''s from the Heavenly Inferno Sage College, and another from the Sacred Summit Sage College, Sun Dasheng and Lian Zong''s squad. The strongest of the Two Star Hall, Ao Bai from the North Sea Sage College, was also here with his squad, and lastly was a squad from the Profound Ice Sage College for a grand total of eight. The Profound Ice Sage College had recently risen to prominence in the East Divine Continent and had the potential to be one of the best. Their squad was made up of individuals who were soft spoken and emanated a chilly air, clearly demonstrating their ice resonances. Rumors said that they possessed an unparalleled combination resonance art, one that demonstrated earth-shattering strength. These were the best and brightest geniuses the East Divine Continent had to offer from the current generation. Now that a decision had been made, they no longer waffled around. A loose formation was quickly formed by the squads as they cautiously approached Russet Rock City. As they moved forward, Lu Ming approached Li Luo and asked with some shock, "Did you really trash Jing Taixu in a single move?" Being the ever humble hero, Li Luo only gave a faint and reserved smile. "Of course. I''m the strongest amongst the One Star Hall participants. There''s nothing surprising about that." Rolling her eyes at his proclamation, it was obvious that Li Luo''s strength had soared after the benefits gained in Thunderpeal Mountain. Poor Jing Taixu definitely had not heard about this and had thus been taken by surprise, leaving him defeated in a single blow. Although the two did not speak loudly, the squads were closely gathered and could hear their exchange, leaving Jing Taixu with an extremely gloomy expression. At this point, Sun Dasheng took the opportunity to catch up to Jing Taixu, and he loudly said, "Jing Taixu! How could you be this useless!? Even Li Luo took you down with one strike. If you''re so crappy, then I''ll look even worse in comparison since I was being soundly trounced by you!" Slight infuriated at Sun Dasheng''s self-deprecating words, he coldly hissed. "Scram!" Chapter 0564: Land of Fantasy Chapter 0564: Land of Fantasy The eight squads traveled in a compact formation, carefully arriving at the gates in front of Russet Rock City. Right at this moment, the gates opened as though someone were expecting them. The slowly moving dark-red structures gave all those who saw them a feeling of suppression. They formed a gap, revealing a dimly lit path towards the interior. Yet no one advanced any further. Everyone paused, carefully observing the dark tunnel that led further into the city. They understood that once they crossed the line, there was the possibility of no return. Despite the growing fear within them, they were nonetheless the leaders of their respective sage colleges. Their quality was absolute, never letting up even in the face of futility. Exchanging glances of determination, there was no longer any hint of hesitation. The First Princess, Lan Lan, and Gong Shenjun took the initiative to step forward first, entering with their squads. Darkness enshrouded them, and the group could feel a chill gradually wreathing around them, slowly leading to an indescribable sort of suffocating pressure. No one said a thing in the dimly lit corridor, so only the soft thuds of footsteps could be heard. However, this did not last forever. Eye-splitting light splashed upon the group when they reached the end of the path. The sight before them heralded a sense of alertness amongst the squads, and terror could be seen within their eyes. They were greeted with the sight of a bustling city. There was a tidal wave of people, constantly chattering as they strolled along the beaten streets, with countless peddlers hawking their wares along the pavement. This was a vibrant marketplace full of activity, showcasing the splendor of Russet Rock City. However, the squads'' gazes only became more ruthless upon seeing this. The sight in front of them seemed to be the city before the Other Disaster. How could this even be possible? The entire Red Clay Province had been devastated by the Other Disaster hard. Could it have been possible that Russet Rock City was left untouched? The First Princess was the first to speak up. She said in a solemn tone, "This is an illusion... right?" Lu Ming had a grave expression and seemed to be alarmed. She possessed an illusion resonance, and even then, she couldn''t tell what sort of unfathomable power was required to produce such a lifelike recreation. Furthermore, the passersby seemed to possess all forms of emotions and intelligencethey were even able to barter for goods! It was so utterly realistic that it was unbelievable. The only thing keeping everyone sane was the fact that deep down, no one had any doubts that this was an illusion. Their path here had proven so. "It looks like the Other in Russet Rock City will be a handful, probably many handfuls.." Lan Lan said. "Huh?" Lu Ming suddenly gasped in fright, attracting the squads'' attention. "What happened?" Zhao Beili probed. "Did you discover something?" Li Luo had also immediately spoken up. Lu Mingin was the only one in the group with an illusion resonance, and her gasp likely implied that she had discovered something. Lu Ming''s pleasant beauty was taken over by sheer nervousness at this point. She was pointing at a corner of her sleeve. At first glance, no one discovered anything unusual, but upon closer inspection, they realized that it had turned a little illusory! It was as though it was magically fading away. "This illusory formation must have a terrifying assimilative ability. If we remain here for too long, we will become one with the illusion! Although I can''t tell what will happen to us in the end, it won''t be a pretty sight..." Lu Ming explained. This revelation resoundingly struck everyone like a booming thunderclap going off within their heads. The Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivators, Gong Shenjun, First Princess and Lan Lan, inspected themselves. But nothing much had changed about them. On the other hand, Jing Taixu, Li Luo, and the other Resonant Master Stage cultivators could see that their robes had turned slightly illusory like Lu Ming''s. "It looks like the weaker individuals are affected more quickly." The First Princess frowned. This was not good news. The North Sea Sage College''s team was the only one with no Resonant Master Stage individuals. If this group of individuals were adversely affected, the future of their colleges and their points would be in jeopardy, and both could be considered unacceptable losses. "It looks like we have to break through this formation in the shortest amount of time possible," Gong Shenjun concluded. "Although the setup of this illusory fantasy is impeccable, there will definitely be a way to break through it. The simplest method is to activate Russet Rock City''s cleansing barrier. As the nexus of the Red Clay Province, activating it will form a network with the other barriers that we have set up prior, purifying the entire Red Clay Province," Lan Lan suggested. "When thats done, breaking the formation should not be an issue." Everyone else nodded in agreement. This was a fine, and it was an obvious plan that everyone could rally around. At this point, the First Princess quipped, "Though I don''t think the Heavenly Disaster Class Other will just sit back and watch us while we waltz in and set up the cleansing barrier." "To be fair, we just need to kill it once it pops up, then it will be smooth sailing. If we were to work together, even a Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other wouldn''t be able to resist. This entire illusory formation might unravel by itself once it''s dead." Lan Lan clearly demonstrated the pride and confidence of the strongest student in the hall-level competition, completely disregarding this Other. Or perhaps it could be that he had also come to the realization that fearing the enemy did no favors to anyone here. The Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other was not going to let them off if they begged and pleaded. A life and death battle was inevitable. "Brother Lan speaks the truth! Regardless, our mission is to set up the cleansing barrier, and this is in line." Gong Shenjun spoke with a wry smile, expressing his support. The First Princess nodded in agreement. "Completing the purification is the most important matter. However, the danger of this illusory formation is like a dagger pointed at our hearts in the dark. We can''t spread ourselves out too thinly. I''d recommend that we split into two larger groups of four squads each. We can set up the cleansing dew more quickly then." Li Luo mused over her words before coming to a similar conclusion. This was definitely a more cautious approach. Four squads together would create a formidable lineup, and there were four experts at the Heavenly Pearl Stage leading the charge, ensuring the survivability of both teams. "Your Highness Gong''s suggestion is good. Our squads should not move alone to accomplish our mission. We cannot tolerate the loss of any squad." Qin Yue supported the plan. The rest naturally agreed, seeing the logic within it. Even the most reckless individuals would not take this situation lightly. After all, the illusory formation seemed to have hidden the presence of the Heavenly Disaster Class Other! "Let''s draw lots to determine which team each squad belongs to. This will be more fair." The First Princess removed eight jade needles from her pocket sphere. "Eight needles, four short and four long ones." Each squad leader stepped up and drew their lots. Li Luo swept his gaze across and saw that the last needle remaining with the First Princess was a long one. The other three were held by Gong Shenjun, Zhao Beili, and Lian Zong. With that, he gave a hearty smile as he looked towards Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng. "Wow, it''s us again! Let''s work well together!" Lu Ming lightly pouted. "Have you considered what sort of perilous situation we are in? How can we Resonant Master Stage cultivators have any part to play here? Being able to retain our little lives is good enough!" Sun Dasheng snorted loudly. "So what if we are at the Resonant Master Stage? You weak ladies shouldn''t just blabber nonsense. If we face danger later, you can just hide in a corner. I''ll let you know what a REAL Resonant Master looks like." "Weak lady?" Lu Ming was bursting with anger as she glared at Sun Dasheng. "You stinky monkey, are you looking for a beating?" "I don''t fight with ladies. Though if it''s Li Luo, I wouldn''t mind." "You can''t even beat Jing Taixu and you want to challenge him? Why don''t you grow a brain first?!" Lu Ming exhorted. "Well, you don''t know until you try..." As the two continued their bickering, the other squad leaders had completed the division of the teams, organized the groups, and quickly got to work. "Let''s go." Li Luo stared at the two groups going in separate directions before breaking up the fight between Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng. He quickly moved to his assigned position in the middle. It was the safest and also most suitable for someone like him. After which, the two quarreling fools also did the same, following Li Luo. Once everyone was in place, the First Princess gave a cursory glance at the entire group. Her gorgeous looks were newly laden with a heavy burden at the task that lay ahead. However, she did not say much more, simply nodding at the other three squad leaders. "Move out!" Her softly spoken words fell upon everyone''s ears with immense weight. The eight squads had been separated into two large groups and made their way in different directions. In a blink, they had disappeared into the bustling crowds. Chapter 0565: Danger Avenue Chapter 0565: Danger Avenue A tide of people milled their way across the street. Li Luo and the rest maintained their tight formation as they moved. Along the way, they continued to observe the "people" all around them with hints of both fear and vigilance in their eyes. After all, no matter how life-like these apparitions seemed, they all knew it was all an illusion. In fact, who knew if Others were hiding within these shells? The First Princess and Lian Zong took the position of vanguard, whilst Gong Shenjun and Zhao Beili brought up the rear. These were the positions of greatest danger, and they naturally required the strongest to handle. Li Luo, Lu Ming, Sun Dasheng, and Zhu Xuan, on the other hand, were placed right in the middle as the Resonant Masters to be protected. "Are these people REALLY fake? I wish I could capture one just to take a closer look..." Sun Dasheng sighed as he hefted his staff around and stared at the people coming and going. Hearing the words coming from this mischievous monkey threw Li Luo into a fright as he hurriedly shouted, "Don''t mess around!" This guy truly was a knucklehead. Even in a strange situation, he''d still want to kick over a hornets nest "If you feel like leaving this world, don''t implicate the rest of us," Lu Ming said rudely. Zhu Xuan, on the other hand, quietly moved further away from Sun Dasheng. No one knew if he even HAD a brain. It was prudent to keep his distance in such a situation to not be dragged down by him "Sheesh, I was just throwing some ideas out. What if these phantasms are actually a problem lying in wait? It would be best to get rid of them quickly. With FORCE." His logic wasn''t wrong, and everyone dryly laughed. At the same time, the people around him started to observe him more warily, clearly prepared to pounce on him if he were to do anything funny Yet in the midst of their chatter, a thin figure suddenly squeezed out from within the busy streets, falling down right before Jiang Qing''e. It was an emaciated child beggar with rags for clothes. He was also covered in numerous pus-ridden wounds. Anyone would feel pity at the sight of him. Mustering his courage, he raised a half-shattered bowl towards her. "Older sister, spare food? Please? I''m starving..." He quivered. The group came to a halt, vigilantly observing the scene before them. Jiang Qing''e''s golden eyes continued to observe the heart-rending scene in front of her. "Are you hungry?" She raised her jade-like hand, placing it atop the child''s head without worry. At this point, the eyes of the child seemed to widen, and light poured out his eye sockets. A moment later, bright light bloomed, and one could see Jiang Qing''e form a fist, detonating the light resonant energy and directly punching the beggar''s face. Boom! The beggar was sent flying through all the vendors and stores along the street, finally smashing into a house that collapsed all over him. This development was extremely sudden, and the crowd seemed to have been stirred into a frenzy, scrambling in every direction. The group seemed to be left in deep thought, looking at Jiang Qing''e in utter surprise. Her lightning-quick response made no sense. She seemed so gentle and caring when she had lightly patted the child. In fact, they even wanted to warn her to not let her guard down in a moment of weakness! Clearly, they had thought too much "Li Luo, your fiance is truly a paragon of heroism... She is definitely decisive once she decides to kill, truly ferocious! Good luck!" Sun Dasheng sighed with emotion. Li Luo ignored him, instead focusing on the pile of rubble that used to be a house. What he saw next caused his eyes to shrink. A piercing scream resounded from within the rubble, and roiling corruption burst out, disintegrating every last trace of the debris. A figure gradually appeared. The thin beggar child had crawled to his feet, and stifling amounts of corruption seemed to be oozing from every pore of his body. At the same time, his lower body began to contort, and it expanded in a flash, forming a humanoid spider Other! His mouth had widened to the point that the ends touched his ears. When he grinned, a mouth full of black fangs could be seen, dripping with noxious saliva. It now shot Jiang Qing''e a venomous look. Jiang Qing''e was completely unfazed by this change, only dryly taunting. "Have you eaten your fill?" The beggar''s face was twisted with fury and resentment because his lower spider body was still bloodied and injured as a result of that altercation with her. The only response she received was a piercing howl. Boom! The streets were suddenly abound with demolition activity as the houses in all four directions were directly flattened. Strong corruption oozed out of the Other like a beacon, attracting one strong Other after another, with countless Lesser Heavenly Disaster Class Others amongst them. Corruption continued to gather and roil, blanketing the skies and environment. "It looks like the Others around Russet Rock City have gathered here," the First Princess pointed out with a surly expression on her face. She grabbed her jade scepter and released her mighty resonant power. Seven bright heavenly pearls materialized, floating around her, beginning to devour copious amounts of worldly natural energy. "Student Lian Zong, can I leave this area to you?" The First Princess quickly assigned different locations for each individual to tackle. New novels chapters are published ?n ! "No problem. Hurry up and go ahead to set up the cleansing dew." Lian Zong grinned. Waving his hands, a massive two handed-hammer appeared in his grasp. Simultaneously, his body began to expand, and boundless resonant power emanated from him until the silhouette of a giant bull could be seen. With a single stomp, the entire ground shattered due to his horrific strength, giving Li Luo a fright. Supporting Lian Zong were three others that also directly engaged the Others around them. With the squad holding back the tide of Others, the First Princess'' command rang out. "Leave quickly and let''s head to the first anchor point. They will catch up once they''re done." Following which, she took the lead and rushed outwards, breaking through the encirclement with everyone else following suit. The half-spider beggar glanced venomously towards the retreating Jiang Qing''e. Seeing that she was about to escape, it screamed once again. Boom! But before it could catch up, a giant hammer crashed squarely upon its head, cracking it apart like a watermelon. A black slurry leaked out as its body was sent flying a few hundred meters away, smashing into another pristine structure. "Trashy trifling. Let this old man deal with you!" Lian Zong reached out, and his hammer flew back into his hands. He boomed with laughter as he shook his prized weapon, shaking off all the black slurry that had stained it. The little beggar screeched in pain as it suddenly opened its mouth to spit out a torrent of black liquid in retaliation. Hissing sounds could be faintly heard from the black river as it rumbled towards Lian Zong. Summoning his strength, he hefted his hammer and slammed downwards with a force that caused even the void to tremble, completely devastating the surrounding streets. Absolute chaos ensued. Li Luo and the rest, on the other hand, followed closely behind the First Princess, quickly arriving at the first anchor point for the cleansing dew. They could feel resonant energy erupting in different areas of the city, and it was clear that the other group had also encountered Others. It looked as though the Heavenly Disaster Class Other had made preparations to welcome them warmly, with a cacophony of blood and fire. At this point, there was also no point in concerning themselves with the other group, as Others consistently poured towards them as they advanced. These Others had both quantity and quality, forcing the members of the squads to be left behind to hold back the impending tide. In the short span of ten minutes, only the First Princess, Jiang Qing''e, and the four Resonant Master Stage cultivators were remaining. "Just one more street and we should be there," the First Princess stated seriously after taking note of their current position. However, things were not going to go as planned. She gradually slowed down and her phoenix-like eyes focused ahead. At a junction right before them was a slab of bluestone where a single burly man was sitting. Interestingly, his expression was vacant and his gaze was emotionless. He had noticed the group too, and he raised his head to stare right at the First Princess. At this point, a line of blood appeared between his eyebrows, then a whole row of countless tiny teeth erupted from the crack, cannibalizing the flesh around it. This resulted in a creepy and terrifying appearance. After enough flesh and blood had been consumed, the crack tore apart further, and an alabaster, white palm emerged from it, followed by the rest of the body! It seemed as though two Others had been formed from a single body! Without fail, corruption spewed out in every direction behind this abomination. The First Princess could sense the horrifying strength of these two Others, frowning in consternation. This was definitely going to be more than a handful. It was extremely strong. She turned towards Jiang Qing''e. "Qing''e, I will need your assistance with this." Jiang Qing''e nodded in agreement and then looked at Li Luo''s little group. "You can deploy the cleansing dew at the next street. We have already held back the stronger Others at this point, so you should be relatively unobstructed. Be careful." Li Luo agreed with a somber expression. The path here had been truly perilous, with countless Lesser Heavenly Disaster Class Others on the way. They were just mere Resonant Masters! Truly pitiful! However, the situation wouldn''t allow for retreat, so they could only clench their teeth and forge forward. Nodding without disagreement, he waved at the rest of his team. "Go!" With him in the lead, the now significantly smaller group moved ahead very quickly. On the other hand, the First Princess and Jiang Qing''e quickly roused their fighting strength and killing intent, charging at the pair of strange Others. Resonant energy blazed wildly across the ruins of the street, further demolishing other structures in the area. Li Luo and friends had taken the opportunity to escape, relentlessly rushing towards the crucial anchor point. Chapter 0566: Sugar Coated Hawthorns Chapter 0566: Sugar Coated Hawthorns The area they were in was completely unperturbed by the intense battle just a street away. People were still hustling and bustling. Li Luo, Lu Ming, Sun Dasheng, and Zhu Xuan hurriedly rushed forward. Behind them, berserk resonant energy continued to buffet the structures in the area they had left behind, but the illusionary people continued to strut around amongst themselves as though nothing had happened. They continued to chatter in excitement and seemed completely at peace. However, this odd juxtaposition of things only kept Li Luo and his squad on their toes. Still, there was nothing they could do about it. The anchor point was their objective, and that was their priority. Once they arrived, they could quickly set up the cleansing dew, which would help purify the area. Although the purification process would not be complete, it would still cover the street they were on and reduce the danger they were in. "Russet Rock City is truly a land of danger. We had so many people in the beginning, but all that''s left are four." Lu Ming frowned. At this moment, a large Other appeared before them, causing her to pause. Their numbers allowed them to complement and reinforce each other, which gave them the minimum ability needed to traverse these streets. "The strongest Others are being distracted by the squad leaders. So we should be safe, right?" Zhu Xuan whimpered. Sun Dasheng waved his steel staff excitedly as his gaze filled with a rising urge to battle. "Perfect! Can''t wait for them to pop up so I have a reason to smash them into pulp!" Li Luo''s mouth twitched upon hearing this. Sun Dasheng was just like Qin Zhulu. The only thing on his mind was battle. Were all beast resonance users just like beasts? A slight shudder went down his back when he remembered that his third resonance would likely be a dragon resonance... Would he turn into a degenerate beast as well? Hopefully, he wouldn''t turn into a complete meathead. Ah... that would truly be a problem. Suddenly, he snapped out of his daze and his expression froze at the sight before him. "Selling sugar-coated hawthorns! Tasty and sweet, a delectable treat!" A shrill voice cried out from within the cacophony of noise. So many things were happening, yet this specific cry seemed to permeate into Li Luo''s very bones, as though someone was whispering into his ear. Glancing around, he also noticed that the other three seemed equally spooked by what they had heard. "We need to be more cautious," Li Luo reminded them. They continued to move onwards without hesitation, but the hawking did not stop no matter how far they traveled. A couple minutes later, the crowd in front of them suddenly began to separate, and a stooped figure holding a stick of hawthorns appeared before the four. Upon closer inspection, it was a pale-looking granny with a mouth full of black teeth... and she was looking right at them. "Sugar-coated hawthorns, sugar-coated hawthorns! Tasty and sweet, it''s my delectable treeeeeat!" The four did not hesitate to muster up resonant power, planning to directly dispose of this nuisance in one go. At the cusp of launching their attack, the voice of the granny once again repeating her sales pitch caused the four to lose focus. Eventually, even their resonant power dissipated. In a daze, the four were enticed by the sugar-coated hawthorns in the granny''s hand. The allure of the hawthorns was too much, and the group nodded in tandem. The granny grinned, separating a skewer of hawthorns for each one of them. Li Luo tentatively reached over to pick up one of the treats. His expression was strange, as though he was struggling internally. Deep down, his heart had this overbearing craving for the sugar-coated hawthorns before him. He really wanted to taste the delectable sweetness brought by this delicious snack. New novels chapters are published ?n ! Yet at the same time, a tiny voice within him started to scream at him, giving birth to a tiny hint of resistance towards this temptation. As his internal psyche continued to resist, the hawthorns had quietly moved into his mouth. Right at the moment he was to bite down on the snack, a cold wisp of breath entered his body from his wrist, instantly sobering him up. The source was the light jewel Jiang Qing''e had very luckily passed to him after the situation at Thunderpeal Mountain. Unfortunately the jewel shattered immediately after that, transmitting a strand of light resonant energy that allowed him to regain a sense of clarity. Awakening from his stupor, Li Luo stared at the sugar-coated hawthorn in his hand, and what he saw made his pupils shrink. How was this a tasty treat? He could finally see it for what it was: a skewer of shriveled eyeballs! In fact, they were covered in a black liquid that excreted a horrifying stench. Li Luo''s hand trembled as he hastily disposed of the "snack. Taking stock of his situation, he hurriedly turned towards Lu Ming and the rest, and a look of panic filled his face. They all held vacant gazes and were all on the cusp of eating the nightmarish nibble... "Wake up!" Li Luo yelled, resonant power infused into his thunderous cry and traveled straight into his friends'' ears. With the aid of resonant power, the rest were jolted awake, and they quickly came to their senses. In similar fashion, they essentially jumped in fright upon seeing the sugar-coated hawthorns for what they really were The shriveled eyeballs seemed to be staring into their souls, attempting to influence them with their grievances and resentment. In fact, the very first eyeball on each stick was just about to be stuffed into their respective mouths! Ugh! Lu Ming''s expression turned a pasty white as she screamed, quickly flinging the skewer away. This close shave had thoroughly frightened and infuriated her, causing her to retch and feel grossed out. "Damn it! This is the GROSSEST THING EVER." Sun Dasheng exclaimed as he stomped down on the skewer he had thrown onto the ground. His killing intent surged into the skies as he channeled his wild resonant power into his steel staff. Following which, he smashed it with all his might so fast that even a sonic boom could be heard, right at the old granny''s chest! Bang! The opponent attempted to retreat, but the staff was too quick, slamming heavily into her. But the strange thing was that the creepy smile on her face could not be concealed. "Is my snack delicious?" she cried out once again with her toothy, black smile. Li Luo, Lu Ming, and Sun Dasheng had expressions full of gloom upon hearing those words again. They quickly circulated resonant power throughout their bodies, protecting themselves against any external influences. Crack! At this point, they suddenly heard a subtle chewing sound coming from behind them. Quickly reacting to the source, they turned around. The scene they saw left them dumbfounded. Just several meters away, Zhu Xuan was calmly stuffing his face with the "hawthorns" with a vacuous look on his face. A trail of black juice leaked out from the side of his mouth as he enjoyed himself... Chapter 0567: Bewitching Other Chapter 0567: Bewitching Other Shudders ran down the trio''s backs as they watched Zhu Xuan enjoy the "sugar-coated hawthorns." They were completely disgusted by this development. "Zhu Xuan!" Li Luo bellowed, trying to awaken him from his disorientated state. However, Zhu Xuan was clearly unable to respond to such stimuli. The whites of his eyes had disappeared, suffused an inky black. At this point, thick, roiling waves of corruption started to emit from his body. He had been corrupted. "This unlucky child was the Two Star Hall representative for the Astral Sage College. The level of your college is... pretty dismal if I have to say so myself..." Sun Dasheng commented. The situation had only turned more complex, and trouble had truly escalated. "Senior Zhu Xuan doesn''t seem to have much willpower." Lu Ming frowned as she too commented on the situation. The Other in front of them definitely possessed some sort of bewitching ability. All of them had fallen for its ambush, but due to Li Luo''s timely awakening they had managed to break free of this situation. Despite having heard Li Luo''s exhortations, Zhu Xuan was unable to extricate himself from the illusion and had been corrupted. Zhu Xuan possessed Fourth Changing strength and was higher than Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng by a grade, yet he couldn''t help but to eat the "delicious treat. Clearly, this had nothing to do with his resonant power but rather a weak will. As a result, he was now a blathering slob after being bewitched.. Li Luo helplessly sighed. He had never expected that the one to fall prey to these tricks would be the more experienced Two Star Hall representative. Truly embarrassing! "Where''s the Other?" Lu Ming started to glance around and noticed that the strange granny had disappeared. "She must have hidden herself again." Li Luo looked slightly depressed. "However, the strength of the Other should not be too high, lower than Heavenly Disaster Class. Otherwise, it could have dealt with us directly." "Hmm, y''know... I think our troubles are going to come from THAT guy over there. Y''know, that Two Star Hall representative." Sun Dasheng nervously grabbed his staff, staring intently at Zhu Xuan. Dear Zhu Xuan, on the other hand, seemed to have worms writhing right below his skin, causing his appearance to look even more terrifying as his inky-black eyes glared at the three. In a flash, a black figure surrounded by fishy-smelling winds pounced towards Lu Ming. Unsurprisingly, Lu Ming had long made her own preparations. Her lightning resonance blazed with life, and she shot away tens of meters, avoiding the assault. "Forgive me for being heavy-handed, Senioooooooor!" Sun Dasheng grunted as he too burst out with resonant power. An ape took form behind him, and he imbued his staff with all of his berserk resonant power. He smashed downwards viciously towards Zhu Xuan''s head without mercy, creating ripples in the void. Zhu Xuan raised an inky-black palm, and his fingernails turned sharp and ebony in response. Clenching his fist, he delivered a crushing blow directly towards Sun Dasheng''s staff strike! Boom! A low, resounding boom echoed out. Zhu Xuan was left unfazed, whilst both of Sun Dasheng''s arms were trembling and numb, having been knocked backwards dozens of steps. "Ugh, his physical strength seems to have been augmented significantly..." The corruption had clearly buffed him. Zhu Xuan continued to give chase, his inky-black eyes focused upon Sun Dasheng. Armed with his sharp fingernails, he began to unleash a flurry of attacks as he pounced towards him! Swoosh! Lu Ming took action right at this moment. She split into three illusions, and lightning flashed before all of them, generating three trails of lightning sword strikes that split the very air. They lanced towards Zhu Xuan with murderous intent. Pssh! The fierce barrage rained down upon Zhu Xuan, piercing through his skin, but what oozed out was not blood but black liquid instead. Sun Dasheng took the opportunity to launch a follow up as well. "Monkey King''s Three Strikes: Strike That Moves Mountains!" The two struck with all their might, unleashing a berserk flurry of moves at Zhu Xuan. Although they were at the Third Changing, which was slightly weaker than Zhu Xuan, they weren''t ordinary folk. They far exceeded what was expected of someone of their tier. Thus, the duo''s combination attack managed to suppress even the corruption-enhanced Zhu Xuan. New novels chapters are published ?n ! Li Luo did not tie himself down with the fight. Instead, he was arduously searching their surroundings. The true opponent was not the corrupted Zhu Xuan, but the bewitching Other! That was the true knife in the dark. He believed that the Other would reappear soon enough as her lackey, Zhu Xuan, could not beat the combined efforts of Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng. True to his expectations, a hint of the Other could be seen near the site of Zhu Xuan''s battle. She had appeared amidst the crowd, still clutching the sugar-coated hawthorns and directly observing Li Luo with those black, soulless eyes. At this point, she removed a skewer of hawthorns and flicked it with her hand. The hawthorns themselves were flung off the skewer, directly landing amidst the busy road where countless "people" were strolling around. Originally, they were only focused on their own day-to-day activities, completely disregarding Li Luo''s squad''s fight. Even if they were affected by collateral damage, they continued moving around without a care in the world. It was as though Li Luo and the rest simply did not exist in the same dimension as they did. However, when the hawthorn landed right smack in the middle of the road, things took a dive for the worse. Li Luo could distinctly feel that the pedestrians had halted their steps and were now eyeing the "hawthorns," and a flickering desire to consume it ignited in their eyes. Immediately after, some of them grabbed the hawthorns and stuffed them into their mouths. Hurriedly gobbling it down, the pedestrians suddenly began to emit thick wafts of corruption! Their expressions gradually turned twisted, and crunching noises could be heard coming from their bodies as they stared venomously at Li Luo in the midst of their transformations. And then they struck, Li Luo being the apple of their eye. One figure after another howled and pounced towards Li Luo. The sight turned Li Luo''s face pale as he brandished his Onyx-Elephant Blade. Activating his dual resonances, he struck back with all his might. The blade arced through the air, creating a curtain of water that splashed and dampened the ground. Following which, he stomped with the sole of his foot, utilizing earth resonant power to create a muddy quagmire. The feral corrupted pedestrians unknowingly stepped into his trap and were stuck, sinking deep within. He emotionlessly struck out with his Onyx-Elephant Blade, and a sparkling blade light arced through each and every corrupted, bisecting them cleanly. However, despite being chopped in half, the corrupted still lived, continuing to struggle. Luckily, this was short lived as eventually, they collapsed and dissipated into wisps of black gas. Despite Li Luo''s rapid dispatch of his foes, the bewitching Other acted equally as fast. Eyeball hawthorns soared through the air in succession, landing into different clumps of pedestrians and corrupting them. As a result, a neverending tide of opponents continued to lunge at Li Luo. This human wave strategy gave Li Luo a complete headache. The bewitching Other was clearly not very strong, but her methods were endlessly troublesome. If things carried on the way they were, he would be killed through attrition! On the other hand, Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng were unable to help him. The very act of suppressing Zhu Xuan was already a great contribution. "To catch a thief, we must first catch the mastermind. This bewitching Other is the source, and as long as I can deal with her, the problem should resolve itself..." Li Luo started to think of ideas as he continued to slaughter the corrupted pedestrians, his eyes darting around to locate her. Before long, he finally caught a glimpse of the Bewitching Other milling around in the streets nearby. It was time. Boom! The Lightning Forge within his body blazed with life. Sounds of thunder crackled within him, raising the strength of his body comprehensively. With a single leap, he directly shattered the ground beneath him, bursting out at full speed like a bolt of lightning, shocking even the corrupted pedestrians that were unable to match up. He crossed the distance with a few steps and appeared before the bewitching Other. Full of killing intent, he slashed with his Onyx-Elephant Blade, his body flickering past his target as he struck out. A clean sword scar was left behind on the street as a result of his strike. Simultaneously, the head of the bewitching Other was bisected into two. Chapter 0568: True Body Chapter 0568: True Body Li Luo had moved behind the bewitching Other with his single slash, and the Onyx-Elephant Blade was now stained with a black liquid that had corrosive properties. The bright side was that his weapon was an extraordinary item, possessing the ability to disperse this contaminant. "Wonderful blade!" Sun Dasheng''s eyes lit up in excitement as he whooped with a cheer... while still facing off against Zhu Xuan. That single blow was like a bolt of lightning, imposing and swift, directly cleaving the bewitching Other across the forehead. It should have been enough to destroy it. Yet despite hearing Sun Dasheng''s jubilant cries, Li Luo frowned slightly. His sense of unease did not dissipate, despite slicing the Other apart. "Hmph, another blow, then!" Li Luo thought to himself as he turned around and attempted to strike out once again. But right as he turned, the slightly bisected bewitching Other began to make strange, shrill sounds. At this very moment, black grass-like pieces began to grow from the split halves of the Other, and they soon began to criss-cross and combine into a gross weaving, stitching the Other back together! The blade injury had disappeared as though it had never happened. Simultaneously, the sugar hawthorns in the bewitching Other''s hand began to start shooting out in every direction, attracting one group of corrupted after another towards Li Luo! Dozens of corrupted pedestrians swarmed over like an unending tide of doom! Weng! However, Li Luo was no sitting duck. A single slash and a beautiful crescent-shaped wave of swordlight arced outwards. Half of the corrupted were instantly bisected. Using this opportunity to escape the encirclement, Li Luo began to scan his surroundings whilst the bewitching Other continued to summon wave after wave of further corrupted pedestrians. In fact, some even started to pounce towards Sun Dasheng and Lu Ming, giving them a ball of a time having to juggle a greater number of problems. Li Luo frowned deeply. The bewitching Other was not adept at direct combat, but its capabilities were truly a pain in the neck to deal with. Wielding his Onyx-Elephant Blade, he decided to once again pursue the bewitching Other, but his body had suddenly stiffened for a brief moment. He thought he had heard a mysterious whisper from the depths of his heart that had caused him to enter a very temporary trance. In this split second of hesitation, more corrupted pounced upon him. Remaining calm, he continued to slaughter in every direction. The corrupted continued to fall one after another, but this looming feeling continued to grow without pause. Li Luo could feel that the murmurings were growing in strength, and his consciousness was getting affected. At this point, he had vaguely realized what was going on! "Watch out, you two! The more corrupted you kill, the stronger the corruptive effects on your body!" Li Luo exclaimed with a glum look. Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng were taken aback by this revelation and immediately changed their tactics, knocking the corrupted away instead. Unfortunately, Zhu Xuan took this opportunity to strike, leaving the duo in a relatively miserable situation. "Well then, find a solution! Otherwise, we''ll all be left behind as corpses!" Lu Ming hurriedly screamed. The situation was evolving in unexpected and complicated ways. They had not thought much of these corrupted pedestrians because despite the buff provided by the corruption, they were still weaklings. However, they finally understood why the bewitching Other had continued to utilize these human wave tactics despite it seeming futile. The more they killed, the more they''d be insidiously affected. After a period of accumulation, they''d still be similarly controlled even if they avoided eating the "hawthorns!" He had finally understood the true terror of the bewitching Other. The only way out of the situation was to straight up slaughter the bewitching Other... However, despite being stronger, he was unable to kill it. Li Luo''s mind raced through different thoughts and possibilities. Suddenly, a glint appeared within his eyes. He''d have to first locate the bewitching Other again. Upon locating her, he used the exact same trick as before, channeling his Thunderpeal Avatar and gaining explosive speed, closing the distance instantly. He was like a charging bull, knocking up corrupted pedestrians left and right as he dashed forward. Finally appearing before the newitching Other, he directly sliced at her throat. Blade light arced past, separating the head from the body. Just before the head hit the ground, both halves of the neck began to grow the same black grass, quickly reattaching the severed head! It was once again completely unharmed! Li Luo''s pupils shrank as he began to quickly revolve his body, unleashing a flurry of attacks across the entire body of the bewitching Other, attempting to turn it into mincemeat! In just a flash, the body of the Other was riddled with holes and injuries! But this was meaningless. The bewitching Other even smiled at Li Luo, revealing her black, toothy grin, seemingly mocking his futile attempts. Simultaneously, black grass began to form all over the body, regenerating all of the previously afflicted damage. Its lifeforce was as tenacious as a weed, causing Li Luo to feel that his efforts were fruitless. At the moment Li Luo ceased his assault, the bewitching Other''s hand quivered and a skewer of the hawthorn, which was imbued with black light and ominous energy, flew towards Li Luo''s forehead, rending space on its way. He quickly reacted, placing his blade between him and the skewer to block it. A clear, ringing sound was heard when they collided. New novels chapters are published ?n ! The resulting blowback knocked him away countless steps. Without skipping a beat, the corrupted pedestrians nearby began to lunge at him with their fangs and claws. The Lightning Forge crackled to action, and his body gave off a boom like a mini thunderclap. Boom! The corrupted were once again blasted away. Taking advantage of the space created, he slunked away without being held back by the corrupted. "What kind of dogshit Other is this? Why is it so TROUBLESOME TO DEAL WITH!?" Sun Dasheng bellowed in frustration. He had caught Li Luo''s battle with the bewitching Other and saw that it had been torn to pieces, yet it regenerated and went back to normal as though nothing had happened. This thing was clearly too strange! Lu Ming''s expression was frigid as she remained silent, wholeheartedly focusing on suppressing Zhu Xuan. However, a trace of worry could be seen in her eyes. The situation was taking a turn for the worst. Li Luo was unable to assuage their worries, instead focusing his attention on brainstorming new ideas. The bewitching Other was too strange. Even an Earthly Disaster Class Other would have been grievously wounded if it had received such a series of attacks. However, this Other was completely unharmed. Something wasn''t adding up. Perhaps this Other specialized in strong regenerative powers. However, it had not even reached the Disaster Class yet and did not seem to have regeneration as a focus! On the other hand, his attacks had dealt no discernable damage to the bewitching Other. He might have missed something. Li Luo continued to closely observe the bewitching Other on the streets when he suddenly realized something. His attack couldn''t have possibly been completely ineffective. As there was no discernable harm, perhaps he had not managed to strike its true body? But he had actually struck the entire creature from head to toe! Nope. At this point, Li Luo had a brainwave. Looking at things normally, he had truly devastated the bewitching Other''s body. But this was an Other, it was a strange creation to begin with. Was the body that he saw an actual body? If this was the case, what held its true core and essence? He finally understood! He gazed at the Other from head to toe, and finally his focus fell upon the hawthorns that were tightly wrapped up in black grass within the Other''s hands. Li Luo fell silent for a moment. Boom! Immediately after, he shot forward like an arrow. His target: the bewitching Other. This time, the bewitching Other no longer tried to hide, perhaps convinced that Li Luo''s attacks were futile and harmless. A mocking smile even surfaced upon her shriveled-up face. Li Luo was before her in a flash, bathed in tiny ripples of lightning. Ignoring the derisive eyes of the Other, he emotionlessly channeled all his might, bringing about the full power of his dual resonances. Sharp blade lights criss-crossed, creating a wondrously sparkling sight. His storm of strikes seemed to be targeted at the body of the bewitching Other, causing her to smile even more deeply. Right as the attack was about to land, Li Luo flicked his wrist and changed his vertical slice to a horizontal one, dealing a blow towards the pole containing the hawthorns held by the granny. The blade light cleaved through space itself. The expression on the Other seemed to have solidified upon this realization. It attempted to struggle and escape quickly. However, Li Luo''s strike was even faster! The blade whistled through the air, the unfeeling chill of cold metal struck. The hand holding the pole of hawthorns trembled violently, and a portion of the black grass was sliced away, revealing a scarlet eyeball that had finally emerged. Chapter 00569: Killed Chapter 00569: Killed When the red eyeball popped out of the candied stick, Li Luo knew that he had guessed right. The bewitching Other''s true body was not at all the old hag, but the sugar hawthorns that the body was holding. Weng! Li Luo chopped down viciously on the sinister, red eyeball. This time, there was venom on the old hag''s face, mixed with a tinge of worry in the lines of blood that traced the eyeball. They flew up off the pulpy surface, forming a bloody hand that clawed at the incoming sword. Pssh! The two clashed, but the palm was persistently resilient. Black, snake-like wisps of power emerged from the point of contact as it resisted the sword attack. He had actually failed to sever it with one strike! Evidently, the bewitching Other had sensed the danger and was no longer allowing Li Luo to act with impunity. "I thought you weren''t afraid of anything," Li Luo taunted. His fingers flexed once more around the hilt. "Level One Divine Elephant Power!" The veins in his arms bulged with power. "Thunderpeal Avatar!" It was not yet over. Li Luo activated his Thunderpeal Avatar, unleashing a powerful hum as the electrical power washed over his muscles, tendons, and bones, strengthening them. "Level Two Divine Elephant Power!" Li Luo grunted. His skin was stretched tight over his bulging muscles now, and the brutal, raw power of a rampaging elephant filled him. "And... break!" Li Luo moved all the energy to the sword, unleashing all of it in his next attack. Crack! A crisp snapping sound pushed the sword blade onwards, snapping through the black wisps of energy like a hot knife through butter. A clean and powerful slice, ringing out like a ripple through the air. The sword moved gracefully through its arc to completion, sending black tendrils of power flying through the air where they dissipated into nothingness. Pssh! A harsh, screeching sound grated his ears, and Li Luo winced. The sound came not from the old hag''s mouth, but rather from the candied stick. As the black tendrils faded away, the candy began to lose its shape, revealing a truer form in its wake. A pulsating mass of sickening flesh, red, slimy, and glistening. Vague impressions of limbs extended from it, and a crimson eyeball spun furiously in center mass. Pssh! The old granny with the candy stick melted away into a pool of blackness when the true form of the eyeball was revealed. This had to be the real true form of the bewitching Other. From its appearance, Li Luo could immediately tell that the bewitching Other was not particularly strong per se. Once its true form was revealed, it was only a Red Eroder in strength. Thus exposed, the bewitching Other could do little to harm Li Luo. Throwing him more venomous looks, it hopped off the railing that it had been perched on, then it morphed into a beam of crimson light and shot off across the street. "Running away?" Li Luo chuckled. Pulling out the Lambent Hawkeye from his back, he notched an arrow in a flash and nailed the quivering lump to the floor with it. Eeee! The bewitching Other squealed and struggled to escape. Li Luo continued to notch arrows and let fly, turning the bewitching Other into a porcupine of light arrows. Finally, the bewitching Other could take no more, exploding into a vile-smelling pile of goo. When it exploded, the corrupted victims froze immediately mid-action, as if they had suddenly been turned into statues. Zhu Xuan had frozen up as well. Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng heaved sighs of relief, looking over at Li Luo. "How did you know the true form wasn''t the old granny, but the sweets instead?" Lu Ming asked curiously. They had been paying some attention to Li Luo out of the corners of their eyes. "It''s only a Red Eroder, not even a Disaster Class. How could it have taken so many blows and still moved so easily? There was only one possible explanation: we were barking up the wrong candy cane," Li Luo said easily, slinging the Lambent Hawkeye back on his back. "And the real body couldn''t be that far away... and the next suspect on the list was the hawthorn." Both Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng were duly impressed by Li Luo''s analysis. It was simple enough when he explained it, but to be able to puzzle it during the heat of battle, execute the plan to target the weak spot of the bewitching Other, and then win an advantage for the overall battle... It was superb work. "Candy cunt," Sun Dasheng swore. "It was not even a Disaster Class, but it sure caused us more trouble than some of the lower Earthly Disaster Classes." Lu Ming nodded in agreement. Although the bewitching Other had been dealt with easily enough once its real body had been found, its unique powers had caused them disproportionate trouble. If not for Li Luo sniffing out its weakness early, they might have been in a dire situation indeed. "Russet Rock City is full of perils," Lu Ming said empathically. The stronger Others had already been engaged by their stronger teammates, and still they were having trouble. Russet Rock City was truly no place for Resonant Master cultivators to be in. Blergh! While they were speaking with relief in their voices, the sound of someone relieving himself came from behind them. They turned around to see Zhu Xuan on his knees, retching uncontrollably. A vile-smelling black liquid was being expelled from his mouth. Li Luo and the others took a few steps back, wrinkling their noses as they prepared their defenses against Zhu Xuan. Zhu Xuan had puked so hard that his eyes had rolled back in his head. A while later, he looked up at them, face ashen. "Zhu Xuan, have you recovered?" Li Luo called out calmly, Onyx-Elephant Blade in hand. "If you''re not yet recovered, we could send you on your way. Y''know... save you from yourself and all that." Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng stared at Li Luo briefly. Clearly, Li Luo and Zhu Xuan were not great friends. "I''m fine, damn it!" Zhu Xuan said hoarsely, his voice still weak. Li Luo sighed regretfully. A vein on Zhu Xuan''s temple pulsed. Li Luo, you swine, do you really want to see me corrupted so you have an excuse to cut me down?! "Bad Zhu Xuan, your performance was terrible. D''you know that the candy you ate corrupted you? Do you know how much trouble you caused us?" Li Luo reprimanded him strictly like a parent talking to a child who had stolen candy. "Oh, and that candy you ate? D''you know that it was actually a dried eyeball? Infused with black water... probably corpse-flavored, fermented and aged with notes of decomposed fluids. How was the taste? A little bitter?" Zhu Xuan''s face turned from green to white, and his head dipped back down to puke some more. Lu Ming was speechless. Li Luo''s impudence knew no bounds. Sun Dasheng looked pityingly at Zhu Xuan. This incident would probably leave a deep scar on the guy''s psyche. Li Luo grinned shamelessly. Zhu Xuan had always tried to cause trouble for him in school. Given a chance to pay him back, he wasn''t going to say no. Still, he kept it within limits, not eager to see Zhu Xuan corrupted again. He turned away from them. "Come on, let''s go. We''re almost at the place to leave the first drop of cleansing dew." He sprinted off. Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng followed closely, while Zhu Xuan staggered a little unsteadily after his three juniors. The four proceeded through the streets unhindered and reached the designated area a few minutes later. Li Luo flipped up to the roof nimbly, checking their surroundings. He could see energy disturbances on a gigantic scale some ways away, as if storms were brewing all around them. He knew that they indicated fights way beyond his level. Li Luo did not hesitate, immediately extracting a drop of cleansing dew and reactivating the ward in that area. A cleansing barrier began to expand across the area, spreading out from their location. As it began to spread, Li Luo and the others noticed changes happening. The lively crowd on the street faded away into nothingness. The pristine buildings and well-paved streets fell away, showing ruins and battered cobblestone. This was the reality of Russet Rock City. Chapter 0570: The First Drop of Cleansing Dew Chapter 0570: The First Drop of Cleansing Dew The purification barrier spread roughly two streets away before it stopped expanding. Clearly, this was its limit for now, although perhaps it would expand a little more when neighboring cleansing dew points ertr reactivated. It was the first step in their mission to take back the entirety of Russet Rock City. Li Luo looked closely at the edge of the purification barrier. Black mist continued to press up against its borders. It not only restricted the light barrier from expanding further, but was also eating away at it. "Seems like the purification barrier shrinks as time passes... At this rate, the barrier will be negated by the illusion formation before too long," Lu Ming said with concern. Li Luo nodded. "A most curious illusion indeed. It almost seems alive. We have constructed a cleansed area within it, and now it is trying to remove the foreign object from its midst. Still, we have only one purification barrier for now. I think that with a few more established, it won''t be able to do this too effectively." "A good start. We''ve put the first nail into the job!" Sun Dasheng cheered. "What now?" Zhu Xuan asked, still a little pale. Li Luo looked out at the raging battle nearby. "We have to wait a while. Once the squad leaders finish off the Others and regroup on us, we can continue to move." Lu Ming turned to look out deeper into Russet Rock City. In the uncleansed areas, people walked back and forth along the street, and the normalcy was so lifelike that it was hard to doubt. And yet the contrast was all the more eerie when they looked back at the lifeless brick and battered mortar within the barrier. She shivered, afraid of what other horrors were hidden out there in the illusion. The four of them had barely survived the encounter with the bewitching Other, which was not even a Disaster Class. Would they really be ready to handle whatever else might show up? This was a dangerous place for Resonant Masters for sure. That was why they needed other strong helpers to protect them on their way forward to the next anchor point to place the cleansing dew. The four of them waited on a broken wall, where they were prominently visible to others. But not all was well. Li Luo sensed a dangerous presence and whirled around to see a pair of Others slowly advancing upon them, oozing corruption. And from the depth and power of their corruptive auras, they were clearly Disaster Class Others. These two had tunneled in through the purification barrier without hesitation, though they had paid the price for it. Much of their corruption had been burned off when they entered the area, causing them great agony. Writhing and cringing, they nevertheless pushed their way through. Each step within the purification barrier caused them great pain, but they continued to move towards the students'' location with determination. "They''re coming to destroy the cleansing dew!" Lu Ming cried out. Sun Dasheng frowned. "The purification barrier should discourage any Others from coming in, because of the incredible disadvantage they''ll suffer upon entry. Even Disaster Class Others would be more than happy to stay away." Li Luo nodded. "Unless they were urged on by an even more undeniable force." The students'' spirits sank. Here in Russet Rock City, there was probably only one suspecta Greater Heavenly Disaster Class. Which meant that their first success with the cleansing dew had already been noticed. "What should we do? Retreat? We can''t handle two Disaster Class Others." Zhu Xuan sniveled. There was no fight left in him, although he could not really be faulted for advocating retreat in the face of two Disaster Class Others. "We went through a ton of shit to get the cleansing dew down. We can''t just run away like that! What a waste!" Sun Dasheng scowled. "They might be Disaster Class Others, but they''re both weakened by the barrier. If we work together, we should be able to buy some time until our squad mates arrive to reinforce us," Lu Ming offered. Although she knew that their opponents were very dangerous, she was unwilling to give up their cleansing dew barrier without a fight. Li Luo considered it silently for a few moments. "Prepare yourselves. We''ll not engage directly, but fight a delaying battle backwards. Just don''t let them destroy the point." Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng nodded, approving heartily of his prudent yet shrewd plan. Zhu Xuan was not very happy with this. He was the Two Star Hall student here, but no one was listening to him. These One Star Hall kids really didn''t know how to respect their seniors. But then again, there was not much else that he could do. He couldn''t very well break away from them and act on his own. He could only begrudgingly cooperate with their plan. The four of them charged up their resonant powers and aimed them at the two Disaster Class Others who were hell-bent on the cleansing point. Li Luo hefted his Onyx-Elephant Blade and drummed up power from his two resonant palaces, combining them together in a powerful blast of dual resonance power. The two Others continued to approach. The four students could already clearly see the outlines and details on the Others'' bodies. The usual, nightmarish agglomeration of flesh and body parts, with baleful eyes staring out at them evilly. The four of them tensed in anticipation of battle. Swish! The two Disaster Class Others screeched, making inhuman sounds that exuded a latent pressure against the four students. The threat of the power alone was enough to make their movements as sluggish as if they were sinking in a swamp. Swoosh! The two creatures increased their speed towards the four defenders. They were close enough now that the putrid smell of decomposition was clear on the wind. Just as the four of them were about to jump out of the way of the powerful creatures, a deafening sound came from above. In a flash of light and fire, two blazing nails came down from above, smashing into their bodies and nailing them to the ground. Eeee! The two Others struggled in vain as the fire spread from the nails to the rest of their bodies, incinerating them into puffs of harmless, black mist. Barely a few seconds had passed since the intervention, and the Disaster Class Others had been completely eliminated. The four students stared wide-eyed. A moment later, a slim figure landed lightly beside them, and they turned to see a saintly girl gently drifting down, her long hair billowing lightly in the wind. Even as a girl herself, Lu Ming was awestruck by her beauty. "Qing''e!" Li Luo exclaimed happily. Of course, who else would it be but his guardian angel? Jiang Qing''e''s golden eyes checked him up and down, then she gave him a small smile after confirming that he was not hurt. "Well done." She was referring to their success in getting the purification barrier up and running. "It was all thanks to my friends, especially Senior Zhu Xuan," Li Luo said with a sardonic grin. "He decided to show us a real-life example of the dangers of being corrupted." Zhu Xuan scowled. "Senior Jiang, how are the other squad leaders doing?" Lu Ming asked. "Not a problem. They should be here soon," Jiang Qing''e answered. "If we can continue to push forward at this rate, it might be a bit slower, but I think we can continue to get cleansing points up and running," Li Luo said. Putting up more cleansing points was their strategy to take down the grand illusion. Jiang Qing''e inclined her head, although her elegant brow was slightly furrowed. "I''m curious as to why the Heavenly Disaster Class did not use this opportunity to attack us alongside the rest of the Others." Li Luo nodded. It was a perplexing point. If the Heavenly Disaster Class had appeared a while ago, they would have been in serious trouble. But in any case, they had accomplished their first bit of the mission. The five of them continued onwards. With Jiang Qing''e protecting them, they all felt a lot safer, and the few Others that tried to stand in their way were cut down by the Three Star Hall genius in quick fashion. Half an hour later. The other squad members also finished off their Other opponents and hurriedly arrived at the gathering spot. With that, their first step was well and truly complete. Next, they just had to repeat this many more times ... While the group of students was pushing on, there was a crimson figure watching them from high above, unbeknownst to them. He was watching them through the many layers of illusions, and then he turned to look at the heart of Russet Rock City. He sniggered, then laughed wickedly. "Oh dear students of the Academic Federation, I''ve given you such a great opportunity. I hope you don''t disappoint me." Chapter 0571: Heavenly Disaster Class Descends Chapter 0571: Heavenly Disaster Class Descends Not long after Li Luo and friends activated the cleansing orb, a similar scene could be seen on the other end of Russet Rock City. As a result, the cleansing barrier started to expand. The bustling, illusory scenes on the streets dissipated wherever the radiance passed through. Clearly, Lan Lan''s team had also managed to achieve their goal. At this point, Li Luo turned around to be greeted with the sight of a few beams of light descending gloriously from the skies. It was the squads who were holding the Others back. Leading the pack was none other than the First Princess and Gong Shenjun. The remainder were the other members of the group who had finally gathered. It seemed as though the strong Others had either been vanquished or chased away. From the looks of it, everyone had been through arduous combat, Gong Shenjun and the First Princess included. Their bodies held traces of resonant power being pushed to the peak and one could feel a sense of suppression coming from them. The other members from the Three Star Hall were no different, their bodies laced with traces of injuries. "You''ve contributed greatly this time, friends." The First Princess smiled and did not hold back on her effusive praise. With Resonant Master Stage cultivation, they had traversed the dangerous streets and had managed to set up the first cleansing dew, easing the pressure on everyone else. However, the situation was still critical, and so she did not continue for too long, only decisively stating, "We do not have much time to tarry and rest any longer. We have to strike while the iron is hot and move quickly as the assimilative effects of the illusion seem to be strengthening. Only by constantly setting up more cleansing barriers can we borrow their might to weaken the illusory formation. Otherwise, the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class will take advantage of it, which would put us at a disadvantage. That would spell an undesirable result for all of us." No one disagreed, nodding to demonstrate their agreement. Russet Rock City was an incredibly perilous areahow could their opponents give them a chance to rest and regroup? Seeing the unanimous assent, the First Princess then looked directly at Li Luo. "Since your squad was the one that managed to set up the first cleansing dew, the subsequent anchor point will be handled by another squad." Li Luo demonstrated his agreement as well. This was no simple task, and there was more than meets the eye. Why? The squad that set up the cleansing dew would receive the appropriate rewards from the act. In order to ensure a well-rounded division of points, other squads would also have that privilege. Each squad would receive an equal share of points from cleansing Russet Rock City. This was only fair. Otherwise, it would incite internal discord and strife, and their cooperation could very well fall apart during a critical moment, such as during the fight with the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other. "Move out. I''m afraid things will only become more arduous moving forward." After reminding the rest, the First Princess proceeded to lead the group, boundless resonant power exuding from her beautiful figure. The target: the depths of Russet Rock City. The rest followed suit with waves of resonant power emanating from the entire group. This was the might of a true gathering of elites! After which, they spent the rest of the day advancing deeper into the city. The journey was perilous as the group constantly engaged in heaven-shaking battles with formidable and fearsome Others appearing one after another. No one was excluded from this melee, whether it was the top experts like the First Princess and Gong Shenjun or Li Luo and his Resonant Master Stage friends. Everyone received injuries of varying seriousness. Of course, no one knew if Zhu Xuan was just weak-willed or dumb. After being corrupted once by the Bewitching Other, he had actually managed to fall under corruption two more times! The transformations got progressively grosser. In the end, after a brief discussion between the other three, they decided to simply tightly wrap this heavy burden up with chains. This way, even if he were to be corrupted yet again, they could quickly restrain him, preventing him from causing a disaster! As the arduous advance continued, the silver lining within was that their efforts were not in vain. They set up an adequate amount of cleansing orbs in just half a day, each one projecting a beam of purifying light shining high into the sky. Together, they formed a purifying curtain of glorious light, dividing the illusory formation into sectors and weakening it. If someone were to enter the formation now, they would be left utterly bewildered at the sight before them. Some areas were bustling streets filled with people going about their everyday lives, while in purified areas, the only thing that would greet their sight would be ruined structures and dessicated skeletons. In Li Luo''s own words, the unnaturally lively and swarming streets only brought about a chill. On the other hand, the cold, silent ruins actually brought him solace. Even the most perfect of illusions was just that. Ephemeral. Weng! When yet another pillar of cleansing light shot into the air, it created another curtain of purification that was like an umbrella, enveloping the area. Li Luo and the rest finally halted in their steps. There was no choice. Exhaustion was inevitable. Even the First Princess, a Heavenly Pearl Stage expert, had a forehead drenched with sweat. "Your Highness, I would like to recommend we take a short break," Jiang Qing''e suggested. Their blitzkrieg had resulted in both frequent and intense battles, so everyone was slightly injured. Further advancement without some respite might be detrimental to their overall plan. "Qing''e, could I trouble you with a light restoration art?" the First Princess asked. Light resonant energy possessed recuperative abilities, and with Jiang Qing''e''s Ninth-grade light resonance, its efficacy was sublime. One of the key reasons why they had been able to progress so efficiently was precisely due to this. Jiang Qing''e did not decline, as this was for the sake of accomplishing the mission. Her slender, jade hands executed a few hand signs and a resonance art was quickly activated. "Tiger-general resonance art, Spiritual Light Rain." Light resonant energy pervaded the air, gradually coalescing into tiny droplets of rain that fell from the sky. Upon contact with one''s body, one would feel indescribably warm and comfortable, and their fatigue would be washed away. Even their injuries would quickly mend themselves. "A Ninth-grade light resonance is truly unmatched." Zhao Beili sighed in envy. It was not as though he had never experienced the effects of a Spiritual Light Rain, it was just that he had never experienced one that was so effective! Clearly, this was the benefit brought about by a superior resonance. "It is our greatest fortune to have Junior Jiang accompany us on this trip," Gong Shenjun said gently with a warm smile. On the other hand, Jiang Qing''e''s was quite curt. "Senior Gong, you are too polite." Li Luo had stretched out his hand to better have a feel for the droplets of light resonant energy that were raining down. He could feel their incomparably pure and majestic nature, and he sighed. Comparing the light resonant energy he could produce with this was like comparing the sky to dirt! One was pristine and unblemished, the other impure and muddy. The First Princess smiled as she grasped Qing''e''s slim arm. "Qing''e is truly the hero of this story!" Faced with Her Highness'' action, her gaze flitted for a moment, but she did not reject her "advances." Instead, she turned to face the deeper areas of Russet Rock City. "Now that we''re near the core of Russet Rock City, isn''t it strange that the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other has not appeared?" The question elicited agreement from the group as they found it similarly baffling. They had been pondering this very question the entire way as well. The illusory formation should have been the hard work of that powerful Other, yet it was happily sitting by and watching this group of upstarts dismantle it piece by piece? Something wasn''t adding up. Perhaps it wanted them to enter the core of the city? This was an ambush they had to willingly walk into. After all, the group here had to slay the Other. It seemed as though the illusory formation was redundant and a move made in vain. "Forget it. Regardless of what it wants to do, we''ll engage in a final, decisive battle once we find it," the First Princess explained. Since they could not understand their opponent''s intentions, then they''d just find their own answer. With violence. Breaking the illusory formation would be the first step, and the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other would appear after that. Jiang Qing''e lightly nodded her head, but just as she was going to speak, her expression rapidly changed and her gaze fell towards the inner core of Russet Rock City. She could distinctly feel that terrifying amounts of corruption were coursing out from that direction. This all-encompassing corruption brought with it immense suppression. At the very same time, the First Princess and Gong Shenjun also turned their heads, expressions solemn. Boom! From the depths of Russet Rock City, a crimson-red pillar of light shot into the sky, bringing with it endless corruption that flooded the heavens and the earth. From afar, it seemed to have transformed into a fog riddled with countless ferocious and vengeful faces! And right in the middle of the light pillar was a giant, blood-red tail lightly swaying in the sky, almost invitingly waving hello to the invaders. Frightening pressure blanketed the entire city. Even Li Luo felt a hint of terror under this crushing duress. Meanwhile, atop a tower in the middle of the city sat an individual enveloped in crimson armor who started guffawing at the sight before him. "Ah, what a pity! I wasnt able to suppress it any longer. What a pity indeed. These brats are truly very vicious! Tearing the illusory formation to shreds truly enraged it. So be it, it''s almost time. The true show begins now." With an insane fervor, he started to clap in excitement. Meanwhile, deep within the light pillar was a demonic individual, its eyes glued shut as it lay within. What was unique about it was that there was a massive tail dripping with fresh blood attached to it, along with a blood-red rune inscribed upon its body. The rune was now quickly burning up, quickly disintegrating into nothingness. At that very moment, a demonic expression appeared upon its face and its eyes opened. Eyes crimson-red like pools of fresh blood. It was a frightening sight that chilled one to the bone. Chapter 0572: Mixed-level Competition Final Chapter 0572: Mixed-level Competition Final Boom! As soon as the figure within the blood-red pillar opened its eyes, corruption filled the air, spreading across all of Russet Rock City in a wave. Everything was covered in thick, black mucus, and the dreaded whispering filled the ears of all within its confines. The First Princess, Gong Shenjun, Jiang Qing''e, and all the others sensed it immediately, looking up warily. This new threat... there was indeed a Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other within Russet Rock City. Equivalent to a Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivator. Even the strongest among them was only at the Heavenly Pearl Stage, which was a big difference. The only advantage they had was numbers. Besides, Lan Lan, Gong Shenjun, the First Princess and the others were considered elites in their tier, and they had superb fighting skills. Which meant that it was not a sure-lose situation even against a Greater Heavenly Disaster Class. When the powerful Other revealed itself, there was an answering light from the opposite distance. Clearly, Lan Lan and the others had sensed the same threat and were hurrying over to group up at speed. "It''s really a Heavenly Disaster Cass," Lan Lan said gravely, worry clear on his brow. "We''re really going to have to put our lives on the line for this one." Qin Yue sighed. He had never fought one before. "Do we have a plan?" one of the squad leaders asked. "There are still more Others as well," the First Princess said thoughtfully. "We can''t ignore them. I suggest the eight squad leaders here take on the Heavenly Disaster Class, and the Three Star Hall students and below can deal with everything else. Qing''e, I hope that you can pay a little more attention to our side as well, of course. It would be a great help." Her last request was met with a general murmur of assent from all the Heavenly Pearl Stage squad leaders. Although Jiang Qing''e was only a Fiend Finisher Tier cultivator, no one doubted that she had power enough to make up for the difference with a Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivator. Her ninth-grade light resonance was superb, and light resonance was the antithesis of Others. She was definitely an asset even against a Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other. Jiang Qing''e inclined her head in acknowledgment. A Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other was nothing to mess with. If she saw a chance to win them an advantage, she would attack without hesitation. The First Princess nodded gratefully, then she turned to Li Luo and the other One and Two Star Hall students. "You have an important mission when we are fighting the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class. You have to get the remaining cleansing dew drops placed. When the entire purification area is expanded, it will not only dispel the illusion, but also suppress all of the Others in the area. Even the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class will be affected. "This is a crucial task. Do not underestimate it," she said with utmost seriousness. They stiffened up and nodded seriously in response to the pressure she was applying. Li Luo and the others were still coming to terms with their role. Before this competition, they had thought they would just be tagging along for the ride, but now they knew they had an important part to play as well. The First Princess'' force delegation was well-calculated, and the other squad leaders were all in agreement. Boom! Just as their plan was settled, an explosion of ruby light interrupted their gathering. They could see a blood-red tail swishing in the sky. When they looked closely, many of them shivered or clapped their hands to their mouths. Each hair on the bushy, red tail emitted screams, screams of agony and hatred. As their gazes followed the tail, they saw that its owner was a petite girl with a demonic face. The face was smiling, crimson eyes glinting malevolently in a way that sent chills down their spines. Besides the red tail, the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other had no other differentiating characteristics from a human. Which they understood as an indication of its great power. "Heehee." Coquettish laughter, infused with a timbre of power that rattled their eardrums, heating up their minds with hot, urgent desires that ate away at their wills. "Calm your hearts," Jiang Qing''e called to them. "Do not let its seduction win. Temptation will scatter your will." She made a seal with one hand, sending a pulse of light resonant energy that cleared their hearts for a brief moment. They hurriedly stuffed their ears, afraid to listen to the laughter any longer. "Hee hee." A playful flick of the tail, and suddenly the vixen Other appeared before them. Its red eyes surveyed them all with amusement, although there was a dark danger that lurked underneath its playful demeanor. Although the Bloodtailed Other looked very human, it was still an Other at heart. It made no move to communicate with them, and the sudden surge in corruption in this region had attracted more Others into the vicinity. Powerful Others came rushing over from all directions, giving the First Princess, Lan Lan, and the others pause. The Three Star Hall students immediately leaped into the fray, led by Jiang Qing''e. They cut off the incoming Others, leaving their squad leaders free. The Four Star Hall leaders rose into the sky, a rainbow of resonant power coalescing in the air. Behind them, their heavenly pearls absorbed worldly natural energy at a tremendous rate. Combined, they were able to suppress the pressure of the Other''s aura. "Hee hee." Another pout and giggle from its cherry lips, and the corruption started to solidify into black clouds. Then it straightened into eight crimson chains that dripped with blood as they lashed out towards the eight leaders. Even the void bent around the attack. "Face it head on!" Lan Lan shouted. His water resonant power had been shaped into a large pool as he took the lead. The First Princess, Gong Shenjun, and the others all followed suit. Boom! Rumble! An incredible storm of energy broke out in the skies of Russet Rock City. The final battle of the mixed-level competition was well under way. Chapter 0573: Diverted Influence Chapter 0573: Diverted Influence The climactic battle was more ferocious than anyone had expected. The eight crimson chains were life-like and infused with murderous intent, like dragons made of blood and wreathed in corruption. The Bloodtailed Other directed his focus upon the eight squad leaders. Boom! They held nothing back in reserve, their heroic demeanor on full display as they summoned every remnant of resonant power they had. The Heavenly Pearls behind them voraciously devoured the worldly natural energy as they orbited their respective owners. Next up was a demonstration of their mighty resonance arts. Heaven and earth continuously rumbled with the roars of materialized creatures. Invincible dragon-general resonance arts descended upon Russet Rock City one after another and directly struck back against the dragon-like chains. Yet upon collision, the expressions of the eight changed for the worse! They realized that their almighty resonance arts were being easily bypassed by the chains. The fresh blood that laced the chains also seemed to possess some sort of corrosive effect. These resonance arts that had the power to move heaven and earth were nothing but a mantis stopping the cart. The eight squad leaders were temporarily thrown into disarray, quickly taking out their gold-eye treasured artifacts to retaliate. With the assistance of their weapons, they were narrowly able to block the chains! "What a frightening Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other!" Li Luo and the rest of the calefare were currently watching the pitiful squad leaders. Horror could be seen in their gazes, and some were a little pale. A seemingly casual attack was already so hard to fend off! The worst part was that these were the strongest of the Holy Grail Meet! Their concerted efforts seemed meaningless in front of the Bloodtailed Other''s imposing presence, easily being suppressed. One could finally understand what true terror was like. "Alright, stop dreaming. We got to get to work ourselves. Whilst the squad leaders do their thing, we have to complete the purification barrier. It will sap away the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class'' strength," Lu Ming reminded them helpfully. "Everyone here has their own responsibilities. The role of setting up the cleansing dew will be left to us." Li Luo smiled as his gaze shifted towards a handsome youth in white robes. "Senior Ao Bai is at the quasi General Stage, and is the strongest amongst us. We will definitely have to rely on you, then." The group nodded in agreement. Even the perennially arrogant Jing Taixu kept himself in check whilst facing Ao Bai. There was also interest in seeing just how strong the Two Star Hall champion was. Although being at the quasi General Stage meant that one had not truly stepped into the Earth Fiend Stage, it was still head and shoulders above the Fourth Changing Tier. Ao Bai smiled humbly. "Junior Li Luo, you are too courteous. What does the quasi General Stage even stand for in the greater scheme of things? We will require everyone''s close cooperation if we want to succeed." Ao Bai''s attitude was like a breath of fresh, spring air. Even the aloof and uptight Lu Ming had a hint of a smile upon hearing his self-deprecating words. He might be the champion of the Two Star Hall, but he was not a champion of hot air. Zhu Xuan suddenly smiled and declared, "Ao Bai is truly a shining example of a champion. I''ll definitely follow your lead when it comes to deploying the cleansing dew. You can order me through hell or high water, and I will obey!" As he spoke, he took a glimpse at Li Luo. During the previous few battles, Li Luo had been the de facto leader amongst the four. As a result, he felt slightly prejudiced. And that damned Li Luo had even wrapped him up in chains when they traveled. Maybe he had been corrupted just a few too many times... but was there really a need to torment him so!? That brat was clearly trying to give him a hard time. Thus, Ao Bai''s timely appearance only brought Zhu Xuan joy. Li Luo''s words would no longer hold the same weight in their group as he was not the strongest. Although Zhu Xuan''s intentions were veiled, Li Luo understood it clearly. However, he didn''t really carehe only smirked deep down. So what if one could speak on behalf of the group? It didn''t mean much, so why would anyone put forth the effort to compete for such a useless position? In fact. he couldn''t be more excited that Ao Bai would take the lead in clearing out the last few anchor points. This way. he could have some peace of mind. Zhu Xuan''s words roused the rigorous support of the rest. In terms of strength, the Two Star Hall champion was a worthy leader for one to follow. Now bearing the hopes and dreams of the group, Ao Bai could only helplessly smile. "Enough with the blind praises. We are all just here to accomplish our mission. Working together is all that matters." Being able to manage the numerous egoes of the group in such an amiable fashion brought about further praise. "Lets stop blabbering like groupies and let''s hurry up," Sun Dasheng said impatiently. The critical battle above was shaking the entire battlefield, while their group was still fooling around. Truly infuriating! Ao Bai nodded and immediately headed towards the next anchor point with the rest following right behind. Li Luo remained at the back of the group with a measured pace. Yet all of a sudden, a familiar fragrance wafted by... Turning to look, it was his familiar friend Lu Ming. "Looks like you''ve been usurped." "It''s a meaningless position anyway..." Li Luo drawled after batting her a glance. "Relax, I''ll keep supporting you. My womanly instinct tells me you''re the more reliable one of the two." "Why in the world do I need your support? We''re just condiments to the real fight happening above. Our only use is to take advantage of the distracted Others and set up the cleansing dew appropriately. After that, we can sit back, relax, and watch the show. If the squad leaders can beat the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class, that will be wonderful! Otherwise? We better make use of the distractions to run while we can..." Li Luo joked darkly. "Hey, truer words have never been spoken." Lu Ming laughed as her beautiful eyes turned to focus on the frightening battle overhead. A flash of worry appeared for a split second. "We still don''t know if the squad leaders can even triumph over such a foe. Do you still remember the news about the crimson knight-general? He hasn''t appeared... even at this critical juncture. It would be great if he''s gone. However, if he''s biding his time in the dark, he will definitely be an even more frightening enemy than the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class." Li Luo fell into pensive thought. The mysterious crimson knight-general could not be overlooked. No one knew how strong he was, and he was definitely the hidden hand behind the shadows of the Blackwind Empire''s downfall. "Sadly, we don''t have the strength to bother with this unknown opponent. Him remaining in hiding can only be a good thing. Ideally, he only appears after the Other is defeated. Perhaps he''s been scared away by the Academic Federation and has already fled. After all, the reclamation of the Red Clay Province should have been unexpected..." "Perhaps..." Lu Ming gently sighed. The opponent escaping would be the best news possible. Otherwise, the difficulty of the mixed-level competition would be as difficult as transcending the 18 levels of hell. As the two continued to banter, the group quickly advanced forth. Meanwhile, the ruckus brought about by the battles of the squad leaders and Three Star Hall students raging around them had managed to attract the attention of the majority of the Others. This resulted in a very smooth journey through the streets. Upon reaching the first anchor point, they quickly set up the cleansing dew. The group did not tarry and immediately moved on once the task was complete. The group managed to achieve bountiful results. Three cleansing dews had been put into place in under an hour, beginning the purification and tearing apart the illusory formation. Their journey had encountered some troubles, but with everyone''s cooperation, it was resolved easily. Ao Bai''s addition had truly improved the speed at which they broke through. His quasi General Stage power was nothing to scoff at, demonstrating why he was superior to a Fourth Changing. If all of the cleansing dews could be set up, Li Luo would definitely sincerely compliment Ao Bai. He would even be his loyal follower in word! After all, talk was cheap. As the eight squads continued with their work, the crimson-knight general was still sitting atop the tower, quietly monitoring the situation. The bulk of his attention was focused upon the battle against the Bloodtailed Other. "These eight brats undoubtedly have shown their prowess as the elite of their generation." They were all only at the Heavenly Pearl Stage, yet their innate genius allowed them to demonstrate a prowess that surpassed their common peers. If they were placed elsewhere, their resplendence would only become more obvious amongst the rabble. Despite the shaky start, their cooperation improved over time and they were eventually able to restrain the Bloodtailed Other. At the very least, things were now in a deadlock. This was the best-case scenario as he wanted them to both exhaust their strength! "However, the irritating ants at the Resonant Master Stage seem to be moving quickly..." He could see that there were numerous cleansing dews being set up, creating pillars of light throughout the city. This was created by the Academic Federation and had been demonstrated to be able to ward off corruption effectively. He could also see that once the cleansing dew was placed, it would create a purification point. At a certain point, the purifying powers of the cleansing dew would completely dismantle the illusion formation, further suppressing and weakening the Bloodtailed Other. He clearly understood the aim of these flies. The point at which the purification barrier was complete would also be the time to counterattack. His gaze flickered as he spoke lightly. "It took me so much time to orchestrate this battle between these two parties. I can''t let these little rats ruin my finale." Eyes piercing through the illusion formation, he continued to observe the Resonant Master stage irritants. In the end, his focus was fixated upon their leading figure, a handsome individual in white robes. Chapter 0574: Betrayal Chapter 0574: Betrayal The terrific battle continued within Russet Rock City. The battle was most conspicuous high in the sky, with large ripples of energy blowing back and forth, ripping through the clouds at fearsome speeds. Below, smaller battles raged on, intensity at a smaller scale but no less desperate. It was just as well that this whole area was a deserted city; otherwise, the accidental casualties would have been too many to bear. Lan Lan, the First Princess, Gong Shenjun, and the rest of the Heavenly Pearl Stage students were doing their best to fight the Bloodtailed Other. It continued to giggle and coo up in the air, its seductive laughter affecting the students fighting below. A Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other was truly a terrifying enemy. It still held the advantage even against eight Heavenly Pearl Stage students. Below, Jiang Qing''e was leading the Three Star Hall against an assortment of enemies. Although the Lesser Heavenly Disaster Classes had been dealt with already, there were still many Disaster Class enemies left. Jiang Qing''e was a rock against them all. She alone took on five Disaster Class Others, sweeping through them and lifting the morale of her comrades. The firm defense line that the Three Star Hall students held ensured that no Others could encroach on the elite fight, saving the First Princess and the others from an even more unfavorable battle. Next was Li Luo''s side. In terms of strength, their group was the weakest of the three fights. The strongest among them were Ao Bai and Yuan Banshan from the Enlightened Sage College. The latter had lost to Ao Bai in the hall-level competition, but he was still much stronger than the other Fourth Changing students like Zhu Xuan. Over the course of the last hour, they had sped around and set down six droplets of cleansing dew, which was a rather decent rate. Of course, their progress was helped by Jiang Qing''e''s group, who were attracting the attention of most of the Disaster class Others. Weng! Another drop of cleansing dew landed, and another purification barrier bloomed out. Li Luo and the others sighed with relief. "Three more drops, and we''ll have a proper formation established!" Ao Bai shouted back at them in encouragement. Their faces lit up. Once the formation was up, the illusion formation would be dispelled, and then even the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other would be affected. The entire situation would shift in their favor. "Come on, put some speed on!" Ao Bai urged them, leading the way across the street. The others hastened after him, and even the lagging Li Luo did his best to keep up. He had no problems with Ao Bai taking charge of the group. It was easier for Li Luo to chill at the back and blend in. Although many of the Others had been drawn over to Jiang Qing''e''s side, there were always a few stray ones that wandered across their path. A front man like Ao Bai packed a lot more firepower. He would be even happier if Ao Bai could just straight up tank all the enemies so he could stroll to the missions finish line with his eyes closed. While Li Luo was thinking his slacker thoughts, the group had already charged to another street. When they burst out into the avenue, a strange wind whipped up in their faces. Many threw up resonant power defenses instinctively, but they were all melted away instantly by the wind, which chilled them all to the bone. "Be careful! An Other ambush!" Li Luo yelled hurriedly. The students hurriedly reached deep into their resonant palaces, scrambling to put up more resonant power defenses and flush the chill from their bodies. At the same time, they grouped up tightly and faced outwards, wary of any threats. Yet surprisingly, there was no further disturbance after the strange wind blew by. "What''s going on?" Sun Dasheng frowned. The others looked around at each other, confused. The tense silence held for a full minute, then someone broke it. "Senior Ao Bai, what should we do now?" Li Luo''s eyes flicked to Ao Bai''s still figure as well. Ao Bai stood like a statue, not replying to anybody. Li Luo''s eyes narrowed. Ao Bai was too still. Unnaturally still. Behind Ao Bai, Yuan Banshan felt like something was off as well. He put a cautious hand on Ao Bai''s shoulder. "Brother Ao, what''s wrong with you?" The moment Yuan Banshan''s hand touched Ao Bai''s shoulder, the stronger student whirled, sending a powerful punch exploding into the torso of Yuan Banshan. Pssssssh! Caught completely off-guard, Yuan Banshan took the blow in its entirety. A fountain of blood spurted out from his mouth, and his bones cracked within. He was sent flying dozens of meters backwards, down for the count. This betrayal stunned all of them. Ao Bai attacking Yuan Banshan?! And while they were still reeling, Ao Bai had already struck again. Two palm-shaped shadows burst out, smashing away the two closest students. Another shrill howling gust of wind. One of the two was Zhu Xuan, who had spent much of the time up till now trying to cozy up to Ao Bai. "Brother Ao, what''s wrong with you?!" Although he and Ao Bai were both Two Star Hall students, the difference in their power was stark. One hit from Ao Bai required all of his strength just to defend against. Boom! Ao Bai''s resonant power had overrun his own all too easily, and despite his best efforts to fight back, he was soon defeated in the same fashion as Yuan Banshan. In a few short moments, the three closest students to Ao Bai were all seriously injured. Fortunately, the shock of the betrayal had worn off the others by now, and they hurriedly backed away from Ao Bai. "Senior Ao Bai, what''s wrong with you!?" Jing Taixu called out, his face gray. Sun Dasheng and Lu Ming were watching with eyes wide as well. It was truly dispiriting that the strongest of their little group would be turned against them. "I''m afraid Senior Ao Bai''s body is no longer his own," Li Luo said flatly. The One Star Hall students gasped. "You mean... he''s being controlled?" Lu Ming whispered. Li Luo did not reply. He was too busy watching Ao Bai, who had lifted his head and locked on to the remaining four students. Ao Bai''s face was an emotionless mask, his refreshing smile completely gone. And a moth with dark-red wings fluttered in his eyes. The crimson moth beat its wings lazily, releasing a dark-red powder that darkened the red of Ao Bai''s eyes steadily, even as red liquid seeped down the corners of his eyes and trickled down his cheeks. They shuddered. He was crying blood. Chapter 0575: Four Heroes versus Ao Bai Chapter 0575: Four Heroes versus Ao Bai Li Luo and the other three One Star Hall students stared at the moth in Ao Bai''s eyes, and their hearts sank. Another damned controlling thing. "Is it an Other?" Lu Ming asked doubtfully, cringing at the freakish sight. "No idea." Li Luo shrugged. In any case, it was probably reasonable to link the moth to the strange gust of wind that had come upon them previously. Ao Bai had taken the brunt of that gust, and the moth had probably taken control of him then. That thought was scary enough to make Li Luo''s stomach wobble, and he had to check that there weren''t moths in his own belly. At the same time, he was a little happy. It was no time to be popping champagne at all, but if he had been the one leading the group instead of Ao Bai, it would have been him with the fluttering beast in his eyes... and the one being controlled. If even a quasi General Stage cultivator like Ao Bai had fallen without a trace of a struggle, Li Luo wouldn''t stand a chance in hell. Which meant... close shave. "See, I always knew that staying low-key was the best way to do things." Li Luo congratulated himself nervously, wiping some cold sweat off his brow. He was also suddenly grateful for the useless egg that was called Zhu Xuan. If not for the fawning fop urging Ao Bai to be the leader, perhaps the Two Star Hall student would not have taken it up. Lo and behold, less than an hour later, puppet. Clearly, the word leader was spelled "C-A-N-N-O-N F-O-D-D-E-R. Still, there was a very real danger facing them all. Ao Bai''s mothy eyes were already lifting towards the four of them, completely devoid of emotion. Resonant power was gathering around him, forming a silver snake with a dragon''s horn. Upper eighth-grade, Silver Horn Dragon Python resonance. A three-pronged silver-scaled trident appeared in his hand, glinting with cold light. "Shit. He''s a quasi General Stage with his fiend palace already close to being formed. He''s got resonant power for days. Way stronger than us," Sun Dasheng said tersely, gripping his staff. Li Luo was sweating bullets too. Ao Bai was a terror to facehe wasn''t crowned the strongest Two Star Hall student for nothing. A quasi General cultivator was many times stronger than the other Two Star Hall weeds like Zhu Xuan. "If only Senior Yuan could still fightthat would be a lot easier," Jing Taixu groaned. Li Luo took a look over at the unconscious Yuan Banshan, and could not help but agree with Jing Taixu. Yuan Banshan was closest in strength to Ao Bai. If he was not injured and had a few helpers, it wouldve been possible to hold Ao Bai down. But the first blow from Ao Bai had felled him instantly, and now they were lacking a solid force in their ranks. Was that all part of his vicious calculation, or merely luck? "Alright, you three, we''re going to have to work together," Li Luo said, pulling out his sword. "If we can''t take down Senior Ao Bai, our mission to get the cleansing dew points up and running is toast." Although a quasi General was a formidable opponent, they were desperate and had no other choice. "Haha, I like your guts," Sun Dasheng hooted. "I thought there was no chance for us to shine here in Russet Rock City, but now they''ve handed us the Two Star top dog on a plate. In a dog bowl. Let''s take down the beast!" His eyes shone with excitement as he slammed his staff down for emphasis, leaving a deep, circular crack pattern. "I would rather be less shining on the field, and more shining in the rewards," Lu Ming said, rolling her eyes. Jing Taixu was relatively calm. Although he was not on the best of terms with Li Luo, he understood that their current situation called for total and complete teamwork, or Ao Bai would swallow them whole. Jeopardizing the cleansing dew mission was the most disastrous consequence of all. And so he whipped out his green plantain fan at the ready as well. "Li Luo, let''s do this together," he called out gravely. "You and I are both Fourth Changings. Together, we face senior Ao Bai head on. Lu Ming and Sun Dasheng can flank him. What do you say?" Li Luo swung his Onyx-Elephant Blade in a friendly manner. "Well then, do your best not to drag me down," he said with a cheeky grin. "Petty child." Jing Taixu sniffed. He was preparing his weapon too, and his green plantain fan was busy moving in a complicated pattern that harnessed the wind around him. Energy gathered, he blasted it out at Ao Bai''s weak points. Ao Bai took it calmly, his own silver resonant power rising like a wave. The green wind resonant power that looked sharp and deadly was completely engulfed by the silver tide. Jing Taixu''s eyes widened. Ao Bai''s resonant power was indeed far stronger than the average Fourth Changing cultivator''s. If they were fighting alone, he would not have been able to last very long, even with his quasi ninth-grade wind resonance. "No need to test the waters, you''re only wasting resonant power," Li Luo commented mildly. He lifted his own Onyx-Elephant Blade and dug deep into his two resonant palaces, pulling out blue and green power that combined into one. The familiar sensation of plentiful resonant power flooded every inch of his body until he felt saturated. At the same time, he activated his Thunderpeal Avatar. BOOM! As the electricity sped through his body, stimulating his muscles, bones, and nerves, his skin glowed with an electrical current, as though he were being charged from within. "Level One Divine Elephant Power!" Veins bulging like earthworms under the skin, his arms strength surged. The aura of power around Li Luo continued to build. Jing Taixu shivered a little. The two had fought before, and so he had a deeper understanding of Li Luo''s power than the others. And that deeper understanding was telling him that Li Luo was a level stronger than him right now. Even if he did not want to admit it, the truth was the truth. "After this Holy Grail Meet ends, I''m gonna charge to the Earth Fiend Tier without stopping," Jing Taixu swore to himself under his breath. "My quasi ninth-grade wind resonance will see me through before this silver-haired devil!" Li Luo paid no attention to the jealousy going on. He stepped forward and sent his attack blasting out at Ao Bai. In perfect sync, Jing Taixu''s quasi ninth-grade wind spirit avatar shimmered into view behind him, sending forth a storm of green energy that shaped itself into a green palm several meters wide, slamming down on Ao Bai from above. "Monkey King''s Three Strikes: Strike That Moves Seas!" Sun Dasheng''s bellow was followed up by a tremendous strike that seemed capable of raising a tsunami all by itself. Thunder rumbled behind Ao Bai. Lu Ming''s slender frame rose up, covered in the same electrical glow as Li Luo''s body. She had also used her Thunderpeal Avatar to greatly increase her speed and strength. "Bolt Sword!" Lu Ming sent a crackling sword strike flashing out towards Ao Bai''s exposed back. A coordinated four-way attack by the cream of the One Star Hall crop, against the strongest Two Star Hall student. Chapter 0576: The Weakness Chapter 0576: The Weakness The four One Star Hall geniuses swarmed the possessed Ao Bai from different directions, each using their killer moves without holding back. Mercy could mean their own deaths. They understood that the disparity against a quasi General Stage cultivator was huge. Although the four of them were good for their level, it meant nothing against this. Although it was their first time fighting together as four, each came with a ton of battle experience, and they were able to hammer out some working synergy on the fly. Four mighty attacks came smashing down towards Ao Bai''s weak spots. Ao Bai showed no emotion against his four opponents. Only the crimson moth continued to flutter in his eyes, weaving in and out as it created a hollowness that continued to deepen. "Dragon''s Bulwark!" In a flash, Ao Bao''s resonant power formed a suit of silver-scale armor around him. Each scale was wrinkled in the mystic manner of a dragon''s coat, imbued with an additional magical resistance. Boom! All four attacks landed on Ao Bai''s scale armor in a cacophony of bangs and sparks. The four gasped as one. Many scales were lost, but the underlying armor itself was unbroken. "I''ve seen information on Ao Bai before. This is his best defensive resonance art, a low grade dragon-general resonance art! Be careful, its defenses are scary strong," Jing Taixu called out to them. Ao Bai''s hands were already moving again, forming a succession of new patterns. Weng! The silver scale armor was moving now, reforming into the figure of a dragon. Its muscular tail struck out with a pompous flick. Boom! The energy released was enough to smash the ground nearby to fine dust. The four One Star Hall students retreated a dozen steps hastily. The latent power in that flick was enough to put them on guard. They could feel their blood heating up just from the passive energy released by that blow. "Like attacking a tree with a penknife." Li Luo scowled. This dragon-general resonance art was trouble indeed. Even the four of them together could not break through it. "Dragon''s Bulwark is split into two tiers," Jing Taixu told them. "Silver scales and golden scales. It seems like he hasn''t reached the second tier yet; otherwise, it''d be a toothbrush instead of a penknife." It seemed like Jing Taixu had indeed done his homework regarding Ao Bai. "Dragon-general resonance arts are much stronger than tiger-general resonance arts," Li Luo mused to himself. He made a mental note to get some dragon-general resonance arts after the Holy Grail Meet. It seemed like tiger-general resonance arts would no longer serve his needs against stronger opponents. Dragon-general resonance arts had a much more demanding requirement of resonant power, which was why he had not considered them before. Along with their much higher price point and rarity, it had made the whole prospect rather daunting. Even in House Luolan''s archive, dragon-general resonance arts were few and far between. Out of the four One Star Hall students, only Jing Taixu had a low grade dragon-general resonance art, with the exception of the unique case of Sun Dasheng. Still, even that was only barely executable with the help of his quasi ninth-grade wind spirit avatar''s additional worldly natural energy. "I''m only a step away from the General Stage though," Li Luo thought to himself. "After the Holy Grail Meet, I''ll have enough funds to get some dragon-general resonance arts. I really need more weapons up my sleeves before the Housemeet comes around." Meanwhile, Ao Bao was attacking again. He moved with the sinuous deliberation of a scaled-dragon, his trident poised dangerously. Both Li Luo and Jing Taixu squirmed as they were the designated head-on tankers of the attack. Even together, they felt the danger that they were in. Still, neither was a coward, and they calmly gathered their resonant power and met him accordingly. CLANG! CLANG! The Onyx-Elephant Blade and green plantain fan answered with parallel swings that clashed against Ao Bai''s trident, releasing a wobbling blast of energy on impact. The three fought on intensely. The two One Star Hall fighters in the melee felt the stress of facing a much stronger opponent. Each time the trident swung, it contained enough power to rattle them from head to toe. A few swings later, both felt their arms going numb, and they began to dread the next attack. Li Luo was able to take a bit more roughing thanks to the strengthening of his Thunderpeal Avatar, but Jing Taixu was already badly shaken up. Both his palms were bleeding badly, and he had to grit his teeth through the pain of each block. The difference between a Fourth Changing and a quasi General Stage. "Monkey King''s Three Strikes: Strike That Raises the Heavens!" Sun Dasheng leaped up, his staff shining like never before. He had strengthened it to an awesome thickness, until it looked like a pillar that held up the sky itself. He brought it crashing down towards Ao Bai''s head. Ao Bai turned to face this new threat, and his trident shifted into a bolt of silver light that he thrust upwards, sharp points glinting like the fangs of a scaled-dragon. BANG! Blood flowed freely out of Sun Dasheng''s mouth, but his fingers continued to scrabble desperately against the bulk of his staff. He would not let go. He was only a Third Changing, one sub-tier weaker than Li Luo and Jing Taixu, so he was clearly not going to fare well in a hard clash of powers against Ao Bai. Ao Bai''s eyes locked on to Sun Dasheng and narrowed as he prepared to move in for the killing blow. Boom! But at this moment, a mystical power crackled. The images of Sun Dasheng, Li Luo, and Jing Taixu wavered, and then a new figure appeared behind Ao Bao. The sound of lightning gathering nearby caused Ao Bai to freeze for a moment, and the moth in his eyes fluttered a lot more slowly. It could not tell which of these were real or illusions. The hesitation lasted only a second. With one heroic sweep from Ao Bai''s trident, it smashed through everything around him, clearing a breathing space. However, this brief interaction was enough for the shrewd Lu Ming to notice something. She came around to stand behind Li Luo and Jing Taixu. "I sensed that the moth is afraid of lightning resonant power. If I can send one good jolt into Senior Ao Bai''s body, it might be able to chase the moth out and un-possess him," Lu Ming quickly said. Li Luo and Jing Taixu turned to stare at her in surprise. That was very good news indeed. "There''s just one problem. His Dragon''s Bulwark armor protects him too well. If we can''t break that armor, my lightning resonant power can''t reach his actual body," she quickly supplemented. All four of them were at the Evolving Resonance Tier, so they were all quite stumped against a quasi General Stage expert''s defensive dragon-general resonance art. "Well, Dragon''s Bulwark is very strong, but it doesn''t mean we don''t have a way to punch through it," Li Luo mused thoughtfully. "Besides, I dont think his full power is unlocked under possession. I mean, the moth couldn''t tell the difference between Lu Ming''s illusions and reality. So I dont think it''s a very smart moth. I propose we keep it busy with illusions, then the three of us use our best moves to attack the same point all at once to break through Dragon''s Bulwark." Sun Dasheng grinned. "I can use Demon Ape''s Will. It''s my strongest attack, but I can only keep it up for ten seconds." Li Luo nodded. This had to be the unfinished Duke Art that Sun Dasheng had. It was probably stronger than his and Jing Taixu''s moves, although the ten-second limit made it a bit uncomfortable to pull off. "I have a dragon-general resonance art too," Jing Taixu offered. Of course, he was talking about the Wind Demon''s Wrath that he had used against Li Luo at the end of their fight. "Li Luo, what about you? Don''t have one yet, do you?" Jing Taixu asked smugly. Li Luo just gave him a small smile. "Didn''t need one to beat you. Imagine if I had one." Jing Taixu snorted. "You think dragon-general resonance arts are cultivated based on what? A desire that they fall out of the sky and into your head?" Li Luo did not argue with him. "Don''t worry about me. You all just focus on giving your best. I''ll break the final defense." Jing Taixu shot him a suspicious look, but he said no more. "When the last illusion vanishes, that''s the signal," Li Luo said. Lu Ming''s illusions were already almost fully dispersed by Ao Bai''s trident. They closed in, improving their positions and preparing their attacks. Then, when the last illusion winked out, all three shot forward at the same time. Do or bust, this was it. Chapter 0577: Modifying Resonance Arts Chapter 0577: Modifying Resonance Arts "Demon Ape''s Will!" As soon as the last illusion was skewered through by Ao Bai''s trident, Sun Dasheng started them off by unleashing his long-charged up killer move. His entire body began to swell up with muscle, pushing his chest out until it was broader than a barrel. A jet-black light glimmered on his skin like polished iron. His blood mingled with his resonant power within him, creating a new, powerful concoction that crawled through his veins and painted his skin in sinisterly arcane tattoos of crimson. A tail of light formed behind him, long and agile like a monkey''s tail. Sun Dasheng''s eyes turned red as well. He was an ancient ape that had come back to life. Even Li Luo was impressed by the overall transformation. Sun Dasheng was only a Third Changing, but in this state, even Li Luo would find it a challenge to beat him. "How in the world did you beat him during the hall-level competition?" Li Luo demanded of Jing Taixu. "His Duke Art is incomplete," Jing Taixu said indifferently. "Once he uses it, his rationality is suppressed. He''s completely a primal ape now... dodge him for ten seconds and then he''ll emerge in an extremely weakened state." "Ah." Li Luo understood. "You beat him the sneaky way, not the proper way." Jing Taixu snorted. "I beat him the easier way. Not the harder way." BOOM! While the two spoke, Sun Dasheng had already locked on to Ao Bai, roaring his defiance as he stomped the ground to loose gravel under his hairy foot. He charged Ao Bai like a raging bull. No resonance art was employedall he needed was brute strength and his metal staff, which he swung in a brutal smash aimed horizontally at Ao Bai''s chest. The raw physical strength was tremendous to behold, and the nearby buildings trembled as the staff passed by. Li Luo was well and truly amazed by this attack. He was pretty sure that he would have been injured if he were in Ao Bai''s shoes. A Duke Art was truly nothing to mess with. Sun Dasheng''s incomplete mastery was already far stronger than any dragon-general resonance art he had seen so far. Boom! But while Li Luo and Jing Taixu might have chosen to avoid Sun Dasheng''s attack, the possessed Ao Bai had no such presence of mind. He did not back down even an inch. His trident flicked out like a dragon''s tail, crashing against the simian''s attack. Like the meeting of two comets. CLANG! A spider-web of cracks rippled out under the pair as they struggled for the upper hand. A few seconds later, Sun Dasheng suddenly slid backwards, then he was sent flying, shrinking as he went. His resonant power leaked out of him like a punctured balloon. Demon Ape''s Will had run out. Curled up in a ball, he tried to break his landing as he crashed into a broken wall, coughing up blood. "All... yours..." he wheezed. Li Luo and Jing Taixu had no time to pay attention to his injuries. They were locked on to Ao Bai as well. The force of Sun Dasheng''s attack had traveled past his defenses, landing on his chest and catapulting him back several dozen meters. More importantly, it had blown apart a huge hole in the thick layer of silver dragon scales at the chest area. As a bonus, Ao Bai was looking a little vague and unfocused, and the moth was flying in a strangely drunken pattern. "Low grade dragon-general resonance art, Wind Demon''s Wrath!" Jing Taixu wasted no time. He formed a spear of pure energy with his green plantain fan, then whipped it at Ao Bai''s exposed chest while the possessed student was still clearing his head. "Li Luo!" Jing Taixu could only hope that Li Luo would complement his attack perfectly. He alone could not possibly break through the remaining Dragon''s Bulwark. Li Luo took a deep breath, then began his own move. Hand tight on the Onyx-Elephant Blade, he started to coat it with rippling light. Jing Taixu stared at him. "Thousand Watery Knives Art? You don''t have a dragon-general resonance art at all!" he cried in dismay. Seeing Li Luo''s cockiness before had convinced him that Li Luo had been hiding one up his sleeve, but now he was just using the common Thousand Watery Knives Art that Jing Taixu had seen too many times before. It was not a bad resonance art, but ultimately, it was merely a tiger-general resonance art. Li Luo might be quite strong with his buffed-up physical body and his dual resonances, but this tiger-general resonance art was not going to cut it at all against an opponent of this caliber. He was not even a peer of their same yearhe was the damned winner of the Two Star Halls strongest student title! Li Luo ignored Jing Taixu''s dismay. He was busy honing the edge on his sword blade, until it was the sharp reefline that separated the inexorable tide from the shore. The Thousand Watery Knives Art was a high grade tiger-general resonance art. It was also the resonance art that Li Luo had cultivated closest to perfection. He understood the move deeply, had lived it, breathed it, and used it to save his life on more than one occasion. The fusion of light resonant energy into it elevated the speed of the water, and hence its cutting power, far beyond what others expected. With each level of understanding that Li Luo developed for the move, he continued to refine it. If others knew that a humble Resonant Master was ambitious enough to modify resonance arts, they would probably laugh, as if he were a toddler sharpening a twig with a stone. He did not care. He was talented in resonance arts, a talent that even Jiang Qing''e had acknowledged before. Back before anyone had activated their resonant palaces in Southwind Academy, he had climbed to the top based on this talent alone. "The Thousand Watery Knives Art harnesses the cutting edge of water resonant power. The faster the flow, the stronger the cutting power. Until now, it was assumed that straight-flowing water was fastest and therefore produced the most cutting power. "But is that really so? Changing the edge pattern of the attack is incredibly difficult... unless you can imbue light resonant energy like I do. Light resonant energy is ethereal, ever-changing, and even more versatile in form than water resonant power. I can use it to create new channels, mold the water''s flow however I wish." Li Luo''s eyes gleamed in triumph. Within him, his light resonant energy started to pepper the edge of his blade with points of light, throwing the flow of water resonant power into a unique pattern that he had carefully experimented with before. Mathematical curves that flowed back and forth, forcing the water onwards faster and faster. Li Luo was not done yet. He continued to overlap the curves across each other to create jagged edges that joined seamlessly against each other. Finally, he joined one end of the entire construct to the other, creating a full cycle! Water pushed against water, spurring it onwards in a virtuous cycle of speed, until the entire attack was humming with speed. Jing Taixu''s jaw dropped. He could sense that this attack had gotten way stronger than it ever should have. Was this even the Thousand Watery Knives Art anymore?! The hum he heard from it reminded him of a dragon''s purr. "Indeed, I don''t have a dragon-general resonance art yet," Li Luo said with a grim smile directed Jing Taixu''s way. "But don''t you think this modified tiger-general resonance art of mine just about compares?" Jing Taixu shook his head in wonder. Li Luo was truly mad. Had he managed to come up with his own resonance art?! Was this something a Resonant Master cultivator was capable of? Li Luo stepped forward and unleashed the attack. Weng! The void itself warped around the attack as it shot out. Behind it, its creator smiled, the reflection of the wheel of water spinning in his eye. Li Luo smiled. "Senior Ao Bai, taste my newest creation. I call it... Thousand Watery Knives Wheel." Chapter 0578: A United Win Weng! A torpedo-like spear barreled onwards through the air, explosions of resonant power propelling it even faster as it flew on, straight and true. Jing Taixu''s Wind Demon''s Wrath. While the moth in Ao Bai''s eyes was still disoriented, the spear landed square in the center of the area that Sun Dasheng had opened up for them, where the silver dragon scales were more scarce. Wind Demon''s Wrath took the work a step further, scouring the remaining scales clean off with its abrasive energy. All that remained now was a clean, silvery layer underneath, a resilient, final layer of protection that looked to be weaved out of countless silver threads. Ao Bai''s quasi General Stage-strength defensive dragon-general resonance art was indeed a tall challenge for the four of them to take down. But there was still Li Luo''s attack left. The wheel of watery knives sparkled as if it were crystal, beautiful and deadly. Reworked into its current form, the tiger-general resonance art was probably as strong as any low grade dragon-general resonance art! It slammed into Ao Bai''s chest with a satisfying crunch. Screech! The serration struggled to break past the last line of defense, cutting through the stubborn, silver threads one by one. Ao Bai sensed the danger and bellowed. Silver light exploded across his body, activating the scales covering the unharmed parts of his armor. They also dissolved into silver light and converged at the vulnerable point that was being attacked. "Lu Ming!" Li Luo was delighted at this turn of events. He had managed to force all of Dragon''s Bulwark to one single spot, leaving the rest of Ao Bai''s body vulnerable. Without the protection of the silver dragon scales, it was time to strike. At Li Luo''s cry, a silhouette rose up behind Ao Bai. Lu Ming had been carefully preparing for this moment, although she had privately doubted whether the moment would ever arise. She had doubted Li Luo could overcome the gap between them and a quasi General Stage cultivator. It was a challenge that demanded power, not just a clever presence of mind in battle that Li Luo had shown as his greatest strength so far. And again she had been proven wrong. Li Luo''s attack was stronger than anything he had ever shown them before! "This guy can modify resonance arts...? That''s some scary talent," she thought to herself. As a dual resonance user herself, she too had dabbled in mixing different powers in ways that others had yet to experiment with. She understood the power potential that lay in that aspect, but Li Luo''s creation was truly inspirational. He had all but created a new resonance art for himself. As surprised as she was, Lu Ming did not miss the opportunity by even a beat. The moment Li Luo created the opening, she was pouncing as quickly as a cat, appearing on Ao Bai''s right side. Her slim fingers were crackling with electricity as she jabbed a hand to clutch at Ao Bai''s throat. If she managed to land the hold, she could electrocute the moth into powder. Sensing danger, the moth beat its wings violently and desperately. A spurt of blood flew out from Ao Bai''s eyes and landed on Lu Ming''s hand. Pssh! The blood smothered out the electricity instantly, neutralizing the attack and eating away at Lu Ming''s hand. It was clearly destructive. The moth''s own ability to attack came as a surprise to Li Luo and Jing Taixu, and their hearts sank upon seeing the attack fizzle. If Lu Ming was injured, then their entire plan would have come to naught. Phish! Lu Ming wavered and then vanished. An illusion! Li Luo and Jing Taixu''s eyes widened as one. Lu Ming was truly the soul of caution. With this additional step, she had cheated out the moth''s final defense! Boom! At the same time, another figure appeared on Ao Bai''s left. Crossing two fingers, she landed a precise dab onto Ao Bai''s temple. BOOM! The electrical energy ripped through Ao Bai''s head, rocking it backwards. His eyes started to hiss, and they could see the moth flying haphazardly within, banging against the sides of the head as the electric power began to wrap around it. Although the moth had controlling powers, it was weak by itself, and helpless against this direct attack. A few moments later, it sizzled into a fine, red powder that trickled out of Ao Bai''s eyes. Lu Ming sprang back, her beautiful eyes watching Ao Bai carefully. Li Luo and Jing Taixu held similarly cautious stands. Ao Bai coughed up blood, and his face suddenly turned pale. "I''ve... troubled you guys," he said hoarsely. The attackers heaved sighs of relief, including the injured Sun Dasheng, who was still recuperating. They were glad to have Ao Bai back with them. It was Li Luo who spoke up. "Senior Ao Bai, this was not your fault. That moth was too strong, and there was nothing we could have done about it. But just in case, I suggest you don''t move around just yet. Just gather your strength there." Ao Bai managed a weak smile. "That prudence is my only option, Junior Li Luo. Don''t worry, my resonant power is completely spent, and I couldn''t move even if I wanted to." Although he had been under control, he had watched Li Luo and the others fight to take him down. He knew that it had been a hard-fought victory, and they were be almost as tired as he was. Jing Taixu, Sun Dasheng, and Lu Ming nodded wordlessly, approving of Li Luo''s prudence. "There are three more cleansing dew points to be set. I''ll have to leave it to you four," Ao Bai said, struggling to a sitting position and stowing his trident. "Just wait for our good news," Li Luo reassured him cheerfully. Throwing a look to the other three, the four of them regrouped, giving Ao Bai a wide berth, and then hastened on to the next point. ... "Eh?" High on the tower, a crimson-clad figure whirled around in surprise. "The ghost moth''s been destroyed? Those four Resonant Master kids took down a quasi General? Truly elites, these kids are. Full of surprises," he murmured to himself. He smirked for a moment, then turned back to watch the Bloodtailed Other''s fight. "Just as well, it''s about time anyway. "Any longer and those eight Heavenly Pearl kids won''t last." Chapter 0579: Time to Counterattack Chapter 0579: Time to Counterattack The energy storms buffeted the city, shaking it like a giant''s rattle. High in the sky, the intense battle raged on. Eight elite Heavenly Pearl Stage students were engaging the Bloodtailed Other, their Heavenly Pearls absorbing worldly natural energy as fast as they could behind them. Yet one look at the battle was enough for anyone to tell that the single Other held the absolute advantage. The stronger of the eight, such as Lan Lan, the First Princess, and Gong Shenjun, were holding their own, but the others, such as Qin Yue and Zhao Beili, had already incurred injuries. Qin Yue was the worst off. An angry, wet stripe of blood dripped through his shirt, marking him from right shoulder to hip. Hairs from the Bloodtailed Other''s bristly tail were stuck to the wound, causing him incredible pain and preventing him from healing it. His face was pale from the pain, and he was almost in a daze. Still, he continued to fight on. The First Princess and the others understood his plight and tried to cover more of the attacks against him, preventing the Bloodtailed Other from using him as their weakness. They were already in trouble in an eight-on-one. Any diminishing in their forces would only lead to an increased pressure on the others. The First Princess'' jade scepter was flashing non-stop, sending jets of green, luan-shaped light out at the Bloodtailed Other. A contemptuous swat from the bushy tail nullified them. The sashaying fox tail was a huge threat that none of them dared to look away from for too long. It was the source of power for the Bloodtailed Other, and it flowed heavy with sinister energy. It was both a weapon and defense, and it foiled them at every turn. Each time the tail swept out, all eight had to duck and run. "We can''t hold on for too long..." The First Princess frowned. They were forced to permanently play defense, choosing to hold their scant strength for the right moment to attack. The right moment was the completion of the purification points. At that time, the Bloodtailed Other would be weakened and suppressed, and it would be the best time to counterattack. They had but one shot to go all out and finish it off. And if things continued dragging on like this, they would be in trouble. The First Princess kept up her delaying attacks and risked a quick glance behind her. She saw a scattering of bright cleansing dew points winking comfortingly back at her out of the gloomy, gray landscape. "Li Luo, that boy, what a strength he is to have around," she thought, allowing herself a small smile. Of course, the squad leaders had sensed it when Ao Bai had been possessed, and they despaired at the thought that the weaker One Star Hall students would not be able to overcome him. Even keeping Li Luo and the others occupied long enough would stall their mission and cause them to lose the overall battle. But they themselves were being badly beaten by the Bloodtailed Other, and could not spare anybody to help their juniors. They could only wish them luck... and somehow it had worked. Of course, it was not a fair fight in many ways, but the win was still unexpected. At their current pace, the cleansing dew points would be up very soon. Yes! While the First Princess'' heart lifted, the Bloodtailed Other suddenly gave another rosy giggle that made all of her opponents pause nervously. They had fought the Bloodtailed Other for a while now, so they were used to the amount of strength needed to stop each laugh-attack. But this time, the attack was significantly stronger. "Be careful!" Lan Lan called out to them. "It senses the purification points taking shape. It might be making a move to take us down!" The other seven tightened up their focus, doubling down on their Heavenly Pearl defenses. They had to stop the attacks not only against themselves, but also guard against the Bloodtailed Other breaking through their line to go attack Li Luo and the others. The vixen waved its tail again, shaking loose more crimson power that formed eight bright-red skulls of ruby. The skulls began to float and then caught fire in the air. The flames burned hotter and hotter within their hollow eyes, then they flew out, each one targeting one squad leader. The fireball skulls were a new attack, and even Lan Lan braced himself heavily for it, sensing how powerful it was. None of them dared to take the attack lightly. They each dug deep into their reserves of resonant power and blocked with all they had. A few moments later, the clash happened. Boom! All eight squad leaders were thrown backwards. It had taken all of their power, but all of them had managed to stop the flaming skulls. Just as their shoulders sagged in relief, the skull in front of Qin Yue suddenly cackled. Unhinging its bony jaw, there was an additional finger bone in the mouth that flicked a patch of black sludge towards his brow. Qin Yue was caught off-guard by this additional attack. Clearly, the Bloodtailed Other had prepared a special extra something for the weakest of them. "Qin Yue, watch out!" The others were too far to offer any help in time, having been forced back by their own skulls. At the crucial moment, Qin Yue managed one final burst of energy. Leaping backwards, he leaned back to create even more distance and shot an arrow of resonant power that mitigated much of the black sludge. Pssh! Most of the sludge was gone, but there was still some left that he had not managed to remove. And it was coming towards a completely defenseless Qin Yue. There was no time to even break his spirit mirror! Was he going to die here today? His eyes were closing in bleak finality, when suddenly a giant, flaming sword appeared over his shoulder, slamming into the black sludge and burning it into a crisp. SWOOSH! The clang of metal rang out as the sword thrust on to smash into the finger bone. The golden flames bloomed even more intensely. Then, with a final puff of black smoke, the finger bone cracked and disappeared. Qin Yue shuddered, still feeling the icy hand of death on his head. The First Princess and the others cheered. Jiang Qing''e had come in as reinforcement! She had already dealt with most of the Others throughout the city, and had come over to support their fight. Closing her fist, her heavy sword flew back to her hand. "Junior Jiang, thank you," Qin Yue gasped. Jiang Qing''e gave him a small smile, then she turned to the other squad leaders. "It''s almost time." They turned as one in the same direction. One drop of cleansing dew was rising slowly into the hazy sky. The final drop. As it rose into the air, a thread of light began to connect all of the drops of cleansing dew. In the next moment, they formed a powerful screen of light that bathed the entire city like a bright moon. The illusion of Russet Rock City was rapidly disappearing. The sounds of the city faded away. Scraggly weeds rose up in its place, a tattered coat over the dusty bones and bricks of the city. Despite the dreariness of the sight, all of the students heaved big sighs of relief. The purification points were up. Now it was their time to counter attack. Chapter 0580: Leaders Attack Chapter 0580: Leaders'' Attack Weng, weng! The cleansing power spread outward in pulses that quietened the bustling illusion of Russet Rock City, stripping away all pretense from the dreary reality. Soon, the city was back to its lifeless state, revealing the true extent of devastation that the Other Disaster had left on its construction. On a creaky, stone roof, Li Luo surveyed his surroundings. The final drop of cleansing dew twinkled above him as it linked up with other droplets. The cleansing power was still spreading throughout the city. "I heard that Russet Rock City had a population of a few million in its prime," Lu Ming said quietly from beside him. Even the usually boisterous Sun Dasheng was quiet for a moment. Millions of people, now millions of corpses. "Well, let''s make a few more Other corpses to even the tally a little," Li Luo said, looking up determinedly. With the dispelling of the illusion, it was the best time for them to take down the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class while it was suppressed. Although the eight squad leaders had remained on the defensive all this time, they were not incapable of attacking. They had simply been biding their time. ... In the sky above Russet Rock City. The Bloodtailed Other screeched in outrage, its beautiful face suddenly turning poisonous. The diminutive, cherry lips had stretched to gruesome proportions, revealing rows of razor-sharp, ivory teeth behind them, still dripping with blood. The bushy tail had also been squashed inwards, and now it looked less luxuriant than before. "Everyone, we have but one chance," Lan Lan said. He pressed his hands together and started a series of gestures. "Don''t hold back now. Bring your strongest moves." Hearing Lan Lan''s command, the other seven leaders moved with conviction and relief. Finally, their moment had come. "Any longer, and I''m afraid I wouldn''t even have had the strength to hit back," Qin Yue thought wryly to himself. "Dragon-general resonance art, Mountains'' March." Slapping his hands together, his resonant power formed a dull, yellow hill several hundred meters in height. "Dragon-general resonance art, Glassy Flames." Zhao Beili pulled out a tiny, blue flame cupped within his hands and blew on it until it grew. The temperature of the air around him instantly soared. "Dragon-general resonance art, Demon Lion''s Fist!" Lian Zong roared in pleasure at being freed from their reserved fighting strategy. He punched the air exuberantly, releasing a large, black lion that bounded forth. "Dragon-general resonance art, Green Luan Sword Technique." The First Princess waved her jade scepter, creating a lotus flower of swords that filled the air with sword qi. Gong Shenjun twisted his index and middle finger together, creating a silver nimbus of light. "Dragon-general resonance art, Finger That Parts the Jade Seas." Each squad leader had used their best moves, and all of them were impressive. However, the star of the show was going to be Lan Lan, with the giant, hulking silhouette behind him that had a kingly majesty to it. Facing the eight leaders'' attacks, the Bloodtailed Other''s eyes narrowed nervously. With a vigorous shake of its tail, it released many hairs that began a rain of blood. "Attack!" the First Princess shouted, and the eight moved as one. Eek! The Bloodtailed Other dug in. The rain of blood formed a small pool of blood at its feet, and tortured humans rose up from within, each twisted in agony. These were probably the citizens of Russet Rock City. Even worldly natural energy decayed away in the pool of blood, forming a new type of blood energy instead. The Bloodtailed Other was strong within its territory. With a defiant flick of its bushy tail, it leaped to face the leaders. The battle took place high in the air, but the stray blasts of energy were enough to level the already brittle buildings below. For Li Luo and the others below, it was like armageddon breaking out. They huddled away behind a broken wall some distance away, as broken debris continued to rain down. So this was a fight at the Heavenly Dipper General level. From the sound alone, it was many times more intense than their Resonant Master fights. "They''re just at the Heavenly Pearl Stage," Jing Taixu said loftily. "When I''m in the Four Star Hall, I might well be a Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivator. I''ll leave my own mark in the records of the sage colleges of the East Divine Continent." "Big mouth for someone only with a quasi ninth-grade. Have you forgotten about Senior Jiang? She has a real ninth-grade light resonance. You think you can beat her record?" Lu Ming scoffed. Jing Taixu flinched. He had forgotten. There was a real ninth-grade cultivator at the Holy Grail Meet! "I hear there''s a big gap between the Heavenly Pearl Stage and the Heavenly Resonance Stage," Li Luo added. "Of all the sage colleges across the East Divine Continent, no one has broken through to the Heavenly Resonance Stage while still a student. You would need a lot of talent... and a lot of resources." "It''s the last damned stage before Duke, isn''t it?" Sun Dasheng added eagerly. "Some people even call it Little Duke. Of course it''s hard to reach." "I hear the sage colleges in the inner divine continent have Heavenly Resonance Stage Four Star Hall students once in a while though," Lu Ming said wistfully. Li Luo nodded to himself. Compared to an outer divine continent like the East Divine Continent, the inner divine continent was much richer and had better talent. It was natural that their students did better. This was a natural advantage, and there was nothing he could do about it. Still, it was not impossible for someone of Jiang Qing''e''s talent to reach the Heavenly Resonance Stage while still in the Four Star Hall. And perhaps even Li Luo himself... Once he reached Earth Fiend Stage, he would be able to fill his third acquired resonance. With the power of three, his cultivation speed might well match a ninth-grade resonance. Maybe he could give it a go too. Boom! While they chatted, the sky above them rocked yet again. They looked up to see that the pool of blood had swallowed up several of the attacks, although it was also looking worse for wear. The Bloodtailed Other was not having an easy time of it anymore. "Senior Lan Lan''s Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage is coming," Jing Taixu suddenly said. Li Luo perked up and looked as well. The mystical figure behind Lan Lan was incredibly majestic, and it seemed like heaven and earth were attuned to it. A King''s shadow! Lan Lan''s hair turned white. Still, his face was resolute as he walked up to the Bloodtailed Other and bent at the waist. The kingly figure followed suit behind him, bowing. BOOM! Chapter 0581: Defeating the Demon Together Chapter 0581: Defeating the Demon Together When the hulking silhouette behind Lan Lan bowed, there was a clear moment when everyone could feel the flow of worldly natural energy bend with it. The prestige of a King was something that no one, not even nature itself, could deny. The power to shape life and death itself. Although it was only a shadow of a King and not a King itself, a kowtow still held great power. And now there was a disturbance in the flow... that the Bloodtailed Other had to resolve. BANG! The void around the Bloodtailed Other warped against it, shearing away at its very being. The Other twisted and jerked against the attack. Eek! Again it giggled, but this time out of reflex. In its eyes was a deep-seated fear for its life. How could these Heavenly Pearl Stage humans cause it so much harm? The Bloodtailed Other no longer dared to hold back. It had expended considerable energy facing them up till now as well. Along with the cleansing barrier''s suppression, it was currently weaker than it had ever been before. The tail started moving again, spraying crimson droplets that turned into red talismans. On each one was the moving portrait of a ghostly face, wailing in misery. The worldly natural energy had gathered for the attack, and yet there was a vacuum around the Bloodtailed Other where no worldly natural energy could enter. As a result, the worldly natural energy formed beautiful balls of energy that hovered all around the edge of the vacuum, caging the Bloodtailed Other in. It was a sight of splendor, and even the First Princess'' breath caught in her throat. Lan Lan''s Duke Art was the ultimate trump card that all of them feared, and he had yet to reveal it in its true glory before now. With this reveal, any doubts that they might have about its power were completely erased. The power in those energy balls had even them shivering. Like a swarm of angry hornets, they buzzed around the vacuum, seeking a way in. There was no way that any of them could have defended against it alone. Boom! Each energy ball morphed into a streak of light that blazed inwards like a comet, smashing painfully into the Bloodtailed Other. The sound of the meteor-like balls smashing through was music to the students'' ears. Boom! Rumble! They first blasted through the blood talismans, smashing the ghostly faces into shreds. As the blood talismans fell apart, the Bloodtailed Other looked more and more desperate. It continued to swing its tail furiously, sending out ever more droplets of blood energy to defend against the worldly natural energy balls. Clearly, it was being tired out at speed. Most obvious of all was the tail, which had shrunk to half of its original thirty-meter length. "If only Senior Lan Lan was just a bit stronger. If he had the second kowtow, the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other could probably be wiped out here and now," Jing Taixu said hopefully. "It''s already amazing that he can force a Heavenly Resonance Stage Greater Heavenly Disaster Class to this state while at the Heavenly Pearl Stage himself," Lu Ming said. "His Duke Art is much stronger than mine for sure," Sun Dasheng said begrudgingly. "No wonder he''s the strongest Four Star Hall student." Li Luo was inclined to agree. Lan Lan''s fighting power was indeed the strongest out of all the Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivators that he had seen. The First Princess and Gong Shenjun were definitely weaker than him. "Duke Art... something special indeed." Li Luo''s eyes were shining as he gazed upon the kingly figure. This level of resonance art was one that he aspired to acquire as well, but it was just too difficult to think of mastering while only at the Resonant Master Stage himself. Perhaps if he made it to the Earth Fiend Tier. After all, he would have the power of triple resonances then. "Let''s keep it up! The Bloodtailed Other is all but spent. Let''s see who can last till the end!" the First Princess exhorted, her own face gray from exhaustion. The other leaders were equally spent, but they knew that this was where the decider was going to be. Every blow now might well be the straw that broke the camel''s back. As a result, each of them continued to keep up the attacks, digging deep into their resonant palaces for their last dregs of power. Their attacks were getting further as well now as the Bloodtailed Other was busy dealing with the energy balls. It activated the weakened pool of blood defense around it again, sending out tendrils of blood that blocked the new wave of attacks. Boom, boom, boom! The great battle raged on between two tired sides. Li Luo and the others watched on in fearful awe. The Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other had clearly been worn down by many different attacks, and yet it was still defending well against the elite squad leaders. "Oh? Is senior Jiang going to make her move?!" Lu Ming suddenly exclaimed. Li Luo and the others looked to see Jiang Qing''e appear outside of the battle area, charging up her light resonant energy. "She might have a ninth-grade light resonance, but she''s still only a Fiend Finisher Tier Earth Fiend. Surely she can''t be of much help in an actual power fight, right?" Jing Taixu said doubtfully. "Maybe she can," Li Luo said. "I mean, the difference between a quasi ninth-grade and a true ninth-grade is huge. Seriously huge. Like, what the hell is even quasi? Just call it eighth-grade, right?" Jing Taixu scowled, his face darkening. High in the sky, Jiang Qing''e had summoned her ninth-grade light spirit avatar. In a battle where ordinary Fiend Finisher cultivators would not dare to interrupt, she dared. The fighters were already weakened, and she had strength beyond that of an ordinary Fiend Finisher cultivator, perhaps even on par with some Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivators. Besides, her light resonant energy was a natural counter to the Others. As a result, her attacks were probably not much weaker compared to what the other squad leaders could currently produce. Jiang Qing''e raised her hand, charging her sword until the lines of power glowed golden. Behind her, the ninth-grade light spirit avatar opened its mouth and produced a lump of what looked like white gold, which she placed on her sword. "High grade dragon-general resonance art, Holy Spirit Sword Technique, Heavenly Filet!" Another brilliant light soared out towards the Bloodtailed Other, twisting carefully through the pool of blood and landing squarely on its brow. Chapter 0582: Crimson Knight-General Appears Swoosh! The fileting sword attack bore a hole through the Bloodtailed Other''s forehead in an instant, a clean, well-placed, and decently powerful attack from an unexpected direction. Any ordinary person would have died instantly from such a wound, but the Bloodtailed Other demonstrated incredible resilience and vitality. It screamed, still alive. Still, it was undeniably a heavy wound, inflicted with high technical skill and shifting the balance of the fight. The Bloodtailed Other''s tail shrank rapidly again, and the corruptive aura around it was diminished further as well. "Qing''e, well done!" the First Princess cried out happily. This attack had been the most effective shot landed on the Bloodtailed Other so far. Boom! The remaining balls of light from Lan Lan''s attack continued to streak in mercilessly, intent on taking down their injured opponent. A few managed to connect successfully, further injuring the Bloodtailed Other. It was driven backwards again and again, tanking a series of wounds in quick succession. Soon, even its illusion of human beauty started fading, revealing the horrific, pulpy flesh below. Lan Lan''s face was pale, sweating pouring off his brow. He desperately stared at the Bloodtailed Other, even as the kingly figure behind him started to wane. He was at his limit too. The resonant power within him was dry as a desert. Still, he had done what he needed to do. Although Jiang Qing''e had been the one to land the crucial blow, everyone present understood that if not for his Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage burning through its defenses, no Fiend Finisher cultivator would have ever managed to hurt the Bloodtailed Other for real. Lan Lan was the real MVP here. "We won!" Lu Ming threw her hands up in the air happily. Sun Dasheng and Jing Taixu pumped their fists excitedly as well. Finally, a glimmer of hope in this fight. Li Luo, on the other hand, was rather worried. There was still no trace of the crimson knight-general up until now. The crimson knight-general was the puppet master behind what had happened at the Red Clay Province, and he was of unknown strength. If he had truly run away, then all was well and good, and they could end the mixed-level competition with no other problems. But what if he was still here, waiting for his chance? "We can''t dawdle anymore," he muttered to himself. "The Bloodtailed Other needs to be finished off quickly." Lan Lan was of the same mind. "Everyone, use all that you''ve got. Kill it quickly, allow no turnarounds!" His voice was hoarse from fatigue. The other squad leaders tiredly nodded in approval, digging deep one last time to deliver the final blow to the grievously injured Bloodtailed Other. Eek! The Bloodtailed Other squealed, sensing its life being threatened. The bushy, red tail was thrashing in a panicked fashion as it desperately tried to outlast the tired squad leaders'' attacks. Boom! Just then, there was a huge explosion from underneath the city, and a crater appeared. A black structure started rising up from the yawning hole, slowly and silently. Li Luo looked at it with dread. So the worst had happened. "It''s that crimson knight-general!" he shouted desperately to warn the squad leaders. Lan Lan and the others turned in dismay at his shout. They had, of course, heard the information regarding the crimson knight-general, but there had been more urgent and deadly concerns up till now... like the Bloodtailed Other. If the crimson knight-general truly had Heavenly Resonance Stage strength as well, there was no way that they could take on both of them at once. And since the crimson knight-general had been quiet all this while, they had hoped against hope that he had long since fled. But now they knew that it had all been a trap. The crimson knight-general had been waiting for them to wear themselves out against the Bloodtailed Other. Rumble! Roar! As the black altar rose out of the ground, black, runic chains appeared and wrapped around the Bloodtailed Other, securing all four of its limbs as well as its tail. The Bloodtailed Other struggled, but it was unable to break free. "What''s going on?! Aren''t they allies?" the seriously wounded Qin Yue spluttered. The First Princess did not like the situation one bit. "Something''s fishy!" she shouted. "The crimson knight-general wants to seize the Bloodtailed Other! I don''t know why, but we must deny him!" Lan Lan agreed. "Everyone, attack! Kill the Bloodtailed Other!" All the squad leaders were elites of the Academic Federation. They did not know why it was being done, but they knew that not letting their enemy get away was basic common sense. All of them attacked again. It was fruitless. A figure clad in red armor from the black altar rose, and he sent out a single palm attack that blasted all of their attacks into nothingness. "It''s really the crimson knight-general!" "And he''s so damned strong... he''s really at the Heavenly Resonance Stage!" "Hello, ladies and gentlemen." A laughing, muffled voice came from behind his visor. "You want to get rid of the Bloodtailed Other. Consider your job done. Leave it to me now. If you back away, I can allow you to leave unharmed." They stared at him. So he was trying to swoop in and take away their prize. This guy was extremely cunning, of that they were sure. But if the Bloodtailed Other was not destroyed, would the mixed-level competition even end? All of them stood frozen, undecided. Seeing the situation, the crimson knight-general sighed, and his killing intent rose. "Since you don''t know what''s good for you, then I''ll just have to wipe out an entire generation of elite students in the East Divine Continent." Chapter 0583: Jiang Qinges Move "Damn, I can''t believe the crimson knight-general''s still skulking around!" Lu Ming swore angrily. "We''re in trouble now. That''s another Heavenly Resonance Stage enemy to take down. Whether hes at the lesser or greater stage, the squad leaders are all exhausted. How can they fight another one?" Jing Taixu said dispiritedly. "Son of a bitch!" Sun Dasheng swore. Li Luo was not happy about the situation either, but he was too busy thinking of a plan to waste time getting angry. He had foreseen such a possibility before, but there was no other way to get around it. The Bloodtailed Other had to be taken down, a nonnegotiable part of the process. As for the crimson knight-general, he represented the forces that had brought about the Other Disaster that had been the ruin of the Blackwind Empire. They shared a complicated relationship with the Others, but they were equally untrustworthy. Which meant that their situation was truly shitty. If the Bloodtailed Other was whisked away a moment away from death, then all they had worked hard for would have been for nothing. Li Luo stared at the crimson knight-general in the sky, and cold fury crept into his eyes. He looked down at the dark-red bracelet on his wrist. A Heavenly Resonance Stage expert was hard to overcome, but he was not without his own ways of putting up a fight. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf had Greater Heavenly Resonance power, and its strength could be considered elite even at that level. It had been aiming to reach Duke back in the Umbra Cave, and even the grinning demon had been swallowed whole by the wolf. As far as Li Luo could tell, neither the Bloodtailed Other nor the crimson knight-general were comparable in strength. Which meant that if he were to use this, he would stand a good chance of defeating the crimson knight-general. Li Luo''s eyes flickered. If push came to shove, he would use it, unwilling as he was. He would rather keep this trump card for the Housemeet. Above him, the First Princess, Lan Lan, and the others were seething quietly. Nobody would appreciate their hard-won fight being claimed by another. Still, there was nothing else they could do. All eight of them were thoroughly exhausted. The chances of winning against a Heavenly Resonance Stage expert were slim. "What are we going to do?" Lan Lan looked down. He had already revealed his Enlightened Sage Scripture and it had wiped him clean of resonant power. He was completely out of this one. If forced, he might be able to pull out a second Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage, but the price to pay would be too terrible to bear. "I''ll give it a try," a quiet voice said. They all looked to see Jiang Qing''e take a step into the air. "Qing''e..." the First Princess said, astonished. Although she had a ninth-grade light resonance, she was still only a Fiend Finisher. The gap to the Heavenly Dipper General Stage was too huge, surely. How was she to face the crimson knight-general, who wasn''t even an Other that was weak against light resonance? The other squad leaders were equally surprised, but this was not the time for naysaying. They had no better idea anyway, and if Jiang Qing''e was stepping forward, then perhaps she had something up her sleeve. Jiang Qing''e ignored their doubtful looks, clasping her hands together to form a gesture. The ninth-grade light spirit avatar obediently moved back within her body, settling as a glow of light around her torso. The brilliance of that light resonant energy made even the squad leaders gasp. Such robust energy... she was indeed stronger than some Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivators they knew! "Is a ninth-grade light resonance really that unfair?" Qin Yue said in disbelief. The difference between an Earth Fiend and a Heavenly Dipper General was one that they had all experienced firsthand, and they understood best how hard it was to overcome. And now the Fiend Finisher Tier Jiang Qing''e was delivering power outputs equivalent to the Heavenly Pearl Stage. Even the First Princess let her surprise and joy show. "Oh, Qing''e, you''re such a dear. Who knew you had this hidden!" Jiang Qing''e''s movements were, of course, being watched closely by the crimson knight-general as well. "Ah, a ninth-grade light resonance. I see. No wonder you are so strong. But as I see it, you''ve only reinforced your resonant power temporarily. How long can you last in that state? One hit? Two?" "Come find out," she offered calmly. She extended a hand, then curled two fingers. Weng! The thick light resonant energy bunched into threads that weaved themselves into a halo that burned bright and hot, causing a heat blur in the air around it. Jiang Qing''e attacked decisively, sending the light bunch flying out without hesitation. The crimson knight-general blinked once. A ninth-grade light resonance was truly a miracle of this world, and not to be underestimated. His plan had gone perfectly smoothly up to this point. He could not let it fall apart now. Thinking thus, his armor began to glow red in response, and his crimson resonant power flared out. Heavenly Resonance Stage! Finally, his power was officially confirmed to all the witnesses. Only those at the Heavenly Resonance Stage could ignite the worldly natural energy around them and use it as their own power. Could Jiang Qing''e''s attack really cause harm to the crimson knight-general? A fiery fist from the crimson knight-general roared out, creating a column of fire that reached the skies. It connected with the light bunch attack from Jiang Qing''e. But the expected explosion did not happen. Instead, the light vanished at the first moment, winking out completely and suddenly. The crimson knight-general was stunned. Was his opponent that weak? "No!" Reacting too late, he whirled around and saw a stealthy light attack aimed for the Bloodtailed Other! "Tricked!" So Jiang Qing''e''s true intent had been to kill the Bloodtailed Other! The attack aimed at him had only been a feint! He was too late to intervene, and again she scored another punishing hit on the Bloodtailed Other. The students cheered. "All those with strength left, help her! If we kill the Bloodtailed Other, we can all break our spirit mirrors and leave!" Lan Lan shouted. Gong Shenjun stepped forward with a suffering smile. "In that case, let me force the impossible and try to help what I can." He took a deep breath and then spat out a jet of silver light from his mouth. It flew out in the form of a scaled-dragon. Roar! The roar of a scaled-dragon could be heard as it flew out beside Jiang Qing''e''s attack, clipping on the injured tail of the Bloodtailed Other. Chapter 0584: Gong Shenjuns Plan Chapter 0584: Gong Shenjun''s Plan Jiang Qing''e and Gong Shenjun''s attacks landed on the already heavily injured Bloodtailed Other, pushing it to the brink of death. A scream rang out shrilly as the attacks plumed like fireworks of energy. "How DARE YOU!?" The crimson knight-general was in an absolute rage now. He was outraged that they had pulled a fast one over him. The Bloodtailed Other was the crux of his plan. If Jiang Qing''e really killed it off, then all of this would have been wasted. In a flash, he was beside the Bloodtailed Other, smothering out the remnants of the attack. All the students prayed that it would just die, as then they would have succeeded. Unfortunately, it continued to stubbornly cling on to life. The combined attack from Jiang Qing''e and Gong Shenjun still had not managed to finish it off! The students'' hearts sank again. "So close!" Lu Ming said in a distressed voice. If that sneak attack had succeeded, all of them could just break their spirit mirrors and leave the field. But the Bloodtailed Other just refused to die. "Seems like we''re screwed now," Sun Dasheng said, shaking his head. Even Jing Taixu had given up hope. Li Luo found it uncanny. Jiang Qing''e''s attack had been well-placed. Given how brilliant her calculations usually were, it seemed impossible that she had succeeded in her attack and yet not succeeded in her objective. There had to be some sort of problem. But what problem? She even had the assistance of Gong Shenjun. "Gong Shenjun?" A cold jolt of fear ran through Li Luo. But surely not... there was no reason for Gong Shenjun to do such a thing. High in the air, Jiang Qing''e frowned. Her attack had clearly landed on the Bloodtailed Other, and with the light resonant energy countering it, the attack should have been able to wipe it out. Had she miscalculated? Her eyes widened, then they went flat with cold fury as she looked at Gong Shenjun. But in the end, she remained silent. She had come to the same conclusion as Li Luo, but no one was going to believe them without proof. Gong Shenjun was all too aware of Jiang Qing''e''s suspicion, but he maintained an innocent face, keeping his own eyes firmly on the Bloodtailed Other. His thoughts drifted back to the eve of the Holy Grail Meet. In his father''s study. "Father King, am I hearing this right?" The unshakable Gong Shenjun could not believe the words coming out of the Regent''s mouth. The Regent sat at his study, idly leafing through the pages of his book. He did not even look up. "You heard me right. I''m telling you not to go for the win at the Holy Grail Meet... In fact, if the other Astral Sage College squad seems like they are going to win, run interruption." Gong Shenjun frowned. "Why is that? I wanted to win this. I think I have the power to win." "And what is the point of winning it?" Gong Shenjun frowned. "Well, fame across the East Divine Continent, and the favor of the Astral Sage College." "And the favor of Astral Sage College. How valuable do you think that is?" Gong Shenjun was about to speak, but the Regent waved impatiently to cut him off. "If the Astral Sage College wins the Holy Grail Meet, then they will also gain the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, which means that Principal Pang can return from the Umbra Cave. The whole Xia Kingdom will be under his control and power. A King, someone that has power over any king that we put on the throne. Do you know how badly that would spoil the plans that I''ve painstakingly constructed for years? "Even if Principal Pang has no inclination to rule, are we really the rulers with him around? His Majesty is too young to be a threat, but with Principal Pang around, he''ll have a powerful backer. "For our royal rule to continue, the only good Principal Pang is one who forever guards the Umbra Cave, one who never shows his face to the light of day. We never want to see Principal Pang. "Shenjun," the Regent said slowly, finally looking up at him over his book. "You are a clever child. You understand this, yes?" Gong Shenjun was silent for a moment. "Have you spoken to Luanyu about this?" he finally asked. The Regent laughed. "That wench is too naive. She still distrusts me. She has been gathering power against me for all these years, even courting the favor of the school. She is one of our strongest opponents who will do anything to protect her brother. Theres no chance I would tell her this. She would not only not support us, she would even turn around and sell us out to the Astral Sage College." "Hmph, she should think about who has been ruling the Xia Kingdom for all these years. We are the true power here! Not the worthless Astral Sage College. She is blinded by the light of the talent that goes to the Astral Sage College. If that keeps up, the school will become the power of the Xia Kingdom, not us! That is why the Astral Sage College must not get the Dragon Bone Holy Grail," the Regent said with utter seriousness. Gong Shenjun was quiet for a moment, then he slowly nodded. The Regent''s sternness eased up at seeing Gong Shenjun''s willingness to cooperate. "But remember, you have to run interference in the most delicate and clever of ways. They must have nothing to pin on you. I don''t intend to fall out with the school just yet. You must do this perfectly, and with your talent, I think it can be done." Gong Shenjun bowed. "I understand, Father King." Indeed, Gong Shenjun truly had nullified the attack from Jiang Qing''e and allowed the Bloodtailed Other to live. Still, he had pulled it off so subtly that no one could detect it, surely. His mission was accomplished. The Bloodtailed Other lived, and there were no winners for the mixed-level competition. Chapter 0585: The Crimson Knight-Generals Plan Chapter 0585: The Crimson Knight-General''s Plan The students groaned when they saw the Bloodtailed Other still alive, but the crimson knight-general heaved a huge sigh of relief. He turned towards Jiang Qing''e angrily, but he did not strike out. He could sense that the Bloodtailed Other''s vitality was fading fast. He could not afford to linger here. Therefore, he kept his temper in check and relocated to the top of his black altar. Immediately after, columns of energy started to rise around the altar, glimmering with dark power. Rumble! Roar! The Bloodtailed Other thrashed against its chains as it was dragged to the top of the altar, where the columns of power crashed down on it, covering it with mystic runes that began to burn with a pale fire as they touched its skin. It spread like sparks landing on cotton. Eek! The Bloodtailed Other squealed again. The crimson knight-general''s desire shone brightly in his eyes. "I''ve brought you up just for this day. Oh, I''ve waited so long!" Back when he had first come to the Red Clay Province, the Bloodtailed Other was not this strong yet. In fact, there were stronger Others. But with the help of the crimson knight-general, it had managed to eat the millions of people in Russet Rock City and become as powerful as it was today. Still, the crimson knight-general had not helped it out of the goodness of his heart. Farmers dont feed their pigs because they dont want them to go hungry. Today was bacon time. As the pale flames built up in strength, the crimson knight-general walked into the inferno, letting the flames lap away at him. He stretched out a greedy hand towards the Bloodtailed Other, as if he were the suicidal lover ready to die with his beloved. Many of the students stared, mouth agape. "Is he crazy?" Qin Yue asked in a trembling voice. Was he trying to cuddle with a freaking monster?! "He must be plotting something! There''s something odd about that altar!" the First Princess shouted. "Stop him at all costs!" Lan Lan shouted. Jiang Qing''e was the first to act. Perhaps only her power was well-preserved at this stage of the battle. Heavy sword in hand, she leaped fearlessly towards the smoking, black altar. The crimson knight-general was well-prepared for her attack, sending out an energy barrier that completely stopped her. The other squad leaders joined in, trying to break down the barrier with their meager reserves of energy, but it was not working. Finally, they gave up and hopelessly watched the scene unfolding on the altar, weapons hanging tiredly by their sides. "What is he doing?" Lu Ming asked, watching with sick fascination. This time, even Li Luo could only look at them and shrug. The crimson knight-general did not seem like he was going to save the Bloodtailed Other, but was rather killing it in a different way? Wasn''t that... rather unnecessary? "He''s bonkers," Sun Dasheng said flatly. "If he just wants to kill the Bloodtailed Other, he might as well have let us do it!" "Surely not..." Li Luo watched the black altar closely. "There must be something else that we''re missing. It''s not going to be good news for us." They were quite spent of energy, so they had chosen to watch passively to see what would unfold, gathering their strength for a time when they knew better how to act. Li Luo spotted a dark, sticky sludge being separated from the Bloodtailed Other as the fire burned away at it. The crimson knight-general seemed extremely excited to see this process happen. In a trice, he shed his crimson armor and reached out eagerly to scoop the black substance up with his hands. He then applied it on his skin. The moment it touched his face, the black slime came to life, wriggling as though it were a mass of worms. It burrowed its way deep into the crimson knight-general''s skin. Soon, his body was a trypophobic mass of bloody holes, his face a twisted expression of agony and pleasure. "Come! Come! Come into my body and let us be one!" he cackled dementedly. More and more of the black slime continued to enter his body. The students looked on in horror. Who would be crazy enough to welcome the corruption into their body? The power source of the Others was born of pure evil, and once it entered one''s body, it would corrupt everything within like a plague. They had spent their whole lives avoiding even a speck of this corruptionwhy would he now lap it up like a drug? Did this guy even want to live anymore? Even the most elite and worldly of students such as the First Princess and Lan Lan were completely aghast at this development. While they reeled in horror and shock, the crimson knight-general began to mutate. His body started to engorge rapidly and his eyes turned red. A human face appeared in the middle of his chest, the exact replica of the Bloodtailed Other''s own human face from before. Bone burst through flesh like a seedling through topsoil, turning from a deathly white to glossy black. The crimson knight-general was gradually losing his humanity. But in return, he was being granted a dark power that they could sense within him, growing at an accelerating rate. "Is he trying to merge with it and absorb its power?" Lu Ming wondered. Jing Taixu frowned. "I''ve never even heard of such a blasphemous thing! Would he even be human? Or Other?" "He would be insane," Sun Dasheng told him. Li Luo was starting to sweat. They were in real trouble now. He could sense it. Boom! Black power continued to roil around the crimson knight-general, blooming out of him and being absorbed back in. The sky turned dark around him, as though light was being leached away. The crimson knight-general''s voice growled out from within the receding light. "Good and evil cease as one. True form, arise!" Chapter 0586: The Demonic Crimson Knight-General "Good and evil cease as one. True form, arise." As the crimson knight-general''s voice rang out, the smoke and darkness sharpened into the form of an enormous demon. "Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage!" The First Princess and the others gasped. From the energy waves coming out of the crimson knight-general''s body, they could tell that he had reached the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage, while he was only at the lesser stage before. He had managed to ascend in this short time. Moreover, the power resonating off him was far stronger than that of an average Greater Heavenly Resonance cultivator. "Retreat!" Lan Lan commanded immediately. The crimson knight-general had successfully merged with the Bloodtailed Other. They might have been able to put up a fight against a Lesser Heavenly Resonance enemy, but they stood no chance against a Greater Heavenly Resonance one. This was the strongest possible tier below Duke. Even at their best, they would have not been able to win. This was the most sensible choice at the moment. When Lan Lan shouted, almost everyone made the same movereach for their spirit mirrors. Li Luo lifted his eyes one last time to the crimson knight-general, now covered with spiky, black bones sticking out of his skin. He was a truly grotesque monster, leering down at them with malice. He was no longer human. Li Luo did not really understand why the crimson knight-general would give up his humanity so easily. "Greater Heavenly Resonance, huh..." Li Luo pursed his lips thoughtfully, then looked down at his bracelet again. He was itching to give it a go, but then again, he would rather keep his cards close to his chest and unplayed until he was forced to. Now that the Bloodtailed Other was eliminated, they could probably back out of the mixed-level competition and finish things. No need to hog the spotlight. Li Luo immediately snapped his spirit mirror without hesitation. Time to get out of here. This place was too rich for his blood, and the schools were really mean for sending these poor, innocent young kids here. The clean snapping of their spirit mirrors was followed by a general sense of relief. They were safe now. Li Luo relaxed for a few moments before he started to tense right back up. Something was wrong. He was still at the ruins of Russet Rock City, and no transportation light was coming to pick him up. Beside him, Lu Ming, Jing Taixu, and Sun Dasheng were equally flustered. "What''s going on? Why aren''t the spirit mirrors working?" Lu Ming asked worriedly. Li Luo looked up to the sky. Lan Lan, the First Princess, and the others were stuck here as well. "Hey, little brats, where do you think you''re going?" A maniacal cackle sounded from above them. The crimson knight-general had already discarded his armor, although now it was his skin that shone with scarlet gloss, except for the jet-black bone spikes sticking out of his shoulder blades. His hair had turned completely red as well, and it was slick with fresh blood. "Trying to get back to school? The bell hasn''t rung yet..." he said with spiteful glee. "And... do you see what you''ve just snapped?" Li Luo and the others looked down and blinked in surprise. Somehow, they were not holding spirit mirrors, but fragments of bone instead. "An illusion!" Lu Ming hissed. Li Luo was shocked. Was the crimson knight-general strong enough to apply an illusion on all of them? "Today, I am reborn. How could I allow my guests to leave during such a grand occasion? Witness quietly," he sneered. He opened his mouth and a spray of blood fountained in the sky, trickling down as a veil that blanketed across all of them. "You won''t find your real spirit mirrors here. None of you can leave," the crimson knight-general said with an imperious flick of his hand. All of them opened their pocket spheres, checking their possessions. Every single one of their possessions had turned into spirit mirrors. "What an illusion. This is even stronger than what the Bloodtailed Other was capable of," Lu Ming said in a low tone. Jing Taixu was looking ill. They were like children when facing a Greater Heavenly Resonance expert. Li Luo had to suck back the breath that he had huffed out in relief. Damn, it was emergency time. The crimson knight-general was far stronger than the Bloodtailed Other had been, and none of them could deal with him. "We''re all gonna dieeeeeeeeeeeee here, aren''t we? It''s too soon! There''s so many more things in life to beat up!" Sun Dasheng whined mournfully. "Shut your mouth!" Lu Ming snapped at him. Her anger only showed when she was nervous. The entire situation was slipping out of their control. Li Luo ignored them. Instead, he turned his attention to the red marking on his wrist. It was heating up strangely at this time, and Li Luo could hear a wolf''s howl ringing in his ears. "Slip into a bad dream, children. And in your nightmare, death will embrace you." A rain of blood fell down over all of their eyes. An eerie silence fell across the whole battlefield. Lan Lan, the First Princess, Gong Shenjunall of them had their eyes covered with bloody blindfolds that suppressed their consciousness. All of them had slipped into a dream world, and their bodies were no longer theirs to control. The crimson knight-general laughed to himself in the silence, and this time, the face on his chest laughed alongside him. "Bunch of kids. You will know what hell on earth is." ... When the blood landed on Li Luo''s eyes, he started to feel his own mind shutting down. There was a power making him forget everything. Roar! Just before he went under, a powerful roar shook him to his senses. Li Luo looked up... but there was no more up. He was in complete darkness on all sides. His eyes narrowed. In front of him was an ancient wolf, staring back at him with its eyes bright. Three tails swished Behind it. Li Luo gave it his best smile. "Long time no see, Brother Wolf." Chapter 0587: Talking to the Wolf "Long time no see, Brother Wolf." The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf roared with pure rage as it faced the grinning youth, its killing intent overflowing. It had not forgotten the day. The day that it had waited in the mountains and was lured away by this kid to fight a strong Other. And then the feared King expert had somehow come to capture it, sealing it away in yet another prison. All of that was because of this little human before it right now! Its power surged to the fore as it bared its claws, swiping out towards Li Luo. It would tear the kid to shreds! Roar! A meter before it reached Li Luo, there was a loud clanging of chains, stopping it short and tripping it back to the ground. As if triggered by the movements, the chains suddenly grew heavy, pinning the wolf down to the ground. Roar! Muscles bunching underneath, the wolf strained as hard as it could against the chains, but they would not budge even an inch. That was because the chains were being reinforced with the power of triple resonances. The power of a King, far beyond the ability of a beast trying to reach the Duke Stage. Phew. Li Luo breathed out, wiping cold sweat off his brow. Looked like principal Pang knew what he was doing after all. The seal was still holding strong, and Li Luo remained outside of the wolf''s belly. "Come now, Brother Wolf, don''t be so angry. Can''t we talk about this peacefully?" He grinned. His answer was a muzzled roar and a face full of bloody saliva. Li Luo wiped it away and continued to smile, although he was not so certain about showing his teeth off again. Did this mean he had just shared an indirect kiss with the wolf? "If you don''t mind," he said casually, "perhaps we can work together. You see, I''m on the verge of death right now, and I need to borrow your strength. "I don''t blame you for not knowing, old boy, since you''re stuck here and all, but there''s a nasty meanie out there who doesn''t respect your strength, Brother Wolf." The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf subsided back down, glaring at Li Luo. It extended one claw towards its chains, indicating that he should let it free to help him. Li Luo chuckled dryly. "That''s very insincere of you, Brother Wolf. We both know that the moment I do that, you''ll swallow me whole." Li Luo thumped his own chest. "Look, I''m just a puny, little Resonant Master, there''s no need to be afraid of me. But one day I''ll reach the Duke Stage for sure, and maybe faster than you. At that time, I won''t forget you, Brother. I''ll definitely find a way to help you get there too." The wolf ignored his bragging. "If you don''t believe it, I''ll even swear it to you," Li Luo offered. "If I don''t reach the Duke Stage in four years, I swear that the heavens will strike me down, and my cultivation won''t move forward another inch." Actually, he only had four years left to live anyway, so he would actually die if he didn''t reach the Duke Stage before then. He didn''t really care if the heavens struck down his corpse. Maybe the lightning would even resuscitate him. The wolf was a little surprised by the little human''s conviction. Where in the world did he get such confidence from? Duke in four years? The Duke Stage was a monumental bottleneck that required not only supernatural talent, but also an abundance of resources and luck to back up that process. A Duke was an asset to any place. What made this kid this crazy? But the wolf remained silent. Ultimately, this kid''s journey and breakthroughs would not make one whit of difference to its situation. Li Luo stared at the unresponsive wolf. The beast clearly did not like him much, which Li Luo fully understood. After all, it was he who had gotten it into this state in the first place. His first plan had been to establish a friendly connection, and then perhaps he could use the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s power with its cooperation. That had been naive. Of course a Greater Heavenly Resonance creature like the wolf would not care at all about a puny Resonant Master. Perhaps that attitude would change when he got a little stronger. "Brother Wolf, whether you consent or otherwise, I WILL have your power today," Li Luo said sternly. He pressed his palms together and allowed blood to flow from his fingertips, then he mixed it with his resonant power to form a powerful rune. "Heavenly Libation Chant!" The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf did not resist. It knew it could not resist, and so it just continued to look at Li Luo disdainfully, taunting him. Use its power? Was a puny, little Resonant Master really capable of handling such power? Fine, then! Take it! Take all of it! It could sense how strong the enemy outside was. Definitely a Greater Heavenly Resonance in strength. Li Luo would have to borrow more than just a little of its power. And the more power Li Luo took, the more it would be able to take over his mind, until he was utterly consumed by its own presence. Li Luo would become a mindless wolf-slave. At that time, it could easily control him and make him its puppet. A lolling wolf smile spread across its face as it felt the Heavenly Libation Chant draw upon its power. Whoosh! The transfer was swift, and soon Li Luo himself was bottled with its power. The blood vessels in Li Luo''s eyes thickened and a feral look crept into them. Chapter 0588: One Slash In the dead skies of Russet Rock City. The crimson knight-general looked around at all the hollow-eyed students. "Which should I kill first?" he mused to himself happily. It pleased him greatly to see all these annoying gnats now standing around like docile lambs waiting for the slaughter. Finally, his gaze stopped on Lan Lan. The strongest of them, the one who had the Duke Art that had wounded the Bloodtailed Other. Even he had been shocked by that level of power. Pre-merge with the Bloodtailed Other, that attack would have wounded him seriously as well. "Finishing a Duke Art while still at the Heavenly Pearl Stage is really extraordinary," he chuckled. It was easy to be generous to the walking dead. He stuck out a finger with a drop of blood energy on it. "Too bad for you. Killing geniuses is my favorite thing to do," he stated, eyes alive with pleasure. But his finger froze before he struck. He sensed a sudden surge of threatening energy nearby. Within the city, a column of crimson energy shot up into the sky, 30 meters high. The entire city shook with an explosion of power that spread to its outer walls. The crimson knight-general whirled around in alarm to see a figure rising up through the column. He frowned. Wasn''t that guy a Resonant Master? He should have no more power than a puff of gunpowder. How has he become this strong? He now looked to have Greater Heavenly Resonance power as well. Within the crimson pillar of power, Li Luo was struggling to contain his newfound power. His body was breaking down before his very eyes, with new wounds appearing all across his torso, power spilling out of his body. And this was only the physical wounding. More dangerous was the overwhelming lust to kill, a craving for violence that grew within him like an urgent hunger. His handsome features were turning more feral by the moment, and it was clearest in his eyes. Besides the fact that he lacked some bones sticking out of his shoulders, Li Luo was actually looking pretty similar to the crimson knight-general right now. Li Luo held on desperately to his last sliver of clarity, battling furiously to stay conscious. If he lost his reason here, he would not only be unable to take down the crimson knight-general, but also make things worse. Li Luo clenched his fist, a white pearl within it. That was the Seraph''s Pearl that he had taken from the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. Although it was only an upper white-eye treasured artifact, it helped him keep his mind intact and control his emotions. He put the pearl in his mouth and felt a cool, calming wave spread through his entire body, clearing the violent thoughts in his mind. The redness in his eyes faded away a little. He looked up and locked on to the crimson knight-general. "You surprised me. So small, to have such a big trump card..." the crimson knight-general said lightly. "You''re a batshit, insane lunatic. You could have been human." Li Luo''s voice was ragged, torn apart by the new power within him. Each word was painful to speak. "Kid, you''re too naive. All you know is good and evil. You don''t know anything about the reality of the world. Others feed off the negative emotions of humans. As long as humans exist, Others will not disappear. "Killing Others is the stupidest thing ever. There is only one way to truly destroy the Others: combine humans with them. When good and evil return to being one, there will no longer be Others, and we will gain even more power. What is there to dislike? "Only this method can truly save the masses from evil," the crimson knight-general said. Even in his bloodthirsty state, Li Luo was shaking his head in disgust throughout the speech. "You''re insane. If humans merged with Others, then the world would be full of abominations like you!" The crimson knight-general laughed. He stuck out his chest, revealing the alluring demon face. "And what is wrong with me? Again, naive. This is the true me. You are blinded by the incomplete form that humans love so much. When you experience the power of this body, you will understand that the true form is everything." The crimson knight-general paused here. "Your power, it''s external. I see how quickly it corrupts you. You won''t be able to hold out for long. You might be strong, but not so much stronger than me that you can turn things around. More naivety." His drivel had also been calculated to buy him time to sense out Li Luo''s power. Li Luo did not reply. The crimson knight-general was correct. With only the first half of the Heavenly Libation Chant, his power transfer was incomplete. He was only at the early stage of Greater Heavenly Resonance power, so he was evenly matched with his foe. Just as the crimson knight-general had said, Li Luo was too weak to keep this up for long. He would be completely reduced to dust before he could inflict any serious injury to the crimson knight-general. But he had actually seen through his opponent''s delaying tactic. He had welcomed the additional time. Li Luo slowly raised his hand, summoning his weathered sword. The Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. When Li Luo''s energy first surged, he had discovered a golden symbol that suddenly appeared on his weapon''s body. The symbol was majestic. A Kingmark. Left on the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade by its last owner, Pang Qianyuan! "No wonder Gong Shenjun wanted this sword so muchit even has a Kingmark on it." Li Luo had not been able to discover this before because he had not been strong enough. Only a user at the Heavenly Resonance Stage could activate it. And with this mark, the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade grew much stronger. It was a superpowered killing weapon right now. Li Luo wrapped his fingers around the hilt and took a deep breath. He would have only one chance. But with the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade''s Kingmark, one chance was all he would need. Li Luo hesitated no longer. Summoning all his energy, he put it into the Onyx-Elephant Blade until it hummed with enough power to warp the void around the blade. He weaved his sword in a swift pattern, creating a sword wheel that hissed and whispered in the air before him. "Thousand Watery Knives Wheel." He slashed out. The Kingmark on the sword glowed, and a golden light flowed into the sword wheel. Swish! The blood-red sword wheel blasted out, thundering across the space between Li Luo and his foe. Hundreds of meters long, it tore through the rubble of Russet Rock City. The sword wheel was reflected in the eyes of the crimson knight-general, open wide in terror. He could sense that this attack had enough power to kill him. This kid was supposed to be equal to him in strength. How had he managed such an attack?! Chapter 0589: Sword Wheel wins Crimson Armor The huge, crimson sword wheel barreled through the city, smashing through everything in its way. The crimson knight-general''s face changed. He could feel the lethality of that attack, even for him. What had the kid done? The crimson knight-general did not dare disrespect the attack. Opening his mouth, he pulled out a rose-silver stopwatch from within himself. With each chime of the piece, a ruby sonic wave pulsed out. The rose-silver stopwatch had runes on it that absorbed worldly natural energy, causing it to pulse even more strongly. There was also a golden eye mark on the back of the piece, marking it as a gold-eye treasured artifact. The rose-silver stopwatch rose in the air to meet the crimson sword wheel from Li Luo. SWOOSH! The collision shook the entire city. Dusty walls brittle with neglect crashed down into dust, raising a cloud all across the city that hung like fog. The aftershocks were awesome and terrible to behold. Li Luo was duly impressed by himself. When would he have such power for real, he wondered. At the same time, he was closely watching the clash of attacks. The crimson sword wheel spun at great speed, producing a fearsome cutting power that the rose-silver stopwatch did its best to defend against. Li Luo could sense that the defenses of the rose-silver stopwatch were failing. The cycle of swords had no end, and the slashes were relentless. The stopwatch would soon fail. "What a powerful Kingmark!" With the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s power alone, he would only have been level with the crimson knight-general, barring his acquisition of the Heavenly Libation Chant''s second half that would unlock the full power of a Greater Heavenly Resonance cultivator. But he was winning this battle hands down all because of the Kingmark that was inscribed on the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. The additional layer of golden power that had turned his crimson sword wheel from good to epic. Clang, clang, clang! The urgent smashing of knives against the rose-silver stopwatch continued, and a satisfying crack rang out a moment later. The crimson knight-general paled. His eyes widened and then narrowed in realization. He had spotted the golden aura around the attack. "That''s... King qi?!" he screamed shrilly in disbelief. King qi was, as the name implied, produced by Kings. How could a mere Resonant Master have such power?! Is this kid the progeny of a King or something?! No wonder he is so strong! The crimson knight-general turned to flee now. This was no place for him to linger. He had thought about killing off all of the students after creating his true form, but now it seemed like the last part of his plan had gone awry. There was a big, bad wolf hiding among the students! "I just need to get out. Now that I have my true form, I just need to return to Thunderpeal Mountain and devour the Thunderpeal Tree, and I might well make it to Duke in the future!" The temptation of reaching the Duke Stage in the future incentivized him to let the Red Clay Province go. Now that all the schools had their attention on it, it was time for him to flee anyway. Li Luo was taken aback by the crimson knight-general''s choice to flee, and he inhaled sharply, his killing intent still rising within him. He had paid such a heavy price to activate the power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf and even the Kingmark on his weapon. If his foe got away, wouldnt that be a loss? Li Luo''s face was already badly ravaged by the corruptive power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, but he continued to dig deep and take more power, sacrificing the flesh of two fingers so that they became nothing but white bone. Beads of cold sweat dripped down his forehead from the exertion. Swoosh! Forcing more power into the attack, it finally broke through the rose-silver stopwatch, which fell from the air. Li Luo reached out to pluck it from its fall, then he stuffed it into his pocket sphere. Hey, a gold-eye treasured artifact was quite valuable. The young lord of House Luolan had to watch his finances properly. With the blocking artifact out of the way, Li Luo''s attack continued on its forward path, and it caught up to the crimson knight-general in a trice. The crimson knight-general swore. If he had known such a danger awaited him, he would have escaped after merging with the Bloodtailed Other. Still, no point in crying over spilled milk. He knew what he had to do. He reached down into his chest and pulled the face right off his flesh. The demonic face struggled and screamed in pain. He hurled the Bloodtailed Other''s essence out behind him with a vengeance. All these years of plotting to merge with it, and now he had to sacrifice it. The demonic face was thrown directly into the path of the sword wheel. EEEK! The painful screams of the Bloodtailed Other, now reduced to a passive face, rang out loudly and miserably as it was cut to pieces by Li Luo''s attack, although the attack was stopped as well. Finally, the attack had been defended against, although the price had been almost too high to bear for the crimson knight-general. He could not care about it at this time. Removing the Bloodtailed Other from his body had scrambled his own internal flow of power, and the remaining vestiges of corruption were wreaking havoc within him. He had to flee. He cursed Li Luo all the while. He would remember him well. After he left the Red Clay Province, he would report this up and get more information on the kid. The little bastard would pay in the future! Li Luo would have loved to finish off the crimson knight-general and tie things up, but he was already losing control of his body. If not for the Thunderpeal Avatar, he would have already been reduced to a skeleton. He could also feel that the wolf''s power was overtaking him, and the animalistic instinct was starting to rule his body. He wanted to kill. Had to kill. His eyes turned red. He tried to close them. He could pay no more attention to the crimson knight-general. As his eyelids drooped down over the crimson knight-general, he saw a brilliant flash of light in the air. Nails of light and fire, blazing down to smash into the crimson knight-general. BOOM! A howl of misery from the enemy. "Demonbane Nails... Qing''e''s recovered!" Li Luo relaxed and let himself fall. He did not land. Inches from the ground, he was caught in a tender and fragrant embrace. "Don''t... don''t touch me." Through the remnants of his blurred vision, he knew who had come for him. He was afraid that he would hurt her in his madness, and reached out weakly to push her away from him. The person did not leave, and he saw a blurry face lean over his own. A cool sensation near his lips. And then a wondrous burst of energy flooded into his mouth and then the rest of his body. Chapter 0590: Final Score Chapter 0590: Final Score Li Luo was unconscious for some time. In his fevered sleep, his spirit succumbed to the red haze of violence invading his mind, and his own consciousness faded to a whisper of what it had been. The killing intent surged again and again within him. Luckily, Li Luo was resilient, and he managed to hold on to a sliver of consciousness. Just when he was about to fully fail, a burst of holy energy flooded into his mind and body. It was radiant and wonderful, and the demented thoughts fell away like bats scattering from the midday sun. Li Luo''s consciousness quickly seized control of his body again. His eyelids slowly fluttered open. Before him was the wreckage of the city, and some new bones among the old. "Awake?" A familiar voice murmured beside his ear. The voice was clear and calm, but he knew it well enough to detect poignant worry in it. Li Luo turned his head to see a beautiful figure sitting in the lotus position. She was as beautiful as he remembered, perfection from every angle. For him, the most stunning aspect of her beauty were those golden eyes. They held strength to match her beauty. Li Luo''s gaze dipped a little to her lips, and he was startled to see that there were bite marks on them. With a jolt of realization, he recalled a vague memory from when he was semi-conscious. The warm feeling on his face, and the infusion of light resonant energy. Could it be... Li Luo closed his eyes, letting his body crumple and fold as he moaned. "Qing''e, I need more light resonant energy healing!" "Seems like you''ve been corrupted. Let me ease your pain and send you along to your death," she said. There was steel in her voice as she reached for her sword. Li Luo unfolded himself faster than a squashed spring. "Ah, what a terrible corruption this is," he moaned, "but I have managed to overcome it with great difficulty." "Tell me if you feel yourself succumbing," she urged him strongly. "I will ease your pain." Li Luo sulked. "Qing''e, that''s too cruel." "Weren''t you the one who started this charade first?" Li Luo laughed nervously, then he snuck another look at her pretty, little mouth. "So... it was you who saved me just now?" he asked innocently, already knowing the answer. She inclined her head. "The violent energy within your body was too strong. I had to use light resonant energy to nullify it, as well as treat your injuries. It took almost all the resonant power I had." "Qing''e, thank you," Li Luo said gratefully. She smiled and shook her head. "Qing''e," Li Luo asked with a very cheeky grin, "how exactly did you transfer that light resonant energy to me?" She lifted up her heavy sword and pointed it at him. Li Luo took a look and cringed. The skewered head of the Bloodtailed Other was on the tip of her sword, although the face was now bloated and lifeless. "I pressed its lips against you and then transmitted light resonant energy down the sword," she said. Li Luo''s eyes widened, and he felt suddenly nauseous. "Er, surely not?" He looked at her face, but it was too emotionless for him to tell if she was joking. "Come on, tell me the truth. This one''s not very funny." She retracted her sword and then gestured towards a nearby wall. Li Luo looked to see another corpse, and he gasped. It was the crimson knight-general! Dead as a doornail. "Speaking of the truth, who was it that injured the crimson knight-general so severely?" Her look pierced him, and Li Luo squirmed uneasily. "Well, I, uh, can''t recall. I think I saw an old grandfather descend out of the skies and smash the crimson knight-general to a pulp without saying a word. Maybe someone from the Academic Federation? Must be divine intervention or something? I mean, the crimson knight-general committed so many unspeakable sins. He definitely offended somebody. Somebodies. You know?" He did not want to tell Jiang Qing''e about the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. Not because he did not trust her, but because he did not want her to worry about how dangerous the power was. She just stared at him. Clearly, the lie had failed badly. "There were some savage wounds on the body. It almost feels like... the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf we met in the Umbra Cave? Did Principal Pang help you seal it away?" She pointed to the crimson bracelet on his wrist. "He sealed it away for you, and you used it against the crimson knight-general." Li Luo rolled his eyes. This was ridiculous. No way she had just guessed it like that! You''re a demon! Plump swan demon! "Back when Principal Pang gave you that mark, I had already guessed," she said primly. Li Luo gave her an abashed smile. "Principal Pang is really reckless. Why would he grant the power of a Greater Heavenly Resonance beast, bordering on the Duke Stage, to a Resonant Master? If you used it too much, you''d be utterly corrupted. That would be the real tragedy!" She burst out unhappily. "Qing''e, I just wanted to help relieve some of the burden from your shoulders," Li Luo said grumpily. "The Housemeet is near, and given my current strength, there''s not much I can do for you if I keep up this rate of cultivation. I had to gamble a little. But don''t worry, I won''t use this power recklessly." Her eyes softened. How could she not know the risks that he had taken? But even while he longed to share her burden, her heart hurt every time he was injured. "Well, be careful in the future." She let the topic drop. Since Li Luo had made the decision, she would, of course, support him. She had faith in his ability and strength of mind. Li Luo nodded. "I will. And will you help keep the secret of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf?" He pointed to the crimson knight-general''s corpse. "I had nothing to do with its death." She nodded with understanding. "I can say I killed it. A ninth-grade light resonance is always an exception. Others will find the story curious, but they won''t pin it on you. But this way, the credit will come to me." "Hey, credit and two skygold can buy a bun worth two skygold. We''re in the same squad anyway. Surely the rewards will come my way too." He decided things were safe enough to push the situation a little. He grinned. "Besides, what can compare to the reward I just received?" He caressed his lips deliberately. She turned away from him. Even her side profile is beautiful, he thought to himself. "Hey, check your spirit mirror," she said. He pulled it out and looked at the scoreboard, then he sucked in a deep breath. Their squad was still in first place. But the points had changed. 1.2 million points!! Chapter 0591: Mixed-level Competition Ends Chapter 0591: Mixed-level Competition Ends "1.2 million points?!" It was lucky Li Luo was already lying down, because his knees went weak for a moment. They had left the second placed Lan Lan squad far in the dust. "We only had, like, 700,000 or so when we entered Russet Rock City," Li Luo blurted out. "Not surprising. Since I got the kill on the Bloodtailed Other, that bounty came to us. Then 500,000 points for clearing Russet Rock City, split between all the squads as it should be." Li Luo nodded slowly. The 500,000 points for clearing Russet Rock City had to be split between multiple squads, which meant maybe 100,000 points or so for them. Which meant the majority must have come from the Bloodtailed Other. Although the other squad leaders had to be credited for injuring the Bloodtailed Other, the final hit belonged to them. Besides, they had also brought down the even more fearsome crimson knight-general between the two of them. "Seems like we''re winning this, then," Li Luo said happily. The heavy burden that Principal Pang had laid upon him could finally be lifted. He could already smell the second half to the Heavenly Libation Chant. Besides, the champion of the Holy Grail Meet would be heavily rewarded by the Academic Federation as well. The prospect of riches in his future flooded him with ecstasy. The mixed-level competition had been tough as hell, and the danger they had faced in the form of these Others seemed somehow unreasonable for what should have been an inter-school competition. "The Astral Sage College only won because of you," Jiang Qing''e said, smiling fondly down at Li Luo. "Are you sure you don''t want to announce your achievements? Maybe the First Princess will take a liking to you and give you a little something extra." "I have no interest in her extras," Li Luo said piously. "The First Princess might be a goddess to others, but I have a different religion. I worship a plump swan that resides in House Luolan." Jiang Qing''e had no interest in engaging in his rubbish. "The rest are waking up," she said simply. Li Luo turned to see auras of resonant power starting to form around Lan Lan, the First Princess, Gong Shenjun, and the others, which was a sign that they were regaining consciousness. After the crimson knight-general had been killed, the illusion on them had faded as well. All of them were awake a few minutes later, and they were looking around them in wonder. They were amazed to see no trace of the crimson knight-general. "No need to look, everyone. The crimson knight-general has been finished off," Jiang Qing''e said. "Finished off?!" They all stared at her in disbelief. Jiang Qing''e merely pointed to the corpse by the wall. They all stared at it in disbelief. The crimson knight-general had been killed?! How was that possible?! He had merged with the Bloodtailed Other and reached the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage in power. Their combined efforts could not take him down. Who had defeated him? Qin Yue frowned with uncertainty. "Er, am I still in an illusion?" Lan Lan shook his head. "The illusion is shattered. The crimson knight-general before us is real. That resonant power trace is unfalsifiable." Zhao Beili pinched himself. "Dead? How?" The First Princess looked to Jiang Qing''e, who had awakened before all of them. "Qing''e, did you do this?" The other squad leaders fell silent. Jiang Qing''e might be a ninth-grade light resonance user, but she was only a Fiend Finisher cultivator. Even with her superb skills that put her on par with a Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivator, the crimson knight-general was at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage! The strongest possible existence below a Duke. Surely not even a ninth-grade light resonance could cross two stages in strength? "Open your spirit mirrors and take a look," Jiang Qing''e said. It was the simplest way to convince them. They looked at the points, and their eyes went round. "1.2 million points?!" "Qing''e, you''re the best!" the First Princess shouted in joy. Her face was lit up in pleasure and she ran up to hug Jiang Qing''e exuberantly. Jiang Qing''e was not used to such unrestrained physical affection, but she did not resist, instead patting the other girl awkwardly on the back. Li Luo was enjoying the extremely sexy view. The others looked around at each other numbly. The facts spoke for themselves. There was only one way that the First Princess'' squad could have reached such a scorethey had to have killed off the crimson knight-general. And since the First Princess had been in the illusion with them, she could not have been the one. Which only left one possibility in the squad. Perhaps Jiang Qing''e had pulled out some amazing trump card to turn the battle. Slowly, they came to terms with the fantastic turn of events, each coming up with their own explanations in their heads. In any case, they had to thank Jiang Qing''e for killing the crimson knight-general and saving all of their lives. "Junior Jiang is truly amazing. A ninth-grade light resonance lives up to its legendary reputation and more," Lan Lan said with an envious sigh. The only one who did not look too happy was Gong Shenjun. This was not the conclusion that he had expected. His mission had been to deny the Astral Sage College the win and the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, but he had thoroughly failed. Both the Bloodtailed Other and the crimson knight-general had fallen, and the First Princess'' squad had won first place far beyond all of the other squads. There was no way for anyone else to catch up now. But he was very suspicious. How in the world had Jiang Qing''e pulled it off? How could she have posed such a threat to the Greater Heavenly Resonance crimson knight-general? Had the two house lords of House Luolan left something to her? Forcing a smile, he hastened forward with the others to offer his congratulations. Even though his mission had failed, he could not afford to blow his cover. If the school was angered, his father would be even more troubled than he was sure to be. The other non-Four Star Hall students were starting to come around as well, and they started to flock over too. When they heard that the crimson knight-general had been killed by Jiang Qing''e, another round of surprise broke out. Lu Ming was surprised as well, but she edged in close to Li Luo. "The crimson knight-general''s death," she said softly, "are you sure it had nothing to do with you?" Li Luo felt a nervous jolt run through his spine, but he kept a cool front. "What are you talking about? A Resonant Master like me? The crimson knight-general could stand there with his pants down, and I couldn''t make a dent in his buttcheek." Lu Ming harrumphed, not thrown off by his disgusting description. "I still think it had something to do with you." Li Luo winced. Was this what they called a woman''s intuition? It was completely illogical. "Everyone, the crimson knight-general and the Bloodtailed Other are both dead. The mixed-level competition must be over, so we should leave," Lan Lan announced to them. They all nodded. This place was too dangerous, and none of them wanted to stay in the Red Clay Province a moment longer than they had to. "Finally, we can go back. The school administration is really unreasonable, to get us to do such a dangerous mission," the students grumbled. "Yeah, they''d better give us lots of compensation to keep us happy." "Do they know how much we''ve suffered?" Amidst the complaints, they all pulled out their spirit mirrors and snapped them. The sky was soon filled with light columns, transporting them out. When each column disappeared, the person within it disappeared as well. Soon, Russet Rock City was empty again, and it would stay that way for a while. Only when the neighboring powers gathered their strength together and came in would the area be properly revitalized again. Chapter 0592: Champions Chapter 0592: Champions When the dizziness from being transported faded away, Li Luo opened his eyes to see the familiar courtyard around him, filled with spectators. They were back in the Holy Grail Meet area. Li Luo turned to see Jiang Qing''e and the First Princess by his side, and the other squads from the mixed-level competition nearby. Rapturous applause and cheers were ringing out all around, welcoming them back and celebrating the safe return of their champions. Even the school administrators were smiling down from their platform, approval clear in their eyes. Through difficult battles, the competing teams had successfully laid down an extensive network of cleansing dew all through the Red Clay Province, and the administrators had witnessed all of it through their special viewing method involving the cleansing dew points. Except for what had happened at Russet Rock City, after the crimson knight-general had merged with the Bloodtailed Other. The crimson knight-general''s ability had blocked the scrying ability of the dew, and that was the only time throughout the entire competition that the administrators felt like things were slipping out of control. All the spectators were extremely nervous at the time. After all, the eight squads that had disappeared in Russet Rock City were the best and brightest of the East Divine Continent. These people all had the potential to reach the Duke Stage in the future, so it would be a terrible loss if they perished. Even so, the schools had no way to save them. The spirit mirrors had been the ultimate rescue tool, but the illusion formation of the crimson knight-general had disabled them. However, just at the height of the panic, the vision from the cleansing dew had been returned, and somehow the crimson knight-general had been killed. A shocking but happy ending. Even the school administrators were completely stumped. No one knew what had happened. Merged with the Other, the crimson knight-general had surged to the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stag. Who had killed him? But the points told the story. When everything had ended, it was the squad of Gong Luanyu, Jiang Qing''e, and Li Luo who had rocketed up to 1.2 million points, far beyond all the other squads. This meant that both the Bloodtailed Other and the crimson knight-general had fallen to that squad. But everyone had been trapped within the crimson knight-general''s illusion, so how had a single squad eluded that and even overcome the enemy? Their squad was the center of curiosity at the moment. Moreover, the points meant that the winner of the Holy Grail Meet was very obvious. This part was not too surprising, as the two strongest students from the Hall-level competition were in that squad. Even though the One Star Hall Li Luo did not count for much, Jiang Qing''e was a formidable asset in the competition. The two girls together combined would rival even the Four Star Hall winner, Lan Lan. But if they went up against the Greater Heavenly Resonance crimson knight-general, the difference would be too unreasonable. But in any case, that was the result. The crimson knight-general was dead, the points were in the pockets of Gong Luanyu''s team, and the only possible explanation was that the squad had some unspeakable trump card hidden away, which they had used under the cover of the illusion formation to secure a win. In any case, that was a good ending for all. No one wanted to see their entire elite force wiped out at the hands of the enemy. It would not only be a terrible loss for the schools, but student morale would be absolutely crushed. It would also reflect badly on the organizer and all future organizers. Elder Ling Yu from the Academic Federation stepped forward, beaming kindly down at all of them. "Welcome back! We are pleased that all of you have returned safely. Your efforts have been closely watched, and all of the schools across the East Divine Continent are proud of your achievements. "Together, you have cleansed the Red Clay Province of corruption, bringing purity to a tortured and dark land. You have planted seeds of hope that will sprout into very real progress in the not-so-distant future. "All of you are heroes." His proclamation was greeted with thunderous applause. The Astral Sage College students were the most emotional. They had won. "Wow, Brother Luo is really amazing," said analyst Yu Lang, immediately offering his expert opinion to everyone within earshot. "Truly the strongest student of the One Star Hall throughout the East Divine Continent. Although I did not personally witness what happened, based on my understanding of Brother Luo, I''m sure he was the one who contributed the most to the killing of that crimson armor whatever." Duze Beixuan snorted so loud that his nose rattled. "What the hell are you talking about? Do you even know how strong that crimson knight-general was? A Greater Heavenly Resonance, for Gods'' sake! How about Li Luo? A Resonant Master! He couldn''t even get close enough to see his reflection in the armor! Even you have to have a limit to your exaggerations. It must have been the First Princess and Senior Jiang who did something," Wang Hejiu said with a confident drawl. "Li Luo''s contribution was probably clapping from the sidelines or something." Yu Lang shook his head as though he were talking to particularly slow children. "Oh, my sweet summer child. What do you know of the greatness of Brother Luo?" His condescending attitude absolutely infuriated Duze Beixuan and Wang Hejiu, but they were drowned out by the cheers of the other students, who could not care less who the credit belonged to. All they knew was that their school had won, and all of them were lightheartedly laughing at Yu Lang''s bragging. "Maybe Yu Lang''s version is a little too much, but even though Li Luo''s only a Resonant Master, I''m sure not even Her Highness the First Princess had any complaints about his contributions to the team," Lu Qing''er said happily. "Leader''s results shine brightly on all of us. He''s set a new record," Bai Mengmeng said earnestly. Duze Beixuan and Wang Hejiu rolled their eyes. Let it go. What was the point of arguing with these Li Luo simps? Both of them wisely chose to shut their mouths. High on the platform, Elder Ling Yu conferred briefly with the other school administrators, and then the students saw Vice Principal Su Xin''s face light up. Elder Ling Yu''s warm voice rang out again. "With this, all phases of the Holy Grail Meet have come to a close. The team that won the mixed-level competition comes from the Astral Sage College." All eyes turned to the exalted trio in a mix of envy, curiosity, and respect. "Gong Luanyu. "Jiang Qing''e. "Li Luo." Several golden nimbuses flew out from elder Ling Yu''s sleeve, and they shone brightly in the air for all to see. Each was a small palm-sized golden badge with the crest of a tree in the middle. The Golden Resonant Tree Brooches! Chapter 0593: Violet Resonant Tree Brooch Chapter 0593: Violet Resonant Tree Brooch A Golden Resonant Tree Brooch! Even Li Luo''s eyes lit up with desire. He had longed for one for so long. The Golden Resonant Tree Brooch could passively improve one''s resonance quality, which made it like an endless source of Spirit Liquids and Purifying Lights. Of course, it was not as potent as an individual bottle of Spirit Liquid, but over time, the effects would accumulate very nicely. Besides, it was not an either-or situation. It could perfectly complement any Spirit Liquid and Purifying Light he could get his hands on, and double the effects. Truly a cultivation treasure. A treasure of this level was too rare to be found even in the Golden Dragon Bank, and its price would be far beyond even a gold-eye treasured artifact. "Besides its resonance artificing powers, the Academic Federation has also put an Eternal Youth Blessing on it, which activates when the holder is seriously injured. It will rapidly regenerate one''s energy and heal wounds in a short period of time," Elder Ling Yu explained. The additional effect of the Golden Resonant Tree Brooches was unexpected. A coo of envy spread through the crowd. The Eternal Youth Blessing could be a lifesaver. Imagine two equally-matched opponents wearing each other down to the bone, and then one of them regenerated completely. What despair the opponent would feel! Three Golden Resonant Tree Brooches floated down to Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and the First Princess. One of them landed in the First Princess'' hands. "And since Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo from the Astral Sage College were also awarded the strongest student titles, they each have two Golden Resonant Tree Brooches. As per the rules, you may choose to trade them for a Violet Resonant Tree Brooch, which is higher in quality," Elder Ling Yu said with a smile. "Keke, Violet Resonant Tree Brooches are even rarer than Golden Resonant Tree Brooches, and they have even more mystical properties. There are very few of them in the East Divine Continent." "Violet Resonant Tree Brooch!" The other students discussed it excitedly and enviously. "They haven''t given one out in decades! Two in this meet?!" "Yeah, two Golden Resonant Tree Brooches for one violet one is too tough a condition to meet." Those who were awarded the strongest student title could get a Golden Resonant Tree Brooch, and then they would have to win the mixed-level competition to get a second one to trade for a Violet Resonant Tree Brooch. Anyone who could win such a thing would have to be far ahead of their peers, which was an extraordinarily difficult achievement. "Would the two of you prefer two golden brooches, or one violet one?" Elder Ling Yu asked Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. They shared a look, and instantly decided to make the trade. And so Elder Ling Yu waved his long sleeves again, and the Golden Resonant Tree Brooches disappeared. Now two violet nimbuses of energy landed before the pair. Li Luo saw that the new brooch was similar in design to the last, although the carvings were even more intricate than before. Also, there was a purple eye in the middle of it. A violet-eye treasured artifact! Li Luo''s heart leaped. A support violet-eye treasured artifact... If he brought it to the Golden Dragon Bank to sell, it would net him a fortune. Violet-eye treasured artifacts were so rare that even Dukes coveted them, especially one that would support cultivation. Li Luo had never possessed something so powerful before. "The two of you, place your blood essence within them, and then they will be yours. If they are taken away by force, the treasure will self-destruct immediately," Elder Ling Yu told them. A Violet Resonant Tree Brooch was too rare a treasure for people of their power level to hold. Jiang Qing''e might be able to put up some defense, but a Resonant Master like Li Luo would be food for anybody. The Academic Federation had foreseen that, and they had taken measures to prevent the holder from being robbed and attacked. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e immediately pricked their fingers and summoned a drop of blood essence, which they marked their Violet Resonant Tree Brooches with. Both felt a tingle as a powerful connection was made between them and their treasures, and they sensed the power of the brooches. "Resonant artificing. "Spirit deposit. "Eternal Oak Armor." Resonant artificing was the basic power that even the golden brooches had. Li Luo carefully studied the spirit deposit function. This was related to one''s resonance quality too, although it worked a little differently from resonant artificing. It would drain away the energy accumulated within the brooch to produce a powerful artificing energy that boosted one''s resonance quality. The effects of spirit deposit were far stronger than the passive resonant artificing process. However, each use of spirit deposit would reset the energy within the brooch, putting it on a long cooldown. It would even reduce the effects of resonant artificing for some time after each use. Li Luo was still euphoric. The effects of spirit deposit were much stronger than resonant artificing anyway. For example, if he reached the Earth Fiend Stage and got his third resonant palace, he could use spirit deposit to immediately push his third resonance up to a decent grade. Surely a sixth-grade resonance was not too much to ask for. That would save him a lot of time and energy. Li Luo next looked at the Eternal Oak Armor. Compared to the Golden Resonant Tree Brooch''s Eternal Youth Blessing, the Eternal Oak Armor was even stronger. Once activated, it would shield the user with a mighty wooden armor. It was defensive, but it also applied the same regenerative effects as the Eternal Youth Blessing. It was truly the upgraded version of the Eternal Youth Blessing, adding defense on top of healing. It was the ultimate safety mechanism. Li Luo''s eyes were ready to pop out of their sockets, and he checked his mouth for saliva dripping out. A violet-eye treasured artifact was something else indeed. These three powers combined far exceeded any gold-eye treasured artifact you could ask for. Although the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch did not have offensive abilities, these three powers would enable him greatly. That was the beauty of the broochit provided a universally welcome boost. He reached out with a trembling hand, and the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch landed in his palm. Li Luo saw a corresponding violet leaf mark appear on his hand. "The Academic Federation really is generous," Li Luo thought to himself happily. No faction in the Xia Kingdom could possibly give out a treasure like this. He turned around to look at Jiang Qing''e, who was smiling broadly, out of character for the plump swan that he knew. On the dais, Elder Ling Yu spoke again. "This iteration of the mixed-level competition has been highly unusual. In light of these difficult and strange circumstances, and in acknowledgment of our student heroes who have risen up to the challenge, the Academic Federation has decided to hand out additional rewards." This got enthusiastic cheers from the entire crowd. That was more like it! With risk should come proportional rewards! Elder Ling Yu smiled down at all of them, and concluded his speech. "With this, the current iteration of the Holy Grail Meet has come to a happy ending. I wish all of you the best in your cultivation journeys, and may you all reach Duke and beyond." The students bowed in respect to Elder Ling Yu. Li Luo bent low at the waist as well, then he straightened up to share a huge smile with Jiang Qing''e. The Holy Grail Meet was over. Although to them, the dangers of the future loomed ever closer on the horizon. Chapter 0594: Going Home The Holy Grail Meet had concluded happily for all concerned. Next, all the schools were going to leave. In the courtyard, the students were divided up into their schools, but there was a lot of cross-talking as they made their farewells. Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and the First Princess were thronged by the Astral Sage College students, and of course they were being cheered on like crazy. Such was the adoration of the students for their heroes. If not for Jiang Qing''es reserved and aloof reputation and the First Princess'' status as royalty, they would already have been thrown into the air in celebration. "Li Luo, how does it feel to be famous throughout the East Divine Continent?" Lu Qing''er asked with a sunny smile. His handsome looks and silver hair marked him with an exotic handsomeness, and many girls from other schools had been looking at him openly since a while ago. Li Luo smiled back modestly at the beautiful girl. "I just went along for a ride. It was Her Highness and Qing''e who made sure we won." Lu Qing''er scrunched up her mouth. "Hmm, that would usually be the case. But somehow, I feel like that isn''t the truth." "Why is that?" Li Luo asked, eyes wide and innocent. Lu Qing''er just smiled at him. "No real reason. A woman''s instinct." Li Luo cringed inside. Damn, he had created a perfect cover, all for it to be ruined by womanly instinct? Was his light already so bright that it could not be hidden? "Li Luo, you were just lucky to have Senior Jiang and Her Highness with you. A lucky dog getting luckily good results," a sour voice stated. Li Luo turned to see Duze Beixuan. Li Luo beamed gratefully at him upon hearing those salty words. Thank goodness there were still normal people around. Duze Beixuan thought he was being mocked, and his hackles immediately rose. "You cocky little..." "If someone was crowned champion across the continent and still couldn''t be cocky, then when could they ever feel proud?" someone beside him asked. Duze Beixuan turned to see Li Luo''s teammate, Xin Fu, and jumped. When had this mysterious guy appeared beside him? "Haha, as incisive as always, Xin Fu. Where did you go just now? I didn''t see you at all," Li Luo asked. Xin Fu looked at him morosely. "I was waving at you throughout." Li Luo jumped. "Er, really? Well! Erm, your shadow resonance is getting better and better by the day." Xin Fu said nothing, but he quietly made another note in his heart. "Leader, can the rest of the Fairness & Justice Squad ride your coattails to greatness?" A girlish face popped up behind Xin Fu, fresh as a flower. She was looking at Li Luo with large, liquid eyes filled with adoration. Who else but Bai Mengmeng could be this cute? Being praised by someone this cute, it was hard not to let it get to his head. "Li Luo, the dual name of Luo-Lang is rising in reputation. They expect great things of us," Yu Lang boomed, slapping Li Luo hard on the back as he turned him away from the adoring gaze of Bai Mengmeng. "Yes," Li Luo said lazily, "I hope the Lang half holds up his side of the name as well. I highly admire your potential, so after this, I intend to make a personal and urgent request to Vice Principal Su Xin to send you to the Umbra Cave to cultivate for half a year to develop that potential. When you come out, our name will be famous throughout the Xia Kingdom." "Fuck, that''s cruel!" Yu Lang jerked his hand back quickly, as though Li Luo were covered in spiders and lizards. He quickly yielded space to Bai Mengmeng. Bai Mengmeng blinked, then she continued chatting with Li Luo, ignoring what had just happened. Yu Lang stood forlornly at the side, closing his eyes in pain. "Oh, my dream girl..." "Your what?" Yu Lang jumped, then he cracked open one eye nervously. "Oh... er, my dream goal was achieved by Li Luo before I could! Haha! Oh noo...." Bai Doudou glared at him. "I think Li Luo''s suggestion was superb. The Umbra Cave is a good place to train someone up. If you stayed there for half a year, you''d improve a lot. Yu Lang, you only have a sixth-grade wind resonance. If you don''t work twice as hard as others, you''re not going to see results." She suddenly sighed, speaking more softly. "You can''t compare to your friend in either background or talent. If this keeps up, you''ll be left further and further behind. I don''t doubt that Li Luo will think no less of you, but the dynamic of your friendship will inevitably change." Yu Lang looked at her in surprise. This short-haired amazon was not as beautiful as her younger sister, but she had her own charms. "If you think I''m belittling you, then just ignore me," Bai Doudou said snappily, reading Yu Lang''s surprise as discomfort. "Oh, that level of insult, belittle me? You underestimate how thick Yu Langs skin is," he said, hurriedly shaking his head. "I''m just surprised that Leader cares that much about my future." "It''s my job as your leader to manage your health and progress. It benefits the squad, and it would help us if you were stronger as well." Yu Lang nodded glumly. "Thanks, Leader. All that you say, I already know. My family is modest, and I''ve only come this far thanks to humble methods and scraping together meager resources. Li Luo comes from a different background, but he has never looked down on me because of it. He is a good friend, a true friend. But you are right as wellI should try harder so I''m not left behind. "Perhaps it''s time for me to consider Mentor Mi Er''s proposal." Bai Doudou looked at the uncharacteristically serious Yu Lang. He was usually jolly and carefree, but he did have a serious side to him when the situation called for it. "Mentor Mi Er''s suggestion is very extreme. It''s risky," she warned him. Mentor Mi Er had become a Duke with a sixth-grade resonance, a highly unusual feat among the many mentors of the Astral Sage College. He also favored Yu Lang, a highly unusual opinion to have. Perhaps he saw a younger version of what he used to be. Only, if Yu Lang wished to walk the same path as Mentor Mi Er, then he was in for a steep challenge. Yu Lang nodded with a smile. This world was full of commoners trying to chase the geniuses. If he didn''t risk his life to go for it, how could he ever hope to stand out? While Bai Doudou and Yu Lang were discussing the future, someone else had pushed their way through the crowd to reach Li Luo. Lu Ming. Tall and slender, with her alabaster complexion and cool confidence, Lu Ming moved through the crowd that parted before the famous illusion-lightning dual resonance user. Beside her was an escort, the Heavenly Inferno Sage College''s Zhao Beili. Lu Ming walked straight up to Li Luo. "Li Luo, I''ve come to say farewell, although I don''t know when we might meet again. I am very interested in your dual resonances as well. I hope we can share more knowledge on it again." Beside her, Zhao Beili looked extremely displeased by the way the conversation had begun. He shot a warning glare at Li Luo. This kid might be handsome, but Lu Ming was not acting how she usually did. She was as distant as the moon in school, but after spending a short time with Li Luo, the two had already built a relationship. Luckily, the Holy Grail Meet was ending soon, thank the heavens. Otherwise, they''d be married already. The moment he saw Lu Ming make her way over to the Astral Sage College side, he had accompanied her immediately. Li Luo smiled back at her. "Lightning-illusion is a much stronger combination than water and wood," he said graciously. It was true. Li Luo was quite envious of the versatility that her combination afforded her. Used well, it could confound any opponent. "Watch yourself. Hopefully, you''ll have reached the third level of dual resonances the next time we meet. I sense I''m getting close myself." Her eyes swept once across the coolly smiling Lu Qing''er, then she turned to leave. Li Luo waved to her retreating back. "Li Luo, what charms you have. It''s been such a short time, and already the ice flower of the Heavenly Inferno Sage College has come to settle in the garden of the Astral Sage College," Lu Qing''er said sweetly even while she ground her teeth. Li Luo waved it away modestly. "Not at all, not at all." Lu Qing''er sighed. Men couldnt be too handsome, or they would attract too much honey. The final event was the handing over of the Dragon Bone Holy Grail to the Astral Sage College, which proceeded smoothly, and then the various school leaders led their own students away. Chapter 0595: Holy Tree Marrow Crystal Chapter 0595: Holy Tree Marrow Crystal When Li Luo saw the familiar gigantic Tree of Resonant Power of the Astral Sage College, he felt a sense of relief. He was home. The Holy Grail Meet had lasted about a month from start to finish. Objectively speaking, it was not a very long time, but it had felt like forever. Li Luo was shaken out of his reminiscing by loud cheers that shook the entire area. "Senior Gong is the best!" "Senior Jiang is the best!" "Li Luo is the best at being lucky!" Li Luo turned to see the entire student body of the Astral Sage College gathered. They were cheering their hearts out for the returning champions. Evidently, the results had beaten them back. The entire school was in a madly festive mood. They, the Astral Sage College, had won the Holy Grail Meet! The honor was enough to stir pride in the heart of every student. And of course, the three who had made it possible were hailed as heroes. Li Luo alone was sulky. How come the others were the "best" while he was only the "best at being lucky?! They made it seem as though Jiang Qing''e had made him hot milk and the First Princess had tucked him into bed, and then the two girls had gone out to win the whole thing without him. The Violet Vibrance mentors had come over as well, to offer congratulations and other appreciative words for their efforts. Vice Principal Su Xin beckoned for Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and the First Princess to come to her. "These three are the ones responsible for our win," she gushed. She then called out the names of three mentors, including Chi Chan. These three were the mentors of the winners. Since their students had done such a great job, of course the mentors had to be credited as well. The school would remember both, and grant rewards accordingly. Li Luo looked at his mentor, still clad in her usual black with a veil over her face. She looked at Li Luo with a glint of approval in her eyes. Strongest One Star Hall student. It spoke of Li Luo''s eclipsing talent and ability. In all her years of mentorship, this was the best result that one of her students had ever achieved. "Vice Principal, since these three kids have done so well, the school cannot be stingy with the rewards," Chi Chan said lightly. Vice Principal Su Xin smiled at her. "What does Mentor Chi Chan suggest?" Chi Chan turned to the three of them and said in a serious tone, "Winning the Holy Grail Meet is not just about reputation and glory. Holding the Dragon Bone Holy Grail will ease the burden on the school for the next four years, saving countless student lives. The weight of your contribution cannot be overstated." She paused. "I suggest that each of them be granted a Holy Tree Marrow Crystal. An alarmed murmur spread through the Violet Vibrance mentors, and even Vice Principal Su Xin looked surprised. This was a huge reaction from the Duke experts, and Li Luo had to ask Jiang Qing''e about it. "What is a Holy Tree Marrow Crystal?" It was the First Princess who answered him. "The Tree of Resonant Power absorbs worldly natural energy. It then produces its own energy that is stored as crystals, which naturally is the purest and strongest form of energy that it can produce. Even Dukes would want such a good thing. "As far as I know, it is exceedingly rare, and each Violet Vibrance mentor in our school is only granted two Holy Tree Marrow Crystals per year. It is the most sought-after object for the Gold Gleam mentors, but because of the rarity, they are not allocated any unless they do something special that the school wishes to reward. "It is especially good for you and Qing''e," the First Princess said with a knowing smile. "Because the Holy Tree Marrow Crystal has an additional breakthrough power imbued within it, suited for those with many more stages to cross." Li Luo immediately perked up with interest. "Breakthrough power?" Did this mean it could help him move from the Resonant Master Stage to the Earth Fiend Stage? No wonder even the exalted Violet Vibrance mentors coveted such an object. "There are so few Holy Tree Marrow Crystals that every Duke expert in the Xia Kingdom wants one. But such objects are rarely circulated outside of the school. If even the school''s own Violet Vibrance mentors can''t get enough, how could they ever reach the Dukes outside? The occasional one appears at the Golden Dragon Bank''s auctions, and each one always fetches tens of millions easily." "Mentor Chi Chan must be very fond of you, to fight for such a treasure on your behalf," the First Princess said with a laugh. Li Luo was burning up with excitement, and he looked in Mentor Chi Chan''s direction gratefully. He was a Fourth Changing now, the peak of the Resonant Master stage. Next, he would have to fight the ceiling for the difficult breakthrough to the Earth Fiend Stage. Only then would his power grow significantly. And a Holy Tree Marrow Crystal would definitely help him out a lot. "Keke, Mentor Chi Chan," an oily voice replied, "the three of them have indeed done the school a great service. I, too, would heartily recommend a generous reward for them. However, the Holy Tree Marrow Crystal is such a unique reward, and there are so few of them that even we Violet Vibrance mentors fight over them. More importantly, the Gold Gleam mentors strongly desire them as well, and we grant them none although they play an important role in holding up the school and dedicate their lives to bettering the students. Perhaps a different reward would be more appropriate?" Li Luo turned around angrily to see that bastard Shen Jinxiao stepping forward. "Son of a bitch! One day, I''ll have my sword in hand and cut down the Shen dog!" On the surface, Li Luo showed polite acknowledgment of Shen Jinxiao''s words, but he had already stabbed him a thousand times in his mind. Shen Jinxiao must have sensed the undercurrent of hostility from Li Luo, and he turned to him with a thin smile. "Li Luo, I''m not saying this to bring you down. However, Holy Tree Marrow Crystals are very advanced objects... too advanced for some of you, I fear. If you use it, you will be squandering its power. I suggest you choose other rewards, and the school will not shortchange you, of course." Shen Jinxiao''s words had some of the other Violet Vibrance mentors nodding as well. Holy Tree Marrow Crystals were too scant and precious. If three pieces were given out here, it would affect their own supply for sure. Indeed, the three students had done the school a great service, but Shen Jinxiao had put forward reasonable considerations. It would be overkill to use such a resource on a Resonant Master. They were not against rewarding Li Luo and the others richly, but there were definitely other rewards suited to them. "Their deeds warrant commensurate merit," Chi Chan said primly. "I do not think that there can be any contribution more important to the school than carrying home the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. Nor is it up to us to decide what is a waste and what is not. They can decide how best to use what is given to them." "Mentor Chi Chan speaks well. Bringing the Dragon Bone Holy Grail home contributes more to school than even us Violet Vibrance mentors, I daresay." The middle-aged woman who had spoken out had fire-red hair and a fierce face to match. "And if even we are given two pieces a year, why shouldn''t they be given one?" This was Jiang Qing''e''s mentor, Huo Xu. The other Violet Vibrance mentors gave up almost immediately. Mentor Huo Xu''s temper was legendary, and fighting with her never ended well. Shen Jinxiao was the only one who seemed willing to continue arguing, but Vice Principal Su Xin cut him off with a gesture to keep the peace. "We will table this discussion. However, you have my assurances that the rewards will be good. "Mentors, please lead your students back. I am sure they are tired from the competition. Do allow them to rest." With this, the argument among the Violet Vibrance mentors came to an end. Vice Principal Su Xin suddenly looked over at Li Luo and gave him a small smile. "Li Luo, you come with me." There was general surprise at this command, and even Shen Jinxiao narrowed his eyes curiously. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e spoke briefly, then he obediently went over to Vice Principal Su Xin''s side. Chapter 0596: The Secret Chapter 0596: The Secret Within Vice Principal Su Xin''s office. Li Luo was quietly sitting at attention for once, looking extremely eager and honest. Vice Principal Su Xin couldn''t help but smile at this sight. "There''s no need to put on an act in front of me. I''m sure that you''ve taken all of Mentor Shen Jinxiao''s words to heart... and want to repay him in some way." Anxiously shaking his head in response, he said, "Vice Principal, you shouldn''t malign me! Everyone knows that I, Li Luo, am exceptionally filial towards my teachers. Although Mentor Shen Jinxiao is heartless, vain, cruel, and all around terrible, I truly DO respect him from the depths of my heart." "The Holy Tree Marrow Crystal is an exceptional cultivation resource that even Violet Vibrance mentors desire. Thus, Mentor Shen Jinxiao merely voiced what was on everyone''s minds," Su Xin explained. Li Luo continued to innocently sit by, only giving a frank reply. "But I feel that our efforts are deserving of the reward... Cough! We almost died for it after all..." He clearly expressed his covetous desire for the Holy Tree Marrow Crystal. Vice Principal Su Xin gracefully took a seat, even taking the initiative to pour Li Luo a piping hot cup of tea. "Truly a straightforward brat." Taking the words as a compliment, he grinned. "It''s only because I trust you, Vice Principal Su Xin. You''re the one teacher that all the students of the Astral Sage College adore! In fact, you''re even more trustworthy than that old man Principal Pang Pang. When it comes to rewards and punishment, there is no one better fit to make a judgment!" Su Xin helplessly shook her head. "Li Luo, your silver and honeyed tongue causes me to feel concern for all the innocent girls that will inevitably be tricked by you." Cough. Well, Vice Principal, I''m already an engaged man. You can''t slander me like this!" "Your engagement? Jiang Qing''e dotes on you way too much. There''s no way she''ll be able to keep you in check." Not deigning to continue bickering with a child, she took a long sip of her tea. "You can relax. You have done the college an immeasurable service. I won''t keep such simple rewards like three Holy Tree Marrow Crystals from you. If you truly want one that much, I''ll give the order to have some sent to you immediately." "Wow! Thank you, Vice Principal!" "The mixed-level competition was exceptionally dangerous this time around. You have paid no small price to eke out a victory and bring honor to our college. How can we mistreat you?" Su Xin sighed. Thinking back to the events at the Red Clay Province, Li Luo couldn''t help but to ask, "Vice Principal, I''ve always had this thought at the back of my mind. Could the Other Disaster of the Blackwind Empire have been caused by human hands? That crimson knight-general clearly belongs to some sort of mysterious faction." Su Xin''s expression turned grave, but she did not hide anything from him. "Your mixed-level competition was closely observed by numerous experts from the sage colleges. The appearance of the crimson knight-general and his fusion with an Other has also caused Elder Ling Yu significant concern. His expression changed upon seeing it, and he even blurted out their name. The Origin Reversion Institution." "What? That''s the faction?" "It''s not just any faction. It''s a terrifying and titanic organization possessing monstrous might. You simply cannot comprehend the terror they can inflict upon the world. However, the Origin Reversion Institute is usually only found on the Central Divine Continent. Who would have expected them to spread their tendrils upon the East Divine Continent? It looks like the wheels have started turning once again. They can be considered the nemesis of the Academic Federation. No... perhaps it''s more apt to say that their beliefs and ours are as incompatible as fire and water." "What sorts of beliefs?" Li Luo tentatively asked. "Mankind is full of different factions with differing approaches to dealing with the Others. The faster we can come to a consensus, the better. After all, you''ve seen the horrifying devastation the Others can bring. " Li Luo nodded solemnly. He had personally witnessed Others devouring humans like livestock in the Red Clay Province. Even the most stalwart and ironhearted individuals would be filled with fury upon that sight. The Others did not possess any form of conscience or mercy, they were simply the agglomeration of negative emotions. The more of which were born from the human race, the better for them. Their existence was a source of disaster for all. "However, the Origin Reversion Institute is not the same. They wish to coexist with the Others. In their eyes, the Others are simply the manifestations of the dark side of humanity. They claim that they are still a part of humanity and have only been temporarily separated from our true selves. As a result, the human race has declined by not embracing them! After all, the human race was incomparably glorious in the past. Thus, to reclaim that prosperity, one would have to fuse with two. This is the true meaning of their chant, the reversion to one''s so-called origins to bring about their true form. The crimson knight-general you met had utilized such means to strengthen himself," Vice Principal Su Xin accurately explained. Li Luo''s expression changed for the worse. "A bunch of lunatics." "Yes, they truly are lunatics. In order to allow for more Others to descend upon our world, they have constantly attempted to crack apart the borders separating the worlds. They incite Other Disasters and wreak destruction before culminating in an attempt to fuse with the strongest Others. This allows them to find their true forms." At this point, traces of killing intent gushed out of Vice Principal Su Xin uncontrollably. "They don''t care for the people dying for their goals. It''s just a mere number. So long as they can attain their true form, nothing else matters, not even lives." These words cause a frown to form upon Li Luo''s face. A bunch of madmen were inciting disasters around the world whilst countless Kings and Dukes were forced to enter the Nobles'' Battlefield to block the Others from descending upon humanity. At the same time, these crazy bastards continued to drag their feet and were even releasing vile Others onto the unsuspecting innocent. Truly an infuriating thought! "Aren''t there any peak experts who can get rid of these cancerous tumors?" Li Luo asked curiously. "The strength of the Origin Reversion Institute far exceeds your imagination. Even if the Academic Federation brings their full force to bear, they are unlikely to wipe them off the face of the world. Furthermore, they''d take the opportunity to burrow themselves even deeper. They are an extremely insidious group, and no one knows the extent to which they have infiltrated the ranks of the valiant. You simply can''t tell who belongs to their faction. They are a sleeping dragon, and even I fear the thought of facing them." Vice Principal Su Xin sighed lightly. Li Luo could feel a chill run down his spine. This sort of information was way out of his grade! In the eyes of the Origin Reversion Institute, House Luolan was no more than an ant. Even the Xia Kingdom could be completely destroyed if they so wished. The Blackwind Empire was a history lesson for all to see. An empire no more powerful than the Xia Kingdom could be devastated by the Origin Reversion Institute without difficulty. This was a true peak faction of the world. Li Luo heaved another sigh. Forget about it. This problem was not something that a puny Resonant Master should be concerned about. He''d leave it in the capable hands of the powerhouses of the Academic Federation. Vice Principal Su Xin did not continue to speak on the topic. Knowing more only added unnecessary stress upon the individual. The Origin Reversion Institute was not something that the Astral Sage College could afford to scuffle with. "In any case, let''s move on. Might you have guessed why you''re here?" She flashed Li Luo a smile. Li Luo''s mind raced through countless possibilities, but he opted to remain silent. Vice Principal Su Xin opened up her palm, and a blinding radiance emitted from an object within her grasp. It was a dark-golden chalice the size of a palm. There was a golden dragon sculpted upon it, the tail and the head formed the handles of the chalice. An indescribable sense of suppression exuded from its very presence. It seemed as though tremors were occurring throughout the room in its very presence. At that very moment, the roar of a dragon from ancient times echoed through his mind, seemingly transcending through space and time to arrive at his very location. Li Luo seemed a little shellshocked as he continued to stare at the chalice, his heart trembling and his eyes wide. This was the artifact they had been fighting for. The legendary Dragon Bone Holy Grail. Chapter 0597: Completed Heavenly Libation Chant Chapter 0597: Completed Heavenly Libation Chant "The Dragon Bone Holy Grail. Your biggest reward from the Holy Grail Meet." Vice Principal Su Xin gave a wry smile as she grasped the chalice. Her voice was filled with emotion. "This is the object that countless sage colleges throughout the East Divine Continent have struggled over. We are lucky to have you here, to have obtained this. Our college can now suppress the Umbra Cave with it, bringing about a period of peace." Li Luo''s gaze flashed and he replied without hesitation, "That''s too much credit! I''m just a mere hoodlum riding upon the coattails of Qing''e and the First Princess." "You don''t need to play dumb with me around." Vice Principal Su Xin grinned as she beckoned at the red bracelet around Li Luo''s wrist. "So how did the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s power feel?" A look of dismay and that of being wronged hung on his face. He had never expected anyone else to know this secret. "Principal Pang told me about it," she explained curtly. "However, I had my doubts when he chose you, a new student from the One Star Hall. On the contrary, he had confidently assured me that you would be the reason that the college would return in triumph with the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. I suppose what''s truly shocking is that his prediction came true to the very letter." Li Luo gave a bitter smile. "Well, this is just borrowed strength, a silver bullet in a time of needit doesn''t count for much." He truly did not think much of this trump card. The only reason he had been able to defeat the crimson knight-general was due to the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s borrowed strength. It was all external aid. "There''s no need to unnecessarily humble yourself. This sort of power is not something that just anyone is able to control. An ordinary Resonant Master would never be able to harness the power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, as its influence would drive them to the depths of insanity. If you were replaced with someone like Zhu Xuan... Well, the best case scenario is that he would be directly seduced by its almighty power, losing all sense of rationality and turning into a puppet only capable of mindless slaughter. Your ability to remain calm and take advantage of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf is the most important part. The Heavenly Libation Chant is just a key to this power, nothing more. Your personal ability is what allows you to effectively control it. The Principal has always been exceptionally discerning. He could tell from a glance that you were someone with the capability to wield this." Li Luo scratched his head awkwardly. Who was this person Vice Principal Su Xin was complimenting? It definitely couldn''t be him! "Well, I didn''t actually fully control the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s power. I had to pay a price, and without Sister Qing''e''s assistance, I probably wouldn''t be standing here right now. Im pretty sure of that too..." "Regardless, you''ve performed magnificently. As a Resonant Master, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s influence and power is nothing to scoff at," Su Xin continued while lightly shaking her head. At this moment, she raised her palm and the Dragon Bone Holy Grail floated before Li Luo. "Principal Pang is unable to leave the Umbra Cave at the moment and thus he has entrusted me to resolve the other half of the promise he made to you." The pocket sphere on her wrist was activated, and a jade slip appeared, which she placed before Li Luo. "This is the other half of the Heavenly Libation Chant. With this, you should be able to fully harness the entire strength of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. However, I must remind you that using this power too often is playing with fire. You have to remain disciplined and alert." Li Luo gleefully received the art, channeling his resonant power into it. Familiar information poured into his mind, completing the Heavenly Libation Chant which he had desperately sought to attain. Storing away the jade slip, he now turned his gaze towards the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. Now that he had received the benefits, it was time to pay the price. Yet he still had no idea why Principal Pang had wanted his blood essence. Countless possibilities ran through Li Luo''s mind, but nothing made sense. Without further hesitation, he took out a small blade and pierced his thumb with it, letting rivulets of fresh blood fall upon the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. This chalice seemed to possess some unmentioned mysteries. It was clearly an object that held a massive pocket dimension; however, the droplets of blood did not disappear into the void as expected. Instead, it seemed to have turned into an unremarkable everyday cup, gradually filling up with blood. Half a minute later, dear Li Luo''s face started turning pale as blood continued to flow out of him like a tap. A momentary sense of weakness shrouded him when he finally stopped providing blood essence. Vice Principal Su Xin retrieved the Dragon Bone Holy Grail and carefully stored it away before reminding him, "Don''t tell anyone about this. Anything to do with Principal Pang will undoubtedly attract unwanted attention. Even a mere rumor could lead to unwanted stalking and supervision." Li Luo nodded knowingly. "Vice Principal, now that we have the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, will Principal Pang finally take the stage within the college?" This question was met with a deep sigh. "I''m afraid things are not as easy as you might think. There are some specific troubles within the depths of the Umbra Cave that cannot be extricated from so easily. As a result, Principal Pang has been kept busy for many years. However, with the assistance of the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, he will definitely have a much easier time. And with some preparations, it''s not impossible." Hearing these words brought Li Luo a sense of regret for the principal. Just who knew how long these "preparations" could take? "Vice Principal Su Xin, now that I''ve victoriously returned with this, would you say that the college owes me a favor?" A sneaky glint flickered through Li Luo''s eyes as he grinned like a cat that got the cream. Vice Principal Su Xin smiled. "Well, didn''t I promise a Holy Tree Marrow Crystal in return?" "We''ll talk about that in time." Li Luo was quick to reply. "So, what do you want?" No longer beating around the bush, Li Luo honestly explained himself. "Well, I would like to seek the Astral Sage College''s support for House Luolan." The upcoming Housemeet would be the culmination of hidden plots and machinations. The hidden powers causing trouble were mighty, and Dukes would likely make an appearance. Although House Luolan had the assistance of Uncle Biao, he wasn''t in peak condition and was merely one man... Based on Li Luo''s expectations, the opponents he would be facing would consist of House Duze, House Jiyan, and the rest. Additionally, the mysterious House Lanling specialized in assassinations and covert intelligence. If someone were to pay a sufficient price, they would undoubtedly intervene as well. Even the friendly House Jinque could not be fully trusted. Ties of friendship were weak and easily broken, and the crux of the relationship was built on the graces of his parents presence. Considering that they had disappeared for untold years, who knew how things would have changed? As a result, all of the other four great houses were opponents he had to be wary of. One had to also take note of the Xia Kingdom''s royal court and take the necessary precautions. Even though the First Princess'' faction was on good terms with him, they could not be compared with the Regent''s side just yet. Just the thought of the Regent caused Li Luo to feel a faint premonition of danger. As a result, both he and Jiang Qing''e had opted to stay as far away as they could. Conversely, they had no idea where the Regent stood when it came to the Housemeet, especially with their limited interactions. Hearing Li Luo''s words caused Vice Principal Su Xin to go silent. She did not seem to be surprised in any way, and it was clear that she had expected this. After a moment of consideration, she gradually shook her head. A gentle sigh came from Su Xin before she reluctantly replied, "Li Luo, you must know that I am incredibly sorry. I truly want to assist you. Unfortunately, the Astral Sage College is an independent party, and we definitely cannot be embroiled into the Xia Kingdom''s internal turmoil. Thus, the Astral Sage College will be unable to assist you when it comes to House Luolan''s Housemeet." Chapter 0598: Royal Engraving Li Luo did not feel too disappointed at Vice Principal Su Xin''s words as it was within his expectations. The Astral Sage College could not simply get rid of their stance of neutrality built over countless years on the whim of a single student, even though he had made exceptional contributions. "Sigh. I guess two of the most talented students of the Astral Sage College might very well just vanish off the face of the world in two months time..." Li Luo sighed pitifully, a look of depression on his face. Vice Principal Su Xin couldn''t help but feel a tinge of pity even as she stared at the melancholic and handsome youth who was clearly putting on a play. Feeling helpless, she spoke out. "You don''t have to be all doom and gloom. Although House Luolan may be coveted by a pack of hyenas, I refuse to believe Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan didn''t leave any sort of preparation for this eventuality. Furthermore, if you''re truly unable to hold on, I can assure you that no matter how dangerous the situation is, no one in the Xia Kingdom will be able to harm you if Jiang Qing''e and you can make your way into the Astral Sage College." Although the college was unable to take sides or be implicated in the underhanded politics of the kingdom, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were still exceptional students. So long as they continued to hold this identity, the college would protect them to no end. Practically speaking, the college wouldn''t really offer this sort of treatment to just any student. However, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had proven their value and potential and were definitely worth the cost. It would serve as a deterrent as well. "House Luolan is the product of my parents blood, sweat, and tears! It would be a shame if it were to crumble into dust in my very hands. It truly seems like we''ve been an incompetent couple." Li Luo sighed. "When there''s life, there''s still hope," Vice Principal Su Xin patiently chided. "Even though Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan have disappeared and their whereabouts and status are unknown, no one can truly say for sure that they will not return in the future. Plus, you and Jiang Qing''e have potential and talent that is no worse than theirs. You two entering the Duke stage is merely a matter of time. Once that''s done, you''ll once again be a house with two Dukes, and rebuilding House Luolan and taking revenge will not be too hard. Who in the Xia Kingdom could stop you? Thus, there is no need to struggle bitterly to the end. Take a step back and give up the present for greater victories in the future. Frankly speaking, although the businesses that House Luolan own aren''t that small, there''s no need for you and Jiang Qing''e to care too much about it. So long as you possess cultivation strength and true power, that''s what will really matter for House Luolan in the long run." Su Xin''s care and concern for Li Luo was obvious as she patiently explained the situation. Stubbornly tying one''s life to their house was the only foolish decision they could choose to take! Li Luo nodded and smiled. "Vice Principal, you can rest assured. I''m not the sort that would run into a brick wall headfirst. If the situation takes a turn for the worse, we''ll definitely give up on the house, and we will truly need your protection if that happens." Su Xin heaved a sigh of relief. "So long as you are able to step into the college grounds, even the royal court would be unable to force us to give you up. In such a situation, House Luolan would probably be gone and there wouldn''t be any issues with protecting you. Even if your opponents wanted to get rid of the roots, they''d realize that it can''t be done. If they still continue to disregard us and attempt something funny... Well, we''d take it as a provocation and show them why the college is where it is today." Cold and tyrannical aura could be felt from her, contrasting against her gentle and warm smile. Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo were two fine seedlings whom she had taken a fancy to. Plus, they had contributed immensely to the college. Unfortunately, due to the school''s stance of neutrality and what she represented, she could not go against the flow. Otherwise, if the request was not too outrageous, she would definitely have been able and more than willing to provide some assistance. This was also a form of investment in them. Both of these students would hold exceptional value once cultivated. "Then I will have to thank you sincerely." Li Luo expressed his gratitude honestly. He understood that this was the extent to which Vice Principal Su Xin was able to assist. These rules of neutrality were set by the Academic Federation, and a mere vice principal could not upend them as she pleased. The Academic Federation might be a lofty and far away concept, but they had plenty of means to ensure compliance. If, for example, they reduced the cultivation resources provided to a college, that would cause massive ripples throughout the student body. Thus, Li Luo did not resent her decision. In fact, the college could be said to have treated them extremely well! Especially if one considered the situation with Jiang Qing''e. She had been identified as a ninth-grade light resonance user early in her life and possessed infinite potential. As a result, she was subject to the countless machinations of House Luolan''s enemies. If the school had not provided a safe haven and duly protected her, perhaps even a Duke expert might have shown up to get rid of her. Vice Principal Su Xin had made her intentions clear. The college would not protect House Luolan, but if the duo were in danger, the school would guarantee their safety within their means. This was an escape route for them, another path of survival. Pushing for any more benefits would infringe upon the vice principal''s graces and would ruin the current relationship between them. Vice Principal Su Xin waved her hand towards Li Luo to indicate that this conversation would come to an end. She then swiped at the pocket sphere on her wrist and a green scroll appeared in her hand. The scroll was crafted from a strong spirit beast''s hide. Mysterious and enchanting engravings of light could be seen on it, flowing across constantly and seemingly bringing the object to life. More importantly, a terrifying sense of suppression could be felt emanating from it. Vice Principal Su Xin flicked her finger, and the scroll unraveled before Li Luo''s very eyes, greeting him with a sight for sore eyes. One could feel surging resonance power within the green scroll constantly churning and emitting a blinding radiance. Within the radiance, a green feather of energy seemed to have taken physical form. "What is this?" Li Luo asked curiously. "This is actually another reward provided by the Academic Federation for exceptional students. You might have heard of the Royal Engraving. It is something created by Duke experts as a consumable artifact that possesses extraordinary power. The one before you is the Phantasmal Spirit Wing Evasion Art, a third grade Royal Engraving. This is the highest quality middle-grade Royal Engraving that has been provided by the Academic Federation. Its function is simple: it creates a clone that then allows one to escape in a flash of light! It has the ability to confuse one''s opponent and provide the means to a quick retreat. No one under the level of a Duke will be able to catch up, and even if faced with a Duke, your escape is still very much possible if they''re caught off guard." Li Luo didn''t know whether to laugh or cry upon hearing this. Vice Principal Su Xin truly seemed to care a lot for him. Even the reward provided was one to escape with, having no offensive or defensive capabilities However, if one thought about it... an art that even an average Duke could not catch up to... that was an exciting proposition indeed. This would definitely accord him sufficient protection. Thus, he did not choose to reject Vice Principal Su Xin''s good intentions. "The Royal Engraving still requires a form of activation, so find Mentor Chi Chan and get her assistance," reminded Su Xin as she saw Li Luo greedily snatch up the Phantasmal Spirit Wing Evasion Art. "Additionally, you earned 120,000 points in the Holy Grail Meet, correct?" Li Luo nodded in acknowledgement. The points earned in the competition could be converted into school points, which meant that he now possessed a monstrous amount of wealth. This could all be converted into cultivation resources. "This is truly a fearsome amount... The Academic Federation is really causing trouble for us colleges." Even Vice Principal Su Xin could only smile through the pain at the thought of having to compensate for this, and she sighed slightly in the end. The usual cultivation resources that could be bought would be insufficient to even create a significant dent in this large trove of wealth As a result, she fell deep into thought as she drummed her fingers against the table "So, Li Luo... are you interested in Duke Arts?" Li Luo''s eyes widened like saucers and a tear fell from the edge of his eye in joyful anticipation. Chapter 0599: Communion Ascends the Soul, Ones Destiny, Transcendent Chapter 0599: Communion Ascends the Soul, One''s Destiny, Transcendent Li Luo had an exaggerated look on his face, and even Vice Principal Su Xin couldn''t help but burst out in laughter. "Your house possesses two Dukes. I''d be lying if I said I believed that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan didn''t leave behind any Duke Arts. How can you look at me like that?" To the average student, a Duke Art was a far-removed concept. Each one was possessed only by almighty experts, and their value was incalculable. After all, there were only so many Dukes in the entire Xia Kingdom. Li Luo also had two Dukes propping up the house and hence should have been no exception. This was met with a bitter reply. "My parents did leave behind some Duke Arts, but they are simply things I cannot comprehend." In the deepest depths of House Luolan''s library were two Duke Arts that had been left behind by Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. They were the foundation of House Luolan. However, it was as Li Luo had said, those two Duke Arts were of too high a grade and had a high requirement on the user, resulting in them being unsuitable for him right now. During the Holy Grail Meet, he witnessed the raw capabilities of the Enlightened Sage Scripture utilized by Lan Lan. As a result, he now held great interest and desire for a Duke Art he could call his own. At the same time, he understood that the requirements of a Duke Art were nothing to scoff at. The current him was woefully inadequate as well. Lan Lan had to obtain Heavenly Pearl Stage strength before being fortunate enough to cultivate the art. It was both a result of ability and chance. A tiny, little Resonant Master was a long distance away from reaching Lan Lan''s heights. Sun Dasheng also possessed a Duke Art, but that was an incomplete one. Its strength was far from what it could be in its complete state and thus Li Luo was not interested in it. What he truly wanted was a complete and appropriate Duke Art that fit him like a worn glove! The requirements for that would be harsh, and even the ones in House Luolan were not sufficient. The fact that Vice Principal Su Xin had taken the initiative to speak out meant that there was an underlying reason. Perhaps there was something that would be perfect for him? This train of thought led Li Luo''s heart to beat wildly in excitement. Vice Principal Su Xin said, "Even an itty, bitty Resonant Master is interested in a grand Duke Art. Don''t you think you might have overestimated yourself? I bet you are still unable to master a dragon-general resonance art." Li Luo thickened his skin in response. "Only because I have not had enough time to do so! Plus, the choices are few in number! Conversely, if there truly was a Duke Art that one could understand and cultivate at the Resonant Master Stage, it would be beyond difficult to find! A treasure of the cultivation world! Why would I give up such a wonderful opportunity? No! Of course I will have to seize the day! It goes without saying," he exhorted with absolute enthusiasm. Vice Principal Su Xin gave him a wry smile. "There is a proverb within the Duke Arts that goes Communion ascends the soul. One''s destiny, transcendent! This actually refers to the four different grades of Duke Arts going from weakest to strongest. Communion-grade, Soul Ascension-grade, Destiny-grade, and Transcendent-grade. A Duke''s might is heaven-splitting, and they are able to rend the earth and the heavens precisely because they possess Duke Arts. Now, the lowest grade, Communion-grade, is something anyone under the Duke Stage is able to comprehend. Success comes from both talent and a good amount of luck." Li Luo nodded. He had an understanding of the different Duke Art grades as the ones in House Luolan were Soul Ascension-grade arts. Even the average Duke might be hard-pressed to possess just one of this tier! The difficulty of cultivating one was several times higher than a Communion-grade Duke Art. Thus, it was impossible to comprehend the ones he had access to. Based on his personal evaluation, even if his strength were to soar even higher, the most he would be able to handle would be a Communion-grade Duke Art. "Duke Arts aren''t common cabbages found everywhere, and naturally they are extremely valuable. Even considering the Astral Sage College''s background, the number available is not plenty. If you truly want to harness the strength of one, you will require a high degree of compatibility with the art itself. Just like Sun Dasheng. His Demon Ape''s Will might be an incomplete Duke Art, but the crux of the matter is that he is highly compatible with it. Perhaps if he were to enter the Earth Fiend Stage, he would be able to use it in its entirety." At this point, Vice Principal Su Xin turned to size Li Luo up with a glint in her eye. "Though I have to admit, you have some outstanding points. In fact, you probably have an advantage over others. Do you know why?" A quick think revealed the most probable answers. "Because I can wield dual resonances?" "You''re not the dullest tool in the shed after all. Indeed, that is the case. Duke Arts are created when one reaches the Duke Stage, and they are based on the users dual resonances, the true core of their might. But what I''m referring to here is the true utilization of dual resonances, not your half-baked application of them." Li Luo was a little miffed at the sudden disparagement. Weren''t they talking about Duke Arts? How did it come to them critiquing his abilities!? How could a puny Resonant Master compare with a grand Duke? "Regardless of how shallow your usage of dual resonances is, it''s still at the very least the usage of dual resonances, which gives you an edge. Thus, if the Duke Art you were to pick is extremely compatible with your innate talents, your chances of cultivating one successfully will be exponentially higher." Li Luo''s gaze lit up once again. He would definitely have more choices if that was the case! He possessed both water and wood resonances with the secondary traits of light and earth, which would increase the range of his compatible arts. "Let''s do it this way. Come back in three days and I will allow Mentor Chi Chan to lead you to the top level of the resonance art library. Within is stored all of the Duke Arts the college has collected, and you can search to your heart''s content to find one that is suitable," Vice Principal Su Xin suggested. Li Luo nodded in glee. Finally, there was an opportunity! "I need to first set things straight. If you pick a Duke Art and successfully cultivate it, I''ll be using up all 120,000 of your points. If you fail... then it will just cost you 50,000," Vice Principal Su Xin stated. Li Luo was taken aback before roaring in frustration, "Wait! 50,000 points even if I fail? Aren''t you a little too calculating and blackhearted, Vice Principal Su Xin!?" Fully expecting the response, Su Xin haughtily responded, "Well, that''s also because we''ll be giving you a special cultivation method too. This will inevitably deplete the school''s reserves and you''ll see the benefits regardless. It''s efficacy is unmatched. If you were normally only able to cultivate a Duke Art to 20% of its true strength, with the aid of this cultivation method, it will go up to 50%. So don''t you think these are points well spent?" "Wait, what? 50%?" Li Luo was once again slammed with another surprise. What sort of special cultivation method was this? It seemed ridiculously effective! "Hm, but it does vary from person to person..." she continued. Forced into this situation, Li Luo frowned. Clenching his teeth, he made his final decision. "Fine! I agree!" Although the price seemed large, the possibility of cultivating a Duke Art would make it all worthwhile. After participating in the Holy Grail Meet, he was clear that his current strength was insufficient. His trump card was not sufficiently game-changing. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was merely external strength, and only building his own strength would matter in the long run. Duke Arts were perfect for providing an explosive burst of might at a crucial moment. Vice Principal Su Xin seemed to smile even more radiantly at this point, and she lightly clapped her hands. "Truly bold, as expected of the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. Well, I''ve said enough. Time for you to find Mentor Chi Chan and receive her assistance in activating the Phantasmal Spirit Wing Evasion Art. It will protect your little life well." Li Luo nodded and stood up to leave. Just as he was about to open the door, Su Xin''s voice rang out. "One last thing. Remember to be wary of the Golden Dragon Bank. Especially during the upcoming Housemeet." Li Luo''s pupils shrank slightly as though he remembered something. However, Vice Principal Su Xin did not say more, and so he left. Chapter 0600: Popularity Chapter 0600: Popularity On the way to Mentor Chi Chan''s abode, Li Luo continued to ponder over Vice Principal Su Xin''s warning. Be wary of the Golden Dragon Bank? What in the world does that mean? Could it be that the Golden Dragon Bank covets the secrets of House Luolan as well? Or perhaps she was referring more specifically to President Yu Hongxi. Based on our previous interactions, Yu Hongxi has treated me quite well. Could it all have been an act? Li Luo''s forehead creased with wrinkles as he continued thinking over this new dilemma. The Golden Dragon Bank was a titanic beast with a background that far exceeded that of House Luolan. When it came to riches, they were the preeminent faction in the Xia Kingdom. Even the Astral Sage College and the Royal court could not compare. With such monetary prowess under their control, they prioritized harmony and business. On the other hand, any mistaken fools who took them as a fat sheep would awaken the dragon and be struck off the annals of history. Although Yu Hongxi was the Xia Kingdom''s president, she was just one of many forces within the organization. Could there be another faction within that lusted for the secrets of House Luolan? Li Luo''s imagination went wild before he eventually sighed. There was no point to this mental exercise. He would worry about the problem when it came. Finally raising his head and looking forward, he realized that countless students were eyeing him. Even some of the higher starred hall students were glancing at him with a renewed degree of respect. This was the result of winning the Holy Grail Meet. He had received the title of the strongest One Star Hall student, which spoke volumes of his own capabilities. Although the public didn''t know how much he had contributed in the mixed-level competition, they knew that as a member of the winning team, he must have done something significant. As such, he had now become one of the Astral Sage College''s influential figures. In some ways, he had even reached the stature of the Seven Astral Pillars. Plus, they had obtained the Dragon Bone Holy Grail, and with it suppressing the Umbra Cave, the Others within would be duly weakened, resulting in significantly less danger when they had to enter it. Just how many lives would be saved as a result? Therefore, the students felt a deep sense of gratitude towards the trio. Faced with the curious and respectful gazes, Li Luo flashed a stunning smile without seeming arrogant or overbearing, giving others a good impression of him. These were all the shining talents of the Xia Kingdom''s younger generation. Once they graduated, they would inevitably become people of standing and wielders of might. Building a good relationship today would pay dividends in strengthening House Luolan''s future foundations. Especially those from the Resonance Artificers Hall... every one of those genius artificers were treasures that Li Luo yearned for. If he wanted to make the Suncreek Villa the best resonant artificing shop, these resonance artificers were critical. Otherwise, without a steady stream of talent, even a significant amount of his high-grade secret watersource and recipes would be worthless. Looking at it in a different way, especially from the students'' point of view, House Luolan seemed to be gradually ascending once again, and he was not the only one representing it. The Three Star Hall possessed the indomitable Jiang Qing''e. Once she graduated to the Four Star Hall, she would truly cement her legendary ascension as the overlord of the Astral Sage College''s students... At that point, her reputation would probably eclipse even that of Gong Shenjun and the First Princess. At that point, there would probably be a frightening army of helpers at her beck and call. Of course, this was if they could tide over the crisis of their Housemeet in the coming two months "I''ll have to uproot that white-eyed wolf Pei Hao!" A cold hint of killing intent surged through him. Pei Hao was the root of all the problems in House Luolan. He had already taken control of half of their forces and businesses and was now gunning for the title of house lord. He had finally orchestrated an elaborate scheme to take over the house in a supposedly upfront manner to achieve the goals he''d always wanted. Only by being rid of this irritant could House Luolan''s internal turmoil cease. The house would finally be whole again and regain some semblance of its previous prosperity. The Housemeet would be the crucial turning point. Pei Hao, that piece of crap, would definitely struggle with all his might as House Luolan was showing signs of revitalization in Li Luo and Jiang Qing''es hands. Eventually, there would no longer be any further opportunity to launch his coup. This would also be his final chance. Frankly speaking, a single Pei Hao was not worth Li Luo''s concern. What was more troubling were the hidden forces behind him. The hand hidden within the shadows was the true enemy. Two months was, frankly, not much time. He would have to resolve many problems in this period of time. Breaking through to the Earth Fiend Realm was one as he would be able to grasp his third resonance. He would also look to upgrade both his existing resonances and to cultivate a new resonance art. The Holy Grail Meet had demonstrated that his means were insufficient in keeping up with his growth, and dragon-general resonance arts were now necessary. And lastly, the possibility of wielding a Duke Art. Though this might be an idle pipe dream due to the extreme difficulty. Li Luo himself did not have much confidence in succeeding. He could only give it his all and hope for the best. Success was best, while failure meant that he would just move on and focus his efforts on dragon-general resonance arts. They were more suitable for him anyway. Eventually, he arrived at Mentor Chi Chan''s lodging with a head full of ideas and plans. Knocking on the door lightly, he stepped into the silent courtyard. His mentor was sitting within a pavilion adorned with windchimes and bamboo furnishing, calmly watching him. Taking wider strides, he pretentiously spoke out. "Where should the strongest student of the One Star Hall make himself comfortable?" "Why are you so proud of your achievement? You merely split apart some melons and cracked some seeds. Is there a need to be so ostentatious?" Chi Chan sniped back after shooting Li Luo an unimpressed gaze. "Jing Taixu and Lu Ming aren''t random cannon fodder! A quasi ninth-grade and a dual resonance user! They aren''t even considered weak when we compare them to other incarnations of the One Star Hall competition! In fact, I''ve brought great face and respect to you, Mentor Chi Chan! You don''t need to thank me though, just pouring me a cup of tea to show your gratitude would suffice." Li Luo grinned as he plonked himself on a seat opposite his mentor. "Oh? Someone has grown in audacity too? Let''s see... since you''re such an overachiever, don''t you think it''s a good idea if I hang you atop the Tree of Resonant Power for all the other students to study and emulate your excellence?" Mentor Chi Chan completely disregarded the young lord''s pompous behavior, only laughing coldly. Pouring him a cup of tea? He should be keeping his tail tucked between his legs! Li Luo shivered upon hearing that suggestion. If that really happened, all of the hard work in building his newfound reputation would be for nought! Of course, the ever-nimble and flexible Li Luo wasn''t going to stubbornly insist... only bitterly complain. "Mentor, Vice Principal Su Xin is much more caring than you! Don''t you want to be my favorite mentor?" "Scram and find her, then," Chi Chan icily replied. Did this brat dare to say Im not caring enough? Hmph! You definitely didn''t say this when you were trying to get my assistance to refine something! "That''s definitely impossible. We have an unbreakable alliance to murder that dog named Shen," Li Luo solemnly replied. "If you dare to let the caring Su Xin hear of a single whisper of this, just sit tight and watch me get rid of you," Mentor Chi Chan snapped. "Of course not! This is a secret between us and us only! That beast has forced you to be veiled whilst squandering important resources. He deserves death!" Li Luo continued with his tirade. Mentor Chi Chan then gave a light sigh and her gaze seemed to soften a little. When it came to matters of Shen Jinxiao, the two were definitely in agreement in more than just words. Seeing this change in his mentor, he beamed happily and quickly took out the Royal Engraving. "Esteemed Mentor Chi Chan, I just have one tiiiiiiiiny request of you." Mentor Chi Chan grabbed the Royal Engraving before inspecting it quickly. "A third-grade Royal Engraving. The Academic Federation does have quite the stash of nice treasures. The previous Holy Grail Meets only gave out second-grade ones at best. It looks like things really escalated this time." After which, she turned to glance at Li Luo before lightly raising her chin. "Take off your clothes, then." Chapter 0601: Activating the Royal Engraving Chapter 0601: Activating the Royal Engraving "Mmm... your figure is getting better and better." As Li Luo disrobed, he revealed his striking figure that had been tempered over years of training. Mentor Chi Chan quickly took the opportunity to tease him with a hint of satisfaction in her gaze. An eye for an eye. Who was the one who said she wasn''t "caring enough," huh? Li Luo was clearly left embarassed after a member of the fairer sex had scrutinized him openly. It naturally felt unnatural! As a result, he could only turn a deaf ear to her slicing words. Chuckling at his discomfort, Mentor Chi Chan grasped the Royal Engraving and channeled her resonant power through her fingertips. The resonant power gushed out into the jade slip like a tide, causing it to burst into pieces with the overflowing energy. Next, countless green engraving fragments shot out and coalesced into a densely packed object that resembled a bird. Reaching out with her finger, she prodded several areas on Li Luo''s back. These seemingly casual motions caused goosebumps to form across his back and made all his muscles tighten up reflexively. His body was instinctively reacting to the apparent danger of the situation. Even Li Luo was taken aback at how sharply his body had reacted to such simple gestures. Perhaps if Mentor Chi Chan had put a little more force into those prods, he might very well be left with several bloody holes in his body... "Is this the strength that a Duke possesses?" Li Luo''s mind quivered at the thought of this frightening prospect. It was as though he was now a tiny chick cowering before an apex predator. "Hmm. Your physical body seems to have been augmented significantly." Mentor Chi Chan was completely oblivious to Li Luo''s current state of mind as she commented on his changes in surprise. His physical strength had taken a significant leap forward during the Holy Grail Meet. "Yes... I had the opportunity to form a Thunderpeal Avatar when I went to Thunderpeal Mountain during the competition in the Blackwind Empire," Li Luo honestly explained. "Your lucky encounters aren''t bad at all. The Blackwind Empire''s Thunderpeal Avatar is renowned across the East Divine Continent. It is said that the founding emperor of the Blackwind Empire refined that art to the very peak, allowing him to possess an unparalleled fleshly body that was comparable to that of a fifth-grade Duke. Using his physical prowess alone, he punched a path through ten thousand li of mountain ranges, opening up a waterway for his empire. Hes a peak legend amongst the annals of East Divine Continent''s history." Li Luo was slightly taken aback, and he gulped in shock. Using one''s body to curve out a path across such a massive distance? The founding emperor of the Blackwind Empire was truly ferocious indeed. It would be more fitting to call him a primal beast in human form! On that note just when would he manage to attain such power? As they spoke, Mentor Chi Chan continued to guide the countless engraving fragments to move in a flowing and determined pattern. It was almost like threading a needle, an elegant motion repeated. Meanwhile, Li Luo could gradually feel a piercing pain growing on his back. His muscles started to go numb and he felt like an object was trying to burrow inside him. Countless specks of green fragments that resembled birds constantly descended upon his back. Gradually, a tattoo shaped like a green wing took form. It pulsed luminously, emitting a radiance that seemed to have an influence on its surroundings and speeding up the wind flowing around it. A while later, Mentor Chi Chan paused. "It''s done. Channel some resonant power into your back and give it a try." Li Luo obeyed. He willed his body to act and directed some resonant power towards the area where the royal engraving was. In a flash, his entire body was shrouded with overflowing green light, and the wing engraving seemed to have fluttered to life like a newborn butterfly. A large pair of wings made of light slowly spread out from Li Luo. Each one was about a zhang in length. The wings only flapped lightly one time, but they generated a tempest from that single tiny movement. Despite moving just a tiny distance, Li Luo could feel his vision going blurry at the sheer speed of his sudden and casual movement. He had a feeling that he now possessed sufficient speed to even tear through the void with sheer swiftness. "Phantasmal Spirit Wing Evasion Art..." Li Luo''s eyes lit up with excitement. This was the first time he had experienced the power of a true escape art. The only unfortunate part was that it was a Royal Engraving that could only be refined by Dukes... The effect was simply incredible, and with this precious life-saving tool at his disposal, no one would be able to tie him down if he didn''t wish for it. "The Phantasmal Spirit Wing Evasion Art is basically only useful for increasing one''s speed. Its likely that no one under the Duke Stage will be able to catch up to you if you use it. Unfortunately, you are unable to bring out its true potential with your pitiful resonant power," Mentor Chi Chan reminded him. Li Luo nodded. He had felt the sluggishness of the ephemeral wings when he had channeled his resonant power through them, clearly indicating that his resonant power was simply not dense enough to fully bring out its capabilities. However, once he advanced to the Earth Fiend Stage, the jump in resonant power should be more than sufficient for the needs of the engraving. The Earth Fiend Stage was a watershed and a metamorphosis. It truly allowed one to transform qualitatively. "Although the Royal Engraving might be pretty useful, it''s still a consumable object. It can only be used five times before it completely dissipates," Mentor Chi Chan reminded him patiently once again. "Only five times?" A pang of sadness arose in Li Luo. Still, he understood that the Royal Engraving was merely an external ornament and aid, not something that was innate to him. Otherwise, why would anyone go through bitter cultivation? That would simply be pay to win! "How much is a Royal Engraving usually worth...?" Li Luo asked now that his curiosity was piqued. "A third-grade Royal Engraving would typically go for around... three million pieces of skygold. However, you wouldn''t even be able to find one in the markets of the Xia Kingdom. Crafting one requires the handiwork of a Duke and many rare materials, and there''s even a chance of failure, meaning that the entire project could go to waste. Since you are the young lord of House Luolan with such a huge fortune and esteemed businesses... this should be within your means to mess around with. Don''t you want to buy more to protect yourself?" "Three MILLION?" Li Luo''s face turned taut. Each time he gently "tapped upon" the coffers of the house, he''d drain a neat six hundred thousand skygold or so... That was only to pay for two bottles of seventh-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. Wouldn''t he turn his family destitute in one go if he spent three million? "Forget about it. My struggling house is unable to afford..." he replied in a tone of resentment. He had thought that if the price was right, buying a couple of these playthings would be great. However, the value of these engravings left his plans halted in their tracks. House Luolan mightve been reascending to the skies, but their profits could only reach a million or so skygold. Affording three to four third-grade Royal Engravings? Forget about it! Mentor Chi Chan had a smirk on her face. "Royal Engravings are relatively common in the inner divine continent. Their rarity in the outer divine continents means that they simply aren''t as cost-effective due to the lack of supply and higher prices." "Inner divine continent, huh..." Li Luo''s expression livened up slightly. That was the nexus of the wider world. The worldly natural energy was simply more dense and concentrated there, giving birth to larger amounts of precious heavenly treasures. It also facilitated the birth and growth of many heaven-defying talents as they had access to much greater amounts of resources. As a result, there would naturally be more engravings readily available. "In any case, the Royal Engraving has been activated, so you can put your clothes on now." Mentor Chi Chan said as she dusted off her hands. Li Luo did as he was told before he informed her of the matter with Vice Principal Su Xin and the Duke Art. "A Duke Art? You really are an ambitious brat." Chi Chan re-examined her student with a little bit of surprise written all over her face. "Cultivating a Duke Art is completely different from cultivating tiger and dragon-general resonance arts, and each one requires a significant amount of time to cultivate. If one''s Duke Art is able to reach Grand Perfection, they become unsurpassed amongst their peers regardless of the actual grade of the art. However, I have to admit that as a dual resonance user, you do have some benefits in cultivating such an art. You seem to possess some talent in resonance arts as well. Giving it a try is better than doing nothing. If a little Resonant Master could learn it successfully, it would undoubtedly be an unfathomable trump card. Someone who is able to learn one can be considered a genius even amongst those from the inner divine continent." Mentor Chi Chan did not dissuade Li Luo''s untamed heart, only stating the facts, but she followed up with a deep sigh. "Why don''t you take the next two days off to rest? I''ll bring you over there after that. If you''re able to find one that suits you, I''ll gladly guide you along." Li Luo profusely thanked his mentor for her kind gesture. Although the clock was ticking, he could not rush things heedlessly. Jiang Qing''e and him had left for over a month, and there were things that needed to be settled in the house. "Hehe... Mentor..." Thinking of House Luolan''s situation, a hint of mischievousness flashed across his eyes as he gave his most radiant smile whilst facing his mentor. "What now?" Yet the fact was, Mentor Chi Chan already had a sinking suspicion with regards to his new request. Cough. You must have heard of House Luolan''s upcoming Housemeet in two months time, right? My house is truly troubled... We had wanted to rope in Vice Principal Su Xin''s assistance, but she could not help. She rejected me in such a cruel way! That was such a disappointing result!" Li Luo sighed with deep expression. Mentor Chi Chan smiled. "Well, this request is too much after all. The Astral Sage College is a neutral party, and no one can change this infallible rule. This is also part of her obligations." "Well, would you be able to help instead, Mentor? Delivering firewood in the midst of winter will be repaid manifold in spring! House Luolan will fully support you in the times to come in all aspects." Li Luo spoke out the words in his mind. "Do you really think that Vice Principal Su Xin would allow me to participate in the Xia Kingdom''s power struggles?" she retorted without batting an eye. "Well, I have a plan..." "What?" "You can resign from your position, and after all is said and done, rejoin the college! Brilliant, ain''t it?" Li Luo cooed. Mentor Chi Chan glared at him upon hearing his overbearing request. "You truly are a slippery, scheming sprite. Do you actually think that Vice Principal Su Xin and the rest of the Xia Kingdom are blathering and blind idiots?" Li Luo laughed. Well, it was a joke to begin with as he knew that this was an absolutely absurd proposition anyway. Thus, he was just probing to see her reaction to his plan since it was harmless. After which, he bade his goodbyes, waved, and left. Within the pavilion, Mentor Chi Chan continued to watch Li Luo''s back as he left. "Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan... you two are really unreliable folk. How could you throw your children into such a situation?" Li Luo could finally feel the full brunt of pressure stemming from the upcoming Housemeet. As a result, he had to attempt any and all opportunities to bolster the strength of his ranks. However, this was easier said than done. Mentor Chi Chan gradually set down the cup of hot tea before her, watching as her interesting student left through the door. Her gaze flashed slightly, and she came to a decision. Chapter 0602: Hidden Treasure: Bai Mengmeng! Chapter 0602: Hidden Treasure: Bai Mengmeng! After leaving Mentor Chi Chan''s lodgings, Li Luo returned to his dormitory. Xin Fu was sleeping soundly without a care, but Bai Mengmeng seemed to be missing. Taking a quick walk, he finally discovered her small silhouette hunched over within the refining workshop. She was in comfortable robes, but due to her slim stature, they ended up looking baggy and oversized. Her solution to this was to use a pink ribbon to secure her clothes like a belt, bringing attention to her slender waist. Bai Mengmeng was currently engrossed in some refining activity, and her platform was filled with countless materials. "What are you doing?" Li Luo blared as he barged in, standing right beside her. From the looks of things, she wasn''t actually developing new spirit liquids and purifying lights, so he felt it was okay to talk. The focused Bai Mengmeng finally noticed that someone was beside her, and she jumped back several steps in fright. Li Luo gently grabbed her wrist, pulling her back before she collided with a pile of raw materials. "Wh-wh-when did Leader arrive??" Bai Mengmeng stammered as her innocent face turned beet-red with embarrassment. Li Luo gracefully let her go and smiled. "Well, I''ve been here for a while, but seeing that you were busy, decided not to disturb you immediately." Bai Mengmeng returned to her refining platform, pointing at the mass of materials atop it as she let out a tender and sweet smile. "Well, do you remember your request for me to refine a secret watersource or lightsource? I''ve been focused on experimenting on just that. The Suncreek Villa has recently regained some of its splendor in the Xia Kingdom. However, what it mostly produces is spirit liquids and tends to lack purifying lights. Thus, I wanted to develop a secret lightsource to amend this deficiency." Li Luo was so touched by her kind actions that he was about to bawl his eyes out. "Mengmeng! You''re the best!" He had never expected his offhand request to have been duly remembered by her, nor that she''d even put in immense effort to accomplish it. "Did you buy these materials yourself?" Li Luo gestured at the pile. There were several high-grade spirit materials within, with a hefty price tag to boot. Bai Mengmeng only nodded slightly with a nonchalant reply. "These are spirit materials that the college allows us to buy with our school points. I don''t normally use them, and don''t forget, I actually have quite a bit of money on hand. Sometimes, my elder sister borrows from me to get the things she needs..." A triumphant smile appeared on her face. This was met with no surprise. With her ability to independently develop new methods of refining spirit liquids and purifying lights, Bai Mengmeng was able to accumulate massive sums of skygold. "Don''t let my sister know that I told you this. She''s actually very shy, and if she feels too embarrassed, she might, uh... beat you up," Bai Mengmeng suddenly said with a bit of awkwardness on her face. A tightly kept secret had been accidentally blurted out. Li Luo grinned knowingly. With how proud Bai Doudou was, she would never tolerate someone else knowing this. The only solution and outlet for her then would be copious amounts of violence... and he may very well be beaten up indiscriminately. "Well, you having money is your own problem. How can I accept your help in researching a secret lightsource but still expect you to pay out of your own pocket for these miscellaneous fees? You''re too innocent and naive! Won''t you be taken advantage of and corrupted by those unscrupulous refining houses once you graduate? They''ll clean you out!" Li Luo was just getting started on his selfless tirade. "Luckily for you, you''ve had the fortune of meeting me, a paragon of virtue. After you graduate, the Suncreek Villa will happily fund all of your research in full! Don''t worry, I would NEVER take advantage of you. I''m reliable and will definitely take good care of you. You will feel the warmth of a tight knit family when you work with me," Li Luo declared with solemnity. Bai Mengmeng couldn''t help but laugh. "Then I will have to thank you for extending this invitation to me, Leader!" "In fact, if you ever need any materials in the future, just give me a shout. Do you know how many school points I recently earned in the mixed-level competition? 120,000! If all of it was converted into spirit materials, you''d have enough to fund 10 years of research!" "Wow! Leader, you are truly amazing!" Bai Mengmeng''s dimpled face blossomed with a genuine smile. "However, Leader... I can''t focus on my research with you around..." Bai Mengmeng shot a glance at the materials on the platform. Although she enjoyed spending time and chatting with the charismatic Li Luo, she had too many things to settle on her plate. Knowing that Bai Mengmeng was focused on delivering a secret lightsource for the Suncreek Villa, Li Luo had nothing else to add, so he could only sigh with sincerity. "Mengmeng, your intentions are pure and noble. For that, even I feel an impulsive urge to dedicate myself to you!" "Leader, if you really want to do so, you''d probably have to ask Elder Sister Qing''e for permission. I don''t think you can decide how your body should be used..." Li Luo glared at her as he refuted her with vigor. "Nonsense! I''m the true house lord of House Luolan, and what I say goes. No one will ever dare to go against me. In any case, I do have things to settle, so I will take my leave. Please continue with your research." After which, he waved her goodbye and turned to leave. Bai Mengmengs eyes twinkled with a hint of humor as she watched him go. Shaking her head, she turned to focus on her secret lightsource research once again. Li Luo, on the other hand, left the dormitory and made his way to the outskirts of the college. "Tsk tsk. No one seems to recognize that I''m the one wearing the pants when it comes to House Luolan. All of you will realize that I am the true ruler someday! Then you''ll all understand how superficial you have been!" Li Luo grumbled to himself as he remembered how Bai Mengmeng had looked at him. "Who is superficial?" At this point, a familiar voice rang out. Raising his head, three familiar figures were looking at him from beneath the shaded canopy of a tree. The one in the middle was Jiang Qing''e, flanked by the First Princess and Yan Lingqing. The three were enthralling beauties, and when they stood together, they attracted the gazes of every student that happened to pass by. Li Luo, on the other hand, remained unfazed as he strode over, grinning as he replied to Jiang Qing''e''s question. "I was reflecting on my achievements and realized that I couldn''t get carried away even though we won this competition. That would have been truly superficial of me. "He''s clearly full of crap. Qing''e, my womanly intuition tells me that he was just flirting with some other girl," Yan Lingqing replied brusquely. "Sister Lingqing, stop trying to sow dissent between us. Do you want to have a taste of my techniques??" Li Luo gloomily threatened. Of course, Yan Lingqing was not someone cowed by mere words, only retorting with a belly full of fire. "Oh? Try it, then! If you dare to harm me, let''s see who''s going to run the Suncreek Villa for you!" Li Luo was left a little speechless. It turned out he was the one being blackmailed instead! Damn it! Jiang Qing''e held Yan Lingqing back slightly as she helplessly replied, "Could you two please stop being so childish?" Li Luo grinned. The relaxed bickering before him was something he had missed. The Holy Grail Meet was riddled with dangers and full of strife. Compared to that, life in school was something he yearned for, allowing his tense nerves to unwind. This was the only place where he could feel the warmth of friendship. If House Luolan wasn''t about to face a grievous crisis in two months'' time, he could leisurely take things as they came. "Sister Qing''e, let us head home," he said. But Qing''e shook her head. "Lingqing and I will head off first. You, on the other hand, should have a stroll with Her Highness." At this point, he turned to look at the slightly beaming First Princess, and it was then that he understood why she was here. She probably needed his assistance to cure the Little Emperor as it had been almost a month since the last time he provided treatment. "Junior Li Luo, I''m afraid I will have to trouble you yet again," she stated warmly. Li Luo did not reject. "It is as I promised you, Your Highness." The four thus made their way out of the college. Jiang Qing''e and Yan Lingqing headed back to House Luolan in their carriage, whereas Li Luo followed the First Princess aboard the royal carriage escorted by a regiment of dignified and fully armored soldiers. When the two took their seats, the driver expertly guided the carriage forward quickly and smoothly. Li Luo took a quick glimpse at the heavenly beauty before him before closing his eyes for a quick rest. But the First Princess suddenly piped up with a radiant grin adorning her scarlet lips. "Li Luo, let''s speak honestly now. Did you have anything to do with the death of the crimson knight-general?" Her sudden question took him by surprise, and his heart couldnt help but tremble. What was he going to say? Chapter 0603: Princess Sensitivities Chapter 0603: Princess Sensitivities The question struck like a bolt from the blue, and Li Luo was taken aback. Her tone seemed to hold a trace of suspicion and even an inexplicable sense of certainty in her assertion. As a result, he felt a little astonished. Had she discovered something? His thoughts revolved quickly and he came to a decision as to his answer. He reflexively shook his head whilst replying, "Huh? What are you trying to say? As you know, I''m just a tiny Resonant Master. Don''t you think it''s a little outrageous to think I would be able to threaten an opponent that a Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivator like you had problems with?" The First Princess'' gaze roamed across the carriage without looking directly at Li Luo. "I spoke to the vice principal." She smiled sweetly. Li Luo''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets in surprise. Had he been betrayed by Vice Principal Su Xin? No, that didn''t make sense. Vice Principal Su Xin was cautious, and regardless of the First Princess'' stature and influence, she would never leak the details of what had happened. The First Princess was ultimately still a member of the royal court and thus the college would control any information they provided to members of their faction. Taking all that into account, there was only one possible reason why she would lie about this. She was trying to pull off a bluff! At this point, Li Luo continued to shake his head with a puzzled face. "What did Vice Principal Su Xin do?" The First Princess'' phoenix eyes focused intently upon Li Luo before she gave yet another smile. "You''re a sharp one. As you might already have guessed, I just have a lingering suspicion that you were involved in the death of the crimson knight-general. There''s no need to attribute all the credit to Qing''e. She may have a ninth-grade light resonance and possibly even some sort of secret trump card, but one fact remains true. When I snapped out of the illusion, I could not sense any remnant light resonant energy in the environment, indicating that a heaven-defying light resonance art had not been used at that point in time. Furthermore, when I awoke, you were already bouncing around. Looking at this with common sense, how could the weakest individual present recover the quickest? Perhaps Jiang Qing''e resuscitated you, but your complexion was pale, as though you had experienced an arduous battle. Vice Principal Su Xin''s attitude towards you also seemed a little special, wanting to speak to you personally after all was said and done. I understand her personality very well, and even though she''s gentle and caring, all students are treated the same. However, she seemed to have acted out of step by giving you preferential treatment. Thus, there must have been some exceptional circumstances that led up to this. As a result, based on all the above, my conjecture is that Qing''e could not have been the one who killed the crimson knight-general. Instead, it was you. So, Li Luo, do you want to explain how you did it?" At this point, her gaze was full of interest and curiosity as she looked at the young lord with her phoenix eyes. Li Luo was shocked numb by her complicated explanation. He had never imagined that the First Princess would possess such deductive prowess. This wasn''t some random intuition, she had thought out a whole spiderweb of logical inferences. Just how meticulous and observant could one be? Based on her line of inquiry, even Li Luo had to admit that the situation at hand didn''t add up. However, he could not openly admit to this, and thus he continued to shake his head furiously. "Your Highness, that seems too exaggerated. Common sense will tell you that a Resonant Master could not possibly match up to a Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivator. What are you talking about?" Looking at Li Luo stubbornly resisting, the First Princess could only bite down on her lip in helplessness. Although her train of thought was logical, the conclusion she had reached was simply ridiculous. No one else would entertain such a ludicrous conclusion. It was the fact that she was a little suspicious at how the situation had turned out that she had done such an in-depth analysis. Perhaps she felt this way because she had witnessed Li Luo creating mind-boggling miracles multiple times. "Well, even if you don''t admit to it now, we''ll see how long it takes for the truth to come out," the First Princess thought to herself as she turned away. She no longer pursued this line of questioning and changed the topic, starting to chat with Li Luo about other matters. The mood in the carriage turned lighter as a result. Li Luo smiled and agreed, secretly sighing in relief internally. The First Princess was truly a difficult girl to handle when compared to the likes of Lu Qing''er or Bai Mengmeng. As they conversed happily, the carriage eventually arrived at the palace, and Li Luo once again met the Little Emperor. He was wearing brilliant, yellow dragon robes that seemed to emit an aura of grandeur. However, when this was contrasted against his pale, childish face, they looked a little less majestic and awe-inspiring. When the Little Emperor spotted the First Princess, his face broke out into a beaming smile and he pounced over happily. The First Princess coughed lightly, and he quickly regained his composure and bearing, instantly taking on a noble aura. Seeing that Li Luo was standing behind her, he quickly formed an expressionless face and regained a dignified appearance. "Your Majesty, please make your preparations. I''ll begin your treatment in but a moment." Li Luo bowed deeply as he spoke. In any case, he didn''t really care if the little kid was being rambunctious, as it was normal behavior for a child. The Little Emperor gave the First Princess a glance before she nodded towards him. He immediately made his way into the inner hall to change his robes. Li Luo was invited in after a short period of time, and the Little Emperor was sitting atop his adorned, yellow bed with his back facing him. His upper robes had been taken off and his fair and transparent skin contrasted strangely against the black lotus mark, looking extremely dazzling with a deathly beauty to it. The petal that he had previously diffused had started to show some semblance of being restored, ruining some of Li Luo''s previous efforts to treat him. "Li Luo, you''re truly amazing. After our last session, my body felt better than ever. You must know that even Dukes couldn''t resolve what had been plaguing me!" the Little Emperor said in a clear voice. "Your Majesty, I''m simply lucky. Perhaps my dual resonances are simply better fitted for this task than others." He would not tell the other party that the reason behind his success was the combination of three kinds of resonant power. The First Princess slowly walked in and sat down beside them gracefully, simultaneously beckoning a female servant to provide them with some refreshments. She then enjoyed it in a leisurely manner. Even the First Princess felt a certain sense of disconnection when comparing the current relaxing atmosphere with the ascetic troubles they had faced in the Holy Grail Meet. On the other hand, Li Luo was fully focused upon the treatment of the Little Emperor. The treatment ended up being even more effortless and smooth than the previous round, a testament to Li Luo''s resonant power advances. An hour later, Li Luo wiped off his forehead full of sweat. His gaze was focused on the back of the Little Emperor, where yet another petal of the black lotus had been dissolved. The Little Emperor excitedly turned around and exclaimed, "I can feel my body becoming lighter! Thank you, Li Luo!" Li Luo smiled and nodded as he looked at the jubilant Little Emperor. He could see that the boy was gradually looking more and more alive. A hint of color had returned to his lips and his teeth had whitened. Wait, did his detoxification technique possess a beautifying side effect? "Tell me, Li Luo, what sort of reward do you want? Do you like beauties? My palace has many outstanding ladies of all sorts of temperaments and types. Just say the word and I''ll send some your way!" the Little Emperor promised as he was engrossed in his happiness. A hint of embarrassment was seen on Li Luo''s face as he declined profusely whilst shaking his head. Was this kid joking? If he dared to bring a legion of girls to House Luolan, he might very well be stopped at the gates! The First Princess spoke up at this point. "Your Highness, there''s no need to worry about this. I''ll find a way to thank Li Luo on your behalf." Happiness was also clearly evident in her eyes, and she extricated Li Luo from his new predicament. After a quick conversation, she escorted Li Luo out. "I hope you aren''t angry at me for rejecting His Majesty''s well meaning gifts," the First Princess teased as the duo walked out side by side. "Well then, how else will you show your gratitude, Your Highness?" Li Luo countered back with a smirk. "I''ll just give you one person instead." Smiling, the First Princess raised a single, jade-like finger. Li Luo was taken aback by this comment. Immediately after, he inadvertently started to size up the voluptuous and regal First Princess before saying with great difficulty, "Your Highness, you may be the beauty of the nation, but I, Li Luo, am an engaged man of the highest values..." The words immediately caused the First Princess to arch her eyebrow in irritation, and she glared at Li Luo. "Li. Luo. What sort of unrealistic dream are you having? Huh?" Li Luo coughed dryly in embarrassment. "Ahem. Then what were you trying to say when you said you were going to give me a single person?" The First Princess gave a cold snort and her tone turned officious. "Two months from now. House Luolan''s Housemeet. I''ll send a representative. Just one. A Duke." Chapter 0604: First Princess Investment. Chapter 0604: First Princess'' Investment. "A Duke expert?!" Li Luos eyes started shining like saucers and his breathing instantly became heavy as he looked at the noble and beautiful lady before him. For a moment, hot tears welled up in his eyes. Wasn''t that the whole point of him reaching out to Vice Principal Su Xin? To find a Duke expert for assistance? In the end, the college was unable to assist. Yet the First Princess was willing to deliver firewood in the midst of winter. He was literally on cloud nine. But at this point, he suddenly calmed down and snapped back to reality. "Your Highness, if I may. Could I know the reason for your abrupt support?" The First Princess might have access to virtually limitless wealth and she had shown goodwill to Jiang Qing''e and him previously, but it was never to this extent. Simply speaking, she had never gone out of her way for them, unlike now. In the past, she had always offered support verbally. Words were cheap after all and did not always have to be backed with actions. But this was completely different. She was clearly expressing the side she was taking by providing a Duke expert. This meant that she was truly investing and taking a bet on House Luolan. The First Princess gave a faint smile. "Why? It''s because of you. You''re becoming more and more valuable even in my eyes. The previous House Luolan only had Jiang Qing''e supporting it, and things were uncertain. Nowadays, I am more and more convinced that your potential is in no way inferior to hers. When the two of you are allowed to bloom, the possibilities will be endless. Absolutely unfathomable. My investment in House Luolan will be worth more than ten times what I''ve put in today." After which, she winked at Li Luo. "Don''t you think I''m very pragmatic?" Li Luo nodded attentively. "No, no. I just think that your foresight is impeccable. I''m the best choice around after all." Hearing his characteristic cockiness, her smile became even more dignified. "Li Luo, no one knows what will happen next. If House Luolan cannot be protected, I hope you''ll do the smart thing and give up. So long as you and Jiang Qing''e remain alive, House Luolan will exist in spirit. Reckless action without strength will only lead to an early end. Forbearance is your friend. You will then be able to win the war despite losing the battle." The First Princess'' warning was the exact same as Vice Principal Su Xin''s. Li Luo took both their words very seriously. He understood perfectly that potential needed time to blossom. Without that, it was worthless. Potential was not strength that could be mobilized immediately, so it did not possess any deterrent effect at all. "I''ll remember your words clearly, Your Highness. I do have to add that if you want to make sure your investment is not wasted... Why not bet a little more? I reckon if you can send three Dukes, this crisis will easily end in a flash. What do you think? Isn''t that a great idea?" Li Luo laughed. The First Princess rolled her eyes in response. "Do you think Duke experts are cabbages that are found anywhere? The number of Duke experts in the entire royal court can be counted with your fingers, and we can only command so many. Furthermore, the safety of the Emperor is of the utmost priority. How can we provide three Dukes so easily?" Li Luo guffawed mischievously. He''d thrown it out just for fun, and similar to the situation with the vice principal, he knew that such a request was simply impossible. Additionally, if one considered the circumstances the royal court was in, the bulk of the power she was talking about was probably held by the Regent. "Additionally..." The First Princess paused as she vacuously stared at the halls before them, a heavy expression forming on her face. "Whilst House Luolan has problems, we have ones of our own. In fact, it won''t be too many days after your Housemeet." Li Luo paused for a moment, and that was when it struck him. He furtively glanced around before whispering softly, "Your Highness, are you referring to the throne ascension ceremony?" Ever since the old king had passed away, the young Little Emperor had been responsible for taking his place and eventually succeeding him. But the fact was that he merely carried an empty title. The true power was held by the Regent as the Little Emperor was merely a child. Although the First Princess was cognizant of this fact, she was quite young too, and resisting the Regent was practically impossible at that point in time. As time passed, the Little Emperor grew older and the First Princess made a name for herself in the Xia Kingdom and the royal court with her achievements, increasing their factional strength over time. This inevitably threw them into direct conflict and a power struggle against the Regent. It was only natural as they sought to regain control and displace him. The Little Emperor''s throne ascension ceremony would be the turning point where the Regent would accede power back to the throne. Once this was completed, the Little Emperor would formally become the Emperor as well. Of course, whether or not the Regent was truly willing to hand over his authority was a separate question altogether. The kingdom was rife with speculation, whether it was amongst the populace or the powers that be. Everything going smoothly would be most ideal, but if anything happened, it would undoubtedly lead to startling changes within the kingdom. Frankly speaking, this was of much more consequence compared to House Luolan''s Housemeet. The internal turmoil of a family could not compare to that of a kingdom. As a result, Li Luo sympathized with the First Princess'' concerns. Furthermore, he was familiar with the Regent and how far reaching his strength and influence were. This was basically the most powerful man in the Xia Kingdom bar none. Additionally, it seemed as though the royal court had become increasingly tyrannical through his guidance. From another point of view, perhaps the Regent was indeed suited to rule a kingdom. However, the fact remained that the Little Emperor was the rightful heir. Despite a tranquil look on the First Princess'' beautiful face, her eyes were shrouded with an unfathomable deepness that seemed to contain immeasurable worry. "Your Highness, there is no need to worry. This was something the Regent promised to the entire Xia Kingdom long ago. The Little Emperor is the true ruler, and there are many within the royal court that support him," Li Luo said after a moment of thought. The First Princess heaved a deep sigh. "I hope for that too. Uncle Regent has contributed greatly to the royal family, and I don''t want things to end this way." Li Luo nodded. Things had definitely become complicated. With the First Princess'' support, this would mean that House Luolan would also inevitably be branded as a supporter of theirs. Whether or not he agreed with it no longer mattered because anyone else would think that way. If that was the case, how would the Regent deal with them? This realization caused Li Luo to heave a sigh of his own. Clearly, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Unfortunately, there was no other way around it. The First Princess had provided her assistance. Who knew what the Regent was thinking anyway. If House Luolan could not overcome this trial, there was no need to care about the Regent. Li Luo would just have to slink back into the Astral Sage College and cultivate to the Duke Stage. At that point, he would have his revenge and these enemies slinking in the dark shouldn''t think of escaping. "I''ll walk you out." The First Princess did not continue to discuss the topic with Li Luo. All of this was royal politics that should not involve outsiders. If she had not decided to take a bet on him and Jiang Qing''e, she would never have shared so much about their internal situation. Li Luo nodded and was escorted out, directly heading back towards House Luolan. Upon arriving home, he was greeted by good news. The miracle paste concocted by Ox Biaobiao was finally completed. Chapter 605: Ox Biaobiao Returns Chapter 605: Ox Biaobiao Returns "Uncle Biao! I''ve missed you so much!" Li Luo rushed into the main hall emotionally. With a single glance, he noticed the shiniest head in the room, which belonged to Ox Biaobiao. His exaggerated build had not changed and he still reminded one of a butcher... If he had a meat cleaver hanging on his waist, the look would be complete. The sight of him also brought great relief and a sense of safety. With the Housemeet looming over them, Ox Biaobiao could be considered the only combatant able to fend off a Duke. Perhaps this was his parents backup plan all along. Ox Biaobiao had been speaking with Jiang Qing''e before he heard Li Luo call his name. He hurriedly stood up and glanced in the direction of the youth who was rushing towards him with a benevolent smile on his face. "Young Lord. It has been a while, and you''ve not only grown more handsome, youve even inherited some of your father''s gravitas." "Uncle Biao! Let''s not waste time on such trivialities. I am the strongest One Star Hall student in the East Divine Continent! Can you feel my greatness?" Li Luo grinned as he bragged without a care. "I''ve heard the news from Qing''e. Your outstanding performance in the Holy Grail Meet has brought House Luolan fame and repute!" Ox Biaobiao was all smiles as he spoke. Taking a moment to inspect him closer, he nodded approvingly. "You should have reached the Fourth Changing, and your resonant power is plentiful and robust. You should be able to push towards the Earth Fiend Stage now. Its only been a few short months, and yet you''ve made great strides in your cultivation!" "Well, I''ve only got, what, four years of life left? If I don''t hurry up, itll be like Im just waiting for death to take me, right?" Li Luo exhorted. "Hey! Don''t speak of such awful things!" Jiang Qing''e frowned and chided unhappily. "There''s no need to worry, Young lord. With your heavenly talent, the Duke Stage doesn''t seem like too high of a goal. Four years is more than enough time," Ox Biaobiao consoled. "However, before you break into the Earth Fiend Stage, you need to resolve the issue with your damaged foundation. The longer that wound is allowed to fester, the greater the impact on you in future. Inevitably, it will affect even your ascension to the Duke Stage." After making that statement, he removed a jade bottle from his robes. On closer inspection, there was a green liquid within that seemed to contain a glint of starlight, looking extremely mysterious. Despite the bottle being sealed, a dense and vigorous medicinal aura wafted from it, causing anyone who smelled it to feel extremely relaxed. "This is the miracle paste that I have refined for the Young Lord! It will be able to resolve the issues with your foundation." Li Luo gladly accepted the jade bottle and thanked Ox Biaobiao sincerely. Without his assistance, the sequelae from forming his second resonance might very well have been a hidden danger further down the road. If it truly prevented him from entering the Duke Stage, then this would undoubtedly be a literally fatal blow to him. Jiang Qing''e also stood up to express her thanks. The miracle paste was absolutely critical for Li Luo. "Hey! Why are you all acting so courteous?" Ox Biaobiao laughed as he waved his hand. "This has to be applied over your entire body, and it''s best catalyzed with restorative resonant power. This way, the medicinal effects can be utilized to their full potential. Perhaps it would be best for Qing''e to assist you with it. With her ninth-grade light resonance, you should be cured in a few days time." Li Luo was slightly taken aback by those words before he quickly chimed out, "Hey! I actually have water resonant power. Cant I do it myself?" As an upright young man of great moral standing, the process of applying the miracle paste would be relatively private, and despite the special relationship he had with Qing''e, it still felt extremely embarrassing. Ox Biaobiao stroked his chin as he pondered over it. "Well, I doubt the effects of your resonant power will be better than that of Qing''e''s. You don''t need to feel embarrassed, Young Lord. The two of you will eventually become husband and wife, so Qing''e is the perfect person for the job." Before Li Luo could say anything else, Qing''e stopped him and nodded slightly. "You can rest assured, Uncle Biao, I''ll take care of him." As a result, he did not continue to struggle, immediately changing the topic. "Uncle Biao, there are only two months left until the Housemeet. That will also be when the defensive ward around House Luolan will be weakest. The wolves in the dark will definitely take the opportunity to bare their fangs." Ox Biaobiao gave a cold snort. "Those prancing clowns! When your parents were around, they wouldn''t even dare to let out a fart in their presence. Now that the two have gone missing, all sorts of unsavory characters have popped out of nowhere. Do they really think that House Luolan is a soft persimmon?" "Uncle Biao, did my parents leave behind any other protective measures? For example, are there a few hidden Dukes waiting to pop out and smash these pests to death?" Li Luo asked optimistically. Ox Biaobiao responded with an awkward scratching of his nose. "Well... How do I put it? No? Umm, I''m the only Duke remaining in all of House Luolan. Also, I can''t go too far from the house or my strength will fall drastically. However, you can relax. So long as we remain in the core regions, even a fourth-grade Duke will have to reconsider their actions if they want to face me and my knife." As he spoke, he lightly patted his gleaming pig-butchering cleaver that emanated a terrifying air. "A fourth-grade Duke, huh..." Li Luo''s gaze flashed as he had already known that the Duke Stage consisted of nine grades, similar to the secular world. First-grade was the weakest and ninth-grade was the strongest. A Duke had to establish nine Duke Platforms within their body during the Duke stage, and it served as their foundation and source of power.[1] "Uncle Biao is still quite mighty. A fourth-grade Duke is considered a top-tier fighter in the Xia Kingdom. Based on what I understand, only Vice Principal Su Xin has reached that stage of cultivation within the college. The rest of the Violet Vibrance mentors are merely at the first or second-grade," Jiang Qing''e added from the side. Li Luo nodded. He had not paid much attention to this information originally as the grade of a Duke didn''t matter to him. All of them could swat him into meat paste with a casual blow. "The First Princess has informed me that she will be deploying a Duke expert to assist us during the Housemeet." Li Luo raised this particular topic at this time. "The First Princess...?" Jiang Qing''e sighed deeply. "Her assistance has tightly bound us to her ship. However, it doesn''t really matter. If we can''t get past this ordeal, House Luolan will be no longer. Other matters are of no concern." She clearly saw through the truth of the situation in a moment. The Regent wouldn''t even be concerned with them with the destruction of their foundation and support. "Well, we still don''t know how many Dukes will have their eyes on House Luolan during the Housemeet." Li Luo sighed in tandem with Qing''e. Pei Hao was just a minor distraction now. The real crux of the matter lay with the danger that hid below the surface, the dark hands that used Pei Hao as a blade, those who had plotted for countless years in the dark. Their true target was the divine matter that was hidden away within the underground palace of House Luolan. That day''s shocking confrontation would inevitably reverberate throughout the Xia Kingdom. "No matter. Different situations call for different actions. We will react accordingly. If anyone wishes to break into House Luolan, they''ll have to see if my blade here permits it. Speaking of which, it has not tasted the blood of Dukes in quite a while now." Ox Biaobiao laughed as he spoke. His fleshly and rotund visage coupled with that diabolical cackle only seemed to make him look even more ferocious. Yet to Li Luo, his savage appearance only brought him a greater sense of safety. Ox Biaobiao continued to chat with the two for a while more. "Well, it''s no longer early, so you should head back and rest. Qing''e can assist you with the medication." He beamed gently before he took his leave, shooting Li Luo a naughty wink as he closed the door behind him. Li Luo stared at the tightly shut door before turning to face Jiang Qing''e and awkwardly speaking his mind. "I think Uncle Biao was just kidding. There''s definitely no need for someone else to help me. I''m a grown man, I can do it myself!" Jiang Qing''e expressionlessly grabbed the jade bottle containing the miracle paste, her chin slightly raised as she commanded, "Back to the room. Take off your clothes. Lie down." 1. TL Note: Strictly speaking, a Marquis had 19 sub ranks in ancient China. The top 9 of which were ranks achieved through military prowess, which is what is referred to here. Also we''ve translated Marquis as Duke, but that was originally due to story related context (from the Author himself). As the novel is ongoing, we may or may not readjust this retroactively. ? Chapter 0606: The Watchful Eye of Jiang Qinge Chapter 0606: The Watchful Eye of Jiang Qing''e Li Luo spent the next few days in relative ease and comfort. In the daytime, he would help Jiang Qing''e work on the house''s administrative tasks that had piled up over the past month. In the evenings, he would indulge in the medicinal paste application sessions that he looked forward to recently. "Ah! That hits the spot, Sister Qing''e!" Constant moaning could be heard from Li Luo''s quarters every night. Fortunately, there was nobody within the vicinity to hear the strange noises, or it would only be a matter of time before scandalous gossip began spreading. Pa! A loud smack echoed clearly from within the room. "Can you shut up?" said a visibly irritated Jiang Qing''e as she retracted her palm from Li Luo''s bare shoulder. "Why are you making those weird noises?" Li Luo was sitting cross-legged on his bed, wearing nothing but his shorts. His body was fully lathered in a turquoise paste that glittered mysteriously. Jiang Qing''e was sitting behind him, brilliant light resonant energy pouring out from her dainty palms, catalyzing the medicinal power of the miracle paste. When the curative properties of the miracle paste settled in, wispy emerald halos began to float above the surface of Li Luo''s skin. They honed in on his pores like they had minds of their own, entering his flesh and bloodstream. "Sister Qing''e, this isn''t my fault! The effects of the miracle paste are too comforting, I can''t help it!" Li Luo felt slightly wronged, as it was indeed the strength of the miracle paste that had caused him to moan involuntarily. He felt a mysterious sense of fullness, as if a live current was sent straight through his scalp and to his toes, naturally expanding the pores all over his body. Jiang Qing''e''s lips curled slightly as she glanced at the toned and muscular figure seated in front of her. "Well, after cultivating the Thunderpeal Avatar this fellow''s body has toughened up and feels rather pleasant to the touch," she mused to herself. She did not show what she was thinking deep in her heart, so her resonant power did not waver in the slightest. Wave upon wave of light resonant energy radiated from her hands as she rubbed Li Luo''s body, gradually reacting with every inch of the applied miracle paste. When the final vestiges of miracle paste entered Li Luo''s body, Jiang Qing''e clapped her hands together, signalling the end of the day''s treatment. Climbing off the side of the bed, she sauntered over to the bedside table and poured herself a cup of tea, which she began sipping on lightly. Li Luo hurriedly got dressed. Despite being rather thick-skinned, he was still embarrassed at being almost naked in front of Jiang Qing''e. Although the two shared an uncommon relationship, the last time he was this exposed in front of her was when they were children. However, the shyness that Li Luo felt was fleeting, and he let go of the sentiment once he realized that Jiang Qing''e seemed indifferent to seeing his bare body. After putting on his clothes, Li Luo could not resist stretching. He could almost feel his flesh and bones humming with joy. Although the miracle paste had not advanced his cultivation in any noticeable manner, he could feel a wholeness in his core that was previously lacking. Li Luo knew that his foundation was being replenished. The debt he had to pay for forging the second acquired resonance would finally be settled. "This is all thanks to Uncle Biao. The miracle paste is undoubtedly invaluable to me. Without him, who knows how much time and resources I would''ve had to spend searching for the treasures required to repair my foundation." Li Luo couldn''t help but sigh. The basis of one''s foundation was still a mysteryCit could not be compared to physical ailments that could easily be detected. If not for Ox Biaobiao''s careful examination of Li Luo, there would''ve been no way for Li Luo to know just what he had lost from forging the second acquired resonance. The longer this unknown variable was left unchecked, the more danger it would''ve put Li Luo in. Jiang Qing''e raised her teacup as she mused, "The method to create the miracle paste must have been largely researched by the Master and Mistress before they left." Li Luo was doubtful for a moment, but this line of reasoning made sense the more he thought about it. His current cultivation path had been set by his parents after all, so surely they had the foresight to prepare for the pitfalls on his journey too. He slowly walked over to the window, staring out at the unblocked view of Luolan headquarters. "Sister Qing''e, Uncle Biao said that my parents are not natives of the Xia Kingdom. Where do you think they came from? If it was the inner divine continent...then why would they leave such a prosperous place to come to a remote place like the East Divine Continent?" Jiang Qing''e moved to join Li Luo''s side at the window. Her clear, golden irises reflected the buildings and pavilions of House Luolan as she said, "To me, their origins do not matter. House Luolan in the Xia Kingdom is my home because there is the Master, the Mistress, and you." It was apparent that Jiang Qing''e did not care where Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan came from, because it was this very place that held the most meaning to her. Li Luo chuckled. He felt the same way about House Luolan since it was his birthplace and the place that his father had chosen to lay his roots in. The place should have represented immense power. After all, even Pang Qianyuan, a King, had been deferential towards Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. Veins of Heavenly Emperor Li. Li Luo could not fathom how much weight those few words carried yet. He could only imagine that the Xia Kingdom, the Golden Dragon Bank, and even the Astral Sage College could not compare to the power of a Heavenly Emperor. This was because not even Principal Pang could qualify as one. Still, this did not matter. He may have been a little curious of his ancestral origin, but it was as Jiang Qing''e had saidthis was unquestionably his home. "That sneaky bastard Pei Hao has once again retreated into the shadows, I don''t know where he''s disappeared to this time," Li Luo said in a sour tone. He is just a mere court jester prancing around. If not for the dark forces backing him, he would lose his life the moment he meets us as we are now," Jiang Qing''e replied nonchalantly. However, there was a hint of killing intent veiled behind her words. "You have progressed frighteningly quickly over the past year, so he must be scared to face the power of your ninth-grade light resonance now," Li Luo quipped. He still remembered that when Pei Hao had met Jiang Qing''e in the City of Southwind to discuss business a year ago, he was still a step ahead of her in cultivation. However, a year had passed in the blink of an eye, and Jiang Qing''e was now at the Fiend Finisher Tier, far ahead of where she was before. Pei Hao would certainly suffer a miserable end at Jiang Qing''e''s hands if he was not able to advance to the Heavenly Pearl Stage by the time they met again. "Pei Hao is not worth my time, and I have never considered him my opponent to begin with. It''s up to you to end him at the upcoming housemeet," Jiang Qing''e calmly retorted as she looked straight at Li Luo. "M-Me?" Li Luo stuttered. "Mhm, it has to be you. The true heir to House Luolan will be decided at this housemeet, and only the three of us are qualified to stake a claim on it. I have no intention of doing so, so it will be between the two of you. If you manage to kill him, all the strife and internal struggles of House Luolan will be laid to rest while your name will soar to even greater heights," said Jiang Qing''e. "But he''s a Fiend Finisher Tier expert..." "He might be more than that. I wouldn''t put it past the forces behind him to have something up their sleeves after backing him for all these years," replied Jiang Qing''e calmly. Li Luo''s eyes glazed over. "Actually Sister Qing''e, you don''t have to exclude yourself from claiming the position of house lord. Everything could be settled easily with your strength, and you do not have to back off just to save my reputation," said Li Luo sincerely as he stared at the beautiful face of the girl next to him. Jiang Qing''e''s reputation within House Luolan had never stopped growing while she was taking care of matters for Li Luo, and she was favored over him to be the true house lord after being in charge for such a long time. If she was willing, the seat of house lord was already practically hers. But Jiang Qing''e was obviously uninterested in this proposal, or rather, she did not want to overshadow Li Luo any longer. "Still pushing the load to me after making me carry it for all these years?" teased Jiang Qing''e as she grinned slightly. She then shook her head. "Li Luo, do not belittle yourself any longer. The role of house lord fits you far better than me. It''s not like I''m washing my hands clean of house mattersI will still be supporting you from behind." As she continued staring at Li Luo, her gaze turned more serious. "The position of house lord is only secondary. What I want more than that is for you to defeat Pei Hao in front of everyone in House Luolan. I want you to show everybody that you are undoubtedly the pillar of House Luolan and that Pei Hao is just a blind dog who depends on it. He is nothing compared to you." Li Luo did not know whether to laugh or to cry. He felt like Jiang Qing''e just wanted him to personally exact revenge on Pei Hao for all the trouble he had caused instead of for the right to be called the house lord. It almost seemed like Jiang Qing''e harbored even more hatred for Pei Hao than Li Luo himself. This was the first time that he had witnessed this side of Jiang Qing''e. She shot him a quick glance and lightly pursed her lips, her majestic eyes pondering for a moment before turning to him. "If you manage to kill Pei Hao, I will allow you to cancel our engagement." As soon as she finished her sentence, Li Luo''s head began rushing with blood. A terrifying killing intent wafted from his burning gaze. A haughty voice rang out. "Drawn or quartered?" Chapter 0607: Third Resonance - Thunder Dragon Resonance Chapter 0607: Third Resonance - Thunder Dragon Resonance Phew. Li Luo was sprawled on his bed with his eyes tightly shut. The miracle paste smeared all over his body was glowing mysteriously as it tunneled into his blood and flesh. This was his fifth time going through the process, and although his resonant power was no longer increasing significantly, he could feel a hint of lightness within his body, as though it was gradually ascending to a higher state to reach perfection. His qi and blood were bubbling with vigor. A perfect body that had been made whole. Jiang Qing''e was beside the bed, staring at the minute changes happening to Li Luo. A trace of relief could be seen on her enthralling, jade-like face. Five applications of the miracle paste had allowed Li Luo to regain and perfect his foundation. She knew that he was currently in the midst of adjusting and harmonizing the effects of the medicine on his body and hence left him alone, quietly leaving the room and closing the door behind her. This process took a full two hours to complete. After which, the mysterious glow on his body faded, and the effects had fully fused into his flesh and blood. It was then that he finally opened his eyes, a newfound deepness hidden within. At the same time, he couldn''t hide the uncontrollable joy he felt. "My foundation has finally recovered!" He was all smiles as the sequelae left behind by his second resonance had been completely dealt with today. Although this process had not resulted in the direct growth of his abilities and strength, he could feel that his mental state had become even more complete. This ascension of the mind gave him greater confidence in future breakthroughs. "Hmm... but I truly wonder what the corresponding price for the third acquired resonance will be." Li Luo felt a pang of worry. The first one had left him teetering on the edge of life with merely five years left to live, an absolutely disastrous result. The second had crippled his foundation. Relatively speaking, the second one was much more acceptable, considering the fact that the solution was much more attainable. Li Luo possessed weak resonant power back then and was unable to support the price that had to be paid for the power of an acquired resonance. Thus, his lifeblood had been used as compensation. However, there was no other choice at the time. He had no other way to awaken his resonance, and thus, that was the only method to enter the world of cultivation. Insufficient resonant power? That''s fine. My lifespan will do! After all, if he could not awaken his resonance, he would never gain enough resonant power to utilize an acquired resonance. It was a chicken and egg problem. At least Li Luo didn''t have a solution to that predicament then. Regardless, he had managed to take the first step, and that step had put him on a path that led him to reach the heights he had today. Thus, based on what he knew, the third acquired resonance''s side effects should not cause as many issues, considering the fact that he now possessed power equivalent to that of an Earth Fiend Stage cultivator. Li Luo''s imagination ran wild as he thought of the possibilities. Eventually, he shook his head and snapped out of his trance. There was no point to this thought experiment. He would bear any price for the third resonance. It was necessary. He had struggled for so long, all for this day, no? "Speaking of the third resonance..." Li Luo''s expression shifted slightly. He had already refined it, and it was the perfect opportunity to integrate his third acquired resonance. Once that was done, he would break into the Earth Fiend General Stage directly. With this train of thought, he swiped his hand over his pocket sphere, and a golden, triangular object surfaced. Engraved upon its surface were numerous ancient patterns that intertwined in an esoteric manner. This was the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel that Mentor Chi Chan and Yu Hongxi had kindly assisted with refining. [1] The most critical object required in obtaining an acquired resonance. After which, Li Luo removed two more objects from within the pocket sphere. One was a silver core of a fruit, emblazoned with patterns of thunder and lightning. Occasionally, an arc of lightning would sputter out from it, coupled with a thunderous boom. Li Luo had acquired this gift from the Thunderpeal Tree with his virtuous actions on Thunderpeal Mountain during the Holy Grail Meet. The fruit core contained the purest thunder energy and was a heavenly natural treasure. It was perfect as an ingredient for the third resonance. Other than the silver fruitcore, he also possessed a dragon''s bloodpearl. A shadow of a massive dragon seemed to writhe below the surface of this object, constantly giving out potent and suppressive roars. This was obtained within the Dragon''s Belly during the competition, an area that contained the blood essence of an actual dragon. This was the final configuration of the acquired resonance that Li Luo had decided upon. A dragon resonance and a thunder resonance. The dragon resonance would be the main resonance, and the Thunder resonance would support it. A Thunder Dragon resonance! "AAAAAH. A Thunder Dragon resonance! That''s so cool!" Li Luo gushed excitedly. He had put great thought into these two resonances. His previous resonances were both inclined towards recovery and endurance. These were intentionally chosen to offset the lifespan loss that had been inflicted upon him. They were more gentle and more inclined towards vitality in terms of affinity, so they would gradually rejuvenate his body and prevent any long-lasting damage. However, he knew he would be at the Earth Fiend General Stage when the time to make the third resonance arrived. He would be considered an actual cultivator with a robust foundation at that point. This would thus broaden his choices for his resonances. He already possessed healing and defensive powers, and now he lacked a resonance with a more offensive slant to complete the holy trifecta. This had often caused him a headache, and he had to use his ingenuity to make up for this deficit. Dragons were top tier existences amongst spirit beasts. It was said that the moment a pure-blooded dragon reached maturity, they would be Duke Stage existences. Thus, the dragon race could be considered to be behemoths in this world. Naturally, a dragon resonance born in the blood of a dragon would be a peak beast resonance. Dragons were terrifying and tyrannic, able to move mountains and shift the seas. Furthermore, they possessed refined physical bodies with amplified physical strength and resilience. Beast resonances were brutal and full of destructive prowess, and the dragon resonance was no exception. If Li Luo was able to possess a dragon resonance, then he would gain a massive increase in offensive abilities and potential. When it came to the thunder resonance, he was particularly interested in its speed. When he had competed against Jing Taixu and Lu Ming, he could clearly feel the advantages of a resonance that specialized in alacrity. Furthermore, the importance of quickness could not be understated when compared to raw power. Thus, the supporting resonance that was chosen, the thunder resonance, belonged to the category of resonances that emphasized this. Once he obtained this Thunder Dragon resonance, Li Luo''s strength and speed would both be augmented by a significant amount, allowing him to shore up his previous deficiencies. As a result, his anticipation towards the new resonance only grew stronger. Without any further hesitation, he took a deep breath and began to adjust his state of mind to its peak. After which, he raised his palm and activated the resonant power within him, activating the Godly Forging Art. At the same time, the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel began to emit a splendorous mystifying light. The worldly natural energy began to show signs of being roused, and all of it was gathered towards the object, lighting up all of the engraved patterns. When the light solidified and projected itself onto the space before it, it looked like countless ancient runes that had vaulted right out of the annals of history. Li Luo carefully observed the scene before him before making a slight movement with the materials. The dragonpearl and silver fruit core then directly dove right into the forging wheel in two streams of light. At this very moment, a deluge of mystical light and colors radiated from the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel, encompassing the two materials as they gradually sublimated. Draconic roars and booms of thunder continuously echoed throughout the room as this occurred. The much-awaited third resonance was finally going to make its appearance. 1. TL Note: Well, I guess it''s a triangular wheel... I mean it''s probably not efficient at rolling, but hey, can''t roll out of Li Luo''s hands! ? Chapter 0608: Plan Chapter 0608: Plan The third resonance had been refined successfully, and that was to be expected. He was in the middle of his home, not some dangerous locale. The Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel was mystical, and Li Luo simply had to sustain the flow of his resonance energy into it for it to operate autonomously, assisting with the fusion of the two materials. Thus, as the refining continued for several hours, Li Luo gradually felt that his resonant power was draining dry. Fortunately, a resplendent light spilled forth from the wheel at this point and covered the room, looking a little like starlight in the night skies. A special sound could be heard within the midst of this starry light. It almost sounded like an embryo''s very first heartbeat. This acquired resonance was something unique. Using the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art would enable one to combine different resonances and spiritually smelt them into an entirely perfect fusion. This was basically unheard of in the East Divine Continent. When Li Luo first encountered the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art, he had not understood its implication and wonder. However, now that he had continued to learn more about cultivation and experienced more of the world, he finally caught a glimpse of how heaven-defying and marvelous this art was. Just how had his parents come across this? This resonance art was a perfect fit for his three blank palaces. Li Luo continued to stare unabated at the pervasive mysterious light, breathing as lightly as he could, as if it would disrupt the proceedings. Gradually, the light began to recede, and when the last rays dissipated, a small ball of light the size of a thumb appeared from within the center of the wheel. The ball of light seemed extremely feeble, as though a small gust would cause it to extinguish. Li Luo''s heart was palpitating as he stared at it. He understood that this was his long-awaited third acquired resonance! Although its initial form was extremely fragile and it could be extinguished with a puff, he knew that he had to keep it safe. Otherwise, all of his materials would be squandered without result! Fortunately, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had provided some notes on their experiences with refining acquired resonances, and Li Luo had some ideas on how to strengthen the nascent Thunder Dragon resonance. With a measured pace, Li Luo bit the tip of his tongue, and a glob of blood essence shrouded in his resonant energy was spat out. The blood essence quickly condensed and compressed into a thumb-sized blood pearl in a blink. Immediately after, Li Luo''s complexion quickly turned pale. The blood pearl landed in the center of the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel, right atop the ball of light. At that moment, small wisps of blood were extracted from the pearl, merging into the light ball. Gradually, the light ball began to intensify in brightness. If one listened carefully, they would hear faint, draconic roars and the booming of thunder coming from within. At the same time, Li Luo could feel a strange connection forming between the Thunder Dragon resonance and himself. A weary but excited smile surfaced. He knew that the refinement of the Thunder Dragon resonance was a success. The difference between this and the woodearth resonance was that this new one required time to be continuously nurtured by his blood essence. Only when it had reached a certain level of growth could he integrate it into his blank palace. There was no need to rush the process. Either way, Li Luo had yet to break into the Earth Fiend General Stage. As a result, he did not dare to forcefully integrate it. If anything were to happen, his Resonant Master Stage power might simply not be enough to prevent a disastrous outcome. After all was said and done, he gingerly stored the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel in his pocket sphere. There were two months left until the Housemeet, and he had many things to accomplish before that point. Firstly, he had to break through his cultivation stage. This would provide a significant boost to his strength, considering the massive gap between the Resonant Master and General Stages. In the struggle against Ao Bai, he had clearly felt the disparity in sheer power between them despite him only being at the pseudo-General Stage. The four best students of the One Star Hall had to collaborate closely in order to barely suppress him. If Ao Bai had been a true Earth Fiend, with a fully refined Fiend Palace, Li Luo and the rest would not have managed to turn the tables. However, breaking into that stage was not a walk in the park. Strictly speaking, it had only been a year since he obtained his first acquired resonance. In such a short span of time, he had achieved growth beyond anyone''s wildest dreams. Although the Holy Grail Meet had provided certain tailwinds, the college would not easily part with their cultivation resources for him to squander. Still, this was a monumental achievement that would shock those who knew the full story. And Li Luo was doing this in the One Star Hall, which would undoubtedly lead to even more surprise. This would be a new record as he would be the first One Star Hall student to do so. Even Jiang Qing''e had not managed such a feat. Though it has to be said that this was because the secret cultivation technique she utilized had suppressed her cultivation speed in the lower levels. Its purpose was to create a strong foundation, enabling her to eventually leap forward later. Regardless, if Li Luo was able to break through in the next two months, he''d definitely be heralded as the student with the most potential in the Astral Sage College. However, based on his own estimations, his probability of reaching the Earth Fiend Stage right now was around 30%. If he had another half a year''s worth of time, it''d probably rise to around 80%. Well... he didn''t have half a year''s worth of time. He had to personally cut down Pei Hao during the Housemeet after all. Pei Hao had Fiend Finisher Tier strength, and if Li Luo wanted to achieve his goal, he would have to utilize the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s power. Yet this was a double-edged sword because he would be corroded by its evil intent. The more he took advantage of the beast''s strength, the stronger the effect on him. If Li Luo wanted to have better control over this borrowed strength, he would have to improve himself, and reaching the Earth Fiend Stage would be the best form of additional protection. "The Holy Tree Marrow Crystal would probably increase my chances by about 30% as well," Li Luo mused to himself. Vice Principal Su Xin had promised it as a reward, and it provided a substantial boost to one''s chances of breaking through. With that in mind, his chances would rise to about 60%. Yet he felt that this was still not enough. Thus, he would have to strengthen his resonances as well. Currently, his waterlight resonance was at the lower seventh-grade and the woodearth resonance was at the sixth-grade. If the waterlight resonance was able to reach the upper seventh-grade and the woodearth resonance the lower seventh-grade, his resonant power would become significantly denser and more plentiful. At that point, his total chances of breaking through would reach 80%. This would be the most perfect outcome in his view. Cultivating a Duke art would likely have to wait till after his breakthrough. This would then increase his chances of cultivating one successfully. "It looks like I will have to pick a weaker Duke art as per the vice principal''s suggestion." Li Luo was pressed for time, so he had to maximize every opportunity to improve himself. As a result, he had to create a comprehensive plan. "It looks like the next order of action will be to upgrade my resonances." Li Luo took a deep breath and hopped off his bed. It looked like a trip to the Golden Dragon Bank was in order. This was because Cai Wei had previously instructed him to be the one in charge of purchasing spirit liquids and purifying lights. In a normal situation, there was no need for the young lord himself to be doing menial labor. So why did he have to go in person? Well, the fact of the matter was that Cai Wei had realized that whenever Li Luo himself went to purchase spirit liquids and purifying lights, he''d actually be able to get a lower price than others... Thus, the task of purchasing these items would naturally fall to him! On the other hand, Li Luo also understood why he received a discount. It was all because of Lu Qing''er''s help, and he naturally had a guilty conscience for taking advantage of her soft-heartedness and kindness towards him. Unfortunately, House Luolan required significant amounts of resources for development, and he could only note down her generosity in his heart. At the same time, he would also need to pay a visit to Yu Hongxi. Vice Principal Su Xin had previously reminded him to watch his back. The Golden Dragon Bank was undoubtedly a powerhouse, and Li Luo needed to confirm her intentions towards House Luolan. The thought of having to interact with Yu Hongxi also caused Li Luo to give a gentle sigh. He did have a good impression of her and she had provided invaluable assistance all this time. He truly respected her as an elder. Hopefully, she held no malice towards House Luolan. Chapter 0609: Infuriated Yu Hongxi Chapter 0609: Infuriated Yu Hongxi Li Luo arrived at the Golden Dragon Bank shortly after, directly making his way towards the purchases department. Immediately getting to work, he started on discussions for a large purchase of spirit liquids and purifying lights. However, not long after, a familiar face popped up. Lu Qing''er had snuck in front of his very eyes with her hands behind her back. "Hey! Why didn''t you look for me?" She was dressed in a white top with a short skirt, revealing her snow-white thighs as she beamed at Li Luo. At the same time, she turned to face the supervisor in charge of the purchasing department with the same smile. "Steward Mu, as per the usual rules." The one addressed as Steward Mu similarly smiled and nodded. "Yes, Young Mistress. I understand." As a result, Li Luo''s discount was maximized to the greatest extent possible. The tiny margins from this deal were inconsequential to the Golden Dragon Bank, and offending the young mistress was unwise. An envious look was shot towards Li Luo. It seemed that being handsome truly had benefits. "Qing''er... you''re making things difficult for me. People will think Im taking advantage of you!" Li Luo''s expression turned gloomy. Lu Qing''er complimented in response, "Aiya! You''re now the East Divine Continent''s most outstanding One Star Hall student, achieving glory for all of the Xia Kingdom. The Golden Dragon Bank actually wants to collaborate with you, allowing us to benefit from YOUR fame. Thus, will Young Lord Li Luo reconsider and give us a chance?" "Well, if that''s the case..." Li Luo pondered over it for a mere two seconds before giving an extremely exaggerated expression. "Just this once, then. Not because I really want it... but it would be a waste if I didnt..." Lu Qing''er''s smiling face seemed to bloom upon hearing his words. "Thank you, esteemed Young Lord!" On the other hand, Steward Mu, who had heard their conversation, was rolling his eyes in absolute disgust, berating Li Luo in his heart! Just what sort of twisted person would force the young mistress to beg him to be on the receiving end of such wondrous benefits? Was there any sort of justice or fairness in this world? So what if he was handsome? However, he also knew that the two were just messing around. Furthermore, this was not the first time this had happened. It was merely that as a fellow member of the sterner sex, he felt like retching upon seeing this. Everyone also knew that the Golden Dragon Bank was the richest amongst the factions of the Xia Kingdom. As a result, Yu Hongxi was the richest matriarch around, and as her only daughter, Lu Qing''er was naturally the Xia Kingdom''s richest young lady. Whoever caught her fancy and married her would literally be able to lug a mountain of gold back home as a result. Li Luo, on the other hand, was not planning to do whatever the envious Steward Mu was imagining. All of the assistance that Lu Qing''er had accorded him was deeply etched into his mind, and there was no need to bring this favor up amongst friends. So long as Lu Qing''er required his help in future, he would wholeheartedly devote his assistance to her. The two continued to chat for a bit before he finally raised his request. "Qing''er, I''d like to meet President Yu." Yu Hongxi was often tied down with daily affairs and had an endless stream of appointments. If he wanted to have a quick chat with her, the only way would be through her daughter. "Well, luckily, Mom is still around. Just follow me." Lu Qing''er chuckled. After giving a few instructions to the steward, she led Li Luo through the depths of the Golden Dragon Bank, directly into Yu Hongxi''s office. Under her guidance, Li Luo had managed to get through without any form of obstruction. At the same time, a head burrowed within mounds of files raised to inspect this new disturbance. She seemed unsurprised, and as a Duke expert, she had long sensed the duo''s approach. A hint of dissatisfaction could be seen as she glanced at her daughter. That brat simply couldn''t resist any of Li Luo''s requests! "Oh? Isn''t that the East Divine Continent''s strongest One Star Hall student? Your presence graces these halls. It''s truly an honor." Yu Hongxi drawled sardonically as she snapped the file in her hand closed. Clearly, the Holy Grail Meet''s results had been publicized throughout the entire Xia Kingdom. Furthermore, it was an event of huge importance because the Astral Sage College was the representative of the Xia Kingdom. Standing out amongst the colleges of the East Divine Continent and winning the competition in one fell swoop had brought about much pride to the common people. Li Luo''s reputation and name had naturally also resonated amongst the populace. It was then that numerous people came to the realization that the blank palace young lord of House Luolan had finally spread his wings. The new generation of House Luolan would possess a strong foundation, and soon it would be their time to shine. On the other hand, Li Luo modestly replied, "Honestly speaking, I was lucky! I simply managed to hold on a little longer than Jing Taixu." "No need to act humble here. The Holy Grail Meet is the gathering of the East Divine Continent''s most elite youths. Being able to distinguish yourself is a testament to your ability. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan truly have a good son," Yu Hongxi replied indifferently. However, her gaze seemed to contain some appreciation for the youth standing before her. Anyone who valued talent would be interested in him, considering the fact that he held both potential and ability. Li Luo smiled as he continued to banter a bit more with the president. "So, why are you here?" Yu Hongxi eventually put a stop to the pleasantries, cutting right to the chase as someone exceptionally experienced in negotiations. Li Luo was definitely here for some reason, and she too had many things on her plate to idly chat all day, unlike Li Luo. Li Luo hesitated as he contemplated how he would bring up the topic. He decided he would just look Yu Hongxi right in the eye with no intention of hiding anything. "President Yu, you must know about House Luolan''s Housemeet in two months time." Her eyes flashed in response and she gave a wry smile. "Who wouldn''t know of the most momentous event that is about to befall the Xia Kingdom. Countless peak powers are carefully observing the situation, and whether one of the great houses will fall remains to be seen. Everything will be decided in two months'' time. If you would like to find the Golden Dragon Bank as a backer, then I will have to disappoint you, unfortunately. The Golden Dragon Bank is in a similar situation to the Astral Sage College. We will not interfere with the internecine strife of the kingdom. After all, harmony breeds wealth," she calmly added. Li Luo shook his head. "Well, that wasn''t my intention. I am very clear on the Golden Dragon Bank''s stance of neutrality. How could I request something so unreasonable? It''s just that someone was kind enough to give me a reminder that I had to be wary of the Golden Dragon Bank as well..." Yu Hongxi''s eyes turned into slits upon hearing those incendiary words. "Hmm? Does Young Lord Li Luo feel that the Golden Dragon Bank covets House Luolan? That we will stoop down to your level and strike you when the chips are down?" Her tone had turned icy-cold, contrasting against the boiling atmosphere in the room. On the other hand, Lu Qing''er''s expression had changed into one of anxiety. "Hmph! House Luolan might have some broken-down magical trinkets left behind, but I, Yu Hongxi, would never care for such trifles. I even know that Li Taixuan left behind a formation that borrows the power and influence that House Luolan wields to suppress any Duke experts. The stronger House Luolan is, the stronger the formation. Do you think that would be enough to stop me if I truly wished to get past it? You borrowed the success of the Suncreek Villa to bolster House Luolan. But have you thought about the source of that success? All of the materials you used to craft spirit liquids and purifying lights were purchased from the Golden Dragon Bank! We monopolize 60% of the Xia Kingdom''s materials, and if we so wished, we could snap your supply lines like a twig. What would the Suncreek Villa do then? Li Luo, do you think that the other peak factions of the Xia Kingdom havent already tried to convince the Golden Dragon Bank to cripple your last lines of survival? They had even offered up massive amounts of wealth! You are too naive." Yu Hongxi snorted frostily. Her sharp words bit deep. Her gorgeous face held traces of contempt and was cold like a glacier. Seeing Yu Hongxi''s sudden explosion, Lu Qing''er hurriedly tugged at her forearm, attempting to soothe her. "Mom! Please calm down. If Li Luo indeed suspected that you were masterminding a scheme, would he have approached you directly?" At the same time, she quickly shot Li Luo a meaningful glance. Li Luo immediately cupped his fist and bowed his head slightly, displaying a face full of sincerity. "Aunt Yu, I definitely know that you''ve been taking care of House Luolan from the shadows. In fact, I''m greatly appreciative of all that you''ve done. I wasn''t suspecting you, I merely wanted to point out that the internal workings of the Golden Dragon Bank are complex and I''m concerned that dangers lie beneath the surface. The Housemeet holds exceptional importance to us, and the Golden Dragon Bank is the mightiest behemoth in the Xia Kingdom. Even a fart would throw everything into disarray... I know that the bank has always remained neutral, but I worry others may harbor less savory thoughts. Unable to differentiate their professional duties from their personal interests, it would only be detrimental to your reputation." Yu Hongxi thunderously replied, "What did you call me? Aunt Yu? Address me by my proper title: President Yu!" Li Luo was taken aback by this, and since he clearly knew that she was fuming, he could only sheepishly accede to her request. "President Yu, please." Another cold snort echoed throughout the small room, and she continued to glare at Li Luo intently. A moment later, the coldness in her expression seemed to dissipate and her tone regained its usual calmness. "I don''t need your concern when it comes to the inner affairs of the Golden Dragon Bank. I will deal with it myself. You had better think about how to resolve your own predicament during the Housemeet. Otherwise, House Luolan will cease to exist in two months'' time." Li Luo smiled at the positive change in events. "House Luolan is the result of my parents'' blood and sweat. I will naturally do my best to protect it. If I''m unable to do so, Sister Qing''e and I will definitely cut our losses and escape. Once we reach the Duke Stage, we''ll come back to settle the accounts." "Do you think a Duke is that great?" Yu Hongxi retorted. The response was met with a self-assured smirk. "Well, if the Duke Stage isn''t sufficient... then we''ll reach the King Stage." His handsome face seemed to contain an inexplicable confidence. Coupled with his assertive smile, even Lu Qing''er was swayed by his charm, and she lightly bit her lip upon this sight. Yu Hongxi''s previously apathetic gaze seemed to focus at that moment. The King Stage... This was something that even she could not touch. Anyone with such a title was a titan in their own right, even when it came to the main branch of the Golden Dragon Bank. "You''re barely grown up, but your words are already so haughty," she rebuked. This brat has a wild temperament and an even wilder imagination. Although he had spoken of entering the Duke Stage, this was something that she had never doubted given his potential and enough time. However, to reach the King Stage? This was a chasm that many heavenly geniuses were unable to vault over throughout the annals of history. Yet this reckless dual resonance cultivator in front of her was spouting such grand words. "Alright, you can leave now. All you have to do is settle your own affairs." Yu Hongxi waved her hand as though she was shooing a fly away before immersing herself in her work once again. Thoughts ran through his mind, but he stopped himself from engaging in any more superfluous words. After bowing with his hand clasped once again, he glanced up to bid farewell to Lu Qing''er and then turned to leave. Just as he was about to open the door, Yu Hongxi''s commanding tone rang out once again. "Wait." Li Luo turned curiously to see what was going on. What greeted him was a steely-faced president. "Call me Aunt Yu." Slightly taken aback and not knowing whether to laugh or cry at this new development, Li Luo hurriedly said, "Aunt Yu." Then he took his leave and tightly shut the door behind him. As she looked at the closed door, Yu Hongxi angrily slammed the table as she grumbled, "That brat doesn''t know his limits. He actually thought I''d covet his crappy house? Preposterous!" Lu Qing''er hurriedly rushed to her mom''s side, quickly massaging her shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. "Mom, you can''t blame Li Luo... He''s under massive amounts of pressure, and if he didn''t trust you, he would never have brazenly spoken out like that." Yu Hongxi shot daggers at her treasured daughter. "That brat is trying to take advantage of your mom and you''re still siding with him?" Lu Qing''er sincerely replied. "How am I siding with him? He was clearly trembling like a mouse before you." "Hmph. He''s clearly putting on an act. It''s surprising how the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan turned out this way, considering how different their personalities are!" she disdainfully replied. At the same time, a smile bloomed on Lu Qing''er''s face in amusement. "Mom, do you think there is some truth to Li Luo''s words? Could it be that within the Golden Dragon Bank..." A frown formed on Yu Hongxi''s face and her eyes narrowed. Yet nothing else was said. Lu Qing''er didnt probe any further, only obediently massaging her mom''s shoulders, hoping to restore a sense of tranquility to this eventful day. Chapter 610: Spirit Condensing Pill Chapter 610: Spirit Condensing Pill For the next few days, Li Luo did not rush back to college, instead opting to cultivate within House Luolan. His next objective was to refine his two resonances, and staying at home was the most convenient option. House Luolan had the golden cultivation room. Although it was slightly weaker than the Tree of Resonant Power, it didn''t pale too much in comparison. Li Luo was currently seated right in the middle of the radiant and dazzling skygold room. At this moment, he drew out a bottle of seventh-grade spirit liquid and quaffed it down whilst using his resonant power to begin the process of refinement. Soon after, a mysterious energy entered his resonant palace. Much like the spring rain, it started to rejuvenate the parched and thirsty resonant palaces. Within the waterlight resonant palace, there was a manifestation of a pool that seemed to have expanded several times in size. Additionally, there was a miniature sun-like object that was radiating light, and the effects of the spirit liquid caused this light to become more brilliant and even slightly penetrating! As for the woodearth resonance, a manifestation of a little tree was rooted in a pile of dirt. The refinement of the spirit liquid seemed to instill a greater sense of life within the tree, and its branches started to sway and emit countless rays of light. Li Luo quietly observed the activity within his resonant palaces, feeling a strong sense of relief. His resonant manifestations were much more robust and solid than they were when he had just stepped into the Resonant Master Stage, indicating his meteoric growth in resonant power. The rain of light produced by the refinement of the spirit liquid continued to fall onto the resonances, strengthening them step by step. This was the effect of refining a spirit liquid. Li Luo''s attention then shifted to the area above the resonant palaces, and he started to count down within his mind. When he reached zero, a ray of purple light descended upon each of his resonant palaces. This strand of purple light contained the most pristine and pure form of special energy. Taking a closer look, it contained a drop of a mysterious liquid that exuded an inexplicable sort of charm, and the phantom of a divine tree could be seen within! The purple liquid then entered the resonant palaces themselves before directly landing on the manifestations of the resonances. The pool of spiritual liquid within his waterlight resonance began to churn, and ripples were set off, creating the sounds of waves. For his woodearth resonance, the little tree suddenly grew taller and more branches and leaves appeared. The soil itself also expanded in a circle around it. Feeling the drastic change in the manifestations of his resonances gave Li Luo a great sense of happiness. The mysterious purple liquid was naturally the byproduct of the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch obtained from the Holy Grail Meet. It was not merely a violet-eye treasured artifact, it also possessed resonance tempering effects. Every day, it would produce a small amount of Violet Spiritliquid. Each droplet had a tempering effect that was both mild yet pure of spirit, and it was able to strengthen one''s resonance. Most importantly, the effects of the Violet Spiritliquid would not clash with the tempering provided by spirit liquids and purifying lights. As a result, they could work hand in hand to achieve a greater synergistic effect. Within these few days, Li Luo continued to use these two sources to temper and raise the grades of his dual resonances. The effects were to be celebrated. Based on the efficacy of these tempering materials, there was a good chance that both his resonances would rise in grade within a month. Li Luo could intently feel a sense of life coming from within his resonances. He''d wait for the tempering effects to cease before calming himself down to cultivate. This was his way of life for half a month as he steadfastly sought to improve himself. At this point, he could feel both resonances becoming more and more active and restless, which brought him even greater exuberance. This was not a foreign feeling! It heralded his dual resonances being on the edge of being tempered to the next grade. It seemed as though the day he had been waiting for was almost here. One day, early in the morning. Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and Cai Wei were all having breakfast together in the dining hall. Cai Wei still possessed the alluring and delicate charm she always exuded. Her every expression, be it a smile or frown, was full of graceful charisma. She had already eaten before and was now accompanying the two. As the other two continued to break bread, Cai Wei continued to provide an update on House Luolan''s numerous businesses and happenings. "It''s our great fortune to have Sister Cai Wei assisting us. It''s only because House Luolan has been managed so well by you that Qing''e and I can cultivate in peace," Li Luo complimented with a deep sigh after hearing her complicated report. "The Young Lord has a honeyed tongue. However, I have to correct you. The current situation was brought about by your efforts and not mine." Cai Wei beamed sweetly. "If you hadn''t provided the secret watersource to the Suncreek Villa, I would never have been able to redirect the profits into House Luolan''s other businesses." Jiang Qing''e also nodded as she agreed with the assessment. "Sister Cai Wei''s words are the truth of the matter. Ever since you arrived in Xia City, House Luolan''s reputation has changed for the better. Now its actually flourishing. If I had known that you were so useful, I''d have dragged you over much sooner from the City of Southwind." Listening to the two girls'' flattery, Li Luo felt a sense of pride deep down, but he did not deign to show it. Instead, he remained cool and collected, only asking a question in response. "Sister Cai Wei, has there been any progress in my request for a Spirit Condensing Pill?" This Spirit Condensing Pill he was referring to was a type of pill used to facilitate one''s breakthrough in stages. It could amplify one''s resonant power by several times for a brief moment. The aftereffects were mild and gentle, so it was a great tool to assist one in their breakthrough attempt. Li Luo wanted to obtain one of those pills for the sake of his preparations in attacking the Earth Fiend General Stage. Cai Wei nodded, but her smile faded slightly. "I''ve dispatched a few men within Xia City to check out the pharmacies and enquire with the Golden Dragon Bank. The strangest thing that''s almost impossible to believe is that there is no Spirit Condensing Pill to be found. Zilch! Whether it''s of high or low quality!" Li Luo frowned upon hearing this. Spirit Condensing Pills held great value, and one could easily go for several hundred thousand skygold. Normally speaking, few merchants would hold this treasure, but it was not to the point where the markets were completely cleared out of it. "Clearly, someone has been buying up the supply," Jiang Qing''e assessed dully. Li Luo squinted upon hearing her assessment of the situation. "Clearly, someone has guessed that I''m about to break into the Earth Fiend General Stage... Sigh... They decided to cut off a pound of flesh just to deal with little, old me. Buying out the entire city''s stock of Spirit Condensing Pills couldn''t have come cheap." Jiang Qing''e shot him a look with an upturned eyebrow, almost impressed at his perceived self-importance. "Well, perhaps they might not be targeting you..." Li Luo was slightly taken aback by her reply. "Well, that''s also because I stand a strong chance in breaking through before the Housemeet as well. By devouring the entire stock of Spirit Condensing Pills, they can hamper our strength even by a little. Furthermore, high-grade Spirit Condensing Pills also have some effect on me," Jiang Qing''e explained. This was met with a resentful grumble from Li Luo... "So I was thinking too highly of myself? Gosh!" However, he understood where Jiang Qing''e''s analysis was coming from. Any third party who observed House Luolan''s situation would identify Jiang Qing''e as a key problem to be dealt with. Although she was currently in the Fiend Finisher Tier and was insignificant before the full might of a Duke, all problems should still be resolved cleanly in advance to prevent any complications from arising. And the pitiful Li Luo in the Resonant Master Stage wasn''t even of any consideration. Cai Wei, on the other hand, couldn''t help but cover her mouth and chortle at the sight of this. Jiang Qing''e''s lips also turned up in a smile. "To be fair, I dont think anyone would have expected you to break into the General Stage in these two months. You have only spent so much time cultivating after all. The speed at which you have developed is honestly comparable to me, and I have a ninth grade light resonance." Li Luo shook his head. "Forget about it. If there aren''t any, then so be it. The pill is just a supplementary aid, and if I were to truly rely on such treasures, that wouldn''t befit my status as the BEST One Star Hall student in the East Divine Continent. Why would I need to stoop down to a normal person''s level! Psh!" Utilizing a Spirit Condensing Pill would definitely guarantee his breakthrough, but he already possessed two resonances and two resonant palaces, resulting in his resonant power far surpassing that of the average Resonant Master, who craved for the additional support the pill would bring. Most importantly, he was also fully confident in himself. However, right at this time, a bodyguard rushed in bearing tidings. "Young Lord, Young Mistress, the Golden Dragon Bank''s Young Mistress Qing''er has arrived at the headquarters bearing a gift." The bodyguard respectfully bowed as he placed a jade case atop the table. "Qing''er sent it personally?" Li Luo was slightly taken aback. Curiosity got the better of him, and he immediately opened the case. Within sat a single round pill. Strands of pill qi gradually wafted upwards, seemingly forming some sort of mystical pattern in the air. This was a high-grade Spirit Condensing Pill. "Hehe. Young Lord, your female friend certainly cherishes you very much. She even sent such a crucial gift during your time of need," Cai Wei teased. Li Luo felt a little exasperated as he quickly asked, "Where is she?" "She left after delivering it." "This is a token of her goodwill. Just accept it, and when you next see her, you can repay her appropriately, with skygold," Jiang Qing''e calmly suggested. Agreeing with Qing''e''s judgment, Li Luo nodded. At this point, the guard paused for a moment as he chose his next words very carefully. "Before Young Mistress Qing''er left, she specifically mentioned that this was meant for Young Mistress Qing''e. It''s not that she doesn''t want to provide it for the Young Lord, it just that she has full faith and confidence in the Young Lord''s own abilities." Wait what? This wasn''t meant for him but for Qing''e? What was going on? Were they on such good terms? Meanwhile, Cai Wei continued to watch with a bemused expression as the show unfolded. "Lu Qing''er is indeed an interesting maiden." Jiang Qing''e gaze flickered for a moment before she replied neutrally, "Although I don''t need it, this is still an expression of good faith, so I will accept this gift. However, when you next meet her, we will have to return her the skygold." Li Luo nodded in agreement. At this point, she stood up. "At the end of this month, I will contest for the position of a Seven Astral Pillar." Li Luo glanced at Jiang Qing''e, who was currently walking towards the inner courtyard, with a tumultuous feeling within his heart. She was planning to compete for the position as a Three Star Hall student. Her success would set a new record within the Astral Sage College. Her very presence seemed to have become even more radiant and striking at this point in time. Li Luo heaved a deep breath and resolved himself. Since Jiang Qing''e was doing her best, how could he take it easy? If things went to plan, his dual resonances would improve a grade in the next few days. Chapter 0611: Dual Resonance Advancement Chapter 0611: Dual Resonance Advancement It was twenty days after the end of the Holy Grail Meet. With the help of a hefty amount of seventh-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, in addition to the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch, Li Luo was finally ready to make the push to advance his dual resonances. In the depths of the skygold room. Li Luo was sitting cross-legged with his eyes firmly shut. Multicolored wisps of resonant power emanated from his body, reflecting the different attributes of his resonances. Water resonance, light resonance, wood resonance, earth resonance. Amidst the melding and intertwining of all these resonant powers, it was obvious that the water and wood resonant powers were of a higher strength and purity. As the resonant powers continued to radiate from Li Luo, they each had their own observable properties. The water resonant energy flowed and crashed, the light resonant energy dazzled and gleamed, the wood resonant energy sprouted and bloomed, while the earth resonant energy hummed with an arcane weightiness. This was a sign of resonance advancement. The process of resonance advancement was not risky in the slightest. After all, being able to reach this stage was a result of a huge accumulation of effort and resources. Once this stage was reached, actually advancing one''s resonance was only a matter of time. As such, Li Luo sat and cultivated in this position for another hour before the resonant power began to gradually fade from around his body, leaving the room in silence when the last bit of energy disappeared. Li Luo did not open his eyes, instead focusing inside to observe his resonant palaces. Under his inspection, the resonant power within his resonant palaces had indeed been strengthened significantly. The pool of waterlight resonance had doubled in size, while the sunlight that reflected from the pool shone with more brilliance and intensity than ever. The light seemed to cleanse and purify the water resonant power even further than before. In the other resonant palace, a patch of umber soil continued to extend outwards while the trunks and branches that had rooted from it pulsed with a vivid, verdant energy. Each leaf on the tree flowed with a lush, emerald force, the leaves a pure manifestation of wood resonant power. "Upper seventh-grade waterlight resonance. "Lower seventh-grade woodearth resonance. As Li Luo surveyed the improvements within his two resonant palaces, his heart flooded with pure joy. After a year of continuous trials and tribulations, his weak fourth-grade dual resonances had finally become incomparably stronger. Seventh-grade resonances were considered to be within the realm of high-grade resonances, and the resonant power produced from this level of resonance would be filled with greater sentience. This was a clear step above sixth-grade resonant power, be it in terms of strength or purity. Li Luo experienced the increased flow of resonant power within his body. The dual resonance advancement had made him stronger by a few levels. Now he was truly at the Evolving Resonance Tier. At this rate of progress, my success rate of breaking through to the Earth Fiend General Stage would be around 80% in three months'' time even without the help of any Holy Tree Marrow Crystals." Li Luo was amazed as he had previously estimated at least half a year more of cultivation before being able to reach that point. After the resonance advancement, the time had been cut in half. This was because his progress was even quicker than he had foreseen. It was too bad he did not have three months. Although he felt a little pained at the loss of a Holy Tree Marrow Crystal, it didn''t matter as the cost would be worth it to survive the Housemeet and preserve House Luolan. Li Luo harbored these thoughts in his mind when he ended the cultivation session. He proceeded to leave the skygold room, but he stopped when he saw a servant waiting for him at the entrance. In a flustered but respectful tone, the servant addressed Li Luo as soon as he came into view. "Young Lord, the Young Mistress has instructed me to wait here until you''ve finished cultivating. She bids you to go to the main hall." Li Luo nodded and his expression changed as he made a beeline towards his destination. When he arrived at the main hall, he saw Jiang Qing''e sitting at the head seat. She was flanked by Cai Wei and Ancestor Yuan Qing on her left and right respectively. Yuan Qing hurried to his feet and greeted Li Luo politely. Jiang Qing''e''s gaze swept over Li Luo, but it lingered on his body, her eyes slightly lighting up in an almost imperceptible hint of surprise. She had keenly perceived that the resonant power flowing from Li Luo''s body was livelier and stronger than it had been just a day ago. "It seems like the millions of spirit liquids and purifying lights acquired by Sister Cai Wei within the past two weeks have not gone to waste," Jiang Qing''e quipped. Cai Wei, who lacked Jiang Qing''e''s sharp sense of observation, curiously looked at Li Luo as she asked, "Has the Young Lord advanced his dual resonances?" "Just a little bit" Li Luo did not try to hide it, he just nodded with a smile. "Raising the grade of one''s resonance is even harder than advancing one''s resonant power. The Young Lord harbors dual resonances yet is able to progress at such a speed. He is truly a heavenly genius." Ancestor Yuan Qing sighed in admiration. Li Luo grinned but touched no further on the subject, instead asking, "Since Uncle Yuan is here today, does that mean there is a pressing matter?" Yuan Qing''s expression turned solemn as he replied, "We have received reports that five of House Luolan''s Pavilion Masters have arrived at Xia City in advance." Li Luo''s eyes narrowed. There were nine Pavilion Masters in House Luolan who oversaw all of the house''s businesses with the exception of Xia City. The strength of House Luolan''s reputation could mostly be attributed to the Council of Nine, but because of the turmoil that had been occurring within the organization, the loyalty of the Pavilion Masters had been put to the test. Of the nine, three had pledged their allegiance to Pei Hao, four were loyal to Jiang Qing''e, and the remaining two were neutral parties. "Which five?" Li Luo asked. Yuan Qing listed the five names in quick succession. Of the five Pavilion Masters, three were Pei Hao''s lackeys, while the other two happened to be the two neutral parties. As for the remaining four Pavilion Masters who were on Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo''s side, three had not yet arrived, while the last, Pavilion Master Lei Zhang, was protecting the headquarters. "So five Pavilion Masters have arrived at Xia City ahead of time The three who support Pei Hao can be accounted for, but what motive would Pavilion Masters Lu Qing and Lu Guan have for coming this early?" Li Luo queried. Lu Qing and Lu Guan both came to the headquarters to pay their respects earlier, but declined to stay. They have chosen to find their own lodgings outside," Yuan Qing replied. Truly a neutral party that abides by the rules, huh? Cai Wei laughed sarcastically. As an ardent supporter of Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, she not only loathed those in Pei Hao''s faction, but also harbored no goodwill towards those that sat pretty on the fence. Their neutrality was just an excuse to watch everything go down from the sidelines while reaping the spoils in the aftermath. We have also received news that Pei Hao has invited Lu Qing and Lu Guan to a banquet at Spring Lake Restaurant in five days time. Perhaps this is a ploy to solicit their support at the housemeet," Yuan Qing continued. Li Luo smirked coldly. "This little weasel has been hiding in Xia City for so long. He''s finally feeling bold enough to show his face? And he even dares to do it at the Spring Lake Villa?" The Spring Lake Villa was just outside the headquarters of House Luolan, thus Pei Hao''s move was a clear provocation. Yuan Qing''s voice deepened as he added, "Also we have received the invite as well. Pei Hao has invited the Young Lord and the Young Mistress over for a chat too." "That dog has some gall." Cai Wei sneered. Li Luo shot Jiang Qing''e a glance and asked, "What do you think, Sister Qing''e? That blind dog has always been a very cautious character. The fact that he dares to act up in this manner might mean that he has somebody backing him." Do you mean Ancestor Mo Cheng will be there to protect him? Jiang Qing''e''s porcelain countenance was unperturbed, her voice clear but cold. "Xia City is the base of my home, House Luolan. If we do not dare to accept the invitation, I''m afraid House Luolan will become the laughing stock of the entire city by tomorrow." Her gaze was icy and ferocious. We will also make the trip to Spring Lake Restaurant in five days. If the opportunity presents itself, I ask Ancestor Yuan Qing to fend off Mo Cheng while I claim Pei Hao''s head. If we can pull this off, then it will save us a great deal of trouble at the Housemeet. Yuan Qing steeled his resolve and clenched his fists. "Yes!" Li Luo''s eyelids twitched. His first thought was that this plan was a little too brazen. However, it was true that if Pei Hao was removed from the equation, the Housemeet would proceed rather smoothly... Five days? Li Luo did some quick estimations. He could attempt to break into the Earth Fiend General Stage before then. Chapter 0612: Breaking into Earth Fiend General Stage Chapter 0612: Breaking into Earth Fiend General Stage Li Luo spent two days finalizing all his preparations for his breakthrough into the General Stage. Within these two days, he adjusted his mental state to its peak, and his resonant power was at its utmost, almost overflowing with vitality and energy. After all was said and done, he no longer hesitated and directly dove into his most important breakthrough to date. Li Luo was seated right in the center of the skygold room. Outside the room were his four companions, Jiang Qing''e, Ox Biaobiao, Cai Wei, and Yan Lingqing, all curiously watching. They were all clear of the importance of Li Luo advancing to the next stage and thus had set aside any trivial matters to be there. "This brat is planning to reach the General Stage whilst still in the One Star Hall. He truly is ambitious! If he succeeds, he will leave behind a record for the ages." Yan Lingqing sighed emotionally as she observed the youth sitting in the room fastidiously focusing all his attention inwards. "Hmmm, the speed of his cultivation far surpasses my own when I was at the One Star Hall," Jiang Qing''e mused. Yan Lingqing rolled her eyes. "You were clearly biding your time in the shadows. Who could have understood your intentions then? I hear you''re going to try to become one of the Seven Astral Pillars at the end of the month. Are you planning to break into the Heavenly Dipper Stage?" "Well, the Seven Astral Pillars shouldn''t be too difficult," Jiang Qing''e dryly replied. This was met with a questioning eye. "Jiang Qing''e, would it kill you to act more modestly? Becoming one of the Seven Astral Pillars is the greatest achievement any student in the Astral Sage College is able to obtain. The ultimate achievement... merely not too difficult? Jeez. So, who are you planning to challenge? The weakest of the bunch is Si Tianming. He''s probably your best choice." The Seven Astral Pillars were the cream of the crop. The title was not just a symbol of status and honor, it also conferred tangible benefits to those who held it. Those individuals were allowed to remain in the college for an additional year after their graduation from the Four Star Hall, and the college would endow them with copious amounts of cultivation materials. They would also be allowed to participate in certain higher level affairs, and they would be granted a status greater than that of the esteemed Gold Gleam mentors. This was the reason why many outstanding Four Star Hall students eyed the Seven Astral Pillars with much desire. Of course, everything had a price. The college held these students potential in high esteem and naturally hoped to convert them into mentors to further bolster the school''s foundation. There was nothing surprising about it as over half of the Violet Vibrance mentors had held the title of a Seven Astral Pillar. "It''s best that you avoid the more experienced students amongst the Seven Astral Pillars," Yan Lingqing reminded her helpfully. Gong Shenjun and the First Princess were the two strongest and the most senior amongst the bunch. They were true Four Star Hall students that had had time to grow and flourish. They too possessed extraordinary strength and had achieved their positions whilst they were still in the Three Star Hall. There were also Si Tianming and Ye Chengying in the Four Star Hall. The remaining three were old students that had remained within the Four Star Hall for a much longer time. Yan Lingqing''s intention was to warn Jiang Qing''e to avoid challenging Gong Shenjun, the First Princess, and the three older students. The remaining two were more appropriate targets. Jiang Qing''e''s gaze flickered slightly, but she neither confirmed nor denied who she would be challenging. "We''ll see." "Qing''e, do you think the Young Lord will succeed?" Cai Wei asked worriedly. "If we want to be particular about it, he''s being too rash by trying to break through now. Although he has dual resonances, if he were to spend another few months accumulating and strengthening himself, then the process would be much smoother without a doubt," she muttered. "Huh? Really? That''s not good." Cai Wei showed concern upon hearing this. "There''s not much choice. The Housemeet will happen in a month, and Li Luo definitely wants to succeed before then. He can only be of assistance if he succeeds." Yan Lingqing sighed. "Still, there''s no need to be pessimistic. Li Luo is a lucky man. Thanks to the Holy Tree Marrow Crystal, his chance of success will increase significantly. Coupled with his upgraded dual resonances, his resonant power should be sufficiently dense. He has already far surpassed the peak of a Resonant Master," Jiang Qing''e consoled. "I also have an additional Holy Tree Marrow Crystal and a Spirit Condensing Pill provided very kindly by Lu Qing''er. The pill itself isn''t of much use to me and can be used as a backup plan." Qing''e''s comprehensive explanation allowed Cai Wei to feel much more at ease knowing that this was not the end all. As the three continued to chat, Li Luo finally opened both his eyes. A trace of serenity could be seen within them along with an unfathomable deepness, much like a stilled pool. "Time for the show to begin," Li Luo mused to himself. He could feel the bottled resonant power within him surging vigorously, as though trying to break free its existing shackles. Taking one last glance at his fellow supporters, he no longer hesitated. Clasping his hands together, his fingers formed a hand sign. Bang! Right at that moment, his docile resonances kicked into complete overdrive, their resonant power flaring up with violent force. Strand after strand of resonant power materialized and then violently struck the resonant palaces repeatedly in a whipping motion. Boom! Resonant power continued to hammer away at the resonant palaces containing them. After numerous consecutive blows, the resonant palaces began to tremble as though their internal organs were being violently abused. A dark red color also began to spread throughout the palaces. Li Luo''s expression twisted in pain as this occurred. His resonant palaces were the root of his body''s power, and now his resonant power was seemingly running amok, causing devastation wherever it passed, each internal blow inflicting excruciating suffering. However, he understood that this was an unavoidable process to enter the General Stage. The first stage of the Earth Fiend General Stage was the Fiend Palace Tier. One''s resonant palaces would be transformed into so-called Fiend Palaces if they reached that point. Simply speaking, it was a tempering process of one''s resonant palaces to increase their size significantly and allow them to contain even more resonant power. More importantly, the tempering process ensured that the resonant palaces would be able to accommodate the influx of earth fiend energy. Earth fiend energy was the mark of an Earth Fiend General Stage practitioner. This was a unique energy that existed independently from worldly natural energy. When one''s strength reached a certain level, they would be able to discern and extract this energy from their surroundings. Earth fiend energy was exceptionally berserk, but it possessed the ability to refine one''s resonant palaces. Thus, those who wished to enter the Earth Fiend General Stage would first have to sense this energy, then they would extract it and integrate it into their body, strengthening their resonant palaces. "It''s not enough!" Naturally, Li Luo was focusing all of his attention on sensing earth fiend energy, but nothing could be felt. This meant that his initial stage of resonant palace tempering was insufficient. The first time one sensed earth fiend energy, they would have to voluntarily damage the surrounding walls of his resonant palaces and then allow the energy to fuse with his existing resonant power, completing the process of rebirth through destruction. It was time for the next method. Li Luo gave a deep sigh and bit down on the Holy Tree Marrow Crystal, which had been wedged beneath his tongue. The moment the crystal shattered, a massive amount of the purest energy swept through his body like an unstoppable tsunami. This energy was gentle and required no refinement before it could be used. With a mere thought, it was guided into his resonant palaces. It assimilated with the existing resonant power and proceeded to heavily batter against the walls of his resonant palaces with renewed force. His palaces once again shuddered under this violent series of blows whilst the dark red coloration became more and more intense. Wave after wave of insufferable pain battered Li Luo''s senses in tandem with these strikes, leaving him with a back full of cold sweat. However, this was no time to give up. Recomposing himself, he shoved all of his worldly worries to the back of his mind, only focusing on the rhythmic movements of his resonant power and the rumbling clashes on his resonant palace walls when they collided. This process continued without end. Meanwhile, outside the skygold room, Jiang Qing''e and the rest were staring unblinkingly at the uncomfortably shifting Li Luo. They could see every bead of sweat atop his forehead slowly trickling down with each passing moment. Despite possessing a calm demeanor, Jiang Qing''e''s hands were tightly clutching the sides of her seat, indicating her true feelings. This was a process she was familiar with and thus she empathized with Li Luo''s pain. It was a necessary path to go through. Cultivation was about discipline and overcoming one''s comfort zones. Only through constant clambering to the peak and conquering one''s frailty through constant improvement could one develop themselves. As time went on, the situation seemed to remain in a stalemate. However, all this was about to change. Li Luo could feel that he was becoming a little dizzy, and his heart trembled as something changed within him. His perception cleared up and gradually expanded, then he was suddenly able to sense a new form of energy within the existing worldly natural energy. This strand of energy was a beautiful crimson-red, giving off a slightly wild and berserk air, almost akin to a feral serpent swimming through the clouds. Exuberance. This was the only thing on Li Luo''s mind when he finally saw the fruits of his labor. The long-awaited earth fiend energy was finally right before his very eyes. It was time to truly begin. Chapter 0613: Earth Fiend Energy Chapter 0613: Earth Fiend Energy Once that wisp of earth fiend energy appeared in Li Luo''s perception, his mental state seemed to ripple in anticipation. However, he suppressed any hint of excitement and persevered his calmness as he knew that the moment of truth had arrived. There was no room for any mistakes. Earth fiend energy could be sensed, so the next step was to refine his resonant palaces. With a thought, he separated a strand of resonant power to guide the wisp of earth fiend energy into his body. Once the earth fiend energy entered, Li Luo''s body spasmed violently. It was intrinsically different from the worldly natural energy he''d absorb from day to day. It was like a berserk beast, unruly and hard to tame, viciously pouncing around and smashing anything it could get its hands on. It was fortunate that he had cultivated a Thunderpeal Avatar and had an enhanced physique, thereby allowing him to blunt the blows of the earth fiend energy on his body. Otherwise, he might very well be grievously injured at this point. Li Luo focused inwards on the earth fiend energy and sighed. Its current state was too disruptive, and so it could not be used to temper his resonant palaces as they simply could not stomach the abuse! Furthermore, this energy wasn''t so friendly as to automatically assist him! The next step of the plan was to tame this unruly "creature" and rid it of its frenzied tendencies. His mind started racing through the endless possibilities to accomplish this task. In the end, a strand of waterlight resonant power arose, pouncing towards the earth fiend energy and enveloping it. Yet immediately upon that, the earth fiend energy suddenly came alive with renewed vitality, constantly bashing itself against the encirclement until it smashed the waterlight resonant power into non-existence. "What a wild heart this energy has," Li Luo dryly commented to himself. This was a mere probing experiment, and it looked like if he were to merely rely on the waterlight resonance, the amount of resonant power he would require to accomplish the task would be immense. If that was the case... a strand of resonant power arose from his other resonant palace, combining with a new strand of waterlight resonant power, forming an amalgamated dual resonant power. This was more powerful than the sum of its parts and also significantly larger, almost like a whale in shape instead of the previous scrawny snake as a single strand. With a gulp, it swallowed the earth fiend energy whole. The dual resonant power started to churn as it refined the earth fiend energy forcefully. The savage earth fiend energy had finally met its match against a tyrannical dual resonant power that was uncompromising. Gradually, the earth fiend energy came around, deciding to bring an end to its rambunctiousness. This was signified by several red spots of light gradually rising and dissipating from the earth fiend energy, being forcefully erased by the dual resonant power. Countless minutes later, the red tint of the earth fiend energy seemed to disappear, and the berserk nature of the energy subsided. He understood that he had succeeded. At the same time, he felt a pang of worry when he checked the amount of dual resonant power he had consumed to tame the earth fiend energy. It was a lot greater than expected. Did he possess enough resonant power to refine sufficient earth fiend energy to temper an entire resonant palace? If he could accomplish this in a single seating, he''d have to go through another round of preparations, which would be time-consuming. He''d easily need at least another month before he could try again. However, this was not in line with his own expectations. "Looks like it was a bit hasty of me to rush my breakthrough at this point in time. I had thought that the Holy Tree Marrow Crystal was sufficient to assist me." Li Luo continued to ponder possible solutions. Yet he remained unperturbed through all this as it was too late to back out now. How could there be anything guaranteed on the path of cultivation? One had to struggle and exceed their own limits while bearing danger and risk to themselves. At this point, Li Luo finally understood why Ao Bai was merely at the quasi General Stage. This was not a cakewalkit was much harder than he had ever expected.[1] At the same time, another realization struck him. The Fiend Palace Tier was to temper one''s resonant palace... but he had two! That meant that he had twice the work ahead of him! Of course, he was strapped for time, and the best he could hope for was just to temper one first. Making a quick decision, he opted to strengthen the waterlight resonant palace first, because it was an upper seventh-grade. At the same time, he willed the strand of earth fiend energy into the waterlight resonant palace. The resonant palace immediately began to quiver, almost in anticipation and desire for this potent tonic. It was like a starving man setting his eyes on a sumptuous feast. As the waterlight resonant palace began to emit a certain suction force, the conquered earth fiend energy naturally did not resist and directly melded into it. At the same time, red, rippling circles started appearing throughout the resonant palace, and the previously devastated areas of the palace walls greedily lapped them up. When this happened, booming sounds could be heard throughout the palace itself. Li Luo could intently feel that his resonant palace was being enlarged and fortified by these actions. "The change is noticeable." Just a mere strand of earth fiend energy could bring about such wondrous effects. Li Luo couldn''t wait to see how a true Fiend Palace really looked and felt like. At the same time, he did not stop what he was doinghe proceeded to guide another strand of earth fiend energy into his body. The tempering of his resonant palace officially began! Outside the skygold room. Jiang Qing''e had been attentively observing Li Luo''s every change. "Earth fiend energy has started to temper his resonant palace," Jiang Qing''e said as she could feel a trace of the energy''s appearance within Li Luo''s body. This was something familiar to her after all. "Does this mean he''s about to succeed?" Cai Wei celebrated. Jiang Qing''e''s response was slightly muted and delayed. "Not necessarily. The Fiend Palace Tier requires one to qualitatively upgrade their resonant palace, and this process consumes a significant amount of resonant power. Even though Li Luo possesses dual resonances and the Holy Tree Marrow Crystal, I''m afraid this is not a task that''s so easily triumphed. If he doesn''t complete this in one go, then it will not count as having broken through. He would be in a state similar to Ao Bai during the Holy Grail Meet, the Quasi General Stage." Yan Lingqing massaged her eyebrows upon hearing this headache-inducing situation. "Psh, he''s really forced himself this time." "In a normal situation, Li Luo would have made this advancement during his time in the Two Star Hall. By bringing this forward by half a year, it naturally is accompanied with some risk of failure," Jiang Qing''e lightly explained. "All we can do is wait to see if he''s able to resist till the end." Looks of worry fell upon Li Luo, but he was none the wiser. The only thing on his mind was the taming of more and more earth fiend energy. .. Time passed, and strand after strand of earth fiend energy was absorbed into his waterlight resonant palace. It was growing more resplendently, larger, and even more stable. In terms of the tempering process, he was probably halfway through. However, his heart and energy were almost at their limits. He was left with almost 20% of his resonant power now. The process was laborious and energy-consuming. Li Luo spent several moments in deep thought, contemplating what to do. How could he give up before the end? How could he take things lightly? If he did not break into the Fiend Palace Tier, he would have no right to say anything during the Housemeet despite being the young lord. Would he have to fully rely on the insidious power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf? No! He was better than that! He steeled himself once again, preparing to act ruthlessly even to himself. He had to be strong. External aid was unreliable. Thus, he clasped his palms together, fully activating his resonant palaces. Within his resonant palace, the pool of spiritual liquid suddenly began to roil with activity, and endless ripples could be seen within as it churned. Meanwhile, in his woodearth resonance, the large tree rooted in soil started to sway and its emerald-green leaves started to float, each leaf akin to a radiant star amidst the massive, empty sky that was the tree. Li Luo had decided to bet it all on this final push. On the outside, Qing''e could feel the change in Li Luo''s state. Her face turned into one of rapt attention and her slender hands slightly rose. The Holy Tree Marrow Crystal and the Spirit Condensing Pill appeared in her palms. It was time for her to act. Yet right at this moment, the taciturn and silent Ox Biaobiao raised his hand to stop her. "Uncle Biao?" Jiang Qing''e asked with a puzzled look. Ox Biaobiao''s expression was stern as he shook his head. "He''s already used a Holy Tree Marrow Crystal and cannot absorb anymore of its medicinal potency. Even if he breaks through with it, his resonant power will become less dense. The path of cultivation requires one to forge a steady foundation, step by step. Only when this is stable can one hope to ascend to the peak in the future. The Young Lord''s condition is very special, and every step requires the firmest foundation he is able to establish." Jiang Qing''e nervously bit down on her bottom lip. She clearly understood what Uncle Biao was referring to. Li Luo''s lifespan was limited and he had only four years left to break into the Duke Stage. If his breakthrough into the Earth Fiend General Stage was shaky and unsteady, it would lead to a much heftier price down the road. Her eyes flickered with emotion. If she had to choose between House Luolan and Li Luo''s life, of course she''d pick the latter without exception. Ox Biaobiao looked at the clearly flustered Jiang Qing''e and gave a wry smile. "Don''t underestimate the Young Lord''s potential." Jiang Qing''e nodded in response and lowered her arms, both the Holy Tree Marrow Crystal and Spirit Condensing Pill disappearing. All she could do now was place her hopes on the silhouette before her. "I believe in you, Li Luo..." 1. TL Note: Sometimes I wonder why others didn''t tell him what the Earth Fiend Stage entailed. Or maybe they did but y''know, the situation necessitated this ? Chapter 0614: Mysterious Power Bang! Bang! The inside of Li Luo''s body was like an oven right now. His resonant power was boiling over, fully concentrated on the refinement of earth fiend energy. As time passed, the tempering of the resonant palace reached 80%. However, trouble struck when Li Luo realized that he was almost out of juice. The pool of spiritual liquid seemed to have almost dried up, and the tree''s branches were bare and the leaves withered. Clearly, his resonant power was insufficient. He quietly observed the earth fiend energy being refined by his dual resonant power. This was the last shred he could muster, and it was insufficient to complete the tempering of his resonant palace. Is this the end? He felt a sense of dissatisfaction. Although he had not fully succeeded, he was currently in the Quasi General Stage, a significant step up from before. However, his aim was greater than that. The Quasi General Stage was only stronger than the Fourth Changing by a bit and not considered to be a qualitative upgrade. Him taking such a huge risk to break through now would be for nought if all he had to show for it was a crappy jump to the Quasi General Stage! UNACCEPTABLE! He had to break through. He had promised Jiang Qing''e that that dog Pei Hao would be left in pieces. His wistful gaze stared longingly at the dwindling dual resonant power. What could he do now? First, he had to think. His valiant and surging mood had now turned calm. Everything had turned silent as he immersed himself in the emptiness. At this very moment, he felt like he could pick up a faint trace of a mysterious sound calling out to him as it flowed through his body. It was coming from his blood. No, it was something that was contained within his blood! It was a mysterious power hidden within. Was it his blood vessels themselves? Li Luo''s heart rippled with slight interest, and he attentively focused on the source of this calling. "The Young Lord''s resonant power shouldn''t be able to hold on any longer." Even Cai Wei was able to make this assessment from her observations. Li Luo''s resonant power undulations had turned weak and seemed to be on its last legs. "Hmm, he has yet to completely temper his resonant palace." Yan Lingqing sighed before forcing herself to see the bright side of things. "The Quasi General Stage isn''t bad though. Even the Two Star Hall champion, Ao Bai, is only at this point. Li Luo has surpassed him by an entire year, and it''s sufficient for him to dominate anyone at the same age group in the college." Jiang Qing''e pursed her lips in response. This was still an achievement worthy of celebration. However, she understood that Li Luo possessed pride ingrained into his very bones, despite not showing it outwardly. His aim was greater than this result. He would definitely be dispirited if he failed to achieve his goal. Whilst the cheerleaders continued to worry, the last strand of resonant power within Li Luo dissipated. Unfortunately, the earth fiend energy it was refining was not complete, and it began to break free, ready to wreak havoc on its surroundings. Li Luo quietly observed the earth fiend energy that was on the cusp of breaking loose. At the same time, it felt like something within him had responded to it. He could distinctly discern the sound of his blood flowing through his body. It even seemed to be increasing in speed, and the sound got louder as time passed. Realizing that this might be a good thing, he surrendered himself to the rhythm of things, letting his mind and spirit roam free. It was as though the floodgates were finally thrown open. An unconscious suppression had finally been unwound. Li Luo suddenly felt that the blood within him was coming to life. Roiling, blood-red energy was being oozed out of every blood cell, and within the energy was a hint of a mysterious, violet light. This magical energy then directly consumed the earth fiend energy like a starving beast craving a meal. The originally berserk earth fiend energy immediately settled down upon being consumed, even faintly trembling as though it felt a sense of fear at the power that had contained it. In a brief moment, the arrogant and untameable earth fiend energy had been turned docile. Li Luo was left completely bewildered by this scene. However, this didn''t stop him from quickly guiding the earth fiend energy into his resonant palace to continue the tempering process. Only after that did he slowly proceed to inspect the strange, new, blood-red energy within him. The power was extremely peculiar as even with his best efforts, nothing he did could control or affect it. It simply existed and did as it pleased, circulating within him. On the bright side, he could feel a natural sort of affinity with it, despite lacking the ability to handle it. This was a completely unexpected development. Could he be any luckier that a miracle had fallen from the sky? This was a wonderful development, and he could now continue his refinement of earth fiend energy. Thanks to the morale boost the energy had provided, he was determined to continue to guide more earth fiend energy from the environment into his body. Boom! Just as the thought surfaced in his mind, he could feel the blood-red energy starting to act restless once again. He desperately tried to suppress it, but the blood-red energy began to coalesce into some sort of vortex, spinning rapidly. Taken aback once again, a bad feeling arose in his heart and he felt a sense of terror. Before he knew it, countless times more earth fiend energy was sucked in violently, and it surged towards him in a tide! The sight left Li Luo numb with shock. With how berserk the earth fiend energy strands were, he had only dared to take them in one by one. Now there were tens of them flying towards him, so just how was he supposed to save himself? Would he be left as a crippled mess after this? His body might just blow up from the influx of energy! Li Luo was screaming in grief deep down. The miraculous blood-red energy had just brought him elation and joy, but the tables turned soon after! Now all he felt was regret! Would he be ended by some wilful, mysterious power that had just awakened within him? What should he do now? As he continued to gripe and panic in his heart, Jiang Qing''e''s expression changed as well. She had similarly felt the presence of a surge of earth fiend energy entering Li Luo''s body. Understanding that something might have gone wrong, light resonant energy was roused within her delicate body as she prepared to rush forward and interrupt Li Luo''s advancement. "Qing''e! You must calm down!" Ox Biaobiao grabbed her and held her back. "Uncle Biao, something''s not right!" Jiang Qing''e shouted anxiously. Even the usually calm Jiang Qing''e was completely riled up by this scene. There was too much earth fiend energy, and Li Luo definitely could not handle it. The only result was a gory explosion! "Believe in him!" Ox Biaobiao commanded. Hearing those words, she forcibly halted herself. Her dainty palms were clenched so tightly that veins could be seen. Heaving a deep sigh, she composed herself. Ox Biaobiao would never seek to harm Li Luo after all. Even Yan Lingqing and Cai Wei could sense the severity of the situation, and traces of strained expressions could be seen on their dignified faces. A tense mood filled the atmosphere. On the sidelines, Jiang Qing''e stared at the dozens of strands of earth fiend energy violently being sucked into Li Luo''s body. At this critical moment, Li Luo''s body suddenly swelled up, with the blood vessels clearly visible through his skin. Endless amounts of fresh blood began to ooze from every pore as he cut a bloody figure. Chapter 0615: Fiend Palace Tier! Chapter 0615: Fiend Palace Tier! Li Luo could feel the massive amount of earth fiend energy pouring right into his body. Yet the only thought that ran through his mind was that of despair. Damn it, there were so many things left to do, and he had to go out with a bang?! The unfathomable amount of energy was not something he could refine in his current state! Once the earth fiend energy ran out of control, the result would only be carnage... within his body. His mind focused on the cyclone created by the blood-red energy. He was feeling a little frustrated. Wasn''t this stuff just messing with him? Still, emotions were of no use in this situation. Li Luo could only blankly stare at the tide of energy surging towards him. The moment it entered his body, he felt an agonizing pain lance throughout every inch of his being. Wherever the stream of energy passed, it would leave behind tattered flesh and blood. The only good thing was that this energy did not diffuse in every direction, only being led on a noose right towards the cyclone. Of course, this little fact did nothing to console Li Luo. The wildness and savagery of the earth fiend energy would inevitably explode outwards in every direction once the cyclone failed to contain it. This was the prelude to the end. Thus, he could only blankly stare at the blood-red vortex, making plans for the worst case scenario. Finally, the countless strands of earth fiend energy arrived at the blood-red vortex, where a mysterious, violet light was churning within. An uneasy feeling overcame Li Luo, but with the passage of time, this once again transformed into shock. He realized that the earth fiend energy that was entering the blood-red energy vortex did not exhibit any signs of going rampant. It was as though it was being tamed into adorable, little earthworms. All of the raging influence was being refined out of the earth fiend energy at breakneck speed. This was a little unbelievable. How could it be refined so easily? One had to know that even a single strand of earth fiend energy required copious amounts of resonant power. However, this crappy energy vortex would just rotate a couple of times and then the earth fiend energy would be cleansed like zooming through a car wash?? Its efficiency was frightening. "What in the world..." A fat meat pie had fallen from the sky, leaving Li Luo flabbergasted not once, not twice, but a third time in a row. After a few moments of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and made his decision. The blood-red vortex might be a strange existence, but he could feel an undeniable sense of intimacy with it. There could be no way this thing would want to harm him... right? Thus, he decided to go all in, and all of the quickly refined earth fiend energy was thrusted towards his waterlight resonant palace. Boom! With the torrential flood of earth fiend energy surging into his resonant palace, the entire structure started to emit rumbling vibrations as it greedily slurped up every last bit of energy. Endless ripples of red spread throughout the resonant palace, tempering it to its limits. As it was a part of Li Luo, he was able to clearly sense how massive changes were occuring throughout it. After a while, he realized that the waterlight resonant palace could no longer absorb any more, and he understood that it had been fully tempered. The metamorphosis was completed. Inspecting the interior of the resonant palace, he was able to discover the heaven-shaking changes that had occurred. The palace had been vastly expanded and the walls were circulating with a myriad of inscrutable lights, seeming to form some sort of esoteric design that flowed with vitality and life. If the previous resonant palace was akin to a mud hut, the fiend palace was like a radiant and majestic palace in comparison. Weng! At the same time, incandescent light spilled forth from the palace, forming a rain made of light that landed upon the manifestation of the waterlight resonance, the pool of spirit liquid. Upon a mere touch, one could see that the dried-up creek had been revitalized. The source was spilling outwards with magnificent amounts of new resonant power, overflowing with magically materialized liquid. The pool continued to expand as the rain fell, also demonstrating the quick recovery of Li Luo''s resonant power. No, it was not mere recovery. In fact, the pool continued to expand in size. Upon reaching its previous limit, the expansion did not stop. The pool continued to grow as the resonant power it symbolized increased in spades. In a mere ten breaths, the pool had turned into a lake! Within the lake also sat a small, lustrous sun, making the spirit liquid look even more pristine and unblemished. Li Luo''s waterlight resonant power had increased by several times as a result. This was the benefit brought about by refining a fiend palace. Li Luo had truly stepped into the ranks of the Fiend Palace Tier. He couldn''t contain the excitement within him when he felt the surging resonant power. He had succeeded after taking such a huge gamble. "Since I still have some leftover earth fiend energy..." There were still around ten strands of earth fiend energy left, and thus, he willed all of it towards his woodearth resonant palace. The former surpassed the latter monstrously in terms of both quality and quantity. "...it''s time to temper the woodearth resonant palace too." The remainder was a pleasant surprise, and his original aim was just to temper the waterlight resonant palace. However, the power of the blood-red vortex far surpassed his imagination, bringing him a surprise that allowed him to strengthen himself a little more. If he could temper the second resonant palace completely, that would be the second wonderful windfall he''d receive today. The increase in woodearth resonant power would lead to an exponential growth in his strength. At this point, the benefits of the dual resonances could be seen. Others might benefit once from reaching the Fiend Palace Tier, but he would receive twice the benefits! He would definitely be head and shoulders above any other cultivator at the same stage. With all this in mind, he controlled the remaining amounts of earth fiend energy into the woodearth resonant palace, beginning the tempering process. After all of it had been consumed by the resonant palace, the only thing that led Li Luo to feel a sense of pity was that he could not complete the tempering process! It was only around 70% complete. "Forget it, 70% is still good enough." There was a pang of regret, but he was satisfied. Now that he had broken through, refining earth fiend energy would become a lot easier, and so the complete tempering of the second resonant palace was only a matter of time. He had stepped into the Fiend Palace Tier and was stronger than Ao Bai by a significant margin now. Just as he shifted his focus out of his resonant palaces, he noticed that the vortex had disappeared without him noticing. Searching his body several times, he was unable to locate any trace of this mysterious power. After thinking about it for a while, he gave up on trying to find it. His best guess was this was some sort of bloodline power he possessed. Perhaps this was the supposed Veins of Heavenly Emperor Li that Principal Pang had mentioned. Yes. It seemed he had pretty high-quality blood vessels. Maybe he was considered special even among those from the inner continent. Li Luo couldn''t resist smirking. He had felt the satisfaction of living a fictional story come to life, a pauper discovering that he was actually the heir to some sort of massive fortune... "Old man, oh, old man... you had such a wonderful lineage, so why did you run all the way to this godforsaken continent? Is this the legendary eloping with the bride sort of adventure?" Li Luo mused to himself. Now that everything was completed, his eyes blazed open. Yet the first thing he saw was the beautiful visage right before him. Her enchanting, golden eyes that were clear like a lake were focused intently on him. Most importantly, Li Luo could see traces of worry in her gaze. Taking his time to enjoy the breathtaking sight of her face, he gave a wry smile. "Sister Qing''e, I''ve succeeded." In a flash, the gorgeous girl in front of him gave the sunniest smile she ever could muster before taking a step forward and hugging the bloody Li Luo with outstretched arms. Her warm embrace nestled into his bosom, but Li Luo''s heart was calm, focused only on the moment. Only the warmth that flowed between them mattered. Chapter 0616: Triple Resonance Completion Chapter 0616: Triple Resonance Completion Li Luo had finally obtained a well-deserved night of rest. Opening his windows, he gave a lazy yawn as he stretched while basking in the radiance of the rising sun. A smile crept over his face as he thought of his successful breakthrough the day before. A single night was not enough to dampen his excitement just yet. "I''m finally at the Earth Fiend General Stage!" He sighed. His gaze held a hint of pride that could not be concealed. Well, there was no need to, as this was something worth celebrating. A year ago, he was merely someone with blank palaces. Then he became a dual resonance user who cultivated with terrifying speed, far surpassing all his peers. Ah... he had to correct himselfthose who were ONCE his peers. There was no one who could even come close to touching him in the Two Star Hall of the Astral Sage College. If he was being a little arrogant then... frankly speaking, he was even amongst the very best in the entire East Divine Continent when it came to Two Star Hall students. He couldn''t claim to be the best, as it was likely the Ao Bai had made some improvements himself since the Holy Grail Meet, likely even breaking through into the Fiend Palace Tier himself. His results and massive improvements spoke for themselves. Honestly, even a ninth-grade resonance user didn''t mean much to him! However, Li Luo also understood that this breakthrough had required his lucky stars to align. If not for his bloodline power awakening, assisting him with refining copious amounts of earth fiend energy, he would not have managed to succeed so cleanly. At best, he''d be at the Quasi General Stage. Well, this was unavoidable. Time was tight when it came to his lifespan and the Housemeet, so he had to do everything possible to improve himself. There were times where one could only squeeze out their potential through extreme circumstances. "My waterlight resonant power seems to have become several times more dense than before." Li Luo could feel the surging waves of resonant power that occupied his resonant palace. The sense of power was completely superior to that of before, and it was unbelievable to him. No wonder there was such a huge gap between Resonant Masters and those at the General Stage. Additionally, he had dual resonances, so once the woodearth resonance was completely tempered, the difference would only become bigger. After fully immersing himself in the feeling of the dramatically increased amount of resonant power within him for a bit longer, Li Luo closed the window and proceeded to sit cross-legged. A look of intense anticipation was clear in his gaze. What he was going to do next was something that he had craved for even more than the breakthrough to the Fiend Palace Tier. It was the dawn of his third resonance. When he had first discovered his three resonant palaces, they had brought him both copious amounts of joy and sorrow. This was mind-blowing talent. After all, three resonant palaces was the mark of a King! And just how lofty were those at the King Stage? There was only one single King in the entire Xia Kingdom: Principal Pang. Even when placed amongst the elites of the inner divine continent, such an individual would also be at the peak of power. Thus, possessing three mortal resonant palaces was a fact that could even kill people with sheer envy! This was true genius bestowed by the heavens! At this point in time, Li Luo had already imagined himself as the protagonist of legends. Yet all of these lofty dreams came crashing down a moment later. After all, the three resonant palaces were empty. He truly possessed three resonant palaces but none possessed a single resonance. The scene had left Li Luo dumbstruck. Without resonances, it didn''t matter how many resonant palaces he had, as he would have no ability to absorb worldly natural energy and thus cultivate. Fortune and tragedy had truly come in spades, and Li Luo almost fainted on the spot. Life was making a fool of him. Yet his parents had managed to leave him a path out of this abyss in the form of the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art. Li Luo trudged ahead, finally breaking through into the General Stage. And now he was on the cusp of obtaining his third resonance. The day he had long anticipated had arrived. Li Luo lifted his palm, and a golden, triangular plate appeared. The center had a groove where a single, small flame was prancing about. After a month''s worth of nourishing, the previously unstable Thunder Dragon resonance had finally become a lot more stable. "Finally.... the Thunder Dragon resonance." His gaze blazed with trepidation as he stared at the flickering flame. He had dreamed and longed for this day for too long. Once complete, his three resonant palaces would reach completion. If he went against someone of the same tier, he would not lose even if that person had a true ninth-grade resonance. He''d leave Jing Taixu''s quasi ninth-grade in the dust. The only pity was that even with three resonances, it would be exceedingly difficult to fuse the three into triple resonance power. He had barely touched upon the realm of mastering dual resonances, much less the significantly more complicated triple resonances. Regardless, this was enough. He''d beat his opponents with sheer quantity. He''d have ridiculous amounts of resonant power in reserve, and that would allow him to trample over any opponent at the same level. "Though I wonder how large the price would be..." Li Luo mused to himself. He couldn''t help but feel slightly perturbed. These acquired resonances were unique, and he had to pay a price to fuse with each one. The first was the most severe, leaving him with five years left to live. The second just wasted his foundation. Fortunately, Ox Biaobiao had the methods to reverse this issue and assist him with recovery; otherwise, endless troubles awaited him in future. There would definitely be a price for the third resonance. The only question was whether his Earth Fiend General Stage strength could afford it. Still, he would pay any price as he was on the path of no return. At this point, he raised his hand and removed the Thunder Dragon resonance from its nest before swallowing it without hesitation and activating the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art. Boom! Right at this moment, his body seemed to echo out with draconic roars and the booms of thunder. A mysterious light shot right into his body, diving directly towards his third blank palace. At the same time, he could feel his resonant power and blood essence being consumed at a terrifying pace. "I hope I can hold on!" he murmured to himself. The door to Li Luo''s bedroom remained tightly shut from dawn till late at night. Eventually, the door was lightly pushed open. Li Luo''s tottering body gingerly stepped out. His complexion was alabaster white and he seemed a little haggard and shriveled. His eyes were sunken and his body even seemed a little dessicated. Not only had he been sucked dry of resonant power, but his blood essence was completely spent. If not for the Thunderpeal Avatar bolstering his physique, he might very well have turned into a dry husk. As a result, Li Luo felt an extreme sense of weakness. With a shaking fist, he lightly knocked on the door frame, summoning the maid who usually served him. "Please hurry and arrange a meal for me... preferably with something that can replenish my blood essence, and send it to my room. Be quiet and don''t let Qing''e know..." he gasped. The maid, seeing Li Luo''s pale visage in the middle of the night, almost had the fright of her life! It was like meeting a ghost in the flesh! After which, her expression turned a little strange. It was late at night and yet Li Luo was prancing around, looking clearly overexerted for some reason... The only reason could be that he was engaging in some debaucherous acts! Young Lord, what changed in you, to turn you so brazen and crazy? The maid enviously took a glance in the direction of Li Luo''s room. Just what sort of wench had sucked him so dry? It was no wonder Li Luo didn''t want her to let the young mistress know... "Hurry!" Seeing the maid in a daze, Li Luo quickly chided her. Not one to be told twice, she hurriedly left to satisfy her young lord''s request... After which, he hobbled back to his room and shut the door. Although he was short of breath and absolutely exhausted as he leaned against it, a smile bloomed on his face. He had passed the third trial without any serious consequences! From now on, his three resonant palaces were complete. Chapter 0617: Spirit Deposit Chapter 0617: Spirit Deposit The next day, dawn arrived once again, and Li Luo stirred awake. Forcing his stiff eyelids open, he turned to look at his outstretched palm. On it was the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch that had dimmed in light. If one didn''t pay attention, they might not have noticed it in the relatively dingy room. Li Luo had taken advantage of the spirit deposit ability of the brooch last night, resulting in his current state. The spirit deposit ability was simply overdrawing the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch''s stored energy to catalyze the recovery of one''s resonant power. After using it, the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch would naturally require a period of time to restore the lost reserves and would not be able to produce any Violet Spiritliquid. Doing this would also leave some lasting damage on the brooch''s abilities, so it was not ideal to keep using this ability. It was almost like slaughtering the goose that laid the golden eggs. However, Li Luo was unperturbed. Even the best treasures had to be used at the optimal times. What he had constantly lacked was time, and he could not slowly nourish the newly formed Thunder Dragon resonance. As a result, he had activated the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch''s ability to temper the resonance quickly as this was the only way to strengthen himself greatly in a small amount of time. After which, he clasped his hands. It was a shame he wouldn''t be able to enjoy the benefits brought about by the Violet Spiritliquid for quite a while, but the bright side was that the Eternal Oak Armor remained usable as it had a separate function of the brooch. Unfortunately, the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch had almost turned into a spare piece of junk after very little use. More importantly, he decided to inspect the growth of his third resonant palace. Within it was a silver layer of clouds that constantly flowed about, occasionally flashing with traces of lightning and thunder, echoing throughout its interior. What was most eye-catching was that within the moving thunderclouds hid a shadow. Whenever the clouds parted, the silhouette of a majestic dragon could be seen. The silhouette spanned tens of thousands of zhang and was wreathed in dark-red draconic scales. It occasionally released a low roar that converged with the boom of thunder, causing the entire resonant palace to vibrate. "A dragon resonance..." Li Luo continued to observe the dark-red dragon silhouette. This was the manifestation of his resonance, and he could feel an ineffable suppression that was rarely seen within beast resonances. After a few more moments of observation, Li Luo stopped inspecting his resonance with gleeful satisfaction. "A sixth-grade Thunder Dragon resonance." With the usage of the spirit deposit, he had tempered the resonance in one go from the fourth-grade to the sixth-grade. A night''s worth of time had caused it to rise twice. Such a huge upgrade might have never been seen before. Well, to be fair, not all those who possessed a Violet Resonant Tree Brooch would benefit as greatly as he did. Although the tempering energy was gentle, using too much in one go would also lead to resistance being built up. Thus, very few opted to use this ability. For most people, using the Violet Spiritliquid slowly over time was the most effective as it allowed one to obtain the best results. But Li Luo could not be compared to these individuals. His blank palaces allowed him to unscrupulously abuse such tempering materials to continuously bolster his resonances without fear of side effects due to their special void affinity. Thus, he was able to maximize the usage of the spirit deposit without much waste. This shortcut saved him two to three months worth of time. Based on experience, the normal tempering of a resonance from the fourth-grade to the sixth-grade would have required copious amounts of both spirit liquids and purifying lights and a significant amount of time. "I wonder... is there anything that can help replenish the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch''s energy?" Li Luo lightly sighed. He would be lying if he said he didn''t miss the daily tempering effects of the Violet Spiritliquid. It synergised with the spirit liquids and purifying lights he used and allowed him to temper his resonances significantly quicker. Thus, if the opportunity presented itself, he would do his best to restore the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch''s functionalities. Rolling off the bed, he could still see that his complexion seemed a little pale in the mirror. On the other hand, the weakness he felt the previous night was mostly gone and he could feel boisterous resonant power flowing through him. He had definitely improved once again. Furthermore, this was before the third resonant palace had been tempered by earth fiend energy. With all three resonances at the Fiend Palace Tier, his body would enjoy nigh limitless amounts of resonant power, perhaps even rivaling Greater Fiend Palace Tier cultivators. The Fiend Palace Tier was divided into two simple tiers: the Greater and Lesser Fiend Palaces. As this tier was all about strengthening and tempering the fiend palace itself, this was an easy way to differentiate one''s progress. Li Luo was now in the early stage of the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier. Smug satisfaction was written all over his face. One month''s time had allowed his strength to skyrocket. He had entered the Fiend Palace Tier and his resonant palaces were complete. If he could learn a Duke Art, it would be perfect. Thus, Li Luo proceeded to wash up before walking towards the inner hall with a spring in his step. Meanwhile, within the hall... Jiang Qing''e was currently enjoying her breakfast when Ox Biaobiao made his way over, heaping copious amounts of nourishing food onto the table. Her first expression was that of suspicion. What was he doing? It was not until she saw a pale Li Luo teetering along that she finally understood what it was for. "What now?" Jiang Qing''e put down the pastry in her hand as she interrogated him. This brat threw himself into the midst of danger just yesterday, so why is he looking so frail once again? How could anyone feel reassured with his self-destructive tendencies? Li Luo heaved a little smile as he stared at the table full of replenishing tonics. "I am sorry for the trouble, Uncle Biao." As the chef of House Luolan, Ox Biaobiao obviously knew that Li Luo needed such nutritious food, the only question was why. Ox Biaobiao sized him up and beamed. "Well, it''s not as bad this time. You''ve only suffered a loss of blood essence. After entering the Earth Fiend General Stage, your resonant power should be considered sufficiently dense, and you possess a sturdy foundation. There''s no longer any need to offer up your lifespan nor foundation as a price." Upon hearing this, Jiang Qing''e also took the time to scrutinize Li Luo, and what she saw shocked her. She could distinctly feel that the resonant power undulations coming from him were significantly stronger than after his breakthrough just a day ago. Just what did this fool do last night? No wonder he hasn''t appeared for an entire day. "Explain. Truthfully." Jiang Qing''e gently raised her chin as she stared at him with almost a look of disdain. Li Luo coughed lightly before he slowly enunciated, "Sister Qing''e, you should be more polite towards me from now on." "Oh? Did you grow some balls after you broke through to the Fiend Palace Tier?" She lightly laughed. "In the past, I was a mere dual resonance user, and you had a true ninth-grade light resonance. Thus, I was outclassed by several degrees. However, I''ve bridged this gap!" Li Luo announced victoriously. She continued to stare at Li Luo wordlessly, trying to imagine what this idiot was trying to do. Under her watchful supervision, Li Luo signaled for the surrounding servants to take a few steps back. With a thought, he started to emit resonant power that contained an aura of suppression from his body, and the shadow of a coiled dragon materialized behind him. Even Jiang Qing''e seemed to have lost focus upon this sight. At this point, Li Luo crowed arrogantly. "From today onwards, being a dual resonance user is a thing of the crappy past. You may now address me as triple resonance Li Luo!" Chapter 0618: Cultivating Fiend Arts Chapter 0618: Cultivating Fiend Arts "Triple resonances..." Jiang Qing''e was unperturbed by his triumphant tone, but her expression gave her inner surprise away. The announcement of triple resonances was a surprise she had never expected. Triple resonances at the General Stage was something that even Jiang Qing''e had never heard of. From a certain point of view, it truly did not lose out to a ninth-grade resonance. Of course, the important part was that he had three resonances at the General Stage... The only way an average individual could achieve this was if their body produced a new resonant palace and resonance during the breakthroughs to the Resonant Master stage and the General Stage. This miracle had to happen twice in a row. What was the probability of that happening? Triple resonances was something even Dukes wanted to achieve! Triple resonances was the hallmark of a King Stage cultivator and thus the lifelong pursuit of a Duke. Now Li Luo had triple resonances, and he was only a piddly cultivator at the General Stage! Frankly speaking, he couldn''t use triple resonant power yet, but he had thrice the amount of resonant power compared to others, which was already a huge advantage. At the very least, if he could grasp a rudimentary form of fusion with the three resonant powers together, it would be exceptionally beneficial in paving the way to breaking into the King Stage. "Not bad." Jiang Qing''e finally snapped out of her stupor, and a trace of a smile appeared. Li Luo being able to grasp this rare opportunity brought her endless joy. "I had not expected the Young Lord''s third resonance to be a dragon one. Hehe. As expected of someone from that bloodline. You have a natural affinity with dragons." Ox Biaobiao chuckled. At this point, Li Luo was slightly startled before he quickly asked, "Uncle Biao, does this have anything to do with the Veins of Heavenly Emperor Li?" "Did you hear that from Principal Pang?" Ox Biaobiao asked rhetorically upon hearing that specific term, and he nodded in response. "That''s the truth. You and your father both possess the Veins of Heavenly Emperor Li. Your bloodline is extremely famous in the inner divine continent, and those who are part of it tend to awaken dragon resonances. Your father himself has a quasi ninth-grade dragon resonance." Shock precipitated his question. "Do you mean that one''s resonance isnt decided purely by chance?" He had always thought that one''s awakened resonance would be random. However, if those who possessed the Veins of Heavenly Emperor Li had a high probability of awakening dragon resonances, then that was clearly not so. There must have been a specific reason for it. "Legend has it that one of your ancestors made a pact with a heavenly dragon. As a result, the qi of that dragon has remained in your bloodline till date. Thus, all who possess the Veins of Heavenly Emperor Li have an extremely high chance of awakening a dragon resonance," Ox Biaobiao explained. Li Luo gulped. This incredible tale seemed to exceed even the limits of his imagination. He had also never heard of it. More importantly, the third resonance had been created by him, not awakened through his bloodline directly. From a different perspective, he was fated to obtain a dragon resonance, and even when his inborn talents failed him, destiny still found a way. "My old man actually had a quasi ninth-grade dragon resonance?" Li Luo sighed. The resonance his father had revealed to him was not the dragon resonance that Uncle Biao had mentioned. "Speaking of which, I''ve never actually seen what my mother''s dual resonances are," he said. Ox Biaobiao then gave another smile. "Speaking of her first resonance, the circumstances are quite interesting." "What do you mean?" "The Mistress'' first resonance was a Golden Winged Peng resonance. It was a true ninth-grade resonance. The Golden Winged Peng is a spirit beast that exists at the peak of strength in our world. It''s rumored that it even feeds on young dragons. Thus, it has always had enmity with the dragon race." Li Luo was slightly shocked. No wonder his old man always got his ass beaten by his mother. Could it be a suppression on an instinctual level? Wait a moment... he had a dragon resonance too. Did this mean that if his mother flew into a rage, he''d just sit there and quiver quietly? "Ah, Mom is truly amazing..." Li Luo dryly laughed. A ninth-grade Golden Winged Peng resonance would be the second true ninth-grade he had ever seen, and they were all from his family. More importantly, they were all possessed by the ladies of the house! Sorrow filled Li Luo as he lamented his fate. Why, oh, why do the males of his family have to suffer this cruel injustice? "The Mistress must truly be an esteemed individual, for being able to subdue the Master." Jiang Qing''e laughed lightly as well, a hint of adoration in her tone. Li Luo coughed upon hearing this, then he took on a sincere tone. "There are many aspects of my Mom that I do respect with all earnestness. However, like any human, she has her flaws too. You must not learn from her bad examples. One such example is her beating my old man whenever she felt like it. So yes, you must only learn the good things." This completely flew over her head though. "The Mistress taught me that violence is the only truth. Might makes right." Li Luo''s expression darkened immediately. Mom! Just what were you teaching her? Was she hoping that her son would grow up in an abyss of suffering??? Hmph. Just because the senior wasn''t good enough, that didn''t mean the junior would have to follow in his footsteps... Yes. So what if she had a ninth-grade light resonance? He had triple resonances! No matter how he looked at it, he was not at all inferior. Time would soon tell who wore the pants in the relationship. Of course, he would first have to catch up to Jiang Qing''e''s cultivation level. Before they were equals... he''d first have to concede and admit defeat. Yes. There was no shame in that. He was just biding his time in the shadows. Yes. He would convince himself that way. Jiang Qing''e completely ignored Li Luo, who was lost in his own world, and her eyes glinted. "Now that you''ve entered the Earth Fiend Stage, you can begin learning Fiend Arts." "Fiend Arts?" Li Luo snapped out of his stupor and his expression changed. He naturally knew what they were. This was a cultivation method for those that had entered the Earth Fiend Stage. Simply speaking, it was a way for the body to absorb and refine earth fiend energy. Once this energy was refined, it would turn into another form of energy known as abstruse fiend light. Abstruse fiend light possessed an amazing quality: it could amplify resonant power. This was absolutely game changing in battle. This was also the symbol of might of an Earth Fiend General Stage cultivator. At the same time, abstruse fiend light was able to polish and enhance one''s resonant palace. For one to progress to the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, one had to rely on this new energy. Thus, the Fiend Art that one cultivated was of significant importance to any cultivator. In a sense, it was quite similar to the energy cultivation arts that one practiced at the Resonant Master Stage, only Fiend Arts were of a higher tier. "The college tricked me once again... The 12 Step Weave which I exchanged points for doesn''t have the corresponding Fiend Art..." Li Luo grumbled. "What are you blabbering about? A Fiend Art''s value far surpasses that of an energy cultivation art. Plus, it''s of a higher tier, so how could the college give it away so cheaply for a few crappy points." Jiang Qing''e rolled her eyes. "Still, I would not recommend that you learn the Fiend Art of the 12 Step Weave." "Why?" Li Luo asked curiously now. "The 12 Step Weave''s Fiend Art''s grade is a little low. It''s a Three Fiends Art," she explained. "What is a third-grade Fiend Art? Simply put, if one is able to produce three rays of abstruse fiend light with their Fiend Art, then it is considered a Three Fiends Art. Correspondingly, the number of rays one is able to create will determine the grade of it." Li Luo laughed helplessly. Well, that was straightforward. "So then what sort of Fiend Art do you cultivate, Sister Qing''e?" "A Four Fiends Art. I bought it from the college for 300,000 points. It''s also the best Fiend Art that the school possesses." Li Luo''s expression turned slightly bitter. That was a significant amount of school points, points that he had originally planned to spend on a Duke Art. "Young Lord, you don''t have to be concerned about obtaining a Fiend Art. House Luolan''s foundation may not run as deep as the colleges, but what we have stashed away are also things that the college might never possess." Ox Biaobiao chortled as he slapped his stomach. Li Luo instantly felt his spirits lift upon hearing that. "Did my old man leave something wonderful behind?" "You are truly astute. Your father did, in fact, leave behind a Fiend Art, its just that the requirements are extremely strict and most people will never be able to cultivate it. Otherwise, I would have passed it to Qing''e to learn." Ox Biaobiao laughed teasingly. "Even Sister Qing''e is unable to do so?" Li Luo''s expression turned a little strange. Just what kind of damned Fiend Art was this? Even a ninth-grade light resonance user could not satisfy its requirements? "Well, it''s not that Qing''e lacked talent. It''s just that this Fiend Art requires one to possess dragon resonant power," Ox Biaobiao explained. "Possess dragon resonance power?" Li Luo was absolutely elated. Haha! This was clearly something left behind just for him. His old man was really reliable at times like this. Looking at the eager Li Luo, Ox Biaobiao raised his hand, and a palm-sized scale appeared in it. The scale seemed to exude an aura of pressure, harking back to its source, an actual dragon. Countless words that were faintly discernible were engraved on it. "This Fiend Art is known as the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art." Just hearing that imposing name brought Li Luo immense joy. "That''s so cool! What grade is it, huh?" Ox Biaobiao lifted his palm with his fingers outstretched. "A Five Fiends Art. I''m afraid not even the Astral Sage College might have something like this." Li Luo was moved to the point of tears. Ah. Such simple and plain acts were all it took to bring joy to a wealthy young master. Chapter 0619: Meeting Pei Hao Again Chapter 0619: Meeting Pei Hao Again With the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath Five Fiends Art in hand, Li Luo left. There was something extremely important to be done. He had to attend Pei Hao''s banquet at the Spring Lake Villa. A banquet laced with no good intentions towards him. Still, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e planned to pop by. All the more since this was being hosted right outside the headquarters of House Luolan. It was clearly a provocative act, and if they did not respond in kind, that would also speak badly of them. A tarnished reputation and hindered fame were not beneficial, considering how the wards of House Luolan worked. Most importantly, Pei Hao had also invited the two neutral Pavilion Masters with the intention of winning them over. This was something that Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e could not idly let by. Pavilion Masters were the elders of House Luolan, and they possessed significant influence within. They could also be considered as the upper echelons of the house''s strength. When Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan were around, these pawns could do no more than fawn over the duo without the slightest trace of disobedience. Yet with years passing by and no hint of information to be heard, they naturally began to foment ideas of their own. Even Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s constant efforts were not enough to sway them to reconsider, as they had yet to grow into their own might. With regards to the neutral Pavilion Masters, there was no love lost between them and Li Luo. They had not chosen to follow Pei Hao outright, but their actions spoke louder than words. Attempting to become their own independent powers also infuriated the duo. However, this fury had to be stomached. With the current state of affairs, their strength was simply not enough. After they stepped into the Duke Stage and consolidated control over the house, there would be a full accounting for everything that had been done. Li Luo and Qing''e finished their breakfast and left for the outer hall. Ancestor Yuan Qing and Lei Zhang were already waiting for them within. "Young Lord and Mistress, we have gathered House Luolan''s forces and surrounded the Spring Lake Villa. Once you give the signal, we''ll slaughter those beasts!" Lei Zhang thundered. Li Luo nodded. If Pei Hao showed himself, then he''d better have made his own preparations. The best case scenario was getting rid of the rot now to prevent any further complications during the Housemeet. "Young Lord and Mistress, Pei Hao is a cunning and cautious rat. He''s hidden within the depths of Xia City for a long time, and now that he''s chosen to show himself, it can only mean that he is confident. You have to be cautious," Yuan Qing chided. Jiang Qing''e nodded. "Ancestor Yuan Qing, you can rest assured. We will definitely be careful." Yuan Qing nodded and knew there was no further need to remind them. After the preparations were complete, there was not much time till the appointment and thus they directly left for the venue. Right outside the headquarters of House Luolan was an eye-catching and lavishly decorated building known as the Spring Lake Villa. The two locations were separated by just a single road. "It looks like the place is infested with spies," Li Luo commented as he glanced at his surroundings. He could distinctly feel that there were countless eyes focused upon the headquarters, and Pei Hao had clearly decided to spread the news. Every faction had their eyes focused on the event today. Seen another way, this banquet was the first probing confrontation between the two parties before the Housemeet. Jiang Qing''e''s expression remained icy, completely ignoring the probing gazes. Together with Li Luo, they sauntered down the street and entered the vicinity of the Spring Lake Villa. The main doors were ajar, but the usually boisterous location was now devoid of all life. Pei Hao had very kindly decided to reserve the entire location, and with the news of their confrontation public, no one in their right mind would join the celebration. After all, they could possibly end up as collateral damage. Yuan Qing, Lei Zhang, and a group of House Luolan guards surrounded and escorted the two into the building. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the entirety of the first level was vacated, and so the group made their way upwards. Upon reaching the top floor, the view was panoramic, overlooking all of the nearby streets. It was here where many figures were already seated, all cautiously observing the duo who had made their way up. Li Luo''s gaze swept across the group, and sitting right in the most central position was a certain Pei Hao, who was all smiles. A small, lustrous, golden sword earring hung loosely from his earlobe, complimenting the cold, sharp aura emitting from his slightly sunken eyes. Right beside him was Ancestor Mo Cheng. There were also three familiar figuresthe Pavilion Masters who had defected. Following which were two more individuals, one male and one female. The duo stared at Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e a little stiffly and unnaturally. These two were none other than the neutral Pavilion Masters. The atmosphere immediately took a turn for the worse and things became tense with their arrival. "Hehe. Young Lord and Miss Jiang, you two possess astonishing bravery that far surpasses that of lesser men. You knew that this was clearly an ambush, but you still walked in willingly." Pei Hao sniggered. "I wanted to personally set eyes upon a hiding rat that has chosen to reveal itself. Just what sort of backing would allow such a spineless coward to finally poke his head out?" Li Luo parried with a verbal thrust. Pei Hao''s gaze immediately shrunk as he glared at Li Luo. He could still remember that just a year ago, this insect was a blank palace wastrel, yet he had miraculously been reborn. Pei Hao was even beginning to feel an uncomfortable sensation around him. In other words, he could feel a slightly threatening presence coming from Li Luo. This revelation caused Pei Hao''s thoughts to fog up in shock. He had heard of many of Li Luo''s accomplishments throughout the year. Recently, there was even news that he had obtained the title of the strongest student in the One Star Hall across the East Divine Continent... which was no empty title. It had to be backed up with strength and potential. Pei Hao might not have entered the Astral Sage College, but he was very clear on the strength that the students of sage colleges possessed. Being able to differentiate and triumph over all of those similarly talented students spoke volumes of him. Li Luo was no longer some insignificant weakling. After resolving the issue with the blank palace, Li Luo had demonstrated talent that anyone would be envious of. In the past, Pei Hao could prance around like a clown before him, consoling himself with the fact that Li Luo was a useless blank palace individual. Unfortunately, things had changed, and Li Luo had flaunted his mind-boggling cultivation speed to the world. He could finally live up to the expectations of a young lord of a prestigious house. Li Luo was now the hope of House Luolan''s revitalization, a resplendent sun in the sky. "How can a single person monopolize all these benefits?" A furious killing intent arose from the depths of Pei Hao''s jealous heart, and he tightly gripped a ball that he had been holding the entire time. Li Luo was blessed with a silver spoon in his mouth, and Pei Hao was nothing compared to him no matter how much effort he put in! He had a deep respect and reverence for both Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. It was because of his undying loyalty and care for House Luolan that he had received their attention. Yet everything he did, no, perhaps not even the entirety of House Luolan was worth a strand of hair on Li Luo''s head. Veins started to protrude on his forearms. He knew that he was envious of Li Luo. Incomparably envious. Yet it was this envy that had pushed him so far! There were no regrets. This was the path he had chosen for himself. Since the two of them had ruined the House Luolan that he cared so much about... then no one else was to blame if he were to be the destroyer of this hated symbol. Chapter 0620: Pei Haos Intentions Chapter 0620: Pei Hao''s Intentions "Greetings, Young Lord, Young Mistress." At this point, Lu Qing and Lu Guan got up with embarrassed expressions on their faces and rushed over to pay their respects to the duo. At the same time, they hurriedly explained themselves. "We heard that General Manager Pei Hao invited the two of you over, and thus we made our way here as well." Li Luo was still the official heir to the house. If they had met him a year ago, their tone might have been vastly different, curt, and possibly even impolite. They had thought he was just a blank palace cripple who would never amount to anything. Thus, they had naturally chosen to take a step back and maintain a stance of neutrality. However, things were different now. The blank palace young lord had shed his cocoon and metamorphosed into a radiant sun that dazzled all who set their eyes upon him. In the short span of a year, Li Luo had brought about numerous changes to House Luolan. These Pavilion Masters were cognizant of their underlings'' thoughts, and Li Luo''s position had gradually begun to even surpass that of Jiang Qing''e. Thus, they felt a little apprehensive when facing Li Luo today. If the duo with heaven-defying talent and potential could resolve the current situation, the house would inevitably regain much of its splendor and flourish once again. When dealing with the duos explanations, a gentle smile appeared on Li Luo''s face, and he waved his hand. "Don''t worry, I believe in your loyalty for House Luolan." Although this seemed to contradict his true thoughts, as a sensible and mature individual, Li Luo would not vent his frustrations on the duo just yet. This would only move them towards Pei Hao, and thus he had to be compassionate. Jiang Qing''e insipidly glanced at them. "Why don''t you two sit over here, then? We''re only looking for Pei Hao today." "Yes, Young Mistress." The two hurriedly agreed. Jiang Qing''e''s influence within the house was not small, and whilst the elements rocked the foundation of the house, she was the only one holding the fort down. Furthermore, she personally possessed potential and strength, something that struck fear into all of the Pavilion Masters. "Since the two of you are here, why not hear me out?" Pei Hao squashed down the frustrations within his heart and gave a welcoming smile. "No need. It''s probably something unbearable to the ears." Li Luo sighed. "Young Lord, there''s no need to reject me. We actually have very similar aims, which is to protect House Luolan. Come the Housemeet, our internal strife only benefits outsiders." Pei Hao smiled. "I''m sorry. You''re also an outsider," Li Luo rebuked. Pei Hao''s smile immediately dampened for once. Before he could reply, Li Luo waved his hand once again. "Well, since we''re here, I''ll grace you with my presence and listen to whatever crap you have to say. What do you think?" Pei Hao''s eyelids seemed to droop at this instant, and he started enunciating his words slowly. "I suppose the Young Lord is thinking of shedding all pretenses during the Housemeet in a month. Thus, I have a suggestion to prevent this conflict from spiraling out of control, so that others can''t take advantage of us. My suggestion is simple: House Luolan will continue to maintain the tradition of having two House Lords. You and I will take one of these positions each, and we will rule the house jointly. Let us turn our hostility into friendship and usher in a new era of success, one where we will jointly restore House Luolan back to its previous majesty. Young Lord, I''ve given up many concessions to suggest this. I hope you''ll consider this seriously." Li Luo immediately released a deep sigh. "You''re right. The idea of there being two House Lords is a very tantalizing proposition." A smile began to form at the edge of Pei Hao''s face upon hearing these words. Even Mo Cheng seemed to be elated by this. Yuan Qing and Lei Zhang, on the other hand, stared at Li Luo in disbelief. If they officially recognized Pei Hao as a House Lord, that would mean that he could justifiably intervene in many affairs of House Luolan. Although this might avert an immediate conflict, it would leave behind many hidden dangers. How could the young lord not understand this and agree with them? However, just as doubts began to appear in their hearts, Li Luo continued, "However, I think that the two House Lords should be Qing''e and I. How is any of this related to you, you hungering, white-eyed wolf? You even dared to bite the hand that fed you!" The smirk was wiped off Pei Hao''s face, the edges of his mouth began to twitch, and his eyes became gloomy. Li Luo had been messing with him. Naturally, Li Luo''s gaze towards him was filled with contempt and condescension. "Pei Hao, oh, Pei Hao... Who do you think you are? Wanting to control House Luolan? Don''t try using these pretty words to threaten me. I cherish House Luolan only because it''s a plaything that my parents spent some effort to create. However, it doesn''t mean much to the family at all. If it falls apart, so be it. Once we''re more free in the future, we''ll casually rebuild it. Pei Hao, oh, Pei Hao... I know you care about House Luolan, but it''s really not that important to me. If you want to play, I''ll play along... all the way to the bitter end." Li Luo lightly shook his head as he looked at Pei Hao with a tinge of pity and mercy. The entire top floor turned deathly silent and time seemed to have come to a halt. Whether it was Yuan Qing, Lu Qing, or any of the other Pavilion Masters, they were all shocked speechless by Li Luo''s cutting words. They had never expected to hear this from him. They knew that every single word was intended to carve into Pei Hao''s deepest, darkest insecurities. Everyone turned to look at Pei Hao''s reaction, and expectedly, his cold visage had turned a little distorted in fury. His eyes were like those of a venomous snake, glaring coldly at Li Luo, ready to strike at the hint of any movement. A terrifying aura seemed to arise from his very soul. There was nothing worse than being despised over something one valued immensely. On the contrary, Li Luo was all smiles, completely unfazed by his change. "It looks like it was a little too mean of me to strike at your pitiful self-esteem." Bam! Pei Hao slammed the table before him with a single palm, directly smashing it into wooden junk. Resonant power flowed out, turning the debris into mere dust. Before he spoke, Jiang Qing''e took a step forward, her golden eyes icily staring at Pei Hao. "Pei Hao, I don''t like to talk unnecessarily. However, I will say one thing. I don''t wish to see you at the Housemeet... so die for me!" Right at this moment, frightening amounts of light resonant energy poured forth like a tide from her body, strongly suppressing the entire area. With a wave of her hand, light resonant power materialized into a sword that hacked out mercilessly towards Pei Hao, slicing through the very void itself. Jiang Qing''e''s attack was sudden, and before anyone else could react, the tyrannical blade of light lanced forward. However, Pei Hao remained unflinching, his expression downcast. Weng! The sword of light that blazed like the sun suddenly solidified and stopped an inch before Pei Hao''s face. Everyone saw that an ice resonance had suddenly manifested right behind him, exuding copious amounts of chilly air. The flaming light that shrouded the sword actually froze over. After which, it fell to the floor harmlessly, shattering into icy fragments. This development caused Jiang Qing''e''s eyes to shrink, and she glanced at the screen behind Pei Hao. "Haha. It has been a few years. Young Mistress Qing''e''s resonant power seems to have become even more tyrannical." At this point, laughter could be heard coming from behind the screen, and a figure walked out slowly. Everyone turned to watch this newcomer. It was a man who had a head with specks of white hair and a thin countenance. Frost seemed to spread across his face, causing his whole body to also emit a chilling air as he strode forward. At the same time, a frightening amount of resonant power was released from him, spreading throughout the area. The expressions of some in the area changed, and others were lost for words. "Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage?" Yuan Qing glanced at this man, his eyes unexpectedly squinting. "Xu Tianling, you''ve actually broken into the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage?" When Li Luo heard this name, he felt as though he had been struck by a bolt of lightning too. Xu Tianling was none other than the head of the three ancestors of House Luolan. Chapter 0621: Xu Tianling When the man strode out wreathed in suppressive resonant power and chilly air, everyone''s expressions changed in shock. This was no outsider. Xu Tianling was the head of the three ancestors. The only thing was that he had disappeared for the last few years, and no one had expected him to make his appearance here today. Yuan Qing gloomily glared at him. Unfortunately, the latter had reached the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage, which was one step higher than him, who was at the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage. He had made visible progress in the last few years, and it was clear that he had some sort of lucky encounter.. This brought a little bit of worry to Yuan Qing as he knew that when it came to cultivation, the stages before the Heavenly Resonance Stage were significantly simpler. So long as one possessed sufficient talent, cultivation would come easily. For example, the talented students of the Astral Sage College all easily reached the Heavenly Pearl Stage with just the passage of time. But if one wanted to enter the Heavenly Resonance Stage, it would be an arduous process. Gong Shenjun and the First Princess were top geniuses in the Four Star Hall, and had endless resources accorded to them as members of the royal court, but they were still unable to break into the Heavenly Resonance Stage in their four years of college. What the Heavenly Resonance Stage required was not talent, but rather accumulation and understanding. And rising to the Greater Heavenly Resonance from the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage required even more! Thus, the Heavenly Resonance Stage was the hardest bottleneck that prevented people from even attempting to break into the Duke Stage. Yuan Qing had been at the Heavenly Resonance Stage for countless years and yet continued to hover around the same point, always unable to take the final step into the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage. On the other hand, his old competitor, Xu Tianling, had done it. Faced with Yuan Qing''s questions, Xu Tianling gave a wry smile, his gaze flickering to Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e as he clasped his hands in greeting. "Young Lord and Miss Jiang, it has been a while. I hope you''ve been well since we last met." "I was wondering what sort of tonic Pei Hao had taken to grow a new pair. It turns out he had the support of a Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivator," Jiang Qing''e dryly commented. Li Luo also took the opportunity to size up the head ancestor. "It looks like Ancestor Xu also plans to support Pei Hao in tearing House Luolan apart." Xu Tianling smiled. "Young Lord, your words are simply grating. I have a lot of love for House Luolan, and I naturally would not hope for it to splinter. However, Pei Hao is also the House Lords disciple in name. The two House Lords made it clear that if one possessed the right identity and were able to garner the support of two ancestors, that individual would have the right to struggle for the title of House Lord. Pei Hao has achieved both of these requirements and thus he has the right to do so." "So you''re saying that I don''t measure up?" Li Luo retorted. Xu Tianling silently observed Li Luo before emotionally saying, "If the Young Lord had not been restrained by the issue of a blank palace, perhaps the situation would not have devolved thus. Now that the situation has come to a head, there is no longer any chance for us to back off. If anything, we are just mere instruments of fate." Li Luo was clearly the most suitable individual to inherit the title of House Lord. His claim to the title was even greater than Jiang Qing''es. If he had not been born with a blank palace, perhaps the entirety of House Luolan would have rallied around to protect him. Unfortunately, it was a pity that even the once loyal individuals had been swayed and Pei Hao had taken advantage of the situation masterfully, resulting in the scene today. The individuals involved had taken things way too far, and Li Luo had resolved his blank palace issue and demonstrated his potential and talent a little too late. Those who had been snatched away by the jaws of Pei Hao could not simply choose to turn back. Since they had chosen the path of betrayal, they had to see it through to the end. There was no hope for them otherwise. They all understood that even if they did change their minds, would Li Luo even forgive him? Would there ever be any sort of trust in them? No one was that naive. Li Luo shook his head, too lazy to banter over such meaningless words. Those who had a rebellious heart would always find some form of excuse. "I really pity my parents..." Li Luo sighed with sadness as he swept his gaze over the group before him, a complicated expression on his face. "They were such extraordinary individuals, but how could their eye for people be so bad? Half of the people in the upper echelons of House Luolan turned out to be such subpar trash. How did they manage to elevate such refuse into a shining pillar of the Xia Kingdom?" Li Luo''s words were harsh, directly causing even Xu Tianling''s smirk to be wiped off his face, fury evident in his eyes. "You can''t blame the Master and Mistress." Jiang Qing''e shook her head and attentively explained, "They were royalty mingling with the rabble for fun. House Luolan was created on a whim. With their strength, why would they be concerned with what the ants thought about? If something did happen, they''d get crushed with a simple smack. They were supremely confident that if any issues arose, they would resolve it with their overwhelming strength. Thus, they were never concerned with the inner motivations of these people. You should have seen them when the Master and Mistress were around, their loyalty was to die for." Jiang Qing''e''s equally sincere reply caused the group''s expressions to turn a little distorted, especially when she raised the point about how they had used to act before the House Lords. Complicated emotions surfaced on their faces because they had just remembered. Awe when in their exalted presence. Fear when realizing how insignificant they were. Delight when they had disappeared. From Jiang Qing''e''s response, they were also able to understand how the House Lords viewed them. The lords had never been concerned with them and their paltry schemes. So what if they attempted to betray the lords? Would a lion be concerned about the foxes in its territory? "The two House Lords were naturally very persuasive. If they were still around, how would I dare to have such thoughts?" Xu Tianling calmly explained, forcefully quashing down all of the rioting emotions in his heart. "However, Young Lord and Miss Jiang, you need not live in the past. With the House Lords protection, you were naturally placed on a pedestal, unable to understand our struggles. Reality has changed, and you need to recognize it. Thus, I hope that the Young Lord carefully reconsiders Pei Hao''s suggestion," he threatened politely with a sharp glint in his eyes. Faced with Xu Tianling''s coercive gaze, Li Luo smirked brazenly as he slowly pronounced each word for all to hear. "Let me repeat myself once more since it seems like you''re deaf. Don''t hold back during the Housemeet. Come at me with everything you have. If House Luolan falls to pieces, I couldn''t care less." Xu Tianling''s eyes began to twitch as he attempted to rein in the anger boiling within his heart. How could this young lord be absolutely unconcerned about the future of his house? A wastrel! He is a wastrel through and through! "It looks like the Young Lord is unable to differentiate his imagination from reality," Xu Tianling darkly said as he took a step forward. His Greater Heavenly Resonance strength directly flooded outwards in all directions, surging towards Li Luo. Ice resonant power swept over like a tide, turning the entire Spring Lake Villa into a winter wonderland. "If this is the case, I will represent the two House Lords in educating you on what reality is really like." Xu Tianling''s five fingers arched into a claw, causing his ice resonant power to coagulate around it, forming razor-sharp, icy, jade-like talons that exuded extreme cold. Yuan Qing took a step forward as well, planning to retaliate, but he was held back by Li Luo. Li Luo gave a smile that was not a smile, faintly whispering, "Is the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage that great?" Xu Tianling squinted upon hearing those deprecating words, but his expression changed immediately after. At this point, the roof of the Spring Lake Villa was ripped open by a beam of light that seemed to have transcended through time and space to arrive here. In fact, the space that the light passed by seemed to leave behind black traces as it was unable to repair itself quickly enough. Even the worldly natural energy seemed to disappear in the presence of this light. "A Duke expert?!" Feeling the immense suppression from the light itself, Xu Tianling was lost for words. At the same time, he could clearly discern a glowing pig-butchering knife within. Although the object almost seemed comical, it caused his already cold body to feel a chill, and alarm bells started ringing in his head. Why is there a Duke expert showing his hand? Before he had time to think, the pig-butchering knife rushed directly towards him, wreathed full of fiendish energy that caused him to feel like death itself was descending for him. Xu Tianling roared, and a blood-red talonfist flashed out from under the icy claw. Atop the talonfist was a golden eye, indicating that this was a gold-eye treasured artifact. With a gold-eye treasured artifact in hand, only then did Xu Tianling dare to clash against that horror-inducing pig-butchering knife. Pssh! When the two clashed, there was surprisingly no earth-shaking rumble. This was because the glowing pig-butchering knife had cut through the gold-eye talonfist like a piece of wet tofu before slicing Xu Tianlings palm in half. Blood sprayed endlessly. Xu Tianling was sent flying, knocking through countless tables and chairs. His face turned white and full of abject terror. After the knife severed his palm in half, cold laughter echoed throughout the villa. "You stray dog! I''d like to see you tell me again. Just who is going to discipline the Young Lord?" Chapter 0622: Deterrence Chapter 0622: Deterrence When the voice full of murderous intent reverberated around the villa, the entire top floor turned deathly silent. Other than Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, everyone else was quivering in fright at the area that had been ripped apart by that knife''s very presence. A single blow had practically disarmed the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage Xu Tianling. No one present couldve ever imagined that a Duke would choose to interfere. Furthermore, this Duke was from Li Luo''s camp. When had House Luolan found a Duke as a guardian? Ancestor Yuan Qing, Lu Qing, Lu Guan, and the rest of the ancestors and Pavilion Masters were all shocked by this development. They were completely unaware of the existence of other Dukes within House Luolan. The question in everyone''s minds was: why had this Duke not shown up previously to scare off all the rats and wolves that eyed the house? Especially when things were in massive turmoil? If a single Duke had stepped up to suppress the rabble, all of these actions today wouldve been completely unnecessary. No one could make sense of this situation. However, Yuan Qing was extremely elated. He might not understand why this Duke had appeared, but since he was protecting the Young Lord, then he was an ally. This was the best thing that could ever happen. On the other hand, his excitement was not reciprocated in the other camp. Pei Hao, Mo Cheng, and the other Pavilion Masters looked as though they had stepped in a pile of crap. The three Pavilion Masters were shaking in their shoes, staggering backwards in complete fright. This was a Duke for God''s sake! With a mere thought, they could be turned into fine dust. Damn it all! How? Why? What? A Duke! The trio felt like stray dogs that had been abandoned. Xu Tianling was still clutching what was left of his severed palm, rapidly circulating ice resonant power to staunch the bleeding. Unfortunately, he realized that his actions were futile as there was ferocious resonant power still within the wound, eroding his flesh and blood. As a result, he was unable to administer first aid to himself, forcing himself to bear the excruciating throbbing pain. He understood that this was the dual resonant power of a Duke. Although he had entered the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage, the chasm between himself and a Duke was as wide as the divide between the heavens and the earth. Xu Tianling raised his head and stared at the pig-butchering knife floating before Li Luo, hoarsely saying, "So it turns out there was a Duke in House Luolan." The rest of the Pavilion Masters had no idea who this mysterious individual could be, but Xu Tianling had heard about a hidden Duke before. Even so, he had his doubts, and no one other than the two House Lords had ever seen this enigmatic fellow. Alas, he had personally experienced the truth today. Li Luo looked at the floating pig-butchering knife and reached out for it. The knife willingly descended into his grasp. Their circumstances had been reversed, and he cheekily grinned at Xu Tianling. "Do you think you''re qualified to teach me a lesson?" Xu Tianling''s expression sank. "So I see that this is the Young Lord''s backer. I''ve heard of the mysterious Duke that is unable to leave House Luolan''s headquarters. It''s clear that the restriction is real as well since only the weapon is here." "In that case, why don''t we try this again?" Li Luo hefted the pig-butchering knife, and dark red traces began to materialize on the blade, emitting a fiendish aura that would cause anyone''s heart to palpitate just from being near it. It was as though this weapon had been forged and quenched within mountains and seas of blood so it could emit such an oppressive aura. Seeing that the pig butchering knife was being waved around before him like a toy, Xu Tianling''s eyes twitched involuntarily. The piercing pain that coursed through him reminded him to remain silent. "I see that the Young Lord wishes for blood during the Housemeet." Xu Tianling coldly snorted. "Don''t try to shift the blame on us after causing the problem..." Li Luo shook his head. "Cut the crap. I''ll await your schemes on the day of the Housemeet, so bring out all the tricks you have then. Whether or not House Luolan will exist after is of no concern to me. I''d rather torch the fields than leave anything behind for you jackals, even if nothing is left." With that final declaration, he and Jiang Qing''e turned to leave, with Yuan Qing and the rest of the bodyguards scrambling behind. Lu Qing and Lu Guan faced each other speechlessly as they came to an agreement. No longer wishing to dawdle, they ran after the entourage that had chosen to leave. The strength that House Luolan had demonstrated today had completely jolted them of their indecision. How could they dare to follow Pei Hao now? Furthermore, if the Young Lord managed to break into the Duke Stage, would they be able to survive the aftermath? Pei Hao felt fury surging with his heart as he gloomily glared at the duo who had made their choice. His goals today had been left in complete shambles. He had hoped to borrow Xu Tianlings power to teach Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e a good lesson and hamper their momentum. At the same time, it would frighten the two neutral Pavilion Masters into siding with him. Alas, the Duke within House Luolan had opted to show his knife and everything had been thrown into disarray. His plan had backfired, and the ones in fear were those from his camp. Pei Hao glanced at the three Pavilion Masters who were quivering in abject terror and reassured them. "There is no need to worry. The Duke that belongs to House Luolan is unable to leave the headquarters, so the situation is not as bleak as it seems. Furthermore, someone will deal with him during the Housemeet." "I have to admit that this surpassed my expectations. I had thought that since the individual cannot physically leave the headquarters, they would be unable to do anything. It looks like I have underestimated the methods of a Duke," Xu Tianling dejectedly explained. "On the bright side, his strength cannot be significantly projected out of the area either. Otherwise, that single strike would not have just bisected my arm." That single strike was intimidating, but Xu Tianling understood that if a Duke had really opted to deal with him, well, he''d be dead before he knew it. Pei Hao nodded, glumly focusing upon the stairs Li Luo had climbed down. It was not like they had not gained anything either. They now knew for a fact that a Duke did reside within House Luolan. Now they could plan in greater detail. "Li Luo... you mightve been bragging when you said you didn''t care about House Luolan. I''d like to see for myself how you''ll react when it truly disintegrates in your hands! Will you still act so brazenly then?" Young Lord... this Duke expert of yours... Why did he not just get rid of Pei Hao and Xu Tianling in one go? It wouldve actually solved most of our problems instantly..." Yuan Qing blustered out in curiosity. Li Luo hefted a glance at the pig-butchering knife by his waist and pouted helplessly. Of course he wanted that as well! Unfortunately, Uncle Biao suffered from a massive restriction that caused his mighty abilities to taper off immensely the moment he left the headquarters vicinity. It was only through a trick that the pig-butchering knife could have arrived at this location, and even then, it was weakened significantly. It''s not that he didn''t want to, but rather he couldn''t! Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had already known that Pei Hao would have some tricks up his sleeve, thus they had made arrangements with Ox Biaobiao beforehand. It was only after confirming that his attack could land within the vicinity of the Spring Lake Villa that they had so audaciously stepped forward. A smart man would not stand next to a precarious, crumbling wall. There was no need to put themselves in actual danger. Their lives were worth much more than that white-eyed wolf Pei Hao. "No rush. We will settle all of this during the Housemeet," Li Luo grandly proclaimed as he glanced momentarily at Jiang Qing''e. The two turned to face their home, the headquarters across the street. There was a month remaining before the tempest would descend upon them all. All their grievances would be settled then. Cleanly. Chapter 0623: Thunderbolt Art Chapter 0623: Thunderbolt Art House Luolan, Skygold Room Li Luo was sitting cross-legged in the middle with his eyes tightly shut and his hands clasped together in a hand sign. Worldly natural energy was surging around him, and a strand of earth fiend energy entered his body. Right before it was able to wreak havoc, an illusory phantom of a dragon appeared before it, directly opening its maw and belching out a blast of dragonbreath that enveloped it. The earth fiend energy continued to squirm and struggle within the dragonbreath, looking as though it was being submerged in lava. Eventually, its berserk nature was cleanly wiped out by the refinement process. This entire process took a full hour to complete. After the dragonbreath dissipated, the earth fiend energy was gone. Instead, there were five black rays of light swimming around the inside of Li Luos body as though they were sentient black fish. It was an indescribable and inscrutable scene. "These are abstruse fiend lights?" Li Luo elatedly observed the five black rays of light that had been refined by the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath. He had spent countless days trying, and this was his first success. The five rays of abstruse fiend light also physically demonstrated the power of a Five Fiends Art. Li Luo curiously continued to watch one of the rays of abstruse fiend light. With a thought, it directly entered his waterlight resonant palace, tunneling into the manifestation of his resonance, the waterlight spirit lake. It now seemed like a little fish that had found a new home. He then opened his eyes and stretched out his hand. Resonant power coagulated around his palm, and it turned into a shimmering, rapidly-moving stream of water that possessed frightening penetrative and incisive abilities. This was the Thousand Watery Knives Art. With another thought, a ray of abstruse fiend light flowed out of his resonant palace, merging with the radiant water blade. A moment later, Li Luo saw a layer of stygian black light coat the edge of the blade. It seemed to have turned even fiercer and a tad tyrannical. Flicking his finger, the blade made of flowing water explosively shot outwards, creating ear-grating sonic booms as it sliced through the air, directly hacking at a stone tablet that was constructed for testing resonance arts. Ping! This stone tablet was fabricated out of a special material that was designed to resist damage. Yet in a flash, a three-finger-deep gash was torn right out of it! What was most fascinating was that the edges of the gash itself were abnormally smooth. Li Luo walked forward, tentatively using his finger to feel the impact of his attack, a trace of surprise arising in his gaze. He clearly remembered that before he had broken into the Fiend Palace Tier, the Thousand Watery Knives Art would only cause a gash about two fingers deep. With the amplification of his new resonant power, the effect of the art had increased by almost 50%. Was this the might of abstruse fiend light? Li Luo sighed in admiration. This was why others commonly said that the Earth Fiend General Stage was when one truly stepped into the path of resonant power cultivation. The Resonant Master Stage was just the tutorial. "Abstruse fiend light is amazing stuff," Li Luo said, full of longing. He had only just started cultivating the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath, and even though he had been able to form five rays of abstruse fiend light, it had taken a long time to learn. And his efficiency was not great. Increasing the efficiency of the refinement would require getting more familiar with the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath and cultivating it to greater success. After experiencing the might of the abstruse fiend light, Li Luo began to cultivate a new resonance art. This was the first one he would learn. A low-grade dragon-general resonance art: Thunderbolt Art. This was a top-tier body art that focused on increasing one''s speed, and it was something that Li Luo had decided upon some time ago. Now that he had a thunder resonance, he was able to cultivate thunder-related resonance arts. The Thunderbolt Art was something that Li Luo had discovered within House Luolan''s library. Now that the conditions were ripe, he could finally start learning it. Li Luo stood on the spot, his eyes drooping slightly as he channeled resonant power throughout his body, directing most of it to his feet. At this point, thunderbolts could be seen crackling through his soles. What made it mystifying was that these motes of thunder seemed to be moving in a certain pattern through Li Luo''s legs, constantly stimulating his flesh, blood, and meridians. At this moment, thunder resonant power was smoothly flowing through the meridians in his legs. Gradually, he began to feel an aching and burning pain throughout his flesh and blood as the resonant power continued to flow. Right at this moment, he snapped to attention, and a flash of lightning could be seen within his pupils. He then raised his foot and took a step. Bang! The crackling boom of thunder echoed throughout the skygold room. Li Luo had moved dozens of meters in a single flash. However, he was not pleased with the result when he saw the state of his legs. Every single pore on his feet seemed to be bleeding, and his skin and flesh were showing signs of being ripped apart. "The difficulty of learning a dragon-general resonance art indeed significantly surpasses that of a tiger-general resonance art." He sighed. The Thunderbolt Art had not been cultivated successfully. As a dragon-general resonance art, the highest tier it could reach was the Fifth Flash, which would allow the user to travel almost anywhere within a thousand meters in a flash. Currently, he was not even at the First Flash Tier as he had not cultivated it successfully. However, Li Luo was not in a rush, as cultivating any resonance art required a significant amount of time. He might be a genius unseen through the ages when it came to comprehending resonance arts, but this art would still require some time investment. Even so, this incomplete version of the art had increased his speed significantly and had shored up some of his weaknesses. As he pondered over the flow of thunder resonant power throughout his body during the usage of the art, he was simultaneously utilizing his other two resonant powers to quickly heal his body, eliminating the throbbing pain. After his legs recovered, he left the skygold room and concluded his day of cultivation. After which, he made his way towards the inner hall, where he saw Jiang Qing''e brandishing her heavy sword. Her lithe body was currently lightly threading through a series of motions whilst the sword in her hand moved as though it possessed a life of its own, slashing in all sorts of profound trajectories. Li Luo could keenly feel that the sword dance was rousing all of the worldly natural energy around them, pouring it into Qing''e at a frightening rate. At the same time, her slender and delicate body was like a bottomless abyss, constantly engulfing any and all energy that came her way. One could not fathom how deep and unmeasurable her actions were. Li Luo continued to focus upon Jiang Qing''e''s body, gradually becoming intoxicated and beguiled at the rousing sight. She was frighteningly beautiful, yet her might was akin to that of a ferocious spirit beast that one should not idly provoke. A wrong move would inevitably lead to a terrifying counterattack. Weng. At this very instant, the void before Li Luo seemed to ripple. The heavy sword had soundlessly cleaved apart the space before him, pausing right before Li Luo''s throat. Raising his arms in surrender, Li Luo did not dare to even let out a squeak. After which, a hint of amusement surfaced within Jiang Qing''e''s emotionless, golden eyes. She sheathed her weapon, and the roiling worldly natural energy seemed to have quietened down. "Sister Qing''e, are you about to make your breakthrough?" Li Luo curiously asked. Jiang Qing''e''s actions had aroused a sense of danger within him. It was as though there were undercurrents surging beneath a thin layer of ice, ready to erupt like a geyser at any moment, drowning anyone in its vicinity. Jiang Qing''e did not reply but just gave a wry smile. "It''s time to go. I want to head to the college today." Li Luo nodded and sighed. "Today will be a day that even the heavens will be taken by surprise. History is about to be made at the Astral Sage College." Why? It was the day where Jiang Qing''e would officially issue a challenge to a member of the Seven Astral Pillars. If she succeeded, it would be a legendary feat. the Astral Sage College''s history would be irreversibly changed. Destiny was going to be rewritten on this date. Chapter 0624: Records Were Meant To Be Broken Chapter 0624: Records Were Meant To Be Broken When the two had finally arrived back in college, Li Luo could feel countless gazes falling upon them. Well more specifically, it was on Jiang Qing''e. A hint of anticipation and shock could be seen within them. The news of Jiang Qing''e challenging the Seven Astral Pillars had obviously spread throughout the college. Of course no one found it strange. The moment the Holy Grail Meet had ended, she had made the request to the college that she was intending to break this record. Naturally the college was also exuberant at the news of a possible legend being written, and thus had spread the word. This caused a flurry of activity to bubble up within the school. Countless students were in awe at this decision. The Seven Astral Pillars was the highest form of honor anyone could achieve within the college and from another point of view, this was actually more significant than Jiang Qing''e attaining the title of the strongest student in the Three Star Hall. After all, she was merely competing with peers in her grade during the Holy Grail Meet. This event had her facing off against the unequalled peak elites of the school. The Seven Astral Pillars also didn''t just contain the best students of the Four Star Hall, but also a group of even older students. In the current batch of representatives, Gong Shenjun and Gong Luanyu had stolen the limelight with their radiance and tyrannical might. However this didn''t indicate that these older students were to be scoffed at. They possessed the luxury of time and resources and had even more opportunities to develope themselves. Thus for the average student, Jiang Qing''e attempting to topple someone from the Seven Astral Pillars was absolutely mindboggling. Success would lead to history being rewritten. No one had achieved this feat before. The shock and implication of this challenge was momentous. As a result, the entire school was focused upon her right now. "A new legend is about to be born." Li Luo jokingly said to Qing''e as they were faced with the gazes of the inquisitive. Jiang Qing''e on the other hand remained characteristically calm. "I actually don''t hold any interest in the title itself. This battle will allow me to birth vital energy within me." "Birth vital energy?" Li Luo''s expression changed. "Only by conquering a powerful foe can a breath of invincible vital energy be birthed." Jiang Qing''e calmly explained, a hint of tyranny felt in her very words. Li Luo was still a little clueless. "Whats the point of this breath of vital energy?" Jiang Qing''e shot a meaningful glance towards him. "You''ll know when the time comes." "Tsk... why is she putting on such an act?" Li Luo unhappily sulked. However his guess was that this battle was a necessary preparation for the Housemeet. This had definitely been years in the making. "I''ll head back to the dormitory for abit before coming over to cheer you on!" Li Luo waved goodbye to Jiang Qing''e as he went off in search of mentor Chi Chan. He wanted her to bring him to the college''s resonance art library and find the Duke Art that he could finally call his own. Qing''e nodded her head as the two went their separate ways for now. After which excitement overtook Li Luo as he sprinted over to his dormitory. Just as he pushed the doors open, he happened to see a fatigued Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu staggering up the stairs from the basement.Walking leisurely right behind them was mentor Chi Chan. Clearly she had taken the time to train the two of them well. "Leader!" Bai Mengmeng cried in happiness as she saw Li Luo, the traces of fatigue being washed away with genuine elation. "It must have been tough for you..." Li Luo smiled. Xin Fu glared at the relaxed Li Luo as he was reminded of the high intensity training mentor Chi Chan had subjected him to the past week. Envy flooded his thoughts and he very earnestly spoke his mind. "Leader oh leader! I know you managed to obtain the title of the strongest One Star Hall student in the Holy Grail Meet but don''t you feel that you''re taking things a little too leisurely? You haven''t been to class this entire month! How could you do that! What would you do next? Don''t you know that the Two Star Hall''s Zhu Xuan has already stepped into the quasi General stage? All of the One Star Hall students under the Violet Vibrance mentors are all pushing themselves to the limit. If you continue this way, you''ll be surpassed!" "Mentor Chi Chan! You can''t let Li Luo run astray! He''s a wonderful sapling and he definitely needs your sincere guidance!" Xin Fu spoke very honestly towards. So long as mentor Chi Chan started to supervise Li Luo directly, some of the pressure would be lifted off him and he could finally heave a breath of relief! Leader oh leader! Don''t blame this brother for being honest. Everything was to ensure that you improve yourself! The fact was that under Xin Fu''s earnest and harmless face was a heart full of complicated thoughts. Faced with Xin Fu''s "wonderful intentions", Li Luo gave a slight smile. "Although I have not been around, my cultivation has increased by leaps and bounds. Dear Brother Xin Fu, the gap between us has only widened to become an even larger chasm! That is unacceptable you know. In our squad, Mengmeng is the one in charge of support and is not good at direct combat. Thus the two of us have to step up and ensure that she is well protected. If you don''t improve yourself, you won''t even be as helpful as Mengmeng!" Xin Fu listened intently as he replied in disbelief. "Hey, i''ve already reached the Evolving Resonance tier. We''re in the same tier now." Li Luo waved his hand confidently. "Evolving Resonance tier? I''ve long surpassed that!" This response left Xin Fu a little shellshocked. With an incredulous look he blurted out. "You... you''ve reached the quasi General stage?!" "Quasi General stage?" Li Luo shook h is head. Xin Fu finally let out a sigh of relief. That was good. His leader had not reached the quasi General stage yet. Otherwise that would mean his cultivation speed was unbelievable quick. Even the Two Star Hall Zhu Xuan had spent the majority of his school points to obtain the resources to take that step. Yet right at this instant, mentor Chi Chan''s gaze fell upon Li Luo for a brief moment. The realisation that struck caused her to focus her attention onto him as she strode forward hurriedly. "You.... did you break into the Earth Fiend General stage?" This was met with a toothy grin as Li Luo chortled unrestrainedly."In order to not let disappoint my mentor, i''ve forced myself to bitterly cultivate day and night this entire month... Finally on a dark and stormy night, I managed to break through my limits and enter the Fiend Palace tier!" After which repressive resonant power began to be emitted from him in every direction. Feeling the suppression of Li Luo''s mighty resonant power, Xin Fu''s mind went blank as Bai Mengmeng stared agape and in utter surprise. Li Luo had entered the Fiend Palace tier? This was unbelievably insane! Even Zhu Xuan only managed to make it to the quasi General stage. This basically meant that Li Luo had surpassed even the strongest student of the Two Star Hall. Although the college knew that the Two Star Hall was the weakest link, these were still students who were higher by a single grade. Li Luo might have demonstrated might superior to Zhu Xuan during the Holy Grail Meet but Zhu Xuan definitely held the edge when it came to both quality and quantity of resonant power. However in the short span of a month, Li Luo had surpassed the quasi General stage, directly entering the General stage. This meant that he was now superior in every way compared to Zhu Xuan! Was this a true genius? "Leader, Senior Jiang has yet to break the record but here you are handily writing one of your own..." Bai Mengmeng spoke with a tone of adoration as her beautiful eyes flashed brightly. Mentor Chi Chan continued to inspect the surging resonant power that Li Luo exuded, feeling a tinge of absent mindedness. This was beyond her wildest imagination that Li Luo had managed to achieve this within such a short span of time. Even with the aid of the holy tree marrow crystal, the best she''d expect of him was to reach the quasi General stage as any further was simply too difficult. As a result the sight before her was shocking. "A One Star Hall student entering the Fiend Palace tier..." She felt a momentous stirring within her heart as she continued to stare at Li Luo. Undisguised admiration could be seen in her eyes as she praised him. "Li Luo, you''ve indeed set a new record. Even Jiang Qing''e was unable to accomplish this in the past." This was something that brought her exceeding amounts of happiness. As a Duke, she was cognizant of the chasm in strength between a resonant master and a general. This accomplishment demonstrated both his talent and potential, comparable to only a handful in the entire history of every sage college on East Divine Continent. As his mentor, this brought her incomparable pride at being able to guide such a wonderful seedling. Li Luo smiled as he lightly spoke. "There''s no need to overreact people... records were meant to be broken! Lets take things normally and return to our normal lives..." Xin Fu was convinced. As expected of the leader, this was the only response that was acceptable. The muscles on mentor Chi Chan''s face began to twitch, almost as though she wanted to make a smile. Yet she then turned to face Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng. "The two of you should hurry and go change. A grand occasion is about to occur today and that doesn''t come often. Naturally we cannot be absent." The duo nodded their heads as they remembered the upcoming bout with Jiang Qing''e and a Seven Astral Pillar. Coupled with the fact that Li Luo had managed to break into the Fiend Palace tier, it would undoubtedly incite an uproar of epic proportions. The pair from House Luolan would become coolest kids on the street. Chapter 0625: Jiang Qinges Challenge Chapter 0625: Jiang Qing''e''s Challenge As Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng made their way to change out of their disheveled clothes, Li Luo had been dragged by mentor Chi Chan to the basement as he was subject to a battery of tests. Only after Li Luo had successfully proven his newfound capabilities, the satisfaction in her gaze only grew more intense. "Not bad. Your resonant power is sufficiently dense and there is no signs of weakness. It seems that you did not utilize some sort of over drafting art to breakthrough." Mentor Chi Chan heaved a sigh of relief. "Mentor! Where is the trust in me?" Li Luo lamented. Mentor Chi Chan''s initial suspicions were that Li Luo had been shortsighted, utilizing some secret arts to breakthrough at the expense of his future potential, leading to a flawed breakthrough. However how could he do so? These sort of methods would also harm his foundation and once utilized, would prevent any future progress. This was unacceptable to Li Luo as well. It was no wonder that mentor had sent the duo away. She did not wish for his prestige and adoration to be ruined by the reality of such a situation. Mentor Chi Chan calmly continued speaking. "Although I trust that you''re not foolish enough to do so, you''ll never know what one will do in the heat of the moment." Li Luo understood that what she referred to was the tenuous Housemeet that was ahead of them. "Mentor please rest assured. As I have long promised, although House Luolan is the culmination of my parents'' efforts, I''m sure they''d rather it be destroyed than for us to lose our lives over it. I might work hard but I would never be so foolish as to live and die with the house... Plus I have many backup plans anyways. Even if House Luolan is gone, Sister Qing''e and I are still around. We''ll find an opportunity to rebuild it in future." He explained. Mentor Chi Chan nodded slightly in appreciation. Li Luo had a clear understanding of the situation which was heartening. "Since you''ve broken into the Fiend Palace tier and set a new record, I will reach out to vice principal Su Xin and request for a few Fiend Origin Pills." she continued. "Fiend Origin Pills?!" Li Luo''s eyes were like saucers as he couldn''t believe his ears. This Fiend Origin Pill was refined specifically for Earth Fiend General stage cultivators. Consuming this pill would allow one to obtain a wisp of earth fiend energy that had been tempered by its medicinal properties. As a result the earth fiend energy was extremely gentle and easy to refine. Thus it was a favorite cultivation resource for Earth Fiend cultivators, allowing them to increase the speed at which they improved. These Fiend Origin Pills were ones refined by the college and were even better in quality than those found in common markets. Usually only the top students within the Three Star Hall were able to exchange for them as they were few in quantity. The rest could only look on in envy. "As I understand, there aren''t enough Fiend Origin Pills to go around. Not even the average Three Star Hall student can have access to them! Are you sure?" Li Luo asked eagerly. "You are right. Normally speaking, Three Star Hall students won''t even be able to enjoy these pills, but you''re different. You have demonstrated your excellence by breaking into the Earth Fiend General stage before the Three Star Hall and the college will reward the two of you as further motivation." "The two of us?" Mentor Chi Chan seemed to be smiling. "Mmm. As Zhu Xuan has broken into the quasi General stage, he made a request for a Fiend Origin Pill as well. However their supply is limited and probably only one of you will get it." "Does this mean I still have to fight Zhu Xuan for it?" Li Luo had a sympathetic look on his face. "It looks like things are going to be difficult for Senior Zhu Xuan once again... you know, it really pains my heart to do so!" Mentor Chi Chan''s eyes seemed a little amused at Li Luo''s exaggerated act. Zhu Xuan had to be the unluckiest person in the world. He might have originally thought that by breaking into the quasi General stage, he would be able to raise eyebrows and demonstrate his worth. Alas he had the misfortune of meeting Li Luo who had even surpassed him, going directly into the Fiend Palace tier. When comparing the two, the gap was massive. It looked like Zhu Xuan was about to be roused from his beautiful dreams. The duo sighed in sympathy for the poor soul. After which they left the basement and met the other duo who had finished changing. After which they all headed towards the square in the center of the college. Along the way, a sea of people had gathered and were all ambling in the same direction in various states of excitement, using this opportunity to chat about their predictions for this event. Everyone was bubbling with anticipation. "If Senior Jiang is able to attain the seat of a Seven Astral Pillar, she might even become more famous than the First Princess!" Bai Mengmeng couldn''t help but to comment. Xin Fu also nodded his head in agreement. Ever since Jiang Qing''e had attained the title of the strongest Three Star Hall student, her already lofty reputation had grown to be on par with the First Princess. With the record, she''d officially be the most outstanding individual in the entire college! "Leader, do you know who Senior Jiang is planning to challenge?" Bai Mengmeng asked curiously. At this point, even mentor Chi Chan gave a meaningful look at Li Luo, indicating that even she was interested in this topic. Li Luo helplessly shook his head. "Nope. She didn''t want to tell me." "If she had to choose an opponent with the highest chances of succeeding, it would likely be either Seven Astral Pillars or Ye Chengying. Amongst the Seven Astral Pillars, other than Gong Shenjun and Gong Luanyu, these are the only two Four Star Hall students. The other three belong to a previous batch of students. Although these three may be a little weaker than the two from the royal court, they should not be underestimated either." Mentor Chi Chan explained. Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu nodded as they agreed with this assessment. Li Luo did not say anything in response. Although in terms of chances of success, Si Tianming and Ye Chengying were the best choices, he knew Qing''e very well. She would never choose to do something just because it was easier. "Mentor, what are the approximate placements within the Seven Astral Pillars?" Li Luo asked. "Amongst them, Gong Shenjun is undoubtedly the strongest followed by Gong Luanyu. In third place should be Zhong Taiqiu, fourth Wang Chao and fifth Qiao Yu." Mentor Chi Chan spoke after thinking it through. Li Luo nodded his head meaningfully. They continued to chatter on their way over until the square filled with bustling life was finally before them. With a wave of mentor Chi Chan''s sleeves, the group was swept off the ground onto a high platform above the square. At this time, all of the One Star Hall Violet Vibrance mentors had been gathered. Li Luo even saw Qin Zhulu, Lu Qing''er, Yu Lang and the rest of the mentees! Lu Qing''er immediately noticed Li Luo and beckoned in a friendly manner. Li Luo returned the gesture with a genuine smile before turning to focus onto the square. Seven stone pillars were erected upon the square, each one engraved with carvings of the heavens and the stars. Mystifying light circulated throughout the engravings, bequeathing an extraordinary appearance to these simple pillars. Atop each pillar sat a cross-legged silhouette. These were the current batch of Seven Astral Pillars. The seven were quietly sitting by with calm expressions, robes rippling with the wind, emitting a suppressive presence demonstrating their uncanny might. In the square were countless students staring at them with utmost reverence and respect. These were the seven most outstanding students of the sage college. This was a title not obtained through background but wrenched away with their own might. Atop the high platform, Vice principal Su Xin had finally made her appearance, raising her slender arm lightly to indicate the start of the event. A beam of light crashed down from the sky, landing in the middle of the square, becoming the center of attention. She strode out gallantly, her beautiful figure and matchless features inciting overwhelming cheers from the crowd. "Today, Three Star Hall''s Jiang Qing''e will challenge the Seven Astral Pillars." Vice principal Su Xin announced with her heart-warming voice, resounding within every individuals'' ears. Yet this only seemed to excite the crowd further with cheers getting increasingly louder. "Everyone should know the rules of the battle. I will not comment further." Vice principal Su Xin turned to face the enchanting beauty, a look of undisguised satisfaction and appreciation within her eyes. "Jiang Qing''e. Declare your opponent." The square immediately turned silent as the countless gazes focused upon Jiang Qing''e''s next words. This was the moment of truth. She was a Three Star Hall student and in the Fiend Finisher tier, compared to all of the Seven Astral Pillars who had stepped into Heavenly Pearl stage. The gap between them was significant, even with a ninth-grade light resonance. Thus it was unlikely she could defeat an opponent beyond her stage. These opponents weren''t just ordinary individuals either, every single one was an elite with immense potential. Thus most of the crowd speculated that if she were to try to unseat one, it would be the weakest member such as Si Tianming. Yet her piercing golden eyes swept across each of the Seven Astral Pillars, finally pausing on one. The next moment, a cold voice resounded calmly throughout the square. "My opponent will be... Zhong Taiqiu." This declaration of war caused the entire square to burst out in a frenzy. Chapter 0626: Battling Zhong Taiqiu Chapter 0626: Battling Zhong Taiqiu When Jiang Qing''e declared her opponent, the entire square erupted. Countless individuals had surprise and confusion scrawled all over their faces, and the noise continued to increase in intensity. "My God! Did I mishear? Jiang Qing''e wishes to challenge Zhong Taiqiu?" "Zhong Taiqiu is the third strongest amongst the Seven Astral Pillars! He''s just right behind Gong Shenjun and Gong Luanyu." "He''s at the Six-pearl Tier and is extraordinarily strong. His foundation is also extremely sturdy, so why would Jiang Qing''e want to challenge him?" "This seems a little reckless. Isn''t she overestimating herself?" Everyone burst into chatter in shock, speculating endlessly on the reason why. Jiang Qing''e''s choice of opponent had surpassed everyone''s wildest expectations. However, it wasn''t just the general public that was surprised, Li Luo was too! Although he had guessed that Jiang Qing''e would not have chosen to fight against the weakest individual, he had never expected her to aim this high. He had assumed that the furthest she''d go was to challenge Wang Chao or Qiao Yu, the weaker ones of the older students. However, this was beyond his wildest expectations. This fellow was no pushoverhe had once been the strongest student of the Four Star Hall. When Gong Shenjun and Gong Luanyu had first entered the Four Star Hall, Zhong Taiqiu was the reigning leader amongst the Seven Astral Pillars. No one would doubt his strength that had been proved through combat. Li Luo had full confidence in Jiang Qing''e, but even he had to make sure that he hadn''t heard that declaration wrongly. "Is this all to birth vital energy?" Li Luo''s gaze flashed. Jiang Qing''e would never do something meaningless. This choice was deliberate, and there had to be a goal. "Leader, why did Senior Jiang choose such a difficult trial?" Bai Mengmeng asked, slightly flabbergasted by this. Lu Qing''er paused and also chimed in. "Picking Zhong Taiqiu is truly shocking. Perhaps she might have been too aggressive and gone a little too far? With Senior Jiang''s potential, challenging him when she has broken into the Heavenly Pearl Stage would have been the safer move." Li Luo waved his hands helplessly. "Well, there''s no point in telling me all of this. I''m not her!" The rest also shook their heads forlornly. "You shouldn''t underestimate Jiang Qing''e." Mentor Chi Chan suddenly piped up as she observed the peerless beauty, standing by her lonesome amidst the massive square. "Amongst all the Violet Vibrance mentors, if we had to say who was the most unpredictable student, it would be the one standing over there," she gestured. "Jiang Qing''e''s cultivation technique is a little strangeits almost certainly some sort of secret art. It constantly suppresses her cultivation speed, much like bottling up an active volcano. Over time, the pressure and magma builds up, eventually erupting forth with terrifying power. Now, judging by the speed at which Jiang Qing''e cultivated during her time in the One and Two Star Halls, it could almost be considered disappointing with her potential and talent. Yet the moment she entered the Three Star Hall, she vaulted through the three major stages of the Earth Fiend General Stage within the short span of a year, entering the peak of the Fiend Finisher Tier. This was completely mind-boggling and unexpected. The way I see it, this is probably because she chose to restrict herself during the earlier part of her cultivation, and this restriction has reached its limit. Thus, this secret art is more than meets the eye... and it was probably given to her by Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. Personally, I''m extremely curious. If she had chosen not to suppress herself in the past, where would her achievements lie today? Perhaps we aren''t too far off from seeing that day now..." At this point, she glanced at Li Luo. Jiang Qing''e choosing to burst forth with her bottled up potential at this point probably indicated that it was all for the Housemeet. She had been making her preparations for this day. After listening to mentor Chi Chan''s conjecture, Yu Lang, Bai Mengmeng, Lu Qing''er, and the rest seemed a little unsettled. They then turned to face the enchanting beauty who was still standing silently in anticipation of what was to come. No matter how one saw it, Jiang Qing''e was truly amazing and talented. She could be considered to be the most outstanding student of the Astral Sage College in the last few hundred years. Especially if she succeeded in her challenge todayshe would carve out an entirely new legend. The fervor in the square did not die down, and the audience continued to chatter. Meanwhile, the faces of those atop the seven pillars also showed a hint of surprise. This was completely unexpected even to them. "Qing''e." The First Princess'' brows were furrowed as she stared at the heroic and alluring silhouette, her heavy sword in hand. She was worried for her. If Qing''e had stepped into the Heavenly Pearl Stage, the choice of opponent couldn''t be more appropriate. However, the crux of the matter was that she had not! The undulations coming from her body indicated that she was still in the Fiend Finisher Tier. Zhong Taiqiu, on the other hand, was a Six-pearl. This was the titan that monopolized the top position before she and Gong Shenjun had arrived on the scene. This was not a good opponent. Yet this was the choice Qing''e had made, and the First Princess could only quietly observe, keeping her worries to herself. Gong Shenjun''s gaze flickered as well. Just what is Qing''e relying on to even dare to challenge Zhong Taiqiu? He understood that she was not a reckless individual, and thus the only conclusion was that she had a trump card that had not revealed itself. "Phew." Si Tianming heaved a sigh of relief whilst a bitter smile hung upon his face. He had maintained his position as a Seven Astral Pillar, but he also felt a sour taste in his mouth. Clearly, Jiang Qing''e disregarded him and did not deem him a worthy opponent. "It looks like I really stand no chance anymore." Si Tianming bitterly shook his head. The rest of the Seven Astral Pillars had varying expressions. They also stared at the beautiful silhouette with a mystifying temperament, a complicated look in their eyes. If she succeeded today, she would undoubtedly become the most intimidating Seven Astral Pillar to ever walk the halls of the college. In the midst of the cacophony, the challenged, Zhong Taiqiu, was also temporarily taken aback. Gradually, he stood up. Zhong Taiqiu could be best described as ordinary. He possessed two beady eyes and an almost feminine smile, almost unremarkably normal. However, this average-looking fellow was once the strongest Seven Astral Pillar. The old were surpassed by the new, and even more outstanding individuals had appeared! This was expected. As a result, he chose to restrain his former brilliance, quietly enjoying the resources the college imparted upon him. At the end of the year, he would leave for greener pastures. "I had planned to leave the college with the glorious Seven Astral Pillar title. However, it looks like things were never meant to be so easy." Zhong Taiqiu chuckled. After he spoke, he took a step forward, resonant power flickering for but an instant. At the next moment, his figure reappeared several dozen meters away from her. All of this happened underneath the watchful eyes of the audience. "Junior Jiang. You''re the most outstanding student in the last few hundred years of the college''s history. However, I don''t want to leave the college defeated. Thus, I have to add that the decision you made might not have been the smartest choice," he continued lightly. Jiang Qing''e remained unfazed, waves seemingly rippling within her golden eyes. She did not bother with any more superfluous words, her eyes focusing on the opponent before her. "Senior Zhong, I seek your guidance." Zhong Taiqiuo chuckled once again before awe-inspiring amounts of mighty resonant power burst out from him in every direction, akin to a tsunami of energy crashing into his surroundings. His resonant power was light green and a pungent, fishy odor could be smelled. Wherever the resonant power permeated through, the air would turn a shade of light green. This was snake venom! Amidst the roiling resonant power, the silhouette of a gigantic python gradually took form. Lower eighth-grade Devil Python resonance. After which, six heavenly pearls began to manifest behind him, and worldly natural energy rushed towards him madly like a coursing river. The astonishing amounts of resonant power exuded a pressure upon the entire square, giving even the members of the audience a sense of suffocation. Zhong Taiqiu''s irises turned into slits akin to those of a python, and his feminine features seemed to add a tint of coldness to his expression. His body slowly started to ascend into the air, and he looked down condescendingly at Jiang Qing''e. "Junior Jiang, take out your trump card. If you''re truly in the Fiend Finisher Tier, then I''m afraid I''m not going to lose my seat today." "One move," Jiang Qing''e replied tartly as she glared at the massive amounts of resonant power that surrounded Zhong Taiqiu, her red lips slightly parted. "What?" Zhong Taiqiu''s gaze shrunk upon hearing it. "Senior Zhong, if you''re able to receive my move, I will naturally concede this challenge," Jiang Qing''e stated neutrally. Zhong Taiqiu focused upon her and smiled. "Could it be that you only have a single move?" His eyes flashed and he gave a soft snicker. "As a senior, I will naturally not retreat. I really want to see what sort of abilities the strongest student in the Astral Sage College''s recent history has to offer!" As the once-strongest Seven Astral Pillar, he possessed no small amount of pride and self-confidence. If Jiang Qing''e were on a similar level, he would naturally have chosen to avoid this possibly devastating blow. Only a fool would stand there and be sliced at. But Qing''e was only at the Fiend Finisher Tier, while he was a six-pearl! He had to see her source of confidence for himself.. "Well then, Junior Jiang. Be my guest." Chapter 0627: Quasi Pearl Chapter 0627: Quasi Pearl Once Zhong Taiqiu made his decision, Jiang Qing''e stabbed her heavy sword right into the stone tiles below. Her fair and beautiful face was like a deep pool, and even the impact of facing off against a mighty six-pearl did not cause any ripples within her. Before countless eyes, she placed her hands together, and her fingers formed countless profound and cryptic hand seals. As the hand seals continued to change, the worldly natural energy around Jiang Qing''e started to churn and froth violently. At the same time, an unusually bright, holy light seemed to emit from her body, which caused many of the audience members to shield their eyes. Some astute observers could sense that the resonant power fluctuations coming from Jiang Qing''e seemed to be climbing and strengthening at a fearsome rate. Some Four Star Hall students had already reached the Fiend Finisher Tier, and they were stunned to see that the resonant power fluctuations coming from Jiang Qing''e had far surpassed theirs. Could someone at the Fiend Finisher Tier actually attain such a level of strength? "Huh? Does Jiang Qing''e plan to break through here?" Qin Zhulu exclaimed from atop the One Star Hall''s high platform as he keenly felt the wild resonant power undulations coming from her. Mentor Chi Chan gave a deep sigh. "I think that holding back for so many years was all to attain a position amongst the Seven Astral Pillars. Thus, she is finally letting loose. Alas, it''s a little bit of a waste." She continued to observe Jiang Qing''e, and from her current state, it could be said that the resonant power within her had been compressed and stored away to the extreme, such that this volcano that was about to erupt was actually at a critical mass right now! Was she planning to break through at this critical point? Li Luo similarly stared at the frightening sight before him, his expression becoming solemn. Jiang Qing''e obviously understood how terrifying Zhong Taiqiu was, and the gap between the two was not so easily bridged. A ninth-grade light resonance at the Fiend Finisher Tier would not be able to challenge him, and thus she had to bring her hidden cards. As the audience watched the scene before them with great tension, the worldly natural energy around her seemed to have been incited, and it quickly began to converge behind Jiang Qing''e. At the same time, the resonant power within her also flowed out in tandem, condensing behind her. In a short span of time, a lustrous ball of light formed behind Jiang Qing''e before everyone''s startled eyes. The ball of light seemed to contain frightening amounts of resonant power, all being condensed and restrained within. The space surrounding it began to warp and tremble in its mere existence. In a certain way, it looked like a Heavenly Pearl! Countless individuals were left speechless. Just what was Jiang Qing''e planning to do? Was she trying to break into the Heavenly Pearl Stage? Li Luo frowned at this development. Did she really plan to release her suppressed potential and breakthrough now? In the middle of a fight? Although doing so was a fortuitous blessing, based on Mentor Chi Chan''s words, it seemed a little strange that she''d hold back for so long merely for a Seven Astral Pillar position. Wouldn''t breaking through now also throw her plans into disarray? However, he trusted her! This crappy Zhong Taiqiu guy wasn''t good enough that she''d pull out all the guns. Thus, everything before him must have been premeditated. Meanwhile, the entire audience was fixated upon Jiang Qing''e. The horrifying sight of the Heavenly Pearl made of compressed resonant power gradually stabilized, causing a shockwave to be emitted upon its final consolidation. Remnant resonant power swept out like a billowing wave in every direction, causing even the stone tiles below to crack. "She broke through?!" The sight was expected, yet it surprised the audience. Li Luo was also intently observing the Heavenly Pearl Jiang Qing''e had formed. It clearly looked like an actual Heavenly Pearl from the outside. However, compared to Zhong Taiqiu''s ones, hers seemed a little illusory. "It looks like she didn''t really break through, only opting to take half a step into the Heavenly Pearl Stage. As her body has already reached its limits in condensing resonant power, she chose to release some of it to form a Quasi Heavenly Pearl, entering the Quasi Heavenly Pearl Stage. It''s similar to the Quasi General Stage, where it''s not a complete breakthrough. Yet it still provides a qualitative improvement to one''s strength," Mentor Chi Chan explained. "Quasi Pearl Stage?" The rest looked at each other in slight confusion. "Though... she possesses such bountiful resonant power in the Quasi Pearl Stage... To be frank, this is the first time I''ve seen something so impressive," Mentor Chi Chan continued with a sigh. The rest of the Violet Vibrance mentors nodded in agreement. The amount of resonant power in that single Quasi Heavenly Pearl was comparable to an average individual at the Three-pearl Stage. At the same time, it was unfortunate that they only got the opportunity to see a Quasi Pearl. Mentor Cao Sheng smiled and commented, "A suppressed volcano would naturally burst forth with destructive strength. I''m genuinely curious to know how far Jiang Qing''e can go. Just what sort of strength will she have when she finally lets herself go?" Mentor Mi Er heaved a deep sigh. "Perhaps it might be like a sky of fireworksgrandiose but temporary. An ephemeral display of beauty." "Fireworks that have been brewed over countless years, infused with her painstaking blood, sweat, and tears," Chi Chan mumbled to herself, a hint of wistfulness within her voice. Despite hearing the exchange between the mentors, Li Luo remained unfazed on the surface. But deep down, he felt a sense of tenderness towards her. He continued to gaze at the peerlessly elegant and dazzling beauty before him. He simply could not comprehend how much pressure Jiang Qing''e had been under to travel this arduous path. For the sake of House Luolan and to protect him with his blank palaces, she had chosen to restrain her brilliance and to accumulate her strength, all for this pivotal moment. She had paid too heavy a price. Fortunately, he had managed to shed off the trappings of his blank palaces, made his way to Xia City, and was now supporting her as best he could. "Rest assured, Sister Qing''e. I won''t let you shoulder the burdens all alone during the Housemeet. Regardless of how the situation develops, I will always be by your side." Li Luo promised in his heart as he warmly watched her. "Sister Qing''e, do your best!" he suddenly screamed! Roused by his mad cheer, countless enthusiastic voices rang out as well. "Senior Jiang! You can do it!" "Elder Sister, club that fool and write your legend!" "You are the strongest Three Star Hall student in the Astral Sage College''s history!" Jiang Qing''e already enjoyed a reputation that could be considered second to none in the entire Astral Sage College. Now she had chosen to take on the Seven Astral Pillars challenge whilst still a Three Star Hall student. Naturally, the significance of this act was not lost on the audience, and they enthusiastically wanted to experience history in the making. As a result, overwhelming cheers constantly rung out, bolstering her already astonishing influence. At this point, she turned to look directly at Li Luo. A faint smile appeared on her fair and delicate cheeks as she gestured victoriously at him. Alas, dear Li Luo only felt countless furious gazes being directed towards him, like a hail of razor-sharp arrows flying towards him in every direction. Yet these jealous leers disappeared almost as quickly as they came, focusing on the battle that lay ahead. Jiang Qing''e was about to make her move. She simply raised her jade-like palm, and the dazzling pearl of light behind her broke down into countless streams of energy, directly converging in her hand. In a blink, the Quasi Pearl dissipated and then a saintly lotus of light formed within her hand. Atop the lotus flower was a white flame that gradually rose into the air, seemingly possessing the power to purify anything and everything. The sacred lotus began to spin, and the surrounding space seemed to distort at this moment. Countless pairs of eyes scrutinized the stalk of sacred fire lotus before a more astute individual screamed out his thoughts. "It''s a high-grade dragon-general resonance art! The Sacred Flamelight Lotus!" A high-grade dragon-general resonance art was the strongest type of art below Duke Arts. They were notoriously difficult to cultivate, and Jiang Qing''e''s demonstration of this art did not seem to turn too many heads as many were familiar with it. In terms of cultivation difficulty or might, it was known to be at the top when it came to the dragon-general resonance arts that the college possessed. If one did not consider the Duke Arts that the college had hidden away, the Sacred Flamelight Lotus was undoubtedly the absolute art that no other could compare with! Jiang Qing''e, befitting her reputation, had unsurprisingly mastered it. Chapter 0628: Pinnacle Showdown Chapter 0628: Pinnacle Showdown Once the Sacred Flamelight Lotus was formed, it directly shot out like a blazing meteor, countless flaming lights following behind in a trail. There was a sort of transcendental beauty to it, and countless gazes followed it on its journey towards Zhong Taiqiu. The lotus gradually filled up Zhong Taiqiu''s vision as it raced towards him, causing his previous, confident smirk to recede. Bathed in the radiant light of the lotus, he could feel his instincts screaming at the danger before him. "She''s clearly just someone who broke into the Quasi Pearl Stage, so how could it possess such might?" Zhong Taiqiu''s mind was in turmoil. He had never underestimated her but the truth was that the difference in resonant power was just too vast! Yet he had never expected that she could burst forth with such might. This was the strongest Quasi Pearl Stage cultivator he had ever seen. Zhong Taiqiu sucked in a deep breath and his gaze turned fierce. No matter what sort of abomination Jiang Qing''e was, it wouldn''t be so easy to obtain a position within the Seven Astral Pillars. As the strongest representative at one point, he possessed a natural confidence in himself. He might have been surpassed by his juniors Gong Shenjun and Gong Luanyu, but those were Four Star Hall students at least. Jiang Qing''e was merely at the Three Star Hall, and if he couldn''t hold her back, it would be a complete disgrace and humiliation! Bang! Sable, green resonant power thunderously poured out from him like a shockwave. From afar, it looked like a green river had taken form with him at the center. Next, he immediately executed a hand sign. At the same time, countless silver lights began to appear amidst the sable, green resonant power. Upon closer inspection, they seemed to resemble countless snake scales. Each scale was engraved with countless patterns that seemed to be able to rouse the nearby worldly natural energy, absorbing it in spades. Countless individuals who were familiar with Zhong Taiqiu lightly cried out upon this sight, "Snake Scale Myriad Transformations!" This was the high grade dragon-general resonance art he was most known for. There were three tiers to this technique. From lowest to highest, they were: Green Scales, Silver Scales, and Gold Scales. He had managed to cultivate it to the Silver Scales Tier, so it possessed intimidating might. "It looks like Zhong Taiqiu felt the heat and decided to retaliate with his strongest move!" "Of course! Senior Jiang might have only broken into the Quasi Pearl Stage, but the power she exudes is a little too terrifying... She is probably the strongest Quasi Pearl Stage cultivator the college has ever seen!" Hiss! Whilst everyone continued with their frenzied discussion, Zhong Taiqiu made his move. Swatting the air before him, the countless silver snake scales began to amalgamate as they rushed forward like a torrent of water, gradually taking the form of a massive palm hundreds of meters wide. Meanwhile, the middle of the materialized palm tore apart, reminding one of a gaping maw of a snake, full of vigor and ferocity. Bang! As the silver- scaled palm struck forth, it ripped apart the fabric of space, causing the worldly natural energy to crash forth with a deafening boom. The floor beneath him was unable to keep up with the growing pressure, cracking into tiny pieces. The focus of the audience was now upon the inevitable clash between the Sacred Flamelight Lotus and the Snake Scale Myriad Transformation. BOOM! A deafening roar overwhelmed the surroundings, and massive waves of resonant power began to roil in every direction. The square itself was disintegrating from the remnant energy, and just as the audience was about to become collateral damage, the mentors quickly took action, creating barriers that isolated the battlefield. Ding, ding, ding! The energy barriers had held fast and remained unshattered, which was a relief to all those who were watching. Yet this was just an afterthought as all the attention was focused upon the site of the collision. The two moves were locked in a direct confrontation. The Sacred Flamelight Lotus was slowly revolving, constantly producing wave after wave of flames that contained the power of light. The waves washed over the silver-scaled palm, gradually turning it transparent, demonstrating its purifying abilities! Jiang Qing''e had a ninth-grade light resonance, so its purification was even more tyrannical and unyielding. Even with Zhong Taiqiu''s Six-pearl Stage power, it was hard for him to resist the encroaching cleansing of the light. "The resonant power from her ninth-grade light resonance is truly overbearing!" Zhong Taiqiu was acutely aware of the changes occurring to his resonant art. His eyes narrowed at the sight before him. He had a lower eighth-grade Devil Python resonance, and it wasn''t weak by any means. Who would have thought that it would be meaningless before Jiang Qing''e? It was fortunate that his cultivation level completely suppressed hers. Thanks to his massive reserves of resonant power, the corrosion caused by the light could be tolerated. A reflection of the slowly rotating lotus could be seen in his pupils. The previous confrontation had confirmed to him that Jiang Qing''e was no weaker than a four-pearl Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivator. This was completely ludicrous. He had never seen anyone at the Quasi Pearl Stage possess such domineering might. At the same time, he also knew that this sort of exertion could not be maintained for long. No matter how mighty a ninth-grade light resonance was, the difference could not possibly be this extreme. "This pretty lotus might be strong, but it''s still not enough," Zhong Taiqiu commented as his gaze flickered. He held great confidence in his follow-up moves, and even though Jiang Qing''e had made him sweat quite a bit, they were on different levels. Victory for her would not come so easily. "In any case, once I resolve this little trick, it should all be over," Zhong Taiqiu thought to himself. No longer hesitating, he roused all of the resonant power within him. The surrounding worldly natural energy seemed to have been agitated, and a harsh hissing sound reverberated around the square. "Snake Scale Myriad Transformations, Devil Python Devours the Heavens!" With his thunderous declaration, one could see the gaping maw on the silver-scaled palm expand once again, revealing countless rows of fangs. And now a terrifying and cold poison awakened within it. The huge palm slammed downwards, completely consuming the Sacred Flamelight Lotus with its abyss-like maw that covered the heavens and the earth. "Python''s Abyssal Suppression!" After swallowing the lotus, Zhong Taiqiu quickly executed a series of hand signs that caused the silver-scaled palm to clench tightly. It was as though five massive pythons had coiled around the lotus, encapsulating the resonant art and emitting a poisonous air that attempted to further erode it. The Sacred Flamelight Lotus began to fade in brilliance as the boundless snake venom enshrouded it. The sight of this caused Jiang Qing''e''s supporters to feel a sense of unease. Even the legendary ninth-grade light resonance user was having difficulty dealing with Zhong Taiqiu! Even Li Luo was left on edge at this sight as he watched attentively. Zhong Taiqiu''s move was frightening. Any other Quasi Pearl Stage cultivator might have been swallowed and spat out as a dessicated husk after facing Python''s Abyssal Suppression. "Junior Jiang, do not lose heart. Being able to bring out a move of such power in the Quasi Pearl Stage is worthy of praise. I feel that if you had truly stepped into the Heavenly Pearl Stage, I would not be your opponent. Unfortunately...." Zhong Taiqiu said as he floated in the sky. The silver-scaled palm was still looming above them, leaving Jiang Qing''e in its shadow as he looked down upon her. "... this move is now useless. And so..." Just as he uttered that last sentence, Jiang Qing''e stretched out her fair hand towards the massive scaled palm, coolly replying, "Senior Zhong, your Abyssal Suppression isn''t bad. However, you are mistaken if you think the Sacred Flamelight Lotus can be dealt with so painlessly." With that, she clenched her fist violently. At this instant, the suppressed lotus exploded, releasing monstrous amounts of sword qi. Every single lotus petal had transformed into a divine blade wreathed with holy flames, completely overwhelming the snake venom. The Python''s Abyssal Suppression was torn apart like a piece of tissue. At the same time, the massive silver-scaled palm began to tremble. Countless cracks spread across its surface, and before Zhong Taiqiu''s unbelieving gaze, it exploded into scintillating fragments of light. The sacred sword energy spilled forth like the tide, covering the skies of the square like a sea of stars. Jiang Qing''e took a step forward, her fingers forming a seal as she directly ascended into the skies. The torrent of sacred sword energy roared as it smashed past every obstacle on the way to Zhong Taiqiu, directly stabbing towards the horrified individual. Alas, his resonance art had been forcefully shattered and the resonant power within his body was in a state of chaos, ensuring that he was unable to mount a suitable defense. All he could do was idly stare at the dreadful stream of energy that was lancing towards him. Before the sword energy collided with him, his body was stinging with the countless sword gashes that preceded the attack itself. He felt frustrated and discontented, unwilling to accept this development. This reversal had occurred quicker than he could comprehend. Unfortunately, the sword energy was not about to negotiate and cajole him, no matter how unwilling he felt. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and softly speak out. "Junior Jiang, you''ve won!" Upon hearing that, Jiang Qing''e executed a new hand seal, causing the previously rabid sword energy to turn gentle. Like a mother''s embrace, it warmly wrapped around and passed through Zhong Taiqiu''s body, finally dissipating into mere motes of light. These motes of light then fell to the ground like a rain of light, and the resonant power within Jiang Qing''e rapidly faded. Nodding slightly towards Zhong Taiqiu, her calm and clear voice echoed throughout the square. "Thank you, Senior Zhong, for letting me win." Chapter 0629: A New Seven Astral Pillar, A New Legend Chapter 0629: A New Seven Astral Pillar, A New Legend The battle ended the moment the reversal occurred. The floating platforms descended into utter silence for a brief moment, taken aback by the spectacle in front of them. But it was not long before deafening cheers resounded throughout the college. All of Jiang Qing''e''s supporters were in a state of euphoria, completely moved by the series of events. Even those that were usually calm and collected were hollering as though their lives depended on it. Why? A legend had been created in the long annals of the Astral Sage Colleges history. This was the first time a Three Star Hall student had attained the position of a Seven Astral Pillar. Furthermore, it wasn''t the lowest ranked position of the pillars! In terms of strength, Zhong Taiqiu was only weaker than Gong Shenjun and Gong Luanyu. No one doubted his strength and thus, Jiang Qing''e''s victory was gold. Furthermore, the battle had been upfront and direct with no underhanded moves. Both parties had thrown their ultimate arts at each other and the fight was a battle to behold. "Senior Jiang is the strongest Three Star Hall student in the Astral Sage College''s history! No one can surpass her! This victory will be inscribed upon the records of the college!" Some of Jiang Qing''e''s most ardent fans were effusing constant praise and idolatry. Yet in the face of such exaggeration, no one deigned to stop them. Why? The scene before them was unbelievable! The result of the battle had shocked them senseless. A Quasi Pearl Stage had triumphed over a six-pearl Heavenly Pearl Stage. This was insanity coming to life. Their horizons had been broadened this day. "Junior Jiang is amazing." The rest of the Seven Astral Pillars were seated atop a viewing platform, and Wang Chao''s voice piped up. "The quality of the students joining the college has only improved each year. Your Royal Highnesses, once Junior Jiang properly steps into the Heavenly Pearl Stage, I''m afraid you will have to give way to her as well." He glanced over at the First Princess and Gong Shenjun. The First Princess smiled lightly. "Qing''e''s potential and talent are evident for all to see. I do believe that the title of the Xia Kingdom''s youngest Duke will belong to her in a couple of years." Gong Shenjun nodded in agreement. "Junior Jiang is the most radiant star amongst those in the Astral Sage College. Still, she might have beaten Zhong Taiqiu, but there seems to have been a little trick behind her win. She must have practiced a secret art that allowed her resonant power to skyrocket temporarily upon entering the Quasi Pearl Stage. This is why her strength faded so quickly. If Zhong Taiqiu had been able to drag the battle a while longer, she would have fallen into a disadvantage very quickly. Additionally, the situation was reversed because Zhong Taiqiu had never expected that another resonance art was hidden within the Sacred Flamelight Lotus. Looking at the power of the ability, it should have been the high-grade dragon-general resonance art Sacred Spirit Sword Art. Its very clear that she has thoroughly studied Zhong Taiqiu''s abilities, and the execution of her resonance arts was intended to specifically counter his Python''s Abyssal Suppression." Gong Shenjun''s analysis seemed logical, and the rest of the Seven Astral Pillars also nodded in agreement. "Don''t you think that being able to fuse two high-grade dragon-general resonance arts is extraordinary? Even we were unable to discern that the Sacred Flamelight Lotus held the Sacred Spirit Sword Art within." The First Princess smiled. "Brother, youre sweating the details with your analysis. The gap in cultivation between the two is not small, and for a weaker individual to triumph, certain tricks must be employed to even the gap." Gong Shenjun beamed generously in response. "I was merely commenting on the battle objectively. Sister Luanyu, could you not unfairly label me so? I am personally exuberant that Junior Jiang has managed to set a new record as we all are." The rest of the pillars laughed at his sheepish response. As they continued to chat, Li Luo was also awash with relief. He looked towards Jiang Qing''e and happily gave her a thumbs up. "Senior Jiang is too awesome!" Bai Mengmeng who already idolized her, could not help but to continue sighing. "Mm. Senior Jiang is the target we have to surpass. I have to continue to cultivate with everything I have so that a small part of her brilliance might rub off on me..." the heroic-looking Bai Doudou commented as she restrained her usual arrogance, a fire burning within her eyes. After which, she turned to face Li Luo. "Li Luo, you live a charmed life. To think you managed to snag such a wonderful fiance." "Hey, I''m pretty impressive myself, no?" he retorted. "You might have some good points, but you still have a long way to go before you''re comparable with her," Bai Doudou attentively replied. Li Luo rolled his eyes. "Sister, your words aren''t very appropriate!" Bai Mengmeng suddenly chimed in. "Do you know what stage Leader is at now?" Bai Mengmeng seemed a little taken aback. Simultaneously, Qin Zhulu, Wang Hejiu, Duze Beixuan, and the rest all shot a glance over. "What do you mean?" Bai Doudou had an incredulous look plastered over her face when she heard Bai Mengmeng''s words. Had Li Luo improved again in the short span of a month? "Do you mean you''ve entered the Quasi General Stage?" she ventured. "You''re off by a little bit," Li Luo coolly replied. This statement left her dumbfounded for a good two seconds before her pupils widened. "You... you''ve broken into the Fiend Palace Tier!" Even the usually impassive Qin Zhulu was in disbelief, not to mention the rest, who looked like they''d been struck by a bolt of lightning. This brat had disappeared for a month and had magically broken into the Fiend Palace Tier? What sort of devilish speed was this? Everyone had predicted that even with the copious amounts of rewards heaped onto Li Luo as a result of the Holy Grail Meet, it would require him at least half a year''s worth of time to break into the Fiend Palace Tier. How had it happened so soon? What did he do? What sort of insane talent did he have? Looking at their horrified faces, Li Luo smiled. "Don''t worry, everyone. Sister Qing''e might have carved out a new legend for the Three Star Hall, but you have me. I''ll carve out a reputation for all of us in the One Star Hall. In fact, I''ll continue to work hard!" Meanwhile, Yu Lang could only look on in absolute envy and a tinge of jealousy. Just when could he develop skills equal to Li Luos when it came to being smooth and showing off his humbleness? Even Bai Doudou was left speechless at his shamelessness and ambition. However, he had managed to set a new recordno one in the history of the Astral Sage College had managed to reach the Fiend Palace Tier in the One Star Hall. "House Luolan is going to ascend..." Bai Doudou blurted out in the end. Now that it was home to two fiendish cultivators, it was likely that two new Dukes would arise in a few years'' time. "Lower your voice. I didn''t want to announce it just yet... it''s all Mengmeng''s fault." Li Luo waved his hands helplessly as he shot Bai Mengmeng a berating gaze. Bai Mengmeng cutely stuck out her tongue at him before she pitifully pleaded, "I''m sorry, Leader..." Seeing this, Bai Doudou immediately dragged her sister away while fiercely glaring at him. "Don''t you dare bully my sister. Even if she hadn''t said it, you''d have found a way to announce it in your own shameless fashion!" "Hey! Do you really think I''m such a superficial person? Only fishing for praise and adoration?" Li Luo painfully refuted. Of course, this act didn''t convince anyone. Everyone conveyed their agreement with Bai Doudou by remaining indifferent. Seeing the lackluster response, Li Luo was about to explain himself when Vice Principal Su Xin walked out with her usual smile to make the final announcement. "Good day, students of the Astral Sage College. Today, we''ve witnessed the birth of a new legend in the records of the Astral Sage Colleges history. Three Star Hall student Jiang Qing''e has reigned victorious over the Seven Astral Pillar Zhong Taiqiu! As the representative of the college, I now declare that Jiang Qing''e is a member of the Seven Astral Pillars!" With the announcement echoing throughout every students'' ears, cheers resounded throughout the square, causing even the ground to tremble. Amidst all the attention, Jiang Qing''e''s resonant power gradually receded and was contained within her once again. The previously soaring and turbulent resonant power had returned to normal. Faced with the announcement, her charming, golden eyes remained calm like a still lake, deep and unmoving. The result was all within expectations. She had everything under control the whole time. She had spent years suppressing her abilities. This battle for the Seven Astral Pillars was just a sideshow. As she turned her head, her delicate and beautiful cheeks were like the face of a goddess, golden eyes penetrating through the crowd and focusing on a single youth within the One Star Hall students. When they made eye contact, he returned a smile and gave a thumbs up. The sides of her lips were slightly upturned as she vowed to herself, "Li Luo. I''ll definitely protect you with everything I have. No matter the cost." Chapter 0630: Application Chapter 0630: Application The grand battle had ended, but the atmosphere had only just started heating up. As the students dispersed, they brought their excitement to every inch of the college. It was a historical event, one worthy of celebrating. Even after they left the college, this moment would indelibly be branded into their memories. Now that the battle for the Seven Astral Pillars had concluded, Li Luo accompanied Mentor Chi Chan as they made their way towards Vice Principal Su Xin. He held deep anticipation in his heart towards the chance of obtaining one of those Fiend Origin Pills that Mentor Chi Chan was planning to apply for. It would be a boon to his cultivation and he would be able to more quickly refine and temper his other two resonant palaces. And coincidentally, once Li Luo arrived atop the high platform Vice Principal Su Xin was on, he saw his favorite senior, Zhu Xuan. His heart skipped a beat at this moment as he knew that he was probably here for the same reason. Zhu Xuan also saw Li Luo, but his face was like water, as smooth as glass. He felt a tinge of fear whenever he saw Li Luo during the Holy Grail Meet, but it was now replaced with utter confidence. "I heard that Senior Zhu has broken into the Quasi General Stage. Is that true?" Li Luo curiously asked, immediately smiling warmly. Zhu Xuan gave a mild smirk. "I was afraid that you would have caught up to me if I didn''t break through, Junior Li Luo. There was no choice at all... I had to do my best for the sake of the Two Star Hall''s honor." He might have tried his best to suppress the arrogance from within his bones, but a look of pride could be seen within his eyes. He had every right to feel like this. Being able to break into the Quasi General Stage was, after all, a great achievement for those in the Two Star Hall. Unfortunately, it also came with significant investment in resources, and he had finally managed to take that step forward. He had been thoroughly trampled underfoot during the Holy Grail Meet. Amongst the four halls of the college, the Two Star Hall was the heaviest dead weight. As the strongest individual from Astral Sage College''s Two Star Hall, he had managed to garner no achievements, nor had he put on a dazzling performance, constantly being outshined by everyone else. Comparatively speaking, even he had to admit that the One Star Hall was particularly outstanding... In the past, the Two Star Hall students could walk around with their chins up as respected seniors. Yet after that meet, the Two Star Hall students felt so shameful that they''d even take the long way around the One Star Hall students! The gap between the two halls was too large! Conversely, Zhu Xuan had heard rumors that many of his fellow hallmates were venting their grievances in secret. They were saying that he, the representative, wasn''t really strong either. Alas, he could only feel depressed in his helplessness. There wasn''t any way for him to bridge the gap between his and Li Luo''s performances at that point. It was precisely this humiliation that had spurred him on. He had gritted his teeth and begged for a significant amount of cultivation resources from his father, luckily breaking into the Quasi General Stage thanks to them. Although it was not a complete breakthrough into the Fiend Palace Tier, he had stepped through the gates at the very least, a far cry from the Resonant Master Stage now. Even during the Holy Grail Meet, the title holder of the Two Star Hall, Ao Bai, was also only at the Quasi General Stage. Thus, this had allowed him to regain his confidence! He was better than that piddling Resonant Master Li Luo now. Faced with Zhu Xuan''s calm and self assured smile, Li Luo''s expression also became even more genial and warm as he nodded. "Senior Zhu is wonderful, this really demonstrates your potential and talent! No wonder you''re the young lord of House Jiyan." When faced with Li Luo''s effusive praise, Zhu Xuan felt that something didn''t seem right and shot him a suspicious glance for a moment. Shortly after he thought about it, it changed to a sense of relief. It looked as though Li Luo truly understood the disparity between the two of them and would no longer act so presumptuously before him. Whilst the two entertained sinister thoughts and exchanged words, Mentor Chi Chan had arrived before Vice Principal Su Xin. Seeing that Li Luo was also right behind her, she smiled. "Li Luo, are you planning to claim a Duke Art now? Even if you get your hands on one, you will not be able to cultivate it so easily." Upon hearing these words, Zhu Xuan was utterly shocked. Li Luo was planning to learn a Duke Art? He was truly arrogant! Even the Seven Astral Pillars were unable to cultivate such an art. Li Luo revealed a wide grin. "There''s no harm in trying. What if I succeed?" This aspect of Li Luo was something that Vice Principal Su Xin appreciated. "It''s good to be courageous. I wish you the best of luck, then." Mentor Chi Chan then chimed in. "Actually, Vice Principal Su Xin, we aren''t here for the Duke Art. I had wanted to apply for the remaining Fiend Origin Pill." Vice Principal Su Xin seemed a little taken aback. "You want to apply for a Fiend Origin Pill?" At the same time, a lean Violet Vibrance mentor who had been beside Zhu Xuan frowned. "Mentor Chi Chan, you''re currently guiding those in the One Star Hall. What does the Fiend Origin Pill have to do with your students? Zhu Xuan has already broken into the Quasi General Stage, and I plan to apply for the Fiend Origin Pill for him." This was naturally Zhu Xuan''s mentor speaking. "On whose behalf are you applying?" Vice Principal Su Xin gaze flickered as she turned to glance at Li Luo. "For Li Luo, perhaps?" Zhu Xuan''s cheeks twitched as he sullenly turned towards Li Luo. "Junior Li Luo, don''t you think you''re a little too far off from being able to utilize a Fiend Origin Pill? Are you so ambitious and greedy that you have to set your grubby hands on anything that might have value?" He was furious. He had already assumed that the Fiend Origin Pill would belong to him, and it was an object that only benefited those in the Earth Fiend Stage. On what basis would Li Luo deserve to use it? Was he trying to curtail his chances? Or perhaps this brat was deliberately targeting him! "Young Lord Li Luo, has House Luolan fallen into such a destitute state? Do you want to snatch away anything that you can set your sights on?" Zhu Xuan coldly snorted. "I have reached the Quasi General Stage, so the Fiend Origin Pill is of use to me. What would a piddly Resonant Master want with one? Do you really feel that your contributions at the Holy Grail Meet would allow you to make such an outrageous request? Do you really think..." Just as Zhu Xuan was about to continue his vicious tirade, any further words were jammed down his throat as he witnessed Li Luo circulating his resonant power. An extremely robust and tyrannical resonant power had exuded from him, suppressing even Zhu Xuan. Zhu Xuan could feel his stomach lurch, and an ugly expression coupled with consternation took root on his face. "The Fiend Palace Tier?!" Zhu Xuan''s mentor similarly watched in stupefaction as he looked at Li Luo. The dense resonant power that was released was not something a Quasi General Stage cultivator possessed. This only meant one thing: he had broken through completely! On the other hand, Li Luo did not deign to hide his presence, and even students in the surroundings felt the strength coming from him, glancing in their direction with astonishment. It was only when they realized that the source of this tyrannical resonant power was Li Luo that they were left in complete disbelief. "Wait, that''s Li Luo?" "This pressure... could it be that of the Fiend Palace Tier?" "My God! Li Luo had a breakthrough into the Fiend Palace Tier!" "What''s going on today? Are the two from House Luolan trying to overturn all conventional wisdom?!" Countless cries of surprise came from the crowd when the magnitude of this achievement struck them. A One Star Hall student in the Fiend Palace Tier... This was something that had never been seen before in the history of the Astral Sage College either! Gong Shenjun, the First Princess, and the rest of the influential members of the Astral Sage College had gathered atop the high platform. They had originally planned to disperse and leave after their conversation, but the disturbance on the adjacent platform had attracted their attention. When they sensed the powerful undulations coming from Li Luo, even they were slightly moved. "What? Li Luo has entered the Fiend Palace Tier?" Wang Chao sucked in a cold breath of air. The First Princess'' elegant face also slowly shifted into one of astonishment. Half a breath later, she composed herself. "The Holy Grail Meet''s reward was a Holy Tree Marrow Crystal. I suppose Li Luo borrowed its power to break through." Gong Shenjun was silent as he pondered for a moment. "The Holy Tree Marrow Crystal may be mystical, and it does possess the ability to facilitate a breakthrough, but Li Luo is still only in his first year of college. His foundation should not have been sufficient to allow for it." The First Princess nodded slightly as though agreeing with his conjecture. She had received a Holy Tree Marrow Crystal too, so she knew the extent of its efficacy. Even though Li Luo possessed one, the best he should have been able to do was reach the Quasi General Stage. Reaching the Fiend Palace Tier would naturally require another half a year of time for further accumulation. "It''s likely that his parents left behind some mystical treasures," Duze Honglian explained with a complicated expression. The rest duly nodded. Only this explanation would make sense. Regardless, it also demonstrated that Li Luo''s cultivation speed had shocked even these talented students. If he could reach the Fiend Palace Tier whilst in the One Star Hall, wouldn''t that mean that when he reached the Two Star Hall, he''d be at a similar level to Jiang Qing''e today? This was a frightening thought. "House Luolan''s budding phoenix and dragon really do possess the style of the previous generation. Given enough time, House Luolan will inevitably become a dual Duke house once again." Wang Chao sighed. All of these individuals were associated with the highest level powers of the Xia Kingdom. What was left unspoken was the fact that time was what House Luolan lacked the most. House Luolan''s moment of reckoning was one month away. Success or failure would be decided then. Chapter 0631: Dual Legends Chapter 0631: Dual Legends "Fiend Palace Tier?" Faced with the powerful fluctuations of resonant power emanating from Li Luo, even Vice Principal Su Xin was slightly taken aback. However, a mysterious brilliance shone in her eyes, and an uncontrollable and affable smile spread across her compassionate face. "Li Luo, you and Jiang Qing''e have brought a lot of happy surprises to our college today." Li Luo''s breakthrough brought great joy and satisfaction to her. Since the Astral Sage College''s inception, no One Star Hall student had ever broken into the Fiend Palace Tier. This was the second record that was broken today. Normally speaking, such talented geniuses would only appear in the ancient colleges of the inner divine continent, the core of the Academic Federation. As a result, such individuals possessed both superior cultivation circumstances and resources that were incomparable to what the outer divine continents could provide. The extent of the support provided was as different as night and day. The other Violet Vibrance mentor also seemed to have understood this point as he stared dumbstruck at Li Luo. His cultivation speed seemed to far outstrip any normal individual, even considering his dual resonances. Vice Principal Su Xin was a swift and decisive person when taking action. Upon confirming the truth of the matter, she no longer hesitated, directly removing a jade bottle from the pocket sphere on her wrist. She then passed it to Mentor Chi Chan. "Student Li Luo has performed excellently in his cultivation and set a new record for the college. As a result, he is deserving of a prize. All of the leftover Fiend Origin Pills provided to the Three Star Hall will be his reward. That is a total of ten pills." Mentor Chi Chan immediately received it before turning to pass it to Li Luo. "Thank you, Vice principal!" Li Luo was jubilant as he hurriedly expressed his thanks. This was a complete windfall. If ten Fiend Origin Pills ever appeared within the Golden Dragon Bank, they would undoubtedly be snatched away as soon as they appeared, as there were too many monks that craved this gruel. There was simply insufficient supply for the ravenous demand of this item. Even if one managed to get the chance to buy one, it would easily go for millions of skygold. On the other hand, Vice Principal Su Xin had casually gifted ten of them to him. This was stupendous! Li Luo couldn''t help but to give a thumbs up in response. Yet right as Li Luo received the Fiend Origin Pills, he could feel a cold and furious gaze bearing down upon him. Turning around, he unsurprisingly locked eyes with a certain Zhu Xuan, who had a distorted expression and a deathly stare. "Senior Zhu Xuan, my sincerest apologies. However, I understand that House Jiyan is rich and affluent and wouldn''t be concerned over the minor loss of a few Fiend Origin Pills," Li Luo said in his most polite and welcoming tone. Zhu Xuan''s gloomy face twitched in response to Li Luo''s pandering words. Ten Fiend Origin Pills wasn''t considered expensive, but even he would have to pay a significant cost to obtain them. Alas, they had all been snatched away by the bandit Li Luo in front of his very eyes, losing him both pill and prestige. "Senior Zhu Xuan wouldnt try to rob me over such pittance, would he? Perhaps we can choose to settle this dispute over a quick battle? The winner takes all, I say!" Li Luo hurriedly tried to smoothen things over. Zhu Xuan continued to glare fiercely at Li Luo. There was no fear in his eyes when he spoke. Instead, a hint of anticipation could be seen. This only made him feel even more aggrieved. Duel? Yeah, right! He might have had a chance to suppress Li Luo for a brief moment in the past, but the junior before him today was someone completely out of his league. He couldn''t guarantee he would win even when Li Luo was at a lower cultivation level. And now? Wasn''t he cruising for a bruising if he accepted? This guy was absolutely despicable! "Student Zhu Xuan, there''s no need to covet these Fiend Origin Pills. If the Three Star Hall students have any remaining, I''ll leave a few for you too," Vice Principal Su Xin cajoled. After hearing those words, Zhu Xuan could only force a bitter smile and nod knowingly. Next, he forlornly turned towards Li Luo and warned in a low voice, "Young Lord Li Luo, you''d better appreciate this last month of time. Perhaps House Luolan will be no more very soon. You will definitely need those Fiend Origin Pills much more than me. Hmph." With that, he turned with a huff and left. On the other hand, Li Luo had a wry smile on his face. He was absolutely unconcerned with Zhu Xuan''s threats as it was no secret that House Jiyan and House Luolan were mortal enemies. They''d already clashed both openly and in secret, and it wouldn''t be a surprise if they interfered once again during the Housemeet. Well, he wanted to provoke that damn Zhu Xuan into a duel, and that would have been a wonderful opportunity to leave him bedridden for a bit Although Zhu Xuan''s strength was inconsequential to the overall situation, if Li Luo was able to use him as bait to infuriate House Jiyan, that would have been great. Furious people couldn''t act rationally most of the time. It was a pity that Zhu Xuan was not as dumb as he looked. Knowing that he was not Li Luo''s opponent, he never even entertained the thought of scuffling with him. Zhu Xuan''s mentor, on the other hand, could only helplessly shake his head. He didn''t hold any strong opinions towards Vice Principal Su Xin''s final decision. In any case, Li Luo was already in the Fiend Palace Tier, and he was better than Zhu Xuan in terms of potential and contribution. Zhu Xuan was simply unlucky. With that settled, he also turned to leave. "Li Luo, are you planning to select your Duke Art now?" Vice Principal Su Xin then asked. Li Luo nodded. "Now that I''ve broken into the Fiend Palace Tier, the difficulty in cultivating a Duke Art should have decreased." He smiled. "You shouldn''t disregard the difficulty of your task. If you think simply stepping into the Fiend Palace Tier is sufficient, then you''re looking down upon the Seven Astral Pillars. They havent managed to succeed either, despite their cultivation levels." Li Luo was left a little speechless at Vice Principal Su Xin''s reality check. Looking at his slightly downcast expression, Vice Principal Su Xin then gave a smile. "Of course, that''s if we were to use a normal individual as comparison. You have managed to create countless miracles, so you can''t be considered normal. I hope you''ll continue to surprise us." "Thank you for the kind words." "Go on, then. I await your positive results." Vice Principal Su Xin grinned as she sent him off. Li Luo nodded and no longer tarried, directly following Mentor Chi Chan as they left the massive square. The only thing was that when they had first arrived, everyone had only been focused on Jiang Qing''e. Now that he was leaving, over half of the audience was staring at him like some sort of freak. Clearly, the news of him breaking into the Fiend Palace Tier had spread in this short span of time. Frankly speaking, the magnitude of the surprise did not equal that of Jiang Qing''e overcoming a Seven Astral Pillar. However, Li Luo being able to achieve this while he was still in the One Star Hall was unfathomable. How strong would he be by the time he entered the Three Star Hall? It shouldn''t be too difficult to replicate Jiang Qing''e''s achievements ahead of schedule, right? If such a thing came to pass, the duo would become the Astral Sage College''s most iconic couple. Despite being pummeled by the shocked stares of the audience, Li Luo was completely unfazed. Why? He was about to reach the resonance art library, and he was naturally excited by the prospect of learning a Duke Art. This was something he anticipated even more than the Fiend Origin Pills. He was absolutely thrilled. Ten minutes later, Mentor Chi Chan finally stopped walking as they arrived at their destination. Raising his head, an ancient pagoda stood before him. Three large words were engraved on it: Resonant Art Pagoda. Each character shone under the radiant sun. A humongous grin uncontrollably formed on Li Luo''s face. It was time for a Duke Art! Chapter 0632: Underworld Rivers Black Dragon Banner Chapter 0632: Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner The Resonant Art Pagoda was an important location of the college. Even with Mentor Chi Chan leading the way, Li Luo and the token provided by Vice Principal Su Xin were thoroughly inspected from head to toe before he was allowed access. The Resonant Art Pagoda, as its name suggested, stored the resonance arts of the college since its inception. As a result, it possessed a far greater foundation compared to any other faction in the Xia Kingdom. House Luolan''s library was a pale shadow in comparison to this. The Resonant Art Pagoda was four stories high. The first level held ordinary resonance arts, the second held tiger-general resonance arts, and the third held dragon-general resonance arts. Students would trade school points to cultivate these arts, and they had to adhere to strict time limits. If the time was exceeded, they would have to compensate with even more school points. Li Luo''s aim was naturally not the third story. Under the surprised gazes of certain students within the pagoda, Li Luo and Mentor Chi Chan made their way to the fourth and highest level. Seeing them make their way further up only confounded the students who were studying the resonance arts within. They had never heard of a student being allowed to go to the fourth floor. Apparently, only Violet Vibrance mentors were allowed to do so. Even Gong Shenjun and the like did not have this privilege. Still, they had an inkling why Li Luo had earned the right to do so. It was likely due to his contributions in retrieving the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. Although they remained envious, they understood the sheer difficulty of this achievement. It was rumored that the fourth story held the mythical Duke Arts. Perhaps that was Li Luo''s aim after all. Perhaps he was overestimating himself and being overly ambitious. Let alone Li Luo, even a Seven Astral Pillar would have difficulty in successfully cultivating a Duke Art. Under the envious gazes of the other students, the duo made their way up unobstructed. Interestingly, the top floor was simply adorned. There was nothing majestic or regal about the place on first impressions. However, Li Luo could vaguely make out some mysterious patterns that squirmed like sentient worms throughout the four dimly lit walls that surrounded them. Things were definitely not as simple as they seemed. Turning his attention to the middle of the room, Li Luo saw five ancient, mottled stone pillars that were roughly the height of an average individual. Atop each pillar was an intricately carved stone lotus whereby a barrier of light enshrouded them. It seemed that within these translucent barriers were objects of some sort. Blinking, Li Luo finally understood what he was seeing. Mentor Chi Chan walked towards the five stone lotuses and indifferently explained, "Our college has five different Duke Arts that students with exemplary contributions are able to choose from. All of them are here, and they belong to the Communion-grade. Give it a try and see which one has an affinity with you." Excited, Li Luo strode forward and approached the first of the five lotuses. When he looked more intently, he could see a fiery-red carp swimming around inside the barrier! The carp gave off a mysterious feeling when one looked at it, as though it possessed a life of its own. Upon closer inspection, one could see that countless words were inscribed upon the red scales of the fiery carp. At the same time, torrential and horrifying amounts of heat radiated from its very presence. Even with the assistance of the light barrier, Li Luo could feel a burning sensation upon his skin. "This Duke Art is known as the Demonic Infernal Carp. If one is able to cultivate it, they will be able to summon a demonic flame that is unparalleled and tyrannic, capable of incinerating even the heavens. If a Duke casts it, a single wisp can disintegrate an entire mountain range," Mentor Chi Chan explained. Legend has it that when one cultivates it to completion, the demonic flame will transform into a flaming carp that possesses true sentience. It is able to swim through the skies, turning the world we know it into a raging furnace." Li Luo licked his lips upon hearing this. This was the sheer might of a Duke Art. It was able to give birth to sentience and spirituality, far surpassing dragon-general resonance arts. However, Li Luo quickly rejected the Demonic Infernal Carp without much contemplation. He simply did not possess fire resonance power. Although it was possible to cultivate it with the aid of treasures with a fire affinity, the difficulty of learning it would only multiply. Considering the fact that his cultivation level was at the limit of learning such an art, coupled with the intense difficulty of learning it, why would he make life difficult for himself? In conclusion, the answer was a resounding no. Thus, he moved on to the second lotus. Within this lotus was a small, palm-sized, azure sword. Although the small sword was stationary, extremely sharp sword energy could be felt from it. At the same time, one could even hear the whispers of the wind. Just looking at it caused one''s eyes to feel a sharp, piercing pain, as though tears were about to fall. One could see lightning flowing through the surface of the small sword, occasionally creating booming thunder that combined with the whistling wind. The entire thing looked mysteriously enchanting. "This is the Azure Wind Thunder Sword Art. It is most suitable for those who possess wind and thunder resonances. Cultivating it creates a Wind Thunder Sword manifestation. With a single flick of a finger, the sword manifestation can travel thousands of miles in a flash, invincible and unstoppable." This caused Li Luo to gulp in greed. Despite the fact that he possessed a thunder resonance, he lacked a wind one. Thus, this too was a no. He proceeded to inspect the next two Duke Arts. "This is the Nine Golden Bells Invincible Body. It''s a body tempering Duke Art, and one requires metal resonant power for it. Once one cultivates this successfully, their physical body will be protected by nine golden bells. So long as the golden bells remain intact, the users body will never die. "Nature''s Son''s Arboreal World. This is a sealing Duke Art that once successfully cultivated, it will allow the user to raise ten thousand trees to form a mini realm that can be condensed in the palm of one''s hand. When facing off against an enemy, one can entrap the opponent into this arboreal world where the trees will suppress and seal them." Li Luo finally saw a Duke Art that moved himNature''s Son''s Arboreal World. With his wood resonant power, he held a certain affinity towards it. The only issue now was the actual difficulty in cultivating it. However, Li Luo was not the type of person who was afraid of mere hardship. He wouldn''t be here otherwise. As a result, he began to contemplate further, all the while rooted right before the fourth stone lotus. After another period of consideration, he finally decided to make his decision. But right at the moment he was about to do so, he felt a strange calling from the depths of his heart, and his gaze turned towards the final stone lotus. He swore he had heard the roar of a dragon coming from it, riling up the dragon resonance within him. Very quickly, he turned and walked towards the last stone lotus, planning to see just what sort of Duke Art it was. Within was an extremely old and mottled banner. The banner itself was dark red, and it was planted into a black pool of seawater. As the flag swayed and rattled, one could vaguely make out the trace of an enormous, stygian dragon. This massive dragon seemed to be wiggling slowly, as though breathing in a deep sleep. Simultaneously, a terrifying pressure could be felt bearing down on anything surrounding it, rousing stormy waves within the black pool. As Li Luo remained enraptured by the coiled-up dragon sleeping within the dark-red banner, Mentor Chi Chan''s voice rang out once again. "This is the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner. If we look at it as it is, it can be considered a Communion-grade Duke Art. One requires both water and dragon resonance power, along with the blood essence of a dragon to cultivate it. When cultivated completely, one is able to manifest both the Underworld River and the dragon. The dragon controls the river, able to liquefy anything and everything." Li Luo nodded, keenly aware that Mentor Chi Chan was not explaining everything fully. "As it is? What do you mean?" She smiled upon hearing this question. "This resonance art was provided by the Academic Federation. Other colleges also similarly possess this in their respective libraries. The truth is that the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner is merely one part of a higher grade Duke Art. This is why I said as it is." "A higher level Duke Art? Do you mean it''s at the Soul Ascension grade?" A burning fervor ignited within Li Luo''s eyes. Mentor Chi Chan shook her head as she pensively explained, "The complete Duke Art is known as the Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon. It has been split into three parts, and our colleges only possess the first segment to it. The other two have been stashed away within the inner divine continent''s ancient colleges. Individually, each segment possesses the strength of a Communion-grade Duke Art. However, when its cultivated to completion and the three parts are one, it belongs to the Destiny-grade of Duke Arts." Li Luo sucked in a huge breath of air at this revelation. Communion Ascends the Soul. One''s Destiny, Transcendent! There were the four grades of Duke Arts, and the Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon was actually a Destiny-grade art! Only a handful of Duke Arts were at this level! Even if one took into consideration the inner divine continent! Any Duke that knew of this would give up everything just to obtain it. The Academic Federation was truly a terrifying organization with an unfathomable foundation, able to possess and share such a mighty Duke Art. Li Luo continued to gulp mouthful after mouthful of saliva as his mind went into overdrive trying to make a decision. Not long after, he made his final decision and pointed right at that banner before him. "Mentor, I choose this Duke Art!" Chapter 0633: Mentor, Traumatized? Chapter 0633: Mentor, Traumatized? "You want this one?" Mentor Chi Chan couldn''t believe what she was hearing when Li Luo made his choice. She looked at her student with a hint of shock. "Don''t be enthralled by the complete Duke Art''s grade. Let''s not even talk about whether you will ever have the opportunity to obtain the other two segments of this artyou only possess a water resonance and lack a dragon resonance. Although you might be able to borrow the aid of dragon blood essence to cultivate it, the difficulty will no doubt skyrocket. This is not suitable for your current situation." She felt that Li Luo had been led astray by the potential Destiny-grade this Duke Art could attain some day. Despite its rarity and preciousness, which even she felt tempted by, the facts remained that one had to be able to cultivate it! The Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner was not a Duke Art that only the Astral Sage College possessed. The rest of the divine continents also possessed this segment of the art as it was passed down by the Academic Federation. Li Luo was not the first one to have made this choice, and yet she had never heard of anyone successfully cultivating it! Faced with Mentor Chi Chan''s questioning gaze, Li Luo attentively replied, "Well, Mentor... I am not choosing it out of lust for a potential Destiny-grade Duke Art, it is a calculated decision!" This was faced with an inquiring frown. "Li Luo, out of all these Duke Arts, I believe that the one that you hold the strongest affinity with is Nature''s Son''s Arboreal World. You already possess water and wood resonances, and they are mutually supportive. If you were to cultivate it successfully, the mini realm that you could create in the palm of your hand would be extraordinarily lush and full of vitality, much stronger than those of others who have cultivated this!" At this point, Mentor Chi Chan continued to lecture Li Luo like a concerned grandmother, not wishing for him to make the wrong decision. After all, he had limited time, so it was not wise to squander this opportunity. Li Luo helplessly sighed. "Mentor Chi Chan, you have forced me into this... Please keep whatever you see next a secret. I don''t wish to let my radiance spread any further and completely outshine every student of the college." These wild words forced Mentor Chi Chan to lightly grit her teeth, resisting the urge to beat some sense into this braggart. However, she crossed her arms quietly and focused upon Li Luo, interested to see what sort of shenanigans he was up to. With a thought, Li Luo emitted his resonant power. This was a completely different beast compared to the other forms of resonant power he had summoned before as it exuded a unique pressure, eventually condensing outside his body into an illusory, draconic shadow. Roar! A low, guttural roar reverberated around the chamber. The calm, unmoving eyes of Mentor Chi Chan finally widened like saucers. This was something that even surprised the wizened and well traveled teacher! "A dragon resonance?" she stammered in confusion. "H-how could you possess a dragon resonance?" she continued to sputter in disbelief. Faced with this, Li Luo casually shrugged as he lightly commented, "Well, it just popped up out of nowhere when I broke into the Earth Fiend General Stage." "This means that right now, you..." "Yup, I have three resonances. What did I tell you?" Li Luo nodded and smirked confidently. This revelation left Mentor Chi Chan dumbstruck for quite some time. When Li Luo had revealed his dual resonances, she had already been slightly taken aback, but it wasnt an unheard of talent. Besides, what Duke didn''t already have dual resonances? However, now that a third one had popped out of nowhere, the news came like a bombshell. A third resonance was something that all Dukes desired! Although Li Luo had triple resonances and he probably couldnt fuse all three like a King Stage expert, it was still three of them! This meant he could work on fusing all three different resonant powers together, and even the most rudimentary success would bring him great benefits. This would set the foundation for entering the King Stage. This was the root of why she seemed completely overwhelmed. There was nothing to envy about having dual resonances... but triple resonances was something that even she craved! Shouldn''t an abomination who could possess triple resonances at the Earth Fiend Stage only be found in the depths of the ancient colleges in the inner divine continent? How could one have appeared in the outer divine continent sage colleges? It took a while for her to recompose herself, and she gave Li Luo a complicated look. "I never thought I would take on such an electrifying student. Li Luo, you have the qualifications to become a King." "Well, Mentor, a teacher for a day is a teacher for a life! Even if I eventually reach the King stage, I will always be your student!" Li Luo cajoled. "You have a silver tongue indeed." Mentor Chi Chan''s beautiful eyes held a trace of amusement at his honeyed words. "However, my curiosity has been piqued. Now that you have attained three resonances, does this mean that you will possess four resonances at the Duke Stage? And if you become a King, will you possess five resonances?" she queried, an unusual sparkle in her eyes. Hearing those words caused Li Luo to feel a little taken aback. He had no idea if he would be able to open yet another resonant palace when he reached the Duke Stage. It was hard to tell if his natural resonances were simply being born ahead of time... Additionally, those new resonances would just possess a singular affinity, without any of the main and supporting affinities his current resonances had. Well, even then, this was more than sufficient. "Mentor, have you ever encountered anyone with more than three resonances?" Li Luo asked. Mentor Chi Chan paused to think. "Well, such individuals have definitely existed in the past. Hmm, even in the current inner divine continent, there should be countless hidden experts with more than three resonances. Although people like you might be rare, you shouldn''t be the exception." Li Luo nodded. The world was vast and wide, full of unknown mysteries. If he possessed such a special opportunity at birth, there might be even more individuals who could open up more resonant palaces every time they broke through. "So Mentor, can I pick the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner now?" Li Luo asked with a smile. Mentor Chi Chan lightly nodded. "Well, since you have a dragon resonance, this Duke Art is particularly suitable for you." One needed to have a water resonance and a dragon resonance after all. She understood Li Luo''s choice. Both the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner and Nature''s Son''s Arboreal World were well fitted for him. However, the potential of the former outshone the latter, especially if it held the possibility of turning into a Destiny-grade Duke Art. Thus, Li Luo took out the plaque provided by Vice Principal Su Xin and thrusted it into the stone lotus. As the plaque floated above the stone lotus, it released countless runes that soared into the air, coming into direct contact with the light barrier that shrouded the banner. Immediately after, ripples were seen on the barrier itself before it gradually started to dissipate. A brief moment later, Li Luo gingerly stretched out his hand and grasped the dark-red banner with the black dragon imprinted upon it. "Alright So, now what?" Li Luo asked. Based on what Vice Principal Su Xin had said, they would utilize a special cultivation method that would increase his odds of cultivating this Duke Art successfully. Just to take advantage of this benefit, Li Luo had cleanly exhausted his massive pool of school points, probably one of the highest valued exchanges ever made. "Well then, follow me." Mentor Chi Chan walked into the middle of the room, and atop the floor was an inscription that seemed to act as a formation. Her fingertips touched in the form of a hand seal, and her resonant power turned into a rune that descended upon the inscription. Immediately after, the inscription on the floor seemed to have come to life, and the numerous lit-up lines intertwined into a door. Glancing at Li Luo, Mentor Chi Chan directly strode into the door, disappearing into empty air. Knowing that this was where he had to go, he looked at the black dragon banner in his hand and sucked in a deep breath before grumbling, "I hope these school points weren''t squandered in vain..." Then he took a step of faith through the portal. After the two individuals entered through, the door made of light dissipated and turned back into an inscription on the floor. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 0634: Golden Nirvana Lotus Chapter 0634: Golden Nirvana Lotus When Li Luo stepped through the door, his eyes were temporarily blinded by the influx of light on the other side. With practiced precision, he squinted till his vision was restored, and he realized that the scenery surrounding him had undergone an earthshaking change. What entered his field of view was a massive mountain peak shrouded in mist and clouds... and he was right on top of it. "Come over here." Mentor Chi Chan''s voice resounded in his ear as he was trying to make sense of his surroundings. When he hurriedly turned, he saw Mentor Chi Chan gesturing with her fingers, causing all of the mist to dissipate and opening up another heart-stirring sight. There was a pristine lake that emitted a delicate fragrance before him. There was an eye-catching object right in the middle of it. It was a massive, golden lotus flower with three petals that sat squarely in the center. The petals were enigmatic to say the least. There were countless golden strands engraved onto each one, and faint smoke seemed to be emanating from them. Merely looking at the smoke caused a strange feeling to arise within Li Luo''s heart. "This is the Golden Nirvana Lotus, a cultivation comprehension oddity. A single petal takes ten years to mature, and it has been thirty years since it was last used. If you cultivate within it, your ability to comprehend and perceive things will be greatly enhanced. At the same time, it will guard your heart and ensure that you''re protected in the midst of cultivating the Duke Art. On top of that, it will improve your concentration. This will also prevent the concept of the art from corroding your sense of self," Mentor Chi Chan explained. "Wait... ten years for a petal to mature?" Li Luo mused to himself. This was clearly something good that had been secreted away! It was no wonder he had to pay such a massive price to enjoy this benefit. In addition, it looked as though the Golden Nirvana Lotus'' effects would persist for a significant period of time even after he left. "Duke Arts are completely different from dragon-general resonance arts. The process of cultivating one requires one to comprehend the concept that underlies it. Only by understanding the true essence of the concept will one be able to indelibly brand the art onto their heart. Do you remember Lan Lan''s Enlightened Sage Scripture from the Holy Grail Meet? That was an art created by the Enlightened Sage College''s principal. Cultivating it requires one to endure the suppression of being in the presence of a mighty King Stage expert. Although the aura of the expert is greatly held back, it still strikes crippling fear into the heart of a mere Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivator. I''ve heard that the Enlightened Sage College has often selected students with extraordinary tenacity to cultivate this art each year, but in the last century, only Lan Lan has managed to succeed, testament to the sheer difficulty of this task." Li Luo nodded. The King Stage, huh? To be fair, he had never experienced it personally. After all, whenever he met Principal Pang, it was never in the flesh. Even then, he felt fear akin to being stared at by a giant, prehistoric beast! This was the natural suppression a being of a higher level would instill in others. "You can attempt to start learning the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner immediately. I have to remind you that Duke Arts are simply too advanced for students of your level. Thus, you must remember to not pursue it at all costs. You must always maintain clarity of thought and purity of heart whilst you cultivate it. Otherwise, if you''re not careful, the concepts that underpin this Duke Art will leave a shadow upon your spirit and heart. This is an issue that cannot easily be fixed," she reminded him. Li Luo attentively nodded in response. Understanding that cultivating it came with significant risk, it was clear that it was a league above dragon-general resonance arts. However, with risk came rewards. One completely outclassed the other! Li Luo was not too hung up over this. He quickly readjusted his mental state before vaulting right into the middle of the lake, making his way the Golden Nirvana Lotus, and taking a seat. At the moment he landed, Li Luo could feel a gentle and warm energy flow into his body, and his state of mind inexplicably became more tranquil. It was like a still pool, serene and without ripples, his stray thoughts filtered away. Li Luo took a deep breath, then he slowly closed his eyes whilst tightly grasping the dark-red banner. Mentor Chi Chan continued to watch the meditating Li Luo from afar, making herself comfortable on a piece of flat land before taking out a small tea table along with some fragrant tea. Evidently, she planned to watch over Li Luo for a period of time. Additionally, since the risk of cultivating a Duke Art was not minor, she would not be complacent even with the protection of the Golden Nirvana Lotus. This was the first time she had accepted such an outstanding student, and she naturally wanted to nurture and protect him properly. If such a wonderful seedling was ruined by a rampant Duke Art, that would be a truly pitiful tragedy, and his potential would simply be squandered. After Li Luo shut his eyes, he channeled his resonant power into the black dragon banner. He then heard a roar from an ancient time that had traveled through spacetime to reach him, resounding deafeningly within his heart. It was as though he had been transported into a completely new space. Gingerly he "inspected" his surroundings. At this point, his heart trembled. He felt as though he was being suffocated in the depths of a giant, blank sea, constantly being dragged deeper into the abyss. The water was black as ink and viscous like a swamp as it pressed down upon him, forcing Li Luo to feel an intense coldness and gloominess. It was terrifying. He felt endless oppression in this darkness. His mind lost itself in this depressing environment. He could only stare blankly at himself, sinking further and further as he drowned, oblivious to the hidden dangers within. Although Li Luo had mentally prepared himself for this, an unavoidable sense of abject terror arose. He did not know how long he had been submerged within as he lost all sense of time. All of a sudden, there was a change in his surroundings, and he could feel a sense of movement around him. His mind attempted to focus upon the distortion in the dark, but what he saw filled him with dread and terror. A pair of dark-red pupils gradually opened before him. The dark-red eyes were massive, akin to gigantic, crystal-clear gems. Indifference and ruthlessness were the only things Li Luo could see within them. He could see himself reflected in the titanic pupils, and an expression of panic was on his face. The dark seawater churned and then a gargantuan body appeared, allowing him to perceive the monstrous, stygian dragon for the first time. It was as though it was one with the black water, quietly coiled up and observing him intently. A wave of colossal pressure that covered the skies and the earth poured down upon him, directly smashing against Li Luo''s inner self. Crack! At that very moment, Li Luo felt as though he had heard his mental state shatter into pieces, yet at the very same time, a warmth rushed into his mind, letting him feel an instance of complete clarity. He immediately cut off the connection between his mind and the banner. Atop the Golden Nirvana Lotus. Li Luo suddenly opened his eyes, and his face was pale. Lingering terror could be seen within his eyes, and he was covered in cold sweat, constantly huffing and puffing. After which, he looked down at the black dragon banner within his palm, feeling heightened fright for the first time. This is a Duke Art? The concept contained within it was incomparably scary! If one''s willpower were insufficient, they might drown in terror within their own mind, leaving an indelible mark upon ones psyche. It was no wonder none of the Seven Astral Pillars had managed to learn a Duke Art. The difficulty and risks involved were simple and mind-boggling. "Have you finally understood the terror of a Duke Art? Do you still want to continue?" Mentor Chi Chan''s indifferent voice drifted over as her gorgeous eyes focused upon her student. Li Luo gave a bitter smile and did not reply, only quietly readjusting his state of mind. Only after he had composed himself did he once again tightly grasp the black dragon banner, grit and determination evident in his gaze. He would use his actions to answer. Mentor Chi Chan''s lips twitched upwards slightly when she saw this, showing a hint of satisfaction. His willpower was commendable. If he had given up upon the first taste of terror, there would be no need to continue cultivating a Duke Art. "Show me. Show me if you can truly master this and make it your own," Mentor Chi Chan murmured to herself. At this point, she lifted her veil, once again revealing her fair face with the black fish tattoo marring half of it, adding a ghostly charm to her beauty. A tea cup in hand, she imbibed it with a single draught. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 0635: Black Hand Chapter 0635: Black Hand Li Luo''s spirit was repeatedly being shattered apart in the depths of the dark seawater. The massive black dragon constantly struck fear into him, wreaking havoc on his mind. There seemed to be no way to defeat this beast that continued to shatter every layer of Li Luo''s mental defenses, bringing him pain that left him bruised all over. Unknowingly, Li Luo lost track of time and the number of times his mental state had been shattered to pieces. Yet he never gave up. Tenacity coupled with the Golden Nirvana Lotus'' protection allowed him to always maintain a sense of clarity within his heart. Mentor Chi Chan continued to slowly sip her warm tea by the side of the lake. Numerous days had gone by, and she had spent every minute watching over her student. The situation seemed to be stuck at a stalemate as she had expected. Duke Arts possessed ferocious innate concepts that someone at Li Luo''s level would have a hard time merely comprehending. Even if he was confident in himself, he would still have to be subject to significant danger. This was a battle of wills, one that she could not intervene or assist with. Only when Li Luo could adapt to the fear to the point where he could bear it fully would he be able to learn the Duke Art. Admittedly, having sufficient mental fortitude was an even more important factor than talent. This could be seen in the case of the Enlightened Sage College''s Jing Taixu. The guy had a quasi ninth-grade resonance but was unable to cultivate the Enlightened Sage Scripture. Meanwhile, Lan Lan possessed a resonance that was completely inferior to his, and yet he was able to wield the scriptures horrifying might. Mentor Chi Chan continued to observe the sitting Li Luo from the corner of her eye. One of the three lotus petals was now shriveled and the glow had faded since Li Luo had started. It was clear that the energy of the Golden Nirvana Lotus was rapidly being depleted whilst it guarded Li Luo''s mind. This also meant that a third of Li Luo''s opportunities had been used up. Mentor Chi Chan was planning to awaken Li Luo from his meditation once all three petals withered. In a sense, it would also mean that Li Luo''s attempts at cultivating the Duke Art had failed. However, there was no other choice as without the protection of the Golden Nirvana Lotus, Li Luo would only be placing himself into an arduous and risky situation. The concept within the art could grievously wound him, and considering the timing of the House Luolan Housemeet, his efforts would all be for nought. "It seems that attempting to successfully cultivate a Duke Art at the Fiend Palace Tier is pushing it a little too much." Mentor Chi Chan lightly sighed. All she could do was hope that Li Luo would make good use of his two final chances. At the Regent''s palace. The Regent was standing in a pavilion situated in the heart of a small lake, garbed in golden python robes, idly feeding the fishes. Numerous beautiful fishes struggled before him to get a bite of the delicious bait that was thrown into the water. His dignified features did not leak a hint of emotion, only putting his hands back into his sleeves once he was done. "By my expectations, the Dragon Bone Holy Grail should have already made its way into the hands of Pang Qianyuan," he finally said. "No one could have predicted that the Astral Sage College would manage to clinch the overall victory during the Holy Grail Meet. House Luolan''s two brats are meddlesome and troublesome," the Regent continued emotionlessly. The news of the Holy Grail Meet had spread throughout the Xia Kingdom long ago, and so everyone knew that Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were key contributors to their victory. Without the two of them, the Astral Sage College''s result would have been hard to imagine. This unpredictable result was out of the Regent''s expectations. After all, he had even secretly informed Gong Shenjun, their strongest participant, to hold back and sabotage the process. However, the Dragon Bone Holy Grail had still ended up in Astral Sage College''s hands, leaving him infuriated. He knew that it was not Gong Shenjun''s fault. In order to not reveal themselves, he could not take overt action and thus was limited in his methods. Meanwhile, behind the Regent, within the stone pavilion itself, a figure could be seen wriggling within the shadows, and a voice croaked out. "The Dragon Bone Holy Grail falling into Pang Qianyuan''s hands is indeed a troublesome development. If he uses it to distract the Ichythian King, he will be able to escape his shackles and reappear in the Xia Kingdom once again. At that point, the entire kingdom will be under his influence and suppression. The years you have spent toiling away will all be meaningless like a flimsy piece of tissue before the might of a King. Pang Qianyuan was a close confidante of the old Emperor, and he didn''t seem to warm up to the idea of you being the one in charge of the kingdom. He said that you were overly ambitious! If he were to throw his support behind the Little Emperor... hehehe. In that case, you might very well have to obediently hand over the reins of power to that brat!" The Regent coldly snorted. "Could such a figurehead really be the master of the Xia Kingdom? Hmph. He would just be a mere dog of Pang Qianyuan, one that caters to his every whim and fancy! The truth is that Pang Qianyuan has the entire Xia Kingdom under his thumb!" the voice continued. "The King Stage..." A deep yearning appeared in the Regent''s eyes. This was a stage he craved to break into. If he could take a step into this realm, the entire Xia Kingdom would reach unprecedented heights! All of the surrounding kingdoms and empires would undoubtedly surrender before him. The Regent''s tone changed as he asked, "Will the thing in House Luolan allow me to become a King?" "With our assistance, there will not be any issues," the shadow replied coolly. Then the Regent gloomily asked, "Just where did Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan come from? You seem to be a little afraid of them after all... Otherwise, why would you force me to drum up such a big show, all just to force them into the Nobles'' Battlefield?" "Hmph. The way I see it, that duo are not any weaker than Pang Qianyuan. So long as they remain in the Xia Kingdom, they will be a hidden danger to our grand plan," the shadow explained. The Regent''s gaze flashed. "They are merely Dukes. Even though they are exceptional, how could they possibly compare with Pang Qianyuan?" The shadow chuckled but did not reply directly. "Since they have so kindly managed to enter the Nobles'' Battlefield, there is no longer any need to worry about their interference. House Luolan''s Housemeet will arrive in half a month''s time. It can be said that your grand schemes have finally come to fruition. So long as you are able to obtain the thing within House Luolan, I will ensure that you will be able to taste the nectar which is the King Stage! "It''s a pity that I cannot directly take action. Doing so would undoubtedly put the Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank on alert. Otherwise, things would have been much simpler," the Regent lamented. "Regardless, it doesn''t matter. The preparations weve made throughout the years will be sufficient. The two brats from House Luolan are just a few extra wayward melons that we will crack apart. House Luolan''s Jiang Qing''e is really an absolute geniuseven Shenjun has been smitten by her. I had thought that my own brat was outstanding enough to change her mind and join our palace, but that wench was never even interested in him." The Regent smirked as he shook his head. "It would be ideal if we could spare her puny life when House Luolan is destroyed. With her talent and potential, it would be possible to give birth to an even stronger bloodline in my family." As he spoke, he raised his head and looked up into the sky, stretching out both hands. "It''s finally time to reap the seeds which I have sowed for many years. The Gong family will truly ascend the throne as the unparalleled Emperor!" The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 0636: Cultivated Chapter 0636: Cultivated By the lakeside. Mentor Chi Chan was demurely sitting by, her slender back and curvaceous body for none to see. Her jade-like fingers were fiddling with a teacup as her beautiful eyes continued to focus upon the unmoving golden lotus before her. By the looks of things, twenty days had already passed. Only one of the three golden petals remained, and it continued to emanate radiant light. Meanwhile, Li Luo was still sitting atop the lotus cross-legged, his eyes tightly shut. His complexion was pale and his body was trembling, an expression of terror scrawled over his face. Clearly, he was still locked in a stubborn stalemate with the concept within the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner. Such a terrifying concept was not easily endured. Mentor Chi Chan understood Li Luo''s personality. He was a tenacious one, molded by the sticky situation he had encountered with the blank palaces much earlier in his life. Thus, he was able to endure much more than his fellow peers and was much more resilient to setbacks. Even so, the concept of the Duke Art tormented him to no end. The very fact that Li Luo could hold on for twenty days without going insane was already an achievement in and of itself. Ultimately, he was still only at the Fiend Palace Tier, and frankly speaking, a Duke Art was out of his league. "The last petal should allow him to hold on for another five days." Mentor Chi Chan estimated as her willow-like eyebrows shifted into a frown. This was his last chance, and if Li Luo could not overcome the concept''s test, this cultivation would be a failure. Alas, his school points would be squandered. Although he would be able to continue meditating on the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner, the degree of difficulty would skyrocket without the assistance of the Golden Nirvana Lotus. More importantly, if Li Luo failed to capitalize on the current situation, he would undoubtedly feel endless regret. After all, the Housemeet would start in ten days or so. Knock, knock Mentor Chi Chan lightly knocked the table with her jade-like fingers as she whispered, "Li Luo, it''s all up to you to take advantage of this last opportunity." ... Within the depths of the murky, black seawater The gigantic eye of the dragon was like a dark-red mirror emerging from within the darkness, Li Luo''s entire body reflected within. Indifference and a trace of savagery was contained within its gaze as a wave of terror washed towards Li Luo''s mental state once again. Li Luo had simply lost count of the number of times he had experienced this. Every single time, an unspeakable, unexplainable sort of fear would rise from the depths of his heart, crushing his state of mind into mere fragments. Once again, this was no different. As the fear surged towards him like a tidal wave, Li Luo felt as though he could hear his mental state disintegrating into pieces. Black seawater surged towards him in every direction, wrapping him in its watery embrace, colliding against his soul repeatedly. He held on bitterly. He was like a tiny boat being rocked by the massive waves. He did his best to maintain his state of mind, protecting that last sanctuary of sanity as it was enveloped by the tides. However, the black seawater also possessed the ability to erode one''s willpower. As time passed by, he could feel his mental state splintering apart once again. "Am I going to fail once more?" Feeling his vision gradually distort, he understood that this was the sign that his mental state could no longer hold on. Li Luo sighed helplessly. During this period of time, he had felt his mental state shatter again and again, allowing him to truly understand the difficulty of cultivating a Duke Art. At the same time, he realized that time was probably running out as well. He could distinctly feel that with each failure, the Golden Nirvana Lotus'' protective energy would gradually weaken. All good things had to come to an end eventually. Once the Golden Nirvana Lotus was depleted, his cultivation would have to stop. Losing the opportunity to cultivate in this miraculous environment would be a pity. It was exceedingly difficult to find something that could match its power, and his dreams of cultivating a Duke Art would have to be shelved until he reached the Heavenly Dipper General Stage. More importantly, he would lose the opportunity to obtain a trump card before the Housemeet. Although he still possessed the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, it was still an external aid, whereas a Duke Art was a strength he could call his own. Additionally, if he could combine this killing move with the power borrowed from the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, he would be able to bring out nonsensical strength for at least a brief period of time. This indomitable strength was what he had truly hoped to achieve. Only this level of power could possibly qualify to shift the tides in the Housemeet. Otherwise, most of the pressure would inevitably fall upon Qing''e. With her desire to constantly improve and strengthen herself, she had spent several years preparing a killer trump card. The price she had paid was mind-boggling amounts of effort and sacrifice, a weight that Li Luo did not wish to see her shoulder alone. She had done enough for House Luolan. And for him as well. It was his turn to bear the burden. Her gorgeous face flashed past his mind when he had these thoughts. Forcing his eyes open, he could see the behemoth staring right at him, entrenched deep within the black sea, a look of mockery and contempt in its eyes. Mocking him for not understanding his place. A mere Fiend Palace cultivator trying to set his grubby hands on a regal Duke Art? The black dragon lifted a claw, and a vortex formed under it, its black scales sparkling beautifully in contrast to the murkiness of the sea. It then slammed it towards Li Luo. Li Luo could feel his mental state splintering at a significantly quicker rate than before with this unprovoked attack. As he stared at the inky, black claw, he felt the terror afflicting him recede slightly. Instead, a mysterious sense of indignation and fury surged from the depths of his heart. This damn snake. It dares to look down upon me? Li Luo could feel his blood boiling at this very instant, coursing through his veins violently and with renewed vigor. It was as though he could hear furious waves crashing within him. A sense of majesty descended upon him like an Emperor speaking to his subjects as he icily glared back at the black dragon. The black claw slammed down without mercy. However, just as it was about to make contact with the manifestation of Li Luo''s spirit, a void was ripped open right behind the dragon. It was the titanic beast''s turn to feel a sense of shock and horror. An indescribably monstrous claw stretched out from within the ripped void. The black dragon was already humongous when compared to Li Luo, but before this inscrutable development? It was like an eagle gripping a tiny grass snake! The enigmatic dragon claw directly parted the black sea with a single swipe before grasping the frightened black dragon that was now mournfully roaring. No time was wasted before the claw clamped down mercilessly. Bang! The black sea was torn asunder, ripped into pieces, along with the once-horrifying black dragon. Mentor Chi Chan, who had been taking a quick nap, opened her eyes all of a sudden. Her beautiful eyes were staring at the golden lotus in the middle of the lake in absolute surprise. At this point, Li Luo was drenched in a crimson liquid, blood pouring out of every orifice, turning him into a literal bloody man. Despite his completely miserable appearance, he was exuding an inexplicable sense of oppression. It was so intense that even her heart palpitated in fear. What happened? She hurriedly stood up, but just when she was about to make a move, Li Luo opened his eyes. At that very moment, a roiling, black sea seemed to have materialized around his body. a coiled up black dragon could be seen right in the middle of the sea. As its tail gently swayed, black waves rose and fell before it. Chi Chan''s pupils shrank at this sight. Is this the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner? Has Li Luo managed to cultivate it successfully? The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 0637: Grave Tidings Chapter 0637: Grave Tidings Mentor Chi Chan was completely taken aback when the raging, black sea and dragon materialized around Li Luo. This indicated that Li Luo had managed to overcome the concept''s test and was now able to freely utilize the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner, a Communion-grade Duke Art. A Fiend Palace Tier cultivator had managed to learn a Duke Art? What did this symbolize? Although Li Luo was someone who had created many miracles before, what he had just accomplished was on a different level. Complicated thoughts surged through her mind. This kid was a cultivating fiend! Mentor Chi Chan waved her hand, and the tea table was put away before she directly leaped into the middle of the lake with a single step. Staring at the pale-faced but incomparably excited Li Luo, she beckoned with a finger, and pristine water washed away all of the blood that was staining his body. "Mentor... I... I''ve done it!" Li Luo screamed in elation as he looked at his mentor. Mentor Chi Chan nodded slightly and sighed whilst staring at Li Luo. "You''ve done it again. Another miracle. If this were to be known, your name would once again resound throughout the entire Astral Sage College." Li Luo smirked confidently. He felt as though he was on cloud nine. Furthermore, cultivating the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner was an arduous and difficult process. He had been tormented endlessly into a state of limbo. If his willpower wasn''t resolute enough, he''d have given up a long time ago. His bloodline had been roused at a critical moment, allowing him to conquer the black dragon''s concept. Li Luo could feel that the mysterious dragon claw had been a manifestation of his bloodline. Perhaps it was a trace of the heavenly dragon''s will, feeling offended that this lesser creature had impugned upon its majesty, thus delivering a swift judgment upon it, shattering the concept into pieces. "Mentor, I would like to trouble you to keep this a secret," Li Luo beseeched. Mentor Chi Chan glanced at Li Luo but did not speak further, only nodding in agreement. She understood why Li Luo would want to keep this news under wraps. It was to be a veritable hidden ace in the hole, to be brought out for maximum effect at a critical moment. "You''ve spent twenty-odd days here, and there''s only four days left until the Housemeet," she reminded him. "Four days, huh." Li Luo''s gaze was complicated. There was a sense of anticipation, as well as a trace of apprehension. He had cultivated without pause for over a year in preparation for the Housemeet, and his results were frightening. In the short span of a year, the blank palace young lord of the City of Southwind had become a triple resonance Fiend Palace Tier cultivator. Once, he was but a timid rat, hiding in the depths of the City of Southwind. Now he could spread his wings and stand with his head held high during the Housemeet itself, capable of dealing with the other party on equal terms. "Mentor, I''ll leave the college and go home for now. Thank you for your guidance thus far," Li Luo said with sincerity, his heart full of turbulent emotions as he clasped his hands and bowed. Now that the pivotal Housemeet was about to start, it would change the fate of House Luolan as he knew it. He would no longer have time to tarry in school and cultivate leisurely. Every last scrap of time would be spent preparing for this destined battle. If he emerged victorious, he would officially become House Luolan''s young lord, ushering in a new era of recovery and prosperity. Otherwise, all of it would be scattered into the winds as House Luolan would disintegrate into a puff of smoke. Jiang Qing''e and he would have to pursue a new path altogether then. Perhaps he would have to sequester himself from the public eye within the college, awaiting the day he broke into the Duke Stage. Or perhaps he would have to leave the Xia Kingdom entirely to find another path of survival. Regardless of the path he took, this event would change their lives forever. Upon hearing these words, Chi Chan fell into a momentary silence. She knew what lay ahead of him. It was his responsibility as the heir to House Luolan. An inescapable burden. "You must remember, if the situation spirals out of control, Jiang Qing''e and you can always return to the Astral Sage College. The two of you are highly important seedlings for the college, and so we will protect you. So long as you live, your opponents will not be able to sleep peacefully ever again. The moment you reach the Duke Stage, rebuilding House Luolan will not be a difficult task," Mentor Chi Chan gently reminded him. Li Luo smiled and nodded. Mentor Chi Chan and Vice Principal Su Xin had repeated these words of goodwill multiple times. They were concerned that he would act impulsively as a youth, but he understood that it all stemmed from genuine concern for them. After all, no one would want such talented saplings withered by the flames of war. Seeing his acknowledgement, she did not mention anything else, leading Li Luo to the exit and back to the Resonant Art Pagoda. "Mentor, I plan to return to the dormitory and say my goodbyes to Mengmeng and Xin Fu." Li Luo raised a final request. "Why are you talking as though you''re planning for your last rites?" Seeing his sheepish expression, she sighed. "Lets go. I''ll accompany you." The two then left the Resonant Art Pagoda and made their way back. Upon arriving at the dormitory, Li Luo could hear all sorts of bustling noises coming from inside. It seemed as though a party was underway, causing him to feel a little taken aback. Pushing the door open, he saw numerous individuals milling around... Yu Lang, Zhao Kuo, Qin Zhulu, Bai Doudou, Lu Qing''er, Xin Fu, and Bai Mengmeng were all present. "What sort of illegal gathering is this?" Li Luo asked in surprise. His sudden appearance had also shocked everyone else before congratulations started flooding forth. "Brother Luo! You''re finally out! We''ve been waiting for you for a few days now." Zhao Kuo smiled. Li Luo glanced around and found an empty seat before asking curiously, "Why were you waiting for me?" When no one chose to reply, Yu Lang guffawed. "Waiting to cheer you on, of course." Li Luo''s mind started spinning. House Luolan''s Housemeet was no secret, and everyone in the entire Xia Kingdom was watching the event with utmost interest. Yu Lang and the rest of them had naturally interacted with people of stature within the college and had inevitably found out what was going on. They knew that Li Luo would engage in a decisive battle in four days'' time, and they were awaiting him, hoping to give him some form of encouragement. Although encouragement wouldn''t have any tangible effect on the situation, it was their actions that touched Li Luo''s heart and made him feel a sense of warmth and camaraderie. Li Luo grinned as he replied impishly, "There''s no need to worry, everyone. It''s a minor situation, and once it''s over, I will ascend to become the lord of House Luolan. At that point in time, our statuses will have changed. Don''t feel bad about the disparity between us then." Loud exhales were heard throughout the room. Such shameless words had caused everyone to exhale deeply, resisting the urge to punch this idiot. However, it was a sigh of relief at the same time. Li Luo''s lightheartedness was a good sign, and the atmosphere quickly turned festive. Li Luo took a seat and began to chat animatedly with his friends, laughing and enjoying himself. The weeks of bitter cultivation had caused his mind and spirit to become extremely tense. It was only now that he was able to relax, albeit slightly. After a period of time, he rose to pour himself a glass of water when Bai Mengmeng stealthily approached him. "Leader." Bai Mengmeng piped up as her large, crystal-like eyes admired him with a look of adoration. "Yes? How can I help you?" Li Luo smiled. She quickly reached into her robe and drew out a black crystal card imprinted with the Golden Dragon Bank''s emblem. Biting her lip softly, she said, "Leader, I''m not strong enough to help you, but I''ve saved quite the sum in the last few years. This might not be enough to move those in the Duke Stage, but it should let you hire countless Heavenly Dipper Generals to assist you." This sentence struck him like a bombshell, and he didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry upon hearing this. He quickly pushed the card away and solemnly said, "My little rich lady, I know you''re incredibly affluent. However, I will not be tempted by the vices of money! Do you think I''m interested in your wealth?" Bai Mengmeng pouted angrily. "I''m not joking here!" Li Luo gave a relaxed smile as he gently replied, "I know. Thank you for your goodwill, but I hope you''ll believe in me. The situation at headquarters is not as dire as you might think. Additionally, if your sister ever got wind of this... she''d beat me to death." He coughed slightly upon that horrifying thought. Bai Mengmeng stared at Li Luo for a moment, and upon seeing his resolute expression, she could only retrieve her card and slink back into the party. After Bai Mengmeng left, Li Luo saw a shadow tremble beside him before he unceremoniously spoke out, "Xin Fu, you truly have used your shadow resonance to its full potential by being an uninvited voyeur." The shadow rippled once more and reformed into Xin Fu. Unfortunately, Xin Fu''s expression was a little downcast as he looked at Li Luo. After a moment of hesitation, he finally spoke the words in his heart. "Leader, I have news to report." "What is it?" Li Luo carefully observed Xin Fu''s gaze and expression. Xin Fu approached cautiously and secretively channeled his voice into Li Luo''s ear, conveying news that caused Li Luos pupils to shrink. "House Lanling has received a contract for dealing with you and Senior Jiang." The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 0638: House Lanling Chapter 0638: House Lanling "House Lanling?" This revelation caused Li Luo''s heart to tremble, his expression turning solemn. House Lanling was one of the five Great Houses, but it was a little different from the rest. They tended to be a little secretive due to the nature of the only business they provided: assassinations. Simply speaking, they were a group of professional assassins. Within the Five Great Houses, House Lanling and House Luolan had the least contact with each other. At the same time, Li Luo had never really ignored their existence as they were a hidden threat in the dark. There wasn''t any particular reason other than the fact that they were mercenaries. House Lanling might never have acted against House Luolan, but based on his guesses, it was only because the price wasn''t right. As a result, House Lanling had never taken a task on them. However, with the arrival of the Housemeet, the forces circling around House Luolan were beginning to take discrete action, and they had willingly jumped into the mix. This was undoubtedly a crippling blow to the situation. Any price to be paid was worth it. Although this had been expected, the delivery of this news from Xin Fu had also caused Li Luo''s mood to sink. House Luolan had another significant enemy to contend with. This would force them to constantly have to watch their backs. Li Luo felt his mood turn turbulent as he looked at Xin Fu. "So, how did you hear of it?" Xin Fu helplessly smiled. "You should have guessed as much." Li Luo nodded. Xin Fu was from House Lanling after all. His resonance fit their methods, but he just didn''t know what sort of position he occupied within. Still, the fact that he had delivered such meaningful intel at this crucial time meant a lot to him. Nothing else was important. "Thank you, Xin Fu. Really." Li Luo patted Xin Fu''s shoulder. Xin Fu then heaved a sigh as he whispered another bombshell revelation. "House Lanling''s Lord will be taking action personally during the Housemeet." Yet Li Luo seemed to not be surprised at this. Since they had accepted the contract, they would use everything at their disposal. The feared house lord would thus make his presence felt. This was a sticky situation indeed. A Duke that specialized in assassination was a headscratching opponent to fend off. "What a catastrophe." Li Luo smiled. However, it didn''t matter, as there were too many other pressing matters. The forces that coveted House Luolan were numerous, and having House Lanling thrown into the mix wouldn''t change things too much. "Leader, you must remember to escape back to the college if the situation turns bad," Xin Fu said before he turned to leave. Staring at Xin Fu''s leaving silhouette, he clutched the glass of water in his hand tightly, deep in contemplation. "Is there anything I can help you out with?" As Li Luo was lost in thought, a light, refreshing voice sounded out. Raising his head, he saw a familiar girl standing before him at the water point. Her enchanting, jade-like figure with crystal-clear eyes were peering at him with a sense of concern. Li Luo could deeply feel the care she had towards him. After a moment, he decided that there was no need to feign strength before her, only sighing deeply. "I do have one request, Qing''er. I hope that you can let Aunt Yu know that I do not require any help from the Golden Dragon Bank. However, on the day of the Housemeet, please keep the Golden Dragon Bank tightly controlled and become a true neutral party. She would have my endless gratitude, and I would owe her a favor for this." There was another great enemy in the form of House Lanling, andso Li Luo had to make further considerations in light of this. Vice Principal Su Xin had once reminded Li Luo to be wary of the Golden Dragon Bank. Yet based on Yu Hongxi''s interaction and attitude, it was unlikely that they lusted after House Luolan''s belongings. She was a proud individual after all. Still, the warnings did not go unheeded, and Li Luo would not deign to ignore Su Xin''s words. The fact was that even though Yu Hongxi did not crave for House Luolan''s belongings, it didn''t mean that no one else within the Golden Dragon Bank did not have these wayward thoughts. The Golden Dragon Bank was a massive organization, and no one knew how deep it depths were. They were mighty, and if someone opted to sneakily trip him up, it would only add insult to injury. Lu Qing''er listened attentively before her lips pursed tightly. "Do you really feel that someone with the Golden Dragon Bank is out to get House Luolan?" Li Luo nodded. "There is no harm in being overly cautious. The Golden Dragon Bank is a titanic organization, and just a few black sheep can bring about massive trouble to me." "I''ll relay the news for you," Lu Qing''er replied lightly after pondering over his words. "Thank you." At this point, her eyes had a cunning look in them. "Still, my mother is not someone so good-hearted. Whenever she does business, she''ll never be at a disadvantage. If you dare to say that you owe her one... Well, be careful if she doesn''t take a good bite out of you instead." Li Luo smiled. "Aunt Yu has hard words but a soft heart. I''ve remembered every occasion she''s helped me, and if she ever needs any help I can provide, even if she wants me to jump into an inferno, I will not reject her." Lu Qing''er gaily giggled. The two turned to leave and rejoined the gathering. It was only when night had fallen that they heard someone knocking at the door. Bai Mengmeng opened it only to see Jiang Qing''e standing at the entrance. She glazed over the group of individuals before looking directly at Li Luo. "I''ve come to take you home." Li Luo smiled and nodded, waving to the rest of them. "I''ll have to go now and won''t be back for the next few days. Don''t worry and wait for my good tidings." No one said any superfluous words, and even the usually wanton Yu Lang had suppressed the grin on his face. "Li Luo, I truly wish that I was in the Four Star Hall right now. Wouldn''t that have been great, huh?" Yu Lang bitterly smiled. At that point, he would be grown up and would have the power to assist Li Luo, even in some small way. Alas, the reality was not so simple. This was simply an idle dream right now. They were merely tiny Resonant Master cultivators. In a battle between elite forces, not even their ashes would remain in a clash of resonant power. "There''s no need to say these useless words, much less cry over spilled milk. What challenges have I not seen this year? This is just another stepping stone," Li Luo said unceremoniously before striding out confidently, closing the door behind him with a casual back hand, never looking back. Standing outside the dormitory, he sighed deeply before smiling at Qing''e. "Let''s go, Sister Qing''e." Her lustrous, golden eyes stared at him quietly before she reached out to him. He was a little astonished, but he very quickly recovered. Then he stretched out his hand and tightly held hers, their fingers interlocking closely. "Li Luo, no matter what trials and tribulations await us, we''ll face them together," Jiang Qing''e lightly said as she continued to gaze at Li Luo intently. Feeling the delicate touch of her palm being cradled by his brought a smirk to Li Luo''s face. The two walked out of the dormitory before pausing. Mentor Chi Chan was leaning against the wall, looking at the duo with her arms folded. "If you don''t mind me interrupting this moment of happiness, I''d be more than content to see you back," Mentor Chi Chan raised. Li Luo was reminded of Xin Fu''s news and thus did not reject her. "You have my thanks, Mentor." She nodded but did not speak more, turning to lead the way as the duo scrambled behind her. Night had blanketed the sky and the dim moonlight shone down upon the college like a thin veil. They did not speak along the way, only passing through numerous familiar routes when Li Luo noticed that Mentor Chi Chan had paused in her steps. Water resonant power immediately surged around her, emanating a strong sense of oppression on anyone in the vicinity. The duo turned to look and right in front of them. Below a large tree was a bench with a single individual sitting on it. It was none other than Shen Jinxiao. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 0639: Li Luos Plan Chapter 0639: Li Luo''s Plan When Li Luo noticed that darn Shen Jinxiao before him, his eyes shrunk a little. What was that dog planning to do at this point in time? Mentor Chi Chan''s chilly gaze was focused upon Shen Jinxiao as she asked differently, "Shen Jinxiao, what are you doing here?" He smiled. "Mentor Chi Chan, don''t you think you''re overstepping your bounds? The college is so large, why can''t I enjoy the shade over here?" After which, Chi Chan''s gaze only became more frosty. Shen Jinxiao saw the change in her and only laughed in response. "The truth is, I merely wanted to exchange a few words with Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e." With that, he turned to face Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. Facing his gaze, Jiang Qing''e remained calm but did not look at him directly, only in his general direction. Seeing this, Li Luo only beamed widely. "Mentor Shen Jinxiao, I don''t think we have anything we would like to talk about, don''t you think?" Shen Jinxiao grinned in response. "If Qing''e is able to promise me something, I''m willing to stick my neck out for the Housemeet and render assistance. What do you think?" The smile on Li Luo''s face subsided slightly, and his gaze turned both icy and sharp like a knife. "Shen Jinxiao, who are you trying to fool? Do you think the college will allow you to intervene?" Mentor Chi Chan frostily spoke up. "That''s my problem. Don''t butt in." A toying look appeared on his face. "Whatever I say is the truth. I''ll swear on it, so long as Qing''e is able to promise it. I will even be the reinforcement for House Luolan. What do you think?" "You really are good at fishing in muddled waters," Chi Chan retorted. Shen Jinxiao did not fall for Chi Chan''s aggravations, only staring directly at Qing''e. On the other hand, Jiang Qing''e completely ignored his existence, only tugging at Li Luo''s hand as they continued walking forward. Just as the two parties were about to walk past each other, Li Luo fiercely glared at Shen Jinxiao. "Shen Jinxiao, don''t even think of touching something you cannot afford to. Otherwise, I''ll chop you up and feed your remains to the dogs in the future." Shen Jinxiao only wryly smiled in response. She proceeded to drag Li Luo away. On the other hand, Chi Chan continued to coldly glare at Shen Jinxiao before following. Shen Jinxiao continued to wistfully stare at their fading silhouettes, the smile on his face finally being wiped off and his gaze turning gloomy. "It''s such a shame... not grasping on to even your final saving grace." ... "Shen Jinxiao definitely covets Student Qing''e. You have to be wary," Mentor Chi Chan reminded the two when they arrived at House Luolan''s carriage. "Does the college really want to retain such an unscrupulous scrub?" Li Luo frowned. "He may have a vicious heart, but the fact is that he has never truly taken any action. How could the college get rid of him without rhyme nor reason?" Chi Chan retorted. This response kept Li Luo silent. She paused before explaining, "Vice Principal Su Xin warned him to control himself during the last internal college meeting, also asking if he harbored any feelings towards student Qing''e. His response? He was merely someone who admired her, albeit a little too much..." A cold glint flashed through Li Luo''s eyes. Similarly, Qing''e''s countenance turned frosty. Shen Jinxiao''s words had caused a sense of revulsion and hatred. "Although it wouldn''t be ideal if the students were to hear of such news, it indeed doesn''t break any of the college''s rules. Thus, Vice Principal Su Xin was also helpless to act, only able to warn him sternly to not take action... However, I understand that man very well. He''s a strange one, and what he desires might not be so simple," Chi Chan continued. "He probably has other thoughts..." Li Luo frowned deeply. That damned beast of a man was a blight on the earth. If the opportunity arose, he would undoubtedly rid the world of that cancer. "Regardless of what he thinks, he''s still a mentor of the college and is subject to the college''s rules. He will not dare to act openly and brazenly," Chi Chan explained. The duo glanced at each other in response, merely nodding. Now that House Luolan was at a pivotal crossroad, dealing with Shen Jinxiao would have to be placed on the backburner. "Mentor Chi Chan, are you escorting us because youre concerned about House Lanling''s attacks?" Li Luo jested. "I already sort of knew what Xin Fu was going to say." She did not deny that was the reason. The probability of the any assassination occurring before the event was unlikely, but it was better to be careful. No one could understand their underhanded ways. "Thank you, Mentor, for your aid," Li Luo said from the depths of his heart. Chi Chan waved her hand, not deigning to speak any further. She then closed her eyes and took a nap in the carriage. The interior of the carriage remained silent as the other two continued to stare out of the windows, idly watching the countless lights of houses that streamed by. After a period of time, the carriage arrived at the headquarters of House Luolan. "Mentor Chi Chan, would you like to be our guest and perhaps have a cup of tea?" Li Luo politely offered. Mentor Chi Chan took a glance at the headquarters before her and gave a smile that wasn''t a smile. "House Luolan is not the most inviting place for Dukes. I don''t like this sort of suppressive feeling, it doesn''t feel safe." Looking at her expression, Li Luo finally remembered that House Luolan''s Headquarters contained a mysterious ward. All Dukes that entered would be greatly suppressed. The only issue was that the day of the Housemeet was the one day it would weaken. "Li Luo, take care. I hope that I''ll see you at school in five days'' time. If such a talent was wasted, it would be truly regrettable," Mentor Chi Chan said before she turned to leave. Her lithe figure seemed to tread the rays of moonlight shining down upon them as she disappeared in a flash. Jiang Qing''e stared at the vanished figure before turning to Li Luo. "Mentor Chi Chan treats you very well." "Of course! Being a heaven-defying and unparalleled genius paired with absolutely amazing looks would do that to anyone. I''m probably the most amazing person Mentor Chi Chan has ever met." Li Luo waved his hand as though this was nothing exceptional. "Don''t forget the fact that you''re also the most shameless as well," Jiang Qing''e replied. "Hey! Being shameless is also a good thing. Sister Qing''e, you''re too cold and aloof, so you occupy a high, lonely stature in the hearts of everyone. Otherwise with your ludicrous strength and amazing talent, you might have managed to seduce the hearts of some female Violet Vibrance mentors... they might have even opted to leave the college to join our house!" Li Luo spoke with full conviction. Jiang Qing''e on the other hand helplessly looked at Li Luo''s casual comments, completely ignoring him as she turned to walk into headquarters. Li Luo grinned as he followed suit. As they returned, the two had a quick dinner before Li Luo returned to his room. He sat cross-legged atop his bed and started to inspect his three resonant palaces. He had purely focused upon the cultivation of the duke art this entire period of time and had slacked off a little when it came to earth fiend energy refinement. It was fortunate that he had obtained a nice pile of Fiend Origin Pills and with their help, managed to fully refine his second resonant palace within twenty odd days. The current him only had the Thunder Dragon resonance remaining to temper. However this was also more or less enough. He might have only broken through into the Fiend Palace tier just a month ago but both his waterlight resonance and woodearth resonance had been fully tempered. This allowed his resonant power to increase significantly and was comparable to those at the peak of the Lesser Fiend Palace tier. Feeling the dense viscous resonant power flow through him, he felt a great sense of satisfaction. After which his gaze turned onto the red bangle on his wrist, of which sealed the three-tailed heavenly wolf. Li Luo fell into deep thought. A huge battle was inevitable during the housemeet and the three-tailed heavenly wolf was a critical card of his. Through the use of the Heavenly Libation chant, he could borrow the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s power... however he now had a new idea. There was an opportunity for him to fool around with... ahem... an opportunity to deal with the three-tailed heavenly wolf. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 0640: Li Luos Aim Chapter 0640: Li Luo''s Aim A massive wolf was lying within a dimly lit space, its three gargantuan tails swaying slowly as it released overflowing amounts of fiendish energy. However, it was not completely freeall four of its limbs and its body were encumbered by chains, glowing with engraved symbols, completely binding it to the point that free movement was impossible. All of a sudden, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s eyes blazed open, revealing its scarlet pupils. A whirlwind of killing intent and energy whipped up out of nowhere, causing its surroundings to tremble. Roar! The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf opened its maw and let loose a low, guttural cry. Its scarlet pupils remained focused on a certain location within the darkness. It was then that a human-shaped silhouette popped up, directly stopping before it. It recognized this human. This tricky creature had lured it out of its cave and mysteriously provoked a strong Other to fight it. Eventually, it had been sealed after being used. Even its previous mountain cell was a paradise compared to this lightless spatial location! And the cause of all this misery was this damned human before it! Bang! The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf bellowed angrily, and its entire body started to struggle. It wanted to slaughter that tiny creature before him, but at this point in time, the chains wrapped around him started to shrink violently, emitting terrifying amounts of strength and causing him to suffer immensely as they pressed down upon his body. "Brother Three-Tail, please stop being so agitated!" Li Luo quickly attempted to defuse the situation upon seeing the furious Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf looking as though it wanted to swallow him whole. However, his words fell on deaf ears as the wolf clearly did not want to deal with him. The chains around the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf continued to hum and shrink as its humongous body tugged against its restraints, all while it continued to glare at Li Luo with its blood-red eyes, causing anyone to feel great fear before it. "Brother Three-Tail, don''t you want to escape this seal and regain your freedom?" Li Luo continued to parley with it, shouting loudly. These were the magic words required, and the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s body suddenly turned rigid, no longer struggling like before. However, it continued to glare at Li Luo as it released a rumbling roar, allowing Li Luo to feel and understand the intention that it contained. Simply put, it felt sarcastic, full of rage and doubt. Li Luo smiled sheepishly. It was said that only when a spirit beast reached the Duke Stage would it obtain the ability to speak in human tongue. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf had yet to do so, and as a result, it was slightly harder to speak with. On the bright side, it clearly demonstrated significant intellect and could understand him, which would make negotiations slightly easier. Thus, with a face full of sincerity, Li Luo first apologized. "Brother Three-Tail, it was wrong of me to lure you out of your mountain cave. However, it was all for your own good! You might be sealed now, but at least you left the terrible and debilitating influence of the Umbra Cave! If you were to remain there, you would have been corrupted by it and lost all sense of sanity and rationality, turning into nothing more than a wild, feral beast!" The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s eyes seemed to contain cold amusement within them. This brat had forced it into such a pitiful state and he still was shameless enough to say that it was a good thing? This was a truly despicable human being! An impatient, low roar was the response Li Luo received, essentially telling him to scram as far away as he could. Li Luo remained unperturbed and continued to smile. "Brother Three-Tail, haven''t you ever dreamed of breaking into the Duke Stage? Do you feel that your chance to do so is good enough?" The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf once again coldly glared at Li Luo, seemingly taunting him. What did this piddly creature know about the majestic Duke stage? In response, Li Luo continued, "I feel that I can assist you in breaking into the Duke Stage in the future." The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was uninterested in bickering more with a fool, directly lying down instead. Instead, its gaze changed into one of contempt and derision. An Earth Fiend General Stage human wanted to lecture it about breaking into the Duke Stage? This was probably the biggest joke ever. "Brother Three-Tail, do you remember how strong I was when you met me? Do you remember how strong I was?" Li Luo asked. Its scarlet eyes squinted slightly at him as it inspected him out of slight curiosity. The last time it had seen this human, he was only a tiny resonant master. In fact, a single breath could extinguish his very existence. He had stepped into the Earth Fiend Stage now, which was a little surprising in terms of cultivation speed. Now that the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf seemed to be slightly more interested and silent, Li Luo continued to smile. "Brother Three-Tail... you being sealed within my bracelet might have been a fortunate encounter for you!" A look of amusement seemed to appear in its gaze. This human being had really thick skin. A natural clown. However, Li Luo did not mind. "You must know that the one who sealed you was a King Stage expert. He then gifted this bracelet to me." The beast''s thoughts flashed back to when he had encountered that massive and terrifying shadow. It was completely unable to do anything under his presence, much less muster up some form of courage to hate it. This was the law of the jungle, and he understood the massive disparity between their existences. A King Stage expert! Just recollecting the experience caused it to tremble involuntarily. What sort of connection did that mighty expert have with this brat? Li Luo dully continued, "That expert gifted you to me, but he did have a request for me." At this point, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s heart trembled slightly as it stared in surprise at Li Luo. Kings were lofty existences that towered over all. How could someone like that request something of this weak creature. The brat had to be just blabbering his mouth off. How could any of these words make sense? "You don''t believe me?" As though Li Luo could read the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s mind, he smiled. With a thought, resonant power emitted from him. First, he demonstrated his water resonant power, then his wood resonant power, before finally releasing a draconic roar infused with the power of his dragon resonance. The three distinct types of resonant power had demonstrated the triple resonances Li Luo had! "Triple resonances?!" The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf could scarcely believe its eyes. This was the biggest blow to his own confidence, and it understood that only King Stage experts could wield this devastating power. Yet this human brat before him, barely a step into the Earth Fiend Stage, already had three? This was a heaven-defying fiend! A wry smile appeared on Li Luo''s face. "Now do you believe me?" The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf fell into deep thought before expressing its will. Li Luo could vaguely sense that it was telling him that yes, a triple resonance was rarely seen, but it was insufficient for a King Stage expert to request anything from him. The spirit beast knew that even though triple resonances demonstrated that he was an exceptional talent, this was still far from the actual triple resonance power that a King Stage controlled. The bright side from all this was that Li Luo could finally feel that the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was no longer being as violent nor disregarding him like an ant-like existence. Revealing his talent had shown its use. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf left out another low roar. It did not understand why Li Luo was here. Was he trying to intimidate it? Ever since it had been imprisoned, its greatest nemesis was this fellow before him. Thus, understanding how talented this human was only brought about irritation and gloominess. Feeling that the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was becoming a little impatient and hostile, Li Luo did not continue to probe and merely sighed deeply before seriously saying, "Well, to be fair, there''s only one reason why I''m here to chat with you. I want to form a contract with you. I''ll be your master for the period of a year." Although Li Luo could borrow the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s power with the aid of the Heavenly Libation Chant, it was still a crude way to obtain it. If the wolf was willing to assist him wholeheartedly, then he could wholly tap upon its powers. Roar! It was instantly incensed upon hearing Li Luo''s words, roaring loudly with its massive fangs bared, expressing its utter anger. This despicable brat actually wanted it to recognise him as its master? Was he worthy? Faced with the indignant and furious Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, Li Luo''s expression remained calm. "If you agree, I''ll find a solution for you to break into the Duke Stage once I return you your freedom." The calm, collected voice sliced through the tense atmosphere and reverberated around the tiny, spatial location. Finally, the roars subsided. Chapter 0641: Tempting The Three-tail Chapter 0641: Tempting The Three-tail In the dimly lit space where the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was contained, the beast leered furiously at Li Luo. The final two conditions had led it to restrain itself. To be fair, they were extraordinarily wonderful for it. For a year''s worth of humiliation, this human brat would not only return its freedom, but allow it to break into the Duke Stage? How could such generosity exist in this world? What was the catch? A year was not much time to a long-lived spirit beastit would pass as quickly as one snapped their fingers. This transaction was undoubtedly good enough to make it shed tears of joy. Without even mentioning how precious freedom alone was, there was the additional alluring condition of being able to break into the Duke Stage. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf had reached the peak of the Heavenly Resonance Stage, comparable to being at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage. Strictly speaking, it was already at the crux of breaking into the Duke Stage, which meant that it was even stronger than the average peak Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivator by multiple times. However, it had been trapped at the gates, unable to break through despite countless years of trying. That final step had often eluded it, and it was difficult to break through the shackles that kept it in the Heavenly Resonance Stage. And right now, a tiny human said he''d assist it in doing so? Preposterous! Ludicrous! There was a suppressed, low roar that rumbled from the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf between gritted fangs. What was fascinating was that despite it being in disbelief over those words, it did not express the humiliation it felt the first time Li Luo spoke out. Instead, there was a questioning look in its eyes. Clearly, it had been slightly swayed by the sight of Li Luo''s triple resonances, reducing its contempt for him. On the other hand, Li Luo remained cool as a cucumber. "Do you feel that I can''t live up to my words?" The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf snorted, and a fishy stench wafted out from its breath, its actions speaking louder than its growls. "It looks like I have to enlighten and broaden your view of the world, so that you no longer remain an ignorant wolf in a well." Li Luo grinned. Listening to Li Luo''s mocking words, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf felt anger. Damned Fiend Palace human. You dare to make fun of a spirit beast at the peak of the Heavenly Dipper General Stage? Without this seal, a casual swat would turn him into meat paste! Li Luo could sense the beast''s anger, but he continued, "You piddly spirit beast. You don''t understand who stands behind me, so I won''t blame you. Plus, you''ve spent so much time trapped in dark spaces... I''ll just let you know that my backing is so amazing that even that King Stage expert you saw is fearful! That is why he directly made a request of me! Hmph!" These words were enunciated calmly and confidently. This was the natural air a thick-skinned fellow possessed, able to master both heart and body in acting to perform a masterpiece. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf felt a little taken aback right now. A King Stage powerhouse whom it couldn''t even muster the courage to despise was actually fearful of the mysterious backer of this brat? What sort of background did he have? "Alas, I am now far away from my homeland... and because of certain reasons, I''ve been restricted in many ways. Thus, I have no choice but to discuss terms with you personally. Frankly speaking... if you ever follow me back to my home, a spirit beast that has yet to break into the Duke Stage wouldn''t even have the right to carry my shoes, I''m afraid!" Li Luo continued placidly. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf bared its fangs and its scarlet pupils scowled at Li Luo. Was this brat just a flowery liar or did he truly have a terrifying background? Logically speaking, this brat clearly liked to brag. However, the fact that he had triple resonances and a King Stage expert had placed it in this seal for him was an action that spoke volumes about their relationship. As a result, it felt an indescribable apprehension. "You don''t need to be angry. This is just the hard truth, and reality is cruel." As Li Luo continued to banter, he suddenly stretched his hand out, and a blob of blood essence slowly floated into the air. It flew directly towards the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. When the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf focused upon the drop of blood essence, it could instinctively feel that it contained some sort of frightening presence, an aura of sheer terror. The fear it struck into its heart was even greater than that of the King Stage expert... This threw its thoughts into a frenzy, and the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf trembled. At the same time, a boundless desire for this drop of blood essence was born within its heart. A scarlet tongue licked the corner of its lips as it glanced at Li Luo once again. Seeing that the brat did not stop, it gulped the drop of blood essence down. Bang! When the drop of blood essence entered its stomach, its entire body began to shudder uncontrollably. At the same time, it could feel a terrifying pressure radiate from within its body, and a draconic roar resounded within its mind. Boundless suppression that transcended space and time descended down upon him. The suppression itself was not too intense, especially if one was a human. Perhaps it might not even have been noticeable. Unfortunately, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf could distinctly feel the suppression bearing down upon it with regal majesty. It was the pressure one felt when they were in the presence of a higher life form, something ingrained into every living creatures blood. An absolute suppression towards an inferior being. With that, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf kneeled. Its eyes didnt hide its shock as it stared at Li Luo with a blank expression. It finally believed Li Luo''s words. Just a mere droplet of blood essence was able to subdue it in spirit and body. This unimpressive brat undoubtedly possessed a background he could not afford to offend. Being able to restrain even a King did not seem too far fetched as a result. If this brat had such a background, relying on him might not be too bad, especially if it could enter the Duke Stage. Unknowingly, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf pulled back its presence, and the fiendish energy emitting from it reduced drastically. The thought struck it as it projected a thought towards Li Luo. "How can I trust you?" This brat looked like a treacherous individual after all. What if he didn''t return its freedom nor fulfill his promise after a year? Wouldn''t it have labored for nothing? A radiant smile burst forth from Li Luo''s face. He knew that the creature had been moved. This was to be expected. The temptation of the Duke Stage and freedom was a honey too sweet to be refused. Li Luo believed that no man or beast would ever refuse this proposition. Li Luo raised his hand and spoke seriously for once. "I can swear it upon my bloodline. Although I don''t know if there''s any use in that, I feel that you don''t have much of a choice either way." The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf glared at Li Luo for a moment more before sinking into deep thought. It was as Li Luo had said, it didn''t have much choice, and if it didn''t agree, it may very well be stuck within this space for the rest of eternity. A King''s seal was not something a spirit beast like itself could overcome. Since it was a desperate situation, it would be better to fight instead. If the brat in front of him had the background he bragged of, this temporary submission would not be completely unpalatable. With that, it lied down, indicating that it had chosen to abide by Li Luo''s conditions. This sight was a ripple of joy in Li Luo''s still heart. Convincing the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was easier than he had expected.The triple resonances and his supposed background provided the necessary push. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf would now be his strongest ace below the power of a Duke. It even had a chance to break into the Duke Stage. The willing assistance of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf far surpassed the strength he could draw out with the Heavenly Libation Chant. If the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf wasn''t so much stronger than him that he would have trouble controlling it, he would have very well just released the spirit beast directly, adding a top tier combatant to tip the scales in his favor. "Little Three, we will be battle buddies now." Li Luo enthusiastically walked up and patted the massive paws of the wolf. "Why don''t you try calling me Boss? If you follow me, you''ll get anything your heart desires. If you are loyal, then the Duke Stage will be nothing to you! You''ll be crowned the Heavenly Wolf King!" Listening to Li Luo''s fantastical bragging did not move itit completely ignored him. Instead, its eyes swept past Li Luo before closing as if to take a nap. If he truly wanted its loyalty, this brat would first have to surpass it. It was only for the sake of its freedom and future that it was willing to feign a sense of civility. Idiot brat. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 0642: Housemeets Eve Chapter 0642: Housemeet''s Eve It was the eve of the Housemeet. During this period of time, the headquarters of House Luolan had increased their defenses and vigilance. The pavilion masters who had thrown their lot in with Jiang Qing'' e and Li Luo had also arrived at Xia City, bringing their most elite forces with them. Manager Cai Wei had also allocated a significant amount of funds to hire external aid. Most of these individuals were at the Earth Fiend General Stage, while a few were at the Heavenly Dipper General Stage. Unfortunately, they were all at the Heavenly Pearl Stage as anyone stronger than that would likely have built a reputation of their own within the Xia Kingdom, and they would have an understanding of the terrifying maelstrom that was the House Luolan Housemeet. Even with excellent conditions, they would not willingly involve themselves. Regardless, House Luolan was the strongest it had ever been since the two House Lords had left. Within House Luolan''s Discussion Hall. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were sitting at the head as fevered discussions took place. The usually spread-out higher echelons of House Luolan had all gathered within this very location, greeting the duo and also reporting upon the situation over the past year. Li Luo was full of smiles, and he treated everyone with the warmth of spring air. Jiang Qing''e, on the other hand, remained serene without expression. However, everyone knew that this was her personality and did not take it personally, instead only demonstrating their complete respect for her. In fact, the entire group of House Luolan''s upper ranks also treated Li Luo with sincere respect as well. This was a complete change from the mentality they had towards him when they were at the old manor in the City of Southwind. They might have been respectful towards Li Luo on the surface, but that was because of his stature and Qing''e''s backing. No matter what, it was indeed a difficult thing to sincerely respect a blank palace Li Luo when the law of the jungle reigned supreme, even though he was the son of the two House Lords. However, in the short span of a year, Li Luo''s power and influence had undergone heaven-shaking transformations. He had not only shed his blank palaces but turned into a dual resonance user. At the same time, he entered Astral Sage College, becoming a figure of repute within. In fact, during the recent Holy Grail Meet, he had even managed to achieve the title of the strongest One Star Hall student, the significance of which was not lost upon them. It demonstrated that Li Luo did possess overwhelming power and potential amongst his peers. Furthermore, they had found out just yesterday, their young lord had even reached the Fiend Palace Tier. A single year of time was all he had needed to go from a blank palace to the Earth Fiend General Stage. This exceptionally swift cultivation speed shocked anyone who heard of it. It was even quicker than the likes of Jiang Qing''e''s. It seemed his dual resonances werent famous for nothing! Thus, Li Luo''s transformation had brought about greater relief and joyful surprise to the upper ranks of House Luolan. Li Luo was also the rightful young lord. His massive potential would mean that if House Luolan could overcome the trial of the Housemeet, it would undoubtedly be propelled to new heights in the future. It was possible that they could achieve a greatness that surpassed that of the previous House Lords. As a result, even though the Housemeet loomed overhead, Li Luo''s demonstration of talent and might had reassured the skittish and perturbed elders, giving them peace of mind. This was exactly what was expected of the House Lords lineage! Li Luo was able to discern the changes in their thoughts, so he knew that his goals had been achieved. With the Housemeet tomorrow, ensuring that his side remained convinced and composed was critical. This would allow them to demonstrate their full prowess. If not for wanting to hide his remaining cards, he might have even shown off his triple resonances. Although triple resonances didn''t mean much in terms of combat strength, they symbolized a rarely seen genius and potential. This would not only incite and inspire his men, but also get them to follow him loyally, with little chance of betrayal. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e continued to spend the better part of the afternoon greeting the endless stream of people, only concluding near lunch. When the crowd gradually dispersed, Li Luo stretched tiredly. But then he saw a small smile appear on Jiang Qing''e''s small, white cheeks, indicating her happiness. "What are you smiling at?" he asked "In their minds, you''ve become the actual young lord of House Luolan. This is the result you have carved with your own hands after a year of painstaking effort. I''m happy for you," Jiang Qing''e replied. Li Luo smiled. "Let''s leave the celebrations for tomorrow." Jiang Qing''e nodded slightly and then stood up. "Let''s go to Uncle Biao. We need to discuss tomorrow''s business with him." Li Luo nodded as well, and as Uncle Biao was House Luolan''s only Duke member, he was a critical part of any plan. The two left the discussion hall and headed to the inner courtyard, arriving at Uncle Biao''s kitchen. Upon entering, they saw Uncle Biao sharpening his pig-butchering knife, which had been stained with numerous red grooves. The blade glinted in the rays of the sun, reflecting a chilly light that caused one''s heart to palpitate in nervousness. Noticing that the two had arrived, he paused and hefted his knife towards the light with a sigh. "I would never have thought that my blade would see the light of the sun after so many years." "We will finally be able to see Uncle Biao reveal his true might. It has been a long time waiting." Li Luo grinned. Uncle Biao shook his head as he replied, sounding a little crestfallen, "It''s unfortunate that I''m no longer in my prime." Jiang Qing''e directly asked, "Uncle Biao, could you let us know just what sort of stage you''re at? What sort of strength do you possess and what grade of Duke are you able to handle?" Li Luo stared attentively at Ox Biaobiao. Since the Housemeet was tomorrow, Dukes from the Xia Kingdom would inevitably intervene, so they would have to deploy their own Duke in response to preserve their side''s morale. Otherwise, their side might very well turn tail and run rather than fight an impossible battle. Ox Biaobiao stroked his chin and smiled. "Dukes have nine grades, and most of those that you have seen in the Xia Kingdom are at the first or second grade at best. I may not have clashed with many of them directly, but from the information your parents provided, the Xia Kingdom''s Dukes are merely average. However, that''s not unexpected, considering we are in the outer divine continent and are therefore unable to compare with those in the inner divine continent. At the same time, this doesn''t mean that they are complete trash. The Golden Dragon Bank''s President Yu, the Astral Sage College''s Vice Principal Su Xin, House Jiyan''s fiery brat, and the royal court''s Regentthese are the four your parents have said are the strongest Dukes in the Xia Kingdom. They are all at the fourth-grade. The Regent is the most notable onehe is someone who has concealed himself deeply and possesses an ambitious heart... There is a saying about the nine grades of a Duke: one grade, one layer of heaven. Every grade indicates a massive gap between the next. All are equal below the might of a Duke. A single grade will allow them to massacre all." At this point, Ox Biaobiao hefted the pig-butchering knife in his hand once again. "So long as they are within House Luolan''s headquarters'' vicinity, not even those four I mentioned would be able to do anything with me around." "Wow, Uncle Biao! You''re truly amazing!" Li Luo cheered as he praised him. This was his first time learning that President Yu and Vice Principal Su Xin were at the fourth-grade. House Jiyan''s fiery brat... that should be House Jiyan''s House lord, Zhu Qinghuo. That was slightly surprising as well. "Now that I think about it, my parents were already fourth-grade Dukes when they left, right?" Li Luo asked. Ox Biaobiao smiled and nodded. "I thought so. They broke the record for being Xia Kingdom''s youngest Dukes, but I think their record is going to be surpassed by Sister Qing''e and I in a few years," Li Luo confidently bragged. Jiang Qing''e helplessly replied, "Cultivation before the Heavenly Resonance Stage can be quick, especially if one''s body is particularly talented. However, the Heavenly Resonance Stage is a huge gulf, and many of those who easily rose to that stage were forcefully halted from any further progress. At the Heavenly Resonance Stage, one requires a period of accumulation and opportunity. Breaking into the Fiend Palace Tier from the Resonant Master Stage within a year doesn''t mean much." Ox Biaobiao smiled as well. "Common sense dictates so as well. However, our Young Lord lacks neither potential nor opportunity. Breaking his parents'' records is not impossible. However..." He paused, and a smile that was not a smile appeared on his face. "The only problem is that... Young Lord, do you think your parents only broke into the Duke Stage after they arrived at the Xia Kingdom?" The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 0643: Underestimated Parents Chapter 0643: Underestimated Parents That last sentence struck Li Luo like a bolt from the blue, and even Jiang Qing''e was left a little shell shocked. The two stared at Uncle Biao. The implications of his question were earthshaking. "Uncle Biao, what are you trying to say?" Li Luo asked in astonishment. Ox Biaobiao continued to smile sweetly. "Wasn''t I obvious enough? Just who told you that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan broke into the Duke Stage in the Xia Kingdom?" Li Luo piped up. "Well, everyone in the Xia Kingdom said so!" "And does that mean that they are right?" Ox Biaobiao asked. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e faced each other in a daze, and the two were left in deep thought. At this point, Jiang Qing''e clarified the thoughts in her head. "Uncle Biao, are you saying that the Master and Mistress were already Dukes long before they arrived at the Xia Kingdom? If that is the case, why did they only reveal that they were at the Duke Stage after they had arrived? What were they trying to conceal?" Ox Biaobiao smiled. "Well, they didn''t do so on purpose. In a way, what the people have said isn''t wrong either. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan both reached the Duke Stage in the Xia Kingdom. The difference is that they did not make a new breakthrough, but instead managed to regain their powers. Indeed, they managed to reach the Duke Stage again after they arrived in the Xia Kingdom." Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e looked at each other in surprise. Restoring their strength to that of a Duke compared to breaking through into the Duke Stage meant completely separate things\. They were well aware of what this meant. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s record of breaking into the Duke Stage had to be brought forward by a few years! They were maddening geniuses! The entire Xia Kingdom had underestimated his parents. Li Luo had originally held his parents in high esteem, but it was clear that the reality was even more frightening. "Uncle Biao, you said that the Master and Mistress recovered their Duke Stage cultivation in the Xia Kingdom... Why did their cultivation stage fall, then?" Jiang Qing''e asked the most important question. Li Luo''s gaze also flashed with curiosity. His parents had come from the inner divine continent, and his dad even possessed the Veins of Heavenly Emperor Li. This must have been an absolutely powerful ability in the inner divine continent, and yet he had to find refuge in this destitute land? What exactly had happened? Ox Biaobiao fell silent for a bit. "Something forced them to leave the inner divine continent. I''ll tell you more about it after the Housemeet. That is what is important now." Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e demonstrated their agreement as well. Whatever happened tomorrow would determine their future direction. Pei Hao honestly isn''t much of a threat. What is more concerning are the Dukes that will take action," Li Luo mused. Jiang Qing''e nodded slightly. "From our intel, of the Five Great Houses, House Jiyan, House Duze, and House Lanling all have shown overt hostility towards us. House Jinque is still treating us with goodwill, but that doesn''t mean that they won''t turn on us tomorrow. Li Luo has gained the assistance of the First Princess, and she will provide a single Duke to assist us, generous and timely reinforcement. Other than that, we don''t have any more allies." Ox Biaobiao continued to sharpen his knife. "The ones that covet House Luolan may not be limited to the Great Houses. In fact, the ones controlling Pei Hao may not be any of them." Li Luo''s gaze flashed. "Uncle Biao, could you care to explain a bit more?" "Weren''t you asking about who had manipulated the death lottery, forcing Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan into the Noble''s Battlefield? Simply put, the Great Houses don''t have the clout nor influence to control the death lottery," Ox Biaobiao unenthusiastically murmured. Li Luo felt his heart sink. The death lottery was organized by the Astral Sage College, the royal court, and the Golden Dragon Bank. Could it be that all three of them had their tendrils in this crisis as well? Would they be forced to take additional precautions against the three top tier factions of the Xia Kingdom? That would be a troublesome situation. "I''m not saying that we have to guard against all three of these factions. The power they can bring to bear is colossal, but their internal politics are also chaotic. It''s not impossible to imagine that some of their inner factions have other thoughts despite them being neutral as a whole. We shouldn''t treat them as enemies or lessen our vigilance against them," Ox Biaobiao explained. The duo acknowledged this as well. "Thus, the number of Dukes that will appear tomorrow will not be small. Young Lord, you should prepare yourself," Ox Biaobiao continued. This was a catastrophe. "There is no need to be overly worried. House Luolan still has the defensive ward. Even if it is weakened, it''s still a force to be reckoned with. Those greedy Dukes may not necessarily dare to barge in openly. I think that their plan is to spur Pei Hao forward, to have him struggle and attain the position of House Lord. With the House Lord succession settled, they will naturally be able to control the defensive ward. With a thought, Pei Hao could simply dissipate it and open the gates for the wolves to enter. However, if he fails in his struggle, the defensive ward will preserve its ability to weaken Duke experts. And if any of them dare to take so much as a step within these grounds, even if there are a significant number of them, my pig-butchering knife will give them a taste of pain." Ox Biaobiao grinned at Li Luo. "Thus, Young Lord, you need not be overly worried. The battle for the position of House Lord is the pivotal battle. If you can overcome him, our situation will improve. Of course, you shouldn''t underestimate Pei Hao. He is a white-eyed wolf that bites the hand that feeds it. The hidden hand behind him must have made ample preparations for this day." Ox Biaobiao''s consoling words helped lift the heavy weight on Li Luo''s heart, and he nodded vigorously. "Uncle Biao, you can relax. I''ve done what needs to be done. I have full confidence I can deal with this damned beast." Although Li Luo was only at the Fiend Palace Tier, while Pei Hao had long entered the Fiend Finisher Tier and was therefore several tiers above him, neither Ox Biaobiao nor Jiang Qing''e had any doubts in his ability to deal with the traitor. In their hearts, how could some pitiful creature like Pei Hao be comparable to Li Luo? A smile floated on Jiang Qing''e''s face. "I hope to see Pei Hao get completely crushed before the eyes of the entirety of House Luolan. He''s all yours." Li Luo smirked in response. "Well, if something strange crops up, I''m not one to hog the spotlight. Sister Qing''e, please move decisively and destroy him in body and spirit. After all, we are going to get married, so you becoming the House Lord wouldn''t change anything." A trace of happiness could be seen in Jiang Qing''e''s golden eyes as she responded lightly, "Relax." ... Night had blanketed Xia City. The previously bustling city had turned silent, and only the whistling of the cool night wind could be heard. Royal Palace. Atop a pavilion, the First Princess was staring at the well lit city in front of her, then she turned to face the western part of it specifically, where House Luolan was situated. "The Housemeet begins tomorrow," she mused to herself. The atmosphere within Xia City was like a pressure cooker, rising immensely over the past two months, all in preparation for the monumental changes that would come. House Luolan''s Housemeet was just the first of many. The Housemeet would definitely involve all of the top factions in the city. The end of peace was nigh. "Li Luo, Qing''e, I''ve done all that I can... the rest is up to you." ...... Golden Dragon Bank After all of the day''s work was completed, Yu Hongxi stretched lazily, showing off her alluring curves. She then stood up and walked towards the window, the numerous lights of the city filling her gaze. After pausing to think briefly, she said to a nearby maid, "Inform everyone of my decision. The Golden Dragon Bank will be closed tomorrow and our monthly meeting will be held. Ensure that every single elder is present and on time. No one can be missing!" Astral Sage College At a specific pavilion Mentor Chi Chan was warming a cup of tea. On the table in front of her was a letter. A single word was emblazoned atop it. Resignation. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 0644: Housemeet Begins Chapter 0644: Housemeet Begins Badump! Warm rays of sunlight bathed Xia City in resplendent glory as the sun rose overhead. Sounds of drumming could be heard coming from House Luolan''s Headquarters. Right outside the gates hung many festive decorations with lion dances and drumming happening there. The mood was unusually celebratory. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were standing right outside, observing the proceedings calmly. Endless guests from the numerous forces came to participate in the revelry. However, they were mostly of low cultivation level. The key thing was House Luolan''s ward, which suppressed any Duke experts, and thus none of the leaders would come. It was an uncomfortable feeling after all. At the same time, the two were aware that there should be no shortage of spies and unsavory elements blended into the crowd. Still, they did not bother to weed out the troublesome individuals. The pointless rabble did not possess the might to change the situation in any way. "In House Luolan''s entire history of Housemeets, this is most likely the most complicated and hair-rising one, huh." Li Luo helplessly smiled at Jiang Qing''e. The usual event was one of celebratory joy in which the high-tiered officials of House Luolan would lead their forces to the headquarters to make their annual reports on the gains of the year. At the same time, the House Lords would reward the worthy and diligent, ensuring that this was a day that everyone anticipated. Today''s Housemeet would not be the same. Jiang Qing''e nodded. "House Luolan will definitely regain its splendor in the future. We will overcome this trial and use it as a way to strengthen ourselves." "This tonic seems pretty good after all. Sign me up, I''m convinced," Li Luo joked in response as he raised his head. Meanwhile, his gaze drifted around the towering pavilions that surrounded House Luolan. It was likely that numerous individuals from every faction were on them right now, observing the changes that were occurring here. "I truly want to see how many hungry wolves hanker for this delicious piece of meat." A cold glint flashed through Li Luo''s eyes. Right at this instant, Yuan Qing, Lei Zhang, and the other numerous highly ranked individuals of House Luolan who were loyal to the two had made their way to the front of the gate. They bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Young lord, Young Mistress!" Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were all smiles as they waved to them. After which, Cai Wei informed a steward to bring over some hot wine for the guests. This was a customary process. After receiving the wine, they bowed once again. At this time, both of them suddenly raised their heads, and their attention was directed to the front. A wave of figures came walking forward, parting the crowd with a turbulent momentum, directly facing the gate of the headquarters. "Young Lord, would you be able to spare me a cup of that Wine of Appreciation?" At the fore of the group of individuals who had barged in was none other than Pei Hao. He had a face full of smiles as he spoke directly to Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo. Yuan Qing''s expression turned chilly and he waved his hand, summoning his supporting forces. Each of them channeled the resonant power within them, causing blasts of resonant power to burst into the air. The festive mood had turned tense in the blink of an eye. Similarly, the large group behind Pei Hao began to unsheath their weapons, channeling their own resonant power in response. "Yuan Qing... are you trying to break the rules set by the House Lords? Or perhaps... you''re trying to sow dissent and tear the entire house apart with your reckless actions!" a white-haired male commented as he stared at Yuan Qing emotionlessly. "Xu Tianling... you still have the cheek to mention the two House Lords?" Yuan Qing thunderously replied. Another one of the ancestors, Mo Cheng, gave a dry laugh as he looked at Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. "Young Lord, could it be that you plan to block the entry of all us elders?" Li Luo glared at the trio before his eyes swept over the group behind them, some of whom even seemed familiar. They indeed were the elders of House Luolan. In his youth, he''d even received presents from some of them. "Everyone here does seem to be an elder of House Luolan, and all of you have contributed immensely to House Luolan in the past." Li Luo fell into a deep contemplation before turning to face these individuals attentively. "On behalf of your contributions in the past, I will give you one last chance to answer. During this Housemeet, do you plan to side with Pei Hao to the very end?" The pavilion masters who had been behind Pei Hao had their expressions turn stiff and unnatural. Pei Hao saw the change in their faces but only smiled. "Young Lord, don''t you think you should spare yourself those naive words? Do you really feel that there is any other option left for them?" The individuals behind him silently and glumly agreed. This was met with a shaking head, and Li Luo did not try again. "However, Young Lord, if you truly don''t want the Housemeet to devolve into an all out brawl, why don''t you give some thought to my proposition from before?" Pei Hao gleefully suggested. This was the proposal where both he and Li Luo would take the role as dual House Lords. "You white-eyed wolf. Don''t you think you should spare yourself those naive words?" Li Luo smiled as he returned the very same words back to him. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, but the smile remained hung on his face. Alas, it seemed that much of the warmth in his smile had been replaced with an aloof coldness. "Ancestor Yuan, please let them through. These visitors may not be our guests, but we will never reject showing them hospitality, as per our rules." Li Luo waved his hand magnanimously. If they had refused Pei Hao entrance into the headquarters for the Housemeet, a myriad of troubles would arise. The black hand behind the curtain would not sit by idly, and the situation would become even more disastrous. After which, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e turned to enter the headquarters directly. When Yuan Qing heard the command, he merely snorted in Pei Hao''s direction before waving the guards away. Pei Hao returned Yuan Qing''s icy gaze, merely surveying the surroundings before directing his group through. Both parties'' forces milled into the headquarters as the thunderous drumming continued. The only difference was that the previous beat heralded celebration, but this one was laced with killing intent. Within a large ground in the headquarters. Both parties were seated, with Li Luo and Qing''e sitting at the fore of two rows of tables. On the right was Yuan Qing, Lei Zhang, Cai Wei, and the rest in their faction. The left was naturally filled up by Pei Hao, Xu Tianling, Mo Cheng, and their allies. Within the field, a lively performance was taking center stage, seeking to lighten the atmosphere. This was also something that had occurred in years past. The only difference was that there were no revelries nor festive chatter. Everyone knew of the dark undercurrents that underlay today''s Housemeet. Thus, the usual, boisterous atmosphere had a particularly depressing backdrop, almost akin to the festivities at a funeral wake. Everyone had frigid expressions. They were clear that even if great effort were taken to maintain this facade, it would all be meaningless before the bitter battle that was about to explode. Today was the date where a calamity would befall House Luolan. ... Otherside the headquarters, atop a pavilion near the lake. A tall and well-built man garbed in green robes was sitting cross-legged. A small fire was warming a pot of wine in front of him as he gleefully looked at the bustling House Luolan. He poured himself a cup of tea before lightly chuckling. "Li Taixuan... I dedicate this cup of wine to you as I send off House Luolan." His robe was emblazoned with the symbol of a flame, the sigil of House Jiyan. This man was none other than the House Lord of House Jiyan, Zhu Qinghuo.[1] He sprinkled the cup of hot wine over the ground before he once again turned his attention towards the direction of House Luolan. A flame could be seen flickering within his pupils. "House Luolan''s Duke expert... Let us finally have a proper battle!" 1. His name is Greenfire. Hence green robes. The author is very creative :P ? The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 0645: Both Parties Act Chapter 0645: Both Parties Act The buildup to the Housemeet was extremely torturous. This was undoubtedly caused by the depressing atmosphere that pervaded the area. The field had been split nicely into two by the two tables that faced each other. Everyone knew that the most critical moment was about to arise, where all pretense of civility would be forcibly torn apart. Years of build-up would lead to a pivotal eruption where all would change. Thus, no one could pay attention nor appreciate the ongoing performances. Time passed in an agonizing fashion. The sweltering sun that loomed overhead gradually passed over the apex and began to set. At the same time, the activities entered their second phase. There would be a competition between pavilion masters. In previous years, the final victor would be rewarded immensely by the House Lords. However, this very same competition would also ignite the atmosphere and allow everyone to let loose. But things would be a little different this year. Once friends, they would now face each other as mortal enemies. This was no sparring contest, it was a battle to the death. Thus, the pavilion master competition would inevitably have an element of bloodshed. Dong! Dong! The drums boomed endlessly within the House Luolan Headquarters, gradually increasing in intensity. Amidst the bluestone paved square, waves of forceful resonant power were emitted as two silhouettes began to exchange blows. Each strike was infused with the intent to kill, any previous semblance of courtesy replaced with sheer bloodlust. In past years, such a fight would be accompanied by cheers, but the field was completely silent today. Everyone only watched silently, tightly clutching their weapons. Once the pavilion masters concluded their battles, the Housemeet would reach its climax and most important phase. The incense lighting ceremony. Why? Only the rightful House Lord had the right to light it. House Luolan currently lacked an official House Lord. Whoever wanted to possess the title would have to go through a series of procedures. One had to be confirmed by the watching members of the entire house. Li Luo and Pei Hao were thus awaiting this pivotal moment. Amidst the depressed atmosphere, Li Luo remained calm and serene, silently biding his time. By the end of the competition, the sun had almost set. The entire sky was blanketed by a gloomy darkness, almost reflective of everyone''s moods. At this point, under the watchful eyes of the audience, Li Luo began to rise from his seat. "Young Lord, there''s no need to hurry. We have to discuss the issue with the incense lighting ceremony." Pei Hao piped up with a smirk. "Although the Young Lord is the House Lords flesh and blood and possesses the right to inherit the position of House Lord, as per the House Lords rules, one also possesses the right to struggle for the position if he is able to obtain the recognition of two ancestors." "Pei Hao is an elder of House Luolan. He has served House Luolan faithfully over the years and I believe that everyone knows this deep down. As the namesake disciple of the House Lords, I believe he has the right to attain the position of House Lord. Mo Cheng and I, as ancestors of the house, have contemplated this issue for a long time. We plan to nominate Pei Hao, and thus, Young lord, we would invite you to take a step back for the incense lighting ceremony," Xu Tianling coolly spoke. Mo Cheng expressed his assent with a nod. "We invite the Young Lord to obey the rules set by the House Lords, to engage Pei Hao in a bout. The winner will become the House Lord." Li Luo, Yuan Qing, Lei Zhang, and the rest were fuming at this declaration. These animals had finally made their malicious intent apparent. Pei Hao similarly stood up and glanced at Li Luo. "Fighting the Young Lord is no different from bullying the weak. If the Young Lord is willing to let Disciple Jiang fight on his behalf, that is also acceptable." This concession took Li Luo by surprise, and he sized Pei Hao up. This fool wanted to challenge Jiang Qing''e directly? He was even taking the initiative to do so? It was clear that he had made targeted preparations. "I don''t want to hear the words Disciple Jiang from your filthy mouth. You and I are different. You''re merely a namesake disciple who became one through pity. You have to kneel and plead for three days before the Master and Mistress finally relented. Otherwise, why would you be chosen? You were a stray they picked off the street and given a new identity due to their mercy. Nothing else. Nothing more." Jiang Qing''e''s golden eyes glared at Pei Hao as her sharp words cut like knives. The vicious tirade caused the smile on Pei Hao''s face to recede, and his gaze turned cold. "You look down upon me? Based on what!? What right do you have?!" Li Luo waved his hand, seemingly trying to defuse the situation as he attentively spoke up. "No, no, you got it all wrong. She has never looked down upon you. You''ve overestimated yourself. She has never put you in her eyes." The looks of the audience turned a little strange. These two were just taking turns to insult him. Was their plan to infuriate him to the point that he might die of a burst vessel? "Pei Hao. Relax. Words alone cannot change the situation," Xu Tianling reminded him. Pei Hao sucked in a deep breath, and a hint of wintry frost could be seen in his eyes. He did not continue to bicker, directly jumping into the middle of the bluestone paved square, challenging Li Luo with a scowl. "Young Lord, please. Since you want to inherit the Master and Mistress'' businesses, you have to show strength that is befitting of it. Otherwise... don''t blame your senior for taking away what you cherish." A chilling smile surfaced on Pei Hao''s face. "I''m just doing this for the good of the house after all..." Royal palace. The First Princess raised her charming face as she admired the crescent moon hanging in the sky. After estimating that it was time, she fell into deep contemplation before eventually waving her hand. The void behind her rippled, and a figure dressed in red appeared. It was an elder with a benevolent expression and a slightly feminine temperament. He bowed deeply before the princess. "Your Highness." The red-robed elder smiled. "Chief Steward Qin, I''m afraid I have to trouble you with a little excursion. Remember, no one is to enter House Luolan. All you need to do is to stay outside and deter any Dukes from taking a step further," the First Princess ordered. Any Dukes that wanted to enter House Luolan at this point in time was undoubtedly an enemy that craved for the secrets it held within. One could only imagine the rivers of blood that would run through the lanes outside House Luolan tonight. Chief Steward Qin smiled and nodded before he disappeared like a puff of smoke, completely vanishing. Sensing the empty air behind her, the First Princess arced one hand behind her shoulder, the other lightly tapping the icy, hard stone block before her. The winds of change would descend upon the entire city tonight. None could avoid it. In the district outside the royal palace. A smoke-like shadow passed through the spacious corridors, ethereal and almost invisible. All of a sudden, an ice resonance activated and caused the surrounding temperatures to plummet, creating crystals of ice. A red-robed elder''s silhouette was slowed by the sudden onset of frost, phasing into existence in the middle of the corridor. The elder was naturally Chief Steward Qin. He was no longer smiling at this point, his eyebrows knitted into a frown as he glanced around. "What tyrannical ice resonant power. Governor Zhong, you seem to have taken a step forward after all these years. " The cold air started to condense before his very eyes, and a slightly thin middle-aged man eventually took shape. He was dressed in blue, his long hair tied into a whip that rested against his back. He held an expression of indifference, laced with arrogance developed from holding a position of importance for numerous years. This was Zhong Jie. He controlled three counties within the Xia Kingdom, a governor who possessed absolute power and influence. His son, Zhong Taiqiu, was the one that Jiang Qing''e had previously bested. "The night is long, and so there will be suffering. If I may ask, why have you left the royal palace, Chief Steward Qin? Where are you planning to go?" the governor asked with a face full of smiles and a polite tone. "Alas, I have been ordered to carry out a quick errand. I wonder, why did you stop this old man, Governor Zhong?" Chief Steward Qin replied with a smile. Governor Zhong sighed. "I too am restrained by the orders from above." Chief Steward Qin''s eyes shrunk as he slowly enunciated, "Does the Regent plan to interfere with House Luolan''s internal affairs?" Governor Zhong was one that wielded considerable might. In fact, he would not even obey the Young Emperor''s orders at times. The only individual that he was willing to obey was the one that had elevated him to the position he had today, the Regent himself. Governor Zhong smiled and did not reply. "I don''t want to exchange blows with you, Chief Steward Qin, so I would like to invite you to remain here till everything is resolved tonight. Would that be acceptable to you?" "Unfortunately, I will have to have a taste of Governor Zhong''s tyrannical Demonic Whale and Ice resonances," Chief Steward Qin glumly replied. As soon as he finished speaking, a gargantuan column of resonant power rose from the body of Chief Steward Qin, causing even the ground beneath him to tremble. At the same time, an endlessly growing world of nature seemed to have come to life in the void behind Governor Zhong. Countless blades of black grass stretched out like pythons towards him, in all of their fanged glory. Governor Zhong helplessly smirked. "So be it. I have always wanted to cross blows with your Earth and Ten Thousand Toothed Spirit Grass resonances. At the same time, a frigid and icy world took form in the space behind him. A massive creature could be seen swimming slowly beneath the layer of ice, releasing a low wail. The two Dukes began to clash right beside the royal palace. Chapter 0646: Accidental Meeting Chapter 0646: Accidental Meeting House Jinque. Singing and dancing could be heard from the courtyard. As the House Lord, Si Qing was currently sitting on a chair watching the performance with great gusto. After which, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard. "Father, House Luolan''s Housemeet has started. I fear that the other houses have taken action. Are we not going to do anything about it?" The ones who spoke were Si Tianming and Si Qiuying. The two siblings had a trace of urgency in their faces. "Yes, Father! If House Jiyan and House Duze were to enter the fray and defeat House Luolan, I''m afraid House Jinque would be next!" Si Qiuying hurriedly added. Interrupted in the middle of his entertainment, Si Qing felt a hint of unhappiness. He replied, "The situation with House Luolan is complicated. Things are not as simple as what you might see on the surfacethey are not black and white. House Jinque may be on good terms with House Luolan, but is it really to the extent of assisting them in a full blown conflict?" He looked at Si Tianming. "You''ve chased Jiang Qing''e''s skirt for so long that you''ve neglected your own cultivation. No wonder everyone looks down upon you. If you truly were able to win her hand, and Jiang Qing''e were to be a member of House Jinque, how could I not step in and assist them?" Si Tianming helplessly shrugged. "Qing''e has the bearing of a goddess. Unfortunately, I''m simply not worthy of her." "Tsk. Childish." Si Qing disdainfully shook his head and shifted his gaze towards another direction of Xia City. His unfathomable thoughts were reflected in his deep gaze as he pondered briefly. Afterwards, he waved his hand. "You guys can leave now. I will decide what to do as I have my own plans. These matters are beyond you. You''re not allowed to leave House Jinque tonight for your own good." Hearing their father''s command, the siblings could only leave with looks of worry. As he watched the two leave, the shadow of the tree branch covered Si Qing''s face and his eye''s flickered. "Li Taixuan..." House Duze. Duze Yan was also currently sitting atop a pavilion within his territory, admiring the beautifully lit-up Xia City. "Father, House Luolan could be considered to have been grievously poisoned! When are we going to take action? The way I see it, will that brat Li Luo still dare to act unbridled within the college once House Luolan has been exterminated?!" Duze Beixuan said with glee. On the other hand, Duze Honglian''s lips were tightly pursed. Her expression seemed a little complicated as she hesitated. Duze Yan placed his hands behind his back. No one was able to guess whether he was happy or frustrated at this sight. Duze Beixuan, on the other hand, continued his tirade. "Father! House Luolan and House Duze are mortal enemies. You cannot let this chance go by! Once we swallow up House Luolan, our strength and influence will undoubtedly rise by another level! You''ve waited so long for this day!" Duze Yan turned to face Duze Honglian. "What do you think, Honglian?" She paused, clearly unable to sort out the countless thoughts in her mind. In the end, she blurted out, "I don''t know." Duze Beixuan shot her an unsatisfactory glance. "Sis! Jiang Qing''e has trampled over you for so many years. This is our best chance to finally repay our debts!" "Quiet," Duze Yan commanded in an irritated voice. Duze Yan waved his hand at this point. "Neither of you will leave the house tonight, and we will enact martial law. I will deal with any issues or repercussions. Some things will come to an end tonight." When he finished speaking, he took a step out and vanished. Seeing this, Duze Beixuan excitedly said, "Father is finally going to show his hand! That damned House Luolan doesn''t even have a Duke. I''ll see how that brat Li Luo escapes this time!" Duze Honglian did not say a single word, and she turned to leave. On a street not too far away from House Luolan. The entire area surrounding House Luolan''s Headquarters had been cleared out in advance. All of the shops had closed and the streets were barren of any activity. No one was around. Si Qing appeared on this street at this time. He walked forward with slow, steady steps before suddenly coming to a halt. His gaze shifted to the top of a stone platform by the side of a shop. An individual was currently sitting there, holding a gourd of wine. Si Qing was a little taken aback, but he smiled as he walked over. "House Lord Duze, what a coincidence!" He took a seat by Duze Yan to observe and make a decision over this new development. Duze Yan had taken out a cup, which he filled full of wine before passing it to Si Qing. "Isn''t it a little strange that House Lord Si Qing has turned up here? Aren''t you the ones with the best relationship with House Luolan? Are you planning to enter their headquarters?" Si Qing gave a wry smile. "Can one simply say that the relationship between two Great Houses is the best?" Duze Yan quaffed a large mouthful of wine as he leered at Si Qing. "It looks like you are interested in House Luolan''s secrets, House Lord Si Qing. I believe that the two brats of House Luolan might find this quite unexpected... After all, they have always thought that House Jinque was a friend of theirs. Your houses have become much closer over the past few years, but could it be that you feel that this is pointless moving forward? Perhaps it''s time to change the path you take?" Si Qing smiled at these incisive questions. "It seems like House Lord Duze is mocking me for my choices. To be fair, our aim is the same. There''s nothing strange about it. If there''s anyone to blame, it should be Li Taixuan for leaving behind an object that can move even the most stalwart of hearts. Which Duke wouldn''t be tempted by the prospect of being able to understand the King Stage? How could one not feel a sense of greed for that heavenly treasure? Since we had the fortune of meeting here, why dont we take a walk together?" Duze Yan gulped down his wine and nodded. Si Qing chuckled at the sight of this. But right at the moment the chortle left his lips, thunder could be heard booming in the sky. Immediately after, the vicinity began to rapidly rise in temperature, and a steel fist imbued with fire and thunder ripped through the void with tyrannical and vicious force, punching right towards Si Qing. Golden light quickly shrouded Si Qing''s body, and the manifestation of a Golden Sparrow appeared behind him. The bird''s wings slashed downwards, imbued with an inscrutable sharpness, colliding directly with the fist. Bang! Terrifying amounts of resonant power washed across their surroundings when the attacks collided. Interestingly, the streets and houses were untouched by this raw display of force. Instead, only the constantly rippling and distortion of space that remained was testament to the alarming strength each party had displayed. Si Qing''s smile seemed to have receded slightly at this point. "House Lord Duze, why have you acted against me?" Duze Yan''s expression remained cold and silent. "Are you so greedy that you want to monopolize all of House Luolan''s treasures for yourself?" Si Qing''s voice also gradually turned frosty. This finally elicited a response. "If I were to tell you that my aim is to prevent you from dealing with House Luolan, would you believe me?" Si Qing was taken aback by this statement, and he sarcastically replied, "Have you gone mad, sir? House Duze and House Luolan are mortal enemies! It''s a common fact known to everyone! And now you tell me that you want to protect House Luolan? Were all those years of strife and battle just a farce?" Duze Yan emotionlessly replied, "It was not an act. We were actually fighting." "Then did you knock your head somewhere and go mad?" Si Qing felt that this situation was incongruous with his expectations. Their houses had often fought bitterly, and now he was being stopped by this damned House Lord after he had decided to act? He had to be a lunatic! "I''m not crazy." Duze Yan''s expression was a little dour as he icily scowled. "It''s a promise I had with Li Taixuan." Si Qing felt that he was the one going crazy now, and fury raged within his eyes. "You and Li Taixuan had a secret agreement? Didn''t you despise him with every fiber of your being? He''d fly over to give you a beating whenever he was free. Has there been any Duke in the history of the Xia Kingdom who has been battered more times than you in open combat? Damn it, don''t tell me that he pummeled the friendship into you?!" Even an esteemed House Lord was reduced to crude language at this outrageous sight. "You talk a lot of crap. Do you know what our agreement was? I told him that if he, Li Taixuan, could trounce me twenty times in battle, I''d promise him a single favor," Duze Yan icily explained. This left Si Qing completely speechless. The reason he had been thumped so soundly in the past was because of this challenge? "Duze Yan, do you really think that holding me back here can protect House Luolan? You should know better than me who is behind all this," Si Qing continued. Duze Yan took a step forward, and the void behind him rippled. A world of fire and thunder manifested behind his back. Right in the middle of the realm was a massive Duke Bergfried. "I don''t care about anything else. My agreement was that I''d do something about it. Whether House Luolan can be protected is not my problem anymore." Chapter 0647: Beat to the Punch Chapter 0647: Beat to the Punch House Luolan''s Headquarters, great square. Under the watchful eyes of the audience, Li Luo lithely vaulted into the middle of the square like a spirited monkey, directly facing off against Pei Hao. The frenzied beating of drums rang out once again with his arrival. Yuan Qing, Cai Wei, Lei Zhang, Yan Lingqing, and all those on the side of Li Luo had their expressions turn heavy. They felt worried for him. There was a significant disparity in strength and cultivation between the two. Although Li Luo''s progress had been swift, the chasm between the two was not so easily bridged. Even though Li Luo had entered the Fiend Palace Tier, that was a stage that Pei Hao had reached many years ago! This battle was not one that was fair to begin with. However, they knew that this was not a time to quibble over such things. This was a life and death struggle for the position of House Lord, so no one would be concerned about decorum or impartiality at this point in time. These were childish thoughts reserved for the weak. The good thing, of course, was that Jiang Qing''e could step in. Even if Li Luo lost to Pei Hao, Jiang Qing''e could still turn the tide. As a result, they all felt that Li Luo''s actions were just the start of a show, which restored some degree of relief. It might be a loss of face if Jiang Qing''e stepped in, but it was still better than letting Pei Hao have the last laugh. "Young Lord, I''m surprised to see such bravery coming from you." Pei Hao leered at Li Luo, his cocky smile appearing once again. "You think you''ve already got the cat in the bag, huh?" Li Luo retorted. You have managed to enter the Fiend Palace Tier in the short span of a year, Young Lord. Your cultivation speed truly leaves me in the dust. If you had another two years of time, I would have undoubtedly been surpassed by you. Alas, that is a huge if." Pei Hao shook his head. Li Luo smiled. "What? You don''t believe me?" Pei Hao''s grin became larger. "Li Luo, do you truly think that my strength has stagnated all these years? That I have not made any progress? Since you know how to hide and bide your strength, can I not do the same?" After he finished speaking, Pei Hao executed a single hand seal. His resonant power flooded out from him, causing a tempestuous wind to sweep across all in the square. His resonant power was golden in color and possessed an incomparable sharpness to it. It was as if it was a peerless sword, capable of rending the skies and the earth with but a single swing. Furthermore, what surprised the audience the most was that they could see two heavenly pearls condensing behind him, frantically sucking in the worldly natural energy around him like a vortex. Forceful resonant power swept forth from him that caused everyone to feel a sense of pressure. "Two-Pearl Stage?" Yuan Qing stood up with a steely, green expression. "Pei Hao has already broken into the Heavenly Pearl Stage?" Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing glanced at each other, ugly expressions forming on their faces. Li Luo and Pei Hao originally had a huge difference in power to begin with. Now the gap had widened considerably, to a point where it was basically impossible to bridge the difference. The atmosphere around Li Luo''s faction had turned somber. Whereas Pei Hao''s side was full of smiles. When Jiang Qing''e saw this, her clear, golden eyes rippled slightly, but no change of expression could be seen on her fair cheeks. Pei Hao having hid his power wasn''t really surprising... In any case, whether Pei Hao was at the Fiend Finisher Tier or the Heavenly Pearl Stage made not much difference to Li Luo. During the Holy Grail Meet, Li Luo had managed to crush a Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other. This demonstrated that his trump card clearly far surpassed the power of the Heavenly Pearl Stage. On the square, Li Luo looked as though he was taken aback by Pei Hao''s sudden explosion of strength. He nodded and said in praise, "Not bad. I actually believed that you hadn''t made any progress. That would have been too humiliating for House Luolan, and tongues mightve waggled. How could someone with such pathetic talent have the right to become the House Lord? Would House Luolan have any future left in that case?" Pei Hao remained expressionless and did not bicker with Li Luo. He waved his palm, and the golden sword that hung on his ear flew into his grasp. A windstorm formed around it and then it transformed into a longsword that he firmly wielded. "Time to act, Li Luo. Don''t waste my time," he said grimly. "Well, in this case..." Li Luo''s palm brushed over the scarlet-red bracelet as he said within his heart, "Little Three, carry out the Lesser Heavenly Resonance technique." A roar of dissatisfaction could be heard from the depths of the bracelet. It was completely annoyed with that nickname. Regardless of its discontent, a ferocious amount of violent resonant power poured forth. With the usage of the Heavenly Libation Chant, it transformed into a power that Li Luo could control. On the surface, red runes seemed to have appeared on his body, and his pupils gradually turned scarlet. After he had broken into the Fiend Palace Tier, the amount of energy his body could contain had also significantly increased. Although the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s energy still possessed a corrupting effect on his mind, his situation felt much better than the time at the Holy Grail Meet. "Well then. I won''t be courteous." As he uttered that sentence, he lifted a foot before stepping down. Bang! The earth trembled and then Li Luo barrelled out like a crimson light, causing the space around him to shatter from sheer speed. A frightening pressure exuded from his body as he no longer bothered to conceal the extent of his power, which erupted from him and stirred the skies. This startling development caused everyone''s expressions to change! Including Pei Hao''s! The strength that Li Luo had just demonstrated far exceeded the Heavenly Pearl Stage! "So it turns out that this was Li Luo''s trump card?!" Pei Hao screamed within his heart. Rumble! As the space around him was torn apart, Li Luo approached Pei Hao like a ghostly figure, too fast and too ephemeral to see. He formed a fist that was shrouded with majestic amounts of blood-red energy, looking like an ancient, feral wolf come to life, snarling with fangs and claws outstretched. Pei Hao did not hesitate either. With his golden sword in hand, sword light and energy coalesced upon his weapon, eventually condensing into a single lethal sword edge that he hacked down with. The azurestone tiling of the square was suddenly cut into two. Bang! The sword light was extremely tyrannical, possessing a berserk spirit that even seemed to surpass the blood-red energy. The two individuals clashed directly, sword light struggling against blood-red energy. The roles had been reversed as with the help of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, Li Luo now possessed Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage power! Pei Hao with his two-pearl Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivation simply could not compare! BANG! In just two breaths of time, the golden sword light was forcibly shattered into tens of thousands of fragments, creating countless holes in the ground where they landed. Pei Hao''s expression changed and he attempted to retreat. However, the blood-red fist manifestation created by Li Luo had not dissipated! It mercilessly crashed onto Pei Hao! Bang! Low gasps resounded throughout the square with countless shocked gazes falling upon Pei Hao, who had been sent flying by a single strike. He miserably crashed into the ground, leaving behind a long furrow along the ground before finally being stopped upon a massive collision against a gigantic, stone pillar. The pillar exploded into pieces, burying him in debris. The entire square fell silent. Cai Wei, Yan Lingqing, Yuan Qing, and the rest watched with jaws agape, staring at Li Luo. Was the Housemeets final battle over just like this? Just as House Luolan''s battle started. Golden Dragon Bank, Discussion Hall. Yu Hongxi was currently seated with Lu Qing''er by her side. As Yu Hongxi surveyed the room calmly, her gaze swept across the table from Ning Que on the right, passing by each figure one after another. After a moment, she lightly tapped the table before her as she coldly questioned, "Where is Elder Han Long?" Chapter 0648: The Winds Move Chapter 0648: The Winds Move "Where is Elder Han Long? I will not repeat myself again." Yu Hongxi''s chilly voice reverberated around the Discussion Hall. Any whispering had immediately ceased, and the senior officials of the Golden Dragon Bank glanced at each other while seated upright. "Keke. Could he have forgotten? Elder Han Long went out to deliver some goods to the West Flame branch half a month ago. Looking at the time, he should probably still be rushing back." Someone laughed as the rest were deep in thought. Yu Hongxi turned to face the source of the laughter, Vice President Ning Que. She glared at him with a sharp expression before slowly enunciating, "Could it be that he couldn''t make it back in time... Or does he have other matters to deal with?" Vice President Ning Que looked a little stunned. "What other matters could he deal with?" Yu Hongxi didn''t bother to beat around the bush. "Today is House Luolan''s Housemeet. I don''t wish for anyone in the Golden Dragon Bank to stick their fingers where they don''t belong. We are a neutral faction, and if I am to be blunt, if I find out that anyone is trying to fish in troubled waters... then they can get the hell out of the Golden Dragon Bank." Listening to her icy words caused the hearts of many of the senior executives to turn cold with apprehension, completely speechless. Yu Hongxi had tightly controlled the Golden Dragon Bank in the Xia Kingdom for many years, her prestige and influence well rooted into the hearts of their members. Ning Que, on the other hand, remained unflustered, only grinning in response. "Now that the President has made such a declaration, how would anyone here dare to do so? However, President, you must also remember that the Golden Dragon Bank is a neutral party. From your words, I feel like you might be a little biased towards House Luolan." Hearing the vice president''s piercing words caused shock to arise in the hearts of the other executives, but they calmed down. Although Yu Hongxi held significant prestige here, Ning Que was of a similar stature. He was the only one who had the capabilities of contesting her in the past, and he also had similar backing in the headquarters of the Golden Dragon Bank. Yu Hongxi was unperturbed by this. "If the Vice President feels that my methods are not in line with the bank''s code of conduct, you can lodge your complaint with headquarters and get me impeached." This was met with a laugh. "President, you are too serious. I was merely asking a simple question. Don''t mind me." She declined to bicker further with him. Lu Qing''er had a trace of worry in her eyes. Elder Han Long''s disappearance was too coincidental. In fact, she had never expected that it would be him. That elder had a low profile within the bank and was considered to be a centrist, never really involving himself in the power struggle between her mother and Ning Que. Being out for a delivery during such a critical period of time was indeed suspicious. It seemed as though his neutral stance and low profile was all an intentional act. He had probably aligned himself with Ning Que in secret. "What a cunning, old fox," Lu Qing''er snorted coldly. "Mother," she lightly called out. Yu Hongxi did not reply, merely patting her hand and proceeding with the meeting. ... '''', In a forest far away from the Xia Kingdom. A large number of individuals were sitting around campfires, a Golden Dragon Bank banner identifying the group planted in the ground nearby. Within the group was an emerald-robed old man. He had a genial expression as he joyfully chatted with the people around him, whilst the people treated him with utmost respect. The festivities went on for a significant amount of time before they started to disperse and rest for the night. The elder then raised his head and observed the dark sky above. Sensing that it was time, he slowly placed down the piece of roasted meat in his hand, quietly returning to his own tent. The surroundings gradually turned silent as all went to sleep. At this moment, a blurry figure soundlessly dashed out of the camp and the forest, rushing towards the direction of the Xia Kingdom with breakneck speed. Yet right as he moved, he heard the peal of laughter ring out not far from him. "Hehe. Isn''t that Elder Han Long? Are you planning to leave on your own? What about the escort?" The blurry figure ground to a halt, and the emerald-robed elder glanced in the direction of the voice. A figure was standing there, chuckling as he stared at him. "Branch President Lu Cao? Why are you here?" Han Long''s face was full of surprise as he looked at that figure. This was the branch president he had met previously to drop off the delivery. Why was he here right now? "Ah. Well... I received President Yu''s order that if I were to encounter Elder Han Long''s group, I should follow you back to Xia City to make a report. She even extolled me to ensure that we went together," Branch President Lu Cao explained attentively. Elder Han Long''s complexion turned gloomy. This particular branch president was someone with significant stature within the Golden Dragon Bank and wasn''t any weaker than him in terms of strength. His timely appearance had to be related to Yu Hongxi''s prescient arrangements. She obviously knew of his assignment... and he had even thought that his acting had misled her. Clearly not. That woman was unfathomable. "Hehe. Elder Han Long, are you in a rush to return to Xia City? If so, let me accompany you," Branch President Lu Cao offered sincerely. Han Long''s heart and mind were in turmoil before he finally revealed a forced smile. "No, no... I was feeling a little bottled up whilst within my tent. Thus, I wanted to enjoy the gorgeous night scenery..." "Oh... so that''s the case." Lu Cao grinned as he walked over. "Well, the night is long and weary. Why don''t we have a chat? It might relieve some of your boredom." Han Long gritted his teeth and helplessly agreed. Yu Hongxi had schemes that ran deep. He had left more than half a month in advance, but his ploy was still discovered. She had even employed means to ensure his absolute compliance with her commands Astral Sage College. In the lush shade of a leafy grove, a black shadow passed through swiftly like a civet in its territory. Moonlight pierced through the dense forest and coincidentally shined upon it, revealing an individual tightly cloaked in black from head to toe, and a curvaceous body that would incite the lust of any man. Her shadow lightly vaulted through the trees to her destination. This individual possessed a beautiful and aloof face and was none other than Ye Chengying of the Seven Astral Pillars. When she approached the gates of the college, she paused, not advancing any further. Instead, she coldly glanced towards the shadows. "You''d dare to lurk in front of me with your pitiful strength?" At the same time, the shadows coalesced into the figure of a human. '''', It was Xin Fu. He looked at Ye Chengying, his pale face leaking out a bitter smile. "Elder Sister Ye, there is no need for you to participate in tonight''s proceedings." "Do you not know that this is the command of the house?" she coldly retorted. "So what? You don''t have to go," Xin Fu continued. "Psh. Do you think you can hold me back?" Ye Chengying raised the dagger in her hand, and a black light started to coat it. She vanished as quickly as she finished speaking and reappeared by Xin Fu in the blink of an eye, weapon pressed to his throat. The blade glinted with a chilly light. With a mere push, it would penetrate his neck. However, Xin Fu remained unmoved, only quietly observing her. "Hmph. Do you really believe I won''t dare to kill you? You have obstructed the House Lord''s command. Even if you die, he will not blame me," Ye Chengying declared icily. "...Li Luo is my friend," Xin Fu finally sputtered out after deep thought. "The notorious House Lanling actually has an upright young lord?" Ye Chengying sarcastically mocked. "Well, I''m from the Fairness & Justice Squad after all," he joked before staring at her squarely in her eyes. "You know that I dislike House Lanling. I don''t like their emotionless and cruel rules. During that brutal elimination competition that year, I risked being put to death by my impassive father to bring you, who had been destined for death after being eliminated, back from the brink." A trace of emotion flashed past her merciless gaze riddled with killing intent. She gripped the black dagger even more tightly after hearing those words. This tense atmosphere lasted for a while before Ye Chengying finally removed her dagger from Xin Fu''s throat. "Bring out all your friends, then. I want to see if a group of One Star Hall students can restrain me. How could you have become so naive to believe these weaklings could handle the situation?" She glanced at the little grove behind Xin Fu. With that, a series of figures milled out. Yu Lang, Bai Mengmeng, Qin Zhulu, Bai Mengmeng, Zhao Kuo, and the rest appeared. Yu Lang grinned. "Xin Fu, couldn''t you have told us earlier that Sister Ye is your old acquaintance? Your words gave my little a heart a complete fright!" Ye Chengyings eyes coldly swept over the group before her expression shifted in shock at the last figure that had appeared from the forest. "Qiao Yu?" A plainly dressed, long-legged girl with a head of ear-length, silver hair had strode out. She was the one who had caused Ye Chengying to feel a little taken aback. After all, Qiao Yu was also a member of the Seven Astral Pillars. It was inconceivable that she had appeared right here at this time. "It looks like your preparations have been more than sufficient after all... considering you invited her along." Ye Chengying glared at Xin Fu. If negotiations broke down, he would have violence to back him up. Qiao Yu''s expression was indifferent as she completely ignored Ye Chengying. Instead, she turned to face Bai Mengmeng. "Hey, my jobs done. Pay up!" ... Just as Xin Fu and the rest were obstructing Ye Chengying, there was another development right outside the college. Mentor Chi Chan had changed from her usual robes and was currently making her way down the stone steps of the school. The frosty, night wind blew past, causing her veil to ripple and reveal her white and delicate chin. She did not enter Xia City, instead making her way in the southwestern direction. House Lanling''s headquarters was hidden deep within the mountain range there. Chapter 0649: Conflict Within The Gilded Palace Chapter 0649: Conflict Within The Gilded Palace Astral Sage College, Gilded Palace. Vice Principal Su Xin was tiredly massaging her eyebrows with one hand and holding a letter of resignation in the other. "Vice Principal, Mentor Chi Chan''s actions have been too rash. Even though she has handed in her resignation, how can that wash away all traces of her association with the Astral Sage College? Once she participates in House Luolan''s business, how will the other factions of the Xia Kingdom take us as a neutral party any longer?" An angry voice rang out from one end of the Gilded Palace''s long table. The Violet Vibrance mentors turned to the source and found out it was a stern-faced Shen Jinxiao who had made that comment. His words quickly elicited approval amongst the mentors, and they nodded deeply. His words had hit the situation right on the nail. Mentor Chi Chan might have given up her faculty position, but her association with the college was not so easily erased. Additionally, how could she simply resign and immediately go to battle on behalf of House Luolan? Everyone would require a clear explanation from the college! Vice Principal Su Xin remained impassive as she replied, her refreshing voice snapping people out of their thoughts, "Then how does Mentor Shen Jinxiao propose we act?" Shen Jinxiao respectfully replied, "I recommend we dispatch a few Violet Vibrance mentors to capture and return her to the college. If she wants to resign, it will be after House Luolan''s Housemeet." His declaration caused whispers to erupt throughout the Gilded Palace. Some agreed, some objected, and debate raged for a while. "Bullshit. Once someone resigns, they naturally no longer have any affiliation with the college. What do you think a college is? A den of infamous bandits? One can only join but never leave?" At this point an irritable voice spoke out. It was Mentor Huo Xu who had directly refuted Mentor Shen Jinxiao''s point. Shen Jinxiao frowned. "Mentor Huo Xu, I know that Jiang Qing''e is your student, but the current situation is about maintaining order and calm! Our personal relationships cannot influence the actions we take." "The college has its own sets of rules. That''s to be expected. However, I''m just saying that everyone here has the right to resign. You don''t have to use such a nonsensical answer to cover up your true intentions." Mentor Huo Xu coldly snorted as she glared towards Vice Principal Su Xin. At the same time, she tossed a letter of resignation in her direction. "Vice Principal Su Xin, I QUIT!" This scene left the other Violet Vibrance mentors completely dumbfounded. Two mentors had chosen to resign on the same day. Even a single resignation was rarely seen in the college. Shen Jinxiao immediately turned gloomy. "Mentor Huo Xu, the way I see it, you''re just an annoying troublemaker!" "Mind your own business, you craven fool!" Huo Xu immediately thundered. '''', "Not my business? The way you''re acting, you''re trampling all over the good name of our college! As an esteemed member of the faculty, how could I not speak out!?" Shen Jinxiao argued back. "Aren''t you just targeting Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, hoping to watch House Luolan fall into ruin?" Huo Xu retorted. "You and Chi Chan are only doing this because you value their potential. Perhaps you think they might reach the King Stage and you want to first sow seeds?" Shen Jinxiao continued to pointedly accuse. Of course, his words were met with a furious comeback. "I do what I WANT!" The numerous Violet Vibrance mentors seeing the two bicker helplessly shook their heads. "Enough! Silence!" At this point in time, Vice Principal Su Xin could no longer handle this, slamming her palm onto the table with a gaze cold enough to freeze someone. Seeing the usually benign vice principal go into a rage caused even the frenzied Huo Xu to quiet down and take a seat. Shen Jinxiao similarly had an aggrieved expression. "Mentor Huo Xu, I will not accept your resignation. Although you have the right to do so and I cannot stop you, if news of this were to spread, how will anyone ever believe that our college is neutral," Vice Principal Su Xin asked in a low tone. Huo Xu listened, but before she could speak her mind, she was dragged back by one of the Violet Vibrance mentors she was on good terms with. Shen Jinxiao heaved a sigh of relief before asking, "What about the issue with Mentor Chi Chan? How are we dealing with it?" Vice Principal Su Xin shot him a glance. "Mentor Chi Chan has already left the college and thus we will leave her be. We will not be sending teams to arrest her. Do you know how bad that will reflect upon us? Regardless, this matter of resignations will cease right now. Such malignant trends will no longer continue!" Shen Jinxiao frowned, clearly displeased at the final decision. However, this was Vice Principal Su Xin''s decision to make, and he could only agree. "Due to the situation in Xia City, no mentor will be allowed to leave the college," Vice Principal Su Xin warned. Everyone merely nodded nonchalantly. They already knew the college''s rules by heart and were not interested in dipping their toes into the murky situation with House Luolan. Vice Principal Su Xin''s gaze eventually landed upon Shen Jinxiao. Regardless, he could only indifferently nod his head. After reminding everyone once more, she adjourned the meeting. When the group of Violet Vibrance mentors left the Gilded Palace, Vice Principal Su Xin looked at the letter of resignation in her hand and felt a sense of helplessness and a headache as she sighed deeply and waved her hand. "Secretly survey and monitor Mentor Shen Jinxiao''s lodgings. You must absolutely prevent him from leaving the college." After she spoke, the void behind her rippled and dispersed. After which, she heaved a sigh and observed the horizon outside of the Gilded Palace, looking in the direction of Xia City. '''', To be honest, she had already done the most she could within the rules of the college. It was her being partial towards Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. Otherwise, Chi Chan could not have left the college so easily without a sound. Chi Chan being able to leave was a tacit agreement on her part. Hopefully, those two brats could preserve House Luolan. She had done her best. ... After Shen Jinxiao left the Gilded Palace, he made his way back to his abode. Entering his room, he formed a hand sign and a rune lit up on the wall. It then spread to cover the entire room, isolating it from the world and preventing anyone from surveying what was going on. After which, he glanced out the window in the direction of several shadows, smirking callously. He could feel a ripple of spatial movement within the shadows, making it clear that someone was observing him. It must have been an arrangement of Vice Principal Su Xin, worrying that he would scurry off and interfere with House Luolan''s Housemeet. "Vice Principal, oh, Vice Principal... it looks like you''ve severely underestimated me." Shen Jinxiao sinisterly grinned and shook his head. After which, he made his way underground to a secret room. This secret room was pitch-black and had quite a depressing atmosphere to it. Shen Jinxiao made his way to a black altar within the room and sat cross-legged atop a stone platform before it. Raising his palm, the altar seamlessly split into two, and a jade case slowly arose from within. Opening it, one could see a beating heart stored securely inside! No... it wasn''t a complete heart, but rather just half of one. Shen Jinxiao focused upon the beating half heart as he executed yet another hand sign with both his hands. Saturnine rays of light shot out from his fingertips, directly piercing into the organ. At this point in time, numerous images flashed past his eyes. What he saw took him by surprise and made him chuckle. "Li Luo is full of surprises. So this turns out to be his trump card, a form of external power that he borrowed? Looking at how fiendish it is, the source ought to be some sort of spirit beast. In fact, it even seems familiar..." Shen Jinxiao mused over this for a few seconds before his eyebrows jumped. "This is the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf that was locked up in the Umbra Cave! Is this the workings of the Principal?" The spirit beast''s power could not be borrowed without cost. It required a wondrous technique to transform it into something a human could use, and only the Principal possessed this capability. "Pei Hao, oh, Pei Hao... you are truly useless. If we had to rely on you, you wouldn''t even be able to beat Li Luo nor Jiang Qing''e! Lucky for you, you have my assistance from the shadows." Shen Jinxiao sneered as a drop of blood essence flew out from his fingertip. The blood essence wriggled, transforming into some sort of blood-red curse mark before sinking right into the half-heart before him. "Now I''ll bestow upon you a little bit of my strength..." Within the depths of the strange room, Shen Jinxiao''s cold whisper quietly dispersed into the wind. Chapter 0650: Pei Haos Backer Chapter 0650: Pei Hao''s Backer House Luolan''s Headquarters, the square. The entire place was silent as shocked looks were shot at the collapsed stone pillar. On the other side was an extremely calm Li Luo, contrasting against the storm in their hearts. Especially Xu Tianling, whose jaw was agape. No one had expected that this supposedly unfair battle would end in a blitz-like strike with an unimaginable result. The two-pearl Heavenly Pearl Pei Hao had been sent flying by a single blow from Li Luo? Cai Wei was so taken aback that she covered her mouth with her hand as she looked at Yan Lingqing, whose eyes were like saucers. "How did the Young Lord become so ferocious?" Yan Lingqing paused for a moment. "The resonant power Li Luo''s body is emitting seems to have reached the lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage..." "The characteristic of this resonant power was extremely berserk, a far cry from the Young Lord''s usual resonant power... It''s most likely some sort of external aid," Yuan Qing commented. Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing didn''t feel that Li Luo utilizing some sort of external aid was cheating. In any case, Pei Hao wanted to use his superior cultivation to suppress Li Luo in a supposedly fair battle anyway. Naturally, there were no qualms in utilizing other means to achieve victory. Being able to effectively harness extraneous factors was also a power in and of itself. This wasn''t some sort of friendly debate between students in a college. This was a battle of life and death. No methods would be spared. Jiang Qing''e similarly focused upon Li Luo. She could feel the mad power surging out of his body, and it was the first time she had personally seen it. During the Holy Grail Meet, the reason Li Luo had managed to beat the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other was likely due to this ability. The usage of the power had significant aftereffects and had even caused serious damage to him when he had used it previously. Thus, Li Luo would not lightly tap upon this power. On the other hand, it seemed that he had immediately activated it to deal with the Heavenly Pearl Stage Pei Hao. It was a move likely born out of necessity as the gap between the two was too large. A Fiend Palace Tier could not hold a candle before a true Heavenly Pearl Stage after all. Jiang Qing''e turned to face the shattered stone pillar. Li Luo''s strike was unexpected, and Pei Hao should have suffered critical damage. Still, thinking that Pei Hao was killed off immediately would be a little far-fetched. He had been preparing all sorts of trump cards for years, and it would be unbelievable that he had no response to this. '''', Li Luo, on the other hand, continued to observe the situation coolly; however, he did not relax his guard. BANG! At this point, the silence was broken. A giant stone fragment shot out from the rubble, flying directly at Li Luo like a missile. The projectile disintegrated with a single strike from Li Luo, and he continued to focus intently at the heap that Pei Hao was trapped under. At this moment, the debris of boulders began to slowly fragment and crumble into dust as frightening resonant power surged out. BANG! The rubble instantly pulverized into dust, slowly floating in the air, suspended by the sheer density of resonant power being emitted. A single figure began to walk out slowly. Wow! Cheers resounded in the square from Pei Hao''s supporters. They were instantly delighted at this scene. On the other hand, Li Luo''s faction was much more somber in comparison. Pei Hao waved his hand before everyone''s eyes, and all of the dust surrounding him was blown away, revealing his ragged appearance. His upper robes were completely torn and the indentation of a fist could be clearly seen on his chest, undoubtedly left behind by Li Luo''s feral strike. At the same time, the crowd also discovered that countless black runes had appeared on his chest. Each of these runes was the size of an ant, but they were spread throughout his body like a series of black chains. In the brief span of a few breaths, Pei Hao''s body was completely covered in them. "Young Lord, you have concealed your strength greatly," Pei Hao indifferently commented. "You''re not too bad yourself," Li Luo dryly replied as he carefully inspected the black runes that had spread along Pei Hao''s blood vessels. With the appearance of this strange art, Pei Hao''s body gave out resonant power undulations that were rising at an extremely terrifying speed. This was what was giving him so much confidence. To everyones surprise, Pei Hao''s resonant power stage began to surge, very quickly reaching the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage. However, it didn''t stop there. Li Luo frowned as Pei Hao''s resonant power underwent explosive strides forward. It had to also be a form of borrowed strength... but where was it coming from? He himself had borrowed strength from the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, and that had required Principal Pang''s assistance in transforming its energy into a form his body could handle. So where exactly had Pei Hao managed to get such an ability? ''.'', As he pondered over these thoughts, Li Luo waved his palm, and the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade appeared in his hand. He took a step forward without hesitation, shattering the azurestone tiling beneath him. His figure vanished as he dashed towards Pei Hao, only leaving behind a stream of red resonant power in his wake. He hacked down at Pei Hao With tyrannical might. SWOOSH! Pei Hao retaliated with a single upswing, and the golden sword in his hand emitted countless beams of sword light that directly clashed against Li Luo. Sounds of metal clashing rang out as violent waves of resonant power collided and raged in the square. In a short span of time, both parties exchanged tens of blows with no clear victor, but there was a problem. Pei Hao''s battle strength was still rising. His strikes increased in both power and cruelness with each exchange. Each time a sword light whistled past, its power was incrementally higher than the one before. With his final blow, the resonant power undulations that he emitted peaked at the limit of the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage. His very breath caused the worldly natural energy around him to roil and move, as though he had become a force of nature. At the same time, the entire sky seemed to have turned golden, with countless sword lights flowing through it, giving form to the world with his very existence. This scene caused Yuan Qing''s expression to warp. He was at the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage himself, but he could sense that Pei Hao was stronger than him. "What sort of method did Pei Hao employ for his strength to increase so much?" Yuan Qing and the rest were completely taken aback, gloomy expressions on all their faces as they clenched their fists tightly. On the square, Pei Hao pointed his sword towards Li Luo as he distinctly felt the power coursing through him. It was truly amazing! A maddened guffaw erupted from his lips. "Young Lord... It looks like the position of the House Lord will belong to me. Regardless of whether it''s you or Jiang Qing''e, neither of you are my match!" Li Luo pouted slightly. "Sheesh. You''re merely borrowing some sort of external aid, and now you''re drunk on power already? How miserable can you be, feeling arrogant over some misgained ability. Although I don''t know how you did it, I''m sure you have to pay a pound of flesh for it." Listening to Li Luo''s piercing words, Pei Hao''s gaze turned forlorn. Indeed, the cost was nothing to scoff at. Feeling only half of a heart was something that constantly reminded him of the immense price he had paid. He simply could not lose this fight today. If he did, he would lose everything he ever had, so even a greater price wouldn''t matter. "I had saved this move to deal with Jiang Qing''e, but who would have expected it would be you who would bear it?" Pei Hao poisonously stared at Li Luo with a look dripping with murderous intent. "However, don''t worry. Whatever price I pay will be repaid tenfold with your body." "That''s funny," Li Luo chortled. Pei Hao looked sullen as he raised his sword, which had been emitting sword light, pointing it right at Li Luo once again. "Do you really think that this is the move I''ve spent countless years preparing?" When he finished speaking, the entire sky blazed with golden light. Piercing sounds of swords crying out could be heard within the light, seemingly sentient. Countless visible streams of sword energy began to roil, and before long, they condensed into a massive, golden eagle that floated behind Pei Hao. When everyone saw this, they sucked in a deep breath of air and ugly expressions surfaced on their faces. "Worldly natural energy moving with but a thought... this is the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage!" Chapter 0651: Li Luos Climatic Battle with Pei Hao Chapter 0651: Li Luo''s Climatic Battle with Pei Hao The golden eagle made of golden sword energy covered half the sky, and formidable might descended upon the individuals below, causing the people of House Luolan to turn pale with fright. Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage! No one had expected that Pei Hao''s abilities would rise to such a degree. Although everyone knew that this was temporary power lent to Pei Hao, such semantics no longer mattered during this critical situation. Pei Hao''s expression was apathetic and frosty. Now that he had revealed his card, there was no need to hesitate any longer. He pointed forward, and the eagle manifestation shrieked. All of the energy around it rushed towards Li Luo''s position like a tsunami of death. Wherever the sword energy moved past, the void around it seemed to be sliced apart, leaving behind countless ripples that would gradually dissipate. Li Luo''s expression became grave at this sight. He could feel the overbearing might of the sword energy as it approached him rapidly. It was going to crash right into him in a flash. The speedy assault caused the audience to feel a sense of tension within their hearts. Cai Wei couldn''t help but to shout, "Young Lord, be careful!" Bang! The rumble of thunder could be heard just as the torrent of sword energy was about to collide with Li Luo, potentially turning him into a porcupine, but his body turned slightly illusory. In a blink, he moved tens of meters away! The low grade dragon-general resonance art, Thunderbolt Art. "Ah?" Pei Hao seemed a little surprised, and his expression changed. Had Li Luo just demonstrated a thunder resonant art? The agility he had demonstrated was greater than that of his sword energy! However, Pei Hao did not think too much about it. He immediately formed a hand seal and executed a sword chant! "Middle grade dragon-general resonance art, Soul Extinguishing Sword Energy!" With a thought, the golden resonant power within Pei Hao soared into the sky before quickly coalescing into a several-meter-long grayish sword right atop his head. This sword energy didn''t look very impressive, being dull in color, but all who set their eyes upon it could instinctively feel the danger it possessed on a spiritual level. This was because it could not harm the flesh, but one''s mind would immediately be obliterated upon being struck. It was a particularly tyrannical art. Clearly, Pei Hao was no longer holding anything back, bringing to bear all his means to directly extinguish Li Luo''s little life. Weng! The Soul Extinguishing Sword Energy trembled and vanished into thin air. Li Luo, on the other hand, could feel the precarious situation he was in as a threatening aura locked onto him. As the sense of peril reached a crescendo, he could feel the hairs on his body standing on end. That was how frightening Pei Hao''s attack was. ''This chapter is updated by Nov elB i n'', This caused him to sigh helplessly. He had originally thought that the Lesser Heavenly Resonance mode would have been sufficient to dispose of Pei Hao, but it seemed that things had once again exceeded his own expectations. Since that was the case, he couldn''t hold back anything in reserve either. The fact was that the Lesser Heavenly Resonance mode was something he could endure safely. If he were to activate the Greater Heavenly Resonance mode, his body and spirit would undoubtedly be corroded by the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s demonic strength. If not for Jiang Qing''e''s timely intervention during the Holy Grail Meet, he might very possibly have been left unconscious for an indeterminate amount of time after using it! Now that he had entered the Fiend Palace Tier and had roped in the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s willing cooperation, the aftereffects would likely be more mild. His mind raced through countless thoughts before he sighed deeply. He also brought his full strength to bear as he willed the Heavenly Libation Chant within his heart. "Greater Heavenly Resonance Mode!" With a thought, the scarlet bracelet on his wrist began to resonate with blood-red light, and even greater amounts of majestic and violent energy surged into Li Luo''s body. At this moment, he could distinctly feel the pain of his body being unable to bear this energy, slowly tearing apart both flesh and blood. On the surface, traces of blood began to appear as the vessel himself was unable to accomodate the power that had rushed into him. Li Luo''s eyes had similarly turned scarlet-red and his expression turned sinister. Tightly grasping the Onyx-Elephant Blade, he hacked down savagely. Similarly, water resonant power flooded out like a tide, forming a rapidly moving barrier around the blade itself, improving its cutting abilities. "Thousand Watery Knives Wheel!" The appearance of the wheel caused a shrill, ear-piercing sound to echo through the square. Li Luo lashed out towards the void on his right, and at that very moment, the gray sword energy was knocked out of the void, directly colliding against his strike. BANG! Copious amounts of rampaging resonant power burst out from the point of impact, and the bluestone tile square continued to fragment further. The entire audience started to churn in their seats upon seeing this clash, some hurriedly struggling to bolster their own resonant power defenses to stave off the aftermath. The most startling thing to them was actually Li Luo''s conspicuous figure. Everyone suddenly seemed to realize that the resonant power undulations given off by him had also reached the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage! House Luolan''s strongest ancestor, Xu Tianling, also gloomily stared at Li Luo''s silhouette. He had reached a similar stage, but there was an undeniable sense of danger being exuded from him. He had originally thought the most troublesome factor would be Jiang Qing''e. Alas, who would have expected that thie originally harmless Li Luo would turn out to be the biggest block to their plan. On the square, Pei Hao grasped his longsword as he stared daggers at Li Luo, his eyes twitching slightly. "It looks like you''re shocked." Li Luo commented. "You might have realized that your vaunted trump card and backer might not provide you the devastating victory you so wished." Pei Hao darkly retorted in turn, "Your strength is indeed unanticipated. However, you''re merely at the Fiend Palace Tier whilst possessing Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage strength. As per your own words, the price you paid must have been significant, no? However, I''m different. I''m already in the Heavenly Pearl Stage, and my body has undergone strenuous tempering in the Fiend Body Tier. Thus, I can resist for a much longer time. But you? Are you capable?" Li Luo grinned but did not bother to deny it. After all, his own fleshly body was beginning to split apart at its seams, and his situation was a lot worse than Pei Hao''s on the surface. Simply put, his body could not withstand the might of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage as of now. On the bright side, since he had the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s agreement, it had restrained the fiendish energy within the power it lent. Thus, when Li Luo borrowed its power, the savagery and corruption that afflicted him was lessened. With the addition of his Thunderpeal Avatar, he could improve his body''s durability for a short span of time, further compensating for the stress his body was placed under. "Thunderpeal Avatar!" Li Luo willed within his heart. The lightning forge crackled to life inside him, releasing thunderous booms throughout his body. Wherever the thunder passed over, the resilience of his body would skyrocket. '''', Li Luo''s face blazed with crimson light as a sinister look appeared in his eyes. He took a step forward, his body vanishing as he moved with extreme speed like a lightning bolt. He was heading straight towards Pei Hao. Pei Hao''s expression was frosty as the resonant power within him fluctuated intensely too. He slashed out with his sword, and tens of thousands of illusory golden swords formed, blanketing out the sky before diving towards Li Luo in a concerted strike. The frightening display of sword energy sucked the breath out of the pavilion masters as they watched this clash of titans, their faces full of horror. SWOOSH! SWOOSH! Li Luo, on the other hand, retaliated with the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade in hand, a deadly flourish of blade light left behind in a flurry of attacks, completely shattering the deluge of golden sword energy. The duo continued to exchange blows like two bolts of lightning colliding. Violent explosions of resonant power were seen with every clash, resulting in deafening booms. In a short span of time, both parties had struck several hundred times, each attack vicious and aimed to kill. This cruel and brutal fight left the audience dumbstruck, the tense atmosphere leaving all breathless. No one had ever expected such an intense battle during the Housemeet. In a pavilion outside House Luolan''s Headquarters A man with a head of fiery red hair, Zhu Qinghuo, was currently watching the battle rage on expressionlessly. After which, he turned to observe several other locations within Xia City which had frightening amounts of resonant power. The sheer fluctuations of power and the pressure that were emitted had surpassed that of Li Luo and Pei Hao''s battle by countless times. "Duze Yan actually took action to restrict Si Qing..." Zhu Qinghuo''s gaze wavered slightly. This was surprising to him as House Duze hated House Luolan as much as House Jiyan. However, he didn''t really care. Those two being tied down would not change the grand scheme of things. Right now, he just had to wait for the right moment to strike. Turning to face House Luolan''s Headquarters once again, he lightly rapped the table before him. "Shen Jinxiao... this should be enough, right?" In a secret basement room Shen Jinxiao was staring indifferently at the half-heart floating above the altar before him. With the aid of a special connection, he was able to observe the critical battle within House Luolan. "Li Luo truly surprises people. It''s no wonder he was able to create so many miracles." Shen Jinxiao''s gaze flickered. Although he was able to use the half-heart as a catalyst to lend power to Pei Hao, the limit was the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage. On the other hand, Li Luo had managed to ascend to the same stage with his own methods, forcing the battle into a stalemate. In order to disrupt the situation, he would have to deal an even more vicious hand. At this point, he lightly swiped across the half-heart with his thumb. The half-heart was cleanly sliced into two, a quarter-heart dropping down into his palm. Shen Jinxiao rubbed the palm of his hand, then the quarter of the heart liquified into a black substance. With the black liquid staining his fingers, he casually swiped, and a new rune was created from it, directly landing upon the remaining quarter of the floating heart. "It''s such a pity, Li Luo. Your enthralling show is about to come to an end. Personally killing a young, prized genius does leave a slightly bitter taste in my mouth though..." In the dark, dank environment, Shen Jinxiao revealed a devious grin. Chapter 0652: Heavenly Sword Formation Chapter 0652: Heavenly Sword Formation As soon as Shen Jinxiao crushed a quarter of the heart into black paste, Pei Hao''s body violently shuddered during his battle with Li Luo. He immediately retreated and howled in agony, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He clutched at his heart and his eyes turned a little hazy. He could clearly feel that a portion of his heart had been lost. This was an eternal loss, one that would leave behind permanent damage. Perhaps even his very foundation had been harmed. However, Pei Hao knew that his backer had lost patience with him. This was his way of inciting a swift end to the current stalemate. Thus, Pei Hao was completely helpless. Even with his astronomical rise to the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage with the assistance of his backer, it was not enough to defeat Li Luo. His opponent had kept tricks up his sleeve that were no worse than his. In truth, this discovery brought Pei Hao a lot of frustration and anger. One had to remember that during their encounter a year ago in the old manor, Li Luo was merely a worthless young lord with a blank palace. He was a mere figurehead with no real power or influence. Pei Hao had completely disregarded him in his view. Without Jiang Qing''e''s protection, Pei Hao would long have gotten the crippled young lord murdered. Who would have expected that Li Luo would be reborn anew in the short span of a year, possessing power and methods that equalled his own! If only he knew that this would happen. He would have steeled his heart sooner and completely cut off the cancer at its roots. Otherwise, he would never have to pay such a horrific price. Pei Hao venomously glared at Li Luo, a vein throbbing on his forehead, showing how his inner emotions were in complete turmoil. However, even though he had lost a quarter of his heart, Pei Hao could unmistakably feel terrifying amounts of power pouring into him. Although this power could not touch that of someone at the Duke Stage, he would be able to suppress anyone at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage. This was definitely more than enough to turn Li Luo into a corpse Thinking of this caused the killing intent within his heart to rise. "Li Luo! Since I''ve had to pay such a grievous price, I''ll take your life as compensation!" Pei Hao raged internally. ''?????? ???? No(ve) l Bi n'', Just as his eyes filled up with even more poisonous intent, Li Luo keenly sensed the dangerous situation he was in. He frowned as he observed Pei Hao closely, clenching the Onyx-Elephant Blade even more tightly. Both parties had made ample preparations for the fight today. In order to ensure victory, Li Luo also had to formulate a plan to deal with Pei Hao''s backer. Jiang Qing''e continued to monitor Pei Hao with rapt attention from outside the square. Her beautiful body was ramrod straight and her slender, jade-like fingers were lightly clenched into a fist, a thin layer of light resonant energy flowing around her. She had detected Pei Hao''s sudden rise in strength once again. Before the nervous gazes of the audience, Pei Hao cackled, revealing his rows of pearly-white teeth. In the next instant, countless strands of golden light rose into the sky from behind him. The sheer sight of these strands of light was piercing to the eye, revealing an incomparably sharp air to them. Those like Yuan Qing in the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage were a little shell shocked when they saw the strands of flowing golden light, and their expressions turned grim. Their instincts told them that the golden light was unfathomably dangerous. Even a single strand of it could penetrate through their defenses, much less when it was gathered in such large numbers. Was this what overbearing strength looked like? This let them understand that Pei Hao was clearly preparing his final killing move, to end the battle of the Housemeet. Could the young lord even resist such an alarming attack? Xu Tianling also quietly observed this sight, a slight smile hanging on his face. Even he could not block Pei Hao''s current attack. The battle was going to come to an end soon enough. Pei Hao slowly began to float upwards. It was as though his legs were wreathed in countless strands of flowing, gold light, forming a golden cloud that covered the sky over House Luolan. When his imposing demeanor and sword energy had risen to a peak, he clutched his sword and began to execute the art, his expression turning cold in the process. With a voice dripping with killing intent, he indifferently said, "Young Lord, it''s time for you to have a taste of my strongest resonance art. High-grade dragon-general resonance art, Heavenly Sword Formation!" Bang! As soon as he finished speaking, the nearby worldly natural energy churned vigorously. The golden clouds that had formed behind him seemed to be torn apart at this very moment, and before the shocked eyes of the audience, a golden sword manifestation that was several hundred meters long surfaced, directly pointed towards Li Luo. Continuous sword chants could be heard throughout the sky upon the sword''s emergence. It was as though the air itself had been transformed by the sword energy. Anyone who breathed could feel a piercing pain within their lungs. Yet these were just collateral effects of the art itself. It was difficult to imagine how Li Luo himself was feeling, considering that he was bearing the brunt of the pressure exuded by it. Li Luo had raised his head at this point, directly gazing at the golden sword manifestation. Pei Hao''s soaring resonant power coupled with the high-grade dragon-general resonance art created quite the terrifying prospect he had to face off against. The vast majority of Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivators would undoubtedly end up being slaughtered by this single move. ''Follow current novels ON N (ovelB in.)'', Li Luo''s expression became more and more solemn, but his eyes held no trace of fear. He had never looked down upon Pei Hao, but if this was the final killing move to end the Housemeet battle, then this would be the first time. He had made countless plans and preparations for today. If compared to Pei Hao, it would only be more, not less. In the sky above, the massive, golden sword manifestation cleaved downwards. Even before it impacted, the ground was torn asunder, the cracks smooth as a mirror due to the sheer sharpness of the sword''s aura. Outside the square, everyone began to channel defensive barriers to prevent the cataclysmic assault from completely devastating House Luolan''s headquarters. Yuan Qing, Cai Wei, and the rest held expressions of deep concern for Li Luo. They did not know how Li Luo was going to react against Pei Hao''s daunting methods. "Miss Jiang, it looks like we can''t hold on any longer. You have to take action," Yuan Qing couldn''t help but say in worry. Pei Hao''s strike might be exceptionally intimidating, but Yuan Qing had a strange faith and belief in Jiang Qing''e. Perhaps it was because she had shattered all expectations of her repeatedly, bringing about pleasant surprises. Jiang Qing''e, on the other hand, continued to watch as the gigantic, golden sword manifestation slowly descended, merely shaking her head. "Let''s wait a while more." Her golden eyes were focused on the lanky and tall individual. Li Luo held no trace of fear, and she had been witness to his exponential development over this past year. He had prepared himself no less than her. Thus, she believed in him. Although Pei Hao had utilized indeterminate means to bolster his strength, he was incomparable to Li Luo. Listening to Jiang Qing''e''s words, Yuan Qing sighed deeply in his heart and continued to watch the proceedings. In the square, Li Luo finally began to take action. He formed a hand seal with all of his fingers. At this point, all of the berserk energy within him surged out like a tide and his own complexion turned alabaster at a frightening speed. "What terrifying consumption..." Feeling the ocean of resonant power within himself run dry, the thought struck Li Luo. This was an extraordinary resonance art for a reason. Additionally, all of the worldly natural energy seemed to be driven by some sort of mystical force when this particular resonance art was used, and a massive energy vortex was created with his body as the core. In just a blink, Li Luo heavily sucked in a deep breath, and his entire complexion was devoid of any redness. At this point, he separated his hands, and his fingers on each hand were outstretched. Everyone saw that an illusory black dragon banner had appeared between them. The moment it appeared, a mysterious pressure descended upon the entire square, spreading from him as the source. Chapter 0653: Underworld Rivers Black Dragon Banners Might! Chapter 0653: Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner''s Might! When the illusory black dragon banner appeared between Li Luo''s hands, the experts who had reached the Heavenly Pearl Stage in the audience felt their hearts trembling in fear. They could feel an inexplicable terror radiating from that banner''s very existence. Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng''s pupils constricted as well. However, before anyone could react, Li Luo nonchalantly and abruptly brandished the black dragon banner before him. With that single action, the void was torn asunder, leaving an ebony streak across the space before him. After which, the sound of rushing water could be heard coming from the crack. In a blink, copious amounts of black seawater spilled forth from the sundered space, forming a massive, black sea that suspended itself in the sky above. The black seawater churned with humongous waves, akin to a stormy sea. It was then that a loud draconic roar reverberated around the field. This instantly astounded the audience. They could see with their own two eyes the titanic figure of a dragon emerging from the depths. It was a gargantuan beast, clad from head to tail in saturnine scales that rivaled even the most precious of metals in brilliance, reflecting a glittering luster under the setting sun. At the same time, everyone was drowned by the mysterious pressure exerted by its very existence. Even the space around it seemed to be crumbling. Everyone in the square stared at the black dragon that had manifested, flabbergasted. It seemed to be sentient as well, with lifelike movements and liveliness in its eyes as it judged all. One might even have thought that Li Luo had managed to summon an actual dragon! However, they knew that this was no living creature. The fluctuations it gave off indicated that this was a resonance art. Just what sort of resonance art could mimic reality to such an extent? A single thought flickered through everyone''s hearts. At the same time, they were reluctant to believe that this was what they were seeing. A resonance art of this caliber could not possibly have been cultivated by Li Luo at the Fiend Palace Tier... could it? "This is..." Even Mo Cheng''s lips had turned dry as he stared at the black dragon in a daze. "This... Is it a Duke Art?!" The corners of Xu Tianling''s eyes were twitching uncontrollably. He was no longer in the mood to reassure Mo Cheng as his mind was in complete turmoil! What could possess such domineering might and spirituality other than a Duke Art? Yet the thing was, even he could not successfully cultivate such a resonance art! How had Li Luo learned it? '''', This was a Duke Art! An art reserved for only those in that esteemed realm. If the two ancestors felt crestfallen, the pavilion masters who had supported Pei Hao were even worse off. Their complexions were ashen and pasty, their bodies trembling uncontrollably under the immense pressure exuded upon them. Luckily, they managed to compose themselves slightly. Otherwise, they might very well have been frothing at the mouth whilst rolling on the ground. The Young Lord was simply too terrifying! Whilst the other side was completely taken aback, Yuan Qing and the rest on Li Luo''s side were exuberant and pleasantly surprised. Yuan Qing excitedly arose as he frantically declared, "A Duke Art! It''s a Duke Art! The Young Lord managed to cultivate it! He''s truly a genius amongst the younger generation! House Luolan''s revitalization is at dawn!" Lei Zhang and the other pavilion masters nodded in agreement. Duke Arts were well renowned to be both exceptionally difficult to cultivate and legendary in power. Thus, they were absolutely convinced that with Li Luo''s Fiend Palace Tier cultivation, it was indeed a miracle for him to achieve this! Cai Wei, on the other hand, did not have a similarly deep understanding of the implications of a Duke Art. However, just by observing the excitement on Yuan Qing and the group''s faces, she could vaguely sense how startling of an achievement this was. She gently patted her chest, and her previously tense body was now slightly more at ease. "This is ridiculous!" Yan Lingqing sighed with a look of admiration. Amongst the group, only Jiang Qing''e remained calm. She had already known in advance that Li Luo had spent copious amounts of time cultivating a Duke Art at the college. As Li Luo never mentioned the final result, she had not probed further. Clearly, he had succeeded. Her lips faintly curled up into a smile. This brat is pretty impressive after all. Li Luo, on the other hand, was not concerned with the reactions to his strength. Once the black dragon appeared, he had seemingly lost all control of his body and all of the strength borrowed from the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf had vanished without a trace, completely absorbed by the activation of the Duke Art. The potency of a Duke Art was terrifying to behold. Even the resonant power consumption was exceptional. Still, it was all worth it. Li Luo raised his head, and at this very moment, the giant, golden sword manifestation was to strike down upon him. Yet there was no trepidation in his eyes. Instead, he lightly reached out with a finger. Roar! An ear-piercing roar echoed out, rumbling through the heavens and the earth. The black seawater devastated the void and the black dragon rushed forward, wreathed by the sea itself, ascending into the sky and directly clashing with the giant sword. Pssh! There was no thundering explosion upon collision. Instead, the black dragon and sea water completely caused the sword energy to dissipate into nothingness. The exquisitely sharp sword energy was as soft as tofu before its might. ''??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? NovelB(i)n. ???'', In the air, Pei Hao was left completely stupefied before erupting into fury and surprise. The black dragon ascended through the skies, piercing the heavens and in a blink. It dissolved Pei Hao''s strongest golden sword manifestation as it swept by. The Duke Art''s might was nothing to scoff at. Its true majesty had been revealed. When the golden sword manifestation was disintegrated, the black dragon did not dissipate. Instead, its draconic eyes gazed upon Pei Hao as though it possessed a life of its own, continuing to draw upon worldly natural energy to sustain its very existence. This was the superiority of a Duke Art compared to a conventional resonance art. It flicked its tail, dashing towards Pei Hao like a missile and devastating space in its path. Staring at the rampaging dragon before him, Pei Hao felt a deep chill run down his spine. The dragon''s power was unparalleled, and if he let it approach, he would find it difficult to hold on. As a result, he retreated explosively. It was at this instant that Pei Hao thought he was seeing things. The glint in the dragon''s eyes seemed to be mocking his pitiful attempts to flee. It opened its jaw and revealed rows of razor-sharp teeth before furiously belching out a black dragonbreath. The dragonbreath directly dissolved space, exposing the void beneath it before turning into countless streams of black light that struck so swiftly that one had no chance to hide. Before he knew it, Pei Hao suddenly felt piercing pain all over his body. It was then that he heard audible gasps coming from the audience. With great difficulty, he lowered his head to see what had happened, and what he saw frightened him. Numerous black holes had penetrated his body, running through all his vital organs. At the same time, there was black residue eroding his flesh into dust. Pei Hao''s mind seemed to freeze at this very moment as he took stock of his tragic state. He could clearly feel his soul departing his body. "Did... did I lose?" He turned to face the tall and lanky youth on the opposite side of the square, who was now quietly watching him. "How... I... I''ve prepared for so long... Could it be that I was never as good as him? "Damn it... damn it...! It''s so unfair! I will not... cannot... accept thi-" The glint in Pei Hao''s eyes dimmed and his body dropped from the sky before the audience, crashing heavily onto the shattered ground. House Luolan''s headquarters turned eerily silent. A single deep and dull thud reverberated throughout the square. Dong! Chapter 0654: Escalation Chapter 0654: Escalation The sight of Pei Hao''s body crumpling to the ground left everyone in utter shock. Everyone within House Luolan''s Headquarters seemed to be frozen in time as they watched the scene in a trance. This result was something no one had ever expected in their wildest imaginations. Except for Jiang Qing''e, of course. The Heavenly Pearl Stage Pei Hao had been thoroughly trounced by the Fiend Palace Tier Li Luo. What was most mind boggling was that Li Luo had merely a blank palace a year ago, yet to begin on the path of cultivating resonant power! Had the chasm between the two been bridged and even surpassed in the short span of a year? Was this a true genius? At this point, regardless of whether it was those who supported Li Luo or Pei Hao, all were paralyzed silent by this revelation. "The Young Lord has won!" However the silence was short lived as the ones who supported Li Luo began to cheer in excitement. Thunderous cheers resounded throughout the headquarters. Yuan Qing, Cai Wei, Yan Lingqing, and the rest also revealed radiant and relieved smiles. Pei Hao''s faction was desolately silent in comparison. The cheers startled Xu Tianling, Mo Cheng, and the rest out of their stupor, a gloominess spreading over their expressions. Pei Hao had failed! Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng quickly glanced at each other before a glint of viciousness could be seen in their eyes. Pei Hao''s failure indicated that their struggle for the position of House Lord had ended in defeat. If things proceeded this way, wouldn''t that mean that they would have to blankly stare at Li Luo ascending to his rightful position? Impossible! Today''s situation was the product of countless schemes. Although Pei Hao''s part was a significant aspect of it, his failure did not herald the end of the plan. Conversely, it only meant that things would truly begin now! Xu Tianling icily glared at Li Luo. Now that he had demonstrated his ability to wield a Duke Art, the fluctuations of resonant power coming off him were sluggish and his complexion was ashen. Clearly, it had taken a toll on him, leading to intense exhaustion. So long as the winner of the battle died too, House Luolan would fall into chaos! Thus, Li Luo had to die now! Li Luo had already shown the world his limitless talent and potential, which caused him to feel a chill in his heart. He was no different from the second coming of Li Taixuan. With sufficient time, Li Luo would inevitably reach the Duke Stage, and at that point in time, he would be cleanly disposed of. ''???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? N ovelBi(n)'', Thinking of the grim future that lay ahead, Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng exchanged looks. Their eyes turned ruthless as they knew what had to be done. Bang! Massive undulations of resonant power exploded forth from the duo and their figures flickered, striking out. The berserk resonant power that shrouded them shattered the space all around as they shot towards Li Luo like rays of light, intent to claim his life. Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng''s sudden outburst was completely out of everyone''s expectations. No one was able to predict the actions of these maddened, cornered beasts. They were openly flouting the rules! "Xu Tianling, Mo Cheng! You dare?!" Yuan Qing howled in anger. Similarly, he burst out with all his strength, intent to block the duo. However, Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng were no weaker than him. As he reacted just a moment later, the duo had already arrived before Li Luo. "Young Lord! You''ve killed Pei Hao, so now we''ll send you on your way with him!" Xu Tianling''s face was malevolent and he spoke coldly. Li Luo stood in his original spot, unfazed. On the other hand, he merely stared icily at the two murderous ancestors. These no-good elders had decided to strike when he was weakened. Despite being out of resonant power, Li Luo did not seem to show any fear or lack of composure. As the two vicious fists fuelled with surging resonant power smashed through space and were about to approach him, a dazzling ray of light descended from the sky. A mirror made of light resonant energy positioned itself right before Li Luo. Bang! The two fists heavily struck the reflective surface, and the light mirror began to fragment, eventually shattering into glimmers of light. The two strikes had been completely negated. Staring at the flickering and divine light resonant energy, Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng''s pupils shrunk. They naturally knew who had chosen to intervene, but they didn''t understand how she had managed to block both of their full-force attacks with a single art. Was she not at the Quasi Pearl Stage? The two hurriedly turned to glance at Jiang Qing''e. Their eyes shrunk at the sight that befell them. Jiang Qing''e was now on her feet, her heavy sword in hand. Boundless light resonant energy poured out from her body like a waterfall. At the same time, the originally illusory Heavenly Pearl was quickly solidifying before their very eyes. Worldly natural energy gushed into the single Heavenly Pearl that devoured it ravenously, constantly being converted into resonant power within Jiang Qing''e. The quasi-pearl had now transformed into a bonafide Heavenly Pearl! Jiang Qing''e had finally taken that last step into the Heavenly Pearl Stage. If it were merely just a normal Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivator, Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng would not find such an opponent troubling. However, the explosive diffusion of light resonant energy coming from Jiang Qing''e far surpassed any average Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivator. Jiang Qing''e''s absolute beauty bloomed with jade-like luster, contrasting gorgeously with her crystal-clear skin. A mystical rune that seemed to be gradually fading had appeared between her brows. '''', At the same time, what gave everyone a shock was that Heavenly Pearls were condensing right behind her, one after another! "How does she possess such ridiculous resonant power?" Mo Cheng had an ugly expression on his face. "She has been suppressing herself for countless years. I suspect she cultivated some sort of incredible secret art, all in anticipation for today!" Xu Tianling replied despondently. "Hmph! I don''t believe that there is a secret art that would allow one to ascend to the skies with a single step in the Heavenly Pearl Stage!" Mo Cheng gritted his teeth as he consoled himself. In that brief moment that the two conversed, Qing''e was callously glaring at the duo. Now that they had bared their fangs towards Li Luo, she felt an incomparable intent to slaughter them. "Li Luo''s show is over. If you want to fight, it''s my turn!" Jiang Qing''e declared with a bone-chilling voice. She took a step forward, and her heavy sword ignited with sacred flames. Casually waving her sword once, a several-hundred-meter-long manifestation of sword energy was produced, sweeping towards the two ancestors. The sword energy emitted sacred flames that radiated into the skies, purifying anything they passed through. Thus, as the sword energy swept across the square, it was as though the entire area was being sanctified! Staring at the space-rending sacred sword light, Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng''s expressions turned grim. They could distinctly feel that this resonance art was dangerous even to them. Her strength had far surpassed that of anyone at a similar cultivation stage. Xu Tianling no longer dared to tarryhe hurriedly raised his hand. Immediately, frosty ice resonant energy emitted from his body like a white blizzard as he formed a hand sign and uttered in a low voice, "High-grade dragon-general resonance art, Cold Tortoise''s Mysterious Shield!" Freezing ice resonance energy coalesced before him into a turtle shield that was sparkling and translucent, and numerous mysterious runes appeared on its surface. Mo Cheng similarly channeled his resonant power, forming a massive resonant power barrier. Pssh! The blazing sword light swept past, directly penetrating the Cold Tortoise''s Mysterious Shield and the resonant power barrier. At the moment of contact, Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng had horrified expressions as they realized that the light resonant energy was more tyrannical than they had ever imagined. Its majesty would not be restrained by their pitiful resonance arts. Xu Tianling''s Cold Tortoise''s Mysterious Shield held on for a brief moment before it went up in flames. Being quick-witted, he took pains to retreat as far as possible with the time bought by the shield. Unfortunately, Mo Cheng was not as lucky, and he was significantly weaker than Xu Tianling. His resonant power barrier was devastated in mere moments, and before he could retreat, the sword light manifestation slashed across his shoulders vertically. EEEK! A shrill scream erupted from Mo Cheng''s mouth. One of his arms was chopped off at the shoulder, blood spewing in every direction. The entire square looked on in horror at this grisly scene. No one had expected that a single merciless move from Jiang Qing''e would have resulted in one ancestor retreating and another grievously injured. The pair of House Lords possessed a grandeur that was unmatched, shining brilliantly like a resplendent rainbow. Chapter 0655: Zhu Qinghuos Methods Chapter 0655: Zhu Qinghuo''s Methods Jiang Qing''e''s strike was lightning quick and ferocious. When the audience came to their senses, Xu Tianling had retreated and Mo Cheng was already disarmed, the facts jolting them. Looks of consternation were thrown at the radiant Jiang Qing''e. Wielding her golden heavy sword, she was an alluring war goddess that possessed a demeanor that was as icy as the coldest winter wind, her golden eyes abstruse and full of mysterious light. The most terrifying part of her was not her actions, but the copious amount of energy that was condensing behind her. In just a few moments, she had already manifested three Heavenly Pearls! Her strength continued to climb rapidly. The worst part was that this was not a temporary powerupshe truly was breaking through the stages at breakneck speed! Jiang Qing''e was like a suppressed volcano that had finally erupted, revealing her extraordinary potential. Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng had faces full of fright. Jiang Qing''e was just too strange. She had just broken into the Heavenly Pearl Stage, but the resonant power she commanded far surpassed that of anyone they had ever known. In fact, it was comparable to the energy emitted by a Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivator! "Xu Tianling, you dare to break the sacred rules of the Housemeet? Are you planning to rebel?" Yuan Qing thundered after making sure that Li Luo was unharmed. "Pavilion Master Lei Zhang!" Listening to Yuan Qing''s exhortations, Lei Zhang hurriedly stood up and waved his hand. With that signal, all of the men within House Luolan''s headquarters stood up as well, brandishing their coldly glinting weapons whilst channeling their resonant power before dashing towards the people on Pei Hao''s side. They were all incomparably furious. Coupled with Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng''s underhanded blows, they had completely thrown out any pretense of obeying the rules of the Housemeet. If the opponent did not plan to adhere to the rules, then there was no need to maintain this farce! The atmosphere instantly escalated into a state of mutual hostility with daggers drawn. Li Luo apathetically glanced at the two ancestors. "I gave you two multiple chances. Why? I just didn''t want House Luolan to devolve into a situation of complete infighting. However, it seems I have been too naive." This was met with Xu Tianling''s sarcastic reply. "There''s no need to mince words. You were just worried that once House Luolan descended into complete chaos, it would harm the houses overall strength, affecting the mysterious defensive ward that guards the place." "It looks like you know quite a few secrets after all." Li Luo squinted at him. ''The latest_epi_sodes are on_the Nov elB i n website.'', Xu Tianling coldly laughed. "Young Lord... do you really think that this battle is over? No! It has only just started!" Li Luo''s gaze was cold. He always knew that merely defeating Pei Hao would just be the precursor to the next stage of events. Pei Hao was but a single pawn. In truth, without the black hand behind the curtains, the white-eyed wolf was not even a threat. The forces that coveted House Luolan had supported Pei Hao so he could inherit the title of House Lord. Once he took over, they could achieve their objective. After all, if he succeeded, he could simply weaken the defensive ward. Once that was done, the Dukes could make their move. This was their final aim. Now that Pei Hao had failed, what would they do next? He glanced at Jiang Qing''e, and the two locked eyes momentarily, caution evident in each other''s gazes. "Impressive. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s two brats have surpassed all expectations," Zhu Qinghuo dryly praised as he observed the situation from outside the headquarters from atop a pavilion. Compared to these two, his somewhat decent son seemed like trash. It seems when it came to heirs, Zhu Qinghuo felt envy towards Li Taixuan. "As expected, relying on Pei Hao wasn''t effective. Shen Jinxiao, you''ve played your hand, but it turned out to be worthless." Zhu Qinghuo smiled indifferently as he shook his head. "In that case, I''ll have to go with my original plan." He continued to watch House Luolan''s headquarters. Thanks to his vantage point, he was able to see something that ordinary people could not. It was a massive formation that blanketed the house. Countless wondrous rays of light interweaved in layers to create the defensive ward that protected House Luolan''s headquarters. It emanated a strong, suppressive pressure that he could feel intently. Even he had to be cautious of the ward''s effects. "Li Taixuan... the arrogant son of the heavens. Such a person should never have appeared in the Xia Kingdom. In fact, you should never have revealed the existence of that treasure... In such a barren environment, it would naturally give rise to envious folk that would covet it... Your ward borrows the might of House Luolan to power it, and it specifically targets those at the Duke Stage. It might be incomparably powerful, but I''ve been probing it over these years. In fact, I''d even dare to say that I''ve understood some of the principles that give rise to its existence. Thus, I know that it''s not truly invincible. An opportunity to exploit it will arise as it will gradually weaken in this situation. "House Luolan has 98 strongholds and branches across the Xia Kingdom. It seems to be a little odd, but therein lies the secret. Your wondrous ward has its nodes hidden within those locations, and I''ve personally visited each and every one of them, even reaping some rewards from them." Zhu Qinghuo smirked and raised his hand. A crystal ball appeared, floating above it. Countless moving images could be seen within the crystal ball. Each and everyone of these images depicted a building going up in massive flames. People could be faintly seen fighting and engaging in slaughter in the vicinity. However, most importantly, each of these buildings and pavilions had a burning flag with the word "Luo" on it. These were the strongholds of House Luolan. More importantly, they each possibly held a node of the defensive ward within. Even if some of these weren''t actually critical nodes of the ward, it didn''t matter. It was better to destroy them erroneously than to let a single opportunity go. Zhu Qinghuo raised his head after inspecting the crystal ball, continuing to observe the defensive ward of House Luolan as he muttered to himself, "Now we''ll see if the preparations I''ve made throughout the years will bear fruit." '''', Within the headquarters. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e remained on alert for a while longer. but nothing seemed to have changed. Li Luo sighed in relief before he opened his mouth to speak. "Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng have broken the sacred laws of the Housemeet. From now on, as per the rules, the two will be discharged from the house and are no longer ancestors of House Luolan." These words raised a commotion as the status of ancestor was exceedingly high. In the past, it was only second to the two House Lords, and even the pavilion masters had to greet them politely. In a normal situation, kicking them out of the house would have required a lengthy process. Currently, the duo had broken the Housemeet''s rules and crossed House Luolan''s bottom line. Thus, there was more than enough justification to act this way. The three pavilion masters who had supported Pei Hao had stony expressions. Now that control of the house had fallen into Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s grasp, along with the fact that Pei Hao and the ancestors'' support was uncertain, they plainly saw that they were out of luck. Their thoughts were in panic for a moment, not knowing how to proceed. Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng remained expressionless, nonchalant towards Li Luo''s declaration. "The two of you, are you going to sit there quietly and be captured? Or will you resist to the very end?" Li Luo icily glared at the duo. Xu Tianling''s eyes looked exceedingly forlorn as he screamed internally. Jiang Qing''e was only growing in strength as time passed, and at this rate, he would not be her opponent even if he tried to act! Why hadn''t the people behind him moved? Li Luo did not plan to give Xu Tianling time to slowly contemplate the decision he wished to take. He waved his hand, preparing to give the command to kill. But right at this moment, his hand froze in mid air as both Jiang Qing''e and his expressions warped. They raised their heads instinctively to see that a vast energy fluctuation had just been triggered in the skies above House Luolan. An exquisite ward had gradually appeared in the previously clear skies above. Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo''s pupils shrank. Why did the defensive ward come to life? In fact, the two felt a sinking feeling in their hearts. They could distinctly sense that the defensive ward''s strength was gradually weakening. Was someone destroying the ward? Chapter 0656: The Show Begins! Chapter 0656: The Show Begins! Suddenly, the defensive ward of House Luolan materialized in the sky, directly attracting the attention of everyone within. Yuan Qing and the rest were at a loss for words as they didn''t know the specifics about it, but they were able to vaguely guess its function. With the ward showing changes, they knew that it probably did not herald something positive. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e frowned and focused their attention on it. On the other hand, Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng revealed looks of joy. Their backers had finally decided to act. "Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e! It looks like it''s not your turn to celebrate just yet!" Xu Tianling coldly sneered with a chilly look in his eye. At the same time, he glanced at the nervous pavilion masters and troops. "There is no need to worry. This is our plan. The victor of the Housemeet has yet to be decided! If you pledge your loyalty to us, you will obtain whatever your heart desires!" Listening to Xu Tianling''s consoling words at this critical moment reassured some of those on Pei Hao''s side. Qing''e did not bother with this prancing clown. Instead, she quickly moved as quick as a flash to Li Luo''s side. His situation wasn''t great, and he would require her personal protection. "It looks like the big boys are coming out to play..." Li Luo dryly commented. The curtain had been drawn and House Luolan''s internal struggle had merely just begun. Some of the pawns had been defeated, but the true hands behind the shadows could no longer hide themselves. They would finally have to take action themselves. Jiang Qing''e slightly nodded as she turned towards Li Luo, smiling gently. "You can rest now. You''re in safe hands. If House Luolan can''t be protected, we''ll just roam the world instead. Once we reach the Duke Stage, we''ll have a clean accounting of things." Li Luo grinned as well. "These blockheads really do lust for the treasures my old man left behind. However, the way I see it, the true treasure is not that, but you, Sister Qing''e!" His fawning words were greeted with a radiant smile. As the two continued to chat, the ward protecting House Luolan seemed to ripple with greater intensity. Everyone could distinctly feel that its stalwart protection was weakening with rapid speed. Suddenly, the disturbance stopped. The ward itself also seemed to have become much more illusory in nature. Whoosh! At this moment, worldly natural energy surged into the sky. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e pupils shrank at what they saw. Descending right from the sky was a massive, black meteor, directly colliding with the defensive ward. Boom! ''New novel chapters are published on Novel-Bin'', Resonant power swept in every direction as a result of the massive explosion. A deafening bang reverberated around Xia City, drawing fearful glances in its direction. Crack! Faced with this horrifying assault, the mysterious ward seemed to have shattered slightly, revealing a gap. At that very moment, black flames poured through the crack, and a figure condensed in mid-air within the black flames. The figure cackled, and his voice echoed throughout the area. "Hehe. House Luolan''s headquarters is truly a pain to enter." The duo stared at the familiar figure, not at all surprised. His mane of fiery-red hair reminded one of a furious lion, grandly looking down upon all who dared to stand before the king of beasts. It was House Jiyan''s house lord, Zhu Qinghuo! With his appearance, a spectacularly intimidating presence exuded from him, instilling raw fear into everyone within the headquarters. They felt as though a mountain was pressing down upon them, and even their resonant power was completely suppressed. This was the ineffable might of a Duke''s prestige! In fact, countless individuals were trembling in their socks from the pressure. Even Yuan Qing with his Lesser Heavenly Resonance strength was shivering in complete terror. Of course, this excluded Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, the two merely staring blankly at him. "It looks like you''re not shocked at all," Zhu Qinghuo commented as he glanced at the duo, a smile forming on his boorish face. "House Lord Zhu, my parents invited you as a guest to our headquarters when they were still around, but you never accepted!" Li Luo replied. Zhu Qinghuo smiled. "Of course I wouldn''t have dared. The temper of your parents is legendary and well known. Why would I provoke them?" "Well, sit tight and wait for them to return. I''m afraid you will have a pretty terrible time after that. After all, you understand their temperament." Li Luo smirked. Zhu Qinghuo nodded. "Well, I have to agree with you on that point... However, that''s if they can really get out of the Nobles'' Battlefield. Even the mightiest of Dukes have fallen in that desolate location." At the same time, he shook his head almost pitifully. "Alas, Li Luo, there is no need for such threatening words. Do you think that this scheme that has been in construction for countless years will stop because of a few intimidating words? If I truly was afraid of Li Taixuan and House Luolan, I wouldn''t be here right now." Li Luo lightly sighed. "Then I would like to respectfully wish you a long journey on the road of death, House Lord Zhu." Zhu Qinghuo sneered. "To be honest, I really do envy Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. Their son is not of common ilk, and in time, you''re bound to exceed them." When he finished speaking, the look in his eyes changed. They were filled with cruel killing intent now. '''', How could he not know of Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo''s might? If he truly wanted to wreck House Luolan, he would have to get rid of these pests properly. Otherwise, he would no longer be able to rest easy at night. With a thought, he stretched out his hand. The temperature in the air explosively soared, and black flames poured forth from the void, directly manifesting a massive, black fist of flames. It was heading straight towards the duo. Wherever the flaming fist passed through, the void warped and distorted from its sheer might. The ground itself was melting under the sweltering heat. Yuan Qing and the rest looked aghast and turned pale at this sight. "Young Lord and Mistress! Hurry! Run!" The discrepancy between the duo couldn''t be greater when pitted against a veteran Duke expert. Any efforts to resist would be like a mantis attempting to stop a horse cart. Thus, desperation bloomed in their hearts upon seeing this. Conversely, Xu Tianling, Mo Cheng, and the rest had looks of glee and excitement. If the duo died, House Luolan would inevitably fragment into pieces. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, on the other hand, continued standing where they were, only staring at the distressing fist made of flames which had sealed off the space in front of them with incomparable calmness. Weng! The fist roared as it rushed towards them, but when it was a few meters away from the duo, the sound of a blade unsheathing rang out. It was piercing to hear, and an inexplicable fiendish energy seemed to have flooded the space. A certain dark-red knife flashed through the void, tearing apart anything in its way and throwing the worldly natural energy into chaos. The blade was so swift that it left images of light in its trail as it arched past the fist of flames. The fist paused in midair and suddenly began to break down, turning into mere embers of inky flames, eventually fragmenting into nothingness in mere breaths of time. It was as though it had been shattered at the source. This sudden change caused everyone to stare dumbstruck. "You damn bastard. I''ve known that you were stealthily spying on the headquarters of House Luolan for years! Even then, you only dared to reveal a clone. You''ve finally deigned to show your face in person?" Sarcastic laughter resounded, and the crowd turned to face a figure that had suddenly appeared atop a roof in the courtyard. It was a bald man holding a pig butchering knife in one hand and garbed in the clothes of a chef. At the same time, his pudgy face was glaring at Zhu Qinghuo. Although he was standing quite a distance away, waves of frightening fiendish energy pulsated from him like a tempest, as though he had waded through countless mountains of blood and flesh to get to where he was today. Cai Wei, Yan Lingqing, and the rest were so stunned that their jaws were agape. They had never imagined that the often smiley and genial head chef, the maestro of countless delicacies, would be standing there with such a demonic and grand aura. At the same time, they finally understood. This was House Luolan''s hidden protector in the dark. Chapter 0657: Dukes Clash ''.'', Chapter 0657: Duke''s Clash With Ox Biaobiao''s appearance, Yuan Qing and the rest felt the terrifying suppression on their bodies vanish into thin air. Surprise and joy flooded them as they gazed at the silhouette emitting a fiendish presence, emotions stirring within their desperate hearts. When the opponent''s Duke appeared, one on their side had turned up as well, lifting them from the depths of despair. "The two House Lords have left behind a helper," Yuan Qing said emotionally. Although he had already guessed it to be true, the feeling of seeing it in reality was completely different from that of speculation. In the skies of House Luolan, the airborne Zhu Qinghuo rushed towards Ox Biaobiao at the first instance. His expression was grim as he felt the ominous aura coming from the other Duke. This was not some sort of illusionary technique, but one forged from clambering through countless mountains of flesh and blood. Thus, he could guess that the man before him was no stranger to reaping lives like grain. "I would never have expected that such a distinguished individual like you, one who has gone through so much, would deign to spend so many years undercover as a mere chef," Zhu Qinghuo said indifferently. Ox Biaobiao brandished the gleaming pig butchering knife before him, his weapon glinting with a cold light. He was a little different compared to the friendly and affable head chef everyone knew. His pupils were scarlet red and a demonic air exuded from him, as though this was a ferocious, berserk spirit beast corrupted by an evil influence. At the same time, those on Li Luo''s side were feeling slightly apprehensive. Unlike Zhu Qinghuo, Ox Biaobiao''s appearance could be easily associated with that of a typical villain "Since you dare to barge into House Luolan''s headquarters, you will naturally pay the price." Ox Biaobiao''s voice was insipid. At the same time, the entire atmosphere seemed to be tainted with the smell of blood as his presence expanded. Zhu Qinghuo remained unfazed. "Your Majesty, you must be an esteemed individual from lands afar. Although I do not know why you have chosen to sequester yourself within House Luolan, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan are now deep within the depths of the Nobles'' Battlefield. It''s very likely that they will never have the opportunity to escape. Thus, if you are willing to side with us, kind sir, we will naturally share with you any benefits that we obtain from House Luolan''s treasures." Zhu Qinghuo was clearly a treacherous and sly individual, willing to use any means to deal with Ox Biaobiao. Yuan Qing and the rest similarly heard those enticing words, only daring to berate Zhu Qinghuo in their hearts. At the same time, the seed of worry was planted within them. They had not interacted with Ox Biaobiao much, and who knew if this Duke who had hidden himself away for so many years would not be tempted by his honeyed tongue. However, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were completely unaffected. Ox Biaobiao wasn''t some stranger they had just met, he was a senior who had taken care of them since they were young. Although they might not know of the history between him and Li Luo''s parents, their interactions throughout the years had allowed them to sincerely understand what sort of individual Ox Biaobiao was. Thus, they knew that Zhu Qinghuo''s underhanded means were basically meaningless. "If you are willing to turn and leave now, I will pretend as though you were never here. Otherwise... this knife of mine will cull yet another fourth-grade Duke," Ox Biaobiao grimly replied. Zhu Qinghuo''s eyelids twitched momentarily and laughed callously. "Perhaps you might really be telling the truth... but you must also know that was in the past. You are no longer at your peak. You''ve spent years cooped up within House Luolans headquarters without taking a single step outisn''t it obvious that your strength has declined? Perhaps you might have suffered some sort of grievous wound in the past, hmm?" Ox Biaobiao similarly smirked at him, revealing rows of pearly-white teeth. "Why don''t you give it a try? Then you''ll know for yourself." As the two glared at each other, worldly natural energy was roused violently by both parties, swelling into the skies and clashing formlessly against each other. The result was a thunderous boom that echoed throughout all of Xia City. ''??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? N(ov)elBin'', Zhu Qinghuo took a step forward, and a world space opened up behind him. One could see four massive Duke Bergfrieds within it. Each one stood forlorn as they rejected and looked down upon the heavens with their existence. They were all engraved with countless runes, each one intricately carved with Zhu Qinghuo''s knowledge for all to see. [1] The moment the four Bergfrieds appeared, the surrounding area seemed to shudder in their very presence. If dual resonant power was the mark of a Duke''s power, the Duke Bergfrieds were manifestations of their foundations. It was said that to enter the Duke Stage, one would have to condense and compress their resonant power to the extreme. Only then could they construct a Duke Bergfried with it. When this was completed, one''s body would once again undergo an unimaginable quantitative change. Duke Bergfrieds did not only demonstrate the depth of their foundation, they were also one of their strongest abilities at their disposal. The fact that Zhu Qinghuo had revealed his four Bergfrieds right off the bat was testament to how dangerous he felt Ox Biaobiao was. With that, he raised a finger and gently pointed at Ox Biaobiao. Boom! The heavens and the earth rumbled as the four Bergfrieds began to spew out boundless streams of blackfire. If one were to examine them more closely, countless stone fragments could be seen moving within the blackfire, rapidly transforming. As the two fused, they formed a domineering stygian magma instead. As Zhu Qinghuo possessed a fire resonance and a stone resonance, the combination of the two allowed his offensive abilities to rise by an entire grade. The stygian magma transformed into tens of thousands of currents that covered the skies, causing the temperature to skyrocket and the void to warp before arcing towards Ox Biaobiao. This frightening attack caused the scalps of all the individuals in the square to turn numb. A Duke''s methods were not easily fathomed nor defended against. As the magma spilled forth from the world space, Ox Biaobiao gave a cold smile. He did not retaliate with his knife, but clenched his empty fist. Two phantasmal manifestations came to life behind him. ''Visit (No ve (l)B i n) to read, pls!'', One was a massive, four-horned, azure bull. The other, a blue-eyed golden-furred bear. Four Horned Godly Bull resonance. Blue-eyed Golden Bear resonance. The sight caused Li Luo to grin. Uncle Biao actually possessed two strength based beast resonances! It was the ultimate expression of violence! Ox Biaobiao responded with a single punch. It seemed ordinary and unassuming, but as it swept past, everyone could see that the void was being smashed apart by a ghastly force, directly colliding against the magma. Bang! Upon contact, it was as though a natural disaster had unfolded before their very eyes. The magma was bashed away, dispersed in every direction before eventually being absorbed by House Luolan''s defensive ward. The intimidating punch demonstrated Uncle Biao''s unwavering valor. Zhu Qinghuo''s face turned chilly. Just the wind from the punch howling past had caused his skin to feel piercing pain. Even he was taken aback by the sheer ferocity of the strike. This boorish and demonic meathead had cultivated his physical body to an alarmingly mighty state. Was this the physical prowess that two strength-focused beast resonances could attain? However, despite his shock, stopping Zhu Qinghuo would take much more than one move. With a thought, the four Duke Bergfrieds behind Zhu Qinghuo started to tremble within the world space. The vibration passed through into the world itself, and suddenly, all four Bergfrieds tore upon the void and descended into the sky above House Luolan''s headquarters. Every single Bergfried was like an indomitable mountain. With four suspended in the skies above, it brought a renewed sense of suppression on everyone below. Worldly natural energy continued to churn as it was constantly being sucked into the Bergfrieds. Zhu Qinghuo looked on indifferently as a moment later, all four of his Duke Bergfrieds directly suppressed the space Ox Biaobiao was in. Once the Bergfrieds were set upon Ox Biaobiao, Zhu Qinghuo''s gaze swept past a certain Pei Hao''s mangled corpse. His gaze flickered and he cursed in his heart. "Shen Jinxiao... I''ve done my part and held up Ox Biaobiao. The rest is up to you." At the same time, within a certain secret, dark room... Shen Jinxiao''s eyes narrowed slightly. Everything that had happened within House Luolan''s headquarters had been directly transmitted into his mind. "House Luolan''s Headquarters actually had a Duke in hiding. He even possesses quite the ominous aura..." An apathetic smile formed on his face. The Duke was currently being held back by Zhu Qinghuo, so now it was his time to shine. So long as Li Luo died and he could set his hands upon Jiang Qing''e, all of his plans would be beautifully completed. Shen Jinxiao''s gaze fell upon the quarter of a heart that was beating fainter and fainter with every passing moment. Pei Hao was fatally injured, and he would pass away soon. A sly grin formed on his face before he started to speak in a devilish voice, one full of enticement. "Pei Hao... you''ve squandered your last chance. However... if you give me the other half of your heart... I''ll accomplish what your heart desires..." 1. TL Note: Did some retroactive tweaking on the Duke Platforms, which are now Duke Bergfrieds. The new term provides a more vivid image of what it should look like, instead of like a flat stage sort of building. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergfried ? Chapter 0658: Mutation Chapter 0658: Mutation Zhu Qinghuo and Ox Biaobiao''s vicious duel was currently attracting the attention of everyone in House Luolan''s Headquarters. With the two taking action, every response literally shook the heavens and the earth as their boundless resonant power imbued with worldly natural energy clashed, leaving behind countless aftershocks. This exchange between experts luckily had not resulted in collateral damage that brought harm to those below and the outer world itself, partially due to the aid of the defensive ward. The truth was that the clash between the duo had mainly occurred within the Duke''s world space. It existed as an independent spatial dimension, capable of resisting and absorbing their world-ending techniques. [1] This was why everything around them had yet to turn into a ruined calamity. Of course, Zhu Qinghuo similarly did not want to cause wanton destruction either. It wasn''t because he wanted to protect House Luolan, but if the fighting became too fierce, accidentally destroying House Luolan''s treasures wouldn''t be to his benefit. The Regent''s Palace. The Regent was currently standing in a pavilion with his hands behind his back. His gaze was focused in the direction of House Luolan, as though it could pierce through the void itself, taking in all of the sights. "House Luolan''s Duke is truly extraordinary. Zhu Qinghuo is a fourth-grade Duke and can be considered to be amongst the top in the Xia Kingdom. However, he doesn''t seem to have any advantage over his opponent." The Regent observed dryly. "This Ox Biaobiao person isn''t some simple individual. Why would someone like him be willing to sequester himself away as a mere chef? Does Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan hold such sway over him?" "The duo are quite the charismatic bunch. After all, how else could they have convinced Duze Yan to stick his neck out during such a critical moment for them? You are right to say that Ox Biaobiao is not a straightforward man. It''s clear that in his prime, even you would not have been his opponent." A male figure strode out from the shadows behind the Regent. He was dressed immaculately and his skin was as smooth as that of an infant. He looked extremely young, but the profundity and indifference in his gaze betrayed the number of years he had gone through. However, what was most striking about him was that he was born with two pupils in each eye. The pupils overlapped each other, one gold and one silver. He bore a simple and unadorned dark-red ring on his finger. Upon closer inspection, the surface of the ring was inscribed with an eerie eye with black eye-whites and a white pupil. The Regent turned to glance at the figure. "Hmm... Ox Biaobiao has yet to reveal his Duke Bergfrieds. Perhaps they have been shattered by someone?" "Very insightful of you," the young man complimented with a laugh. The Regend continued, "Having shattered Duke Bergfrieds means Ox Biaobiao must have suffered from a serious injury that might very well have caused him to perish... the fact that he still managed to struggle on only demonstrates how impressive he is." "Well, it''s more than enough to deal with Zhu Qinghuo," the male continued. "Zhu Qinghuo is just a decoy. It''s time for Shen Jinxiao to play his cards. So long as Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e are dealt with, Ox Biaobiao will naturally restrain himself, and the battle for House Luolan will be over. At the same time, I can finally obtain what I want," the Regent explained. "What if Shen Jinxiao fails? He''s unable to personally act and is only able to borrow Pei Hao''s body as a medium. He can''t contribute with his true power," the young man said with a smile. "Although he can''t act at his full strength, a Duke''s methods should be more than sufficient to tidy up a few bratty pests," the Regent indifferently replied. The young male only continued to play devil''s advocate. "Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e aren''t common brats. The amount of mysteries hidden within them seem to be quite considerable..." Despite that, the Regent was not annoyed, continuing to speak with his eyes slightly drooping. "Regardless of what happens, House Luolan''s doom is nigh. I''ve waited so many years, and now I will get what I want." The dual-pupil youth grinned. "The Little Emperor''s coronation ceremony is in a few days. From what I hear, Pang Qianyuan has already borrowed the Dragon Bone Holy Grail to suppress the Ichythian King. If he succeeds, the cracks of the Umbra Cave will be filled up... and he will definitely rush over for the coronation ceremony. It would be as he promised the old Emperor, huh? If he turns up, your bitter efforts will unravel and collapse before your very eyes... After all, he is unparalleled in the Xia Kingdom." The Regent emotionlessly stared back at the youth. "Well, isn''t that why you''re here? I don''t believe you''ll let Pang Qianyuan escape from the Umbra Cave so easily after so many years. In any case, once I control the Kingdom Protecting Formation, even Pang Qianyuan will not be able to deal with me." N0 v el Next. CoM "If you want to control the Kingdom Protecting Formation, you''re still missing a few more pieces of the puzzle. I believe you require the assistance of House Luolan''s treasures, right?" The youth chuckled. The Regent nodded slightly as he continued to observe the fight over House Luolan. "Thus, I will take the first step of my plan today! How can I possibly afford to fail here?" Bang! Berserk resonant power rumbled and tossed across the skies above House Luolan. Countless massive, burning rocks began to descend from the sky, akin to a destructive meteor shower that rained down upon Ox Biaobiao. It was a sight to behold, and countless individuals raised their head to watch, only feeling abject terror instead of amazement. If this apocalyptic display of prowess werent taking place inside the Duke world space, perhaps half of Xia City might already have been devastated. Weng! However, just as the flaming boulders were about to strike, the piercing howl of a knife rang out. In a blink, the tyrannical knife soared through the void, directly slicing them apart and leaving behind distortions in space. As the knife slashed past the rocks, they fragmented into mere grains of sand before continuing to disintegrate into dust. The impassive Zhu Qinghuo had a frosty expression as he glared at Ox Biaobiao''s pig-butchering knife. For the first time, a tinge of fear could be seen within his eyes. The knife was not some common tool found off the streets... No, it was definitely a violet-eye treasured artifact as the blade energy contained a hint of disintegrative force. If he were to be struck directly, it would affect him like a plague, seeking to decompose him into nothingness. In all of the previous offensives, none of his attacks had achieved even the slightest of results. This was in part due to Ox Biaobiao''s terrifying physique, but also the fiendish pig-butchering knife. Although the other party had never revealed his own Duke Bergfrieds, he was more than capable of achieving a stalemate. It seemed that normal methods were insufficient. Zhu Qinghuo''s gaze turned cold and he clasped his hands together, forming a rapid series of hand seals. At this moment, fiery-red clouds began to condense in the sky, turning it crimson. A moment later, they were torn apart by a thousand-meter-wide crimson palm that crushed downwards. "Duke Art, Heavenly God of Flame''s Palm!" As Zhu Qinghuo demonstrated his Duke Art, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were inevitably captivated by it. This was a Duke exerting the full might of a Duke Art. It was invincible, capable of rending both the heavens and the earth! But as they immersed themselves in the majesty of the Duke Art, they suddenly felt a dangerous presence attacking in their direction. Jiang Qing''e reacted the quickest, directly swatting Li Luo away and slamming a palm strike in retaliation. Immediately after, copious amounts of light resonant energy poured out from her like a tide, directly forming layer upon layer of light mirrors. Crack! But the mirrors made of light were only able to hold on for a brief moment before fragmenting. A blast of exceptionally mighty and daunting resonant power then surged towards her, directly clashing with Jiang Qing''e''s own resonant power. Bang! The explosion caused a shockwave, blasting the ground apart and sending Jiang Qing''e backwards countless steps, her blood churning. Li Luo was a little shell shocked from being knocked to the side as he shouted, "Sister Qing''e!" She waved her hand, indicating that she was fine. Instead, she focused intently in the direction the attack had come from. Their expressions warped upon seeing who the attacker was. Not too far away, they saw the previously pale and heavily injured Pei Hao stiffly stand up, his face still streaked with bloody holes. Immediately after, he dashed right towards Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e with a deathly smile. "Did you really think things were over just like that? Huh?" 1. TL Note: So we can see several "layers" of the world now. We have the outer world, also known as space, the normal dimension. Next we have the world spaces, which are the worlds which Dukes create, a separate spatial dimension. In between that, the link between these two dimensions will now be termed the void. ? Chapter 0659: The Returned Pei Hao” Chapter 0659: The Returned Pei Hao Pei Hao''s sudden transformation had attracted the attention of everyone around. Yuan Qing and the rest were looking at him in complete disbelief. He was clearly full of bloody holes, and any normal individual with these injuries would be deader than a doornail. It was mind-boggling that he had jumped back to life! Additionally, everyone could clearly feel that the resonant power emanating from Pei Hao''s body was even stronger than before. It had reached yet another, more terrifying level of strength! He had surpassed the peak of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage! Still... how was this possible? He had been left mortally wounded with half a breath of life left in him. Yet in a blink, he was hopping around with all the vigor of a young child. Furthermore, he seemed to have become even stronger than before? Li Luo''s expression had turned slightly gloomy as he glared at Pei Hao. "Can you really be considered to be Pei Hao?" "Hmm? Who else could I be?" Pei Hao cackled as his eyes gave off a strange, despondent look. Li Luo frowned. Although the Pei Hao before him didn''t seem to have changed in personality, he had an odd feeling that this was not the person he had battled. Something had fundamentally changed in his body, and even Pei Hao himself did not understand it. Additionally, Pei Hao was simply too strong now. It felt oppressive merely standing before him, as though he was facing off against a Duke. "Protect the Young Lord!" Yuan Qing, Lei Zhang and the rest immediately rushed over in a human wave. Yuan Qing even took the opportunity to let loose a few barbs. "Pei Hao! You''ve lost the Housemeet''s battle. You have no right to struggle for the candidacy of House Lord anymore!" "House Lord?" Pei Hao sniggered. "Why would I be concerned over such trifling titles? Furthermore, House Luolan might cease to exist soon enough." He then waved his hand, and Xu Tianling led his faction to intercept the crowd on Yuan Qing''s side. After dealing with the harassment from these ants, Pei Hao''s gaze turned upon Jiang Qing''e, and he smiled. "So what tricks do you have left up your sleeve? Li Luo has already overdrafted himself and no longer possesses any combat capability. So will it be all up to you now?" Jiang Qing''e''s eyes were emotionless and frigid as she replied, "You''re not Pei Hao. You must be the black hand manipulating him. It looks like Pei Hao truly was very pitiful. Even though he was merely a pawn, death was no release." Pei Hao didn''t deny her exhortations. "So long as there is a happy ending... the details don''t matter at all. So, Jiang Qing''e... I have always wanted to try something." He stretched out a finger, pointing at Li Luo as a malicious smile formed on his face. "I wonder how you would feel if I killed Li Luo right before your very eyes!" Bang! At the very moment he finished speaking, immeasurable and potent amounts of resonant power exploded forth from her body. She hacked down viciously with her heavy sword wreathed with sacred sword energy, targeting Pei Hao''s forehead. Faced with Jiang Qing''e''s furious assault, Pei Hao did not move an inch. Majestic amounts of resonant power poured forth from within his body, taking the shape of an indestructible, golden shield. The sword light that was produced from the sword strike glanced off upon hitting it, dissipating into motes of light. Pei Hao grinned with a ghastly expression as he stared at the flickering motes of light in the sky. "Such pure and sacred light resonant energy. You should probably be the one with the most pristine resonant power in the entire Xia Kingdom... Still, if this is all you have, then you will not be able to protect Li Luo... Jiang Qing''e, you''ve used a secret art to restrain yourself all these years, and I will be a little disappointed if you can''t show me more." Jiang Qing''e''s absolutely enchanting face froze over upon hearing these belittling comments, a hint of killing intent flickering within her eyes. However, she was uninterested in idle banter. Instead, a mysterious rune that had faded significantly resurfaced between her smooth brows. With a thought, the rune directly shattered. Bang! Countless looks were thrown in her direction, and everyone could feel the resonant power within her churn. All of a sudden, it started to rise with terrifying speed. N0 v el Next. CoM The explosive growth was even greater than when she had faced off against Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng! With the berserk increase in the quantity of resonant power within her body, her previously pinned-up hair was shaken loose, gracefully falling like a waterfall across her back before reaching down to her slender waist and swaying gently with the wind. Coupled with her radiant, crystal-clear skin akin to jade, she was overflowing with beauty. At the same time, mystical and abstruse patterns of light appeared on her unblemished skin. Her previously clear, golden eyes seemed to have been purified as well, causing her to exude a unique and enigmatic charm. Behind her were five Heavenly Pearls that were constantly absorbing worldly natural energy, but the energy that she gave off far surpassed that of any ordinary cultivator of a similar base. At this point, Jiang Qing''e had completely gotten rid of everything that had been keeping her suppressed. With the full release of her strength, Jiang Qing''e was at the Fifth Heavenly Pearl. With the aid of the previously suppressive secret art, she was now able to demonstrate strength far beyond that of her peers for a short span of time. Everyone seemed thunderstruck by the frightening undulations coming off of her. Only Pei Hao continued to smirk as he commented, "Wow! That was truly an impressive outburst. I''m afraid no one in the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage would be your match. It''s such a pity that I don''t fall in that category. I''m not a Duke, but I am comparable with one. Perhaps you might even think of me being at the quasi-Duke Stage." As he spoke, Pei Hao raised his palm and lightly clenched it. The odious sense of oppression coming from Jiang Qing''e had suddenly vanished in a blink. With an indifferent smile on his face, he glanced at the girl radiating scintillating light. Thanks to Pei Hao''s sacrifice of the remaining half of his heart, he was able to control the body and lend some of his own strength to it. However, there were certain limitations as Pei Hao''s body could not completely tolerate the strain of his resonant power. Novel Top1.OR G The good thing was that the quasi-Duke Stage should be sufficient for his goals. He might not be able to utilize his Duke Bergfrieds, but just the usage of his resonant power would be enough to deal with Jiang Qing''e. On the square, Cai Wei, Yan Lingqing, and the rest looked on with worry. Although Jiang Qing''e''s meteoric rise in strength was shocking, Pei Hao possessed mysterious strength that may be no weaker. In the skies of the headquarters, Ox Biaobiao sensed the disturbance below and slashed out with his knife. A draconic beam of blade light rushed out, intending to decapitate Pei Hao coolly. However, just as the blade light was about to cleave him into two, a lotus created by blackfire bloomed within the void, blocking the attack. "My good sir, your opponent is me. Why worry about what''s happening elsewhere? As I''ve previously said, someone clinging to his life before the gates of hell cannot protect House Luolan. Although I cant deal with you, I can at least ensure that you watch powerlessly as these two brats are murdered before your very eyes." Zhu Qinghuo smiled inspidly. "Once the two brats die, there will be no need to guard House Luolan anymore, right?" Ox Biaobiao merely glanced mockingly at Zhu Qinghuo. "I feel that the one that will die... won''t be them." At this very moment, Jiang Qing''e suddenly closed her eyes. Her slender fingers formed a hand seal, a clear voice ringing out in her heart. "Duke Art, Heaven Hibernating, Sacred Change Art." One of the Heavenly Pearls behind Jiang Qing''e shattered at that instant. At the same time, the void trembled and the resonant power that radiated from her underwent another titanic transformation. The grin on Pei Hao''s face finally receded. Chapter 0660: Heaven Hibernating, Sacred Change Art Chapter 0660: Heaven Hibernating, Sacred Change Art When one of the Heavenly Pearls behind Jiang Qing''e shattered, her resonant power underwent yet another unimaginable boost. All this time, boundless amounts of sacred light resonant energy flooded out of her, shrouding her with holy light. From afar, she looked like a holy goddess descending upon the mortal realm. Worldly natural energy churned around her, but it was purified under the influence of the sacred light resonant energy. "Your secret art isn''t common. This should be a Duke-tier secret art. You truly are blessed, chosen by the heavens even. A Duke Art-level secret art is even harder to cultivate than a normal Duke Art! It seems it wasn''t any trouble for you." Pei Hao icily focused upon Jiang Qing''e as he sputtered out those words. Jiang Qing''e''s resonant power had increased by a terrifying amount. Although her strength was incredibly difficult to match amongst her peers, there was still a significant gap between her and the opponent before her. The quasi-Duke Stage was not for show. However, Jiang Qing''e had used a Duke-level secret art, so her current state was sufficient to let him feel a sense of danger. Clearly, a normal secret art could not attain such a result... and she had suppressed herself over countless years. "Although your secret art is impressive, reaching a stage where you can threaten me means that you have paid a significant price... Your shattered Heavenly Pearl is the biggest proof. I suppose you''d have to pay the price of your stage going down each time. Hehe... this isn''t a small price... You''re currently at five Heavenly Pearls... No, wait, it''s four now... Just how long can you sustain this?" Pei Hao taunted. Despite his attempts to sow doubt into Qing''e''s heart, she completely ignored him as she observed him with impassive golden eyes. She then raised a slender finger, and a single halo of light started to rise behind her head. Bang! A bright torrent of light akin to a massive laser cannon fired from the ring of light, shooting across the sky. The dazzling light it emitted caused the somewhat dim sky to momentarily turn as bright as day. The raw power of the attack would cause even a Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivator to be disintegrated without a trace. However, Pei Hao remained unfazed. He also raised his hand, and a golden light shot out from his fingertip, turning into a golden sword manifestation. As the sword manifestation soared against the wind, it expanded in size to over a hundred meters in a flash, filling the entire area with sharp sword energy. Weng! The sword manifestation clashed directly with the beam of light, causing a massive blast. Alarming amounts of resonant power broke out in every direction as a result, destroying the entire square and leaving it in ruins whilst the crowd ran for their lives, screaming in fear. The first strike might have been unsuccessful, but Jiang Qing''e did not relent. The golden heavy sword in her hand floated into the air, absorbing endless amounts of worldly natural energy. The outline of a golden eye could be seen on the blade of the sword as sacred light energy condensed atop the tip. At the next moment, profound patterns appeared over the golden heavy sword before it flew forward, tunneling through the void. In a blink, tens of thousands of sword manifestations appeared, all attempting to impale Pei Hao. The tiny, golden sword that hung by Pei Hao''s ear unattached itself and formed countless golden sword manifestations in response. The only difference was that his sword manifestations seemed to be sharper than those created by Jiang Qing''e by multiple times. Two colossal waves of sword manifestations clashed in the sky above, creating a sight to behold. Nove l B(in).C OM Their exchange had turned heated in a mere instant. At this time, the vicinity of House Luolan''s Headquarters was completely devastated. The skies above were occupied by two mighty Dukes clashing with world-ending arts that no one else was qualified to approach. On the ground was Jiang Qing''e and Pei Hao''s intense battle, both striking with the intent to kill, unwilling to pull punches. The rest of the space was occupied by the two factions'' forces engaging in mutual slaughter. Li Luo stood in the ruined corner of the square as he observed the situation. He frowned when he looked in Jiang Qing''e''s direction. Although he did not know how Pei Hao had obtained his ghastly strength, he had to admit that he was extremely strong. He had already surpassed the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage... Although Jiang Qing''e had gained a gargantuan boost to her power with the assistance of the Duke secret art, her attacks were unable to penetrate Pei Hao''s defenses. Clearly, Pei Hao was also stalling for time. His intention was obvious. Jiang Qing''e''s strength was drawn out from the sacrifice of one of her Heavenly Pearls. She had consumed yet another and only had three remaining. In just a short span of time, she had to shatter yet another Heavenly Pearl. Li Luo was not sure if the breaking of these Heavenly Pearls left behind any sort of residual damage, but a drop in cultivation level would have to be regained over a significant period of cultivation. Thus, it would inevitably stall her progress. Jiang Qing''e had made ample preparations for the sake of today''s Housemeet. However, the situation was still sticky. How could they fend off Pei Hao once she consumed the remaining three Heavenly Pearls? Judging by Pei Hao''s turtling tactics, he was biding his time and waiting for the right time to strike. Phew. Li Luo exhaled deeply. All of his bitter cultivation had been done to lessen Jiang Qing''e''s burden during the Housemeet. Who would have thought that in the end, it would all rest upon her shoulders anyway? His gaze turned gloomy. Alas, his body was a depleted spring, all his strength consumed when he defeated Pei Hao the first time. Even his body was injured, and he didn''t have any means to assist Jiang Qing''e. Additionally, Pei Hao had now entered the quasi-Duke Stage, so ordinary attacks would fail to harm him. As Li Luo fell into deep thought, he could feel a tremor coming from his wrist. Looking down, it had come from the scarlet-red bracelet. A low, deep roar transmitted into his ear. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf? Feeling the intentions conveyed by the roar, Li Luo''s gaze came to life as he asked in shock with a low voice, "What did you say? You can help me?" He did have some reservations as the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was only at the peak of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage. It might have the qualifications to attempt to break into the Duke Stage, but it had failed before, no? As though it could sense Li Luo''s doubt, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf expressed his fury with yet another roar. Li Luo''s gaze flickered. It didn''t really matter if the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s words were true or not. If there was a chance, he would not give it up. However, was the relationship between them so close that it was willing to assist him? They might have had an agreement, but Li Luo wasn''t so naive to believe that a verbal exchange was sufficient to turn the wolf into a trusted companion. Li Luo paused before asking directly, "What is your goal, then?" Yet another growl came from the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. Li Luo could distinctly understand the roar''s intentions. However, his expression became a little complicated. The price was simple. "I want... ten drops... of your blood essence!" Chapter 0661: Duke Art Chapter 0661: Duke Art In the skies above House Luolan. The two Dukes were waging a catastrophic battle, attracting the attention of all the peak experts within Xia City. Zhu Qinghuo and Ox Biaobiao had already revealed their Duke world spaces, absorbing the impact of their blows. Otherwise, Xia City''s sky would have already been turned into a fragmented and desolate void, the space torn to shreds. One could see a massive, flaming palm constantly swatting down within the fiery-red clouds, radiating terrifying amounts of heat that caused even the space itself to burn and leaving an acrid smell. Every pattern engraved upon the palm itself was mystifying, condensing the essence of flame itself. This was the Duke Art that a fourth-grade Duke could bring forth. If such a move were to land unobstructed in the midst of Xia City, half of it would inevitably go up in flames. Faced with Zhu Qinghuo''s Duke Art, Ox Biaobiao immediately returned the favor. Clenching his fist tightly, lines of light began to appear on his sturdily built arm. Flesh and blood shuddered as the moo of an ancient bull resounded. Duke Art, Demon Bull''s Godly Fist! He struck out with a single fist, and all of the world space before him shattered like fragile glass, with spatial fragments raining onto the ground. A massive fist silhouette roared through the air as it flew towards Zhu Qinghuo, containing a scene of thousands of divine bulls stampeding. This was pure, unadulterated strength capable of smashing mountains and splitting the ground apart. Bang! The two parties'' all-out attacks caused the world to rumble intensely despite the attacks occurring in the world space. The worldly natural energy around them was agitated, bubbling intensely in the aftermath. Everyone could see that things were at a stalemate as neither attack held an edge over the other. "House Luolan''s little girl might have increased her power tremendously, but she had to shatter her Heavenly Pearls as the price. How long can she hold on with such a heavy cost? Expecting her to defend House Luolan is a little idealistic, no?" Zhu Qinghou continued to sow doubt, attempting to erode Ox Biaobiao''s willpower to fight. "Noisy pest." Ox Biaobiao glared ferociously at Zhu Qinghuo before brusquely replying, "A fourth-grade Duke from a godforsaken desolate hellhole dares to wag his tongue at me? Do you think I won''t hack you to pieces?" With that, he swiftly brandished his pig-butchering knife. It suddenly extended, turning into a three-meter-long ghost-beheading blade. On it were dark-red marks that seemed to have been the result of it being soaked in countless amounts of fresh blood. At the same time, a horrifying, fiendish air emanated from the sanguine blade. Ox Biaobiao grasped the blade, and a terrifying, dark, crimson blade energy blasted out from him. A boundless, dark-red ocean seemed to have taken form behind him, all formed from this demonic blade energy. Rumble! Roar! The sea of blade energy rumbled, and everyone could see a massive demonic god take illusory form, casually standing up from within it. It hefted a massive blade whose very presence seemed to be able to penetrate the skies and the earth. All of the worldly natural energy around the duo was aroused as it wildly surged towards the illusory demonic god. Not only Zhu Qinghuo, all the other Dukes in Xia City who were secretly observing had expressions of great shock and were at a loss for words. "Is that a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art?" Most of the Dukes of the Xia Kingdom cultivated Communion-grade Duke Arts. Soul Ascension-grade ones were rare, and the Golden Dragon Bank, the royal court, and the Astral Sage College all treated such Duke Arts as highly prized heirlooms. As a result, the vast majority of Dukes were unable to cultivate them. At the very least, Zhu Qinghuo did not have one to call his own! Thus, when he saw Ox Biaobiao brandish the Duke Art, his eyelids couldn''t stop twitching in anxiety. At the same time, he held unrestrained envy in his heart. Ox Biaobiao, Li Taixuan, and Tan Tailan were from the inner divine continent, a holy land for cultivation. Even a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art was something he had never even managed to set his eyes on... until today. "Soul Ascension-grade Duke Arts might be almighty, but your Duke Bergfrieds still have yet to appear. I suppose this means they were shattered at some point? Without the support and foundation of the Duke Bergfrieds, the might of that Duke Art is wasted upon fool like you!" Although he was feeling fear, he wouldn''t show it, so he continued to spew harsh words in an attempt to project confidence. Duke Bergfrieds were the foundation that defined a Duke. Ox Biaobiao having not revealed any thus far had to be due to the fact that he couldn''t, not that he didn''t want to. In this case, he might stand a chance in a direct clash... Phew. Zhu Qinghuo heavily exhaled as he formed a seal with his hands, his expression turning solemn. Bang! Copious amounts of crimson resonant power burst out from Zhu Qinghuo, directly ascending into the air whilst the color of the energy continued to transform. By the time it reached the clouds, it had become like colored glass, a tint reddish but relatively transparent. The energy then transformed into a gargantuan, glass-like palm. All of the flames had turned a similar, transparent-reddish tint. The gigantic flaming hand remained in the air. It seemed indomitable, able to crush any enemies who attempted to block it. The Dukes within Xia City nodded slightly. Zhu Qinghuo may not have cultivated a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art, but his personal Communion-grade Heavenly God of Flame''s Palm had reached the state of Perfection. In terms of sheer might, it should be able to compare with an average Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art. Ox Biaobiaos gaze was like that of a ferocious beast. Glancing at the giant, transparent palm, he didn''t comment much, merely hacking down with the ghost-beheading blade. As his blade fell, so too did the illusory demonic god''s blade in tandem. In that instant, the world seemed to have been cleaved in half with a single blow. "Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art... Mad God''s Blade!" ...... As the Dukes'' battle intensified, the battle between Pei Hao and Jiang Qing''e within the headquarters had also increased in both savagery and peril. However, Pei Hao remained on the defensive, looking to drag things out. Another Heavenly Pearl had shattered, unable to withstand the consumption of the Duke Art. What was once five had turned into two. Clearly, remaining on even footing with Pei Hao required Jiang Qing''e to pay a hefty price. "Jiang Qing''e... you''re running out of time. The price you''ve paid has been significant... three Heavenly Pearls... Oh boy, can you imagine how long it will take to cultivate them back?" Pei Hao mocked with a huge grin as he looked at the remaining two Heavenly Pearls behind her. Jiang Qing''e''s beautiful expression remained undaunted as she icily replied, "Although I don''t know what you really are, whether it''s Pei Hao or some other abomination... I have to duly inform you, you pitiful creature. What you think is hard to accomplish is merely a bed of roses for me." Pei Hao''s smile seemed to shrink a little upon hearing those piercing words. Jiang Qing''e continued to glare at him dispassionately. "What I really want to know is whether you can still pull off a Duke Art in your strange state." "Pei Hao" squinted upon hearing those words. It was true that this body wasn''t his real body, it was Pei Hao''s. He might be able to lend it strength, but it was impossible for him to utilize a Duke Art. Frankly speaking, cultivating a Duke Art was out of the picture with Pei Hao''s talent and resources. "It looks like that''s a no." Jiang Qing''e answered herself with a light nod upon seeing the lack of response. "What do you mean?" Pei Hao indifferently asked. "I can''t use a Duke Art? You mean to say..." His voice came to an abrupt end as he saw Jiang Qing''e slender, jade hands execute a hand seal. With that, a small cluster of sacred flames condensed on her palm. The flames did not seem very powerful. However, they radiated holy light in every direction. Wherever the rays of light landed, they would convert the worldly natural energy into light resonant energy. Thus, Pei Hao could feel a sense of danger coming from the unassuming cluster of flames. His expression turned gloomy at last. "You shattered three Heavenly Pearls to build up your resonant power... all as a diversion for this." He forlornly realized what was going on. Jiang Qing''e did not bother to answer, only lifting up her hand along with the cluster of flames into the air. In a flash, a tempest kicked up, and the flame transformed into a humongous phoenix, one that burned with sacred flames. The divine phoenix attracted everyone''s attention. Everyone could feel the terrifying destructive capability of this resonance art... Only a Duke Art possessed this much power! No one had expected to learn that not only had Li Luo cultivated one, but Jiang Qing''e too! Jiang Qing''es chest heaved slightly at this point, and her graceful features turned pale for the first time. She then pointed directly at Pei Hao. The divine phoenix emitted a crystal-clear cry as it spread its massive wings, swooping down whilst leaving a gorgeous trail of flames in its wake. This was her strongest art. She had hidden her strength for far too long all for the sake of this day. Duke Art: Radiant Phoenix Flame. Chapter 0662: Fiance Tag Team Chapter 0662: Fiance Tag Team The divine phoenix flapped its wings and soared into the air before diving towards Pei Hao, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Everything it touched seemed to be purified as worldly natural energy churned around it. The energy was purified and then turned into feathers that adorned the phoenix, making it seem even more majestic as it flew through the air. The strength it contained seemed to surpass even Li Luo''s Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner. On the other hand, the subject of Jiang Qing''e''s assault, Pei Hao, seemed a little dismayed, and a somber expression had crept up on his face. This art was truly capable of threatening him! He had never expected that Jiang Qing''e would not only possess a Duke supportive secret art, but an offensive one as well! She was only at the Heavenly Pearl Stage and yet she wielded two different Duke Arts. This wasn''t a genius, this was a demonic freak of nature! What was most troublesome was that he only possessed quasi-Duke Stage strength and was unable to bring to bear his Duke Arts. Thus, he was left without any good options to retaliate. After all, a dragon-general resonance art was incomparable to it. "Her power comes from sacrificing her Heavenly Pearls, and thus she cannot hold on for too long. As long as I can stall for time, she will eventually become powerless," Pei Hao coldly thought as he clasped his hands together to form a series of changing hand seals. Immediately after, majestic, golden light emanated from his body, completely covering him and quickly forming a massive, golden, unadorned bell. It was engraved with numerous patterns, glowing and revealing its absolute defensive prowess. This was Pei Hao''s strongest defensive art, known as the Golden Bell Art, a high-grade dragon-general resonance art. Although it was only a high-grade dragon-general resonance art, it possessed terrifying might when utilized by someone at the quasi-Duke Stage. Dong! The divine phoenix dive bombed towards him, directly colliding with the golden bell and triggering a shrill ring. Ripples rapidly spread throughout the surface of the bell as the purifying fire continued to burn, dissolving the resonant power that it was made of. Wave after wave of frightening energy continued to erupt. The divine phoenix engulfed the golden bell, constantly seeking to purify and assimilate the resonant power it was constituted of. The golden bell began to show signs of melting down, but the pace at which it happened was relatively slow. This was because Pei Hao was constantly channeling his resonant power to bolster and repair the art, using brute strength to challenge Jiang Qing''e in a war of attrition. A nervous pair of eyes was focused on the two''s struggle. Anyone could see that Jiang Qing''e''s assault was the best she could muster at this point. If this was blocked by Pei Hao, then the odds of the battle falling into his control would significantly increase. Pei Hao''s expression, on the other hand, was gradually becoming more grave. Endless amounts of metal resonance energy was pouring out of his body to alleviate the purifying flames liquefying the Golden Bell Art. The only thing that made him feel some relief was that the golden bell was able to hold on, not completely destroyed by her technique. "Jiang Qing''e.... you have brought me many surprises. Alas, the quasi-Duke Stage''s strength is not something you can deal with. Pei Hao cackled as he taunted Jiang Qing''e, hoping to demoralize her. As Pei Hao''s voice sounded out, he suddenly seemed to have sensed something behind him. Turning around hastily, he glanced at a corner of the square. What he saw caused his expression to turn incomparably gloomy. Not only him, even Jiang Qing''e, Yuan Qing, and the rest had also felt a disturbance. What they saw shocked them. Li Luo was now emitting monstrous undulations of berserk resonant power. His body was being torn apart, barely able to contain the energy within him as row after row of bloody trails appeared on his skin, causing fresh blood to leak. In a blink, he turned into a person made of blood, looking slightly horrifying. "He still possesses that much resonant power?" Pei Hao felt like he had been struck by a bolt of lightning, and his gaze turned somber. He had thought that Li Luo had been squeezed dry, and yet he was not emitting such raw power? "Xu Tianling! Restrain him!" Pei Hao exhorted with all his might. Looking at Li Luo''s chilly gaze directed at him, Pei Hao knew that he was planning to join hands with Jiang Qing''e to strike at his golden bell in tandem. Unfortunately, he was now being bogged down by her and unable to shift his attention to deal with any other distractions, resulting in him having to recruit external aid. When Xu Tianling heard the summons, he immediately shot towards Li Luo like a bullet. Yuan Qing attempted to stop him, but Mo Cheng took action, tying him down. Xu Tianling rapidly approached Li Luo, bursting with ice resonant power. He condensed an icy spear adorned with runes in his hand, thrusting it rapidly at Li Luo''s chest. Li Luo''s face was covered in blood, but a scarlet light flashed within his eyes. This power was something he had traded ten drops of blood essence for. This was the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s ultimate strength, squeezed out with every ounce of effort it had. This power could not be converted by the Heavenly Libation Chant, and thus had to be willingly provided by the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. Li Luo shot a furtive look at the scarlet bracelet on his hand and noticed that its radiance had dimmed considerably. He could feel that the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s aura had also weakened significantly, indicating that it had paid a hefty price to ensure that it could transmit its strength to Li Luo. Still, this was a somewhat equal exchange. Ten drops of Li Luo''s blood essence had been offered. These were not simply drops of blood, but essence that held the power of his bloodline. With the ten drops given away, Li Luo felt an emptiness within him, and restoring it would not be a simple task. However, this was a problem for future Li Luo... What was most important was getting rid of Pei Hao as soon as he could. And when he was faced with the prospect of a lunging Xu Tianling? Li Luo didn''t really care about such a fly. With a wave, the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade appeared in his hand. He hacked downwards once. The space before him was immediately cut apart, leaving behind a thin trail as a tyrannical blade light shot forth towards Xu Tianling. BANG! At the moment of impact, Xu Tianling was appalled to see his icy spear immediately burst into fragments. Boundless power transmitted through the blade light, shredding his protective resonant power into pieces and gashing him heavily across the chest. AH! A pitiful scream rang out as Xu Tianling was sent flying with a single strike, his chest bleeding profusely with his flesh and blood exposed. In fact, the wound was so deep one could almost see his beating heart. "Ah! The strength granted from the exchange of ten drops of blood essence is impressive indeed. Much better than what the crappy Heavenly Libation Chant provided..." Li Luo dryly commented with surprise as he watched Xu Tianling get grievously injured with but a single blow. The Heavenly Libation Chant might be able to forcibly deprive the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf from some of its energy, but at the end of the day, voluntary donations were much more effective! Only with sufficient consideration would the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf be willing to give him its all. After repelling Xu Tianling, Li Luo knew that he wouldn''t have time to properly finish him off, so he turned his attention to Pei Hao. He was still surrounded by the golden bell, forcibly resisting the purifying flames of the divine phoenix. However, the gaze he held towards Li Luo now seemed to hold a hint of worry and anger. Li Luo''s disturbance had shattered his plans. A cold smile surfaced on Li Luo''s lips. Although he could feel severe pain coming from every inch of his body, it could not dilute the happiness he felt in his heart. He raised his hands and formed a hand seal. In a blink, the strength provided by the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf quickly weakened, and a black dragon banner appeared in his hands. "If one Duke Art isn''t enough to send you to hell. Hell... why not another one, then! Damned beast! I''ll let you have a taste of House Luolan''s glorious couple''s tag-team strength!" Li Luo gave a sincere smile as he swiped downwards with the black dragon banner in hand. The space before him was torn apart, exposing the void, and the sound of gushing seawater could be heard. Black seawater flowed out torrentially from the crack, and the shadow of a titanic, black dragon could be seen in the depths. Roar! As the draconic roar sounded out, the black dragon wrapped in saturnine seawater rushed forward before the countless eyes of the crowd, directly bringing to bear its colossal weight as it bashed the golden bell that surrounded Pei Hao! Chapter 0663: Pei Haos True Death Chapter 0663: Pei Hao''s True Death Bang! The black dragon wrapped by the black sea violently collided with the golden bell before Pei Hao''s startled and furious eyes. Dong! The bell rang out, and its golden light began to dissipate with increasing speed. Pei Hao was angry, and he screamed in indignation. No longer holding anything back, he channeled all of the resonant power within him outwards in an attempt to stabilize the golden bell. He knew that this was their final struggle, and if he could hold on long enough, the two would be at his mercy! Unfortunately, this was easier said than done as the two Duke Arts could not be dealt with so easily. Additionally, Pei Hao wasn''t really a Duke. He had merely borrowed external aid to enter the quasi-Duke Stage. Thus, no matter how hard he strove to resist, the golden bell still continued to dissipate briskly. Suddenly, a light ka-cha was heard. A single crack had appeared on the golden bell. Pei Hao''s pupils shrank and his heart sank. With the first thin crack appearing, more and more began to form, and the integrity of the golden bell weakened. In the short span of a few breaths, the golden bell was lined with all sorts of fractures and chinks. Bang! It eventually reached its breaking point, and a massive explosion rang out. Everyone within House Luolan''s headquarters looked on with surprise as the golden bell''s destruction filled the sky with golden, scintillating motes of light. At this point, the almost sentient divine phoenix and black dragon locked onto Pei Hao''s body automatically, rushing right at him with one in front and the other behind, cutting off his route of retreat before hammering him head-on. The scene was akin to fireworks blooming in mid air. Pei Hao was ravaged by two terrifying sources of energy, causing him to swiftly disintegrate into ashes. However, his expression was not full of despair, but rather one that was frosty as he glared at the two. "I never wouldve guessed that you two would be so strong," he coldly stated. Li Luo was covered with fresh blood as he beamed radiantly whilst waving goodbye to Pei Hao. "Goodbye, fellow brother. You can rest assured that we will revitalize House Luolan and bring it to greater heights. When the day comes, I''ll burn some incense for you too." "Li Luo... don''t be cocky. Don''t think that this is over just yet," Pei Hao warned ominously as the brightness within his eyes dissipated, replaced with a lightless gray. His gray eyes struggled to examine the seemingly foreign body they were in before shifting their focus onto Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. A complicated gaze arose within them, but in the end, he did not speak. Instead, he sighed faintly and resigned himself to his fate, letting the two turbulent sources of energy within him decompose him into nothingness. The two stared at the scene before them calmly. They couldn''t be bothered with figuring out what his last actions seemed to imply. Perhaps he was filled with utter regret, but that was meaningless. The situation within the house had devolved into utter pandemonium, so nothing could be resolved at this moment. That fellow was the main culprit behind the disaster that was today, so there would be no pity for someone like him. Perhaps a clean death was the biggest mercy for him. Eurrgh! Li Luo retched out a mouth of blood. He suddenly became dispirited and lethargic and his complexion turned frighteningly pale. A whiff of a familiar fragrance wafted over, and Jiang Qing''e was instantly by his side. She hurriedly supported him and channeled light resonant energy into his body. At the same time, her expression fluctuated as she could feel that his internal injuries were significant. He had paid a tremendous price for that final attack. "You''ve tried a little too hard to show off, huh?" Jiang Qing''e grumbled reproachfully. "Well, the reason Ive been working so hard for the past year was for the sake of lightening your burden..." Li Luo grinned before asking proudly, "So, what do you think, Sister Qing''e? Not bad, right?" Jiang Qing''e stretched out her slender palm and helped Li Luo clean the blood off his face. A hint of a smile could be seen within her golden eyes. She nodded lightly and her voice became exceptionally gentle. "Your performance today was even more perfect than I could ever imagine. I am very proud of you, Li Luo." Li Luo smirked victoriously, but this immediately tore open an existing wound, causing him to grimace in pain and take a few cool breaths to recompose himself. Jiang Qing''e continued to pour light resonant energy into him to aid his recovery. She could feel that Li Luo was currently like an exhausted lamp. If he were to try to summon any more resonant power, he might very well leave behind long term sequelae. "Well, I think Pei Hao is truly dead now," Li Luo said. "Pei Hao himself doesn''t mean much. Whether it was you or me, either of us could have ended him without much trouble." Jiang Qing''e''s gaze flickered. "However, the Pei Hao we just fought with may not necessarily be the Pei Hao we knew." Li Luo agreed readily. "When it was Pei Hao himself, no matter what secret art he may have used, it would have been impossible for him to reach the quasi-Duke Stage. Thus, it''s likely that a Duke expert personally possessed his body." "Who do you think it could be?" Jiang Qing''e asked. Li Luo frowned as he pondered. "The Xia Kingdom is full of Dukes that covet House Luolan. It''s hard to determine who is responsible, but based on my intuition... there is one person that stands out in particular." The two glanced at each other simultaneously and spoke in tandem. "Shen Jinxiao." Li Luo smiled. "It looks like you and I do have some chemistry after all. Although my suspicions are placed on Shen Jinxiao, how could he possibly have been the one backing Pei Hao? It all seems a little odd as the two have no reason to work together." Jiang Qing''e shook her head. "That does seem to be true. Comparatively, the Regent, Duze Yan, Zhu Qinghuo, and the rest are much more likely suspects. Perhaps our guesses were mistaken?" Li Luo rotated his shoulder in an attempt to loosen up his joints. "Whether or not it''s true, once the Housemeet ends, we will report him to the college and get them to conduct an investigation." Jiang Qing''e agreed with this plan. They disliked him to begin with, so shoving more trouble down his throat would be a wonderful thing after all. "We''ve basically completely exhausted ourselves. The rest will be up to Uncle Biao." Li Luo sighed deeply. He and Jiang Qing''e had managed to stabilize the situation within the house, but things were not over. There were still external forces that had to be dealt with. In a dark, secret room. Pffffft! Shen Jinxiao spat out a mouth of fresh blood, and he looked frighteningly forlorn. Before him, the quarter of the heart that remained began to wither, quickly decaying and turning into nothingness atop the altar. Pei Hao had completely died and he no longer had a medium to work with. "Did I actually lose?!" Shen Jinxiao clenched his fists in frustration, his gaze turning sinister. This result was an affront to him. As a true Duke expert, he had made years of preparations, and all of it had been foiled by Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. Thinking of the years that had gone down the drain just like that incited fury within him. Still, he was a far-sighted individual and was unfathomable in thought. Thus, he took two deep breaths before calming himself down and suppressing any wayward emotions. "I seem to have underestimated those two brats." Shen Jinxiao''s gaze turned abstruse as he spoke to himself coldly. "However, I won''t give up so easily." As soon as he finished his monologue, his expression suddenly changed. With a swish of his robes, the altar before him vanished and his body reappeared by the front door of his lodging. Someone was knocking on it. Shen Jinxiao expressionlessly opened the door and saw two Violet Vibrance mentors standing outside. "Yes? How can I help you?" Shen Jinxiao asked indifferently. The two mentors observed him closely for a moment before smiling. "Mentor Shen Jinxiao, have you truly been here the whole time and not left your lodgings?" "What do you mean? Wouldn''t you have known if I left?" Shen Jinxiao retorted with a frown. The two mentors smiled and nodded. "Nothing much to it. We just had to ask, as per the Vice Principal''s instructions. If you don''t have anything else to do right now, could you come over for a cup of tea?" Shen Jinxiao leisurely nodded. "Sure." His blunt reply caused the two mentors to feel more at ease, and they nodded with smiles of their own. Chapter 0664: Another Wave Chapter 0664: Another Wave When the battle on the ground came to a conclusion, the battle in the skies between the Dukes began to show signs of abating. All matter and energy crumbled before the earth-shattering strike of the blade. Even the glass-like divine fire palm was insufficient to halt it, immediately tearing apart upon contact. An indescribable, disintegrative blade light continued to sweep past, tearing apart space and revealing the void. Meanwhile, the massive, glass-like palm had turned into motes in the wind. Zhu Qinghuo''s figure stood stiffly within his world space, and he coughed heavily a brief moment later, spitting out rivulets of blood from the side of his mouth. At the same time, a massive, bloody gash suddenly appeared on his body. It started from his palm and then quickly spread across his arm to his entire torso. The result? A single cut had bisected Zhu Qinghuo. However, Dukes possessed terrifying vitality. Magma started pouring out of the openings of both halves of his body, sealing up the crevice and preventing his body from splitting apart. Regardless, this had grievously wounded him. His expression remained gloomy, and he stared daggers at Ox Biaobiao as he commented hoarsely, "As expected of a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art." "It''s a pity I''m no longer in peak form. Otherwise, you would have been left a corpse," Ox Biaobiao replied indifferently. "Still, it looks like you''re no longer able to battle any further. Scram. House Luolan doesn''t welcome scum like you." Zhu Qinghuo''s expression was frigid as he glanced towards headquarters. He knew that Pei Hao had been destroyed without a trace, and the frustration within his heart brewed. What is that damned Shen Jinxiao up to? Didn''t he have the upper hand? How couldn''t he beat two juniors!? Their cooperative effort had been blocked soundly. With all of Xia City''s peak experts paying close attention to the developments here, their loss would inevitably invite scorn and mockery. Regardless, he felt disgruntled. Both he and Shen Jinxiao had played their cards, only to result in utter failure. ... Golden Dragon Bank Discussion Room. A light mirror was floating in the air. What was happening in House Luolan was being displayed for all present. All of the Golden Dragon Bank''s elders and higher echelons were present and paying close attention to the battle. When they saw that both Pei Hao and Zhu Qinghuo had met with defeat, they all erupted with surprise and caused a scene. Clearly, this result had surpassed their expectations. "Hmm... It''s unbelievable that House Luolan has been hiding such a mighty Duke. Even a fourth-grade Duke was unable to parry a single blow of his blade." "Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e are truly eye-catching and impressive. Pei Hao''s body had signs of being controlled by a Duke... possessing strength at the quasi-Duke Stage. It was mind-boggling that he could be defeated by the two of them." "Indeed, they live up to the reputation of being Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s progeny and disciple. They are definitely the most outstanding youths in their generation." Low murmurs burst out across the entire room as they discussed the situation. Most importantly, the majority of them held nonchalant attitudes towards the result. The Golden Dragon Bank was a neutral faction after all, and whether it was House Jiyan or House Luolan, both were simply clients for their business. Even if one were completely ruined, it had nothing to do with them. Lu Qing''er finally relaxed her clenched fist, a smile forming on her elegant and attractive face. The knot in her heart had finally resolved itself, and she cheered happily in her heart, "Li Luo! You''re amazing!" Yu Hongxi, meanwhile, continued to observe the situation calmly with a grave look in her eyes as she focused upon Ox Biaobiao. This man has hidden himself so deeply. It looks like Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan left behind a backup plan after all. After which, she swept her gaze towards Vice President Ning Que. He didn''t seem to be particularly expressive at this point, almost disinterested even. The only thing was that the frequency of his fingers drumming against the side of his chair had increased slightly. It seemed as though his heart was not as calm as what one saw on the surface. Perhaps he was awaiting the appearance of Elder Han Long She chuckled coldly in her heart. Yu Hongxi then focused upon Li Luo within the light mirror, a trace of satisfaction within her eyes. This brat has inherited the style of his father. Perhaps when the time comes, he will outshine even his old man. Qing''er''s had a good eye. The only problematic thing is the arranged marriage between Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. A glimmer flashed through Yu Hongxi''s eyes. That is obviously the daughter-in-law whom Tan Tailan wanted for her son. An unrequited indignance arose within her when she thought of that woman Tan Tailan. "I might have lost to you that year, but when it comes to the next generation, my daughter won''t lose!" Royal Palace The regal First Princess was garbed in flowery robes whilst observing a crystal ball that was projecting the scenes happening within House Luolan. "It looks like I''ve made the right bet this time." She laughed charmingly with a beauty that could topple countries. "Was that the final card Jiang Qing''e had kept secret for years? It truly is terrifying. If she had opted to reveal it earlier within the college, neither I nor Gong Shenjun would be her opponent," she mumbled to herself. The strength Jiang Qing''e had demonstrated was something that shocked even her. Although the cost to do so was not minor, winning was worth the price she had paid. "That brat Li Luo as well... He''s always full of pleasant surprises." The First Princess'' eyes flashed with a trace of interest as she observed Li Luo. Jiang Qing''e hiding a Duke Art was not that unexpected. However, when did Li Luo manage to cultivate one of his own? He was clearly in the Fiend Palace Tier, so a Duke Art should have been beyond his comprehension. This was another harbinger of miracles for the Astral Sage College. People had always said that Jiang Qing''e was the pillar which House Luolan rested upon, but no one had ever imagined that the underlooked Young Lord would shine with a brilliance that did not lose to her. He would definitely become an elite amongst the experts of the Xia Kingdom in the future. The thought caused her to chuckle lightly, and she felt immense satisfaction from making the right investment. However... Although the problem of Pei Hao and Zhu Qinghuo had been resolved, would the situation today end just like this? The First Princess'' smile gradually receded. Chief Steward Qin had not appeared outside House Luolan, which implied that he had been held back by someone. Someone who could accurately predict and control her influence and also dispatch an appropriate individual to counteract her moves would not be someone unfamiliar to her. In fact, she already could guess who it was. Still, this was not too surprising. As the First Princess of the royal court, she had long come to a conclusion. If that person truly coveted House Luolan, then he would not simply let things be. Zhu Qinghuo and Pei Hao were merely the appetizers. Once he took action, it would be swift and aggressive. At the top of the Regent''s lodging The atmosphere was a little depressing as the Regent stood forlornly, hands behind his back, wallowing in the silence. On the other hand, the dual-pupil youth was chortling to himself. "What a pity. You actually lost!" "This is inconceivable. I thought that between Zhu Qinghuo and Shen Jinxiao, one of them would have succeeded," the Regent stated callously. "What now? Do we give up? Perhaps you need my help? As your best friend, I would be more than happy to do so." The youth gave a slight smile. The Regent shook his head. "Once you''re revealed, I will inevitably turn into a target of public criticism. I''m afraid I would lose all rights to the coronation ceremony. "Forget it. Now that we''re already at this point, there''s no need to act covertly anymore. I will take what I need from House Luolan. Even if it doesn''t adhere to the rules, it will all be for my grand plan." The Regent sighed, but his expression became exceptionally cold. With that, he took a step forward, vanishing into the void. Chapter 0665: The Black Hand Reveals Himself! Chapter 0665: The Black Hand Reveals Himself! With Zhu Qinghuo being dreadfully injured by Ox Biaobiao with a single strike, cheers resounded throughout House Luolan. Those that remained loyal to Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e felt exceptionally moved. Pei Hao was dead, Xu Tianling was on the verge of death, the opposing Duke was heinously wounded and had been forced to retreat... House Luolan had survived its cataclysmic trial of life and death, and a new chapter awaited them! From now on, Li Luo would become the House Lord of House Luolan! The internal strife had finally come to an end. Yuan Qing, Lei Zhang, and the rest on Li Luo''s side were euphoric. Meanwhile, those who had supported Pei Hao were pale with fright, losing all motivation to do battle. They were basically paralyzed, leaving themselves open for capture. The facts had left them in complete despair. "We won!" Cai Wei''s beautiful face was emotional as she tightly clutched Yan Lingqing''s arm, causing a bruise in her excitement. Yan Lingqing did not resist as she was extremely moved by the result too. She continued to stare wistfully towards Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, almost in a trance. As Jiang Qing''e''s close friend, she was made clear of House Luolan''s precarious situation, filled with internal troubles and external parties coveting them. Any other faction in this position would undoubtedly have been powerless when faced with such issues. Additionally, although Jiang Qing''e was full of potential, she was no Duke. Therefore, she did not possess the power to overturn the situation herself. Instead, she had continued to accumulate burdens, preparing for this very day. At the same time, Yan Lingqing understood why Jiang Qing''e would go so far. "Li Luo, that brat. Everyone underestimated him," Yan Lingqing said seriously. The reason why House Luolan was able to stabilize the situation was in part due to Jiang Qing''e''s radiant performance. At the same time, Li Luo''s contributions could not be neglected. Jiang Qing''e would not have managed to turn the tide on her own. Cai Wei nodded slightly as she smiled. "All I can say is that those two are a great fit for each other. Qing''e dazzled the world with her peerless talent and attracted everyone''s attention. As a result, she overshadowed the Young Lord, who took the opportunity to develop himself." "Hmm, the world might originally have thought that Li Luo was unbefitting of Qing''e... but I''m afraid that after today, no one will dare to say that ever again." Yan Lingqing sized up the duo as she grinned. "I formally announce that I''m fully supportive of their engagement!" New novel chapters are published on novelB(i)n.NET. Cai Wei smiled as well. As everyone continued to cheer in celebration, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e did not reveal any strong expressions on their faces. Somehow... something felt off. Today''s situation was unlikely to resolve itself so easily. Whether it was Pei Hao or Zhu Qinghuo, neither had been the true hand behind the curtain. Why? Someone able to orchestrate a scheme to send Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan to the Nobles'' Battlefield would have to be significantly more influential than Zhu Qinghuo. Thus, if the mastermind coveted the treasures of House Luolan, they would not idly sit by, as years of effort would be put to waste. As a result, the two of them waited. Not too long later, they saw the heavily weakened ward flicker in the skies above House Luolan. Terrifying undulations of resonant power descended when someone ripped a hole in the ward. When the gap appeared, four beams of light descended, surrounding Ox Biaobiao. Four silhouettes could be seen, and a wave of powerful suppression swept across everyone. It was actually four Dukes! Although the four were not as strong as Zhu Qinghuo individually, they were all second-grade. Still, four Dukes appearing simultaneously was a sight that shocked everyone, immediately cutting off any cheers of excitement. Ox Biaobiao''s reaction was equally quick. The moment the Dukes appeared, his gaze turned ferocious and he unsheathed his blade, unleashing terrifying sword strikes that were akin to a frenzied tempest, attempting to reap the lives of the newcomers. "Duke Formation, Four Saints Grand Formation!" However, the intruders were also equally prepared, directly forming countless hand seals in response. Countless rays of light burst forth from within their bodies, each one containing endless numbers of runes and exuding extraordinary auras. Eventually, the rays of light transformed into countless halos of light that layered heavily upon each other, densely covering the world space. Although the daunting sword strikes were able to shatter numerous halos, even more new ones seemed to replace them instantly. It had turned into a unique sort of prison, one which confined Ox Biaobiao. If he were to take a single step forward, he would be drowned by the sheer number of halos. This sudden change caused the individuals within the headquarters of House Luolan to fall silent. Even the experts of Xia City were left speechless at this sight. "Is that the Four Saints Grand Formation? Then it must be the royal court''s doing!" "Those four Dukes are from the royal court... they''re all underlings of the Regent!" "Why did he take action?!" Numerous Duke experts were discussing this in hushed whispers. This was the first time the identity of the perpetrator was made clear. What they saw next absolutely dumbfounded them. An awe-inspiring figure appeared in the sky above House Luolan. He glanced at the heavily damaged defensive ward and passed through it with a single step. He possessed an aura even more fearsome than Zhu Qinghuos, and the whole world seemed to bow before his regal presence, which blanketed all with a suppressive might that caused even the people of House Luolan to be unable to breathe. A single man was the focus of all the fear-stricken individuals that cowered before him. "This... This is..,." "The royal court''s Regent! Why did he act himself? What is he trying to do?" Numerous individuals were lost for words. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s expressions had turned frigid. When the Regent appeared, they finally understood that he was the mastermind behind Pei Hao, Zhu Qinghuo, and the rest! This was not completely out of their expectations. Only someone at the very top of the Xia Kingdoms power hierarchy could direct Zhu Qinghuo. There were few other than the Regent who possessed such influence. Only the Regent possessed the political will and might to deal with Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. With his appearance, he glanced across all below him before pausing over Ox Biaobiao, followed by Li Luo and then Jiang Qing''e. He seemed completely indifferent before he boomed out with a heroic voice, "I have spent countless years investigating House Luolan. I know that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had plans to subvert my royal court. This is a crime of the highest degree that cannot be pardoned. I thus decree that House Luolan be struck from the registers of the five Great Houses! All of House Luolan''s possessions will be confiscated." With that declaration, he stretched out his palm and made a slashing gesture all of a sudden. After which, a gigantic chasm opened up violently within the square of House Luolan''s headquarters. With that, the underground palace became visible for all to see. Inside it was a stone statue of a dragon and phoenix that were intertwined. Atop it were two flickering flames. They were Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s natal flames. When the Regent saw the flickering flames, his gaze turned gloomy. The duo had obviously not died in the Nobles'' Battlefield... How tenacious of them! However, they would be injured if he were to extinguish them here. In a location where danger was rife around every corner, it would possibly ruin them. The Regent stretched out his hand, and a massive palm that blotted out the sun viciously swatted towards the dragon-phoenix statue. As Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e witnessed this scene, they did not take action to stop it. They were clear of the difference in strength between them and the Regenttrying to stop it was like a mantis trying to stop a cart. Futile. Instead, they burned the image of the Regent''s face into their minds with gazes full of palpitable, cold, murderous intent. At this point, they had already decided that it was time to abandon House Luolan. The opponent was simply too strong. There was no way to resist, and they knew their limits. Thus, it was time to go. So long as they lived, even the Regent would find it hard to rest easy. The massive palm that covered the skies smashed down brutally. Roar! Yet right at this instant, everyone felt as though they could hear the furious roar of a dragon. The draconic roar felt both boundless and endlessly tyrannical, like one could not defile its majesty. Before the intimidating roar had subsided, the crisp cry of a peng followed. It sounded even more arrogant than the previous roar, its clear cry carrying a terrifying pressure that even suppressed the draconic roar. In the next instant, a radiant, golden light spilled from within the underground palace. The golden light seemed to have transformed into a massive, golden-winged peng. With a single flap of its wings, the Regent''s summoned palm was shredded into motes of light. After which, a cold shout from a lady resounded like thunder throughout the entirety of Xia City. "Li Taixuan! Get out of my way! This damned beast Gong Yuan dares to harm my children? He''s just a piece of trash, and yet he dares to plot against them? I''ll send him to meet his ancestors right now!" As her furious shouts echoed out, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e violently trembled as they stared at the light that had burst out from the underground palace in a daze. Uncontrollable excitement could be seen in their eyes and emotions surged within their hearts. "Mom?" "Mistress?" Chapter 0666: Tan Tailans Move Chapter 0666: Tan Tailan''s Move When the woman''s cold shout arose from the depths of the underground palace, every single observer felt thunderstruck. The image of a certain, elegant House Lord who was adept at convincing people came to mind: Misty Duke, Tan Tailan. All of Xia City''s experts had a very deep impression of Tan Tailan. People often said that Li Taixuan was breathtakingly extraordinary, but those who had the opportunity to meet the couple knew who wore the pants in the relationship. This was mostly because Li Taixuan was a loving husband who wanted to ensure her needs were well taken care of, but Tan Tailans strength and talent were also important factors. However, this was not the important thing on their minds. Instead, they were more concerned as to how the duo had appeared here. Were their true bodies descending or were these mere projections? Regardless, everyone knew that the couple had left behind countermeasures at their disposal. They all focused their gazes upon House Luolan''s Headquarters. The two natal flames in the underground palace flared up and ascended into the sky, forming two silhouettes. One was of a man and the other of a woman. The man was tall and slender, with sharp facial features that made him incredibly handsome. His face had a warm and gentle smile with an unruffled disposition that gave him an unusual bearing. The woman was beautiful beyond compare, her body thin and willowy with a head of long hair that was pinned up. She had a graceful temperament, but her expression was icy, naturally giving off a sense of heroism and might. Everyone in House Luolan''s headquarters, even those from Li Luo or Pei Hao''s faction, was dumbstruck. All they could do was idly stare at the two silhouettes. For a moment, they felt extremely touched. Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng, the two ancestors, were so taken aback that they stumbled backwards, falling upon their butts. Above the headquarters, the Regent stared at the two silhouettes, momentarily losing himself in his thoughts. This was the last defense Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had left behind. It looked as though it was just an illusory projection and not their main bodies... Plus, they couldn''t possibly have left the Nobles'' Battlefield and arrived here in person. However... even though it was merely an illusory projection, the Regent felt his heart sink as he indeed was fearful of these two. "The two of you-" The Regent was about to speak. "You ignorant fool. You might be the Regent to the others, but in my eyes... you''re just a prancing clown. The two of us voluntarily opted to go to the Nobles'' Battlefield for our own reasons... Did you REALLY think that your pathetic, underhanded moves could force us to do something we didn''t want to? HMPH! You dared to bully my kids as soon as we left! I think it''s time for you to die here. Today!" The latest_epi_sodes are on_the novel(bin).???.website. Before the Regent could even speak, Tan Tailan fell into a furious tirade, completely disinterested in speaking with the Regent. She immediately raised her slender hand and swatted the air before her. Bright, golden light swept out immediately. The light pierced through the void and was extremely pure. Golden wings seemed to be fluttering with it, which looked incomparably mysterious to the naked eye. "Divine Golden Wing Light!" The golden light bathed the area with light, and all of the worldly natural energy that it shone upon seemed to have been assimilated by it. The divine light then swept past the Regent. Seeing this, his eyes shrank as the Divine Golden Wing Light was something he was familiar with... It was Tan Tailan''s special move. However, her words had touched a raw nerve, and fury blazed within his eyes. Ever since he had taken control of the Xia Kingdom, no one had ever dared to go against his will. Yet the words she had bluntly shouted out were so demeaning that he couldn''t take it. "Hmph! You''re just a projection and you dare to act so rampantly?!" The Regent''s face was gloomy. When Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had left for the Noble''s Battlefield, they were simply fourth-grade Dukes, whereas he was a fifth-grade! Plus, this was merely a projection that could not muster the original''s full strength. On what basis did she dare to act so presumptuously? Thus, he did not bother to hide when directly faced with the golden divine light. Instead, he formed a hand seal with just one hand. The skies were instantly covered, and a wisp of violet energy rose into the air. Within it was a violet seal. The bottom of the seal itself was inscribed with an ancient word that was able to suppress the world. "Duke Art, Nation Subduing Violet Seal!" The seal began to tremble, wrapped in waves of violet energy before directly resisting the golden light. At the moment of collision, the Regent''s eyes shrunk once again as he could feel that he was in a perilous situation. Why? He realized that during that brief moment of contact, the Divine Golden Wing Light had actually assimilated the violet energy of the Nation Subduing Violet Seal! As the light continued to flash past, part of the seal had turned into nothingness. "It can''t be!" The Regent''s expression warped. His Duke Art held on for a mere two breaths of time before Tan Tailan''s art disintegrated it into nothingness. In his moment of panic, the Divine Golden Wing Light continued to pierce through the void and swept across him from head to toe. At this very moment, the world space of the Regent appeared behind him. His five Duke Bergfrieds within trembled for all to see, instantly exuding vast amounts of resonant power like a sea in an attempt to resist the Divine Golden Wing Light. Swish! Swish! The Divine Golden Wing Light continued to sweep past in a stream. Massive volumes of resonant power began to dissipate at a pace visible to the naked eye. Ten breaths later, the Regent noticed that his arms had begun to shrink and the blood essence within his limbs was gradually dissolving as the Divine Golden Wing Light brushed past. He felt both consternation and indignation at this sight. Tan Tailan is clearly just a projection, but why is the art so frightening? His thoughts in a flurry, he no longer hesitated and quickly retreated out of House Luolan''s headquarters. With that swift retreat, the Divine Golden Wing Light no longer chased him, instead transforming into a golden mist that was then swallowed by Tan Tailan. The two''s exchange had been extraordinarily quick, ending in a flash. When the observers came to their senses after being awed by their battle, they saw that the Regent was hurriedly escaping. This sight horrified Xia City''s numerous experts as they could see that the Regent had been beaten soundly during the ensuing battle! One had to know that the Regent was a fifth-grade Duke! This meant that he stood amongst the best of the best in the entire Xia Kingdom! How could he have been chased away by Tan Tailan? "Why are you running? Weren''t you acting rampantly just a moment ago?" Tan Tailan icily glared at the Regent as she smiled coldly. The Regent looked absolutely disheartened, as if someone had poured cold water all over his plan. Glaring at Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s projections, he could feel that the situation was not as it seemed. A normal projection would never be able to showcase such prowess. "Wow! My wife is the best!" Li Taixuan praised as he gave Tan Tailan a thumbs up before turning to look in Ox Biaobiao''s direction. He was still being contained by the four Dukes. With a grin, Li Taixuan struck out with a single fist. Roar! One could see a majestic dragon manifestation roaring out, shaking the world. It was wrapped with an exceptionally domineering aura, its mere presence causing the void to tremble. With a single strike, it shattered the ward formed by the four Dukes. The Dukes'' expressions changed and they hastily retreated, not daring to face off against Li Taixuan directly. "If those who do not belong to House Luolan do not leave now... don''t blame us when we start a massacre," Li Taixuan indifferently mentioned. Hearing that declaration, the four Dukes turned tail and ran away without a word. The Regent had already escaped, so there wasn''t any point in them remaining. They could also tell that the moment Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had appeared, the situation had spun out of their control. Even the Regent was powerless before them. In fact, all of the fighting taking place in Xia City had ceased immediately with their arrival. On a certain street. Duze Yan immediately put down his arms as he glanced towards House Luolan. When he saw the duo''s projections, his eyelids involuntarily twitched before he emotionlessly stared at Si Qing. Si Qing, on the other hand, was extremely unsettled, his expression ugly with panic. "House Lord Si Qing... are you feeling it now? Fear? I''ve already told you. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan are extremely hardy and tough to kill. Even though they were sent to the perilous Nobles'' Battlefield, no one can keep them there," Duze Yan diffidently commented. Si Qing replied slightly hoarsely, "Don''t you think you''re speaking a little too soon? We''ll wait for them to truly return before we talk." "Well, you are going to have a headache at that time, House Lord Si Qing. Still, don''t you think I deserve some thanks? If I had not kept you here and those two knew that you were causing trouble in their home... I''m afraid you would be in deep trouble," Duze Yan said sarcastically. Si Qing''s mouth twitched. "Well, I know someone who''s got an even larger headache. By the time they''re back, it won''t be my turn to face the music." Despite saying those seemingly apathetic words, he was feeling pretty terrible inside. He had no mood to banter with Duze Yan, so he quickly turned to leave with a gloomy expression. With their appearance and their successful rebuff of the Regent, he already understood that the plan formed over countless years had gone up in smoke. The two had long made sufficient preparations, and as a result, they were now laughingstock. As the rest of the rabble within House Luolan left, Li Taixuan formed a hand seal with both hands, and a stream of runes made of light shot out of them. They directly fused with the defensive ward above House Luolan''s headquarters, and the previously weakened ward began to shine with renewed radiance in a flash. Eventually, the light scattered and the ward covered the entirety of the headquarters once again. As it gradually dissipated into the background, suppressive pressure was felt within the area once again. The previously weakened ward had now been strengthened by the hands of Li Taixuan. The headquarters was once again a forbidden area for Dukes. When that was complete, he raised his head and observed the Regent standing outside the headquarters with a smirk on his handsome face. "Gong Yuan, you can''t bear to leave? Don''t worry, once the two of us are back, we''ll definitely come and find you for a little chat. Until then, you should ensure that your affairs are put in order." Li Taixuan grinned. The Regent glared at Li Taixuan before turning to leave without saying much. With his departure, everyone understood that House Luolan''s catastrophe was finally over. Chapter 0667: Housemeets End Chapter 0667: Housemeet''s End The much anticipated Housemeet had ended rather unexpectedly. With the Regent''s appearance, everyone had felt that it would have been difficult for House Luolan to avoid a catastrophe. No one ever expected a miraculous reversal to occur. House Luolan''s two House Lords had used their natal flames to create projections of themselves. Furthermore, the projections possessed the ability to even repel a fifth-grade Duke and force him to retreat miserably. In terms of strength, this was considered to be the strongest within Xia City. At this moment, everyone felt a sense of awe towards the couple who were still in the Nobles'' Battlefield. The two of them had not only survived within the dangerous grounds of the Nobles'' Battlefield, but also seemed to have increased in strength! Otherwise, it wouldn''t have made sense that they could have repelled the Regent. As a result, it was no longer an impossibility that they would return. The latest_epi_sodes are on_the novel(bin).???.website. At that point, House Luolan would very likely be a force on par with the Golden Dragon Bank or the Astral Sage College! Now that people knew that the duo were healthy and yet to perish, anyone who coveted House Luolan would have to think twice. If they truly returned, there would be hell to pay. Thus, the heavily buffeted House Luolan had now regained a sense of strength and foundation. Additionally, the battles within Xia City abated quietly. Conversely, things were not silent within the respective factions. Golden Dragon Bank, Discussion Hall. There was silence within the discussion hall. All of the elders held heavy expressions as they watched the scene on the light mirror. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s projections had shocked them, and their hearts were left uneasy. Yu Hongxi similarly had a complicated expression as she stared at the two familiar figures. Despite the passage of multiple years, the duo were still as elegant as before, their confidence and radiance unaffected by the Nobles'' Battlefield, which brought dread to numerous Dukes. Additionally, it seemed as though the battlefield was a baptism for them, further increasing their strength. "Li Taixuan..." After which, she turned her attention to the youth below. His features were very much similar to Li Taixuans, but time had yet to take its toll on him. Li Taixuan had always been a calm and profound individual. Who knew how many maidens had been smitten by him when he arrived at the Xia Kingdom. She was one of many. However, this was a thing of the past. She was now a different Yu Hongxi, and those were memories of a past life. "Is that House Lord Tan Tailan? She has impressive methods at her disposal! Even the Regent was sent scurrying in fear." Lu Qing''er suddenly piped up when she observed the graceful but mighty Tan Tailan. Cough! Yu Hongxi couldn''t help but cough upon hearing those words, and she stared at her daughter in annoyance. How could that brat actually praise that woman in front of her? Did she not know that this was her mother''s greatest enemy? It was unknown how many times the two had clashed over the years. In fact, it was in Tan Tailan''s hands that the haughty Yu Hongxi first experienced the taste of defeat. That woman... is the worst! However, this was not the time for recollection. She swept her gaze over everyone in attendance before glancing at Vice President Ning Que, who had an unnatural expression on his face. "House Luolan''s situation has concluded. Everyone can see that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan have not fallen within the Nobles'' Battlefield. There is a high likelihood that they will return in the future, so I hope that none of you will attempt to target House Luolan in the dark. Otherwise, if we have to mediate when the duo show up in person, I will not protect any of you. At all," she indifferently declared. Numerous high-level elders turned to face each other and nodded in agreement. Yu Hongxi then stood up, her red dress revealing her elegant figure as she announced, "I hereby conclude this meeting." Now that House Luolan''s Housemeet had ended, there was no need to continue with this. Royal palace. The First Princess'' gorgeous eyes stared at the crystal ball as she remained in a state of stupor. Half a moment later, she finally roused herself and focused upon Tan Tailan''s figure, enviously saying to herself, "Only the peerless Misty Duke could raise such an exceptional lady like Jiang Qing''e." After which, she could no longer hold back her joy. Her gentle laughter rang out, coupled with a blissful smile. This time, she, Gong Luanyu, had turned out to be the biggest winner. She had staked everything on supporting House Luolan and believed that Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e would accept her good intentions. In the future, they would draw closer in their relationship and become staunch allies. She had previously only been interested in their future potential, but with the descent of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s projections, she knew that House Luolan had regained their robust foundation. It had announced to the world that the two House Lords had not fallen! Whoever wanted to target House Luolan would have to reconsider the possibility of their vengeance in time to come. Thus, House Luolan''s internal affairs would stabilize. A red shadow appeared behind the First Princess. Chief Steward Qin stepped out and respectfully said, "Your Highness, you have great foresight. You have greatly taken care of House Luolan''s two seedlings." She returned with a slight smile. "Thank you, Chief Steward Qin. Tonight must have been difficult for you." "Governor Zhong didn''t really want to fight either, so we simply confronted each other calmly." Chief Steward Qin grinned as he shook his head. The First Princess nodded slightly and then stowed away the crystal ball, raised her head slightly, and stared at the bright moon in the sky. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had finally overcome their predicament. In three days time, it would be her turn to face a similar trial. Hopefully, she would be able to triumph as well and survive the situation that would determine the fate of the Xia Kingdom. After the other parties retreated, the atmosphere within House Luolan''s headquarters was boiling with anticipation that no one could calm down. The two House Lords appearance had stimulated everyone. Unfortunately, after Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had chased away the Regent and his cronies, they did not leave the vicinity of the underground palace, only observing the crowd. "My old friends, it has been many years. It must have been tough on all of you. However, now is not the time to reminisce. You will have to await the day where the two of us return from the Nobles'' Battlefield before we can properly express our thanks for protecting the house." With that, Li Taixuan waved his palm, and the massive chasm created by the Regent began to seal up. At the same time, Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo heard the voices of their parents as the underground palace was being covered up. "Little Luo and Qing''e, come to the underground palace." The two glanced at each other briefly before hurriedly rushing over, ignoring the chaos that enveloped the headquarters. Before the crack completely sealed up, they hopped in and entered the palace directly. Chapter 0668: Family Reunion Chapter 0668: Family Reunion When Li Luo and Qing''e entered the underground palace, they saw two familiar figures standing above the natal flames, staring at them with beaming smiles. When Li Luo saw them, he felt a tingling in his nose as he sadly exclaimed, "Dad! Mom! You''re finally back. I want to peacefully and happily live my life as a rich young master. I don''t want to strive hard any longer!" "Look at how useless you are. Jiang Qing''e hasn''t even said a thing! Work harder." Tan Tailan rebuked her son and rolled her eyes before descending towards Jiang Qing''e with her arms outstretched and a smile. "My precious daughter... How tough have these years been? You had to manage House Luolan and even had to take care of a burdensome child." Jiang Qing''e''s usual calm and serene expression seemed to have given way to a hint of shyness as she walked forward and hugged Tan Tailan''s projection. "Mistress, I''ve missed you," Jiang Qing''e lightly replied. Tan Tailan warmly patted Jiang Qing''e''s back as she smiled. "We have always been thinking of you. Especially you, with that headstrong personality. In our eyes, House Luolan is not even worth a hair on your head. Even Old Li and I knew that you would inevitably strive to protect House Luolan. It must have been tiring all these years." Jiang Qing''e gave a wry smile. "Actually, Li Luo has helped shoulder a significant part of the burden. His efforts this year were no less than mine. " Tan Tailan''s eyebrows lifted slightly as she suspiciously stared at the aggrieved Li Luo. "This smelly brat has that sort of awareness?" With a tired heart, Li Luo turned to the smiling Li Taixuan, whose arms were folded. "Old man, did you pick me up from the trash?" "Ah, Little Luo... it turns out you''ve found out about the truth. I won''t hide it from you any longer. It was a cold, freezing, winter night... I was strolling on the streets when I heard a cry coming from a bin at the side of the road..." Li Taixuan said with a complicated expression. But before he could finish, Li Luo waved his hand. "Agh! Forget it! Just dissipate your projections and go back to whence you came. I don''t want to talk to you guys anymore! Pfft!" Pfft! Jiang Qing''e finally couldn''t hold on any longer and burst out into laughter. Breaking free from Tan Tailan''s grasp, she turned to say, "Master and Mistress, you shouldn''t tease Li Luo any longer. He''s devoted his heart and soul into cultivating for the entire year and managed to enter the Fiend Palace Tier from a single blank palace! His cultivation speed has exceeded even mine. The fact that House Luolan''s situation could be stabilized was more so because of his efforts than mine!" Li Taixuan smiled as he raised his hand and ruffled his sons grayish-white hair, laughing refreshingly. "Haha! Of course we know about that. Little Luo already has three resonances, and his future potential is unlimited." He looked into Li Luo''s eyes appreciatively. Honestly speaking, the moment he had set his eyes on his son, he already knew that Li Luo had struggled with all his might this year. The path Li Luo had taken to attain acquired resonances was one that he had set his son upon. Naturally, he knew of the perils and the costs it involved. Li Luo rolled his eyes in response. He finally understood what favoritism was! It was obvious just by looking at Jiang Qing''e''s trumps cards and methods. That Duke Secret Art had to have been left behind by his parents, but he hadn''t even received a single toy from them! He had to strive with all his might, and even his final method was something he had to sell his body for! This was what it meant to be pitiful! Of course, he understood that he didn''t have any strength at that point in time. He had nothing but blank palaces when Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had left, and although they had left him a path of cultivation, they didn''t know for sure if he would be able to follow it. Thus, it made more sense to entrust Jiang Qing''e instead. Still, even though it was logical, the difference in treatment caused Li Luo to complain bitterly in his heart. Tan Tailan beamed as she walked over, reaching out to pinch Li Luo''s cheeks. "My good boy... you''ve done well." Li Luo pouted as he grumbled, "Wasn''t it all your fault? Leaving everything in shambles before heading off. Couldn''t you have tidied things up before you left? In the end, we had to deal with so much trouble." "Well, it was all a test. Look at who the two of you are now, an obedient son and an obedient disciple. How could these prancing clowns stand in your way when youre working together?" Tan Tailan answered. Li Taixuan nodded in agreement. "We already knew of Pei Hao''s personality. Still, he was quite the pitiful thing. When House Luolan was first established, he contributed immensely, and we wanted to make it up to him before we left. Thus, we took him in as an in-name disciple. We hoped that he would turn away from the precipice and help you maintain control of House Luolan. If not... Well, it''s as your mom said. If he wanted to cause havoc, we''d leave it up to you two to deal with him. It would be a great test after all." Li Luo was left speechless. He couldn''t help but feel a tinge of pity for Pei Hao. After all, he had spent all his effort scheming for years... only to end up as a simple test for him and Jiang Qing''e. Even he felt sympathy for his hated enemy. Moving on, Li Luo asked a question that had always stumped him. "When you drew the lots of the death lottery and were obliged to enter the Nobles'' Battlefield, was it sabotage? Was it because of the Regent?" "Hmph! You think someone like him can plot against us?" Tan Tailan snorted coldly. Li Taixuan nodded. "Gong Yuan has a wild heart, and he secretly tried to win us over in the past. Unsurprisingly, we rejected him, and he must have resented us since then. Thus, he borrowed the death lottery to get rid of us. However, the reason we went was because we chose to. It wasn''t because we were forced by him, but rather we had something exceptionally important to accomplish and thus we did so. If we had not opted to do so willingly, what could that crappy Gong Yuan do to us? Who does he think he is?" Li Taixuan indifferently commented. Inadvertently, an undisguised, tyrannical pressure exuded from him. It seemed that the most influential and mightiest individual in the Xia Kingdom was held in complete disdain before Li Taixuan. "What important matters do you have in the Nobles'' Battlefield, Master and Mistress?" Jiang Qing''e suddenly asked. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan did not directly answer. "Telling you about this is unnecessary. It would only affect your heart. However, you can rest assured that the two of us are doing very well here." Seeing how evasive the two were, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e did not continue to probe, merely nodding as they glanced at each other. "Now that the Housemeet is over, House Luolan will stabilize. Additionally, since the rest of the Dukes know that we are still alive, even the Regent will not dare to challenge you directly. There wouldn''t be any point in doing so. However, you cannot relax too much. Gong Yuan and the city hold deep secrets, and significant ambition exists in all of them. It also seems like there is external influence muddying the waters. You have to remain careful, and if the situation seems not right, give up House Luolan," Li Taixuan exhorted. The two attentively nodded. Li Taixuan then turned to Li Luo and sized him up with a grin. "So, how does having three resonances feel?" "Not bad." Li Luo did feel quite satisfied with his triple resonances after all. An enigmatic smile formed on Li Taixuan''s face. "I''ll give you some good news and bad news. The good news is, once you enter the Duke Stage, you''ll open up yet another resonant palace! In fact, it will be a blank palace as well!" Li Taixuan was jubilant. Blank palaces were great! This way, he could continue to craft perfect acquired resonances with primary and secondary resonances. This was much better than natural ones! However, after hearing that, he felt like something didn''t sound right, so he apprehensively asked, "So what''s the bad news?" Li Taixuan clapped. "The bad news is that Duke Stage resonant palaces don''t work with the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art! And unfortunately, I don''t have anything for you either." Upon hearing this, Li Luo seemed to black out for a moment. Without the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art, he would naturally be unable to forge more acquired resonances. Then his blank palace would be useless! Wasn''t this a scam?! He was finished! Chapter 0669: Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art Chapter 0669: Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art Li Luo felt his life going dark before him. If the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art had nothing after it, would he only be able to stare at his blank palace once he entered the Duke Stage? Even though he had triple resonances, who would resent having more of them? The more, the merrier, right? Tan Tailan rolled her eyes at Li Taixuan before saying, "Enough. Stop tormenting Little Luo." "It''s true that your blank palace cannot be filled up with the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art after you reach the Duke Stage. You will need to rely on an even more mystical art! It is the advanced version of it, the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art." "Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art?" Li Luo paused momentarily in a daze before hurriedly asking, "Where is it!? Where can I get it?" "The Acquired Resonance Art and its greater version are esoteric arts passed down from ancient times, from a superpower known as the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. If there is anywhere in the world that contains the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art, it would be within its remnants," Tan Tailan explained. When she mentioned the words Sacred Void Resonance Sect, a trace of regret could be seen in her eyes. Li Taixuan then supplemented it with more information. "The Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art was also obtained from an ancient remnant." Li Luo felt a little taken aback by this revelation as everything his mom had mentioned seemed a little far away. Sacred Void Resonance Sect? Ancient ruins? Was that a location a tiny Fiend Palace Tier cultivator could venture to? "Are the remnants of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect found in the inner divine continent?" Although he was a little confused, Li Luo continued to ask these questions with great sincerity for the sake of his cultivation journey. "Mhm. The place you''ll want to go to is the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, the largest amongst the four." Li Taixuan sighed before smirking at Li Luo. "I suppose you must have heard something about this by now. It''s true... your mom and I are from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. If you ever have the opportunity to do so, you should head over there. The Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art can only be found there, so there''s no avoiding it." Li Luo shrugged. "We''ll see. I''m still a long way away from the Duke Stage." He held great desire for the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art, but getting one was not an urgent task. It was a problem for much later, when he reached the Duke Stage. Currently, he was only at the Fiend Palace Tier, and he had a deadline of four years to reach the Duke Stage. The art didn''t matter if he was dead. Thus, he shelved the thoughts of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect into the depths of his memory for now. Li Luo then changed the subject to something he had always wanted to know. "Old man, what is the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li? What''s up with that? Can you explain it to me?" Li Taixuan smirked. "Wow, Little Luo, you''ve even heard of that! What do you think? Don''t you think that it was wonderful to realize what an awesome super second generation you''ve been born into?" Tan Tailan coldly snorted. "What''s so great about it? It''s just a clan of brats sheltered by some rotting and obstinate elders." Li Luo felt a little taken aback. Clearly, his mom did not have positive feelings towards the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. There had to be a story behind that. Li Taixuan smiled awkwardly. "As the name suggests, it''s the bloodline of our ancestor, a Heavenly Emperor pinnacle expert. The world''s mightiest people are his descendants. The inheritance of his bloodline has allowed us to prosper for a thousand years. Those of the bloodline are also a peak faction on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. If you have the chance to do so, you can choose to recognize your ancestors and return to the sect. Regardless of your choice, you will always possess a blood tie to them." "It sounds really impressive, being so mighty and all, but I think that House Luolan holds a dearer place in my heart," Li Luo replied. Even though those with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li were a supreme power, which the Xia Kingdom''s royal court and the Astral Sage College were incomparable to, Li Luo had spent his youth in House Luolan. Thus, no matter how impressive a background the bloodline had, it was inconsequential to him. Home was where the heart truly was... and for him, it would always be House Luolan. Tan Tailan was elated upon hearing those words, and she happily ruffled his head. "See! Little Luo knows what''s best. There''s nothing impressive about the crappy Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Little Luo will reach the Heavenly Emperor Stage by his own merit. He won''t need those decrepit old men''s assistance." "Mom, why are you so opinionated about this?" Li Luo asked curiously. Tan Tailan pouted lightly but did not respond, clearly uninterested in dredging up the issues of the past. "Little Luo, you need to be clear that there is a lot of murkiness and the situation is complex in these sorts of massive clans. Naturally, some people will be unhappy with your decision. Of course, for every hated individual, there will be a close family member that supports you. Thus, there is no need to be too concerned with what others think," Li Taixuan sincerely answered. Li Luo nodded and smiled. "I understand, old man." "Your mother and I used the natal flames to create these projections, but this will be the last time. The next time we meet will be when we return from the Nobles'' Battlefield. But we don''t know when that will be, so the two of you will have to rely on each other moving forward," Li Taixuan explained with an appreciative look. Tan Tailan continued to tenderly look at Li Luo, especially that head of grayish-white hair. "You have only four more years of time, but I believe that you''ll be able to break into the Duke Stage before then, and break those shackles." Li Luo nodded heavily, "Old man, mom, you can rest assured that I won''t let you send me off to the underworld before I see you in person." Tan Tailan acknowledged his reply happily before turning to face Jiang Qing''e whilst tugging at her hand. "Qing''e, you''re much more reliable, so I leave the disciplining of Little Luo to you. If he does anything bad, there''s no need to be courteous. Just lay the beatdown." Jiang Qing''e listened to those words and briefly flitted an eye at Li Luo. At that very moment, Li Luo noticed a strange color within her eyes that caused him to feel a chill in his heart. After which, he heard Jiang Qing''e reply in a low voice, "Master, Mistress, Li Luo told me that he wanted to cancel our engagement." At that moment, Li Luo felt his scalp tingling. Sister Qing''e! How could you do this to me!? You aren''t supposed to be a tattletale! At that moment, piercing gazes from both Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan shot over. Tan Tailan faintly said, "Old Li, what do we do with such an unfilial and unappreciative brat? He does not know what''s good for him. Should we get rid of him?" Li Taixuan solemnly nodded in response. "Forget about it. We no longer need this one. Let''s make a new one!" Li Luo didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry, only helplessly pleading his case. "Mom! Dad! This is the affair of a young man. Could I ask that you not meddle with them? I''ll settle it myself!" Tan Tailan coldly snorted as she warned Li Luo with her eyes. "Qing''e, there''s no need to spoil him. Just beat him whenever he deserves it." Jiang Qing''e nodded accordingly with a shallow smile. With that brief interruption, the atmosphere lightened up. Unfortunately, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s projections gradually became more illusory. The two of them then looked towards the duo. "We originally wanted to talk about a lot of other things, but it seems that time is running out. We have full faith in the two of you. Just remember that if anything happens, your lives are the most important thing. Thus, you can let go of anything, even if it''s House Luolan or our divine matter." "Await our return!" With that last line, the natal flames flickered and their projections vanished into thin air. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e remained rooted in place, focused on their disappearing figures. Not a word was said. Chapter 0670: The Conclusion to the Battle! When Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e walked out of the underground palace, House Luolans headquarters was in a state of fervor. Under Cai Wei''s instructions, countless people were cleaning up the destroyed structures, but they stood at attention when they saw the two emerge. "We greet the House Lord!" Listening to that new title being proclaimed caused Li Luo to feel a little lost. Jiang Qing''e smiled as she explained, "You beat Pei Hao in the Housemeet, so you are the true House Lord of House Luolan in name." Li Luo grinned as well. The title of House Lord didn''t matter to him. Strictly speaking, it was no different from being the Young Lord. He surveyed his surroundings carefully. Although there had been a massive battle the previous night and the headquarters was in a state of chaos, House Luolan''s members all seemed to be high-spirited and excited. Both trust and confidence could be seen on their faces now. Li Luo knew that this sort of self-confidence wasn''t really borne because of him. It was due to Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s appearance. The two Dukes were the true pillars of House Luolan''s previous brilliance. They had disappeared for countless years without a trace, and there were rumors they had already fallen in the battlefield. Thus, even the members of House Luolan had their trust gradually eroded over time. Otherwise, Pei Hao''s machinations could not possibly have corrupted the hearts of so many. Now that their projections had appeared for all to see, it shattered all notions of their death. Although it didn''t necessarily mean that they would be able to leave the Nobles'' Battlefield alive, it had definitely reassured them and seeded doubt into their enemies. Especially with Tan Tailan''s domineering display of prowess, chasing away the almighty Regent with just a projection. Her sheer might left people overwhelmed with emotions. Although Li Luo''s performance had shocked everyone, truly raising his influence in the hearts of the members would require him to reach the Duke Stage. Still, Li Luo''s mood had improved quite considerably, so he was now more at ease. No matter what, Pei Hao was gone without a trace and the appearance of his parents had stabilized the situation completely. Even though the Regent still coveted House Luolan''s treasures, he would have to steal them more subtly, no longer acting brazenly. At the very least, he now knew for a fact that his parents were alive and the Regent would not make a move any time soon. "It looks like I can finally cultivate in peace." Li Luo sighed. He could now fully focus on the important things on hand. Plus, he only had four years left, so he could not slack off. At this point, a figure floated down, landing before Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. The hulking figure with a meaty face was naturally Ox Biaobiao. Li Luo hurriedly moved over as he asked worriedly, "Uncle Biao, are you alright?" Ox Biaobiao smiled and shook his head whilst glancing in the direction of the underground palace. "Have they left?" Jiang Qing''e replied, "Uncle Biao, you should have gone over to greet the Master and Mistress." "Hmph! It''s them who dare not greet me! They knew that the moment we met, I would give them a piece of my mind and flood them with a torrent of abuse! Those two brats actually scurried away to gallivant carefree whilst leaving me behind to babysit! Is that even humane?!" Ox Biaobiao grumbled. The two of them grinned. Now that they thought about it, Ox Biaobiao should have known about their parents projection. The underground palace was something he had been guarding all this time, and their means would not have been hidden from him. "Uncle Biao, if you long knew of this backup plan, why did you not tell us!? We were fraught with countless sleepless nights as a result!" Li Luo griped unsatisfactorily. Only the heavens knew how many stressful and hair-wrenching moments Li Luo had to undergo during the past year. "They didn''t allow me to speak about it. Plus, it was a great trial for the two of you. It helped refine your mental states." Ox Biaobiao grinned. Li Luo opened his mouth but could not find the words to retort. Indeed, if not for Pei Hao as the motivating factor pushing them forward, perhaps Qing''e and him would not have acted so urgently for the past year. Pei Hao''s chaos had caused significant amounts of trouble, but it had also similarly allowed House Luolan to rid itself of an insidious poison. Purging this problem would now allow for House Luolan to become more united and improve its situation. Sometimes, Li Luo even wondered if this disaster had been orchestrated by his parents. If that were true, Pei Hao was the most pitiful individual ever. Being used by everyone. At this point Cai Wei, Yan Lingqing, and Yuan Qing quickly rushed over. "Congratulations, Young Lord, for ascending to the position of House Lord." Cai Wei laughed before continuing seriously, "However, a problem has arisen which requires the two House Lords'' input. What do we do with the people who supported Pei Hao? They have all been captured, including Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng. Additionally, we also have the two neutral Pavilion Masters. How do we deal with all of them?" They constituted half of House Luolan''s upper echelons, and if they were dealt with immediately, House Luolan''s comprehensive power would rapidly weaken within a short period of time. Li Luo also understood this well, so he fell into deep thought before glancing at Jiang Qing''e. "You make the decision." Jiang Qing''e shook her head, forcing him to make the decision. Li Luo spent quite a bit of time pondering a solution before finally answering, "Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng have committed unpardonable sins. There is no need to be merciful towards them because of their strength. Directly deal with the treasonous individuals as per the rules of the house. For the Pavilion Masters who supported Pei Hao, remove them from their positions for a year and observe them closely. If they contribute immensely, they can regain their prior positions. For the neutral ones, admonish them and demote them to the position of Vice Pavilion Masters. If their performance is great, we will restore them to their rightful positions." Jiang Qing''e nodded in agreement. "That works." Cai Wei solemnly accepted the order. Li Luo''s words sentenced the two Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivators to death, and if his words were spread, it would undoubtedly cause tremors throughout the house. However, this would also increase his own prestige and influence, and it was a good solution. "After this, I will have to trouble you to recruit new members, Sister Cai Wei," Li Luo continued. House Luolan''s strength would decline after this great purge, but from another point of view, it could now grow immensely once again. Thus, they had to use this opportunity to revitalize the ranks with new blood. "With the two old House Lords'' mighty support, that will not be hard to accomplish." Cai Wei beamed coquettishly. Li Luo nodded. House Luolan had overcome its tribulation, and he believed that once news spread, its name would spread to every corner of the Xia Kingdom. All the factions would re-examine their relationship with the house and it would usher in new life and glory. ... As the situation in House Luolan calmed down, deep within the southwest mountains a distance away from Xia City. Terrifying amounts of resonant power blasted out like a storm and collided with each other in the mountainous forest, tearing out huge ravines and uprooting entire forests from the aftermath. Numerous assassins from House Lanling were standing by in the shadows, idly watching, unwilling to take any action. Their fearful eyes continued to watch the showdown as two figures clashed cataclysmically within the depths of the mountains. One was their House Lord and the other was once a violet vibrance mentor of the Astral Sage College. Unsurprisingly, it was Chi Chan. She had suddenly barged into House Lanling''s headquarters and started to tear apart their gate without saying a word. The huge covert operation that they had been planning had been halted. If not for the House Lord''s intervention, even their entrance would have been smashed to pieces by this seemingly elegant and beautiful female mentor. The battle between the two continued to rage for a significant amount of time. All of a sudden, House Lanling''s lord stopped. He was garbed in black and his entire being seemed to meld into the shadows. At this point, it seemed as though he had received the news from Xia City which that even caused him to feel shock. "Mentor Chi Chan, there is no need to act any longer. House Luolan''s Housemeet has concluded," the black-robed House lord huskily announced. Mentor Chi Chan listened, but her gaze shrunk, her heart trembling. Now that things have concluded... Li Luo... did he succeed? Or fail? Behind her, the azure resonant power that manifested as the sea stopped undulating. The massive, blue tiger that was standing defiantly atop the sea also similarly began to sink into the depths. It was as the House Lord had said, regardless of the result, there was no need to continue the fight. "Mentor Chi Chan, you''re just the brats teacher. I can''t understand why you would choose to break the college''s rules," House Lanling''s House Lord said. "I am no longer a mentor of the college," Chi Chan indifferently replied. "Then that makes even less sense. You and Li Luo merely have the relationship of a teacher and disciple. Why would you go to such an extent?" House Lanling''s House Lord probed. "It''s just the pure intention of a mentor wanting to protect her talented student. I''m unwilling to see him die just like that." "You''re too emotional." House Lanling''s House Lord shook his head. As a cold-blooded killer, this was something that made no sense to him. Mentor Chi Chan was uninterested in speaking further, only turning to leave. Seeing her departing figure, House Lanling''s House Lord spoke out a last time. "Mentor Chi Chan, Li Luo was victorious. House Luolan will not be in any danger as Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan descended with their projections. They have yet to die." Mentor Chi Chan paused. It could be seen that her tense body had relaxed slightly at this point. House Lanling''s House Lord''s news had calmed her racing heart. "Thank you." With that, she turned into a flash, disappearing into the distance. Favorite Chapter 0671: The Frustrated Regent Astral Sage College, within a pavilion of the Gilded Palace at night. Vice Principal Su Xin was sitting cross-legged, looking at the wryly smiling Shen Jinxiao. At the moment, he was very leisurely pouring a cup of tea. "Mentor Shen Jinxiao, regarding the situation earlier, House Luolan''s Pei Hao suddenly burst forth with massive strength, even reaching the quasi-Duke Stage! Might you happen to know how this was done?" Vice Principal Su Xin curiously observed Shen Jinxiao, not beating around the bush but asking directly. A look of surprise surfaced when Shen Jinxiao heard those words. "Quasi-Duke Stage? Pei Hao is actually that talented?" "The one you speak of has quite ordinary potential. He borrowed the usage of certain opportunities to breakthrough into the Heavenly Pearl Stage. That should have been his limit. From a normal perspective, it would be exceedingly difficult to reach the quasi-Duke Stage even with the aid of secret arts. Yet he achieved it. I feel that a Duke expert interfered with the situation," Vice Principal Su Xin calmly explained. Shen Jinxiao smiled. "Since youre asking me, Vice Principal, could it be that you suspect it was me?" "Although you and Pei Hao don''t seem to have any sort of relationship, you''ve constantly targeted Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo for the past year. Frankly speaking, I am suspicious," Vice Principal Su Xin enunciated. Shen Jinxiao shook his head. "It might be true that I made Li Luo''s life difficult because of Jiang Qing''e. However, I won''t conceal anything either. I truly admire Jiang Qing''e greatly from the depths of my heart, and she used to be my student. Unfortunately, I inadvertently chased her away with my passionate actions. As a man, I simply don''t like Li Luo as a result. Isn''t that reasonable?" Vice Principal Su Xin frowned as she glared at Shen Jinxiao. "Is that really the case?" "Still, I have to admit that my intentions were not pure, but a teacher liking a student... is that so hard to believe? This would put me under the spotlight and I would be criticized by all. Thus, why would I casually speak of this?" Shen Jinxiao helplessly answered. Vice Principal Su Xin continued slowly, "Wasnt your second resonance a rarely seen Heart Beast resonance?" The Heart Beast resonance belonged to the family of beast resonances. It was a strange spirit beast that was rumored to have the ability to manipulate one''s spirit and heart. Shen Jinxiao smiled as he nodded in response. With a thought, an illusory manifestation appeared behind him. It looked like a massive rat with a body of snow-white fur. It had no mouth or nose, and atop its head was just a single large eyeball, constantly looking around. Vice Principal Su Xin glanced at it. The Heart Beast resonance seemed to emit a rather welcoming aura as she nodded. "It''s rare to see you utilize your second resonance." "Vice Principal Su Xin, you keep interrogating me, but I think that you should spend time contemplating the problem with Mentor Chi Chan. The news of her facing off against House Lanling will inevitably spread, and all of the Xia Kingdom''s peak powers will seek an explanation from our college. After all, our neutrality is sacred and should not be violated." Shen Jinxiao grinned. In response, Su Xin merely calmly nodded in acknowledgment. After which, the two exchanged a few more words before Shen Jinxiao took the opportunity to leave. As he left, Vice Principal Su Xin removed a compass from her robes. The compass was spinning, constantly swallowing wisps of air. Half a moment later, she frowned slightly as she muttered to herself, "It detected no abnormalities with Shen Jinxiao''s second resonance. Its fluctuations are peaceful and stable and there seems to be no trace of killing intent... could it be that it wasn''t him?" Meanwhile, as Vice Principal Su Xin was lost in thought, Shen Jinxiao was currently sauntering along a small road within the college. As he passed through a patch of shadows, the space behind him warped slightly and the Heart Beast resonance''s manifestation reappeared. Its snow-white fur quickly darkened into an inky-black color, radiating cold and strange undulations. Once he walked out of the patch of shadows, the manifestation disappeared as though it had never been there. A grin could be seen on Shen Jinxiao''s face. ... Xia City, which had been engulfed with activity, finally returned to peaceful silence. Within the Regent''s palace. The Regent Gong Yuan was currently standing by a lake, emotionlessly watching the night sky. Behind him, the dual-pupil youth had strutted over with a smile. "Who would have expected that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had left behind such a trump card?" "How could they have become so powerful?" the Regent dryly asked. When he had exchanged brief blows with Tan Tailan, his opponent''s might had far surpassed even his greatest expectations. "There''s no need to ponder so much over this. Their projections probably used the might of the divine matter to strengthen themselves. Thus, it should be the last means at their disposal. I''m afraid they won''t be able to do that again," the youth explained. "Just once is enough. Li Taixuan has repaired the defensive ward of House Luolan, so it will be impossible to gain another opportunity any time soon." The Regent coldly snorted. "The coronation ceremony will take place in three days'' time. I can''t afford to wait for a second opportunity to steal the divine matter." The youth grinned and nodded. "Plus, you''ve completely offended Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan this time! Once they return from the Nobles'' Battlefield, I feel that the situation will become a little stickyyyyy..." A hint of gloom could be seen within the Regent''s eyes. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s survival was something that left him both worried and troubled. The two already had exceptional means at their disposal. Who knew how powerful they would be by the time they left the Nobles'' Battlefield? The two of them truly struck fear into the depths of his heart. Phew. The Regent exhaled deeply. "There''s no point in talking about this further. Now that I don''t possess the divine matter, then I will have to use other means. I will need to take control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation. With that in hand, even a King Stage expert will be unable to kill me in Xia City." The youth nodded. "The Kingdom Protecting Formation can only be completely controlled by the one who completes the coronation ceremony. This is also the First Princess'' hope. Once the Little Emperor completes the ceremony, she will no longer live in fear." The Regent indifferently replied, "How can it be so easy? My plan was to use the divine matter to forcefully control the Kingdom Protecting Formation. Now that this is no longer an option, there are other methods. The only problem is that Pang Qianyuan is the biggest issue here. I cannot let him out of the Umbra Cave and participate in the ceremony." The Regent''s gaze turned towards the youth. "Since I don''t have the divine matter, I believe I can only rely on you now. You guys should also have the same aim as me. If Pang Qianyuan is released, it would do no good for either of us." The youth grinned warmly as he nodded slightly. "Relax. We''ve planned for so many years. How can we let Pang Qianyuan escape from the palm of our hand? You can just focus on your plan. We''ll deal with him." Favorite Chapter 0672: A Different Choice When the night scattered and the rising sun bathed Xia City in morning light, the most prosperous city of the Xia Kingdom began to bustle with excitement. The difference was that even though everything seemed the same on the surface, the events of last night had changed everything forever. House Luolan''s headquarters'' gate was thrown open. A single carriage rolled out with Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo within. They leisurely made their way down the street before countless individuals. Everyone could see that the guards of House Luolan were a little different from the day before. They seemed to possess a certain strength of spirit now. This led to countless sighs from the people around. Yesterday''s House Luolan might have seemed stable, but no one knew if they would continue to exist when the sun arose. On the other hand, even the rank and file were exuding confidence, not a single worry in sight. Thus, the battle had truly caused a qualitative change amongst them. It was clear that House Luolan had not been devastated. Internally, the two future heirs'' presence would stabilize internal affairs. Meanwhile, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s descent had confirmed their continued survival, and no one knew just when they would return. Thus, one would not simply strike at them. The current House Luolan was brimming with hope. "Who could have expected that House Duze''s House Lord would actually choose to help House Luolan out?" Within the carriage, Li Luo, who had digested all of the news from the night before, sighed. Duze Yan''s assistance was unexpected as House Luolan had a terribly adverse relationship with House Duze, constantly struggling openly. The two sides were full of enmity, and thus Li Luo had always prepared for Duze Yan''s inevitable interference during the Housemeet. In the end, Duze Yan had not chosen to stone them while they were down, instead even rendering aid and restraining Si Qing. Jiang Qing''e slightly nodded. Duze Yan was an anomaly that no one had expected. Even though his assistance would not have changed the end result, they definitely owed him a favor. "I have already dispatched people to prepare a gift for House Duze. Although it''s not huge, it will represent our intentions," she explained. Li Luo nodded as he fell into thought. "Moving forward, we will choose to break off our relationship with House Jinque. Since Si Qing has made his decision, then there is no need for us to continue with these idle pretenses." "You are the House Lord. Whatever you say, goes." Jiang Qing''e smiled. House Luolan had once needed House Jinque as an ally as their internal situation was unstable. Now that things were resolved, that relationship was dispensable. There was no need for a false friendship that had crumbled in the face of personal interests. Li Luo nodded as he glanced out of the carriage window. He was currently making his way towards the Golden Dragon Bank. No one from the bank had interfered with yesterday''s situation, which naturally meant that Yu Hongxi had done something. Thus, he had to express his gratitude. While Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were on their way, their present had already been delivered to House Duze. "Father! What were you thinking? How could you assist House Luolan? If you and House Jinque''s House Lord joined forces, House Luolan would have been completely destroyed." Within House Duze''s main hall, a certain Duze Beixuan was looking at his emotionless father, unable to fathom his intentions and expressing his thoughts angrily. He had already received this piece of news half a night ago, but his head was full of questions. House Luolan and House Duze were as incompatible as fire and water, constantly warring with each other. In fact, the Housemeet seemed to be the best opportunity to rid them of this nemesis. Instead, his father not only hadn''t taken them down, but had assisted them in their time of need? It was important to note that Duze Beixuan had even thought of the perfect insults and moves to mock Li Luo when they next met! In the end? Psh! He received a thank you note from Li Luo which read as follows... What''s up! We really have to thank your dad! Guess we''re going to be best friends after this! See you soon! How the heck was he supposed to reply to this? "You can shut up. If House Duze were to be left in the hands of someone with as little brain power as you, it would probably collapse in less than a year." Duze Honglian icily glared at her silly brother. Duze Beixuan had a belly full of fire and a furious expression on his face. "Even the Regent descended in person at the end of House Luolan''s Housemeet, and he was sent scurrying away. It is clear that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s projections have instilled fear within him. If Father had chosen to act against House Luolan and managed to destroy them, what would happen after the two Dukes returned? House Duze would meet a sorry end! Most importantly, even if he chose to act, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e would likely be able to escape as they are not tied down by the house. They would return to the Astral Sage College and seek protection. With their talent, they will be the second coming of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan in a few years time!" Duze Honglian calmly explained. "Thus, Father''s decision was the best one! At the very least, we will not have to be worried about Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s return. On the contrary, House Lord Si Qing will no longer have a night of restful sleep." Duze Yan nodded lightly, looking appreciatively towards Duze Honglian. "Honglian, you have a far-sighted view of things, simply incomparable to your brother''s." Duze Beixuan felt a little indignant, but when faced with his elder sister, who had always oppressed him since young... he did not dare to resist, merely acknowledging her words. At this point, a female servant announced that House Luolan had sent gifts. "House Luolan''s two brats know how to do things," Duze Yan indifferently commented. After which, he waved his hand. "Receive the gifts but also leave them this message. House Duze and House Luolan will not become allies because of this. The battle between us will continue and we will not offer any mercy." Duze Honglian felt slightly helpless upon listening to her father''s decree. Although he had chosen to help House Luolan, he was unwilling to lose the last scrap of face he had... or perhaps he was simply unwilling to bow his head towards Li Taixuan. Regardless, even if the battle continued, Duze Yan''s actions the night before had fundamentally changed their relationship. ... "Father, why did you choose to do that? Is House Jinque not a good friend of House Luolan?" Si Tianming and Si Qiuying asked with looks of surprise, fear clearly taking hold of them. "How could there be any friendship between the Great Houses? We might have had a good relationship with House Luolan, but they were simply using us to draw fire, to split House Jiyan and House Duze''s pressure," Si Qing diffidently replied. Si Tianming, on the other hand, was so anxious that he was sweating buckets. "Even standing by idly would have been better than striking them whilst they were down! Now that things have come to this, no one will respect House Jinque again! We''ve also completely offended House Luolan! We''ve basically ruined ourselves and antagonized everyone!" Si Qing''s expression turned steely green as he slammed the desk furiously. "What did you say?!" Si Qiuying clenched her teeth as she supported her brother. "What Brother says is right. Father, your choice was completely wrong!" "We''ve prepared gifts to be sent to House Luolan as a form of apology. Hopefully, we can mend the relationship," Si Tianming explained. "You ingrate!" Si Qing furiously scolded. "Do you want your father to be the butt of all the jokes in the Xia Kingdom? Although Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan are still alive, this does not mean that they will successfully escape from the Nobles'' Battlefield. If there is no further news in a few years, do you really think the Regent will let House Luolan go? Their arrogance is only temporary. Now that Duze Yan has assisted them, he has also attracted the ire of the Regent. If there is an opportunity, he will not let them go either! You want to teach your father a lesson with such bad foresight?" Si Tianming and Si Qiuying stamped their feet in frustration. They simply could not understand how their usually wise father could have been so stupid. "Scram!" Si Qing, on the other hand could, not be bothered to argue further, furiously sending them on their way as he flicked his sleeves in frustration. The siblings then left with depressed looks on their faces. With his children leaving the room, Si Qing''s expression turned gloomy and he furiously slammed a palm against the table before him. The azurestone table was unable to resist his power, fragmenting into dust. He was melancholic. "Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, I don''t believe that you will be able to escape the Nobles'' Battlefield alive!" Chapter 0673: Favors, Favors Everywhere! Chapter 0673: Favors, Favors Everywhere! Golden Dragon Bank Yu Hongxi brought Lu Qing''er along to receive Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. "House Luolan has changed irreversibly. I believe no other factions will blindly target you, and so, congratulations. You''ve overcome your trial successfully," Yu Hongxi said as she looked at the pair. She did not hold back on her praise as she knew that even with Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s projections, the situation would not have stabilized without the efforts of this duo. House Luolan had been crumbling apart for these last two years, but Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had managed to reverse the situation and were critical in the grand scheme of things. "The Housemeet only turned out this way thanks to your assistance, Aunt Yu," Li Luo stated sincerely. At the end of the day, no one from the Golden Dragon Bank had turned up to interfere. It was likely that there were people who wanted to fish in muddied waters, but Yu Hongxi had restrained them. Otherwise, if the situation had deteriorated further, even the intervention of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan would not have changed things. "I was merely maintaining the rules of the Golden Dragon Bank. Doing business is our motto. Harmony breeds wealth, and we have no intention of being implicated in someone else''s fight." Yu Hongxi smiled slightly. "Aunt Yu, your favor will be deeply etched into my heart," Li Luo honestly replied. Yu Hongxi gave a smile that was not a smile. "You already owe many favors." At the same time, she seemingly glanced at Jiang Qing''e before continuing, "You have to know that personal favors are the hardest to repay." "No matter. Even if I can''t repay it now, once I become a Duke or a King, my favor will be worth something then. If you require anything of me, I will be more than happy to oblige at that time," Li Luo proudly stated as he patted his chest. Yu Hongxi rolled her eyes. "You''re a confident one, maybe even arrogant. Do you think the Duke and King Stages are so easily attained? Words are cheap!" Li Luo pouted with a slight grin before casually replying, "Aunt Yu, even the Regent ended up showing himself. That fellow is very ambitious, so the Golden Dragon Bank should pay more attention to him in the future. I feel like he''s narcissistic, ambitious, and ruthless. There''s even a chance that he might covet the Golden Dragon Bank one day! After all, you guys are as rich as a nation, and if one wants to compare backgrounds, you probably have a deeper foundation than the royal court!" Yu Hongxi raised a single brow curiously. "Li Luo, your provocative words are simply too direct." "I''m just speaking the truth! The Regent definitely has some grand plan in the works if he wanted to seize the divine matter of my house!" Li Luo defended himself. "The Xia Kingdom''s coronation ceremony will take place in two days'' time. When the Little Emperor ascends to the throne, the important ministers of the royal court will beseech the Regent to hand over his authority. If he does so, his influence and power will be continuously leached away by the First Princess and the Little Emperor. Thus, if he has ulterior motives, it will likely be targeted towards them," Yu Hongxi nonchalantly explained. "And more importantly, House Luolan has already been tied to the First Princess'' ship." She had her own sources of intel and had long known that the First Princess had deployed a Duke to assist House Luolan. Unfortunately, it was a pity that another Duke had restrained this helper. Thus, the First Princess'' assistance and grace towards House Luolan could not be doubted. If House Luolan were to not assist her during the coronation ceremony, it would be unjustifiable, considering what the Regent had tried to do to them. Jiang Qing''e spoke up at this point. "President Yu, the Regent is no saint. If he has a scheme for the coronation ceremony in the works and he usurps the ceremony and becomes the Emperor, I feel that it won''t be good news for the Golden Dragon Bank either." Yu Hongxi gave an insipid smile. "You two little brats. I can''t believe you''re trying to drag the Golden Dragon Bank into these muddied waters." She waved her hand. "The Golden Dragon Bank will not change its stance. Thus, we are not concerned about whether the Little Emperor or the Regent ascends to the throne. We will not interfere. If the Regent has the balls to covet the Golden Dragon Bank, we will watch him try." Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e glanced at each other, knowing that their attempts to persuade Yu Hongxi had failed. Still, this was expected as the Golden Dragon Bank was a neutral party much like the Astral Sage College. So long as the Regent did not make any overt moves towards them, there was no reason for the bank to take action. Thus, Li Luo gave up on this plan, continuing to exchange pleasantries with Yu Hongxi for a while before taking his leave. Yu Hongxi then informed Lu Qing''er to send them off. The three left the bank together. At the entrance, Lu Qing''er grabbed Li Luo all of a sudden and curiously asked, "Do you want to know what happened to Mentor Chi Chan?" Li Luo nodded with a complicated expression. "I have no idea how I can ever repay Mentor Chi Chan''s grace." He had long heard the news around his mentor, and it had shocked him. He had never expected that she would choose to resign and solitarily confront House Lanling, completely holding down all of House Lanling''s assassins, House Lord included. This was a massive debt he had incurred. Yu Hongxi had merely issued the command for all within the bank to stand still, intimidating the plotting rats within the bank. On the other hand, Chi Chan had paid a significant price, abandoning her position within the college. He would remember it forever. "Do you know where she has gone?" Li Luo asked. Lu Qing''er shook her head. "After leaving House Lanling, she did not resurface ever again." Li Luo sighed. "Qing''er, could I kindly trouble you to mobilize the Golden Dragon Bank''s information channels to locate Mentor Chi Chan? Now that she has left the college, she must definitely have found a new place to go to." "You can rest assured that once I hear anything about this, I''ll let you know," Lu Qing''er very quickly replied. He nodded, and after catching up with Lu Qing''er, he left with Jiang Qing''e. Their destination was the royal palace. They had to pay a visit to the First Princess. Royal Palace, Side Chamber The First Princess happily received the guests and warmly entertained them. As she chatted with Jiang Qing''e, Li Luo made his way to the Little Emperor''s chambers to administer his healing and purge the poison. Atop the bed, the Little Emperor had taken off his robes, revealing his pale and frail frame. The black lotus was once again imprinted before Li Luo''s eyes, but something strange had happened. Some of the black petals had turned white and the colors had alternated. A bizarre sight. The Little Emperor turned his head and asked, "Li Luo, is my poison about to be cured? I can feel that my body is feeling much lighter nowadays." Li Luo smiled and nodded, looking at the Little Emperor''s face. The brat''s face was becoming more and more handsome as he recovered. His crystal-like eyes paired with his slender eyebrows gave off a very innocent appeal. However, this thought also caused Li Luo to shudder slightly. How could he fall for the Little Emperor?! Preposterous! In any case, he began to focus himself, placing his palm onto the Little Emperor''s back. He then started circulating his resonant power, beginning the treatment. Chapter 0674: Esteemed Guests Arrive Chapter 0674: Esteemed Guests Arrive With Li Luo''s rise to the Fiend Palace Tier, the treatment for the Little Emperor also took less of a toll on him. In the short span of 30 minutes, it was complete. At the same time, yet another petal of the black lotus imprint on his back had turned a pristine white. At the moment, half of the black lotus had been cleansed. After the treatment, the Little Emperor felt a little fatigued, so he put on his robes with the help of a servant and fell soundly asleep with Li Luo''s approval. Li Luo then exited the inner chamber and found Jiang Qing''e and the First Princess engaged in conversation. The First Princess also noticed Li Luo''s arrival, her voice trilling like a happy lark. "Li Luo, congratulations! You''re now the true House Lord of House Luolan!" "I have to thank you, Your Highness, for your assistance. Your grace will be forever remembered by House Luolan." Li Luo grinned. The First Princess'' bright eyes fluidly glanced past him. "House Luolan''s favor will become very valuable in the future. It looks like my investment was a great success." This was the truth. So long as the two elder House Lords returned safely, House Luolan would very likely turn into a super power in the Xia Kingdom, far surpassing the other four Great Houses. At that point, even the royal court would pay close attention to them. Li Luo smiled. "Did you already know that the one coveting House Luolan''s divine matter from the shadows was the Regent?" "There were some clues. Additionally, I had received some news from my own sources, but I could never really be certain until now. It looks like my uncle has always lusted for House Luolan''s divine matter. I still have no idea what his aims are. He is only at the fifth-grade of the Duke Stage, quite a far cry from even being qualified to break into the King Stage," the First Princess commented as a self-deprecating smile formed on her face. "Honestly speaking, if he could enter the King Stage, everything would be simple. I would naturally let my brother renounce the throne and let the Xia Kingdom be ruled by him." She then turned to face the two. "House Luolan has overcome its perilous tribulation, and I will undergo my own baptism of fire in two days. I wonder if I will have the same good luck you had?" "Your Highness, are you referring to the coronation ceremony? Do you suspect that the Regent will kick up a fuss?" Li Luo questioned. This was met with an aloof reply. "The Regent has a wild and ambitious heart. He has controlled the Xia Kingdom for so many years that I feel it would be unlikely he will relinquish everything so easily. Thus, I believe he has a plan." Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e glanced at each other. House Luolan and the Regent were now on irreconcilable terms. Even calling them mortal enemies would not be an exaggeration. Thus, they would naturally not idly sit by as the coronation ceremony was usurped by the Regent. If that happened, House Luolan would also be in a difficult position as they would constantly have to fend off the Regent''s tricks. "How is the situation on Your Highness'' side? Do you have a lot of supporters?" Jiang Qing''e asked. "The Little Emperor is the legitimate heir, so countless elder officials of the Xia Kingdom support him. When their might is aggregated, even my royal uncle would not take them lightly. Thus, from a bigger point of view, we still have some degree of confidence." The First Princess sighed deeply. "House Luolan will support you, Your Highness. However, we only have a few small fry, including us, that can assist. I''m afraid we won''t be of much help." Li Luo clearly expressed his position and willingness to assist. The Regent''s actions had already pushed them to this side after all. "That is a little unfortunate. If the two old House Lords could descend once again, I believe my royal uncle would not dare to hold any ulterior motives." The First Princess covered her mouth as she laughed lightly. Jiang Qing''e''s eyes flashed. "I know that the college''s Principal Pang had expressed his support for the previous Emperor. He had also determined the Regent to be too power hungry. I think that if he were to show himself, it would suppress any thoughts of unrest." Li Luo had a similar train of thought. Principal Pang had been tied down in the Umbra Cave''s depths, unable to extricate his main body. Li Luo had obtained the Dragon Bone Holy Grail and even provided some of his blood essence to the Principal. Although he did not know what the Principal was plotting, it should all be part of the plan. "Principal Pang''s appearance is not confirmed. Suppressing the Umbra Cave is of utmost importance, and he will be unable to influence the outside world before being able to resolve that predicament, even if it''s the coronation ceremony." The First Princess sighed lightly. "The Dragon Bone Holy Grail should have already landed in his hands. I think the situation will be resolved soon," Jiang Qing''e consoled her. "That would be for the best." If Principal Pang could turn up in person for the coronation ceremony, then that would be undoubtedly wonderful news. With the Principal''s support, the Little Emperor would safely ascend the throne and take control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation. That was the most crucial point. With the Kingdom Protecting Formation in hand, the Regent could only sit by idly. "The coronation ceremony will start in two days. I will send you an invite so make sure you aren''t missing." The First Princess grinned at Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. The two nodded. The coronation ceremony''s outcome far surpassed the implications of House Luolan''s Housemeet. It would determine the balance of power within the Xia Kingdom, and as one of its factions, House Luolan would not be insulated from its aftereffects. Even the Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank would pay close attention to the result. The two then bade farewell to the First Princess and left the royal palace, returning back to House Luolan. "There seems to be a stream of climatic events. Can''t we get a breather? Now we have a coronation ceremony coming up, and I have a feeling that the entire Xia Kingdom will be upended by this." Li Luo frowned as he massaged his temples, ranting towards Jiang Qing''e. Jiang Qing''e was left in deep thought. The Regent was extremely powerful, and everyone in the Xia Kingdom knew it. If he wanted to rebel during the coronation ceremony, it would inevitably cause a disastrously terrifying event that would tear apart the fabric of society. The entire Xia Kingdom would be in turmoil. Jiang Qing''e stretched out her beautiful hand and tightly grasped Li Luo''s. "No matter what, even if House Luolan is destroyed with the Xia Kingdom, I don''t care about any of that. So long as you, Master, and Mistress are all fine, that is all that matters." A warm feeling arose within Li Luo''s heart as his five fingers gripped Jiang Qing''e''s jade-like hand in response. But before he was about to speak, the carriage suddenly halted and the windows were lifted by a gust of wind. Li Luo saw a slender figure standing right outside House Luolan''s headquarters. Scrutinizing the figure closer, Li Luo felt like he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. He hurriedly got off, excitedly shouting, "Mentor Chi Chan!" The individual who was outside was surprisingly Chi Chan. At this point, she seemed to have heard Li Luo''s voice and turned to face him. A light puff of wind gently blew past the thin veil shrouding her head. Her eyes were in a crescent moon shape, seemingly smiling. "Li Luo, I have no place to go right now. Is House Luolan accepting new members?" Chapter 0675: Magnetic Chapter 0675: Magnetic "What? You want to join House Luolan?" Li Luo was in complete disbelief when he heard Chi Chan''s words, rubbing his ears. Had he misheard something? Thus, he had to ask it again. Chi Chan gave a slight nod. "Now that I''ve left the college, I realize I have nowhere I want to go. So I want to stay here temporarily. What do you think? Is that appropriate?" Li Luo was so touched that tears welled up in his eyes as he emotionally glanced at Chi Chan. "Mentor Chi Chan, could it be that you happen to have some sort of secret connection with my father by some chance? You''ve treated me far too well! I wouldn''t be surprised if you were my mother..." Chi Chan was left completely speechless before she indignantly replied, "Ever since I was assigned to the Astral Sage College, I have not had any contact with the secular world. I am unfamiliar with your father and I have always been single! Stop slandering me with your irresponsible words! Whatever I did was purely because you were an exceptional student. You''ve done so much for me, and I couldn''t bear to see such a wonderful student be extinguished by some extraneous factors. I''m only staying at House Luolan for now as it''s convenient and just an interim plan." Li Luo sheepishly touched his nose. "Oh... so it''s like that." Immediately after, he showed a warm smile as though nothing had happened. "Welcome, welcome! Mentor Chi Chan, so long as you wish for it, House Luolan will forever open its gates for you. You can stay as long as you want!" Jiang Qing''e had made her way over at this point, and a slight smile surfaced on her beautiful face. "Mentor Chi Chan joining House Luolan is honoring us. We will welcome you wholeheartedly." In truth, deep down, Jiang Qing''e was completely taken aback by this chain of events. She had never expected that Chi Chan would temporarily reside within House Luolan. Although she did not know how long this period of time would be, it was phenomenal news. This meant that House Luolan would have yet another Duke before Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s return. If Ox Biaobiao was also considered, then House Luolan''s Headquarters would have two Dukes! If news of this spread, it would cause a sensation within the Xia Kingdom. Mentor Chi Chan was simply treating Li Luo too well. She was a Duke after all! With her strength, no matter where she traveled to in the Xia Kingdom, she could even start her own house if she wished to! Then the Xia Kingdom would have six Great Houses! Thus, saying that she had nowhere else to go was simply a joke. Jiang Qing''e had not interacted with Chi Chan much in the past, and so the only reason she would have chosen to come to House Luolan was because of Li Luo. Although Li Luo''s opening line was completely ridiculous, the fact was that Mentor Chi Chan did indeed treat him too well! This had far surpassed the relationship a teacher would have with her student. However, if she had ulterior motives, then that was a head-scratcher too. There was no reason for anyone to covet Li Luo or House Luolan''s possessions... unless her aim was the divine matter? Still, the possibility of that didn''t seem very high. After going around in circles, Jiang Qing''e concluded that Li Luo was simply too charismatic. He was quite handsome after all. Jiang Qing''e took a step forward and tightly grasped Chi Chan''s forearm, a rare form of intimacy as she dragged her into the House Luolan. Li Luo, on the other hand, haughtily followed suit. He was absolutely exhilarated! House Luolan had managed to attract a Duke, which was something even his parents couldn''t achieve in their time. Clearly, he possessed exceptional personal charm. Yet the moment she walked into House Luolan''s headquarters, her footsteps came to a halt. She could distinctly sense a mighty and formless pressure that pervaded the entire area. She could feel her strength reduce massively under the suppression of the pressure. "This is House Luolan''s defensive ward? Its mystical qualities are beyond comparison. Any Duke within its range would find it hard to even bring out their Bergfrieds." Chi Chan sighed. It was no wonder none of the Dukes dared to intrude when the ward was operating at its prime, despite lusting for all of the treasures within the house. "Please don''t take offense, Mentor Chi Chan. Even we are unable to control the defensive ward of the house. Unfortunately, you will have to tolerate this for now," Jiang Qing''e said. She knew that Dukes rarely liked stepping into their headquarters as the pressure was uncomfortable for them, restricting their power. Chi Chan waved her hand in response, indicating that it was of no concern. The three then made their way into the discussion hall. "Li Luo, my time here will only be temporary. Once this extraordinary situation passes, I will probably be returning to the Astral Sage College," Chi Chan reminded the excitable Li Luo. "Mentor, you can still return to the college?" Li Luo asked in shock. Although his words were slightly rude, Mentor Chi Chan had voluntarily resigned and even participated in House Luolan''s struggle. She may not have directly taken part in the main battle, but she was still linked to them. This had brought about trouble to the college, so would she even be able to rejoin them in such a situation? Listening to Li Luo''s comment, her clear, starry eyes scowled at him. "So it seems you hope I can''t go back?" He did not agree nor deny it, only "affectionately" replying, "House Luolan simply wants to support you forever." "To be fair, the only reason I was allowed to act was because of Vice Principal Su Xin. Without her relenting, do you really think I could have joined the battle so easily and then helped you restrain House Lanling?" Mentor Chi Chan helplessly answered. This answer surprised Li Luo. "Vice Principal Su Xin?" Mentor Chi Chan nodded, and her voice turned gentle. "Vice Principal Su Xin might have stated that the college was neutral and forbade any of us from internecine combat, but when I submitted my resignation, she did not turn it down, despite it being within her rights to do so. Additionally, when I left for House Lanling, the college naturally knew where I was headed to. If she really wanted to strictly enforce the stance of neutrality... she would definitely have sent the college''s experts to restrain me. She obviously knew what I was going to do there, and it would eventually bring about questions regarding the college''s stance. Yet in light of all this, she did nothing. This was just a covert way of providing assistance to the two of you. Vice Principal Su Xin has always been fair and impartial. It is the first time I''ve seen her make any sort of compromise, not only because you and Jiang Qing''e are the best saplings that the college has seen in a century, but also as a form of thanks for obtaining the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. I communicated with her in secret before I resigned. Her answer was simple. After this tempestuous and special period is over, she will find an opportunity to let me re-enter the college, in a way that the opposition to it will be insignificant." Li Luo groaned. "Vice Principal Su Xin is the best after all." Even the supposedly simple resignation held such a complicated truth to it. Li Luo was touched by Vice Principal Su Xin''s secret assistance. She might have said that the college''s neutrality was something absolute and immovable, but at the end of the day, she provided as much help as she could within her means of influence. Him slaving away for the sake of the Dragon Bone Holy Grail was worth it after all! "Mentor, whenever you wish to leave, just let us know and that''s enough. You can rest assured that even though I am tremendously unwilling to let you go, I will not impede you." Li Luo grinned. Since Mentor Chi Chan seemed to enjoy being in the college more than anything, he would not seek to trap her within House Luolan for the sake of having another Duke expert. This would ruin the pure relationship the two shared. Chi Chan responded with a slight smile and an approving nod. After which, Li Luo went to summon Cai Wei, Yuan Qing, and the rest of the elders in the house to inform them of Chi Chan''s temporary membership. This astonishing news left them in a daze, then they erupted with joy. They were clear of the implications of a Duke joining them. This was terrific for House Luolan. All of them then glanced at Li Luo with looks of utmost admiration and respect. The new House Lord was simply too amazing. He had managed to rope in an actual Duke in just the short span of a day. Even the old House Lords couldn''t achieve this! It wasn''t that they weren''t charismatic, but more likely that there was no need to get another Duke to join them. The two of them were sufficient to dominate everyone else, forcefully. The House Luolan of today was no longer the same. Although the Housemeet was over, having an actual Duke residing within the headquarters would unquestionably allow their strength and influence to soar. This way, their rebirth and ascent to the top would be much quicker than before. Thus, Chi Chan''s entry was perfect. It was the missing piece of the puzzle. House Luolan''s rise was just a matter of time. ... In contrast to this piece of excellent news, things were brewing elsewhere. Some strange movements were seen within the depths of the Umbra Cave. Chapter 0676: Five Elements Dragon-Elephant Formation Chapter 0676: Five Elements Dragon-Elephant Formation Deep within the Umbra Cave. The worldly natural energy here had taken on a more chaotic form as the elements roiled within. One moment a boundless sea of fire would sweep across the space, and the next it would transform into a deluge of seawater that smashed through the void. It was a scene that would remind one of primordial entropy. Thunderous storms like a raging beast buffeting the void in every direction. Within the chaotic void, a massive tear separated two world spaces. On the outside of it was a golden lotus fluttering within the chaotic worldly natural energy. Atop the golden lotus was a single figure sitting there cross-legged. The figure exuded a profound aura that reminded one of the deepest pools and the tallest mountains, causing one to feel an incomparable sort of pressure. Although he was physically there, he seemed to exist beyond the reaches of the mortal world. It was Astral Sage College''s Principal, Pang Qianyuan. He was currently staring aloofly at the massive tear. Within it was a black, raging river that looked like an endlessly long black dragon, saturnine as the depths of night. It gave one a feeling of unrest as the black river water continued to flow. Waves would occasionally surface, and one could see countless hideously distorted human faces emanating all of the most negative emotions inside. Greed, desire, rage, hatred, and so on... It was a sight that would intimidate all who saw it. The river suddenly began to toss and turn, and one could see a titanic obsidian fish reveal itself as it incited a storm. The black fish gave off bizarre and horrifying vibes as each and every scale seemed to contain a tortured human face. Each one of these faces seemed to be screaming in despair, and simply looking at it would drive one to the depths of insanity. Child-like laughter erupted from the mouth of the black fish, and the sound traveled through the world space, entering Pang Qianyuan''s ears. There was a peculiar power contained within the sound waves that would have even corrupted a Duke, causing them to lose themselves and become thralls, even for a mere moment. Pang Qianyuan, however, remained impassive, quietly feeling the fluctuations of the worldly natural energy. He was awaiting a single opportunity. This was something he had prepared himself for for countless years. A lot of time had passed by, but it all seemed like a fleeting moment to him. Right at this very moment, a glint flashed within his eyes. He could feel that the chaotic and infinite worldly natural energy had begun to shift in a specific direction. Pop! At that very moment, a strange fluctuation appeared within the chaotic void. When the sound reverberated around the space, the originally chaotic worldly natural energy unexpectedly came to a halt and began to be reformed anew, as though a set of heavenly laws had appeared to bring order to the entropy. Pang Qianyuan stood up from his golden lotus and waved his sleeve. With a single motion, the entire space seemed to tremble and the five elements within the void soared up. The vast amounts of worldly natural energy condensed into five massive, dragon-elephant manifestations that occupied the void. A frightening pressure descended upon everything. "I open up the primordial chaos. Five Elements Dragon-Elephant Formation!" Pang Qianyuan announced thunderously. At that same time, ancient, mottled chains appeared atop the five manifestations, stretching out and intersected with each other, seemingly able to seal off the world itself. The previously disorderly primordial chaos seemed to have been reborn anew as laws came into existence. Deep within the cracks of the void and inside the river of evil, the massive, black fish was lightly waving its tail, summoning humongous waves as it leisurely said, "Pang Qianyuan, your methods are impressive. So this is what you''ve been preparing for all these years? Awaiting the moment when the primordial chaos rebirths itself and the ensuing calm to erect this mystical formation to repair this crack in the void? Do you think it will be that easy? Do you really think I''m a harmless herbivore?" The Ichythian King grinned as it faced the spatial tear, opening up its titanic, abyss-like mouth. A moment later, copious amounts of sticky, black water poured forth, radiating with overflowing evil. Even a Greater Heavenly Resonance cultivator would be corrupted by its demonic influence if a single drop of the black water were to fall upon them. It passed through the void, and at that moment, an ebony arm stretched out from within the black water. It seemed a little weird as it possessed eight fingers and the skin was abnormally mottled. Numerous dusky runes surfaced upon it as viscous, black water continued to drop continuously from its pores, like the palm of the god of the underworld. The very moment the ebony arm appeared, it seemed to shatter the void. It smashed towards Pang Qianyuan''s Five Elements Dragon-Elephant Formation, intending to dispose of it in a single strike. Pang Qianyuan took this all in stride, unhurriedly removing an object from within his robes. It was an ancient-looking goblet. Upon closer inspection, it was the Dragon Bone Holy Grail that had been retrieved by Li Luo during the Holy Grail Meet. This holy grail transformed into a space-piercing beam of light that flew forward before explosively transforming into the size of a gigantic mountain that could touch the heavens. At the same time, it began to emit countless mysterious rays of light that descended upon the space. Each and every ray seemed to contain a suppressive effect, and wherever the light shone over, the eight-fingered ebony arm would emit copious amounts of black smoke coupled with a miserable scream. With the holy grail''s appearance, the eight-fingered arm was shattered. "The Dragon Bone Holy Grail?!" the Ichythian King gloomily exclaimed from within the black river. "No wonder you dared to set up this formation in my face. You actually had this treasure in hand!" The Dragon Bone Holy Grail possessed a special suppressive effect that was very effective on Others. It was no surprise why Pang Qianyuan seemed unfazed and unafraid. He remained indifferent, completely ignoring the Ichythian King as he focused on the massive formation he had erected. This mystical formation was something he had deduced over many years. As he was located in the intersection between two world spaces, the worldly natural energy here possessed a chaotic nature. This had made it difficult to employ many of his methods. This time, with the aid of the formation and the temporary lull as the chaos reset within the void, he was therefore able to repair the crack in the void and resolve the crisis within the Umbra Cave. He glimpsed at the four ancient dragon-elephant manifestations, each taking up one of the cardinal directions, before looking at the one in the middle. This was the nexus of his formation. At this point in time, an indescribable pressure seemed to have descended upon the area with the presence of the dragon-elephant manifestations. The sides of the void crack seemed to tremble, as though it was being pushed by the sheer power of the formation. Unfortunately, despite all the shaking, it resisted the pressure of the formation. "It seems that after spending so much time deducing a solution, it was ultimately insufficient! Trying to close up the spatial tear is not such an easy task after all," Pang Qianyuan murmured to himself as his eyes flashed. "Heh. Pang Qianyuan, you truly overestimate yourself. You actually tried to forcibly seal up the void tear?" The Ichythian King mocked from within the river of evil. Pang Qianyuan coldly glanced at it, but he no longer paid any more attention to the Other. Although the formation was unable to achieve his goals, it wasn''t out of his expectations. If he wanted to achieve such a colossal task, he would naturally have more methods up his sleeve. Otherwise, why would he have taken action now? With this in mind, he waved at the giant Dragon Bone Holy Grail. Immediately after, some blood essence shot out, floating before him drop by drop. The blood essence was round and clear like a gem. Although others may not be able to see the mysteries hidden within, Pang Qianyuan was not any average individual. His gaze was able to discern the special bloodline that was contained within the depths of the blood essence. This blood essence had been provided by Li Luo. "Heavenly Dragon Energy..." Pang Qianyuan focused upon the blood essence with a slight smile. His palms were grasped together at this instant, and vast amounts of energy surged forth. It formed something like a stellar furnace, smelting the blood essence that tumbled madly within. It melted down very quickly, and eventually what was left were a few wisps of golden-yellow energy that could barely be seen by the naked eye. This energy was his true aim. Adding Heavenly Dragon Energy into the Five Elements Dragon Elephant Formation would provide it with heaven-shattering strength for a brief amount of time. With such strength, there was a possibility he could seal up the gap. Pang Qianyuan pointed forward, and the energy shot forth, quickly assimilating with the massive dragon elephant manifestations. The manifestations evidently seemed to have gained a boost. Their huge bodies swelled up and even their roars contained a sense of sacred pressure. Boom! The ancient dragon elephants then floated up, pulling a piece of the chaos itself like a chariot. Everything rumbled and the void tear no longer remained stationary. With the vigorous galloping of the dragon elephant manifestations, the huge cracks were slowly being pulled together whilst violently trembling. Seeing this sight, Pang Qianyuan heaved a sigh of relief internally. His numerous years of preparation were all for this. If the void tear could be sealed, then the Astral Sage College''s Umbra Cave would be suppressed and they would be able to enjoy a prolonged period of peace. The void tear continued to rumble violently as tides of energy continued to pour forth from it, but the forceful reparation continued. More importantly, the black river of evil in the other world space was similarly buffeted by massive waves, and the gigantic black fish was stuck within. Its terrifying, white eyes continued to watch the scene coldly and quietly. Chapter 0677: Change Chapter 0677: Change Regent''s Palace Just as the Regent was dealing with some bureaucratic affairs in his study, his expression suddenly changed. He saw the shadow beside him distort, and the dual pupil youth walked out. The youth usually had an unhurried expression, but this time it seemed a little grave. The Regent placed down the folder in his hands as he asked curiously upon seeing this rare sight, "What happened?" The youth had remained indifferent even when Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had appeared during the Housemeet. "Pang Qianyuan has made his move. He has used the Dragon Bone Holy Grail to suppress the Ichythian King. At the same time, he''s currently repairing the void tear. If he succeeds, the Umbra Cave''s danger will be resolved and he will be able to roam freely," the youth explained simply. The Regent''s pupils shrank. Pang Qianyuan was the source of their troubles. There was only one King Stage cultivator in the entire Xia Kingdom, and he was the only one capable of instilling fear into the Regent and the rest. This situation was of deep concern to the Regent. It wasn''t good news as once Pang Qianyuan extricated himself from the thorny Umbra Cave, he would be able to return to the Xia Kingdom, undoubtedly attending the coronation ceremony. Although the Astral Sage College was a neutral faction, Pang Qianyuan was absolutely unrestrained in whatever he wished to do as the Xia Kingdom''s only King cultivator. In fact, he didn''t even need to interfere. He simply had to stand behind the Little Emperor and then all of the Regents plans would disintegrate naturally. "What do you plan to do?" the Regent asked the youth. He knew that their aims were the same, and it was to prevent Pang Qianyuan from escaping his predicament. The youth grinned. "Now, now, there is no need to worry. We have planned for so many years, so how can we let our efforts go to waste by letting Pang Qianyuan escape from his cell? That would be underestimating our methods. This is merely just a single sage college. It''s not the first time we have destroyed one after all." As he spoke, he touched a pocket sphere on his wrist and removed a black, palm-sized clay figurine. The figurine''s facial features were blurry, but the black runes on its body were like a living fish constantly squirming atop its surface. The youth glanced at it before casually crushing it into pieces. At the very same moment that happened, in the Astral Sage College. On top of the Tree of Resonant Power. A single Violet Vibrance mentor would remain at the highest location atop the Tree of Resonant Power at all times, guarding it. In the center of this location was a wooden platform where a single Violet Vibrance mentor was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. His body suddenly shuddered and his expression showed a trace of internal strife. Then distorted colors surfaced on his face and his skin began to twist uncontrollably as though a fish was swimming inside his body. He opened his eyes again a moment later, but both of his eyeballs had turned inky black, looking extremely bizarre. He then raised a hand and stripped off his upper robes, revealing his bare body. He swiped a finger across his chest, slicing through his own flesh and blood to reveal his beating heart. He then forcefully wrenched his heart out, and it continued to beat violently within his grasp. As the heart started to beat with greater intensity, one could see a single drop of an obsidian substance being squeezed out from inside it. The substance emanated a foul and evil presence, seemingly condensed from countless wicked thoughts. It was but a mere drop, yet it possessed a corruptive power that even a Duke was unable to resist. When the single drop of obsidian substance landed atop the tree, it quickly burrowed itself like a drop of ink dripping into a massive lake, instantly disappearing before one''s very eyes. After the act was done, the Violet Vibrance mentor returned his heart to his chest and the wound healed up as though nothing had ever happened. A cold wind rustled past. The Violet Vibrance mentor''s eyes seemed to contain a hint of confusion as he glanced around him curiously. He seemed to have lost himself for a moment, but he could not remember what he had just done. In the end, after discovering nothing was amiss, he shook his head and attributed it all to a misunderstanding. He closed his eyes and continued to cultivate. In the depths of the Umbra Cave. The ancient dragon elephant manifestations were gradually shifting the space itself, sealing up the void tear. At this instant, Pang Qianyuan raised his head and glared at a specific part of the void. He could clearly feel that there was a tiny disturbance in the space itself, which had marginally weakened his connection with the world. He could feel that the influence of this disturbance had affected and slowed down the sealing of the void tear. "This feeling of energy being stripped away... could it be the Tree of Resonant Power?" Pang Qianyuan frowned. The Astral Sage College''s Tree of Resonant Power suppressed the Umbra Cave, and as the Principal, he would naturally tap upon its vast reserves of energy. This was one of the reasons why he was able to keep the Ichythian King suppressed here. However, his connection with the Tree of Resonant Power seemed to have become somewhat blurry and unstable. "Has an issue arisen with the Tree of Resonant Power?" The thought sent tremors through Pang Qianyuan''s heart. The Tree of Resonant Power was having issues at such a critical moment? This could not be a mere coincidence. It seemed odd as the tree was under the strict surveillance and protection of the college. A Violet Vibrance mentor was always on duty, so how could a problem crop up? A glint flashed through his eyes as he glanced at the river of evil within the void tear. The Ichythian King was quietly floating atop its surface, glaring at him with its frightening, white eyes and a mocking expression. "Pang Qianyuan, did you think that you were the only one plotting throughout the years?" The Ichythian King''s icy voice transmitted through the void. Pang Qianyuan coldly stared at the Ichythian King. Only after one confronted a King Stage Other could one fully appreciate the terror and difficulty of dealing with them. He and the Ichythian King had engaged each other in contests of varying degrees over the years. Despite all of his caution, he had almost fallen into its traps multiple times. An Other was basically the manifestation of evil thoughts and emotions, able to clearly discern humanity''s weaknesses and to seduce them with honeyed words as well. In their numerous exchanges, revealing a minor flaw would have resulted in his heart being shaken. That was when the seeds of corruption could be sowed, insidiously corrupting him. What was happening with the Tree of Resonant Power might not have been due to an outside influence, but rather from someone within the college itself. Pang Qianyuan seemed a little gloomy as he stated, "It looks like you''ve secretly planted seeds of corruption throughout the college." "Pang Qianyuan, you cannot beat me in this battle. Give up. Don''t you want to become stronger? Although you''re a King Stage expert, you can gain even greater strength if you enter the shadow world!" the Ichythian King offered. "Your efforts to entice me seem to have become worse." Pang Qianyuan shook his head. "The fact that you had to activate a hidden card to obstruct me means that you''ve gotten scared. If this is the case, then I have even more reason to continue sealing this void tear. Additionally, this will only delay me for a slight amount of time. What''s the point of it? Just what are you trying to do?" At this very moment, a thought flashed through his mind. "What could happen in the next few days in the outside world? Hmm? Could it be the coronation ceremony? You don''t want me to participate in it? What does it have to do with you? If I don''t personally attend it... the greatest beneficiary would be who? That ambitious brat Gong Yuan?" His gaze turned even colder at this instant. "You and Gong Yuan are in cahoots?" When faced with Pang Qianyuan''s question, the Ichythian King only chuckled softly. It then submerged itself back into the depths of the river of evil. Chapter 0678: Ceremonys Eve Xia City was bustling with excitement and activity. As time went by, more and more officials from the royal court and the leaders of the various provinces began to pour into the city, one after another. The coronation ceremony was almost here. Xia City was gaily decorated and the atmosphere was eclectic. To the common man, the coronation ceremony was a time of great festivities. However, to those who were more astute, they were able to sniff out the dangerous undercurrents that underlay this event. They knew that the result would soon determine the direction the Xia Kingdom would take. The effects would reverberate around the entire kingdom, and no faction would be free of its influence. Thus, every faction had gathered here, awaiting the opening of the grand event that would shape the future of the Xia Kingdom. House Luolan. The terribly busy Li Luo had managed to snatch a moment for a breather, entertaining his group of friends from the college. Yu Lang, Bai Mengmeng, Bai Doudou, and Zhao Kuo were excited to pay a visit after finding out the result of the Housemeet. "Congratulations, House Lord Li Luo. May your grand name resound throughout the Xia Kingdom. House Luolan will rise gloriously, and I hope that Brother Luo will remember our relationship from the past and never forget his loyal friends." When that familiar, sloppy voice sounded out, a smile surfaced on Li Luo''s face. Yu Lang swaggered in with a grinning face as he waved at Li Luo. Yu Lang laughed as he continued, "However, I''m not surprised that Brother Luo is the House Lord. Well, it was your surprising follow-up that truly caused you to become the topic of discussion in the academy. It was shocking indeed." "What?" Li Luo was a little taken aback by this sudden statement. Yu Lang winked at him. "Well, it''s because ever since the Astral Sage College was founded, it was the first time that a Violet Vibrance mentor was... shall we say convinced to join her student''s house! Your single move has been recorded into the annals of the college''s history, an achievement that every student will forever idolize!" Li Luo didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry. So it had to do with Mentor Chi Chan''s situation... Despite not actively circulating this piece of news, some resourceful individuals would definitely have caught wind of it, and the younger generation would inevitably have heard of it as soon as possible. To the students of the college, this was even more shocking and impressive than Li Luo becoming a House Lord! "Leader, now that you''ve snatched Mentor Chi Chan away, what''s going to happen to our Fairness & Justice Squad?" Bai Mengmeng cried out as her large, innocent eyes glanced at Li Luo with a hint of sadness. She and Xin Fu were dumbstruck when they received the news. They were still in the One Star Hall, but their mentor had vanished! Would the college provide them with a new Violet Vibrance mentor after that? Did they have to rebuild their relationships from scratch? Li Luo shrugged as he helplessly replied, "There was no choice. She wanted to do so! Who am I to reject her?" "Hearing your words... makes me want to punch you!" Bai Doudou pouted. She couldn''t tell if this brat was simply lucky or acting dumb! Li Luo then swept his gaze over the group before asking, "Where''s Xin Fu?" He realized that his squadmate was missing. Bai Mengmeng softly answered, "He didn''t want to come. He said that he was a member of House Lanling and that Mentor Chi Chan had even started a fight with them." Li Luo fell silent for a moment before smiling. "That fool... what is he trying to do? In my eyes, House Lanling is House Lanling. Xin Fu is Xin Fu. He is still a member of our Fairness & Justice Squad! So long as he doesn''t deny this fact, it will forever be the case." He knew that during the Housemeet, Yu Lang, Bai Mengmeng ,and Xin Fu had done their best to hold back Ye Chengying, who had received an assignment from the house. Although her strength could not have changed the overall situation at House Luolan, his friends'' intentions was not something he would ever neglect nor forget. Especially Xin Fu. He was a member of House Lanling and yet he had chosen not to accept the assignment, obstructing Ye Chengying instead. This display of friendship would forever be remembered by Li Luo. "Qin Zhulu?" Li Luo continued to ask. "He said his father had arrived in Xia City today and thus he could not make it," Yu Lang explained. Li Luo''s gaze flickered for a moment upon hearing this. Qin Zhulu''s father was the general that guarded the borders, the renowned Qin Zhenjiang, right? He was one of the Xia Kingdom''s mightiest warriors. The only reason he would rush back to Xia City would be to attend the coronation ceremony. The only question in this case was: who would the general support? With his position and resources, he would undoubtedly shift the tides in the favor of whomever he chose. Li Luo continued to entertain his friends before tersely reminding them, "You guys should stay within the college grounds tomorrow. Don''t leave its protection casually." "Is it due to the coronation ceremony?" Bai Mengmeng was quite astute and went straight to the point. The Bai family was also a top clan in the kingdom, so she would naturally be aware of these developments. Li Luo nodded and his gaze turned profound. "The college might not be affected as much, but you should still remain careful. Everything should end after the coronation ceremony concludes tomorrow." Li Luo looked at the immature and green faces before him. They had yet to fully mature and required time to develop themselves. Hopefully, the coronation ceremony would end smoothly. ... General''s Mansion Qin Zhulu was emotionlessly sitting at the table, looking at the burly middle-aged man before him. The man''s bare arms were riddled with countless hideous scars. At the same time, he gave off the aura of a powerful soldier with blood made of steel. It was awe-inspiring, but at the same time, one would also be left breathless before him. This was Qin Zhulu''s father, the Xia Kingdom''s great general, Qin Zhenjiang. The man was voraciously wolfing down his food. A moment later, he patted his stomach and sighed with satisfaction. "Xia City''s food is much tastier than the gruel you get at the frontier." With that, he raised his head and stared at Qin Zhulu, his expression becoming stern. He commanded with a low voice, "Little Lu, now that you''ve been in the Astral Sage College for a year, I would like to know what you''ve gained." Qin Zhulu simply replied, "I have not been wasting my time. I am rushing into the Earth Fiend Stage, but I am not the strongest student in the One Star Hall." Qin Zhenjiang frowned and emitted a suppressive pressure, slamming his palm fiercely against the table as he bellowed, "WAS MY QUESTION REFERRING TO THAT? What I wanted to know is if you have found any girl to your liking within the college!" Qin Zhulu froze up like a deer in the headlights. Upon seeing this, Qin Zhenjiang''s face was full of disappointment. "The sole reason I painstakingly sent you to this college was for you to find a girl! The only thing you know is to cultivate! Cultivate my ass! If you continue cultivating this way, the Qin family will be finished!" Qin Zhulu''s eyelid twitched. He couldn''t be bothered to continue with this conversation, so he turned to leave. Qin Zhenjiang stared at his departing figure before grunting with a dissatisfied tone. He then went to search for his housekeeper to question further. "How is Little Lu at college? Did he get to meet any girls?" The housekeeper duly replied, "The Young Master has two female squadmates. Unfortunately, he has continued to resist their influences. In this entire year, he has only gotten closer to that Li Luo person. In fact, their relationship isn''t bad at all." "Li Luo? You mean House Luolan''s Young Lord? Wait. No. He''s the House Lord now. I''ve heard about what happened at the Housemeet." Qin Zhenjiang stroked his bearded chin as he helplessly continued, "That blockhead didn''t try to get closer to females but chose to mess around with a guy?" His expression turned horrified a moment later. "Could it be that Little Lu is interested in men?" The housekeeper smiled awkwardly. There was no easy answer to this question. Qin Zhenjiang had a pained expression on his face before he clenched his teeth. "Go and find Little Lu. Let him know that his father is someone with an open mind. If he likes males, it''s not like there''s no solution to this..." The housekeeper shrunk backwards. How could he dare to say such words? Even if he wanted to die, there were better ways to do so! Fortunately, after Qin Zhenjiang muttered to himself for a while longer, he finally dropped the subject. "Who has sent representatives thus far?" The housekeeper nodded and then replied, "Both the Regent and the First Princess have dispatched people to invite you to their gatherings, General." Qin Zhenjiang waved his hand. "Reject both of them. Why do they persist in such meaningless activity? If they want to fight, just do so. There''s no need to beat around the bush. I will not choose. So long as the Xia Kingdom remains peaceful, that''s all that matters. This is what my brothers have sacrificed their lives for." Chapter 0679: Grand Ceremony Xia City today was riddled with festive lights and decorations, submerged with endless ceremonial festivities. The atmosphere of the city was boiling over like a raging inferno, full of commotion and celebration. House Luolan. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had completed their preparations to leave for the coronation ceremony. This was an affair that concerned the entire Xia Kingdom, so they could not miss out on it. Warm sunlight bathed the tall youth who stood before a flight of steps. His head of grayish-white hair seemed to glisten in the sunlight as a slight smile hung upon his handsome visage with well defined features. Anyone who saw him would naturally be charmed by his charismatic looks, giving rise to good feelings towards him. Beside him was a female who possessed a slender body and was garbed in a combat dress, her skirt revealing her round thighs which shone like jade under the light. Her facial features were delicate but pleasing to the eye. But in contrast with the youth beside her, she seemed slightly aloof. Her clear, golden eyes were like the most precious gems known to man, giving one the impression of a divine goddess. When they stood next to each other, it was a treat for the eyes. This sight caused even the unhurried Mentor Chi Chan to pause for a moment as she made her way towards them. "House Lord, Old Ox is unable to accompany you. It''s lucky that you have Mentor Chi Chan. I feel significantly more relieved with her around." Ox Biaobiao had also rushed over to the duo with a smile before scratching his radiant, bald head. He then turned towards Chi Chan with a grin on his face. "Mentor Chi Chan, I will have to trouble you with the House Lords'' safety." Chi Chan was similarly very courteous towards this hidden Duke expert of House Luolan, and she smiled as well. "Brother Ox, you are too polite. However, the main character is not House Luolan. We are merely spectators, so things should be safe." Ox Biaobiao sighed. "I hope so too. However, I can feel that today will be rife with danger, nothing less than what happened a few days ago during the Housemeet." "Brother Ox, do you think there will be some hijinks during the coronation ceremony?" Chi Chan asked curiously with slightly furrowed brows. "The Regent is not a kind and benevolent man. I don''t believe he will willingly cede his power to others. Thus, there will undoubtedly be conflict. And when things escalate, the Xia Kingdom might be torn apart, our peace at an end," Ox Biaobiao replied. As Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e listened, their expressions turned heavy. As citizens of the Xia Kingdom, the lack of peace would also significantly affect them. "I understand." Chi Chan nodded. "Either way, if things don''t look good, you should retreat back to the headquarters as soon as possible. We have a defensive ward, so things should be considered safe here," Ox Biaobiao reminded her. The other three agreed as well. They did not continue to dawdle after that. They left the house and boarded the carriage, making their way towards the royal palace. The journey was filled with celebratory festivities as things were in full swing. Li Luo glanced out of the window and thought of Ox Biaobiao''s previous reminder. This was still the place of his birth and he had lived here for over ten years. Although his ancestors were from the Inner Divine Continent and were of Heavenly Emperor Li''s bloodline, he had no memory or affection towards that faraway land. Thus, he sincerely hoped that the Xia Kingdom would remain both peaceful and prosperous. "The Regent is truly a scourge on the earth." Li Luo''s eyes turned a little overcast. He and the Regent already possessed an irreconcilable feud just because that greedy bastard had plotted to take his parent''s divine matter. He silently cursed that the Regent would simply just die on the spot. If that man usurped the throne and took control of the entire Xia Kingdom, House Luolan''s future days would be bleak. As Li Luo continued to stew in his thoughts, the carriage arrived at the royal palace and the three got off. They took out the invitation provided by the First Princess and passed it to the guards who then respectfully escorted them in. Li Luo swept his gaze throughout the royal palace as they stepped in. He could see that the entire location was heavily guarded and there were even numerous presences hidden within the shadows. It was obvious that they were on full alert with every single defense available deployed. As the group made their way, he also managed to encounter numerous other guests that were all leaders of the Xia Kingdom''s numerous factions and forces. The coronation ceremony was the time where the highest echelons of power were passed on, and thus the average individual would not have the right to be present. After walking through the magnificent and breathtaking corridor for a period of time, the trio finally reached the end of the passage, where their view opened up. What entered their sight was a massive white jade square that was surrounded on all four sides by numerous jade seats. Countless people had already arrived and had made themselves comfortable. Li Luo then turned his attention to the center of the white jade square, where there was a hundred-meter-high platform. It was almost like a sacrificial altar to the gods. On the platform itself were countless golden carpets that were shaped like dragons. It was clear that the coronation ceremony would take place atop that platform. The trio then followed the instructions of a female servant and moved to their assigned jade seats on the right side of the square. Their seats were situated at the very top, and Li Luo noticed some familiar figures. At the very same time, another trio had just arrived on the opposite end. There was an emotionless middle-aged man followed by a male youth and a female youth. They were none other than House Duze''s Duze Yan, Duze Beixuan, and Duze Honglian. The two groups faced off against each other directly as they made momentary eye contact. Li Luo gave his most radiant smile before cupping his fist and greeting Duze Yan respectfully. "Greetings, House Duze''s lord." At that same time, several curious pairs of eyes shot his way. Duze Yan shot Li Luo a single look but didn''t seem intent on replying, directly making his way to his assigned seat. Li Luo wasn''t really affected by Duze Yan''s indifferent attitude. How he treated him on the surface wasn''t important when you considered how House Jinque''s Si Qing often greeted Li Luo with compliments. The result? Si Qing had lobbed stones down at them when they were stuck in a well, even going as far as to seal off the well itself... Thus, Li Luo was unconcerned with Duze Yan''s insipid reaction. Instead, he turned his attention to Duze Beixuan before giving the warmest smile he could. "My good friend Xuan!" Duze Beixuan''s gaze turned frosty as he angrily glared at Li Luo. "Shut up!" Li Luo, on the other hand, was genuinely taken aback at that malicious outburst... Jiang Qing''e was looking at Duze Honglian, who had a complicated expression on her face. Although Qing''e did not say anything, she nodded in acknowledgement, basically greeting them as well. Seeing that subtle action, Duze Honglian''s heart started to palpitate nervously. Jiang Qing''e had only ever treated her coolly in the past, turning a complete blind eye to her presence. When had she even acted like she did today, taking the initiative to nod? This sudden change in treatment momentarily overwhelmed Duze Honglian. However, she immediately felt a little annoyed and ashamed at her state of mind, secretly berating herself for overreacting. Jiang Qing''e had merely nodded and she was completely affected... She forced herself to compose herself and maintain a poker face, merely nodding back slightly before hurriedly catching up with Duze Yan. With that brief encounter come to a close, the trio from House Luolan made their way to their own seats. However, just a few steps later, Li Luo halted as he saw the members of House Jinque before him. Si Qing, Si Tianming, and Si Qiuying. Similarly, their group had spotted Li Luo''s group, and all three had different expressions for a brief moment. Favorite Chapter 0680: The Prologue Kicks Off Chapter 0680: The Prologue Kicks Off Li Luo''s eyelid twitched slightly as he faced House Jinque''s party. Unfazed, he mustered the most genial smile he could as he casually swaggered over and engaged Si Qing in conversation. "House Lord Si Qing, you look more and more energetic as time goes by!" Looking at Li Luo taking the initiative to walk over, Si Qing similarly beamed at him. "Li Luo, you''re truly the outstanding one. Merely at the One Star Hall but already in the Fiend Palace Tier. I think House Luolan will have another Duke in a few years'' time." "No, no, no, you''re being too kind. If Sister Qing''e and I can reach the Duke Stage in three years time and if my parents return, House Luolan will have four Dukes! Wait..." Li Luo paused for a moment and pointed towards Mentor Chi Chan. "Silly me, I forgot! We have Mentor Chi Chan over there as well. She recently joined House Luolan. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about Uncle Biao. He might be a little injured, but his situation is improving! If he recovers in three years..." Li Luo started to count with his fingers. One, two... before finally waving six fingers before Si Qing as he seriously said, "It looks like House Luolan will have six Dukes then!" When faced with this sight, even Si Qing''s enthusiasm was dampened. Six Dukes? That was a monstrous fighting force. Although he knew that Li Luos intention was to frighten him, Si Qing naturally felt flustered deep down for a moment. But he gradually calmed himself down. Although Jiang Qing''e had the possibility of reaching the Duke Stage in three years'' time, could Li Luo really achieve the same feat? Whether Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan would return was still up in the air as well. Meanwhile, if Ox Biaobiao truly could recover from his injuries so easily, he would not have sequestered himself away from sight within House Luolan''s headquarters for all these years. Thus, logically thinking through the facts allowed Si Qing to recover his composure, and he replied in a measured tone, "Then I do hope that your hopes come true, Nephew Li Luo!" If the Regent were to gain the throne today, would he allow House Luolan, a house he held great enmity towards, to survive till Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan returned? Unlikely. Li Luo smiled and nodded. He no longer continued to provoke Si Qing, only glancing at Si Tianming and Si Qiuying, who had complicated expressions on their faces. Si Qing then smiled and nodded before heading to his seat. Jiang Qing''e, on the other hand, stood aside, her indifferent gaze never even so much as looking in their direction. Clearly, she now treated them as enemies. Her personality was different from Li Luo''s. Li Luo would still attempt to put in some effort to maintain a friendly facade, but for her, the next time she greeted them might very well be the last. This caused Si Tianming and Si Qiuying to look even more despondent. Some actions were irrevocable, forever irreconcilable. The two were ultimately members of House Jinque, and Si Qing was their father. There was no way for them to separate themselves from this relationship of blood. Thus, Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo would gradually drift apart from them. In the future, they might very well find themselves on opposite ends of the battlefield. After walking past the trio from House Jinque, Li Luo finally found House Luolan''s assigned seats. He plonked down upon the cushioned white jade seats and then continued to gaze around curiously. On a row of seats to the rightmost, he noticed Yu Hongxi, Lu Qing''er, and a group of senior officials from the Golden Dragon Bank. The ceremony today had far reaching influence, so even a neutral faction would participate. As he was in the midst of his thoughts, he suddenly heard Mentor Chi Chan lightly informing him of something. "Vice Principal Su Xin is here." Li Luo hurriedly turned his head and saw a large group of individuals entering the square. At the head of the group was none other than the vice principal. It seemed the Astral Sage College was attending this as well. The Astral Sage College had dispatched countles Violet Vibrance mentors, and it was an impressive delegation to behold. All of the numerous heads of the different factions who were nearby similarly stood up and greeted Vice Principal Su Xin, the latter returning them a refreshing smile. However, when Vice Principal Su Xin arrived at Li Luo''s position, her smile receded slightly as she coolly studied him and Chi Chan. "Li Luo, don''t you think you have established a few too many records in my college?" It was evident that she was referring to how he had managed to convince Chi Chan to join House Luolan. Li Luo, on the other hand, put on an expression of sincerity. "Vice Principal Su Xin, you are too polite. As a member of the college, breaking records is my greatest honor and responsibility!" This was met with a cold snort. "Don''t you dare overdo things. Although you are a promising sprout, the Astral Sage College can do without you. The college has not concluded on how to deal with Chi Chan''s situation. If there are any investigations, I hope that you will cooperate fully." "Of course I will!" Li Luo nodded enthusiastically. The surrounding factions had taken notice of their little exchange. Mentor Chi Chan had resigned from the Astral Sage College at a critical moment and even had the audacity to tie up House Lanling. This was news that had spread widely, especially since she had opted to join House Luolan after that. This completely startled everyone who knew as it seemed to cast a shadow over the Astral Sage College''s perceived neutrality. If they were subtly supporting House Luolan, wouldn''t it naturally bring many questions? But Vice Principal Su Xin''s accusatory tone seemed to indicate that the situation was not what it seemed. Whether this calling of accounts was real or not, on the surface it seemed as though the college disapproved of the actions taken. After admonishing Li Luo, Su Xin expressionlessly walked away, while the remaining Violet Vibrance mentors looked at Li Luo and Chi Chan with peculiar eyes. This situation had become the hottest topic in the college over the past few days, and there were even rumors that Chi Chan had special feelings towards Li Luo. Still, this rumor was so unbelievable that every logical individual scoffed upon hearing it, but it was still spicy news that people lapped up. "The mentors looked at me a little strangely..." Li Luo lamented as the Astral Sage College contingent moved away. "The Vice Principal is merely putting up an act. You don''t need to worry about her targeting you." Mentor Chi Chan laughed. "That I know. She''s already done so much to help me. Even if she wanted to beat me up, I would willingly accept it!" Li Luo said stoically. "Still... you two were also involved in this as much as I was. Why did she choose me to be the scapegoat and give me such an earful?! It''s so unfair!" he continued to grumble. His words did not go unnoticed, and the other two rolled their eyes. This brat had already received so many advantages, yet he still pretended to be dumb? Truly hateful and deserving of a good wallop! As they continued to speak, a slight commotion broke out atop the platform itself as horns blared. One could see two rows of individuals make their way out from the corridor. One row was led by the Regent, Gong Yuan, while the other was led by the First Princess, Gong Luanyu. The two rows seemed to be walking closely together, but a sharper eye could discern that they were as immiscible as water and oil, on guard against each other. With their appearance, everyone''s gazes were focused upon them. The Regent and the First Princess were the main characters of today''s play. Although it was the Little Emperor''s coronation ceremony, he was still young and immature. His power would undoubtedly be controlled by the First Princess as she represented his interests. Despite the dark undercurrents swirling beneath the surface, the Regent and the First Princess continued to banter happily, no different from an uncle meeting his favored niece. Under the watchful eye of the audience, the Regent and the First Princess finally ascended to the highest platform where there were three golden, stone seats. The two then took their positions on the left and rightmost seats. Atop the white jade square, a grand and majestic prelude took place before the event officially began. Countless loud drums boomed into the sky, reverberating throughout the royal palace. Anyone who heard the thunderous booms of the celebratory drums would instinctively be reminded of the heroic vigor of cavalry and battle-hardened soldiers. Everyone continued to observe the situation atop the platform cautiously, paying attention to every single minute movement. They were awaiting the official beginning of the coronation ceremony. Time crawled past as the lengthy prelude slowly passed by. Until the sun reached the zenith. The drumming had reached a peak, deafening booms ringing throughout the square. Everyone''s hearts seemed to skip a beat for an instant before they regained their composure. They were now focusing on a specific corner of the white jade square, where a massive, golden dragon chariot carried by hundreds of people slowly made its way, completely surrounded by the guard of honor. The frail Little Emperor could be seen atop the golden chariot. His tense expression seemed to give off an air of solemnity. This was it. Everyone knew that the coronation ceremony that would change the fate of the Xia Kingdom had finally started. Chapter 0681: Kingdom Protecting Formation Chapter 0681: Kingdom Protecting Formation Dong! The low, rhythmic beating of the drums continued to resound throughout the square. Golden flags on each side began to wave as countless soldiers stomped the ground while knocking the shafts of their weapons against the ground, causing a corresponding rumble throughout the square in tandem with the beat. This display of vast coordination was truly imposing and grand. An official of the royal palace who was garbed in dignified clothing began to proclaim a long speech that caused the audience to turn dizzy. After the complicated procedures were completed, the frail Little Emperor within the carriage stood up and got off, beginning to ascend the white jade stairway step by step. Everyone''s gazes were focused upon him. The Little Emperor''s fair and delicate expression held a trace of solemnity. He took each step slowly, gradually ascending the sacrificial altar. This was a requirement as the ceremony would be completed atop this platform as it had to do with the Kingdom Protecting Formation. It was the Xia Kingdom''s strongest protective formation, and once the ceremony was completed, the Little Emperor would be the sole wielder of it. Wielding its might, so long as one remained within Xia City, even a King Stage expert could not harm them. The Little Emperor would then become the mightiest individual in Xia City, and no faction would dare to be disrespectful before such absolute might. His position would thus be safe. Thus, the coronation ceremony was really about gaining control of this invaluable power. The numerous experts within the square were closely focusing upon this sight. Even Dukes had to be fearful of the domineering might of the formation. It was the Xia Kingdom royalty''s strongest deterrence. So long as one possessed it, the Xia Kingdom would never be destroyed. Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands, the Little Emperor finally reached the top of the white jade platform. On top of the platform was a white jade statue of the Xia Kingdom''s founding ancestor. The Little Emperor respectfully kneeled before it, and countless runes of light spread out before him, causing countless beams of light to burst into the sky from the jade platform. At the very same time, the entire city shook before this sight, and boundless energy radiated in every direction, causing even the environment''s energy to turn turbulent. It was at this point that everyone''s attention focused upon the space above the royal palace. One could see a massive and mysterious formation gradually take shape as worldly natural energy from every direction was sucked into it endlessly like a black hole. With its manifestation, a vast pressure descended upon everyone. Countless Dukes'' expressions turned heavy. This was the Kingdom Protecting Formation. This formation connected the hundreds of provinces throughout the Xia Kingdom. It could be said that the stronger the national power of the kingdom, the mightier the Kingdom Protecting Formation. From a certain point of view, House Luolan''s defensive ward was similar to this in concept, but the Kingdom Protecting Formation was superior in terms of both scale and strength. At the same time, this was expected as the formation was something that the founding ancestor of the Xia Kingdom had spent a hundred years fashioning. In terms of both accumulation and resources, it far surpassed what was spent on the defensive ward of House Luolan. Li Luo similarly glanced at the terrifying formation taking form in the sky before checking out what the Regent was up to a moment later. That fellow was also examining the formation, and he seemed unperturbed and completely unworried. "You old thing, what are you really trying to do?" Li Luo frowned as he watched the Little Emperor, who had already finished activating the Kingdom Protecting Formation. He would gain complete control once the ceremony was completed, so why was the Regent completely unflustered? One had to know that once control was transferred, the Regent would no longer be able to stir up any waves. In fact, Li Luo was not the only one who seemed puzzledall of the other leaders similarly sneakily glanced at the Regent. They were suspicious in their hearts too. Could it be that it was simply too difficult and the Regent had given up? This didn''t seem coherent with his personality. The First Princess continued to watch the frail figure of the Little Emperor, her slender, jade-like fingers tightly clenched into a ball. During such a critical moment, her heart inevitably started to beat quickly. Her many years of longing would culminate at this very moment. However, the Regent remained quiet, and she unsurprisingly felt a pang of nervousness surface within her heart. She had a deep understanding of the Regent. He had always been ambitious and power hungry, and so if someone had said that he would choose to quietly hand over the reins to his power, the First Princess would dismiss it as an idle fantasy. If the Regent didn''t want to give up his power, then this facade was the quiet before the storm. This required her to be on even greater alert. The First Princess had one hand hidden away within her robes, clutching a jade tablet. So long as there were any unexpected developments, she simply had to crush it and all of the soldiers of Xia City would be summoned to this very location to surround and apprehend the Regent and his men. She had an indifferent expression, but a slight hint of killing intent appeared within her frigid phoenix eyes. Before her father had passed away, he had informed her to support her younger brother. She was still young at the time, and when faced with the mighty Regent, she could only resist. Now the Little Emperor had matured and it was time for the Regent to pass the baton back to the royal family. If he was unwilling, then a direct confrontation was unavoidable. As everyone stewed in their own thoughts, the Kingdom Protecting Formation began to emit even more frightening waves of power. The sky had turned dark as the massive formation continued to operate. The Little Emperor continued to kneel down before the ancestral statue atop the white jade platform. Before everyone''s eyes, he retrieved a small, golden knife which he then used to slice open his palm. The blood that oozed out did not fall onto the ground, instead floating into the sky before combining with the Kingdom Protecting Formation. Weng, weng! With the integration of the fresh blood, huge ripples of energy appeared on the surface of the Kingdom Protecting Formation. It seemed to be appraising the blood, ensuring that the individual was one of the Gong family line. Everyone continued to watch this scene with trepidation. This was the final step, and once the Little Emperor was recognized, the formation would be under his complete control. At that point in time, a single thought would provide him with the strength to resist a King Stage cultivator. Boom! The Kingdom Protecting Formation continuously discharged terrifying amounts of energy like a tempestuous storm, emitting huge booms throughout Xia City. As a result, the entire city was currently focused upon this sight as well. The Kingdom Protecting Formation continued to operate, and at the next moment, a beam of light descended from the sky, completely enveloping the Little Emperor. Within the pillar of light was majestic amounts of energy that caused the Little Emperor''s hair and robes to billow. Boundless amounts of energy then rushed into him, and he could feel his body reaching untold levels of strength. This strength even seemed to be able to temper his body, giving him a tyrannical presence. This caused the Little Emperor to feel endless happiness. He had been afflicted with the black lotus malady for countless years, causing him to become extremely weak. This was the first time he had managed to experience such sheer power. At this moment, he could clearly feel that the black lotus was being refined by the Kingdom Protecting Formation, and it was purified very quickly. It turns out that controlling the Kingdom Protecting Formation would provide such a wondrous boon! The Little Emperor stretched out his palm, and he could see countless mysterious runes gradually take form on it. He had seen these runes in the royal family''s secret tomesthey were the key to controlling the formation. The moment they were completely condensed within him was when he would have full control. Things seemed to be progressing very well. Everyone present could feel that the Little Emperor was gradually forming a mystical connection with the Kingdom Protecting Formation. As a result, he himself began to exude an overbearing pressure that pressed down upon them. This was a sign of a successful connection. Li Luo began to intently focus upon this scene before turning his focus onto the Regent. His heart skipped a beat at this very moment as he saw the previously expressionless Regent begin to smirk. This caused a feeling of unrest within Li Luo. Bang! The pillar of light suddenly surged with intensity, and the Little Emperor''s upper robes were partially blasted to pieces by the sudden influx. Li Luo''s eyes shrunk slightly upon this sight. He suddenly saw the black lotus on the Little Emperor''s back begin to recede with astonishing speed. It then transformed into a green lotus. The poisonous black lotus which had inflicted countless years of suffering upon the Little Emperor had suddenly been completely wiped out? Li Luo could feel a trace of astonishment arising within him. At the same time, he didn''t know if he was mistaken, but the Little Emperor''s hair gradually grew longer and glossier. His delicate features similarly transformed into ones that were more dainty and elegant. Li Luo felt a sense of absurdity in his heart. What? Is the Little Emperor starting to resemble a female? Chapter 0682: Upheaval Chapter 0682: Upheaval As Li Luo had that ridiculous thought in mind, similar sounds of shock and surprise arose throughout the entire white jade square. The transformation was a little too obvious. His hair cascaded down his back like a waterfall after it broke free of the shackles of the crown put upon his head, sable and lustrous. His originally pale skin seemed to have taken on a crystal-like sheen, then his frail body suddenly became taller. The well-fitting dragon robe that he was garbed in tightened in an instant, highlighting the fullness of his chest. His elegant features had taken on feminine characteristics and seemed to possess a large degree of similarity to the First Princess. The only difference was that he seemed more gentle and charming compared to the graceful older sibling. Previously, he was around ten years old and had the appearance of a little boy. In a blink, he seemed to have instantly matured into a young lady. The changes to his body caused the Little Emperor to momentarily feel taken aback. He trembled a little at this moment, unsure of why such a disastrous change had occurred. And fear surged from the depths of his heart. He knew very clearly that this transformation occurring at this very moment was fatal. He had suddenly and miraculously transformed from a boy into a young lady during the esteemed coronation ceremony for his ascension onto the throne. This was both mind-boggling and disturbing. It would destroy all of his credibility to ascend as the Emperor! Boom! As the Little Emperor remained rooted in abject fear, the first one to react was not the audience, but the Kingdom Protecting Formation in the sky! Terrifying fluctuations of energy roiled like thunder as the entire sky was distorted by its fury. It almost seemed as though the Kingdom Protecting Formation was aggravated by this scene. The Little Emperor could feel the change within the Kingdom Protecting Formation, and his heart turned cold. He suddenly remembered a secret that was passed through word of mouth within the royal family. The Xia Kingdom''s Kingdom Protecting Formation could only be controlled by the males of the royal family. And now that he had transformed into a female, did this not mean that he had lost the right to control the Kingdom Protecting Formation? Without this in his hand, he simply could not secure his position on the throne. "How?! How could this happen?!" The Little Emperor''s voice quivered. The sudden transformation had turned his mind into a blurry mess as it was completely unimaginable. He had been a boy for many years, but he had transformed into a girl on the day of the throne ascension? This was just absurd! He then glanced at his now slim palm, and the runes for controlling the Kingdom Protecting Formation were gradually dissipating. The Little Emperor was completely alarmed as his other hand hurriedly grasped desperately at the ancient runes, leaving behind bloody furrows as he screamed in terror. "DON''T DISAPPEAR. YOU CAN''T DISAPPEAR! I AM THE XIA KINGDOM''S EMPEROR. IT IS MY RIGHT TO CONTROL YOU! DON''T! NO! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DISAPPEAR!" He understood the importance of this ceremony, and his elder sister had spent untold amounts of effort to ensure that he would reach this point today. If he failed, his uncle would use this opportunity to firmly entrench his own control and power. Eventually, he, the Emperor, would become a puppet! The officials who previously supported him would also gradually draw a line between him and them after this transformation. Without the deterring might of the formation, he simply had no way to hold on to power. Alas, his pitiful attempts did nothing to change the result. All of the ancient runes gradually disappeared. The massive Kingdom Protecting Formation similarly roared in anger before dissipating before countless horrified eyes. This was a result no one had expected, and the ceremony had failed! Swish! The First Princess finally snapped out of her shock and violently stood up, her charming face a steely green, a gaze full of panic and incredulity. The change that occurred before her very eyes had surpassed the limits of her imagination. Her precious brother whom she had depended upon had changed into a sister! How?! She felt sick and dizzy to the core. A fierce gaze was shot towards the Regent as fury and resentment surged within her. "Gong Yuan! Just what have you done!?" Although he had been sitting there seemingly doing nothing the whole time, the First Princess had a feeling that this entire chain of events could not possibly be unrelated to him. He had the most to gain if the Little Emperor failed to take control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation. Faced with the rarely furious First Princess, the Regent sighed and regretfully glanced at the Little Emperor atop the sacrificial platform. "Luanyu, this sudden change in the situation has indeed been very heartbreaking. It''s understandable that you suspect me, but do you really think I have the ability to transform a boy into a young lady? Perhaps you have not considered the other possibility, which is that he, Jingyao, no... she was actually a female at birth, but this news was concealed?" The First Princess frowned as she coldly retorted, "Nonsense!" This news was something she had never heard of. Even her father had not said anything of the sort on his deathbed, so it was naturally impossible for it to be true! "My brother, the late Emperor, has only ever had you two as his offspring. He had always wanted a male to continue the line as he understood that only a male could continue to wield the Kingdom Protecting Formation. Perhaps it was because you were significantly more outstanding than Jingyao that he had never planned to let you become the Empress. Jingyao''s birth had ruined his hopes as she was not a male either. Perhaps in his despair, he opted to use some special means to obscure Jingyao''s true gender and thus trick the Kingdom Protecting Formation''s senses?" The Regent disregarded the First Princess'' cold gaze, only continuing to sound out his thoughts. "Why don''t you explain it to me, then? Jingyao''s back has a Yin Yang Green Lotus engraved upon it. Could it be that that was the thing hiding her true self? The black lotus'' poison may have brought her suffering, but it covered up her gender. I would presume that my brother had made ample preparations and that his methods would have a high probability of fooling the Kingdom Protecting Formation. However, who would have expected that you would actually find someone to purify the black lotus? As I understand, that person was Li Luo! After he cleansed more than half of the black lotus'' poison, it ruined the balance of the Yin Yang Green Lotus, causing its perfect obscuring power to lose its potency. In addition to the Kingdom Protecting Formation completely purifying the remaining black lotus poison, it caused Jingyao''s true gender to be revealed!" The Regent crossed his fingers as he turned to face the pale First Princess, a deep smile forming on his face. "Thus... Luanyu, oh, Luanyu... it looks like you were the one who ruined your father''s grand plan!" Chapter 0683: Gong Yuans Wild Ambitions Chapter 0683: Gong Yuan''s Wild Ambitions The Regent spoke plainly, but beneath those words was an intent to point the finger at the true culprit. This shock left the First Princess so taken aback that the graceful demeanor she always possessed shattered to pieces. She was left pale and collapsed on the spot. The Regent''s words were simply too much for her to take. It had completely struck at the deepest parts of her heart. She knew that the Regent''s intentions were malicious, but from a logical point of view, his words did not seem to be complete nonsense either. The strange transformation that had happened to Gong Jingyao was right before her eyes. No one could have the ability to change a person''s gender with such a small amount of time. As Gong Jingyao''s sister, she would often take care of him and would occasionally discover a few special characteristics. For example, he was slim in stature and his skin was very white. His personality seemed very gentle and his facial features had become more feminine over time. If one were to think about it carefully, these changes started taking place at right about the time that she requested for Li Luo to purify the black lotus. It was exactly in line with the Regent''s words, and her heart sank. Could it be that Gong Jingyao''s gender had truly been hidden by her father from birth? All for the sake of tricking the Kingdom Protecting Formation? If that was the case, why had he never told her this important fact?! She had spent years attempting to purge the strange poison, searching far and wide for doctors to help. Had she ironically ruined Jingyao and completely wrecked her father''s grand plan? A deep look of depression surfaced within her usually bright and confident phoenix eyes There was nothing more frustrating than putting all of one''s efforts into accomplishing something and then realizing it had been a mistake from the beginning. The First Princess was completely at a loss as to what to do. Whilst the First Princess wallowed in self-doubt, everyone else discovered Gong Jingyao''s change, and it left them shell-shocked and in disbelief. Oh! An uproar erupted like a wave throughout the audience. "This..." Even Li Luo was left dumbfounded. His heart surged and his complexion changed drastically. While the others were surprised by this change, he had a sudden epiphany. No wonder he felt like the Little Emperor was becoming more and more feminine as he cleansed the black lotus poison. So he was not a boy but a little girl instead? The Little Emperor had now completely changed into a fully developed young lady. Although she was supposed to be ten years old, the Yin Yang Green Lotus must have catalyzed the development of her body, making her no different from an adult now. Perhaps it was because of this that everyone could clearly discern the difference post transformation. "Is this a machination of the Regent?" Jiang Qing''e asked with a frown. "I think it''s unlikely to be the case?" Li Luo laughed bitterly. If the Regent had the unexpected ability to turn an Emperor''s son into a daughter before everyone''s eyes, would there be a need to even struggle for power? "Such an art might exist in the world, but it''s not something a Duke can do. In fact, the average King expert would also be unable to do so," Mentor Chi Chan explained. "Could this be an illusion? Confusing one''s senses?" Li Luo asked in disbelief. This was something he could not accept as the little boy he had been treating the entire year had suddenly warped into a girl out of the blue! "There are countless Dukes herehow can all of us simultaneously be deceived by an illusion? Li Luo, you need to learn to accept reality," Chi Chan retorted. Li Luo gave another empty laugh before inhaling a deep breath. "Well, it looks like the situation is going to be troublesome." With the Little Emperor turning into a lady, their plan to take control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation had gone up in smoke. An Emperor who could not control the formation would not have the right to rule. Today''s coronation ceremony had inevitably not gone smoothly nor simply. With such a great opportunity before him, would the Regent simply stand by? This opportunity had been literally served to him on a platter. Li Luo felt his heart turn heavy. House Luolan had already taken the First Princess'' side, and despite their relationship with Gong Yuan not being at the level of a blood feud, they were still a thorn in his eye. If the Regent were to gain power, House Luolan''s future would be terrible unless his parents could return quickly. As Li Luo continued to ponder the situation, a few extremely wizened senior officials on one of the platforms gradually got on their feet. They had expressions of confusion and fury as they glared at the First Princess. "Your Highness the First Princess, what is going on? You have to provide us with a full accounting!" These were senior officials who had supported Gong Jingyao as the Emperor. They had believed in the latter''s rightful identity. However, this sudden gender change had completely taken them by surprise, and they were extremely riled up by this. They possessed significant seniority and were quite an important group amongst those that supported the royal family. Now that they had raised their doubts, the rest of those who were loyal to the royal family began to glance at each with internal turmoil as worries surfaced in their hearts. The Regent had yet to make a move, but they were already falling apart! How was the First Princess supposed to respond? That she simply was in the dark as well? How would that be of any use? They would only lose confidence in her, seeing that she had made such a severe blunder, not even being privy to this critical secret. Would there be any point in following such a leader in the future? "It looks like the inheriting of the Kingdom Protecting Formation has failed," the Regent announced as he stood up. "Royal Uncle, do you want to ruin the coronation ceremony?" the First Princess cried out coldly. The Regent calmly explained, "As per the rules of the Gong family, if one is unable to inherit the control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation, then they will not be considered the true Emperor of the Xia Kingdom! I don''t wish to ruin this coronation ceremony, but if Jingyao were able to control the formation, then I wouldve simply relinquished all my power and retired, never to speak a word about the affairs of the royal court again. I just want to say that the Kingdom Protecting Formation is the most absolute means of protecting the Xia Kingdom. If this power is lost because the Emperor is unfit to wield it, then I believe it would not only just be methe rest of the Xia Kingdom would also disagree with her ascension! The people would also be unwilling to live under such uncertain conditions!" His voice was projected directly into the stands, causing unrest to foment within the crowd. The expressions of the leaders all changed as the Regent''s words had directly demonstrated his ambition for the world to see. "Gong Yuan! Do you wish to commit treason?!" The First Princess'' face turned a steely green and her chest heaved. One could see her anger and the complete lack of respect she had for the Regent. "I am doing this for the Xia Kingdom!" the Regent righteously boomed. After which, he turned to face the royalist faction and said in a deep voice, "Jingyao has failed to control the Kingdom Protecting Formation. If you wish to continue remaining stubborn and pedantic, then how can the Xia Kingdom resist when faced with a disaster in the future? How can we have the strength to protect the kingdom? The fact that the coronation ceremony has failed is a farce! However, there is still a chance to turn our fortunes around. As per the rules of the Gong family, any natural male born of the bloodline has the right to be accepted by the Kingdom Protecting Formation! Since Gong Jingyao is unable to do so, I will bear the burden instead!" That last sentence resounded like thunder. Then he took a step forward, exuding boundless pressure that covered the skies. His tiger-like eyes were full of vigor as his years of cultivation produced an indomitable sight that demonstrated all of the tyranny and majesty of an Emperor. All of the leaders from the countless factions in the square had solemn expressions. An unexpected event had occurred at the coronation ceremony. It would be hard to prevent things from escalating after hearing the words uttered by Gong Yuan! Chapter 0684: Qin Zhenjiangs Move Chapter 0684: Qin Zhenjiang''s Move When the Regent finished his speech, the atmosphere around the entire white jade square turned extremely tense. The drums had fallen silent and the warm, festive cheer had turned freezing in but an instant. The Regent''s words had demonstrated his reckless ambition. He wanted to take the place of the Little Emperor and complete the coronation ceremony, taking control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation. "Impudent!" the First Princess coldly exclaimed as her face turned frigid and her eyes furious. "Gong Yuan! Do you plan to commit treason?! Do you wish to violate the Gong family''s ancestors rules?" A commotion broke out atop the viewing stands. Numerous royalists had faces full of anger as they shouted, "Don''t talk nonsense, Regent! The Xia Kingdom already possesses the royal court. How can we casually just change the controller of the Kingdom Protecting Formation?!" Some of the older officials had also voiced their opinions. Although they had been taken aback and infuriated by Gong Jingyao''s sudden transformation, the Regent''s words were absolutely disgraceful and rebellious. He actually wanted to usurp the Little Emperor''s position! "I agree with the Regent''s words. The Kingdom Protecting Formation is no small matterit is the culmination of the effort and resources of the Xia Kingdom''s founding ancestor, something they spared no expenses or lifeblood to forge into the national treasure it is today. If we are unable to control it and the Xia Kingdom encounters a disaster, who will protect it?! Whoever can control the formation should be the Xia Kingdoms Emperor!" At the same time, those who supported the Regent stood up without hesitation to defend him. The most notable of them was Zhong Jie, who governed three provinces and was the right hand man of the Regent. He naturally knew that now was the time to strongly demonstrate his support. Once the Regent ascended to the throne, he would be brought along with the rising tide. For the sake of his future, he would have to pay a price today to push the Regent ahead. "Are you planning to rebel as well?" From the First Princess'' camp, Chief Steward Qin gloomily walked out, and immeasurable amounts of resonant power poured out from his body as his robes billowed. With a casual wave of his hand, countless elite soldiers stepped out from atop the high walls of the square, wielding curiously lit crossbows that were locked upon this direction. The turmoil intensified immediately, and the heads of the factions began to show looks of caution. At the same time, they similarly released mighty waves of resonant power. Things had degenerated into the worst possible situation, so they had to take precautions. "Hmph!" The Regent snorted when he saw the chaotic situation, and his eyes shot daggers at Chief Steward Qin. At the same time, frightening amounts of resonant power erupted from him like a volcano, and a terrifying pressure akin to a gigantic primal beast bore down on the entire area. Then the void behind him shattered and his world space was revealed. Five Duke Bergfrieds floated in the ocean of resonant power within. With the five Duke Bergfried''s appearance, the void trembled. The Regent was displaying his full strength as a fifth-grade Duke. This caused the expressions of the people in the First Princess'' faction to change, and a hint of panic could be seen in their eyes. Meanwhile, atop the viewing platforms, the Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank, the two super-factions, grimaced as they watched the chaos unfolding. Neither Su Xin nor Yu Hongxi hoped that the Xia Kingdom would devolve into civil war, as neither of them would benefit from it. However, the battle for the throne was something they could not interfere in, so merely standing aside and watching the situation develop was all they could do. Fortunately, at this critical juncture, the First Princess opted to remain composed, quickly regaining her calmness as she stood up. "General Qin, as a pillar of the Xia Kingdom, what do you plan to do now that the kingdom has fallen into unrest?" The moment she opened her mouth, countless gazes were shot towards Qin Zhenjiang, who had yet to move an inch since everything started. Qin Zhenjiang, on the other hand, continued to sit unflinchingly like a coiled-up, gigantic beast, his body exuding a bloodthirsty aura. When he heard the First Princess'' exhortations, he raised his head slightly and observed the situation atop the sacrificial platform. The Little Emperor was already in a state of collapse and in complete silence. He then nonchalantly asked, "What does Your Highness want me to say?" The First Princess continued to glare at Qin Zhenjiang before removing a golden scroll from her pocket sphere. She then announced, "I have a posthumous edict from my father, the Emperor. Within is a command for the General. Do you wish to hear it?" Qin Zhenjiang was slightly taken aback. He was an official of the previous Emperor and held him in great respect, so he was greatly loyal to him. Thus, he was more than willing to do so. He dropped down to one knee. The First Princess unraveled the scroll when she saw this, and her clear voice enunciated every word. "I command the great General Qin Zhenjiang to protect the young Emperor and to preserve the peace of the Xia Kingdom!" Countless gazes were shot towards Qin Zhenjiang. As the general of the frontier with a massive army in his hands, he possessed a pivotal position and unrivaled power within the Xia Kingdom. His choice would thus have an indelible impact on the overall situation. Frankly speaking, no one knew if the edict in the First Princess'' hand was real or fake. However, now that it had been taken out, this would mean that Qin Zhenjiang could no longer stand by idly. A few old members of the conservative faction felt moved by this scene. Although they had been riled up by the Little Emperor''s transformation and felt anger towards the First Princess, seeing her actions led them to sigh in admiration deep down. They were very clear that the general had spent countless years away at the border and hadn''t built an intimate relationship with both the Regent and the First Princess. Only those of the older generation like them knew that the general was not one who would give face to anyone except the previous Emperor, whom he was extremely loyal to. The First Princess taking out that edict had struck at the weak point of this key individual, regardless if it was real or not. Additionally, Qin Zhenjiang would never even have the thought to question the authenticity of the edict! Qin Zhenjiang''s rough facial features remained unmoved as he pondered for a few seconds. After which, he used a single fist to pound his chest as he replied, "I will follow the will of the late Emperor." With that, he stood up, his tiger-like eyes glaring at the Regent. "I would like to beseech the Regent to place the Xia Kingdom''s peace and tranquility first. Do not stir up any further trouble." Countless whispers began to break out amongst the crowd. Qin Zhenjiang''s words had demonstrated his choice. When faced with the edict of dubious background, he eventually opted to protect the Little Emperor instead. "General Qin, your choice has disappointed me," the Regent placidly replied. "Do you think that this Emperor who is unable to control the Kingdom Protecting Formation is able to protect the peace of the Xia Kingdom?" He then pointed at the panicked young lady, Gong Jingyao. Qin Zhenjiang coolly replied, "The Xia Kingdom''s peace will come from us. Alone I might not be the equal of the formation, but I believe that if the Xia Kingdom comes together, our combined might will not be weaker than it." "A general who is used to both slaughter and conquest could actually say such na?ve and ridiculous words?" The Regent shook his head disdainfully. "Since the great General is unwilling to support me, then I will have to test out the extent to which you''ve cultivated your White Tiger''s Breakthrough after all these years!" The Regent''s gaze turned chilly. Qin Zhenjiang''s support had undoubtedly restored confidence within the First Princess'' faction. As a result, he would have to demonstrate his absolute power to suppress any thoughts of further resistance. "Since the Regent has such a request, who am I to reject it?" Qin Zhenjiang was naturally a vicious individual. Now that he had made his stance clear, he would not fear the consequences of offending the Regent. With a bellow, he leaped into the air, and the void trembled behind him, also revealing his world space with four mountainous Duke Bergfrieds within, copiously absorbing worldly natural energy. He was a fourth-grade Duke. The moment he struck, he did not intend to hold back in the slightest. With a thought, the four Duke Bergfrieds began to churn out vast amounts of energy that condensed within the void. In a blink, they transformed into a thousand-foot-long white tiger. The tiger exuded a valiant and warring spirit, every roar seemingly accompanied by the shouts of thousands of troops and the sounds of charging horns. Qin Zhenjiang clenched his fingers, forming a fist. With a push, the skies and the earth seemed to have been swept up by his momentum, as though one could actually see countless soldiers charging over with unstoppable vigor. "White Tiger Breakthrough, Ten Thousand Soldiers Fist!" With a single punch, the sounds of war resounded throughout the area. The white tiger pounced forth like it was the commander of tens of thousands of soldiers, leading them with irrepressible power and directly striking out towards the Regent. The void was continuously shattered as the attack passed through space. This single punch caused the expressions of countless Dukes within the square to change. Even the fourth-grade Zhu Qinghuo became solemn upon seeing it. "Qin Zhenjiang has cultivated his warfare vital energy for so many years that he has managed to cultivate the White Tiger Breakthrough to the Ten Thousand Soldiers realm!" "A punch from ten thousand soldiers is able to suppress all enemies!" "This single punch is comparable to a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art!" Zhu Qinghuo knew that if he were to directly clash with this fist, he would inevitably receive a calamitous wound. Qin Zhenjiang''s strike was originally a Communion-grade Duke Art. However, over many years of continuous deduction and improvement, it had reached the stage of greater completion. It truly was a pity... that Qin Zhenjiang''s opponent was not him, but the even more unfathomable Regent! As the numerous peak experts watched closely, the Regent''s expression remained unfazed as he raised a palm. With that action, his palm seemed to grow infinitely large, covering the entire sky. Silhouettes of towering mountains and rivers began to surface at its center. A single palm had transformed into an expanse filled with mountains and rivers. The viewers felt a shock as they recognized this art. This was the Gong family''s most powerful Duke Art. Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art, Imperial Mountains and River Palm! Chapter 0685: A Stick of Purple Incense Chapter 0685: A Stick of Purple Incense The Imperial Mountains and Rivers Palm blotted out the sun and enveloped the skies, exerting boundless pressure on everyone beneath. Before the audience''s flabbergasted eyes, it collided with Qin Zhenjiang''s Ten Thousand Soldiers Fist. BOOM! That single exchange almost caused the skies to collapse, and fearsome amounts of energy exploded in every direction like the aftermath of a hurricane, causing a resounding boom that filled the ears of everyone within Xia City. The massive city was completely shaken up by this scene, causing countless traumatized gazes to be shot towards the royal palace''s direction. The Imperial Mountains and Rivers Palm had manifested countless mountains and rivers, seemingly real objects that continuously smashed towards the white tiger manifestation. As each mountain and river descended, the white tiger was forced backwards, the spirit and energy of the ten thousand soldiers it contained was rapidly dissipating. The white tiger manifestation roared as warfare vital energy spewed out from its mouth, tearing mountain after mountain to shreds. Alas, the mountains and rivers seemed endless, and the warfare vital energy eventually ran out. With that, the Regent indifferently closed his palm before extending out a single finger before pressing down. A particularly majestic mountain appeared amongst the chain of continuous mountains and rivers. It was completely obsidian black and it emitted a sense of heaviness, as though it was forged from iron essence. With the appearance of this single mountain, the previously manifested mountains and rivers immediately moved aside to allow the obsidian black mountain to strike the white tiger manifestation. Roar! The white tiger was clearly in significant pain as it bore the brunt of the assault. It resisted with all of its might as the ten thousand soldier spirits within clashed violently. Unfortunately, the obsidian black mountain was indestructible. Even with the torrent of attacks, the mountain remained immovable. It was the ten thousand soldier spirits that gradually dissipated, and eventually, the white tiger manifestation shattered in the void with a pitiful whine. When the white tiger manifestation broke apart, Qin Zhenjiang''s body trembled, his expression turned ghastly white, and he stumbled backwards two steps. The majestic amounts of resonant power around him violently undulated. Qin Zhenjiang had fallen into a disadvantage when he clashed with the Regent. Still, this was not an unexpected result. The Regent was a fifth-grade Duke and possessed a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art. He was superior in every way compared to Qin Zhenjiang, so there was no reason for him to not have the upper hand. When two individuals clashed, the battle was often decided in a single cataclysmic attack. Now that the Regent held the advantage, the morale of the individuals on his side skyrocketed, their auras sharpening like blades, whereas the people on the First Princess'' side held grave expressions. "General Qin, you are a pillar of the Xia Kingdom. The borders require your stabilizing presence. No matter who the Emperor is, your position is set in stone, so why would you choose to involve yourself in this battle?" The Regent may have been victorious, but he did not give up on persuading Qin Zhenjiang. His words had already hinted to Qin Zhenjiang that even if he were to ascend to the throne, he would not remove him from his position. Qin Zhenjiang listened to his words before giving a coarse laugh. "Do you really think I care about this position, Regent?" The Regent shook his head before he sincerely replied, "I just feel that the Xia Kingdom needs you." It had to be said that the Regent possessed no small amount of personal charisma. He had remained courteous during the conversation, but it was a shame that Qin Zhenjiang was the sort of individual that would never be swayed by mere words upon making a decision. Thus, his persuasive words were unable to move him. "I will still beseech the Regent to put the Xia Kingdom''s peace before all else," Qin Zhenjiang similarly replied. The Regent knew that he could not move Qin Zhenjiang''s heart and no longer bothered with useless words. Instead, he turned his gaze to the numerous faction leaders in the square and coolly asked, "Who here wishes to support me?" The Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank''s individuals simply stood aside and did not reply. They were not the intended audience of the Regent after all. House Jiyan''s Zhu Qinghuo was the first to stand up with a slight smile. "The Regent has been the one administering the affairs of the Xia Kingdom for all these years. Its national power has risen as a result, and thus I believe in the Regent''s ability. If you are able to rule the Xia Kingdom, I believe that only a bright future awaits us. We can become the strongest kingdom in the East Divine Continent." He had directly demonstrated his attitude towards the situation. Numerous powers began to cause a commotion. Out of the Five Great Houses today, House Jiyan had become the strongest amongst the pack with the disappearance of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. Zhu Qinghuo himself had reached the fourth-grade Duke Stage and could be considered one of the strongest individuals in the kingdom. Thus, his words had aroused significant surprise amongst the group. Countless individuals on the First Princess'' side had ugly expressions. House Jinque''s Si Qing similarly stood up with a smile. "House Jinque also feels that the Regent is the best choice for the Emperor." If it was the past, Si Qing would not have deigned to participate in such affairs and take sides so openly. However, after House Luolan''s Housemeet, he had to choose to rely on the Regent and hide beneath him. This way, if Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan were to ever return, he would have the Regent''s aid. What was great was that those two were also a thorn in his eyes. Si Qing''s words caused a raucous outburst amongst the audience. Two of the Five Great Houses had chosen to side with the Regent, so it could be seen that he had considerable support. Certain glances were shot towards the direction of House Luolan. Similarly, the Regent glanced at Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e with a smile on his face. "House Lord Li Luo, House Luolan and I might have had some differences in the past, but they are not irreconcilable ones. If you are willing to support me, I am willing to apologize for my actions and turn hostility into friendship when Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan return." Li Luo laughed coldly in his heart. If and when his parents really did return, the Regent might not even have a chance to apologize. "The matter of the ascension to the throne is a fundamental issue that involves the entire Xia Kingdom. I dont believe we should make changes so easily, as it would only lead the Xia Kingdom into turmoil." Li Luo''s calm words did not have the heaven-toppling momentum the Regent possessed. Now that both parties had chosen to tear apart all pretenses, there was no need to give the other party any face. Listening to Li Luo''s words, the Regent''s expression was unchanged, but his eyes turned slightly sullen. Although he had already expected such an answer, being rejected by a brat of the younger generation was an infuriating experience. At the same time, House Duze''s Duze Yan spoke with drooping eyes. "House Duze will not participate in this. This is an internal struggle of the royal family and has nothing to do with me." His intention was to keep his house out of the fray and help neither side. At this point, other than House Lanling, who was not present, all of the Great Houses had made their stand clear. Outside of these houses were also a few peak level clans of the Xia Kingdom. These clans had a veritable foundation, and even though their strength wasn''t equal to the Great Houses, they had always opted to act wisely and remain safe. Only the few who had been involved with the Regent since the beginning chose to express their support, whilst the rest remained neutral. Alas, this was not good news for the First Princess. Neutrality was no different from demonstrating that they acquiesced and indirectly supported the Regent''s qualifications to be Emperor! Looking at the two parties right now, the Regents seemed to be meaningfully stronger. "Luanyu, what I do is for the sake of the Xia Kingdom and not for selfish desire. The importance of the Kingdom Protecting Formation is not lost on you. Now that both you and Jingyao have lost the right to control it, why not take a step back and ensure that the Xia Kingdom does not lose such monumental strength?" The Regent haughtily observed the First Princess, advising her to give up. The First Princess'' beautiful face remained unfazed. She completely ignored the laughable words of the Regent, only choosing to surveil the faces of those around. "Gong Yuan, do you really think you''ve won?" The Regent remained indifferent. The First Princess continued dryly, "Have you forgotten that there is one opinion you have yet to hear?" The Regent''s eyes squinted at this moment. "Are you referring to Pang Qianyuan? He''s been guarding the Umbra Cave for years, and I''m afraid he doesn''t have the time to be concerned with such minor matters." The First Princess calmly continued, "When my father, the Emperor, was on his deathbed, I was right by his side. He told me that Principal Pang Qianyuan had once promised him that he would support Jingyao during the coronation ceremony." These words immediately shocked every single individual present. In fact, they even looked a little alarmed. That was the Xia Kingdom''s strongest expert, and he had actually made the old Emperor a promise? The Regent clenched the fist within his robes tightly. His gaze turned chilly as he apathetically replied, "Luanyu, stop spouting false words. This is a matter of the Gong family. With Principal Pang''s position, he will not interfere with our affairs." The First Princess then flicked her jade-like hand, and a short stick of purple incense appeared between her fingers. At the same time, she utilized her resonant power to ignite it, and a curl of green smoke lazily drifted into the sky. The Regent''s eyes shrank at this sight as he coldly questioned, "Luanyu, what are you doing?!" "This is something Principal Pang provided my father. So long as I light this stick of incense, he will make his way over here. In order to prevent the Xia Kingdom from falling into chaos, I inevitably have to invite him over," the First Princess nonchalantly answered. Everyone felt like they had been struck by a bolt of lightning. The First Princess actually had a method of summoning the elusive Principal Pang, who had not been seen for years? The Regent despondently watched the stick of purple incense. His face changed through a series of expressions before eventually returning to a state of calm. He did not speak any longer, merely sneering in his heart. Gong Luanyu was simply too young and naive. She had no idea what Principal Pang was facing. Wanting him to extricate himself from the situation was a pipe dream. So be it, then. Once the incense finished burning, it would inevitably shatter any remaining hopes the Luanyu possessed, causing her to descend into the depths of despair. At that point in time, no one would be left to oppose his ascension. Chapter 0686: Principal Pangs Backup Chapter 0686: Principal Pang''s Backup As the purple incense swirled into the sky, everyone in the white jade square was fully focused upon it. Pang Qianyuan of the Astral Sage College was a lofty presence akin to a mountain, attracting the attention of all in the Xia Kingdom. Why? He was the only King Stage expert in the kingdom after all. Such strength didn''t just put him amongst the strongest in the Xia Kingdom, but rather the entire East Divine Continent! This was an expert at the peak of power who could control a kingdom with but a word. It was a good thing that he was the Principal of the Astral Sage College; otherwise, every power in the Xia Kingdom would have tried to court him and the royal court might have long been destroyed. Pang Qianyuan had spent years in the depths of the Umbra Cave and had not appeared in the outside world. As a result, his influence had waned and some newer powers might not have even heard of him. However, all those who attended today''s ceremony understood the absolute suppression a King possessed. A stick of incense that could supposedly summon the Principal was the ultimate trump card. Even though the Regent seemed majestic and imposing right now with the momentum of the people swaying his way, if the Principal appeared in person and directly supported the Little Emperor, the forces rallied under the Regent would be forced to retreat. A King Stage expert reigned supreme here. A King far from being comparable to the Regent. The Regent''s expression fell as though it had sunken into the deep depths of the sea. He continued to stare at the stick of burning incense, almost reaching out to extinguish it. However, logic dictated that this was something he could not stop, and the moment he did so, it would demonstrate his guilt and unwillingness to see Principal Pang in person. Additionally, if he were to prevent Pang Qianyuan from being summoned, would the Astral Sage College continue to idly sit by and not interfere? Wouldn''t this act be seen as targeting the college instead? Most importantly, it would also offend Pang Qianyuan. Even though the Regent was filled with loathing and killing intent towards him, it was not appropriate to open hostilities with him before their plan was complete. As a result, the Regent forced himself to remain patient as he knew that Pang Qianyuan could not easily extricate himself from his current situation. Otherwise, he would have already been here and there would be no need for all of this. Thinking this way allowed him to slowly regain a sense of level headedness. Perhaps it was a good thing. Gong Luanyu had utilized her final trump card, and if Pang Qianyuan truly did not appear, then there would be no one who could prevent his plans from succeeding. Within the depths of the Umbra Cave. Apocalyptic energy tides continued to rage in every direction with frightening force. The ancient dragon elephants continued to bellow as they slowly pulled the fabric of the void, steadily causing the void tear between the two worlds to shrink. The sinister river made of evil thoughts could be seen flowing within the void tear. Numerous black lotuses began to arise from it, continually bombarding the ancient dragon elephants that were attempting to mend the tear. As the two struggled on, the scene seemed relatively calm, but the truth was that every strike contained enough force to obliterate all matter. Whenever a black lotus collided with an ancient dragon elephant, the resulting explosion was sufficient to cause unimaginable damage to the outside world. Pang Qianyuan frowned as he watched this scene. His dragon elephant formation had been stalled due to the changes arising from the Tree of Resonant Power. It caused him to feel a little worried as without the Tree of Resonant Power''s constant support, he could not eke out an advantage over the opponent even with the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. He knew that the Ichythian King was borrowing the aid of the shadow world to challenge him. At the same time, the void tear was constantly being repaired, he simply needed more time. The Dragon Bone Holy Grail was exerting no small amount of pressure on the Ichythian King. As he continued to ponder over the situation, his expression changed as he felt something calling out to him. "Is today the coronation ceremony? It was as I expected. Gong Xuan, it looks like your plan to hide the truth has gone wrong." Pang Qianyuan sighed lightly. He and the previous Emperor were old acquaintances, and he had owed him a favor. As a result, he had exchanged this favor for that stick of purple incense before the Emperor passed away. The Emperor had hoped that Pang Qianyuan would protect his children. Originally, Pang Qianyuan had thought that this would just be a minor matter. With his position as the Astral Sage College''s Principal, he had to remain neutral, but the truth was that these boundaries didn''t really constrain him, considering his strength. "What great timing," Pang Qianyuan thought to himself. The stick of purple incense just had to be lit when he was tied down in a sticky situation. The timing seemed a little too coincidental. Mulling over the situation, if he was unable to leave, the one who would benefit the most was Gong Yuan... But what did the issue within the Umbra Cave have to do with Gong Yuan? Could it be that Gong Yuan could control the happenings within the Umbra Cave? That didn''t seem too likely. That would mean that he had an even larger secret behind him. Pang Qianyuan''s gaze turned cold. He had to go and pay a visit to that fellow. That man was full of mysteries, and he had spent too many years being held back in this cave. He no longer knew what was going on outside. "It looks like everyone thinks that I''m out of solutions and have started to act brazenly," Pang Qianyuan said to himself. At this point in time, the river of evil churned and a titanic, black fish tail that could blot out the sun smashed out. Stygian smoke wafted out, and whatever it passed through melted into nothingness. Pang Qianyuan counted briefly with his fingers, and the Dragon Bone Holy Grail then tipped over. A dark-golden liquid poured out of it, forming a golden rain. When the golden rain descended, all of the stygian smoke vanished. "Ichythian King, you don''t want me to leave?" Pang Qianyuan''s eyes squinted as they turned forlorn with a hint of killing intent. "I originally had some small suspicions, but this confirms it. It looks like Gong Yuan does have some connection with you guys." "Ah... Pang Qianyuan, you should leave the affairs of the outside world for them to handle. Isn''t spending time with me much more satisfying?" A cackling laugh accompanied these words. Pang Qianyuan shook his head. "I''m sorry, but the more you don''t want me to leave, the more I have to do so." "You can''t!" the Ichythian King demanded. "You can''t stop me. You have your plans, but I have my own methods as well." Pang Qianyuan grinned as he raised a palm. One could see a speck of light fly out of the Dragon Bone Holy Grail into his palm. It was actually a drop of blood essence. "There''s one drop remaining." A flame blazed within his palm, and the drop of blood essence was gradually molded into a dark-red rune. When the rune was created, it looked almost like a miniature man. If one looked more closely, it resembled Li Luo. Using the dark-red rune as a medium, Pang Qianyuan formed a seal with one hand before moving the blade that had accompanied him for many years. Shing! The sound of a blade seemed to echo out from the depths of Pang Qianyuan''s heart. On the white jade viewing platform, Li Luo''s heart trembled as he curiously looked at his pocket sphere, which was leaking rays of light. At the same time, a mottled, ancient blade uncontrollably appeared before Li Luo, subtly vibrating before him. Chapter 0687: Hacked At Chapter 0687: Hacked At On the white jade square, everyone was still deeply focused upon the burning stick of purple incense in the First Princess'' hand. As time passed, the stick of incense gradually began to burn out. The people on the First Princess'' side had expressions that began to shift. She herself was tightly clutching it with all her fingers, and a look of anxiety began to surface in her calm, phoenix eyes. Principal Pang had not appeared. In the square, a few whispers began to arise as people began to look at the First Princess questioningly. They had begun to doubt the truth of the words which she had declared earlier. had Principal Pang really given the previous Emperor his word? The promise of a King was as heavy as a mountain. If he truly had done so, how could he not appear at this time of crisis? Vice Principal Su Xin was similarly observing the situation. She knitted her eyebrows and said in a low voice, "That stick of purple incense was definitely given by the Principal himself. I can feel his resonant power signature upon it. What Luanyu said was not a lie, but the Principal is unable to appear... It looks like the situation in the Umbra Cave is worse than we had imagined. We will have to initiate another purging mission after the coronation ceremony." Mentor Cao Sheng, who looked boorish and stank of alcohol, then asked, "If it was a promise made by the Principal, then where should we stand? Do we need to help out?" Vice Principal Su Xin pondered over the question momentarily before shaking her head. "Principal Pang made this promise as an individual, not necessarily from his identity as the Astral Sage College''s Principal. Otherwise, if the Academic Federation were to ask questions and investigate the situation thoroughly, this would undoubtedly create trouble. Since that is the case, the college will remain firmly neutral." Although she was biased towards the First Princess, this battle would embroil the entire Xia Kingdom. If the Astral Sage College were to stand on the side of the First Princess, they would have abandoned their stance of neutrality and the numerous powers of the Xia Kingdom would be on guard towards them. Most importantly, the Academic Federation did not permit such actions. Principal Pang was a King and could therefore act more willfully. Similarly, the Academic Federation would also give him a berth of leniency. Even then, allowing him to meddle in certain affairs in his private capacity was the absolute limit, and he would never be allowed to influence the political affairs of a kingdom, especially in the name of the college. When the other mentors heard her explanation, they nodded and continued to watch the situation quietly. The purple smoke continued to ascend until the very last shred of the stick burned into ashes, which everyone watched fall to the ground. A few burning embers landed on the First Princess'' dainty palm, but she remained unmoving, her disheartened eyes observing the handful of hot ash. Had her last hope burned up with the incense? A sense of sadness arose in her heart. All the years of hard work had been in vain after all. "Luanyu, give up. Principal Pang has not appeared, and this demonstrates that he understands that I''m the best choice. With the Xia Kingdom in my hands, I will bring about a new era of glory and prosperity," the Regent slowly enunciated with sincerity. At the same time, a hint of coldness flashed past his eyes. It looked like the youth''s words were right. Pang Qianyuan simply could not leave the Umbra Cave, and it seemed almost ridiculous that this was the First Princess'' last straw. In any case, this was great. Without Pang Qianyuan around, everything could be controlled by him. "Luanyu, if you wish to continue struggling, there will only be one result. The Xia Kingdom will be thrown into internal conflict and the peace and stability we once had will be lost. At that point in time, there will be countless wasted sacrifices and you will be the biggest criminal to the kingdom. I feel that this is a result your father never wanted to see. Thus, Luanyu, take a step back. Without the Kingdom Protecting Formation, the Xia Kingdom cannot be complete," the Regent continued sanctimoniously. The surroundings were silent as everyone glanced towards the First Princess, awaiting her final decision. The First Princess seemed to be in a trance as her eyes showed that she was struggling within. The Regent was blackmailing her morally, but his words were not false. If she refused to acquiesce, both parties would immediately engage in bloody slaughter, and the end result would lead to a civil war. At the same time, countless individuals would died pointlessly. The Xia Kingdom would suffer from a severe blow as a result. With that in mind, the First Princess'' lips trembled with sadness. She knew that her uncle had found her weakness. More importantly, Pang Qianyuan''s absence had caused her to lose the opportunity for an effortless victory. She sighed gloomily and was about to speak. "Hold on, hold on! I don''t agree!" Suddenly, a voice piped out of nowhere, interrupting the vacuous silence. Everyone turned towards the source of this noise. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it came from House Luolan''s seats. They saw a certain Li Luo solemnly stand up with an ancient blade in hand. Everyone had a strange expression on their faces, with some almost uncontrollably bursting into laughter. You don''t agree? Just who did you think you are? House Luolan''s situation might have changed, but Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had yet to return! This snotty brat who had yet to grow up clearly couldn''t read the situation! How could a Fiend Palace Tier youngling speak out here? "Li Luo..." Lu Qing''er worriedly looked at Li Luo with her crystal eyes. "Keke. The newly ascended House Lord of House Luolan is like a calf who doesn''t fear the tiger." Vice President Ning Que of the Golden Dragon Bank laughed. His words seemed to imply bravery, but they were really suggesting that Li Luo was reckless. On the other hand, Yu Hongxi stared at Li Luo with a strange look in her eyes, and her shapely eyebrows wrinkled slightly. She couldn''t say why, but when she glanced at Li Luo, she could feel a strange aura emanating from him that even led her to feel a sense of suppression. "Where did that brat Li Luo get his courage from? He might be at odds with Gong Yuan, but even the First Princess was about to compromise. Now that he''s stood up like this, won''t the First Princess be dragged down with him?" one of the mentors from Astral Sage College pointed out with a tone of surprise. Mentor Cao Sheng stroked his chin as he asked, "Li Luo is normally very astute, so why is he suddenly acting so befuddled?" Vice Principal Su Xin sized up Li Luo with a bewildering look as well. The rest of the faction leaders continued to coldly watch from the sides, but they held hopes for a heated show. Everyone could see that the First Princess was about to give in, but Li Luo had inadvertently rushed in headfirst. Was he planning to incite conflict between the two? "It looks like House Lord Li Luo does not want the Xia Kingdom to remain peaceful. Still, that makes sense. The rift between House Luolan and the Regent is deep, and if the First Princess and the Regent struggle to the death, it will only benefit House Luolan. It would deplete the Regent''s strength, but it would similarly squander the support the First Princess has provided to them," Zhu Qinghuo said with a wry smile. His words were insidious, and his intention was to widen the gulf in the relationship between them and the First Princess, seeding doubts. The Regent continued to float in the air with an unchanging expression as he indifferently looked at Li Luo. "Oh? What does House Lord Li Luo want to say?" "Nothing much. I just feel that you''re bullying someone and I had to speak out. You want the throne, yet you don''t want others to resist. Do you really think that honest people are so easy to bully?" Li Luo chortled. The Regent shot a glance at him as he placed a hand behind his back. "So, what do you want?" Li Luo gave a knowing smirk as he answered, "I just want to hack at you once." As soon as he said that, he lifted up the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade and struck out towards the Regent with a simple motion. Seeing Li Luo''s offensive action, the Regent couldn''t help but shake his head. A puny Fiend Palace Tier kid wanted to wave his weapon before a fifth-grade Duke? When had he become so delirious? Yet at the moment he had these misgivings in his heart, alarm bells suddenly went off in his head. At that very moment, Vice Principal Su Xin, Yu Hongxi, Qin Zhenjiang, Zhu Qinghuo, and the rest of the stronger Dukes turned their attention towards Li Luo with shocked expressions. They could all feel that Li Luo''s seemingly simple chop had cleaved apart the skies above the royal palace. Chapter 0688: Experiencing the King Stage Chapter 0688: Experiencing the King Stage Weng! Li Luo executed a clean, unadorned slash. The worldly natural energy around him was still, as though nothing had happened. But at the same time, the skies were torn apart and even the thick cloud layer was split down the middle. A single blade light descended from the heavens, directly heading towards the Regent. The blade light looked simple and pristine. However, the Regent''s expression warped upon seeing it. And a look of horror appeared within his eyes. Why? At this very moment, he could feel a horrifying sense of death emanating from the unadorned and plain strike. It contained a terrifying and complex energy that was beyond his comprehension, something that surpassed the Duke Stage. He had no time to consider how a Fiend Palace Tier brat could possess such might, but he knew that if he were to let the blade light strike him, he would undoubtedly be as dead as a doornail. Dying in the hands of a Fiend Palace Tier youngling would indeed be laughable. "Imperial Mountains and River Palm!" The Regent burst forth with unrestrained resonant power. He blazed like a miniature sun in the sky, and the boundless amounts of resonant power incited looks of shock and awe, causing the entire space to tremble in his very presence. His five fingers formed a palm that he smashed out with, utilizing his strongest resonance art from the get-go. Countless manifestations of mountains and rivers instantly took form, and those who were familiar with the topography of the Xia Kingdom could recognize that these were some of the most ancient mountains and rivers in the kingdom. The Imperial Mountains and River Palm was created when the ancestor of the Gong family had been inspired by the landscape itself. As the Xia Kingdom''s rulers, all members of the Gong family could cultivate this Duke Art. And it would increase in strength significantly when it was utilized within the territory of the Xia Kingdom. Thus, the Regent''s single palm strike was even more tyrannical and domineering than the one he had launched against Qin Zhenjiang. The substantial manifestations of the mountains and rivers appeared within the void, almost forming a tapestry tens of thousands of meters long that was adorned with the most majestic and impressive scenery. Its sheer presence emanated an indomitable sense of oppression that everyone within the square could feel keenly. Compared to the imperious tapestry, the single blade light that was flying towards him was comparatively unimpressive. Bzzst! Ear-grating sounds of tearing rang out the moment they collided. The audience''s eyes were like saucers as they saw the manifested mountains and rivers sliced apart like a hot knife through butter. The Regent''s strongest move was unable to even halt that dusky blade light. It tore apart everything in sight. Just a breath later, it arrived before the Regent. The Regent trembled and swatted out yet another palm. At the same time, a golden crown seemed to have appeared above him. It was like a miniature tower with five levels to it. A violet eye mark on its surface seemed to flash with mystical light. Unsurprisingly, he had taken out his violet-eye treasured artifact. The moment it appeared, a scintillating, golden light barrier shrouded the Regent. Weng! The blade light continued to travel towards him, directly landing upon the golden light barrier. This time, the blade light was unable to penetrate the barrier immediately, so a stalemate occurred. The void shuddered, and after ten breaths of time, the blade light finally dimmed and dissipated. However, the treasure did not remain unblemisheda massive crack opened up on the golden crown itself. The square had been jolted into deathly silence. Everyone stared flabbergasted at this scene, as though they had seen a ghost! No one had expected that Li Luo''s casual swing would force a fifth-grade Duke into such a miserable position, surpassing his strongest Duke Art and even permanently damaging a protective violet-eye treasured artifact. What was going on? Stunned glances shifted towards Li Luo. The previous calm First Princess had been completely taken aback by this series of events, and her phoenix-like eyes dazedly focused upon the blade-wielding youth with an unsettled mind. Who would have known that at the very moment she wished to give up, Li Luo would stand up for her? This brat continued to churn out miracles and joyful surprises again and again. Vice Principal Su Xin, Yu Hongxi, Zhu Qinghuo, and the other peak experts shot bewildering gazes at Li Luo. The strength he had just displayed was simply abnormal, and it could not have come from Li Luo himself. "So, do you think that I have the right to disagree with your decision?" Under the watchful gazes of the entire square, Li Luo hefted his blade as he stared at the Regent unblinkingly. "I was simply struck by sudden inspiration just a moment ago! My strength took a titanic leap forward and seemed to have entered the eighth-grade of the Duke Stage." Everyone''s lips began to twitch. Couldn''t he have come up with a better excuse? The Regent gloomily glared at Li Luo. What sudden inspiration? That was clearly bullshit. That single blade strike contained strength that far surpassed even that of a peak Duke. How else could it have disassembled his Imperial Mountains and River Palm so easily? His gaze then turned onto the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade that was in Li Luo''s hand. It was then when the thought struck him, and a dark cloud formed over his heart. There was only one individual in the Xia Kingdom who could exert power beyond the Duke Stage! Pang Qianyuan! Although Pang Qianyuan was stuck in the Umbra Cave and was unable to appear in person, it was possible that he had utilized other means to project his strength onto someone or something else. For example, Li Luo''s Onyx-Elephant Blade. It was once Pang Qianyuan''s partner weapon, and leaving behind a backup plan was normal. This was one of the reasons why the Regent had often exhorted Gong Shenjun to find a way to obtain this weapon by hook or by crook! Clearly, the Regent''s worst nightmare had manifested in reality. "Principal Pang, this is a matter of the Gong family. Do you really want to interfere?" the Regent glumly said out loud. "Principal Pang?" The numerous experts were shocked. Li Luo''s sudden, explosive rise in strength had come from the Principal? On the side of the Astral Sage College, the numerous Violet Vibrance mentors were similarly taken aback. At the same time, Vice Principal Su Xin''s calm words rang out. "No wonder that seemed familiar. It was the Principal taking action. Although he can''t appear in person, he was able to transmit his strength to Li Luo with the Onyx-Elephant Blade as a medium. His intentions were clear: to borrow Li Luo''s hand to support the First Princess." "Isn''t the Principal inside the Umbra Cave? How can he actually project his resonant power so far?" Cao Sheng thought that this was unimaginable. He, like the other mentors, had traveled into the depths of the Umbra Cave more than once, so he was clear of the danger within. Although the Principal was a King and had the aid of the Onyx-Elephant Blade as a medium, this was not a simple act. "The Principal must have made special arrangements. It''s very possible that he already predicted what would happen," Vice Principal Su Xin explained. "With the Principal''s presence, it looks like Gong Yuan''s plans for today might no longer succeed as easily." Cao Sheng sighed. The rest of the mentors nodded. Although the Principal had not appeared in person, lending Li Luo a hand already demonstrated his attitude. The support of a King was a significant deterrence after all. "I was wondering why that brat suddenly stood up. It turns out he has some sort of arrangement with Principal Pang," Yu Hongxi murmured with slightly raised lips. Lu Qing''er similarly let out a relieved sigh as she patted her chest. On the other hand, Vice President Ning Que had a rigid expression on his face. "Principal Pang actually took action! It doesn''t seem to be in line with the Astral Sage College''s stance of neutrality." "Why don''t you say that to him yourself?" Yu Hongxi smirked. Ning Que dryly laughed. Talking sense into a King? A single raised fist would turn him into a meaty pulp. Li Luo let out a confident smile in response to everyone''s surprised looks. He was not embarrassed of being exposed as he continued to grasp his blade in hand. "The Regent has such discerning eyes. I am actually just the bearer of a message from Principal Pang! That old man says that the Little Emperor is the true heir to the throne and that if you usurp him, it would undoubtedly be an illegitimate ascension to the throne. As for the Kingdom Protecting Formation, Principal Pang has said that there is no need to worry. The previous Emperor beseeched him to research its properties so it could be altered to allow a female member of the family to have the right to take control of it. He''s made some progress, and even if the future Emperor is a woman, she will be able to take control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation. Thus, Regent, you should let today''s situation go." The square was left in utter silence. Li Luo''s indifferent words had echoed throughout the square, and that unperturbed tone of his was like a bolt from the blue to everyone who heard it. Their hearts palpitated in light of this revelation. His words represented the will of a King Stage expert. It was clear, unadulterated support for the Little Emperor. The Regent stared at Li Luo with a cryptic and dismal gaze. Perhaps it was more correct to say that he was glaring at the person that stood behind him. Now that the situation had escalated to this point, did he really expect to resolve this situation with a simple sentence? That King truly is bristling with arrogance. Does he really think that he is master of the entire Xia Kingdom? "Principal Pang, your words have disappointed me greatly," the Regent said with a low voice, an inexplicable emotion rising within him. This reply shocked the people present. The Regent planned to talk back to a King? Was he planning to ruin all pretense of civility? Was he not afraid of Principal Pang returning from the Umbra Cave? Li Luo''s brows knitted together as he frowned. Has this guy turned mad? "In the end, you''re unable to be here in person. Even though you''re able to transmit power to Li Luo, how long can this go on for?" The Regent focused upon Li Luo with a deathly chill in his expression. "Also, do you really think I''m unable to deal with you?" A tiny, black bell had appeared on the Regent''s finger. The bell chimed out, and a formless sound wave was transmitted through the void. Chapter 0689: Deep Experience Chapter 0689: Deep Experience Not a single sound could be heard as the black bell lightly swayed in the wind. However, no one in the square could sense the faint wave spreading out in every direction. Everyone in the square then stared solemnly at the Regent. His words clearly indicated that he was not planning to give face to the King. As expected, the Regent did not wish to put a halt to his plans. It made sense after all. The Regent had plotted for countless years, so why would he willingly back down after a single sentence from Pang Qianyuan when he was on the cusp of success? A King Stage expert might possess absolute power, but the Regent''s own thirst and ambition for greater power did not pale in comparison. With the curious gazes of the crowd concentrated on him, the Regent continued indifferently, "I wholeheartedly respect Principal Pang, but you, Li Luo, do not possess such a right. Everyone here is aware of the close relationship the royal family has with House Luolan. No one knows of the whereabouts of the Principal, but it seems he has passed power to Li Luo. Now an individual from the younger generation is in control of a weapon with massive killing potential. This child has acted recklessly and wants to use his newfound power to interfere with the Xia Kingdom''s succession ceremony! If Principal Pang truly disagreed with me, he would have appeared in person. Otherwise, I can only assume that you, Li Luo, have borrowed Principal Pang''s power to accomplish your own vile aims by misrepresenting his intentions!" It had to be said that the Regent was truly gifted with words. He had dumped the blame of the entire situation on Li Luo''s head with a few simple sentences. The people in the audience might have had doubts about the words the Regent had said, but ultimately, they gave him an excellent and plausible reason to proceed with his plan. The Regent would never admit that what Li Luo had said had the backing of Pang Qianyuan. It was all his own idea. Now that he put it this way, the people in the Regent''s faction let out relieved sighs and comforted themselves. The Regent''s words were somewhat logical after all! The two already possessed a deep grievance, so this was a great situation for Li Luo to borrow the Principal''s power to take revenge. All they had to do was tide over this current situation. Once the Regent took control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation, he could deal with Pang Qianyuan unless he was willing to give up all pretenses and wreck the entire Xia Kingdom. However, if that happened, the Academic Federation would undoubtedly step in to prevent it. Li Luo could only smile in frustration when he heard the Regent''s words. He was not easy to deal with. He was able to regain his momentum even in such unfavorable conditions. "Gong Yuan, Principal Pang has stated that even if the Gong family''s heir is a female, it is still possible for her to wield the Kingdom Protecting Formation. Thus, if you still want to act wildly, then you will undoubtedly be labeled the greatest criminal of the kingdom, having incited civil strife! At that point in time, I will not back down any longer." At this point, the First Princess seemed to have recomposed herself from her depressed state of mind and uttered these harsh words coldly. At the same time, she turned towards Qin Zhenjiang. "The Regent has revealed his treasonous heart. I have been sufficiently tolerant this whole time, but if you give him an inch, he takes a mile. If this is the case, in the name of the previous Emperor, I declare the Regent as a traitorous rebel that cannot be spared!" Her declaration caused tremors to run through everyone''s hearts. This statement signified that the faction representing the orthodox branch of the royal family had now chosen to break with the Regent''s side. "Haha. My good niece, did you suddenly gain a false sense of bravado? Is it because this brat has given you faith?" The Regent icily glared at her with a furious grin on his face. The First Princess remained placid as she ignored the taunts coming from the Regent, only looking towards Li Luo as she saluted him and solemnly said, "House Lord Li Luo, I will leave it to you to execute the will of Principal Pang. To cleanse the Xia Kingdom of these traitors. Only by executing Gong Yuan, the main instigator, can the Xia Kingdom avoid chaos!" She decisively took action. Before this, she had been disheartened and dismayed by the failure to control the Kingdom Protecting Formation and Principal Pang''s absence. However, now that Principal Pang had transmitted power to Li Luo and mentioned that there was a way for Jingyao to take control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation in the future, she would not let this opportunity pass by so easily. She understood that if she gave up today, the Regent would not let her and Jingyao off easily. Since this was the case, why not struggle to the end? Listening to the First Princess'' words, Li Luo''s expression remained focused as he knew that all of her hopes had been heaped unto him. They were on the same boat in anycase, and seeing the Regent succeed wasn''t ideal for him either. "Please relax, Your Highness. You can leave it to me to get rid of these traitors," Li Luo attentively replied. The Regent stood with his hands behind his back as he stared sharply at Li Luo and sneered. "What a pretentious and rambunctious brat. You might be able to borrow Principal Pang''s power, but it''s no different from giving a child a huge knife. Do you really think you can bring to bear its true potential? You''re not the Principal''s true body, and even with the additional power, you are unable to demonstrate a King''s triple resonance energy. Killing me is just an idiot''s dream." Li Luo borrowing power from the Principal had turned him into a credible threat, but killing him? Impossible! Li Luos gaze flickered with a hint of amusement as listened to those words. Triple resonances, huh? He felt terrifying resonant power endlessly exuding from the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade with a purity that was unimaginable. This resonant power had solidified, forming a crystalline dust that was both gorgeous and mystical to look at. However, it was as the Regent had said. This was resonant power that had been transmitted by the Principal. The King expert''s triple resonance power, on the other hand, was not able to be transmitted. It could only be wielded personally by the King himself, being refined by the three resonant palaces he had created. However... It wasn''t completely impossible, right? The person in question was not a King, but he had triple resonances! Principal Pang''s transmitted resonant power already possessed the will of a King-level powerhouse. It contained unimaginable amounts of spirituality, and even though Li Luo couldn''t fully understand the mysticality and intricacies of triple resonance power, he could simply push the boat along the current. If he were to activate his three resonances and circulate Principal Pang''s resonant power through them, it might automatically transform itself into what he was looking for! With this thought, Li Luo sighed in praise. This temporary opportunity to experience King Stage power was extraordinarily rare and a blessing! Thus, Li Luo no longer hesitated. He grasped the Onyx-Elephant Blade and channeled the transmitted resonant power into his body freely. To be fair, he had no way to truly control this power that left him shivering in fear Boom! Li Luo was currently standing atop a stone pillar in the square. His eyes were slightly closed as his body emitted frightening undulations of energy. These energy undulations caused the eyelids of countless Dukes in the area to twitch. The methods of a King were mind-boggling. Just the energy that was being transmitted was able to let a mere Fiend Palace Tier transcend his limits and wield unstoppable power. However, they understood the Regent''s words too. Li Luo was still at the Fiend Palace Tier, and the gap between him and the King Stage was simply too vast and wide. He would naturally be unable to wield this energy as it should be. Shocking the Regent was one thing, but killing him? Unlikely. At this moment, as the crowd continued to ponder over the possibilities, they saw a blue light ascend into the sky atop Li Luo''s head. This was water resonant power. Immediately after, resonant power full of lush vitality similarly appeared. Wood resonant power. This sight was not too surprising. Li Luo possessing dual resonances was no secret, and it looked as though he planned to borrow Principal Pang''s strength to demonstrate his dual resonance mastery? As the crowd continued to guess his intentions, they saw Li Luo smirk. Swoosh! What happened next was an eye-opening sight for them. Yet another vigorous resonant power appeared atop Li Luo''s head, and it seemed to radiate tyrannical and robust vitality. At the same time, a sense of coercion spread throughout the area accompanied by a draconic roar. This was a resonant power unlike the previous two! A third resonant power? This was dragon resonance power! All of the Dukes had sullen expressions as they saw this unbelievable scene. How could Li Luo possess three kinds of resonant power? The dragon resonance power did not seem to have been created through borrowing external aid. Li Luo had revealed his triple resonances to the shock of the audience. There was no hesitation as he continued to raise the blade in his hand. Terrifying amounts of energy containing the will of a King expert surged out, enveloping all three types of resonant power before descending back onto the blade itself. At this point in the time, the blade was radiating resplendent light. In a blink, everyone could see that a halo containing three colors had emerged on the blade''s body. This halo seemed both profound and enigmatic, as though it contained countless revelations of the world. When it rotated slowly around the blade, it exuded an enticing charm that would cause one to be lost within its beauty. This was a primal desire for those that sought to seek further heights in their cultivation. The square became so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Especially the Regent, who seemed to have become lost in a daze. As a Duke, they knew what this triple-colored halo represented. This was the essence of a King''s strength. The Triple Resonance Saintly Ring. It was the manifestation of triple resonance power. As they stared at the youth grasping on to the mottled blade, a sense of absurdness surfaced within their hearts. A Fiend Palace Tier boy was demonstrating triple resonance power before an audience of Dukes? Had the world gone mad? Li Luo, on the other hand, remained unperturbed by everyone''s absolutely shocked looks as he held the blade that had become as heavy as a mountain. If not for the support of Principal Pang''s will, he probably wouldnt have been able to even lift the blade. The brilliant halo represented the peak of power within the world they lived in, and it was simply beyond his reach at the moment. He could only feel how infinitely small he truly was. On the bright side, he didn''t have to do much. He raised his head and stared at the Regent, who had yet to snap out of his stupor, with a radiant smile on his face. "Old thief Gong Yuan... Do you think this blade can end you this time?" Li Luo grinned as he asked this question, then he hacked downwards with all his might. Chapter 0690: Triple Resonances Reveal Chapter 0690: Triple Resonances Reveal Weng! All light seemed to vanish from the world when Li Luo hacked down with the Triple Resonance Saintly Ring imbued blade. Only a single blade light could be seen, filling everyone''s vision. The single blade light looked as though it could sever existence itself. Wherever the blade light appeared, the space in front of it would shatter and countless sharp fragments of the void would be stirred up. After which, they would be swept along by the blade light itself, forming a ruinous force that would absolutely destroy whatever lay before it. Even worldly natural energy seemed to give way to it. All was crushed by the indomitable blade light. At the same time, countless individuals within Xia City raised their heads and looked into the sky. An area of shattered space about ten thousand zhang long had opened up, revealing a dark crack that seemed to divide the sky above the city into two. It frightened them. However, it was not only the common members of the populace that were afraid. Even the countless Dukes at the viewing area felt their scalps go numb upon watching the collateral damage caused by that single attack. "Triple Resonance Saintly Ring?! On the Astral Sage College''s side, even Vice Principal Su Xin found it completely eye-opening, while the rest of the Violet Vibrance mentors stared in complete shock. "How could he condense a Triple Resonance Saintly Ring?" Cao Sheng''s jaw dropped. This made no sense. Even though the Principal had transmitted energy to Li Luo via the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade, Li Luo was merely just a tool to project his power. How could he have been able to accomplish this? Only a true King could do so! Vice Principal Su Xin''s eyes shone brightly as she studied the youth atop the stone pillar, suddenly coming to a realization. "It''s not impossible. If Li Luo possesses triple resonances, then the energy transmitted from the Principal could borrow the resonances to condense the Triple Resonance Saintly Ring." "Triple resonant palaces? What sort of joke is that? Li Luo is at the Fiend Palace Tier, so how could he have three resonant palaces?" some of the Violet Vibrance mentors rebuked. "He had dual resonances already, so now that he has entered the Earth Fiend Stage, isn''t it possible for him to open up yet another resonant palace? His dragon resonance energy doesn''t seem too strong, but it possesses a solid foundation. It doesn''t look like it was created with the assistance of external aid, so this is the most likely possibility... He has a third resonance, and it''s a dragon resonant power," Vice Principal Su Xin faintly explained. "Do you remember the Duke Art he chose at the Resonant Art Pagoda?" "The Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner?" "I originally thought it was a little strange. Why would he choose such a Duke Art? It requires one to possess dragon resonance energy to cultivate, and I thought he was using some sort of treasure that involved the dragon tribe''s blood essence to cultivate it. It looks like I was wrong. He didn''t need to borrow external aid to cultivate it, he actually had a dragon resonance!" Vice Principal Su Xin sucked in a deep breath. "This also means that Li Luo is a triple resonance user!" The rest of the Violet Vibrance mentors were silent. This revelation stunned them, and their expressions also demonstrated that they had suffered a profound shock. A triple resonance user! This was terrifyingly demonic talent! The Li Luo of the past was a dual resonance user, and Duke experts were left sighing at how fortunate the brat was. On the other hand, possessing triple resonances was something they were truly envious of! This was something they had sought for their whole lives! "This is even rarer than a ninth-grade resonance." Cao Sheng pouted with a face full of envy. Since the establishment of the college, this was the first time they had seen a student with triple resonances. It was definitely something that happened even less often than being born with a ninth-grade resonance. "No wonder the Principal chose him. Perhaps Li Luo will be the Astral Sage College''s second King," Vice Principal Su Xin softly said. The rest of the Violet Vibrance mentors were left deep in thought. A King. This was an existence that even they worshiped! No student in the Astral Sage College''s history had reached the King Stage. Could Li Luo actually reach such a level of power? "It looks like Gong Yuan is out of luck," Cao Sheng said, reveling in another''s misfortune. Although Pang Qianyuan had interfered in the coronation ceremony in his capacity as an individual, he was ultimately the Astral Sage College''s Principal. Now that he had made a choice, even if the Astral Sage College did not take action, they would undoubtedly side with Li Luo. "So Li Luo had actually opened up a third resonance. Truly amazing potential," Yu Hongxi commented. As she continued to watch him, a look of appreciation and satisfaction surfaced in her eyes. "Not bad. His talent is not at all inferior to Li Taixuans." Lu Qing''er similarly smiled with her enchantingly beautiful face. Juxtaposed against her snow-white skin, it was reminiscent of a snow lotus and possessed an absolute sense of purity and innocence. Yu Hongxi''s praise for Li Luo brought her great happiness. "Mother, the Regent should be hacked to... I mean, he shouldn''t be able to block Li Luo''s strike, right?" Lu Qing''er cautiously asked as she changed her words mid speech to prevent sounding too uncouth, opting to use gentler words instead. "Don''t underestimate Gong Yuan. He''s plotted for many years, so he has naturally hidden many cards up his sleeves," Yu Hongxi faintly replied. Lu Qing''er rolled her gorgeous, raven-black eyes as she hugged Yu Hongxi''s forearm. "Mother, the Xia Kingdom is about to fall into unrest. I don''t think this is good for the Golden Dragon Bank''s business. Gong Yuan isn''t some sort of benevolent fellow. If he gains power, that wouldn''t be a good thing for us." Yu Hongxi shot a glance at her daughter, not even bothering to reply. Was she really thinking for the good of the Golden Dragon Bank? Or was it just for Li Luo''s sake. Their family possessed vast wealth and power that far surpassed what House Luolan had. Did she really plan to give up all of it for him? One doesn''t act before they are sure of succeeding. She is so far away from Li Luo''s heart and is ready to give up the family property for him? Yu Hongxi didn''t know whether to laugh or to be furious. "Li Luo..." The First Princess similarly stared at Li Luo''s figure, her heart palpitating. The space-rending blade light was incomparably brilliant in her eyes, reflecting all the hope she had. Li Luo really knew how to give pleasant surprises. When she first got close to him, her true aim was to rope Jiang Qing''e in. Li Luo and Qing''e had a complicated relationship, and thus she wanted to use him to curry favor with Jiang Qing''e. Who would have expected that House Luolans Young Lord would be the harbinger of miracles that far surpassed her initial plans? This could very well be the best investment she would ever make. "Li Luo! Do your best!" The First Princess clenched her fists, and her phoenix-like eyes blazed with light as she focused on Li Luo. She looked like a fangirl that had been smitten by her idol, and all of her hopes and dreams now depended on Li Luo. .. Amongst the shocked gazes of the audience, the Regent, who was the target of the terrifying blade light, had an incredibly ugly expression. His eyelids seemed to be twitching anxiously as this strike was even more intimidating than the previous one. This was all because of the presence of the Triple Resonance Saintly Ring. It contained the true power of triple resonances. Although it was a crude imitation of what an actual King could display, Pang Qianyuan''s power allowed Li Luo''s single strike to carry an impending sense of death. Still, he naturally did not want to die! He had plotted for countless years, and today was the day he could finally begin the execution of his plan. "I''ve already activated the heart bell! Why have you not interfered with Pang Qianyuan''s assistance?" The Regent frowned. Today was supposed to mark the reversal of his fortune, and he had even prepared countless countermeasures for every possible scenario, including Pang Qianyuan''s personal appearance! Of course, he wouldn''t actually have to do much in that situationhe could only rely on the power behind him. As his mind turned, the Regent did not hesitate to form a hand seal with both hands. Five massive, mountain-like Duke Bergfrieds appeared right behind him in his world space, bringing about an absolute sense of pressure. At the same time, the five-story golden pagoda crown had appeared atop his head, releasing rays of golden light. Peng! The Regent''s face was cold as he pressed down on the violet mark on the golden crown. Immediately after, the crown blazed with a magical flame and very quickly melted into layer after layer of golden light, manifesting an actual five story golden pagoda that enveloped his entire body. Swish! On the viewing platform, countless individuals sucked in a deep breath with a look of pain at this sight. The Regent had sacrificed his precious violet-eye treasured artifact to block Li Luo''s blow! A lavish sum of wealth had just been burned up! At the same time, they could understand that the Regent had been backed into a corner. While the cataclysmic confrontation broke out within the royal palace. Within the Astral Sage College, by a clear lake. Shen Jinxiao, who was sleepily fishing by the lake, opened his eyes. The light refracted off the lakes surface twisted to form the shape of an individual. This silhouette had dual pupils of gold and silver that were both extraordinarily strange and eye-catching. He stared at the fishing Shen Jinxiao with a slight smile. "Shen Jinxiao, have you completed your preparations?" Chapter 0691: Uproar within the College Chapter 0691: Uproar within the College Shen Jinxiao looked at the youth who had made his way onto the shore of the lake and seemed to be in a daze for a moment. After which he sighed slightly. "You still came in the end." Shen Jinxiao stashed away the fishing rod in his hand as he stood up, glancing around the peaceful and idyllic college landscape. Not too far away were even some young and dashing students who were currently joyfully engaged in chatter as they walked past. These youthful figures gave off the feeling of an infinitely wonderful place they were in, bringing back pleasant nostalgic memories. "Truly a pity." Shen Jinxiao sighed. The youth with gold and silver dual pupils laughed. "Your crocodile tears are just too funny. How about I give you a chance to be a good guy then. Do you want to back out now?" Shen Jinxiao grinned in response. "My lord, your offer of mercy doesn''t seem very believable." The youth nodded his head. "This is what I like about you. You''re much more ruthless compared to me. After being in Astral Sage College for so long, if you were a normal person, you''d naturally have developed emotions for the people and things here. However it looks like you will still act without hesitation." Shen Jinxiao did not agree nor disagree. "Everyone has their own aims and for the sake of my goals, no matter how beautiful the scenery is along the way, these are just fleeting. I will keep these memories in mind and there is no need to be shaken. What I truly want is to embark on the path of a King. Astral Sage College cannot provide me with this so I will naturally have to seek another path." "Your objectives are in line with ours as well." The youth grinned satisfactorily. "You can rest relaxed, our plans far exceed your greatest imagination and if you are able to join us, you will definitely get what you want in future." Shen Jinxiao nodded his head as he added. "I would like to request that Jiang Qing''e''s ninth-grade light resonance heart be given to me." The youth replied nonchalantly. "When things are in full swing, no one will be able to block us. House Luolan''s defensive ward will similarly be helpless and will lose its protectiveness. At that point in time, you can easily deal with those brats as you wish. Let''s go. Now that we have finished our long years of preparations, its time to move." Shen Jinxiao turned to lead the way. The location? The Tree of Resonant Power. The youth followed beside Shen Jinxiao and as he sauntered over, he sized up his surroundings with interest. Along the way they even met some students who greeted Shen Jinxiao respectfully before giving some curious stares at the youth beside him. They wondered who this mysterious stranger could be but in light of their respect for Shen Jinxiao, they didn''t give it further thought. With Shen Jinxiao''s guidance, the youth finally reached the centre of the college where the majestic Tree of Resonant Power quietly stood upright, it''s lush branches and leaves spread out like a massive umbrella sheltering the entire college. The high grade Tree of Resonant Power was also the foundation of a sage college. The entire college''s basis was closely associated with it. As per the Academic Federation''s rules, once a sage college lost their Tree of Resonant Power, the college would also be stripped of its title as a sage college and become a normal college. At the same time, they would also lose the support and resources provided by the Academic Federation. "The Academic Federation has utilized some special methods to cultivate this tree. Alas it is one of their most tightly guarded secrets as to nurture such a tree would require a sea of resources." The youth sighed as he observed the gigantic tree. After which he smiled and the next few words which came from him were chilling. "Wasting such a treasure is truly a pity." When the two appeared before the Tree of Resonant Power, it had also attracted some attention as the Violet Vibrance mentor guarding the Tree of Resonant Power descended from the sky, landing before them. This mentor frowned as he glanced at Shen Jinxiao before turning towards the mysterious youth. "Mentor Shen Jinxiao, who might this be? This is a core location of the college and based on the rules, you are not allowed to bring anyone here. Did you obtain Vice principal''s permission to do so?" The mentor asked with suspicion. The youth revealed a warm smile. "It was Vice principal Su Xin who allowed me to come here." "Do you have her plaque?" The Violet Vibrance mentor asked as per accordance with the rules. "Yes." The youth''s smiled even more kindly as he raised his hand and the Violet Vibrance mentor looked at it. Simultaneously a profound light shone from the youth''s eyes and within that light, ice and fire seemed to roil within, seemingly fusing elements of extreme heat and cold together, creating a certain magical charm which would assimilate anything that fell into it. The mysterious icefire light had struck too quickly and the Violet Vibrance mentor only had a brief moment to form a thin protective barrier. However the resonant power he had summoned was completely unable to halt this strange light as it began to directly circle around the mentor. Shock was seen within the Violet Vibrance mentor''s eyes and before he could even utter a sound, his entire body had been disintegrated into a pool of blood. Shen Jinxiao quietly watched this scene as his eyes squinted. This lord''s strength was terrifying. Although the Violet Vibrance mentor was a first-grade Duke and was caught off guard, being able to kill someone without them able to resist was shocking. Additionally, this was still a Duke! If he were to be placed anywhere else, he too would be a powerhouse in his own right. The pungent pool of blood seeped into the ground and it was at that point where some of the students in the Tree of Resonant Power''s vicinity suddenly noticed the disturbance. Unfortunately they were quite panicky as some had even personally witnessed their mentor being melted down into a pool of blood! However they were able to regain their composure in a small amount of time. It was not that they were slow witted but they would never have expected that someone would barge into a sage college brazenly and commit murder! Much less murder a Violet Vibrance mentor! The youth then glanced at the students who were standing in a daze as he gave another warm smile. "Children, stop watching idly. Hurry and run! Astral Sage College is about to be no more." Ah! Some of the students managed to snap out of their daze as certain horrified female students began to scream. Swoosh! Swoosh! The disturbance attracted the attention of other guarding Violet Vibrance mentors. Worldly natural energy began to tremble as several beams of light pierced through the air and several figures floated in the air. They looked at the Shen Jinxiao and the youth with suspicion. "Shen Jinxiao what are you doing?!" A red headed female exhorted. It was Jiang Qing''e''s mentor Huo Xu. "Mentor! Mentor! They''ve killed Mentor Zhao!" Some students fearfully cried out as they trembled. Mentor Huo Xu saw the pool of blood as her expression turned steely and her gaze blazed with fury towards the youth. "You are truly courageous. You actually dare to barge into our Astral Sage College and commit wanton murder? Since the founding of this college, I have never seen someone act as rampantly as you!" The youth replied nonchalantly. "Well since there weren''t any in the past, then congratulations, you have seen one now." He then tiled his head slightly as he glanced at Mentor Huo Xu with a sweet smile. "Still, there might no longer be an Astral Sage College within the Xia Kingdom after today." "You mad man!" Mentor Huo Xu was so aggravated that her fiery red hair seemed to ignite into flames. In her entire life, she had never seen such a crazy and violent individual. He actually dared to make the ridiculous claim that Astral Sage College would be wiped off the map? "Capture him. If he resists, kill him!" Mentor Huo Xu commanded. The countless Violet Vibrance mentors similarly surrounded the youth with unfriendly expressions as strong waves of resonant power burst out from their bodies, causing the void to tremble. At the same time, one after another summoned duke bergfrieds which manifested behind their bodies. Even when encircled by countless Dukes, the youth only grinned, seemingly unconcerned. He joined his hands together as his ten fingers formed a strange handseal. At the same time his mouth moved very slightly, as though he was whispering some sort of magic spell, making a series of disturbing noises. Once the sounds rang out, some of the surrounding Violet Vibrance mentors felt their bodies freeze as their faces showed pained expressions. It looked as though something was trying to drill out from the depths of their flesh, squirming within their bodies. A moment later, something crawled into the depths of their eyeballs. These Violet Vibrance mentor''s eyes gradually turned pale white before a weird black fish that gave off a frigid aura seemed to take shape within their eyes, swimming gaily within. With the appearance of the black fish, these Violet Vibrance mentor seemed to have lost their sense of self and will. At the same time they blazed with resonant power and before the countless terrified eyes of the students watching, began to unreservedly attack the mentors next to them. Bang! Utter chaos unfolded. Chapter 0692: The Source of Corruption Chapter 0692: The Source of Corruption Bang! The sudden loss of control of certain Violet Vibrance mentors was clearly beyond expectations. The other mentors who had not been corrupted were completely unable to react in time and were struck by the attacks of their colleagues. Pssssssh! A few Violet Vibrance mentors spat out blood as they were knocked down into the ground, leaving behind several deep indents. Looking at their bloodied bodies, it seemed as though the injuries they suffered were not light. This sudden change had occurred before the students as terror overcame them. They were all scared stiff and stared at this scene in horror, not knowing how to react. This was something that had never happened in the history of the college. Mentor Huo Xu had not been affected but the anger rising within her eyes was gradually being taken over by sheer fear. As she looked at her fellow colleagues who now had twisted and distorted expressions with pale white eyes. Their entire bodies seemed to be covered with a frightening aura of corruption. This was not foreign to her. It was the sign of being corrupted by the Others. Still, how could an Other actually corrupt Duke stage experts? As she had this question in mind, she noticed a strange black fish swimming within the corrupted Violet Vibrance mentor''s eyes. The revelation that struck her caused a chill to run through her body. This was the Umbra Cave''s Ichythian King...? Wasn''t this Other King being held back by the principal? When had it corrupted these Violet Vibrance mentors? How could the seeds of corruption have been planted without anyone noticing it after significant and rigorous screening and testings? This made no sense at all. Even if it was an Other King that was comparable to a King stage expert, it would not be easy to pull off such a task without the principal noticing. "It looks like your heart is full of suspicion and questions." The youth grinned as he stared at the furious and surprised Huo Xu. "Ah, how did we do it? Well we have to thank Shen Jinxiao. None of you could have ever imagined that within the college, there was a Violet Vibrance mentor who had willingly chosen to form a contract with the Ichythian King. With him as the medium, year after year of time caused corruption to gradually seep in. You naturally would never have noticed that such a seed of corruption would have taken root within these mentors. Even if Pang Qianyuan possesses earthshaking abilities, he still cannot read a person''s heart." Listening to the words of the youth caused Huo Xu to feel so enraged her entire body was trembling as she rushed at Shen Jinxiao whilst bellowing. "Shen Jinxiao! You will not die a good death!" She had never expected that Shen Jinxiao had long established a contract with the Ichythian King. This scumbag had a heart full of evil intent and after being lured in by the Ichythian King, was even willing to become his medium and spread the seeds of corruption. This was a truly hateful man. Seeing Huo Xu''s incensed gaze, Shen Jinxiao helplessly smiled. "My lord, why''d you have to expose me and pull the carpet from under me? Do you really think that I have any other choice at this point?" The youth smiled. "Of course not. I simply wanted her to understand. You don''t have to care in any case. After today, Astral Sage College will cease to exist and all their resentment and anger is meaningless." With that the youth waved his hand and the corrupted Violet Vibrance mentor released feral grunts and roars before pouncing towards the other Violet Vibrance mentors, intent on taking their lives. One after another awe inspiring duke bergfried''s took form and descended into the world. "All of the Violet Vibrance mentors of the college, halt your cultivation and hurry over to defend the college!" "Gold Gleam and Silver Spark mentors, quickly escort the students away!" "Inform the Vice principal!" Seeing the chaotic development of the situation, Mentor Huo Xu hurriedly issued a series of commands as she felt a sense of coldness within her body. She knew that Astral Sage College was very possibly facing an existential crisis, one the likes of which had never been seen before. ... BOOM! In the white jade square, the blade shrouded with the Triple Resonance Saintly Ring had hacked down and left behind a massive gash across the void. It then directly struck down upon the five storey golden pagoda that had now engulfed the Regent. An unimaginably titanic energy tempest exploded outwards upon collision as the thick clouds in the sky were shredded apart brutally by sheer force. This energy tempest almost raged across the entirety of Xia City''s sky, bringing about countless thunderous booms. If Li Luo and the Regent had not purposedly chosen to settle their conflict in an area outside the city, this confrontation could have destroyed the entire Xia City as collateral damage. Everyone was focused upon the point of the collision. Crack! A light sound rang out before cracks quickly appeared all over the golden pagoda. The pulsing triple resonance power seemed to be the world''s most fearsome form of energy. Even with the Regent using a sacrificial ignition on a violet-eye treasured artifact, it was insufficient to stop this attack. In the end, the blade light''s vicious strike completely decimated the golden pagoda. At the same time, the Regent quickly manifested numerous afterimages in the void which then began to retreat swiftly in every direction. Unfortunately as the blade light continued to descend, the countless fleeing afterimages were crushed by the imposing strike and shortly after, the remaining afterimages began to condense back into a single body as the Regent reappeared several h hundreds of meters away in mid air. The current him had the gloomiest expression known to mankind and a bloody streak could be seen on his chest. Although the five storey golden pagoda had managed to block a significant portion of the triple resonance power, just the remainder was sufficient to penetrate his own resonant power defenses and leave behind an injury. "The reputation of triple resonances are well-deserved." The Regent forlornly commented. The triple resonance power that Li Luo had managed to control with the aid of Pang Qianyuan''s assistance was rudimentary but even so, it was able to suppress the Regent and his dual resonances was powerless in the face of superior might. They were fundamentally on different levels. Perhaps when Dukes faced off against a King, it was no different from a Heavenly Dipper General challenging a Duke. The former could only look up at the latter. "Wow! You''re a hardy one." Li Luo saw that the Regent had managed to survive his blow and was not surprised. Gong Yuan was impressive. He was ultimately still a fifth-grade Duke and yet under the might of triple resonance power, he only suffered a wound that was neither heavy nor light and that was testament to his abilities. "Since one blade only shattered a single violet-eye treasured artifact, what about another two?" Li Luo''s smile turned chilly. Although he was using principal Pang''s transmitted power to intimidate someone, being able to torment a Duke did give him some degree of satisfaction. He tightly grasped the Onyx-Elephant Blade and began to activate his triple resonances. At the same time, frighteningly powerful energy began to transmit from his blade. However just before Li Luo was about to continue hitting the Regent who was already down, he felt a commotion behind him which was accompanied by the aura of corruption which erupted at that very moment. "Other?!" This aura of corruption was also something familiar to Li Luo. His heart trembled as he hurriedly turned towards the source of it. The sight caused his eyes to shrink as he saw mentor Chi Chan clutching her cheek. Thick amounts of corruption like a black fog was rising from her body. It looked as though the corruption within her body was flaring up. This change caused everyone''s expression to change. As they glanced at mentor Chi Chan, they were completely appalled and at a loss for words. "Other corruption?" The Regent on the other hand began to bellow virtuously. "Li Luo! So it looks like you have been collaborating with the Others! Chi Chan is a person of House Luolan. Now that she has been corrupted by the Others, the House lord himself will also have to bear the blame!" The expressions of the individuals within the viewing area also became solemn. If Chi Chan had been corrupted by the Others, she would definitely have to be dealt with today. If House Luolan was found to have collaborated with them, it would undoubtedly give rise to public criticism. The Others were known to be humanity''s greatest enemy and any human who fraternized with them would be considered to have committed the gravest of sin. One that was unpardonable. Chapter 0693: Suppressing the Ichthyic Curse Chapter 0693: Suppressing the Ichthyic Curse The Regent''s venomous words caused numerous glances to be shot towards Li Luo. Chi Chan and Li Luo had a close and complicated relationship after all. One had to remember that during the House Luolan Housemeet, she had resigned as a mentor to assist them, which demonstrated the special relationship between them. Now that Chi Chan was showing signs of corruption, everyone had to wonder if it had anything to do with House Luolan. This did raise the suspicion of some. The sudden change had also broken Li Luo''s single-minded focus in exterminating the Regent. Mentor Chi Chan''s situation was definitely one that warranted greater attention, so Li Luo flashed away and appeared before House Luolan''s area. He made his way to Jiang Qing''e''s side. She was also wearing a frown as she stared at Mentor Chi Chan. Her veil had long fallen off, and her pretty face that exuded intellectual elegance was now filled with the countenance of pain. One hand was clutching half of her face, and her body was trembling in agony. Li Luo knew that the half of the face she was clutching was where the Ichthyic curse was situated. It was said that the Ichythian King sealed at the bottom of the Umbra Cave was the one that had left this mark on her. The last time it had a flare up was when Mentor Chi Chan had assisted Li Luo with the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. Was the curse about to completely erupt this time? The thick corruption that was wafting from her was a sight that alarmed the people all around. Jiang Qing''e was constantly forming hand seals and channeling the light resonant energy from within her to purify it. Her energy turned into bright runes that contained immense purificative powers which then landed upon Chi Chan''s body, slightly alleviating the effect of the corruption. Clearly, Jiang Qing''es ninth-grade light resonance possessed enough purification prowess to have some effect. It was a pity that she was only at the Heavenly Pearl Stage. Even someone like Mentor Chi Chan was unable to suppress the effects of the corruption herself, so her efforts were like using a cup of water to put out a burning cart. After a moment, Jiang Qing''e sighed. "I can''t suppress it." "I recommend that we act together to quell this disaster, to prevent the corruption from further erupting and causing even greater damage." Zhu Qinghuo''s icy voice rang out as he stared like a tiger watching his prey. He definitely did not have any good intentions. Now that Chi Chan had joined House Luolan, getting rid of her would severely hamper House Luolan''s influence. This suggestion incited several agreements from the crowd. The disturbance unsettled the crowd, and they had a deep fear of the Others. "This is a matter of House Luolan. There is no need for your involvement." Li Luo coldly stared at Zhu Qinghuo. Being subject to Li Luo''s defiant gaze frustrated Zhu Qinghuo. This piddly Fiend Palace Tier brat is just borrowing Pang Qianyuan''s strength! Where did he gain the right to make such a decision? He is young and merely borrowing the might of the tiger! "If Chi Chan''s corruption leaks out, it will no longer just be House Luolans issue. Are you willing to bear the consequences?" Zhu Qinghuo gave a chilly smile. Whilst the two confronted each other with barbs, Vice Principal Su Xin hurriedly made her way over with a solemn expression and said to all of the leaders that were present, "Mentor Chi Chan''s corruption is the sequelae of a purging mission conducted within the Umbra Cave in the past. She was injured by the Ichythian King and was hit with his curse. Thus, the situation here does not have anything to do with House Luolan. I''d advise everyone to not make wild assumptions on this matter. Suppressing the Others within the Umbra Cave is done for the sake of the Xia Kingdom''s peace. All of you can be considered to have benefited from this. Although it is the responsibility of the Astral Sage College, I hope that the people here can treat the people injured within the Umbra Cave with more kindness. Do not deem them as Others without reason, give them a chance to survive. In any case, they have not been fully corrupted and turned into Others." Zhu Qinghuo''s expression turned rigid upon hearing Vice Principal Su Xin''s blunt words, which were clearly intended for him. At the end of the day, he was still fearful of the Astral Sage College and Su Xin and thus did not say any more, only laughing dryly. The rest of the leaders similarly felt a little embarrassed, but they thickened their skins as they worriedly asked, "In this case, do you have a solution, Vice Principal Su Xin?" Su Xin glanced at Chi Chan and frowned. She did not understand why Chi Chan''s curse had suddenly flared up either. After pondering over a solution briefly, Su Xin said, "Li Luo, I will need to rely on you. It''s fortunate that you possess the Principal''s might. I wish to use that to suppress the Ichythian curse. Only a King with triple resonances can do so." After which, she paused, supplementing her words. "However, if you do this, you will exhaust the strength the Principal has provided to you." Then she shot a glance towards the Regent. The two already possessed irreconcilable differences, and if things continued on this course, it was possible that Li Luo might accomplish his goal of dealing with him. Unfortunately, Chi Chan''s issue had put a stop to Li Luo''s plans. If Li Luo were to assist Chi Chan in suppressing the Ichthyic curse, it would provide the Regent with a significant amount of breathing room. Li Luo casually replied, "There''s no rush. Let him catch a breath of two. Once we''ve settled this problem, I''ll get rid of him." Although dealing with the Regent was important, Chi Chan had assisted Li Luo with so much more. If he disregarded her life and instead focused on finishing off the Regent, it would simply be too coldhearted, and it was something he was unwilling to do. Vice Principal Su Xin did not show it on her face, but her heart approved of Li Luo''s decision. The brat had a good personality and knew how to repay gratitude. Otherwise, her decision in letting Chi Chan provide assistance would have been in vain. A white-eyed wolf who did not know how to repay grace and didnt treasure relationships was not worth nurturing nor protecting, no matter how much talent they possessed. Vice Principal Su Xin then turned towards the Regent. "Regent, my college does not wish to interfere in the affairs of the royal court. However, the situation is that Chi Chan''s corruption outburst requires Li Luo''s assistance in suppressing. Thus, I beseech you to not act blindly without thinking. Once this corruption has been dealt with, you can continue with what you wish to do." The Regent frowned. "Vice Principal Su Xin, Chi Chan has already left your college. There is no reason for you to protect her." no(????(e)lbi????.n(et If Li Luo took the opportunity to assist Chi Chan, it would be a great opportunity for the Regent to strike. However, as Vice Principal Su Xin had said, he was advised to not take advantage of it to create any trouble. "Regent, the corruption''s eruption will affect the wellbeing of the entire city. This would not be beneficial for anyone, not even you. Thus, this matter should not be delayed. However, if you do have a way of suppressing the Ichthyic curse, please do go ahead. Otherwise, quietly sit by and wait for Li Luo to finish dealing with it," Yu Hongxi suddenly said from the Golden Dragon Bank''s side. Her opinion was met with a flurry of activity. The Golden Dragon Bank was also a super power of the Xia Kingdom, one no weaker than the school or the royal court. If even Yu Hongxi agreed with Vice Principal Su Xin''s intention, then the Regent could only sit by idly. "Does the Golden Dragon Bank want to end their neutral stance?" the Regent gloomily asked. This was met with Yu Hongxi''s placid answer. "The Golden Dragon Bank''s neutrality is something that will never change. However, if the corruption were to spread, how could we do business? In our eyes, resolving this issue is a priority. Whoever wants to interfere will be infringing upon our interests." Her words were logical and reasonable. Whether it was the Regent or the First Princess, whoever took power didn''t really matter to them. At the end of the day, they could still do business with them. Alas, it would not be as simple if the corruption spread and the Others took over. How could they deal with them? The Regent''s eyelids twitched slightly as Yu Hongxi''s reason was truly airtight. In the end, he could only snort coldly. Li Luo, on the other hand, had completely ignored the Regent, quickly rushing to Chi Chan''s side and grasping her tender, jade-like hand with one hand whilst the other held on to the Onyx-Elephant Blade. A moment later, he roused the mighty energy emitted from the blade. The Triple Resonance Saintly Ring appeared on his forearm with mystical radiance before being directed into Chi Chan''s body. The Triple Resonance Saintly Ring continued to revolve, emitting a suction effect that sucked the corruption out of Chi Chan''s body. It was directly being absorbed into the ring itself. Once assimilated within, the corruption was directly disintegrated with no trace left behind. It was indeed as Su Xin had said. Triple resonances were capable of suppressing the Ichthyic curse. As time passed, the corruption coming from Chi Chan''s body began to reduce. Once the last trace was purified by the Triple Resonance Saintly Ring, the ring turned into a beam of light and imprinted itself onto Chi Chan''s eye, forming a tri-colored circle that surrounded a small, black fish. In the end, the black fish stopped struggling and gradually turned illusory before once again becoming a tattoo on her cheek. When Vice Principal Su Xin and the rest saw this, they let out sighs of relief. On the other hand, a hint of clarity resurfaced within Chi Chan''s eyes as she awoke. The first thing she did was hurriedly say, "Vice Principal! There is a disturbance within the college. Someone triggered the Ichythian curse on purpose, and their aim is to destroy the Tree of Resonant Power!" During that brief moment where she was overcome with corruption, she had seen visions of what was happening within the college through a strange connection. Her distressing words were like a thunderclap ringing in everyone''s ears. Even Vice Principal Su Xin, Yu Hongxi, and the rest went pale at the implication of those words. Chapter 0694: Gathering Strength Chapter 0694: Gathering Strength Her words had caused everyone''s expressions to change. No one had expected that someone would have the gall to do something as insane as destroying the Astral Sage College''s Tree of Resonant Power! Just who would be so despicable and mad? "The college''s Tree of Resonant Power suppresses the Umbra Cave. Once the tree is destroyed, the Umbra Cave will be unsealed. Although the Principal is holding down the depths of the Umbra Cave, he has similarly been kept at bay by the Ichythian King for all these years. Someone choosing to act now is definitely plotting an even larger conspiracy!" Vice Principal Su Xin''s expression turned icy, and fury could be seen within her usually genial gaze. "Whoever dares to carry out such a plot must definitely be a power beyond our imagination that is targeting the Xia Kingdom! Everyone, once the Umbra Cave unseals, it will cause an Other Disaster. At that point in time, countless Others will flood our lands and the entire Xia Kingdom will never again have a day of peace!" This stark warning caused solemn expressions to form on the people present. The pressure of the Others was frightening, and they were very clear of the consequences. Other Disasters occasionally erupted in the East Divine Continent, and even a flourishing and mighty kingdom could be reduced into a barren wasteland in a short span of time. This was the most frightening calamity that could descend upon the land, more so than any natural one. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e looked at each other with a frown. They had just returned from the Blackwind Empire during the Holy Grail Meet. The horrific scenes were still fresh in their minds, and they didn''t want to imagine the consequences if the same were to happen to the Xia Kingdom. The Xia Kingdom was their homeland, and they held deep feelings and memories for it. Thus, they were unwilling to see the bustling and flourishing Xia Kingdom turn into hell on earth. "Everyone, I hope you will put down your weapons and set aside your struggles to assist the Astral Sage College wholeheartedly." Vice Principal Su Xin swept her gaze across the crowd, giving an extra look towards the Regent and the First Princess. "This includes today''s coronation ceremony. I would suggest postponing it to a future date." A power that was not afraid to plot against the Astral Sage College would not have come from the Xia Kingdom. The powers within the Xia Kingdom that could compare with them, the royal court and the Golden Dragon Bank, didn''t have such overbearing might and had no reason to destroy the Tree of Resonant Power to unseal the Umbra Cave. Once the Others came spilling out, every single power within the Xia Kingdom would be affected as those creatures blindly rushed at them. As a result, there was only one possibility: it was a power from outside the Xia Kingdom. Additionally, the strength possessed by this power had to be terrifying. This sudden chain of events must have definitely been planned for quite some time, and the college hadn''t even caught wind of the situation at all. This spoke volumes about their strength, able to conceal information even at this crucial point in time. Vice Principal Su Xin could already imagine that a massive black hand already held the entire college in its grasp. This was a chilling thought. Unfortunately, she did not have much confidence in warding off this hand in the shadows alone. The Astral Sage College was one of the most mighty factions in the kingdom, and they were in trouble despite their deep foundation. Thus, she had to rely on the assistance of the other powers in the Xia Kingdom. The First Princess paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. "The Tree of Resonant Power''s protection is of utmost importance. I''m willing to accede to the Vice Principal''s suggestion." The coronation ceremony was important, but the Umbra Cave was even more so. No matter how bitter the struggle between she and Gong Yuan was, the royal court was still surnamed Gong. If the Others were let to run rampant and an Other Disaster struck the Xia Kingdom, then both the Gong family and the kingdom would be left in ashes. At that point in time, she would be too ashamed to face her ancestors if she died. The Regent''s expression remained unchanged, but his heart was not as calm. The others may not know who the culprits were, but he definitely knew. His allies had clearly taken action. However, this was also out of his expectations as he never expected them to act against the Tree of Resonant Power. The Regent''s heart was shaken. He knew that the dual pupil youth was backed by an unimaginably powerful faction. At the same time, the youth had given his word that Pang Qianyuan would not be able to be present at the coronation ceremony. Even if Pang Qianyuan had other means to interfere, they would ensure that he would be stopped. Could it be that their plan to restrain him was to completely remove the Tree of Resonant Power from existence? If that was the case, what about the Umbra Cave? If the Others were to pour out, then the resulting calamity would be hard to fathom. Countless prosperous and thriving kingdoms throughout the East Divine Continent had been ravaged by Others in recent years, leaving their populace in a terrible state. "What are they trying to do?" the Regent asked himself. The current situation seemed to be out of his control, but he couldnt let Vice Principal Su Xin know about the gold and silver pupil youth. Once it was known that they were of the same faction, they would all rally against him and he would no longer have any standing amongst the group. "What Vice Principal Su Xin says is right. We need to be able to differentiate what''s important, and the Xia Kingdom''s very existence is related to the Umbra Cave''s stability. No matter who is behind this, they will become an enemy of the Xia Kingdom!" The Regent declared his stance as Su Xin continued to stare at him. If he did not agree at this point, it would naturally arouse suspicion. Yu Hongxi looked at Vice Principal Su Xin as she said, "We of the Golden Dragon Bank will do our best to assist." "Thank you, President Yu," Vice Principal Su Xin said sincerely. The Golden Dragon Bank was equally mighty, and their assistance would bolster their forces immensely. The rest of the powers similarly declared their intention to assist. "Li Luo, you currently have a connection with the Principal. I need you to relay the information regarding the situation here to him," Vice Principal Su Xin sternly said to Li Luo. The current predicament was on a scale unlike anything ever seen before. The opponent had come well prepared, and even if she gathered half of the Xia Kingdom''s strongest forces, she would be confident that they would succeed. Thus, she definitely had to reach out to the Principal. "I dont think there''s a need to do so," Li Luo replied as he hefted the Onyx-Elephant Blade in his hand. Everyone could see that the Triple Resonance Saintly Ring had already quietly dissipated and that the frightening energy that intimidated even Dukes had receded. Clearly, Principal Pang had retracted his power on his own. Looking at the situation, he must have known that something had happened in the outside world and was determined to deal with the problem on his end wholeheartedly, possibly to return quickly. Vice Principal Su Xin pursued her lips when she saw this. She felt a sense of heaviness deep within her heart. Todays events were simply too massive, and even someone as resilient as her could feel a pressing sense of foreboding pressure. The Astral Sage College was now in a time of crisis. "Everyone, let us go. No matter who it is, whoever wishes to open the Umbra Cave will face our wrath!" Vice Principal Su Xin''s visage was frosty like the deep of winter as a baleful look appeared in her eyes, her tone full of murderous intent. As her voice resounded throughout the crowd, mighty resonant power burst out from her body before she flashed away like a beam of light, directly headed towards the Astral Sage College. The rest of the Dukes similarly took action and turned into beams of light that arced across the sky in close pursuit. "Li Luo, thank you for what you''ve done." Mentor Chi Chan was one of the last to leave, and she expressed her gratitude to Li Luo. "Mentor, there''s no need to be so polite. You''ve helped me out of so many predicaments, while all Ive ever done was borrow the Principal''s power." Li Luo hurriedly explained. She faintly touched her pristine, white cheek, which now showed the Ichthyic curse mark being surrounded by a ring of tri-colored light, her expression a little dismayed. The Ichythian King''s curse was frightening. Ever since she had been afflicted by it, it was like gangrene that had infected the bone, bringing about endless torture. If not for Li Luo being able to wield triple resonance power, it would have been very hard to suppress the outbreak of the Ichthyic curse. The likely result would have been her death at the hands of Vice Principal Su Xin, all to prevent the corruption from leaking any further. "Mentor, can''t you get rid of it?" Li Luo asked. He knew that the Ichthyic curse had also become a blight upon her soul. "This is the Ichythian King''s Origin Fate Curse. Cleansing it completely would require the assistance of a King Stage expert. Principal Pang is the only one in the Xia Kingdom who could do it. Alas, the Principal has spent all these years in the depths of the Umbra Cave, and there was no opportunity to dispel it." Chi Chan bitterly smiled. Li Luo sighed, not knowing how to console her. "Do you want to go to the college to take a look?" Mentor Chi Chan no longer harped on that topic, changing it to something else. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e faced each other momentarily and then nodded. The situation with the Umbra Cave was critical and would determine the survival of the Xia Kingdom. Thus, even though they knew that they would not be very helpful, they would still like to be kept abreast of any developments. This was why they made the decision to go there. "I''ll bring you over, then." Chi Chan stretched out her hands and grabbed both their wrists before zooming into the sky like a beam of light. As they dashed through the sky, Li Luo looked down upon the now tiny-looking Xia City with complicated thoughts. Similarly, the people of Xia City were looking into the sky whilst remaining in the dark about what was happening. The city continued to bustle with activity as though nothing was wrong. Li Luo simply didn''t know if this wondrous city of memories would continue to remain as peaceful and prosperous as it was today. Everything that had happened was completely beyond anyone''s wildest expectations. Chapter 0695: College Disaster Chapter 0695: College Disaster Astral Sage College The usually auspicious and harmonious atmosphere had turned into one that was chaotic and fear-inducing. The Gold Gleam and Silver Spark mentors were anxious and frightened, constantly directing students to evacuate from the college. Terrifying fluctuations of energy could be felt from the direction of the Tree of Resonant Power as the experts clashed. A battle of this level was like a calamity come to life. Even though they were a distance away, they could feel a suffocating sense of oppression by merely being in that direction. It was the Violet Vibrance mentors who were now attempting to intercept the mysterious invaders. The Astral Sage College''s students were the Xia Kingdom''s most talented cream of the crop. They were chosen through rigorous selections and assessments before being able to enter the best college in the Xia Kingdom. After a few years, the youths would shed their immaturity and then become independent elites when released into the greater world. Unfortunately, the developments of today were not something they had the right or the strength to interfere in. Even the Gold Gleam mentors were relegated to the periphery, only to maintain order. In the outskirts of the college, Yu Lang, Bai Mengmeng, Bai Mengmeng, Zhao Kuo, and the rest of the One Star Hall students had gathered as they watched the changing situation. Even the usually thick-skinned Yu Lang seemed a little panicked. "Mentor, who would actually dare to assault the Astral Sage College?" Bai Doudou tightly clutched her prized spear as she blurted out the question. Even till now, she was in complete disbelief. There were individuals crazy enough to cause chaos within the Astral Sage College? One had to know that this was the location with the greatest number of Duke experts in the kingdom. No power within the Xia Kingdom would dare to idly set foot on their grounds. The Bai family she was part of was also considered a lineage with a deep-rooted foundation, but what that meant was that she had an even better understanding of the monolith known as the Astral Sage College. "I don''t know. All of the Violet Vibrance mentors have rushed over, and Vice Principal Su Xin and the rest are participating in the royal coronation ceremony. I believe they have received the news already and are on their way back. The situation is very dangerous and the enemy is terrifyingly strong. If you''re caught up in the aftermath, you will likely be fatally injured, so you must retreat to a safer area," one of the Gold Gleam mentors escorting them stated anxiously. He himself was shocked, but for the sake of consoling the students, he had to maintain a strong front and suppress his true emotions. He, too, felt that the situation was ludicrous. This was the first time something like this had happened in the Astral Sage College''s history. At the same time, he understood that the faction leading this invasion had to be unfathomably strong. Otherwise, the support of the countless Violet Vibrance mentors would have stabilized the situation and he would have gotten a message stating that everything was clear... Alas, no such message had come. This meant that the situation had likely gotten even worse. What sort of existence could be so domineering that even countless Violet Vibrance mentors were unable to resist? The Gold Gleam mentor''s eyes seemed a little overcast. Someone who dared to strike at the college would not merely be an individual, there had to be a terrifying power supporting him... "However, we still have Principal Pang, and all of these enemies will definitely be crushed if he comes!" The Gold Gleam mentor was reminded of the college''s supporting pillar, and some hope reignited within his heart as he continued to guide the students to a safer location. Astral Sage College, Tree of Resonant Power''s Vicinity The youth with dual pupils surveyed his surroundings. Countless beams of light exuding indomitable presences descended from the sky, attempting to launch an offensive on him, but they were quickly repelled by the corrupted Violet Vibrance mentors. The two sides clashed and fought bitterly. "Looking at the countless sage colleges in the East Divine Continent, the Astral Sage College''s foundation isn''t bad at all. If not for your assistance in insidiously laying these seeds of corruption, the sheer number of Violet Vibrance mentors alone would have caused me quite a bit of suffering and perhaps even taught me a lesson." The youth shook his head slightly as he praised the defenders. Shen Jinxiao gave a slight smile. "My Lord, you''re too humble. With the Origin Reversion Institute''s strength, extinguishing a sage college would be as easy as flipping over one''s hand." The youth sighed. "Secretly subverting things is the way we do it. Doing things directly and blatantly is simply too crude and lacks aesthetic sense." Shen Jinxiao grinned as he nodded in agreement. "However, I think that Vice Principal Su Xin is about to return. And Im sure she has rallied many allies to her cause," Shen Jinxiao reminded him. The youth cackled. "Just a group of miscreants. We have plotted for so many years, so how could they possibly resist it so easily? The Astral Sage College is definitely doomed today." "What about Pang Qianyuan?" Shen Jinxiao curiously asked. When it came to absolute strength, no one in the Xia Kingdom was of concern except for Principal Pang. That man possessed enough power to turn the tides. The youth smiled indifferently as he replied with utter self-confidence, "The Xia Kingdom is an important aspect of our plan. Perhaps even Pang Qianyuan would never have expected this. He will not be able to resist either." He no longer explained any more details to Shen Jinxiao, only continuing to walk towards the majestic Tree of Resonant Power. With each step he took, the Tree of Resonant Power seemed to become more alive, feeling an intense premonition of danger. A moment later, sparkling, translucent, green light poured out of it, converging into a massive stream that seemed to form a dark-green talisman almost a hundred meters tall. This ancient and cryptic talisman then began to radiate endless rays of light. At the same time, the worldly natural energy surrounding it started to be endlessly absorbed. It gave off an absolute sense of suppression, causing even the void itself to begin to shatter. Shen Jinxiao was forced to a halt as he glanced at the dark-green talisman with a heavy expression. "I once heard that the Tree of Resonant Power possesses a protective talisman that was passed down by the Academic Federation. Now that I''ve seen it in the flesh, my horizons have been broadened." Even he could feel a foreboding sense of danger emanating from the talisman, and he understood that it could exert a force that he would be unable to defend against. "This is the final protective measure the Academic Federation has bestowed upon this high-grade Tree of Resonant Power. Its power is so extraordinary that even I would not dare to touch it," the youth said as he nodded in agreement. But at the same time, he raised his palm, and the pocket sphere on his wrist flashed. A black jade bottle appeared atop his palm. The bottle''s surface was engraved with an endless number of complicated runic patterns, almost as though it was sealing something within. Shen Jinxiao could feel that the temperature around him had soared at this very moment as well. The youth formed a hand seal, and corresponding streaks of runic patterns shot forth, landing atop the bottle''s surface and causing the existing patterns to glow brilliantly. In the end, all of the runic patterns began to shift and condense at the neck of the bottle, slowly unraveling the thin film of black light that kept the bottle sealed. The moment the bottle was unsealed, a single wisp of black flame slowly floated into the air. The wisp rose with the wind and then quickly transformed into a rotating lotus made of black flames. It emanated a fiendish air, and wriggling lines could be seen atop every flaming petal. If one were to peer more closely, it even seemed to resemble innumerable tormented faces of pain, screaming in endless suffering. Shen Jinxiao''s eyes shrunk and he inadvertently took half a step back. The black fire lotus was extremely weird, and he felt uneasy merely being in its presence. It possessed a deathly aura that even a Duke would not dare to carelessly make contact with. "This is the Karmic Sinflame Lotus. It is the agglomeration of the world''s evil thoughts given physical form. Just brief contact with it would lead to it adhering to you, like gangrene attached to the bone. Even if you were to abandon your physical body, you would find it difficult to get rid of its purgatory flames. I''ve invested a lot into this for the sake of today." The youth gave a slight smile as he waved his hand slightly, causing the Karmic Sinflame Lotus to float up and directly touch the dark-green talisman. Pssh! At the moment of contact, space itself seemed to melt. Although the talisman exerted boundless power, all of its energy was restrained by the lotus. And as the flames fluttered in the wind, everything was burnt into ashes. In the short span of a few minutes, the fear-inducing talisman that had left Shen Jinxiao horrified had been disintegrated by the black lotus. Yet the lotus still remained after that. It then proceeded to fly towards the gigantic tree that upheld the efforts of countless students and mentors of the Astral Sage College. The youth grinned as he said to himself, "Burn and perish." Shen Jinxiao sighed as he stared at the Tree of Resonant Power. It was truly lamentable. This was the Astral Sage College''s strength and foundation. Who knew how many students and mentors had spent time cultivating here throughout the years before entering the Umbra Cave to do their part. Perhaps it was for the best. After this, the Astral Sage College''s students would no longer need to sacrifice themselves in the Umbra Cave. After all, the college would become a part of history. The Karmic Sinflame Lotus shot forth, colliding with the Tree of Resonant Power. But a furious roar resounded at this very moment. "Stop your hand!" Shen Jinxiao turned to look at the streams of light that were headed in his direction. It seemed as though Vice Principal Su Xin and her reinforcements had finally arrived. Chapter 0696: Dukes Worldspace Domain Chapter 0696: Duke''s Worldspace Domain Bang! As Vice Principal Su Xin''s stern voice resounded, multiple heaven-shaking resonance arts were launched, each and every one containing frightening might. All of the Dukes behind her had launched their attacks the moment they stepped into the vicinity of the college, and they were all aimed at the youth with dual pupils. These were merciless strikes. Countless Duke Arts descended upon the world like heavenly retribution, all targeting the youth. At the same time, Vice Principal Su Xin suddenly noticed the black fire lotus that was floating towards the Tree of Resonant Power, and rarely-seen fury blazed within her eyes. This cretin is truly sick in the mind. Do they truly want to burn down the Tree of Resonant Power? The massive, high-grade Tree of Resonant Power was the foundation of the college. Once it was destroyed, the Umbra Cave would be unsealed and the Astral Sage College would lose its position as a sage college, along with all of the glory and history it possessed. Vice Principal Su Xin had devoted her whole life to the college, especially during Principal Pangs absence. Every single matter of the college, both major and minor, had her hand in it. Thus, the existence of the college itself was even more important to her than her life. And this scum wanted to destroy it all! One Duke Art after another roared past like a meteor shower. Shen Jinxiao took a step back, neatly placing the youth between him and the barrage of attacks. The rage of countless Dukes was something he could not deal with. On the other hand, the youth remained unfazed, simply lifting his hand and casually forming a hand seal. A series of spirit lights gradually floated into the air before expanding and forming an indescribable domain several dozen meters wide. At the same time, the space within the domain seemed to have become a little distorted and blurry. It was as though the little domain was an independent space that had been layered upon the world itself. Boom! At this moment, the barrage of domineering Duke Arts rained down upon them and directly collided with the domain. It shuddered under this apocalyptic rain of attacks, but for some reason, every Duke Art that entered the domain disappeared. They were completely unable to harm the youth. This unbelievable scene caused the Dukes to be taken aback. "Duke Worldspace Domain?!" Vice Principal Su Xin had turned ugly as she gritted her teeth and enunciated every word. Yu Hongxi''s expression similarly became solemn as she gravely said, "This is an upper-grade Duke." "Upper-grade Duke?" The rest of the Dukes felt like they had been struck by lightning. The Duke Stage had nine grades. They were split into three divisions, and upper-grade Duke referred to Dukes who had entered the seventh-grade and above! This was to say that the youth was at least a seventh-grade Duke. Dukes who had reached that stage of power possessed a mystical strength that had been termed the Duke''s Worldspace Domain. The term Duke was coined with the secular title of a traditional duke in mind. In the secular world, the highest ranked dukes were able to receive territory in the border regions of the king they served. Simply speaking, they were allocated a domain to rule over, and it was territory they controlled. In the cultivation world, when one reached the upper Duke Stage, they were able to open up a domain in the world around them, which was known as the Duke''s Worldspace Domain. The difference was that this territory was not physical land, but a world within one''s own body. This world possessed miraculous properties that could protect one''s body while projecting mystical might. The Duke''s Worldspace Domain was ultimately the mark of one who had entered the upper-grade Duke Stage. The domain the youth had projected was undoubtedly the Duke''s Worldspace Domain. As a result, he had easily resisted the furious assault of all the Dukes. Vice Principal Su Xin angrily glared at the youth as she icily asked, "Just who are you? Why do you wish to destroy my college''s Tree of Resonant Power? You''re declaring war on the entire Xia Kingdom with your actions! Releasing the Others into the world is something that goes against all of humanity!" The youth grinned as his hands formed a greeting before his chest and his eyes drooped. "The genesis of light and dark are one, good and evil cease as one." These words caused Vice Principal Su Xin and Yu Hongxi''s eyes to shrink abruptly. "You''re with the Origin Reversion Institute!" As the college''s vice principal and the Golden Dragon Bank''s president, both of them were privy to secrets that many others would never have heard of. This included the Origin Reversion Institute. It was one of the superpowers of the world. Its hidden foundations were not inferior to the Academic Federation nor the Golden Dragon Bank''s headquarters. They also knew that that titanic power had been the cause of countless disasters. The edicts they believed and followed were ones that were incompatible with humanity, and they were looked upon with vigilance and hostility by the rest of the powers even in the inner divine continent. But even despite all of this, the Origin Reversion Institute had demonstrated terrifying and strange powers that allowed them to become extremely resilient. Even after being targeted for numerous years, they continued to exist and continued with their activities unabated. However, the activities of the Origin Reversion Institute had often only occurred within the inner divine continent. It was a flourishing and vibrant land when compared to the desolate wasteland known as the outer divine continents. With that in mind, why would they be interested in it now? Still, this very action heralded their arrival. Perhaps the Astral Sage College wasn''t even the first one. Vice Principal Su Xin thought back to the Holy Grail Meet, where the colleges elders were having a discussion. The Blackwind Empire''s destruction had traces of the Origin Reversion Institute''s involvement. Now that the Blackwind Empire had been vanquished, had they turned their sights to the Xia Kingdom? Was the Xia Kingdom about to turn out just like the Blackwind Empire? "Everyone, the Others are born from the evil thoughts of humanity. They are merely just another facet of humanity. Blindly separating them is not the solution. Only by releasing them and assimilating as one will they truly disappear. At the same time, the human race will also usher in a new era of transformation and evolution," the youth preached as he explained the Origin Reversion Institute''s ideals. "Lunatic!" some of the Dukes exclaimed with both shock and anger. Were these truly words coming from a fellow human? The Others were terrifying existences that sought to annihilate everything. These individuals wanted to release them voluntarily? Were there not enough people who had died already? It was not like they had never encountered an Other Disaster either. Some had seen it in the flesh, and it was hell on earth. Thus, the youth''s words seemed to be the ravings of a madman. "Vice Principal, it was Shen Jinxiao who led them in. He has betrayed the college and turned into a medium for the Ichythian King. He has been secretly planting seeds of corruption in the college for years and corrupted countless Violet Vibrance mentors!" a battling Violet Vibrance mentor roared. Vice Principal Su Xin''s gaze was like daggers as she glared at Shen Jinxiao upon hearing those accusatory words. Her entire body was trembling with animosity and fury towards him. "Shen Jinxiao! The college has never mistreated you. Why did you do such a thing!?" Facing the embodiment of fury, Shen Jinxiao fell silent before helplessly smiling. "Vice Principal, this is just a choice of mine. There is no need to ask why. What I want, the college is unable to provide. Thus, I had to choose the Ichythian King! If you like, you can say that the Ichythian King exploited a desire within my heart and I was unable to resist it." Vice Principal Su Xin continued to give him the death stare. Still, he remained unconcerned, simply reminding her, "Vice Principal Su Xin, instead of worrying about me, you should be turning your attention to the Tree of Resonant Power." "I don''t need your reminder." Vice Principal Su Xin snorted coldly, murderous intent overflowing from her body. Swoosh! A stream of light flashed out from Vice Principal Su Xin''s body, transforming into a small, green umbrella that appeared atop the Tree of Resonant Power. It quickly opened up, releasing glittering, green light that took the shape of a mysterious veil. It was now guarding the Tree of Resonant Power. When the black lotus came into contact with the veil of light, the latter ignited and began to burn, but green light continued to fall upon the flames, reducing the rate at which they burned the veil. "Everyone, lend me a hand and kill this beast!" Seeing that the Karmic Sinflame Lotus had been temporarily held back, Vice Principal Su Xin no longer tarried, issuing a quick command as she pointed at the youth. The green muslin umbrella was her top-grade violet-eye treasured artifact, and despite doing her best, it was unable to completely stop the black lotus. Thus, it was more prudent to get rid of the youth first. Yu Hongxi and the rest of the Dukes agreed and burst forth with all their might. Resonance arts were released unrestrainedly at the youth in a magnificent torrent. This awe-inspiring display of power caused the entire world to shudder. Despite their numbers, traces of worry could be seen in the depths of Vice Principal Su Xin''s eyes. She understood the gravity of the situation. The Origin Reversion Institute was a behemoth, and if they dared to take action, they would naturally have sufficient means to ensure their success. It seemed that if they wished to avert this catastrophe, merely relying on the strength of there Dukes would not be enough. Unless... Vice Principal Su Xin glanced at the Tree of Resonant Power. Principal! Just what is happening on your end? Chapter 0697: Umbra Caves Unforeseen Event Chapter 0697: Umbra Cave''s Unforeseen Event In the depths of the Umbra Cave. Pang Qianyuan was emitting innumerable rays of light from atop his golden lotus. The resplendent light was able to part even the primal chaos as he stood confidently within the void, exuding a sense of sublime power that even caused the worldly natural energy to quiver in subservience before him. The Astral Sage College''s innumerable Dukes might be able to devastate the world itself, but in this location, every single stray undulation of energy was more than sufficient to wipe out all of their attacks. Pang Qianyuan gloomily stared at the massive void tear. The black river water continued to flow inside it, releasing an intense sense of coldness. "Ichythian King, Im truly surprised that you have managed to confound even my senses after all these years and laid down so many traps in my college." Pang Qianyuan''s voice reverberated throughout the void and into the other world, tunneling through the void tear and into the gigantic, black river. "Heh." The inky river water continued to toss and turn. Then a gigantic silhouette appeared, causing the river to part. A titanic, black fish had appeared on the surface. Atop its head was a single blood-red scale that was surrounded by rings of blood light. One could see the figure of an individual appear within the blood light. They were garbed in blood-red robes with abnormally large sleeves. Atop the robes was a black fish that seemed to have a life of its own. It was swimming freely through the surface of the robes. The figure raised their head. He had the visage of a young man with a certain sort of feminine beauty. Additionally, his eyes were uniquethey resembled the grayish-white eyes of a fish. At first glance, one would be mesmerized by them. And if one were to focus upon them, they would discover that they possessed a terrifying enchanting power that would cause one to lose themselves. Between this figure''s eyebrows was a blood red scale that glinted with a strange light. This was the Ichythian King''s human form. In a way, it had left behind the horrifying physique that the Others possessed, almost becoming indistinguishable from a human in certain ways. The Ichythian King''s grayish-white fish eyes pierced through the void tear, focusing upon Pang Qianyuan. A smile formed on his face as he steadily enunciated every word robotically. "Pang Qianyuan, subversion is our specialty. Many individuals from your college have entered the Umbra Cave, so finding an opportunity was not too difficult. Some of the Violet Vibrance mentors in your college have very ambitious hearts, ones that surpass others. Perhaps it''s not so much that I have bewitched them, but rather they reached out to me! After all, they see greater potential with me." Pang Qianyuan remained emotionless. Shen Jinxiao''s betrayal had been quite unexpected. Even though the Ichythian King was a King Stage powerhouse, he would not be able to penetrate a Duke''s heart so easily. Shen Jinxiao had hidden his thoughts very deeply, and he had never discovered the apathy and reckless ambition that was within him. "Gong Yuan and you also have a relationship, it seems? The seamless cooperation between the two of you during this coronation ceremony has been unparalleled." Pang Qianyuan continued, seemingly answering himself, "No, Gong Yuan does not have the ability to do that. It must have been the person behind him. Being able to keep such a massive conspiracy under wraps and completely sealing this information off from even my senses must mean that this is the case Looking at the situation, it seems like the end goal is the Astral Sage College after all. Are you trying to destroy the Tree of Resonant Power to unseal the Umbra Cave? These actions seem pretty familiar. I suppose it must be the lunatics from the Origin Reversion Institute. Who would have expected that even their tendrils would have extended to the desolate East Divine Continent? Could it be that they are unable to influence any more matters within the inner divine continent?" When faced with Pang Qianyuan''s monologue, the Ichythian King only continued to grin without a word. Pang Qianyuan lightly sighed. Although his expression remained emotionless, his heart sank quite considerably. The Origin Reversion Institute... that group of madmen As a King, although he lived in the outer divine continent, he was very aware of the unfathomable Origin Reversion Institute. Even after countless years, the behemoth known as the Academic Federation was unable to gain any sort of meaningful advantage over them. He was well aware of their superiority in forces and the terrifying might they had at their disposal. The fact that they had extended their tendrils towards the Xia Kingdom heralded terrible news for them. "The Origin Reversion Institute seems to have become more active in the East Divine Continent in recent years. What are they trying to do?" Pang Qianyuan frowned as he pondered over this question. Still, there was no answer to be found for now. The current situation didn''t allow for it either. The college was at a crossroads of survival. He could not afford to remain here. Pang Qianyuan''s gaze was a little regretful as he continued to watch his Dragon Elephant Formation continue to work its magic. The void tear had already shown signs of mending, and if he had more time, he truly could have managed to seal up the crack. If that became a reality, the problem known as the Umbra Cave would be resolved, no longer requiring the college''s suppression. It was a pity he didn''t have the time. Continuing to face off against the Ichythian King in a stalemate would result in the Tree of Resonant Power getting incinerated. Without its suppression, the Umbra Cave would be left unsealed. Retreating now would also mean that he had gained nothing after being cooped up for all these years. However, there was no other optionhe had to make a hard decision immediately. Su Xin''s side simply could not stave off the Origin Reversion Institute. With such a thought, Pang Qianyuan waved his hands, and the Dragon Elephant Formation slowly dissipated. Trumpeting roars echoed throughout the void. "Pang Qianyuan, are you planning to leave?" The Ichythian King smiled when he saw this. The Principal remained unaffected, completely ignoring the Ichythian King as the golden lotus below him began to radiate with wondrous light, zooming away with him on top. "Unfortunately, I don''t want you to leave." The Ichythian King smiled and then opened his mouth. Stygian water gushed out of his mouth like a torrent. It then transformed into countless pitch-black fish scales that penetrated the void, eventually forming a gigantic hand that tried to grab Pang Qianyuan. Pang Qianyuan lifted his hand in response, and the Dragon Bone Holy Grail appeared. Light swirled around the mouth of the cup before it emitted a suction force that devoured the entire gigantic hand whole. "Ichythian King, I might not be able to kill you, but trying to restrain me is a fool''s dream," Pang Qianyuan coldly replied. The Ichythian King continued to smirk as he raised his hands. One could see the river of evil beneath him churn violently like a gigantic dragon boat. It cruised through the void tear, surging towards the Umbra Cave. Upon seeing this, Pang Qianyuan immediately threw the Dragon Bone Holy Grail in its direction. The grail swelled into the size of a huge mountain, asserting a coercive aura that directly blocked the void tear, preventing the river of evil from spreading into the Umbra Cave. "There is no rush. We''ll continue our struggle once I deal with the matters outside. Then we can have a proper battle," Pang Qianyuan coolly replied. The Dragon Bone Holy Grail could restrain the Ichythian King even when he wasn''t here in person, and escaping would be no easy task. "Hehe." The Ichythian King gurgled with laughter before he faintly taunted, "Pang Qianyuan, do you really think that after plotting for so long, we''d let you go so easily to disrupt our plans? Huh?" Pang Qianyuans eyes shrank and a sense of unrest arose within his heart. He continued retreating as quickly as he could without missing a beat. At the very moment he did so, a grayish-white energy appeared atop the black river. It brought along with it an acrid smell of decay. In the end, countless corpse hands sprouted from the river, appearing underneath the Dragon Bone Holy Grail and forcibly heaving it away from its location. This caused Pang Qianyuan to feel a noticeable sense of shock and unrest. He then stopped as a wall of corpses suddenly manifested behind him, blocking off the entire world and sealing off his path of retreat. As he studied the corpses, he sucked in a deep breath and his voice became a little raspy. "Is this the Cadaverous King?" As the grayish-white energy continued to seep through the world, it suddenly stopped and condensed in a single location. A white-robed figure, countless meters tall, took form atop the river of evil. His entire body was made of bones, and a single hand grasped a dilapidated soul-calling flag[1] . The grayish-white energy filled the void right behind him, and there seemed to be countless corpses struggling and moaning from within the fog. When Pang Qianyuan saw the figure, an indescribably ugly expression appeared on his face and the feeling of anxiety within him reached a peak. "The tiny Xia Kingdom actually attracted two of the Four Pestilence Kings who are the subordinates of the Saturnine Hydra Emperor? "Just what are you guys plotting?" Chapter 0698: Cadaverous King Chapter 0698: Cadaverous King When the white, bony hand grasping the soul-calling flag appeared, even the King Stage expert Pang Qianyuan felt a sense of shock in his heart. The individual was not some unknown nobody. The Cadaverous King, similar to the Ichythian King, was one of the Four Pestilence Kings. How could the Umbra Cave beneath the Astral Sage College actually attract the attention of two Other Kings? This was completely abnormal. Others, especially those that had reached the Other King Stage, were extremely territorial. Whatever territory the Ichythian King controlled, the remaining Other Kings would take heed to avoid the area completely, to prevent any conflict between them. And yet a second Other King had appeared. Additionally, neither of them seemed to be in conflict with each other. This meant that there was some sort of unspoken agreement. For what reason could they choose to let go of their differences and cooperate? Unless this was an order from an even mightier existence? Other Kings like the Ichythian King and the Cadaverous King could be considered peak existences in the shadow world. However, there were existences that surpassed them. But this was normaleven though Pang Qianyuan was considered one of the greatest experts of mankind, there were still numerous individuals stronger than him. The shadow world was similar. From what he had heard, the Ichythian and Cadaverous Kings were subordinate to an even more terrifying existence. "The Saturnine Hydra Emperor..." Pang Qianyuan squinted. This title elicited a sense of fear that had long been forgotten in the depths of his heart. It possessed a fearsome reputation amongst the upper echelons of humanity''s strongest warriors. Why? This was an Other that possessed Heavenly Emperor Stage strength! Legend had it that one hundred years ago, the Saturnine Hydra Emperor descended upon one of the Nobles'' Battlefields in the inner divine continent with his Four Pestilence Kings. It then initiated a heaven-shaking war that caused tremors throughout the entire continent. No one knew how many Dukes were sacrificed, but in the end, one of humanity''s Heavenly Emperor experts took to the field and eventually managed to repel the Saturnine Hydra Emperor. From what he had heard from other Kings, Pang Qianyuan knew that the Saturnine Hydra Emperor was a despotic and almighty tyrant that reigned from within the shadow world. The Ichythian and Cadaverous Kings sudden cooperation must have been a command from above. And that command had to have come from the Saturnine Hydra Emperor. Pang Qianyuan''s heart continued to sink. He could not understand why such a lofty existence would take an interest in a simple void tear that was suppressed by a mere sage college. Normally speaking, their focus would be fixated upon the Nobles'' Battlefields. Being concerned over this seemingly insignificant area would almost be a waste of effort and face. "What are you plotting? Is there something here that you covet?" Pang Qianyuan curiously asked. The Ichythian King tilted his head slightly as he continued to emotionlessly stare at Pang Qianyuan. "Pang Qianyuan, there''s no need to ask so many questions. Now that things have reached this stage, if you have any inkling of intelligence, you will choose to protect yourself and quickly leave the Xia Kingdom. If you try to block us, then I''m afraid the Xia Kingdom''s only King will perish today. This land will soon be covered by my river of evil." Pang Qianyuan gloomily glared at the murky and pitch-black river of evil beneath the Ichythian King. "You wish to let this river of evil enter the outer world?" The river of evil was the condensation of mankind''s evil and malevolence, allowing it to give birth to Others. If it truly was allowed to flow unimpeded throughout the Xia Kingdom, the very soil would be corrupted beyond salvation and the Other Disaster that would unfold would be even more frightening than usual. Especially because the river of evil would continue to expand. If left to its own devices, it wouldnt stop at the Xia Kingdomthe surrounding kingdoms would similarly be affected by the same uncontrollable plague. The Ichythian King laughed. "Ichythian King, you''re speaking too much." At this point, the Cadaverous King raised his deathly eyes to look upon Pang Qianyuan and then waved the flag. "I''ll restrict him. You control your river of evil and let it descend upon the Xia Kingdom." With a wave of the Cadaverous King''s hand, endless amounts of grayish-white death energy roiled out from him. There seemed to be an endless amount of illusory phantoms screaming in torture in the fog of death energy. They sounded much like the wails of banshees, exuding a fearful aura of decay. If this death energy were to enter one''s body, even a living creature would inevitably transform into a corpse creature that was a slave to the Cadaverous King. When Pang Qianyuan saw this, his expression turned chilly. The situation was spiraling out of his control. The appearance of two Other Kings was something rarely seen in the outer divine continent, and even though he currently did not know their aim, he knew that the river of evil could not be allowed to run rampant in the outside world. He took a deep breath and shelved the thought of assisting the college. If there was only the Ichythian King, he could have used the Dragon Bone Holy Grail to temporarily suppress and restrict it. Unfortunately, he would have to stay behind because the Cadaverous King had come to assist. If he allowed the river of evil to spread throughout the Xia Kingdom, preventing the destruction of the Tree of Resonant Power wouldn''t mean much. Of course, Pang Qianyuan understood that he had been forced between a rock and a hard place. Bang! Boundless amounts of resonant power poured out of Pang Qianyuan''s body like a tsunami, and the entire void rumbled in his presence. Then a bright halo thousands of meters long manifested behind him, radiating an enigmatic charm. This was the true Triple Resonance Saintly Ring. Fuelled with all of the glory of his triple resonances. Comparing the one Li Luo had wielded during the coronation ceremony with this one was like comparing a firefly to the bright moon! Weng! The Triple Resonance Saintly Ring resplendently shone with endless beams of light that descended like heavenly flames, scorching through the death energy and causing it to dissipate. At the same time, Pang Qianyuan clenched his fist, and a gigantic blade tens of thousands of meters long manifested in the void. The world seemed to tear apart the moment it appeared, and the strength of the blade energy it released caused the entire Umbra Cave to tremble. Pang Qianyuan impassively swung down on the Cadaverous King. The Cadaverous King was forced to a halt, and his bony face gave rise to a solemn expression. He continued to wave the soul-calling flag in his hand, causing the death energy to condense and transform into a gigantic figure also tens of thousands of meters tall before him. This figure looked to be stitched together from hundreds of millions of corpses. It was wearing ragged robes and gave off a monstrous aura of death. The abomination raised its massive palm, which was wreathed with almost tangible amounts of death energy, to directly block the blade manifestations strike! Bang!!! A cataclysmic explosion of energy blasted out in every direction, shredding space and the void with that single clash. In fact, some of the strongholds and purification towers that were constructed closer to the battlefield were completely destroyed by the aftershock. Two King Stage powerhouses were launching full scale attacks at each other without any hesitation. The Ichythian King observed the earth-shattering battle with interest. There was no need to doubt Pang Qianyuan''s strength, as the two had clashed countless times in the past. This was simply an appreciation of his opponent''s might, and he would not underestimate him. Unfortunately, the Cadaverous King had just experienced the feeling of kicking a steel plate. He relished seeing the Cadaverous King suffer a little. They weren''t on great terms after all. "Hehe. Pang Qianyuan, we''ve clashed so many times over these years, but it looks like you will finally fail!" The Ichythian King''s human body began to vanish, then he transformed into a monstrously huge, black fish. He then began to agitate the river of evil, causing the eerie body of liquid to pass through the void tear and enter the Umbra Cave. Their plan was something Pang Qianyuan could never have expected. Now that the Umbra Cave had fallen into their control, his stubborn resistance could no longer change anything. Bang! Bang! The aftermath of their battle continued to roil the depths of the Umbra Cave. The Cadaverous King''s gigantic abomination was repeatedly dissected into pieces by Pang Qianyuan''s awe-inspiring blade light. His triple resonances were incomparably valiant, suppressing the Cadaverous King immensely. Still, the Cadaverous King remained as immobile as a rock. Pang Qianyuan might be stronger than he had expected, but breaking through his blockade would not be a simple task. He continued to wave the soul-calling flag, rousing all of the death energy from all around him. He then condensed it into a massive skeleton hand, which then attempted to grasp at Pang Qianyuan. "Pang Qianyuan, your heart is a mess," the Cadaverous King rasped. Even though Pang Qianyuan held a slight advantage, the one that managed to regain his composure first was actually him. Right at this moment, regardless of who it was, they all raised their heads. The entire Umbra Cave was shuddering violently. Although it was all the way on the other side of the cave, they could see a ray of light shine from outside. The Umbra Cave was shattering. At the same time, the temperature of the cave began to gradually rise. Pang Qianyuan was a little taken aback, but a bitter realization took root within him. His gaze seemed to penetrate through the layers of rock to view what was occurring in the college. The majestic Tree of Resonant Power had been set alight by the tiny, black lotus! Chapter 0699: Burning Tree of Resonant Power Chapter 0699: Burning Tree of Resonant Power The Tree of Resonant Power was burning. The seemingly insignificant black flame lotus had set the entire Tree of Resonant Power ablaze, a sight that similarly incinerated the hopes of the mentors and students who were present. Every single branch and leaf of the gigantic tree was burning, and the flames could even be seen clearly from Xia City. It was as though the entire sky had been set aflame. This sight was burned into the eyes of everyone watching. The entire college seemed to have gone silent, whether it was the Violet Vibrance mentors led by Vice Principal Su Xin or the countless retreating students. This scene had left them in an unbelievable daze. The ancient Tree of Resonant Power had marked the history of the Astral Sage College. Generation after generation of students would cultivate atop its numerous leaves, and batch after batch of students would undergo purging missions to purify the cave. It was the physical embodiment of the Astral Sage Colleges mentors and students'' memories and emotions. Thus, the sight of it burning caused some of the younger students to cry out in sadness. At the same time, the Tree of Resonant Power''s body seemed to faintly shake as it released a gentle and calming cry, seemingly to console all the grieving students. This unexpected action caused even some of the mentors'' eyes to turn red and glisten with tears. On the outskirts of the battlefield, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were shocked senseless. A trace of fury glinted in their eyes. The Astral Sage College was a place that held many close memories for them. When House Luolan was in a state of unrest and Jiang Qing''e had single-handedly taken the reins, she had exhibited her incomparable talent and potential to the entire world here. This fact was sufficient for House Jiyan and their enemies to pay close attention to her. It was at that time that Jiang Qing''e borrowed the Astral Sage College''s reputation to protect herself, deterring enemies like House Jiyan from silently sending someone to assassinate her whilst she was still developing. After which, Li Luo had similarly entered the college and grown immensely in the short span of a year. Most of his progress had to do with the college''s assistance. In the end, during House Luolan''s Housemeet, the college may have seemingly maintained its stance of neutrality, but they had surreptitiously provided assistance to them and even a way out if things turned out badly. Thus, the Astral Sage College had truly taken special care of both of them. Although it was also partly due to their strength and potential, this favor was something that both of them remembered deep in their hearts. Thus, the sight of the Tree of Resonant Power burning caused them to feel incensed. "Shen Jinxiao, that bastard!" Mentor Chi Chan''s frigid voice could be heard at the side. Her gaze was like daggers as she glared at Shen Jinxiao, who was still hiding behind the youth. The two of them might not have been on cordial terms, but she had never expected him to go so far as to betray the college. The youth had clearly been led in by Shen Jinxiao. The corrupted Violet Vibrance mentors should have been Shen Jinxiao''s doing. Only he had the time and opportunity throughout all these years to insidiously lay the foundation for today''s attack. He must have done it during their daily interactions, gradually leaving behind the seeds of corruption. It was a task that required immense amounts of time and planning. In other words, Shen Jinxiao had long planned to betray the college. Mentor Chi Chan faintly touched her cheek beneath the veil, and killing intent flooded her gaze. She now suspected that the reason she had been afflicted with the Ichthyic curse might very possibly have been part of Shen Jinxiao''s plot! Fortunately, she was not inside the college when the curse acted up, and Li Luo had managed to borrow the power of Principal Pang''s triple resonances to suppress it. Otherwise, she might very well have become a corrupted puppet like some of the other Violet Vibrance mentors. "He is a scourge on the earth." Li Luo sighed. It was a pity he was not strong enough; otherwise, he would have found a way to dispose of that man-shaped beast much earlier. Jiang Qing''e fell into pensive thought for a moment. "The Astral Sage College is probably facing an unprecedented catastrophe." "It''s not only the Astral Sage College..." Li Luo shook his head, and his voice became much more somber. "With the destruction of the Tree of Resonant Power, the Umbra Cave will likely be unsealed and copious amounts of corruption will spill forth. That will result in a truly frightening Other Disaster." "Impossible. The Principal is still guarding the depths of the cave. With him around, nothing bad can happen," Mentor Chi Chan rebuked. Li Luo gave a bitter smile. "Mentor, the Tree of Resonant Power has been set aflame by someone, and yet Principal Pang has not appeared... It''s clear that it''s not because he doesn''t want to, but rather he has been tied down. In the worst case scenario, the Principal might even be having trouble protecting his own life." Jiang Qing''e''s delicate but dignified expression similarly turned forlorn. "This entire conspiracy has exceeded the limits of everyone''s imagination. This can only mean that the Origin Reversion Institute''s black hand has already tightened around the entire Xia Kingdom." Mentor Chi Chan was left in silence. She already knew that Principal Pang''s absence indicated an issue with the situation. Still, she held on to a faint trace of hope. The Principal was the sole King Stage expert of the Xia Kingdom, and only he had the power to suppress everything and anything, resolving the situation. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s both felt quite dismal at the situation. As the saying went, if the nest is upset, no eggs within would be left intact. If the Astral Sage College fell today, the Xia Kingdom would not be left peaceful. The Holy Grail Meet had allowed them to experience firsthand the extent of the Blackwind Empire''s destruction. No one would ever accept the Xia Kingdom ending up in a similar state. Alas, with such monumental developments, their strength was insufficient to effect any change. This battle was not one that they could participate in. In fact, not even an average Duke could change anything. The Origin Reversion Institute was simply too terrifying. At this point, Li Luo was reminded of the crimson knight-general whom he had met in the Blackwind Empire... There was a mysterious power backing him. Could it be that the one who had ruined the Blackwind Empire was the same one who was coveting the Xia Kingdom? In the sky, the Dukes who were assisting were also observing the changing situation. They had already brought to bear all of their considerable strength, but the youth remained unfazed, blocking all of their attacks. His methods were truly terrifying to see. The Origin Reversion Institute''s reputation was not misplaced as a strange superpower that everyone remained cautious and afraid of. "Vice Principal Su Xin?" Yu Hongxi glanced at Su Xin as she realized that Su Xin''s body was trembling from head to toe, seemingly a little out of control. "I''m going to MURDER YOU!" Vice Principal Su Xin''s eyes were bloodshot and full of desire for revenge as she glared at the youth. Immediately after, the void shattered as her four Duke Bergfrieds descended and began to suck in gigantic amounts of worldly natural energy. They then smashed down violently towards the youth without restraint. The four Duke Bergfrieds were inscribed with countless runes, and space collapsed wherever they passed through. The youth merely shook his head and casually waved. A beam of mysterious light shot forth. It transformed into a gigantic, dark-yellow ruler. The ruler slapped downwards with enough force to move mountains, suppressing the descending Duke Bergfrieds. In a blink, the ruler swatted away the attacking Duke Bergfrieds with such force that cracks appeared upon them! Eurrgh! Vice Principal Su Xin spat out a mouth of fresh blood, and the resonant power within her shook violently. However, she continued to stare at the youth unblinkingly. "Vice Principal Su Xin, you need to calm down." The youth smiled warmly. "This is just the beginning. We have not reached the point of absolute despair yet." At the same time, he cupped one of his ears with his head stuck out, taking on an exaggerated posture that he was trying to hear something. "Can you hear it?" All of the Dukes frowned, unsure of what he was referring to. But a split second later, their expressions warped. Everyone turned their attention towards the area beneath the burning Tree of Resonant Power, noticing the frigid and gloomy energy wafting from it. At the same time, they heard countless inexplicable whispers coming from it! It was the corruption that was sealed within the Umbra Cave. With the Tree of Resonant Power burning, its suppressive might upon the Umbra Cave had lessened, eventually revealing a gap. Chapter 0700: Seal Chapter 0700: Seal Bang! As corruption began to leak from beneath the burning Tree of Resonant Power, the ground collapsed and a massive, black hole revealed itself. If one were to look into it, they would see that the space within was distorted and fragmented. The corruption had leaked from this separate space! The space that contained the Umbra Cave! The Umbra Cave had always been suppressed beneath the Tree of Resonant Power, and it was considered a separate world space that connected the real world and the shadow world. At the same time, it was due to the void tear that it had even formed! When the Umbra Cave world space appeared, it attracted the attention of everyone present. Immediately after, a horrifying wave of energy flooded from the depths of the Umbra Cave, causing even the Dukes to have a change of expression. Just a single wave was sufficient to completely eradicate them from existence. As they peered into the depths of the cave, they could see that the source of the energy wave was the collateral aftershocks emitted by two figures exchanging blows. "It''s the Principal!" one of the Dukes shouted in surprise. Indeed, one of them was Pang Qianyuan, whilst the other figure was emitting a terrifying amount of corruption. A simple wave of his hand caused an explosion of formidable might, the entire void trembling before him. "Is Principal Pang facing off against the Ichythian King?" one of the Violet Vibrance mentors asked. "Wait, that''s not the Ichythian King!" one of the more astute Violet Vibrance mentors shouted out as his expression turned glum. "It''s another Other King!" This revelation caused everyone to feel a sense of overwhelming shock. Even Vice Principal Su Xin and Yu Hongxi were taken aback. Another Other King had appeared within the Umbra Cave? All of their horrified gazes shot over towards the scuffling duo to observe for themselves. The Other King that was challenging Pang Qianyuan was ghastly white with a bony figure. He wielded a tattered soul-calling flag that leaked copious amounts of corruption into his surroundings, completely different to how the Ichythian King fought. Everyone''s heads quaked in fear and despair arose from the depths of their hearts. It was no surprise now why Principal Pang had not appeared earlier. He was actually being held back by two Other Kings in the depths of the Umbra Cave! At this moment, a hollow and piercing laugh resounded from the depths of the cave. "Heh. Pang Qianyuan, your Tree of Resonant Power is burning to ashes and the Umbra Cave is no longer sealed. All of your long years of effort have been for naught." A chill overtook all of the college''s Violet Vibrance mentors, and their eyes shrunk upon hearing that voice. This was a voice they were familiar with. Whenever they entered the depths of the Umbra Cave for purging missions, they would have a chance to meet the old nemesis of the Principal. The Ichythian King! The rushing sound of a flowing river could be heard coming from the Umbra Cave. Countless cries and screams were mixed into the rustling of moving liquid, which made this particularly spine-tingling. A moment later, black water appeared before them. It surged out of the depths of the Umbra Cave like a titanic, black serpent, swallowing everything before it. "The river of evil?!" Their expressions of fear contorted into ones of absolute terror. The river of evil was the condensation of humankind''s depravity and sins. It was rumored that the Others were born from it. Was the Ichythian King planning to spread his cursed waters throughout the real world? The moment the river of evil was let loose upon the world, it would lead to an inconceivable amount of corruption spreading like a plague. In other words, the appearance of the river of evil in the real world would transform the environment greatly, turning it into a nest for Others. At that point in time, not only would the Xia Kingdom be ruined, nothing within tens of thousands of li would be left alive! In the middle of the air, the Regent took in everything with an unsettled gaze. He couldn''t help but turn his attention towards the youth. He had not been informed of any of this! The other party had only told him that Pang Qianyuan would remain restricted and unable to leave the Umbra Cave... but nothing about the entire river of evil corrupting the Xia Kingdom! Didn''t that mean that the Xia Kingdom would be completely destroyed? Although his heart was shaken, he quickly squashed all remnant emotions. The situation had devolved beyond the point of no return, and he was already on the Origin Reversion Institute''s side. Even if things got worse, it would not be his concern anymore. Once he revealed that the youth was a fellow conspirator, the Astral Sage College, the Golden Dragon Bank, and the rest of the factions would direct their ire and fury towards him. Even his own supporters might very well turn tail. At the end of the day, the Origin Reversion Institute''s actions went against humanity. When the time came, he would lose everything if he was on the wrong side. The Regent was a ruthless and ambitious character. He knew how to make decisions swiftly, and so he made his choice after a short internal struggle. Frankly speaking, the Origin Reversion Institute was a great backer. Relying on them would allow him to gain so much more. It wouldn''t even be impossible for him to break into the King Stage with their assistance, ensuring that all his efforts were worth it. "Pang Qianyuan, just leave. Abandon the Xia Kingdom! It is a quagmire that restrains the mighty dragon that you are. I''m helping you break these shackles and leave you unfettered! Why not take this chance to leave?" The Ichythian King cackled with an entrancing voice as he floated above the river of evil. Pang Qianyuan''s expression remained cold as the massive Triple Resonance Saintly Ring behind him continued to shine resplendently whilst he struck at the Cadaverous King. The Other could only retreat when faced with the tyrannical might of the triple resonance blade light. Still, that was as far as he could go. He had no way to truly defeat the Cadaverous King, and the Ichythian King was taking advantage of this opportunity to guide the river of evil towards the real world. The Tree of Resonant Power was aflame and had lost its ability to suppress the Umbra cave, allowing the river of evil to flow unimpeded. It seemed as though the situation couldn''t get any worse. Pang Qianyuan snorted coldly. "Ichythian King, do you really think that such superfluous words would work on me? Someone who managed to step into the realm of Kings? You belittle me." "Heh. I''m not trying to entice you. It''s just a cold, hard fact! Do you think you can actually reverse the situation? You lost the moment the show started," the Ichythian King mocked. "The Academic Federation will not sit idly as you conspire!" Pang Qianyuan retorted. "The Academic Federation has no time to bother with this faraway land." "Although I don''t know what your aim is, I can tell that you have placed a lot of importance in allowing the river of evil to escape into the real world. In this case, I won''t let you do so today!" A glint flashed through Pang Qianyuan''s eyes before he slowly closed them. "Oh? Do you really think you can stop us? You and what army?" the Ichythian King sarcastically pointed out. Pang Qianyuan took a deep breath as he raised his palm. The Dragon Bone Holy Grail reappeared in his hand, and the traces of time were evident in its mottled surface. "The Dragon Bone Holy Grail?" The Ichythian King''s laughter resounded in every direction. "That supposedly peerless treasure that has been passed down through the Academic Federation might be formidable, but I''m afraid it doesn''t have the capability to change the situation." Pang Qianyuan ignored the taunts, only forming a hand seal with both hands. All of the resonant power within him poured out endlessly into the grail as he channeled all his strength within. A moment later, the Dragon Bone Holy Grail began to bloom with scintillating beams of radiant light, and an ancient draconic roar could be heard from it. The gigantic shadow of a dragon began to descend from the sky. The shadow covered everything, the Cadaverous King and the entirety of the Ichythian King''s river of evil included. "Dragon Bone Holy Grail, Dragon Bone World Seal." Pang Qianyuan''s indifferent words echoed throughout the cave. The Cadaverous King and the Ichythian King both raised their heads when they saw the shadow of the dragon descend upon them. An indomitable, coercive force enveloped them, and they seemed to lose control of their bodies. At the same time, the flowing river of evil was forced to a halt, no longer moving. A white smoke then permeated the entire world. It possessed a special sort of curse that ossified anything it passed through within the range of the shadow. This included Pang Qianyuan, the Other Kings, and the river of evil. A dull, grayish-white color began to spread throughout Pang Qianyuan''s body, as though he was turning into a sculpture made of bone. This was a sealing art. An absolute sealing art without any comparison. "Pang Qianyuan, how bold of you! You actually chose to accompany us and be sealed together? Is this worth it?" The Ichythian King''s tone finally turned glum. "How naive. Even though it''s a peerless treasured artifact, it cannot possibly seal the river of evil," the Cadaverous King stated. Pang Qianyuan lowered his head as he briefly observed his ossifying body, his expression completely unfazed. "Indeed, this alone will not be enough." He then turned his head, and his gaze pierced through the Umbra Cave, focusing on a certain individual. At the same time, the observing Li Luo heard a voice ring out by his ear. "Li Luo, I''ll need a hand from you." Chapter 0701: Black Plaque Chapter 0701: Black Plaque "Principal Pang? A hand?" When Li Luo heard that familiar voice, he was completely dazed for two seconds before he replied softly with a bitter smile. "Principal. don''t you think you''re putting me on too high of a pedestal? There are three Kings clashing in the Umbra Cave. Someone as insignificant as me can''t even fart in the presence of Dukes! Do you actually think I''d dare to scurry over to where you Kings are? I''m afraid Ill just drop dead if the Other Kings simply stare at me!" "I don''t need you to personally act. I''ll loan you something." Principal Pang seemed to find Li Luo''s comments a little amusing. "Lending me something?" Li Luo paused for a moment before immediately nodding. "Do you want some blood essence too? No problem! Have it!" "Hehe. I don''t need your blood essence this time. Plus, I think you''ve already realized that you''re a little drained. If I take any more, I''m afraid you will be finished," Principal Pang bantered. Li Luo sighed with a hint of melancholy. Ever since the day of the Housemeet, when he roused all of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s strength and paid for it with ten drops of blood essence, he felt a sense of emptiness within himself. Clearly, Principal Pang could see it too. "So you don''t need blood essence... then what can I give you in return?" He felt a little depressed at this point. He was a tiny Fiend Palace Tier cultivator, and the only thing that had attracted Principal Pang''s attention in the past was his Heavenly Emperor blood essence. What else could he give? "Obviously, it has to do with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li," Principal Pang replied. Li Luo was suddenly hit by a realization. He swiped his hand over his pocket sphere, and an ancient plaque appeared in his hand. A mystical "Li" character was engraved upon it. Beneath it was a slightly blurry image of a dragon that still radiated a tyrannical and coercive aura. "Are you referring to this?" This was the only thing he had that had to do with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. "Indeed. This is the item I''m looking for. I will have to borrow it for a while," Principal Pang replied. "Principal Pang, are you alright?" Li Luo couldn''t help but blurt out. Judging by the current situation, it seemed as though he was planning to use a method that would harm both sides. It might very well be a pyrrhic victory if he succeeded. "I am the Astral Sage College''s Principal. Although I was unable to protect the Tree of Resonant Power, that does not mean that I will absolve my responsibilities of protecting the college. If these Others think I will choose to abandon this place and escape on my own, they have underestimated Pang Qianyuan! I will seal them together with me, but this will only last for a few years. The Dragon Bone Holy Grail''s seal will eventually falter, and we will have to see if the Academic Federation will take action." Pang Qianyuan smiled. At the same time, the black plaque in Li Luo''s hand zoomed away into the depths of the Umbra Cave. The slowly ossifying Pang Qianyuan reached out and retrieved the black plaque, feeling a mighty presence within. He squinted slightly before saying to himself, "Heavenly Emperor Energy is truly extraordinary." He rapidly formed a series of hand seals as he roused his triple resonances and poured all of his energy into the black plaque. The plaque seemed to have been activated as a result, and a beam of golden light blasted into the sky. The golden light was not simply blinding, it also emitted a faint brilliance. At the same time, the Ichythian King and the Cadaverous King began to turn pale. "Heavenly Emperor Energy?!" A look of fear formed on their expressions for the first time. Even they felt an indescribable pressure and fear that they had only ever experienced in the presence of the Saturnine Hydra Emperor. "Pang Qianyuan! You actually still had more moves to play!" Fury arose within the Ichythian King''s grayish-white fish eyes. On the other hand, Pang Qianyuan completely disregarded it, combining the golden light that was emitted with the Dragon Bone Holy Grail''s sealing light. At the same time, the white smoke strengthened, accelerating the rate at which the three parties were turning into bone. Even the roiling river of evil was affected, gradually turning calm and no longer flowing forward. White spots began to quickly appear all over the trio''s bodies as the ossification process sped up. "Pang Qianyuan, your little tricks are ineffective and worthless! You actually used Heavenly Emperor Energy to seal us and the river of evil! Even so, all we need to do is hold on for a few years and then the seal will naturally break! Everything will proceed as per plan then! Your Tree of Resonant Power has already been ruined, so even if you seal the river of evil today, its corruption will still seep forth! Pang Qianyuan! The Astral Sage College and the Xia Kingdom are beyond salvation no matter what you do!" the Ichythian King gloomily declared. Even when faced with these harsh words, Pang Qianyuan remained unfazed as he observed the seal work its magic. "Who knows what will happen in a few years time? Perhaps when I open my eyes again, reinforcements will already be here." "Naive! The Academic Federation can''t even take care of their own issues. They dont have the time or resources to send someone to the outer divine continents." The Ichythian King coldly smiled. Pang Qianyuan similarly returned a grin. He would soon turn into a statue made of bone, quietly resting in the void. The Ichythian King and the Cadaverous King had yet to be completely sealed as well, but their gazes were full of frustration, anger, and despondence. As they glanced at each other, a conversation occurred between the two, one that could not be heard by anyone else. "Damn it! That damned Pang Qianyuan actually obstructed us with this shitty seal!" "The river of evil can no longer propagate forth. We are unable to continue with our plan." "We need the river of evil to help us find the Original Seed of Genesis. This was the order given to us!" "Perhaps we can get the Leader to act." "No. The Leader has already said that he cannot act lightly. Otherwise, the news of the Original Seed of Genesis will be sensed by other existences!" "Then we can only wait. Pang Qianyuan''s seal can only hold us back for two or three years. On the other hand, we still have an ally outside that can assist us." After that quick exchange, the two were completely covered in white and silently transformed into statues of bone as well. The depths of the Umbra Cave had turned eerily silent. However, waves of corruption continued to emit endlessly. Within the college, everyone could see that the three Kings had turned into bone, and it had plunged the depths into absolute silence. At the same time, everyone secretly heaved a breath of relief as the two Other Kings were simply too terrifying. If they were able to escape from the Umbra Cave freely, they would undoubtedly be the harbingers of the apocalypse. It was a pity that Principal Pang had been sealed as well. "Principal..." Vice Principal Su Xin had a pained look as she glanced at the Principal. "Principal!" Countless students were similarly beset with a wave of sadness, their eyes welling up. Although Pang Qianyuan did not often show his face, his presence within the hearts of the students was undeniable. The very fact that he had sacrificed himself to protect the college from the creatures in the Umbra Cave was more than sufficient to earn their respect. Now that he had been sealed, the Astral Sage College''s strength had also diminished. Yu Hongxi, Duze Yan, and the rest were similarly glum. Pang Qianyuan was the Xia Kingdom''s only King, so his disappearance would have a huge effect on the kingdom''s internal structure. On the other hand, the Regent was ecstatic as he glared at the bone statue of Pang Qianyuan, his heart surging with excitement. The only mountainous weight hanging over his shoulder had chosen to seal himself away today! Who else could obstruct him, Gong Yuan, now? The youth helplessly smiled as he disrespectfully commented, "Ah. Those two Other Kings weren''t very bright." "My Lord, with Pang Qianyuan and the two Other Kings sealed, you''re the strongest one here now." Shen Jinxiao smirked. The youth was about to speak when his expression warped. Everyone saw a black light shoot forth from the depths of the Umbra Cave. It was the black plaque Pang Qianyuan had borrowed from Li Luo. As the black plaque shot over, it circled once in the void and then created a frightening blade light. It was constructed of triple resonance energy, and everything crumbled before its might. The target? It was the youth with dual pupils of gold and silver! His grin was wiped off his face, replaced with an expression of displeasure. "Pang Qianyuan!" The youth snorted in anger with an incensed gaze. Clearly, Pang Qianyuan had left behind one last move before being sealed away, and it was directed towards the youth! The youth did not dare to tarry, explosively retreating as he quickly formed a series of hand seals. "Duke''s Worldspace Domain!" he exhorted. A domain quickly took form with him at the center, spreading in all directions like a protective field. However, the domain that was unshakeable in the face of Vice Principal Su Xin and everyone elses attacks was as sturdy as a piece of tofu before that horrifying blade light. Bzzst! An ear-piercing scream echoed out at that moment. At the next moment, the youth was bisected from head to toe. Chapter 0702: Xia Kingdoms Monumental Changes Chapter 0702: Xia Kingdom''s Monumental Changes Seeing the youth bisected brought great joy to the people around. This entire situation had been caused by this beast, including triggering the disturbance in the depths of the Umbra Cave. In a way, this was the true culprit for the entire mess today. However, their happiness was short lived as the two halves of the youth began to quickly melt down and combine, turning into a puddle of squirming flesh and blood. "Hehe. Principal Pang is a vengeful fellow. He even dealt me a vicious blow." The youth''s laughing voice rang out from the pool of flesh. The only difference was that it seemed a little bitter and weaker than before, testament to the fact that Principal Pang''s final strike had left him with severe injuries. "Kill him now! While he''s heavily injured!" Vice Principal Su Xin exhorted with murderous intent. The countless Dukes immediately roused the resonant power within them and began to throw everything they had at that pool of flesh, determined to kick the youth when he was down. Bang! However, just as the group of Dukes struck out, two of the corrupted Violet Vibrance mentors pounced over, directly choosing to self detonate at that very moment. Alarming amounts of energy surged out berserkly, destroying parts of the college. Fortunately, the Dukes were already prepared, immediately taking action to reduce the collateral damage and preventing the college from being engulfed in a wave of destruction. "Fiend!" Vice Principal Su Xin''s eyes turned red. The two mentors were experienced teachers and friends who had contributed much to the faculty, and she had to watch them explode before her eyes. It was infuriating and heartbreaking. As the wave of energy scattered, the flesh puddle that was the youth had spread out and completely encased Shen Jinxiao like a suit of armor. A pair of mocking eyes could be seen observing the Dukes from within the flesh. "Everyone, I''m afraid I have to end the show here today. I feel deeply sorrowful that the Astral Sage College will no longer exist in the Xia Kingdom! Ah, yes, that reminds me. I do have a piece of wonderful news to share! Now that the Umbra Cave is unsealed, corruption will constantly flow out of it and this land will undoubtedly be a paradise for Others! A time of chaos will soon commence!" With those last words, the flesh puddle that had encased Shen Jinxiao burrowed into the ground, vanishing completely. "Damn it!" Seeing the two disappear without paying a price caused the Violet Vibrance mentors to feel frustrated and furious. Vice Principal Su Xin could only grit her teeth. "Quickly restrain all of the corrupted mentors!" The situation here was a mess, and they did not have the strength to chase after the youth. It was only due to the Principal''s final strike that the youth had been injured. Otherwise, a single high-grade Duke could have wreaked uncontrollable havoc, leading to an unsalvageable result. At the same time, the black plaque slowly came to a halt, floating above Li Luo''s head as Principal Pang''s voice resounded from it. "Hello, everyone. I, Pang Qianyuan, would like to apologize for my inability, which has led to the situation we are in today. Now that things have transpired, it is useless to say more. I am unable to control the Umbra Cave''s eruption of corruption and can only temporarily influence the speed and extent of its spread. However, the corruption will inevitably spread, and the region five thousand kilometers around the Astral Sage College will soon be unfit for the living." Hearing those words caused Vice Principal Su Xin and the rest to have a change of expression. In this case, the college could no longer be protected, and even Xia City would also be affected. This was the heart of the Xia Kingdom! This area was the home to tens of millions of people! "Su Xin, now that the Tree of Resonant Power has been ruined, the Astral Sage College will lose its title as a sage college as per the rules... However, this is of minor concern. Surviving is the most important thing! In the future, you will have to lead and guide the people of the college to find a new location to rebuild. Once the foundations have been set, there will be an opportunity to regain the title of a sage college. You will possibly have to cooperate closely with the Xia Kingdom to ensure that it is protected." Everyone quietly listened to the Principal''s last exhortations. Even the Dukes had downcast looks on their faces as they understood that the Xia Kingdom''s lasting peace had been upended by the monumental changes that had taken place today. The Others would soon breed and flourish upon this land. And if they were not vigilant, the Xia Kingdom would end up like the Blackwind Empire, a territory overrun by Others. Countless people of the Xia Kingdom would be sacrificed without even a corpse left behind. If the atmosphere of the Xia Kingdom yesterday was one of gentleness and warmth, then it would be like the coldest and harshest winter from today onwards. Winter had come. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e glanced at each other and could similarly see the heaviness in their hearts. The Other Kings and the river of evil had been sealed by the Principal, but the door to the Umbra Cave had been left ajar with the Tree of Resonant Power''s burning. There was nothing within the Xia Kingdom that could suppress and keep it sealed. At the very least, an area thousands of kilometers wide with the Astral Sage College at the center would now become a no man''s land. "Things are going to become troublesome." Li Luo sighed. House Luolan''s Headquarters was situated within Xia City, and if the city became engulfed with corruption, they would have to think of a new plan. This was something they could not avoid. Even a Duke had to retreat in the face of this situation. The only exception was if they could invite a King to suppress the Umbra Cave. "Is the Academic Federation simply going to sit by and watch a sage college collapse? Now that the Tree of Resonant Power has been ruined, what does it mean to lose the title of a sage college?" Li Luo asked Mentor Chi Chan. "The Academic Federation''s core resides within the inner divine continent. The outer divine continent is simply too far away and is frankly beyond their reach. Losing the sage college title is purely because cultivating a high-grade Tree of Resonant Power is simply very difficult. The resources that are required are beyond your imagination, and thus the Academic Federation has set these strict rules to ensure that sage colleges invest effort into protecting it." Mentor Chi Chan''s beautiful face seemed a little dejected, but she nevertheless still answered Li Luo''s question. "Then can we seek help from the other sage colleges on the East Divine Continent?" Li Luo pressed on. "Do you think the Blackwind Empire''s sage college did not reach out for help? Every kingdom in the East Divine Continent has their own territorial considerations, and it''s hard to gather them together. Their own sage colleges similarly bear heavy burdens, so who can truly and casually dispatch experts from their own homes to help others? Additionally, once news of the Ichythian King and the Cadaverous King appearing here spread, I''m afraid no other colleges will dare to help." Mentor Chi Chan sighed. Li Luo fell into deep thought and his heart sank. He stretched his hand out and stored the black plaque in his pocket sphere. With that, he raised his head and took a look at the ancient college that he had spent a year in. The entire college was devastated. The majestic Tree of Resonant Power was still burning, and countless branches continued to wither and fall, some smashing into buildings. Yet no one stopped it, because they already knew that things were over. The college had to be abandoned. In the vicinity of the college, innumerable students were standing in various states of grief and panic. Principal Pang''s words had also been transmitted to each and every one of them. Some were bawling their eyes out. They had always felt proud for being able to cultivate here. However, their sense of pride had crumbled. All of them were full of sorrow and in various states of daze. No one knew what the future of the college was going to be like. Li Luo managed to catch a glimpse of a few familiar faces, and he rushed towards them. "Leader!" Bai Mengmeng waved her hand when she noticed that he was rushing over. Even she was unable to squeeze out her usual, sweet smile. Li Luo took a good look at Bai Mengmeng, Bai Doudou, Yu Lang, Zhao Kuo, and the rest. "Are you guys alright?" Everyone nodded, but it was evident that they were a little down. Even the sloppy Yu Lang seemed ill at ease. "Leader, is the Astral Sage College doomed?" Bai Mengmeng softly asked. Li Luo reluctantly forced out a smile. "There''s no need to be too hung up over this. The Tree of Resonant Power might be wrecked, but the college itself has not collapsed irrecoverably. Vice Principal Su Xin will rebuild the college, and we can regain our title of sage college after a while. If you don''t have any place to go now that the college is a mess, you can stay at House Luolan for a few days. I believe that the entire Xia Kingdom will be thrown into chaos shortly." Bai Mengmeng and the rest quickly exchanged looks before nodding lightly in agreement. Li Luo sighed deep down. Todays developments had exceeded anyone''s imagination. No one would have ever thought that the Xia Kingdom''s almighty Astral Sage College would experience such an upheaval of fate, one that would affect the entire body, from students to mentors. The next few days would definitely be full of changes, perhaps ones that would even be extreme and full of violence. He, too, would need to find a solution for House Luolan to escape from the current situation. Chapter 0703: Giving Up Chapter 0703: Giving Up Things gradually quietened down in the aftermath of the battle. After the last corrupted Violet Vibrance mentor was subdued, Vice Principal Su Xin took a group of Dukes to attempt to seal the Umbra Cave. Unfortunately, the results were not ideal. Corruption continued to leak out, and even the combined efforts of the Dukes was only able to slightly alleviate the issue. After trying for half a day, despite how unwilling Vice Principal Su Xin was, she accepted fate. In the end, she informed all of the mentors to retrieve all of the college''s resources, the Resonant Art Pagoda, the treasury, and all other libraries. This was the culmination of blood and sweat of the college''s many years of existence. If the college wished to rebuild itself, it could not lack any of this. The Tree of Resonant Power''s burning had already brought about great damage to the college''s foundation. If these possessions were lost, it would severely cripple the college. Additionally, all of the important students, the future seedlings, had to be placated as well. The college would be in complete chaos for a time. When things finally calmed down, the numerous powers began to scatter and leave with downcast expressions. Today''s changes concerned the entire Xia Kingdom, and none of them would be able to escape the repercussions. Especially with the unsealing of the Umbra Cave. Endless corruption continued to pour forth from it, right next to the Xia Kingdom''s most prosperous city. This would affect those living in Xia City the most. It was the capital of the kingdom, and all of the headquarters of the largest factions were situated here as well. With these changes, they would now have to make decisions. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e did not approach Vice Principal Su Xin at this point. They knew that her heart was also a mess. As a result, they took Yu Lang, Bai Mengmeng, and Bai Doudou out of the college and back to the city. Entering Xia City was like experiencing a whole different world. The atmosphere was still bustling and the streets were riddled with pedestrians, creating a scene of utmost peace and prosperity. The changes within the college had not been felt by the common man. Alas, this sort of blissful ignorance would only last till the end of the day. Once news spread, the most magnificent city of the Xia Kingdom would turn into a ghost town. Li Luo and the rest continued moving with heavy hearts. They quickly made their way back to House Luolan. After the rest were settled in, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e made their way to find Ox Biaobiao and Cai Wei to inform them of what had happened. "What? The Tree of Resonant Power has been burned down and the Umbra Cave was unsealed?!" Even Ox Biaobiao was completely flabbergasted upon hearing the news. Cai Wei similarly covered her mouth in shock, and her expression turned pale. "The Origin Reversion Institute? I would never have expected that they would extend their tendrils all the way to the outer divine continents. They truly are a bunch of madmen." Ox Biaobiao had a similarly solemn expression. As he came from the inner divine continent, he had naturally heard of them. "Uncle Biao, now that the Umbra Cave has been unsealed, corruption will endlessly flow from it. At the rate it''s leaking out, I''m afraid the city will be covered by it in less than a month. At that point, it will be simply unfit for human life. We have to consider moving the headquarters," Li Luo continued. The problem was that House Luolan possessed a defensive ward. If they chose to migrate, their ward would be taken apart, and this would pose a considerable risk to them. It was the reason why House Luolan was able to continue to survive. "There is another problem. If we were to shift the headquarters, Uncle Biao would be affected as well," Jiang Qing''e reminded him. Ox Biaobiao was acutely injured, and he could only possess the might of a fourth-grade Duke when he was inside House Luolan''s headquarters. Once he left, his strength would drop drastically. Ox Biaobiao removed a pipe of tobacco from his waist and took two puffs before sighing. "The defensive ward will definitely be ruined as it was constructed by your father for the sole purposes of protecting the inner areas. If the headquarters were to be moved, it would no longer be operational." Li Luo replied, "The defensive ward being destroyed might be heartrending, but it is inevitable. We cannot stay and turtle up in Xia City. Once the corruption spreads, the defensive ward will not be able to protect us." He sighed as well. "We have to give up on Xia City." Although this was the bustling center of the Xia Kingdom''s activity, so long as the Umbra Cave remained unsealed, he would have to give it up no matter how unwilling he was. That also applied to the royal court. Jiang Qing''e nodded slightly. "Actually, the defensive ward is no longer as critical to House Luolan as it was before the Housemeet. Master and Mistress'' illusory projections have already deterred any unsavory thoughts towards us. If they wish to covet our belongings, they will have to closely reconsider their decision as it will incur Master and Mistress'' inevitable revenge. Thus, even without the defensive ward, House Luolan wont be in as much danger as it was before the Housemeet." She agreed with Li Luo''s decision. The only remaining consideration was Ox Biaobiao''s condition. "Uncle Biao, the reason you''re able to exhibit fourth-grade Duke strength inside the headquarters has to do with the defensive ward, right? No, more accurately, it should be because of the Divine Matter that is being guarded within the defensive ward, right?" Li Luo asked. Ox Biaobiao grinned as he praised him. "Young Lord, you are astute. Your guess is correct. The Divine Matter is indeed the reason why I''m able to utilize fourth-grade Duke strength in the headquarters." Best "In that case, things are simple. Even without the defensive ward, so long as we bring the Divine Matter along with us and place it in your possession, wouldn''t you be no different from a fully capable fourth-grade Duke?" Li Luo clapped as he smiled. "Well, that is one solution. However, Divine Matter is something that every Duke desires innately as it can give them the opportunity to break into the King Stage. With that in mind, do you still plan to leave such an important item in my possession?" Ox Biaobiao replied tentatively. Li Luo retorted in a tone that made his displeasure known, "Uncle Biao, why would you speak such superfluous words when we are a family? The way I see it, if the Divine Matter can truly allow you to recover, then I''d happily give it to you. I believe if my father and mother were around, they would agree." Ox Biaobiao had been stuck inside House Luolan for countless years, and could be said that he had watched Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e grow from young. In Li Luo''s eyes, Ox Biaobiao was a trustworthy elder, and it was his secret protection throughout all these years that allowed them to flourish today without Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan around. The value of their relationship far surpassed the value of the Divine Matter in Li Luo''s eyes. Ox Biaobiao glanced at Li Luo with a happy smile on his pudgy face. He had watched this youngling grow up and mature and naturally understood his personality and why he would say these words. "Young Lord, you have matured." Ox Biaobiao sighed wistfully. "Uncle Biao, if there are no problems, I will leave the dismantling of the defensive ward to you. All you need to do is leave Master and Mistress'' natal flame to Li Luo to guard." Jiang Qing''e smiled. She would wholeheartedly support Li Luo''s decisions. Ox Biaobiao nodded. "Leave it to me." Li Luo then turned to face Cai Wei. "Sister Cai Wei, could I trouble you to make preparations regarding the things going on within the headquarters? Especially our skygold and various important materials. Everything has to be taken away." Cai Wei nodded solemnly. "Young Lord, you can rest easy. I''ll arrange for everything to be done." Once arrangements were made, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e glanced at each other and sighed lightly. Who would have expected that House Luolan''s headquarters would not be destroyed by external forces, but be voluntarily abandoned? Regent''s Palace In a secret study. The Regent gloomily glanced at the two figures that had walked out of the shadows. It was the youth with dual pupils of gold and silver and Shen Jinxiao. "Xuan Chen, I want you to give me an explanation!" Chapter 0704: Xuan Chen Chapter 0704: Xuan Chen Chapter 0704: Xuan Chen The youth who had been called Xuan Chen nonchalantly looked at the Regent, who was fuming. He directly took a seat on the chair beside him. His expression was still ghastly pale as Principal Pang''s single blow had critically injured him, despite him utilizing a secret art to dodge it. "Gong Yuan, interrogating an ally isn''t appropriate behavior. I''ve done as I promised. Pang Qianyuan did not leave the Umbra Cave and I''ve made your wish come true." Xuan Chen coughed lightly twice before grinning at him. The Regent''s face was dark. "But you''ve wrecked the Xia Kingdom! Now that the Umbra Cave is left ajar, Xia City cannot be protected from the aftermath of this issue!" Xuan Chen shrugged . "Well, you''re not the Xia Kingdom''s Emperor. Why do you care so much about it?" "I am the Xia Kingdom''s Regent!" the Regent emotionlessly continued. "Do you think that you''ll be able to remain as the Regent after the Little Emperor finishes the coronation ceremony?" Xuan Chen smirked as he waved his hand. "Okay, okay, there''s no point in continuing with these meaningless words. Gong Yuan, set your sights a little further. Once you become a King Stage expert, you can construct an imperial dynasty that far surpasses the Xia Kingdom by over a hundred times. At that point in time, you''ll be the founding Emperor and your efforts will far exceed the Gong family''s ancestor." The Regent''s eyes fluttered a little. "It''s not a simple task to become a King." However, in contrast to his acrid words, his tone had softened immensely. "With our support, the King Stage is not an unattainable goal. You should know in your heart how mighty we are," Xuan Chen indifferently continued. The Regent fell into contemplation for a moment before replying, "What do you want to do next, then?" "The Astral Sage College''s Tree of Resonant Power has been devastated and the Umbra Cave is unsealed. Unfortunately, Pang Qianyuan has managed to hinder our plans by sealing himself, the two Other Kings, and the river of evil. As a result, the speed at which the corruption will spread has also been suppressed. I wanted the Xia Kingdom to collapse with haste, but our plans will have to be delayed. Still, this is a good thing from our point of view. If the two Other Kings truly were released, it would not be good news for us. I can''t just wave two Kings from the headquarters to come over and suppress them, could I? Others are fickle; they might turn on us at any moment," Xuan Chen explained with a laugh. Although the Origin Reversion Institute and Others had a relationship, this was only because of their similar aims. If the Ichythian King and the Cadaverous King were allowed to roam free, someone with seventh-grade Duke strength would be unable to command them. And if they ever wished to, they could end his life on a whim. On the bright side, Pang Qianyuan had helpfully sealed the two Other Kings away, and that would give them more time to achieve the Origin Reversion Institute''s aims. Xuan Chen smirked as he asked, "Xia City will soon be abandoned. What are your plans now, Gong Yuan?" "What do you mean?" The Regent frowned. Best Xuan Chen raised his palm, and resonant power flowed forth, forming the projection of a massive map of the Xia Kingdom and its surroundings. "Now that the Umbra Cave is in this state, the corruption will constantly spill forth. However, Pang Qianyuan''s seal is suppressing the rate at which it spreads. Based on my estimates, the location of the corruption''s source will undoubtedly be where the Astral Sage College is. It will then leak west and form a gigantic corrupted area." He then snapped his fingers, and a piece of black territory appeared on the map, running from east to west like a huge, black river that divided the entire Xia Kingdom into two. "In two to three years time, the Xia Kingdom should transform into something that looks like this. As Xia City will be abandoned, the royal court will have to find a new city to develop into a new capital. Which location do you think the First Princess will choose?" Xuan Chen grinned. The Regent sighed deeply. "She will likely choose somewhere in the south as she has a greater number of supporters in that region." "What about you?" The Regent paused for a moment as he meaningfully looked at Xuan Chen. "You want me to go to the north? Following the First Princess to the south would only lead to meaningless conflict. The entire Xia Kingdom is in turmoil, and with your influence and power, why would you have to follow the Little Emperor? You can simply revolt and declare yourself Emperor in the north! It would be sufficient to use the river to divide the Xia Kingdom with the First Princess," Xuan Chen said. "Additionally, with our support, you will encounter a meteoric rise in your strength, beyond your wildest dreams. When you eventually decide to reclaim the southern region and unify the kingdom, it will not be difficult." The Regent''s expression fluctuated. "You wish to separate the Xia Kingdom and reduce its overall strength, all to facilitate your plotting? However, considering the power that you possess, there should be no need to do so. The way I see it... Pang Qianyuan must have wounded you grievously." Xuan Chen''s expression finally turned downcast. He did not confirm nor deny it, only continuing, "Why don''t you go clash with a King? You''ll understand then." The Regent shook his head. "I understand my limits at least." If even a seventh-grade Duke utilizing a secret art was unable to take on a single blow from Pang Qianyuan, a fifth-grade Duke would have been pulverized to dust. "However, I am interested in your suggestion." The Regent changed the topic quickly, and a sly smile formed on his face. Xia City would be ruined soon and the entire Xia Kingdom would be thrown into unrest. All of the previous rules would no longer hold water. If he were to journey south with Gong Luanyu and the little emperor, the issue with the little emperor''s gender would also pose a head-scratching problem. At the same time, he would also be involved with the numerous forces present there, and they would hinder his ambitious plans. Therefore, it would make more sense to retreat to the north with his people. When the time was ripe, he could directly leave the royal court and declare himself the Emperor of the North! With the Origin Reversion Institute''s support, his plans would not be limited to the Xia Kingdom. It was as Xuan Chen had said, his future results would surpass the founding ancestor''s. With this thought, a fire blazed within his eyes. He understood that he would have to rely on the Origin Reversion Institute more and more. Now that the situation had reached this stage, there was no return, and the youth before him would not allow it either. "This is not a bad suggestion." He flashed a grin at Xuan Chen. Xuan Chen''s pale face similarly radiated a warm smile. The Regent''s tactful reply also satisfied him greatly. "Regent, I have a small request." At this moment, Shen Jinxiao, who had been silent the whole time, piped up with a smile as he looked at the Regent. "Mentor Shen, you can speak without restraint." The Regent waved his hand. "It''s nothing you haven''t already heard of. Now that Xia City will be abandoned, the numerous powers will choose to leave. This includes House Luolan," Shen Jinxiao unhurriedly continued. A glint appeared in the Regent''s gaze. "Now that they have chosen to leave, the defensive ward will no longer influence us. I think this will be a great opportunity." Shen Jinxiao crossed his fingers before him as he smiled. "Mentor Shen, you still plan to make a move on House Luolan? Aren''t you afraid of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan?" the Regent asked. "Of course I''m afraid!" Shen Jinxiao answered, still smiling. "However, now that enmity has already been formed, there would be no way to smooth things over! Why not act more viciously, then? With the Origin Reversion Institute''s support, we have no need to be afraid of them anyway." "So what do you suggest?" "Lord Xuan Chen will continue to observe things at the Astral Sage College. The First Princess and House Luolan have a tight relationship, and I will need your help to restrain her forces. You can leave the rest to me." Shen Jinxiao cupped his hands respectfully. The Regent batted him an eye. "House Luolan not only has Chi Chan, but also that man named Ox Biaobiao. This is a hidden danger you can''t predict. Are you sure you can deal with them?" Xuan Chen smirked. "You shouldn''t underestimate Shen Jinxiao. He is someone that even the Ichythian King praised! Now that I think about it, he is very suited to join the Origin Reversion Institute. I believe his achievements will even exceed mine someday." These words cause the Regent to squint, and his gaze flickered amidst a moment of contemplation. "Lord Xuan Chen, you are being too generous with your praise." Shen Jinxiao looked at the Regent with the deepest smile he could muster. "In fact, I don''t want the Divine Matter. I only want... Jiang Qing''e." Chapter 0705: Royal Court Schism Chapter 0705: Royal Court Schism The news of the Umbra Cave unsealing on the grounds of the Astral Sage College was spread far and wide in the following days. With so many individuals and students at the scene of the disaster, it was no surprise that this piece of news could not be suppressed. As word spread, it incited significant turmoil. Xia City was the closest city to the Astral Sage College, and everyone living there panicked. Even with the assistance of the soldiers maintaining order, they couldn''t prevent the panic from spreading. Countless individuals began to flee in hysteria and alarm. Even when faced with this situation, the royal court did not attempt to stop the populace from leaving. Instead, they actively sought to stabilize the situation and assist with the evacuation. At this point in time, abandoning Xia City was inevitable. Xia City''s numerous powers had similarly made their own preparations. Although no one wanted to leave, especially after they had planted their roots in the city for countless years and invested endless amounts of lifeblood and resources, there was no other option. Ultimately, the people could be evacuated, but the businesses and industries could only be regretfully let go, incurring large losses for the factions involved. There was no choice in this matter. The corruption was difficult to resist, and although some mighty individuals would be able to block off the effects, the vast majority of people were helpless. The corruption was like a poison that would slowly transform the environment. Xia City would become a ground of death. Therefore, there was no point in staying behind. Under these chaotic circumstances, the royal court opened up a forum for discussion, inviting all of the powers in Xia City to participate. The parties were invited by the First Princess and the Little Emperor. Strictly speaking, because the coronation ceremony had not truly been completed, the Little Emperor''s position was a little awkward. At the same time, the current circumstances did not really permit a second coronation ceremony to be held, and thus the numerous powers tacitly accepted that the Little Emperor was the rightful Emperor. "Greetings, esteemed guests. We have conducted some investigations in the past few days and have determined the trajectory of the flow of corruption due to the Umbra Cave''s unsealing. Perhaps it is due to Principal Pang''s actions that the corruption will not spread as disastrously as we had expected. Over time, the corruption will form a large belt that will run through the center of the Xia Kingdom, almost akin to a big river, dividing the kingdom in half." Within the resplendent hall of the palace, the First Princess glanced at the numerous leaders of the factions she had invited. Her kingdom-toppling beauty seemed a little haggard as the turmoil had taken its toll on her in the past couple of days. In front of the First Princess was a crystal ball that projected a large map of the Xia Kingdom. What was displayed on the map was what was mentioned prior. A giant, black river divided the entire Xia Kingdom into two halves. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were present as well, carefully observing the map. They quietly heaved small sighs of relief. Although the area affected by the corruption was still significant and numerous cities would be ruined, most of the kingdom would be spared. Looking at the bigger picture, this was a relatively acceptable outcome. This was the last bit of assistance Principal Pang had provided before his sealing. Vice Principal Su Xin was also present at the forum. She was a little different when compared to her past warm and genial self. Now she seemed a little downcast, which was understandable. She had seen the destruction of her college firsthandeven an individual with a stronger will would find it difficult to shrug off such a disastrous event. "Finally, a piece of good news." Yu Hongxi glanced at Vice Principal Su Xin briefly upon seeing her silent visage and sighed. "At the very least, the corruption is confined to a specific area and will not spread wantonly. The Xia Kingdom will be able to maintain a significant amount of uncorrupted land." "I''m afraid this situation will only last for a few years. Once Principal Pang''s seal loses its effect, the corruption will spread unabated once again," Duze Yan emotionlessly added. "Being able to buy time is a good thing." Si Qing bitterly smiled. The First Princess lightly nodded before unhurriedly continuing, "I''ve invited everyone here today to discuss our path of retreat. The Xia Kingdom will now be split into two halves due to the corruption that is spreading across the lands. My recommendation is to head south, and I hope that everyone here will join the royal court. At the same time, we will see Others gradually appearing in the lands of the Xia Kingdom, and we will require everyone''s help to repel them." The First Princess sincerely appealed to the guests. The numerous representatives nodded slightly. Her words were logical. In order to prepare for future eventualities, they ought to band together. That was the wisest choice. However, just as everyone was coming to a decision, a faint voice rang out. "I don''t agree with heading to the southern region." Everyone''s gazes turned. They realized that it was the Regent who had suddenly opened his eyes to speak with a stern expression. "Royal Uncle, what is the meaning of this?" The First Princess''s gaze fluctuated slightly and her tone became icy. The Regent ignored her, only continuing, "I recommend that we head to the north. The Xia Kingdom has numerous soldiers stationed there and we can best amplify our strength there." A hint of fury arose within the First Princess'' phoenix eyes. "This is the decision of the royal court. Royal Uncle, do you intend to go against the will of the royal court?" "Luanyu, with what happened at the coronation ceremony, factually speaking, the royal court still remains under my control," the Regent continued with his eyelids drooping slightly. "Royal Uncle, do you wish to rebel?" the First Princess asked. The Regent smiled. "Why do you have to put words in my mouth? After all, this entire situation can be blamed on your father, the Emperor. In order for his family to hold on to power, he utilized secret means to change Jingyao''s gender. He tried to deceive the Kingdom Protecting Formation and violated the will of our ancestors. If a crime has been committed, the criminal is your father! He''s the one who has committed the most heinous of crimes. I simply don''t know how he can face the ancestors in the underworld!" "Impudent!" Hearing the Regent slander her father, the First Princess furiously burst out. At the same time, numerous bodyguards streamed in from every direction. Chief Steward Qin appeared behind the First Princess, quietly staring at the Regent. The situation had turned tense in a blink, and the countless representatives of the kingdom''s powers began to glance at each other. Their internal strife had already been exposed during the coronation ceremony, but due to the unexpected developments at the college, it had been put off temporarily. Still, procrastinating would not solve this problem, and it seemed as though things had come to a head once again. Vice Principal Su Xin frowned. The internal affairs of the royal court were a headache, and there was no solution. The Regent wanted the position of the Emperor. Gong Jingyao had failed to take control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation, ultimately giving the Regent the perfect excuse to take power. In this situation, just who could force the Regent to back off? To control his uninhibited ambitions? Only Principal Pang. Unfortunately... Within the hall where the discussion took place, the Regent remained seated with an impassive face and a resolute look in his eyes. "If you have set your mind to retreat to the south, then I will have to say that he will not follow your wishes. I will lead my men to the north and gather the troops and garrison the north! All for the sake of vanquishing the Others!" His words caused anger to surge within the First Princess, and her body trembled with a frozen expression. "Gong Yuan! Do you wish to take the north so you break away and then call yourself Emperor?" Everyone''s expressions changed upon this realization. The Regent seemed to have steeled himself to separate the Xia Kingdom. Yu Hongxi''s expression turned serious. "Regent, the Xia Kingdom is facing an existential crisis, and we have to be united. If the royal court splinters, will the people not be shocked?" This was met with the Regent''s calm reply. "This is why I beseech all of you to support me. The current Xia Kingdom requires a qualified individual to rule. Do you feel that Gong Jingyao''s might can compare to mine?" The blunt reply left people silent. The Regent had been in control for numerous years, and even though he was ambitious, no one could deny his personal strength. At the very least, the royal court had strengthened considerably while he was in charge. Vice Principal Su Xin glanced briefly at Yu Hongxi. The Regent''s strength was unquestionable, but he was simply too wild and constantly sought to acquire more power. This caused others to be fearful of him. If one had to choose, they would definitely prefer the First Princess. A sudden laugh punctuated the quiet air before Zhu Qinghuo stood up and proclaimed his view. "The Regent''s strength is clear for all to see. If we have to fend off the Others, letting him control the royal court would allow people to feel assured. "Thus, I represent House Jiyan in declaring that we will follow the Regent and head to the northern region." Chapter 0706: Taking Sides Chapter 0706: Taking Sides Zhu Qinghuo taking the initiative to make a statement had caused the atmosphere to freeze up. Everyone''s expressions changed. Amongst the Xia Kingdom''s five Great Houses, House Jiyan was considered to be the strongest after Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s departure and Zhu Qinghuo becoming a fourth-grade Duke. This was one step higher than the rest of the other house lords. His declaration was akin to openly standing with the Regent. There was nothing strange about it, especially after the situation with House Luolan''s Housemeet. Zhu Qinghuo and the Regent were now on the same boat. "The three counties I govern also happen to be in the north and thus my choice does not need to be explained." At this point, Governor Zhong similarly spoke up as one of the Regent''s staunch supporters. House Jinque''s Si Qing''s eyes flashed briefly before he too spoke up. "House Jinque is willing to head north." If he had not taken action against House Luolan during the Housemeet, he would have almost wanted to go south with the rest. But the Regent was strong, and he gave Si Qing a dangerous and foreboding feeling. Additionally, he was not a fan of this overt way of demonstrating one''s support. Alas, he had ruined relations with House Luolan and he had to make a calculated decision on how he was to protect himself against Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s eventual retribution. If one were to look within the entire Xia Kingdom, the only one who had the strength to resist the duo was the Regent. More importantly, the Regent had also acted against House Luolan, and the enemy of his enemy was his friend. They would naturally work together to deal with Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. With these thoughts in mind, Si Qing thus made his decision. His words similarly sent a tremor through the forum. The countless representatives changed expressions as two Great Houses had demonstrated their decision to stick with the Regent. Of the remaining three, House Lanling was not present and House Luolan was just the two brats playing house. The remaining house lord that had yet to make a decision was Duze Yan. At this point, a few important officials of the royal court and other powers who were somewhat neutral expressed their desire to stick with the Regent in the north. In a blink, a significant amount of support was drummed up for the Regent. This scene caused the First Princess'' face to freeze over, her delicate body trembling, evidently restraining the fury building up within her. At this point, a youth''s laughter broke through the tension, echoing throughout the forum. "Hehe, during House Luolan''s Housemeet, Pei Hao experienced an explosive growth in strength. We discovered from our investigations that it was due to the hidden support of Shen Jinxiao. Similarly, the Regent also stealthily acted against us. It leads me to wonder if the Regent and Shen Jinxiao have some sort of connection between them," a smiling Li Luo said. "Shen Jinxiao and the youth with dual pupils of gold and silver are in cahoots. They were both instigators of the Umbra Cave unsealing. If the Regent and Shen Jinxiao have some sort of relationship, then we have to suspect that he is a member of the Origin Reversion Institute too." These words caused everyone to turn silent. Even Vice Principal Su Xin shot a stern glance towards the Regent. In the face of this pressure, the Regent remained unfazed as he indifferently stated, "House Lord Li Luo is barely mature, but he possesses such a vicious personality and speaks such harsh words. House Luolan holds a treasure that everyone covets. There''s no need to blame anyone for doing so. If you wish to blame someone, then it''s your parents who hold the fault of revealing it. Just because I want your treasures doesn''t mean that you should frame me. If you have any proof, take it out. Words are cheap and meaningless." Li Luo grinned slightly. "I was merely voicing out my thoughts aloud. Why so serious? Still, House Luolan will choose to head to the south with the First Princess. Now that the Regent has spoken so openly about desiring our treasures, wouldn''t following you just be sending myself to the chopping block?" This was met with the Regent''s emotionless expression as though he was already expecting such a result. House Duze''s Duze Yan then slowly enunciated his decision. "House Duze will head to the south to set up a new home. All things go back to their source eventually. If we have to leave Xia City, that is our choice." This choice was not strange. Duze Yan had chosen to block Si Qing during the Housemeet, and it also marked a strained relationship between him and the Regent. Still, if the choices made by House Luolan and House Duze were considered to have caused a slight commotion, then the next individual''s words were something that everyone was paying attention to closely. "I am willing to accompany the First Princess to the south." These were the words of Qin Zhenjiang. His heroic posture was coupled with a body akin to a steel pagoda, crisscrossed with countless scars and giving off a bloody air. The Regent''s eyelids twitched. Qin Zhenjiang had a pivotal position in the army. If he chose to head south, it would naturally attract numerous other generals to accompany him, heavily impacting the Regent''s side. "The Astral Sage College will head to the south. There are several colleges in the smaller cities that can be remodeled to fit our needs. It will greatly simplify things," Vice Principal Su Xin calmly explained. The Regent''s expression turned ugly. The Astral Sage College might have been destroyed and a few of the Violet Vibrance mentors had been corrupted and injured, but it was still a special power. Its foundation and background were still solid, and if they were to follow the First Princess to the south, it would bolster her momentum in times to come. However, this was Vice Principal Su Xin''s choice. The Regent was clear that Su Xin had her reservations about him. The college used to have Pang Qianyuan, a King Stage expert, so there was no need to be concerned. However, now that he was sealed away and the college had suffered immense losses, if she took the initiative to side with the Regent, there was a chance he might employ some underhanded means to suppress her... which was precisely what the Regent wanted to do. That woman was cunning and would not give him any chance to exploit her. The Astral Sage College heading south was not necessarily a bad thing. In a few years time, the Origin Reversion Institute''s presence on his side would deepen. If the college was with him, they might discover them and it would lead to inevitable trouble. Thus, there was no choice but to walk their separate ways, giving him more time to take full control of the north. When his own strength rose and he entered the ranks of a high-grade Duke, he would have the confidence to suppress any dissent even if the Origin Reversion Institute were revealed to be working with him. All of these thoughts flashed through the Regent''s mind, but his expression remained gloomy as he coldly stated, "Since this is Vice Principal Su Xin''s decision, we can only respect it." He then turned towards Yu Hongxi. "President Yu, what is the Golden Dragon Bank''s decision?" Yu Hongxi smiled as she answered, "To the Golden Dragon Bank, the north and the south are both areas for us to conduct business. Our headquarters will head south, but we will not abandon relationships with the north. We will continue to ensure that our branches remain open for business there." Clearly, Yu Hongxi was more partial towards the First Princess. Still, they were businessmen and opted to remain neutral. If not for these extraordinary circumstances, they would not have chosen to act so rashly. Once the two behemoths, the Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank, made their decisions, the rest of the representatives voiced their views one after another. What was most curious was that quite a few opted to continue following the Regent towards the north. Perhaps this was partially due to the fact that some of them were from the northern side of the kingdom to begin with. But it was more likely that the Regent''s rule had influenced them over the years. Although the other powers were not equivalent to the Five Great Houses, they were a force to be reckoned with when added together. At this point, the forum representing the highest powers in the Xia Kingdom had separated into two factions, one in the north and one in the south. If one were to remove the Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank from the equation, it would seem that those supporting the Regent were greater in strength and influence. This result was something the Regent was pleased with. He did not continue to beat around the bush, haughtily looking at the First Princess. "Luanyu, since you''ve made your decision, I hope that you will manage the southern region well. The future of the Xia Kingdom requires it to be whole." The First Princess coldly responded, "Gong Yuan, my father the Emperor was truly blind. He would never have expected that choosing you as the Regent would have led to the kingdom splintering." "As I have said, he was simply too greedy. He did not abide by the rules set by the ancestors," the Regent retorted. However, he did not continue to bicker, merely turning to leave. With his departure, those who supported him similarly took their leave. A few moments later, a good half of the forum had emptied out. The First Princess'' beautiful face had an indeterminable expression, but her gaze was riddled with killing intent. She had almost wanted to command her men to take action, but reason and logic allowed her to calm down. The truth was that the forces siding with her might not have been able to overpower him. Perhaps without Vice Principal Su Xin and Yu Hongxi''s presence, she suspected that Gong Yuan might have taken the initiative and disposed of her immediately, taking control of the royal court directly. It might have been crude, but it wouldve been effective in such chaotic times. The First Princess heaved a few deep breaths. Her gorgeous palatial dress could not hide her turbulently beating chest. She did her best to remain calm despite the fire burning within her. She then turned to face Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, revealing a smile full of gratitude. "Hello, everyone. Now that you''ve made your decision, we can make preparations to leave. Xia City might be done for, but I hold hope for the future of the Xia Kingdom. I believe that we will return here one day." Upon hearing her motivating words, the representatives who sided with her also hurriedly took their leave. A lot of work had to be done. Li Luo exchanged his farewells before rushing over to catch Vice Principal Su Xin before she left. "Vice Principal, are there places in the south to rebuild the Astral Sage College?" Li Luo lightly asked. She glanced at Li Luo before forcing a smile. "Well, there are a few choices. Why? Do you have any suggestions?" Li Luo grinned. "I would like to recommend Southwind Academy." "Southwind Academy, huh? That was actually one of the choices." Vice Principal Su Xin nodded lightly. She knew that both Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had graduated from there. "I will discuss the situation with the Violet Vibrance mentors. If they were able to produce two outstanding students like yourself and Jiang Qing''e, their luck mustn''t be too bad." Li Luo smiled and nodded. As he observed Su Xin''s haggard expression, he couldn''t help but speak out and comfort her as well. "Vice Principal Su Xin, you don''t need to feel too disheartened. The college is destroyed, but this might be the opportunity to be reborn from the ashes. Perhaps the Astral Sage College might just produce a super expert that no other sage college is able to compare with! At the very least, it will be considered an ancient college!" Listening to Li Luo''s consoling words brought a smile to her face. Her gaze turned warm and she stretched out a hand to ruffle the youth''s hair. "If that''s the case, I will have to pin my hopes onto you and Jiang Qing''e." Chapter 0707: An Answer Chapter 0707: An Answer Xia City was in a flurry for the next ten days as everyone was scrambling. Innumerable people had chosen to abandon their homes and head either to the north or the south. Although they were unwilling in their hearts, they could only escape as the corruption had become even thicker in the surroundings and traces of Others could be seen. The good thing was that these were low-grade Others, and with Xia City''s experts being as common as the clouds, they were easily vanquished. But even with the Others being killed, a terrifying atmosphere had built up within the city. Every single day, the number of individuals fleeing continued to rise, all filled with panic. Some had not even gotten over the fact that they were about to celebrate the new year just a few days prior. Instead, life had turned into a nightmare. This was a disaster none could avoid. Even the top powers of Xia City were not exempt. All of them hurriedly attempted to collect all of their resources, but due to the limited time, the amount they were able to retrieve was relatively miniscule, forcing them to give it up reluctantly. Meanwhile, all was not at ease within Xia City. A lack of peace had stemmed from the royal court''s schism. The First Princess and the Regent had acrimoniously parted ways. The news of one of them heading to the north and the other to the south had spread within the city, and this incited tremors of shock amongst the populace. Even a toddler understood the implications of this action. The royal court had split into two and the Xia Kingdom would inevitably separate into two smaller kingdoms. The south would be controlled by the First Princess'' faction, whereas the north would be ruled by the Regent''s. If this separation had happened a month ago, the Regent would undoubtedly have invited endless criticism. After all, this was a treasonous conspiracy! Unfortunately, due to the critical issue of corruption spreading throughout Xia City, no one could be bothered to even glance at the Regent a second time. Only those of the First Princess'' faction were still spending their time haranguing the Regent in public these days. The two factions continued to confront each other as the days passed, resulting in their conflict becoming more and more heated. If not for the overhanging threat, they might have simply burst out into an all-out war. In short, the division within the royal court had caused the situation within Xia City to become even more chaotic than before! House Luolan, underground palace Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were currently sitting together as they watched Ox Biaobiao with trepidation. He was currently executing a series of hand seals, and with each one, the runic light patterns that covered the underground palace were gradually weakening in intensity. These light patterns were the bedrock of the defensive ward that guarded House Luolan. Li Luo''s gaze was complex. The defensive ward had protected House Luolan for countless years, and he had never imagined that it would be broken by him instead of outsiders. However, there was no choice. Xia City was headed to destruction and House Luolan had to migrate. Thus, they had to retrieve the Divine Matter and protect the natal flames left behind by Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. After noticing that Li Luo was in a state of internal strife, Jiang Qing''e glanced at him with her bright, cold eyes before tightly gripping his hand. Feeling a cold and delicate touch on his palm, Li Luo turned to look at Jiang Qing''e with a warm feeling in his heart. "The defensive ward has served its purpose. It has protected us through the trials of the Housemeet. We should move ahead and rely on ourselves from now on." Jiang Qing''e gave a slight smile. Her beautiful face lit up with such a bright luster that even the dimly lit underground palace seemed to have become brighter for a moment. Facing this absolute beauty that was so close at hand caused even Li Luo to momentarily fall into a daze, despite long being accustomed to her appearance. He similarly clasped his hand around her slender, jadelike fingers and lightly sighed. "Sister Qing''e, it seems that a year has gone by in a blink. Do you still remember when you first came to Southwind Academy to pick me up? Don''t you think that I''ve passed enough trials and tribulations by now for you to accede to my proposal? Don''t you think I should have an answer now?" Jiang Qing''e was left a little surprised. She blinked innocently before asking, "What answer are you referring to?" "Don''t act dumb!" Li Luo angrily said. "Annulling the engagement! When can I change the agreement? Don''t you think I''ve passed your tests!? Now I''m the House Lord of House Luolan to boot!" Jiang Qing''e helplessly replied, "You really like to kick up a fuss, don''t you?" "I''m not kicking up a fuss! This is extremely important to me, Li Luo solemnly replied. Jiang Qing''e then gave a smile that wasn''t a smile. "Your strength hasn''t surpassed mine. Didn''t you always think that once you surpassed me, you could do as you please?" Li Luo resentfully grumbled, "Surpassing you is a little crude. Are these words a couple should use on each other? Isn''t that a little too competitive?" After which, he forcefully clutched Jiang Qing''e''s little hand as he attentively looked at her. "I don''t care! Sister Qing''e, I just want to know, do you like me? Do you like me in the way a man likes a woman and not due to some sort of brotherly affection?" This sudden attack left even the usually calm Jiang Qing''e a little lost for words. A faint blush emerged on her fair cheeks that looked as delicate as porcelain, and a rare hint of shyness appeared in her eyes at the same time. Perhaps it was due to the defensive ward being deconstructed and they were abandoning House Luolan that Jiang Qing''e felt like Li Luo was acting a little more reckless than usual. At the same time, she did not know how to reply as her heart pounded in her chest. Seeing that she did not reply, Li Luo''s eyes widened. "Although your answer is not important, you are already part of House Luolan! As House Luolan''s young mistress, you have to do what you''re supposed to do!" Knowing that Li Luo had been messing with her all along, Jiang Qing''e did not know whether to laugh or to cry. "Keh!" At this point a dry cough echoed throughout the underground palace, interrupting the romantic atmosphere. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e hurriedly turned over as Ox Biaobiao had formed the final hand seal, causing all of the complicated, runic-light patterns to turn dim. A formless wave of energy swiftly washed over them. The underground palace shuddered and dust flew all around. Crack! The stone pillar in the center of the underground palace began to gradually shatter, and a mysterious, diamond-shaped crystal slowly floated into the air, emanating waves of light. With the appearance of the object, a mystical energy pervaded the underground palace, and even Li Luo could feel the resonant power within him boiling with excitement. Divine Matter! Li Luo froze upon seeing it. This was a treasure left behind by his parents which every Duke coveted. He slowly walked forward, first walking towards the two natal flames. "Father, Mother, the Xia Kingdom is undergoing an upheaval and we can''t protect the headquarters any longer, so I have no choice but to take the Divine Matter somewhere else. If you can hear what I''m saying, please take care on the Nobles'' Battlefield." The Divine Matter had been kept in the underground palace to sustain the defensive ward, but it had another function. During a time of need, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan could transmit some of their strength through it from the Nobles'' Battlefield and project themselves to defend the house. Thus, if there was any other choice, Li Luo would not have opted to shift the Divine Matter away. After which, he stretched out his hand and very cautiously placed the two natal flames into his pocket sphere. Then he turned to face Ox Biaobiao. "Uncle Biao, store it away quickly!" Ox Biaobiao glanced at Li Luo with a smile as he reached out and clutched the Divine Matter, the envy of all Dukes. "Young Lord, I will safekeep this for the time being. Once the danger has passed, I''ll return it to you," he said with a grin. Li Luo nonchalantly waved his hand. "House Luolan has already tidied up everything. We will probably leave in the next two days. Traces of Others have appeared in the outskirts of the city, so we can''t tarry any longer." Ox Biaobiao nodded. "I will make the final preparations on my side." After which, the three gave one last look at the slightly derelict and collapsing underground palace for a good moment before they turned to leave. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e followed Ox Biaobiao closely. As Li Luo grasped Jiang Qing''e''s little hand, he secretly said, "Sister Qing''e, you haven''t answered me yet." As the words blew past Jiang Qing''e''s dainty, little ears, they seemed to have turned a little redder, and she snuck a glance at Ox Biaobiao. She then whispered back, "I''ll give you an answer when we reach the City of Southwind!" After which, she hastened her steps, no longer entangling herself with Li Luo. Li Luo grinned as he looked at the usually calm and unflustered girl who was striding away. With that, he began to leisurely follow. Chapter 0708: Conditions Chapter 0708: Conditions Time passed day by day, and the activity in Xia City gradually died down. The previously bustling and lively atmosphere had turned cold and lethargic. Golden Dragon Bank Yu Hongxi was standing by the window, staring at the empty streets below as she sighed lightly. As a businesswoman, she innately disliked such unexpected developments, and a change in the ruling party didnt matter to the Golden Dragon Bank. After all, they still needed someone to do business with! The only exception was the Others. They were cold and gloomy creatures with no sense of interaction. In this period of time, the Golden Dragon Bank had quickly collected their resources. However, their operations were simply too widespread, so even after doing their best, their efficacy was simply not good enough. Thoughts on future plans for expansion within the Xia Kingdom filled Yu Hongxi''s mind. Suddenly, a knocking sound came from the door which broke her train of thought. Indicating for the person to come in, a serving maid quickly stepped in and quickly passed on a message in a low voice. "Oh? She actually came to the Golden Dragon Bank to visit me?" Yu Hongxi''s eyebrows arched in curiosity as she nodded. "Invite her in and don''t let anyone interrupt us, including Qing''er." A few moments after the serving maid left, Yu Hongxi leaned back in her chair with her fingers crossed, showcasing her amazing figure. It was only when a light knocking was heard and the door pushed open that she raised her head to look at Jiang Qing''e. "I never expected you to come to me on your own. I thought you wished to avoid such a situation. I guess House Luolan''s mistress might have no shortage of bad things to say about me... am I right?" "My Mistress does not talk bad about others behind their back." Jiang Qing''e shook her head. Yu Hongxi remained noncommittal but did not remain overly polite either, directly cutting to the chase. "I suppose you know that I prefer to speak to Li Luo directly. Since you''ve come here personally, I suppose you''re looking for something from me?" Jiang Qing''e continued to look at Yu Hongxi. Although she was already a mother, she was still as charming as ever, her every expression exuding a mature charm that added to her gorgeousness. "I do have something I require your assistance with." Jiang Qing''e didn''t beat around the bush either. "House Luolan will be migrating in three days'' time. I suppose the bank will also leave around the same time?" Yu Hongxi nodded slightly. "However, I don''t think we will be taking the same path." The Golden Dragon Bank would first withdraw to the county closest to Xia City as it was to be a gathering point for the branches as well. "President Yu, you should understand House Luolan''s situation. We might have avoided a disaster during the Housemeet, but there are still people who covet our Divine Matter. Without the protection of the defensive ward, I''m afraid there will be rats skulking in the shadows. Thus, House Luolan''s migration will not be a peaceful affair. I''m afraid some individuals might be unable to restrain themselves," Jiang Qing''e continued. "Well, you''re aware," Yu Hongxi replied. "Still, the Regent and the First Princess are locked in such an intense struggle over the royal court''s resources that they almost broke their heads. Thus, I feel that the Regent will not have the time nor opportunity to steal House Luolan''s treasures." Jiang Qing''e fell into a gloomy silence momentarily before continuing, "Actually, I''m more afraid of Shen Jinxiao." Yu Hongxi''s gaze flickered. "The Astral Sage College''s Violet Vibrance mentor?" "That man is venomous and slyhe has even joined up with the Origin Reversion Institute. And in my opinion, he is a much bigger threat than the Regent. He has always coveted me, from the moment I entered the college. If not for the college''s rules, he would have acted much more flagrantly. Unfortunately, now that he has abandoned it, I feel that he can no longer resist nor control himself," Jiang Qing''e calmly explained. "House Luolan has that mysterious Duke, and with Chi Chan around, it should be more than enough to deal with him," Yu Hongxi countered. "Although we have made our own preparations, we would like to have greater assurance. I''m afraid of him, and in the worst case scenario, we can fight to the bitter end. However, we are retreating, and Li Luo is with me. I don''t want him to be dragged into this quagmire." Yu Hongxi said, "You wouldn''t happen to still be concerned about the Golden Dragon Bank''s internal issues, would you? You can relax, I will keep a close watch and ensure that no one runs over and causes you trouble." Jiang Qing''e shook her head. "No. What I hope is that if you sense any issues happening on House Luolan''s side, you will personally take action and intervene." Yu Hongxi laughed in response to those words. "Jiang Qing''e, have you forgotten the Golden Dragon Bank''s creed of neutrality? As the Golden Dragon Bank''s president, I will never personally take action. I may like that brat Li Luo, but don''t you think that your suggestion is a little overboard?" "I know this is a little too much, but during the Housemeet, didn''t you similarly promise Li Luo that you''d just watch over the Golden Dragon Bank''s situation? Still, I believe that you''re a businesswoman. Aren''t there some areas we can further discuss?" A hint of interest appeared within Yu Hongxi''s eyes as she focused upon Jiang Qing''e. "You''re a smart girl. So what conditions do you think you possess that will be of interest to me? Let me think... Perhaps if you were willing to give me House Luolan''s Divine Matter, I might be sufficiently moved." A smile appeared on Jiang Qing''e''s cheeks, which surprised Yu Hongxi. She replied softly, "President Yu, my fellow student Qing''er is infatuated with Li Luo. Am I not wrong?" The smile on Yu Hongxi''s face faded as she retorted unhappily, "So what?" "Li Luo is engaged to someone already, yes? Don''t you think that her actions are a little inappropriate and you should take action to guide her appropriately?" This was met with a cold tone. "Do I need your reminder to discipline my child? Plus, your engagement with Li Luo was just some spur of the moment decision made by that fellow Li Taixuan. I''m sure there''s no real affection between the two of you. Am I wrong?" "How could you know that, President Yu?" Jiang Qing''e replied. Yu Hongxi pursed her full, red lips as she stood up gracefully, pressing both hands upon the table as she stared at Jiang Qing''e with her sharp eyes, almost as though they could see through her completely. "So, why don''t you tell me? Have you given yourself to Li Luo already?" When faced with those piercing words being uttered by such a charming, mature woman, even Jiang Qing''e was slightly taken aback, and she lost focus for a mere moment. "Since you are already engaged, you can do anything you wish. If the two of you really had such deep affection for each other, knowing Li Luo''s temperament, you''d have long done the deed together," Yu Hongxi indifferently continued. Jiang Qing''e''s gaze flashed. When compared to her daughter, Yu Hongxi was a much more troublesome individual to deal with. Seeing her lack of reply, she snorted within her heart. Once upon a time, she was wrestling handily against Tan Tailan. Dealing with someone as inexperienced as Jiang Qing''e was too simple! "If there is nothing else I can help you with, I advise you to leave. The Golden Dragon Bank is very busy." Yu Hongxi once again took a seat. Jiang Qing''e, on the other hand, remained rooted. She hesitated for a while before she looked Yu Hongxi in the eye. She was lightly gritting her teeth as she forced out the next few words almost unwillingly. "President Yu... when we return to the City of Southwind, I can annul the engagement agreement with Li Luo. What do you think of that?" Yu Hongxi''s fingers, which were flicking through a document, froze in midair as she slowly raised her head to inspect Jiang Qing''e once again. In the end, she put the document away, and a warm, gentle smile surfaced. "Jiang Qing''e, your offer has moved me." The two then faced each other and proceeded to shake hands lightly, signifying their agreement. They did not say anything else, and Jiang Qing''e turned to leave. Yu Hongxi similarly sat back down and continued with her work. After Jiang Qing''e had left and the door was tightly closed behind her, Yu Hongxi continued to flip through the documents for a while longer. Eventually, a sly smirk formed on her face as she said to herself, almost in glee, "Tan Tailan, it looks like I can finally beat you this time, huh?" She placed down the documents in her hand as she stretched herself, showcasing her wondrous figure. At this point, the serving maid knocked on her door once again. "President, House Lord Li Luo has arrived. The Young Mistress is accompanying him." Her eyebrows arched curiously upon hearing this. Not long after, Li Luo''s smiling countenance graced Yu Hongxi''s office as he enthusiastically greeted her. "Aunt Yu, it has been a few days, but your beauty has only blossomed and you look even more gorgeous than before!" Ten minutes later. Li Luo stepped out of the office with Lu Qing''er, both equally confused as they exchanged looks with each other. "Did she just agree? Just like that?" Chapter 0709: Returning to the South Chapter 0709: Returning to the South On the fifth day after House Luolan''s defensive ward was deconstructed, Li Luo finally gave the command to migrate. Outside House Luolan''s headquarters was a giant convoy with numerous carriages ready to go. All of the elites of House Luolan were assembled, so the convoy was under heavy protection. It was expected as all of the house''s accumulations were being shifted that day. At the same time, a few critical items such as the Spirit Liquids and Purifying Lights, high-grade resonance arts, and high-grade treasures were being safekept by Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and Cai Wei in their respective pocket spheres. The rest of the resources and materials that could not be fit in pocket spheres were thus being transported by the carriages. Li Luo inspected the surrounding streets. Xia City was once bustling with life and activity with an effervescent atmosphere. But now the roads were starkly empty. Numerous shops were now boarded up and dilapidated, with nary a person in sight. This scene made Li Luo sigh deep down. Who would have expected that in the short span of half a month, the Xia Kingdom''s most bustling city would turn into a ghost town. Li Luo retracted his gaze and turned towards the headquarters. The last few days had been hectic as all of the important buildings had been dismantled, such as the skygold room which he utilized for cultivation. It looked as though the entire area had been pillaged of anything of value. At this point, the older individuals of House Luolan who were sitting within the carriages stared wistfully towards the headquarters. They had spent many long years here and had naturally developed feelings for this home. Alas, today was the day they would have to let it go, and so they felt heartbreak. "There''s no need for everyone to feel hurt. When we eventually reseal the Umbra Cave, we will have the chance to come back here and rebuild." Li Luo consoled everyone when he felt the gloomy atmosphere. Jiang Qing''e was currently mounted atop a black wildebeest with hooves that seemed to be wrapped in flames. She was currently garbed in long, white robes, and her slender legs were bare for all to see. Her usually cascading, long hair was neatly tied up into a ponytail and the short, azure cloak that Tan Tailan had personally sewn for her rippled in the wind, giving her an unusually heroic temperament. Her very presence seemed to enliven the dull and gloominess all around her. "Everything has been prepared. Now we are just awaiting Mentor Chi Chan." She glanced at Li Luo with her golden eyes. Mentor Chi Chan had spent most of her days within the college providing assistance. Considering the sheer amount of students present, their migration was an even more complicated affair than House Luolan''s. Li Luo nodded before he turned to mount his own wildebeest. He then went to inspect the final carriage in the convoy, where Ox Biaobiao was currently seated. He now held in his possession the Divine Matter, and thanks to its mystical strength, he was able to exhibit power comparable to that of a fourth-grade Duke. This put him at the very top of the Xia Kingdom. However, Li Luo did not let Ox Biaobiao flaunt his strength, but got him to conceal himself instead. Only by being discreet could they ensure that their opponent''s guard would be down. With the chaos unfolding in the Xia Kingdom, Li Luo was sure that news of House Luolan taking apart their defensive ward was no secret amongst the powers of the kingdom. Similarly, anyone could also guess that Li Luo would take the Divine Matter somewhere else. House Luolan without its defensive ward would definitely be a juicy target for covetous hearts. By ensuring that Ox Biaobiao remained hidden, it could possibly reduce the likelihood of unexpected situations. At this point, a stream of light arced across the sky, landing before Li Luo. When the light finally scattered, Chi Chan appeared. "Mentor, you''re here!" Li Luo perked up. Mentor Chi Chan nodded slightly. "The college side has been extremely busy. They simply don''t have enough people, so I stayed for as long as I could to help out." "No worries, no worries, I understand." Li Luo smiled. Mentor Chi Chan might have left the college, but it was only temporarily. Now that the college was in trouble and Vice Principal Su Xin''s state of mind wasn''t ideal, Mentor Chi Chan naturally focused more upon the college''s affairs, helping wherever she could. Even though she was a part of House Luolan, everyone knew this was just a temporary thing. In the current situation, Chi Chan had chosen to put aside the college''s problems and to accompany House Luolan instead. This was something that Li Luo felt great gratitude for. Mentor Chi Chan had brought some good news. "Li Luo, I''ve explained your situation to Vice Principal Su Xin, including the possibility of Shen Jinxiao ambushing you. He has now been placed on the wanted list of our college and is considered a mortal enemy. If we discover any traces of him, the college will not sit by idly and will assist you in dealing with him. "The college is simply too large, so the evacuation will happen over several phases. Because of Shen Jinxiao, Vice Principal Su Xin will lead a group of the most powerful Violet Vibrance mentors to escort the students. They will be trailing just behind House Luolan''s carriages, and if there are any strange developments, they will immediately rush over and assist." "I have to profusely thank Vice Principal Su Xin once again." Li Luo sighed. With the college''s assistance, he could feel a certain degree of relief. Even though the college had suffered heavy losses, it still had the deepest foundation and strength amongst the numerous superpowers of the Xia Kingdom. In the past, such a formation would not have been required to deal with Shen Jinxiao, but with what had happened to the college, even Li Luo knew that that fellow had hidden himself deeply. The strength he had displayed was not necessarily his true strength, and being alert was of utmost importance. After Chi Chan''s arrival, Li Luo no longer tarried. He waved his hand and issued the command. "Let''s move out." As his command echoed out, the numerous massive carriages began to move, almost like a long, gigantic serpent slithering through Xia City''s deserted and wide streets, finally passing through the massive city gates. Li Luo rode atop his wildebeest, his gaze focused forward as he squinted slightly. He could see a gray and dark fog before them, bringing about a gloomy atmosphere that permeated like a mist. Anyone who was within it could feel a terrible sense of unease. At the same time, a strange and inexplicable whispering could suddenly be heard. No one knew where it came from, but everyone suddenly felt a little agitated. Li Luo, on the other hand, remained calm. He had once visited the Umbra Cave, where the corruption was much thicker. Thus, the current corruption was bearable for him. But not everyone felt the same way. Some disturbances occurred within the convoy. Although there news had spread about the corruption, one had to experience it in the flesh to truly understand what it was like. Li Luo waved his hand, and Lei Zhang with his armed cavalry guards came forth to stabilize the situation. With that, he turned to face Jiang Qing''e. "Do you think Shen Jinxiao will appear?" Jiang Qing''e''s golden eyes stared at the grayish fog that surrounded them. "This is his last chance to act. Once we return to the City of Southwind, we will be in the presence of the royal court, and the college will also be establishing a perimeter. With his wanted status, it will be much more difficult to attempt to do so. I can keenly feel how strong his obsession with me is... So..." A cold expression appeared on Jiang Qing''e''s face. "He will definitely be here as we migrate towards the south!" Li Luo fell silent. Boundless killing intent towards that man fermented in his heart. At the same time, he felt powerless when he considered his personal strength. If he were strong enough, Jiang Qing''e wouldnt have to face such troubles. He clenched his fists and he shut his eyes, veins throbbing on the back of his hand as he felt fury surging within his heart at his own inability. He truly wanted to vent his frustrations. However, a small, warm hand suddenly grabbed his fist. Li Luo opened his eyes to see Jiang Qing''e focusing on him as she gave him a graceful smile. "Li Luo, there is no need to be angry. Your results this year are something no one else could have ever matched. Don''t be discouraged just because you''re not strong enough now. We still have time. We might currently be insignificant in the eyes of a Duke, but one day..." Jiang Qing''e similarly clenched her other fist, and a hint of a merciless smirk could be seen on her face. "We will crush them beneath our very hands." Chapter 0710: Heart Stealer Chapter 0710: Heart Stealer House Luolan''s convoy continued to unhurriedly move down the spacious road while elite cavalry guards continued to patrol up and down, attentively watching every direction for even the most minute movement. Li Luo continued to sit atop his wildebeest, carefully inspecting his surroundings. There was a gray fog of corruption that permeated every inch of his surroundings like a cloud, affecting the vision of everyone within the convoy. The corruption was more intense in the deeper parts of the forest, and there seemed to be some movement, almost as though strange things were wriggling and being born from it. There was a pervasive cold and oppressive feeling throughout the entire area. Li Luo remembered that a year ago, when he had first entered Xia City, this road was full of beautiful scenery, one that would even cause others to stop and linger just to admire. But everything had been ruined The wide road was filled with escaping refugees. Panic could be felt in the air, and everyone could feel that something big was coming. Li Luo sighed in his heart. He remembered the scenes of the destroyed Blackwind Empire during the Holy Grail Meet. Would this place end up the same? Of course, he truly didn''t hope for such a result, where the Xia Kingdom would turn into a land of death and decay. At the end of the day, he was born in the Xia Kingdom, so he felt a sense of attachment to it. It was unfortunate that the current him did not possess the means to rescue it. Even now, he was still struggling on his own battlefields, with a tight countdown on his life. Li Luo''s gaze deepened before he closed his eyes, feeling the changes within his own body. He had just entered the Fiend Palace Tier Stage, and after a month''s worth of cultivation, his three resonant palaces had been completely tempered. Li Luo had fully stepped into the Fiend Palace Tier. Still, all of them could only be considered to be at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier. With three resonant palaces, Li Luo possessed resonant power that was far more dense and bountiful when compared to someone at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. Li Luo focused upon his waterlight resonance palace. There was a mysterious light flitting within it, almost like a bird. This was the abstruse fiend light he had spent much effort bitterly cultivating for. It was the foundation of an Earth Fiend cultivator''s strength. Not only would its existence help with continuously tempering his resonant palace and making it more tenacious and mighty, it could also be used in battle to amplify his resonant power, greatly enhancing his combat abilities. This was the reason why an Earth Fiend Stage cultivator had battle strength that far surpassed a Resonant Master. "Three hundred and seventy-eight strands of abstruse fiend light..." Li Luo swept his focus over the strands of light that were flying around the inside of his resonant palace. This was the result of a month''s worth of endless effort. It couldn''t be considered slow, and this was also Three Revolutions Draconic Breath abstruse fiend light. As a Five Fiends Art, it had a refining efficacy that even caused Li Luo to sigh in amazement. There was a saying about the Fiend Palace Tier. Three thousand strands Lesser Fiend, eight thousand strands Greater Fiend. It meant that a Lesser Fiend Palace could only hold up to three thousand strands of abstruse fiend light, whilst the Greater Fiend Palace could have eight thousand strands. At the same time, this referred to the lower limits. The limit of one''s Fiend Palace also had to do with the individuals fiend art compatibility with their resonances. If one had a greater affinity, their body would be able to hold much more strands of the abstruse fiend light. This was why Li Luo had such great results. Simply speaking, he possessed triple resonant palaces. If someone with one Fiend Palace could hold three thousand strands of abstruse fiend light, then in Li Luo''s case, as he had three resonant palaces, he could thus hold at least nine thousand strands of abstruse fiend light even in the Lesser Fiend Palace Stage... and that was not even his limit! Based on his estimations, by the time he reached the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, he would have a terrifying amount of abstruse fiend light. And such a foundation would allow him to leap into the Fiend Body Tier with a single step. At the same time, filling up his resonant palaces completely would also require significantly more time and resources compared to the average fellow. "It would be great if I had even higher-grade cultivation resources..." Li Luo sighed in his heart. Although House Luolan had a decent foundation, advanced cultivation resources were not always easy to find. And at the end of the day, the East Divine Continent was considered an outer divine continent, so the resources available were lacking to begin with. Li Luo opened his eyes and looked at the scarlet bracelet on his wrist. That was where the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was housed. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf had not moved ever since the Housemeet. It seemed as though the final fight had affected it greatly. However, Li Luo could occasionally feel that the resonant power fluctuations coming from the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf were gradually intensifying. A faint trace of a Duke''s pressure could be felt coming from it. It was clear that the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s transformation had very much to do with the ten drops of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li blood essence. "Is the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li that useful?" Li Luo rubbed his chin. He could feel that he had undervalued this blood essence of his and sold it off for cheap! In the future, he would have to be careful when giving it out to others. He also could feel that if he squeezed out too much of it, it would have negative repercussions. Thinking of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, Li Luo flipped his palm over, and a black plaque appeared in his hand. This was a token of authority of Heavenly Emperor Li. His finger caressed the mottled surface of the cold plaque as he closely observed the mysterious and ancient "Li" character engraved upon it. He had a guess that the origin of this plaque might not have been as simple as he had expected. It might even have come directly from the hands of Heavenly Emperor Li. Was Heavenly Emperor Li an ancestor of his? The Heavenly Emperor Stage was an unfathomable idea to him. It was an existence that existed at the pinnacle of the world. They could move the oceans and shift the mountains with a wave, causing all creatures to tremble before their might. Having such a background seemed incomprehensible. As he was born in the Xia Kingdom, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was a foreign concept to him. However, based on Li Taixuan''s grudging confession, he seemed to have an inexplicable connection with them as well. If the opportunity came by in the future, he would look more deeply into it. At this point, Li Luo''s expression suddenly changed. He raised his head and glanced around his surroundings. He could suddenly feel that the corruption around them had become significantly more dense. Rustling noises could be heard. On both sides of the road were large trees whose lush branches and leaves suddenly stretched out and blocked the path in a threatening way, giving everyone a strange and icy feeling. Li Luo remained expressionless as he waved his hand, and the Onyx-Elephant Blade appeared within his grasp. On the other side, Jiang Qing''e had similarly unsheathed her golden sword. The two stared at the foggy road before them. The corruption seemed to swirl and ripple as a familiar figure strode out. His gaze was piercing, landing squarely on Jiang Qing''e. He gave a slight smile. "Student Qing''e, I''m here to steal your heart away." The entire atmosphere seemed to explode with murderous intent at this moment. Chapter 0711: Devil Resonance Chapter 0711: Devil Resonance "Enemy attack!" When Shen Jinxiao appeared from the fog, the guards of the House Luolan convoy immediately prepared to attack. Led by Yuan Qing, the expressions of all of the elites of House Luolan changed as his stern warning alerted all of them. Shing! All of the House Luolan''s guards immediately drew their weapons, and resonant power of all kinds blazed like lit lamps, lighting up the entire road. From a bird''s eye view, it was a beautiful spectacle. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had calm expressions on their faces as the two glared at the figure that had just appeared with all the killing intent they could muster. "Beast Shen, you''ve actually appeared," Li Luo said. Shen Jinxiao gave a slight smile. "Student Li Luo, being disrespectful to a mentor leads to punishment, you know?" Li Luo looked at Shen Jinxiao with a despising gaze. "You still have the cheek to call yourself a mentor? If Vice Principal Su Xin were here, I''m afraid she would tear your mouth off directly. The college has never mistreated you, and they even provided you with ample amounts of cultivation resources. In the end, you joined the Origin Reversion Institute and even destroyed the college''s Tree of Resonant Power, causing everyone to migrate in fear. You are truly the most evil and despicable person I have ever seen." Faced with Li Luo''s piercing words, Shen Jinxiao took them in stride, not denying any of them as he gave a gentle smile and shook his head. "I remained in the college not to merely enjoy their resources... I have similarly worked hard, so this has just been a transaction of benefits between me and the college. Talking about betrayal isn''t appropriate! The Origin Reversion Institute gave me an irresistible offer, so it was only natural that I chose to abandon ship. The school being destroyed...?" Shen Jinxiao grinned. "That was just the college being incapable. What does that have to do with me? Enough, Li Luo. Lets stop spouting these useless words." His gaze then landed on Li Luo before turning to Jiang Qing''e. At this point, an incomparably passionate and greedy expression could be seen in his eyes. He had always suppressed himself in the college as he would have been exposed the moment his lust for Jiang Qing''e was revealed. But things were different todayhe no longer had to hide it. "Student Qing''e, do you know how long I''ve waited for this day?" Shen Jinxiao gently asked. "From the day I met you... your holy and unblemished heart of light had given birth to an insatiable desire which I never knew was within me. I can barely think of anything else that could possibly be more perfect in this world..." Jiang Qing''e stared at the raving and excited Shen Jinxiao, who was expressing his undisguised and warped desire for her as she indifferently replied, "So what you really want is my Heart of Light." It was no wonder she could always keenly feel a discreet hint of covetousness towards her from Shen Jinxiao. This sort of desire was a little different in that it wasn''t one of wanton lust towards her body, it was actually the desire for her Heart of Light, which had been formed by her light resonant energy. It was this very same Heart of Light that allowed Jiang Qing''e to keenly feel others intentions and thoughts. This was why she could keenly sense Shen Jinxiao''s desire and also the malicious intent he had towards her. Eventually, she had chosen a different mentor as a result. "A ninth-grade light resonance''s Heart of Light is the purest object in the world. It is also an incomparable delicacy! However, I don''t merely want a pure Heart of Light, what I want is one without a hint of negative emotions!" Shen Jinxiao''s voice turned gentle once again. "When a strong negative emotion appears within a pristine Heart of Light, the combination of the two is the most wondrous thing in the world. Do you know why this is the case?" When he finished his sentence, shadows and light intertwined behind him, taking the shape of a strange creature with a white, mouse-like head. When it appeared, all of the people present seemed to have seen an illusion that stole their spirits away. "This is Shen Jinxiao''s second resonance, the Heart Beast resonance." Mentor Chi Chan''s cold voice echoed throughout the ears of everyone present as she placed herself between the two and Shen Jinxiao. "This resonance has a strange ability to beguile and confuse one''s heart. To resist it, one has to keep their heart clear at all times." Mentor Chi Chan stared daggers at Shen Jinxiao. "But I have never heard of the Heart Beast resonance coveting the Heart of Light." "Heart Beast resonance?" Shen Jinxiao''s lips curved into a mocking smile. "Chi Chan, what you know is what I chose to let the college know. From the very beginning, my second resonance was not the Heart Beast resonance." As he spoke, Li Luo and the rest saw the mouse-like creature''s figure begin to tremble, then its flesh and blood were torn apart and a black liquid flowed forth. At the same time, the flesh and blood churned, gradually turning into a pitch-black, distorted object. It looked like a grotesque heart that was made of black blood and flesh. Embedded into it were four dark-red pupils that blinked, and below it was a gigantic mouth akin to an abyss that leaked black liquid. A thick and strange smell wafted from it. When Chi Chan saw this, a trace of surprise arose in her eyes. "Is that a devil resonance?!" Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were taken aback by this statement. "Mentor, what is a devil resonance?" Mentor Chi Chan''s voice turned heavy. "Amongst the myriad of different resonances, most can be sorted into one of two kinds: elemental resonances and beast resonances... However, there is a sort of acquired resonance called devil resonance. This seems to be the pursuit and aim of the Origin Reversion Institute. Their aim is to assimilate with Others, the ultimate goal being to obtain a new type of resonance, one that has been corrupted and sublimated, known as a devil resonance. Shen Jinxiao''s Heart Beast resonance has undergone this change, so it should now be a Heart Devil resonance. It is no wonder why he has always targeted you, finding all sorts of methods to set you back. His aim was to use you as a medium to create flaws in Jiang Qing''e''s unblemished heart, to plant seeds of corruption that he would corrupt over time. Eventually, the Heart of Light would be polluted by it and he would then be able to devour it, elevating his devil resonance." Li Luo squinted upon hearing the entire explanation. Everything made sense now. Shen Jinxiao had targeted him specifically from the moment he had entered the college. From an outsider''s perspective, it looked as though he was simply jealous of the engagement agreement with Jiang Qing''e. The truth of the matter was that he wanted to deliver a blow to her Heart of Light and insidiously corrupt it. "It looks like he truly was the mastermind behind Pei Hao." Li Luo''s expression turned stormy. Shen Jinxiao smiled and nodded as he frankly answered, "Indeed. I wanted to use him to defeat you and take over House Luolan, dealing a blow to Jiang Qing''e. It was a pity that that piece of trash was even more useless than I had expected. Either way, it doesn''t matter. After so long, I''ve realized that you, Li Luo, are the flaw in Jiang Qing''e''s heart." He grinned happily as he stared at Li Luo, an unsettling and cold look in his eyes. "Thus, today... I will kill you right before her." Weng! A frightening blade light exploded forth from the last carriage. It possessed unimaginable amounts of fiendish energy, and it seemed as though all of the corruption in the world had been blown away and shredded into pieces by its presence. A single blade chopped out. The skies and the earth were rent apart. This strike was aimed directly at Shen Jinxiao. Chapter 0712: Battle at Southwind Chapter 0712: Battle at Southwind When the fiendish blade light arced across the sky, countless people in House Luolan''s convoy were completely taken aback. The road before them had been split into half, and the blade scar left in the wake of the strike stretched endlessly before them. Shen Jinxiao''s figure was similarly split into two, but when his bisected body collapsed, it turned into a wisp of black gas that dissipated into the air. Ox Biaobiao then walked out of the last carriage, wielding his pig-butchering knife. His ferocious gaze was focused upon where Shen Jinxiao''s body had disappeared. At the same time, he reminded Li Luo, "Be careful, this person is crafty and extremely difficult to deal with." When he launched his previous attack, he could distinctly feel a massive and subtle fluctuation stemming from Shen Jinxiao''s body. Clearly, the ex-Violet Vibrance mentor from the Astral Sage College was not a simple individual. "Keke. So you''re the mysterious Duke hiding within House Luolan? You actually managed to retain your strength despite leaving the headquarters?" At this point, Shen Jinxiao''s raucous laughter echoed throughout the sky. Then he reappeared floating in the air, his gaze focused upon Ox Biaobiao with a look of confusion. Ox Biaobiao, on the other hand, was staring fiendishly at him, clearly uninterested in further banter. Shen Jinxiao sized Ox Biaobiao up before throwing out a guess. "From the news I''ve heard, your body has suffered from severe injuries and all of your Duke Bergfrieds have been shattered. Currently, you have the strength of a fourth-grade Duke, but the source of it should not be coming from you... Could it be that you borrowed the power of House Luolan''s Divine Matter? Well, it doesn''t matter." He then turned to look at Li Luo as he grinned. "Li Luo, I know you''re waiting for reinforcements, but do you really think I came without preparations? During the Housemeet, I used Pei Hao as a puppet, but this time I''ve come in the flesh... I won''t lose this opportunity again." He then raised a palm, and gray-white substance suddenly started to descend from the skies like falling snow, covering the entire area. In a way, it reminded one of bone ash falling from the skies and Li Luo could feel that the area they were in was suddenly isolated from the rest of the world. ... At the same time. On another road just a hundred meters away from House Luolan''s convoy. Countless students were grouped up and moving forward with dull expressions on their faces amidst a gloomy atmosphere. Their blank emotions represented the despondence deep in their hearts as they all understood that the Astral Sage College was no more. The prized Tree of Resonant Power was a symbolic representation of the students belief in the college. With that destroyed, they had naturally lost all vigor as well. The gray and overcast weather only accentuated feelings of moroseness. Vice Principal Su Xin was flying in the air, constantly scanning in every direction. She could sense the downcast feelings of the students. However, she was helpless to solve it. These students were the best and the brightest youths of the younger generation, and yet despite their young age, they had experienced numerous setbacks. Even she felt dismayed despite having weathered through numerous situations over the years, much less these youths. The destruction of the Astral Sage College had significantly affected them all. Their attempts to reassure them did not seem to work, and thus they had to rely on the passing of time to eventually heal these wounds. When the college was rebuilt, they would gradually regain their motivation and fighting spirit. "Hmm?" At this point, Vice Principal Su Xin''s eyes froze and she turned towards the southwest. She could feel that the signaling jade talisman she had provided to Li Luo had activated. "Shen Jinxiao!" A murderous, cold glint surfaced within the depths of her eyes as she gritted her teeth and spat out this hated name. Although the college''s situation was mostly a result of the hidden machinations caused by the Origin Reversion Institute, it would have been difficult to breach the defenses of the school and burn down the Tree of Resonant Power without Shen Jinxiao''s involvement and insidiously causing issues from within the school! The fact that she had been unable to detect Shen Jinxiao''s ulterior motives in advance was something she greatly blamed herself over, and this only brought greater feelings of hatred towards that man. "You actually dared to show yourself?!" Vice Principal Su Xin surged with killing intent as her figure flashed forward towards the direction of House Luolan''s convoy. Uuuuu! At this point in time, the entire sky reverberated with a humming sound, and something in the downcast sky started to release endless amounts of corruption like a tide. The thing then rushed towards the college''s squads. When Vice Principal Su Xin saw this, her expression changed as it was clearly an innumerable horde of Others rushing towards them! "Fend off the enemy!" she quickly yelled. The Violet Vibrance and Gold Gleam mentors who were guarding the students quickly formed a perimeter, and their resonant power surged into the skies. Vice Principal Su Xin retracted her gaze after she glanced coldly at a location not too far away. There was a small lake there that was permeated with gray fog. Suddenly, the fog rippled and a male with dual pupils of gold and silver stood atop the surface, smiling right back at her. "A ploy of the Origin Reversion Institute!" Vice Principal Su Xin''s gaze turned frigid as she taunted, "You still dare to show yourself after being grievously injured by the Principal?" The youth grinned. "Don''t you think my appearance was out of your expectations? Weren''t you waiting for me anyway?" "Indeed! We were waiting for you!" Vice Principal Su Xin''s killing intent seemed to have materialized tangibly as it soared into the air. Shen Jinxiao was in cahoots with this person, Xuan Chen, and now that Shen Jinxiao had taken action, there was no way Xuan Chen would merely observe from the side. He would definitely take part and target the Astral Sage College! Thus, Vice Principal Su Xin had been awaiting Xuan Chen''s appearance. She knew that Xuan Chen had been injured severely during the last battle, and this was the best chance for her to take revenge. As she spoke, beams of light near the college''s squads shot into the sky, causing the sky to tremble. Duke Bergfried manifested one after another, like stars hanging in the sky, radiating an immense sense of oppression. Vice Principal Su Xin coldly locked onto Xuan Chen. "Evil thief who destroyed my college, today I will execute you as penance!" Vice Principal Su Xin took a step forward as she ascended into the air, and four Duke Bergfrieds appeared behind her. They began to swallow boundless amounts of worldly natural energy, and she then executed a hand seal. The four Bergfrieds were engraved with countless golden light runes that began to float into the air, shining resplendently and illuminating everything within a hundred meters. "Duke''s Spirit Insignia, Golden Deer''s Abstruse Mark!" The four golden lights converged and condensed into the shape of a gigantic, godly, golden deer. This creature could tread through the air, and ice condensed beneath each hoof, freezing the void. All of a sudden, the icy golden deer then smashed through the void, rushing at Xuan Chen. "Wow! You''ve even activated your spirit insignia. It looks like you REALLY hate me, huh?" Xuan Chen smirked. The Duke''s Spirit Insignia was a unique power fourth-grade Dukes were able to utilize, similar to the Worldspace Domain which high-grade Dukes had. Vice Principal Su Xin was at the fourth-grade, and she had mustered up her Duke''s Spirit Insignia for the very first attack, demonstrating her desire to kill. Xuan Chen shook his head. Still, when faced with the college''s countless Dukes, he did not dare to be lax. He clasped his hands together, directly mobilizing his Worldspace Domain. At the same time, the entire sky seemed to be covered by his mystical domain. ... At the same time. The Golden Dragon Bank''s convoy was even larger with a long line of carriages. Yu Hongxi rushed into the air, and her eyes shrunk when she glanced towards the north. She gave a quick command. "All of you remain and guard the carriages. I will go and check things out." Some of the higher level executives of the Golden Dragon Bank glanced at each other and could already guess what Yu Hongxi was about to do. Strictly speaking, as a neutral party, they should not be involving themselves in such matters. However, she was the president and had tightly controlled the bank for countless years, her majesty already deeply imprinted in all of their hearts. Thus, no one dared to question her actions, only nodding in agreement. Her figure turned into a stream of light as she zoomed tens of kilometers in an instant. FWOOM! However, right at this point in time, the sky seemed to have been lit ablaze. Fire lotuses began to form one after another, directly blocking off Yu Hongxi''s path as the temperature in the area began to ascend rapidly, causing even the air to warp and distort. Yu Hongxi was forced to a halt, and a frosty countenance formed on her beautiful face. She stared into one particular part of the void as her indifferent voice rang out. "Zhu Qinghuo, Shen Jinxiao is the nemesis of the Xia Kingdom. Since you''ve taken the initiative to restrain me, do I have reason to suspect that House Jiyan is in cahoots with the Origin Reversion Institute?" Chapter 0713: Shen Jinxiaos True Strength Chapter 0713: Shen Jinxiao''s True Strength "Hehe. President Yu, how can you use such harsh words on me? I don''t want to have anything to do with the Origin Reversion Institute." When faced with Yu Hongxi''s grating words, Zhu Qinghuo smiled and shook his head before he continued, "I''m sure you can guess my reasons for doing so. I won''t hide itI want to see House Luolan be destroyed." His gaze turned emotionless at this point. Due to his actions at the Housemeet, he basically had a blood feud with Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. As a result, he would not hesitate to throw stones when they were down. Furthermore, the one directly dealing with House Luolan was Shen Jinxiao, who had ties with the Origin Reversion Institute. If House Luolan did get wiped off the face of the earth and Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e both died, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailans largest target would be Shen Jinxiao if they ever returned. As a result, he might even be able to fish up some benefits from their struggle. Thus, he would happily watch Shen Jinxiao destroy House Luolan. At this point in time, he definitely did not wish to see Yu Hongxi assist House Luolan. "President Yu, the Golden Dragon Bank has always been neutral. There is no need to muddy the waters. If you retreat here, I''m willing to apologize for any past transgressions," Zhu Qinghuo sincerely said. Yu Hongxi was unmoved, only coldly watching him. "Are you sure you want to restrain me? Zhu Qinghuo, if you anger me, I won''t stop till I make you pay a price." Her threatening words caused Zhu Qinghuo''s eyebrows to twitch in surprise. Frankly speaking, he had always somewhat feared Yu Hongxi. Just because she was always kind and amiable didn''t mean that anyone should underestimate her. Whoever did so was the true fool. The Golden Dragon Bank had countless factions internally, but all of them had been reined in tightly by the woman before him. This not only showed how effective her methods were, it was also testament to her own strength. She had rarely exchanged blows personally in recent years, so Zhu Qinghuo was unaware of how strong she was. However, he understood that the combination of Golden Dragon Bank''s resources and her talent would mean that it was unlikely that she was any weaker than he was. Even though he had entered the fourth-grade, it did not mean that he was sure to win. However... If he wanted to buy time, that was something that could be done. With these thoughts in mind, Zhu Qinghuo no longer hesitated. He waved his hand, and a cyan feather fan appeared in his grasp. A deep, red flame was slowly ascending into the air above the fan. As the flame condensed, it seemed to form the figure of a vermillion bird that swallowed up the flame before letting out a clear cry throughout the sky. A violet eye mark could be seen on the handle of the fan. This was his violet-eye treasured artifact. "You were the one who helped me obtain the Vermillion Bird Treasure Fan all those years ago. Who would have expected that many years later, it would be used to restrain you? This truly is the heavens playing tricks on us." The void behind Zhu Qinghuo trembled as four mountainous Duke Bergfrieds manifested, absorbing endless amounts of worldly natural energy. Zhu Qinghuo waved the Vermillion Bird Treasure Fan, and deep, red flames endlessly gushed out, forming four gigantic flame pillars. Yu Hongxi remained standing in the air, her gaze turning colder and colder as a mocking smile formed on her lips. "Zhu Qinghuo, you might not know this, but I have a very particular habit. That is, if a person I''m wary of purchases a violet-eye treasured artifact from the Golden Dragon Bank, I find a way to counter it in order to protect myself from any future trouble. Unlucky for you, Zhu Qinghuo, you were precisely on that list." Afterwards, she flicked her wrist, and a jade bottle appeared in her hand. She uncorked the bottle, and a white snowflake gradually floated into the air. The temperature, which had been rapidly climbing, plummeted instantly and even the ground froze over. The snowflake directly fused with the void, and the drastic change in weather made it seem like the coldest of winters had come. At the same time, Zhu Qinghuo''s four flame pillars began to dissipate rapidly, eventually completely extinguishing. This scene immediately caused Zhu Qinghuo to become disheartened, and an incomparably ugly expression formed on his face. The mysterious snowflake was definitely some sort of treasure. It had transformed the environment into a battlefield that was disadvantageous to him. The Vermillion Bird Treasure Fan, which he had spent a hefty sum to purchase from the Golden Dragon Bank, was completely unable to demonstrate its strength. What was most frustrating to him was Yu Hongxi herself! She had concealed her intentions deeply and had even kept such a trump card in reserve. However, Yu Hongxi ignored Zhu Qinghuo''s gloomy expression as she took a step forward with the void rippling behind her. Similarly, her own four Duke Bergfrieds manifested and her resonant power rippled explosively, like a tempest descending upon the world. Zhu Qinghuo''s heart sank. Yu Hongxi had become a fourth-grade Duke some time ago, and judging by the resonant power undulations, she was even stronger than him! It seemed as though Yu Hongxi was determined to rescue Li Luo. He would just do his best to buy time and hope that Shen Jinxiao could complete the task. With this in mind, he no longer spent time mulling over what could not be changed. Crimson runes surfaced on his Duke Bergfrieds, manifesting into an erupting volcano. ... As the grayish-white bone ash continued to scatter... House Luolan''s convoy was in a state of chaos. Everyone seemed a little panicked, but with senior elders like Yuan Qing and Lei Zhang doing their utmost to pacify everyone, the situation didnt deteriorate much further. Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing were standing together, both staring at Shen Jinxiao, who was blocking the road. When they turned to face each other, they could see traces of worry in each others eyes. Ox Biaobiao''s figure slowly ascended into the sky. The bloodstained pig-butchering knife gradually lengthened, eventually transforming into a massive blade that radiated shocking amounts of fiendish air. Chi Chan''s gaze was frigid. The void behind her rippled, and three Duke Bergfrieds appeared, sucking in vast amounts of worldly natural energy and radiating a sense of majesty. However, they were slightly smaller when compared to the previous two she had shown. It seemed as though they had been formed not too long ago. "Oh? You''ve become a third-grade Duke, Chi Chan?" A look of surprise surfaced on Shen Jinxiao''s face. Based on his sources, Chi Chan was a second-grade Duke, and it seemed as though she had just broken through. "Did Vice principal Su Xin give you some sort of treasure?" Shen Jinxiao smirked. "It looks like you should thank me after all. If I had not ruined the college, how could Su Xin bear to use up the treasures of the college?" Chi Chan''s gaze was frosty as she stared daggers at Shen Jinxiao with unmasked killing intent. "Shen Jinxiao! The Ichthyic curse that was inflicted upon me must have been your doing! Now that I think about it, when the clone of the Ichythian King descended, it must have been because of you!" Shen Jinxiao did not continue making excuses like he had done in the past, only attentively nodding. "You guessed correctly. I summoned the Ichythian King that day, and the goal was to ensure that even more Violet Vibrance mentors would be afflicted by his Ichthyic curse." Chi Chan clenched her fist as she venomously glowered at Shen Jinxiao. If looks could kill, she would have torn Shen Jinxiao into bloody shreds at that very moment. On the other hand, Shen Jinxiao seemed unfazed as he prepared to face Ox Biaobiao and Chi Chan together. He didn''t seem to show any hesitation or timidity when facing two Dukes. He beamed at Li Luo. "Is this everything you''ve prepared for today? If you are hoping that the college or the Golden Dragon Bank will come to your timely aid, I''m afraid there won''t be enough time. These two Dukes can''t stop me." Li Luo frostily exchanged glances with Shen Jinxiao. Just as he was about to speak, a voice piped up from the midst of House Luolan''s convoy. "What if you add me to the equation?" Countless looks shot over at a figure who had unknowingly been standing on the roof of one of the carriages. This person... was House Duze''s Duze Yan! When faced with the sudden appearance of Duze Yan, even Jiang Qing''e seemed to be flabbergasted at the sudden development. She turned to Li Luo and asked, "You actually invited him along?" She knew that Li Luo had been making preparations to deal with Shen Jinxiao all this time and had similarly sought assistance from others. However, she could never have imagined that Duze Yan would arrive, as the two houses could barely even be considered friends. Even during the Housemeet, Duze Yan had only restrained Si Qing. After which, he had remained relatively distant. "House Lord Duze said that the only reason he agreed was because Shen Jinxiao ruined House Duze, to the point where they had to migrate reluctantly. Now that they have enmity between them, he is willing to act." Li Luo smiled. Jiang Qing''e did not say much in response. She knew that this was just Duze Yan''s excuse. He had a proud personality and would never admit to coming to House Luolan''s assistance... The only thing was that House Luolan now owed a huge favor to them as well. "Duze Yan, it looks like you''ve been conquered by Li Taixuan after all." Shen Jinxiao quietly observed Duze Yan as he shook his head. He had never expected him to assist House Luolan. "In any case, your assistance is meaningless. You''re just a second-grade Duke." Shen Jinxiao smiled and his eyes turned endlessly cold, like he had become a glacier. "Now that all of your trump cards have been revealed, it should be my turn now." Shen Jinxiao raised his hand, and the void behind him rippled. "After hiding myself for so many years, I can finally release myself unrestrainedly. Ah, I''ve truly looked forward to this day." Shen Jinxiao''s grinned deeply as his hands formed a hand seal. Immediately after, six Duke Bergfrieds the size of massive mountains smashed through the void, releasing a horrifying, suppressive aura that washed over everyone like a raging tsunami, sweeping across the earth and the sky. Six Duke Bergfrieds! Shen Jinxiao was actually a sixth-grade Duke! Chapter 0714: Four Dukes Battle! Chapter 0714: Four Dukes Battle! A sixth-grade Duke! When six Duke Bergfrieds appeared behind Shen Jinxiao, everyone''s expressions changed. Even Ox Biaobiao, Chi Chan, and Duze Yan had solemn gazes with this new development. A sixth-grade Duke was someone that surpassed even the Regent and Vice Principal Su Xin. He was truly the mightiest in the Xia Kingdom! Who would have ever expected that Shen Jinxiao had been hiding such terrifying strength? Li Luo''s expression turned heavy when Shen Jinxiao revealed his sixth-grade Duke strength. He knew that today''s battle would definitely surpass the one at the Housemeet in both intensity and danger. He swept his gaze over his side to assess the situation. Amongst the three Dukes, Ox Biaobiao was the strongest with fourth-grade strength. Chi Chan was third-grade and Duze Yan was second-grade. Although they had numbers, was this really enough to triumph over the disparity in grades? Li Luo didn''t know the answer, but what he did know was that no matter the result, it would be an inescapable battle to the death. He could not idly sit by and watch Shen Jinxiao steal away Jiang Qing''e''s Heart of Light. Thus, there was no other option in this matter. One of them had to die. This cataclysmic battle started at that very instant. Ox Biaobiao took action first. His fingers clenched into a fist as he struck out, mobilizing all of the worldly natural energy around him. This caused a ten-thousand-meter demonic bull phantasm to manifest, roaring with deafening force and shaking the entire world. The fist shadow that followed behind possessed a sense of incomparable tyranny, directly ripping through the void and flying in Shen Jinxiao''s direction. Duke Art, Demon Bull''s Godly Fist! This Duke Art was demonstrated by Ox Biaobiao when he crossed blows with Zhu Qinghuo during the Housemeet. Perhaps it was due to borrowing the influence of the Divine Matter but the might of the art had vastly increased in both sheer power and tyrannicalness. Faced with Ox Biaobiao''s direct assault, Shen Jinxiao remained calm as he formed a hand seal. The next moment, the void behind him seemed to have ignited, turning fiery red. A gigantic manifestation of a flame appeared, and on its head was a curved horn, constantly surging with fire. This was Shen Jinxiao''s first resonance, the Ifrit resonance. The flame manifestation swatted downwards with a massive palm, almost akin to seeing a meteorite falling from the sky. The entire world seemed to have ignited into flames, and even the air distorted from the sheer heat. Bang! The two attacks collided in the middle of the sky, sending reverberations throughout the ground, and a tempestuous wave of berserk energy swept across the area like a hurricane. The sheer aftereffects caused the House Luolan convoy to be blown apart and scattered as countless frightened individuals watched the battle unfold. Alas, in that direct confrontation, Shen Jinxiao''s gigantic flaming palm was superior. But there was nothing surprising since he was a sixth-grade Duke and was simply stronger. Ox Biaobiao''s Demon Bull''s Godly fist evaporated with a puff, and the remaining clump of flames swept towards him. Roar! At this point, a tiger''s roar was heard as a gigantic, light-blue tiger manifestation leapt into the air. With each paw treading upon the air, water waves seemed to ripple beneath it. It seemed to be created from the most pristine of waters, directly colliding with the fiery aftermath of Shen Jinxiao''s attack, spraying a scalding mist upon impact. Mentor Chi Chan had taken action. Her eyes coldly locked onto Shen Jinxiao as her hands formed yet another hand seal. Light blue resonant power gushed forth, forming an ocean in the sky in a blink. Tens of thousands of massive waves began to churn and violently crash towards Shen Jinxiao. "Chi Chan, youre a mere third-grade and you dare to act against me? If not for the fact that I didn''t want to reveal myself in the college, did you really think you could have lived till today?" Shen Jinxiao gave a wry smile as he waved his sleeve and roiling flames blanketed the sky, forming a sea of flames that collided directly with the ocean created by Chi Chan. The ocean immediately began to recede, evaporating extremely quickly. Chi Chan''s eyes turned frigid as she removed the gauze covering her face, revealing her pristine and beautiful face. She opened her mouth and spat out a dark blue pearl of light. The pearl radiated with layers of light, and a violet eye mark was in the very core. The dark blue pearl of light soared into the sky, submerging into the ocean made of water resonant power. At the same time, it began to ripple with waves of light. The ocean was roused once again with renewed fury, crashing against the sea of flames. However, this time, the once victorious fire began to extinguish at an astonishing speed, as though it had met its bane. This sudden change caused a look of surprise to surface on Shen Jinxiao''s face as he observed the dark blue pearl of light. "Is that the college''s Primordial Ruins Dewdrop? It looks like Su Xin entrusted you with quite the treasure. They really spared no expense in dealing with me." As an ex-Violet Vibrance mentor, Shen Jinxiao had a good understanding of the different treasured artifacts held by the college. The aforementioned Primordial Ruins Dewdrop was a top-tier violet-eye treasured artifact. When utilized by a water resonance cultivator, it was able to greatly elevate their resonant power and endow it with strong corrosive properties. It was greatly able to augment Chi Chan''s third-grade resonant power and suppress his fire resonant power with a suppressive element. Chi Chan quickly formed a series of hand seals, and the dark blue ocean quickly receded. "Duke Art, Water Tiger''s Encircling Suppression." As the ocean dissipated, a gigantic, dark-blue ring of water appeared around Shen Jinxiao. It was roughly a hundred meters in diameter, but it was quickly shrinking and forming a sealing space. The ring possessed a certain degree of sealing strength, so the flame manifestation behind Shen Jinxiao shrank. Just as Chi Chan''s Duke Art took effect to debuff Shen Jinxiao''s Ifrit resonance, the void shattered and another figure shot over. This person who was wreathed in berserk fire and lightning resonant power was none other than Duze Yan. He quickly executed a hand seal, and his fire and lightning resonant powers condensed between his palms, crackling with explosive power. Duke Art, Lightning Flame Heavenly Shuttle! The next moment, the combination of fire and lightning burst forth from his palm and formed the shape of a shuttle which blasted towards Shen Jinxiao''s back. "Ants trying to shake a tree." Upon seeing Duze Yan''s assault, Shen Jinxiao cackled coldly. This was a second-grade Duke, and he didn''t even possess a top grade violet-eye treasured artifact. Just how was he going to mount a successful ambush? With that thought in mind, a single Duke Bergfried pierced through the void and shrunk with utmost speed, turning into a red shield that protected his back. Duze Yan was nothing in Shen Jinxiao''s eyes. A slight defense would be sufficient as the opponent did not possess the power to threaten him. The one that was perhaps marginally deserving of attention was Ox Biaobiao, a fourth-grade Duke. BOOM! As these thoughts went through his mind, Duze Yan''s assault landed upon the red shield. At the same time, Shen Jinxiao felt like something was not right. Duze Yan seemed to be much stronger than he had expected. "You''ve hidden your true strength!" Shen Jinxiao''s felt a little shocked, and his voice turned gloomy. He had never expected Duze Yan''s resonant power fluctuations to suddenly surpass the second-grade and step into the third-grade! A third Duke Bergfried had appeared in the void right behind Duze Yan, swallowing up copious amounts of worldly natural energy and supplementing his attack. "What a treacherous House Lord!" Shen Jinxiao angrily smiled. This fellow was able to become a House Lord and step into the ranks of the powerhouses of the Xia Kingdom and thus should never have been underestimated. Judging by the sheer majesty coming from his Duke Bergfrieds, it seemed as though he was stronger than Chi Chan by quite a bit, showing that he had stepped into the third-grade countless years ago. However, he had never chosen to reveal this, only quietly biding his strength. This subterfuge had been revealed when Shen Jinxiao''s guard was down, allowing him to gain the element of surprise. Bang! The red shield formed by a single Duke Bergfried had been penetrated, then berserk fire and lightning washed over Shen Jinxiao''s body in a magnificent strike. Boom! Rumble! Deafening booms echoed throughout the sky before them. Chapter 0715: Devil Resonance Chapter 0715: Devil Resonance Bang! The lightning flame thunderously exploded, and billowing clouds of fire expanded upon impact, creating booming thunderclaps. It was like a natural disaster had come to life. Under the ecstatic gazes of the people of House Luolan, Shen Jinxiao was sent flying hundreds of meters away. The void oscillated wherever he flew through, and only after the brunt of the blow was finally absorbed did he manage to stabilize himself. At this point in time, the back of Shen Jinxiao''s robes had been split apart and a fist-sized, gaping wound could be seen. The wound crackled with lightning, and hints of flames danced within, eroding away his blood and flesh. However, the erosion did not continue for long. A strange, black substance appeared within the bloody hole, quickly spreading and engulfing the elements ravaging the inside of his body and patching up the entire wound. This terrifying sight caused the scalp of the people watching to go numb. "What a tricky House Lord..." Shen Jinxiao emotionlessly watched Duze Yan with a hint of gloominess. He had never expected that these three insignificant ants would actually manage to injure him! When faced with Shen Jinxiao''s cold glint, Duze Yan remained taciturn, uninterested in bickering with him. Three Duke Bergfrieds descended from the sky, and berserk flames and crackling lightning intertwined like the dawn of a natural disaster, covering the skies and striking right at Shen Jinxiao. Shen Jinxiao remained emotionless. The Ifrit behind him opened its mouth and spewed out rings of flames. The flames surrounded his body and walled off not only Duze Yan''s offensive, but also the dark blue ring of water that had been originally cast by Chi Chan, which was now showing signs of rapid evaporation. If not for Chi Chan borrowing the aid of the Primordial Ruins Dewdrop, her Duke Art would have long turned into fine mist thanks to the stark difference in resonant power. During this short exchange, Shen Jinxiao had revealed his sixth-grade Duke might and casually demonstrated how easily he could deal with Chi Chan and Duze Yan. However, at this point, it was Ox Biao Biao''s attack that caused him to turn all his attention onto him. Ox Biaobiao wielded his massive blade and chopped outwards, launching copious amounts of fiendish energy from within his body into the skies. He seemed even more intimidating than Shen Jinxiao and the baleful aura that surrounded him seemed even more terrifying than a spirit beast. A blade light that shredded the void sliced towards Shen Jinxiao. Flame gouts spewed from Shen Jinxiao''s body, constantly seeking to erode the blade light that was flying towards him. Ox Biaobiao watched him fend off their triple assault with ease, and he understood that amongst the three, Chi Chan and Duze Yan could only seek to contain him slightly. Only he had the strength to fend him off. With this in mind, his gaze turned even more cruel. He let out a long howl like a thunderclap that could be heard hundreds of kilometers away. The gigantic, beheading blade he held began to tremble faintly. The void seemed unable to resist the pressure exuded by the blade, shuddering and shattering into pieces before it. Frightening amounts of blade energy manifested between the heavens and the earth. Shen Jinxiao could distinctly feel the tyrannical blade energy that was forming, and his gaze shrank. Ox Biaobiao was finally using it. During the Housemeet, he had utilized this Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art that had caused all of the Dukes of the Xia Kingdom to shudder. A Duke Art of this grade was rarely seen in the likes of the Xia Kingdom. Ox Biaobiao was a decisive individual. Once the blade energy had reached its peak, he slashed his sword downwards towards Shen Jinxiao. "Mad God''s Blade!" A low voice rumbled. This Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art had once again been revealed in the Xia Kingdom. Weng! The clouds that floated above the nine heavens seemed to have been split apart at this very instant as a dazzling blade light streaked across the sky and the earth, rending everything before it into nothingness. Even Chi Chan and Duze Yan were moved by the domineering display. Although Ox Biaobiao was a fourth-grade Duke, this single strike was so mighty even a fifth-grade Duke could only look to avoid it. That was how scary it truly was. However, Chi Chan and Duze Yan continued to suppress Shen Jinxiao as best they could, ensuring he had no space to escape. Still, Shen Jinxiao was uninterested in escaping. He had spent all these years suppressing his strength, and today was the day he could finally let himself loose. A sixth-grade Duke was the mightiest in the Xia Kingdom! If not for Xuan Chen, then he would be stronger than everyone except for Pang Qianyuan. Shen Jinxiao''s expression was calm as he executed a series of hand seals with lightning speed. After which, a small, fiery-red light condensed between his palms, and everyone could suddenly feel the temperature rapidly rise. It was as though the world had turned into a blazing furnace. The small, fiery-red light began to expand in size with frightening speed. In just a few breaths of time, it turned into a giant star that was a hundred meters wide with innumerable runes flowing across its surface. Horrifying amounts of fire resonant power radiated from it. "Duke Art, Titanic Blazing Sun!" Shen Jinxiao watched as the domineering blade light that could carve apart the skies collided with the blazing sun which crashed towards it like a meteor. Boom! At that very moment, frightening amounts of heat and the tyrannical blade light sought to erode and destroy the other. The energy wave that blasted outwards was like being in the presence of a hurricane, and even Chi Chan and Duze Yan were sent flying. Their respective Duke Bergfrieds quickly released a majestic force that sought to dissolve the aftershock of that clash. House Luolan''s convoy was only struck by minor amounts of collateral force, but everything was still thrown upside down and chaos ensued. However, no one was concerned about it as they continued to watch the battle unfolding above. At this point, Ox Biaobiao''s figure was revealed. His upper shirt had been burned to ashes, revealing a body full of scars. The skin on his entire body was burnt red and he spurted out a mouthful of blood. Shen Jinxiao, on the other hand, froze for a moment before he snorted coldly. A massive gash had appeared on his body from his shoulders to the waist, almost bisecting him. Endless amounts of fresh blood leaked from the wound, and even his organs could be seen. At that moment, a black substance appeared once again, completely covering up his injury. The residual blade energy wreaking havoc in his wound was also eaten up by the black substance. It looked as though both sides had received considerable injuries from that last exchange. "Hehe... as expected of a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art. Its might is truly frighteningeven a sixth-grade Duke like myself wouldn''t be able to handle more than a couple of hits," Shen Jinxiao begrudgingly admitted with a gloomy smile after being struck by Mad God''s Blade. "If you want more, I''ll give you two more!!" Ox Biaobiao roared ferociously. Shen Jinxiao smiled and shook his head as he indifferently replied, "Alas, you won''t have any more chances." When Ox Biaobiao heard those words, his eyes froze. Shen Jinxiao raised his hand, and in the middle of his palm was a single drop of blood. "It took quite some effort to obtain this drop of blood." Shen Jinxiao''s Duke Bergfrieds began to shudder and countless ancient runes began to reveal themselves. Chi Chan and Duze Yan immediately launched a vicious counterattack against Shen Jinxiao. Although they didn''t know what he was going to do next, judging from his actions and words, he was going to launch a decisive attack! However, the duo''s assault was inconsequential to Shen Jinxiao. The six Duke Bergfrieds spewed out a few fiery torrents to nullify their attacks. "Weren''t you curious as to what my Heart Demon resonance could do? Well, I''ll put on a show for you right now." Shen Jinxiao grinned. He formed another hand seal, and the fresh drop of blood that had come from Ox Biaobiao trembled before transforming into a small, bloody figure that was roughly the size of a thumb. The blood effigy looked just like Ox Biaobiao. The runes on his six Duke Bergfrieds assimilated into the blood effigy. At the same time, Shen Jinxiao''s gloomy laughter echoed throughout the skies. "Duke''s Spirit Insignia, Heart Demon Calamity." As soon as he finished speaking, Ox Biaobiao, who was about to execute yet another Mad God''s Blade, suddenly froze. His eyes suddenly turned empty and he seemed to have unwillingly fallen into the depths of an illusion. Chi Chan and Duze Yan''s expressions changed. Li Luo''s heart sank as well. Shen Jinxiao grinned as he turned to face Li Luo with a gaze of pity. "How do you plan to deal with me without Ox Biaobiao?" Chapter 0716: The Final Move Chapter 0716: The Final Move Ox Biaobiao falling into some sort of illusion was Shen Jinxiao''s final ploy. Such a development triggered shockwaves through the people present. Ox Biaobiao''s fourth-grade Duke strength was the foundation of their teamChi Chan and Duze Yan were simply not sufficient to stop Shen Jinxiao. Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing had pale expressions, not knowing what to do. The people in the convoy were also at a loss, and things turned hectic. Yuan Qing raised House Luolan''s banner as he heroically roared, "Pledge your life to protect the two House Lords!" Even though they were facing off against a sixth-grade Duke and his Heavenly Resonance Stage strength was akin to an ant before Shen Jinxiao, he did not escape in fear, instead rallying the soldiers at the first instant. Pavilion Master Lei Zhang was similarly determined. If a sixth-grade Duke wanted to kill them, it was impossible to run away. Since that was the case, why not die in a heroic blaze? The atmosphere of the entire convoy had turned sorrowful. Li Luo''s expression, on the other hand, was calm. Perhaps the current situation was also not completely out of his expectations. The college and Yu Hongxi''s side had not arrived yet, indicating that they had been entangled with issues of their own. Shen Jinxiao had amply prepared for this day. He turned his head and glanced back at Jiang Qing''e, still mounted atop her wildebeest. Her goddess-like face was similarly composed and her golden eyes were clear and deep, seemingly able to reflect everything that the world had to throw at them. "Sister Qing''e..." Li Luo softly said. Jiang Qing''e looked at him intently. "Are you afraid?" Li Luo asked. Jiang Qing''e slightly smiled and shook her head. "We will not die here today." "Yeah, I feel the same way as well." Li Luo grinned. "However, Sister Qing''e, let me take the lead. You have always done your best to help me solve my problems, so it''s my turn now. In any case, protecting my fiancee is my responsibility." Jiang Qing''e took in Li Luo''s handsome features and realized that his gaze was unwavering, full of self-confidence and determination. As a result, she chuckled and warmly replied, "Alright, I''ll listen to you this time." She did not ask how he was planning to do so. Li Luo was merely a Fiend Palace Tier cultivator, while Shen Jinxiao was a sixth-grade Duke! However, what she did know was that with his determination and resolve, he would not let anyone harm her before his very eyes, no matter how mighty the opponent was. A warm smile seemed to flow through Jiang Qing''e''s golden eyes as she watched the handsome youth before her. He was the one she had spent the most time with during this short life of hers. Gradually, he had grown up and lost some of that naive youthfulness. Now he had become reliable. This was no longer the child that would cry on a whim. In the sky above, Shen Jinxiao was focusing his attention on the unmoving Ox Biaobiao. He had fallen to his Heart Devil Calamity and should not be able to extricate himself any time soon. Without Ox Biaobiao restricting him, the rest would be straightforward. He then turned his focus upon Chi Chan and Duze Yan. He stretched out his fingers, and boundless flames roared out from his fingertips, turning into two gigantic, flaming pythons that one simply could not see the ends of. They coiled up within the void and gradually turned into two furnaces, sealing up the duo. Chi Chan and Duze Yan resisted with all their strength, summoning their Duke Bergfrieds to strike against the flaming python furnaces that had enveloped them. Still, when faced with the absolute difference in strength, they were unable to escape in a short amount of time. Without Ox Biaobiao restraining him, Shen Jinxiao was allowed to control the situation unhindered and easily. After restricting the duo, he did not take the opportunity to strike them down. Dukes were intrinsically resilient with a strong life force, so taking one down would take quite some time, time he didnt have. If reinforcements from the college and Yu Hongxi arrived, the situation would spiral out of control. Thus, his figure flickered as he walked through the sky towards Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. When they saw him approach, Yuan Qing, Lei Zhang, and the rest of House Luolan''s elders were filled with abject terror. The terrifying power that a Duke exuded washed over their bodies like a torrent, forcing them to tremble involuntarily in fear. Despite all of this, they drummed up their courage and circulated all the resonant power in their bodies with an intent to resist. "You guys should go," Li Luo commanded. Yuan Qing, Lei Zhang, and the rest turned to face him and saw their house lord looking extremely calm and at ease. Thoughts filled their mind, but they eventually relented and backed off. "What? Did you choose to give up?" Shen Jinxiao appeared roughly ten meters away from the two with a surprised tone. "Well, even if you choose to give up, I will still get rid of you. Plus, you''re a triple resonance genius, and I wouldn''t dare to let you grow." He smiled as he glared at Li Luo with killing intent. "Well, we''ll see if you can do that," Li Luo retorted. Shen Jinxiao gave a surprised laugh. "It sounds like you still have something up your sleeve. Your reinforcements won''t arrive in time, you know?" He continued to watch the abnormally calm Li Luo. For some reason, something felt off in his heart. "Forget it, you''re just blustering. I won''t waste time with you. We can speak after you''re dead." As soon as he finished speaking, Li Luo suddenly held up a black plaque. Atop the plaque was an ancient "Li" character, and it exuded an aura of mystery and majesty. When Shen Jinxiao saw the plaque, his expression inadvertently changed. During the attack on the college, he had personally seen Pang Qianyuan borrow this from Li Luo, and it was this very same black plaque that had grievously injured Xuan Chen, a seventh-grade Duke. "Are you trying to use this phony object to frighten me? The energy that Pang Qianyuan left behind has already dissipated. Even if this is a rare object, how do you plan to rouse it?" Shen Jinxiao gloomily said with a trace of caution. At the same time, fire gushed out of his fingers, melting the earth with such intensity that if Li Luo were to make contact with it, he would be burnt to ashes with nothing remaining. Li Luo closed his eyes at this moment. Even though the sea of flames was covering both the sky and the earth, his heart remained unmoved, tightly clutching the black plaque and focusing upon it. When Pang Qianyuan had returned the black plaque, he felt like something had been unlocked within it, and he naturally understood how it could be used. Utilizing it would require extreme means, and as a result, Li Luo was not willing to use it unless utterly necessary. Of course, this situation was exactly so. The bloodline within him seemed to be aroused at this point in time, roaring with life. As his blood boiled, all of it surged into the black plaque. Lines of blood began to spread throughout the black plaque, very quickly coming into contact with the "Li" character. For a brief moment, Li Luo heard a draconic roar transcending through space and time. His gaze turned bloodshot and blood vessels started to protrude from his face, making him look both hideous and terrifying. However, the pain did not come without result. At the same time, the ancient "Li" character began to separate itself from the black plaque, floating into the air. Shen Jinxiao''s torrent of flames then collided directly with the ancient character, but what happened surprised everyone. The flames dissipated immediately and the boiling temperature vanished. The ancient character continued to float unobstructed and unassuming in the air. It did not radiate with resplendent light nor absorb copious amounts of worldly natural energy. However, the moment it appeared, Shen Jinxiao''s domineering aura seemed to have vanished like the wind. Shen Jinxiao, on the other hand, felt the hairs on his back standing on end right at this instant. He could feel an indescribable sense of danger exuding from it. As a result, he retreated without hesitation, his figure ethereal and flickering into countless afterimages, hiding in the void. Li Luo remained unfazed by his theatrics. Currently, he looked like a man made of blood, trembling as he raised his hand and pointed towards Shen Jinxiao. What was required to activate the black plaque was not his body''s resonant power, but his bloodline! He also could feel that the exhaustion of his blood essence was ten times greater than when he had given ten drops of blood essence to the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. The ancient character transformed into a beam of bright light, arcing forward. When the blurry, black light shot past, it shattered all of Shen Jinxiao''s countless afterimages. In the end, all of the afterimages returned to the same location, revealing Shen Jinxiao''s true body with the ugliest expression he could muster. He could feel that the ancient "Li" character had locked onto his main body, and no matter how he tried to hide, it would always find him. In fact, it was destined to strike him. If it could not do so immediately, it would forever be locked upon him, constantly searching for him until the moment it could. Shen Jinxiao simply could not comprehend how this was possible. Perhaps even a King was unable to do this! Just where did Li Luo find such a damned artifact? Thoughts flashed through his mind and a ruthless look flashed through Shen Jinxiao''s eyes. Six Duke Bergfrieds smashed through the void to appear before him, forming a unique formation that allowed each Bergfried to mutually supplement and strengthen each other. At the same time, they were connected as a singular defensive entity that protected Shen Jinxiao. No matter how strong the ancient plaque is, Li Luo is only at the Fiend Palace Tier! Furthermore, such unimaginable power couldn''t have come from nowhere. Someone as weak as Li Luo must have paid a crippling price! This must definitely be his final move. With that in mind, Shen Jinxiao looked up and roared as worldly natural energy turbulently roiled in the sky above. His six Duke Bergfrieds began to shine with blinding light and waves of tempestuous energy buffeted the area. The unassuming ancient character turned into a thin ray of black light that then collided directly with his six Duke Bergfrieds. Weng! There was no large explosion, just a faint ripple through the void that was barely perceptible. After which, the black light vanished. The "Li" character then reappeared on the black plaque in Li Luo''s hand. The world seemed to be frozen in time for a brief moment. Right after, everyone was completely shocked by what they saw. Out of the six Duke Bergfrieds Shen Jinxiao had summoned... three had shattered into dust in that very instant. Chapter 0717: Shattering Your Three Duke Bergfrieds Chapter 0717: Shattering Your Three Duke Bergfrieds Everyone was shocked when the three Duke Bergfrieds shattered! Yuan Qing, Lei Zhang, and the rest had eyes that were literally popping out of their sockets, completely terrified. Frankly speaking, this was a completely unimaginable event. They had no idea how someone like Shen Jinxiao, who was able to fend off the combined assault of three Dukes, had three of his Duke Bergfrieds ruined by the Fiend Palace Tier Li Luo. These were Duke Bergfrieds! Every single one of them was formed through a long period of accumulation and effort of a Duke. It was also their strongest source of strength. This was definitely a crippling injury for Shen Jinxiao! As expected, when the three Duke Bergfrieds collapsed, Shen Jinxiao''s face turned flush and he spat out several mouths of fresh, crimson blood. Meanwhile, the previously surging resonant power within him turned chaotic. Seeing three of his prized Duke Bergfrieds ruined before his very eyes sent him into a temporary daze. Gradually, he came to a realization, and his face contorted in fury. "My Duke Bergfrieds!" he roared with both anger and frustration. Terrifying amounts of killing intent surged forth from Shen Jinxiao as his body shook, demonstrating the absolute anger flooding his mind. They were the foundations and culmination of a Duke''s strength. Could one even fathom how difficult creating one Bergfriend was? On top of that, not even Chi Chan and Duze Yan could shatter his Duke Bergfrieds so easilyr! However, the fact was that Li Luo, a Fiend Palace Tier cultivator, had smashed three of them. This was incomprehensible. His potential had now been affected, and this was a price that was painful beyond comparison. Ox Biaobiao was a living example of someone who had been ruined by the loss of his Duke Bergfrieds. He was definitely no weaker than Shen Jinxiao at one point in time, yet he had to spend decades hiding in House Luolan as a mere chef. Although this was partially his choice, it showed how significantly a Duke was affected by this. Shen Jinxiao had not reached the same depths as Ox Biaobiao. At the very least, he still had three Duke Bergfrieds remaining, but this was still a significant blow to him. "Li Luo! You deserve to die!" Shen Jinxiao viciously glared at Li Luo. This hateful little brat had forced him to pay a hefty price every time. Faced with his furious gaze, Li Luo pouted and grinned. Blood was still seeping out from every pore of his body, turning him into a bloody figure. But when he grinned, his pearly-white teeth were exposed. His figure swayed with fatigue, but unconcealable delight could be seen within his eyes. "Beast Shen! House Luolan is a hard rock to chew. If you want to take a bite out of us, then you''d best be prepared to have your teeth shattered!" The veins on Li Luo''s face were twitching, looking almost like earthworms squirming in the mud. He was definitely in great pain at this moment as his blood essence had been overdrawn immensely. He had a feeling that if he were to continue the assault and do this once more, he might very well damage his blood essence irreversibly. Despite such a high price, Li Luo still felt that it was worth it to completely infuriate Shen Jinxiao. When the three Duke Bergfrieds crumbled, energy flooded in every direction, forming an energy typhoon of sorts. Shen Jinxiao wiped the traces of blood from the side of his mouth, his eyes overflowing with murderous intent. Then he slowly walked towards Li Luo with a twisted expression. "Is this your last ploy? What can you do next?" Despite the false bravado he was showing, Shen Jinxiao was truly a little anxious at the moment. Li Luo''s sudden retaliation had injured him immensely, and he had to quickly resolve the situation. Although three Duke Bergfrieds had been shattered, he could still control the situation. However, he had to swiftly take action as he would have difficulty suppressing both Chi Chan and Duze Yan. He hastened his footsteps, leaving behind innumerable afterimages in his wake. Blazing berserk flames condensed in the middle of his palm, causing the void to burn and warp from the sheer heat. His killing intent had surged to untold heights. Yuan Qing and the rest had ugly expressions as they took the initiative to attempt to stop Shen Jinxiao. Still, a Duke was no easy opponent. Just the suppressive aura he leaked from his mere presence was like a mountain pressing down upon them, almost crushing their bones and flesh. Naturally, they were unable to restrain him. Shen Jinxiao''s figure continued to grow in size in Li Luo''s eyes, the blazing tool of murder in his palm growing brighter with each step. Li Luo''s face was still covered with fresh blood, but he remained unafraid, only giving a confident grin. His fingers were still tightly clutching the black plaque. "If you want to play, I''m game all the way! If I can kill a sixth-grade Duke today, that would be a wonderful record." Li Luo knew that the cost of activating the black plaque a second time would be no different from giving up a pound of flesh, but he did not feel dismayed at all. He knew that if he were to retreat even a single step, Shen Jinxiao would forcefully seize Jiang Qing''e''s Heart of Light. He would never let that happen, even if he had to give up his life for it. Some things were always worth protecting. Even at the cost of his own life. The scorching sun in Shen Jinxiao''s hand distorted the void, and right at the moment Li Luo was about to ignite his own bloodline yet again, five slender fingers grasped his shoulder and a sacred and pure light resonant energy flooded into his body, calming down the blood essence within him. A look of astonishment surfaced in Li Luo''s eyes as he turned his head. The one who had sent light resonant energy to soothe his body was none other than Jiang Qing''e. However, something was different about her. Her originally long, flowing hair which cascaded down her back seemed to be floating on its own behind her. Her exquisite facial features that seemed to have been carved by the gods were now full of a dazzling charm, and her previously fair skin was glowing radiantly with light resonant energy. Her golden eyes were flowing with brilliant light, giving off a mysterious feeling. She was exuding a certain sense of majesty, as though a goddess of light had descended in the flesh. What surprised Li Luo the most was the amount of light resonant energy that she was emitting. Frankly speaking, it was terrifying. "Sister Qing''e, what... what have you done?" Li Luo stuttered. He could feel that she had hidden many of her own trump cards as well. In a way, it probably wasn''t that much less amazing than his. Jiang Qing''e''s abstruse, golden eyes looked deeply at Li Luo as she lightly smiled. "Li Luo, you''ve done it once, and it''s enough. Don''t you think it''s my turn now?" Li Luo frowned slightly. The light resonant energy she was emitting was simply too intense, so much so that it gave him a sense of unease. Additionally, he was clear that there was no power in this world that came without equivalent cost. Shattering Shen Jinxiao''s three Duke Bergfrieds required him to borrow the aid of the ancient plaque and sacrifice a good chunk of his blood essence as the price. Comparatively, Jiang Qing''e''s sudden rise in strength should have also come with a price to be paid. "Sister Qing''e, don''t mess around! I will protect you this time," Li Luo said with a heavy tone. She smiled yet again. "I''m a little older than you and thus I''m the older sibling. Protecting my younger brother is my responsibility, you know?" Li Luo angrily glared at her. "Hey! Don''t forget! You''re my fiancee!" This was met with a sweet smile, and she blinked innocently. "How can I be someone''s fiancee if all the fiance wants is to back out of their engagement? Hmm?" Li Luo froze up, his internal injuries almost erupting again... The smile on her face deepened as her hand gingerly brushed Li Luo''s face. Although his face was still oozing with fresh blood, she, who was usually obsessed with cleanliness, was unperturbed. Instead, she gently wiped the blood off his face with her fingers. Then she gently said, "This is nothing, you don''t need to worry. As I said, none of us will die today. Someone as insignificant as Shen Jinxiao cant end our lives here..." After she spoke, she took a step forward before staring right at Shen Jinxiao. "Jiang Qing''e... your strength...?" Shen Jinxiao could also feel the surging momentum coming from the light resonant energy undulations emitted by her. At the same time, the pupils of his eyes shrank indelibly as he couldn''t believe what he was seeing. "Oh... do you mean this? Weren''t you after this to begin with?" Jiang Qing''e smirked with a frostiness that could chill nations, no longer hiding her own murderous intent. She lightly tapped her heart, and one could see a luminous organ pulsating. Within the Heart of Light was a flame that burned from the inside, covering the entire heart with a shroud of fire. Shen Jinxiao trembled, and his face became aghast and furious like a vengeful ghost. "You... you actually ignited your Heart of Light? You actually dared to do so?! You can''t! It belongs to me!" This made Shen Jinxiao go even more berserk than when Li Luo had destroyed three of his Duke Bergfrieds. He had schemed for countless years to take the Heart of Light! He had shed endless amounts of blood, sweat, and tears to try to obtain it! And yet Jiang Qing''e simply had used a sacrificial ignition upon it. "Noisy." Jiang Qing''e smiled as she waved her hand and her trusty golden sword appeared within her grasp. At the same time, overflowing murderous intent leaked from her. "Since Li Luo wrecked three of your Duke Bergfrieds, then I''ll finish the task with the remaining three." When she finished her sentence, she struck downwards mercilessly. At that moment, blinding light flooded everything within three thousand kilometers. Chapter 0718: Igniting the Heart of Light Chapter 0718: Igniting the Heart of Light Bright light washed over everything, as if to cleanse away all of the filth and uncleanliness in the world. Everyone could feel light filling up their vision, and even worldly natural energy was being assimilated at that very moment. The experience felt like a lifetime had passed, despite only lasting a mere moment. When everyone''s vision finally recovered, they were greeted with the sight of a bright and cleansed world. All of the corruption that previously defiled the lands had been washed away, allowing everyone to feel a sudden sense of purity. Immediately after, looks were turned towards Shen Jinxiao''s position. He was quietly standing there. He seemed to be in a daze as he raised his head, silently staring at the void where his three remaining Duke Bergfrieds were. At this instant, all three of them were melting away swiftly, akin to mountains of snow being exposed to the hottest inferno. Layer after layer of condensed energy collapsed, creating a wild, windy storm that buffeted everyone present. As each layer of his Duke Bergfrieds melted away, Shen Jinxiao''s expression turned paler, and the majestic aura of resonant power he possessed as a Duke weakened correspondingly. In the short span of a few breaths, the remaining three Duke Bergfrieds shattered. Shen Jinxiao spat out a mouth of fresh blood as he reached the peak of fury. His strong emotions eclipsed any remaining sense of rationality. It was hard to fathom that a situation he was previously in control of had turned out this way! He was a sixth-grade Duke, someone who could fend off the combined assault of three Dukes and soundly beat them. Yet his downfall came at the hands of two brats that had yet to mature, directly resulting in all six of his Duke Bergfrieds being destroyed. Could anyone comprehend how crippling a blow this was? Most importantly, the Heart of Light which he had long plotted for did not land in his hands either! He simply could not understand how Jiang Qing''e had managed to explode with such terrifying power, even with the sacrificial ignition of her Heart of Light. Could a ninth-grade Heart of Light actually reach such levels of strength? Shen Jinxiao gloomily glared at Jiang Qing''e. Her body was still radiating a terrifying amount of light resonant energy as the Heart of Light blazed atop her chest. He smeared away the bloody trail on his lips, taking note of the quickly weakening resonant power in his body. He knew that it was his complete loss. "Li Luo... Jiang Qing''e... I''ve truly underestimated you two. However, you shouldn''t feel proud of yourselves. Jiang Qing''e... now that you''ve ignited your Heart of Light, you''ve paid a price far greater than you can ever imagine. Hehe. So be it. If I can''t have it, then Id rather it be ruined! Even without the Heart of Light, I have other methods at my disposal. The Xia Kingdom is now in chaos, which gives me the opportunity to rise to greatness in the future. I will become even stronger, and believe me, I will make the both of you repay this grievance a hundred fold in the future!" Shen Jinxiao''s voice had turned slightly hoarse at this point as he maliciously stared at them. His heart was full of raging fury. The ninth-grade Heart of Light he had coveted for so many years had been snatched from right beneath his nose! In the end, she had torched everything to the ground, completely thwarting his plan. Unsurprisingly, Jiang Qing''e was completely indifferent to his old fashioned and villainous lines, only cooly responding, "You wish to escape?" She hefted her heavy sword, a beam of sword light hacking at him. Shen Jinxiao was acutely injured, whilst Ox Biaobiao, Chi Chan, and Duze Yan had escaped their cages. If they surrounded him, he would definitely be encircled and destroyed. At the moment the sword light descended upon him, Shen Jinxiao''s body began to melt and his face collapsed, looking like a melted wax figure. A moment later, his entire body had turned into a pile of fleshy mud. "Jiang Qing''e, the sacrificial ignition of your Heart of Light is irreversible. Once it runs out of fuel, you will die! Li Luo, I''ll let you watch on in despair as she dies before your very eyes!" The pile of fleshy mud which was Shen Jinxiao''s body hatefully uttered these last words. The expression on Li Luo''s bloody face similarly changed upon hearing this. On the other hand, Jiang Qing''e emotionlessly summoned her light resonant energy to completely eradicate any last traces of the fleshy mud that used to be Shen Jinxiao. Alas, she could not feel any trace of Shen Jinxiao''s presence within it. Clearly, that villainous fellow had made his escape a moment ago. Although he had escaped, he had similarly paid a colossal price. Six Duke Bergfrieds ruinedthis was a crippling injury to any Duke. Even if he could escape, it didn''t mean he could continue to live as he had. Of course... the price she had paid was similarly grave. The gap that had to be surmounted for a Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivator to destroy a sixth-grade Duke was akin to a massive chasm. No ordinary means could have bridged this gap. "Sister Qing''e... are you alright?" Li Luo''s current condition wasn''t exactly positive either, but he endured the wracking pain coursing through his body, anxiously clutching Qing''e''s arm as he remained fixated upon the burning Heart of Light atop her chest. He could feel the majestic stream of light resonant energy coming from her body as he forced a smile. "Sister Qing''e, can you hurry and put this out now? That beastly fellow has already run away, there''s no need to push yourself anymore." This was met with silence as her golden eyes watched him meaningfully with a hint of a smile. "Did you not hear me?!" Li Luo suddenly bellowed. Jiang Qing''e stretched out her jade-like hand and grasped Li Luo''s trembling palm. Feeling her tender and cool grasp, Li Luo calmed down a little as he whispered almost sadly, "Can this not be stopped?" His heart was in a mess. Faced with Jiang Qing''e''s current situation, his pitiful Fiend Palace Tier strength was unable to do anything to help. "Compose yourself, Li Luo," Jiang Qing''e lightly replied. He was completely taken aback. How could he remain calm and composed in such a situation? If he had known that this sacrificial technique would have taken her life, he would have rather activated his black plaque a second time. At the same time, Yan Lingqing, Cai Wei, and the rest hurried over and anxiously looked at Jiang Qing''e. They had all heard Shen Jinxiao''s words. Jiang Qing''e had used a sacrificial ignition on her Heart of Light. It was an unstoppable process, and did it mean her time was up? At the same time, resonant power surged within the skies above. Ox Biaobiao, Chi Chan, and Duze Yan had extricated themselves and rushed over as well. "Uncle Biao, hurry! Hurry and rescue Sister Qing''e! She ignited her Heart of Light for the sake of chasing away Shen Jinxiao!" Li Luo summarized the situation succinctly as he grasped at any remaining life saving straws. "She sacrificially ignited her Heart of Light?!" These words caused the expressions of the three Dukes to change. Ox Biaobiao and Chi Chan hastened their steps forward and started to observe the area around Jiang Qing''e''s heart. The Heart of Light was still radiating frightening amounts of light resonant energy. The light resonant energy also held significant traces of life force, and Jiang Qing''e''s complexion seemed to be even more rosy, as though she was in peak condition. Alas, they all understood that this was the result brought about by the sacrificial ignition of the Heart of Light. Once it finished burning, her life would similarly end. "The Heart of Light is also known as an energy heart. All those who possess high-grade resonances have their hearts tempered by the body''s resonant power day and night, eventually transforming their physical hearts into these so-called energy hearts. Frankly speaking, even those of us at the Duke Stage have rarely seen anyone refine such energy hearts... much less seen someone sacrificially ignite it. Thus, I don''t know how we can stop this." Chi Chan frowned as she felt that this problem was extremely thorny. Ox Biaobiao had a solemn expression as well, his brows similarly furrowed. These words caused Li Luo''s heart to sink. Even Ox Biaobiao and the rest had no solution to resolve the sacrificial ignition of Qing''e''s Heart of Light? Endless frustration swamped his heart, and his body trembled. The atmosphere had turned bleak and expressions had turned ugly. Although they had repelled Shen Jinxiao, things had become even more depressing than before. Jiang Qing''e lightly sighed as she tightly gripped Li Luo''s palm. Just as she was about to speak, her expression changed and she glared at the void before them with cold eyes. "Whos there?!" Her sharp voice echoed out as she slapped out with a palm. Blinding light resonant energy arced forth and blasted a spot in the void. Following her palm strike, everyone present was shocked to see that the void before them rippled, as though a layer of foam was dissipating. An unfamiliar figure appeared, similarly looking down at everyone with condescending eyes. "Heh. How interesting... someone who sacrificially ignited their Heart of Light? And your perception has grown sharp enough to discover me after I''ve spent almost half a day watching..." Chapter 0719: Mysterious Man Chapter 0719: Mysterious Man A figure had appeared from the void, one that had been hidden from the senses of everyone present. Even Ox Biaobiao, Chi Chan, and Duze Yan, Dukes, had a complete change in expression. At the very next moment, a look of wariness surfaced in their eyes. This fellow was foreign to them, and definitely not one of the Dukes they were familiar with in the Xia Kingdom. Could it be another collaborator with the Origin Reversion Institute? Even Li Luo was taken aback by the scene, partially because he was unsettled by Jiang Qing''e''s ignited Heart of Light. He turned to glance into the air. This was a man that was not familiar to any of them. As he stood in the void with his hands behind his back, he seemed quite handsome at first glance as he was garbed in a starlight embroidered robe, giving off an extraordinary temperament. On his ear hung a golden, dragon-shaped earring that seemed to be swimming in the air, shining with strange light. What surprised everyone was the mighty fluctuations coming from his body. This was a feeling that definitely was not inferior to that which Shen Jinxiao previously exuded. Chi Chan frowned as she asked sternly, "Who are you?" Based on the intel she had, the Xia Kingdom definitely did not possess such a sixth-grade Duke. From the person''s previously uttered words, he had arrived at the scene long ago and concealed himself. This meant that he had watched the entire battle against Shen Jinxiao. He had not chosen to assist either side, only treating this as mere entertainment, which shrouded his intentions from the rest of them. When faced with Chi Chan''s direct question, the man smiled as he squinted at Li Luo. "You... are you Li Taixuan''s son?" These words caused Li Luo''s gaze to flicker as he looked at the newcomer with a look of surprise. "You know my dad?" "Know him? Of course I know him." A mischievous smile formed on his face. However, Li Luo instinctively felt a sense of caution towards the strange man. "Greetings, elder. I don''t seem to recognize you and currently I''m not free to chat. If you have nothing to add, could I suggest that you take your leave? Some of my friends are rushing over, and if they get the wrong idea and you accidentally confront each other, things would be troublesome for you." "Just what could be troublesome to me in this backwater and desolate place?" the man indifferently replied. Seeing how secretive the other party was also made him feel a sense of unrest. Jiang Qing''e''s Heart of Light was blazing to an end and time was tight. He was in no mood to continue dragging this conversation out. Thus, he shot a glance at Chi Chan, planning to have her take Jiang Qing''e away quickly. At this point the mysterious man laughed. "Brat, do you want to save her?" Li Luo''s gaze flashed. "Do you have a solution, elder?" "Well, there is a solution..." The man smiled wryly. When Li Luo heard those words, a massive smile broke out on his face even though he didn''t know whether the man was telling the truth. Just as Li Luo was about to beg him, the man continued, "However, my solution will require you to pay a price." Li Luo replied without hesitation, "If you are able to save Sister Qing''e, I''m willing to pay any price. Even if it''s at the cost of my life!" "Haha. Li Taixuan has given birth to a love-addled boy." The man showed an ineffable smile. "I don''t need your life. If you are willing to give me the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ, I will tell you of a solution." "Heavenly Emperor''s Writ?" Li Luo was dazed for a moment, but he was suddenly reminded of something. He unclenched his fist, and the black plaque appeared in his palm. "Are you referring to this?" Staring at the black plaque in Li Luo''s hand, a burning fervor appeared in the mysterious man''s eyes. "Indeed. This is the item." Li Luos eyes flickered as he grasped the ancient and mottled black plaque. This mysterious expert unknown to the Xia Kingdom not only knew his father, he also held great desire towards the black plaque that had to do with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li... From these facts, Li Luo could guess the identity of this individual. "Elder... would you happen to be someone with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?" Li Luo asked tentatively. After hearing Li Luo''s words, the mysterious man was taken aback and grinned. "You''re a smart one. I am indeed from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent''s Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. My name is Li Zhiqiu. From a certain point of view, you should call me uncle." At the same time, he stretched his hand out. "Give the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ to me. On behalf of us being from the same clan, I will help you." Li Luo hesitated for a moment. He did not know what other uses the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ had, but it definitely was not equal to Jiang Qing''e''s life. Thus, he passed the black plaque over without hesitation. Upon seeing Li Luo''s actions, Li Zhiqiu beamed even more as he reached his hand out to receive it. However, right at this very instant, a jade-like hand blocked Li Luo. It was none other than Jiang Qing''e. Li Luo curiously looked at her. She shook her head and said in a low voice, "His intentions aren''t good. He holds a trace of malice towards you. You cannot give it to him." Li Luo was startled when he heard this. He knew that Jiang Qing''e''s Heart of Light allowed her to discern other''s intentions, especially now that she had ignited it. Her sensitivity towards such matters was sharper than ever, and if she said so, then this person before them wasn''t any saint. Thus, he quickly retracted his hand, retrieving his black plaque as he warily stared at Li Zhiqiu. The smile on Li Zhiqiu''s face receded slightly as he batted Jiang Qing''e a glance, indifferently saying, "Little girl, being talkative is a bad habit to have." With that, a golden light shot out of his pupils. It resembled a tiny, golden dragon silhouette, emanating an air of majesty, directly attempting to suppress Jiang Qing''e. Jiang Qing''e remained ambivalent. She was currently empowered by the sacrificial ignition of her Heart of Light, so she was unafraid. She summoned the light resonant energy from within her like a tide, turning it into a barrier of light that merged into the void. Bang! The void trembled. Ridiculous amounts of energy scattered upon the collision, causing even the void to distort violently. Jiang Qing''e''s delicate body trembled and was knocked backwards countless steps. A rosy tinge could be seen on her beautiful face. An idea floated to mind, but she quickly squashed it. "Qing''e, don''t push your Heart of Light any further. It will only cause the sacrificial ignition to occur more quickly, and hasten its exhaustion!" Chi Chan somberly reminded her as she moved between them, blocking Li Zhiqiu off from her. Li Luo''s expression changed. He could see that the burning of the Heart of Light on her chest had intensified. And it could be seen that Li Zhiqiu''s actions had caused yet another portion of the Heart of Light to be ignited. This immediately caused Li Luo to burst out in fiery anger. "You bastard! What are you trying to do!?" Li Luo gloomily stared at Li Zhiqiu. "How rude. Is this how Li Taixuan raised his son?" Li Zhiqiu''s face similarly turned overcast as he raised a palm. Golden light resonant power surged out, manifesting in the form of a gigantic, golden dragon claw, complete with scales that radiated with scintillating light. "I can''t be bothered to talk any more with you. I''ll just take you away now." As the dragon claw blotted out the sun, Ox Biaobiao, Chi Chan, and Duze Yan were equally aggravated by the audacity of this man. They erupt with majestic amounts of resonant power, preparing themselves to resist. ???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????-????????????.???????????? Just as the golden dragon claw was about to descend, a deafening boom could be heard. Then a peerlessly sharp beam of sword light swept over, slicing through the void. This also included the golden dragon claw. The claw shattered, and an icy voice belonging to a female thundered. "Li Zhiqiu, you have balls! Who gave an outsider like you the right to interfere with matters of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage? Chapter 0720: Li Rouyun Chapter 0720: Li Rouyun This ferocious streak of sword light tore the void to shreds like a hot knife through butter. As the sword light descended, it annihilated the golden dragon claw, turning it into golden motes of light. The sudden change caused Li Luo and the rest to turn pale. At this instant, they could distinctly feel a mighty resonant power undulation rushing from afar, and they turned to face the source. Another ray of sword light raced across the sky at an indescribable speed from the edge of the horizon. As it approached, one could see that the sword light had been formed by a longsword with a figure standing atop it. Majestic sword energy swept across everything, filling all of the space between the sky and the earth. This person was a female with a beautiful face. She was garbed in a green dress and her long hair was tied up, revealing her slender, snow-white neck. Her figure was excellent and possessed a mature charm. However, what was most outstanding was her eyebrows, which were as thin as willow leaves, giving off a sharp aura. When this lady appeared, the entire sky seemed to resound with the cries of sword chants. Chi Chan, Duze Yan, and the rest looked at the new individual with solemn expressions. Based on the pressure that she was radiating, she was no weaker than the mysterious man. She was a sixth-grade Duke too! This spawned a thought in their heads. Why were so many foreign Dukes rampaging around the Xia Kingdom recently? However, what allowed them to heave a sigh of relief was that this lady had stopped Li Zhiqiu''s assault. Although they did not know who she was or who she represented, it seemed to be a positive development. Additionally, Li Zhiqiu having taken action against them meant that he didn''t have any intentions of making friends with them. Li Luo frowned as he glanced at the lady. Just because she had stepped into assist did not mean that he would lower his guard. It was just that he had heard her thundering words shortly before she arrived. ???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????-????????????.???????????? "Is she also from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li? What is the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and what does that mean?" Li Luo then turned towards Ox Biaobiao. Perhaps only Ox Biaobiao had an understanding of the situation amongst the people present, with the exception of the two newcomers. Ox Biaobiao glared at the lady and his expression turned complicated. "The influence and significance of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li far surpasses your imagination. Nothing in the Xia Kingdom can compare with them. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage is one lineage amongst many within the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Your father, Li Taixuan, is from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. And this lady before you... I recognize her. Her name is Li Rouyun and she is from the same lineage. In terms of seniority... you can refer to her as your aunt." Li Luo was slightly taken aback. "Li Rouyun... my aunt?" He stared at the green-robed lady who resembled a sword saint exuding fearsome sword energy that could sever the world in half. Clearly, she was a mighty Duke as well. However, he was unfamiliar with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Even though this lady was his aunt, he didn''t have a good feeling about this, only frowning as he continued, "Why are the people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li appearing in the Xia Kingdom?" First it was Li Zhiqiu and now Li Rouyun. Furthermore, it looked like they were rushing towards him. Ox Biaobiao sighed heavily as he glanced at the black plaque in Li Luo''s hand. "My guess is that it has to do with this item. It is possible that those from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li sensed it when Pang Qianyuan activated it and were able to lock onto your position. However, you don''t need to be too concerned. This should have been something that Li Taixuan expected and perhaps left it as a measure of last resort. Plus, utilizing the black plaque means that you were in an exceedingly perilous situation. It might have sent a message to the bloodline, and they dispatched experts that could possibly rescue you." Li Luo pondered over this as he glanced at the black plaque in his hand. This thing was known as a Heavenly Emperor''s Writ? Even its name seemed impressive. It was clearly no simple item; otherwise, Li Zhiqiu wouldn''t have tried to trick him for it. As numerous thoughts whizzed through his mind, Li Rouyun had already arrived atop her sword. Her icy tone was as sharp as the aura she gave off as she questioned the man. "Li Zhiqiu, what are you trying to do? You located him, but you did not choose to inform me?" Li Zhiqiu remained nonchalant, only smiling. "I''m sorry, it slipped my mind. Didn''t you get here in time anyway?" "I''m afraid you didn''t forget. You are just avaricious, coveting the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ, wanting to steal it from the younger generation." Li Rouyun''s grating words sliced straight to the point. Li Zhiqiu slowly replied, "I''m simply following the clan''s rules. The Heavenly Emperor''s Writ can only be possessed by those who are capable. Li Taixuan must have known that others would covet it when he passed it on to his son. If his son was unable to protect the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ, then it can only be said that it was not destined for him." "The Heavenly Emperor''s Writ was given to Li Taixuan by the ancestor because he appreciated his talent. If you have the ability to do so, why don''t you go and beg the ancestor for one, then?" Li Rouyun retorted. Li Zhiqiu''s expression stiffened as he replied in an unpleasant tone, "You''re such an annoying troublemaker." "Li Zhiqiu, Li Taixuan is a member of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. His bloodline naturally also belongs to us. You can shelve the thought of trying to bully the younger generation, lest you want to be held in contempt by everyone who hears about this," Li Rouyun coolly replied. She then turned away, no longer bothering with him. Now she looked at the other group that was here. She swept her gaze through the crowd and her eyes landed on Li Luo. The youth was still drenched in blood and seemed a little miserable. However, his features reminded her a little of Li Taixuan. Although he still seemed a little green due to his youth, he still possessed an extraordinary demeanor... Perhaps the most important part was that he was even more good-looking than his father. Li Rouyun''s pointed gaze softened a little as her figure flashed forward to where Li Luo was standing. "What is your name?" A slight smile formed on her beautiful face as she did her best to seem more friendly. Being subject to the lady''s benevolent gaze caused Li Luo to pause for a moment, but he eventually replied, "Li Luo." "My name is Li Rouyun. I''m from the same lineage as your father, and in a certain way... I could be called your aunt," Li Rouyun softly replied. Li Luo''s gaze flickered. Unfortunately, the first interaction with Li Zhiqiu had left an indelible mark on him and he now had a bad impression of the entire bloodline. Even though this lady had tried to form a closer tie with him, he remained guarded, only tightly clutching the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ. If the situation took a turn for the worse, he might very well have to struggle for his life. Li Rouyun could clearly sense his guardedness, and a hint of fury could be seen in her eyes. However, it was not directed towards Li Luo but rather Li Zhiqiu! That bastard''s previous attempt to hoodwink the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ had caused him to feel defensive, even towards her. As she observed Li Luo, she could see that he was moving somewhat sluggishly. Because they were of the same bloodline, she could distinctly sense the loss of his bloodline power. It seemed that he had activated the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ before this. What could force a child to utilize such a drastic measure to protect himself? It seemed he had just undergone quite a vicious and life-threatening situation. As a result, her gaze became even more warm as she softly reassured him, "Child, I''m sorry for arriving late. However, you can rest assured. Now I''m here, no one will dare to bully you anymore." Chapter 0721: Oceans Spirit Pearl Chapter 0721: Ocean''s Spirit Pearl After seeing her determined expression of kindness, some of the wariness in Li Luo''s eyes dissipated. However, this was not the main thing he was concerned about. Li Luo''s eyes were riddled with worry as he sincerely said, "Um... Aunt Yun, I have a very important situation that I require your help with. Hopefully, you can assist me. I will forever embellish this favor onto my heart!" Jiang Qing''e''s Heart of Light was still blazing, quickly exhausting her lifeforce. If this were to continue, she would perish without a doubt. He was willing to casually give away the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ for the sake of saving Jiang Qing''e''s life. Although it felt slightly awkward to address the lady as his aunt, he was willing to do anything, even beg, for the sake of Qing''e''s life. If Ox Biaobiao and Chi Chan were unable to come up with a solution, he could only place his hopes in the even mightier and more well-traveled Li Rouyun. "Is it because of her? Who is she to you?" Li Rouyun glanced at Jiang Qing''e, who Li Luo was tightly clutching at the moment. "She is my fiancee," Li Luo replied without hesitation. Jiang Qing''e gave him a look, and a trace of happiness could be seen in her eyes. "Fiancee?" Li Rouyun was slightly taken aback as she sized Qing''e up. A look of pleasant surprise surfaced in her gaze and she smiled. "You little brat, you have good eyes." She then walked forward, slowly examining her heart. A moment later, she seemed immensely surprised. "Is this a ninth-grade light resonance? In terms of innate potential, she can also be considered to be a proud child of the heavens, even in the inner divine continent. Since it''s a ninth-grade Heart of Light, she must have indeed been pushed into dire straits. I truly must have arrived too late." Li Rouyun''s expression became solemn. "A ninth-grade Heart of Light is like a scorching supernova. Once it''s sacrificially ignited, it will explode forth with unimaginable strength at the price of one''s life, and it is almost impossible to reverse the effects. Not even the average King can save her, much less a Duke. The only way is if a Heavenly Emperor chooses to act." Listening to her words caused Li Luo''s face to turn pale, and his breathing halted momentarily. A Heavenly Emperor? Such an existence couldn''t be found in the entirety of the East Divine Continent... and even if he managed to get a hold of one, why would they deign to help him? "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li has a Heavenly Emperor, yes? Is that elder around? Can he help us?" Li Luo anxiously asked. Alas, the only Heavenly Emperor he could possibly be connected with was Heavenly Emperor Li himself. Listening to Li Luo''s words, Li Zhiqiu lightly chuckled. "The ancestor has guarded the Heavenly Origin continent for countless years. He is an old man who is responsible for the survival of the entire human race. How could he have the time to spare on a junior''s minor affairs?" Li Rouyun fell into a moment of silence as well. "The ancestor has not returned to the clan for many years. We can''t even find him. If you want his help, I''m afraid your fiancee''s situation can''t be delayed for so long." Hearing these words caused Li Luo to feel as though he had been struck by a bolt of lightning, and his complexion turned ghastly pale. The usual calm he possessed was nowhere to be seen; it was evident he was at a complete loss. However, Jiang Qing''e remained unfazed and collected. Perhaps she had already expected this result. Li Rouyun sighed deeply and then said, "I might not have a solution to the problem, but I can temporarily alleviate the speed at which the Heart of Light burns. Although it won''t be for long, it will buy some time for her." Li Luo was shocked as he looked at Li Rouyun with great elation. "More time means more opportunities. I would like to beseech you to help out, Aunt Yun. I will owe you a great debt!" "Family members don''t have to go to that extent." Li Rouyun slightly smiled as she removed a dark blue pearl from between her fingers. It shone with an enigmatic light, as though it contained a piece of the pristine ocean within. At the same time, copious amounts of lifeforce seemed to emanate from it. When the object appeared, Chi Chan''s attention turned towards it. She possessed a water resonance, and the dark blue pearl seemed to contain boundless amounts of water resonance power. It was clearly a treasure for water resonances. "Ah. Li Rouyun, I''m surprised you''re willing to part with that. Isn''t the Ocean''s Spirit Pearl something you bought in the clan''s treasure pavilion? If I recall correctly, weren''t you planning to use it on your feeble and sickly niece? Youre using it here? Aren''t you concerned your niece will hate you?" Li Zhiqiu grinned. "Li Zhiqiu, you''re full of crap." Li Rouyun frowned. She then turned towards Li Luo, who now had a complicated expression on his face. "There is no need to think too much about it. The situation with your fiancee is dire and time is of the essence. Your father helped me out in the past, and this can be considered returning the favor." Li Luo attentively nodded. The situation with Jiang Qing''e was indeed the most important thing on his mind, and the favor he would owe Li Rouyun would forever be remembered in his heart. If the opportunity came about in the future, he would definitely repay it. Li Rouyun''s gaze then shifted onto Jiang Qing''e as she warmly asked, "What is your name?" "Jiang Qing''e," she replied softly. Li Rouyun smiled. "That is such an incomparably pure Heart of Light. Even after all these years, this is the first time I''ve seen one like this. However, the more pure it is, the harder it is to stop. The Ocean''s Spirit Pearls essence was condensed in the depths of the sea, and it possesses boundless amounts of life force. I will guide it into your heart and use the life force within it to fuel your sacrificial ignition, therefore shielding your life force for the time being." "Thank you, Aunt Yun, for your timely rescue. I have no words to express my utmost gratitude," Qing''e replied. She was not afraid of death, but being able to live was an even more wonderful experience. Additionally, she was not willing to see Li Luo fall into the depths of despair. Li Rouyun waved her hand before raising her palm. The Ocean''s Spirit Pearl began to radiate with gentle light and the ocean within it began to roil with waves. In the end, the Ocean''s Spirit Pearl floated into the air and landed right on Jiang Qing''e''s chest. When it came in contact with her skin, it liquefied and entered her body, tunneling into the shining Heart of Light. After the Ocean''s Spirit Pearl entered her body, the light erupting from the Heart of Light seemed to have become even more resplendent. But its radiance dimmed with the passing of time. "Ah. The Ocean''s Spirit Pearl is being degraded at a speed even greater than my expectations. The strength of your Heart of Light is, frankly speaking, terrifying." Li Rouyun frowned as she watched what was happening. At the same time, she felt that things were a little strange. A ninth-grade Heart of Light might be rare, but she was from the inner divine continent and of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Thus, she had seen and heard things the average individual never could have. Still, the phenomenon with Jiang Qing''e''s ninth-grade Heart of Light seemed a little unique. "Aunt Yun, is there something wrong?" Li Luo anxiously asked. He had been closely observing them. Li Rouyun shook her head. "Her Heart of Light is burning up too fiercely. I will use a secret art to seal and suppress it. Otherwise, I''m afraid the Ocean''s Spirit Pearl will be exhausted in less than ten days." Li Luo''s expression changed. Even a priceless treasure could only buy her ten days worth of time? It seemed the sacrificial ignition of Jiang Qing''e''s Heart of Light was even more serious and troublesome than expected. "Then I will have to rely on you, Aunt Yun," he said. Li Rouyun nodded, and a light-blue sword light arose from the top of her head. It moved in a meandering fashion, seemingly turning into an illusory, blue dragon that had come to life. The only difference was that it exuded a sharp sword energy that instilled a sense of fear in anyone who saw it. The illusory, blue dragon waved its tail and pierced through the void, directly shooting into Jiang Qing''e''s chest. The next moment, Li Luo could see that Jiang Qing''e''s burning Heart of Light had an illusory, blue dragon coiled around it, as though it was sealing it. Endless sword light radiated from it, and it forcefully suppressed the blazing Heart of Light bit by bit. After which, Li Rouyun gently exhaled as she explained to Li Luo, "This is the Water Dragon''s Sword Heart Lock. It has sealing capabilities that can suppress the burning Heart of Light slightly. This way, the Ocean''s Spirit Pearl''s lifespan can be extended, taking up to three months before it is exhausted. "However, the Heart of Light will erupt once again with even greater intensity in three months. If a solution has not been found by then..." Li Luo fell silent. This also meant that Jiang Qing''e had managed to snatch another three months of time from the jaws of death. Although this was akin to drinking poison to quench one''s thirst, no matter how difficult things got, he would not give up hope. As his heart sank, sonic booms resounded in the air from afar and countless streams of light descended upon them. The college and Yu Hongxi had finally arrived. Chapter 0722: Responsibility Chapter 0722: Responsibility When Yu Hongxi and Vice Principal Su Xin descended as rainbows of light, they saw that a group had gathered. They were astonished by this before turning their attention to the two strangers. Li Rouyun and Li Zhiqiu. Just by being present, the aura that they gave off was oppressive. However, what caused them to be at ease was that neither of them had launched an attack. This meant that the two mysterious Dukes were not enemies. "Li Luo, what happened to Shen Jinxiao?" Vice Principal Su Xin surveilled the area and noticed that there were no traces of him. However, based on the resultant energy undulations that could be felt, a large fight had obviously occurred here. "We seem to have arrived a little too late." Yu Hongxi had a look of apology on her face. "I was restrained by Zhu Qinghuo, and even though I injured him, he was able to restrict me for quite some time." Li Luo first clasped his hands together and thanked them before giving them an explanation of what had happened. "What? Qing''e sacrificially ignited her Heart of Light?" After hearing about what had happened to Jiang Qing''e, their expressions changed and they hurriedly rushed over to her, inspecting her condition carefully. "Qing''e, you''ve been too hasty," Vice Principal Su Xin said with a pained tone. She was very clear of the implications. Jiang Qing''e was the Astral Sage College''s brightest sprout, and her actions had doomed her life. "This is a very intricate seal. It has indeed managed to suppress the burning of the Heart of Light. I think it should have bought a bit of time for you," Yu Hongxi commented as she inspected the dragon-shaped seal. The seal was something she could not grasp, so it must have been the work of the mysterious Dukes. Li Luo expectantly looked at the two and asked, "Vice Principal, Aunt Yu, the two of you are well traveled and knowledgeable. Do you happen to know of any way to heal a sacrificially ignited Heart of Light?" Vice Principal Su Xin and Yu Hongxi glanced at each other before falling into a moment of silence. "An energy heart like this can only be condensed by individuals who are extremely talented. Once cultivated, it is of great benefit to their own growth and future development. It is akin to a divine tool. And as the energy heart is very pure, it will explode forth with terrifying power once it is sacrificially ignited. Resolving this is no easy task. I''m afraid even Principal Pang wouldn''t be able to either." Vice Principal Su Xin bitterly smiled. Yu Hongxi similarly nodded. Although she had been in charge of the Golden Dragon Bank''s Xia Kingdom branch for a long time and had been exposed to all sorts of magical and mystifying treasures, a ninth-grade Heart of Light was something she had never seen, much less figure out a solution to resolve the sacrificial ignition. Li Luo''s gaze turned slightly dismayed. He was already prepared for disappointment, but hearing the truth from the two of them personally still hurt. "That damned Shen Jinxiao, he truly is a plague. It''s all my fault that I was not more vigilant." Vice Principal Su Xin blamed herself. The entire situation at the college might have been orchestrated by the Origin Reversion Institute, but Shen Jinxiao was a critical part of their ploy. If he had not been allowed to sow seeds of corruption and weaken the foundations of the college, not as many Violet Vibrance mentors would have been controlled. In fact, he wasn''t just satisfied with destroying the college, he had even harmed Jiang Qing''e to such an extent. This was a vile creature, one that instilled fury in everyone. When Li Luo heard Shen Jinxiao''s name, his eyes remained emotionless. It was not because he no longer wished to kill him, but rather the absolute loathing he felt towards that vile cretin was so immense that it no longer had to be revealed. He no longer wished for Shen Jinxiao to die a quick death. Otherwise, how could he vent his frustrations on him in future? Li Luo exhaled deeply, suppressing the restless emotions in his heart. All these thoughts of revenge were useless. He was currently too weak! Even if Shen Jinxiao were just a first-grade Duke, he''d still be able to easily steamroll him. This encounter allowed him to further appreciate the importance of personal strength. ???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????-????????????.???????????? A Duke! At this moment, a new obsession had taken root in his heart. He had to enter the Duke as swiftly as possible. Only when he was able to do so could he possess sufficient strength to protect himself! Of course, more importantly, he first had to resolve the issue of Jiang Qing''e''s burning Heart of Light. Otherwise, it would threaten her life once again in three months, and this was something Li Luo did not want to see. His mind blazed with numerous thoughts. Li Luo waved his hand to signal Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing to take care of Jiang Qing''e whilst he informed Yuan Qing and the rest to prepare to reorganize the convoy and head south. At this point, Yu Hongxi and Vice Principal Su Xin were in conversation. They now knew that the two foreign figures had come from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent and were also from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. "I never had expected Li Taixuan to be from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. It is no wonder he demonstrated such amazing talent." Vice Principal Su Xin wryly smiled. As the college''s vice principal, she naturally understood the behemoth that was their clan and how the powers of the East Divine Continent could not hold a candle to it. A Heavenly Emperor expert was a figure that stood at the apex of the world. Each one of them was a giant in their own right, an invincible existence. Even Principal Pang had to be respectful before such an expert. Yu Hongxi''s eyes flickered, but she still remained calm. The Golden Dragon Bank was also an extraordinary organization. The branch in the Xia Kingdom was just one of many, and it naturally could not compare with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. However, the headquarters of the Golden Dragon Bank held strength and background that was not inferior to the former. To be fair, she already had an understanding of Li Taixuan''s identity long ago. Li Rouyun treated Vice Principal Su Xin and Yu Hongxi courteously and without arrogance despite her background. In a certain way, the Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank also possessed titanic influences that backed them. Whether it was the Academic Federation or the headquarters of the Golden Dragon Bank, both were organizations that could surpass their clan. However, Li Zhiqiu was a little impatient, only disdainfully saying, "Li Rouyun, stop wasting time and complete our assignment. I don''t want to spend more time in this backwater place. Now that we''ve found Li Luo, we can just bring him back." When Li Luo heard those words, he frowned. He coldly stared at Li Zhiqiu. He had marked him in his heart. He had clearly discovered them much earlier on and had not deigned to report the news to Li Rouyun. Instead, he had hidden at the side and watched Shen Jinxiao cause a ruckus. He could have intervened, and if he had, he could have easily repelled Shen Jinxiao. If that happened, Li Luo would never have had to utilize the black plaque, nor would Jiang Qing''e have to sacrificially ignite her Heart of Light. Everything could have been resolved easily, but this bastard had chosen to stand by idly and watch a show! Of course, Li Zhiqiu and him did not have any sort of prior relationship, so Li Luo couldn''t really blame him for not taking action. However, the moment he made his presence known, he attempted to fool him into handing over the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ and even acted to hurt Jiang Qing''e, causing her situation to worsen! This was something he could never forgive. Li Luo''s unfriendly gaze was not hidden, and Li Zhiqiu naturally felt it. Of course, he didn''t care, only smiling. "Wow, what a vengeful brat. No matter, when you have the strength one day, feel free to come at me." "Mhm. I will." Li Zhiqiu nodded before he once again composed himself. "Li Zhiqiu, can you shut up for a moment? I am the leader for this assignment. If you don''t like it, you can leave," Li Rouyun icily warned him. Li Zhiqiu coldly smiled and could not be bothered to bicker any longer. He turned and simply vanished. Li Rouyun, on the other hand, was not concerned either, sighing deeply as she turned towards Li Luo. "Li Luo, our task is indeed to bring you back to the clan. This is the message that Li Taixuan sent us, so I hope you can cooperate." Chapter 0723: That Year Chapter 0723: That Year Return to the clan of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li? When Li Luo heard these words, he was immediately at a loss. Although the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was simply a titanic clan beyond his wildest expectations, he was born in the Xia Kingdom, so they were no different from strangers to him. To him, his family was House Luolan, and everyone he knew and loved were here. Thus, when faced with Li Rouyun''s words, Li Luo shook his head. "Aunt Yun, House Luolan is unstable right now and in a critical situation. I cannot simply leave." Li Luo''s rejection did not cause Li Rouyun to become angry. It was an expected response. Li Luo had grown up here and the entire Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was a foreign concept to him. Additionally, it didn''t look like Li Taixuan had told him about his background. Even she was a strangerLi Luo had only just met her for the first time. Li Rouyun pondered over the situation before continuing, "I understand where you''re coming from, but the Xia Kingdom, no, the entire East Divine Continent is simply too small a pond for you. Your father was a heavenly genius that shocked the entire Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. And your mother..." When Li Luo''s mother was mentioned, a complicated expression surfaced on her face. "When Tan Tailan roamed the skies of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, she was known to be a peerless and exceptional beauty with both brains and brawn. She might not be from a prominent family, but her actions lent her a radiance that suppressed all of the best amongst the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. With such exceptional parents, I believe you are extraordinary as well. Furthermore, you have the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li running through your veins. Thus, I believe that you can only grow to your fullest potential in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Do you really want something like this to happen again in the future? Where you''re simply not strong enough?" Li Rouyun''s words caused Li Luo to fall into silence as he processed her words. The Xia Kingdom had gone through an upheaval and even the Astral Sage College had been destroyed. This would inevitably affect his cultivation, and from a certain point of view, remaining in the desolate Xia Kingdom would restrict his progress. Resonant power cultivation required both talent and sufficient amounts of resources, something which the inner divine continents definitely possessed in greater amounts compared to the East Divine Continent. No matter what, the inner divine continent was a cultivation holy land. "Additionally, the Xia Kingdom definitely does not possess any means for you to solve the problem of Jiang Qing''e''s burning Heart of Light. Only by entering the inner divine continent can you find a solution." Li Rouyun''s following sentence was lightly spoken, but it struck Li Luo''s heart like a heavy hammer, triggering violent ripples within. This problem was his biggest heartache. If there was any hope of resolving it, Li Luo would move the mountains and seas just to do it. Li Luo sighed deeply before giving his answer. "Aunt Yun, give me a little bit of time to decide. House Luolan needs to settle down, and even though my family''s foundation cannot compare to that of the clan, it is still the lifeblood of my parents." Li Rouyun smiled and nodded. She knew that Li Luo''s heart had already been moved. So long as he was logical, he would naturally choose to go back with them. After a brief conversation, he turned towards Vice Principal Su Xin and Yu Hongxi to exchange a few words. Neither of them overstayed their welcome and they still had to resolve their own complicated situations on their ends. As a result, they turned to leave not long after. Li Luo sent off the two of them before he planned to find Duze Yan to express his gratitude. However, he realized that that fellow had once again disappeared and he could only record this favor in his heart. Li Rouyun, on the other hand, had taken the initiative to approach Ox Biaobiao, who seemed to have been trying to evade her gaze. "Ox Biaobiao, it''s been a while," she said as she looked at him. A trace of a smile bloomed on her beautiful face. Ox Biaobiao dryly coughed. "I didn''t think youd become a sixth-grade Duke so quickly. When we left the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent that year, you had just entered the Duke Stage." Li Rouyun nodded with a smile that was not a smile. "Indeed. I still remember you teasing me with your superior strength." Embarrassment flooded his face. He and Li Taixuan were the best of friends that year, and when he met Li Rouyun, she had just become a Duke. Thus, whenever he was bored, he''d prank her. Who would have thought that she would reach the sixth-grade just a few years later, not inferior to him in his prime. "Why have your resonant power fluctuations weakened so much? You were a sixth-grade Duke when you left the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, and everyone feared you, the Mad God''s Executioner. Your fame resounded throughout the continent..." Li Rouyun frowned. Ox Biaobiao gave a bitter smile. "I was protecting both Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan as they escaped that year. As a result, my Duke Bergfrieds were shattered. I''ve just been struggling at death''s door for all these years. How could I possibly advance any further?" Li Rouyun was completely shocked by this revelation before she fell into a gloomy silence. A moment later, she erupted in fury. "Those bastards were too vicious! They were the ones who were acting over aggressively. In the end, it forced Taixuan to leave in shame. Otherwise, with his talent, he would long have suppressed everyone in Heavenly Origin!" Ox Biaobiao frowned as he unceremoniously replied, "You blithering idiots from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li weren''t willing to protect them, so what''s the point of speaking about this now?" "Why are you venting it on me? Do you think I could have made a decision then? The ancestor has not returned to the clan since then, and the Dragon''s Blood Lineage has controlled the mountain ever since. Taixuan even left behind a giant mess for us to clean up! Even the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was helpless... And it wasn''t as if we weren''t willing to protect Taixuan, it''s just..." Li Rouyun glared at Ox Biaobiao. Ox Biaobiao glanced at Li Luo, who was standing not too far away and directing the convoy, before he coldly smiled. "Of course. You were only willing to protect Li Taixuan but not Tan Tailan, right?" Li Rouyun fell silent. "Hmph! With Li Taixuan''s personality, do you think he would be willing to abandon Tan Tailan and escape alone? Did you actually think he would do such a thing? In the end, he was forced to leave the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, all the whilst being chased down by those bastards. Tan Tailan was already pregnant at that point in time!" Ox Biaobiao gloomily said. Thinking back to what happened that year as they escaped, cutting a bloody swathe through their enemies, the three had been left with grievous injuries. Even Tan Tailan''s baby had been injured. Li Rouyun sighed. The situation was complex, and speaking of it now was meaningless. "The old man has always worried about this. Taixuan was his most doted-on and valued progeny. When you escaped that year, he had a massive quarrel with the Mountain Ruling Council. After that, he ceased all communications with them. I can feel that he still harbors some guilt towards Taixuan... The moment we received news from him, the ancester knew that he had given birth to a child. And even though we couldn''t see it on his face, his mood definitely improved significantly. In fact, we already knew of Li Luo''s existence a few months ago, but the reason we couldn''t come earlier was because he went to the Mountain Ruling Council to throw a temper tantrum. He declared that Li Luo had to be brought back to the clan, and if anyone were to cause any trouble, he would personally go to Tianyuan to seek the ancestor''s intervention. Simply put, the situation that year only involved the elder generation. If anyone dared to let this issue spill into the current generation and bullied the young, he declared that he would have to let them have a taste of whether the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Heavenly Dragon Mace still had the power to slaughter Kings." Li Ruoyun finished explaining the situation. Ox Biaobiao was then reminded of the taciturn old man who was exceptionally stubborn... He was left completely speechless at his determined actions. Li Rouyun also continued to watch over Li Luo, gently sighing. "The old man really wants to meet his long-lost grandson after all..." Chapter 0724: The Hypnotizing Color of the Moon Chapter 0724: The Hypnotizing Color of the Moon House Luolan''s convoy continued to make its way towards the south. They no longer encountered any obstacles after repelling Shen Jinxiao, so the convoy quickly arrived at the Tianshu Province. Even though things were easy, the atmosphere was anything but. Jiang Qing''e''s situation had not been resolved and everyone knew that she only had three months of time left. After that, if the sacrificial ignition of the Heart of Light was not resolved, her life would be at an end. Jiang Qing''e held a very special position in House Luolan, and even though Li Luo was considered to be the rightful House Lord, the pavilion masters would usually still look for Jiang Qing''e out of habit whenever they had to report any matters. Thus, if something really happened to her, the atmosphere would definitely be brooding. As they rushed along for the next two days, even though Li Luo could feel the stifling pressure, he had no time to turn his attention towards these other matters, only spending all of his time by Qing''e''s side. ... The night sky descended like a black curtain dotted with the most radiant stars, a beautiful portrait of the universe. House Luolan''s convoy was like a long dragon. Numerous lamps were lit and tents were pitched one after another like small, white umbrellas that dotted the forest. Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo were currently standing side by side atop a mountain, lowering their gazes to watch the clusters of campfires being lit coupled with sounds of life. "You''ve spent too much time with me in the past two days. You are the core of House Luolan, so you should also take some time to reassure them. The migration of House Luolan has already caused the hearts of your people to be shaken. You, as the House Lord, can no longer afford to be as casual as before." Qing''e pushed away a strand of hair that had been blown loose by the chilly night wind as she smiled at Li Luo. Jiang Qing''e''s ethereal beauty was even more evident beneath the moonlit sky. Her porcelain-like face had a luster akin to the finest jade, and the short cape behind her was fluttering gently under the cool breeze. Moonlight bathed her slender and exquisite body, every curve embodying a work of art. "Now that you''re like this, how could I bother with anything else?" Li Luo sighed. "House Luolan might be important, but it can''t be compared to you!" "Don''t be so depressed. Let us worry about it when it happens. After all, don''t we still have three more months?" Jiang Qing''e seemed very relaxed as she consoled him. "You''re taking this too lightly!" Li Luo''s voice became a little heavier and his gaze turned downcast. "I won''t give you a chance to do this ever again. Let me settle things first. I should have just used the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ a second time and shattered all of his remaining pillars!" Li Luo fumed, but a tinge of remorse could also be heard. The last two days were full of self-loathing as he knew he should never have let Qing''e take action. "That''s still better than this. Now that the situation has come to a head, you only have three months left..." Jiang Qing''e paused to think before she shook her head and gave a wry smile. "I would have gone crazy if I let you do that." "Well, I''ve already gone crazy thinking about all of this! You were just being selfish!" Li Luo emotionlessly batted an eye at the slightly amused girl. When faced with Li Luo''s accusations, Jiang Qing''e smiled like a flower. Although her life force was constantly burning away, she had been full of smiles for the past few days. "I''ve been thinking about how to resolve your situation... I concluded that if nothing changes, I will follow Aunt Yun back to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent and I will bring you along. There are countless experts there who might be able to solve your problem." Li Luo sighed. Although they were unwilling to leave the Xia Kingdom and House Luolan, there was no other option. Qing''e''s life was the highest priority. Qing''e''s gaze moved slightly. "What about House Luolan? If we were to leave, it would be difficult for them to rebuild from the ashes." "I''ll temporarily leave it in the good hands of Sister Cai Wei. I don''t expect it to grow significantly anyway. So long as we can protect its legacy, we will return eventually," Li Luo replied. Jiang Qing''e did not reject Li Luo''s decision. With the changes in the Xia Kingdom, things had become chaotic. From a certain point of view, if one wanted to chase further heights, they would naturally have to leave for a location with more abundant resources. The inner divine continents, on the other hand, were like cultivation holy grounds. Comparing the East Divine Continent to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent was like comparing a backward county to the center of civilization. Jiang Qing''e similarly had not forgotten that Li Luo''s own lifespan was a ticking clock. He had five years to reach the Duke Stage. More accurately, he only had four years left. Although he was at the Fiend Palace Tier, there were still quite a few more stages before the Duke Stage, and time was tight. Entering the inner divine continent and relying on the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li would definitely make his path a lot smoother. "Now that I look at it, aren''t we afflicted with the same curse? One of us can only hold on for three months, while the other has four years. Truly a fateful and tragic pair of mandarin ducks," Jiang Qing''e said self-deprecatingly. Li Luo nodded before he calmly said, "Indeed, life is tough. Thus, I do need a little sweetness in my soul to keep me going on." Jiang Qing''e was slightly taken aback and was a little unresponsive. However, before she could ask what Li Luo meant, he had already reached out to grab her right hand and pulled her into his embrace, all while she was at a loss for words. "Sister Qing''e, my heart aches. I need a little bit of sweetness." Li Luo adoringly looked at her. Her delicate features that were now so close to him looked even more exquisite under the moonlight. Without giving her a chance to react, he lowered his head. With a slight roughness, pressed his lips against hers. Her delicate body froze up like a deer in headlights, a rich crimson surging up from her jade-like earlobes. She had never expected Li Luo to act so brashly! He actually dared to steal a kiss! The heat coursing through her lips caused her heart to beat ever so quickly. Her clear, golden eyes focused upon Li Luo''s handsome face as he too stared right back into her eyes. Their gazes collided, and Jiang Qing''e could see all of the deep emotions running rampant within him. There was terror and unease. He was afraid. He was afraid that he could not find a solution for her within the limited three months. Although he seemed to be calm on the outside, it was only now that Qing''e realized that deep down, he was absolutely frightened. This was a fear that had never surfaced. Not during the Housemeet, not when the Regent attackedthis was something she had never seen before. However, her situation truly frightened him. She could feel a deep sense of tenderness towards him surging up in her heart as she raised her palm. Seeing her raise her hand, Li Luo''s body shuddered and he reflexively and hurriedly retreated, covering his face with both his hands. "Don''t hit my face!" Jiang Qing''e was completely taken aback, and a look of amusement surfaced on her face. "Weren''t you being bold just a moment ago? Why are you scared of getting hit?" she coolly asked. Li Luo gave a sheepish smile. He had acted in the spur of the moment, his decisions compounded by the complicated thoughts that flooded him. He had almost forgotten how mighty Jiang Qing''e''s was right now... and she could probably swat him to death like an irritating fly. However, after all these years... he had actually managed to kiss her. Perhaps being beaten up right now would be worth it. Li Luo subconsciously glanced at her little, red lips and swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He had acted too recklessly, but that kiss was like the finest ambrosia, leaving behind a wonderful aftertaste. Noticing Li Luo''s slightly lewd gaze, complex emotions flashed through Qing''e''s eyes. However, she, who always acted fiercely and valiantly, did not want to let her inner little girl out before this ravenous tiger. Instead, she glanced at Li Luo with a straight face. "Tell me, Li Luo. How should I deal with you?" Li Luo, on the other hand, didn''t seem very concerned anymore. It was all worth it. Instead, he declared victoriously, "If you want to hit me, then do it!" Jiang Qing''e sighed lightly. She would not be courteous then. She grasped Li Luo''s robes and forcefully yanked. Li Luo was astonished to feel that he was being pulled forward a step, and in the next instant, a familiar fragrance permeated his nose as Jiang Qing''e tiptoed slightly. He could feel a delicate and warm sensation on his lips. At the same time, a cool sensation passed through him when their bodies touched, almost like that of smooth jade. Li Luo''s eyes widened. At this distance, he could even see a rosiness bloom within Qing''e''s snow-white skin. However, this was what she was truly like. She had a valiant character, but it was a shell for her inner shyness. At the same time, whenever she acted, she was direct and straightforward, unwilling to be controlled by Li Luo. This was who Jiang Qing''e was. Ecstasy swept through Li Luo''s heart like a storm. He no longer held anything back, directly cradling her waist in his bosom. This was his rough counterattack against her slightly shy initiative! Under the starry night, this was a breathtakingly beautiful scene. Beneath the mountain, Ox Biaobiao, Chi Chan, Cai Wei, and the rest of the people of House Luolan suddenly raised their heads and watched the two figures who were isolated in their own world, traces of smiles blooming on all their faces. It was the sweetest scene that they could not bear to interrupt. Still, all good things had to come to an end eventually. Two beams of light pierced through the sky, directly appearing atop the mountain. Li Luo naturally felt their presence, so he reluctantly loosened his embrace. Jiang Qing''e, on the other hand, was as red as a beetroot, half panting as she buried her face in Li Luo''s chest. Li Luo raised his head and looked at the two figures in the sky, helplessly sighing. One of them was Vice Principal Su Xin, whilst the other was a surprise to Li Luo. She had a head of long, golden hair and was a mature female beauty. Li Luo had seen her once beforeshe was the Resonance Artificers Halls head, Ling Zhaoying. At this point, she was smiling cheerily at the two. "It looks like we came at an inopportune time." Li Luo nodded in agreement. Vice Principal Su Xin, on the other hand, smiled unhappily. "Do you think this brief moment of warmth is more important... or is saving her life more important?" When Li Luo heard those words, he felt like he had been struck by a bolt of lightning and his eyes were like saucers. Extreme joy surged from the depths of his heart. Chapter 0725: Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College Chapter 0725: Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College Inside a tent in House Luolan''s convoy. Li Luo had graciously invited Vice Principal Su Xin and Dean Ling to take a seat before fetching Ox Biaobiao, Li Rouyun, and Chi Chan. They were currently the three mightiest experts in the convoy. "Why don''t you speak first, Vice Principal Su Xin? Did you have a solution to Qing''e''s burning Heart of Light?" Li Luo blurted out immediately as he couldn''t restrain himself any longer. Everyone in the tent looked at Vice Principal Su Xin in surprise. Under everyone''s scrutiny, she nodded before shaking her head. "There is indeed a solution, but it lies with Dean Ling." She gestured towards the golden-haired beauty next to her. "She has spent the last two months gathering resources to refine spirit liquids and purifying lights and has thus been away from the Xia Kingdom. I reached out to her when the school was going through a crisis and then she hastily returned. As things were already over, I also explained Jiang Qing''e''s situation to her, and she did come up with a suggestion." "Dean Ling, is this true?" Li Luo couldn''t hold in his excitement any longer. Ling Zhaoying''s presence was not significant to most of the students in the college. In addition, she seemed a little mysterious, only because she held the title of dean in the Resonance Artificers Hall. Normally, she was not involved in day-to-day activities and she spent her time focused on spirit liquids and purifying lights research. It was also rumored that she was someone that Principal Pang had managed to recruit with much difficulty. This was normal. Without even talking about her combat abilities, she was an eighth-grade resonance artificer. This was more than sufficient for her to look down upon the entire Xia Kingdom''s resonance artificing world. Any resonance artificer with her capabilities would be able to live a prosperous life even in the inner divine continents. When faced with Li Luo''s expectant gaze, Ling Zhaoying smiled before sighing. "Who would have expected that the college and the Xia Kingdom would undergo such a catastrophe in a mere two months? Old man Pang has really miscalculated." Perhaps the only person in the entire Astral Sage College who was daring enough to call the Principal an old man was her. Ling Zhaoying then turned to face Jiang Qing''e, who was beside Li Luo, and said, "Qing''e, you''re the first person I''ve met in so many years that was willing to sacrificially ignite their ninth-grade Heart of Light. When Vice Principal Su Xin told me about it, even my heart ached for you." Qing''e lightly pursed her lips. "Dean Ling, Li Luo is more important to me than my Heart of Light. I have no regrets." Li Luo scratched his face. Even though he had thick skin, her bold words caused his face to turn red-hot. "Willing to love, willing to hate. I''m truly envious." Ling Zhaoying was full of praise, and the appreciation in her eyes increased ever more. "Dean Ling..." Li Luo impatiently watched the two, his eyes full of anticipation as he awaited the solution to save Jiang Qing''e. Ling Zhaoying didn''t mind his impatience. "I personally do not have the ability to stop your burning Heart of Light, but I know a place that can. They definitely can." "What place?" Li Luo immediately asked. "The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College." Ling Zhaoying no longer held anything back, directly giving the answer. "The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College?" When the name was spoken, everyone in the tent looked at each other with a little bit of confusion. "Is that the ancient college in the Central Core Divine Continent?" Li Rouyun asked. Vice Principal Su Xin nodded as she looked at Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. "The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College is the most elite college in the entire world. They are also one of the founders of the Academic Federation. Thus, its heritage is beyond your wildest dreams. Additionally, the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College specializes in light resonant power. From a certain point of view, it is an extremely suitable place for Qing''e. Although the amount of geniuses in the college are like clouds, I believe that with Qing''e''s talent, she will definitely be able to shine there." Dean Ling also spoke up at this point. "The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College has a mystical Radiance Pool. It is said that all high-grade Tree of Resonant Power seeds have to be refined inside it before they can survive in the outside world. That is what can possibly save Jiang Qing''e''s life." "Radiance Pool..." Li Luo murmured to himself as a trace of anticipation formed in his gaze. Although he had plans to bring Jiang Qing''e to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, he did not know if he would be able to find a solution within three months. Ling Zhaoying''s solution, on the other hand, was truly a pleasant surprise. He then turned towards Li Rouyun, hoping to get some confirmation from her. After all, she was from the inner divine continents, and although she was not from the Central Core Divine Continent, she definitely knew more than him. When faced with Li Luo''s expectant gaze, Li Rouyun sighed deeply before answering, "The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College does have a Radiance Pool, but I heard that it is a sacred ground for the college. They will not open it lightly for people to use. I heard that there was once a light resonance ninth-grade Duke that had wanted to borrow the Radiance Pool but was rejected by the college." In the end, what Li Rouyun wanted to confirm was that even if Jiang Qing''e went to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, would she even be able to utilize the Radiance Pool to save herself? "Indeed, your average person would not be allowed to utilize the college''s Radiance Pool. One has to fulfill certain criteria to do so. Even if they are a King, this is an immutable rule," Ling Zhaoying explained. "What sort of criteria?" Li Luo felt a little apprehensive. If a ninth-grade Duke was unable to do so, then how harsh were the requirements? "In a way, the criteria can both be very simple or very difficult depending on the individual." Ling Zhaoying grinned. "The fortunate thing is that you guys probably belong to the former." Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were both a little surprised before they saw Ling Zhaoying stretch out a finger. "If one wants the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College to open up the Radiance Pool for them, they simply have to obtain a Violet Resonant Tree Brooch." Li Luo was taken aback, and he felt a surge of joy well up within him. No wonder she had said it would be a simple task. He and Jiang Qing''e had each managed to obtain one during the Holy Grail Meet! This criteria was indeed extremely harsh in some senses. Only he and Jiang Qing''e had managed to obtain Violet Resonant Tree Brooches in the entire East Divine Continent during the Holy Grail Meet. "Although the Holy Grail Meet was only conducted in the East Divine Continent, it is a competition sanctioned by the Academic Federation. Student Qing''e followed the rules and achieved great distinction to be rewarded with the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch. This signifies that she has obtained the ancient college''s recognition." Vice Principal Su Xin smiled. "With the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch, student Qing''e has satisfied the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s requirement." Ling Zhaoying nodded. "Well, other than that, there is one other condition: one has to be a student of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. This is rather simple as I wish for Jiang Qing''e to follow me back to the Central Core Divine Continent. I will sponsor her entry into the college. With your outstanding talent, even the ancient college will agree to have you join them. In addition, you might even be able to enter the Heavenly Star Hall to cultivate." "The Heavenly Star Hall?" "The Astral Sage College has four halls, the One, Two, Three, and Four Star Halls. The distinction in the Ancient College is even more significant. Anyone in the Four Star Hall and above will also be separated into several grades. One of them is the Heavenly Star Hall, and all those who are part of it are the unsurpassed peers of their generation. In a way, if we wanted to exaggerate, all of them are destined to become Dukes." Ling Zhaoying smiled. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s faces twitched. Was this the difference between an ancient college and a sage college? The Heavenly Star Hall possessed an absolute foundation! Li Luo felt a little moved. "Thank you, Dean Ling. If the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Radiance Pool can resolve Sister Qing''e''s burning Heart of Light, we are willing to go there!" When Li Rouyun heard this, she felt a little anxious. Wasn''t this child supposed to follow her back to the clan? How had he suddenly decided to run off to the Central Core Divine Continent to join the Ancient College? Ling Zhaoying just smiled and she shook her head at Li Luo. "Li Luo, I can only bring Qing''e. I only have one nomination..." The excited look on his face stiffened. Chapter 0726: Choice Chapter 0726: Choice "Dean Ling, what you''re saying is... Do you mean only Sister Qing''e can enter the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College?" Li Luo''s eyes were wide like saucers and he had a slightly ugly expression on his face. This result was out of his expectations, and he then hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, no. Dean Ling, I can''t let Qing''e go alone! I won''t be at ease! Could it be that the only way to enter the college is through a recommendation? Although the inner divine continents are full of outstanding individuals, I believe my talents don''t fare too badly compared to them. I might not be peerless, but don''t you think I''m qualified to join an ancient college at least?" Li Luo had an expression full of reluctance. He was a Violet Resonant Tree Brooch holder too, and even if the Holy Grail Meet was a little lacking in the college''s eyes, it wasn''t something to be disregarded, right? He was also a triple resonance user. From the perspective of talent and rarity, it shouldn''t be at all inferior to a ninth-grade resonance, right? Could it be that the standards were so strict that even a triple resonance user was not good enough? "Vice Principal Su Xin has told me about your triple resonances. You truly have heaven-defying talent, and frankly speaking, if you were placed amongst the ranks of the ancient college, you would definitely be an unparalleled genius. If you were to apply during the usual admission season, you would definitely be accepted." Ling Zhaoying then gave a helpless smile. "However, you''re now trying to join the college in the middle of the year. Thus, a nomination is required, and this is a rule of the college. I can''t change that." Li Luo froze upon hearing this, feeling a little depressed. Come on! He had triple resonances! Wasn''t this worth making an exception for?! However, from another point of view, the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College was one of the founders of the Academic Federation. They had a foundation deeper than anyone could imagine, and who knew how many talented individuals had passed through their halls. Even though a triple resonance user was rarely seen, it might not be enough to change their minds. They were an ancient superpower and were particular about the rules that allowed them to maintain their power to this day. He did not possess the power to ask them to make an exception, at least not now. "If I can''t join the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, then so be it. I''ll just spend my time outside the college earning money for my fiancee!" Li Luo retorted. Ling Zhaoying didn''t know whether to laugh or cry, while Li Rouyun quickly shook her head. "No, you can''t! How can you delay your own cultivation? You''re still young, you should take advantage of the time you have. You cannot waste your potential!" Even Jiang Qing''e seriously advised him, "Li Luo, the situation with your body cannot be disregarded. If you really end up going to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College and cannot enter it to cultivate, you''ll be wasting precious time. If this is the case, I have no need to go there either." "Well, that''s great to hear. I don''t want to be separated from you. Why don''t we head back to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent together, then? It''s also one of the inner divine continents, and there might be another solution for your Heart of Light..." Li Luo continued before falling into silence momentarily. Qing''e only had three months left. This was tight enough to make someone feel that it was hard to breathe. There was no guarantee that a solution could be found there, and he didn''t even know where to start looking. The price of failure was something he was unwilling to bear. He gazed deeply into Jiang Qing''e''s eyes. Time was fleeting. "Li Luo, the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent might be an inner divine continent, but you don''t have time to waste. You have to consider that Jiang Qing''e''s life is at stake. You have to make a choice." Ling Zhaoying''s gaze turned heavy. "I know that the two of you are inseparable, but you have to distinguish between what''s important. Would you choose a temporary separation or one that could be permanent?" Vice Principal Su Xin similarly cautioned, "Li Luo, the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College is one of humanity''s cultivation holy grounds. You can rest assured that if Qing''e goes there, she will not only resolve her situation but also borrow their resources to grow even more quickly. With her talent, she might reach the Duke Stage in just two years." The rest did not say more, only looking towards Li Luo and awaiting his final decision. His expression remained complicated before he finally sighed dejectedly. "Dean Ling, if Sister Qing''e enters the college, will she truly have a chance to remedy the burning Heart of Light?" Dean Ling nodded. "The most mysterious aspect of the Radiance Pool is that it can extinguish the flames igniting the Heart of Light. Additionally, the quenching of the flames will be extremely gentle, and there has also been precedence for this. The number of ninth-grade Heart of Light cultivators who have sacrificially ignited their Heart of Light might be small, but this is not the first time it has ever happened. However, I also have to caution that it can only put out the flames and resolve the immediate danger to her life. Since her Heart of Light has burned for so long, her body has definitely been injured. If she wants to recover and get rid of this sequelae, she will require further treatment. And most importantly, she will require King-grade light resonance treasures to allow her to become whole once again." "King-grade light resonance treasures?" Li Luo frowned. Such natural treasures were rare and hard to find. Such exquisite treasures might only appear once every couple of decades in the Xia Kingdom. They were of great benefit to Dukes, and even experts of that stage would covet it. Li Rouyun hurriedly chimed in at this point. "Our clan has a Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus in the treasure pavilion. This is something the ancestor brought back many years ago, and it would satisfy the requirements Dean Ling has mentioned. "I think you two can split up and get to work independently. Qing''e can return to the college to extinguish the flames afflicting the burning Heart of Light whilst you return to the clan and find a way to obtain the treasure. That way, you can resolve the accumulated damage and prevent longer term injury. Isn''t that a good idea?" She was clearly more concerned that the stubborn Li Luo would be unwilling to leave and loiter around outside the college. At that point, she would not be able to accomplish her assignment and thus she racked her brains for a reason to have Li Luo leave with her. Hearing these words caused Li Luo to be slightly moved before he suspiciously asked, "Aunt Yun, you aren''t trying to pull a fast one on me, are you?" She smiled. "You can relax, I am speaking the truth. If our treasure pavilion truly doesn''t have this treasure, you can give me an earful and I won''t retort." Li Luo bitterly smiled and sighed. Since she was willing to go to such lengths, what else could he say? "When I obtain the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus, can I directly send it to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College? Will it reduce the amount of time Sister Qing''e needs to recover?" he asked. "That won''t be any trouble. The Heavenly Origin Divine Continent also possesses an ancient college that holds a Tree of Resonant Power. The tree has a special connection with all the other trees in the Academic Federation''s ancient colleges, and you can borrow it to send the treasure over. There will be someone who will then deliver it to Qing''e," Dean Ling explained. This response kept Li Luo silent. "Have you made your decision? We can''t delay any longer," Ling Zhaoying asked. Vice Principal Su Xin waved her hand, indicating that she did not have to speak any further, and led Zhaoying out of the tent. The rest took it as a cue to leave as well, giving the two of them some personal space. Li Luo then flashed Jiang Qing''e a bitter smile. "What do you think, Sister Qing''e?" She lightly smiled. "I would obviously prefer to stay with you. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li might be your father''s clan, but it''s simply too huge and there are too many interests. I''m afraid you will be drawn into countless disputes, and if I don''t watch over you, you might get bullied." "Are you still treating me as a child? Hmph!" Li Luo fumed and grasped Qing''e''s slender, jade hands. Jiang Qing''e continued to watch Li Luo''s handsome face, her golden eyes full of immense yearning as she took a step forward and hugged him. "Li Luo, if anyone ever bullies you in the clan, you have to tell me. I will make sure they get their retribution," Jiang Qing''e declared as she leaned against Li Luo''s shoulder affectionately, seemingly cute and helpless-looking but casually uttering domineering words. Li Luo didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry. "Did we get it backwards?" Wasn''t he supposed to be the one protecting her and telling her those very same words? How had their roles reversed? However, it was clear from Jiang Qing''e''s words that she had made her choice. Thus, he stretched out his hand and tightly hugged her slim waist, burying his face into her head of long hair as he breathed deeply. It was as though he was trying to etch the familiar fragrance into his heart forever and ever. Jiang Qing''e laughed. "Li Luo, do you want to make a bet with me?" "What?" Li Luo raised his head as he looked at Qing''e, whose eyes seemed to be watching him with a look of amusement. "Let''s bet on who will reach the Duke Stage first." Her red lips curled up. Li Luo grumbled. "That''s not very fair, you have such a lead over me... I have no chance of winning." Jiang Qing''e''s white skin seemed to shine at this point as she lightly bit her lip. A rare gleam seemed to flash through her eyes as she whispered into Li Luo''s ear. "It might not be fair, but the prize will be more than tempting. Are you sure you don''t want to give it a try?" A subtle and hot stream of air wafted by Li Luo''s ear, letting him realize the deeper meaning of her simple words. He couldn''t help but to gulp down two mouths of saliva as he stared fixedly at Qing''e, whose earlobes had turned scarlet. His breathing turned labored and ruddy. No matter how bad the odds were, this was something he could not reject, even if he were even more calm and collected right now. "I''ll do it!" he declared. Favorite Chapter 0727: Annulment Chapter 0727: Annulment Jiang Qing''e''s departure was fixed for two days later. This also meant that she would be unable to return to the City of Southwind together with House Luolan''s convoy. However, everyone knew that this was unavoidable. Time was of the essence for her as the burning Heart of Light was taking a toll on her lifeforce. Each day that passed was another day her condition worsened. Once it was known that the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Radiance Pool could resolve the tenuous situation, even though Li Luo was unwilling, he had to let Jiang Qing''e leave as soon as possible. ... On the wide roads, House Luolan''s convoy was like an endless snake that spanned the distance. As they gradually left the vicinity of Xia City, the atmosphere seemed to regain its sense of peace and tranquility. There was no trace of corruption here, and even the sun seemed to be warmer as it bathed one in its glow. Although the influence of the corruption had vanished, a hint of gloominess hung over the convoy as everyone knew that the pillar supporting House Luolan, Jiang Qing''e, would leave the Xia Kingdom in a few days for the unfathomable inner divine continents. Jiang Qing''e''s departure definitely affected the entire mood as her influence within the house was outsized. This was something Li Luo could not compare with. During House Luolan''s most precarious times, she had stabilized the internal turmoil and chaos with her own strength. At that point in time, she had just entered the Astral Sage College, and her presence had been deeply inscribed in the hearts of the people in the past few years. They seemed to see a future Tan Tailan within her. It was known that she had paid the ultimate price for the sake of repelling Shen Jinxiao, and if she did not leave, her life would extinguish with the wind. With that being the case, they would much rather see her leave for the Ancient College. They believed that once she resolved this situation, her talent would bloom resplendently no matter where she was. Within a carriage in the convoy. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were currently sitting across from each other with the windows drawn open. The dense forest on both sides was gently illuminated by the sun, creating large, shady areas for everyone who passed. Jiang Qing''e had an indolent expression on her face. Such a relaxed attitude was rarely seen coming from her. Perhaps it was a result of the changes happening to her body, but she seemed particularly laid back these days. Li Luo''s gaze was focused upon the gorgeous goddess. He might have long become accustomed to this sight over the last ten years, but it was something he never got tired of. There was no choiceher beauty was otherworldly. Her exquisite facial features seemed to have been carved from the finest jade by the gods with utmost effort. Every single expression she made seemed to exude an ethereal and infinite charm. Jiang Qing''e fiddled with a teacup as she helplessly said, "The morale of the people seems pretty low... and we haven''t even let them know that you will be leaving as well." One could only imagine that if news of Li Luo leaving for an extended amount of time were to be released, the entire atmosphere would also worsen. Additionally, there might even be fears that the house would disband. With the two supporting pillars leaving, House Luolan would definitely become much more disorganized. However, Li Luo did not reply. His eyes were focused upon Jiang Qing''e, his gaze constantly flitting across her tender, red lips... seemingly reminiscing something. When faced with Li Luo''s increasingly unrestrained looks, Jiang Qing''e''s laid back temperament disappeared in a flash and her eyes regained their usual, indifferent, and sharp gaze, giving Li Luo a dire warning. Only when faced with an existential threat did Li Luo unwillingly peel his gaze away. "I have no choice, I have to go. It will definitely affect morale, but the good thing is that the Xia Kingdom''s situation has changed drastically. House Jinque, House Jiyan, and the Regent have left for the north, so they cannot directly target House Luolan. In the short term, there will not be many external enemies, so things should improve for them. House Luolan may not be able to expand with just Sister Cai Wei and Sister Lingqing, but it can definitely be maintained. Additionally, with Mentor Chi Chan babysitting them, there shouldn''t be any problems." Li Luo then sighed as he said with a hint of resentment, "Just why is it that Dean Ling can only sponsor one individual?" Seeing this fellow continue to harp over spilt milk caused Jiang Qing''e to smile. "Well, that is because Dean Ling used to be a mentor in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Thus, only she has the right to do so in the entire Xia Kingdom." Looking at Li Luo''s depressed attitude, Jiang Qing''e felt a little helpless and stretched her hand out. "I will set off with Dean Ling in the next two days and will not be able to make the journey back to the City of Southwind, thus I will do what I promised now." "What do you want to do?" Li Luo was still in a daze. The situation with Jiang Qing''e had left a blight upon his heart and he was in no mood to think of anything else. Jiang Qing''e gradually raised her snow-white chin as she reminded him, "The engagement agreement." In a blink, Li Luo sat with rapt attention as he focused on Jiang Qing''e for a few seconds. At this point in time, she removed an exquisitely carved box from within her pocket sphere. When she opened the box, a piece of pale, yellow paper was revealed. On it were words written in delicate and slightly immature handwriting. Jiang Qing''e smiled as she looked at this piece of paper, and a trace of reminiscence appeared in her eyes. The memories that she had buried deeply resurfaced. As a young girl, she had grasped the pen and attentively written out every word upon this engagement agreement. To be fair, the agreement had no binding power and no one would take what was written within as fact. To an outsider, this had been drawn by a little girl having fun. However, Jiang Qing''e had always taken it as fact. "Father was truly hateful. When this happened, Mother beat him up for three days in a row and his bitter cries resounded throughout the entire house..." Li Luo sighed expressively when he saw this. Tan Tailan was furious when it happened. His father had randomly spewed some words in drunken stupor and Jiang Qing''e was similarly stubborn. Once she agreed to something, she would not back down. Thus, Tan Tailan wreaked a path of devastation in her anger, and every single individual in the house attempted to placate her. However, none dared to remain near her, with the exception of Li Luo. Jiang Qing''e had a warm smile on her face. "I really love this family. So I never resisted the idea." "Sister Qing''e, you not resisting the idea is one thing and loving the family wholeheartedly is another," Li Luo attentively pointed out. Her eyes fluttered as she replied to Li Luo with a half-smile, "So, do you think I''m acting wholeheartedly now?" Li Luo paused to think. "Well, it doesn''t matter to me. I wholeheartedly like you." "When did that start?" Jiang Qing''e''s golden eyes seemed to be shining at this point. At the same time, her words were bold and without shyness. "I think it started when you gave me my first beating as a kid..." Li Luo grinned. "So it turns out you''re masochistic," she replied in surprise. Li Luo rolled his eyes as he suddenly asked, "Now that we''re talking about it, I have never heard my parents talk about where you came from." Thinking back, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had suddenly brought Jiang Qing''e back one year when she was already four or five years old. However, they had never talked about her origins. Jiang Qing''e fell silent momentarily. "I don''t have any recollection either." She frowned. "My memories only start when I met the Master and Mistress. Everything else is just darkness." Li Luo similarly frowned. Didn''t that seem a little strange? Her origins were a little mysterious, and he also remembered that Tan Tailan''s projection had also mentioned that they owed her a lot. What did that mean? He continued to mull over these thoughts in his heart, but nothing came to mind, so he shook his head. Recollecting himself, he removed the engagement agreement and pushed it back towards her. "Sister Qing''e, I''m going to return the agreement back to you." He looked very solemn, as though he had completed a sacred ceremony. Jiang Qing''e''s jade-like fingers gently picked up the agreement as she swept her gaze over him with upturned lips. "Li Luo, from this moment on, we no longer have any relationship binding us." Her tone turned a little indifferent. "Do you remember when I returned to the City of Southwind? That was the first time you raised the idea of annulling this agreement. I had told you that if you backed out, you might never have another chance again. What do you think of this now? Do you regret it?" The playfulness in her golden eyes became more intense as she stared at Li Luo, who was now clearly unsettled and squirming in his seat. "Li Luo, tell me... are you feeling the heat yet?" Chapter 0728: Separation Chapter 0728: Separation Whether Li Luo was nervous was something he would never admit to. The words he had thought of were forcefully swallowed down with gritted teeth. Time flew by, and the appointed moment arrived. Ling Zhaoying had dropped by to pick Jiang Qing''e up, while Li Luo stood all alone, his heart trembling uncontrollably. The sun was setting and the receding light hung in the sky like a dimming flame. House Luolan''s convoy stopped, and everyone looked towards their right. There was a slender and graceful figure standing there. As the evening wind waltzed past, her long hair trailed with the breeze and her short, azure cloak rippled lightly behind her. When Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan left, this elegant figure had taken up the burden of being the spiritual pillar of House Luolan. She had forcefully turned the tide and sealed up the rifts that were created by the collapsing House Luolan. This bought Li Luo ample time, and without her presence, the House might have fallen to pieces as soon as Li Luo discovered his blank palaces. Lei Zhang tightly gripped his long spear with a solemn expression, barking out a command. "Everyone, salute and bid farewell to the House Lady!" He thumped the ground with all of his strength using the butt of the spear. At the same time, this was the cue for all of the bodyguards of House Luolan to do the same, releasing a crisp echo as they did it in tandem. They all had looks of utter reverence as they roared with all their might, "Salute and bid farewell to the House Lady!" Jiang Qing''e''s golden eyes swept across the crowd and a gentle smile floated on her beautiful face. Her crisp and melodious voice breezed through everyone''s ears. "My family members of House Luolan. This world might be vast, but in my heart, only this can be called home. Thus, no matter how wondrous the wider world might be, no matter how exquisite the sights are, I will return one day. I hope that all of you can protect the house in the meantime. I would forever be thankful if you did that." She then bowed lightly. ???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????-????????????.???????????? Every individual present unanimously thumped their hearts with a fist, demonstrating their commitment. She then smiled lightly before walking towards Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing, who both had red eyes. She gave them both a tight hug. "House Luolan will be in your hands for a while. Thank you for taking on this burden." Cai Wei''s charming eyes were misting up before tears uncontrollably fell. "Qing''e, you have to return as soon as you can." Yan Lingqing similarly had a face full of sadness because of the sudden parting. She was reluctant to see her go, but she also knew that there was no other choice. Thus, she could only endure the sadness in her heart. "Qing''e, you can be certain that I will bring the Suncreek Villa to new heights!" Qing''e lightly patted their backs. She didn''t want to leave House Luolan. It was as she had said, no matter how exciting the greater world was, what she truly wanted was this little family. She enjoyed being in this place full of memories. Alas, her current situation had to be resolved. She was not afraid of death, but she was afraid of what could happen after. Li Luo would be heartbroken to the point of depression, and that would affect his cultivation. He only had four more years of life, and any setback would spell his end. Consoling Cai Wei and Lingqing, Jiang Qing''e turned and walked towards the staring Li Luo. She stood before him, her slender figure and porcelain-like face wrapped in the radiance of the setting sun, giving her a rosy look. Li Luo''s sad reflection could be seen in her deep, golden eyes. "You look like you can''t bear to see me go. It looks like annulling the agreement has affected you more than I expected." Jiang Qing''e wryly smiled. After which, her thick eyelashes blinked. "I''ll give you a chance to beg for forgiveness. I''ll let you off one time. I wanted to rewrite a new engagement agreement last night, but it was a pity you rejected me, even going so far as to imply that the Master and Mistress had to be witnesses as well. Are you actually trying to show off before them? To let them see with their own eyes that this engagement is something that you have managed to obtain with your own hands?" A slightly mocking smile appeared on Qing''e''s face as she teased him. Li Luo''s face turned red as he retorted with a voice full of utmost conviction, "What do you know? Such an important event has to be witnessed by my parents! Only then can it be considered legitimate." Jiang Qing''e smiled, no longer bickering with him. The agreement was not important, it was just a formality. What truly mattered were their hearts, and that was why they were willing to shelve the idea for now. "Li Luo, come tomorrow, I will no longer be by your side. You have to cultivate hard in my absence. Today, we are forced to separate because of our weakness. I blame myself as well. If only I was strong enough, we would not be in this position right now," Jiang Qing''e lightly said. Li Luo sighed. "If you wish to blame yourself, then I might as well finish myself off as well. Still, I feel that there is no need to do so. We have time, and whatever doesn''t kill us only makes us stronger." He stared at the girl before him with the most beautiful face in the world. "When we next return to the Xia Kingdom, we will settle all our grievances, one by one. Whether it is Shen Jinxiao, the Regent, or Zhu Qinghuo, none of them will be able to escape." Jiang Qing''e nodded in agreement. She then turned to glance at the waiting Ling Zhaoying before taking a step forward and embracing Li Luo with the tightest hug she could as she softly said, "Take care, Li Luo." Li Luo returned the hug as he took one last sniff of her familiar scent, deeply imprinting it into his mind. His heart continued to churn and surge like a tide as his emotions came to a peak. "Wait for me. I will make sure the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus will be sent to you." Jiang Qing''e lightly nodded once again, and before everyone''s expectant gazes, she tiptoed, pressing her lips against Li Luo''s. After which, she no longer hesitated. Although her heart was unwilling, she forcefully separated herself from Li Luo''s embrace and walked towards Ling Zhaoying. Li Luo remained quietly rooted to his spot. His gaze was filled with the waning glow of the setting sun, illuminating the figure he could never forget. Amidst the field of reluctant gazes, Jiang Qing''e walked to Ling Zhaoying, who gave her a warm smile. The Dean radiated with brilliant light that extended to cover Jiang Qing''e''s body before they turned into a beam of light that pierced through the darkening skies. Li Luo stood there, wistfully watching the light fade. Then a faint voice wrapped in familiar resonant power was heard. "Don''t forget our bet, Li Luo." The voice seemed a little ethereal, but it also carried an enchanting charm that could incite any sentient being into action. It was lightly transmitted into Li Luo''s ear, triggering ripples in his heart as he looked on with a sense of melancholy. Li Luo heavily exhaled as he calmed his spiraling emotions. With that, he turned his head and looked towards the rest of House Luolan and the convoy. From a family of four, only one was left. Perhaps it was time for him to leave as well. Chapter 0729: Returning to Southwind Chapter 0729: Returning to Southwind With Jiang Qing''e''s departure, Li Luo spent his time solitarily laying upon a carriage full of equipment, quietly watching the sky for over half a day. He then spent the next two days in a daze. He rarely appeared outside of the carriage and all his meals were sent directly to him. No one felt like it was strange, as they all understood him. If Qing''e''s departure had already caused them to feel such sadness, Li Luo had it worse. House Luolan finally arrived in the vicinity of the City of Southwind amidst the depressive atmosphere. When the outline of the city appeared on the horizon, the spirits of everyone in the convoy lifted. The depressed atmosphere seemed to have abated at this point in time, and everyone''s expressions relaxed. Li Luo finally left the confines of his carriage for a closer look. He was similarly staring at the city in the distance, feeling a little absentminded. Just a year ago, he had left the City of Southwind for the bustling Xia City. At that point in time, he had just solved the issue of his blank palaces, and everyone doubted his ability as the young lord of House Luolan, even including those within the house. These doubts were then vanquished one after another as he brought about miracles. Li Luo then entered Xia City and did his best to turn the rising tide. He strengthened the Suncreek Villa and stabilized House Luolan''s economic situation, buying them time. In the college, his fame preceded him and he became the strongest One Star Hall student in the East Divine Continent during the Holy Grail Meet. And now he was at the Earth Fiend Stage. His name was one that everyone knew. He had metamorphosed in the past year, and now he was making his return. However, things had also vastly changed. The Astral Sage College had been destroyed and the center of the Xia Kingdom''s activity, Xia City, had been abandoned with everyone running for their lives. A wave of death had engulfed the entire city. One could only imagine how tumultuous the Xia Kingdom would be over the next few years. Phew. As his thoughts turned, Li Luo lightly exhaled as he waved his hand and barked a command. "Speed up and prepare to enter the city." The people of House Luolan acknowledged his command, spurring the beasts forward and kicking up a cloud of dust. Tens of minutes later, the convoy arrived at the city gates. A human tide milled about the streets without rest, and countless curious eyes were focused upon House Luolan''s massive entourage. News of what had happened to Xia City had already spread throughout the kingdom. The migration of so many individuals had caused the entire Xia Kingdom to enter a state of chaos. News of the Umbra Cave being unsealed and corruption leaking in every direction was now common knowledge. This also instilled a sense of shock and fear amidst the common populace. The average individual did not know much about the Others, other than the fact that they were a terrifying disaster upon the world. All life would be swallowed up by them, and coexisting with them was impossible. They could see that even the great Xia City had to be reluctantly given up despite the strength of the forces stationed there! If the corruption spread further, the entire kingdom might turn into a wasteland devoid of life. Li Luo looked in the direction of the city gates before he signaled for the convoy to come to a halt. A familiar figure was waiting in an area sectioned off by the city guards. It was the Southwind Academy''s principal, Dean Wei. Beside him was another figure. Just by the look of his clothes, it was probably the new governor of the Tianshu Province, the previous one being Governor Shi. When the convoy stopped, Li Luo dismounted and led the upper echelons of House Luolan to meet Dean Wei directly. "Greetings, Dean Wei. It has been a year since we last met, and yet you seem to be getting more and more energetic!" Li Luo flashed a smile. He had always held great respect towards Wei Sha. "Haha. Southwind Academy''s Qilin son has returned, so of course I had to come and greet you personally." Wei Sha''s wizened face beamed as he looked upon Li Luo with great appreciation. For the past year, he had been well received and praised due to Li Luo''s outstanding results in the Astral Sage College. Southwind Academy had now firmly established itself as the number one academy in the Tianshu Province. Even when compared to the academies in other provinces, they were still head and shoulders above them. Additionally, no academy in the history of the Xia Kingdom had ever produced two students who would eventually be titled as strongest in the East Divine Continent. "You and Qing''e are Southwind Academy''s idols. Your influence has been far-reaching, and countless juniors have started to worship you as well!" Wei Sha chortled. These words brought a smile to Li Luo''s face. In a sense, he had finally received the same treatment as Qing''e. Thinking back to the time he was still studying here, he could only helplessly sit by and watch Jiang Qing''e''s dazzling figure longingly, hoping to one day achieve the same. Wei Sha introduced the middle-aged man beside him. "Li Luo, this is the Tianshu Province''s new governor, Governor Zhao." When he turned to face him, the handsome, middle-aged man hurriedly cupped his hands and greeted him with a smile. "Greetings, House Luolan''s House Lord." Governor Zhao acted humbly before Li Luo as he was clear that this was no longer the child with a blank palace. This was the House Lord who held in his hands the power of his entire House and possessed an inexplicable relationship with the First Princess. Most importantly, House Luolan was now completely different from the one battered by the elements just a year ago. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had appeared during the Housemeet, and they had frightened off any rats that skulked in the dark. Governor Zhao''s gaze quickly swept past the people who were right behind Li Luo. Ox Biaobiao, Chi Chan, and Li Rouyun were all silently standing by with cool indifference. They had no plans to chat, and from the oppressive auras their presence brought about, it was clear that these were all Dukes. This scared him out of his skin. When had House Luolan found so many Dukes? Li Luo returned Governor Zhao''s courtesy with politeness. After all, House Luolan would use the old manor as their new headquarters in the future, and having dealings with the governor would thus become inevitable. After a brief silence, Wei Sha broke the ice with a look of worry. "Li Luo, can you tell us what the situation in Xia City is like now?" Governor Zhao attentively looked over as well. "Im sure you have already received news of Xia City''s situation. The Astral Sage College has been ruined, and due to the corruption spreading from the Umbra Cave, the people within the city were forced to migrate. The First Princess and the Regent have openly split into two factions, one controlling the north and the other, the south. Vice Principal Su Xin will arrive here very soon, and I have recommended Southwind Academy to her. If she finds it suitable for her needs, they will likely use Southwind Academy as their base and rebuild the Astral Sage College here," Li Luo explained. The news excited Wei Sha. If Southwind Academy could be transformed into the new Astral Sage College, that would be amazing news. Although he may lose his position as the dean, the honor of being chosen was enough to make all the other deans drool with envy. Additionally, once Southwind Academy was transformed, the Astral Sage College would not shortchange any of the existing students. They might even give a few extra places to them, which would be a great benefit for all of them. "I would like to thank you on behalf of all the students and staff." Wei Sha beamed widely. Li Luo shook his head humbly, and the two exchanged a few more words. At this point in time, House Luolan''s convoy had slowly made its way into the city under the gazes of countless individuals. Li Luo stood by the city gates and sighed while looking at the tall walls that were now mottled and eroded by the passage of time. A year had passed and things had changed. Yet he was back here once again. Alas, he would not remain here for long. Once things had settled down, it would be time for him to go. Chapter 0730: Bidding the First Princess Farewell Chapter 0730: Bidding the First Princess Farewell The headquarters of House Luolan had shifted back to the old manor. This caused significant aftershocks throughout the City of Southwind, and all of the existing forces felt a trace of anxiety. After all, the Five Great Houses were behemoths that they could not compare to. Thus, House Luolan''s return had changed the balance of power within the Tianshu Province. Many leaders of the forces here were reminded of the time when House Luolan had first been set up in the City of Southwind and the sheer amount of suppression they were under due to Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s presence. Although the two had left the house, the current house was no small fry either, and news of the huge battle that unfolded during the Housemeet had also been spread throughout the Xia Kingdom. More importantly, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan were still alive. This meant that the foundations House Luolan was built upon were still holding strong. Thus, all of the Tianshu Province''s numerous powers quickly sent celebratory gifts when House Luolan moved in, and the once sparsely populated manor was now bustling with traffic. However, Li Luo left all the work of entertaining the guests to Cai Wei. In any case, she would be in control of the house for quite some time moving forward. On the third day after House Luolan had moved into the City of Southwind, the city once again burst into excitement because the Astral Sage College''s entourage finally arrived. The Astral Sage College was much more famous and respected than House Luolan. Countless youths of the kingdom had the aim of entering the college to cultivate and win honor for their families. The students were also the most exceptional and talented in the kingdom. Still, things were not over. On the fourth day, an army from the royal court of Xia City made their way into the City of Southwind, and it was rumored that the First Princess and the Little Emperor were also present. The bustling atmosphere seemed to have reached a peak Perhaps no one in the City of Southwind had ever expected that their quaint, little city would become such an exciting place. Every single power similarly sought to meet the governor in hopes of obtaining a chance to interact and build a relationship with the royal court through him. Alas, every single one of them was turned away at the door and forced to leave their gifts behind. As the discouraged parties failed to seek an audience, they noticed that a single royal carriage surrounded by layers of guards had made its way in the direction of House Luolan''s old manor. They then looked on helplessly as they saw both the Little Emperor and the First Princess leave the carriage and enter the manor directly. This caused shock amongst the powers in the Tianshu Province. It seemed that the rumors of their strong relationship was not groundless. ... House Luolan''s Old Manor. Within a quiet courtyard surrounded by a lake. "Your Majesty and Your Highness, you have graced me with your presence and shone life upon this humble home of mine." Li Luo smiled as he looked at the two figures before him. The First Princess was currently garbed in a purple royal dress with her long hair rolled up, revealing a slender and fair neck. Her phoenix-like eyes were sparkling with life, looking bright and beautiful. The tailored dress hugged her exquisite figure, perfectly displaying her thrilling curves and showcasing both her noble and graceful temperament with a single glance. The Little Emperor beside her made Li Luo a little surprised as well. She was no longer dressed like a tomboy, and although she was wearing neutral clothes, her face seemed to have become even more beautiful. She was no longer concealing her identity, showing the world her true appearance. However, Li Luo could still vividly remember that the Little Emperor''s true age was only around ten. Yet her body had matured considerably, giving off the impression of a beautiful older sister. The First Princess similarly looked at the tall and unusually handsome young man. Despite the head full of grayish-white hair, his features were that of a youth, and just looking at his face had the potential to soothe one''s soul. However, she also knew that Li Luo''s internal thoughts were not as cool as his current demeanor might suggest. "Li Luo, I''ve heard about Qing''e''s situation and I''m very sorry. I was unable to assist you then," the First Princess said apologetically. At that point in time, the situation in Xia City was extremely chaotic as the Regent had dispatched forces attempting to seize numerous rare treasures from the treasure pavilion of the royal court. As a result, she had to deploy all her forces to halt the forceful pillaging of their items. Only after an extended period of time was the situation resolved. When that battle concluded, she received news of House Luolan encountering Shen Jinxiao''s ambush. After which, news of Jiang Qing''e sacrificially igniting her Heart of Light was made known to her and Jiang Qing''e had been taken to the inner divine continent by Ling Zhaoying to search for a cure. Li Luo shook his head and sighed. "Your Highness, you do not need to feel bad about this. You were also encountering endless problems of your own. I thought my preparations were sufficient, but who would ever have expected that we had still underestimated him? I suppose the good news is that even though Sister Qing''e was in a pinch, we managed to quickly find a solution. The only price to be paid is her absence for a period of time." The First Princess nodded. She knew that any more questions would only bring Li Luo more pain and thus she stopped. On the side, Gong Jingyao was sneakily observing Li Luo as he spoke with her sister. Whenever a look of sadness washed over his handsome face, he would quickly turn away. Even so, his stealthy actions were noticed by Li Luo, who smiled. "Has the poison been dispelled, Your Majesty?" When this topic came up, Gong Jingyao''s little face reddened, her head lowered, and she glanced at her toes. Li Luo was a little taken aback before seemingly understanding something, also feeling a sense of embarrassment. Whenever he treated her in the past, she had always removed her robes and Li Luo had remained in close contact with her to dispel the black lotus poison. At that point in time, neither of them had felt like it was a problem. But now? Her gender had been restored, and thinking back, his actions seemed a little improper. The First Princess laughed upon seeing this, feeling extremely amused. "Cough!" In the end, Li Luo coughed lightly before he regained his composure. "I envy you, Your Majesty. You''re now able to rid yourself of your shackles and return to normal." Gong Jingyao politely replied, "Thank you." Her personality seemed to have changed a little ever since her gender went back to normal. The First Princess then took the opportunity to ask, "Li Luo... I heard that you will be leaving the Xia Kingdom very soon." Li Luo nodded as he calmly replied, "I will head towards the inner divine continents and will probably return in a few years time." "I heard that your parents are from the inner divine continents, so your background must also be extraordinary. The inner divine continents are cultivation holy grounds and can also be seen as the most wonderful places in the world. With your talent, you''re bound to achieve greater heights." The First Princess seemed a little disappointed despite her congratulatory words. '' Li Luo smiled. "The inner divine continents might be interesting places, but House Luolan is my home. Thus, my journey will only be a temporary one. I will definitely return." A look of happiness seemed to surface in the First Princess'' brilliant eyes, and she revealed a beaming smile. "I look forward to the day you return. At that point in time, you should be able to suppress even the mightiest in the Xia Kingdom. I only hope that His Excellency Li Luo will remember the friendship he forged with a little girl like me." Li Luo chortled upon hearing her words. "Your Highness, you think too highly of me. The geniuses and talents in the inner divine continents are like clouds. I might very well be lost amongst the rabble at that point in time. If you put such high expectations on me and I don''t do well, won''t I completely lose face when I return?" The First Princess smiled and shook her head. If it were anyone else, she wouldn''t have the confidence to say that they would thrive in that new environment. However, Li Luo was different. She had personally seen the miracles he had created the past year, and he was bound to rise and thrive even at the inner divine continents. "When you leave, I will give you a hand and look after House Luolan. You can inform them that if House Luolan ever faces any troubles, find me and I will do my best to assist them," the First Princess generously promised. She was an extremely smart individual, so she understood that the biggest burden weighing on Li Luo''s mind at the moment was his house that would soon lose both of its spiritual pillars. In order to deepen her friendship with both Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, she naturally would do her utmost to help them. In addition, the First Princess seemed to have become more confident. Perhaps it was the fact that she was no longer under the thumb of the Regent that she was able to finally let herself flourish. "I don''t need to say any unnecessary words. I will forever remember Your Highness'' grace." Li Luo did not stand on ceremony. The only thing he needed now was peace of mind when it came to House Luolan before he could leave. "When do you plan to leave, then?" the First Princess asked. "Perhaps in the next few days." Now that Jiang Qing''e had left, time had become tight. Whether it was the four year deadline to reach the Duke Stage or to acquire the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus, everything required preparation, and he had to move quickly. Remaining cooped up in the Xia Kingdom was meaningless. The First Princess lightly nodded as her jade-like hands picked up the cup of tea before her. "Then I will take this opportunity to wish you all the best. Come back as a Duke." She raised her head and gulped down the tea in a single mouthful. Looking at the tall youth before her, she suddenly had a premonition that the day he came back would also be the last day of the demons that had infuriated him. At that point in time, not only Shen Jinxiao, but also the Regent and Zhu Qinghuo... All of them would pay the ultimate price. Chapter 0731: Before Departure Chapter 0731: Before Departure After the First Princess and the Little Emperor bade farewell, House Luolan''s old manor received a new group of guests. These guests were familiar faces. With Vice Principal Su Xin at the lead, she had come with Lu Qing''er, Yu Lang, Bai Mengmeng, Bai Doudou, and Zhao Kuo. They had complicated expressions on their faces when they saw Li Luo. They had already heard of Jiang Qing''e''s situation and the pain Li Luo was going through. Vice Principal Su Xin broke the ice. "Li Luo, I have already visited Southwind Academy and spoken with Dean Wei. Southwind Academy is indeed a decent place to be remodeled and in the future, and it''s possible that the Astral Sage College will take root here in the City of Southwind." However, it was likely that the decision had been made because of Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. There were countless cities and academies within the southern region of the Xia Kingdom, and there was no need to choose this place specifically. "Dean Wei must have been delighted to hear this." Li Luo had an elated smile. The Astral Sage College choosing Southwind Academy was a good piece of news. This would mean that the City of Southwind would become the southern region''s nexus in the future, which would be beneficial to House Luolan''s development. At the same time, if the Others were to show signs of infestation in the surrounding area, the city would be protected by the college. "Li Luo, you must be planning to leave soon, am I right?" Vice Principal Su Xin sighed as she asked the same question the First Princess had previously asked. When this sentence was uttered, Lu Qing''er, Yu Lang, Bai Mengmeng, and the rest stared at Li Luo with a mix of emotions. Li Luo first turned his attention towards them and smiled before nodding calmly. "It will be in a few days. Once House Luolan''s affairs have been settled, I will follow Aunt Yun to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent." The group fell into a moment of silence. Vice Principal Su Xin nodded slightly at his decision. "The Xia Kingdom is not the best place for you to cultivate right now. You and Qing''e are destined for a larger stage." The Astral Sage College had already suffered unprecedented damage. The high-grade Tree of Resonant Power that was the foundation of the college had been destroyed. The reason why the college was originally a great place to cultivate also had much to do with the tree. The college would have to be rebuilt, and it would require a significant amount of time and investment to regain its previous splendor. "Things will definitely remain chaotic in the Xia Kingdom. The royal court''s schism coupled with the spreading corruption are not an ideal combination. And ultimately, there will be more and more Others spawning... Things will not be peaceful moving forward." Vice Principal Su Xin sighed. "Can''t we report this to the Academic Federation? With their mighty power and influence, dispatching a King to the Xia Kingdom can easily resolve the situation," Li Luo asked. Vice Principal Su Xin shook her head. "The Academic Federation is currently overwhelmed with their own internal issues. You will understand the danger they currently face when you reach the inner divine continents. Even though they are a behemoth when compared to the Xia Kingdom, it will take a long time for a new King Stage expert to be dispatched here." Even though everyone called the inner divine continents a cultivation holy ground, it was clearly not as peaceful as it seemed on the surface. In a way, it also made sense. The Others from the shadow world were also horrifyingly strong, even when compared against the experts of the Academic Federation. They were probably on par with each other in terms of might. Otherwise, the Others should have already been hunted into extinction after all these years. "Since they can''t dispatch a King Stage expert to assist, is there any hope for a high-grade Tree of Resonant Power? If they were willing to help nurture a new Tree of Resonant Power, the college would truly be able to rise from the ashes," Li Luo continued. His na?ve words caused Vice Principal Su Xin to smile bitterly. "A high-grade Tree of Resonant Power is more precious than you can ever imagine. Even the Academic Federation has to pay a significant price just to nurture one. The high-grade Tree of Resonant Power in the old Astral Sage College was something Principal Pang had to bitterly plead for. That is how the college was established. Based on the Academic Federation''s rules, once a high-grade Tree of Resonant Power is destroyed, the entire college is to be reprimanded and punished. If we wish to request for resources from the federation in the future, the difficulty will definitely be higher and we might even be directly rejected. Li Luo, the reason I''m here today is to talk to you about this." Vice Principal Su Xin hesitated for a moment before continuing, "You will soon head to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, and there is an ancient college there known as the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. It''s actually on par with the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College and is a founding member of the Academic Federation. If you have the opportunity to do so, I would like to request for you to head there and look for someone. Her name is Lan Lingzi, and she is Principal Pang''s old friend. I hope you can seek her assistance in excusing the Astral Sage College from punishment. At the same time, we would also like you to seek resources on behalf of the Astral Sage College. We will require cultivation resources in order to rebuild the college. Otherwise, we will only weaken more and more over time... I originally wanted to go and find her myself, but with the current situation of the college, I simply have no time to leave." Listening to Su Xin''s sincere plea caused Li Luo to feel slightly taken back. However, he quickly took note of the name Lan Lingzi and memorized it. When she had said this name, he sensed a mixed bag of emotions coming from her. Lan Lingzi was the Principal''s old friend? Could it actually be his old flame? Li Luo swept his gaze past Vice Principal Su Xin. Ah... it seems she has always harbored feelings for the Principal. And now she had to ask the Principal''s old friend for help? This makes things slightly complicated. "Vice Principal, you can rest assured that as a student of the college, I will never forget the aid rendered to me. So long as I am able to, I will definitely assist the college with all my strength." Li Luo did not hesitate to agree to her request. He had always been grateful towards the college and the help it had rendered him. When he had blank palaces, Jiang Qing''e had single-handedly stabilized House Luolan''s situation. Thanks to the protection of the college, the powers that coveted House Luolan took a step back, fearful of the consequences if they acted against Jiang Qing''e in the dark. Thus, it was the college that had allowed her to flourish and come so far. During the Housemeet, Chi Chan had acted for them despite the college''s neutral stance. How could this have been possible without Vice Principal Su Xin''s tacit approval? The college had graced Li Luo with immense kindness, and now that they needed help, he would naturally not reject. Seeing Li Luo''s quick and firm response brought a smile of gratitude to Vice Principal Su Xin''s face. She then glanced at the others before saying to him in a voice only he could hear. "When you leave, the college will spare no expense to nurture your friends. This will also be a way of giving thanks." Li Luo''s eyes flashed as he knew that this was how she wished to reciprocate the favor. He smiled and nodded as this was indeed a great thing. Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo didn''t have influential backgrounds but were resilient and determined. If the college was willing to pay more attention to nurture them, they would definitely be able to travel further on the road of cultivation. He was about to leave, and his last wish was to ensure that his friends were also well taken care of. "Alright, I''ll let these brats say their farewells." Vice Principal Su Xin waved her hand, turning to leave. The rest then looked at Li Luo with bitter and gloomy expressions. "Li Luo! How can you abandon your brothers for greener pastures!? That''s not right!" Yu Lang shook his head as he gave him an accusing stare. Li Luo sighed. "I have no choice. I originally thought that I was just the handsome scion of an ordinary, rich family... Alas, one day this behemoth of a super power popped out of nowhere and told me that I have to return to my clan to recognize my roots because of my ancient bloodline. I''m truly helpless! It is only my destiny!" Yu Lang''s expression froze as he glumly replied, "Brother... don''t you think your words are a bit too much?" Lu Qing''er and Bai Mengmeng, on the other hand, grinned upon hearing his words. As the two continued to bicker, the atmosphere turned warmer and more comfortable. At this point, Bai Mengmeng with her crystal-clear eyes looked right at Li Luo with her innocent face. "Leader, when will you come back?" Li Luo paused for a moment. "I''m afraid I will be gone for a few years at least." A look of unfathomable sadness welled up within her eyes. These youths would be grown up in a few years time, and who knew if things would still remain the same? The peaceful and leisurely life she had at the college was something she loved. It was a pity that the times she treasured were even more ethereal than anyone had expected. "Leader, if I research any new spirit liquid and purifying light refinement methods, I will give it to the Suncreek Villa." Bai Mengmeng lightly promised. "You don''t have to do that. I don''t expect House Luolan to develop too much in the future. If you have any new methods, you should give it to your own family." Li Luo smiled. Her refinement methods were critical in the past because the influence of House Luolan directly boosted the power of the defensive ward. Now that the ward had been disassembled and he was going to leave, the Suncreek Villa''s success no longer mattered as much. Bai Mengmeng stubbornly shook her head. "No, this is what we agreed on in the past. I cannot renege!" Li Luo helplessly nodded in response to her dedicated reply. He then turned to the quiet Lu Qing''er, who had not said a single word. She was wearing light green robes that showed off her lithe figure. Her delicate facial features were like a blooming flower, charming and pleasing to the eye. Her slender legs were wrapped in pure-white silk stockings that accentuated them. When faced with Li Luo''s curious gaze, she did not say anything more either, only shooting him a smile. However, Li Luo could feel that beneath that smile hid a melancholic heart. Still, no words came to him as he mustered the most reassuring smile he could. He then turned back to the rest. "It''s wonderful that all of you came today. Tonight, the house will be throwing a massive feast as a farewell. Please join us!" A hint of joy could be seen in all their faces. With Li Luo''s instructions, festivities broke out in the old manor. Yu Lang, Zhao Kuo, and the rest drank till they could no longer. "Brother Luo, you can go to the inner divine continents to fight without worry. Let those geniuses see how amazing the people from the Astral Sage College truly are! We are no worse compared to them!" Zhao Kuo bellowed with a red, ruddy face. "Li Luo, I will help rebuild the college and continue to cultivate as hard as I can! When you return, you will find out that my glorious name, Yu Lang, will have already resounded throughout the Xia Kingdom! I will become the hero that will save the kingdom!" Yu Lang''s eyes were completely unfocused as he slammed the table and made his declaration. Li Luo grinned and nodded as he toasted both of them yet again. Lu Qing''er, Bai Mengmeng, and Bai Doudou were more restrained, not drinking as much but idly watching the people who were crying and howling in drunken stupors. In the deep of night, Li Luo informed some of his servants to drag his two drunk brothers away, whilst Bai Doudou brought Bai Mengmeng home. In the end, he personally escorted Lu Qing''er, who was slightly tipsy, out of the old manor. Lu Qing''er suddenly came to a halt at the entrance of the old manor, and the candle light washed over her body, enhancing the charm of her beautiful face amidst the dimly lit night. "Li Luo..." Lu Qing''er stared at Li Luo with her sparkling eyes. "Don''t worry, Sister Qing''e will definitely be fine." They knew of her situation, but no one had mentioned it at all until now. Li Luo nodded and smiled. "I feel the same way too." Lu Qing''er''s eyes lowered at this point as she could no longer hide the depression within them. "I''m sorry, Li Luo. I wasn''t able to help you at all." Li Luo was taken aback by this sudden apology, only shaking his head. "You''ve already helped me so much. Without you, Aunt Yu would never have been willing to lend me a hand. If House Luolan needs resources to develop later on, I''m sure the Golden Dragon Bank will facilitate things for us because of you." Lu Qing''er shook her head. "I''m simply too weak. If I were a Duke, I could stand by your side and help you myself. Actually, I think that I''ve become too relaxed since I entered the Astral Sage College. I will not let this happen again." She seemed to be speaking to herself before she sucked in a deep breath. Under the dim candle light, her pristine skin and jade-like bones accentuated her gorgeous beauty. "Li Luo, please take care of yourself. Geniuses and talents are as common as the clouds in the inner divine continents. However, I believe that no matter where you go, your radiance can never be restrained. I await the day your name resounds throughout the continent." When she finished speaking, she no longer waited for Li Luo to reply before turning to leave, directly boarding a Golden Dragon Bank carriage that had been waiting for her. The carriage slowly moved off, drifting away with the night amidst the streets. Li Luo continued to watch the leaving carriage, and only after a long period of time did he whisper a farewell. "Take care, Qing''er. I hope that when we next meet, you''ll be as beautiful as the first falling of snow. Your beauty is still unparalleled." Chapter 0732: Leaving the Xia Kingdom Chapter 0732: Leaving the Xia Kingdom The time of departure was about to arrive. In the old manor''s courtyard. Li Luo stared at Cai Wei, Yuan Qing, Yan Lingqing, Lei Zhang, and the rest of House Luolan''s upper echelons. They were a little gloomy because they knew that today was the day Li Luo would leave. The next time they met would very likely be years later. House Luolan had already lost Jiang Qing''e, one of their spiritual pillars. With Li Luo''s departure, the entire house seemed to have lost its entire spirit. It was a crippling blow to the house''s morale. However, they knew that this was an inevitable situation. The Xia Kingdom was no longer a suitable cultivation ground for him. He was a hidden dragon that could not be repressed in such shallow pools forever. When the time came, he would return to the sea. "Everyone, House Luolan is now in your capable hands. Although I know it will be difficult, I hope you will all remain steadfast and resilient. The night is often darkest before dawn, but the night will only be temporary. When I return, I promise you that House Luolan''s name will resound throughout the entire East Divine Continent," Li Luo sincerely promised. Cai Wei''s charming face was full of sadness, but she still forced herself to cheer up. "You can be assured that we will take good care of House Luolan. Although we might not be able to make it much stronger, your enemies have lessened and its continued survival should not be a concern." Yan Lingqing and the rest similarly nodded. "Thank you, Sister Cai Wei. I''ll have to trouble you," Li Luo sincerely stated. She was truly an exceptionally dedicated individual. Although everyone attributed House Luolan''s survival to him and Jiang Qing''e, the truth was that without Cai Wei''s support and her talent in management, they might not have had any time to even cultivate. Who knew how Qing''e had managed to find such a gem. Li Luo then turned towards Li Rouyun and Mentor Chi Chan, who were sitting together. "Mentor, I will have to trouble you to watch over House Luolan in the future." Chi Chan was temporarily residing within House Luolan, but her heart remained with the college. Thus, after the college was rebuilt, she would likely spend most of her time and effort there as well. Li Luo understood this point. So long as she would occasionally look over House Luolan, that was enough. Mentor Chi Chan lightly nodded. "You can leave in peace as you head off towards the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. I will look after House Luolan." She then took a good look at the handsome youth. She could still remember just a year ago, during the Choosing of the Mentors, Li Luo was still an immature sapling full of childishness. The youth before her had now started to mature, and perhaps he would shock the world with his actions during their next meeting. She looked forward to that day. After the rest of the matters were arranged, Li Luo sucked in a deep breath. There was no more hesitation, and he turned towards Li Rouyun and Ox Biaobiao. "Aunt Yun, Uncle Biao. It''s time." Indeed, Ox Biaobiao was going to follow Li Luo to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. The main reason was to find a way to cure his injuries and recover his destroyed Duke Bergfrieds, regaining his strength. Ox Biaobiao had protected his parents every step of the way when they fled to the Xia Kingdom, and he had been forced to live in seclusion in the headquarters due to his severe injuries. In the past, there was neither time nor opportunity to look for a cure, but things had changed. Since Li Luo had to head to the inner divine continents, he would naturally bring Ox Biaobiao along and find a way to help him. He had paid a massive price for the family, and this favor was as heavy as a mountain. Thus, Li Luo would do everything in his ability to find a way for Ox Biaobiao to recover. When Li Rouyun heard those words, she smiled and nodded. Then a light flew out of her pocket sphere, hovering over the courtyard. A small flying ship that was around several meters long appeared in the ball of light. It was forged from some sort of unknown material and engraved with countless ancient runes. "This is a flying ship, and it is specially used for quickly traversing long distances. As the distance to the inner divine continents is vast, we will also have to utilize some teleportation arrays to cross some insurmountable and mysterious regions. However, we will still mostly rely on this flying ship. Otherwise, not even a Duke would have time to sleep if they wanted to get to where were going in a timely manner." Li Luo curiously inspected the green flying ship after hearing Li Rouyun''s introduction. This was something he had never seen in the Xia Kingdom. Li Rouyun waved her hand and her figure flashed ahead, landing right atop the flying ship with Li Luo and Ox Biaobiao following closely behind. The ship itself was not huge, but it was sufficient for three. Cai Wei, Yuan Qing, and the rest wistfully watched Li Luo board the flying ship, and the looks of reluctance intensified. In the end, they composed themselves before bellowing out with all their spirit, "We respectfully bid the House Lord farewell!" Li Luo turned to look at the elders one last time before waving his hand, no longer hesitating. "Aunt Yun, let us go." She nodded and sat cross-legged at the front of the flying ship. There was a furnace-like object at the bow of the ship, and it looked like some sort of controlling core. Her slender fingers brushed over the object, and a crisp hum could be heard. Right at that moment, countless skygold coins surged out of her pocket sphere, directly entering the furnace like some sort of fuel. Operating the flying ship required copious amounts of skygold as fuel! One literally had to burn money to fly it! Weng! When the skygold filled up the furnace, the flying ship became more and more brilliant and the worldly natural energy around it churned. A moment later, a sonic boom was heard and the green flying ship vanished in a beam of green light, soaring into the skies and penetrating the clouds. ... At that very moment the flying ship split the sky... There was a stone pavilion in the Golden Dragon Bank of the City of Southwind. Lu Qing''er''s head was raised as though she had sensed someone leave, staring into the sky dejectedly. Her gorgeous face seemed to be stained with deep heartache. "He''s gone." Lu Qing''er''s eyes welled red. "That brat... he didn''t even bother to come say goodbye. I''ve wasted my effort on him," grumbled a dissatisfied Yu Hongxi. Lu Qing''er forced a smile. "It''s not in his personality to drag his feet around. Since he made the decision to leave, he would just quickly go ahead." Yu Hongxi came to her daughter''s side and grasped her little hand, looking at her sorrowful expression before helplessly sighing. "What a bad child... Even after he left, he''s still causing trouble. Jiang Qing''e even told me that the moment she stepped into the City of Southwind, she would annul the engagement agreement. In the end? Psh, she didn''t even get here! I would never have expected that I, Yu Hongxi, would actually suffer a loss!" Lu Qing''er seemed a little taken aback as she looked at her mother. "What do you mean annul the engagement agreement?" Yu Hongxi was at a loss for words. Just as she was about to come up with an excuse, Lu Qing''er had already guessed what she had done. "When Li Luo came to find you for help and you readily agreed... it was actually because you had already come to an agreement with Jiang Qing''e?" Yu Hongxi unhappily replied. "Jiang Qing''e told me that if I was willing to lend a hand, she would get rid of the engagement agreement with Li Luo once she entered the City of Southwind." "Mother, weren''t you taking advantage of someone in trouble!?" Lu Qing''er frowned. "Hey, she took the initiative to find me and even came up with the conditions herself. What does this have to do with me?" Lu Qing''er shook her head. "That''s because she knew that that was the only thing that interested you." Yu Hongxi waved her hand. "Forget it. There''s no point in talking about this. She''s long gone, so how can we even settle any debts? In any case, what I actually meant was that since Jiang Qing''e took the initiative to raise this idea, it also implies that the relationship between her and Li Luo is not as deep as what others might have thought. This was just a dumb idea fomented by the drunken Li Taixuan. It has nothing to do with their true feelings for each other." Lu Qing''er squinted slightly. "Sister Qing''er treats Li Luo very well, and the actions she takes for him are truly touching. In this aspect, I am not her equal. I had always thought that this entire engagement agreement was actually just something casual and unimportant and that they simply have a close relationship, not necessarily one of man and wife. But after all this time, I feel like I may have been a little shortsighted." Yu Hongxi was taken aback by her daughter''s words. "Are you saying they are in love with each other?" Lu Qing''er fell silent. She had honestly thought that the two were just sharing in some sibling affection. They had no intention to actually marry each other. However, after going through so many things, her view of things started to change. Yu Hongxi frowned as she restrained her usually aggressive attitude, carefully and gently asking, "If this is true, what do you want to do?" If Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were mutually in love, Lu Qing''er would be in a precarious situation. Although having multiple wives and concubines was not rare and the well-traveled Yu Hongxi had even seen ladies with thousands of male companions, when it came to her daughter, she felt that she was unable to accept this. Plus, she had a domineering personality, and when she was posted to the Xia Kingdom and met Li Taixuan, she swiftly cut off any thoughts about him after finding out that he was already married. If Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had mutually reciprocative feelings, she would find a way to cut him off from her treasured daughter even if that brat was ten times more wonderful. Lu Qing''er''s clear eyes that reminded one of a pristine lake coursed with extreme melancholy. She silently stared at a snow lotusin the courtyard, her voice crackling and a little hoarse. "From the very beginning, it was just wishful thinking. Li Luo had only ever regarded me as a friend. He was not aware of my emotions for him, and boys are just dumb when it comes to such things. Maybe he just thinks that I like him. If he really has feelings for Sister Qing''er, then I will naturally not interfere. She raised her head and looked at the green light flashing through the sky. Her poetic emotions seemed to have turned as bleak as the coldest winter on this day of parting. "Qing''er..." Yu Hongxi tenderly held her daughter''s hand, placing it in her bosom. Lu Qing''er lowered her eyes. She wanted to force a smile, but even that was a failure. In the end, she buried herself in her mother''s embrace and sullenly said, "Mother... I think my one-sided love is about to fail." Yu Hongxi hurriedly consoled, "There are countless exceptional men, and Li Luo is just one of many. With your background, how can there not be a fitting suitor for you? You''ve merely seen too little. Once your horizons are broadened, you will naturally know that this will pass too and there is nothing to feel regretful about." Lu Qing''er did not say anything else, only quietly leaning in. After quite some time, a sorrowful voice rang out. "Mother... I''ve made my decision." Yu Hongxi''s expression changed and she fell silent. She knew what Qing''er was referring to... it was a letter sent from Golden Dragon Mountain. The one who had sent it? Lu Qing''er''s father. Chapter 0733: The Heavenly Dragons Five Lineages Chapter 0733: The Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages In just the short span of one month, the previous bustling Xia City had turned into a city of death. Cold, viscous corruption enveloped the empty streets and buildings. There was something akin to vines wriggling within the corruption, and if one were to look more closely, they would see that the vines were composed of flesh and blood. They seemed to possess a life of their own, turning into bloody worms that constantly squirmed. A sound echoed from deep within a ruined building. A distorted object flashed past in the dark. The corruption in that area was so dense that rays of sunlight were unable to penetrate through it. It was like a warped purgatory come to life. Xia City had turned into a playground for Others, and conversely a forbidden grounds for humanity. Even Dukes were unwilling to step foot into this place casually. Focusing upon House Luolan''s Headquarters. It was now completely dilapidated as countless fleshy and bloody vines enveloped the structures, growing wantonly in every direction. Currently, an immense amount of corruption had condensed in the underground palace, turning into a pitch-black lake that filled the place. The Origin Reversion Institute''s Xuan Chen was currently standing atop a raised platform, observing the black pool that was created from evil thoughts as he smiled. "Shen Jinxiao, you tried to gain an advantage but ended up worse off instead. You didn''t get to consume the Heart of Light and all your Duke Bergfrieds were shattered. That''s quite a hefty price you paid." After Xuan Chen spoke, the pool created from corruption started to churn violently before a figure began to float up. It was Shen Jinxiao. He was garbed in black and seemed to have become one with the black liquid. The void behind him trembled as six indistinct and damaged Duke Bergfrieds took form. The surrounding black liquid continued to emit an air that was gradually being absorbed and assimilated into the destroyed Duke Bergfrieds. Gradually, each and every Duke Bergfried began to be stained with black marks. "Shen Jinxiao, you actually plan to borrow the power of corruption to restore your Duke Bergfrieds? It looks like that existence in the shadow world looks positively upon you," Xuan Chen said with a tinge of surprise as he watched Shen Jinxiao. Corruption was like a poison to members of humanity. Even he, Xuan Chen, did not dare to absorb it into his body. On the other hand, Shen Jinxiao was clearly using it to restore his Duke Bergfrieds, and it must naturally have been something bestowed upon him by that existence in the shadow world. The only question was whether the final result could still be considered a Duke Bergfried. Or maybe a Devil''s Bergfried? That remained to be seen. "I was originally a little hesitant to do this, but at this point, what other choice do I have?" Shen Jinxiao indifferently mused. "Of course." Xuan Chen smiled. What Shen Jinxiao had said was not wrong. Having all six of his Duke Bergfrieds destroyed was a crippling injury to his foundation. If things continued the way they were, it would be difficult to find a way to recover, and thus he had to look for alternatives. However, this was a path of no return. From a certain point of view, this was what the Origin Reversion Institute had always wanted to achieve. It was a different approach, but it worked out all the same. "I came to inform you that Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo have both left the Xia Kingdom. Jiang Qing''e has left for the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College to extinguish the burning Heart of Light, whilst the boy is headed to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Hehe. These are superpowers that even we from the Origin Reversion Institute find troublesome to deal with. You have become irreconcilably hated enemies with them, and with their talent, they will inevitably come and kill you once they achieve a certain level of power," Xuan Chen commented. Shen Jinxiao''s gaze glinted and his expression remained indifferent without much change. "These two brats might be talented, but catching up to me in the span of a few years is just a fool''s dream. What I''m truly worried about is Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. The moment the two return to the Xia Kingdom, I''m afraid even the Origin Reversion Institute''s preparations might not be enough to stop them," Shen Jinxiao replied. Xuan Chen smiled. "It won''t be so easy for them to return. There are existences in the shadow world watching them closely." Shen Jinxiao nodded. "That''s good. Pang Qianyuan temporarily sealed away the river of evil, but that can only keep the Ichythian King and the Cadaverous King away for a few years. Once it wears off, he will undoubtedly die. At that point in time, it doesn''t matter if Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo have yet to return. I will personally sweep House Luolan clean and maybe even turn them all into Others. It would be my gift to them." Shen Jinxiao''s words were plain, but they were cold and cruel, his true intentions clear. He had failed to steal away the Heart of Light and had even been forced into such a terrible situation. The man was furious. After which, he no longer spoke. He closed his eyes and submerged himself back in the pool formed from corruption. When Xuan Chen saw this, he glanced around and inspected the underground palace in House Luolan. "This brat... he actually chose this location to absorb corruption... such perverse preferences..." He smiled before his figure vanished. The green flying ship flitted across the endless sky, piercing through the clouds like a comet, leaving behind a long trail of light. After the initial bout of excitement, Li Luo gradually began to feel bored. This journey to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent was the longest journey he had made thus far, and based on what Li Rouyun had said, it would still take almost a month to get there even with their current pace and the use of teleportation arrays. Her words caused Li Luo to feel a little thankful in his heart. It was good that he was not bringing Jiang Qing''e back to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li; otherwise, just the time lost from traveling would have caused him to burn with anxiety. Although the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College was similarly far, there was a concrete solution. Li Rouyun was controlling the flying ship when she discovered that Li Luo was sitting around in boredom. Smiling wryly, she asked, "Li Luo, did Li Taixuan ever tell you anything about the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?" Li Luo shook his head. "Father rarely talked about it." In fact, he had only learned of them through Principal Pang. "You were unwilling to act that year, and no matter how patient Li Taixuan was, he is definitely filled with resentment. Why would he talk to Li Luo about this? If not for Li Luo activating the Heavenly Emperor''s Write, you would not have received his message either," Ox Biaobiao commented "Hmph! Ox Biaobiao! Stop running your mouth. Do you think I won''t just throw you off this ship?" Li Rouyun angrily glared at him. "Oh? This wench actually dares to talk back to me?" Ox Biaobiao''s meaty face trembled as he viciously glared back. Li Rouyun pouted. "You''re just trying to demonstrate the prowess of a fourth-grade Duke. I have surpassed you, and you need to face reality. Things are not like in the past." As the two bickered, Li Luo helplessly interjected and asked, "Aunt Yun, just what happened to my parents that year?" To be fair, he was curious as to why his parents had run to the desolate Xia Kingdom. It had always been a question lingering in his heart. Li Rouyun fell into silence before finally opening her mouth. "Before we talk about all this, I need to explain to you the situation in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. It was created by the Ancestor, Li Jun, who reached the Heavenly Emperor Stage. He is an expert that truly stands at the pinnacle of humanity, an existence that is unrivaled in this world. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, strictly speaking, has five lineages. You might know that most of us possess dragon resonances because our ancestor once formed a blood contract with a Heavenly Dragon ancestor of the Dragon Tribe. As a result, a trace of Heavenly Dragon spirit runs through our veins, leading to a large proportion of us possessing dragon resonances. Thus, all of the five lineages are related to the Heavenly Dragons, forming the Five Lineages of the Heavenly Dragon. Dragon''s Blood, Dragon''s Fang, Dragon''s Scale, Dragon''s Bone, and Dragon''s Horn. Specifically, we are part of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." With Li Rouyun''s explanation, the mysterious lineage he belonged to gradually shed its veil and was truly revealed to him. Chapter 0734: The Terrifying Heavenly Emperor Bloodline Chapter 0734: The Terrifying Heavenly Emperor Bloodline "Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages... Dragon''s Blood Lineage, Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Dragon''s Horn Lineage, Dragon''s Bone Lineage, Dragon''s Scale Lineage..." Each one had chosen a part of the Heavenly Dragon as their name. Listening to the information revealed by Li Rouyun caused Li Luo to feel extremely surprised. He knew the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was not a simple clan, but he had never expected there to be five separate lineages. "Within the Five Lineages, Dragon''s Blood, Dragon''s Fang, and Dragon''s Scale are part of the direct bloodline. All three can be considered to be directly descended from the Ancestor. The other two lineages are slightly more distant in comparison. You have to understand that the Heavenly Emperor has lived for eight thousand years and naturally has sown his seed across the continent. Additionally, he can be considered to be still in his prime amongst the Heavenly Emperor powerhouses of the continent," Li Rouyun explained. "The Heavenly Emperor is over eight thousand years old?" Li Luo sucked in a deep breath. This was a terrifying concept. Eight thousand years was enough to see mountains and rivers transform over the passage of time through erosion! "However, the Ancestor has to guard the World Border and might only return every few decades. Normally speaking, the vast majority of Heavenly Emperor powerhouses are shouldering the heavy responsibility of protecting humanity, defending us against the frightening enemies from forbidden lands." Li Luo''s heart trembled slightly. A threat that required a Heavenly Emperor to personally guard against was a terrifying concept. It was likely to be some of the frightening Others from the shadow world. "The Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages each have a Lineage Chief that rules over the rest. The current Dragon''s Fang Lineage Chief is none other than your grandpa, Li Jingzhe. He is a King Stage expert." When the name Li Jingzhe was mentioned, a look of respect and awe appeared on Li Rouyun''s face. "My grandpa... Li Jingzhe... is a King?" Li Luo blinked as he was at a loss for words. He had once thought he was just an ordinary, rich young master. It seemed as though he had underestimated himself. The list of amazing family members had gotten longer, starting with such an impressive father and then an awe-inspiring King Stage grandfather... and lastly a hero of humanity, a Heavenly Emperor ancestor! He sighed with much sadness. It turned out that it was not easy to just be an ordinary youth! "Could it be that all five Lineage Chiefs are King Stage experts?" This thought suddenly came to Li Luo''s mind. Li Rouyun smiled and nodded as she stated proudly, "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li has accumulated its foundation over a significant period of time. Thus, all of the Lineage Chiefs are naturally Kings. Isn''t that impressive?" Li Luo felt a little numb. Five Kings? What sort of idea did that represent? Did the entire East Divine Continent have that many of them? Wasn''t the inner divine continents foundation a little too frightening? "I won''t talk about the other lineages for now and focus on the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Our old man is the Lineage Chief, and the lineage is split into four halls: the Green Nether, Violet Spirit, Crimson Cloud, and Gold Light Halls. Each one is led by a main Hall Master. There are also four Vice Hall Masters, and I am Green Nether Hall''s third Vice Hall Master. For context, there are four of us." When Li Luo heard all this, he did some quick math and couldn''t control his surprise. Didn''t that mean that there were twenty Hall Masters in total? Judging by Li Rouyun''s strength, every Hall Master was a Duke. Didn''t this mean that the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had a King and over a dozen Dukes under it? Just a single lineage could suppress the entire Xia Kingdom. And this was just one lineage... What if the other four were added in? One Heavenly Emperor, five Kings, and a hundred Dukes? Li Luo''s scalp went numb. To be frank, just the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li could probably rule half of the East Divine Continent alone! House Luolan was not even an ant when compared to it. In fact, the entire Xia Kingdom would be flattened in record speed if the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li wished for it. It was then that he truly understood how vast the gap between the inner and outer divine continents was. It was no wonder all of the Dukes in the Xia Kingdom yearned to go to the inner divine continents. It was clear that their reputation as cultivation holy grounds was not exaggerated. In such an environment, even an average individual could achieve results not at all inferior to that of an outer divine continent genius. If the common individuals were this strong, what about the true geniuses and talents in the inner divine continents? Just how high could they soar with such a favorable boost in cultivation conditions? "Then what about my dad?" Li Luo asked curiously. Li Rouyun smiled slightly. "Your dad was also from the Green Nether Hall. In fact... he was the Green Nether Hall''s main Hall Master. The entire Green Nether Hall was under his supervision. However, since he has been gone for more than ten years, strictly speaking, his position should have been removed. However, this matter has been ignored by Grandpa and he is still the main Hall Master in name." Thinking about the situation, it seemed that his grandfather was still acting protectively over his father... Or perhaps it was because of the lingering guilt towards what happened that year. "The Dragon''s Blood Lineage is the strongest lineage and thus they are the Mountain Ruling Lineage. To give an example, the Mountain Ruling Lineage is like the king in the secular world, whilst the other lineages are like the vassals that are subject to their rule. However, every hundred years, an event called the Mountain Ruling Grand Ceremony takes place. That is when a new Mountain Ruling Lineage is determined. Li Zhiqiu, the man from before, is from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage," Li Rouyun explained. When Li Luo was reminded of that man, the smile on his face receded and his gaze turned frosty. It was fine that Li Zhiqiu had sat by idly whilst he was in mortal danger, but he had tried to scam his Heavenly Emperor''s Writ and even accelerated the process of Jiang Qing''e''s sacrificial ignition of her Heart of Light. These matters were indelibly marked down in his heart for his comeuppance one day. He might lack strength today, but all of this would be repaid in full later on. His change in expression did not elude Li Rouyun, and she understood what he was thinking. "Your dad was the brightest star amongst the entire clan in his generation. Even the Ancestor appreciated his talent and treated him favorably. You have to understand that the more outstanding one is, the more vitriol and jealousy they attract. Li Zhiqiu is one amongst those rabble. In the past, he would never have dared to reveal his intentions before your father, but now that you''re down, he would naturally not hesitate to throw stones down the well. Our clan is larger than you can imagine, so there will naturally be unpleasant things and people that will bother you. You aren''t a little child anymore, so you should understand the situation." Li Luo nodded. Even his tiny House Luolan could produce an ungrateful rat like Pei Hao who actively worked to sabotage them, much less a behemoth like the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. "Now that concludes the situation in the clan and we can move on to answer the question you had, basically what happened to your parents that year." Li Rouyun smiled bitterly and sighed. "You first need to know that even though the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li is considered a hegemon in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, the entire continent is absolutely gargantuan. As a result, we are unable to be the sole rulers of it. We are not the only Heavenly Emperor Bloodlinethere are four others. When we look at them in terms of both foundation and age, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li is actually at the bottom. One day, the Mountain Ruling Lineage tried to arrange a marriage with another Heavenly Emperor Bloodline. At that time, Li Taixuan had already demonstrated his abilities and talent to the clan and was a rising star in the continent. As a result, the burden of the engagement had fallen upon your father''s head." Li Luo was stunned before he felt like guffawing. An engagement agreement. When these two words were said, he just knew that a bloody series of events was about to be revealed. Chapter 0735: Parents Matters Chapter 0735: Parents'' Matters "The other Heavenly Emperor Bloodline had similarly placed a lot of importance upon this engagement. Additionally, it was coincidentally the case that there was a peerless beauty with both strength and looks in their clan. She possessed status and talent and thus the two clans saw this joining as a way to form an almighty alliance that benefited both. This matter was mostly orchestrated by the Dragon''s Blood Lineage as they were the Mountain Ruling Lineage then, having significant control of the bloodline. Most importantly, Grandpa did not disagree to it. This was an important matter for the other bloodline, and the person Li Taixuan was to be engaged to was someone he was satisfied with. There came the problem..." Li Rouyun bitterly smiled as she looked at Li Luo. "When your father heard of this, he was not happy. You can probably guess the reason. He had been cultivating outside the clan and had already met your mother. Your mother... was actually quite a renowned individual in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. She was unknown in the past and no one knew which clan or bloodline she had come from. However, in just a few short years, her reputation preceded her and even some of the geniuses reared by top tier powers were suppressed and crushed beneath her. I suppose she must have encountered some fortuitous event. She was a monstrous existence in her generation. Even with an ordinary background, she defeated all of the other geniuses with reputable backgrounds, which is something that we have to admire. Of course, it was probably because of all this that the top powers in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent felt immense dissatisfaction towards her and would often cause her trouble. There was an instance where she defeated a genius of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Perhaps because that individual had infuriated her, she declared upon his defeat, the supposed talents of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li do not amount to much. This caused shockwaves throughout the clan. As the situation within the clan worsened and got more raucous, Li Taixuan was eventually forced to take action. He was the most outstanding member of the entire younger generation, and even though the Dragon''s Blood and the Dragon''s Fang Lineages had some tension between them, they were ultimately still part of the bloodline. Tan Tailan''s words were simply too humiliating, so he was forced to find her and, of course, defeat her. It was then that your father met your mother for the first time." Li Luo blinked as he heard Li Rouyun recount the story, and a deep admiration for his mother grew in his heart. She was truly a fierce individual! She did not possess an influential background and yet she had overwhelmed all of the rich young masters of the continent who had resources poured into them... She was someone to be admired and an inspiration for everyone. Although he already knew that his mother was amazing considering how suppressed his father was at home, this story only brought about even more praise for her. "Thus, there were many within the clan that did not like her. Your grandpa was no exception... Still, this was not purely because of her lacking background, but she was instinctively born to be at odds with your family," Li Rouyun said with a complicated expression. "What do you mean?" Li Luo felt a little puzzled. What sort of strange reason could it be? "Do you know your mother''s first resonance?" Li Rouyun asked. Li Luo was a little surprised before he answered in shock, "Her first resonance is the ninth-grade Golden Winged Peng resonance, right?" Ox Biaobiao chuckled. "The Golden Winged Pengs are also peak existences in the world. They are life and death nemeses with the Dragon Tribe, often feeding upon young dragons. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li has a trace of the Heavenly Dragon''s spirit and thus have also inherited some of their habits. Thus, there is an innate revulsion towards Golden Winged Pengs, including your mother, who possesses the resonance." Li Luo didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. This was something he had never expected. "Your father sought out Tan Tailan and the two dueled several times with no one gaining the advantage. In fact, this only served to bolster her reputation even more. Your father was, of course, a determined individual, unwilling to resign himself to defeat. He continued to struggle against her for a period of time. He didn''t really win very often, but instead she won his heart... In the end, he even assisted your mother with beating up some of the troublemaking geniuses, and that included some from our clan..." Li Rouyun bitterly smiled. Li Luo smacked his lips. His father was truly ruthless. He had basically surrendered himself to the enemy without much struggle. Despite the Golden Winged Peng resonance''s influence, he still fell in love with her. Was that true love? Or Stockholm Syndrome after being beaten quite a few times...? "In any case, this caused an uproar and everything was a mess. It was at this time that news of the engagement came. The other party did not reject the engagement to Li Taixuan either. Plus, you should know how charismatic and charming your father is. Your father, however, rejected this idea strongly. And to protest the decision, he left the clan and proposed to Tan Tailan in a high-profile fashion. This caused both clans to become furious. The other clan''s leader personally came to our clan to demand an answer. Internally, the Dragon''s Blood Lineage Chief was also frustrated and incensed. He directly hollered for Grandpa to meet him, and things were a disaster that day. The atmosphere was extremely tense, as though a bomb would go off at any point. Of course, in the end, the situation was resolved with force. Your dad was simply too special, having gained the personal recognition of the Ancestor and given a Heavenly Emperor''s Writ. Thus, even the Mountain Ruling Lineage did not hold any sway over him. And the engagement was considered a failure and the relationship between our clans was significantly influenced." Li Luo nodded slightly. This was truly a mess as he had expected. "Wait, then could it be that this was enough for that bloodline to chase down my parents?" Li Luo frowned. If this was the reason, didn''t things seem a little contrived? Li Rouyun lightly sighed as she glanced at Ox Biaobiao. He was rubbing his chain with a smile that was not a smile. "The engagement was just the spark. Eventually, the two became a couple that cared for each other fondly. Although Grandpa was enraged, Li Taixuan was still his favorite and he gradually began to accept Tan Tailan. Besides, other than that bit about her Golden Winged Peng resonance, he admired her strength in private. If nothing went wrong from there, it was something he could accept. Until one day..." Li Rouyun''s tone turned gloomy. "An ancient remnant had been unsealed and its presence was made known to all. All of the superpowers had sent individuals to investigate, and your parents were the first ones to enter. Inside, they stumbled upon the party who Li Taixuan was originally supposed to be engaged to, that peerless beauty. There is no point in talking about the quarrel that happened between them, and conflict broke out in the end. The two sides confronted each other violently and the other lady was heavily injured. At the same time, several geniuses who possessed high standings within that clan were also mercilessly killed." Li Rouyun pursed her lips as she continued. "When news of this broke out, the other Heavenly Emperor Bloodline was fuming. They dispatched numerous experts to capture Tan Tailan in order to have her pay for her sins with her life. Of course, Li Taixuan did not agree. He explosively attacked and attempted to fend off the enemies. Alas, no matter how amazing the duo were, it was impossible to resist the strength of an entire bloodline with just two individuals. Thus, they could only retreat whilst requesting assistance from the bloodline. When Grandpa received their call for help, he was about to mobilize the entire Dragon''s Fang Lineage when he was stopped by the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Their reason was simple. They did not want a blood feud to start between the clans. It would be a war that would shock the entire Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Grandpa furiously resisted, but the might of the Mountain Ruling Lineage was simply too great, and a decision was made after much discussion." Li Rouyin stared at Li Luo, remaining silent for a few seconds. "Protect Li Taixuan. Abandon Tan Tailan." Li Rouyun sighed as her gloomy voice echoed out. "Do I need to explain what happens next?" Chapter 0736: Li Luos Goal Chapter 0736: Li Luo''s Goal "Protect Li Taixuan. Abandon Tan Tailan." When Li Rouyun said these words, the entire flying ship descended into silence for some time. Li Luo broke the silence. "No wonder my mother never cared much for the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li." Tan Tailan might not have any sort of background, but Li Luo understood his mother very well. In her heart, she possessed an arrogance that was no less than those other geniuses with illustrious backgrounds. One could see that through the way she had disdainfully mocked the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. She didn''t care for their protection either. Li Rouyun did not say anything, but with what had happened, it was normal for her to have developed a grudge against the clan. "My father must have been very disappointed in the clan''s attitude," Li Luo continued. The clan clearly wanted to use this event as a pretext to separate the two, but with Li Taixuan''s attitude, how could he possibly have abandoned her to return alone? Thus, he led the way as the two escaped, choosing to leave the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent and eventually arriving at the Xia Kingdom. Li Rouyun sighed. If Li Taixuan was not disappointed in the clan, why would he not have said anything all these years? The only reason he had reached out was to ensure that Li Luo was kept safe. Otherwise, there was no other reason for him to leave behind his traces upon the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ, allowing the clan to receive news from him. "At that point in time, the other bloodline was furious and the Dragon''s Blood Lineage didn''t want to act too rigidly either. Thus, the reason they gave to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was that the clan had nothing to do with Tan Tailan. Protecting Li Taixuan was natural, but an outsider? That would make things difficult for the other bloodline and might even cause a loss of face for them. The situation might very well worsen. Of course, not everyone felt that way. Grandpa, at the very least, wanted to rescue them as he understood Li Taixuan''s personality. He would never leave her behind." "Unfortunately, Grandpa was just the Lineage Chief and not the Mountain Ruling Chief, thus he could not make the final decision for the bloodline. As a result, he could only accept the ruling in frustration. However, after everything happened, he never again participated in the clan''s internal Lineage Chief meetings. Ten years ago, the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent organized a martial meet, and he was coincidentally placed in the same group as a Lineage Chief from the other bloodline for an exhibition match. It was a battle that opened everyone''s eyes." At this point, Li Rouyun''s expression turned complicated. "No one had expected a simple spar between Kings to turn into a battle of life and death. The entire stage was overturned and the opposing King rarely appeared in public again in the following ten years, probably recuperating and attempting to heal from his injuries. Similarly, Grandpa has also quietly cultivated till today. It could be said that both parties suffered grievous injuries. Grandpa then casually informed the rest of the Lineage Chiefs that his hands were itching for a beating and he couldn''t help himself when the fires of youth raged within him..." Li Rouyun had a bitter smile and everyone practically knew that this was the result of years of pent up frustration unleashed at once. Li Luo was slightly shocked. This grandpa whom he had never met before seemed to be quite the temperamental guy. For a moment, the resentment he held towards him because of what happened to his mother lessened. "Li Luo, you can''t blame Grandpa for your mother''s situation. His personality is simply like that. He''s usually strict and by the book, prioritizing the clan over self. However, he is still a respectable elder, and to welcome you back, he informed the Mountain Ruling Lineage that the matters of the previous generation should not affect the younger generation. If you ever decide to travel throughout the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage will always have your back even if some other Heavenly Emperor Bloodline or super power''s older generation dares to bully you because of the past." "Wait... only the elders? Doesn''t this mean that if those of the younger generation come looking for trouble, Li Luo has to deal with it himself? Li Luo might be talented, but most of his early years were wasted dealing with his blank palaces. How can someone from the Xia Kingdom be compared to the cultivating geniuses of the Heavenly Origin Divine continent who had endless resources funneled into them?" Ox Biaobiao frowned. Li Rouyun calmly replied, "Ox Biaobiao, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li is not some peaceful ivory tower. It is riddled with dispute, and many things will require Li Luo to compete and obtain with his own strength, much like what Li Taixuan did. Additionally, do you have no faith in him? He has amazing parents, and once he returns to the clan, he will easily catch up with the aid of the clan''s resources." Li Luo smiled when he heard this. He didn''t wish to stir up trouble, but if someone wanted to use the excuse of the previous generation''s issues to cause problems for him, he wouldn''t simply stand by. He really wanted to see how amazing the geniuses of the inner divine continent were. Were they truly a cut above the rest? As the One Star Hall champion of the East Divine Continent, Li Luo didn''t mind being submissive to the older generation... After all, he was completely disadvantaged. However, if someone in the same generation came cruising for a bruising, he''d be happy to leave them bloodied. His own mother had beaten up the older generation, and as her son, he couldn''t be too far off either. "Li Luo, when you arrive, the clan will put you through a series of tests in accordance with the rules. You cannot reject nor leave anything in reserve. It''s best that you demonstrate your full potential. That way, Grandpa will have plenty of reasons to give you more resources," Li Rouyun said. Li Luo nodded. He was not going there to hide his strength and bide his time in the shadows. There was no point to that. He would reveal his full capabilities and borrow the resources of the clan to further strengthen himself. Thus, he had given himself several personal goals. Firstly, the most important thing was to obtain the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus and to borrow the ancient college''s original Tree of Resonant Power to transfer it to Sister Qing''e. Secondly, he had to boost his own personal strength and reach the Duke Stage as soon as he could. Li Luo had set himself the timeline of three years to hit the Duke Stage. Although he had four years left, there was no need to leave it till the end. This would give him more space and it would be perfect. Of course, he would thus be placed under undue stress. Three years of time to reach the Duke Stage from the Earth Fiend Palace Tier would require exceptional cultivating speed. Li Luo felt that this was rarely seen, even within the inner divine continents. Thirdly, he would have to find a way for Ox Biaobiao to recover his shattered Duke Bergfrieds and regain his strength. This would require him to ask his grandpa for advice on the matter. Lastly, he had one more special aim to achieve here. When he reached the Duke Stage, he would gain his fourth blank palace. The Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art would no longer be helpful and he would have to find something even better. That would be the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art which Li Taixuan had talked about. This was his greatest goal on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Chapter 0737: Dragons Fang Domain Chapter 0737: Dragon''s Fang Domain The remainder of the long journey passed by without much fanfare. Li Luo had already forgotten how many kingdoms, mountain ranges, and bustling coastal cities the flying ship had passed by. This entire journey was also filled with harsh environments spawned by the mystical energies of the heavens and earth where Dukes dared not trespass, choosing instead to go around them. As they continued to rush along, Li Luo and the rest finally arrived at the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent a month later after utilizing a massive teleportation array. Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, Heavenly City Heavenly City was the name of this majestic and resplendent city. It was said that anyone from the outer divine continents who wished to enter the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent had to go through this nexus, and its very name radiated a certain form of arrogance, demonstrating the attitude people from the inner divine continents had towards those from the outer divine continents. This attitude caused Li Luo to feel a little ruffled. It seemed like the inner divine continents were giving off a sense of superiority. Regardless, he was completely taken aback by the sheer density of worldly natural energy that suffused the air. When Li Luo came through the massive teleportation array, the first thing he could feel was the boundless amounts of worldly natural energy that surrounded him. The energy felt robust and concentrated, and it was even comparable to the skygold room in House Luolan. One had to remember that the skygold room was created with the usage of massive amounts of resources. This, on the other hand, simply existed everywhere. One could only say that the worldly natural energy in the inner divine continents was much more dense compared to the outer divine continents. Perhaps it was such conditions that allowed them to be a true cultivation holy lands. Just as Li Luo was engrossed in the magnificence of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent''s worldly natural energy, Li Rouyun did not hesitate to push the flying ship forward, directly towards the north. "Heavenly City is just at the frontier of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. We have to pass through ten-odd more cities and borrow the assistance of more teleportation arrays to arrive at the Dragon''s Fang Domain," Li Rouyun explained. "Oh, yes. The Dragon''s Fang Domain is the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s exclusive fief. Within are twelve territories, each larger than the Xia Kingdom by countless times." Li Luo directly sucked in a breath of cool air in shock. Just a single territory was larger than the Xia Kingdom? How frightening was the scale of twelve of them?! And this was just the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. There were four others with their own domains. This was mind-boggling. Was this the strength of a Heavenly Emperor power? Even Li Luo had to reluctantly admit that he felt like a country bumpkin at this point. "I really have been a frog in the well, thinking that my little riches in the countryside are worth mentioning when visiting actually rich relatives," he said self-deprecatingly. Li Rouyun shook her head. "You are not visiting your relatives... this is your home. Grandpa is the Dragon''s Fang Lineage chief and you are his grandson. You possess the most direct of bloodlines, and strictly speaking, you even have the qualifications to inherit the Dragon''s Fang Domain. Of course, that would be dependent on your own strength." Li Luo smiled but did not say anything more. Although his clan was impressive, deep down in his heart, he most enjoyed his team in House Luolan. His parents and Jiang Qing''e lived there. Li Rouyun seemed to be able to read his thoughts but did not say much more either. No matter what, whether it was the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li or his grandpa, both were foreign to him. And even though blood was thicker than water, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had not played any part in Li Luo''s life. Thus, hoping that he would immediately accept them was simply overly optimistic. On the other hand, Li Rouyun believed that once Li Luo arrived, he would grow to love it there. Thus, she did not say anything else, only continuing to operate the flying ship. Meanwhile, Li Luo and Ox Biaobiao continued to chat for the rest of the day before moving to the middle of the flying ship. There were several small cabins suitable for one to rest in during such long journeys. Li Luo sat cross-legged and began to cultivate. The Three Revolutions Draconic Breath continued to operate as it swallowed copious amounts of Earth Fiend energy, eventually refining it into a strand of abstruse fiend light and absorbing it into his fiend palace. Li Luo had cultivated diligently throughout the month-long journey as he was clear that although he would have a significant backer at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, this did not mean that his problems would be solved. Based on what Li Rouyun had mentioned, if he wanted more resources for cultivation, he would have to rely on his own abilities. Thus, he had to possess sufficient personal might in order to gain attention. Time flew by as he cultivated, and Li Luo observed internally that there were over a thousand strands of abstruse fiend light floating around inside his fiend palace. His mental state quickly tallied up the strands of light. One thousand and three hundred! Indeed, his strands of abstruse fiend light had already exceeded a thousand. Just a month ago, when he was still in the City of Southwind, he had only around three hundred strands. Clearly, Li Luo had not relaxed during this month of hurried travel. "My waterlight resonance palace should be able to hold up to five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light." A usual lesser fiend palace was able to contain three thousand strands of abstruse fiend light. Of course, this was not the absolute maximum, but it would differ depending on the person''s compatibility and resonance grade. Simply speaking, the more compatible one was, the more they could hold. Normally speaking, one had to have an upper eighth-grade resonance to contain five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light when they were at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier. Li Luo''s resonance had not reached the upper eighth-grade yet, but his upper seventh-grade waterlight resonance with its primary and secondary traits was not any inferior when compared to one. "Based on this speed, reaching five thousand strands will take approximately another three months." Li Luo continued to quietly observe the inside of his waterlight resonance palace. Only when there were enough strands of abstruse fiend light could his resonant palace reach the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. But even though three months seemed short to others, it was too extravagant for him. He had two other resonant palaces as well, and they would require a period of time to refine and temper too. "I need to reduce this to two months," Li Luo mumbled to himself. The speed at which one refined abstruse fiend lights was dependent on several factors. The most important was the grade of the Fiend Art, and since the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath he cultivated was a Five Fiends Art, it could be considered the best in the Xia Kingdom. However, that might not be the case in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Thus, once Li Luo arrived at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, he would look for even higher grade Fiend Art. If one wanted to further bolster the speed at which they refined abstruse fiend lights, they could utilize external aid such as Fiend Origin Pills. These were pills that only Three Star Hall students were qualified to buy in the Astral Sage College, and the quantities available were tiny. However, with the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s foundations, they would be able to afford even more pills. If it was possible, Li Luo would like an ocean''s worth of them. At the end of the day, it also boiled down to cultivation resources. Of course, if one had to be blunt, this was precisely the reason why Li Luo was willing to brave the distance. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage had a terrifying background and should be able to easily support a leech like him. With this in mind, Li Luo grinned before he shut his eyes and immersed himself into his cultivation, beginning to refine more abstruse fiend lights. Day after day passed quickly as he cultivated. In a blink, another half a month had passed by. On this day, Li Rouyun slightly relieved voice was transmitted into Li Luo''s ear, reminding him to wake up. "Li Luo, we have arrived at the Dragon''s Fang Domain." Li Luo was awakened from his cultivation stupor. An uncontrollable sense of curiosity and anticipation arose within him. Was he finally about to meet his grandfather face to face for the first time? Chapter 0738: Dragons Fang Mountain Range Chapter 0738: Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range When Li Luo left his cabin, the flying ship was slowing down and gliding across the sky. His gaze was first directed beneath him as a majestic city of considerable scale had appeared before him. It was so vast that he could not even see the end, and above the city were countless beams of light that ascended into the sky. They were all connected together in some sort of ward that enveloped the entire city. The most impressive, grandiose city he had seen till now was Xia City. However, Xia City looked like a shabby, backward city compared to the sight before him. "This is Dragon''s Fang City, the largest city in the Dragon''s Fang Domain. However, this is not where we are headed to," Li Rouyun explained, and Li Luo turned to look in the direction she was pointing at. It was a range of mountains that were so enormous, they seemed to cover the sky. Each one was tens of thousands of meters tall. Additionally, these mountains were extremely steep and precipitous. From afar, they looked like individual fangs of a massive dragon that were interspersed between the heavens and the earth. An indescribable sense of ferociousness rippled throughout the entire expanse ,and anyone who looked at it would feel their hair raising. "I would like to welcome you to the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range." Li Rouyun gave a smile. With a wave, the flying ship advanced towards the mountains. Li Luo could see the space in front of him rippling as though they were cruising across the surface of a lake. As the flying ship made its way across, the scenery before him seemed to have transformed as countless jade dwellings appeared. Row upon row of white jade pavilions emerged amidst the lush, green shade of the forests on the mountains, shining like resplendent jewels encrusted within a crown. Between the structures were also massive, floating stones that served as guiding roads for one to travel between them. It was a breathtaking and awe-inspiring sight. Of course, what shocked Li Luo the most was the energy that flowed within the area. The worldly natural energy here was immensely dense and pristine, far exceeding anything he had ever seen before. The worldly natural energy seemed to have taken the form of the mist that flowed throughout these mountains. There were also countless human figures below, with countless flying ships shuffling back and forth, traversing the area. However, if Li Luo was not wrong, there were numerous gazes directed towards the flying ship he was on. Li Rouyun urged the flying ship to pass through the mountains, and a moment later, a gigantic mountain that dwarfed all of the previous ones appeared. Size-wise, it seemed to be able to tower over the world, and it looked like a gigantic, sharp tooth. Right above the mountain peak was a group of clouds with a hole in the middle, as though they had been pierced through by some sort of invisible energy that penetrated the skies. "This is Dragon''s Fang Mountain. It is the location where decisions are made by the highest authorities of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Li Luo, Grandpa is awaiting you inside. Other than that, the four other Hall Masters should have arrived, including your two uncles." Li Luo nodded. Along the way, Li Rouyun also explained some of the internal matters within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, including the fact that his grandpa, Li Jingzhe, had three sons. The oldest was Li Qingpeng, the second oldest was Li Jinpan, and the third was his father, Li Taixuan. Thus, in terms of seniority, Li Qingpeng was his oldest uncle and Li Jinpan was his second uncle. In terms of familial relationships, they were much closer to him than Li Rouyun. Li Luo silently sighed within. So many blood relatives had suddenly appeared one after another, but due to how foreign they were to him, dealing with them would definitely be a headache. "You don''t need to worry about this. Both of your uncles are decent people. Senior Li Qingpeng is a friendly fellow, and Li Jinpan might be a little strict, but he is just and upright. Most importantly, all of them have been looking forward to welcoming you home." Li Rouyun seemed to be able to read Li Luo''s mind, and she smiled and consoled him. Li Luo helplessly smiled and nodded. At this point, was he just going to turn tail and return home? That wouldn''t be an easy task in any way. After they finished speaking, the flying ship landed atop a stone platform near the peak of the mountain. On it was a stone staircase that ascended upwards, and one could see it leading towards an antique pavilion. Additionally, countless individuals were standing around on both sides of the platform. Even the trees on the mountain were filled with curious onlookers who were watching the flying ship. When Li Rouyun''s flying ship landed, two young figures came forth to receive them from the crowd. "Aunt Yun." One was a male and the other a female, both respectfully saluting Li Rouyun. "Oh! It''s Jingtao and Fengyi." Li Rouyun smiled as she nodded at them. Li Luo, who was standing behind her, felt his heart tremble slightly. He already knew that his Eldest Uncle had a son, Li Jingtao, and the Second Uncle had a daughter, Li Fengyi. These were his elder cousins. Li Luo first turned his attention to the young and sturdily built male. He had a head of short hair and seemed slightly chubby with slightly long arms. He possessed a warm demeanor and had a smile on his face, with a leisurely expression. In a sense, he gave off the feeling of someone who was a little lazy and probably knew how to enjoy himself. He was nowhere as tyrannical as his name might have suggested, instead giving off a lackadaisical air. The young lady, on the other hand, seemed much more outstanding in comparison. She was tall and slender and her hair was tied up in a ponytail. She possessed beautiful facial features, especially her nose, which was slightly upturned, causing her cheeks to look more pronounced and sharper. When coupled with her willow-like eyebrows, she gave off a sharp air like a well-maintained sword. A red girdle was tied around her slender waist, and it gave off the feeling that was both capable and strong, constantly seeking to improve herself. This was the daughter of his Second Uncle, Li Fengyi. As Li Luo sized up the two, their gazes similarly fell upon him as well. After which, a look of amazement flashed through their eyes at the same time. The youth before them was tall and slender with a head of grayish-white hair that made him stand out. His facial features resembled Li Taixuan''s when he was younger, but none of this detracted from his handsome looks. He had a pair of bright and calm eyes. Despite supposedly being from the outer divine continents, he did not possess any sense of being ill at ease when faced with the sheer grandeur of Dragon''s Fang Mountain. Li Luo felt a little helpless when he was being sized up by these two. Frankly speaking, he had not a clue how his Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle thought of him. Even though they were his father''s brothers, it was more common than not to see siblings struggle bitterly against each other in such a massive clan. Just looking at the Regent was sufficient proof of how "compassionate and loving" an uncle could be. As a result, the First Princess and the Regent clashed to the point where blood was spilled. And the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was an even juicier pie when compared to the Xia Kingdom. Thus, if these two uncles were wary of his father, their children would not treat him kindly either. Additionally, such a brilliant father would be their biggest competitor. This was the unfortunate but oft seen result. If this so-called Elder Brother and Second Sister sought to make things difficult for him in the future, such as humiliating him with his "bumpkin" status before he even entered the clan, it would be just another normal occurrence within a power struggling family. As Li Luo''s thoughts continued to wander, Li Jingtao curiously walked forward and stood before Li Luo with a smile. "Li Luo?" he asked. Li Luo calmly nodded in response. At this point, a strange brilliance bloomed within his eyes as he stretched out his long limbs to hug him in ecstasy, happily shouting, "Little Brother, you''ve suffered! Quickly, call me Elder Brother!" Although Li Luo had made all sorts of preparations in his head to deal with his cousins, the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably. This cheap Elder Brother seemed to be a little addled. Chapter 0739: Eldest Brother and Second Sister Chapter 0739: Eldest Brother and Second Sister When faced with the enthusiastic Li Jingtao, Li Luo felt a little embarrassed. He wanted to break free from Jingtao''s grasp, but the hug was simply too tight! As a result, he could only force a smile. "Nice to meet you, Eldest Brother. I''m Li Luo." From a seniority point of view, he really was his Eldest Brother. "Haha. You really are Third Uncle''s son. You possess the same handsome and dashing looks. It''s a pity Third Uncle wasn''t my father... That way, I wouldn''t have turned out like this." Li Jingtao eagerly patted Li Luo''s shoulder. The smile on Li Luo''s face froze. Wasn''t he asking for a beating from his own father? "Li Jingtao, can you restrain yourself?" The young lady''s voice icily rang out. Li Fengyi''s willow-like eyebrows frowned as she peered at the overly energetic Li Jingtao. This brat is too much! How could you just hug and pat the shoulders of someone you''ve just met? That''s just disgraceful. Hearing Li Fengyi''s warning, Li Jingtao hurriedly retracted his hands, and even though he was supposed to be the Eldest Brother, it seemed he was a little afraid of his fierce and resolute Second Sister. "Fengyi, weren''t you here even earlier than me? Don''t you idolize Third Uncle?" Li Jingtao grumbled. Li Fengyi glared at Li Jingtao as she gritted her teeth. "Shut up. The one I idolize is Third Uncle and not his son!" After which, she no longer bothered with him and instead stared at Li Luo, walking forward and seized him up more closely. "You do resemble Third Uncle. I''m Li Fengyi, and you can call me Second Sister," She said coolly. Li Luo smiled. "Li Luo greets Second Sister." Looking at his calm expression without the slightest hint of panic despite being in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage territory, admiration flashed through her eyes. He had come from an outer divine continent, a wasteland, and yet he stood proud and confident. Although she did not know how talented he truly was, the composure he possessed was expected from the child of her Third Uncle. He was also quite good-looking. Being from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, she had seen countless attractive youths, but this younger brother of hers was definitely amongst the best. Li Luo has clearly inherited his parents good looks. After hearing such a handsome youth call her Second Sister, her heart couldn''t help but feel a little more at ease, and a hint of delight blossomed. In the past, all she had was the average-looking Jingtao to look at, and she had grown sick of his face. Now that she finally had a younger brother, could she finally have someone she could bully at will? The next time she met those bitches from the other four lineages, she would definitely drag this little brother along and brandish him around. Just wait... they would be so jealous that their drool might pool on the ground! "Little brother, you must be tired from the long journey. Unfortunately, Grandpa and my father are currently waiting for you, so you will have to hold on a bit longer. There''s no need to be too anxious. Everyone has been awaiting your return," Li Fengyi continued. He nodded cheerfully. "Let''s go, Little Brother. Your Eldest Brother here will lead the way." Jingtao fervently pulled at Li Luo''s arm and dragged him towards the stone steps. Li Fengyi swept her gaze throughout the crowd before loudly scolding, "What are you looking at? This is my Third Uncle''s son. His name is Li Luo and he is one of us. Whoever dares to make fun of him being from the outer divine continent will have me to deal with." Her declaration drew some laughter, but the gazes that were focused on Li Luo turned away and the crowd gradually dispersed. However, there were still some whispers that could be heard. "That''s the Third Master''s son?" "He''s handsome, he''s got the same demeanor." "So what if he''s good-looking? This isn''t a beauty pageant. Only talent and might matter. I heard that the outer divine continent''s resources are sparse and so cultivation is slow. Thus, I don''t think Li Luo will be anything impressive." "You don''t know that..." "Let''s wait and see. We will definitely get a chance to see clearly. It''s like the First Master said, everything in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage must be obtained by our own hands. If he is merely average, being the Third Master''s son doesn''t matter." Li Fengyi then turned towards Li Luo. "Little Brother, there are many people in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, and if anyone dares to bully you, just let me know." Li Luo smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Second Sister. However, I have a slight request..." "Speak." "Could you address me as Li Luo or Little Luo, please? Little Brother doesn''t sound very good..." Li Fengyi nodded in agreement. "Sure, Little Brother. Do you have any other suggestions, Little Brother?" Li Luo was speechless. "No..." He then shook his head and followed Jingtao with a hint of depression. Li Fengyi followed right behind with a smirk on her face. Li Rouyun had similarly caught up, walking side by side with her as she lightly laughed. "What''s up?" She then grasped Li Rouyun''s arm and whispered in a soft voice only the two could hear, "He''s not bad! He''s good-looking, and I hope his talent isn''t bad. Despite wasting a period of time in the outer divine continents, he should still be able to catch up." Li Rouyun thought of Li Luo''s triple resonances and chuckled in her heart. This was talent that did not lose out to a ninth-grade resonance. Triple resonance users were rare even in the inner divine continents, and Li Luo''s innate potential could not be doubted. Still, he was a step behind. Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi, for example, were only a year older than Li Luo, but they were already at the Fiend Body Tier. The most important thing was the difference in age. When the two were the same age as Li Luo, Li Rouyun vaguely remembered that the two had just stepped into the Fiend Palace Tier. Comparatively, this meant that Li Luo could very well be better when compared to them, especially considering the fact that he came from the outer divine continent, where his resources were incomparably worse to the ones the duo had. Even so, he was not far behind, and this demonstrated his extraordinary potential. Of course, cultivation was a gradual process of advancing to the next stage. Talent was a much broader concept as well. It would not be solely dependent on one''s resonance grade, especially when it came to Duke Arts. The strength one could display would far surpass someone with a higher resonance grade if they could not utilize a similar art. This was most obvious during the Holy Grail Meet, where Lan Lan, despite having a lower resonance grade, was able to suppress Gong Shenjun and the First Princess with his cultivated Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage despite their higher grade resonances. Li Luo was eagerly dragged along by Li Jingtao up the stone steps as his cheap Eldest Brother constantly rambled on and on about how hard his life had been so far. Listening to the droning sounds, Li Luo felt utterly helpless once again. His cheap Eldest Brother gave everyone an indolent impression, so why was he so talkative? However, his attitude seemed genuine. Clearly, Li Jingtao didn''t harbor any sort of enmity towards him. Li Fengyi was similarly so. In their short encounter, she had expressed some curiosity but was also quite kind. This caused Li Luo to believe the words Li Rouyun had told him beforehand. The attitude his uncles had towards him wasn''t bad. All of this caused Li Luo to heave a sigh of relief. He was here to cultivate, not to engage in some family feud. A few minutes later, Li Luo reached the top of the stone steps and saw an ancient pavilion that seemed like an ancestral hall appear before him. It was surrounded by water on three sides, and a small, bluestone path surrounded by lush green shade led the way in. The group arrived before the ancestral hall with Li Rouyun in the lead, respectfully announcing their presence. "Respected Father, Ive brought the offspring of Taixuan back." "You may enter." An old man''s voice echoed out from within the ancestral hall, accompanied by a mountain-like tranquility. It was like an ancient dragon that was entrenched atop a mountain peak, able to command the elements as it seemed fit. Li Rouyun pushed the large doors aside, and a ray of light extended along the crack that opened up. Li Luo looked directly inside. Numerous figures were seated in the ancestral hall, all possessing uncommon temperaments. The first individual that Li Luo set his eyes upon was sitting at the center. It was a hale and hearty gray-robed man whose eyes opened at this very instant. His gaze was focused upon the youth who was bathed in sunlight at the door. He was tall and slender, with a slightly immature face. However, his face reminded the old man of a familiar figure. At this moment, despite all of the worldly strength he held in his grasp, he still fell into a trance. An old memory surfaced within his thoughts. It was as though he was being reminded of a younger Li Taixuan. He had similarly stood before them at this very door, revealing his brilliance coupled with his youthful, grinning face. He would then wave his hand and rudely call him an old man without the slightest remorse. The old man couldn''t help but stagger to his feet, a raspy voice sounding out. "Taixuan... you''re finally back." Chapter 0740: Li Jingzhe Chapter 0740: Li Jingzhe Everyone in the ancestral hall was shocked when the gray-robed man got to his feet. The two middle-aged men behind him glanced at each other briefly. The one on the left was a little chubby with a round face that had a warm and gentle smile hung upon it. One would easily mistaken him to be a genial businessman. This was Li Luo''s Eldest Uncle, Li Qingpeng. On the right was a powerfully built man, his entire body radiating a sense of ferociousness and sheer power. His eyebrows were scarlet like a lighted forge, and wisps of smoke seemed to rise from his pupils. This was Li Luo''s Second Uncle, Li Jinpan. Compared to Li Qingpeng''s cordial demeanor, he looked aggressive and ready to brawl at any time. When the two realized their old man had lost his composure, Li Qingpeng quickly coughed. They knew that the old man had mistaken the youth for Li Taixuan. However, this was Li Taixuan''s son? He was almost the spitting image of his father, so it was no surprise the old man had mistaken them. Li Qingpeng''s sharp cough awoke the old man from his trance. Although he was no longer young, his eyes quickly regained their clarity as he stared at the youth in the doorway. He then quickly took a seat, and although his face had some wrinkles, he did his best to squeeze out an inviting smile on his hale and hearty face. This smile caused Li Jinpan and Li Qingpeng to feel a little helpless inside. The old man was normally a very strict individual. He acted quite stern and such a smile was rarely seen even when facing Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao of the younger generation. Today''s hasty smile was probably shown to prevent this boy from being scared away the moment he had returned home. "Li Luo, was it? Hurry and come in." The old man gestured towards Li Luo. Li Luo was similarly helpless when faced with the sudden change in attitude. Frankly speaking, he didn''t know how he should react to this old man whom he had never met before. Clearly, there was no time to dawdle, so he calmed himself and coolly walked into the midst of the ancestral hall. He then looked right at the gray-robed old man seated at the head. This individual seemed to be very old with a wizened expression. However, he continued to sit quietly, a profound and mysterious aura radiating from him. For a moment, it seemed as though the old man had become one with the entire Dragon''s Fang Mountain, every action able to rouse the might of the heavens. This indescribable sort of pressure was something he had only felt in Pang Qianyuan''s presence. This old man should naturally be the grandpa that he had heard of, Lineage Chief Li Jingzhe. "Li Luo greets Respected Grandfather." His heart trembled as he courteously greeted the old man before him. "Looking at your unfamiliar expression, I suppose Li Taixuan never talked about me, did he?" Li Jingzhe had a complicated smile. Li Luo had originally wanted to say some words on behalf of his father, but they were all caught in his throat. In the end, he opted to remain silent. Li Jingzhe''s gaze seemed a little hurt. Li Taixuan had indeed never mentioned the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, nor him. Clearly, his heart still held grievances after being forced out of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. How could that proud son of his accept that? Li Taixuan was the son he had most cherished and placed importance on. "Cough." Seeing Li Jingzhe fall silent, Li Qingpeng hurriedly coughed again and stood up, flashing a warm smile towards Li Luo. "Hello, Li Luo! I am your Eldest Uncle, Li Qingpeng. This is your Second Uncle, Li Jinpan." He gestured towards the crimson-browed middle-aged man. The latter nodded at Li Luo and his gaze stopped upon his face, which greatly resembled his youngest brother''s. "Li Luo respectfully greets Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle." "Father, Third Brother has never mentioned you to Li Luo. Perhaps it was because he didn''t want him to bite off more than he could chew! Plus, he wasn''t planning to return anytime soon, so why give the child idle fantasies?" Li Qingpeng swiftly explained. "Him being upset with me is warranted. It was me who let him down," Li Jingzhe glumly stated. Li Jinpan chimed in. "Father, if Third Brother truly resented you, why would he have sent Li Luo back? This shows that he still trusts you in his heart." Li Jingzhe lightly sighed and then gradually turned serene again before he turned towards Li Luo. "Li Luo, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage will be your home from now on. You can rest assured that so long as I am here, I will not allow you to suffer any grievances." "I''ll listen to your instructions, Respected Grandfather." Li Luo nodded. Li Jingzhe then smiled and once again closely inspected Li Luo''s face. His immature visage once again reminded him of Li Taixuan, and his gaze turned gentle and a look of happiness surfaced. He then turned towards the numerous figures in the ancestral hall."Keke, everyone. A hidden dragon has returned home to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. This is a cause for great joy." At the same time, all of the other figures with extraordinary auras similarly expressed their congratulations. "Li Luo is of Third Brother''s bloodline. Now that he has returned to the clan, his name should naturally be recorded in our clan records," Li Qingpeng pointed out. Having one''s name recorded in the clan records was something ordinary. It also represented that Li Luo was officially a member of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. In the future, he would also be able to receive the benefits of being a clan member whilst receiving cultivation resources that would make outsiders drool with envy. Li Jingzhe nodded as he declared, "Enter his name into the upper records." With that command, the ancestral hall fell silent. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s clan records were split into the upper and lower records. Most individuals were first entered into the lower records, then they would enter the upper records as they demonstrated their potential and strength. This not only signified a change in status, but also an improvement in treatment and resources provided. Li Jingzhe''s command was for Li Luo to directly vault to the top and enter the upper records. Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan had no comments. They knew that the old man was compensating Li Luo for the time he had spent in the outer divine continent. He would thus require more resources in order to catch up. If he had to slowly work his way up, it would waste a lot of time. However, not everyone felt the same way. A voice rang out throughout the ancestral hall. "Lineage Chief, Li Luo returning to the clan is fortuitous news for all of us. However, isn''t directly entering him into the upper records a little too much?" When Li Luo heard this voice of dissent, he did not feel surprised but rather heaved a sigh of relief. Finally! A hindrance had popped up. This was only normal. If everything went on smoothly and without opposition, it would seem like something was missing. As he had these thoughts in mind, Li Luo turned to look at the one who had just spoken. It was a middle-aged man dressed in golden robes. He had a white face with no beard and his hand was resting on a violet-gold scepter that emanated violet energy. He was sitting just below Li Qingpeng. Li Rouyun''s voice, which was wrapped in resonant power, transmitted into Li Luo''s ears. "He is the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Gold Light Hall Master. His name is Zhao Xuanming, and he is the only Hall Master that is not a direct descendant." "Gold Light Hall''s Hall Master, huh? Zhao Xuanming." Li Luo''s gaze flashed. This was not too low nor high. Amongst the four halls of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, three of the Hall Master positions were held by the old man''s three sons. The fact that this individual held his current position meant that he was powerful in his own right. At the same time, the fact that this man had the courage to question Li Jingzhe''s decision also meant that things were not so simple. Li Luo retracted his gaze. Clearly, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was not monolithic. Chapter 0741: Zhao Xuanming Chapter 0741: Zhao Xuanming Gold Light Hall Master Zhao Xuanming''s voice echoed throughout the ancestral hall, causing the atmosphere within to change. "Hall Master Zhao, Respected Father is the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Who are you to question his decisions?" This was instantly met with a rebuke from Li Luo''s Second Uncle, who had a cold smile and a rude tone. It seemed as though he possessed a bad relationship with Zhao Xuanming. Zhao Xuanming had not been promoted to the position of Hall Master by the old man, but was a recommendation from the Mountain Ruling Lineage. Simply put, it was a nail inserted by them. Although he could not do much with the old man in charge, Zhao Xuanming still acted respectfully and did not dare to go overboard. But in the end, it still elicited feelings of discomfort amongst the group. Additionally, Zhao Xuanming was also quite capable. Ever since he joined the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, he continuously nurtured and promoted individuals from the outside, and a large majority of the individuals in the current Gold Light Hall were outsiders. Those that were from the Li clan were a minority. However, it had to be said that the Gold Light Hall had developed immensely in the past few years. Originally, the Green Nether Hall was the strongest, but it had suffered immensely with Li Taixuan''s departure. The Gold Light Hall took the opportunity to arise, becoming the leader amongst the four halls. Li Qingpeng was not combative by nature and did not wish to clash with Zhao Xuanming headfirst. Li Jinpan, on the other hand, was fiery and aggressive. Thus, he had constantly struggled against Zhao Xuanming but was often bested. Li Taixuan was the most impressive of Li Jingzhe''s three sons, and the first and second sons were far behind in comparison. Of course, no matter how capable Zhao Xuanming was, none of it mattered if he did not step into the King Stage. Ultimately, the old man was the sovereign of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, and everything was ruled by his iron fist, easily suppressing any discontent. However, most importantly, the old man was stern and upright. He would not act with bias just because Li Jinpan was his son. On the contrary, he allowed Zhao Xuanming to continue to compete against him, and it allowed the limelight to shine upon Zhao Xuanming and his Gold Light Hall for all these years, causing their momentum to strengthen. Zhao Xuanming was unfazed when faced with Li Jinpan''s retort. He only slowly and respectfully said to the old man, "If the Lineage Chief wishes to do so, then I will gladly obey. However, the Lineage Chief has always put the rules first, and this is something that is a little out of the norm. Li Luo is the Third Master''s son and his return to the clan is worth celebrating. Being entered into the clan records is also expected. However, directly entering the upper records would break the rules of meritocracy which the Dragon''s Fang Lineage has always been known for. There are numerous clan members who have gone through numerous trials and demonstrated their strength and results to take this step. If Li Luo has not had these experiences and directly ascended, I''m afraid the youths of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage might be discouraged and feel that things are unfair once they hear about it. Thus, it would not be beneficial to Li Luo in the future either." Zhao Xuanming''s words were rigorous and watertight; no one could pick any fault with them. Even Li Jinpan could only stare furiously as he could do nothing to refute it. The elders of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage were silent. Some even sided with Zhao Xuanming as his words were quite reasonable. Li Jingzhe looked ambivalent as he turned towards Li Luo. "Little Luo, what do you think?" "I''ll respect Respected Grandfather''s will," Li Luo replied calmly. Li Jingzhe then smiled. "What Zhao Xuanming says is indeed sensible. The people of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage have always followed the rules, and if they were broken because of Li Luo, it would only invite resentment and unhappiness." "Father!" Li Jinpan frowned. His old man did not have to respect Zhao Xuanming''s words. His will was the way, and no one could change that. If he had decided it to be the case, Zhao Xuanming would not dare to cause any trouble, even though he had the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s support. Did anyone really think that they would not give his old man any face? Li Jingzhe waved his hand. "However, there is one more way to enter the upper records." Everyone was slightly taken aback by these words. Some of the elders murmured, "Is the Lineage Chief referring to..." Li Jingzhe nodded. "The Dragon Bell." This caused surprise amongst the group as no one had thought about it. The Dragon Bell was something the Ancestor had personally refined. Each of the lineages possessed one, and he had once decreed that all members of the bloodline, regardless whether they were a direct descendant or not, were eligible to ring the bell if they possessed confidence in their own talents. If they were successful, they would enter the upper records directly. However, those who were capable of this feat were a small group. One had to possess exceedingly extraordinary talent to succeed, and only a handful were capable throughout the years. "Li Luo, do you possess a dragon resonance? What grade is it?" Li Qingpeng hurriedly asked. This was the most basic requirement. Li Luo honestly replied. "My dragon resonance is at the sixth-grade." The atmosphere in the hall turned cold at that moment. The smile on Li Qingpeng''s face froze, whereas Li Jinpan looked confused. Li Luo was Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan''s son. With both of them having been blessed with exceptional talent, their child should not have fallen too far from the tree. By their estimates, shouldn''t Li Luo possess a dragon resonance of at least the eighth-grade? How did it turn out to be a sixth-grade? Even Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi were a little taken aback as they glanced at each other, unsure of what to say. A sixth-grade dragon resonance was just average in the clan. Although one''s resonance grade did not represent all of one''s ability, those that had reached the Duke Stage with a sixth-grade only managed to do so with great difficulty. Even Zhao Xuanming felt like this response was out of his expectations, and a look of regret appeared on his face. However, Li Jingzhe remained calm, and it did not seem like Li Luo''s answer had any effect on him. Instead, he continued, "Do you have the confidence and courage to ring the Dragon Bell?" Li Luo took a good, hard look at Li Jingzhe, whose abstruse eyes were full of wisdom. Clearly, his grandfather had already noticed his triple resonances, and his words demonstrated his hope that Li Luo would take on the challenge. Li Luo pondered over the situation before finally understanding his grandfather''s hidden meaning in the question he had posed. He wanted him to reveal his talent, and it would quell all doubts. After all, he was Li Taixuan''s son, and many individuals would naturally look down upon him for coming from the outer divine continent, having been raised in a barren land devoid of resources. There was this stigma he had to wash away and overcome; otherwise, it would only invite further ridicule and doubt. Thus, Li Luo could ring the Dragon Bell and receive the resources he so required. And no one would doubt him any longer after that. Coincidentally, this was just what Li Luo wanted. He had never planned to hide in the shadows and bide his time. He was confident in his triple resonances, and now that he was in the inner divine continent, where the truly talented were as plentiful as the clouds, he would demonstrate that he was no weaker than any of them. There was no need to hide. Instead, he would reveal his brilliance and bask in the light, taking all of the resources he required to push to the Duke Stage. Thus, he flashed a self-assured smile, nodding in response. "Respected Grandfather, I am willing to try." Li Luo''s answer caused his Eldest Uncle to feel a pang of anxiety. He sighed and glanced at Li Jinpan. If Li Luo had confidence in himself, that was great. However, he was most afraid of the foolhardiness of youth, unwilling to admit defeat even when the odds were against them. If it came to be that Li Luo was unable to ring the Dragon Bell, would he not become the butt of everyone''s jokes? Although numerous individuals were unable to ring the bell, Li Luo was still Li Taixuan''s son. Li Taixuan was simply an incandescent sun with incomparable influence within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Even after all these years, people were still unwilling to say that he had already left. In their eyes, he was still an expert amongst the peak of those in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, his graceful bearing suppressing all the other professed geniuses of his generation. "Father, perhaps you might want to reconsider," Li Qingpeng cautioned. He was ignored. Li Jingzhe directly stood up and walked to the back of the ancestral hall. With that, the group followed behind. Li Luo similarly followed. Before long, he noticed that Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao had caught up and were right beside him. "Little Brother! You''re too impulsive! You dare to ring the Dragon Bell with just a sixth-grade resonance?" Li Jingtao bitterly smiled. "Hmph! You''re no longer young and yet you''re still so easily provoked into action? What''s the point of showing off? If you fail here, you''ll invite endless humiliation!" Li Fengyi lectured with a frosty expression. When faced with the two''s good-natured advice, Li Luo smiled but did not say much, only quietly listening. The group passed through the ancestral hall to a location overlooking a steep cliff. The area was shrouded in clouds and there was a massive, bluestone boulder in front of them with a single large, mottled bell sitting atop it. Ancient patterns of dragons were engraved upon the bell, giving off a mysterious and heavy atmosphere. "Go ahead, Little Luo, Li Jingzhe said as he looked at the giant bell. Li Luo nodded as he flashed a smile at Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi. With that, he calmly ascended the gigantic, bluestone boulder under everyone''s attentive gazes before casually picking up a stone hammer by the side. Chapter 0742: Dragon Bell Chapter 0742: Dragon Bell Atop the cliff, many eyes were focused upon the young man standing beside the mottled, ancient Dragon Bell. Some rays of sunlight had pierced through the clouds, blanketing Li Luo in warmth. The youth''s grayish-white hair reflected the sun, and his face that had inherited the best features from his father was the very picture of a handsome young man in the peak of his youth. Li Fengyi greatly admired her little brother''s appearance and hence commented to Li Jingtao. "If ringing the Dragon Bell did not require talent but was dependent on one''s looks, our Little Brother wouldn''t even have to lift a pinky. Merely standing by the bell would cause it to ring by itself." Li Jingtao bitterly smiled as he said with all earnestness, "Fengyi... you should not be fixated on looks. That''s simply too shallow. What seems precious might very well be ruined inside if all you focus upon is one''s external facade. Looks cannot compare to a higher grade resonance." Li Fengyi glared at him before slowly replying, "Li Jingtao, you simply have never experienced what it''s like to have good looks. Since you can''t attain it, then you shouldn''t speculate on how useful another''s appearance might be. That''s quite shallow of you." "Please! I''m not that ugly," Li Jingtao protested. "Depends on who you''re comparing yourself to," Li Fengyi casually replied. Li Jingtao felt like there was no more point in continuing this conversation, so he immediately changed the topic. "Do you think Little Brother will succeed?" Li Fengyi''s willow leaf-like eyebrows turned into a frown and she shook her head. "I don''t know... If he really only possesses a sixth-grade dragon resonance, then I''m afraid not. "However, I dont think hes an idiot. The moment I met him, I knew that he was intelligent," Li Jintao stated. "Are you saying he''s hidden his strength?" Li Fengyi asked in surprise. "Well, he said he has a sixth-grade resonance, and I don''t think he''s lying. There''s not much point in doing so." Li Jingtao shook his head, indicating his doubts. "We just have to look and see." As the two younger generation youths conversed, Li Qingpeng grabbed hold of Li Jinpan and asked with a hint of concern, "Have any sixth-grade resonances been capable of ringing the Dragon Bell in the past hundred years?" Li Jinpan shook his head and sneered. "What are you talking about? How could someone with a sixth-grade resonance even be eligible to do so?" Although the rules dictated that anyone in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li could attempt to ring the bell, if a sixth-grade clan member wished to take on this challenge, they would have to convince the clan elders. If someone like this so much as informed just their superiors, they might very well have the idea beaten back into them. It would simply be a waste of everyone''s time. Li Qingpeng sighed helplessly as he shot a quick glance at Li Jingzhe, whose hands were folded behind his back. The old man seemed very calm and his presence soothed his anxious heart. He knew how the old man felt towards his Third Brother, and Li Luo was his brother''s son. Naturally, Li Jingzhe''s affection would extend to Taixuan''s offspring as well, and he clearly had already demonstrated his love for Li Luo. Since the old man was the one who had added fuel to the fire, there was no need for him to worry excessively. With that in mind, he finally managed to reassure himself. Perhaps his brother''s son had not revealed his talent as of yet. Meanwhile, Li Luo was standing before the massive bell, his hand tightly clutching the stone hammer as he focused upon the ancient dragon engravings on the bell''s surface. He could distinctly feel that just revealing dual resonance power was sufficient to ring the bell. However, there was no need to hold back. Since he was going to show off, it was time to go all out. With that thought in mind, he roused all three resonant palaces within him, and a deluge of resonant power surged forth, circulating around his body. Two thousand strands of abstruse fiend light shot out from the waterlight resonant palace and entered the three resonant powers. With their support, his resonant power became much more dense and forceful. Li Luo did not hesitate to turn the three streams of resonant power into three massive pythons. They entangled themselves into one and then entered the stone hammer in his hand. At the same time, a gorgeous bloom of light spread from the originally dull, gray, stone hammer. The moment the resonant power was revealed, the gazes of everyone present changed and looks of surprise surfaced. Li Luo, on the other hand, continued undeterred, raising the stone hammer before smashing downwards with all his strength. The sheer force of the hammer shattered the air and created a sonic boom. A breath later, it struck the mottled bell squarely before everyone''s attentive looks. At this moment, even the atmosphere seemed to have frozen over. The surrounding Dukes could see three different types of resonant power flow out upon collision. The engraving of the dragon upon the bell seemed to have come alive, directly blooming with a faint light as it began to swim across the bell''s surface. At that very moment, the dragon''s mouth opened. Dong! The thunderous sound of a bell ringing resounded throughout Dragon''s Fang Mountain. The sound was loud and clear, as if it could penetrate any and all obstacles. Additionally, the sound of a dragon''s roar could faintly be heard mixed into that ring. The melodious ringing of the ancient bell very quickly resounded throughout the entirety of the mountain and even continued to disperse throughout the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range like the blowing wind. This caused countless individuals from the area to raise their heads and look inquisitively in the direction of Dragon''s Fang Mountain. "This ringing... it''s the Dragon Bell!" "Did someone manage to ring it?" "Who is it?" Endless shocked voices turned into a furor throughout the area. Just as everyone got excited, the elders of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had fallen silent. Their eyes were like saucers as looks of awe surfaced on their faces. Li Luo had actually managed to ring the Dragon Bell! Of course, the truly mind-boggling thing was that Li Luo was no longer able to hide his resonant power when the bell rang out, so three different kinds of resonant power had spilled forth. Three resonant powers with completely different properties. Everyone was clearly able to discern the difference. The stream of shimmering, azure light that flowed fluidly and unbroken should have come from a water resonance. The stream of green light that was filled with vigorous vitality was from a wood resonance. The last one that had manifested a dragon''s illusion was the most easily recognized as it was a common resonance in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, a dragon resonance. Three different sorts of resonant powers with the water resonance being the strongest, followed by the wood and then the dragon resonances! Was this the triple resonances possessed by a King? No! The elders quickly regained their composure. It was simply three different resonant powers and not the fusion of triple resonances that Kings possessed. What in the world was this? Their thoughts churned before the realization hit them. This was a triple resonance user! Li Luo was born with triple resonances! A triple resonance user was a genius that was rarely seen on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. It was no less outstanding even when compared to a ninth-grade resonance. This sort of talent should not have any difficulty ringing the Dragon Bell. On the side, Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi were staring dumbfounded at the three resonant powers circulating above Li Luo''s head. They glanced at each other before realizing how naive they were. Did they truly believe that their Little Brother would dare to do such a thing without anything backing him up? Indeed, Li Luo had not lied. His dragon resonance was only at the sixth-grade. However, he didn''t mention anything about his two other resonances! As the two were left reeling from the shock, Li Qingpeng started to clap. He looked elated and laughed heartily. "Good boy. You really are Third Brother''s son!" It was no wonder Li Luo looked unworried. He had the substance to back his claims. If he had failed to ring the bell with such talent, then the bell had to be broken in some way! On the other side, Zhao Xuanming was similarly lost in a daze. He then felt Li Jingzhe''s gaze upon him, and the usually stern Lineage Chief began to grin. "Good enough? Can we make an exception for my family''s little hidden dragon now?" Chapter 0743: Five Guardian Armies and the Twenty Banners Chapter 0743: Five Guardian Armies and the Twenty Banners Listening to Li Jingzhe''s elated words, Zhao Xuanming similarly smiled as he respectfully said, "The Lineage Chief has sharp eyes. Li Luo''s talent is extraordinary and uncanny. As a triple resonance wielder, he would be a peak level genius anywhere in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. "Li Luo, you truly are the son of the Third Master." The rest had similarly been roused from their daze, but their faces were still full of surprise as they looked at the youth beside the Dragon Bell. No one had ever expected the boy who had returned from the outer divine continent to possess such outstanding talent. He had three resonances despite only being at the Fiend Palace Tier, which was as big of a deal as a ninth-grade resonance. Li Qingpeng was full of smiles as he looked on appreciatively. This nephew of his reminded him of his brother. Li Jinpan nodded. "His resonance talent isn''t bad at all. However, I wonder how his understanding of resonance arts fares in comparison. He should still be in the lesser Fiend Palace Tier, right? His tier is a bit low, but it should be due to the lack of resources available in the outer divine continents. So long as we provide him with what he needs, catching up to Jingtao and Fengyi should not be difficult." Li Jingzhe''s usually stern face was also beaming as he turned to the rest of the lineage elders. "Now that Little Luo has rung the Dragon Bell, he will directly enter the upper records." At this point, there was no longer any disagreement. Li Luo had followed the rules to the letter, and anyone who dared to speak against this was clearly just out to cause trouble. Li Luo hopped down from atop the massive, bluestone boulder with a face full of calm. He did not reveal even the slightest hint of arrogance despite accomplishing such a feat. Then he clasped his hands towards Li Jingzhe and the rest. Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi walked over as they curiously studied Li Luo. "Little Brother, you are truly capable! You hid your strength so well!" This was met with a veiled smile. "I had thought that the entire inner divine continent was full of eighth and ninth-grade resonances, thus I felt it was better to have a lower profile." The two rolled their eyes. Although the inner divine continent was endowed with more resources, eighth-grade and ninth-grade were not as common as cabbages! "Now that you''ve directly vaulted into the upper records, you''ve saved quite a significant amount of time and can obtain a good amount of cultivation resources every month. Most importantly, there are upper-grade Fiend Origin Pills and liquids and lights. The value of these items is close to several hundred thousand Skygold," Li Fengyi explained. An excited glint flashed through Li Luo''s eyes. "Upper-grade Fiend Origin Pills? Spirit Liquids and Purifying Lights?" These were the cultivation materials he most needed, and they could accelerate his refinement of abstruse fiend lights and strengthen his resonances. "Cultivation resources worth hundreds of thousands a month?" Li Luo secretly wet his lips. This was the foundation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li! Just entering the upper records would give him more cultivation resources than any power in the Xia Kingdom could possibly sustain. Of course, this impossibility was only if they wanted to sustain a large number of individuals. If it was limited to just a few, the royal court might very likely be able to. Still, this was not sufficient for Li Luo. This was a bountiful amount to most individuals, but Li Luo understood his own problems. He required a sea of spirit liquids and purifying lights as there was no limit to how much he could use. As long as he had them on hand, he could keep using them. His waterlight resonance had reached the upper seventh-grade, and Li Luo planned to quickly advance it to the eighth-grade. Just as he was pondering how to obtain even more resources, Li Qingpeng suddenly opened his mouth. "Father, Little Luo has entered the clan records, so he should also enter a hall." "Why don''t you have him enter the Crimson Cloud Hall as one of the hall''s Crimson Cloud Bannermen? I will definitely spare no expense in nurturing him." Li Jinpan took the opportunity to pipe up. Li Luo had demonstrated unquestionable talent, and he would definitely reveal his radiance to the world if he could maintain the position of a Crimson Cloud Bannerman for just a year. After hearing Li Jinpan''s suggestion, Li Fengyi''s eyes lit up and she patted Li Luo''s shoulder. "My father''s recommendation is a great idea. With your age, you should enter the ranks of the bannermen. Once you become a Crimson Cloud Bannerman, no one will dare to cause you any trouble with me by your side." "Crimson Cloud Bannerman?" Li Luo asked curiously. "It looks like Aunt Yun did not explain everything to you. It does make sense. Becoming a bannerman is one of the most important things for those of the bloodline. Perhaps she wanted you to make your own decision when it came to it." Li Jingtao smiled. "Then I would like to beseech Eldest Brother to explain more," Li Luo said pleadingly. "As you might already know, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li is split into the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Each lineage has four halls and each hall has a single banner. The banner is named after our hall, and thus the Violet Spirit Hall possesses the Violet Spirit Banner and the Crimson Cloud Hall has the Crimson Cloud Banner. The Five Lineages thus have twenty banners. They consist of the most elite youths of our bloodline in the Dragon''s Fang Domain. Countless exceptional youths seek to enter their ranks. It is the greatest honor, and once you enter their ranks, you are able to enjoy much more cultivation resources than the rest." At this point, Li Luo gained some understanding of the Twenty Banners. It was a way for the clan to pick and selectively nurture the best of the best. It was similar to what the college had done, but once chosen, it was equivalent to becoming an official force under the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Thus, one would naturally no longer possess as much freedom compared to being, say, a Seven Astral Pillar of the college he used to be in. "You have to know that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li rules over hundreds of millions of individuals. Each banner has over eight thousand individuals under it, and so the twenty banners mean that there are over one hundred and sixty thousand individuals. Everyone is constantly fighting for the honor to join them every year, willing to bleed and die for it." "This is something the Ancestor determined, and the vast majority of the Dukes that now belong to the clan were once part of the Twenty Banners at some point in their lives." Li Luo felt shocked by this. Twenty banners and one hundred and sixty thousand individuals was a veritable army! Seeing Li Luo''s expression change, Li Fengyi grinned. "Do you think that the Twenty Banners are the only force that our clan possesses?" Li Jingtao similarly smiled. Although the Twenty Banners are constantly discovering fresh talent for the clan, the true protectors are the Five Guardian Armies. They are the true defenders of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages." "What are the Five Guardian Armies, then?" Li Luo asked as he sighed. "Each lineage has a Guardian Army. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage is protected by the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." "Being able to enter the Five Guardian Armies is the dream of every youth. In order to even qualify to step into their gates, one has to be at the Heavenly Dipper General Stage. Fengyi and I plan to join it next year," Li Jingtao explained. Li Luo felt his head spin. Only Heavenly Dipper Generals could join the Dragon''s Fang Guardians? This was a frightening thought. In the Xia Kingdom, every single Heavenly Dipper General was considered a supreme expert able to lead an army, but they would only be an elite foot soldier here. If the Dragon''s Fang Guardians were to band together, just what sort of explosive strength could they demonstrate? Li Fengyi seemed to read Li Luo''s thoughts, and she proudly said, "The Heavenly Dragon''s Five Guardian Armies, when combined, can form the Heavenly Dragon Formation, which is able to slaughter Kings!" This tyrannical declaration caused Li Luo to turn numb. An army of experts that were able to kill a King? The only thing that could summarize his thoughts of a Heavenly Emperor power was a single word. Terrifying. Chapter 0744: Choosing a Banner Chapter 0744: Choosing a Banner Li Luo''s shock seemed like a normal reaction to Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao. Additionally, the Five Guardian Armies were renowned throughout the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent as the most stalwart and absolute defenders of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. The guardians might not be that impressive when scattered, but once they gathered to form the terrifying Heavenly Dragon Formation, even an ordinary King Stage cultivator would have to avoid its might. Additionally, this was just one of the trump cards the clan possessed to deal with invaders. "The Dragon''s Fang Guardians might be an aim a little far for you. However, the Twenty Banners should be appropriate. Once you enter a Banner, you will be provided additional resources on top of what is allocated to you based on your current status." Li Jingtao smiled. At this point, he lowered his voice. "Everyone wants cultivation resources, and one must demonstrate their personal might to obtain them. Third Uncle was like that as well. He entered the Green Nether Banner and carved a path of his own to stand out amongst the rabble, eventually becoming the head of the Four Banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." Li Luo nodded. The Twenty Banners was one of the foundational pillars of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, and only the continuous emergence of fresh blood could guarantee its survival. He was also excited over the extra resources he could obtain after entering a banner. "As of today, I am the Violet Spirit Banner''s Banner Leader, and Fengyi is the Crimson Cloud Banner''s Banner Leader. You might be a little weaker now, Little Brother, but your talent isn''t bad. I''m sure you''ll have an opportunity to rise in the future," Li Jingtao continued. "Is the Banner Leader the head of a Banner?" Li Luo asked. "Mhm. Every Banner is led by a Banner Leader. Below them are also countless other subleaders that assist with commanding," Li Fengyi explained. "Wow, I''ve been too disrespectful to the two of you. It turns out I''m in the company of two great generals who command eight thousand men each!" Li Luo sighed. This sigh was genuine. From a certain point of view, each of them commanded a Banner that held eight thousand individuals. Furthermore, they were the most talented youths from the Dragon''s Fang Domain. If such a force were placed in the Xia Kingdom, they would crush all opposition without exception. This sort of strength was something House Luolan simply could not produce. When Jingtao heard his words, he sighed once again and weakly commented. "My biggest regret is taking on the position of the Violet Spirit''s Banner Leader." Li Luo was a little confused, while Li Fengyi coldly snorted. "Ignore this fool. He''s just lazy and wants to slack around all day. He has no desire to advance. Because hes the eldest grandson, he actually allowed the Gold Light Banner to vault over all of us and become the strongest hall in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Now the members of the other lineages have been making fun of us for letting the reins get snatched away by outsiders. In the future, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage might deteriorate to the point where we have to follow them." Li Jingtao looked a little awkward at this point. "Fengyi, the Gold Light Banner also represents the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. The stronger they are, the more potential the Dragon''s Fang Lineage possesses." "You can quibble over the details, but do you know just how many clan members from our generation have been cursing at you behind your back?" Li Fengyi coldly smiled. Jingtao bitterly smiled as he lamented, "I''ve never let them see the good side of me either. If not for my father threatening to beat me, I would never have chosen to compete for the position of Banner Leader." He then scratched his face as he looked at Li Luo. "Little Brother, why don''t you join the Violet Spirit Banner? Once you become stronger, I''ll cede the position to you! The pressure at the top is just too much for me to handle." Li Luo was completely dumbfounded by this Eldest Brother of his. It was no wonder he gave off such a leisurely and lackadaisical aura. He simply did not have much fighting spirit. "You shouldn''t be called Li Jingtao. Your name should be Li Gui," Li Fengyi chastised.[1] Li Jingtao did not become mad when faced with Li Fengyi''s mockery. Instead, he revealed an amiable smile to reassure her. Li Luo shook his head. His Eldest Brother was not that old, yet he was so mild-tempered. In terms of personality, he really was like an old tortoise. Still, he had a great temper and much patience, which gave Li Luo a good impression of him. His Second Sister, Li Fengyi, was ferocious and intense, her tongue as sharp as her sword. However, she did not have bad intentions and was just frustrated when things were not as she had expected. "So the Gold Light Banner is the strongest at the moment, huh?" Li Luo asked. The Gold Light Banner belonged to the Gold Light Hall, and Zhao Xuanming, who had previously raised objections, was their Hall Master. Li Fengyi nodded. "Ten years ago, the strongest banner was the Green Nether Banner. You probably understand why. Third Uncle was the Hall Master, and he was the most outstanding individual of his generationhe even received the Ancestor''s recognition. Naturally, all sorts of geniuses and talents, not just from the Dragon''s Fang Domain, but those from the other four domains, similarly wanted to join the Green Nether Hall. Green Nether''s admissions was the most rambunctious event amongst all of the lineages'' halls whenever it happened." From her words, it was clear that she idolized Li Taixuan. But immediately after, her expression turned gloomy. "However, ever since Third Uncle left, the situation has been getting worse each year. There has been no Hall Master and the internal situation turned chaotic, losing much of its previous prestige and power. As a result, the Green Nether Banner gradually weakened. Let''s not even talk about how it used to be the best amongst the Twenty Banners, it''s now ranked last in the whole Dragon''s Fang Lineage!" Li Luo nodded. This was no surprise to him. Li Taixuan was the core of the Green Nether Hall, and with him being gone for countless years, the Green Nether Hall had obviously deteriorated to its current state. As the three youths continued to stealthily whisper amongst themselves, a debate had broken out between the elders. Li Jinpan and Li Qingpeng both wanted Li Luo. At the same time, even Zhao Xuanming had thrown his hat into the ring, wishing to contest for Li Luo to join his hall. Of course, no one really knew what he was truly thinking, but this very action was testament to Li Luo''s potential. In the end, the Lineage Chief waved his hand, indicating he had come to a decision. "Stop fighting over him. Li Luo is of Taixuan''s blood. Hes been away from the Green Nether Hall for years, yet you still want to dig up what little is left?" Li Jingzhe smiled. "Then we should let Little Luo join the Green Nether Hall, entering the Green Nether Banner. I''ll arrange a position for him within." He then turned towards Li Luo and smiled. "What do you think, Little Luo?" Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi felt a little disappointed upon hearing these words, and Fengyi piped up. "Respected Grandfather, the Green Nether Banner has become the most chaotic group amongst all of the Twenty Banners. The competition for the Banner Leader has also raged fiercely for so many years that it has been left empty. It is a thorny location where everyone shuns, and yet you actually want Little Brother, who has barely entered the Fiend Palace Tier, to take over? How can he keep anyone under control? Additionally, by giving him a position of importance within the Banner, are you not pushing him into the fire? Based on the rules, even the sub leaders are required to possess Fiend Body Tier strength." This outburst was not because she did not believe in Li Luo''s strength, but because she was all too clear of the Green Nether Hall''s internal situation. If Li Luo was not strong enough, it would only incite endless trouble! Li Luo might be special, but endless tides of blood had been shed in the Green Nether Banner in recent years. "Fengyi, how can you speak to your grandfather like that?" Li Jinpan lectured. A smile rose on Li Jingzhe''s face. "Fengyi speaks the truth, but I believe that what''s most important is Little Luo''s opinion." Everyone then turned towards Li Luo, who gave a slight grin. "The Green Nether Hall is where my father led in the past. He was previously the one who brought the Green Nether Banner to prominence, and now that he''s temporarily not around, I''ll have to give him a hand as his son. That is what I hope to achieve." In short, he was willing to join the Green Nether Banner as he could also feel that his grandfather similarly wished for that. Li Jingzhe smiled broadly. "Commendable courage." The group knew that the decision had been made and that it could not be changed. There would now be a new sub leader with a special identity in the Green Nether Banner. The Gold Light Hall''s Zhao Xuanming similarly smiled and nodded before turning to look at a specific individual. At this point, a thin man dressed in white with a sharp face sensed that this was the right moment, so he stood up. "Lineage Chief, there is one more matter which I hope you can make a decision on today." The gazes of the audience turned towards the white-robed man. Li Fengyi then whispered into Li Luo''s ear, "This is the Green Nether Hall''s Vice Hall Master, Zhong Yushi. I feel that he is going to raise the subject of ascending to the Hall Master''s position yet again. It is well known that he has always coveted Third Uncle''s position as the Hall Master." At this point, the old man indifferently replied, "Oh, it''s you, Zhong Yushi. What is it about?" Zhong Yushi immediately bowed and respectfully greeted the Lineage Chief before proceeding to speak. "The Green Nether Halls Hall Master position has been vacant for many years now. As a result, the internal situation is fragmented and chaotic. This has lasted for almost ten years, and it has significantly affected the Green Nether Hall. For the sake of ensuring that the Dragon''s Fang Lineage continues to improve, I beseech you, Lineage Chief, to... decide upon a new Hall Master!" 1. Jingtao basically means the whale that creates tsunamis. Very epic sounding. Gui means tortoise. Heh. ? Chapter 0745: Results Chapter 0745: Results Zhong Yushi''s words stifled the air. The people present were all elders of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, and some were extremely senior. The other Hall Masters were also present, and everyone knew what he meant. It was about obtaining the Green Nether Hall''s Hall Master position. After all, Zhong Yushi had spent many years cooped up in the Green Nether Hall and remained as the Second Hall Master. Although he had accumulated significant power over the years, whenever anyone mentioned the Hall Master, they would naturally think of Li Taixuan, which made him feel extremely unreconciled. As for the issue of the empty Hall Master seat of the Green Nether Hall, even the Mountain Ruling Dragon''s Blood Lineage had asked about it. In fact, they had shown signs of wishing to intervene directly. However, this was only met with the same answer. This was an internal affair of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and not for outsiders to get involved. As the Mountain Ruling Lineage, the Dragon''s Blood Lineage had the right to supervise the other four lineages, but the old man had always adamantly held on and blocked the issue completely. Although the Dragon''s Blood Lineage was unhappy with the Lineage Chief''s stubborn refusal, the root of the problem was the fact that they had indirectly forced Li Taixuan away. As such, they could only restrain themselves and not interfere. Thus, the position of the Hall Master had remained vacant for ten-odd years, turning into the only hall without a Hall Master. However, Zhong Yushi had once again raised the issue, clearly unable to help himself. Li Qingpeng frowned as he replied unhappily, "Second Hall Master Zhong, the matter has been oft repeated by my Respected Father many times. Why do you wish to stir up trouble once again?" "Hm. The Green Nether Hall has been losing prestige day after day under Second Hall Master Zhong''s supervision. You dare to covet the Hall Master''s seat when youre so incapable? Don''t you think that''s laughable?" Li Jinpan impolitely replied, directly mocking him. Zhong Yushi remained calm. "The Green Nether Hall''s descent is a fact. However, everyone should also understand that without an official Hall Master to rally everyone''s hearts, they will only continue to struggle internally. Thus, I would like to beseech the Lineage Chief to re-elect a new Hall Master. I''m not raising this subject out of a desire for personal power! No, it is because I don''t wish to see the reputation which was painstakingly built up be tarnished. The Lineage Chief is just and wise, he should be clear of the situation and how it cannot be allowed to fester any longer! Thus, I would be so bold as to raise this topic once again. Please reconsider the situation of the Hall Master!" Everyone looked at the determined Zhong Yushi. It seemed as though he was committed to seeing this issue come to an end. A few elders glanced at each other and began to murmur amongst themselves. They had discussed the issue of the vacant Hall Master position before, and not having an actual Hall Master to make decisions on important matters had led to endless internal strife in the Green Nether Hall as everyone struggled to gain power. This was the truth of the matter. The current Green Nether Hall was the most chaotic of the Twenty Halls as none of the Vice Hall Masters could agree to cooperate with one another, leading to a fractured organization. "Lineage Chief, the issue in the Green Nether Hall should not drag on any further." At this point in time, the Gold Light Hall''s Zhao Xuanming spoke up sincerely. "We all know you miss the Third Master and don''t want to remove the last position he had before he left. But you must understand that he has already been gone for over ten years. The previously strongest hall has now fallen into dire chaos. The Third Master spent much effort on it and was also the one who pulled it up to the peak. I dont think that he would like to see the situation deteriorate any further." Li Jinpan smiled coldly. "Hall Master Zhao, your honeyed words are nice to hear, but one of the key reasons for the hall''s decline has to do with you. The Gold Light Hall has poached away the Green Nether Hall''s resources. Do you think we aren''t aware?" Zhao Xuanming smirked. "Second Master, you must be joking. I am the Gold Light Halls Hall Master, and I must do everything to win resources and strengthen my hall! Is this not what I ought to do? Are you saying that our strength doesn''t matter and we don''t belong to the Dragon''s Fang lineage?" "Hmph! Twisting words to fit your needs. You damn outsiders-" Li Jinpan burst into a rage and was about to fly into a tirade. However, he saw Li Jingzhe''s expression turn dark, and a mysterious, suppressive power forced his mouth shut. Li Jinpan could only obediently keep quiet. "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li does not only belong to those who are born with the surname Li. Whether one is a direct descendant or someone who joined from the outside, once they are part of the clan, their previous status no longer matters. Only results do! These are the absolute teachings of the Ancestor," Li Jingzhe indifferently stated before sternly glaring at Li Jinpan. "The next time I hear you say those words again, you will be heavily punished!" When everyone heard these words, they bowed their heads and responded respectfully. Li Jingzhe then turned towards Zhong Yushi. "The Green Nether Hall''s Hall Master seat has been vacant for countless years, and the truth is that I have left the position open for Li Taixuan." The group turned quiet, but no one expressed too much shock at this. They all knew of this. Why else would the position have been left empty for so long? However, what took them by surprise was how the Lineage Chief had openly confirmed their suspicions. "However, keeping the position empty is also selfishness on my part. It is as I said, only results matter." Li Jingzhe spoke steadily, but a majestic aura flowed from him. "The Green Nether Hall was brought up by Taixuan and was the result of his hard work. Thus, I was willing to leave the position vacant for him for the past ten years as I believed that the day he returned, he would easily take back what belonged to him." Everyone fell into deep thought, including Zhong Yushi. No one refuted this statement despite the man himself having left numerous years ago. The indelible mark he had left upon the Green Nether Hall was something no one here could forget. No one doubted his personal capabilities and charisma. It was only in Li Taixuan''s hands that the Green Nether Hall had become the leader of the twenty halls. Even the four halls under the Dragon''s Blood Lineage were firmly suppressed despite having profound reserves and heritage. If he ever returned, there would inevitably be a cleansing as the gloom would be blown away, replaced with iridescence radiance. After a while, Zhao Xuanming then opened his mouth and said lightly, "The Third Master''s merits are undeniable, but the hall has simply declined too much in his absence. I feel that no matter how outstanding his previous achievements were, there should be a time where we ought to call it quits. Additionally, we cannot let the hall continue to languish. It is still a hall of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." Zhao Xuanming''s words caused a flicker of rage to appear within Li Jinpan''s eyes. However Li Jingzhe merely smiled and nodded. "Your words are logical. In fact, the grace that was provided for the exceptional results obtained by Taixuan has long been exhausted." When Zhong Yushi heard these words, his heart burst into joy. Could it be that the Lineage Chief finally had a change of heart? "I had originally planned to remove Taixuan from his position in two years. However, it looks like the situation has once again transformed." Li Jingzhe smiled slightly. As he swept his gaze across the group, his eyes finally settled on Li Luo, and the smile became even more intense. "Taixuan might not have returned, but his son has. If his results were not enough, then what if his son were to achieve more merits on his behalf?" Chapter 0746: Defending Fathers Seat Chapter 0746: Defending Father''s Seat Li Jingzhe''s words caused a disturbance to erupt in the group, and they glanced at each other before turning towards Li Luo. The son would represent the father to obtain results? How? Even the person involved, Li Luo, was at a loss. He had never expected Li Jingzhe to lead the conversation onto him. He was as confused as the rest. What was a mere Fiend Palace Tier cultivator supposed to do? How was he going to achieve results on behalf of his father? Li Jingzhe smiled as he looked at Li Luo. "You will join the Green Nether Banner, attain the position of Banner Leader with our own strength, and lead it to its previous heights. If you''re able to achieve this, the position of the Green Nether Halls Hall Master will be left for your father. What do you think?" Li Luo blinked when he heard this. Knowing his father, that man wouldn''t care whether or not he possessed this position anyway! "If you''re able to achieve this, not only will the position of Hall Master be protected, but I will give you my word that a portion of the Hall Master''s cultivation resources will be allocated to you directly. After all, you would have also played a part in achieving the results." A look of amusement could be seen in Li Jingzhe''s deep gaze as he continued to grin. "The cultivation resources allocated to a Hall Master are no trifling matter. Just a portion of it would be an unimaginable amount to you. I''m sure you will be pleased. "So, what do you think? Are you willing to give it a shot?" Holy shit. Li Luo''s eyes enlarged and blood rushed to his head. A Hall Master was the highest position someone could hold in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage with the exception of the Lineage Chief. The resources they could enjoy had to be enough to even move a Duke. Even if he only obtained a portion, would he ever need to worry about having insufficient amounts ever again? His grandfather was the best! He was basically trying to hand him resources! Li Luo''s heart was moved, and he quickly gave the most radiant smile he could before impassionately announcing his intention. "My father''s kindness towards me has always been as heavy and immense as a mountain. As a filial son, I will go through even seas of fires and mountains of blades just to fight for him!" Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi glanced at him with peculiar looks on their faces. Didn''t he look like he was planning to reject all of this a moment ago? Why had he suddenly changed his mind in a flash? Li Jingzhe nodded and praised, "Having such a heart is truly commendable." At this point, the rest seemed to have snapped out of their stupor, especially the Second Hall Master, Zhong Yushi. The man''s face was as stiff as a rock before he blurted out his uncontrollable thoughts. "Lineage Chief, this... are you planning to leave the Hall Master''s position vacant yet again? For how long? It''s not beneficial to the Green Nether Hall!" "It won''t be long, just two more years. If Little Luo is unable to restore the glory of the Green Nether Banner, then I will immediately revoke Taixuan''s position as Hall Master," Li Jingzhe replied. Zhong Yushi''s lips twitched as he glanced vaguely towards Zhao Xuanming. The latter imperceptibly shook his head. Today''s meeting would soon come to an end and the Lineage Chief had already demonstrated his intentions. Pushing the matter further would only be detrimental. Zhong Yushi could only retract his gaze and nod bitterly. However, when his eyes lowered, a gloominess exuded from deep within. Just how could the Green Nether Banner reach new heights in just two years? With just the Fiend Palace Tier Li Luo? His current strength couldn''t even qualify him to reliably maintain a position as a sub leader. And obtaining the Banner Leader''s position? Although triple resonances were powerful, the resources of the outer divine continents were sparse. Li Luo was not considered weak when compared against the average individual in his age group, but when measured against the elites of the banner? The gap was massive. The way Zhong Yushi saw it, Li Jingzhe was merely using Li Luo as an excuse to buy another two years of time. So be it. He would just wait a little more, and if Li Luo was unable to achieve anything by then, even the Lineage Chief would have no other choice. With this in mind, he felt reassured and calmly retreated to his seat. The rest naturally had no further questions and the situation was resolved. "Little Luo, you should rest for the next two days before reporting to the Green Nether Banner. The two of you can help him arrange things." Li Jingzhe glanced at Zhong Yushi and Li Rouyun as the Second and Third Hall Masters. "We will." "We will adjourn today''s meeting." After all things had been settled, Li Jingzhe waved his hand, signifying the end. Then the crowd dispersed. "Little Luo, you, Jingtao, and Fengyi will stay behind and have a meal with me. We can speak more." Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi glanced at each other and knew that their grandfather mainly wanted to speak with Li Luo. The two of them were merely accompanying him, but they could only obediently nod in agreement. "Father, I can accompany you as well." Li Qingpeng smiled. "Mind your own business. I have nothing to say to you, only the younger generation." Li Jingzhe shook his head and waved his hand as though shooing away a fly. Li Jinpan and Li Qingpeng looked at each other but could only helplessly nod and leave with the crowd. Before she left, Li Rouyun informed Li Luo that she would take Ox Biaobiao to the Green Nether Hall and make arrangements. After everyone had left, Li Jingzhe''s stern expression turned warm and he revealed a warm smile towards his grandchildren. He then led the trio to his lodgings in the middle of the mountain. It was a simple courtyard and cabin in the midst of a bamboo forest that was filled with serenity and peace. Li Jingzhe personally dug up some fresh and tender bamboo shoots which he then used to cook some simple and light meals. He also retrieved carefully brewed wine from bamboo''s core. "This bamboo core wine is made by pouring wine into growing spirit bamboo. Ten years of aging will only produce a bitter taste, fifty years for astringency, and a hundred years for a sweetness to develop. In the past, that brat Taixuan hacked down half of my bamboo garden, all just to find a hundred-year bamboo core wine. For a period of time, I was so angry that I prohibited him from entering this place." Li Jingzhe''s wizened face had a trace of a smile despite talking about a frustrating memory. Clearly, he was in good spirits today. Li Fengyi and Li Jingztao had complicated expressions. From their grandfather''s words, they could distinctly feel his deep affection towards their Third Uncle, which was much reduced when dealing with their fathers, Li Jinpan and Li Qingpeng. Perhaps this was just how a normal family was like. Li Qingpeng was originally the oldest son and had the highest probability of receiving this sort of favor, but alas, he was not very talented. As a result, Li Jingzhe''s appreciation towards him gradually tapered off. The second son, Li Jinpan, was the most pitiful. Although his talent was better than Li Qingpengs, it was still limited, and he might have been neglected as the middle child. Li Taixuan was the third and the youngest with supreme talent and became the most adored one in the family. With such a position, even the usually stern Li Jingzhe couldn''t help but pamper him. Clearly, Li Taixuan was the one who the old man wanted to make the successor of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao also knew that their Third Uncle''s temperament and talent was amazing, far surpassing their own fathers. It was only a pity that such a thing had happened that year. The four sat around a small table, and the atmosphere turned cozy. However, the two were still a little cautious. Instead, it was Li Luo who was most relaxed. He drank with his grandfather and happily told him the things that happened when he was young in House Luolan. Everytime he did so, the old man would listen attentively. The difference was because the two had experienced their grandfather''s sternness as they grew up, respecting him from the bottom of their hearts, so it was inevitable that they felt like they were walking on thin ice. On the other hand, it was Li Luo''s first time meeting Li Jingzhe, and he simply did not know his personality. He had never experienced his grandfather''s strictness and just treated him as a slightly special old man with perhaps an even more special position. It was thanks to Li Luo''s presence that this small gathering did not turn too dull in the end. Still, Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao could not stay for long. After finishing their light meal, they hurriedly came up with reasons to take their leave. As they left the small courtyard, even Li Luo could feel that the tension in their bodies had eased. Li Jingzhe similarly watched the two young ones take their leave, and the expression on his old face eased a little. He gulped down a cup of wine before saying to Li Luo self-deprecatingly, "These old bones of mine are only good for attracting resentment and fear." "You have accumulated years of prestige, and even Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle tremble before you, much less Eldest Brother and Second Sister. I''ve only just returned and have no inkling of how amazing you are, Respected Grandfather. I''m sure I will also feel like I''m under a lot of pressure once I get used to your presence and awe." Li Luo smiled. Li Jingzhe fell silent. "Then I hope you don''t get used to it either. It''s rare to find anyone to keep me company. Feel free to come here whenever you have spare time." Li Luo smiled and nodded. Li Jingzhe then studied Li Luo''s youthful and handsome face as he smiled. "You really resemble your father." "I''ve also inherited Respected Grandfather''s elegant bearing," Li Luo continued. Li Jingzhe''s smile deepened, and he poured yet another glass of wine for himself. "There are no outsiders here, so stop calling me that." Li Luo felt a little surprised. He could see the look of hope within the old man''s eyes. The current Li Jingzhe was no longer a King Stage expert or the idolized Dragon''s Fang Lineage Chief. He was just an old man dreaming, hoping for his son to just come home. His own father''s face surfaced in Li Luo''s mind, and he then raised his own wine cup and clinked it against his grandfather''s. "Grandson Li Luo greets his grandfather." Li Jingzhe finally laughed heartily, as though set free from some of the burdens of his heart. The wrinkles on his aged face bloomed and his laughter echoed throughout the courtyard. It echoed throughout the bamboo forest, and even Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi could hear it. They lightly sighed and even envied Li Luo''s bravery. It''s not that they did not want to take things easy, but Li Jingzhe''s strict visage had been indelibly branded upon them since young, leaving behind a shadow in their hearts. "Forget it. With Little Brother accompanying grandfather, things will get easier for us." The two looked at each other once more before leaving with utmost haste. Since Li Luo was so likable, they would leave him to carry their grandfather''s heavy expectations. At least that way, their own fathers might not force them to live up to expectations they could not achieve. Chapter 0747: Grandfathers Chat Chapter 0747: Grandfather''s Chat The atmosphere had turned jovial in the small courtyard. Anyone could see that Li Jingzhe''s mood was excellent. Although his most doted son had not returned, Li Luo had been sent back to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, and that gesture demonstrated his son''s intentions. He no longer resented the Dragon''s Fang Lineage for what happened in the past. Li Luo''s personality was also to his liking. This grandson had talent that was not inferior to Li Taixuan''s and had a determined and unswerving personality. At the same time, he was able to bide his time and hide his radiance when needed. This was one area which he surpassed his father in. Perhaps it was because his own experiences growing up were different. Li Taixuan had enjoyed an unfettered life, and with the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s protection, he became a proud figure that trampled over all others without too much hardship. Perhaps it was because his life was too easy-going that he lacked forbearance during certain critical moments. It was important to stride forth confidently, but being too rigid also meant that they could snap. Li Jingzhe placed his wine cup down and earnestly said, "Little Luo, you have no need to hide your brilliance in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. This is not the same place as the Xia Kingdom. There is no need to worry about people plotting against you in the dark, and even if there are little ghosts that haunt you, sweep past them with your incandescence. So long as you follow the rules, no one can touch you." Li Luo was moved by these words. He nodded and asked directly, "Grandfather, it looks like things are not that peaceful in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, am I right?" "Are you referring to Hall Master Zhao Xuanming?" Li Jingzhe asked. Li Luo nodded. Judging from the previous atmosphere when his Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle had clashed with him, it seemed that a deep rift existed between them. "He was recommended by the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. As they are the Mountain Ruling Lineage, they have the right to do so. Of course, their aim is just to cause the Dragon''s Fang Lineage a little bit of trouble, there''s nothing too strange about this," Li Jingzhe indifferently replied. "Grandfather, you should have been able to reject this, no?" Li Luo asked curiously. Li Jingzhe was the Dragon''s Fang Lineages Lineage Chief, and all decisions would ultimately be made by him. "If your dad was around, I would definitely have chosen to do so." Li Jingzhe smiled. Li Luo was even more puzzled. If his dad were around, then Zhao Xuanming would have been an even less of a problem, no? "When your dad was around, the four halls were like obedient sheep and were able to work together to display an even more intimidating strength, suppressing the other four lineages. At that point in time, I would naturally not allow for any outsider to break up the balance and unity we had. However, our four halls have weakened with him gone, and neither your Eldest Uncle nor Second Uncle were able to pick up the mantle he left behind. At this rate, our four halls would only progressively weaken. I allowed Zhao Xuanming to join because I knew it would provide a sense of pressure for your uncles to continue to improve," Li Jingzhe explained. "So you''re borrowing him to temper my uncles?" Li Luo felt a little shocked, and he hesitated a bit before saying, "Well, it looks like the results were not that great." In the end, the Gold Light Hall had become the strongest, and it only amplified Zhao Xuanming''s reputation. His uncles were unable to do anything to hamper him. Li Jingzhe helplessly nodded in response. "My eldest son has always been ordinary and mild; he lacks the will to fight. My second son, on the other hand, is combative, but he lacks ability. The two are indeed not Taixuan''s equal. Alas, if they truly cannot suppress Zhao Xuanming, then the Gold Light Hall will have the opportunity to take the lead. It''s as Xuanming had previously said. The Gold Light Hall is part of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, and its performance reflects well upon us. With your father''s departure, the Green Nether Hall has been full of strife, and a new bellwether is needed. Whether Zhao Xuanming was truly planted to be a nail in our foot or not is unimportant as I am still around." Li Jingzhe smiled at Li Luo. A domineering aura radiated from his wizened expression, one that demonstrated his confidence to have the power to control everything. "So long as I remain as the chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, no matter how amazing Zhao Xuanming is, he will only be a poster boy for our lineage. Of course, when the day comes that I''m no longer around and there is no one to continue shouldering the lineage, then there will naturally be a change. At that point, our lineage will abdicate and we will let the best take over." Li Luo was a little shocked as he had never expected Li Jingzhe to be so open-minded. If their lineage truly did not produce any talented individuals, he was willing to hand over the reins? "There is nothing eternal in this world, and this applies to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. This is also applicable to the entire Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the other Heavenly Emperor Bloodlines. Over the passing of time, who knows just how many have disappeared into dust?" Li Jingzhe casually waved his hand before his tone changed. "However, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage has decent luck. First came Li Taixuan, then you. Haha. I really do await the day when Taixuan returns and when you finally mature. Although having the two of you around would not guarantee that we will prosper forever, at the very least, things will be extremely interesting in the future." Li Luo dryly smiled. "Grandfather, this meat pie of yours is just too heavy, I can''t take it!" "You sly little brat," Li Jingzhe berated him with a smile. "Also, Grandfather, I have two important things I need your help with." Li Luo''s expression suddenly turned serious. "Speak." "The first is regarding my parents good friend. His name is Ox Biaobiao, and on that day..." Before Li Luo could finish speaking, Li Jingzhe nodded and continued for him. "I know him. When your parents were being chased, many fair weather friends had chosen to avoid them with the exception of one, who accompanied them the whole way. Although he had a fearsome reputation, he was an individual that heavily valued loyalty and righteousness, which was extremely admirable." "Uncle Biao''s Duke Bergfrieds were all shattered that year, and I''m looking for a way to restore them. Our family owes him too much, so I wish to help him, no matter how difficult it is. I feel that my parents would agree as well." Li Luo sighed deeply. "You are a good child, able to recognize and treasure relationships," Li Jingzhe praised. No one wished for their offspring to be thankless and cold individualsLi Luo was quite similar to his father in this aspect. "I will look for a way to restore his Duke Bergfrieds." Li Jingzhe did not hesitate to make this promise. Ox Biaobiao had protected Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan the whole time that year, and from a certain point of view, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage owed him as well. "Well then, what''s the other matter? Hurry and speak." Li Luo first thanked his grandfather happily before his expression turned heavy once again. "The other reason I returned to the clan is because I wish to obtain a treasure from the clan''s treasure pavilion. It''s known as the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus, and it''s extremely important to me. Do you know how I can obtain it?" "Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus?" Li Jingzhe''s gaze concentrated upon Li Luo. "You little brat, you really know how to aim high. It is a mystical treasure that the Ancestor had obtained from the World Border. It now sits in the treasury controlled by the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Do you still want this item?" Li Luo nodded furiously. Li Jingzhe sighed. "The average individual would have great difficulty just obtaining the opportunity to obtain such a treasure. Even if it were me, I would have to have a valid reason to negotiate for it with the other four lineages. Additionally, that item is eyed by numerous Hall Masters in the clan as refining it could possibly allow them to reach a new level in strength." Li Luo''s heart sank. Li Rouyun had said such a treasure existed, but she had not mentioned anything about its desirability. If even Hall Masters wanted the item, weren''t his chances of obtaining it really low?" "There is no need for you to worry about it. I will help you block and ensure that no one else redeems it. I will also help you think of a way to obtain it legitimately," Li Jingzhe stated. "Thank you, Grandfather!" Li Luo was elated to no end. He would only have the opportunity to obtain this treasure through the assistance of his grandfather. Otherwise it was futile. Li Jingzhe then waved his hand. "Your current focus will be setting a foothold in the Green Nether Banner. Otherwise, Zhong Yushi will continue to stir trouble and snatch away your father''s position. In fact, your return has attracted the gazes of countless elders in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. I hope that-" Li Luo nodded and directly answered, "You can rest assured, Grandfather, that I will do my best to dazzle their blinded eyes." Li Jingzhe was taken aback by his abrupt reply before he burst into laughter. This grandson of his held no taboos, but his self-confidence was truly reminiscent of his father. "Good. The Green Nether Banner Leader''s position is empty right now. As a sub leader, you have the authority to issue challenges. If you are able to obtain the position of Banner Leader, I will give you an answer on how you can possibly obtain the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus." Li Luo raised his wine cup and downed it in a single go. Banner Leader? He would go through any ordeal just to obtain it. All for the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus, for Sister Qing''e. Chapter 0748: Monthly Stipend Chapter 0748: Monthly Stipend When Li Luo opened his eyes on the second day, a strange but luxurious ceiling came to view. After bidding farewell to Li Jingzhe last night, someone had arranged for him to stay in his current location, which was in the Green Nether Hall''s district. Li Luo got up from his bed and lazily stretched. After traveling for such a long period of time, this was the first time he could finally rest comfortably and at ease. At this point, several serving maids heard movement coming from his room and respectfully made their way in to assist Li Luo with his clothes. He did not reject their assistance as he did not sense the least bit of ill will, and he was more than happy to accept it. The young and pretty serving maids continued to attend to his needs, all the while stealthily observing him. His handsome face coupled with his tall and slender figure and unique, grayish-white hair made him seem unearthly, and they couldn''t help but slightly blush in his presence. The news of the Third Master''s son returning had spread throughout the Dragon''s Fang Lineage in just a day. Everyone knew that the Third Young Master had managed to ring the Dragon Bell and directly entered the upper records. Li Taixuan''s reputation was resounding in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, and despite his departure over ten years ago, everyone still vividly remembered his majestic presence. With his son''s return, they were naturally curious and much attention was paid to him. "Third Young Master, this jade building is located in the inner mountain district, and there is a cultivation chamber within. It contains a fifth-grade energy formation that is able to condense the worldly natural energy more effectively. If you wish, you can cultivate within it daily. Additionally, the Third Hall Master has dispatched someone to provide you with certain goods, saying that it is your monthly stipend. She has also said that you should rest today and wait for the matters regarding you joining the banner to be settled. You can then head towards the Green Nether Banner tomorrow," one of the serving maids softly informed Li Luo. At the same time, she passed a jade box over before respectfully standing to the side. Li Luo nodded and revealed a joyful and carefree smile, causing the group of beautiful maids to bow and retreat with blushing faces. "This ostentatious treatment of being the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Third Young Master seems to be much better than being the young lord of House Luolan." Li Luo grinned before excitedly opening the jade box. Was this the stipend he could enjoy as a member of the clan? Inside were numerous exquisite glass bottles that were neatly arranged. Li Luo immediately homed in on one of the glass bottles that contained a mysterious light. He picked it up and opened the cap, causing pristine and pure light to flow out from within. "Seventh-grade purifying lights!" Li Luo''s eyebrows jumped as he sighed in admiration. The items within the glass bottles were all seventh-grade purifying lights, and as a professional, he could tell that the quality of the items before him was extremely high. "How luxurious." Li Luo sighed as he swept his gaze across the jade box. There were eight such bottles within. If they were placed in the Xia Kingdom, they would fetch over two million Skygold. Li Luo then placed the purifying lights down and his attention shifted to a jade bottle. He picked it up and poured out a pill that emanated an immense medicinal fragrance that would cause anyone who sniffed it to feel refreshed. "Is this an upper-grade Fiend Origin Pill?" He could feel that just inhaling the pill''s fragrance caused the circulation of resonant power within his resonant palaces to accelerate. His gaze burned and his thoughts went back to the time when he was in the Astral Sage College. The Fiend Origin Pill he had received was completely inferior when compared to this one. The object in his hand was simply of superior quality. These were all cultivation materials he sorely required right at this moment. "I am able to obtain such wondrous cultivation resources every month just by being in the upper records. A Heavenly Emperor Bloodline is just extraordinary." Li Luo sighed. In the Xia Kingdom, even as House Luolan''s esteemed young lord, the resources he received would not necessarily be any better than this. Additionally, this was just one part of the resources he would be provided. Once he entered the Green Nether Banner, he would receive yet another portion. If this was coupled with good results, the amount of cultivation resources he could possibly receive was frightening. With the assistance of these materials, the gap between him and the top talents of the inner divine continents would naturally shrink. This was simply a demonstration of how large the disparity was between the inner and outer divine continents. "I''ll first test out how effective these upper-grade Fiend Origin Pills are." Li Luo stored the items back in the jade box before excitedly hurrying out of his bedroom into the cultivation chamber. The cultivation chamber was located at the top of the building, and a tall, green jade platform could be seen in the middle. If one raised their head, they could see the sky outside. When Li Luo stepped into the area, he felt moved by the sight before him. Worldly natural energy had condensed into a thick mist that permeated the entire area. The concentration of worldly natural energy was even denser than the Astral Sage College''s high-grade Tree of Resonant Power. Even House Luolan''s Skygold room could not compare. "Fifth-grade energy formation?" Li Luo''s gaze fell upon the stone platform''s vicinity. There seemed to be countless complicated runes flowing through the void. They were the basis of the formation. This formation was connected with the outside world and served as a conduit that continuously absorbed endless amounts of worldly natural energy into this cultivation chamber. An energy formation sounded simple in name, but its creation was complicated. Only a significant power with sufficient foundation could afford to construct one. Li Luo clambered atop the stone platform and sat down cross-legged. He retrieved an upper-grade Fiend Origin Pill and swallowed it without hesitation before instantly utilizing the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath and absorbing worldly natural energy in order to refine abstruse fiend light. The refinement process lasted for a full hour. As the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath circulated, the pill began to be refined within his body. After which, Li Luo noticed that not only had the resonant power in his waterlight resonance palace become slightly stronger, there were now eleven new strands of abstruse fiend light. Out of these eleven, five had been refined from worldly natural energy with the aid of the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath, whereas the other six had been the result of the Fiend Origin Pill. "Six strands far surpasses the pills provided by the Astral Sage College. Theirs was only able to refine three strands of abstruse fiend light." Li Luo was a little taken aback. These pills were literally twice as effective. Based on what he had counted, he had been given thirty upper-grade Fiend Origin Pills. When fully refined, he would have gained one hundred and eighty extra strands of abstruse fiend light. This was an incomparably large boost to his cultivation speed. Based on his calculations, his waterlight resonance palace contained around two thousand strands of abstruse fiend light with an upper limit of five thousand. Judging by his current cultivation pace, he would be able to refine seven to eight hundred strands of abstruse fiend light in a month when activating his Fiend Arts in tandem with the pill. More importantly, he could still utilize his Fiend Arts more than once a day, further adding to the amount he refined. In this case, he would probably take about three months to fill up his waterlight resonance palace. This was considered fast, but it was not sufficient for Li Luo. If he wanted to further boost the speed at which he refined abstruse fiend light, he had two choices: either obtain an even higher grade Fiend Art or much more Fiend Origin Pills. Li Luo fell into deep thought. He would have to enter the Green Nether Banner and see if there was a way to resolve his current predicament. With this in mind, he closed his eyes and continued to cultivate. While Li Luo was in the midst of his cultivation, something was stirring in the main mountain of the Green Nether Hall. Inside the Discussion Hall Zhong Yushi, Li Rouyun, and the rest of the Vice Hall Masters of the Green Nether were present. They were currently discussing Li Luo''s entrance into the Green Nether Banner. Zhong Yushi was sitting in the central seat. He looked at the other Vice Hall Masters and indifferently said, "The Green Nether Banner has five divisions, and four already have sub leaders. This leaves only the fifth division, which has yet to choose one. In accordance with the Lineage Chief''s words, Li Luo will take on the position of sub leader of the fifth division." There were a total of four of them. The other two Vice Hall Masters had no comments towards this decision, but a glint flashed through their eyes. When Li Rouyun heard this, she squinted and coldly said, "If I recall correctly, neither the third nor the fifth division had not chosen a sub leader just yesterday. How is it that only the fifth division is left today?" She had a good understanding of the problematic fifth division in the Green Nether Hall. It was no weaker than the other four, but it was the most chaotic as all of the most troublesome and thorny individuals had been thrown into it. She had originally planned for Li Luo to take over the third division, but Zhong Yushi had openly stated that only the fifth division remained leaderless. There was something fishy going about. Zhong Yushi smiled indifferently. "Yesterday''s situation is what it wasyesterday. Did the Third Hall Master not know that the third division chose a new sub leader this morning? Thus, only the fifth division is left. Does the Third Hall Master plan to personally take action and choose a new leader? If you wish to do so, I won''t stop you." Li Rouyun frowned. If she truly chose to uproot the new sub leader, Li Luo would inevitably face much criticism and enmity if he was supplanted there. Zhong Yushi was probably even anticipating this course of action. "Second Hall Master, the Respected Elder looks upon Li Luo with much favor. You don''t want to get on his bad side," Li Rouyun warned. Zhong Yushi revealed a smile. "Third Hall Master, you should not idly accuse me of things. Have I not done as the Lineage Chief ordered? This is completely within the rules, and I have not done anything wrong." Li Rouyun''s gaze turned frosty, but she could no longer be bothered to speak further, only turning to leave. Zhong Yushi grinned as he watched her go. The fifth division was simply the most chaotic and divided amongst the Green Nether Hall. Numerous members were thorny individuals, and although they were strong individually, they were also exceptionally rebellious. Li Luo being parachuted in would inevitably stir up a show. If he was unable to even overcome these troublemakers and such news spread to the Lineage Chief, it would inevitably cause doubt to fester in his heart. When that happened, trying to obtain results on behalf of his father would only become a big joke in the eyes of everyone. Chapter 0749: Fifth Division Chapter 0749: Fifth Division Evening had come, and the setting sun lit up the horizon like a waning flame. Li Luo had spent the entire day cultivating and had reaped excellent results. He had utilized three bottles of seventh-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights to temper his resonance. He had also used five upper-grade Fiend Origin Pills and in addition to utilizing his Fiend Art, so the number of strands of abstruse fiend light had increased. The speed at which he had advanced today was superior in every way compared to the time he was in the Xia Kingdom. This was the benefit of having adequate resources. Immediately after Li Luo left his cultivation, the serving maids in his jade abode prepared him a sumptuous feast full of nutritious food. As he ate, a serving maid reported that Third Hall Master Li Rouyun had arrived. With that, he wolfed down what was left of the food and immediately went outside his abode to greet her. "Little Luo, are you getting used to the place?" Li Rouyun asked with a smile. "Thank you, Aunt Yun, for helping to arrange all this." Li Rouyun nodded. "The reason I came over was to inform you about your entry into the Banner." As the two walked side by side outside the jade abode, Li Luo attentively listened to Li Rouyun''s explanation of events today. "So the fifth division of the Green Nether Banner is a bad place?" Li Luo didn''t seem very surprised as he asked the critical question. "The Green Nether Banner has eight thousand individuals, and they are all chosen from the most talented youths in the Dragon''s Fang Domain. They would be considered exceptional elites anywhere else. Precisely because of this, there are some that possess unbridled arrogance and are unwilling to cooperate with others. In the past, all of these troublemakers were thrown into the fifth division to temper their unwanted behavior. Simply speaking, the fifth division is a place full of turmoil. However, these rebellious individuals do have some unique strengths. As a whole, the first division is no weaker than the fifth division," Li Rouyun explained. "That''s not too bad. If I''m able to unite the fifth division, then I will have a solid footing in the Green Nether Banner," Li Luo said. "You''re a courageous one." Li Rouyun smiled. Li Luo did not seem to be worried at all and was instead focused on the positives. "If you can accomplish this, it will demonstrate your capability. Still, it will be no walk in the park." She removed a little booklet from her robes, which she then passed to Li Luo. "This is information on the fifth division''s fifteen hundred individuals. The top three are the most important as they are the strongest and have countless followers." Li Luo hurriedly received the booklet and started flipping through it. Mu Bi, Eighth-grade metal resonance, Silver Fiend. Zhao Yanzhi, Eighth-grade Flower Dragonfish resonance, Silver Fiend. Li Shi, Eighth-grade Golden Horned Python resonance, Silver Fiend. The Fiend Body Tier had three parts to it, Silver, Gold, and Glass. The Silver Fiend was thus the first tier. "Three Fiend Body Tier cultivators?" When Li Luo saw this, his eyebrows jumped. "Normally speaking, Silver Fiend Body strength would allow one to compete for the Banner Leader position. As the three have been thrown into the fifth division with relatively similar levels of strength, a sub leader has not been elected," Li Rouyun explained. "It''s no wonder they are rebellious and refuse to listen to each other. They are all decently strong." Li Luo nodded before continuing to scan down the list. Other than these three, the rest were mostly at the Lesser Fiend Palace Stage and comparable to him. "If you wish to turn the fifth division into your foundation, you will have to rely on your own strength to subdue this trio," Li Rouyun continued. "It''s not going to be easy. They are an entire large tier above me." Li Luo smiled. He was still only at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier. "It might be difficult, but if you feel you''re not up to the task, I can talk to the Respected Elder. I suspect Zhong Yushi meddled with the situation, and if he''s reprimanded, he will act more honestly," Li Rouyun said. But Li Luo shook his head. "If I have to pester Grandfather with such a tiny matter, it would not be helpful in allowing me to better gain a foothold in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." He had returned to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage because of his father''s machinations. There were countless eyes observing him from the dark, and if he randomly sought assistance from his grandfather, it would reflect badly upon him. He was new here, and what he needed to do was assert his presence. Thus, he could only rely upon himself. "So you''ve made your decision?" Li Luo lightly patted the booklet as he sighed and asked, "Have any of the three cultivated a Duke Art?" Li Rouyun''s smile faded as she replied, "How can that be possible? Using a real Duke Art requires one to enter the Heavenly Dipper General Stage. Even then, it is no easy feat. And in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, only a handful have actually managed to cultivate one." This caused Li Luo to feel a sense of relief in his heart. His current strength might be in the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier, but with the assistance of his triple resonances, he should not be any weaker than a Greater Fiend Palace Tier cultivator. In addition to the fusion of dual resonances and the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner as a killing move, he should be able to clash evenly against the Silver Fiend Body fellows. "Aunt Yun, I''ll go to the fifth division. There is no need to change anything. My eventual goal is to become the Green Nether Banner Leader after all," Li Luo stated. Based on what his grandfather had said, he had to bring the Green Nether Banner to greater heights, and the first step would be to carve out his own foundation and control the entire banner. Thus, the Banner Leader position was critical in his aspirations. "Banner Leader." Li Rouyun frowned. "The next Banner Leader selection is in three months. The strongest contender is actually the first division''s Zhong Ling. He is Zhong Yushi''s nephew and has reached the Gold Fiend Body Tier." "Gold Fiend Tier? What...?" Li Luo''s eyes shrank. The gap in strength was considerable, so he might not be his opponent even with his Duke Art and triple resonance power. However, three months was enough to change a lot of things. "Aunt Yun, does the Dragon''s Fang Lineage have a stronger Fiend Art?" Li Luo asked. The most important thing was to refine abstruse fiend lights, and he could cultivate even more quickly with a higher grade Fiend Art. "I assume you''re currently practicing the Five Fiends Three Revolutions Draconic Breath?" Li Rouyun asked. He nodded. Li Rouyun smiled. "That Fiend Art is unique to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. However, what you''ve learned is just the most basic amongst the Fiend Arts. In the Twenty Banners, the majority cultivate with the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath." Li Luo''s heart stirred. "The most basic? You''re saying there is a higher grade one?" "The Draconic Breath Fiend Art can be separated into three grades: Three Revolutions, Six Revolutions, and Nine Revolutions. They are Five Fiends, Seven Fiends, and Ten Fiends respectively." Li Luo sucked in a breath of cold air. A Five Fiends Art was already the best in the Xia Kingdom, while here it was just an introductory Fiend Art? How frighteningly powerful could a Ten Fiends Art be? If he cultivated it, could the pace at which he improved multiply? Li Luo felt his head spinning at the possibilities. "Why did my father just leave me a crappy, basic art, then?" Li Luo griped. If he was not so petty and left behind the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts, he might already have stepped into the Greater Fiend Palace Tier! He was basically trying to kill him! "Honestly, it was not that Taixuan didn''t want to leave you something better. It''s simply because he couldn''t. Neither the Six Revolutions nor the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath can be transmitted physically. One has to gain enlightenment of them through the Banner''s Dragon Stele, enduring the trial to obtain it. The Six Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts has been perceived by several geniuses amongst the banner. However, when it comes to the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath..." Li Rouyun shook her head. "Your father successfully managed to pass the Dragon Stele''s Trail and obtained the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath. However, no one has managed to do so in the current generation of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Banners." "Aunt Yun, there is no need to rush. There will be someone in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage that will be able to do so very soon." Li Rouyun was slightly taken aback as she understood what he was hinting at. She inadvertently rolled her eyes. This brat had thicker skin than she had expected. "Alright, alright, you''re very capable. However, I think you should be focusing on how you plan to deal with the unruly members of the fifth division. This will be the first time you''re showing your capabilities within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. If you''re unable to solve this cleanly, it will be hard to avoid rumors and doubts from spreading." Li Luo raised his head and wistfully looked towards the setting sun before smiling and nodding. How could he, as the son, lose out in terms of prestige when compared to his crappy father? Chapter 0750: Green Nether Drill Grounds Chapter 0750: Green Nether Drill Grounds The Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range consisted of a group of imposing mountains with sharp peaks that pierced the skies, much like the fangs of a dragon. A sharp aura seemed to exude from each and every one of them, seemingly able to slice through the heavens. Green Nether Peak was one of them. Within Green Nether Peak were countless drill grounds where the banner was stationed. Li Rouyun led Li Luo there in the morning. As they approached the drill grounds, they saw countless bluestone camps, sentry towers, and training grounds. Fierce shouts could be heard as the people within trained, and resonant power surges could be felt throughout the area. The drill grounds they were headed to seemed to be filled with immense killing intent that almost seemed palpable as it spilled forth into the surroundings. "It feels so turbulent here. The heavy atmosphere seems to have congealed," Li Luo said with a hint of shock as he stared at the roiling killing intent within the drill grounds. It was as though the murderous aura had fused together and become a living mass of dragons and pythons, waiting for an opportunity to erupt with monstrous intent. "When the eight thousand members of the Green Nether Banner gather and cultivate with the Draconic Breath Fiend Arts, they become one. From what we can see, there is no leader amongst this group of dragons. If a Banner Leader were present and he used a Golden Tiger Seal, that individual could gather the strength of all eight thousand in his body, and this strength would cause Dukes with weaker foundations to scurry away in fear," Li Rouyun explained. A flicker ran through Li Luo''s eyes. This was awe-inspiring. One could channel the strength of eight thousand and even fend off Dukes? He was once again reminded of a Heavenly Emperor Bloodline''s terrifying capabilities. Those of the same hall in his previous college could never achieve such an effect. They would have to battle alone, and it was difficult to join as one. "Let''s go. The Green Nether Banner has gathered, and I will present you with the sub leader''s seal. It would symbolize your official acceptance as one of the banner''s sub leaders." Li Rouyun waved her hand while Li Luo was still gawking in surprise, and a stream of resonant power enveloped him. The sound of whistling wind filled his ears right after, and a few breaths of time later, the light dissipated, leaving him atop an elevated platform. Before him was a massive training ground where flags fluttered under the howling wind. Most importantly, there were countless black shadows standing there silently and at attention. When Li Luo appeared, he could distinctly feel thousands of sharp gazes cast upon him. There were hints of curiosity, scrutiny, and dissatisfaction. Their looks seemed to have transformed into a raging wave of pressure that bore down upon him. If one was not resolute under such scrutiny, they might very well reveal a hint of weakness. Li Luo''s expression immediately turned calm after experiencing that initial bout of surprise, treating the gazes of these members like a blowing breeze. A steadfast will would not be affected by external influences. At the same time, Li Luo took the opportunity to size up the group. What he focused upon were those standing at the front. There were four individuals that were most outstanding, and they had an uncanny aura to them. Within the group of four was a dark-green-robed youth who was particularly outstanding. He had a tall and straight figure with his hair falling loosely behind his back. He seemed to be someone who acted freely and easily, but at this moment, he was intently studying Li Luo. Li Luo had seen the information on the Green Nether Banner yesterday, so he instantly recognized the individual as the first division''s sub leader, Zhong Ling. This was Zhong Yushi''s nephew and the strongest contender for the position of Banner Leader. The other three should also be the sub leaders of the remaining divisions. These three sub leaders seemed to be looking at Li Luo with looks of curiosity. Li Luo''s position was too unique, being the son of Li Taixuan, who was a legend in the banner. Li Luo''s gaze then turned towards a part of the banner that was quieter, and there were three individuals standing at the fore. The one on the far right was a female. She had a lithe body and a head of wavy, purple, long hair that fell loosely and grazed her buttocks. She seemed charming and her peach blossom-like eyes seemed to contain a seductive charm. Coupled with her ample breasts and thin waist, she had an enchanting appearance that could beguile the hearts of men with every expression she made. This was none other than Zhao Yanzhi of the fifth division. The one in the middle was a short-haired youth. He possessed an ordinary appearance, but his gaze was pointed, as though his entire being was a sword. This was Li Shi, a genius from the side branch of the clan. Finally, on the left was a burly male. His very presence was like a metal structure, immovable and exuding a sense of pressure. Mu Bi, the third Silver Fiend of the division. If Li Luo had not appeared, one of the trio would have been chosen as the sub leader. It was a pity that Li Luo''s arrival had ruined their chances. The three understood this point, and looks of undisguised enmity were shot towards him. The rest of the fifth division similarly turned towards him with looks of hostility. Although they knew of his position, having him supplanted into the division as their sub leader after returning from an outer divine continent where he spent his entire life was not a pleasant thought to most of these elites. The outer divine continents were poor and destitute lands, so they doubted him even though he had inherited the Hall Master''s amazing genetics. "Everyone, you should all know what''s going to happen today. Thus, I will not speak more. From today onwards, Li Luo will be the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division sub leader." Li Rouyun''s gaze swept across the entire field, calmly announcing her words with an aura of majesty. Before the vast might of a Duke, even the rebellious youths of the Green Nether Hall couldn''t help but bow their heads obediently. Li Rouyun''s interactions with Li Luo had always been as a close kin. It might have caused him to forget that she was the Green Nether''s Third Hall Master, and one that should not be underestimated. She exuded a suppressive and indomitable presence. The Green Nether Hall not only governed the Green Nether Banner, but also a wide swathe of land. They were in charge of two realms in the Dragon''s Fang Domain, and the territory far surpassed even the size of the Xia Kingdom. The population under their jurisdiction was in the hundreds of millions, and amongst them were countless forces as powerful as House Luolan. As the Green Nether Hall''s Third Hall Master, Li Rouyun''s every word could drastically affect the lives of the people who lived in their realms. Even if Li Rouyun was originally a warm and gentle individual, being placed in a position where one could control the lives and deaths of millions would naturally cause her demeanor to change over time. After Li Rouyun made her announcement, she stretched out her hand and a flash of light could be seen coming from her palm. A silver stone seal appeared within her grasp. "Li Luo, receive the seal," she continued. Li Luo respectfully stretched out both hands and retrieved the silver seal from her palm. Countless individuals looked at the scene with complicated expressions. The silver seal was the symbol of a sub leader. By receiving it, he would officially become the fifth division''s sub leader and lead fifteen hundred soldiers who had to listen to his every command. This also represented a form of strength. After receiving the dragon engraved silver seal, Li Luo''s gaze turned towards the training grounds and he calmly said, "The new fifth division sub leader, Li Luo, greets his comrades." The field was a plain of silence as not a single individual responded. This was especially obvious from the area where the fifth division stood. In fact, there were numerous incensed gazes. After Li Rouyun announced the succession, she did not seem to have noticed the churning atmosphere, only directly turning towards Li Luo. "You will train in the Green Nether drill grounds. If you have any issues, you can find me at the main mountain. Everything''s up to you now," she reminded him. Li Luo nodded as he understood the meaning behind her words. Although he possessed the position of sub leader, if he wanted to turn the fifth division into his loyal followers, it would be up to him. If he was unable to rein them in, such news would naturally spread and he would eventually be the butt of the joke for every member of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Perhaps they would not be laughing at him specifically. He was merely someone from the younger generation and was not qualified to receive such attention. The one they would truly mock would be Li Taixuan for producing such a weak son despite his own radiance. Li Rouyun did not say anything else, disappearing in a flash of light. The moment she left, the originally silent training grounds had turned boisterous as numerous individuals relaxed. At the same time, countless pondering expressions turned towards Li Luo. Chapter 0751: The Fifth Divisions Sub Leader Chapter 0751: The Fifth Division''s Sub Leader The moment Li Rouyun left, whispers erupted from within the training ground as the other members pondered and scrutinized Li Luo. Everyone was well aware of who Li Luo was and where he came from. Frankly speaking, he was quite illustrious, being the son of Li Taixuan and the grandson of the Lineage Chief. Based on how outstanding Li Taixuan was, he would definitely have become the next Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage if nothing had gone wrong. Thus, Li Luo could be considered to be one of the most outstanding members of the third generation in the clan. It was a pity that Li Taixuan had left and was rumored to have escaped to an outer divine continent. As a result, Li Luo had wastefully spent much of his formative years in a destitute land. He possessed an identity that was completely out of their reach and yet at the same time had a background that they could look down upon. It was such a contradictory feeling that the members simply didn''t know how they should feel towards him. "I heard that sub leader Li Luo is currently only at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier." "Haha, a Lesser Fiend Palace Tier sub leader? He must be the only one who obtained such a role in all these years. I''m truly envious." "I pity those three in the fifth division. They are all at the Silver Fiend Tier and were originally slated to compete against each other for the role. Yet someone was dropped in just like that." Whispers continued to spread, and the other four divisions looked at the fifth division with great interest, intending to spectate a show. The fifth division, on the other hand, felt a little irritated and fury arose within their eyes. "Cough." At this point, the first division''s Zhong Ling lightly coughed and clasped his hands together respectfully as he greeted Li Luo with a smile. "Congratulations, sub leader Li Luo. The Hall Master has established numerous records on behalf of the Green Nether Hall, and with your presence, you''ve created a new one yourself! Being the first Lesser Fiend Palace Tier cultivator to achieve the position of sub leader." He did not mask any of his malicious intent as his uncle had already informed him that Li Luo''s entry into the Green Nether Banner was for the sake of achieving the Banner Leader''s position. That was something he had already set his sights on, and he was unwilling to let anyone else snatch it from him. Light laughter echoed throughout the grounds. On the other hand, Li Luo remained unfazed. "There''s no need to congratulate me now. You can do so after I set even more records. That will save you some time." Zhong Ling was a little taken aback as he had not expected Li Luo to reply with such restraint. This fellow had not shown the slightest hint of being provoked because of his words, which demonstrated an uncommon will. Of course, his response to Li Luo''s words was to smile. There was no need to say anything else, so he turned to leave. Although Li Luo held a special position by virtue of his lineage and possessed triple resonances, which was a talent that anyone would envy, it was a pity he had spent his whole life without the luxury of ample cultivation resources. Naturally, how could this fellow compete? The very fact that he was still at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier already spoke for itself. There were three months till the battle for the position of Banner Leader, and Zhong Ling wanted to obtain it with his own hands, directly ending any of Li Luo''s ambitions. At that point in time, his uncle could then raise a ruckus and attempt to struggle for the Hall Master''s position. With Zhong Ling''s departure, the first division similarly took their leave. The remaining three sub leaders did not express any hostility towards Li Luo, but neither did they make an effort to draw closer. It was only instinctive that they would feel a sense of rejection towards anyone who had been bestowed this position without effort. The rest of them had gotten to this position through numerous struggles and battles, but this peasant from an outer divine continent had easily obtained something that they had spent much effort for. Thus, they felt a little disgruntled as well. Most importantly, Li Luo''s apparent strength did not reach the threshold expected of a sub leader. Thus, they assumed that the only reason he had obtained this position was because of his father. The remaining three sub leaders then clasped their hands in acknowledgement before leaving as well. They would leave this issue for the three fellows in the fifth division to solve. Strife would inevitably ignite between these two parties, and this was their internal problem now. With the other four divisions having dispersed, only the fifth division remained. However, everyone could feel that there were numerous gazes trained upon what was about to happen next. Li Luo then turned towards the fifth division and glanced at the three gloomily standing at the front of the group. "Are you unconvinced?" he taunted with an indifferent voice. Listening to Li Luo''s impolite words caused the division to rile up, and the three leaders, Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi and Mu Bi, all frowned. Their new sub leader was even more domineering than they had expected. "I don''t know. Perhaps the esteemed sub leader should tell us if we should be convinced because you''re the grandson of the Lineage Chief, or the Hall Master''s son, or perhaps because of your Lesser Fiend Palace strength," the robustly built Mu Bi glumly retorted. Li Shi took the opportunity to say, "I don''t know if the esteemed sub leader knows that there is a saying from the Ancestor in the Twenty Banners. One''s social position does not matter, only strength rules." "Oh? The sub leader has only just returned from an outer divine continent. How would he know of such rules?" someone in the group led by Li Shi mocked. This incited a wave of laughter. At the same time, Zhao Yanzhi gave a slight smile with an amorous gaze. "Sub leader, you should not get angry. Since you''re new, we have not gotten the time to know you better. Perhaps people will naturally be convinced once you''ve proven yourself." Her words carried a hint of advice. Although she was unhappy with Li Luo obtaining the position without effort, she didn''t think that there was any benefit to offending him either way. His identity and background was nothing to scoff at, and if he chose to act viciously, they would not be better off. The Ancestors words meant that all were equal in the Twenty Banners. Alas, Li Luo was not some unconnected individualhis identity alone would allow him to easily deal with them. "Mu Bi, born as a beggar on the streets within Tianmu City. He competed with wild dogs and cats for food since birth and revealed his talent afterwards. He then adopted countless orphans and vagrants, forming the Iron Dragon Gang. Then, after numerous selections, he entered the Green Nether Banner. "Li Shi, born from a declining side branch of the clan. The entire branch pooled all of their limited resources to facilitate your cultivation, and you lived up to their expectations. You stood out and entered the Green Nether Banner, becoming the beacon of hope for your branch, shouldering the important task of revitalizing it. "Zhao Yanzhi..." At this point, he no longer continued. She was born in a brothel and had been brought up by an elder sister. Her sister had devoted herself to the trade to obtain the resources to buy her freedom, finally allowing Zhao Yanzhi to escape the brothel. She then struggled and forged ahead, spending utmost effort to advance and to achieve her goal of becoming a high ranking member of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, all to obtain protection and peace for her older sister, allowing her to live out the rest of her life happily. This was information that Li Rouyun had provided him. The first two had commendable backgrounds, but as Zhao Yanzhi was a lady, there was no need to reveal such secrets to the rest. The three had similar starts in life. They all possessed difficult circumstances in the beginning, and only through bitter cultivation had they achieved their current statuses. Mu Bi, Li Shi, and Zhao Yanzhi''s expressions changed, especially Zhao Yanzhi''s. Her tense body relaxed when Li Luo had stopped himself from saying anything further. However, they knew why Li Luo had said these words. It demonstrated his knowledge of them, and even though they were unafraid of him, this did not mean that they had nothing they didn''t care about. This was a naked threat. He was suppressing them. The Third Young Master from the outer divine continent had certain methods up his sleeve. A hint of anger and resentment surfaced within their hearts. He had raised the things they cared about, and for the first time, they no longer dared to act rebelliously. Their momentum was clearly dampened. At this point, Li Luo''s eyelids drooped slightly as he announced indifferently, "If you''re unconvinced, I''ll give each of you a chance." Mu Bi, Li Shi, and Zhao Yanzhi stared at each other. "What is the sub leader trying to say?" Zhao Yanzhi revealed a charming and bright smile. "The three of you can choose a representative. If you can receive a move of mine without being injured, I''ll hand over the position of sub leader. If I win, the three of you will listen to me and I will not mistreat you. However, if I sense the slightest hint of disobedience the in future, don''t blame me for not being sympathetic." Li Luo stood atop the stage, looking down upon the trio with a cool gaze. His words had unsurprisingly elicited a massive uproar in the fifth division. Deep astonishment could be seen on everyone''s faces. No one had expected that Li Luo would give them such a concession. A puny Fiend Palace Tier cultivator dared to challenge three Silver Fiends? A single thought came to everyone''s minds: this new sub leader wasnt the sharpest tool in the shed. Chapter 0752: Black Dragon Shocks the Field Chapter 0752: Black Dragon Shocks the Field A commotion took over the training grounds. The fifteen members of the fifth division were a little startled, and they started murmuring amongst themselves. Li Luo''s suggestion had clearly shocked them. Meanwhile, the trio involved, Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi, were left in a momentary daze. They glanced at each other before looking at the completely composed Li Luo. A puny Lesser Fiend Palace dared to say he could harm them with a single move? They were an entire large tier above him. They far surpassed Li Luo in terms of both resonant power and physical resilience. However, they did not think that Li Luo was a fool. He definitely had some move which he was fully confident in. He was by no means reckless and incompetent. This was to say that he had some special power. One that could threaten them. Zhao Yanzhi bit her lip, and a thoughtful look flashed through her seductive eyes. This new sub leader was clearly looking to subdue their wild aspirations and had thus dangled bait before them. This was a great opportunity. Although she didn''t know what Li Luo was going to rely on, his demeanor was truly commendable. As was expected of the Hall Master''s son... If he had been born in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage with his exceptional talent, he would truly have become the leader amongst the four Banners in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage by now, directly contesting the other lineages. The three continued to look at each other. They had fought against each other for a long time, so they had a good understanding of their own strengths. Thus, they made a decision quickly. Since this was a condition Li Luo had come up with, they would have to accept his challenge if they wanted to regain control of the initiative. Eventually, the sturdy Mu Bi that was like a living construct stepped forward. He had an eighth-grade metal resonance and was the strongest defensively. Since Li Luo dared to suggest this, it meant that he possessed an exceptional killing move, and thus Mu Bi was the best suited for this challenge. Mu Bi vaulted atop the platform, and when he landed, the ground trembled before him as his heroic voice reverberated. "Since the sub leader dares to challenge me with his Lesser Fiend Palace Tier strength, I''m afraid no one would listen to me again if we don''t respond to it. Regardless of the result, I am at least convinced of the sub leader''s courage." Taking a step forward, dense, gray resonant power surged forth and enveloped him, his body gradually growing in size. A brief moment later, he turned into a three-meter-tall mini giant. At the same time, countless silver lines could be seen glowing underneath his skin, forming silver patches on his body. An indomitable and imposing aura radiated from him. He did not act politely, directly demonstrating his full strength immediately. Countless gazes from outside the training grounds were focused upon this developing spectacle. Li Luo could feel an oppressive aura coming from Mu Bi, but his expression remained unfazed. The opponent was one large tier stronger than him, but it was nothing compared to the opponents he had faced before. Whether it was Pei Hao or Shen Jinxiao, despite having borrowed external aid, he still had to endure their superior presences with his own body. Facing off against a Silver Fiend wasn''t much in comparison. Li Luo remained calm as he activated his resonant palaces. Dense resonant power surged out like a stream as water and dragon resonant power fused. Dual resonance power! The resonance power was channeled into his hands, emitting special fluctuations. He formed a series of hand seals with lightning speed, leaving afterimages in his wake. At this point, he could feel that the resonant power within him was being drained at a terrifying rate, and a formless and frightening aura seemed to radiate from his body. The moment this aura appeared, Mu Bi felt it most clearly, being the closest to him, and his eyes shrank. He could not understand how a Lesser Fiend Palace individual could evoke such a feeling within him. Although his resonant power was much stronger than the average Lesser Fiend Palace Tier cultivator, there was a humongous gap between him and Li Luo. What is this feeling? Is it because of the resonance art he is activating? Is it a high-grade dragon-general resonance art? That wouldn''t evoke such feelings within me... Could it be a Duke Art? This notion that arose within his mind seemed a little shocking. Didn''t it seem a little impossible? Not even Zhong Ling had managed to cultivate a Duke Art, so how would Li Luo be able to do so? As he continued to wonder, Li Luo''s expression paled significantly and the raging resonant power within him had depleted by a good two-thirds. He then unclasped his hands, which had previously been in the shape of a hand seal. An extremely terrifying sense of pressure swept across the field like a hurricane, causing even the void to tremble. Before everyone''s flabbergasted eyes, an illusory, black banner arose from between Li Luo''s palms. Roar! A draconic roar thundered throughout the entire training grounds. Li Luo directly reached out and grasped the black dragon banner before emotionlessly swiping downwards at the void before him. Duke Art, Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner! Bzzst! The void was torn apart and raging torrents of water could be heard from within the void. A moment later, black liquid poured forth. A black river materialized, emanating boundless cold air that seemed to be able to freeze anything. As huge waves crashed within, the river seemed to part, and a hundred-meter-long black shadow appeared. It looked like a dragon. The creature then roared, ascending into the sky as the black river coiled around its body like a black sash. It floated in the sky above with the river as its support. This eye-popping scene was witnessed by everyone, and cold gasps could be heard all around. Even Zhao Yanzhi and Li Shi had held their breaths in awe and fear. "Is this a Duke Art?" Only a true Duke Art could incite such fear in people. Li Luo had actually managed to cultivate one! It was no wonder he dared to act so brazenly, directly facing off against a Silver Fiend. Roar! When the black dragon shattered the void, it directly suppressed Mu Bi. Mu Bi''s heart was in turmoil. He quickly roused all of the resonant power within him, and gray resonant power condensed in the void behind him. He could not hold anything in reserve any longer. "Dragon-general resonance art, Mysterious Metal Demon Bell!" With a low growl, the roiling resonant power consolidated in a blink, turning into a ten-meter-tall gray metal bell. It looked sturdy and unyielding, giving one a sense of indestructibility. This was the strongest defensive technique in his arsenal. Dong! When the metal bell took form, the black dragon lashed out under the fascinated and astounded gazes of the audience. At that very moment, an ear-splitting ring boomed as though thunder had crashed in the sky. In a sense, it seemed to herald the coming of a new era for the Green Nether Hall. Chapter 0753: Surrender Chapter 0753: Surrender It was like an explosion had gone off on the stone platform. Everyone''s gazes were focused upon the point of collision. What greeted everyone first was the scene of a gray iron bell indomitably surrounding Mu Bi. He definitely possessed the mightiest defensive ability throughout the Green Nether Banner, and he had even utilized his Mysterious Metal Demon Bell. This allowed him to resist even the Gold Fiend Zhong Ling for quite a period of time. The black dragon slammed its claw heavily at the metal bell as black water flowed around it, exuding a chilly air. Mu Bi''s expression warped when he felt its impact. He could feel a tyrannical surging force akin to a volcano''s eruption rushing at him. This energy was so devastating that a sonic boom resounded. Additionally, what Mu Bi was surprised at was the fact that the black water shrouding the dragon''s claw possessed a frightening corrosive ability. As it flowed past the metal bell, he could feel miniscule holes appearing wherever the water touched. The originally invulnerable metal bell was riddled with holes with a single strike. As the black water weakened his defensives, the dragon claw struck out once again. The combination attack caused Mu Bi to feel significant amounts of pressure. Crack! A few moments later, a slim crack appeared on the metal bell. When Mu Bi saw this, his eyes shrank and he hurriedly channeled even more resonant power unrestrainedly. However, his defensive ability had already been compromised, and once a flaw was discovered, it was over. The dragon then opened its maw and roared. At this point, the dragon seemed to have transformed into a beam of black light, shrouded by the black water as it dashed into the vulnerability exposed in the gray bell, directly crashing into it. Bang! A loud boom echoed, and even the specially constructed ground began to splinter and crack. The gray metal bell was torn apart by the black dragon, and the black light viciously lunged at Mu Bi. He immediately crossed his arms before him, and the glowing, silver spots on his body shifted to his arms, turning them completely silver. BOOM! Berserk resonant power spread in every direction. Mu Bi''s body trembled before he was sent flying, leaving behind a furrow in the ground before he could stabilize himself dozens of meters away. He had an ugly expression as he glanced at his arms. The flesh and blood on his arms had melted away, revealing pearly-white bones. Unfortunately, a black substance could be seen on them, corroding his flesh and restraining his body from regenerating as the crippling pain wracked him. Mu Bi fell silent. The rest of the fifth division was similarly taken aback by the scene. Even Li Shi and Zhao Yanzhi were no different. Mu Bi, the one who possessed the most unyielding defense amongst them, had been injured by the Lesser Fiend Palace Li Luo. The numerous gazes that had been monitoring the training grounds were similarly shocked. This was an unexpected result. On a mountaintop nearby, Li Rouyun smiled and a hint of appreciation appeared in her eyes. Li Luo doesn''t seem to lack talent when compared to his father. A hint of anticipation towards the Dragon''s Fang Lineage could be felt. She no longer remained, only turning to leave as she had to manage the affairs of the Green Nether Hall. Li Luo''s surging resonant power gradually dissipated, and he remained composed as he glared at Mu Bi. "So?" Mu Bi fell silent with an indescribably ugly expression. Eventually, he nodded. "I''ve lost." He then clasped his fist as he respectfully saluted Li Luo. "From today onwards, you are the fifth division''s sub leader." Li Shi and Zhao Yanzhi glanced at each other before lightly sighing. They had lost, and it was they who had agreed to this bet. Li Luo possessed triple resonances and had even managed to cultivate a Duke Art. His explosive strength could even injure a Silver Fiend. However, the flaws were also equally evidenthe did not possess enough resonant power and could not utilize this again in a short period of time. If the opponent were able to dodge his first move in a true battle of life and death, it would be difficult for him to pressure them any longer. It was a pity. This was the nature of the bet they had agreed upon, and if they reneged upon it, they would not only lose prestige but also completely offend Li Luo. Did they truly believe that his identity was only just for display? The duo felt a little bitter in their hearts. They had struggled so much for the sub leader position because they wanted to obtain more cultivation resources so they could improve themselves quicker. Alas, it looked like this would now be a pipe dream. In the end, they saluted respectfully as well. "We greet the sub leader." Seeing that the three mini leaders had acquiesced, the remaining members followed suit. This was a display of acceptance towards Li Luo and his new identity. "Everyone, from today onwards, we are fellow brothers and sisters in arms. I might just be in the Lesser Fiend Palace Stage, but I hope you will trust me. I will not give anyone else a chance to laugh at the fifth division," Li Luo said as he surveyed his surroundings, his handsome visage giving off a vibrant smile. His voice had taken on a much calmer and less aggressive tone. After personally experiencing the previous battle, no one would dare to ridicule him as an ordinary Fiend Palace Tier cultivator. However, what he had said wasn''t that bad either. He had managed to cultivate a Duke Art despite being raised in an outer divine continent. Didn''t this mean that his talent and perception were stupendous? He would soar into the skies if provided with ample resources, and the fifth division would similarly bask in his glory. With that realization, they looked at Li Luo in a new light with a hint of anticipation for the future. "Everyone, please return to your cultivation," Li Luo casually said to them before dispersing the division. After which, he had the trio stay behind. The trio glanced at each other before calmly asked, "Does the sub leader have any instructions for us?" Li Luo looked at them intently before he said, "The three of you have suffered greatly since you were born. Your results today are truly commendable. I know all three of you have put in significant effort to obtain the sub leader''s position. In fact, I know that the cultivation resources from holding this position is what you are really aiming for." The trio remained silent with bleak expressions on their faces. "However, I hope that you won''t blame others or hold a grudge towards me. Instead, if you''re smart enough, you''ll probably realize that this is a good thing," Li Luo continued. "How is this any good?" Mu Bi sniped. Li Shi did not say anything, and Zhao Yanzhi seemed to have understood something, as her charming eyes glinted and she smiled amicably. "Is it because we will get to know the future Banner Leader?" she asked. "Indeed." Li Luo nodded. The other two had not thought he would speak so brazenly and were unsure of how to react. "I have only just returned to the clan from an outer divine continent. I have no foundation in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. But do you really think my only aim is to become a mere Banner Leader?" Li Luo continued. The trio knew that Li Luo had a prestigious background, so how could he possibly only aim for such a low position? He wasn''t incapable either, and they had already been treated to a show of his future potential. "I won''t remain as the fifth division sub leader for long. My aims lie much higher. Once I ascend, won''t this position be left behind for the three of you? Additionally, does the mere position of sub leader satisfy you?" Li Luo''s words were coolly spoken, but each and every word felt like a thunderclap going off beside them. "The Green Nether Hall attained prominence in the hands of my father. It might have declined today, but this is only temporary. Plus, it''s just that my father has not returned, not that he died. Don''t forget about my mother either. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li might not look favorably upon her, but so long as I am around, she will definitely be part of the Green Nether Hall." The three then felt a little numb. Tan Tailan was another unparalleled genius of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. She had shaken the world when she came to fame and was also considered to be a legend amongst the people. They all knew what Li Luo was saying. He might not have much of a standing today, but there were still colossal powers behind him. At the same time, his intentions were clear... Li Luo wanted to take them in, and he was hoping they would cherish this opportunity. "I know of your situations and I know what you want to protect. I appreciate your dedication and your strength. If you wish to accomplish your aims, to become figures of repute within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, it would not be a bad decision to dedicate yourself now," Li Luo stated in a firm voice. Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi glanced at each other and could see the turbulent emotions in each other''s eyes. This sub leader who was younger than them all had a different sort of quality to him. After much consideration, the trio relaxed slightly and they then saluted him with respect, this time from the bottom of their hearts. "We greet the sub leader. In the future, we will go wherever you wish." This greeting demonstrated that they had truly been swayed by Li Luo''s words. Li Luo grinned when he saw this. With three loyal comrades by his side, he had taken his first step in establishing a foothold. Convincing three individuals hadn''t been too hard. At the same time, he realized that this was not because of his domineering charisma. He had lured them in with benefits and profoundly shocked them with a display of his background. Chapter 0754: Draconic Atavism Scripture Chapter 0754: Draconic Atavism Scripture Green Nether drill grounds, in the fifth division''s sub leader''s tent. Li Shi, Mu Bi, and Zhao Yanzhi accompanied Li Luo originally, but the former two quickly excused themselves after coming up with some excuses, leaving the job of familiarizing Li Luo with his tasks to Zhao Yanzhi. Although the two had resolved themselves to rely on and support Li Luo, they still needed some time to themselves. Plus, they were known to be some of the most notorious troublemakers in the Green Nether Banner, and having given in to him during their first encounter made them feel a little unnatural. Additionally, this sort of assignment was best done by Zhao Yanzhi. It would be much more appealing to the eye for a beautiful lady to accompany Li Luo instead of hulking males. Perhaps even Li Luo didn''t want to see the two of them loitering before him all the time either. "Sub leader, this is your monthly stipend for being part of the Green Nether Banner." Zhao Yanzhi didn''t seem to mind this task. Her purple hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall and she maintained a charming smile as she walked up to Li Luo with a jade box in her hands and gracefully placed it down before him. Under her collar, one could see snow-white skin that would pull any male into an enchanting dream. Zhao Yanzhi''s beauty was renowned through the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Numerous males admired her, and she seemed easy to get along with. She held a perpetual amused smile on her face and acted boldly and openly. Alas, through all these years, there was not a single man who had managed to pluck this charming and beautiful flower of the Green Nether Hall. Li Luo''s gaze fell upon her snow-white skin, but his expression remained unmoved. Zhao Yanzhi might be considered to be a beauty, but as a battle-hardened veteran who had met numerous exceptional ladies, he remained composed. After all, he had always been accompanied by Jiang Qing''e, an unparalleled beauty with the temperament to match, stretching the human imagination when it came to notions of beauty. On the other hand, if one wanted to talk about mature charm, Sister Cai Wei was a step above Zhao Yanzhi as well. Thus, Li Luo''s gaze quickly switched towards the jade box, which he opened and pulled a jade bottle from. Within it were the upper-grade Fiend Origin Pills he had so craved. Twenty pills to be precise. Additionally, there were three more bottles of seventh-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. This might have been a smaller portion than what he had received as a member of the upper records, but the rewards from the two positions were not exclusive. Over time, they would greatly accelerate his cultivation progress. A hint of satisfaction surfaced on Li Luo''s face. If a sub leader received such resources, how much better would it be for the Banner Leader? On the other hand, Zhao Yanzhi felt a little puzzled and surprised. She had realized that Li Luo had not paid much attention to her despite utilizing her usual methods. He remained unmoved like a rock, with no fluctuations in his expression to be seen. She had a good understanding of her allure, and it had attracted the blazing gazes of many fellows in the Green Nether Banner, almost all wishing to swallow her up completely. Zhao Yanzhi smiled and helpfully added, "Sub leader, do the spirit liquids and purifying lights fit your needs? If you wish to exchange them for other grades, I can report this to the hall''s internal affairs department." Li Luo shook his head before asking, "What do I usually need to do as a sub leader?" He did not understand much about the Green Nether Banner, and neither did he know what the members of the banner did from day to day. When she heard this, she knelt down on the cushion beside Li Luo, her wavy, purple hair falling down and covering her delicate buttocks. A slender waist with undulating curves could be vaguely made out underneath her robes. Such a scene was sure to incite a fire in any male. Her thick perfume wafted into Li Luo''s nose as he turned to glance at the enchantress beside him, his expression wavering only momentarily before returning to his previous serenity. This subtle change did not go unnoticed, and a hint of satisfaction surfaced within her heart. It seemed that her charm still existed after all. She had intended to use these actions to tease Li Luo a little. Of course, she did not expect to move his heart so easily. Instead, she had hoped to use her capital to gain favor with him. If she truly were able to capture his heart with her beauty, it would be a good thing to obtain a servant who obeyed her every order. After all, with his identity, talent, and comeliness, her benefits would be endless. Zhao Yanzhi might have been born in a brothel, but her elder sister had shielded her from the affairs of man and woman. Still, she had naturally learned how to take advantage of her gifts, allowing her to leave the brothel and achieve the current heights she had. Apart from possessing uncanny talent, the biggest reason she had come so far was because she knew exactly how to utilize her natural advantages to protect herself and obtain countless benefits. Zhao Yanzhi smiled and explained, "Sub leader, the Green Nether Banner''s daily task is to train and cultivate. As the sub leader, you have to cultivate together with the rest of the members and familiarize yourself with their auras. After you cultivate the Draconic Atavism Scripture, you can then gather everyone''s strength into yourself and truly control our strength as one." "Draconic Atavism Scripture? What is that?" Li Luo''s gaze deepened. "The Draconic Atavism Scripture is a secret art only sub leaders can utilize. It exists in your silver seal, and you can learn its cultivation method if you place your consciousness inside it. Once you succeed, you can borrow the silver seal as a medium to rule over the fifteen hundred members of your division. When both halves of the seal combine, you will be able to erupt with indomitable strength," Zhao Yanzhi patiently explained. Li Luo felt a slight shock. "I am able to combine and mobilize the strength of the entire fifth division?" Just how impressive would it be? Even a Heavenly Dipper General would not be able to resist. "There''s nothing to be surprised about. Combining everyone''s strength into a whole is the point of the Twenty Banners'' existence. It''s not just the Twenty Banners that can do this, but the Five Guardian Armies," Zhao Yanzhi continued. "If the Green Nether Banner selects a Banner Leader, that individual will be able to gather the strength of the eight thousand members and will even be able to resist a Duke on equal terms. Once you have learned the Draconic Atavism Scripture, you will also have to cultivate the Draconic Breath Fiend Arts with the division. Only through this will you be able to meld your energy with the rest of the division and achieve the state of One Breath. Otherwise, the energy that is gathered will reject you and you will be unable to mobilize the division''s true power." Li Luo nodded as a curious thought surfaced in his heart. The Green Nether Banner''s group cultivation had meaning to it after all. At the same time, Zhao Yanzhi got closer to Li Luo. Her delicate face had turned a little rosy as her peach blossom-like eyes focused intently on him. She exhaled and said gently as the fragrance of orchids wafted through the air, "Sub leader, you have to cultivate attentively. Those who are unable to attain the state of One Breath are considered to be unsuitable to be a sub leader. If they fail after three attempts, someone else can contest him for the role, as per the rules." Li Luo lightly nodded, expressing his understanding. After which, the corner of his lips twitched slightly as the dense fragrance constantly assaulted his nose. Turning his gaze to his side, he was greeted with the sight of Zhao Yanzhi''s attractive face and seductive curves. Despite how slow he was, he was finally aware of what she was doing. This recently subdued subordinate seemed to have certain unreasonable expectations. Noticing Li Luos gaze, Zhao Yanzhi turned a little shy and lowered her eyes timidly. It seems that although the Third Young Master possessed uncanny talent, he was ultimately just a young man. She seemed to be able to captivate him with very simple methods. "Could the sub leader... not look at me like that...?" she replied demurely. Looking the way she was now, rejecting his advances might have captivated even men with the most stalwart wills. Unfortunately, just as she thought that Li Luo had succumbed to her charms, his expression turned stern and he said, "Please conduct yourself with some self-respect, my lady. I am already betrothed." Zhao Yanzhi''s smile instantly hardened. Chapter 0755: Zhao Yanzhis Wild Heart Chapter 0755: Zhao Yanzhi''s Wild Heart Li Luo''s sudden words directly disrupted Zhao Yanzhi''s rhythm. This caused even the pragmatic Zhao Yanzhi to feel temporarily lost, and her brilliant and flawless face hardened. However, she quickly recomposed herself and gave an innocent look. "Sub leader, what are you talking about? I''m merely reminding you objectively!" Her peach blossom-like eyes looked a little confused and her words seemed so sincere that Li Luo had even doubted himself for a moment. Had he overthought things? In the end, he could only shake his head deep down. Zhao Yanzhi was like an alluring demonic spirit. It seemed that she would be the most difficult to handle in the trio. The other two were direct with their dealings and were much easier to handle. This one had a softer approach and wished to enthrall him, capturing him in mind and body. She clearly had a much larger ambition than the other two. It was a pity Sister Qing''e was not here. Otherwise, she would truly let this little demonic spirit understand what it would feel like to be tormented. Still, letting this lady mess around was a troublesome prospect as well. "Really?" As Li Luo thought about it, a hint of frivolity appeared in his eyes before he stared at Zhao Yanzhi''s smooth and charming face. After which, his gaze lingered for a brief moment before trailing downwards to take in all of the curvaceous sights before him. "It''s a pity. I feel that you''re truly a work of art." As Li Luo spoke, he raised his hand to lightly brush Zhao Yanzhi''s face. Li Luo''s sudden change left Zhao Yanzhi on the back foot, and her delicate body tensed up as she peered at Li Luo''s gradually approaching hand, her slender fingers forming a tight grip in response. She could not fathom Li Luo''s intentions, and despite the fact that she had the urge to chop off his outstretched hand with her blade, rationality still took over, forcing her to smile increasingly more coyly. However, after Li Luo had lightly touched her face, he suddenly stopped. Zhao Yanzhi seemed to have turned a little frantic. Just what was she up to? She was usually the one teasing others till they went mad, but she had finally experienced what it was like to be toyed with. "Sub leader, what are you trying to do?" Zhao Yanzhi resentfully asked as her willow-like eyebrows turned into a frown. It was a look that made one both pity and adore her at the same time. Li Luo grinned as he retracted his hand. "You obviously dislike being touched by members of the opposite sex, yet you act so amorously. Are you not tired of putting on this show?" The booklet of information provided by Li Rouyun was full of descriptive information and inferences. This included numerous dark secrets of all of the different individuals. There was one specific line that stood out for Zhao Yanzhi, and that was the fact that she was suspected to hate men. This was something that left Li Luo feeling like he had been struck by a bolt from the blue. From this intel, Zhao Yanzhi seemed to be an individual who knew how to best take advantage of her gifts. She was greedy and pragmatic, but also able to waltz between countless relationships with ease, attracting admiration from everyone. She held a low societal position at birth, having been raised in a brothel. She had paid an unimaginable price every step of the way. Additionally, what no one could have ever expected was that deep down within her heart, she held an intense disgust for the opposite gender. Every elegant smile was coupled with a heart trembling with rage. Li Luo''s guess was perhaps due to seeing too many abhorrent sights during her childhood, thus casting a shadow upon her heart. Zhao Yanzhi seemed a little dazed at Li Luo''s response. She had never expected that her deepest, darkest secret would be revealed so openly by him. Her usual, graceful smile gradually vanished, turning into a chilly ambivalence. Even her coquettish air had turned frigid. "Third Young Master, your intel is mighty impressive," she said. "Am I tired? As the Third Young Master, you can never comprehend the difficulties I have endured. Even though you were raised in an outer divine continent, you had outstanding parents, so you have no idea what it feels like to be born as a dreg of society. The inner divine continents might be blessed with cultivation resources which far surpass those of the outer divine continents. However, do you really think someone who was born in a brothel could receive anything significant? Perhaps, Third Young Master, you think that I had to seduce and toy with men in order for me to obtain these common resources," Zhao Yanzhi indifferently continued. Li Luo was silent. He could feel the burdensome meaning behind her almost spiteful words. The world was simply unfair. She had suffered way too much to obtain what she had today. "My intention was never to look down on you. On the contrary, I feel respect towards you," Li Luo sincerely replied. Zhao Yanzhi''s eyelids fluttered slightly. His expression was earnest, and after meeting so many people throughout her life, she could feel that his compliment was genuine. Her gaze naturally warmed up slightly as a result. "I do have the intention of flirting with the sub leader. After all, if you end up being enthralled by me and listen to my every word, it would be greatly beneficial to me," she honestly said. "Using your advantages to gain further benefits is expected after all." Li Luo nodded in approval. "When dealing with me, the new sub leader, it is understandable that you would utilize such methods to increase your sense of security. However, I don''t think that this is necessary. So long as you remain devoted and perform sincerely when I ask of you, as mentioned previously, I will not mistreat any of you. There is no need to do such hateful things. So long as you complete your tasks diligently, you will be one of my people and I will always protect you," Li Luo solemnly explained. Zhao Yanzhi looked at Li Luo with a look of surprise. Could it be this simple? He was speaking such dignified words, but did his heart tell a different story? Regardless, the youth before her seemed to speak from the depths of his heart and without any falsehoods. With his identity, it didn''t seem as though he needed to lie to her either. Thus, she felt increasingly confused. After all, almost all of the men she had come in contact with in the past were just singing any tune she wished, all to satisfy their own disgusting desires. "So you''re saying I now have an impressive backer?" Zhao Yanzhi cautiously asked. He nodded. Zhao Yanzhi didn''t seem to believe him. "Do you not lust for my body?" She turned to look at her own body with slight disbelief. How could any man not be moved by this? Li Luo''s face turned dark. "As I said, I''m already engaged and I''m uninterested in you." "Sub leader, is your fiancee in the outer divine continent? How can she possibly be more comely than me?" Zhao Yanzhi asked with a dissatisfied tone. Li Luo not lusting for her allowed her to heave a sigh of relief. However, she felt that it was impossible for there to be a lady who could possibly be more beautiful than her, especially in the desolate reaches of the outer divine continent. She was extremely confident in her personal charms. Li Luo glanced at her momentarily before shaking his head. "How can the firefly compare to the luminous moon?" Zhao Yanzhi was so ticked off by that rude reply that she forced a smile with gritted teeth. "Sub leader, you should not joke any longer. When will you invite your fiancee to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and allow me to understand how bright the moon can be?" "There will come a day." Li Luo smiled as the image of an elegant goddess appeared in his mind. "When that day comes, you will understand why I do not lust for you." Chapter 0756: Seventy Two Layers of the Fiendish Devil Cave Chapter 0756: Seventy Two Layers of the Fiendish Devil Cave Zhao Yanzhi scoffed at Li Luo''s absolute confidence. This was the stubbornness of youth. Perhaps he might not even have a fiancee in the outer divine continent and was simply blowing hot air. Even then, how could a girl from a peasant land be that exceptional? She was exceptionally confident in her own looks. The fact that countless individuals with illustrious backgrounds had fancied her was testament to that. Li Luo daring to brag by saying that she was a firefly and his fiancee was the moon was simply too exaggerated. Li Luo felt a little helpless at Zhao Yanzhi''s indignant attitude. This was a strange lady indeed. If you lusted for her, she''d be disgusted at you. But if you ignored her, she would feel miffed and dissatisfied. This was just illogical. Thus, he shook his head, no longer deigning to bother with her. However, Zhao Yanzhi did not continue to speak either, demonstrating that perhaps she truly considered relying on Li Luo. It was important to give him some face, and she understood that. "Sub Leader, the Green Nether Banner periodically has to take on tasks designated by the hall. Completing them provides rewards and is one of the other ways to obtain more resources. At the same time, I also have to let you know of an exceedingly important location. It is the core of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages'' Twenty Banners," Zhao Yanzhi said. This piqued his curiosity. "What place is that?" Zhao Yanzhi grinned. "The Seventy-Two Layers of the Fiendish Devil Cave." "What in the world is that?" Li Luo followed up immediately. "Simply speaking, it is the key location where the Twenty Banners train and cultivate. It was created by the Ancestor with a Fiendish Devil Godly Bead, which is able to refine the earth fiend energy from the world, transforming it into a special existence made of energy known as a Fiendish Devil. It does not possess intelligence, but it contains tremendous amounts of condensed energy. If one is able to kill it, all of the earth fiend energy within it will be released. This energy has already been refined and can be easily absorbed. It can then transform into abstruse fiend light with just a few moments of refinement,." Li Luo''s body trembled when he heard her explanation, and he asked in disbelief, "Isn''t that just a walking Fiend Origin Pill?" It was no different from one in effect! "Well, somewhat. Thus, the Seventy-Two Layers of the Fiendish Devil Cave is the favorite location of the Twenty Banners. Every banner wishes to enter the deepest layer as subsequent layers contain Fiendish Devils with greater amounts of earth fiend energy. Additionally, whenever a banner advances a layer, it is recorded upon the stone stele outside as a way of encouraging the rest. In a way, it is also a direct competition," Zhao Yanzhi continued. "Is it difficult to advance layers?" Li Luo asked. "Of course it''s difficult. The number of Fiendish Devils in each layer is high enough to scare anyone. One has to advance with all their might, and getting to a new layer requires a significant amount of time. Thus, this exercise tests all aspects of a group''s teamwork. A simple slip-up could lead to elimination or force the group to retreat with severe injuries. Most importantly, an immensely strong Fiendish Devil Leader resides at the end of each layer. More often than not, it requires significant numbers of individuals sacrificing themselves to attain victory," Zhao Yanzhi patiently explained. "Still, if one is able to conquer a Fiendish Devil Leader, the rewards are ample. The largest contributors receive larger shares of the rewards, which might be hundreds of strands of abstruse fiend light. This could save a month of cultivation time." "Wait, hundreds of strands of abstruse fiend light?" The look in Li Luo''s eyes changed. He had always thought that the Fiend Origin Pills available in the clan were the best reward he could obtain. Clearly, he was a frog in a well. The Seventy-Two Layers of the Fiendish Devil Cave was clearly the most important treasure the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had in nurturing a new generation of youths. That sort of location was a cultivation paradise for Earth Fiend Generals! This was the foundation possessed by a Heavenly Emperor bloodline. "Transforming a peerless treasured artifact into a cultivation paradise is truly extravagant." Li Luo sighed within his heart. The last time he had seen a peerless treasured artifact was the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. That was an object that all of the sage colleges in the East Divine Continent had scuffled over. In the end, Principal Pang had utilized its unfathomable power to seal the two Other Kings. This one, however, was just used to temper the younger generation and strengthen them further. One could only say that they were simply just too wealthy. Of course, Li Luo also understood that it was not that these powers did not value a peerless treasured artifact. It was just that nurturing the next generation and ensuring a steady supply of talented individuals had an even higher value than possessing just another artifact. In retrospect, it was a wise and far-sighted decision. "The Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages established a place called Fiendish Devil Peak, which serves as the entrance. It will open up in seven days." Li Luo then asked the inevitable, "So just who is the first placed banner?" Zhao Yanzhi stroked a strand of long, purple hair that hung beside her face. "Currently, the ones in first place are the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Gold Blood Banner. They have reached the forty-third floor." "Gold Blood Banner, huh... What about the Green Nether Banner? What layer has it reached?" Zhao Yanzhi blinked her peach blossom-like eyes with her thick and long eyelashes, a sight capable of charming all. "Us? Well, we''ve advanced to the twenty-seventh layer and are in fourteenth place." Li Luo couldn''t help but shake his head. The gap between them and the Gold Blood Banner was actually a massive chasm! Zhao Yanzhi seemed a little helpless as well. "There''s not much choice in the matter. The Green Nether Hall has continued to decline over the years, and, by extension, so has the Green Nether Banner. When the Hall Master was still around, the Green Nether Banner was the strongest. When he was the Banner Leader, he actually conquered all seventy-two layers. That is an achievement very few have ever matched in the entire history of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. The other nineteen banners could only stare wistfully at our glory." When she mentioned the records the Hall Master had established, even she had a look of idolatry on her face. No one would dare to disrespect Li Taixuan during the dazzling golden age of the Green Nether Hall. "Is it difficult to conquer all seventy-two layers?" Li Luo asked curiously. Zhao Yanzhi proudly answered, "In the recent hundred years, there has only been one banner that has managed to do so, and that was the Green Nether Banner when it was led by the Hall Master. So, do you think that its a walk in the park?" This elicited yet another sigh from Li Luo. That old man of his was actually pretty impressive. No wonder his influence pervaded every corner of the Green Nether Hall. He had already set records since his youth. "One of the keys to the Hall Master''s success was the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath. It is the highest grade of the Draconic Breath Fiend Arts. Once mastered, one is better able to sync and bring out the power of the banner as a whole, unleashing power of a different magnitude," Zhao Yanzhi explained as she looked at Li Luo. Then she asked, "Sub Leader, I assume you''ve already started cultivating the Draconic Breath Fiend Arts?" Li Luo nodded. "The one I cultivate is the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath." This answer caused Zhao Yanzhi to fall silent, and she seemed to be passing judgment upon his weakness. "Sub Leader, the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath is the most common Draconic Breath Fiend Art. The rest of the Sub Leaders utilize the Six Revolutions Draconic Breath. That also includes Li Shi, Mu Bi, and me." Li Luo unhappily replied, "Well, I was stuck in the outer divine continent and that was the only one I was able to cultivate. Furthermore, isn''t it the case that only individuals with dragon resonances can cultivate it?" Zhao Yanzhi explained, "Indeed. The reason we are able to do so is that on the very first day that we entered the Green Nether Banner, we were exposed to the Dragon Stele, imbuing us with a strand of dragon resonant power. As a result, we can now cultivate it." "Thus, Sub Leader, my recommendation is that you quickly hurry over to the Dragon Stele and seek enlightenment of the Draconic Breath Fiend Arts. Once you obtain the Six Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts, it will not only improve your cultivation speed, but also prevent others from mocking your inability. Otherwise, if word of you only possessing the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath comes to light, it will be humiliating for you." Although her words were harsh, Li Luo nodded attentively. This was something he truly needed to take a step forward. "Well, I''ll head over tomorrow and do so." However, his old man had actually managed to cultivate the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath. If the Six Revolutions version was all he could obtain, wouldn''t that be a little lackluster? In fact, if his father returned, he would undoubtedly mock him, saying something along the lines of, "Brat, you''re too young and tender to even catch up to my farts." Thinking of his arrogant expression, Li Luo was so frustrated that he couldn''t stop himself from slamming one palm on the table, the sudden action giving Zhao Yanzhi a fright. "No! I''m not going to wait till tomorrow. We''ll head there now!" Li Luo announced as he stood up. There was only one path for him. And it would be to learn the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath! Chapter 0757: Dragon Stele Chapter 0757: Dragon Stele Under Zhao Yanzhi''s guidance, Li Luo traversed through the massive Green Nether training grounds and arrived at an area in the inner mountains. The security here was strict, with countless patrols and defensive wards placed around. Even Li Luo had to reveal his Sub Leader''s silver stone seal before they were able to pass through smoothly. Various eyes looked at Li Luo''s direction. As an individual with a special background, news of him heading to the back mountains began to spread and people talked about him. "Li Luo has headed to the back mountains?" When Zhong Ling heard the news, he lifted his eyebrow quizzically with a slight smile on his face. "I suppose his goal is to enlighten himself on the Draconic Breath Fiend Arts. Since he returned from the outer divine continent, the only fiend art the Hall Master could have left him was the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath. If he wants a higher grade version, he will have to borrow the assistance of the Dragon Stele." "Does the Sub Leader think that he can achieve the Six Revolutions Draconic Breath?" some of the members of his banner mockingly asked. "Well, he is the Hall Master''s son. The Hall Master was able to cultivate the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath, and he does possess triple resonances. He should not be underestimated. Thus, I think that obtaining the Six Revolutions Draconic Breath will not be a difficult task for him." Zhong Ling did not look down upon Li Luo just because he was a potential threat. He had also secretly watched Li Luo injure Mu Bi with a single move. A Lesser Fiend Palace cultivator who could injure a Silver Fiend. Although this was achieved through tricking Mu Bi into a battle with unfavorable conditions and Li Luo could only utilize the Duke Art once, it demonstrated his strength. The fact that he would not have won in a true life and death battle was not important. Duke Arts were also hard to cultivate, and this was something he was extremely clear of. Li Luo had three resonances and had cultivated a Duke Art. He had weaker resonant power today due to being born in an outer divine continent, but now that he had arrived at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, his cultivation would advance like a fish in water with the aid of its bountiful resources. He had to guard against this dangerous enemy. "Then what about the Nine Revolutions?" someone asked after a short delay. No one answered. The Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath was a Ten Fiends Art that everyone here could only dream of attaining. It would give them an exaggerated advantage in the Earth Fiend Stage. What was most important was that if one cultivated the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath, they would increase their synchronization with the Green Nether Banner. Taking this step would indubitably cause his reputation to soar. In the current batch of the sixteen thousand members of the Twenty Banners, there were merely less than ten individuals who had achieved this. The difficulty was immense. "Attaining the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath is not an easy task. Li Luo might possess three resonances, but his own strength is a little weak. Those who succeeded were all at the Greater Fiend Palace at the very least," Zhong Ling indifferently explained. He did not wish to underestimate him, but he would not think highly of him either. He had personally experienced the trial of the Dragon Stele and knew how steep and exacting the requirements were. The tempering process required one to possess sufficient willpower, resonant power, and physical resilience. Nothing could be lacking. "Let''s go see for ourselves. The atmosphere will definitely be bustling." Zhong Ling thought about it for a moment before deciding to go there in person. They were three months away from the selection for Green Nether''s Banner Leader, and he was originally slated to win. Now that a wildcard like Li Luo had arrived and disrupted his plans, he would remain vigilant despite the fact that it was unlikely that Li Luo would hinder him. Thus, Zhong Ling brought a group of his trusted lieutenants from the first division to accompany him. At the same time, the remaining divisions also began to stir as they received the news. The usually quiet back mountains had turned boisterous. Li Luo, on the other hand, was following Zhao Yanzhi. There was a platform on the mountain with a one hundred-meter-tall stone stele. This stone stele was light golden and there were no words on its surface. One could only see an endless number of mysterious lines of light flowing about it slowly. If one stared at it, they could vaguely make out the outline of a majestic, gigantic dragon. "This is the Dragon Stele. So long as you place your palm on it, it will suck you within and make you undergo the Dragon Stele''s trial, known as the Draconic Breath''s Smelting. The draconic breath can be separated into three grades: Three Revolutions, Six Revolutions, and Nine Revolutions, with the difficulty increasing exponentially. Whichever draconic breath you can endure, you will naturally obtain the equivalent Fiend Art. With your strength, I dont think conquering the Six Revolutions Draconic Breath''s trial will be difficult. However, if you wish to endure the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath, the difficulty will skyrocket. I once experienced it and was almost burnt to ashes. If not for the Dragon Stele''s protection, I would have scattered into the winds," Zhao Yanzhi explained, her eyes still holding a hint of fear as she spoke about it. Li Luo nodded, showing he understood. "Also, if you are able to create a miracle and obtain the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath, I heard that there is a special reward," Zhao Yanzhi added. "A special reward?" Li Luo asked curiously. "It is a type of Nine Revolutions Art. When you activate the Draconic Atavism Scripture and condense the banner''s energy, you will be able to utilize a unique technique with extraordinary power. "It is not a type of resonance art, but you can think of it as a secret art that matches the energy gathered from rallying the banner as one." Li Luo nodded. This was a trick worthy of a Heavenly Emperor Bloodline. After which, he did not say much, directly ascending the stone stairs onto the platform and moving towards the golden Dragon Stele. "Do your best, Sub Leader. Every banner''s Dragon Stele is identical, and if one is able to cultivate the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts, all the other Dragon Steles will resonate and your grand name will appear above them all. At that point in time, your reputation will truly reverberate throughout the Twenty Banners." Zhao Yanzhi waved her hand, and a look of anticipation could be seen on her face. Li Luo similarly waved back and did not retreat. He could feel that a large number of figures had suddenly appeared within the back mountains, and their gazes were focused upon him. Clearly, the other four divisions had also arrived to see for themselves. Every action he made would be under close scrutiny. Zhao Yanzhi awaited him beneath the stone steps before the sound of wind being broken could be heard behind her. Li Shi and Mu Bi had both arrived. "Zhao Yanzhi, why did you bring the Sub Leader to the Dragon Stele?" Li Shi asked. Zhao Yanzhi spread her hands and shrugged. "The Sub Leader only possesses the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath. After entering the Green Nether Banner, he would naturally seek a higher grade one." Mu Bi frowned. "You should have waited for a bit. The Sub Leader is only at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier, so his resonant power is still lacking. The difficulty in conquering the Draconic Stele''s trials might be a little too much for him." Zhao Yanzhi innocently replied, "The Sub Leader wanted to head here immediately. What was I to do?" Even Mu Bi was left speechless at this response. Li Shi had fallen silent for a bit as he pondered over the implications before he said, "The Sub Leader is talented. Although hes a little weaker than us, overcoming the Six Revolutions Draconic Breath will not be too difficult." "However, it looks like his intention is to challenge the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath," Zhao Yanzhi replied as she blinked her eyes with thick lashes. Li Shi and Mu Bi glanced at each other with concern. Their Sub Leader might not be that old, but his goals were higher than anyones. A Lesser Fiend Palace cultivator was planning to challenge the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath? This was something rarely seen in the history of the Twenty Banners. "There is no need to worry. If he is able to achieve this, it will cause a sensation that will shock the world. At that point in time, the Green Nether Banner will only rise in prominence. I think this is a great idea," Zhao Yanzhi said. The other two could only nod. Now that things were at this stage, they could not hold him back any longer but simply watch on. As they spoke, Li Luo was slowly ascending the steps, and he arrived before the Dragon Stele a few minutes later. He glanced at that massive object. It seemed to radiate a mysterious pressure, as though a humongous dragon was slowly observing him. Anyone who did not have the strength of will to proceed would be deterred to retreat. Li Luo continued without hesitation and calmly reached out with his palm, placing it atop the Dragon Stele before everyones eyes. In the next moment, dense, gold light flooded outwards, submerging Li Luo completely. When the light dissipated, he had vanished. The Dragon Stele''s trial had begun. Chapter 0758: Thunder Dragons Breath Chapter 0758: Thunder Dragon''s Breath Golden light washed over Li Luo as he was sucked into the Dragon Stele. The light covering his eyes dissipated a moment later, and he glanced around curiously. He seemed to be standing in the middle of a golden desert. The golden sand seemed to be continuously shifting, and he could not see where the landscape ended. However, before Li Luo could acclimatize himself, he felt a surge of hot air from the sky. When he raised his head, he could see a golden sun hanging high above the clouds. The sun seemed to be approaching him with great haste. A moment later, Li Luo came to his senses. That was no sun, it was a ball of golden dragonbreath! It was scorching hot and domineering, as though it intended to melt the entire area beneath him. This trial was straightforward indeed. There was no beating around the bush, just a frontal assault. As the ball of dragonbreath approached, it did not seem to give Li Luo any sort of pressure despite its seemingly imposing presence. This was likely the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath. Li Luo''s three resonance palaces began to bubble with resonant power. Five fingers formed a fist, and he threw out a punch imbued with his resonant power. His attack formed a rainbow that collided with the sun. Boom! Rumble! A loud explosion reverberated, causing a deafening roar. It was as Li Luo had expected, the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath would not pose any trouble for him. When the golden dragonbreath dissipated, he could feel berserk thunder power fall upon his entire body. The resulting static caused Li Luo''s hair to stand on end, and a piercing pain lanced through his body. "The dragonbreath seems to contain thunder energy," Li Luo grumbled as he gritted his teeth. When he saw how blisteringly hot the attack had felt, he assumed that it possessed fire resonant power, but never had he expected it to have thunder energy as its source. Clearly, a thunder dragonbreath with lingering effects was much more tyrannical and scary than one that was purely heat. Still, the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath was resisted just like that. When the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath vanished, a piece of information magically appeared within Li Luo''s mind. It was the cultivation method for the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. He ran through it quickly before ignoring it as this was simply not his goal. He surveyed his surroundings with a calm expression, awaiting the next level of the trial. The Six Revolutions Draconic Breath was next. And Li Luo did not have to wait long. A short moment later, the golden sands trembled beneath him and formed an earthy stream of particles that soared into the sky. After a few short moments, the golden dust turned into a sea of clouds. Boom! Rumble! Thunder boomed between the clouds made of sand, but then they slowly began to shrink. A few moments later, they transformed into a one hundred-meter-wide golden ball of light. The ball radiated bright light and looked smooth to the touch, almost like a polished sphere of metal. At this point, cracks appeared on the golden ball of light, and a roar erupted from within. The entire sky lit up, and a humongous golden ball of thunder akin to a snarling dragon wrapped in a terrifying cloak of energy directly bore down upon Li Luo. The pressure it radiated was multiple times stronger than the previous attack. Li Luo''s expression turned a little solemn and he waved his hand, summoning the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. Grasping it tightly, he commanded, "Divine Elephant Power, Level Two!" The blade hummed, then copious amounts of energy rushed into his limbs, causing them to inflate. The veins in his arms were now protruding like little snakes. Bzzst! His body was unable to fully contain the sheer power of the divine elephant, so his skin split, fresh blood erupting from his new injuries. Li Luo was not new to this. In a blink, he activated his regenerating resonance arts, allowing him to constantly heal himself. Feeling the earth-shattering power contained within his limbs, he took a deep breath and fused the water resonant power and dragon resonant power within him, creating dual resonant power. Weng! Blinding, radiant light emitted from the dual resonant power that condensed atop the blade, giving it a mystifying aura. Li Luo''s expression was cold as he struck forth with no restraint. His ancient blade chopped downwards at the golden thunder ball that was about to strike him. Weng! With a single blow, majestic amounts of resonant power roared forth from the tip of the blade, directly condensing a wheel of blades about ten meters long before him. The wheel rotated at ultra high speeds, giving it an incisive slicing power that was unmatched. With the assistance of the Level Two Divine Elephant Power, the Thousand Watery Knives Wheel was Li Luo''s strongest ability with the exception of the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner. Li Luo was confident that such an attack could even repel a Greater Fiend Palace Tier cultivator. Weng! As the scintillating blade light slashed downwards, tearing through the void, the piercing screeches of wind being sliced through rang out. It was as though the space before him had been cut in half permanently. The wheel of blades struck the golden thunder ball head-on. Blade light collided against thunder energy, each looking to engulf the other as the energy dissipated. This clash lasted for over ten breaths before the ball was cleaved apart into two. However, the remnant energy did not vanish. In fact, it seemed as though it possessed some form of spirituality, turning into a golden python that screeched before directly tunneling right into Li Luo''s head. Bang! Li Luo''s hair once again stood on end, and an acrid smell arose from him. However, he had no time to be concerned with his pitiful appearance, as the golden thunder carried a maniacal force that attempted to ravage his body. Wherever the thunder energy passed through, his flesh and blood would be charred black. The pain that wracked him far surpassed the previous time. Still, Li Luo reacted quicklyhe revolved his dual resonance power and directed it into every corner of his body to neutralize the crippling thunder energy. The only bright side was that his previous attack had smashed apart the bulk of the thunder energy. Whatever had entered his body was just a fragment that he could manage. With that, a large portion of the thunder energy was negated by his dual resonance power. At this point, the usefulness of his dual resonances revealed itself once again. As a superior type of resonant power, it could easily deal with alternate forms of invasive energy in a straightforward and overboard manner. If it were someone else in this position, say an individual with just an eighth-grade resonance, they would likely be left quite miserable. He had to admit that the Six Revolutions Draconic Breath had put him under quite some pressure. He could only imagine how much more frightening the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath would be. Inadvertently, Li Luo''s heart turned solemn. As he inspected his body, he checked for any remaining traces of thunder energy that lurked within. He had to be in peak condition when the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath descended, having cleansed his body of any remnants. Otherwise, the remaining energy might be re-triggered by the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath, causing him trouble at a critical moment. "Hmm?" However, something fascinating caught Li Luos attention when he scanned his body, and he let out a surprised cry. He had discovered that the remaining thunder energy had actually flowed towards one part of his body. He could sense that that was where his Lightning Forge was located. Li Luo was left a little dumbfounded. Specifically, it had gathered where the Thunderpeal Avatar produced by the Lightning Forge was! As he quietly observed the new lightning forge, a curious thought arose within his heart. He had discovered that all of the resultant thunder energy had been absorbed. The lightning forge seemed to pulse with greater intensity, and the thundering booms released by it had become much more tyrannical than before. The Six Revolutions Draconic Breath had qualitatively improved his lightning forge?! This discovery elicited immense joy to Li Luo. Chapter 0759: Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Chapter 0759: Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Li Luo had obtained new inspiration from the miracle brought about by the Lightning Forge. The Thunderpeal Avatar was an ability derived from the Lightning Forge that could drastically boost one''s constitution. There were five realms to the Sonic Pulses, but currently, Li Luo had only reached the One Sonic Pulse. The key to unlock the potential of the Thunderpeal Avatar lay in the Lightning Forge. One''s body could be temporarily strengthened only when the thunder energy within the Lightning Forge strengthened. However, strengthening it was not an easy feat. The lightning resonance was only a secondary attribute to his third resonance, and relying on it to strengthen the Lightning Forge would take a significant amount of time. With his current resonant power, he could only maintain the Lightning Forge at this state. As such, the only way left for him was to strengthen the Lightning Forge using special means. The key lay in the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath, and it seemed that it would be a massive boon for him. With it, Li Luo believed that he would be able to boost the Thunderpeal Avatar to the Two Sonic Pulse level. With that, his body would strengthen and he should not be any weaker than a Silver Fiend. That would be a significant boost. Just as he was lost in thought, Li Luo was interrupted when he felt the world around him shake violently. He hurriedly glanced across the vast, golden desert, but all he could see was the endless pulsing waves of sand. The next moment, the golden sand trembled and churned. It then rained down from the sky like a glittering waterfall. Two enormous, golden beams of light pierced through the waterfall, and Li Luo took a deep breath. It was a majestic, golden dragon, staring down at Li Luo, exuding an aura of suppression. Just like a human staring down at an ant. When the golden dragon opened its mouth, a dragonbreath filled with limitless thunder energy left Li Luo frozen in fear. This dragonbreath was several times stronger than the previous one. Is the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath truly that tyrannical? Li Luo frowned upon it. If he recklessly absorbed such a large amount of thunder energy with the Lightning Forge, surely it would break apart, right? Moreover, his physical body would not be able to withstand it either. Therefore, if he wanted to use the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath to strengthen the Lightning Forge, he had to weaken it to a level that his body could handle first. When he came to this conclusion, there was no need for any further hesitation. Instinctively, his body started moving and his hands formed seals. A moment later, he drew out the strength and summoned the Black Dragon Banner. Li Luo did not hesitate and instantly used his strongest skill to fight against such a powerful Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath. The golden dragon in the sky did not hesitate either. It opened its mouth, baring its ferocious fangs like a sea of gold. Bang! Roaring thunder reverberated in the next moment. A thousand meter golden dragonbreath shot out fiercely, surprisingly in liquid form. Wherever the lightning dragon''s breath passed, the void warped and distorted. "Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner!" Li Luo''s eyes lit up, and a black dragon flew out of the black dragon banner in his hands. With the sound of the dragon''s chant resounding and the cold, black light piercing the sky, the black dragon headed straight for the lightning dragonbreath. No sound was generated when the two forces clashed. Instead, they struggled on, and the black mist started to rise continuously. Faint cracks started surfacing in the void. This stalemate lasted for about ten seconds before the black dragon weakened, let out a final wail, and shattered under the terrifying force of the lightning dragonbreath. The Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath was indeed fearsome. Even with a Duke Art, Li Luo was only able to deplete half of its strength. The remaining half of the lightning dragonbreath continued to charge towards Li Luo with devastating force. Li Luo raised his head and stared straight into the lightning dragonbreath. However, there were no signs of panic on his face. Instead, the Thunderpeal Avatar was activated at this moment, which would strengthen his body''s resistance to lightning. Bang! The One Sonic Pulse resonated with his body and fortified it. And things did not end here. At this moment, a mysterious, violet light appeared on the back of his hand. It was the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch that Li Luo had obtained at the Holy Grail Meet. The brooch could originally produce Violet Spiritliquid, which served to temper his resonance. However, Li Luo had exhausted it all at once to raise his dragon resonance to the sixth-grade, meaning the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch had lost one of its uses. Nonetheless, Li Luo did not need the Violet Spiritliquid right now. Instead, what he needed was the secret art from the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch. "Eternal Oak Armor!" Accompanied by Li Luo''s whispers, the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch suddenly burst into bright, green light. The green light contained a huge aura of vitality, and it quickly wrapped around Li Luo''s body. Moments later, there was a green suit of battle armor protecting Li Luo''s body. He could feel a surging aura of vitality rushing into his body. His arms, which were previously shredded due to the use of Divine Elephant Power, had recovered completely. "Such a strong recovery ability!" Li Luo was pleasantly surprised that the recovery ability of the Eternal Oak Armor was much stronger than the Spirit Water Art and the other recovery techniques that he had used previously. Furthermore, the Eternal Oak Armor was based on wood resonance power, which served as the counter to lightning resonance power, becoming the optimal choice to further reduce the lightning dragonbreath effects. With everything prepared, all that was left was to take on the lightning dragonbreath head-on. Li Luo showed no sign of fear, stretching out his arms. When the lightning dragonbreath struck, Li Luo''s ears were bombarded by roaring thunder. The devastation raged on wildly outside the battle armor. At this moment, the Eternal Oak Armor suddenly started cracking, and the thunder energy made use of this opportunity to enter Li Luo''s body, wreaking havoc and destruction on him. Severe pain wracked through his body. But he remained silent. First, he used the power of the dual resonances to counter the thunder energy. At the same time, he utilized the recovery ability of his waterlight resonance and wood resonance to aid in repairing the damaged parts of the Eternal Oak Armor. At this moment, the thunder energy was still too strong to absorb directly. As such, he decided to weaken it further using his own body as a barrier. This would result in immense suffering, but Li Luo was not afraid of it. As a result, Li Luo''s body had become the stage for the battle. As the thunder energy continued to ravage through him, he used his strong recovery ability to recuperate. Cycles of destruction followed by regeneration went on and on, his physical body slowly displaying signs of strengthening. No one knew how long the battle lasted, but Li Luo persevered with gritted teeth. He had expected all this when he first decided to carry out this plan. He had no idea how others conquered the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath, but there were not many who would have chosen the same, mad idea as him. Li Luo''s resonant power depleted rapidly in the process. Luckily, the situation gradually improved. The power of dual resonances countered the lightning resonant power effectively. Despite the overpowering dragonbreath, the dual resonance power did not appear any weaker when clashing head-on against it. As time passed, Li Luo was getting close to eroding the thunder energy in his body to a level he felt was acceptable. "Almost there." With this thought, he activated the Lightning Forge in his body. Suddenly, there was roaring thunder crackling through his body. Following the thunder, the thunder energy ruining his body started getting absorbed into the Lightning Forge, just like birds flying back home. In a short moment, all of the thunder energy was absorbed by the Lightning Forge. When the last strand of energy entered, Li Luo started feeling a little anxious. Under his close observation, the Lightning Forge started to shake violently. Seeing such an exaggerated reaction from the Lightning Forge caused Li Luo to hold his breath in trepidation. Hopefully, the Lightning Forge could contain this force of nature. If it exploded and took everything with it, he would have worked hard for nothing. Chapter 0760: Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts Chapter 0760: Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts Bang! Deafening, thundering roars sounded off within Li Luo''s body. The Lightning Forge continued to vibrate violently as the irritable thunder energy struggled inside it. Some thunder energy leaked out from time to time, accompanied by a loud thunder blast. Li Luo was very nervous. At the same time, he channeled all the resonant power within him to wrap the Lightning Forge, encasing it in multiple layers of protection. After all, the Lightning Forge was within his bodyif he didnt take precautions, the consequences of it exploding would be disastrous. BOOM! The thunderclaps continued. Without a doubt, Li Luo could feel the thunder energy within the Lightning Forge strengthening. Gradually, even the originally silver thunder energy inside started to turn golden. It was a sign that the dragonbreath and thunder energy were fusing in the Lightning Forge. The Lightning Forge shuddered violently time and again as if it were about to crack open. Luckily, it managed to calm down under Li Luo''s vigilant care and avoided the nightmarish ending of a gratuitous explosion. The struggle went on for several minutes before Li Luo felt like the Lightning Forge was finally stabilizing. The thunder energy in the Lightning Forge, coated in faint, golden glitters, became docile. At last, Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief and smiled pleasantly. The strengthening of the Lightning Forge was a success! This dragonbreath experience had really brought him an unexpected surprise. Li Luo focused on his mental state and observed the Lightning Forge. He naturally let out a satisfied grin when he felt the power of the new lightning force within. He would be able to achieve the Two Sonic Pulse thanks to the strengthening of the Lightning Forge had just received, and his physical strength had benefited as well. In fact, he could even attempt the Three Sonic Pulse if he pushed his limits. However, that would inevitably cause a huge strain on his body and should be left as a last resort. Slowly, the shaking of the Lightning Forge subsided. Then Li Luo opened his eyes. At this moment, he was still standing in the golden desert. The Eternal Oak Armor had long been shattered and his body had been burnt charcoal-black. Despite his pathetic look, he had not sustained many injuries thanks to the recovery ability of the armor. Li Luo lowered his head and took a good look at the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch on his hand. This was the first time he had used the Eternal Oak Armor, but its effect was a pleasant surprise. If he ever sustained any serious injuries again, this would be an ace up his sleeve. "I passed the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial, right?" Li Luo whispered to himself. The Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath sure was powerful. He had only managed to conquer it thanks to the Eternal Oak Armor. Without it, he would barely have managed it even with his current power. At the same time, he raised his head and glanced at the golden dragon that was still high up in the sky. A gold light slowly fell from its mouth. The light shot straight into Li Luo''s mind, and a wave of extraordinary information flooded into his mind. At this instant, Li Luo smirked happily. This was the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts that he had always wanted! Without a doubt, he had succeeded in clearing the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial. "Look, old man, the trial was not that hard after all. What''s so great about you anyways... Pfft," remarked Li Luo with a grin of satisfaction. After obtaining the new Fiend Art, Li Luo started looking around again. Zhao Yanzhi had told him that there would be a Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath secret art after he cleared the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial. As Li Luo was glancing around, the golden dragon in the sky started to dissipate, and thirteen dragon scales fell from it, clustering together as a shiny, golden orb of light. The golden orb had landed right in front of Li Luo. As Li Luo studied it, he could see the thirteen dragon scales swirling inside like fish swimming. "Are these dragon scales the so-called Nine Revolutions Art?" Li Luo wondered to himself. There were as many as thirteen Nine Revolutions Arts! Delighted, Li Luo carefully stretched out his hand towards the golden orb. When he made contact with it, he could sense a powerful and vast force, much stronger than the power of dual resonances, surrounding it. Is this... the triple resonances possessed by a King? Li Luo extended his reach and smoothly grabbed onto one of the golden dragon scales. To his surprise, his hand was ejected out of the golden orb by a strong repulsion as soon as he grabbed onto the dragon scale. Li Luo opened his palm to examine the dragon scale. At this moment, the dragon scale melted into his palm, and a secret art emerged in his mind. "Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath?" Li Luo realized that this was the Nine Revolutions Art, but he would never be able to execute it by himself. He would need the help of the banner to realize this power. "If I become the Green Nether''s Banner Leader, command the eight thousand members, and then leverage their power to release the Heavenly Dragon Lightning Roar, that would be..." Li Luo pondered in awe. That kind of strength could even rival a Duke. Naturally, there was a huge gap in power between an Earth Fiend and a Duke. Even if eight thousand Earth Fiends fought against a single Duke, the Earth Fiends would not stand a single chance despite the huge numerical advantage. After all, that was akin to pitting eight thousand rabbits against a lion, whereby their only chance of survival would be if the lion had had his fill. However, the banner members could challenge a Duke with his newfound power. This Heavenly Emperor superpower was once again revealing its extraordinary means. After obtaining a new Nine Revolutions Art, Li Luo could not help but stare greedily back at the remaining twelve golden dragon scales. Can I take another one? Li Luo tried to reach in for another dragon scale. However, he was strongly rejected by the triple resonances upon contact with the orb. "Too stingy?" Li Luo grumbled in dissatisfaction, but he did not give up. He used the power of dual resonances to blast it a few times, but the golden orb was totally unscathed. He frowned and pondered for a moment. This shiny, golden orb originated from the Ancestor, right? In that case, would I be able to break in using the power from the same aura? Power from the same aura? At this thought, Li Luo''s eyes lit up. He clasped his palm, and a black plaque appearedthe Heavenly Emperor''s Writ. At this moment, he summoned up the three resonant powers within him, fused them together to create a makeshift triple resonance power, and then attempted to combine that with the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ. Finally, he stretched out his hand with the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ and reached for the golden orb again. At first, the golden orb started repelling Li Luo as soon as they made contact again. However, when Li Luo pushed on and his Heavenly Emperor''s Writ got in touch with the golden orb, the pulses of rejection started to show signs of hesitation and doubt. Taking advantage of this chance, Li Luo pushed right into the golden orb with his Heavenly Emperor''s Writ. Pssht! Following the slight sound, Li Luo managed to reach into the golden ball orb again. However, he had no time to admire his successhe quickly grabbed onto two of the dragon scales nearest to him. At this instant, the golden orb started to tremble fiercely. Seeing this, Li Luo wasted no time and pulled back his hand swiftly. Once again, the two dragon scales melted into his palm. However, the golden orb in front of him continued the intense vibrations this time. With a low roar, followed by a loud blast, a dazzling, golden light shot out at Li Luo. Li Luo was sent flying by the heavy blast. The golden desert in front of him began to recede rapidly. By the time he came back to his senses, he had been kicked out of the dragon stele and was rolling down the stone stairs in embarrassment. Finally, he ended up back in front of Zhao Yanzhi. Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi looked at him in astonishment. At the same time, the crowd around him turned around and focused upon his very being. Chapter 0761: Tremors Through the Crowd Chapter 0761: Tremors Through the Crowd Li Luo''s unceremonious exit left the crowd in surprise. Although there had been contestants in the past who ended up badly injured, they had all been able to walk out of the Dragon Stele in one piece. It was rare to see someone rolling out in such an embarrassing fashion like Li Luo. Faced with such a sight, the crowd started laughing. "Sub Leader, are you okay?" Zhao Yanzhi stretched out a helping hand as she watched Li Luo worriedly. Li Luo grabbed her hand and pulled himself back up. At this point, no one could read his expression as his face was still burnt from the lightning dragonbreath earlier. "All good, everything went as expected," Li Luo answered calmly. Hearing this, Li Shi and Mu Bi were left speechless. Such an ending was within his expectations? "What was the result of the trial?" asked Zhao Yanzhi. However, Li Luo did not reply this time. Instead, he turned around with one hand behind his back, staring straight back at the Dragon Stele with a serious look. Zhao Yanzhi and the gang were puzzled by his behavior. Just as they were about to ask more questions, a bright stream of golden light shot out from the Dragon Stele, drawing everyone''s attention. The stream of golden light soared high up into the sky and could be seen from hundreds of miles away. Subsequently, nine golden circles emerged around the golden stream of light, and words started to appear. Everyone in the crowd watched in anticipation. "Green Nether fifth division leader, Li Luo, has acquired the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts!" This left everyone silent for a moment. Whether it was Zhao Yanzhi and the duo or Zhong Ling and the first division, everyone watched in disbelief. Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art! Li Luo passed the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial?! How could this be possible? He is just a puny Lesser Fiend Palace cultivator, so how could he have conquered the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath?! At this point, Zhong Ling''s face turned gloomy, and he was unable to come to terms with this. He had actually attempted the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial but failed it. As such, he could not believe his own eyes. How could someone like Li Luo have succeeded? As he looked down on Li Luo''s shadow, it dawned upon him that the son of the Hall Master was much more threatening than he had initially thought. The silence among the crowd only lasted for a brief moment before everyone exploded once again in newfound excitement. All the members of the Green Nether Banner were amazed by this result and started to see Li Luo in a different light. In the previous confrontation between Li Luo and Mu Bi, it might have been luck when the weak defeated the strong. However, now that Li Luo had obtained the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts, there was no more doubt about his strength. After all, it had been countless years since anyone from the Green Nether Banner had obtained the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. In fact, even among the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, the only one to ever succeed in the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial was the Gold Blood Banner Leader with the blessing of their Lineage Chief. But things had changed. At long last, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had a new master in the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts. This would undoubtedly cause quite a commotion in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, and even in the other four Lineages. All the members of the Green Nether Banner knew in their hearts that the son of the Hall Master, who had recently just returned, was going to be famous in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. As expected, the Dragon Steles of the Twenty Banners were all connected. As such, the Dragon Stele on the back hill of the Green Nether drill grounds was not the only one that reacted to the completion of the trial. Every other Dragon Stele experienced the same phenomenona golden stream of light had burst out from them as well. At the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Violet Spirit drill grounds... Li Jingtao, who had been training his banner members, turned and watched the golden stream of light in disbelief. Similarly, the eight thousand Violet Spirit Banner members also watched in surprise. "Is that...." "Someone cleared the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial?" "But who?! "From the Green Nether Banner? The fifth division leader, Li Luo?! "Who is that?" "You are too outdated. Li Luo is the son of the Third Master, and he just came back from an outer divine continent a few days ago!" "Oh?" "Wow, he is pretty impressive. He cleared the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial as soon as he returned. No wonder he is the son of the Third Master!" Amidst the chattering crowd, Li Jingtao let out a pleasant smile, fully satisfied with such a result. "My Little Brother sure is talented. Even I have not mastered the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts." At the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Crimson Cloud drill grounds.... Donned in red battle dress, Li Fengyi was also looking at the golden stream of light in amazement. "As expected of Third Uncle''s child. Not only is he handsome, he is also so capable. Although his resonant power is a little weak, his potential is extraordinary. He will definitely become an important pillar of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage in the future." Li Fengyi pursed her lips and smiled lightly. She was very satisfied with her younger brother. When the opportunity arose in the future, she would definitely bring him to the other Lineages to show off. At the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Gold Light drill grounds... On the east side of the drill grounds, there was a lake with a green mountain in its reflection. On the lake was a tree trunk drifting peacefully. And on the tree trunk was a man clothed in white, sitting cross-legged and fishing. When one looked into his eyes, there was a dominating aura of strength and power. This was none other than Deng Fengxian, the leader of the Gold Light Banner. Currently, the Gold Light Banner was the strongest banner in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. With his overwhelming strength, Deng Fengxian had risen to the top among the countless competitors and became their leader. In that sense, one could say he stood as one of the strongest among the younger generation in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, even stronger than Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi. Many among the younger generation would have heard of him as the formidable white-clothed, gilded armor Deng Fengxian. In fact, his overwhelming strength easily made him one of the strongest not just in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, but even among the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. At this moment, his fishing rod trembled slightly and he raised his head in astonishment. He then looked towards the golden stream of light that had shot up into the sky. "Oh, someone from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage managed to clear the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial? "Li Luo? Isnt that the son of the Hall Master? "Not bad, he managed to clear a trial of such difficulty even though he is only at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier. "I wonder which Nine Revolutions Art he got." While he was surprised by the news, Deng Fengxian kept his composure, unlike Zhong Ling and the others. After all, there was still a huge gap in strength between a Lesser Fiend Palace Tier like Li Luo and him. At present, Deng Fengxian''s goal was to become the head of the Four Banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Once he achieved it, Li Luo would be considered his subordinate, and it would be fantastic to have such a strong and capable subordinate assisting him. This would definitely aid him as he faced off against the heads of the other Four Lineages in the future. When he came to this conclusion, he calmly shifted his attention back to fishing. This stunning news disseminated far and wide, not just among the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, but also towards the headquarters of the other four Lineages and the sixteen other banners. Like Zhao Yanzhi had mentioned, Li Luo''s name would become well known across the world after this news. Back in the bamboo forest at the back of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Li Jingzhe, who was planting seeds, took a look up towards the Green Nether Peak and saw the announcement too. A pleasant smile surfaced on his aged face. "Taixuan, your son is as good as your youthful self." He smiled as he lowered his head and went back to plowing the soil and planting new seeds. "Don''t worry. Since you chose to send him back to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, I will surely take good care of him and unleash his full potential. I gave in for the sake of the overall situation back then, but no matter what happens now, I will not compromise again." Li Jingzhe thought to himself as he continued to care for the seedlings with a gentle smile on his aged face. Chapter 0762: Banner Members Core Chapter 0762: Banner Members'' Core "Oh, what a grand scene." Back at the Green Nether drill grounds, Li Luo finally understood what Zhao Yanzhi meant when she said his name would be well known throughout the domain once he cleared the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial. With such a flashy display, how could anyone not notice? "Well? I did not let you down, did I?" Li Luo joked about it as he turned back towards Zhao Yanzhi and friends. He had seen enough of the overwhelming announcements for now. The trio looked at him in bewilderment. Although Li Luo had managed to injure Mu Bi, who boasted the strongest defense amongst them, they had thought that he had only succeeded by catching Mu Bi off guard. None of them believed that Li Luo, a Lesser Fiend Palace cultivator, would have stood a chance if the match had dragged on. In the end, Li Luo had proven his worth with his grand display of his trump card, the Duke Art. Yet none of them had expected Li Luo to become the first one in the Green Nether Banner to clear the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial. More surprisingly, he had done it on the very day he joined. This was not something that could be accomplished merely with good luck. Amongst the four Banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Deng Fengxian, leader of the Gold Light Banner, was the only one to date that had succeeded in learning the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. Now they had another one, Li Luo, leader of the Green Nether Banners fifth division. As they faced each other, Li Luo''s face was reflected in the bright and beautiful eyes of Zhao Yanzhi. Although he was still a mess after the previous battle, she could already feel that the son of the Hall Master was emitting a radiant aura of brilliance of his own. Perhaps... tagging along with him was a fateful encounter all along. Mu Bi, Li Shi, and her had all come from humble beginnings, working hard to achieve what they had today. In the process, they had seen the dark and ugly side of society, especially in Zhao Yanzhi''s case, where some of the elders in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had gone to the extent of coveting her body. Despite their forays, she had often shrugged them off with a forced smile. As a result, she could clearly see the difference between Li Luo and them. Compared with those disgusting individuals, Li Luo was not only young and good-looking, he also came from a good background in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and could be considered an extraordinary disciple with huge potential. Most importantly, he did not lust after her body. Although she did not know if he was pretending or not at this point, a choice had to be made. "Congratulations, Sub Leader. The Twenty Banners of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages must have all heard of your great name by now," Zhao Yanzhi congratulated in a gentle tone as she gave a charming smile that emphasized her jade-like cheeks. "Congratulations, Sub Leader," Mu Bi and Li Shi repeated. From their tone and words, it was clear that Li Luo had earned their respect. Similarly, the fifth division banner members that had gathered to watch the commotion had changed their tone now and exclaimed in excitement, "Congratulations, Sub Leader!" Evidently, the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art held great significance among the Twenty Banners, and clearing the trial had placed Li Luo under a different light. There was no doubt that the banner would be more united under the leadership of a Sub Leader who had learned the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art, and this would bring out the potential of the banner better. Why was the Gold Light Banner the strongest among the Dragon''s Fang Lineage? It was not solely due to Deng Fengxian''s strength. Another reason was his mastery of the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. As such, even though Li Luo''s resonant power was weaker now, the fifth division''s combat power was bound to strengthen now that their leader had acquired the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath. Just based on this alone, Li Luo had earned the respect and support from all of the fifth division banner members. The banner members from the other four divisions watched in envy. Everyone was aware of how greatly a banner''s strength would increase with a banner leader that could use the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. Zhong Ling watched the scene without much expression, but he was clearly suppressing his irritation and emotions underneath his calm face. It had barely been a day since Li Luo joined the Green Nether... Previously, he had felt that Li Luo was not worth any mention as he came from an outer divine continent and was just a puny Lesser Fiend Palace cultivator. The only thing he had going for him was a better social status. What threat could he possibly pose? But now, he no longer thought that way. Li Luo had firmly entrenched himself within the fifth division. There used to be many rebellious people in the fifth division, but they had all bowed in obedience before a leader with the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. One could only imagine how much more the fifth division''s status and prestige would increase in the coming days. Without a doubt, this would threaten his chances to be selected as the Green Nether Banner Leader in three months. Zhong Ling''s eyes changed, and finally, he sniffed coldly and walked away. So what if he had the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art? Being just a Lesser Fiend Palace cultivator, Li Luo''s ability to achieve unity would still be limited. Even if he managed to catch up to Zhong Ling in the future, Zhong Ling would already be the Green Nether Banner Leader then. No matter how strong Li Luo would be, he would remain under his command. "Let''s go." Li Luo did not hang around for long. He turned around and left the back mountains, heading back to the fifth division area. Zhao Yanzhi and friends followed closely behind, accompanied by the rest of the fifth division banner members. Such a grand sight attracted even more attention in the Green Nether drill grounds. Some of the banner members had been training and were unaware of the news yet. However, they started checking things out after they saw the fifth division leaving together, and soon enough, the commotion and chatter continued to grow. The Green Nether drill grounds became lively as everyone started talking about it. After all, this meant that the Green Nether Banner was now the only one apart from Gold Light Banner that had the Nine Revolutions Fiend Arts. This was definitely worth celebrating. When Li Luo arrived at the fifth divisions area, he could see a bustling crowd clad in dark clothes awaiting his return. These were the other members of the fifth division. "Mighty Sub Leader!" The crowd cheered excitedly as they looked upon Li Luo with respect and admiration. Li Luo recalled that they were nowhere near as excited when he unexpectedly won against Mu Bi previously. Evidently, the significance of obtaining the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art far surpassed his imagination here. He knew that from this moment on, he was truly considered the fifth divisions leader. The fifteen hundred banner members in front of him would serve as his foundation in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Finally, he smiled happily and accepted their warm welcome. After a round of celebration with the banner members, Li Luo was tired and returned to his Sub Leader quarters. He sat cross-legged on the training platform and got ready to discover the Nine Revolutions Arts he had learned from the remaining two dragon scales. As he calmed himself down, the information slowly flowed into his mind. Before long, he finished learning the two new secret arts. Nine Revolutions Art, Lightning Twister Plantain Fan. Nine Revolutions Art, Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment. Chapter 0763: Goals Chapter 0763: Goals Lightning Twister Plantain Fan. Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment. Li Luo''s face changed as soon as he learned about the two new secret arts. These were no ordinary resonance artsthey held formidable power that exceeded even a Duke Art. However, Li Luo would not be able to pull them off alone. He would need to unite the strength of his banner in order to use these arts. These secret arts had been specially created for the Twenty Banners. Thankfully, Li Luo was already part of the Twenty Banners. As long as he became the Green Nether Banner Leader, he would be able to unite the might of the 8,000 Green Nether banner members and cast these secret arts. Surely, such strength would be comparable to that of a Duke expert. Li Luo continued to study the two new secret arts for another moment before his priority shifted back to the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. Notwithstanding how it would help Li Luo speed up his cultivation, the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art would also be indispensable for him to take charge of the banner members under him. At this moment, Li Luo closed his eyes and focused his mental state to study the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. Information flowed into his mind as he analyzed its details. This went on for half a day before Li Luo opened his eyes again in shock. "So, this is the supposed Ten Fiend Fiend Arts? Wonderful," Li Luo muttered softly to himself in awe. Compared to this, the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath that he had mastered previously was truly just rudimentary fundamentals. The secret of the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art involved utilizing a special method to refine dragonbreath. After repeated refinements, the dragonbreath would reach an extremely pure level that could then be channeled into earth fiend energy within the body. With this, more abstruse fiend lights could be refined. This was definitely one of the top Fiend Arts in the world. If it were placed in a lower level country like the Xia Kingdom, everyone would fight to their deaths for it. Its main limitation was that it could only work on the Earth Fiend level and was not as powerful as a Duke Art. However, its significance and utility would easily place it on par with a Destiny-grade Duke Art in the eyes of many. Li Luo let out a sigh before he went back to cultivating, attempting the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. However, the way to refine the dragonbreath over and over again was very complex, and he kept failing even though he had previously mastered the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath. The Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath was way harder than the Three Revolutions Draconic Breath. Li Luo remained patient and continued trying, learning from the experience as he failed time and again. After he spent half a day on countless attempts, he finally succeeded in refining the first Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath. The Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath glowed with a dark-gold radiance as it entered Li Luo''s body. "I have finally succeeded." Li Luo let out a sigh of relief. The first time was always the hardest, and it would get better and faster in the future once he became familiar with it. Following this, Li Luo drew the earth fiend energy into his body and fused it with the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath. Ten strands of abstruse fiend light then entered his waterlight resonance palace, and Li Luo finally grinned in satisfaction. Although the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art only added three more strands of abstruse fiend light compared to the Six Revolutions, the Fiend Art could be cultivated multiple times a day. Over time, this would instill such a huge lead that even numerous high-grade Fiend Origin Pills would not make up for it. Moreover, there was a limit to consuming high-grade Fiend Origin Pills. Taking too many of those would affect one''s foundation and make it more difficult to advance to the next rank in the future. "Now that I have the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts, plus the Green Nether Banner monthly stipend, I can probably refine around fourteen hundred strands of abstruse fiend light in the coming month," Li Luo contemplated. Currently, his waterlight resonance palace had roughly two thousand strands of abstruse fiend light. At this rate, his waterlight resonance palace would reach its limits in two months time, and he might be able to rank up to the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. This was shocking progress. Despite this, Li Luo was not content. There were only three months left until the battle for the position of Green Nether Banner Leader, and he had to secure it at all costs. Li Jingzhe had told him that he would only share information on the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus after he had become the Banner Leader. As such, he had to win the position, whether it was for the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus or for him to establish himself in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. In other words, he would have to face off against Zhong Ling, who was currently a Gold Fiend and much stronger than him. He had barely managed to eke out a victory in his previous fight against the Silver Fiend Mu Bi with the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner, so he would stand little chance against the Gold Fiend Zhong Ling with his current strength. In other words, Li Luo''s current goal was to at least boost his second resonant palace to the Greater Fiend Palace before the fight for the Banner Leader position. Both his woodearth and thunder dragon resonance palaces were of a lower grade when compared to his waterlight resonance palace. As a result, they would likely only be able to withstand approximately four thousand strands of abstruse fiend light. This meant that he would need another eight thousand strands in the next three months to achieve his goal, approximately twenty-five hundred more strands of abstruse fiend light needed per month. "Sigh." Li Luo felt slightly demoralized after doing the math in his head. Twenty-five hundred strands per month was an astonishing amount. Even with his Ten Fiend Fiend Art and the high-grade Fiend Origin Pills he would receive, he was still short of almost a thousand abstruse fiend lights every month. Li Luo was sure that even in the inner divine continents, only a handful of geniuses would be able to pull it off. He pondered deeply. How could he possibly make up for this shortfall? If he relied on high-grade Fiend Origin Pills, he would need two hundred more pills every month. This was clearly impossible as he only received fifty every month currently, even with two monthly stipends. Furthermore, relying on the Fiend Origin Pills for abstruse fiend lights would not be a wise move, as mentioned earlier. In that case. There was only one choice left. The Seventy-Two Layers of the Fiendish Devil Cave Li Luo tapped his knees lightly with his fingers. Perhaps he could find a way to get the extra thousand strands of abstruse fiend light from there. However, this was not something he could do alone. He would require the strength of the fifth division, which meant that he would need to master the Draconic Atavism Scripture, as well as achieve harmony with the banner members. Li Luo nodded slightly. There were six more days before the Fiendish Devil Cave reopened. In these coming six days, he would focus all his energy in achieving this state. In the end, he could only hope the rewards from the Fiendish Devil Cave would live up to his expectations and be worthwhile. Chapter 0764: Harmony Chapter 0764: Harmony Over the next few days, Li Luo stayed at the Green Nether drill grounds to focus on refining his Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. More importantly, he wanted to build up his relationship with the banner members as this would be critical in allowing him to achieve harmony. As for the Draconic Atavism Scripture, it was not difficult to cultivate, as it was just the catalyst. The crux lay in the silver seal of the Sub Leader. It contained a secret art that could be used with the Draconic Atavism Scripture, which would enable one to mobilize the power of the banner. This was somewhat similar to the commander''s seal in the Xia Kingdom. Without this, no Sub Leader would be able to mobilize the strength of his banner members, and he would remain solely as just one person. This was not surprising at all. First and foremost, the Twenty Banners were the young reserve army for the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Such an ability belonged to the entirety of the lineage, not just the Sub Leader or Banner Leader. The Banner Leaders were like flowing water that changed as time passed, whilst the banner itself stood firmly like iron. In fact, even the banner members were no different. Every few years, the crowd in the Twenty Banners would disperse naturally, as some of the elite ones might get into the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Guardian Armies, whilst others might end up as officials in other Lineages or jurisdictions. Only the especially gifted ones would emerge as Dukes, becoming true elites in the world. Moreover, if there was a particularly talented individual that could reach the King Stage, he might even start a new Lineage within the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. After all, the Ancestor once said that even if it was someone with a different surname, they would be qualified to do so as long as they had reached the King Stage. When that time arrived, it would no longer be Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, but the Heavenly Dragon''s Six Lineages. It was a pity, but no external individuals had ever managed to pull it off. At the Green Nether drill grounds, district of the fifth division... This was a spacious square built on the hillside, uniquely filled with thousands of stone platforms, each carved with a dragon imprint. These were known as the dragon stone platforms. It was the cultivation area for the banner members. And at this very moment, one figure was sitting on a dragon stone platform in the lotus position. The fifteen hundred members of the fifth division had gathered here. Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi stood stoically at the front of the crowd as they all looked towards a silver dragon stone platform. Li Luo was currently sitting on it calmly. Everyone held solemn expressions as today would be the first time that Li Luo would attempt to achieve harmony. Only after successfully doing so would he be regarded as the indisputable Sub Leader of the fifth division. Only then would he be able to command the might of the fifteen hundred members with his silver seal. Despite the gazes of so many individuals, Li Luo did not display any signs of anxiety. He might have come from an outer divine continent, but the dangers and experiences he had gained along the way far exceeded what the people present had gone through. "Everyone, let''s get started." Following Li Luo''s command, the fifteen hundred banner members channeled their energy and cultivated their Draconic Breath Fiend Arts. Soon enough, they were basked in luminous light from the resonant power, and streams of draconic shadows started to fly out one after another. Draconic cries reverberated throughout the crowd. However, these cries sounded chaotic and disorganized, like a choir lacking a composer. They were all acting independently and were hardly impressive. Seeing this, Li Luo took a deep breath and clapped his hands together. The silver seal of the Sub Leader materialized, and he used the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art immediately. At this moment, a dark golden light radiated from his body and a majestic dragon shadow emerged. The shadow then let out a deep roar. Following its roar, the multiple dragons that were flying around in disorder trembled, as if they were frightened by the intimidating roar. The Fiend Arts everyone cultivated had originated from the same lineage, with Li Luo''s Nine Revolutions Fiend Arts being the highest level. As such, his dragonbreath was naturally the purest, and it overwhelmed all the other shadows present. Even Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi felt the domineering presence exuding from Li Luo''s dark-golden dragonbreath. This made them both envious and awe-struck. Was this the legendary Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art? Truly extraordinary. Li Luo was clearly weaker than them in raw strength, but his dragonbreath was much purer than theirs. One could only imagine how efficient it would be to refine abstruse fiend lights using such a dragonbreath. But Li Luo was not aware of the trio''s envy. He was already focused on executing the next art, the Draconic Atavism Scripture. With that, the dark-golden dragon shadow around Li Luo seemed to have been gradually filled with spirituality, and its eyes glowed brightly. Slowly, the dragon shadow wandered out into the crowd and fused with the fifteen hundred dragon shadows in the field. Dark-golden light flowed out like mercury and enshrouded them. At this moment, some dragon shadows started to display signs of resistance and struggle. However, this was rapidly quelled when the majestic, dark-golden light enveloped it. Most of the dragon shadows remained obedient, and they flew into and merged with the gold light one after another. Seeing this, Zhao Yanzhi''s charming body relaxed a little as Li Luo''s attempt to achieve harmony had gone better than expected. This was the most crucial step to becoming the Sub Leader. Li Luo would only be considered a true Sub Leader after successfully harmonizing with his fifteen hundred banner members. Thinking back, this was to be expected. Even though he had just come to Green Nether and his raw strength remained a little unconvincing, he had managed to acquire the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art after all. To put it bluntly, Li Luo, would be welcomed by any other banner thanks to the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. No one in the fifth division could have imagined that they would get a Sub Leader capable of using the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. After all, who else in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had managed to obtain it apart from Deng Fengxian of the Gold Light banner? As more and more dragon shadows merged into the gold light, the dark-golden dragon shadow started to grow at an astonishing pace. This went on for about ten minutes. Li Luo stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. He stared at the banner members in front of him as the golden light seemed to have transformed into an ocean where a gigantic, golden dragon shadow was slowly swimming. Its dragon scales glittered with dazzling, lifelike luster. At the same time, pulses of extremely powerful energy fluctuations swept out in all four directions like sea waves, causing the air to explode with a deafening sound. A strange emotion arose in Li Luo''s heart. Standing before the dragon shadow, he could tell that even though it was not as powerful as someone at the Duke Stage, it would not lose out to any individual at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage. Most importantly, he could clearly feel that he was in control of this power. "So, this is the state of harmony..." Li Luo''s heart was pounding in excitement. He was only at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier currently, but with the might of the banner members under his command, it would be a cakewalk for him to eliminate any enemies above his level. "I can''t wait to find out just how strong this state will be when I fully mobilize the members of the Green Nether Banner," Li Luo thought to himself in anticipation. While Li Luo was lost in his thoughts, Zhao Yanzhi, Mu Bi, and Li Shi could also feel the fusion of power and stood awe-struck for a moment before they saluted Li Luo. "Congratulations, Sub Leader. You have succeeded in attaining harmony!" The banner members at the back greeted Li Luo with respect and cheered. "Congratulations, Sub Leader!!" Everyone cheered again. Li Luo waved his hands with a gentle smile hung upon his face. Everything was proceeding as planned. Now that he had managed to rally the might of his banner members, he was ready for his next challenge: the Seventy-Two Layers of the Fiendish Devil Cave. Chapter 0765: Fiendish Devil Peak Chapter 0765: Fiendish Devil Peak The atmosphere was tense at the Green Nether drill grounds today. Everyone was geared up and were chattering rowdily in anticipation of the great battle ahead. Today was the day the Fiendish Devil Cave reopened once again. The Fiendish Devil Cave was a place that all members of the Twenty Banners of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages possessed a love-hate relationship with. They loved it because they could acquire more abstruse fiend lights here to speed up their cultivation. At the same time, they hated it because this cave was not a location where they could wander around as they pleased. They had to tread carefully along every floor whilst remaining on alert for any dangers ahead, notwithstanding the large number of Fiendish Devils hanging around. Many were nearly tortured to death here. No matter what, the Fiendish Devil Cave remained an exclusive training ground for the Twenty Banners, and it lived on as a special part of their cultivation journey. Additionally, everyone knew in their hearts that this cave was also a location to attain fame, in spite of the hardships endured. Anyone who conquered the Seventy-Two Layers of the Fiendish Devil Cave would have their name engraved onto the golden pillar before the Fiendish Devil Cave, attaining an honor future generations would look up to. Of course, the benefits did not end there. This was why the members of the Twenty Banners remained extremely enthusiastic about the Fiendish Devil Cave. "Scrubbing this place clean is the best thing in the world!" Was a common saying amongst the members tackling the cave. In their day to day conversations, individuals enjoyed bragging about their progress in the Fiendish Devil Cave, and those who were lacking would often shy away to avoid embarrassment. As such, the Fiendish Devil Cave had an indisputable presence amongst the Twenty Banners. Li Luo, who would be participating for the first time, similarly possessed great curiosity and expectations for it. The eight thousand members of the banner had gathered at the Green Nether drill grounds, exuding a magnificent aura of vitality and youth. "Sub Leader, the twenty-seventh floor is the Green Nether''s current record in the Fiendish Devil Cave. We have been stuck there for over half a month. If we fail again, it will undoubtedly be a huge blow to the members'' morale." Zhao Yanzhi''s soft and seductive voice spoke out beside Li Luo''s ear. She was wearing an amazing outfit today. Dressed in a tight-fitting gown that complemented her drop-dead gorgeous figure, her slender neck was fair and brilliant white, her voluptuous curves were outlined seductively, and her long and lean legs stood delicately. With her cute, charming face, she was undoubtedly the center of attention in the whole drill ground. Even the guys from the other divisions could not help but steal a glance of her mesmerizing beauty from time to time. However, Zhao Yanzhi was not concerned with any of those gazes. Instead, she closed in on Li Luo as she spoke. With a faint, lingering fragrance, her breath lightly tickled Li Luo. This drew the envy of the crowd. Nevertheless, Li Luo stayed indifferent to Zhao Yanzhi''s seductive behavior. "Is it because of the lack of a Banner Leader to command everyone?" he asked. Zhao Yanzhi smiled sweetly and replied, "Not really. In fact, it does not matter whether there is a Banner Leader before the fortieth floor, as the banner splits into five upon entry to challenge five different areas. As long as one division manages to clear their trial, the other four will be deemed to have successfully cleared that level too. Such is the common practice for the Fiendish Devil Cave up to the fortieth floor." Hearing this, Li Luo was a little surprised. Originally, he had thought that he would need to rely on the strength of the entire banner. "As such, there is usually a vanguard team of elites led by the Banner Leader before the fortieth floor. This is the most efficient way to clear," Zhao Yanzhi continued. "However, the Green Nether currently lacks a Banner Leader that can unite everyone, so we can''t pull off such a feat. As such, we can only rely on each division to face it head-on." Li Luo nodded, expressing his understanding. At this moment, Zhong Ling from the first division called out to the eight thousand banner members present, "Guys, today is the day that the Seventy-Two Layers of the Fiendish Devil Cave reopens. Let''s work together to conquer it." A voice echoed from the crowd with laughter. "Sub Leader Zhong Ling, we''ll need to depend on the first division and your leadership to clear it. If we pull it off, you guys will be the Green Nether''s heroes." This sparked chatter among the crowd, but the remark was approved by most in general. While some hated to admit, it remained a fact that more than half of the twenty-seven floors cleared to date were accomplished by the first division. Undeniably, Zhong Ling played a significant role in it. With a warm smile, Zhong Ling waved his hand gently and replied, "That is my responsibility as part of the Green Nether. Ultimately, clearing the Fiendish Devil Cave is something that all of us will benefit from. " Beautifully said, the reply drew cheers from the crowd. Zhao Yanzhi pursed her red lips lightly as she whispered to Li Luo, "He is already starting to win people''s hearts over. He must be dreaming of climbing to the very top as Banner Leader." Hearing this, Li Luo just smiled and said nothing. After all, Zhong Ling was indeed the top candidate for the position of Banner Leader, far ahead of other sub leaders, including Li Luo himself. "If everyone is ready, let''s set off for Fiendish Devil Peak," Zhong Ling commanded with a wave of his hand. There were no objections from the crowd. With that, the eight thousand banner members set off from the Green Nether drill grounds like waves of torrents. Fiendish Devil Peak was located in the center of the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range, not too far off from the various banner schools. However, the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range was enormous, so it took the Green Nether Banner an hour before they finally reached the peak. There was a black hall situated on the top of Fiendish Devil Peak. In front of the hall was a vast square that could easily accommodate tens of thousands of people. And the square was bustling with noise. All four banners had gathered here. When the Green Nether Banner arrived, countless curious gazes fell on Li Luo. It was well known that Li Luo had passed the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial a few days ago. "That is Li Luo from the Green Nether Banner?" "That is the Third Young Master?" "Looks decent. He must be pretty good to have cleared the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial when hes only at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier." "Looks like there will be a new and upcoming leader in the Green Nether Banner." "Hah, not really. Even though the Third Young Master is talented, he is still far behind Zhong Ling right now. After all, there is less than three months left until the selection of the Green Nether Banner Leader." Many discussions and chatter surrounding Li Luo went on in the square. Notwithstanding the commotion he caused the other day, he was naturally a hot topic of discussion as the son of Li Taixuan. "Little Brother!" Li Jingtao from the Violet Spirit Banner and Li Fengyi from the Crimson Cloud Banner emerged from the crowd to welcome Li Luo. Both of them looked at Li Luo in awe. "Not bad, Little Brother. You have already become a celebrity in the Twenty Banners in just a few days," Li Fengyi praised. With a smile, Li Jingtao followed up, "Even Fengyi and I failed the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial a few times. How did you manage to do it?" "Perhaps my resonant power is weaker, and so the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath is correspondingly weaker too. Eldest Brother and Second Sister, you guys are stronger, so it''ll naturally be harder," Li Luo answered. "What a sweet little guy." Li Fengyi smiled coquettishly in response. Glancing at Zhao Yanzhi and the crowd behind him, she continued, "Wow, Little Brother, you have managed to tame the Green Nethers fifth division?" She was aware of the rebellious nature of the fifth division. By the looks of things now, Li Luo undoubtedly stood on top as their leader. "If you face any difficulties in the future, feel free to come to us. We''ll definitely support you." Li Fengyi ended off with a quick glance towards Zhong Ling, as if to drop a hint. Caught by Li Fengyi''s gaze, Zhong Ling was left a bit awkward. As the leaders of their respective banners, coupled with their prestigious family backgrounds, Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi were the rising stars amongst the younger generation in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, far ahead of him in status and strength. They had made it clear that they were supporting Li Luo now. Even though they were unable to interfere directly with the selection of the Green Nether Banner''s leader, it still placed a considerable amount of pressure on him. As Zhong Ling was brooding over these issues, he noticed the crowd splitting apart and giving ways as a skinny, white figure emerged. "Brother Deng!" Zhong Ling immediately shouted as if a savior had come for him. The crowd''s attention was guided towards the white silhouette, and everyone instantly became solemn with respect and admiration. Except for Li Fengyi, who frowned upon the sight. The white figure was none other than Deng Fengxian, Banner Leader of the Gold Light Banner. He was the true leader among the young generation in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, the sole reason why the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had not been left far behind by the other lineages. As such, his reputation and standing among the crowd was unmatched. Not even Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi could hold a candle to him. Under the gazes of the crowd, Deng Fengxian walked into the square with extraordinary flair, smiling warmly at Zhong Ling before he waved courteously at Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi. Faced with his politeness, Li Jingtao smiled in response, while Li Fengyi snorted coldly and ignored it. Deng Fengxian didn''t care about this though. Instead, he turned his gaze towards Li Luo on the Green Nether''s side, and he analyzed him with a slight grin. "You must be Sub Leader Li Luo, the young son of the Third Master who just returned from an outer divine continent and cleared the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial." Chapter 0766: Battle for Position Chapter 0766: Battle for Position As Deng Fengxian sized him up, Li Luo kept his composure and replied with a smile, "I am indeed Li Luo, the Sub Leader of the Green Nethers fifth division. Nice to meet you, Gold Light Banner Leader." At the same time, Li Luo took the chance to get a good look at him. He was handsome and gracious, with a pair of gentle-looking eyes. Occasionally, there was an aura of dominance leaking out. He was probably a very proud person in his heart. "You are too polite, Sub Leader Li Luo. Now that you have the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art, you will definitely rise up amongst the young generation and become an outstanding leader," Deng Fengxian responded with a shake of his head. "What''s wrong? Feeling threatened?" Li Fengyi sneered from the side. Hearing this, Deng Fengxian laughed in response. "Banner Leader Fengyi, you must be kidding. I am hoping someone else in Dragon''s Fang Lineage will help me share the burden." This made Li Fengyi''s brows stand on end. Did Deng Fengxian really think he was the leader of the Dragon''s Fang Lineages young generation? That was what his tone said. "If you really think so, then don''t say such pretentious things. The Gold Light Hall has only managed to get ahead by infringing on the Green Nether Hall''s interests, right?" The Gold Light Banner is treated way better than the other three banners. Where do you think all those resources come from?" Li Fengyi retorted with sarcasm. "They originally belonged to the Green Nether Hall and the Green Nether Banner!" Deng Fengxian''s face remained unaffected as he replied with a faint smile, "I do not understand the battles and games played by the upper echelons. I only know that I am the Banner Leader of the Gold Light Banner, and my responsibility is to make the Gold Light Banner the strongest. "Even if the Gold Light Banner is treated better, isn''t it because we deserve it? After all, who else can we depend on when we are pitted against the other lineages?" In this instant, Deng Fengxian''s dominating and overwhelming aura was clear. He did not show any signs of backing down even when confronted by Li Fengyi, the daughter of the Second Master. The elite Gold Light Banner members that stood behind their leader also started to circulate their resonant power threateningly. Li Fengyi was furious with this. With a step forward, a sharp rise in resonant power came from her delicate body, and the Crimson Cloud Banner members followed suit. The atmosphere around the square grew tense all of a sudden. Ahem. Let''s take a step back, everyone. Be careful not to offend the elders at Fiendish Devil Peak, or they will cancel the Fiendish Devil Cave expedition today and we will all be forced to head back and cry." Li Jingtao stepped in helplessly in an attempt to mediate between the two. With just a raise of his hand, Deng Fengxian signaled for the Gold Light Banner members to back down, and their escalated resonant power naturally diminished. It was evident how much respect Deng Fengxian commanded in the Gold Light Banner. "Banner Leader Fengyi, let''s have the results speak for themselves before we decide if the Gold Light Banner deserves to be treated better. This time, our goal is the fortieth layer of the Fiendish Devil Cave. If we succeed, our progress will place us in the top four amongst the Lineages. This will stop the other four Lineages from mocking our generation of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage," Deng Fengxian replied with a laugh. At this point, he looked over to Zhong Ling and continued, "There is no need to put pressure on Zhong Ling like this. Let the Green Nether Banner settle their own internal affairs themselves, as long as everything is kept fair and square." When Zhong Ling heard this, he immediately displayed gratitude towards Deng Fengxian. Li Fengyi snapped back with a pout, "Who doesn''t know that Zhong Ling and you are in cahoots? Back when the Gold Light Banner wanted to take more resources from the Green Nether Banner, he was the one that helped you pull it off." "Don''t malign me. That is an order from the hall, what can a small fry Sub Leader like me say?" Zhong Ling shot back furiously. "If it was not you, it mustve been your uncle, then," Li Fengyi criticized aggressively. Zhong Ling was fuming with anger, but he knew he could not afford to offend Li Fengyi. He let out a cold snort and walked off with the others. As the commotion went on, Li Luo stood and watched from the side quietly. He could tell from Li Fengyi''s words that over the years, some of the benefits that originally belonged to the Green Nether Banner had been given away to the Gold Light Banner due to the decline of the Green Nether Banner. Deng Fengxian did not hang around any longer either. In spite of Li Fengyi''s taunt, he maintained his composure and smile. With a wave of his hand, he walked off with his banner members too. The tension of the place finally lifted off with their departures. Li Fengyi continued to complain to Li Luo, "Little Brother, you have to be careful of that guy. The Gold Light Hall is so strong today mainly due to the resources they have stolen. Deng Fengxian and the Gold Light Banner are just blatantly exploiting the Green Nether Hall and the Green Nether Banner. If you get the chance in the future, remember to take back all the resources that originally belonged to the Green Nether Hall." "Theres no need for that, right, Second Sister?" Li Luo responded with a laugh."Regardless of whether it''s the Gold Light Banner or the Green Nether Banner, we are both under the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. As such, the rise of the Gold Light Banner can''t be a bad thing for us, right?" Li Fengyi snorted and whispered back, "Zhao Xuanming, the Gold Light Hall Master, used to be from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Who knows where they will stand in the end." Li Luo''s eyes lit up. While Li Fengyi''s worries were reasonable, they could only be said to be unfounded. As long as the old man was still in charge of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Zhao Xuanming would not be able to pull any tricks . Furthermore, the old man had told him before that the might of Zhao Xuanming and the Gold Light Hall was used to inspire the other three Halls. It was just that the Gold Light Banner had gotten too powerful and overwhelmed the other three Halls. However, these things were way out of his league. As a Lesser Fiend Palace cultivator, there was no need for him to worry about it. The most important thing right now was to establish his standing in the Green Nether banner. He did not feel much resentment towards Deng Fengxian either. Despite his tyrannical approach, there was no doubt that Deng Fengxian was strong. As for the resources taken by the Gold Light Banner, he could just reclaim them when the Green Nether Banner got stronger in the future. With the backing of Li Jingzhe, the Dragon''s Fang Lineages Lineage Chief, Li Luo was certain he would be able to reclaim whatever belonged to the Green Nether as long as he had the capability. Li Fengyi''s personality was very straightforward. As such, she felt turned off knowing Deng Fengxian had exploited the Green Nether Banner to move up. On the other hand, Li Jingtao was more gentle and did not mind it. Only Li Fengyi could not stand this. "Little Brother, you are now the Sub Leader of the Green Nethers fifth division. Currently, you are in last place among the Twenty Banners. Its time to show off your skills and get the Green Nether''s ranking in the Fiendish Devil Cave up," Li Jingtao explained. "I will do my best," Li Luo replied with a smile. Soon, the crowd gathered in front of the gigantic, black hall. There were countless ancient scribblings and light patterns on the doors to the hall. However, the doors remained tightly shut for now. In the middle of the hall, a dark-golden plaque stood with the words: Seventy Two Layers of the Fiendish Devil Cave Li Luo''s attention was drawn back to the front of the hall once again, where thirteen golden pillars stood conspicuously. On closer look, numerous names were carved onto them. "These are the predecessors who have cleared all seventy-two floors of the Fiendish Devil Cave. There are only thirteen banners who have succeeded to date," Li Fengyi explained with admiration. "See that pillar all the way on the left?" She pointed over with her slender finger. Li Luo''s gaze followed. A golden pillar stood there, shining more brightly than the others. It was as if the pillar had only been erected recently. Instantly, Li Luo saw the huge name engraved on it. It was followed by the eight thousand banner members of the Green Nether below. "Green Nether Banner Leader, Li Taixuan." Li Luo grinned happily. He could only imagine how outstanding his father was back then. However, that also meant more pressure for him as the son. Li Luo withdrew his gaze back to the thick and mysterious closed door. This was just the beginning of his time in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. In the future, he would be able to compare himself to his father to see who was the more brilliant one. After all, this concerned his position in the family as either the third or the fourth place! The former two spots were already monopolized by the women. As a result, this was a battle for one''s position and social status. There would be no mercy... even for his own family, else he would never hear the end of it. Chapter 0767: First Foray into the Fiendish Devil Cave Chapter 0767: First Foray into the Fiendish Devil Cave Before long, Li Luo''s gaze shifted from the golden pillars as the light curtain glittering at the side of the dark hall caught his attention. The light was emitted by crystal beads, and upon closer look, it detailed the progress of the Twenty Banners in the Fiendish Devil Cave to date. First place: Dragon''s Blood Lineage, Gold Blood Banner, Layer 43. Second place: Dragon''s Scale Lineage, Holy Scale Banner, Layer 42. Fifth place: Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Gold Light Banner, Layer 39. Going down the list, the other banners had mainly reached around layer thirty-five, including the Violet Spirit Banner and the Crimson Cloud Banner. The Green Nether Banner was all the way in the fourteenth position. It currently held a record of layer twenty-seven. Together with a few others, it was all the way at the bottom. This was indeed a poor performance as the other banners at the bottom were from the Dragon''s Bone Lineage and the Dragon''s Horn Lineage. Those Lineages were not direct descendants and had weaker foundations, causing them to be suppressed by the other three lineages. Considering the prominent past when his father was leading the Green Nether Banner, it was truly embarrassing for them to have fallen to the same level as those Lineages. The departure of his father had certainly dealt a serious blow to the Green Nether Banner. "What a great difference," muttered Li Luo. The top few banners were around layer forty, and the Gold Light Banner was at layer thirty-nine. On the other hand, the Green Nether Banner was just at layer twenty-seven. It was no wonder the Green Nether Banner was looked down upon. Even the Violet Spirit Banner led by Li Jingtao and the Crimson Cloud Banner led by Li Fengyi had been left far behind by the Gold Light Banner. With such a spectacular achievement, it was no wonder Deng Fengxian was so proud and domineering. The Gold Light Banner was undoubtedly the golden child of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Nevertheless, Li Luo''s true desire was to experience fighting the Fiendish Devils in the cave and see how many abstruse fiend lights he could obtain from it. This would be vital to his cultivation progress moving forward. As such, he wrapped up the conversation with Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi and headed back to the Green Nether Banner. He headed up to Zhao Yanzhi and asked, "We will be challenging layer twenty-eight, is that right? Have you all tried it before?" Zhao Yanzhi replied, The Fiendish Devil Cave opens for three days each time. Last time, we managed to reach layer twenty-eight on the last day. As you know, the fifth division had not even selected a Sub Leader then, so our coordination could be said to have been a mess. As such, our division barely advanced even ten percent of the way." "But that does not mean we are incompetent. The main reason is that we met the second division of the Iron Bone Banner from the Dragon''s Bone Lineage. We got into a fight with them, and that delayed our progress." At this point, Li Luo was puzzled. "We will meet other banners in the Fiendish Devil Cave?" Zhao Yanzhi nodded and continued, "We will not see the other banners on the first two days, but the cave''s mechanism will change on the third day. If you progress into a new floor during that period, you may encounter another banner, and things can get really complicated. Not only do we have to deal with the Fiendish Devils, we also have to compete with the other banners. "This is all dependent on luck. If you are unlucky, it is not impossible to face the Gold Blood Banner''s first division. If that happens, it may be better for us to just surrender." Li Luo was dumbfounded. Such a mechanism was clearly set up to promote competition among the banners for training. The higher echelons of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li were certainly scheming. "Does the progress of the Fiendish Devil Cave reset every time?" Li Luo asked curiously. "No." "In that case, will we be able to pass as long as we keep trying over time?" Li Luo continued asking. "In theory, yes. However, if you think that that is all it takes to clear all seventy-two layers, you are really underestimating these thirteen golden pillars." Zhao Yanzhi laughed coquettishly as she pointed to the gilded pillars. Li Luo nodded in agreement. Only thirteen banners had managed to conquer all seventy-two layers after so many years. If it were really so easy, the Twenty Banners would have to have been really disappointing in the past. "Sub Leader." Zhao Yanzhi leaned over with her enchanting figure and whispered, I heard that Zhong Ling of the first division has proclaimed that he will conquer two layers in three days. He is doing so to build up his reputation among the Twenty Banners, paving the route for the selection of the Banner Leader in the future. "If you''re also interested in the Banner Leader position, you should start preparing too. Rallying the people''s hearts is essential in the Twenty Banners. It will be much easier to attain harmony once they are united under you, and its prowess will magnify." Li Luo nodded slightly after hearing her reminder. Certainly, the might of the Twenty Banners was special. It was a collective group effort rather than an individual one. If he could unite everyone''s hearts, it would definitely be a great boost. And the easiest way to do so would be conquering the Fiendish Devil Cave. Doing so would benefit everyone under the Green Nether Banner. Naturally, the one with the greatest contribution in the conquest would gain the highest prestige amongst the banner members. Zhong Ling must have thought of the same thing too, which was why he was focusing all his effort on clearing the Fiendish Devil Cave. Li Luo let out a smile of helplessness. It seemed like Zhong Ling had recognized him as the key rival for the position of Banner Leader after he had obtained the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. The competition for the position of Banner Leader had already begun. However, there was nothing to be afraid of. After all, if he could not even handle a small fry like Zhong Ling, there would be no future for him within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage to speak of. There were many among the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages that were watching him, the son of Li Taixuan. If he could not even handle Zhong Ling, they would surely laugh at how incompetent Li Taixuans son was. As Li Luo was pondering over this, several rays of light descended from the sky above Fiendish Devil Peak, appearing outside the black hall. Multiple black-robed elders emerged from the rays with faces of seriousness. As they glanced across the square, the chatter among the crowd quieted down. They were the elders who presided over the opening of the Fiendish Devil Cave. After they arrived, they did not speak. After all, the same old message must have been repeated thousands of times over the years of managing the cave. It was pointless to repeat, so they proceeded with forming the hand seals. As their resonant power increased, runes materialized in the air and attached themselves onto the gates of the black hall. Boom! It sounded like a clash between two great forces of resonant power. The doors that were once tightly shut started to slowly creak open before the crowd. Behind the doors was a large energy vortex that formed a path leading into the unknown. When the energy vortex appeared, Deng Fengxian walked over from the Gold Light Banner, took the lead, and entered it. The eight thousand members of the Gold Light Banner followed after him. Not wanting to lose out, the Violet Spirit Banner and the Crimson Cloud Banner followed suit. Before her entry, Li Fengyi gave Li Luo a cheering gesture as encouragement. "Let''s go, Green Nether Banner. First division, follow my lead," Zhong Ling commanded as he marched forward with his first division banner members. Li Luo was not interested in competing with Zhong Ling over such meaningless trivialities. He just waved his hand to signal his fifth division to begin, and they stepped into the energy vortex. At this point, he was more interested in the Fiendish Devil Cave. This would be the key to raising his two resonant palaces to the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. A bright light flooded Li Luos eyes when he walked through the energy vortex. He was left dizzy for a moment. When he came back to his senses, he realized that his surroundings had transformed. He was on an island, surrounded by a special, warped space that was clearly untouchable. This was the Fiendish Devil Cave. As the space behind Li Luo continued to distort, shadows emerged from it. They were the fifth division banner members. Zhao Yanzhi landed lightly beside Li Luo and pointed to their front. "See that, Sub Leader? "Those are Fiendish Devils. There are thousands of them on this island, and we can only pass by eliminating all of them." Li Luo look at where she was pointing and noticed countless dark-gray shadows lurking around in the forest ahead. Those shadows were several feet tall and their bodies seemed to be covered in dark-gray scales. Their faces were blurry and they clearly looked spooky. However, he could also feel a sense of familiarity coming from them. That was the presence of the earth fiend energy within their bodies, which he was well acquainted with. Li Luo licked his lips and asked greedily, "If we annihilate the thousands of Fiendish Devils here and gather their earth fiend energy, how many strands of abstruse fiend light would that add up to?" Zhao Yanzhi thought for a moment before replying, "Around three or four thousand." Li Luo was slightly disappointed. Although three or four thousand strands of abstruse fiend light sounded like a lot, they were not just for him alonethey would be shared among the fifteen hundred banner members present. In the end, each one would probably get just two or three strands. Nonetheless, this was only layer twenty-eight. It would surely get more rewarding as they explored deeper into the cave. Zhao Yanzhi seemed to know what was on Li Luo''s mind. She smiled sweetly, pointed to the depths of the island, and told him, "Sub Leader, there is a Fiendish Devil Leader over there. If he is defeated, you may be able to score a hundred more strands of abstruse fiend light after the distribution." When Li Luo heard this, he was shocked. A hundred abstruse fiend lights was equivalent to dozens of high-grade Fiend Origin Pills. That was a pretty good reward for just clearing one level. When he thought about it, he suddenly felt a surge of motivation like never before. Waving his hand to his banner members, he screamed, "Follow me, guys!" Favorite Chapter 0768: Banners Drive Chapter 0768: Banner''s Drive The fifth division charged towards the thousands of Fiendish Devils in teams of three. Like hundreds of sharp blades, they pierced straight into the army of Fiendish Devils with terrifying force and tore apart an opening in the densely packed forest. Resonant power rose into the air like smoke signals of different colors. Faced with the aggressive charge, the tens of thousands of Fiendish Devils remained emotionless and simply rushed up instinctively. The two torrents of attackers collided violently, creating a reverberating roar. The ground trembled furiously. Li Luo and the trio of Zhao Yanzhi, Mu Bi, and Li Shi led the charge at the forefront. Li Luo had the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade in his hand and lightning sparks underneath his feet. In a flash, he appeared in front of a Fiendish Devil. The power of dual resonances formed a halo-like wrapping around the straight blade in his hand, ringing with a humming buzz. Confronted by the violent fist of a Fiendish Devil, he stabbed his blade right into it in a direct clash. The blade pierced right through the Fiendish Devil''s fist, and the glowing, sharp sword smashed its body into pieces before it could even recover. Upon defeat, a strand of earth fiend energy flew out into the air. In their first encounter, Li Luo had managed to gauge the strength of a Fiendish Devil to be equivalent to that of a Lesser Fiend Palace Cultivator. This was similar to the other ordinary banner members, but it only had brute strength and lacked intelligence. Still, there was strength in numbers. There were about ten times as many Fiendish Devils as them. It would still be really tedious to clear them all up. "Sub Leader, these are just the small Fiendish Devils. The Big Fiendish Devils will surely appear later, and they are comparable to a Silver Fiend. If we do not contain them quickly, they will become a threat to the other banner members and cause us to lose our numbers," Mu Bi shouted from afar. "Big Fiendish Devils? Silver Fiend?" Li Luo''s eyes lit up in surprise. There was a huge disparity in strength between the two. As the violent battle continued, rays of resonant power exploded repeatedly. Although the Fiendish Devils had an advantage in numbers, the fifth division was not any weaker. They diminished the number of Fiendish Devils at an amazing pace with their skillful cooperation. In contrast, they had only lost about ten banner members so far. Unfortunately, this situation did not last long. Bang! In the raging battleground, ten rays of shocking energy suddenly burst out into shockwaves and blasted dozens of banner members away. When Li Luo turned over to take a look at what had happened, he saw a group of gigantic Fiendish Devils. They had silver bodies flowing with powerful energy. They must be the Big Fiendish Devils that Mu Bi mentioned earlier. "Banner members at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, form groups of ten and surround the Big Fiendish Devils!" The others will continue slaying the small Fiendish Devils!" Zhao Yanzhi gave the instructions as Li Luo was ultimately new here. He was still unfamiliar, so it would be better for the experienced members to give commands in such situations. This had been previously discussed with and approved by Li Luo. Following Zhao Yanzhi''s order, the elites of the fifth division emerged from the crowd. They had reached the Greater Fiend Palace Tier and were stronger than the rest. They formed into groups of ten to besiege and suppress the Big Fiendish Devils. However, this was a risky move. After all, the Big Fiendish Devils were on the level of Silver Fiends. So while they had the numerical advantage, they would still be seriously wounded and knocked out if they got careless. It was evident that the fifth division started losing banner members at a faster rate as soon as the Big Fiendish Devils appeared. Moreover, Li Luo noticed more Big Fiendish Devils running towards the battlefield from afar. The commotion had clearly alerted all the Fiendish Devils on layer twenty-eight. Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi had managed to trap a Big Fiendish Devil while Li Shi, strongest of the trio, rained down furious and repeated stabs on it with his golden spear. Each attack penetrated the body of the Big Fiendish Devil and slowly depleted its health. On the other hand, Mu Bi was geared towards defense and took countless beatings from the Big Fiendish Devils without moving a single step. All of a sudden, the battle came to a stalemate. Li Luo was no longer as relaxed as a moment ago. The Fiendish Devil Cave was harder than he had imagined. Moreover, this was just the first day of the expedition. It would definitely get tougher over the next two days. As for attaining harmony, he had to save it for the Fiendish Devil Leader and could not use it here. Despite its formidable strength, it was not something he could use for long, and he would be totally exhausted after each use. Boom! As Li Luo was lost in thought, there was another explosion of resonant power not far away. There were two Big Fiendish Devils charging towards them with a cyclone of terrifying earth fiend energy around their bodies. The banner members that came into contact with it were sent flying into the distance. They vomited blood and retreated from the battle. Zhao Yanzhi and the other elite banner members were too caught up in their battles to help. There was no one around to stop the rampage of the two Big Fiendish Devils. Seeing this, Li Luo grabbed his Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade tightly and went ahead to face them head-on. "Sub Leader, don''t be reckless!" Li Shi warned eagerly when he saw Li Luo. Zhao Yanzhi and Mu Bi were also shocked. It took the combined efforts of the three of them to stand up against one Big Fiendish Devil. Was Li Luo thinking of going against two Big Fiendish Devils alone? Although Li Luo had demonstrated his ability to damage someone at the Silver Fiend Tier during training, that was him using all his power with a Duke Art. Faced with the two Big Fiendish Devils at present, Li Luo was bound to suffer a fatal attack from another Big Fiendish Devil if he exhausted all his strength now. However, it was too late for anyone to lend a helping hand now. In a flash, with the sparks of lightning appearing under his feet, Li Luo instantly appeared in front of one of the fastest Big Fiendish Devils. Roar! With a blurry face and steel-like body, the Big Fiendish Devil let out a roar like a wild beast, shattering the air with its terrifying sound waves. It then charged towards Li Luo. The Big Fiendish Devil grew bigger and bigger in Li Luo''s eyes. Nevertheless, he grabbed onto his blade tightly and showed no fear. BOOM! The Big Fiendish Devil cried out and swung its giant fist. The earth fiend energy wrapped around the gigantic fist like an impenetrable armor of iron. The ground was cracked open by the titanic punch. Sound waves blasted out like sonic booms. Unfettered, Li Luo held onto his sword tightly, and the light of dual resonances appeared around the blade. At this moment, Zhao Yanzhi and the trio were dumbfounded. They had realized that Li Luo was not going to use his Duke Art! How could a Lesser Fiend Palace cultivator like him go up against a Big Fiendish Devil without a Duke Art?! However, it was too late for them to do anything now. Right in front of their eyes, Li Luo''s blade with the dual resonances struck against the behemoth that was the Big Fiendish Devil. At the moment of clash, two astonishing forces of energy collided and sent the ground underneath cracking open like a spider web. The shadows of Li Luo and the Big Fiendish Devil crossed each other. What surprised Zhao Yanzhi and the others the most was that Li Luo was not repelled by the Big Fiendish Devil''s punch. Instead, his blade circling with dual resonance power slashed right through and cut off his foes thick arm. "What?!" The three of them were stunned. How had a Lesser Fiend Palace cultivator like Li Luo sliced through a Big Fiendish Devil in a face-to-face confrontation?! Zhao Yanzhi''s eyes flickered as she studied Li Luo closely. It was only at this moment that she discovered that the light around Li Luo''s blade was flowing with a special energy that strengthened his strikes. She examined it carefully and realized that the special energy had actually been supplied by... them? Wait, no. It was from the fifteen hundred banner members of the fifth division. "This is..." Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi looked at each other in surprise. "Banner Drive!" In simple terms, Banner Drive was a blessing belonging to one banner or one division. It could be utilized to gather the power of the banner members and enhance oneself. This was akin to the power of harmony, but whilst harmony could allow one to exhibit greater prowess, it could only last a short while. In contrast, Banner Drive was weaker in power but could be sustained over a longer period of time as long as banner members were in the vicinity. Li Luos previous slash was boosted by its might. In other words, that swing was so strong because it comprised the power of the whole fifth division. But the most surprising fact to Zhao Yanzhi and trio was that in the whole Twenty Banners, one hundred divisions, and the one hundred Sub Leaders, only less than one fifth of them had managed to master Banner Drive. How long had it been since Li Luo became the Sub Leader? In the short span of a few days, he had acquired what other Sub Leaders could not achieve even in a year. The trio was extremely surprised by this. No matter what, the facts were in front of them. No matter how unbelievable it was, they could only stare in bewilderment. What else could they say? Some people were truly gifted. Chapter 0769: Fiendish Devil Leader Chapter 0769: Fiendish Devil Leader Li Luo''s eyes were slightly squinted. He had entered a special sort of trance whereby he could sense countless illusory lines spreading from every direction, criss-crossing into some sort of network. The network of lines encompassed everything within a hundred meters. He could feel that he could rally the might of the countless strands as long as he remained within the area, and when they were wrapped around his blade, they could massively amplify his strikes. Upon closer inspection, he could see that each illusory line came from the body of a fifth division banner member. The realization struck him that this was perhaps a special ability of the banner. It was likely that cultivating the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath had allowed him to perceive this network. As each member was a source of strength, the higher grade Fiend Art might have allowed him to sense this more easily. "Sub Leader, thats Banner Drive, an art that bolsters your strength. Even though its not as powerful as Harmony, it can last for a significantly longer period of time and is suitable for longer battles," Zhao Yanzhi''s explained in surprise. "Banner Drive, huh?" Li Luo''s gaze flashed as he smiled. The Twenty Banners were full of indescribable mysteries, and this was a pleasant surprise. He sighed once again. How many times would he be surprised by the foundation and methods of a Heavenly Emperor Bloodline? Bang! At this point, the second Big Fiendish Devil rushed towards him whilst bellowing, earth fiend energy being exhaled from its mouth as it attempted to attack Li Luo. Seeing this, he directly slashed out with his blade. "Thousand Watery Knives Wheel!" The swiftly flowing knife wheel made of water appeared once again. With the amplification of Banner Drive, the wheel rotated at mind-boggling speeds, humming with an ear piercing ring as the void was shredded apart. The waterlight resonant power strengthened by earth fiend energy emitted an ear-piercing, ripping sound as the attack cleanly cut the Big Fiendish Devil in half. The assistance of Banner Drive allowed Li Luo''s resonance arts to ascend to the next level. "It seems like I should pick up a couple more dragon-general resonance arts after this," Li Luo thought to himself as he stared at the vanishing knife wheel. The Thousand Watery Knives Wheel was something he had adapted from the Thousand Watery Knives Art. However, it was ultimately still a tiger-general resonance art that barely reached the power of an average dragon-general resonance art. With Li Luo''s rising prowess, having greater mastery of dragon-general resonance arts would be helpful in supplementing his options. As his thoughts turned, the first Big Fiendish Devil that had its arm split bulldozed over furiously with such speed that a sonic boom could be heard. Li Luo recomposed himself and raised his blade to retaliate. "Level Two Divine Elephant Power!" Both of Li Luo''s limbs trembled and swelled up. With the augmentation of the recently upgraded Thunderpeal Avatar, his fleshly body was strengthened by another level, enabling him to endure the strain of the Divine Elephant Power without less injuries than before. Although his skin still tore and oozed fresh blood, he no longer looked pale and overdrawn. Feeling the coursing power through his veins, Li Luo began to engage in battle with the two Big Fiendish Devils. This massive battle lasted over several minutes. When Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi each finished off a Big Fiendish Devil, Li Luo was similarly at the end of his own fight. With his blade slashing downwards, his barbaric strength tore a gigantic rift tens of meters wide across the ground, culminating with a decapitating strike on the final Big Fiendish Devil. When that Big Fiendish Devil collapsed, a dense amount of earth fiend energy began to gather in the sky. Li Luo raised his head and saw that a huge ball of light had formed in the air. It was made of all the escaped earth fiend energy. "Sub Leader, stop standing in a daze and take advantage of the situation. The first division is ahead of us, and if you want to catch up to Zhong Ling and reach layer twenty-eight quicker, you have to hurry up!" Zhao Yanzhi reminded him with a shout. Li Luo quickly recomposed himself and continued to slaughter the Fiendish Devils around him, reducing the pressure on the rest of the banner members. With the assistance of Li Luo''s Banner Drive, the fifth division swept through the remaining Fiendish Devils with utmost speed. In the short span of an hour, all of the Fiendish Devils had been vanquished. "Everyone, quickly rest up and adjust your states. Give us a report on your numbers," Mu Bi commanded. A few moments later, Mu Bi made his way towards Li Luo. "Sub Leader, the fifth division has lost thirty-three individuals. The rest are in a good state and their fighting power has been maintained." "We lost thirty-three individuals?" Li Luo frowned. "Sub Leader, this is great news. Based on what I know, the first division has already lost a hundred men," Zhao Yanzhi consoled. Li Luo helplessly shook his head. The Fiendish Devils were without intellect but possessed copious numbers. The Big Fiendish Devils were strong enough to threaten the average banner member. If anyone slipped up, they were bound to be grievously injured. "Let''s advance, then." He waved his hand and issued the command. Since all blades were drawn when it came to the battle for Banner Leader with Zhong Ling, there was no need to bide his strength any longer. He would have to snatch the position with force and rally the Green Nether Banner around him. After the fifth division had rested sufficiently, they grouped up and advanced towards the depths of the island. Due to the previously smooth progression through the Fiendish Devil horde, the rest of the fifth division now looked at Li Luo in a new light, with both awe and respect. They knew that Li Luo had inadvertently wielded the power known as Banner Drive. This showed that he truly lived up to the expectations of the Hall Master''s son. It was their fortune to be able to serve under him. If Li Luo were to ascend to the position of Banner Leader, the fifth division would become the core division. The fifth division continued to advance, and their power as a whole had been greatly magnified with Li Luo''s presence. Layer twenty-eight''s Fiendish Devils continued to be slaughtered mercilessly as they advanced with increasing ferocity. Two hours later. The fifth division arrived in the depths of the island. They had lost one hundred and ten members, a number that was acceptable to everyone but Li Luo, who remained slightly dissatisfied. Normally speaking, they would have lost twice as many members to reach this stage. "Sub Leader, our losses are lower than that of the first division by quite a margin. It''s all because of your support, and everyone is very thankful for that." Li Shi didn''t speak often, but this time he actually took the initiative to inform Li Luo of the situation. Increasing amounts of respect and awe could be seen on the members'' faces. Although they had just started their expedition into the Fiendish Devil Cave, the strength Li Luo had demonstrated was something they all acknowledged. Zhao Yanzhi also lightly supported Li Shi''s words with a radiant smile. "Sub Leader, we have already arrived at the depths of layer twenty-eight. What awaits us is the Fiendish Devil Leader. I believe Zhong Ling has yet to accomplish the task of slaying the creature; otherwise, we would have been teleported to the next layer already." Li Luo raised his head towards the front. The thick and dense jungle before him had given way to a lake with a surface smooth like glass. The only thing was that a frigid air seemed to waft from the depths of the water, directly freezing it over. The cold air also formed a slight fog that coalesced atop the lake. Dong! A sturdy and robust shadow appeared within the cold fog. At the same time, a frightening aura that suppressed all rolled forth, covering the entire area. The banner members'' expressions changed upon feeling the domineering pressure. Even Li Luo''s gaze turned somber upon this sight. Zhao Yanzhi''s voice lightly resounded in his ear. "Sub Leader, this is the Fiendish Devil Leader. Based on what we know, it should be at the Heavenly Resonance Stage. "If you want to defeat it, you will have to rely on achieving Harmony." "How did you deal with the Fiendish Devil Leaders in the past?" Li Luo asked softly. The trio glanced at each other sheepishly with bitter smiles. "After we reached the twentieth layer and below, we never actually encountered any of the Fiendish Devil Leaders and were carried the whole way. This is actually our first time..." Li Luo was left a little speechless, but he immediately consoled them. "You can relax. The fifth division will no longer be knocked around like deadweight." He then stretched out his hand and clenched his fist lightly. "Fifth division, obey my commands. Prepare to achieve the state of Harmony. This is the time we will reveal our prowess to the Green Nether Banner!" With his edict, the thousand-odd members of the banner were roused and their blood began to burn with anticipation. They had been mocked for being deadweights for the past half a year. Was it finally time for them to show their strength? Chapter 0770: Experiencing Harmony Chapter 0770: Experiencing Harmony "Sub Leader, the Fiendish Devil Leader for this layer is right ahead," a member of the first division reported to Zhong Ling. Looking at the ghastly, dark forest ahead, Zhong Ling remained composed when he sensed an oppressive pressure emanating from it. Such terrifying pressure was definitely beyond what a Gold Fiend like him could handle. However, he remained fearless as he would not be facing the Fiendish Devil Leader alone. "I wonder how the fifth division is progressing," he said aloofly. "No worries, Sub Leader. Even though Li Luo has the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art, he has only been here for a few days," a close banner member answered with a smirk. "He can''t keep up with our progress even with a pair of wings," he continued. Hearing this, Zhong Ling shook his head in response. "Don''t belittle him. Although he comes from an outer divine continent, I have to say, his talent is beyond my reach. If not for the lack of resources in the outer divine continent, he would have become one of the top talents in the current generation." This left the banner members around him speechless, unable to rebut. After all, Li Luo was not only a triple resonance user, he had also acquired the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art on his first day. They all understood how amazingly gifted Li Luo was. Zhong Ling smiled lightly and went on. "If he had reached the Silver Fiend Body Tier, I wouldn''t even have contemplated competing with him for the top position of the Green Nether Banner. Alas, it''s a pity... "After spending so many years in the outer divine continent, he has squandered all his talent away. He is merely at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier, and this barrier alone will slow his progress down for several years. It is enough to prevent him from catching up to the top talents in the banner." At this point, he took a pause and asked, "I heard that Li Luo has succeeded in achieving Harmony with the fifth division. Is that true?" "Yes," the banner members replied. Zhong Ling sighed and continued, "The Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art possesses a lot of advantages over the lower grade versions, but achieving Harmony is merely the first step. He still has a long way to go in understanding how to utilize its power perfectly. He then shook his head and cleared out all distractions before looking towards the dark forest ahead. He raised his hand high into the air and commanded in a cold voice, "First division, Harmony!" The most important thing now was to clear layer twenty-eight and to rally the hearts of the banner members before the battle for the position of Banner Leader. Ultimately, he still felt slightly threatened by Li Luo, and it would be best not to give him any chances at all. Following Zhong Ling''s command, the faces of the first division turned serious and they rapidly formed hand seals. Soon after, their breaths seemed to sync together, and stream after stream of their resonant power intertwined together. It was as if small streams of river water had all flowed into a large lake. As Zhong Ling was in the center of them all, he could feel a surge of power rising within himself. Although this was not his first time, he could not help but remain constantly fascinated by it, as though it was his first time encountering it. He might just be a Gold Fiend, but with the boost from achieving Harmony, he could ascend a few tiers above and reach the Heavenly Resonance Stage. His body slowly rose into the air as he stared sharply ahead. With a wave of his sleeve, a cyclone of resonant power appeared out of thin air and swept up the forest in front. Roar! When the forest was torn apart, something let out a loud roar. In the next instance, the ground shook violently and a burly figure that was several feet tall rushed out with astonishing pressure. It was a colossal Fiendish Devil with golden light flowing from its body. It looked like a giant ape with four arms, and it exuded pulses of violent energy outwards like waves, causing the void around it to tremble. This was the Fiendish Devil Leader of layer twenty-eight. But Zhong Ling showed no fear. Instead, he grinned lightly and flicked his fingers, shooting out dozens of huge resonant power chains that flew straight towards the Fiendish Devil Leader. "Li Luo, you may be gifted. But you are not as good as me now! This is not the era when your father was still around! The Green Nether Hall will belong to my uncle, and the Green Nether Banner will belong to me!" Zhong Ling proclaimed. On the outside border of the ice lake, Li Luo had felt the enormous surge in energy and entered the state of Harmony as well. However, unlike Zhong Ling, who was drunk on its power, Li Luo just felt a slight curiosity as he murmured to himself, "So, this is the power of Harmony?" After all, despite being at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier, he had experienced the power of both the Heavenly Resonance Stage of Three-tailed heavenly wolf and the King Stage of Principal Pang. After getting his hands on this power, he did not feel as fascinated over experiencing Harmony with the fifth division. Nonetheless, the surging sensation was indeed comfortable. As Li Luo was lost in thought, his eyes remained fixed on the ice lake in front. With the coursing pulses of energy coming from achieving Harmony on his side, the Fiendish Devil Leader inside had obviously noticed him, immediately letting out a deafening cry. With its roar, the dense layers of cold mist were blown apart, and a burly figure finally emerged. Zhao Yanzhi and the others looked towards it and saw a four-armed Fiendish Devil Leader surrounded by gold light fixing its gaze upon them. Roar! The Fiendish Devil Leader let out a deep roar and punched out with its huge fist. Suddenly, a ghastly, dark torrent pierced through the void like an angry and ferocious python and charged straight ahead towards the fifth division. The dark torrent of energy was extremely savage and left a deep scar on the ground in its trail. This punch was comparable to the power of someone at the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier. If the fifth division were just a normal group of individuals, they would have inevitably faced countless casualties upon colliding with such an attack. Fortunately, all of the fifth division''s banner members'' strength had gathered within Li Luo under the state of Harmony. Faced with the four-armed Fiendish Devil Leader''s attack, Li Luo focused his thoughts and clapped his hands together. In that instant, a great wave of energy blasted out and clashed head-on with the ferocious punch of the Fiendish Devil Leader. Bang! Waves of energy pulsed outwards when the two attacks collided, shaking the surroundings. The ice on the frozen lake cracked, and all the trees within hundreds of meters around were shredded. The Fiendish Devil Leader let out another deafening roar angrily. It was upset that its first hit had no effect whatsoever. It stomped its foot in frustration, shattering the ice surface beneath, before its muscular silhouette flashed towards Li Luo. Like a giant ape attempting to smash apart a mountain, it waved furiously with its four arms and sent a barrage of fist strikes containing terrifying energy like a torrential rain of pain. Faced with this, Li Luo immediately created energy barriers to shield against this downpour of attacks. Bang! Bang! The battle between the two sides almost razed the forest to the ground. During this time, Zhao Yanzhi and the others continued to provide support for Li Luo and helped him maintain the state of Harmony. However, they were also quite nervous as they knew that this was the first time Li Luo had utilized Harmony in an actual battle. He was ultimately unfamiliar with using it to confront an actual opponent. There were a few times that the Fiendish Devil Leader''s punches nearly breached past the barrier''s defenses and landed upon the banner members. Fortunately, Li Luo''s use of Harmony improved as the confrontation continued. Over time, the banner members could clearly tell that it was getting harder for the Fiendish Devil Leader''s attacks to break through the defenses. This allowed them to secretly heave sighs of relief and praise their Sub Leader for being a talented and fast learner. It was no ordinary feat to master control over such an enormous power in such a short span of time. However, they did not know that Li Luo had experienced wielding the power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf and Principal Pang previously. To him, the power of Harmony was nothing more than something at the Heavenly Resonance Tier, so it would not be a challenge to master it at all. Bang! After Li Luo fended off another attack from the Fiendish Devil Leader, he felt like he had fully grasped its strength and skills. Li Luo stared at the raging Fiendish Devil Leader and muttered to himself, "About time..." The first division should have reached the Fiendish Devil Leader too. If he wanted to steal the limelight from Zhong Ling, then it was time for him to end this battle. As Li Luo was lost in thought, the Fiendish Devil Leader cried out madly and the golden light around its body glowed more intensely. It then stomped the ground, and complex, golden light patterns emerged on his skin. The patterns merged into a violent burst of gold light and blasted straight at Li Luo. The light of the Fiendish Devil Leader was clearly reflected in Li Luo''s eyes, but he remained undaunted. At this moment, his hands formed a seal with lightning speed. In the next moment, a black dragon banner that was more concrete than ever before appeared in his hands. It pierced through world space. Roar! As if swimming out of pitch-black river water, the black dragon emerged from the void and collided with the Fiendish Devil Leader, who was charging with all its might. Zhao Yanzhi and the others watched on in shock. Chapter 0771: Fifth Division’s First Victory Chapter 0771: Fifth Divisions First Victory An enormous chain of energy slithered through the void like a venomous snake, piercing through the defenses of the Fiendish Devil Leader and penetrating its chest. Despite its struggle, there were more and more chains of energy gradually piling up. The Fiendish Devil Leader was trapped. Zhong Ling was delighted upon this sight, and he let out a grin. The first division cheered loudly from the back as they chanted Zhong Ling''s name in excitement. In the previous confrontation, the Fiendish Devil Leader was suppressed by Zhong Ling despite its strength being at the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier. This clearly displayed Zhong Ling''s capability and control over the power of Harmony. In a sense, he was the undisputed number one in the Green Nether banner. After Zhong Ling had trapped the Fiendish Devil Leader, he quickly closed his hands together and formed several seals. The seal technique was peculiar, like the opening of a dragon''s mouth. The banner members were surprised by the hand seal and exclaimed, "Sub Leader, are you going to use the Little Dragonbreath Art? I heard that this was the result of your study of the Heavenly Dragon Lightning Roar." "The Fiendish Devil Leader is finished this time." "Haha, the first division will be responsible for clearing yet another layer!" The banner members cheered on in triumph. At this moment, Zhong Ling''s mouth suddenly puffed up and he spat after executing his hand seals. A viscous torrent of energy wrapped in domineering power was spewed out, and it penetrated through the void. It was as if a river from heaven had flowed down from the sky, gushing towards the struggling Fiendish Devil Leader with majestic force. The smirk on Zhong Ling''s face grew wider. As the torrent of dragonbreath was about to smash into the Fiendish Devil Leader, all of the banner members of the first division were shocked to find that the space around them had begun to twist violently. Ripples began to spread out like a falling pebble that broke the tranquil waters surface. When they came back to their senses, they found that they had been ejected from the state of Harmony. At the same time, they were back outside the black hall of Fiendish Devil Peak. The whole first division, including Zhong Ling, were left dumbfounded. Why had it ended so suddenly? It seemed like Zhong Ling''s attack was on the cusp of striking the Fiendish Devil Leader. "Ah hah! Sub Leader Zhong Ling, it looks like the first division cleared it again. The other divisions will have to be grateful to us." In the same instance, the other four divisions of the Green Nether Banner started to appear around the entrance of the black hall. The Sub Leaders of the second, third, and fourth divisions looked over to Zhong Ling, smiling and clasping their hands together to congratulate him. The members of those three divisions also nodded in admiration. "You are indeed the strongest Sub Leader in the Green Nether Banner. The first division has been the first to clear every layer past layer twenty." "We can just lie back and enjoy the benefits." "It is not a bad thing for the Green Nether Banner to be led by Sub Leader Zhong Ling in the future." Despite the praises from the crowd, Zhong Ling did not show any signs of a smile or celebration. Instead, he remained confused. The banner members of the first division also remained in an awkward silence. At this time, the Sub Leaders of the three divisions also realized that something was wrong. Why did the first division look so down despite their flattering victory? "Hehe, I think you all may be congratulating the wrong person. The twenty-eighth layer was cleared by the fifth division." At this moment, a playful laugh echoed from the side. Everyone was puzzled as they turned to the side and saw the fifth division. The words had come from none other than Zhao Yanzhi. "Did Sub Leader Li Luo defeat the Fiendish Devil Leader of layer twenty-eight first?" the second division''s Sub Leader asked in surprise. "It can''t be faked. After all, you can check with the Elders for confirmation," Mu Bi answered with a big laugh. The members of the other four divisions all turned towards Li Luo, who had not spoken a single word, in shock. Who would have thought that the first to get through layer twenty-eight would be the fifth division! In the past, the fifth division had the slowest progress amongst them! Evidently, such a radical change must have had something to do with their new Sub Leader, Li Luo. Feeling the gazes of the others, the members of the fifth division could not help but feel a little proud of themselves. At the same time, newfound recognition and support bloomed for their Sub Leader. "Hehe, Sub Leader Li Luo is truly amazing. We will have another hero rising amongst us in the future." The Sub Leaders of the other three divisions praised and smiled at Li Luo, this time with a kind and friendly tone. After all, there was not much competition between them and Li Luo. They knew that the position of Banner Leader was not meant for them. Now that Li Luo kept exhibiting such amazing feats, it might really be possible for him to surpass Zhong Ling in the future, so they would naturally not be too hostile towards him. Li Luo also smiled and returned their congratulations politely. When the first division saw how arrogant the fifth division were, some banner members could not help but chime in bitterly. "What are you so proud of? You just passed the layer once by pure luck. We were nearly about to kill the Fiendish Devil Leader already." However, the words fell on deaf ears. After all, no one cared about how close the second place was. After Zhong Ling''s face changed for a while, he finally restrained his emotions. With no expression on his face, he could not be bothered to entertain Li Luo. Instead, he waved his hand and said in a slightly gloomy voice, "First division, prepare to enter layer twenty-nine." Everyone in the first division looked at each other blankly. They had just experienced a tough battle that lasted for several hours, and now they were going to challenge layer twenty-nine without any rest? Based on past experiences, they should take a break at this time. In particular, many of their banner members had been injured and eliminated from the battlefield during the conquest of layer twenty-eight. If they rested for a while, some of them might be able to recover and rejoin them for the fight later on. Some of the banner members tried to persuade Zhong Ling, but no one dared to speak any further when they saw his gloomy expression. With that, the first division, which had just come out of the Fiendish Devil Cave, set off again. Watching Zhong Ling and the first division heading back into the Fiendish Devil Cave, the other four divisions were a little stunned. In the end, the second, third, and fourth division Sub Leaders just gave wry smiles. "Fifth division, rest in place," Li Luo commanded calmly, giving no regards to Zhong Ling and the first division. Zhong Ling''s actions were clearly driven by frustration. Naturally, he would not follow suit. Zhao Yanzhi also gave her order at this time. "Banner members who have recovery arts, follow me to heal the injured members who were eliminated earlier." Hearing this, some banner members got up and followed Zhao Yanzhi to tend to those who had been seriously injured and eliminated earlier. Li Luo sat down in the lotus position, closed his eyes, and his mental state sank into his waterlight resonance palace. Strand after strand of abstruse fiend light flew around in it. When Li Luo focused internally, a touch of joy flooded his heart as he could sense a total of one hundred and twelve abstruse fiend lights gained from his earlier victory in layer twenty-eight. This was equivalent to over twenty high-grade Fiend Origin Pills! And this was equivalent to the monthly stipend a Sub Leader in the Green Nether Banner received. Without a doubt, the rewards from the Fiendish Devil Cave were fantastic for someone at the Fiend Palace Tier. The most important point was that this was only layer twenty-eight. If he advanced further later, how great would the harvest be? With this, even a calm and composed individual like Li Luo could not help but pine for the juicy spoils ahead. At this moment, he finally understood that it was not the monthly stipend that revealed the true foundation among the Twenty Banners of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, but theis Seventy-Two Layers of the Fiendish Devil Cave. "It took us approximately ten hours to get through layer twenty-eight... Including our resting time, it would be great if we could clear three layers in three days. That would give me a reward of approximately five hundred abstruse fiend lights." Li Luo was pleasantly surprised. At this pace, he might really be able to cultivate his two resonant palaces to the Greater Fiend Palace Tier in three months'' time. In fact, he might even exceed that! Following this, Li Luo led the team to rest for four more hours while Zhao Yanzhi and her team tended to the recovery of over twenty banner members. They had recovered the majority of their battle strength and were ready to continue fighting in the Fiendish Devil Cave. Of course, there were dozens of banner members who were seriously injured and could not join the next battle. The fifth division gathered behind Li Luo with high spirits and a powerful presence. This inevitably made the second, third, and fourth divisions, who were about to enter at the same time, look sideways to avert their gazes. Undoubtedly, the confidence of the fifth division had returned after their spectacular performance in layer twenty-eight. This was all thanks to the new Sub Leader of the fifth division, Li Luo. Amidst the many gazes, Li Luo kept his composure and his expression barely changed. He simply gave an order and then marched into the Fiendish Devil Cave for his second conquest with the energetic fifth division. Chapter 0772: Price Chapter 0772: Price Layer twenty-nine of the Fiendish Devil Cave was clearly harder than the previous layer. With a larger number of Fiendish Devils, as well as more frequent appearances of Big Fiendish Devils, the fifth division was faced with a tough time. However, Li Luo did not rush to advance this time around. Instead, he chose to progress steadily with minimal casualties. "Sub Leader, aren''t we aiming to be the first to clear layer twenty-nine?" Zhao Yanzhi asked in confusion. Based on their progress, they were surely lagging behind the first division, who had entered the cave four hours before them. Li Luo shook his head and answered, "There is no need to fight to be first again. In the previous layer, our victory ensured that the other divisions would no longer underestimate the fifth division. Furthermore, the first division entered layer twenty-nine way earlier than us. Zhong Ling is not keeping his composure and he will definitely aim to be the first to clear it, by hook or by crook. If we are too eager to compete with him, we will definitely pay a huge price and lose many of our members. "That''s not worth it at all. After all, this is only the first day. "Besides, if Zhong Ling wants to charge ahead, let him do it. We can make use of this chance to recuperate and prepare for the next layer." Zhao Yanzhi thought about it for a moment and then responded, "If Zhong Ling is really determined to be the first to clear layer twenty-nine, the first division will suffer huge losses. This will leave them incapacitated for the next two days. I''m afraid they will not be able to clear any more layers afterwards." With a single swing of his blade, Li Luo finished off dozens of devils in front of him and continued calmly, "The key lies in... the third day. "The third day is the most important. At that time, we will compete with the divisions from other banners. If the first division suffers heavy losses here, then they will definitely be unable to put up a fight against the divisions from other banners. When that time comes, the Green Nether Banner will need to depend on us, the fifth division." Li Shi, Mu Bi, and others were stunned by his reply. His way of thinking was beyond their expectations. Li Luo was thinking about the honor of the Green Nether Banner, while Zhong Ling had been blinded by his competition with Li Luo. Zhong Ling had lost by more than a little bit in every aspect. Li Luo just smiled in response to their gazes. Ultimately, his father was still the Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall, and the Green Nether Banner was part of the Green Nether Hall. Thus, he had to take a long term view towards things. Besides, the Banner Leader position of the Green Nether Banner would belong to him sooner or later, so he definitely would not let the others in the Twenty Banners look down upon the Green Nether Banner. "I wonder which banner and division we will meet. Hopefully, it won''t be the top ten divisions and their vanguard team of elites." Zhao Yanzhi placed her hands together and prayed. "If we meet them, so be it. We can''t hide from these things forever. Besides, a stronger opponent will be good training for the fifth division." Li Luo did not care much about this. In fact, he was looking forward to personally experiencing just how strong the other elites were. "I''m just a short-sighted woman without lofty ambitions like the Sub Leader, so what I think about is only the battle between the divisions and the rewards upon victory," Zhao Yanzhi replied with a coquettish smile. "Are the rewards for victory good?" Li Luo asked curiously. "Each banner member can get ten abstruse fiend lights, and the Sub Leader can get a God Origin Pill," Zhao Yanzhi explained. When she mentioned the God Origin Pill, she could not hide her desire for it in her tone. "God Origin Pill?" Li Luo was confused about this new term. "The God Origin Pill is the purified product produced from refining upper-grade Fiend Origin Pills. However, it is extremely rare. It has the same effect as dozens of upper-grade Fiend Origin Pills. In fact, a single God Origin Pill can be refined into hundreds of strands of abstruse fiend light. "Unfortunately, the God Origin Pill is so potent that one needs a few days of cultivation after taking a single pill." Zhao Yanzhi finished off her explanation. Hearing this, Li Luo''s eyes lit up in surprise. Once again, he was experiencing the foundation and uniqueness of the inner divine continents. He had never heard of the God Origin Pill back in the Xia Kingdom. Despite how wonderful it would be to obtain a God Origin Pill, there was no need to force it. If there was a chance, Li Luo would definitely not mind taking one to try. However, if they were really unlucky and encountered extremely powerful elites, he would have no choice but to give up and bear with it for the time being. After all, the Green Nether Banner''s years of decline had inevitably left them far behind the top-ranked banners. As they were chatting, the Fiendish Devils in front of them had been completely annihilated. With a wave of his hand, Li Luo commanded the fifth division to maintain their momentum and progress steadily. However, their advance did not continue for long. Suddenly, the space around him began to distort and Li Luo''s expression changed. "It looks like the first division has cleared layer twenty-nine," Zhao Yanzhi stated. "Zhong Ling is strong after all," Li Shi praised. Calculating from the time the first division had entered layer twenty-nine, they had taken approximately eight hours to finish things. Their pace was not bad at all. "Saves us quite a bit of energy," Li Luo commented with a smile. He held back his resonant power as the space around him twisted and turned. A few moments later, the space around him stabilized and they were back outside the big gate of the Fiendish Devil Cave. Everyone looked towards the first division in awe. On first look, it was evident that a large part of the first division was missing, and the remaining banner members looked pale and exhausted. Without a doubt, they had gone through an extremely fierce fight. In front of them, Zhong Ling''s eyes appeared a little sluggish and his resonant power was in disarray. "The first division lost over four hundred members," Zhao Yanzhi whispered to Li Luo. "Zhong Ling is too rash. With so many casualties, the combat strength of the first division has fallen tremendously," Li Shi added. Li Luo did not comment. It was unfortunate for the first division to have a Sub Leader like Zhong Ling, desperate for success. Under the gazes of the other four divisions, the banner members of the first division remained silent and the atmosphere was depressing. Similarly, Zhong Ling''s face was also particularly gloomy. Although he was the first to clear layer twenty-nine, the price he had to pay for it was much larger than he had expected. He glanced at Li Luo with cold eyes before turning around and ordering in a cold voice, "First division, take a rest and tend to the wounded." The members of the first division followed accordingly. Li Luo had never paid much attention to his stares. Evidently, his overeagerness for success had caused the first division to suffer heavy losses. Such a person was obviously not qualified to be the Banner Leader. It was no wonder he had failed to take the position after such a long time. With a wave of his hand, Li Luo signaled for the fifth division to take a rest too. With so many casualties in the first division, they were no longer a threat. Now the fifth division had sufficient time to advance while minimizing their losses. With that, each division took their rest separately. In front of the Fiendish Devil Cave, various banners continued to be sent out from time to time. The atmosphere was always lively. All of a sudden, the atmosphere escalated and many cheers roared out. Li Luo opened his eyes, and Zhao Yanzhi''s gentle voice came. "Sub Leader, look. The Gold Light Banner has gotten through to layer forty!" Li Luo glanced over to the light curtain on one side of the main hall, and he saw the number of layers behind the Gold Light Banner rise to forty. At the same time, their ranking rose from fifth to fourth. "Deng Fengxian is really capable. I heard that there are six Fiendish Devil Leaders in layer forty, and each has strength comparable to a Duke!" Zhao Yanzhi exclaimed. "Six Fiendish Devil leaders, all close to Duke level..." Li Luo''s eyes could not help but freeze. Such a lineup was not any easier than fighting against a real Duke. The fact that the Gold Light Banner had cleared that layer proved that their strength was indeed at the top amongst the young generation in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. As Li Luo''s heart was fluttering, flashes flickered at the entrance of the main hall, and thousands of people emerged from it. It was the returning members of Gold Light Banner. The Gold Light Banner had eight thousand members, and it looked like they had lost nearly a thousand of them. Obviously, they had paid a heavy price in order to conquer layer forty. However, this level of loss was acceptable for their layer, and all the members in the Gold Light Banner were bursting with excitement. Deng Fengxian led the team back to the resting area of the Gold Light Banner. Dressed in white, his imposing presence was extraordinary and attracted thousands of awe-inspiring gazes. Li Luo withdrew his gaze. Deng Fengxian was indeed exceptional, and there was a gap between him and the Green Nether Banner that could not be ignored. Still, this would only be temporary. Two hours later, the fifth division finished resting. It was already late at night, but the lights in Fiendish Devil Peak remained bright as day. Li Luo took a look at the first division, but there was no movement from Zhong Ling. Evidently, their losses were too great, and they now required more time to recuperate. The second day of the Fiendish Devil Cave expedition was approaching. Next up, it was their turn to shine. "Let''s go." He signaled to Zhao Yanzhi and led the fifth division towards the entrance of the main hall. Behind them, back in the Gold Light Banner''s resting area, Deng Fengxian took a glimpse at Li Luo''s back. A Sub Leader of the Gold Light Banner whispered into his ear about what happened to the Green Nether Banner. "Zhong Ling is too hasty, he will not be able to beat Li Luo." Deng Fengxian shook his head. "The Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner is most likely going to be Li Luo." At this point, the Sub Leader of the Gold Light Banner next to him said worriedly, "Li Luo is the son of the Third Master. Once he rises up, he may pose a threat to the Gold Light Banner." "Not a concern. Li Luo''s talent is indeed extraordinary, but he''s still too far behind. It''s not so easy to catch up. As long as I''m still here, I can keep him down," Deng Fengxian responded calmly. "And when I become the leader of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage in the future, perhaps I will need a sharp blade like him," he continued with an air of dominance in his words. The Sub Leaders of the Gold Light Banner were full of respect and trust for Deng Fengxian. They smiled and nodded in agreement upon hearing this. Although Li Luo was exceptionally talented, it was a pity that he had arrived at such a terrible time. Deng Fengxian alone would suffice as the head of the young generation of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Chapter 0773: Battle among the Banners Chapter 0773: Battle among the Banners On the second day of the Fiendish Devil Cave''s expedition, Li Luo successfully led the fifth division and cleared layer thirty without competition from the first division. This took the fifth division nearly half a day. While their progress was definitely not fast, it was a stable and secure strategy that, most importantly, minimized the losses of the fifth division''s members. With such a method, Li Luo was evidently preparing for the third day''s battle among the banners. In addition, he had obtained around a hundred more abstruse fiend lights from the successful conquest of layer thirty. Such progress far exceeded that of his daily cultivation, and this was even before any of the high-grade Fiend Origin Pills. Li Luo was finally feeling the joy of reaping benefits from the Fiendish Devil Cave expedition. It was no wonder the Twenty Banners were always so excited about it. With such wonderful and instant gratification, it was worth it no matter how hard or tiring it was. Nevertheless, Li Luo did not proceed to layer thirty-one after conquering layer thirty. This was mainly due to the sharp increase in difficulty from layer thirty-one onwards, which would require the fifth division to go all in and push forward at all costs. This would not be ideal, considering that the third day was arriving. Their first priority should be conserving their strength for the upcoming battle. After all, the original vanguard team of the Green Nether Banner, the first division, had their combat capability greatly depleted due to Zhong Lings rash actions. If they encountered a strong opponent in the upcoming battle, they would stand no chance of winning at all. Besides, everyone was coveting the rewards from winning the battle among the banners. No one, including Li Luo, was willing to give that up. With such an expectation, everyone ushered in the most heated third day. The lively crowd had gathered in front of the Fiendish Devil Cave. Four Banners. Twenty Divisions. All gathered. Everyone nervously looked at the wall on the side of the hall, where a light screen continued to blink. Next up, the arrangement for the third day''s battle among the divisions would be revealed. The battle among the divisions was the highlight of every Fiendish Devil Cave expedition. Every banner and their divisions would compete against one another, which was another form of training. Everyone would give it their all in order to preserve the honor of their division. Of course, it was not just about the honor, but the rewards as well. As Li Luo looked at the light screen, Zhao Yanzhi, who was standing beside her Sub Leader, had closed her slender hands and prayed, "Please don''t assign us one of the top ten divisions! Not the top ten divisions, please! " Li Luo could not help but laugh, although he understood why she felt that way. The Green Nether Banner was ranked fourteenth at the start of the expedition, and they had risen to thirteenth after their hard work in conquering layer thirty. Yet even the slowest among the top ten divisions had managed to reach layer thirty-four after these two days of hard work. Such a gap could not be ignored. Based on Li Luo''s estimation, they would stand a chance as long as they were not put up against the top five divisions. After all, Li Luo had the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts and the three Nine Revolutions Arts with him. While he might be the weakest Sub Leader among all Twenty Banners in terms of raw strength, he would still stand a chance with those arts if he went all in. As Li Luo was lost in thought, loud chatter broke out in the hall. The arrangement for the third day''s battle among the divisions had been revealed. Glancing over the light screen, Li Luo scanned for the Green Nether Banners fifth division, and a line of words appeared beside it. Green Nether Banner (fifth division) versus Dark Blood Banner (third division). "So it''s the Dark Blood Banner of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage..." Li Luo was shocked. This was hardly considered a good matchup, as the Dark Blood Banner was currently ranked nine. Although the third division of the Dark Blood Banner was not part of the vanguard delving team, their strength should not be underestimated. While Li Luo was still digesting the news, the members of the fifth division had started cursing and complaining. This was indeed an unlucky matchup for them. "It''s over," Zhao Yanzhi lamented. She had prayed fervently that their opponent would not be someone within the top ten, but it came true in the end. On the side, Li Shi and Mu Bi also shook their heads sadly. "It''s just the third division of the Dark Blood Banner. It''s not their vanguard team," Li Luo comforted them with a smile. "We are not the vanguard team of the Green Nether Banner either," Zhao Yanzhi retorted. "So unlucky. A good opponent was assigned to the first division. I feel like we are getting targeted," she grumbled unhappily. Hearing this, Li Luo turned back to the screen and scanned for the first division''s matchup. Their opponent was the first division of the Hurricane Horn Banner, from the Dragon''s Horn Lineage. The Hurricane Horn Banner was ranked 17, slightly below the Green Nether Banner. However, Zhong Ling and his team had suffered huge losses and would not fully recover even after a full day of rest. As such, it was hard to say who would emerge victorious even though their opponent was fairly weak. Nonetheless, it was much better than having the Dark Blood Banner as an opponent. They had gotten lucky indeed. The cries from the fifth division also attracted sympathetic looks from the Green Nether Banner''s second, third, and fourth divisions. After all, the fifth division had gotten the toughest opponent amongst them. Seeing this news, Zhong Ling''s face remained unchanged, but there was a hint of joy in the depths of his eyes. As a matter of fact, he had been remorseful over his impulsive move previously, but he had accepted it, as regret alone would not change anything. Thankfully, his matchup for the third day of battle among the divisions was not that difficult. As long as he could defeat the first division of the Hurricane Horn Banner, the Fiendish Devil Cave expedition would be considered a success. On the other hand, there was a high probability that Li Luo''s fifth division would be utterly defeated by the Dark Blood Banner. This would help keep their winning momentum in check. Despite the multiple gazes, Li Luo remained calm and glanced across the hall to the other four banners. The first division of the Gold Light Banner, led by Deng Fengxian, had a match against the first division of the Glass Bone Banner from the Dragon''s Bone Lineage. Both teams were considered top tier, and it was bound to be a cataclysmic struggle. On the other hand, the first division of the Crimson Cloud Banner, led by Li Fengyi, had a match against the first division of the Earth Scale Banner from the Dragon''s Scale Lineage. The Crimson Cloud Banner was the stronger of the two, so barring any unexpected turn of events, they were the expected winner of the fight. The first division of the Violet Spirit Banner, led by Li Jingtao, had encountered the fifth division of the Rock Bone Banner from the Dragon''s Bone Lineage. As the weakest amongst the Twenty Banners, the Rock Bone Banner stood no chance against the Violet Spirit Banner at all. As Li Luo continued scanning the list, he felt the worried gazes of Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao looking back at him. Without a doubt, they were worried about their matchup. Smiling back, Li Luo assured them that there was no need to worry. Li Luo turned towards Zhao Yanzhi and asked, "Yanzhi, do you have any information about the third division of the Dark Blood Banner?" Just as Zhao Yanzhi was about to respond, Li Shi, who was on the side, took over the conversation. "The Sub Leader of the Dark Blood Banner''s third division is named Li Tong, and he came from a side branch of the clan like me. However, he has had much better conditions than me. Previously, he was a Gold Fiend attempting to reach the Glass Fiend Tier, but he failed. His level is definitely above Zhong Ling''s, and he is currently working on consolidating Fiend Dipper Energy in order to break straight into the Fiend Finisher Tier. "This guy possesses an eighth-grade Groundflood Dragon resonance and has mastered the Six Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. Although Li Tong is only considered average amongst the renowned Dragon''s Blood Lineage, his strength should not be underestimated. "Although the third division of the Dark Blood Banner is not as powerful as the first division, it is still better than the other three divisions. In terms of overall strength, they are much stronger than our division." Li Luo nodded slightly at his detailed explanation. There were three levels to the Fiend Body Tier: Silver Fiend, Gold Fiend, and Glass Fiend. These were the stages of training up one''s physical body. However, most could only reach the Gold Fiend Tier before they gave up and turned to refining their Fiend Dipper Energy in order to break into the Fiend Finisher Tier. Only the gifted ones could reach the Glass Fiend Tier before attempting to break into the Fiend Finisher Tier. This would give them a better foundation and ultimately make them even mightier than those who reached the Fiend Finisher Tier prematurely. "No worries, guys. Our opponent may be strong, but there is no need to feel down before the fight. "If you think about it from another perspective, this is a chance for us to boost our reputation once we defeat such an opponent. Nothing to lose, and everything to gain" Li Luo cheered them on to boost the fifth division''s morale. Seeing their Sub Leader full of fighting spirit, the fifth division looked at each other and finally cheered up a little. After all, their division was different from before. Now they had a Sub Leader who had mastered the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art, so anything could happen. Like Li Luo had mentioned, there was nothing to lose. They were already expected to suffer a defeat against such a strong opponent. However, if they somehow won, they would be immensely rewarded for their victory. Nothing to lose, and everything to gain This was a good deal after all. As the morale of the banner members slowly renewed, only Zhao Yanzhi rolled her eyes at Li Luo. Psh. Only a fool would believe those words! Chapter 0774: Li Qingfeng and Li Hongli Chapter 0774: Li Qingfeng and Li Hongli While a commotion broke out on the Dragon''s Fang Lineage side over the battle among the banners, there was another lively crowd rallying on the side of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. All four banners of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage had gathered under the same sky today. The atmosphere was intense. However, the Dragon''s Blood Lineage members remained composed and smiling, unlike the rowdy crowd over at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. No matter who their opponents were, they showed no signs of panic and simply discussed among themselves or made bets on the results. And beyond the dark sea of people, on the front-right side of the hall, there was a stone pavilion. Four people were sitting upright inside, sipping their tea and having a casual chat. There were three gentlemen and one lady. Amongst the three men, the man in the middle was the most outstanding. He was large and tall with a handsome face, donning a mysterious robe and had a warm smile on his face. Whenever he spoke, his voice was calm like a gentle breeze, giving people an inexplicable sense of security and trust. There was a sword hanging on each side of his waist, each one exuding an extraordinarily fierce aura that caused the surrounding void to tremble from its presence. Holding onto his teacup with a gentle smile, there was a distinguished air of dignity surrounding him. The man was none other than Li Qingfeng, Banner Leader of the Gold Blood Banner from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. As the descendant of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Lineage Chief, he had a prominent status and reputation. Coupled with the talent and achievements that he had displayed, he was known as the best amongst the current generation in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. It was said that even the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Lineage Chief held high expectations and regarded him highly. In the same stone pavilion, there was a lady beside Li Qingfeng who attracted special attention. She was wearing an exquisite, luxurious, purple dress with a lifelike red carp embroidered on it. Her smooth skin was white as snow and her lively eyes were especially charming, like a red carp gliding gracefully through a clear river stream. Although she always had a smile on her face, there was a subtle kind of arrogance behind her gaze. Such pride was innate in her. She was like a flower in the high mountains, where ordinary people dared not approach, only to stare wistfully from a distance. Her name was Li Hongli, Banner Leader of the Violet Blood Banner from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. It was well known that there were two great goddesses of beauty amongst the Twenty Banners: Lu Qingmei of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage and Li Hongli of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Lu Qingmei of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage was the Banner Leader of the Holy Scale Banner, while Li Hongli of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage was none other than the lady right here. When it came down to appearance, Li Hongli was indeed stunning, and she exuded an air of superiority that put even attractive people to shame. Lastly, the other two gentlemen in the stone pavilion were the remaining Banner Leaders of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Jin Ming, Banner Leader of the Silver Blood Banner. Li Lu, Banner Leader of the Dark Blood Banner. Although the four were gathered for tea, Li Qingfeng was clearly more outspoken. Whenever he talked, the other three listened attentively as a sign of respect and obedience towards him. This included the proud and superior Li Hongli, who smiled sweetly as she gazed at Li Qingfeng''s handsome face while listening. This renowned beauty among the Twenty Banners evidently had some feelings of admiration for Li Qingfeng. "The matchup for the battle has been revealed," Li Qingfeng said with a smile as he lifted his teacup. However, he did not bother looking at the screen, as it did not matter who the Gold Blood Banner was going to be up against. "Boss, as long as you''re not up against Lu Qingmei of the Holy Scale Banner, there really is not much to see," Jin Ming of the Silver Blood Banner joked. "So what if they are matched against each other? Lu Qingmei has been suppressed by Brother Qingfeng all this time, I doubt she can come up with anything," Li Hongli chimed in with a teacup grasped tenderly by her slender fingers. At this instant, she gave Jin Ming a stare as if he had mentioned a name that irked her. Jin Ming laughed in response. Everyone in the Twenty Banners knew that Li Hongli and Lu Qingmei were at loggerheads. Of course, it was mainly coming from Li Hongli, with her cold and arrogant personality. She had a noble background, with parents holding high executive positions in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. As a result, she would listen to no one among her peers in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages except for Li Qingfeng. On the other hand, Lu Qingmei was not from the direct bloodline even though she came from the Dragon''s Scale Lineage. She was actually from an extended bloodline, but her talent was simply amazing. The Holy Scale Banner she led was top tier, second only to the Gold Blood Banner led by Li Qingfeng. Among the Twenty Banners, the Holy Scale Banner was ranked two. Meanwhile, the Violet Blood Banner led by Li Hongli was ranked three. They had fought over the rankings multiple times, but ultimately, Lu Qingmei came out on top. This inevitably made the cold and proud Li Hongli unhappy. "Lu Qingmei is indeed exceptional. She has already mastered the Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor Art of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage. If we really went all out, I would have to work hard to win," Li Qingfeng said with a warm smile. "Hmph. I have mastered the Dragon Lotus Art of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Surely that can break her Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor," Li Hongli retorted. "Haha. Li Hongli, your strength is unquestionable. If it weren''t for the big boss here, I''m afraid we would all have to call you big sister and take you as our leader," Li Lu of the Dark Blood Banner said. "So it''s my fault for stealing her limelight," Li Qingfeng added with a nod. Hearing the praises from the two, a smile finally appeared on Li Hongli''s delicate and charming cheeks. She first rolled her eyes at Li Lu before commenting, "I am convinced of Brother Qingfeng''s strength. In my opinion, his talent is on par with that of Li Taixuan from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage back then. In the future, he could very well become the Dragon''s Blood Lineages Hall Master. Hearing her mention that name, the expressions of everyone present changed immediately. Li Taixuan was a legendary figure in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. With him around, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had been well respected. Whether it was leading the Green Nether Banner, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, or later on as the Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall, he was always considered the best of the best in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Under his magnificent leadership, the Dragon''s Blood Lineage was totally overshadowed by the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. In fact, some had even said that if he were still around, he might already have broken into the King Stage and the Dragon''s Fang Lineage might have overwhelmed the current ruling lineage, the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. "I dare not compare myself to Uncle Taixuan. Don''t flatter me like that, Hongli." Li Qingfeng smiled and shook his head. His eyes moved slightly as he continued, "Speaking of which, Uncle Taixuan''s descendant recently returned to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. I heard he has entered the Green Nether Banner." "Yeah, his name is Li Luo. I heard that he passed the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial and obtained the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art on the first day he joined the Green Nether Banner," Jin Ming of the Silver Blood Banner informed. "Seems to be quite talented." Li Qingfeng nodded. "Although he is talented, he has zero luck. After spending so many years in an outer divine continent, even the best talent would be wasted," Li Hongli commented with disapproval. She did not have a good impression of Li Taixuan because her parents were repeatedly defeated by him back in the day. When she was young and growing up, she often heard her father cursing about it, and she was naturally influenced by them. "I heard that he is only at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier at the moment. With such a level of strength, he was only able to obtain the Sub Leader''s position due to his background," Jin Ming and Li Lu nodded in agreement as they mocked him. The gap in strength between a Lesser Fiend Palace cultivator and them was enormous. It would not be easy for Li Luo to catch up to them. After all, these extraordinary figures were giants that stood out even within the Twenty Banners, a paradise of talents. While they were chatting, a banner member came running towards them and whispered to Li Lu, the Banner Leader of the Dark Blood Banner. A look of surprise surfaced on Li Lu''s face, then he waved his hand to dismiss the banner member. After which, he looked at Li Qingfeng and Li Hongli with a baffling smile. "I just received news that the third division of my banner has been matched against the fifth division of the Green Nether Banner. And Li Luo is the head of the fifth division," Li Lu shared with them. The three were startled by the news at first, then they each gave a smile. Li Hongli said jokingly, "Li Lu, Li Taixuan suppressed our Dragon''s Blood Lineage for a long time. It looks like we will have to rely on the Dark Blood Banner to restore our lost honor." Li Lu could not help but laugh after hearing her. Although he knew she was joking, he still nodded approvingly. "I will instruct the third division to treat our brother from the outer divine continent well," he replied. Chapter 0775: Clash Chapter 0775: Clash "How is the venue for battle among the banners decided?" Li Luo asked Zhao Yanzhi as he prepared for the upcoming battle. The matchup for the battle had been revealed, and despite the mighty opponent, the morale of the fifth division was high. All that was left was the actual fight. "If the highest achieved layer for any one of the two banners is below layer thirty-five, the battle will be held at the highest layer achieved by the lower ranked banner. So for us, the Green Nether Banner, our highest achieved layer is currently layer thirty-one. Thus, the battle venue will be set at layer thirty-one instead of the highest layer achieved by the Dark Blood Banner. But once both banners go past layer thirty-five, the battleground will simply be a match between the two banners with no Fiendish Devils thrown into the mix. After all, the Fiendish Devils get stronger as the layer increases, and they do not want to cause any distractions or interferences for the two parties confrontation," Zhao Yanzhi explained patiently. Li Luo nodded in understanding. "Prepare to enter," he ordered the fifth division banner members behind as he headed into the energy vortex without any hesitation. Once again, he vanished into it. Seeing this, Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi looked at each other, gritted their teeth, and followed closely after their leader. If worse came to worst, it would just be another defeat. It was not as if they had never lost before. Like the river water flowing past, the fifth division members followed after them. It was only after the last member of the fifth division disappeared into the energy vortex that the other members of the Green Nether Banners showed sympathy in their eyes. Even the Green Nether Banner''s first division would have a tough time against the third division of the Dark Blood Banner, one of the top ten in the rankings. And that was if all their members were fully prepared. It was likely a confirmed defeat for the fifth division, having been unlucky enough to encounter them. At this point, only Zhong Ling stood up slowly with a hint of satisfaction hidden in his eyes. With a wave of his hand, he signaled for the first division to depart as well. When the third division of the Dark Blood Banner entered layer thirty-one, their Sub Leader, Li Tong, noticed that the mountains in front of them were shrouded in lingering clouds. And there were the shadows of many Fiendish Devils lurking around in the dense forest underneath. With a muscular build, Li Tong''s face seemed particularly fierce as he glanced around with a hostile gaze. "Ptui!" He spat on the ground and complained, "What a letdown. I thought we could get an opponent of similar strength to play around with. Instead, we get a group of trash from the Green Nether Banner?" "Sub Leader, do we go for them directly?" his men asked. Li Tong shook his head and replied, "I am not interested in playing hide and seek with them. We head straight for the Fiendish Devil Leader and finish it off." "Won''t that be to their advantage? What if they lay in hiding during our battle with the Fiendish Devil Leader and ambush us afterwards?" Li Tong sneered in response. "So what? This is an order from the Boss. We have to win overwhelmingly. Do you know who their Sub Leader is?" Before anyone could reply, he continued eagerly, "The son of the renowned Green Nether Hall Hall Master, Li Taixuan. His name is Li Luo, and he has been lost in some outer divine continent until very recently." "The son of Li Taixuan, Li Luo?" "I''ve heard of him. He just passed the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial a few days ago, right?" "He seems quite talented, but it''s a pity he wasted all those years." The members of the Dark Blood Banner chatted amongst themselves. After all, the time of Li Taixuan''s dominance was not that long ago, so it was still fresh in everyone''s minds. Li Tong chimed in. " Li Luo is only at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier currently. I am afraid he wouldn''t even be able to become an elite member of the Dark Blood Banner. He gets to be the Sub Leader of Green Nether Banner''s fifth division all thanks to his special background. "Back when Li Taixuan was around, the Green Nether Banner totally overwhelmed the four banners of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. We dare not mess with Li Taixuan, but now that his son is back, we can have our sweet revenge. "So this time, we, the third division of the Dark Blood Banner, must not only defeat the fifth division of the Green Nether Banner, but also rob them of this layers reward. It will be even better if we can do so right in front of their eyes. If we pull this off, our division will be famous among the four banners of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage." When the other members heard his words, their chatter grew excited and their morale rose sharply. Seeing this, Li Tong just smiled without speaking further. After determining the right direction and waving his hand, he took the lead onwards with his fifteen hundred division members following like a disastrous force of nature. All of the Fiendish Devils in their path were obliterated in their wake. ...... With such an ostentatious display of power, it was not long before the fifth division of the Green Nether Banner, which had entered layer thirty-one at the same time, noticed where they were. "It looks like we have been underestimated," Li Luo said with a smile as he gazed far into the cloudy distance ahead. Under normal circumstances, the banners would hide their presence during such a clash as it was more beneficial to stay hidden. However, the third division of the Dark Blood Banner had no such intentions at all. They were clearly revealing their position with every individual blazing ahead with their resonant power blasting out in every direction. This meant that they were extremely confident in their own strength. "They seem to be charging straight towards the Fiendish Devil Leader''s location," Li Shi informed. "Are they thinking of finishing off the Fiendish Devil Leader before coming after us?" Mu Bi frowned upon seeing this. "The people of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage are always so arrogant," Zhao Yanzhi said furiously. With such an overbearing display of aggression, they clearly disregarded the fifth division completely. Yet Li Luo did not mind it at all. Instead, he replied with a smile, "Isn''t it great? Someone can help us defeat the Fiendish Devil Leader and we can just sit around for the rewards. Where else can we find such a good deal?" His division gave forced smiles in response. Li Luo was not wrong, but their opponent was clearly going for the Fiendish Devil Leader first and then coming after them next. Even if they wanted to fight for a share of the rewards, they might not be strong enough to do so. After all, the strength of the Dark Blood Banner should not be underestimated. Li Luo could understand their worries. After all these years of decline, the Green Nether Banner no longer had the unrivaled confidence they possessed in the old days. Still, such things had to be taken one step at a time. Ultimately, this fighting spirit and confidence could be rekindled as they overcame strong opponents one after another. At this juncture, Li Luo commanded with a wave of his hand, "Proceed steadily, there is no need to rush. If they want to be good Samaritans and help us bait the rabble away, let them do it." With that, the fifth division started to march towards the same destination as well. However, they were careful not to divulge their location, unlike the crude approach undertaken by the Dark Blood Banner. Four hours passed by. There was nothing noteworthy or surprising during this time. It was not until the fifth division started to approach the Fiendish Devil Leader''s area that the situation changed. As they approached, a violent blast of energy suddenly erupted. Li Luo waved his hand for his team to pause their advance. "They are fighting against the Fiendish Devil Leader," Zhao Yanzhi explained. Li Luo nodded in agreement. The Fiendish Devil Leader of layer thirty-one was not any weaker than a cultivator at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage. If the fifth division were to fight it head-on, it would definitely be a tough battle. While the third division of the Dark Blood Banner was strong, they would not be able to end the battle any time soon. "Sub Leader, should we charge in now?" Li Shi questioned. Li Luo shook his head and replied, "They have likely prepared themselves for our ambush. If we charge in right now, we will be dragged into the battle. If things go awry, we may end up facing both the Fiendish Devil Leader and the Dark Blood Banner alone." At this point, Li Luo groaned slightly and ordered, "Fifth division, prepare to achieve Harmony." The grand battle was about to begin. Upon Li Luo''s command, the fifth division''s banner members formed their hand seals for their respective Draconic Breath Fiend Arts. Soon, strand after strand of resonant power rose into the air and coalesced before Li Luo. Li Luo had activated the Draconic Atavism Scripture and prepared himself to enter the state of Harmony. Boom! In the forest far ahead, aggressive energy blasts shot out repeatedly with deafening roars traveling hundreds of miles in response. Their clash appeared to be more intense than expected. This struggle went on non-stop for the next ten minutes. When Li Luo and the rest of the division noticed a dense strand of earth fiend energy rise into the sky, they understood that the Dark Blood Banner had slain the Fiendish Devil Leader. Bang! In the same moment, a flowing energy torrent split the dense forest ahead into two and charged straight into the direction where the fifth division was located. Li Luo focused his mind into the state of Harmony instantly. At the same time, he gathered his energy and shot out a blast directly towards the incoming energy wave. BOOM! The two energy blasts clashed aggressively, uprooting the trees in the surrounding field. Accompanying the energy blast was booming, arrogant laughter coming from the forest ahead. "Hahaha, we''ve waited the whole day for you all, but none of you dared to join the fight? It''s just like what was rumored, the Green Nether Banner is really just a collecting point for trash! You guys truly are a disgrace to Li Taixuan''s legacy!" Chapter 0776: Duel with Li Tong Chapter 0776: Duel with Li Tong Hearing the thunderous laughter from afar, the fifth division''s faces turned red with anger. The Dark Blood Banner''s jeers were outrageous! Nevertheless, Li Luo looked into the depths of the mountains with great interest, only to see thousands of shadows standing around in scattered positions. Despite them seeming disorganized at first glance, there was a special regularity to their positioning. There was a thick lake of energy rippling above the heads of this group, and at the center of that majestic swirl of energy was a burly figure floating in the air. He was grasping a broadsword with a gilded ring handle, and its blade was engraved with mysterious seals. There seemed to be faint, golden lines adorning the sword, and an unusually fierce glow condensed on the tip of the blade. Meanwhile, there seemed to be a silhouette of a blood-red wolf howling into the sky within the glow. This individual should be the Sub Leader of Dark Blood Banner''s third division, Li Tong. At this point, Li Luo recalled the information shared about Li Tong earlier. While he was a Gold Fiend, just like Zhong Ling, his resonant power was definitely one notch higher. Perhaps it was like what Li Shi had shared, Li Tong had been training to break into the Fiend Finisher Tier after failing at his attempt to become a Glass Fiend. As Li Luo was gauging Li Tong''s strength, a fierce gaze locked onto him and a sinister laughter cackled. "Are you Li Luo?" Li Luo nodded in response as he concentrated his mind and lifted himself into the air with the energy gathered from the fifth division. "Sub Leader Li Ton, you sure are kindyou helped us clean up the Fiendish Devil Leader. And it seems you have lost quite a number of your members, am I right?" Li Luo said as his gaze scanned across the third division, noticing some casualties on the right side. Clearly, they had paid a price in order to defeat the Fiendish Devil Leader quickly. Hearing this, Li Tong retorted angrily, "Screw you! Are you even worthy of using me as free labor?" "Li Tong, watch your words," Li Shi replied coldly from the side. Li Tong glared at Li Shi for a moment before sneering back. "Li Shi, didn''t you say that the Sub Leader position for the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division would be yours sooner or later? Why are you the subordinate of someone at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier now? What happened to your arrogance from before? Or perhaps it was always a farce, considering that a Lesser Fiend Palace rat managed to tame you? If that is the case, then there was no need to act so high and mighty when you dealt with me in the past! Psh!" At this point, Li Shi was fuming with anger, but before he opened his mouse to retaliate, Li Luo stretched out his hand to stop him. "There is no need to argue with such a person. As long as you bash him into the ground, his mouth will naturally be sealed tight," Li Luo replied with a laugh. As for Li Tong in the distance, his gaze flickered fiercely as he replied with a cold smirk, "Your skills are nothing compared to Li Taixuans, but I can see that you picked up on his arrogant attitude. So be it. Your father has ridden roughshod on the Dragon''s Blood Lineage for many years. Today, I''ll collect some interest from his son!" When he finished his words, he let out a long roar, and the pool of energy around him rose up like clouds and mist. He lifted his gilded ring broadsword and swung it down forcefully. In the next moment, several sword lights that were hundreds of feet long slashed down from the sky. Wrapped in an extremely aggressive and domineering aura, they headed straight in the direction of the fifth division. Each and every sword light boasted the might of a Heavenly Resonance Stage opponent. Faced with this, Li Luo''s face remained calm as he raised his palm, and the powerful energy gathered from the fifth division immediately blazed into action. As his mind visualized it, a huge mirror of water and light was formed in the air in front of him. The mirror was dazzling, as if it could reflect everything in the world. The sword lights flew straight into it. However, similar sword lights came out of the mirror at the moment of collision and clashed with them. Bang! The space around them vibrated fiercely as the sword lights raged on. With this encounter, Li Luo gained a sense of his opponent''s strength. The state of Harmony achieved by the Dark Blood Banner''s third division, coupled with Li Tong''s individual power, was comparable to the strength of a middle stage Greater Heavenly Resonance cultivator. Meanwhile, on Li Luo''s side, they were on the level of an early stage Greater Heavenly Resonance at best. He understood this well after using Harmony over the past two days. Despite their power difference, Li Luo still possessed the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art to help bridge the gap. The banner members mainly provided their energy during Harmony, and it was ultimately up to the Sub Leader''s capability to utilize it adeptly. "The Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art is really something, but there is a big gap in strength between you and me. Even the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art can''t save you!" Li Tong sneered when he saw Li Luo blocking his first strike. Once again, he clenched the gilded ring broadsword tightly in his fist and took a step out, causing the void under his feet to tremble. Above his blade, strands of light shadows arose as if a giant, blood-red wolf had bared its sharp fangs ferociously. "Dragon-general resonance art, Blood Wolf Fang!" Li Tong cried out as he slashed his blade once more. This time, the world appeared to turn dark red, and a gigantic, blood-red sword light cut through the sky. The blood wolf dashed forward with its fangs bared, fusing with the sword light. With one slash, a one hundred-foot-long area of the forest was torn apart. Although Li Tong had an arrogant and fiery personality, his strength was indeed not bad. Over at the fifth division, Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bis faces changed upon seeing this. Li Luo could tell from the bloodthirsty attack that Li Tong was trying to crush the fifth division''s morale and end the battle instantly. "Too naive." Li Luo laughed. This battle was the perfect chance for the fifth division to show its strength to others and gain self-confidence. The third division of the Dark Blood Banner was the perfect opponent for this. If they could defeat the third division, their status among the banners would rise tremendously. Even the other banners would look at the fifth division of the Green Nether Banner differently when they succeeded. With that, Li Luo clapped his hands together, and the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade appeared. "Level Two Divine Elephant Power! "Thunderpeal avatar, Two Sonic Pulse!" After Li Luo whispered those words, the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade started buzzing and vibrating. In the next moment, a majestic and tyrannical force came forth like an ancient, giant elephant, surging directly into Li Luo''s arms and inflating them. The veins in his arms swelled and writhed like earthworms upon this change. Boom! At the same time, two peals of thunder echoed within his body. His flesh and blood seemed to ignite, and his body was rapidly strengthened. Li Luo was now able to tolerate Level Two Divine Elephant Power without catastrophic side effects. He took a deep breath as he studied his stronger physical self. It seemed like he could better utilize the power of Harmony now. He stared at the incoming blood wolf sword light calmly. The bloodthirst was so intense that it seemed to dye the sky crimson. Forming a hand seal with a single hand, the resonant power drained rapidly from his body, and a black dragon banner emerged on his blade. He then swung the Onyx-Elephant Blade. Instantly, the void split apart with a dark trace. The next moment, billowing, dark water gushed out, and a lifelike, enormous, black dragon swam out of the water. Clothed in a strong, domineering aura, it charged towards the incoming blood wolf sword light head-on. The space beneath its dragon claw appeared to have distorted. The faces of the third division were the ones that changed this time around. Li Luo''s counterattack was more terrifying than they had expected! "Sub Leader, that is a Duke Art!" one of the banner members shouted. "Nonsense, of course I know that!" Li Tong replied gloomily. The dominant aura of the Underworld River''s Black Dragon far exceeded that of a normal dragon-general resonance art. Li Luo was truly capable, possessing both the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art as well as a Duke Art! However, he was not completely unprepared for it. Li Tong took a deep breath and told the third division with his gloomy voice, "Prepare to execute the secret art! Strengthen the Dragon Wolf!" Hearing this, many banner members turned serious and formed their respective hand seals immediately. Resonant power condensed in their bodies and then, turned into wisps of dark-red air rising into the sky. Li Tong took another deep breath. The multiple wisps of dark-red force gathered together into a blood-red ball of light. He grabbed the ball, and with a forward push of his hand, it vanished and reappeared in front of the blood wolf sword light. The blood wolf opened its large mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. ROAR! As the blood wolf swallowed the blood-red ball of light, its original body of about a hundred feet rapidly grew in size. This time, blood-red dragon scales started to sprout out of the wolf''s body and the wolf''s claws turned sharper. After just a short while, the blood wolf had transformed into a monstrous dragon wolf. At this time, the black dragon that was surfing the waves of the black river utilized the water to suppress it, and the blood-red dragon wolf seemed to have lost its special sense of dominance. As the two seemingly sentient beasts roared and clashed in the shuddering skies, the banner members from both sides watched on nervously. Chapter 0777: Radiance Revealed Chapter 0777: Radiance Revealed Bang! A frightening tempest born from energy burst out in the air, and both sides stared at the point of collision. At the source of the explosion, the black dragon riding atop the Underworld River was viciously tearing at the Dragon Wolf with berserk energy undulations being gradually eroded by the power of the black water. Both parties were quickly racking up injuries, and subsequent ones became more and more severe. The only thing was that the injuries did not leave behind any form of blood. But the energy that made up each art began to dissipate at an increasing pace. Clearly, the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner held an advantage as it was a Duke Art. In addition to the support provided by the fifth division''s Harmony, it had essentially been executed by a greater Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivator and now possessed incisive power. Still, the Blood Red Dragon Wolf was not that lacking either. As the two arts continued to clash, tempestuous winds were generated from the aftereffects of their blows, and trees were constantly felled in the forest as though the apocalypse had come. The fight between the two dragons continued for several minutes before a victor finally emerged. The Underworld River''s Black Dragon''s claw brought with it a corrosive strike that pierced the Blood Red Dragon Wolf''s skull, shattering it into motes of light. Although it had won, much of its strength had also been sapped, but it channeled what remained of its power and rushed towards the Dark Blood Banner. Li Tong''s expression was ugly as he had not expected that he would be unable to restrain Li Luo''s single strike with the aid of the third division''s secret art. The bright side was that the power of the move had been sapped. He smacked out with a palm, and his energy took the form of a gigantic palm that swatted at the now significantly more illusory black dragon. A thunderous boom rang out. When the energy palm struck, the Underworld River''s Black Dragon opened its maw, and a bright blade light burst out of it. It was a concealed blade wheel that was now baring its fangs. The blade wheel was so sharp that it felt like just looking at it could cut someone. It spun forward instantly, shattering the gigantic palm before whirling towards the group from the third division of the Dark Blood Banner. This sudden development took Li Tong by complete surprise. He had been tricked and ambushed by Li Luo! That brat had actually hidden a mighty dragon-general resonance art inside his own Duke Art! This hidden dagger had been played to the point of perfection. The sharp blade wheel flew past extremely quickly, and Li Tong was unable to react appropriately in time. He could only hunker down, channeling all of the energy provided by Harmony into an energy barrier before the third division. Swoosh! The blade wheel whistled when it collided heavily with the energy barrier, causing ripples to bloom violently on its surface. A brief moment later, the barrier shattered. Although the blade wheel had weakened slightly, its might was still unparalleled as it barreled into the midst of the Dark Blood Banner''s third division under Li Tong''s furious gaze. Pssssssh! Numerous banner members were sent flying and spitting blood. Some were even grievously injured and sent packing, leaving the battlefield a mess. In a short span of time, the third division had lost more than a hundred members. Raucous cheers erupted on the Green Nether Banner''s side. All of them were inspired by this sight as they had never imagined that they would emerge victorious in any clash against such a powerful enemy. "Li Luo!" Li Tong bellowed angrily with a belligerent and vicious look arising in his eyes. As a result, his face seemed a little distorted in his fury. He had not expected such a result. The Dark Blood Banner''s third division originally had the intention of toying with the Green Nether Banner. Unfortunately, they had not even managed to achieve that, only being injured instead. If others learned of this result, their division would become the laughingstock of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. At that point in time, his Banner Leader would not forgive him. With this in mind, a ferocious and cruel glint took root in his eyes as he roared, "Dark Blood Banner''s third division, if you do not want to be mocked as the joke of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, then you have to dig out all the remaining reserves of strength you have left!" The gold ringed blade in his hand chopped at his own thumb, spilling fresh blood as he severed his own finger. The sight caused even his own banner members to grit their teeth. All of them similarly took out daggers and sliced at their arms, causing rivulets of blood to spray out from each and every one of them. With Li Tong''s severed finger as the core, fresh blood quickly coagulated around it. And the energy provided by Harmony coursed forth with even greater vigor. At the same time, the severed finger seemed to have gained a life of its ownit began to wriggle and expand. In the short span of several breaths, it had turned into a one hundred-meter-tall flesh golem. The golem possessed the head of a dragon but the body of a wolf. It was covered with dark-red scales, and fiendish air shrouded it like a dense, bloody mist. It exuded frightening pressure, causing the void to shake. The Dragon Wolf seemed a little similar to the one Li Tong had summoned before, but the new one was not only more life-like, but it had two heads as well. The two dragon heads bared their fangs, and bright, crimson saliva dripped from its mouth, corroding the ground beneath. Zhao Yanzhi''s anxious voice was transmitted into Li Luo''s ears. "Sub Leader, be careful. This is the Dark Blood Banner''s secret art, the Two-Headed Sanguine Dragon Wolf!" Li Luo''s gaze shrank as he stared at this abomination. The aura that the Two-Headed Sanguine Dragon Wolf gave off was merciless and potent. He could feel that it had even reached the late stage of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage. The Dark Blood Banner truly had some impressive trump cards. "Li Luo, being able to coax out the Dark Blood Banner''s secret art indicates your strength," Li Tong praised as his face was flushed. The resonant power coming from his body seemed to be gradually weakening, and the expressions of his banner members were similarly exhausted and sluggish. Bringing out this killing move had taken a massive toll upon them. However, there was no other choice, as this was a battle they could not afford to lose. He would not have any way to explain himself to the Banner Leader otherwise, and it would also be a loss of face for his division. Li Luo glanced squarely at Li Tong with his vicious gaze and lightly nodded. "Your Two-Headed Sanguine Dragon Wolf does seem to be decent." "Still trying to posture at this point? Are you still concerned about your face even when you''re at death''s door? Prepare to bring your banner members and scram home!" Li Tong felt dissatisfied upon seeing Li Luo''s calm gaze. Li Luo only smiled and shook his head. "Do you really think you''ve beaten me?" "Hmph. How else could this end? Li Luo, you might possess uncanny talent, but it''s unfortunate that you squandered your early years in a wasteland!" Li Tong retorted. Li Luo indifferently replied, "You might have forgotten something important. Those who obtain the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art are able to obtain a Nine Revolutions Art." This was met with a cold reply. "Stop pretending. The Nine Revolutions Art might be domineering, but you only obtained it a couple of days ago. How could you possibly have grasped it? It doesn''t matter what happens in the future, but today, you will fall to the Dark Blood Banner''s blade!" With that, he raised his index finger and pointed towards Li Luo. Roar! The Two-Headed Sanguine Dragon Wolf''s eyes were locked upon Li Luo, and it gave off a draconic roar that seemed to be mixed with the sounds of wolves howling. Bang! The Dragon Wolf dashed forward, piercing space on its way. It carried imposing amounts of killing intent that soared into the skies. It was a gigantic beast akin to a force of nature, directly barrelling towards the fifth division. At this point, both the earth and space trembled and shattered before it. Meanwhile, the members of the Green Nether Banner had turned a little pale with fear evident in their eyes. At this point in time, Li Luo''s calm voice echoed out and assuaged their fearful hearts. "Banner members, calm yourselves and maintain the state of Harmony. Channel all of your remaining energy to me!" They each took a deep breath before circulating all of the resonant power within them. Strand after strand of energy arose from the depths of their bodies and condensed into an energy lake above them. Li Luo''s eyes were shut tight and his hands were clasped together, forming a series of hand seals so quickly that he left afterimages in their wake. The energy that surrounded him quickly rushed towards him as its nexus. Roar! The Two-Headed Sanguine Dragon Wolf seemed to have turned into a torrent of fiendish crimson energy that was rushing towards them like a storm. The fifth division couldn''t help but feel a primal sort of fear arising from within them in the wake of this peerless attack. Even Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi, who were Silver Fiends, had bated breaths as shock arose within their eyes. In a blink, the Two-Headed Sanguine Dragon Wolf was right before them. Once it broke into their formation, they would pay a heavy price with countless individuals being injured. Meanwhile, a look of berserk joy arose within Li Tong''s eyes. Although they had been in danger, it seemed that he would attain victory in the end. After this, the Dark Blood Banner''s third division would become well known for beating this group of weaklings. However, just as Li Tong felt a sense of anticipation, he noticed that Li Luo had finally opened his eyes. Li Luo''s mouth seemed to be moving slowly, and he could vaguely make out a sort of boundless thunder flickering within. Afterwards, energy seemed to have condensed right behind Li Luo, which quickly took the form of a gigantic dragon silhouette. It possessed an ancient aura of mystery and regality. Even the Two-Headed Sanguine Dragon Wolf paused in its tracks when it was hit with the pressure. Afterwards, the dragon manifestation opened its maw. Cold air arose from beneath Li Tong, which then rushed towards the sky. It was at this point that he was reminded of a familiar Nine Revolutions Art. "Nine Revolutions Art, Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath!" At that very moment, the dragon manifestation behind Li Luo belched out a dazzling torrent. The torrent of dragonbreath seemed to contain endless thunder and lightning, releasing boundless amounts of destructive power. Even worldly natural energy was annihilated wherever the dragonbreath passed by, vaporized into nothingness. The fiendish Two-Headed Sanguine Dragon Wolf stood before it. The Dragon Wolf could barely resist the imposing might of the dragonbreath for a few breaths of time before eventually vanishing into a puff of smoke. At the same time, the might of the Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath had not diminished in the slightest, and Li Tong and the rest of the third division were engulfed by it. A moment later, all that remained in its wake was just a smoldering patch of charred wilderness. The entire Dark Blood Banner''s third division was nowhere to be seen. Chapter 0778: Startled Banners Chapter 0778: Startled Banners Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Fiendish Devil Peak There was a lot of murmuring in the crowd standing before the Fiendish Devil Cave. Every division had determined the victors in their respective battles. They had thus left the field to arrive before the hall to chat. Some were ecstatic, some were proud, others were dejected and depressed. Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao had naturally obtained victory, but they did not leave, only gathering their divisions to await outside the Fiendish Devil Hall. Their expressions were a little solemn as their gaze was focused upon the energy vortex at the main entrance to Fiendish Devil Peak. They were anxiously awaiting Li Luo''s results. "Do you think he can win?" Li Fengyi frowned slightly as a look of worry could be seen on her fair and bright complexion. Li Jingtao paused to think before replying, "Little Brother''s talent is uncanny, but he has spent too much time in the outer divine continent. If he had a year and a half''s worth of time to quietly cultivate, I think he would be able to eke out a victory." Li Fengyi rolled her eyes. "What sort of crap are you spewing? Do you think I''m asking about the future?" Li Jingtao had always been left a little helpless when faced with this blunt Second Sister of his. "I think the key factor that will determine Li Luo''s victory will be his mastery of the Nine Revolutions Art. The sheer power of a secret art is well known to both of us. Although there is a gap between him and Li Tong, utilizing Harmony will shrink the chasm between them, and victory will be decided by their methods." Li Fengyi frowned again. "I heard that cultivating a Nine Revolutions Art is complicated. Even though he was able to learn it, he will still need a period of time to grasp and utilize it." "You don''t have to worry. The Dark Blood Banner is already stronger than the Green Nether Banner to begin with. Thus, if Little Brother loses, it would not put him under a lot of pressure. This could be treated as a training exercise, and our Lineages are at loggerheads with each other anyway. There will be no shortage of opportunities to challenge them in the future," Li Jingtao explained. Li Fengyi sighed. "The Gold Light Banner has triumphed over the Dragon''s Bone Lineage''s Glass Bone Banner. Their momentum and power have strengthened once again. I do hope that Little Brother can regain some of our lost vigor in the future." "If we, the older siblings, can''t do so, how can we trouble our younger brother?" Li Jingtao grinned. Li Fengyi''s face turned red and she crossed her arms. "So what if that''s the case? Our Little Brother is Third Uncle''s son. Can''t you expect more from him?" Looking at Li Fengyi''s combative stance, Li Jingtao hurriedly sealed his mouth shut lest he found trouble when he didn''t want to. In an area not too far away, the Gold Light Banner members were currently the subject of countless envious individuals. Deng Fengxian was seated atop a rock recuperating, and his resonant power was boiling within his body. The previous fight was simply too exciting. The Dragon''s Bone Lineage''s Glass Bone Banner was an impressive opponent. In fact, they had managed to suppress the Gold Light Banner in the past. It was only now that they had managed to regain the advantage. Deng Fengxian looked at the entrance to Fiendish Devil Peak, and his gaze flickered when he discovered Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao. It seemed they were awaiting Li Luo''s result. "Boss, Li Fengyi seems to be hoping that the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division will be victorious," a banner beside him mocked. Another banner member laughed. "They are just indulging in their own personal fantasies. Let''s not even talk about the sheer gap between their two divisions. Even if they are victorious, so what? It''s not like we are in the past anymore. The Gold Light Banner reigns supreme in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. In another half a year, the Chief Banner Leader selection will begin, and that position is destined to be held by the Boss." These words caused Deng Fengxian to only smile faintly. "If Li Luo is able to demonstrate uncanny ability, it would be a blessing for the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. When I become the Chief Banner Leader and clash against the other four Lineages, I will need capable subordinates that are able to fight." "Haha, the Boss is truly farsighted," the rest praised. Meanwhile, the Green Nether Banner was currently gathered on the right side of the main hall. The atmosphere within the four divisions was a little depressing. Although some had managed to eke out a victory and others had lost, none had managed to make it through layer thirty-one. The vanguard, the first division, was even more pitiful. They had lost to the Hurricane Horn Banner''s first division. Zhong Ling had a glum face and his eyes were furious. They had challenged the Hurricane Horn Banner''s first division countless times and always walked away the winners. But this time they had simply suffered too many casualties and their strength as a whole had eroded. As a result, the opponent was able to turn the tables. Zhong Ling could feel that the glances from the other three divisions were filled with a sense of dissatisfaction. As the vanguard of the Green Nether Banner, the first division had received more benefits and advantages than the rest, having to bear the brunt of the banner''s progress. However, it seemed as though he had not reaped the success they had wanted, and his own reckless decisions had given the Hurricane Horn Banner a chance to return the favor. Although these gazes were discreet and indirect, Zhong Ling felt his heart twitching in discomfort. It was all that damn Li Luo''s fault. He infuriated him to the point that he had lost his sense of calm. Still, things could be said to be alright. The fifth division was bound to lose, and his own disappointing results would not be as prominent then. Just as he had these thoughts in mind, Fiendish Devil Peak''s main hall roiled with energy undulations and shadows were shot out from it. At that point in time, he saw more than a thousand individuals surge out from the distortion. It was the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division. When they appeared, some of the banner members couldn''t stop themselves from excitedly announcing the news. "The Green Nether Banner''s fifth division emerged victorious over the Dark Blood Banner''s third division! We''ve also managed to advance through layer thirty-one!" As the members celebrated, their surroundings fell silent for a few moments. The numerous members of the different banners in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage seemed a little taken aback before shock took over their expressions. The Green Nether Banner''s fifth division had beaten the Dark Blood Banner''s third division?!! The patiently waiting Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao were similarly surprised before they glanced at each other. Absolute joy surfaced from their very faces. The members of the Gold Light Banner who were not far away were also completely shell shocked. Even Deng Fengxian''s gaze narrowed when he heard the news. The Green Nether Banner''s second, third, and fourth division Sub Leaders couldn''t believe their ears and even suspected that they might have misheard something. It was only when they glanced at each other and pinched themselves hard that they realized that this was the unadulterated truth. Raucous cheers burst out amongst the banner. However, there was one individual who had been drowned by the celebrations, his expression turning grim. Zhong Ling. Ping! Just as cheers resounded throughout the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Fiendish Devil Peak, on the Dragon''s Blood Lineage side... Li Lu furiously flung the teacup in his hand onto the floor, smashing it into pieces. His gaze was full of unbridled wrath as he glared at the miserable Li Tong. A gloomy voice was transmitted through gritted teeth. "You piece of complete trash. Did you just say you lost to the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division?!" Silence reigned in the area as Li Qingfeng, Li Hongli, and Jin Ming were all frowning at this sight from their pavilion. Chapter 0779 – Heavenly Origin Records, Empyrean Chronicle Chapter 0779 C Heavenly Origin Records, Empyrean Chronicle Facing the furious Li Lu, the defeated Li Tong appeared to shrink into a corner as he explained, "Li Luo has the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. He used the Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath, a Nine Revolutions Art, against us. There was nothing we could do to defend ourselves." "Enough excuses. You are the first division in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage to lose to the Green Nether Banner in the past ten years," Li Lu chastised. He was extremely embarrassed by this result. Just moments ago, he was boasting to Li Qingfeng and Li Hongli that the Dark Blood Banner could get their sweet revenge on Li Taixuan by starting with his son, but now? Li Tong had returned heralding a humiliating ending. The Green Nether Banner had been frail for all these past years, unable to even select their own Banner Leader. No one would have ever imagined that the Dark Blood Banner would lose against them. Li Qingfeng waved his hand and spoke up for him. "Forget it. A loss is a loss. It''s just one battle among the banners after all. At least now we know that the son of Li Taixuan is indeed something... Mastering the Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath in such a short span of time speaks volumes about him." Search www.novelhall.com for the original. Hearing this, Li Tong looked back at him with eyes filled with gratitude. "Looks like the Nine Revolutions Art he got is the commonly seen Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath. At least it''s not one of the best ones among the thirteen," Li Hongli added with a hint of nonchalance on her charming face. "You are too picky on the details. Whether it''s common or not, the Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath is still a Nine Revolutions Art. We should not underestimate its power," Li Qingfeng replied with a grin. "Nonetheless, this performance from Li Luo should be his limit. As someone at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier, he has already done very well to come this far. He might get to bask in the glory for a bit, but that is merely the firefly''s glow compared to the dazzling moonlight radiating from Brother Qingfeng. None in this generation of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages will be able to steal your limelight," Li Hongli complimented with a sweet smile. "Don''t flatter me like that, Hongli. There are countless talents in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, and many brilliant ones among the Heavenly Emperor Bloodlines as well." Li Qingfeng smiled back. "With your strength, Boss, you are definitely at least near the very top of the young generation in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. In the future, you will surely make a name for yourself on the Heavenly Origin Record''s Empyrean Chronicle." Banner Leader Jin Ming of the Silver Blood Banner gratuitously added to the praises with a broad smile. Li Qingfeng''s eyes lit up instantly upon hearing about the Empyrean Chronicle. The Heavenly Origin Records were created by the Golden Dragon Bank''s Heavenly Origin Divine Continent headquarters. It comprised numerous things from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, including its famous individuals, historical events, as well as several lists meant for ranking purposes. Amongst them all, there was a list that attracted everyone''s attention: the Duke''s Index. There were multiple ranking lists in the Duke''s Index, and the Empyrean Chronicle was one of them. It recorded the names of the young talents that appeared in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent from time to time. While there was no ranking amongst those on the chronicle itself, one had to have outstanding and spectacular achievements to even find themselves on that prestigious list. Most of the individuals on it were at the Heavenly Resonance Tier and generally older than Li Qingfeng. While the momentum surrounding his achievements resembled the younger days of the great Heavenly Emperor Li, he would still need to prove himself with significant actions to get on to the Empyrean Chronicle. Like all the hot-blooded youths, such fame and vigor greatly attracted Li Qingfeng. It might seem cliche, but his name would spread throughout the world if he managed to get on the Empyrean Chronicle, riding on the coattails of the Golden Dragon Bank''s reputation. "Speaking of the Empyrean Chronicle, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing is truly remarkable. I heard that Chu Qing managed to injure a Duke and retreat unharmed despite being just at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier," Li Hongli suddenly said. Li Qingfeng nodded in agreement. "Chu Qing is indeed gifted. He has dual resonances, one at the quasi ninth-grade and one at the upper eighth-grade. Furthermore, he has mastered the famed Duke Art of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing, God of War''s Heaven Penetrating Fist. He is truly a formidable guy." "And there is also Qin Yi with a ninth-grade water resonance. High and aloof, she has also been nicknamed the Fairy of Water. Still, she has not even reached the Heavenly Resonance Tier, but I heard she has already been listed on the Empyrean Chronicle due to her stunning beauty," Jin Ming chuckled. Hearing this, Li Hongli gave him a deadly stare, and he quickly restrained his smile. "Speaking of which... Chu Qing is the direct disciple of Hall Master Qin Lian from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing, isn''t that right? And Qin Yi is her daughter," Li Qingfeng responded with a smile. At this moment, everyone turned their attention over playfully as Qin Lian''s name was mentioned. There was a huge incident involving Qin Lian many years ago. Everyone in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent knew about it as it nearly caused a fight to break out between the two powers of the Heavenly Emperor level. Back then, Li Taixuan from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and Qin Lian from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing had been engaged. However, Li Taixuan was not interested in an arranged marriage. Instead, he fell in love with Tan Tailan, who came from the most ordinary of backgrounds. After Li Taixuan openly rejected the marriage in public, Hall Master Qin Lian was enraged. Rumors had it that the Fire Lotus Hall lead by Hall Master Qin Lian had issued a secret order forbidding anyone in their hall from having any sort of involvement with the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. If any conflicts or disputes arose with them, a battle to the death was required to resolve the situation. It was only after Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan left the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent that the incident slowly dissipated from recent memory. But with the return of Li Luo, tongues began wagging once again. What if Hall Master Qin Lian heard about the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan? Although Li Jingzhe of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had mentioned letting bygones be bygones... how would the current generation react to this? "It seems as though the birthday of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Respected Elder is coming up, right?" Li Hongli smiled with her cherry-red lips. As if he understood where Li Hongli was coming from, Li Qingfeng nodded and said, "As the Mountain Ruling Chief, the Respected Elder has always wanted to pull ourselves closer to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. He even tried to arrange a marriage a while back, but to no avail... "I heard the other Elders saying that the Respected Elder may be inviting guests from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing for his birthday, perhaps even Hall Master Qin Lian... Perhaps he would like to use this chance to break the ice between our two bloodlines." Li Hongli bit her lips and smiled lightly. "Hall Master Qin Lian is not one to forgive and forget so easily. If she''s really been invited... there will be a good show to watch." Li Qingfeng smiled in response. Indeed, if Hall Master Qin Lian came, she would definitely bring along her favorite disciple... the famed one on the Empyrean Chronicle, as well as her beloved daughter. At that time, some conflict would inevitably arise. Nonetheless, this had nothing to do with them. These were the troubles started by the Dragon''s Fang Lineage back in the day. They would simply let the situation deal with itself. With that, Li Qingfeng stood up without any more words. With a wave of his hand, he led the banner members and left the square. The Fiendish Devil Cave expidition had come to a closure. While some things had gone wrong, the mistakes were insignificant in the grand scheme of things. A small loss from the third division would not change the gears that had already been set into motion. After all, this place was unlike the resource-deprived outer divine continents. Chapter 0780 – Flowing Thunder Dragon Fang Chapter 0780 C Flowing Thunder Dragon Fang Li Luo''s first Fiendish Devil Cave expedition had concluded with fantastic rewards. Adding on the gains from defeating the Dark Blood Banner''s third division, he should have gotten a total of five or six hundred strands of abstruse fiend light. This was equivalent to nearly half a month of cultivation. With such great rewards, it was no wonder why everyone was bursting with excitement whenever the Fiendish Devil Cave reopened. After experiencing its joys for himself, Li Luo was already looking forward to the next expedition. Moreover, he got a boost in his own reputation in addition to the abstruse fiend lights. Things couldn''t have turned out any better. Although the third division of the Dark Blood Banner was not considered the vanguard unit, they were still part of the Dark Blood Banner, who currently ranked ninth. On the whole, their banners strength far exceeded that of the Green Nether Banner. With his victory, Li Luo had exceeded everyone''s expectations and made a name for himself within the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Many amongst the other four lineages had started talking about him. While it was not enough to bring about respect and admiration for him, people had started noticing how gifted the son of Li Taixuan was. After all, reputation required time to build up. With this, Li Luo had gotten a good head-start. There was still a long way to go. He was confident that in the near future, the eyes of contempt that fell upon him would subside as soon as they heard about the Green Nether Banner. As the son, he had to preserve the hard-fought honor and respect that his dad had brought to the Green Nether Banner years ago. After the Fiendish Devil Cave expedition, Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi had dragged Li Luo out for a celebration party, along with a few Sub Leaders from their banners. This would be a good opportunity for Li Luo to get to know them and expand his network in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Li Luo was grateful for this opportunity. At the same time, he was truly relieved for the kindness and care shown by his brother and sister. After all, his greatest worry before coming to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was the discrimination and challenges he would have to face from his family members due to the conflict of interests. He still remembered vividly the struggle for power back in the Xia Kingdom''s royal family, and the last thing he wanted was to waste more energy on such needless fights. Although he was prepared to put up a fight if necessary, he was glad that Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi were so accepting of him. Now he could fully focus on his cultivation. This was the best result he could ever ask for. After his first Fiendish Devil Cave expedition, Li Luo''s days passed by peacefully. His cultivation was his biggest focus everyday. Theft is never good, try looking at www.novelhall.com. After spending three whole days refining the God Origin Pill, his waterlight resonant palace had reached approximately twenty-seven hundred strands of abstruse fiend light. He was now more than halfway towards his goal of five thousand. Over the remaining days, he continued his training at the Green Nether drill grounds to improve his understanding and synchronicity with the fifth division. With better synergy between them, the energy would flow better during the state of Harmony. Furthermore, the other three divisions, apart from the first division, of course, had become more polite and friendly towards him. They would smile and greet him whenever they passed by each other in the Green Nether drill grounds. Without a doubt, this was because they had recognized Li Luo''s strength after his victory at the Fiendish Devil Cave. However, this also led to Zhong Ling flaring up and demonstrating his jealousy and hostility towards Li Luo openly, causing the relationship between the first and fifth divisions to turn tense. In addition, the interactions between each division had changed. The fifth division banner members were more confident after defeating the Dark Blood Banner''s third division. They knew that they were not necessarily weaker than the first division, and who knew what the future would hold? They could very well become the vanguard team for the Green Nether Banner. Nevertheless, Li Luo was not too bothered about this tension as the Sub Leader. He simply continued to focus on his cultivation daily. As a result, the strands of abstruse fiend light in the waterlight resonance palace increased at an amazing pace. Furthermore, he had headed to the Four Flags Pavilion of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage during this time. That was where they kept their resonance art library, and Li Luo had gone there to search for a powerful dragon-general resonance art. He needed a new attack to complement his continuous improvements. After all, the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner was not suitable for ordinary situations despite its formidable strength. It was far too strenuous on him as a Duke Art. As for the Thousand Watery Knives Wheel, it was still a tiger-general resonance art in the end. Even though its power was close to that of a dragon-general resonance art after his improvisation, it was still limited. As such, it was crucial for him to master a dragon-general resonance art. Despite the abundance of resources present in the Four Flags Pavilion, it was still a far cry from House Luolan''s resources. Li Luo was unable to find anything satisfying after two whole days of searching. This was partly because of his high requirements. He wanted a powerful dragon-general resonance art that could be used in tandem with a bow. Although he had been using the Onyx-Elephant Blade, he actually preferred using a bow and arrow ever since the beginning... On top of that, the dragon-general resonance art needed to be compatible with his dual resonances, as it would be easier to layer triple resonances onto it. And this was why nothing in the Four Flags Pavilion was good enough for him. Li Luo was not willing to relent on any of his requirements. In the end, he could only return home in disappointment. Luckily, Li Fengyi, who had brought him to the Four Flags Pavilion, had sneakily reminded him that he could use his connections if none of the dragon-general resonance arts in the Four Flags Pavilion caught his interest. On the next day, Li Luo headed straight for the back mountain of Dragon''s Fang Mountain. Li Jingzhe was pleasantly surprised by his visit, although his face remained serious as usual. The duo had a nice chat in the pavilion for over half the day. With the help of the wine, Li Luo finally summoned up the courage to raise his request. "You sly little brat. So you came here with an ulterior motive, " Li Jingzhe jokingly replied. Then he casually took out a jade tablet that appeared to be made of a broken tooth, and it had a faint trace of thunder power hidden in it. As he handed the jade tablet to Li Luo, he explained, "This is what I cultivated long ago, but it fits your requirements." Li Luo was thrilled to accept it. As he held onto the jade tablet, he could sense significant amounts of information flooding into his mind. High-grade dragon-general resonance art, Flowing Thunder Dragon Fang. This dragon-general resonance art required both dragon resonance and lightning resonance power, perfectly in line with the Thunder Dragon resonance that Li Luo possessed. What''s more, it was compatible with bow artifacts. This was exactly what Li Luo was looking for. "I heard of your stellar performance at the Fiendish Devil Cave. Let this be a small little reward for you." Li Jingzhe smirked as he looked at the pleasantly surprised Li Luo. "Thank you, Grandpa!" Li Luo exclaimed back happily. "However, this art doesn''t just require dragon resonant power, but also thunder resonant power..." Li Jingzhe explained. Looking back at his deep gaze, Li Luo replied cheerfully, "Grandpa, you must have sensed the lightning resonance within me, right?" Evidently, the reason Li Jingzhe had taken out this particular art was because he had noticed that Li Luo had a lightning resonance hidden within his triple resonances. "Little brat, you sure are full of surprises," Li Jingzhe responded with shock. As a King, his observation ability was extraordinary. Moreover, Li Luo had no intention to hide anything in front of him. "It''s no big secret, just triple resonances with a primary and secondary attribute," Li Luo explained honestly. "This is a truly rare sight. While it''s not uncommon to see resonances split into primary and secondary attributes, you have three resonances with dual attributes! So you have six types of resonance power in total," Li Jingzhe said. "The three secondary resonances are really weak. They can only help to assist the primary ones," Li Luo humbly replied. "Perhaps, but they will be useful in the future." Li Jingzhe pondered. "Say what?" Li Luo asked back. Li Jingzhe shook his head and commented, "In the coming days, the old man at the Dragon''s Blood Lineage will be hosting his birthday celebration. I heard that he has invited Qin Lian from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing, so things will likely get heated." At this point, he noticed the lost look on Li Luo''s face. With a smile, he patiently explained the incident to Li Luo. Li Luo finally understood after hearing the whole story. "Qin Lian has a disciple named Chu Qing, who is one of the most talented amongst the young generation in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. She also has a daughter named Qin Yi, who possesses a ninth-grade water resonance and is known for her unparalleled beauty throughout the continent," Li Jingzhe elaborated. "Grandpa, you mean Qin Lian will send those two to duel me?" Li Luo asked. "Chu Qing is older than you, so he most likely won''t be making any moves on you for the time being. But you will have to be careful when it comes to Qin Yi. Don''t be seduced by her charm," Li Jingzhe joked. Li Luo was at a loss for words. Although he had never met Qin Yi before, he had never seen anyone prettier than his girlfriend back home either. After all these years spent with Jiang Qing''e, he was somewhat confident in his ability to control himself. The conversation on this matter ended here. After casually chatting with his grandfather some more, he left the place fully satisfied. As he watched Li Luo leave, Li Jingzhe grinned a little and pondered over it. "Li Luo''s acquired resonances... are truly special. "Taixuan, what exactly happened in the ancient ruins? "Heavenly Emperor Qins reaction was indeed a little exaggerated back then...far more than it should have been..." Chapter 0781 – Grand Circle of Completion, Five Thousand Strands Chapter 0781 C Grand Circle of Completion, Five Thousand Strands In the coming days, Li Luo led the fifth division on another Fiendish Devil Cave expedition and successfully cleared layer thirty-two. This time, Zhong Ling did not dare to act rashly after the total defeat suffered on the last expedition. Despite the lead on Li Luo''s side, he merely bit his teeth and endured it. He wanted to conserve his strength for the third day''s battle among the banners and win it all back. Unfortunately, his division encountered the second division from the Dragon''s Scale Lineage''s Holy Scale Banner. The Holy Scale Banner was ranked second among the banners, and meeting them totally overturned his plan for a comeback. The first division was annihilated during the clash. On the other hand, Li Luo''s side got lucky with the draw. Their opponent was from the Dragon''s Bone Lineage. They easily defeated their opponent, and after a tough fight, they successfully cleared layer thirty-three too. With that, the second Fiendish Devil Cave expedition concluded. Once again, the fifth division under Li Luo''s leadership rose in fame with the best performance out of the five divisions of the Green Nether Banner. At the same time, Li Luo obtained another five hundred strands of abstruse fiend light as the reward. Coupled with another ten days of dedicated cultivation, his waterlight resonant palace reached over four thousand strands of abstruse fiend light, nearly hitting his target of five thousand. And so, he continued to work harder. Finally, the number of abstruse fiend lights in his waterlight resonant palace reached the limit, just within a month after his arrival to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. In the cultivation chamber. When Li Luo focused on himself, he could sense the five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light flying around like little birds inside his waterlight resonant palace. He was overjoyed. After so many days of hard work, he had finally cultivated five thousand abstruse fiend lights for his waterlight resonant palace. With this, he could finally begin the next stage of tempering and strengthening his resonant palace using the energy of the abstruse fiend lights. He was finally ready to tackle the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. Ordinarily speaking, one would usually have to wait patiently for the tempering and strengthening process to be completed at this stage before the resonant palace could contain any more strands of abstruse fiend light. However, Li Luo did not have to wait, as he had only filled up his first resonant palace. Behind it, there was still the woodearth resonant palace and thunder dragon resonant palace that were empty and vacant. If he could obtain more abstruse fiend lights, the process could be enhanced and accelerated. As such, Li Luo continued to cultivate more strands of abstruse fiend light while his waterlight resonant palace was undergoing tempering. Not only were the excess abstruse fiend lights diverted and stored in the two other resonant palaces, they even helped to speed up the waterlight resonant palace''s strengthening process. This was truly an advantage for a multiple resonance user. Li Luo focused his mind upon the strengthening section of the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art. In the next moment, the five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light in the waterlight resonant palace fused together speedily, as if transformed into a dragon shadow. The dragon shadow opened its mouth and spewed out majestic amounts of dragonbreath onto the different parts of the resonant palace. With each dragonbreath, the waterlight resonant palace glittered a little more, and he could feel it getting sturdier and wider. Waves of ripples started to appear in the center of the resonant palace, where the waterlight resonant power had gathered and manifested as a crystal-clear lake. Such an upgrade for the resonant palace was akin to a baptism ceremony for one''s resonant power, making it purer and stronger in the process. And with three resonant palaces, Li Luo could do this three times in total! As the resonant power surged in his body, he finally opened his eyes. He would just need a few more days to complete the upgrade process at this pace. With that, he would finally attain a Greater Fiend Palace for the waterlight resonant palace. "This continent is indeed amazing. My cultivation progress is much faster than back in the Xia Kingdom," Li Luo said with a sigh. With the same talent and gifts, the pace of his cultivation at the two places was vastly different. Such was the importance of cultivation resources. With just natural talent and no resources, one would have to slowly climb up and progress. This would require a really long time, and without a doubt, one would miss the best period for cultivation, especially before the Duke Stage. By then, one would no longer be young and full of energy. He would have to work a lot harder and get lucky with opportunities to catch back up in the future. At this juncture, Li Luo picked himself up and left the cultivation chamber for the lake at the inner courtyard. As he clenched his fist, a big, white jade bow appeared in his hand. This was the Lambent Hawkeye that he had long forgotten. It was an upper gilded white-eye treasure that Li Luo really liked. However, it had fallen short quickly following his rapid gains in strength. As he had no better artifact to use currently, he would have to make do with it for now. When he drew the bow, the thunder dragon resonance power flowed out from his body, converging at the bowstring. Subtle rings of draconic roars could be heard as the resonant power condensed within it, and a gray-white arrow slowly materialized. The arrow looked extremely simple, gray and mottled. Yet the gray light flowing around it gave people an indescribable sense of sharpness for some reason. It was akin to the sharp fangs of a giant dragon. This was the high-grade dragon-general resonance art that Li Luo had gotten from Li Jingzhe earlier, the Flowing Thunder Dragon Fang. Over the past month, he had been focusing all his attention on mastering this dragon-general resonance art apart from cultivating abstruse fiend lights. It was a really difficult dragon-general resonance art to learn as it required both dragon and thunder resonance power. It may have been particularly tough for an average individual to learn it, but it was perfect for Li Luo. Moreover, Li Luo had always been exceptionally gifted in resonance arts. After numerous attempts and failures over the past month, he had begun to grasp the usage of the Flowing Thunder Dragon Fang. When the gray and white dragon fang arrow took form on the bowstring, Li Luo calmly directed his thunder resonance power. Exquisite and mysterious thunder patterns slowly emerged on the tail of the dragon fang arrow. With the emergence of the thunder patterns, lightning sparkles began to leak out of the arrow. It was as if the arrow itself had become a torrent of lightning energy. Violent thunder boomed. The surroundings started to tremble aggressively as Li Luo held his position. Li Luo could tell that this was the limit of this art. As he squinted his eyes to take aim, he lightly released his fingers and let the arrow loose. Bang! The deafening roar of thunder boomed. A thunderbolt flashed across the void and split the lake in front of it into two. The flash penetrated thousands of feet with an indescribable momentum before it finally struck a reef in the middle of the lake. The reef was smashed into pieces, and huge waves of water rose towards the shore. Li Luo smiled with satisfaction. After one whole month of hard work, this was his first success with the Flowing Thunder Dragon Fang. Li Luo evaluated his first shot. "It did not cost me too much resonant power. Compared to the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner, the drain is much more acceptable. And compared to the Thousand Watery Knives Wheel, this is much stronger." Search www.novelhall.com for the original. Clap! Clap! Sounds of clapping came from the back. When he turned back to take a look, Zhao Yanzhi was quietly standing alone under the big tree, with a surprised smile on her charming cheeks. "Congratulations, Sub Leader. You have mastered another impressive resonance art. It won''t be long before you dominate the Dragon''s Fang Lineage," Zhao Yanzhi flattered with sparkling eyes. Her curves exuded a charming air, and she was truly a spectacular sight to behold. Nonetheless, Li Luo remained indifferent towards this lovely beauty. He simply put his bow away and walked over. "What''s up?" he asked. "Today is the day we receive our monthly stipends. I heard that the Second Hall Master and Third Hall Master have personally come for it," Zhao Yanzhi replied softly. Every month, there would be a huge pool of resources given to the Green Nether Banner, which was ultimately related to the monthly stipend each division received. In the past, it was shared equally between each division in the Green Nether Banner. However, Zhong Ling had allocated ten percent more to the first division after he became their Sub Leader. On the one hand, he wanted to win the hearts of the first division''s banner members. On the other hand, he wanted to display his own capability. As a result, the first division got thirty percent of the total resources. The second, third, and fourth divisions got twenty percent each. Lastly, the fifth division, which did not even have a Sub Leader before, got only ten percent. In other words, Zhong Ling had robbed the ten percent off the fifth division for his own. Many of the fifth division''s banner members were disgruntled over it, but they could hardly do anything about it, given Zhong Ling''s status and the first division''s position as the vanguard team. However, things were different now. Li Luo had no intention to take this lying down after hearing about it. This was a crucial period in his cultivation where he needed resources, so how could he accept Zhong Ling''s blatant robbery? After all, how could Zhong Ling''s status compare with his? Chapter 0782 – Resource Allocation Chapter 0782 C Resource Allocation At the Green Nether drill grounds, in the main building. When Li Luo arrived at the meeting room, he saw Zhong Yushi, the Green Nether Hall''s Second Hall Master, and Li Rouyun, the Third Hall Master, already seated. Zhong Yushi remained calm upon seeing Li Luo and nodded to greet him. Under normal circumstances, a Sub Leader would not have received such special treatment from a Green Nether Hall Master. However, Li Luo was special. He was the grandson of the Lineage Chief and the son of Hall Master Li Taixuan. It was the best background one could have in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, and it would easily result in the best treatment in any other place. If not for his illustrious background, Zhong Yushi would not have wanted to have any dealings with Li Luo. On the side, Li Rouyun smiled warmly and greeted Li Luo. She had heard of his spectacular performance in the Green Nether Banner over the past month and was well aware that he had established himself within the banner. "Greetings, Second Hall Master, Aunt Yun." Li Luo went over to give her a hug. Standing behind him, Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi remained polite and serious. After all, these were the Hall Masters, high executives in the Green Nether Hall. If they unknowingly offended them, their future would be dashed. At this moment, Li Luo glanced across the meeting room. Zhong Ling was already seated with a cold face, along with the three other Sub Leaders. Without further ado, he also grabbed a seat for himself. "Ahem." Zhong Yushi began with a light cough as soon as everyone was seated. "As everyone already knows, we have come here to check on the progress of the Green Nether Banner as well as distribute the resources for this month. Later on, we will hand over the resources to all of you. Sub Leaders, please prepare accordingly," he explained. At this moment, he turned over to look at Li Luo and continued with a gentle smile, "Sub Leader Li Luo and his fifth division have shown a stellar performance recently. Keep up the good work." Hearing this, Li Luo grinned and replied, "Thank you, Second Hall Master. This is all thanks to the hard work of the fifth division members. I couldn''t have done it without them. As such, may I represent the 1,500 members of the fifth division to raise a small request, please?" This caught Zhong Yushi by surprise. However, he maintained his composure and politely asked, "Sure. Please speak your mind." Li Luo glanced over at the gloomy Zhong Ling before he requested, "I hope that starting from this month, the resource allocation for the fifth division can return to the expected twenty percent, just like in the past." Standing behind him, Zhao Yanzhi watched from the back with admiration. He was truly the Sub Leader, holding an air of command even when making a request amongst superiors. In the past, they had tried to do the same as well. However, it was ultimately rejected by the cold gaze of Zhong Yushi. This time, Zhong Yushi maintained his composure as he replied, "With such remarkable performance from the fifth division, that is indeed the fairest way of allocating resources. However, this matter involves the first division, so we should listen to what they have to say first." When he finished his sentence, he looked over at Zhong Ling. At this point, Zhong Ling raised his eyebrows and replied, "Indeed, the fifth division''s performance has been remarkable over the past month. However, based on banner rules, the resource allocation is set semi-annually. If Sub Leader Li Luo wants to change it, kindly raise the request again in four month''s time." "Cultivation materials are pivotal for our training. No matter how you think about it, a four month delay is way too absurd," Li Luo responded with a smile. "The Banner''s progress largely depended on the first division just one month ago. Are you saying the fifth division''s one month worth of work is enough to overshadow the first division''s contribution all this time?" Zhong Ling retorted. "It''s just a matter of fact. The additional ten percent that the first division is taking originally belonged to the fifth division. Now we''re just returning it to its rightful owner," Li Luo noted. The tension between the duo was escalating as they continued to debate while the second, third, fourth divisions Sub Leaders watched from the side indifferently. After all, they did not want to risk offending any side. Zhong Ling had the longest history within the Green Nether Banner, and the backing of Second Hall Master Zhong Yushi. They had always listened to him all this time. Meanwhile, Li Luo had earned their respect with spectacular achievements in just a month, and his distinguished background was definitely not below that of Zhong Ling. As such, it was best for them to fade into the background and take no sides. Third Hall Master Li Rouyun came in to mediate. "We always look at the results. The first division is the vanguard team, and they helped the Green Nether Banner advance in the Fiendish Devil Cave, hence they were allocated thirty percent. Now that the fifth division has caught up with them, it''s only fair to allocate the resources equally now." Hearing this, Zhong Yushi rubbed his beard and laughed out loud. "That is indeed a reasonable way to put it. Those with the capability deserve a larger share of the resources. How about this? Since the fifth division has shown their capability, we will deduct a bit from the second, third, and fourth divisions and give those resources to the fifth division." At this instant, the indifferent faces of the second, third, and fourth divisions Sub Leaders changed immediately. It was well known among themselves that the first division were the ones that had unfairly stolen the fifth division''s share, and they had not gotten any benefits from this arrangement. Why should they be the one paying for this now? If their banner members heard about this, they would surely seethe with fury at this unfair arrangement. However, they dared not speak up about this injustice in front of Zhong Yushi. They merely stared at each other silently. Li Rouyun raised her eyebrows at this suggestion and gave Li Luo a quick look. This was a trap set by Zhong Yushi. While his suggestion appeared to be fighting for the fifth division, it was actually a ploy to sow discord between the fifth division and the other three divisions. Luckily, Li Luo did not fall for it. He shook his head with a smile and replied, "The other three divisions need to develop themselves too. They are getting their rightful share now. We merely wanted to get back our rightful share too. We don''t want to be greedy over it." When he finished his sentence, the three Sub Leaders felt a sense of immense gratitude towards Li Luo. In the meantime, Zhong Yushi was not affected by this at all. He merely replied with a grin, "In that case, I am afraid you have to wait a while more, Sub Leader Li Luo. The rules of allocation were set by the Lineage Chief originally, and we will only change the allocation once every six months. If you would like to change the rule, how about you speak to the Lineage Chief? I am sure he won''t mind helping his favorite out over such a small matter." Zhong Yushi was truly a cunning guy. While he did not outright reject Li Luo''s suggestion, he had thrown the problem over to Li Jingzhe. Of course, Li Luo would not go to Li Jingzhe over such a trivial matter. If this were made known, it would reflect so badly on him, making him seem like someone who could not get things done and needed to rely on connections. Luckily, Li Luo kept his composure. He suddenly recalled, "If I remember correctly, the allocation can be changed when the new Banner Leader is selected, right?" "Yes, indeed. But it''s still two months before the selection of the Banner Leader, right? Sub Leader Li Luo, you can wait for that if you want," Zhong Yushi replied. "There is no need to wait two months. If all five Sub Leaders agree right now, we can bring forward the selection of the Banner Leader," Li Luo calmly said. "Bring it forward?" Zhong Yushi was stunned to hear this. Li Luo was being too arrogant. Currently, he was only at the Fiend Palace Tier. He had managed to shine in the Fiendish Devil Cave due to the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts and the Nine Revolutions Fiend Art he had obtained. However, he would have to rely on his own strength in the Banner Leader selection against Zhong Ling, who was a Gold Fiend. There was a huge gap in strength between the two tiers, and instead of biding his time to catch up, he was actually trying to bring it forward? Find the original at "www.novelhall.com". Wasn''t he asking for it? Had he gotten too cocky due to his recent achievements? "When would you like to bring it forward to?" Zhong Yushi asked. "Let''s bring it forward by a month," Li Luo replied. He had no interest in dragging this out with Zhong Ling. It would be best for him to finish this quickly and obtain the Banner Leader position before Zhong Ling sowed further distrust between the first division''s members and him. "What do you think, Zhong Ling?" asked Zhong Yushi. Zhong Ling had just recovered from this surprising development. He could barely hide the joy beneath his eyes as he replied, "Sure, if Sub Leader Li Luo wishes to do so, I''ll oblige." He had already been feeling threatened by Li Luo''s recent achievements. If things continued like this for the next two months, he would be in great danger of losing the position of Banner Leader just by popular appeal. Now that Li Luo had suggested bringing the selection forward by a month, he was more than happy to entertain him. Once he secured the Banner Leader position, he would finally be able to feel at ease. Following this, Zhong Yushi politely sought the opinions of the other three divisions'' Sub Leaders. As expected, they had no objections over it as they all knew the selection battle was beyond their reach. As such, Zhong Yushi placed his hand on the table and concluded the discussion. "The Green Nether Banner Leader selection will be held in one month''s time," he declared. After he said this, Li Luo noticed a slight smirk on his face. It seemed like he could no longer contain his joy. Chapter 0783 – Ox Biaobiaos Selection Chapter 0783 C Ox Biaobiao''s Selection The time for the Banner Leader''s selection had been finalized. As everyone started leaving, Li Luo followed Li Rouyun out. The two had finally some time to themselves as they strolled along the drill grounds lined with trees. "Isnt it too hasty of you to bring the Banner Leader''s selection forward?" Li Rouyun asked worriedly. Although Zhong Ling was not the strongest fighter in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, he was still a Gold Fiend that was much stronger than Li Luo. Even with his triple resonances, it would not be easy for Li Luo to catch up to him. The reason he was able to close the gap in strength back in the Fiendish Devil Cave was due to Harmony, where the division''s power was consolidated as a whole. However, the selection of the Banner Leader would be an individual battle. Neither Harmony nor his Nine Revolutions Fiend Art would be able to help him bridge the gap this time. "Don''t worry, Aunt Yun. Since I raised this up, I definitely have some degree of confidence in winning," Li Luo replied with a smile. Currently, his waterlight resonant palace was already being tempered and would soon reach the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. Once it was completed, he would also get a boost to his resonant power. With another month to go, he would at least be able to upgrade his woodearth resonant palace to the Greater Fiend Palace Tier too. Again, this would boost his resonant power once more. Ideally, he would have two Greater Fiend Palaces by the selection battle. By then, the amount of resonant power in his three resonant palaces would not necessarily be any less than that of a Gold Fiend. Hearing his words, Li Rouyun simply nodded in response. She understood that Li Luo was not an impulsive guy. If he had decided on it, then there was no need for her to worry any further. "Zhong Yushi sure is cunning. Although the resource allocation is decided semi-annually, it is not as if there had never been any changes in the middle among the banners. Yet he used it as an excuse to bring down your suggestion," Li Rouyun said with a frown. "It is because my performance has started to make him uncomfortable," Li Luo explained. Indeed, he had flourished remarkably in the past month. Not only had he established himself in the Green Nether Banner, he had also made a name for himself amongst the younger generation of the Five Lineages. Without a doubt, Zhong Yushi was afraid that Li Luo''s sudden uprising would give Li Jingzhe an excuse to sabotage his grand plan to become the Hall Master. "Zhong Yushi and Zhao Xuanming, the Hall Master of Gold Light Banner, have been walking very closely together. And Zhao Xuanming is backed by the ruling leader of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. They have been gaining influence in recent years," Li Rouyun said with a sigh at this point. Hearing this, Li Luo simply grinned in return. Everything was definitely in Li Jingzhes control. Perhaps he had intentionally allowed for it. After all, they would surely become complacent and lose their competitiveness if the Li family was the only one remaining dominant in such a big organization. Conversely, the timely appearance of an external party would keep the Li clan members of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage alert at all times. "Oh, there is one more matter I forgot to bring up," Li Rouyun suddenly added. "What''s it?" Li Luo asked. "There may be an available Hall Master position in the Green Nether Hall in the coming days, and I am thinking of nominating Ox Biaobiao for it," Li Rouyun continued with a smile. "Uncle Biao? Wow, it would be great if he became one of the Hall Masters as well." Li Luo was pleasantly surprised by the news. He had always been grateful towards Ox Biaobiao for protecting his parents back when they left the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent for the remote Xia Kingdom, and even suffered a serious injury in the process. And he had yet to fully recover from it. He had been staying in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage to recuperate all this while. If he managed to become a Hall Master in the Green Nether Hall, he would be able to enjoy the welfare of a Hall Master as well as boost his standing in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. After all, Hall Master was a very coveted position to those in the Duke Stage. Most importantly, this would give him another layer of protection. "However, there will be a lot of competition over it. I know that Zhong Yushi has already prepared someone close to him for it, hopefully to increase his influence in the Green Nether Hall further. I really hope he won''t succeed, as he is already deeply entrenched in the Green Nether Hall and is eyeing for the position of the Main Hall Master." Li Rouyun shared her thoughts honestly. Li Luo nodded in agreement. His father was still the current Main Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall, and he would never allow Zhong Yushi to take it from him. "Moreover, Ox Biaobiao is still heavily injured and his Duke Bergfrieds have not been restored. He has managed to remain as a fourth-grade Duke due to external aid, but the other contestants are fifth-grade Dukes and above. In addition, Ox Biaobiao is still considered an outsider and not part of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, so it may not really be in line with the rules. All these factors will be disadvantageous to him," Li Rouyun continued. Li Luo heaved out a sigh after hearing this. If Uncle Biao''s Duke Bergfrieds had not been damaged, he would at least be a seventh-grade Duke now. If so, the Green Nether Hall Master selection would be a piece of cake for him. It was a pity that his injuries were holding him back. As he thought about it, Li Luo felt a little guilty. His family really owed Uncle Biao a lot. "I have told my grandfather about Uncle Biao''s matter. He said that he will help Uncle Biao restore his Duke Bergfrieds, so hopefully they will make it in time," Li Luo said. "As for whether he is eligible for the selection of the Green Nether Hall Master, I will ask Grandfather about it too," he continued. This should not be an issue, as Li Jingzhe knew how much their family was indebted to Uncle Biao too. Li Rouyun nodded upon hearing this. The Respected Elder of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage seldom appeared in public, and it would have been tough for her to seek an audience with him at the bamboo forest in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s back mountain range. Only someone with a background like Li Luos could casually go over and talk to him so easily. Such was the difference due to their backgrounds. Although they were both part of the Li clan in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, an extended bloodline member like Li Rouyun could never compare with someone from the direct bloodline like Li Luo. The two chatted all the way as Li Luo escorted Li Rouyun out of the Green Nether drill grounds. Looking up in the sky, he smiled lightly. The main reason Li Rouyun wanted to nominate Ox Biaobiao was to diminish the influence Zhong Yushi had in the Green Nether Hall. However, she had many other options apart from Ox Biaobiao. They would have been in much better shape to compete for sure, yet she had chosen Ox Biaobiao. This was because she wanted Li Luo to garner support from Li Jingzhe as well. And she knew that Li Luo would only do so if Ox Biaobiao was the nominee. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage was too huge, and interpersonal relationships were very complex. Everything was interconnected and every action would set off a ripple of effects, just like the actions taken by the royal court back in the Xia Kingdom. Li Luo paused his thoughts at this point as he gazed up at the vast mountain range. The peak stood there grandly like the tooth of a dragon, wedged between the sky and the earth. Truly a magnificent sight to behold. He had been here for a month already. And it had been almost three months since he''d last seen Jiang Qing''e. He wondered how she was doing in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Had the sacrificial ignition of her Heart of Light been resolved? The unparalleled beauty of her charming face emerged in his mind as he longed for her. At the same time, in the faraway Central Core Divine Continent. Deep in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. It was a bright and majestic grand hall. Every brick was engraved with ancient light runes that sparkled with pure light energy. In the center of it was a pool that spanned over a thousand feet. It was filled with water that exuded an aura of holiness that would completely purify even Duke Stage Others. And at this moment, a slender shadow lay quietly in the water. The area around her chest was boiling like an oven. The holy water of the pool flowed into it wave after wave until the heat around her heart subsided. Wisps of flame were calmed by the pool water and then retreated back into the heart. When the last wisp dissipated, the beautiful figure opened her eyes. Her golden eyes were as clear as the holy water of the Radiance Pool and shrouded in depth and mystery like the brightest gemstones in the world. This was sure to capture anyone''s heart. She blinked for a while when she woke up. She was not bothered by her surroundings. Instead, the first thing she thought about was a young and handsome figure. She softly whispered, "Li Luo, how have you been? I hope your bloodline members are treating you well." Chapter 0784 – Third School Master Chapter 0784 C Third School Master When Jiang Qing''e opened her eyes and rose from the center of the pool, some shadows on the higher levels of the hall sensed it and looked over immediately. "The sacrificial ignition of her Heart of Light has finally been put out by the holy water," a beautiful woman dressed in pure white commented. She turned her head towards Ling Zhaoying and smiled gently with the good news. Hearing this, Ling Zhaoying patted her own chest in relief. It had been a month since she brought Jiang Qing''e to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College in the Central Core Divine Continent. Jiang Qing''e had been using the holy water in the Radiance Pool to treat her Heart of Light ever since they arrived, and she was relieved that it was finally healed. With her Heart of Light cured, Jiang Qing''e was finally out of danger and could return to normal cultivation and training. "I am sorry for the trouble, Elder Xue," Ling Zhaoying said gratefully. The pretty lady dressed in white was a well respected elder in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, named Xue Zhi. She was like a mentor to Ling Zhaoying, and it was all thanks to her that the college had allowed Jiang Qing''e to seek treatment in the Radiance Pool. Xue Zhi waved her hand and responded, "I actually have to thank you for bringing such a nice seedling to me. Who could have imagined that a barren place like an outer divine continent would have hidden such a gem?" When she finished her sentence, she looked at the slender and stunning figure in the pool. Her eyes were filled with unconcealable love. A ninth-grade light resonance was considered a top talent even in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. "However, the sacrificial ignition of her Heart of Light has definitely hurt her body and will affect her path towards the Duke Stage in the future. She will still need a precious treasure to fix her foundation," Xue Zhi explained. In this instant, Li Luo''s face flashed into Ling Zhaoying''s mind. They had expected this, and Li Luo had gone to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li precisely to seek such a treasure. At the same time, there were many other elders around that had turned over to look at the girl in the Radiance Pool. Their eyes were sparkling. However, they were interrupted before they could say anything. After she cleared her throat, Elder Xue Zhi proclaimed, "Don''t get any funny ideas now. Jiang Qing''e''s problem was resolved thanks to me convincing the Third School Master to open up the Radiance Pool. Now that she''s fine, don''t go thinking you can snatch her away from me. I won''t be kind to anyone who does so." After hearing this, the elders were a little embarrassed and waved their sleeves resentfully. They had all been trying to come up with reasons to get the ninth-grade light resonance over to their side. However, since Xue Zhi had been so direct about it, it would be unreasonable to entertain such thoughts any further. After all, it was all thanks to Xue Zhi that Jiang Qing''e could use the Radiance Pool and cure her Heart of Light problem. Then an impatient voice came over from a young girl at the back. "Are you all done? Hurry up and leave if you are all done. Stop buzzing around my holy hall like house flies." Ling Zhaoying, Xue Zhi, and the others turned their heads back and saw a little girl sitting on the white jade steps without any regard for her image. She almost seemed like the little sister of your neighbor, but her snow-white hair gave her a unique look. Holding a piece of sugarcane in one hand, she was chewing it with her small mouth as she looked at the people in front of her with impatient and restless eyes. Immediately, Xue Zhi, and the elders showed respect towards the petite and exquisite snow-white girl. "Greetings, Third School Master." Xue Zhi, Ling Zhaoying, and the others greeted her respectfully. The white-haired girl in front of them was none other than the noble Third School Master of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. She stood up with the sugar cane still in her mouth and walked over with bare feet as if she would not be stained by any dust. After taking a glance at the beautiful figure in the Radiance Pool, she nodded and commented, "This little girl is really gifted. Not only does she have a ninth-grade light resonance, she also seems to have a very high degree of synergy with the light energy." Hearing this, Xue Zhi immediately became a little nervous. She had such a hard time finding such a talented seedling to groomsurely the Third School Master was not thinking of taking it away now, right? Her anxious look was picked up by the white-haired girl immediately, and she sneered. "Look at you, almost quivering in fear. I have met countless ninth-grade light resonance users over the years in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. There is no one in this world that I have never seen before and will fight with you over for," she continued. "Third School Master, you are a King Stage talent. Your horizons are naturally wider than mine," Xue Zhi replied with an apologetic smile. With that, the white-haired woman pursed her lips and turned around, looking like she was about to leave. However, she paused in her tracks, and her expression suddenly changed. At this moment, she sensed some abnormal movements coming from the Radiance Pool below. Violent waves appeared on the surface of the originally peaceful water. Countless wisps of light energy were rushing madly towards the center of the pool. Everyone was drawn towards this aggressive development. When they looked over at the deep parts of the Radiance Pool, they noticed that the wisps of light energy were being drawn into Jiang Qing''e''s body. All of a sudden, the light resonant energy in Jiang Qing''e started increasing at an amazing rate. The radiant light energy condensed into shiny Heavenly Pearls around her one after another. Finally, it ended when nine Heavenly Pearls formed. The elders were all shocked at this sudden development. "Nine Heavenly Pearlswhat a strong foundation!" one of the elders exclaimed. This was not something that could be easily achieved in the Heavenly Pearl Stage without a solid foundation and talent. Back at House Luolan, Jiang Qing''e had actually achieved five Heavenly Pearls when she released the seal. However, three of them were damaged during the great war. Who would have thought that igniting her Heart of Light would bring about such an interesting development? Not only had she replenished the three Heavenly Pearls that she had lost, she had gained even more power in the process. She had gained Nine Heavenly Pearls instantly. "Although the sacrificial ignition of her Heart of Light nearly cost her her life, it ended up being a blessing in disguise. She was purified by the enormous energy from the Heart of Light and then aided by the Radiance Pool, causing a sudden spike in her strength," the Third School Master explained as she took another bite of her sugar cane with her white teeth. This time, there was a slight hint of surprise hidden in her voice. "Looking at it, the Nine Heavenly Pearl Stage is not her limit yet. She is planning to reach the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage in one go," Xue Zhi stated as she grinned happily. If Jiang Qing''e succeeded in reaching the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage, it would be an outstanding achievement even in the famous Heavenly Star Hall of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. As the elders of the school continued to watch from the top, the Nine Heavenly Pearls around Jiang Qing''e started to glow brighter and brighter. Finally, the pearls reached their limit and exploded at the same time. A bright and glaring flash enveloped the whole Radiance Pool, and a pillar of light emerged from it. At the same moment, the light resonant energy radiating from Jiang Qing''e started increasing in quantity. Her power was spiking at an amazing pace. Such intensity clearly indicated that she was about to step into the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage! It seemed like the Heart of Light crisis had brought an unexpected opportunity to Jiang Qing''e. "Not bad." The Third School Master nodded slightly. She was full of smiles towards this unexpected development, but she continued to ask curiously, "The breakthrough has completed, so why is she still there?" She had noticed that Jiang Qing''e was still standing in the Radiance Pool with her eyes shut tight. Wisps of light energy continued to flow around her like waves. It was as if something within Jiang Qing''e''s body was still attracting the holy light energy. At this point, the Third School Master stopped chewing on her sugarcane and her eyes lit up in a dazzling, mysterious glow. It was as if her glowing eyes could see right through everything in the world, and she was staring deeply into Jiang Qing''e. It was a shocking change in her body. Seeing this, the Third School Master tightened her fist for a moment, and the sugarcane was crushed into bits, juice splashing out in every direction. She had no time to bother with the mess though. She slowly explained to the others, "I see a new resonance being born in her. It seems like the Radiance Pool has allowed her to give birth to a second resonance during her breakthrough." When she finished her sentence, Xue Zhi, Ling Zhaoying, and the other elders all watched on in shock. "A breakthrough from the Heavenly Pearl Stage to the Heavenly Resonance Stage can give birth to another resonance?!" "What resonance is it?" "What grade is it?" They all asked frantically. Slowly, the Third School Master took out another piece of sugarcane to chew as she explained, "Another light resonance... and it''s ninth-grade." Everyone was stunned by this. The elders all looked at Xue Zhi with eyes full of envy. Double ninth-grade light resonance?! Jiang Qing''e had to be the living manifestation of light itself! Xue Zhi had obtained an excellent catch! As seniors in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, they had seen all kinds of gifted and talented individuals. Even though each of them was eager to get a ninth-grade light resonance under their wing, they had not lost their composure over it. However, a dual ninth-grade light resonance was a truly rare sight even to them. Very, very few dual light resonances had been recorded in the history of the college. Even Xue Zhi was pleasantly surprised at this development. However, her heart froze immediately when she sensed the Third School Master quietly watching her from the side. "Third School Master, let me bring Qing''e back for now. We won''t hold you up any further," she muttered out with a forced smile on her face. The Third School Master simply pressed on Xue Zhi''s shoulder with the sugarcane in her hand and a sweet smile appeared on her delicate face. "Little Zhi, you do remember that I was the one that brought you into the academy all those years ago... right?" Chapter 0785 – Li Luos Plan Chapter 0785 C Li Luo''s Plan Soon enough, the news that the selection of the Banner Leader had been brought forward by a month was known to everyone in the Green Nether Banner, as well as the other three banners. Everyone was talking about the upcoming fight between Li Luo and Zhong Ling. It was a shocking development for them. Despite Li Luo''s remarkable performance at the Fiendish Devil Cave, it was the power of the fifth division as a whole that had made it possible. In the past, the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division had always been hammered down like a nail by others. However, this was also a sign that they were a capable and potential threat. Coupled with the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art that Li Luo possessed, the fifth division had transformed into a formidable force overnight. Yet this was only possible because of everyone''s combined efforts. Without the support from the members of the fifth division, Li Luo would be a mere Fiend Palace cultivator, while Zhong Ling was a Gold Fiend. The difference between the two of them was insurmountable. And unfortunately, the selection of Banner Leader would be an individual battle, so Li Luo would not be able to rely on the fifth division for support. As such, most would have expected him to delay the selection of Banner Leader. However, he had chosen to bring it forward. Had Li Luo become overly confident after his success at the Fiendish Devil Cave? Did he think that the state of Harmony he had wielded during the Fiendish Devil Cave expeditions belonged to him alone? Many people among the four banners had started talking about these things once they heard about the news. Clearly, they were not placing any high hopes on Li Luo winning the selection battle. On the other hand, Li Luo paid no attention to this gossip at all. He continued to focus on his cultivation as usual. He used the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Art to refine as many strands of abstruse fiend light as possible every day without fail. In addition to that, he utilized all of his high-grade Fiend Origin Pills. On the days that he had a bit of time to spare, he practiced his resonance arts, especially his trump card, the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner Duke Art. Although he could already use the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner, there were still different levels to a Duke Art. His was currently at the level of Lesser Completion. There was still a long way to go in order to attain the Greater Completion or Grand Perfection levels. Of course, he did not slack off on his Flowing Thunder Dragon Fang training either. He was working hard to familiarize himself with the new dragon-general resonance art before the upcoming battle. And in spite of all this, he had also continued to cultivate his synergy with the fifth division on a daily basis. He also embarked on Fiendish Devil Cave expeditions every seven days. Time went by very quickly like this, and before he even noticed, half a month had passed. During this period of time, Li Luo had finished upgrading his waterlight resonant palace completely to the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, increasing his abstruse fiend light limit from five thousand strands to ten thousand strands now. It was a shocking increase of one hundred percent! However, this was not meaningful for Li Luo currently. He still had to fill up his other two resonant palaces, so he had no plans to cultivate the first resonant palace for now. After all, filling up the other two resonant palaces would allow him to boost his resonant power again. This was his priority for the upcoming fight. He believed that he currently had enough resonant power to beat anyone beneath the Fiend Body Tier. Alas, his opponent was, unfortunately, at the Gold Fiend Tier. It was not easy to close such a massive gap. If it were, the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would not be chattering so incessantly about how arrogant he had become. And so, after half a month of hard work, Li Luo achieved fourteen hundred strands of abstruse fiend light for his woodearth resonant palace. This was already an amazing pace, but it was still short of his target if he wished to fill up the woodearth resonant palace within the next two weeks. What''s more, he had the Thunder Dragon resonant palace that required attention as well. Although the two weaker resonant palaces required fewer abstruse fiend lights than the waterlight resonant palace due to being lower in grade, they still needed four thousand strands of abstruse fiend lights each. Luckily, Li Luo did not have to fully fill up both of them. Following the completion of his waterlight resonant palace, he could now transfer the five thousand abstruse fiend lights from it to his other resonant palaces. As such, he could begin to upgrade his second resonant palace with all due haste. Such was the advantage of a cultivator with multiple resonant palaces. According to Li Luo''s plan, his next step would be to take the opportunity to fill up his three Greater Fiend Palaces to the limit. During which, he would prepare enough resources to push for the next stage, the Fiend Body Tier. However, he would not break through immediately. He wanted to set up an infallible foundation first. His ultimate goal was to only attempt this task after all three resonant palaces were fully maxed out with a total of thirty thousand strands of abstruse fiend light. Once he succeeded, his foundation would be solid and unshakeable. After stepping into the Fiend Body Tier, he could probably reach the Silver Fiend Body Tier instantly! Most importantly, this would allow him to tackle the Glass Fiend Tier in the future to enable the best foundation and potential for future growth. The Glass Fiend Tier was only achievable by the most talented and gifted cultivators with absolute foundations. If he could succeed, it would prepare him for an easier route towards the Duke Stage. This was why many gifted cultivators opted to spend extra time at the Fiend Body Tier, all for the ultimate prize, the Glass Fiend. Everyone was planning for the future after all. For now, Li Luo continued to follow his plan and progressed along steadily. The Fiendish Devil Cave remained a crucial part of his plan, as the abstruse fiend lights from it were comparable to what he obtained from both his Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art and Fiend Origin Pills. During this period, he had led the fifth division to reach layer thirty-four. As a result, the Green Nether Banner had risen in the ranks as well. However, Li Luo could begin to feel the challenge and strain as he delved into the deeper layers. On his first expedition, he could easily clear a few layers with the fifth division. But at the current layer, he was only able to clear one layer per expedition period. Of course, the overall rewards did not diminish much as the higher the layer, the greater the rewards for clearing it. Everything proceeded smoothly as Li Luo had intended. However, the smooth sailing didnt last forever. On day twenty, when Li Luo led the fifth division on their fifth expedition, he was stunned when he saw their opponent for the third day''s battle among the banners. Of course, it was not just him who was taken aback. Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi looked at the list in shock as well. "What the heck?!" Mu Bi could not help but exclaim. "I knew that this would happen at some point, but it has come sooner than I thought," Zhao Yanzhi said as she shook her head. Li Shi sighed. Li Luo just smiled helplessly, unable to come up with any consoling words at the moment. As they stared at the screen, their opponent was shown beside the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division. It was the Holy Scale Banner''s first division from the Dragon''s Scale Lineage. They were the second ranked banner that wouldn''t lose out even to the Gold Blood Banner of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Most importantly, the sub leader of the Holy Scale Banner''s first division was one of the two famous goddesses in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, Lu Qingmei of the Dragon''s Scale. Chapter 0786 – Lu Qingmei Chapter 0786 C Lu Qingmei Layer thirty-five of the Fiendish Devil Cave. Over a thousand silhouettes with strong resonant power stood quietly atop a mountain, breathing in and out in sync, as if they were a single entity. A tall and beautiful figure stood aloofly in front of them, gazing upon the misty clouds and mountains. This was none other than Lu Qingmei, Banner Leader of the Holy Scale Banner. She had an oval face shaped like a goose egg and smooth skin like jade porcelain, glittering under the bright sunlight. She was wearing a close-fitting, black robe with long sleeves and had short and tidy hair that only covered her ears. She was truly a beauty, just like Li Hongli of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. However, their temperaments were clearly different. Li Hongli acted high and mighty with an air of superiority, while Lu Qingmei was aloof and indifferent to the world around her. There were no emotions on her cute, oval face; it was calm like the deep sea. As the wind blew, her tight-fitting, black robes further displayed the exquisite curves on her tall and thin body. The most amazing part was her long, straight, and slender legs with astonishing proportions relative to her height. She was holding a long, glass rod that glowed with a mysterious luster. Densely covered with what seemed like cracks, the glazed stick appeared fragile, like it could shatter with the lightest touch. This was the Shattering Glazed Rod. Despite its appearance, only those who had fought with Lu Qingmei knew its fearsome force. "Sister Lu, this match up seems kind of uneventful," a young and tall guy behind her said as he gazed upon her with admiration. He was none other than the Sub Leader of the Holy Scale Banner''s second division. Having followed her for such a long time, he knew her character very well. Despite being a lady, she was actually a martial arts fanatic. She was only interested in fighting and would only feel excited when her opponent posed a threat to her. If one were to talk to her about romance, she would only respond coldly to it. Hearing his words, Lu Qingmei did not reply. However, there was a trace of boredom within her eyes. So, their opponent would be Li Luo from the Green Nether Banner? She had heard of his name and knew he was the son of Li Taixuan. She was also aware that he had just returned from an outer divine continent last month. He was known to be gifted with rare triple resonances. Moreover, he had obtained the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art as soon as he arrived. He should have been a worthy opponent at first glance. Unfortunately, he had wasted most of his time in a resource-deprived outer divine continent and was still at the Fiend Palace Tier, not even at the Fiend Body Tier. On the other hand, Lu Qingmei was already at the Fiend Finisher Tier with over eight hundred feet of Fiend Dipper energy accumulated. She was second only to Li Qingfeng of the Gold Blood Banner in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Whether it was the banner or the leader, the gap in their strength was immeasurable. "Let''s kill the Fiendish Devil Leader first. Then we will wait for them to arrive," Lu Qingmei ordered. No one had any objections to it. The Fiendish Devil Leader of layer thirty-five was a piece of cake that posed no threat to them. As such, the first division of the Holy Scale Banner charged forward and rushed all the way to the deepest depths of layer thirty-five. Without much effort, they beheaded the Fiendish Devil Leader that stood guard over the exit. And they had done all this without a single member lost. They were truly the vanguard team for the rank two banner. It was a terrifying and domineering display of strength! Li Luo and his fifth division only arrived at the scene four hours later, but all that awaited them was the Holy Scale Banner''s first division. Looking at the imposing presence of his opponent, his heart inadvertently trembled slightly. They possessed an overwhelming aura of dominance, a presence that was far fiercer than even the Gold Light Banner from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. His eyes and attention soon turned towards the person sitting cross-legged on the boulder in front. At the same time, Lu Qingmei opened her eyes, which were clear like gemstones. A handsome figure with grayish-white hair was standing right in front of her. Unfortunately, Li Luo''s handsome face could not help in any way as she was completely uninterested in shallow demeanors. "You guys are a little slow," she said while maintaining her usual composure. "Well, it was only because we were afraid of being ambushed by you guys," Li Luo replied cheekily when he saw the nervous looks on his divisions faces. Hearing this, the opponents broke out in uncontrollable laughter. It seemed like Li Luo did not know his own standing at all. In the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, not even Deng Fengxian would be qualified to be ambushed by the Holy Scale Banner. Nonetheless, Lu Qingmei remained indifferent towards his comment. She looked straight at Li Luo and asked seriously, "Do you want to fight?" "Of course. We can''t just admit defeat, that would be too humiliating," Li Luo responded with a smile. Lu Qingmei nodded slightly when she witnessed Li Luos courageous display. With a flick of her finger, a stick of short incense was embedded into a nearby rock. Immediately, the incense lit up and white smoke arose. "If any of you remain by the time this incense finishes burning, it will be considered your win. All the earth fiend energy here and the God Origin Pill will be yours," she told Li Luo. "You''re giving us a chance?" Li Luo replied in shock. However, Lu Qingmei merely glanced at Li Luo and replied coldly, "I will never give my opponents any mercy when it comes to fighting. However, I do not want to bully others either. That is pointless. Of course, I hope that this motivates you to struggle harder at death''s door. That way, you might even bring me a pleasant surprise. Otherwise, this would simply be too boring." Li Luo was left speechless. He could clearly sense that she was passionately looking forward to the fight despite her cold and beautiful appearance. He smiled helplessly and replied, "I''ll do my best." Despite how hurtful it was to his pride, he did not reject her suggestion, as he knew that the difference in their strength was simply too great. At this moment, he said no further words and simply waved his hand at the fifth division banner members. They entered the state of Harmony without hesitation, and waves of majestic energy swept up across the forest. On the other side, Lu Qingmei also stepped forward in front of the Holy Scale Banner''s first division. In an instant, torrents of energy rose up from behind her, radiating a crushing aura. Holding the Shattering Glazed Rod firmly in her hand, she stared coolly at Li Luo. Li Luo instantly reacted by forming hand seals with lightning speed, creating a series of afterimages with his hands. He was well aware of how formidable his opponent was, and he had no intention to probe her. He had to go all out from the get-go. There was a deafening roar of majestic energy, and a terrifying dragon silhouette could be seen lurking in the sky above the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division. With its imposing presence, the dragon slowly opened its mouth and revealed its sharp fangs filled with lightning. "Nine Revolutions Art, Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath!" Li Luo summoned his Nine Revolutions Art without any hesitation. The lightning dragonbreath flowed out like a silver river pouring through the void, causing the space around it to twist and turn. The rumbling sound of thunder followed as it traveled through the forest. As the lightning dragonbreath was reflected in Lu Qingmei''s eyes, she raised her eyebrows a little. Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath? It seems like Li Luo is quite talented after all. In response, she tightened her grip on her Shattering Glazed Rod, and gold light erupted from it. The silhouette of a deer appeared in the golden light behind her. Looking closer, one could see a nine-colored halo floating at the back of the deer''s head. When Li Luo saw the golden deer silhouette, he recalled the information he had heard about Lu Qingmei. Fiend Finisher Tier Lu Qingmei, quasi ninth-grade Nine-Colored Golden Deer resonance. Chapter 0787 – Nine Revolutions Art, Enigmatic Ocean Parting Ray Chapter 0787 C Nine Revolutions Art, Enigmatic Ocean Parting Ray When the Nine-Colored Golden Deer manifested behind Lu Qingmei in a flash of brilliance, the glass rod summoned a rod shadow, and she flung it into the sky. It was as though it had transformed into a pillar that held up the skies, rousing all of the energy produced by the state of Harmony gathered by the Holy Scale Banner''s first division. At the same time, a terrifying pressure descended like a tsunami, wreaking devastation on everyone beneath. It was as Lu Qingmei had said. She had given them an opportunity to win, but she would be merciless the moment she took action. Thus, when Li Luo activated his Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath, she similarly activated her own Nine Revolutions Art. The energy that had condensed in the sky was like a stormy ocean filled with raging waves, smashing against the void incessantly. At that moment, Lu Qingmei swung the glazed rod downwards. It was as though the ocean was torn apart, and a massive beam of light shot out from the depths. The beam emanated a sense of tyranny, and all of the worldly natural energy was torn to pieces as it passed by. A massive scar opened up in the mountainous forest beneath her when the ray of light arced past, the affected ground turning as smooth as a mirror. Nine Revolutions Art, Enigmatic Ocean Parting Ray. Li Luo could feel his hairs standing on end as he stared at the massive ray of light. Lu Qingmei was truly vicious, striking without mercy. Even a late stage Greater Heavenly Resonance cultivator would have trouble blocking this attack! The ray of light pierced the sky, and a few breaths later,it clashed with the surging dragonbreath. BOOM! A tempest kicked up in the collision, expelling force in every direction. The forest was almost completely devastated, with countless ancient trees snapping like twigs. Both banners remained motionless as they observed the clash of resonance arts. However, their expressions were a little different. Those of the Green Nether Banner were a little anxious, whereas those from the Holy Scale Banner seemed a little relaxed. The clash of energies continued unabated for several moments. At that point, Li Luo''s gaze trembled. He could see the thunder dragonbreath being gradually split apart by the light''s inevitable descent. Wherever the ray of light passed, the dragonbreath would dissipate and turn into shattered motes of light. There was an absolute gap in strength between these two Nine Revolutions Arts, and Lu Qingmei unsurprisingly held the upper hand. Although the enigmatic ray of light was gradually weakening, its momentum remained unhindered and it directly swept towards the area where the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division was located. Li Luo''s expression turned solemn as he quickly channeled the energy obtained from Harmony to form a gigantic palm, slamming down towards the Enigmatic Ocean Parting Ray. The light sliced through the massive palm manifestation like a hot knife through butter. Although it was weakened, it still struck the energy barrier protecting the fifth division. Bang! The ground beneath them shuddered and cracked. Chaos erupted within the fifth division as a hundred individuals were grievously wounded and sent packing. Li Luo had paid a significant price in the first frontal clash. He understood that Lu Qingmei''s Fiend Finisher strength surpassed him significantly. As a whole, her banner was on a different level as well. They were the vanguard team of the Holy Scale Banner, and their results outclassed whatever the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division had achieved. The key reason they had managed to hold on to Lu Qingmei''s first move and not suffer a complete disaster was because of Li Luo''s Nine Revolutions Art. Any other Sub Leader in his position, including Zhong Ling, would have been left in a much worse position. Lu Qingmei continued to look at them with a hint of serenity in her gaze. She did not bother with any superfluous words, as this was her personality. She raised her jade-like hand, and a gargantuan amount of energy condensed like a hurricane. Once again, a murderous but dazzling ray of light began to take form. Clearly, she was intending to activate the Enigmatic Ocean Parting Ray once again. This would bring an end to the battle quickly. Li Luo sucked in a deep breath and similarly began to condense a torrent of energy akin to an ocean. There was no fear in his eyes as he clasped his hands together and formed a hand seal. With the rising tide of energy, a small, black dragon banner began to form within Li Luo''s palms. "Oh? A Duke Art?" Feeling the undulations from the black dragon banner coming from Li Luo''s hands caused a change in Lu Qingmei''s expression. There was a look of surprise in her gaze as Li Luo could utilize a Duke Art even though he was clearly only at the Fiend Palace Tier. This sort of talent was commendable. If Li Luo and her were at the same cultivation level, this would have been a fight to behold. Despite there being a hint of regret in her heart, she did not hesitate, only slamming her palm forward. The gigantic ocean of energy condensed above her once again parted, and a ray of light flashed forth. This Enigmatic Ocean Parting Ray was even more ferocious than the previous one. Li Luo''s expression remained unfazed as the glow of two resonances surfaced and he fused the resonant power together. Stirring up his dual resonant power, he activated the mighty black dragon banner. When he focused upon the banner in his hand, he could also sense Lu Qingmei''s frightening assault, which caused a pervasive sense of danger to wrap around his entire body. However, his focus was solely placed upon executing the Duke Art with everything he had. He could almost hear the beating of his heart while all of the dual resonance power within him circulated through his body like a furious dragon. Each cycle brought yet another surging bout of resonant power. For a brief moment, Li Luo was so focused that he fell into a sort of trance. In this state, he seemed to feel that the dual resonance power he was channeling with all his might seemed to be beating with life. It was as though the originally separate resonant power had truly fused into a single whole. This fusion resulted in the creation of something magical. Li Luo felt like the dual resonance power had transformed qualitatively and turned into something with life. At the same time, he seemed to have reached a state of inner peace. Nothing could faze him, and he came to a realization. This was the third realm of dual resonance power. Sentience. Li Luo had already reached the second realm of dual resonances, Becoming One. The current encounter had pushed him to the next realm, and he finally touched upon Sentience. It had been a long time coming... Li Luo''s gaze was now filled with the incoming ray of light that pierced through the void. At the same time, the black dragon banner in his hand flashed and directly shattered the void. Rumble! Roar! As the void collapsed, the Underworld River''s Black Dragon reared its head, and cold, black water gushed out with it. However, Li Luo could clearly feel that the Underworld River''s Black Dragon had gained a sense of spirituality and self-awareness. It was like a living, breathing dragon descending upon the world. It roared with absolute ferocity, echoing throughout the forest. The black dragon wreathed in black water then crashed into the ray of light. At the moment of collision, Lu Qingmei''s previously unshaken expression finally gave way to a look of surprise. Chapter 0788 – The Third Realm Chapter 0788 C The Third Realm Bang! The ominous Underworld River''s Black Dragon''s draconic roar reverberated throughout the area. It was not the same as the previous times Li Luo had heard it, as there seemed to be a hint of spirituality to it now. This was a black dragon that had come to life. The black dragon swiped with its claw, producing a claw light that tore apart the void in its wake. Viscous, black water flowed forth from the crack and shrouded the claw like an armament. At the same time, the black water turned into a series of whirlpools that entangled and restricted anything they came into contact with. Additionally, the water possessed an overbearing corrosive nature that would erode everything it passed through. The massive Enigmatic Ocean Parting Ray then collided with the claw manifestation and the black water around it. At that very moment, the void in the area was completely distorted by the terrifying amounts of energy that exploded in every direction. However, the almighty Enigmatic Ocean Parting Ray did not manage to pierce past the unstoppable momentum this timeit was forced to a halt by the black dragon''s claw. The black dragon water continued to surge forth without end and corroded the ray of light completely. When both sides saw this development, there was an indescribable change in their emotions. On the Green Nether Banner''s side, the members were completely stunned. This sight was unbelievable to their eyes. There was a gigantic gap between the two sides'' strengths, and deep down, they had only expected themselves to roll over in defeat before these domineering opponents. Who would have expected the indomitable attack launched by Lu Qingmei to be blocked? By the looks of things, their side even held the advantage! Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi glanced at each other, feeling like this was incomprehensible. It was not as though this was the first time they had seen Li Luo demonstrate his Duke Art. However, the black dragon before them today clearly seemed qualitatively different. Could it be that Li Luo had cultivated his Duke Art to the next level in this short span of time? "Did he reach the stage of Greater Completion?" At the same time, Lu Qingmei''s brows gradually turned into a frown. With the opponent''s strength, the Duke Art that was used should not have been able to suppress her Enigmatic Ocean Parting Ray. The only explanation was that Li Luo had reached the realm of Greater Completion. If that were the case, it would mean that Li Luo''s comprehension abilities with resonance arts was simply a little too monstrous. Learning a Duke Art was naturally within the reach of a genius. However, whether it was her or Li Qingfeng from the Gold Blood Banner, they had only reached the stage of Lesser Completion. A look of interest flashed through Lu Qingmei''s eyes. If Li Luo were to one day step into the Fiend Body Tier, he would truly become a worthy opponent that would attract her interest. As these thoughts ran through her mind, the clash in the sky concluded. Her Enigmatic Ocean Parting Ray had been corroded and dissipated, whereas the mighty, black dragon roared triumphantly. It then rushed towards the first division of the Holy Scale Banner in a flash of black light. It was time for Li Luo''s counter attack. As the black dragon pierced through the skies, surrounded by the inky and frigid water, it directly barrelled towards Lu Qingmei. Lu Qingmei observed the mighty dragon, but her expression was composed. She then quickly formed a series of hand seals. Pssht! As the black dragon opened its maw, one could see it spew pitch-black water that then formed a chilly, black river that directly swamped towards Lu Qingmei like a deluge. The black water surged onwards without respite, seemingly containing a vortex that continued to peel and melt away every bit of resonant power in its vicinity. Li Luo''s gaze was focused upon that very location, a frown forming on his face. He could feel that in the midst of the black river was an undulation of energy that was akin to a boulder, unshakeable and indestructible. Even the corrosive water could not weaken it in the slightest. The black water eventually dissipated after a period of time. Li Luo could see a motionless shadow within. Lu Qingmei was still grasping the mottled and cracked glass rod, but there was a difference this time. She was now fully clad in a suit of armor. The armor looked like it was forged from the scales of a dragon. It was not oversized but snugly wrapped around her delicate body, revealing her slender and graceful curves. Atop the scales seemed to be mysterious runes of light that absorbed the worldly natural energy around them. With the glass rod in her hand and adorned with a suit of dragonscale armor, Lu Qingmei looked like a goddess of war. One that instilled fear in their enemies. Li Luo then recognized what it was. This was no treasured artifact, but the Dragon''s Scale Lineage''s Duke Art. We are "www.novelhall.com", find us on google. It was known as the Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor Art. Although Li Luo had managed to achieve an advancement in his understanding of dual resonances, his opponent still outclassed him in terms of strength. She could not be underestimated. Lu Qingmei was not like Li Tong. She was a peak genius of this generation''s youths in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages and she possessed the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art just like Li Luo. Even though Li Luo had three resonances, she had a quasi ninth-grade one. Just as Li Luo had a Duke Art, so too did she. Thus, for Li Luo to eke out a true victory in this situation was just idle imagination. So he shook his head and smiled. "Banner Leader Lu Qingmei, you are simply too mighty. I admit defeat." He still possessed the strength to battle, but there was no need to eke out every last ounce of his strength. It would not change the result, and this was not some sort of life and death battle. It was just a periodic battle between banners. On the other hand, the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division did not feel depressed upon hearing Li Luo''s words. Being able to obtain such a result when faced with a clearly superior opponent was already a reason for celebration. The fact that the Holy Scale Banner members had complicated expressions on their faces was proof that they had already outperformed expectations. After all, Li Luo had forced Lu Qingmei to utilize her Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor Art, which was completely unbelievable. When Lu Qingmei heard Li Luo''s words, she maintained her usual calm, only cocking her eyes towards the still burning stick of incense. "Don''t you want to persist for a while longer?" Li Luo grinned. "If the opportunity arises in the future, I will seek you out for a lesson, Banner Leader Lu. You have already been quite merciful towards us. Alas, we are just not strong enough and we have no confidence that we can resist for much longer." After which, he waved his hand, and the space around him rippled. Countless beams of light descended and shrouded each and every one of the members of the fifth division, directly teleporting them out of the space. Lu Qingmei glanced at the retreating fifth division and fell silent for quite some time. Just before Li Luo''s figure was about to be teleported away, she lifted her hand, and a tiny ray of light flew towards Li Luo. Li Luo reflexively caught the object that was thrown over and realized that it was a pill. In fact, this was something he was familiar with. A God Origin Pill. He looked towards the other party with surprise. The stick of incense had not finished burning and thus there was no reason for her to give him the God Origin Pill. However, he was sent out of the Fiendish Devil Cave before he could react. When the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division was sent out, the handsome young man from before walked forward and asked curiously, "Why did you give him a God Origin Pill even though the incense continues to burn?" Lu Qingmei lowered her head, and her jade-like hand pointed at some of the scales on her dragonscale armor. What the youth saw gave him a shock. Despite the fact that the dragonscale armor possessed frightening defensive prowess, certain scales had turned dull and cracks could be seen upon them. "If he was in the Fiend Finisher Tier like I am, my Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor Art would not have been unable to resist his Duke Art. Thus, his strength deserves recognition, and so I gifted him the God Origin Pill." The glazed glass rod in Lu Qingmei''s hand then vanished, and her gaze continued to linger at the location where Li Luo had disappeared. "Li Luo possesses the style of his father. I dont think Li Qingfeng will be able to retain the position of the Dragon''s Head in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages younger generation for much longer." Chapter 0789 – Draw Chapter 0789 C Draw When Li Luo exited the Fiendish Devil Cave with the fifth division, the other divisions of Green Nether Banner rushed up to them. "Sub Leader Li Luo, what happened?" the Sub Leaders of the second, third, and fourth division asked expectantly. A match against the first division of the Holy Scale Banner led by Lu Qingmei was truly unlucky, and the ending was likely set in stone. They did not expect a positive result and were simply asking out of concern. "What else could have happened? Did you expect us to defeat Lu Qingmei?" Li Luo replied jokingly. The crowd laughed in response to his relaxed comment. His opponent was Lu Qingmei after allnot even Deng Fengxian would have gotten away unscathed with such a matchup. As such, there were no expectations going into battle against such an overwhelming opponent, and thus they naturally did not feel much pressure from it. In the eyes of the crowd, it was expected that Li Luo would have lost, and this was due to an unlucky matchup rather than his incapability. Even Zhong Ling, who had stayed away from the group, simply stared at him with cold eyes. At this moment, Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi walked over. With a light pat on Li Luo''s shoulder, they told him, "It''s alright, such unlucky things happen from time to time. Even Li Qingfeng would have gotten a headache against a martial arts fanatic like Lu Qingmei." "Did she give you a good beating?" Li Fengyi joked. However, Li Luo simply remained silent. He did not share about how Lu Qingmei had given him the God Origin Pill after being impressed by his performance. After all, that was nothing worth bragging about. Conversely, this incident had inspired him, and he hoped that he would be able to fight Lu Qingmei again and emerge victorious one day. And this feeling was not out of petty revenge. Rather, it was to return her gift with the worthy battle that she had been looking forward to. As they continued chatting at the side, the screen started to display the results of the battle among the banners. Suddenly, Li Luo could hear some surprised comments coming from the Green Nether Banner. Li Fengyi turned over to take a look at the screen before glancing back over to the fifth division. She then asked in shock, "Little Brother, you managed to obtain a draw?" Hearing this, Li Luo first thought that there must have been a mistake. He quickly glanced over, and sure enough, beside their battle with the Holy Scale Banner''s first division, the final result was actually a draw? But they had clearly left the Fiendish Devil Cave first... "Sub Leader, this must have been done by Lu Qingmei. The Fiendish Devil Cave has some spirituality to it. If she is the last one to leave the cave, she has the right to choose the final result of the battle," Zhao Yanzhi explained. Search www.novelhall.com for the original. Li Luo was stunned. What was Lu Qingmei thinking? Although he still had some tricks hidden up his sleeve, like the two Nine Revolutions Arts that he had not used, he was very sure it would not have made a difference in the end. After all, the difference in their strength was too great. However, if he just wanted to drag the battle until the incense finished burning, it could have been possible. Could it be that Lu Qingmei knew about this? That he had held back slightly? What was she thinking? Li Luo could not figure it out at all. "Why would Lu Qingmei deem it a draw?" Li Fengyi asked curiously. "Perhaps because of my good looks?" Li Luo replied with a deep voice. The others froze at his response and could not help but roll their eyes. "Even though your looks aren''t bad, and perhaps they might even help you a little against other girls, I''ll have to burst your bubble. You''re up against Lu Qingmei. To her, you probably look the same as this guy over here," Li Fengyi responded as she pointed at Mu Bi, who was right next to her. Mu Bi suddenly felt offended. Was he that bad looking? Hearing this, Li Luo laughed out loud. He stretched out his hand to reveal the God Origin Pill in his palm, then he told them, "We definitely lost in the previous battle. However, Lu Qingmei set some additional rules to make the fight easier for us. She probably didn''t want to bully us, and she even handed me this God Origin Pill before we departed." His words had sparked the interest of Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi. "You managed to win a God Origin Pill from Lu Qingmei? Not bad," Li Fengyi praised Li Luo curiously. Li Jingtao analyzed the situation. "Based on her personality, Lu Qingmei only cares about strong people like herself or those with remarkable potential. Looks like she was impressed by you. "I feel like she is trying to promote you. Most people would have expected you to suffer a total defeat against her, but now that the result is a draw, many will inevitably be curious about what happened during your fight with her." Nevertheless, Li Luo was not interested in Lu Qingmei''s motives for doing so. A loss was a loss, and he was not proud about winning the God Origin Pill either. Even if he had lasted until the incense finished burning, he would not have considered it a win for himself. Afterwards, Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi asked him out for an afterparty celebration, but he turned them down. He had something more important on handhe wanted to head back and properly understand the flash of inspiration he had obtained from the battle. He wanted to improve upon the so-called third realm of the dual resonances, Sentience. This was his greatest takeaway from this expedition. He was not particularly interested in the result of the battle. However, the other banners had started discussing it, just like Li Jingtao had predicted. Deng Fengxian of the Gold Light Banner looked over when he saw Li Luo leaving. He was intrigued by the draw as well. Li Luo and the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division had clearly exited earlier, so it should have been an overwhelming victory by Lu Qingmei under normal circumstances. "Seems like Li Luo is more talented than expected. Otherwise, Lu Qingmei wouldn''t treat him so specially. We will have to find out more details about the battle and see what exactly Li Luo did. What could have impressed Lu Qingmei so much that she was willing to admit a draw?" . At the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, Fiendish Devil Peak. "Hey, what is that muscle-for-brains girl, Lu Qingmei, thinking now? She only obtained a draw with the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division? Isn''t she afraid of being shamed?" Li Hongli sneered coldly as she looked at the conclusion of the battle. She was clearly a little unhappy about it as she had more losses than wins in her clashes with Lu Qingmei. Seeing Lu Qingmei give Li Luo a draw, frankly, she felt insulted. "I heard that Li Luo is quite handsome. Has that barbarian girl fallen for him?" She scoffed. Looking at the results, Li Qingfeng smiled lightly as he responded, "Don''t you know Lu Qingmei''s personality by now? She is not interested in such things at all. Based on my understanding of her, she must have been impressed by Li Luo during their clash, either from his strength or his potential... However, she and her division are much stronger than Li Luo and the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division. She must have felt that it was not a fair fight despite her victory, so she deemed it a draw instead. In other words, she feels that Li Luo and the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division wouldve stood a chance of winning if they were on the same level as her. She surely thinks highly of Li Luo. "Go find out the details of the battle. If even Lu Qingmei thinks highly of him, he must have outstanding points. We should not be too arrogant and underestimate him, or it may spell disaster for us in the future." With that, Li Qingfeng concluded his explanation. Li Hongli was a bit reluctant about this, but she proceeded as instructed since Li Qingfeng had given the order. "I heard that the selection battle for the Green Nether Banner Leader has been brought forward. In less than half a month, Li Luo will be competing with Zhong Ling, the Sub Leader of the Green Nether Banner''s first division, for it. I wonder what Li Luo will show us. Without Harmony, he is merely at the Fiend Palace Tier," Li Qingfeng said. "Maybe he will be totally beaten black and blue," Li Hongli replied with a laugh. Li Qingfeng smiled at her response. "Let''s wait and see. He has spent quite some time in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage now, so he will reveal his true colors very soon." Chapter 0790 – Vestiges of Spirituality Chapter 0790 C Vestiges of Spirituality As time ticked by, it was soon three days before the selection battle for the Green Nether Banner Leader. During this time, the battle was a hot topic within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Apart from the members of the four banners, the Hall Masters and various elders were also talking about it. Ordinarily speaking, the selection battle for the Banner Leader was only a matter among the younger generation and the elders were not interested in it. However, Li Luo had a special background. His father, Li Taixuan, was a legend known throughout the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Although he had left the Dragon''s Fang Lineage over 20 years ago, the elders remained deeply impressed by his strength and talent. In fact, some even said that he would probably be rank two in the Heavenly Origin Records of the Duke''s Index if he was still around. As for why he wouldn''t be rank one, it was because Tan Tailan would still be around if Li Taixuan had not left the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent... Li Luo was the son of the two of them. Coupled with the fact that he was the grandson of Li Jingzhe, it was hard for anyone to ignore his illustrious background. This was not just in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, but across the other four lineages as well. Many elders could still clearly recall how they were eclipsed by the outstanding Li Taixuan twenty years ago. Although he had not returned, his son had come back, and they were all eagerly waiting to see what the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan would show. Like father, like son? Or were his victories just a fluke so far? Needless to say, there were also those who had grudges with Li Taixuan and were just waiting for Li Luo to suffer a setback. Regardless of their reasons, this was probably the most talked about selection battle for a Banner Leader to date. .. While everyone was chattering about the upcoming fight, Li Luo, the heart of the conversation, was not bothered by it at all. He had been fully focused on cultivation. "Third resonance, Thunder Dragon resonant palace, upgrade complete." In the cultivation chamber, Li Luo opened his eyes, which were currently glowing. The pulses of resonant power emanating from his body had clearly grown stronger again. This was because his third resonant palace, the Thunder Dragon resonant palace, had finished upgrading and entered the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. As a result, his Thunder Dragon resonant power had strengthened as well. All three of his resonant palaces had entered the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, and after three rounds of strengthening, he could say that his resonant power was at the top amongst those at his tier now. There was likely no Greater Fiend Palace cultivator with more resonant power than him in the world right now. Even if it was a true ninth-grade resonant user, Li Luo was unafraid at all! "Under normal circumstances, my resonant power should be comparable to that of an ordinary Silver Fiend," Li Luo said with satisfaction in his eyes. Of course, the Fiend Body Tier had an edge over the Fiend Palace Tier in terms of physical body too. However, Li Luo possessed the Thunderpeal Avatar, so he would not necessarily be weaker than them in this aspect. In other words, if he had to compete with Mu Bi again, he would not even have to use his Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner to secure victory under the same conditions now. It was evidently a huge improvement after his two months of hard work in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. And that was not all. When Li Luo opened his palm, two streams of resonant power flowed out from his body and integrated together perfectly, fusing into a sphere of dual resonance power. Theft is never good, try looking at www.novelhall.com. The dual resonance power hovered in his palm in a lively manner. When Li Luo focused on this dual resonance power, he could sense hidden traces of mysterious light strands that were hardly detectable. These light traces swam around in the dual resonance sphere like little fish. They were known as the Vestiges of Spirituality. It was something that originated from reaching the realm of Sentience with his dual resonance power. Simply put, this was the result of two resonant powers synergizing completely. Not only would the Vestiges of Spirituality enhance one''s dual resonant power, they would also swallow up and wear down the opponent''s resonant power in a fight. Moreover, they could replenish their energy with energy from their surroundings to extend their lifespan. One would have to expend a considerably larger amount of resonant power to deplete and counter an attack containing Vestiges of Spirituality. In fact, one could even say that achieving Sentience with dual resonances was the first step in understanding what a Duke''s full power would be like. Despite spending a long time cultivating his dual resonances, it was only by chance that he had breached the next realm during his battle with Lu Qingmei a few days ago. Followed by his dedicated studying of this flash of enlightenment, he had finally managed to cultivate the Vestiges of Spirituality for the first time and truly entered the third realm of dual resonance power. Additionally, he had three resonant palaces in his body that had entered the Greater Fiend Palace Tier and contained nearly eight thousand strands of abstruse fiend light. He was not any weaker than an ordinary Silver Fiend. Coupled with his mastery of the third realm of dual resonances, he was confident that there was nothing to be afraid of even when faced against a Gold Fiend like Zhong Ling. "It''s a pity that my waterlight resonance tempering still requires a few more days to reach the lower eighth-grade. I will not make it in time for the selection battle for Banner Leader," Li Luo whispered to himself with a tinge of regret. Since his arrival at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage two months ago, he had tempered and refined his seventh-grade waterlight resonance repeatedly using the spirit liquids and purifying lights available here. It had already shown signs of advancing and would need just a little bit more time. If he could upgrade his waterlight resonance before the selection battle, his victory would be assured. It did not matter. He would not need to show all his cards against an opponent like Zhong Ling. Li Luo knew that everyone was paying attention to the upcoming battle because it would be his first solo fight since he arrived at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Everyone would like to see the true strength of the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan for themselves. And among them, there would be people with bad intentions. Considering how large the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was and how Li Taixuan had overshadowed many during his heyday, there was bound to be people that were disgruntled over it. At this point, Li Luo dispersed the dual resonances on his palm and shut his eyes to condense the Vestiges of Spirituality. No matter how people thought of it, this was his first fight upon arriving in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Therefore, he would have to win it beautifully. For his own future here, as well as his father''s reputation. Green Nether Peak, in a courtyard. Zhong Yushi was fishing in a pavilion in the middle of the lake. As he watched the fishes snatching for food, he glanced over to Zhong Ling on his side and said calmly, "The selection battle for the Banner Leader has attracted a lot of attention, so you need to perform well." Zhong Ling nodded and replied, "Don''t worry, Second Uncle. I will do my best to win the position of Banner Leader." Zhong Yushi continued, "Don''t underestimate the enemy. Although Li Luo has wasted his time in the outer divine continent, his talent is truly extraordinary. You can tell from his progress during the Fiendish Devil Cave expedition. Although our Lineage Chief favors him a lot, he is still someone who respects the rules. If Li Luo does not win them over with his skills during the fight, he will not go against the wishes of the crowd and blindly support Li Luo. However, Li Luo definitely has the potential. If he becomes the Banner Leader, coupled with the assistance from the Lineage Chief, I am afraid he will be able to take advantage of the momentum to rise up. Perhaps that is what he has been planning for." Looking seriously at Zhong Ling, he continued slowly, "As such, the selection battle is of critical importance to Li Luo. If he succeeds, he will be able to rise up as a formidable force. If he loses, he will have no choice but to continue to lie down quietly. He has already wasted a lot of time in the outer divine continent, and if he stays dormant any longer, it will only cause him to drift farther and farther away from the top compared to his peers. So, you must not let him rise up! If you can keep him down, I will have no problem securing the position of Green Nether Hall Master on my side." When Zhong Ling heard him finish his sentence, a stern look appeared in his eyes and he nodded slowly. "Understood, Second Uncle. Li Luo is indeed gifted, but his parents gave birth to him in the outer divine continent. I may not be able to match up to him in the future, but for now, I will show him who the boss is!" Zhong Ling replied with utter conviction. Chapter 0791 – Selection Battle for the Banner Leader Chapter 0791 C Selection Battle for the Banner Leader The crowd was bustling in the Green Nether drill grounds today. On top of the four Hall Masters of the Green Nether Hall, Li Qingpeng, Li Jinpan, and Zhao Xuanming from the other three halls were present as well. The Green Nether drill grounds had suddenly become the focal point of the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range. This was only the surface of things. Beneath it, there were many that were also discreetly keeping track of the happenings here today. This included some of the elders from the other four lineages that were monitoring things through special means. Under ordinary circumstances, a selection battle for the Banner Leader would not have attracted the interest of so many elders from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. However, this time was different. This was the first time Li Luo would be displaying his true strength in battle since his return. Although he had shown his capabilities during the Fiendish Devil Cave expedition, that was not his individual strength. And everyone was bound to leave the Twenty Banners one day. As such, his display of individual might was what was truly important. Everyone was watching in anticipation of Li Luo''s performance. Could he live up to his father''s reputation in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li? At the west side of the Green Nether drill grounds, on a huge training ground. There was a lively crowd gathered here. Apart from the eight thousand members of the Green Nether Banner, the Sub Leaders of the other three banners had also arrived, led by Li Jingtao, Li Fengyi, and Deng Fengxian. On the left side of the training ground was a tall platform where the Hall Masters sat. Zhong Yushi, Li Rouyun, and the other Green Nether Hall Masters were sitting in the center, as this was a Green Nether Hall event after all, while Zhao Xuanming, Li Qingpeng, Li Jinpan, and the other halls'' Hall Masters sat by the side. However, there was no sign of Li Jingzhe. After all, it was not befitting of his status to come to spectate a mere battle for the Banner Leader. In fact, his appearance would show his favoritism for Li Luo, and this might not be something that Li Luo wanted. Nonetheless, the Hall Masters all knew that he was watching without being noticed by others. That would be an easy feat for him. A moment later, Zhong Yushi stood up amidst the endless chattering of the crowd. He lifted his hand up, and the crowd quietened down immediately. With a warm smile, he began, "Who would have thought that an ordinary selection battle for the Banner Leader would attract so much interest? It''s been a long time since the Green Nether Hall has been so lively. Hahaha. Alright, no more nonsense. The Green Nether Banner''s Banner Leader position has been vacant for a long time. It is not a good thing for us to have no leader, and today, it''s finally time to select the representative who will lead us into the future. According to the rules, any Sub Leaders from the five divisions are eligible to compete for it. Those who are interested, please step forward." He ended with a gaze that swept over the front of the Green Nether Banner. At this moment, the others'' attention had turned towards the front as well. It was where the five Sub Leaders were standing. But the Sub Leaders of the second, third, and fourth divisions stayed silent without much emotion. They all knew that the position of Banner Leader was not meant for them. Before the arrival of Li Luo, they knew that Zhong Ling would be the one to become the Banner Leader, and he had been merely waiting for the time to come before he took up the position officially. However, no one expected a dark horse like Li Luo to suddenly appear right before he could become the Banner Leader. Although they were surprised with Li Luo being merely at the Fiend Palace Tier, his special background did make him a close competitor for the spot. He had also shown them his capabilities over the past two months with the spectacular results achieved by the fifth division under his leadership. Clearly, he was not just relying on his illustrious background. As such, Zhong Ling and Li Luo were the highlights for the selection fight. If they tried to intervene, they would only be asking for trouble. Without any actions from their side, Zhong Ling of the first division took a step forward and flew up onto the stone platform. He stood upright like a spear with a sharp look in his eyes. "Zhong Ling from the Green Nether Banner''s first division, competing for the Banner Leader position!" he shouted in a deep voice. At this instant, the first division banner members burst out in cheers for their leader. Over at the fifth division side, Li Luo stretched his body a little. "Come on, Sub Leader!" Zhao Yanzhi cheered with a charming smile. Today, she was donned in a purple satin dress that displayed her sexy and hot curves to the fullest. Like a gorgeous, blooming flower in the field, she attracted a lot of gazes from the crowd. However, she paid no attention to them. Instead, she leaned close to Li Luo and whispered in his ear, "Sub Leader, if you win this, maybe I''ll give you a surprise tonight." When the crowd witnessed this, some were left pondering. Previously, this beauty among the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had always maintained a distance from others. But she was so close to Li Luo now. Could the two of them be together? Usually, such words from an enchanting beauty would have given any man butterflies in their stomach. However, Li Luo was unfazed by this and simply responded, "You''re lucky my fiancee is not around to hear that, or you would be deader than a doornail." "I have serious doubts about whether this goddess of a fiancee you mentioned really exists, Sub Leader," Zhao Yanzhi replied as she curled her lips. Li Luo took another look at her and replied with a smile, "I don''t mind you using me to block the shots from the men that lust for you. As I have said, as long as you do things for me faithfully, we will be on the same team. But since you dislike contact with the opposite sex so much, there''s no need for you to do it so deliberately and in the open. I won''t want to have you secretly complaining when you head back." Hearing this, Zhao Yanzhi''s charming face turned slightly stiff, and she replied with dodgy eyes and a sarcastic tone, "Sub Leader, you are really a sensitive man, aren''t you?" Li Luo had no intention to blame her. After all, Zhao Yanzhi had grown up in an unpalatable environment and carried a lot of unpleasant memories. She was lacking a sense of security and was just trying to use him as a form of deterrence towards others lest anyone covet after her beauty. "Actually, I don''t feel so disgusted towards you as compared to other men," she explained. "Thanks for the compliment," Li Luo responded with a grin. After this, he stopped chatting with her, and thunder suddenly flashed beneath his feet, propelling him forward. In the blink of an eye, he was already standing opposite Zhong Ling on the platform. "I am Li Luo from the fifth division, and I would like to compete for the Banner Leader position as well," he said slowly. Zhong Ling stared at him coldly as he retorted, "Sub Leader Li Luo, you are indeed talented, but you are too impatient. If you trained hard and waited for another six months, I would have had to give up the Banner Leader position to you." "My time is too precious to wait another six months," Li Luo replied with a laugh. If he wanted to rise up within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, he would need to secure the Green Nether Banner and get more opportunities for himself. While half a year might be an insignificant time to others, it was much too long for him. Seeing how his persuasion had failed, Zhong Ling responded with a hint of hostility in his eyes, "Well, let me see how you are going to fight against me with your Fiend Palace strength, then." At this moment, Zhong Yushi stood on the high platform as he watched the two of them. With a wave of his hands, his powerful voice resonated through the audience. "Zhong Ling from the first division and Li Luo from the fifth division will participate in the selection battle for the Green Nether Banner''s Banner Leader position. "I hope that the two of you will do your best and showcase the might of the Green Nether Banner to the crowd. "Let''s begin." When he ended his sentence, the selection battle for the Banner Leader position officially kicked off. The atmosphere in the crowd was boiling with excitement. Chapter 0792 – Li Luos Resonance Arts Chapter 0792 C Li Luo''s Resonance Arts When Zhong Yushi declared the start of the selection battle, the crowd grew lively. Zhong Ling took a step forward, and his resonant power rose intensely. Like a blazing flame, his resonant power was fiery red. It exuded such a high temperature that the surrounding air was getting distorted. An eighth-grade fire resonance. His resonant power was overwhelming compared to that of Zhao Yanzhi, Mu Bi, and Li Shi. After all, he was the strongest fellow in the Green Nether Banner right now. As they witnessed his dominant display of resonant power, the cheers from the fifth division banner members died down a little. There was a hint of worry behind the beautiful eyes of Zhao Yanzhi. It was for the same reason as before. Previously, Li Luo had obtained spectacular results in the Fiendish Devil Cave due to his Nine Revolutions Art and Harmony with the fifth division. Those two factors helped narrow the gap in strength between Zhong Ling and him. However, those tools were unable to help him now. He would have to rely on his own power to secure the position of Banner Leader. Alone, Li Luo was merely at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, while Zhong Ling was already a Gold Fiend. How was Li Luo going to close such a huge gap? As everyone was worrying about it, Zhong Ling didnt hesitate in the slightest. He clenched his fists tightly and launched his attack, his burning, red resonant power gushing out like a stream of magma. Bang! Following Zhong Ling''s punch, the fiery-red resonant power condensed into a fist manifestation that was around a hundred meters wide. Coated in blazing, red scales, it was a terrifying sight to behold. Those familiar with his battles recognized it immediately. This was none other than his signature move, the dragon-general resonance art Blazing Scale Fist. Evidently, he had not held back just because Li Luo was at the Fiend Palace Tier. Even the Silver Fiends Zhao Yanzhi, Mu Bi, and Li Shi would struggle to deal with this punch. The burning air swept across the space enveloped in strong murderous intent. It flew directly towards Li Luo under the gazes of the crowd. The Blazing Scale Fist rapidly grew larger and larger in Li Luo''s eyes. At this moment, he could feel the imposing resonant power heading towards him, and his face turned solemn. A Gold Fiend like Zhong Ling was clearly a notch above Mu Bi. Bang! A flash of lightning appeared below Li Luo''s feet as he blinked backwards like a ghost, trying to dodge it. Low-grade dragon-general resonance art: Thunderbolt Art. This was a body resonance art that Li Luo had picked up back in the Xia Kingdom, demonstrating one of the ways he could boost his agility. Unfortunately, the Blazing Scale Fist under Zhong Ling''s control chased after him persistently. They were fighting on a battle platform with limited space, so Li Luo could not escape it directly. As such, he only avoided a head-on clash with the mighty force. With a clap of his hands, he summoned the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. His face remained composed as the resonant power in his body swiftly circulated and he slashed down with a single blow. Weng! A bright knife wheel shot out from the tip of the blade and sliced the void apart directly, clashing with the Blazing Scale Fist. Bang! The air shuddered violently from the pulses of energy waves, and the Blazing Scale Fist evaporated the knife wheel with its tyrannical, scorching-hot temperature. The Thousand Watery Knives Wheel used by Li Luo was useless against it. An improved tiger-general resonance art would hardly help to even the odds with such a huge gap in their raw power. There were some low cheers from the crowd when they saw Zhong Ling emerging victorious in the clash. Nevertheless, the faces of the Hall Masters on the high platform remained unchanged as they watched on quietly. Seeing how his previous attack was useless, Li Luo summoned a flash of lightning beneath his feet and retreated a hundred meters back yet again. Following this, a large, silver bow materialized in his hand. He pulled the bow all the way, and thunder roared. It was as though a sea of lightning had condensed into an arrow at this very moment. The very presence of the compressed lightning caused the surrounding space to vibrate slightly. At the same time, a double halo took shape around it. Li Luo was activating his dual resonance power, but the Vestiges of Spirituality did not appear this time. Resonant power gushed out of Li Luo''s body, and a strong energy wave erupted. Witnessing the eruption of energy, the faces of other banner members at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier changed slightly. They realized immediately that although Li Luo was at the same tier as them, his resonant power was several grades above theirs. BOOM! "High-grade dragon-general resonance art, Flowing Thunder Dragon Fang!" Following the whispers in his heart, the lightning arrow that looked like a mottled dragon fang flew out and tore the sky apart. Lightning flashed as if a thunderbolt had split the sky in two. Bang! Like heavenly judgment smiting a sinner, the dragon fang collided head-on with the imposing Blazing Scale Fist. At this moment, strands of waterlight emerged in mid-air, forming multiple unusually clear mirrors. The mirrors shone brightly onto the Flowing Thunder Dragon Fang, and dozens of lightning bolts manifested around it. The crowd watched this scene in awe. It was a spectacular sight to behold. Dozens of Flowing Thunder Dragon Fangs had emerged out of thin air. Many shocking screams could be heard around the battleground. "Is that the Water Mirror Art? He used that to create multiple illusions?" "He must know that the difference in their strength is too huge. Even with such an impressive high-grade dragon-general resonance art, he stands no chance against Sub Leader Zhong Ling''s Blazing Scale Fist. He has resorted to using these illusions to distract his opponent." "Its a nice try, but it''s useless in the face of such absolute power." The crowd started whispering about it as they watched the midair clash without batting an eyelid. This novel is available on "www.novelhall.com". Zhong Ling looked at the scene without a change in his expression. He clenched his five fingers tightly together, and the Blazing Scale Fist slammed down angrily like a falling meteorite, directly charging into the group of flowing thunder streams. However, just as the Blazing Scale Fist was about to land on them, the flowing thunder streams separated like an agile python slithering through the air. Bang! Bang! The Blazing Scale Fist smashed into the air and hit two of the thunder streams. However, the streams vanished into thin air when they made contact. Without a doubt, those were the illusions created by the Water Mirror Art. Zhong Ling''s face darkened and a look of surprise arose in his eyes. Why are these illusions created by the Water Mirror Art so dexterous? Boom! The Blazing Scale Fist continued to clash against the dancing thunder streams. However, the illusions continued to strike against his resonance art repeatedly. The fire resonance energy of the Blazing Scale Fist gradually depleted as this went on. Seeing this, Li Luo''s eyes shone and he concentrated his mind. The remaining thunder streams sped up and quickly flew towards the Blazing Scale Fist. The two arts finally clashed violently in the air. Only the eyes of the Hall Masters on the high platform changed as they focused upon one of the streams of thunder. They could sense that this stream had skillfully avoided the most powerful point of the Blazing Scale Fist, instead striking a dimly lit flame scale on it instead. Bang! It was as if a grand firework had bloomed in the air. Everyone watched in shock. The Blazing Scale Fist manifestation from the Gold Fiend Zhong Ling had evaporated along with the flashy thunder streams. Li Luo had deflected Zhong Ling''s sure-to-win attack unscathed. The crowd was amazed by this. After all, the difference in power between the two attacks was quite obvious. Zhong Ling should have gotten an overwhelming victory in a direct battle. Why had it ended up like this? There was some silence in the crowd as they pondered over it. Only the Hall Masters sitting atop the high platform had seen through the little tricks played by Li Luo. Using a somewhat special Water Mirror Art, Li Luo had created mirages of his high-grade dragon-general resonance art to slowly deplete the energy of the Blazing Scale Fist. At the same time, he had used this opportunity to identify the weakest area of the fist manifestation. Afterwards, the illusions swarmed at it and divided its attention while the real thunder stream defeated it by striking the weakest point. Although it sounded simple, this actually required a great deal of delicate control over the art. One had to adeptly control both the phantasmic thunder streams and the real one in hiding. Li Qingpeng, Li Jinpan, Li Rouyun, and the other Hall Masters were impressed by this. This surprising victory from Li Luo had clearly displayed his rich combat experience as well as his talent with resonance arts. With such delicate mastery, he had won the praises of even Duke Stage users like them. Initially, they were worried about the huge gap in strength between Li Luo and his opponent. However, seeing such a spectacular display, there was no need for concern. It would definitely be a close and exciting fight for the Banner Leader position today. As for what other surprises Li Luo had prepared in store for them, they were watching in anticipation. Chapter 0793 – Fiend Dipper Energy Chapter 0793 C Fiend Dipper Energy The fervor that surrounded the crowd in the drill grounds diminished after Li Luo dismantled Zhong Ling''s Blazing Scale Fist. Everyone was full of surprise. On the Gold Light Banner''s side, there were numerous confused individuals who looked towards Deng Fengxian for an answer. "Li Luo must have entered the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. And if all three of his resonances have been similarly tempered to the same tier, the resonant power he possesses will far surpass anyone of his tier. Thus, you cannot treat him as an ordinary Greater Fiend Palace Tier cultivator. Just looking at how dense and ferocious his resonant power fluctuations are, he doesn''t seem to be weaker than any Silver Fiend. However, the key reason why he was able to take apart Zhong Ling''s move so spectacularly is his uncanny skill. He is able to utilize resonant arts with finesse, and it looks like he has been involved in numerous battles." "Then do you think that Zhong Ling will be able to obtain the position of Banner Leader?" some of the Gold Light Banner members asked. Although this was a situation for the Green Nether Banner''s members, Zhong Ling had always treated Deng Fengxian very respectfully and therefore numerous members had a good impression of him. Deng Fengxian sighed as he continued to observe the two figures on the platform. "Li Luo''s methods are not weak and they far surpass those at his tier. Even a Silver Fiend might not possess the strength he has. However, Zhong Ling is a Gold Fiend and has chosen to give up advancing into the Glass Fiend Tier. He is attempting to condense fiend dipper energy to enter the Fiend Finisher Tier directly... However, I''m still not sure if he has managed to do so. If he has reached that stage, then the ending is more or less set in stone. Li Luo will very likely lose." As the crowd continued to chatter, Zhong Ling''s expression had turned gloomy. He had never expected that his direct attack would succeed in defeating Li Luo instantly, but he had predicted that it would at least force Li Luo to activate his Duke Art. However, all Li Luo had done was utilize his own dragon-general resonance art. Although a dragon-general resonance art''s might was impressive, the two had a gap when it came to raw resonant power. Thus, by failing to injure Li Luo, he was already placed at a disadvantage as his Blazing Scale Fist had been taken apart completely. Zhong Ling''s gaze swept across a spot in the air where he discovered a slight trace of resonant power. He immediately sucked in a deep breath and belched out a mouth of crimson resonant power that was akin to a flaming breath, scorching a trail across the sky. As a result, all of the resonant power traces Li Luo had stealthily set throughout the battlefield were completely destroyed. "You''re quite the sly one," Zhong Ling coldly stated. He had used these traces of resonant power to form Water Mirror Arts and create the illusions that had managed to dissipate his Blazing Scale Fist. "However, if you really think that these little tricks will allow you to gain victory, then you''re truly naive," Zhong Ling said mockingly. When he finished his sentence, Zhong Ling clenched his fists and crimson gloves covered his hands. Golden runes could be seen on them, forming a pattern made of flames. At the same time, Zhong Ling''s body began to radiate a gold light, and golden lines seemed to writhe beneath his skin. Frightening pressure emanated from him at that very moment. Gold Fiend Body! This was a Gold Fiends strength. Their fleshly body would undergo the tempering of abstruse fiend lights and their physical strength, speed, and defensive prowess would far surpass that of someone at the Fiend Palace Tier. "Did you think that I wouldn''t make preparations for today?" After activating his Gold Fiend Body, Zhong Ling''s gaze deepened with derision. The corners of the platform began to creak and shudder after he posed that question. Li Fengyi and Li Jingtaos expressions changed. It seemed as though they had discovered something. On the Gold Light Banner''s side, Deng Fengxian laughed lightly. "Zhong Ling is quite capable after all." Under the looks of the crowd, Zhong Ling took a step forward, and at that very instant, everyone could see resonant power explosively surge out of him. Spots of light with deep colors similarly appeared around him. The spots of light were like drops of molten metal, dotting his visible resonant power fluctuations. When the spots of lights condensed, his resonant power suddenly seemed much more substantial. It was like seeing a smaller version of the constellations in the sky, and as the stars absorbed energy from the world around them, the world seemed to be torn apart. A indescribably sense of pervasive danger emanated from the stars. And when the crowd saw this, a large commotion was stirred. "That is... fiend dipper energy! Zhong Ling has finally managed to condense fiend dipper energy!" "Doesn''t this mean that he has finally reached the gates of the Fiend Finisher Tier?" "Although the fiend dipper energy seems to be a little shallow, it is what it is. The might of fiend dipper energy is terrifying to face, and it symbolizes the peak of the Earth Fiend General Stage. Zhong Ling being able to condense this energy means that there shouldn''t be much surprise as to who will end up as the Banner Leader today!" "It''s a pity for Li Luo. I thought that he would bring about another miracle for us to watch." "If Zhong Ling was only a Gold Fiend, then Li Luo might have had a chance. Now that he has reached the next threshold, Li Luo doesn''t have any hope left." As the crowd chattered, most seemed to have concluded that the Green Nether Banner Leader selection would quickly come to a close. On the fifth division''s side, Zhao Yanzhi, Mu Bi, and Li Shi glanced at each other before turning gloomy. The anticipation brought about by Li Luo''s successful defense was nowhere to be seen. Atop the high platform, Li Qingpeng, Li Jinpan, and Li Rouyun''s gazes shrank. On the other hand, the silent Zhong Yushi continued to lean back on his seat, evidently more relaxed at this point. "You''ve actually managed to cultivate fiend dipper energy." Li Luo was similarly focused upon the stars behind Zhong Ling that were constantly absorbing energy. In contrast, he did not seem to be very surprised, only giving a sigh. He had expected this to happen. Additionally, he couldn''t assume that his opponent was useless, as he would improve over time too. "Li Luo, why don''t you just surrender gracefully? With your talent and strength, you should be able to snatch this position from me in half a year," Zhong Ling indifferently said. Li Luo burst out in laughter. "Do you really think that you''ve won already?" "What else do you have? Are you going to rely on more fancy resonance art tricks?" Zhong Ling retorted. "It is true that my previous move was quite theatrical. The key reason I did that was to demonstrate my skill at resonance arts. I don''t plan to be overshadowed today," Li Luo honestly replied. Zhong Ling smiled coldly. "Your performance was wonderful. You may exit the stage now." Li Luo shook his head. "Now, now, I can''t do that. The main act hasn''t started!" Zhong Ling crossed his arms as he glared at Li Luo. Li Luo then stowed away his Lambent Hawkeye, and the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade once again appeared in his grasp. He then lightly caressed the mottled blade as the handsome smile on his face gradually receded. "For my next act, I wish to put on a show for the audience." His voice was somewhat loud, and he quickened his steps. At the same time, all three resonant palaces in his body snapped into action as his triple resonant power surged out and circulated within his body. "Thunderpeal Avatar, Two Sonic Pulses!" Li Luo softly said in his heart. BOOM! The Lightning Forge within him blazed with activity, and thunderous booms crackled. Two mysterious booms scattered throughout his body, instantly amplifying his physical capabilities. It looked like lightning was jumping around within his eyes. "Divine Elephant Power, Level Three!" The blade in his hand shuddered, and intimidating amounts of energy rushed out like a stampeding, ancient elephant. This display of strength was fear-inducing, even more so than before. This was the first time he had called upon the third level of this power. Even with the Two Sonic Pulses amplifying his body, his skin still began to rip and tear under the immense strain. Fresh blood oozed out of his limbs, a terrifying sight to behold. However, Li Luo suppressed the wracking pains that coursed through him, and his face remained emotionless. With the aid of these two powers, his strength continued to rise and attain new heights. This was still not the end. Boom! The two resonant powers in his body began to fuse and a mysterious trace of light began to surface. The fused resonant power began to flicker with spirituality, and it seemed to have come to life. "Dual resonance power, Vestiges of Spirituality!" Majestic amounts of resonant power exploded from Li Luo''s body like an unstoppable tempest. A mysterious trace of light danced within it, and a domineering pressure diffused in every direction. The pressure coming from Zhong Ling''s resonant power fluctuations diminished as a result. This caused everyone''s expressions to change. They could not believe that this youth wearing rags could burst forth with so much strength, enough to not lose out to a Gold Fiend! How could this be?! "His resonant power..." Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian were all experts, so they could sense that Li Luo''s resonant power had become much more lively and majestic. It was completely different from what they had seen previously. On the other hand, the Hall Masters who had now discovered the traces of spirituality within his resonant power had shocked gazes and their eyes shrank. This was something they were extremely familiar with. This was the Vestiges of Spirituality! Only those who cultivated dual resonance power to a certain realm could achieve this. Although this was commonly seen amongst Dukes, it had now appeared in the hands of a Fiend Palace Tier youth! This was incomparably rare. At the same time, Zhong Ling''s expression also changed as he could sense a dangerous aura coming from Li Luo. "The name of this show is called..." On the other hand, Li Luo continued to speak in a low voice. He took slow steps forward, dragging his blade, which was lightly touching the floor and leaving a trail of sparks. As lightning continued to flicker within his gaze, a terrifying look was shot towards Zhong Ling, and he then raised the ancient blade atop his head. "A single strike fells the fiend!" With that line, he chopped downwards. As the blade arced downwards, the void was torn and the sound of gushing water could be heard. The next moment, black water surged out of the crack. Within the black water was a coiled-up black dragon that gave off a primal, ferocious aura as it dashed outwards. Raising its claws, it blotted out the sky, and absolute terror was instilled in everyone around. Chapter 0794 – Chapter 0794: A Single Strike Fells the Fiend When the enormous black dragon emerged from the torrential, dark waters, the countless spectators in the crowd watched in awe. Some of the Sub Leaders from the other three banners who were on the same level as Zhong Ling could not help but change their expressions at this awe-inducing sight. Even they could clearly sense the huge threat coming from Li Luos slash. They could not believe that a Greater Fiend Palace could have pulled off such a terrifying attack. This was enough to intimidate even a Fiend Finisher! The eyes of Zhong Ling, who was the first to face this blow, shook like an earthquake as he stared at the incoming Underworld River''s Black Dragon. Li Luos Duke Art was old news, but surely a Duke Art couldnt be this powerful, right?! Was Li Luo really only at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier?! At this moment, Zhong Ling would completely believe it if someone told him that Li Luo was a Gold Fiend. However, reality was completely different. Still, Zhong Ling''s face turned from one filled with anxiety and uncertainty to a resolute one as he sensed the opportunity that lay before him. Although Li Luo''s blow was terrifying, he only had this last strike! This was an all-in bet! Li Luo had placed all his skills and energy into this slash. As long as Zhong Ling could survive this attack, Li Luo would be left helpless and defenseless afterwards. Without further ado, Zhong Ling gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. His resonant power rose from the crimson gloves like a raging flame. The surrounding air was scorched and twisted by the rising temperature around him. In this moment, the resonant power from his body erupted without any reservation like a blazing pillar of flame that shot a thousand feet high up into the sky. Forming hand seals with both hands, he took a deep breath and his mouth swelled up instantly. Whoosh! He spat out a ball of viscous, black flames from his mouth that emanated a strong and domineering aura. The black flames then landed on his flaming gloves, and he clapped them together ferociously. "High-grade dragon-general resonance art, Great Ifrit Fist!" When his hands clapped, a handprint of black flames over a thousand feet tall materialized out of thin air with the face of a bloodthirsty devil in the center of it. The air was so hot that every drop of moisture seemed to have evaporated, leaving it hard for anyone around to breathe normally. That was not allgolden fiend dipper energy rapidly shrouded the black, fiery handprint, and its power instantly skyrocketed. With the boost from the fiend dipper energy, the Great Ifrit Fist could easily pulverize and incinerate even a mountain. Without a doubt, Zhong Ling had given it his all in this attack too. He dared not underestimate the power of Li Luo''s all-in slash. After all, he just needed to survive Li Luos final hit and the Banner Leader position would be all his! The Great Ifrit Fist roared fiercely, and the ground directly beneath it was left blackened and acrid. As the crowd watched on without batting an eyelid, it clashed head-on with the Underworld River''s Black Dragon. Bang! An earth-shattering shockwave of energy exploded like a hurricane. The audience had summoned up their resonant power to resist being swept away as they stared intensely at the ongoing battle. As the black dragon roared in resistance, the dark river of freezing water under its claws collided with the fire resonance power from Zhong Ling. It hissed and combusted violently upon contact. As the battle raged on, the aggressive waves of energy continued spreading in every direction, and some of the weaker spectators were beginning to feel a little suffocated just being in its presence. However, Zhong Ling''s face remained relentless. He channeled every ounce of resonant power in his body into his attack. Based on the quality of resonant power alone, he still had the upper hand regardless of how Li Luo struggled. But he had noticed that Li Luo''s resonant power seemed to have an element of slipperiness during their clash. Both of their resonant powers continued to nullify each other repeatedly. However, Li Luo''s resonant power carried a mysterious sentience that allowed it to keep eroding his resonant power despite his being the stronger of the two. "Is this the power of dual resonances?" Zhong Ling was puzzled by it. Although only Dukes could attain two resonances, it did not mean that having dual resonances would make one''s power as strong as that of a Duke. He had faced off against other dual resonance users in the past, but he had never met anyone who had such a domineering and strange dual resonance power. Roar! As Zhong Ling was buffeted by frustration, the black dragon suddenly let out a stunning roar. It opened its maw, and a dark dragonbreath gushed out. With a mysterious glitter hidden within the dragonbreath, it looked just like a naturally born ancient treasure from the stars. As the dragonbreath smashed into the Great Ifrit Fist directly, the fiend dipper energy appeared to show signs of dissipating. After a few more breaths, the burning, black flames on the Great Ifrit Fist started to dim at an alarming pace. There were exclamations coming one after another from the audience. In the next moment, the black dragon rose up into the air and let out yet another deafening roar. The Great Ifrit Fist that Zhong Ling had channeled all his energy into had shattered into pieces. Witnessing this, Zhong Ling was left dumbfounded. However, the black dragon that had been badly scarred by the Great Ifrit Fist did not slow down. It flew straight towards him with murderous intent and clashed head-on into his golden body. Zhong Ling took the hit directly and spat out blood as he flew across the stage, landing pathetically hundreds of feet away. At this instant, the gold light on his Gold Fiend body started to gradually fade. The black dragon had also run out of energy, so it shrank into a small glow of light before it finally disappeared. The breathtaking confrontation on the stage had finally come to an end. But everyone in the crowd remained silent. In the silence, they looked at the exhausted Li Luo, who was leaning on his sword for support with his bloody hands. He then slowly dragged himself across the stage. The tip of the blade scratched the ground, creating ominous sparks as he made his way across. He made his way over to Zhong Ling''s side with slow but steady steps. Before the stunned gazes of the crowd, he placed his sword over his opponents head. Zhong Ling was still panting as he stared back at the pale and bloody Li Luo. His hands were also shivering despite being the one holding the threatening blade. Without a doubt, Li Luo had expended every last ounce of his strength as well. At present, Li Luo had no fighting power left at all. However, Zhong Ling could barely even move. "You''re still not announcing the results? Surely I don''t need to behead him to end this right?" Li Luo said with an almost eerie smile as he turned towards the elevated platform. At this moment, the elders on the elevated platform gradually started coming back to their senses. They could see the different emotions running through the crowd despite the dead silence. Finally, Li Rouyun stepped forward and made the announcement with her soft voice after taking a glance at the quiet Zhong Yushi. "The winner of the Green Nether Banner''s Banner Leader selection battle is Li Luo. From now onwards, Li Luo will be the Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner!" she declared. When she finished her announcement, the silent crowd burst into lively chatter again. They all understood that the selection battle for the Green Nether Banner''s Banner Leader position would cause a huge commotion in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. On the elevated platform, Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan looked at Li Luo holding his blade, and they were reminded of another figure who had also created many miracles in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage years ago. He was the most brilliant individual that had happened to grace the Dragon''s Fang Lineage over the past hundred years. "Truly the son of our Third Brother... he is just as gifted as him." The two of them glanced at each other and shared looks of relief. .. In Dragon''s Fang Mountain, deep within the bamboo forest. The old man who was digging at a bamboo shoot also raised his head at this time and looked over in the direction of Green Nether Peak. A faint smile blossomed on his usually serious and wrinkled face. "Taixuan, this son of yours... might just outshine you in the future." Chapter 0795 – Remnant Energy After Li Rouyun announced the result of the selection battle, the crowd on the vast training ground started to shout raucously. Their eyes were all filled with surprise. This was a conclusion that set their hearts pounding. None of them had expected Li Luo to emerge victorious after they saw Zhong Ling condensing fiend dipper energy. After all, Li Luo was only at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier! There were simply so many tiers between him and Zhong Ling. Was this simply because he was a triple resonance user?! With such fearsome might, he had to be the strongest Greater Fiend Palace Tier cultivator that they had ever seen. Over at the Green Nether Banner''s fifth division, the members were stunned for a moment too. However, they soon burst into happy cheers knowing that their Sub Leader Li Luo had become the Banner Leader. Although Li Luo would have to step down as the fifth divisions Sub Leader after this, there would finally be better days ahead for the fifth division with him as the Banner Leader. A seductive, rosy glow surfaced on Zhao Yanzhi''s charming face due to her excitement. Indeed, Li Luo had shown an amazing display of his fighting power. With his illustrious background, Li Luo could have easily become the leader among the younger generation in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage if he had been raised here. However, he had wasted too much time in the outer divine continent, causing him to get a late start. Thankfully, he had managed to catch up quickly with his impressive natural talent. With that in mind, Zhao Yanzhi was determined to establish a close relationship with Li Luo. Such opportunities should not be squandered after all. She smiled slightly at this moment. Coming from a humble background, she had always treaded carefully. She understood that her dazzling beauty would be an advantage. However, it had its own set of problems too. Owing to her unique past, she knew the hearts of men too well. But Li Luo was different from them. He was not particularly interested in her appearance and he gave her a good impression. Although, what hadn''t changed were the doubts she had about his so-called fiance that was apparently as pretty as a goddess. Did someone like that truly exist? As such, she was fine with getting close to Li Luo. The more powerful and influential Li Luo became, the better it would be for her. "Tsk tsk, he''s indeed the son of Third Uncle, defeating a Fiend Finisher while hes only at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. Although his opponent was just a beginner Fiend Finisher who has just started condensing his fiend dipper energy, such a feat is rarely seen," Li Jingtao commented in admiration as he gazed at the tall silhouette on the platform. Then his face immediately turned bitter again. "It will be tough on me in the future. The next time my father scolds me, he will definitely say things like just take a look at your little brother," he lamented. Li Jingtao was a kind soul who did not like to compete with others. Everyone in the younger generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li knew that the eldest grandson of the Lineage Chief was no different from a benevolent, old man. Due to this, he had been reprimanded by his father for lacking in drive multiple times. "Hmph, you deserve it with your lackadaisical personality. If you had put in some effort, the Gold Light Banner would never have managed to rise to the top amongst the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage," Li Fengyi said. Once upon a time, Li Jingtao actually had the highest chance to lead the four banners. After all, he had the right background. However, he had lost it to the Gold Light Banner due to his docile personality. That gave Deng Fengxian an opportunity to rise up and become the leading figure amongst the younger generation of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage today. "I was leaving the opportunity for you," Li Jingtao replied with a laugh. "How dare you ask a girl like me to take the frontline and lead!" Li Fengyi curled her lips. "Don''t worry, we have Little Brother now. He''s not bad, so I have my hopes placed on him! In the future, he will definitely become the figurehead of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage just like Third Uncle," Li Jingtao replied with an apologetic smile. Hearing this, Li Fengyi shook her head helplessly without any more words. Over at the Gold Light Banner area. A few Sub Leaders of the Gold Light Banner asked in disbelief, "Zhong Ling actually lost. Isn''t Li Luo just insane? What kind of Greater Fiend Palace cultivator possesses such power?" Deng Fengxian stared at Li Luo''s silhouette on the platform as he slowly explained, "It was a really surprising end to this battle, but that last blow by Li Luo was an all-in bet. He summoned up all his strength in that attack and could barely stand straight after it. Of course, it''s unbelievable for someone at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier to muster up so much power. This must have been an edge provided to him by his three resonances. They must have enabled him to cultivate an amount of resonant power comparable to a Silver Fiend after tempering all three of his resonant palaces. Besides that, his body was screaming in pain when he slashed down with his blade earlier. He used some kind of secret art to strengthen his body in order to withstand it. "Most importantly, the power of his dual resonances is different from the other dual resonances that I have seen so far. His dual resonance power was much more concentrated and powerful. It seemed like there were even some mysterious traces of light in it. If I am not wrong, Li Luo may have attained the third realm when it comes to wielding dual resonances." When he finished his analysis, the members of the Gold Light Banner asked in surprise, "The third realm?!" They had heard of it as a power that truly only belonged to those at the Duke Stage. This was an unique edge that dual resonance users had. However, it was said that it was really challenging to increase one''s realms when it came to dual resonance power. It turned out that Li Luo had already managed to achieve it at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. Was his natural talent really that amazing? If he was already so overpowered when he was merely at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, then wouldn''t he be a threat even to Deng Fengxian when he finally entered the Fiend Body Tier in the future? Seeing the change in their expressions, Deng Fengxian calmly smiled and elaborated, "It''s true that we cannot underestimate Li Luo, but there is no need to be so scared. That feeble condensation of fiend dipper energy by Zhong Ling does not truly reflect the might of those at the Fiend Finisher Tier. Moreover, Li Luo took a huge gamble in this battle. Zhong Ling''s foundation is not strong, which is why he can''t even reach the Glass Fiend Tier. If Li Luo had faced a Glass Fiend opponent, he would definitely not have been the last man standing." Hearing his words, the banner members heaved a sigh of relief. It would be too scary if Li Luo could stand up to a true Fiend Finisher while he was only at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. However, they now understood even with all his might, Li Luo had only won against a Gold Fiend rather than a Fiend Finisher. As for Deng Fengxian, he was a bona fide Fiend Finisher who had even made a stop at the Glass Fiend Tier. His foundation was solid and far exceeded that of an ordinary Fiend Finisher. From his explanation earlier, they understood that he was still miles ahead of Li Luo. Notwithstanding the exceptional talent of Li Luo, the Gold Light Banner would still remain as the top amongst the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. And Deng Fengxian would still be the leader of the younger generation in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. "Let''s go. There''s nothing else to see today," Deng Fengxian said. With a wave of his hand, he turned around and left. The members of the Gold Light Banner followed closely behind. After his spectacular win in this fight, they all knew that Li Luo, the son of Li Taixuan that had returned from the outer divine continent, would surely rise in fame among the younger generation in Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. The stunning conclusion of this battle would create waves of ripples through the otherwise peaceful days for the Twenty Banners. Chapter 0796 – Advice From Li Jingzhe Chapter 0796: Advice From Li Jingzhe At the bamboo forest in the back of Dragon''s Fang Mountain. Li Luo had come over to share the good news after his victory at the Green Nether Banner''s Banner Leader selection battle. Upon arrival, he saw that Li Jingzhe had been waiting for him with a meal of light bamboo shoots prepared. Evidently, he already knew the result of the selection battle. Seeing this, Li Luo accepted his hospitality and enjoyed a nice meal with the old man. After all, there were probably not many people in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage who would get a chance to try the bamboo shoots personally prepared by him. After drinking two cups of bamboo wine, Li Luo smiled and asked, "Grandpa, my performance so far is pretty good, right? It only took me two months to become the Banner Leader." Hearing this, Li Jingzhe took another bite of bamboo shoot, slowly chewing on it as he replied, "Not too bad, you did not disgrace your father." A faint grin appeared on his wrinkled, serious, old face and a look of satisfaction arose in his eyes. "What about the things you promised me before, Grandpa?" Li Luo asked eagerly. "About the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus?" Li Jingzhe clarified. Li Luo nodded earnestly as he awaited his answer. At this moment, Li Jingzhe placed his chopsticks down before answering, "I sent a letter over to the Dragon''s Blood Lineage a few days ago. I wanted to withdraw the item from the treasury vault, but unfortunately, there have been some hiccups." "Someone else has taken it?!" Li Luo inquired nervously as soon as he heard about the update. "That is not the case, don''t worry. Like what I told you previously, it is a precious treasure that our Ancestor brought back from the World Border. All of the lineages have been eyeing it, especially the Hall Masters of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. As soon as they heard about my request, there was a lot of opposition from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, and they used that as an excuse to turn me down this time," Li Jingzhe explained. Pondering over it for a moment, he continued, "Don''t worry about it, I have reminded their Hall Masters as well. If they dare to snatch it from me with some crappy reason, I will definitely not let it go. Let''s just wait until the Lineage Chief''s birthday party next month when I personally pay him a visit at the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. They are probably just using it as an excuse to get something good out of it. In that case, we can just give them something in exchange for it. Its not a big deal, don''t worry. Since I have promised to get it for you, I''ll definitely do so." Li Luo was a little touched by his words. Looking at the old mans calm and peaceful face, he knew very well in his heart that in the vast and complex dealings among the different lineages, the something good that they would gain would be far beyond his imagination. Although they were all members of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, there was intense competition with smoking gunpowder ready to blow at any time. However, Li Luo could only keep this good faith etched in his heart for now. After all, he really needed the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus to help Jiang Qing''e recover her foundation. This would be critical for her future in reaching the Duke Stage. He had to obtain the treasure and deliver it to Jiang Qing''e within a year''s time. "Thank you, Grandpa," Li Luo said softly as he poured a cup of wine for Li Jingzhe. Li Jingzhe accepted it with a smile and then downed it. He knew his grandson really wanted this item, although he did not know exactly why he was so concerned. As a Fiend Palace Tier cultivator, that treasure was too much for him to handle. Even if it were given to him to use, his physical body might not be able to handle it at all. However, he did not probe any further. If his grandson had traveled all the way from the outer divine continent for it, he would get it for him as his grandfather. "I can''t get you the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus right now, but do you have any other wishes?" Li Jingzhe asked with a laugh. Li Luo shook his head with a grin at first. However, he suddenly recalled the request from Li Rouyun earlier and asked, "Grandpa, I heard that the Green Nether Hall is choosing a new Hall Master. Can I nominate Uncle Biao for it?" "Ox Biaobiao?" Li Jingzhe asked. Li Luo nodded and told him frankly, "When I enter the Green Nether Hall in the future, there may be some tension between Zhong Yushi and I. If I arrange for friendly aid to enter in advance, this will help to make things easier for me in the future." He was really honest with his intentions and had not thought of hiding it. Hearing his direct and blunt words, Li Jingzhe did not know if he should laugh or cry. Was it really appropriate to talk about a power struggle in front of him, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage? "It''s good that you are planning ahead," he responded in the end. Even after all these years, he had not removed Li Taixuan as the Hall Master of Green Nether Hall because he still believed that the Green Nether Hall belonged to him. Although Li Taixuan had not returned, his son, Li Luo, had come back. In the future, the Green Nether Hall would definitely be handed over to Li Luo. As such, he did not object to Li Luo''s suggestion about placing his own man into the Green Nether Hall. "Ox Biaobiao does not have a title in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, so this may not really be in line with the rules. However, there have been similar precedents like this, so I can still let him participate in the selection for the Hall Master position. Nevertheless, his Duke Bergfrieds have been destroyed and he has yet to fully recover his strength. He requires external aid just to maintain his power as a fourth-grade Duke, but the participants in the Hall Master selection battle will all be fifth-grade Dukes minimally. He can join, but he may not be able to defeat his opponents," Li Jingzhe explained. "So, my suggestion is for him to wait patiently for now. I will try and push back the selection battle to buy us some time while we find a way to restore his Duke Bergfrieds. Once he has restored his strength, things will be easier," Li Jingzhe continued. Hearing this, Li Luo nodded in agreement. "Let''s do as you say, Grandpa," Li Luo replied. Li Jingzhe nodded in response too. At this moment, Li Jingzhe also reminded Li Luo, "Now that you are the Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner, you need to familiarize yourself with achieving Harmony with the entire banner. This is the most important thing right now. There will be tasks assigned to your banner in the future, and some are bound to be extremely dangerous. You will surely need everyone''s combined effort to clear them." Li Luo nodded seriously. As the Banner Leader, he would be able to use Harmony with all eight thousand banner members in the Green Nether Banner. This power would be far stronger than what he had experienced with just the fifth division alone. Perhaps... this force could even rival someone at the Duke Stage! However, such a mighty force would definitely be challenging to control properly. He would need to spend a lot of time and practice before he could pull it off. "Grandpa, I would like to increase the efficiency in which I refine abstruse fiend lights. Do you know any other ways?" Li Luo asked. "With the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Arts, two monthly stipends, and the rewards from the Fiendish Devil Cave, you are still lacking?" Li Jingzhe replied jokingly. Li Luo shook his head in response. With the things he mentioned, Li Luo could basically condense about three thousand strands of abstruse fiend light every month. This was already a very fast pace of progress. However, Li Luo''s goal was to fully fill all three of his palaces. Based on his current estimation, his three palaces could contain not less than thirty thousand strands of abstruse fiend lights at the moment. This was an incredulous amount. If it were anyone else, even someone with a ninth-grade resonance, their resonant palace would require only twenty thousand strands of abstruse fiend lights or so to fill. However, he had three resonant palaces, so his needs far exceeded what an ordinary ninth-grade resonant cultivator would require. With thirty thousand strands of abstruse fiend lights as his foundation, he could very likely skip the Silver Fiend Tier and head straight into the Gold Fiend Tier when he finally strived for the Fiend Body Tier! However, wouldn''t it take close to a year to fill it up based on his current rate of progress? Honestly speaking, taking a year to move from the Greater Fiend Palace Tier to the Fiend Body Tier was not considered fast at all. Furthermore, time was the most precious factor for Li Luo. He could not afford to waste any more. With these thoughts in mind, he had come to seek advice from Li Jingzhe. "That is a pleasant trouble to have," Li Jingzhe commented. He was wise enough to know at a glance that Li Luo was planning to fill up all three resonant palaces before heading into the Fiend Body Tier. He proceeded to give his advice. "Ordinarily speaking, you have already reached the fastest pace in refining your strands of abstruse fiend light. Adding more high-grade Fiend Origin Pills would not make much of a difference. If you really want to boost the rate at which you acquire abstruse fiend lights, you will require the assistance of rare opportunities or encounters." Hearing this, Li Luo was slightly disappointed. These so-called opportunities were magical items or places in the world that further bolster his growth. However, if they were so easy to find, they wouldn''t be rare! With a leisurely tone, Li Jingzhe continued, "There are indeed some special locations in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, such as the Ten Thousand Starlight in the Starfall Palace. It was formed by the combining resonant power from the stars and worldly natural energy. It is said that a strand of Ten Thousand Starlight can be refined into three thousand strands of abstruse fiend light. "In addition, there is also the Nine Mountains Spiritual Earth from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. It gathers the worldly natural energy from the nine surrounding mountains and condenses it into Spiritual Earth Energy that can also greatly boost one''s refinement of abstruse fiend lights," he further elaborated. "However, these special opportunities are all governed by the respective major forces, and outsiders are unlikely to get access to them." Hearing this, Li Luo shook his head in disappointment. However, he had a quick thought and asked, "What about us in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li? Do we have such special opportunities too?" "Oh? You caught what I was hinting at?" Li Jingzhe laughed in response. He continued, "For us, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, we have a pool named... the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. There is a special dragonbreath known as the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath in a lake that can be used to condense the strands of abstruse fiend light which you so desire. Through this method, one portion of dragonbreath can condense..." At this moment, he stretched out his palm and waved five fingers in front of Li Luo. "Five thousand strands of abstruse fiend lights." Clank! Clank! Li Luo dropped his chopsticks onto the floor upon hearing this. Chapter 0797: Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool Chapter 0797: Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool "Five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light?!" Li Luo was completely taken aback by Li Jingzhe''s words. What sort of magical object was this, being able to produce five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light upon refinement?! It was enough for an average person at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier to vault to the Greater Fiend Palace Tier in a single go. After the surprise wore off, excitement surged through Li Luo''s heart. He knew that someone at Li Jingzhe''s position would not be joking. Therefore, wasn''t the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath his best shot? If he was able to obtain a few portions of it, then the target of thirty thousand strands of abstruse fiend light could be attained extremely quickly. "Grandpa! Why did you not tell me such an important thing until now?" Li Luo''s endless joy was then followed by a grumbling complaint. "Well, that''s because the Dragonbreath Pool is only opened once every ten years. It''s not time, so there wasn''t much point in telling you before." Li Jingzhe smiled. Li Luo''s grin was crushed flat. Opened once every ten years? "Wait, how far off are we from the next opening?" Li Luo cautiously asked. "Hmm... around three years," Li Jingzhe nonchalantly replied as he picked up a bamboo shoot with his chopsticks, continuing to eat. Li Luo felt like a bucket of cold water had been doused over him. Three more years? Well, if he didn''t reach the next tier in three years time, he might not have a need for anything else... With a long expression, he shook his head and bitterly said, "It looks like fate simply does not want me to use the Dragonbreath Pool." He had originally thought that a solution had been found, but alas, his dreams had been extinguished by reality. As he fell into a bout of depression, he noticed that Li Jingzhe was still grinning mischievously in the corner of his eye. With renewed interest, he asked hopefully, "Could there possibly be a way to bring the timing forward?" Li Jingzhe swallowed the bamboo shoot he had been chewing before he slowly explained, "The Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool does only open once every decade. However, if the five Lineage Chiefs agree, we can move the opening ahead by three years." Li Luo was exuberant once again. Wasn''t this too coincidental? Was there a chance? "However, this decision was deliberated two years ago, and after discussion, four of the Lineage Chiefs had chosen to open it after seven years, whereas there was one who opted for ten years. As the vote was not unanimous, the previous rule remained and the opening was not brought forward." Li Jingzhe''s next sentence once again caused Li Luo''s heart to lurch. This was truly an unrestrained up and down. Fury suddenly arose in Li Luo''s heart, and he smacked the table. "Was it that damn Dragon''s Blood Lineage Chief again? Have we not given them enough face already?" Li Jingzhe then glanced at Li Luo. "The one that rejected the decision is sitting right in front of you." Li Luo felt a little taken aback before he smiled and hurriedly poured his grandfather yet another cup of wine as he asked in bewilderment, "Grandpa, why did you reject bringing the opening forward?" "Why would I want to do so?" Li Jingzhe rebutted. "Do you think that whenever the Dragonbreath Pool opens up, just anyone from the younger generation is able to receive its benefits? Although the competition for the slots has to do with the competition amongst the banners, there are only six Coiling Dragon Pillars. Thus, only six Banner Leaders can enjoy the benefits of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s younger generation has not been exceptional in the last few years, so if we opened the Dragonbreath Pool, the Dragon''s Blood Lineage would be the one reaping the most benefits. Since theyre in the lead, they would naturally be excited to move the opening of the pool forward. At the end of the day, they would be the ones getting fat, so why would I not want to delay things? What if some amazing junior appeared in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage during those three years? Then I might have just managed to save him a slot." Li Luo understood why Li Jingzhe had made that decision. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage simply could not obtain any benefits from doing so. It was a reasonable choice. Ever since his father had left, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had not produced any exceptional juniors. At the very least, they were weaker in every way when compared to the geniuses of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Even their most outstanding junior, Deng Fengxian, had been suppressed by the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. With that in mind, there was naturally no need to accelerate the opening process. Li Luo sighed helplessly. Now he would also miss the opportunity. Forget it, he would have to find some other solution. "Do you want this opportunity?" Li Jingzhe asked. "Of course! This is a rare opportunity that only comes every ten years in a Heavenly Emperor bloodline! This bumpkin from the outer divine continent has not yet managed to taste such a delicacy!" Li Luo naturally agreed. When he heard Li Luo mention the outer divine continent, Li Jingzhe fell into a moment of silence. He had felt a sense of guilt ever since Li Taixuan left the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. His grandson had then been born there and never received any of the protection or benefits of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. He then looked at Li Luo''s face, which greatly resembled that of his father. His usually stern expression had unknowingly turned gentle. "If you really want it, it''s not like there''s no chance." Li Jingzhe sighed. "Basically, I was the only one who rejected the idea. If you want to give it a try, I will send a message to the old man in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, and we will directly open up the pool during next month''s meeting. This can be counted as a stroke of luck for him, and he will definitely be very pleased." "Isn''t that great?" Li Luo paused for a moment. Li Jingzhe was ultimately the Dragon''s Fang Lineages Lineage Chief, and if he had to renege on a decision he previously made, would that not affect his prestige? "It''s a minor matter. However, those old foxes aren''t dumb. If I tell them that I want to bring the opening of the pool forward, they will know why I''m doing it." Li Jingzhe placed down his chopsticks as he smiled at Li Luo. "They will definitely know that I am doing it for you. Thus, my reputation will be on the line depending on your results. If you perform splendidly at the Dragonbreath Pool and snatch a Coiling Dragon Pillar for yourself, obtaining a portion of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath, others will say that I have exceptional courage for taking such a bold risk. On the other hand, if you return empty-handed, people will laugh at me and say that my eyesight has gone bad. Thus, are you willing to bravely snatch away a portion of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath for your old grandpa?" Li Jingzhe asked. Li Luo was a little taken aback and fell into deep thought before attentively replying, "It will definitely be difficult, but I am willing to give it a shot." Now that Li Jingzhe had said so much, retreating at this juncture would show a lack of bravery. The fact that the Lineage Chief was willing to stake his reputation on him was something he felt extremely moved by. Although the difficulty of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool would surpass the battle against Zhong Ling, the aid of his banner members would give him a chance. Furthermore, there were six pillars. "How many portions of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath can one usually obtain?" Li Luo asked. "Usually, just one portion. Those who are fortunate might chance upon two," Li Jingzhe answered. "That''s a bit too little," Li Luo complained with dissatisfaction. One portion was just five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light. It was significant, but he needed thirty thousand! That wasn''t enough. "You really are greedy. Do you think it''s easy to refine a portion of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath?" Li Jingzhe harrumphed. If it were that simple, they would not open the pool so rarely. Li Luo smiled and replied, "Grandpa, if you''re willing to give me the chance, I will struggle with all my might." This was met with a slight nod. "Alright. You can go back now and await my news. When the time comes, I''ll let you know." Li Luo then swept all of the vegetables on his plate into his mouth with a cheery grin before patting his stomach in satisfaction as he got up and left. The moment he left the courtyard, he paused and turned around to look at the old man who was now tidying the table. Then he said words that came from deep within his heart. "Grandpa, thank you. Truly." Although Li Jingzhe had said that the burden of upholding his reputation was placed upon him, Li Luo knew that if it was not for him, he would never have chosen to go back on his decision. With that, he no longer hesitated and left. After his silhouette vanished in the distance, Li Jingzhe raised his head and glanced in that direction. A trace of a smile surfaced on his wizened visage. Chapter 0798 – New Leader Takes Office Chapter 0798 C New Leader Takes Office On the second day, Li Luo arrived at the Green Nether drill grounds as usual. However, the atmosphere in the air was clearly different. Apart from the usual trio of Zhao Yanzhi, Mu Bi, and Li Shi, the Sub Leaders of the second, third, and fourth divisions had come forward to welcome him with their respective banner members as well. "Congratulations, Banner Leader!" The loud exclamation of the crowd echoed across the drill grounds. Li Luo was shocked by the sudden greeting. With a smile, he replied, "Thank you for the well wishes, guys. It''s my pleasure to serve you all as the Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner." As he looked at their gazes filled with curiosity and admiration, he cleared his throat and continued, "As you all know, my father, Li Taixuan, brought the Green Nether Banner to its greatest heights in the past, and we were recognised by all as the leader among the Twenty Banners of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Those were the glory days of the Green Nether Banner. However, due to various reasons, we have fallen behind and lost much of our radiance in the past few years. Some of the other banners even laughed at us." Hearing this, the crowd started whispering among themselves. They were frustrated at these words but were nonetheless helplessly resigned to this truth. "Nevertheless, I know that the Green Nether Banner is not any weaker than the other nineteen banners. Our decline in the past was due to a lack of a capable leader. Although this sounds like bragging, I have to say it, the capable leader that you all have been waiting for is finally here." Li Luo ended with a great smile. Laughter followed after his remarks. Although it was a blunt way to boast about himself, it had made the banner members feel closer to him. Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "novelhall.com" As Li Luo glanced at the crowd before him, he continued with a wide smile, "I was indeed ambitious when I came to Green Nether Banner. My father once brought the Green Nether Banner to exceptional heights, and I would like to give it a try as well. After all, if my father can do it, surely his son can do it too. If you all still have the passion within your hearts, will you all like to join me and ascend to the top?" There was a silence in the crowd for a short moment. Finally, someone shouted out, "As you wish, Banner Leader! Please bring us to new heights!" All of a sudden, the crowd broke out in lively cheers and chatter. Although it was mainly out of respect for their new Banner Leader, it was evident that the fire in the eyes of numerous banner members had been lit too. They knew that Li Luo was not simply boasting. They had seen his spectacular performance in the past two months as well as how he, a Greater Fiend Palace cultivator, had defeated Zhong Ling, who was approaching the Fiend Finisher Tier. His battle yesterday was like a miracle to them. Perhaps they really could rise back up under his leadership. Looking at the hyped-up crowd, Zhao Yanzhi watched him with her beautiful eyes filled with admiration. Li Luo was a truly charismatic leader compared to Zhong Ling. Zhong Ling had never managed to unite the crowd like this. Of course, she understood that part of the reason Li Luo could pull it off was due to his illustrious background and his magnificent victory yesterday. At this moment, Li Luo changed to a serious tone and said, "Alright, guys, now that I am the Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner, our topmost priority is to reestablish the vanguard team of our banner. This will allow us to push forward in the Fiendish Devil Cave and catch up with the other banners. As such, I propose that we use the fifth division as the base and select the elite members from the other divisions to make up our vanguard team. I hope that you all can give me your support in this. Of course, the vanguard team will be rewarded accordingly." As he ended his sentence, the banner members started to whisper among themselves again. Based on strength alone, the first division was still the strongest in the Green Nether Banner. However, Li Luo had chosen to use the fifth division as the base team. This must have been because of Zhong Ling. "Don''t worry, Banner Leader. The vanguard team affects the Green Nether Banner''s progress as a whole, so we will definitely support you." The Sub Leaders of the second, third, and fourth divisions responded to match his efforts. Hearing this, Li Luo placed his hands together and thanked the three of them earnestly. He had a short discussion with them afterwards before he dismissed them all. "Congratulations, Sub Leader." Zhao Yanzhi and the gang congratulated Li Luo again after the others had left. They were beaming with happiness that could hardly be contained. Even Mu Bi, who was usually calm, was grinning from ear to ear. Although Li Luo had been in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage for two months already, they were ultimately the first ones to follow him. Now that Li Luo has been promoted, there should be better days ahead for them in the Green Nether Banner. "Now that I am the Banner Leader, the Sub Leader position for the fifth division will become vacant. Who do you think is the most suitable for it?" Li Luo asked the trio with a smile. The three of them looked at each other before Zhao Yanzhi bit her lips coquettishly and replied, "Let Li Shi be the new Sub Leader. He just broke through yesterday and reached the Gold Fiend Body Tier, so we are no match for him anymore." "Oh?" Li Luo looked at Li Shi in surprise. This genius of the Li clan was truly gifted. He had stepped into the Gold Fiend Body Tier rather quickly. "This is all thanks to your great leadership during the Fiendish Devil Cave expedition, Sub Leader. If not for those rewards, I would have taken a considerably longer time to achieve this breakthrough," Li Shi replied with gratitude. "Nice one. In that case, you will be the Sub Leader for the fifth division and lead them from now on," Li Luo replied with a smile. "Thank you, Boss!" Li Shi replied. At this moment, Li Luo turned to Zhao Yanzhi and continued, "Yanzhi, now that I am the Banner Leader, there will be a lot of work that I will have to manage. I hope that you can be my assistant. At the same time, can you help me with the formation of the vanguard team too?" Indeed, the formation of the vanguard team was a complex matter. It involved the selection and changing of positions amongst the fifth division''s members, as well as the members of the other four divisions. Given that Li Luo had been here for only two months, he could hardly recognize everyone yet, so it was best to leave this matter to someone he trusted. As someone who was thoughtful and well connected in the Green Nether Banner, Zhao Yanzhi would be of great help in this matter. With her assistance, Li Luo would be able to spend more of his time and effort in cultivating Harmony. On the other hand, Zhao Yanzhi was ecstatic at his request. This meant that her status had increased. In a certain sense, she had even higher status than the other Sub Leaders as the personal assistant of the Banner Leader. At the very least, she would be closer to Li Luo now. Li Luo turned over and said to Mu Bi, "Mu Bi, please help out with the vanguard team matters as well." "Sure. No worries, Big Boss." Mu Bi nodded. As she took a glance around the surrounding area, Zhao Yanzhi whispered back, "Zhong Ling did not come today. He said that he is still recuperating from the fight yesterday, and there has not been much movement from the first division as well. I feel like they may be uncooperative in this." Li Luo was indifferent towards this remark. He replied, "As the leader of the first division for so long, Zhong Ling has a lot of influence on them." "If he refuses to cooperate, it will hinder our formation of a vanguard team. After all, there are quite a few elites in the first division with remarkable strength," Zhao Yanzhi commented after some hesitation. At this moment, Li Shi cut into the conversation and said, "I heard that Zhong Ling planned to use his recuperation as an excuse to stay shut in. And as long as he''s inside, the first division will all be staying in and taking a rest too. If you want him to come out... you''ll have to personally go and get him, Big Boss." With an ice-cold gaze, Zhao Yanzhi chimed in, "This must be Zhong Ling''s ploy. He wants to use the first division as his bargaining chip and threaten you to submit to him. If you don''t do it, there will be an internal struggle within the Green Nether Banner. As the newly appointed Banner Leader, this will surely hurt your reputation if word gets out." "But if the Big Boss gives in now, I am afraid they will ask for even more in the future!" Mu Bi continued with a muffled voice. Hearing this, Zhao Yanzhi looked at Li Luo for further instructions, frowning at this troublesome matter. Knowing that he had lost the position of Banner Leader, Zhong Ling was going to play little tricks to save his face. Ultimately, it was up to Li Luo to decide whether he would remain tough on his approach or give in to Zhong Ling''s request. Li Luo''s expression had remained calm all this time. Without a doubt, he had expected that Zhong Ling would try something like this. Keeping his composure, he replied to them, "I do not believe that the thousands of members in the first division are truly of one heart with Zhong Ling. He wants to threaten me with the first division banner members, right? "Okay, pass my order down. From now on, the first division will not be allowed to participate in the Fiendish Devil Cave expedition as long as Zhong Ling does not show up. Furthermore, the members of the first division will receive one less stipend for each day that Zhong Ling does not appear. Remember, this is just for the ordinary members. Zhong Ling''s share will stay the same. After three days, if Zhong Ling still refuses to show up, remove him as the Sub Leader of the first division. We will select a new Sub Leader from the first division," Li Luo ordered. The trio were stunned when they heard his words. His response to Zhong Ling''s coercion was firmer and stronger than they had imagined. Li Luo looked at the three of them and smiled lightly. However, the smile elicited a sense of tension within the trio. "If he wants to use the hearts of the first division''s members against me, then let me see if he''s really such a charismatic and irreplaceable leader to them." Chapter 0799 – Li Luos Retaliation Chapter 0799 C Li Luo''s Retaliation When the first order from their Li Luo reached their ears, the members of the first division were infuriated as expected. Although they had not joined the rest of the banner in welcoming their new Banner Leader, was it necessary to give them such a stern warning in response? "This is too much!" "Didnt he just injure our boss yesterday? Whats wrong with us not going to welcome him today?" "With our boss out due to injury, there is no leader in the first division. Naturally, we don''t know what to do!" "Exactly! He still dares to stop us from participating in the Fiendish Devil Cave?" "Does he really think he can just do whatever he wants in the Green Nether Banner?!" "Don''t worry, he is just trying to scare us." "Let''s go! We shall report this to Boss Zhong Ling!" Multiple enraged complaints could be heard from the first division members at the Green Nether drill grounds. Moreover, the confidants of Zhong Ling were stirring up their emotions. Soon enough, they gathered a group of banner members and headed over to Zhong Ling''s place to report this matter. However, an even bigger group of first division members stayed behind. Shortly after the previous group had left the drill grounds, their complaints started to die down and looks of worry surfaced on their faces. Evidently, the new Banner Leader was coming after Zhong Ling. The battle between these two had really started to heat up. If it were anyone else that had come after Zhong Ling, the first division would be confident in their own Sub Leader. After all, Zhong Ling was not weak by any means, and he had a strong backing with Zhong Yushi, the Green Nether Halls Second Hall Master, being his uncle. With such a background, no one in the Green Nether Banner had dared to trifle with him thus far. But... Li Luo had an even more fearsome background. Originally, Zhong Ling had an edge over Li Luo as he was more powerful, being a Gold Fiend. However, this was no longer the case after yesterday''s battle. Li Luo had won despite being in a lower tier, and he was evidently an up and coming unstoppable force. In addition, Li Taixuan, Li Luos father, was still the Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall despite being away for decades. The respectable Lineage Chief... was clearly supportive of Li Luo no matter how one looked at it too. Therefore, in the eyes of the ordinary banner members, Li Luo had a formidable backing in terms of his background and his strength. If Zhong Ling were to go up against him, there was no way to guarantee he would be able to get anything good out of it. Furthermore, it was clear from Li Luo''s tough attitude in this particular situation that he was not afraid of Zhong Ling''s little tricks. If what Li Luo had said was just an empty threat, everything would be fine. But if it was real... Ordinary folk like them would have to suffer as a result of the conflict between two great forces. As the ordinary members of the first division worried over it, Zhong Lings confidants arrived at his residence. Zhong Ling welcomed them to his living room. Find the original at novelhall.com. Although his face was still pale, his injuries from yesterday''s battle had recovered. As he listened to the grievances from the crowd, his face was largely unchanged, but his eyes were filled with fury. "Hmph!" He slammed the teacup in his hand onto the table as he coldly said, "What an arrogant Banner Leader!" Him being absent due to his injuries was half truth and half lies. He had wanted to use his reputation in the first division to make things difficult for Li Luo, thinking that Li Luo would give in to him and he would be able to save face. Who would have thought that Li Luo would instantly flaunt such a tough response? Clearly, Li Luo wanted to confront him directly and refused to give in. "The first division is the strongest division in the Green Nether Banner. Without us, the Green Nether Banner will turn into the weakest banner. I don''t believe he is willing to forsake our division. Pass my words down: Li Luo is just trying to scare us. As long as we stay united in the first division, Li Luo will give in after a few days and invite me back out respectfully!" Zhong Ling told them. When the crowd heard his words, their spirits were lifted and they stuck together in one mind. The atmosphere surrounding the Green Nether drill grounds remained tense the next day. None of the first division members had turned up for Harmony training, and their reason was the lack of a leader as Zhong Ling had yet to recover from the fight. However, this situation did not persist for long before another piece of news reached the first division. The internal vault of the Green Nether Banner had started to decrease the cultivation resources allocated to the first division. The ordinary members of the first division started to panic when they heard about this. Li Luo was faster and more ruthless than they had expected. As the Banner Leader, he did have the authority to control the resource allocation in the banner. Could he really be thinking of abandoning the first division? Before they had gotten over their fright, the second day brought even more news. Apparently, their Banner Leader had asked the Third Hall Master, Li Rouyun, to help him inspect the talents in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and prepare a new batch of young elites as backup. But what were these backups for? The news sent a chill up their spines. Could the Banner Leader be thinking of replacing the whole first division? That was too ruthless and decisive! With the bad news piling up, most of the ordinary members of the first division were panic-stricken. They had come to the Green Nether Banner to cultivate so that they could get a better life in the future. It would be utterly disastrous if they were to be kicked out of the banner by Li Luo now. At this moment, some of them started to regret joining Zhong Ling in his conflict with Li Luo. After all, Zhong Ling was not in the same predicament. He had a strong backing from Zhong Yushi, so he would not be hung up over cultivation resources like them. Moreover, he had not gotten any less resources at all, unlike the regular grunts at the first division. This did not sit well with some of the first divisions personnel. They had paid a heavy price and risked their futures in order to support Zhong Ling in his protest, while Zhong Ling himself had not sacrificed anything in this at all. After two days, there was dissatisfaction and complaints forming in private among the ordinary folks of the first division. Gradually, there were fewer and fewer people following Zhong Ling''s allies. On the third day, Li Luo gave a new order. The selection for the new Sub Leader of the first division would begin. This caused a huge commotion within the first division. They were terrified by this news. Day after day, Li Luo had been getting more aggressive as if he did not care about the loss of their division at all. It was like he wanted to restructure the whole division. At this rate, was Zhong Ling going to be fired as well? Everyone knew that he was... used to be the strongest fellow in the whole Green Nether Banner! It would be a huge loss for the Green Nether Banner to lose him, right? Did the Banner Leader not care about the future at all? However, these reckless moves by Li Luo had indeed sparked some new ideas amongst the elite members of the first division. If Zhong Ling was indeed fired, then they... would stand a chance, right? Although Zhong Ling had a reputation in the first division, it was insufficient to make everyone give up everything for him. What''s more, Li Luo had slowly diminished his reputation with his aggressive moves over the last three days. .. At the center training field in the Green Nether drill grounds. The four divisions of the Green Nether Banner had gathered. Thousands of people filled the field, and it was a majestic sight to behold. Li Luo stood on the highest point without much expression. After two days of hard work, he had finally mastered the Draconic Atavism Scripture of the Banner Leader. It was about time to try attaining Harmony with the whole Green Nether Banner now. This would be a power that could rival someone at the Duke Stage. Of course, the absence of the first division would greatly affect the power of Harmony. However, it was still worth a try to see how things went. Most importantly, he had planned to resolve all the internal issues of the Green Nether Banner today. Zhong Ling was a hidden threat that he had to get rid of no matter what. If he didnt, he might be endangered during the state of Harmony if Zhong Ling pulled any tricks during the competition in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. As he pondered over this, his gaze grew colder and more frigid. He raised his palm and gently waved down, signaling to the banner members to begin the practice. However, there was a sudden commotion coming from afar that distracted the soldiers at the training field. Everyone turned and looked, and they saw a huge wave of people coming towards them. It was the members from the first division. Although it was not everyone, the majority had come. Thousands of them had gathered in front of Li Luo, who was standing on a tall platform, and dropped down to one knee despite the gazes from the other divisions. "Banner Leader, twelve hundred members of the first division are reporting in!" a guy acting as their leader shouted loudly. Hearing this, the members from the other four divisions could not help but raise their eyebrows. When they looked up and saw the slender, tall guy on the elevated platform, they knew very well deep in their hearts that Zhong Ling had lost. The future of the Green Nether Banner would ultimately be decided by the one in front of them. Chapter 0800 – Reappearance of Zhong Ling Chapter 0800 C Reappearance of Zhong Ling On the high platform on the drill grounds, Li Luo''s gaze swept over the slightly hurried-looking first division. Complicated expressions could be seen on all their faces, as well as apprehension. After all, they were clearly angry at the Banner Leader just a few days ago and had opted to skip practice, which could also be seen as a show of disrespect. Now that they had been forced to bend under Li Luo''s methods, their hearts were filled with fear and they no longer wished to be tied to Zhong Ling''s boat. However, they were not sure if Li Luo would still punish them for their previous actions. Although he had stated that he would not blame the ordinary members, his tough approach in the last two days had instilled anxiety within them. Thus, these thousand-odd banner members did not dare to speak any further. Li Luo immediately focused upon the one who had just spoken. "What is your name?" "Banner Leader, this humble one is Zhou Shanhe," the young man carefully replied. Li Luo nodded slightly. He could be considered an elite in the first division. He was no weaker than Li Shi and was once a close follower of Zhong Ling. His presence here signified that he was planning to change allegiances. It was human nature to hit someone when they were down, and Zhong Ling''s decline was clearly set in stone. These individuals felt that there was no reason to follow him to the end and squander their futures. Li Luo was also exceptionally talented, and even though he was a dark horse, he would very likely have a significant role to play in the future of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Thus, the choice was not hard. This novel is available on novelhall.com. Li Luo nodded and calmly replied, "Now that you''re here, you can begin your training in earnest. Don''t be concerned with other things, and when the Green Nether Banner ascends, you will share in the glory and benefits too." Zhou Shanhe gratefully nodded as he wiped off the cold sweat off his forehead. Just as Li Luo waved to signal him to join the group, his attention was drawn to a group of individuals that were rushing over in the distance. Ten breaths later, the group arrived. The one leading them was none other than the missing Zhong Ling! His appearance caused a flurry of activity to erupt within the drill grounds. Zhou Shanhe and the rest of the first division members who had turned up earlier started to feel a little flustered. Zhong Ling shot a vicious gaze towards Zhou Shanhe, accompanied by a furious roar. "How audacious of you, Zhou Shanhe!" Zhong Ling could see that Zhou Shanhe had encouraged the rest of the first division to join the training session! He clearly did not respect his authority. Zhou Shanhe felt a chill run down his spine, but he hardened himself. "Sub Leader, we have no choice. We have to cultivate as well." An angry smile was plastered on Zhong Ling''s face as he stomped over step by step. However, Li Luo''s cold and in a different voice echoed out at that very moment. "Zhong Ling, are you in a position to speak?" Zhong Ling''s eyes twitched as he gave a smile that was not a smile. "This is an internal issue of the first division." "Have you forgotten my position?" Li Luo raised a single eyebrow as he waved his hand and gave his order. "If Zhong Ling makes any more movements. Take. Him. Down." With that declaration, Li Shi took a step forward, giving Zhong Ling a sharp look. At the same time, the second, third, and fourth division Sub Leaders also stood up. Li Luo was now the Banner Leader and their direct superior. They could not disobey him. Zhong Lings expression turned unimaginably ugly. His face seemed to be trembling, clearly holding back the immense rage within his heart. He was once the most imposing and authoritative individual in the banner despite just being the Sub Leader of the first division. The other three Sub Leaders had never even let out as much as a fart in protest, but now things had changed. They were all ready to bare their fangs and suppress him. All this was due to Li Luo''s appearance. In the end, Zhong Ling managed to restrain himself, and he calmly replied, "Banner Leader Li Luo, you are truly mighty. I was merely resting for the last two days, and if I had turned up just a day late, the entire first division would have been dismantled by you. I want to know, is our division such an eyesore in the great Banner Leader''s eyes?" Zhao Yanzhi snorted coldly. "Were you really resting or looking for an excuse not to come? Only you know yourself best." Zhong Ling emotionlessly retorted, "I was injured during the Banner Leader battle. That was clear for all to see. I heard that the Banner Leader even wants to replace me and find a new Sub Leader. I wonder why? Is it because I was injured and had to rest for two days? I was personally dispatched as the Sub Leader by the Second Hall Master, and if the Banner Leader wants my position, he will have to follow the rules set by the Second Hall Master." Li Luo glanced at him but no longer bothered to bicker with him. "Since you''re here, then prepare to practice. Don''t waste any more time." When Zhong Ling heard this, his eyes shrank slightly. He seemed a little taken aback. Obviously, Li Luo would not let him off the hook so easily. Did he not intend to hold him accountable and would instead leave him to continue being the first division''s Sub Leader? Zhong Ling''s gaze trembled and he laughed coldly deep down. Li Luo actually had some brains, it seemed. He knew that the Green Nether Banner would suffer too much of a loss without him! After all, he was still the sole individual at the Fiend Finisher Tier in the banner. Thus, Zhong Ling waved his sleeves and brought his division to their usual position. When Zhou Shanhe saw Zhong Ling walk over, his expression stiffened. He had never expected Li Luo to only feign bravery and wrap up the situation like this! Had he just forgiven Zhong Ling just like that? What would happen to the people who had opted to abandon him? With Zhong Ling''s personality, they would definitely not be let off easily. The rest of the first division members were bitterly crying out in their hearts, immediately lowering their heads. They were unwilling to look Zhong Ling''s allies in the eye. However, Zhong Ling did not do much either, only gloomily finding his position and sitting down cross-legged. He did not plan to go so far that Li Luo would be forced to kick him out. Only by remaining within the Green Nether Banner could he cause Li Luo endless trouble. For example, when the Green Nether Banner tried to achieve Harmony as a whole. Now that Li Luo had stolen his position, then so be it. Since he could no longer advance, Li Luo should give up any dreams of using the Green Nether Banner to ascend higher! Additionally, he could secretly sabotage and disrupt Li Luo''s plans during moments of crisis during the Fiendish Devil Cave expeditions in future. As his mind pondered over numerous vicious ways to retaliate, Zhong Ling and his group were finally seated. Li Luo remained indifferent, seemingly unconcerned with Zhong Ling''s side of things. He stretched his hand out, and a gold seal appeared in his grasp. The seal was engraved with an intricate design of a dragon, passively radiating a mystical sort of pressure. As Zhong Ling stared at that particular seal, a deep desire for it blossomed within his eyes. This was the object that signified that one was the Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner, the Gold Dragon Seal. Only the one who possessed it could rouse the strength of all eight thousand banner members. The strength that one would achieve in the state of Harmony with the whole banner was no weaker than that of a Duke! Although this strength did not truly belong to the wielder, it was enough for anyone to crave for its might. "Li Luo, don''t think you will ever be able to achieve Harmony so easily with me in the Green Nether Banner! Once you fail to do so a few times, your prestige will be ruined. Lets see if you''ll still dare to show your face as the supposed Banner Leader then!" As Zhong Ling had these thoughts in mind, Li Luo began to clutch the gold seal and activate the Draconic Atavism Scripture. The next moment, the eight thousand banner members felt a sort of calling as strand after strand of majestic energy began to arise from their bodies and ascend into the skies. The energy converged in the air, forming an extremely huge torrent of energy. The torrent of energy was like a furious dragon coiled up atop the skies of the Green Nether Banner''s drill grounds. The energy itself emitted a pressure that caused a storm to kick up within the very grounds. When the energy abrasively rubbed against the air, it created thunderous booms. Everyone in the field was taken aback by this sight. Although attaining Harmony was not something unfamiliar to them, this was the first time this generation of the Green Nether Banner had seen the complete Harmony as a whole. It was much more powerful than they had expected. Zhao Yanzhi worriedly looked at Li Luo. Controlling such a huge amount of energy was no easy feat, and she did not know if Li Luo would succeed. Similarly, Li Luo was currently observing the gigantic, coiled-up dragon condensed from energy. It was incredibly mighty and gave off an intimidating pressure. However, there was no fear in his eyes, only a feeling of longing and anticipation. The energy and power were intoxicating and coveted by all. If anyone could control it, they could compete against a full-fledged Duke even if they were in the Fiend Palace Tier. This was the might of the Twenty Banners of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. It was a power on par with that of Dukes. Li Luo tightly clutched the gold seal and slowly closed his eyes, allowing the resonant power within his body to circulate and lift upwards. It then entered the middle of the condensed energy. Next up, he would finally get to try it. Just how hard would it be to achieve the state of Harmony with eight thousand Green Nether Banner members? Chapter 0801 – 8,000 Member Harmony Chapter 0801 C 8,000 Member Harmony When Li Luo''s resonant power surged into the torrent of energy produced by Harmony, he could distinctly feel that using it with the whole banner was entirely different than using it with just the fifth division. The combined efforts of the entire banner could challenge a Duke, and even if it was just a first or second-grade Duke, he could still wield Duke-level strength. The Duke Stage was a qualitative jump in cultivation realms, and one would be a true expert at that point, regardless of whether they were in the inner or outer divine continents. They were the pillars supporting any power, including the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Thus, many of the Banner Leaders who had experienced going through the state of Harmony with the entire banner had drowned in the pleasure of power. Some even felt completely lost. As a result, being able to maintain one''s mental state was considerably difficult, much less wielding the power to launch all sorts of empowered attacks. On the other hand, this was nothing new to Li Luo. Within the tempest of energy, the consciousnesses of the eight thousand banner members were also condensed together. Although the stream of thought was guided by the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art, Li Luo was still temporarily overwhelmed by the influx of thoughts at first, turning slightly dizzy. At the same time, seemingly endless amounts of energy tugged at his resonant power, giving him a hard time trying to maintain order. Li Luo began to frown and a look of pain arose on his face. In the surroundings of the drill grounds, the eight thousand banner members had serious faces. They could similarly feel the chaos brewing within the state of Harmony, but they could not assist Li Luo in any way. He was the only one who could maintain control. The only thing they could help with was to reduce the impact their conscious thoughts had on the situation and facilitate Li Luo''s assimilation into a whole. Zhao Yanzhi continued to look on in worry. Li Luo did not seem to want to take a step back. Clearly, he was not going to give up anytime soon. "He has a strong personality," Zhao Yanzhi helplessly muttered to herself. Many Banner Leaders failed to achieve Harmony together with the entire banner on their first attempt, this also included the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Li Qingfeng from the Gold Blood Banner. Li Qingfeng had to try thrice before finally succeeding. Thus, the first failure did not mean much. Additionally, there was a devious Zhong Ling hidden into the mix. He still held sway over several individuals in the first division, and if they secretly chose not to cooperate, the difficulty for Li Luo to achieve Harmony would only increase. In another area of the drill grounds, Zhong Ling''s eyes were half open and half shut. A smirk surfaced on his face as he continued to spy on Li Luo. "Li Luo, oh, Li Luo. You''ve chosen to ruin my plans, yet you still want things to go your way without trouble. How could something like that be possible in this world?" Zhong Ling thought to himself. He understood that Li Luo had severed his path of advancement, and the enmity he felt was not a small one. Thus, he would have to find ways to take revenge. He would not give Li Luo the opportunity to kick him out of the Green Nether Banner. His position had been arranged by Zhong Yushi, and if Li Luo wanted to see him gone, he would need an appropriate reason. He would also need to obtain the resolutions approved by the other Hall Masters, and it would not be easy for him to obtain them in any short amount of time. Only by remaining could he be a thorn in his path. At this point in time, Zhong Ling could feel that there was endless chaos brewing within the torrent of energy above them, and Li Luo''s resonant power did not seem to have reappeared. Now the eight thousand banner members were like headless flies, completely uncontrolled and wandering. "It should be over..." Zhong Ling thought to himself. It seemed as though he had managed to vent some of his malicious intent. But just as this thought surfaced, a sudden change occurred in the torrent of energy. Slight movement could be seen before a particularly striking stream of resonant power emerged, wrapped in a special aura that continued to rise. This feeling was not foreign to Zhong Ling. It was something that was radiated by the Banner Leader''s gold seal. This caused his mood to sink. How did Li Luo manage to find a path through the tumultuous situation and take control of the torrent of energy? Impossible! Even Li Qingfeng failed on his first try, and what is Li Luo compared to him?! As Zhong Ling remained in shock, Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief. He had almost been assimilated into the chaos. The Harmony produced by the whole banner was indeed slightly tyrannical. The good thing was that he had already experienced the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf and Principal Pang''s powers, and the latter was significantly more terrifying than wielding a Duke''s power. Li Luo might have merely been a puppet for Principal Pang, but it was a feeling his body still remembered very clearly. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was at the quasi-Duke Stage, and the strength in his hands now was not too far off from it. Without these experiences under his belt, it might have been tricky for Li Luo to achieve the state of Harmony. He managed to get through this situation without problems in the end, managing to maintain his state of clarity and taking control of the power. Still, things were not over. After managing to achieve clarity, the next step was to assimilate everyone''s energy into a whole. The energy itself was still in a state of chaotic flux. Li Luo circulated the Draconic Atavism Scripture, and with the aid of the Banner Leaders gold seal, he experimented with controlling the entire banner''s energy as one. Alas, progress was slow. He took almost two hours to just barely fuse a small portion of the banner''s strength. This made him feel a little helpless. He had spent time preparing earlier today, seeking guidance from Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao. Based on their words, Li Qingfeng had only managed to reach a state of clarity after three tries, and that included wielding everyone''s strength as one. It was only through personal experience that he understood the sheer difficulty of this task. This was why he was seen as a genius of a generation. One could see how difficult such a task was. Li Luo quashed the complicated thoughts in his heart as he perceived the torrent of energy. In his previous tries, he discovered that the reason why he was unable to control everyone''s energy as one was mainly because the energy had come from eight thousand different individuals. Even though they all practiced the Draconic Breath Fiend Art, their energy still held a trace of their consciousness. Additionally, there were some who were trying to cause trouble, such as Zhong Ling. If he was able to restrain these threads of consciousness, then he would be able to control all of the energy within a short amount of time. Simply speaking, if he could concuss the crap out of everyone''s minds, then the energy would remain obedient as the members would be in a daze! His thoughts began to fly as he pondered over a viable solution. However, everyone''s energy was mixed together, so how could he find a way to intimidate these threads of consciousness into submission? This was a fanciful idea indeed. Even a Duke Art couldn''t be used in this situation. Anything else was even less useful. "Hmm?" At this point, an idea popped up in Li Luo''s head. Something to awe everyone''s hearts and mind? Wait a minute, he did have something like that. It would be the second Nine Revolutions Art he had picked up from the Dragon Stele! Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment. It could condense the manifestation of a Heavenly Dragon and use its energy to give birth to draconic pressure that could intimidate and shock one''s heart and mind. Chapter 0802 – The Might of Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment Chapter 0802 C The Might of Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment When he recalled his memories regarding Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment, a pleasant smile surfaced on his face. This was the perfect solution to his problem right now. He could feel the formless energy from the eight thousand banner members floating aimlessly in the sky above, and he apologized to them in his own heart for the harsh measure that he was about to execute. Taking a deep breath, he formed the necessary hand seals rapidly with both palms, leaving a trace of afterimages. At the same moment, he shouted across the field, "Guys, take a look over here! Let me show you all something cool." The crowd was astonished by his sudden shout at first, then they reflexively glanced over to where Li Luo was. In the next moment, they witnessed a dazzling, gold light burst out of Li Luo, which expanded across the whole field in an instant. Everyone was shocked by what they saw. It was as if an enormous dragon manifestation that they could not see the ends of had emerged. Although the dragon manifestation was a little blurry, its appearance had sent a terrifying wave of pressure across the crowd that left everyone stunned. It was as if a huge cudgel had directly struck their mental state. They completely forgot about themselves at that moment and were left in a daze. The enormous torrent of energy that was bubbling previously had begun to calm down. In fact, it seemed to become passive extremely quickly. Seeing this, Li Luo seized the opportunity, swiftly gathering up the energy above with the help of the Banner Leader''s gold seal. In a short moment, the energy that was previously resisting by instinct was under his control. Now the energy that he could utilize had grown remarkably powerful. After half a minute or so, the crowd regained their consciousness from their stunned state. They discovered in astonishment that an extremely huge energy torrent had appeared within the ocean of energy above them. And Li Luo was the one in control of it. They simply could not believe their own eyes. Just a while ago, Li Luo had barely managed to control ten percent of the total energy. Now he was managing over seventy percent of it. Without a doubt, Li Luo seemed to possess significant control over the ocean of energy. But how?! Not even Li Qingfeng from the Gold Blood Banner had managed to do it in his first try! Could it be that Li Luo was even more gifted than Li Qingfeng? Their hearts wavered in excitement. If not for the state of Harmony, they would have turned to each other and started chattering in excitement. Unlike everyone else, Zhong Ling was confused and full of panic as he stared at the enormous torrent of energy under Li Luo''s control now. He could not fathom what had happened during this short period of time. What was the mysterious dragon manifestation that Li Luo had created earlier? Even now, he could not help but feel uneasy from the terrifying sense of coercion that exuded from that creature. "What the hell did this bastard do?" Zhong Ling asked himself in a mix of fright and anger. He had wanted to see Li Luo fail and make a joke of himself. However, now that Li Luo had seventy percent of the energy under his control, the remaining thirty percent would hardly pose any threat or obstruction to him anymore. In other words, Li Luo most likely would succeed in achieving complete Harmony with the whole banner on his first try. Although such an achievement was not unprecedented, it had only happened a few times. At the very least, even Li Qingfeng had not managed to pull it off. As one could imagine, Li Luo''s already prestigious reputation would rise even further as soon as this news got out. Zhong Ling felt endless frustration. On the other hand, Li Luo was pleasantly surprised. His quick thinking had achieved a much better result than he had expected, most likely because the majority of the banner members were users of the Draconic Breath Fiend Art. The effects of the dragonfear from his Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment had been outstanding. With seventy percent of the energy under his control now, success was in sight. With a quick thought, the majestic torrent of energy slithered in the ocean like a giant python, and the remaining energy was absorbed into it like a flock of birds returning home. After a short while, over ninety percent of the energy was under his control. He knew without looking that the remaining ten percent belonged to Zhong Ling and his hardcore supporters. Only they would resist the assimilation with a strong and intentional will to rebel. Nonetheless, resistance was futile at this point. As Li Luo controlled the huge torrent of energy to sweep past them, their energy was easily swallowed up. In the end, he managed to successfully achieve Harmony with the entire Green Nether Banner on his first attempt. Theft is never good, try looking at [ novelhall.com ]. Bang! Bang! The magnificent energy controlled by Li Luo flew above the Green Nether drill grounds like a giant dragon wreathed in a cloak of deafening thunder. It was an oppressive aura that subdued all worldly natural energy. As thunder continued to boom, many curious gazes in the mountain range looked over. After all, this was enough energy to rival even a Duke. However, what really got them curious was that this wave of energy seemed unfamiliar... When they saw that it had come from the Green Nether drill grounds, they understood that it had arisen from the Green Nether Banner''s Harmony. It was not surprising at all, right? The Green Nether Banner had just obtained a new Banner Leader. At this moment, they stopped in their thoughts and their faces changed. As they recalled, Li Luo had just become the Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner a few days ago, right? Wasnt today the first time he was attempting to attain Harmony with the Green Nether Banner? And he had succeeded?! At this moment, many of the elders in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage were completely taken aback by this realization. The son of Li Taixuan was truly exceptional, constantly eliciting surprises. Back at the Green Nether drill grounds, Li Luo was happily maneuvering his newly gained power. This alluring strength was much greater than what the fifth division alone could provide. After all, it was a power that was on par with a Duke. Nonetheless, he felt a wave of fatigue surge through him soon after. Evidently, controlling such enormous power took a huge toll on him. With a thought from him, the huge torrent of energy slowly descended and floated in the air above the group like a colossal ocean. He then glanced across the eight thousand banner members of the Green Nether Banner. Their eyes were filled with respect and admiration now, although this was mainly due to the sheer might that emanated from being in the presence of a ridiculous amount of energy. All of them except a handful. At this point, Li Luo looked over at Zhong Ling, who had a confused look on his face. Sensing his stare, Zhong Ling immediately restrained himself and kept his face indifferent. "Zhong Ling," Li Luo said with a slight smile. He felt that some things had to be resolved before they grew into bigger problems in the future. "What''s the matter?" Zhong Ling asked back. "Have you recovered from your injuries?" Li Luo inquired thoughtfully. "They are not completely healed, but they should not pose a problem during daily training," Zhong Ling replied with a frown. Hearing this, Li Luo shook his head and then continued earnestly, "What I mean is, your health is of utmost importance! If you are injured, you should focus on recuperating, and it''s okay if you take a break from trivial things like training." As soon as Li Luo finished his sentence, the corners of Zhong Ling''s eyes twitched. He immediately responded, "You worry too much, Banner Leader. My injuries are not that serious, so I don''t need to rest for so long." At this moment, he could sense what Li Luo was thinking. Li Luo wanted to use this as an excuse to keep him away from the first division. If he really took a break for a while, there would likely be no one left in the first division that would continue to support him when he returned. Li Luo grinned brightly in response. Some of the girls in the Green Nether Banner could not help but blush at his handsome looks. A serious look returned to his face almost as quickly as it appeared, then Li Luo pressed his palm down, and the majestic torrent of energy above came down like a mountain. Zhong Ling was the first to bear the brunt of the immense energy. Although he was prepared for it, he was completely powerless in front of Li Luo''s immense strength. In just one breath, his defense was crushed. Zhong Ling spewed out a mouthful of blood, and anger and disbelief filled his eyes. His body crumbled under the suppressive strength and he fell onto the ground. He had not expected to take such a heavy blow from the sudden ambush. There was complete silence all around as the crowd watched Li Luo''s merciless and decisive move in shock. Meanwhile, Li Luo remained calm and composed as he patted his knees and watched the heavily injured Zhong Ling lose consciousness. "Look at those injuries! They seem pretty serious to me. How could you say you were fine? You shouldn''t be stubborn; just get more rest." Chapter 0803 – Loss of Control Chapter 0803 C Loss of Control Everyone in the wide training field was stunned as they stared at the heavily injured Zhong Ling. After a long while, some people recovered from the shock and glanced over at Li Luo with dazed expressions. Zhao Yanzhi and the trio were exceptionally surprised by this development. Knowing his personality, they had expected that Li Luo would not tolerate Zhong Ling, but they had not expected him to be so crude and violent about it. Before the gazes of the crowd, Li Luo appeared to be deeply remorseful over it as he said, "Guys, there was a mistake earlier as this is my first time controlling the power of the Green Nether Banner''s Harmony. There was a backlash of power from Harmony earlier, and unfortunately, Zhong Ling was at the spot where it happened." The crowd remained dead silent over it. Zhong Ling was truly unlucky, but... was that energy really him losing control over Harmony, or was it their Banner Leader venting his dissatisfaction towards Zhong Ling? Nonetheless, no one said anything about it. With the enormous torrent of energy still hovering above them, they were all smart enough to keep this thought to themselves. Now the authority commanded by Li Luo was multiple times more solid than before. Although this was largely due to the power of Harmony from the eight thousand banner members, Li Luo would not budge even in the face of a Duke with his current strength. They all understood what it truly represented when the Banner Leader obtained control of Harmony from the whole Banner. From now on, Li Luo was truly their leader. As such, none of the banner members raised any complaints against their almighty leader; not even Zhong Ling''s confidants made any noises. Search "novelhall.com" for the original. "Sub Leader Zhong Ling has been gravely injured. As a sign of my apology, I will grant him half a year of leave. During this period, he will continue to receive the same monthly stipends as always," Li Luo announced. Hearing this, some of the banner members bit their lips. Half a year of leave? What a nice way to put it... Everyone knew that Zhong Ling had been recommended to the Green Nether Banner by the Second Hall Master, Zhong Yushi. Even though Li Luo was the Banner Leader, he would need a strong reason to kick Zhong Ling out. Moreover, he would have to report it to the Second Hall Master and get his approval to finish the whole process officially. Even with his prestigious background, the Second Hall Master was bound to come up with some sort of excuse and drag things out, hindering Li Luo''s control over the Green Nether Banner. But who would have thought that Li Luo would suddenly change his tune? Instead of kicking Zhong Ling out directly... he had found a legitimate reason for Zhong Ling to spend time recuperating! However, wasn''t half a year of rest simply too long? What was the difference between that and half a year of exile? By the time Zhong Ling returned, he would be long forgotten by the first division. In that sense, although Li Luo''s sudden move appeared rough at first glance, it was actually a pretty effective move as long as he could defend himself against the Second Hall Master''s accusations. After all, as long as Li Luo insisted that he truly had lost control, there was nothing the Second Hall Master could do to him, even if he did not believe Li Luo. "In the meantime, Zhou Shanhe will take over as the Sub Leader of the first division whilst Sub Leader Zhong Ling recuperates," Li Luo ordered as he turned his gaze towards the first division. Amidst the crowd, Zhou Shanhe was surprised by this news at first. However, he soon lit up with delight as he replied, "As you command, Banner Leader!" The other members of the first division started chattering among themselves at this sudden development. Zhou Shanhe was not as qualified as Zhong Ling for sure. However, the commotion soon died down as Zhou Shanhe was still an elite within the first division. Even the small number of hardcore Zhong Ling supporters did not dare to voice any opposition. If even Zhong Ling, who had a strong backing, was injured so badly, they could not imagine what would happen if they dared to protest now. At this moment, their loyalty towards Zhong Ling was weakened considerably. "Everyone, the loss of control over this ocean of energy was an accident. I will keep this in mind and be more careful next time. That being said, from now on, we need to stand united as one banner. Only then can we regain the past glory of the Green Nether Banner," Li Luo said with a deep voice. The eight thousand banner members in the training field listened to his words in awe. Standing up, Li Luo asked them, "So... how did Zhong Ling get injured?" Everyone hesitated for a moment before some of the astute ones replied back loudly, "It was due to a temporary loss of control over the energy achieved by Harmony, Banner Leader!" Li Luo smiled pleasantly at the response, then he continued, "I hope that everyone can stay united as one. Anyone who breaks this unity will be destroying our dream. If that happens, there will be no place left for that person in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage!" When he finished his statement, the crowd cheered in agreement. As for the hardcore supporters of Zhong Ling, they merely shook in fear amidst the loud cheers. They understood that Li Luos words were directed at them, implicitly threatening them. Anyone who dared to disrupt the unity of the Green Nether Banner could forget about staying on in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage! If those words had come out from others, it might not have been so terrifying. But Li Luo was different. With his background, he was one of the few who dared to speak so arrogantly. Finally, Li Luo dispersed the state of Harmony and then watched his men carry the injured Zhong Ling away. When the energy from Harmony faded away, Li Luo could not help but feel a pang of emptiness and disappointment. The immense power was truly alluring, being far stronger than the Harmony he had experienced with just the fifth division. After being able to wield such mighty power with impunity, it would not be surprising if one started to hallucinate and get drunk over this immense power. Li Luo sighed and then his eyes regained their clarity. Although it was indeed a very strong power, it was not enough for him to become completely obsessed with it just yet. Thankfully, his first attempt at Harmony with the Green Nether Banner was a much better success than he had anticipated. Not only had he learned to control its immense power, he had also removed the biggest hurdle hidden in the Green Nether Banner. There would be no place left for Zhong Ling in the Green Nether Banner after he returned from his recuperation. Gradually, the banner members started to leave the training field. They were lively and high-spirited as they kept whispering to each other. However, they were not talking about the incident with Zhong Ling. They were excited about Li Luo''s success with his first attempt in Harmony. They knew very well how exceptional this success was. Once news of what had happened today spread out, everyone would be paying attention to the Green Nether Banner. Perhaps they really could return to the glorious days of the Green Nether Banner under the leadership of their new Banner Leader. "Yanzhi, we need to select the best members over the next two days and turn the fifth division into the vanguard team. We have to prepare for the next Fiendish Devil Cave expedition," Li Luo reminded Zhao Yanzhi. Zhao Yanzhi nodded and replied with a sweet smile, "Banner Leader, I have thought of many ways to kick Zhong Ling out, but there were none as efficient as yours." Li Luo responded seriously, "It has nothing to do with me, the energy went out of control. Zhong Ling was just unlucky." With a slightly hidden smile, Zhao Yanzhi continued, "Let me get someone to pay him a visit in your name every two days and express our remorse for the mistake. We hope that he will take care and get well soon. Everyone in the Green Nether Banner will be looking forward to his return. Does that sound good?" Hearing this, Li Luo was taken aback for a moment. Meanwhile, Li Shi and Mu Bi glanced over at Zhao Yanzhi, who was smiling charmingly at her own suggestion. How ruthless! Wouldn''t that make Zhong Ling jump out of his bed in anger? Furthermore, a visit every two days? Clearly, there was no intention to let Zhong Ling get any better, was there? Li Luo might have accidentally harmed him physically, but Zhao Yanzhi would destroy his soul. Chapter 0804 – Hall Masters Questioning Chapter 0804 C Hall Master''s Questioning After Li Luo had settled the problem with Zhong Ling, there was a considerable pick up in pace for the formation of the vanguard team. With Zhou Shanhe as the new Sub Leader, the first division had become cooperative and swiftly submitted a list containing the names of the elite members. Using that as a starting point, Zhao Yanzhi had selected a few potential candidates. Those who were sharp would have noticed that she had purposely chosen a few that were confidants of Zhong Ling. She had done so intentionally, in order to separate the hardcore supporters from one another. Separated, they would gradually forget about Zhong Ling as the days passed by. Thanks to her exceptional efficiency, the vanguard team of the Green Nether Banner was established in just two days'' time. With the fifth division as the foundation, the vanguard team would be led by their Sub Leader Li Shi. Of course, during a Fiendish Devil Cave expedition, the chief commander of the vanguard team would be Li Luo. This would continue all the way until they reached layer forty of the Fiendish Devil Cave. From layer forty onwards, the difficulty of the Fiendish Devil Cave would increase tremendously. If they wanted to continue pushing forward, they would need all five divisions to come together and utilize the complete Harmony of the banner. Nonetheless, they were currently at layer thirty-five and still required a vanguard team to lead the way. On the day after the vanguard team was formed, Li Luo gathered everyone and tested the capabilities of the new division. It was truly a satisfying result. By his estimate, they had reached the later stages of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier with the power of the Harmony. This was a great improvement, considering the vanguard team was formed with the fifth division as the base. Previously, Harmony with the fifth division had only reached the beginning stages of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. There was a huge gap between these two. With this specially selected vanguard team, Li Luo was confident that they would have no problem facing off against the other banners as long as it was not the vanguard teams of the top six banners. With that, Li Luo''s next goal was to get the Green Nether Banner to layer forty in a month''s time. However, he was summoned by the Green Nether Hall for questioning just before the Fiendish Devil Cave reopened. Obviously, this was regarding the incident with Zhong Ling. A quick look at "novelhall.com" will leave you more fulfilled. After enduring for two days, Second Hall Master Zhong Yushi could not hold it in any longer. This was all within Li Luo''s expectations. After he told Zhao Yanzhi and the guys not to worry about him, he headed straight for Green Nether Peak. Pavilion Hall This was where the highest authority of each hall worked. On normal days, the Hall Masters would receive and share countless pieces of information and intelligence from the two domains under their jurisdiction. There were countless streams of people working busily. Li Luo''s arrival drew everyone''s attention. After all, he was kind of a special figure in the Green Nether Hall with his family background and amazing feats over the past two months. They all knew that the son of the Main Hall Master was extraordinary. Without paying much attention to their gazes, Li Luo headed straight to the main meeting room of the Pavilion Hall. When he entered, he saw five tall chairs in the grand room. The center seat was left empty, while Zhong Yushi sat on the left and Li Rouyun sat on the right of it. There were two other Hall Masters that were unfamiliar to Li Luo, as they were hardly seen. Apart from the four Hall Masters of the Green Nether Hall, there were numerous black-robed figures sitting around the room who watched him with scrutinizing eyes. While Li Luo made his way in, his eyes were fixed onto the empty chair in the middle. Is this where my father sat in the past? It feels quite awe-inspiring. He secretly smiled in his heart before he bowed to the four Hall Masters and asked, "I don''t know why the hall has summoned me. Are there any new orders for me?" Zhong Yushi looked seriously at Li Luo as he responded in a deep voice, "Banner Leader Li Luo, I know young people are hot-blooded, but why did you injure Zhong Ling? Do you know that this will set a bad precedent? If every other newcomer acted like you, would there be any unity left in the Green Nether Banner?" Li Luo blinked when he heard the accusation. With a face full of remorse, he explained, "Second Hall Master, I didn''t mean to injure Zhong Ling. It was a special situation back then as I attempted Harmony with the Green Nether Banner for the first time. The power was simply enormous, and I could not completely control it on my first try. When I lost control, there was a backlash that coincidentally struck towards Sub Leader Zhong Ling. As he could not react in time, he was injured." The corners of Zhong Yushi''s mouth twitched slightly as he replied, "Banner Leader Li Luo, your words are not believable." "But this is the fact. I am willing to apologize to Sub Leader Zhong Ling for this, and we do really hope that he will recover soon and return to the Green Nether Banner," Li Luo said regretfully. At this moment, Li Rouyun, the Third Hall Master, cut into the conversation slowly. "Second Hall Master, this matter has not been investigated properly. You should not blame it on Li Luo for personal reasons." Hearing their responses, Zhong Yushi''s eyes were seething with anger. However, he knew that as long as Li Luo stuck to his version of the story, there was nothing he could do here apart from reprimanding him. After all, Li Luo''s status was different from that of an ordinary Banner Leader. He took a deep breath and replied, "If it was truly an accident, why did you find someone to replace Zhong Ling as the Sub Leader on the spot?" Li Luo responded earnestly, "There are still many tasks and training awaiting the Green Nether Banner, and we do not know how long Zhong Ling will take to recover. Surely, we can''t leave the first division without a Sub Leader all this while, can we?" "But according to the rules, if the Sub Leader getting replaced has not committed an offense, he has the right to elect someone else to take his place temporarily. Even though you are the Banner Leader, you cannot just replace a Sub Leader who has committed no offense without a good reason," Zhong Yushi said flatly. "When we sent someone to check on Zhong Ling earlier, he had regained his senses and told us he had another candidate in mind for the Sub Leader position of the first division. Although it is hard for us to conclude whether you intentionally injured Zhong Ling, we will still need to change the Sub Leader of the first division according to the rules," Zhong Yushi continued. Li Luo frowned upon hearing this. To think he could come up with such an excuseZhong Yushi was truly a sly fox. However, Li Luo could not swap out Zhou Shanhe as the Sub Leader now. He had announced it in front of the whole banner before. If the Sub Leader changed now, how would anyone still listen to his orders in the future? At this moment, Li Rouyun chipped in to defend Li Luo. "The Green Nether Banner has already formed the vanguard team and is preparing to enter the Fiendish Devil Cave now. Second Hall Master, if you insist on changing the first divisions Sub Leader now, won''t it be a waste of time and resources?" Hearing this, a middle-aged man sitting on one of the Hall Master seats smiled and said, "Hehe, you are wrong to say that, Third Hall Master. Those are the rules, we have to follow them. If not, how will we convince anyone else to follow them in the future?" The one who had spoken was Lu Sen, the Fourth Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall. As someone who had been recommended to the seat by Zhong Yushi, he naturally followed his lead. "If there is no point in discussing this further, let''s have the Hall Masters take a vote and decide," said Li Shilei, the last Hall Master. Although he was the least senior in the hall, he was still from the Li clan and generally supported his fellow clanmates. Hearing his proposal, Li Rouyun raised her eyebrows a bit as she calmly concluded, "We have four Hall Masters, it''s a tie with two votes against two votes. Since we are unable to draw any conclusions for now, let''s leave this matter to another day." However, Zhong Yushi raised his hand at this moment and interrupted, "Hold on for a moment. According to the rules, we can get the enforcement department to vote and decide if there is no conclusion from the Hall Masters'' voting. I have kindly invited the Green Nether Hall''s enforcement department here with us today." Li Rouyun''s face froze immediately upon hearing this. After so many years in the Green Nether Hall, Zhong Yushi had considerable influence within it. More than half of the enforcement department people present right now were his supporters. It seemed like Zhong Yushi was really enraged by Li Luo''s actions. Perhaps this was the first time he had felt so offended by anyone in the Green Nether Hall. "Guys, if you agree that Zhou Shanhe should stay as the Sub Leader of the first division, please remain seated. As for those who agree that we should follow the rules and change the Sub Leader based on Zhong Ling''s recommendation, please step forward," Zhong Yushi continued. When he finished speaking, the figures in black robes took a step forward. At a glance, it was evident that more people had stepped forward than those who remained seated. A smile appeared back on Zhong Yushis face as he turned and said to Li Rouyun, "Third Hall Master, do you have anything else to add?" Li Rouyun merely smiled in response. She knew that Zhong Yushi was showing them just how much influence he had in the Green Nether Hall. With the vote from the enforcement department, this matter had truly become a tricky one. "Please wait a moment, I have something to say." Li Luo interrupted them just as Li Rouyun was feeling helpless with the situation on hand. "What is it, Banner Leader Li Luo?" Zhong Yushi asked with a smile. Under ordinary circumstances, such rude behavior from the Banner Leader would have gotten a scolding. However, he could only endure it since it was Li Luo. Slowly and calmly, Li Luo continued, "There are five Hall Masters in the Green Nether Hall, so how could there be a tie in voting?" Hearing this, Zhong Yushi frowned and replied, "The Main Hall Master has been away for many years, so he naturally wouldn''t be able to vote." At this point, Li Luo smiled lightly and said, "I am sorry, it won''t be like this in the future." With that, he held out his hand and showed them a dark-green token. Like a dancing dragon and phoenix, there was a character for "main" engraved in the center, and the token revealed the words Green Nether on it. Li Luo continued with a grin, "Yesterday, the Esteemed Elder gave me the Green Nether Hall''s Main Hall Master token when I visited him. He said that my performance was satisfactory after managing to obtain the Banner Leader position. As such, he handed me this token so that I could better participate in the internal affairs of the Green Nether Hall, even though I am not Green Nether''s Main Hall Master. What a surprising coincidence, isn''t it?" Hearing this, Zhong Yushi''s face turned ugly. "Shall we vote again now?" Li Luo cheerily added. Chapter 0805 – Dragon Fang Duke Art Chapter 0805 C Dragon Fang Duke Art In the end, the matter wrapped up hastily in the Pavillion Hall. No one had expected that Li Luo had obtained the voting rights of the Main Hall Master. Although he did not possess all the privileges of the Green Nether Hall''s Main Hall Master, he was undoubtedly the most influential Banner Leader among the Twenty Banners, considering the fact that he possessed voting rights for hall decisions. No other Banner Leader could possibly possess such a special opportunity. Shortly after, Zhong Yushi came up with an excuse to leave. His face was contorted with a grimace as he departed with a belly full of anger. With the voting rights of the Main Hall Master, Li Luo could truly affect his influence in the Green Nether Hall. However, all this stemmed from Li Jingzhe, so he could not do anything about it no matter how unhappy he was. In the end, the incident with Zhong Ling had come to a closure. There was nothing to pursue anymore, and it was inevitable that the Green Nether Banner would fall into Li Luo''s hands. At Green Nether Peak, between the mountains. Li Rouyun was sending Li Luo off with happiness present within her eyes. She had never really confronted Zhong Yushi before, so it was satisfying to see him face a setback today. "Who would have expected that the Respected Elder would pass you the Green Nether Hall''s Main Hall Master plaque? Zhong Yushi has been eyeing that thing for so many years, and he still couldn''t obtain it despite all his scheming," she commented with a sigh. Evidently, Li Taixuan has an irreplaceable place in the Respected Elder''s heart despite his absence for so many years. "This plaque just gives me voting rights. There are still many affairs in the Green Nether Hall that I can''t intervene in. Guess it''s still too early," Li Luo replied with a smile. "It''s a great start. I think that if your father doesnt return to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage in a few more years, the Respected Elder may just make you take over his position," Li Rouyun added on. "That is too much for me." Li Luo laughed it off with a shake of his head. The Green Nether Hall governed over two domains in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, both of which were far bigger than the jurisdiction of the entire Xia Kingdom. There were bound to be many forces of influence in play and many Dukes involved. "With your talent, it''s not impossible to reach Duke Stage in a few more years," Li Rouyun responded. "Well, I won''t deny that it is quite possible..." Li Luo rubbed his chin and smiled. He firmly believed in this possibility because in a few years time, there would only be one of two results that awaited him: attaining the Duke Stage or... death. "Nonetheless, you have disrupted Zhong Yushi''s plans for the Green Nether Hall with your voting rights. For all these years, he has always relied on such methods to push his ideas through the voting process. I dont think he will be willing to give up his decision-making rights so easily," Li Rouyun told him. "Aunt Yun, what do you think he will do?" Li Luo asked back. Pondering for a moment, Li Rouyun said, "I think he will focus his efforts into winning over the future Sixth Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall now." Hearing this, Li Luo narrowed his eyes for a moment. He had planned to reserve the position of the Sixth Hall Master for Uncle Biao. Uncle Biao had helped out his family immensely and received nothing in return. Although it was not something that could be repaid with the mere position of an official, Li Luo still wanted to do something for him. "I have spoken to the Respected Elder regarding this matter. He has agreed to let Uncle Biao take part in the selection. However, Uncle Biao has not recovered from his injuries and requires external aid just to reach fourth-grade Duke strength. He is planning to push back the Sixth Hall Master selection for now until Uncle Biao restores his Duke Bergfrieds so that everyone will be convinced when he becomes the Sixth Hall Master," Li Luo slowly explained. Li Rouyun nodded in agreement. Indeed, Ox Biaobiao needed to recover his strength, or he wouldn''t last long even if Li Luo pushed him up as the Sixth Hall Master. "Since the Respected Elder has said so, let''s wait for now," Li Rouyun replied. Afterwards, they started chatting about Li Luo''s progress in his cultivation as well as the Green Nether Banner. With a satisfied look, she further commented, "The Green Nether Banner has already reached layer thirty-five in the Fiendish Devil Cave. With a revitalized vanguard team boosting your efforts, your progress will be even faster. You should be able to reach layer forty really soon. At that time, the hall usually gives out a prize. It''s a bountiful reward, so I am sure the morale of the Green Nether Banner will be elevated then. Don''t worry about this, I''ll see what I can do to help you secure the best rewards." Li Luo smiled happily in response. It was truly a blessing to know someone at the top lest he had to worry over these things when the time came. With a change in tone, he suddenly followed up with another question. "Aunt Yun, I heard that once we reach layer forty, we will have the rights to learn the Duke Art of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." Li Rouyun was taken aback by the sudden question, but she smiled and replied, "Yes, as long as the banner reaches layer forty, the Banner Leader will be allowed to learn the Duke Art. Are you interested?" "I''d be lying if I said I wasnt interested in a Duke Art that has been passed down by a Heavenly Emperor bloodline," Li Luo answered. The completed form of the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner was said to be a Destiny-grade Duke Art. That would be huge even amongst the Heavenly Emperor bloodlines. Sadly, the art in his possession was lacking in power and could only be considered a Communion-grade Duke Art. Although this had been sufficient for him all this while, if the opportunity arose, he wanted to learn another Duke Art and create another ace up his sleeve. There were numerous talents awaiting him in this new continent. Sooner or later, he was bound to face off against opponents that were far stronger than people like Zhong Ling. When you''re just trying to make great content at novelhall.com. Seeing his enthusiasm, Li Rouyun smiled a little as she answered, "If others in the Greater Fiend Palace, or even the Fiend Body Tier, asked me about this, I would have felt that they were being too ambitious and unaware of their own abilities. The difficulty of learning a Duke Art is extremely high, and if you are not gifted, it''s better to not waste your cultivation time on these arts. However, you clearly fall into an extraordinary category. We have many Duke Arts in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, but they can be generally categorized into two types. The first would be ordinary Duke Arts. The second is unique to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, known as Dragon Fang-type Duke Arts." "The Dragon Fang-type Duke Arts?" Li Luo asked in surprise. What kind of Duke Art is that? "Simply put, the crux of these Duke Arts involves cultivating a Dragon Fang using a special method," Li Rouyun replied. At this moment, her red lips parted slightly and she blew out lightly. Li Luo could see a small ray of light shoot out from her mouth. The ray of light whizzed through the air and instantly expanded into a stream of light that hovered around Li Rouyun. On closer look, Li Luo could clearly see that within the stream of light was a single sharp object. This was obviously the dragon fang she was referring to. It exuded a terrifyingly sharp aura that sliced through the void as it passed through. Just being in the presence of this sharp aura could cause one to feel as though their soul was being pierced through, sending chills up their spine. Li Luo was slightly frozen in fear. At this very moment, he could feel that none of his defenses would have worked if this dragon fang had attacked him. Without a doubt, his whole body would be punctured full of holes in the blink of an eye and he would be dead in an instant. "This is just one of the Dragon Fangs that I am cultivating. No matter how it evolves, the foundation of Dragon Fang-type Duke Arts always starts from materializing Dragon Fangs. Don''t worry about the details, you''ll know once you get there. For now, you just need to think about which type of Duke Art you would like to cultivate," Li Rouyun explained. Then she inhaled, and the Dragon Fang turned into a strand and disappeared back into her mouth. Li Luo nodded. At this point, they had nearly reached the bottom of the mountain, so he waved goodbye to Li Rouyun. The idea of Dragon Fang-type Duke Arts had caught his interest. He would have to quickly conquer the Fiendish Devil Cave, advance forward, and reach layer forty so that he could get his hands on one as well. (Author''s note: Some of you might have missed my sick leave yesterday. Just a kind reminder, I had tested positive with a really bad fever. I really cant update the chapters. I am feeling much better today and the fever has subsided.) Chapter 0806 – News Spreads Chapter 0806 C News Spreads In the coming days, Li Luo had focused all his attention on conquering the Fiendish Devil Cave. The vanguard team now consisted of the cream of the crop. With the elites of the Green Nether Banner coming together, Li Luo led them to charge ahead through the Fiendish Devil Cave. In the short span of three days, they had gone from layer thirty-five to layer thirty-seven. Among the four banners of Dragon''s Fang Lineage, the Gold Light Banner had reached layer forty-three, followed by the Crimson Cloud Banner at layer thirty-nine, and the Violet Spirit Banner at layer thirty-eight. With their current progress, the Green Nether Banner was no longer lagging behind and had caught up into the middle ranks among the Twenty Banners. In fact, this could be considered Li Luo''s greatest achievement since he arrived in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage two months ago. After all, they were only at layer twenty-eight when he had first entered the Green Nether Banner. With such efficiency, not even the pickiest person would have anything to say about his performance. On the other hand, another piece of news had started spreading amongst the Twenty Banners of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages whilst Li Luo was still drowning in happiness over the Fiendish Devil Cave expeditions. The Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool would be opening up! Initially, they had all heard that the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool would only open up in three years. None of them had expected that there would be a sudden change to things. The Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool was going to open in a month, around the birthday celebration of the Dragon''s Blood Lineages Lineage Chief. When the news got out, the Twenty Banners were bubbling with excitement over it, especially the Banner Leaders who stood a chance at obtaining the dragonbreaths. They were elated at this godsent opportunity. After all, they all knew how exceptional the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath was. One strand of it alone was worth five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light. How much cultivation time could one save by obtaining one? How many high-grade Fiend Origin Pills would that be? Even amongst the other Heavenly Emperor bloodlines, not everyone would get the chance to enjoy such an opportunity. Previously, they had put this aside as the time was not yet ripe. However, who would have expected such a pleasant surprise to suddenly pop up? Fueled with enthusiasm, all the banners started preparing for this upcoming opportunity. When Li Luo ended his Fiendish Devil Cave expedition, Zhao Yanzhi strode over with a piece of news. "Deng Fengxian asked Zhong Ling out for a drink? Is that white-dressed gilded-armor Banner Leader planning to poach our Green Nether Banner members?" Li Luo inquired after hearing the news. We are novelhall.com, find us on google. At present, Zhong Ling was being kept idle by Li Luo. However, his strength was still considered one of the top amongst the banners. Deng Fengxian had to be thinking of poaching him. "Deng Fengxian must be preparing for the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool next month. If he gets Zhong Ling, who has started to break into the Fiend Finisher Tier, to join the Gold Light Banner, their banner''s might will increase considerably," Zhao Yanzhi explained to Li Luo. "Shall we stop him?" she asked. Giving it some thought, Li Luo shook his head and replied, "It''s always a hidden danger for Zhong Ling to stay with us in the Green Nether Banner. His heart is not with us at all. Even if I choose to let go of my grudges with him, I still hold a lot of mistrust towards him, so it would be better to just let him go. We will feel more at ease like this, and the first division will be truly devoted to us once he is gone. In fact, Li Luo had no intention to work with Zhong Ling right from the start. Their enmity was too deep and impossible to reconcile at all. If Deng Fengxian was willing to take this burden away from him, it would save him a lot of trouble. Of course, Li Luo would not express any thanks to Deng Fengxian. In fact, his open act of poaching from the Green Nether Banner had caused some friction between the two banners. Nonetheless, Deng Fengxian was aware of this too. He had chosen to proceed because he needed to increase the strength of the Gold Light Banner for the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool opening next month. Moreover, he must have thought that with his prestige amongst the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, he would not have to owe Li Luo any explanation despite the clearly hostile action. Despite his gentle and warm appearance, he was really of the arrogant sort. ... "Brother Deng, aren''t you afraid of offending the up and coming Banner Leader Li Luo if you openly invite me to the Gold Light Banner like this?" Zhong Ling said jokingly. In the private room of a restaurant, Zhong Ling, who had a pale face, was sitting across from an imposing, white-robed man. As he poured a cup of hot tea for Zhong Ling, Deng Fengxian replied with a smile, "No matter how popular he is, that''s still merely in the Green Nether Banner. It has nothing to do with the Gold Light Banner or Gold Light Hall at all. As long as you are willing to come over, the Gold Light Banner will have your back." At this moment, Zhong Ling''s face remained a little gloomy. After so many setbacks during his confrontation with Li Luo, he had lost quite a bit of his self-confidence. Moreover, Li Luo had gotten the Green Nether Banner under his control now. There would be no future left for him in the Green Nether Banner. Perhaps joining the Gold Light Banner was the only way out. Although Li Luo was a dark horse, Deng Fengxian remained as the top amongst the young generation of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi had fought against him, but to no avail. To no ones surprise, they were defeated by him. Taking a deep breath, Zhong Ling stood up and poured a cup of tea in response. "I''ll be in your care from now on, Brother Deng," he answered respectfully. "With your help, the Gold Light Banner should be able to secure at least one Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool next month," Deng Fengxian replied with a grin. "But wasn''t it supposed to be another three years before the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool was due to be open?" Zhong Ling asked in confusion. "I heard from the Main Hall Master that this may be related to Li Luo... The old Lineage Chief suddenly changed his position, most likely due to him," Deng Fengxian responded with great interest. Hearing this, Zhong Ling''s eyes flashed as he asked back in surprise, "The Lineage Chief wants to give this opportunity to Li Luo?" "Guess so," Deng Fengxian replied with a laugh. At this point, Zhong Ling''s eyes were filled with jealousy. "He really is nice to Li Luo," he said with a low voice. "Ultimately, Li Luo is his grandson. Honestly, the Lineage Chief can already be considered to be quite fair. If not, how could you possibly have competed with him for so long?" Deng Fengxian leisurely said. "But isn''t the Lineage Chief thinking too highly of him?" Zhong Ling said. "There are six Coiling Dragon Pillars in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. In other words, there are only six chances up for grabs. Although Li Luo and the Green Nether Banner have been on the rise recently, it''s still too unrealistic to think he will get one of the six chances, right?" Zhong Ling lamented. With a slight smile, Deng Fengxian replied to him, "Who knows? Banner Leader Li Luo has surprised us multiple times since he arrived in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." Zhong Ling sneered and said, "What does it matter if he dominates the Green Nether Banner? The leaders of the other banners will not give in to him. Countless people will attend the birthday celebration of the Mountain Ruling Lineage Chief next month. Let''s see if Li Luo can grasp the opportunity that the Lineage Chief has prepared for him in front of everyone. If not, there will be a really good show to watch." When he ended his sentence, Zhong Ling finished up the hot tea in his cup. At this point, there was happiness in his eyes, as though he had already seen Li Luo''s pathetic ending in a month''s time. Chapter 0807 – Eighth-grade Waterlight Resonance Chapter 0807 C Eighth-grade Waterlight Resonance In the coming days, the news of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool and who would obtain the six opportunities present were the hottest topics of discussion in the Twenty Banners. Although this was the first time the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool had opened up to this generation, they had all done their research about it beforehand. There were no free lunches in this world. If they wanted any opportunities, they would have to fight and struggle for them. The same could be said about the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. A small number of people would enjoy the majority of this opportunity, while the rest could only obtain the leftovers. Meanwhile, six Banner Leaders that were most likely to secure the Coiling Dragon Pillars should be the banners in the the top few ranks of the Fiendish Devil Cave according to popular vote. Well, this was assuming no surprises would crop up. This was because the battle for it would depend on not just the individual, but the entire banner''s strength. In other words, the respective Banner Leaders would have to rely on the immense power boost provided from their banner members in achieving Harmony. In a certain sense, it was like a battle between twenty Dukes. Furthermore, there were also slight differences between the six Coiling Dragon Pillars themselves. Simply put, there was one gold pillar, two silver pillars, and three bronze pillars. The gold pillar referred to the pillar located in the center, coated in a shiny, golden color. It was said that the dragonbreath gathered on it was the purest of all. Similarly, the two silver pillars were coated in silver and three other pillars were coated in bronze. The effects from these five pillars were naturally weaker than the golden pillar. However, most people were not too particular with these details. After all, there were only six Coiling Dragon Pillars, and it was already considered a win to secure one of them. Besides... based on the performance of this generation''s Twenty Banners to date, the golden pillar would almost certainly fall into the hands of Li Qingfeng from the Gold Blood Banner. The other banner leaders stood little chance in snatching it away from him. Not even Lu Qingmei. Such discussions continued amongst the Twenty Banners for quite some time. But Li Luo paid little attention to them. Instead, he was more focused on his waterlight resonance during this period of time. After repeated resonant tempering with the liquids and lights, it had finally shown signs of leveling up. Currently, his waterlight resonance was at the upper seventh-grade and he could finally reach the eighth-grade with the next advancement. This was something that he had been looking forward to. An eighth-grade resonance was considered to be top-tier in general, as this was something that most geniuses possessed at the minimum. Search novelhall.com for the original. This was also one of his greatest wishes when he resolved the problem of his blank palaces in the pastto cultivate his waterlight resonance to the eighth-grade. Finally, this simple wish of his was about to come true. In the Cultivation chamber of the Green Nether drill grounds. Li Luo could not help but sigh a little as he stared at the bottle of seventh-grade spirit liquid on the table. He had forgotten how many bottles of spirit liquids and purifying lights he had used since he started on his journey. Frankly speaking, if all of them were added up, it would surely be a terrifying figure. In fact, no one would have believed him even if he told them that his waterlight resonance had slowly improved from the fourth-grade, one step at a time. This was because improving one''s resonance grade was a highly challenging feat. Li Luo had only pulled it off in such a short time because he had access to an adequate amount of liquids and lights. More importantly, his blank palaces had given him a special trait that allowed him to develop endlessly. For an ordinary individual, the number of liquids and lights they could utilize to temper their resonance would be a limiting factor, as impurities from the liquids and lights built up in the resonant palace slowly over time. As the impurities accumulated, the effect of liquids and lights would gradually be weakened. However, Li Luo, who possessed blank palaces, was not affected by impurities. In other words, he was able to consume liquids and lights just like drinking water. What a miracle! It was truly a blessing that he had left the Xia Kingdom, or House Luolan would probably have gone bankrupt to satisfy his thirst. Luckily, he had found a new place to quench his desires. With the strong foundation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, surely they could afford to support him right... right? Amidst these surging emotions, Li Luo poured the bottle of seventh-grade spirit liquid in front of him into his mouth. With his ten fingers crossed, the resonant power surged out from his body following the refinement of the spirit liquid. As time passed, the effects of the seventh-grade spirit liquid were slowly extracted and flowed into his waterlight resonant palace. In the same moment, Li Luo''s mental state was focused upon his resonant palace as well. There was an extremely bright and clear lake in the center of the waterlight resonant palace, with only light ripples on its radiant surface. Reflected in the middle of the lake was a great sun. This symbolized the evolution of his waterlight resonance. Soon, the calm surface of the lake was broken when wind kicked up. This formed large waves in the lake, smashing violently against the shore. A faint roar echoed across the whole waterlight resonant palace. The smashing tides got more and more aggressive as countless sparks of mysterious light rained down from the sky. These sparks were the tempering energy from the seventh-grade spirit liquid. As these sparks fell into the lake, Li Luo could hear the roars of the rising tide. The lake started to expand at a surprising speed as lines of water spread in all directions. It grew larger and larger without pause. At the same moment, Li Luo could clearly feel his waterlight resonance power increasing. This went on and on. He did not know how much time had passed when the last spark of light disappeared into the lake. Now the grand lake in front of him was twice as large as it used to be. In the middle of it, the sun had become brighter and the light refracted off the waters surface like glitter, as if countless fish were swimming in it. Li Luo was filled with happiness at this sight. His waterlight resonance had broken through and reached the eighth-grade. An eighth-grade waterlight resonance! After close to two years of hard work, he could finally reap his rewards now. "Eighth-grade at last!" Li Luo exclaimed as he opened his eyes. There were still remnants of resonant power rising from his body. With the ranking up of his waterlight resonance, his resonant power had received another boost in strength. At this moment, Li Luo felt like his resonant power would not lose out even to the true ninth-grade talents at the same tier as him. With this, he would stand a better chance during the battle in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. He stretched his arms a little before he noticed the empty bottle of seventh-grade spirit liquid in his hand. This got him a little worried. Although it was great news that his waterlight resonance had reached the eighth-grade, this also meant that if he wanted to level it up in the future... he would need eighth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. The liquids and lights of that grade were wholly different. The price of one was ten times higher than a seventh-grade one. In other words, even with the double stipends that he was receiving monthly in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Li Luo might not be able to get even one bottle of eighth-grade liquids and lights. This was because refining eighth-grade liquids and lights was highly challenging and required eighth-grade resonance artificers. Even within the mighty Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, eighth-grade resonance artificers were hardly seen. As such, eighth-grade liquids and lights were far rarer than seventh-grade ones. With lower supply, their prices were naturally sky high. As a resonance artificer himself and someone who was once in charge of the Suncreek Villa in House Luolan, Li Luo understood this well. Liquids and lights below the eighth-grade were relatively plentiful by volume. However, eighth-grade liquids and lights were barely ever produced. In fact, eighth-grade liquids and lights were just as rare as pills and potions, except the pills and potions had multiple uses, while the liquids and lights were only good for enhancing one''s resonant grade. "Damn, the two monthly stipends are starting to be insufficient for me," Li Luo lamented in melancholy. The price of eighth-grade liquids and lights was so high that if he had stayed in House Luolan, they would really be unable to support him anymore. He had no choiceit looked like he would need to find a way to improve things somehow. As Li Luo stood up thinking about this, his face changed suddenly. He stared at the crimson bracelet on his wrist and felt waves of vibrations coming from it. Could this be... the awakening of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf?! Chapter 0808 – Five Tails Chapter 0808 C Five Tails Li Luo''s expression changed as soon as he noticed the sudden vibrations coming from the crimson bracelet on his wrist. The last time the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf awakened was in the Xia Kingdom, where it extorted some Heavenly Dragon blood essence from him before going into its deep slumber. It had been silent all along for the past few months. Finally, it had begun to move. After pondering for a moment, Li Luo closed his eyes tightly and his mental state focused upon the bracelet. His surroundings started to blur like a mirage. The world space was still dimly lit as usual, but he instantly felt an icy glare from a pair of ferocious, crimson eyes as soon as he entered. Li Luo looked over immediately. Deep in the world space, there was an enormous wolf that measured over 100 meters. Its tails were slowly waving behind it through the air, eliciting roars of wind and thunder as it moved. But wait, it was not three tails... but five now! Li Luo was shocked at this sight. He stared intensely at the three strong and thick tails of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, but true enough, there were two thinner tails in addition to that. Did the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf evolve?! Is it now the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf? Did this mutation happen because it absorbed my Heavenly Dragon blood essence? He could clearly feel that the energy undulations coming from the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf were much stronger than before. Its thick fangs had also become much sharper. An extremely terrifying sense of pressure swept across the air, making it hard for him to breathe normally. His heart was beating faster and stronger now. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf made a breakthrough... it''s now a great spirit beast comparable to a Duke! During its slumber this round, its progress was beyond imagination. As Li Luo''s heart continued to be shaken by this evolution, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf watched him with its ruthless eyes. It let out a low growl from between its sharp fangs that were dripping with saliva. At the same time, it stood up and its shadow loomed over Li Luo completely. It was looking at him greedily as he appeared to him as food full of Heavenly Dragon blood essence. Li Luo appeared quite calm before the aggressive and greedy wolf as he said with a smile, "Little Three, looks like you made a lot of progress. Have you finally managed to break free of your shackles and entered the Duke Stage? How is it? I didn''t lie to you, right? Following me wholeheartedly is much better than staying in that Umbra Cave." The wolf locked onto Li Luo with its fiercely flashing eyes, and its pupils seemed to have changed. However, Li Luo could not tell what it was thinking. It seemed like the spirit beasts intelligence had increased after its breakthrough. Originally, the spirit beast wanted to use its newfound might to scare the little brat who had been controlling it. Alas, Li Luo was not afraid at all. At this instant, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf shook the chains around its four limbs and raised its right paw. It was only at this instant that Li Luo realized that the chain holding its right paw was being torn apart. He froze for a moment upon seeing that. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was clearly overpowering the seals placed by Principal Pang. Without a doubt, the sealing bracelet was starting to become powerless in containing it after it had broken into the Duke Stage. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was blatantly threatening him. It wanted to change the relationship between them after this huge boost in power. Nonetheless, Li Luo merely laughed coldly and crossed his arms as he stared back at the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. "You want to negotiate terms with me after entering the Duke Stage? What wishful thinking," he coldly replied. Li Luo knew that he had to take a firm stance to ensure that no bad precedents would be set, or the wolf would get even greedier and harder to control in the future. If it chose to rebel during a critical moment, it could spell great trouble for him instead. Roar! The wolf was infuriated at his words, and it glared at him with murderous eyes. "Don''t forget who helped you enter the Duke stage. Like I said before, as long as you follow me faithfully, the Duke Stage is just the beginning. Do you think things are the same as they were back at the Xia Kingdom? Do you know who I am now?" Li Luo asked. Without paying much attention to its ferocity, Li Luo told the wolf in a mocking tone, "We are now in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, one of the inner divine continents. This place is the jurisdiction of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Do you know who he is? He is my ancestor, a Heavenly Emperor! My grandpa, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, is also at the King Stage. He is much stronger than Principal Pang, the one who sealed you here. So, do you really think that the Duke Stage is all that? Do you want me to get dozens of Duke Stage experts to come and beat you up this very minute?" Li Luo continued as he crossed his arms. All of a sudden, he seemed to have become a living tyrant, one that brandished the reputation of his elders like an arrogant young master. Hearing this, the eyes of the wolf flickered a little as it felt a little taken aback by these developments. The inner divine continent? His ancestor was at the Heavenly Emperor Stage, and his grandfather was at the King Stage? The heavenly wolf found it hard to believe his words. Although it had been trapped in the Umbra Cave in the past, it knew from the memories in its bloodline just how strong a Heavenly Emperor was. How could this little guy have gotten involved with all these strong people? "Just use that little brain of yours to think about it. Why do you think I have the Heavenly Dragon''s energy in my blood essence?" Li Luo sneered back at it. Hearing this, the wolf finally settled down. It had managed to break the bloodline shackles and evolved five tails all thanks to the Heavenly Dragon''s energy in the blood essence. There was no doubt that Li Luo was special. His bloodline was extraordinary. Li Luo smiled lightly and continued, "I am now a Banner Leader in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, with eight thousand banner members under me. Do you think things are still the same as a few months ago? "Let me show you my men." Li Luos mental state retreated from the crimson bracelet. With that, he headed straight for the training ground. The eight thousand banner members were training diligently at this time. Li Luo walked up onto the elevated platform, and with a light cough, every banner member quickly gathered and entered the state of Harmony. In a short while, an ocean of energy materialized in the sky above them. In the sealing bracelet, the wolf could sense this energy that did not pale in comparison to its own. Finally, it fell silent at this shocking development. It still found it unbelievable that this little human man that needed to borrow its power before had grown so much in just the short span of a few months. Most importantly, the eight thousand banner members were proof enough that Li Luo was not lying to it. Li Luo''s power and background at present were totally different compared to a few months ago. It was too naive to think that it could change their relationship by threatening him with its Duke Stage power. Understanding this, the wolf became a little depressed. It had wanted to become the master originally. At this moment, Li Luo entered the sealing bracelet with his mental state again. He found the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf lying down, no longer brandishing its murderous, fierce look, but showing an almost pleading smile instead. Roar. It growled in a low tone, this time in a more docile sense. Li Luo was very satisfied with this. Did it really think it could ride all over him when it was merely a Duke? Search novelhall.com for the original. "Little Three, just follow me faithfully in the future. I will keep you well fed for sure. The Duke Stage is nothing. We need to look further ahead, at the King Stage!" Li Luo had given it another warning while also tempting it with another nice carrot. Eat slowly, don''t choke on it. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf lied down as it watched Li Luo''s shadow disappear in the distance. It seemed like even reaching the Duke Stage would not allow it to break free from being his pet. Forget it, it could only keep enduring it for now. Chapter 0809 – Layer Forty Chapter 0809 C Layer Forty Fiendish Devil Cave, layer forty. Standing on the hilltop, Li Luo gazed into the mountains in the distance. There were five terrifying beams of energy that shot high up into the sky in that direction. A fearsome pressure surrounded the place, and deafening roars vibrated the air. That was the Fiendish Devil Leader of layer forty. Initially, there were six of them. Li Luo had already led the Green Nether Banner to fight against them once. However, they were caught off guard then and had to pay a huge price for it. They were ambushed by the six Fiendish Devil Leaders. It seemed like the Fiendish Devil Leaders were more intelligent from layer forty onwards. Previously, they would have just waited at an area for their challengers to arrive. However, now they had taken the initiative to launch a preemptive strike. The ambush had caught Li Luo off guard. The Green Nether Banner had suffered a huge setback as a result, with thousands of members knocked out of battle. Thankfully, Li Luo put up a tough fight and managed to slay one of the Fiendish Devil Leaders. Nonetheless, the Green Nether Banner was in no condition to continue on, so Li Luo had to give up on the challenge. After more than half a day of rest and recuperation, they were finally back in shape for their second attempt. "Working together, the five quasi-Duke Stage Fiendish Devil Leaders combined are comparable to a first-grade Duke," Zhao Yanzhi commented with a sigh. Standing beside Li Luo, she stared into the distance at the five ominous beasts deep in the forest. "Layer forty is the critical point here. It will definitely be challenging. Deng Fengxian was stuck at this stage for a few days too. He managed to clear it after they weakened and cut down the Fiendish Devil Leaders one by one," said Li Luo with a nod. "We must clear this layer today!" Li Luo shouted with determination. The birthday celebration of the Mountain Ruling Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage was coming in a few days. As a grand matter in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, they would all be invited, along with other guests from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Of course, Li Luo''s focus was not on the celebration. He was going for the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. He needed to clear layer forty today so that he could spend the next few days studying the Duke Arts of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. It was an opportunity for him to raise his strength to the next level. After all, each and every Banner Leader would be giving it their all during the fight at the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. It would undoubtedly be a huge battle. "Harmony!" Li Luo shouted loudly with a piercing gaze. Bang! In the next moment, majestic energy soared into the sky and flowed out like an ocean. The almighty pressure was so strong that its sheer momentum suppressed the mountains and toppled the surrounding trees. The five Fiendish Devil Leaders sensed this energy immediately and let out thunderous roars. Their murderous gaze locked onto Li Luo and his Banner. As they opened their large mouths, five beams of energy blasted out, tore through the void, and flew directly towards Li Luo. This time, Li Luo was very familiar with Harmony. When he sensed the endless waves of energy, he stretched out his five fingers. Glowing energy gathered around his fingertips, and a moment later, it turned into five knife wheels that were thousands of feet wide. Weng! The knife wheels spun at a very high speed. In the blink of an eye, they shot out with a sonic boom and clashed directly with the five incoming energy blasts. Ear-piercing shrieks resounded in the air. The wild collision of energy shook the surrounding mountains, and the resulting destructive power was astonishing. In the end, the attacks from both sides were exhausted and dissipated into tiny, glittering motes of light, as though a gorgeous rain had just descended. However, this splendor hid the murderous intent that lay within. Seeing this, the five eight-armed Fiendish Devil Leaders charged forward like primal beasts. Their bodies had a golden, metallic luster, making them look indestructible, and a terrifying storm of energy radiated off their bodies. They had a clear division of labor in place. Three of them rushed towards Li Luo, who was afloat in the air, while the other two went for the banner members, who were engrossed in the state of Harmony. They seemed to understand that the banner members were the source of Li Luo''s strength. "Cunning," Li Luo said with an indifferent face as he maintained his composure. He quickly formed seals with both of his hands, and in the next instant, a huge dragon manifestation emerged from the ocean of energy. The dragon manifestation opened its maw widely, and thunder seemed to be brewing within it. "Nine Revolutions Art, Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath!" Li Luo exclaimed. Like a silver waterfall filled with the power of destruction, the lightning dragonbreath descended from the sky and rushed towards the three Fiendish Devil Leaders who were charging towards him. They sensed the danger from it immediately. They stopped right in their tracks, and with the hand seals formed from their eight arms, they gathered glowing energy into their eight palms that condensed into three balls of light that spanned over ten thousand feet. The three balls of light illuminated the place as if three suns had materialized. Bang! The balls of light that contained the full power of each Fiendish Devil Leader shot through the air and clashed with the lightning dragonbreath. Boom! An indescribable hurricane of energy swept across the sky. It was so great that space distorted and the void showed signs of collapse. The strength of the three quasi-Duke Stage Fiendish Devil Leaders was extraordinary indeed. However, it was not enough to faze Li Luo, who had full control of the Green Nether Banner''s Harmony now. After all, his current strength was comparable to that of a real first-grade Duke. BOOM! The lightning dragonbreath got past the clash and headed straight for the three Fiendish Devil Leaders. With a pathetic cry, their huge bodies were sent flying away embarrassingly, and they smashed into the top of the mountain, turning it into crumbling pieces. Half of their eight arms melted after the direct hit by the lightning dragonbreath. However, another crisis was brewing while Li Luo fought off the three Fiendish Devil Leaders. The other two Fiendish Devil Leaders had broken through the layers of barriers and charged right into the area where the eight thousand Green Nether banner members were situated. Like wolves entering a herd of sheep, the two Fiendish Devil Leaders began their wanton slaughter. Strangely, the eight thousand Banner members that were sitting in the lotus position started to vanish like mirages, and the Fiendish Devil Leaders'' attacks swept through them. They were dumbfounded. "Idiots, it''s just an illusion." Li Luo laughed out loud in the sky. Using his water resonant power, he had hidden the real location of the Green Nether Banner members beforehand. What the two Fiendish Devil Leaders had attacked was just an illusion. Roar! A quick look at novelhall.com will leave you more fulfilled. When Li Luo finished his words, a draconic roar could be heard in the sky. The void was torn apart, and a black dragon emerged with a sea of dark black water that flooded and drowned the two Fiendish Devil Leaders. When the dark black water disappeared, the two Fiendish Devil Leaders, who had quasi-Duke Stage power, melted away too. In just a short span of time, three of the Fiendish Devil Leaders were gravely injured and the remaining two were defeated. Seeing this, Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief. However, he did not let his guard down at all. He gathered strength from the ocean of energy and continued to send wave after wave of attacks towards the three other Fiendish Devil Leaders. Under his incessant assault, they gradually weakened. Finally, Li Luo activated Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath and Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner once again, finishing the three Fiendish Devil Leaders off completely. The surrounding mountains were left in a smoldering mess from the aftermath of his devastating arts. When Li Luo landed from the sky with a pale face, cheers of celebrations erupted from the banner members in the forest at the back. Finally, the Green Nether Banner had become one of the Banners that had managed to clear layer forty! Hearing their cheers, a smile also surfaced on Li Luo''s face. After clearing layer forty, he would finally get the opportunity to study the Duke Arts of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. His hard work had finally paid off. Chapter 0810 – Dragons Fang Cave Chapter 0810 C Dragon''s Fang Cave A huge commotion stirred up outside the Fiendish Devil Cave to welcome the Green Nether Banner when they returned from layer forty. The members of the other three banners were surprised to hear that they had successfully overcome this hurdle. Without a doubt, this was exceptionally fast progress. After all, even the Gold Light Banner was stuck for some time when they first reached layer forty. In fact, the most shocking thing of all was that the Green Nether Banner had risen from layer twenty-seven straight to layer forty in the short span of three months. Their pace far exceeded that of the other three banners. All of this had started from the moment Li Luo joined the Green Nether Banner. As such, they all came to an understanding in their hearts. The rapid transformation taking place in Green Nether Banner was likely all due to Li Luo. "Little Brother, well done! The Green Nether Banner''s progress surpasses even the Violet Spirit Banner," Li Fengyi congratulated Li Luo as she patted his back with a face filled with pleasant surprise. As of yesterday, the Violet Spirit Banner led by Li Jingtao had reached layer forty as well. However, they had yet to clear it today. They were slowly depleting the energy of the six Fiendish Devil Leaders, so it was only a matter of time before they would clear it. Nonetheless, this meant that they would need to spend more time at this checkpoint. "Li Jingtao, can you buck up and be more motivated? The Violet Spirit Banner is now at the bottom amongst the four Banners of Dragon''s Fang Lineage," Li Fengyi said to Li Jingtao as she watched him rush over. "We have already defeated one of the Fiendish Devil Leaders. Clearing layer forty is just a matter of time..." Li Jingtao muttered with a little embarrassment. "Second Sister, Eldest Brother is just taking it slow and steady. He has no desire to compete. If he decides to try his best one day, I am sure he will surprise all of us," Li Luo added on with a smile to smooth things over. He did not want Li Jingtao to feel uneasy over her sharp remarks. Moreover, he could sense that his nonchalant and friendly cousin had an indescribable composure and calmness in him. Li Fengyi gave a light cough in response. Without lecturing Li Jingtao any further, she turned around and suggested that they do something to celebrate this momentous occasion. Naturally, Li Luo accepted her invitation, and the three of them left the bustling Fiendish Devil Peak. A short distance away, the members of the Gold Light Banner watched them with slightly confused looks. When you''re just trying to make great content at readnovelfull.me. "Banner Leader Li Luo is pretty capable. He cleared layer forty even faster than the Gold Light Banner did," Deng Fengxian commented with a laugh. On the other hand, Zhong Ling watched on with an uncertain look. The Green Nether Banner was the worst banner back when he was still the leader. As such, the better Green Nether Banner performed under Li Luos leadership, the more incompetent he would appear to be in comparison. "Brother Deng, Li Luo is getting more and more popular in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Now that he is starting to show his true strength, I feel that the Green Nether Banner may pose a threat to the Gold Light Banner in the future," Zhong Ling said in a deep voice. Hearing this, Deng Fengxian looked over at him and replied with a smile, "In that case, there will surely be a grand fight amongst our two banners. If they win against us, then Li Luo will be the leader of the younger generation of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage from then on." "Aren''t you worried, Brother Deng?" Zhong Ling asked with a frown. "If I can''t even hold down a guy like him, who has wasted all his youth in an outer divine continent, what can I say?" Deng Fengxian simply replied. "Well, if he turns out to be incompetent, that''s just fine as it won''t affect us. However, if he''s as capable as his father, I don''t think that even the Banner Leaders of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage will be able to hold him down, let alone the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. If he really is that gifted, why wouldn''t I, Deng Fengxian, accept him as my leader?" he further elaborated. "Zhong Ling, you are too stubborn. Do you see your loss to Li Luo as a disgrace? Who knows, this might become a proud moment for you in the future." He ended his words with a slight smile. Hearing this, Zhong Ling was inevitably filled with resentment. What a joke. Why would I ever be proud about being beaten by that brat? On the second day, Li Luo couldnt contain himself any longer and headed straight for Dragon''s Fang Cave. Dragon''s Fang Cave was the special place where the Dragon''s Fang Lineage kept all their Duke Arts. When Li Luo arrived, he saw a huge entrance on top of an enormous mountain. The cave was shaped like the head of a giant dragon, baring its fangs with its mouth opened wide. It was a majestic sight to behold. As Li Luo gazed upon the entrance to the cave, he could sense terrifying pulses of energy coming from it as the worldly natural energy was continually swallowed into the dragon''s mouth. Evidently, there was a fearsome ward in place here. This was to be expected. After all, Duke Arts were precious treasures that were fought over by many Dukes in both the outer divine continents and inner divine continents. Surely, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would protect them well. Following the Stairway to Heaven, Li Luo slowly walked up the steps and arrived in front of Dragon''s Fang Cave. There was a sleepy old man wearing gray robes beside the entrance. Naturally, Li Luo recognized that this was one of the respected elders of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. He greeted the elder politely and then took out his Banner Leader''s gold seal and explained the purpose of his visit. The Elder looked up and checked him out for a moment before he slowly replied, "The son of Li Taixuan... Alright, you may enter. There are sixty-eight Duke Arts Dragon''s in Fang Cave. Forty-seven of them are Communion-grade, nineteen are Soul Ascension-grade, and two of them are Destiny-grade. With your background and achievements, you may choose one that is Soul Ascension-grade or below." Li Luo was excited to hear this. Sixty-eight Duke Arts... This was the foundation of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. The grade limitation on the Duke Art did not pose any problem for Li Luo. After all, his biggest goal was to try and obtain a Duke Art suitable for himself. Whether it was Communion-grade or Soul Ascension-grade, he would be satisfied with it. As for Destiny-grade Duke Arts, he dared not even think about them. It was too unrealistic for him to get his hands on one with his current foundation, and he would not be able to learn it even if he could obtain it. In the end, he still had to take things one step at a time. "Are there any Transcendent Duke Arts?" Li Luo asked curiously as he thought about it. Hearing this, the gray-robed elder simply laughed out. "Your father asked the same question a long time ago," he said. Li Luo was dumbfounded. His father had actually asked such a question as well? What a coincidence. "Little boy, Transcendent-grade Duke Arts are not as simple as you imagine. We do have one in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, but it''s with the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Only the five Lineage Chiefs have the authority to view it," the elder explained patiently. "Master the Transcendent Duke Art, Transcend the Duke," he continued. "Transcendent Duke? What is that?" Li Luo asked in doubt. At this moment, a smile surfaced on the wrinkled, aged face of the elder. He slowly elaborated, "There is another name for people known as Transcendent Dukes. They are known as Heavenly Seedlings, the people with the potential to become Heavenly Emperors." Li Luo took a deep breath as he listened to the explanation. Although he did not know what a Transcendent Duke was, he was shocked to hear about their potential to become Heavenly Emperors. The Heavenly Emperor Stage... that was the epitome of power in this world. Their presence elevated the powers they controlled, and it could be clearly seen from the prosperity enjoyed by the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. This was all thanks to their great ancestor, Heavenly Emperor Li. "Go on," the elder said as he directed Li Luo inside with a wave of his hand. He did not say anything else. Li Luo nodded with gratitude. After bidding goodbye to the elder respectfully, he turned around and stared into the deep Dragon''s Fang Cave. Without any more hesitation, he walked straight into it, and his shadow disappeared into the darkness. Chapter 0811 – Python Puppet Chapter 0811 C Python Puppet No light could enter Dragon''s Fang Cave, so it was mostly dark. Li Luo walked along a winding path, and a short moment later, the view in front of him expanded when he came across a huge, hollow space. As he made his way through, he noticed numerous stone tablets that were hundreds of feets tall lined up around the place. The stone tablets had a special design to them. Their tops were sharp and they protruded from the ground below, surrounded by countless glittering lights. It was a truly mysterious sight. As Li Luo observed the stone tablets, he thought that they were like the sharp fangs of a huge dragon that had pierced through the ground below. There was an unusually ominous aura surrounding them. Li Luo carefully made his way towards one. When he was close enough to get a good look at it, the countless glittering lights moved about in a mystical motion and glowing words gradually appeared. Divine Sky Splitting Finger, Communion-grade Duke Art. One who masters the Divine Sky Splitting Finger will be invincible, able to break apart mountains and rivers with a finger, and capable of tearing open the void. Li Luo paused for a moment as he scrutinized the art. It didnt catch his interest, so he turned around and headed towards the next stone tablet. Mystical Icy Dragon Fang Arrow, Communion-grade Duke Art. With the combined power of ice and dragon resonances, coupled with a bow-type treasured artifact, one such arrow can freeze everything for thousands of miles. This must be a so-called Dragon Fang-type Duke Art. Li Luo pondered over it as he rubbed his chin. From the information he had gathered, Dragon Fang-type Duke Arts tended to be best suited for offense and were extremely fearsome attacks in general. This could be considered the unique trait of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. After all, the fangs would be a huge dragons main weapon, and it was definitely an apt trait for the lineage. However, Li Luo was not interested in this Mystical Icy Dragon Fang Arrow either. Despite his talent in archery, he had no ice resonance attributes. Even if he could obtain some mysterious treasured artifact, it would take him too much time to master this art as he did not possess much affinity. In the end, Li Luo walked away and began to inspect the other stone tablets. Godly Fire Punch, Communion-grade Duke Art. One can cultivate Godly fire in his palm and ignite a hundred thousand meters of land with a single punch. Heaven Ascension Steps, Communion-grade Duke Art. A speedy type of Duke Art that enables one to travel hundreds of thousands of meters with a single step. Best for ensuring one''s safety at all times. Multiple Duke Arts with different magical effects appeared in front of Li Luo as he walked around the stone tablets. His heart was throbbing with excitement and his eyes lit up. There were so many different types for him to choose from. These were truly the foundations of a Heavenly Emperor''s power. Back in the Xia Kingdom, there were only a few Duke Arts for him to choose from in the academy. The gap between the two was evident. As Li Luo headed deeper into the mountain, the stone tablets started to grow larger in size too. This was because the Duke Arts here were now Soul Ascension-grade. There were not a lot of them, just nineteen Soul Ascension-grade stone tablets. And Li Luo was aiming for one of them today. Of course, if there was no suitable one amongst them, he would have to go back and choose one of the Communion-grade Duke Arts. In fact, he had already gotten some backup ideas whilst he was making his way over here. Astral Fangs of Light, Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art. By tempering astral light and condensing it repeatedly into small rays of starlight, one can hide these rays within his eyes and shoot them out when faced against an enemy. These rays can eradicate everything in the world. Ten Thousand Metal Essence Tyrannic Body, Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art. One could take in the energy from ten thousand metals to reinforce their body. Once it has been mastered, the body will contain the spiritual essence of ten thousand metals and a single drop of blood can be transformed into unparalleled, sharp weapons. After Li Luo studied each and every Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art and compared them with the Communion-grade Duke Arts he had seen earlier, he realized how large the discrepancy between them was. Whether it was in terms of raw power or versatility of the ability, there was a clear gap between the two. If these nineteen Soul Ascension-grade Duke Arts were introduced to the Xia Kingdom, the powerful Dukes there would go out of their minds fighting over them. Theft is never good, try looking at [ novelhall.com ]. However, Li Luo was kind of disappointed after reading the last Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art. Unlike back when he obtained the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner, he realized that none of the Duke Arts here were really compatible with him. "Do I have to go for a Communion-grade Duke Art in the end?" Li Luo felt a little hesitant. It was not that he looked down upon Communion-grade Duke Arts or was not ready to accept one. After all, many of the Dukes in the Xia Kingdom had never even come across a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art in their entire lives. However, he felt that it would be a pity to settle for the second best like this, after he had finally made it so far into this treasure vault. As he was pondering over it, a huge shadow suddenly appeared from above, which was accompanied by a hiss. Shocked by this sudden development, he hurriedly looked up to see what was happening. There was a huge, black python coiled around the stalactites above him, staring at him with faint, glowing pupils. However, he did not panic when he saw it. He was merely stunned because there was no hint of life coming from it. "It''s the puppet guardian of Dragon''s Fang Cave," Li Luo commented. During the celebration party with Li Fengyi yesterday, he had heard about many things regarding Dragon''s Fang Cave from her. One of them was the puppet guardian. When one comes across the puppet guardian, they''ll be fine as long as they minimize any interaction with it. After all, it will not launch any attacks under normal circumstances. As such, Li Luo shook his head and decided to ignore the puppet guardian. However, the python puppet slithered down at this moment onto one of the stone tablets in front of Li Luo and started hissing in an attempt to communicate with him. Li Luo was confused by this, and he mumbled to himself, "Is something wrong with the puppet guardian?" "Proof," the snake responded. Li Luo was at a loss for words. It was actually speaking human language, except it sounded particularly hollow, like it was a preset voice line. "Proof?" Li Luo was puzzled by this. What''s going on here? Li Fengyi never said that the puppet guardian would try to start a conversation. "Proof." The python puppet continued to repeat this word. Soon, the hollow cave was filled with echoes. Li Luo scratched his head in confusion. After some thought, he took out the gold seal of the Banner Leader and handed it over to the python puppet. "Is this it?" he asked. The enormous body of the python puppet slithered forward as its vertical pupils scrutinized the gold seal. After a few breaths, it retreated and continued to stare at Li Luo, once again repeating, "Proof." Li Luo was now feeling a little impatient with it. What in the world is the proof this thing is looking for? Why didn''t anyone tell me that the puppet guardian of the Dragon''s Fang Cave would disturb me like this? In the end, he took two steps back and decided to ignore the python puppet. However, it quickly slithered behind him, catching up with Li Luo. Its huge body cast a shadow that totally overwhelmed him. "Proof." The repetitive, hollow voice had returned. Li Luo was greatly troubled by the python puppets persistence. He was about to get out of the cave and ask the gray-robed elder how he could handle this irritating situation. Just as he was about to leave, an idea flashed across his mind. He thought about something for a moment before he pulled out a black plaque from his pocket sphere. It was the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ. "Is this it?" he asked as he handed the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ to the python puppet. The puppet continued to speak in snake language as it swallowed up the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ. Li Luo could see a glow flowing through its body for a moment, then the repeated echoes in the cave finally came to a halt. "That worked?" Li Luo was extremely surprised at this result. No one had ever told him about such a situation. Could it be that only those who possess the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ can trigger such an unusual reaction from the puppet guardian? But what''s it for? While Li Luo pondered an entire list of questions in his head, the python puppet opened its mouth once again and spat out two things in front of him. The first thing was the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ that it had swallowed earlier. Li Luo retrieved it and then glanced over at the second item. It was a mottled dragon fang that was about an inch long, surrounded by countless glittering lights. Light continued to flow mysteriously before glowing words started to appear. He stretched out his hand to grab the mottled dragon fang, but as soon as he came into contact with it, he felt a huge influx of information rush into his brain. Eye-catching words appeared within his mind. "Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation." Chapter 0812 – Cheating Chapter 0812: Cheating "Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation..." As Li Luo digested the new info that had flowed into his mind, he was a little stunned. Is this strange thing a Duke Art? But what grade is it? Seeing how the python puppet acted so mysteriously and even sought proof, surely this isn''t just an ordinary item, right? After all, it even required the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ to obtain it He was full of questions, but he concentrated and reviewed the information that had just surfaced in his mind seriously. After a short moment, he couldn''t help but let out a cry of surprise. He finally realized how special this Duke Art, the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, was. It was a kind of sword formation that required one to possess Dragon Fang Swords, which were no ordinary blades. A Dragon Fang Sword could only be forged by refining it from one''s resonance affinities. And the true strength of the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation would only be shown when there were at least two Dragon Fang Swords present. As the number of Dragon Fang Swords grew, the art''s power would grow as well. At this moment, Li Luo was filled with excitement. This was the perfect Duke Art for him. If it was about the grade of the resonances, the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent was full of talents. Even with his triple resonances, he would not dare to proclaim himself as the best. However, if it was about the number of resonances, Li Luo would not lose out to anyone. He might appear to just possess three resonances on first look, but there were primary and secondary affinities to each one. As such, he had a total of six types of resonant powers! Crafting a Dragon Fang Sword required one to refine dragon resonant power together with another resonance type. In other words, he could potentially forge up to five Dragon Fang Swords. Water Dragon Fang Sword, Wood Dragon Fang Sword, Light Dragon Fang Sword, Earth Dragon Fang Sword, Lightning Dragon Fang Sword.... No wonder this Duke Art had been named Myriad Resonancesit was due to such a cultivation method. In that case, how strong would the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation be if he could manage to forge five Dragon Fang Swords? And what grade would this Duke Art be? Li Luo stood there in a daze before he gradually came back to his senses. As he stared at the mottled dragon fang in his hand, he felt that this was too much of a coincidence. Clearly, he had triggered a few criteria in order to get ahold of this Duke art. For example, he had multiple resonances in him that had attracted the python puppet. In addition, he possessed the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ needed for the certification to trigger the python puppet to spit out the Duke Art... All of this was too much of a coincidence. Nonetheless, he put away the mottled dragon fang, and his eyes flickered a little. Whether it was a coincidence or not, this thing had fallen into his possession. It was destined for him, and he would not be giving it up now. Afterwards, he swiftly turned around and headed for the exit of Dragon''s Fang Cave. With the Duke Art secured, there was no need to stay around any longer. Li Luo walked along the winding path and finally arrived back at the entrance of the cave. At this time, the gray-robed elder opened his eyes and slowly asked, "Which Duke Art have you chosen?" As the gatekeeper of this place, he needed to record all of the movements of the Duke Arts of the lineage. Once the person who borrowed it had mastered the art, he would need to return the Duke Art. Hearing this, Li Luo hesitated for a moment as he considered whether he should tell the truth. This lasted for a few moments before he finally took out the mottled dragon fang and honestly explained his strange situation to the elder. Obviously, the elder stationed here was not an ordinary clan member, so it would not be easy to hide something from him. When Li Luo took out the mottled dragon fang, the sleepy eyes of the gray-robed elder widened. He took a good, long look at it. "Elder, do you know of this Duke Art?" Li Luo asked. It was evident from the elder''s reaction that he understood something about it. The corners of the gray-robed elder''s mouth twitched a little as he remarked, "Li Jingzhe, when did you start to break the rules?" Li Luo was taken aback by his comment. However, a voice suddenly came from behind him before he could explain anything more. "It''s not a violation of the rules, is it?" At this point, Li Luo quickly turned back. Li Jingzhe had appeared behind him. "Grandpa? Why are you here?" Li Luo asked in surprise. Li Jingzhe smiled back at Li Luo before he turned towards the gray-robed elder and continued, "Second Uncle, this Duke Art is very compatible with Li Luo. In that case, why not give it to him?" Indeed, the gray-robed elder commanded a very high level of respect in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Even Li Jingzhe, the Lineage Chief, had to refer to him as Second Uncle. Second Uncle replied angrily, "This Duke Art was created by our Ancestor for someone with the right affinity. Aren''t you cheating if you change the conditions like this? This little guy could not have drawn out the python puppet. I know very well that the python puppet only appears before those who have reached a certain age and possess three types of Duke Arts. Surely, Li Luo here has not met these requirements, right?" the elder continued. Li Luo was startled when he heard this. Just as he had imagined, this was too much of a coincidence. It was Li Jingzhe pulling the strings from behind the stage all along. This left him feeling both touched and awkward. He had never expected that Li Jingzhe would secretly help him find a Duke Art in Dragon''s Fang Cave. "The requirements our Ancestor created for this Duke Art are very demanding, yet it is still very compatible with Li Luo. Naturally, I''m confident that he will be the chosen one with the affinity to cultivate it. Second Uncle, you are a little too stubborn at times," Li Jingzhe replied. Hearing this, the gray-robed elder laughed angrily. "Oh? Am I really being called stubborn by Li Jingzhe? If you werent the most stubborn guy in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Li Taixuan wouldnt have chosen to escape to the outer divine continents." Li Jingzhe''s face turned dark, and he kept silent after hearing the sharp remark. Seeing his reaction, the gray-robed elder knew he had inadvertently hurt Li Jingzhe with those piercing words. He took another glance at the mottled dragon fang and sighed in response. "The Ancestor specifically told me to take good care of this Duke Art. Why did you come here and interfere with the process as if you had nothing better to do?" "I just feel that it''s a waste for this Duke Art to be left rotting in the cave for so long. Perhaps Li Luo will be able to bring out its potential," Li Jingzhe explained. "Oh? Based on what? Based on his triple resonances?" the gray-robed elder replied with a curl to his lips. At this moment, Li Jingzhe gave Li Luo a glance, and the latter understood immediately. He summoned the resonant power within his body, and the six different types of resonant power appeared before them. The gray-robed elder stroked his beard with his fingers as he stared at Li Luo in surprise. "This is... six resonances?! Impossible! Wait, that is not right... three of them are weaker. Are those secondary resonance affinities? Triple resonances with primary and secondary attributes?" The gray-robed elder exclaimed in surprise multiple times before he finally grasped Li Luo''s special traits. "See, this Duke Art created by our Ancestor is a perfect fit for Li Luo," Li Jingzhe said with a laugh. The gray-robed elder frowned a little before he nodded reluctantly. Although Li Jingzhe had been respectful to him all this while due to his seniority, Li Jingzhe was still the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. If he continued to insist on his way, things might turn ugly in the end. "Forget it, you are the Lineage Chief of our lineage. You have the final say." The gray-robed elder snorted and then sat back down. "Thank you, Second Uncle," Li Jingzhe answered politely. At this point, Li Luo also thanked the gray-robed elder respectfully. "Li Luo, since you possess the appropriate affinity to this art, you should make good use of it. The ancestor created the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation because he wanted to create a Transcendent Duke Art for the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. In other words, this art has the potential to become transcendent. I hope that you will not let it go to waste," the gray-robed elder commented before he shut his eyes. Li Luo''s body trembled and his heart thumped rapidly upon hearing this. Transcendent potential?! The Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation is really formidable! Chapter 0813 – Dragon Fang Essence Chapter 0813: Dragon Fang Essence Li Luo and Li Jingzhe walked down the mountain, following the small path shrouded in clouds and mist. "Grandpa, thank you for your help with this," Li Luo said to Li Jingzhe. Originally, his plan was to obtain a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art. It was a pleasant surprise for him to get the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation with transcendent potential in the end. It was all thanks to Li Jingzhe. Otherwise, he would have definitely failed to meet those stringent criteria in his current state. "The Ancestor left this art in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage because it was appropriate for us when we were at lower cultivation levels. However, no one has been able to unleash its potential after all these years. This is because no one has been sufficiently compatible and able to bring out its true splendor. But you, on the other hand, possess six resonances. In a certain sense, you are the most compatible with it. I am just acting based on what our Ancestor entrusted to us back then," Li Jingzhe responded with a laugh. Li Luo nodded excitedly as he replied, "I''ll definitely give it my all to master this art! However, just what grade is this Duke Art?" At this point, Li Jingzhe pondered for a moment before he responded, "It''s quite hard to say... The Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation was created by the Ancestor with the aim of developing a second Transcendent Duke Art in mind. Sadly, he was not able to finish it before he was required to stand guard at the World Border, becoming too occupied to devote any more time to it. As such, the art was left with us at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. "Its upper limit depends on the number of Dragon Fang Swords. With one Dragon Fang Sword, it will just be as strong as a normal Communion-grade Duke Art. With two, it''ll be comparable to a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art. Based on my estimates, if you can cultivate four Dragon Fang Swords, it should be similar to the power of a Destiny-grade Duke Art. However, if you would like to go even higher, it may become quite a challenge. As I''ve said earlier, this art was not completed, and the sword formation is still lacking in some areas." Hearing this, Li Luo gasped in surprise. Four Dragon Fang Swords would be equivalent to a Destiny-grade Duke Art. This far exceeded his expectations. As for the so-called Transcendent-grade, he had never really considered it before. After all, it was totally out of his league currently. "Nonetheless, there is still one issue with the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. It is extremely challenging to cultivate and requires one to be exceptionally gifted in resonance arts," Li Jingzhe added. "That should be fine with my aptitude in resonance arts," Li Luo replied confidently. When it came to natural talent with resonance arts, Li Luo had always been proud of his abilities to quickly comprehend and learn them. This was merely overshadowed by the dazzling point that he possessed triple resonances. Li Luo was able to come up ahead when he first entered the Southwind Academy all thanks to his exceptional gift with resonance arts. Of course, the resonance arts he had learned back then and the Duke Art he had today were of totally different leagues. Nonetheless, he had still managed to master the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner at a stage thought to be impossible for many. There was no doubt about his exceptional talent. "Yes, it should be fine with your talent in resonance arts. However, there is still one problem. You will need a rare material known as Dragon Fang Essence to forge a Dragon Fang Sword," Li Jingzhe responded with a laugh. "Dragon Fang Essence?" Li Luo was stunned when he heard this. As he had not finished studying the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, this was something totally new to him. "The so-called Dragon Fang Essence refers to a mystical treasure derived from the real fangs of a true dragon. This item is extremely rare and, as a result, extremely expensive too," Li Jingzhe explained to him. "How expensive is it?" Li Luo asked carefully as his heart beat faster. "In skygold terms, it''ll be about thirty million per drop," Li Jingzhe answered after giving it some thought. Li Luo nearly spat out a mouthful of blood when he heard this. He knew it. Such a good art could not possibly be so easy to cultivate, right? At thirty million skygold per droplet, wouldn''t he need over a a hundred million skygold just for this material alone if he wanted to forge five Dragon Fang Swords?! He wouldn''t be able to afford it even if he sold off House Luolan in its entirety. Furthermore, he was far away in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent now, so he would not be able to sell off House Luolan even if wanted to. At present, his total net worth was only a few million skygold at best. Li Luo was deeply troubled by this. Although he enjoyed two monthly stipends in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage currently, it was only worth a few million in total. The monthly stipend was more for the resources rather than skygold. Moreover, he would need those resources for his cultivation. There was no way he could sell them off in exchange for skygold now. In other words, how in the world was he going to get the thirty million skygold for a drop of Dragon Fang Essence? Li Luo could not help but sigh in his heart. Of course, he would not be so thick-skinned as to ask Li Jingzhe for such a large amount of skygold. Moreover, his grandpa had already broken some rules to help him obtain the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. There was no way he could open his mouth and ask his grandpa again. After all, he still had a certain pride within him. As Li Luo was deep in thought, Li Jingzhe chimed in from the side and said, "Currently, you hold the Main Hall Master plaque of the Green Nether Banner and possess some authority. When you bring the Green Nether Banner back up as the leader among the four banners in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, the authority you will have will naturally increase too. At that time, perhaps you can enjoy some benefits that come along as the Main Hall Master." Li Luo was taken aback by this. Did this mean that he would have a chance to enjoy the perks of the Main Hall Master? "How much of a stipend does the Main Hall Master get?" Li Luo asked curiously. "Excluding the various resources, the stipend should be around eighty million skygold per year total," Li Jingzhe replied casually. At this point, Li Luo froze in his tracks. Eighty million a year... So the Main Hall Master could afford to buy over several House Luolans with just one year of stipends? Now that Li Luo thought about it, it did make sense. The Green Nether Hall governed over the two realms that were much bigger and occupied by a much larger population than the Xia Kingdom. The forces in play were more complex and numerous. As such, it was not surprising at all for the Main Hall Master, the leader with the highest authority around here, to enjoy such perks. At this point, Li Luo''s heart started beating faster and faster. Did this mean that he would be able to enjoy such amazing perks once he secured more authority by getting some of the rights of the Main Hall Master of the Green Nether Banner? Even if it was just a portion, it should be enough for him to cultivate the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, right? "Grandpa, this is not against the rules, right?" Li Luo asked. "Your father was originally the Main Hall Master of the Green Nether Banner. Although he has been away for so many years, he has not been removed from his position. As such, it will make perfect sense for you to inherit your father''s position, as long as you have enough credibility to show," Li Jingzhe replied to his question seriously. "If you become the head amongst the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, you can get a portion of the authority relating to the Main Hall Master. If you can become the Dragon''s Head in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, you can become the legitimate Main Hall Master of the Green Nether Banner even if your strength is not there yet. You will be given full authority over the Green Nether Banner then. Although you would be the weakest Main Hall Master in history, it should not be an issue. After all, you''d just be covering for your father. If anyone would like to challenge you, they would have to wait for your father''s return and challenge him instead," Li Jingzhe further elaborated, throwing the blame onto his wayward son. At this point, Li Luo merely blinked in surprise. Was this even allowed? "Then let me make the Green Nether Banner the head amongst the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage first," Li Luo responded. He understood that this was an opportunity given to him by his grandfather. With Li Jingzhe''s personality, this was the maximum he could do to help. If he were any more direct in his approach, it would definitely be too much. Furthermore, this was a show of how much confidence he had in Li Luo''s ability. Li Jingzhe nodded as he continued walking in front. "The birthday celebration for the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage is five days away. Are you ready?" he asked. Hearing this, Li Luo nodded with a smile. "Qin Lian from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing will also be coming. The Dragon''s Blood Lineage invited her, and I heard that she will be bringing her favorite disciple and daughter along," Li Jingzhe added. Li Luo squeezed his eyes a little when he heard about this. With all the enmity between his father and her, he wondered if there would be any trouble. "You do not need to worry about Qin Lian. She will not be so presumptuous and daring to stir trouble during the birthday celebration. However, you''ll have to watch out for her daughter, Qin Yi. That daughter of hers is well known in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, and many young folks have fallen head over heels for her," Li Jingzhe said. "Many noble ladies fell for my handsome looks back in the Xia Kingdom. I will not lose to her in that regard," Li Luo replied shamelessly. Li Jingzhe could not help but laugh at his response. "If you can really make Qin Yi fall for you, I think that Qin Lian will be infuriated. That would surely be a good revenge for your parents, " he said. "That''s not very nice. After all, I already have a fiancee," Li Luo said embarrassedly. "Fiancee? Is that another absurd thing your parents made you do? There are nothing but mediocre people in the outer divine continents. With your talent, you''ll surely find someone better in the future. Sometimes, it''s good to make a clean break with the past," Li Jingzhe said disapprovingly. Li Luo smiled bitterly when he heard this. Jiang Qing''e mediocre? Sorry, Grandpa, but I, your grandson, did not even dare to even squeak before her despite my triple resonances. Of course, Li Luo did not debate on this any further. When Li Jingzhe met Jiang Qing''e, he would naturally forget all the words that he had said today. In the end, Li Luo bade farewell to Li Jingzhe at the foot of the mountain. With a swift turn, the old man disappeared without a trace. All he had left behind were the words for Li Luo to do his best in the upcoming birthday celebration. Chapter 0814 – A Trace of Sword Intent Chapter 0814: A Trace of Sword Intent Within the cultivation chamber in Li Luo''s residence. Li Luo was seated cross-legged. Before him was the mottled dragon fang that radiated a weak but mystical light. He was channeling his resonant power into the dragon fang, and the cry of a sword could be heard in his ears all the while. Li Luo had fallen into a trance, and when he concentrated upon this sound, he found himself immersed in a vast, starry world that was filled with boundless amounts of sword intent. It was as though the primal chaos had just been split apart in the galaxy created by sword intent, leading to its genesis. The sight of it was vast and majestic, and as the galaxy revolved, even the stars that fell into the streams of sword intent were obliterated into nothingness. Li Luo''s presence was like a speck of dust within this grand world, and just a mere strand of sword intent brushing past him could wipe him out of existence. Although Li Luo was taken aback by the sheer grandeur of this sight, his heart remained calm. He had already felt the oppressive might of this sword intent many times over the past few days. Ever since he obtained the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, he had delved deep into it with all his energy. This Duke Art was of an extremely high grade, and the difficulty to learn it was several magnitudes greater than the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner. The way to cultivate the art was to allow one''s mind to submerge itself within this galaxy of sword intent and comprehend its terror. Once one attained enlightenment, they would form a strand of sword intent that could be combined with their resonance affinities and successfully refine the Dragon Fang Swords. This required a certain giftedness in resonance arts. If one did not possess enough talent, it would simply be impossible to even comprehend a strand of the sword intent. If one forced things, they might receive backlash and be injured. The good thing was that Li Luo had always been talented in this aspect. His efforts over the previous days had resulted in him receiving some injury. However, he continued to attempt to gain enlightenment, and he had gradually built up a resistance to the absolute terror of the sword intent and no longer felt fear towards it. The next step would be to gradually find a suitable opportunity to take things to the next level. He was not in a rush, as he had not managed to obtain a Dragon Fang Essence. Thus, he would not be able to truly refine a Dragon Fang Sword even after obtaining a strand of sword intent. Just as Li Luo had these thoughts in mind, his expression changed. He could vaguely feel that the terrifying sword intent seemed to have emitted some sort of cry that caused the sword intent to flood into every crevice and location within the world. His mental state was also subject to this, and he felt his mind crumble slightly in the face of sheer pain. However, he held steadfast, choosing to not give up so easily. After resisting for an unknown amount of time, his mind was eventually worn down and defeated. Li Luo opened his eyes with a pale complexion. His breathing was ragged and it felt as though his entire body had been gashed to varying degrees. The cold sweat on his forehead beaded and dripped down slowly. As he wiped his sweat off, his pupils held a trace of lingering fear. The sword intent was simply too terrifying. Despite the fact that he had been buffeted with endless amounts of sword intent in the past few days, this sudden outburst was still hard to endure. "As expected of a Transcendent-grade Duke Art..." Li Luo sighed. The galaxy of sword intent was significantly harder to cultivate than the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner. After which, he stood up. "Hmm?" At this moment, he seemed to have noticed something as soon as he inspected his body with his mind. There seemed to be a trace of mysterious energy within it. This energy even gave off a familiar vibe. Was it a trace of the sword intent? However, this was significantly weaker when compared to the sheer amount of sword intent he had faced previously. Despite this, Li Luo was filled with unrestrained joy. This meant that he had finally managed to obtain his first strand of sword intent and he would be able to eventually refine his first Dragon Fang Sword. He was off to a great start. Li Luo continued to suss out the strand of sword intent. Although it was meager, it radiated a cold air that caused him to feel a little bit of fear. After observing it for a while longer, he stopped with a sense of satisfaction in his heart. It seemed his bitter cultivation had reaped rewards. As he got up from the cultivating platform, he murmured to himself, "Tomorrow is the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Mountain Ruling Chief''s celebration." He was not particularly interested in it due to the situation with his father in the past. He held not much goodwill towards this Dragon''s Blood Lineage. However, it would mark the opening of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool, and that was something he held a deep longing towards. This was a hard-to-obtain opportunity, and not every generation managed to enjoy its benefits. Since his grandfather had fought for this opportunity for him, he had to take advantage of it. Li Luo composed himself as he inspected the abstruse fiend lights in his resonant palace. He now had a total of ten thousand strands of abstruse fiend light after all his efforts. Most individuals would be at the stage of using these strands of abstruse fiend light to break into the Fiend Body Tier. However, Li Luo had not done so, only determined to continue accumulating more. His body possessed three resonant palaces and therefore could originally hold up to thirty thousand strands of abstruse fiend light. Now that his waterlight resonance had reached the eighth-grade, his capacity had increased once again to thirty-five thousand strands. This was a frightening amount. Li Luo could feel that out of all his peers in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, there was basically no one who could establish a foundation as sturdy as his when entering the Fiend Body Tier, especially if he managed to reach his capacity. Not even someone with a ninth-grade resonance could do so! This gave Li Luo yet another problem, however. His path upwards would now take a longer amount of time. Twenty-five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light would easily require a year''s worth of cultivation time. And time was scarce. Thus, the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool was exceptionally important to him. Perhaps even a matter of life and death. "I have to obtain a Coiling Dragon Pillar no matter what and fight for two strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath." This was Li Luo''s personal aim. Two strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath would equate to ten thousand strands of abstruse fiend light, cutting his massive requirements by almost half and saving him endless amounts of time. With this in mind, Li Luo left the cultivation chamber and began to make preparations for the next day. ....... The next day. The entire Dragon''s Fang Mountain seemed to have come alive. The Mountain Ruling Chief''s birthday celebration was something the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had to show adequate respect for. In the end, the individual was still the strongest expert in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Within Dragon''s Fang Mountain. Li Luo led the Green Nether Banner to arrive on time with the other three banners. Seeing so many banner members present was quite the spectacle. The four banners would not have arrived with such fanfare if not for the allure of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. With such a tantalizing prize before them, they would naturally have to go all out. This birthday celebration had also invited guests from countless powers from throughout the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. The performance of the banners at the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool would demonstrate the might of this generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. In front of the four banners was a massive stone formation. It was covered in runes that began to devour endless amounts of worldly natural energy. This was the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages'' transportation formation. It would not be activated in normal times, and only in situations of great importance or urgency would they utilize it. Li Luo looked around him before posing a question towards Zhao Yanzhi. "Where are the Dragon''s Fang Guardians?" Li Luo had always held a trace of curiosity towards them. They were the true elites of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage after all. "They will not appear. They are almost never at the headquarters as they have special assignments," Zhao Yanzhi softly replied. "What sorts of assignments?" Li Luo asked curiously. "Suppressing and cleansing Others." Li Luo was slightly taken aback by her answer. "Others appear in the inner divine continent?" He had thought that with the number of experts in the inner divine continent, the Others would have long been vanquished into extinction. Zhao Yanzhi looked at him strangely. "The amount of Others in the inner divine continent is even greater than in the outer divine continents. In fact, they are also stronger. With how vast a territory like the Dragon''s Fang Domain is, there are numerous cracks in the world that attract the attention of the Others. If they are not cleansed quickly, an Other Disaster will erupt, leading to countless losses. In the future, we might be assigned to such a task." Li Luo nodded slightly. It looked like things were not as peaceful as he had expected. As they spoke, Li Jingzhe suddenly appeared before all of them, and the massive group quietened down. Behind Li Jingzhe followed Li Jinpan, Li Qingpeng, and the rest of the higher echelons of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Li Jingzhe swept his gaze throughout the crowd before pausing temporarily on Li Luo. He did not speak much, only waving his hand and giving out a single command. "Head out." When his voice boomed, the formation trembled and exploded with a radiance that blanketed tens of thousands of meters. The four banners began to move and entered the formation. With a final burst of radiance, all of the figures vanished. As Li Luo felt space distort around him, he sucked in a deep breath, eyes full of anticipation. "Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath... I''m coming for you!" Chapter 0815 – Gathering Chapter 0815: Gathering When Li Luo felt the surrounding fluctuations dissipate, he opened his eyes only to be greeted by a flood of dazzling, gold light. He squinted as he gradually adapted to the light. It was then that he noticed that the golden light was coming from the countless golden and majestic temples that stood before him. Above these structures, light continued to sweep past in a never-ending flow. Endless noise filled up the entire world. "This is where the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s headquarters is?" Li Luo curiously sized up the area. The architectural style was completely different from that of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Golden colors dazzled the eye in every direction. It was said that dragon''s blood was actually golden, and true to their namesake, the lineage decorated everything accordingly. Even the clouds above seemed to exude a golden glow. This was not an illusiona massive, golden dragon manifestation loomed overhead above the layer of clouds, clearly acting as some sort of guardian formation. It was luxurious, grand, and mysterious. This was the first impression Li Luo had of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Li Luo then looked around as a group of individuals approached them. They seemed to be the elders of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, as they treated Li Jingzhe with great respect. After the two sides spoke for a bit, Li Jingzhe was invited away, seemingly to meet the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Mountain Ruling Chief. The four banners were then arranged to be brought to their lodgings. The actual celebration would take place the next day. They would be given a day to rest and recuperate. When Li Luo was about to leave with the banner, Li Fengyi came looking for him. "There will be a gathering tonight. It is organized by the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Li Qingfeng. He has invited all of the esteemed individuals from the younger generation and some other guests from other powers who have come to pay their respects. Li Qingfeng hopes that the twenty Banner Leaders can participate. I''m not sure what he''s planning to discuss." "The Gold Blood Banner''s Banner Leader Li Qingfeng, huh?" Li Luo''s gaze flickered. This name was relatively well known throughout the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Everyone had touted him to be the Dragon''s Head of the current generation. "That brat. Does he really think that he is the leading figure in our generation? Acting like the Dragon''s Head already Psh. The battle for it has yet to start, and who knows who will be the eventual victor." Li Fengyi lightly pouted as she grumbled. Clearly, she didn''t feel very positively about Li Qingfeng. Regardless, she was well aware that Li Qingfeng was truly a peak genius. He possessed outstanding talent, and whether it was his personal strength or the banner that he led, both were the top of his generation. It wouldn''t be wrong to label him as the poster boy for the current generation of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Still, Li Fengyi felt dissatisfied. She might be a female, but her personality was headstrong and combative. She had always idolized her Third Uncle, Li Taixuan, and was in awe at how he had suppressed all of the individuals of his generation with sheer strength. Thus, she had spent as much effort as she could to become like him. It was a pity that in terms of talent, despite being exceptional herself, an insurmountable gap still existed between her and Li Qingfeng. Li Luo sighed deeply and then said with a smile, "Well, let''s see what the supposed Dragon''s Head wants with us." Either way, he was free right now, and it would be good to take a look at Li Qingfeng. It was likely that the two of them would meet each other at the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool either way. Li Fengyi then led the way. Since Li Qingfeng had so graciously invited them, she would have to give him some face. "Let''s go, then." She glanced at the setting sun as she spoke. Li Luo nodded, and the two left to find Li Jingtao. That fellow was actually trying to escape, but when he came into contact with Li Fengyi''s fierce glare, he unwillingly had to follow. The trio were then led by a serving lady from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, arriving at a well-lit, golden palace situated in the middle of a lake an hour later. The sun had already set and the sky was dark. However, the golden palace shone resplendently, illuminating the surface of the lake. The palace was bustling with activity, and countless guests were constantly being guided into the area by servants. When the trio arrived, they attracted the gazes of several individuals. Most of them were young ladies who looked upon Li Luo with a hint of interest and curiosity. They did not recognize him, but they felt that this youth with his slender build and head of grayish-white hair seemed to stand out with a certain unique air in the lantern light. "Little Brother, you really are quite outstanding. If you wish, you can easily have a night full of amorous adventures,'''' Li Fengyi joked. Li Luo helplessly smiled before rejecting her. "That isn''t possible. I am already engaged, and I have to preserve my chastity for the chosen one." "You''re actually engaged? Did Third Uncle arrange for this in the outer divine continent?" Li Jingtao asked in surprise before rubbing his chin and speaking in a wise tone. "That is not a good thing. Now that you''re in the inner divine continent and she has been left behind, the gap between the two of you will only widen. It will inevitably lead to some form of estrangement between the two of you..." Li Fengyi also had a dissatisfied expression on her face. "Yes, that is not proper. You should back out of that engagement quickly. Otherwise, letting things drag on will not be beneficial for either of you." Li Luo sighed worriedly. He had suddenly remembered that when Jiang Qing''e left, they had truly annulled their engagement... In fact, this was of his own doing. From that point of view, the two of them were no longer engaged. Li Luo rubbed his face, feeling the urge to slap himself. Li Luo, oh, Li Luo! There was no need to continue acting. Now that he had finally gotten what he wanted and annulled the marriage, perhaps he might spend the rest of his life seeking her. However, he squashed all of these emotions. He understood Jiang Qing''e all too well. The feelings between them would not be affected by such minor matters. As they continued to walk and chat, the trio arrived at the doors to the gilded palace. At this point, some individuals approached with mocking laughter. "Li Fengyi, it has been quite some time. You are as energetic as always." In the middle of the doorway was a young, purple-garbed female. Her face was delicate and beautiful, her skin as white as snow. Her eyes were spirited, and a lifelike red carp was embroidered upon her dress. The presence of this lady immediately caused the gazes of numerous men around her to blaze with passion. Li Fengyi merely glanced at her before retorting snidely, "Li Hongli, you''re still up to no good, acting all pretentious and fake." When Li Luo heard this, he gave that lady a second glance. This is the Fiendish Devil Cave''s third placed Banner Leader, the Violet Blood Banner''s Li Hongli? However, it seems as though the relationship between her and Li Fengyi wasn''t the best. When faced with Li Fengyi''s snide reply, Li Hongli gave a slight smile. "If the Crimson Cloud Banner was as good as your way with words, your rank wouldnt be so low." "So what? Do you think the Violet Blood Banner''s rank has anything to do with you? I heard it was because your father was so concerned about you that he personally sought out all sorts of experts to support you and your lacking abilities," Li Fengyi icily replied. Li Hongli''s gaze shrank and her voice turned cold. "Even without the Violet Blood Banner, I can easily deal with you." "Why don''t you try it?" Li Fengyi replied with piercing words. Li Hongli coldly harrumphed as she felt the gazes around her focus upon her. This was not the place to scuffle with Li Fengyi, so her gaze turned towards the handsome youth with grayish-white hair beside her. "Are you Li Luo?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Well, he didn''t lack anything when it came to looks. Li Luo smiled and did not reply. He could tell from her condescending eyes that she didn''t hold much goodwill towards him either. Seeing his lack of response, a trace of fury arose on Li Hongli''s face as she coolly said, "The son does resemble the father. I just wonder how much of his capability was inherited." Li Luo attentively replied, "Well, why don''t you see for yourself? Well, regardless, I hope that you will not follow in the footsteps of your father and pass down your grievances to the next generation." Li Luo had long found out from Li Fengyi that Li Hongli''s father was one of his father''s rivals in the past. They had competed in everything, but the result was clear: absolute defeat. As a result, Li Hongli''s father had always held a trace of resentment towards Li Taixuan, and her attitude must have been the result of her upbringing. Li Hongli was the princess whom all desired in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s younger generation. Thus, Li Luo''s preaching tone caused her to raise her eyebrow in anger. Just as Li Hongli was about to explode in anger, a hoarse, female voice called out from behind her, "Li Hongli, we have invited countless guests today. Are you planning to throw a temper tantrum tonight?" This was a familiar voice. Li Luo''s heart trembled slightly and he turned his head. Amidst the numerous figures in the crowd, a girl wearing dark clothes with a pair of fair, oval cheeks and a head of short hair that only reached her ears stood out with her own flair. A pair of straight, slender, long legs captivated the audience around them. It was Lu Qingmei, the Banner Leader of the Holy Scale Banner. Chapter 0816: Gathering of the Twenty Banners Chapter 0816: Gathering of the Twenty Banners With Lu Qingmei''s arrival, Li Hongli''s face turned chilly. Out of all the women in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, the two that she disliked the most had appeared before her. She despised Li Fengyi for her background. After all, Li Fengyi came from the direct bloodline in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Her grandfather was the Lineage Chief and her father was the Hall Master of the Crimson Cloud Hall. Li Fengyis background could even be said to be above hers. As for Lu Qingmei, she detested her for her exceptional natural talent. Although she was not of a direct bloodline, she had slowly climbed up to the top in the Dragon''s Scale Lineage with her incredible ability. Li Qingfeng was the only person in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages who could hold her down. As Li Hongli watched Lu Qingmei walk over, she said, "What does this have to do with you?" In terms of looks, Lu Qingmei was in no way inferior to Li Hongli. However, her temperament was completely different. Her short hair was neatly tucked behind her ears and she donned a tidy, long robe, presenting herself as extraordinarily heroic. "I just wanted to remind you not to make a fool of yourself here. Don''t be a disgrace, and dont tarnish the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s reputation," Lu Qingmei replied lightly. Hearing this, Li Hongli was enraged by Lu Qingmei''s tone. However, she kept her anger in check and snorted coldly before turning around and walking into the golden palace. With her departure, the tense atmosphere in the air gradually eased. The numerous gazes from the surroundings started to turn their attention away. Nonetheless, there were still some eyes glancing over at Lu Qingmei from time to time. At this point, Lu Qingmei looked over at Li Fengyi as she said, "It seems like she always flares up whenever she sees you." Li Fengyi pursed her lips and responded, "Its the same with you. What a sensitive and narrow-minded woman." Evidently, Li Fengyi and Lu Qingmei knew each other and got along fine. After all, Li Hongli and her tantrums had always forced them towards the same side. After a casual chat, Lu Qingmei turned over to Li Luo. "We meet again, Banner Leader Li Luo." Li Luo smiled and responded, "Speaking of which, I haven''t thanked you, Banner Leader Lu Qingmei, for holding back last time. You had obviously won, but you still considered it a draw." Lu Qingmei looked at Li Luo''s handsome face and replied seriously, "You are really strong. Although you are only at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, you have brought the Green Nether Banner to where it is today. If you were at the Fiend Body Tier, perhaps the Green Nether Banner would make it into the top five ranks. I look forward to a fight with you then, where we both won''t have to hold back." At this moment, her eyes became filled with a fevered passion for battle. Although she had emerged victorious back when the two banners clashed, she had clearly felt his potential and the looming threat he demonstrated. This did not make her uncomfortable. Instead, she was looking forward to the challenge. When he felt Lu Qingmei''s burning desire for a battle, Li Luo let out a laugh. The lady in front of him was completely different from Li Hongli. The latter was a spoiled princess, whilst the former had a war-loving personality that would put even guys to shame. You think too highly of me, Banner Leader Lu Qingmei. I was just riding on the power of the Green Nether Banner''s Harmony to pull us slightly closer. Without the Green Nether Banner, I am afraid I wouldn''t even be able to take a few hits from you," Li Luo replied with a smile. This was not a lie at all. At present, Li Luo was at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, while Lu Qingmei was already at the Fiend Finisher Tier. There was a huge gap between them that was only narrowed due to grasping the power of Harmony. If they had faced off one-on-one, the gap would be unbearably wide. Based on his own estimates, Li Luo would need to finish accumulating all his abstruse fiend lights and enter the Fiend Body Tier before he could hold his own against top talents like Deng Fengxian and Lu Qingmei. He had no choice. The pits from having three resonant palaces were too deep... As for what Li Luo had said, Lu Qingmei did not comment any further. Although what he had said was true, she could feel that he had hidden something in their previous fight. Although the son of Li Taixuan had wasted many years in the outer divine continent, he still had aces hidden up his sleeve. As they were not very familiar with one another, she merely nodded politely before she led the Dragon''s Scale Banner members into the inner area. Li Luo, Li Fengyi, and Li Jingtao headed in too. The lights in the gilded palace were dazzling. Crystal lamps hung in distinct layers, and the light illuminated the spacious hall without leaving a single blind spot. Many had gathered in the grand hall. Bustling with noise, they formed small circles and chatted. It was like a luxurious scene showcasing the upper class of society. As soon as Li Luo and gang entered the grand hall, a waitress stepped forward and politely invited them to the back hall saying that Li Qingfeng was waiting for them. The gang looked at each other for a moment before they followed along. Following closely behind the waitress, the gang walked across the brightly lit hallway into an exquisitely designed inner hall. As soon as they entered, they could see two rows of people already seated along a long table. With a quick glance down the table, Li Luo could recognize some familiar faces among them. They were the opponents he had encountered during the battle among the banners in the Fiendish Devil Cave. At this moment, a clear laugh came from the other end. "Hehe, Fengyi, Jingtao, you have finally arrived. We''ve been waiting." Li Luo looked across the wide, long table and saw a young man laughing in the seat of the host, looking over at them. The young man was tall and upright with a handsome face. With a sword hanging on each side of his waist, he spoke in a gentle tone and was clearly composed and confident. When he smiled, he exuded a sense of nobility that could not be concealed. Even though the Banner Leaders of the Twenty Banners were all present, the focus in the whole room was all on this outstanding young man. Li Luo understood immediately. Who would have such an authoritative presence apart from Banner Leader Li Qingfeng from the Gold Blood Banner? There was an incredible air around him. It was no wonder he was deemed the leader of this generation of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Hearing his words, Li Fengyi remained calm and merely nodded as she guided Li Luo and Li Jingtao to their seats. At this moment, Li Qingfeng turned towards Li Luo and said with a smile, "You must be Banner Leader Li Luo from the Green Nether Banner, right? The Green Nether Banner has been on an ascent recently under your leadership." Li Luo smiled and calmly responded, "Just some small fights here and there, nothing compared to the Gold Blood Banner under you, Banner Leader Li Qingfeng." Li Hongli, who was sitting beside Li Qingfeng, raised her eyebrows and said sarcastically, "As expected from someone from the outer divine continent. At least you know where you stand." The other Banner Leaders present caught onto her words immediately. Li Hongli was clearly targeting Li Luo with her sharp words. This was not surprising, considering the enmity from the previous generations. Pa! Before Li Luo could even react, Li Fengyi slammed her hand on the table as she glared angrily at Li Hongli. She could not hold back her anger any more after hearing those words. "You should be glad Li Luo only returned now. If he was back earlier, where would the Dragon''s Blood Lineage even stand?" Li Hongli merely laughed icily and responded, "What big words. If he had returned earlier, could he stand up to Brother Qingfeng?" At this point, Li Luo held back Li Fengyi before she retorted any further. Li Hongli was really sly, always pitting him against the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Seeing this, Li Qingfeng also stopped Li Hongli from any further taunts with a wave of his hand. He smiled and said, "You two, always quarreling whenever you meet. We have serious business to discuss today, so let''s stop this for now." Hearing his words, Li Hongli hummed softly and stopped any further provocations. Li Qingfeng looked over at everyone present with a smile on his face. "I have invited everyone here today to discuss something important. It''s regarding the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool tomorrow." Chapter 0817: Pre-arrangement Chapter 0817: Pre-arrangement When Li Qingfeng ended his sentence, the well-lit inner hall came to a silence and every Banner Leader looked towards him. "What''d you want to say?" Lu Qingmei from the Dragon''s Scale Lineage said bluntly as she stared at Li Qingfeng calmly. Li Qingfeng gave a slight smile as he replied, "This opening of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool is a bit different. As it''s taking place during the Respected Elder''s birthday, many distinguished guests will be watching our battle closely. As such, I suggest that we fight by all means but do not overdo it. Simply said, we will still try our best but restrain ourselves a little to put up a nice performance for the birthday celebration." Hearing this, the other Banner Leaders frowned a little. Did he mean to use the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool battle as an avenue of entertainment for the birthday celebration? "To prevent the battle from becoming too bloody, I propose that we fix the results of the battle beforehand. In that case, we can trade blows without going overboard and still have a conclusion for the battle," Li Qingfeng continued. As soon as he finished this, the eyes of the other Banner Leaders froze. So, this was his real motive. To fix the results beforehand and give the audience a spectacular exhibition match. However, Li Luo frowned when he heard the suggestion. This might not be a good thing for him. After all, the Green Nether Banner was not the top few amongst the Twenty Banners despite their stellar progress recently. In other words, he might not even get anything if the results were arranged beforehand. Moreover, he had been working hard and preparing for so long in order to use the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool to fill up his three resonant palaces. If the results were prearranged, what would be left for him? "How will we arrange it?" Deng Fengxian of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage cut in at this point. Everyone listened attentively too. After all, this was the most important part. Li Qingfeng pondered for two seconds before he revealed a warm smile and gently explained, "The Dragon''s Blood Lineage will take two of the Coiling Dragon Pillars, and they''ll be one gold and one silver. The remaining four Coiling Dragon Pillars will be shared equally among the other four lineages, one pillar each." When he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the inner hall turned tense instantly. He had given the largest piece of cake to himself as soon as he opened his mouth. Furthermore, it was the best piece of the cake too. Yet they were not totally surprised by it. Ultimately, the Dragon''s Blood Lineage was the strongest among them. It was just an extremely blunt and unpleasant way to propose this to them. "Guys, don''t think that I am being greedy or arrogant with my words. If we fight it out normally, I believe I will still stand the highest chance of obtaining the golden dragon pillar. I may have suggested fixing the results, but it''s actually just pre-arranging the results of the normal fights in advance so that we won''t go overboard during the clash and make a joke of ourselves in front of others," Li Qingfeng explained with a sincere face. However, the air of confidence and dominance around him still remained. This self-confidence was brought to him by his own power as well as the strong foundation of the Gold Blood Banner. As the strongest Banner Leader among the Twenty Banners, the golden dragon pillar was indeed his in a certain sense. Furthermore, the Violet Blood Banner led by Li Hongli was ranked third, just behind Lu Qingmei. All in all, the Dragon''s Blood Lineage was indeed a fearsome force that stood a high chance to secure two of the pillars even if they fought it out normally. At this moment, the inner hall fell dead silent. Although they knew what Li Qingfeng had said was indeed true, this kind of prearrangement would make them appear kind of weak. After all, competition was part of the journey of cultivation. If they lost the courage to compete and fight for what they wanted, they would eventually lose their edge and become unexceptional. It was just that the almighty Li Qingfeng, aspiring leader of the Twenty Banners, had spoken now. Who would dare to oppose him? They still had to give him this face in the end, right? "What bullshit." Li Luo sneered in his heart. The Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool was only going to open tomorrow because of Li Jingzhe, who had gone back on his word for Li Luo even though he was the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. If the Coiling Dragon Pillars fell into Li Qingfeng''s hands now just because of a prearrangement, wouldn''t it be a total waste of the Respected Elder''s efforts? As such, Li Luo was determined to get at least one of the Coiling Dragon Pillars. Not to mention Li Qingfeng, he would not back down even if the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage had spoken! With that in mind, Li Luo was about to step up. However, someone else stepped up before he could. A figure with short and tidy hair, coupled with an oval face like a goose egg, was now emitting cold air. It was none other than Lu Qingmei. "Banner Leader Li Qingfeng, I disagree with your proposal. The Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool was created in order to train us. In the past, everyone relied on their own strength to get the pillars. Isn''t fixing the result breaking the rules? You said that you''re afraid juniors like us will make a joke of ourselves in front of others during tomorrow''s birthday celebration. However, a fight with predetermined results will definitely be lacking in drive and killing intent. If this were seen by other capable individuals, they would surely say our generation is weak and incompetent." Lu Qingmei''s cold voice echoed in the inner hall as the other Banner Leaders watched. Li Qingfeng was slightly taken aback too. He had not expected Lu Qingmei to reject his suggestion so strongly. Hearing her words, Li Luo could not help but heave a sigh of relief deep in his heart. At this point, he stood up from the crowd and replied with a smile, "I also feel that it is better to fight it out normally. Since Banner Leader Li Qingfeng is so confident that the results will be the same either way, there isn''t really a need for us to make arrangements before the battle." The others turned their gazes towards Li Luo in surprise. None of them had expected him to stand up and object too. "Banner Leader Li Luo, what do the six Coiling Dragon Pillars have to do with you?" Li Hongli asked with a slight sneer on her red lips. Li Luo gave her a stare before he calmly replied, "Sorry, but I have my eyes set on at least one of the six Coiling Dragon Pillars." Li Hongli could not help but laugh out loud in response. "And youre going to take it with your Greater Fiend Palace strength?" Li Luo raised his eyelids and said, "Originally, the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool would have only opened up in two or three years. It was the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Respected Elder who changed the opening date to tomorrow. I am sure you all have heard about this, yes? That is to say, the Respected Elder wants me to compete for it. Since he has commanded it, I, his grandson, will have to go all out. And I absolutely must get a Coiling Dragon Pillar." Hearing his words, there were many strange reactions on the faces of the other Banner Leaders. At first, they were also surprised at the sudden opening of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. They had heard rumors that it was because of a change in decision from the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. As it turned out, the change in decision was all due to Li Luo. In other words, this rare opportunity had been presented to them thanks to Li Luo? Beneath the bright light, Li Hongli''s delicate and beautiful face turned a little cloudy. The Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was really kind to Li Luo. Despite his status, he would even change his decision just for Li Luo. On the other hand, Li Qingfeng kept his composure. He had already known about this secret for a long time due to his background. Yet he had some strange emotions stirring deep in his heart. Although both Li Luo and him were from direct bloodlines, their statuses in the eyes of their respective Lineage Chiefs were evidently different. The care and concern that the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Lineage Chief showed Li Luo far exceeded what the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Lineage Chief felt for Li Qingfeng. "It''s true that we have gotten this precious opportunity all thanks to you, Banner Leader Li Luo. In that case, I am fine with handing over one of the six Coiling Dragon Pillars to him," Li Qingfeng said gently. Many of the Banner Leaders changed their faces as soon as they heard this. Hearing this, Li Luo responded with a smile, "There is no need to give it to me specially. I am still lacking in strength and will just give it my all to fight for it. If I fail to obtain it, it will just show that I''m lacking in strength. No one''s to blame for it." Although it may seem like a good suggestion to hand him one of the Coiling Dragon Pillars directly, Li Qingfeng had no kind intentions at all. This would have brought more enemies to Li Luo instead. "Then I wish you, Banner Leader Li Luo, all the best. May your wish come true." Li Qingfeng laughed coldly. It seemed like there was no hope for furthering today''s agenda anymore after the interruption from Lu Qingmei and Li Luo. However, Li Qingfeng had not shown any signs of frustration. "Initially, I had kind intentions for everyone to take things easily. Since some of you have objected to my kind intentions, let''s forget about it." Li Qingfeng laughed it off nonchalantly. Many of the Banner Leaders stood up at this point and started chatting to ease the atmosphere. As for Lu Qingmei, she turned around and left the hall immediately. Li Luo was not interested in staying either. Although Li Qingfeng did not show it, he must have been enraged when his plan was foiled by Lu Qingmei and Li Luo. As such, Li Luo did not intend to waste any more energy here. He greeted Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao before the trio headed out of the hall too. Just as he left the big hall, Banner Leader Li Qingfeng, who had been gaily chatting with the other Banner Leaders, caught a glimpse of them out of the corner of his eye, and his smile vanished from his face. Chapter 0818: The Protagonist of the Birthday Celebration Chapter 0818: The Protagonist of the Birthday Celebration Although Li Qingfeng''s proposal did not go through in the end, the birthday celebration continued on. After all, that was the main highlight of the night. Li Qingfeng''s proposal was merely an interlude. On the second story balcony of the gilded palace, Li Luo leaned against the railing and watched the grand, vast lake in front of him. Although night had fallen, the lake continued to sparkle under the dazzling, bright lights of the palace. There were many people passing behind him, socializing in the grand hall of the gilded palace. Despite the lively activities, Li Luo had no intention to join in. He planned to wait a little longer and then head back for a rest. Amidst the noisy chatter coming from the gilded palace, Li Luo recalled Jiang Qing''es beautiful face, and a pleasant smile appeared on his lips. How is she doing at the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College? Has the sacrificial ignition of her Heart of Light been resolved yet? He would deliver the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus to her as soon as he obtained it. At that point, would he be able to catch a glimpse of her? Li Luo could not help but miss her deeply. Although he was doing fine in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and the living conditions were much better than back in the Xia Kingdom, his favorite place deep in his heart was still the small, little House Luolan... In fact, everything he cared about was there. It was a pity that the Xia Kingdom had been infested by Others. Thinking about the Other Disaster, he could not help but feel a little heavy in his heart. How were things going there now? Although Principal Pang had managed to seal the mysterious black river and kept the Others under control at the most critical moment, the Others would surely continue to grow stronger gradually. Once the seal broke, the whole Xia Kingdom would be wiped out by them. This was exactly what had happened to the Blackwind Empire, the place he had visited during the Holy Grail Meet. Even now, it was still creepy to think about what he had seen and heard back then. He really did not want the Xia Kingdom to end up like this, as that was where he truly spent his childhood growing up. Be it the City of Southwind or Xia City. Unfortunately, he was still too weak now. He was unable to change anything. Fortunately, he still had some time. He hoped to save the Xia Kingdom once he reached the Duke Stage in the future. As Li Luo was deep in thought, footsteps could be heard coming from behind him. He immediately turned his focus and sensed a faint fragrance blowing past him, along with the night breeze. When he turned his head, he was surprised to see a figure donned in dark clothes. It was none other than Lu Qingmei. At this moment, the night breeze picked up and her trousers pressed against her legs, revealing their stunning proportions to the fullest. It was an astonishing sight to behold. The skin on her bare feet was exposed to be as white as snow, glowing under the dazzling light. "Banner Leader Lu Qingmei, what brings you here? You were very popular when I saw you earlier," Li Luo said with a smile. He had seen Lu Qingmei surrounded by many young people, a display of her extraordinary charm. "You''re very popular too. There are many pretty girls searching for you back there," Lu Qingmei replied. Li Luo simply shook his head with a smile. Without harping on such meaningless chatter, she continued, "I heard that your dual resonances have reached the third realm and you have achieved the Vestiges of Spirituality." Indeed, Li Luo had shown this during his clash with Zhong Ling earlier. It was not something that he could hide any longer. As such, he nodded in response. "No wonder your Duke Art was so powerful when we fought against each other. That must be the reason," Lu Qingmei stated as she looked at Li Luo with eyes full of interest. "I would really like to see your dual resonance power again. You must be much stronger now. How about it? Shall we have a match? I will keep my resonant power close to your level. I would like to experience the power of the dual resonances third realm again," she said as she looked at Li Luo full of expectations. Li Luo was dumbfounded by this. This girl was truly a martial arts fanatic. With such a good setting and atmosphere, she had not mentioned anything romantic. Instead, she had asked him to spar. "Not interested. It will not be a fair fight at all. Although you will suppress your resonant power, you have already cleared the Fiend Body Tiers. No matter how you see it, you''ll have an advantage over me." Li Luo rejected it with a pretty solid reason. Hearing this, Lu Qingmei was kind of disappointed. "You are truly talented. If not for those years wasted in the outer divine continent, you would surely be in the Fiend Finisher Tier now," she said regretfully. Li Luo smiled a little as he shook his head and replied, "The days spent in the outer divine continent were the most precious of times to me. There was nothing wasted." Lu Qingmei took another glance at Li Luo. She could sense that he was sincere with his words and that he was not lying at all. Unlike ordinary folks, Li Luo did not resent that his parents had brought him to such a rundown environment despite his prestigious background and family. It was a truly admirable attitude. Lu Qingmei changed the topic, asking, "You said earlier that you wanted one of the Coiling Dragon Pillars in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool, right? Taking one wont be easy. Are you confident?" She felt an intense curiosity towards him. Although Li Luo could narrow the gap between his strength and the other Banner Leaders with the help of the Green Nether Banner''s Harmony, he was still only at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier by himself. With only six Coiling Dragon Pillars in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool, it would definitely be hotly contested. It would not be easy to obtain even one of them. "You have to give it a try to know," Li Luo replied with a laugh. With that, Lu Qingmei did not probe him any further. It was not in her personality to do so. However, she could sense the self-confidence oozing from Li Luo, which only further stoked her curiosity. Where was his confidence coming from? As the two ran out of conversation topics, things got quiet. A short moment later, Li Luo suddenly noticed glittering starlight emerging from the vast lake in front of him. In the center of the lake, there was a green lotus flower that was hundreds of feet wide slowly blooming, with its lotus leaves spreading out over the water. With countless dazzling dots of stars glittering on the surface of the lake, it was a truly gorgeous sight to behold. Li Luo was captured by this strange sight instantly. "That is the Jade Heart Lotus. It possesses a jade heart seed that blooms semi-annually. It does not help much in cultivation, but it is extremely good for nourishing the face. As such, it''s a priceless treasure in the eyes of many ladies," Lu Qingmei explained to him. "Are you interested in it, Banner Leader Lu Qingmei?" Li Luo asked back. Lu Qingmei merely shook her head and replied, "It''s not as interesting as your dual resonances in the third realm." Li Luo was left speechless by her blunt reply. "However, the protagonist of the birthday celebration must be coming out soon since the Jade Heart Lotus has bloomed," Lu Qingmei continued. "The protagonist for today? Who is it?" Li Luo asked in surprise. "Take a guess." Lu Qingmei turned her head and revealed a faint smile on her charming, oval-shaped face. Li Luo was puzzled by this. Just as he was about to respond, he heard a noisy commotion coming from the palace. He immediately turned around to take a look. There were many gathering around the red carpet outside it. At the front of them all was a girl who seemed to be bathed with rays of moonlight as she walked in. She donned a long, light-green dress. Her face was charming like the goddess of the moon. The moonlight fell on her cheeks and her beautiful, glass skin glowed under the white light. On her small and rosy earlobes hung two sapphire earrings that sparkled under the light as they were gently shaken. She had a pair of light blue pupils that were as clear as a grand lake full of water. Her waist was hugged by a ribbon that made her appear as slender as a willow. As she walked past, there was a certain moisture lingering in the air. Her very presence roused the water elements of the worldly natural energy around her. Cold and crystal-clear, she was just like a water fairy. The crowd in the palace could not help but look over as they stared in amazement. Li Luo was also lost for a moment before he snapped back to reality. He knew who this lady in front of him was. Who could it be beside the stunning beauty Qin Yi, the fairy of water on the Empyrean Chronicle? Chapter 0819: Qin Yi Chapter 0819: Qin Yi Qin Yi''s looks took even Li Luo by surprise despite his plethora of "battle experience" in dealing with beauties. Amongst all those that he had encountered, the only one who could surpass this fairy was Jiang Qing''e. But a pretty face wasnt everything. He quickly retracted his gaze and regained his sense of calm. "Your willpower is pretty impressive," remarked Lu Qingmei in surprise upon seeing how quickly he had recomposed himself. The fact was that countless guys were still staring dumbfoundedly at the ethereal beauty bathed in moonlight who was akin to the goddess of the moon. Li Luo, who was only momentarily taken aback, was a far cry from those lustful individuals who were completely lost in their own imaginations. He basically treated her as nonexistent after that quick glance. As a result, Lu Qingmei was left in astonishment at Li Luo''s state of mind. Qin Yi was a heaven-toppling beauty, and even she felt a sense of appreciation towards her beauty despite being of the same gender. "I''ve seen many beauties, and so my resistances are great," Li Luo honestly replied. Lu Qingmei was a little dumbfounded by his frankly outlandish reply. "You''re really an expert in bragging. With how gorgeous Qin Yi is, there are few who can compare even in the inner divine continent. Just where did you see these other beauties?" "One man''s meat is another man''s poison. I don''t like her sort of pampered and tender beauty. In my eyes, she''s not as good as you, Banner Leader Qingmei," Li Luo frankly replied. After which he turned and glanced at the individual in question who was dressed in her combat clothes neatly. She was not dressed as luxuriously, but she was no less impressive in her own right. Lu Qingmei glared dangerously at Li Luo. "Don''t speak to me so frivolously." "I''m simply praising you," Li Luo helplessly replied. "If you want to praise me, why don''t you try out my glazed glass rod instead? I think that would bring me a lot more pleasure." Li Luo was a little speechless. Lu Qingmei was indeed a special girl. Compliments that pleased most girls were worthless on her. In addition, she was completely immune to his handsome charms, and the only reason she was even speaking to him was because of his third realm dual resonance power. "Banner Leader Lu Qingmei, are you planning to obtain a Coiling Dragon Pillar during the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool?" Seeing that his compliments had fallen on deaf ears, Li Luo moved on and directly changed the topic. Lu Qingmei was lost in thought for a few moments before replying, "The benefits from obtaining a Gold Coiling Dragon Pillar are substantial. I will definitely compete for it." Li Luo smiled. "Well, Li Qingfeng has already assumed that it belongs to him." "Then we will let him try. The stronger one will take it. I haven''t exchanged blows with him properly in some time." Lu Qingmei held no fear towards him and was instead itching for a fight. Li Luo sighed deeply and smiled. "I was wondering, are you interested in joining hands and eliminating him if the opportunity presents itself?" These words caused her beautiful eyes to shrink a little, and she glared at Li Luo yet again. "You have a wild heart... Planning to set your sights upon Li Qingfeng?" "What''s there to be afraid of?" Li Luo grinned. Lu Qingmei shook her head. "It will not be that easy. The Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s four banners all obey him, and they will spend all their effort to protect him. Meanwhile, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage doesn''t possess the same sense of solidarity, right?" Li Luo shrugged his shoulders. Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao would definitely do their best to assist him, but Deng Fengxian was someone he truly could not control. This was something that Lu Qingmei knew as well. However, he was also trying to test Lu Qingmei''s attitude towards this. If the other party had no intention whatsoever to form an alliance, there was nothing he could do. As the two spoke, Qin Yi entered the golden palace and the crowd enthusiastically ushered her in. The atmosphere seemed to be heating up. The countless youths present were not only the geniuses from the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, but also from other esteemed powers who were invited. They all did their best to exhibit themselves in front of Qin Yi in numerous ways, much like a roost of peacocks spreading their tails to court a partner without any form of restraint. This display was something Qin Yi was well acquainted with. Her beautiful face held a trace of a smile that didn''t seem to alienate anyone, but neither did it give a sense of closeness. Li Luo similarly glanced towards Li Fengyi, who had beckoned towards him from a corner at this time. He gave his regards to Lu Qingmei before turning to leave, walking towards Li Fengyi. She was surrounded by a circle of young and pretty girls. They seemed to be her close confidantes, and all of them were a little older than him. When Li Fengyi saw Li Luo approach, she directly grabbed his hand and dragged him over whilst smiling at all the ladies who were looking at him with starlit eyes. "Ah, this is my little brother, Li Luo. He''s Third Uncle''s son, and although he''s only been back from the outer divine continent for three months, he''s already the Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner. He also surpassed Li Jingtao''s record in the Fiendish Devil Cave. Soon, he will catch up to me." Although her words were casual, there was an undisguisable pride in her voice. The ladies around them were also in high positions in the other lineages with relatively high personal standings as well. Thus, they looked at Li Luo with a hint of curiosity, especially at his handsome face. Even when compared to the other geniuses in the golden palace, he would be considered to be one of the best. Because of their identities, some had not joined the Twenty Banners, and with how vast the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages'' were, there were numerous other places they could be posted to. They were in a similar social circle as Li Fengyi and thus, comparisons between them were unavoidable at times. And now, she had suddenly brandished her younger brother all of a sudden, completely out of the blue. "Li Luo, you look quite young. I assume you don''t have a girlfriend, do you? Does this elder sister need to introduce someone to you? There are countless beauties in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. If you''re interested, even I can suffice." A lady dressed in red smiled as she attempted to tempt him. This was faced with a helpless smile. He naturally expected this after being thrown into a circle full of hungry cougars. He was very confident in his own outer appearance after all. "Don''t fantasize wantonly. He''s already engaged to a dazzling girl that is no worse than Qin Yi." Li Fengyi hurriedly protected her little brother. Although she had never really seen this fiancee, it wasn''t a crime to brag. "Haha." Some of the girls around her did not believe in these words, only laughing. Li Fengyi seemed to have been bragging a little too hard. "However, Li Luo, although the Green Nether Banner''s progress has been rapid, your personal strength remains in the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. Frankly, you''re the weakest Banner Leader amongst the Twenty Banners. Thus, you need to improve yourself personally. The Green Nether Banner is an external strength that does not belong to you. When you eventually leave the Green Nether Banner, you will have to rely on yourself," the beautiful lady in red attentively stated. It could be seen that she was chiding him with good intentions. She clearly a good relationship with Li Fengyi, as there was no trace of mockery within her words. Li Luo listened and nodded with a smile. "I will do my best, Elder Sister." "Good boy. Elder Sister is the Deputy City Lord of Northcloud City. Come visit me when you''re free to have some fun." She had alluring eyes shaped like crescent moons, and she couldn''t help but to reach out and stroke Li Luo''s gray hair. However, her hand was swatted away by Li Fengyi just as quickly. "Li Lanyin, don''t take advantage of people!" "Don''t be petty. You should loan your wonderful younger brother to me for some fun," the red-robed Li Lanyin retorted. The two then started to argue noisily. At this point in time, the atmosphere seemed to have risen in intensity and excitement as countless individuals surged towards a flat platform by the lake. The ones leading were none other than Li Qingfeng, Li Hongli, and Qin Yi, the main characters of this stage. Li Fengyi and Li Lanyin temporarily stopped their bickering as they similarly lightly pouted upon this sight. "Li Qingfeng is really putting in some effort." "What is he trying to do?" Li Luo asked. Li Lanyin shrugged. "What else can he do? He is going to pick the lotus seed for the beauty of the night." Chapter 0820: Battle for the Lotus Chapter 0820: Battle for the Lotus The crowd had gathered on the flat platform by the water, and the tranquility of the grand lake was broken for a moment. Li Qingfeng, Qin Yi, and Li Hongli were at the forefront, surrounded by their supporters. "Lady Qin Yi, the Jade Heart Lotus in the middle of this lake blooms once every six months. It has great beautifying properties and is perfect for a lady. Normally, it is instantly snatched up as soon as it blooms," Li Qingfeng explained with a warm smile on his handsome face as he pointed towards the center of the lake. Like he had said, the eyes of many girls lit up when they heard about its miraculous abilities. Indeed, a lady''s love for beauty far exceeded that of man. Hearing this, a sense of curiosity appeared on Qin Yi''s charming face as she replied gently, "What a treasure." Li Qingfeng replied with a grin, "Tonight happens to be the time when the oldest Jade Heart Lotus in the center of this lake blooms. It must have known that a lady of impeccable beauty was coming." Qin Yi rolled her eyes at his praises. She simply responded with a soft voice, "With her unparalleled, ravishing beauty, Miss Hongli is the perfect match for it." In response to that, Li Hongli merely shook her head and said, "Lady Qin Yi, you are a guest from afar. As the host, I will naturally let you have it in my stead." Of course, she was wary of Qin Yi from the bottom of her heart as a fellow lady. Furthermore, Li Qingfeng''s hospitality towards Qin Yi had made her slightly unhappy. Nonetheless, she was still the host and had to be polite to this important guest. Hearing their conversation, Li Qingfeng simply laughed and said, "There is no need for the two of you to give in to each other. There has always been a special rule in place to decide who gets to take home the lotus bloom. We can just follow it, how about that?" "What rule would that be?" Qin Yi asked as she looked at Li Qingfeng with her crystal-clear, blue eyes, dazzling and charming like the sparkling lake in front of them. Under her enchanting gaze, even the ordinarily composed and handsome Li Qingfeng straightened his back as he responded with a grin, "Under normal circumstances, when there are multiple people eyeing the lotus, each side can send one representative onto the lotus to fight it out on the lotus leaf. The victor will be able to bring the blooming lotus back. This is also known as the Battle for the Lotus. "However, there is a special addition to the rules. The representative sent in for the fight cannot be too strong, or their resonant power will be too violent and aggressive. That would damage the lotus leaf and the Jade Heart Lotus. As such, someone at the Fiend Finisher Tier is usually the most apt choice for it. " Hearing his explanation, Qin Yi hesitated for a moment before saying, "This means that I am not eligible for it." Li Qingfeng waved his hands and said, "There is no need for you to go up there yourself. You can send a helper in your place. I am sure there are many souls willing to help a lady like Lady Qin Yi among all the talents gathered here today." Qin Yi thought about it for a moment. With a soft voice and a gentle smile, she said, "Since the host insists, I''ll gladly accept the offer." At this point, Li Hongli scanned the crowd and called out to a man. "Zhao Fengyang, are you willing to obtain the Jade Heart Lotus on my behalf?" The person she had identified was a tall young man with a straight body and a handsome face. He was dressed in white robes and was quite outstanding amongst the crowd. The man named Zhao Fengyang was a Sub Leader of the Violet Blood Banner under Li Hongli. He was pretty talented with an eighth-grade wind resonance, and he was at the Glass Fiend Tier. In terms of strength, Li Hongli was the only one above him in the Violet Blood Banner. In fact, he was far above Zhong Ling in both talent and strength. Zhong Ling had tried all he could but still failed to reach the Glass Fiend Tier. As a result, he gave up on it bitterly and then directly rushed towards the Fiend Finisher Tier instead. However, this would result in a weaker foundation. Thus, Zhong Ling might not stand a chance against Zhao Fengyang in a direct fight despite having the advantage in cultivation level. His talent definitely exceeded that of just a Sub Leader. Nonetheless, he was content with staying in the Violet Blood Banner and did not want to go anywhere else. Many people understood his thoughts, actually. Ultimately, there was nothing more fascinating than winning the heart of Li Hongli. When he heard Li Hongli''s call, he stood up with eyes filled with excitement. Without any hesitation, he exclaimed, "Don''t worry Banner Leader, I will definitely get the Jade Heart Lotus for you." This was a rare chance for him to impress Li Hongli. He could not be happier about it. "Hongli, aren''t you being too serious about this? Sending out Zhao Fengyang right off the bat" Li Qingfeng joked about it. Li Hongli pursed her lips and smiled as she replied, "With Lady Qin Yi''s charm, are you worried that there will be no Glass Fiend hero willing to fight for her?" On the other hand, Qin Yi chuckled lightly and responded, "It doesn''t matter whether the individual is at the Glass Fiend Tier or not. After all, this is just an interesting event to build up the atmosphere." At this moment, her eyes lit up and she raised her slender, jade hand into the air. An emerald-green butterfly materialized on her fingertip and flapped its wings gently. "This is a spirit-seeking butterfly, an intelligent, little puppet. I will release it and ask whoever it lands on to represent me in the fight. Of course, winning or losing is not important, so you don''t have to worry too much over it." Her soft voice sounded like a river flowing down the mountain, bringing a sense of calm and tranquility to the listeners. "Isn''t that too random?" Li Qingfeng asked with some hesitation. Li Hongli had chosen Zhao Fengyang, while Qin Yi was choosing randomly. The odds of finding someone who stood a chance against Zhao Fengyang was not high. Nonetheless, he understood. Qin Yi was not really interested in the Jade Heart Lotus and was merely going along with him. So he just smiled and nodded. With all that said, Qin Yi gently raised her hand, and light reflected off her fingers, which seemed to be as clear as glass, perfect and delicate. The emerald-green butterfly flew into the air, and everyone watched it carefully. Many of them had eyes burning with anticipation as they hoped the butterfly would land on them. This would give them a priceless chance to fight for Qin Yi and claim the lotus. Who knows? They might even get to see the beautys smile and leave a favorable impression for themselves. Everyone continued to watch as the butterfly danced in the air. Gradually, the butterfly got tired and started to descend. It passed the heads of one young man after another, and groans of disappointment followed in its wake. Finally, it landed in front of a certain figure. Everyone looked over immediately. As soon as they recognized the individual, they were stunned by the result. Chatter erupted in the background. It was none other than the Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner, Li Luo! Li Qingfeng was also slightly taken aback by this scene before his eyes flickered. Some of them stared at Li Luo enviously. His good luck was a bit too good to believe. At this time, Qin Yi also glanced across and paused for a moment on Li Luo''s face. An undetectable flicker appeared within her beautiful eyes that were clear like a lake as she softly said, "Has the spirit-seeking butterfly selected its candidate? Friend, are you willing to-" Before she could finish her sentence, Li Luo frowned a little at the butterfly that had stopped in front of him. He stretched out his hand without an expression and slapped it away. Pa! The Spirit Seeking Butterfly was slapped away by Li Luo and landed in front of a rotund fellow with an oily face beside him. The fat man was stunned for a moment before he hurriedly grabbed onto the butterfly, exclaiming loudly, "Fairy Qin, I am willing!" However, no one paid any attention to him. Everyone was dumbfounded as they looked at Li Luo. No one had expected him to be so blunt! That was a rare opportunity presented by the Fairy of Water Qin Yi. This guy did not appreciate it at all. Rather, he had rudely slapped it away! What an idiot! Chapter 0821: Rejection Chapter 0821: Rejection All of a sudden, the lively atmosphere on the platform by the lake turned silent. Everyone was taken aback by this series of events, and they were all staring blankly at Li Luo. At the same time, some of Qin Yi''s admirers were disgruntled at how this guy had handled such a precious opportunity. The audacity! Li Fengyi and Li Lanyin, who were standing beside Li Luo, were also staring at him with strange expressions. It might seem like Li Luo had simply swatted away a pest, but in reality, it was actually a rude slap towards Qin Yi! Surely, such a stunning and well known beauty in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent had never tasted such rudeness, right? As they thought about this, there was a little sense of joy in their hearts. It all stemmed from jealousy. On the other hand, Li Luo remained nonchalant over it despite the many gazes. He had not even cast a single glance at Qin Yi all this while as he believed that the butterfly had not landed on him purely due to luck. Qin Yi must have done something to it. Due to the enmity from their previous generations, Li Luo felt that Qin Yi was well aware of who he was. In fact, she must have seen his portrait before or even knew what he looked like. As such, it was not a coincidence for the butterfly to land here. Yet it was baffling to understand her motives for doing so. Was Qin Yi trying to figure him out? Regardless of her reasons, Li Luo did not want to follow her wishes. To fight for her and claim the Jade Heart Lotus, in spite of all the enmity between them? She had to be dreaming. If it were any other ordinary guy, they might have fallen head over heels for her charm. However, if she expected this to work on Li Luo... he could only say that she thought too highly of herself. The silence continued for a while longer before some of the youths from various factions stood up and criticized Li Luo for his rude behavior. Even Li Qingfeng frowned a little after witnessing this. "Banner Leader Li Luo, you can just speak up if you''re not willing to participate. Why did you have to be so rude about it?" he said. Li Luo raised his eyes a little as he replied with an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I''ve had too much to drink. I thought there was some dirty thing flying around in front of me and casually smacked it away." Li Qingfeng glared at him. Naturally, he understood that this was simply an excuse. He also knew about the grievances between the two''s families in the previous generation, so Li Luo''s reaction was not too difficult to understand. Besides, why had Qin Yi picked Li Luo? What was she trying to do? Thinking about this, Li Qingfeng turned towards Qin Yi and noticed that she had yet to recover from Li Luo''s rude act. This must have been a first for her. After all, every man she had ever met had treated her warmly and politely thanks to her enchanting beauty. Nonetheless, Qin Yi was not any ordinary girl, so she soon recovered from it. Without paying any attention to the greasy-faced, plump boy, she stared directly at Li Luo with her pale blue eyes that were clear as a lake. She revealed a smile that would send the hearts of most men fluttering and simply asked softly, "How should I address you, my friend?" Li Luo glanced at her and replied with a slight smile, "I am the Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Li Luo." "So youre Banner Leader Li Luo." Qin Yi nodded politely before she continued apologetically, "The spirit butterfly flies to people randomly, so I am sorry for the inconvenience it has caused you. However, I do need a friend to help me fight for the lotus. Fate has led the spirit butterfly to choose you. Banner Leader Li Luo, will you please help me out? I will be grateful to you regardless of the result." Her beautiful eyes looked at Li Luo sincerely as she requested his help. This scene would have made many guys present heartbroken and dying to stand in for Li Luo. However, Li Luo shook his head with a laugh. "Sorry, I have had too many drinks tonight and am not in my best condition right now. I am afraid I can''t help Lady Qin Yi fight for the Lotus," he said. Once again, he rejected her plea. This time, a commotion arose from the crowd. Some of the youths from the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages could not hold back any longer and shouted back angrily, "Li Luo, Lady Qin Yi is a distinguished guest. This is just a small request, so can you please help her? Why do you have to keep on rejecting her?" "If others see this, they will surely say that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li is unable to be a gracious host." "Exactly." "Is it because you know you can''t win against Zhao Fengyang, and so youd rather hide and escape? If that''s the case, just say so." Despite all these complaints from the crowd, Li Luo did not say anything. Instead, Li Fengyi, who was standing beside him, raised her brows as she glared at everyone and shouted back, "He already said that he''s not interested, why are you still forcing him? Do you all think that everyone is like you, saying yes to everything as soon as you see a pretty girl?" "Exactly. If you want to win the heart of beauty, do it yourself. Don''t attract attention by looking down on others," Li Lanyin shouted in support. Although they were bickering moments ago, she supported her best friend during important times. The bystanders felt a little resentful and were speechless for a while. At this moment, Qin Yi lifted her charming face slightly. Her skin was delicate like the ripples of water atop the lake. It was as if water would flow out of her elegant skin if one pinched it even slightly. Gently biting her red lips, she replied with a soft voice, "I always believe in fate, and fate must have played a part when the spirit butterfly chose Banner Leader Li Luo. If Banner Leader Li Luo is unable to help, then fate does not want me to obtain the Jade Heart Lotus. In that case, I will not participate in the Battle for the Lotus." As soon as she said this, there were many faces of disappointment in the crowd. After all, this battle was the highlight of today''s banquet. The atmosphere had been spoiled by Li Luo. This made many of the people present resentful towards him. At this point, Li Qingfeng also frowned. He was the main host for today''s celebration. If it ended like this, he would naturally be dissatisfied with it. On the other hand, Li Luo merely stared at Qin Yis enchanting, white-jade face under the dazzling moonlight. It was truly mesmerizing. However, he still felt that Qin Yi had intentionally chosen him. In fact, she might have agreed to the banquet''s invitation only because of him. Of course, this was not due to his good looks. It probably arose from the enmity and complex history between their families. Nonetheless, it was merely a gut feel. Li Luo had no proof. With a smile, he replied, "It seems like Lady Qin Yi really wishes for me to act." Qin Yi smiled sweetly and replied, "I''m just respecting the decision of the spirit butterfly." Li Luo rubbed his chin and slowly said, "Since you are our guest, I have no reason to reject if you need my help. However, I already have a fiancee. Although she is slight prettier than you, it will still be hard for me to explain to her if I help you out for no reason." As soon as he ended his sentence, many amongst the crowd burst out in frustrated laughter. Can''t you find a better reason, Li Luo? A fiancee? And even saying she was slightly prettier than Fairy Qin? Wasn''t this guy from an outer divine continent? Where would he find an enchanting beauty like Fairy Qin out in the sticks? As everyone was laughing in the background, Qin Yi remained calm and simply smiled lightly as she gracefully responded, "I see. In that case, it was too reckless of me." At this moment, Li Luo continued, "However, if Lady Qin Yi really needs my help, it''s not impossible." This left everyone in the crowd dumbfounded. So, Li Luo was just playing hard to get all this while, hoping to leave an impression on the heart of Fairy Qin? Hearing this, Fairy Qin''s eyes lit up and she asked delightfully, "Really?" Li Luo nodded. Under everyone''s gazes, he extended out his hand to show one finger and smiled brightly. "Ten million." Once again, everyone was stunned by him. Even with her personality, Qin Yi''s jewel-like, beautiful cheeks froze upon hearing him. The same question popped up in everyone''s minds. What the heck? Is he really charging for his services?! Chapter 0822: Beginning and an End Chapter 0822: Beginning and an End Li Luo''s sudden request caused confused looks to surface all around. In the eyes of these youths, being able to do something for Qin Yi was a wondrous blessing that they could never even so much as hope to touch! Li Luo, however, had come up with all sorts of random excuses to reject her goodwill and even asked for money! In addition, it wasn''t a small amount. Ten million skygold was a massive sum. In the inner divine continents, this was sufficient to move even a Duke to action. Li Luo was only in the Greater Fiend Palace, so why would he command such a price? This was just a lion trying to take a bite out of a clearly innocent sheep. He was clearly just trying to cause trouble! Even when faced with all of the countless strange stares, Li Luo''s gaze remained indifferent. His unreasonable request was a test to see her limit in her attempt to coerce him into action. Normally speaking, this sort of request would cause an ordinary person to feel absolutely irritated and infuriated at the ridiculousness of the matter. They would simply ignore him and perhaps personally take action, never to raise this idea ever again. If Qin Yi was willing to cajole Li Luo into action even in such a situation, it would definitely hint at some other problems underneath the surface. Li Luo''s gaze was focused upon Qin Yi, whereas the latter''s beautiful face regained a sense of calm as she replied in a sullen tone, "Banner Leader Li Luo, surely you jest... right?" Upon seeing that Qin Yi now seemed a little angry, Li Qingfeng hurriedly consoled her. "My Lady Qin Yi, do not be quick to anger. Li Luo has just returned from the outer divine continent, so his temperament is naturally a little barbaric." Li Luo clearly knew her identity, and his refusal to act had to be related to the grievances from the previous generation. There was no goodwill between them. On the other hand, he was delighted to see this result. Qin Yi''s jade-like countenance had turned frosty. Completely ignoring Li Qingfeng''s words, she glared at Li Luo in fury, her chest heaving slightly. This sight caused her countless admirers to feel a pang of pain in their hearts, creating a sense of dissatisfaction that was directed at Li Luo. "Since Banner Leader Li Luo wants to make a fool of me, then I''ll accompany you to the end. Ten million skygold is no small sum, but since I have some savings, so be it. I''ll get you to fight tonight," Qin Yi retorted icily. This immediately caused an uproar to erupt. Who would have expected Qin Yi to call Li Luo''s bluff? Ten million skygold to get someone at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier to fight? If it was not for the fact that everyone adored Fairy Qin, there might have been uncontrolled outbursts towards Li Luo. "Fairy Qin, there is no need to get frustrated at Li Luo." "Indeed, if you wish, just say the word and I will do my very best!" Numerous individuals took this chance to pipe up. The way they saw it, Qin Yi was clearly aggravated by Li Luo''s actions, and this was her way of venting. Additionally, that bastard was truly not giving her any face. Anyone in her position would also be angry. Despite being inundated with advice, Qin Yi lightly shook her head, and her beautiful face turned stern. She raised her hand and flicked, sending a purple crystal card shooting towards Li Luo, who promptly and casually received it. Glancing closer, it was a crystal card emblazoned with the mark of the Golden Dragon Bank. "This is the Golden Dragon Bank''s Golden Dragoncard. It''s redeemable for ten million skygold." Her previously soft and gentle voice had turned cold. When the crowd saw this, they were taken aback and many gave bitter smiles. They had never expected Fairy Qin to act so wilfully. Li Luo lightly caressed the Golden Dragoncard, his expression calm. However, unbeknownst to the rest, his gaze had trembled momentarily. Qin Yi was more prepared than he had expected. At this point, he was certain that she was trying to target him. Spending ten million skygold, a massive sum, just to get him to win the seeds of the Jade Heart Lotus. This was definitely the mark of a magnanimous individual. His thoughts churned over the possibilities before he slowly strode over before the numerous complicated gazes of the crowd. "Now that I''ve taken the payment, I have to take action." Li Luo smiled radiantly. "Since Lady Qin Yi has so graciously decided to pay me, I have to give this a shot." Qin Yi''s face was now as frigid as ice, no longer bothering to banter with Li Luo. Clearly, she was still annoyed at how the situation had unfolded. Li Luo remained nonchalant as he casually strolled to the side of the lake before glancing towards Li Qingfeng and Li Hongli. "Is it time to begin?" he asked. Li Qingfeng''s lips twitched slightly. The entire night had been thrown into complete disarray by Li Luo. He had no idea how he ought to reply. Li Hongli, on the other hand, gave a cold smile. "It looks like your life in the outer divine continent must have been filled with poverty, seeing how you try to extort money from others at every possible opportunity." "I have to rely on my abilities to make a living. There''s nothing shameful about it," Li Luo replied stoically. Li Hongli could only grit her teeth angrily at Li Luo''s thick skin before she turned to Zhao Fengyang. "Fengyang, you better not lose face for the Violet Blood Banner." Within her words lay the implicit meaning not to spare Li Luo any mercy. Zhao Fengyang nodded before he walked forward and stood beside Li Luo with a smile. "Banner Leader Li Luo, you might have beaten Zhong Ling, but that doesn''t mean you have a chance against me." Li Luo glanced at him and reminded him in a happy tone, "Being a fawning dog doesn''t lead to a good end." This comment immediately infuriated Zhao Fengyang. Damn it! How can this guy be such a bastard? Its no wonder even Fairy Qin, who is usually well mannered, would lose her composure as well. Zhao Fengyang clenched his teeth as he retorted, "Don''t just be all talk. We''ll see if there''s any gold hidden beneath that dirt you call your face." Li Luo shook his head sorrowfully. It seemed as though his good intentions had been misconstrued negatively... Li Qingfeng similarly took a step forward. "Based on the usual rules, once your feet touch the surface of the water, both parties can utilize any means necessary to prevent the other party from reaching the lotus leaf. If anyone falls into the water before that, they are considered disqualified. If both parties reach the lotus leaf at the same time, they will have to fight, and the victor can attain the lotus." He then picked up a stone and tossed it towards the lake. "The moment the stone enters the lake, the Battle for the Lotus will begin." Time seemed to stop, and everyone was focused upon the falling stone. A few seconds later, it plonked into the lake, setting off a pristine plop. At that moment, explosive waves of resonant power were emitted from both Li Luo and Zhao Fengyang. Lightning could be seen beneath Li Luo''s feet. He directly shot tens of meters forward with the aid of his Thunderbolt Art. Zhao Fengyang, on the other hand, was like a gust of wind, his body wreathed in a glaze-like radiance, demonstrating that he had reached the Glass Fiend Tier. The two had accelerated to their peak and left behind two trails in their wake along the surface of the lake. In terms of impressiveness, Zhao Fengyang held the upper hand. By bringing to bear the strength of his Glass Fiend Body, worldly natural energy continuously surged into him and resonant power burst out like a flood. The undulations he was giving off were even greater than that of Zhong Ling during the Banner Leader selection battle. This was the advantage of reaching the Glass Fiend Tier. It set a sturdy foundation that was incomparable to the Gold Fiend Tier. However, what surprised everyone was that the resonant power undulations coming from Li Luo were equally strong. The two dashed forward across the vast lake, their figures basking in the glow of the stars and the moon, heading straight towards the massive Jade Heart Lotus in the center. Everyone''s nervous gazes were fixated upon it. Li Qingfeng was observing the two figures before he turned towards Qin Yi. "Li Luo might only be at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, but his body possesses triple resonances. With the aid of three resonant palaces, and his ability to wield dual resonance power, his resonant power is extremely dense and is not weaker than that of someone at the Glass Fiend Tier. It is no wonder he managed to surpass Zhong Ling during the Banner Leader selection. He truly possesses top tier talent. It''s just a pity that he spent so many years languishing in an outer divine continent and wasted a significant amount of time. If he wishes to catch up, he will have to put in endless amounts of effort." Shaking his head empathetically, he seemed to be feeling sorry for Li Luo. Qin Yi''s beautiful eyes were focused on Li Luo as they flickered briefly. Triple resonances? This was truly rare, and it was no weaker than her own ninth-grade water resonance. Even when placed amongst the geniuses of the inner divine continent, he could be considered to be a genius amongst them. Li Hongli smiled as she said to Qin Yi, "Li Luo might have borrowed the assistance of his triple resonant palaces to surge with speed, allowing him to temporarily compete against Zhao Fengyang. Unfortunately, his foundation is lacking, so Zhao Fengyang holds a great advantage in an actual battle. "Lady Qin Yi, it looks like you have squandered your ten million. However, you can rest assured that if Li Luo fails, I will definitely force him to return your money. This is not the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, and we won''t tolerate his bad behavior." Qin Yi merely gave a shallow smile in response. As she was speaking, on the lake, Zhao Fengyang glanced back to see that Li Luo was barely half a step behind him, and a vicious glint surfaced in his eyes. In the next moment, his figure flashed to the side, directly pouncing on Li Luo like a hunting falcon. Dense resonant power condensed in his palm, forming something akin to a tornado. When he slammed outwards, space around him seemed to detonate with a piercing boom. The tornado that was generated was violent and domineering, directly forming a twister of water and wind atop the lake. The fusion of wind and water resonances merged, forming a gigantic handprint that viciously slammed downwards. "Raging Giant Palm!" Numerous surprised cries erupted from the lakeshore. Zhao Fengyang had decided to strike Li Luo before they arrived at the lotus leaf. His intention was clearly to injure Li Luo and force him into the water, attaining a perfect victory. The sound of a terrifying boom was transmitted into Li Luo''s ears. He tilted his head slightly, calmly looking back at Zhao Fengyang, almost as though he was taunting him. Li Luo did not dodge, only letting the frightening attack strike at him. "You are courting death!" Zhao Fengyang coldly smirked. An amused expression surfaced on Li Luo''s face as he lifted his palm and lightly swatted at his attack. At the same time, red light flowed through the scarlet bracelet on his wrist. Zhao Fengyang felt that Li Luo''s casual swat was a little strange. He had not felt any resonant power undulations coming from him. However, it was at this point that he suddenly felt uneasy in his heart. He thought he had heard the howl of a wolf, and following Li Luo''s nonchalant strike, the thick stench of blood flooded his nose. At that moment, Zhao Fengyang''s gaze shrank, and the scene before his eyes seemed to have changed. A gigantic beast emanating incomprehensible amounts of fiendish energy was rushing towards him. This malevolent air was terrifying, and it directly caused Zhao Fengyang''s mental state to shudder. It was a vicious creature that he had no chance of stopping! Horror filled his eyes and boundless fear arose within his heart. Under the impact of the fiendish energy, his own resonant power seemed to have collapsed from within. Just what is that?! Is this Li Luo''s attack? No one else could explain this to him. Just as his resonant power crumbled away, Li Luo''s slap lightly descended and he was impolitely smacked in the face. Pa! When the crisp sound resounded, an easily recognized, red welt appeared on Zhao Fengyang''s face, and he fell from the air like a bird with broken wings, directly plunging into the lake. This sudden development left everyone speechless. Everyone was staring at the scene blankly. What they had seen was that Zhao Fengyang''s Raging Giant Palm was just about to reach Li Luo. Yet at the moment before impact, his resonant power crumbled and he was lightly slapped, falling right into the depths of the lake. Li Hongli was completely aghast and seemed to have lost her soul at this sight. The Battle for the Lotus had ended in an even quicker and cleaner fashion than anyone had ever expected. What was supposed to be the beginning to an exciting fight had ended before it even started... Chapter 0823: Conclusion Chapter 0823: Conclusion Poof! The crisp sound of the water echoed across the lake, and what followed was a moment of silence. Everyone was stunned. How had Li Luo sent Zhao Fengyang flying into the water with just a slap? Zhao Fengyang was clearly the one to launch the preemptive strike. Faced with such a sudden development, even Li Qingfeng, Qin Yi, and the others were shocked. They did not understand what had just happened either. Li Luo''s slap appeared so light, yet it had totally disintegrated the Raging Giant Palm from Zhao Fengyang when the two clashed. They all assumed it had something to do with Zhao Fengyang, as none of them felt any undulations of energy from the clash earlier. However, why would Zhao Fengyang suddenly collapse? The crowd could not fathom what had occurred at all. Meanwhile, Li Luo smiled lightly as the crowd remained confused. After sending Zhao Fengyang flying into the lake, he took a look at the crimson ring on his wrist and nodded in satisfaction. The ferocious aura from the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf must have scared Zhao Fengyang out of his wits earlier, causing him to collapse in fear. After all, the wolf was at the Duke Stage now, so its ferocious aura was terrifying beyond belief. As a Glass Fiend, there was no way Zhao Fengyang could have resisted the pressure when it had appeared so suddenly. Simply put, Li Luo had borrowed the ferocious aura from the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf to give Zhao Fengyang a horrifying mental shock. As the victim could not bear it, he naturally lost control in an instant and was left totally open to Li Luo. "Unlucky baby." Li Luo shook his head sympathetically. Zhao Fengyang''s mind was not tough enough. Otherwise, he would not have suffered such a total defeat. In the next moment, he did not bother with his fallen opponent anymore and skimmed across the waters surface. After a short while, he landed on the Jade Heart Lotus in the center of the lake under everyone''s puzzled gazes. He went straight to the lotus, peeled off the buds, and took out one of the seeds. Approximately the size of a thumb, the lotus seeds were crystal-clear like jade with a special, glowing light pattern looming on them. It was truly a mystical sight. "So, this is the Jade Heart Lotus?" Li Luo played with it on his fingers for a while before he turned around and headed back to the shore. At this moment, everyone was still filled with confusion as they watched Li Luo return with the lotus seed. "Li Luo, w-what weird tricks did you use?!" Li Hongli could not help but ask angrily. She could not come to terms with the sudden loss from Zhao Fengyang. In response, Li Luo took a glance at her but did not pay much attention to her at all. Instead, he flicked his fingers and shot the Jade Heart Lotus seed at Qin Yi, saying, "Lady Qin Yi, here''s your thing. There is no need to thank me, as I''m getting paid. Qin Yi stretched out her jade hand and caught the seed. After taking a quick look, she casually put it away. Hearing Li Luo''s words, she could barely contain the itch in her heart despite her usually calm personality. This bastard was still acting all kind and good when he had gotten such a good deal out of it. It was just a Jade Heart Lotus seed, an item worth hundreds of thousands of skygold at most. Yet Li Luo had gotten ten million skygold for it! He had totally taken her for a fool! Luckily, Qin Yi was very well tempered. Even though Li Luo had cheated her of a large sum, she still kept her composure and elegance without showing any slips. "You defeated a Glass Fiend while youre still at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. Banner Leader Li Luo, you are truly outstanding. If not for the time wasted in the outer divine continent, its likely that youd be the best candidate for the Dragon''s Head position for this generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li." Qin Yi praised him with her red lips as she looked at Li Luo with admiration. These words stirred quite an uproar in the crowd, and many glared at Li Luo with hostility. Li Luo had just been fooling around. What had he done to make Qin Yi think so highly of him? However, Li Luo merely rolled his eyes towards Qin Yi''s praises. He thought to himself, "What the heck? It was not like I was rotting away there! In fact, I had an absolutely great time in the outer divine continent, so there was no time wasted at all!" In fact, he had constantly heard people repeat the phrase "wasting his time" so many times since he had arrived in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage that it was simply disgusting. Li Qingfeng had gotten a little uneasy after hearing Qin Yi''s compliment. He grinned a little as he said, "Banner Leader Li Luo, you must have used some special means to scare Zhao Fengyang mentally, causing him to lose his composure and giving you the opportunity to strike for an instant win. Am I right? That was just a little trick that will only work once due to the element of surprise. I am afraid it won''t work a second time." Nonetheless, Li Luo could not be bothered to argue over this after hearing his remarks. Qin Yi was truly troublesome. Just a small remark had caused so much inconvenience to him. Fairy Qin is a complete misnomer; she should be known as Troublemaker Qin instead. Li Luo was very tired of all this by now. The banquet celebration was coming to a close. After receiving his huge reward of ten million skygold, he had no further interest in hanging around any longer. "Guys, tomorrow is an important day. It''s late now, so I will be heading out first." As soon as Li Luo spoke, he turned around, leaving the palace before Li Qingfeng and Qin Yi could say anything more. Seeing this, Li Fengyi grabbed onto Li Lanyin, and the two left the venue too. As the crowd watched Li Luo walk off, they were filled with complex expressions. This guy had made such a mess out of this event, and now he was just casually walking off. As soon as Li Luo disappeared into the distance, their focus shifted back to Qin Yi, and they started criticizing Li Luo for his rude acts. Qin Yi merely responded with a light smile. She was also starting to get tired. Seeing this, Li Qingfeng thoughtfully announced that the banquet was over and sent Qin Yi all the way back to the place where the guests stayed before giving his farewell. This was the graceful behavior a good host should display after all. As she watched Li Qingfeng disappear into the distance, Qin Yi''s eyes moved slightly as she walked towards a brightly lit, luxurious building. When she pushed open the door and entered, there were two people awaiting her inside. Seating in the center seat was a beautiful lady in a fiery, red dress with a bright fire lotus embroidery. She was extremely charming and looked somewhat similar to Qin Yi. Compared to the calm, cooling, water-like Qin Yi, she was more mature like a passionate, burning flame. Despite the slightly loose dress she was wearing, her great and proud curves were evident. At the same time, an air of strength and dominance seemed to have condensed at a point between her eyebrows. Sitting by her side was a handsome man around twenty-five or twenty-six years old that gave off a majestic aura. He was wearing silver and golden bands around his arms that were engraved with mysterious, flickering light patterns that attracted the worldly natural energy around them. Both of them looked up as soon as Qin Yi stepped in. With a light smile, Qin Yi greeted them. "Mom. Senior." It turned out that this ravishing lady was Qin Yi''s mother, the one who had deep enmity and was entangled with Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. She was now the Hall Master of the Fire Lotus Hall in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. The young man with a tall and straight body and a sharp appearance was Qin Lians first disciple. He was the talented guy who had entered the Empyrean Chronicle and shocked the whole Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, Chu Qing. Chapter 0824: Qin Lian Chapter 0824: Qin Lian The tall Chu Qing stood up with a smile after Qin Yi''s greetings and replied to her warmly, "How did it go, Junior Sister? Did you have fun?" Qin Yi smiled sweetly and responded, "Senior Chu, you should have gone instead. There were a lot of people who admired you there." In response, Chu Qing shook his head and said, "I am older than you and everyone there. At present, the Heavenly Dragon Guardians of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, those from the same generation as me, are all out on missions. What could I have done if I had gone?" He was already at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier and he was older than Qin Yi, Li Qingfeng, and the rest. As such, mingling with the younger crowd was not appropriate for his status and neither was he interested in frolicking with some youths just for some praise. He had already gotten into the Empyrean Chronicle with his own strength and made a name for himself among the youths in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. In contrast, Li Qingfeng and the rest still needed many more years of hard work before they could reach his level. Even if he had gone to the banquet, he would merely have bullied the weaker ones with his overwhelming strength, which would be very boring. At this moment, Qin Lian, who was seated at the host seat, stared at Qin Yi and asked, "You have seen the top talents in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. How are they?" Qin Yi pondered for a moment before replying, "Li Qingfeng is indeed quite capable. Under normal circumstances, he should become the Dragon''s Head for this generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li." Qin Lian nodded and continued, "Compared to you?" Qin Yi laughed a little as she replied, "I am slightly better." At this moment, Qin Lian lowered her eyes slightly and stared at the wine glass in front of her. "Did you see that person?" she asked. As she inquired, her eyes became a little cold. Both Qin Yi and Chu Qing could clearly feel the subtle change in her emotions, and so they straightened their backs. Qin Yi nodded lightly as she responded in a soft tone, "Yes, I met him. His name is Li Luo, and he is currently at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. He possesses triple resonances and extraordinary talent. Based on what I have seen, if he was not born in the outer divine continent and had stayed in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage all this while, he probably would have surpassed Li Qingfeng." Hearing this, Qin Lian''s face turned a little cold and she sneered in response. "He truly is the son of Li Taixuan and that bitch. How could he simply be a mediocre person?" "Hmph, that bitch killed my family, ruined my marriage, and made me lose face. She is lucky that she is not in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent now. Otherwise, I would definitely make her pay with her blood!" Qin Lian slammed the table, and it instantly shattered into powder. At the same time, the surrounding space began twisting repeatedly and a terrifying heat emitted from her body. Qin Yi and Chu Qing looked at each other quietly. Neither of them dared to speak up. After all these years, they knew that Qin Lian would lose herself like this whenever those two people were mentioned. After Qin Lian vented her anger for a while, she took a deep breath as she watched with cold eyes and continued, "I believe that Li Luo is extremely annoying as well." Li Luo''s face flashed across Qin Yi''s mind at this moment. She wanted to say that although he was indeed irritating, he was actually pretty good-looking. Of course, she could tell that Qin Lian was still furious and dared not speak the words in her mind. "Do you feel confident in winning against Li Luo?" Qin Lian suddenly asked. Qin Yi hesitated for a moment before she replied, "He''s in the Greater Fiend Palace Tier currently. There is not much of a threat coming from him. However, if we act against him, I am afraid the Dragon''s Fang Lineage will not take it lying down." "Old Li Jingzhe only said that our enmity should end at the last generation. If it''s a battle amongst those in the same generation, what can he say?" Qin Lian said with an emotionless face. Qin Yi kept quiet after hearing this. "There is no hurry for this matter now. Ultimately, this place is the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. If the chance arises in the future, I hope that you will make that little brat pay. I want everyone in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent to know that my daughter, the daughter of Qin Lian, is hundreds of times stronger than the son of Li Taixuan and that bitch," Qin Lian told her as murderous intent surfaced within her eyes. Helpless before her mother''s resentment, Qin Yi calmly replied in a soft tone, "Understood." With the enmity from the past generation looking over them, it was impossible for Li Luo and her to coexist. A bloody battle would definitely unfold between the two, perhaps even to the death. However, Qin Yi did not feel threatened by Li Luo''s current strength at all. If they did meet in other circumstances one day, Li Luo would only have his bad luck to blame. Although this was enmity from the previous generation, her mother was not a broad-minded person. If she did not shatter Li Luo completely, there could be a punishment waiting for her when she returned. At the same time, Qin Lian also said, "I heard that the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool will be opened during the birthday banquet of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Lineage Chief tomorrow. This will be a test for the younger generation of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Based on what I gathered, the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool was supposed to open two to three years from now. It was suddenly brought forward because Li Jingzhe from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage changed his mind. I wager that he did it for Li Luo." "Hehe, Li Jingzhe really loves his grandson, doesn''t he? He''s even willing to go back on his previous decision. However, does he really think that his grandson, who is merely at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, can get a Coiling Dragon Pillar?" Qin Lian asked with a freezing face. "What would you like to do, Mom?" Qin Yi asked. Qin Lian grinned coldly and replied, "I was planning to let you join in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool battle tomorrow." "But this is a rare opportunity for the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Others aren''t allowed to participate," Qin Yi responded in surprise. "The Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage has always wanted to get closer with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. He wants to improve our relationship after what happened back then. He will not turn me down over such a small matter. Besides, it''s just a competition among those of the same generation. If the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li dares not accept it, won''t they become a joke in front of the other guests?" Qin Yi pondered for a moment before she replied, "No wonder you accepted the invitation. You even brought the Fire Lotus Camp along." There were a total of twenty-three halls in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. Each hall had one camp, just like the setup seen in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages'' Twenty Banners. And the Fire Lotus Camp was the team led by Qin Yi. They were the strongest of the Twenty-three Halls of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. Their strength was extraordinary. "If you can participate tomorrow, you will represent us, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing, to gauge the power of this generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Remember, there is no need to hold back. If the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li is humiliated, it''ll be because they are too weak. They won''t be able to blame anyone else for it," Qin Lian said indifferently. Qin Yi''s eyes flickered slightly. She understood that even after so many years, her mother still harbored deep resentment towards the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Now she was planning to vent her anger a little in the name of a competition among the younger generation. As Qin Lian stared at her daughters jade-white, enchanting face, she continued, "Most importantly, I want you to keep a close eye on Li Luo. There are six Coiling Dragon Pillars in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool, and I dont want him to get one. I cant wait to see how that old man Li Jingzhe will react when he fails." Qin Yi thought for a moment and replied, "The Green Nether Banner led by Li Luo is only average among the Twenty Banners. Even if I do nothing to him, he will still be unable to get even one of the Coiling Dragon Pillars." "That is for the best." Qin Lian laughed coldly. Afterwards, she chatted with Qin Yi for a while longer before she waved her hand and dismissed the two of them. After Qin Yi and Chu Qing left the room, Qin Lian''s face became darker and darker. She murmured to herself in a low voice, "Li Taixuan, Tan Tailan, just what was that secret treasure that you took from the Holy Altar of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect? Is that thing in your hands right now? Or have you given it to Li Luo?" Chapter 0825: Head of the Five Lineages Chapter 0825: Head of the Five Lineages On the next day, the entire Dragon''s Blood Mountain Range was lively with colorful decorations and the sound of drums flooding the place. As for Dragon Blood Mountain situated in the center, people had been cheering since the early morning with streams of light shining around the place. Guests from all over the place had been gathering under Dragon Blood Mountain with their gifts, awaiting the arrival of their host to present them to him. It was a splendid, grand scene with thousands of guests coming forth to congratulate the Lineage Chief. As for the people from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, they had already gone up the mountain earlier. There was a golden palace at the top of the mountain that was unusually dazzling under the bright sunlight. In front of it, there was a square paved with white jade filled with golden tables. Countless maids shuffled around the square as they served tea and wine to the guests. This square was where they had arranged for the ordinary guests to be seated. Of course, although they were just ordinary guests here, each of their foundations was far superior than that of anyone from the Xia Kingdom. Forces like House Jinque and House Jiyan would have surely been seated on the periphery in this square. Such was the vast difference between the outer divine continents and the inner divine continents. As for Li Luo, Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and the rest, they had been guided into their seats in the golden palace. After all, they were the direct descendants of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. They were seated near the side of the golden palace, along with familiar faces like Li Qingfeng, Li Hongli, and Lu Qingmei. This was where the young members of the Dragon Fang''s Lineage were all seated. Li Luo looked a little tired as he stared outside the golden palace in boredom. Loud singing, drinking, and chatter could be heard from time to time. He had no interest in such big banquets. If not for the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool, he would rather have stayed in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage to cultivate. "Little Brother, I heard that you were very popular last night and totally stole the limelight. What happened?" Li Jingtao inquired from the side curiously. He was even less interested in such banquets. As such, he had found a reason to sneak off right after the Banner Leaders discussion yesterday and had only heard about yesterday''s incident from Li Fengyi this morning. Li Luo nodded lazily and replied, "Not really, it''s just that the Fairy of Water, Qin Yi, took a fancy to my looks and rewarded me with ten million skygold. But am I the kind of person who bends over for a little bit of pocket money? So I just took the money and left afterwards." Li Jingtao opened his eyes widely as he exclaimed, "Is that okay!?" On the side, Li Fengyi could not help but chuckle and roll her eyes at Li Luo for talking nonsense. As Li Luo did not keep his voice down intentionally, the others at the side had heard what he had said too. Soon, their expressions turned weird. Even Lu Qingmei, who was leisurely drinking her wine, choked a few times when she heard this, and she shot a strange look at Li Luo. This guy was more thick-skinned than expected. A cold laugh came at this moment, and everyone turned over. It was none other than Li Hongli. "Only you people from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would do something like cheat a lady of her money. Hehe, Qin Yi has many fans all over the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. When news of what happened last night spreads, you will surely regret it when you go on missions outside. Only then will you know how short-sighted you are." There was sarcasm in her tone, and she was clearly unhappy with Li Luo. After all, she wanted to win the Jade Heart Lotus last night so she could steal the limelight from Qin Yi a bit. However, she did not expect Li Luo to disrupt her plans. Not only had she failed to win the limelight, it had even made the Violet Blood Banner lose face. Nonetheless, Li Luo did not respond to Li Hongli''s sharp words. It was Li Fengyi who replied sarcastically, "They were both willing parties. What does it have to do with you?" "A mere Greater Fiend Palace cultivator is worth ten million skygold?'''' Li Hongli retorted. "An ordinary one is not worth that. But the Third Young Master from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage is. You got a problem with that? Hm, Li Hongli, you''re not part of the direct bloodline, so of course you don''t understand," Li Fengyi told her slowly. At this point, Li Hongli started fuming with anger, and creaking sounds could be heard from her jade hand holding the wine glass. Although she had a high status in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, there was ultimately still a gap between her and members of the direct bloodlines like Li Luo and Li Fengyi. At this moment, Li Qingfeng cut in with a wave of his hand and graciously interrupted the conversation with a smile. "Don''t harp on things like direct bloodline. Talent and strength are the most important assets one can have in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Just having the bloodline without natural talent is simply a waste of cultivation resources. Moreover, the Ancestor said that the purity of the bloodline isn''t whats important. Even if someone is part of the direct bloodline, he''ll be left behind if he cant reach the King Stage." With a slight grin, he continued, "In the four halls of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, the Gold Light Hall is the strongest of them all. Their Main Hall Master, Zhao Xuanming, is not of the direct bloodline. With that in mind, you members of the direct bloodline of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage have to work harder." Hearing this, Li Fengyi froze and couldn''t help but become a little annoyed. Li Qingfeng''s words had directly touched on the most painful point for them in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. "It''s okay, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage just needs to wait," Li Luo responded with a laugh as he played with his jade cup. Li Qingfeng frowned and asked, "Wait for what? For you, Li Luo, to take the lead?" With a warm smile, he replied confidently, "Wait for my father to return, of course." This time, it was Li Qingfeng that froze. What could he say to this? He knew very clearly how formidable Li Taixuan was. Their fathers generation had been overwhelmed by that guy and traumatized by his strength. Although Li Taixuan had left the inner divine continent for years and no one knew what he was doing now, he had heard his name mentioned during private conversations among his elders before. They were filled with such fear that it was unforgettable even for him. As such, if Li Taixuan really did return to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage... it would shock the whole Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. The crisis in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would easily be resolved then. At this point, Li Qingfeng poured himself a cup of wine and drank it down to calm his nerves. On the other hand, Li Fengyi patted Li Luo''s shoulder excitedly and whispered to him, "Well done. When Third Uncle returns to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, who will dare say anything about us, the direct descendants of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, again? Oh, right, there is Third Aunt too. She was even more famous in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent than Third Uncle. Wow, I really want to meet her one day. She was even able to subdue someone like the Third Uncle. What a formidable demeanor, huh?" Li Fengyi''s eyes were filled with admiration. Li Luo rubbed his chin a little as he pondered over it. Indeed, the lady at the top of the food chain in House Luolan was much more terrifying than his father. As Li Luo was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly felt a huge surge in worldly natural energy within the golden palace. No, not just the golden palace. The worldly natural energy around all of Dragon Blood Mountain was vibrating fiercely. At the next moment, five golden dragon chairs appeared in the sky above the golden palace. The bright energy condensed intensely before they turned into five figures. The oddly terrifying pressure was coming from these five figures. It was as if Dragon Blood Mountain had begun to shake under their presence. Li Luo spotted Li Jingzhe among the five of them. He immediately turned to look at the lead position among the five. An old man wearing a golden and purple dragon robe was there. He had blond hair and exuded an indescribable, majestic, and grand aura. His presence alone, there was an inexplicable sense of awe as if the world was bowing down to him. He was the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. At the same time, he was the Mountain Ruling Chief of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, Li Tianji. Li Jingzhe was positioned on his right. On his left was a beautiful woman with silver hair dressed in green. She had a graceful temperament to her, and her delicate and fair cheeks were embellished with golden dragon scales, making her even more beautiful. She was the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage, Li Qingying. Further on the outside, there was a tall, middle-aged man that looked like a burly giant. He was bare-chested and the flesh and blood on his body seemed to be beating slowly with life. With every beat, the space around him tore open with cracks. He was the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Bone Lineage, Li Xuanwu. It was said that he had the strongest physical body in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Apart from them, there was an old man cloaked in a black robe. His face was thin and appeared ordinary, but there was a dragon horn on his forehead. Mysterious vibrations pulsed from the dragon horn repeatedly. There seemed to be an indescribable, daunting force to it. He was the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Horn Lineage, Li Jinjiao. When Li Luo witnessed these five terrifying forces atop the golden palace, he couldn''t help but sigh in his heart. This was the first time he had seen so many King Stage cultivators together. This was the foundation of the King Stage. Truly daunting. Reacting to the excitement in his heart, he sat himself upright. He understood that the banquet today was finally starting with the arrival of the five elders. And the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool that he had been looking forward to was finally coming. Chapter 0826: Qin Zhiming Chapter 0826: Qin Zhiming "Haha, it''s my honor to have all you distinguished guests with me at the Dragon''s Blood Lineage today. I, Li Tianji, express my thanks to all of you." After the five Lineage Chiefs of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li made their entrance, the hearty laughter of Li Tianji, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, echoed throughout Dragon Blood Mountain like a deafening thunderclap. At the same time, the important guests were guided into the gilded palace. The first individual was an elderly man dressed in black robes. He appeared ordinary at first, but his eyes possessed a mystical gleam to them. One of his pupils seemed to flash with lightning, as if a world of thunder was hidden within it. Meanwhile, the other pupil was raging with flames, as if endless magma was flowing within it. Lightning and fire flowed under his feet as he walked, causing the void to tremble. Li Luo''s heart trembled as he watched the black-robed, elderly man. Without a doubt, he was a King Stage powerhouse. Behind him was a beautiful woman in a fiery-red dress. Walking beside her was a familiar faceQin Yi, who he had seen last night. At this point, Li Luo''s heart skipped a beat. "Is that the King Stage powerhouse from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing?" he whispered to Li Fengyi. Li Fengyi nodded and responded in a soft voice, "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing has a very strong foundation. Their Kings have been around far longer than those in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Their Six Holy Palaces are the foundation of their power. This black-robed elder in front of us is the palace master of the Lightning Flame Holy Palace, named Qin Zhiming. "Under the Six Holy Palaces are the Twenty-three Halls and their Hall Masters. The lady behind him is..." Li Fengyi paused for a moment and looked at Li Luo at this point. "She''s the Hall Master of the Fire Lotus Hall, Qin Lian. She''s also Qin Yis mother," Li Fengyi continued. "The Hall Master of the Fire Lotus Hall, Qin Lian." Li Luo''s heart trembled a little. Although he had kind of guessed it beforehand, he was still mixed with emotions when it was verified by Li Fengyi. He stared at the beautiful lady in the fiery dress. There were indeed some similarities between her and Qin Yi, but she was much more mature with a strong and fierce look. Evidently, she was not someone that would be easy to get along with. This was the woman that had caused his parents to leave the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. In a certain sense, there was deep enmity between Qin Lian and him. Li Luo stared with deep eyes before he gradually retracted his gaze. At present, there was nothing he could do about it. Qin Lian was far too strong and above his level. All he could do now was improve himself. As all these emotions were surging within him, Li Luo felt a gaze shoot towards him. When he turned around to take a look, he noticed Li Jingzhe, who was seated high up in the gilded palace. It was a plain and ordinary look, but strangely, Li Luo felt a sense of peace from it. Although Qin Lian was strong, it was not like he had no backing either. His King Stage grandfather over there had managed to keep them in place, so they wouldnt dare to touch him. With the arrival of the distinguished guests from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing, Li Tianji from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage rose up and greeted him with a smile. "Welcome, Brother Qing. Youve traveled a long way. Thank you for coming." "It''s the birthday of an old friend, I''ll surely be here," Qin Zhiming replied with a laugh. "Please, take a seat." Qin Zhiming nodded and then proceeded to take the frontmost seat. Following closely, Qin Lian took a seat behind him. "Qin Zhiming is Qin Lians direct bloodline elder," Li Fengyi explained to Li Luo at this point. Li Luo nodded. It seemed like Qin Lian had a rather prestigious status in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. However, that was to be expected. If not, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing would not have pushed her out for an arranged marriage with Li Taixuan back then. After the distinguished guests from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing had taken their seats, the other important guests started to take their seats too. They were all top talents from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Nonetheless, there was only one at the King Stage: Qin Zhiming. It was not as if there were no other Kings in the other forces. Rather, there was no need for them to personally attend this. They had sent their gifts over to congratulate the elder instead. As such, it was truly a special occasion for a King like Qin Zhiming to personally attend the party. "Do you see the guy behind Qin Lian?" Li Fengyi asked. Hearing this, Li Luo shifted his attention. Behind Qin Lian was the ever charming beauty Qin Yi that snatched the hearts of many around the golden palace with each and every smile. There was also a tall man who stood straight, wreathed in an extraordinary aura. The man looked dignified with silver and gold bands around his arms and exuded a faint but domineering aura. "Is that Chu Qing?" Li Luo asked. Nodding, Li Fengyi replied, "Yes, he is Qin Lian''s first disciple and possesses dual resonances. Currently, he is in the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage and is one of the most well-known and regarded as one of the best talents amongst the youths in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent." "Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage..." Li Luo sighed when he heard about it. Chu Qing was about the same age as First Princess Gong Luanyu. However, his strength was far superior compared to hers. The First Princess, Gong Shenjun, and the other Seven Astral Pillars from the Astral Sage College were only at the Heavenly Pearl Stage when they graduated. They had not even stepped into the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage. Yet Chu Qing was already at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage. There was a drastic difference between the inner divine continent and outer divine continent. He had also heard that there was a hall called the Heavenly Star Hall in the Ancient Colleges that existed above the Four Star Hall. Perhaps only the greatest talents from there could be comparable to Chu Qing. As Li Luo was deep in thought, the birthday banquet had begun. Everyone was toasting and chatting with each other. It was a truly lively scene. Meanwhile, Li Luo was bored and waiting. Based on the schedule, the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool would not be opened until the banquet reached its climax. He yawned as he played around with his wine cup. At this moment, he felt a sharp and cold stare sweep past him. He turned over to take a look and saw the red dressed Qin Lian watching him closely with her cold eyes. Under the scrutiny of a Duke, Li Luo felt a little pressured. However, his facial expression did not change at all. Instead, he looked past Qin Lian, towards Qin Yi, and smiled warmly at her. Qin Yi''s beautiful, jade face was cold and indifferent, but she shook her head secretly in her heart. Li Luo was really daring. He knew that Qin Lian was staring at him and he still dared to do this. Based on her mother''s temper, she definitely would not take this lying down. Just as Qin Yi was thinking this, she saw her mother place the wine cup down not too hard nor to lightly. A smug look surfaced on her cheeks. "I heard that the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan has returned to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. May I know which handsome young man he might be?" All of a sudden, the liveliness in the golden palace quietened down. Chapter 0827: Competition Chapter 0827: Competition The lively golden palace turned silent at this moment. The crowd continued to look ahead, but deep in their hearts, they all knew that the moment had finally arrived. After all, the incident between Qin Lian, Li Taixuan, and Tan Tailan had shocked the whole Heavenly Origin Divine Continent over a decade ago. A war between the two powers had nearly broken out over it. If such strong forces had fought, the entirety of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent would be affected for sure. Luckily, both sides had been able to restrain themselves. In the end, it concluded with Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan leaving the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. It had been nearly twenty years since the incident, but Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had not returned. Instead, they had sent their son back to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. On the surface, Qin Lian had come to Dragon Blood Mountain to attend the birthday celebration. Truth be told, it was most likely to see the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. Li Luo''s parents were not around at the moment. However, his grandfather, Li Jingzhe, was present. In order to see his grandson return, he had said that the past grievances of the previous generation would end there. Even if Qin Lian wanted to bully Li Luo using her overwhelming power now, Li Jingzhe would surely not allow it. Under the deafening silence, Li Luo stood up calmly and answered, "I am Li Luo. Hello, Hall Master Qin Lian." Many curious gazes turned towards him. After all, he was the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. They were all curious about the boy that had returned from the outer divine continent. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan were once the dominant shining beacons in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Many of the current Dukes came from the same generation as them and knew very well how strong the two of them were. It would be strange if their curiosity about their son was not piqued. As they evaluated Li Luo, they nodded in approval. His appearance was not badhe definitely had the demeanor of those two back then. However, his resonant power was much weaker, only at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. In contrast, even the weakest amongst his peers were at the Fiend Body Tier. Being merely at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier indeed made Li Luo seem like a letdown. The worldly natural energy in the outer divine continents was truly lacking compared to the inner divine continents. Qin Lian sized up Li Luo with her deadly, cold stare. Without a second look, she could see the shadow of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan from his appearance. This made her stare grow even more frigid. The impression left behind from those two had cut so deeply into her that she would not forget about it even on her deathbed. "Where are Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan? It''s been so long, are they still alive?" Qin Lian asked coldly. "Of course my parents are still alive. Not only are they alive, they are living like a divine couple. They are very in love with each other, sticking together like glue. They are inseparable. Madly in love," Li Luo replied with a smile. Many people in the golden palace looked at Li Luo strangely. This kid was still young, but he possessed a fiery mouth. After all, who didn''t know about the incident between Qin Lian and Li Taixuan? Him emphasizing the affection between Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan now was like adding deadly poison to the wound. As expected, Qin Lian''s face turned ugly. With an ice-cold voice, she said, "What a rude little kid. Is that all that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan taught you?" "I do not understand your words, Hall Master Qin Lian. I am merely saying that my father and mother have a loving relationship," Li Luo responded with an innocent smile. At this point, Qin Lian''s eyes were fuming with anger. An icy and dominant voice interrupted theri conversation at this very moment. "Hall Master Qin Lian, as an elder, you should not be so aggressive towards the young. Your words are too intimidating. I think you are the one who needs to go back and reflect when it comes to teaching a child." When the crowd looked over, they saw that Li Jingzhe, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had spoken. Qin Lian''s face changed upon hearing him. At this moment, Li Jingzhe turned towards Qin Zhiming and said calmly, "Palace Master Qin, you should keep your Hall Master in line." Hearing this, Qin Zhiming, the Palace Master of the Six Holy Palaces of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing, responded with a light laugh. "Lineage Chief Jingzhe, you''re overreacting. Qin Lian is merely asking out of curiosity. She did not mean to intimidate anyone here." There was a cold glint deep within Li Jingzhe''s eyes as he replied, "I have already said this before. What happened back then has been concluded. If anyone dares to take it out on the next generation and bully Li Luo, then don''t blame me for defending him. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage will not take it lying down." When he heard this, the lightning fire in Qin Zhiming''s eyes blazed more violently as he retorted coolly, "Lineage Chief Jingzhe, you are truly temperamental." Both parties glared at each other with deathly stares, and the worldly natural energy around the area churned and a wild storm appeared out of thin air above the gilded palace. The void even began to show signs of crumbling. Even the sky had turned dark. The guests in the palace were all completely taken aback by the change in atmosphere. No one had expected these two Kings to suddenly clash. At this moment, the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Lineage Chief, Li Tianji, suddenly waved his sleeves. He summoned forth a strong pressure that shattered the energy storm forming above. Along with his sweeping gaze, the clashing undulations of resonant power pulses from Li Jingzhe and Qin Zhiming were forcefully calmed down. "Today''s my birthday celebration. There''s no need to spoil the mood, right?" Li Tianji said in a deep voice with a hidden tinge of frustration. After Li Jingzhe and Qin Zhiming heard his words, they slowly contained the terrifying power emanating from their bodies. However, the lively atmosphere of the party had died down after this sudden clash. Anyone could tell that the relationship between the Dragon''s Fang Lineage from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the Lightning Flame Holy Palace from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing was as cold as ice even after all these decades. If not for the other parties keeping the peace, they would have gone to war long ago. Seeing the tense situation, Li Tianji smiled and said in an attempt to ease the atmosphere, "It''s not appropriate to fight with so many distinguished guests at Dragon Blood Mountain today. However, there is a competition amongst the younger generation in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li that everyone can enjoy watching. Coincidentally, today is the opening day for the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. Let''s give them a chance to show off in front of us." Without a doubt, Li Tianji had planned to bring forward the opening of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool to ease the tense atmosphere. When the guests inside and outside the golden palace heard about it, they all grew excited. Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief. The time had finally arrived. If not for this, this stupid banquet would not have been worth attending at all. Similarly, the other Banner Leaders started stretching their muscles with a sense of joy on their faces. But Qin Lian suddenly looked over to Li Tianji and said, "Lineage Chief Tianji, I heard that the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool is a rare opportunity in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Since its opening so nicely coincided with the birthday celebration, my little daughter would like to use this chance to exchange some blows with the youths from your bloodline too. As a way to truly join the celebration, I was wondering if you''d give my daughter the chance to join them." When she finished her words, the Banner Leaders from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li were stunned. Qin Lian wanted to let Qin Yi participate in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool competition too? In that case, wouldn''t there be one more strong competitor? Li Luo frowned upon hearing this too. Qin Yis strength was exceptional, and her ninth-grade water resonance was not something to be looked down upon. If she participated, she would be going straight for the golden dragon pillar. Furthermore... she might be coming after him too. After all, he had not held back on his words just now, not giving any face to Qin Lian at all. If she wanted to send Qin Yi into the competition now, it was most likely to deter him. Li Jingzhe stepped up again at this point. "The Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool is a unique and rare opportunity in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. There has been no precedent of letting any outsiders participate." Qin Lian smiled lightly as she replied, "Lineage Chief Jingzhe, are you afraid that the Dragon''s Fang Lineage will get nothing with my little daughter participating?" At the same time, Qin Zhiming laughed out and turned to Li Tianji too. He asked, "Lineage Chief Tianji, you don''t think the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing is coveting the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool, do you? If that is the case, we can also invite youths from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li over for a try when we open up the Nine Mountains Spiritual Earth in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing." Li Tianji pondered for a moment. Qin Zhiming and Qin Lian were so determined. They had to be thinking of using this chance to let Qin Yi display her prowess and suppress the youths from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Such things had been done many times over the past few decades, whether it was the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li or the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. However, since Qin Zhiming had spoken personally and offered the Nine Mountains Spiritual Earth in exchange, it was really hard for him to turn down the offer under such circumstances. After all, they were the ones who had spent so much effort to persuade Qin Zhiming to attend this event. In the end, he nodded and said with a smile, "Alright. I have long heard of Qin Yis ninth-grade water resonance. Let me take a good look at it today." When he ended his words, the crowds spirits were lifted. With the addition of Qin Yi, the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool had just become a much more exciting competition. Favorite Chapter 0828: Opening of the Dragonbreath Pool Chapter 0828: Opening of the Dragonbreath Pool On the side of Dragon Blood Mountain. Anyone standing here would have a majestic view of numerous peaks rising high up from the ground. They connected to each other side by side in a ring, forming an enormous pit that protruded from the ground. The pit contained a dense, pale, red mist, and worldly natural energy continuously flowed into the area. Deeper in, there seemed to be a faint and low draconic roar resounding between the heavens and earth, causing the void to vibrate slightly. Gradually, the mysterious air permeated across the area. This was where the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool was located. At this moment, the five Lineage Chiefs made their way to a flat platform on a mountaintop with the distinguished guests. It was a lively area as they sat on their stone chairs with anticipation. Li Luo, Li Qingfeng, and the other Banner Leaders from the Twenty Banners had already gone over to the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. Their banner members stood behind them with a raging fighting spirit in their eyes. Although the main prize in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool battle would go to the Banner Leader only, the members would still be rewarded if their Banner Leader emerged victorious. This was enough of an encouragement to them as they cheered for their respective Banner Leaders. However, this Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool battle was slightly different from the past. As the various banner members looked over to the right with strange gazes, they could see thousands of figures on a platform. They were all clad in crimson armor carved with a flaming lotus. Those guys were from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. They were the Fire Lotus Camp. In front of the Fire Lotus Camp stood an enchanting and graceful figure. As the wind blew in with the mist, her black hair danced in the air and her long skirt highlighted the perfect and exquisite curves of her delicate body. Without a doubt, this unbelievable charm made many of the Twenty Banners members'' hearts beat faster. This figure was none other than the leader of the Fire Lotus Camp, Qin Yi. In other words, this battle consisted of not only the Twenty Banners, but an external guest as well. Despite her alluring beauty, they all knew that she was a ferocious tiger. It was said that the Fire Lotus Camp had never lost a single battle since Qin Yi took the helm. Rather, the other twenty two camps from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing had all fallen against them. As such, all the Banner Leaders from the Twenty Banners, including Li Qingfeng, felt a sense of danger in their hearts even as they watched her enchanting figure i. There was no doubt about Qin Yi''s talent. Her ninth-grade water resonance, coupled with the huge amount of resources from the Fire Lotus Hall, would undoubtedly speed up her cultivation pace a thousand times. It was like adding wings to a tiger. Having to face an opponent like Qin Yi, even the confident Li Qingfeng started to doubt himself. As such, the addition of Qin Yi had definitely added many more variables into the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool battle. Li Luo was also looking at Qin Yi, but his face was without much expression. He remained calm as having her around was actually a good thing for him. This would create more chaos during the battle, which would in turn also give him more opportunities. After all, his minimum goal was to obtain at least one bronze dragon pillar. As for the sole golden dragon pillar, he was not aiming for it at all. After all, there were too many people eyeing it. If he coveted it with his current strength, he might become everyones target and end up with nothing. As Li Luo was thinking about all this, an administrator stepped forward on the high platform. He raised the golden dragon flag in his hand high into the air and waved it down firmly. When the golden dragon flag swung down, the twenty-one participants in the field activated Harmony instantly. In the blink of an eye, the energy level in the area surged as though a tsunami of power had flooded the air above. In the next moment, these majestic energies whizzed down into the bodies of the contestants below, and they were slowly lifted into the air. Wave after wave of extremely violent energy pulses started to spread out. At the same time, a terrifying energy pressure erupted, causing thunderstorms to form between the heavens and earth. The pressure from the contestants was so great that it had reached Duke levels of power now. It was as if there were twenty-one Dukes present. This won the praises of many guests. After all, this was the foundation for a Heavenly Emperor power. Using a special method to gather the energy, these Earth Fiend Stage cultivators had managed to obtain the power of the Duke Stage. Of course, their Duke-level power was kind of fake. Although they seemed as strong as someone at the Duke Stage, they did not possess the expertise and intricacies of a true Duke. For example, the real power of dual resonances. "Oh, this generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li is not bad. Based on their energy level, these Banner Leaders have attained quasi-Duke Stage strength using Harmony." "Based on the energy pulses, Lu Qingmei, Li Hongli, and Li Qingfeng are as powerful as first-grade Dukes." "Li Qingfeng seems to be stronger. It feels like he is equal to an upper first-grade Duke. I guess he''s getting the golden dragon pillar." "Without Qin Yi around, the golden pillar would almost certainly go to Li Qingfeng." "Yes, the beloved daughter of Hall Master Qin Lian is extraordinary indeed. From what I see, the energy pulses from her are the most dominant amongst everyone in the field, perhaps only Li Qingfeng''s side can compete with her." "Surely the golden dragon pillar is not falling into the hands of an outsider, right?" There were many whispers amongst the guests, who were all considered the top talents in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. They all wielded respectable strength and were mostly in the Duke Stage. As such, they could grasp the power of the twenty-one contestants present with just a quick glance. As Li Luo hovered in the air, he was also analyzing the strength of the other Banner Leaders. Everyone was pulsing with energy waves, making it an extremely grand sight. "With the power of the Green Nether Banner''s Harmony, I should have roughly lower first-grade Duke strength. However, I am still slightly weaker than Lu Qingmei, Li Hongli, and the rest," Li Luo muttered to himself as he observed the energy pulses of the others. He should be average to above average among the Twenty Banners now, but still below Lu Qingmei and the top few Banner Leaders by quite a bit. This was actually within his expectations. After all, the Green Nether Banner was really weak before. With slower progress in the Fiendish Devil Cave, they were naturally less motivated in their training and cultivation, resulting in them lagging behind others. Of course, the most important factor was that their Banner Leader was only at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier. In contrast, Lu Qingmei, Li Hongli, and group had long reached the Fiend Finisher Tier. Without the help of Harmony to narrow the gap in strength, Li Luo felt that he would stand little chance in a matchup against them now. At this moment, he turned his gaze over to Qin Yi''s location. He squinted a little as he felt a tremendous sense of pressure coming from her energy undulations. This was even stronger than the pressure he felt from Li Qingfeng''s side. As Li Luo was sizing her up, Qin Yi seemed to have noticed him and looked over with her icy gaze. Their eyes met for a moment. With a warm smile on his face, Li Luo said, "Miss Qin Yi, your strength is impressive. You must be going straight for the golden dragon pillar. With his great hospitality, perhaps Banner Leader Li Qingfeng will take a step back and hand it over to you." A short distance away, Li Qingfeng''s face twitched a little when she heard his words. Although he had indeed been very polite towards Qin Yi, how would he dare to hand over the golden dragon pillar to Qin Yi under such circumstances? Wouldn''t this make the Dragon''s Blood Lineage lose face? The elders were bound to give him a lecture afterwards. As such, he gritted his teeth and replied, "Banner Leader Li Luo, stop spouting nonsense. With the power Miss Qin Yi wields, she will naturally grab it herself if she wants it. Why would she want anyone to hand it over to her?" Li Luo laughed a little as he responded, "In that case, we''ll have to see who''s more capable and can obtain the golden dragon pillar in the end." As soon as his sentence ended, a flash of anger flashed across Li Qingfeng''s eyes. Li Luo was indeed cunning. He had set up a trap for him beforehand and lured him into opposing Qin Yi directly. Nonetheless, there was no way for him to deny it. There was no way in hell he was handing over the golden dragon pillar to anyone else. On the other hand, Qin Yi was nonchalant towards Li Luo''s words, as if she did not know about his sly intentions. Instead, she told him leisurely, "Banner Leader Li Luo, you are very eloquent. However, I am looking forward to seeing your performance today. I hope you will not disappoint me too much." Li Luo smiled back in response, but he scolded her in his heart. This woman was really out to get him. At this juncture, the officer on the platform waved the golden dragon flag again and shouted loudly, "Banner Leaders, let''s enter the pool!" After he spoke, the twenty-one faux Duke Stage competitors who had already primed themselves summoned up their massive amounts of energy and rushed into the mysterious, giant pit filled with mist below. Chapter 0829: Shadow Dragon Chapter 0829: Shadow Dragon As soon as Li Luo stepped into the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool, the noises coming from his surroundings disappeared. He was enveloped in thick, white mist, and the space around him gradually warped. He stood upright as he attempted to peer through the mist enveloping his surroundings. This place was unfathomable. He had no idea where he was, as he simply could not see through the thick mist. At present, he was at the top of the dragonbreath pool. He would need to enter the deepest part of the pool in order to obtain a Coiling Dragon Pillar. From what he had gathered earlier, he already knew that it wouldn''t be easy to reach the deepest part of the pool. Apart from the competition from the other Banner Leaders, there were also extremely fearsome threats inside the pool itself. For example... the Shadow Dragons. Li Luo turned his head to the right, where he noticed a violent stirring in the mist. In the next moment, a silhouette hundreds of feet tall slowly emerged. It was a Shadow Dragon. Although it seemed a bit illusory, there was no doubt about the terrifying energy pulses emanating from its body. It possessed strength akin to that of a quasi-Duke Stage cultivator. Shadow Dragons were the manifestation of the dragonbreath pool''s energy. Serving as the gatekeepers, they prevented people from approaching the deepest parts of the pool. Mysterious light patterns glowed on the lively Shadow Dragon''s body as it let out a deep, draconic roar. In the next moment, it opened its maw and an energy blast flew directly towards Li Luo. The energy blast pierced through the void, and the mist gave way to its flight. The deafening roar shook even the sky and earth. If Li Luo had to face this attack with just his power alone, he would very likely be wiped out in an instant. Luckily, that was not the casehe had a Duke''s strength. Li Luo raised his palms expressionlessly, and a torrent of energy surged. In the blink of an eye, an enormous, six-sided water shield materialized in front of him with ripples flowing on its surface. When the energy blast collided head-on with the hexagonal water shield, the shield mitigated the blast with ease. Following this, an ancient, straight knife appeared in Li Luo''s hand, and he slashed it down with a deafening roar. A dazzling knife wheel about a thousand meters tall materialized out of thin air in front of him. As the knife wheel flashed by, the thick mist was sliced apart by the sharp blades. In the next instant, the knife wheel cut through the Shadow Dragon''s body and decimated it into countless spots of light. The Shadow Dragon that was as strong as a quasi-Duke was easily defeated by Li Luo. However, this was nothing celebratory for him. He understood that the strength and numbers of the Shadow Dragons would continue to grow as he advanced deeper into the pool. Most importantly, there would also be competition in the form of the other Banner Leaders. Li Luo pondered deeply for a moment. His most urgent task now was to enter the deepest part of the pool as soon as possible. It was said that as time passed, there would be an isolation area formed close to the district with the Coiling Dragon Pillars. This isolation area was created from the condensation of the mist and consisted of extremely terrifying energy. It would be impossible to penetrate it once it materialized. As such, he would not be able to get close to the Coiling Dragon Pillars once the isolation area formed. This was akin to the first round of elimination from the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. If anyone wanted the Coiling Dragon Pillar, they would need to enter the deepest part before the isolation area formed. At this point, Li Luo made a quick estimate of the time and dared not procrastinate any further. He clapped his palms together, and a torrent of energy rushed out. It tore apart the thick mist below and opened up a long walkway where he flew down. Right now, he hoped that he would not meet Qin Yi before the isolation area. If she decided to stall him without going for the Coiling Dragon Pillar, it was unlikely that he would be able to shake her off. In that case, he would lose this precious opportunity. As he rapidly flew down the passage, he encountered a few Shadow Dragon attacks again. However, they were not much of a threat to him as he was prepared. But the Shadow Dragons became stronger the closer he got to the deepest part of the dragonbreath pool. He had to spend quite a bit of effort to defeat the last Shadow Dragon that he came across, as its power was close to that of a lower first-grade Duke. At the same time, he could also sense the clashes of energy nearby as he traveled deeper into the pool. It was the other Banner Leaders fighting against Shadow Dragons. Nonetheless, he paid no attention to them as he headed towards the depths of the dragonbreath pool. The journey continued for ten minutes or so before Li Luo suddenly froze in his tracks. His eyes shrunk slightly. Under the thick mist, he could sense a weak wave of energy passing through his body. The wave was silent and subtle, flowing by like warm, moist water. It spread out like ripples blooming on the surface of a lake. Li Luo frowned upon it. This wave must be Qin Yi''s doing! He assumed that she was using a special method to sense her surroundings. If he was right, the person she was looking for was certainly him. Li Luo''s eyes flickered slightly, but he wasn''t surprised by this. One of the main reasons Qin Lian had arranged for Qin Yi to enter the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool was probably to deal with him. However, Li Luo did not want to clash with Qin Yi right now. He knew very well what a difficult opponent she would be. In fact, she was probably even stronger than Li Qingfeng. If he was stopped by her right now, the opportunity to get stronger in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool would surely be wasted. Just as Li Luo was thinking of a way to handle the situation on hand, he suddenly felt an aggressive blast of energy coming not far from his right. This was a very familiar resonant power. Li Luo thought about it for a moment before he sped up and dashed in that direction immediately. As the mist gave way, Li Luo could finally see what was at the fore. There was an enormous, towering Shadow Dragon that was thousands of feet tall. Its body had started to solidify, and it tore apart the void with a swing of its dragon claw. The immense energy pulse it had released was equal to power of a lower first-grade Duke. A vigorous figure holding a glazed, long rod was fighting against it. This was none other than the Banner Leader of the Holy Scale Banner, Lu Qingmei. When Li Luo arrived on the scene, Lu Qingmei was flaunting her prowess against the Shadow Dragon as dominant energy surged forth from her runed, glazed rod. She broke apart the dragon''s claw attack and struck right at the Shadow Dragon with her rod. The shadow dragon was defeated. Lu Qingmei turned her oval face over to look at Li Luo. Clap, clap. Li Luo clapped with a big smile and walked over to her. "I was wondering who was out here. So it was actually you, Banner Leader Lu Qingmei. Impressive! You were unfazed despite facing off against a Shadow Dragon of the lower first-grade." "Banner Leader Li Luo," Lu Qingmei said as she brushed back her hair. With the glazed rod in her hands, she stood there in her long, tight-fitting dress that made her lengthy, slender legs exceptionally eye-catching. Under normal circumstances, everyone except the Banner Leaders from the same lineage would keep a distance from each other, as they were all competitors. However, Lu Qingmei did not say anything. She took a look at Li Luo''s handsome face and let him be. Although she was never one to care much about looks, it was undeniable that a handsome guy made one lower their guard. "Banner Leader Lu Qingmei, I have come here specially to find you regarding an urgent matter," Li Luo said seriously. "What is it?" Lu Qingmei asked. Li Luo slowly explained, "Before I came over, I sensed an energy wave coming from Qin Yi. I suspect that she''s hunting us, the Banner Leaders from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Her aim is simple: to ensure that we will not succeed in gaining anything in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. In that case, the guests will feel that the younger generation from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing is far superior to our generation in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li." Lu Qingmei looked at Li Luo suspiciously as she replied, "I don''t think Qin Yi is that overbearing." Li Luo replied with a deep voice, "She''s not. But her mother is." Lu Qingmei did not deny this. Hall Master Qin Lian was indeed overbearing, and it would not be surprising for her to do something like this to strike at the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. As her daughter, Qin Yi would surely obey her mother''s orders. However, if Qin Yi was so unscrupulous, wouldn''t she make an enemy out of everyone? Just as Lu Qingmei was contemplating the possibilities, a wave of energy suddenly shot through the mist from the back. In the next moment, a strand of waterlight pierced the void at an unimaginable speed and went directly for Li Luo filled with murderous intent. The attack was so sudden that Li Luo did not know how to react in time. Just as the strand of waterlight was about to strike him, a rod filled with immense resonant power swept by and collided with the strand of waterlight. Bang! The violent storm of energy exploded in the collision. All the mist within thousands of feet was blown away instantly. Lu Qingmei frowned a little as she looked towards where the waterlight had come from. When the mist gave way, a beautiful figure appeared in the distance. The only one with that kind of charm and temperament was Qin Yi. After seeing how Lu Qingmei had interrupted and blocked the attack for Li Luo, her enchanting eyes looked slightly surprised. When had Lu Qingmei gotten so close to Li Luo? She smiled slightly as she said, "Banner Leader Lu, I have an issue with Banner Leader Li Luo. Can you please step aside?" Lu Qingmei gave Li Luo a glance as she recalled what he had said earlier. Is Qin Yi really hunting the Banner Leaders from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li? If that was the case, she could not just let Qin Yi deal with Li Luo. If there were too many Banner Leaders from their side hunted, it would be a disgrace. After all, it was a special day today. As such, she tightly gripped her glazed rod with her slender, jade hands as her short hair lightly danced along with the wind. She took a step forward with her long, slender legs and said with her flat voice as the mist gave way, "Miss Qin Yi, the Coiling Dragon Pillars are not in sight yet. This is not the time for battle. However, if you''re looking for some practice, I''ll be glad to be your opponent." When Li Luo heard this, he was touched beyond belief and gave a big thumbs up to Lu Qingmei in his heart. "Nice one, Little Lu! The road ahead has opened up!" Favorite Chapter 0830: Isolation Area Chapter 0830: Isolation Area Qin Yi frowned a little when she witnessed Lu Qingmei stepping up for Li Luo. Initially, she had planned to finish Li Luo off before entering the isolation area so that she could focus on securing the Coiling Dragon Pillars later on. However, she had not expected Li Luo to be so sly. She had just sniffed out his location, but he had already found a helper. In fact, the most surprising thing to her was that Lu Qingmei was willing to help him. Among the Twenty Banner Leaders, Lu Qingmei was second only to Li Qingfeng. Although Qin Yi was confident in winning against her, she was afraid that causing such a huge commotion now would attract the other Banner Leaders over. In that case, she might become a common enemy for all of them. While she was confident that she would come out on top in that scenario, she was afraid it would no longer be a perfect end for the tasks she had on hand today. As a result, she was slightly hesitant for a moment. In the same moment, Li Luo had also noticed that Qin Yi did not continue her advance. His eyes lit up immediately as he whispered to Lu Qingmei, "Banner Leader Lu, can you hold her down here for a short while? I''ll go get help from the others to surround her!" However, Lu Qingmei casted an unfriendly gaze towards Li Luo''s suggestion. This brat is really cunning. Is he thinking of slipping away after bringing trouble straight to me? Did you believe I''ll just abandon you here and throw you at Qin Yi? Luckily, Li Luo understood the meaning behind her gaze. He hurriedly smiled and added, "Don''t worry, it''s just a suggestion. If she dares to make a move, we''ll work together and send her out!" Lu Qingmei snorted softly as she grasped tightly onto her glazed rod filled with mysterious patterns. Her eyes locked onto Qin Yi, filled with fighting intent. Truth to be told, she had stood forward earlier because her hands were getting itchy. A true ninth-grade opponent was really hard to come by! She would gladly welcome it if Qin Yi decided to fight it out here. However, Lu Qingmei''s expectations did not come to fruition. Qin Yi hesitated for a while before she lightly smiled and said, "It''s a waste of time to fight now. If we drag it out and miss the opportunity to enter the isolation area, we''ll lose more than we gained here. Banner Leader Lu, I am sure we''ll have a chance to exchange blows later on." When she finished speaking, her clear eyes glared at Li Luo again. Without saying anything more, she turned around and left. After a few breaths, her delicate figure disappeared into the mist. "She left," Lu Qingmei said with a little surprise mixed with disappointment. "Impressive, Banner Leader Lu! Even Fairy Qin from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing was scared off by your dominating presence. Your name should be on the Empyrean Chronicle instead." Li Luo praised her with a big thumbs-up. Hearing this, Lu Qingmei merely rolled her eyes and responded, "You''re her true target. You can run from her now, but there will be no place for you to hide in the isolation area." Li Luo smiled as he replied, "I am not afraid of her. I just did not want to be delayed by her before the isolation area and miss my chance for a Coiling Dragon Pillar." "Still acting tough." Lu Qingmei shook her head. She believed Li Luo was putting on a brave front because he did not want to lose his face. "You''re not allowed to follow me afterwards. We will go our separate ways. After all, we are not from the same lineage and are still competitors," Lu Qingmei warned him as she prepared to leave. Hearing this, Li Luo sighed with disappointment as he said, "I thought we were already comrades in arms." This made Lu Qingmei both furious and amused. This guy was really thick skinned. "Don''t follow me!" She grabbed her glazed rod tightly and waved it towards Li Luo, pretending to be fierce. Nonetheless, this was a rare instance of her acting kind of cute. Following this, she speedily stepped onto the void and went off ahead without waiting for Li Luo''s response. Soon, her silhouette also disappeared into the distance. As Li Luo watched her get away, he smiled a little. Lu Qingmei had a pretty good personality. Although she was a martial arts fanatic, she was very loyal. He now owed her a favor due to her assistance in stopping Qin Yi. If the chance arose in future, he would surely repay this debt. As he thought about this in his heart, he did not waste any more time. He dashed ahead towards the deepest part of the dragonbreath pool. For the next few moments, Li Luo charged ahead at full speed. However, more and more Shadow Dragons appeared as he headed deeper into the pool. This caused him to take a detour several times. After all, even though he could guarantee his own safety against a few lower first-grade Shadow Dragons, he would undoubtedly be slowed down by them. This would make it challenging for him to reach the deepest part of the pool in time. During this time, he had already seen a few unlucky Banner Leaders entangled in battle with Shadow Dragons. If things proceeded as they were, they would surely not make it in time. However, Li Luo did not lend a helping hand to the unfamiliar Banner Leaders. He continued full speed ahead as he felt that the isolation area should not be too far ahead. And so, dozens of minutes passed like this. Suddenly, the mist ahead of Li Luo cleared up. When he looked into the distance, he noticed dozens of Shadow Dragons in the area with huge energy undulations emanating from their bodies. He was taken aback by the sight of so many Shadow Dragons at first. However, he soon noticed that they were staying in their original positions instead of moving about. Furthermore, there was faint light radiating from each of their bodies that were connected to each other, like a giant wall. Li Luo finally understood what was going on. The so-called isolation area was, in fact, formed from the bodies of these Shadow Dragons. As he scanned the surroundings, he noticed other people arriving as well. Li Qingfeng, Li Hongli, Lu Qingmei, Deng Fengxian, and the other Banner Leaders. At another location, he even spotted Qin Yi. The top Banner Leaders had arrived before him. Yet everyone simply hovered in their locations, distinct from one another. They did not attack each other but rather stared intently at the Shadow Dragons that were slowly transforming into a wall of light. They were all patiently waiting for the Shadow Dragons to completely transform. When the time came, they would grab onto the small window of opportunity and slip past the gaps into the deepest part of the pool. If they tried to do it now, they would unnecessarily draw the attention of all the Shadow Dragons that were standing guard. And no one would be able to fight against so many at once. As such, all they could do now was wait. Some of the Banner Leaders had taken notice of Li Luo''s arrival too. However, they were merely surprised at the speed he had taken to arrive and did not give it much thought. Just like this, ten minutes passed by. At this moment, the Shadow Dragons ahead started to condense, and the transformation continued unabated. The light walls would merge with each other soon to form an impenetrable barrier that would prevent anyone else from heading into the Coiling Dragon Pillars. "Let''s go!" The Banner Leaders that had arrived here did not wait any further. The resonant power within them spiked up and they flashed by like bolts of lightning. This was their only chance to sneak in through the gaps before the light wall formed completely. Li Luo did not hesitate any longer either. He acted immediately and tried to sneak past through a tiny gap in the rapidly forming wall of light. However, he was stopped in his tracks when he was about a hundred meters away from the tiny gap he was aiming for. An attack filled with resonant power whizzed through the air and flew straight towards him all of a sudden. Li Luo frowned at this sudden attack. He retaliated with a swing from his blade, and the dazzling slash tore open the void and neutralized the attack. At the same time, he looked over to see where the attack had originated. In the distance, there was a skinny man with a long nose hovering in the air, staring at him with eyes filled with hostility. Li Luo recognized this gentleman immediately. He was none other than Li Lu, the Banner Leader of the Dark Blood Banner from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. "Banner Leader Li Lu, the isolation area is forming now. Why are you coming after me instead of making use of this precious window to sneak past?" Li Luo calmly asked. Li Lu pouted as he replied, "There are only six Coiling Dragon Pillars. I will not be able to get any even if I go in. As such, my mission here is to stop other Banner Leaders from entering. As you happened to defeat Li Tong from the Dark Blood Banner earlier, I would like to see your skills for myself. "You will not be able to go in there. You can stop dreaming about taking a Coiling Dragon Pillar," Li Lu continued. Hearing this, a cold light appeared in Li Luo''s eyes. Li Lu was really good at picking his timing. If he was delayed in such a crucial moment, Li Luo would have no more chances to obtain a Coiling Dragon Pillar. If he were to retaliate, he would need to finish off Li Lu in the shortest time possible. As Li Luo was lost in thought, Li Lu wasted no time in his endeavor. With a long howl, his resonant power surged and a giant finger made of immense energy fell from the sky, pressing down upon Li Luo. Li Luo prepared for his counterattack. However, a beam of light pierced through the air in this instant. A sakura-red spear filled with a domineering aura pierced apart the void. The spear clashed against the giant finger of energy, creating a deafening roar. The aftermath of the energy collision raged like a storm. As the energy storm swept across the field, a familiar figure emerged in front of Li Luo. "Little Brother, you go for the Coiling Dragon Pillar. Leave this young man to me." A shout came from the distance, and it was none other than Li Fengyi. As she clenched her jade fists, the spear teleported back into her hands. Her high ponytail danced along lightly in the wind. Li Luo was startled. He knew that Li Fengyi wanted to help him hold down Li Lu here. However, this would mean that she would lose her only chance to slip past the isolation area. Li Luo felt warmth in his heart, but this was not the time to express his thanks properly. He merely smiled and said, "Thank you, Second Sister." With that, he turned around and dashed towards the gap in the light wall. A moment later, there was another tremendous clash of energy behind him. Li Luo managed to slip past the wall of light, entering the deepest part of the dragonbreath pool. After passing through the wall of light, his pupils narrowed slightly when he gazed into the distance. In the depths of the mist, he faintly saw the huge pillars glowing with mysterious lights. There were lively dragon imprints on each pillar that seemed to swallow up the power of heaven and earth. He could finally see the Coiling Dragon Pillars! Chapter 0831: Spiritual Water Mirror Palace Chapter 0831: Spiritual Water Mirror Palace One Coiling Dragon Pillar after another protruded from the ground before him. They were each wrapped in a layer of clouds and mist, and one could see exactly six of them at a glance. Additionally, their colors were not the same. The ones that were outermost were bronze, followed by two that were slightly inner, which were silver. The last pillar, in the deepest area, stood alone, shining with golden light. Looking at the six Coiling Dragon Pillars, the group felt their gazes heat up in excitement. Li Luo was similarly motivated. His gaze swept across the field, and he noticed that eight individuals had made it in. Li Qingfeng, Li Hongli, Deng Fengxian, and Lu Qingmei were obviously in. Li Kun, who was the Glass Bone Banner''s Banner Leader, and Li Senyan of Thunder Horn Banner had made it as well. Additionally, there was also Qin Yi. With himself included, that made eight. However, the isolation area had yet to close off, and there was no guarantee that no one else would arrive. There were at least eight individuals with six Coiling Dragon Pillars. Although it seemed as though the competition was not as intense, Li Luo understood that the other seven were the top Banner Leaders and he was the weakest amongst them all. The good thing was that his aim was just a Bronze Dragon Pillar, whereas the strongest individuals such as Li Qingfeng and Qin Yi would contest for the Golden Dragon Pillar. Just as Li Luo had these thoughts in mind, the rest could no longer hold themselves back, and they shot out directly towards the six Coiling Dragon Pillars. Li Luo maintained his position at the back of the pack, uninterested in fighting for glory. However, once the group entered the vicinity of the Coiling Dragon Pillars, some strange occurrences arose. Firstly, a blue wave of water quickly spread from the front of the pillars, rippling outwards and forming a screen. A frightening pressure emanated from the ripples. After which, the next development caused Li Qingfeng and the rest of the front pack to immediately decrease their speed. Li Qingfeng was the first to react. He waved his sleeves, causing majestic amounts of resonant power to surge out, forming a manifestation of a green dragon. This dragon manifestation gave a draconic roar, immediately swallowing up endless amounts of worldly natural energy before directly colliding with the ripples of water. Boom! Berserk energy blasted out in every direction, and everyone hurriedly circulated their own resonant power to form a barrier. Even Li Luo''s eyes shrank. Li Qingfeng''s casual move was nothing out of the ordinary. The strength he had demonstrated could definitely be compared to that of an upper first-grade Duke. Li Luo then observed the green dragon manifestation that was looming behind him. Quasi ninth-grade Wind Dragon resonance. However, even though Li Qingfeng was the one who had acted, it was not enough to pierce through the layer of water. Instead, the curtain of water only oscillated violently. What surprised the rest was that a massive, blue hall as large as a mountain was reflected in the water curtain before them. The hall was exceptionally wide, directly enveloping the six Coiling Dragon Pillars. This development caused everyone to be slightly taken aback. Such a situation had never occurred within the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool in the past. Li Luo''s brows were furrowed. He could feel resonant power radiating from the massive, blue hall. The hall was clearly not a test created by the dragonbreath pool, but by a person. As he swept his gaze past the group, he noticed that Qin Yi had already vanished. Li Qingfeng''s expression changed. He seemed to have noticed something, so he lightly asked, "Lady Qin Yi, what are you trying to do?" The rest, such as Li Hongli, were slightly shocked. This frightening water curtain was created by Qin Yi? In their shocked stupor, several ripples condensed within the massive water hall, then Qin Yi''s beautiful silhouette appeared. She glanced at the group as she said in an apologetic tone, "I''m sorry, I''m here to ruin your party as an unwanted guest. This is the Spiritual Water Mirror Palace, a mystical formation created by my ninth-grade water resonance. If you wish to obtain any of the Coiling Dragon Pillars, you''ll have to break through it. I, Qin Yi, boldly invite the talents from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li to come in and give it a try." When her words rang out, the crowd''s expressions changed. They had never expected that she would set down such a formation to disrupt them. "Lady Qin Yi, are you planning to challenge all of us alone?" Li Qingfeng asked as he looked at her solemnly. "I''m not challenging you. I merely want you to break through my formation." Qin Yi smiled wryly. "Lady Qin Yi, you''re being too arrogant, don''t you think?" A low voice rang out. It was the Glass Bone Banners Li Kun who was furiously glaring at Qin Yi. Qin Yi seemed to be completely disregarding these Banner Leaders. Although she possessed a ninth-grade water resonance, Li Qingfeng still had a good chance of triumphing over her when it came to actual strength. Regardless, she was still a single individual and there were seven Banner Leaders present. Additionally, she was not only utilizing the Spiritual Water Mirror Palace to obstruct them from obtaining the Coiling Dragon Pillars. Her actions would inevitably cause an uproar throughout the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent and result in this generation of geniuses to be mocked by the rest! At the very least, this celebration would end with embarrassment of some sort. Was this the reason why the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing had attended to begin with? Their motives were truly unfathomable. The rest of the Banner Leaders were also deep in thought, and their expressions turned ugly, their gazes filled with fury. Li Luo was similarly shocked by Qin Yi''s wild and ambitious heart. He had never expected her to obstruct everyone, and his initial estimation was that she would merely exchange blows with Li Qingfeng over the Golden Dragon Pillar. However, the Spiritual Water Mirror Palace was not as simple as it seemed. He could feel a distinct sense of danger emanating from it. Could it be that this casual move would be able to prevent them from cooperating? "Banner Leader Li Qingfeng, since her actions are so tyrannical, there is no need to give her any face. Let us join hands and destroy this pathetic formation," Li Senyan from the Thunder Horn Banner immediately suggested. Li Qingfeng sighed deeply and then turned towards Qin Yi. "Lady Qin Yi, for the sake of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s reputation, I will not hold back." After which, he turned his gaze towards the other Banner Leaders. "Everyone, let us cooperate and see if this water curtain can truly hold us back." He did not enter the water palace and destroy it from the inside as she had suggested. Who knew what secrets this formation possessed? And if they were to barge in casually, they might very well be falling for a trap. He might have acted courteously towards her before this, but if he were to continue fawning over her in this situation, his reputation within the younger generation of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages might very well be trampled to pieces. The rest of the Banner Leaders nodded. In an unknown situation, blindly entering the water palace was not a wise choice. Thus, the group joined hands, and frightening undulations of energy surged out of them. The seven possessed first-grade Duke strength, so their cooperation could shake the heavens! The entire area trembled immensely, and even the white mist dissipated in the face of their sheer power. Bang! Bang! Several one-hundred-meter-tall torrents of energy pierced into the sky, emitting a terrifying sense of pressure. A moment later, the energy torrents crashed into the water palace. However, what caused everyone to be taken aback was that even in the face of everyone''s combined efforts, the water palace merely rippled slightly before reverting to a state of calm. "How...?" Everyone''s gazes shrank and looks of astonishment appeared in their eyes. How could the water palace created by Qin Yi withstand the sheer might of so many Dukes without even so much as a sound? Li Luo''s expression also turned heavy. Since she had dared to obstruct all of the Banner Leaders of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, she clearly had some skill. The water palace was indeed as mystical as he had imagined. Qin Yi''s gentle voice was transmitted to them. "Everyone, as I previously said, if you wish to break this formation, you''ll have to do it from the inside. If you wish to destroy it from the outside, although it''s not impossible, it will require a significant amount of time. From what I understand, the amount of time the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool can remain open is limited. If you want to turn it into a battle of attrition and forcefully break through, your opportunities here may very well evaporate from your grasp." This caused the group to fall into a deep silence. In the end, Li Qingfeng sighed once again. "Since this is the case, I will have to do as Lady Qin Yi suggests." Qin Yi smirked, and her figure within the water palace vanished. At the same time, the doors to the water palace rumbled and then gradually opened. "Everyone, no matter how mysterious the water palace might seem, she is merely one individual. Once we enter, we should first cooperate and break the formation before we do anything else," Li Qingfeng said to the rest. At this point in time, even Li Luo nodded in agreement. No matter the final result of the Coiling Dragon Pillars, this was the most important situation at hand. It would be best to get rid of Qin Yi before anything else, or they would tarnish the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages'' reputation. Li Luo could imagine just how ugly the expressions on the elders faces were at the moment. Having come to a consensus, the group no longer hesitated. Figures flashed forward and streams of light pierced through the void, directly rushing into the humongous water palace. Chapter 0832: Replica Chapter 0832: Replica After Li Qingfeng, Li Luo, and the other Banner Leaders entered the water palace, the atmosphere in the viewing platform outside the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool changed. Although the faces of the guests remained largely unfazed, there were many gazes thrown towards Qin Zhiming and Qin Lian from time to time. At times, they would also look towards the five Lineage Chiefs from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Nonetheless, the five chiefs were unfathomable. There was neither joy nor anger seen on their faces. On the other hand, the elders below the five chiefs were showing slight signs of frustration as they watched on. No one had expected Qin Yi to act in such a domineering manner. If she had gone straight for the Golden Dragon Pillar, they would have understood why. However, she had not. Instead, she had created this nonsensical water palace that enveloped all six Coiling Dragon Pillars. She was clearly not leaving any face for the younger generation of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages and challenging them to an outright showdown here. Furthermore, she was declaring such a fight with all the Banner Leaders with just her strength alone. Qin Yi would not come out looking like a loser no matter how one looked at it. After all, no one would say that she was too proud even if she was defeated, as she was facing off against the best of the best in this generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Rather, they would praise her for her courageous attempt. On the other hand, if Li Qingfeng and the other Banner Leaders were unable to conquer this Spiritual Water Mirror Palace of hers, that would spell great trouble for them. Everyone in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent would laugh at this generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li once the news got out. How could they all be stopped by a single girl like Qin Yi in the dragonbreath pool to the extent that they did not even get to touch a Coiling Dragon Pillar? Such a ridiculous result would surely nail all the youths involved onto the pillar of shame. Despite her beautiful appearance, Qin Yi was truly ruthless when she struck. Of course, this could have been instructions from her mother. After all, such an oppressive approach to things was totally Qin Lian''s style. As the guests watched on with strange looks on their faces, the Hall Master of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Crimson Cloud Hall, Li Jinpan, laughed out coldly. "A good banquet ruined by a malicious guest." The five Lineage Chiefs naturally did not comment, as they were of a special status. However, the elders below them, especially those who were already dissatisfied with Qin Lian, could not help but reveal their frustrations on their faces. In response, Qin Lian merely cast a glance at Li Jinpan as she replied indifferently, "It''s just an exchange between the juniors, so there is no need to be so uptight, right? What''s more, my girl is just a mere lady facing off against all these Banner Leaders from your respectable bloodline. Surely you aren''t worried that all these people can''t clear the Spiritual Water Mirror Palace from my daughter, right? If that is really the case, I think you should thank me instead. I have revealed the flawed foundations of these little guys, and you can train them better in the future." When the elders of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages heard this, they were infuriated. Their faces were bursting with rage, but they had to keep it contained in respect for the special occasion. Meanwhile, Qin Zhiming''s eyes drooped slightly as if he was falling asleep. However, everyone knew this was just an act by him. How would Qin Lian dare to rebut in this manner without his permission? Moreover, the five Lineage Chiefs of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had not mentioned anything. They simply looked into the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool with gazes that pierced the thick mist. Since things had already developed to such an extent, it was useless to criticize Qin Lian any further. She was clearly out to get revenge for the matter that happened years ago. However, she was smart enough to keep it within the younger generation and not escalate things any further. As such, not even the five Lineage Chiefs would forcefully stop the battle in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool now. After all, they had so many people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li against one Qin Yi. If news got out that they did not dare to accept the challenge despite their perceived advantage, it would be even more damaging to their reputation. Therefore, they could only let the younger generation sort this out now. When Li Qingfeng stepped into the water palace, he immediately noticed his surroundings change. He seemed to have appeared in a wide, spacious, and crystal-clear square that was dazzling, with light reflecting everywhere. He frowned a little when he noticed that Lu Qingmei and the others were no longer around even though they had entered. Without a doubt, the palace was intentionally splitting them up. "Want to take us down one by one?" Li Qingfeng said to himself. The water palace was special, because it created a world space that separated the people that had entered. However, was Qin Yi thinking of trapping them here with just this? At this moment, Li Qingfeng stretched out both of his hands, and resonant power gathered in his palms. Two swords appeared in his hands and a majestic and tyrannical force surged in his body. All of a sudden, the crystal-clear square started to tremble slightly. When Li Qingfeng waved his blades, two blade lights that seemed to resemble a dragon flew towards some crystal pillars in the clear square. Boom! The void twisted and trembled under the immense force of the slashes. However, the crystal pillars were not shattered by the domineering attacks. Rather, countless rays of lights shot out from the pillars. There was a slow, howling roar across the sky, and the rays of light converged in front of Li Qingfeng. After a few moments, the lights condensed and a figure emerged in front of him. Li Qingfeng squinted when he saw the figure that had emerged. This figure looked exactly like him! It was another Li Qingfeng! Li Qingfeng was taken aback and frowned at this sight. "Is this the Duke Art Replicating Water Mirror Art?" he muttered to himself. He had heard that this water type Duke Art was able to mimic one''s appearance and attacks. Furthermore, the copied product contained a portion of the real one''s strength. Nonetheless, did Qin Yi think that such a pathetic copy was sufficient to hold them down? A blue light flashed across Li Qingfeng''s eyes. He stepped forward, accompanied by the whizzing whistle of the wind. In the next moment, he appeared in front of his clone like a teleporting ghost. He then slashed apart the void with a single strike with the wildly raging wind blades on his arm, intending to separate the clone''s head from its body. Just as Li Qingfeng''s blades were about to strike the clone, similar blade lights from the clone came forth to intercept, and they clashed directly. Clang! The crisp sound of gold and iron sounded in the air. Sparks flew, the void vibrated, and the sound of a sonic boom rolled. Li Qingfeng could not help but squint again at this moment. He now realized that the clone in front of him was no weaker than himself. He had not gained any advantage at all in the previous exchange. "How could this be..." Li Qingfeng''s heart trembled while his pupils reflected the extremely familiar face in front of him. How could this clone from Qin Yi have the same power as the real him?! At the same moment, the other Banner Leaders that had stepped into the Spiritual Water Mirror Palace had come to face the same problem as Li Qingfeng. They were all matched up against a clone of themselves that had similar strength as them. All of a sudden, the Banner Leaders were thrown into an intense fight with themselves. All except Li Luo. In the same crystal-clear square, Li Luo was strolling around, studying the crystal pillars in the surrounding area. He pondered over the many light rays that were reflected in the square, but he had not launched an attack immediately like the other Banner Leaders. After all, he was familiar with such a method. "What a delicate display of water resonant power." After observing for a while, Li Luo couldn''t help but sigh. Among the six primary and secondary resonances in him, if there was one he had a particularly deep familiarity of, it would surely be the water resonance. After all, that was his first acquired resonance. He had conquered all the challenges and entered the Astral Sage College all thanks to his waterlight resonance. "Miss Qin Yi, your Spiritual Water Mirror Palace must have been constructed with water resonant power and a special formation, right? If I am not wrong, this must possess reflection and copying abilities. If anyone tries to break through it forcefully with resonant power, it will copy that person''s resonant power. If you possessed such confidence in holding down all the Banner Leaders with this, I believe this ability must have been enhanced to a very high level with the assistance of the special formation, right?" Li Luo''s low voice echoed in the vast, empty square. He continued as a smile surfaced on his face, "Mimicry created through water resonant power is strong if the opponent is strong. Weak if the opponent is weak. Non-existent if the opponent does not move. Therefore..." Without summong any resonant power within him, Li Luo sat down cross-legged in his original spot as he watched a crystal pillar in front of him with a bright smile. "How are you planning to deal with me?" Silence followed in the crystal-clear square as there was no movement for a while. At the same time, there was no sign of any clone of Li Luo either. Seeing this, Li Luo smiled even wider. "Sigh." At this moment, a soft sigh echoed in the square. Following this, Li Luo noticed a charming figure appear in the crystal pillar in front of him, and she slowly walked out. After a few breaths, she materialized in the flesh as if fiction had turned into reality. The brilliance in Qin Yi''s charming eyes glowed and her beautiful, jade face was even prettier under the dazzling reflection of the crystal. She lightly pursed her petal-like, red lips and said with a voice as clear as a stream, "How insightful, Banner Leader Li Luo. You really don''t look like someone who has spent a lot of time in an outer divine continent. However, since it is impossible to create a copy using you as a template, then..." She smiled sweetly with a still indifference in her clear eyes. "Let me send you out personally." Chapter 0833: Battle against Qin Yi Chapter 0833: Battle against Qin Yi As soon as Qin Yi finished her sentence, a huge amount of resonant power surged within her and then an azure wave of power appeared behind her like a gigantic tsunami. As the wave raged, the void around her trembled and a low roar could be heard. The dominant presence from the energy waves dispersed in all directions like tidal waves. When Li Luo sensed her energy waves, his face turned serious. He had managed to reach the power of a lower first-grade Duke thanks to using Harmony with the Green Nether Banner. Qin Yi, however, was as strong as an upper first-grade Duke. Moreover, she was a truly top-tier expert amongst upper first-grades. After all, she was the kind of talent who could defeat opponents at higher stages than her thanks to her exceptional talent. Li Luo had a feeling that she would not lose out even if she were to encounter a real upper first-grade Duke when she had the assistance of the Fire Lotus Camp. Furthermore, he could faintly sense that this was not her limit. She was about as strong as Li Qingfeng based on the energy waves being sent out. However, Li Luo could clearly sense that Qin Yi was a level above him. "Did she separate her powers in order to maintain this water palace and trap the other Banner Leaders?" Li Luo pondered for a moment and finally understood. Ultimately, this was no ordinary water palace. In order to keep all the highly talented Banner Leaders like Li Qingfeng here, Qin Yi must have spent a great deal of energy to keep this art up. Nonetheless, the fact that she could remain so powerful even while she was maintaining the palace meant that Qin Yi was undoubtedly the strongest opponent that Li Luo had come to face in his generation to date. Li Luo stretched out his hands at this moment and grabbed his Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. Divine Elephant Power Level Three! The mottled and simple blade vibrated, and enormous force flowed into his arm like ancient elephants rampaging. The flesh and blood of Li Luo''s arm expanded violently and his skin began to tear. Thunderpeal Avatar, Two Sonic Pulses! A thunderclap could be heard from the lightning forge near his heart. It echoed throughout his body, then his flesh started to vibrate. At this moment, his flesh and blood seemed to ignite and his physical body was rapidly strengthened. Li Luo would not let his guard down against a strong opponent like Qin Yi. He had utilized his entire arsenal right from the start. Nine Revolutions Art, Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath! He launched his attack without any hesitation, utilizing a Nine Revolutions Art right from the start. Roar! A dragon roar echoed in the square, and a huge dragon manifestation emerged behind Li Luo. It opened its maw, and the roaring thunder and lightning within it shot straight towards Qin Yi in a destructive blast. "This must be a Nine Revolutions Art of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Pretty impressive, especially with the combined power of Harmony from your banner," Qin Yi said as she watched on with eyes clear and calm like a serene lake. She had shown no signs of shock or fear amidst the devastating attack launched by Li Luo. Instead, she watched the lightning dragonbreath charge towards her with great interest. She extended her jade-like hands, and enormous amounts of energy gathered in front of her, condensing rapidly into an oddly shaped flower. "Let me show you a secret art from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing too, Banner Leader Li Luo." With a flick of her slender fingers, the gorgeous flower of energy flew out. In the air, it rapidly expanded into hundreds of meters in width with petals that were both delicate and graceful. Secret art: Spirit Devouring Flower. Bang! The lightning dragonbreath aggressively clashed with the graceful flower condensed from energy, creating deafening lightning booms that resounded throughout the crystal-clear square. Li Luo watched the collision in surprise. Despite its delicate appearance, the flower of energy did not disintegrate under the brutal assault of the lightning dragonbreath. Rather, it was rapidly losing its power as it was grinded away by the dancing petals. Gradually, lightning energy started to surface on the front of the energy flower. It was as if the lightning dragonbreath had been absorbed by it. After a few breaths, the lightning dragonbreath was completely gone. All that was left was the flower with lightning energy crackling atop its surface. Qin Yi smiled slightly at this, and the flower expanded. In the next moment, it exploded with a deafening, thunderous boom. The fallen petals that were filled with wild lightning energy flew directly towards Li Luo. Li Luo frowned upon this sight, and lightning flashes appeared beneath his feet. Thunderbolt Art! In a flash, Li Luo disappeared from his original spot and appeared behind Qin Yi. With a tight grip on the Onyx-Elephant Blade, his dual resonance power surged within his weapon as he slashed down. Like a spiritual being, there were Vestiges of Spirituality imbued within the huge power of his dual resonances. Dual resonances third realm: Sentience. Vestiges of Spirituality! The slash was filled with not just the Vestiges of Spirituality from his dual resonances, but also the power of his Thunderpeal Avatar and Divine Elephant Power. It was a terrifying force to be reckoned with. When the blade light flashed toward its target, the void was torn apart with a piercingly sharp ringing sound. The blade light slashed across Qin Yi''s slender waist, showing that Li Luo had no intention to hold back for this beauty. Clearly, Qin Yi did not need any such mercy. In response to the sudden attack, a mysterious shadow that looked just like her emerged behind her back. This was a spirit avatar, something that was only available to those with ninth-grade resonances! The emergence of a spirit avatar would greatly enhance one''s sensitivity and affinity with worldly natural energy. At the same time, it would greatly boost the effect of any skills casted. Li Luo had seen Jiang Qing''e use it in the past. The only difference was that Jiang Qing''e''s was a light spirit avatar, while Qin Yi''s was a water spirit avatar. With the appearance of the water spirit avatar, water-attribute worldly natural energy gathered behind her at a crazy speed and quickly condensed into a water veil. The water veil appeared paper thin, but it was immensely dense and heavy, meaning it had extremely strong defensive power. When the light of the blade swept down, it clashed directly with the water veil. Nearly half of the water veil was instantly torn apart by the slash. There was a hint of surprise within Qin Yis calm eyes. It seemed like Li Luos attack contained much more power than she had originally imagined. Her heavy water veil was created with her ninth-grade water resonance. Under normal circumstances, one would need to expend a great amount of energy in order to break it apart. However, it seemed like Li Luo had totally negated her ninth-grade resonant power. "Dual resonant power with the Vestiges of Spirituality?" Qin Yi immediately sensed the difference coming from Li Luo''s slash. Her experiences and knowledge were extraordinary, so she instantly understood the strange strength Li Luo had just displayed. There was a kind of magical power in it that eroded the ninth-grade resonant power in her water veil. However, she was not unfamiliar with it, as she had seen her senior, Chu Qing, use it too. The third realm of dual resonances. So Li Luo managed to cultivate his dual resonances to such a high level? He is truly gifted. As these thoughts flashed across her mind, her beautiful, charming face remained unfazed and composed. Although it was surprising that Li Luo had managed to attain the third realm in the power of dual resonances, she currently possessed the power of an upper first-grade Duke, so she had no need to worry about someone weaker than herself like Li Luo. Under the guidance of Qin Yi''s jade-like fingers, the heavy water veil folded into a thin, dark-blue mantle with mysterious, glowing light patterns. Although thin, the mantle wrapped around the blade light like soft, caressing fingers and rapidly eroded the attack. The flexibility and ever-changing characteristics of the water resonance were simply superb in Qin Yi''s delicate hands. Li Luo''s attack could no longer cut through her defense. However, his expression did not change. After all, it was unrealistic to expect to defeat someone like Qin Yi so easily. There was a huge gap between the their strength ultimately. It seemed like there was no way he could hold anything back in this battle. With a glint in his eyes, Li Luo lightened his grip on the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade and started forming hand seals with one hand. Then his resonant power surged towards him in an immense torrent. The purpose of his surprise attack was just to test her strength. Nine Revolutions secret art: Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment! His gaze turned abstruse at this moment. All of a sudden, there was an ancient and wild dragon chant resounding from his body. At the same time, a mysterious aura rose from behind Li Luo. Gradually, a huge silhouette materialized. The silhouette entangled windingly and exuded an extremely ancient and terrifying dragonfear. This dragonfear would pierce all defenses and go straight to the deepest part of anyone''s heart. As such, even Qin Yis water mantle was ineffective at this moment. The might of the Heavenly Dragon struck straight at her soul, and her usually composed heart experienced a shock momentarily. Finally, Li Luo decided that it was time to show off his second Nine Revolutions Art. After using Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment, he could feel his mental state strengthening. This did not increase his resonant power directly, but it gave him greater confidence and allowed him to control himself better. Moreover, Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment could enhance his other resonance arts that possessed a dragon attribute. With his confidence at an all time high, he completed his hand seal with one hand, and more resonant power surged within him. His fingertips directly slid across the void in front of him. Immediately after, a crack tore apart the void, and the sound of flowing water could be heard. In the next moment, dark and cold water gushed out of it. At the same instant, a huge, black dragon pierced through the void and came out of the black river water roaring. Without any hesitation, it flew directly towards Qin Yi and attacked. The black dragon''s furious proclamation demonstrated its overwhelming presence that was more ferocious and aggressive than ever before. Evidently, the boost from Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment could not be underestimated. When the black dragon charged out from the black river for the kill, even the usually calm Qin Yi felt a sense of danger deep within her this time. For the first time, she finally felt threatened by Li Luo''s attack. Chapter 0834: Invincible Water Jade Armor Chapter 0834: Invincible Water Jade Armor Roar! Engulfed in ice-cold torrents of black water, the black dragon roared with a domineering, sharp cry that shattered even the surrounding void. For a moment, the whole crystal square was shaking violently. This was considered the highest level attack that Li Luo could manage with his current power. Not only had he summoned Divine Elephant Power and the Thunderpeal Avatar, he had also utilized the third realm of his dual resonance power together with Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment, a Nine Revolutions Art. With the boost from Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment, this Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner was much stronger than any of his previous ones. Even though he was still only as strong as a lower first-grade Duke, he was confident that all these boosts would allow him to seriously wound even an upper first-grade Duke opponent! The black dragon howled, and its enormous shadow overwhelmed Qin Yis slender figure. At such a short distance, her resonant power defenses were shattered instantly. Her gaze trembled, and she raised her jade-like hands. Multiple rays of light flickered and condensed into light patterns that formed a layer of protection around her. However, such a hasty defense was of little help in the face of an all-out attack from Li Luo. The light patterns were shattered into pieces in mere seconds. The black dragon roared and the cold black water swept forth. Aggressive torrents of energy tore the ground apart while Qin Yi was slashed fiercely by the black dragon''s claws. Bang! The void shattered and a piercing sound erupted throughout the square. Ripples were suddenly visible to the naked eye and could be seen from the torn space. Qin Yi fell as if she had been severely wounded. Along the way, dozens of huge, crystal pillars broke in the middle and a deep claw mark that spanned thousands of feet tore apart the ground. It was like the square had been split into two. The fallen crystal pillars crashed down, the resulting noise resounding throughout the square. The image of the battle had been projected into the sky above the dragonbreath pool. This scene had been imprinted onto the minds of many of the guests present. Their eyes twitched a little. Li Luo was so ruthless, going all-out even against a petite lady like Qin Yi. At the same time, they were pretty shocked by Li Luo''s attack. Even though he only had the strength of a lower first-grade Duke, that attack was strong enough to injure even an upper first-grade Duke. It looked like even Qin Yi would have suffered if she had been caught off guard by that strike. In the same moment, some cheers erupted within the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. The counterattack by Li Luo had clearly exceeded their expectations. They had thought that he would be at a disadvantage with such a huge and obvious gap in strength. Nonetheless, Qin Lian''s expression did not change at all amidst the loud cheers. She merely watched Li Luo on the screen, though the air around her turned a little colder. Similarly, there was not much change in the expressions of the five Lineage Chiefs. They continued watching the screen with eyes as calm as deep pools. Their gazes were naturally further and clearer. Li Luo''s attack had indeed exceeded expectations, and an ordinary upper first-grade Duke would have been gravely injured by it. However... Qin Yi was extraordinary. Back at the crystal-clear square. Li Luo locked his gaze on the area with the fallen crystal pillars, as Qin Yi was hidden underneath the debris. He did not get carried away after the success of the previous attack. His eyes flashed, and the Lambent Hawkeye materialized in his grip. Without any further hesitation, he pulled the string of the bow and resonant power flowed out from his body. Bang! Bang! In the next instant, dozens of Flowing Thunder Dragon Fangs flew through the air, aimed directly towards the debris of the collapsed crystal pillar. However, just as the fangs were about to hit, a light-blue water veil appeared out of thin air. The lightning arrows bombarded the water veil, producing ripples on its surface. Gradually, the attacks were dissipated. Li Luo heaved a sigh. Qin Yi was truly remarkablenot even such a ferocious attack was enough to gravely injure her. A light-blue ball of resonant power glowed and floated into the air. In the same moment, the buried crystal debris rapidly dissolved. After a few moments, Qin Yi was back in Li Luo''s vision. She appeared slightly disoriented at this point. Her long skirt was a little torn, revealing her snow-white, jade-like skin. At the same time, her lower abdomen had been torn open by several gaping claw marks, leaving deep scars in the area. Clearly, even Qin Yi had paid a heavy price to receive that huge, shocking blow from Li Luo. However, it was not as severe as Li Luo had hoped for. He stared at the exposed skin under Qin Yi''s dress. The looming, snow-white skin would make anyone daydream. However, he was not looking with a sense of indecency. Instead, he stared at it tightly without blinking. He had noticed that a string of mysterious words had appeared on Qin Yi''s delicate skin. Like runes that were engraved in her flesh and blood, the mysterious light glowed and flowed. Gradually, the hideous wound on Qin Yi''s abdomen started to heal up at an amazing pace. After a dozen breaths, it was completely gone. Her delicate skin was back to being flawlessly smooth like jade. Li Luo was dumbfounded at this sight. All of the injuries from his attack had been cured so easily. This was going against all ordinary logic. His attack earlier had merged the power of both the third realm of dual resonances as well as the erosion ability of the dark nether water. Such a hit should not have been healed up so easily. However, Qin Yi had managed to do it. Looking at her flawless and exquisite jade body, Li Luo batted his eyelids as he asked helplessly, "Is that... a body-tempering Duke Art?" As the waterlight continued to flow around Qin Yi''s delicate body, even her torn dress started to repair itself gradually. She looked back at him with an icy gaze as she calmly replied, "This is a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. Indeed, the Invincible Water Jade Armor is a kind of body-tempering Duke Art." Li Luo smiled wryly and shook his head. This was not only a body tempering Duke Art, but a Soul Ascension-grade one too! Qin Yi was truly the number one talent in the current generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. Obviously, no one would have expected someone as soft and delicate as her to have already mastered a body-tempering Duke Art. It seemed like her physical body was her true edge here. Judging from the speed of her recovery from the earlier injuries, the Invincible Water Jade Armor had a frighteningly fast healing capability. This was something that Li Luo, who had a water resonance, knew very clearly. He had always disgusted his opponents with the fearsome recovery ability of his water resonant power. Who would have expected him to be similarly dismayed by the very same capability one day? At this moment, Li Luo''s eyes flickered. Unless he could totally overwhelm Qin Yi with his thunderous strength and injure her significantly, she would heal back up with this amazing art and tire him out eventually. Unfortunately, he was the one with a weaker foundation out of the two of them. Ultimately, Qin Yi had the strength of an upper first-grade Duke. She was better than him in all aspects. "What an eye-opener from you, Banner Leader Li Luo. If not for the Invincible Water Jade Armor, I am afraid I would have been gravely injured from the previous strike," Qin Yi calmly said, her words resounding in the crystal square. Unlike her usual, calm voice, Li Luo could sense a cold breath within her words. Evidently, he had infuriated her with his previous attack. "It''s only basic courtesy for me to return the favor. Please accept the present I have prepared for you, Banner Leader Li Luo," Qin Yi said before she placed her jade-like hands in front of her and started forming hand seals. As soon as Li Luo heard this, he retreated immediately and his resonant power surged within his body. However, numerous blue lights started to appear on his body just as he retreated. These lights were shining with a mysterious glow. These runic patterns were clearly drawn by Qin Yi, but even Li Luo had no idea when she had managed to pull this off. "When you attacked earlier, it was not that I could not defend in time. I was merely preparing a return gift for you," Qin Yi calmly explained. In the next moment, waterlight shot out from the mysterious runes on Li Luo''s body. All of a sudden, he felt a deadly pressure crash down on him, making him feel like he had been submerged into the deepest depths of the ocean. When he raised his head, all he could see was a giant, blurry silhouette that had formed when the light rays from the mysterious runes condensed together. The enormous silhouette had completely overwhelmed him. It was the blurry shape of a lady. Trapped in it, Li Luo was stuck in the silhouette''s abdomen like he was a fetus in the womb. It was a truly bizarre sight. "This is my present for you, Banner Leader Li Luo... "Secret art: Fetal Reversion." Following Qin Yi''s words, Li Luo felt a sudden shock in his body, then his resonant power started to flow out at a swift pace. It was all getting drained by the gigantic, blurry silhouette in front of him. Qin Yi was planning to suck out every last ounce of resonant power within him first! After he was out of resonant power, he would be like a fish on the chopping board, waiting for her to slaughter him! Chapter 0835: The 12 Resonant Bubbles Chapter 0835: The 12 Resonant Bubbles The huge, blurry silhouette continued to suppress Li Luo and drain away his resonant power. At this moment, his face was unusually serious. Qin Yi was truly troublesome, and her counterattack was really a pain in the ass. He could sense that the resonant power leaving his body was gradually being transferred over to her through this giant silhouette. Furthermore, there was a gap between their resonant power to begin with. If such a transfer continued unabated, the difference in strength would widen and it would surely end in a total defeat for him then. "Ninth-grade resonance wielders are truly tricky opponents." This was especially true when such a genius was in a position of high stature coupled with top-notch cultivation resources. The methods they possessed were truly mind-numbing to him. Moreover, there was the Soul Ascension-grade body-tempering Duke Art and the secret arts comparable to the Nine Revolutions Arts. Coupled with attaining Harmony with the Fire Lotus Camp, Qin Yi was as strong as a true top-tier first-grade Duke now. At this moment, Li Luo focused and merged the resonant powers within him into dual resonance power. A high-grade power like this one would help slow down the absorption process. Nonetheless, this was only a method to delay for time, and he ultimately could not escape by simply doing this. Clearly, Qin Yi had been planning this counterattack for quite a while. She might have started preparing this secret art as soon as Li Luo launched his shocking offensive earlier. Since Li Luo''s explosive attack had been halted by her Invincible Water Jade Armor, it was now his turn to be bitten and endure her counterattack. Qin Yi parted her red lips slightly, and her crisp, clear voice flowed out like a stream of spring water. "Banner Leader Li Luo, the third realm of dual resonances is indeed extraordinary. However, it will only buy a bit of time. Your loss is inevitable, so why do you still bother with all this useless struggling? It may be more presentable for you to surrender now." Hearing this, Li Luo laughed and replied jokingly, "I can admit defeat to anyone but you. If I do, my mother will give me a good beating when she returns one day." "In that case, don''t blame me for not holding back," Qin Yi replied calmly. She formed more hand seals with her jade-like, slender hands. Countless runes glowed on the female silhouette for a moment, and the rate at which resonant power was sucked out of Li Luo rose rapidly. Feeling the loss of strength, Li Luo displayed signs of panic on his face. However, there was a faint smile in the depths of his eyes. "So you enjoy sucking people''s resonant power that much, huh..." Li Luo muttered to himself as a thought flashed through his mind. Twelve resonant bubbles slowly surfaced within his body. This was the Resonant Bubble Art, something he had cultivated a while ago to store up his resonant power. However, as his power had risen substantially recently, he was no longer interested in the storage effect. It was simply too lackluster for him. As such, Li Luo no longer used the resonant bubbles to store his resonant power. Instead, he had used it to store other things... For example, the dual poison that was once left in his body. This poison had been left behind by the surprise attack from Pei Hao. It was detrimental even against someone at the Heavenly Dipper General Stage. Although it would have been easy for Li Jingzhe to remove it from his body completely, Li Luo had left it alone. And the reason was precisely for a time like this... He smiled lightly as he focused his attention on the twelve pitch-black resonant bubbles within him. It''s time for Qin Yi to try out the trap that he had created on a whim. With a thought, the twelve resonant bubbles burst open, and the thick poison spread out pervasively. Following this, he masked their presence with his dual resonance power and hid all traces. Although this was detrimental to his own resonant power as well, it was well worth a shot now, considering his limited options. Soon enough, he watched the dual resonance power filled with this poison leave his body and flow along the runic conduits before entering the giant silhouette. After a short moment, the resonant power made its way into Qin Yi''s body. Li Luo continued watching curiously. He had no idea if the dual poison would be effective on her or not. At this moment, Qin Yi started to feel uneasy because of this new gaze from Li Luo. She immediately put up her guard. Who knew what else this sly, cunning brat had up his sleeve? Just as she was pondering over what trick he had pulled now, her expression started to change. Clearly, she had sensed an unusual development within her own body. It was an odd and special force that started spreading within her body, eroding wherever it went. "Poison?!" Qin Yi was shocked. She focused her attention on herself and sensed the pitch-black, poison gas spreading within. "You dare to use poison?!" she hissed as she bared her silver teeth at Li Luo. "Miss Qin Yi, you''re truly a kind soul. How did you know that I was poisoned? How kind of you to cleanse it for me. Feel free to suck it all out, no need to be shy! I will not resist!" Li Luo replied as he opened his arms with a face full of anticipation. At this moment, a strand of black air arose from her beautiful face. This poison was really aggressive. Both shocked and furious, she had to immediately channel her own resonant power and mitigate the effects of the poison before taking any further action. As for the Fetal Reversion Art, she terminated it after pondering for a short while. She was unsure just how much poison was in Li Luo''s body. If she continued absorbing his resonant power along with the poison, it would be really troublesome even for her. Without the art, the silhouette gradually faded away. Li Luo had finally regained his freedom. He grinned as he said "You''re too cautious, Miss Qin Yi. There is actually just a small amount of poison within me. Nothing more. If you had persisted, I would have had to admit defeat." As he had already used up all twelve of his resonant bubbles, there was indeed nothing else that he could come up with to retaliate against her. However, he had taken this opportunity to skillfully infuriate Qin Yi. At this moment, Qin Yi''s face was pale and cold. Although she was usually calm and composed, she felt oddly furious when faced against Li Luo. She took a deep breath, her chest heaving. She needed to calm down and cleanse the poison in her body with her ninth-grade water resonance. This was a truly domineering poison. Even with the natural cleansing ability of her water resonance, she would need to expend a great amount of resonant power in order to get rid of it. It seemed like the Fetal Reversion Art had caused her more pain than gain in the end! It was really... frustrating! "Banner Leader Li Luo, why do you bother with this worthless struggle? Your all-out attack was unable to break my Invincible Water Jade Armor. Even though you escaped from Fetal Reversion, the ending will still be the same," Qin Yi said calmly as she regained her composure. Li Luo simply laughed in response. Indeed, her Invincible Water Jade Armor was truly formidable. He had never seen such a Duke Art before, and it was leagues above the Thunderpeal Avatar. "Truly a top talent from a Heavenly Emperor power. She was able to master a Duke Art of such a high level..." Li Luo muttered to himself. He had seen such body-tempering Duke Arts in Dragon''s Fang Cave. However, he had not picked them because his Thunderpeal Avatar was still sufficient for now. Moreover, cultivating a body-tempering Duke Art was very challenging. He would need a huge amount of cultivation resources, which he could not afford currently. He could tell from his previous strike that the Invincible Water Jade Armor had a really formidable recovery ability. Unless he was able to deliver a blow that could annihilate Qin Yi in an instant, she would surely recover from it speedily as seen previously. Unfortunately, his resonant power was limited and he could not keep up with such attacks long enough to deal enough damage. "Instant annihilation..." A light flashed across Li Luo''s eyes at this moment. He looked at the crimson bracelet on his arm. With the power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf and Harmony, it would not be difficult to inflict such a blow on Qin Yi. However, with so many eyes watching, including ones belonging to King Stage experts, he did not know if this would be against the rules or not. Apart from the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, there was still one thing that he could try. As he pondered over it, the sword intent within his body started acting up. This was the galaxy of sword intent that he had cultivated for the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. It was an indomitable and unrivaled art. Even though it was not complete, it was still a Destiny-grade Duke Art. Could he break through the Invincible Water Jade Armor with it? Chapter 0836: Lightning Twister Plantain Fan Chapter 0836: Lightning Twister Plantain Fan As Li Luo was pondering over how to continue fighting against Qin Yi, she had taken the initiative to strike back against him. Clearly, she did not want to drag this fight any longer. A tremendous amount of light-blue resonant power surged in her body, and waves of it rose high into the air. With a simple gesture from her jade-like fingers, the resonant power transformed into countless fish that were as piercingly sharp as blades. No, perhaps rather than calling them fish, they were more like countless swords ready to engage the enemy. The fish pierced through the air and went directly over to Li Luo. As they made their way forward, faint traces of cuts were left trailing in the air. At this moment, Li Luo summoned up the lightning flashes under his feet and retreated thousands of feet in the blink of an eye. Nonetheless, the countless fish followed closely behind. Without a change in his expression, he waved the Onyx-Elephant Blade and slashed down. A bright knife wheel materialized in front of him and started rotating at high speed, threatening to cut anything in its wake. In fact, the void was starting to warp in the presence of the knife wheel. At that point, it whizzed out, and all of the fish that passed by were utterly crushed. However, the fish continued to spawn as if there was no end to them. Eventually, the knife wheel dimmed out when it was engulfed by a school of them. After which, the school of fish continued on towards Li Luo. Li Luo continued to retreat. Indeed, there was a noticeable difference between the strength of an upper first-grade Duke like Qin Yi and a lower first-grade Duke like him. If not for the third realm of his dual resonances power, he would have been eliminated immediately when their attacks clashed. The mysterious effect of the dual resonance''s third realm power had mitigated the devastating effects of his opponent''s ninth-grade resonant power earlier. However, Li Luo was still on the losing edge here. In the past, he was able to overcome his opponents in a battle of attrition thanks to his water resonance, but this particular foe possessed a ninth-grade water resonance. It would be crazy to attempt such a tactic against her. With this thought in mind, he retreated repeatedly and prepared for his ultimate move next. This would be the decisive move in this battle. If even this failed, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf would be his final option. Meanwhile, Qin Yi launched a series of domineering strikes whilst she stood upon the crystal square. The sound of rumbling water echoed throughout the palace when countless pillars of water filled full of penetrating power shot towards Li Luo. Facing such dense attacks, Li Luo was forced close to death as he continued to escape frantically. Signs of wounds were starting to show on his body. Luckily, he possessed the water, light, and wood resonances, which provided him with a considerable amount of healing when used jointly. They helped reduce the injuries dealt by the raging offensive thrown out by Qin Yi. Nonetheless, anyone watching could tell that she had the upper hand here. Li Luo would be exhausted in a few moments, and an easy victory would be in sight for Qin Yi. As the time continued to tick by, Qin Yi started to feel like something was not quite right. Although Li Luo had been dodging her attacks in such a pathetic manner, the energy around him had started to gather up wildly instead of diminishing. "You still haven''t given up yet?" Qin Yi immediately grasped Li Luo''s plan as she watched him dash about. He had sustained multiple wounds so far. Although he had been recovering, his blood continued to seep out and wet his clothes, making it a truly miserable sight to behold. His perseverance had truly exceeded her expectations. However, there was no way she was going to give him any chance in today''s battle. With that, she did not hesitate any further, and her slender, jade fingers started to form hand seals rapidly, making it look like mirages of butterflies were left dancing in her palms. At the same time, torrents of resonant power started wildly churning into countless energy vortexes behind her. Within each vortex, a line of water shot out into the air and left a faint trace piercing across the void. These lines of water possessed unparalleled penetrating and slicing power. It was the most common offensive method for a water resonant user. However, things were naturally different with Qin Yi. With the hand seals from her jade hands, the countless lines of water condensed together into a dark-blue water stream that was about the width of a hand. Although the condensed stream of water appeared seemingly calm like an idyllic stream on a mountain, Li Luo could sense danger coming from it. He swept his gaze past the dark-blue stream of water. If this thing shot past him, his body would surely be pierced instantly. Clearly, Qin Yi did not want to drag the battle on any longer. Looking at her charming face, her eyes sparkled radiantly. Her cold intent was hidden within her light-blue pupils. "Duke Art: Ten Thousand Water Streams Slaughter!" she calmly said, her voice echoing in the air. Rumble! As soon as she finished calling out the name of the art, a stream of dark-blue water suddenly burst out and stabbed through the void, creating an ear-piercing sonic boom with its extreme speed. However, she was not done yet. Qin Yi raised her jade finger into the air, and water mirrors started to materialize in midair. When the dark-blue water stream passed through a water mirror, light was refracted. In the blink of an eye, there was suddenly an extra illusory stream of dark-blue water. This repeated on and on. Just like this, the water threads were refracted dozens of times, and the whole crystal square was filled with endless dark-blue water streams that were pierced through the void, charging towards Li Luo. Faced with such an attack, Li Luo''s eyes shrank a little. He knew that there was only one real water stream among the hundreds present. The others were all illusions conjured up to confuse him. However, it was very effective. This was something that Li Luo loved to do with his water resonant power when he was fighting against others too. He raised his head and stared at the incoming water streams that had filled the sky, each of them filled with deadly murderous intent. Phew. He took a deep breath and formed the final hand seal with his hands. It was finally time for this ultimate move that he had been preparing for. Boom! Rumble! Wild energy roared around him and worldly natural energy gathered in his vicinity. With the accumulation of more and more energy, a shadow about a hundred feet tall gradually appeared in front of Li Luo. Upon closer look, it was like a plantain fan. However, this plantain fan was filled with the light of wind and thunder. At this moment, a strong killing intent soared into the sky. Li Luo stretched out his arm and grabbed the plantain fan. This was the third Nine Revolutions Art that he had obtained from the Dragon Stele. The Lightning Twister Plantain Fan. This was a purely offensive resonance art. Li Luo focused his eyes and tightly clutched the fan. He could feel the wild and raging energy surging inside it. However, he knew that the Lightning Twister Plantain Fan alone might not be enough to seriously injure Qin Yi. When he thought about it, the sword intent that had been stored in one of his resonant palaces was activated. It was not very strong on its own. However, when the sword intent was activated, the abstruse fiend lights around the resonant palace started to move away as if they were afraid to come into contact with it. When the sword intent flowed out, Li Luo channeled it into the Lightning Twister Plantain Fan in his hand. At this moment, the rain of dark-blue water streams had come forth for the kill too. Using all the strength he could possibly muster, Li Luo grabbed the handle of the plantain fan tightly and swept it horizontally, aimed at Qin Yi. Chapter 0837: Close Victory Chapter 0837: Close Victory Boom! When Li Luo swept down the plantain fan, lightning flashed and a tempest raged. All of a sudden, a ferocious, azure wind swept up the crystal square, leaving endless traces of deep, torn scars on the field. Amidst the azure wind, there were also balls of lightning that contained extremely violent lightning energy that could easily annihilate even someone in the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. The azure wind and balls of lightning flew past the void and clashed directly with the incoming rain of dark-blue streams. The formidable, piercing strength of the dark-blue streams was displayed as soon as they made contact. They penetrated the azure wind and shattered the balls of lightning instantly. However, this also slowed down the speed of the streams considerably, though they continued to charge through the passage of wind towards Li Luo. "Banner Leader Li Luo, this is the third Nine Revolutions Art you have used. What a surprise! From what I gathered, even Banner Leader Li Qingfeng only possesses two Nine Revolutions Arts. Achieving such amazing feats just a few months after your return is truly impressive," Qin Yi commented as she observed the raging winds and flashing lightning. She could clearly tell how devastating this attack was. Even though Li Luo was merely at the level of a lower first-grade Duke, he could still bog down her Ten Thousand Water Streams Slaughter by so much. Moreover, she had always been one who defeated opponents above her own level. Being hindered by Li Luo left her with mixed feelings as he was clearly weaker than her. Nonetheless, she was no ordinary opponent. The difference in strength was still very much a factor here. One Nine Revolutions Art alone would not be sufficient to bring her down. Under her watch, the dark-blue water streams rapidly sliced through the azure winds and lightning balls, closing in on Li Luo. Right at this moment, an unusual lightning ball appeared in front of the water streams. This lightning ball was not only filled with flashing lightning, it was also surrounded by the wildly ravaging winds. Without a doubt, it had combined both powers together. This was stronger than his previous attacks. It collided with the dark-blue water streams. In that instant, Qin Yi''s calm face changed drastically. A look of shock and surprise surfaced on her usually unfazed, beautiful face. She witnessed the terrifying destructive power of this attack immediately. When they collided, her dark-blue water streams were shattered in the air. Each of the high-speed water streams were grinded down and then blown apart by the ravaging wind that followed. Her fatal attack was totally wrecked in the short span of a few breaths, and the special lightning ball went directly towards Qin Yi like an arrow shooting out of a bow. She quickly regained her senses. Despite her cool personality, she was taken aback this time. She did not understand how Li Luo could have broken through her attack. In fact, she did not even manage to see why her Ten Thousand Water Streams Slaughter would disintegrate by itself so suddenly. It was as if she had encountered a truly fearsome foe all of a sudden. However, she knew that it was pointless to ponder over all this now. She hurriedly raised her jade hands, and her resonant power surged. Soon, a mysterious, black turtle materialized in front of her. The black turtle stood guard before her like a huge, firm, black mountain. "Mystical Turtle Mountain Shield!" This was Qin Yi''s defensive art with extremely strong protective capabilities. After the previous clash with the Ten Thousand Water Streams Slaughter, the lightning ball with ravaging winds was already buffeted with scars. This shield should be enough to fend it off. Just as she thought about it, the lightning ball collided with the turtle''s back. Following the impact, the lightning ball shattered into countless little sparks as expected. However, this was not enough for Qin Yi to heave a sigh of relief. She noticed that countless cracks had appeared on her turtle''s shell, and they were rapidly spreading out. At this point, she could not help but squint at this sight. This time, she finally felt a strange force. When the lightning ball shattered earlier, a hardly noticeable strand of energy had slipped into the black turtle. This was the force that had so easily broken through the defensive art. Although the undulations emanating from this force appeared weak, it seemed unstoppable. "What the hell is this?!" Qin Yi was completely confused. In the next instant, a tingling sensation of pain surfaced on her skin. It was a signal from her Invincible Water Jade Armor that something immensely dangerous was approaching! However, it was too late for her to do anything at this point. She could only watch helplessly as the strange strand of energy penetrated the turtle and came into contact with the skin of her palm. Ugh! A soft voice rang in the air. Her Invincible Water Jade Armor was broken apart. The strange strand of energy continued onward and pierced her body directly. At this point, she could feel the terrifying and sharp sword intent slicing and ravaging through her innards. Faced against this annihilative force, her Invincible Water Jade Armor was unable to save her, and she instantly sustained grave wounds. Even with the immense recovery ability of her ninth-grade water resonance, Qin Yi would have to go through hell this time around. The energy around her became disoriented. Her delicate face turned pale, and she could not help but spit out a mouthful of fresh blood. When the fresh blood landed on the ground, it cut through the floor, leaving behind countless minute and tightly-packed holes. At the same time, tiny cracks repeatedly appeared on her snow white jade skin as it continued to repair itself. It was at this time that Qin Yi knew very well that she had been completely defeated. Although the aggressive sword intent in her body was not particularly strong, it was extremely stubborn. Even with her ninth-grade water resonance, it was still extremely challenging to completely erase and cleanse the body of its presence completely. As Li Luo watched Qin Yi stand there with her disoriented resonant power, he finally heaved a sigh of relief. It looked like the power of the Cosmic Sword Intent was much stronger than he had expected. Now that Qin Yi had been caught off guard and allowed the sword intent to enter her body, she would no longer have an easy time. It seemed like he was the one better off after this clash. However, he did not turn complacent. Instead, there was more pressure on him now than ever before. After this confrontation with Qin Yi, he had clearly seen how challenging it was to go up against the top talents of the Heavenly Emperor powers. Li Luo would stand no chance against Qin Yi at all if they had fought with their own individual strength without the assistance of Harmony. Minimally, he would need to enter the Fiend Body Tier before he could even put up any sort of resistance. Furthermore, Qin Yi was not even giving it her all in this fight. She had exhausted a huge amount of energy to keep up the water palace in order to trap Li Qingfeng and the rest. As such, Li Luo dared not underestimate the talents in the inner divine continent just because of a close win over Qin Yi. As Li Luo recomposed himself, he looked towards his opponent. She was definitely not doing well. Nonetheless, he was very careful not to get too close to her. There was still the possibility that Qin Yi would become enraged and summon up all of her last remaining strength to bring him down with her. That would not be ideal, as he still wanted to collect the dragonbreath! Li Luo laughed a little, but he did not waste any more time talking to Qin Yi. He made his way straight towards the door at the back of the crystal square. At this moment, there was waterlight dazzling at the doorway with rays of light passing through it. This was the exit of the water palace. Without Qin Yi''s obstruction, Li Luo could finally leave. With a swing of his blade, the gate of the water palace was sliced apart and rays of light fell upon his figure. As he stood there, he turned back and watched Qin Yi. She was standing at her original spot, unable to move even a tiny bit. Meanwhile, Li Luo smiled brightly at her. "Lady Qin Yi, will your mother punish you when you return?" Qin Yi clenched her fist, and green veins showed up on her arms. She stared at Li Luo with eyes full of fury. Meanwhile, Li Luo merely laughed out loud. He did not taunt her any further. Turning around, he stepped out of the gate. His eyes were filled with anticipation at this point. With Li Qingfeng and the rest still trapped in the water palace, wouldn''t all six Coiling Dragon Pillars be up for his choosing?! Chapter 0838: The Best, The Golden Dragon Pillar Chapter 0838: The Best, The Golden Dragon Pillar When Li Luo exited the water palace, the crowds and guests outside the dragonbreath pool turned silent for a moment. This was a truly unexpected conclusion. Li Luo had come out ahead after a close fight with Qin Yi, making him the first to exit the water palace! "Li Luo is pretty exceptional. He actually defeated someone at a higher cultivation level, and that opponent was even a top talent who often defeats opponents who are at higher stages. It could not have been an easy feat." "There is no way Li Luo could have won. No matter how you look at it, Qin Yi is superior to him in every aspect. Although the last Nine Revolutions Art Li Luo used was pretty intimidating, it should not have had sufficient strength left to defeat Qin Yi and her Invincible Water Jade Armor after clashing with the Ten Thousand Water Streams Slaughter." "Logically speaking, a draw was the best result Li Luo should have achieved." "That makes sense. Li Luo''s victory is indeed odd." "You guys are still looking at it superficially. None of you have grasped the key to this battle. The Lightning Twister Plantain Fan used by Li Luo was just a front. The key thing that allowed Li Luo to break through Qin Yi and her Invincible Water Jade Armor lies in a special energy hidden within the Lightning Twister Plantain Fan that was exceptionally sharp and unblockable. I am guessing it''s some form of a really high level art." "Oh? In that case, Li Luo really does have a lot of tricks up his sleeves. He really is Li Taixuans sonit''s just like how his father used to fight." The guests whispered among each other. Although they were all strong practitioners at the Duke Stage, the conclusion of the battle still came as a surprise to them. After all, Li Luo and Qin Yi were similarly at the level of Dukes after utilizing Harmony. It was a truly earth-shaking and eye-opening battle today. As they whispered among themselves, some eyes shifted toward Qin Lians direction. To no ones surprise, Qin Lian''s face was heavy and cold as she stared at the battle''s conclusion on the screen. Eerily strong energy waves pulsated from her body, and the void around her twisted and cracked. Clearly, even she had not expected Qin Yi to fail. With an ugly face, Qin Lian coldly commented, "Impossible. There was something wrong with Li Luo''s attack earlier. He couldn''t have broken through Qin Yi and her Invincible Water Jade Armor. Such a domineering sword intent couldn''t have been under his control at all." She looked towards Li Jingzhe and asked, "It couldnt be because Lineage Chief Li Jingzhe feels sorry for his grandchild and is secretly lending a helping hand, right?" In response, Li Jingzhe merely cast a glance at her but did not reply to her inquiry. Instead, Li Jinpan from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was infuriated at her accusation at his father. He coldly laughed and replied, "Others have always said that Qin Lian from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing is arrogant and unreasonable. With your words today, we have truly seen it for ourselves. Luckily, my Third Brother was smart. If the marriage had proceeded, there would have been no peace to be found in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." These were truly vicious words, and Qin Lian''s eyes were brewing with rage instantly. She glared at Li Jinpan with murderous intent and asked coldly, "What did you say?!" "I said that this is not the Fire Lotus Hall. If you want to make a ruckus, please take a closer look at where you are right now!" Li Jinpan shouted back angrily without any mercy. Hearing this, Qin Lian shook in anger and her resonant power burst forth like a volcanic eruption. In the blink of an eye, the sky completely turned crimson red. Fortunately, Qin Zhiming waved the sleeves of his robe at this moment. An immense, oppressive force without any shape pressed down from the sky and forced Qin Lians exploding resonant power back into her body. Still showing a friendly face, Qin Zhiming smiled at the five Lineage Chiefs and said, "I''m sorry Qin Lian is making a fool of herself in front of everyone. She has always been so irritable." Li Tianji, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, calmly smiled and said, "Don''t worry, we all know that Hall Master Qin Lian has a passionate and fiery personality. This is only a normal reaction after seeing her beloved daughter''s setback here." Qin Zhiming continued smiling as he nodded in agreement. His voice suddenly changed as he asked further, "However, the skill used by Li Luo indeed hid an extraordinary force. This does not seem like something one at his stage would possess." Hearing this, Li Jingzhe raised his eyebrows a little as he responded, "Qin Zhiming, don''t push it too far. The water palace set up by Qin Yi doesn''t seem like something one at her stage would be able to pull off either. It is safe to assume that you have helped her out quite a bit here, eh?" Qin Zhiming replied with a warm tone, "That is a misunderstanding, Lineage Chief Li Jingzhe. Although I created the water palace for my Qin Yi, it''s all thanks to her own capability that she can execute it at such a high level." In response, Li Jingzhe sneered. "Those Nine Marks Mirror Stones on her earrings are really valuable. Everytime the water palace is utilized, it must surely cost quite a lot of skygold, right?" It was only at this point that Qin Zhiming''s smile faltered a little. He had not expected Li Jingzhe''s eyesight to be so sharp even at such an old age. He could even tell that Qin Yi had borrowed the assistance of the Nine Marks Mirror Stone hidden in her earrings in order to pull off the Spiritual Water Mirror Palace with such dominance. "Lineage Chief Li Jingzhe, your eyesight is truly remarkable." Qin Zhiming let out a muffled laugh. Following this, he did not ask about that extraordinary power from Li Luo anymore. Li Jingzhe could not be bothered to continue this useless conversation either. He turned back to watch the screen and focused on the figure of the youth that had emerged from the water palace. At this moment, his usually cold and serious face showed a hint of a satisfied smile. Li Luo''s performance today was simply amazing. No one had expected him to be able to break through Qin Yi''s setup, let alone be the first one to walk out of the water palace. Everyone had anticipated that the final battle of todays event would be between Li Qingfeng and Qin Yi... In the end, it turned out to be Li Luo. No one would dare to question his capability anymore. Although Qin Yi was not at her best due to having to use her power concurrently to maintain the water palace and restrict the others, Li Luo was still at the lower first-grade Duke Stage in the fight. Such a conclusion was beautiful. After today''s battle, his name would surely be widely known throughout the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. At this moment, the various elders from the various lineages were also mixed with feelings as they watched on. There was a handsome young man with gray-white hair taking up the whole screen. For some reason, it reminded them of a specific individual that once shook the whole Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages many years backLi Taixuan. The battles and achievements Li Taixuan had racked up back then were simply amazing too. He was the most dazzling talent in the younger generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li in the past century. Back then, he was shining so brightly not just amongst the same generation in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, he was the star of his generation in the whole Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Now, it seemed like his son was just as spectacular as his dad... Li Luo was not bothered by the commotion outside. After walking out of the water palace, his eyes were fixated on the six Coiling Dragon Pillars that were appearing and disappearing amidst the thick mist. Just as he expected, there was no one else out of the water palace yet. Although Li Qingfeng was really strong, the water palace became stronger when met with a mightier foe. It was his natural bane in a sense. He would have to spend quite a bit of time fighting against his clone. Of course, he could be thinking of conserving his strength while fighting as well. After all, the battle for the Coiling Dragon Pillars awaited him after he made it out of the water palace. It seemed like Li Luo had truly managed to eke out an advantage. Li Luo swept his gaze across the six Coiling Dragon Pillars at this point. Originally, he had planned to secure a bronze pillar and fight for a silver one. Although the golden pillar was tempting, he did not dare to aim for it as he would become a common enemy of the public in that case. He knew that Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao would surely help him in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. However, Deng Fengxian might not. As such, there was no need for him to go after the hotly contested Golden Dragon Pillar. Yet... looking at the situation now, things had changed. All the other Banner Leaders were still trapped in the water palace by Qin Yi. He was the only one that had made it out so far. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him. It was said that as long as one occupied the Golden Dragon Pillar for a period of time, the dragon imprint would be activated and the pillar would be his. It would be impossible for anyone else to snatch it from him then. In other words, as long as he grabbed onto this window of time now to occupy the Golden Dragon Pillar, he would be able to secure it. Nonetheless, there were still some risks to it. If Li Qingfeng and the rest broke out of the water palace before he could activate the dragon imprint completely, he would surely attract a lot of hostility towards him. In that scenario, he might not even be able to retreat and seek out the other pillars. How should he choose? Li Luo''s eyes flickered a little before they were finally filled with determination. Only the Golden Dragon Pillar would give him more Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath, a resource he desperately needed. Dragonbreath was something he had to get at all costs, it would be a great boost to close up the gap between him and the other Banner Leaders. As such, it would appear too weak of him if he did not even have the courage to go for it when the opportunity presented itself. With this thought in his mind, Li Luo did not hesitate any further. His figure pierced through the void. Since there was a chance to go for the Golden Dragon Pillar, the Bronze Dragon Pillar... was no longer attractive. Chapter 0839: Occupying the Golden Dragon Pillar Chapter 0839: Occupying the Golden Dragon Pillar Li Luo flickered past the thick mist, past the Bronze and Silver Dragon Pillars, and the Golden Dragon Pillar stood in his sight after a few minutes. The Golden Dragon Pillar was hundreds of feet tall with immeasurable depth. Shrouded in thick mist, its bottom was hidden in the deepest part of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. There was an extremely ferocious energy surging from it that would have kept anyone far away from it. Lifelike dragon imprints decorated the surface of the pillar, engraved on every side and angle. The imprints surrounded the pillar''s body with a strange light glowing from each dragon scale. It was as if the dragon imprints were slowly swimming about and not inanimate. For a moment, Li Luo almost regarded it as a living thing. His heart surged with anticipation as he stood in front of the Golden Dragon Pillar. Without any further hesitation, he jumped towards it. As soon as he landed on the top part of it he could sense the sleeping Golden Dragon Pillar awakening, and its body started to vibrate. In the same moment, the golden dragon imprints around the pillar opened their eyes. Roar! A deep and low dragon howl exuding terrifying pressure resounded all around him. In the next moment, Li Luo noticed that the dragon imprints started opening their maws. With the top part of the dragon pillar as the nexus, rays of gold light poured out at a speed that was neither too fast nor too slow. Li Luo would be sheltered from external attacks once this gold light completely enveloped the entirety of the top of the pillar. This would mean that he had completely secured the Golden Dragon Pillar for himself. However, it did not offer any protection before it completely enveloped the area. Without the gold lights protection, Li Luo would be vulnerable if anyone came for him now. The Golden Dragon Pillar would then deem that the competition for it was not over and it might even halt the process completely. This was one of the reasons why it was so challenging to compete for the Golden Dragon Pillar. Unless one could completely dominate the other Banner Leaders and force them to give up fighting for the Golden Dragon Pillar, it would be extremely difficult to secure it with others'' interference. Li Luo watched the gold light envelope the area with a calm and composed face. However, he was feeling pretty anxious deep in his heart. He hoped that the gold light could completely envelope the area before Li Qingfeng and the rest broke free from the water palace. In that case, the Golden Dragon Pillar would be in his pocket. If they came out before then, there would be many more factors at play. His own resonant power and the power provided by Harmony had already been exhausted during his fight against Qin Yi earlier. If he still needed to compete with Li Qingfeng and the rest, he would have to rely on the strength of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. As Li Luo was lost in his thoughts, his gaze was fixed on the gold light that was slowly enveloping the pillar from bottom to top as time ticked by. Unfortunately, good things did not last. Just when the gold light had enveloped three quarters of the pillar, Li Luo felt a strong energy undulation coming from his back. He immediately turned around to take a look. In the distance, he could see ripples emerging from the huge water palace. The water palace was beginning to become illusory. This was a sign that it was about to disappear. At the same time, wave after wave of strong energy pulses continued coming from the inner parts of the water palace. It seemed like the Banner Leaders trapped inside it had defeated their clones one after another. After a prolonged period of struggling, the water palace was beginning to collapse. Moreover, Qin Yi had a fierce battle with Li Luo earlier and did not have the strength to keep the water palace up for much longer. In fact, she might not even want to continue keeping it up. Now that Li Luo had gotten out of the palace, it had become pointless and might even help Li Luo obtain the Golden Dragon Pillar. "What a narrow-minded lady. Wasn''t she convinced by my almost perfect performance earlier?" Li Luo sighed helplessly. At the same moment, the water palace started vibrating more violently. After a few breaths, it completely exploded with a thunderous boom and filled the air with glowing, blue sparkles. Several figures started appearing one after another. Firstly came Li Qingfeng. Then the other Banner Leaders started appearing as well. They were all fuming with anger on their faces as they stared at Qin Yi with eyes of hostility. It was like they were about to surround her and attack without mercy. "Lady Qin Yi, we treated you respectfully as our guest. Isn''t it too rude of you to lay down a trap for us?" Lu Qingmei coldly said as she grabbed onto her glazed rod. Originally, they had allowed Qin Yi to participate in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool battle as well to compete for a Coiling Dragon Pillar. However, she had trapped all of them in the water palace instead. She was obviously not going after the Coiling Dragon Pillars, but trying to embarrass the younger generation of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages in front of all the distinguished guests. The other Banner Leaders were all similarly incensed as they glared angrily at Qin Yi. Hearing this, Qin Yi''s charming face showed some signs of apology. However, she did not explain herself any further, as her actions were indeed nasty no matter how one spun it. Ultimately, this was Qin Lian''s order. She had to obey it no matter what. Nonetheless, the hint of apology on that beautiful and charming face of hers was enough to wipe out half the anger many of the male Banner Leaders felt. Seeing this, Lu Qingmei could only shake her head secretly. These guys are really unreliable. "Banner Leader Lu, don''t worry. I will not interfere anymore in the coming battle for the Coiling Dragon Pillar," Qin Yi explained at this juncture. Hearing this, Lu Qingmei raised her brows a little. There was no doubt about Qin Yi''s strength. If she was willing to give up competing for the Coiling Dragon Pillars, this was truly great news for the rest of them. However, why would she give up so suddenly? Just as Lu Qingmei was pondering over it, someone in the distance shouted in surprise, "Hey! Why is there gold light enveloping the Golden Dragon Pillar? Is there someone up there?!" As soon as the words came out, everyone was shocked. Even Lu Qingmei, who was usually calm, was unable to contain herself. Everyone looked over into the deepest part of the dragonbreath pool. Gazes piercing the thick mist, they all saw that the gold light was indeed enveloping the top of the golden pillar. And there was a figure standing amidst the enveloping gold light. Li Qingfeng''s face changed immediately. He scrutinized the shadow in the enveloping, gold light and shouted in disbelief, "Is that Li Luo?" "How is that possible?!" "When did he get to the Golden Dragon Pillar?!" Deng Fengxian was also dumbfounded by this discovery. Weren''t they all trapped in the water palace? How had Li Luo reached the Golden Dragon Pillar before everyone else? Li Hongli''s pretty face was also pretty gloomy as she looked over at Qin Yi and said coldly, "Lady Qin Yi, don''t you have a deep grudge against Li Luo? Why did you let him out of the water palace first? Could it be that even Fairy Qin''s heart has been moved by his handsome face?" Her words were filled with bitter resentment. She was clearly very angry. After all, the clones in the water palace had given her a lot of trouble. Since Qin Yi was so powerful, how could Li Luo, who was weaker than them, break out of the water palace first? Surely Qin Yi had let him off easy, right? At this point, the other Banner Leaders started looking over oddly too. Was Li Luo really so charming? Enough for Qin Yi to act with mercy? Li Qingfeng also frowned. At this juncture, all his composure and calm was largely wiped out. There was an inexplicable feeling surging in his heart. Under all their puzzling gazes, Qin Yi could not help but clench her silver teeth tightly. She had let Li Luo off easy? No! She wished that she could string that guy up and shower him over and over again with her Ten Thousand Water Streams Slaughter! Taking a deep breath, Qin Yi''s chest raised and fell as she calmly replied, "Banner Leader Li Hongli, you have misunderstood. I did not let Li Luo off easy. It was because he was very cautious and did not give me the chance to create a clone of himself. In the end, I could only appear with my true self and fight him. Unfortunately, I was narrowly defeated by him, so he broke free from the water palace first." As soon as she finished her sentence, everyone was in disbelief. Qin Yi was unable to stop Li Luo?! Li Hongli''s eyes were filled with suspicion. On the other hand, Qin Yi sighed again as she explained, "Guys, you all may have underestimated Li Luo. Indeed, he may just be at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, and you all can win easily in an individual battle. However, with the assistance of Harmony, the gap is considerably small. Moreover, Li Luo knows three kinds of Nine Revolutions Arts. Just on this point alone, I am afraid even Banner Leader Li Qingfeng wouldn''t be his match." "Three Nine Revolutions Arts?!" The pupils of the Banner Leaders shrank a little. Even the faces of Li Qingfeng, Li Hongli, and Lu Qingmei changed after hearing this. The three of them knew very well how challenging it was to acquire a Nine Revolutions Art. Among them, only Li Qingfeng had gotten two, so how could Li Luo have obtained three? Had he really kept his strength hidden that well? "However, I had to expend quite a bit of energy in order to keep the water palace up too. This meant that I wasn''t at my full strength when I fought against Li Luo. In that state, I wouldn''t even be able to hold up against Banner Leader Li Qingfeng. That is why Li Luo managed to break through the water palace first. It really wasn''t that surprising," Qin Yi continued. Li Qingfeng''s expression softened a little after hearing these words. At this juncture, Qin Yi''s eyes lit up as she told them, "I won''t be participating in the battle for the Coiling Dragon Pillars anymore. Please go ahead, guys. Speaking of which... the gold light around Banner Leader Li Luo has nearly enveloped the whole pillar." When she finished her words, Li Qingfeng''s face changed immediately. He blasted off in an instant and flew directly towards the Golden Dragon Pillar at his maximum speed. Although he did not know how Li Luo had gotten out of the water palace and defeated Qin Yi, this was the Golden Dragon Pillar that he was determined to get. He was not going to give it up to Li Luo now. Chapter 0840: A Different Choice Chapter 0840: A Different Choice When Li Qingfeng rushed over to the Coiling Dragon Pillars, the surrounding atmosphere suddenly grew tense. All of the Banner Leaders'' expressions changed. They did not bother with Qin Yi anymore. Surging with resonant power, their feet stepped lightly onto the air and they too blasted off into the distance. Qin Yi took no further action. She simply looked into the deepest part of the dragonbreath pool and the upcoming battle. Her beautiful gaze landed on the silhouette of Li Luo on top of the Golden Dragon Pillar. "Li Luo, you have beaten me once, and I will not hinder you anymore. However, there are still many challenges to overcome if you want to obtain the Golden Dragon Pillar. Let''s see if you have the capability to wrest it from the rest of them," Qin Yi muttered to herself. Taking a look at the situation at hand, it was evident that Li Qingfeng would not hand over the Golden Dragon Pillar to Li Luo. Furthermore, he had already gotten the admiration of the other Banner Leaders and was seen as the head of the younger generation of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Therefore, they would surely help him to fight for the Golden Dragon Pillar. As such, it would be a real challenge to defend that pillar even with Li Luo''s power. Whether Li Luo could continue holding onto it was undecided as of yet. As a result, Qin Yi did not leave the venue immediately. She continued watching the depths of the dragonbreath pool with great interest, awaiting a nice show to play out. Under her gaze, the Banner Leaders had charged straight towards the Golden Dragon Pillar at maximum speed. An ear-piercing sound rang in the air as they dashed ahead. At this moment, Li Qingfeng''s eyes were a little gloomy as he observed the gold light gradually enveloping the top of the pillar. This event was full of surprises. Firstly, there was the outsider, Qin Yi, who had brought about unexpected changes to the battle. Her water palace had really caused them quite a bit of trouble. Most importantly, Li Qingfeng had not expected Li Luo to escape from the water palace first and snatch the Golden Dragon Pillar. Li Luo had really stolen the limelight. Although he did not really know how Li Luo had managed to get out of Qin Yi''s grasp, it was clear that Li Luo had performed spectacularly this time. If he still managed to obtain the Golden Dragon Pillar after all this, he would surely become the most dazzling main character of the banquet. All the guests would remember the son of Li Taixuan. In that case, Li Qingfeng''s reputation as the most likely candidate to become the Dragon''s Head in this generation of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages would be challenged. Thus, he had to get the Golden Dragon Pillar back at all costs. As he pondered over all this, Li Qingfeng raised his finger, and a drop of fresh blood seeped out from his fingertip. The blood squirmed and turned into a needle that was roughly an inch long. A faint, golden light started flowing into the blood needle, then it seemed to take the form of a dragon.. "Golden Blood Dragon Shadow Needle!" With a flick of his finger, Li Qingfeng sent the blood needle cutting through the air at an unbelievably fast speed. It flew forward with so much velocity that there even seemed to be a trail of explosions trailing behind it due to its penetrating power. Faint bloodlight seemed to trail in the void. However, a strong blast of resonant power struck just a moment later and shattered it. Li Qingfeng was stunned at this development. With eyes full of fury, he turned over to see where the resonant power had come from. Just a short distance behind him, he saw Lu Qingmei. She must have been the one that had interfered. "What''s the meaning of this, Banner Leader Lu?" Li Qingfeng asked in a deep voice. He could not understand why Lu Qingmei had stopped his attack. While she was moving at high speed with her glazed rod in hand, the strong wind blew against her body. Her perfect and exquisite curves were revealed in her tight-fitting dress. In response to Li Qingfeng''s question, she calmly replied, "Li Luo was able to escape from Qin Yi''s water palace first because he is capable. In a sense, he has regained some pride for us. As such, he deserves to have a head start to obtain the golden pillar. "Banner Leader Li Qingfeng, if you are unwilling to accept this, you can try and reach the golden pillar before the gold light fully envelopes it. However, there is no need for such methods." At this point, Li Qingfeng was fuming with anger. He had not expected Lu Qingmei to be so willing to hand over the golden pillar to Li Luo. Perhaps she knew that she had very little chance of obtaining it even without Li Luo. "Hongli, stop her!" Li Qingfeng shouted sternly. He could not afford to waste any more time arguing here with Lu Qingmei. Sure enough, a ray of rainbow light came from the back. It was none other than Li Hongli. When she heard Li Qingfeng''s shout, she immediately nodded. Her resonant power erupted and a halo of resonant power flew straight towards Lu Qingmei''s location. Nonetheless, Lu Qingmei kept her composure. Her speed dropped slightly, and she waved the glazed rod. The clouds in the sky were torn apart instantly, and a domineering silhouette of a rod fell down and shattered Li Hongli''s attack. However, this short delay was enough for Li Qingfeng to disappear far into the distance. "Guys, I am determined to get the Golden Dragon Pillar. I hope that you can give me some support and stay away from it for now!" Li Qingfeng''s cold voice sounded off and reached the ears of the other Banner Leaders at this moment. The rest of them paused for a while, hesitation showing on their faces. Based on Li Qingfengs wording, anyone who dared to approach the pillar would seem like they were out to help Li Luo. Li Qingfeng was their most powerful peer. On the other hand, Li Luo was just a Banner Leader that had returned from an outer divine continent. Although his father was truly spectacular back then, it was all a matter of the past. As such, it was not hard to see who they would side with between the two. Deng Fengxian also heard Li Qingfeng''s voice at this moment, and he frowned slightly. His eyes flickered as he looked at the figure standing on top of the Golden Dragon Pillar ahead. Initially, he was really surprised that Li Luo could reach the Golden Dragon Pillar first. He, too, had underestimated the Third Young Master. However, Qin Yi''s own strength should not be belittled. Even though she needed to split up her power to maintain the water palace, not even Deng Fengxian himself was confident that he would break free from her in such a scenario. Yet Li Luo had managed to pull it off. Clearly, he had been hiding his true strength all this time. Li Luo and the Green Nether Banner would definitely be a sensation in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage after todays battle. In fact, the Gold Light Banner would be under immense pressure from this. Deng Fengxian kept silent for a while before he finally let out a sigh. Regardless of the competition and threat from Li Luo, they were still members of the same lineage. Although it would affect the Gold Light Banner''s reputation if Li Luo could get the Golden Dragon Pillar, it would still be a good thing for the Dragon''s Fang Lineage as a whole. Moreover, Deng Fengxian knew that he was in no position to contest for it against Li Qingfeng. In that case... Deng Fengxian did not hesitate any further. He suddenly accelerated with all hi smight, his weird movements catching the attention of all the other Banner Leaders. They all understood that he was ignoring Li Qingfeng''s warning. Was it to help the Dragon''s Fang Lineage secure the Golden Dragon Pillar? Was Deng Fengxian not afraid of offending Li Qingfeng? However, a silhouette closed in rapidly from the back as soon as Deng Fengxian moved. At the same time, a huge resonant power surged and locked onto him. Deng Fengxian paused for a moment and turned around. "Li Senyan, are you going to stop me?" he said with a dark face. The one that had closed in was Li Senyan, the Banner Leader of the Thunder Horn Banner. This was not surprising at all. After all, the Dragon''s Horn Lineage had always followed the lead of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. They were the closest to the Dragon''s Blood Lineage out of the four banners. Li Qingfeng had given an order, and it was only expected that Li Senyan would follow. With a slight smile, Li Senyan said, "Brother Deng, Li Luo will not be able to guard the Golden Dragon Pillar. Why must you offend Banner Leader Li Qingfeng?" In response, Deng Fengxian simply shook his head. He did not talk any further, and his resonant power surged wildly. A tyrannical and ferocious force swept up and flew towards Li Senyan directly. All of a sudden, the situation in the depths of the dragonbreath pool had turned chaotic. Li Qingfeng was not affected by what was going on behind him at all, so he moved forward without slowing down. Under the many gazes from the spectators outside, he finally reached the Golden Dragon Pillar just before the gold light fully enveloped it. Chapter 0841: Absolute Defense Chapter 0841: Absolute Defense When he saw Li Qingfeng arrive, Li Luo secretly let out a sigh to himself. What a pity. He just needed a little more time. "Banner Leader Li Luo, the Golden Dragon Pillar is still masterless. I kindly invite you to step down and let us contest for it openly." Li Qingfeng''s crisp voice resounded. "Nope!" Li Luo replied annoyedly. Just as he was about to succeed, this darn Li Qingfeng guy had rushed over, coveting his good fortune. "If that is the case, then I will make you leave, with force." Li Qingfeng gave a slight smile as resonant power surged throughout his entire body. A strong wave of energy radiated from him that caused the void to shake in his presence. He had no intention to drag out the matter, so his five fingers clenched into a fist, punching outwards. "Li Luo, why don''t you give my Nine Revolutions Art a try?!" That single punch caused an energy tempest to kick up, and a gigantic fist manifestation engraved with endless draconic runes took form, sending tyrannic pressure surging into the skies. "Nine Revolutions Art, Heavenly Dragon''s Fist of the Stars!" Li Qingfeng''s first strike was merciless. This single punch was even stronger than Qin Yi''s Ten Thousand Water Streams Slaughter. The fist manifestation seemed to possess the power of the stars, and its sheer power tore apart the void. Boom! Space trembled. Behind them, whether it was the Banner Leaders who were standing idly or the ones fighting, everyone had serious looks on their faces. Li Qingfeng was determined to push Li Luo off the Golden Dragon Pillar with a single blow. Even Lu Qingmei had to dodge when facing it, so could Li Luo actually handle it head-on? Li Luo similarly raised his head to look at the crushing draconic fist manifestation that was flying towards him. His expression had also turned incomparably grim. He had already spent much of his energy in the fight against Qin Yi, and now he had to take Li Qingfeng on directly. This was truly troublesome. However, it was clear that this was inevitable. Li Luo waved his hand, and an ancient blade appeared in his grasp as he glanced at the gold light that was about to form a complete dome. He shook his head helplessly. There was just a short amount of time left... but dragging it out didn''t seem possible. Glorious amounts of energy exuded from Li Luo''s body, but just as he was about to retaliate against Li Qingfeng''s tyrannical fist, something happened. In the void outside the gold light enclosure, an earthy, yellow energy surged forth like a tide. What followed closely behind were numerous massive, yellow dragon fangs that pierced forward. These fangs were a little interestingwhen one looked upon them, they didn''t seem to carry any semblance of sharpness or lethality. Instead, they seemed sturdy and a little clumsy, with a feeling of immense weight to them. The dragon fangs in question seemed to intertwine with each other, forming an earthy, yellow shield that was engraved with countless runes that shifted atop its surface. When this dragon fang shield formed, the tyrannical Heavenly Dragon''s Fist of the Stars screamed past the void and then slammed heavily upon its surface. Bang! An explosive boom echoed, and frightening amounts of berserk energy blasted in every direction. The mist was directly torn apart, clearing up the air within tens of thousands of meters. Even the Banner Leaders at the back could feel the aftershock, hurriedly circulating their resonant power to protect themselves. Everyone''s frightened gazes were directed towards the Golden Dragon Pillar. When the aftermath of the energy collision subsided, everyone''s gazes shrank. The yellow shield was still standing, and despite there being numerous cracks on the surface, it had not shattered. On the other hand, Li Qingfeng''s Heavenly Dragon''s Fist of the Stars had been mitigated. This was to say that his all-out strike had not managed to destroy this shield. All of the Banner Leaders hearts were in turmoil. There was someone capable of blocking Li Qingfeng''s unreserved strike within the twenty Banner Leaders? Who could it be? Even Qin Yi was taken aback by this. This sort of unwavering defense was terrifying. Even she would need quite a bit of time to break through a bulwark like that. Which of the twenty Banner Leaders possessed such an absolute defense? She was not the only one surprised by thisthe others, including Li Qingfeng, felt a little lost at this sudden development. His expression turned ugly at this point. "This is a Duke Art called the Annihilation Fang Art, which belongs to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Could it be Li Jingtao?" he said gloomily. All of the Banner Leaders who had heard this felt like a bombshell had detonated in their minds. Li Jingtao had actually taken action? The Banner Leader of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Violet Spirit Banner? Li Jingtao was a Banner Leader who held a low profile. The Violet Spirit Banner had always possessed middling results, and he was known to be a very friendly and genial individual in his interactions. They had always felt that he would not come into conflict with anyone. Could it be that he had hidden his strength all this time? Additionally, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Annihilation Fang Art was something they had encountered before. It was a technique that was focused on slaughter. On the other hand, these rows of yellow dragon fangs had intertwined and formed an absolute shield completely lacking any sort of killing intent or ferocity. When had the Annihilation Fang Art been turned into a defensive art? Wasn''t defense something that the Dragon''s Bone Lineage focused upon? For a brief moment, the Banner Leaders'' minds were in a state of confusion. The Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages'' all had their own specialties. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage in particular specialized in domineering, offensive attacks. The fangs of a dragon were its strongest weapons, and only by possessing an indomitable heart could one display the true power of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s resonance arts. It was similar to how someone with killing intent would be able to attack ferociously and mercilessly. No one had ever heard of the Annihilation Fang Art being used as some sort of impenetrable bulwark without any hint of offense. This was... mind-boggling. And whilst the group remained shocked, a figure arose from behind the shield, slowly landing atop it. He had a face full of smiles, benevolence radiating from his very being, the very model of a friendly individual. It was Li Jingtao. He had such a forgettable presence that no one knew when he had even passed through the zone. "Haha! My apologies. I had not wanted to take action, but my Third Brother has suffered so much to get here, even almost attaining the Golden Dragon Pillar. Banner Leader Li Qingfeng, must you take action and ruin his opportunity?" Li Qingfeng spoke apologetically and slowly. Li Qingfeng glared daggers at Li Jingtao. "Li Jingtao, you''ve concealed yourself deeply." It had to be said that this shocking defense erected by him would have allowed him to remain undefeatable when challenged by any other Banner Leader. Li Jingtao shook his head. "No no, you''re overestimating me. I only have this single defensive ability. I''m unable to do anything else." The corner of Li Qingfeng''s eye twitched. He could tell that Li Jingtao truly wasn''t lying. He could not feel any sort of intent to battle nor offensive power being gathered for a follow-up strike. This also meant that this fellow had actually spent all his effort on just this lone defensive move. How could the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, famed for their vicious attacks, have produced such a miraculous offspring that merely wanted to become the ultimate meat shield? As the two spoke, Li Luo was similarly completely shocked at this scene. He had never expected that the individual who often bickered with Li Fengyi, a perpetually amicable person, would have such an ace up his sleeve. A defense of this level was a little frightening. Li Luo could feel that even he would be unable to break through such an art. With the time bought by Li Jingtao''s defense, the gold light finally enclosed the top of the pillar. Resplendent, gold light emitted from the peak of the Golden Dragon Pillar, spreading in all four directions. All of the Banner Leaders had complicated expressions upon seeing this. It demonstrated that there was no point in struggling any further. The Golden Dragon Pillar had fallen into Li Luo''s grasp. This result was something that no one could ever have imagined half a day ago... [TL Note: Except for us :P] Chapter 0842: Masters of the Dragon Pillars Chapter 0842: Masters of the Dragon Pillars When the gold light completely enveloped the Golden Dragon Pillar, Li Qingfeng''s handsome face became twisted. His resonant power raged wildly, and his eyes were full of fury. He was angry. Half a minute was the amount of time he had to work with. That was all the time necessary for his attack to strike and destroy the protection shield created by the gold light. With that, he would have ample time left to chase Li Luo off the Golden Dragon Pillar. Nonetheless, who would have thought that Li Jingtao had such an ace up his sleeve? Li Qingfeng had always thought lightly of Li Jingtao all this while even though the latter held a high status as a direct bloodline descendant within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. His performance in the past was considered acceptable but far from exceptional. There was nothing really impressive among his achievements as a Banner Leader. Otherwise, the Gold Light Banner led by Deng Fengxian would not have become the top banner of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. However, all these impressions from the past were completely shattered when Li Jingtao made his move. His absolute defense was shockingly strong. Li Qingfeng had given his all in his punch earlier, but it was ultimately insufficient to break through the defense created by him. This was definitely not a coincidence. Although he did not know how strong Li Jingtao''s offensive power was, his absolute defense was enough to give him a headache. Why''s the Dragon''s Fang Lineage so strange? Apart from Li Luo, there is still an oddball like Li Jingtao. Whilst Li Qingfeng''s face was as gloomy as rain clouds, Li Jingtao simply showed a warm smile as he said, "Li Qingfeng, the Golden Dragon Pillar has its owner now. Why don''t you go for the Silver Dragon Pillar instead?" However, Li Qingfeng felt even more aggrieved when he saw the extremely sincere and friendly smile on Li Jingtaos face. He had never imagined that the Banner Leader of the Violet Spirit Banner, whom he had not cared much about before, would one day frustrate him so much. "You have concealed yourself deeply, Li Jingtao. If there is a chance in the future, I would like to experience it for myself and see just how strong your defense really is!" Li Qingfeng said coldly after taking a deep breath. "No, no, there''s no need for that. There''s no need to make a fusswe can talk over it nicely instead of resolving our problems violently," Li Jingtao said with a bitter laugh. Hearing this, Li Qingfeng''s face turned even more dismal. He could not stomach the thought of looking at his smiling face anymore. Although Li Jingtao sounded sincere, he could still sense some kind of ridicule within his words. Fortunately, he was rational enough not to strike at Li Jingtao any further. Even though he had always ignored Li Jingtao in the past, he now viewed him as a threat. Li Jingtao would definitely be able to stop him in his tracks with this impeccable defensive art. If he got caught up in such a situation, he might even be restrained from obtaining a Silver Dragon Pillar. Forget it. He will stay away from Li Jingtao for now. They would settle accounts in the future. As he thought about this, Li Qingfeng took another look at Li Luo on the Golden Dragon Pillar. He forcibly suppressed the unwillingness in his eyes and then he turned around and left. Watching Li Qingfeng leave the scene, Li Jingtao could finally heave a sigh of relief. If it weren''t necessary, he would not have clashed with Li Qingfeng at all. He would not have revealed his defensive art if not for the risk of Li Luo falling short at such a critical juncture. After all, he did not think it was worth showing off how he had transformed the Annihilation Fang Art into this. At this juncture, he turned around and walked towards the outer region of the Golden Dragon Pillar. "Are you okay, Third Brother?" he asked with a smile as he looked at Li Luo within the golden barrier of protection It was only at this moment that Li Luo recovered from this shocking development. As he stared at Li Jingtao with surprise, he commented, "Eldest Brother, you are the real hidden master in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s four banners." Shaking his head, Li Jingtao replied, "Hidden master? Im nothing like that, it''s just that I can take a few punches. Moreover, there''s not much use to this. I can''t push forward in the Fiendish Devil Cave simply by taking more punches." Li Luo was dumbfounded. There was a need to defeat the Fiendish Devil Leaders in the Fiendish Devil Cave, so there was really not much use in having amazing defensive arts. However... his defensive art would have endless uses outside of the Fiendish Devil Cave. Perhaps Li Jingtao himself may not be very proficient in attacking. However, he would be able to hold his ground against any genius and remain undefeated with this defensive art of his. At the very least, he could force a draw against Li Qingfeng. "Nonetheless, it''s really all thanks to you that I was able to obtain the Golden Dragon Pillar." Li Luo thanked him with a big smile. "No worries, we''re family," Li Jingtao replied with a silly smile. "But, Third Brother, can you help me with something later?" he suddenly asked. "Just name it, Eldest Brother." Li Luo agreed immediately. With a bitter face, Li Jingtao continued, "Second Sister had no idea about this art before. However, she should have noticed by now. She will surely give me a good scolding after this battle is over, so you''ll have to help me out then." Li Luo laughed in response. Li Fengyi had always complained that Li Jingtao, as the eldest grandson of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, needed to step up his game. Why was he always making a girl like her compete against Deng Fengxian? However, now she would know that it was all an act. With her hot temper, she would surely explode at him later on. At this moment, Li Luo pondered for a moment and asked, "Eldest Brother, aren''t you going to fight for a Coiling Dragon Pillar?" Li Jingtao shook his head and replied with a troubled look, "There''s no need to fight with others, I prefer to live in harmony. I do not want to cause so much trouble." Li Luo rubbed his chin for a while and said, "It wouldve been fine if you didn''t fight for it before. However, if you still don''t go for it after you have revealed your true strength, Second Sister will surely explode in anger when she learns about it. That fight will be even harder to mediate. I think you can expect her to give you an ugly face for the next few months." Hearing this, Li Jingtao frowned and let out a sigh. That would indeed be troublesome. "Eldest Brother, I know you do not want to fight with others. But since you can''t avoid it now, let''s put in a little more effort," Li Luo said in an attempt to encourage him. Obtaining a Coiling Dragon Pillar was a really rare opportunity. It would surely be useful for Li Jingtao as well. As such, Li Luo felt that he needed to push him on a little more. "Well If you say so." Li Jingtao hesitated for a while before he finally nodded. "I''ll give it a try and see if I can get a Bronze Dragon Pillar," he continued. Li Luo felt really helpless at his response. With the terrifying defense that he had displayed earlier, he was fully capable of securing a Silver Dragon Pillar for himself. Once he got on it and activated his defensive art, no would be able to drive him away from the pillar. Clearly, Li Jingtao did not want to draw that much attention to himself, so he had chosen to go for a Bronze Dragon Pillar instead. Let''s forget it. With Li Jingtao''s temperament, it''s not good to be too forceful with him. On the other hand, Li Jingtao turned around after talking to Li Luo and headed over to a Bronze Dragon Pillar without much haste. As soon as he started moving, the other Banner Leaders caught onto it immediately. Their gazes were fixed on Li Jingtao, and their eyes were full of fear. After all, he was someone that had forced even Li Qingfeng to retreat. Li Jingtao would surely be the second dark horse in todays event. This battle sure was full of surprises. But to their astonishment, Li Jingtao had not gone towards a Silver Dragon Pillar. Instead, he headed straight towards the Bronze Dragon Pillar on the outside. It was only at this moment that they secretly heaved sighs of relief. The other Banner Leaders fought against each other in the remaining time. Shortly after, there was an owner to each of the Coiling Dragon Pillars. Li Qingfeng had gotten a Silver Dragon Pillar easily. There was no one that could stand up to him. As for the second Silver Dragon Pillar, Li Hongli and Lu Qingmei had a fierce fight over it. In the end, Lu Qingmei emerged victorious, as many would have expected. As for the Bronze Dragon Pillars, Li Jingtao got one for himself easily as no one dared to compete with him after he had made his decision. Evidently, they had understood his immense strength after his clash with Li Qingfeng earlier. There was no way they could break through that perverted and terrifying defense of his even if they exhausted all their energy. None of them wanted to provoke such a rough and thick-skinned meat shield. On the other hand, Li Hongli had gotten a Bronze Dragon Pillar for herself too. However, her face was gloomy without any hint of joy because she had wanted the Silver Dragon Pillar. What a pity. There was only one Silver Dragon Pillar up for grabs after Li Qingfeng''s failure earlier, and she was ultimately not strong enough to win against Lu Qingmei. Lastly, the last Bronze Dragon Pillar ended up with Deng Fengxian. The six Coiling Dragon Pillars had each gotten their owners. When one scanned the six owners, it was hard not to be shocked. Who would have thought that half of the six Coiling Dragon Pillars would end up with the Dragon''s Fang Lineage? In the past, they were barely able to protect one pillar for themselves. With that, the battle at the dragonbreath pool came to a conclusion. Without a doubt, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was the biggest winner this time. Chapter 0843: The Biggest Winner Chapter 0843: The Biggest Winner When the masters of the dragon pillars emerged from the depths of the dragonbreath pool, the results surprised many of the spectators outside. It was clearly different from what they had initially anticipated. They had expected the Golden Dragon Pillar to be taken by either Qin Yi or Li Qingfeng, as they were the only two with the power and talent to suppress everyone. However... Li Luo had emerged as the dark horse. This was beyond everyone''s expectations. Moreover, Li Jingtao was one of the largest topics of discussion after everyone saw what he had done at the end. He had been an ordinary-looking guy with no spectacular achievements in his career. No one had really paid much attention to him even though he was a direct descendant of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Who would have thought that he would have such an ace hidden up his sleeve? Although it was truly odd for him to transform an offense-focused Duke Art into one that was defensive, it had also revealed his remarkable talents in another sense. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage obtaining three of the Coiling Dragon Pillars really shocked the other four lineages. Such a conclusion was an astonishment not just for the external guests, but for the elders of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages as well. After all, there had been no talented genius in the younger generation of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage since Li Taixuan left decades ago. Their formance in the dragonbreath pool battle had gone downhill since then as well. As a result of their lackluster performance, Li Jingzhe had been pushing back the opening of the dragonbreath pool at every possible opportunity. Clearly, he did not want to witness a disappointing conclusion. Yet this was exactly why so many had been attracted to the event this time. Li Jingzhe had actually changed his stance to bring forward the opening of the dragonbreath pool for once. Everyone knew very well that he had done it all for the sake of Li Luo. He wanted Li Luo to take full advantage of such a rare and valuable opportunity. Nonetheless, the battle in the dragonbreath pool all depended on the individual''s strength. There was no one else to rely on, and if Li Luo himself was not powerful enough, there was no way he would have obtained a Coiling Dragon Pillar just because Li Jingzhe was his grandfather. With their understanding of Li Luo''s strength, no one thought that he would be able to get a Coiling Dragon Pillar, not even the lowest grade bronze one. As such, they had thought it would be a joke. Li Jingzhe''s change of stance was pointless. However... the joke did not manifest as they all imagined. Instead, they were shown a spectacular performance. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage had taken home three of the Coiling Dragon Pillars. This was the best achievement from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage in hundreds of years. With such a result, many of the distinguished guests were naturally amazed and charmed by Li Jingzhe''s foresight and judgment. However, the elders of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage looked extremely puzzled and stressed amidst everyone''s shock. The dazzling achievement of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was built by stepping on their lineage. The Golden Dragon Pillar was supposed to be Li Qingfeng''s. One of the Silver Dragon Pillars was supposed to be Li Hongli''s. The Dragon''s Blood Lineage had expected to conclude the dragonbreath pool battle with one golden pillar and one silver pillar. In the end, the result was vastly different from their expectations. Instead of one golden and one silver, it had become one silver and one bronze. Although this was still a much better result compared to the other three lineages, it was considered their worst performance in the recent few dragonbreath pool battles. Many of the elders were secretly blaming Qin Yi and her strange aqua palace that had restricted Li Qingfeng. If not for her, Li Luo would not have been able to get a headstart to secure the Golden Dragon Pillar. In that case, it would be hard to tell who would end up as the master of the Golden Dragon Pillar in the end. With such thoughts in mind, they stared at Qin Lian with some resentment. In response to their gazes, Qin Lian''s livid face turned even uglier. She nearly wanted to scream out and ask if these idiots really thought she had come to help the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. How could you blame her for this? Nonetheless, these were words that could not come from her mouth. She could only keep a cold face and ignore those gazes. In contrast to the complex feelings of the other lineages, the crowd over at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was full of joy. "Big brother, Jingtao is pretty good. In the past, he said he was unable to master any of the Duke Arts from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Now look at his extraordinary efforts! Modifying the Annihilation Fang Art to such a degree is simply amazing." Li Jinpan laughed heartily as he spoke to Li Qingpeng. Li Qingpeng did not know whether to laugh or cry. He sighed and said, "That little brat has been afraid of pain ever since he was young... and he has never liked to compete with others. That aspect of his personality is even more exaggerated than mine." He was already considered nonchalant to the happenings around him. However, Li Jingtao was even better than him in this regard. Li Jinpan laughed and replied, "So he modified the Annihilation Fang Art into a defensive art just because he''s afraid of pain? The kid is a real genius!" Hearing this, the other elders from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage could not help but laugh out loud too. Smiling happily, Li Qingpeng continued, "That brat is too lazy. If he didnt need to help Li Luo, I am afraid he would have continued hiding his talent. Just wait and see how I deal with him later." "But he made a great contribution today. If not for him, Li Luo''s standing would have changed," Li Jinpan responded. At this moment, he also frowned a little at Li Qingpeng and said, "Besides, the Respected Elder looks really satisfied." Hearing this, Li Qingpeng secretly took a look over in Li Jingzhe''s direction and saw a faint sign of a smile appearing on his usually serious and stern face. Evidently, he was really pleased with what the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had achieved today. Li Qingpeng heaved a sigh of relief and said to Li Jinpan with a smile, "Li Luo has really contributed a lot here. That kid is far more talented than Jingtaoeven Qin Yi couldn''t stop him. Looking at his achievements and demeanor, it really reminds me of how our Third Brother swept through the crowd back in the day. Then he raised his voice and shouted, From now on, no one will dare to say that the younger generation of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage is weak!" Although the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was not the last in the previous dragonbreath pool battles, their performance had been lackluster when taking their background into context. As such, significant amounts of gossip had fermented behind their backs, which was really annoying. As the people were discussing the overall results, the five Lineage Chiefs seated above the crowd stared into the depths of the dragonbreath pool. Li Qingying, the Lineage Chief of Dragon''s Scale Lineage, said with a smile, "No wonder Lineage Chief Jingzhe was willing to change his stance on the opening of the dragonbreath pool. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage truly came fully prepared." Li Jingzhe smiled a little as he replied, "This result has caught me by surprise too. I merely wanted to use this chance to have my grandson make up for lost time after languishing in the outer divine continent for so long. It was hard for me to tell whether he would actually get a dragon pillar or not." "Li Luo has the same style as his father. Given more time, perhaps the Dragon''s Fang Lineage will have another talent that will shock the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent again," Li Qingying said. "I am full of gratitude towards your auspicious wishes, Lineage Chief Li Qingying," Li Jingzhe replied politely. "Lineage Chief Jingzhe, that Li Jingtao kid is interesting. It seems like he is more compatible with the Dragon''s Bone Lineage than the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Why don''t you let him come to my lineage to learn instead?" It was Li Xuanwu, the Lineage Chief of Dragon''s Bone Lineage, that had spoken at this moment. He had a burly body with flesh and blood that exuded a terrifying force of vitality. Among the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, the Dragon''s Bone Lineage was the most well known for defense. Hearing this, Li Jingzhe simply smiled and replied, "That little brat is really lazy. I am afraid he wouldn''t be able to withstand the tough training at the Dragon''s Bone Lineage." Li Jingtao''s performance had really surprised Li Jingzhe, as his oldest grandson had always been average and ordinary. Who would have expected that his specialty was not in offense, but in defense? The Annihilation Fang Art was a very common Communion-grade offensive Duke Art in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. In fact, many of the Duke users within the lineage had cultivated it. As a direct bloodline descendant, Li Jingtao had naturally gotten the chance to cultivate it in the past. However, his progress was extremely slow, and Li Jingzhe stopped paying attention to his progress after some time. Who would''ve guessed that he would transform the Annihilation Fang Art into such a wondrous new form after all this time? If it wasn''t for the same fundamentals shown in the shield, even Li Jingzhe would have wondered if it was another Duke Art altogether. Without a doubt, Li Jingtao had modified the Annihilation Fang Art. Transforming an offensive art into a defensive art... In a certain sense, that oddball was really talented too. Moreover, Li Jingzhe could tell that the modified Annihilation Fang Art had a stronger defensive power than the original Annihilation Fang Art''s grade. In fact, it could even be said to have approached the Soul Ascension grade in terms of sheer power. That brat was really quite capable. At this moment, Li Jingzhe smiled and relaxed his eyebrows a little. There was plenty of good news today. On top of the spectacular performance from Li Luo, Li Jingtao had really awed everyone too. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage had truly gained a lot today. After these tough fights, it was finally time for them to reap the rewards. Just who knew how many strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Li Luo would obtain? Chapter 0844: Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Chapter 0844: Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Li Luo was still sitting cross-legged on the Golden Dragon Pillar, stretching his muscles to relieve the fatigue in his body. It had not been an easy journey to reach this point, but his efforts had paid off at last. The Golden Dragon Pillar below him was the best reward. "I heard that getting the golden pillar in the dragonbreath pool will most likely give me the opportunity to obtain at least two strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath," Li Luo mumbled to himself. He could condense them into ten thousand strands of abstruse fiend lights. This was an amazing result, yet Li Luo was still slightly dissatisfied with it. The three resonant palaces within him required a total of thirty-five strands of abstruse fiend lights to fill completely. After discounting the eleven thousand abstruse fiend lights that he had already cultivated, he still needed twenty-four thousand more to achieve his goal. It would take him close to a year''s time to cultivate them in a normal fashion, which was much too long for Li Luo. Hence, he could only hope for a rare opportunity like the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. It was no wonder Li Luo wanted to take hold of as many strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath as he could with this precious opportunity. "It would be best if I could get three strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath," Li Luo stated in his heart. Just as he was pondering, his expression suddenly changed and he looked into the depths of the dragonbreath pool. There was a huge energy wave pulsing outwards from that area. In the background, there was a faint whistle that sounded like the roar of a dragon. Li Luo immediately snapped to attention. This was the sign that the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath was about to appear. Li Qingfeng and the owners of the other five Coiling Dragon Pillars looked towards the deepest part of the dragonbreath pool at the same moment. As the strong energy pulses radiated towards their surroundings, everyone was fully prepared to strike. It was not a long wait for them. The clouds and mist in the depths of the dragonbreath pool split apart completely, and a dark-yellow gust of wind swept upwards. The wind seemed like a natural disaster. Everywhere it passed, the void was torn apart with countless spatial tears left in its trail. Li Luo looked at it in amazement. The yellow gust was extremely devastating. Even though they currently wielded the power of Dukes, they would be torn into pieces instantly if they charged in recklessly. Luckily, the Coiling Dragon Pillars under their feet had protective barriers that shielded them from harm. Ripples rapidly burst out into the air when the dark-yellow gust collided with the barriers. It was only then that Li Luo finally understood why acquiring the Coiling Dragon Pillars was the prerequisite to gaining Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths. Without the protection from the pillars, they would not even dare to stand here, let alone collect Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths... At this moment, Li Luo stared intently at the whistling, dark-yellow gust. It was said that these wild winds would bring out the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths from the deepest parts of the dragonbreath pool. However, they would only last in the air for a very short time before disintegrating completely. As such, they had to keep focused at all times if they did not want to miss the chance to obtain one. In particular, the position of the Golden Dragon Pillar gave its owner a higher chance to obtain Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths. Phew. Li Luo''s chest rose and fell slightly as he glanced at the massive stream of energy flowing around outside his body. This was the power granted to him by the Green Nether Banner''s Harmony. However, its energy had weakened a lot after his fierce fight with Qin Yi earlier. Would the remaining amount be sufficient for him to obtain enough Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths? Li Luo''s mood was mixed, but he remained rapt at attention. He stared intently at the dark-yellow gust around his Golden Dragon Pillar. At this moment, he completely shut off the noise from the surrounding wind. Only his own heartbeat echoed in his mind, and it sounded like a slow drum. A moment passed by just like this. In the next instant, Li Luo''s pupils froze and energy flowed out from his body without any reservation. The energy morphed into a giant hand that was hundreds of feet wide. Pushing out from the inside of the protective barrier, the giant hand reached into the dark-yellow gust of wind. The wind was as sharp as blades, slashing against the energy hand rapidly. Cuts appeared on it instantly, and its energy was diminished at a very fast rate. However, Li Luo was not bothered by it. His eyes were fixed on something that was approaching his barrier. In the midst of the terrifying wind, there was a strand of dark-golden energy that was dozens of feet away from him. Upon closer look, the dark-golden energy looked lively, like the horns and claws of a dragon. As it flew through the air, it appeared to be covered in dragon scales. This was a Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath, what Li Luo had long been wishing for! Li Luo controlled the giant energy hand and reached out to grab one strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. However, this was not an easy feat. The Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath seemed to be slightly intelligent, and it swam away desperately when the giant energy hand closed in on it. It was as if the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath was trying to escape. This caused quite a bit of trouble for Li Luo. The dark-yellow gust was continuously tearing apart and breaking down the hand. Li Luo would not be able to maintain it for very long. If he could not catch this one strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath before his giant energy hand fully disintegrated, he would lose his chance. Not only that, he would have exhausted a huge amount of energy for nothing. As time continued to tick by, the giant energy hand shrank repeatedly. In the end, it was only around a hundred feet wide. At this moment, a thought flashed in Li Luo''s mind, and his giant energy hand dashed into the gust of wind aggressively. Finally, he caught up with one strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath and grabbed it tightly. Without any further hesitation, the giant energy hand retreated swiftly. At long last, the hand came back into the golden protective shield. Li Luo focused his attention, and the giant energy hand disappeared. All that remained was a cloud of energy that was wrapped around the strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath that landed in front of him. Li Luo stared at it with fiery and passionate eyes. This was what he had been longing for all day and night. At this moment, he could feel the resonant power within his body vibrating, which was a sign of extreme desire. This was worth five thousand abstruse fiend lights. Under normal cultivation, Li Luo would need two to three months in order to cultivate this amount. However, it was not the time to absorb them yet. He took out a jade bottle and gently placed this strand of dragonbreath into it. After putting the jade bottle away carefully, Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. With one strand of dragonbreath in his hands, the battle at the dragonbreath pool had finally resulted in a tangible reward. However, this was not enough. Li Luo sensed the energy flowing around him another time and frowned slightly. It seemed like his energy consumption was faster than expected in the dark yellow gust. With just that one attempt earlier, one-third of his energy had already been depleted. If he gave it another two attempts, his energy would be completely depleted. At that time, he could only look on and sigh if any more Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths appeared. Using this opportunity, Li Luo turned around to take a look at the other Coiling Dragon Pillars too. The other five people were still staring intently at the raging storm with no gains yet. Clearly, the advantageous position of the Golden Dragon Pillar really helped. It was no wonder everyone fought so hard over it. At this moment, Li Luo quickly retracted his gaze. Every second counted now, and he did not have the luxury to pay attention to others. He hoped that the other two attempts would be successful too. In that case, he would be able to obtain a total of three strands. Holding onto such hopes, Li Luo waited quietly for dozens of minutes. Finally, he spotted a trace of the second strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. He reached out decisively with yet another energy hand. In the next moment, however, he failed to obtain it. Chapter 0845: Li Luos Bait Chapter 0845: Li Luo''s Bait Li Luo looked at the recently-condensed energy hand with a hint of embarrassment. It was more or less buffeted by the energy storm and most of it disintegrated. Because of that, the second strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath escaped. Clearly, grabbing hold of a dragonbreath did guarantee that one would successfully bring it back in the wake of the disastrous energy storm. However, Li Luo did not feel disappointed over this. The others might be restricted by the amount of energy they possessed through Harmony, but he still held an ace up his sleeve. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf still had energy he could borrow to capture more dragonbreaths. Additionally... Li Luo realized something very strange. When he had failed to pull in the second strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath, the dragonbreath should normally have taken the opportunity to hide within the storm before disappearing completely. But Li Luo actually noticed that it hovered at the spot where his energy hand was before disappearing instead of running away. This caused him to feel a little confused, as Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths possessed a trace of spirituality. The moment it was surprised, it should have run away to hide itself. The dragonbreath, however, had actually hesitated for a moment instead. It seemed as though it was looking for him. Li Luo fell into deep thought. Was there something that he possessed that attracted the interest of that Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath? He inspected his body and pondered just what it could possibly be. It didn''t take a genius to figure out that it likely had to do with the ancient tablet, the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ. This was the only object that could possibly influence these entities of spiritual energy. The Heavenly Emperor''s Writ contained a trace of blood essence belonging to a Heavenly Dragon, and the dragonbreaths should have a connection with the Heavenly Dragon. Thus, it was likely that the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath had reacted to the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ, leading to this situation. In order to test his hypothesis, Li Luo then took out the bottle containing the first strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath that he had captured prior. The bottle was engraved with spiritual runes. When Li Luo moved the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ towards it, the captured strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath seemed to come to life and started to move around vigorously within its cage. "So this is the case..." Li Luo grinned. The Heavenly Emperor''s Writ attracted Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths. When the second strand of dragonbreath failed to be captured, it must have felt the undulations coming from the writ and thus hesitated for a moment, seemingly searching for it. However, the intensity of the attraction was minor. At the very least, it had not reacted as dramatically as the first strand. "Could it be due to the golden light isolating its effects?" Li Luo raised his head and studied the gold light covering the Golden Dragon Pillar. That had to be the case. As a result, the attraction of the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ had decreased significantly. Li Luo rubbed his chin and sighed. If he truly wanted to use the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ as bait, he would have to send it out of the protective barrier, and if the results were good, it might attract a dragonbreath without further effort. In that case, he would not have to rely on his luck to obtain more strands. However, using the writ as bait would require a long period of exposure, meaning he would have to use a lot of energy to resist the corrosive effect of the energy storm. Li Luo focused upon the amount of energy remaining as a result of Harmony and knew that he didn''t have much insurance left for such a move. If his energy was exhausted before the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath was attracted, it would be a waste of all his effort. It seemed as though he had to utilize his trump card at this point. Li Luo stretched out a finger and lightly swept it across the bracelet on his hand, then his mind submerged into it. The scene before his eyes changed and his vision dimmed. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf then appeared before him, its crimson eyes trained on him. Its ferociousness was significantly subdued after the last time they had spoken. As Li Luo participated in the celebration, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf had sneakily observed the outside world and was completely taken aback by the sheer number of Dukes that surrounded him. The Dukes all gave it an immense sense of pressure, and it could also feel the presence of even more terrifying existences. Each and every one of them was no weaker than Pang Qianyuan. They were all King Stage experts. It was terrifying beyond explanation. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf then understood that Li Luo had arrived at an extraordinary place, and he even seemed to possess a high status here. Nothing he had said was a lie. Thus, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf had to tuck its tail beneath its legs and reduce its arrogance and savagery before him. It even had a feeling that its future would be reliant upon Li Luo. Li Luo could sense the change in the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s gaze, and he felt a hint of delight. The previously impudent and brazen creature had finally felt fear. "Little Three, I''ll need your help in a moment." Li Luo was not polite, directly stating his demands. "I gave you the Draconic Breath Fiend Art. Were you able to cultivate it?" After the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf had awoken, Li Luo had handed him the Draconic Breath Fiend Art to learn. He had gotten the inspiration from attaining Harmony with the banner. The previous method of borrowing its strength was simply too crude and would negatively affect his own mind if he used it too much. Thus, he had to find an alternate solution. It was to get the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf to become a part of the Green Nether Banner. From then on, he could use Harmony to tap into its strength, and he would similarly be less affected by its fiendish influence. The best part would be that others would not be able to discover the existence of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. Of course, there was a requirement to it: the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf had to be able to cultivate the Draconic Breath Fiend Art. Only then could Li Luo utilize Harmony to tap upon its strength. Normally speaking, getting a spirit beast to learn a Fiend Art was a little whimsical, and the Draconic Breath Fiend Art required one to possess dragon essence. However, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf had managed to cultivate it. This was likely because it had absorbed a good amount of Li Luo''s blood essence, which contained a trace of the Heavenly Dragon''s blood essence as well. As a result, it had succeeded, but the results were not great, considering it was not human. Still, Li Luo had achieved his objective. This would enable him to access the wolf''s strength with the aid of Harmony. In the future, the results would become more promising and covert. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf let out a low roar that seemed to contain a request. "Hmm? You want a strand of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath?" Li Luo arched his eyebrow. This fellow had dared to raise a condition. Could it be that the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath was of use to it? Li Luo sighed momentarily before smiling. "I need four strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. If I exceed that, I''ll give you one." The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was ultimately one of his trump cards, and if it got stronger, it would also be a good thing for him. An emperor did not lack hungry soldiers, and giving it some benefits would motivate it to strive even harder. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf nodded in agreement. "Get ready," Li Luo replied before his body vanished from the inner space. Atop the Golden Dragon Pillar, Li Luo''s eyes opened, and he tested out the strength within him. As he sucked in a deep breath, he roused all of the energy inside his body, forming another gigantic energy hand. He then placed the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ within it. The plaque slowly sank into the almost physical energy body, eventually settling in its core. With his preparations complete, Li Luo no longer hesitated. The giant energy hand shot outwards with a thought from him, exiting the protective shield of gold light and stretching into the dark-yellow wind. The wind was like a roaring tornado, gradually stripping away the layers of energy that made up the hand. At this point in time, the crimson bracelet glowed and a strand of berserk energy surged out, sinking into the energy hand and maintaining it. Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that the giant energy hand was now unfazed by the vicious winds. Now he had to see if a Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath would bite. Li Luo could feel that if this experiment was successful, his results would be greater than he could ever imagine. Chapter 0846: Different Methods Chapter 0846: Different Methods Tempestuous gusts swept across the pool. It was ferocious and violent, constantly rending the void. Black traces were left in the wake of these winds that were like scythes swiping across space. However the ruptured space gradually repaired itself over time. Outside the gold light was a gigantic energy hand that was tens of meters wide. Energy pulsed from it, defending against the erosion caused by the wind. Within the gold light sat Li Luo, staring at his surroundings with rapt attention, awaiting the "fish" he had baited. It was just that the initial wait was a little long, and a few minutes passed by quickly without any trace of a Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath, the catch Li Luo was yearning for. This caused him to feel a little perturbed. He could sense that exposing the giant energy hand manifestation to the winds was a large drain on his energy reserves. Although the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was supporting the energy consumption, even it would feel burdened by this if things were to drag on. As he waited for his little "fish" to take up the bait, Li Luo was also closely observing Li Qingfeng and the rest. The three on the Bronze Dragon Pillars, Li Hongli, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian, were all staring at the space before them until their eyes were sore. Unfortunately, they had yet to even catch a glimpse of a Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath in their vicinity. This was normal. There were few strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath to begin with, and the Bronze Dragon Pillars were furthest away from the source. The opportunities to obtain even one were few and far between, and it was not uncommon to find individuals to leave this place empty-handed. Ahead of them were the two Silver Dragon Pillars. Lu Qingmei''s luck was not bad, and a strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath had approached her area. At the same time, Li Qingfeng similarly noticed the same strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. He watched it slowly swim towards Lu Qingmei and frowned slightly before turning towards the Golden Dragon Pillar with a cold glint in his eye. Losing the Golden Dragon Pillar was a source of frustration for him. It was supposed to be his. Its position was exceptional, and it would be difficult for him to obtain excellent results with a Silver Dragon Pillar. As a result, he felt disgruntled. However, he sighed deeply before swiping his finger across a pocket sphere on his wrist. A dark-green stick of incense appeared. It was engraved with countless runes that resembled a dragon when seen as a whole. This was known as Dragon Saliva Incense. It was refined from the blood essence of dragons, and when ignited, it released a fragrance that was fatally attractive to the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. This was originally something he had prepared to use on the Golden Dragon Pillar. He had planned to utilize its alluring scent after obtaining the Golden Dragon Pillar and possibly even obtaining four strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. It was a pity his entire plan was now in ruins. With his Silver Dragon Pillar, even with the aid of this Dragon Saliva Incense, the best he could do was probably two or three strands. However, Li Qingfeng still decided to use it despite not being able to fully take advantage of its unique properties. Although its effects would be lessened in his current location, burning the Dragon Saliva Incense would still allow him to attract some of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath from Li Luo''s location. Essentially, he would be able to steal the dragonbreath that was meant for Li Luo. This would allow him to vent a little. After Li Luo stole his Golden Dragon Pillar, he had to use other methods to seize the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths that should have belonged to him. With this in mind, he snapped his finger, and the Dragon Saliva Incense in his hand ignited. Wafting smoke drifted upwards, penetrating through the protective light barrier and entering the depths of the windy tempest. The smoke dissipated immediately upon encountering the gusts of wind, but not completely. Instead, its unique fragrance quickly spread throughout the area with the aid of the wind. The Dragon Saliva Incense then affected the strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath that was approaching Lu Qingmei, as it was the closest one. Originally, the strand was closely approaching Lu Qingmei''s position. However, with the spreading of the Dragon Saliva Incense fragrance, the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath suddenly jolted and, right before Lu Qingmei''s surprised expression, immediately turned tail and bolted in Li Qingfeng''s direction. Lu Qingmei was taken aback by the sudden change. She then shot a glance towards Li Qingfeng and saw the burning stick of incense in his hand. Although she did not know what that object was, she could guess that it was the reason why the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath had turned away. This caused her to become completely infuriated, and her gaze turned chilly. This bastard was actually luring away the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath that was meant for her! Despite being faced with Lu Qingmei''s fiendish and deathly glare, Li Qingfeng merely returned a slight smile and was unfazed. It wasn''t as though his methods were a violation of the rules, and he had not done anything to Lu Qingmei either. The competition for the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths was ultimately dependent on their own capabilities. As the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath gradually approached, Li Qingfeng suddenly took action, and majestic amounts of energy arose from him, forming a giant energy hand. It captured the dragonbreath with a clean, precise motion before retreating back into the barrier. After which, he took out a jade bottle and stored the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath within. A smile formed in the corner of his lips. This first strand was just the appetizer. Stealing a Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath from Li Luo''s location would be the true feast, and he was looking forward to a great show. When he looked in Li Luo''s direction, a frown formed on his face. He realized that the energy hand condensed by Li Luo was still exposed to the destructive effects of the wind even though quite some time had passed. "What in the world is that guy doing, exposing his energy hand to the wind? Can he even bear the sheer consumption of energy?" Li Qingfeng asked with a bewildered expression. Li Luo''s actions seemed stupid to him. However, his surprise did not last long. He noticed movement near the Golden Dragon Pillar. As the Dragon Saliva Incense continued to spread, Li Qingfeng saw that a strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath had surfaced near the Golden Dragon Pillar. No... it wasn''t just one. When the first strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath appeared, two more crept up not too far behind it. Three strands! His gaze ignited with excitement. The Dragon Saliva Incense was more effective than he had ever imagined. Just the scent of the incense smoke had actually attracted three strands of dragonbreath? His smile widened. Perhaps Li Luo thinks that these three strands are attracted to the power of the Golden Dragon Pillar. He looked forward to seeing Li Luo''s despondent face when the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths ignored the Golden Dragon Pillar and swam towards him. Just how amazing would that expression be? How unfortunate. He might have obtained the Golden Dragon Pillar, but the biggest winner would be him, Li Qingfeng! Just as he was relishing in his own imagination, Li Luo was similarly excited by the appearance of the three strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. "It looks like holding the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ inside the energy hand was a good idea." Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief. After what seemed like half a day of "fishing, he had managed to reap some decent returns. Just as Li Luo planned to take action and swiftly capture the three strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath, he suddenly caught a whiff of incense. The smell was discrete, but it gave one a mysterious sort of feeling. "Hmm?" Just as the scent appeared, Li Luo let out a surprised cry. He saw that not too far away from him were two more streaks of gold light. Two more strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath! Li Luo''s eyes popped open. Adding those three, didn''t that mean that five strands had appeared already? What sort of bountiful harvest was this? When faced with the five strands, Li Luo''s heart started pounding. He resolutely stretched out his energy hand, planning to capture all five in one fell swoop. However, just as he was about to act, the incoming strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath seemed to come to life and moved in another direction. They were no longer going towards him, but to a location behind him. He thought that he was mistaken when he saw this. However, he swept his gaze in the direction of their path, and he saw a slightly smiling Li Qingfeng with a stick of green incense in his hands. Li Luo then came to a realization. The five strands had appeared because of Li Qingfeng''s strange method! The stick of incense in his hand probably had an effect similar to that of the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ, able to lure Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths. This was to say that the five strands had been attracted by the combined influence of both the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ and the incense! "So it looks as though I was not the only one who was prepared." Li Luo squinted. He did not panic, letting out a laugh instead. Although Li Qingfeng''s incense was a little out of his expectations, this was actually a good thing. Someone else was assisting him in obtaining more Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths, and that person deserved an award for being so generous! Of course, Li Luo knew that Li Qingfeng''s intention was to lure the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath towards himself and leave none for him. However, he did not feel that the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ was any worse than that incense. Thus, Li Luo gave Li Qingfeng a thankful look. With a thought, part of the giant energy hand began to dissipate. A moment later, the black plaque surfaced in the middle of it. He had exposed the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ directly. As soon as he did so, the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths that were originally headed towards Li Qingfeng suddenly froze, and the golden light that made up their bodies seemed to become even more resplendent. A moment later, the five strands explosively shot towards Li Luo''s giant energy hand. In a blink, Li Qingfeng''s smile completely disappeared. Chapter 0847: Rich Harvest Chapter 0847: Rich Harvest When Li Qingfeng saw the five strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath veer away from him and head over to Li Luo, his face froze. He was dumbfounded for a moment. Following this, he could not help but lose his composure, and he stood up on top of the Silver Dragon Pillar. For a moment, he nearly wanted to dash out of the protective barrier. In the end, he managed to keep his impulses in check. The energy storm outside was insanely devastating. If he were to run out like that, he would not last long and would end up gravely injured. As such, he could only watch helplessly with open eyes as the five strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath flew away towards Li Luos energy hand like a flock of birds returning to their nest. Li Qingfengs handsome face became a little twisted immediately. "It can''t be!" He was really furious. How did things turn out this way? He had lit the Dragon Saliva Incense on his pillar. Under normal circumstances, all the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths should have been attracted towards him. Why were they flying towards Li Luo''s side instead?! He was enraged, feeling like someone had just stolen his winning hand right in front of him. From his perspective, the five strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath had appeared because of his Dragon Saliva Incense. As such, those strands should have been his! "Is it because of that thing?" Li Qingfeng glared at the black plaque that had appeared in Li Luo''s giant energy hand. Finally, he noticed the character "Li" written on it and froze in his tracks. "Is that... a Heavenly Emperor''s Writ?!" There were mixed and complex feelings in his heart. As a direct descendant of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, he certainly knew about the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ. This was something that was passed down only by the Ancestor. In fact, it was something only the most amazing and favored talent in the lineage would possess. Looking at the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li since its establishment, only a handful of people could have been bestowed a Heavenly Emperor''s Writ by the Ancestor. Clearly, this Heavenly Emperor''s Writ did not belong to Li Luo. It was from his father, Li Taixuan. After all, it was no secret among the five lineages that Li Taixuan had obtained the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ back in the day. Li Luo had evidently used this item to attract the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths over to his side. At this moment, Li Qingfeng''s face turned really ugly. He did not expect Li Luo to have such an ace hidden up his sleeve. If he had known about it earlier, there was no way he would have taken out his Dragon Saliva Incense. Now he was not only unable to grab any of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths that he had attracted, he was handing them over to Li Luo for free. His heart was full of regrets. The Dragon Saliva Incense was extremely rare and expensive. It was painstakingly prepared by his father so he could obtain more Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths after he had gotten the Golden Dragon Pillar. But Li Luo was the one enjoying the benefits instead! That was a total of five! If Li Luo took them, he would have a total of six Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths, counting the one strand that he had obtained earlier. This would definitely be a top three record in rewards reaped in the dragonbreath pool since its creation. The Heavenly Emperor''s Writ was not the only reason Li Luo would achieve this. The Dragon Saliva Incense from Li Qingfeng had contributed greatly as well. In other words, all of the small calculations and plans made by Li Qingfeng had actually benefited Li Luo instead. This was truly like going for wool and coming back shorn. Just as Li Qingfeng''s heart was bleeding over this, Li Luo managed to grab hold of all five strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. Suppressing his rapidly beating heart, he quickly pulled them back into the protective barrier. Following this, he carefully stashed them into his jade bottle. Li Luo was finally relieved. He could no longer contain himselfa bright smile bloomed on his face like a flower. Five strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath! It was as if he had achieved his goal instantly. With six strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath in his possession now, he would have five left for himself after giving one strand to the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. This would definitely be enough to fill up the huge gap in his three resonant palaces. At that time, his long-awaited dream of using thirty-five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light to break into the Fiend Body Tier would finally come true. With a big smile on his face, Li Luo turned his head to look at Li Qingfeng, who was some distance behind him. Li Qingfeng was glaring at him at this point, and his usual composure was no longer there. Li Luo knew that the incense had played a huge role in luring in the five strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. He was thankful that there were kind souls in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Li Luo sighed with emotion and then clasped his hands together and expressed his gratitude to Li Qingfeng. Seeing this, the veins onLi Qingfeng''s forehead nearly burst open with anger. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and then decided to ignore Li Luo. Li Luo was not bothered by it at allhe merely looked away casually. Now that he had achieved his objective, there was no more pressure on him. He just needed to wait for the end of the dragonbreath pool event. He had truly obtained an excellent harvest today. He did not utilize his Heavenly Emperor''s Writ any further in the remaining time, as the effect would be limited. After all, there was a limited number of dragonbreaths. After taking so many, it would take a number of years before they would replenish. What happened afterwards was lackluster, but the others managed to reap some rewards too. Lu Qingmei was the first to get a strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath on her Silver Dragon Pillar. Over at the bronze dragon pillars, Li Hongli and Deng Fengxian were the most proactive, with each of them grabbing onto one strand. As for Li Jingtao, he was not interested in fighting over them and had not gotten any strands yet. However, he was looking far more relaxed than the spectators on the outside. Just like this, another hour passed by. Although Li Luo was not aiming for any more strands, he had unexpectedly gotten another strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. As a result, he had a total of seven strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. A truly amazing feat. Right before time was up, Li Jingtao leisurely caught onto a strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath and put it away with a face of satisfaction. Lu Qingmei and Li Qingfeng each managed to get another strand thanks to the advantageous positions of the Silver Dragon Pillars. Dong! The melodious sound of bells rang from the outside of the dragonbreath pool. The event was officially over. Out of the six people present, Li Luo had obtained seven strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath, while Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei obtained two strands each. Li Hongli, Deng Fengxian, and Li Jingtao each ended with one strand of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. In other words, Li Luo had gotten as many as the five others combined. His great harvest attracted much envy from the rest. At this moment, six pillars of light descended from the sky onto the Coiling Dragon Pillars. Under the protection of these pillars of light, Li Luo and the other five rose into the air slowly, passed through the raging storm, and landed back on the stone platform at the edge of the dragonbreath pool. As soon as Li Luo landed, thunderous cheers erupted from the Green Nether Banner. All of the banner members were really excited because the Green Nether Banner had displayed the most spectacular performance today. With such an amazing achievement, the Green Nether Banner would surely rise up amongst the Twenty Banners. Their decline was a thing of the past. Many of the Green Nether Banner members looked at Li Luo in admiration. At this moment, he had gotten an unprecedented level of respect within the banner. At the same time, the other banners had mixed feelings. The dark horse, Li Luo, had truly shown an astonishing act in todays contest. Not only had he broken free from Qin Yi''s restriction the quickest, he had managed to secure the Golden Dragon Pillar and ultimately obtained a shocking seven strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. This was a remarkable feat that even Li Taixuan couldn''t pull off in his prime. After all, he did not have the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ... Everyone was very well aware of this. After this battle, the quiet and silent Green Nether Banner''s ascension was set in stone. There would likely be a huge change in the rankings among the Twenty Banners. The members of the various other banners looked at the grayish-white-haired figure standing under the sunlight. Just a few months ago, the Third Young Master of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had returned from the outer divine continent and was faced with many doubts and questions about his capabilities. However, this would not be the case anymore. He had proven his mettle. In fact, the banner members werent the only ones thinking this. When the elders of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages looked at Li Luo, they vaguely caught a glimpse... of Li Taixuan from back in the day. Chapter 0848: The Undefeated Venerable Chapter 0848: The Undefeated Venerable The guests were very pleased with the spectacle they had just witnessed. Although this was just a battle between their juniors, they had utilized the power of Dukes thanks to the effects of Harmony. At the same time, they were secretly shocked by the results. These were indeed the young talents from a Heavenly Emperor Bloodlinetheir potential was endless. Originally, they had thought that the battle between Qin Yi and Li Qingfeng would be the highlight of the event. After all, those two were the cream of the crop amongst the younger generation of two Heavenly Emperor forces. None of them had expected Li Luo to emerge victorious. In addition, Li Jingtao from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had also gotten much attention. After all, his strength was indisputable if he could stop an all-out attack from Li Qingfeng. Even though the gap between their strength had narrowed due to the effects of Harmony, a win was still considered a win. On the other side, Qin Yi landed in front of the Fire Lotus Camp amidst the hustle and bustle. She tilted her head slightly, and her hair fell onto her beautiful, jade-white cheeks. Her crystal-like nose was as high as a mountain, making her facial features more distinct and delicate. She bit her red lips lightly. There was some disappointment in her expression due to the loss she had just experienced. Many of the men present felt heartache for her when they saw her touching countenance. Some of the Fire Lotus Camp squad leaders who had a better relationship with her even came forward to comfort her. In response, Qin Yi simply smiled and calmed herself down. She then glanced towards Li Luo, who was not far away. Surrounded by the cheers of the Green Nether Banner, he was even more dazzling than ever. She blinked a little, but no one really knew what was on her mind. Following this, she walked past the crowd and headed towards Qin Lian. She bowed and greeted Qin Zhiming first. "Respected Elder, I have failed. I am sorry for the disappointment." Qin Zhiming merely laughed in response and waved his hands in the air. He was not really bothered by it. "Your performance was pretty good. There''s no need to brood over such a small loss. There will be other chances in the future." His eyes clearly expressed his love for Qin Yi. Qin Yi nodded in acknowledgement. After saying a few more words to Qin Zhiming, she walked towards the back, where Qin Lian was seated, without much of an expression. Qin Lian looked at Qin Yi and coughed with a little dissatisfaction before she angrily said, "It''s okay to lose, but why did you have to lose to that little brat?" Helpless, Qin Yi replied, "I did not hold back against him. However, Li Luo is really quite capable." "How capable can he possibly be? After all''s been said and done, he''s just using the power of Harmony to bridge the gap in actual strength," Qin Lian said coldly. She was clearly not open to any complimentary phrases or words about Li Luo. "You should have been more decisive. Even if you had to give up trapping everyone in the water palace, you should have given it your all to finish him off." Qin Yi was completely helpless before her mothers reprimanding words. After all, the instruction to showcase the power of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing and entrap the entirety of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages representatives using the water palace had come from Qin Lian. She had actually pulled it off successfully. Who would have expected Li Luo''s final move to have been aggressive beyond her imagination? Even her Invincible Water Jade Armor could not withstand his attack. Although Qin Yi was quite confident in her own strength, they were really underestimating the talents of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages if they thought she could keep them down with just her power alone. "Qin Lian, don''t be so harsh on Little Yi. She has displayed her prowess by keeping Li Qingfeng and the rest trapped in the water palace for a very long time. All the guests present saw this for themselves. If she fought with all her strength in a one-on-one, not even Li Luo would be able to rival her. Actually, you were a little too greedy today. Initially, I just wanted Little Yi to get the Golden Dragon Pillar. Instead, you wanted her to reveal her true strength and go up against all the other talents of her age. Did you think Li Qingfeng and the rest would be completely useless?" Qin Zhiming''s voice came out slowly at this point. Hearing his words, Qin Lian''s expression changed instantly. Despite her strong and fiery personality, she did not dare to raise any objections against Qin Zhiming, the Respected Elder from her direct bloodline. She simply kept quiet sullenly. Chu Qing, who hadnt said a word this whole time, smiled lightly and said, "Teacher, Junior Sister actually did a really good job today. Li Luo only managed to get a lucky victory thanks to the assistance from Harmony. If he had to rely on his own strength, we don''t even need to talk about him beating Junior Sister. I am afraid he wouldn''t even win against half of the people in the Twenty Banners." Qin Lian let out a gloomy sigh after hearing this. "Do you think I don''t know about all these things? I just can''t stand watching that little brat win. Looking at his face reminds me of that irritating woman, Tan Tailan!" Qin Yi shook her head, lost for words. She had heard so much criticism regarding Tan Tailan from Qin Lian over the years that she had grown numb to it. "Mother, Li Luo will be in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent for the foreseeable future. There is still a lot of time. There will be many opportunities to face him in the future. We don''t need to brood over this small loss. Besides, today is the birthday celebration of the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. If we act too out of line, there will be some dissatisfaction towards us," Qin Yi stated softly. Qin Lian only nodded after hearing this. In a low and cold voice, she told her daughter, "Remember what you said today. When the chance arises in the future, I don''t want to hear any excuses. There must be no more accidents. I want you to completely annihilate Li Luo and crush his fighting spirit. I want everyone in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent to know that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailans offspring is no match for the daughter of Qin Lian. You all know about the past enmity between Li Taixuan, Tan Tailan, and I. Li Taixuan broke off our engagement and caused me to lose face. Tan Tailan killed my brother. This blood debt must be paid. As my daughter, there are some things that you cannot avoid. "We do not know if Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan are dead or alive now. Since Li Jingzhe spoke in his favor, I will naturally not step out personally against a junior. However, if those two return in the future, I will definitely settle this debt with them." Hearing her mother''s words, Qin Yi lowered her eyes a little and nodded silently. In contrast to the scolding over at Qin Yi''s side, Li Luo''s side was bustling with celebration. With all these gazes of admiration from the Green Nether Banner members, he was feeling a little smug. Of course, his greatest joy was the rich harvest from the dragonbreath pool. Seven strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath would be more than enough to fill up the huge gap in his triple resonances even after giving one strand to the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. With this, he would finally be able to accomplish his goal of using 35,000 strands of abstruse fiend light to break into the Fiend Body Tier. Once he stepped into the Fiend Body Tier, the gap between his individual strength and that of the top talents such as Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei would narrow considerably. A peal of laughter came from behind Li Luo at this point. When he turned around, he saw Li Jingtao coming over. "Haha! Third Brother, you''ve really stunned everyone today. Seven strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaththis is exceptional even when you consider the entire history of the dragonbreath pool battles." Li Luo smiled and replied, "Eldest Brother, you did well for yourself too. You shocked everyone with your skill today." Li Jingtao responded with a bitter face, "I would rather that not be the case. Actually, I''m really not that good. I just have a rough and thick skin, so I can take a bit of a beating. Compared to the other Banner Leaders, I''m still lagging far behind." Hearing this, the corner of Li Luo''s mouth twitched a little. Eldest Brother, your defensive art was really impressive. If you really put your mind into resisting, even Li Qingfeng would be held down by you. You''re unable to defeat your opponent... but your opponent can''t knock you out either. "Eldest Brother, don''t belittle yourself. Your defensive art will give many of the top talents in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent a headache in the future. Perhaps you will be the last person they will want to fight against." Rubbing his chin, Li Luo smiled and continued, "Eldest Brother, I have a feeling that you will get a nickname in the future." "What nickname?" Li Jingtao asked curiously. The Undefeated Venerable, Li Jingtao!" Li Luo said seriously. Li Jingtao blinked, and a harmless smile appeared on his slightly chubby face. "It sounds nice, but let''s not fight if possible. I like to treat people kindly," he responded. A cold voice came from behind Li Jingtao at this moment. "Oh? The Undefeated Venerable? Sounds pretty good." Hearing this familiar voice, the smile on Li Jingtao''s face froze a little. Chapter 0849: The Unhappy Li Fengyi Chapter 0849: The Unhappy Li Fengyi When the familiar, cold voice came from his back, Li Jingtao turned his head with a little difficulty and saw Li Fengyi standing behind him. He smiled awkwardly and said, "Hehe, Second Sister, hi." Li Fengyi stared coldly at Li Jingtao and sneered back. "You''re good. You''ve hidden it really well. You never even told me about it. Did you have fun hiding behind me every time you saw me standing up for you?" Hearing this, cold sweat dripped down from Li Jingtao''s forehead, and he hurriedly shook his head. Attempting to get back on her good side, he replied, "Second Sister, what are you talking about? The main reason I hid it is that I really don''t think it''s worth mentioning. Besides, I dare not talk about it. The Annihilation Fang Art is a well-known attacking technique from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. I am afraid others will laugh at me if I use it for defense!" With tears in his eyes, Li Jingtao continued, "I was also afraid of being scolded by Father and the Respected Elder if I had revealed it. I definitely didn''t hide it because I wanted you to help me out!" Hearing this, Li Fengyi let out a cold snort and crossed her arms. At this moment, Li Jingtao gave a dry laugh and took out a jade bottle. It contained the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath that he had just gotten. "Second Sister, this is for you. Don''t be mad anymore!" he said. "Who cares about that?!" Li Fengyi rejected his offer. Li Jingtao was helpless in this situation, so he looked towards Li Luo in a plea for help. He knew that Li Fengyi would give him a dressing down after he had revealed his skill, so he had already sought help from Li Luo beforehand. Looking at the situation on hand, Li Luo chipped in a few good words. "Second Sister, don''t be mad. You should understand Eldest Brother''s personality. His situation is indeed special. He did not hide it deliberately, but probably felt like he couldn''t use it all this while." In response, Li Fengyi retorted, "Defensive arts are also good to have in your arsenal. Why couldn''t he use it? The Dragon''s Bone Lineage focuses primarily on defense, yet I don''t see them being embarrassed about it." Despite her sharp words, her expression had started to warm up a little. It seemed like she was generally still in a good mood, considering the spectacular achievements from Li Luo and Li Jingtao. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage had finally shown the outsiders their capabilities. It was just that Li Jingtao''s skill had truly and utterly caught everyone by surprise. This was even more shock-inducing than the fact that Li Luo had managed to escape from Qin Yi''s trap earlier. She was just feeling bad considering all the times in the past where she had to stand up for Li Jingtao when faced with provocations from the other banners. This guy clearly had a special talent. Why did he always hide behind her whilst acting mediocre? If not for him helping Li Luo today, who knew how much longer Li Jingtao would have kept his real strength hidden? At this point, Li Jingtao kept nodding to show that he understood his mistake and would not make it again. Li Luo also took out his jade bottle with Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths. He then said with a smile, "Speaking of which, I have to thank you for helping me to deal with Li Lu back in the isolation area, Second Sister. If not for your assistance, I wouldn''t even have made it in. Here''s a small token of appreciation. Please don''t turn it down, Second Sister." Li Fengyi took a look at it and shook her head. "It''s okay. No reason is needed to help family members. Besides, your actual strength is still lacking compared to the rest of us, so you need the boost from the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath the most." Nonetheless, Li Luo insisted on his offer and pressed the jade bottle into her hands. He continued with a smile, "Don''t worry, Second Sister. As you''ve seen, I got a total of seven strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. That''s more than enough." Seeing his persistence, Li Fengyi finally gave in and nodded. She took the jade bottle with her hand and replied with a bright smile, "Alright. In that case, I will accept it." At the same time, she gave Li Jingtao a fierce glare and warned him, "I will spare you this time for Little Brother''s sake." Li Jingtao was relieved when he heard this, and he nodded with a flattering smile. He also gave Li Luo a grateful look for his help. As expected, Li Fengyi would not blow up at him as long as their Third Brother was around. At this moment, Li Fengyi directed a satisfied smile toward Li Luo as she continued, "Little Brother, you have done a really great job today. You didn''t get to see the faces of those guys from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage earlierit was almost like they had fallen into a vat in a dyehouse." Li Luo smiled and responded, "Actually, I just got lucky. Qin Yi needed to divert her power away in order to keep the palace up. As a result, she could not use her full power in the fight. Otherwise, I would probably have lost." This comment was indeed true. Qin Yi was extremely terrifying. With just her own power, she had managed to hold down all the other Banner Leaders for a long time. If it were an individual battle, Li Luo would not have stood a chance even with the power of Harmony. Furthermore, her Invincible Water Jade Armor was a Soul Ascension-grade body tempering Duke Art that strengthened her body tremendously. Coupled with the insane recovery from her ninth-grade water resonance, he would definitely not have been able to break through her physical defense if not for the strand of Cosmic Sword Intent. It was really fortunate that he had the sword intent from cultivating the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation and had it secretly hidden within the balls of lightning from his Lightning Twister Plantain Fan. "There is no need to belittle yourself. After all, Qin Yi possesses a ninth-grade water resonance and has lived in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent since she was a child. The cultivation resources she has consumed are far beyond what you have gotten until now. As such, it is only natural that she is ahead of you for now. "However, your cultivation progress is really fast now. When you eventually catch up with her, you will not need to be afraid of Qin Yi anymore," Li Fengyi said to comfort him. Li Luo nodded cheerfully. He had obtained seven strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath today. Even after giving one to the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf and another to Li Fengyi, he still had five strands for himself. This was akin to twenty-five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light, which was sufficient to fill up his three resonant palaces. He could leverage them to break into the Fiend Body Tier. Most likely, he would be able to skip the Silver Fiend Tier and enter the Gold Fiend Tier straight away. When that time arrived, the gap between his strength and that of the top talents like Li Qingfeng and Qin Yi should narrow considerably. While the three of them chatted with each other, Lu Qingmei also dropped by to congratulate him. Li Luo was truly grateful to her. After all, she had helped him out when he was trying to secure the Golden Dragon Pillar earlier. "You managed to injure Qin Yi and break out of the palace first. This saved some face for us, the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. As such, you deserve the Golden Dragon Pillar," Lu Qingmei replied to his gratitude. At the same time, she expressed some curiosity and interest in Li Luo as she said, "You''ve gotten seven strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. Looks like you will enter the Fiend Body Tier really soon. When that time comes, let''s have a serious fight between the two of us. Let me see your power with the third realm of dual resonances." Li Luo looked at her helplessly. She was indeed a martial arts fanatic, setting up their next battle right away. It seemed like his escape from Qin Yi had made Lu Qingmei even more interested in him. Shortly later, they sent Lu Qingmei off. Li Luo and the rest returned to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage side, where they received lots of praise from the elders. With that, the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool battle, one of the highlights of the birthday celebration, had come to an end. Nonetheless, the birthday celebration continued on for the next few days. Li Luo and the juniors were no longer involved in the following celebrations, but there were still many matters to be discussed with the different powers gathered in Dragon Blood Mountain. As such, Li Jinpan brought the juniors from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage back shortly after the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool battle. Naturally, Li Luo was really pleased with this. With the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths already in his hands, it was pointless to hang around in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage any longer. The most important thing now was to hurry back and prepare for his breakthrough into the Fiend Body Tier. Chapter 0850: Tri-Radiance Glass Chapter 0850: Tri-Radiance Glass The birthday celebration of the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage went on for a few more days before it finally concluded. During this time, the results of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool battle had spread throughout Dragon''s Fang Mountain after the return of Li Luo and his trio. This caused a huge commotion. After all, it was the best achievement that the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had gotten in the dragonbreath pool battle in decades. Most surprising of all, the one who had stolen the limelight of the event and secured the Golden Dragon Pillar was Li Luo. It was the guy who had returned from the outer divine continent just a few months ago... Without a doubt, Li Luo''s reputation soared. In the past, many had thought that he had wasted too much time in the outer divine continent. Even though he had the blood of Li Taixuan and possessed extraordinary talent, his foundation was far too weak compared to Li Qingfeng, Lu Qingmei, and his peers, the top talents who had grown up in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Yet things had changed completely with Li Luo''s most recent victory. All the negative gossip had died down considerably. Although there were some who still talked about how his actual strength was inferior to that of Li Qingfeng and the rest, his rise within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was already unstoppable. Once he caught up with the others, he would become a potential candidate for the Dragon''s Head in this generation. Gossip and chatter continued amongst the outside world. Meanwhile, Li Luo had secluded himself for a few days, barely even showing himself in the Green Nether drill grounds. His top priority now was to prepare himself perfectly in order to cultivate the five strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath and break into the Fiend Body Tier. Unfortunately, his preparation was disrupted following Li Jingzhe''s return to the back mountain. In Dragon''s Fang Mountain, deep within the bamboo forest. Li Jingzhe had cooked up a table of bamboo shoot dishes personally. Apart from Li Luo, Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi were also seated around the table. Out of everyone in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, these three juniors were probably the only ones who could get to eat a meal prepared by Li Jingzhe himself. Not even his sons, Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan, would get to enjoy such a privilege. At this point, Li Luo had already gotten used to it. He was enjoying his meal leisurely, while Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi appeared slightly tense. After all, Li Jingzhe had always treated them very seriously and authoritatively in their daily lives. This was an impression formed in their hearts since young. Fortunately, Li Luo was present with them, so the atmosphere was better. Slowly, the two of them started to enjoy the meal too. Li Jingzhe did not eat anything himself. He simply drank the bamboo wine he had personally brewed. After a short moment, he slowly commented, "You guys did a really good job." "It''s all thanks to Third Brother," Li Jingtao said with a silly smile. Li Jingzhe took a look at him. His old and stern face turned gentler as he continued, "You were really amazing as well. Although you have modified the Annihilation Fang Art into a different form, that does not mean you have turned it into an evil art. It just shows that that particular art really suits your character. Even I neglected this fact in the past. The fangs of the dragon are not just its sharpest body part, but also its hardest. It''s just that many people totally forget about this because they are too caught up in its offensive points. Modifying it into a defensive technique suitable for yourself is something that even some powerful Dukes are unable to do." Hearing his words, Li Jingtao was slightly taken aback for a moment. Then he nodded quickly in agreement and his eyes turned a little red. This was the first time he had heard the serious and stern Li Jingzhe speak to him in such a gentle tone. Furthermore, these words meant that Li Jingzhe had recognized his capabilities. This made him feel both excited and moved. At this moment, Li Jingzhe looked towards Li Luo and said, "You''ve gotten seven strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. You must be preparing to break into the Fiend Body Tier, right?" Li Luo nodded in confirmation. "Hehe. I assume you are able to store around thirty thousand or so strands of abstruse fiend light within your three resonant palaces," Li Jingzhe said with a smile. Hearing this, Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi secretly took a look at each other and clicked their tongues. When they were breaking into the Fiend Body tier, they only needed ten thousand or so abstruse fiend lights. Meanwhile, Li Luo required three times their amounts. That was a truly shocking figure. However, they understood that this was the benefit of having multiple resonances. Ordinary people only had one resonant palace, while Li Luo had three resonant palaces, so his storage capability was naturally far higher than that of others. "It''s around thirty-five thousand or so strands," Li Luo said with a shy smile. Li Jingzhe coughed a little after hearing this. Even with his vast knowledge and experience, this was the first time he had heard of someone in the Greater Fiend Palace Tier requiring such a high amount of abstruse fiend lights for cultivation. "Looks like you''re planning to skip stages in this breakthrough." He saw right through Li Luo''s ambitions immediately. This was to be expected. After all, there was no need for Li Luo to progress one step at a time with the strong foundation that he had cultivated. "I plan to break into the Gold Fiend Tier directly," Li Luo explained. "Gold Fiend Tier..." Li Jingzhe nodded and continued, "With your foundation, that''s indeed not hard to achieve. However, I feel like you can aim a little higher." Li Luo was taken aback for a moment. "Should I go for the Glass Fiend Tier directly?" he asked with a little worry. "Wont such a wild goal lead to an unstable foundation? Furthermore, it is said that some body-tempering spirit materials are needed to reach the Glass Fiend Tier." He continued his questions. In fact, Li Luo had thought of this earlier too. However, he was concerned that skipping so many tiers would affect his foundation. This would adversely affect his attempt to break into the higher stages in the future and was ultimately not worth the risk. At this moment, Li Jingzhe paused for two seconds before he said with a strange expression, "My dear child, you are too conservative... If the foundation cultivated with thirty-five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light is not stable enough, then no foundation can be considered stable." In response, Li Luo smiled with embarrassment. Was it bad to play it safer? After thinking for a moment, Li Luo replied, "Since that is your opinion, Grandfather, I think it''s worth a try. But... I have not prepared the body-tempering spirit materials." When he finished speaking, he displayed a simple and honest smile to Li Jingzhe. Body-tempering spirit materials were not cheap. If he had to purchase them from the marketplace, they would likely cost millions of skygold each. In fact, it could even go into the tens of millions for the premium ones. Of course, there was naturally no need to worry about this expenditure if he did not have the ambition to aim for the Glass Fiend Tier. Seeing his smile, Li Jingzhe knew what Li Luo was thinking about instantly. He could not hold back his laughter as he replied, "You sure are shameless, kid." Afterwards, he flicked his fingers, and the pocket sphere on his wrist started glowing. In the next moment, a purple jade box materialized in front of Li Luo. The jade box opened automatically, and Li Luo saw a golden meteorite about the size of one''s palm inside. Mysterious lights flowed around the meteorite, and there were nine holes on it. They emitted a strange sound, as if worldly natural energy was flooding into the holes. "Is this the... Nine Aperture Rock of Gold?!" Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi exclaimed with eyes wide open as soon as they saw it. In the next moment, Li Fengyi turned towards the confused Li Luo and explained with envy, "This is a top-grade spirit material for cultivating to the Glass Fiend Tier. If it were placed in the Golden Dragon Bank for auction, it would easily reach fifteen million skygold at least." Although both Li Jingtao and her had long reached the Glass Fiend Tier, the premium spirit materials that they had used were one whole class below this. This was not because their parents were unable to fork out the skygold. Rather, such spirit materials were simply too rare. Li Jingzhe smiled and said, "You can have it. Treat it as the prize for your spectacular performance." Still full of curiosity, Li Luo accepted the purple jade box as he replied to Li Jingzhe with a smile, "Thank you, then, Grandfather." Li Jingzhe nodded slightly and continued, "By giving this to you, I have another request for you." "What is it?" Li Luo asked in surprise. Li Jingzhe lightly tapped his fingers on the table, and a faint smile appeared on his face. "With your foundation, there should be no problem breaking into the Glass Fiend Tier. However, you should have heard about the different grades within the Glass Fiend Tier itself, right?" Li Luo froze for a moment before he nodded. The so-called Glass Fiend Tier was a general term. Within it, there were finer classifications in grades which people termed as the Tri-Radiance Glass. Simply put, one''s body would be protected by a mysterious light after they had reached the Glass Fiend Tier successfully. This mysterious protection light was usually a single color. However, those with the very best foundation could evolve it further. This was the so-called Tri-Radiance Glass. Such Glass Fiend Tier cultivators were shrouded in a mysterious protective light that had two or even three colors. As such, they were named the Tri-Radiance Glass. Li Jingzhe pointed at the Nine Aperture Rock of Gold in his purple jade box and slowly said, "My request for you is to cultivate the Tri-Radiance Glass." Hearing this, Li Luo was not completely surprised. Instead, he just showed a bitter smile helplessly. He knew it... But wasn''t the Respected Elder expecting too much from him this time? This would be a real challenge. Chapter 0851: Competing for the Dragons Head Chapter 0851: Competing for the Dragon''s Head "What do you think? Are you confident?" the Respected Elder asked Li Luo with a smile after revealing his request. After pondering for a moment, Li Luo asked, "What''s the benefit of obtaining the Tri-Radiance Glass?" Back in the Xia Kingdom, there was no mention of the Tri-Radiance Glass at all. After all, one was already the cream of the crop in their generation if they managed to reach the Glass Fiend Tier. No one really took notice of how many colors were present in the protective light. Perhaps the requirements to achieve the Tri-Radiance Glass was too harsh, so it was naturally ignored. The outer divine continent had less resources than the inner divine continent after all. For instance, a rare treasure like the Nine Aperture Rock of Gold was probably only seen in the entirety of the Xia Kingdom once every few dozen years. "Not only can the Tri-Radiance Glass increase your defensive capabilities, it can also improve one''s tempering of the physical body. Of course, these are just temporary benefits. The real significance lies in setting an invincible foundation to prepare for the Duke or King Stages in the future," Li Jingzhe slowly explained. At this point, he paused for a moment before he continued calmly, "When I say the Duke or King Stages... I am referring to Transcendent Dukes and the Heavenly Emperor Stage, of course." When he finished his sentence, Li Luo and the other two stared at him with eyes wide open. Li Luo was dumbfounded for a whole moment before he said, "Aren''t you thinking too far ahead? Grandpa, such high expectations put me under a lot of pressure from you." The so-called Transcendent Dukes were Dukes with the power to rival King Stage opponents. Such battle strength could only be achieved by the very best in each generation. As for the Heavenly Emperor... there was no need to explain further. Li Luo truly had not expected Li Jingzhe to have such high expectations of him. In response, Li Jingzhe slowly explained, "It''s not that my expectations are too high. Rather, you will need to push yourself to the limit at every stage if you have such aspirations for the future. Whether it''s the Tri-Radiance Glass or attaining nine pearls in the Heavenly Dipper General Stage... This is all to push your own potential to the limit and setting up an impeccable foundation for the future. Only by doing so can you stand a better chance when you try to break into the stages ordinary people can only dream of. Are you interested now?" He continued to stare at Li Luo. For a moment, Li Luo was at a loss for words. It would be hypocritical if he had said he was uninterested. "I got it." Li Luo nodded in the end. He reached out for the purple jade box as he said, "I''ll do my best." Li Jingzhe nodded firmly and replied, "The foundational requirements for the Tri-Radiance Glass are extremely high. You do not have to attain it in one shot. Rather, you can make use of the Nine Aperture Rock of Gold to progress step by step." Li Luo agreed with his suggestion. Moving on, Li Jingzhe''s tone changed a little as he continued, "In addition, the distribution method for the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus has been decided." Hearing this, Li Luo took a deep breath and stared intently at Li Jingzhe. He was clearly more nervous now than when he obtained the Nine Aperture Rock of Gold. After all, this matter was related to Jiang Qing''e''s injury. "I have discussed it with the other Lineage Chiefs for the past two days. The meeting was pretty intense. Like I told you earlier, the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus is an extremely valuable item to Dukes. The Hall Masters all have their own views on this, especially the ones from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage." Li Luo grew even more anxious when he heard about this. It seemed like obtaining the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus was trickier than he had imagined. "I offered three hundred million skygold to bring it back to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage," Li Jingzhe continued calmly. At this moment, Li Luo took a deep breath. The Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus was worth three hundred million?! Clearly, he realized that he did not know much about the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus at all. Li Jingzhe took a look at him as he said, "The Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus is a top-tier treasure. It''s considered one of the most valuable items in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages treasure vault. If a Duke utilized it for cultivation, there is a chance they would overcome the resonant power barrier and breakthrough again. As such, it''s a priceless treasure beyond comprehension. Naturally, the price that I have offered requires a premium." Hearing this, Li Luo broke out in cold sweat. He felt kind of guilty that the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had to pay such a high price for his request. "Did they agree to it?" Li Luo asked carefully. Li Jingzhe shook his head. He continued, "They didn''t agree to it. There was no objection from the other Lineage Chiefs except for Li Tianji. I know what he''s plotting. He wants to reserve this treasure for Li Jiluo from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Gold Blood Hall. That man is Li Qingfeng''s father, an eighth-grade Duke. He may be able to break into the ninth-grade with the assistance of the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus." When he heard the explanation, Li Luo did not know if he should heave a sigh of relief or feel disappointed. "In the end, it was decided that the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus shall be given to the Dragon''s Head of your generation. In other words, this treasure will be given to whoever becomes the Dragon''s Head in the Twenty Banners. Hehe, that old man Li Tianji sure thought it through," Li Jingzhe said. Hearing this, Li Luo was stunned for a few seconds before he slapped his hands together and exclaimed in surprise, "Won''t that save us three hundred million skygold?!" Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi looked at him silently. If he wasn''t their Third Brother, they would have shouted back. This little boy was too crazywhy was he acting like he was already the Dragon''s Head? Obviously, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage had planned it in such a way so that Li Qingfeng could obtain the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus. At this moment, a smile surfaced on Li Jingzhes cold and solemn face. He said, "If they had suggested such a distribution method before the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool battle, I might not have agreed to it." Undoubtedly, he felt that this method might be an opportunity after witnessing Li Luo''s fight a few days prior. Li Fengyi reminded them from the side, "The Dragon''s Head Competition relies on one''s individual strength. We are not allowed to use Harmony." Although Li Luo''s performance had been spectacular and he had even escaped from the grasp of Qin Yi, it was all thanks to the state of Harmony closing the gap between his power and that of the other Banner Leaders. If they counted solely on their individual strength, Li Luo would not even be one of the top five Banner Leaders, let alone hold his ground against Qin Yi or Li Qingfeng. Li Luo smiled and nodded. "I may not be able to do it now, but there''s still time, right?" Once he broke into the Glass Fiend Tier successfully, he estimated that he would be able to squeeze into the top few ranks among the twenty Banner Leaders. Standing by his side, Li Jingtao also smiled and said, "With Third Brother''s talent, he may really just pull it off. If you become the Dragon''s Head, the commotion will surely be many times larger than it has been recently. Li Fengyi agreed with him and said, "After all, everyone knows about all the years Third Brother has wasted in the outer divine continent. Yet he was able to catch up in such a short amount of time. His talent is clearly remarkable. "The upcoming competition for the Dragon''s Head will definitely be the toughest one in the entire history of our bloodline." "Let''s hope your well wishes come true, Eldest Brother and Second Sister," Li Luo said jokingly. He was actually not very interested in the position of the Dragon''s Head. After all, he was one who focused on more practical gains. However, if he could obtain the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus by merely becoming the Dragon''s Head, he would just have to do it. Originally, he just wanted to cultivate quietly. Why was he being forced to become the Dragon''s Head now? Chapter 0852: Dark Domain Chapter 0852: Dark Domain Li Jingzhe truly admired Li Luo''s courage to fight. Undaunted by strong opponents and a spirit to never give up, this was exactly the type of personality that the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, famous for their offense, needed. Oddballs like Li Jingtao were few and far between. Li Jingzhe pondered for a moment and said, "Since you feel so confident about it, let''s give it a try and see if you can obtain the Dragon''s Head position. If you fail, I will try some other way to get that Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus for you. At most, I will just have to pay more for it." He knew the importance of the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus to Li Luo. As such, he did not plan to hand it over to the Dragon''s Blood Lineage even if Li Luo failed to become the Dragon''s Head. After all, his grandson had spent so many tough years in the outer divine continent. He was feeling a little remorseful deep in his heart and would try to fulfill Li Luo''s requests as best as he could. The competition for the Dragon''s Head position was merely a means to train Li Luo up so he would have more ambitions. Li Luo was a little touched after hearing this, so he replied, "Thank you, Grandfather." With that, Li Jingzhe waved his hand and changed the conversation topic. "There''s another matter to discuss. I have gotten some leads in allowing Ox Biaobiao to recover." Li Luo was overjoyed to hear this. Ox Biaobiao''s injuries had always been a thorn in his heart as they were a result of him protecting Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan when they left the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Furthermore, he had stayed at House Luolan and protected Jiang Qing''e and him for all these years. Therefore, Li Luo owed him a huge debt. If not for a Duke like Ox Biaobiao standing guard at House Luolan, the other forces would have surely preyed upon them whilst Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan were gone. There wouldn''t have been any time for Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e to grow up and develop at all. In the past, there was nothing he could do about it. However, since he had returned to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Li Luo hoped that he could cure Ox Biaobiao''s injuries as soon as possible. Once Ox Biaobiao recovered and became a Hall Master in Green Nether Hall, he would assist Li Luo in gaining control over the hall in the future. when he saw the ecstatic look on Li Luo''s face, Li Jingzhe said, "Don''t get your hopes up yet. Ox Biaobiao''s injuries are very serious. Having ones Duke Bergfrieds destroyed is considered a grave injury to a Duke. Luckily, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage has a strong foundation. We are not short of mysterious ways to recover them. There is an ancient method left by the Ancestor, but it requires a lot of preparation. I am already in the midst of preparing for it. However, there is one crucial item that we will need. Is it known as the Sacred Infant Fruit, and it has the magical ability to repair one''s foundation, making it the most suitable item for our needs. Unfortunately, this is the item we are currently lacking." Li Luo was stunned for a moment before he smiled back wryly. The Sacred Infant Fruit had to be a really rare treasure. He had not even heard about it before. "How can we get a Sacred Infant Fruit?" Li Luo asked. As it was to help Ox Biaobiao, he felt like he should contribute if possible, rather than just rely on Li Jingzhe. Li Fengyi chimed in from the side at this point. "If I remember correctly, the Sacred Infant Fruit can be found in a Dark Domain around the northern parts of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s western region." "Dark Domain?" Li Luo looked at Li Fengyi with eyes full of queries. Seeing this, Li Fengyi explained, "Dark Domains are cracks in the world. These cracks are connected to the shadow world, so Others are constantly crawling out of them. Dark Domains sometimes explode, causing a large number of Others to emerge and resulting in a disaster. As a result, Dark Domains are generally monitored at all times. The Dark Domain that I mentioned is the one that is watched over by the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Although Dark Domains are dangerous, they are also a special environment that can easily cause worldly natural energy to condense. As such, they are prone to producing many mythical treasures, and the Sacred Infant Fruit is one of the treasures produced." Hearing this, Li Luo suddenly came to a realization. Wasn''t she referring to the Umbra Cave... It was just that in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, the forces were more powerful and there was no need to seal up the cracks like the college had. Instead, they kept them under close observation whilst they enjoyed the various cultivation resources they produced. "The number of Sacred Infant Fruits is very low. In the past, it was instantly divided up as soon as one was discovered. As such, you''ll have to head over to the Dark Domain if you would like to help heal Ox Biaobiao''s injuries," Li Jingzhe told them. "However, there are many people eyeing the Sacred Infant Fruit. There is always a fierce competition for it every time one appears. Moreover, the western domain of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li is at our border. It''s extremely close to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao''s domain, and they frequently send people into the Dark Domain to scout for resources. On top of that, we have been at odds with them for a long time. If we meet outside, we might barely be able to restrain ourselves. But if we cross paths in the Dark Domain... Who knows how many people have been killed on the other side?" Li Fengyi said. "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao..." Li Luo''s eyes lit up. There were four bloodlines in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Apart from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing, there were the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhu. Among the four bloodlines, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had the worst relationship with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. It was not an exaggeration to say the two were enemies. Due to their shared borders, there were frequent conflicts between them. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li wanted to get closer to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing through marriage back in the day. Li Luo pondered for a moment. As much as he wanted to visit the Dark Domain and obtain a Sacred Infant Fruit for Ox Biao Biao, his strength was truly lacking right now. Even if he broke into the Fiend Body Tier, he would likely be of little use in such a place. Having to deal with Others alone would give him a headache, and he would have to worry about the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao at all times as well. After all, he had already experienced Others once in the Umbra Cave below the Astral Sage College. The Others in the inner divine continent would surely be even stronger. Unless... he was able to mobilize the Green Nether Banner. However, the Green Nether Banner was not his personal army. Although he was the Banner Leader, he could not mobilize it just with his will alone. This was like how a general could not mobilize the troops of a nation privately without instructions from the top. While Li Luo was lost in thought, Li Jingzhe lightly tapped his fingers on the table and asked, "The mission period for the Twenty Banners should be coming soon, right?" Hearing this, Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao nodded. The mission period referred to the period of time every year where the Twenty Banners would be given a mission to clear. This might include going out to suppress or even slaughter a powerful beast. After all, the Twenty Banners consisted of the best talents in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Each of the lineages had invested a huge amount of resources on them. Hence, it was only natural that the Twenty Banners made themselves useful and contributed back. It was too impractical to be solely expending resources and spending their time cultivating all day. Therefore, the Twenty Banners needed to fulfill missions every year. If they failed to accomplish the mission, their cultivation resources in the following year would be reduced. This ensured that the banners treated the missions seriously. After Li Jingzhe gave it some thought, he said, "When the time comes, I will issue a mission task for the Dark Domain in the western region. This will be considered the mission assessment for the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage this year." At this point, he looked at Li Luo and asked, "Are you willing to help Ox Biaobiao obtain a Sacred Infant Fruit?" Li Luo couldn''t help but let out a sigh of relief after hearing this. Not only could he bring the Green Nether Banner out on mission officially, he had even gained three more helpers with these words from Li Jingzhe. At this moment, he understood a simple truth. In this day and age, no matter how hard one could punch, no one could beat a strong background. Chapter 0853: Skipping Stages Chapter 0853: Skipping Stages On the day after the gathering in the bamboo forest, Li Luo felt like his body was in perfect condition. Without any further hesitation, he started to cultivate the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths. Li Luo was in the cultivation chamber at the top floor of his pavilion. Sitting in the lotus position, there were five jade bottles in front of him. Each of them was filled with a strand of golden Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. His face was serious as he stared at the jade bottles. When he focused his thoughts, his resonant power surged. The jade bottles shattered, and the five strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath swam out as if they were trying to escape. However, Li Luo had prepared for this. A strand of resonant power flowed out from his mouth and gathered up the five strands. In the next moment, he swallowed them. Slowly, he shut both of his eyes and started channeling his Draconic Breath Fiend Art. Shortly later, he felt a shocking and enormous energy force rising within his body. It was so strong that his flesh and veins started feeling some pain. However, Li Luo did not panic. He guided the huge and pure energy in an orderly manner around his body, fully utilizing all his cultivation techniques to start refining them quickly. As expected from the refining process, Li Luo could observe strand after strand of abstruse fiend light forming repeatedly at an amazing speed. This pace far exceeded what he could achieve in an ordinary day of cultivation. Li Luo felt really pleased in his heart as he watched the abstruse fiend lights flow into his resonant palaces. All of a sudden, the three resonant palaces became lively when the abstruse fiend lights entered and danced around together. He grew more and more satisfied as he watched more and more abstruse fiend lights enter his resonant palaces. This cultivation process went on for a whole day. When the morning sunlight pierced through the clouds on the second day, Li Luo slowly opened his eyes in the cultivation chamber. There was a dazzling, golden light flowing within his pupils at first, but it gradually retracted. A strong torrent of energy rose in his body like waves, and his heartbeat accelerated. At this moment, he could sense the three resonant palaces in his body radiating with brilliance, and a faint sense of swelling emanated from them. This was because all three resonant palaces had finally reached their full capacity. There were a total of thirty-five thousand abstruse fiend lights within his resonant palaces at this time! It was a truly amazing feat. Under normal circumstances, even a ninth-grade talent at the peak of the Greater Fiend Palace Tier would not have more than twenty thousand abstruse fiend lights. Yet Li Luo, with his benefit of three resonant palaces, had attained thirty-five thousand. Although Li Luo dared not say there was no such person in the past or there will be no such person in the future, there was definitely no one he knew of that was stronger than him in this regard, right? "Finally, it''s full." Li Luo let out a heavy breath, and his voice was filled with relief. He had waited so long for this day. Although the three resonant palaces were his edge, they had also brought him considerable stress. After all, he was in a special situation. Time was the most precious thing to him. Yet that was exactly what was required to fill up his three resonant palaces completely. Fortunately, he had the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths. At this moment, Li Luo felt like it was a truly wise decision to leave the Xia Kingdom and come to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. He would never have obtained such a rare opportunity like the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths back in his homeland. It was great that this moment had finally arrived. Thirty-five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light dancing in his three resonant palaces like lively birds was a majestic sight to behold. Subsequently, Li Luo would utilize them to aim for a breakthrough that skipped stages. Li Luo formed the necessary hand seals with both of his hands, then the thirty-five thousand strands of abstruse fiend lights made their way out of the resonant palaces in a mighty manner. It was like there were three huge, roaring tsunamis raging in one place. At this point, Li Luos blood, flesh, and bones started vibrating. It was as if they were cheering in celebration because the abstruse fiend lights were a feast to them. This was the first time his physical body would be tempered in his cultivation journey! Strand after strand of abstruse fiend light fused into his flesh and bones. After they passed through, his flesh and bones turned scorching hot. It was as if boundless vitality was gushing out of his flesh and bones like an overflowing tide. Blood filled with impurities began to seep out from his pores. As this process continued, his eyebrows tightened with a look of pain from time to time. This was pain that naturally came with body tempering. However, Li Luo was determined and would not waver. As the thirty-five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light flowed through his body, his flesh and blood were tempered repeatedly. Time passed rapidly as he underwent this process. Before he knew it, another day passed by. Li Luo continued to be immersed in tempering his body. At this point, the blood filled with impurities that had accumulated on his skin had coagulated into blood clots, covering him in patches. All until a certain moment. Suddenly, a thunderous sound came out of his body. The worldly natural energy around him seemed to start boiling at this time. It seemed to be attracted to some kind of strong force, and it rushed into his body in an unceasing flow. All the blood clots covering Li Luo started shattering at this point, and a silver light flowed beneath his skin. His flesh and blood throbbed slowly, exuding a tyrannical strength. The breakthrough into Fiend Body Tier had gone better than he had expected. However, this was not surprising at all. After all, his foundation was impeccable with the assistance of thirty-five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light. This was something others in the Greater Fiend Palace Tier could not even dream about. WIth such a strong foundation backing him, it was only natural that he would reach the Fiend Body Tier without any difficulties. Li Luo had already reached the Silver Fiend Tier, visualized by the silver glow flowing around his body. However, that was not his goal. Inside his physical body, the abstruse fiend lights continued to temper his flesh. Li Luo was still moving ahead, with the Gold Fiend Tier as his next target. At this moment, wisps of blue smoke rose up from his head. If one were to touch his body at this time, they would find that his body temperature was extremely high. This was caused by the tempering of his physical body. Just like this, time continued to tick by. Soon, more than half a day had passed. No one knew exactly when, but the silver glow flowing underneath his skin suddenly became thicker. At some point, fine, golden light threads started to appear within the silver glow. The golden threads flowed steadily between his flesh and blood, growing brighter and brighter. At one point, Li Luo spat out a breath of fiery air from his mouth. Boom! A roar echoed throughout the inside of his body. The strands of golden thread gushed out of his body as if to dye him completely gold. With another leap, he reached the Gold Fiend Tier. Li Luo opened his eyes at this moment. However, he did not relax just yet. Instead, he slid his hands past his pocket sphere, and a purple jade box appeared. The Nine Aperture Rock of Gold slowly floated up. Without blinking, he cradled the Nine Aperture Rock of Gold with his hands. An enormous power was summoned from his body, and he used it to crush the Nine Aperture Rock of Gold into golden powder. Li Luo took a deep breath with his mouth and swallowed up all of the mysterious, golden powder. Now that he had reached the Gold Fiend Tier, it was time for him to use the Nine Aperture Rock of Gold as medium and attempt to break into the third tier of the Fiend Body Tier... the Glass Fiend Tier! After such a long period of accumulation, Li Luo was attempting to reach the sky in a single step. Chapter 0854: Semi-completed Grade Chapter 0854: Semi-completed Grade Three days later. Li Luo''s breakthrough attempt finally concluded. As he slowly opened his eyes within the cultivation chamber, the torrents of resonant power around him gradually subsided. In the end, it all returned into his body. When he looked down, he extended both of his arms forward and started to channel his resonant power. At this moment, a golden light flowed between his flesh and blood, dyeing his skin in a faint, golden glow, making it seem indestructible. Li Luo continued to channel his resonant power, and the golden glow became more and more distinct. Finally, faint, glazed patterns appeared on it. The glazed patterns were crystal clear as they flowed between his flesh and blood. When Li Luo examined them, a smile appeared on the edge of his mouth. After his breakthrough to the Gold Fiend Tier, he had used all the remaining strands of abstruse fiend light together with the Nine Aperture Rock of Gold to temper his body in an attempt to reach the Glass Fiend Tier. Unfortunately, he did not manage to completely break into the Glass Fiend Tier in the end. That being said, he could be considered to be touching upon that realm. Strictly speaking, the emergence of the glazed patterns meant that he was halfway into the Glass Fiend Tier. Oddly enough, this actually worked out well for him as he had previously promised Li Jingzhe to attain the Tri-Radiance Glass. That was the highest peak in the Glass Fiend Tier. However, he was unable to attain it with his current foundation. Looking at his current state, he could carefully continue to cultivate and aim to completely reach the highest point of the Glass Fiend Tier once another opportunity arose. "This is really an unprecedented breakthrough, Li Luo said with a face full of joy as this breakthrough was the fastest since he had started his cultivation journey. His starting point was the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, and he had zoomed past the Silver Fiend and Gold Fiend Tiers. In the end, he had landed halfway into the Glass Fiend Tier directly. Anyone would be shocked to hear about how many tiers he had skipped. He had spent great amounts of time and effort in preparation for this breakthrough, and he had managed to maximize the benefits of his triple resonances. It was fortunate that all his hard work had paid off in the end. Based on his own estimate, Li Luo felt that he should be around the level of the Two Star Hall seniors in the Astral Sage College with his current strength. Two Star Hall students were mostly comparable to people at the Glass Fiend Tier. If he had shown such progress back in the Astral Sage College, it would surely have caused a huge commotion. He dared to say that he would have been the first one to progress so quickly since the Astral Sage College was formed. Ordinarily speaking, such a cultivation level was something only the elite students in the Three Star Hall could reach. However, that was just a hypothetical comparison. After all, Li Luo was in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent now. He had all the support and resources from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. It was no surprise that his cultivation progress would be record-breaking compared to the students of the Astral Sage College. If he really wanted to compare, he should do so with the various top talents in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Regardless, skipping tiers had really helped to narrow the gap in strength between him and the other top talents like Li Qingfeng, Lu Qingmei, and Deng Fengxian. "Looking at things now, it seems like life in the outer divine continent was really a waste of time." Li Luo sighed as he thought about it. It was not due to his lack of talent that he had fallen behind so much compared to Li Qingfeng and the rest. It was simply because they had much more cultivation resources available to them. For example, rare opportunities like the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool... There was nothing even remotely similar in the Xia Kingdom. At this moment, Li Luo stood up with his fists tightly clenched. He could clearly sense that his body was filled with enormous power now. Based on his own estimate, he was no less powerful than the Two Sonic Pulse level achieved with his Thunderpeal Avatar. If he combined these two together, his physical strength would surely reach an amazing height. However... it would still pale in comparison to Qin Yi and her Invincible Water Jade Armor. Hers was a Soul Ascension-grade body-tempering Duke Art after all. Unless he was able to cultivate his Thunderpeal Avatar to the highest level, Five Sonic Pulses, it would likely reach Qin Yis level. There was no other choice. Such was a limitation due to the different grades of cultivation arts. After Li Luo clenched his fingers tightly into a fist, he punched out speedily to the front. His fist left an afterimage, and the air exploded with a low, ringing sound. He was very pleased with the result. This breakthrough had really strengthened him a lot. It was worth the pain and effort he had taken to accumulate thirty-five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light. After he was done, he did not hang around any longer. He walked straight out of the cultivation chamber, and the maids were all ready with food prepared. He gobbled down the meal after starving for the past three days. After he was satiated, one of the maids came forward and told him that the Third Hall Master had come to visit. "Aunt Yun?" As soon as Li Luo heard about it, he dashed down to receive her personally. Li Rouyun was surprised as soon as she saw Li Luo. "Looks like you have broken through successfully," she said, "Judging by the golden glow around your body, coupled with the blood and muscles filled with vitality, I assume you have reached the Gold Fiend Tier," she stated. Li Rouyun was a Duke after all. She could easily determine this from the resonant power that still lingered in Li Luo''s body and had not completely died down yet. "Just by a stroke of luck." Li Luo answered humbly as he guided Li Rouyun to her seat. Li Rouyun was not too surprised about it. She knew that Li Luo had won a total of seven strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. That was more than sufficient for him to achieve the breakthrough. "What''s brought you here today, Aunt Yun?" Li Luo asked after they had chatted for a while. Li Rouyun nodded a little before she replied, "I heard that the four banners will be heading out to the Dark Domain in the western region." It seemed like the mission for the four banners had been announced while Li Luo was shut in for his breakthrough for the past few days. Li Luo nodded in response. "I have not been to the western region in a long time," Li Rouyun said with a sigh. "Aunt Yun, you used to live in the western region?" Li Luo asked curiously. "The Li clan that I belonged to is an indirect bloodline. The western region is our home. However, Ive rarely had the time to go back ever since I was placed in charge of the Green Nether Hall." Li Rouyun smiled and took out a jade box from her pocket sphere. She passed it over to Li Luo and said, "If you''re going to the western region for the mission, you can reach out to the Li clan if you require any help. In addition, can you help me pass these pills to my little niece, please?" Hearing this, Li Luo''s heart twitched a little. He remembered the first time he met Li Rouyun. On that day, he needed to alleviate the Sacrificial Ignition of Jiang Qing''e''s Heart of Light. Li Rouyun had taken out a rare treasure, which he could tell from the words of Li Zhiqiu from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, that was originally meant for her niece. "Sure, Aunt Yun. Don''t worry, it''s not a big deal." Li Luo nodded and continued, "What''s the name of this sister cousin of mine? What''s her injury? If you need my help, feel free to ask, Aunt Yun." Hearing this, Li Rouyun sighed and then replied, "That little girl is named Li Lingjing. She was the pride of our clan. If not for her accident, she would surely have been chosen to enter the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Her future was just as bright as mine." "What happened?" Li Luo asked. With a bitter look on her face, Li Rouyun continued, "A few years ago, she went to the Dark Domain for training. She got injured by the Others there, and her foundation was damaged. Her cultivation progress has been really slow ever since. Over the years, the reputation of a former genius has become her burden, and many people that were jealous of her talent openly mock her these days for wasting all the resources the family has spent on her." Hearing this, Li Luo opened his mouth wide. A former genius that became trash. He was familiar with this story. This cousin of his was not in a simple situation. Chapter 0855: Four Banners Assembled Chapter 0855: Four Banners Assembled Li Luo accepted Li Rouyun''s request without any hesitation. He was very interested in meeting his cousin when he went over to the western region. For the remainder of the day, he took a good rest before he headed over to the Green Nether drill grounds. When he arrived, many of the banner members greeted him respectfully. Their eyes were full of admiration. In the short span of a few months, the Green Nether Banner had completely transformed under Li Luo''s leadership. Their remarkable achievements had made the Green Nether Banner famous amongst the Twenty Banners. They were now eligible to be considered one of the top banners. Such accomplishments were totally different compared to half a year ago. All of this was thanks to Li Luo. Of course, the foundation of the Green Nether Banner was pretty decent. Strictly speaking, none of the Twenty Banners could be considered shabby. Additionally, the eight thousand banner members were all elites selected from the Dragon''s Fang Domain. They were all considered geniuses where they came from. Nonetheless, an excellent leader was required for the pack of wolves to demonstrate their exceptional strength. This was exactly what the Green Nether Banner had been lacking all this while. And that role was filled by Li Luo. As such, his reputation in the Green Nether Banner could be said to have reached the peak. While he walked into the Green Nether drill grounds, he looked for Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, Mu Bi, and the rest. "Leader, has your breakthrough... succeeded?" Li Shi''s face changed a little when he first saw Li Luo. Although he was currently a Gold Fiend, he could sense an indescribable pressure coming from Li Luo when they met. Even though Li Luo had already displayed shocking strength to compete with someone at the Glass Fiend Tier back when he was just at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, it was ultimately due to the many tricks and means he had utilized to attain victory. Now, Li Luo was truly exuding an oppressive resonant power pressure. It was clear that his resonant power had exceeded that of Li Shi. "Mhm. I have reached the Gold Fiend Tier with the help of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths," Li Luo said with a smile. Strictly speaking, he was actually half a grade higher than a Gold Fiend currently. After all, he was halfway into the Glass Fiend Tier. However, there was no need for him to go into the details with them. Zhao Yanzhi, Mu Bi, and the rest present were shocked when they heard about this. Li Luo had managed to catch up with them in the short span of a few months. Such talent was truly stunning. "It seems like we had great foresight and caught onto the right thigh," Zhao Yanzhi said with a charming smile. Zhou Shanhe from the first division smiled and replied to Zhao Yanzhi with a voice full of envy, "There''s no doubt about Sister Zhao''s foresight. Honestly, no one expected the Green Nether Banner to improve so much when the Banner Leader first arrived." His envy was not fake at all. After all, everyone in the Green Nether Banner knew that Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi were Li Luos confidants. They were the ones who had been following Li Luo since his days at the fifth division. Now that Li Luo was on the rise, the Green Nether Banner would surely be brought to greater heights under his leadership. In fact, his reputation and standing in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would definitely be exceptional in the future. With such a strong backing, Zhao Yanzhi and the rest naturally had a bright future in the Dragon''s Fang Domain too. As for Zhou Shanhe, he knew that he was not comparable to Zhao Yanzhi and friends even though he had pledged his loyalty to Li Luo too. Li Luo simply smiled. With a wave of his hand, he told them, "I''ve summoned you guys today to discuss the next mission." "The one regarding the Dark Domain in the western region?" Mu Bi asked in a loud voice. The news of the mission had spread throughout the four banners over the past few days. All of them were already aware of it. After thinking for a moment, Zhao Yanzhi replied, "The Dark Domain in the western region is rather unique. It is located outside the western region, so strictly speaking, it''s not fully under the jurisdiction of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. In addition, the location is at the border between the Dragon''s Fang Domain and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. We have been at odds with each other all this time, so there''s no real overseer. As a result, many unsavory characters have gathered around the area, and its depths are murky." Hearing this, Li Luo nodded and responded, "Which is why I hope that you all can investigate the situation there as soon as possible, including the Others in the Dark Domain. "In addition, the Dark Domain itself is exceptionally dangerous. On top of the Others, there''s also the threat from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. If we''re not alert, we''ll definitely pay a heavy price for it. Please remind the other banner members to treat this seriously and be vigilant at all times. I do not wish to see more than half of our banner members injured after our expedition." Li Luo finished off with a serious look on his face. Although he had not been to any of the Dark Domains in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, he knew that the Others he would soon encounter would be no weaker than the ones he had seen in the Umbra Cave. Moreover, Others were really strange. If they were careless just once, there would be no medicine for their regret. The Green Nether Banner was a huge force he was responsible for now, and he did not want to see his army weakened. Furthermore, that would bear badly on his reputation as well. When Li Shi and Zhou Shanhe heard his instructions, they agreed respectfully. After giving a few more instructions, Li Luo left for the lakeside pavilion at the west side of the drill grounds. He was expecting a few more guests today. Around two hours later, three figures emerged. "Little Brother, are you done with your breakthrough?" A rather shocked but familiar voice came from the back. It was none other than Li Fengyi. On her side were Li Jingtao and Deng Fengxian, the Banner Leader of the Gold Light Banner. The four Banner Leaders of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had gathered here today under the invitation from Li Luo. Firstly, Li Luo smiled a little at Li Fengyi. Nodding, he answered, "I''ve managed to reach the Gold Fiend Tier thanks to the help of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreaths." Li Fengyi coughed a little as she said, "A breakthrough that skipped tiers? You''ve built up a strong and solid foundation." At the same time, Li Jingtao nodded and praised, "Third Brother, you are exceptionally gifted. If you had grown up in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, there would surely be no one on par with you in our generation." Deng Fengxian, who was usually very charismatic, also took another look at Li Luo. However, he was not too surprised at his breakthrough. After all, he already knew that the result would be extraordinary from the moment Li Luo had gotten seven strands of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. At this moment, Li Luo looked over to Deng Fengxian and said with a smile, "I assumed you wouldn''t come, Banner Leader Deng." Deng Fengxian calmly replied, "The expedition to the Dark Domain in the western region is a mission for all four banners. Since that is the topic of this meeting, there''s no reason for me not to turn up, Banner Leader Li Luo." In response, Li Luo nodded and said, "Speaking of which, I''ve not thanked you for your help in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool a few days ago." Back then, Deng Fengxian had reached out a helping hand. Although he was interrupted in the end, his actions had made Li Luo look at him differently. After all, the reputation of the Green Nether Banner would soar once Li Luo obtained the Golden Dragon Pillar. That would be detrimental to the Gold Light Banner''s standing in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. However, Deng Fengxian had not stood aside and ignored Li Luos struggle just because of this. Instead, he had taken the Dragon''s Fang Lineages reputation into consideration. This really highlighted his extraordinary charisma and open-mindedness. Of course, this act had made Li Luo view him more favorably too. Deng Fengxian calmly responded, "There''s no need to thank me. The Gold Light Banner is also a part of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, and I would not do anything that is detrimental to our lineage." "Who knew that someone like you, Deng Fengxian, could say something so humane?" Li Fengyi chimed in from the side. Deng Fengxian stared at Li Fengyi for a moment before he replied, "It''s not like I am inhumane. You just have too many misgivings about me, so you never listened." "Why should I listen to you?" Li Fengyi responded arrogantly with a cold snort. The corners of Deng Fengxian''s eyes twitched slightly. In the end, he was at a loss for words and simply sat down at the stone table. He had known Li Fengyi for several years, and he knew how fierce this young lady''s temper could be. "Deng Fengxian, let me tell you this. Li Luo will be our leader when the four banners set off for the mission. The Gold Light Banner is no longer the only one among the four banners now." Li Fengyi continued to taunt him with no intention of letting him off. In response, Deng Fengxian lowered his eyes a little and said, "Our four banners will remain independent. We can simply cooperate with each other to complete the mission." Hearing this, Li Fengyi glared at him fiercely and said, "Do you think the Gold Light Banner can win against our three banners? Do you think the three of us arent willing to beat you up right now?" Before Li Luo''s return, the Gold Light Banner had always been the leader among the four banners. They were far ahead of the other three banners. As a result, Li Fengyi had challenged Deng Fengxian multiple times as she was unhappy to be led by an outsider. However, she was always defeated due to the difference in strength. Thus, Li Fengyi saw an opportunity now that the Green Nether Banner led by Li Luo was up and coming. Coupled with the hidden skill that Li Jingtao had just revealed, she was determined to use this chance to get back at him. On the other hand, Li Jingtao sat quietly at the side with a good-natured smile and a totally harmless face. He dared not interrupt Li Fengyi when she was on a rampage either. Only Li Luo comforted her with a smile, saying, "Second Sister, calm down. The Dark Domain is extremely dangerous, and the four banners will need to work earnestly together to minimize our casualties as much as possible. It does not matter whether I''m the leader or not. If anything happens, the four of us can discuss things before making a decision. In that case, the four of us can share the blame together if something really goes wrong. When he finished speaking, Li Fengyi couldn''t help but reveal a smile on her beautiful face. She rolled her eyes at Li Luo before she gave Deng Fengxian a cold snort and stopped her attacks. At the same moment, Li Luo could sense that the emotionless Deng Fengxian had secretly heaved a sigh of relief. Seeing this, Li Luo nearly couldn''t stop himself from bursting out in laughter. It seemed Li Fengyi was actually the true bully in the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Chapter 0856: Western Region Chapter 0856: Western Region After their discussion, Li Luo, Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian all agreed that the four banners would set off to the western region in three days. During these three days, Li Luo did not slack off. He devoted all his time and energy into cultivating his Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, wholeheartedly comprehending his Cosmic Sword Intent, and collecting even more of it. After all, the sword intent was the strongest move in his arsenal currently. He had already seen its power for himself when he fought against Qin Yi. Fragile yet domineering, it was really unique. It was fragile because it did not possess a physical body. There was not much destructive power or effect if he utilized it on its own. However, if he combined the sword intent with his other Duke Arts, the offensive power of his Duke Art would be raised to the next level. Previously, he had fused it into a ball of lightning from his Lightning Twister Plantain Fan. It grew strong enough to overwhelm Qin Yi''s Invincible Water Jade Armor and injured her. Although there were some limitations to the sword intent, Li Luo was very satisfied with it. After all, it was just a by-product of cultivating the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. What he was really after was the Dragon Fang Sword forged from this Duke Art. Unfortunately, creating a Dragon Fang Sword with the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation was an arduous task. He was merely starting out. For one, he would still need to collect more Cosmic Sword Intent along with Dragon Fang Essence to forge a Dragon Fang Sword. As for the Dragon Fang Essence itself, each one cost thirty million skygold. There was nothing Li Luo could do now except endure and persevere. The three days flew by as Li Luo lost himself in collecting sword intent. Sadly, he did not manage to achieve anything of significance. It seemed like the collection of sword intent was really a test of one''s luck. He could only console himself by reminding himself that it was a Transcendent Duke Art. Fortunately, the journey to the western region would take a few days. He could continue his cultivation then. ... In the front district of the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range. There were numerous giant boats waiting quietly on a majestic mountain that had been flattened to form a huge square. Golden dragon runes that seemed to be swallowing up surrounding worldly natural energy covered the exterior of the boats. On the front of each boat was a dragon''s head that was a few feet wide. The heads appeared mighty and ferocious, and their maws automatically opened and closed very slowly, emitting shocking energy pulses. These were known as Dragon Vessels. They were used by the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages for moving troops. As Li Luo and the rest would be moving off with thousands of banner members, they did not want to cause a commotion during their journey. Naturally, they had decided to use the boats. These vessels were fast and stable, one of the favorite forms of transportation in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. With eight thousand banner members under their lead each, Li Luo, Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian had congregated on the square. It was a truly impressive sight to behold. With over thirty thousand soldiers from the four banners, it was, frankly, a shocking gathering. In fact, they could probably eliminate a small country with their sheer power. At this moment, Li Luo looked up to check the sky. He said with a smile, "It''s about time. Shall we go?" There was no objection from the other three. They each looked at their respective eight thousand banner members and signaled with a wave of their hands. In the next moment, a huge torrent of resonant power surged up from the banner members. Their resonant power covered up the whole sky, flowed into the four Dragon Vessels, and activated them. Soon, the banner members were all ready in the four Dragon Vessels. Li Luo and the other three Banner Leaders'' figures flashed, and they also hopped onto their respective vessels. The loud and low-pitched sound of the horns resounded at this moment. The dragon runes engraved on the four vessels glowed brightly, and enormous energy ripples pulsed along with them. In the next moment, the four vessels gradually floated into the air. With a roar, they turned into four beams of light, shooting through the clouds and speeding away into the distance. The Dragon''s Fang Domain had twelve regions under its jurisdiction. Each region was greater than the Xia Kingdom. Most importantly, the Dragon''s Fang Domain was only one of the five domains under the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Evidently, the foundation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was frighteningly huge, far beyond what Li Luo could have imagined. The power of a Heavenly Emperor was truly magnificent. This western region was located on the western side of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, one of the borders of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s domain. The land beyond that border belonged to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, another Heavenly Emperor power. However, the two forces'' borders did not meet directly. Perhaps this was to prevent any direct confrontation or escalation between the two. There was a buffer zone that belonged to no one between the two Heavenly Emperor forces. That was where the Dark Domain that Li Luo and the rest were heading to was located. Based on the speed of the vessels, it would take roughly six to seven days for them to arrive at the western region. Li Luo did not step out of his room during this time. He continued to focus all his energy on collecting Cosmic Sword Intent. Their mission was extremely dangerous after all. Hence, he felt that he had to be as prepared as he could. He spent the trip cultivating nonstop, not even taking breaks to eat or sleep. This made time pass very quickly, and before he knew it, the vessel arrived at the western region. Finally, he got what he had wished for and obtained another strand of Cosmic Sword Intent successfully. The capital of the western region was Western City. It was not in the hinterland but located beside the border. This was a strategic spot acting as the first layer of protection in case there were any unusual movements from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. When the four Dragon Vessels arrived at Western City, Li Luo stood on his vessel and looked down at the world beneath him. He could see an awe-inspiring fortress standing on the vast plain, like a giant, ancient beast that was stationed there to guard the border. On top of the fortress was a huge torrent of energy that loomed into the sky above. Upon closer look, one could tell that it was actually a very wide defensive ward. When the Dragon Vessels approached it, beams of light shot out from the heads on each vessel. There were winding, draconic runes within the beams, and when they came into contact with the defensive ward, the energy on the ward gave way temporarily and a passable hole was formed. The vessels slowly made their way in. When the vessels entered the sky above the fortress, dozens of lights and silhouettes flashed by on the ground below. All of a sudden, there were dozens of people below, each one at the Duke Stage and exuding really strong energy pulses. "I am Li Feng, the City Lord of Western City. I welcome the talented individuals from the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." An old man with white hair greeted them politely as he looked at the four Dragon Vessels. Although he was both a Duke and the City Lord of Western City, there were three distinguished guests from the direct bloodline of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage among the four banner leaders. With such noble status, he dared not treat them lightly. At the same moment, Li Luo and the other three came down from their vessels and greeted the old man. "Nice to meet you, City Lord Li Feng. Aunt Yun has specially asked me to send her regards to you," Li Luo said with a smile. Apart from being the City Lord of Western City, Li Feng was also the Patriarch of the Li Clan, Li Rouyuns clan. Li Feng took a look at Li Luo before he replied with a warm smile, "You must be Banner Leader Li Luo, who has risen in fame within the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages recently." Although Western City was far away from the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range, he had been well informed of all the happenings there. After all, the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range was the central region of the Dragon''s Fang Domain. It was only normal that Li Feng, a City Lord on the border, would be concerned about the happenings there. Anything that happened there could significantly affect their standing here. Hearing his words, Li Luo nodded lightly. In response, Li Feng''s expression became more serious immediately. Although Li Luo had just returned not long ago, news of him had spread all across the Dragon''s Fang Domain to the various City Lords. His father, Li Taixuan, was a legend in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage after all. Li Luo was his only son and was well liked by the Lineage Chief. In the future, his standing within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would definitely be extraordinary. Perhaps he could even become the Main Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall. Thus, his status was extremely exceptional. Li Feng gave a friendly smile as he said, "It''s been a long journey for the four of you. Shall we enter the city and take a rest?" At this moment, Li Luo recalled the request from Li Rouyun earlier. He looked towards the other three and exchanged glances with them. As there was no objection from them, he smiled and nodded in response. "We''ll be in your care, City Lord." Chapter 0857: Intel Chapter 0857: Intel Western City, Li Clan''s ancestral manor Li Luo and the other three were currently seated in the hall as guests. Li Feng was the host, and on top of being the head of a side branch of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, he had ruled over Western City for many years. The position of City Lord had always been occupied by a member of their clan, and in recent years, they had produced a genius like Li Rouyun, who had entered the Dragon''s Fang Lineage directly as the Third Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall. This had caused the Li Clan''s reputation to soar by leaps and bounds. Li Feng thus treated Li Luo with utmost politeness and enthusiasm. At the same time, he had also gotten some of the talented youths of the same generation to interact with them. The fact that the four of them were able to become Banner Leaders demonstrated their immense talent and strength. There was a high chance that they would become Dukes in the future, as well as foundational pillars in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, capable of wielding immense influence and might. Of course, this was not enough to make Li Feng bend over backwards. More importantly, Li Luo, Li Fengyi, and Li Jingtao all possessed a unique position. In mortal terms, if the Dragon''s Fang Lineage were a dynasty, then the three were respected princes and a princess with lofty backgrounds. During this enthusiastic reception, Li Luo swept his gaze over the youths that had come over to greet them. Although he had never met Li Lingjing, he could vaguely feel that she was not within this group. However, he did not ask further, only turning towards Li Feng. "Patriarch Li Feng, we have come to Western City in order to complete a mission in the Dark Domain. We know that it is a place rife with danger, so might you be able to share any information with us?" This was his true goal after all. The Western Region''s Li Clan had controlled Western City for countless years and had become deeply entrenched and intertwined with the happenings here. Thus, they would naturally have the best intel. After hearing Li Luo''s words, Li Feng smiled. "Banner Leader Li Luo, I suppose your mission is to obtain a Sacred Infant Fruit?" Li Luo nodded in response. "The Sacred Infant Fruit is the Western Region''s Dark Domain''s most precious natural treasure. They are found in the depths of the Dark Domain, and whenever one is birthed, it attracts strife and conflict. It is for this treasure that the fiercest battles between the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao erupt over. Normally speaking, this happens once every three years due to the time needed for one of these treasures to be born in the inner region. The Sacred Infant Fruit there is of the highest quality, and the ones found in the outer regions are a bit lacking in comparison. Your arrival is a little early, as the Sacred Infant Fruits are not yet fully ripe. The inner regions are hard to penetrate and thus only an outer region Sacred Infant Fruit would be obtainable for you. As a result, it should not cause a significant uproar," Li Feng said with much experience. Li Luo was not surprised by this. Li Jingzhe had already mentioned to him that the quality of the Sacred Infant Fruit was not too important. Deng Fengxian then piped up. "Greetings, City Lord. I would also like to inquire about the situation of the Others in the Dark Domain." "The Western Region''s Dark Domain can only be considered a smaller sized Dark Domain, so there aren''t many True Devil Others," Li Feng replied. Li Luo had done some research on his own, so he knew that True Devil Others were what they called Catastrophe-class Others back in the Xia Kingdom. Eroding class, Catastrophe class, Disaster class, and Other Kings were the rankings in terms of ascending strength levels. The Catastrophe-class Others were capable of contending against Dukes and possessed terrifying strength. As a result, they were known as True Devils in the inner divine continent. Li Feng waved his hand, and four maids respectfully delivered a scroll to each of the four. When the scrolls were unraveled, one could see an in-depth map of the Western Region''s Dark Domain. On the map were several scarlet districts, with some areas having been marked with a blood-red skull, giving them a sense of peril. "The locations of the True Devil Others are marked on this map. If you wish to enter the areas where Sacred Infant Fruits can be found, it is best to avoid them," Li Feng explained. The four nodded. These maps would allow them to identify and avoid most of the dangers, and even if they were to encounter the attacks of any True Devil Others, they would be more prepared and aware. "Additionally, this particular Dark Domain is only suitable for second-grade Dukes and below to enter. If one is stronger than that, they would be blocked from entering," Li Feng told them. "There is a restriction on one''s strength here?" Li Luo asked in surprise. "Haha. This Dark Domain''s seal was established by both the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. The restriction is to prevent extraordinary experts from other powers or rogue cultivators from entering." Li Luo was a little taken aback. This seal was a collaborative effort between two Heavenly Emperor powers... However, it did make sense. Neither party wanted exceptional experts to intrude upon the Dark Domain and pillage the resources here completely. They were basically trying to raise a tiger. Alas, Li Luo was extremely clear on how frightening the Others were, and the memory of the devastated Xia City was still fresh in his mind. The peace and tranquility that they once had was now a fleeting memory, and even the environment was being defiled. Thus, it was likely that only a Heavenly Emperor power would dare to do such a perilous thing. If something truly did happen, they would also use their full force to suppress and crush any uprising of Others. At the same time, this seal was beneficial to them. Each of the four had a banner supporting them, and with the aid of Harmony, they were like four first-grade Dukes. This sort of formation should deter anyone from daring to cause trouble with them. "Normally speaking, rogue cultivators and other powers would not dare to show any sort of bad intentions towards the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. However, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, on the other hand... Our relationship has never been harmonious, but being openly hostile might be a little too much. Still, our two sides have confronted each other numerous times in the Dark Domain over the years for the sake of resources. Both parties have lost countless experts to each other." Li Feng sighed deeply as he looked towards Li Luo. "Banner Leader Li Luo, you must be wary of this." "What do you mean?" Li Luo felt taken aback by this sudden warning, and he frowned. "Is the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao targeting me?" Li Feng slowly enunciated, "From the news I have heard, after it was heard that you would receive a mission in the Western Region''s Dark Domain, Zhao Jingyu from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao immediately rushed over." "Zhao Jingyu? Who is that?" Li Luo asked blankly. "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao has Twenty Divisions, the equivalent of our Twenty Banners. The Twenty Divisions are named after beasts. Zhao Jingyu is the Tiger Division''s leader and a genius of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao''s younger generation. Currently, he ranks second," Li Fengyi explained as her face turned into a frown. She continued coldly, "Zhao Jingyu is extremely domineering and vicious. Does he have nothing better to do, trying to target Li Luo?" Li Feng''s pale, old visage formed a helpless smile. "Youths love to fight. If it means they can leave a positive impression on the woman they like, they would naturally do some hot-blooded acts." "A female he likes?" Li Luo''s face turned blank. Just who the heck was this woman he liked? When Li Fengyi thought about it, her expression turned a little strange. "Could it be Qin Yi?" Li Feng nodded. "From what I know, Zhao Jingyu adores Qin Yi immensely. He must have heard about what happened at the Dragon''s Blood Lineage and, as a result, set his sights upon Banner Leader Li Luo. He even announced that he wished to gift Li Luo''s arm to Qin Yi. However, if you look at things more deeply, it might be that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao is trying to borrow the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing''s issues to send a message." As a patriarch of a side branch family, his thoughts ran deep when he considered the possible implications of this challenge. Li Luo was dumbfounded. He finally understood just what sort of reputation Qin Yi possessed in the younger generation of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. That wench was clearly trying to cause trouble at the dragonbreath pool, and when news of it spread, he had become the common enemy? The saying that a beautiful woman brought about calamities was not wrong. However, Zhao Jingyu was truly a tyrant. He actually dared to speak such vicious words like severing his arm off. Li Luo could only helplessly smile as he evaluated that madman in his mind. That fellow is truly a wood-brained idiot. Chapter 0858: Li Lingjing Chapter 0858: Li Lingjing Li Luo had not expected to learn so much from talking to Li Feng. Although he had called Zhao Jingyu a wood-brained idiot, he had made a note deep in his heart on how dangerous that guy could actually be. He had to be one of the more powerful idiots if he was able to squeeze into the position of rank two amongst the younger generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao... right? Li Luo was never one to underestimate his opponents. If they encountered each other in the Dark Domain later on, he would definitely spare no mercy. Moreover, the two of them were already in opposing camps, so there was no need to worry about further repercussions. At this moment, Li Feng gave it some thought before he said with a smile, "Banner Leader Li Luo, I am afraid that many Dukes from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao might come along with Zhao Jingyu. For your safety, please let me accompany you all safely into the Dark Domain. After which, I''ll wait outside the seal for you all to return." Hearing this, Li Luo asked in response, "City lord Li Feng, are you worried that the Dukes from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao will attack us? Are they that unruly?" "It''s mainly because of Zhao Jingyu''s infamous reputation for being vicious and dominant. I am afraid that when he goes crazy, he''ll order the Dukes to attack you all. Although it''s indeed a shameless act that will attract criticism, there''s no harm in playing it safe here," Li Feng explained. At this point, Li Feng smiled helplessly and continued, "Besides, if anything were to happen to the three of you in this western region, my head would roll for sure." Li Luo took a look at Li Fengyi and the rest before he nodded. "We''ll be in your care then, City Lord Li Feng." Since the other party had said it like this, they did not raise any objections. Besides, Li Feng was only escorting them to the entrance of the Dark Domain''s seal. He would not help them directly in completing the task, so it would not be considered a violation of rules. At the next moment, Li Feng changed the conversation topic, sharing details about the local culture in the western region. The atmosphere became more and more lively as the hosts and guests enjoyed their time. When the banquet came to an end, Li Luo took the chance to ask, "May I trouble you for a moment, City Lord? Aunt Yun has actually asked me to pay Cousin Li Lingjing a visit." Li Feng was taken aback when he heard this. With a bitter smile, he replied, "Rouyun is still worried about that little girl." He stood up from his seat and continued, "In that case, please come with me, Banner Leader Li Luo. That little girl changed completely after the incident years ago. She no longer accepts any outside visitors, so we did not ask her along for this occasion." Li Luo nodded and informed Li Fengyi and the gang before he followed Li Feng into the backyard. As the two of them strolled along in the hallway, Li Luo said in a curious tone, "I heard that Cousin Li Lingjing used to be a gifted child." Li Feng nodded and responded with a sigh, "Indeed, Li Clan hasnt seen a remarkable genius like Lingjing in centuries. She''s only slightly older than you. If not for the incident, she''d definitely have made it into the Twenty Banners in the previous selection. Furthermore, she may even have been pulled into the Green Nether Banner considering her close ties to Rouyun. If that had been the case, I am confident that Lingjing would be a potential candidate for the Dragon''s Head in the last batch of the Twenty Banners!" Li Luo was a little surprised when he heard this. This cousin of his nearly got into the Green Nether Banner too? If Li Feng was not exaggerating, the Green Nether Banner would have made their comeback in the previous generation. There would have been no need to wait until his return at all. It seemed that things always turned out in unexpected ways. At this moment, Li Feng''s old face turned a little gloomy as he continued, "What a pity... That little girl was once so lively and high-spirited, but she encountered a True Devil Other in the Dark Domain. Although she managed to stay alive in the end, her mental state and foundation were severely damaged and corrupted. Even after we purified the corruption within her later on, her mind and fighting spirit were already lost. Her cultivation progress has been extremely slow since then. Those who used to be far behind her have caught up and overtaken her during these years." Li Feng looked rather bitter as he recalled that young, sword-wielding girl that once shocked Western City. She was so close to becoming the new dazzling star of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. "Due to all this, Lingjing''s personality became a lot more withdrawn. She has alienated herself from even the people who used to be close to her. As a result, some of them inevitably hold some resentment towards her. Moreover, the rumors going around have made her even more unwilling to interact with anyone. "That child used to have a very close relationship with Rouyun. After Rouyun took charge of matters in the Dragon Tooth Mountain Range, she''s been collecting rare materials for her, hoping to cure her injuries. Sadly, nothing has had much of an effect. It is almost as if that True Devil Other permanently eroded her mental state back then." When he heard about this, Li Luo also felt sad for her. It was an extremely unfortunate thing for a genius of the generation to turn into such a total wreck. As the two continued speaking, Li Feng started to slow down. Li Luo could see a quiet courtyard in front of him, filled with weeds and dead leaves on the ground. There was an air of decay and abandon surrounding it, followed by a seemingly cold and spooky gust. When the two of them walked into the courtyard, Li Luo spotted a wheelchair in a stone pavilion covered with dead leaves. On the wheelchair was a girl dressed in white. There was no makeup on the girls face, but her fair skin and facial features were extremely beautiful. Yet her eyes seemed empty as they stared blankly at the dead leaves falling down. There was an eerily cold air blowing around her from time to time, keeping people from approaching her. When Li Feng brought Li Luo into the stone pavilion, there was no reaction from the girl. "Lingjing." Li Feng called out to her in a soft voice. "This is Li Luo, Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner. Rouyun has entrusted him to pay you a visit." Initially, there was totally no reaction from the white-dressed girl. However, her empty eyes wavered a little as soon as she heard the word Rouyun. She said in a really soft voice, "A Aunt." She slowly raised her pale face and took a look at Li Luo. In response, Li Luo gave her a warm and friendly smile as he swiped his pocket sphere. He took out the pills and medicinal ingredients that Li Rouyun had entrusted to him and placed them in front of her. Li Lingjing stared blankly at the pills and medicinal ingredients, but she did not say anything. Her pathetic appearance was truly a sight that made people sigh. This was an unbearable sight for Li Feng. His old face was filled with sadness as he waved to Li Luo before turning around and walking out of the courtyard. At this moment, Li Luo took a seat at the side. He empathized with Li Lingjing''s encounter. Moreover, Li Rouyun had used a precious treasure that was originally meant for her to help alleviate the Sacrificial Ignition of Jiang Qing''e''s Heart of Light. Hence, he was also really grateful to Li Lingjing. "Sister Lingjing, don''t be filled with despair. There is a solution to every problem," Li Luo told her in a warm tone. Li Lingjing did not say anything in responseshe merely continued staring blankly into the air. Li Luo continued speaking to himself. "Let me share something with you. In the past, I was someone with a blank palace with no way to cultivate. I felt hopeless just like you. However, I still found a solution in the end." Hearing this, Li Lingjing took another look at him before she finally opened her mouth. There was little fluctuation in her tone, but she said, "It''s useless. Half of my spirit was eaten up by the Other. I''m just a useless person with no chance to progress anymore." "Other? Was it a True Devil?" Li Luo asked. Li Lingjing kept quiet for another moment before she said, "It was the Soul Eater True Devil. If you''re going into the Dark Domain in the Western Region, you should be careful. This True Devil Other loves talented individuals the most." Li Luo frowned a little when he heard about this. Was this True Devil Other really that weird? It would purposely go for opponents that were strong and talented? "If this Other is so powerful, we should send our elites to annihilate it," Li Luo said. In response, Li Lingjing shook her head slowly and explained, "It''s different from the common True Devil Others. It''s really intelligent. The Patriarch and the others tried to surround and annihilate it before, but they couldn''t find any traces of it. It can be considered the most mysterious Other in this Western Region''s Dark Domain." Hearing this, Li Luo pondered for a moment and said, "If we annihilate this True Devil Other, will you be able to recover?" Li Lingjing paused for a moment before she replied, "I don''t know. It might have digested the eaten half of my spirit, turning it into corruption." Li Luo sighed in his heart. If that was indeed the case, it would be really troublesome. "Sister Lingjing, after I''m done with my mission, you can follow me back to the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range. I''ll ask the Respected Elder to examine you and see if there''s any solution to your issue," Li Luo told her after giving it some thought. "The Lineage Chief...." Li Lingjing whispered in reply before she shook her head. Seeing this, Li Luo was a little puzzled. However, Li Lingjing did not speak any further. She simply stared at the pills and medicinal ingredients on the stone table before she took out a jade ornament and handed it to Li Luo. "Please help me pass this jade ornament to my aunt. Tell her that there''s no need to help me search for all these pills and medicinal ingredients anymore." When she finished her sentence, she closed her eyes and did not say more. "Go ahead. Be careful in the Dark Domain." Li Luo accepted the jade ornament as he stared at Li Lingjing, who refused to communicate any further. He let out a sigh in his heart before he turned around and left. Chapter 0859: Dark Cloud Conclave Chapter 0859: Dark Cloud Conclave Li Luo and the rest spent a day in Western City and then set off on the second day. Under the lead of Li Feng and two of his powerful Dukes, they headed towards the Dark Domain that was thousands of miles away. The vast Dark Domain of the Western Region was located between the borders of the two Heavenly Emperor forces. In order to avoid any direct conflicts, the two giant forces had demarcated this area as a neutral buffer zone. Neither side had ever intervened with the affairs here. They would only look into it when there were any movements from the Dark Domain. As a result, there were many rogue cultivators that had gathered around here. Many cities and small powers were born as a result. Out of these, the biggest city was known as the Dark Cloud Conclave. It was controlled by a force known as the Dark Cloud Hall, which was led by a fourth-grade Duke that was considered one of the most powerful in this region. Of course, a fourth-grade Duke was nothing worth mentioning when compared to a huge force like the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. As such, the Dark Cloud Conclave did not make any noise or chase them away when the four Dragon Vessels carrying Li Luo and the rest arrived in the vicinity of their the city. They simply turned a blind eye to the vessels hovering near them. Riding the Dragon Vessel at the front, Li Feng smiled at Li Luo and the rest as he said, "The Dark Cloud Conclave is the closest city to the Dark Domain of the Western Region. There are many rogue cultivators gathered here. As there''s still some time before the seal of the Dark Domain is lifted, you guys may want to check out Dark Cloud Square. There are many unique treasures traded over there, and something special occasionally pops up." Li Fengyi was very excited when she heard these words. Looking at her, Li Luo and the others couldn''t turn down the opportunity, so they got off the vessel and went straight into the city. It turned out that there were actually guards at the entrance. Originally, anyone who entered the city would have to pay an entrance fee. However, Li Luo and the rest walked in smoothly without facing any obstructions. Clearly, the guards had been alerted of their arrival beforehand. "Haha. Brother Li Feng, what brings you to the Dark Cloud Conclave today? This place pales in comparison to Western City." As soon as they stepped into the city, a clear laughter came from the front. When Li Luo looked up, he saw a huge group of people coming towards them with a middle-aged man dressed in black in the middle. He appeared rather dominating as he walked towards them, with a faint feeling of ferocity hidden within his expression. "Hall Master Liang Xiong, the Dark Cloud Conclave is doing better and better." Li Feng smiled lightly as he watched the guy approach them. "Let me introduce him. This is Liang Xiong, the Hall Master of the Dark Cloud Hall." At this moment, the burly Liang Xiong turned his attention towards Li Luo and the rest. Despite their young looks, Liang Xiong could tell from Li Feng''s attitude that these four were nobles from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. However, he did not probe any further. He simply displayed a friendlier smile on his ferocious-looking face. Li Luo and the rest did not put on airs. They put their hands together and greeted him. Following this, Liang Xiong led the way and brought them around the city while he chatted with Li Feng. Finally, they arrived at Dark Cloud Square. The place was lively and bustling with people. When Li Luo and the rest took a quick glance around, they saw that Dark Cloud Square was separated into different zones by light curtains drawn from light beads floating in the air. Each area was filled with the silhouettes of many. These were all miniature auction houses, with people coming on stage repeatedly to display their treasures for auction. Although the venue was a bit lacking, the atmosphere was extremely lively. This piqued the interest of Li Luo and the rest. It was no surprise that the Dark Cloud Conclave was one of the busiest and most developed cities in this region. As they were casually shopping around, only Li Fengyi participated in some of the auctions. Li Luo and the rest were not interested, as they had seen many treasures before. Ordinary items simply did not attract their attention. However, an idea flashed across Li Luo''s mind as he witnessed the dozens of items on auction. "Hall Master Liang Xiong, may I check if they have Dragon Fang Essence on auction here?" Li Luo asked. He was still thinking of the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation that he was cultivating. Essences were exceptionally rare and expensive. He was just wondering if he would get lucky over here. Liang Xiong thought about it for a moment before he replied with a smile, "That''s an extraordinary item you just described, Little Brother Li Luo. Dragon Fang Essences are extremely rare and seldom appear here. Besides, with each drop being worth tens of millions of skygold, most people would not find it safe to auction one here." Hearing this, Li Luo appeared a little disappointed. "But..." Liang Xiong''s tone changed suddenly before he continued, "We do have dragon fangs on auction here. You may be able to extract Dragon Fang Essence from dragon fangs. Besides, dragon fangs are much cheaper than Dragon Fang Essence that has already been extracted." Li Luo was taken aback when he heard those words. He immediately grew very interested and asked, "Can you bring me over to take a look?" Dragon Fang Essence had always been extracted from dragon fangs. If he wasn''t able to get any Dragon Fang Essence, it would be good to get his hands on dragon fangs at least. Most importantly, they were cheaper! Liang Xiong nodded as he replied, "Sure, Little Brother Li Luo. Just a reminder though, you may not always succeed in extracting Dragon Fang Essence from dragon fangs. In fact, failure to do so is quite common." After he finished his sentence, he led the way. A few minutes later, he turned into a well-lit area and passed instructions to someone at the side. Soon, a person appeared on the stage. "Hello, everyone. I am auctioning five dragon fangs today. With their ability to cause dragonfear and unparallelled sharpness, these fangs can be used to craft treasured artifacts. Furthermore, they can be added to pills and medicinal ingredients. Most importantly, refining a dragon fang might result in a Dragon Fang Essence. A drop of it is worth thirty million skygold. This item is definitely worth your money," a lean man shouted on the stage before he took out five long, jade boxes. When the boxes were opened, five dragon fangs with some mottled marks emerged. There seemed to be a cold air flowing around them, as well an inexplicable sharpness. "Each dragon fang''s starting price is three million skygold." When he finished his sentence, the crowd started whispering to each other. However, there were not many who bidded. After all, only the first two of the three advantages listed were common. It was not worth such a high price, as they were only acting as supplementary materials. The last part did seem very attractive, but the crowd present knew very well that it was not always that one could extract Dragon Fang Essence from the dragon fangs. If they spent fifteen million skygold on these five dragon fangs just to fail in the extraction process, they would be left with nothing of value. Li Luo waited for a while and noticed that no bid was made. However, he did not question if this was specially arranged by Liang Xiong. Instead, he turned over to Li Fengyi and asked with a smile, "Second Sister, my pocket is shy of the sum. May I borrow some money?" To be honest, he had only been at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage for a few months. With all his resources spent on cultivation, it was really challenging for him to fork out more than ten million skygold right now. When Li Fengyi heard his request, she replied, "Do you want to buy all five dragon fangs? For cultivating the Duke Art of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage? No problem, just treat these as a gift from your Second Sister." As the only daughter in the family, Li Jinpan really doted on Li Fengyi. When it came to wealth, not even Li Jingtao could match up to her. Before Li Luo could say anything more, she shouted out, "Three million skygold each, I''ll take all five dragon fangs." The guy on the stage was elated to hear this. Although this was only his starting bid, it was still a blessing for him to sell all of his goods. "Deal!" he shouted back loudly, about to announce the conclusion of the auction. However, surprises always occurred at the last minute. A slow voice with an unconcealable, domineering air sounded out at this moment, interrupting the auctioneer who was about to yell the result. "Four million skygold each. Who dares to fight with me over what I fancy today?" Li Luo was stunned by this sudden development. Li Fengyi, however, was pissed off. She turned around to see where the voice had come from, and she saw a group of imposing figures cut through the crowd and make their way to the front of the auction table. Li Fengyi''s eyes froze immediately when she saw the leading figure in the group. "Zhao Jingyu, do you have nothing better to do?" Chapter 0860: Zhao Jingyu Chapter 0860: Zhao Jingyu When Li Fengyi''s cold voice rang out, Li Luo stared at the leader of the group of men too. He was a tall young man dressed in black, with scarlet tiger stripes tattooed over half of his face. When he grinned, his white teeth gave off a ferocious look as if he was a savage wild beast. This guy was the Tiger Division''s leader from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, Zhao Jingyu? No one had thought that they would encounter each other here. When he heard Li Fengyi''s words, his face grew vicious as he stared at her, and he said with a sinister smile, "What''s the matter? Only you, Li Fengyi, can bid? I can''t? Has the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li stopped paying their members?" Afterwards, he turned towards Liang Xiong at the side and said, "Hall Master Liang Xiong, are you saying I can''t bid for anything here?" Hearing this, Liang Xiong replied with an embarrassed face, "Of course you can. Dark Cloud Square has always been an auction ground for trades and business. Anyone is welcome to make a bid." As a member of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, Zhao Jingyu was not someone Liang Xiong would dare to offend. Zhao Jingyu laughed in response and then turned his gaze towards Li Luo, who was standing at the side without speaking a single word all this while. He told Li Luo, "I heard that there is a country bumpkin from an outer divine continent that has just returned to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Is that you?" His unreasonable and domineering temperament was fully revealed through his words. "I heard that a wood-brained idiot from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao wants my arm. Could it be you?" Li Luo replied with a light smile. Zhao Jingyu''s face turned ugly immediately. With eyes like those of a wild beast, he glared at Li Luo and said, "Country bumpkin, do you want to die?" Bang! As soon as he finished speaking, Li Fengyi''s brows stood on end and the resonant power in her body surged up. At the next moment, a spear emitting a rainbow gradient flew out of her hand in a flash towards Zhao Jingyu directly. But Zhao Jingyu was unfazed by Li Fengyi''s attack. He waved his hand and signaled to the Dukes at his side that there was no need for them to make a move. Following this, he clenched his fingers and punched out. Roar! A fist of light flew out with the roar of a tiger. It was ferocious like the claws of a giant tiger, and it clashed head-on with the spear. The energy from the two attacks exploded upon collision. However, it was kept within a small area as the Dukes from both sides contained the damage. Clearly, Zhao Jingyu had the upper hand when the two clashed. He had barely moved from his original position, while Li Fengyi''s delicate body was trembling and she had taken half a step back. Her expression turned even colder. "I seek your kind understanding, my two distinguished guests. Please do not fight here," Liang Xiong said with a bitter face at this moment. If it were other Earth Fiend small fries, he would have sent them flying out of this place straight away. However, he dared not offend Zhao Jingyu and Li Fengyi. Besides, a clash between these two was not an issue. He was afraid the Dukes that were with them would get dragged into the fighting as well. The damages and consequences would be unimaginable then. Zhao Jingyu grinned and said, "You are still so unruly, Li Fengyi. Getting violent at the slightest disagreement. Are you the only one that can bid for anything in this world? Others cannot outbid you?" At this point, Li Fengyi''s eyes were ice-cold. "I''ll pay five million skygold for each," she said as she looked at the auctioneer. The guy was overjoyed when he heard this, and he shouted, "Okay!" "Then I will pay six million skygold for each," Zhao Jingyu said with a smile. Li Fengyi was about to shout another offer before Li Luo stopped her and said, "Second Sister, there is no need to get too emotional over this. This is the price of a fool. Although our family business is huge and rich, there''s no need to waste it and compete with this wastrel. "At six million skygold each, it''ll cost a total of thirty million skygold for five. Even if we''re lucky enough to get a drop of Dragon Fang Essence from them, we''d only break even. This is not worth it anymore." Li Fengyi did not want to listen to any reasoning at first, but she was ultimately convinced by Li Luo''s sly words. Her anger died down a little, then she told Zhao Jingyu sarcastically, "Fool, I''ll give it to you if you want it so much." Zhao Jingyu was extremely disappointed when he saw this. He took another glare at Li Luo and said, "You really get on my nerves." Hearing this, Li Luo shrugged and replied, "Come and bite me, then." Zhao Jingyu simply grinned and responded, "No hurries, there''ll be a chance. So many people have died in the Dark Domain over the years that it''s nothing out of the ordinary anymore. When that time comes, there''s nothing that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li will be able to do about it. After all, so many people from both sides have died of unknown causes over the years." In response, Li Luo answered, "In that case, won''t I earn five dragon fangs for free?" Zhao Jingyu was startled for a moment before his eyes became darker and fiercer. What Li Luo meant was that the five dragon fangs Zhao Jingyu had just bought would be taken by this country bumpkin after he died. "If you really want these five dragon fangs, it''s simple. Just lower your head and apologize to Lady Qin Yi now and I''ll let you have them," Zhao Jingyu said sarcastically. Li Luo shook his head and turned down the offer. "No hurry, we can leave them with you for a little longer." At this moment, Zhao Jingyu laughed angrily as he stared ferociously at Li Luo. "Even Li Qingfeng doesn''t dare to speak to me in this manner. Who do you think you are?" Li Luo simply replied, "Could it be that he simply didn''t want to talk nonsense with you?" Hearing this, Li Fengyi could not help but snort in amusement. Li Luo''s way with words was truly masterful. Zhao Jingyu must have been fuming with anger after hearing Li Luo''s taunt. However, he did not lose control of himself. He simply grinned and stared at Li Luo for a moment. Next, he waved his hand and completed the dragon fang auction before walking off with his guys without muttering another word. "Zhao Jingyu is known for being vengeful and ruthless. With your provocations, there will surely be a fight to the death waiting for you in the Dark Domain," Deng Fengxian said from the side. Anyone could tell that Zhao Jingyu had not admitted defeat in the end. He simply put his murderous intent and thoughts of revenge in his heart. "That guy is insane. It is said that he never, ever holds back when he fights. He''s extremely cruel, and even his peers from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao have been seriously injured by him during competitions," Li Fengyi said. "Don''t worry. We have the Undefeated Venerable. No matter how crazy Zhao Jingyu gets, we will not be defeated," Li Luo said with a slap on Li Jingtao''s back. "Huh?" Li Jingtao said with a flustered face when he heard this. Li Fengyi rolled her eyes at him. Li Luo laughed in response as he continued, "I saw three young guys following Zhao Jingyu earlier. Those should be the other three division leaders. In that case, they should have four division leaders entering the Dark Domain as well, right?" Li Luo turned to Li Feng. "Will there be other Dukes from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao coming along with them?" Li Feng shook his head and explained, "Although we have many disputes with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, we''re both huge and respectable forces of power. There are some unspoken rules between us to ensure that things don''t get too ugly between both sides. Amongst them, one of the most obvious rules is not to fight across generations. As such, their Dukes will not attack our younger generation under ordinary circumstances." Hearing this, Li Luo nodded. This was good. There was nothing for his side to be afraid of if their only enemies were the four division leaders from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. "Let''s get moving too." Li Luo had lost interest in the Dark Cloud Conclave after the dragon fangs were intercepted. After a discussion with everyone, he said goodbye to Hall Master Liang Xiong, boarded the Dragon Vessel, and headed straight out into the distance. This went on for about ten minutes. As Li Luo stood on the vessel, he squinted and looked at the land far ahead. He could spot some black stone pillars rising from the ground. Many ancient and obscure runes were engraved on them. The worldly natural energy in the area was constantly gathering and flowing into the stone pillars. There was a long stone ladder in the center of the countless pillars. It extended upwards and ended at a very high platform. Traces of tears in the void were seen around the platform. Most glaringly, there was a black crack that was several meters in length floating in the air, looking like a huge gate leading to hell. From time to time, shadows of people were seen passing by the huge gates. When Li Luo looked at the black crack, he knew what it was in his heart immediately. This was where they were headed to. The Dark Domain of the Western Region. Chapter 0861: Encounter Chapter 0861: Encounter Li Feng and the party stopped right before they entered the Dark Domain. "Dear Banner Leaders, we will just wait for all of you to finish the mission over here. Don''t worry, we will keep watch over the Dukes from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. There are also not many rogue cultivators, and the ones that do enter this Dark Domain are usually only at the Heavenly Dipper General Stage. I reckon they won''t dare to disturb you all," Li Feng told Li Luo and the other three with a smile. Li Luo and the rest nodded with their banner members standing behind them quietly. With thousands of men gathered here, it was a truly magnificent sight. Many of the rogue cultivators on the other path had looked over curiously. However, they dared not stare any further once they realized who they were. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was truly an overlord in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Dukes, who would usually be able to rule over others elsewhere, were merely elders. As for the Earth Fiend Stage young members, they could condense their power together using special means. As a result, they were not any weaker than Dukes. Such a foundation was way beyond what most common people could imagine. In the next moment, Li Luo and the other three took a look at each other before they separated. Without wasting any more time, they each led their respective banners into the dark crack. As soon as Li Luo stepped into the tear in the void, he sensed a really strong vibration in the air, and the space around him began to warp. His mind started feeling a little dizzy suddenly. However, the dizziness soon dispersed, and the surroundings around him changed completely. The sky was dark, and it stretched all the way to the end of one''s vision. The thick clouds were deep gray, giving people an uneasy and cold feeling. Between the sky and earth was an irritating, low voice ringing faintly in the air, which disrupted one''s mental state. Luckily, Li Luo grew accustomed to this new environment quickly. He took a quick scan of the area vigilantly and noticed that he was currently on a huge, glowing stone platform atop the dark plains. There was an eerie, evil air floating about that reeked of corruption. Shortly after, the members of the Green Nether Banner appeared behind him. However, there was no sight of Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, Deng Fengxian, or their respective banner members. Li Luo was not surprised by this. Before they had entered, Li Feng had already told them that there were five receiving platforms in this Dark Domain. They would be randomly teleported to one of them when they were transported. As such, they had already discussed beforehand on the meetup point and paths to follow. "Is this the Dark Domain? Sure makes one feel uneasy," Zhao Yanzhi said as she scanned the surroundings with her charming face. In fact, it was extremely dangerous for Earth Fiends like them to enter this place if all they could rely on was their individual strength. Many of the Disaster-class Others in here would easily deal a fatal injury to them. "Have you all fought against Others in the past?" Li Luo asked. Li Shi nodded and replied, "I have experience. One of our missions in order to get into the Twenty Banners was to slay one Other on the same level as us personally." Li Luo was surprised to hear this. It seemed like the Twenty Banners selection was extremely stringent. He was well aware of how strange and troublesome Others were. Whether it was in the Umbra Cave of the college or during the Holy Grail Meet in the Blackwind Empire, they had really given him a lot of headaches. "Since you all have experience, I will not say much. Stay alert in groups of ten and move forward while keeping our formation," Li Luo ordered. When he finished, he took the first step down the stone platform and led the way forward. The area around the stone platform had become a sort of safety zone, and many of the explorers had gathered here. With such a big crowd like Li Luos appearing, they all looked over in surprise. Clearly, they had sensed the enormous power from the 8,000 members. Their faces changed immediately and they started whispering among themselves. "They give off strong auras despite being at the Earth Fiend Stage." "Look at the patterns on their robes. They must be from the Green Nether Banner, one of the Twenty Banners of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. I have an elder working in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, so I know. The Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner is named Li Luo. His father is none other than Li Taixuan, the man that once dominated the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Furthermore, his mother is the famous Tan Tailan." "Li Luo just returned from the outer divine continent a few months ago. Who would have expected him to become the Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner so soon? Sigh. The best opportunity for one is really to be born in the right family," one of the voices commented with a sigh. "That depends on whether he''s talented enough to enjoy this opportunity. If he''s just an ordinary guy, it''ll just become additional stress for him," another voice commented. "A division from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao entered just a little while ago. These two bloodlines have been at odds. If they meet each other, there''ll surely be a big fight," another voice gloated. Li Luo led his group through the crowd amidst the many whispers. In particular, the last piece of news gave him a little headache. There are people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao here? Just which one of them is it? Li Luo''s question was answered very quickly. As he got closer to the edge of the safety zone, he paused. He looked into the distance ahead and noticed thousands of people standing there neatly. Their resonant power was surging. With each breath they took, a ferocious, ancient tiger faintly appeared in the sky. Right in front of the thousands of people was a figure casually seated on a big rock. A huge, dark-red blade that looked as though it was dyed with blood lay on his legs. It was none other than Zhao Jingyu. Li Luo shook his head helplessly. They had encountered each other so soon. In the same moment, Zhao Jingyu lifted his head up when he saw Li Luo and the Green Nether Banner approaching. He revealed a happy smile on his face, and the tiger tattoo on his face bared its fangs. It appeared extremely savage. "Li Luo, it seems like your luck isn''t very good," Zhao Jingyu said with a grin. Zhao Jingyu had planned to hinder one of Li Luo''s companions right here before they could meet up in order to cripple their strength. To his delight, he had actually encountered Li Luo directly. Standing behind Li Luo, Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and the rest also prepared themselves. Their faces turned serious and they waved their hands. It was a signal to the other banner members to prepare for a big fight. Although he was a wood-brained idiot, Zhao Jingyu was undoubtedly strong. The Tiger Division led by him was ranked second among the Twenty Divisions from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. If it was the Green Nether Banner in the past, they would not have dared to clash with them head-on at all. Li Luo stared at Zhao Jingyu calmly as he led the banner to march forward. He had not intended to stay hidden in the safety zone. When the eight thousand banner members marched on, a faint, draconic roar resounded in the air as their energies surged in support of Li Luo. "Li Luo, sever one of your own arms and get out of this Dark Domain with the Green Nether Banner," Zhao Jingyu said lazily as he watched Li Luo walk out. "Are the five dragon fangs ready?" Li Luo asked. Zhao Jingyu smiled even more when he heard these words. "I''m curious. Where did a country bumpkin like you get such contemptible courage from? Is it because of your great win in the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool? Do you really think that you''re that amazing after being able to win the Golden Dragon Pillar? You managed to escape from Fairy Qin only because she couldn''t use her full strength. A perfect person like her shouldn''t be tainted because of a country bumpkin like you. This is exactly why I will take one of your arms along and go to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing... to propose to Fairy Qin." Zhao Jingyu stared at Li Luo and asked sincerely, "Can you help me out?" In response, Li Luo smiled and replied, "You really are a fool." Hearing this, Zhao Jingyu sighed helplessly and jumped down from the rock. With the huge blade that seemed to be oozing blood in his hand, he charged towards Li Luo like a savage beast revealing its white teeth. "In that case, I''ll help myself and cut you down directly." He lifted his blade and pointed it directly at Li Luo. Chapter 0862:First Clash Chapter 0862:First Clash Facing the blatant hostility and murderous intent coming from Zhao Jingyu, Li Luo''s expression did not change at all. He had not expected to make his first real enemy because of jealousy over a lady! However, it was beyond his ability and position to consider if Zhao Jingyu''s actions were a ploy from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao to get closer to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. As much as Zhao Jingyu wanted his arm for his marriage proposal, Li Luo also wished to obtain an arm from his opponent... Specifically, the arm with the pocket sphere. He had not forgotten about the dragon fangs. At this moment, many people back in the safety zone had started watching the conflict excitedly. It was not a common sight to see the top talents from two different Heavenly Emperor forces clashing. Under all these gazes, Zhao Jingyu walked forward slowly with the huge, crimson blade in his hand. The Tiger Division did not move a single step behind him. However, their resonant power surged with every breath they took, forming an enormous, terrifying power. Zhao Jingyu did not plan to activate Harmony right now. He simply stared disdainfully at Li Luo and said, "I heard that you have wasted dozens of years in the outer divine continent and are still at the Greater Fiend Palace now. What a tragic story. Too bad, I will not give you a chance just because of that. It was the dumb decision of your father and mother, after all." When he finished his sentence, he gradually raised the huge blade in his hand. His resonant power erupted without holding back, and Fiend Dipper energy leaked out from the tip of his sword. His Fiend Dipper energy was nearly eight hundred feet high! Zhao Jingyu was clearly at the peak of the Fiend Finisher Tier. Taking a step forward, Zhao Jingyu slashed down fiercely towards Li Luo''s direction. The Fiend Dipper energy was truly terrifying. When the blade fell, space itself was sliced apart with faint traces left behind in the void, and a blade scar thousands of meters long and half a meter deep appeared on the ground below. Many of the Fiend Finisher Tier cultivators present were staring in shock when he wielded his blade. Zhao Jingyu''s foundation was on a totally different level. "Big Boss, activate Harmony now!" Li Shi shouted out in a hurry. Even the Gold Fiend Li Shi was feeling threatened by Zhao Jingyus slash. If this slash were targeted at him, he would probably have died on the spot. However, Li Luo simply waved his hand in response. Eagerness filled up his eyes. His power had increased greatly after his recent breakthrough into the half-completed Glass Fiend Tier. And Zhao Jingyu was the perfect whetstone for him. He clenched his fist, and the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade materialized in his hand. Then he took a deep breath, and the three resonant palaces within him started shuddering. Like mighty tidal waves, an enormous resonant power surged within his body. In particular, two of his resonant powers coiled together like giant pythons and rapidly fused with each other. Dual resonances! A dual-colored ring of light appeared around his blade as he swung it down with a calm face. A rapidly spinning blade wheel materialized in the air. Weng! Pure and condensed resonant power was seen flowing within the blade wheel. Hidden within it was a faint trace of the Vestiges of Spirituality. It was truly mystical. The blade wheel flew through the air. After a few moments, it made contact with the terrifying Fiend Dipper energy-powered slash. Bang! The raging energy from the attacks exploded in the air. The two powers started to consume and eliminate each other. After a short while, the blade wheel''s rotation gradually slowed, and it eventually shattered into motes of light. However, the Fiend Dipper energy slash had been greatly weakened too. When the attack finally reached him, Li Luo simply let it slide past his body. He was emitting a thick, golden light with glazed patterns that appeared from time to time. The slash was unable to hurt him at all with this immense defense. Seeing this, shocking gasps were heard from the safety region. Zhao Jingyu''s slash was powerful enough to severely injure an ordinary Fiend Finisher. Yet it had been stopped by Li Luo, who had not even cultivated any Fiend Dipper energy? It seemed like Li Luo was not injured at all. Li Shi, Zhao Yanzhi, Mu Bi, and the rest were also a little shocked as Li Luo had not gotten help from Harmony this time. He had blocked it solely with his individual strength. They were very clear on just how big of a gap Li Luo had with the top talents in the Twenty Banners just a few months ago. Yet he had closed the chasm of strength between them. Such talent was truly amazing. On the other hand, Li Luo was not impressed like them. He shook his head lightly with a little dissatisfaction. After all, his attack was slightly weaker during his direct confrontation with Zhao Jingyu. He could see why Fiend Dipper energy was the signature trait of Fiend Finishers now. It possessed extremely domineering power. Fortunately, he had attained the strength to stand up against Fiend Finisher opponents. The results from his breakthrough were evident now. While Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief in his heart, Zhao Jingyu''s face turned gloomy. Like the rest, this was not a result he had expected. Based on his estimate, that slash should have left Li Luo in a pathetic state. Either that or he would have activated Harmony to block it. However, Li Luo had dealt with the attack casually. "So you''ve reached the Gold Fiend Tier, it seems," Zhao Jingyu said with a heavy voice. The golden glow on Li Luo''s body was a signature trait of the Gold Fiend Tier. He knew immediately that Li Luo was no longer in the Greater Fiend Palace like the information he had gathered previously. Li Luo had already skipped tiers in his breakthrough and reached the Gold Fiend Tier. This was undoubtedly due to the rare opportunity he had grasped at the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool. At this moment, Zhao Jingyu understood that Li Luo had gradually made up for the disadvantages he had earlier in life. Nonetheless, he would not give up just because of this. A fierce light flashed across his eyes, and he clapped his hands together. A tiger roar echoed from the Tiger Division behind him immediately, then a huge wave of resonant power surged up. The real battle was about to begin now. Seeing this, Li Luo kept his composure as he prepared to achieve Harmony. Just as both sides were about to pull out their blades for the grand battle, countless guttural roars began to reverberate throughout the area. And an immensely thick wave of corruption spread throughout the sky. When the people around the area witnessed this, a sense of fear could be felt. "Other Tide!" A siren sounded off sharply in the safety zone. Li Luo and Zhao Jingyu also stopped in their tracks and looked towards the approaching dark cloud of corruption. They could sense that countless Others were moving within it. However, they did not panic. Such a scene was not uncommon in the Dark Domain. Besides, they were mostly low-level Others that did not pose a significant threat. "Heed my order, Green Nether Banner. Prepare to defend yourselves!" Li Luo''s low voice echoed in the ears of the Green Nether Banner members. The eight thousand banner members activated their resonant power and synced their breathing immediately. A huge power surged from them and isolated the influence of the approaching corruption. With their powers combined, they were as strong as a Duke. Naturally, they were not afraid of this Other Tide. At this moment, Li Luo also took a few steps back and combined his strength with his banner members. He would not be able to resist so many Others with his individual strength alone. Even though these Others were merely Eroding-class, their numbers were enough to overwhelm him. Just as Li Luo finished his preparations, the Other Tide rushed towards him. At this point, he could see countless weird and twisted things within the thick and cold cloud. They looked like huge, bloodshot eyeballs. At the same time, there were many pale, human hands extending out of those eyeballs. They were moving it forward as if they were its hands and feet. Deep inside the red eyeball was a dark light that could be spotted from time to time. It would have been fine if they had appeared individually. However, with such a huge force densely packed like a mountain, its mere sight would send chills up one''s spine. When Li Luo activated Harmony, a huge wave of energy soared up and formed an energy wall that stood firmly in front of him. BANG! BANG! The innumerable Eyeball Others dashed into the energy wall directly. When they came into contact with it, a strong energy wave sent them flying backwards. They would then start trembling before finally exploding. Puddles of flesh, blood, and black liquid splashed the entire area. However, the Eyeball Others remained undaunted and continued charging forward without hesitation. At the same time, countless beams of foul-smelling, dark light shot out of the single-eyed creatures. The beams landed on the energy wall and set off ripples on it. Li Luo simply looked on at the scene without much expression. Although the Eyeball Others did make one feel uncomfortable, they were of no threat to him when he was in the state of Harmony. Just as he thought about this, he frowned a little. For a moment, he felt an uncanny feeling that someone was spying on him. It was a strange feeling that he was being closely scrutinized... Li Luo stretched out his hand, and a beam of energy shot out from the energy wall at the front. It pierced through dozens of Eyeball Others instantly, surrounding one of them in the distance before pulling it back fiercely. When the Eyeball Other was just about to touch the energy wall, a small hole opened up so it could pass through. Then it landed in front of Li Luo. The bloodshot Eyeball Others veins moved about like squirming earthworms as it stared at Li Luo. It was truly grotesque and unnerving. Li Luo frowned as he observed it. The previous sensation of being scrutinized seemed to have come from this guy... But now that he had captured it, the feeling was gone. There was only Li Luo''s face reflected in the eyeball that was as big as a human''s head. Then Li Luo gathered up his energy and pinched on the Eyeball Other, causing it to shatter into pieces. Following this, he used another wave of energy and purified the remains of the Others. A serious look appeared on his face as he looked up into the dark Other Tide around him. Was I mistaken about the feeling I just had? Chapter 0863: The Unlucky One Chapter 0863: The Unlucky One The Other Tide continued coming like there was no end. The air was thick with corruption, and the low voices of the countless Others reverberated with the power to corrupt one''s mental state. At this moment, many of the explorers in the safety region did not dare to step out at all. They could only stay hidden inside the protective barrier and wait for the Other Tide to pass. After all, there were no Duke Stage cultivators around them. Moreover, even someone in the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage could be trapped by an Other Tide and have their power slowly depleted. However, Li Luo and the Green Nether Banner were not intimidated by this Other Tide with Harmony. It was not an issue as there had been no True Devil Others so far. Nonetheless, Li Luo did not plan to stay here and exhaust his strength. Zhao Jingyu and the Tiger Division were still watching them closely from some distance away. To break through this, he sent out an order, and the eight thousand banner members started moving together. Their energy surged and they tore through the waves of Others as they speedily marched on. When Zhao Jingyu noticed Li Luo and his banner moving out, he laughed out coldly and said, "Thinking of escaping?" Getting this chance encounter with Li Luo and his banner alone was lucky in his eyes. This was the ideal opportunity for him to get rid of Li Luo. He was not going to let this chance just slip by. As such, he waved his hand, and the Tiger Division started acting up too. A wild energy roared upwards in the shape of an ancient, ferocious tiger. The tiger silhouette covered the Tiger Division, and they charged through the waves of the Other Tide directly. The Other Tide was like waves of black sea water that kept coming. On the other hand, the groups led by Li Luo and Zhao Jingyu were like two boats breaking the waves apart as they moved forward. This continued for dozens of minutes. Finally, Li Luo could feel that his vision ahead was clearing up. The thick air of corruption was retreating, and they were finally close to getting out of the Other Tide. He took another look at the Other Tide behind him. The countless Others were still wriggling in it, and strange, low voices carrying the ability to corrupt continued to ring in the air. It was fortunate that he had come here with the Green Nether Banner. If not, he would have had to hide in the protective barrier produced by the stone platform just like the other explorers. Even though he was nearly at the Glass Fiend Tier, he would not dare to stick his head out in this situation. A moment later, he saw Zhao Jingyu closing in on them. "That wood-brained idiot is really persistent." Li Luo squinted, and murderous intent flashed across his eyes. With all the provocations from Zhao Jingyu, even a good-tempered guy like him was starting to get irritated. However, he was able to keep himself in check. It was not an option to engage in a deadly fight with Zhao Jingyu right now. Besides, the feeling of being watched from a while back had made him uneasy. Whether it was just his imagination or not, it was best for him to meet up with Li Fengyi and the rest as soon as possible. They would be able to face the dangers of the Dark Domain best with the strength of the four banners combined. After all, there were quite a few True Devil Others lurking about. "Just have to endure with him for a little longer." Li Luo ignored Zhao Jingyu and led the Green Nether Banner to charge forward at full speed. As they were moving forward, he took out a map of the area that he had gotten from Li Feng earlier. With the support of the Green Nether Banner, he was a formidable force that could easily defeat Greater Heavenly Disaster-class Others. As long as they did not encounter any True Devil Others, there was nothing to be afraid of here. His priority now was to avoid all the districts that might contain one. "We''ll pass by two dangerous districts if we head in this direction." As Li Luo studied the map, there were two blood-red markings beside the area they were passing through. This indicated the presence of the True Devil Others. Fortunately, their path was close to the two regions but not directly cutting through them. He figured that as long as they kept a low profile and did not disturb the True Devil Others, they might not necessarily come for them. After all, they were all intelligent beings. It would be best if both sides left each other alone. With these thoughts in mind, Li Luo continued marching forward. As the eight thousand Green Nether Banner members walked through the dark, ashen plains, the ground shook a little. They moved like a single entity, protecting themselves from the air of corruption. Shortly after Li Luo and his Green Nether Banner had passed through, a tiger roar came from behind. Zhao Jingyu and the Tiger Division continued chasing after them. However, Li Luo did not get distracted by himhe continued moving ahead at full speed. Zhao Jingyu got more frustrated when he saw this, but the only thing he could do was continue his chase. As the two continued playing cat and mouse, Li Luo noticed they were getting close to the two districts with the True Devil Others. He immediately ordered his banner members to restrain their resonant power and lighten their footsteps. "Once we pass through here, we''ll reach the meeting point. We will be able to catch our breath there." Li Luo maintained his speed as his vigilant gaze scanned the distance ahead and kept a lookout. The two True Devil Others here were said to hang around deep in their respective mountain ranges most of the time. They were only at the outer region of the mountain range currently, so there was a high chance that they would not startle the True Devil Others at all. As these thoughts ran through Li Luo''s mind, he suddenly saw a silhouette walking slowly out of a dark forest in the distance. His eyes froze at its sight. The figure was extremely fat and was wearing a purple robe. His face seemed to be compressed into a ball with a friendly smile on it. His stomach was bulging out so much that it was bigger than the belly of a woman who was nine months pregnant. When the obese shadow casually walked out of the forest, he walked onto the path in front. His eyes squinted, and there was an eerie darkness but no whiteness in them. The obese guy was extremely odd. Li Luo pondered for a moment, and information regarding a True Devil Other surfaced in his mind. Big Belly True Devil. Unusually fat with a large belly and a ghastly mouth, it enjoyed swallowing people whole. Li Luo raised his hand and signaled for the Green Nether banner members to come to a halt. He stared at the obese figure, and he could faintly see its stomach under its robe. It seemed to be wriggling a little, and some chewing sounds were coming out of it. Li Luo had stopped in his tracks as soon as it noticed him, and the obese creature grinned and tore open its robe. A big, fleshy belly was revealed with a massive mouth on it, full of sharp fangs and dripping with saliva. At this moment, the obese Other stretched out its hand and reached deep into its fat. It pulled out a human hand stored within its paunch and stuffed it into the huge mouth on its stomach. For a moment, blood splattered everywhere as it chewed the human hand. After just a few crunches, the hand was swallowed. This was a truly weird scene that sent chills up one''s spine. At this moment, Li Luo''s eyes turned a little gloomy. The obese guy was clearly the Big Belly True Devil, a Catastrophe-class Other according to his intel. Li Luo frowned and said, "So unlucky." The Big Belly True Devil lived deep in the mountain range, and they were just passing by the outer region. Why had it appeared here all of a sudden? This did not make sense at all. While Li Luo was pondering over this, a shocking sound came from behind. Zhao Jingyu and his Tiger Division were charging towards him. However, Zhao Jingyu had also raised his hands and signaled for his division to pause for a moment while they were still quite some distance from catching up to Li Luo. He had noticed the Big Belly True Devil in front of Li Luo too. "Hahaha! Getting stopped by a True Devil Other while walking here? You''re really unlucky, Li Luo." Zhao Jingyu laughed out loud as he stared at Li Luo with malicious eyes. He was planning to let those two fight it out and reap the benefits once they were both badly injured. At this point, murderous intent flashed across Li Luo''s eyes. This was a truly unfortunate predicament, with the Big Belly True Devil at his front and Zhao Jingyu at his back. It seemed like a bloodbath would be inevitable. Just as Li Luo was preparing to make his move, his expression suddenly changed when he saw something far behind Zhao Jingyu. There was a surging air of corruption rising from there. In the next moment, yet another figure slowly emerged. It was a skinny creature in white clothes that did not look that different from an ordinary person. However, its head slowly rotated as it gradually walked out. It was then that everyone noticed... there was another human face on the back of its head. A guy''s face at the front and a lady''s face at the back. Both the guy and lady had smiles on their faces. The location of its appearance had cut off their rear path. However, it had also cut off the path for Zhao Jingyu whilst he tried to block Li Luo''s path. The Dual Face True Devil! Looking at the situation on hand, Li Luo''s face twitched slightly. He sensed that something was off. If it was one True Devil Other appearing, it could be considered unlucky. But one on each side? Surely it must have been planned, right? Were they coming for him specifically? Fortunately, with how things had turned out, Zhao Jingyu had gone from chasing Li Luo to being a shield between him and the Dual Face True Devil. Zhao Jingyu clearly understood this point as well. His initial big laughter had turned stiff and his eyes changed. "What the hell? Two True Devil Others have appeared at the same time. Are we just unlucky?" Zhao Jingyu could not help but scream out angrily. Ordinarily speaking, there was an extremely low chance of such a thing happening. Why was this happening now? Was he the unlucky one? Or was it Li Luo? With an uncertain expression, Zhao Jingyu waved his hand and attempted to retreat to the side with the Tiger Division. However, the Dual Face True Devil''s grin changed as soon as it noticed their movements. Without any hesitation, it dashed towards Zhao Jingyu. Clearly, it had no intention to let him escape. Zhao Jingyu''s expression darkened when he saw this. Fighting it here meant that he would be protecting Li Luo from the Dual Face True Devil in this pincer attack. Chapter 0864: Kind-Hearted Brother Zhao Chapter 0864: Kind-Hearted Brother Zhao "Zhao Jingyu is truly a kind soul, Li Luo said when he saw the Dual Face True Devil going for Zhao Jingyu. His tense heart relaxed a little, and a smile of relief appeared on his face. In that case, there was finally a glimmer of hope in getting out of this precarious predicament. Zhao Jingyu would have to face the Dual Face True Devil whether he liked it or not. This really took a huge burden off Li Luo''s chest. At least now, he could focus on fighting the Big Belly True Devil. Li Luo turned his attention back to the strange, fat figure in front of him. If not for the huge mouth on its fleshy belly, this Big Belly True Devil would look just like any other ordinary human despite being a Catastrophe-class True Devil Other. Li Luo had never encountered any Others of this class before. Back in the Umbra Cave of the college and the Holy Grail Meet in the Blackwind Empire, the most powerful Other he had met was only a Disaster-class. The Big Belly True Devil did not appear as terrifying and odd as the Disaster-class Other from a distance. However, the terrifying pressure emanating from it sent chills into anyone who laid eyes on it. It was especially true for the huge mouth in its belly. It was constantly chewing, and the fresh blood that kept dripping from it left a very glaring trail on its white skin. Standing behind him, the faces of Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and many of the Green Nether Banner members also turned a little white. They were all thankful that the Green Nether Banner was here together. If they had encountered such a crisis alone, they might not even have a chance to escape. "Hehe." The Big Belly True Devil grinned as it stared at Li Luo. It then slapped its own belly a few times, and a dark, gooey substance was spat out of its huge mouth. The substance was like an enormous, black river that flowed across the vast land, leaving the ground eroded and filled with wicked poison wherever it passed through. Just like this, the black river surged straight towards Li Luo and the Green Nether Banner. Li Luo took a deep breath as soon as he saw this. Forming hand seals with both hands, the power from the Green Nether Banner surged rapidly. "Nine Revolutions Art, Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath!" Facing a True Devil Other that was as strong as Duke, Li Luo was not going to start off by probing its strengthhe went for a decisive move straight away. Enormous energy surged up, and an illusory dragon manifestation materialized. The dragon manifestation let out a deafening roar as it opened its maw, and wave after wave of lightning dragonbreath spewed out of it. Boom! The air exploded with a deafening boom when the lightning dragonbreath pierced through the sky. It collided directly with the black river, and the two attacks started to consume each other. The ground that came into contact with just the shockwave of the collision cracked open into a spider web-like pattern. Just like this, they were at stalemate for a while before the lightning dragonbreath disintegrated the black river completely, and the remnants shot towards the Big Belly True Devil. Seeing this, the Big Belly True Devil gave its belly another slap. Its huge mouth full of sharp fangs opened up speedily and it swallowed up the remaining lightning dragonbreath. CRACKLE! POP! When the lightning dragonbreath was in its belly, lightning crackled on the surface of its body and left it with many bleeding holes. The flesh and blood from these holes turned black, and stinky, black blood flowed out of it. However, the Big Belly True Devils body was much stronger than imagined. It wriggled its fat folds a little, and they gradually started to cover up the bloody holes. Seeing this, Li Luo narrowed his eyes. He had gotten a sense of the Big Belly True Devil''s true power now. Based on the strength of its energy, it should be around the level of an upper first-grade Duke. It was not much stronger than Li Luo in the state of Harmony, as his Harmony energy had improved after his breakthrough as well. There was no need for Li Luo to fear it in a one-on-one situation. However, he did not plan to have a deathmatch with the Big Belly True Devil here. Ultimately, there was still the threat of Zhao Jingyu and the Dual Face True Devil behind. His top priority now was to get out of this predicament and meet up with Li Fengyi and the rest. As Li Luo was thinking about this, the Big Belly True Devil started laughing all of a sudden. Its laughter was pretty gentle, but it seemed unusually hollow, as if it lacked any emotion. At this moment, it raised its palm and gave its belly a hard slap. Pa! Following the crisp sound, the flesh on its belly moved like waves. It opened its huge mouth, then its belly started tearing open and rose rapidly into the sky. It was an extremely grotesque sight as they watched the huge mouth expand high up into the air. Ptui! The huge mouth spat out a dark light that opened up like a curtain, covering the entire region in just a short moment. The surroundings were plunged into darkness with not a single ray of light being able to penetrate through it. For a moment, it was as if they had lost all their senses. The expressions of Li Luo and Zhao Jingyu changed immediately as they were both covered by the curtain. In fact, the most disturbing part of it all was a faint, odd voice that kept repeating in the air. It felt like a kind of signal that was calling out to other True Devil Others. Was the Big Belly True Devil thinking of trapping them here and summoning all the other True Devil Others over to gang up on them? Li Luo felt a chill in his heart. This True Devil Other was truly intelligent. Without any hesitation, he summoned the Onyx-Elephant Blade and slashed down. A knife wheel that was hundreds of feet tall appeared in the air and flew towards the dark-curtain sky. However, the curtain was like a blackholeit simply swallowed up the knife wheel without any signs of taking damage. Not far behind, Zhao Jingyu had also summoned up worldly natural energy and launched his attack. It was ineffective against this dark curtain as well. His face changed as he shouted, "Li Luo, let''s work together and break out of this dark curtain first! If not, we will be dead meat when the other True Devils make their way here!" Li Luo''s eyes moved a little, but he did not turn down the offer. "Alright," he replied. The two of them summoned up an immense burst of energy without holding back and launched a combined attack at the same point. When their all-out attack struck the curtain, it started to rumble violently. Clearly, the Big Belly True Devil was not capable of trapping both Li Luo and Zhao Jingyu here with its strength alone. However, the Dual Face True Devil started its offensive at this time. Two gentle, smiling faces gradually appeared amidst the darkness. Their mouths started moving when they looked at each other, and a strange, low whisper could be heard. The whispers emitted a corruption that was extremely strong and pervasive. Instantly, the mental states of both Li Luo and Zhao Jingyu started to waver and waves of negative emotions arose within them. Moreover, even the members of the Green Nether Banner and the Tiger Division started to display signs of pain on their faces. They were obviously affected by the corruption as well. At this moment, Li Luo and Zhao Jingyu resisted the damage from the strange whispers. However, their attacks did not weaken at all. Instead, they grew stronger and stronger. The black curtain vibrated violently, and faint cracks began to show. When Zhao Jingyu saw the crack, he took another look at Li Luo with an icy smile on his face. Crack! The black curtain tore apart and revealed the outside sky. In the same moment, a piece of ice chalcedony appeared on Zhao Jingyu''s palm. When he crushed it, an extremely cold air surrounded him. The cold air contained the effect of purification, and the effects of the strange whispers from the Dual Face True Devil weakened significantly in an instant. The Tiger Division members seemed to have also recovered as well. "Li Luo, thanks for your help. This place suits you more. You can stay behind and enjoy it!" Zhao Jingyu let out a cold laugh, then his energy surged up and he flew away with his people. They were headed directly for the opening in the dark curtain. On the other hand, Li Luo was distracted by the Dual Face True Devil, so his speed was naturally slower. Once Zhao Jingyu exited, he could seal up the opening and leave Li Luo down below to fight against the two True Devil Others. Just as Zhao Jingyu thought everything was turning out according to his plan, a deafening dragon chant suddenly resounded. Li Luo had placed his hands together, and a giant Heavenly Dragon enveloped him and the Green Nether Banner. The Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment contained the might of the Heavenly Dragon, which was able to calm one''s nerves and eliminate evil corruption. As such, the corruption from the Dual Face True Devil disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Like a flash of light, Li Luo and the Green Nether Banner flew up into the air with the Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment. He got out through the opening one step ahead of Zhao Jingyu, and the latter looked at him with eyes of fury. Zhao Jingyu tried to follow closely after him. However, Li Luo simply sent out a punch without much expression. The punch was thousands of feet tall, and it knocked Zhao Jingyu one step back directly. It was this small, little step that allowed the Dual Face True Devil to catch up. The female and male faces swelled up considerably and let out a strange, piercing sound this time. It was so painful that Zhao Jingyu''s ears started bleeding. After which, he could only watch bleakly as the black curtain closed up. Li Luo and his members had broken out and left the area hastily. At this point, his face was bursting with anger. "Li Luo!" An angry scream came from the black curtain behind him. "Brother Zhao, hang in there! I''ll go and seek help! You can do it!" Li Luo shouted. He did not look back and simply dashed away at full speed. Chapter 0865: The Objective of the True Devils Chapter 0865: The Objective of the True Devils Like a rainbow that crossed the sky, Li Luo escaped in a trail of light with the Green Nether Banner thanks to the Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment. He was charging full speed ahead and did not dare to slow down. Gratitude was what he felt for Zhao Jingyu at this time. If he werent around, Li Luo probably would have had to pay a heavy price in order to escape from those two True Devils. As for the unfortunate Zhao Jingyu, who was still trapped in the dark curtain, Li Luo could only grieve for a second for his treasured friend in his heart. As thanks for his proactive assistance, he would happily leave the five dragon fangs as ceremonial burial items for him to bring to the grave... He was a top talent from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao after all. One couldn''t just bury him too shabbily. "However, the True Devils were acting a little strange." In the blink of an eye, Li Luo had forgotten about Zhao Jingyu as he thought about the encounter with a frown. The path he had chosen was clearly at the outer region of their territories. Under ordinary circumstances, he should not have attracted their attention unless they were coincidentally at the perimeters. What was more... just encountering one was bad luck enough. But for both of them to appear at the same time? A preposterous proposition. Moreover, they happened to appear in front of and behind him to block both his paths. If all of this was merely a coincidence, his bad luck was truly out of this world. At this moment, Li Luo''s eyes changed a little. He recalled what Li Lingjing had told him back in Western City... The Soul Eater True Devil. It was the most mysterious True Devil in this Dark Domain. Furthermore, it was attracted to individuals with extraordinary talent. According to Li Lingjing, the more talented the individual was, the more attracted the True Devil would be towards them. In that case, Li Luo with his triple resonances must have been as attractive as a ninth-grade resonance talent at least. Could he have been targeted by the Soul Eater True Devil? Did it plan to devour his sheer talent as well? At the same time, he recalled the spying sensation he felt from the Other Tide earlier. This train of thought seemed very likely to be the truth. "What a pain in the ass." Li Luo''s face turned serious as he looked up at the gloomy sky in the Dark Domain. The air of corruption was everywhere, sinister whispers echoing all around. It was targeted at the depths of people''s hearts and made it very easy for one to lose control of their emotions. Fortunately, the eight thousand members of the Green Nether Banner were moving as one entity. If they were traveling alone, their mental state would definitely be affected after a while, and theyd gradually fall prey to the corruption. Besides, Li Luo was unable to sense the presence of the Soul Eater True Devil. He did not even know how it could spy on his movements. Moreover, the Soul Eater True Devil could be an unbelievably frightening foe if even the Big Belly True Devil and Dual Face True Devil chose to act on its instructions. Those two True Devils were already as strong as first-grade Dukes. If his theory was correct, the Soul Eater True Devil was even stronger. Li Luo let out a sigh in his heart. The mission to retrieve the Sacred Infant Fruit would be far harder than he had imagined. However, this involved Ox Biaobiao''s recovery, so there was no way he would give up. He could not drag this on any longer either. Back in the Xia Kingdom, Ox Biaobiao was considered a top fighter despite his grave injuries. Now that he was back at the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, his spirit might not be able to take the mental blow of being weaker than those who were once weaker than him. Therefore, it was essential to help Ox Biaobiao recover as soon as possible. As Li Luo thought about these things, his eyes firmed up. He moved towards the meeting point at full speed. And as for Brother Zhao Jingyu, who was still trapped... If the opportunity arose in the future, Li Luo would offer him three sticks of incense as thanks whenever he passed by the area... Meanwhile, in the dark curtain that covered the whole sky. Zhao Jingyu''s face was extremely gloomy. He had not thought that his plan to trick Li Luo would backfire. It truly was a case of going out for wool and coming back shorn. In the end, he was left to face two True Devil Others. Zhao Jingyu stared at the male and female faces that floated unsteadily in the darkness. There was a gentle smile on their pale faces as their eyes looked at him blankly. And the Big Belly True Devil was also staring at him intently. Turning round, Zhao Jingyu took a look at the Tiger Division, and the members'' faces were filled with anxiety. This was as expected. After all, they were basically being stared down by two Dukes right now. If not for the state of Harmony, they would all be dead meat regardless of how many members there were. "Don''t worry. I secretly sent out a signal earlier. As long as we can buy some time here, the other three divisions will be coming to our aid," Zhao Jingyu said with a deep voice to calm their nerves. At the same time, Zhao Jingyu formed hand seals with both his hands and summoned up the full strength of his Harmony. "Tiger Fiend True Form!" Energy surged up, and the shadow of a giant, crimson tiger materialized. It enveloped Zhao Jingyu and the Tiger Division before a ferocious aura swept through the air like a storm. Facing this fierce display of strength, even the casually floating Dual Face True Devil retreated a little. When the waves rippled through the darkness, the Big Belly True Devil emerged with dark eyes staring at the crimson tiger projection. It was like the Other was contemplating whether to break through it forcefully or not. However, it shook its head after a while. The darkness in the surroundings started to fade away, and the last strand of it was eventually swallowed back into its huge mouth. Afterwards, the huge mouth fell back down from the sky and went back onto the Big Belly True Devil''s belly. The Dual Face True Devil also restored its human form at this point. They did not make any noise and were not bothered by Zhao Jingyu''s confused face at all. Just like this, they each left and disappeared back into their respective territories. Zhao Jingyu and the Tiger Division were left dumbfounded by this scene. "They left just like that? Zhao Jingyu asked in disbelief. He did not dare to release his technique immediately. After waiting for a while and confirming that both True Devils had disappeared from the vicinity, he released the Crimson Tiger Manifestation. "Did they sense that the other three divisions were on their way? Did they decide to leave since they couldn''t beat us in such a short amount of time?" Zhao Jingyu''s guessed as his gaze flickered. However, this train of thought seemed a bit too far-fetched. It did not matter how long they could drag the battle out. If the two True Devils had worked together, he and his division would have had to pay a really heavy price. Besides, True Devil Others were not such friendly or logical beings. In that case, the other guess would be... The two True Devil Others were never interested in targeting him. And if that assumption was true... could it have been that they were after Li Luo? Zhao Jingyu frowned and wondered. Why was Li Luo being targeted by them? That country bumpkin had just returned from the outer divine continent. Although he had some achievements recently, he was not really considered the best of the best in this generation of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. At least Zhao Jingyu felt that he had a pretty high chance of being Li Luo in a fight. As such, he was not confident of this guess either. Perhaps that guy was really just unlucky. "Whatever. Regardless of the reason, it''s good that they backed down without a fight." Zhao Jingyu was not in the mood to contemplate over this. He looked with heavy eyes into the direction that Li Luo had headed off in. After this incident, their enmity had grown even deeper. There was no hurry though. Since Li Luo was going for the Sacred Infant Fruit, there would be a chance for them to meet again. As such, he led the Tiger Division away and left at full speed in another direction. After this encounter with two True Devils, he did not dare to hang around any longer or charge around recklessly. It was best for him to meet up with the other three divisions first. In the depths of the Dark Domain, monstrous amounts of corruption flowed along the streams on a mountain, heading towards a black lake located deep inside. The atmosphere around the lake was eerie and strange, and there were no ripples on the surfaceit was like a pool of stagnant water. All of a sudden, a vortex appeared in the center of the lake, and a face emerged from it. It was a truly beautiful face with clear skin and shiny, fair cheeks. If Li Luo were around, he would have noticed... This was the face he had seen back in Western City. It was the face of Li Lingjing. The person in the lake turned her head slightly as she looked into the distance with smiling eyes, her red lips slightly curving up. Chapter 0866: Discussion Chapter 0866: Discussion When Li Luo arrived at the rendezvous point, there were already thousands of people lying about lazily on the abandoned square in the wasted plains. Despite how scattered they seemed, the over twenty thousand soldiers were breathing in sync as if they were one entity. Three overwhelmingly powerful forces that covered up the area were formed as a result, driving out any corruption that tried to enter. They all noticed Li Luo and the Green Nether Banner arrive at the same time. Three of the people rushed up from the crowd and quickly appeared in front of Li Luo. They were none other than Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian. "Little Brother, you''re too slow! We''ve been waiting for you for over half a day! If you were any slower, we would have gone out to look for you," Li Fengyi complained to Li Luo after giving a sigh of relief. Li Luo smiled bitterly and asked, "Was everything fine on your way here?" Li Jingtao nodded and replied, "Perfectly fine. Although we encountered some Others, we simply finished them off along the way." At this point, Deng Fengxian took another look at Li Luo and inquired, "Did something crop up on your end?" Li Luo sighed and responded, "We met Zhao Jingyu." Hearing this, Li Fengyi''s face changed immediately and she asked, "Are you alright? Did the Green Nether Banner suffer great casualties?" The Tiger Division led by Zhao Jingyu was the second strongest out of the twenty divisions in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao after all. Their strength should not be underestimated. Among them, not even Deng Fengxian could say with confidence that he could fight off Zhao Jingyu. Hence, Li Luo and the Green Nether Banner must have suffered great casualties in that encounter. Although Li Luo did come out on top in the Yellow Dragonbreath Pool, everyone knew that he had managed to escape from Qin Yi largely due to the fact that she had to split up her power and maintain the Aqua Palace. He might have proven himself to be extraordinary and one of the top few in the Twenty Banners, but it was still debatable if he was strong enough to handle a strong opponent like Zhao Jingyu. In response, Li Luo waved his hand and told them, "I did not fight him." It was only at this point that Li Fengyi heaved a sigh of relief. However, her heart started pounding as soon as she heard his next sentence. "Because we ran into two True Devil Others blocking our road," Li Luo continued. The three of them were dumbfounded. It had just been half a day, yet countless exciting occurrences had happened to Li Luo. "How did you escape from them? I can see that the Green Nether Banner barely had any casualties," Deng Fengxian asked with some suspicion after taking a look at the Green Nether Banner. One could not really blame him for asking this question. What Li Luo had just shared was too unbelievable. If he had really encountered both Zhao Jingyu and two True Devil Others, he would most likely be dead meat. Even though he had somehow escaped, the eight thousand members of the Green Nether Banner should have been largely wiped out in the process. Li Luo shrugged and responded, "Luckily, Zhao Jingyu was there to help me out with one of the True Devil Others." At the same time, he shared with them how Zhao Jingyu had tried to trick him at the last minute, but he had managed to turn it around and escape from the dark curtain in the end. Li Fengyi and the other two looked at each other with weird expressions. "It seems like you really have to thank Zhao Jingyu," Li Fengyi said as she held back her laughter. "I''ll definitely offer incense to him whenever I come back here," Li Luo replied with a serious tone as he nodded. At this point, Deng Fengxian calmly told them, "Zhao Jingyu may not have died to those two True Devil Others. He''s not as simple as you may think. After all, he''s the second strongest in this generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao." "That''s even better," Li Luo responded with some anticipation. It would not be an issue at all if Zhao Jingyu had survived, as there were still five dragon fangs in his possession. Li Jingtao shook his head and commented, "But Third Brother, aren''t you a bit too unlucky?" Li Fengyi agreed with him too. They had also rushed to the rendezvous point like Li Luo, but they had only ran into a few weak Others along the way. They had not even encountered any Greater Heavenly Disaster-class Others, let alone a True Devil Other. Yet Li Luo had come across two True Devil Others. This was truly unfortunate and unfathomable. Hearing this, Li Luo smiled helplessly and replied, "I feel like this isn''t just a coincidence." "What do you mean?" the three of them asked. Not just a coincidence? Why would the two True Devil Others go after Li Luo? Was there a secret behind all this? "Do you all remember Li Lingjing from the Western Region''s Li Family?" Li Luo said. "Of course. Cousin Li Lingjing is just a few years older than us. She was pretty well known a few years back. With her close ties to Aunt Li Rouyun, I heard that she was supposed to join the Green Nether Banner. With her talent, she would have elevated the Green Nether Banner''s position in the previous generation. In fact, some of the guys in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians even told me that she had the potential to compete for the Dragon''s Head at the time. "It''s a pity that she encountered a True Devil Other and succumbed to its corruption. Her foundation was destroyed and she lost many opportunities as a result. Nowadays, she''s staying home to recuperate, and we haven''t heard much about her since," Li Fengyi elaborated while feeling sorry for her. Li Luo nodded and replied, "I met with cousin Li Lingjing earlier. She shared with me that there was a mysterious True Devil Other in this Dark Domain known as the Soul Eater True Devil. This True Devil is particularly fond of talented individuals and enjoys consuming their talent and soul. It is the True Devil that she fell prey to back then." The other three were surprised to hear about this. "Such a thing exists? This is something we have never heard of before." At the same moment, Li Jingtao''s simple and honest face also turned serious as he asked, "Third Brother, do you mean you are being targeted by the Soul Eater True Devil too?" Li Luo was a triple resonance user. In terms of talent and rarity, he was on par with those who possessed a ninth-grade resonance. Hence, it was not surprising for the Soul Eater True Devil to be interested in Li Luo if it had gone for Li Lingjing previously. "The two True Devil Others may have come under its instructions," Li Luo explained. Deng Fengxian frowned and commented, "If it can order two first-grade True Devils, just how strong is the Soul Eater True Devil?" "There''s no need to worry too much. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao send people into the Dark Domain from time to time to hunt True Devils that are of too high a grade. After all, the explorers here are second-grade Dukes and below due to the seal. If a True Devil is too strong, it''ll be a disaster for them." At this point, Li Fengyi pondered for a moment before continuing, "As such, I feel like the Soul Eater True Devil is probably a second-grade True Devil. "But a second-grade True Devil would be hunted down as well. The Soul Eater True Devil must be something special to have survived here for so long." "A second-grade True Devil is also very strong," Li Jingtao commented with a frown. After all, this would mean it had the strength of a second-grade Duke. Right now, the four of them could only reach the quasi first-grade Duke Stage with the help of Harmony. There were still a lot of restrictions for them, and they were ultimately far below a real Duke in terms of strength and methods available. However, Li Luo did not show any signs of fear. He still had the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, so he could put up a fight even if he really encountered a second-grade True Devil. "One more question. If what Banner Leader Li Luo said is true, can this Soul Eater True Devil order the other True Devils as well?" Deng Fengxian asked after giving it some thought. Everyone frowned when they heard this. Based on the intel they had gathered, there were around ten True Devils in this Dark Domain. If the Soul Eater True Devil really could command the others, it would be a really big headache for them. Li Luo pondered over it for a moment. He took out the map of the Dark Domain and studied their destinations. They were headed for the places where the Sacred Infant Fruits grew. While they were found in multiple locations, they were all scattered in the deeper parts of the Dark Domain. Considering that they needed a ripe fruit as well, there was only one spot that fulfilled all their requirements. It was a district with four True Devils. Li Luo stared at the red markings on those districts for a moment before his eyes lit up. He then raised his head and looked at the other three. "I have a bold suggestion," he said as the three stared back at him. "Get the jump on them. Clip the wings of the bird." As he finished his sentence, Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian''s faces twitched a little. This was indeed a presumptuous idea. Chapter 0867: Clean Up Chapter 0867: Clean Up The sky was overcast and dark. On a huge mountain filled with the thick air of corruption, strange whispers echoed throughout the forests. BOOM! A shockingly huge wave of energy rippled from the depths of the mountain. Like a hurricane sweeping by, the whole mountain started shuddering under the undulations of the immense energy waves. Upon closer look, there was a True Devil Other howling on a peak of the mountain. Viscous and eerily cold corruption gushed out of it continuously, blanketing the whole sky. The Other was preparing for battle at this point. Its flesh started to rip apart and pieces of its white bones punctured its skin from inside. In the next moment, the white bones separated from its body and transformed into white-bone swords. The swords were dripping a black substance that was dark as ink and contained the fearful power of corruption. This was none other than the Bone Sword True Devil. Its body was fully covered in white-bone swords. In the blink of an eye, it charged towards a nearby figure that was surging with energy. It was none other than Li Jingtao. With the assistance of Harmony, he took his time and formed hand seals with both his hands. In the next moment, countless dragon fangs brimming with energy materialized in the sky above and rapidly intertwined together. Clack, clack! A dragon fang shield possessing impenetrable defenses formed in an instant, engraved with glowing, runic patterns. BANG! BANG! The white bone swords struck the shield with a continuous wave of attacks, causing it to vibrate violently. However, Li Jingtaos shield was indestructible. The pouring attacks that were filled with corruption were deflected. Nonetheless, the Bone Sword True Devil continued to grow even more bone swords out of its flesh. Its attacks were unrelenting. Both sides were stuck in a stalemate. "Eldest Brother''s defense is truly the best. The Bone Sword True Devil''s attacks are much more ferocious than those of the other True Devils that I met earlier. Furthermore, its swords contain the power of corruption. If it so much as grazed our bodies, the damage would be unimaginable." Li Luo could not help but laugh as he watched the two of them fight. "It''s just a turtle shell," Li Fengyi said with a pout. On the other hand, Deng Fengxian shook his head and elaborated in a serious tone, "It''s considered a victory if you are undefeated. This defense from Banner Leader Li Jingtao is probably the strongest amongst the Twenty Banners. At the very least, I wouldn''t be able to break through it." Hearing this, Li Luo nodded in agreement. With Li Jingtao''s laidback and friendly temperament, it was clear that he did not enjoy attacking at all. However, he had found another way of success for himself. He had cultivated the Annihilation Fang Art, famed for its offense, into a defensive art. It highlighted how he had mitigated his weaknesses and made use of his strengths to transform himself by developing an absolute defense that was incredibly sturdy. With this unique defensive art, he had established his own standing amongst the current young generation in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. No one would dare to underestimate him any longer. "It''s about time for us to act. We can''t let the Bone Sword True Devil escape," Li Luo said with a grin. Hearing this, Li Fengyi and Deng Fengxian nodded. Huge amounts of energy swelled within the three of them, and they each activated their strongest Duke Arts. Three waves of energy split the sky apart and forcefully blasted away the thick air of corruption. Faced with this surprise attack, a dense, black light flashed across the eyes of the Bone Sword True Devil. Without a doubt, it had sensed the fatal danger approaching it. It let out a sharp cry, and the flesh around its body began to shrink whilst even more bones protruded out of its body. The bones intertwined with each other, and a short moment later, it had transformed into a giant, white-bone sword that was thousands of meters tall. Its twisted face could be seen on the hilt of the sword. Wrapped in viscous air of corruption, the gigantic sword let out a low, odd scream and clashed directly with the three incoming attacks. Boom! A shocking energy wave rippled through the air. The wooded area around the collision was completely razed to the ground. Many of the hidden Others in the forest were also wiped out as collateral damage. When the energy waves weakened, cracks could be seen appearing on the gigantic sword. Noxious, black air gushed out of each fault, paired with a neverending shriek. BANG! The sword exploded the next moment, and countless shards flew through the air. "Destroy all the shards!" Li Luo shouted out as soon as he witnessed this. The vitality of a True Devil Other was beyond one''s imagination. If even a single shard managed to escape, it would take just a day of rest and absorption of corruption for the Bone Sword True Devil to recover. Hence, it was essential that they eliminated all the shards to kill off this Other completely. Fortunately, Li Fengyi, Deng Fengxian, and Li Jingtao were already prepared for this. They shot out multiple energy beams repeatedly, forming a giant spider-web that covered up the mountain. Many of the white bone shards were annihilated before they could escape. A few minutes later, the four of them gathered after they had cleaned up the region completely. "Not bad, we''ve finished off the second True Devil in the area," Li Fengyi said with a laugh. When Li Luo gave the bold suggestion initially, they had all thought that his idea was simply crazy. However, after having a discussion, they saw the merits of it and gradually accepted it. After all, True Devils were a hidden danger. If the Soul Eater True Devil could really order the other True Devils to gather and gang up on them, they would be the ones running for their lives then. As such, this plan to clean up the powerful Others kicked into action. It had actually proceeded better than they had originally expected. Since these True Devils were as strong as first-grade Dukes, it might have been hard to secure a victory in a one-on-one situation. However, they could increase their chances of victory significantly with the four of them working together in the state of Harmony. Thus, they had slain two True Devils in the past few days. "Let''s continue," Li Luo said with a hint of determination. He did not intend to rest and was fully focused on the task of cleaning up the True Devils in this district before he searched for the Sacred Infant Fruit. Although his plan had been a success so far, the presence of the Soul Eater True Devil had left him feeling uneasy. Similarly, the other three had no objections. After Li Luo had shared the information of the Soul Eater True Devil with them, they also wanted to finish up the mission as soon as possible to avoid any unexpected surprises. Once again, the four banners started to move out. They arrived in the district belonging to the third True Devil a day later. According to their intel, the True Devil here was known as the Red Eye True Devil, another first-grade True Devil. However, they noticed that things were different upon their arrival. They could not find any traces of the Red Eye True Devil regardless of how much they searched the district. "How did it disappear?" Li Fengyi was extremely puzzled. Li Luo frowned with a serious face and said, "Did the Soul Eater True Devil realize our intentions and order the Red Eye True Devil to flee from here?" Hearing this, Li Jingtao''s face changed a little as well. "Is the Soul Eater True Devil that sly? The intelligence it possesses is as good as a humans." With a deep voice, Li Luo told them, "Let''s head over to the fourth True Devil!" The other three understood his meaning. If the fourth True Devil had disappeared as well, this might not be a simple coincidence. As such, the four of them set off again. After half a day, they arrived at the fourth True Devils region. Their faces turned dark after a search of the area. It had disappeared as well. The four of them looked at each other blankly. Was the disappearance of these two True Devils really linked to the Soul Eater True Devil? "Damn it, it''s the first time I have seen such a strange Other," Li Jingtao said with shock. Under normal circumstances, True Devil Others would stay in their own districts, being the undisputed kings of their respective regions. However, they had chosen to leave their own territories mysteriously, possibly under the instruction of the Soul Eater True Devil. "What now? Do we give up? Two of the True Devils have escaped," Li Fengyi asked. With a frown, Li Luo replied, "There''s no need to worry too much. We still managed to clean up two of the True Devil Others after all. We''ve eliminated some of the uncertainties already. "This district is close to where the Sacred Infant Fruit is. We''ll have to head over there eventually. However, we need to be prepared to abandon the mission if things turn sour when we arrive." The other three nodded helplessly. Although they did not want to abandon the mission, there was nothing they could do if things got too dangerous and out of hand. This time, they did not set off immediately. Instead, they chose to take a day of rest. When the second day arrived, the four banners started moving out again. Li Luo saw a crimson mountain range appear at the end of his vision after traveling for close to a day. The temperature of the surrounding area started to rise gradually. As Li Luo looked over to the crimson mountain range, he knew that they had finally arrived at the place where a Sacred Infant Fruit could be found. Chapter 0868: Crimson Fire Mountain Range Chapter 0868: Crimson Fire Mountain Range The crimson mountain range was like an enormous fire dragon that roamed the land, stretching out with no end in sight. A very clear distinction separated it from the outside world. On the outside, the air was filled with thick corruption, and insidious whispers echoed throughout. In contrast, there was barely any corruption in the mountain range, and the worldly natural energy was extremely dense inside. Such was a special trait of this Dark Domain. In order to avoid the corruption, the worldly natural energy would usually gather in one spot, forming a special region. The worldly natural energy in those areas would be extremely concentrated. As a result, the corruption could not easily enter these regions full of energy. Such special regions with extremely concentrated energy thus formed natural grounds for cultivation in Dark Domains. It was a cultivation spot that many of the rogue cultivators would flock to if not for the dozens of Others in the Dark Domains. Besides that, many rare treasures were born as a result of the extremely concentrated energy in the region. It was also where the Sacred Infant Fruits that Li Luo and gang had been searching for were located. At this moment, Li Luo and the other three were standing on a mountaintop, watching the crimson mountain range in the distance. The members of the four banners were quietly seated behind them, breathing in sync with a strong force of energy that could be summoned by the Banner Leaders at any moment. "It feels so easy to get drunk on the immense power granted by the state of Harmony," Li Luo suddenly said with a smile. They were currently in the depths of the Dark Domain. Under ordinary circumstances, neither the banner members nor Fiend Finishers like Deng Fengxian or Li Fengyi would dare to come here alone for training. The Others appearing in this area tended to be of higher grades. Putting the True Devils aside, it would be extremely dangerous if they had encountered any Heavenly Disaster-class Others. It was only thanks to the power of Harmony that Li Luo and the other three could sit here peacefully now. Such power had enabled them, who were clearly still in the Earth Fiend Stages, to fight against True Devil Others. In fact, it was just like Li Luo had said earlierone could easily lose themselves in the face of controlling such power. "Although being able to control the state of Harmony feels wonderful, one should be careful not to be overly reliant on it. If one starts to think such power belongs to them alone, it''ll be extremely harmful to one''s mental state and impede them from cultivating any further," Li Fengyi warned. "In fact, that is not uncommon at all. Every now and then, a Banner Leader loses himself. Their mental state is affected, and even though they used to be a pretty talented individual, they end up as an ordinary guy unable to cultivate any further," Li Jingtao added with a sigh. Li Luo nodded in agreement. After all, the power of Harmony was an external aid. He should not confuse it with his own true strength just because it was convenient. Otherwise, he would have to pay a heavy price for it one day. As he thought about this, Li Luo drew his focus back to his inner self. They had been in the Dark Domain of the Western Region for close to ten days. As they were busy hunting Others, he had not had the time for his own cultivation. The Dark Domain was actually an excellent place for cultivation despite its harsh environment. In the few days that passed, Li Luo had unexpectedly obtained two more Cosmic Sword Intents. At present, he had three in his possession. This further boosted his confidence in acquiring a Sacred Infant Fruit. "Let''s head into the Crimson Fire Mountain Range." Li Luo gave the order without any further words. His attention and gaze were focused upon the crimson mountain range in the distance before him. There were a few volcanic openings that were steaming with hot air over there. That was where Sacred Infant Fruits were said to grow. His only thought now was to get a Sacred Infant Fruit as soon as possible and leave this Dark Domain. Hearing his order, the other three nodded in agreement. With a wave of their hands, the members of all four banners started marching into the mountain range blanketed by a searing atmosphere. The mountains were carpeted with red forests that were dispersed like spreading wildfire. Li Luo and the rest noticed the presence of spirit beasts as soon as they stepped into it. These beasts looked like monkeys with crimson bodies that appeared to be wreathed in flames. "Those must be Fire Spirit Monkeys. They appear in areas with extremely dense fire element energy and can be considered the true lords of this mountain range. Ordinary Fire Spirit Monkeys are around Earthly Disaster-class in power, while some of the elites are Heavenly Disaster-class. However, there are a lot of them, so it''s best not to provoke them," Li Fengyi reminded the rest. Li Luo nodded. Many of the Fire Spirit Monkeys were screaming at the intruders, but they did not dare to come close to them. Clearly, they must have felt the huge power coming from the four banners in the state of Harmony and knew it was best to steer clear of them. This was a good thing for Li Luo and the rest. They did not need to worry about getting distracted. "According to our intel, the Sacred Infant Fruits should be in the depths of this mountain range. There are three volcanoes that may have what we want," Li Fengyi explained. "Let''s go, then. Hopefully, the Sacred Infant Fruits are ripe." Li Luo took a deep breath and led the banner forward. His eight thousand members were acting as one. There was not much disturbance wherever they passedit felt just like four people marching on unimpeded. It had been a strangely smooth journey with no surprises. However, Li Luo dared not let his guard down. His mental state was closely connected to his banner, and they adjusted their conditions accordingly. This mission was full of uncertainties, whether it was the Soul Eater True Devil or the two other True Devils that had disappeared from their own districts nearby. Moreover, there was still the defective fool Zhao Jingyu and his three divisions that might be lingering somewhere. The people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao seemed to have disappeared after Li Luo clashed with Zhao Jingyu when he first entered the Dark Domain. However, Li Luo knew that someone with Zhao Jingyus temper would not take this lying down. He was probably so taken aback by the encounter with the two True Devils previously that he had decided not to come for Li Luo in the middle of the journey. However, he knew very well that Li Luo and the rest would be coming for the Sacred Infant Fruits. If he wanted to strike again... this mountain range was the perfect place. The air of corruption was really thin here, so there was no need to worry about the appearance of True Devil Others. Just as Li Luo was thinking about this, a chill ran up his spine. He took a heavy stomp and the floor below him cracked, making him stop in his tracks immediately. Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian also stopped when they saw his reaction. "What''s the matter?" Li Fengyi asked. Li Luo stared sharply at the fiery, dense forest in front of him. He couldn''t see anything unusual in it, but he felt like something was wrong. It was a feeling that came from the wood resonance within him. As someone who possessed a wood resonance, he was particularly sensitive to forested areas like this. Li Luo took a deep breath and puffed up his mouth. In the next moment, he exhaled, and resonant power shot out in waves into the dense forest in front of them. As the resonant power passed through, Li Fengyi and the others could spot tiny, pearl-like particles floating in the air of the dense forest ahead. The pearl-like particles had a fishy smell and were filled with smoke, as if they were some kind of poisonous substance. Hidden in the air, these particles would have gone undetected if not for the breath of resonant power. Li Luo and the rest would surely have inhaled them and become poisoned as soon as he led them through this district. The faces of Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian turned dark immediately. It was a truly vicious trap. In fact, such traps could not have been set by True Devil Others. In that case, there was only one possibility... Li Luo lifted his head without any change in expression. He stared into the depths of the crimson forest and calmly shouted, "Zhao Jingyu, get your ass out here." Although his voice was calm, it echoed repeatedly in the dense forest like the rumbling of thunder. A few moments later, footsteps could be heard coming from the depths of the forest. Four figures emerged and stopped not too far from the group. As expected, one of them was naturally Zhao Jingyu. Zhao Jingyu stared fiercely at Li Luo as he said with a sly smile, "Li Luo, you are really cautious. Even this wasn''t able to get you." Li Luo smiled and replied, "Likewise, I did not expect an idiot like you to survive those two True Devils either." Hearing this, Zhao Jingyu''s face twisted as he glared at Li Luo and shouted, "Don''t worry. Since I''m not dead, you''ll be dying next." In response, Li Luo simply smiled and said, "May I ask you another question?" However, he did not wait for Zhao Jingyu to reply. He continued in a warm and gentle tone, "You didn''t lose my dragon fangs, did you?" Chapter 0869: Gilded Armor Spirit Blade Chapter 0869: Gilded Armor Spirit Blade As soon as Li Luo finished his sentence, murderous intent flashed across Zhao Jingyu''s face. He truly detested Li Luo''s tone, sounding as if the dragon fangs were no longer his. Was Li Luo fit to say such words? "You''re just a country bumpkin. How dare you speak so arrogantly!" Zhao Jingyu''s eyes were brimming with killing intent at this point. He took a step forward, and his resonant power erupted, boosted by the strength of the Tiger Division standing not far away. His body was surrounded by lightning resonance power, faintly blinking as if he was a giant lightning-tiger with four wings. This was Zhao Jingyu''s natural resonance. Upper eighth-grade Four Winged Lightning Tiger resonance. With his own strength at the Fiend Finisher Tier, coupled with the boost from the state of Harmony with the Tiger Division, his power had reached the peak of an upper first-grade Duke. In the next moment, a massive, sanguine blade appeared in his hands, and he slashed downwards before him. "Tiger Soul Slash!" A blade light that was thousands of feet tall materialized in the air. The blade was shrouded in a crimson glow and sounded like a ferocious tiger roaring. It exuded immense fiendish energy as the blade light flew across the field. Wherever it passed, all the crimson trees and fiery-red leaves in the area withered as if they had been corroded by it. The blade light traveled straight towards Li Luo full of murderous intent. Li Luos eyes narrowed a little as he looked at the incoming fiendish blade-light. He had crossed moves with Zhao Jingyu earlier, but it was not until now that his opponent decided to give it his all. Li Luo clenched his hands, and the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade appeared in his grip. He then summoned the power of Harmony to retaliate. However, a figure suddenly took a step forward at this moment. It was none other than Deng Fengxian. His face appeared pretty calm as he took a step out, with golden light shining from his white robes. Soon, his robes turned into a suit of gilded armor, and he was suddenly holding a long, golden spear. Boosted by the power of Harmony, energy was surging within him as the air around him vibrated. "I have long heard of the famed ferocious tiger Zhao Jingyu from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao''s Tiger Division. Let me have a feel of it for myself today. Flowing Gold Art!" The domineering energy around Deng Fengxian strengthened as he stabbed out with the golden spear in his hand. In an instant, golden light filled the air as if a giant, golden dragon with extremely sharp breath had emerged. The spear light flew through the air, leaving a really deep scar on the ground below its flight path. In the next moment, the tiger blade-light and the golden spear-light clashed into each other. A wild storm of energy swept across the field, uprooting trees in the dense forest and reducing them to ash. The destructive power of the Duke Stage was extremely terrifying. Zhao Jingyu sliced downwards with his crimson blade once again, sending forth multiple blade lights and shattering the energy storm. However, Deng Fengxians gilded armor shot golden rays of light around himself, rapidly negating the energy of the opposing blade lights. Seeing this, Zhao Jingyu icily stared at his opponent. "I have heard of the white-dressed gilded-armored Deng Fengxian from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. However, you''ll not be enough to stop me!" At this moment, Zhao Jingyu hacked down once again with lightning speed. Thousands of fiendish blade-lights flew out of his weapon at this very moment. Moreover, these blade lights started to fuse in midair, condensing their energy together and forming a bloody tiger claw that was thousands of feet tall. An extremely condensed fiendish energy flowed throughout the interior of the claw. It was as if an ancient, savage tiger had ripped through the void and brought its terrifying presence to bear here. "Duke Art, Great Tiger Seal!" Zhao Jingyu sounded like a tiger roaring when he shouted. He knew that Deng Fengxian was no weakling, so he did not hold back. This time, he had used his ultimate skill and was giving it his all. The bloody tiger-claw descended for the skies, directly towards Deng Fengxian. When he saw the incoming hit, Li Luo, who was not far behind Deng Fengxian, grabbed onto his blade and prepared to help out. However, Li Fengyi stopped him and said, "Don''t worry. Deng Fengxian is not useless. Even though Zhao Jingyu is strong, he''s still not strong enough to knock him out in a single hit. There are still three Division Leaders staring at us, we need to guard against them." Li Luo turned his gaze towards Zhao Jingyu''s back and noticed three figures eyeing them at this moment. They were the three Division Leaders from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, all in the state of Harmony and ready to strike at any time. As such, Li Luo stopped in his tracks. Nonetheless, he grabbed onto his Onyx-Elephant Blade tightly. In the same instant, Deng Fengxian raised his head and stared at the incoming tiger claw filled with fiendish energy. His face turned serious immediately, and he formed hand seals rapidly with both his hands. His gilded armor turned into strands of golden light and flew in front of him, quickly condensing together. After nearly half his gilded armor had transformed into the strands of gold light, a small, golden blade that was about the size of a palm formed in front of Deng Fengxian. The small knife was extremely exquisite, with a sense of endless sharpness hidden within it. Its blade was covered in extremely fine scales that were dazzling with golden light. As the light flowed through, it seemed to cause a piercing pain to anyone who looked at it directly. "That is the Gilded Armor Spirit Blade, the Duke Art that Deng Fengxian cultivated. This art combines both offense and defense into one. Under normal circumstances, it can take the form of a suit of gilded armor to protect him. However, when he needs to attack, it can transform into a spirit blade that possesses sharpness that belies belief," Li Fengyi explained to Li Luo. Li Luo nodded. This was indeed a versatile Duke Art, practical for both offensive and defensive purposes. Without a doubt, this must have been what allowed Deng Fengxian to rise to fame. Weng! As the spirit blade formed, it swam through the air like a fish in water. To everyone''s surprise, it did not seek to clash with the incoming tiger claw attack. Instead, it turned into a ray of light that flew directly towards Zhao Jingyu''s throat, appearing in front of him in an instant. He had completely ignored Zhao Jingyu''s attack and was planning to exchange injuries instead! What a decisive move! Deng Fengxian''s decision was completely beyond Zhao Jingyu''s expectations. As such, Zhao Jingyu''s face changed immediately when he saw the golden blade flying towards him. It was extremely sharp, and if it penetrated the resonant power protecting his body, his body would not be able to withstand it. "Hmph, the White Dressed Gilded Armor is really something." In the blink of an eye, Zhao Jingyu let out a cold snort. However, he didn''t withdraw his tiger claw for defense. Instead, he opened his mouth fiercely, and complicated runes emerged from his throat. Crimson light radiated from them. Roar! Terrifying shockwaves that were visible to the naked eye set off like a ravaging tiger-roar. They collided with the golden spirit-blade directly. The spirit blade was weakened by the vibrating shockwaves. They were just like tiny fish trying to swim up a waterfall, trying so hard to move forward but ultimately not getting any closer to Zhao Jingyu. Finally, the energy from the spirit blade was exhausted. It bounced backwards as it could no longer withstand the shockwaves any longer. Li Fengyi''s face turned cold when she witnessed this scene. "A Royal Engraving? Zhao Jingyu, you sure came prepared!" When Li Luo heard this, he froze in his tracks. A Royal Engraving... He had received such a treasure as the prize back when he won the Holy Grail Meet. It was extremely rare in the outer divine continent. Now, he had finally seen someone using one in the inner divine continent. Using the crimson shockwaves, Zhao Jingyu had managed to deflect Deng Fengxian''s surprise attack. However, Deng Fengxian still had to figure out a way to handle the incoming tiger claw attack. Li Luo prepared to lend a helping hand once again. "Leave this to me. You guys help me to keep watch on those other thugs in front." At this moment, Li Jingtao gave an earnest smile as he speedily stepped forward and formed hand seals. In the next moment, worldly natural energy gathered above Deng Fengxian and manifested dragon fangs that intertwined with each other rapidly, soon weaving together into a dragon fang shield. Bang! The tiger claw smacked down aggressively onto the dragon fang shield. A shocking wave of energy swept across the field, causing the ground below to crack under pressure. "Li Jingtao? Who do you think you are? A mere ant trying to stop my attack?" Zhao Jingyu ridiculed Li Jingtao when he saw him stepping forward. Li Jingtao had always held a low profile, so he had not roused much interest in this man. In his eyes, Li Jingtao was simply a guy who languished amongst the bottom of the Twenty Banners of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. However, just as his mocking laughter came out, he witnessed a surprising scene. Although the shield was shuddering endlessly under the suppressive force of the tiger claw, it showed no signs of shattering. It simply stood there like a rock unabated in the midst of crashing ocean waves. No matter how aggressively the waves struck it, it would not give way. After a few moments, the tiger claw''s energy was depleted and it faded away. There were many scratches on the shield, but it displayed no signs of breaking. Soon, the scratches turned into light glows and fell off the shield. Zhao Jingyu stared at this with disbelief. He was dumbfounded for a moment before he turned his attention over to Li Jingtao, who stood there harmlessly with a silly smile on his face. This bastard had been faking it! This fellow was playing the pig to eat the tiger! Chapter 0870: Wards Interference Chapter 0870: Ward''s Interference Li Jingtao''s move had far exceeded Zhao Jingyu''s expectations. Out of the four of them, he had placed the least attention on Li Jingtao all this while. In his eyes, even Li Luo, who had just returned from the outer divine continent, posed a much bigger threat than Li Jingtao. After all, Li Jingtao''s reputation as a mediocre descendent had been too deeply rooted in everyone''s hearts. "Who''d have thought you had the power to even block my Great Tiger Seal?" Zhao Jingyu looked at him with a face of uncertainty. His eyes were filled with surprise. He had not held back at all in that attack. That hit was bound to send even the famous Banner Leader Deng Fengxian out of action for a while, yet it had been totally blocked by Li Jingtao. "Who''d have expected the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, famed for its offensive abilities, to produce an oddball that specializes in defense now?" he continued. "There''re many more things beyond your expectations! Just scram with your men. We''ve no time to play with you here." Li Fengyi sneered. At this moment, a flash of ferocity appeared on Zhao Jingyu''s face. "Ask Li Luo to cut off one of his arms and hand it over to me, then I''ll leave immediately." Li Fengyi''s eyebrows stood up when she heard his words. Her pretty face turned cold as she shouted, "I''ll cut off your dog head instead!" Following this, she clenched her jade-like hand tightly, and energy swept up like a storm, turning into waves of energy that flew directly towards Zhao Jingyu''s face. "Hmph!" Zhao Jingyu snorted. He then opened his mouth, and an energy beam shot out, shattering Li Fengyi''s attack completely. Without any change in his facial expression, he stared at the four of them as he said, "You guys have surprised me indeed. But did you think I came here unprepared?" As soon as Li Luo heard his words, his gaze turned pensive and huge waves of resonant power surged within him. He was on full alert yet again. Although Li Luo had called him an idiot all this while, he had not underestimated Zhao Jingyu at all. After all, this guy was the second strongest from this generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. Since he had only brought over a similar force and still kept harping on wanting his severed arm, there must have been an ace hidden up his sleeve. At this moment, Zhao Jingyu revealed a formation flag in his palm. There was light flowing around the flag that seemed to form a series of special runes. In the next moment, an uncanny sense of pressure was emitted into the air. Zhao Jingyu shook his palm, then the formation flag flew into the air and landed on the ground not far away. Swoosh! A beam of light shot upwards. At the same time, Li Luo and the rest also noticed multiple beams of light shooting high up into the air further away. It was as if their location had been encircled by these beams of light. "It''s a ward. Retreat!" Li Luo shouted with a deep voice as he flew backwards. Although he did not know the effect of this ward yet, it was surely not something beneficial towards them. This must have been why Zhao Jingyu and his group had arrived at the Crimson Fire Mountain Range earlier than them. Li Fengyi and the others also retreated hastily without any more words. However, Zhao Jingyu''s ward had been set in place long beforehand. He was just placing the final and main flag now. The speed at which the ward was covering the area was much faster than the four had imagined. Gradually, a faint light curtain flowed across the sky like a river. After a couple dozen breaths, everything within hundreds of meters was completely enshrouded by the light curtain. At the same moment, the group finally felt the effect of the ward. The power of Harmony was starting to dissipate at a really fast speed. Their faces changed immediately. "My connection with the Crimson Cloud Banner is weakening!" Li Fengyi shouted in surprise. "This ward is distancing us from our banner members. It''ll cause us to be unable to use Harmony," Deng Fengxian said solemnly. The faces of the four of them were ugly. It was an extremely uneasy feeling to sense the energy leaving them, especially after they had gotten used to it. "Don''t worry. This distancing does not differentiate between friends and foes. Zhao Jingyu and his group will lose the state of Harmony as well," Li Luo reminded the others. Li Fengyi and the other two looked over to Zhao Jingyu''s side and, sure enough, the surging energy was also dissipating on their side. Evidently, this was a special ward created to counter Harmony. Zhao Jingyu and the group could not avoid its effects either. At this moment, Li Fengyi and the other two secretly heaved sighs of relief. It was great that both sides were affected. At most, they would all be back on the same starting line. What they were truly afraid of was the loss of Harmony on their side whilst Zhao Jingyu was still able to use it. This would lead to a ridiculously huge difference in their power. There was no way they could fight him in that case. Once Li Luo noticed that he was unable to escape from the ward''s interference, he stopped in his tracks and focused his attention on tackling the uncomfortable feeling that tugged at him when the energy from Harmony was drained away. At the same moment, his eyes lit up a little. At this rate of energy dissipation, his Harmony should be gone soon and he would be back to his individual strength. He would have to rely on his own strength for the remaining battles. Fortunately, he had already reached the half-completion Glass Fiend Tier. It was a huge power-up for him, and he would not fall behind too much even against a strong Fiend Finisher opponent like Zhao Jingyu. Li Luo looked into the distance ahead. That was where the members of the four banners were located. Now that the state of Harmony had been extinguished, they were also uneasy without its protection. They were all back to square one as individual Earth Fiend Tier. It would be fine if this were under normal circumstances. However, they were currently stuck in the depths of the Dark Domain. Even though the air of corruption here was thin, it still left them feeling extremely uneasy. The sub leaders from the four banners tried their best to suppress the commotion and keep the banner members under control. In contrast to them, the four divisions from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao were much more composed and calm. Clearly, that had seen this coming. At this moment, Zhao Jingyu let out a big laugh as he shouted, "What''s up? Can''t get used to things without Harmony now? I''m helping you so you won''t get lost in relying on external strength." Li Fengyi replied coldly, "You guys can''t use Harmony either." A strange and cold smile emerged on the corner of Zhao Jingyu''s mouth as he responded, "Do you really think that I spent so much effort to set up this ward just to even the odds on both sides?" When Li Luo and the others heard those words, their faces changed slightly. What did Zhao Jingyu mean? The effect of this ward was to distance people. Zhao Jingyu and his people had also been affected by this. What other tricks did he have up his sleeve? "My Harmony with the Tiger Division has indeed been affected. I am unable to maintain it." Zhao Jingyu started to explain at a very slow pace when he saw the looks of suspicion coming from Li Luo and his group. Then he threw his palm into the air, and ten black lights flew out from his sleeves, falling behind him. Li Luo and the others looked over and found that they were dozens of black puppets that looked like tigers. The puppets were eerily dark and had faint runes glowing on them, absorbing all the worldly natural energy in their surroundings. "However, I can still increase my strength in other ways. And this method won''t be affected by the ward''s interference at all." When Zhao Jingyu''s laughter died down, rays of light shot out from the dozens of black tiger puppets. The lights beamed into Zhao Jingyu''s body directly. In the next moment, Li Fengyi''s face turned extremely ugly as she noticed Zhao Jingyu''s resonant power rising at an amazing rate. A short moment later, the pulses of energy radiating from Zhao Jingyu''s body increased from the Fiend Finisher Tier to the Heavenly Pearl Tier. The hearts of Li Fengyi, Deng Fengxian, and Li Jingtao sank when they witnessed this scene. Although his incremental strength was far from what it was in the state of Harmony, it was sufficient to pose a great threat to them in the current situation. This must have been the ace that Zhao Jingyu had prepared. While both sides weakened, only his own power was boosted. Putting both together, the gap in their strength had widened significantly. Chapter 0871: One Kick Chapter 0871: One Kick Zhao Jingyu''s tricks had made a drastic change. The disappearance of Harmony and the huge energy had not only caused discomfort for Li Fengyi''s group, it had also caused the morale of their banners members to fall drastically. Most importantly, Zhao Jingyu had utilized another method to avoid the ward''s interference. He had leveraged on the black tiger puppets to greatly boost his own strength into the Heavenly Pearl Tier. This was enough to give him a clear edge in this situation. In contrast to the worried faces of Li Fengyi and the rest, Li Luo was still remaining calm. In the same moment that Zhao Jingyu had activated his ward to cut off their connection with their banner members and deactivated the Harmony, Li Luo had gotten into contact with the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf in his crimson bracelet. This had given him some reassurance. Although Harmony had been disrupted, he could still borrow the strength of the wolf! It''s just a change of whom he borrowed power from. As such, the situation on hand might not necessarily be a bad thing for Li Luo. "Li Luo, let me say this one last time: sever your own arm and I''ll let you off," Zhao Jingyu said to Li Luo as he stared at them leisurely with a grin. In response, Li Luo revealed a gentle smile and said, "Didn''t expect you to be such a fastidious person. In that case, you may leave the five dragon fangs behind and get out of here." Zhao Jingyu''s eyes turned completely chilly when he heard those words. He didn''t bother speaking any longer, and resonant power surged unreservedly within his body. Although the intensity of the energy was far inferior to before, it was still the strength of one in the Heavenly Pearl Tier. This was enough to make Li Fengyi, Deng Fengxian, and the rest tremble under the pressure. When he stomped his foot on the ground, the land beneath cracked open. He then flew like a flash directly towards Li Luo. "Third Brother, I''ll help you block him!" Li Jingtao shouted. As soon as he saw Zhao Jingyu charging over, his face turned serious and he took the first step forward. Zhao Jingyu was now at the Heavenly Pearl Tier, while Li Luo was at the Fiend Body Tier. The difference in their power was too great. If they clashed right now, Li Luo would be at a huge disadvantage. Hence, Li Jingtao had wanted to help out by sending him off with his signature defensive move first. Nonetheless, three figures flew forward from behind Zhao Jingyu as soon as Li Jingtao made his move. The first individual launched a vicious attack directly aimed at Li Jingtao. Against this, Li Jingtao had no choice but to slow down and summon his resonant power to block it. The other two Division Leaders from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had also gone for Li Fengyi and Deng Fengxian at this point. Clearly, they were going to hold them off until Zhao Jingyu had enough time to finish off Li Luo. In the same instant, Zhao Jingyu appeared in front of Li Luo without any obstruction. Using the huge, red blade in his arm, he slashed down towards the ground, leaving a trail of erosion from the fiendish energy. "Li Luo, I''ve told you that I would like one of your arms. No one''s going to stop me today!" Zhao Jingyu said with a ferocious face as enormous resonant power surged up and the silhouette of a savage tiger emerged behind him. Swish! When he swung his blade down, a crimson blade-light full of fiendish energy materialized. It was a truly aggressive slash where he had not held back any of his strength. It seemed like even the strength of a Fiend Finisher would not be able to handle the brilliance of this blade light. "Move back, Little Brother!" Li Fengyi warned him. However, Li Luo did not retreat at all. As the blade light grew bigger and bigger in his eyes, his handsome face was as calm as a pond without waves. When the blade light was close, he leaned forward and the sole of his foot crushed the ground underneath. He swung his leg and sent out one strong kick. "You are courting death!" Zhao Jingyu laughed grimly when he saw Li Luo kick directly at the blade light. The blade light rolled on and was about to cut off one of Li Luo''s legs. In the next moment, the blade light clashed with the kick. However, an extremely terrifying energy erupted when the two came into contact. Crack! It had not even been a breath''s time before the sound of shattering was heard. Zhao Jingyu''s ferocious face froze and his pupils widened in that instant. He had just witnessed his blade light, which could have killed even a Fiend Finisher, get shattered into pieces by Li Luos kick. When the blade light crumbled, Li Luo, his leg now wrapped in intense energy, planted his foot straight in Zhao Jingyu''s face with a sickening, bone-crunching strike. BANG! A low, muffled sound rang in the air. Zhao Jingyu''s face seemed to have collapsed at this moment, his facial features twisted. He flew back even faster than he had charged forward earlier and rolled pathetically on the ground for hundreds of meters. For a moment, the atmosphere on the battlefield froze. Whether it was Li Fengyi, Li Fengyi, Deng Fengxian, or the three Division Leaders from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, they were all dumbfounded. The resonant power surrounding them seemed to have dimmed a little. They stared with disbelief at how Li Luos kick had left Zhao Jingyu in an unknown state of life and death. What was going on?! Zhao Jingyu had been strengthened to the Heavenly Pearl Tier with the aid of the puppets. How had he ended up in this state with just one kick? What had happened?! Amidst the air of confusion, the three Division Leaders from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao restrained their resonant power and hurried over to help the fallen Zhao Jingyu. At this moment, the blood and flesh on Zhao Jingyu''s face was totally mashed into a paste as if he had been disfigured. When they helped him up, he spat out two mouthfuls of blood before his vision slowly recovered. "I-Impossible!" His voice was hoarse, his body was shaking from the excruciating pain, and his heart was full of rage and shame. Clearly, he could not accept the fact that a kick from Li Luo could leave him in this state after he had powered up with the external aid of the puppets. Surely the power hidden in Li Luo''s kick was not normal! There was no way a Fiend Body Tier opponent like Li Luo could possess such strength! "Y-Your state of Harmony was not nullified!" Zhao Jingyu said. This was the only explanation he could think of. Somehow, Li Luo had managed to avoid the interference from his ward. The others in the area also looked at Li Luo in surprise. Li Luo retreated his leg with a grin as he said, "What a comfortable kick." Hearing this, Zhao Jingyus anger boiled to the point of overflowing. However, he could only tremble and hold his anger down as he listened to Li Luos mockery. That kick had really shocked him. He had originally planned to widen the gap in their strength with the assistance from the ward. Who knew that it would help Li Luo instead? If Li Luo''s Harmony had not dissipated completely, wouldn''t this ward be doing opposite of what it was intended to do? The situation on hand had suddenly become extremely disadvantageous to Zhao Jingyu and his gang. Just as he was trapped in this predicament, a sudden shrill came from the direction of the division members from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. This abrupt development caught Li Luo and his gang off guard too. When they turned their heads over, their eyes narrowed a little. Hundreds of bodies were flung into the air as if an unknown force had plowed through them. Their faces were filled with agony and they had injuries all over their bodies. As they struggled, another shocking thing happenedtheir skins tore off from their bodies. In the next moment, hundreds of human skins floated in midair. The hundreds of division members were left rolling on the ground, dripping in fresh blood and screaming in agony. "Hehe." A strange laugh came from the distance. Before anyone noticed, a pale, white figure had appeared on a big tree. When it made its presence known, the hundreds of human skins suspended in the air flew towards it, covering its body layer after layer. At the same moment, the others noticed that this pale figure had no hair. It looked just like any other human, except its pale body was formed by layers of human skin. A chill air blew in the hearts of everyone present. This was a True Devil Other. In particular, Li Luo, Li Fengyi, and the rest were even more solemn. This was the Human Skin True Devil! It was one of the two True Devils that Li Luo and the rest wanted to deal with earlier but had mysteriously disappeared. It seemed that it had secretly followed them all the way into the Crimson Fire Mountain Range. Chapter 0872: Appearance of the True Devil Chapter 0872: Appearance of the True Devil The situation on hand had taken another turn with the appearance of the Human Skin True Devil. Everyone was shocked to see it make an appearance here. Both sides had lost their Harmony temporarily due to the effect of the ward. At present, the tens of thousands of people present were weak like scattered sand. They were just like fat pigs ready for the True Devil to slaughter. It was just like what had happened with the four divisions members earlier on. In the blink of an eye, hundreds were wiped out. It was a truly tragic loss. At this moment, horror surfaced in Zhao Jingyu''s eyes too. This turn of events was beyond his imagination. After all, there was little corruption in the Crimson Fire Mountain Range, so Others seldom came here. Who knew that a True Devil would barge in like this? "Brother Yu, deactivate the ward. Quick!" his three Division Leaders shouted hastily with pale faces. They would only stand a chance against the True Devil if they canceled the interference from the ward and entered the state of Harmony. If not, they were simply weak, little rabbits trying to stand up against a ferocious lion. Hearing their screams, Zhao Jingyu woke up from his shock. He quickly placed his palms together and began to deactivate the ward. However, this required some time. During this time, they witnessed more and more of their division members getting slaughtered by the True Devil. Along with its high pitch laughter, more and more members got skinned alive. Their cries of agony rang throughout the whole forest. As the tragic scene of the four divisions from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao broke out, the faces of Li Luo and the rest changed completely too. They stared with horrified looks. It was only now that they truly felt the terror of a True Devil. Previously, they had the assistance from Harmony when they were working together to slay the True Devils. Now that they had lost their strength, they had no means to fight off this threat at all. "Get back! Out of the ward''s jurisdiction!" Li Luo shouted decisively after he took a deep breath to calm his own nerves. His shout had reached the ears of the banner members standing behind them too. Already feeling the fear, they hurried away like a rushing river. It was imperative for them to get out of the ward''s jurisdiction so they could activate Harmony and protect themselves. Li Luo and the other three also retreated speedily. At the same time, they were on high alert as their eyes scanned the surroundings. There were two True Devils that had gone missing in their districts earlier. Now that the Human Skin True Devil had surfaced, the other True Devil might be lurking around in the shadows too. At the same time, information regarding the second True Devil flashed across Li Luo''s mind. The Red Eye True Devil, it possessed crimson eyes and enjoyed feasting on people''s eyeballs. The four of them retreated hastily. In this instant, both sides were busy running for their lives. They did not have time to bother with each other. After all, what they truly feared was the weird and strange Other. If they did not regain their Harmony soon, tens of thousands of lives would be lost. Whoosh! Just as Li Luo and the rest were making their hasty retreat, they suddenly saw a black silhouette soaring past them in the sky above. It flew past the ground shrouded in what seemed to be red light. The four leaders narrowed their eyes and turned around to take a look. A strange figure had landed on the top of a big tree in front. It was wearing a white robe and had a gentle warm smile on its face. However, its eyes had no pupils. Instead, a frightening, bright-red glow could be seen. Red Eye True Devil! The Red Eye True Devil did not go for Li Luo and the other three directly. Rather, it started hunting the members from the four banners that were further away. Their faces changed drastically. Although there was a huge number of banner members from the four banners, it would definitely be a massacre once the Red Eye True Devil approached them! Unfortunately, the Red Eye True Devil was as fast as a phantom. In a flash, it appeared in the sky above the four banners. Following this, blood-red light condensed in its eyes and shot out like laser beams. The blood light pierced through the air, dancing with the wind and tearing through many of the banner members below. Coincidentally, the Green Nether Banner was the first to get caught in it. The faces of Zhao Yanzhi, Mu Bi, and Li Shi turned pale as they watched the approaching blood light in fear. They tried to repel it with their attacks. However, their attacks with puny resonant power were disintegrated by the blood light instantly. "Ah!" Some of the members of the Green Nether Banner collapsed in fright, crying out in despair. "Stop it, you bastard!" Li Fengyi shouted angrily from the back as her eyes grew red. However, the Red Eye True Devil did not pay attention to her at all. When the blood light fell, countless heads were twisted whenever it passed, and their eyes were gouged out. Zhao Yanzhi and the rest trembled in fear and despair as they watched this bloody scene unfold. Bang! All of a sudden, a bolt of lightning whizzed through the air. A faint dragon fang could be seen within it. Moving at a speed that the naked eye would not be able to follow, the lightning sliced through and directly clashed with the blood light. A thunderous sound echoed in the air when the lightning bolt detonated. Zhao Yanzhi and the rest were blown away by the wild energy from the collision. However, they did not care about this as they rolled on the ground. Instead, they hastily touched their own necks to ensure that their heads were still intact before they heaved sighs of relief. In the next moment, they looked up in surprise. Lightning was raging in the air above before it completely shattered the blood light. Everyone was shocked. They were considerably weakened as Harmony was deactivated. Who could have shot this out and pushed back the attack from the True Devil?! In fact, it was not just them. Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian were all stunned as well. In the next moment, they turned their heads around and saw Li Luo, who had fallen a step behind them. There was a big, silver bow in his hand with its string still vibrating from the aftereffects of the strike. Traces of the wild lightning energy were left behind on it. Clearly, this was where the shocking lightning energy had originated from. Surprises surfaced in the eyes of the three. How had Li Luo launched an attack of such power after Harmony had been restricted? How?! "Hurry and go!" Li Luo did not care about their surprised gazes. He shouted sternly to Zhao Yanzhi and the other banner members. At the same time, his Lambent Hawkeye locked onto the Red Eye True Devil. Huge resonant power surged up and yet another arrow of the Flowing Thunder Dragon Fang materialized in his bow. He had taken the initiative to fully borrow the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s power. The Red Eye True Devil paused in its tracks immediately when it was locked on to by Li Luo. It could feel a looming sense of danger coming from his bow. Its crimson eyes turned slowly towards Li Luo as dark blood-light circulated in its pupils. Bang! Bang! Li Luo did not need to be polite with it. The bow trembled and dozens of Flowing Thunder Dragon Fangs appeared at the same time. They all shot towards the Red Eye True Devil directly, leaving a pungent, burnt smell in their trail as the lightning bolts pierced the air. Roars of explosions blasted in their wake. However, the Red Eye True Devil shot out blood light continuously and blocked the lightning attacks. Fortunately, the four banners managed to get out of its attack range while Li Luo''s endless barrage kept it occupied. Heaving a sigh of relief, they looked at Li Luo with eyes of gratitude. They would all have been dead or grievously injured if not for Li Luo''s assault. In the distance, they could still hear the shrill screams coming from the four divisions of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. This continued to send chills up their spines. Without Harmony, they were just like tiny ants in the eyes of these True Devils. It was fortunate that this situation did not go on for long. Suddenly, the light layers of the ward shattered into pieces. Zhao Jingyu had finally deactivated the ward. Unfortunately, their side was already flowing in rivers of blood. It was a truly miserable sight. The interference from Zhao Jingyu''s ward had really become his own downfall. However, no one had the time to sympathize with them. When the effects of the ward wore off, dozens of angry shouts sounded off in the forest. "Harmony!" Chapter 0873: Continuous Developments Chapter 0873: Continuous Developments Bang! As countless Harmony chants rang in the air, wave after wave of extremely strong resonant power surged up in the forest like a wild storm. Over at Zhao Jingyu''s side, the Human Skin True Devil who was on a killing spree also froze in its tracks. Four extremely terrifying energy undulations that were filled with anger and murderous intent had surfaced. The Human Skin True Devil screamed loudly, and pieces of pale, human skin shedded from its body repeatedly. Strange, black runes were flowing around them. With this enhancement, the human skins possessed tremendous power as well. They split open one after another and fended off the attack from Zhao Jingyu and his Division Leaders in the state of Harmony. Nonetheless, it had to pay a heavy price to do so. The human skins disintegrated and were used up. With that, the Human Skin True Devil had grasped the change in the situation and attempted to escape. "Die! Zhao Jingyu shouted angrily with no intention of letting it off. His side had suffered great losses due to the Human Skin True Devil''s massacre. Many of his division members were still rolling in pain on the floor, without their skins. It was a truly tragic sight. "Duke Art, Great Tiger Seal!" Without any hesitation, Zhao Jingyu activated his Duke Art. A giant, black tiger-claw materialized in the air and flew directly towards the Human Skin True Devil. At the same time, his three Division Leaders similarly launched their attacks angrily. Huge amounts of energy surged up and lanced ferociously towards the Human Skin True Devil. Boom! The whole forest started shaking under the tremendous shockwaves of the energy blast. While Zhao Jingyu and his division fought against the Human Skin True Devil, Li Luo and the other three were working together against the Red Eye True Devil. The four of them activated Harmony and immediately obstructed the escape route of the Red Eye True Devil. In the next moment, violent and vicious attacks flew wildly towards the enemy. The Red Eye True Devil tried its best to fend off the furious bombardments of attacks by the four of them. Rays of terrifying blood light shot out continuously. However, its power started to weaken as time passed by. In the end, it was completely overwhelmed by the explosive energy from the combined assault. The members of the four banners finally heaved sighs of relief when they watched the Red Eye True Devil die before them. It was only at this moment that the fear in their eyes subsided. Clearly, the horrific scenes they had just witnessed had frightened them really badly. They were completely helpless in front of the True Devil Other without the assistance of Harmony. The hearts of Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian were beating exceptionally quickly. It was fortunate that there had been no great casualties on their side. Otherwise, they would surely be punished upon their return. After all, it was their responsibility as Banner Leaders to take care of the banner members. "Thank you, Third Brother. Your efforts have saved us today." Li Jingtao wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead. Li Fengyi nodded in agreement. Earlier, Li Luo had stopped the Red Eye True Devil during the critical juncture and bought them enough time until the effects of the ward faded off. If not, their four banners would surely have been slaughtered and left in a pathetic state like Zhao Jingyu''s side. This time, even the somewhat arrogant Deng Fengxian had cupped his fists together and thanked Li Luo. Li Luo shook his head and replied, "It''s what had to be done. We''re from the same bloodline after all." He felt like he really got lucky this time. It was really fortunate that he had the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf trump card hidden up his sleeve. Otherwise, he could not have helped out in time either. "Little Brother, how did you get the burst of power to fight off the True Devil Other earlier? You werent in the state of Harmony yet, right?" Li Fengyi asked curiously. Hearing this, Li Luo smiled and responded, "It''s not really my strength. It''s a special kind of external aid." The three of them were surprised to hear this. However, they did not probe on. This was Li Luo''s hidden trump card ultimately, so there was no need for them to ask any further. In the next moment, Li Luo changed the conversation topic and asked, "Who''d have thought that those two True Devil Others would follow us all the way into the Crimson Fire Mountain Range? That''s really strange." The other three nodded seriously too. There was clearly something odd about this chain of events. Under ordinary circumstances, the True Devil Others would not venture into a region with barely any corruption like this one. Yet two of them had laid here for an ambush today. Furthermore, they had hidden themselves sneakily in the dark and waited for Zhao Jingyu to cast his ward and deactivate the state of Harmony before coming in for the kill. "Luckily, we have gotten rid of them," Li Fengyi said with a sigh of relief. "Let''s get the Sacred Infant Fruit and leave this place quickly. The Dark Domain really makes me feel uneasy." It was not the first time she had come into a Dark Domain, but this was the only time that left her feeling so disturbed. At this point, Li Luo looked over to Zhao Jingyu''s side and saw that the Human Skin True Devil was slaughtered as well. However, he did not let out a sigh of relief. Rather, his face turned more serious. "Third Brother, what''re you worried about?" Li Jingtao asked when he noticed the change. Li Luo thought for a moment and responded, "Although the two True Devils have been slain, do you remember the mysterious True Devil that I mentioned previously... The Soul Eater True Devil? Perhaps these two True Devils entered the Mountain Range because of the mysterious True Devil." Hearing this, the faces of Li Fengyi and Deng Fengxian changed immediately. They had indeed forgotten about the mysterious True Devil... "Does the Soul Eater True Devil really exist? After all, the Western Region sends in Dukes to scout the area periodically, and they have never noticed that True Devil all this while," Li Fengyi said with a forced smile. Li Lingjing''s face flashed across Li Luo''s mind in this instant. He was not completely sure about it either. After all, he had not seen this mysterious True Devil up till now. As Li Luo and the rest were discussing amongst themselves, Zhao Jingyu had also finished the battle on his end. However, it was a bloodbath for his side. There were too many division members who were bleeding without their skins. Despite the nonstop aid provided by the other division members, the cries of pain continued ringing in the air. Zhao Jingyu was trembling all over, unsure if it was due to shock or anger. In the end, he turned his head and stared fiercely at Li Luo. "Why''re you looking at me? If not for the ward nonsense that you came up with, we wouldnt have been ambushed by two True Devils, you fool," Li Luo said calmly. Zhao Jingyu replied with red eyes, "Li Luo, you fiend! You must have attracted those True Devils over!" Ever since he arrived in the Dark Domain, he could sense that there were many more dangerous encounters whenever he got close to Li Luo. In fact, he had nearly been killed by two True Devils before. And then he was ambushed by two of them once again after he had entered the Crimson Fire Mountain Range. This was a totally unimaginable series of events based on his past experiences. Therefore, Zhao Jingyu felt that it had to be linked to Li Luo. Li Luo simply answered, "I''d advise you to just get the hell out of here. Stop disturbing us." He did not want to bicker with Zhao Jingyu any longer. He simply wished to obtain a Sacred Infant Fruit as soon as possible and leave this strange place. Hearing this, Zhao Jingyu was infuriated. He stared daggers at Li Luo and could barely hold himself back any longer. However, a gentle hum came from the depths of the forest at this moment. "Hmm Hmm Hmm" It seemed to be the voice of a young girl. The lyrics could not be heard clearly, but the voice was sweet and pleasant, echoing throughout the forest into the ears of everyone present. The sudden development left everyone dumbfounded. Although the humming was beautiful, no one was paying attention to it. They could all sense an inexplicably odd feeling arising in their hearts. It was a really spooky encounter to hear a girl humming in this kind of place. The faces of Li Luo and his gang changed the most. They looked at each other, and chills went up their spines. Could this voice be coming from the mysterious Soul Eater True Devil?! With their understanding, there should be no one else in this forest. Where was the voice coming from? "Get ready!" The four of them shouted as they activated Harmony. The humming was getting clearer and clearer. A few moments later, it stopped. Everyone seemed to have sensed it, and they looked to the side. The sound of light footsteps was coming from the left side of the dense forest. A slender figure became clearer and clearer. Finally, it emerged from the shadows of the forest. Everyone was stunned when the figure appeared. It was a fair girl with a clean and beautiful face. Her long hair fluttered in the air and her hands were behind her back. She walked out with a little confusion on her face as she looked at the crowd and smiled with her white teeth. She was as pretty as the blooming flowers. However, Li Luo sensed a chill running from his soles all the way up his body as he stared at the petite, white face. That face... It''s exactly the same as Li Lingjing''s! Chapter 0874: True Devil Li Lingjing Chapter 0874: True Devil Li Lingjing "Li Lingjing?!" When Li Luo saw the young girl walking out of the forest, a chill ran through his whole body and his face displayed his total disbelief. He had never expected the strange Soul Eater True Devil to take the appearance of Li Lingjing! When Li Fengyi and the others on the side heard Li Luo''s exclamation, their faces could not help but change. They asked in surprise, "She''s Li Lingjing? How can this be possible? How would she appear here?" Li Luo was still confused. This odd scene had really left them stumped. Shouldn''t Li Lingjing be back in Western City? Or could it be that the person in front of them wasn''t really her? In that case, this girl that looked exactly the same... who was she exactly? Li Luo''s heart trembled. Could this be... the Soul Eater True Devil? As Li Luo and the rest were still shocked by the sudden appearance of Li Lingjing, she cast her gaze over at Li Luo. A bright smile appeared on her charming face. In the next moment, she waved passionately at Li Luo and walked over to them naturally. Seeing this, Li Luo hastily shouted, "Stop! Don''t come any closer!" Li Lingjing paused in her tracks and frowned slightly when she heard this. "What''s the matter?" she asked. Her voice was exactly the same as Li Lingjings. Li Luo''s eyes flickered a little as he forced a smile out and asked, "Cousin Li Lingjing, weren''t you in Western City?" "I was worried about you, so I snuck over here," Li Lingjing replied. Hearing this, Li Luo let out a sigh. Li Lingjing had not recovered from her injuries and could not even get out of her own house. How could she enter the Dark Domain, get past all the Others, and arrive at the Crimson Fire Mountain Range deep in the region? Therefore, the Li Lingjing in front of them was highly suspicious. There was no way Li Luo could trust her. There were too many factors that told them that the Li Lingjing in front of them was not the Li Lingjing that he knew. Back in the old manor, Li Lingjing had explained to them that half of her spirit had been consumed by the Soul Eater True Devil. Knowing their weird habits, it was totally possible that the Other had changed its physical appearance to look like Li Lingjing. As Li Luo kept his guard up against Li Lingjing, Zhao Jingyu and his thugs were staring at the mysterious girl that had suddenly appeared. "Who''re you?" Zhao Jingyu asked coldly. However, Li Lingjing ignored him and kept smiling at Li Luo. Seeing this, a chill arose in Zhao Jingyu''s eyes and he immediately slashed down with his huge blade. A ray of icy blade-light hacked through the air and lashed towards her. In a breath''s time, the blade light flew past Li Lingjing''s shoulder, and her slender arm fell onto the floor. However, she was still smiling despite losing an arm. There were no signs of pain on her face at all. Li Luo retreated immediately when he saw this. This time, Zhao Jingyu''s attack had helped him probe her out. The person in front of them was definitely not Li Lingjing. "So painful." At this moment, Li Lingjing turned her head to look at her fallen arm, showing a miserable, pained expression. She immediately became angry and asked Zhao Jingyu, "What are you doing?" Zhao Jingyu''s face changed instantly too. He knew from that reaction that there was something wrong with the girl in front of him. Most likely, she was another Other. "Damn it, Li Luo. You''re really an unlucky star!" Zhao Jingyu scolded angrily. He had visited this Dark Domain in the past and encountered True Devil Others. However, it was at most one of them per expedition. Yet he had nearly encountered all the possible True Devil Others in this Dark Domain at least once in his pursuit of Li Luo. At this moment, he regretted coming here to cause trouble for Li Luo. He probably would have been better off settling his grudge outside. In the same moment, Li Lingjing had affixed her eyes upon Zhao Jingyu. The smile on her petite face was getting brighter and more charming. Nonetheless, there was a cold, black light flowing deep in her eyes if one were to look carefully. She stretched out her slender, jade fingers and flicked at Zhao Jingyu casually. Strange, black light flew through the void and left two conspicuous trails that sliced through the air. Zhao Jingyu was already on guard against Li Lingjing despite this. As soon as she struck out, he reacted with a deep roar. Energy surged up, and an energy wall formed around him. He did not dare to underestimate this strange person. He went all-in on defense with no plans to counterattack. Thanks to Harmony, he should be able to fend off an attack even from a second-grade Duke. However, the result was not as expected. When the black lights struck the energy wall, two black marks were left on it. In the next moment, the black lights passed through the wall unobstructed before Zhao Jingyu''s surprised eyes. Sssh! Before Zhao Jingyu could react, the lights arced forward, and he felt excruciating pain coming from his arms. He was stunned when he looked down. Both of his arms had been severed! Fresh blood spewed out of them immediately. AHH! Zhao Jingyu screamed in pain. His face was twisted in agony and his eyes were filled with horror. He had never imagined that she would cut off both of his arms so easily. His defense was totally useless against her! This terrible scene left everyone in the field dumbfounded. Even Li Luo and his gang narrowed their eyes instinctively. They had just fought Zhao Jingyu and knew very well how strong he was in the state of Harmony, yet his arms were easily severed. Just how strong was she? The Li Lingjing imposter had to be a second-grade or third-grade True Devil at the very least! The other three Division Leaders from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao hurried over to help Zhao Jingyu. They supported him, staunching the bleeding with pills whilst giving him some recovery medicine immediately. At this point, Zhao Jingyu''s face was totally twisted. His eyes were red with fury and murderous intent. "Let''s work together and kill this beast!" he shouted in a low voice as he looked over to Li Luo''s side. "Li Luo, this True Devil is unlike the others. If you all want to live, let''s work together to slay it!" Hearing this, Li Luo''s eyes flickered. He looked over to Li Fengyi and the other two. The three of them pondered for a second and then nodded decisively. "Let''s kill this enemy first," Deng Fengxian said rationally. The others agreed too. Although Zhao Jingyu was annoying and was considered an adversary, it was still better to work together when faced against these mysterious Others. If not, they might not be able to escape once this creature finished off Zhao Jingyu and his gang. "Alright!" With no objection from the others, Li Luo no longer hesitated. He nodded to Zhao Jingyu, and the four of them summoned up their energy and focused on the same foe. Zhao Jingyu gritted his teeth and shouted, "Let''s do it!" All four on his side also locked their gazes on Li Lingjing. For a moment, the power of eight Dukes surrounded her in all directions. Despite these attacks, Li Lingjing maintained her bright smile. The smile appeared a little fake, as if it had been drawn onto her face. She raised her slender jade hands slowly as she let out a sigh. Weng! When she raised her jade hands, black smoke suddenly rose up from two areas of the forest. The smoke was thick and there seemed to be countless screams coming from it. Upon closer look, there were two silhouettes looming within them. When Li Luo and the rest looked at it carefully, the silhouettes seemed to resemble the Red Eye True Devil and Human Skin True Devil that they had slain earlier. The locations where the smoke was rising were exactly where the two True Devils had fallen earlier. Li Luo was startled by this, and he shouted, "Attack! She''s going to use the corpses of the two True Devils to cast her spell!" The intelligence of the Soul Eater True Devil was far beyond their expectations. Ordering the other True Devils to ambush them was only the first step, a precursor to the main show. Her plan was to use their corpses to cast an extraordinary spell once they had slain the two True Devils. After Li Luo''s warning, eight immense blasts of energy flew out at the same time. They went directly for Li Lingjing like eight giant, unruly pythons. The worldly natural energy in the forest started to boil under this intensive offense. The eight energy pythons shattered Li Lingjing upon contact and she exploded instantly. However, there was no time for the crowd to celebrate. The destroyed body turned into a thick, black mist and fused together with the Red Eye True Devil and the Human Skin True Devil. In the next moment, the strange and thick mist detonated. Black smoke spread endlessly like a wave and covered thousands of meters in the blink of an eye. Li Luo and his group were the first ones to bear the brunt of the attack. They had fallen into the sea of black mist. Chapter 0875: Shadow Worm Smoke Chapter 0875: Shadow Worm Smoke The black mist covered the sky and swallowed up Li Luo and the rest. Without any hesitation, Li Luo summoned up his energy to blow it away, but it was totally ineffective despite the resonant power boost from Harmony. His energy pulses seemed to have been swallowed up by the endless sea of black mist. Upon closer look, it was then that they finally noticed it. There were actually countless little things wriggling in the black mist, enough to make one''s scalp crawl. It seemed like the mist was formed by these innumerable black worms that were as tiny as dust. The naked eye could hardly detect them if not for the fact that they had gathered together. At this moment, Li Luo turned over to Li Fengyi and the rest. However, he realized that they were no longer by his side. It was as if different dimensions had formed to isolate them. Indeed, this black mist was truly odd. Li Luo''s face turned serious. The Soul Eater True Devil was far beyond the first-grade True Devils that he had encountered so far. Moreover, it was highly intelligent, enough to separate them so that they could not join forces against it. "This is going to be quite troublesome," Li Luo muttered to himself as he tightly grasped the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. Based on his estimate, the Soul Eater True Devil surely exceeded a second-grade True Devil Other. Facing such a formidable opponent, he was weaker even with the aid of the Green Nether Banner''s Harmony. However, he still had some tricks up his sleeve. He could borrow the power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. However, the wolf was only about as powerful as a first-grade Duke, so it might still be slightly weaker than the Soul Eater True Devil. In that case, he still had another acethe kingmark hidden in the Onyx-Elephant Blade. It was left behind by Principal Pang, and its energy should not have been totally depleted. If he utilized both the power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf and the kingmark, it should be enough to pose a threat to the Soul Eater True Devil. The caveat was that he could only use this once. He would need to find an opportunity that could let him severely injure or even kill the True Devil. Otherwise, he might really lose his life today. Li Luo''s heart was filled with a sense of danger as his body tightened up like a wild beast preparing for its strike. He stared intently at the black mist that surrounded him. His heightened state of alert lasted for a few moments before he sensed something weird happening. In front of him, the black mist gradually opened up a path, and Li Lingjing appeared. As usual, she was smiling brightly at him. However, Li Luo could tell that there was no happiness coming from her smile. Instead, it was an eerie and chilling smile. Li Luo immediately understood that he had been targeted by the Soul Eater True Devil. Slowly, Li Lingjing walked over and stopped about ten meters away from him. Her eyes lit up as she watched him curiously. Following this, she took a few deep breaths as if she was intoxicated. "What a nice smell," she said with a smile. However, Li Luo simply stared at her coldly without replying. "You must be really delicious." Li Lingjing stuck out her tender, pink tongue and licked her red lips in a seductive manner. This sent a chill up Li Luo''s spine. "Zhao Jingyu is pretty talented too. You can try him as an appetizer first," Li Luo suggested. Hearing this, Li Lingjing frowned and replied, "He''s passable. If you were not around, I may have eaten him. But now... I have no interest in him. You must understand that I am very picky with my food. Over the years, the only person that has left me satisfied is just this body." She pointed to her own body. With a faint smile, she continued, "But I can sense that you''re even better than her." At this moment, Li Luo''s eyes twitched a little. He understood that she must have been referring to Li Lingjing. Li Luo was not pleased with such recognition at all. Rather, he wanted to just give her a piece of his mind. Li Luo took a deep breath and asked, "I''m a little speechless. You really won''t consider changing your choice to Zhao Jingyu?" "No way," Li Lingjing replied with a grin. Next, she opened her red lips, and thick, black smoke wafted out. The smoke gradually formed a cloud, countless black worms that were as tiny as dust particles crawling inside it. The smoke reached out for Li Luo like a tentacle. "It''ll be much better if you do not resist," she warned him kindly. Of course, Li Luo would not simply listen to her. When he saw the Shadow Worm Smoke drifting over, his energy surged and he casted a Nine Revolutions Art immediately. "Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment!" A giant dragon manifestation emerged and wrapped around Li Luo. It emitted a mysterious dragonfear that slowed down the pace of the Shadow Worm Smoke instantly. As if it was deterred, the smoke did not dare to come any closer. "Hehe." Seeing this, Li Lingjing bit the tip of her own tongue, and pitch-black blood spilled out. It seemed as though every rivulet was filled with the horrified faces of people crying in pain. The blood droplets then landed on the black smoke. In the next moment, the strange, tiny worms that were as small as dust particles started to act up as they devoured the fresh blood wildly. Soon, their tiny bodies started to glow with dark-red light. Once again, the Shadow Worm Smoke surged directly towards Li Luo, no longer frightened by the dragonfear from the Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment. When the two came into contact, Li Luo could sense the immense energy from the Nine Revolutions Art being eroded at a surprising speed. It was as if the strange worms had the power to decay. Li Luo narrowed his eyes immediately. The Soul Eater True Devil was truly scary. Not even the Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment could guard against it. At this rate, his defense would dissipate completely in mere moments. An indescribable sense of crisis welled up in his heart. The energy he felt from Harmony was also slowly diminishing, as if it was being eroded by the black smoke too. Once again, Li Luo felt the limitations of Harmony. When his connection with the Green Nether Banner got disrupted, the energy he had would be restricted as well. Li Luos eyes lit up, and he lightly tapped the crimson bracelet on his wrist. Once the energy from Harmony was weakened considerably, he would need to borrow the power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf and the kingmark to give the Soul Eater True Devil a critical strike. He would only have one chance to do so. Hence, he needed to find the perfect opportunity. The Soul Eater True Devil would only let its guard down when his Harmony power weakened considerably. That would be his best chance. When Li Luo touched the bracelet, a deep, low howl could be heard in his heart. Hearing the ferocious howl, Li Luo felt a strange sense of assurance in his heart. After all, the aggressive and wild Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf was much closer to him than the Soul Eater True Devil. "Little Three, it all depends on you. If we survive this, I won''t treat you badly in the future," Li Luo thought to himself. In this short span of time, the Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment had been completely broken down by the black smoke. In the next moment, strands of it reached out towards Li Luo like tentacles. At the same time, the Harmony energy flowing around him continued to weaken. After a long moment, the energy from Harmony finally reached its limit and dwindled away. Seeing this, the fake Li Lingjing stepped forward with her long, slender legs and started walking towards him, a bright and charming smile on her fair and beautiful face. Chapter 0876: Desperate Counterattack Chapter 0876: Desperate Counterattack With each step that Li Lingjing took towards Li Luo, his body tensed up a little more. His face continued to show a shocked and frightened expression, and he even retreated a few steps. His eyes were filled with fear. Seeing this, Li Lingjing told him gently, "Don''t worry. I''ll savor you carefully. There won''t be any pain at all." When her foot landed on the ground, she appeared right in front of Li Luo like a phantom. With eyes full of greed and desire, she stared at him like someone dying of hunger looking at a magnificent feast. She opened her mouth wide, and the white teeth inside it turned pitch-black. It was a truly bizarre sight, as if it was the mouth of a devil. Pssht. Sticky, black smog came from her mouth, carrying soft and strange whispers that had the power to corrupt people. Li Luo was stunned by it instantly as he stared blankly into the air. His mental state fell into confusion all of a sudden. Even though he had prepared for this, the True Devil Other was more formidable than he had expected. Fortunately, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf let out a violent cry in the same instant. It resonated in his heart, and the effects of the corruption wore off. Li Luo regained his consciousness, but he broke out in cold sweat. He had underestimated the True Devil Other. Without the power of Harmony, he was in no position to stand up against her at all. Luckily, he had the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf. Li Luo grabbed his blade tightly, and the crimson bracelet lit up. A wild, violent, crimson energy surged up and flowed through his body. In the next moment, berserk energy soared into the sky. Li Lingjing was slightly taken aback by this sudden development. However, she relaxed again once she sensed the strength of the energy wave. "So you still have a hidden ace. Unfortunately, it''s only around the power of a first-grade Duke. This won''t change anything." She was not afraid at all, and black smoke shrouded her slender, jade arms. She directly grabbed Li Luo''s face and lifted him up. There were countless rustling sounds coming from the worms wriggling within the thick, black smoke. Li Luo understood this as well. The power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf alone was not enough to deter the Soul Eater True Devil. As such, he sunk his mind deep into the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade at this moment. In the blade was a kingmark with a mysterious luster and a terrifyingly dominant aura. This was the true gem of the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. It was something that a King Stage cultivator had spent a lot of time and effort to refine. However, every use of this kingmark would consume the King''s power stored in it. Once it was exhausted, the mark would naturally dissipate too. As a result, Li Luo would not use this ace casuallyhe had saved it for life and death scenarios like this one. When he activated the kingmark, a mysterious, golden light burst out. Strand after strand of golden light appeared on the blade of the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. Without any hesitation, Li Luo lifted his weapon and slashed down towards the fake Li Lingjing that had come forward to grab him. The blade sliced apart the void, and the wild, crimson energy boomed like thunder. Everywhere that the blade light flew past cracked open. However, the most terrifying thing was not the crimson blade-light. It was the strands of mysterious, golden light that were wrapped around the blade light. The golden light seemed to contain an indescribable force. Although it seemed weak on first look, even the aggressive energy from the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf gave way to it when it flowed past. It was as if the energy from the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf did not dare to stand in its way. Initially, Li Lingjing was not bothered by Li Luos slash. It only contained the strength of a first-grade Duke, so it would pose no threat to her. As such, she did not dodge the strike and had planned to deflect it with her bare hands. However, she immediately sensed something off when she came into contact with it. There was a strong sense of danger that struck an indescribable fear in her heart. At this moment, she finally noticed the golden light wrapped around it. There was a terrifyingly dominating presence coming from it, as if space-time had been frozen by its presence. At the same time, the countless black worms in her Shadow Worm Smoke started acting up in a frenzy. It was as if they were rushing in all directions, trying to escape frantically. "That''s... King energy?!" she screamed shrilly in disbelief. Li Lingjing''s empty eyes finally appeared shocked for once. This was a force that frightened even her. Nonetheless, the blade light reached her. The thick, black smoke vanished like evaporated snow, and the countless tiny worms disappeared in the blink of an eye. Her arm disintegrated in an instant. AHHH! At this moment, Li Lingjing let out an ear-piercing cry. Corruption leaked out of her body like rising smoke as she hurriedly retreated. Li Luo watched with an icy expression as the blade light swirled around his sword. In the next moment, the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade slipped out of his hand and transformed into a crimson stallion that chased after her. As the stallion charged through the air, the sticky, cold, black smoke evaporated upon contact. In the short span of a single breath, the stallion caught up with Li Lingjing. Without any hesitation, it dashed right through her. AH! AHHH! Numerous screams erupted in the air. Countless cracks started to appear on her body like broken pottery. In the next moment, streams of thick, black smoke escaped from the cracks. Even the Soul Eater True Devil could not withstand Li Luo''s ultimate ace. Bang! Her body exploded. An immense shockwave swept across the field, and Li Luo was caught up in it as well. Fortunately, he had the protection of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, so he only spat out a few mouthfuls of blood from the shockwave. He had no time to be bothered by these injuries at all. Staring intently at the now destroyed body of Li Lingjing, he was certain that his strike had severely injured the Soul Eater True Devil. But was it enough to kill it completely? Li Luo did not dare to let his guard down as his eyes scanned the surroundings intently. This ultimately paid off. In the next moment, he noticed countless strands of black light rising from the ground and fusing together rapidly. A few moments later, a giant, black worm that was hundreds of meters tall stood in front of Li Luo. The worm looked really strange, with multiple tentacles sticking out of its body. On its head was a human face that kept changing, with thick, black smoke coming from its mouth and nose. This had to be the real body of the Soul Eater True Devil. Its body was full of cracks, and black smoke continued to escape. Evidently, it had been gravely injured by the previous strike. Roar! The Soul Eater True Devil cried out as it stared at Li Luo with eyes full of hatred and anger. Seeing this, Li Luo felt his scalp turn numb. This True Devil Other was really tenacious. After receiving that all-out counterattack from Li Luo, it was still not dead. Surely it must be near its end, right? As Li Luo was caught up in his thoughts, the Soul Eater True Devil did not attack him. Instead, it started retreating quickly. Seeing this, Li Luo finally understood. The Soul Eater True Devil was more gravely injured than he had imagined. With a look of determination, he chased after it. The Soul Eater True Devil was too dangerous. Now that he had the chance, he had to eliminate it once and for all. Otherwise, it would be a headache in the future if it managed to escape. Like a flash, Li Luo sliced through the thick, black mist and chased after it relentlessly. In response to the hot pursuit, the large body of the Soul Eater True Devil suddenly shrank into the size of a thumb. With a tail sweep, it sliced a rift through the void in an instant and appeared right in front of Li Luo. What a sly thing! It was planning to counterattack. The worm''s mouth opened wide, revealing numerous sharp teeth. It was planning to eat Li Luo directly. Li Luo''s body felt chilly at this moment. The Soul Eater True Devil was really vicious. This was clearly a last ditch attempt to devour him. Just as Li Luo was planning to utilize the power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf to counterattack, the pocket sphere on his wrist started vibrating. In the next moment, a light flew out of it. Li Luo was caught off guard by this sudden development. When he squinted, he noticed that the light was a jade ornament. It was a very familiar jade ornament. His eyes widened after he thought about it. He recalled it now Li Lingjing had given him this object back in Western City. But why had it suddenly come to life? While Li Luo was full of questions, the jade ornament flew out and clashed directly with the Soul Eater True Devil. BANG! The ornament shattered into pieces. In that same moment, Li Luo felt a formless energy emerge from it. It seemed to possess its own consciousness, and the stream of energy dashed straight into the vicious mouth of the Soul Eater True Devil. Chapter 0877: Li Lingjings Final Stand Chapter 0877: Li Lingjing''s Final Stand This sudden development was truly surprising. Li Luo did not know what was happening for a moment. Hestepped back instinctively and summoned the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolfs energy for protection. He did not dare to approach it recklessly. With such mysterious developments, staying alert would be the wisest choice. As he retreated, his gaze remained fixed to the front. He could tell that the Soul Eater True Devil was under immense pressure when the formless energy from the jade ornament flew into its mouth. It struggled wildly as its tentacles flailed about in the air, causing repeated earthquakes in the surrounding area. At the same time, the strange, black mist filled with evil cries continued to leak from the cracks on its body. Li Luo was uncertain, but he grabbed the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade tightly. It seemed like a pretty bad situation for the Soul Eater True Devil now. If the opportunity arose, he wouldn''t mind dealing it a death blow. As the Soul Eater True Devil continued to struggle, Li Luo noticed that the ever-changing faces on it were starting to disappear one after another. Along with the disappearance of each face, black mist also left the Soul Eater True Devil''s body. Just like this, more and more faces vanished. The aura of the Soul Eater True Devil got weaker and weaker. In the end, there was only one face left, one that Li Luo was very familiar with. It was the face of Li Lingjing! He was not sure if he was seeing things or not. For some reason, he sensed that her face was not completely vacant this timeit actually felt more human. This was really weird. After all, the black worm''s tentacle was still pressing against her face. Despite how pretty it was, Li Luo did not find it charming at all. Instead, he found it really bizarre. Nonetheless, it was the perfect opportunity for him to strike, as the aura of the Soul Eater True Devil was weaker. A fierce light flashed across his eyes as he stepped forward with the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade in hand. He raised the blade and was about to go for the kill. At this juncture, the head of the black worm turned around, and a voice came from Li Lingjings mouth. "Cousin Li Luo, please hold on." Li Luo was shocked to hear this. This voice was totally different from earlier. It was filled with emotion and spirit, as if he was back in Western City speaking with the real Li Lingjing. Keeping his vigilance up, Li Luo frowned and asked, "Who''re you?" "I am the real Li Lingjing. In the past, the Soul Eater True Devil swallowed half of my spirit. I had the other half of my spirit secretly hidden in the jade ornament I gave you. When the True Devil was critically weakened earlier, the hidden half of my spirit took the opportunity to fuse back with the other half. In the process, I have also eliminated all the other spirits that resided within its body. You can say that I have effectively destroyed the Soul Eater True Devil," Li Lingjing said. Li Luo was baffled when he heard this. So Li Lingjing had taken control of the Soul Eater True Devil? This was mind-boggling. After all, there was a huge gap in strength between Li Lingjing and the Soul Eater True Devil. It was like a little kid fighting against a wild beast. How could this succeed so easily? After a while, his eyes changed. He slowly shook his head and asked, "Do you think I can believe such words?" Li Lingjing remained silent for a moment before she replied, "Cousin Li Luo, half of my spirit was swallowed up by the Soul Eater True Devil a long time ago. This severely damaged my foundation, and my prospects for future growth were completely destroyed. However, I didn''t completely give up, because the other half of my spirit was still in the Soul Eater True Devil''s body. It was not totally wiped out, but rather eroded by the corruption time and again. The pain I''ve experienced was beyond your imagination... but I did not give up." Hearing this, Li Luo''s eyes narrowed slightly. If her words were true, her mental tenacity was truly impressive. After all, it was not an easy feat to endure the corruption of the Soul Eater True Devil. If she showed any signs of weakness, she would become its meal instantly. "I had planned to fight the Soul Eater True Devil to the death when I put half of my spirit in the jade ornament. If I lost, I''d just lose the half that was left. If I managed to win, I could potentially recover my foundation. However, I knew that the chances of success weren''t high. The gap in our strength was too great, so I''d most likely lose in a direct clash. So this time, I''ve come here prepared to die. After all, it is better for me to fight to the death than to carry on living in limbo. Even if I failed, it would be a form of relief for me. However, looking at things now, my luck has been pretty good. This should be considered a victory... although it has little to do with me. It''s all thanks to the critical damage you have inflicted upon it, Cousin Li Luo. That gave me the opportunity to sneak up on it and regain control." Hearing this, Li Luo stared back at her with a face of uncertainty. He could not tell if these words were trustworthy or not. But... Li Luo calmly replied, "Let''s leave that aside for now. More importantly, you never told me that half of your spirit was hidden within the jade ornament. I guess this was a part of your plan?" Back then, Li Lingjing had only told him to pass this jade ornament to Li Rouyun. There was no mention of any other matters. Hearing this, Li Lingjing was silent for a moment before she explained, "It''s my bad for keeping you in the dark. With half of my spirit in the jade ornament, the Soul Eater True Devil would be able to sense your location naturally. Adding on the fact that you are amazingly talented, the Soul Eater True Devil definitely set its eyes on you the moment you stepped into the Dark Domain." Li Luo sneered and responded with a little frustration, "So all these troubles along the way were mostly caused by you." Couldn''t she have been more frank? How else could one encounter all these troubles as soon as they stepped into the Dark Domain? It was ludicrous. At this point, Li Lingjing softly said, "I was afraid you would not have been willing to bring me along if I had told you everything beforehand. This was my last chance to regain my spirit. If I dragged on any longer, my body would fall into a deep slumber and never wake up again. However, I have to admit that what I did was not right. I owe you a huge favor for this." "I don''t deserve such a favor," Li Luo replied indifferently. Li Lingjing was truly crafty and had a tenacious will. If not for the incident, she would definitely have become a legendary figure on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. As such, Li Luo still held a hint of restraining fear towards her. Li Lingjing could also sense dissatisfaction from Li Luo, but she remained silent. The silence lasted a while before Li Luo spoke again. "I owe Aunt Yun. If you had explained this to me honestly, I might not necessarily have turned you down." Li Lingjing smiled awkwardly. "My bad. It was an unnecessary move on my part." At that moment, Li Luo asked her again, "If you had such a way to save yourself, why didn''t you ask the powerful Dukes from your family to help out?" "The Soul Eater True Devil is extremely mysterious and strange. They have all tried searching for it, but it was hopeless. Only a rare talent like you can lure it out," Li Lingjing answered honestly. "I guess that''s something I should be proud of." Li Luo laughed at himself. At this moment, he took another look at the physically warped Li Lingjing and continued, "With your appearance now, people will assume you are an ordinary Other and attack if they see you." "This is why I still need to trouble you to bring me back to Western City. Back there, my spirit will be able to go back to my original body," Li Lingjing requested. "You have too many requests. Besides, I am not even sure if you are the real Li Lingjing or not. Perhaps you are just a last ditch attempt of the mysterious Soul Eater True Devil to save itself," Li Luo responded emotionlessly. "I am willing to be sealed. I will also accept any questioning and interrogation from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. I just didn''t want things to end this way, so I had to stake everything for this last chance of survival," Li Lingjing said. Li Luo fell into silence for a moment after he sensed the strong and persistent will behind her words. Her desperate act for survival had reminded Li Luo of himself back when he merely possessed blank palaces. At that time, he also did not give up and tried his best to figure a way out of his predicament. As Li Luo pondered in silence, Li Lingjing''s eyes moved a little, and a tiny stream of light flew out from the black mist. It stopped right in front of him. Li Luo saw a pocket sphere floating in front of him. It looked very familiar... Wasn''t that Zhao Jingyu''s pocket sphere that had fallen off along with his arm earlier...? Inside the sphere were five dragon fangs. "What''s this? Are you trying to bribe me?" Li Luo said with a frown. "I simply wanted to make it up to you for all the troubles. Besides, I have gotten some of the Soul Eater True Devil''s memories after taking over its body. Apart from the ripened Sacred Infant Fruit that lies here, there may be another precious opportunity here that can help you out," Li Lingjing explained. "What opportunity?" Li Luo grew slightly interested in it. After thinking for a moment, Li Lingjing continued, "It should be able to help you reach the perfect Glass Fiend Tier." Li Luo was surprised to hear this. Perfect Glass Fiend Tier... He suddenly recalled the request from Li Jingzhe. The Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier, the true peak of the Glass Fiend Tier. Chapter 0878: Enchanting Fire Water Pond Chapter 0878: Enchanting Fire Water Pond Li Luo''s heart skipped a beat after hearing Li Lingjing''s words. He thought about it carefully. Without a doubt, he needed to obtain a Sacred Infant Fruit. He had taken such a huge risk with the Soul Eater True Devil just so he could get one. If he went back without it, not only would his mission have failed, but more importantly, they would not be able to cure Ox Biaobiao''s injuries. As for an opportunity to reach the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier? Li Luo had no idea where to begin at all! However, if what Li Lingjing had told him about the rare opportunity was true, it would be worth giving it a shot. But... could she be trusted? He was hesitant as he stared at Li Lingjing. After pondering for a short while, he made his choice decisively. Both the Sacred Infant Fruit and Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier were essential. Since the Li Lingjing in front of him was already gravely wounded, she posed little threat to him now. It did not matter whether her words could really be trusted or not. Even if anything were to happen halfway, Li Luo was still confident that he could get away safely. "Can I bring my companions along?" Li Luo asked in order to get some more insurance. It would be even safer if Li Fengyi and the rest could come along. "They were corrupted by the Soul Eater True Devil earlier and are still in a state of confusion. If you''re going to wait for them, I am afraid it''ll take a few more days before they can fully regain their consciousness," Li Lingjing answered after giving it some thought. "However, I do not recommend that you wait for such a long time." "Why not?" Li Luo asked after hearing her words. He looked at her with some suspicion in his eyes. Li Lingjing also understood that her words would naturally raise his wariness. She let out a sigh and continued, "Looking at the incomplete memories that I obtained from the Soul Eater True Devil, there are naturally some complications. I do not know the specifics, but given the changes that happened here, I feel that it''s best if we leave here as soon as possible." "I don''t even know if I should believe you and yet everything is decided by you?" Li Luo said with some uncertainty after hearing her explanation. What other complications were there other than the Soul Eater True Devil? However, he was a decisive person. After a brief pause, he said, "Alright, I''ll believe you for once. Lead the way." At the same time, he threw a jade-tablet scroll into the air. It floated in midair, and faint light glowed around it. With this, he left some words behind just in case Li Fengyi and the rest regained their consciousness while he was gone. At least they would understand the situation and would not need to worry about him. Li Lingjing waited patiently for him to finish up before she transformed into a black light and moved towards the deeper parts of the mountain range. Taking a deep breath, Li Luo summoned up his resonant power. A lightning flash appeared under his feet and he followed suit rapidly. With that, the two of them hurried into the deeper parts of the Crimson Fire Mountain Range. It took them approximately four hours to arrive at the entrance of a giant volcano. There were many Fire Spirit Monkeys loitering around the entrance. Seeing this, Li Lingjing expanded her aura. Acting as if they had encountered something menacing, the monkeys all hurried away. After which, the two of them were able to reach the top of the volcano smoothly. When Li Luo looked into the volcanos opening, he could feel the extremely hot magma boiling within. A flame tree was growing out of one of the walls around the side. All the way at the top of the tree were two faint, red fruits. The fruits had the shape of an infant and were around the size of one''s fist. From time to time, fire would pulse out of them. It was a truly unusual sight. These were the Sacred Infant Fruits, the objective of Li Luo''s mission. The magma below was constantly roiling, and huge waves swept up from time to time. When it washed up against the Sacred Infant Fruits, their red color turned even more intense. It seemed that this was how the Sacred Infant Fruits matured. Day after day, the magma refined them until they were fully ripe. Unfortunately, the two Sacred Infant Fruits in front of him still had a long time to go before they were fully ripened. Furthermore, they did not appear to be of high quality. Li Luo was disappointed by this. He turned back towards the black light Li Lingjing and asked, "Where''s the thing you were talking about?" Using her eyes, she signaled towards the magma in the volcano. Li Luo''s face changed immediately when he noticed this. "Is it in the depths of the volcano? How can I enter? This is no ordinary magma." Magma with the ability to create a treasure like the Sacred Infant Fruit was clearly different from the ordinary magma in the outside world. Its temperature and destructive strength were much more frightening. "There''s no need to enter the magma directly." Li Lingjing let out a light laugh. In the next moment, she spat out a black light that flew into the dense forest around the volcano. After a short while, an enormous Fire Spirit Monkey was dragged out of the forest. Judging from its energy undulations, this Fire Spirit Monkey had the power of a human at the Heavenly Resonance Tier. It was most likely the leader amongst the Fire Spirit Monkeys of this district. However, it shivered in fear in front of Li Lingjing, who was currently in the Soul Eater True Devil''s body and exuded a terrifying aura of corruption. She did not say anything. She simply continued to manipulate the corruption within the Fire Spirit Monkey, breaking its spirit with sheer terror. A few moments later, the Fire Spirit Monkey reached its limit and appeared to be losing its mind. Seeing this, Li Lingjing threw it straight into the mouth of the volcano. Although the Fire Spirit Monkey fell into the volcano, it did not drop into the magma. It landed around the walls of the volcano and frantically tried to climb out, scratching wildly and trying to escape as if it had gone mad from the fear. Li Luo was puzzled by this. What was Li Lingjing trying to do? Nonetheless, the answer was soon revealed. As the Fire Spirit Monkey ran around in desperation, it managed to destroy a part of the rocks. A crack appeared, and the Fire Spirit Monkey squeezed into it and disappeared. "Follow after it," Li Lingjing shouted as she transformed into a black light and flew over. Li Luo''s eyes were still full of surprise. Who would have expected that such an opportunity would require a Fire Spirit Monkey to lead the way? He hesitated for a slight moment before he followed them. The crack was pretty narrow, but it was still large enough for a human to pass through. Inside, the air made them feel like they were in purgatory. Li Luo and Li Lingjing followed after the frightened Fire Spirit Monkey from a distance, and the scenery before them opened up once again after a few dozen minutes. Li Luo stood upright and looked at what was before him. His eyes were full of bewilderment. There was a wide, empty space in front of him filled with hot, rising air. Fiery-red rocks were piled up with a hole in the middle. The hole was full of crimson liquid, turning it into a fiery-red pond. As Li Luo stared at the pond, his eyes suddenly widened. He could clearly sense that all the worldly natural energy in the area was pouring into the pond. Moreover, the liquid in the pond was unusually special. Although it looked like water, it was actually a bunch of balls of burning flames upon closer look. It was difficult to tell if it was water or fire. Li Luo stared at the Enchanting Fire Water Pond for a good, long while before his attention shifted. He noticed two golden fruits floating quietly on the pond. The fruits looked like infants glowing in golden light, with flames coming out of their eyes and noses. Li Luo took a light breath of the burning air. Happiness welled up in his eyes. Those were the Sacred Infant Fruits that he had been looking for! With the golden glow and flames coming out of the eyes and noses, these fruits were of the highest quality. They were far superior to the two unripe fruits that he had seen earlier. Li Lingjing was not lying to him. He could really find better Sacred Infant Fruits over here! In that case, the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier opportunity that she was talking about... Could it be because of the Enchanting Fire Water Pond? Chapter 0879: Obtaining Rewards from Opportunities Chapter 0879: Obtaining Rewards from Opportunities As Li Luo stared at the sight in front of him in amazement, Li Lingjing''s voice came from a distance and explained, "This is the sacred ground of the Fire Spirit Monkeys. They gather here whenever a Monkey King is born. The Monkey King takes a sip from the pond before it places an unripe Sacred Infant Fruit into it. As time passes, most of the Sacred Infant Fruits are consumed by the water in the pond. Only a select few reach perfection with the assistance of the fire water. "At the same time, the group of monkeys will celebrate and share one ripe Sacred Infant Fruit among themselves whenever the Monkey King is born. This is the secret base of the Fire Spirit Monkeys. It can only be found by capturing the Fire Spirit Monkey King and inflicting fear into its very bones. When it''s truly frightened and left with nowhere else to run, it''ll escape towards here." This really took Li Luo''s breath away. Things truly worked in mysterious ways. Who would have expected such an amazing place to exist deep in this volcano? If Li Lingjing had not gotten the incomplete memories of the Soul Eater True Devil, they would never, ever have learned such secrets. "The Enchanting Fire Water Pond is formed by combining the essences from the ground spring and from the volcano. Its water has the magical effect of strengthening one''s physical body. Currently, your cultivation into the Glass Fiend Tier is only half-completed. With the aid of the Fire Water, there''s a high chance you can perfect it," Li Lingjing said. Hearing her words, a passionate flame arose within Li Luo''s eyes. This was an opportunity that he couldn''t miss. "Cousin Li Luo, here''s my apology to you. Are you feeling a little better now?" Li Lingjing said softly. With a smile, Li Luo answered, "No worries, Cousin. You can make me angry whenever you want as long as you remember me when such an opportunity arises again." Li Lingjing was a little taken back by his overly direct response. With a slight smile, she replied, "If you''re satisfied with it, please grab onto the time and enjoy it. We''ll need to hurry back once you''re done here." Li Luo nodded in agreement. In a flash, he flew to the side of the Enchanting Fire Water Pond. He reached out his hand and easily collected the two Sacred Infant Fruits floating on it, storing them safely in his pocket. With the Sacred Infant Fruits secured, Li Luo could finally heave a sigh of relief. His mission had been accomplished and Uncle Biao''s problem was finally going to be solved. In the next moment, his fiery gaze turned towards the Enchanting Fire Water Pond. From the looks of things, it seemed like he would need to enter the pool himself if he would like to cultivate his body. Li Luo pondered over it for a while before he lightly tapped on the crimson bracelet on his wrist. Next, he removed it along with his clothes and placed it by the side of the pond. He was reminding the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf to help him keep a lookout for Li Lingjing. Although she did not appear to be under the corruption of the Soul Eater True Devil thus far, Li Luo was still keeping his guard up. After all, this cousin of his was crafty. He had to be prepared in case there was a surprise attack on him during his cultivation. When Li Luo placed his bracelet down, the black worm that Li Lingjing had transformed into took a glance at it too. However, she did not say anything and simply took a few steps back to keep her distance. She also understood that she had made use of Li Luo without his knowledge. Although it was for the sake of her own survival, there was no way Li Luo could completely trust her once she had set this precedent. When Li Luo stepped into the pond, there was a painful, burning sensation at first. After a few moments of heat, an icy feeling emerged that relieved the burn. These two sensations alternated repeatedly, giving Li Luo an enchanting feeling of ice and fire tempering. It was a strangely comfortable experience. As he sat in the lotus position in the Enchanting Fire Water Pond, he activated his Draconic Breath Fiend Art and started to take in the mysterious energy. At this moment, his body started to emit a golden light flowing with glazed patterns. As the energy from the pond continued to flow into his body, the patterns grew more apparent and started to light up. Li Luo could clearly feel the joy in his body as it lusted for more energy. Without a doubt, the Enchanting Fire Water Pond had given his body an incredible boost. He quickly shut himself off from the outside world as he eagerly absorbed the energy from the Enchanting Fire Water Pond. From a distance away, Li Lingjing was quietly watching the changes taking place inside him. The glazed patterns had started to appear on his skin, which was a sign of the foundation Li Luo possessed. In the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, the Glass Fiend Tier was like a benchmark of how talented an individual was. Back when Li Lingjing was at the Fiend Body Tier, she had also reached the Glass Fiend Tier. She knew about the differences in strength within the Glass Fiend Tier itself. With the strength of Li Luo''s body, he could have reached the Glass Fiend Tier long ago. However, he had not done so. He must have been aiming for the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier, the highest class of the Glass Fiend Tier. Only the most talented among talented individuals could reach that tier. Not only did it require the assistance of rare opportunities, the individual''s foundation also had to be exceptional. Nonetheless, it seemed like Li Luo would have no problem fulfilling the requirements. "He''s even more talented than I was in the past," Li Lingjing thought to herself. She took a look at the pitch-black worm body she was in now. There was an uncontrollable hint of revulsion in her eyes, but she eventually suppressed it. She did not like the Soul Eater True Devil''s body either. However, she needed to do this in order to survive and take back her talent. With her mental fortitude, she would not be too bothered by this appearance since it was temporary. Once Li Luo brought her back to the old manor, all her suffering over the past few years would finally pay off... As Li Luo was fully engrossed in cultivating his body, a full day passed. The black mist in the dense forest had cleared out during this time. Li Fengyi, Zhao Jingyu, and the rest had slowly regained their consciousness. When they first awakened, they looked around the area in horror. "We''re still alive?" Li Fengyi asked as she looked over at Li Jingtao and Deng Fengxian. The two of them were just as confused as her. Their defenses were totally useless when the black mist flooded in. They had lost their mental states then and went into a deep slumber of hallucination. They felt separated from the world when they finally awakened. "Where''s the Soul Eater True Devil?" Deng Fengxian asked as he scanned the area vigilantly. However, there were no traces of the enemy at all. "Little Brother?!" Li Fengyi''s face suddenly changed. She had realized that Li Luo was missing and started to panic. Fortunately, Li Jingtao remained composed as he noticed the jade-tablet scroll floating in front of them. He reached out and read it before his eyes relaxed a little. "Don''t worry, Third Brother has gone deeper into the Mountain Range to search for the Sacred Infant Fruit. This was left behind by him, and it seems like the Soul Eater True Devil has been eliminated too?" Li Jingtao said with a look of uncertainty as he passed the jade-tablet scroll over to Li Fengyi. Li Fengyi hurriedly grabbed it and took a read before she frowned and asked, "What happened? Is the Soul Eater True Devil really gone? Can we trust this?" The series of questions revealed the confusion in her heart. Deng Fengxian also took a look at the scroll with eyes full of surprise. "This resonant power is indeed from Third Brother," Li Jingtao answered while scratching his head. He recognized the familiar resonant power coming from the jade-tablet scroll. "Third Brother is quick-witted. I think these words are real. Since he told us to wait here for two days, let''s wait a while and see?" Li Fengyi''s expression changed and she finally calmed down. "Let''s wait for two days, then. If he doesn''t return, we will go out and search for him immediately. If that happens, we will find him even if we have to flip this Dark Domain over!" At the same time, Zhao Jingyu''s group had also started to regain their consciousness. "Hurry up, get my arms back and we''ll leave this stupid place immediately!" Zhao Jingyu shouted with a pale face. Hearing this, the others dispersed in a hurry to search for his amputated arms. Unfortunately, no one could find them after a few moments of searching. Zhao Jingyu felt a chill in his heart at this moment. If he could recover his arms, he could get them fixed and things wouldn''t be so bad. If he could not, he would have to grow two new arms with the help of herbs and medicines. Not only would this be a lot more troublesome, his new arms would naturally be weaker than his original ones. This would be a really huge blow to him. "Damn it!" Zhao Jingyu screamed angrily. He had not expected to be so unlucky on this trip. Not only had he encountered multiple True Devil Others, he had even lost his arms and his pocket sphere. He was deeply regretting coming after Li Luo. The only good thing was that Li Luo was nowhere to be seen. He assumed that Li Luo had been slaughtered by the mysterious True Devil, which was a piece of good news for him. "Let''s go!" He gritted his teeth and decided to retreat decisively. He did not want to hang around here any longer. Hearing this, the others nodded in agreement too. The mysterious True Devil earlier had really spooked the hell out of them. None of them wanted to hang around in the Dark Domain any longer. As such, they set off under his command and retreated in their pathetic state. Over at Li Fengyi''s side, there was no comment regarding their retreat. After all, they were still uncertain about what had happened to Li Luo. They were in no mood to get mixed up with Zhao Jingyu and his group at the moment. After Zhao Jingyu and his group retreated, the forest turned silent again. Li Fengyi and the rest looked into the depths of the mountain range with looks of worry on their faces. Chapter 0880: Tri-Radiance Glass Chapter 0880: Tri-Radiance Glass Time slowly ticked by in the depths of the fiery mountain. In the blink of an eye, two days had passed. Li Luo was sitting quietly in the lotus position in the Enchanting Fire Water Pond. He continued to cultivate his body by absorbing the mysterious fire and ice energy. The effects of it were evident. At this moment, the golden glow around his body began to subside, and a clear, radiant glow replaced it. It was a faint glow that appeared to make his skin turn translucent, as if one could see the blood vessels underneath it. His blood and muscles had started to exude an indescribably mighty aura. The golden glow in his body started to transform radiantly, signaling that Li Luo was beginning to step into the Glass Fiend Tier completely. This process did not last long. When the last strand of golden light disappeared, his slender and strong body began to shake violently. The worldly natural energy flooded into him continuously, and a vortex formed around where he sat in the pond. Along with the vortex, the fire-water energy from the pond washed over Li Luo''s body in wild waves. At this moment, the resonant power pulsing from his body rose rapidly. The golden glow had turned into a prismatic one. Li Luo finally finished his cultivation and fully stepped into the Glass Fiend Tier. However, his cultivation was not over yet. Li Luo continued to take in the fire water energy from the pond as the Glass Fiend Tier was not his final goal. His ultimate goal was to reach the legendary Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier! As such, another twelve hours passed. As the fire-water energy got more condensed, half of Li Luo''s body was covered in flames while the other half was shrouded in water. It was a truly miraculous sight. Under the repeated refinement from the fire and water energy, his glazed skin began to change gradually too. It was like a glass cup placed in a really high-temperature furnace, gradually undergoing tempering. Most obviously, a strand of mysterious colors emerged within the clear radiance. It was hard to describe the radiance in words as it was not an ordinary color. It was a kind of refraction that developed after the glass body had been tempered to an extremely strong level. Coupled with his original color that was radiating from his body, Li Luo had now had two different colors of light radiating from his body. This was already a very rare sight even for the most talented individuals in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Yet he did not stop here. This was not enough for him. He continued to cultivate his body with the fire-water energy from the pond. "This cousin of mine is truly ambitious," Li Lingjing commented as she watched from a distance. Ordinarily speaking, most top talents would already be happy and satisfied to have cultivated duo-radiance in the Glass Fiend Tier. Yet Li Luo was still trying to go one step further. This meant that he was very confident in his own foundation. He must have accumulated a shocking amount of abstruse fiend lights when he was at the Fiend Palace Tier. Li Lingjing continued to watch in silence as these thoughts ran through her mind. As time passed by, the duo-radiance glow on Li Luo''s body became more condensed and clearer. However, the third glow did not materialize, as if it was still one step away. It seemed like something was still lacking. When Li Lingjing noticed this, she thought about it for a moment before shouting out to Li Luo, "Cousin Li Luo, try squeezing a ripe Sacred Infant Fruit into the Enchanting Fire Water Pond." Her voice managed to reach him. He had also sensed that the third radiance was not materializing, as if something was still lacking. Hence, he took out a golden Sacred Infant Fruit from his pocket sphere following Li Lingjing''s reminder. He squeezed it hard between his palms. Pssht! The Sacred Infant Fruit was crushed as soon as his palms came together, and the golden juices of the fruit fell into the pond directly. When the fruit juices dripped into the pond, the fire water started to turn lively. The fire-water energy surrounded him like two snakes wrapping around Li Luo''s body, and his body refinement resumed. This time, there was a thick, golden light coming from the pond. It was a magical light filled with mysterious characters that were tightly packed together. As the light continuously washed over his body, the radiant glow his skin emitted became clearer and purer. When the tempering of his body reached a certain point, the change that Li Luo had been wishing for finally came. The glazed body was like a spiritual body. After the repeated condensation of the resonant power flowing in it, a mysterious ray of radiant brilliance appeared. In the next moment, a brilliant glow emitted from Li Luo''s body. Three different radiant glows could be seen exuding from him. The Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier had been cultivated successfully. With this new breakthrough, several obscure and ancient light patterns appeared on the surface of Li Luo''s skin. These patterns seemed to have formed naturally, and they had an inexplicable charm to them. In the same moment, the resonant power within Li Luo strengthened once again. At this point, he had truly stepped into the third tier of the Fiend Body Tier, the Glass Fiend Tier! Furthermore, it was the highest grade of the Glass Fiend Tier, the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier! Li Luo finally opened his eyes. The Tri-Radiance glow could even be seen within his eyes. It was truly amazing. Next, he sensed the changes in his body. He could not contain the pleasant surprise on his face. "So, this is what it feels like to reach the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend tier," Li Luo said with satisfaction. There was a white light on the surface of his skin, and his body felt completely in sync with the worldly natural energy around him. Even without any fiend arts, strands of worldly natural energy slipped into him through the pores of his skin. The feelings of comfort made him want to groan uncontrollably. Nonetheless, he restrained himself. "Congratulations on reaching the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier. This is a sign that your foundation is really steady and your future is bright." Li Lingjing''s voice sounded off at this moment. She came closer as her eyes studied Li Luo''s body with envy. It was evident that his foundation had been well established since the Resonant Master Stage. This was something that only a handful could achieve even among the talents in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Li Luo was grinning from ear to ear. The rewards from this expedition had far exceeded his expectations. Reaching the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier, he had truly caught up with Li Qingfeng, Lu Qingmei, and the other talents. He sensed his body carefully and began to familiarize himself with his new strength. After a while, a thought flashed across his mind. A circle of light emerged on the surface of his body, emitting three mysterious colors. The circle formed a very strong layer of protection. It was the natural ability of the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier, the Tri-Radiance Rings. This ring was able to protect him at all times, even if he lost his mental state momentarily. It was a natural defense mechanism that would activate automatically as long as Li Luo''s resonant power had not been exhausted. In other words, this ring would greatly boost Li Luo''s survival rate. In addition, there was another secret art. Li Luo took another look at the fine patterns on his skin. There were three lines of them. Although they were really hard to notice, as they were hidden beneath the skin. These were the Tri-Radiance Spiritual Marks. They could greatly strengthen one''s body. Once activated, his Glass Fiend body would be boosted and he would experience a spike in power. This would undoubtedly give him an edge in battle. With these two secret arts, Li Luo''s strength had achieved an explosive breakthrough! He revealed a satisfied smile. This trip to the Dark Domain had really helped him in his preparation to become the Dragon''s Head of the Twenty Banners. Chapter 0881: Mission Accomplished Chapter 0881: Mission Accomplished Li Luo walked out of the Enchanting Fire Water Pond with a look of satisfaction. After he put the crimson bracelet back on his wrist, he turned over and looked at Li Lingjing with a warmer gaze now. She had not created any trouble during his breakthrough. Instead, she had provided advice to help him with it. With this, Li Luo was beginning to trust her a little more. It seemed like the Li Lingjing in front of him was not the Soul Eater True Devil. Otherwise, it would definitely have made use of his breakthrough earlier to sneak up on him. After all, that was the best opportunity for a surprise attack. "It was all thanks to you, Cousin Li Lingjing." Li Luo smiled and thanked her with both hands cupped together. Next, he turned back to take a look at the Enchanting Fire Water Pond. After his cultivation earlier, the water in the pond had become much clearer. Most of the energy that had been stored in it over the years had been absorbed by him to break through into the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier. "Can I bring some of this pond water out with me?" Li Luo asked after giving it some thought. This Enchanting Fire Water Pond was a truly magical opportunity. Although most of the perks had been enjoyed by him, it would still be great if he could bring the remaining pond water back for Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and the rest. Besides, he had not fully absorbed the Sacred Infant Fruit that he squeezed into the pond earlier. It would be such a waste to leave it here like this. When he thought about this, he took out a huge jar from his pocket sphere and attempted to collect the pond water. However, he was soon faced with disappointment. As soon as he took the water out of the Enchanting Fire Water Pond, it turned into steam and evaporated into thin air. On the side, Li Lingjing saw what he was trying to do and told him immediately, "The water-fire energy is a heavenly treasure. You''ll not be able to collect the water like this. If you''re planning to bring some back for your companions, you should look for the tree trunk from the Sacred Infant Fruit Tree. You''ll be able to contain the water with that." Li Luo''s eyes lit up immediately when he heard this. He turned around and walked out of the crack in the mountain. Arriving back at the mouth of the volcano, he chopped off a part of the trunk from the Sacred Infant Fruit Tree before returning. He hollowed out part of the tree trunk and started to collect the mysterious pond water with it. As he had squeezed a Sacred Infant Fruit into the pond earlier, there were now traces of gold light swimming in the water. This was the essence of energy from the Sacred Infant Fruit. It was a really valuable treasure, and Li Luo would naturally collect as much of it as he could. After he had fully filled the tree trunk with water, the energy left in the Enchanting Fire Water Pond was really dismal. It seemed like it''d take many generations of protection by the Fire Spirit Monkeys before it could regain the level of energy it used to possess. "You sure collected all that you can. Those Fire Spirit Monkeys are going to be left crying when they see this," Li Lingjing commented when she saw the thin energy left in the Enchanting Fire Water Pond. After enjoying all the benefits, Li Luo was also going to take the remaining energy along with him. He was truly exploiting the pond fully. Without changing his expression, he replied to her, "You should know that I came from an outer divine continent. Back there, such a valuable resource wouldve been enough to cause an all-out war between the various forces. Now that I have the opportunity, there is no chance I will let it go to waste." Li Lingjing was speechless at his reply. "With your foundation, you sure don''t seem like someone who has spent a childhood in the outer divine continent." Li Luo simply laughed and answered back, "Although the resources in the outer divine continent pale in comparison to the inner divine continent, there are still many talents that aren''t inferior to me." "Aren''t inferior to you? You must be exaggerating," Li Lingjing said with a smile. She clearly did not believe his words. After all, Li Luo''s foundation was considered one of the best even amongst the younger generation in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. How could anyone in a resource-deprived outer divine continent be better than him? Nonetheless, Li Luo simply smiled and did not explain any further. The person he was referring to was none other than the dazzling, white swan back home. Speaking of which, it had been nearly half a year since they separated back in Xia Kingdom. He wondered how she was doing in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Surely the college was full of talented individuals too. However, he believed that Jiang Qing''e would be able to shine regardless of where she was. At this moment, a hint of longing surfaced in his eyes. He took a deep breath and suppressed it. In less than half a year''s time, he had managed to move from the Fiend Palace Tier to the Glass Fiend Tier. The Fiend Finisher Tier was also within sight now. Such an amazing pace wouldve been unthinkable if he had stayed in the Astral Sage College. Ultimately, the Astral Sage College was lacking in both resources and opportunities compared to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Furthermore, Li Luo had not wasted any time in his cultivation during this period. With his remaining three years of lifespan, he had not taken a break at all as he wanted to fight for his survival once Jiang Qing''e obtained the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus. Li Lingjing had managed to endure so much just for her own survival. After seeing this, how could he possibly relax right here? Li Luo got his emotions under control and said to Li Lingjing, "Let''s go." Li Lingjing nodded in agreement. However, she hesitated a little and asked, "Do I need to appear like this in front of them?" She was referring to Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, Deng Fengxian, and the rest. Clearly, she was still resistant towards this as her current look was truly kind of weird. Hearing her words, Li Luo recalled how troublesome it would be if anyone saw her like this. He gave it some thought before he replied, "If you can hide it, let''s hide it." At present, Li Lingjing seemed to have fused with the Soul Eater True Devil. Even Li Luo was not sure of how she was currently. However, it was surely not a good thing to get tangled up with a True Devil Other, so he thought it was best to keep it a secret as much as they could. "However, your situation is really special. Once we leave the Dark Domain, I''ll inform City Lord Li Feng about it and have him look over you. At the same time, I''ll let the Respected Elder know about it and see how he intends to deal with it. Are you okay with that?" Li Luo asked. He stared intently at Li Lingjing as he asked the question, prepared to communicate with the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf should she show any signs of resistance. If that happened, he would have to try and deal with it with brute force. Fortunately, Li Lingjing did not show any signs of revolt. She simply pondered over it for a moment before nodding in agreement. "It would be fortunate if the Lineage Chief could help me separate from the Soul Eater True Devil." As soon as she finished her sentence, the corruption around her started condensing. In the next moment, she turned into a black pearl with a slender, white face flowing inside. It was a clearly eerie and strange object. Li Luo did not dare to touch it directly. He took out a jade box and let the black pearl go into the box by itself. Following this, he summoned up his resonant power and formed layers of protection around the box before he put it away carefully. He did not say anymore words as he dashed out of the volcano and straight back to the mountain range. In the outer region of the mountain range. Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, Deng Fengxian, and the members of the four banners were all waiting. Li Jingtao and Deng Fengxian were still calm, but the restless Li Fengyi had been pacing up and down repeatedly. Her face was full of impatience and worry. After all, it had been a few days since Li Luo had departed, and there was no news of him. Things were starting to seem a little off. Li Fengyi gritted her teeth and said to Li Jingtao after coming to a halt, "Let''s wait another day. If Little Brother is still not back, Li Jingtao, you can head out of the Dark Domain and get the Western City Dukes that are standing guard outside to come in here and search!" Hearing this, Li Jingtao wanted to tell her to calm down. However, he noticed the impatience in her eyes and decided to nod and reply, "Alright." At the same time, Li Fengyi looked over to Deng Fengxian and said coldly, "You can prepare to lead the Gold Light Banner and search the mountains with me! If we can''t find Little Brother, none of us are leaving!" Deng Fengxian nodded helplessly. However, his expression suddenly changed at this moment. He looked into the distance far out in the forest. Sonic booms could be heard as the wind was split. Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao sensed this as well, so they turned their heads in a hurry. A familiar figure emerged in the distance. In the next moment, the figure went straight into the forest. The members of the four banners all turned around to take a look. Over at the Green Nether Banner, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on the faces of Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and the members. "Our leader is back!" the crowd exclaimed as they heaved sighs of relief in their hearts. Under their surprised gazes, Li Luo apologized to Li Fengyi and the other two as soon as he landed. "Sorry for making you guys worried." "Where did you go, Little Brother? Are you alright? What about the Soul Eater True Devil?" Li Fengyi bombarded him with questions. At the same time, her tense body finally relaxed after seeing Li Luo safe and sound. Li Luo smiled and replied, "The Soul Eater True Devil was chased away using a secret method the Respected Elder passed to me. After which, I went deeper into the mountain range and found a precious opportunity, so it took up quite a bit of my time there." After explaining, he took out the three hollowed tree trunks from his pocket sphere and passed them to Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian. "I''ve not forgotten about you guys. Everyone will get a share," he said. It was largely due to Li Luo''s personal reasons that they ended up heading into the Dark Domain in search of the Sacred Infant Fruit. The three of them had gone through a lot of danger due to him, so he could not let them return empty-handed. He had tried his best to make it up to each of them with this. The three of them looked a bit stunned when they received the tree trunks and opened them up. They were a little moved when they saw the fire-water energy flowing in them, filled with traces of mysterious, golden light. "What a pure and enchanting energy." The three of them echoed in surprise. "I guess you still have a little conscience." Li Fengyi put it away with a soft smile on her pretty face. At the same time, Li Jingtao also chuckled a little as he put it away. Only Deng Fengxian was a little hesitant about it. He had not been on very good terms with Li Luo, and there had been friction between the two previously. They were simply from the same lineage, and he did not know whether to accept Li Luo''s gift or not. "You''re not giving my Little Brother face?" Li Fengyi frowned upon seeing his hesitation. Coming after him with her punches, she continued, "Aren''t you scared that the three of us will beat you up here and now if you refuse to accept this?" Hearing this, Deng Fengxian did not hesitate any longer and took a tree trunk too. Li Luo smiled when he saw this. Without any hesitation, he told them seriously, "Mission accomplished. Let us hurry out of here." The other three naturally agreed. This visit to the Dark Domain had been fraught with dangers that far exceeded their imagination. Whether they had succeeded in their mission or not, they felt it best to leave here as soon as possible. As such, the four of them led their banners and headed out of the Dark Domain rapidly. Chapter 0882: Restoring the Spirit Chapter 0882: Restoring the Spirit The group quickly made their way to the teleportation platform and left the Dark Domain, finally reentering the outside world again. When they stared at the coiled-up clouds and saw the comforting, blue sky, lightly caressed by the wind that was not filled with the depressive air nor buffeted by the endless whispering, the group felt a sense of peace. They couldn''t help but let out sighs of relief as the stress in their bodies was gradually washed away. The expedition to the Dark Domain was riddled with dangers, and even the number of True Devil Others they had encountered couldnt be counted on one hand. Although they had managed to leave relatively intact, one''s heart would still palpitate in fear upon thinking back. Perhaps it was because of Harmony, and although there were some shortcomings to it, it was the only way to deal with the True Devil Others. If not for it, they would have all just been slaughtered by a single one. "I''m afraid I wouldn''t dare to enter the Dark Domain without the protection of Harmony." Zhao Yanzhi smiled bitterly. Li Shi, Mu Bi, and the rest also felt a little distressed in their hearts. Their Earth Fiend strength was simply insufficient within the Dark Domain. If they had wandered in alone, just a casual Heavenly Disaster-class Other would be able to wipe them all out, much less a True Devil. It seemed that this location was truly a little too dangerous for them. Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and the rest knew that their banner members had suffered from quite a fright. Thus, they ordered them to stand down and adjust their mental states before leaving for the sealed entrance where Li Feng and the rest were already waiting. "Four Banner Leaders, you''re back." Li Feng hurriedly stepped forward. Seeing that they were unscathed, he let out a sigh of relief. Out of the four, three were direct descendents of the Lineage Chief and had exceptional standings. If anything happened to them in his city, he might very well lose his position as the City Lord. "We saw the people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao leaving like beaten pigs a few days ago. Zhao Jingyu lost both arms and seemed particularly pitiful. It caused me to worry endlessly, wondering what sort of dangerous situation you were thrown into. If none of you had emerged in the next day or two, we would have dispatched people to search for you." Li Feng grimaced at this point. If not for the fact that each of these Banner Leaders could possess the strength of a first-grade Duke, he would have sent people to search for them long ago. So long as they did not forcefully plough their way through the Dark Domain, there should be few True Devil Others who could truly threaten them. "Well, we did encounter some troubles, but we managed to emerge safely in the end." Li Luo smiled. Li Feng nodded. "Now that you''re out of the Dark Domain, we should start by purifying any of the corruption on you." He waved his hand, and a Duke from the Western Region stepped forward. Holding a silver mirror, it released purifying rays of light that bathed the four banners. However, Li Luo opted to avoid the purifying light. Seeing Li Feng''s suspicious gaze, he pulled him to the side. "City Lord Li Feng, can you guess who I saw in the Dark Domain?" Li Feng shook his head with a look of suspicion. Li Luo calmly replied, "I saw Elder Sister Li Lingjing." The old man''s eyes shrunk. "How can this be? Her spirit was harmed and she spent the day languishing in a confused state. She can barely leave the old manor, so how could she possibly be in the Dark Domain?" Li Luo fell into silence for a moment. "You must remember the mysterious Soul Eater True Devil that swallowed half of her spirit, yes?" When he heard these words, his expression became unbearably ugly, and spoke in a gloomy voice, "Lingjing told me about it. However, when the seal was released, we dispatched countless experts into the Dark Domain to exterminate that Other, but we have never even found a trace of it. Additionally, I have never heard of anyone else encountering it. Thus, I cannot even guarantee that such a thing exists. In the past, I had even thought that this mysterious True Devil was actually a figment of Lingjing''s imagination as a result of the corruption that infected her." At this point, his expression changed once again as he stared at Li Luo. "Perhaps you saw it, Banner Leader?" Li Luo nodded. He then proceeded to give an explanation of all that had happened to him. When Li Feng heard that Li Lingjing had sealed half of her spirit within the jade ornament and took the initiative to pounce inside the True Devil''s mouth in a bid to fight for her life, eventually leading to the current result, his wizened expression turned into one of complete shock which he was unable to hide. "How could this be? How could Lingjing triumph over the True Devil?" Li Feng asked with disbelief. "The Soul Eater True Devil had already been fighting with me and was grievously injured. Elder Sister Lingjing struck at an opportune moment, and her willpower and tenacity far surpass my imagination. The fact that she could still retain a sense of clarity despite having half her spirit constantly eroded by the True Devil Other is something even certain Dukes are unable to do," Li Luo calmly replied. Li Luo then stretched out a hand, and a black pearl appeared. On the surface, a white face could be seen whilst emanating a strong air of corruption. "Lingjing?" Li Feng gasped when he recognized the familiar visage. Li Luo quickly stored the object. "Based on what Elder Sister Lingjing said, so long as this object is brought near her body, her spirit will be able to return. At that point in time, her talent and potential will also be restored." Li Feng''s face was full of complicated emotions. There was both happiness and sadness within. Happiness because Li Lingjing was an exceptional genius only seen once in a hundred years. If she was able to go back to normal, it would be wonderful news for the Western Region''s Li Family. However, she had been tormented by the True Devil Other for far too long and possibly corrupted. No one could guarantee what she truly was right now, a human or an Other... "The reason I''m telling you this is because I wish you to accompany me and closely watch Elder Sister Li Lingjing recover. After this has been done, no matter the result, to accompany me and her to Dragon''s Fang Mountain and be inspected by the Respected Elder," Li Luo explained. Li Feng sighed. "I understand." Li Luo wanted him to accompany them, to ensure that he could watch over Li Lingjing and ensure nothing complicated arose. "Then let us go ahead first," Li Feng suggested as he glanced at the four banners, who were undergoing purification. Li Luo thought about it and nodded. He wanted to quickly resolve this issue as holding the black pearl truly felt like he was burdened with an exceptional task. He then turned around to let the rest of the Banner Leaders know that they would regroup at Western City. Although the others found it a little strange, they simply nodded. After making the arrangements, under Li Feng''s lead, they hurriedly rushed towards Western City. Half a day later. The two arrived and rushed straight for the old manor without pause. "How has Lingjing been these past few days?" Li Feng asked an old butler. "Patriarch, Young Mistress Lingjing fell into a coma on the day after you left and has yet to wake," the butler anxiously replied. Li Luo''s gaze narrowed slightly. Li Feng had left for the Dark Domain with him, and the reason for the coma should be due to hiding the remaining half of her spirit within the jade ornament. Her body was now an empty husk and had naturally fallen into a coma. Li Feng nodded as he hurriedly brought Li Luo into her room. Inside were countless items that belonged to a young lady. Li Feng hurriedly chased everyone out while Li Luo approached the bed. All he saw was Li Lingjing quietly lying there, her beautiful complexion pale and lacking blood. She was breathing so lightly it was almost unnoticeable. Li Lingjing had taken the initiative to separate her spirit from her body to achieve her aim. What she had done was extremely risky, and if they took too long, her spirit and body would be completely disconnected from each other and the body would degenerate, eventually decaying. The choice she had made was a tremendous gamble. If anything had gone wrong, she would not have managed to return. This conviction caused even Li Luo to feel a sense of respect for her. With a thought, he flipped his palm and a black pearl appeared. With the pearl''s appearance, the entire room seemed to turn dark and the air was plunged into coldness. Li Feng''s expression was heavy. Majestic amounts of energy surged out of him, and his Duke Bergfrieds appeared, emanating a suppressive aura. Forming a hand seal with both hands, energy enveloped the entire room, preventing any corruption from escaping. Li Luo lowered his head as he focused upon the black pearl. On its surface was a familiar, pale face that seemed a little agitated. "Sister Lingjing, I invite you to return to your body now." Upon hearing Li Luo''s soft voice, the face within the pearl turned into a ray of light that shot into the forehead of the sleeping lady. Once her spirit left the black pearl, endless amounts of corruption surged out, and even a strange whisper could be heard in the room. At this point, it seemed to have gained some form of sentience as it too shot out of the pearl, heading directly towards Li Lingjing''s body as well. "Foul creature!" Li Feng bellowed angrily as his domineering resonant power formed countless wheels of light, directly protecting her body. Alas, despite Li Feng''s best efforts, the black light easily bypassed the protection and tunneled into Li Lingjing''s lower abdomen. This sudden development caused the two of them to look extremely sullen. Chapter 0883: Variant Chapter 0883: Variant Li Luo and Li Feng were frowning. Li Feng hurriedly stepped forward and lightly removed the robes covering her lower chest. A flat and white belly was revealed. The two could also see that at the side was a black scar. It was like a black rune that was alive, wriggling slowly. Its mouth was connected to its tail, like a long worm. A strange aura could be felt coming from it. "This is the aura of the Soul Eater True Devil," Li Luo glumly explained. A bitter smile surfaced on Li Feng''s aged features. "Lingjing''s own body is too weak. How can I purify the Soul Eater True Devil if it has adhered to her bone like gangrene? While Li Lingjing has returned her spirit to her body, it has been entangled with her flesh." Li Luo''s brows were furrowed as he replied, "Just what is the Soul Eater True Devil trying to do? Why does it act so strangely compared to other True Devil Others?" The Soul Eater True Devil possessed extraordinary intelligence and was able to devour the talent of humans. This was something he had never seen other Others possess. Additionally, from the exchange of attacks they had previously, the Soul Eater True Devil was a third-grade True Devil. Li Luo couldn''t say that was weak, but when compared to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, this could barely be considered an expert. However, he could feel that the Soul Eater True Devil demonstrated a mysterious strength that surpassed the average third-grade True Devil. Li Feng shook his head. "This is the first time I''ve encountered something like this after countless trips to the Western Region''s Dark Domain." "That means that it purposefully hid itself to find opportunities to devour exceptional geniuses," Li Luo explained. Li Feng''s gaze turned solemn. This deceitful True Devil was a little strange. It was completely different from the normal True Devil Others, and he simply could not guess the reason for its actions. All he could do was helplessly say, "Others come in all sorts of strange and weird forms and are hard to capture. Seeing a few True Devil Others that possess unimaginable strength is not unexpected. Perhaps this might even be the exception." "Perhaps." Li Luo did not have any other answers to this as he stared at the faintly wriggling, worm-like seal on Li Lingjing''s lower abdomen. "It looks like Cousin Lingjing will need to spend some time in Dragon''s Fang Mountain to recuperate." If the Soul Eater True Devil''s mark could not be dealt with, no one would know if or when she would be truly corrupted. In order to reduce any chances of this happening, she had to be brought to Dragon''s Fang Mountain and inspected by the Respected Elder, to see if there was any way to solve this. "Perhaps if the Lineage Chief is able to take action, that would be beneficial to Lingjing. I have to thank you for this, Banner Leader Li Luo." Li Feng sighed gratefully and then bowed sincerely. Although the Western Region''s Li Family was a branch of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, their bloodline was a little too far removed from the main one. If not for Li Rouyun''s hard work and efforts to become Green Nether''s Hall Master, their family may have continued to deteriorate. At that point, it would have been difficult to even request a meeting with the Lineage Chief with their positions, much less get him to take action. "Aunt Yun and I have a close relationship, and this is something I have to do to repay her." Li Luo waved his hand. When he needed help most, she had taken out a treasure to temporarily resolve Jiang Qing''e''s Heart of Light, which had undergone Sacrificial Ignition. That treasure was originally meant to assist in Li Lingjing''s recovery. It was precisely because of this development that Li Luo felt a sense of goodwill towards Li Lingjing, and he even disregarded her ploy. As the two continued to speak, the lying Li Lingjing suddenly opened her apricot-shaped eyes, now looking full of spirit. There was no longer any bewilderment or confusion in them like before. As she gradually propped herself up, she stretched out a hand, touched her lower abdomen, and sighed. "As expected, nothing is ever so simple. This thing seems to have become entangled with me." "Cousin Lingjing, it seems you have mentally prepared yourself for this," Li Luo said. Li Lingjing nodded as she calmly replied, "I was very weak already, and scheming against this True Devil was like dancing on the tip of a knife. However, it has given me a chance for more, and I would do so again if I had to. Instead of remaining confused and lost all day, it is better to stake it all in a single fight. At the very least, I have regained my talent, so there is hope for me in the future." "You are truly a decisive individual." Li Luo smiled. Li Lingjing gave Li Luo a smile. "No matter what, I owe you a huge favor, Cousin Li Luo. This is something I will never be able to repay." Her expression was beautiful and moving, and the disheveled appearance of her hair was now full of vitality in contrast to her originally drained and withered state. Additionally, with her potential now regained, her self-confidence had been restored. Li Feng''s eyes glinted as he grinned. "This favor is simply too massive. Banner Leader, if you dont mind, how about you take Lingjing as your maid? That would settle everything. What do you think of that?" Li Lingjing was the most outstanding jewel of the Western Region''s Li Family in the past hundred years. She was beautiful and a genius talent. Countless geniuses of the Western Region had set their eyes on her, but none had attained her favor. However, if she were to be paired with the Third Young Master of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, that would be a wonderful thing! The sudden suggestion almost caused Li Luo to sprain his back. Although his words sounded wonderful... What kind of maid? He was referring to something else entirely! Li Luo''s mouth twitched slightly. "City Lord, you must be joking. We are brothers and sisters. How can she possibly be a maid?" "The relationship of being a brotherly cousin is simply just for appearances. Our bloodline is far removed from yours, and relationships between the youths of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li are not uncommon nor surprising!" Li Luo couldn''t help but roll his eyes. Li Feng was simply being too unreasonable! He had just helped restore a heavenly genius in the family, yet this old geezer was still trying to pull a fast one and devour him completely! Li Luo turned towards Li Lingjing. Based on his first impressions, his cousin was decisive and proud. Li Feng''s arrangements would likely incur her wrath. However, what he saw was her kneeling atop her bed, her jade face a little flushed as she blushed, avoiding his eyes. This left him speechless, and he shook his head. "I am heartened by your good intentions City Lord, but unfortunately, I have a fiancee." Li Feng was taken aback when he saw Li Luo''s serious expression. In the end, he could only sigh with disappointment. "What a pity." He no longer raised the topic of a maid. In any case, he wasn''t truly serious about giving away his family''s precious jewel just to be a maid. Li Lingjing gave a slight smile as she said, "Cousin Li Luo, don''t take this to heart. The City Lord is old and often comes up with extravagant hopes. Our little Western Region''s Li Family would not dare to vault up the societal ladder like this." These words left Li Luo slightly dumbfounded as to how to reply. In the end, he could only dryly smile. "Cousin Lingjing, you should take some time to rest. Once we get to the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range, I''ll take you for a stroll and try to see if we can get rid of the disease thats affecting you." With that, he turned around and left. Shortly after he left, Li Feng sighed helplessly and looked towards Li Lingjing. "The problem afflicting you is not a minor one. I''m afraid that if you go to the Dragon''s Fang Mountain and find that the problem cannot be resolved, you might be treated as an Other and dealt with appropriately. However, if you have Li Luo as your backer, things will be much safer." Li Lingjing lightly nodded in agreement. "This was a result I had prepared myself for when I struggled against the Soul Eater True Devil. I owe Cousin Li Luo a massive favor, and when the time comes, I will repay him. City Lord, you should not give others more trouble. No matter how things end, I have no regrets over my choices." These words caused Li Feng to fall into silence. In a secret room somewhere far away. In the center of the room was a single black altar. Atop the altar were countless copper lamps, and atop each one were countless struggling expressions. All of the lamps were alight, and as the tiny flames flickered, they gave off a dark, cold air. Suddenly, one of the lamps dimmed immensely, almost on the verge of being extinguished. "Hmm?" A pair of eyes opened within the dark room and observed the copper lamp with a look of confusion. The silence lasted for a moment before a white hand stretched out of the darkness. On one of the fingers was an ancient ring that had an eye engraved upon it. The eyes sclera were black, while the pupils were white. The eye looked extremely strange, as though it was a living object, occasionally opening and closing. The black and white coalesced into one, like seeing Yin and Yang combine. The pale hand grasped the dimly-lit lamp, and a low voice spoke out. "Variant number three has been injured? What happened?" Chapter 0884: Return Trip Chapter 0884: Return Trip On the second day, Li Fengyi and the others returned to Western City. After meeting up with Li Luo, they set off for the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range immediately. However, there were two more individuals on their return trip. They were none other than Li Lingjing and Li Feng. Li Fengyi and the rest were quite surprised when they saw that Li Lingjing had regained her spirit. It was even more shocking to learn that she had regained her talent. After all, Li Lingjing was one of the top geniuses in the previous generation of the Twenty Banners. She was really well known back then, and everyone expected her to become the most outstanding expert from the Western Region''s Li Family. Unfortunately, no one had expected her to get into an incident with a True Devil Other right before the Twenty Banners selection was held. Everyone sighed in dismay learning that this left her in ruin even though she was lucky enough to survive. Most people had expected her to be one of the eligible candidates for the Dragon''s Head once she was selected into the Twenty Banners. It was unfortunate that she was forgotten as the other talents in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li rose up. At the head of the Dragon Vessel. Li Luo was sitting cross-legged while he enjoyed his fragrant tea. It was a relaxing scene as he watched the ship sail through the clouds with the vast land underneath. He had spent close to a month in the Western City Dark Domain. However, it had been a really fruitful trip for him. Not only had he obtained a Sacred Infant Fruit, he had also managed to reach the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier. Although he was still in the Fiend Body Tier, the protective shield that came with being a Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend was enough to pose a big headache for any Fiend Finisher with less than three hundred feet worth of Fiend Dipper energy. "I''ve finally caught up," Li Luo muttered to himself. He was just a Fiend Palace Tier cultivator when he came to the Twenty Banners half a year ago. There was a huge gap between him and the other top Banner Leaders, such as Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei. This was something that even he himself could not deny. In fact, it was not a matter of how talented they were. It was simply a difference in the resources available in the inner divine continent compared to the outer divine continent. There were multiple sub-tiers between the Fiend Palace Tier and the Fiend Finisher Tier. Even though Li Luo had a few tricks up his sleeve to help him win against stronger opponents, talents like Li Qingfeng were not ordinary individuals either. They would surely possess their own aces. As such, Li Luo had tried to avoid any direct confrontation with them as much as possible. Fortunately, he had Harmony to help him bridge the gap. Although there was still a gap even with Harmony, it was narrow enough for him to make up the difference with his other tricks. This allowed Li Luo to be a considerable force within the Twenty Banners too. After half a year of hard work, Li Luo had entered the Glass Fiend Tier at long last. Coupled with his Tri-Radiance Glass Ring, he was finally confident enough to directly face off against the top talents from the Twenty Banners with his individual strength. As for the upcoming Twenty Banners Dragon''s Head selection battle, he also felt more assured about it. He understood that the other elites were not people he could look down upon. While he was catching up, they were surely improving as well. As Li Luo thought about all this, he took out the five intimidating dragon fangs from his pocket sphere. "I wonder if I can get a single drop of Dragon Fang Essence from these dragon fangs," he thought to himself. He stared at the objects with eyes full of expectation. He could barely wait to start the extraction process and see if there were any surprising results. He could only proceed with his Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation training once he obtained a Dragon Fang Essence. This was a Transcendent Duke Art that he had been dying to learn for a really long time. "If you''d like to get a Dragon Fang Essence, I suggest you don''t do it yourself." A voice drifted over as Li Luo was pondering it. He lifted his head and saw Li Lingjing climbing up the stairs. Dressed in a light-yellow gown with green ribbons, she looked really charming with a white, lustrous glow on her fair face. Two strands of green ribbons hung down her shoulders, falling on her plump breasts and outlining her graceful curves. Her slender waist was wrapped with a graceful and tight silk belt. As the wind blew against her, her dress adhered closely to her body, highlighting her slim and curvy figure. There were many male members of the Green Nether banner on the deck at this point. When Li Lingjing appeared, they could not help but stare at her secretly and whisper among themselves. Li Luo also took a few looks at her as she walked over. With a smile, he commented, "Cousin Lingjing, you are such a beauty. Its truly a loss for the previous generation of the Twenty Banners that they didnt get to meet you." Li Lingjing''s appearance was indeed charming. With the recovery of her spirit, she seemed to have regained her self-confidence, making her even more dazzling. She knelt down on the cushion beside the tea table. With her red lips slightly curled up, she said, "Cousin Li Luo, you are too sweet with your words." "I don''t have any outstanding traits, except for the fact that I''m honest," Li Luo replied sincerely. "What a good trait. Coupled with your handsome face, your luck with the ladies must be incomparable," she responded with a smile. "The appearance I have merely came from my parents. I still prefer others to focus on my inner beauty," Li Luo stated seriously. Hearing this, Li Lingjing covered her mouth and giggled softly. "Cousin Li Luo, if you continue to be so funny, I''ll truly want to be your maid." Li Luo suddenly looked bitter and responded, "Cousin, stop playing tricks on me. I dare not let you be my maid. You are too outstandingI am afraid I will not be able to explain it to my fiancee in the future." With a curious look, Li Lingjing asked, "Do you really have a fiancee?" Li Luo nodded and said, "How could I lie about that?" Thinking back, it seemed like Jiang Qing''e had called off their engagement when she left previously. Strictly speaking, maybe she was no longer his fiancee? When he thought about this, the tea in his hand did not feel sweet anymore. It was not like their feelings for each other would change without a piece of paper, but it still felt a little off without it. Li Luo let out a sigh in his heart. He had wanted to draft a new engagement with Jiang Qing''e after breaking off the previous one. However, she had ignited her Heart of Light, and he naturally forgot about all these small matters. "Aren''t you from the outer divine continent? So is your fiancee also from there?" Li Lingjing continued to ask curiously. Li Luo nodded. Li Lingjing chuckled again and responded, "Cousin Li Luo, you really impressed me. Even after coming to the inner divine continent, you still remember your lover. There are many noble girls in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage for you to pick from, as long as you are willing to ask." With a smile, Li Luo said, "I have never felt that way" Li Lingjing nodded and continued with great interest, "But even if you don''t think so, with your talent and background, you will definitely become one of the top bachelors in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent in the future. When the time comes, there will be many peerless beauties falling in love with you. By then, maybe you''ll still miss your old lover. But how will she feel when faced against so many opponents prettier than her?" Li Luo was taken aback when he heard this. His expression turned a little complicated. Prettier opponents? How would she feel? Would the big white swan really think about such things? Seeing his reaction, Li Lingjing acted as if she was speechless and did not probe any further. She picked up the teapot and poured herself a drink. After a while, Li Luo stopped thinking about it. As he looked at the young lady with a strange smile on her lips, he felt like Li Lingjing''s temperament had become a little... devilish. This must have been the result of being entangled with the Soul Eater True Devil. However, in a way, it also made her seem a little more charming. Li Luo shook his head and did not think about it further. Coming back to the topic, he tapped on the five mottled dragon fangs. "Cousin Lingjing, why did you tell me not to do it myself if I wanted a Dragon Fang Essence?" Chapter 0885: Secret Art of Extraction Chapter 0885: Secret Art of Extraction Li Lingjing smiled sweetly when she heard Li Luo''s question. She then raised her slender finger and pointed to the five dragon fangs, saying, "Because not a single drop of Dragon Fang Essence has been born in them." Li Luo stared in disbelief. He couldn''t help but ask, "How do you know? Can you sense the Dragon Fang Essence?" That was something that even the strong and powerful Dukes couldn''t do, right? "I can sense it indeed. But it''s a very abstract feeling. I''m not too sure how it''ll really turn out in the end," Li Lingjing said as she revealed her clean and white teeth. She turned her head slightly towards Li Luo and continued, "Cousin Li Luo, why don''t you give it a try? Try and extract from one of the fangs and see if my feeling is right?" This placed Li Luo in a really tough position. He was unable to decide what to do now as these dragon fangs were really precious to him. It had taken so much effort to obtain them, and they were his only hope to cultivate the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. If he missed this chance, he would not be able to master the art by the Dragon''s Head competition. Clearly, this would not be good news for him. Of course, he could make a bet and go for it. If Li Lingjing''s feeling was off, he could get lucky and extract a drop of Dragon Fang Essence out of one these five dragon fangs. After giving it some thought, Li Luo decided to trust Li Lingjing''s feeling and restrained the gambling urges. "Cousin Lingjing, you didn''t come all the way here just to remind me of this, right?" Li Luo asked seriously as he stared at her beautiful face with a strand of demonic air hovering about. Fiddling with her teacup, Li Lingjing replied with a slight smile, "You really are smart. Although these dragon fangs do not contain any Dragon Fang Essence yet, I have a secret art that can make them give birth to the essence when mixed with spirit materials. The success rate is not high, but if you''re lucky, it would not impossible to get one drop of Dragon Fang Essence out of these five fangs." Li Luo was surprised to hear about this. "There''s such a secret art? How do you know about it?" Li Lingjing sighed a little. "Have you forgotten about the Soul Eater True Devil? I''m not the only talented one who has fallen prey to it. The memories of other talented individuals have been swallowed by it too. Since I''m tangled up with it, these memories have also become mine. That''s how I learnt about this secret art." Li Luo finally understood. If what she was saying was true, her knowledge far exceeded that of most of the Dukes. In that case, her takeover of the Soul Eater True Devil was a blessing in disguise. "Are there any conditions to doing that?" Li Luo asked calmly after giving it some thought. "Like having you accept me as your maid?" Li Lingjing chuckled as she teased him. In response, Li Luo replied helplessly, "Please be serious, Cousin Lingjing." She had been showing more and more potential in the past few days. Now, she even had the memories and knowledge from all the talented individuals eaten by the Soul Eater True Devil. This meant that even Li Luo himself wouldn''t feel right about having her as his maid. Most importantly... Li Luo wouldn''t dare to. This was partly because of the special state that Li Lingjing was currently in. If the Soul Eater True Devil returned one day and corrupted him, it would be a complete disaster. With such a big risk, how would Li Luo dare to accept her? Hearing his response, Li Lingjing sighed as well. Her smile disappeared as she calmly replied, "I would like you to promise me one thing." "What is it?" Li Luo asked. Her eyes lowered a little as she continued, "To protect my life." Li Luo froze for a moment when he heard this. With a frown on his face, he asked, "Cousin Lingjing, do you feel unsafe about going to the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range?" Li Lingjing replied honestly, "Of course. The Soul Eater True Devil is really mysterious. Now that I am entangled with it, even the Lineage Chief himself may not be able to separate us completely. In that case, the most simple and direct solution will be to get rid of me along with it. "The Western Region''s Li Family is not a highly respected family in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. We only have my aunt as the Third Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall. However, that''s not enough to influence the others if it really boils down to a vote on whether they should eliminate me along with the Soul Eater True Devil. Most likely, no one will be able to protect me then." Li Luo listened to her as she explained herself with total composure. He was slightly taken aback. Her mind was really deep and calm. It was no wonder she could remain conscious despite the Soul Eater True Devil''s corruption and had even made a comeback against it. "Do you really think I''ll be able to protect you?" Li Luo slowly asked. "The Lineage Chief has always been serious and fair. However, he feels some remorse when it comes to you, his grandson. If anyone in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage has a chance to change his mind, it''ll surely be just you," Li Lingjing responded. "Cousin Lingjing, you''re really tricky to make use of even this," Li Luo said with a calm expression. "I just want to survive. Is there anything wrong with that?" Li Lingjing said as she suddenly clenched her fist. Veins started showing on her jade-white, slender arms as she looked at Li Luo directly. Her emotions were surging. "Do you think I wanted to become like this? Anyone would be disgusted if they found out that there''s an Other in me. But do I have a choice? This is my only way to survive!" Li Lingjing shouted. Li Luo was slightly taken aback when he saw how emotional Li Lingjing had gotten. Who would have expected his words to spark such a strong response? She had always been so composed in their previous interactions. However, Li Luo could empathize with her. Despite her strong and tough appearance, she was clearly affected by the Soul Eater True Devil. Li Luo pondered over it for a moment before he replied in a deep voice, "You''re not wrong. In fact, I admire you. It is true. Among all the young generation''s talents that I have met, there aren''t many that can be compared to you." Hearing this, Li Lingjing stared deep into Li Luo''s eyes, but he did not avert her gaze. She gradually calmed down when she saw the sincerity in his eyes. She lightly brushed apart her hair and said, "Sorry for getting so emotional." Li Luo replied in a gentle tone, "Don''t worry about it. I believe you''ll be able to resolve this. After all, you''ve already cleared the hardest part. What else is there to worry about?" Li Lingjing bit her red lips lightly as she responded, "Let''s hope your well wishes come true." At this point, Li Luo pondered for a few seconds before he continued, "There is no need to worry too much about what happens next. Since youre coming with me, I''ll be responsible for your safety. I can promise to protect you to the best of my abilities as long as your mental state does not get completely consumed by the Soul Eater True Devil. After all, you''re a talent in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage too. With your extraordinary potential, you may even become a King in the future. It''ll be a heavy loss for our Dragon''s Fang Lineage to lose someone like you so easily." Hearing this, Li Lingjing simply stared back at Li Luo in a daze. Li Luo was getting a bit embarrassed by her look as he voiced out, "Cousin Lingjing, although it''s very charming of me to say that, you''ll need to restrain yourself a little. If not, my fiancee will not let you off when she learns about this." Li Lingjing rolled her eyes when she heard his words. She replied with a half-smile, "Now you''ve aroused my competitive spirit. If I meet her in the future, I''ll have to ask her for some advice." In the next moment, she reached out her jade hands, and a scroll appeared. She handed it over to Li Luo. "This is the secret art that I''ve been talking about." Li Luo opened it hurriedly. The scroll was filled with beautiful characters written in ink that had yet to dry completely. It was clear that this had just been written not too long ago. After reading through it, Li Luo memorized the details in his heart and said with a bitter laugh, "It''s indeed a good secret art. However, we''ll need a King Stage helper on top of the various spirit materials..." "This is a tough requirement for others, but it shouldnt be an issue for you, right?" Li Lingjing responded with a chuckle. Li Luo nodded and replied, "Looks like I''ll have to trouble the Respected Elder again." However, he was clearly in a good mood. With this secret art from Li Lingjing, there was a higher chance for him to obtain a Dragon Fang Essence now. If that happened, he would finally be able to cultivate the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. Following this, the two chatted happily for another moment before Li Lingjing stood up and left. There were many secret glances at her as she walked through the hallway back into her own room. When she closed her door shut, her tiny body leaned back against the door and she heaved a sigh of relief. She raised her right hand up and looked into her pale palm. In the middle was a strange, black light, wriggling in it like a worm. As the black light shone onto Li Lingjings face, her eyes appeared a little dark as she whispered to herself, "Cousin Li Luo, I hope that you can keep true to your words... "If not... I won''t sit around and wait for death quietly. "I have finally gotten a chance of survival after fighting so hard. I will not let others cut it off, no matter what happens." Chapter 0886: Chatting with Uncle Biao Chapter 0886: Chatting with Uncle Biao Countless days later, the four banners arrived back at the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range. Li Luo, Li Fengyi, and the other two reported the completion of the mission before dispersing their banners. The trip to the Dark Domain had taken almost an entire month, and they had encountered countless dangers. Everyone was weary and tired, thus it was time to allow them to recuperate for a period of time. Li Luo then bade his farewells to the other three Banner Leaders before leading Li Lingjing and Li Feng towards Green Nether Peak. When they arrived, they saw a familiar figure awaiting them. Li Rouyun. "Aunt Yun." Li Li Luo glanced at her, and she quickened her steps towards them. On the way back, he had taken the initiative to inform her of Li Lingjing''s recovery. Li Rouyun doted upon Li Lingjing and treated her like a daughter. Even though she was busy managing the Green Nether Hall''s affairs, she would still spend copious amounts of effort to obtain spiritual medicines to enable her to recover. Now that she had suddenly received news of Li Lingjin recovering, she was filled with both surprise and joy. Li Luo also knew this point and naturally stood aside. Li Lingjing, who was behind him, watched Li Rouyun quickly approach, her eyes welling up red as she huskily said, "Aunt..." She similarly began to briskly walk towards her, directly entering her embrace. Li Rouyun was similarly teary-eyed and constantly stroked Li Lingjing''s head as she spoke. "The heavens have taken pity on you! You''ve finally recovered. These years have been so painful for me." Li Lingjing tightly hugged Li Rouyun''s waist, burrowing her face in her bosom as teardrops fell. "Aunt, I''ve missed you so much." Even Li Feng sighed emotionally at this sight. Li Luo was no exception, quietly standing aside and letting the two vent their emotions. A good while later, Li Rouyun dabbed at the edges of her eyes and a smile bloomed on her face. "Li Luo, you really are my family''s lucky star. Just a random trip to Western City and you managed to help her recover." Li Rouyun smiled. Li Luo didn''t exactly know how to reply. He had yet to explain the situation about the Soul Eater True Devil to her, but she was simply too happy right now. He didn''t want to dampen her happiness, and perhaps it was too soon to do so. Li Luo glanced at Li Lingjing. This situation was one that could not remain hidden forever. How the news would be broken to Li Rouyun would be a different matter altogether, and he was happy to leave it in Lingjing''s hands. "Aunt Yun, why don''t you take Cousin Lingjing and City Lord Li Feng somewhere to rest? It''s possible that tomorrow... they might have to meet the Respected Elder," Li Luo said. Li Rouyun paused for a moment. "Meet the Lineage Chief?" Li Luo nodded and did not say anymore, just waving his hand before he left for his own abode, leaving behind a wondering Li Rouyun. With Li Luo''s departure, Li Lingjing tightly clutched Li Rouyun and gave a forced smile. "Aunt, let''s go. Let me explain to you what happened." When Li Luo arrived back at his lodgings, he saw a familiar figure before him. He had a greasy face that held a hint of ferocity. With a gleaming, pig-butchering knife by his side, this man just emanated a sense of brutality. Ox Biaobiao. "Uncle Biao, why are you here today?" Li Luo smiled with surprise. Ox Biaobiao was currently sitting in the courtyard feasting and drinking before a table laden with delicacies. When he heard Li Luo''s voice, he raised his head and beamed. "You brat, you''re finally back. Get over here, I''ve prepared countless tonics and medicinal cuisines for you to replenish your weary body." Li Luo grinned and sat down as he stared at the table full of food and sighed. "It''s been a long time since I''ve personally tasted your handiwork, Uncle Biao. The Dragon Fang Lineage might be more powerful than House Luolan, but in terms of food, it simply can''t compare!" With that, he tucked into the food without further hesitation, gorging himself. Ox Biaobiao was so flattered that he couldn''t stop smiling, proudly replying, "That is the truth. There might be numerous experts here that are stronger than those of House Luolan, but when it comes to cooking dishes, I''m afraid there are almost none that are my equal." Li Luo gave him a thumbs up in support. Ox Biaobiao then passed him a cup of wine as he sighed at Li Luo. "You went through so much danger to get me some medicine. You should have told me earlier, I would have accompanied you." Li Luo was stunned by these sudden words before he recovered with a smile. "How did you find out?" "When you were gone for so many days, I was naturally worried and went to look for Li Rouyun," Ox Biaobiao replied. "Don''t worry, Uncle Biao. My parents were simply too unreliable and left behind a mess for Sister Qing''e and I. If not for your unceasing protection, House Luolan would not have survived. This favor is something I''ve etched into my heart. I did not have the strength to repay you before, but now that I''m in the Dragons Fang Lineage, no matter the price, your recovery is the most important thing to me. I think this is something even my parents would agree with," Li Luo seriously stated. "Since they are so unreliable, as the son, I have to naturally do my best and wholeheartedly find a solution for you, Uncle Biao!" Upon hearing these heartfelt words, Ox Biaobiao gave a radiant smile. He did not say any more, only shoveling more food onto Li Luo''s plate. A hint of warmth could be seen on his ferocious demeanor. "When your injuries have recovered, I hope that you''ll become a Green Nether Hall Master. Of course, if you don''t wish to be burdened, you''re free to also leave and perhaps find some old friends. I''ll fully respect your decision," Li Luo continued. Ox Biaobiao nodded. "I do have some things from the past that I wish to deal with. However, there is no rush. Staying in the Green Nether Hall for a period of time and helping you out is fine. Once you''ve taken control of the hall, it will not be too late for me to go." He did not say much more. He held out his hand, and a mysterious, rhombus crystal appeared, immediately causing worldly natural energy to surge. The crystal exuded a mystical sort of charm, and anyone who gazed upon it would naturally feel a deep longing towards it. "You previously entrusted me with this Divine Matter. Now that my recovery is imminent, I will return it to you," Ox Biaobiao said. Li Luo stared blankly at the Divine Matter. It was an object that all Dukes held an infinite desire for. Back when they were in the Xia Kingdom, every single Duke had coveted this object, and its mere existence had placed House Luolan in danger. On the other hand, Ox Biaobiao had very willingly surrendered it back to him. "Uncle Biao, to be honest, this object isn''t very useful to me," Li Luo said. "Not today, but it will be in the future. I have languished for countless years, so even if you were to give it to me, it would be squandering a treasure." Ox Biaobiao laughed. "Your parents obtained it from an ancient remnant many years ago, so it should belong to you. However, I''d recommend that you not leave it on your person. It is an alluring object to any Duke, and keeping it would only put you in danger." Li Luo looked at Ox Biaobiao''s expression and understood his intentions. He carefully received the object and stowed it away. It was as Ox Biaobiao had said. The object was simply too precious, and Dukes would waver in front of it, especially those that had the possibility of breaking into the King Stage. If they knew about this, it would be difficult to avoid malicious intentions, so he simply could not keep it with him. Thinking about it quickly, he decided to ask Li Jingzhe to safekeep the item. He was his grandfather and a King, so he would not covet the Divine Matter. And after investigating Ox Biaobiao''s situation, he naturally knew of its existence. "Was it because of this that my parents were chased down in the ancient remnant by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing?" Li Luo frowned as he thought about it. Divine Matter was a peak-grade treasure, but the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing was extraordinary themselves. It couldn''t possibly be because of this that two Heavenly Emperor powers were on the cusp of war, right? "The situation at that time was extremely complex. The two parties had accumulated too much enmity... The Divine Matter did not possess such enthralling desire to cause it." Ox Biaobiao sighed as his gaze quickly swept the area before he continued in a low voice, "I think that your parents obtained something even more miraculous. As for what it is, I''m afraid no one else but the two of them would know. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing probably felt the same way and thus pursued them relentlessly." Li Luo''s gaze shrank. Just what could his parents have obtained in the ancient remnant that could exceed even the Divine Matter in value? His heart trembled, but Li Luo firmly squashed this feeling down. He glanced at Ox Biaobiao, and they no longer raised the topic again. Instead, he continued to ravenously stuff himself. When he could eat no more, he patted his stomach with a satisfied look and reclined on his chair. "Uncle Biao, I''m reminded of the times back in House Luolan..." Li Luo comfortably raised his head as he watched the gradually ascending moon. Although the conditions here in Dragon''s Fang Mountain far surpassed anything he could ever imagine at House Luolan, his heart would never forget that tiny manor that he called home. It brought him a sense of comfort like nothing else could. Ox Biaobiao similarly sighed and then smiled. "Its a pity that the headquarters turned into a breeding ground for the Others." Li Luo''s eyes turned into slits as he thought about the individual who had left the deepest impression on him, his gaze turning murderous. Shen Jinxiao. That damn beast. It was his machinations that caused House Luolan to fall and even forced Sister Qing''e to ignite her Heart of Light, forcing the two of them to part. This enmity was deeply etched into his heart. Yet at the same time, Li Luo couldn''t help but to think of that beautiful woman and sigh. Sister Qing''e, are you doing well at the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College? Chapter 0887: Jiang Qinges Promotion Battle Chapter 0887: Jiang Qing''e''s Promotion Battle In the early morning, Jiang Qing''e opened her clear, golden eyes and looked at the curtains beside her bed. There was a hint of restlessness in them, as if she had just awakened from her sleep. She lay quietly on her bed. Currently, she was at the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Even though it had already been close to half a year, she still had not gotten used to it. She still preferred her own room back in House Luolan. From that room, she could walk out and see a bridge leading straight to Li Luo''s room. When she thought of Li Luo, her lips curled up slightly. Then she reached under her pillow and took out an old, yellowish envelope. She placed the envelope in front of her, and there was a beautiful word written on itMarriage. This was the marriage agreement that she had personally written in the past. However, it was considered annulled now. As she gazed at the envelope, she flicked the side of it lightly with her slender fingers. Deep within her golden eyes, there was a deep smile coming forward. "It''s been annulled..." A soft, light laugh came out. In the next moment, she sat up from her bed. The sunlight peeped in from the window and landed on her delicate body in her pure-white nightgown. It was embroidered with a big, white swan, looking extremely cute on her. It was sewn on by Tan Tailan in the past. As the sunlight shone onto her nightgown, it also unknowingly highlighted her charming figure. For a moment, it was as if the sunlight had been given a perfect shape. Jiang Qing''e lightly brushed her hair away as she tapped on the marriage agreement in her hand. She whispered to herself, "How bold of you, Li Luo. How dare you break off our engagement. In that case, you can worry about it until we meet again. The big, plump swan has wings. Once it flies away, it''ll be too late for you to regret it." When she imagined Li Luo getting onto his knees, begging for her to stay with tears all over his face, her mood for the morning lit up all of a sudden. She then got out of bed, washed up, and prepared herself for the day. Afterwards, she reached out for the white uniform of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. It was an intricately designed uniform, sewed with golden strings and a large, stunning, golden sun at the back. After putting on her shirt, she turned back and stored the marriage agreement properly. She did not keep it in her pocket sphere, she simply kept it close to herself. When she pressed onto the marriage agreement in front of her chest, the image of Li Luo appeared in her mind again. How are you doing in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, Li Luo? I believe you''ll be a shining star with your capabilities, regardless of where you were. Let''s work hard together. At this point, Jiang Qing''e pushed open the doors to her room and stepped out with the sunlight shining on her delicate body. Today, she would have a promotion battle. Not long after her arrival in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, she had managed to enter the famous Heavenly Star Hall. This was a hall that was only available in the ancient colleges. It was even higher tier than the Four Star Hall back in the Astral Sage College. The minimum requirement to enter the Heavenly Star Hall was to be at the Heavenly Resonance Tier. In other words, it could be said that all the elites of the college in the past decade had gathered in the Heavenly Star Hall. There would surely be Dukes coming out from this group in the future. This was definite. As for whether there would be any Kings, it would depend on the individual''s destiny. There was an upper hall and a lower hall in the Heavenly Star Hall. Jiang Qing''e was in the lower hall currently. However, she would be challenging a student from the upper hall today. If she won, she would be able to move up. There were a total of ninety-nine seats in the upper hall. Each of them was occupied by a person in the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, and ownership would be decided based on elimination. In other words, there were a limited number of seats available. For one to break into it, they would have to kick another person out of it. Such was the harsh reality of the competition. As such, the promotion battle had always been the most talked about topic in the college. Moreover, this promotion battle involved Jiang Qing''e, the most famous newcomer in the past six months. When she arrived at the battle venue, there were already crowds of people seated in the audience. It was a bustling and lively place. When she walked in, there were countless passionate gazes staring at her. The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College was a place full of hidden talents. There were a lot of gifted individuals here. In fact, even some of the talents from the Heavenly Emperor forces trained here. Nonetheless, Jiang Qing''e had been the talk of the town since her entry into the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College six months ago. Apart from her charming beauty, she also had a formidable aura surrounding her. She got into the lower hall of the Heavenly Star Hall as soon as she arrived. Furthermore, she had never lost a single battle to date and had fought her way up as a newcomer to the top in the lower hall. This was a spectacular achievement. In less than half a year, she was already taking part in the promotion battle. Even though this wasn''t an unprecedented record in the history of the school, it was still quite a rare event. Amidst the lively atmosphere, Jiang Qing''e stepped onto the battleground under everyone''s fiery gazes. At this moment, a teacher on the stage asked her, "Jiang Qing''e, are you ready for the promotion battle?" "Yes," Jiang Qing''e replied with calm and steady eyes. "Who would you like to challenge?" "The ninety-sixth seat of the upper hall, Senior Lu Jinguang." This was not a surprising choice to most. After all, there was a higher chance of success if one picked an opponent in the lower ranks. At this point, a figure jumped out of the elevated platform in the arena. In a flashy entry, he landed on the battleground in the center. Shocking resonant power emanated from his body, and the space around him began to vibrate. This was Lu Jinguang, the ninety-sixth seat of the upper hall. He was the opponent that Jiang Qing''e had selected. Lu Jinguang had a tall and straight figure, appearing pretty handsome. He also emitted an unusually sharp aura. With his appearance on stage, the crowds had started to cheer. He was clearly quite famous in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. This was expected. After all, he had to be really gifted to have gotten into the upper hall. Such a guy would naturally have fans as well. Lu Jinguang smiled cheerfully at Jiang Qing''e and said, "Who''d have thought I''d be chosen by you, Junior Jiang? Haha. Even if I lose this match, it''ll still be a happy day." Jiang Qing''e shook her head slightly and replied, "It''s because you''re the only one with a metal resonance among the lower ranks." Hearing this, Lu Jinguang was a little taken aback. "So what if I have a metal resonance?" he asked in surprise. However, Jiang Qing''e did not reply to him. In the same moment, another laugh sounded off from the elevated platform in the distance. "Brother Lu, Junior Jiang is a newcomer. Don''t hurt her too badly, or it''ll look bad on us in the upper hall." The attention and gazes of the crowd were drawn over to the one who had spoken. A young man was standing on the platform with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face. This young man had untidy, long hair that was red like fire, and an air of dominance surrounded him. When he spoke, strong resonant power flowed out and the air around him seemed to quiver from the heat. When the crowd noticed the fiery-haired young man, low whispers started to break out amongst them. "Is that... Senior Wei Chonglou?" "Tsk. He is one of the top experts in the college. He''s among the top ten in the upper hall of the Heavenly Star Hall. Having spent quite a number of years studying here, he''s a senior in our school." "I heard that he happened to chance upon Senior Jiang three months ago. He was captivated by her stunning beauty and tried all means to get close to her. However, it didn''t seem to work out in the end." "Is he trying to help Senior Jiang secure a spot by coming forward now?" "Hehe, what a charismatic guy. If only he had his eyes on me..." In the battle arena, Lu Jinguang looked up at the young man. With a smile, he replied, "Brother Wei, please don''t put pressure on me. Junior Jiang here is no ordinary opponent." As they chatted among themselves, Jiang Qing''e''s face remained calm like still water. She did not even raise her head to look up at the elevated platform. She simply stared at the teacher referee in the arena. "Teacher, may we begin?" Hearing this, the teacher nodded. Amidst the bustling cheers from the crowd, he declared the start of the battle. As soon as he spoke, Lu Jinguang started forming his handseals first. In the next moment, his resonant power surged up without any restraint. An extremely sharp, golden light resonant power materialized in the air and formed a huge, golden blade manifestation that was thousands of feet tall. The metal resonant power in the blade flowed through it like surging tides. It appeared to be extremely sharp. A terrifyingly domineering aura exuded from the golden blade and expanded in the air, filling the arena with unparalleled sharpness. This was the trademark of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. Only those who had reached it could condense their resonance into an extremely powerful and deadly physical object. When Lu Jinguang summoned up his Greater Heavenly Resonance power, an endless and mysterious beam of sacred light burst out behind Jiang Qing''e at the same time. In the next moment, it transformed into a large, golden sun that shone brightly onto every dark corner. Nonetheless, her golden sun appeared more abstract in comparison to the golden blade from Lu Jinguang. This was because Jiang Qing''e had not truly entered the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier yet. She seemed to be just one step away. Regardless, this still left many of the crowd in awe. After all, Jiang Qing''e was only promoted to the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier half a year ago. In just six months time, she was already showing signs of breaking into the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. Such a speedy pace of progress was an amazing feat even in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. However, Lu Jinguang heaved a sigh of relief when he witnessed this scene. With a laugh, he said, "Junior Jiang, you seem to have been too hasty with your challenge. If you had waited a while more, you''d surely be able to enter the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier soon at your pace of. With that, you''d have a much better chance of success." Hearing this, Jiang Qing''e replied calmly, "If I had waited until my breakthrough, this fight would have nothing to do with you anymore." Lu Jinguang was shocked by her reply. He could not help but laugh out helplessly. This Junior of his was not just beautiful, she was the first person that he had ever seen with such pride. "Let me have a taste of your skills, then." Lu Jinguang did not say much more. His eyes suddenly turned sharp. As one of the seats in the upper hall of the Heavenly Star Hall, he was naturally gifted too. He was definitely a genius who could defeat opponents above his cultivation level if it were outside this college. Now, he was at risk of getting defeated by someone below his level... Lu Jinguang did not want to become a stepping stone for someone else. As such, he changed his hand seal. His peerlessly sharp resonant power pierced through the air in all directions. In the next moment, a cold voice resounded. "Duke Art, Imperial Fortress Sword Light!" At this moment, the various elders of the college looked down from the elevated platforms around the arena. Chapter 0888: Unparalleled Purification Power Chapter 0888: Unparalleled Purification Power When the sharp and huge, golden blade light fell down from the sky, some of the Heavenly Star Hall''s upper hall members looked surprised upon witnessing this domineering aura. The spectators from the Four Star Hall were even more stunned. With this strike from Lu Jinguang, everyone could see how he had gotten into the upper hall. Moreover, Lu Jinguang was not going to give his opponent any chance to retaliate. He had gone for a killing move right off the bat. Over the years, many had been defeated by this single strike of his. As the crowd watched in awe, Jiang Qing''e lifted her beautiful, charming face. Her golden eyes were fixed on the falling blade light. She had witnessed many dazzling, gifted individuals in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College in the six months she had spent here. If they were in the Astral Sage College, they would surely be far superior when compared against Gong Shenjun and the First Princess. For example, Lu Jinguang might just be a lower ranked individual in the upper hall here. However, many of the experienced Greater Heavenly Resonance cultivators in the outer divine continent wouldnt be his match. Everyone in the Heavenly Star Hall was talented enough to defeat opponents above their own tier, regardless of whether they were in the upper hall or lower hall. This was one of the reasons why the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College could withstand the tides of time as the oldest college. When Jiang Qing''e raised her slender, jade hands, her brilliant light resonant energy surged like a tidal wave. A copy of herself appeared behind her, and worldly natural light energy flowed endlessly. Ninth-grade light resonance, Light Spirit Avatar. This was the signature move of a ninth-grade resonance cultivator. With this, worldly natural energy would flow into the user endlessly, giving the cultivator exceptional stamina in a fight. Moreover, the ninth-grade spirit avatar could also boost the power of one''s resonance arts. Along with the emergence of the Light Spirit Avatar, Jiang Qing''e pointed her slender finger to the front. Light energy condensed at her fingertip and then floated outwards. A wild storm was summoned the moment it left her finger, and the light energy transformed into a holy flame of light. The flame rose into the air. There was a clear cry at the next moment, and the flame of light morphed into a Phoenix. The Phoenixs body was burning with the fearsome flame Jiang Qing''e had just released, and it transformed all of the worldly natural energy around it into the purest light energy. "Duke Art, Incandescent Flame Phoenix!" The Phoenix let out a cry and then flew straight towards the falling blade light. When the two clashed, a storm of energy swept up like a tornado with the sparks of flames flying out in all directions. Luckily, there was an energy shield around the arena that kept the energy waves contained. Many of the student spectators were shocked to see a raging energy storm erupt from the collision. Nonetheless, they kept their eyes fixed on the fierce battle taking place before them. The two energies continued to erode and destroy each other. In the end, the Phoenix disappeared without a trace, while the golden blade-light had weakened considerably. When it reached Jiang Qing''e, it couldn''t even get through the protective resonant aura around her body anymore. When they witnessed this, the crowd burst out excitedly. Lu Jinguang''s attack had been stopped by Jiang Qing''e. One important factor was that Lu Jinguang was already deep into the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, while Jiang Qing''e was merely at the peak of the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier. Was Jiang Qing''e given a chance because of Wei Chonglou''s words earlier? As the chatter continued amongst the crowd, the look in Lu Jinguang''s eyes started to get serious. He was very sure that he had not held back. "Your ninth-grade light resonance is truly formidable. Is that an upper ninth-grade or lower ninth-grade?" As Lu Jinguang whispered these words to himself, his eyes became sharper. The air around him also became denser. As someone from the upper hall, he was clearly a talented individual himself. Even though ninth-grade resonances were strong, they might not be invincible. At this moment, Lu Jinguang clapped his hands together, and a small, golden light appeared between his palms. At the point of contact, the light cut open his palm like a razor-sharp knife. Fresh blood flowed out instantly and mixed with the golden light. In the next moment, the light left his palm and the resonant power around him surged up. Before the gazes of the crowd, the golden light transformed into a radiant, golden sword. The golden sword vibrated slightly, and three thin cracks formed on its blade. Golden light started flowing out of each one. From a distance, it looked as if there were three vertical eyes on the sword. And the mysterious eyes were filled with endless energy. Many of the Heavenly Star Hall members on the elevated platform changed their expressions as soon as they saw this. Without a doubt, this was the signature move that had made Lu Jinguang rise to fame. He hovered in the air while he looked down at Jiang Qing''e. "Junior Jiang, if you can take this strike, I will give up my seat to you willingly," he said casually as he pressed the sword sigil in his hand. "Duke Art, Imperial Fortress Sword Light: Tri-Eye Heavenly Sword." Lu Jinguang pointed his finger out, and the Tri-Eye Heavenly Sword suddenly let out a shocking sword cry. Like a mighty, golden dragon piercing through the void, it slashed down directly towards Jiang Qing''e. Jiang Qing''e stared at the golden sword that was slicing through the air. She could feel a chill run up her spine from facing the Tri-Eye Heavenly Sword directly. Evidently, her opponent was an extraordinary person. Yet she remained undaunted by the strike and replied calmly, "There''s no need for you to give up. I''ll take it from you with my own strength." Her slender, jade fingers formed mythical hand seals rapidly, and a phosphorescence glow appeared around her hands. For a moment, her snow-white skin looked so clean and pure that others would not dare to touch her. At the same time, another mythical figure emerged behind Jiang Qing''e. This caught everyone by surprise. It was another ninth-grade Light Spirit Avatar! Now with two Light Spirit Avatars behind Jiang Qing''e, the worldly natural light energy around the space suddenly began to rush in, as if it was being pulled in by a very strong whirlpool. The huge amount of energy was further refined by the two Light Spirit Avatars before flowing into Jiang Qing''e''s body, making her resonant power spike up at an astonishing pace. The crowd watched on in awe. "What''s that?!" "Double ninth-grade light resonance?!" "Oh my God, my eyes are going blind from the light!" "What kind of monstrous talent is that?! Someone like this has probably only been seen a few times even in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient Colleges long history!" "I''ve heard about this before, but it''s my first time seeing it from Junior Jiang." "I see. So this is why the Third Principal thinks so highly of her. After all, she wouldnt have asked for her personally if it was just a ninth-grade light resonance. But a dual ninth-grade light resonance is a totally different matter." The surprised chatter continued among the spectators as everyone was wildly excited about the history that was unfolding before them. It was a really rare event even in an ancient college. With all these gifted individuals gathered here, not even dual resonance cultivators were considered rare. Similarly, a ninth-grade resonance would only rouse a few surprised faces. But... someone with a dual ninth-grade light resonance before reaching the Duke Stage? It was the first time many of them had personally laid eyes on something so rare. While everyone was overcome with wonder, Jiang Qing''e''s clear face showed no signs of changes. She had completely shut off all the interference from the outside and was solely focused on channeling all her resonant power into activating this Duke Art taught to her by the Third Principal successfully. "Duke Art, Pure Light World Sigil." Along with her soft and gentle voice, Jiang Qing''e stretched out her hands, and the condensed, sacred light burst out. For a moment, it was like the whole place and everyone''s vision had been enveloped by the holy light. In fact, many sensed a feeling of unease rising within their hearts when touched by the holy light. It possessed extremely condensed purification power. This was the signature trait of light resonancesthey would purify anything not in line with them. Many of them were astonished to see the purity and refinement of her light resonant energy. Ultimately, it had been refined by two ninth-grade light resonances. The bright light filled the air. When the light sigil called out, many of the spectators watched on as it clashed with the Tri-Eye Heavenly Sword. However, there was no deafening roar from the collision this time. When the two came into contact, the extremely concentrated power of purification permeated the air and the power of unparalleled sharpness in the metal resonant power dissipated into nothing. Starting from the tip of the blade, the Tri-Eye Heavenly Sword gradually disappeared into thin air. This was a truly frightening degree of purification. Many of the spectators felt a chill in their hearts when they witnessed this scene. The light sigil continued traveling through the air. A few moments later, it appeared right in front of Lu Jinguang. As Lu Jinguang stared at the sigil in front of him, he could sense the light resonant energy rapidly eroding the resonant power in his body. Looking at the charming figure below, he laughed out bitterly and raised both arms. "Junior Jiang, it''s your win." Chapter 0889: All Worthless Chapter 0889: All Worthless The crowd erupted as soon as Lu Jinguang admitted his defeat. Most of them stared at the worldly beauty in the arena with surprise and amazement. It was not rare to see a Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College student defeat a stronger opponent. After all, the students here were all gifted individuals gathered from different regions all over the divine continent. In another sense, it had even more stringent selection criteria than those found in the Heavenly Emperor powers. Moreover, the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College was one of the founders of the Academic Federation, so their foundation was naturally solid. If any of their students were placed outside, they would surely possess this ability to defeat opponents of higher tiers. However... this was in comparison to those outside the college. If it was against an opponent from the college, it would no longer be an easy feat. In particular, the Heavenly Star Hall was made of the strongest individuals in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. It held the true experts of the school, and it was even more challenging to enter it. After all, who was not a heavenly genius here? As such, many of them were truly stunned by Jiang Qing''e''s victory. They watched with complex gazes. From now on, Jiang Qing''e would move from the lower hall into the upper hall of the Heavenly Star Hall. This was an insane pace of progression. At the same time, the faces of the gifted students on the elevated platform changed when they witnessed what had just happened. From the previous battle, it was clear just how much talent and potential Junior Jiang possessed. It seemed like the peaceful days in the upper hall would begin to change once she entered. With her exceptional aptitude, they knew that she would not be satisfied with staying at the ninety-sixth seat for long. Back in the arena, Jiang Qing''e thanked Lu Jinguang for the match before she turned around to make her departure. She was about to leave the bustling arena when someone jumped down from the elevated platform and appeared in front of Jiang Qing''e in a flash. This was none other than Wei Chonglou, the guy who had spoken to Lu Jinguang earlier. His fiery hair was really conspicuous. With his tall and straight build, he exuded an air of dominance, and many junior girls amongst the spectators watched in excitement. After all, he was one of the top ten students in this prestigious ancient college, meaning he was one of the most talented students in the entire school. Wei Chonglou cupped his hands together and greeted Jiang Qing''e with a smile. "Congratulations on entering the upper hall, Junior Jiang." Jiang Qing''e took a look at him and asked indifferently, "Senior Wei, do you need something from me?" He nodded and replied then with a hearty laughter, "Since you''ve been promoted to the upper hall now, you made it just in time for the upcoming training exercise in the Wild Spirit Plains. If you don''t mind, we can form a team for it. I don''t have much of an edge, but I am experienced. I''ve participated in it multiple times, and my team usually returns with bountiful rewards." He was very straightforward. Without hiding anything, he expressed his thoughts out in public. Anyone could tell that he was clearly interested in Jiang Qing''e. He was making use of this chance to get closer to her. However, they could not deny that this was an attractive offer that was hard for anyone to turn down. Many of the male students could only watch Jiang Qing''es charming and beautiful face with stomachs full of jealousy. There was finally a new beauty in the college, but this senior had already set his eyes on her. Nonetheless, they did not dare to show any signs of dissatisfaction despite their envy. After all, there was no doubt about Wei Chonglous strength. As the crowd watched on, Jiang Qing''e''s face remained calm. She did not appear to be moved by his offer at all. She simply shook her head and replied, "Thank you for your kind intentions, Senior Wei. However, I prefer to work alone." Despite getting rejected by her in public, Wei Chonglou''s face did not change either, nor did he pester her about it. With the same warm and gentle smile, he responded, "No worries, Junior Jiang. If you ever need help, feel free to reach out to me. Although I am not the highest ranked student, I''ll surely help you to the best of my ability." He then continued in an earnest tone, "By the way, you''ve not reached the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier yet. If you need help with training or sparring in the future, I''ll always be available for you. We can both improve ourselves that way." This display of his demeanor and frankness had once again won the hearts of many female students among the spectators. They felt that Jiang Qing''e was being arrogant. Senior Wei Chonglou had already lowered himself for her, yet she was unwilling to accept him. It was like Jiang Qing''e was completely disinterested in the things that they treasured. At the same time, many of the male students sighed secretly. Wei Chonglou was really good at this. With his looks and capabilities, they felt that the newly promoted Senior Jiang would fall for him sooner or later. As the students were having those thoughts, Jiang Qing''e''s eyes did not waver at all. She looked at Wei Chonglou directly. No doubt, he was considered the cream of the crop in all aspects. He was definitely one of the top talents in the younger generation. Perhaps due to the difference in their experience, he was even more charismatic than Gong Shenjun. Sadly, none of this was enough to move her heart. She had come to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College for cultivation. She just wanted to reach the Duke Stage as fast as possible so that she could set off and look for Li Luo. She had no interest in all the other boring stuff at all. Nonetheless, Wei Chonglou was pretty happy with it as he had looked into Jiang Qing''es mysterious, golden eyes. After all this effort, he had finally gotten this beauty to take notice of him. "Senior Wei" Jiang Qing''e started in her calm voice. "How may I help you, Junior Jiang?" Wei Chonglou replied with a smile. "I already have a fiance." When he heard these words, the smile on his face froze for a moment. The chatter in the surroundings paused abruptly, and everyone turned and looked at Jiang Qing''e. They all stared at her with looks of astonishment. None of them had expected such sudden news to come from her mouth. Wei Chonglou froze for a few seconds before he regained control with his strong heart and said with a smile, "Is this an excuse you came up with so that I''ll not bother you? In that case, I am deeply apologetic about it." In response, Jiang Qing''e shook her head slowly. Her calm but serious eyes took away the smile on Wei Chonglou''s face. In the end, he pondered for a while and said, "Junior Jiang, it does not matter whether your words are true or not. I will not give up. Besides... if I remember correctly, you''re from an outer divine continent, right? Does that mean your so-called fiance is from the outer divine continent too?" "You''re right. We are both from the outer divine continent. But it doesn''t matter to me, because in my eyes, every other guy in the world is..." She paused for a moment, then she took a look around the arena. To have made it here, everyone was clearly exceptionally outstanding. Some of them had even made a name for themselves in the inner divine continent. In the end, she went on to finish her sentence in an indifferent tone. "Worthless." Following this, she did not bother to look at Wei Chonglous twisted face or the bustling chatter of the crowd. She took her steps deliberately, walked past Wei Chonglou, and headed out of the arena. She could tell that the spectators were getting noisier on her way out. Without a doubt, they were clearly affected by her words. Seeing this reaction, her red lips curled up slightly. Li Luo, I''ve planted quite a number of seeds of discord for you. If you don''t want to get a beating from the rabble in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, please work harder in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. But if you really can''t handle it... there''s still me. Chapter 0890: Clear Eyes of the Heavenly Dragon Chapter 0890: Clear Eyes of the Heavenly Dragon At the peak of Dragon''s Fang Mountain. When Li Luo arrived at the quiet courtyard on the main peak the next day, Li Rouyun, Li Lingjing, and Li Feng were already waiting there. "Li Luo." Li Rouyun rushed forward when she saw Li Luo walking over. He could see the unconcealable worry and panic on her face. It was clear that she had heard about Li Lingjing''s new problem. Li Luo tried to comfort her a little. "Don''t worry, Aunt Yun. Let''s have the Respected Elder take a look at it first. He''s a King after all. He may have a way to help Cousin Lingjing get rid of the Soul Eater True Devil." Li Rouyun responded in a bitter tone, "I gave it a try yesterday, but it was totally useless. I can''t even find a trace of the Soul Eater True Devil." Hearing this, Li Luo frowned a little. Li Rouyun was a sixth-grade Duke, much higher than Li Feng, yet her efforts were still useless. It seemed like the Soul Eater True Devil entanglement was much more tricky than he had expected. At the same time, he sensed that the Soul Eater True Devil was not as simple as he had thought. Based on its strength, it was just a third-grade True Devil, yet even a sixth-grade Duke like Li Rouyun could not get rid of it? This was really odd. Li Rouyun looked at Li Luo and continued in a sad voice, "The Soul Eater True Devil is really peculiar. Now that Lingjing has been entangled with it, I am afraid that others will suggest eliminating them both if we''re unable to separate them successfully." She was very clear on how the people viewed the Others. Mankind was always vigilant and hostile towards them, and the various forces in society treated them as a potential disaster. Now that Li Lingjing got caught up with one, the topic was a ticking time bomb. From a safety point of view, it was best to eliminate both of them if they were unable to purify the Other inside her. However... Li Rouyun was not ready to accept this. She treated Li Lingjing like a daughter, and the girl had finally recovered from the cruel, half-dead state she had been in ever since her spirit was half-consumed. It would be too much of a blow to see Li Lingjing killed. At this point, Li Luo slowly said, "As long as Cousin Lingjing retains her\ consciousness and control over her body, I feel that it''s unnecessary to eliminate her. I''ve promised her that I will do my best to protect her. I''ll keep to my promise for sure. However, this is all assuming Cousin Lingjing is able to maintain her sanity. If she''s ever unable to hold down the Soul Eater True Devil, or if it takes control of her... Aunt Yun, you will have to be prepared to lose her." That last sentence was a very cruel thing for Li Luo to say. Nonetheless, it was a necessary one. The possibility of such a scenario was not completely zero. If that happened, Li Lingjing might be totally consumed by the Soul Eater True Devil and would no longer be herself. Hearing this, Li Rouyun dabbed at the corners of her eyes and replied softly, "I understand." If it really came to that, she would no longer be able to protect Li Lingjing no matter how much it would break her heart. For now, she could only focus on protecting her niece before then. Li Luo nodded. He sighed a little in his heart before he said, "Let''s go. We''ll visit the Respected Elder and see what he has to say." Following this, he opened the doors himself and stepped in first. Witnessing this, Li Rouyun, Li Feng, and Li Lingjing exchanged nervous glances with each other. In their eyes, Li Jingzhe was the head of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. He had always been stern and serious. Even for Li Rouyun, meeting him was always a stressful experience. Most of the time, she would simply nod in agreement without any voice of dissent. It was even worse for Li Feng as he was merely Western City''s City Lord. Even the chance to meet Li Jingzhe was extremely rare for someone of his status. The three of them followed Li Luo into the courtyard, walking along the tree-lined path for a while before finally arriving in front of a lake that was as clear as a mirror. There was a stone pavilion beside the lake, and an old man was sitting there fishing. Li Luo brought the three of them over to the stone pavilion and then bowed down slightly before greeting the old man politely. "Grandpa." Li Jingzhe turned over and took a quick look at Li Luo. At this moment, a tinge of happiness surfaced on his cold and serious face, and he said, "You''ve reached the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier!" Li Luo nodded with a smile. "I happened to chance upon a rare opportunity during my visit into the Dark Domain. With its help, I''ve managed to cultivate it." "Not bad. Now you''ll stand a better chance at winning the upcoming Dragon''s Head selection battle," Li Jingzhe responded. Next, his eyes shifted over to the other three. "Lineage Chief!" Li Rouyun greeted him nervously as soon as she noticed his gaze sweeping over. At the same time, Li Feng and Li Lingjing followed suit hurriedly and bowed down as well. Li Jingzhe waved his hands at the basic courtesy, then his gaze paused at Li Feng. He slowly said, "The Western Region''s Li Family is our extended family. In the past, one of your elders cultivated alongside me." Li Feng quickly responded, "Indeed. That was recorded in our family''s chronicles. The elder instructed us in the Western Region''s Li Family to follow your lead, Lineage Chief." However, Li Jingzhe did not care much about Li Feng''s flattery. Instead, he turned over to Li Lingjing and asked, "Is this little girl the one that was consumed by the True Devil Other?" All of a sudden, there was a strong sense of pressure on Li Lingjing as she noticed his gaze moving to her. An indescribable fear surfaced in her heart because she knew that if Li Jingzhe wanted to, he could make her disappear without a trace in an instant. Under this oppressive pressure, she could not help but clench her fists despite her usually composed temperament. Her body even started to shake a little. Li Luo spoke up at this moment. "That''s right, Grandpa. It''s all thanks to the help of Cousin Lingjing that I was able to get the rare opportunity that helped me enter the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier successfully. As such, I''ve brought her back with me to see if there''s any way to help her." When he finished his sentence, the terrifying pressure on Li Lingjing gradually faded away. In her heart, she heaved a sigh of relief and thanked Li Luo earnestly. She understood why he had said those words. "I''ve read through the reports. The Soul Eater True Devil that you encountered is truly kind of strange." At this point, he turned towards Li Feng and asked, "Previously, the Western Region had not reported anything about the Soul Eater True Devil, correct?" Li Feng responded in a hurry, "Respected Elder, I apologize for my incompetence. We scouted the Western Region''s Dark Domain multiple times in the past but did not manage to find any traces of it." Li Jingzhe nodded and then continued, "What a naturally gifted young girl. If not for that unfortunate incident, she wouldve surely been a talent in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage now." At this moment, he flicked his finger, and a drop of water rose up from the lake. The droplet floated over and hovered in the air in front of him. Next, a strand of resonant power emerged from the tip of his finger. It was a truly minute strand that was hardly visible. However, everyone, including Li Luo, felt the resonant power in their own bodies start to tremble as soon as it appeared. Their resonant power shivered in fear just like how a wild animal would shudder in front of the king of the forest, not daring to relax in front of it for even a single moment. The terrifying strand of resonant power slipped into the water droplet, then the droplet started to rotate. A few moments later, the water expanded into the deep, blue dragon-eye that was about fifty meters wide. The eyes of the dragon were unfathomable, and a terrifying dragonfear seeped out of this one. The air around it trembled from the sheer pressure it emitted. At this moment, the eye stared directly at Li Lingjing. Li Lingjing could sense that there was nothing she could hide in front of it. It stared right through her, even seeing her spirit and her mental self. It was a really mysterious force that could peer through everything. "Don''t worry about it. This is the Clear Eye of the Heavenly Dragon. It can see the flow of all worldly natural energy and pierce through any kind of barrier. Corruption cant even hope to hide from it," Li Jingzhe explained in a faint voice. Hearing this, Li Lingjing was no longer so worried. In the next moment, ray after ray of dark-blue light shot out of the Clear Eye of the Heavenly Dragon and scanned Li Lingjing''s tiny body. After a while, Li Luo noticed something amazing. Li Lingjing''s body had started to turn translucent when the rays scanned it repeatedly. After a while, her body seemed to have completely disappeared, and a mysterious body of light remained in her original position. "This is her spirit, or spirit body..." Li Jingzhe explained. Then he waved his hand, and the void started to vibrate. A ray of light fell onto the Clear Eye of the Heavenly Dragon, then the eye started to expand rapidly all of a sudden. The rays of light scanning Li Lingjing''s spirit grew even stronger at this point. The faces of Li Luo, Li Rouyun, and Li Feng changed when they noticed a black shroud clouding Li Lingjings spirit. There was an evil and chilly air around the black shroud. At the same time, soft and insidious whispers could be heard coming from it repeatedly. This was truly disturbing and could easily cause one to lose ones sense of self. In particular, Li Luo even felt a sense of familiarity from it. This was the Soul Eater True Devil! With the help of Li Jingzhe, the tricky Soul Eater True Devil that had hidden deep within Li Lingjing had finally been found. However, the shroud was deeply entangled with Li Lingjings spirit. Without any expression, Li Jingzhe looked at this and asked, "Is this the Soul Eater True Devil? Interesting. It''s not a simple Other. It seems like it''s been mixed with something else. This is not a natural Otherit''s man-made." Hearing this, Li Luo''s pupils suddenly shrank. A look of horror appeared on his face as he asked with a faint voice, "Was this Soul Eater True Devil artificially created? Impossible! Others can be created? Who''d do such a crazy thing?" At this point, Li Jingzhe explained, "Others are normally born as a condensation of negative emotions from mankind. But I can sense some familiar signs on this Other. They are probably the only ones in the world who could create such a thing." "Who are they?" Li Luo couldn''t help but asked. However, there was already an answer in his heart at this point. Li Jingzhe slowly spat out the three words. "The Origin Reversion Institute." There was a chill in Li Luo''s heart when he heard this. As expected... It was the mysterious Origin Reversion Institute yet again. Chapter 0891: The Frightening Origin Reversion Institute Chapter 0891: The Frightening Origin Reversion Institute Everyone''s faces turned ugly as soon as they heard Li Jingzhe mention the Origin Reversion Institute. As Li Rouyun and Li Feng had been living in the inner divine continent, they naturally had more information on it. As such, they knew just how scary the Origin Reversion Institute was. For Li Luo, he had seen how the Xia Kingdom and the Blackwind Empire had fallen to ruins due to that organization. Even Shen Jinxiao was just a pawn for them. "Is the Origin Reversion Institute famous in the inner divine continent?" Li Luo asked after a moment of thought. "Not just famous, they are simply notorious," Li Rouyun replied in a deep voice. "They''re one of the most mysterious forces in the world, having already existed for a really long time. Not to mention the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, even the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing, with the longest history, pales in comparison to it," Li Feng added on with a bitter smile. "Furthermore, they''re an extremely frightening force. Their traces can be found almost everywhere in the inner divine continent. It''s one of the main things that the various Heavenly Emperor forces guard against because a Heavenly Emperor power was once wiped out by them," Li Feng continued. At this point, Li Luo could not help but ask with a shocked face, "They''ve wiped out a Heavenly Emperor power?" As their name suggested, every Heavenly Emperor power had a Heavenly Emperor helming it that was on par with his great ancestor, Heavenly Emperor Li. They were practically unrivaled, standing at the top of the world. Yet such a powerful figure had been defeated by the Origin Reversion Institute? "The destruction of that Heavenly Emperor power was mainly due to the fall of their Heavenly Emperor. And this was due to the interference of the Origin Reversion Institute. The most scary part about them is not their pure power alone, it''s the fact that they have hidden themselves in all parts of the world so deeply that no one is able to root them all out. It was only after the incident that we deduced who was behind it. The Heavenly Emperor in question fell because one of his trusted aides joined the Origin Reversion Institute and spent decades waiting for a chance to strike him. This eventually led to the destruction of the entire Heavenly Emperor power," Li Jingzhe slowly explained. His aged face was becoming colder and more stern as he talked about this. From the look in his eyes, Li Luo could tell that he was taking this matter more seriously with the Origin Reversion Institute coming into the picture. At this moment, Li Luo could not help but break out in cold sweat. It was only now that he realized just how scary the Origin Reversion Institute was. It seemed like the downfall of the Xia Kingdom and the Blackwind Empire were just tiny matters for the Origin Reversion Institute. After all, they even dared to tangle with Heavenly Emperor powers! What was a pathetic and tiny country in an outer divine continent to them? With ice-cold eyes, Li Rouyun added, "The Origin Reversion Institute is extremely weird. The things they do are beyond crazy. They''re probably the only people to ever willingly get close to the Others and even work hand in hand with them. In the past few years, a lot of Other Disasters have broken out in the inner divine continent largely due to them. They''ve always believed in the so-called unity of good and evil. Hence, they''ve always been pushing for the merge of the real world and the shadow world. Those people are simply lunatics." Her deep disgust and hatred towards the Origin Reversion Institute was evident in her tone. Of course, most people in the world probably felt this way towards them as well. The Others were extremely disturbing creatures. To a normal human, they were even more scary than natural disasters. Once an Other Disaster was unleashed, even a nation would be powerless before it, falling to ruins. It was an exceedingly terrifying scenario that most people could not even imagine. At this moment, Li Luo''s face turned uneasy as he asked, "With so many Heavenly Emperor powers in the inner divine continent, why don''t we work together and eliminate such an existence?" Li Jingzhe replied lightly, "Of course we''ve tried. However, we''re unable to root them out completely. The Origin Reversion Institute has an extremely long history that is on par with the Academic Federation, perhaps even dating all the way back to the origin of the world. The Academic Federation has been searching for them for all these years and even formed an alliance with one of the Heavenly Emperor powers. Sadly, the effect was marginal as the Origin Reversion Institute simply lied low for a while before causing trouble again when things subsided." Li Luo froze for a second while he listened to Li Jingzhe''s explanation. These terrorists were basically roaming free in the world and no one could do anything about it? "Besides, the truly scary thing about the Origin Reversion Institute is what they''re doing behind the scenes. You never truly know who belongs to their faction, and their ability to manipulate humans and their emotions is much more frightening than the Others," Li Jingzhe said with a cold voice. "No one can guarantee that they''ve not infiltrated any of the Heavenly Emperor powers or even the Academic Federation." At this moment, Li Luo felt a chill run up his spine. It was like the air turned eerily cold all of a sudden. "It sounds like they''re invincible," Li Luo commented. Hearing this, Li Jingzhe shook his head and replied, "If they were really invincible, there would be no need for them to hide in the shadows. Although the Origin Reversion Institute should not be underestimated, their belief goes against mankind''s at its very core. Once they come out of the shadows, they''ll make enemies out of the whole world." Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this. Such a terrifying force was something he should stay away from for now. "Just now, you mentioned that the Soul Eater True Devil inside Cousin Lingjing was created by the Origin Reversion Institute. What''s their objective in doing so?" Li Luo asked, changing the topic of the conversation back to the Soul Eater True Devil. "The Origin Reversion Institute has always been conducting wild experiments on the fusion between mankind and Others. They''ve created numerous disturbing things over the years. The Soul Eater True Devil can be considered mild compared to those terrifying creations. However, it seems like it can swallow the spirit and talent of an individual. This is a special trait that''s unheard of to date.\ "On top of that..." Li Jingzhe paused for a moment, and his eyes turned serious. "The Origin Reversion Institute has planted this True Devil Other in the Dark Domain of the Western Region. Who knows what they are truly plotting in the dark? Could they have set their eyes on the Dragon''s Fang Lineage?" Li Jingzhe continued. Li Luo was startled to hear this. "We have to guard against this." Having seen what happened to the Blackwind Empire and the Xia Kingdom, Li Luo did not want to see the same scenario afflicting the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. After all, this was like a second home to him. "I''ll pass down the orders later for each region to examine and check their Dark Domains carefully. It seems like we may have to bring forward the inspection to prevent a disaster from happening," Li Jingzhe slowly said. Li Luo nodded in agreement before he asked, "So, Grandpa, are you able to get rid of the Soul Eater True Devil in Cousin Lingjing?" When he said this, the faces of Li Rouyun, Li Lingjing, and Li Feng turned serious, and they listened anxiously for his reply. This reply would ultimately decide Li Lingjing''s fate . Li Jingzhe pondered for a moment before he looked at Li Luo and said, "The Soul Eater True Devil was created by the Origin Reversion Institute, so it''s really unusual, but I can give it a try." Following this, he stretched out his hand, and a crimson light flashed in the center of his palm. Everyone watched as it grew into a crimson flame around the size of his palm. There were nine fire dragons circling around the flame. As it grew in strength, the worldly natural energy in the surroundings shook violently. All of a sudden, Li Luo and the rest could feel raging flames surging from the depths of their hearts. It was like they were about to be reduced to ashes. At this moment, there was a really pressurizing force coming from the flame. It appeared to be even stronger than that of a Duke. "Nine Dragon Fire Sword Veil!" Li Rouyun exclaimed softly. She noticed the look of confusion on Li Luos face, so she whispered to him, "This is a King-grade treasured artifact that our Lineage Chief is famous for. It is extremely powerful, with the ability to burn anything and everything in the world. Once released, it envelops the land across thousands of kilometers and incinerates everything." "King-grade treasured artifact..." Li Luo secretly clicked his tongue. He had never seen such a treasure before. Based on the pressure it emitted, he could tell that a single strand alone would be enough to wipe him out. "The Nine Dragon Fire Sword Veil contains Dragon Fire Sword Energy. If you want to purify the Soul Eater True Devil in your body, you have to enter the veil and let the Dragon Fire Sword Energy incinerate it." Li Jingzhe took a pause in his explanation and looked at Li Lingjing. He then continued, "The Dragon Fire Sword Energy is extremely tyrannical. It contains both the essence of sword intent and dragon fire. If you bathe yourself in this sword intent, you may be able to separate yourself from the Soul Eater True Devil. However, this is an extremely dangerous method. Bathing yourself in the Dragon Fire Sword Energy will bring you pain beyond your imagination. If your mind wavers even a little, it could easily cost you your life. Are you willing to try?" As soon as he finished, Li Rouyun and Li Feng''s faces turned pale. Even they themselves would not be able to hold out for long in the Nine Dragon Fire Sword Veil. They might be burnt to ashes shortly after entering. Although Li Jingzhe would restrain his power when Li Lingjing entered, it was still an extremely dangerous proposition. Hearing this, Li Lingjing''s face became pale as well. There was unconcealable fear in her eyes as she stared at the Nine Dragon Fire Sword Veil. Signs of an inner struggle arose in her eyes, but she came to a decision very soon. She took a deep breath and shouted, "Lineage Chief, I''ll do it!" She knew that this was an option that was only presented to her thanks to Li Luo. If she turned it down, there would be few options left for her, seeing how vigilant Li Jingzhe was when it came to matters relating to the Origin Reversion Institute. On her side, Li Luo sighed secretly. He truly admired Li Lingjing for her determination and courage. After all, there were not many who would dare to let dragon fire burn them. There was a flash in Li Jingzhe''s eyes when he heard her reply. He then nodded and said, "What a decisive and determined girl. Let''s see how your luck holds, then." As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his sleeve. and an invisible force seemed to have taken hold of Li Lingjing''s delicate body. In the blink of an eye, she turned into a stream of light and flew into the Nine Dragon Fire Sword Veil. Li Jingzhe held onto the fire veil with one hand and pointed his fingers at it with the other. In the next moment, the nine dragons around it let out faint, draconic roars. Then one of them turned to face the fire veil and breathed out a ball of crimson flames that contained countless sword lights that were boiling hot and extremely sharp. The flames rained down and enveloped a slender figure that was sitting cross-legged. Chapter 0892: Li Lingjings Potential Chapter 0892: Li Lingjing''s Potential The crimson flames flared up ferociously. Even though they were standing outside the fire veil, Li Luo and the rest could sense the tremendous power within those flames. As they engulfed Li Lingjing, the three of them could see her beautiful, snow-white skin melt off her body. She shook intensely, as if she was trying her best to endure the excruciating pain. As the crimson flames burned, the sharp sword energy within them sliced off her flesh inch by inch. It was a torture that no ordinary individual could withstand. The faces of the three spectators changed when they witnessed this scene. Controlling the fire veil with his hand, Li Jingzhe lightly commented, "Although I have suppressed the power of the Dragon Fire Sword Energy to its lowest, it''s still extremely terrifying for her. However, this little girl has a very strong heart. She''s able to grit her teeth and persevere. It''s no wonder she was able to retain her spirit despite the numerous years of invasion from the Soul Eater True Devil. She is indeed talented. If she can survive this ordeal, she may end up becoming the strongest person in the Western Regions Li Family." The Respected Elder rarely praised anyone like this. Hearing this, Li Feng could not help but let out a happy smile. At the same time, he was also worried about whether Li Lingjing could endure the pain. The Nine Dragon Fire Sword Veil was so fearsome that even he could sense its might. Furthermore, Li Lingjing had just recovered. He did not know how long she would be able to withstand this blaze. Li Rouyun watched with a broken heart as the slender girl suffered in the flames. Her eyes had turned slightly red as she prayed that her niece could make it through this safely. "This will probably take two hours or so. You may all wait outside," Li Jingzhe said to the three of them. Hearing this, Li Rouyun and Li Feng bowed politely and left the pavilion. After their departure, Li Jingzhe showed an inexplicable smile to Li Luo and said, "My guess is that you are trying to protect her. From the reports earlier, I can see that she has made use of you. This girl has a really devious mind, willing to hold out until the very end just to maximize her chances. Her achievements in the future will likely be spectacular." Li Luo pondered for a bit after hearing this before replying, "I''ve let it slide since fate brought us together. And after everything happened, I realized it''d be a pity to lose someone as talented as her. After all, she is part of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and will surely become a pillar of strength for us if groomed well. It would be such a waste if she died." Li Jingzhe nodded in agreement and then replied, "Indeed, she has a lot of potential in her. She used to possess a quasi ninth-grade resonance. However, I saw that she''s already reached the ninth-grade when I investigated her body earlier. I believe the incident was a blessing in disguise. She must have absorbed the Soul Eater True Devil and made its power her own. This must have led her to a breakthrough into the next grade. "Lower ninth-grade Abyssal Serpent resonance." Hearing this, Li Luo stared back in surprise. "Spending all these years in exchange for a lower ninth-grade? That''s not too bad." True ninth-grade resonances were rare. Even he had only come across one so far since he had arrived in the inner divine continent. It belonged to Qin Yi. "With her aptitude, it will not be hard for her to make up for all the time shes lost. There aren''t many in the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies that can really rival her," Li Jingzhe commented. In the next moment, a smile suddenly appeared on Li Jingzhe''s face, and he said, "This little girl is pretty nice and she''s indebted to you. It''ll be a good ending if you can make her fall in love with you. With her potential, she is quite worthy of your status. In this way, I will also have more legitimate reasons to help her out." Li Luo''s face froze for a moment as he replied, "Grandpa, you are thinking too much. I don''t have such thoughts at all! I already have a fiancee, and she''s much better than Li Lingjing, whether it''s in appearance, temperament, or potential!" With some doubt in those words, Li Jingzhe asked back, "There''s such a person from a place like the outer divine continent?" Li Luo responded helplessly, "Those things don''t matter, actually. The key here is our feelings!" Li Jingzhe pondered for a moment before he said, "You are the grandson of the leader of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Your status is much higher than that of princes from random dynasties or nations. Since they have thousands of wives in their harems, it is perfectly normal for you to accept a few too. Hearing this, Li Luo didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. He did not want to discuss this any further, so he took out the five dragon fangs and changed the topic. "Grandpa, I have another small request to trouble you with. I managed to obtain these dragon fangs on my trip, and I would like to ask you for help in order to extract a Dragon Fang Essence." Li Jingzhe took a glance at the five mottled dragon fangs and said, "Where did you pick up this trash?" Li Luo froze for a moment when he heard this. He had fought so hard to get these dragon fangs from Zhao Jingyu, and yet it was no different from rubbish in the eyes of Li Jingzhe. However, that was to be expected. Someone of Li Jingzhe''s status had come across countless treasures that were much more valuable in his lifetime. These dragon fangs were costly for Li Luo but likely nothing in the eyes of his grandfather. "It''s not like Dragon Fang Essence can be extracted from every dragon fang. Your odds arent great with the ones in your hands," Li Jingzhe told him bluntly. "Well, I actually have a secret art..." Li Luo sheepishly said before he took out the scroll that Li Lingjing had passed him earlier. Li Jingzhe took it and glanced over it momentarily before he commented, "This extraction method is indeed quite special, but it is also nonsensical." Li Luo was deeply shocked to hear this. He had made a deal with Li Lingjing just for this. Refusing to leave at this, he asked, "What? Why?" "Just the fact that it requires a King to help out reduces its value. A drop of Dragon Fang Essence is only thirty million skygold. What do you think is the price of getting a King to act?" Li Jingzhe responded. Li Luo was dumbfounded. He had a reliable backer in the form of Li Jingzhe... a King, so he had not given this much thought. However, to get a normal King to help out... With their standing in society, it would definitely cost much more than just thirty million skygold. Besides, which King Stage cultivator would lower themselves and help someone out for just thirty million? With that sum of money, it would be simpler to buy the Dragon Fang Essence directly instead. When he thought about it, Li Luo immediately stared at the beautiful figure in the fire veil with resentful eyes. Although the secret art given by the other party was almost tailor-made for him, it was definitely a bad trade no matter how he thought about it. In that case, he could only pray that when Li Jingzhe used the secret art, there would be more than one drop of Dragon Fang Essence extracted. Li Jingzhe, however, was still willing to help him out despite laughing at him. After all, this secret art was obtained by Li Luo, and it would not violate his own principles. He would naturally be willing to help his grandson out with something like this. "I''ll help you extract it as soon as possible. After all, it''s time you prepare for the Dragon''s Head competition. I have heard that the Banner Leaders from the other four lineages are all training really hard for it. Talents like Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei may be trying to break into the Heavenly Pearl Tier," Li Jingzhe told him. Li Luo was surprised when he heard this. Li Qingfeng and the rest were already preparing to step into the Heavenly Pearl Tier? It seemed like the other competitors had not slowed down at all while he was improving. "Seems like I can''t relax any longer." Li Luo sighed dejectedly. Originally, there was already a gap in strength between talents like Li Qingfeng and him. Now he had finally caught up a little, yet they still had an edge over him. It seemed like the upcoming competition would be really challenging. "Now that you have gotten the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Body, you''re already standing at the peak of the Fiend Body Tier. You can begin to think about condensing Fiend Dipper energy. Actually, I have a good idea to help you with it," Li Jingzhe said as a hint of a smile appeared on his usually stern face. "What do you mean?" Li Luo asked curiously. At this moment, Li Jingzhe''s eyes turned back to the fire veil in his hand. When he saw this, Li Luo went into a moment of silence before he laughed and asked, "There''s no need for this, right? I''m merely at the Fiend Body Tier, not even close to Cousin Lingjing''s level. I wouldn''t be able to withstand that!" Li Jingzhe replied, "You''re right. If you were just an ordinary person, you''d not be able to endure this at your level. But you''ll be able to do it since you have the Tri-Radiance Glass Body." "Grandpa, let''s do it next time," Li Luo said as he began to back away uneasily. Li Jingzhe simply smiled as he watched Li Luo turn around to make his escape. In the next moment, the fire veil in his arm flashed and appeared right above Li Luo. All Li Luo could do was let out a cry before he was pulled in. Taking a look into the fire veil, Li Jingzhe muttered to himself, "This is a benefit that others would die for, you brat! Yet you try to run away... Besides, suffering alongside that little girl isn''t a bad thing. It will bring the two of you closer together, so why not?" Chapter 0893: Clash of Sword Intent Chapter 0893: Clash of Sword Intent Bang! The crimson fire veil soared into the air and sucked a figure inside. Suddenly, a cry echoed out within the fire veil. "Thunderpeal Avatar! "Tri-Radiance Rings!" Li Luo screamed in pain when he fell into the blazing flames. Lightning surfaced on his body immediatelyhe wasted no time in strengthening himself with the Thunderpeal Avatar. Additionally, the Tri-Radiance Rings appeared on his body simultaneously. They circled continuously around his body and formed a strong protective layer. However, all of his defenses were pretty much ineffective here. As the crimson flames raged on, the Tri-Radiance Rings only stood sturdily for a moment before they started to melt. In the next moment, superficial burns began to form on his skin. Pain seared through his body, reaching the depths of his heart and spirit. Moreover, an immensely sharp and grating sword energy could be felt within the flames. As the energy flowed across his burnt skin, it lacerated his flesh and blood, entering the depths of his body. The sheer pain was sufficient to cause anyone to tear up. It was only at this moment that Li Luo truly could feel the pain that Li Lingjing was going through. The Respected Elder was too cruel. He had just thrown him in without any hesitation! As much as he wanted to cry, he knew that it was useless to do so. There was nothing more he could say. All he could do was summon up all of his resonant power and shield himself using up everything, hoping that his body could endure this smelting a little longer. However, the flames continued raining down from the sky, burning his body before the remaining sword energy sliced into his flesh. All that filled his mind was excruciating pain. Just a short moment after he had decided to grit his teeth and endure the trial... he gave up on trying to hold it in. Instead, he screamed out as loudly as he could, almost as if his life depended on it and it would reduce the pain. This went on for a while before the crimson flames finally slowed down for a moment. It was the first time Li Luo could catch a bit of a breather. At this moment, he heard a familiar voice speaking from not far away. "Cousin Li Luo, can you stay a bit further away from me? Your maddened screams are... distracting." Li Luo, who was flopped over on the ground, was startled for a moment. He got up with some difficulty and then made his way over to where the voice had come from. After a while, he saw a little pit where a beautiful figure was sitting in the lotus position. It was none other than Li Lingjing. Her face was pale and her snow-white skin was riddled with burns. She was using her resonant power to recuperate. She looked up and saw Li Luo standing above. Jokingly, she asked, "Cousin Li Luo, have you been corrupted by the Others as well? Is that why you got thrown in here too?" Li Luo smiled a little and replied confidently, "I volunteered to enter this place for my own cultivation out of my own free will." Hearing this, Li Lingjing''s beautiful eyes widened and she said with some admiration, "Cousin Li Luo, you are really strong. I can''t bear this place. I just want to get out as soon as possible, but you actually chose to come in here." When she said this, there was a hint of amusement hidden deep in her eyes. It was not clear if she really believed Li Luo or not. Li Luo waved his hand and responded, "This little Dragon Fire Sword Energy means nothing to me. It''s even weaker than I had expected. It''s perfect for my training." As soon as he finished that sentence, a dragon chant could be heard from the sky above. Then a crimson ball of flames fell down directly onto him like a meteor strike. When the sudden ball of flames landed on him, Li Luo mentally prepared himself, gritting his teeth and enduring the intense pain. Surprisingly, he instead felt a chilly air pass by his body, which left him a little confused. Looking downwards, his face froze. The flames did not attempt to burn his body at all. Instead, they had disintegrated his clothes, leaving him naked with just a pair of briefs. At this moment, he was almost bereft of clothes, standing on the high ground above. It was an extremely eye-catching scene. "Grandpa, stop messing around!" Li Luo shouted into the sky above as he hurriedly took out another set of clothes from his pocket sphere. He then looked down at Li Lingjing, who seemed to have been left speechless for a moment, and said, "Cousin Lingjing, I assure you this has nothing to do with me." Li Lingjing regained her normal self soon without showing any emotion. With a deadpan face, she commented, "Cousin Li Luo, your body is not bad." Hearing this, Li Luo could not stand it any further and ran away. Li Lingjing''s petite body only relaxed a little after seeing him turn and escape. It was only then that she rubbed her slightly burning ears gingerly and said to herself, "His body really isn''t bad." After this embarrassing incident, Li Luo no longer dared to disturb Li Lingjing. They stayed apart from each other as they endured the merciless roasting of the crimson flames. The pain that they had to go through was intense beyond belief. At many instances, Li Luo even thought that he had reached his own limits. His mind was beginning to turn hazy, but he resisted it with his willpower and enduredhe would not give up. After all, he could also hear Li Lingjing''s muffled groans of pain in the distance. If even she could withstand this pain, there was no reason for him to lose out to her. As time passed by, Li Luo could feel that his body was starting to turn numb. It was as if his whole body and flesh had been stripped of all feeling. However, he could also sense another mysterious energy flowing within his body in this state. He recognized it when he focused on it. A strand of boiling, hot sword intent... This was the Dragon Fire Sword Energy left behind in his body. At this very moment, he was hit with inspiration and a thought flashed across his mind. He activated the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation and submerged himself in the Cosmic Sword Intent immediately. When he sank into the Cosmic Sword Intent, a strand of sword intent seemed to have been attracted by something. Doing this normally took so much effort, but it appeared almost effortlessly this time. Li Luo was delighted. Was the Cosmic Sword Intent attracted to the similarly high-grade Dragon Fire Sword Energy left in his body? This seemed highly plausible. After all, they were both like the kings of the forest. If one were to step into another''s territory, the other would surely step out to defend it. In that case, Li Luo had really benefited from this. When the strand of Cosmic Sword Intent appeared, Li Luo hastily collected and condensed it into a complete Cosmic Sword Intent. In just half an hour, he managed to achieve something that had taken him multiple days to do previously. Li Luo was ecstatic. He disregarded everything else and focused entirely on collecting Cosmic Sword Intent. Just like this, time flew by. It was not until he felt an intense pain overcome his body that he stopped. At this moment, he understood that his body had reached its limit. If he continued with this any further, he would collapse completely. There was nothing Li Luo could do apart from letting out a sigh. He opened up his eyes again, and his surroundings had changed once more. He realized that he was already back in the pavilion by the lake. Somehow, he had survived the first Fire Veil Smelting. Chapter 0894: Essence Obtained Chapter 0894: Essence Obtained As soon as Li Luo returned from the space of the fire veil, he heard Li Jingzhe''s voice coming from in front of him. "You brat. You actually noticed that Dragon Fire Sword Energy can be used to attract Cosmic Sword Intent." He raised his head and saw his grandfather looking at him with interest as he fished by the stone pavilion. Li Luo''s face was full of delight when he heard his words. The appearance of the Cosmic Sword Intent was a pleasant surprise. In the short span of two hours, he had collected what would take him days to get under normal circumstances. Previously, he had gathered a total of five strands of Cosmic Sword Intent. However, that had taken him a whole month of hard work. Now, he had managed to gather two strands in just two hours. This was truly a delightful surprise. He would soon have enough Cosmic Sword Intent at this rate. By then, he would just need to obtain a Dragon Fang Essence. At that point, he could start cultivating the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. When he thought about using this Transcendent Duke Art, he could barely contain his excitement. It would become his greatest killer move if he could master it. At this point, someone else suddenly appeared beside him. It seemed like Li Lingjing had been kicked out of the fire veil as well. Her skin was full of burn marks and she looked kind of pathetic. Her body was still surrounded by an aura of heat, just like a deep-fried prawn that was just fished out of a vat of boiling oil. "Are you okay?" Li Luo asked out of concern. She looked much worse off compared to him. This was probably because the Dragon Fire Sword Energy over at her end was fiercer. Standing there shivering, her tiny body still had traces of the fire sword energy left. Excruciating pain lanced throughout her body as she resisted the pain with all her might. Although her face was pale, she looked at Li Luo and forced out a smile. "I... I''m fine," she said. Li Jingzhe took a look at her and commented, "The Other in your body has weakened a little. It seems like the Dragon Fire Sword Energy is effective after all. However, we will have to do this a few more times as the Soul Eater True Devil has been entangled with your spirit for far too long. "We''ll have to bathe you in Dragon Fire Sword Energy daily for the next month. Perhaps we can get rid of the Soul Eater True Devil completely after all.". Li Lingjing bit her teeth tightly and then replied, "Thank you, Lineage Chief. I will definitely endure this!" Li Jingzhe nodded a little. He had seen her performance in the fire veil very clearly. Her determination and resilience had far exceeded that of any other talent in the Five Guardian Armies of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. In the next moment, he turned to Li Luo and said, "There''s still a month left before the Dragon''s Head competition. During this time, you can take out two hours daily to come here for cultivation. You have reached the peak of the Fiend Body Tier and your foundation is solid, so you can consider cultivating Fiend Dipper Energy now." This time around, Li Luo agreed to it without any more hesitation. After all, cultivating with this method was far more beneficial than he had imagined. Not only could he refine Fiend Dipper Energy, he could gather Cosmic Sword Intent at a much faster rate here. This was undoubtedly the most efficient use of his time. It did not matter how much pain his body would have to go throughthe gains would make it all worth it. Nonetheless, he understood just how rare and precious this opportunity was. One would not be able to seek help from a King for his own cultivation so easily. As he watched the two of them in their current state, Li Jingzhe flicked his finger, and two balls of light flew towards Li Luo and Li Lingjing. Within each light was a jade bottle exuding an extremely cold air. In fact, the air around them seemed to freeze for a moment. "My Dragon Fire Sword Energy is extremely domineering. After bathing in it, there will be sword energy leftover in your body. This will slowly become a form of fire poison. If this is allowed to accumulate over time, it will eventually go out of control during your cultivation in the future and instantly cause you to combust. These jade bottles contain Freezing Essence Liquid. When you return, cultivate and apply it to your skin. It can help to dissolve the remnant Dragon Fire Sword Energy in your bodies." When Li Luo and Li Lingjing heard about the frightening aftereffects of the Dragon Fire Sword Energy, they felt chills go up their spines and they hurriedly accepted the jade bottles. "Thank you, Lineage Chief! I will forever remember your great kindness in my heart," Li Lingjing stated politely. Not only was he personally helping her get rid of the Soul Eater True Devil, he had even prepared the medicine for the treatment of the aftereffects. This was a treatment that not even a Duke could have received. Li Jingzhe took another glance at her and replied, "Since my grandson says he will protect you, I''ll definitely give him face." With that, he had directed her gratitude towards Li Luo. Li Lingjing understood this well, so she turned towards Li Luo and bowed down politely. "I don''t know how to repay your great kindness, Cousin Li Luo. If there is anything you need in the future, I will definitely help you with it." Li Luo smiled helplessly as he responded, "I''m just keeping to our promises. Besides, I can''t wait to see another top talent emerge in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." Hearing this, Li Lingjing''s eyebrows relaxed a little and she revealed a bright, charming smile. "Thanks for thinking so highly of me, Cousin Li Luo. I will work hard to meet your expectations." At this point, Li Jingzhe waved his hands at them as he went back to his fishing. Li Luo and Li Lingjing did not bother him any further. They bade farewell politely and left. Li Rouyun and Li Feng had been waiting for them outside the pavilion. The two finally relaxed after seeing no major injuries on Li Lingjing''s body. When they heard that Li Jingzhe had instructed Li Lingjing to return for the Dragon Fire Sword Energy smelting daily, they heaved even bigger sighs of relief. It seemed like Li Lingjing would be completely cured soon with the personal help of the Lineage Chief. At the same time, Li Rouyun expressed her gratitude to Li Luo once again. If not for him, it was unlikely that the Lineage Chief would have helped out with this matter personally. Most likely, the matter would just have been shelved quietly. However, if it attracted the attention of the enforcement department of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage in the future, it would undoubtedly attract trouble. Li Luo responded to it courteously and decided on the time they would meet up again tomorrow. After which, he left the place with his exhausted body. For the following days, Li Luo would head over to the pavilion by the lake and undergo the Dragon Fire Sword Energy Veil smelting with Li Lingjing once he had completed his own cultivation and the Fiendish Cave expedition with the Green Nether Banner. Although it was a literal hell and essentially horrible torture, the rewards from it kept Li Luo motivated. The refining of Fiend Dipper Energy would require more time, but the amount of Cosmic Sword Intent he collected was growing steadily everyday. This was an evident benefit from the excruciating pain he had to endure. In the short span of ten days, Li Luo had collected a total of fifty strands of Cosmic Sword Intent. He felt that this would be enough for him to forge his first Dragon Fang Sword. Now, all that was left was for him to acquire a Dragon Fang Essence. Sure enough, his patience paid off on the next day. When he arrived at the stone pavilion by the lake, Li Jingzhe threw an item over to him casually. It was a cup that seemed to be made of bones and fangs. There were energy runes circulating its surface, which sealed up the mouth of the cup. Li Luo had some guesses on what it could be. He looked into the inside of the cup excitedly and saw two drops of mysterious, golden liquid within. They were like two golden koi that were swimming around in a lively manner. Wave after wave of astonishing lifeforce and mysterious energy exuded from the cup, and a draconic roar could vaguely be heard. As Li Jingzhe looked at the excited Li Luo, he smiled lightly and said, "Your secret art is still quite effective. Out of the five dragon fangs, we extracted two drops of Dragon Fang Essence." However, he did not mention that he had replaced some of the ingredients in the secret art with even higher grade materials in order to achieve these spectacular results, therefore extracting two drops of Dragon Fang Essence. At this moment, Li Luo''s face was full of excitement and joy. He held the cup tightly and his heartbeat accelerated. He had finally obtained a Dragon Fang Essence. Now he could finally start cultivating the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation that he had been dying for. Chapter 0895: Heavenly Temple Lotus Chapter 0895: Heavenly Temple Lotus "If you''re going to begin cultivating the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, I have a good place in mind," Li Jingzhe said to the excited Li Luo. At the same time, he had casually thrown Li Lingjing into the fire veil for her daily bath. When he was done speaking, he did not wait for Li Luo''s response. He simply walked onto the surface of the lake. Step after step, he strolled towards the center. "Oh?" Li Luo''s eyes lit up as soon as he heard Li Jingzhe''s words. The place his grandfather was talking about was sure to be very beneficial for his cultivation. Without wasting any more time, he followed Li Jingzhe in a hurry. Ripples spread out with each step that he took on the lake''s surface. Shortly later, they arrived at the center. At this point, Li Jingzhe waved his sleeve, and the water in the lake started rising high up into the air. It turned into bubbles that enshrouded both Li Luo and him. Afterwards, the bubbles fell back into the lake and dove down. As they traversed the depths, Li Luo noticed mysterious lights dancing around the deep waters of the lake. It was like a naturally formed ward, waves of strong resonant power pulsing from its core. This was clearly a secret spot that Li Jingzhe used for his daily cultivation. The dive did not take long. After about two minutes, Li Luo could see a bright glow coming from the bottom of the lake. It created an enchanting sensation that seemed to penetrate one''s entire being. When they approached the glow, Li Luo finally realized what it was. It was a dark, golden lotus seat. The seat was tens of feet wide with a cushion in the middle. The glow was coming from it, piercing right through anyone who approached it. At this moment, Li Jingzhe flicked his finger, and a ray of light shot towards the lotus seat. The protective layer of light around it began to crack slightly, then the two of them slipped through the crack. "This is my cultivation ground, known as the Heavenly Temple Lotus. It''s an extremely rare cultivation treasure. I went into an ancient ruin a long time ago and managed to obtain it within. I had to fight with my life against quite a number of Kings for it. Luckily, I won and obtained this prized possession. This has proven to be extremely beneficial even for King Stage cultivation, and many of the other four Lineage Chiefs were extremely envious when they learned of it," Li Jingzhe explained with a laugh. Hearing this, Li Luo was secretly surprised. Kings were already close to the top of the food chain in this world. Anyone who reached that stage would be famous and influential with endless wealth. If this was a treasure that even they would covet, then it was the cream of the crop even amongst treasured artifacts. "This is a really magical treasure, especially if you sit in the heart of the lotus. If you can ignite one of the lotus buds, you will enter a very special mental state of enlightenment. I call it the Heart of the Enlightened Lake. In this state, ones perceptive abilities are greatly enhanced and many of the problems and roadblocks one faces during cultivation are easily resolved. If you were merely cultivating an ordinary Duke Art, I may not have brought you here. After all, it would be quite a waste." At this point, Li Jingzhe paused and took a glance at Li Luo. He seemed to smile as he continued, "But if it''s the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, it''ll be worth it." Li Luo almost drooled when he heard all of this. As expected of a prized artifact that even Kings would fight overthe treasure before him could actually help people cultivate the best Duke Arts. Some high-grade Duke Arts were extremely difficult to cultivate. Even though Li Luo was very confident in his ability to comprehend resonance arts in general, he had already encountered quite a number of roadblocks that he could not figure out during the time that he was studying the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. If the Heavenly Temple Lotus could aid him in resolving these issues, it would definitely increase his chance of successfully cultivating this Duke Art. "Take a seat." Li Jingzhe pointed to the set. Li Luo did not hold back. He quickly stepped forward and sat cross-legged over there. Instantly, he could sense a cool breeze enter his body from the lotus seat. His mental state immediately became calm like still water, and all kinds of distractions were erased without a trace. He fell in love with this state straight away. After all, such a calm and composed state of mind would not happen even once a month in his ordinary, daily cultivation. "Oh, right. Grandpa, do you have any updates regarding the thing that I asked you about earlier?" Li Luo asked with a flattering smile. He did not commence with his cultivation immediately. "You mean those so-called Pseudo Duke Arts?" Li Jingzhe replied with great interest. Li Luo nodded. The so-called Pseudo Duke Arts were like weaker and incomplete versions of true Duke Arts. However, they did possess some power and were still stronger than most high-grade dragon-general resonance arts. Many who were not ready to cultivate Duke Arts yet would turn towards Pseudo Duke Arts as a stopgap. For example, the Demon Ape''s Will that was used by Sun Dasheng during the Holy Grail Meet was, strictly speaking, just a Pseudo Duke Art. "You''re planning to fully utilize the edge you have with your multiple resonances. After cultivating Pseudo Duke Arts for their ease, you will take advantage of their synergy with each other and raise your battle capabilities. Is that right, you brat?" Li Jingzhe asked, seeing through Li Luo''s plan at a glance. After all, he possessed vast experience, so this was no surprise. "Grandpa, you are brilliant." Li Luo replied with a thumbs up. In fact, this was not an uncommon idea. Back when Li Luo was at the Resonant Master Stage, he had learned multiple low-grade resonance arts and achieved synergistic benefits by combining them, letting him achieve a power that was not any weaker than a high-grade resonance art. Now, he was doing the same thing but with Pseudo Duke Arts instead of low-grade resonance arts. "That''s a good train of thought. If you use your multiple resonances to cultivate Pseudo Duke Arts, you can achieve the power of certain Communion-grade Duke Arts if utilized well. Furthermore, it will put less strain on your resonant power compared to a real Duke Art." Li Jingzhe nodded slightly and approved of his grandson''s idea. "With your multiple resonances, the path that you''ll take will definitely differ from that of ninth-grade resonance talents. They will be aiming to be the best in one area, while you''ll be aiming to improve through multiple paths." As for an actual Duke Art, it was still extremely challenging for Li Luo to cultivate one, even Communion-grade ones. It would take up a huge amount of his energy and time to do so, and it was already a miracle that he had succeeded with any of them. Simply speaking, he lacked the strength to comprehend even more of them in a short span of time. Moreover, he did not have enough resonant power in him to fully utilize each Duke Art even if he was successful. As such, Li Luo was thinking of using Pseudo Duke Arts as a replacement. It was indeed not a bad idea. After giving it some thought, Li Jingzhe waved his sleeve again. Tiny rays of light shot out and hovered in front of them. There were dozens of them, and each one contained a slightly different colored scroll. "Strictly speaking, Pseudo Duke Arts are not considered Duke Arts. Thus, it''s not against the rules for me to help you search for them." Li Jingzhe laughed lightly. "You can take these Pseudo Duke Arts to study. I know you''re thinking of using the precious chance to cultivate as many Pseudo Duke Arts as you can. Heh. You surely don''t waste any of your resources." Clearly, Li Luo was thinking of taking full advantage of the Heart of the Enlightened Lake state to help him cultivate these artsasking for the arts now was not a coincidence. While he was cultivating the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, he could also cultivate a few Pseudo Duke Arts to improve himself and better prepare for the upcoming Dragon''s Head competition. With that, Li Luo gladly accepted the numerous scrolls. The Respected Elder was truly the Lineage Chief. Although these Pseudo Duke Art were worth less than a real Duke Art, they were still extremely valuable items. Few people could just take out dozens of them instantly like him. "Thank you, Grandpa." Li Luo truly meant it. While Li Jingzhe was known as a man of principle, he could also be said to be kind of stubborn. At times, he could be pretty harsh even with juniors like Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi. However, he would always try his best to fulfill any requests that Li Luo made. For example, no one in the whole Dragon''s Fang Lineage would have the luxury to enjoy the Heavenly Temple Lotus except for Li Luo and himself. At this moment, Li Jingzhe waved his hands again, and a ray of resonant power shot out from his fingers. This time, it went straight into the bottom of the lotus seat. A spot of light rushed out from the bottom roughly five feet in front of Li Luo. After a while, it transformed into a lotus bud that was about ten feet in length. The bud seemed to be made of jade stone. Mysterious light circulated around it, and a faint fragrance filled the air. Li Jingzhe spat and a spark of flame flew out, landing directly on the lotus bud. It immediately began to ignite, and a curl of green smoke containing many strands of golden light started rising up. The smoke then proceeded to surround Li Luo like it was a living organism. In the same moment, he could sense that his mind was clear of all distractions and his thoughts started flowing more smoothly and quickly. Similarly, the outside world seemed to have slowed down for him. In an instant, he seemed to have figured out many things, and inspiration was rushing out of his heart just like bubbles in boiling water. Clearly, this was the so-called Heart of the Enlightened Lake state. "The ignition of the lotus bud will last half a month. In this time, you can sit here quietly and work hard," Li Jingzhe explained. Li Luo took a deep breath of the fragrant air and his mind cleared up right away. He nodded towards Li Jingzhe before he waved his hand and took out a Pseudo Duke Art scroll. Channeling his resonant power into it, the huge amount of information entered his mind like a tsunami. He was planning to study a few Pseudo Duke Arts first. Once he got used to this state, he would begin cultivating his Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation for real. Seeing how his grandson had started training, Li Jingzhe did not bother him any further. He simply said to himself, "Little brat, it takes a hundred years for a bud to grow here. There''s not much left now. How much you can get out of it is up to you." Without a doubt, the other Kings would surely rage at him for wasting such a precious resource on a Fiend Body cultivator like Li Luo if they ever found out. However, Li Jingzhe did not mind it at all. As he stared at the young man in front of him, the majestic figure of Li Taixuan seemed to have intertwined with Li Luo''s in his eyes. The usually serious and stern look on his face seemed to have grown a little gentler. "Dont you worry, my third brat... Since you chose to send this kid back to us, I will make sure no one will ever touch him no matter what. History... will not repeat itself," Li Jingzhe murmured to himself. He then sighed in his heart before gradually making his way out of the lake. Chapter 0896: Heart of the Enlightened Lake Chapter 0896: Heart of the Enlightened Lake Li Luo began cultivating right after Li Jingzhe left. He did not work on the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation in the first five days. Instead, he concentrated on cultivating the dozens of Pseudo Duke Arts to start off. The rate at which he mastered them had far exceeded his expectations. With the Heart of the Enlightened Lake, everything just seemed to fall into place when Li Luo tried to cultivate them. All the difficulties and challenges that always surfaced during cultivation seemed to be readily resolved as soon as he focused on them. Of course, this was partially due to the fact that Pseudo Duke Arts were simply not as complex. There was a clear distinction between the two. If what he had been trying to cultivate was a Duke Art, it wouldn''t have happened so quickly and smoothly. Moreover, the Pseudo Duke Arts from Li Jingzhe had been carefully chosen. Their resonance affinities were a good match with him, making the process of learning them naturally easier. The Heart of the Enlightened Lake was simply too domineering. With it, even a cultivator with average comprehension abilities would become a god. And Li Luo wasn''t just averagehe possessed immense talent when it came to learning resonance arts, perhaps to the point of being unrivaled. With the two combined, the results were mind-boggling. This was why Li Luo had taken merely five days to accomplish what would normally have taken a year. After which, he had basically attained a preliminary understanding of all of the Pseudo Duke Arts. At this point, he no longer attempted to push himself to reach a greater state of completion, instead calming himself down and focusing on the most important task at hand. The Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation! This would be the hardest Duke Art he had ever attempted to cultivate. An Embryonic Transcendent Duke Art was something that was rarely seen even in the unfathomable and massive inner divine continents. If it became public knowledge that Li Luo was learning it, it would undoubtedly cause endless amounts of Dukes to stare at it red-eyed and full of envy. Although the training requirements were harsh, it would still possess an unstoppable allure for them. If one were to successfully cultivate it, they would easily be able to stand tall and proud above their peers. Additionally, if one day they were able to take a step forward and turn it into an actual Transcendent Duke Art, they would become known as a revered Transcendent Duke, one who had the ability to fight against Kings! Li Luo''s mental state gradually attained a sense of calm and regained a sense of clarity. At the same time, obscure and ancient information poured into his mind, showing him how the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation was cultivated. The Cosmic Sword Intent he had attained was merely the first step. The second was of even greater importancehe had to condense the embryonic forms of the Dragon Fang Swords. Only when the sword formation was established with the Dragon Fang Swords in place would this art be considered complete. As a result, there were several difficulties. Each step was like ascending to the skies, a daunting prospect. However, Li Luo was long prepared. And he had the assistance of the Heart of the Enlightened Lake, so he was not discouraged. With a thought, the strands of Cosmic Sword Intent came to life, and he attempted to use his mental state to control them. Countless strands of sword intent radiated in every direction, all whilst moving in complicated and random trajectories, giving them an elusive quality. Condensing a sword formation was no easy task. The first strand of sword intent was only kept in place for a few minutes before he made a mistake, directly causing it to collapse and become useless. However, failure did not deter Li Luo. He took control of the second strand of sword intent and continued with his task. Although he had a good number of strands of sword intent stocked up, even he could barely withstand the extravagant rate of consumption. Thus, Li Luo retracted his mental state and reentered a state of extreme concentration. He blocked out all of his senses and only focused upon the complicated sword formation within his mind, doing his best to advance and condense it. Time passed by quietly. And five days flew by. After uncountable numbers of failures, an extremely basic form of the complex sword formation began to be slowly perfected. The presence of the sword formation caused one to hear a pristine and clear resonating of the swords. The moment the sword energy was activated, it emanated terrifying fluctuations that even caused Li Luo to feel a sense of fear. "It looks like I''m about ninety percent of the way there..." Li Luo solemnly observed the complicated sword formation. With the tireless efforts spent over the last five days, he had almost completed the next step. He had felt a little dismayed at his constant failures over the past few days as the difficulty of this Duke Art had far surpassed anything he had ever expected. Without the assistance of the Heart of the Enlightened Lake, he might not even have reached this stage after half a year of painstaking cultivation! The condensation of the sword array also required one to fuse different sorts of resonant power together. Regardless, Li Luo already understood from the name of the art that this was required. However, it was only during the cultivation process that he finally realized that this art would simply be impossible to execute if not for that! Thus, it was definitely the hardest Duke Art that Li Luo had attempted to cultivate to date. "No wonder Grandpa wanted to bring me here. I suppose he already expected all this." Li Luo sighed. Now he fully understood why Embryonic Transcendent Duke Arts were so well renownedsome of it had to do with how terrifyingly difficult the cultivation process was. After which, three strands of Cosmic Sword Intent appeared with a thought from him, entering the formation and beginning the final step. This was both an important and difficult step. The sword intent had to be distributed throughout the formation like tentacles, and it had to connect through to the various nodes that had already been constructed prior. At this critical juncture, Li Luo''s heart remained unfazed and steadfast. With the assistance of the Heart of the Enlightened Lake, his mental state was pristine and clear when the countless strands of sword intent flew within the formation like stars shooting through the sky. There was a hint of order within it despite the chaotic movements. One strand of sword intent after another took their place within the formation as it was gradually perfected. In the end, no mishaps or surprises arose at this crucial step. Everything was under Li Luo''s cool control, completing the formation seamlessly. It was at this point that the complex sword formation began to resonate, erupting with a hum that seemed to contain the very essence of a sword. The strands of sword intent continuously vibrated and radiated frightening amounts of sword energy. However, all of it remained contained within the sword formation, without a single bit dissipating. Li Luo could also feel the formations terrifying power, and he realized that any energy sent into it would be immediately destroyed by the domineering sword intent. He was dazed when he imagined the possibilities that this entailed. If any external energy tried to enter his body in the future and could not be easily resolved, he would simply route it into the sword formation and utilize its sheer power to demolish it! Even though he had yet to add in the Dragon Fang Swords, this would already serve as a form of protection for him. "Embryonic Transcendent Duke Arts are truly amazing." Li Luo sighed in his heart. The Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner was no slouch when it came to Duke Arts. If it was brought to completion, it would be a Destiny-grade Duke Art. This was something that even Heavenly Emperor powers would consider to be at the top. Yet when compared to the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, there was quite a gap between the two. Phew. Li Luo opened his eyes and glanced towards the burning lotus bud. There was barely half of it left, and it continued to emanate a green smoke that contained traces of gold light. The smoke curled around his body and penetrated his nostrils. It also possessed restorative properties that targeted one''s mental state. Li Luo''s mind was fatigued by the process of condensing the sword formation, and yet all of it was quickly washed away with the miraculous smoke. "I''ve got about five days remaining." Li Luo sucked in a deep breath. He had to make full use of the Heart of the Enlightened Lake and refine the first Dragon Fang Sword. Now that he came to it, he had to decide what element he would use. He very quickly came to an answer. He would have to pick the resonance he had the strongest affinity to. That way, it would improve his chances of success. With a wry smile, he closed his eyes once again. Next up, the Water Dragon Fang Sword. This was the first acquired resonance he had obtained, and he was most proficient at it. Chapter 0897: Water Dragon Fang Sword Chapter 0897: Water Dragon Fang Sword After setting up the challenging sword formation earlier, the forging of the Water Dragon Fang Sword had gone much smoother than Li Luo had expected. He had saved up fifty strands of Cosmic Sword Intent for this. However, the sword formation had used up half of them. The remaining half was used for the forging of the Water Dragon Fang Sword. Despite the assistance from the Heart of the Enlightened Lake, he still met with multiple failures in his forging attempts. Fortunately, he was able to remain composed and learned from his failures. Right before his Cosmic Sword Intent was exhausted, he finally completed forming the structure of the Water Dragon Fang Sword. He focused inwards at this point, and he could see a long, blue sword quietly standing there. There were ripples of water circulating around it, with the hilt of the sword looking like the maw of the dragon, covered in blue dragon scales. The body of the sword was not completely straight. Instead, it curved slightly, glinting with extremely sharp, blue light flowing around the edge of the blade. This was the Water Dragon Fang Sword that Li Luo had forged using dozens of strands of Cosmic Sword Intent. Once he added a drop of Dragon Fang Essence into it, it would be finally complete. Li Luo did not hesitate any longer. With a thought, a drop of dark golden liquid appeared in midair and dripped directly onto the body of the blade. Roar! All of a sudden, multiple threads of golden light extended from the dark-golden liquid, and draconic roars echoed in the air. In the next moment, the golden light threads sank into the blue body of the blade, and a series of winding and entrenched draconic runes emerged. It was like the Water Dragon Fang Sword had been awakened and given life. Then a terrifying sword aura erupted into the air, and the three resonant palaces within Li Luo shook violently. He was shocked by the terrifying pressure coming from the Water Dragon Fang Sword. He immediately moved it with his mind, and it landed in a corner of the sword formation. When the Water Dragon Fang Sword was in place, an endlessly large amount of sheer power surged from it. The sword intent arose like crashing waves, and its aura was continuously sharpened. Seeing this, Li Luo was finally relieved. With the sword in the formation, he had finally cultivated the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. ? , ? ? ? ? ? ?. Although he only had one sword in the formation currently, and it was barely representative of the new arts true strength, Li Luo could already sense that it already had more offensive power than the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner. With this sword, he would rule against all others in the same cultivation level. With this ace up his sleeve, he felt that he would no longer need to be so afraid of Qin Yi the next time they met. The only pity was that all of his Cosmic Sword Intent had been used up. Furthermore, the Heart of the Enlightened Lake''s time was nearly up. He had no chance to use the second drop of Dragon Fang Essence to forge his second Dragon Fang Sword. Nonetheless, there was no need to rush. With the sword formation done, he had already conquered the most challenging part. In the future, he would just need to gradually build up his foundation, and the true might of this Embryonic Transcendent Duke Art would be revealed with time. At this point, Li Luo slowly opened his eyes with a calm face as he sat on the lotus seat. Beneath his eyes was an unconcealable expression of joy. It was a truly rewarding period of cultivation. Not only had he cultivated the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, the so-called Embryonic Transcendent Duke Art, he had also mastered a few Pseudo Duke Arts. This greatly expanded his arsenal for his future battles, and he believed that with appropriate application, the Pseudo Duke Arts would not lose out to a Duke Art. As such, he had gotten a lot more confident for the upcoming Dragon''s Head competition. While Li Luo watched the lotus bud burn up, he felt a sense of reluctance to leave. All the external distractions had started to return as soon as he left the state of the Heart of the Enlightened Lake. The feeling of having an extremely clear mind at all times had disappeared. "What an incredible treasure," Li Luo commented with a sigh. The Heavenly Temple Lotus was one of the most amazing treasures that he had seen so far. Even an ordinary cultivator could become a genius instantly with the Heart of the Enlightened Lake state. Li Luo could tell that without this treasure, he probably would not have mastered the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation even after half a year of cultivation. Although he was confident in his own aptitude in resonance arts, the time required would probably be ten times or more. Unfortunately, time was the one thing that Li Luo could not afford to waste. As such, the Heavenly Temple Lotus was truly formidable even though it did not hold any offensive strength. With such a remarkable aid to cultivation, it was no wonder why all the Kings were fighting over it. "What''s this? You''re interested in stealing my treasure now?" Laughter came from a distance just as Li Luo was pondering over it. When he looked up, ripples appeared in the void, and Li Jingzhe appeared before him. "Haha, I was just thinking that my grandfather is exceptionally discerning, being able to obtain such a treasure." Li Luo gave an embarrassed smile in return. Li Jingzhe stared at Li Luo. He could see that his grandchild had managed to create a form of sword energy within his body. It flowed ceaselessly like a perpetual wave, domineering and powerful. "Looks like you''ve cultivated it successfully. I assume the first one created was the Water Dragon Fang Sword?" Li Jingzhe said. Li Luo nodded and then stretched out his hand. In the next moment, a blue sword materialized. When the sword energy around it pierced through the air, the air split apart with a sonic boom. "Not bad," Li Jingzhe commented with a tinge of satisfaction on his aged face. "You''re the first one that has successfully cultivated it since our ancestor created that Duke Art." This was because there were too many stringent requirements to this resonance art. It needed someone who had multiple resonances for it to truly shine. As such, even if one had a pure ninth-grade resonance, it was still incompatible. If they were to force themselves to cultivate it, it would only end up being their loss. Even if one was a gifted, dual resonance cultivator, they might not be totally compatible with this art either. It only possessed affinity with a rare seedling like Li Luo, who had triple resonances with primary and secondary affinities. "I''ll be sure not to disgrace this secret art created by our ancestor," Li Luo said solemnly. Li Jingzhe nodded and replied, "There are only a few more days before the Dragon''s Head competition. If you can get the Dragon''s Head, we should be able to obtain the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus as well. However, even if you fail to do so, I''ll still think of other ways to get it." He had spoken with a light tone, trying not to add any pressure onto Li Luo. Li Luo was touched to hear this. He knew that if the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus fell into the hands of other lineages, especially the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, Li Jingzhe would have to pay a really heavy price to get it back. The love of a grandfather was truly infinite and all-encompassing. Li Luo sighed. For the first time, he felt like his dad was not so useless after all. He had suffered in the past so that he, the son, could savor the sweet fruits of his work. "Don''t worry, Grandpa. I''ll not let the other Lineage Chiefs get the chance to rip you off for it." Li Luo felt that he needed to work harder after Li Jingzhe had treated him so kindly. Li Jingzhe nodded in response as he said, "Now that you''ve finished your cultivation, let''s prepare to help with Ox Biaobiao''s recuperation tomorrow. I have already prepared everything." Hearing this, Li Luo''s face turned serious as he asked, "Uncle Biao''s injury was due to my parents. Now that they aren''t around, I''ll thank you first on their behalf." Li Jingzhe smiled warmly as he replied, "It''s fine, we''re family after all. I will treat Ox Biaobiao like how they would have treated him. Besides, it''s time for the four banners to elect a head now that the Dragon''s Head competition is coming up. Jingtao is mild-natured and does not like to compete with others. Fengyi''s strength and standing are still lacking by a bit. Originally, Deng Fengxian would have been the best candidate. However, it''s hard to say now that you''re here." At this moment, Li Jingzhe stared at Li Luo and continued, "Ultimately, the four banners will need a leader when discussing matters with others in public." Li Luo remained quiet after hearing this. It was true that the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had not been able to elect a head yet. Meanwhile, the other four lineages had already done so. For example, Li Qingfeng was the head for the four banners of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, so everyone else would listen to his orders. But in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Li Fengyi had always argued and stood against Deng Fengxian. Given her special background, she must have given him a lot of headaches over it too. This had gone on for a while before Li Luo appeared. In other words, Li Jingzhe was telling him to become the head of the four banners. This would raise his standing in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and prepare him to enter the Green Nether Hall in the future. Li Luo had no objections to this. Besides, Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao would surely be supportive of him in the four banners currently. The only question left was Deng Fengxian. Without a doubt, he was an extremely capable talent as well. Although he had cooperated with Li Luo during the trip to the Dark Domain, mere words would not be enough to convince him. In that case... Li Luo looked at the blue sword intent coming out from his fingertips. He would need to solve these internal problems before the competition for the Dragon''s Head. Chapter 0898: Two Choices Chapter 0898: Two Choices On the next day, the fully recovered Li Luo headed back up onto Dragon''s Fang Mountain. That was where he met up with Ox Biaobiao. There was a hint of anxiety beneath the middle-aged mans usually fierce and stern face. Although he rarely mentioned his injury, it had been a source of worry for him for many years. This was especially true after he had returned to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. His rivals had all progressed tremendously during this period of time. On the other hand, he had weakened. Without a doubt, he was filled with complex feelings. "Uncle Biao, you''ll be able to regain your strength after today. The renowned Ox Biaobiao from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent will be back!" Li Luo said with a laugh. Hearing this, Ox Biaobiao replied with a bitter smile. "How could I have such a reputation?" In the past, he could win against first-grade or second-grade Dukes back in the Xia Kingdom. However, the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent was different. Filled with all kinds of talents, he might be able to hold his ground once he regained his original strength, but he was nowhere near being almighty. "There''s no need to be humble, Uncle Biao. I can see the makings of a potential King," Li Luo replied seriously. "Let''s hope your kind words come true, then." Ox Biaobiao could not help but laugh in response. In the next moment, he noticed Li Jingzhe walking towards them from afar. The space twisted momentarily, then he appeared right in front of them in a few steps. "Let''s go," Li Jingzhe said. He did not say more before he walked down another mountain path. The two of them followed behind him closely. A few minutes later, the three of them entered a grand hall constructed next to the mountain. Inside the hall was a huge cauldron furnace that was about a hundred meters long. It was engraved with multiple mysterious patterns. The worldly natural energy around it was stimulated and poured into it endlessly. As Li Jingzhe stared at the cauldron, he stood with his hands behind his back and asked, "Ox Biaobiao, I have two methods to repair your Duke Bergfrieds. Which one will you choose?" Ox Biaobiao looked back at him strangely and asked, "What''s the difference between these two methods?" With a slight smile, Li Jingzhe replied, "The first method is to rebuild your foundation normally. This is a relatively safe method and the chance of success is approximately ninety percent. However, you have not cultivated in recent years, so you''ll likely be weaker by one to two grades after all is said and done." ?? Ox Biaobiao''s expression did not change at all after hearing this. Clearly, this was within his expectations as well. He used to be a sixth-grade Duke, so falling by one or two grades would make him a fourth-grade or fifth-grade. This was an acceptable result for him. After all, it was much better than having his Duke Bergfrieds destroyed and his actual strength being below that of a first-grade Duke. This seemed like a minor cost. "In that case, what is the second method, Lineage Chief?" Ox Biaobiao asked. He did not make his decision immediately. Given Li Jingzhe''s status, offering a second choice meant that there was something really special in store. At this point, Li Jingzhe slowly explained, "The second method is an extremely dangerous one. The chance of success is under fifty percent. We''ll go for a complete destruction and reconstruction of your Duke Bergfrieds. I will not repair your Duke Bergfrieds at all. Instead, I will completely destroy them and then reconstruct them using a secret art. If it''s successful, you''ll not only regain your original full strength but also have a chance to break through as a seventh-grade Duke." Ox Biaobiao was moved by this immediately. The second choice was truly mind-boggling. Not only would he not experience a drop in power, but he could even experience a breakthrough? At the same moment, Li Luo asked, "Grandpa, what if the second method fails?" Li Jingzhe calmly responded, "What else could possibly be the result? His original Duke Bergfrieds would be gone, so he would lose his foundation and fall out of the Duke Stage if we''re unable to reconstruct them. And it would probably be impossible to break through ever again." Li Luo gasped when he heard this. This seemed a little too cruel. It was like making an all-in bet with one''s own future. Although the fruits of success were really tempting, the failure... was truly terrifying. This was simply a gamble. And it was such a high stake that Li Luo did not even comment any further. He simply looked at Ox Biaobiao. At this moment, Ox Biaobiao''s face had turned solemn. This was the first time that signs of hesitation had appeared on his face. It was inevitable. After all, the trade-off was too great. The first choice was safe. He could likely get his Duke Bergfrieds repaired, although there would be a decline in his power. However, he would still be a Duke. He also understood that his injuries were really dire, resulting in his cultivation remaining stagnant for years. It would be extremely challenging for him to become a sixth-grade Duke again, even if the operation was successful, and progressing further would essentially be impossible. On the other hand, the second choice was extremely risky. The price to pay for failure was extremely large. However, if it was successful, his foundation would not only be restored, but he would even have a chance to make up for all the years that he had lost. Although it was just a sixth-grade Duke moving to the seventh-grade, he understood that many Dukes could be stuck in a grade for what seemed like forever. An extremely large amount of cultivation resources was required in order for a Duke to move up just one grade. Ox Biaobiao understood that Li Jingzhe had given him these two choices for him to decide his future. Would he want to play it safe here or would he want to take a gamble for a chance to pursue even greater heights in the future? For a moment, the grand hall fell into extreme silence. Li Luo and Li Jingzhe did not speak any further. There was only Ox Biaobiaos heavy breathing. However, the silence was short-lived. Ox Biaobiao took a deep breath and he answered Li Jingzhe politely, "Lineage Chief, I would like to proceed with the second choice." Li Luo''s breathing nearly stopped at this point. His heart was trembling, but he was not too surprised. Based on his understanding of Ox Biaobiao, he was an aggressive person and not the type who would live a life of mediocrity. If he had no hope to improve in the future, that life would be worse than death for someone like Ox Biaobiao. As such, he would definitely take the gamble rather than live on as just a fourth-grade Duke for his remaining life. "Uncle Biao..." Li Luo sighed. As expected from a friend of his parents, it was clear that Ox Biaobiao had exceptional mental fortitude. On the other hand, Li Jingzhe simply smiled as he looked at Ox Biaobiao with some admiration in his eyes. "You are a courageous man. Not everyone would dare to go for such a gamble when faced with these two choices. "Thank you, Lineage Chief However, the second method... isn''t so simple, right?" Ox Biaobiao asked. Ultimately, Ox Biaobiao was someone who had seen a lot in this world too. He had already learned of the first method previously. However, he had never heard of the second method that Li Jingzhe had just shared. Not only was it risky, the difficulty of the second method was surely many times greater than the first method. In other words, it was out of kindness that Li Jingzhe had offered him this second choice. "The second method would require a King''s personal assistance. Moreover, it requires multiple secret treasures. There aren''t many powers in this Heavenly Origin Divine Continent that can do this," Li Jingzhe told him honestly. He did not hide any details as it was best for the both of them to know the price that would have to be paid for this choice. Furthermore, he knew that Li Luo wanted Ox Biaobiao to stay in the Green Nether Hall. With such a great debt of gratitude from him, Ox Biaobiao would surely stay around even after his injuries had fully recovered. Ox Biaobiao nodded before he put his hands together to thank Li Jingzhe politely again. "Let''s get started, then." Li Jingzhe did not waste any more time with words. He pointed towards the huge cauldron furnace, saying, "You just need to get inside, I''ll handle the rest." Ox Biaobiao nodded in response. He gave Li Luo a smile before he turned around and flew straight into the cauldron furnace through a tiny opening. He sat down in the lotus position in the center of it. Seeing this, Li Jingzhe opened his mouth slightly, and a dark-golden spark flew out. It soared directly into the cauldron, then it expanded and transformed into a raging fire storm, burning the cauldron ferociously. At the same time, he waved his sleeve, and hundreds of light rays flew out from the pocket sphere on his wrist. They hovered in mid-air and glowed brightly with a majestic aura. With just one look, Li Luo could tell that these light rays were all extraordinarily rare materials. He knew in his heart that Li Jingzhe had spared no expense to help Ox Biaobiao repair his foundation. "This will take quite a while. There is no need for you to hang around here and wait, you may go and do whatever you need to," Li Jingzhe said to Li Luo. "Alright. Thank you, Grandpa," Li Luo said with a nod. After taking another glance at the cauldron furnace, he turned around and left. Now that Ox Biaobiao''s matter had been settled, it was time for him to make a trip down to the four banners. The head of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s four banners had to be decided before the Dragon''s Head competition. Chapter 0899: Head of the Dragons Fang Lineages Four Banners Chapter 0899: Head of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Four Banners After leaving the grand hall, Li Luo headed straight for Fiendish Devil Peak. When he arrived, he saw that the four banners were already congregating around the field before the Fiendish Devil Cave, and things were bustling with activity. The aura around the four banners was starkly different from half a year ago. In the past, the Gold Light Banner possessed the most vigorous morale. Its members were also proud and had undamped spirits that were unrivaled by the rest. The Green Nether Banner, on the other hand, was the least impressive; they would disperse into the crowd during gatherings, much like a pile of loose sand. However, the Green Nether Banner was now the most enthusiastic one of the lot with a vigor that far surpassed the rest. The members were now brimming with confidence and their morale was flourishing. Even their voices carried excitement and energy. This was only natural. They had obtained an exceptional Banner Leader and elevated their declining position into one that was firmly entrenched within the top few ranks in the short span of half a year. In a way, they were still the same as beforethere had been no huge changes among the people within the banner. The key difference was just the new Banner Leader. They had even managed to surpass the Gold Light Banner in terms of layers conquered in the Fiendish Devil Cave, landing them in the top five. This transformation was all because of Li Luo. He had catalyzed a qualitative change within them, and his prestige and status within the banner was at a peak. No one would doubt his wordseveryone would obey him without question. The Gold Light Banner nearby glanced at the raucous Green Nether Banner with complicated expressions. Although they were dissatisfied at their relative decline, they had to reluctantly accept the surprising results brought about by Li Luo. Most importantly, Li Luo was only at the Fiend Palace Tier when he first joined. However, he had now reached completion in the Glass Fiend Body Tier, and the gap between him and the rest of the strongest Banner Leaders had shrunk significantly. Additionally, no one, including the likes of Li Qingfeng, Lu Qingmei, and Deng Fengxian, knew exactly how large the gap was now. However, the answer to this question would finally be known today. They had all received the news that the gathering of the four banners today would lead to a new leader amongst them. This was all in preparation for the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. This was a very normal occurrence. The four banners of each lineage required an overall representative that would help maintain the harmony amongst the troops, or to unite their hearts against a common foe. In the past, the Gold Light Banner felt that Deng Fengxian was naturally suited for the task. Although Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao held special positions by virtue of their fathers, Deng Fengxian was on top when it came to both influence and strength. That was, of course, before the black horse Li Luo had appeared. His presence threw everything into flux. Even the members of the Gold Light Banner would not dare to declare that Deng Fengxian would be the best representative without seeing the results of a battle between them. This caused the members to feel complicated. Six months ago, they would never have believed that an individual raised in an outer divine continent would work his way up to challenge Deng Fengxian. As the thoughts of the countless banner members continued to churn, Li Luo arrived. At the same time, a commotion burst out from within the middle of the field as numerous gazes shot towards him. "Banner Leader!" The members of the Green Nether Banner immediately saluted him with booming voices that caused the nearby wildlife to fly away in fear. Li Luo grinned and waved his hand, indicating for them to be at ease as he walked towards the field. He was the last to arrive, and the other Banner Leaders were already in the stone pavilion shrouded in greenery. At the front of the Green Nether Banner stood Zhao Yanzhi, whose beautiful gaze was affixed upon Li Luo. A sweet smile surfaced on her face. "It looks like we are going to be treated to a great show today." Li Shi replied, "Li Jingtao actually has the strength to contest for the position of leader. He is so adept at defense that even Deng Fengxian''s Gilded Armor Spirit Blade is unable to triumph over him. Alas, his personality is genial and he dislikes conflict. He would take the initiative to surrender if he could. Li Fengyi, on the other hand, is simply too weak compared to Deng Fengxian. In the end, it''s all up to the Boss." "Can the Boss beat Deng Fengxian? This fight does not allow him to tap upon Harmony and we cannot assist him. Additionally, I understand that Deng Fengxian has been cultivating fervently for months and has become significantly stronger. With his personality, he would not hold back in this battle," Mu Bi asked worriedly. Zhao Yanzhi smiled. "No matter what the white-dressed gilded-armor fellow tries to do, he will be left ragged and tattered if he dares to clash against our Banner Leader." Mu Bi sighed helplessly. He was simply trying to be logical, yet he was met with an irrational response. They might as well not have spoken. Still, what else could he do? The beauty would simply have her way. Li Shi grinned. "Most people feel that the only reason the Boss has had so much success is because of Harmony. However, I feel that the truth is the opposite. The state of Harmony has covered up how truly frightening he is. Perhaps during the Battle of the Dragon''s Head, the other lineages will truly experience the kind of amazing talent the Boss possesses for themselves, despite coming from an outer divine continent." Mu Bi scratched his head. Wait... this seemed like even more exaggerated bragging than before! Meanwhile, Li Luo had made his way to the stone pavilion. He greeted the trio with a smile. "My apologies, I''m late." His eyes swept over Li Jingtao, Li Fengyi, and then paused briefly on Deng Fengxian. They had not met for half a month, and his strength seemed to have soared. The resonant power around him had become even more dense. "Banner Leader Deng Fengxian, you have improved yet again," Li Luo stated. Deng Fengxian cooly replied, "One cannot simply languish in their current position. Otherwise, I would very quickly be overtaken by you, Banner Leader Li Luo." Li Luo smiled and had a quick chat with the other three before turning to the topic on everyone''s minds. "I think you all understand why I''ve gathered you all today. The Battle of the Dragon''s Head is at hand and the four banners of our Dragon''s Fang Lineage have to select an overall representative. Otherwise, the other four lineages will only gossip that we are leaderless. I wonder, do the three of you have any opinions on this?" Li Jingtao simply yawned and beamed at him. "Nope." "We will naturally have to battle. The winner will be the leader. How else can we convince the masses?" Deng Fengxian calmly replied. BANG! Li Fengyi slammed her palm against the table as she glared at Deng Fengxian with an icy smile. "What you say is right. Only after a battle can we decide things fairly. How about this? You''ll challenge Li Jingtao first. Then I''ll take you on for a second round. Li Luo will finally challenge you at the end. If you can emerge victorious, you will be the one to represent the Dragon''s Fang Lineage!" The corners of Deng Fengxian''s lips twitched a little upon hearing those words. Why not just get the three of them to team up against him? What was this crap about three battles!? Deng Fengxian couldn''t help but to blurt out, "Banner Leader Li Fengyi, that doesn''t seem very reasonable." "Huh? Are you saying that I''m unreasonable? That I''m illogical?" Li Fengyi glared dangerously at Deng Fengxian, and the sound of her teeth gritting could be heard. Li Luo facepalmed. If she wasn''t his Second Sister... he''d actually be inclined to agree with him. Deng Fengxian did not reply as he was uninterested in bickering with her. He simply could not win in a battle of tongues. He turned towards Li Luo and Li Jingtao, the former in deep thought whilst the other was laughing foolishly. He felt a little helpless and almost wanted to curse in frustration. "So, do you want to battle or not?" "Hehe, anything works for me." Li Jingtao smiled. Seeing that Deng Fengxian was about to leave in anger, Li Luo gave a wry smile. "Let''s follow the rules. Otherwise, others may not be convinced." "Ah, you guys can go ahead. I didn''t sleep very well yesterday and I feel a little weak today..." Li Jingtao scratched his head whilst ruffling his hair, a shameless and self-mocking expression on his face. His answer was not out of anyone''s expectations. Deng Fengxian''s gaze turned sharp and a hint of fervor could be seen within his eyes as he turned towards Li Luo. "Banner Leader Li Luo, I suppose you won''t let me take this position so easily, would you?" Li Luo faced his piercing gaze with his own wry smirk. "I suppose I''ll have to experience Banner Leader Deng Fengxian''s Gilded Armor Spirit Blade for myself today." Chapter 0900: Pseudo Duke Art Chapter 0900: Pseudo Duke Art The banner members gathered around the field before the Fiendish Devil Cave as Li Luo and Deng Fengxian prepared for the showdown. The place was bustling with cheers and chatter, mainly coming from the Green Nether Banner and the Gold Light Banner cheering for their respective Banner Leaders. They understood that todays battle would ultimately decide who would be the real head of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s four nanners. The winner would be able to command the four banners under certain special circumstances, and the other three Banner Leaders would have to obey. At this point, the members of the other two banners were mainly present to watch the fight. Their eyes were filled with mixed emotions as they sighed and looked at Li Luo. Just half a year ago, they would have laughed out loud if anyone had told them that the Third Young Master who had just returned from the outer divine continent would be contesting for the position of leading the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s four banners. Li Luo was merely at the Fiend Palace Tier back then. He was barely on par with the elite banner members, let alone a Banner Leader. However, none of them had expected the Third Young Master to experience such amazing growth in the past six months. Although he was only at the Fiend Palace Tier, he had not only earned the Banner Leader position in the Green Nether Banner, he had also obtained the Golden Dragon Pillar during the Dragon Pool''s battle. It was a real surprise for everyone. Now, he was about to compete with Deng Fengxian, the presumed leader all this while, to be the head of the four banners. The insane speed of his progress had totally changed everyone''s views of him. They would no longer belittle this guy who had wasted so much time in the remote outer divine continent since birth. Clearly, his talent was exceptional. He had lived up to the expectation of being the son of the Third Master. Back in the field, Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao had gone off to the side to spectate the match. "Deng Fengxian has recently bought significant amounts of spirit materials in order to refine his Fiend Dipper Energy. He has nearly used up all his allocated resources for this year. I believe he has accumulated at least nine hundred feet of Fiend Dipper Energy by now," Li Fengyi said with a little frown as she turned her eyes towards Deng Fengxian. She could feel an extremely sharp energy faintly emanating from his body. Nine hundred feet of Fiend Dipper Energy was considered top-class within the Fiend Finisher Tier. Among the Twenty Banners, only people like Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei had obtained this level of cultivation. Under normal circumstances, such an amount of Fiend Dipper Energy would be enough to enter the Heavenly Pearl Stage already. Hearing her remarks, Li Jingtao replied with a smile, "Although Third Brother is slightly lacking in terms of cultivation, he has always ascended each stage steadily. The Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier was something that not even Li Qingfeng could acquire." "Although the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier is strong, there is still a huge gap in their cultivation levels. Third Brother may not have enough power to fend off the Gilded Armor Spirit Blade," Li Fengyi responded with some worry. After all, Deng Fengxian was not your common fellow either. Li Fengyi had always been defeated by him in their numerous clashes in the past. No matter how unwilling she was, she had to admit that he was indeed a strong fighter. Without a prestigious background like them, he had fought his way up one step at a time in the Gold Light Banner. And his achievements had been nothing short of spectacular. If not for the sudden appearance of a dark horse like Li Luo, the position of the leader of the four nanners would inevitably belong to him. "Didn''t I tell you to challenge him to start? At the very least, your turtle shell art would be able to fend off his Gilded Armor Spirit Blade," Li Fengyi lamented. Hearing this, Li Jingtao simply shook his head. He responded with a laugh, "I am afraid Third Brother does not want to obtain the position using such methods. He won''t be able to win the people''s hearts with such an act." "All you stupid guys care about is face," Li Fengyi replied with a pout. However, she did not continue with this topic any longer. As the two of them were chatting, two enormous blasts of resonant power surged up in the field like a wild storm. An explosive ringing sound erupted in the air. In the next moment, golden resonant power circulated around Deng Fengxian. A giant beast with dragon claws appeared faintly behind him, and everyone''s attention was drawn to its unusually bright, golden horn. This was the upper eighth-grade Golden Horned Dragon Beast resonance. It belonged to the family of dragon resonances. Initially, Deng Fengxian''s resonance was only a lower eighth-grade. However, all these years of cultivation and the use of spirit liquids and purifying lights had paid off. It had finally transformed into an upper eighth-grade now. This perfectly matched his Gilded Armor Spirit Blade, making it an incredibly terrifying skill. Wave after wave of immensely strong resonant power pulsed out of Deng Fengxian''s body. All the spectators could sense the extremely huge pressure coming from him. "Banner Leader Li Luo, I would probably not be your match if we were at the same tier. Therefore, please do not blame me for taking advantage of my higher cultivation level," Deng Fengxian calmly said. Since he was at a higher tier, his resonant power was naturally stronger. This was like a hard limit on how strong one''s resonant power could grow. "Being at a higher tier is testament to your own ability," Li Luo replied with a smile. Although Li Luo was still at the Fiend Body Tier, he had three resonant palaces that could complement each other. Furthermore, he had the power of dual resonances with him. With this, his current resonant power could be said to rival even that of a Fiend Finisher. Therefore, there was no need to worry too much about the immense resonant power coming from Deng Fengxian. Deng Fengxian nodded slightly in response as he continued staring at Li Luo. He raised his palms, and bright, golden resonant power started consolidating. In the next moment, it took the shape of a small, golden knife. There was an unparalleled sharpness surrounding the knife, and the space around it started to show signs of getting sliced. All the spectators froze as soon as they saw this. They knew that Deng Fengxian had no plans to drag this battle out. He had decided to use his strongest skill right off the bat. Duke Art, Gilded Armor Spirit Blade. When he saw the blade materialize, Li Luo''s eyes turned serious too. If he was not careful around it, he might very well have a hole torn through his body. Obviously, he was not going to give his opponent such a chance. In the next moment, the resonant power within Li Luo''s body started to move really quickly. He formed his hand seals rapidly, and his water resonance and lightning resonance power surged outwards. BOOM! The worldly natural energy around him started to shudder violently. Dark clouds with traces of lightning appeared above them moments later, then rain started falling down. There seemed to be a faint spark of lightning hidden within each drop of rain. Pseudo Duke Art, Thunderstorm. This was one of the resonance arts that Li Luo had mastered thanks to the Heart of the Enlightened Lake state. In an instant, the thunder clouds covered up the whole field. When the curious banner members reached out their hands, they could sense a piercing and numbing sensation as soon as they touched the drops of rain. "Is this a Duke Art? But it seemed kind of weak, no?" "This is a special art that has the effects of slowing down your opponents and controlling the battlefield. It''s a smart move by Banner Leader Li Luo. We all know how fast and deadly Banner Leader Deng Fengxians Gilded Armor Spirit Blade is. With this thunderstorm, he will be able to slow down the blade and weaken its offense slightly." Deng Fengxian wasted no time. The golden resonant power around him began moving and transformed into a light sphere before expanding across the thunderstorm too. "Is this some kind of Pseudo Duke Art?" he whispered to himself as his eyes lit up. If Li Luo expected his Gilded Armor Spirit Blade to be stopped so easily, he was truly underestimating him. He was sure that Li Luo had other plans hidden up his sleeve. However, it did not matter. Deng Fengxian raised his palm up, and the Gilded Armor Spirit Blade materialized completely. With a calm and composed look, he flicked his finger outwards. Weng! A ringing sound echoed in the air. In the next moment, everyone could see a flash of golden light tearing through the curtain of rain. The countless raindrops filled with lightning exploded into nothingness as the terrifyingly sharp, golden light zipped across. For a moment, it seemed like the heavens and earth had been torn apart by the golden light. Its speed was unbelievably fast. Li Luo formed another hand seal with a single hand, and lightning flashed around his body. In the next moment, his body launched backwards with the roaring of thunder. Pseudo Duke Art, Thunder Flash. This was a resonance art that combined the power of a lightning resonance and a light resonance. It allowed him to move much faster than when he used the Thunderbolt Art. Once again, the spectators were amazed when they saw his quick reaction. Even Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao were surprised to see this. "Little Brother, I''ve never seen you use this skill before," Li Fengyi shouted with some doubts. Although a Pseudo Duke Art was not a Duke Art, it was still much harder to cultivate than a Dragon-general resonance art. As such, it was really strange to see Li Luo using two new ones just like this. Li Jingtao laughed and said, "I heard from Father that Third Brother spent a month training with the Respected Elder. This should be the result of his hard work. "However, only someone like him, a triple resonance cultivator who has attained the third realm of the dual resonance power, could have mastered all of these arts. Others would be better off concentrating on cultivating one Duke Art rather than learning these arts that are all over the place." Hearing this, Li Fengyi nodded in agreement. Such messy methods were really only suitable for someone like Li Luo. However, there was water, lightning, and light resonance power in the two Pseudo Duke Arts that he had just used. This seemed kind of different from his triple resonances. Was this due to the help of some special item? As the two of them were chatting about it, Li Luo retreated rapidly and increased his distance from the blade. His face remained calm and composed under the thunderstorm. In the same moment, his hands started moving as he prepared to use another Pseudo Duke Art. A vibrant, green light flew out of Li Luo''s hands and landed on the ground. In the next moment, the ground quaked violently, and a giant tree started growing out from that spot. Numerous thick and strong branches entwined with each other. After a few moments, an emerald-dragon emerged. It let out a low roar as its immense resonant power filled the air. With a smack of its claw, it tore through the void and slammed down on the Gilded Armor Spirit Blade heavily. Pseudo Duke Art, Emerald Dragon Ent. Chapter 0901: Inky Jade Dragon Ent Chapter 0901: Inky Jade Dragon Ent Roar! The emerald dragon emerged, smashing apart the rain as its claws clashed with the Gilded Armor Spirit Blade that possessed unparalleled sharpness. Weng! At the moment of collision, golden light radiated resplendently and wood dust scattered in every direction. The emerald dragon''s claws had been pierced through. Golden light scattered in every direction and the claws began to disintegrate. Additionally, the blade continued tunneling towards the dragon''s body, intent on dismantling it in its entirety. However, the emerald dragon was no slouch. Resonant power continued to flow, and it contained Vestiges of Spirituality, endowing a sense of sentience to the resonance art. Even when faced with the tyrannical Gilded Armor Spirit Blade''s attack, it continued to resist furiously and attempted to entangle itself with it. There was hard-fought resistance, but a Pseudo Duke Art restricting an actual Duke Art was not a realistic outcome. A few moments later, the Emerald Dragon Ent was hacked into half at the waist. "Banner Leader Li Luo, you seem to possess an affinity with too many resonant powers. Borrowing the aid of so many treasures to utilize resonance arts that you don''t have an affinity with must have been quite pricey," Deng Fengxian casually stated. The three Pseudo Duke Arts which Li Luo had demonstrated showed Deng Fengxian that he had utilized water, lightning, light, wood, and dragon resonance powers. This caused him to be exceptionally surprised. Although Li Luo had triple resonances and significant stores of resonant power, this should have been only possible with the aid of external mediums. This was not a rare thing. When others cultivated a Duke Art that their own resonant power did not have any affinity for, they would borrow treasures to succeed. However, they were ultimately consumables that had to be replenished consistently. Therefore, using the art in question was not just cumbersome, it would also prevent the art from bringing out its full potential. This sort of thinking was quite normal, and to be fair, they did not know that Li Luo''s resonances had both a primary and secondary affinities. "However, a Pseudo Duke Art simply cannot compare with a Duke Art. Banner Leader Li Luo, your methods have not been particularly effective." Deng Fengxian flicked his finger once again, and the blade seemed to have come to life, lunging towards Li Luo. Li Luo smiled upon hearing Deng Fengxian''s critique. He waved his sleeve, and majestic amounts of dual resonant power poured out of him and into the shattered Emerald Dragon Ent. The construct seemed to come back to life when resonant power flooded into it. The coarse branches intertwined and it transformed back into its original form. "If one Pseudo Duke Art isn''t enough, how about two?" Li Luo formed a hand seal, and the thunder clouds suddenly gathered onto the Emerald Dragon Ent, transforming into a robe that wrapped around it like a raincoat. With the combination of the Thunderstorm Art, the Emerald Dragon Ent had turned inky jade in color, whilst lightning resonant power rumbled on its surface. The Emerald Dragon Ent''s body burst forth with energy undulations that surpassed what it had previously, something that everyone in the area could feel. Roar! The Emerald Dragon Ent shot outwards with a boom akin to a thunderclap and the speed of a lightning bolt. However, its speed hadn''t only increased. What surprised everyone was that it had also become more corporeal. It dashed forward savagely, releasing a low but deafening rumble as it moved. The countless banner members couldn''t help but cover their ears with expressions of discomfort. Deng Fengxian''s eyes similarly shrunk as he focused upon the completely transformed inky dragon with a frown. He could feel that the dragon was formed by the fusion of countless resonant powers. The rainwater that had combined with its body had increased its mass and increased its physical capabilities by a good margin. Its slow speed had also been boosted. Was this due to the lightning resonant power? However, lightning and wood resonant power were not compatible, so combining the two would generally not be very effective. "He used water resonant power to cover the entire dragon like clothes, then he ran his lightning resonant power through it to fuse it with the Emerald Dragon Ent. This resulted in a large boost in speed. What marvelous usage of resonant power!" Deng Fengxian''s expression was grave, but he sighed in admiration in his heart. Li Luo was not to be underestimated. Two simple Pseudo Duke Arts had been combined into something capable of contending against an actual Duke Art in his hands. Deng Fengxian understood that this was the advantage of having multiple resonances. More importantly, Li Luo was capable of utilizing dual resonant power. Li Luo had utilized his mastery over dual resonant power to complement his execution of two Pseudo Duke Arts, resulting in a frightening attack. "However, you shouldn''t underestimate me either." Deng Fengxian sighed lightly. Li Luo''s magnificent performance had stimulated his excitement for battle. Perhaps it was only with a proper opponent like him that he could truly bring everything out to bear. Deng Fengxian clasped his hands together to form a series of hand seals. "Gilded Armor Spirit Blade, Separation Technique!" As soon as he shouted, the blade immediately trembled and transformed into three rays of golden light. Within each ray was a razor-sharp blade. The three blades formed a formation, and their blade energy surged outwards. Then they rotated at a high speed as one and directly smashed against the dragon. Bang! A berserk explosion echoed throughout the field, kicking up a tempest in every direction. Before the dust had settled, the countless banner members squinted, hoping to see the result of the collision. One could see numerous green light dots dissipating into the air. The domineering spirit blade formation had wedged itself right into the head of the dragon. Yet at the same time, the formation was also gradually dimming, its fierce aura receding. A lot of energy had been consumed in order to destroy the dragon. Weng, weng! The spirit blades hummed. Despite the best efforts of the dragon, it was finally split into two from head to tail with a cry. Bang! The Emerald Dragon Ent fractured into minute shreds that dissipated into motes of energy. Li Luo''s mastery of this Pseudo Duke Art was miraculous, but it was unable to halt the Gilded Armor Spirit Blades onslaught. However, no one mocked him, and serious expressions could be seen on their faces. Even Deng Fengxian''s followers were frowning. Looking at the resonant power expenditure, the two Pseudo Duke Arts had exhausted much less resonant power than the Gilded Armor Spirit Blade. Most importantly, it had forced Deng Fengxian to utilize the second transformation of the Gilded Armor Spirit Blade. Even though Li Luos attack had been halted, the gold light radiating from the blades had dimmed immensely and cracks could be seen on them. Deng Fengxian''s gaze changed. He had to take advantage of this brief period where Li Luo''s resonance art had been overcome to quickly take him down. With a thought, the three blades swiftly pierced through the air and viciously lanced towards Li Luo, leaving behind a trail of golden light. The looming spirit blades were gradually growing in size from Li Luos perspective, but he was unfazed, only smirking. The previous exchange had left him very satisfied. The wondrous combination of two Pseudo Duke Arts had managed to consume a good amount of Deng Fengxian''s Gilded Armor Spirit Blade''s energy. Thus, when faced with these three dim blades, he did not retreat, only taking a step forward. "Tri-Radiance Glass!" Three kinds of glazed light permeated every inch of his body, giving him a rainbow-like shine. "Thunderpeal Avatar, Three Sonic Pulses!" The sound of a thunderclap burst out from within him, and his body strengthened rapidly. "Tri-Radiance Spiritual Marks!" This was not the endthe spiritual marks on his body began to shine, letting off a blazing and scalding energy. Li Luo was like a cauldron as his body continued to strengthen to an even more astonishing level. He looked like a glazed, godly statue. With a step, he appeared before the three blades and punched them directly. Bang! Stormy waves of energy rumbled in every direction as the blast echoed throughout the mountain range. Fist met blade directly without hesitation. The collision only lasted for a moment before the numerous banner members heard a faint, cracking sound. The cracks on the three blades expanded rapidly before finally exploding into golden motes of light with a huge bang. When they landed on Li Luo''s glazed body, they only left behind tiny, white scratches. This caused the entire field to fall into utter silence. Chapter 0902: Li Luo Ascends Chapter 0902: Li Luo Ascends After the blades fragmented, Li Luo stood tall amidst the silent field. He gave off a heroic aura and his body was steaming. It was like he was a furnace full of energy, each and every motion capable of huge amounts of force. The strength of his body alone was something that the average Fiend Finisher would not dare to clash against. The emotions of the people on the field were complicated, especially those from the Gold Light Banner. Their mouths were agape at the sight before them. They had followed Deng Fengxian through countless battles and were clear of how ferocious and lethal his Gilded Armor Spirit Blade was, especially once the triple blades transformation was utilized. Even amongst the Twenty Banners, the number of people who could counteract this art could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Today, another person joined that small list: Li Luo. Li Luo had not demonstrated a true Duke Art in this fight. He had used the combination of Pseudo Duke Arts to resolve the assault of the Gilded Armor Spirit Blade. One had to know that Li Luo had not even stepped into the Fiend Finisher Tier yet either. Although he had triple resonances, which gave him a reserve of resonant power that far surpassed anyone on his level, it shouldn''t have been comparable to the peak Fiend Finisher Deng Fengxian, right? Thus, the scene before them was, frankly, frightening. The Gold Light Banner members had complicated gazes. Everyone assumed that Li Luo''s rise through the rankings of the Twenty Banners was only possible because of Harmony It was all external strength, and thus no one really cared about it. The Green Nether Banner had gradually risen under his leadership. Yet without the banner, Li Luo would be unqualified to challenge the other Banner Leaders as he was considerably weaker individually. This was the prominent viewpoint amongst those in the Twenty Banners. Additionally, there were even people from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage that were spreading rumors about the Battle of the Dragon''s Head, that it would finally allow everyone to truly see Li Luo''s true and worthless self! Li Luo had snatched the Golden Dragon Pillar from Li Qingfeng in the Dragonbreath Pool. Thus, the members of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage were incredibly dissatisfied. They felt that Li Luo was simply cunning, taking advantage of the other Banner Leaders who had expended all their effort to drag down Qin Yi. As a result, he struck while the iron was hot and snatched the vacant Golden Dragon Pillar before anyone could react. However, the battle between Li Luo and Deng Fengxian had let the audience truly experience his real power. It was not to be belittled. Although he had not stepped into the Fiend Finisher Tier, his battle strength allowed him to compete against the most elite of Banner Leaders. The Green Nether Banner exploded into thunderous, elated cries. Everyone was chanting Li Luo''s name. Li Luo, on the other hand, continued to watch Deng Fengxian closely with a smile. "Banner Leader Deng Fengxian, I suppose you still have a trick up your sleeve?" Deng Fengxian had not released his Fiend Dipper Energy in the previous clash, and it would have served to strengthen his previous attack. He had a complicated look on his face. "Well, you haven''t used your Duke Art either." Both had held back in the initial clash, but regardless of the situation, the Gilded Armor Spirit Blade was Deng Fengxian''s strongest move. Now that it had been shattered, it would not be a simple task to recondense a new one, and Li Luo would not watch him idly. Thus, Deng Fengxian was clear that he had lost the initiative. Hearing Deng Fengxian''s almost depressed tone, which seemed to imply that he was giving up, Li Luo asked with surprise, "We aren''t fighting anymore?" Deng Fengxian retracted his golden resonant power and shook his head before he calmly said, "Banner Leader Li Luo, you have improved with godly speed. I have to respect that, and since I''m at a disadvantage, there is no need to pointlessly struggle any further. I have a trump card up my sleeve, but I believe you have many more as well." At this point, numerous complex feelings welled up in his heart. Just half a year ago, Li Luo was barely in the Fiend Palace Tier. Even though he had noticed him, it was merely cursory and he did not pay too much attention. ?? Li Luo then displayed a startling performance in the Dragonbreath Pool, but everyone had merely attributed that to the assistance of Harmony. It had hidden the gap that existed between him and the other Banner Leaders. No one could have expected that in half a year''s time, Li Luo would be nipping at their heels. "Tri-Radiance Glass Body." Deng Fengxian quietly focused upon the triple glazed light radiating from Li Luo''s body. He knew that this was the best possible foundation one could have in the Glass Fiend Tier, as he had tried to achieve it himself in the past. It was a pity he had failed in the end. Cultivating it to the peak had strenuous requirements on both one''s foundation and opportunity. In the current generation of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, even Li Qingfeng had failed to achieve it. Relying on it in combination with his triple resonances, Li Luo could completely suppress the average Fiend Finisher with his huge reserves of resonant power. Thus, Deng Fengxian understood that his advantage in cultivation level was nullified, so the chances of him winning today were minute. Since he knew the result, there was naturally no need to struggle to the end. Deng Fengxian was not one that liked to waste time on impossible things. Li Luo had never expected him to give up like this. However, since his objective had been attained, he would naturally not force things. Thus, he also retracted his resonant power. Then he clasped his hands with an amicable look on his face. "In this case, I have to thank you for letting me win, Banner Leader Deng." "If neither Li Jingtao nor Li Fengyi wish to challenge you, then the position of the leader amongst the four banners belongs to you," Deng Fengxian coolly answered. The surrounding audience had turned quiet and turned their attention to the two in question. Li Jingtao had a face like a benevolent elder as he slowly enunciated his words. "We are one family. There''s no need to fight amongst ourselves." As always, the unambitious and relaxed Li Jingtao had indicated that he was uninterested in the position. Li Fengyi, on the other hand, waved a clenched fist at Li Luo whilst coldly snorting. "You want me to give up? How could things be so simple? Perhaps if you bring us all to the Ascending Cloud Pavilion for dinner tonight..." At this point, she could no longer keep up the pretense and a smile leaked out. Li Luo''s performance today was exceptionally satisfying to her. Naturally, he could only grin and nod in response. With the two expressing their stance, the entire field began to erupt into cheers, of which the Green Nether Banner was the most expressive. Zhao Yanzhi, Mu Bi, and Li Shi were the earliest followers of Li Luo, and they couldn''t help but be excited about having the opportunity to follow a boss with such great potential. It seemed that their own futures in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would be smooth as well. At this point, they were rejoicing immensely that Li Luo had chosen to enter the Green Nether Banner half a year ago. The Gold Light Banner''s morale, on the other hand, seemed to have fallen. In the beginning, they had always assumed that Deng Fengxian would become the leader of the four banners. However, the position had been seized firmly by Li Luo, which was a blow to their confidence. Additionally, there was one individual in the Gold Light Banner with an incredibly ugly expression. It was Zhong Ling, who had chosen to leave the Green Nether Banner. As he stared at his previous banner, which was now ascending into the skies, his face turned gloomy. He had similarly never expected that Li Luo could force Deng Fengxian back. It was just a short half year. When Li Luo had first joined, Zhong Ling didn''t even consider him a threat! Alas, Zhong Ling had lost to Li Luo in a duel to become the Banner Leader and reluctantly chose to leave. At that point in time, he thought that Li Luo was nothing special and would barely be able to eke out any results. Thus, he had chosen to join the Gold Light Banner in the hopes of watching the Green Nether Banner decline into obscurity. Oh, how wrong he had been. His expectations were merely castles in the skies. Under Li Luo''s guidance, the Green Nether Banner stood out with excellent results in the Dragonbreath Pool. Now, half a year later, Li Luo was standing shoulder to shoulder with the strongest Banner Leaders as well. And he had become the leader of the four banners for the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Zhong Ling felt even more awkward as a result. He could feel his fellow banner members looking at him with strange gazes. "How could he have achieved so much?" Zhong Ling said with gritted teeth. A hint of regret could be felt within his heart. If he knew how amazing Li Luo would have been, he would not have chosen to cause so much trouble. Unfortunately, it was simply too late. "Well, even though you''re the leader, you''re still no match for Li Qingfeng," Zhong Ling furiously thought in his heart in an attempt to console himself. The excitement lasted for quite some time. When the sky started darkening, the four banners made their way back. Li Luo, on the other hand, brought the other Banner Leaders to the Ascending Cloud Pavilion for a celebration. Li Jingtao, Li Fengyi, and Deng Fengxian were sitting happily at the top of the building. The atmosphere wasn''t bad. Perhaps it was because Deng Fengxian had voluntarily chosen to retreat that Li Fengyi didn''t take the opportunity to torment him. Deng Fengxian took the initiative to kindly remind Li Luo, "I heard that Li Qingfeng is determined to win the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. He''s spent the last month cultivating bitterly, and the Dragon''s Blood Lineage has supported him with untold amounts of resources. From what I know, he and Lu Qingmei are planning to break into the Heavenly Pearl Stage." Li Luo nodded. This was something that Li Jingzhe had already informed him of. If Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei truly entered the Heavenly Pearl Stage, then the Battle of the Dragon''s Head would be extremely tough. "Will they really succeed?" Li Fengyi frowned. If they succeeded, the gap between them and the other Banner Leaders would widen and the rest might not have a chance. "Their Fiend Dipper Energy is already at nine hundred and fifty feet and their foundations are sturdy. Entering the Heavenly Pearl Stage would be no surprise," Deng Fengxian explained. Li Luo sighed. This was expected from the geniuses that were nurtured from a Heavenly Emperor power. They possessed both talent and resources and should not be underestimated. Li Luo suddenly changed the topic and asked, "I''m just wondering, what other benefits are there to the Battle of the Dragon''s Head?" Li Jingtao cackled. "Third Brother, you truly waste no time. "Being the Dragon''s Head is just the first benefit. There are two more. The second one is to learn Heavenly Emperor Li''s famous Sanctified Dragon''s Body." Chapter 0903: Sanctified Dragons Body Chapter 0903: Sanctified Dragon''s Body "Sanctified Dragon''s Body?" This piqued Li Luo''s interest. Li Jingtao nodded and continued, "Its a special body-tempering art from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Once mastered, your physical body will be significantly strengthened and your resonant power will receive a great boost as well. If there were a ranking for all the body-tempering arts in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, our Sanctified Dragon''s Body would definitely stand at the top." Li Fengyi added proudly from the side, "Once you have cultivated the Sanctified Dragon''s Body, your vitality will skyrocket. As long as youre not dealt a fatal blow, you''ll recover from any injury no matter how serious it is. It''s truly a life-saving skill." "Actually, the Sanctified Dragon''s Body art is really suitable for me," Li Jingtao commented with an honest smile. Indeed, as he specialized in defensive arts, if he could get his hands on the Sanctified Dragon''s Body as well, he would be like an invincible, iron tortoise. Hearing their explanations, Li Luo was slightly moved. The Sanctified Dragon''s Body was undoubtedly a secret art that was much higher in grade than the Thunderpeal Avatar. Nonetheless, body-tempering arts would usually not boost one''s fighting prowess by much. "As members of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, we have been laying the foundation for the Sanctified Dragon''s Body for years. For example, the Draconic Breath Fiend Art that we have cultivated since the Earth Fiend Stage is not only for refining abstruse fiend lights, it''s also given us strands of Heavenly Dragon Energy. These strands will undergo a metamorphosis during the Battle of the Dragon''s Head and form the foundation for the Sanctified Dragon''s Body," Deng Fengxian explained as well. "Ordinarily speaking, as direct descendants of the Lineage Chief, you have more strands of Heavenly Dragon Energy in your body compared to others. After all, they have flowed through your blood since birth. Outsiders like me have to work harder through the cultivation of Draconic Breath Fiend Arts in order to make up the difference. As such, it''s naturally harder for us." Li Luo nodded in acknowledgement. The Sanctified Dragon''s Body was a vital part of cultivation in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. At the same time, he sighed a little. The Heavenly Emperor powers had amazed him yet again. Such a complete and elaborate inheritance process was far beyond what he had seen back in the Xia Kingdom. Even if the talents in the Xia Kingdom and the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent were at the same cultivation level, the latter would likely crush the former if they had to battle. "The Sanctified Dragon''s Body is just the first form. The final form is called the Nine Scales Form," Li Fengyi continued explaining. "Nine Scales Form?" Li Fengyi nodded as she continued, "There are two different parts to the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. The first stage is known as Dragon''s Ascent, while the second stage is known as Scales Seizure. "You''ll learn about the first stage when the time comes, there''s no need to explain further. As for the second stage, it''s one of the most important parts of the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. The Dragon''s Head is decided by it. Simply put, the focus of the second stage will be on obtaining the Divine Scales of the Heavenly Dragon. Every time you obtain a scale, your Sanctified Dragon''s Body will be upgraded by one level. If you''re able to obtain nine scales, you''ll get the Dragon''s Head position as well as the potential to cultivate the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body. "The Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body is considered one of the highest achievements for the younger generation. It''s not something that every generation''s Dragon''s Head will be able to obtain. "However, I heard that Third Uncle was able to get it back in the day." At this point, Li Fengyi paused for a moment and smiled at Li Luo. "You''ll have to work hard for it too." Li Luo simply smiled back helplessly. He was no longer surprised by his father''s achievements. Ever since he arrived in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage six months ago, he had heard about many of his fathers accomplishments. It was only natural that a man like him would accomplish feats that ordinary individuals couldn''t. Nonetheless, his primary goal was still to secure the Dragon''s Head position. His true objective was the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus, and he would fight for it by hook or by crook. As for the so-called Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body, he would just see how things turned out then. "Eldest Brother, you mentioned a third prize. Now I''m even more interested in it," Li Luo said as he turned towards Li Jingtao. Hearing this, Li Jingtao smiled and replied, "The third benefit will happen after the Battle of the Dragon''s Head concludes. It relates to a secret realm known as the Spiritual Resonance Cave. The secret realm is a really grand event in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Many major forces send their talents to fight for this rare opportunity when the time comes. "When the moment arrives, every talent in the continent will be in one place, and everyone in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent will be watching it. It''ll be a great chance to make a name for yourself and enter the Empyrean Chronicles." However, Li Luo did not have much interest in this. He just asked pragmatically, "What''s so great about the Spiritual Resonance Cave?" "Do you know why the secret realm is known as the Spiritual Resonance Cave?" Li Fengyi asked in response. Li Luo thought for a moment before he said, "I suppose it has to do with our resonance affinities?" With a smile, Li Fengyi nodded and replied, "Well, you''re a smart one. The secret realm is filled with rare materials and treasures, with some top-tier ones that can even push up the grade of one''s resonance. Moreover, there are special treasures that can give birth to a secondary resonance as well. These treasures are rare but have appeared before. They even sparked a great bloodbath among all the talents before. After all, everyone knows how much one''s strength will be boosted if they are able to get a secondary resonance." Li Luo couldnt stop himself from taking a deep breath. A rare treasure that could give birth to a secondary resonance? Wouldn''t this be the same as him with his primary and secondary resonances? Indeed, he had heard of such rumors in the past, but who would have thought that it was actually real. Nonetheless, he already had three resonances with primary and secondary resonances. This kind of treasure was not particularly interesting to him as he could no longer give birth to any more secondary resonances. In contrast, he was particularly interested in the rare treasures that could increase his resonance grade. At present, his waterlight resonance was an eighth-grade, while his woodearth resonance was seventh-grade. However, his Thunder Dragon resonance was still a sixth-grade despite all the hard work and cultivation he had put in. He had not managed to boost it to the seventh-grade yet. Since these rare treasures would likely have the same effect as liquids and lights, he might be able to get a huge increment in strength if he could get his hands on some of them. Thinking of this, Li Luo''s heart started itching. The Heavenly Origin Divine Continent was truly amazing. A wonderful place like the secret realm would be impossible to find in the outer divine continent. In the end, he could only contain his excitement. There was no rush to this. His primary focus now was the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. The Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus was his highest priority. Besides, the Spiritual Resonance Cave would attract talents from all the major forces of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. These top talents would surely be as extraordinary as Qin Yi... If he wanted to have a chance to take full advantage of this rare opportunity, he would need to raise his own strength first. For example, by cultivating the Sanctified Dragon''s Body. It would be perfect if he could cultivate the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body successfully. With this in mind, Li Luo finished up all the wine in his cup. There was renewed and heightened anticipation towards the upcoming Battle of the Dragon''s Head. Chapter 0904: Beginning of the Grand Battle Chapter 0904: Beginning of the Grand Battle As time ticked by, the day of the Battle of the Dragon''s Head arrived. On a vast field on Dragon Fang''s Mountain. Li Jingzhe stood in the center, and the elders from the four halls, as well as a few elders of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, gathered around him. The members of the four banners had also gathered in front of them, with faces full of anticipation and excitement. To them, the Battle of the Dragon''s Head was a competition to see who would become the leader of their generation. The winner would be declared the leader of the Twenty Banners. He would also be the strongest member of their generation in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. After all, every single member of the Twenty Banners was an elite cultivator specially selected from the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Although they were not the absolute best, they definitely represented the strength of this generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. The single individual who could stand out among these hundreds of thousands of elites and climb to the very top was definitely worthy of being considered the strongest member of their generation. This person would undoubtedly become the leader of the generation. Not only would they get the glory of the title, they would also receive the attention of the elders from various lineages. The elders would provide them with immense cultivation resources and help them go even further. They would grow into one of the main pillars of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. "Are you ready?" Li Jingzhe asked as he looked at the front row of the crowd. Li Luo, Deng Fengxian, Li Fengyi, and Li Jingtao were standing in front of all the banner members. They were the four who were going to participate in the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. When they heard Li Jingzhe''s voice, they nodded immediately. Seeing this, Li Jingzhe continued, "The Battle of the Dragon''s Head will be held in a secret realm. I''ll open up the portal and lead you all into it later. The elders of the halls will follow us in, while the other banner members will be able to view the battle from a projection outside." As soon as he finished speaking, rays of light shot out of the pupils of the stone dragon sculptures in the center of the square. The rays interweaved into a light curtain in midair, but the curtain remained shrouded in clouds and mist for now, obscuring any vision of the place. Next, Li Jingzhe threw out a golden dragon seal. A ray of golden light shot out of its mouth, then the void behind him started to warp into a vortex. "If you''re ready, let''s set off." With that, Li Jingzhe did not say anything more. He took a glance at the four of them before he turned around and walked into the vortex. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared without a trace. Li Luo and the other three took a look at each other before rushing up and following him closely. The four banners cheered loudly behind them. The lively cries in their ears disappeared soon after they entered. For a moment, they started to feel dizzy. This sensation lasted for a short while before the four of them could feel their feet stepping onto a cold, hard, stone floor. Taking a quick scan of their surroundings, they noticed that they had arrived in a place full of mist and clouds. In the next moment, the mist and clouds dissipated rapidly. They could see further ahead now. In the distance, there was a jade green stage full of figures. Taking a closer look, they could tell that they were the Banner Leaders from the other lineages. In the same moment, they also noticed the arrival of Li Luo and the rest. However, a vortex appeared in the void again before they could speak, and four imposing figures entered the area. Leading them was a tall and upright man with a dominant air surrounding him. It was none other than Li Qingfeng from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Beside him was the charming beauty Li Hongli. "Haha, everyone has arrived early it seems." Everyone''s attention shifted towards Li Qingfeng as soon as he entered. With a smile on his face, he put his hands together and greeted the other Banner Leaders. In the same moment, chatter exploded amongst the crowd. Everyone knew that Li Qingfeng was a strong contender for winning the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. As Li Luo stared at him, he could also feel a terrifying pressure emanating from him. His heart fluttered a little. It was very likely that Li Qingfeng had entered the Heavenly Pearl Tier. This was not really surprising. He was already at the Fiend Finisher Tier when Li Luo arrived in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage half a year ago. With nine hundred feet of Fiend Dipper Energy and his exceptional talent, it was only expected that he would break into the Heavenly Pearl Tier successfully. "It seems like you have advanced into the Heavenly Pearl Tier, Banner Leader Li Qingfeng," Li Senyan, the Banner Leader of Thunder Horn Banner, commented with a big smile. He had sensed the changes emanating from Li Qingfeng too. As soon as the other Banner Leaders heard this, their faces changed as well. Many were looking at him with envy and admiration. Humbly, Li Qingfeng smiled and replied, "Yes, I finally managed to do so after months of hard work. I hope the rest of you won''t find it comical." Li Senyan responded with a bitter smile, "Who would dare to laugh at you? With this breakthrough, there is no need for the Battle of the Dragon''s Head anymore. The winner will surely be you, Banner Leader Li Qingfeng." It was a commonly known fact that the Dragon''s Horn Lineage and the Dragon''s Blood Lineage were close to each other. As the Banner Leader of Thunder Horn Banner, Li Senyan was naturally close to Li Qingfeng. His words were clearly meant to decrease the competition for Li Qingfeng here. However, the other Banner Leaders could not refute him despite knowing his intentions. Even though they knew that Li Qingfeng''s advancement to the Heavenly Pearl Tier was mainly aimed at securing the Dragon''s Head position, they were clear that none of them could pose any threat to him other than Lu Qingmei. "Not necessarily so." Li Hongli laughed coquettishly. With a sly smile, she continued, "There''s still the fellow who obtained the Golden Dragon Pillar, right? Maybe he will surprise us yet again?" With such strong gunpowder hidden in her words, the attention of the Banner Leaders shifted towards Li Luo immediately. Li Fengyi raised her eyebrows when she heard those words, and she replied with a sneer, "Thank you for your kind words. I hope you aren''t celebrating too early, or you may have to take back your own words once again." Hearing this, Li Hongli smiled faintly and said, "See, do you really think that? You must remember that you can''t use Harmony in this competition. It''s all up to the individual''s strength. I''m afraid that someone will be beaten back home once he loses the assistance of external aid." Just as Li Fengyi was about to retort, Li Luo stepped in and stopped her. He replied with a serious tone, "Forget it, let''s not bicker with her. We are noble and respectable direct descendants. Unlike her, who''s just seeking our attention. The more you bicker with her, the happier she''ll be." Li Fengyi was taken aback for a moment. The corners of her mouth couldn''t help but twitch a little. At the same time, the other Banner Leaders watched with strange expressions. Li Luo''s words had been really vicious and unforgiving, despite the veneer of politeness. Li Hongli, on the other hand, was so fuming mad that her face turned green instantly. "What nonsense are you spewing? Why do I need to seek your attention?!" In response, Li Luo kept his mouth shut and ignored her completely. This made Li Hongli even more furious. Her face became greener, and steam seemed to be coming from her head. At this point, Li Qingfeng stepped in. "There''s no need to be so harsh with your words towards a girl. That''s not very gentlemanly of you." "Oh? Do you want some attention too?" Li Luo asked in surprise. Li Qingfeng''s expression changed immediately as well. He did not bother to say more. Seeing this, the other Banner Leaders did not dare to talk to Li Luo. A few moments later, space began to twist once again. A slender and tall figure stepped into the field, and a glazed rod full of cracks slammed into the ground with a crisp thud. It was none other than Lu Qingmei. She was wearing plain clothes on her delicate and exquisite body. Her short hair that barely covered her ears made her seem both sassy and capable whilst her long, slender, and straight legs were particularly eye-catching. As soon as she entered the space, she could sense that the atmosphere was a bit off. This naturally piqued her curiosity, so she approached Li Luo, who was standing nearby. "What happened here?" she asked. Li Luo smiled and replied, "They aren''t interested in speaking with me, it seems." Lu Qingmei was confused by his reply, but she did not probe further. Instead, she observed Li Luo''s body from head to toe and emphasized, "On the contrary, you seem to have attracted my interest." Li Luo was shocked by her words. He looked at her with a complex expression. "Hey, you''ve ruined my plans. What''s with this smooth flirting?" She simply held up her glazed rod and slammed it into the ground once again. "I look forward to your performance. Although you will not have the aid of Harmony this time, I know that you''ve hidden a lot of aces up your sleeve. Please do not disappoint me." Li Luo looked back at the martial arts fanatic helplessly. Her senses were clearly sharper than Li Honglis. As two were speaking, violent waves started to appear in the misty space in front of the jade-green stage. Everyone''s attention was instantly drawn towards it. When the thick mist receded, everyone noticed an enormous, stone dragon appear in front of them, winding and hovering far into the distance. The stone dragon was like a majestic mountain floating in the air. At the same time, there was an extremely terrifying aura of oppression around it that caused the surrounding space to tremble in its presence. It seemed like the stone dragon was actually alive for a moment. When everyone took a look at this object that was as tall as a mountain, they understood immediately. This was the first stage of the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. The Dragon''s Ascent. Chapter 905: 30,000 Feet Stone Dragon Chapter 905: 30,000 Feet Stone Dragon The mountain-like, stone dragon was far in the distance. It gave off an aura that was oppressively terrifying, causing the void around it to shudder. Li Luo and the rest stared at it from the stage. They felt like tiny, little ants in comparison, a feeling of awe rising up within them. All of a sudden, a majestic voice sounded in the air and echoed throughout the space. "This is the Dragon''s Ascent, the first stage of the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. "All participants will have to ascend this stone dragon that spans thirty thousand feet in length. With each step, you will have to overcome a terrifyingly oppressive dragonfear. This will be a test of not just your physical strength, but your mental fortitude as well. Only those who can conquer all their fears will be able to reach the head of the stone dragon. At the same time, the dragonfear will be a rare opportunity for you all. With each step that you take, a strand of dragonbreath will infuse into your body. This will help you build up your foundation for the Sanctified Dragon''s Body later. Therefore, please make good use of this opportunity." As he listened to the regal voice, Li Luo stared at the stone dragon entrenched in the void in front of him. He had spent the past two days doing his homework on the Battle of the Dragon''s Head, so he already knew all this information. The first stage, the Dragon''s Ascent, was extremely important. One could acquire strands of dragonbreath during this stage, and those strands would be repeatedly refined by the dragonfear. This process would forge and fuse them closely with one''s body. Only after passing this stage would they form the foundation to begin cultivating the Sanctified Dragon''s Body. Otherwise, the dragonbreath in their body would be in disarray and beyond what their current power could control. This meant that their strength would not be boosted at all. Without this forging, there was no other way they could utilize these strands of mysterious dragonbreath, resulting in them being useless in the end. "You''ll need to reach thirty thousand feet in order to get the perfect Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body. That is the only way for the dragonbreath to be completely refined by the dragonfear so it can fuse flawlessly with your bodies. It''s the foundation for the Nine Scales Form." Simply put, Dragon''s Ascent was like a training mechanism. Its purpose was to prepare the participants for the next stage, where they would gather the materials for the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body. Li Luo''s eyes lit up at this thought. He was naturally very interested in the ultimate form of the Sanctified Dragon''s Body. After all, it was top-tier! His strength would surely skyrocket if he got his hands on it. Hence, Li Luo decided to give it a try. Of course, if it was too difficult, there was no need for him to force it. As Li Luo was pondering over it, the clouds in the misty sky started to form a bridge connecting the jade-green stage to the stone dragon. "Let''s go." After the voice resonated in the air, the twenty Banner Leaders stepped forward without any hesitation. Their resonant power surged up and they flashed across the bridge, heading towards the stone dragon. After a few moments, the mountain-like dragon got larger and larger in their eyes. Soon, they stepped onto its tail. They were currently standing on the hard, gray-white steps of a stone staircase. The stairs were mottled, as if they had been there for many years. As soon as Li Luo and the rest took the first step up, they sensed a gigantic pressure press down on them like a boulder weighing thousands of kilograms. At the same time, a horrifying, draconic roar entered their ears. The sound instilled an indescribable terror within them that slowed down the flow of their resonant power. In fact, even their minds were affected. They were overwhelmed with fear, making them feel like turning around and fleeing. This was the dragonfear emitted by the stone dragon. Nonetheless, the Banner Leaders were the elite amongst elites in this generation of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. Although their faces had changed a little, they did not lose their cool over it and quickly composed themselves. This was just the beginning. If they could not even handle this, there was no need to talk about the Dragon''s Ascent at all. The stone staircase was wide enough that the twenty Banner Leaders could keep a considerable distance from each other. None of them said anything; they just silently began their climb. The Dragon''s Ascent had started. As Li Luo and the rest made their way up the long and lengthy flight of stairs on the stone dragon, an elevated platform materialized in the air. Many figures were spectating their ascent from it. Naturally, the Lineage Chiefs of the five lineages were sitting in the front. The elders and Hall Masters were behind them. As Li Tianji, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, watched the little, black dots make their way up the stone dragon, he smiled and was the first to break the ice. "Speaking of which, it''s been a long time since we''ve seen someone complete the whole thirty thousand feet, right?" The other Lineage Chiefs nodded. It was extremely tough to reach the peak. In the past few years, the best record was only around twenty-nine thousand feet, still falling a bit short. At this moment, the silver-haired Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage, Li Qingying, turned towards Li Jingzhe with a smile. "The kid named Li Luo surprised all of us with his spectacular performance in the Dragonbreath Pool. Do you think he will surprise us in the Dragon''s Ascent like his father?" Hearing this, Li Tianji smiled a little and replied, "I think there''s a chance. If not, Lineage Chief Li Jingzhe would not have so easily agreed to using the Battle of the Dragon''s Head to decide on who gets the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus from our Ancestor." Hearing about the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus, the faces of the other Lineage Chiefs changed immediately. This was an extremely rare and valuable ingredient that piqued their interest as well. They had also tried to trade numerous resources for it multiple times. In response, Li Jingzhe simply replied, "Just giving it a try. However, I am really determined to get the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus. Regardless of the result, I hope the other Lineage Chiefs can help me with this." Li Tianji laughed and responded, "Sure, we can talk about it when the time comes. I understand that you are a man of principle, Lineage Chief Li Jingzhe. If any of the other four Lineage Chiefs get it, I am sure you will trade a worthy and satisfactory treasure for it." At this point, Li Jinjiao, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Horn Lineage, also nodded. What made him special was that there was a golden horn glowing on his head. He smiled and said, "I''ve always wanted to see Lineage Chief Li Jingzhes Heavenly Temple Lotus for myself. If there''s a chance, may I borrow it from you?" Li Jingzhe did not show any reaction when he heard this. However, he was cursing him in his heart. This sly, old fox is trying to exploit me to the fullest! He still covets my Heavenly Temple Lotus? Hmph! If he dares to piss me off, I will tear off that horn of your head! He did not comment any further on this matter. At this moment, he simply looked towards the stone dragon and whispered to himself, "Li Luo, whether we obtain the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus smoothly is up to you... If you fail, I''ll get exploited by these old farts." With a light push off from his toes, Li Luo flipped in the air and easily conquered a few more steps. When he landed on the mottled staircase, he could feel a mysterious force enter his body through the soles of his feet. It was something that was far beyond his control. Once it entered his body, it disappeared without a trace. Li Luo could not sense it any longer, but he knew that this was the so-called Heavenly Dragonbreath. As he made his way up the stairs, the terrifying dragonfear gradually grew stronger. His body seemed to be crying out and shaking in fear. "It seems like there are subtle changes taking place deep inside my body," Li Luo muttered to himself. He could feel burning air rising up somewhere within his body after each step. At the same time, the dragonfear struck him like a heavy hammer repeatedly. It was like his body was getting forged into something stronger and better. Besides that, Li Luo could also sense some subtle changes taking place in his three resonant palaces under the repeated strikes from the dragonfear. Resonant power was flowing actively within them, as if something was brewing. It seemed to be... the birth of Fiend Dipper Energy. Li Luo had gone through repeated tempering in Li Jingzhe''s fire veil in order to refine Fiend Dipper Energy, but he didnt see much success. However, he shifted his focus to cultivating the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation afterwards and delayed his cultivation in that area. Now, he could feel his resonant power being refined through the repeated forging of his body with the aid of dragonfear. Excitement bubbled up within Li Luo. Perhaps this competition was a chance for him to refine his Fiend Dipper Energy. He paused in his tracks for a moment and scanned his surroundings. It had been roughly an hour since the Dragon''s Ascent began. The twenty Banner Leaders were doing their best to make their way up. However, the beginning half of the trail was not considered challenging to most of them at all. Nearly everyone had made it to five thousand feet smoothly. It was only at this point that differences started to emerge among the Banner Leaders. There were two individuals in front of everyone: Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei. Their resonant power was the strongest and the effects of the dragonfear on them was minimal. Hence, their speed of ascent was the fastest. Behind them, there were people like Deng Fengxian, Li Hongli, and Li Senyan. This was the group where Li Luo found himself in at the moment. Behind them, it was the Banner Leaders with weaker foundations, including Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao. In particular, Li Jingtao was nearly all the way at the end of the group. However, his ascent was slow but steady. Taking one step at a time, he was not in a rush and proceeded forward steadily like an old cow. Li Luo shifted his gaze back to the two figures in the lead. Their current positions here were not deterministic of their final positions. Everyone would endure the first half of the ascent quite easily; the differences would only start to surface in the latter half. Phew. Li Luo took a deep breath and calmed himself down. This was not the time to fight for the first position. He decided to make good use of the dragonfear to strengthen his body and refine his resonant power. He knew that his foundation in the Fiend Body Tier had already reached the maximum possible threshold and it was about time for his Fiend Dipper Energy to appear. Fiend Finisher Tier, here I come! Chapter 0906: Dragons Infernal Baptism Chapter 0906: Dragon''s Infernal Baptism The first individual to reach the fifteen thousand foot point was, to no ones surprise, Li Qingfeng. However, right at that moment, everyone saw a sudden change take place around his body. Gray wisps of flame materialized around him and quickly condensed into a long, gray-flame dragon. The dragon circled around Li Qingfeng before passing directly through him. It did not incinerate his clothes, but as soon as it made contact, Li Qingfeng immediately halted in his steps and a trace of pain could be seen on his handsome face. This was known as the Dragon''s Infernal Baptism. When one first crossed the fifteen thousand foot mark, they would experience a trial that served to exemplify how difficult the Dragon''s Ascent truly was. The gray-flame dragon would ignite one''s flesh, blood, bones, and even their resonant power. This effect would renew every time the dragon circled around the individual, which was a tremendous test of one''s will. However, this smelting would also destroy the impurities in one''s body and refine their physical state. Of course, the more impurities there were in one''s body, the greater the burn, and thus the greater the pain. Thus, if one did not have a strong will, they would reach their limit at the midway point and be unable to proceed any further. However, Li Qingfeng merely paused for a few seconds before he staunchly stepped forward yet again. Just a single gray-flame dragon was not enough to stop him. This was just the beginning thoughthe number of dragons would increase the higher he went. There would be a total of eight dragons at the twenty-nine thousand foot mark. When one reached the final one hundred feet, they would encounter the most difficult part of the trial: the Nine Dragons Infernal Baptism. This was the greatest impediment of the Dragon''s Ascent. Countless geniuses of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages were stopped right at that step, unable to achieve the highest glory. Meanwhile, the group behind Li Qingfeng was closely observing the gray-flame dragon that circled around him. Their gazes were solemn as they knew that this was a trial they would soon face. As Li Luo observed this, he couldn''t help but to think of Li Jingzhe''s Nine Dragon Fire Veil. He had spent countless days being tormented by it, so it could be said that he was prepared for what lay ahead. Although the affinities of the flames were not the same, it should have improved his tolerance. Just as Li Luo was thinking of all this, Lu Qingmei vaulted ahead and also reached the fifteen thousand foot mark, undergoing the smelting of flame. A moment later, the group that was just behind had made their way up as well. Li Luo similarly maintained his rhythm and stepped onto the same step as the rest. Gray-flame dragons then appeared, coiling around each of the participants, occasionally tunneling through them. Huge amounts of piercing heat could be felt coming from their bodies. Even Li Luo couldn''t stop himself from frowning in pain. This flame was indeed different from Li Jingzhe''s Nine Dragon''s Flame Veil. More accurately, Li Jingzhe''s flame was grand and domineering, possessing destructive properties. On the other hand, this gray flame was much more subtle, looking to permeate through every inch of his being. When the flame dragon passed through him, the impurities lying in the depths of his flesh were ignited one after another. With a deep breath, he composed himself and simultaneously released his Glass Fiend Body with three glazed colors. Tri-Radiance Glass Body. His body seemed to have turned into a glazed piece of glass, allowing the dragon flames to burn him. It even seemed as though his body was turning even clearer and more refined as a result. With the appearance of the three-colored light, Li Luo could feel that the pressure and pain brought about by the gray dragon flame had diminished. Perhaps one of the benefits of reaching the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier was that his body possessed less impurities and thus he felt less pain in this particular trial. Although reaching the Glass Fiend Tier was not rare amongst the Banner Leaders, he was the only who had reached this realm. Thus, Li Luo''s climbing speed increased. With less impurities in his body, the degree of pain inflicted by the dragon was lessened, resulting in a noticeable advantage for him. In a short span of time, he overtook Li Hongli, Deng Fengxian, and the rest. His sudden increase in speed was the subject of numerous surprised gazes. The others were all suffering from grievous pain due to the incinerating flames and could barely move. Meanwhile, Li Luo was increasing in speed? Even the two at the front, Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei, could sense a disturbance coming from behind them, so they turned to take a closer look. However, when they spotted the tri-colored radiance coming from Li Luo''s body, their expressions changed as they immediately recognized it. "Tri-Radiance Glass!" Li Hongli sputtered, and her beautiful face turned gloomy. All those who had reached the Glass Fiend Tier were well aware of the highest realm one could reach. However, doing so came with corresponding difficulty. One''s body had to build a strong foundation, and they would have to find external lucky opportunities. In their generation, even Li Qingfeng was unable to do so! On the other hand, it seemed like Li Luo had accomplished the impossible. What is that brat up to? How has someone who spent so many years languishing in the outer divine continent managed to build such a sturdy foundation? Li Hongli clenched her teeth. Her father was in the same generation as Li Taixuan and she had been raised on a diet of envious and disgusted words towards him. She didn''t understand why the loathing was so intense back then, but her viewpoint had changed. She could even empathize slightly with her father now. "Hmph. He''s merely outstanding in the Fiend Body Tier. Li Luo is worthless compared to Brother Qingfeng. Does he think he can rely on the Tri-Radiance Glass Body to obtain the Dragon''s Head? An idle fantasy. How can the huge gap be bridged so easily?" Li Hongli cursed with a deep sigh in her mind as she attempted to console herself. After which, she quashed these thoughts in her heart and continued to focus upon the gray-flame dragons, no longer bothering with Li Luo. Li Qingfeng''s gaze also rested upon Li Luo momentarily before he turned away, continuing to forge his way up the steps. He was not affected significantly. The Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier was rare, but Li Luo was still at the Fiend Body Tier. He, on the other hand, was at the Heavenly Pearl Tier. Thus, this wouldn''t change things. Although the Tri-Radiance Glass Body allowed the pressure of the dragons to be lessened, it was not possible for it to change the inevitable result. Lu Qingmei, on the other hand, had a look of increased interest. Li Luo was constantly surprising her. "The Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend tier is truly rare. Hopefully, I''ll get to encounter him during the Scales Seizure and I will finally see for myself whether it''s enough to stop me," she thought to herself with great anticipation. Li Luo remained unfazed by all the gazes. He was not going to waste this opportunity, and he increased his speed yet again. He left Li Hongli and Deng Fengxian far behind as he attempted to close the gap between him and the frontrunners. It seemed that he would soon catch up with the first group. Just as Li Luo was hot on the heels of the leaders, the other Banner Leaders finally reached the fifteen thousand foot mark. It was at this point that the gap between individuals could be seen as the distance between them opened up. Everyone was sweating profusely, their gazes full of pain, their bodies literally burning from the gray-flame dragons. Each and every step increased their agony by a tiny notch. As everyone slowly suffered, their speed plummeted, but they could suddenly feel a figure advancing relentlessly from the back. Was that Li Jingtao? Li Jingtao was not considered quick. Each step was measured and deliberate, steadily advancing. In the beginning, his speed was incomparable to the likes of Li Fengyi and the rest. However, while everyone began to slow down at the halfway mark, he remained unaffected. As a result, the gap shrunk. Li Jingtao huffed and puffed up the steps, overtaking most of them. Numerous Banner Leaders turned towards him. Li Jingtao was fully focused upon climbing as the gray-flame dragon constantly passed through him. For some strange reason, his expression seemed relatively unchanged, as though it wasn''t very painful. Even with the dragonfear surrounding him, he remained unperturbed. Everyone felt like his unchanging stance and determination were inconceivable. Li Fengyi similarly looked at him with astonishment as they were now almost neck and neck. Perhaps the number of people watching him was a little too much, and Li Jingtao finally seemed to have realized something. Turning his head, he swept his gaze past the numerous curious looks before something seemed to have gone off in his head. He hurriedly let out a foolish smile and began to slow his steps. But before he was able to relax, Li Fengyi''s chilly voice rang out. "I''ll break your legs if you dare to stop!" She had a great understanding of this lazy bum and thus gave him a stern warning. Otherwise, he might very well just end up slacking off completely. This threat caused Li Jingtao to freeze momentarily before he flashed his most endearing smile at Li Fengyi. Reluctantly, he could only maintain his existing pace as he trudged upwards, leaving the entire group behind and catching up with Li Hongli and Deng Fengxian''s group. Li Hongli felt a hint of movement behind her. Turning around, she saw that it was Li Jingtao, and her expression turned ugly. All of her feelings could be expressed in a single sentence. Don''t come near me! Chapter 0907: The Exceptional Li Jingtao Chapter 0907: The Exceptional Li Jingtao Li Jingtao''s sudden approach startled Li Hongli. The degree of shock that had just hit her far surpassed what she felt when Li Luo had strode past her. Li Luo might have been in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages for merely half a year, but the miracles he had created had forced everyone to accept that he was indeed talented, whether they liked it or not. Unlike him, Li Jingtao had always been a quiet and unimpressive individual. If not for his impressive performance with his Duke Art during the Dragonbreath Pool Battle, he might have simply faded into complete obscurity. There was no other way to describe his reputation. He barely registered on anyone''s radar. Li Jingtao was warm and gentle, never seeking conflict with others. As a result, he never showed any ambition and thus no one paid any attention to him. Since this was the case, she inevitably felt that Li Jingtao catching up to her was a massive outrage. Just what was he relying on? Li Hongli''s beautiful round eyes glared deathly at him. Li Jingtao was similarly taken aback by her sudden reaction, so he moved off to the side before continuing his ascent. He was on the verge of overtaking her, and her expression had turned a steely green as a result. All the resonant power within her then exploded outwards and she forcefully increased her speed, creating a gap between them. Her actions might have given her a quick burst of speed, but this disrupted her momentum and cadence. With the gray-flame dragon burning away, her resonant power was consumed rapidly. Once she ran out of resonant power, it would be extremely difficult to continue climbing any further. If she had maintained a rational mind, she would not have done so. However, her competitive spirit had been ignited by Li Jingtao and all reason had been thrown away. At the same time, Deng Fengxian, Li Senyan, and Li Kun were also a little shocked, and they shook their heads. She was simply too emotional, and now her journey up the Dragon''s Ascent would come to a premature end. Still, Li Jingtao''s sudden appearance had raised alarm bells. His disgusting defensive abilities had caused others to start paying attention to him, and his climbing speed further showed that he was not merely average after all. It could only be said that Li Jingtao''s foundation did not pale in comparison to theirs. More importantly, the Dragon''s Infernal Baptism did not seem to have much of an effect on him. There was only one possible reason: his body was similar to Li Luo''s, practically free of impurities. Still, no one had ever heard of him reaching the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier. At the same time, a surprised cry was heard from the platform where the Lineage Chiefs and the elders were sitting. The five Lineage Chiefs were now inspecting Li Jingtao''s body with their peerless vision, which seemed to be able to penetrate everything. The light in Li Jingzhe''s eyes flashed briefly and his expression shifted. "Ah, Li Jingtao has a truly peculiar body." The one that had spoken was the Dragon''s Bone Lineages Lineage Chief, Li Xuanwu. He possessed a body like a giant''s, being the strongest physical cultivator amongst the five Lineage Chiefs. Indescribable amounts of blood energy emanated from his very being, so intense that it seemed to have transformed into its own world around his body. It was a mystical sight. Li Xuanwu, the one with the strongest body in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. He was focused on Li Jingtao, and a bloodlight flashed through his eyes. When he spoke, it was like thunder booming in the skies. "His body has been refined and seems to be incredibly tenacious. His flesh and blood have attained a purity that far surpasses any of the other Banner Leaders. He seems to have practiced some sort of body-tempering Duke Art, and its not a low-grade one. However, his body seems a little strange. It might be resilient, but the amount of energy it''s able to produce doesn''t seem to be great either. How should I put it? He seems like an invincible... sandbag?" At this point, Li Xuanwu''s gaze turned a little strange. Just what sort of oddling was this Li Jingtao kid? He had cultivated his body to such an extreme, demonstrating immense talent. The advantage of cultivating a strong body lay in its majestic strength. One punch could shatter the skies and rend the earth. It was tyrannical and unyielding. His body was strong indeed... but only in terms of being extremely resilient. With how impervious Li Jingtaos body was, Li Xuanwu felt that even if countless Banner Leaders ganged up upon him, they would only end up exhausted with nothing to show for it! "Lineage Chief Jingzhe, this brat is suitable for body tempering. Why don''t you send him over to the Dragon''s Bone Lineage for cultivation? The Dragon''s Fang Lineage focuses on offense, which doesn''t seem to fit him." Li Xuanwu smiled. Li Jingzhe peered at Li Jingtao and emotionlessly replied, "With his mischievous and mild-tempered personality... I don''t think he would be a good fit for the Dragon''s Bone Lineage either." The Dragon''s Bone Lineage''s cultivation was arduous and bitter. Li Jingzhe knew Li Jingtao''s personality all too well. If he were thrown there, he would simply feign death at the earliest sign and throw the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s reputation into the mud... "Actually... Li Luo would be the best choice. Since he managed to reach the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier, it means that his foundation for cultivating a strong body is incomparably firm! If you agree, the Dragon''s Bone Lineage would happily take him in." Li Xuanwus grin grew wider. Li Jingzhe smiled as well and replied noncommittally, "The Dragon''s Bone Lineage might indeed be the best at body cultivation, but that doesn''t mean that he belongs there. That kid is extraordinary in all regards, and his strong physical body is but one of his strengths. I have a feeling that he will become even more outstanding than his unreliable father." This casual statement caught the four other Lineage Chiefs off guard. Everyone was well aware that Li Taixuan was Li Jingzhe''s most prized son. Li Taixuan was the only young person who had shown such exceptional potential in the recent generations of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Furthermore, when he was at the peak of his prominence, there were countless rumors that the future Dragon''s Fang Lineage might attain the celebrated status of having two Kings within a single lineage! If such a thing actually happened, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would undoubtedly lead the five lineages in terms of both absolute strength and reputation. Alas, it was a pity... that Li Taixuan was struck with misfortune, being forced into the outer divine continent. Even till today, there was no news from him. It had prevented the rise of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, even before it began. Li Taixuan was exceptionally impressive, and yet Li Jingzhe actually thought even more highly of his grandson? The Dragon''s Blood Lineages Lineage Chief Li Tianji smiled slightly. "The fact that Lineage Chief Jingzhe hopes for his grandson to grow into an exceptional individual is expected. However, he is still only at the Fiend Body Tier. As for any results, we will have to see what happens. At the very least, Li Taixuan was able to weather through the Nine Dragons Infernal Baptism. We still have yet to see if Li Luo will be able to do so." "Keep watching, then." Li Jingzhe smirked. Li Tianji nodded. "Then we''ll keep watching." While the five Lineage Chiefs sparred verbally, the Dragon''s Ascent continued. The twenty Banner Leaders roused their resonant power one after another, doing their best to resist the pain brought about by the grilling of the gray-flame dragons as they forced their way upwards. Li Luo was similarly just a few feet behind Lu Qingmei. He could be considered to be part of the first and fastest climbing group. At this point, the trio had reached the twenty-thousand foot mark. The number of flame dragons around them had increased to three. Vigorous dragon flames roasted their bodies while dragonfear pressed down upon them. At this point in time, regardless of whether it was Li Luo, Li Qingfeng, or Lu Qingmei, everyone was sweating buckets. Their steps felt incomparably heavy and an expression full of suffering was evident on all their faces. Despite this, they maintained the same pace as they continued to climb. An hour passed like this. Li Luo''s group had now surpassed the twenty-six thousand foot mark. There were now six dragons around each of them. They could now feel a tremendous pressure pushing down upon them. Each and every step brought about an immense bout of agony. Bang! It was at this point that Li Qingfeng exploded forth with frightening amounts of resonant power. Amidst the majestic surge of resonant power, everyone could clearly see a single pearl of energy manifesting behind him. Everyone felt like they had been struck by a bolt of lightning. This was... a Heavenly Pearl. Although they had long prepared themselves mentally for this sight, the numerous Banner Leaders felt complicated emotions well up within them. This was undeniable proof that he had broken through. They were clear that Li Qingfeng was planning to take advantage of his strength to rush to the peak in a single go. Chapter 0908: 29,700 Feet Chapter 0908: 29,700 Feet When the Heavenly Pearl materialized behind Li Qingfeng, the worldly natural energy in his surroundings trembled violently and rushed towards it. As it gathered around the Heavenly Pearl, the energy was instantly transformed and fused into Li Qingfeng''s body. His resonant power instantly surged up immensely. A wave of terrifying resonant power pressure swept across the field. Not far behind him, Lu Qingmei and Li Luo were partially affected, and their pace slowed. The Heavenly Pearl Tier was part of the Heavenly Dipper General Stage. In terms of resonant power strength and intensity, it was far ahead of the Fiend Finisher Tier, which was at the end of the Earth Fiend General Stage. Each Heavenly Pearl was like an engine to a machine. Not only could it bolster one''s resonant power by itself, it could also gather up the worldly natural energy from the surroundings and strengthen the user. At this moment, Li Luo''s eyes turned serious as he stared at Li Qingfengs back. He posed a much bigger threat after breaking into the Heavenly Pearl Tier. The talents from the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages were truly extraordinary. If they were in the Astral Sage College, Li Qingfeng would have been in the Three Star Hall. Reaching the Heavenly Pearl Tier at his age would surely have caused a huge commotion in the Xia Kingdom. At this moment, Li Qingfeng could feel the immense resonant power flowing through his body. With this, the dragonfear from the stone dragon became considerably weaker than before. He took another glance at the six flame dragons circling around him. His face remained unchanged as he took another steady step forward. He continued his climb towards the top, this time at a much faster pace than before. As he sped up the mottled stone stairs, another one hundred feet were covered in the blink of an eye. Everyone else was left behind in the dust. Astonished cries erupted from the back. At this very moment, Li Qingfeng had stolen the limelight. This must have caused a really huge commotion even amongst the thousands of banner members spectating from the outside. When Lu Qingmei saw Li Qingfeng getting further and further ahead, she turned around and asked Li Luo, who was not far behind, "What do you think? Are you still confident in becoming the Dragon''s Head? The power of the Heavenly Pearl Tier far exceeds that of the Fiend Finisher." Hearing this, Li Luo replied with a sigh. "Indeed, he''s truly amazing. He''s without a doubt the most famous guy in the Twenty Banners for a reason. However, having such a formidable rival will be a good chance to sharpen myself too." "Using an opponent at the Heavenly Pearl Tier to sharpen yourself? You''re brazen. Aren''t you afraid of breaking yourself if you make a mistake?" Lu Qingmei asked with a raised eyebrow. "It''s just the Heavenly Pearl Tier; it can''t be that bad, right?" Li Luo replied with a laugh. "If those words had come from anyone else, I''d write them off as being arrogant. But since it''s you, I''ll give you a pass. I''ll wait and evaluate your upcoming performance before drawing a conclusion," Lu Qingmei calmly responded. At this point, Li Luo stared at her and smiled. "Banner Leader Lu Qingmei, you must have broken into the Heavenly Pearl Tier too. Why aren''t you using yours?" "I won''t hold back, then." Lu Qingmei smiled brightly. Then the wind lightly ruffled her tidy, short hair, and she gave off the confident aura of a heroine. As soon as she finished speaking, a ray of light emerged behind her figure. The light grew brighter rapidly, and a dazzling pearl of energy condensed behind her. This pearl of energy was like a blackhole that sucked in all the worldly natural energy from the surroundings before fusing it with the resonant power flowing inside her. Without a doubt, Lu Qingmei had entered the Heavenly Pearl Tier too. However, the brightness of her Heavenly Pearl paled slightly in comparison to Li Qingfengs. Nonetheless, she was still at the Heavenly Pearl Tier. "I''ll make a move first," Lu Qingmei said as her resonant power surged up. She instantly flashed ahead as she chased after Li Qingfeng. As Li Luo watched their figures rapidly shrinking into the distance far ahead, his face remained unchanged. He was not particularly rushed or panicking over it. Instead, he maintained his pace steadily and proceeded with his climb. As the six flame dragons floated around his body, they continued to occasionally pass through him, resulting in excruciating pain. The burning sensation made him feel like he was about to burst into flames from the inside out. Raging flames burned inside him while dragonfear pressed down upon him from outside. Under such tremendous torture, there was no room for one''s mind to waver, not even for a moment. It would be close to impossible for one to take another step if that happened. Li Luo kept his eyes on the end goal as a glimmer of a tri-colored light enveloped his Glass Fiend Body. The resonant power in his three resonant palaces was becoming purer and more condensed thanks to the repeated incineration of the flame dragon. As his resonant power flowed, there seemed to be a really faint ray of light being conceived deep within his body. When the light glowed, there was an extreme fierceness to it. This was the Fiend Dipper Energy of the Fiend Finisher Tier. Although the Dragon''s Ascent was extremely tough and challenging, Li Luo was utilizing the tremendous pressure from it to help him attain another breakthrough. With that in mind, Li Luo made his way up, one step at a time. The situation on hand had completely changed while he was doing so. With the aid from their Heavenly Pearls, Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei had gone way ahead of the rest. Twenty-seven thousand feet. Twenty-eight thousand feet. In the end, they both nearly reached the twenty-nine thousand foot mark. There were eight flame dragons swimming around their bodies at this point. They impeded the Heavenly Pearl Tier duo like eight chains tethering them to the ground, bringing indescribable pain with every step they took. At the same time, the dragonfear from the stone dragon had reached a truly terrifying point. The Heavenly Pearls on their backs radiated strongly, trying their best to resist the immense pressure. At the twenty-nine thousand foot mark, Li Qingfeng was the first one to pause in his tracks. He looked at the peak ahead with an eye of seriousness. He was so close to the finishing line. However, the flame dragons around his body would increase to nine as soon as he took one more step forward. The legendary Nine Dragons Infernal Baptism. This was the scariest part of the Dragon''s Ascent. There must have been countless talents who had their journey brought to a halt here. Even with his Heavenly Pearl Tier cultivation, Li Qingfeng was not confident that he could climb the last thousand feet. Numerous Heavenly Pearl Tier Banner Leaders had been forced to a halt at this exact same point. As he pondered over this, his eyes lit up. Li Qingfeng shoved all his worries and hesitation aside and took a step forward. After coming this far, he had to give it a try no matter how tough it was. With countless gazes trained on him, he bravely took a step forward. A gray light appeared as soon as his foot landed on the mottled stone step, transforming into the ninth flame dragon. The moment this happened, the other eight flame dragons suddenly let out low, draconic roars. It was like the dragons had achieved some sort of resonance with each other with the addition of the ninth. The nine flame dragons grew even bigger and livelier. At this moment, even the dragon scales on their bodies became significantly more clear. One could clearly see the fire runes carved on the dragons bodies now. In the next moment, the nine flame dragons opened their maws tyrannically and breathed fire onto Li Qingfeng. His resonant power burst ablaze immediately. Li Qingfeng possessed a quasi ninth-grade Wind Dragon resonance, which already produced an extremely pure and mighty form of resonant power. Even with this, his resonant power was unable to resist, burning up rapidly under the domineering flames. The Heavenly Pearl behind him glowed resplendently as it was pushed to the maximum, sucking in the worldly natural energy to replenish Li Qingfeng''s resonant power as quickly as possible. Yet the dragonfear from the outside strengthened at this point too. When it slammed onto the Heavenly Pearl, a faint ringing sound could be heard. Li Qingfeng gritted his teeth tightly and started to sweat profusely. Every step forward required every bit of his will. But he continued his climb, one step at a time. At this moment, nearly everyone was watching him. After all, it was not common to see someone attempt to reach the top. Even Lu Qingmei had stopped her advance and watched him quietly from the back. She stared at Li Qingfeng intently, wanting to see how far he could go. Under everyone''s gazes, Li Qingfeng conquered one step after another. He pushed his quasi ninth-grade Wind Dragon resonance to its extreme, and a faint manifestation of a wind dragon could be seen behind him. He burst forth with everything he had, leaving nothing in reserve. Green veins bulged out of his forehead, and he let out a low growl. Just as Li Qingfeng made it to twenty-nine thousand and seven hundred feet, the Heavenly Pearl behind him let out a sharp, whining sound. The nine flame dragons that were floating around his body began to change once again. This time, they merged together. In the next moment, they transformed into an enormous, flame dragon that hovered in the sky, staring down at Li Qingfeng with its fiery eyes. Following this, its body burst into flames, morphing into a singular strand of dark-gold flame that flew straight towards Li Qingfeng. It did not seem particularly terrifying in the eyes of others, but Li Qingfeng felt like it could set the whole world ablaze. The dark-gold flame was far too powerful for him to endure. If he took it head-on, he might end up seriously injured. In that short moment, Li Qingfeng sighed helplessly. He retreated backwards by half a step. With this small retreat, a ringing sound echoed in the air. Suddenly, Li Qingfeng appeared back at the twenty-nine thousand foot mark. Nonetheless, a faint glow was now hovering in his previous position at twenty-nine thousand and seven hundred feet. This marked the final point that Li Qingfeng had ascended to. Twenty-nine thousand and seven hundred feet. He could have reached the peak with just three hundred more. However, the small distance was as vast as the sky. Li Qingfeng could barely progress any further. Whether it was the thousands of banner members spectating on the outside, or the Banner Leaders that were on the stone dragon itself, everyone let out a sigh at this moment. Reaching the peak at thirty thousand feet was a true accomplishment. In actual fact, many people had hoped that Li Qingfeng could achieve it. After all, if anyone could do it, it would be him. If he could make it there, it would be a proud moment for the Twenty Banners of this generation to outshine the others. Unfortunately... This was far harder than they had imagined. If even Li Qingfeng had fallen short just three hundred feet away, there was little hope left for this generation. If the leader of their generation couldnt do it, who could? Chapter 0909: Tortoise Dragon Resonance Chapter 0909: Tortoise Dragon Resonance There were countless sighs after Li Qingfeng had failed to reach the thirty thousand foot mark. After all, many were hoping to see the birth of a new legend. It had been a number of years since anyone had managed to reach it. As the most famous talent in this generation, Li Qingfeng had the highest chance to pull it off. If even he had failed, they would most likely have to wait for the next generation. Amidst all their sighs, Lu Qingmei began to make her advance as well. She did not back down just because Li Qingfeng had failed. Instead, the spirit of competitiveness within her eyes blazed as she took each step forward without any hesitation. The ninth flame dragon materialized, and the terrifying dragonfear slammed her hard. Under the gazes of the audience, Lu Qingmei made her way up the challenging, stone steps. She had pushed the resonant power in her body to the maximum at this point too. A golden deer with a nine-colored glow emerged behind her. This was her quasi ninth-grade Nine-Colored Golden Deer resonance. At the same time, the Heavenly Pearl behind her shook violently. A ringing sound echoed in the air as it continuously absorbed the worldly natural energy and transformed it into resonant power for her. Lu Qingmei''s steps were slightly heavier than Li Qingfeng''s. Clearly, her foundation was not as strong as his even though both had reached the Heavenly Pearl Tier. As such, the crowd was certain that Lu Qingmei would not exceed Li Qingfeng. The result was exactly as expected. When Lu Qingmei reached twenty-nine thousand, six hundred and eighty feet, a ringing sound erupted from the Heavenly Pearl behind her. Ripples of energy pulsed out of it continuously. This was a sign that it had reached its maximum load and could not go on any further. The domineering dragonfear fell down like a heavy mountain, bringing immense pressure onto the Heavenly Pearl. At this moment, Lu Qingmei''s face started to turn a little pale. She began to feel a little dizzy in her mind. When she sensed the changes in her body, she could not help but let out a sigh. She actually had the strength to take a few more steps and possibly be on par with Li Qingfeng. She could have gotten the chance to challenge the nine dragons becoming one too. Unfortunately, she had lost because she was not a direct descendant of Heavenly Emperor Li. The Heavenly Dragon Energy in her body was simply not as pure as that of Li Qingfeng and the others. As such, she had to pay a heavier price for each step that she had taken. As someone not of the direct bloodline, getting so far was truly a remarkable achievement. Lu Qingmei shook her head lightly. She paused her ascension and did not take any further steps. In the same moment, the domineering dragonfear started to weaken and the nine dragons circulating around her body began to fade. A faint light flashed by, and Lu Qingmei appeared back at the twenty-nine thousand foot mark. Li Qingfeng took a look at her and said, "What a pity, Banner Leader Lu Qingmei. If not for the weaker Heavenly Dragon Energy within you, your achievements would not have paled in comparison to mine." However, Lu Qingmei did not seem to mind his words. She replied, "It''s fine. Neither of us would have made it to the thirty thousand foot mark either way." Hearing this, Li Qingfeng sighed and responded, "Climbing the full thirty thousand feet is a true trial. The Nine Dragons Becoming One is not something that a first-grade Heavenly Pearl Tier cultivator can endure. I guess our generation will have no luck with this." "Not necessarily so. It has yet to end... right?" Lu Qingmei said. Li Qingfeng took a quick look behind him before he smiled and said, "Are you referring to Li Luo? It seems like he''s moving even slower than before; even Li Jingtao is catching up to him already." Indeed, Li Luo''s pace had slowed down not far behind them. Was it because the pressure was too great for his body to endure? Just a little behind him, a figure was catching up to him slowly but steadily. That was none other than Li Jingtao. His endurance had exceeded everyone''s expectations. Apart from Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei, many curious gazes from within and outside the stone dragon were watching him. They wanted to see just what surprises this unreputable fellow had in store for them this time. Under the numerous gazes, Li Jingtao slowly climbed towards Li Luo''s position. He noticed that Li Luo was completely focused on himself, paying no attention to the outside world at this moment. He knew that Li Luo was using the dragonfear from the stone dragon to aid in his cultivation. As such, he did not plan to disturb his cousin. "Third Brother, I''ll help you scout out the road ahead," Li Jingtao whispered to him before he continued climbing. Before long, he reached twenty-nine thousand feet as well. "You''ve hidden your true strength really well, Banner Leader Li Jingtao," Li Qingfeng said slowly as he watched Li Jingtao approach. Shaking his head, Li Jingtao smiled humbly and replied, "I''m not hiding it. It''s just that I''ve never fought over anything with you, so no one has paid any attention to me." "So you''re finally going to compete with us this time? If you reveal your true strength now, you can no longer be so carefree in the future. Others will surely put pressure onto you," Li Qingfeng responded. Hearing this, Li Jingtao replied with a bitter smile, "I didn''t expect them to climb so slowly either! Before I noticed anything, I was already up here!" Li Qingfeng''s mouth twitched a little. This guy was really an oddball. "No matter how deeply you''ve concealed yourself, I''m not giving up the Dragon''s Head. If we meet in the Scales Seizure later, I would love to see just how strong you truly are," Li Qingfeng commented calmly. From his words, it was clear that he had acknowledged Li Jingtao as a contender for the Dragon''s Head. Previously, Lu Qingmei was the only one in this category. Li Jingtao hurriedly waved his hand. "Well, I don''t want it." With an earnest smile, he continued, "However, my Third Brother has a good chance to get it. If we meet during the Scales Seizure later, I may have to work a little harder even if I do not want to compete for it." "I''m only afraid Li Luo will not meet your expectations," Li Qingfeng responded. At this point, Li Jingtao simply smiled in response and did not chat with him any further. He looked up ahead at the mottled steps. With a bitter frown evident on his face, he sighed. If he had the choice, he would not want to endure the pain of the last thousand feet. However, he had already attracted the attention of everyone by reaching this point. If he did not even give it a try, Li Fengyi would surely torture him for the next month or so. Although he was very thick-skinned and could withstand her scoldings, seeing Li Fengyi''s nasty expression hollering at him for a month would be a terrible experience. Hence, he decided to take a step forward under the countless curious looks. In that instant, the ninth dragon appeared. Li Jingtao took a deep breath. His plump face had become slightly twisted as the immense pressure had increased considerably. Moreover, the domineering dragonfear was strong enough to flatten even a mountain. One could only imagine the tremendous pressure on his body. A yellow resonant power flowed deep in Li Jingtao''s body, and the manifestation of a yellow beast slowly emerged behind him. The huge beast looked like a giant tortoise, but it had the head and claws of a dragon. With a thick, black shell, it gave one a sense of extreme stability and indestructibility. This was Li Jingtao''s resonance. The upper eighth-grade Tortoise Dragon resonance. His upper eighth-grade resonance seemed to possess a hint of sentience to it, making others feel like it was close to a breakthrough into the quasi ninth-grade. The spectators noticed that a bright glow had also appeared behind Li Jingtao. When the brilliant energy condensed into its purest form, rays of dazzling light shot out of it. This was a familiar sight to the spectators now. It was a Heavenly Pearl! However, Li Jingtao''s Heavenly Pearl appeared a little illusory and faint, as if it had not materialized completely. Quasi Pearl! Li Jingtao had taken his first step into the Heavenly Pearl Tier. He was the next guy after Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei in this generation to reach this stage. Oh! This scene caused a huge uproar amongst the crowd. Behind him, the faces of Deng Fengxian and Li Hongli changed completely. Now they finally understood how he had overtaken them so easily. He had already taken half a step into the Heavenly Pearl Tier! Li Fengyi was stunned for a moment. She bit her teeth and shouted, "You''re really a tortoise, only moving when pushed!" Among all the excitement and surprise from the crowd, Li Jingtao started to form hand seals with both of his hands. Wrinkles started to appear on his skin rapidly, becoming something like a shell glowing in bronze light. This was not all. Following the bronze glow, layer after layer of light started to enveloped the surface of his skin. When the fourth layer of bronze carapace enveloped him, Li Jingtao finally heaved a sigh of relief. He then began to make his way up, one step at a time. Just like previously, he moved up slowly and steadily. In the end, he made his way all the way to twenty-nine thousand, six hundred and ninety feet, a whole ten feet ahead of Lu Qingmei. The next step would be twenty-nine thousand and seven hundred feet, where Li Qingfeng had ended earlier. That was where the toughest challenge would manifest, Nine Dragons Becoming One. At this moment, Li Qingfeng stared at Li Jingtao''s figure intently. Li Jingtao hesitated for a moment before he took his next step, stepping onto the twenty-nine thousand and seven hundred foot mark. As soon as Li Jingtao crossed the threshold, the nine dragons fused into one. The enormous, lively fire-dragon emerged and stared down at him. Earlier, Li Qingfeng had chosen to retreat here as he was not confident that he could endure the dark-gold dragon flame. Similarly, Li Jingtao could feel the same threat. He was thinking about retreating deep in his heart too. He understood that although he had made it past Lu Qingmei and caught up with Li Qingfeng, he was not stronger than them. It was simply because he had an advantage in this particular test. His specialty was in defense. The Dragon''s Ascent didnt assess ones offense at all, so all one needed to do was endure it silently and make their way up. This was why his performance had far exceeded everyone''s expectations. If this was a fight against the other two, all he would be able to do was thicken his skin and defenses and perhaps force them into a draw. Li Jingtao hesitated for a while before he finally made his decision. "Third Brother must be aiming for the Dragon''s Head. In that case, let me try out the intensity of Nine Dragons Becoming One first. With my thick skin, the burn shouldn''t be that bad, right? When he arrives later, I can share this information with him." With that in mind, he faced the giant fire-dragon directly and took a step forward. Everyone gasped in disbelief. Roar! The giant dragon roared and transformed into a dark-gold dragon flame, diving straight into Li Jingtao. Chapter 0910: Li Luos Sprint Chapter 0910: Li Luo''s Sprint Ah! When the strand of dark-gold flame enveloped Li Jingtao, he immediately screamed out in utter agony. "This is too painful! I''m not climbing anymore!" Li Jingtao hopped on the spot as the layers of strange carapace covering his body melted at an alarming speed. Even his Tortoise Dragon manifestation had been incinerated to the point that it started to turn illusory again. At this point in time, he understood why Li Jingtao had chosen not to advance any further and to not face the fusion of the flame dragons. This seemingly harmless flame was actually utterly terrifying. Even though Li Jingtao specialized in defense, it was difficult to endure the flames. As he felt his defenses gradually crumble, Li Jingtao clenched his teeth and forcefully endured the pressure as he took another step ahead. Twenty-nine thousand, seven hundred and ten feet! It was ten feet higher than Li Qingfeng''s record! After which, he no longer had any motivation to continue going, so he hurriedly retreated. Stepping backwards signified that he had given up on the Dragon''s Ascent. His figure flickered, then he reappeared beside Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei. A glowing spot was left behind at his previous location, signifying his achievement. The heavens seemed to have gone silent at this moment. Gazes full of complicated emotions fell upon Li Jingtao. This result was simply out of everyone''s expectations. No one had expected that the one with the best result in the Dragon''s Ascent would be not Li Qingfeng, but the relatively unreputable Li Jingtao! "Beautiful work!" Li Fengyi beamed unrestrainedly. A look of unhindered joy and happiness could be seen on her face as Li Jingtao''s final step was like the final stroke of a masterpiece. Although he had surpassed Li Qingfeng by merely ten feet, this would be a sore point for the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Especially for Li Hongli! At this point, Li Fengyi turned towards the girl in question. Li Honglis expression was steely green upon seeing the latest development, and Li Fengyi felt her spirits rising as a result. The other Banner Leaders were similarly befuddled as this result was far too strange to comprehend. At the twenty-nine thousand foot mark, Li Qingfeng''s expression had turned slightly frosty as he looked at Li Jingtao. "Beating me by a single step... Banner Leader Jingtao, are you looking to humiliate me?" Li Jingtao hurriedly waved his hands in response. "How would I dare to have such a thought? The truth is that the Nine Dragon''s Flame Baptism is simply too terrifying. I was only able to resist for a moment, which coincidentally allowed me to take just another step." Li Qingfeng''s eyes drooped slightly upon hearing his response, and he indifferently replied, "It looks like the Dragon''s Ascent is simply more suitable for your techniques. We''ll wait for the Scales Seizure stage... I look forward to seeing how tough your tortoise can be." With that, he turned his gaze away, no longer bothering Li Jingtao. There was not much point in this as any enmities would be resolved during the next stage. Just as the Banner Leaders sighed at the updated results, up in the void, the five Lineage Chiefs were also a little taken aback by this development. "It seems Li Jingtao has cultivated the Eight Carapaces Art. If I remember correctly, this is the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s only Soul Ascension-grade body-tempering Duke Art." Li Xuanwu smiled. Li Jingzhe subtly nodded in confirmation. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage did not possess many body-tempering Duke Arts. Their lineage was renowned for their offensive prowess, but the Eight Carapaces Art was not very effective at attacking. It only had one special point: its ridiculous defensive properties. The average body-tempering art would enhance one''s physical strength, but this one channeled all improvements towards one''s defensive capabilities. Thus, if a member of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage wanted to cultivate a body-tempering art, they would not pick this one. It was simply too unpopular. However, its defensive properties were truly frightening. It was said that if someone could reach the so-called Eighth Carapace Realm, they would possess a defense that was comparable to a similar Duke Art at the Destiny-grade! In the past, an elder of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages had cultivated this art to an extremely high realm, and as an eighth-grade Duke, he received a direct attack from a King and actually survived! The news had shocked the Heavenly Origin Continent. Additionally, the Eight Carapaces Art was exceptionally difficult to learn. No one had any idea how this brat had managed to successfully cultivate it. In fact, he even seemed to have reached the Fourth Carapace Realm quite some time ago! "This brat is the first individual I''ve ever seen who''s reached this step by purely relying on his defensive prowess," Li Qingying of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage commented. "It looks like he has the potential to become the hardiest individual in the entire Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages." Li Jinjiao of the Dragon''s Horn Lineage smiled bitterly. "Getting as far as he did is pure coincidence. It only happened because he is well suited to tackling the Dragon''s Ascent. Otherwise, he would never have surpassed Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei." His words were met with agreement from the rest. This trial was simply too suitable for him. Still, luck was also a form of strength. "It looks like this test has pretty much ended," Li Tianji suddenly said with a smile. "That might not be true." Li Jingzhe''s eyes dropped slightly. "Li Luo has yet to finish his climb." Everyone''s gazes then turned towards the stone dragon, where they could see Li Luo continuing to forge ahead step by step. Although he was moving slowly, he was gradually approaching Li Qingfeng and the rest. "He is using the pressure of the dragonfear to temper his resonant power," Li Qingying observed. Li Xuanwu nodded. "He must be planning to use the pressure to condense Fiend Dipper Energy." "How courageous, using the Dragon''s Ascent as a whetstone to sharpen himself. The average individual would not dare to do so. If one were to be careless, they might dull their edge instead, directly shattering it," Li Jinjiao commented. "Brave and thoughtful. He is weaker than Li Qingfeng and the rest, and if he wants to catch up, he has to take an unorthodox path to the peak. If he''s able to refine Fiend Dipper Energy, then he can explode forth with frightening strength." All of the Lineage Chiefs possessed exceptional experience and insight, so they were able to discern his intentions quite easily. "Well, let''s wait and see if he can reach the peak." As the five Lineage Chiefs focused upon Li Luo, the remaining Banner Leaders were also doing the same. After all, the only one who was still capable of going any further was Li Luo at this moment. The rest had already reached their limits. Under the eyes of numerous individuals, Li Luo''s body radiated with three-colored light, his resonant power unceasingly activated and his resonant palaces buzzing. Eventually, he reached the twenty-nine thousand foot mark. Li Luo''s slightly sagging eyes finally raised at this moment as he stared at the mottled, stone staircase before him. "Do your best, Third Brother!" Li Jingtao''s voice rang from the side. Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei did not say anything, only quietly observing him. Li Luo flashed Li Jingtao a smile. "Eldest Brother, you have truly hidden yourself deeply! You''ve actually obtained the best result so far!" Although he had been deeply engrossed in tempering his own body, he still split a strand of his attention to observe Jingtao during his ascent. Li Jingtao shook his head. "What Banner Leader Qingfeng said was not wrong. The Dragon''s Ascent is a trial that is suitable for me. All I needed to do was rely on my thick skin and push ahead relentlessly." "Well, your thick skin is something you cultivated bitterly. It''s not something you were born with... or was it?" Li Luo joked. Li Jingtao scratched his head. "Well, that''s reasonable too..." Li Luo grinned and no longer said anything else, only taking a deep breath before continuing to trudge onwards, crossing past the twenty-nine thousand foot mark. Nine flame dragons began to float around his body and intense dragonfear pressed down upon him. Li Luo felt his shoulders sag uncontrollably. "Tri-radiance Light!" Li Luo''s body then emitted a burst of glazed light. A three-colored light flowed ceaselessly from within his body, forming a barrier that protected him. "Tri-Radiance Spiritual Marks!" The tri-colored spiritual marks on his body were also activated, and his body turned clearer and sturdier, emitting a mysterious luster. "Dual resonances, third realm." His dual resonance power was also activated. Countless Vestiges of Spirituality could be seen within, which allowed his resonant power to reach a higher grade. This enabled him to resist the incinerating dragons with greater effect, allowing him to last longer. In terms of absolute quality of resonant power, he had fused eighth-grade water resonant power with seventh-grade wood resonant power, which would definitely be more effective when compared to Li Qingfeng''s quasi ninth-grade resonant power. "Thunderpeal Avatar." Li Luo had truly activated all he had. A thunderclap could be heard, immediately bolstering his physical defense by yet another level. Every single card he had was on full display right now. With all these augments, he continued to force his way upwards step by step. A while later, he arrived at Lu Qingmei''s previous position, the twenty-nine thousand, seven hundred and eighty foot mark. At this point, he paused temporarily as ferocious dragonfear surged towards him from every direction. The crushing pressure caused his body to be suppressed so hard that a light crack could be heard. Burning pain spread throughout his body, making him feel like his entire body would be set aflame. However, Li Luo did not stop here. Two breaths later, he composed himself and continued to push forward. He directly reached the twenty-nine thousand and seven hundred foot mark during this brief period. The nine flame dragons around him began to fuse, forming a single dark-gold strand of dragon flame. It eyed Li Luo like a tiger eyeing its prey, exuding a frightening aura from its unimpressive appearance. Nine Dragons Becoming One. There were countless gazes focused upon Li Luo at this point in time. They had already seen how scary this unassuming strand of flame was. Even Li Qingfeng had decided to retreat after a moment of hesitation, all in order to protect his own body from being destroyed. Only Li Jingtao had dared to advance, borrowing the prowess of his invincible body to take a step. Alas, he had been burned to the point of misery, then he had hurriedly retreated a moment later. Li Luo might have triple resonances and the Tri-Radiance Glass Body... but he was only at the Fiend Body Tier. Being able to climb this high was already an achievement in and of itself. However, trying to reach the peak of thirty thousand feet might be a pipe dream. The dark-gold strand of dragon flame was all he could see. He could sense a hint of spirituality as it stared at him. So long as Li Luo showed that he was about to take another step, it would immediately bring to bear its frightening strength. Phew. Feeling the pressure, Li Luo sucked in a deep breath of air that was scorching hot in the presence of the flame dragon. Resolution could be seen in his eyes. Although he might suffer a grievous injury if he tried, possibly affecting his performance in the Scales Seizure stage, Li Luo did not plan to give up. Since he had decided to act, he would do his very best until the end. Being timid now would only be an embarrassment. With this in mind, Li Luo took a step forward, directly receiving the strand of dark-gold dragon flame with his body amidst the numerous shocked gasps of the audience. Chapter 0911: Dragon Slaying Chapter 0911: Dragon Slaying When the dark-gold flame penetrated Li Luo''s body, he finally felt its true terror. In the blink of an eye, the three-coloured light that had been protecting his body became half as bright. Only the Vestiges of Spirituality from his dual resonance power showed some signs of resistance, entangling themselves with the dark-gold flame. However, it was ultimately not strong enough despite its superior quality. As the flame dragon roared and ravaged wildly, the power of the dual resonances disappeared without a trace. An immense pain cruised through Li Luo''s body, sending warning signs all over. His eyes turned gloomy. Although he had not underestimated the dark-gold flame, its frightening power still sent a chill up his spine after he personally experienced it. It was no wonder Li Qingfeng had decided to give up without even giving it a try. At the same time, many surprising cries came from the crowd as they watched the protection from the Tri-radiance Glass Body diminish speedily. It seemed like Li Luo could hardly endure the terrifying flame either. Signs of worry appeared on the faces of Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao. Meanwhile, Li Qingfeng stared at him indifferently. Lu Qingmei shook her head at this sight. It seemed impossible after all. At this moment, Li Hongli laughed out coldly. The unhappiness in her heart finally dissipated a little as she cried out, "What an arrogant brat. You dare to take that step even though you''re merely at the Fiend Body Tier? Did you really think there would be a miracle?" In the space above, the elders from the various lineages were also watching the dark-gold flame engulfing the tall figure with mixed reactions. Nonetheless, Li Luo had never been bothered by external gazes. He was fully concentrated on fighting back against the dark-gold flame. He had understood instantly that defense alone would not suffice against the flame from Nine Dragons Becoming One. After all, even Li Jingtao with his crazy defense was only able to endure it for another step. In other words, this was not the way to move forward and conquer the final stretch. At the very least, this was not the way which Li Luo had planned. He had never opted to do things in an orthodox fashion before. He opened up his eyes, revealing the sharp look within them. If he could not endure the flame from Nine Dragons Becoming One why not just destroy it? However, what kind of immense strength would he need to muster to slay these terrifying flames? Li Luo did not ponder over this too much. He was solely focused on giving it his all and slaying it in a single strike. As he took a step forward, an ancient, straight blade materialized in his hands. This was the Onyx-Elephant Blade. He gripped it tightly and held the blade before him, slightly inclined from his body. However, he did not do it normally. His whole body remained still and his muscles gradually tightened up, like a beast about to leap onto its prey. In the same moment, the protection from the Tri-Radiance Glass Body continued to diminish rapidly. After a dozen breaths or so, the protection was completely gone. In the same moment, Li Luo''s body started to turn red as the extremely hot flames tore at his flesh. Fresh blood started to flow out of his skin, but it evaporated immediately. It was in this same moment that his eyes burst forth with resolve. Bang! His resonant power exploded like a volcanic eruption. The amount of resonant power was dozens of times greater than what Li Luo had shown before. An eerie, black, fiendish energy gushed out amidst the extremely pure resonant power, displaying an unparalleled sharpness within it. The fiendish energy surged up all the way into the sky, reaching a height of four hundred feet! Countless spectators watched this unfold with shock and surprise on their faces. The eerie, fiendish energy was a familiar sight to all of them. It was Fiend Dipper Energy! The trademark of the Fiend Finisher Tier! Li Luo had broken through at this moment. Moreover, his Fiend Dipper Energy had become four hundred feet tall! This was a sign of an extremely strong foundation! Only the elders from the various lineages understood that Li Luo had achieved this breakthrough because he had cultivated during the Dragon''s Ascent. The pressure was just like a springthe harder you pressed onto it, the greater the rebound. Li Luo had borrowed the immense pressure from the Dragon''s Ascent to attain this breakthrough with four hundred feet of Fiend Dipper Energy! This was definitely not a method that an ordinary individual could follow. One could easily crumble under the immense pressure and lose much more than they gained. At this moment, Li Luo was hoping to counterattack the dark-gold flame with this rebounding strength. A truly bold and great idea. However... There was a hint of darkness within the eyes of the various elders. The dark-gold flame contained a strand of Heavenly Dragon''s Will. Although Li Luo''s counterattack was indeed shocking, it might not be enough to fend off the flame. Li Jingzhe watched Li Luo without any change in his facial expression. However, his hands seemed to have become a little tense, gripping his armrests. Below him, Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan watched on anxiously. Before their gazes, Li Luo''s spirit seemed to have reached new heights. He stared at the dark-gold flame with extremely vicious eyes. As the flame rose up, there seemed to be an enormous dragon giving him a cold glare. Li Luo''s high spirits were immediately shaken under its gaze. It was like he was about to face off against an actual dragon with nothing but the blade in his hand. It was akin to a tiny ant trying to move a huge mountainthings seemed hopeless. However, Li Luo did not display any signs of fear at all. He had not come to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage to enjoy life. The worry over his short life had always hung over his head like a guillotine, keeping him in a constant state of tension. Strictly speaking, he only had around three years left to live. If he could not reach the Duke Stage before that time, he would die from the lack of lifespan. This was a secret that he had not shared with anyone else in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, not even the Respected Elder. It was largely due to his own pride. This was despite having such a strong background. What motivation would he have to continue working hard if he did that? He could simply be given everything he needed. As the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, he had never lost this self-confidence and innate sense of pride. He did not want others to look at him with sympathy after learning about his short life. Besides, things truly werent as bleak as they sounded. He was already a Fiend Finisher. The only obstacle between him and the Duke Stage was the Heavenly Dipper General Stage! It wasn''t totally impossible to become a Duke in three years'' time. Since he could achieve it with his own strength, there was no need to tell anyone else and invite any unnecessary troubles. With these mixed emotions, Li Luo tightened the grip on his blade and slowly closed his eyes. In his mind, he thought of the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. As a result, the majestic Cosmic Sword Intent emerged in his mind. Countless strands of sword intent flowed within it, each with an unmatched sharpness that could split heaven and earth apart. In this moment, the image of a pessimistic and hopeless knight facing off against a tyrannical, giant dragon began to change. The Cosmic Sword Intent appeared behind the knight, charging towards the dragon alongside him. It was at this moment that Li Luo had consolidated all of his power into a single blow, slashing down with his blade with pure resolution. His strike directly clashed with the strand of dark-gold flame. That single blow cut open the void, and his Fiend Dipper Energy continued to absorb energy to power itself. At this moment, the five Lineage Chiefs froze for a moment, shocked at what they were witnessing. They seemed to have noticed the change in Li Luo as well. Although the others could not tell the difference, they could sense the vast and majestic galaxy of sword intent that had appeared behind him. The sword intent made them narrow their eyes a little. However, others could only tell that Li Luo had swung his blade down against the dark-gold flame. It was like a final, desperate attempt to resist a tragic end. The clash between the blade energy and the flame did not result in an eruption of energy or pulses of shockwaves. The moment they came into contact, the blade slashed past the dark-gold flame, leaving an afterimage in its wake. There was seemingly no other change to the flame. However, everyone could clearly hear a draconic roar deep within the dragon flame. It was a roar filled with shock. It was as if something had been completely shattered. Only the five Lineage Chiefs could tell that in that instant, the Cosmic Sword Intent had clashed with the Heavenly Dragon''s Will within the flame and destroyed it. As soon as the Heavenly Dragon''s Will dissipated, the flame naturally lost its spirituality. At this moment, the countless gazes within and outside the stone dragon could see the roaring, dark-gold flame starting to weaken and lose its color. When the dark-gold color faded off, it became no different from a normal flame. Li Luo slowly lowered his hands, still holding the blade. At this moment, his spirit was exhausted. The previous slash was not a Duke Art, but it had consumed a terrifying amount of energy. It was because that strike contained every ounce of his willpower. Fortunately, he had emerged victorious. He had slain the will within the dark-gold flame with the help of the Cosmic Sword Intent from the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. Everyone watched on in silence. They were bewildered as they watched the color of the dragon flame fade away. None of them understood how Li Luo had done it. However, Li Luo was in no mood to explain it to them. He lifted up his blade and continued making his way up. One step at a time. There were no more obstructions in his path. His footsteps became lighter. All of the effects of the infernal baptism and dragonfear had vanished. He then made his way to the top of the stone staircase before everyone''s confused gazes. A single man stood unbowed at the peak of thirty thousand feet. He stood upright on the head of the stone dragon with blade in hand. The brilliance of this moment dazed even the elders from the various lineages. It was as if they had seen the rebirth of Li Taixuan, who had completely overwhelmed his peers decades ago. Chapter 0912: Another Record Chapter 0912: Another Record As Li Luo stood on the head of the stone dragon with his blade in hand, the crowd both within and outside were deathly silent. They all seemed a little lost at this sight. Their minds were unable to comprehend the sheer impact that this young man had upon them, and their faces were frozen in disbelief. Li Luo had ascended to the top of the stone dragon, reaching the thirty thousand foot summit. What was more terrifying to them was the way he had done so! He had directly vanquished the fused nine dragons! How had he accomplished it? Was this something a Fiend Finisher was able to achieve? In that moment, if not for the fact that they knew that the five Lineage Chiefs were closely observing his every action, some would have yelled out that something was amiss! The nineteen other Banner Leaders were deep in thought and utterly silent. Even Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao were staring at the scene wide-eyed. They stared at Li Luo''s figure in disbelief. Although they had hoped to see him conjure a miracle, the fact that it had actually happened left them incredulous. This was especially true for Li Jingtao, who had personally experienced the Nine Dragons Becoming One''s dark-gold flame. He knew exactly how frightening it was, and even his absolute defenses were unable to resist it. Li Luo, on the other hand, had hacked it to pieces...? "Impossible... IMPOSSIBLE!" Li Hongli''s face was full of confusion and she shook her head. The distraught look on her face could not hide the absolute shock in her heart. "I heard that a trace of the Heavenly Dragon''s Will could be found within that flame. How could a weakling at the Fiend Finisher Tier possibly destroy it? In the history of the Dragon''s Ascent, all those who were able to ascend to the peak relied only on their bodies and exceptional resonant power to resist. I have never heard of anyone being able to directly slaughter it!" she babbled. The rest of the Banner Leaders agreed with her. This had never happened before in the history of the Dragon''s Ascent. The ones who had succeeded were geniuses amongst geniuses. Their strength was an entire level above Li Qingfengs, and they had borrowed the aid of their resonant power to forcefully block the roasting of the flame dragons, ascending to the top with much difficulty. There were other geniuses in the past who had attempted a similar strategy as Li Luo, attempting to destroy the flame with their own attacks. However, the flame was enhanced with the Heavenly Dragon''s Will, and cultivators at their level did not have the means to even harm such an ephemeral concept. No matter how strong their resonant power was, it was difficult to do so. Even the strongest amongst the participants were only at the Heavenly Pearl Tier and naturally did not have the means to do so. Although it was merely a strand of will, it was akin to an invincible monster that they could not tangle with. What was thought to be impossible had been achieved today. It was no wonder all the Banner Leaders were completely taken aback. They did not know what sort of method Li Luo had utilized to vanquish the Heavenly Dragon''s Will. The method was incomprehensible, but the result was not. Otherwise, the elders who were observing the trial would already have said something. The silence from them also indicated that Li Luo had not borrowed external means to achieve this victory. If Li Luo was truly skillful enough to cheat before all five Lineage Chiefs, that ability alone would qualify him to become the Dragon''s Head. Thus, even Li Hongli, who was previously in denial, turned pale and fell silent after her words were said. Otherwise, her unreasonable doubts would only paint her as a clown. She glared at the blade-wielding figure standing at the top, only consoling herself with the fact that successfully reaching the top of the Dragon''s Ascent did not mean that Li Luo would definitely become the Dragon''s Head. If Li Qingfeng was able to achieve victory during the Scales Seizure, the situation would turn in his favor. Still, regardless of how she tried to console herself, she could not contain the fear that she was feeling in the depths of her heart. She realized that this country bumpkin from the outer divine continent who was supposed to be a level weaker than all of them had truly surpassed the so-called talents from the inner divine continent. And if Li Luo truly became the Dragon''s Head, wouldn''t the geniuses who had been raised on a wealth of treasures and resources be no different from wastrels? Li Taixuan suppressing his entire generation was bad enough. Would his son repeat the same feat in their generation? The air above had plunged into a brief period of silence. The elders beneath the five Lineage Chiefs had complicated expressions. Many of them were from Li Taixuan''s generation, and seeing Li Luo ascend to the top had reminded them of what they had witnessed countless years ago. They could only watch helplessly as Li Taixuan forged his way to the top alone. Lineage Chief Li Tianji from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage said, "It seems that the Cosmic Sword Intent that Li Luo utilized was able to overcome the Heavenly Dragon''s Will. This Duke Art is no weaker than a Destiny-grade." The Dragon''s Scale Lineages Lineage Chief Li Qingying commented, "It is even more impressive than your average Destiny-grade Duke Art. From what I know, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage doesn''t possess such a Duke Art." Destiny-grade Duke Arts were considered top-tier techniques in all of the lineages. Even the number of elders who wielded such arts was extraordinarily tiny, so there was no need to mention a young man. The other lineages were all very clear of the fact that they had never heard of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage possessing the Cosmic Sword Intent Destiny-grade Duke Art. Additionally, the sword intent was so domineering that it seemed like it could even wipe out the sun, the moon, and the stars. This was something even they would pay attention to. Li Tianji glanced at the silent Li Jingzhe with a wry smile. "Unless this is an art left behind by the Ancestor." As the Mountain Ruling Chief, Li Tianji was privy to numerous secrets. Thus, he knew that the Ancestor had left behind an incomplete Duke Art in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. The other three Lineage Chiefs were slightly astounded by this statement, so they glanced at Li Jingzhe. An art left behind by the Ancestor? With the Ancestor''s breadth of experience and means, how could an art he left behind be simple? Li Tianji continued, "The arts left behind by the Ancestor can only be used by those connected to them by fate. Lineage Chief Jingzhe is the type of person who prioritizes rules beyond anything else, so he couldn''t have coached him privately... right?" His tone was piercing and almost seemed interrogatory. Each of the Lineage Chiefs were independent, but as the Mountain Ruling Chief, Li Tianji had the right to supervise the rest of them. Li Jingzhe smiled wryly. "Li Luo possesses extraordinary talent. The fact that he was able to master this technique is proof that he is destined for it. The Ancestor left this art behind for someone to complete it in his stead. I doubt he would want to see it gather dust in the treasury forever." Still, Li Luo being able to wield the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation naturally implied that Li Jingzhe had a part to play in facilitating his cultivation. Otherwise, who knew how long it would have taken? That being said, how he had facilitated it was not something he had to tell the rest. Li Tianji''s probing words were meaningless; they would not change anything. In any case, he could always just send people to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage to investigate. Li Tianji similarly understood this and thus changed his tone with a smile. "Being able to cultivate an art created by the Ancestor is his fortune. Its no wonder he destroyed the Heavenly Dragon Will. However, I''m not sure if another strand of the Heavenly Dragon''s Will can be refined in time for the next Dragon''s Ascent." "Still, this counts as a record. Youths are high-spirited, and despite him ruining the Heavenly Dragon''s Will, his performance was exceptional. Li Taixuan''s son has truly inherited his talent." Li Qingying grinned in response. "Now that they have suffered through the Dragon''s Ascent, it''s time to reap the fruits of what they have sowed." When he finished speaking, he stretched his hand out and pointed into the air. Then the mountain-like, stone dragon shuddered, and a draconic roar resounded throughout the skies and the earth. After that, everyone on the stone steps could feel dense Heavenly Dragon energy all around them, emanating from the body of the stone dragon they were on. It then poured into their bodies. Meanwhile, Li Luo, who was on the dragon''s head, received an even greater amount of Heavenly Dragon energy. The Heavenly Dragon energy that was previously within their bodies rapidly merged with the Heavenly Dragon energy surging up from the stone dragon. Immediately after, the fusion of energy seemed to have ignited, and dense energy wafted in every direction. The energy then solidified into a mist that wrapped around Li Luo''s body. On the steps beneath, something similar was happening to each Banner Leader. Each and every one of them could clearly feel their bodies undergoing a magical process of infusion with this energy and being reborn. This was the Sanctified Dragon''s Body taking embryonic form. Chapter 0913: Nine Scales Sanctified Dragons Body Embryonic Form Chapter 0913: Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body Embryonic Form Dense energy in the form of mist wrapped around each of the Banner Leaders like a cocoon. The banner members were watching in envy from outside. They understood that this was a rare opportunity only available to the Banner Leaders. After this metamorphosis, they would possess the foundation for the Sanctified Dragon''s Body. Although the Sanctified Dragon''s Body was just a basic body-tempering art in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, it was considered top-class for people in the Earth Fiend General Stage like them. The Banner Leaders would gain a significant boost to both power and speed after this competition. Naturally, it would give them an edge in all of their future fights. Of course, ordinary banner members had the option to gather sufficient Heavenly Dragon energy in the future to obtain the Sanctified Dragon''s Body. However, doing so would not be easy as they would have to make significant contributions to the lineage. In fact, even in the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies, only a select few were able to meet this stringent requirement. Moreover, they could only reach the Five Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body in the end. It was close to impossible to attain a higher level. The upper limit for the Sanctified Dragon''s Body was predetermined for those who had not participated in the Dragon''s Ascent. Fortunately, if they were able to reach a high enough cultivation level in the future, they could skip this armor completely and cultivate more powerful body-tempering arts instead. Under all these gazes of envy, the dense smoke of the cocoons lasted for approximately an hour before it started to dissipate. Once again, figures started to emerge. The Banner Leaders looked no different from before. However, faint, crisp cracks could be heard in the wind when they started to stretch and move their muscles. Clearly, their physical prowess had been greatly enhanced. Most evidently, each person had a sigil between their brows when they activated their resonant power. It was a round sigil that looked like a long dragon biting its own tail. In the center of the circle were dragon scales. Of course, the number differed between each of them. Some had four, five, six... All the dragon scales were dark gray in color, seemingly lacking a little in vitality. This was because what they had obtained was simply the embryonic form of the Sanctified Dragon''s Body. The scales in the dragon sigils simply represented the upper limit for each individuals Sanctified Dragon''s Body. Those with four dragon scales in their dragon sigils could cultivate up to a Four Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body. In other words, they could obtain a maximum of four dragon scales in the Scales Seizure stage before their Sanctified Dragon''s Body reached its maximum capacity. The same logic applied for the other numbers. As the dense mist retreated, more and more Banner Leaders emerged after their metamorphosis. Among them, Li Fengyi had gotten six dragon scales, while Li Hongli and Deng Fengxian had seven. Li Qingfeng, Li Jingtao, and Lu Qingmei had eight dragon scales each. Roar! At this point, a low, draconic roar sounded from the end of the stone staircase. Everyone looked towards it and saw the huge, dense energy mist slowly dissipating. After a while, Li Luo emerged from the mist. Between his eyebrows was a mark with nine dragon scales. This immediately caught everyone''s attention. Nine Scales! Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body! As long as Li Luo was able to obtain nine dragon scales in the Scales Seizure, he would be able to awaken his armor to the highest level straight away. At this moment, there were a lot of mixed gazes among the crowd. It had been a really long time since the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body had been seen. Under all the gazes of envy, Li Luo opened his eyes. He lightly clenched his fists, and a look of surprise appeared on his face. He could sense that his body had strengthened considerably. This boost was not at all inferior to the Three Sonic Pulses Thunderpeal Avatar. Furthermore, this was a natural boost to his physical selfit did not require any activation, unlike the Thunderpeal Avatar. One of them was a passive boost, whilst the other was an active one. Moreover, there were the main benefits from the Sanctified Dragon''s Body apart from strengthening ones physical body. Dragon''s wings, Dragonfear, and Dragon''s Might. As Li Luo thought about it, the resonant power in his body gathered around the dragon sigil between his eyebrows. In the next moment, a special energy burst out of it. Pssht! The energy took the shape of dragon wings that spanned dozens of meters. They were attached to Li Luo''s back, and a gust blew across the air when they flapped lightly. These wings would enable one to fly. It was an extremely practical ability. As for the so-called dragonfear, it was a special kind of aura that exerted pressure on others. During battles, a sudden release of dragonfear could catch one''s opponent off guard. Additionally, one could combine this dragonfear with the dragon resonance they already possessed to apply an extremely deterring effect on other beasts. Lastly, there was Dragon''s Might. It was something that could only be used once the Sanctified Dragon''s Body had been awakened. This power was similar to the Divine Elephant Power from Li Luo''s Onyx-Elephant Blade. It could boost one''s strength tremendously in the blink of an eye. It was said that one scale was equivalent to one dragon. If one had the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body, one could gain Dragon''s Might equivalent to that of nine dragons! This power was said to be even stronger than some Duke Arts. Nonetheless, Dragon''s Might did not represent the strength of a true dragon. Strictly speaking, the strength it could demonstrate was that of a dragon beast, an impure descendant of sorts. No matter what, it was still extremely strong. Li Luo was really satisfied with it. This reward was worth all the hard work that he had gone through to ascend the thirty-thousand feet. The limit of his Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body was far beyond that of the rest. At this point, he could not help but sigh. Once again, he couldnt help but be impressed by what these Heavenly Emperor powers were capable of. Such a foundation was extremely rare in the outer divine continent. In fact, even the Thunderpeal Avatar was only available to the royal family of the Blackwind Empire. Meanwhile, they had body-tempering arts like the Sanctified Dragon''s Body here, which was leagues above the Thunderpeal Avatar. Besides, his Thunderpeal Avatar had an upper limit of five sonic pulses. This paled in comparison to the Sanctified Dragon''s Body, which had a complete line of evolutions. Regardless, the Thunderpeal Avatar was still useful to Li Luo at the moment. While everyone was still taking in the Sanctified Dragon''s Body''s abilities, a majestic voice sounded off in the sky above them. "We will now conclude the Dragon''s Ascent. Please prepare yourself for the last stage of the Battle of the Dragon''s Head: Scales Seizure." Everyone''s faces froze for a moment after hearing these words before the fire of competitiveness lit up in their eyes. The Dragon''s Ascent was considered a passive competition, while the Scales Seizure would be an active clash. One would need to defeat an opponent in order to obtain scales. The Dragon''s Head would also be decided with this. Simply put, the one who was able to obtain the most scales would be the Dragon''s Head. Li Qingfeng sighed lightly and then turned his gaze towards Li Luo. He had been completely outshined by Li Luo in the Dragon''s Ascent. However, this would not decide the Dragon''s Head in the end. Although Li Luo was able to obtain the embryonic form of the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body, this was simply the first step. As long as he could stop Li Luo from obtaining nine dragon scales in the Scales Seizure, his Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body would be nothing but an empty shell. He might have lost the Dragon''s Ascent, but he would definitely not lose the position of the Dragon''s Head. Just as Li Qingfeng was thinking about this, everyone started to notice a thick mist appearing once again. Soon, the mist engulfed the group. They could no longer see their surroundings, but the space around them started to warp. This lasted for dozens of breaths before the mist retreated again. Li Luo and the rest noticed that the stone dragon they had been standing on was now gone. Now, they were standing on a huge, round platform above the clouds. There were dozens of stone platforms hovering in the air above them. Far in the distance behind the round platform was a stone dragon mountain entrenched in the void, with its maw facing the round platform. That was the stone dragon where the Dragon''s Ascent had taken place. The majestic sound echoed in the air once again. "The battles for the Scales Seizure will be decided by drawing lots. Each individual will fight a total of eight battles, with the winner getting one dragon scale." The twenty Banner Leaders remained calm after hearing this, as they had all learned about this beforehand. Hearing this, Li Luo''s eyes moved a little. He was not too worried about battles being decided by drawing lots. After his breakthrough into the Fiend Finisher Tier earlier, his cultivation level was not any lower than most of the ordinary Banner Leaders anymore. As such, the ones who would pose a threat to him would mainly be Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei. Oh, there was also Li Jingtao, the metal-shell tortoise that would give anyone here a headache. However, Banner Leaders from the same lineage would usually not meet each other to prevent any match fixing. If he could secure all eight victories, he would be able to get eight dragon scales. This would allow him to awaken his Sanctified Dragon''s Body to eight scales. However, this was not enough. There was still the ninth scale. It had been said that obtaining the ninth dragon scale was the most challenging part of the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. Its difficulty was said to be leagues above the infernal baptism from the flames of Nine Becoming One during the Dragon''s Ascent. However, the challenge for the ninth scale was particularly special. One was only eligible for it after securing all eight victories in the Scales Seizure. Hence, there was no need to worry about it for now. Li Luo lightly touched the dragon sigil between his eyebrows. It had not been easy for him to get it. Naturally, he would love to make full use of this chance to perfect his Sanctified Dragon''s Body. Otherwise, he would have to expend a huge amount of energy and resources to obtain dragon scales in the future. As long as he had the chance to get the ninth Scale, he would definitely try his hardest. While he pondered over this, light beams fell from the sky in front of each Banner Leader. Li Luo reached into the beam. The light condensed upon contact, and a jade tablet appeared. When Li Luo grabbed the tablet, it lit up and his body was shrouded in its glow. In the blink of an eye, he shot into the sky onto one of the stone platforms hovering above. Just as Li Luo landed on the platform, another figure landed in front of him. This was one of the Banner Leaders from the Dragon''s Bone Lineage. When he noticed that his first opponent was Li Luo, he could not help but show a look of helplessness. Li Luo simply smiled and clenched his fists. The Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade appeared in his hand. When the battle bell rang, Li Luo''s resonant power surged up and he charged ahead like a flash of lightning. The battle concluded faster than anyone had expected. This went on for a while, and Li Luo won his first four battles easily. With that, he had four dragon scales secured. However, he would not be able to use these dragon scales until the Battle of the Dragon''s Head ended. In his fifth battle, a tall and slender figure appeared in front of him. At this point, Li Luo focused. His next opponent was none other than Lu Qingmei. Chapter 0914: Challenging Lu Qingmei Chapter 0914: Challenging Lu Qingmei When Li Luo saw her, a helpless smile emerged on his face. His opponent, on the other hand, was staring at him with a look of burning anticipation. Her slender fingers were tightly grasping the glazed rod in her hands as she grinned with utmost happiness at the sight of her next opponent. "Banner Leader Qingmei, I had hoped not to encounter you." Li Luo clasped his hands respectfully with a smile. "It was just a matter of time." Her beautiful eyes focused upon Li Luo. "After watching what happened on the Dragon''s Ascent, my desire to exchange blows with you has far exceeded my desire to face Li Qingfeng." Faced with Lu Qingmei''s fervor for battle, Li Luo smiled weakly. "Isn''t this the second time we are fighting? I still have to thank you for taking it easy and throwing the battle that time." Their first battle was in the Fiendish Devil Cave, where Lu Qingmei had not roused her full strength. In the end, she had even gifted him a God Origin Pill. "If you truly want to thank me, you''ll go all out now," Lu Qingmei replied. "Although my resonant power is slightly stronger than yours, I believe that with your triple resonances, Fiend Finisher Tier cultivation, and dual resonance power at the third realm, we should be basically on the same level. We can fight each other on equal grounds now." Li Luo''s expression gradually turned serious. He then waved his hand, and a mottled, ancient blade appeared. He knew that with her personality, truly expressing his gratitude would involve giving everything he had in this fight. Bang! Lu Qingmei wasn''t courteous in the least. Behind her, a dot of light manifested before quickly expanding into a Heavenly Pearl. The worldly natural energy in the vicinity was roused and resonant power poured into her body. She radiated the pressure of a Heavenly Pearl Tier cultivator. This was much stronger than what Li Luo had previously experienced. Entering the Heavenly Pearl Tier would cause one''s resonant power to strengthen qualitatively. Additionally, it would allow the user to absorb endless amounts of worldly natural energy, supplementing their reserves. It was their greatest advantage. If one were to compare the two stages, the Heavenly Pearl Tier was like being equipped with an engine delivering extra power to the user. Broaching this gap was not a simple feat. Li Luo''s gaze turned serious. The Heavenly Pearl Tier Lu Qingmei was no easy opponent. If he had not broken through, he might not have had much chance of victory. Additionally, she had a sturdy foundation. However, both of them possessed superior battle strength when compared to others; Li Luo could probably compete with two-pearl Heavenly Pearl cultivators from outside the lineage. He activated the three resonant palaces within him. His strongest resonant powers, water and wood, fused together, forming a mighty dual resonant power. Bang! The dual resonant power burst forth, surrounding Li Luo''s body. It contained Vestiges of Spirituality, which gave the resonant power sentience. With his eighth-grade water resonance and seventh-grade wood resonance, the resulting fusion was likely stronger than Lu Qingmei''s quasi ninth-grade resonant power. A flash of excitement could be seen in Lu Qingmei''s eyes. She took a step forward with great force, causing the ground beneath her to crack. At the same time, she dragged her heavy, glazed rod along as she rushed towards Li Luo like a prancing deer. Majestic and dense resonant power wrapped around the glazed rod before she slammed it towards Li Luo''s cranium with barbaric force. This single strike carried all of the power available to her at the Heavenly Pearl Tier and was sufficient to smash apart any opponent at the Fiend Finisher Tier. Faced with this attack, Li Luo did not plan to retreat. He similarly wanted to know for himself just how strong those geniuses at the Heavenly Pearl Tier were.[1] Weng! The Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade started humming, and a moment later, it radiated light. Li Luo took a step forward, gathering his four hundred feet of Fiend Dipper Energy while his dual resonant power intertwined with the radiance on the blade. He then hacked downwards towards Lu Qingmei. The four hundred feet of Fiend Dipper Energy was like a massive blade that sliced through the skies. The sheer might it exuded seemed capable of leveling even mountains. Blade light clashed against the rod. Deng! A metallic ringing reverberated throughout the air. In the end, berserk energy undulations roiled in every direction and terrifying explosions could be heard. Li Luo and Lu Qingmei both felt their palms trembling from the aftershock before wild remnants of energy rampaged towards them. The two glared at each other eye to eye, both refusing to take even a single step back. Instead, they channeled more energy from their bodies to neutralize the aftereffects. Behind Lu Qingmei, the lone Heavenly Pearl began to swallow up boundless amounts of worldly natural energy to replenish her resonant power. Within Li Luo''s body, the dual resonant power was gradually being depleted, but he was able to hold on thanks to his three resonant palaces full of reserve energy. The blast of energy finally scattered after ten breaths. Lu Qingmeis foot stretched out before her figure flashed forward. Countless afterimages of her rod were left in the wake of her speedy strikes, each filled with savage and brutal strength that were all directed at Li Luo''s vitals. Li Luo grasped his blade as he mustered all the power he had, causing his weapon to glow brightly with a solidified layer. Clang! Clang! Numerous blows were blocked and the afterimages were shattered. It was like a tempest had kicked up when the two started exchanging blows. The ground was shattered into pieces and constant explosions could be heard in the sky as a result of their strikes. After yet another ten breaths, their weapons had collided over a hundred times. As the fight continued, the fighting spirit within Lu Qingmei''s eyes became even more roused. She realized that her current attacks were ineffective and thus no longer held back. "Duke Art: Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor Art!" As soon as her voice rang out, numerous scales emerged from Lu Qingmei''s slender body, quickly turning into a complete suit of scale armor covering it in its entirety. The Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor was form fitting, so it wrapped around her delicate body tightly, revealing curves that would make any man''s heart stop. There were even scales that appeared on the side of her face, giving her a charming look. Her speed, strength, and resonant power all received a substantial boost as a result. She smashed downwards heavily with the glazed rod, easily shattering the blade lights from Li Luo''s counter attacks. At the same time, her rod collided with Li Luo''s blade, and a terrifying force erupted forth, causing him to be thrown backwards tens of meters. There were numerous gazes observing the battles from above. Quite a few were focused upon Li Luo and Lu Qingmei''s battle. The two were amongst the elites of the Banner Leaders, so their battle was worth paying attention to. Even the Dragon''s Blood Lineages Lineage Chief, Li Tianji, was observing their battle. He then turned towards Li Qingying. " Lu Qingmei is a good seedling. She has cultivated the Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor Art to minor completion." Li Qingying gave a slight smile. "She indeed isn''t too bad. Although she is not part of the direct bloodline, her talent is excellent and she will inevitably be a pillar of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage in the future. Lets see how Li Luo reacts to her Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor Art now." 1. TL Note: Makes sense, he fought other Heavenly Pearl Tiers before. ? Chapter 0915: Encountering Li Qingfeng Chapter 0915: Encountering Li Qingfeng "The Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor Art of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage?" Li Luo whispered to himself as he stood his ground and felt the trembles in his hands. His gaze was fixed on the exquisite dragon scales covering Lu Qingmei. The Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor Art was the unique Duke Art of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage. Once cultivated, it could form a suit of armor made of dragon scales. This would greatly boost the strength, resonant power, speed, and defensive capabilities of the user. Previously, he could push back against Lu Qingmei''s power with his Fiend Dipper Energy and dual resonances advantage. Now that she had used this, the pressure on him had suddenly returned. "Li Luo, if you don''t use your Duke Art right now, I''ll be taking this Dragon Scale with me," Lu Qingmei proclaimed as she stood firmly on the ground with the glazed rod in her hands. She looked up into the sky above the stone platform. There was a golden dragon scale around the size of one''s palm floating above. Hearing this, Li Luo smiled in response. She was not wrong. She had just revealed her ace. If he did not want to solely be on the receiving end of the beating, he would have to use his ace too. With that in mind, Li Luo formed the required hand seals with his fingertips, then the resonant power in his body surged rapidly. In the next moment, a blade light flashed by and a crack appeared in the void, revealing an eerie, black space. The sound of rushing water could be heard coming from inside it. Roar! A gush of ice-cold nether-water rushed out of the crack. Along with the giant torrents, a dragon roar echoed in the air, and a black dragon emerged from it. Duke Art, Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner! "Let''s go." As soon as Li Luo spoke, the Underworld River circulated around the black dragon''s body before it flew across the sky, charging towards Lu Qingmei. In an instant, the warm, summer temperature seemed to have fallen into the icy depths of winter. With Li Luo at the Fiend Finisher Tier, the Underworld River''s Black Dragon had gotten even stronger than before. Lu Qingmei''s eyes lit up when she saw the familiar, black dragon appearing once again. She could not wait to clash against it once more. During their first encounter, she was taken aback by the strength of this Duke Art when Li Luo combined it with his third realm of dual resonant power. Its strength was close to matching a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art back then. With that in mind, Lu Qingmei gripped her glazed rod tightly with both hands. The Heavenly Pearl behind her roared into action and started absorbing the worldly natural energy around her. It rotated so quickly that it started to emit a soft, humming sound. At the same time, the resonant power emanating from her body skyrocketed. She took a step forward, and the Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor erupted with a radiant glow. Next, she raised her glazed rod into the air and firmly smacked it against the Underworld River''s Black Dragon. At this moment, numerous tightly knitted dragon scales covered up the glazed rod, causing it to glow with a mysterious light. This was a magnificent strike, a true display of Lu Qingmei''s power at its peak. Bang! A giant explosion echoed in the air when the dragon clashed with the rod. An energy storm swept up in waves, attracting countless shocked gazes. It was an extremely ferocious fight between the two, and neither was holding anything back. The two gigantic balls of energy eroded and destroyed each other repeatedly, neither gaining an advantage. Right at this moment, Li Luo suddenly flicked his finger, and the black dragon opened its maw. A condensed strand of Fiend Dipper Energy unexpectedly came out of its mouth like dragonbreath. Nonetheless, this sudden development did not make Lu Qingmei panic. She merely raised her eyebrows a little and focused her mind. Then a mysterious light started to condense on her glazed rod covered in dragon scales. At the next moment, the light transformed into a golden deer that was fully clad in dragon scales. The deer jumped out lightly, exuding boundless amounts of energy. With its head lowered and horns facing forward, the deer charged at the Fiend Dipper Energy directly and shattered it. "Four hundred feet of Fiend Dipper energy will not be enough to hurt me," Lu Qingmei said. Hearing this, Li Luo simply smiled. That was the exact moment that Lu Qingmei noticed something that made her change her mind immediately. She could sense that there was an extremely sharp aura deep within the Fiend Dipper Energy. It was a strand of sword intent! Embodying the wondrous power of the galaxy. This unparalleled sharpness reminded her of the faint breath of energy that she had sensed during Li Luo''s Dragon''s Ascent, which he had used against the flame from Nine Dragons Becoming One. It turned out that the Fiend Dipper Energy from the black dragon was not the secret ace. The true ace was the sword intent hidden deep within it! As the sword intent flowed along and moved across the space, it sliced the golden deer in half upon contact. Afterwards, it charged straight towards the glazed rod. At this moment, the dragon scales that had shrouded the glazed rod began to shatter. Her offense had been completely annihilated. The black dragon didn''t let up on the opportunity, roaring majestically. At the next moment, Lu Qingmei''s resonant power was frozen by the ice-cold underworld river. Matching the timing of the strand of Cosmic Sword Intent, the black dragon crashed directly into her delicate body covered in dragon scales. Bang! She was sent flying back immediately, and her feet left a deep trail on the ground until she stopped over a thousand feet away. She stabbed the glazed rod onto the ground with all her might and barely managed to stabilize herself. Regardless, the shock on her face was evident as she watched her dragon scales gradually fall apart. This only lasted for a short while before she turned her bright eyes back towards Li Luo and said frankly, "You''ve won." The look in her eyes was really special. His strength had truly surprised her. Although he was merely a Fiend Finisher, he had managed to defeat even a one-pearl Heavenly Pearl like her. This was truly extraordinary. At the same time, some of the Banner Leaders among the spectators couldnt hide their surprise when Lu Qingmei admitted her loss. Although Li Luo''s performance during the Dragon''s Ascent was spectacular, that was not really considered a true battle. Now, he had defeated the rank two Banner Leader, Lu Qingmei. What else could they say? His strength was definitely amongst the top as far as the Banner Leaders were concerned. Everyone truly understood at this moment that Li Luo could really stand a chance against Li Qingfeng in this Battle of the Dragon''s Head. Li Luo put his hands together and thanked Lu Qingmei politely for the fight. She did not say anything in response. She simply turned around decisively and left to prepare herself for the next battle. At the same time, the golden dragon scale floating above them fell down and landed in Li Luo''s hands. He had five consecutive victories at this point. This meant that he had already secured five dragon scales. Though there was another fellow with five consecutive victoriesLi Qingfeng. When Li Luo thought about this, he took a glance towards a stone platform nearby. The battle over there had just concluded too. It was between two very familiar facesLi Qingfeng and Deng Fengxian. It was clearly a bad draw for Deng Fengxian, and there was no surprises to the conclusion. Li Qingfengs Heavenly Pearl was a notch stronger than Lu Qingmeis. Deng Fengxian was unable to hold on for long before his gilded armor shattered and he admitted defeat. When Li Qingfeng sensed Li Luo''s gaze, he turned around and stared back with a calm look. There seemed to be a hidden sharpness within his eyes. It was a look full of provocation. After all, most people knew very well by now that the winner of the Battle of the Dragon''s Head was likely going to be either Li Qingfeng or Li Luo. As for Li Jingtao... Li Luo turned towards another stone platform at this time. What he saw was an unusual battle between Li Jingtao and... the hot-blooded Li Hongli. Li Jingtao was standing firmly in the center of the stage without moving an inch. His resonant power was overflowing, and dragon fangs seemed to have interwoven into a shield that revolved around his body, stopping Li Honglis all-out attack. Despite the repeated hits, the dragon fang shield remained unscathed. Li Jingtao grinned as he hid behind the shield. His hands were hidden in his long sleeves and his slightly plump face showed an air of harmony. On the other hand, Li Hongli''s resonant power was greatly depleted as she pushed her offense to its maximum. This caused her to exhaust herself, so she was currently panting and her face was pale. Frankly, she was fuming with anger as she looked at Li Jingtao with his shameless grin, feeling more irritated by the second. However, there was nothing else she could do. In the end, she had no choice but to withdraw her resonant power when she realized she could never break Li Jingtao and his turtle shell. Li Jingtao continued hiding in his turtle shell with no desire to counterattack. This went on until time ran out and the golden dragon scale above them split into two lights, one light falling on each participant. It was a draw, so each would receive half a dragon scale. With that, Li Jingtao had a total of five draws. Based on his dragon scales count, he was nothing spectacular. His battles had all ended as draws. However, his methods had left both the spectators and even the elders on the elevated platform speechless. The battles that followed were ordinary and unnotable. Li Luo and Li Qingfeng kept winning, and there were no other opponents left. The draw finally revealed the two of them. The eighth battle. Li Luo vs Li Qingfeng. When the two of them appeared on the stone platform, all the other Banner Leaders paused for a moment. Everyone, both within and outside the stone dragon, looked over to their battlefield. This battle would truly decide the conclusion of this generation''s Battle of the Dragon''s Head. Chapter 0916: Dragons Blood Judgment Chapter 0916: Dragon''s Blood Judgment Clouds and mist gathered above the stone platform. Li Luo and Li Qingfeng stood facing each other. Many people watched the stage with their breaths held. The conclusion for this generation''s Battle of the Dragon''s Head would be decided with this battle. Over where the members of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage and the Dragon''s Fang Lineage were, the atmosphere was extremely lively. Thousands of banner members were screaming their lungs out, cheering for their respective Banner Leader. After all, the Dragon''s Head represented the leader among the Twenty Banners. It represented who would hold the helm in their generation. Although it did not hold much authority, it was a really glamorous position. One''s name would be renowned throughout the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent after rising to this position. No one would dare to take that person lightly anymore. Similarly, the lineage he came from would be treated and groomed as the main pillar of the bloodline. They would have a bright future ahead. At this moment, the three Banner Leaders of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage had gathered. As Li Hongli stared at the stage, she gritted her teeth and said with bated breaths, "It''s finally time for this match. As long as Brother Qingfeng defeats that country bumpkin, they will not dare to remain haughty anymore. There were too many variables interfering with the result during the Dragon''s Ascent, so it can''t be counted. Only the victor in a real battle can be considered the Dragon''s Head of the Twenty Banners!" The other two Banner Leaders nodded in agreement. "That position will surely belong to the Dragon''s Blood Lineage!" they responded. During the Dragon''s Ascent earlier, Li Luo''s victory had been a big blow to their morale. After all, the Dragon''s Blood Lineage was the Mountain Ruling Lineage of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, so their status was usually the highest and most prestigious. As members of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, they had always been very proud of themselves. Besides, Li Qingfeng had always been the best in their generation with no close competitors, so they had regarded the position of the Dragon''s Head as good as theirs. Who would have expected a dark horse like Li Luo to emerge out of nowhere? It was true that Li Luo had accumulated a lot of spectacular achievements before this. He had even gotten the Golden Dragon Pillar during the Dragonbreath Pool Battle. However, all of his previous accomplishments had only been made possible thanks to the assistance of Harmony. Perhaps even Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao had not expected Li Luo to come so far today in the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. This was a test of the individual''s true strength after all. Even with the Tri-Radiance Glass Body Tier, how could someone at the Fiend Body Tier possibly compete with an opponent at the Heavenly Pearl Tier like Li Qingfeng? Nonetheless... things turned out completely different from what they had expected. Li Luo had used the Dragon''s Ascent to achieve another breakthrough. He had become a Fiend Finisher and narrowed the gap between Li Qingfeng and himself. Notwithstanding this, he had even defeated Lu Qingmei earlier. At this moment, everyone had to recognize that Li Luo was truly a threat to Li Qingfeng. This was something that Li Hongli understood too. As such, the upcoming battle was their only chance to turn things around. If Li Qingfeng could defeat Li Luo here, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would have to continue sitting obediently beneath the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Their spirits would be crushed. "I truly did not expect to have you as my final opponent," Li Qingfeng told Li Luo calmly under the gazes of thousands of spectators. With a friendly smile, Li Luo replied earnestly, "I''m not really interested in the Dragon''s Head, to be honest. If you are willing to hand the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus to me, I will not fight you for it." "My father needs that item. I am unable to hand it over to you," Li Qingfeng replied. Li Luo sighed and responded, "Looks like there''s no more room for discussion, then." "There''s never been room for discussion. I am taking this Dragon''s Head no matter what. If you''re not fighting for it, you can admit defeat now. Otherwise, I will not hold back," Li Qingfeng stated. Hearing his sharp words, Li Luo simply smiled. Seeing this, Li Qingfeng did not speak any further. A brilliant glow appeared behind him and started rotating at an extremely high speed. Soon, it transformed into a radiant, luminous Heavenly Pearl that started absorbing worldly natural energy. His resonant power started rising steadily. It was clearly one notch above Lu Qingmei''s pearl. However, that was not all. Li Qingfeng formed hand seals with both hands, then his skin started turning crimson. One could faintly see the fresh blood flowing under it. In the end, the blood broke out of his body and condensed rapidly beside his Heavenly Pearl, where a blood-red glow was formed. In the next moment, the red glow started rotating at a very high speed as well, absorbing the worldly natural energy from the surroundings. It looked like a second Heavenly Pearl! Thanks to it, Li Qingfengs resonant power spiked once again, and a terrifying presence swept across the battlefield. His strength wasnt at all inferior to that of a two-pearl Heavenly Pearl cultivator! Witnessing this, Li Luo''s expressions changed a little and his eyes narrowed. This was an extraordinary move from Li Qingfeng. "This is the Dragon''s Blood Art, a special art from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. "We can use our blood to boost our battle powers. After putting a lot of effort into learning this Duke Art, I finally have something to show for it. I can now transform it into a blood pearl," Li Qingfeng slowly explained with a look of confidence on his face. Cheers erupted from the spectators outside. Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao watched the match anxiously. They were not strangers to the Dragon''s Blood Art from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. However, they did not know that Li Qingfeng could get a Heavenly Pearl from it. This was leagues above Li Hongli and the rest. As soon as Li Qingfeng finished his explanation, he shot forward like an explosion. With the blood light rotating, he had received a monstrous speed boost. He appeared right in front of Li Luo in the blink of an eye and threw an ordinary punch. Bang! Although it seemed like an ordinary punch, the air exploded due to how powerful Li Qingfeng was with his two pearls. Signs of vibrations could be seen as the air trembled under the tremendous pressure. "Thunderpeal Avatar, Three-Sonic Pulse! "Divine Elephant Power, Level Three!" The dual resonance power within Li Luo surged up as he activated both skills without any hesitation. He summoned up all his strength and threw back a punch in return. When their fists met, a deafening roar shook the battlefield and the stone platform beneath them cracked like a turtle shell. Li Qingfeng wavered a little as a result. On the other hand, Li Luo felt an immense wave of force sweeping him back and was forced back dozens of steps. The banner members of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage cheered when they witnessed this scene. It seemed like Li Qingfeng had a clear advantage in terms of raw strength after all. When Li Luo stabilized himself again, his eyes turned serious. The previous punch had shown him how strong Li Qingfeng was. His resonant power truly matched that of a real two-pearl cultivator. This was all because of the blood-red Heavenly Pearl. In fact, stimulating the blood in one''s body to get a boost in battle strength was the signature move of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Li Qingfeng stood still on his spot with a calm look on his face. "Li Luo, you''ve already lost half the battle." He raised his finger at this point, and a drop of fresh blood ran down his fingertip. Li Luo frowned at this sight and then looked down at his own fist. During the previous clash, Li Qingfeng had gotten a drop of fresh blood from him. "Li Luo, you may not be familiar with the Dragon''s Blood Lineages battle style since you have just come from the outer divine continent." After he placed one hand behind his back, Li Qingfeng slowly continued, "Do you know why the Dragon''s Blood Lineage is the Mountain Ruling Lineage?" At this moment, he smacked both his palms together. Li Luo''s blood was splattered in the middle of both palms, and strands of it started flowing out. This gradually formed a faint, blood-red rune. "This is because the bloodline reigns supreme in a dragon''s body." When he finished speaking, the blood light swept across his palm and transformed into a blood-red weighing scale that was hundreds of feet tall. Li Luo and Li Qingfeng were on each end. Seeing this, Li Luo slashed out immediately. The blade light flew straight towards the scale. However, it did not come into contact with it. The blade light simply flew straight through the scale, as if it did not actually exist. Li Qingfeng calmly continued, "This is the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art, the reason why the Dragon''s Blood Lineage rules above all four other lineages. With a drop of blood from our opponent as a prerequisite, we can initiate the Dragon''s Blood Judgment. "The purpose of this scale is to measure the Heavenly Dragon''s blood within our bodies. The one with purer blood will emerge victorious and the loser will lose half of his blood. "This is a completely fair art, regardless of your cultivation level or true strength. It only takes your blood into account." Hearing this, Li Luo stared at him in shock. There was such an eccentric art in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage? Anyone would be at a disadvantage if they lost half of their blood just like that. However, he had absolutely no idea how to defend against it. He could not destroy it either. This art would not be effective when used by people from external branches, but it was very strong when used by members of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. After all, who could compete with them when it came down to the purity of one''s Heavenly Dragon blood? Most of the Duke Arts exclusive to the Dragon''s Blood Lineage revolved around strengthening ones blood. This was why the people from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage had an extremely huge advantage once they managed to pull this art off successfully. It was no wonder why he said this was the reason they could rule above the other four lineages. While Li Luo pondered over this, Li Qingfeng had started casting his next art. In the next moment, a light hovered above the blood-red scale, and the mysterious art started moving. Chapter 0917: Blood Purity Competition Chapter 0917: Blood Purity Competition When Li Qingfeng demonstrated his Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art, the entire audience was shocked. Li Fengyi''s face immediately turned chilly and she gritted her teeth. "When did Li Qingfeng cultivate this Duke Art? I have never seen him use it... ever!" This was the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s most famous art for dealing with internal struggles. Li Fengyi knew that Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art was created by the Dragon''s Blood Lineage first Lineage Chief. It didn''t pose much of a threat towards outsiders, but to those who possessed the Heavenly Dragon''s blood flowing through their veins like the members of the other lineages, it had a terribly strong suppressive effect. That being said, there were certain limitations, such as having to obtain a drop of the opponent''s blood. Thus, those who fought against people of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage had to be careful of this and guard their blood closely. And if they did bleed, they would have to attempt to vaporize it to prevent an unwanted situation from occurring. However, Li Luo had only spent half a year in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, so he naturally did not have a good understanding of how those in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage fought. Most importantly, Li Qingfeng had kept a tight lid on his capabilities, never utilizing this in the past two years. This resulted in everyone being caught by surprise. Li Jingtao similarly frowned and sighed helplessly. "That fellow truly knows how to set a trap. It is not easy to cultivate the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art and thus it''s unlikely he just learned it. Like he said, he truly spent some time on it. However, in the past, his greatest threat within the Twenty Banners was Lu Qingmei. This art would not be very effective against her." Li Fengyi smiled coldly. "There''s nothing strange about it. For the sake of controlling the other four lineages, those who are talented in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage all inevitably learn it. Li Qingfeng may not have learned this for the sake of the Battle of the Dragon''s Head, but rather for future battles. His actions might be sinister, but they are not surprising. Little Brother has always been full of surprises. I thought that he had the means to challenge Li Qingfeng openly, but it seems like..." Before she could finish speaking, an extremely dissatisfied look could be seen on her face. If Li Luo lost in an open and direct competition, there would be nothing much to say. However, he might very well be crippled before the battle started due to the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art. "Li Qingfeng doesn''t care about face. He is already stronger in cultivation level compared to Li Luo and yet he still wishes to rely on such means!" Li Qingfeng was clearly stirred up by this as she did not mince her words nor her voice, making it so all of the other Banner Leaders heard her. Nonetheless, some agreed with her. This sort of outburst was not surprising. If one were to turn their attention towards the audience, they would similarly hear similar outpourings of emotions. "Hmph! Was there ever a rule that the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art could not be used for the Battle of the Dragon''s Head?" Frosty laughter could be heard coming from the side. To no one''s surprise, it was Li Hongli who had spoken up. Li Fengyi glared at her with an inhospitable look. "I feel like the colorful look you had on your face during the Dragon''s Ascent was even better to look at." This sharp retort caused Li Hongli to turn gloomy, and her enthusiasm was clearly dampened. Listening to Li Fengyi''s mocking words, her eyebrows furrowed as she said through clenched teeth, "So what if you have a sharp mouth? The Dragon''s Ascent doesn''t determine the Dragon''s Head." Li Fengyi was just about to return some pointed words before Li Jingtao hurriedly restrained her. "There''s no need to argue. Third Brother has yet to lose, and the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art is a measure of one''s blood purity. Although the Dragon''s Blood Lineage has an advantage in this regard, who knows how pure his blood truly is? If it is on a similar level to Li Qingfeng, then this art will not be of much use." These words seemed logical, so Li Fengyi didn''t disagree. Although the Dragon''s Blood Lineage focused on developing one''s bloodline purity as a source of strength, usually surpassing that of the other four lineages, this was not always an absolute advantage. There were geniuses from the other lineages that similarly possessed extremely pure bloodlines, such as Li Taixuan. When he swept through the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, they had never heard of anyone utilizing the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art on him. Generally speaking, if the older generation possessed a bloodline of higher purity, it would increase the odds of the younger generation inheriting it, although this was never guaranteed. Constant discussion enveloped the audience as their gazes were closely affixed to the platform. On the platform, a blood-red scale stood tall, emanating crimson runes of light. It was at this point that Li Luo could feel a strange trembling within his body. Something was mysteriously analyzing his body. Was it testing his blood purity? The scale had two ends, and it was the one which Li Qingfeng was standing on that hummed first. Everyone could see a pillar of blood-red light shoot up, extending six hundred feet into the sky. The manifestation of a dragon could be seen swimming within the pillar. It was a showcase of the purity and density of Li Qingfeng''s blood. The Dragon''s Blood Lineage had a way of classifying this. One could potentially have a pillar of light reaching a thousand feet, demonstrating that their bloodline was peerlessly pure. Anything above three hundred feet was considered to be of a superior quality, and Li Qingfengs being six hundred feet was definitive evidence that his bloods purity was extremely high. Anything below three hundred feet was considered average, and that represented the majority of those in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. The peerless grade was seldom seen; even the Dragon''s Blood Lineage only saw this maybe once in a century. Thus, those who were comparable with Li Qingfeng were considered to be amongst the best, worthy of being a talent. BOOM! Faced with the reveal of Li Qingfeng''s blood purity, the scale began to tilt until it ultimately stopped at a position extremely close to the ground on Li Qingfeng''s side. Whichever side the scale tilted towards was the one who had triumphed in its judgment. Li Qingfeng stared at Li Luo as he coolly said, "Banner Leader Li Luo, if you surrender now, you might be able to save yourself some dignity." "Shouldn''t it be my turn now?" Li Luo grinned. Although he had been caught off guard and forced to compete in the Dragon''s Blood Judgment, he did not panic. So long as he had an ounce of fight left within him, he would struggle to the bitter end. When Li Qingfeng saw this, he gave an indifferent smile, no longer speaking. At this point in time, Li Luo could finally feel the mysterious force within his body dissipate. It seemed to have completed its analysis. He sucked in a deep breath as he tightly grasped the Onyx-Elephant Blade. Everyone stared at Li Luo without blinking. A few seconds later, there was still no reaction. A few individuals felt a little suspicious at what was happening. Was it even possible for the Dragon''s Blood Judgment to have a delayed response? Li Qingfeng similarly frowned. This wait was a little too long. However, everyone continued to wait patiently. A few seconds later, Li Luo could feel a boiling heat within his body. It seemed as though something was surging out of him, exiting from the top of his head. Bang! Blood-red light explosively shot out, and in a blink, a gigantic pillar of light soared from the top of his head, shooting into the clouds and staining the skies a sanguine red. As the pillar ascended, it radiated a majestic presence, and a dragon manifestation that was incredibly life-like was within its confines. The pillar continued to grow, quickly reaching the five hundred foot mark. However, it didn''t stop there. Six hundred... seven hundred... nine hundred One thousand feet! When the pillar of blood light explosively grew to the maximum height of a thousand feet, it left the audience completely and utterly dumbfounded. They stared at it blankly for a second before shock and horror appeared on their faces. A thousand-foot blood light! It had reached the peerless grade! The Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Banner Leaders, especially Li Hongli, became completely pale. They could feel a chill running throughout their bodies from their very toes at this revelation. "Impossible... this is impossible!" Li Hongli trembled as she screamed, her expression aghast as though she had seen a ghost. This scene had mentally shocked them. This was even more terrifying than Li Luo vanquishing the Nine Dragons Becoming One. Who would have thought that Li Luo would possess the purest Heavenly Dragon Bloodline imaginable? Li Fengyi almost wanted to mock her, but upon glancing at the pillar of light, she opted to stay silent. That Little Brother of hers was a little too impressive. Lu Qingmei and the other Banner Leaders similarly had a change in expression. They knew that Li Qingfeng had dropped a boulder on his own foot this time. In the air above, the eyes of the countless elders shrank at this sight as well. This surprise did not extend just to those who were watching. Li Qingfeng himself had blanked out upon seeing this unbelievable sight, losing all of the calm and confidence he usually exuded. BOOM! Just as that happened, the blood-red weighing scale reacted, and the platform on Li Qingfeng''s side gradually began to rise into the air. The appearance of the thousand-foot pillar of light was like a heavy mountain being placed on Li Luo''s side of the scale, causing it to descend instantly. Weng! With a hum, Li Luo''s platform shifted to the lowest possible position, whereas Li Qingfeng''s end was now dangling in the air. Roar! A draconic cry resounded from the depths of the scale. Judgment had fallen. Li Qingfeng snapped out of his stupor at this point, and his expression instantly changed. The resonant power within his body surged out as he planned to escape. Unfortunately, his attempt was futile. He could clearly feel a terrifying suction force coming from beneath his feet, from the scale he had conjured himself. A moment later, an extremely tragic scene unfolded before everyone''s eyes. It was like Li Qingfeng''s body had become a sieve, as copious amounts of fresh blood gushed out of every pore. The entire area within a ten meter radius was simply bloody. The stench of fresh blood wafted through the air. The grisly scene caused some to shut their eyes. The judged individual of the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art would have half of their blood extracted. Everything turned silent, and the weighing scales gradually dissipated. Li Luo was at a loss as he stared at the visibly withered and pale opponent before him. His body''s resonant power had weakened significantly and his gaze was complicated. Half a moment later, he sighed helplessly. He simply didn''t understand what Li Qingfeng was trying to do. If Li Qingfeng had truly fought head-on, Li Luo would have had to engage in an epic struggle, and the result would have been uncertain. However, Li Qingfeng had decided to pull out this magic trick known as the Dragon''s Blood Judgment, and the result was before his very eyes. Li Luo simply stood unmoving, whilst Li Qingfeng was now spurting out blood from every orifice. If not for how serious the occasion was, he might even have suspected that this was some sort of scam and Li Qingfeng was trying to swindle something out of him...[1] Regardless, Li Qingfeng was half dead and grievously injured. His strength had decreased immensely, and the Battle of the Dragon''s Head was about to come to an end at this rate. Was this the supposed duel of their fates? The fight that he had eagerly anticipated? Li Luo felt a little empty inside. If not for the fact that they had clashed numerous times, he might even have suspected that Li Qingfeng was handing him the position of Dragon''s Head through an elaborate show. In the end, only a few words remained in Li Luo''s mind.?? "Sheesh, I''m going to cry myself to death!" 1. TL Note: This is referring to the sort of scam that used to be seen in China where people would throw themselves in front of a moving car, usually slow moving, and look to claim insurance/compensation off the driver. ? Chapter 0918: Obtaining the Dragons Head Chapter 0918: Obtaining the Dragon''s Head The atmosphere instantly became awkward. Li Qingfeng hadnt moved at all as his blood pooled on the floor. It was an extremely shocking sight. Everyone watched silently as no one knew how to respond to this. Li Qingfeng was so confident in himself when he revealed the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art. It had caught everyone by surprise, and they all thought that he would obtain an absolute advantage with it. Yet... who could have imagined that he would end up being the loser of this literal bloodbath? Moreover, Li Luo had not moved a single step from his spot since their exchange of punches to test out each other''s strength earlier. Li Qingfeng had been severely injured before Li Luo had moved a muscle. This was an extremely bad spot for someone from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage to be in. Losing half of their blood was an even greater loss than breaking a bone or tearing a ligament. This was the caveat of using the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art. If it failed, the user would be struck by harsh backlash. Li Luo looked at Li Qingfeng helplessly as he said, "Banner Leader Li Qingfeng, why don''t we end it here?" If he had relied on the second Heavenly Pearl created from his blood, this would have been an uphill battle for Li Luo. However, Li Qingfeng had ended up gravely injured. He had no chance of winning anymore. One could even say that his overwhelming advantage had been completely shattered by his hotblooded decision to use the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art. Everyone knew that Li Qingfeng simply wanted to show off with this art. However, who would have expected it to backfire on him? At this point, Li Qingfeng''s face was pale and expressionless. Perhaps he would give himself two good slaps across the face if he allowed his emotions to show right now. "I will not admit defeat," Li Qingfeng replied with a hoarse voice. He continued to maintain the air of arrogance around himself. In fact, there was no other choice left for him. If he admitted defeat here, his reputation in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage would be completely shattered. Hearing this, Li Luo nodded. He signaled with his hand for his opponent to make his next move. Li Qingfeng summoned up all his strength to contain his injuries at this moment. His blood-red pearl had completely disappeared along with his loss of blood. In addition, the bright Heavenly Pearl that he had cultivated himself was also getting dimmer. Nonetheless, he tried his best to keep up. Along with it, his resonant power surged up once again. In the blink of an eye, Li Qingfeng exploded like a storm. All the resonant power in his body had been used for this last move. Like a falling meteorite at the end of its trajectory, he launched towards Li Luo with his final strike. His momentum was not weak, but the sight was tragic. Regardless, Li Luo did not underestimate him. He gripped his blade tightly and took a step forward. Thunder rumbled from his body. "Thunderpeal Avatar, Three Sonic Pulse! "Divine Elephant Power, Level Three! "Dual resonant power, third realm!" His resonant power surged up like a giant tide as he formed hand seals rapidly with his fingertips. Following this, he slashed down decisively and shouted, "Duke Art: Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner!" The blade sliced apart the void, leaving a trail of light behind and instantly producing a tear. Sounds of rushing water rang in the air just before a black dragon emerged from the tear, along with the eerily cold Underworld River. For a moment, the air seemed to have frozen. Roar! As everyone watched without batting an eyelid, the black dragon clashed with Li Qingfeng directly. BOOM! A berserk storm of energy swept across the battlefield. Piercing sounds of explosions reverberated in the air, and the ground cracked apart incessantly. The single Heavenly Pearl behind Li Qingfeng vibrated violently as it took in all the worldly natural energy from the surroundings to boost his resonant power. He fought against the roaring, black dragon with all his might, his palms screaming in pain as he tried to hold his ground. Li Luo''s strike was strong, but not strong enough to be a threat to Li Qingfeng if he were at full power. However, things were clearly different now. Li Qingfeng could sense that his resonant power was rapidly being eroded as the black dragon got closer and closer. Moreover, he had started this engagement with very little resonant power in the first place. Excruciating pain called out from his body. Li Qingfeng refused to give uphe gritted his teeth and resisted with all his might. This went on for dozens of breaths. Finally, his resonant power ran out completely. The energy of the Underworld River''s Black Dragon depleted at the same time, and it turned into a glow of light in the air. However, it was not time for Li Qingfeng to heave a sigh of relief yet. As the glow of light gradually faded off in the air, a blade of light flew at him like a lightning strike. It quickly grew bigger in his field of view as it closed in. Weng! The blade of light paused right in front of Li Qingfeng. Its sharp aura had sliced off a single strand of hair on his forehead. This conclusion was surprising to no one, considering how badly Li Qingfeng was injured. As Li Luo stared at Li Qingfeng, who was now in a daze, he could not help but sigh helplessly again. "Banner Leader Li Qingfeng, there was no need to use the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art." Everyone had been looking forward to this showdown for the Dragon''s Head. However, Li Qingfeng got himself badly injured thanks to that unnecessarily flashy move. In the end, he could not even take one blow from Li Luo. With such an ending... even Li Luo wanted to ask Li Qingfeng what exactly he was trying to do here. Couldn''t he have just fought properly? Why did he have to pull such tricks? His advantage had been completely nullified. Li Qingfeng did not respond to him. His resonant power had been completely used up now. Slowly, his body fell backwards and he fainted on the field. Seeing this, Li Luo smiled. He did not care if he had really fainted or if he was simply faking it so he wouldnt have to deal with this embarrassing situation. Regardless, it was clear that he had completely given up on fighting for the Dragon''s Head. Li Luo raised his head and looked at the dragon scale hovering in the sky above. This scale was much brighter than the others, evidently filled with an extremely condensed form of Heavenly Dragon energy. Clearly, there was a huge difference between this scale and the others. At this moment, the dragon scale gently landed on Li Luo''s palm along with the fall of Li Qingfeng. He stored the dragon scale safely with a look of composure. With the eighth dragon scale in his hands, he had become the person who had obtained the most scales. Since Li Qingfeng was out of the competition, there was no one else who could catch up to him at this point. In other words, Li Luo had become the Dragon''s Head, leader of this generation of the Twenty Banners. The surroundings fell silent as everyone was in a daze. The much anticipated battle for the Dragon''s Head did not happen. However, the Dragon''s Head had been decided nonetheless. To be honest, this conclusion was kind of ridiculous. It could be the first time in history that the Battle of the Dragon''s Head concluded in such a strange way. But who could they blame? Even Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao looked at the stage strangely. There was a surreal feeling to this scene in front of them. Had Li Luo truly become this generation''s Dragon''s Head... so easily? There was no ultimate showdown like what they had all expected. It was just Li Qingfeng losing half his blood and falling flat. The two of them glanced at each other. Perhaps this generation''s Battle of the Dragon''s Head would go down in history too. Li Luo could go down in history as the Dragon''s Head who faced the least opposition. "Did Li Qingfeng do this on purpose? Perhaps he knew that he could not win against Little Brother and wanted to make a mockery out of this battle?" Li Fengyi muttered. Although her voice was soft, some of the other Banner Leaders nearby heard it and their faces turned stiff immediately. Li Hongli''s face changed completely and she stared angrily at Li Fengyi. Seeing this, Li Fengyi pouted and said, "What would you like to say now? Are you going to insist that Li Luo did not obtain the Dragon''s Head properly? I wonder who should be blamed this time. Who asked your side to not fight it out properly and mess around with the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art?" Li Hongli nearly flipped when she heard these sharp words. However, she could not think of any rebuttal for them. After all, everyone had seen for themselves that it was Li Qingfeng who had destroyed his own chances. It was not an exaggeration at all to say that he was the mastermind behind his own downfall. "So this is how the Battle of the Dragon''s Head ends?" The other Banner Leaders smiled bitterly and sighed. There seemed to be something lacking. Lu Qingmei stared at Li Luo in the middle of the stage and shook her head lightly. "It''s not the end yet. Li Luo may have gotten eight dragon scales, but don''t forget... there can be a ninth battle." Everyone was taken aback when they heard her words. She was right. The Scales Seizure had up to nine battles. It was just that ordinarily, there was little chance of the ninth battle happening. The difficulty of the ninth battle was said to be beyond anyone''s imagination. Moreover, the Dragon''s Head was usually decided by the eighth battle. Hence, a lot of people would not choose to go for the ninth battle from there. With that, the once silent atmosphere started to be filled with whispers once again. "The victor of the eighth battle of the Scales Seizure is Li Luo. He has obtained eight dragon scales, the highest among all competitors. According to the rules, he will be the Dragon''s Head for this generation of the Twenty Banners." Surprisingly, there was not much commotion among the crowd when the news came. After all, they had already digested this piece of information earlier. However, their attention was drawn back once again when the voice echoed in the air. "Although Li Luo has already become the Dragon''s Head, there are nine battles in the Scales Seizure. In line with the rules and regulations, we would like to ask if you would like to participate in the ninth battle." As soon as the speaker finished his sentence, Li Luo narrowed his eyes a little. "The ninth battle of the Scales Seizure..." Chapter 0919: The Ninth Battle Chapter 0919: The Ninth Battle At this moment, everyone''s attention was drawn back to Li Luo. They watched him with both shock and anticipation. The ninth battle of the Scales Seizure. This was not an event that was seen in every Battle of the Dragon''s Head. Ordinarily speaking, winning eight dragon scales was enough to make someone the Dragon''s Head. There was not much point in going for the ninth battle, since most people who reached this point did not need the ninth scale. Only those who had obtained the embryonic form of the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body during the Dragon''s Ascent would consider trying. Those who only had the embryonic form of the Eight Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body, such as Li Qingfeng, had nothing to gain in the ninth battle. Thus, they would naturally choose not to go for such a challenge. Although the ninth battle was very eye-catching and one could leave their name in history by clearing it, its difficulty was truly daunting. Everyone''s gazes were fixed on Li Luo as he pondered over it. He touched the dragon sigil between his eyebrows while he mulled it over. He had already obtained eight dragon scales. Once the battle was over, his Sanctified Dragon''s Body would transform into the eight scales grade. Although this was already a high grade, it was not truly at the level of perfection. He was being given the chance to elevate his Sanctified Dragon''s Body to its final form, the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body. Every victory in the Scales Seizure had given him one dragon scale imbued with Heavenly Dragon energy, and the scales he had obtained towards the end contained stronger and more condensed energy. As such, this was the only method to awaken the Sanctified Dragon''s Body at the highest grade immediately. If he gave up now, he could still exchange resources for items containing Heavenly Dragon energy in the future. However, the time and effort required to make the jump from the eth grade to the ninth grade would be extremely huge. Li Luo clearly did not have so much time to spend on the Sanctified Dragon''s Body alone. Hence, the ninth battle would be the most direct way forward if he really wanted to awaken its full potential. Of course, the prerequisite was that he had to win. He had given it his all to obtain the Nine Scales Dragon Sigil from the Dragon''s Ascent. No matter what, he had to give it a try now. If he gave up so easily here, he would have wasted all his previous efforts. With that in mind, he came to a decision. Li Luo looked up at the clouds above the sky. There was a faint but strong aura coming from something high above. Li Luo put his hands together and asked politely, "How will the ninth battle be held?" "There is no fixed format to the ninth battle. It will be decided by the drawing of lots." As the majestic voice finished, a golden light fell from the sky and landed in front of Li Luo. It was an energy lottery box. The box was filled with numerous light tickets. Seeing this, he paused for a moment before he reached inside and drew one ticket out randomly. Instantly, the light ticket flew into the sky above and transformed into a line of text with a glow. "The ninth battle: battle against the previous Dragon''s Head!" Li Luo was dumbfounded when he saw those words. He bit his lips in disbelief. So he had to challenge the previous Dragon''s Head for the ninth battle? Was it the previous generation''s Dragon''s Head or a Dragon''s Head from the past? However, it was likely not the Dragon''s Head himself. It would likely be an energy mirage created to replicate the individual''s strength. This made sense, as the previous Dragon''s Head was at least at the Heavenly Resonance Tier by now. If he had to fight against them, there would be no chance of victory at all. Whispers broke out among the spectators when they saw this. Everyones interest in the ninth battle grew. Who would have thought it would be a battle between their generation''s Dragon''s Head and the previous generations? This was really interesting. Weng! As the crowd was discussing among themselves, the light ticket transformed into a pillar of light that landed in front of Li Luo. Huge amounts of worldly natural energy started to condense at that point. A human figure gradually formed inside the pillar of light. All the spectators were staring at it without batting an eyelid. At this point, even Li Luo was watching it curiously. Slowly, the silhouette in the light pillar became clearer. In the end, the person started moving and took a step forward, walking out of the light pillar. The one who had walked out of the beam of light was a young man with a tall and straight body. His demeanor was pretty extraordinary. Even though it was just a replica created by energy, the confident expression on his face was vividly portrayed. He was a heroic youth with an astonishing aura around him. When he walked out of the light pillar, everyone exchanged gazes with each other. They had begun wondering which generation''s Dragon''s Head this was. Some of the Banner Leaders were also finding this extremely peculiar, especially Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao. Their eyes were wide open as they stared at the heroic youth. They were wondering why this youth looked so similar to Li Luo. Moreover, they seemed to have seen someone like him before... The confusion lasted for a few breaths before they noticed it. "Is that... a young Third Uncle? Like the one we saw in the painting?" As soon as they said that, the expressions of Lu Qingmei and the rest at the side changed completely. Was that... Li Luo''s father, Li Taixuan?! The man who completely overwhelmed everyone else in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages in his generation?! In fact, it was not just within the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. During his time, he was well known throughout the whole Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. In other words, Li Luo''s draw for the ninth battle was his own father? A battle between father and son? An uproar broke out within and outside the stone dragon when the spectators realized this. Even the elders in the elevated platform high above started whispering among themselves. There were mixed reactions when some of the elders from the same generation as Li Taixuan saw this. This was the youth who had left a really deep impression within their hearts. Their gazes turned complicated when they saw him. For a moment, the terror he had induced in them back then surfaced in their hearts. "How could it be Third Brother?" Li Qingpeng asked in surprise as he smiled bitterly. Li Jinpan also revealed a bitter smile when he saw the familiar, dazzling youth. "It''s been a long time since we''ve seen Third Brother like this." "Some people here probably did not want to be reminded of him," Li Qingpeng whispered with a grin. Li Jinpan snorted coldly and replied, "That''s good. Let them reminisce about the old days, when they bowed down respectfully to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." "However, this isn''t good news for Li Luo. To have selected Third Brother out of all the previous Dragon''s Heads... He must have gotten the highest difficulty," Li Qingpeng commented helplessly. "Well..." Li Jinpan rubbed his nose and was at a loss for words. After all, Li Taixuan had gotten through the Battle of the Dragon''s Head during his generation without much competition. He had reached the peak of thirty thousand feet, but his method was different from Li Luos. Li Luo had slain the flame to reach the peak, while Li Taixuan simply endured the infernal baptism and ascended. In the Scales Seizure that followed, Li Taixuan fought off everyone regardless of whether they were friend or foe. He went through the battles smoothly and went into the ninth battle too. As such, if one were to rank the Dragon''s Heads throughout history, it would not be surprising if Li Taixuan was in the top three. "If I remember correctly, Third Brother was a three-pearl in the Battle for the Dragon''s Head, right? If this energy replica only mimics seventy or eighty percent of his strength, it would be around the level of a two-pearl. That would still be way stronger than Li Qingfeng," Li Qingpeng said worriedly. Li Jinpan nodded and added, "Besides, don''t forget about Third Brother''s resonance." Li Qingpeng pouted when he heard this. Li Taixuan possessed a quasi ninth-grade dragon resonance, which sounded similar to Li Qingfengs resonance. However, his dragon resonance was slightly different. The dragon resonance that he possessed was the rarest of them all... the Heavenly Dragon resonance. The Heavenly Dragon ruled supreme amongst all the dragon resonances. As such, a quasi ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance was even rarer than a true ninth-grade dragon resonance. All dragon resonances would be absolutely suppressed in the presence of the Heavenly Dragon resonance. When they thought about this, Li Jinpan and Li Qingpeng exchanged gazes and shook their heads helplessly. At the same time, the Lineage Chiefs were also staring at Li Taixuan on the stage. Li Jingzhe was the quietest. He closely observed the youth and seemed to be lost in thought. For a moment, he could hear the fearless young man shouting, "Old man!" However, Li Jingzhe soon recovered from his daze and turned towards Li Tianji. "Is this your doing?" It''s too much of a coincidence for Li Luo to pick this lot by chance. Nonetheless, Li Tianji shook his head and replied with a smirk, "Please don''t malign me, Lineage Chief Jingzhe. The world space in the stone dragon was created by our Ancestor, so even I have to follow its rules here." Li Jingzhe frowned when he heard this. However, he did not have any proof, so it was pointless to argue over this. He simply looked back at the stage calmly. On the stage, Li Luo had just started to recover from his shock too. He could not help but laugh out loud when he look at the heroic, young version of Li Taixuan, who looked very similar to himself. Though there was a hint of anticipation within his laughter. "Dad, you were always bullied by Mom back in the day. Who would have thought that I''d get a chance to pick on you as well?" Chapter 0920: Father and Son Clash Chapter 0920: Father and Son Clash The battle between the pair immediately caused the atmosphere to heat up. There were numerous individuals who were dismayed at Li Qingfeng''s machinations, resulting in them feeling disappointed as they were unable to watch a fight between peak-level combatants. However, the appearance of Li Taixuan''s replica caused their previous emotions to be overwhelmed by sheer excitement. It was a fight with Li Taixuan! Although he had left the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent many years ago, his influence had lorded over an entire generation. Thus, there were numerous individuals in the Twenty Banners who understood how amazing he was. Li Taixuan was a heavenly genius that had the entire Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages under his thumb. His name resounded throughout the continent during his prime, and the other geniuses and talents from the other powers paled in comparison to him. If not for the sudden appearance of Tan Tailan, perhaps he would have been the sole supreme genius, looking down upon everyone else in disdain. However, the tales that had been passed down were the only reference that the young people had. They had never really had the chance to personally experience how outstanding this genius was in his youth. Thus, they were looking forward to the ninth battle. Although this was just an energy replica and not Li Taixuan in the flesh, the replica possessed the majority of his techniques and strength thanks to the stone dragon''s special influence. Thus, no one knew whether it would be the father teaching the son a lesson, or the son besting the father. As the crowd''s excitement reached its peak, Li Luo''s fingers were tightly grasped around the Onyx-Elephant Blade. The three resonant palaces within his body churned, and extraordinary amounts of resonant power gushed out like the rising tide. Li Taixuan, on the other hand, remained unarmed and seemingly defenseless. His youthful and handsome face seemed to hold a hint of a smirk, but his eyes were vacant and soulless. After all, this was ultimately still just an energy replica and not a true person. At this point, two Heavenly Pearls appeared behind him and began to ravenously devour the worldly natural energy around him. Tenacious waves of resonant power were released as a result, applying a sense of pressure towards Li Luo. This suppression was more powerful than what had Li Qingfeng exerted. This scene caused numerous individuals to sigh in their hearts. From this alone, they could see that Li Taixuan in his youth possessed horrifying strength compared to those of his generation. It was said that he possessed three-pearl strength when he became the Dragon''s Head, which was an achievement that no one had surpassed even now. "The old man actually reached the three-pearl tier by the time he obtained the position?" It seemed that the energy replica was only able to replicate just seventy or eighty percent of the original''s strength. This caused Li Luo to sigh. This sort of strength was amongst the best of the best. Even Li Qingfeng was nowhere near that powerful. Still, an inevitable question popped up in his head. If he had been born in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and had not suffered from having blank palaces, could he have achieved something similar? Perhaps. As his heart pondered over the possibilities, he remained focused and decided to strike first. He formed some hand seals, and a strand of green resonant power appeared before everyone''s eyes. It tunneled into the ground, causing a towering tree to come into being. A moment later, its sturdy and thick branches intertwined, turning into a dragon ent. The dragon ent roared, radiating undulating waves of energy from its body as it dashed towards Li Taixuan murderously. "Pseudo Duke Art: Emerald Dragon Ent!" Li Taixuan took a step forward, five fingers clenched into a fist Bang! A punch flew out. It was like a dragon had roared, and even the void gave way as an ear-splitting sonic boom blasted throughout the field. The moment the fist collided with the ent, the ent collapsed completely into motes of light without any resistance. It was a domineering strike. This sight caused the Banner Leaders'' eyelids to jump in surprise. They could sense that this single punch was something they could not receive without losing pitifully. A single punch had taken down the dragon ent. Li Taixuan immediately strode forward, each step crossing tens of meters, quickly closing the gap between him and Li Luo. Li Luo immediately roused his resonant power, giving form to one dragon ent after another, each one dashing towards Li Taixuan in an attempt to obstruct him. This didn''t seem to have much effect as Li Taixuan remained undeterred, sending out punch after punch, each strike leaving afterimages in its wake. The dragon ents shattered one after another like crushed twigs before his domineering display of power, leaving the audience shocked. Bang! In the end, after his fist smashed the last tree, he stopped in his tracks. He glared at Li Luo with a gaze full of hostility. He then lifted his hand and clenched his fist once again, stomping the sole of a single foot, preparing his stance. BOOM! The ground below him crumbled into fragments, looking like the back of a turtle''s shell. His entire body turned into a beam of rainbow light that soared towards Li Luo. He was holding his first in front of him, and its target was clearly Li Luo''s chest. This was a tyrannical punch that caused the void to explode in its mere presence. When Li Luo felt the pressure bearing down upon him, he sucked in a breath of air, and the boom of thunder could be heard coming from his body. It was deafening and berserk, far surpassing anything that had been seen before. This was because Li Luo had activated the Four Sonic Pulses state! Thunderpeal Avatar: Four Sonic Pulses! The sound of the thunderclap flooded the field, and Li Luo''s body trembled from the sheer vibration. Majestic amounts of energy surged out like a raging dragon boat coursing through a river of limbs and bones. His body had strengthened after receiving the Sanctified Dragon''s Body, so Li Luo was now able to handle the stress of the Four Sonic Pulses. He had planned to utilize this move against Li Qingfeng, but the opportunity never presented itself. "Divine Elephant Power, Level Three!" With the blade in hand, he met Li Taixuan''s iron fist head-on. There was no retreat, and all of his resonant power poured out of his body without reserve. Pure and dense dual resonant power surged forth with Vestiges of Spirituality. At the same time, the blade was augmented with Fiend Dipper Energy, increasing its sharpness This single strike was not bolstered by any resonant art, but it was a strike that carried all of Li Luo''s spirit. He wanted to face off against Li Taixuan openly and see just how strong he was in the past. When the two clashed frontally, gasps could be heard coming from the audience as everyone stared at the scene without daring to blink. BANG! During the moment of collision, a wild and furious storm of energy kicked up and the tiles beneath the two began to fracture. The floor cracked in every direction, unable to withstand the sheer impact. Swish! The two were forced backwards, and as they stumbled to regain their footing, the floor shattered beneath them. However, it was clear that Li Luo had been forced back much more than his father. After stabilizing himself, his blood essence churned and roiled. Glancing at the hand that was holding the blade, he could see a wound gaping like a tiger''s outstretched maw with blood oozing endlessly. His entire arm was throbbing with piercing pain while a tyrannical resonant power gushed into his body. However, it was quickly dissipated and resolved with the aid of his dual resonant power. "Gosh, the old man is pretty ferocious," Li Luo mumbled to himself. He had evidently suffered more during their first frontal clash. Li Taixuan''s two-pearl tier cultivation gave him vigorous and forceful resonant power. This short exchange had given Li Luo a taste of how domineering his father was. Despite having a quasi ninth-grade resonance comparable to Li Qingfengs, they were poles apart in terms of sheer brutality. It was clearly no weaker than a true ninth-grade resonance. "Li Luo, you have to be careful. Third Uncle''s resonance is the Heavenly Dragon resonance. It''s known to be both barbaric and overbearing," Li Fengyi reminded him from the side. Li Luo was slightly taken aback. "Heavenly Dragon resonance? No wonder its so menacing." He only knew that his father had a dragon resonance. However, as to what sort of dragon resonance it was, he didn''t really care much for it. All dragon resonances were the same to him... or so he thought. At that very moment, Li Taixuan activated his two Heavenly Pearls. They began to vibrate with increased intensity, devouring worldly natural energy ravenously. Li Taixuan''s resonant power began to surge upwards with renewed vigor. He folded his fingers together, forming a strange hand seal with his fingertips, looking perhaps like a fist seal. Roar! An illusory dragon manifested behind Li Taixuan, winding and curling, exuding a sense of immense majesty. As soon as the dragon appeared, everyone from the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages felt an indescribable pressure bear down upon them. The Heavenly Dragon resonance! Li Luo immediately realized that fist seal Li Taixuan had just formed was not foreign to him. He once saw him demonstrate it when he competed against his mother. This was his signature move. Duke Art: Hundred Battles Dragon Fist! Who knew just how many Dukes from the Xia Kingdom had fallen to this very strike all those years ago, hammering into them a lingering fear of Li Taixuan that had never left them Chapter 0921: Greater Completion Chapter 0921: Greater Completion After Li Taixuan activated the fist seal, the worldly natural energy around him flared up and the two Heavenly Pearls behind him began to churn, constantly swallowing up copious amounts of it, turning it into resonant power that gushed into his body. A moment later, a fist rippled outwards from Li Taixuan. Roar! A loud and clear draconic roar exploded, and a one-hundred-meter-wide fist manifestation shot outwards. The fist manifestation seemed to be covered in scales that reminded one of a dragon''s scales, giving it its distinct name. There were countless runes flowing over the dragon scales, increasing its might. As the dragon fist penetrated the air, it was accompanied by the roar of a dragon, giving it an intimidating and astonishing momentum as it soared through the skies, causing everything to shake in its presence. That wasn''t allwaves of dragonfear pulsed from the dragon fist. Any weak-willed individual might simply have their ability to resist sapped away before even confronting it. This one strike had caused all of the Banner Leaders face''s to change. Even Lu Qingmei turned solemn. She could tell that if she were in Li Luo''s position, she might very well have tried to evade this. The reputed Li Taixuan, who could be considered of the three strongest Dragon''s Heads of all time, naturally dazzled the crowd with his strength. It wasn''t just them. Even the elders who were sitting in the air above had complicated expressions on their faces. This familiar blow elicited painful memories. The Hundred Battles Dragon Fist was the first Duke Art Li Taixuan had cultivated. Although it was only Communion-grade, he had brought it to the realm of Grand Perfection. Thus, the might it could display was superior to countless Soul Ascension-grade Duke Arts. While everyone else sighed in amazement, Li Luo''s expression turned grim. Although the Hundred Battles Dragon Fist demonstrated by Li Taixuan was not out of his expectations, relying purely on his Fiend Finisher cultivation brought about immense pressure. Li Luo exhaled deeply and activated all three resonant palaces within his body. Resonant power started flowing out of him like a tide. Several hand seals were formed, then his blade hacked outwards. The void was split open, and the sound of rushing water could be heard. A black dragon coursing across an abyssal, black, frigid stream of water soared out. Before the eyes of the crowd, it directly clashed with the tyrannical dragon fist. "Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner!" Bang! An energy tempest kicked up immediately, causing the air around the epicenter to tremble. Li Luo''s expression changed slightly. He could distinctly feel that when the two arts had clashed, the tyrannical force of the dragon fist was not eroded by his dual resonant power. In the end, the black dragon was the first to collapse, and the remaining energy that made up the dragon fist slammed fiercely towards Li Luo. At that moment, lightning crackled throughout Li Luo''s body. Pseudo Duke Art: Thunder Flash! Leaving an afterimage in his wake, he instantly vaulted over a hundred meters away. The fist manifestation struck the afterimage and left behind a humongous imprint on the ground, causing fissures to erupt in every direction. During this collision, the Underworld River''s Black Dragon had been unable to halt Li Taixuan''s Hundred Battles Dragon Fist for even a moment. "My old man''s Hundred Battles Dragon Fist is clearly just a Communion-grade Duke Art, but its might is far greater than its grade," Li Luo mused to himself with a frown. However, his eyes flickered slightly at this moment. "Perhaps he has already cultivated the Hundred Battles Dragon Fist to the Greater Completion realm." A Duke Art had three realms of mastery: Lesser Completion, Greater Completion, and Grand Perfection! Li Luo''s Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner had only reached the realm of Lesser Completion. It was only with the aid of his dual resonant power that he was able to bring about a power stronger than the average person''s Duke Art. However, based on this, he had clearly fallen into a disadvantage. Even though the opponent had a superior cultivation level, Li Luo could tap upon his triple resonances, Four Sonic Pulses, Divine Elephant Power, and other secret arts to bolster his power to even out that gap. Thus, the only sensible reason why he had been completely crushed in the exchange was that the Hundred Battles Dragon Fist was at a higher realm. Additionally, when Li Taixuan formed the fist seal, Li Luo could feel something familiar coming from it. It was only now that he finally realized why. There was Heavenly Dragon Energy within it. Li Taixuan''s attack contained Heavenly Dragon Energy, which allowed it to reach the next realm. This revelation allowed him to understand how Heavenly Dragon Energy could be utilized to improve Duke Arts with dragon resonance affinities. Still, doing so was not some sort of brutish fusion of energies, it had to be precise in order to bring about the best effect. Li Luo already had some ideas about implementing the energy into the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner as it was the Duke Art he was most familiar with. He had been stuck at a bottleneck just a single step away from Greater Completion, yet he had been unable to go any further. This was the inspiration he needed. His body flashed backwards and he began to form hand seals. A few breaths later, the void tore open once again. Another black dragon zoomed out, surrounded by frigid waters whilst roaring. However, it did not attack directly, only coiling itself around Li Luo. Li Luo sighed deeply. The Heavenly Dragon Energy within his body was truly miraculous. It had permeated every inch of his blood and flesh. Even he found it difficult to rouse it, yet his father had done so. Perhaps it was the benefit of having a Heavenly Dragon resonance. As a result, he had to resort to other means. He sliced his palm open with his blade and allowed fresh blood to ooze out and fall upon the black dragon''s corporeal body. The fresh blood innately contained Heavenly Dragon Energy, and since he had no way to activate it, he would directly use it as a medium to strengthen the Duke Art. In the future, he would think of a better solution to this. When the fresh blood dripped onto the black dragon''s body, it immediately tunneled inside. Under Li Luo''s close inspection, he fused the blood into the dragon. After cultivating the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner for such a long amount of time, Li Luo had a deep understanding of the intricacies of the art. With his actions, the black dragon seemed to undergo a slight transformation. Firstly, its body started to swell and become more robust. Then its fangs and claws gradually began to glint with mysterious light, looking much more savage. Additionally, a trace of bloodlust seemed to appear in the dragon''s eyes, and it began to give off a fiendish aura. Roar! The black dragon let off an explosive howl, and the stygian river beneath it began to turn even more frosty. The aura of the Duke Art was clearly a level higher than before. The transformation of the black dragon brought about great joy to Li Luo. Although he had to utilize fresh blood with Heavenly Dragon Energy to bolster the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner to the Greater Completion realm, doing so signified that his understanding of the Duke Art had advanced. And this improvement was very important to him. Bang! Just as Li Luo was relishing in happiness, the sound of a sonic boom reverberated around the field, and yet another hundred-meter-wide dragon fist roared towards him. He no longer tried to hide. The black dragon thunderously cried out as though its majesty had been encroached upon, engulfing itself with the obsidian water and directly clashing with the domineering dragon fist. Bang! The resulting resonant energy storm blasted across the field, causing even the air to ignite and explode with ear-piercing booms. This time, the black dragon did not show any signs of fragmenting. It entangled itself with the tyrannical dragon fist and, with a final wail, both attacks shattered into motes of light. Li Taixuan''s terrifying and tyrannical dragon fist, a move that had instilled fear into countless peers, had been resisted. This scene shocked the elders. Those who were part of Li Taixuan''s generation glanced at Li Luo with complex looks. None of them were able to resist his strike back in the day, and it had given rise to his invincible legend. However, Li Luo had done it today![1] It went without saying. The son would outdo the father! Even though the two were fighting at low cultivation levels, the battle power they had demonstrated was truly eye-opening! "Haha!" Li Luo guffawed. He had not only managed to block his father''s iron fist, he had also furthered his understanding of the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner and attained the Greater Completion realm. Although he had to use his blood to do so, he was confident that after a brief period of seclusion, he would truly step into the realm without the need of external aid. At that time, the sheer power of the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner would reach a new stage. "Old man, it looks like you were useful for something after all!" Li Luo laughed. After the last contest of attacks, he realized that victory could only be obtained through their biggest moves. Ordinary moves were useless here! Li Luo''s hands came together and his fingertips formed a complicated sword hand-seal. The cry of a sword rang out through the skies and the earth, then an indescribable sword energy surged outwards. Waterlight resonant power rose from Li Luo into the sky and, before everyone''s surprised eyes, transformed into a light-blue Dragon Fang Sword. The elders above froze at the sight of this sword. Li Luo was similarly observing the sword that was floating above his head. There was a deep longing for it in his eyes. This was the Embryonic Transcendent Duke Art he had toiled endlessly for. Today, it would finally see the light of day. "Old man, just to express my gratitude, this son of yours will use your energy replica as a sacrifice to my sword!" Li Luo smirked. This was a House Luolan specialty. Beating each other up was how they demonstrated their endless love between father and son. Chapter 0922: The Almighty Water Dragon Fang Sword Chapter 0922: The Almighty Water Dragon Fang Sword Weng! There seemed to be water rippling off the surface of the light-blue Dragon Fang Sword as it gently rose into the air. At the same time, an overwhelming sword energy swept through the arena. It was a sharp and endless wave of energy. When Lu Qingmei and the others looked at the Dragon Fang Sword, they felt like they had been submerged in a limitless ocean of sword energy. Their existence was simply tiny and insignificant in comparison. Unable to help it, they felt a sense of horror rising within their hearts. Compared to the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner... this Duke Art was a thousand times more fearsome! Was this Li Luo''s true ace? It seemed like no one in their whole generation would be able to take a strike from this sword. All those who had previously thought that Li Luo was not fit to be the Dragon''s Head had completely shut up by now. Even if Li Qingfeng had not sabotaged himself earlier, it would still be a real challenge for him to fend off this strike. "Little Brother, what''s this Duke Art? Is it from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage?" Li Fengyi asked curiously with her eyes wide open. In response, Deng Fengxian shook his head and said, "There''s no records of such a Duke Art in Dragon''s Fang Cave. Looking at its strength, it must be at least a Soul Ascension-grade. We only have a number of Soul Ascension-grade Duke Arts in Dragon''s Fang Cave, and none of them look like this." Li Jingtao smiled and said, "It must be our Third Brother''s luck and destiny. This sword of his is truly formidable. I am afraid even my defense would falter before it." With a bright smile, Li Fengyi also commented, "This battle between father and son will surely go down in the history of the Twenty Banners. With this, who''ll dare to say that Little Brother is not fit to be the Dragon''s Head?" As soon as she finished speaking, she glanced over at Li Hongli. All the Banner Leaders from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage were dumbfounded when they saw Li Luos trump card. Originally, they were saying that Li Luo had only managed to become the Dragon''s Head because of Li Qingfeng''s mistake. However, that reason could no longer stand. While everyone was surprised by this, Li Luo could sense the resonant power in his body depleting at an astonishing rate. He dared not drag this out any longer. His face turned serious, then he formed the necessary hand seals to make the sword lock onto Li Taixuan. Weng! The Water Dragon Fang Sword vibrated violently before a blue light flashed across the air. At the same moment, majestic sword energy was released into the air and quickly condensed around the body of the sword, forming a giant, blue dragon. It was a gigantic aqua dragon! The highly condensed sword energy was filled with unparalleled sharpness. It sliced through everything in its path, including worldly natural energy. At the same time, it also held onto the special attributes of a water resonance. The most fearsome part of this art was not its lightning speed and deadly power. Rather, it was in its never-ending, inescapable ocean of sword energy. Even if one survived the unparalleled sharpness of the first strike, they would still be engulfed by the limitless ocean of sword energy. Then the targets energy would continue to be slowly eroded. This would be a real challenge to handle, even for a two-pearl. Roar! The aqua dragon roared ferociously, with the ringing of swords mixed into it. It then charged directly towards Li Taixuan without any hesitation. At this point, the replica of Li Taixuan had stopped in his tracks and his face turned serious. He could clearly sense the danger coming from the aqua dragon. He pulled himself back to create some distance between him and the dragon. At the same time, he rapidly formed hand seals, and the two radiant Heavenly Pearls behind him started rotating as fast as they could. Like two black holes on his back, they sucked in the worldly natural energy from the surroundings more aggressively than ever. With such a high workload, the Heavenly Pearls seemed to be wailing as they rotated. Enormous resonant power surged up within Li Taixuan''s body, and he threw out his punch again. It was the same Hundred Battles Dragon Fist. However, there were nine dragons this time! Hundred Battles Dragon Fist, Nine Dragons Punch! There were nine tyrannical dragon punches, and their resonant power surged into the skies. Thanks to his Heavenly Dragon resonance and Greater Completion in the Hundred Battles Dragon Fist, the power of his dragon punch was on par with most Soul Ascension-grade Duke Arts. Many of the spectators watched in awe as the two formidable forces clashed in the sky above the stone platform. Bang! An indescribable shockwave swept across the battlefield. The faces of many of the Banner Leaders that were standing nearby changed immediately and they retreated hastily. Nonetheless, they were still caught in the shockwave and sustained some injuries. Regardless, their eyes remained fixed on the clash. However, there was not much of a struggle it seemed. The aqua dragon was filled with utterly destructive power that smashed onto the dragon punches like a tsunami, drowning them upon contact. Within a few breaths, the dragon punches were completely annihilated. The aqua dragon was like an apocalyptic flood that completely overwhelmed everything in sight. After a dozen breaths or so, the dragon punches were completely wiped out. Following this, the aqua dragon faced no more obstructions and charged directly towards the replica of Li Taixuan. It completely drowned him, and a part of it even went past, slicing the stone platform into two. It was only then that the aqua dragon let out another draconic cry before disappearing in the air. Li Luo landed back on the broken stone platform with a pale face. However, there was a hint of excitement and happiness hidden within his eyes. This was the first time he had used the water Dragon Fang Sword, and it was truly amazing. He had finally seen the might of the so-called Embryonic Transcendent Duke Art for himself. It seemed that no ordinary two-pearl would dare to take this sword head-on! Although it had depleted a huge amount of his resonant power, it was all worth it. As Li Luo watched the replica of Li Taixuan fade away, he whispered to himself, "Next time I meet Sister Qing''e, I can tell her that I easily defeated my father in his youth." She would surely look at him with admiration when that time came. As Li Luo was praising himself for his victory, the elders from the different lineages had fallen into silence in the elevated platform above. Li Luo''s sword had really taken them aback, even though they were already Dukes. Such a terrifying sword energy could not be cultivated from an ordinary Duke Art. This was minimally a Destiny-grade Duke Art! Such a Duke Art was considered a treasure even within the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. If it were found outside, it would surely cause a bloodbath as every Heavenly Emperor power would desire it. However... To everyones knowledge, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had no such Destiny-grade Duke Art. As they pondered over it, they were reminded of Li Tianji''s words earlier... A Duke Art left by the Ancestor? However, how could a mere Fiend Finisher like Li Luo cultivate such a high-grade Duke Art? The higher the grade of the Duke Art, the higher the difficulty in cultivating it. A Destiny-grade Duke Art was something that even a real Duke would have trouble cultivating. Did this mean that Li Luo''s talent with resonance arts was simply monstrous? This was even more impressive than Li Taixuan in the past. At the same time, the elders from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage had complicated looks on their faces. None of them had expected Li Luo to emerge as the winner of the Battle of the Dragon''s Head, especially after Li Taixuan had squandered his time in the outer divine continent for so many years. If he had grown up and cultivated in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage since young, wouldn''t he have become just like Li Taixuan? Completely dominating all his peers? Was the Dragon''s Fang Lineage really so lucky? First, they had Li Taixuan. Now they had Li Luo? Fortunately, there was the incident that made Li Taixuan leave, and his whereabouts were currently unknown. As for Li Luo, he had spent all his early years in an outer divine continent, meaning that his progress had undoubtedly been hindered. Otherwise, the reputation of Dragon''s Fang Lineage would have completely overshadowed the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. As the elders thought about this, the five Lineage Chiefs had fallen into silence as well. After a while, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage, Li Qingying, smiled and said, "Congratulations. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage has gotten yet another genius. In the future, Li Luo''s name will surely be well known throughout the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent." With a wave of his hands, Li Jingzhe smiled and replied, "You''re too kind with your words, Lineage Chief Qingying. He ultimately wasted a lot of time in the outer divine continent. It''s still too early to say what will happen in the future. Besides, all the Heavenly Emperor powers have produced many outstanding talents in this generation. Li Luo''s foundation is still one level below them." Li Tianji, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, smiled a little and responded, "The art created by the Ancestor is truly amazing. The Dragon''s Blood Lineage has a few Destiny-grade Duke Arts as well. Lineage Chief Jingzhe, would you be interested in a trade?" In response, Li Jingzhe simply said, "The cultivation requirements for this art are really challenging. I am afraid Li Luo is the only one in the entire five lineages suited to cultivate it." Clearly, he had meant to turn down Li Tianji''s proposal for a trade. The Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation that the Ancestor had created was not complete. Therefore, it could not be considered a true Transcendent Duke Art. However, its power had far exceeded that of an ordinary Destiny-grade Duke Art. The crafty Li Tianji had really thought it through when he offered to trade an ordinary Destiny-grade Duke Art from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage for it. Besides, they would surely study how to counter the art once they had obtained it. This would be detrimental to Li Luo. Hearing the reply, Li Tianji sighed a little and did not comment any further. A majestic voice echoed in the air at this point. "Since the ninth battle has ended, it''s time for us to conclude the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. "The winner of the ninth battle in the Scales Seizure is Li Luo. "He has achieved nine victories and earned nine dragon scales. His name will be left behind in history for all of the future generations of the Twenty Banners to admire." When the voice finished speaking, Li Luo looked up and saw the final, dazzling dragon-scale fall from the sky. This scale contained far more Heavenly Dragon Energy than the previous eight scales. Li Luo smiled brightly at this point. With nine dragon scales successfully obtained, his Sanctified Dragon''s Body could be perfected. Chapter 0923: Nine Scales Sanctified Dragons Body Chapter 0923: Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body In the end, the Battle of the Dragon''s Head for this generation of the Twenty Banners concluded in an unexpected way. Li Luo, the dark horse, had completely stolen the limelight this time. From now on, no one in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages would dare to question this youth that had just returned to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage half a year ago. His right to be the Dragon''s Head had been affirmed in his battle against the replica of Li Taixuan. Everyone understood that even though it was just an energy replica, the copy of Li Taixuan possessed seventy to eighty percent of the original''s strength. The fact that Li Luo had beaten it proved that he had the strength to stand on par with the man who had dominated everyone in his generation. This was a truly formidable feat. After all, Li Taixuan was considered one of the top three strongest Dragon''s Heads throughout history. The sheer fact that he had won demonstrated that he was stronger than Li Qingfeng now. This was clear from the speechless reactions of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage elders. There were no other words of rebuttal that they could come up with at this point. Regardless, Li Luo was not really bothered by what others thought of him. His victory against the Li Taixuan replica was largely due to the power of the Water Dragon Fang Sword, which far exceeded his imagination. He had only expected a single sword to be as strong as a Communion-grade Duke Art. However, his sword earlier... was definitely a Soul Ascension-grade or higher. At the end of the day, it was because the grade of the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation was too high. Even though a single sword was not enough to showcase the true strength of the art, its sword energy was incomparably fearsome. It seemed like its true power had been misunderstood since no one had cultivated it in the past. Li Luo raised his head, and his eyes were filled with anticipation. After the Battle of the Dragon''s Head, there was another exciting segmentthe awakening of their Sanctified Dragon''s Body. What they had obtained at the Dragon''s Ascent was just the embryonic form of the Sanctified Dragon''s Body. They received the dragon sigils then. Now that the Battle of the Dragon''s Head had concluded, they had obtained the dragon scales required to truly awaken the Sanctified Dragon''s Body. Weng! At this moment, the stone dragon that was as huge as a mountain suddenly started moving. It turned to face them and started to slowly open its maw. Bang! A giant, gray strand of dragonbreath shot out from its mouth like a raging storm. In the blink of an eye, all the Banner Leaders on stage were surrounded by it. Following this, the dragon scales that they had gathered started floating into the air above them before melting rapidly. Enormous amounts of Heavenly Dragon Energy flowed outwards and submerged them. As Li Luo observed the condensed Heavenly Dragon Energy flooding the area, his eyes lit up. He had nine dragon scales slowly sublimating, which created the highest density of Heavenly Dragon Energy amongst those in his group. This was more than twice the amount of Heavenly Dragon Energy that Li Qingfeng was getting. At the same time, the dragon sigils between their eyebrows started to spin, pulling in the Heavenly Dragon Energy with a mysterious force. As the energy was absorbed, the dragon sigils started to light up. There were nine pale, dark dragon scales on Li Luo''s dragon sigil. After some time, they brightened up, looking like they had been awakened. Along with the reactivation, a large amount of pure energy flowed from his dragon sigil to the other parts of his body. This boosted the vitality of his muscles, blood, and bones, and they greedily sucked in the nourishment. He could even hear the ringing sound from his bones vibrating. This was a sign of his body strengthening. At this moment, Li Luo was completely immersed in this power-up. The other Banner Leaders were also smiling in satisfaction as their bodies powered up. This was considered a necessary foundation for those within the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. It was a rare and precious opportunity given to those of the younger generation. With the Sanctified Dragon''s Body, their individual strength would be greatly boosted. It was the kind of opportunity that other forces with weaker foundations would have to spend a huge amount of time and effort fighting for. After a while, the dragon sigil between Li Luo''s brows was completely lit up. Seeing all nine dragon scales shining brightly was a truly dazzling sight. A wave of suppression swept across the field at this moment with him as the center. This grabbed the attention of the various Banner Leaders, including Li Qingfeng, who had just awakened. He frowned as he looked over towards Li Luo. This was the innate dragonfear emitted from the Sanctified Dragon''s Body. With the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body, Li Luo''s dragonfear was undoubtedly the strongest. If one was not strong-willed, their strength would easily be weakened by twenty percent under it. There were many eyes full of envy staring at the dazzling nine scales on Li Luo''s dragon sigil. This included Li Qingfeng. Having the Sanctified Dragon''s Body was not rare in the five lineages. After all, it was rewarded to all twenty Banner Leaders. Many people in the Five Guardian Armies had cultivated it as a result. However, the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body was different. It was the perfected form of the art, and its power far exceeded that of an ordinary Sanctified Dragon''s Body. Li Luo was like a tiger with wings after obtaining this art. "That guy!" Li Qingfeng watched with gloomy eyes. He no longer had the composure and confidence he used to have after witnessing the battle between Li Luo and Li Taixuan''s replica. He dared not belittle Li Luo anymore. That unique Dragon Fang Sword was something that even Li Taixuan could not fend off. If it were him... he might simply have died before it''s almighty strike! Although he was unwilling, he had to admit that Li Luo would be the true leader of the Twenty Banners from now on. Over at Li Luo''s side, he was not bothered by Li Qingfeng''s unwilling stare at all. He simply immersed himself within his newly obtained Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body. With a single thought, the dragon sigil lit up and energy dragon wings that were dozens of feet long unfurled from his back. This was yet another form of insurance when he had to run for his life. Of course, the most important part was... the dragon''s might. Li Luo clenched his fists tightly. Huge amounts of energy surged up and flowed from his sigil towards the other parts of his body. This was the dragon''s might from the Sanctified Dragon''s Body. With the perfect Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body, he could now utilize the power of nine dragons to assist him. "I wonder if my body can withstand both the stress of Divine Elephant Power Level Three and the Nine Dragons Might at the same time?" Li Luo thought about it. In the past, his physical body had suffered great injury when he attempted to use Divine Elephant Power Level Three. He had to use various recovery resonance arts to withstand it. This had only improved after he reached the Fiend Body Tier. Without a doubt, the Nine Dragons Might was a formidable force too. If he used it together with Divine Elephant Power Level Three, his body would be under tremendous stress. However, this was a small thing compared to the huge power he had gained. In a life and death situation, the tearing of his muscles was nothing compared to losing his life. As another thought flashed across Li Luo''s mind, the dragon sigil between his eyebrows gradually dimmed down. After a while, it completely disappeared along with the dragonfear emanating from his body and the energy dragon wings. It was a truly pleasant surprise for Li Luo to obtain the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body. However, the most important part was obtaining the Dragon''s Head and, along with it, the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus that he had been wishing for. If not for the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus, his heart would have been worried to no end, instead choosing to follow Jiang Qing''e to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Fortunately, he had gotten his hands on it after half a year of hard work. At this moment, pillars of light fell from the sky once again. They completely shrouded Li Luo and the rest before the surrounding space started distorting. Soon, they were out of the stone dragon space. Li Luo made no attempt to resist at all. His uptight body slowly relaxed and he heaved a sigh of relief. When he relaxed, Jiang Qing''es face appeared in his mind. "Sister Qing''e, I will find a way to deliver the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus to you once I get my hands on it." Chapter 0924: Reward Chapter 0924: Reward When Li Luo, Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian walked out of the void vortex, they were back on Dragon''s Fang Mountain. Deafening cheers greeted them upon arrival, causing them to feel a little disorientated. Li Luo massaged his ears with a helpless look on his face as he glanced at the emotional crowd. He could understand why that felt that way. The position of the Dragon''s Head had been monopolized by the Dragon''s Blood Lineage for years. As a result, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had been consistently suppressed, and this was a sore point that was often raised during their struggles against them. It would leave them heartbroken, unable to refute the truth. As a result, the four banners did not hold much hope for winning the Dragon''s Head. Even Li Luo''s own people, Zhao Yanzhi and friends, had only expected Li Luo to perform decently, not daring to dream grandly. Li Qingfeng was akin to a gigantic mountain that blocked his path. The strength of the Heavenly Pearl Tier had created a huge chasm in strength between him and the other Banner Leaders. However, no one had ever expected that Li Luo would sweep aside the obstacle known as Li Qingfeng. In addition, he had taken on the ninth battle and challenged a projection of one of the three strongest Dragon''s Heads of all time, allowing them to watch a confrontation of geniuses across space and time. Most importantly, Li Luo had even eked out a victory. He had truly demonstrated his strength and worth, setting the stage for the future. Based on his combat strength, Li Luo had also demonstrated that his abilities were within the top three among all the Dragon''s Heads. Additionally, he was far below the others in terms of cultivation level. This weakness did not stem from his lack of talent, but rather the impoverished circumstances of his upbringing in the outer divine continent. If the Battle of the Dragon''s Head had been postponed for an additional six months, he might very well have caught up with Li Qingfeng and the rest in terms of cultivation level. Just how frightening would he have been then? Many felt a sense of regret upon realizing this. However, there was no need to split straws. Li Luo''s result was already more than sufficient to greatly boost the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s morale. "Congratulations, Banner Leader Li Luo, on becoming the Dragon''s Head! The prestige of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage has been elevated by your actions!" Countless members of the four banners had composed themselves slightly, their voices chanting in unison with unconcealable excitement and emotion. This was something that came from the depths of the heart of every member, whether it was the rival Gold Light Banner or his very own Green Nether Banner. Li Luo smiled and clasped his hands respectfully in return as he watched their passionate gazes. He knew that his position in the eyes of the youths of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had now been brought up another level. In the past, Deng Fengxian might have been able to stand against him, especially when it came to matters of the Gold Light Banner, simply because he was much more influential. However, things had now changed. That being said, Li Luo was not interested in sticking his hands into the Gold Light Banner''s affairs. Additionally, it belonged to the Gold Light Hall, and the Hall Master would not like to see such a situation. Space rippled behind the four of them, and numerous figures milled out. With the appearance of these individuals, the previously rowdy crowd immediately fell silent, not even willing to let out a fart. They were none other than the group of elders led by Li Jingzhe. Li Jingzhe was a stern and serious presence within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Therefore, whether it was the Hall Masters or banner members, everyone was on their best behavior before him, not daring to do anything. Li Jingzhe swept his gaze across the group, but he did not speak loudly, only coolly stating, "Your generation can be considered a ray of light for the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. You''re stronger than the last group of brats by quite a bit." Most of the crowd glanced at each other before smiling, still afraid to so much as squeak before this legendary existence. "Li Luo has obtained the position of Dragon''s Head, which is a celebratory affair. The Gold Light, Violet Spirit, and Crimson Cloud Banners will be awarded a month''s worth of cultivation resources. The Green Nether Banner will be given three times the amount of monthly cultivation resources for the next three months!" As Li Jingzhe''s calm voice boomed across the field, the crowd burst into wild cheers! This was an incredible reward. With these additional resources, their strength would improve substantially. "Thank you, Lineage chief!" The crowd respectfully thanked him immediately. "Thank Li Luo. He was the one who seized this opportunity for you with his achievements," Li Jingzhe continued. "We thank the Dragon''s Head!" The numerous banner members immediately paid their respects to Li Luo. The group of elders behind Li Jingzhe glanced at each other as well. They knew that this was Li Jingzhe intentionally supporting Li Luo, boosting his prestige within the lineage. They could tell that despite his cold exterior, the Respected Elder was indeed extremely pleased by Li Luo''s tremendous performance in the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. Then Li Jingzhe waved his hand and commanded, "You can go." Without another word, the group receded like the waning tide. Within a few moments, the grounds had emptied out. Li Jingzhe then turned towards the elders. "Spread the news of Li Luo becoming the Dragon''s Head throughout the Dragon''s Fang Domain with utmost haste. This is an honor that the Dragon''s Fang Lineage has not obtained in countless years, and it will be accompanied with celebration. This can be considered as a way to raise the morale of the younger generation." The elders'' eyelids twitched slightly. Boosting the younger generation''s morale? He was clearly trying to brag about his grandson throughout the lands, finding the quickest way to spread Li Luo''s influence! Although the position of Dragon''s Head was a commendable achievement, it was not something that would shake the entirety of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and its domains. This was ultimately a battle between Heavenly Pearl Tier youngsters at best and would not attract the interest of the many Dukes that resided in the territory. The Heavenly Origin Divine Continent was full of geniuses, and they could not be considered significant until they stepped into the Duke Stage. Of course, this was what they felt in their hearts... They would never dare to ruin Li Jingzhe''s moment of happiness. Just who would have the gall to advise him otherwise, even though it was a junior-level competition? Thus, the rest graciously accepted the command and got to work. Li Jingzhe then waved his hands and dismissed everyone else, including Deng Fengxian. His gaze then turned towards his three direct descendants, and his stern expression softened slightly. "You three can follow me." He then turned towards the back mountain, and the trio gingerly followed along. They then arrived at the bamboo grove and, without a word, Li Jingzhe left to pick some bamboo shoots, leaving the trio in the courtyard to chat. Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao had followed Li Luo here quite a few times in the past few months. They had gradually grown accustomed to a version of their grandfather that was not as strict, so they were no longer as stiff as they used to be. After a while, Li Jingzhe returned, preparing a simple meal for the three. The four drank and ate under the moonlight that penetrated through the leafy grove. "Your performance today wasn''t bad," Li Jingzhe commented as he watched the three brats. His usually unsmiling visage had been replaced with a warm smile. Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao were so shocked that they stared at each other. It was incredibly rare to see the Respected Elder smile. "Jingtao, your personality and the Dragon''s Fang Lineage do not match. Since you have found your own path, continue down it resolutely," Li Jingzhe advised. Li Jingtao hurriedly nodded. He then turned towards Li Fengyi. "Your talent cannot compare with these two, but your sense of responsibility is unmatched. Who knows, you might be the most important one in assisting them with all matters in the future." Li Fengyi scratched her head with a look of embarrassment. Following which, he swallowed a mouthful of wine before turning towards Li Luo. "Brat, you''re not bad. I know that you did your best to obtain the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus. Otherwise, those other geezers might have taken a pound of flesh from me in return. There is no need to be anxious about this. I will obtain it and safekeep it for you temporarily. When you need it, you can take it. It is an extremely valuable item, something that all Dukes covet. If you keep it yourself, you might very well be targeted by dangerous individuals." Li Luo grinned. "I will leave it up to you, Grandpa." Li Jingzhe nodded. "You have brought honor and face to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, so I will not mistreat you." With a wave of his sleeve, three balls of light flew outwards and turned into three artifacts, each one giving off frightening amounts of energy undulations. The eyes of the three heated up immediately. Were they treasured artifacts? The Respected Elder was truly overjoyed it seemed. Who wouldve thought that he had found a reason to grant them something so precious? Chapter 0925: Heavenly Dragons Sunchaser Bow Chapter 0925: Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow The sheer energy undulations radiating from each of the three orbs of light demonstrated how uncommon these artifacts were. He flicked his finger, and the first orb flew to Li Jingtao. When light covering the artifact dissipated, a mottled turtle shell was revealed. It was the size of one''s palm and seemed to be shaped like a shield. There were cracks all over the artifact, and it seemed a little fragile. Li Luo''s gaze was instead focused upon the center of the turtle shell, where a violet mark that resembled a violet eye could be seen. A violet-eye treasured artifact. However, there was something a little different about it. There wasn''t just one violet eye, there were two! Twin violet-eye! Ever since he had entered the humongous inner divine continent, his own horizons had been expanded and he had gained an understanding of twin violet-eye treasured artifacts. They were of a higher grade when compared to normal violet-eye treasured artifacts. Worldly natural energy would be fused into the artifact during the process of refinement, and only through an intense and perfect process of infusion would a violet-eye mark be formed. However, within the category of violet-eye treasured artifacts, the twin-eye mark was not the highest. It was said that the peak of these artifacts was the triple-eye grade. Triple-eye treasured artifacts were wielded by Dukes. These artifacts truly possessed sky-burning and ocean-boiling might, being treasures that Dukes relied upon. As a result, this twin violet-eye turtle shield was extremely valuable. If it were placed in the Xia Kingdom, it would be a peerless artifact. This was especially so for those beneath the Duke Stage. Having a single twin violet-eye treasured artifact would allow their battle strength to soar. "This is the Ancient Turtle Armored Shield. As you can see, it''s a twin violet-eye treasured artifact. When fully refined, it can summon the manifestation of an Ancient Turtle. It gives one the ability to form an unassailable defense, and since you favor defense, this is suitable for you." Li Jingzhe waved his hand, and the mottled turtle shell flew into Li Jingtaos hand. Li Jingtao hurriedly accepted the gift and jubilantly thanked the Respected Elder profusely. It was as Li Jingzhe had said, this treasured artifact was one that suited his heart. In the past, he had searched for defensive treasured artifacts himself, but none had ever come close to the level of this twin violet-eye treasured artifact. Li Jingzhe then directed another orb of light towards Li Fengyi. Within it was a fiery-red fan, with a bright, yellow flame arising from it. The flame was of a high temperature, and the smell of burning air wafted through their noses. Additionally, two violet-eye marks could be seen on the handle of the fan as well. "This is the Conflagration Feathered Fan, able to summon heavenly flames that are extremely tyrannical and not far from a Duke Art." Li Fengyi received the feathered fan and curiously flapped it twice. When she did so, a crimson flame winked into existence, almost starting a wildfire and causing the skies and clouds to turn red. The ferocious fire had appeared in the blink of an eye, and even she was frightened by the sight. Li Jingzhe, on the other hand, merely waved his sleeve to get rid of the flames, making them vanish without a trace. Li Fengyi stuck out her tongue sheepishly as she put the feathered fan away. "Thank you, Grandpa." Li Luo sighed in his heart. The might of a twin violet-eye treasured artifact could not be underestimated. Such artifacts were no weaker than Duke Arts, and they were rarely seen even in the inner divine continent. Normal powers could not bear to give such objects away as a reward. In fact, the highest grade treasured artifact he possessed was the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch. The Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade he most often used was only a gold-eye treasured artifact, but its strength lay within the Divine Elephant Power. The weapon itself contained a kingmark, and Li Luo possessed an extremely mighty life-saving technique thanks to it. The only flaw was that the kingmark could not be replenished and would gradually dissipate once used. As a result, Li Luo was reluctant to utilize it unless necessary. With that in mind, he glanced at Li Jingzhe with eyes full of anticipation. Twin violet-eye treasured artifacts were things he had never even heard of in the Xia Kingdom! In the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, one would have to make unimaginably immense contributions if they wanted to trade for such treasured artifacts. It was said that there were many who had gone on from the Twenty Banners into the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, taking up positions of high responsibility, and yet they still had not contributed enough to obtain one! When faced with his expectant gaze, Li Jingzhe grinned when the last orb of light flew toward Li Luo, and a large bow that looked like white jade emerged. The bow''s body was engraved with countless runic lines that seemed to intertwine and form a gigantic, winding dragon. The two ends of the bow were shaped like the maws of a dragon, and strands of air flowed between them, forming something resembling a bowstring. When the bow appeared, worldly natural energy around them was riled up and was constantly swallowed by the bow. Li Luo''s gaze was focused upon the bow without blinking, continuously inspecting it from head to toe. In the end, his eyes paused on a specific area where two violet-eye marks could be seen radiating brilliantly with mysterious light. This was similarly a twin violet-eye treasured artifact. Oh? Wait, that was wrong! When he closely inspected the bow, he noticed that there was an indistinct third violet mark! Although it was faint, this treasured artifact truly had three violet marks! Li Luo''s gaze shrunk as he asked in shock, "A triple violet-eye treasured artifact?" This was a treasured artifact that was just one step below the artifacts that Dukes used! It was an artifact capable of slaughtering anyone below the Duke Stage. Li Jingzhe gave a wry smile. "Now that you''ve become the Dragon''s Head and contributed so much to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, I might incur the ridicule of others if I can''t even give you a triple violet-eye treasured artifact." Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi both nodded, expressing their agreement. If not for Li Luo''s great performance, the rewards obtained by the four banners would not have been so plentiful, and neither would they have obtained these twin violet-eye treasured artifacts. "You once mentioned that you are quite good at archery, just that you never had the right bow. Now that you''ve done so much, this should satisfy you. This is known as the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow. It was crafted with the bones of a dragon and numerous other high-grade materials. It''s renowned for being extremely powerful, which is why it''s known as the Sunchaser Bow. However, not everyone can utilize this bow, as it requires huge amounts of resonant power and also the support of Heavenly Dragon Energy. This bow would not have been usable for you in the past. Now that you''ve obtained the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body, you barely meet its requirements. That being said, you will likely only be able to shoot a single arrow for now," Li Jingzhe explained. Li Luo clicked his tongue secretly. The fact that he could only shoot a single arrow implied that the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow had extremely harsh requirements. Triple violet-eye treasured artifacts seemed to have extremely terrifying requirements. That being said, he happily accepted the artifact, unable to put it down as he continued to inspect the bow. This was something he could simply not afford to buy in the past! "I have also prepared something for Deng Fengxian. Give it to him later," Li Jingzhe continued. The three nodded. Li Luo continued to fiddle with the bow for a while more before reluctantly setting it aside. With this devastating tool in hand, he could retire his basically ruined Lambent Hawkeye. "Grandpa, considering that you suddenly gave us these treasured artifacts, do you require something of us?" Li Luo suddenly asked. Li Jingzhe shot him a glance, and a smile surfaced on his elderly face. "You little brat, you''re quite sharp. All you have done up till now was compete within the five lineages internal competitions, so you naturally had no need to borrow the aid of treasured artifacts. However, what lies ahead are battles against the other powers in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Treasured artifacts are a form of strength, and I will not leave you disadvantaged. These external battles will not be as moderated as those you have gone through until now. Deaths are common." Li Luo''s eyes jumped. "Battling against the other geniuses of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent?" He fell silent for a few breaths of time before raising his head. "Grandpa, are you referring to the Spiritual Resonance Cave?" Chapter 0926: Spiritual Resonance Cave Chapter 0926: Spiritual Resonance Cave "Yes, the Spiritual Resonance Cave." Li Jingzhe nodded before he continued, "It''s an extremely mysterious secret realm, likely created by an ancient lineage for cultivation. In fact, it''s a secret realm that specifically exists to upgrade one''s resonance grade. This is a rare phenomenon, and its existence sparked a bloodbath among the various forces in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent as soon as it was discovered. Everyone eyed the cave, including the Heavenly Emperor powers. "Back then, even a King like me participated in the fierce fight, but there was no end in sight. No one was willing to give up on such a rare and precious opportunity. In the end, the battle only subsided because the Spiritual Resonance Cave started showing signs of breaking down. We decided that some of the top powers would seal it up and open it for everyone together. As a result, no one would be able to monopolize the cave." As Li Luo listened, he secretly clicked his tongue. If even Kings were fighting over it, the Spiritual Resonance Cave must have been exceptionally precious to everyone involved. "Certain talismans form naturally around the Spiritual Resonance Cave. These objects are the keys to enter the cave. Of course, most of them are intercepted by the experts from the various forces that are guarding the cave. However, the rules state that they cannot collect all of them. They have to leave some lying around so that even rogue cultivators can collect a few for themselves. By doing so, they avoid igniting the wrath of the masses for monopolizing this rare opportunity for themselves. "And there are different grades to these talismans." At this point, Li Jingzhe waved his sleeve, and three talismans flew out. They were copper, silver, and gold-colored respectively. The golden colored one was the most dazzling of all, with the most intricate and complex characters emblazoned on it. "We refer to these as Resonant Talismans. There are three different grades to them, with the gold Resonant Talisman being the highest. In general, the higher grade Resonant Talisman will bring you more benefits in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. In fact, some of the special districts in the cave can only be accessed if you possess a gold Resonant Talisman. We usually award the talent with the most spectacular performance in the Battle of the Dragon''s Head one gold Resonant Talisman, hoping that it increases his chances of finding the best opportunities in the Spiritual Resonance Cave." As Li Luo listened to this, he nodded. This was one of the perks that came along with being the most prized genius. "However, the gold talisman is not just for talents like those who have performed spectacularly during the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. Another special group will get to enjoy the benefits as well," Li Jingzhe continued. "What other group?" Li Luo asked in surprise. "The Spiritual Resonance Cave is mainly divided into two parts, an inner and an outer district, and where one goes is decided by their cultivation level. The one that you will be entering will be the outer district, where only those at the Heavenly Resonance Tier and below are allowed," Li Jingzhe explained. "In other words, the ones who truly have the ability to compete will be those at the Heavenly Pearl Tier." Li Luo frowned as soon as he heard this. Only those at the Heavenly Pearl Tier would stand a chance in the cave. However, there were only two people in their generation, Li Qingfeng and Lu Qingmei, who were at that tier now. Additionally, they were only at the two-pearl tier. That was considered the beginning of the Heavenly Pearl Tier. When they entered the Spiritual Resonance Cave in the future, would there be enemies with even more Heavenly Pearls waiting for them, even those at the seven-pearl tier and higher? Looking at the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, the ones that fulfilled this criteria... could only be... "The Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies?" Li Luo asked. Li Jingzhe nodded and replied, "You''re right. The Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies will be sending out a few Heavenly Pearl elites to participate in the Spiritual Resonance Cave as well. The other major forces will also be sending their best fighters at the Heavenly Pearl Tier to get the most out of this rare opportunity." Hearing this, Li Luo felt kind of hopeless as he said, "I thought our generation was the protagonist here. Now it seems like we''re just the side characters." With the most elite Heavenly Pearl Tier fighters in the mix, two-pearls like them would not be worth mentioning at all. Nonetheless, it was a clear sign of how highly regarded the Spiritual Resonance Cave was. It seemed like all the Heavenly Pearl elites in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent would be coming for it, as long as they could obtain the talisman. Being able to upgrade one''s resonance grade was an extremely attractive proposition. After all, it was extremely rare to see someone like Li Luo, who could upgrade his resonances infinitely as long as he had the spirit liquids and purifying lights for it. The opening of the Spiritual Resonance Cave was a really grand occasion in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. If one could shine there, their name would surely be known throughout the continent. "There''s no need to feel so down. Some of these opportunities in the Spiritual Resonance Cave are not just dependent on one''s strength. You''ll have to look at your affinity with them as well. Besides, I''ve given you all these treasured artifacts to boost your power too." Li Jingzhe comforted them a little. Li Luo nodded in response. He was not exactly afraid. In fact, such a competitive scenario would be perfect to bring out his full potential and allow him to improve rapidly. All these talents would be good whetstones to sharpen himself against. There was also some time before the opening day of the Spiritual Resonance Cave. This meant that he could still improve himself in the meantime. "It seems like this will become a really grand event on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent," Li Luo said with some anticipation. He would surely get to see the strength of the various talents from all over the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. "By the way, will there be anyone from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College coming for the Spiritual Resonance Cave too?" Li Luo suddenly asked his grandfather. "Heavenly Origin Ancient College? They are located in the western part of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. They seldom appear in the central area. After all, this is where the various Heavenly Emperor powers gather and compete. They simply do not want to get caught up in any of it. Of course, the Heavenly Origin Ancient College has been around since ancient times and their foundation is really strong. They''re also one of the founders of the Academic Federation. As a result, the Heavenly Emperor powers respect them, and they are naturally included in opportunities like the Spiritual Resonance Cave too," Li Jingzhe explained. "So there''ll be people coming from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College?" Li Luo asked. Li Jingzhe nodded in response to his question. "Why? Do you know anyone from there?" Li Luo hastily shook his head and replied with a laugh, "I used to study in a sage college back in the Xia Kingdom. As such, I am naturally interested in the ancient colleges that have been known to be of a higher tier." "The ancient colleges have their own unique ways of grooming talents. Moreover, the Academic Federation has been around since ancient times to fight off the Others. They''re a truly respectable organization," Li Jingzhe said. Li Luo nodded in agreement. He was thinking that if he got the chance, it would be great to connect with someone from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. He still had a request from Vice Principal Su Xin to fulfill. Furthermore, it would be of assistance when he needed to deliver the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. With these thoughts in mind, he looked forward to the opening of the Spiritual Resonance Cave. "Danger is abundant within the Spiritual Resonance Cave, so you will all need to be more careful when you''re over there. It''s different from the competitions youve faced here. Every time the Spiritual Resonance Cave opens, there are bound to be talents from the various Heavenly Emperor powers that die. In addition, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li is watched by countless enemies. When you meet them, there is no need to hold back," Li Jingzhe warned them. Li Luo and the others nodded in agreement. With that, Li Jingzhe did not speak any further. He let the three of them finish their meal before he waved his hand. "It''s been a long and tiring day for you all. Go back and have an early rest. "Oh, yeah." He turned towards Li Luo, who was standing up at this point, and continued, "Ox Biaobiao should be done in about three days'' time. I have made arrangements for the Green Nether Hall as well. Remember to be present." He paused briefly at this point before he said, "There''s been no one to lead the Green Nether Hall all this while. It''s time for you to step up and help your father." When Li Luo heard this, there was a tinge of pleasant surprise in his eyes. Was Uncle Biao about to recover? Chapter 0927: Upper-grade Duke Chapter 0927: Upper-grade Duke For the next three days, Li Luo did not step out of his room at all. However, he was not resting. He had been busy familiarizing himself with his new powers. Although the Battle of the Dragon''s Head had been extremely challenging, he had actually reaped significant rewards from it. Notwithstanding the four hundred feet of Fiend Dipper Energy that he had attained during the Dragon''s Ascent, he had also obtained the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body. This was an extremely large boost to his battle strength. According to his own estimates, he would not need to fear any opponents at the two-pearl tier and below. Although he was only at the Fiend Finisher Tier, he had numerous aces, such as the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. Unfortunately, this was still not enough. He was going to come across countless Heavenly Pearl Tier elites in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, and plenty of them would be five-pearl or even higher, so he would definitely be too weak. As such, he had to quickly improve himself before the opening. After three whole days, Li Luo finally ended his training and headed out towards Dragon''s Fang Mountain. This was the day that Ox Biaobiao would finish restoring his foundation. If he was successful, he would be able to regain and possibly even exceed his original strength. It was something that he had been looking forward to for years. When Li Luo arrived, he headed straight towards the grand hall. Li Jingzhe was standing at the front entrance with his hands placed behind his back. Beside him was a familiar figure. It was none other than Li Lingjing. "Cousin Lingjing." Li Luo greeted her with a smile as he walked over. Li Lingjing looked at him with crystal-clear eyes, and a charming smile appeared on her cute face. She replied gently, "I have not yet congratulated you on becoming the Dragon''s Head, Cousin Li Luo." "That''s nothing. If you had gotten into the Twenty Banners, you would surely have become the Dragon''s Head of the previous generation too," Li Luo responded with a laugh. After all, Li Lingjing was a top talent in the Dragon''s Fang Domain in the past. With her mental fortitude and capability, she definitely wouldve become the Dragon''s Head if she had gotten into the Twenty Banners. Hearing his words, Li Lingjing bit her lips gently, almost pouting. "Don''t tease me anymore. Besides, there are differences in strength between the Dragon''s Heads of different generations. You''re the Dragon''s Head who challenged the great Hall Master Li Taixuanhow can any ordinary Dragon''s Head be comparable to you?" Li Luo smiled brightly, declining to answer her directly as he asked, "Well now, how have you been doing these days, Cousin Lingjing?" Of course, his question was directed towards the problem of the Soul Eater True Devil within her. At this point, Li Lingjing took a quick glance at Li Jingzhe before she lightly nodded and replied, "Thanks to the effort and time spent by the Lineage Chief, the Soul Eater True Devil has been mostly eradicated." "Seems like your power has grown tremendously," Li Luo said when he sensed a domineering hint of pressure coming from her. It was clear that her strength had grown quite a bit over this period of time. "I have reached the seven-pearl tier now," Li Lingjing answered sweetly. "Seven-pearl?" Li Luo was surprised to hear this. Previously, Li Lingjing had been injured by the Soul Eater True Devil. She was living like a zombie and had barely made any progress on her cultivation. Yet she had gotten such a gigantic improvement in this short span of time? This was comparable to the other elites of her generation. "Her situation is special. The Soul Eater True Devil consumed many talents over the years. Now that it has instead been consumed by her, she naturally reaped the benefits. This is truly a blessing in disguise," Li Jingzhe explained from the side. "By the way, I will let her tag along with you for the Spiritual Resonance Cave," Li Jingzhe added. Li Luo was a little shocked to hear that. He turned towards Li Lingjing and asked, "You''re going into the Spiritual Resonance Cave too?" Li Lingjing smiled subtly and responded, "I''ll be in your care then, Cousin Li Luo." Hearing this, Li Luo laughed helplessly. "You''ve gotten it wrong, my honorable seven-pearl expert... I''ll be the one in your care." "Don''t worry. I''ll definitely stick closely by your side and protect you." Li Lingjing stared at Li Luo with bright, charming eyes as she grinned. "Thanks a lot, Cousin Lingjing," Li Luo replied politely with a smile. As the two of them chatted, Li Luo had briefly glanced into the grand hall. The giant furnace in it was still burning ferociously, with terrifying energy shooting up like a volcanic eruption. Under such immense pressure, Li Luo had some difficulty breathing despite standing outside. The challenges he had faced during the Battle of the Dragon''s Head was nothing compared to the terrifying pressure in front of him. Even a seven-pearl like Li Lingjing opted to stand far away. The silhouette of someone sitting in the lotus position could be seen inside the flames from time to time. Li Luo did not step into the grand hall. He simply stood outside the front door and asked softly, "Grandpa, how''s Uncle Biao doing? Is everything ok?" He was a little worried. After all, the second method proposed by Li Jingzhe came with a very high risk. Although it could repair the foundation of Ox Biaobiao, it could also force him to lose the power of a Duke forever if it failed. Li Jingzhe took a look at the furnace before he answered, "The method he''s chosen is indeed risky. He was on the cusp of failing multiple times. However, his mind remained tough and resolute. His strong sense of determination wrenched him back from the edge of failure time and time again. At this point, he''s already gotten past the most dangerous part. We just need to wait for his Duke Bergfrieds to be completely repaired and it''ll be a success." Those words contained some hidden praise towards Ox Biaobiao. The second method was ultimately a gamble. The person undergoing that treatment had to have the determination to give it their all for merely a chance of success. If Ox Biaobiao had wavered for even a single moment, there would be nothing but failure waiting for him in the end. When Li Luo heard this, he felt a sense of relief. At the same time, he could sense a change in the energy undulations coming from the furnace. It had begun to shake more violently. "It''s about time," Li Jingzhe said to himself. Bang! The lid of the furnace exploded as soon as he finished those words. Energy erupted into the sky, and the void around it was shattered. Truly frightening amounts of energy blasted in every direction. Li Luo stood frozen on his spot. Fortunately, Li Jingzhe waved his sleeve at this moment, and a formless energy shield enveloped the grand hall. The void condensed and the explosive energy was contained within the grand hall itself instead of running rampant in every direction. Li Luo stood there, watching without blinking. A figure stood up amongst the huge waves of energy and stepped out of the furnace. Behind him, the void trembled in his presence and multiple Duke Bergfrieds gradually appeared like towering mountains. Each and every one was dazzling and filled with countless runes. As Li Luo watched the figure step out of the furnace, he counted the number of Duke Bergfrieds behind him. One, three, five, six... seven! When he noticed the seventh Duke Bergfried, he was pleasantly surprised. The second method was the right one after all. Not only had Ox Biaobiao regained his former strength, he had even improved and entered the seventh-grade Duke Stage! He could now be considered an upper-grade Duke! This was powerful enough to be considered an elite even within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, a cultivator who existed within the strongest echelons of combat strength just below the formidable Li Jingzhe. Ox Biaobiao would definitely be considered top-class anywhere in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Regardless of where he went, he would be treated respectfully by all major powers. It was no wonder Li Jingzhe had sealed up the space within the grand hall. Otherwise, the appearance of the seven Duke Bergfrieds would trigger an anomaly within the world, causing the worldly natural energy around the space to change drastically. The seven Duke Bergfrieds did not remain in the open for long. Shortly after, they transformed into glitters of light, entering the burly body of the man standing in the hall. At the same time, Ox Biaobiao gradually opened up his eyes. It was like a razor-sharp blade had been unleashed in the space before him. The mere opening of his eyes had caused the void to be torn apart. The faces of both Li Luo and Li Lingjing changed immediately, and they avoided looking directly at Ox Biaobiao''s ferocious visage. Although they had met countless Dukes during their time in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, the sheer aura he exuded was too terrifying for someone of their caliber. Ox Biaobiao stood on the spot for a few moments, his eyes beaming with excitement and satisfaction. He had waited far too long for this day to arrive. Finally! Everything felt so surreal. He could clearly sense the terrifying energy flowing within his body. This was much stronger than back when he was at his peak. He had been a sixth-grade Duke, and now he was a seventh-grade Duke! Although it was just an improvement of one grade, it was a true bottleneck. Many sixth-grade Dukes had been stuck in place for years without making much progress. After all, stepping into the seventh-grade meant they would become an upper-grade Duke. Ox Biaobiao took a deep breath as he familiarized himself with this newfound strength. With a thought, the Duke Bergfrieds within him trembled, letting out a ringing sound. Like a whale taking in water, he contained the terrifying energy pulses that had been emanating from his body. When he stepped forward, he looked towards the front door of the grand hall. "Thank you, Lineage Chief," Ox Biaobiao said respectfully to Li Jingzhe in a deep voice. Only he could really understand how amazing the second method given by Li Jingzhe truly was. Besides, it even required the assistance of a King. This would have been practically unachievable for many Dukes. Kings were all considered overlords in the inner divine continent. How would they be willing to help anyone out so easily? Hearing his words, Li Jingzhe simply replied, "Don''t worry, this is what Li Taixuan and the rest owe you." Li Luo also stepped forward at this point, and he said with a huge smile, "Uncle Biao, my father and mother will be really happy when they find out that your strength has recovered." When Ox Biaobiao looked over at Li Luo, his fleshy face softened a little. He patted Li Luo''s shoulder as he said, "You''re much more reliable than your father and mother. Only they can leave behind a cook and two kids to look after the entire household." Hearing this, Li Luo could not help but burst out laughing. "Since this has been successful, let me ask you once again. Are you planning on taking part in the Green Nether Hall''s Hall Master selection and staying in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage for now? Or are you going to leave?" Li Jingzhe asked. Without any hesitation, Ox Biaobiao replied, "I have promised Li Luo already. I''ll stay in the Green Nether Hall and help him out temporarily." He understood where Li Jingzhe was coming from. Li Jingzhe was planning to let Li Luo take control of the Green Nether Hall gradually. However, Li Luo himself was not strong enough yet. If he were placed in the position now, the others would not be convinced. Hence, Li Jingzhe needed his help for now. If he worked together with Li Rouyun in the Green Nether Hall, the other Hall Masters would not be too blatant with the way they did things. Seeing his response, Li Jingzhe slightly nodded before he turned around and walked off. "In that case, follow me. The elders have gathered today. It''s time to set things up properly." Chapter 0928: Discussion with the Elders Chapter 0928: Discussion with the Elders In the Discussion Hall of Dragon''s Fang Mountain. As Li Luo followed Li Jingzhe, he entered a wide hall filled with people. Each of them was an elder within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, holding considerable power. If they stepped out of the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range and went to any city within the Dragon''s Fang Domain, they would undoubtedly be treated with utmost respect. In fact, any orders or decisions from them could easily change the way things operated within the Dragon''s Fang Domain. The Dragon''s Fang Domain was like a giant empire, one that was much bigger than the Xia Kingdom. In fact, each of its twelve districts was many times larger than the Xia Kingdom. One could only imagine the sheer size of it. Just how much resources and people were involved in operating so much land? Hence, it was not far-fetched at all to say that this congregation was the heart of the Dragon''s Fang Domain. When the elders in the discussion hall saw Li Jingzhe arrive, they stood up hurriedly and bowed to him. Li Jingzhe waved his hand as he walked straight towards the main seat. Standing behind him, Li Luo stood upright with confidence. He took a quick glance across the discussion hall. On the left of the main seat were the direct bloodline descendants, Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan. On the right was the Main Hall Master of the Gold Light Hall, Zhao Xuanming. He had been with the Dragon''s Fang Lineage for over half a year now. He knew that currently, Zhao Xuanming and the Gold Light Hall had the most influence in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, much more than the other halls. As for the Gold Light Banner, they were the youths nurtured by the Gold Light Hall. Those youths held great potential, but their real strength had yet to be developed. Nonetheless, they were much stronger than the other three banners before Li Luo joined the Green Nether Banner. From this alone, it was clear just how strong and influential the Gold Light Hall was. In fact, it had been said that direct descendants like Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan had different opinions on many matters related to the Gold Light Hall over the years. However, they were still no match for it. As the Lineage Chief, Li Jingzhe was aware of all this, but he did not force decisions onto the Gold Light Hall arbitrarily. Instead, he treated everyone fairly. Whoever was stronger would have a greater say in the matters that involved the lineage. This not only allowed the Gold Light Hall to solidify their standing, it had also created the impression that they were the next in line to succeed as the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Many of the direct descendants could not understand why Li Jingzhe was acting like that. Zhao Xuanming was neither nominated nor groomed by Li Jingzhe himself. In fact, he was affiliated with the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Li Tianji, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, was the one that had nominated Zhao Xuanming for the position of Main Hall Master of the Gold Light Hall. This was not targeted directly at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage though. It was just a supervisory right of the Mountain Ruling Chief, applicable to all four lineages. As a result, Zhao Xuanming could be considered a member of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. This was the reason why the jealous Li Jinpan had often acted against Zhao Xuanming all this while. However, he was not successful. This had only helped to boost the reputation of Zhao Xuanming within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. At present, the Gold Light Hall controlled four districts in the Dragon''s Fang Domain. The Violet Spirit Hall and the Crimson Cloud Hall held control over three districts each. As for the Green Nether Hall, it held control over the remaining two districts. This was a reflection of the rights and influence each hall held as all the resources, tributes, and manpower from the districts would be granted to the respective hall. In other words, it involved hundreds of millions of skygold in resources. In the past, the halls had three districts each. The additional district held by the Gold Light Hall was taken from the Green Nether Hall. As Li Luo pondered about all this, Li Jingzhe took a quick glance across the hall. He went straight into the main topic of todays discussion. "I have called you all here today to discuss one thing. Let''s nominate another Hall Master for the Green Nether Hall." As soon as he finished his sentence, whispers began going around the discussion hall. The Second Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall, Zhong Yushi, had the largest reaction. He straightened his back and his eyes lit up. As the main individual overseeing things within the Green Nether Hall, he had already been informed of this beforehand. Currently, the Main Hall Master position of the Green Nether Hall was vacant. It only had four Hall Masters, the least amongst all the halls. Now that another Hall Master would be introduced, Zhong Yushi had naturally hoped that it would be someone from his side. In that case, he would be able to gain complete control over the hall and override Li Rouyun''s troublesome voice. Upon hearing these words, Li Rouyun looked over at Zhong Yushi and frowned imperceptibly. She was obviously aware of what he was scheming and knew he was well prepared for this. After all, the requirements to become a Hall Master were really stringent. Not only did one have to hold a position within the Green Nether Hall previously, they also had to possess enough power to convince the others of their individual strength. There were not many people within the two districts governed by the Green Nether Hall that satisfied both of these conditions. In fact, the only two City Lords that fulfilled these pre-requisites had already sided with Zhong Yushi. Therefore, the new Hall Master would surely be someone from his side. Under normal circumstances at least. This was something that Li Rouyun understood very clearly. At present, one of the four Hall Masters of the Green Nether Hall had already sided with Zhong Yushi. The remaining one had chosen to remain neutral. As such, she had been the only one opposing him all this while. If Zhong Yushi managed to gain the support of yet another Hall Master that was aligned with him, she would completely lose any form of influence within the Green Nether Hall. Unfortunately, there was little that she could do about it. She was part of the Western Region''s Li Family, which was a distant branch, and they could offer little assistance here. It was very unlikely that any strong and influential Duke would come forward and support her. Originally, her plan was to leverage Li Luo''s background and nominate Ox Biaobiao. However, Ox Biaobiao was badly injured and had not recovered. It would only cause a commotion if she forcibly pushed him up for the position of Hall Master. As such, Li Rouyun was full of worries. She could not help but glance at Li Luo as she thought about all this. Noticing her glance, Li Luo gave her a smile of assurance. He understood Li Rouyun''s worries. After all, the news of Ox Biaobiao''s recovery had been concealed by Li Jingzhe. None of the elders knew about it either. When she saw his reassuring smile, the stress she felt was slightly alleviated. "The Green Nether Hall has always had the lowest number of Hall Masters. It''s about time we added a new one to lighten the workload and stress for all of the other Hall Masters." Zhao Xuanming, the Main Hall Master of the Gold Light Hall, was the first to speak up after Li Jingzhe. He had a slight grin on his face as he agreed with the proposition. Hearing this, Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan exchanged glances with each other immediately. They understood what Zhao Xuanming was so happy about. Zhao Xuanming and Zhong Yushi had always been pretty close with each other. It would not even be surprising if it was revealed that Zhao Xuanming had taken an active role in helping Zhong Yushi establish control over the Green Nether Hall. After all, they were both Hall Masters that were not part of the direct bloodline, so it was only normal that they would band together. "Lineage Chief, with regards to the new Hall Master for the Green Nether Hall, there are two potential candidates based on the rules and regulations. You may find more details here." Zhong Yushi stood up from his seat. There were two jade-tablet scrolls in his hands, each filled with the details of the two City Lords that he was planning to nominate. Li Jingzhe raised his hand, and the jade-tablet scrolls flew over to his side. When he saw this, Zhong Yushi continued respectfully, "The first individual is Yin Guizhi, the City Lord of Tianjing City. He is a fifth-grade Duke. The second is Mu Feng, the City Lord of Huangji City. He is said to have the potential to become a sixth-grade Duke. "As City Lords, they have demonstrated their qualifications with ample experience in ruling their cities and have contributed significantly to our lineage. According to the rules, they fit the criteria to be elected as Hall Masters of the Green Nether Hall." As soon as Zhong Yushi finished his words, many elders present started nodding in agreement. They must have heard of these two City Lords before, particularly Mu Feng, as he had the potential to break through. Generally speaking, one would need to be at least a fifth-grade Duke to be eligible. Zhong Yushi and Li Rouyun were both sixth-grade Dukes currently, while the remaining two Hall Masters were fifth-grade. However, the Green Nether Hall was the weakest amongst all the halls. Many other halls had stronger Hall Masters. For example, the strongest Hall Master of the Gold Light Hall, Zhao Xuanming, was a bona fide eighth-grade Duke! He was significantly stronger than Li Jinpan and Li Qingpeng. When Li Rouyun heard his recommendations, her eyes darkened a little. Those two were indeed the most promising City Lords amongst all the districts under the Green Nether Hall''s jurisdiction. If they had chosen to side with Zhong Yushi, it would be really hard for anyone else to compete with them. As everyone whispered among themselves, Li Jingzhe took a quick glance at the jade-tablet scrolls and memorized all the important information within them. "I have called the two of them over to Dragon''s Fang Mountain today. If the Lineage Chief is interested, I can get them to come in immediately," Zhong Yushi continued politely. He was adequately prepared to the last detail today. However, there was not much reaction on Li Jingzhe''s face. He placed the jade-tablet scrolls down as if he was deep in thought. At this moment, Li Luo, who had been standing behind him all this while, took a step forward and said respectfully, "Respected Elder, I would like to nominate a candidate to be the Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall as well." When the words came out from his mouth, everyone''s attention turned towards him immediately. Zhong Yushi calmly replied, "I understand that Banner Leader Li Luo might have made remarkable achievements in recent days. However, according to the rules and regulations, only a Hall Master has the right to make a nomination." This was a cunning man who knew how to phrase things eloquently. He would only repeat the rules and regulations as everyone in the lineage knew that this was what the Lineage Chief deemed important. Li Luo smirked in response, only taking out a plaque from his sleeve. At this point, Zhong Yushi''s mouth turned a little crooked. This was the plaque of the Main Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall. With the plaque in his hands, there was no doubt that he possessed some of the authority of the Main Hall Master now. According to the rules and regulations, he was indeed fit to nominate someone for the position. Zhong Yushi''s eyes narrowed a little and secretly exchanged glances with Zhao Xuanming at the side. In the end, he lowered his eyes and gave in. It was time to see what the brat had up his sleeve. Chapter 0929: New Hall Master Ox Biaobiao Chapter 0929: New Hall Master Ox Biaobiao Li Jingzhe turned towards Li Luo slowly and asked, "Who would you like to nominate?" A curious look feigning ignorance hung on his face. The other elders did not comment on this either. After all, one could not possibly question the Lineage Chief''s actions, right? At this moment, Li Luo put his hands together and responded in a deep voice, "I would like to nominate the respected guest of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Ox Biaobiao." This was an identity that he had gotten when he arrived at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage with Li Luo. Although it was a position with little authority, it still signified that he was part of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. After hearing Li Luo''s recommendation, Zhong Yushi smiled indifferently. This was what he had expected as well. After all, it had only been six months since Li Luo came to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. There was no way he could have gotten close to any of the Dukes that were stationed across the lineage. "Banner Leader Li Luo, it''s been less than half a year since Ox Biaobiao joined us. He has not contributed to the Green Nether Hall. It would be hard to convince others that he''s a worthy candidate," Zhong Yushi said gently. "We have many City Lords within the Green Nether Hall''s borders that have worked hard and contributed a lot to our development. If they knew that a newcomer, an outsider, obtained the position of Hall Master so easily, there would surely be grievances and unrest. Banner Leader Li Luo, if you truly want to nominate Ox Biaobiao, why not wait a few more years before you do so? Once he''s contributed more to our lineage, it''ll be easier to convince the others too," Zhong Yushi added thoughtfully. None of the other elders in the discussion hall said anything. According to the rules and regulations, it was indeed inappropriate for Ox Biaobiao to participate. As Li Rouyun watched the conversation unfold, she also sighed a little in her heart. She knew that there would be considerable opposition if they nominated Ox Biaobiao. Only Li Luo would dare to bring it up, as he had a special background and was the grandson of the Lineage Chief. The other elders would have to give him some face ultimately. If she was the one that had brought it up instead, she would be reprimanded for sure. However, Li Luo did not change his expression. He simply smiled and said, "That''s not entirely true, Second Hall Master. Although Ox Biaobiao has just arrived at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, his contributions to the Green Nether Hall likely exceed everyone elses." Zhong Yushi frowned a little when he heard this. "What do you mean? What contributions?" he asked. Calmly, Li Luo explained, "Ox Biaobiao protected the Main Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall in the journey from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent to the outer divine continent. It was an arduous odyssey that even left him greatly injured, resulting in the destruction of his Duke Bergfrieds. This caused him to lag behind in cultivation over the past few decades. Is such an action not considered a sufficient contribution?" Many of the elders took a look at each other after hearing this. Zhong Yushi was also stunned for a moment. A dark gloominess shrouded his face. Li Luo was really crafty! Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had offended the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing back then. However, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li did not extend a helping hand at all. In other words, Ox Biaobiao was simply helping Li Taixuan out with a private matter of the Hall Master. Could this even be considered a form of contribution to the lineage? But... Li Luo did not mentioned Li Taixuan by name. He had simply referred to him as the Main Hall Master. Li Taixuan was indeed the Main Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall at the time. Since Li Taixuan was the Main Hall Master, Ox Biaobiao''s protection and actions had naturally been a huge contribution to the Green Nether Hall. If not, were they supposed to deny the fact that Li Taixuan was the Main Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall? Or were they supposed to argue that Ox Biaobiao should not have protected Li Taixuan at all? This would surely enrage the Lineage Chief. It was something that even Zhong Yushi would not dare to do. As such, he was at a total loss for words all of a sudden. "What Little Luo said is true. Ox Biaobiao''s actions may not have benefited the other halls, but he has indeed contributed greatly to the Green Nether Hall. With this, I feel that there will be no issue if he''s allowed to participate in the Green Nether Hall''s Hall Master selection," Li Jinpan said slowly as he expressed his agreement with this idea. Li Qingpeng also grinned and agreed with him. "The Main Hall Master is the leader of the Green Nether Hall. He represents the face of our hall. Since Ox Biaobiao defended him with his life, the Green Nether Hall will forever remember his favor. If we don''t at least do that much, won''t we be regarded as a joke to outsiders?" Li Rouyun added at this point. Hearing these words, the various elders turned towards Li Jingzhe indifferently as they had reached the same consensus. This had nothing to do with their halls, so there was no need for them to argue over it. Zhong Yushi''s heart sank a little when he witnessed their changing attitudes. Who would have thought that Li Luo could bypass the stringent requirements with just a few words? "Hehe. In that case, Ox Biaobiao''s contribution to the Green Nether Hall is indeed sufficient." These words had come out of the mouth of Zhao Xuanming, the Main Hall Master of the Gold Light Hall. He cupped his hands together as a sign of respect for Li Jingzhe before he continued, "I guess there will be three candidates participating in the selection. In that case, shall we follow the existing rules and have the three of them fight it out? The winner will be the last one standing." As soon as Zhong Yushi heard this, he heaved a sigh of relief. That''s right. Even though Ox Biaobiao''s contribution was significant, he still lacked the strength to become a Hall Master! Ox Biaobiao might have been considered a ferocious character in the past, but his Duke Bergfrieds had been shattered. With his foundation destroyed, he possessed the strength of a second-grade Duke at best. This was far too weak to be comparable with the other two candidates nominated by Zhong Yushi. "In the end, strength is the most important part of the Hall Master selection. If he can''t get past this, his past actions do not matter," Zhong Yushi commented slowly. He had made his point clear to prevent Li Luo from engaging in wordplay. To his surprise, Li Luo did not object to this at all. Instead, he nodded seriously and agreed with him. "Yes, one''s strength is the most crucial factor. Only the winner deserves to be the Hall Master!" This led Zhong Yushi to watch him with eyes full of suspicion. It was odd that Li Luo would agree to this so easily. He had spent so much effort to recommend Ox Biaobiao, and considering how weak the man should be, why had he agreed so quickly? It did not matter either way. At this point, Zhao Xuanming stated, "In that case, the three contestants can prepare for battle." As soon as he finished speaking, an astonishing wave of energy swept across the discussion hall. Everyone could sense frightening undulations coming from the outside. Their faces changed immediately, and they turned around to have a look. "Who''s this?!" They frowned as they stared out of the discussion hall. Who would dare to create trouble in Dragon''s Fang Mountain? However, none of them left to check it out. After all, Li Jingzhe had remained in his seat without any reaction. This astonishing energy undulation only lasted for a few moments before it gradually retreated. There was no doubt that this had come from a Duke. As all the elders frowned and pondered about what was happening, a man confidently walked into the discussion hall. There was a fearsome, murderous aura surrounding him, and his bald head reflected the light brilliantly. The air in the discussion hall trembled with each step, as if a primordial, savage beast had entered. When the man approached, the elders finally recognized him. Their eyes changed immediately. "Ox Biaobiao?!" Zhong Yushi''s face changed completely. He nearly lost his voice from the shock. He could clearly tell from the terrifying pressure coming from Ox Biaobiao that he was not any weaker than himself. Did that mean that he was a seventh-grade Duke?! When did Ox Biaobiao recover from his injuries and reach this stage? Similarly, Li Rouyun stood with eyes wide open as she stared at Ox Biaobiao in surprise. Whispers broke out in the discussion hall. Under the penetrating gazes, Ox Biaobiao simply smiled. It formed a clear distinction from the rest of his fierce and plump face. With a pig-butchering knife in his hand, he declared, "I just met two guys outside who said that they were coming for the Green Nether''s Hall Master selection. We had a good talk and they decided to give up." Everyone fell silent after hearing this. With that terrifying energy wave that had swept across the room earlier, it seemed like the discussion had turned pretty intense. With that, it was clear that the two candidates suggested by Zhong Yushi had admitted defeat to Ox Biaobiao. This was to be expected. After all, even the stronger of the duo, the City Lord of Huangji City, had not reached the sixth stage. On the other hand, Ox Biaobiao was at the seventh stage. There was no way they could match up to him. Nonetheless, the most shocking part of all this was... how had Ox Biaobiao repaired his Duke Bergfrieds? That was an extremely serious injury for a Duke. Some of the Elders turned over and looked at Li Jingzhe, who had not said a word yet. The Lineage Chief was the only one in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage with the ability to do something like this. In that case, Li Jingzhe had prepared the Hall Master seat for Ox Biaobiao since the very beginning. Li Rouyun''s eyes were also full of surprise. It was extremely good news to know that Ox Biaobiao had regained his strength. This would mean that he would surely get to be the new Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall. With his help, she would have the power to stand up against Zhong Yushi from now on. Indeed, Zhong Yushi was totally dumbfounded by this sudden development. Without uttering a single word, he fell back into his seat. Things had been set in stone before the meeting had even begun. His plot to obtain the Hall Master seat had failed. The stalemate in the Green Nether Hall would similarly be broken. At this moment, Li Jingzhe slowly enunciated, "In that case, are there any objections against Ox Biaobiao becoming the sixth Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall?" No one raised any objections. With that, Li Jingzhe concluded decisively, "Things are decided, then." The various elders nodded in agreement. Afterwards, he even glanced briefly towards Zhong Yushi. It seemed that from now on, Zhong Yushi would no longer be able to have everything go his way in the Green Nether Hall. Most importantly, it also demonstrated Li Jingzhe''s attitude towards this. He was sending a signal to everyone present that the Green Nether Hall belonged to Li Taixuan, the father of Li Luo. Even if he did not return in the future, Li Luo would be the one taking over as the Main Hall Master once he grew up. Zhong Yushi might have coveted the role, but his efforts had been useless. There was nothing more he could do. Even though Li Luo did not have many connections within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage... he was still the beloved grandchild of the Lineage Chief. All these actions were meant to compensate for his tough childhood in the outer divine continent. As long as Li Jingzhe remained in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, no one within the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li would be able to touch Li Luo. Chapter 0930: Talents Across the Continent Chapter 0930: Talents Across the Continent The news of Ox Biaobiao becoming the sixth Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall soon spread across the land, causing much discussion within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. After all, the position of Hall Master was one of the highest possible within the lineage. It held unquestionable and significant authority. Besides, anyone could tell that the Lineage Chief had approved of this even though Li Luo was the one who had nominated him. Strictly speaking, Ox Biaobiao''s qualifications were a little lacking in comparison to the others. Fortunately, he was a seventh-grade Duke. The minimum requirement to be a Hall Master in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was to be a fifth-grade Duke. As a seventh-grade Duke, there would be no complaints regardless of which hall Ox Biaobiao ended up in. Coincidentally, it was an especially apt moment for the Green Nether Hall. Their Main Hall Master had been missing for some time, and the second Hall Master, Zhong Yushi, had been the pseudo leader all this while. He was just a sixth-grade Duke that had yet to break into the seventh-grade. As such, the introduction of Ox Biaobiao, with his seventh-grade Duke strength, was a huge blow to the influence held by Zhong Yushi. From now on, Zhong Yushi could no longer have his way. ... After Ox Biaobiao became a Hall Master, Li Luo''s days in the hall became much more peaceful. The opening of the Spiritual Resonance Cave was only a month away, and he had to make use of every precious minute to improve himself. As a result, he had spent his efforts mainly on the Fiendish Devil Cave. Now that he was the Dragon''s Head of the Twenty Banners, the ranking of the Green Nether Banner seemed a bit inappropriate. He had planned to push the banner up the rankings. Naturally, his progress was extraordinary. His strength had improved significantly since the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. Moreover, the members of the Green Nether Banner had received a huge amount of resources as part of the rewards. As such, the strength of the Green Nether Banner skyrocketed during this period. With such an astonishing improvement, there was no way to stop the Green Nether Banner''s progress. In less than ten days, the Green Nether Banner overtook the rank two Holy Scale Banner, aiming for the rank one Gold Blood Banner next. Of course, Li Qingfeng could sense the shocking progress from the Green Nether Banner. In an attempt to shake them off, he began pushing layers in the Fiendish Devil Cave as well. However, it was ultimately a fruitless attempt. As the days ticked by, the Green Nether Banner climbed steadily under numerous gazes, reaching the same spot as the Gold Blood Banner. Currently, the two banners were tied for first place. During the same period, Li Luo''s strength had improved by leaps and bounds too. His Fiend Dipper Energy had increased from four hundred feet to six hundred and fifty feet, a truly crazy pace of progress. During these two weeks, the news of the Spiritual Resonance Cave had begun spreading in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage too. In fact, it was not just the Dragon''s Fang Lineagethe news had spread all across the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Although the focus this time was mainly on those at the Heavenly Resonance Tier and below, the various forces within the continent were all paying attention to it. They were paying very close attention to see which young talents would perform spectacularly during this event. It would be a grand event for the younger generation of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Talents from all over the continent would showcase their strength in an attempt to make a name for themselves. In the past, those who had risen up amongst the crowds during the Spiritual Resonance Cave had entered the Empyrean Chronicle of the Golden Dragon Bank. That made them the focus of their generation, admired by all. Just this point alone was enough to keep the youths'' blood boiling. In addition to that, the various forces were also treating this as a kind of battle between them. As the younger generation fought it out, it was also a way for them to demonstrate the foundation of their powers. This was another way for them to build a reputation for themselves and suppress others. As such, the Spiritual Resonance Cave was an event that held great importance within the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent no matter how one looked at it. "These are all of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent''s young geniuses compiled by the Golden Dragon Bank. They will be your main competitors in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. Have a look at their information," Li Jingzhe said as he handed a scroll over to Li Luo. Li Luo was finally able to eke some time out to visit the Respected Elder in the bamboo forest deep within Dragon''s Fang Mountain. When Li Luo heard his words, he took the scroll and studied it curiously. The first person on the list was already a familiar one. Qin Yi. As the strongest person in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing, she was naturally at the top of the list. Furthermore, the scroll had provided more details regarding her. Qin Yi, lower ninth-grade water resonance. Two-pearl tier. Unlike Li Qingfeng, who had been dragged down by Li Luo, Qin Yi was the indisputable number one in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. It was said that she had achieved complete and perfect victories in the battles amongst her bloodline recently. Without a doubt, she was the beloved goddess amongst all the talents in this generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. "Two-pearl tier... naturally a benefit of the ninth-grade resonance." Li Luo sighed. Although Li Qingfeng was able to obtain the strength of two Heavenly Pearls during the Battle of the Dragon''s Head, he had borrowed that power by using the Dragon''s Blood Lineages secret art to create a blood pearl. This would inevitably be inferior to someone who earned their pearl through cultivation. With that, Li Luo continued to read down the list. The second person came from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. Zhao Shenjiang, the Division Head of the Dragon''s Division of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. Lower ninth-grade strength resonance, two-pearl tier. "Zhao Shenjiang, lower ninth-grade strength resonance?" Li Luo narrowed his eyes. This was a really rare resonance. The so-called strength resonance referred to those born with extraordinary physical bodies. "Zhao Shenjiang is pretty extraordinary. It''s said that the elders from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao hold high hopes for him," Li Jingzhe commented with a laugh. He turned his eyes towards Li Luo and asked, "Previously, you met a young lad from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao too. Zhao Jingyu, was it?" Hearing this, Li Luo recalled the unlucky guy he had met at the Dark Domain in the Western Region. He replied with a smile, "He''s a good guy. If not for him, things would have gotten dicey for me in the Dark Domain." In fact, Zhao Jingyu had not only given him five free dragon fangs, he had also helped Li Luo to fend off the attack of a True Devil Other. He was definitely worthy of being called a great and benevolent guy. "Zhao Shenjiang is on pretty close terms to Zhao Jingyu. As such, he''s already declared that he hopes he will not meet you in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. Otherwise, he''ll beat you to death," Li Jingzhe said. "Already coming for me before it even begins?" Li Luo replied helplessly. "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li has always had an acrimonious relationship with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. We have fought with each other multiple times over the years, and many Dukes from both sides have died. If you really meet them in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, there''s no need to hold back. Grab the chance and deal with them," Li Jingzhe told him calmly. Li Luo nodded as he continued reading the scroll. His name had appeared in the list as well. From the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner, Li Luo. Triple resonances, Fiend Finisher, defeated Li Qingfeng in the Battle of the Dragon''s Head as well as an energy replica of Li Taixuan. Although the Fiend Finisher Tier was a far cry from the two-pearl tier, his battle record was astonishing. Li Luo pouted and said, "The Golden Dragon Bank truly seems to know everything." When he brought up the Golden Dragon Bank, he was reminded of Lu Qing''er. The thought of how she was doing these days surfaced in his mind. "The foundation of the Golden Dragon Bank far exceeds your imagination. If you really want to compare, even the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing, the bloodline with the longest history, pales in comparison to them. It''s just that they believe harmony breeds wealth, so the various forces give them some face as well," Li Jingzhe explained. Hearing this, Li Luo nodded. As he continued down the scroll, he saw a talent from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhu below him. Zhu Dayu, pseudo ninth-grade gluttony resonance. One-pearl tier. It seemed like this person was about the same level as Li Qingfeng. As Li Luo continued down the list, he passed by numerous names before another caught his attention. Jiang Wanyu, from the Three Star Hall of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. Eighth-grade fire and wind dual resonances. Two-pearl tier. Chapter 0931: Secret Chapter 0931: Secret "Jiang Wanyu from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College." Li Luo stared at this line with interest. He used to be from the Astral Sage College, and thus he was particularly interested in the ancient college participants. Jiang Wanyu was from the Three Star Hall of the ancient college. Not only that, she was also at the two-pearl tier. This was much stronger than the Three Star Hall of the Astral Sage College, exceeding it by more than a whole tier. Clearly, the quality of the students in the ancient college was much higher and the foundation of the college was much stronger. "Eighth-grade wind and fire dual resonances," Li Luo whispered to himself. This combination was surely stronger than a pseudo ninth-grade. With the power of dual resonances working together, it could even be considered a lower ninth-grade. As such, Li Luo''s eyes paused for a moment when he came across Jiang Wanyus name. Shortly later, he continued reading down the list. There were many more noteworthy individuals, including Li Qingfeng. Apart from the four Heavenly Emperor bloodlines and the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, there were also a few individuals of exceptional quality from the other powers. Although the foundation of these powers were weaker than that of the Heavenly Emperor powers, they were still a ways ahead compared to the Xia Kingdom. What was deemed as trash here would still be considered a king there. Just this point alone was enough to show how much of a difference there was when it came to the inner divine continent. It was no wonder why people like Li Hongli would look down on those from the outer divine continent. With such a huge disparity seen here, it was not surprising that she viewed it as a barren wasteland. Li Luo spent a considerable amount of time reading before he finally placed the scroll aside and sighed. "This is truly a list of the best amongst the best. What lies ahead will definitely be a grand event." Li Jingzhe, who had lowered his head and was chopping away at bamboo shoots, casually responded, "These are just the extraordinary ones from your generation. I am afraid you and your peers don''t even qualify to be the true protagonists of the Spiritual Resonance Cave." Hearing this, Li Luo laughed and nodded in agreement. Indeed, even the top elites of their generation, such as Qin Yi, were only at the two-pearl tier. Elites from the previous generation would be entering the Spiritual Resonance Cave as well. Those individuals were generally above the five-pearl tier. In terms of battle strength, they held the upper hand. "Seems like I''ll have to stick close to Cousin Lingjing after we enter the Spiritual Resonance Cave," Li Luo joked. Currently, Li Lingjing''s battle strength was gradually being restored. Based on his estimates, she should be close to the elites from the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. "The Spiritual Resonance Cave is an absolutely precious opportunity. Treasures that can increase one''s resonance grade are priceless. I believe the individual who created this secret realm was truly extraordinary. At the very least... there are no Heavenly Emperors within the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent now that can replicate it," Li Jingzhe said. "Even the Heavenly Emperors aren''t able to? Just how unimaginable was the creator of the Spiritual Resonance Cave?" Li Luo asked in surprise. Li Jingzhe pondered for a moment. "We''ve spent time investigating it over the years. However, the cave is guarded by a strange and mysterious ward. If a power stronger than it tries to infiltrate, it may cause the entire cave to self-destruct. This would irreversibly destroy the secret realm, bringing us more losses than gains. As such, we did not attempt to force our way through. However... we did discover something over the long years." He paused for a moment and he turned to look at Li Luo. Slowly, he continued, "The Spiritual Resonance Cave is likely related to the strongest ancient sect in recorded history: the Sacred Void Resonance Sect." Li Luo looked at him blankly when those four words reached his ears. His eyes lit up. Sacred Void Resonance Sect? That was where the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art was from! In fact, he had another objective when he came to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. He wanted to find the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art, which would determine his path forward once he entered the Duke Stage in the future. This connection to the Sacred Void Resonance Sect was unexpected. "It seems like your parents have told you about the Sacred Void Resonance Sect," Li Jingzhe commented as he sensed the changes in Li Luo. However, he was not too surprised. "My parents entered the ruins of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect, right?" Li Luo asked. Li Jingzhe nodded before he continued, "When they first discovered the ruins, no one knew what it was. No one had imagined it to be ruins left behind by the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. They could be considered the first individuals to have entered the place. "When the news spread later on, it caused a huge uproar within the continent. Even the other Heavenly Emperor powers set their eyes on it. After all, the Sacred Void Resonance Sect was really renowned." "Where are the ruins now? Is it still open?" Li Luo asked nervously. If he wanted any clues about the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art, he would probably have to look for it there. Li Jingzhe calmly explained, "Ancient ruins like that have their own set of rules and space. It''s protected by a similarly extraordinary ward that even Kings are unable to force their way through. Your parents were lucky to find their way into it first. Afterwards, the ruins seem to have vanished from the world without a trace and have not resurfaced after so many years. However, I believe it''ll appear again one day. This is something that all the Heavenly Emperor powers are lying in wait for. The day the ruins resurface, they will inevitably head in and explore. After all, the Sacred Void Resonance Sect was illustrious and had a prominent reputation. The treasures they left behind are sure to be tantalizing, even for Heavenly Emperor powers like us." Hearing this, Li Luo felt a little disappointed. However, the feeling was coupled with relief. Disappointed because he could not tell when the ruins of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect would reappear. Relieved as no one else had entered it thus far. In that case, the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art that he wanted would surely still be waiting for him. There was no need to rush things through. After all, he was not a Duke yet, so getting his hands on the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art was not an urgent matter yet. "Over the years, the various forces have focused on the Spiritual Resonance Cave partly because they wanted to probe for an opportunity to find the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. However, there hasn''t been much progress," Li Jingzhe explained frankly. At this point, he finished slicing up the fresh bamboo shoots. After a quick wash with fresh spring water on the side, he continued, "Speaking of which, the Spiritual Resonance Cave contains many treasures that can increase your resonance grade. Amongst them, there is one that reigns supreme amongst the rest. If you have the chance, you should definitely do your best to obtain one." Hearing this, Li Luo asked curiously, Just what could be so amazing?" "The Origin Enlightenment Fruit," Li Jingzhe replied. Li Luo repeated the words to himself with a face full of confusion. He had never heard of it before. "It''s normal that you''ve never heard of it. Such a precious treasure is extremely rare even in the inner divine continent. You may only be able to find traces of it in the Nobles'' Battlefield," Li Jingzhe said. "What can it do?" Li Luo asked curiously. Li Jingzhe thought about it for a moment before he responded, "Have you heard of the Resonance Origin?" Li Luo frowned and said, "I have heard of it previously. It''s something that only those in the Heavenly Resonance Tier get into contact with, right?" Li Jingzhe nodded. "Comprehending ones Resonance Origin is akin to getting a deeper understanding of ones own resonance. Ordinarily speaking, this is something that only those who have reached the Heavenly Resonance Tier can achieve. This is an essential step before anyone can become a Duke. In other words, if you cannot comprehend your Resonance Origin, you''ll never be able to forge your Duke Bergfrieds. "This is the preliminary step to becoming a Duke!" Li Luo felt taken aback for a moment. If he could not forge Duke Bergfrieds, he would naturally be unable to become a Duke. Who would have thought that comprehending ones Resonance Origin would be so important? "Anyone who has comprehended their Resonance Origin will achieve an evolution in their resonant power. This is an extremely rare opportunity. After all, it will determine whether you can become a Duke in the future." At this moment, Li Jingzhe looked at Li Luo with a serious expression and reminded him, "If you hear about one in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, remember to fight for this item." Li Luo kept quiet but nodded in agreement. This was an opportunity that he had to acquire by hook or by crook if he came across it. Chapter 0932: Li Fuling Chapter 0932: Li Fuling In the days leading up to the opening of the Spiritual Resonance Cave, Li Luo spent all his time and effort on the Fiendish Devil Cave expedition. After all, it was a wonderful training ground. Not only was the Green Nether Banner improving at the same time, he could also elevate their ranking in one of the best training spots available to the Twenty Banners. His goal was to strengthen himself rapidly before heading out to the Spiritual Resonance Cave. After all, his competitors would be as high as the Heavenly Resonance Tier. And there would surely be countless elites from the previous generation that had spent a much longer time in the Heavenly Pearl Tier than youngsters like himself and Li Qingfeng. Calling them challenging opponents would be an understatement. Besides, the Respected Elder had shared with him how important the Spiritual Resonance Cave was. If he wanted to grab onto this opportunity, he would need to boost his combat capabilities considerably. As such, Li Luo was determined to maximize his opportunities in the Fiendish Devil Cave before anything else. ...... On the Fiendish Devil Peak of the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range. Many banner members were gathered in circles in the field before the Fiendish Devil Cave, chatting amongst themselves. Their eyes were fixated on a screen on the wall of the mountain. They stared at the top spot on the rankings. In first place were two names. Green Nether Banner. Gold Blood Banner. It was not a common sight to see two banners tied, even in the past. More importantly, the banner members around the field knew that this stalemate would likely come to an end today. Li Luo had led the Green Nether Banner into the Fiendish Devil Cave just an hour ago. Looking at his air of confidence, he was surely planning to conquer the sixty-third layer in one go. If he succeeded, the Green Nether Banner would become the first one to clear layer sixty-three. They would then wrench the position of first from the Gold Light Banner and stand alone at the top! As such, the banner members of the other three banners were not interested in their own Fiendish Devil Cave expeditions at this point in time. They waited anxiously for the result. After all, the Green Nether Banner belonged to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Their lineage had been held down by the Gold Blood Banner all this while, so if they could emerge on top, it would signify a huge comeback for the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Sitting in the stone pavilion on the side of the field, Li Jingtao and Deng Fengxian watched the screen without batting an eyelid. "I heard that Li Qingfeng is leading his Gold Blood Banner to conquer layer sixty-three as well. He must be trying to stop the Green Nether Banner," Deng Fengxian commented. With a smile, Li Jingtao replied, "It looks like the other banners are not entering the cave either. They''re all planning to watch the show." Deng Fengxian nodded in confirmation. Li Qingfeng was clearly unhappy that Li Luo had become the Dragon''s Head. He would surely try his best to keep the top spot in the Fiendish Devil Cave to himself and prevent an overwhelming defeat in all aspects by Li Luo. "Layer sixty-three is not an easy one. There is a huge number of Fiendish Devils running around. On top of that, the strength of the Fiendish Devil Leader is close to that of a third-grade Duke. Although it''s not a real third-grade Duke, it''s still way stronger than the previous Fiendish Devil Leader," Deng Fengxian said. "I think Banner Leader Li Luo may be acting a little too hastily. He can always wait until the Spiritual Resonance Cave is over before he attempts layer sixty-three. That would make it a lot easier." Hearing this, Li Jingtao nodded in agreement. "That is the conservative way. However, Third Brother wanted to clear layer sixty-three before the Spiritual Resonance Cave not because he wanted to bring down Li Qingfeng. I think what he truly wants is the rewards from that layer." Deng Fengxian was stunned to hear this. "The Pill of Enlightenment?" he asked. The reward for clearing layer sixty-three was an extremely rare pill known as the Pill of Enlightenment. If used during one''s cultivation of resonance arts, it would allow one to have an easier time understanding and comprehending a particular art. "Third Brother must be making his preparations for the Spiritual Resonance Cave," Li Jingtao said. Deng Fengxian nodded. This had to be the reason. After all, he understood that the Spiritual Resonance Cave would draw in numerous talents across the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Although Li Luo had become the Dragon''s Head, it would not give him much of an edge in front of all the other elites. "Oh, right, where is Banner Leader Li Fengyi?" He turned around and scanned the surroundings. There was no trace of Li Fengyi at all. "She went to receive the visitors from the Dragon''s Fang Guardians," Li Jingtao told him. "Oh? The people from Dragon''s Fang Guardians are coming today?" Deng Fengxian asked in surprise. Li Jingtao nodded and continued, "The one coming today should be the previous head of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s four banners, Cousin Li Fuling." Deng Fengxian rubbed his chin a little as he asked, "If I recall correctly, that senior used to be the Banner Leader of the Crimson Cloud Banner, right? She was renowned, and the Crimson Cloud Banner shone resplendently under her leadership." Li Jingtao smiled and said, "Fengyi is personally acquainted with her as well, thus she''s gone to accompany her." Deng Fengxian''s eyes lit up at this moment. "If I remember correctly, Li Fuling has another odd hobby, right?" Li Jingtao smiled helplessly when he heard this. He nodded in confirmation and replied. "Yeah, she''s another one of those Taixuan fanatics..." Cousin Li Fuling might have been generations apart from Third Uncle Li Taixuan, but she always praised the invincible Li Taixuan. This was mainly due to her mother''s admiration for him. Her mother had inculcated within her since she was young that Li Taixuan was invincible, especially in his generation! Few were as formidable as he was. ...... As Li Jingtao and Deng Fengxian were chatting, Li Fengyi noticed a flying boat cruising through the clouds on an elevated platform in a corner of the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range. A smile appeared on her charming face. "Fengyi." A clear and crisp peal of laughter rang out across the flying board. Following this, a figure jumped down and landed on the elevated platform. She was youthful and tall with long, slender legs, dressed in a dark-red battlesuit that tightly wrapped around her curves. Coupled with her snow-white skin, she was extremely charming to the eye. Her long hair was neatly tied up in a scorpion-tail braid that reached down to her rear. Li Fengyi''s eyes lit up immediately as soon as she saw her, and she smiled. "Cousin Fuling, it''s been a long time since we last met. I bet you have gotten a lot more admirers in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." Hearing this, the lady known as Li Fuling revealed an enchanting smirk and took two steps forward. She pulled Li Fengyi''s arms and complained, "Stop teasing me. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians are so busy and dangerous, it''s not at all like the Twenty Banners. I won''t have time to think about all that. Besides, how could anyone in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians catch my attention? Even the four major leaders barely warrant a second look." Li Fengyi laughed and replied. "Yes, yes, you''re right. If you''re looking for someone that looks like Third Uncle, you''ll never find anyone in the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages, let alone the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." Li Fuling was not shy about it at all. She responded frankly, "That''s true. The magnificent air of Main Hall Master Li Taixuan is so exceptional that no one else since the start of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li has come close to it." Hearing this, Li Fengyi couldn''t help but laugh out loud. She could almost imagine the expressions on the faces of the men who had tried to win her cousins heart but got rejected by her and then told that they were not as good as Li Taixuan. Cousin Fuling, our Third Uncle may be exceptional, but our generation has a pretty good guy too. Have you heard about him?" Li Fengyi said. Li Fuling was not too surprised by her question. "I have. You''re referring to the son of Main Hall Master Li Taixuan. His name is Li Luo, right? Apparently, he defeated the replica of Li Taixuan during the Battle of the Dragon''s Head. The news spread like wildfire even amongst the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." Li Fengyi was a little surprised upon hearing this. It did not seem like Li Fuling was particularly interested in the news. In fact, she seemed to be a little opposed to it. With a slight smile, Li Fuling continued, "Although he has the blood of Main Hall Master Li Taixuan flowing within him, there is only one true Li Taixuan in my eyes. He''s far from being comparable. Additionally, he''s still a Fiend Finisher, right? Although it''s admirable that he could win against someone above his level, Main Hall Master Li Taixuan was already leagues above him when he was at this age. So don''t you dare say he''s like Li Taixuan." Hearing this, Li Fengyi was at a loss for words for a moment. This fanatic was only crazy about Li Taixuan. Even with his background, Li Luo was nothing in her eyes. Strangely, she even seemed to have something against him because of it. The human heart was truly complicated. Li Fengyi did not know how to react, but she did not speak any further. She turned around and led the way forward. "You''ve returned to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage just in time for a grand show." "What show?" Li Fuling asked. With both her hands behind her back, Li Fengyi smiled so wide that her eyes nearly closed, and she replied proudly, "You''ll get to see how the Dragon''s Fang Lineage will regain the top spot on the Fiendish Devil Cave rankings after countless years!" Chapter 0933: Layer Sixty-three Chapter 0933: Layer Sixty-three In layer sixty-three of the Fiendish Devil Cave. It was a boundless, grassy plain. At this moment, the plain was being devastated by a tempest as frightening amounts of energy blasted in every direction, destroying the ground beneath. The collision of energy caused large booms to reverberate throughout the skies. When one looked more closely, they could see over a thousand individuals channeling and fusing all of the resonant power within their bodies together, directing it towards a youth in the air. Li Luo was radiating terrifying amounts of energy. His gaze was focused on a large, fiendish aura that swept past the area before him. There were countless Fiendish Devils all around, and they were rushing towards him. "They''re coming again?" Li Luo mumbled to himself. He had already experienced almost ten waves of their relentless onslaught. Layer sixty-three was extremely difficult, and every inch of progress required him to fight bitterly. "The third and fourth divisions will rest. The other three divisions, activate your Draconic Breath Fiend Arts and maintain Harmony. We will resist the next wave." Li Luo''s voice was transmitted to the ears of all the Green Nether Banner members. Immediately after, the third and fourth divisions sat down cross-legged and closed their eyes to rest, quickly restoring their stamina and energy. The rest continued to maintain the state of Harmony. However, the fact remained that without two divisions supporting it, the amount of energy Li Luo obtained from Harmony had reduced. The bright side was that the Fiendish Devils were only threatening due to their numbers and would not pose a significant threat. Their key purpose was to attrite the Green Nether Banner members'' resonant power and to delay their approach towards the Fiendish Devil Leader. Li Luo remained calm as he formed a hand seal with a single hand. Worldly natural energy was roused and condensed into sky-blanketing thunderclouds before a rainstorm poured down. It was like a curtain of water that blurred the skies and the ground. Every drop of rain seemed to contain electricity, and it was a fantastical sight from afar. Pseudo Duke Art: Thunderstorm. There was no need to utilize exceptionally strong moves like Duke Arts or the Nine Revolutions Art to deal with the fodder. The consumption of resonant power was significant, and with the assistance of Harmony, he possessed the power of a true Duke. Thus, a Pseudo Duke Art was sufficient as it could already demonstrate considerable might. The thunderstorm continued to boom, and the hordes of Fiendish Devils began to scramble chaotically in their attempt to close the distance. The thunderstorm did not possess exceptional killing strength, but once struck, their bodies would turn numb. Due to their simple minds, they would then lose control of their bodies and tumble. Immediately after, Li Luo raised a finger, and a beam of energy shot forth and landed on the ground. The earth rumbled and then a titanic tree arose, its lush branches and leaves covering the skies. The branches began to transform at breakneck speed, taking the form of an emerald dragon-ent. As Li Luo glanced at his ferocious construct, a hint of admiration could be seen within his gaze. This was merely a Pseudo Duke Art, but with the assistance of Harmony, its strength far surpassed the Water Dragon Fang Sword he could utilize countless times. This was the advantage brought about by increased strength. Dukes merely had to wave their hands to display strength that would dwarf Duke Arts used by those at the Resonant General Stage. "I wonder... just when will I finally be able to obtain such strength?" This thought flashed through Li Luo''s heart with a hint of anticipation. After which, he observed the dragon ent savagely rushing forth, directly smashing into the hordes of Fiendish Devils and causing the plains to crack with every step. Countless Fiendish Devils were extinguished, but even more continued to pour outwards without pause, directly clashing with the dragon ent. As time passed by, it looked as though they were even becoming one from afar, branches intertwined with fiends. Li Luo then waved his hand, and the thunderstorm that covered the sky was suddenly sucked into the dragon ent. Immediately after, it paused momentarily before its bright, emerald exterior transformed into one which was inky green. The heavy droplets of water had combined with the lightning to form a coat of liquid that changed the appearance of the dragon ent. Bang! The inky, jade dragon-ent exploded forth with even more terrifying strength, each swipe capable of harvesting the lives of the Fiendish Devils like wheat. The speed of the slaughter caused the banner members like Zhao Yanzhi and such to sigh in amazement. Li Luo''s application of the Pseudo Duke Art was too exquisite. Even if it were used to mow the grass, no one would feel that their leader was being wasteful! More importantly, it also conserved their limited pool of energy. By the looks of things, the Fiendish Devils would not be able to hold on for much longer. They had already struggled through over ten waves of enemies. Perhaps it was almost time to face off against the Fiendish Devil Leader? Bang! The dragon ent was in the middle of clearing the last patch of Fiendish Devils, and there was a sudden change at this point. A seemingly ordinary Fiendish Devil opened its jaws and spat something. Ptui! A faint light pierced through the air with unimaginable speed, and in a breath''s worth of time, it appeared right before Li Luo, rushing straight towards his head. Within the light was a sharp, black spike that let out a shrill scream, causing one to fall into a daze. "A Heavenly Fiend Soulthorn? Boss! Be careful! That''s the Fiendish Devil leader!" The sudden development caused the banner members to have a change in expression, and they hurriedly shouted out to their boss in warning. However, before their voices could reach him, the black ray of light struck Li Luo''s head. But right at this moment, a mark that resembled a dragon surfaced. Nine shining scales that were radiating immense light could be seen within it, and the roar of a dragon could be heard. When the dragon mark was activated, Li Luo''s body suddenly swelled up and dragon scales grew on his skin. His hand seemed to have transformed into the sharp claws of a dragon, and it gave off a sharp, keen light. Li Luo seemed to have transformed into a half dragon, half human creature! Ding! A crisp sound rang out when the black thorn collided with the dragon mark and failed to penetrate it, directly clattering off and shattering into motes of dull light. That said, Li Luo''s mind was still ringing. He was forced back several dozen steps before he could finally stabilize himself. His expression turned icy as he stared into the distance. The ordinary-looking Fiendish Devil that had originally launched the attack suddenly expanded massively, turning into something hundreds of feet tall. It had countless heads and arms, each and every one with a vicious expression. When it exhaled, black air spewed out through its fangs. A frightening pressure descended upon the earth with its appearance. This was layer sixty-three''s Fiendish Devil Leader. It was a cunning creature, having hid amongst the hordes of ordinary Fiendish Devils. In the end, it had planned to take advantage of Li Luo''s defenselessness to end him with a singular strike. With the aid of the Heavenly Fiend Soulthorn, piercing Li Luo''s head would definitely have left him grievously injured, forcing him to retreat. It was fortunate that Li Luo had cultivated the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body. During the moment of crisis, his body was able to react instinctively and protect him, allowing the attack to harmlessly bounce off him. "Boss!" The banner members cried out in happiness. "No worries." Li Luo waved his hand and then commanded solemnly, "Rest time is over, everyone. We will bring out our full strength and achieve the complete state of Harmony. The Fiendish Devil Leader lies before us! This is the final obstacle we have to clear to achieve the top rank on the leaderboards!" "Yes, Boss!" The eight thousand members exhorted with heightened morale and blazing gazes. Achieving the top rank was the goal all these youths had. It had been many years since Li Taixuan had led the Green Nether Banner to the top of the leaderboard. Li Luo, holding the same role, was now about to regain the same honor and glory. Feeling the majestic amounts of energy that were surging up endlessly, he closely watched the flying Fiendish Devil Leader as he mumbled to himself, "Whether I can successfully cultivate the Wood Dragon Fang Sword depends on you, my little fiend..." Chapter 0934: Reprimanding Words Chapter 0934: Reprimanding Words "Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner!" Riding along the waves of the Underworld River, the majestic and lively dragon flew into the air with its dazzling scales. Enormous energy waves swept across the battlefield, right into the face of the Fiendish Devil Leader that was as strong as a third-grade Duke. Bang! A berserk storm of energy erupted, and the ground beneath splintered in all directions. It was an extremely devastating force that could even shatter the skies and the earth. Dragging its feet across the ground, the Fiendish Devil Leader was sent flying back, one of its arms crushed from the impact. Thick, black smoke could be seen oozing out from its injury. However, the Fiendish Devil Leader was exceptionally durable. Despite receiving a full blow from Li Luo''s Greater Completion Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner, it was still standing strong. Roar! The Fiendish Devil Leader screamed angrily, then a terrifying, fiendish aura surged into the sky, causing the clouds to tremble under its pressure. "Nine Revolutions Art, Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment!" Li Luo kept his guard up and continued his offense without a break. Huge amounts of energy surged up and morphed into the shape of a humongous heavenly dragon. The Heavenly Dragon spanned endlessly, filling up the vast sky and enveloping the area with its dragonfear, counteracting the fiendish aura released from the Fiendish Devil Leader. Like a mountain unable to move from its spot, the Fiendish Devil Leader felt its feet sink deep into the ground under the domineering Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment. Its speed, strength, and even fiendish energy were all subdued. "Nine Revolutions Art, Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath!" Without further hesitation, Li Luo used the Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath. The manifestation of the Heavenly Dragon opened its maw, and a raging, lightning dragonbreath arced out. At the next moment, it landed straight on the Fiendish Devil Leader like a meteor strike. His Heavenly Dragon Lightning Breath was boosted by the Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment. In other words, its killing potential had been enhanced. Li Luo had used the Fiendish Devil Cave to familiarize himself with the Nine Revolutions Art. Over the course of the past few weeks, he had discovered another characteristic of the Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenmentit had the ability to strengthen the power of his other Nine Revolutions Art. With this, he could really see why the Heavenly Dragon Resonance Enlightenment was one of the rarest amongst the eighteen Nine Revolutions Arts. Flying through the sky, the raging, lightning dragonbreath blasted directly towards the Fiendish Devil Leader. However, the fiend did not sit there and await its end. It opened its mouth, and immense fiendish energy flowed out, condensing into a huge, black sword. With a slash of this sword, a blade light made of fiendish energy that was tens of thousands of feet long soared into the air. The blade strike clashed with the dragonbreath directly. Upon contact, a terrifying energy wave swept across the battlefield. The clouds above were smashed into pieces and bottomless chasms opened up across the battleground. This terrifying energy storm went on for a few moments before it gradually died down. Li Luo floated in the air as he looked solemnly at the aftermath. At this point, he had already exhausted half of the energy available from Harmony. However, the Fiendish Devil Leader was not defeated. It still had some life left, demonstrating its tenaciousness. This was truly harder than he had thought. It would be a bitter fight to the end. "Everyone, do you still have the strength to continue?" Li Luo asked in a deep voice. The faces of his eight thousand banner members were already starting to turn pale. Nonetheless, they responded to him with their actions. In the blink of an eye, their expressions turned determined and they channeled all their strength into the Draconic Breath Fiend Art. Without holding back, they poured in all their might into Harmony for Li Luo. Li Luo could sense a huge burst energy surging within him once again. This was the last straw for the Green Nether Banner. Between them and the Fiendish Devil Leader, a final showdown was due to see who would emerge victorious. Li Luo''s eyes turned sharp as he summoned up the overwhelming energy into a plantain fan surrounded with lightning. He grabbed it tightly and swung it with all his might. At the next moment, the wind howled, thunder echoed, and lightning filled the sky. This would be his final attack. ...... In the square in front of the Fiendish Devil Cave, the other three banners from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage were watching closely without batting an eyelid. Their gazes were fixed on the screen on the stone wall. n0VElUsb.c0m At the same time, Li Fengyi and Li Fuling had arrived in the stone pavilion in the square. Noticing their arrival, the banner members looked over curiously, and some whispers could be heard. They could tell from the uniform that Li Fuling was from the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. The Heavenly Dragon''s Five Guardian Armies. That was the highest point the young members of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages could reach. It was where the best of the best among the Twenty Banners gathered. This was the dream and goal that all of them were ultimately working towards. However, the requirements to enter the Five Guardian Armies were extremely strict. One had to be at least a Heavenly Dipper General to be eligible. As such, there was only a handful who could enter despite the tens of thousands of youths in the Twenty Banners. When they noticed Li Fuling''s arrival, Li Jingtao and Deng Fengxian stood up and greeted her politely. According to the rules of the Twenty Banners, they should treat her as their senior respectfully. Seeing this, Li Fuling simply smiled and turned her gaze towards the screen. Her eyes seemed to come alive when she noticed that the Green Nether Banner was tied in first place, together with the Gold Blood Banner. As the previous leader for the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, she was very familiar with how things worked in the Fiendish Devil Cave. Similarly, she understood how challenging it truly was to reach the top spot. At the very least, this was something she had not achieved during her time. "Banner Leader Li Luo seems pretty capable," Li Fuling said. "However, he''s still far from Li Taixuans level. At the very least, there was no one who tied for first place when he was the Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner back," she followed up swiftly. Hearing this, Li Fengyi defended Li Luo and replied, "Cousin Fuling, this is not an apt comparison at all. Li Luo has not been with Green Nether Banner for even a year, yet he''s already changed so many things. He has been living in the outer divine continent until recently, which delayed his cultivation. If he had spent his childhood in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage like Third Uncle, he''d definitely be an even greater force to be reckoned with!" "That may be true. Sadly... these are just hypothetical scenarios. There are too many such things in the world," Li Fuling responded with a light smile. "When Li Luo clears layer sixty-three, the Green Nether Banner will be the only one at the top," Li Fengyi retorted. "Let''s wait and see, then," Li Fuling said as she took a seat on the side. Watching the two girls bicker, Li Jingtao simply smiled without saying anything. He also focused upon the screen with a lackadaisical gaze as he awaited the results patiently. Deng Fengxian was also standing at the edge of the stone pavilion, watching carefully, when he noticed a figure walking towards him. "Senior Lu Ze." Deng Fengxian recognized the person immediately and nodded in his direction. This individual was the previous generation''s Banner Leader of the Gold Light Banner. "Wasn''t the Gold Light Banner led by you, Junior Fengxian, the top amongst the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage? How did you get overtaken by someone who cut in halfway?" Lu Ze asked with a light smile. "Previously, the Main Hall Master was full of praise for you. He said that your generation''s Gold Light Banner was much stronger than my generation''s. However, it seems like your performance is failing to meet his expectations." Facing his sharp words, Deng Fengxian kept his calm face as he replied, "You think too highly of me, Senior Lu Ze. If even Li Qingfeng is unable to stop Li Luo, how would I be able to do so?" Lu Ze laughed and said, "However, you did not do anything to stop Li Luo and the Green Nether Banner from advancing even when you were in the lead previously. You could have done it. Although it may not have changed anything in the end, it would at least have slowed him down and bought some time. By not doing anything... you''ve allowed Li Luo to rise up and enter the Green Nether Hall. For example, the new Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall was chosen as an exception because the Lineage Chief was very pleased with Li Luo''s spectacular performance, right? If there''s a change in the situation around the Green Nether Hall, it''ll inevitably affect us in the Gold Light Hall. After all, you must remember that some of our rights in the Gold Light Hall were taken from the Green Nether Hall." Hearing these words, Deng Fengxian pondered carefully. He then stared at him and asked, "Whose words are these?" With Lu Ze''s present status, he was in no position to comment on the affairs regarding the Gold Light Hall. If he dared to say this, then Deng Fengxian could not help but wonder... were they words from the heart or was he acting as a mouthpiece for the elders of the Gold Light Hall? Perhaps they came from Zhao Xuanming, the Hall Master, himself? Does that mean that he is unhappy about things and is starting to reprimand me? However, Lu Ze simply gave a slight smile and said, "Junior Fengxian, neither of us are part of the direct bloodline. We should do things that''ll increase the reputation of Gold Light Hall and therefore benefit ourselves. As such, please do not follow Li Luo and his orders blindly at the Spiritual Resonance Cave. Don''t be used by him... In fact, if you have the chance, do something sneaky to obstruct him so his journey won''t be as smooth. Of course, don''t do it too blatantly. After all, he''s still the most beloved grandchild of the Respected Elder." Deng Fengxian listened but did not comment further. Lu Ze gave him a light pat on his shoulder before he ended off in a low voice. "Remember this: you are where you are today only because of the Gold Light Hall." Finishing what he had to say, he turned around and left the stone pavilion. For the next few moments, Deng Fengxian simply stood on his original spot in silence. He looked up at the screen with eyes filled with uncertainty. Chapter 0935: The Top Ranked Green Nether Banner Chapter 0935: The Top Ranked Green Nether Banner The clock slowly ticked down as the members of the other three banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage waited eagerly. The Green Nether Banner had not exited from the Fiendish Devil Cave yet. Whispers were starting to circulate around the square, and some members shook their heads and lowered their expectations. It seemed like the Green Nether Banner would be halted by layer sixty-three after all. In the stone pavilion, Li Fuling looked up onto the screen and said, "It''s about time for the Fiendish Devil Cave to close." The Fiendish Devil Cave was only open for a limited time. However, it was a pretty long period, so very few banners would run into the problem of exceeding the time limit. Unfortunately, this seemed to be the case for the Green Nether Banner today. Their time was running out as they were faced with their most challenging battle yet. "It''s still too much for them. Layer sixty-three is extremely challenging. It took me a long time to conquer it back when I led the Green Nether Banner. Does Banner Leader Li Luo think he can do this in one shot?" a young man in the stone pavilion commented. He was none other than the previous generation''s Green Nether Banner Leader, Li Xuan. At this point, the previous generations Gold Light Banner Leader, Lu Ze, smiled and said, "He''s the Dragon''s Head of this generation. How can you compare yourself to him? With someone as talented and outstanding as him here, who''ll even remember the previous Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner?" Although he had spoken with a light-hearted smile, they were heavy words to digest. Li Xuan''s face turned red with anger. The Green Nether Hall''s situation is special. Their performance has been lacking for years because they have no Hall Master, unlike the other halls. This has undoubtedly affected them in all aspects. It''s not really due to Li Xuan," Li Fuling said slowly at this point as she took a look at the two of them. After hearing her words, Li Xuan finally calmed down a little. At the same time, Li Fengyi threw a sharp gaze over to Lu Ze. The guy was really nasty. He was clearly trying to sow discord between Li Xuan and Li Luo here. However, she could not be bothered with him at the moment. She turned back towards the screen on the stone wall and frowned a little. It was nearly time for the Fiendish Devil Cave to close already. If Li Luo could not lead the Green Nether Banner to clear layer sixty-three by then, the chance would be gone. Of course, he could wait for the next cave opening, but that would only be after the Spiritual Resonance Cave. Li Fengyi knew that Li Luo was eyeing the Pill of Enlightenment, the reward for conquering layer sixty-three. He wanted to use the pill to prepare for the Spiritual Resonance Cave. As such, it would be pointless for him to clear it afterwards. However, Li Fengyi was not sure if Li Luo could really make it in time or not. As she stared worriedly at the screen, the clock continued to tick by. Dozens of minutes passed by like this. All of a sudden, shouts erupted from the square. Many of the gazes fell onto the rank one row on the screen. At this moment, the words "Gold Blood Banner" gradually turned dim. This meant that the Gold Blood Banner had retreated from the Fiendish Devil Cave. However, they had not conquered layer sixty-three. They were unable to defeat the Fiendish Devil Leader before time ran out. They had been forced to retreat. "The Gold Blood Banner has failed to conquer layer sixty-three!" There were many stunned faces among the banner members. Although the reputation of the Gold Blood Banner and Li Qingfeng had fallen a little recently, he was still the top guy in the Twenty Banners. No one had belittled his capability. If even he had failed to conquer layer sixty-three, one could only imagine just how challenging this layer truly was. If Li Qingfeng and the Gold Blood Banner couldnt pull through, how long could Li Luo and the Green Nether Banner endure? There was not much time left. Even if they could endure the tough fight, they would still be kicked out of the Fiendish Devil Cave as soon as time ran out. In other words, the end result would be the same as the Gold Blood Banners. As such, all the gazes were back onto the dimly lit screen. Many of them had already formed their conclusions. Li Fengyi placed both hands together tightly as her heart pounded heavily in anticipation. For a moment, everyone had stopped their chatter in the stone pavilion. Even Li Fuling, who had been comparing Li Luo with Li Taixuan, had stopped and was watching in anticipation. The banner members around the square had also quieted down. The place was dead silent, as if no one existed. The clock continued to tick slowly. Just as the screen turned dim and some people let out sighs of disappointment, a sudden burst of light shone out from the front of the Fiendish Devil Cave. In the next moment, people started emerging. They were the eight thousand members of the Green Nether Banner. However, they all sat down in the lotus position as soon as they came out. Their faces were pale, and they closed their eyes to recover their resonant power. Traces of blood could be seen on many of the members, as if they had just been through a really challenging battle. Finally, the Green Nether Banner had returned. Everyone was staring at them curiously. Was this because... time had run out for them too? Just as some of them were pondering about it, thunderous cheers broke out from a corner in the crowd. "Look at that! The ranking board is changing!" The cheers spread like a torrent of waves and countless gazes fell back onto the ranking board of the Fiendish Devil Cave. They were surprised to see what was happening. Gradually, the Green Nether Banner that was in first place alongside the Gold Blood Banner disappeared. Following this, it reappeared back above the Gold Blood Banner. Rank 1: Green Nether Banner! The Gold Blood Banner had fallen from first place to second place! Everyone in the square was dumbfounded as they stared at the name in first place. This meant that... the Green Nether Banner had conquered layer sixty-three?! They had done something that even the Gold Blood Banner couldn''t? In other words, they were now the indisputable number one banner among the Twenty Banners? Screams of surprise exploded one after another across the square. They turned towards the pale and exhausted Green Nether Banner and eyed them with envy.n0VEluSB.c0m Who would have expected that in just half a year''s time, the Green Nether Banner would not only rise from the bottom of the four banners of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, but also become the rank one banner among the Twenty Banners? This was truly the peak of glory for them. What an amazing evolution! Everyone watched with admiration. They knew that the Green Nether Banner was well aware of the reason behind their uprise. The only difference was their new Banner Leader, Li Luo. The Green Nether Banner had evolved under his leadership. Under numerous gazes, a young figure emerged from the Green Nether Banner''s area. It was none other than Li Luo. His face was also a little pale. During the tough fight with the Fiendish Devil Leader, he had utilized everything he could to finally emerge victorious with his domineering ace, the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. It was a really close shave. Had he been even a little slower, he would have failed due to time running out. Fortunately, he had come out with a stunning victory. They had conquered layer sixty-three. With that, the Green Nether Banner would be at the top in the Fiendish Devil Cave''s leaderboard. Of course, the Pill of Enlightenment that he had been looking forward to had been secured as well. At this moment, Li Luo heaved a sigh of exhaustion. The Green Nether Banner would have to take a few days off to recover after this long and challenging fight. Rising in the leaderboard was pure torture. Slowly, he raised his head up. The crowd separated into two as a line of people rushed forward to him. In the front were Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao, but a stranger was following them. However, Li Luo could tell who they were from the signature black and red colors on their battlesuit. Li Luo''s face changed a little as soon as he noticed this. Why are the Dragon''s Fang Guardians here? Chapter 0936: Li Wuyuan Chapter 0936: Li Wuyuan "Congratulations, Third Brother! It has been countless years since the Dragon''s Fang Lineage has attained the top rank in the Fiendish Devil Cave!" Li Jingtao cheered. There was undisguised happiness in his tone as Li Luo''s achievement had bolstered the Dragon''s Fang Lineages reputation. The Battle of the Dragon''s Head was a demonstration of Li Luo''s personal strength. The Fiendish Devil Cave, on the other hand, was a test of his ability to lead his banner in battle. The ranking directly proved that the Green Nether Banner was now the strongest amongst the twenty. More importantly, it was also a setback for the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. One could imagine that they wouldnt be so domineering in the coming days. Li Fengyi was also beaming from ear to ear, a hint of pride clear on her face. She moved forward and patted Li Luo''s shoulder before proudly turning around and facing Li Fuling. "Cousin Fuling, as you can see, both the Dragon''s Head and the top rank in the Fiendish Devil Cave belong to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage now. What do you think?" Li Fuling quickly sized Li Luo up, and her gaze lingered upon his face for a few moments. She could see the resemblance between him and Li Taixuan as the latter''s image was something her mother often showed her. She understood that when her mother was young, she spent time tempering herself in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. However, she found herself in a precarious situation and was fortunate enough to have been saved by Li Taixuan. His immense might coupled with his exceptional looks and demeanor were a deadly combination towards any lady, smiting their tender heart. It was from that point onwards that Li Taixuan''s figure was firmly engraved into her heart. It was only that her mother never dared to reveal such feelings as Li Taixuan shone brightly like the glorious sun, and the women who similarly adored him were as plentiful as carps trying to cross the dragon gate. Afterwards, the elders of their family arranged for her mother to marry someone she did not like. The two were forced to live together for several years, but they were simply unable to get along and ended up separating. Li Fuling then accompanied her mother and was gradually influenced to regard Li Taixuan as an unparalleled individual. She was naturally exposed to Li Taixuan''s exploits when she grew older and entered the Twenty Banners and then the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. As a result, her sense of idolatry rose to the peak. Thus, her heart felt complicated when she encountered Li Taixuan''s son, Li Luo. In a sense, she felt a unique sense of closeness towards him, having to thank his father for her existence, and at the same time similarly rejected him. How could someone possibly be comparable with Li Taixuan? Even his progeny was no exception. With a heart full of thoughts, Li Fuling smiled dryly. "Banner Leader Li Luo, you are truly talented. Being able to wrestle away the top position amongst the Twenty Banners is a commendable feat." She did not belittle his achievements, as she had spent time in the Twenty Banners too. It was the gathering place of all of the talented sprouts in the Dragon''s Fang Domain, and demeaning them would also include herself within the insult. Li Fengyi followed up relentlessly. "So how do you think he compares to Third Uncle?" Li Fuling harrumphed as she glared at her. "Hall Master Li Taixuan is peerless and without equal. After he left, no one in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent has been able to reach his level. There are numerous Dragon''s Heads... but only one Li Taixuan!"n0velusb.c0m After which, she swept her gaze over Li Luo meaningfully. Li Luo, on the other hand, was a little confused. That last line seemed to be targeted at him. However, why was she so fanatical about his old man? When they lived in House Luolan, Li Luo and him would constantly jostle for third place, but outside? If he reaaaaaally had to... he would defer to his father for the sake of face. Thus, he revealed a friendly smile. "I have to thank you for the praise on behalf of my father." Faced with this response, Li Fuling could only snort coldly, unsure of how to reply. Li Fengyi, however, was clearly trying to hold back her laughter, feeling her stomach cramp up. She then introduced the group to Li Luo. "Now that you''re out, I would like to introduce the rest. This is Cousin Li Fuling, she was a Banner Leader in the previous generation and has now entered the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. She will be participating in the Spiritual Resonance Cave." At the same time, she also introduced the remaining individuals from the guardians as all of them possessed some sort of achievement in the past. Li Luo then turned towards the other two. The previous generation''s Gold Light Banner Leader, Lu Ze, and Green Nether Banner Leader, Li Xuan. Lu Ze returned a wry smile, whereas Li Xuan had a complicated gaze as he cupped his hands together. "The Hall Master previously led the Green Nether Banner to achieve incomparable glory. Today, Banner Leader Li Luo, you helped restore its lost radiance. This is definitely an interesting story to be told in future." Li Luo grinned and replied, "Still, it is the previous generations of Banner Leaders that have maintained the reputation of the Green Nether Banner till today. They allowed the Green Nether Banner and the hall to maintain a strand of hope. No amount of effort would have gotten me this far if it wasnt for the foundation set by you and the rest." Li Luo understood how Li Xuan felt. Li Xuan''s accomplishments were mediocre at best when compared to his, but Li Luo had demonstrated a little humility so as not to aggravate the other party. Li Xuan felt a little ashamed. "Banner Leader, you are overflowing with talent, so I''m sure you will truly shine when you enter the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Perhaps you might be able to gain a few points in the Green Nether Banner''s favor." Li Luo shook his head. "The Dragon''s Fang Guardians are filled with the most exceptional of geniuses. How can I do so? There are no tigers on the mountain today, and that''s why a monkey like me can reign supreme." Li Fengyi pouted upon hearing this. "Hey, you hypocrite. If you''re a monkey, what are we?" This left Li Luo feeling a little helpless. He was just being modest! It couldn''t be that the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was full of dummies that he could dominate as soon as he arrived... right? Li Fuling then glared at Li Luo and suddenly asked, "Banner Leader Li Luo, Fengyi has told me that you seem quite close to Li Lingjing. Is she in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage right now?" Hearing this question, Li Luo felt a little surprised. "Are you acquainted with Cousin Lingjing?" "Of course I know her. We were of the same generation, and she had quite the reputation. I always hoped that she would return to the four banners so I could take her on, but alas..." Li Fuling replied. Li Luo nodded slightly. "Cousin Lingjing has been very fortunate. Her strength has been restored and she will also participate in the Spiritual Resonance Cave." "That is something I look forward to." A hint of eagerness could be seen in Fuling''s gaze. Li Fengyi was smirking at the side as she said, "Today is a day of celebration for the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. I''ll take the lead and treat everyone to eat and drink their fill!" These words cause everyone to smile. ...... Whilst the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was submerged in a celebratory atmosphere, the mood had turned chilly on the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s end. The entire field was silent, with no one daring to speak. Li Qingfeng raised his head and gloomily stared at the Fiendish Devil Cave rankings. Behind him, Li Hongli and the other two Banner Leaders were similarly despondent. They had lost their top position at the Fiendish Devil Cave, which was a great setback. This was their last saving grace, and without it, the Dragon''s Blood Lineage was now firmly suppressed by the Green Nether Banner in every aspect. "With how depressed you look, I thought the Fiendish Devil Cave had turned into a place of mourning." Untimely laughter echoed outwards amidst the gloomy atmosphere, breaking the silence. Several aggravated members turned their heads to see just who dared to act so presumptuously. Their gazes fell upon a group of individuals who were walking into the field. They possessed an uncommon presence and exuded a strong sense of suppression. What was most striking was their blood-red battlesuits, causing some banner members to blurt out uncontrollably, "Dragon''s Blood Guardians?" Their gazes then focused upon the person in the lead. It was a slender youth with a heroic demeanor. His eyebrows were thin like sharp blades and he gave off an incisive aura. Li Qingfeng and Li Hongli turned to face the source of the commotion, and when they recognized the youth in the front, they were taken aback. Li Hongli''s eyes immediately lit up and her cheerful voice rang out. "Cousin Wuyuan?" When she shouted out his name, the atmosphere in the field seemed to have boiled over as their memories were jolted. Li Wuyuan. This was the previous generation''s Gold Blood Banner Leader. He was also the previous generation''s Dragon''s Head! Chapter 0937: Targeted chapter 0937: targeted excitement bubbled over and noise overtook the air in the dragon''s blood lineage. the four banner leaders similarly had idolizing and passionate looks in their eyes when they recognized the youth. li wuyuan, the previous generation''s dragon''s head! when the dragon''s blood lineage''s four banners were wallowing in the depths of despair, li wuyuan''s presence had elevated everyone''s morale. "it''s been a while. you have become even more stunning, cousin hongli. i''m sure you will have countless suitors when you join the dragon''s blood guardians." li wuyuan flashed a smile towards li hongli. this was met with a coquettish smile. li wuyuan then turned towards the silent li qingfeng. "cousin qingfeng, it looks like you''ve thrown away all of the prestige the gold blood banner has accumulated over the years." his words were calm and sharp. li qingfeng remained silent, unsure of how to respond. "news of you losing the battle of the dragon''s head has already spread into the dragon''s blood guardians. numerous companions of mine have levied quite a bit of criticism towards you. additionally, the dragon''s blood lineage is the leader of the five, and we have to ensure that we suppress the rest in all aspects. only then can we maintain our position as the mountain ruling lineage," li wuyuan continued. these words were heavy, as the elites amongst the dragon''s blood guardians would eventually ascend to become the elders of the dragon''s blood lineage at some point. li qingfeng''s poor performance today would also affect his future. li qingfeng gave a bitter look. "i apologize. i was simply useless, tarnishing the reputation the dragon''s blood lineage has spent years building up." he could not refute wuyuan''s words as the loss in the battle of the dragon''s head and the recent change in the fiendish devil cave rankings demonstrated to him that li luo was now on the rise. it was a fact. he could not suppress li luo. li hongli hurriedly came to li qingfeng''s defense. "cousin wuyuan, you can''t blame elder brother qingfeng... it''s all li luo''s fault. the reason he lost the position of dragon''s head was due to elder brother qingfeng mistakenly choosing to utilize the dragon''s blood judgment art. otherwise, he could have flattened that irritating fellow without a doubt!" "cousin hongli, no matter the reason, the fact remains that li luo is now the dragon''s head of the twenty banners. this is a fact that is set in stone," li wuyuan continued. li hongli lightly pouted before a look of dejection appeared on her face. she knew that her previous words were just excuses. although li luo had not exchanged blows with li qingfeng, the fact that he had managed to triumph over li taixuan''s replica demonstrated that he possessed true power that was not in any way inferior. thus, even if the dragon''s blood judgment art had not been used, qingfeng might not have beaten li luo. this was a fact that greatly unsettled li hongli, leaving her dissatisfied. perhaps it was more appropriate to say that she refused to accept that a country bumpkin could construct such a trail of miracles in the short span of less than a year. li luo''s radiance would soon eclipse their inability. her father''s generation had been heavily oppressed by li taixuan, who had left behind legends that overwhelmed everyone else. could it be that li luo would once again do the same to his generation? and this time, the ones who would suffer would be them! li wuyuan calmly said, "however, there is no need to be overly depressed. the dragon''s blood lineage''s strength has been built over many generations. even the exceptional li taixuan was unable to change things. he left and has never returned. since he was unable to do so, how could li luo be any different? cousin qingfeng, you might have lost once, but there is no need to lose your drive. li luo might be talented, but the foundation of the dragon''s blood lineage is even greater, and being the mountain ruling lineage is not just for show." he then turned to look at li qingfeng and continued leisurely, "take advantage of the opportunity that is the spiritual resonance cave. even if you cannot surpass him, the dragon''s blood lineage still has us..." at this point, li hongli stuttered in surprise, "cousin wuyuan, have you made your decision?" li wuyuan casually replied, "before i left the dragon''s blood guardians, my fellow seniors reminded me that if the opportunity arises, i have to let li luo know just who the leader of the heavenly dragon''s five lineages is." his gaze seemed indifferent, but a sharp and tyrannical aura spread from his body. the years where li taixuan rose to prominence caused the dragon''s fang lineage to rise in prestige. when he entered the dragon''s fang guardians, his momentum was overwhelming, and even the previous dragon''s heads in the dragon''s blood guardians were alarmed by his meteoric rise. in an attempt to make him halt in his tracks, many battles broke out. li taixuan was suppressed at the start, but as time passed, even the most senior members of the dragon''s blood guardians were forced to retreat before him. as a result, that generation''s dragon''s fang guardians were simply peerless and possessed unstoppable momentum. the dragon''s blood guardians then conducted a review of their actions and felt that if they had paid more attention to the threat posed by li taixuan and suppressed him during his early periods of growth, he would not have developed the invincible, sweeping momentum that caused all to cower before him. in the end, li taixuan, the invincible battle god, had used them as a whetstone, sharpening himself to unprecedented levels. learning from their mistakes in the past, the dragon''s blood guardians had decided that if the opportunity arose, they would do everything they could to suppress li luo. coupled with how he had languished in the outer divine continent for many years, his rapid improvement would be diminished and he might not explode forth with the same frightening potential as his father. this way, the threat would be resolved. "cousin wuyuan, if you were to take action, wouldn''t the dragon''s fang guardians act to block you?" li hongli asked. he smirked and replied, "the previous generation of the dragon''s fang lineage has been crushed by me countless times. just who can stop me? in any case, i won''t be too overbearing. i simply want him to be more reserved. youths competing in battle is very normal. would he tattle on me to the lineage chief because of that? he would become the laughing stock of the five lineages." he waved his hand at this juncture. "enough, let''s stop talking about him." li wuyuan took two steps forward and lightly grasped li qingfeng''s shoulder with a smile. "there is no need to be too disheartened by this. this is just a temporary setback, and with the absolute foundation built up by the dragon''s blood lineage, li luo is merely a mantis trying to stop a cart. let''s go. i dont get many opportunities to come back here. let us indulge in a meal at the grand dragon inn. the days in the dragon''s blood guardians are bitter and full of danger. it''s difficult to find even a moment to relax." li qingfeng smiled bitterly as he was dragged along. he reached out to his friends and led the entire group out of fiendish devil peak. ...... li luo, on the other hand, was in the dark about the dragon''s blood guardians'' plot to keep him hammered down. if he knew, he would only smile in response. yes, it was true that youths would often clash to exchange pointers. if he had to... well, there was little three to rely on... li luo returned to his living quarters after having dinner with the rest. he sat atop his bed, but instead of resting, he stretched out his hand. the pocket sphere on his wrist glowed and a stream of light flew out. a single dark-green pill appeared before him. the spirit pill emanated a mysterious fragrance that caused one''s mind to attain a sense of emptiness with just a whiff. this was the reward he had obtained from conquering layer sixty-three. the pill of enlightenment.n0velusb.c0m Chapter 0938: Embryonic Sword Shadow chapter 0938: embryonic sword shadow . the reason the pill of enlightenment was so important to li luo was because it would allow him to cultivate the second dragon fang sword of the myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation: the wood dragon fang sword! out of the three primary resonances he possessed, he still had to make dragon fang swords for the wood and dragon resonances. "after cultivating the wood dragon fang sword, the dragon resonance will be the last one left." he couldnt help but let out a small sigh. his waterlight resonance was a lower eighth-grade, while his woodearth resonance had been tempered by countless spirit liquids and purifying lights and had reached the upper seventh-grade. alas, his thunder dragon resonance was lagging behind, being at the lower seventh-grade. if li luo wanted to use the other resonances to form a dragon fang sword, they would have to reach a higher grade. the other resonances were ultimately supplementary and could cause his resonant power to reach a higher level of purity and strength, but they were ultimately not as strong as his primary resonance, the waterlight resonance. based on his understanding, if the other resonances were lower than the eighth-grade, the rate of success would be quite low. thus, li luo''s goal was to have his woodearth resonance and thunder dragon resonances to reach the eighth-grade at the spiritual resonance cave. if he could accomplish this, all three resonances would be at a similar level. in that case, the amount of resonance power at his disposal would surpass that of a middle ninth-grade resonance. ninth-grade resonances were the only ones that were divided into three sub grades. it was just that most people could not discern the difference. meeting someone with a ninth-grade resonance was rare enough, and whether it was a lower ninth, a middle ninth, or an upper ninth-grade, it was inconsequentialthese individuals were simply on a different level altogether. in the eyes of others, a rich man was simply a rich man. they were not concerned with exactly how rich they were. that being said, li luo had yet to meet anyone with a middle ninth-grade resonance despite being in the inner divine continent, a place full of talented elites. the best he had seen was qin yi''s lower ninth-grade water resonance. additionally, after dealing with the soul eater true devil''s parasitism, there was also li lingjing with the abyssal serpent resonance. thinking of jiang qing''e, is her light resonance a middle ninth-grade??after recomposing himself from the random thoughts, li luo turned his attention to the pill of enlightenment. the difficulty of condensing another dragon fang sword was immense, and he had only succeeded with a single water dragon fang sword so far. and it was all thanks to the aid of li jingzhe''s heavenly temple lotus and the burning of a lotus seed. such mystical treasures were prized even by kings, and he could not thicken his face to ask for yet another opportunity to use it. as a result, his backup plan was to rely on this spirit pill. although its effects couldn''t compare with the heavenly temple lotus, it would still be helpful. additionally, he didn''t expect to succeed in creating the wood dragon fang sword on his first try. his current aim was to first create an outline for it with the cosmic sword intent before gradually giving it form. eventually, he would succeed when he garnered enough experience. n0velusb.c0m this made him feel reassured, as he knew that every step he took would contribute to his eventual success. he directly popped the pill of enlightenment into his mouth, and a cooling waft of energy circulated throughout his body. li luo could feel his mind becoming increasingly clear, and he could distinctly sense the resonant power moving inside him. he closed his eyes tightly and immersed his mental state into his body. li luo could sense a mysterious and massive sword formation within him. the formation radiated majestic amounts of sword intent that was wickedly sharp, to the point that its presence was simply terrifying. even resonant power would be obliterated if the sword intent swept past it. in the corner of the sword formation was the lone, blue dragon fang sword that lurked idly. similarly, it exuded boundless amounts of sword intent, and its surface was covered in ripples that elevated its razor-sharp edge to another level. li luo quietly admired the hypnotic water dragon fang sword before he immersed himself in the cosmic sword intent. he had spent the past month obtaining strands of sword intent with no rest. his success rate had gone up after successfully creating the myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation. with a thought, strands of cosmic sword intent condensed before him, and he began to fuse them in the embryonic form of the wood dragon fang sword. an hour later... li luo gazed at the dissipating strands of cosmic sword intent. the space before him became empty and he fell silent. despite his bitter efforts, twenty strands of cosmic sword intent had been used up just like that. "is it really that hard?" li luo mumbled to himself. when he first refined the water dragon fang sword, his success rate was not as low as this. he had even thought that the supposedly difficult-to-cultivate myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation wasn''t as hard as people had made it out to be. still, he felt like something was wrong this time no matter how he looked at it. "could it truly have been the effect of the heavenly temple lotus?" li luo mused over it for a moment. that was the key difference between then and now. the whole process felt like a simple and carefree affair when he was utilizing the heavenly temple lotus. however, now that he had borrowed the aid of the pill of enlightenment to cultivate the myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation, the difference between the two aids was stark. it was as different as the skies and the earth. li luo could only smile bitterly. it was no wonder the heavenly temple lotus was a treasure that even kings desired. how could a mere pill of enlightenment compare? and the embryonic transcendent duke art in his possession truly lived up to its name. learning it was no easy feat. however, he didn''t have much of an option but to take things slow. li luo calmed himself down before continuing to direct the remaining strands of cosmic sword intent to fuse into the shape of a dragon fang sword. in the following few days, he spent all of his time and effort attempting to craft the embryonic form of the wood dragon fang sword. although his progress was slow, the wood dragon fang sword''s rate of success was increasing with each strand of cosmic sword intent that dissipated. on the fifth day, all of the cosmic sword intent that li luo had collected finally ran out. the wood dragon fang sword, on the other hand, had not been completed. the faint silhouette of a green sword had manifested inside the dragon fang sword formation, but it was extremely illusory, almost as though it didn''t exist. this was the wood dragon fang sword. the only thing was that the embryonic form had not been completed, so it could be considered an embryonic sword shadow at best. this was the result of li luo''s painstaking efforts. "i guess an embryonic sword shadow is better than nothing, huh?" li luo consoled himself. he then shifted his focus to the outside world. he vaulted off his bed and stretched before walking towards the window to admire the sky. "tomorrow is the day." a look of anticipation surfaced in his eyes. the renowned spiritual resonance cave was about to open, and all of the youths in the heavenly origin divine continent were about to gather. every opening attracted countless top talents to compete for prestige and to be the best. amongst them, the best would reign supreme and would also likely enter the empyrean chronicle, their name resounding throughout the continent. to be fair, li luo was not very interested in such achievements. he was a pragmatic individual. after all, if he didn''t become a duke soon, all the honors in the world would just be another line on his eulogy. he possessed shocking talent... and an even more shocking lifespan. "whether or not my triple resonances can all enter the eighth-grade will depend on this." Chapter 0939: Set Out! chapter 0939: set out! the next day, li luo dropped by li rouyun''s lodgings to pick up li lingjing before heading off to the gathering point. "li luo, i''ll hand lingjing over to you. the spiritual resonance cave is full of dangers lurking in every corner, so you have to take care of her properly," li rouyun reminded him with a smile on her face as she looked at the gorgeous, young duo. frankly speaking, li luo was an outstanding individual in all aspects. as an elder, she felt that li lingjing was quite a good fit for him. the only problem was that li rouyun already knew that li luo was engaged, and jiang qing''e was simply too dazzling, enough to cause others to marvel that the outer divine continent was able to give birth to such a breathtaking phoenix. li rouyun felt that with jiang qing''e as a fiancee, even the fairy of water qin yi, who had captivated countless youths, was unable to maintain li luo''s gaze for long. li luo smiled bitterly. "aunt yun, i think you''ve gotten it backwards. i have to hang on the hem of cousin lingjing''s sleeves and hope that she protects me instead!" the ones entering the spiritual resonance cave were all the cream of the crop. a two-pearl was weak, and only those at li lingjing''s stage, six-pearls, could be considered to be peak predators there. li lingjing stretched out her plain, white, slender, jade hands and lightly patted li luo''s shoulder, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled. "cousin li luo, you can relax. if anyone has any untoward intentions towards you, i won''t let that pass." li luo grinned as he replied while clasping his hands together respectfully, "i''ll have to thank you in advance, cousin lingjing." "how polite." li lingjing smiled slightly. it could be seen that she was greatly anticipating the spiritual resonance cave too. it had been many years since she had recused herself due to her injury, and it was the first time she would clash against the elites of her generation once again. li luo did not speak further, and with li rouyun''s farewell, he brought li lingjing towards the designated gathering point. when the two arrived, they saw that li fengyi, li jingtao, and the rest had already arrived. they similarly waved their hands at him excitedly. li fuling was standing by li fengyi, momentarily glancing at li luo before turning her attention to the slender figure who was half a step behind him. she fell into a daze when she recognized that familiar face. a moment later, she snapped back to attention, focusing upon li lingjing. she casually greeted, "li lingjing. it''s been a while." li xuan and lu ze, who were off to the side, also curiously turned towards her. she was someone they had heard of. many years ago, her name was one that all of the youths of the dragon''s fang domain were familiar with. when she underwent the trials for the twenty banners, people had speculated that she was in the running for the dragon''s head. however, after the twenty banners'' selection results were announced, she had vanished off the list. it was only later that they found out that she had been corrupted by an other and that it had harmed her foundation. this unfortunate turn of events had elicited much sympathy from the crowd. yet she was standing in front of them today. in fact, it seemed as though she had recovered from the setback all those years ago. faced with li fuling''s gaze, li lingjing''s beautiful face beamed. "li fuling, it seems like you remember me?" li fuling replied in a low voice, "how could i not? do you remember what you promised me? you said we''d compete properly within the twenty banners, but you never came." the leaders of the dragon''s fang lineage''s youths, li lingjing and li fuling, had met a few years ago and had even exchanged blows. neither of them could attain victory over the other, so they agreed to settle things after they had entered the twenty banners. li lingjing calmly replied, "is that so? i''m incredibly apologetic." however, her cool tone held no such remorse. perhaps honoring this agreement was something laughable and completely meaningless when compared to what she had gone through all these years. her acrimonious reply caused li fuling to frown. the previously indomitable and haughty lady from the eastern region was nowhere to be seen. she had changed. li lingjing, on the other hand, seemed uninterested in continuing to speak, only silently standing by li luo. the atmosphere had turned awkward. luckily, the void shimmered at this point in time, and a procession of figures trailed out of the air. the one leading the group was none other than li jingzhe. the ones behind him were the dragon''s fang lineage''s elders and upper echelons like li jinpan and li qingpeng. "greetings, lineage chief!" the entire crowd hurriedly saluted.n0velusb.c0m li jingzhe waved his hand as he swept his gaze across the crowd. "you will enter the spiritual resonance cave shortly. it is full of priceless opportunities, and i hope you will be able to take full advantage of it. the spiritual resonance cave has also attracted all of the exceptional talents in the heavenly origin divine continent, so competition will be fierce, far surpassing the battle of the dragon''s head. thus, you will all have to remain cautious." the group hurriedly nodded in compliance when faced with li jingzhe''s warnings. with that, he ceased speaking and merely waved his sleeve, causing streams of light to surge out and halt before the group. li luo gazed at the gold light orb that had stopped before him. he reached out and grasped it, and the golden light transformed into a golden talisman engraved with mystical runes. "this is a gold resonant talisman?" li luo''s mind trembled as he recalled li jingzhe''s previous words. if one wanted to enter the spiritual resonance cave, they would need the aid of these resonant talismans. they came in three grades, with gold being the highest, granting exclusive access to certain core districts. "according to the rules, only those in the top five ranks of the battle of the dragon''s head are qualified to receive gold resonant talismans. however, as li luo has managed to obtain the dragon''s head, all four banner leaders are also entitled to receive them as well." li fengyi was glowing with happiness as she looked at the gold light orb before her, and she flashed li luo a smile. "little brother, it seems were basking in your radiance." neither she nor deng fengxian had entered the top five ranks. thus, she had only been given a gold resonant talisman as a result of li luo''s exceptional performance. deng fengxian similarly received the gold resonant talisman, tightly clutching it in his hand as he nodded at li luo. li luo grinned and waved his hand, demonstrating that it was fine. he swept his gaze over the others and realized that li fuling, lu ze, and li xuan had also been handed gold resonant talismans. however, the remaining members of the dragon''s fang guardians had received silver resonant talismans instead. li lingjing, due to her unique circumstances, also received a gold resonant talisman. "the gold resonant talismans you hold in your hands are like fragrant pieces of barbecue in the spiritual resonance cave. just because i distributed such a considerable number of them does not mean that they are cheap or easy to come by. the reason we possess so many is because the bloodline of heavenly emperor li is mighty. for other factions, countless talents will have to undergo grueling and bitter battles just for a shot at obtaining a single gold resonant talisman. others might go to war just to obtain a few more of these gold resonant talismans." "you must also remember that there are many rogue cultivators who have been lucky enough to obtain a single bronze or silver resonant talisman. once they enter the spiritual resonance cave, they will lust for your gold resonant talismans as well. rogue cultivators are ruthless and decisive, and being distinguished members of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li will not be enough to protect you if they set their sights upon you. in essence, it all boils down to this: if you desire opportunities, you will have to rely on your own strength. otherwise, they will be seized from you," li jingzhe coolly explained. these words caused the group to turn solemn, and they carefully put their resonant talismans away. li jingzhe did not speak further as he observed their actions. at this point, li jinpan and li qingpeng stepped forward. simultaneously, a colossal, dragon-shaped flying ship pierced through the clouds and descended upon the mountain peak. "it''s time to go. second brother and i will lead the group and guide you to the spiritual resonance cave," li qingpeng chortled. the group nodded, and energy-infused dragon wings appeared behind them. with a flap, they shot into the clouds and landed atop the dragon-shaped ship. li qingpeng and li jinpan beckoned farewell to li jingzhe before taking off into the air. the ship boomed as it shot through the clouds, quickly receding into the distance. li jingzhe remained atop the mountain peak, hands clasped behind his back as he watched the flying ship vanish over the horizon. he was in a daze for a moment, seemingly lost in his thoughts before he smiled slightly. "taixuan, it seems that your son is destined to follow in your footsteps. his name will soon reverberate throughout the continent." ... at the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. in a crimson palace atop a mountain. on a balcony in the main hall stood a beautiful and ethereal figure with beauty reminiscent of a fairy. she stood tall and graceful, her delicate features akin to jade, causing the surroundings to look dull in comparison. her beautiful eyes were clear as a pristine lake, exuding endless charm. this was none other than the fairy of water, qin yi. footsteps resounded from behind her. she turned, lightly tilting her head as she respectfully greeted the person who had walked in. "mother." the one who had arrived was the fire lotus hall master, qin lian. qin lian approached her daughter and softly said, "li luo will naturally participate in the spiritual resonance cave." qin yi''s gaze trembled slightly as she replied, "i heard that he has secured the position of dragon''s head." these words elicited a cold expression from qin lian. "the youths of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li are utter trash. li luo wasted countless years in the outer divine continent, and yet he has managed to suppress his entire generation in a single year. it seems like each generation is declining and getting weaker. i doubt they''ll be able to last for long." qin yi refrained from responding, understanding that any praise for li luo was intolerable to her mother. qin lian then turned and stared at qin yi''s beautiful face. "if you happen to encounter li luo in the spiritual resonance cave, i have a task for you." "what task?" qin yi''s eyes narrowed, an icy glint flashing within her gaze. "bring back a piece of his flesh." Chapter 0940: Talents of All Kinds chapter 0940: talents of all kinds at the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, in front of a particular hall. several youths with exceptional auras and dignified demeanor had gathered. in front of them was a particular figure of note. he was skinny but gave off a wild and berserk temperament. donned in black robes, he was clutching a dark-red, heavy spear engraved with numerous creatures. as energy surged through it, two violet-eye marks could be seen on the shaft of the spear. this was zhao shenjiang, the number one youth amongst the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. behind him was a youth shrouded in gloominess, staring at his own hand with his head lowered. his gaze was oozing with bloodlust. this was a familiar face. it was li luo''s good friend zhao jingyu, whom he had met at the dark domain. the two had clashed in the dark domain, and he had lost an arm in the battle. however, some miraculous medicines had been utilized to regrow the lost limb. nevertheless, this newly grown arm was not the same as before. when zhao jingyu clashed against the youths of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao in a martial contest, his performance had significantly declined. this was the reason why zhao jingyu loathed li luo and wished to kill him. zhao shenjiang noticed the brooding zhao jingyu, who was filled with murderous intent, and he glanced at him briefly. "i hear that li luo has attained the position of dragon''s head. if you were to confront him as you are now, i''m afraid you might not hold an advantage." "how infuriating!" zhao jingyu''s expression contorted with anger before he turned towards zhao shenjiang and pleaded, "elder brother! you must avenge me!" although he and zhao shenjiang were not related by blood, they had grown up together, fostering an unbreakable bond. zhao shenjiang smirked cruelly, similarly showcasing his killing intent. "if the opportunity presents itself in the spiritual resonance cave, i''ll hack off both his arms as a gift for you." his peers shivered upon catching sight of that smile. zhao shenjiang was the brightest star amongst their twenty divisions, and he was known for being heavy-handed and savage in nature. he did not know how to hold back, and numerous individuals had been grievously injured by him throughout the years. he was notorious for being cruel, battle-addicted, and ruthless. no one wanted to provoke this fiend. the bright side was that his sights were now fixed upon li luo. the two bloodlines held grievances that ran deep, so if zhao shenjiang beat li luo to death, it would merely be a demonstration of their faction''s superiority! this statement caused a genuine smile to surface on zhao jingyu''s face. he would ensure that li luos life would become a living nightmare! ......n0velusb.c0m heavenly origin ancient college similar to the astral sage college, the centerpiece of the school was a tree of resonant power that covered the sky. the only thing was that this tree of resonant power was far superior in terms of quality when compared to the one in the astral sage college. the lush canopy of the tree of resonant power spanned tens of thousands of meters, and the worldly natural energy around it took the form of countless energy clouds that floated over the leaves. it was a sight to behold. at this point in time, a group of youths was preparing to depart, surrounded by fellow students seeing them off. most of the gazes were focused upon a particular individual. it was a lithe girl who was wrapped in a light-red dress. her cheeks resembled the autumn moon, her neck was slender and fair, her curvaceous figure accentuated by a small waist. she was indeed remarkable when it came to looks. however, her expression was a little cold. she seemed uninterested in the idolizing gazes directed at her. this was jiang wanyu, a student of the heavenly origin ancient college''s three star hall. although she had just entered the three star hall, she was already a two-pearl. what was interesting was that she had an aloof temperament despite possessing dual resonances of wind and fire. she was fierce and brutal in battle, which was a stark contrast to her personality. it was this duality that garnered her numerous admirers in the college. "senior jiang! do your best! beat those geniuses from the other powers and demonstrate to the people of the heavenly origin divine continent that our college is the best!" "junior jiang, the spiritual resonance cave will be a chaotic mess. you must take care of yourself..." amidst all this, jiang wanyu remained emotionless, only lowering her head and inspecting the contents of her pocket sphere. she was checking if there was anything important she might have overlooked, effectively filtering out the voices from the outside world. "junior jiang." at this point, a voice rang out and a figure approached. jiang wanyu raised her head and looked at the incoming youth. though he was skinny and had no defining features, he radiated a sense of warmth and dignity. jiang wanyu lightly nodded and responded, "senior zong sha." the youth who had approached was zong sha. he was a student of the four star hall and was the strongest individual entering the spiritual resonance cave from the college''s side. in a way, he was also the leader of the squad. his reputation within the college was pretty good, known for being friendly and avoiding unnecessary conflicts. "there are several peers you have to be wary of when we enter the spiritual resonance cave. the bloodline of heavenly emperor li''s zhao shenjiang, the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing''s qin yi, the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu''s zhu dayu, and before i forget, the bloodline of heavenly emperor li''s li luo. it is rumored that he came from an outer divine continent a year ago, and although he is at the lowest cultivation level on the list, you should not underestimate him if you happen to cross paths. a genius who has slaughtered his way out of the outer divine continent naturally has unique methods at his disposal." zong sha''s tone was warm as he patiently offered his advice. jiang wanyu''s eyes fluttered for a moment. "i will naturally not provoke them without reason. however, if we have to fight over opportunities, conflicts cannot be avoided. when push comes to shove, if you can hold down the stronger heavenly pearl tier cultivators, senior zong sha, that will be enough." zong sha gave a bitter smile, but he nodded in agreement. after all, this was his responsibility. "once your preparations are complete, we will head off," he replied. after which, the squad from the heavenly origin ancient college started to move out amidst the enthusiastic farewell of the crowd. ... heavenly origin divine continent, golden dragon bank headquarters within a glittering and shining massive palace, the sounds of countless individuals could be heard. although the golden dragon banks belief was that harmony resulted in wealth, no faction truly regarded them as a pure business. they possessed unparalleled financial wealth, and they required substantial power to guard their riches. otherwise, they would just be a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered. thus, the golden dragon bank invested significant effort in developing their own talented youths. they would similarly dispatch their best to the spiritual resonance cave as a form of tempering. in a secluded corner of the golden palace was a group of individuals. the most eye-catching of them all was a female dressed in white robes. she had extraordinary looks and a body that put others to shame. her name was bai lingyan, and she was the daughter of one of the vice presidents of the golden dragon bank headquarters on the heavenly origin divine continent. this was a position of considerable influence, making her a pivotal figure amongst the youths within the headquarters. she was sought after by many and was treated like a princess. bai lingyan was in the middle of chatting with her companions, but her gaze seemed to contain a hint of displeasure as she glared at a seat in the middle of the golden hall. the source of her displeasure was the fact that the golden dragon bank had unexpectedly added newcomers to the squad that would be heading to the spiritual resonance cave. specifically, there was a mysterious girl who had caught her attention. the girl was simply too brilliant. although she was wearing a veil, her eyebrows hinted at the enchanting face hidden beneath, one capable of toppling nations. her skin was so luminous that even the golden palaces radiance seemed dim in comparison, resembling the purest snow. her slender legs were adorned with snow-white stockings, outlining their contours and instilling a sense of raw beauty to anyone who saw it. just looking at this girl caused bai lingyan to unconsciously clench her teeth. she was once the heart of the squad, but other youths with status comparable to hers had converged around the newcomer. "elder brother zhao ying, who exactly is she? how could they suddenly jam this stranger into our squad? has the golden dragon bank fallen to the point that any rabble can randomly join us?" bai lingyan glanced at the guy beside her. the one known as zhao ying was temporarily speechless. his own father held a senior management position at the golden dragon bank. additionally, his father was in charge of choosing the individuals who could participate within the spiritual resonance cave. thus, he would naturally know something about this. "lingyan, don''t trouble her. she was not randomly thrust into our team," the youth advised. "huh?" bai lingyan coldly smiled. the youth softly replied, "she comes from the mountain." these words were puzzling to an outsider. however, bai lingyan had grown up in the golden dragon bank and could be considered an insider. thus, her expression changed as she knew what the mountain represented. the term the mountain" was referring to the golden dragon mountain. that was where the true core of the golden dragon bank sat. that single line caused bai lingyan''s expression to turn gloomy. "her surname is lu." bai lingyan clenched her teeth and withdrew her piercing gaze from the mysterious girl. only one clan in the golden dragon mountain had the surname lu. if the newcomer was truly surnamed lu, then her status was an entire level higher than those in the heavenly origin divine continent''s golden dragon bank headquarters. the difference between them was akin to the gap between a royal princess from the capital and one from a remote land. Chapter 0941: Five Lineages Gather chapter 0941: five lineages gather the spiritual resonance cave was located in the northern plains of the heavenly origin divine continent, a region known as the heavenly star plains. the plains were vast and never-ending, and they were home to three small kingdoms. in addition to that, there was also the astral sect, which held considerable influence and controlled the three kingdoms. the astral sect was considered a middle tier power in the heavenly origin divine continent. although they did not have any kings, their foundation was sufficient to establish them as the undisputed tyrant of the heavenly star plains n0velusb.c0m however, this situation had been upended by the emergence of the spiritual resonance cave. it was a secret realm that had attracted the attention of all the heavenly emperor powers, and the astral sect was not powerful enough to monopolize it. the bright side was that the astral sect did not respond to the situation foolishly. they decisively ceded the area that contained the spiritual resonance cave and left it to the heavenly emperor powers to manage. after that, there were several struggles between the powers as they finalized how the spiritual resonance cave was to be shared and controlled. because the astral sect had been flexible, adapting to the circumstances and ceding the area, they were given a share of the resonant talismans and allowed to enter the spiritual resonance cave too. the bloodline of heavenly emperor li was situated quite a distance from the heavenly star plains, so their group would require the aid of numerous teleportation formations to arrive there. the five parties from the heavenly dragon''s five lineages would congregate on the way, eventually forming a gigantic formation that would arrive at the spiritual resonance cave together. a gigantic, dragon-shaped ship cruised above the clouds, blasting majestic amounts of energy out of its tail and scattering the clouds in its wake. the ship maintained a stable speed as it soared forward. on a viewing platform on the ship, li luo was sitting cross-legged with his eyes shut, intently focused on his cosmic sword intent and the wood dragon fang sword. this cultivation session lasted for a quite a while before he finally heaved a sigh of relief and opened his eyes. the sight that greeted him took him by surprise. on the opposite side of the tea table was li lingjing, who had been sitting there for an unknown amount of time. she had not disturbed li luo, only supporting her head with a single hand as she quietly stared outside, observing the clouds. a slight breeze ruffled her hair, and her flawless face seemed to possess a sort of indifference to all things. meanwhile, her eyes seemed to contain a myriad of thoughts as she pondered silently. however, she suddenly felt li luo''s gaze upon her, and a smile surfaced on her lips. the previous sense of indifference seemed to have vanished into thin air. "are you finished?" she grinned at li luo. "cousin lingjing, it seems youve been in a good mood recently," li luo replied. li lingjing''s slender, jade-like fingers were gingerly grasping a cup of tea. "perhaps it''s because i''ve left dragon''s fang mountain." li luo was a little surprised. "you don''t like staying there?" "it''s not that i don''t like it... it''s just that the stress of being there is too much to bear. you must know that i''ve always been worried that the soul eater true devil was too thorny a problem. what if the elders had lost patience and decided to rely on a... simpler method?" li luo smiled in understanding. it was easier to just eliminate both the soul eater true devil and her together. "i truly have to thank you. if not for you, i dont think the lineage chief would have chosen to put in so much effort and time to allow me to recover." li lingjing blinked coquettishly, and a genuine smile formed on her face. her eyes were crystal-clear like an untouched lake, and li luo could see his reflection within them. he sheepishly replied, "you dont have to act so courteously. since your problem has been fixed and the soul eater true devil has been purged, i can probably recommend you to the dragon''s fang guardians if you wish..." "the dragon''s fang guardians, huh..." li lingjing seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. that was her goal in the past, but her thoughts and feelings had changed after all these years. "let''s talk about this next time." instead, she chose to cut this conversation off immediately. "what is your goal for the future, cousin li luo?" li lingjing asked. li luo gave it a little thought before replying, "my sole aim is to step into the duke stage within the next three years." if he couldn''t do so, he''d be as dead as a doornail anyways. "three years to reach the duke stage?" li lingjing looked at him in utter shock. although this wasn''t too hard a goal as the duke stage was something all youths aspired towards, li luo was only at the fiend finisher tier, meaning there was an entire stage between him and his goal. additionally, was breaking into the duke stage so easily done? even peak talents who had an easy time cultivating before reaching the heavenly resonance tier were often stumped by the massive mountain known as the greater heavenly resonance tier. and the path to becoming a duke was even harder. many geniuses spent much longer than three years to take the final step. thus, li luo''s goal to reach the duke stage from the fiend finisher tier was no simple task, especially with the time limit of three years. however, looking at li luo''s staunch gaze, li lingjing knew he wasn''t joking. she nodded silently before saying, "your body is full of mysteries, cousin li luo. i have a feeling that it might not be impossible for you." "then i have to thank you in advance." he grinned before he followed up with his own question. "then what about you? what is your goal?" li lingjing''s tilted her head slightly. strands of black hair fell loosely from her temple as she beamed. "my goal is..." before she could finish speaking, the sounds of footsteps rang out and she paused as she glanced at li luo. at that point, deng fengxian entered. "banner leader li luo, the dragon''s blood lineage has sent a message. they are requesting for us to head towards the third cabin," deng fengxian explained. li luo was a little surprised as he asked, "who sent this message? when did the dragon''s blood lineage become the leader?" deng fengxian shook his head. "it was a message from li wuyuan. he was the previous generation''s dragon''s head." li luo''s brows lifted slightly. he had seen li wuyuan once when the five lineages had gathered. the individual seemed to be rather pompous and arrogant, but the fact that he was once the dragon''s head demonstrated that he wasn''t weak. however, what right did he have to give orders? this command was not like one made by a dragon''s head, but like one ordered by a lineage chief. li luo shook his head, intending to ignore him. if he had time, he would spend it on cultivating and obtaining more strands of sword intent. however, deng fengxian''s next sentence caused him to helplessly shake his head. "li fengyi has already made her way there." li luo placed his cup of tea down and got up. with li fengyi''s brash and wild personality, she might very well provoke trouble. li luo was not interested in seeing his second sister suffer. "let''s go. let''s take a look at what the previous generation''s dragon''s head is like and see what he''s up to," li luo said to li lingjing. "li wuyuan...?" her gaze flashed and she nodded slightly. "i suppose that works out. i''ve always wanted to meet him. the dragon''s head seat he was sitting on was originally slated to be mine..." Chapter 0942: Leader chapter 0942: leader when li luo arrived at the third cabin, he realized that numerous individuals had gathered. all of the squads from the five lineages had arrived, showing that li wuyuan''s prestige and influence was quite considerable. when the group of three arrived, numerous gazes shot over. li luo was not new to the dragon''s fang lineage, and he was also the newest dragon''s head as well as the highest ranked banner leader in the fiendish devil cave. these titles represented that he was the undisputed number one in his generation.n0velusb.c0m although the ones attending the spiritual resonance cave were from the previous generation of the twenty banners and li wuyuan was the dragon''s head back then, li luo''s position could not be ignored either. "over here!" li fengyi''s voice rang out. when li luo looked over, he saw the people from the dragon''s fang lineage gathered over at her location. beside her was li jingtao, li fuling, and the rest. as he made his way over, he passed by the dragon''s scale lineage''s squad. noticing lu qingmei, gave her a friendly greeting. lu qingmei acknowledged him with a nod, though her gaze towards li luo turned a little fiery. this was not because she had any special feelings for him, but rather a naked admission that now he was an even better opponent than before. by lu qingmei''s side was a tall and well-built youth who similarly stared at li luo. he then flashed a smile towards lu qingmei. "junior sister qingmei, is he this generation''s dragon''s head? he''s only at the fiend finisher tier and yet can sit firmly on his seat. this is something that has never happened in the history of the twenty banners." the youth''s name was li guan. he was the previous generation''s holy scale banner leader and was currently comparable in strength to li fuling, being at the seven-pearl tier. lu qingmei calmly replied, "li luo possesses triple resonances, so even though he''s only at the fiend finisher tier, his resonant power is extremely robust, comparable to someone with an eighth-grade resonance at the one-pearl tier. additionally, he has cultivated a destiny-grade duke art and is easily able to fight against a two-pearl. i have a feeling that when he steps into the heavenly pearl tier, not even a four or five-pearl will be his match." li guan''s eyebrows jumped. lu qingmei''s evaluation of him was exceptional, but it was unfortunate that the gathering li wuyuan had organized today was directly targeted at li luo. the dragon''s blood lineage''s four banners had tyrannically monopolized the position of dragon''s head for countless generations, and li luo, having broken the stalemate, would incite retaliation. at the very least, they would look to suppress his sharp edge and halt his momentum. the heavenly dragon''s five lineages belonged to the same family, but internal competition was brutal. under the gazes of everyone present, li luo made his way towards li fengyi. the moment he paused, the sound of laughter rang out. "is this the newest dragon''s head?" li luo traced the source of the laughter to the dragon''s blood lineage. there was a youth wearing a dark-red battlesuit, and his gaze was peerlessly sharp, giving off an aggressive intent as he was stared at. naturally, it was li wuyuan. li luo returned the smile. "greetings, senior li wuyuan." based on seniority, he should have been addressed as senior cousin, but since they were not familiar with each other, li luo couldn''t be bothered to even try. "junior brother li luo, you are late. is this how the dragon''s fang lineage does things? always acting so casually? your personality will cause you to suffer when you enter the dragon''s fang guardians." li wuyuan smiled cheerily as he rebuked like a senior guiding a junior. beside him, li hongli''s arms were crossed as she gleefully watched li wuyuan targeting li luo. li luo had swept away all his opponents, and it was rare to see anyone suppress him. never losing in a battle of words, li luo helplessly retorted, "do you have an abundance of free time, senior brother wuyuan? why waste everyone''s time by gathering all of the squads to speak of meaningless frivolities?'''' this caused li wuyuan''s eyes to shrink. he shot a razor-sharp gaze at li luo for a few breaths before he indifferently smiled. "junior brother li luo, aren''t you acting out of line? the twenty banners can be considered to be beneath the five guardian armies." li luo paused for a moment before removing the green nether hall master''s plaque from his pocket sphere and displaying a warm smile. "i''m sorry, i''m the representative for the green nether hall master. although it is only temporary, if you want to talk about our respective positions, then you should not be referring to me as junior brother. the correct title should be hall master, specifically for you." this caused the atmosphere to freeze up, and everyone stared at the green nether main hall master plaque with strange looks. the position of main hall master possessed significant influence and might. much less li wuyuan, even the grand commanders of the five guardian armies had to treat li luo with respect. however... li luo only had fiend finisher tier strength. why would lineage chief li jingzhe give the green nether hall master plaque to him? additionally, he had even temporarily given him the role? was this some sort of childrens game? still, li jingzhe was the dragon''s fang lineage''s lineage chief, and not even the dragon''s blood lineage''s li tianji could question his decisions. thus, when faced with the plaque in li luos hand, everyone could only gulp as they watched the scene unfold. "i wanted to interact with you on equal terms, but then you went ahead and pulled rank. how can i feel comfortable when im placed in such a position?" li luo sighed unhappily. li wuyuan''s expression had turned stiff. he had no idea that li luo held such an important position. did the dragon''s fang lineage simply do as they pleased? lineage chief li jingzhe spoiled li luo a little too much! with a face full of smiles, li luo then waved the plaque in his face. li wuyuan deeply sighed before he respectfully clasped his hands. "greetings, hall master li luo." however, his body remained as rigid as a lifeless corpse, while his eyes burned with seething fury. all of the excitement that had bubbled up within li hongli and the rest had also vanished. however, li luo did not push his luck; he slowly stashed away the plaque. "forget it. why don''t we just speak our minds? otherwise, others might think that i, the hall master, am bullying an inferior." these words caused the rest to relax a little. otherwise, they would have made up excuses to escape, to prevent a situation where they had to greet li luo based on his title. li wuyuan snorted in his heart. why didn''t he say that earlier? before i had to greet him! his expression calmed down and he calmly replied, "i have gathered all the squads to discuss our strategy in the spiritual resonance cave. the cave will be full of individuals from all sorts of powers, and even some rogue cultivators will be in the mix. although we are from a heavenly emperor power, we cannot let our guard down, and we have to work together. there are also geniuses from other similar powers that are eyeing us covetously. our numbers are not small, and i believe we need a leader to properly display our combined strengths and take command over the situation to prevent trouble from occurring." he clearly stated his opinion right off the bat. the group before him did not reject his intentions. there were quite a number of them, and they might not be able to coordinate well if they worked together. that would only spell disaster. "since we have to choose a leader, naturally the strongest amongst us will take charge. thus, i feel that cousin li wuyuan is the best fit," li hongli immediately proposed. the people from the dragon''s blood lineage immediately voiced their support. "hmph. i feel that based on our ranks, li luo as the green nether hall master is best suited for the role," li fengyi retorted. how could she not tell that the dragon''s blood lineage was just planning to prop li wuyuan up into the role? if he was able to command all the squads and had unkind intentions, he might simply relegate the dragon''s fang lineage to the most dangerous roles, forcing them to fight to the death in order to preserve harmony within the group. "the spiritual resonance cave is full of talented individuals from the other powers. would they hold any regard towards our hall master?" li hongli coolly enunciated. someone from the dragon''s bone lineage then expressed his support. "strength is king in the dragon''s bone lineage." some individuals from the other lineages similarly nodded in agreement. the spiritual resonance cave was full of strong foes, and only one''s strength would reign supreme. parties would only reach a consensus when the leaders strength was respected. li fengyi clenched her teeth, keen on retorting, but li fuling held her back. she then took a step forward and calmly said,. "since strength is what matters, we''ll have to fight and see who is truly the best." li fuling understood li fengyi''s worries, and since they were all from the dragon''s fang lineage, she would naturally support her. li wuyuan''s gaze fell upon li fuling, and a hint of a smile could be seen in the corner of his lips. "li fuling, we''ve exchanged blows many times, yet you''ve never won. what need is there to fight? if you really want to, i''ll naturally give you the chance." li wuyuan waved his sleeve, and a yellow light shot out. it transformed into a large, yellow cauldron decorated with the carvings of tens of thousands of large mountains. it radiated a sense of immense weight. the appearance of the cauldron caused the expressions of the crowd to change. "that is li wuyuan''s ten thousand mountains heavy cauldron. it might be a purple-eye treasured artifact, but its weight is exceptional. no one below the eight-pearl tier can deal with it, and it is unknown just how many people were simply crushed by it during exchanges in the five guardian armies," someone from the five guardian armies said. "li fuling, if you can receive an attack from me, you will have the right to compete for the spot of leader." li wuyuan gave a wry smile. the cauldron was then shrouded with the force of enhanced gravity, causing the air to tremble as it directly pushed down towards li wuyuan. when li fuling saw this, she hurriedly pushed li fengyi away, and her expression turned solemn. gritting her teeth, resonant power poured out of her body without pause, and seven heavenly pearls appeared behind her, swallowing vast amounts of worldly natural energy. she pushed outwards with a palm, then an energy palm manifested and directly clashed with the large cauldron. weng! berserk amounts of energy blasted out in every direction, forcing everyone nearby to stumble backwards. however, their gazes remained affixed to the battle, closely watching the clash. they only saw the domineering cauldron resolutely pushing forward and the palm manifestation being pushed back, slowly fragmenting in the process. clearly, li fulings seven-pearl strength was unable to resist li wuyuan''s cauldron''s suppression. no one was surprised by this outcome. li fuling had already been defeated countless times before this. li wuyuan leisurely watched the sight as his lips curled up into a smile. the people from the dragon''s blood lineage were also cheering and praising li wuyuan''s indomitable might. this was the power of the previous generation''s dragon''s head! peng! as the spectators continued to chatter, the heavy cauldron continued to press downwards. the palm manifestation, unable to resist any longer, shattered into motes of light. the cauldron descended upon li fuling with unstoppable vigor, and her expression became unbearably ugly. however, a slender, jade-like arm stretched out just as it was about to strike her, forming a fist. it then crashed into the heavy cauldron. dong! a crisp sound rang out, and energy swept across the entire area. to everyone''s surprise, the heavy cauldron that li fuling was unable to struggle against was sent flying by a single punch, left to crash into the floor with its full weight. the room was protected by countless energy runes that began to show signs of breaking. the atmosphere in the massive ship fell silent. the shocked glances then turned towards the one who had struck out. the culprit was a young lady whom they had no recollection of. she flashed a confident smile at their shell-shocked faces. "wow... what a heavy cauldron. my hand does feel a little sore after hitting it..." Chapter 0943: Cousin Lingjings Performance chapter 0943: cousin lingjing''s performance when the cauldron lodged itself onto the floorboards, the ship fell into silence. everyone stared at the young lady that had stood up. she had a fair and pretty face, and her silky hair was rolled up in a casual manner. there was a faint smile on her lips and a bright glow in her dark eyes, exuding an indescribable charm. the members of the dragon''s fang lineage were the only ones who werent surprised to see her. they did not recognize li lingjing at all. as such, the same thought was in their minds. just where had this girl come from? had she really just deflected a blow from li wuyuan with a single strike? that was a blow from li wuyuan, an eight-pearl. it was not something that an ordinary person could have fended off. clap, clap! at this point, li luo started clapping. he turned towards li lingjing and gave her a thumbs up. "cousin lingjing, beautiful strike," he praised. li lingjing smiled humbly as she replied, "you flatter me." seeing this, li fengyi''s eyes lit up immediately. she grabbed li lingjing''s arm and asked, "when did you become so strong, cousin lingjing?" she hadnt interacted with li lingjing after they arrived at the dragon''s fang mountain range from their trip to the western region. back then, she was definitely nowhere near this level. "it wasnt a big deal. that cauldron is pretty ordinary," li lingjing responded with a smile. by now, li fuling had recovered from the shock. she was looking at li lingjing with a complex expression on her face. "you''ve broken through?" she asked. no matter how annoying li wuyuan was, his strength was undeniable. he had even secured a seat in the dragon''s blood guardians with his eight-pearl cultivation. yet li lingjing had managed to deflect his cauldron so easily. her strength had to be way above a seven-pearl to be able to do that. "i am not sure." li lingjing shook her head gently. she then gave li fuling a playful smile and continued, "im a very different person nowadays." seeing that strange response, li fuling took it as a yes. she was completely baffled by this. who would have thought that li lingjing could return to the peak after that great incident many years ago? it was as though the talented girl from western city had never been set back by that disaster. she now basked in the limelight even though she had never entered the twenty banners or the dragon''s fang guardians. "who are you? there''s no mention of anyone like you in the dragon''s fang guardians," li wuyuan asked in a deep voice as he stared at li lingjing with his sharp eyes. clearly, he felt threatened by the strength that li lingjing had just displayed. in response, li luo smiled a little and said, "this is cousin li lingjing from the dragon''s fang lineage. speaking of which, i think she''s from the same generation as you, senior li wuyuan. if she hadnt faced an unfortunate setback a few years ago, she would have been in the twenty banners competing with you for the position of dragon''s head." "li lingjing?" li wuyuan frowned when he heard this. it was indeed a familiar name. n0velusb.c0m at this moment, another comrade of his walked up and whispered into his ear, reminding him of who exactly she was. his face changed gradually after a while. "so you''re li lingjing from western city. i''ve heard quite a bit about you," li wuyuan said. there were many rumors floating around when he secured the position of dragon''s head. many had said that li lingjing from western city would have given him a tough fight for it if she were around. however, li wuyuan simply scoffed at the notion and regarded those words as complaints from losers. after all, what kind of threat could a so-called genius pose if she could not even enter the twenty banners? who would have thought that he would meet li lingjing in such a situation after so many years? moreover, her strength was clear from the previous strike. she was at least an eight-pearl. just what in the world did this girl go through? how could she match our progress after being gone for so many years? "what an honor." li lingjing smiled lightly in response. she glanced over at the cauldron that had been knocked over and continued, "in that case, shall we now restart our discussion about the leader?" hearing this, li wuyuan''s eyebrows tightened and he waved his hand. the cauldron flew over and shrank until it could fit in his palm before returning to its owner. at the same time, he continued to look at li lingjing carefully, as though contemplating whether he should test her strength right here. at this point, li hongli voiced out with a cold laugh, "since you''re neither from the twenty banners nor the five guardian armies, what gives you the right to be here?" li lingjing thought about it for a moment before she replied, "well... i''m the personal bodyguard for cousin li luo. this is the mission given to me by the lineage chief. if you have any questions, you may want to clarify with the lineage chief yourself." hearing this, li hongli froze and snorted. going to li jingzhe for clarification was totally out of the question. not to mention her, even her father would not dare to do so. at this point, li guan from the dragon''s scale lineage chimed in to mediate the tense situation. "there''s no need to get so heated, guys. after all, the so-called leader is just a title. since both li wuyuan and li lingjing have such convincing strength, why don''t the two of you be joint leaders? you can both work together and lead us in the fight for the opportunities. isn''t that much better?" what he was trying to say was that there was no need for things to turn too ugly right here. both of them could easily resolve this by taking a step back. hearing this, the others started discussing among themselves too. many agreed to the suggestion. the eyes of li wuyuan changed for a moment before his face calmed down. with a slight smile, he said, "indeed, it''s a blessing for us to have junior li lingjing helping out with the spiritual resonance cave. i''m fine with stepping back. we can both be joint leaders and secure this opportunity for our people." at this point, li wuyuan had to retreat no matter how unwilling he was. after all, he had to be wary of li lingjing''s true strength. unfortunately, this also meant that he would no longer be able to pull li luo down using the authority of being the leader. that plan had been completely foiled. at the same moment, li lingjing smiled lightly and said, "conversely, i am kind of introverted and not suited to be a leader. however, cousin li luo is good-looking, kind-hearted, and outspoken. he is the perfect candidate in place of me." everyone was speechless when they heard this. how were the three mentioned qualities even relevant? "that''s not a bad suggestion. we''ll be very comfortable following the lead of the dragon''s heads of both our generations," li guan replied with a smile after giving it some thought. li luo sighed and said, "since cousin lingjing kindly pointed out my three greatest strengths, i have no choice but to accept the role reluctantly." hearing this, everyone stared at him in disbelief. was this a thick-skinned persons thought process? li wuyuan could not be bothered to argue anymore. he turned around and headed off without saying a word. he had the strength of an eight-pearl. this was leagues above that of li luo. what made him think that he could be joint leaders with him? this was an embarrassment for li wuyuan. nonetheless, the other members of the dragon''s blood lineage left too, following li wuyuan. it seemed like this matter had been settled for now. after all, it was a suggestion brought up by li wuyuan from the start. the other lineages had no objection to this, so they gradually left the venue too. li luo smiled when he saw this. "you''re truly the dragon''s fang lineage''s ace. the moment you took action, we immediately crushed the dragon''s blood lineage''s ambition." hearing this, li lingjing smiled and replied, "i''m just a helper taking instructions from you, cousin li luo. feel free to let me know if you need anything." "i wouldn''t dare. i''m afraid i''ll be struck accidentally when you feel riled up," li luo hurriedly replied. li lingjing couldn''t help but cover her mouth and chuckle when she heard this. bantering with li luo always felt so relaxing. despite the laughter, she suddenly frowned a little and glanced over in a specific direction. for a moment, she seemed to have felt an inexplicable chill in her heart. ...... in an extremely dark room containing a secret altar a shadowy figure slowly strolled out of the darkness, heading towards the altar. his indifferent eyes pierced through the empty darkness and stared at the bronze lamps on the altar. the flames were as large as beans, swaying in the cold, chilly air. "the spiritual resonance cave will be opening soon, and it''ll be a grand affair. many young talents will gather in one place." laughter filled with desire and greed echoed from the figure at this point. "what a great opportunity. if we feed these young and exceptional talents to the variants, surely they''ll mature faster." "after preparing for so many years, it''s about time we acted," another figure hidden in the shadows muttered to himself. "eh?" one of them suddenly showed a surprised reaction. their attention was concentrated on one of the bronze lamps that had long burned out. for a moment, it let out a dim light. "this variant... interesting." the eyes of the mysterious figures in the black mist were steeped in abstruse mysteries. no one could guess what their intentions were. Chapter 0944: Pagoda chapter 0944: pagoda a few days later, li luo and the rest arrived at the heavenly star plains to enter the spiritual resonance cave. they could sense their surroundings becoming more active as soon as they looked out from their ship. shadows flashed by from time to time as numerous ships from the other powers overhead. everyone was obviously heading to the same destination. this was undoubtedly one of the main events for the younger generation of the heavenly origin divine continent. however, what attracted their attention was the sight that greeted them when they arrived. a gigantic portal was present in the sky. it seemed as though it was condensed from massive amounts of worldly natural energy, and there were countless intricate, gray runes decorating it. the energy portal seemed to be closed, but there were numerous streams of light leaking from a crack within, as though it might burst open at any point in time. this portal was the pathway that would take them to the spiritual resonance cave. the air around the portal was surrounded by wards. these wards had the function of closing off the portal whilst giving off an aura that would frighten even dukes. this was the ward that was jointly controlled by the four heavenly emperor bloodlines. all of the top powers had worked together to construct the ward for the purpose of ensuring that others could not destroy the spiritual resonance cave. at the same time, it was meant to ensure that everyone followed the agreement. the opportunities that could be obtained within were rare, and although dukes were prevented from entering, it was still considered important for the younger generation''s growth. creating a secret realm of the same caliber would require the heavenly emperor powers on the heavenly origin divine continent to consume significant amounts of their accumulated resources. meanwhile, near the bottom of the energy portal were quite a number of pagodas of differing heights. these pagodas were the footholds which the heavenly emperor powers had constructed. li luo and the rest obediently sat in their ship, which headed directly towards the portal. in the end, it descended towards one of the pagodas that was far out in front. numerous experts from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li flew out of it to receive the ship. li jinpan and li qingpeng then reappeared before the squads from the numerous lineages. as they faced the excited and curious youths, they explained the situation. "the spiritual resonance cave should open tomorrow, so you can explore the surroundings tonight if you are interested. this is the gathering place of all of the elites of your generation, and it could be good to get to know them better. additionally, be present at the golden dragon bank''s area tonight. they will be operating a market, and it will have items that are specifically aimed at individuals at the heavenly resonance tier and below. there will be some useful items such as rare medicinal pills, spirit liquids and purifying lights. even violet-eye treasured artifacts, secret arts, duke arts, and royal engravings will be available. if you want to take a look, you have to prepare sufficient amounts of skygold. the items there will be even more expensive than usual." these words stirred up the crowd, and even li luo was interested in taking a look. the spiritual resonance cave was full of dangers, and any items that could bolster his strength would improve his odds. as for the items being more expensive? one could only say that the golden dragon bank would take any and all opportunities to turn a profit. even the expedition to the cave was an event that they wouldnt pass up on. whilst li luo remained in his thoughts, the others entered the tall pagoda and went to their assigned rooms for rest. however, li luo''s momentary peace was then interrupted by li fengyi, who had burst in. "little brother, accompany me to the market! if there''s anything you want, your elder sister here will buy it for you." looking at her exuberant expression, li luo couldn''t help but smile, though he did not reject her. he was interested in seeing just what the golden dragon bank had brought and if there was anything that he could use. thus, he went next door to find li lingjing and invited her along. li lingjing had wanted to rest, but when she remembered that this was a den full of snakes and dragons, she agreed to ensure that no mishaps would occur. li fengyi then rallied li jingtao and li fuling before they headed towards the golden dragon bank''s area. the golden dragon bank had similarly constructed a pagoda of their own, the only difference was that it was striking gold in color. this made it not only the most conspicuous, but the most luxurious as well. outside the pagoda was a golden hall, and it was densely packed with people milling about. it seemed as though everyone had gathered inside it, and the market had caught everyone''s interest.n0velusb.c0m a female attendant welcomed the group when they arrived at the golden hall, and she immediately recognized who they were. the golden dragon bank had done their homework on the talented individuals entering the spiritual resonance cave, and upon meeting the well-endowed heirs, they respectfully led them to the higher levels. the second level was even more extravagant, dazzling everyone with its resplendent light. there were about half as many individuals on this level, but those who had the right to peruse this floor were typically the elites of their factions. within the massive hall were neatly lined-up stores with countless crystal cases that were swirling with energy. it was clear that the wares were inside the cases. there was even an area full of sumptuous delights and wines, which all patrons were invited to partake in. it could be said that their service was excellent. however, the most eye-catching sight in the second level was not a precious treasure. there was actually a small ring of people in the hall, and in the center was an incomparably beautiful goddess. her beautiful face was like an exquisite painting, and every frown and smile she graced the world with would dull the radiance of the treasures all around them. it was the fairy of water, qin yi. countless heroic and handsome young men were surrounding her. they all had respectable backgrounds and were also adored within their own factions. however, they were currently all staring at qin yi with a hint of passion in their gazes. additionally, her beauty was well known to all the youths of the heavenly origin divine continent. she also possessed a position of high standing, being from the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. and most importantly, she possessed a ninth-grade water resonance. her gorgeous appearance coupled with her natural talent made her a goddess that attracted the attention of many. however, as soon as li luo''s gaze fell upon qin yi, she seemed to sense something. she raised her head slightly, looking over with her crystal-clear eyes that were like an undisturbed lake. when their gazes met, they showed each other seemingly gentle smiles. however, their smiles did not go unnoticed. at this moment, there was a pretty figure covered by a veil standing by the railings on a level above them. when she noticed li luo walking in, her eyes instantly stuck to him. she saw the two exchanging smiles, and she couldn''t stop her starry eyes from squinting a little. Chapter 0945: Six Orifices Dipper Smelting Pill chapter 0945: six orifices dipper smelting pill after qin yi and li luo''s gazes met, they retracted a short moment later. however, the people around qin yi noticed this, and one of them was someone li luo was well acquainted withzhao jingyu. he hated li luo to the bone, and he started glaring right at him the moment he arrived. his eyes flashed as he casually remarked, "haha! fairy qin, i heard about what happened during the bloodline of heavenly emperor li''s dragonbreath pool battle. li luo slipped past you when you were busy suppressing li qingfeng and the rest and barrelled towards the golden dragon pillar. what was meant to be for you was snatched out of your grasp. only a bumpkin that was raised in an outer divine continent would do something so despicable." his single sentence incited the wrath of all the youths around her. they instantly began to make disparaging comments towards li luo. they might not have known what had actually occurred, but that was not important. what mattered was expressing their attitude towards this situation, supporting the female goddess before them, and insulting li luo! qin yi gave a shallow smile as she praised, "it seems that a few months after that, li luo ended up becoming the dragon''s head of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. it seems like everyone underestimated him." zhao jingyu smirked coldly. "that just means that this generation of the twenty banners is full of incapable fools. only then could a bumpkin step over them. it''s truly embarrassing." the crowd around them similarly heard qin yi''s words, and their assessment of li luo subconsciously increased as a result, along with their enmity. although they all knew of the grievances qin yi''s mother held towards li luo''s parents, they knew that li luo himself was quite good-looking. therefore, they thought that if their goddess wasn''t careful, she might very well be entrapped by his charm. thus, they wholly agreed with zhao jingyu''s words and simultaneously started to denigrate the twenty banners of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. li luo, on the other hand, remained uninterested in replying to him, even when faced with his slander. he had no intention of interacting with qin yi, as the previous generation''s enmity had doomed them to be on opposing sides till the end of time. furthermore, qin yi was one of the top three threats to him in the spiritual resonance cave. if there was a chance, he would strike first and gain the advantage. as li luo thought about these things, he paused before the crystal cases and gleefully inspected the contents within. before him were numerous mysterious goods. some of them were not of a particularly high grade, but they were rarely seen outside. there were even some spirit pills that temporarily bolstered one''s strength, which would be exceptionally helpful in the expedition they were about to undertake. clearly, these were all items that were handpicked by the golden dragon bank to ensure that they were relevant and desirable. the only problem was that the prices were multiple times higher than usual. additionally, li luo also saw a few violet-eye treasured artifacts. even though they only had a single violet-eye mark, their might could not be discounted. he had no need to buy any of them, as he did not lack for violet-eye treasured artifacts. to be fair, single violet-eyes were a little beneath him. if they wanted to entice him, it had to be at least in the twin or triple violet-eye grade. as he continued to browse, he very quickly found what he was looking for. it was a black pill that looked like a pebble that could be picked out of a river. on its surface were six small holes that were constantly emitting smoke. "six orifices dipper smelting pill." li luo stared at the black pill with great interest, his heart trembling. this pill was most suitable for those at the fiend finisher tier as it could increase one''s fiend dipper energy by around fifty feet, which would save him painstaking cultivation time. li luo currently possessed six hundred and fifty feet of fiend dipper energy, all of which he had acquired through laborious cultivation. additionally, the greater the amount of fiend dipper energy he had, the more difficult it was to further grow it. thus, many opted to utilize pills to supplement their cultivation, and dipper smelting pills were most ideal. the only disadvantage was that dipper smelting pills would only work the first time they were consumed. one''s body would develop a resistance towards them after a single use, and the same pill would thereafter become utterly ineffective. dipper smelting pills came in three grades, which were separated into three, six, and nine orifices. the nine orifices dipper smelting pill was the best, with almost no side effects. the other two possessed certain impurities that would potentially affect the quality of one''s fiend dipper energy, making it more difficult to cultivate in the future. however, most people did not aim to raise the grade of their fiend dipper energy to the utmost, and thus pills like the six orifices dipper smelting pill were greatly desired treasures. the moment they appeared on the market, they would be snatched up. li luo glanced at the price tag and mumbled to himself, "six orifices dipper smelting pill, three million skygold per pill." these pills were usually only sold for two million, but they had been severely marked up here. the golden dragon bank truly understood how to extract every piece of skygold from their clients. li luo felt a little depressed. he was someone that held great aspirations, so he desired to reach the limit of nine hundred and ninety feet fiend dipper energy. thus, he was a little concerned about this pills potential side effects. otherwise, he would have bought one before coming here. however, now that the spiritual resonance cave was about to open, no one knew just what would happen in the future. a single six orifices dipper smelting pill would suffice in a time of urgency. with this in mind, he took out an object that the female attendant had previously provided to him. he then input a bid into the six orifices dipper smelting pill''s assigned number within the list. three point two million skygold. the moment he did so, a new number jumped to the top of a screen situated in the middle of the hall. it was the amount that li luo had input. if no one else chose to bid within the next five minutes, then li luo would obtain the six orifices dipper smelting pill for his listed price. however, such a fortuitous situation did not occur, as a new message was broadcasted onto the screen immediately. "number fifty-eight has raised the bid for the six orifices dipper smelting pill to five million." li luo felt a little taken aback. if one was sufficiently wealthy, they could directly buy the item without needing to wait for the five minute delay. the only thing was that the six orifices dipper smelting pill was at most valued at four million skygold. just who was so insane as to pay five million for it? when li luo thought about it, he glanced towards qin yi''s little circle and briefly crossed gazes with zhao jingyu. he was currently beaming uncontrollably, and he waved the plaque in his hand, showing that it had the number fifty-eight engraved upon it. li luo sighed. of course it was this idiot. "wow... now this seems familiar." li luo sighed.[1] he did not seem infuriated, only smiling and shaking his head. this six orifices dipper smelting pill was meant to be an auxiliary means anyway, so it didn''t matter if it was snatched away. however, right as the six orifices dipper smelting pill was about to be snatched away, two more bids appeared on the screen for the other pills. li luo had casually bidded on two other items, increasing the price by one hundred thousand skygold each.n0velusb.c0m when he raised his head, he flashed zhao jingyu a slight smile. yet zhao jingyu only returned a cold smile this time. he did not continue to bid and instead turned his attention towards the youths around him, speaking a few sentences with a mocking look. when the other geniuses heard his words, they similarly glanced at li luo. then two of them raised their hands and similarly bought out the two newly bidded pills. the powers they were affiliated with were close allies with the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. thus, when they saw zhao jingyu''s expression, they naturally would not mind offending li luo. "what boldness." li luo sighed. however, he did not get angry. on the other hand, li fengyi, who was watching him attempt to bid on the items, immediately frowned and began to run her mouth off. li luo hurriedly restrained her. "forget it. i never really wanted to purchase those pills and was just messing with them." li fengyi angrily retorted, "whether you want to or not is a separate thing. their actions are clearly meant to provoke us." li luo then reassured her a few more times before she huffily said, "we''ll wait till we enter the spiritual resonance cave. then we will see!" this was accompanied by a quick nod from li luo. qin yi noticed their actions. she said to the young men around her, "i''m afraid those aren''t things that li luo truly desires. why would you go to that extent to snatch them from him?" "i''m just messing around," zhao jingyu guffawed. "it''s just a few million skygold. banner leader li luo is too poor to keep up," the rest mocked. qin yi also understood their intentions and did not comment further. in actuality, she had hoped that li luo would obtain the six orifices dipper smelting pill, as choosing to use it would actually weaken the threat of him in future. people like him and her were in it for the long run, and every step had to be incomparably firm. if their foundation lagged behind in one stage, it would be extraordinarily hard to compensate for it later on, and the cost would be massive. as the group were lost in their differing thoughts, the veiled figure who was standing by the third floor''s railing with eyes as clear as an icy lake frowned slightly. after a moment, she beckoned to an attendant that was closely following behind her and uttered two sentences very softly. "young mistress?" the attendant seemed a little surprised when she heard her words. however, the veiled figure lightly waved her hand, and the attendant turned to do what she was told to do. a while later, li luo, who was now loafing around, suddenly saw a new item appear on the screen. it was something he could not tear his eyes away from. there were two lines written up there. "nine orifices dipper smelting pill. starting bid: five million skygold." 1. tl note: if you remember, zhao jinyu had made a massive bid for the 5 dragon fangs in the western region in chapter 860. ? Chapter 0946: Nine Orifices chapter 0946: nine orifices when the nine orifices dipper smelting pill appeared on the screen, it not only attracted li luo''s attention, but also countless shocked gazes from the others on the second level. the nine orifices dipper smelting pill was the highest grade of dipper smelting pills. it would increase one''s fiend dipper energy by a significant amount, and there would be no side effects due to the refinement process. thus, this was the most highly sought after pill for those at the fiend finisher tier. however, they were rarely seen, and even the golden dragon bank branch in the heavenly origin divine continent only found one every few months. every time one appeared for sale, every single superpower would look to snatch it up. li luo had already requested for the dragon''s fang lineage to obtain a nine orifices dipper smelting pill, but the odds of finding one were slim. thus, he would have to wait for quite a while. although he didn''t want to wait, there was no other choice. the nine orifices dipper smelting pill was simply too precious and scarce. there were too many monks and too little gruel to go around, so he had to wait even with his special status. thus, he was filled with exuberance as soon as he saw the nine orifices dipper smelting pill appear on the screen. this was like finding a pillow when he was drowsy. if he could obtain it, his fiend dipper energy would increase significantly and he would have greater confidence in the spiritual resonance cave expedition. however, what li luo found strange was that the nine orifices dipper smelting pills did not have a buyout price, and it looked as though a struggle would ensue over it. still, li luo immediately entered his bid. "five and a half million skygold." normally speaking, the price of a nine orifices dipper smelting pills was around nine million skygold. however, the prices of the goods here were on the higher side, and with the special circumstances at hand, li luo knew that he likely wouldnt be able to afford it. as li luo continued to ponder over his bidding strategy, a few new bids came in shortly after, and the new price was six and a half million skygold. the sudden increase had attracted countless individuals'' attention. qin yi lifted her head gently, showing her beautiful face. she was peering at the constantly jumping bid. her eyes flickered slightly as she could instinctively guess that li luo needed this pill the most. "hmph! there is absolutely zero chance li luo will get his hands on the nine orifices dipper smelting pill when were around." zhao jingyu coldly grinned as he shot a dirty glance towards li luo. he hated li luo to the bone after what had happened in the western region''s dark domain, and this would be a good way to sate his vengeance. he would not let li luo obtain it without a fight. he would make the latter pay a heavy price if he wished to do so. thus, zhao jingyu happily placed a bid, and the price of the pill increased to seven and a half million skygold. li luo remained calm, never once looking towards zhao jingyu. he then increased the bid by another million. zhao jingyu then aggressively raised the bid to ten million in one go. this was already above the estimated value of the pill. after thinking about it, li luo no longer continued to bid mindlessly. although he had received his hall master salary in advance and possessed several dozen million skygold, zhao jingyu was clearly maliciously targeting him with his bids. therefore, he would have to overpay a significant amount to secure the pill. zhao jingyu mockingly asked in a loud voice, "does dragon''s head li luo no longer wish to bid? is it not worth it to you?" "if you want it so much, just take it. oh? it looks like you managed to find a new arm to stick back on. it''s a pity it''s not the original one," li luo remarked as he glanced at him carefully. zhao jingyu''s gaze turned incensed. he was almost about to erupt, but he forcefully restrained himself and mocked, "so what if you''re the dragon''s head? you''re just cheap. is this a habit you''ve cultivated after spending an impoverished life in the outer divine continent?" when faced with zhao jingyu''s ridicule, li luo did not react, but it was at this point that li fengyi''s angry voice rang out. she directly increased the bid. twelve million skygold! "the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao always deals with things in the most pathetic ways." li fengyi snorted. zhao jingyu smirked and then immediately raised the bid to fourteen million skygold. this caused countless gasps to erupt in the second floor, and even those who were interested in the pill gave up on the idea of trying to fight for it. it seemed as though this was going to be a battle between the two, to see who was simply more magnanimous. li fengyi''s expression turned frigid, and she was about to up her bid as well. however li luo restrained her. this sort of meaningless battle was unnecessary. zhao jingyu simply wanted to push the price up, and the pill was not very helpful to him. "forget it, there''s no need to spend this much money. just give it to him. when we head off to the spiritual resonance cave, we can just search his pocket sphere for it if the opportunity arises. he''s a wonderful person after all! have you forgotten how he snatched away five dragon fangs but gave them to us in the end?" li luo reminded her. when the people around them heard his vicious words, they stared at li luo in a daze. li luo had chosen to ignore zhao jingyu in the face of his aggressive acts, and they had thought that he was just weak... but now it looked like his true intention was much more ruthless than they had imagined. li fengyi then laughed gaily. she stopped bidding and glared at zhao jingyu. "if we meet in the spiritual resonance cave, you won''t just be losing an arm this time." zhao jingyu''s expression turned gloomy, and he looked like he was about to explode in fury. "what grand words." however, another voice rang out before zhao jingyu could reply, and a heavy spear suddenly pierced through the air. it was wreathed in ferocious amounts of energy and elicited a sonic boom with its sheer speed as it launched towards li fengyi. li luo frowned and activated his triple resonances before taking half a step forward. his resonant power poured out and he struck out with a fist surrounded with dual resonance power.nov)lu)sb/c)o,m bang! he met the spear with a punch, causing berserk energy to blast in every direction. li luo''s arm felt a little numb, and a titanic force was channeled through his body as a result. he activated the myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation within his body to dissipate the remaining traces of energy. the spear then shot back to its owner, who was standing on some steps. he was a wiry youth with a vicious gaze. "it seems like you have a little bit of strength, being able to receive my spear," he said indifferently. "zhao shenjiang!" li fengyi''s expression changed when she saw him. li luo glanced at him momentarily before retorting, "is everyone from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao unruly?" zhao shenjiang stood in place as he observed li luo. "only the weak care about rules, li luo. you chopped off jingyu''s arm in the western region''s dark domain, so if we meet in the spiritual resonance cave, i won''t let you leave alive." li luo nodded and sighed. "zhao jingyu ended up serving me five dragon fangs the last time we met. you should probably decide what you want to offer me as a gift as well. from my impression, the people of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao are very charitable." "then you better receive it well." zhao shenjiang''s sudden reply was steeped in unrestrained killing intent. "furthermore..." he glanced at the nine orifices dipper smelting pill that was currently being bid for. "it''s almost time." li luo didn''t respond, but just as li fengyi was about to act, the bid on the screen changed. it rose to twenty million! the second level erupted into shock, and everyone glanced at each other in absolute disbelief. this was more than double the pills actual value. was there someone else in the room didnt understand the value of money? li luo was a little taken aback. he glanced at li fengyi, who hurriedly shook her head. "it wasn''t me." even zhao jingyu was completely shocked by the explosive increase in price. even he would feel the pinch if he spent twenty million on the pill, as that was close to half his net worth. thus, he hesitated and no longer dared to raise the bid. his aim was just to obstruct li luo from obtaining the pill smoothly, and it seemed as though his goal had been achieved. "li luo, aren''t you going to fight for it? you''re entering the spiritual resonance cave tomorrow, and it''s the best way for you to raise your strength." zhao jingyu flashed li luo a smile that was not a smile. li luo ignored him. a moment later, the nine orifices dipper smelting pill was successfully auctioned off without further complications. the final price of twenty million skygold made countless wealthy geniuses click their tongues. such a waste of resources was not often seen. li luo similarly sighed as he planned to continue browsing the goods available. however, shortly after, a lady appeared before him with a jade case in hand. it was slightly ajar, and one could see an eye-catching pill with nine orifices inside. this attracted everyone''s attention. everyone instantly recognized that it was the nine orifices dipper smelting pill. qin yi, zhao jingyu, zhao shenjiang, and the rest similarly looked over as well. when the lady arrived before li luo, she delivered the jade case to him before his suspicious gaze. li luo frowned and asked, "what is this?" under the crowd''s watchful eyes, the lady calmly announced, "dragon''s head li luo, do not decline a gift from an old friend." Chapter 0947: Great Sanguine Poison Art chapter 0947: great sanguine poison art "an old friend?" the lady''s words caused a look of confusion to surface on li luo''s face. just what sort of old friend did he have in the heavenly origin divine continent? when faced with his lost expression, the lady did not reply, only raising the case towards him, demonstrating that he should accept it. when li fengyi saw this, she took the initiative to hurry over. "third brother, your friend is truly magnanimous! why would she spend twenty million on a nine orifices dipper smelting pill just for you?" li luo didn''t exactly know how he ought to reply. none of the old friends he knew were this reckless with money. so who was it that was handing him this pill? what was the person''s goal? before he could recover from the shock, the youthful lady left without any further explanation. li luo could only helplessly shake his head. li fengyi then handed him the jade case, and li luo started inspecting the nine orifices dipper smelting pill before storing it in his pocket sphere. this whole series of events was too strange, so he would get li qingpeng to inspect it before he did anything. however, he trusted that there were no issues with the pill. spending such a large sum of money just for an overt plot would truly be underestimating li luo''s intelligence. when li luo raised his head, he glanced at the ashen zhao jingyu and smiled. "i''m sorry, it looks like the prize landed in my hands again." the corner of zhao jingyu''s mouth twitched a little. this sort of development was beyond his expectations. but even though he knew that the pill would eventually land in li luo''s hands, twenty million was simply too much for him, and he would not have bidded further. but it didn''t matter. it was just a single dipper smelting pill. even though it could bolster li luo''s strength, it wouldn''t allow him to break into the heavenly pearl tier in one night. so long as li luo didnt break through, zhao shenjiang would be able to thoroughly suppress him. thus, he smiled coldly and no longer deigned to fight with li luo. li luo didn''t bother with him either, turning to find other useful objects.n/o-vel(u/s.b.-/c(o)m the second floor then regained a sense of peace and quiet. on the third level, the veiled lady was closely observing li luo. her red lips curved up slightly before she turned around and stepped away. arriving at the back of the hall, she saw the attendant who had been tasked to deliver the pill. "i''m sorry for troubling you, elder sister jin." she smiled. although the youthful lady wasnt special in terms of looks, her eyes bellied a strong and fierce spirit as she spoke to the veiled girl before her. "young mistress, that nine orifices dipper smelting pill was prepared for you by the household head. you not only didn''t use it, you even gave it away..." the veiled girl laughed lightly. "that pill is more useful to him than me. we are old friends, and he has frightening talent. he will definitely rise up amongst the youths in the heavenly origin divine continent and surpass everyone in his generation." "well, it looks like he''s not at that point yet. he might have become the dragon''s head of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, but getting the best of geniuses like qin yi and zhao shenjiang will not be an easy task," the lady known as elder sister jin replied. the girl then responded, "elder sister jin, you should not look down upon him. he has paved his way through a road of absolute despair and he is a creator of miracles. although qin yi and zhao shenjiang are stronger than him now, it''s only because he arrived at the bloodline of heavenly emperor li a year ago. even with so little time, he was able to conquer all of the talents produced by his bloodline and became the dragon''s head. thus, if you give him a bit more time, he will be nipping right at the heels of qin yi and zhao shenjiang and their ilk. beating them will not be impossible." elder sister jin nodded. "based on your words, he does seem extraordinary... however, it also seems like you are well acquainted with him, young mistress." this seemed like something even mere old friends would not know. the girl paused before replying, "i guess you can say we are best friends." elder sister jin glanced at her. how could a boy and a girl be best friends? however, li luo''s status was considerablehe was indeed a good fit for the young mistress. the girl did not continue elaborating, changing the subject immediately. "the reason i''ve come to the heavenly origin divine continent is because of a particular opportunity in the spiritual resonance cave. my father told me that it would benefit me when it came to the holy seed inheritance." elder sister jin replied, "young mistress, you are truly endowed with talent. you''ve spent many years roaming the outer continent, yet your body revealed signs of fusing with the holy seed inheritance as soon as you came here. the family patriarch does not wish for you to return to the mountain too soon. his intention is to keep your talent hidden so others will not desire it for themselves. so, young mistress, please do not blame the family patriarch for his actions, as he feels extremely guilty about you." the girl smiled sweetly. "are those the words father asked you to say?" elder sister jin smiled awkwardly. the girl shook her head. "i don''t hate him. the years i''ve spent following my mother have been full of joy, and i''ve never lacked for anything." her tone then changed. "the spiritual resonance cave will be full of danger, and i might need this friend''s help. this is why i opted to give him the nine orifices dipper smelting pill. it could be as a way of thanking him in advance." elder sister jin found this a little amusing. the family patriarch had dispatched countless guardians for the young mistress'' expedition into the spiritual resonance cave, and she was just one of many. even though li luo was the bloodline of heavenly emperor li''s dragon''s head, he was still on the weaker side in the grand scheme of things. therefore, his strength would not be very helpful to them. the young mistress had a proud personality and had clearly come up with some other reason for giving the pill away. "if all you wanted to do was give him the nine orifices dipper smelting pill, why did you have to increase the bid as well? don''t you feel that that was extraneous?" elder sister jin asked curiously. the girl then playfully beamed. "doesn''t that zhao jingyu character like to play around? i wanted to tease him as well." elder sister jin helplessly shrugged, but then she realized that the young mistress was dissatisfied with the way zhao jingyu and the rest had maliciously bidded against li luo, and thus she had opted to take such an action to vent on his behalf. at this point, she glanced at the girl. it seemed as though they weren''t simply just best friends, she had gone beyond that with her actions. "young mistress, do you want to talk to him?" elder sister jin asked. the girl paused for a moment before shaking her head. "there is no rush. my father said i had to keep this trip a secret. i''ll find a way to meet him in the spiritual resonance cave." elder sister jin did not ask any further, only following the girl who was now walking away into the distance. ...... li luo, on the other hand, remained within the second level of the golden dragon bank''s hall, searching for other items he needed. he indeed managed to find something useful. it was a secret art. the great sanguine poison art, an unorthodox technique that allowed one to refine one''s blood essence with some sort of poison to create a blood poison. most individuals had no interest in such an art, but li luo saw it differently. this was because there was still a trace of the dual poison within his body. it was toxic and domineering, and even a heavenly resonance tier cultivator would not dare to purify it.[1] li luos intention had been to seal the poison within his body and imprison it in a resonant bubble to be used on an unsuspecting opponent in battle. thus, even after he arrived at the dragon''s fang lineage, he had not asked li jingzhe to assist him with purging it. the great sanguine poison art would not merely detoxify his body, it would fuse the poison with his blood essence, allowing him to create a blood poison. the strength of the blood poison would surpass the poison that was still stored in the resonant bubbles in his body. thus, the great sanguine poison art seemed to be a good fit for him. li luo did not hesitate to directly buy out the art, denying others an opportunity to throw a wrench into his plans. however, he did have to spend five million skygold. after storing the great sanguine poison art, he felt as though he had made a worthwhile deal. just as he was about to leave, he saw that zhao jingyu was bidding on a fifth-grade royal engraving known as the underworld thunder runic arrow. when activated, it would create a runic arrow that possessed immense might. zhao jingyu was similarly ensuring that he was well stocked and ready to confront the challenges that awaited him in the spiritual resonance cave. the underworld thunder runic arrow was priced around six million skygold, and its bid was still increasing. that being said, zhao jingyu seemed determined to obtain the item. this notion alone seemed to have scared away a few of his competitors. li luo, on the other hand, held no regard for him. he then immediately entered a bid for nine million. the sight of this infuriated zhao jingyu so much that his face turned green. although he knew that li luo was messing with him, he truly desired the item and thus he eventually gritted his teeth and hunkered down, bidding eleven million. this was almost twice as expensive as what it was usually worth. this was met with li luo''s grinning visage, which was also coupled with a thumbs up. zhao jingyu''s face twitched and his gaze turned so ferocious that a mere glance could tear li luo apart. li luo, however, completely disregarded him as he looked at the underworld thunder runic arrow engraving with much interest. it would actually be very useful to him. if he could couple it with his heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow, the combined power would be mind blowing. but there was no need for him to struggle over it with zhao jingyu, as the price was not worth it any more. he would find a better opportunity to fish it out of his pocket sphere later... li luo then flashed a warm smile towards zhao jingyu and sighed. ah... how familiar... after which, he called out to li fengyi and the rest before making his way back. 1. tl note: this was poison from back in the xia kingdom, when li luo was purifying guo ling in chapter 432. ? Chapter 0948: Golden Dew Platform chapter 0948: golden dew platform the next day, li luo was standing on the pagoda, his gaze scanning the area below him. he noticed that countless figures were rushing through the plains, finally stopping before the closest group of pagodas. these individuals seemed quite young and were full of vitality and motivation, likely elites from their respective power. all of them were here for the spiritual resonance cave, hoping to gain some splendorous opportunities within. "as expected of the inner divine continent." li luo sighed as he observed the large number of talented geniuses. whether it was in terms of demeanor or presence, they were all head and shoulders above the ones he had encountered during the holy grail meet. the difference in the foundations of the two continents was clearly as vast as the distance between them. this was to be expected though. the inner divine continents enjoyed a significant advantage in resources and were also the core of the world. worldly natural energy condensed in majestic amounts in the air, and there were ample amounts of cultivation resources available. this was something that the outer divine continents could not compete with. even if two people had similar talent, lacking resources would result in their development being as different as night and day. . at this point, li luo heard li fengyi calling for him as the rest were prepared to leave. li luo thus turned around and started to descend the pagoda, eventually arriving at a humongous hall. all of the geniuses from the different lineages had already gathered and were clearly eager to get going, their eyes filled with anticipation. the spiritual resonance cave was not only a land of opportunities, but a place for one to establish their name in the heavenly origin divine continent. if one could stand out amongst the crowd, their reputation would precede them, and they would become a true leader of the younger generation. obtaining such a reputation was also appreciated by the powers behind them as more resources would be funneled into that individual. even heavenly emperor powers required fresh blood to emerge to prove to the world that their prosperity would last forever. in front of the crowd was also a group of hall masters that had been dispatched by the various lineages to escort them. this showed exactly how important this expedition was. specifically, there were two leaders amongst the hall masters. the first one was li luo''s eldest uncle, li qingpeng, and the other was someone who seemed even more imposing. when the other hall masters looked at him, they acted extremely polite. it was the dragon''s blood lineage''s gold blood hall master, li jiluo. he was an upper eighth-grade duke, and he could be considered to be the strongest hall master in the five lineages. there were rumors saying that he might become a ninth-grade duke soon. one should not underestimate the difference between the two levels. countless talented and brilliant individuals throughout history had failed to take that step forward. by that point in their lives, most of them had already fully excavated their potential and were at their limit. they would naturally not advance every few years like they did during the early parts of the duke stage. although one should strive to make it as far as possible, it was much easier said than done. ninth-grade dukes were extremely rare as they were just beneath the almighty kings. if they were able to create a miracle and take one more step forward, they would completely transcend and enter the realm of kings. a king was an apex existence even amongst the heavenly emperor powers. they far surpassed any duke. li jiluo was a reputable middle-aged man. his expression was calm and his body was built like a sturdy mountain. he gave off an unshakeable presence, and whenever his placid gaze swept past the young geniuses before him, they all felt a sense of pressure weighing down upon them. as the bloodline of heavenly emperor li''s strongest hall master, he possessed significant sway... that being said, he was the strongest only because li taixuan had left the heavenly origin divine continent. "the spiritual resonance cave is about to open, and im sure you have seen the commotion outside. everyone who enters needs to be wary, as it''s a den of both snakes and dragons. merely being members of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li will not be enough to ward off those who hold malicious intent towards you. geniuses always fall whenever the spiritual resonance cave opens, even those from heavenly emperor powers." li jiluo''s calm words landed in everyone''s ears. everyone''s hearts trembled as they solemnly agreed. "i''ll stop with the unnecessary words and move on to what''s important. when you enter the spiritual resonance cave, the most important thing is to collect a spiritual liquid known as spirit resonance golden dew and use it to cleanse your resonant talismans. spiritual resonance golden dew is a special form of energy liquid that is unique to the cave." he then raised his hand and created some images with his resonant power, which took the shape of a drop of golden liquid. the four elements were circulating visibly within the mysterious liquid, so the crowd found it very easy to recognize. "the resonant talismans only provide the first level of access within the cave. only with the aid of spirit resonance golden dew can you unlock the second level. the second level will then allow you to enter the golden dew platform. quite a few people are allowed on it, and at a specific time, the golden dew platform will receive a baptism of power from the spiritual resonance cave. those who have secured a spot will have their resonance tempered and purified. if your luck is good and you have a solid foundation already established, you may find an opportunity for your resonance to evolve. when one''s resonance evolves, its purity and grade elevate. thus, everyone tries to earn a spot on the golden dew platform. based on our investigations, there are three platforms to choose from when the time comes." li jiluo''s words caused everyone''s expressions to change, and unadulterated excitement could be seen in their eyes. everyone knew how difficult it was to raise the grade of one''s resonance, and even though spirit liquids and purifying lights could be used, the process was slow and there was a limit to how much could be used. consuming large amounts would cause impurities to accumulate, and they would eventually seal off one''s resonant palace, preventing any further improvement. the golden dew platform had the ability to raise the grade of ones resonance almost instantly, a result that would require an incredible amount of spirit liquids and purifying lights... "the golden dew platform, huh..." li luo''s gaze similarly flickered, and his heart started beating with excitement. his blank palaces allowed him to use unlimited amounts of spirit liquids and purifying lights. that being said, time was still needed for his resonances to be tempered. he really wanted to obtain a ninth-grade resonance, but alas, he had neither the resources nor the time. thus, the golden dew platform was something that greatly appealed to him. "the golden dew platforms have limited spots, so the competition for each one will be fierce. you will have to rely on your own strength if you wish to obtain one," li jiluo continued. the crowd nodded in understanding. "i have a question, hall master li jiluo. how much spirit resonance golden dew is needed to gain access to the golden dew platform?" lu qingmei suddenly asked. "thirty drops," li jiluo replied. "thus, once you enter the cave, your main goal should be to obtain as many drops of spirit resonance golden dew as possible. they can be found in places where worldly natural energy is most dense and abundant, and you will be able to sense them. however, the golden dew platform is not the end objectiveit can be argued to be just the start. it is only afterwards that the inner regions of the spiritual resonance cave will open up. however, the situation inside is constantly transforming and unpredictable, which is why we have no information about it for you. the only thing we can say is that there are numerous rare treasures within, and they are capable of assisting individuals with developing a secondary resonance or even a second resonance." this caused numerous individuals to gulp in anticipation. secondary resonances or even a second resonance altogether? such a treasure would shake the continent if it was found, and every heavenly emperor power would fight over it. such treasures would usually only appear in the nobles'' battlefields, and no one had guessed that they could be found inside the spiritual resonance cave. it was no wonder the heavenly emperor powers took advantage of this place and formed an agreement to share the location. if any sole party were to monopolize this special area, they would inevitably attract both jealousy and hostility from others. "the spiritual resonance cave is as amazing as expected," li luo thought to himself. at the same time, his evaluation of the secret realm created by the sacred void resonance sect increased. that ancient sect must have been extraordinary in the past. perhaps even when taking every power in the world into consideration, the sacred void resonance sect was at the very top. as a result, li luo couldn''t help but think of the acquired resonance godly forging art which he had cultivated. from a certain point of view, he was a part of the sacred void resonance sect, and the cave could be considered a connection. as li luo thought about all this, the sound of energy clashing intensified outside. it sounded like thunder reverberating throughout the land. "the cave is about to open," li jiluo explained as the worldly natural energy in the vicinity shuddered, a sign that the spiritual resonance cave was opening. everyone filed out of the pagoda immediately and stared into the distinct sky. the somewhat illusory energy portal was now absorbing copious amounts of worldly natural energy. after which, the portal began to open. boom! as boundless amounts of energy congregated, the thunderous booms continued to ring out. countless gazes fired up upon witnessing this. opportunities were about to descend, and they would have to wrestle for them with their own hands. after several minutes, the portal was completely open, and a mysterious fragrance wafted outwards. bang! countless figures rushed into the skies, exuding glorious amounts of resonant power as they directly dashed into the portal. "go! your opportunities await. the rest will be up to you." li jiluo''s gaze was calm as he waved his sleeve. massive amounts of resonant power poured forth and directly picked up the crowd, sending them shooting towards the open portal. Chapter 0949: Changes chapter 0949: changes when li luo stepped into the portal, the space around him twisted violently. his environment started changing repeatedly as well. in the next moment, he found himself in a new place. looking down, he could see a vast space before his eyes. the mountains extended endlessly, as if he was on a whole new continent. the air was filled with a mystical aura that stirred up his three resonant palaces. it was as if the palaces were yearning for something that could only be found here. "is this the spiritual resonance cave?" li luo thought to himself. judging from the reaction of his resonant palaces, this place was truly amazing for upgrading one''s resonance. however, his expression suddenly changed in that short moment too. as he traveled towards the cave, the triple resonances within his body started acting as if they had gone out of control. his resonant power leaked out nonstop. even the acquired resonance godly forging art that had been dormant all this while started to act up. this sudden change caught li luo by surprise. he focused his thoughts and forcefully stopped his resonant power from flowing out to the surroundings. otherwise, he couldve ended up injured. fortunately, this situation only lasted for a few moments before his triple resonant powers returned to their respective resonant palaces. nonetheless, li luo continued reflecting on the sudden change as he stared deep into the cave. this change simply had to be related to the spiritual resonance cave. but why? was it because his resonances were cultivated from the acquired resonance godly forging art? after all, the acquired resonance godly forging art had originated from the sacred void resonance sect. the spiritual resonance cave was created by them, and as such, it wouldn''t be surprising if the two had a connection to each other. as li luo pondered this, the space around him began to twist even more aggressively. he suddenly felt himself falling down at a really fast pace. a few moments later, his surroundings changed yet again. he found himself on an elevated platform brimming with people. noise filled the air like the cries of devils, making everyone frown. "cousin li luo, over here." a familiar voice came from the front at this moment. when li luo lifted his head to take a look, he spotted li lingjing waving at him. the location was filled with countless other people from the heavenly dragon''s five lineages. "third brother, what took you so long? i thought you had been teleported to another platform," li jingtao asked him. in response, li luo shook his head with a smile. he knew in his heart that the delay must have been related to the strange developments earlier. "guys..." li wuyuan from the dragon''s blood guardians began speaking after his attention shifted from li luo over to the crowd. "since everyone has arrived, let''s discuss our next step." at this point, li guan from the dragon''s scale lineage spoke up as well. "similar to the past, each lineage will move out on their own, right? after all, the spirit resonance golden dew is limited in supply. if the five lineages moved out together, it''d be hard for us to allocate the limited amount of dew." hearing this, the other lineages nodded in agreement. it seemed moving individually would be the most efficient way forward for each lineage. however, li wuyuan smiled and replied, "that is indeed the case under normal circumstances. however... what if we know of a spot where there is significant amounts of spirit resonance golden dew?" li guan, li fuling, and the rest were surprised to hear about this. looking back at li wuyuan, they asked, "somewhere where there''s a lot of spirit resonance golden dew?" li wuyuan simply smiled and replied, "based on a conservative estimate, we should be able to get a hundred or so drops of spirit resonance golden dew there." everyone was moved immediately. with a hundred or so droplets, they could reserve quite a few golden dew platform spots. this would save them a huge amount of time and resources compared to searching around on their own. even li luo could not help but glance at li wuyuan at this point. this guy was truly extraordinary, consistently pulling tricks out of his bag. "that spot contains an extremely high concentration of worldly natural energy. as a result, it will be highly coveted. due to the special conditions of the spiritual resonance cave, such a place may also give birth to a guardian spirit commonly known as a resonant imp. these imps have no minds of their own and exist purely as bodies of concentrated energy. as a result, they are extremely strong and really challenging to deal with. i am sharing this information with everyone here just to be safe. of course, none of us will be working for free. we''ll each get a designated district to reap our rewards later, which will definitely be much better than what we would have gotten if we each searched separately. however, i''ll be upfront here. this precious piece of information came from the dragon''s blood lineage, so we''ll have the say here. you all will have to follow our instructions." at this point, li wuyuan paused for a moment and glanced over at the dragon''s fang lineage. among the five lineages, the two of them were always at loggerheads, especially now that li luo and li lingjing were around. as for the other three lineages, li guan, li ju, and li wenshan were the decision makers for the dragon''s scale lineage, the dragon''s bone lineage, and the dragon''s horn lineage respectively. they had no objections to this proposal, given that the information was indeed offered by the dragon''s blood lineage. for the dragon''s fang lineage, li fuling hesitated for a moment after hearing the pitch. she looked over to li lingjing at this point, as she was the strongest person in the dragon''s fang lineage. however, li lingjing simply showed her a look of innocence and pointed towards li luo. "ask him," she said with a look of nonchalance, as if she did not care about any of this and would leave all the decision-making to li luo. seeing this, li fuling glared helplessly at her. under normal circumstances, she would have been the leader for the dragon''s fang lineage. however, li lingjing acted like she would take all instructions from li luo. this left li fuling in a really awkward spot. however, she did not have much of a choice. li fuling looked over to li luo next. li luo rubbed his chin and pondered over it for a moment. as an essential component for the golden dew platform, the spirit resonance golden dew was indeed the top of their priorities at present. the information from li wuyuan was truly attractive. if they could join in and get some spirit resonance golden dew for themselves, it would indeed not be a bad offer. however, he could not let his guard down against li wuyuan. he had to remain vigilant, or he could be tricked by the guy. after giving it some thought, li luo raised his head with a smile and replied, "since senior li wuyuan is so generously sharing his information, the dragon''s fang lineage, as a closely related lineage, will definitely give you our full support." hearing this, li wuyuan''s face did not change as he said, "wise choice, junior li luo." with everything settled, he did not waste any more words. "in that case, let us head out immediately before any other major powers catch onto it." his body shook for a moment before a pair of dragon wings made of energy extended from his back. with a wave of his wings, a gust was kicked up and he flew off into the sky. seeing this, the others also activated their sanctified dragon''s bodies and followed after him. however, li lingjing could only watch with a sad expression. she turned towards li luo and said, "i did not cultivate the sanctified dragon''s body." after all, she had never joined the twenty banners, so she naturally did not have the chance to cultivate the unique art belonging to the heavenly dragon''s five lineages. li luo waved his hand and replied generously, "i''ll find a way to get you one when we return." "thank you very much, cousin li luo," li lingjing responded gleefully. at the next moment, she summoned up her enormous resonant power and was about to leap through the air. since she was at the heavenly pearl tier, she had the stamina to do this for a long period of time. however, she sensed a strange, chilly sensation within her at this moment again. she turned around hastily and stared at the crowd behind her. her eyes had become really cold and terrifying at this point. the people behind her got frightened immediately, and they retreated from her frightening gaze. however, li lingjing did not notice anything unusual after scanning around. she simply raised her eyebrows in response. "what''s the matter, cousin lingjing?" li luo asked when he sensed her reaction. li lingjing thought about it for a moment before she shook her head and smiled. "nothing, let''s go." following this, her slender figure leapt into the air effortlessly. li luo spread out his wings and followed after her. after they were quite some distance away, a figure back at the stone platform slowly raised his head. he appeared ordinary, without much of an expression on his face. however, if one were to look closely at his eyes, a chill would run up their spine. there appeared to be something slowly crawling around deep in his black eyes. he did not even have eyeballs at allhis eye sockets were occupied by a group of creepy, weird worms entangled together. the black worms would stretch out from the pupils from time to time, giving off an eerie chill and weird glow. as the figure watched li lingjing fly into the distance, he seemed to murmur something quietly to himself. "number three... shall we go after her?" "forget it... let''s prepare the food here first." in a rather rigid fashion, the figure turned his head as he watched the crowd fly off in all directions. a tinge of human greed and desire seemed to surface on his emotionless face. Chapter 0950: The Well Developed Key Location chapter 0950: the well developed key location the group from the heavenly dragon''s five lineages left together, with tens of them in a single file. it was a really grand sight that inevitably attracted the curious gazes of others. some of the rogue cultivators began to follow after them sneakily. however, li wuyuan gave them a vicious warning immediately. with lightning speed, he instantly eliminated the rogue cultivator that was closest to them. seeing this, the other rogue cultivators dispersed and dared not follow them thereafter. the group did not experience any further delay as they extended their wings and flew into the sky. li luo was in the mix as well. however, he was constantly inspecting the environment around him at the same time. for some reason, he felt a familiar sense of belonging in the spiritual resonance cave, as if it was particularly friendly towards him... was it because of the acquired resonance godly forging art? he had thought about it previously. since the spiritual resonance cave could have originated from the sacred void resonance sect, this might have been a training ground for their disciples back in the old days. as a result, he had a special affinity with the cave as he had cultivated the acquired resonance godly forging art himself. perhaps this place was treating him as a disciple of the sacred void resonance sect? as li luo was thinking about this, li fuling had flown closer to him. hiding her voice with resonant power, she whispered into his ear, "if li wuyuan is willing to share this bountiful location with us, it must truly be grand." li luo nodded in agreement. the more spirit resonance golden dew that could be found in a location, the stronger the guardian spirit. in addition, news of this location might have been known to other major forces apart from the dragon''s blood lineage. otherwise, li wuyuan would not have been so generous in sharing this piece of intel. there was a really high chance that the reason he had gathered the whole lineage was because the dragon''s blood lineage would not be able to secure the spot alone. and the amount of caution he was exercising proved that the location was definitely not to be underestimated. "we have to be careful. li wuyuan has always disliked the dragon''s fang lineage. it won''t be surprising if he is plotting against us. although he might not dare to kill us upfront, it would still be really disastrous for our progress if we suffered heavy casualties here," li luo reminded her. li fuling nodded slightly in agreement. as they rushed over to the location, the group did not stop for any breaks along the way. after an hour or so, li luo and the rest could finally sense li wuyuan slowing down. li luo sort of understood what was happening. when he looked down below, there was an enormous mountain that looked like a giant tortoise, stretching far into the distance with no end in sight. the mountain itself was exuding extremely pure worldly natural energy. as li luo studied the mountain from above, he could faintly feel some traces of energy left behind by humans. this was akin to the remnant of some sort of ward. without a doubt, the high concentration of worldly natural energy in this mountain was the work of some ward left behind by someone. the worldly natural energy accumulated over many years became the majestic sight before them today. this was the main reason why this area had evolved into a prime location for condensing spirit resonance golden dew. however, there was nothing surprising about it. the different powers would send people into the spiritual resonance cave from time to time. they would definitely have tasks and missions to accomplish. one of the tasks was probably to give a helping hand in creating such locations, which would gradually develop over the years in preparation for the next spiritual resonance cave opening. that would be the time where they would send a team in for the harvest. unfortunately, this strategy had a high chance of failure. after all, they would be away from the area for years after setting up the ward, and there was no way for them to maintain it. if there were any sudden changes during that time, it would result in failure and all their hard work being wasted. nonetheless, looking at the high concentration of energy in the area, it was clearly a success this time. everyone was thrilled at the sight. there was a clear look of excitement on li wuyuan''s face as he waved his hand and signaled to the group to descend. one after another, everyone landed in the deep depths of the huge mountain. at this moment, li wuyuan took out a special device to check out the energy levels in the surroundings. after a while, a huge smile appeared on his face and he put the device away. "guys, we''re really lucky. the development of this location has been exceptionally successful. we should have a great harvest ahead of us," li wuyuan told the group with a big smile. everyone was delighted to hear that. after all, it was a truly pleasant surprise that they could achieve a portion of their goal so soon. "brother wuyuan, you truly came prepared. the dragon''s blood lineage really thought it through," li guan from the dragon''s scale lineage praised him with a smile. beside him, the other members from the dragon''s scale lineage, including lu qingmei, were also really grateful for this wondrous surprise li wuyuan had clearly gained some reputation and admiration with this. with a wave of his hand, he smiled lightly and replied, "no worries, we are all from the same family. i will definitely not let you all down." everyone grinned happily in response. at this point, li luo also had a look of admiration on his face. li wuyuan was clearly trying to win the people''s hearts here. however, li luo was not bothered by it at all. as long as he could get his hands on the spirit resonance golden dew, it did not matter what li wuyuan was planning. even if he wanted to contest for the position of lineage chief in the dragon''s blood lineage next year, li luo would not mind giving him his full support! li fuling also nodded in approval and replied on behalf of the dragon''s fang lineage. "this is indeed a really good spot. however, will the other major forces catch wind of this place too?" li wuyuan grinned and replied, "don''t worry, this place has been set up by the dragon''s blood lineage. if any other powers lay their eyes on it, we''ll just fight them off. is there anyone that the bloodline of heavenly emperor li needs to be afraid of?" hearing this, li fuling did not comment any further. unsurprisingly, li hongli pouted at this point and retorted, "why do you have so many complaints even though you''re following along to enjoy the perks? is this how the dragon''s fang lineage acts?" furious at these words, li fengyi shouted back immediately, "if you guys could do it alone, why ask us along? aren''t you just asking us to help fend off any threats? why act so high and mighty?" li hongli glared back angrily. however, she was stopped by li wuyuan just as she was about to scream back. "let''s not waste time with all these words. we should allocate the different districts now, and any spirit resonance golden dew found in these districts will belong to the respective lineages. of course, this is all assuming that we are able to get rid of the guardian spirit," li wuyuan said calmly as resonant power surged in his palm and a rough map of the area appeared. he cut across the map with his fingertips, leaving behind an energy line that left the center area open. "this district belongs to the dragon''s blood lineage. the rewards will be the best there since that spot has the highest concentration of energy. however, since this location was developed by the dragon''s blood lineage, no one has any issues with us reaping the most rewards, right?" hearing this, there were no objections from any of the other four lineages. after all, it was just like li wuyuan had said. in the next moment, li wuyuan divided the area into four other districts and looked over to the dragon''s fang lineage. "which district would you all like?" li fuling was surprised by this sudden move. who would have thought that li wuyuan would give them the second choice? without a doubt, she would go for the western district, which contained the second highest concentration of energy. however, li luo stopped her right before she made her choice. he took a look at the forest and replied with a smile, "we''ll choose the eastern district." li fuling was stunned by his response. the eastern district had the lowest concentration of energy. how many droplets of spirit resonance golden dew could they harvest from there? what nonsense was li luo up to? however, she did not voice out her dissatisfaction openly. she still had to maintain an image of harmony within the dragon''s fang lineage and thus she simply gave li luo a deadly glare before replying, "we''ll choose the eastern district." the other three lineages were shocked at their choice too. however, they would gladly play along if the dragon''s fang lineage themselves had made the choice. afterwards, the other three lineages made their choices too. with the allocation of the districts completed, li wuyuan continued without much change to his expression, "in that case, we''ll each head off to our respective districts. i will now activate the ward, and the worldly natural energy will begin to condense in the area. after four hours or so, it should be ready for harvest." the other lineages nodded after hearing this, then they brought their teams over to their respective regions. as the various lineages left the area, li hongli threw a glance in the direction that the dragon''s fang lineage was heading towards. she frowned and complained, "brother wuyuan, i can''t believe the dragon''s fang lineage did not pick the second most concentrated area." li wuyuan simply smiled. "it seems like li luo is really cautious. he knows that we would not give him any benefits without good reason." at this point, li qingfeng also reminded them, "brother wuyuan, please don''t go overboard with things. if something really does happen to them, no one will be able to save us either." li wuyuan simply grinned. "no worries, i know what i''m doing. we won''t be punished, because we''re not harming them. however... i wouldnt mind seeing them face a few setbacks. this will surely cripple their morale a little, and no one has any complaints about this... right?" Chapter 0951: Spiritual Resonance Caves Chosen One chapter 0951: spiritual resonance cave''s chosen one the members of the dragon''s fang lineage hurriedly flew towards the eastern district. "li luo, why didn''t you choose the western district? apart from the center district, the concentration of worldly natural energy is the highest over there. we''d surely be able to get more spirit resonance golden dew from there," li fuling could not help but ask while they were traveling over to the eastern district. . "cousin fuling, li wuyuan has always disliked us. do you think that he would be so kind as to let us be the second pick in choosing the districts? there''s definitely a trap there," li fengyi explained on behalf of li luo. li fuling frowned after hearing this. "it may be a trap, but the spirit resonance golden dew is worth the risk. besides, he would not dare to put us in any life-threatening situations no matter how much he dislikes us." hearing this, li lingjing smiled gently and replied, "it''s true that he might not need to threaten our lives, but as long as it results in casualties and injuries on our side, it will hinder our spiritual resonance cave progress significantly." li fuling was still not convinced, so she retorted angrily, "just continue standing up for him. let''s see what we''re going to do at the golden dew platform when we can''t gather enough spirit resonance golden dew later." however, li luo simply smiled and told her, "don''t get so worked up, cousin fuling. i''m not really afraid of the traps set by li wuyuan. i just feel that the eastern district is more suitable for us. perhaps we will reap more rewards here?" li fuling eyed him suspiciously. "how do you know? li wuyuan has control of the ward in the area, so he can sense the greatest concentrations of energy. how in the world do you know that the eastern district has better rewards?" at this point, the others looked over at him with curious gazes too. li luo did not know how to explain this to them. he could not possibly tell them that he felt particularly connected to the spiritual resonance cave and therefore he could sense the worldly natural energy in the area more acutely, right? no one would believe him if he said so. as such, li luo could only give a vague reply. "you''ll know when the time comes." li fuling was clearly dissatisfied with this reply. "we''ll wait and see how you explain yourself then!" she snorted. however, she did not push him on this issue any further. as the few of them bickered among themselves, their pace picked up gradually too. a few minutes later, they arrived in the middle of the valley. there was a faint mist blanketing the region, which seemed to be the result of the condensation of worldly natural energy. moreover, the worldly natural energy in the spiritual resonance cave seemed to have a very special characteristic. whenever someone absorbed this energy, they could feel the resonances within their bodies cheering in excitement. as li luo studied his surroundings, he noticed some faint, glowing characters on the walls of the valley. this was clearly part of the ward that had caused the worldly natural energy to gather in the area. the others crossed their legs and sat down for a break as they awaited the activation of the ward from li wuyuan. only li luo strolled up and down the valley, examining everything with a curious gaze. the others could sense the worldly natural energy that had gathered in this valley. however, he could sense another force beneath it. there was an enormous pool of worldly natural energy there that had not been attracted by the ward. "why is the spiritual resonance cave so nice to me? am i the chosen one here?" li luo had asked himself this numerous times. his acute senses within the cave had possibly exceeded that of even dukes. was this all because of the acquired resonance godly forging art? with that thought in mind, he activated the acquired resonance godly forging art that he had not used for years. in the past, he had only used it for creating the resonance affinity wheels and absorbing them into his body. he had not discovered any other use for it under ordinary circumstances. the other purpose of this art was... li luo stretched out his palm, and a transparent flame materialized on it. this was the acquired resonance flame, a critical component for his acquired resonances. however... li luo had been unable to find any offensive uses for it in the past two years. "since it can help me refine an acquired resonance... surely it should do something amazing, right? are there any other uses for it? am i using it wrongly?"?li luo wondered to himself. however, just as he was pondering these things, the huge pool of worldly natural energy beneath the ground began reacting. he could faintly sense it moving in his direction. no. strictly speaking, it was moving towards the acquired resonance flame. li luo''s eyes lit up when he noticed this pleasant surprise. "the acquired resonance flame can attract such a well-hidden pool of worldly natural energy?" it wasn''t really surprising, actually. after all, the acquired resonance flame was the product of the acquired resonance godly forging art. however, this would make it much easier for li luo to lure all the hidden energy out now. as such, he continued walking around the valley, flicking out a faint acquired resonance flame from time to time. when each flame landed on the ground, it was rapidly absorbed into the soil. however, li luo was not going to pull out the energy just yet. he hid the flames with a layer of resonant power while he bided his time for the most opportune moment. this went on for quite some time before li luo clapped his hands in satisfaction. with the acquired resonance flames as bait, he should be able to lure out much more worldly natural energy. in that case, the amount of spirit resonance golden dew in the area would surely increase drastically. "what''re you doing over here?" someone suddenly called out to him from behind. li luo turned around and saw a gleefully smiling li lingjing looking at him. "just preparing a surprise for the rest," li luo replied. "acting so secretively." li lingjing pouted. li luo laughed it off. now he just had to wait and see how big of a harvest it would be. this would also be an experiment to see if he was really the chosen one. ... on the same day that the heavenly dragon''s five lineages headed into their respective districts, there was a faint light signal deep in the forest. after some time, a different group landed on the top of a mountain. they were a massive party with even more members than the heavenly dragon''s five lineages. and there were a few familiar faces among them. they were none other than the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. zhao shenjiang was with them too. however, he was not the leader this time. their leader was an ordinary-looking youth dressed in golden robes. he was named zhao yan, an eight-pearl cultivator leading the army from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. at this point, zhao yan looked at the dozens of people around him. these people were not from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. instead, they came from another powerful force known as the devil fire hall. "brother tian, this region is really rich in worldly natural energy. it seems like the bloodline of heavenly emperor li truly developed it well," zhao yan said with a laugh. hearing this, the youth known as brother tian also grinned. "my men happened to spot the bloodline of heavenly emperor li setting up this ward here. this is how we get to know that they''re developing this location. however, the devil fire hall can''t beat them alone. this is why we''ll need your help." "so you''re thinking of reaping the benefits from the side while the two of us brawl it out, brother tian?" zhao yan laughed in response. the youth with the surname tian was also a charismatic individual. in response, he only smiled warmly. "with all the enmity between the bloodline of heavenly emperor li and the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, surely there''s no need for me to fan any more flames, right? you guys are the only ones who''ll dare to challenge them. who else would dare to offend them?" "wise choice, brother tian. however, there will be quite a few casualties if we go about it forcefully. looking at you, it seems like you have another ace hidden up your sleeve," zhao yan said with a grin. the youth with the surname tian replied with a light smile, "its nothing much, actually. we simply set up a small ward of our own on the side when we noticed what the bloodline of heavenly emperor li was preparing for. our ward hid some of the worldly natural energy from their sight. if we activate our own ward when they''re ready to harvest the spirit resonance golden dew, we can cause the guardian spirits that spawn to be more powerful. it wouldn''t be enough to kill them off, but it should be sufficient to injure them significantly. if we go after them at that point in time, things should be a little easier for us." hearing this, zhao yan clapped and laughed out loud. "making use of your opponents. what a cunning plan." "just a little annoyance. surely it won''t cause the bloodline of heavenly emperor li to hold a grudge against us," the youth with the surname tian replied in a humble tone. "let us sit back and enjoy the show for now." as the two of them were chatting, zhao jingyu, who was standing at the side, began to look towards the forest with vicious eyes. "li luo, i bet you didnt think we would meet again so soon, huh?" Chapter 0952: Birth of the Golden Dew chapter 0952: birth of the golden dew li luo and the group did not have to wait for a very long time in the valley. soon, the worldly natural energy around the forest began to react, then it began to flow with a loud roar. the forest shook as the green trees began to move with the wind. "li wuyuan has activated the ward. prepare for it, the spirit resonance golden dew will be condensing soon," li fuling reminded the rest when she saw the changes in the surroundings. everyone nodded. huge resonant power surged up within them and enveloped the area like a thick cloud of smoke. everyone had taken out their treasured artifacts, which were all of violet-eye grade. clearly, they were all fully prepared for the dangers lurking in the shadows. even those with weaker foundations had utilized all their means to acquire some kind of treasured artifact for this expedition. the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade appeared in li luo''s grasp. the straight blade was quite out of place here, especially since it was only a gold-eye treasured artifact. li fuling and the rest were drawn towards it as soon as he took it out. "cousin li luo, you''re the dragon''s headdidn''t you prepare at least a violet-eye treasured artifact for this occasion?" li fuling asked. li luo simply smiled and replied, "i would not trade this blade of mine even if you offered me a triple violet-eye treasured artifact." the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade might just be a gold-eye treasured artifact, but its value was immense. after all, it contained a trace of a kingmark. this was not a simple mark that was readily available to anyone. it was only possible because this was the partner weapon of principal pang, accompanying him in his countless battles throughout the years. although he also had the three-tailed heavenly wolf as a hidden ace up his sleeve, the true trump card that would really save him in times of danger would be the kingmark. it was the only way he could possibly have any chance of survival if he came across any high-grade duke opponents. of course, the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade would probably shatter completely if that encounter truly took place. he was not lying at all when he said that he would never trade this treasured artifact away even if triple violet-eye treasured artifacts were offered to him. nonetheless, li fuling and the rest did not take his words seriously. they simply curled up their lips and treated those as stubborn words from li luo. li luo did not bother explaining himself any further either. he simply looked up into the sky above the valley. the ward set up around the forest began to activate, and worldly natural energy started condensing. looking at the way things were going, it was clear that the center district where li wuyuan was located had the highest concentration of energy. they had clearly gotten the biggest share of the pie. at the same time, the concentration of worldly natural energy where the other three lineages were located was not bad either. they were all in much better situations compared to where li luo and his group were located. clearly, li fuling''s face was beginning to turn ugly as she gave li luo a deadly stare. this guy had given up the districts with richer energy concentration to choose this broken spot. however, li luo smiled lightly against her deadly stare and said, "there''s no need to be hasty. let''s wait and see." boom! boom! following a few explosive sounds, a wild storm of worldly natural energy violently swept through the forest. at this moment, li luo and the rest could see a vortex begin to form above the valley. the mist full of energy began to be absorbed into the vortex, as if feeding it to make it grow larger and larger. the amount of energy absorbed into it was simply astonishing. this went on for dozens of minutes before the energy vortex suddenly shrank. a few golden droplets could be faintly seen at this moment. . bang! the energy vortex exploded, and the golden lights flew out into the air. floating in midair, the lights sucked in the worldly natural energy, growing brighter and brighter in the process. "spirit resonance golden dew!" li fuling and the rest exclaimed excitedly. they stared at the four golden lights without batting an eyelid. li luo was also looking at them. there was a mysterious liquid within each golden point of light, slowly flowing as if they were the essence of energy from the elements. it seemed like they could morph into any type of energy at any point in time. as he studied the golden glows, li luo could sense the resonances within his body lusting for it. these seemed to be the spirit resonance golden dew that they had all been eyeing. "let''s wait a little longer. the spirit resonance golden dew has just been born and will need some time to strengthen itself by taking in the worldly natural energy. we can reap the benefits once each drop is fully developed, li fuling reminded the rest. "besides... the guardian spirit will be spawning soon. be careful, guys!" when li fuling finishing speaking, they could see the worldly natural energy sweep past the sky like a tidal wave. faint silhouettes started to appear within it, condensed by the huge concentration of energy in the area. naturally, they exuded strong pulses of energy from their bodies. there were around a dozen guardian spirits. among them, the strongest one was tens of feet tall with a heavy halberd in its hands. from the energy radiating out of its body, it seemed to be around the strength of a four-pearl. the other guardian spirits were around the strength of fiend finishers and lower heavenly pearls too. "prepare for battle," li fuling ordered as she took the lead and charged towards the guardian spirit that possessed four-pearl strength. the other members would help tackle the other guardian spirits. this first wave of guardian spirits was not too threatening. li luo and the others did not help out at all. they continued to keep watch over the four droplets of spirit resonance golden dew in the sky and awaited the time where they fully developed. they would reach for them as soon as that time arrived. this wait lasted for dozens of minutes. when li fuling and her group finished off all the guardian spirits, the droplets in the sky had fully condensed, and li luo moved in instantly. he summoned up his resonant power and collected all the spirit resonance golden dew. the crowd gathered around him. there were four droplets of spirit resonance golden dew hovering over his palm, emitting a mysterious force. everyone eyed them enviously. however, this was not the time to decide on the allocation. another wave of worldly natural energy gathered, and spirit resonance golden dew began to form once more. at the same time, a stronger wave of guardian spirits was beginning to spawn. after a few minutes, they could see the fifth and sixth droplets of spirit resonance golden dew forming in the air. however, what was more surprising was that the guardian spirits were twice as strong as the previous group. among them, the strongest guardian spirit had three heads and were as powerful as five-pearls. li fengyi frowned and asked with suspicion, "that''s weird. there are only two more droplets of spirit resonance golden dew, so why are the guardian spirits so much stronger now?" li luo narrowed his eyes at this sight. others might not be able to sense it, but he could tell that the ward in this valley had started giving off a strange fluctuation. the mightier guardian spirits were spawned due to the effect of that ward. and if one traced along the source of it... the energy was coming from the center district. li luo finally understood what li wuyuan was plotting earlier. "the additional and more domineering guardian spirits are coming from the center district. if i''m not wrong, these guardian spirits were what the dragon''s blood lineage was supposed to be facing. however, they''ve sent them over to us using this ward. they are hoping that we will fight off their guardian spirits for them so that they can enjoy the spirit resonance golden dew rewards without working so hard," li luo told them with a smile. "it seems like regardless of which district we chose, li wuyuans intention was always to add onto our burden. they will get to enjoy the spirit resonance golden dew while we''ll have to work harder for them. what a good deal for them." hearing this, li fuling, li fengyi, and the rest shouted angrily, admonishing li wuyuan. however, those feelings were of little practical help. as more and more guardian spirits spawned, li luo and the rest joined the battle to help fend them off. a berserk energy storm continued to kick up within the valley. ...... in the center district of the mountain. li wuyuan stood with his hands behind his back as he watched the guardian spirits appear one after another. at this time, everyone in the dragon''s blood lineage was working hard to eliminate them. however, things were proceeding exceptionally smoothly, and li wuyuan didn''t have to join the battle personally yet. "what a brilliant plan, brother wuyuan. i believe those fools from the dragon''s fang lineage are panicking right now." one guy from the dragon''s blood lineage praised li wuyuan with a grin as he continued to collect the spirit resonance golden dew that rained down from the sky. li wuyuan simply smirked. "i''ve just sent a few more guardian spirits over to them. it won''t cost them their lives. they got a free meal for following us here. surely it''s not too much to ask them to work a little harder, right?" "that''s true. they wouldn''t even have found this location without our help." as li wuyuan grinned happily, he looked over to the other districts and muttered to himself, "it seems like i can send a few more over to the other three lineages too. if not, the dragon''s fang lineage may really die, and that''d be too much for us." ...... as the forest was bustling with commotion, the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao and the devil fire hall watched on from the outside of the mountain. tian miao, the leader of the devil fire hall, smiled lightly as he turned towards the group from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao and said, "i guess it''s about time." hearing this, zhao yan rubbed his hands together and smiled. "let''s begin our feast, then. this time, i will let the bloodline of heavenly emperor li gorge themselves in their greed until they die." Chapter 0953: The Acquired Resonance Flames Effect chapter 0953: the acquired resonance flame''s effect weng! with a flap of his wings, li luo flashed forward like lightning. he charged towards a guardian spirit that had the strength of a one-pearl and slashed down aggressively with the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade. the blade light flew through the guardian spirit, but blood did not spew out. instead, highly concentrated energy gushed out continuously from the wound, escaping from its body. however, the wound caused by the blade light began to recover rapidly as well. seeing this, the dragon sigil between li luo''s brows glowed. "dragonfear!" an oppressive aura swept out of li luo and engulfed the guardian spirit. the terrifying aura disrupted the energy pulsing from its body for a moment, and the spirit displayed signs of confusion. li luo immediately took advantage of the opportunity and slashed down with his blade once again. it was an impressive strike, and it almost seemed to produce a dragon''s roar. "nine scales sanctified dragon''s body, three dragons might!" the dragon sigil between li luo''s brows glowed again as his blade sliced apart the air, leaving a trail of light behind. a sonic boom accompanied the blade as it fell, cutting the guardian spirit in front of him into two. after finishing off this guardian spirit in a single strike, li luo did not pause in his tracks. he turned around immediately and charged towards the next guardian spirit. as more spirit resonance golden dew began to form in the sky above, a corresponding number of guardian spirits spawned in the surroundings. at the same time, the strength of the guardian spirits continued to increase. the valley was now a messy battlefield with unusually chaotic fights breaking out in every direction. apart from those tasked to collect spirit resonance golden dew, everyone else, including li lingjing, had joined the battle. fortunately, the fight was proceeding well thanks to the strong assistance from li lingjing. however, it was an arduous battle, so they could not afford to slack even for a moment. moreover, li luo could sense that the guardian spirits were continually being channeled over through the ward. this was getting so obvious that li fuling and the rest began to sense it as well. "that bastard li wuyuan! he''s still sending them over. if things get out of hand, let''s give up this spot. they can have all the fun for themselves!" li fuling screamed in fury as she held off three of the five-pearl guardian spirits alone. her face was red with anger at this point. "forget it, there''s no point in scolding him anymore. if we give up now, our efforts thus far will be in vain," li xuan, the previous generation''s green nether banner leader, advised her helplessly. indeed, giving up was just something she had said out of anger. she gritted her teeth and endured. the endless stream of guardian spirits was applying a great amount of stress upon them. they could only hope to last until all the spirit resonance golden dew had condensed. as they were talking about it, li luo had gone on to face off against another guardian spirit. although the attacks from the spirits were lackluster, they were extremely challenging to eliminate due to the fact that they were merely bodies of energy. this meant that they could endure far more blows than an ordinary human. as such, the greatest challenge was actually that of energy consumption. it would be great if there was a more efficient way to get rid of them. li luo thought about it for a moment before he raised his ancient sword into the air. a transparent flame shrouded his blade. it was the acquired resonance flame. all this while, li luo had never found any other uses for this flame apart from cultivating his acquired resonance. however, since the acquired resonance godly forging art had a special connection to this place, perhaps it would have some special use here too. li luo slashed down once again with that thought in mind. the sharp blade arched downwards, leaving a trail in its wake and directly striking the guardian spirit in its patch. strangely, li luo could sense that the attack felt different this time. the energy waves within the guardian spirit seemed to be reacting in some way. in fact, the other guardian spirits, which seemed to possess no consciousness of their own, even took a few steps back. they were acting like something had frightened them. li luo was amazed by this discovery. he wrapped his blade in transparent flames again and struck at the guardian spirit once more. this time, something astounding happened. previously, the energy within the guardian spirit was whittled down very gradually after numerous blows from li luo. however, this strike seemed to have ignited it on fire just like how fuel reacted to flame. li luo could clearly see that the huge pool of energy within the guardian spirit was burning up at a shocking pace. a few moments later, the guardian spirit in front of him had completely disintegrated. li luo froze in his tracks. although he had suspected that the flame would have some sort of effect, he had not expected such an amazing result. he had eliminated a one-pearl guardian spirit with just one simple attack. the problem was cleanly resolved. li luo still found it really hard to believe. however, he extended the energy wings on his back and flew across the battlefield towards li jingtao. li jingtao was also facing off against a one-pearl guardian spirit at this point. from the very beginning, they were both caught up in an endless struggle against one another... li jingtao''s defenses were really formidable, but his offensive capabilities were kind of lacking. he could only inflict a light wound on the guardian spirit, and all the damage he did would heal up in moments. similarly, the guardian spirit''s blows barely had any effect on him. just like this, the two were entangled in an embarrassing fight, wasting each other''s time. if one did not know li jingtao personally, they would probably be wondering why he was still messing around and wasting time. however, the situation changed immediately with li luo''s arrival. li jingtao flashed him an embarrassing smile. he had thought li luo had made his way over to help out because his battle had dragged on for too long. "be careful, third brother, this fellow is extraordinarily tough," he reminded him. li luo thought his warning was kind of funny though. if the guardian spirit could speak, surely it would be screaming in frustration right now, rebutting him angrily. "do you think you''re any better, you tortoise?!" as li luo''s figure flashed past, the blade light with the transparent flame cut down across the air. like a bolt of lightning, he smote the guardian spirit. in the next moment, li jingtao''s eyes widened as he watched in surprise. the guardian spirit that he was entangled with for so long disappeared completely in an instant. it was like an illusion had just vanished. "big brother, youre the one who should be more careful," li luo said before dashing across the battlefield once more. after this experiment, he was convinced of the special effect the acquired resonance flame had on the guardian spirits. over the next few minutes, he flew around the battlefield speedily, and everyone was left in awe by the shocking sight they witnessed. one after another, the guardian spirits shriveled up and disappeared. even the ones with two-pearl strength were eliminated with a single blow delivered by li luo. such an amazing scene had caught the attention of li fuling, li xuan, and the others. some of them even dropped their treasured artifacts in shock. they were very clear that even if they had gone all-out, they would not be able to eliminate those guardian spirits so easily. what drug had li luo taken? how had he pulled this off? li lingjing, who was in a fierce fight with several five-pearl guardian spirits, also turned her head slightly at this moment. a slight smile appeared in the corner of her lips as she watched li luo fly across the battlefield. cousin li luo is truly full of surprises. with his sudden display of superhuman power, li luo immediately relieved the pressure on everyone on the battlefield. after eliminating a large number of guardian spirits, they finally regained the advantage in numbers and ganged up on the more powerful spirits. in an instance, the flow of the battle had improved drastically. the five-pearl guardian spirits fell one after another, and relaxed smiles began to appear on the people''s faces. seeing this, li luo started to contemplate if he should activate the hidden flames that he had put in place beforehand. doing so would allow more worldly natural energy to gather, giving birth to more spirit resonance golden dew. bang! just as he was mulling it over, a shocking energy eruption blasted out from the center district of the forest. everyone''s attention was drawn towards it immediately. their faces changed slightly as the energy undulations were exceptional. they understood that with stronger worldly natural energy, the guardian spirits that spawned would be much mightier as well. this caught even li luo off guard. he stood dumbfounded for a moment, wondering if he had planted the flames in the wrong spot previously. li fuling frowned and asked, "what''s li wuyuan and his group doing? can they really handle such a huge eruption of energy?" li luo was about to reply when he felt a chill run up his spine. with his acute senses, he could tell that there were a large number of people with strong resonant power outside the mountain. "someone else is here," li luo told them immediately. "i knew it. the dragon''s blood lineage is not the only one who knows about this place." everyone''s faces changed immediately when they heard his words. so, the sudden changes in the center district were not done by li wuyuan? someone else had set their eyes on them! Chapter 0954: Trap chapter 0954: trap in the center district of the mountain. the moment li luo and his group sensed the sudden outburst of worldly natural energy, li wuyuan and his team similarly felt it as well. their faces changed immediately as they looked angrily into the distance. there was originally a lake in the forest, but a monstrous amount of energy had suddenly surged out of it. the water in the lake morphed into tsunamis up to a hundred feet tall, sweeping towards the mountains and forests. the waves were nothing to worry about for the members of the dragon''s blood lineage. however, the worldly natural energy and giant guardian spirits that followed were frightening. there were roughly a dozen of them at least. furthermore, the stronger ones had reached the strength of a six-pearl. adding onto the guardian spirits that had spawned previously, the pressure the dragon''s blood lineage was under had increased exponentially. most frustrating of all was that the worldly natural energy eruption had disrupted the ward that they had set up previously. li wuyuan could no longer transfer the guardian spirits over to the other lineages. "cousin wuyuan, something is wrong here. this eruption of energy is too strange!" li qingfeng said with a deep voice. li wuyuan nodded in agreement. his face was really dark as he looked over towards the lake and said, "that eruption of energy was caused by another ward. someone has plotted against us." the others were furious to hear this. who would have thought that someone else would have laid a trap in this special nest that they had painstakingly prepared? "send out warning signals to the other lineages. there are external enemies around," li wuyuan ordered immediately. one of the dragon''s blood lineage members pressed hard against a jade tablet, and a light shot up into the air. it flew into the sky and transformed into a dragon silhouette dancing with its fangs and claws. "cousin wuyuan, the other lineages are most likely still fighting off the guardian spirits at this point. if the external enemy comes after us right now, i doubt they will be able to lend us a helping hand," li hongli reminded him with signs of worry on her beautiful face. at this moment, there was a vicious look in li wuyuan''s eyes. he stared at the outside of the forest and ordered, "hurry up and get rid of the guardian spirits. our enemies will be coming for us really soon. i would like to see who has the guts to pit themselves against the bloodline of heavenly emperor li!" hearing this, his team members unleashed their resonant power and attempted to clear out all the guardian spirits as fast as possible. li wuyuan had also taken out his black guandao and joined the battle. the weapon was decorated with two faintly glowing violet-eye marks that absorbed worldly natural energy from the surroundings automatically. without any hesitation, his resonant power surged and he charged towards the strongest few guardian spirits. when he finished those off, he continued to keep watch on the edge of the forest. the external enemies that were waiting to reap the benefits should be appearing any moment now. indeed, his wait did not last long. after a few minutes, beams of light appeared in the distance and shot high up into the sky. they rapidly cruised through the air and flew straight into the vast forest where they were situated. the other four lineages in the other parts of the forest had also noticed the intruders. however, they were still caught up with the guardian spirits on their sides. they could only watch as the intruders flew into the center district directly. "haha! what''s with this pathetic look, li wuyuan?" laughter echoed in the air. "zhao yan! as expected, such a plot could only have come from the rogues of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao!" li wuyuan shot the leading figure a cold stare. at the same time, his eyes scanned the surroundings, and he picked up a different aura amongst some of the people with the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. "you''re tian miao! there are people from the devil fire hall too, it seems." li wuyuan recognized the leader of the devil fire hall immediately. the youth named tian miao was also considered one of the best in his generation. "you''re too careless, li wuyuan. you didn''t even know that something had been done to your treasure trove here. luckily, our friends from the devil fire hall informed us. otherwise, we would have missed a good show," zhao yan said with a smirk. hearing this, tian miao''s mouth twitched a little. zhao yan had exposed them without any hesitation. that guy was truly a smiling tiger in disguise, dragging them into their battles right off the bat. however, this was all within his expectations. he had already taken this into account when he shared the information with zhao yan. "excellent work, tian miao. how dare you plant a trap for the bloodline of heavenly emperor li!" li wuyuan shouted back grimly. in response, tian miao simply smiled. "you''re exaggerating things, brother wuyuan. it''s just a friendly competition between our generation, so how can this be considered a trap for the whole bloodline of heavenly emperor li? if i were so capable, i''d have become the hall master of devil fire hall already." at the same time, zhao yan declared grandly, "enough of this nonsense, li wuyuan. hand over all the spirit resonance golden dew that you have collected so far, or things will get nasty today." when he finished speaking, the resonant power of the members of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao surged up as they stared daggers at the people from the dragon''s blood lineage. it was almost like a pack of wolves was standing watch atop the mountain, ready to strike at any time. with a disadvantage in numbers, those from the dragon''s blood lineage were feeling threatened at this point. moreover, they still had to deal with the nonstop attacks from the guardian spirits. they would have to pay a really heavy price if they decided to take an attack from both the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao and the devil fire hall right now. there was some confusion and unrest amongst the members of the dragon''s blood lineage. nonetheless, they were still the elites of their generation. they did not show any signs of fear and simply looked towards li wuyuan for his orders and direction. in the same moment, zhao shenjiang from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao whispered something to zhao yan. after hearing his words, zhao yan gave a slight smile and shouted back at li wuyuan, "it''s not impossible for us to let you off the hook, li wuyuan. as long as you''re willing to hand over li luo from the dragon''s fang lineage, we can negotiate the outcome here." his voice was shrouded with resonant power, so his words echoed throughout the forest. he had made no attempt to hide it. without a doubt, he wanted the other four lineages to hear him too. the faces of those from the dragon''s blood lineage changed as soon as they heard this. they had not expected such a proposal from the opponent. one of the members looked towards li wuyuan and whispered, "brother wu, shall we..." li wuyuan frowned and stared back at the guy. with a cold voice, he replied, "fools! can''t you see what this sly dog is plotting? we may not like li luo, but he''s from the same lineage as us. if we hand him over to these bastards from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, the dragon''s blood lineage will be utterly disgraced. forget about the twenty banners or the heavenly dragons five guardian armies, everyone will look down on us for doing so. he''s trying to hurt our foundation! if we do what he says, the elders from the dragon''s blood lineage will be so furious that they''ll never forgive us. they''ll give up on us, and there''ll be no future left for us. even if we suffer great losses from their trap here today, the loss will only be limited to those of us who are here right now. if we comply with their demand, what we''ll be losing is the authority and reputation of the dragon''s blood lineage. surely you all know what we should prioritize here!" hearing his words, the crowd from the dragon''s blood lineage agreed immediately. even li hongli, who had always disliked li luo, did not raise any objections. she could still think rationally even in this situation. internal rivalries were something common in every major power and lineage. however, betraying one of their own people and handing them over to the enemy was a different matter altogether. li wuyuan lifted his head and shouted to zhao yan, "forget about your despicable tricks. do you think i am a fool?" seeing this, zhao yan could not help but feel some pity. li wuyuan was sharper than he had expected. he turned his head towards the other members of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao and ordered, "split up into four teams and head towards the other four districts in the forest. we have to inflict a heavy blow onto them while they''re still entangled with the guardian spirits. force them to retreat and take all of their spirit resonance golden dew." they responded immediately after hearing his order. they split into four different teams together with the members of the devil fire hall and speedily flew towards the other districts in the forest. ..... at the same moment, the members of the dragon''s fang lineage had finished clearing up the guardian spirits on their side with the assistance of li luo. "oh, li wuyuan didn''t betray me?" li luo commented with a laugh. zhao yan''s voice had echoed throughout the forest a moment ago, so he had naturally heard it too. "li wuyuan may be detestable, but he''s not stupid. he would not dare to do something like that, as it would be equivalent to digging his own grave," li fuling commented. "there are people coming towards us. quite a lot of them," li lingjing warned them. she turned towards li luo and asked, "shall we stop them?" li luo thought about it for a moment. he scanned the valley once again, particularly at the areas where he had planted the flame catalysts previously. at this moment, a bright smile appeared on his handsome face. "let them come. if they want to play dirty, we''ll prepare a nice trap for them over here." Chapter 0955: Turning The Tables chapter 0955: turning the tables the group charged through the forest. as their surging resonant power clashed against the air, a soft ringing could be heard. trails of dust were left behind as these figures dashed towards their prey. every individual in this group was literally seething with killing intent. among them were faces that li luo was very familiar with. it was zhao shenjiang and zhao jingyu. however, neither of them was in charge. the leader was a youth by the name of zhao fengxu, a seven-pearl from the same generation as zhao yan. accompanying the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao were numerous helpers from the devil fire hall. amongst them, the strongest was at the six-pearl tier. "the people from the dragon''s fang lineage are over there. they should still be busy fighting guardian spirits. let''s head over as fast as we can before they wipe out the spirits completely. we can make use of this chance to make a killing out of them!" zhao jingyu said excitedly with a vicious face. he never guessed that he would be able to meet li luo so soon. moreover, he''d be able to catch li luo in a vulnerable state. he would surely take revenge for what happened back in the dark domain of the western region! "don''t worry. now that the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li have fallen into our trap, we''ll not let them off so easily," zhao fengxu said with a smirk on his face. with a heavy spear in hand, zhao shenjiang declared with a ferocious look, "if there''s a chance, let me deal with li luo myself. once i''ve crippled the dragon''s head, his generation will never be able to lift their heads in the presence of our bloodline ever again." nonetheless, no one thought that he was being overly arrogant despite these words. after all, zhao shenjiang''s talent was indisputable. even zhao yan from the previous generation was somewhat inferior to him. in time, he would definitely be able to exceed even zhao yan. zhao fengxu nodded. "sure. we''ll leave li luo to you." the group continued their speedy dash through the forest. after a few moments, zhao shenjiang and the rest finally caught sight of the valley. at this time, there were still loud echoes of energy within the valley, and resonant power surged up into the air in waves. "as expected, they''re still fighting the guardian spirits," zhao fengxu told them with a pleasant smile. he waved his hand to signal the group before taking the lead and charging into the valley first. seeing this, the others did not hesitate for long before they followed after him. after all, they still outnumbered the dragon''s fang lineage even if the guardian spirits had been disposed of. a line of figures dashed into the valley. the layout of the land around them was pretty complicated. they walked through it for quite a while, but to their surprise, there were no signs of anyone from the dragon''s fang lineage despite the destroyed terrain. there were also no signs of any guardian spirits in their surroundings. "what happened?" someone asked. zhao fengxu was similarly confused and uncertain of what had happened. however, he did not proceed any further, and his eyes quickly scanned the silent valley. "let''s retreat!" he said in a deep voice. although he did not understand why the guardian spirits had all disappeared, it was clear that the dragon''s fang lineage had emerged victorious in the fight. now his enemy was lurking in the shadows, while he was out in the open. he had to be extra cautious and preserve his strength. unfortunately, the worldly natural energy in the surroundings erupted as soon as the group turned around to retreat. "welcome, friends. why don''t you stay for a little while longer and experience the hospitality of the dragon''s fang lineage?" a peal of laughter echoed through the air at this point. zhao shenjiang and zhao fengxu raised their heads immediately. in front of them was a line of individuals. li luo was in front, and he was the speaker. "retreat!" zhao fengxu shouted, his eyes turning grim. he did not waste any time speaking with li luo. he flashed into the air in an attempt to leave the valley first. however, the people from the dragon''s fang lineage coordinated their moves at the same moment. their resonant power surged up and formed layers of barriers, pushing them back down and containing them within the valley. when zhao fengxu and the rest tried to break through, it inevitably caused a moment of delay. li luo grinned as he watched them panicking and trying to escape. he stretched out his hands and snapped his fingers coolly. with that, all of the catalyst flames that he had planted earlier exploded. bang! the valley shook violently, as if it was about to flip upside down. a frighteningly large amount of energy shot into the sky in a gigantic beam, causing the worldly natural energy in their surroundings to churn vigorously. everyone''s face changed completely when they sensed the enormous amount of worldly natural energy. even li fuling and the rest were shocked to see this. they were not aware that such an enormous pool of worldly natural energy had been hidden underneath this valley. most importantly, how had li luo triggered it? li luo did not have time to explain anything to them at the moment. as the worldly natural energy shot up into the sky and condensed, a large number of guardian spirits began to spawn. these guardian spirits were both superior in numbers and strength compared to what they had previously fought. amongst them were even guardian spirits reaching seven-pearl tier levels of power! of course, spirit resonance golden dew had also started forming. there were so many of them that li fuling, li fengyi, and the rest were left dumbfounded at the sight. no one dared to move a single muscle, as none of them wanted to attract the attention of the guardian spirits. zhao fengxu and his group watched the guardian spirits with dry mouths. they knew that they had fallen into the dragon''s fang lineage''s trap. these people had been waiting for them to head into the valley before they triggered their trap, causing the guardian spirits to spawn and fight against them. "retreat slowly." zhao fengxu said in a soft voice as he attempted to step back. however, this proved fruitless. they were the ones closest to the guardian spirits after all. moreover, they were right in the middle of the valley where the energy eruption had just occurred. once the guardian spirits spawned, they glared down at them furiously and launched their attacks. "fight them off. send out signals for help!" zhao fengxu shouted. taking the lead, he charged towards the guardian spirits. seven radiant heavenly pearls appeared behind his back immediately. they sucked in the worldly natural energy from the surroundings, powering him up for his duke arts. in the blink of an eye, wild winds swept up and manifested into a wild beast, attempting to stop the guardian spirits. zhao shenjiang gritted his teeth as he threw a deadly stare towards li luo. "li luo, come down and fight me! stop playing these little tricks!" on the other hand, li luo simply watched him like a fool. only an idiot would throw away the advantage they had earned! bang! the guardian spirits clashed with the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao and the devil fire hall. at the same moment, a flame flew high up into the air. the blaze showed a hundred beasts running, and it could be seen clearly from hundreds of miles away. this was the distress signal sent from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. however, the rest of their force was currently fighting with everything they had. when this signal appeared in the sky, everyone in the surrounding mountains and forests was shocked. why were they asking for help when they had such a huge advantage?! Chapter 0956: Surrender chapter 0956: surrender in the center district of the mountain. the people from the dragon''s blood lineage were trapped between the guardian spirits and zhao yan''s forces. zhao yan''s group was being really crafty with their offensive, launching long range attacks while staying just far enough to keep the guardian spirits from turning on them. this proved to be extremely problematic for the dragon''s blood lineage, and they struggled embarrassingly. with a sly smirk, zhao yan watched li wuyuan and his team arduously defend as he commented, "why bother with these pointless struggles, li wuyuan? just hand over your spirit resonance golden dew and your team can still leave here intact. this is just the beginning of the spiritual resonance cave, you''ll still have plenty of opportunities to earn more later on. going down here is an irrational choice." he had planned to persuade li wuyuan and his team into giving up. after all, these folks from the dragon''s blood lineage were not ordinary people. if they really decided to fight to the bitter end, it could result in heavy casualties for zhao yan''s side too. and this was an undesirable result. ultimately, it was just like what he had said. the spiritual resonance cave was just beginning, and it was essential for them to conserve their strength. hearing these words, li wuyuan''s face darkened and his eyes flared up in rage. he was the one who had led the rest here, and if he were to give up now, his standing and reputation among the five lineages would be tarnished for sure. moreover, he would have to cough up all the spirit resonance golden dew that he had collected thus far. he was extremely unwilling to do so. li qingfeng leaned over and told him with a complicated look on his face, "cousin wuyuan, our situation doesn''t look good. if we drag this on any longer, we''ll suffer heavy casualties." although zhao yan had an ulterior motive, what he had suggested was indeed the rational choice. li wuyuan gritted his teeth with a gloomy gaze. "li wuyuan, the other four lineages have fallen into the same predicament. if they decide to retreat before you, the dragon''s blood lineage will be the only one left. if that happens, there''ll be no chance for you to surrender anymore," zhao yan continued calmly with a cold, murderous intent hidden within his words. when he heard this, li wuyuan''s expression finally changed. zhao yan gave him another deadly stare, and resonant power surged within his body. eight blindingly bright heavenly pearls shone behind him as he took a stance and prepared to attack li wuyuan, increasing the pressure on him. as long as he could convince li wuyuan and his team to retreat here, the other four lineages would surely follow suit. in that case, he would be able to obtain all the spirit resonance golden dew easily. however, just as zhao yan attempted to persuade li wuyuan into surrendering, a bright flare shot up into the sky from the forest in the distance. this was the distress signal from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. zhao yan was completely taken aback by the sudden development. everyone else was also dumbfounded when they saw the signal in the sky. the distress signal required the blood essence of someone from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. as such, there was no chance that it was a false alarm. in other words, had one of their teams fallen into such grave danger that they were forced to ask for help? "how''s that possible?!" at this moment, even zhao yan spoke out in disbelief. zhao shenjiang and zhao fengxu''s group had gone in that direction. that was the location of the dragon''s fang lineage. based on their strength, they would not require any help even if the dragon''s fang lineage had not been trapped by the guardian spirits slaughter. there was no reason whatsoever for them to send out a distress call. what exactly was happening over there? what''s that useless bastard zhao fengxu doing over there?!" zhao yan shouted with ferocious eyes. he had nearly convinced the dragon''s blood lineage to retreat and gained control over the situation before this sudden development. just as zhao yan flared up over it, the other members of the dragon''s blood lineage stared in that direction in disbelief too. "is that... where the dragon''s fang lineage is? they actually forced the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao to send out a call for help?" li qingfeng asked in surprise. "how''s that possible? is it a mistake?" li hongli shook her head in disbelief. although this was good news, it was still unbelievable. after all, the dragon''s fang lineage should have been under a pincer attack from both the guardian spirits and the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao as well. as such, they should barely be able to protect themselves. how had they forced the enemy into a difficult predicament instead? li wuyuan was also caught by surprise for a moment before he regained his composure. his lips twitched slightly as he replied, "that is not a distress call that one would send out accidentally. you need to utilize your blood essence to activate it, so the chance of accidentally sending it out is really low. it seems like the situation over at the dragon''s fang lineage has taken an unexpected turn..." nonetheless, li wuyuan had no idea how the dragon''s fang lineage had pulled it off. even though li lingjing was comparable to himself in strength, the forces from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao were not that weak. there was no way the dragon''s fang lineage could have forced their enemies into such a difficult predicament within such a short span of time. it would be impossible even if li wuyuan had led his own group over there to assist. however, this was good news for them ultimately. with zhao fengxu and his group in danger, zhao yan would have to send aid over. in that case, the pincer attack he was facing on his side would weaken. he could finish off the guardian spirits first, and the end result would be anyone''s guess now. at the same time, the dragon''s scales lineage, the dragon''s bone lineage, and the dragon''s horn lineage were shocked to see the distress signal in the air too. the foes they were facing were surprised by it as well. the four other groups were overwhelming the enemies completely, so why was one group surrendering and asking for help?! what were they supposed to do now? as they pondered over this, another flare shot up into the air from the center district. this was a signal from their leader, zhao yan. it was a signal that told the other teams from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao to each send some men over to help out the distressed team in the east. this would ensure that their combat capabilities were not weakened too much. however, this would also provide a chance for the teams from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li to catch their breath. but there was little they could do about it. after all, they could not ignore zhao fengxu, zhao shenjiang, and their team. zhao shenjiang was the highly valued leader of the current generation. if they ignored it and things got out of hand, they would be severely punished upon their return. as such, the three teams each sent two people over to their aid. without any hesitation, these people flew towards the distress signal at their fastest speed. back at the center district, zhao yan looked over to tian miao from the devil fire hall and told him, "brother tian, i''ll leave this place to you for now. you just need to keep watch over the dragon''s blood lineage here. once i''ve dealt with matters over there, i''ll return immediately. we''ll finish them off together!" tian miao could only nod helplessly. "i can help you hold them back for a while. however, i''ll not be able to handle li wuyuan once they finish clearing up the guardian spirits." "don''t worry, i''ll be back before then," zhao yan replied with a cold voice. his resonant power surged and he flew into the sky, rushing towards where the distress signal had come from. at this moment, numerous figures were soaring towards the east. the situation had changed completely. the root cause of this was li luo. he stood over the valley and enjoyed the view as zhao fengxu, zhao shenjiang, and his team struggled pathetically against the waves of guardian spirits. "li luo, they''ve sent out a distress call. assistance from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao will arrive shortly. should we strike at them now?" li fuling asked. li luo simply shook his head and replied, "if we attack now, the guardian spirits will come after us too." "when their help arrives, these guardian spirits won''t be able to handle them," li fuling said with a frown. hearing this, a radiant smile appeared on li luo''s handsome face. "there''s no need to hurry. wait for their help to arrive first." he glanced around the valley as he said this. there were still some flame catalysts that he had yet to trigger. he had kept them around specifically to deal with the reinforcements. the wait did not last long. soon, beams of light descended from the edge of the sky towards them, each with a terrifying murderous aura. amongst them, the resonant power from their leader was so domineering that li fuling''s face changed completely. "it''s zhao yan. he''s an eight-pearl!" li fuling reminded them immediately. in fact, zhao yan''s vicious voice had echoed loudly in the air before he even arrived here. "since all of you from the dragon''s fang lineage do not know your place, i''ll bury all of you here today!" Chapter 0957: Forced Retreat chapter 0957: forced retreat on his way over, zhao yan had spotted zhao fengxu and the encirclement of guardian spirits. similarly, he instantly understood why they had sent out the call for help. the guardian spirits that were attacking them did pose a significant threat, and there were also the people from the dragon''s fang lineage closely watching them like tigers eyeing their prey, waiting for the right opportunity. however, the people from the dragon''s fang lineage did not dare to enter the valley. doing so would make the guardian spirits target them, and the pressure on the group from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao would be reduced as a result. still... zhao fengxu and the rest were supposed to combine their efforts with the guardian spirits to pressure the dragon''s fang lineage. how was it that they were the ones trapped instead? could it be that the people from the dragon''s fang lineage had not gathered any spirit resonance golden dew to begin with? that they had been waiting there in ambush all along? "elder brother yan, are we going to rescue them?" someone beside zhao yan asked. zhao yan sighed deeply and then sternly shook his head. "let''s wait for a while longer. i feel like things are a little strange. the situation should not have resulted in the guardian spirits encircling zhao fengxu''s group." after which, he coldly glared at li luo''s group, who were standing atop one side of the valley. "i''ll giveyou one chance. leave the valley and surrender all your spirit resonance golden dew. then i''ll let you go." the ones around him were shocked that zhao yan had chosen to take a step back in this situation. li luo was similarly surprised. with the way zhao yan had barged onto the scene with that murderous aura and statement, why had he suddenly changed tack and only requested for the spirit resonance golden dew to be surrendered? had he discovered something? "well, if you let the other four lineages off, we will go." li luo smiled after thinking about things. zhao yan emotionlessly stared at him. "i chose to give you face, but it seems you want it. do you really think i won''t deal with you?" "why don''t you give it a try, then?" just as li luo''s voice sounded out, he could feel a sense of impending danger that made his skin begin to prickle. with a thought, the resonant power within him burst out and the dragon sigil on his forehead burst out with blinding light. at that very moment, a dark-green shuttle appeared before li luo, and it seemed to be fused with the wind. on its tip was a sharp light. killing intent exploded from it. the shuttle flashed by with almost imperceptible speed, directly swiping at li luo''s throat. however, a sword appeared from behind li luo''s back at this moment, surged with monstrous amounts of resonant power that tore through the air and moved with great agility before colliding directly with the shuttle. bang! large amounts of resonant power radiated in every direction. it was as though a bomb had gone off, forcing everyone else to retreat. li luo took two steps back, but his gaze was tightly fixated upon the point of collision. the green shuttle had been blocked by the sword, then it gradually vanished into thin air. after which, it reappeared by zhao yan''s side. it started whizzing around his body, causing ear-piercing sounds of wind to break out as it whistled past. zhao yans assassination attempt had been foiled, and a look of shock surfaced in his eyes. he then looked behind li luo and saw a gorgeous young lady beside him. her hand was grasping a longsword, and her jade-like face had a slight smile on it. her clear eyes seemed to contain a hint of demureness, whilst the slightly raised corners of her eyes gave her a mysterious but alluring aura. "what a despicable person. striking covertly in the middle of a conversation." she grinned as she locked eyes with zhao yan. "who are you? i''ve never heard of someone like you in the five guardian armies." zhao yan had an overcast expression on his face as he spoke. the young lady before him seemed to be no weaker than li wuyuan. however, li wuyuan was the previous generation''s dragon''s head, so how could it be that this unknown lady was comparable to him? as a close nemesis of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, he naturally possessed a lot of understanding of the inner workings of the heavenly dragon''s five guardian armies, yet he knew nothing about this lady. when li lingjing heard those words, she sullenly replied, "i''m just an incapable and weak young lady who was unable to enter the five guardian armies." zhao yan snorted. someone who could defend against his move was a weak young lady? li luo similarly smiled. "thank you, cousin lingjing." zhao yan''s sudden aggression was beyond his expectations. even though he had noticed traces of the wind shuttle, he might be in a terrible state right now without li lingjing''s timely intervention. "you are very courteous, cousin." li lingjing laughed before she turned her gaze back towards zhao yan. "this man is crafty and devious, you best be careful." li luo nodded as he glanced at zhao yan. "it looks like you''re not in a rush to save your companions." zhao yan indifferently replied, "they can still hold on for a bit more. dealing with you before rescuing them will lead to the same outcome. we are in an advantageous position, so all we have to do is hold on. once the other lineages are unable to fend us off, they will retreat and our advantage will further snowball till you give up. conversely, if you were smarter, you would know that retreating now is the best course of action." li luo shook his head. "i have a feeling they can''t hold on any longer." when he finished that sentence, he stretched out his hand and lightly beckoned in the air, causing the remaining flame catalysts to detonate. he had originally wanted to do this after zhao yan entered the valley, but it seemed like the latter was still remaining on high alert, unwilling to descend. since that was the case, he might as well give zhao shenjiang the massive banquet he so desired. bang! everyone was taken aback by the sudden swelling of worldly natural energy within the valley. accompanying the condensation of countless drops of spirit resonance golden dew, numerous guardian spirits spawn out of thin air, directly rushing towards zhao shenjiang, zhao fengxu, and their companions. their group was barely holding on, so their faces turned green the moment they noticed what was happening. "li luo, you bastard!" zhao jingyu screamed. he had already accumulated numerous injuries, and due to the significant numbers of guardian spirits, zhao shenjiang was unable to watch his back. li luo beamed at him as he couldn''t be bothered to reply. instead, he turned his attention back towards the extremely despondent zhao yan. "how long do you think they can last?" zhao yan coldly glared at li luo. "so it turns out you''re the one who lured them into a trap through some unknown means and activated all of the hidden worldly natural energy in the area. this is why they were stuck and had to call for help." "well, if you don''t rescue them, they are going to be grievously injured," li luo calmly explained. "if you take action, we will too. thanks to the help of these guardian spirits, you''ll also be stuck in a pincer attack." zhao yan''s gaze was now completely flooded with killing intent. if looks could kill, li luo would have been shredded to pieces. this sight caused li luo to give a wry smile, and the dragon sigil on his forehead glowed. he had directly activated his sanctified dragon''s body and bolstered his bodys defense. "don''t even think of trying to sneak attack me again. my cousin isn''t any weaker than you, and your lackeys might not be any stronger than my team." li luo pointed at li lingjing after setting up some defensive measures. "thus, the one who has to make a decision is you. of course, you can also take a gamble and see if the other four lineages collapse first. however, will zhao shenjiang and the rest be able to hold on for that long?" li luo''s piercing words caused zhao yan''s expression to turn malevolent. he realized that his side''s situation had truly become a little precarious at this very moment. zhao shenjiang and zhao fengxu were in imminent peril, and if he did not take action, the people in their group would either die or be seriously injured. it was as zhao yan had just said to li wuyuan. the spiritual resonance cave had just opened, and if they were to accumulate injuries so early on, their chances at later opportunities would dwindle. additionally, zhao shenjiang was someone who was being nurtured and seen as important to the bloodline. if he were to fall under his watch, zhao yan would receive unimaginable punishment. however, taking action to save them would lead to the dragon''s fang lineage taking action, and their situation might not improve either. if he had not discovered li lingjing''s true power, zhao yan might very well have chosen to attack li luo directly to kill him. but that short exchange had demonstrated that li lingjing was at the eight-pearl tier, and he had no faith that he would be able to swiftly get rid of li luo in such a situation. he was stuck at an impasse. they could not advance, nor retreat, nor fight... could it be that the only solution was to wait for one of the other lineages to crumble? looking at the desperate situation zhao fengxu and his group were in, zhao yan knew that they could not hold on for that long. zhao yan felt so furious that his temples were throbbing. he simply could not understand how their advantageous position had ended up in such a disastrous state. was li luo the harbinger of disaster? zhao yan took a deep breath and recomposed himself whilst icily staring at li luo. "what do you want?" li luo coolly replied, "give the command to retreat. once the signal has been sent, the dragon''s fang lineage will take a step back and you can rescue your men. after that, you can do whatever you wish." so long as the leader issued the signal to retreat, the other teams that were attacking the other lineages would obey obediently, even if they did not understand the reason for it. this would resolve the dangerous situation the five lineages were in and allow them to quickly deal with the guardian spirits. without the two-pronged attack, they would not be afraid of a head-on clash with the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, and blood would run across the fields. it would be anyone''s guess who would end up in a worse situation. "the other four lineages on your side are already at a disadvantage. just what gives you the right to ask us to relinquish our advantage and retreat?" zhao yan furiously smiled. "then we''ll just see who dies first. either way, the dragon''s fang lineage is fine and i''ve done everything i could. no one would blame me if the worst case scenario came to be," li luo casually remarked. the veins on zhao yan''s temples were throbbing in fury. he was originally going to watch two tigers go at each other and then take advantage of their weakness to benefit from both parties. however, li luo had dumped a bucket of cold water over all his plans. even if they could succeed in the end, they would have to pay a considerable price. if this had happened near the conclusion of the spiritual resonance cave and they had already obtained all the opportunities possible, zhao yan would very well have chosen to engage in a grand struggle against them. alas, they hadn''t even seen the shadow of these prized opportunities. on the dragon''s fang lineages side, li fuling, li fengyi, and the rest were closely observing the conflicted zhao yan. they couldn''t help but glance at li luo momentarily as well. they had never expected such a turning of the tides to be orchestrated by li luo, and if they were able to assist the other lineages in escaping this problematic situation, li luo''s influence would surely grow to be as strong as li wuyuans. zhao yan''s internal struggles continued for only a short while before the sound of a pitiful cry punctuated the air. one of the members from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao had his arm severed, causing his fresh blood to spray in an eye-catching sight. this cry finally broke the stalemate within zhao yan''s heart. he sucked in a deep breath and, without any further hesitation, directly sent out a signal with his blood essence. a gigantic, blood-red painting that contained hundreds of beasts shot into the air and scattered in every direction. Chapter 0958: Full of Hatred chapter 0958: full of hatred when zhao yan released the signal to retreat, the other teams in the forest similarly noticed it. however, they couldnt help but wonder if their leader had gone absolutely insane in the head. they were in an advantageous position and the heavenly dragon''s five lineages were on the verge of collapse. holding on just a while longer would force them to rout. yet right as they were on the precipice of victory, zhao yan had given the signal to retreat. if not for the fact that zhao yan''s family members were high-level elders of the bloodline, they would have suspected that he had been compromised. the leaders of each team were full of questions. the signal had come from the east, which was the direction the rescue team had gone towards. wasn''t zhao yan reinforcing that group? had zhao yan also been trapped in the same situation? what was going on there? was there a duke present?! why else would zhao yan be forced to retreat despite their perceived advantage? based on their understanding of him, something major should have occurred. something that he could not resolve easily. the numerous team leaders on the side of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao felt extremely complicated at this development. should they comply with the order or continue to push their assault? still, they did not take long to come to a decision. if they retreated and something went wrong, it would be zhao yan''s fault. on the other hand, if they did not retreat and the situation blew up, they would inevitably have to take responsibility. it was easy to see which path they should take. a few moments later, the team leaders gave the command to retreat, and the group turned tail in a flash. this strange change left the heavenly dragon''s five lineages in confusion. on the dragon''s scale lineage''s side, li guan was single-handedly holding off three five-pearl guardian spirits. he originally held the upper hand, but with the arrival of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao and their constant harassment, he had to split his attention. this left him in a sorry state. he was still bitterly awaiting an opportunity to turn things around, but who would have expected that they would all turn tail just like that? although he didn''t know what was going on, he took advantage of this opening. his resonant power burst out without restraint and he viciously attacked a guardian spirit. "duke art: golden scaled fist strike!" worldly natural energy started rushing towards him and fusing with his resonant power. a giant, golden fist around a hundred feet wide manifested in the sky, and it was covered in a layer of golden dragon scales. this fist was like a gigantic dragon striking with all its force, capable of shattering mountains. when the golden fist manifestation crashed into the first guardian spirit, its target immediately shattered into motes of light and the remaining two were sent flying, energy constantly dissipating from their bodies. after dealing with one of the three guardian spirits, li guan felt the pressure on his end subside immensely. the people of the dragon''s scale lineage similarly summoned up their strength and launched a vicious counterattack, dealing with a large number of guardian spirits. not too long after, the situation was under control and the group congregated. "what happened in the east?" someone asked curiously. they clearly saw that the situation there had changed and the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao had been forced to step back. "isn''t the east where the dragon''s fang lineage chose to go? could someone from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao have been captured?" lu qingmei suggested as she tightly clutched her glazed rod and glanced in that direction. li guan hesitated for a moment before saying, "zhao yan was sent to reinforce the east, and he is comparable to li wuyuan in terms of strength. even though the dragon''s fang lineage has a li lingjing, it should only lead to a stalemate. how could they have forced zhao yan to release the signal to retreat?" the only explanation behind zhao yans decision was that their side had encountered colossal danger. the rest glanced at each other, none of them able to come up with any plausible responses. "forget about it. now that the guardian spirits have been dealt with, let''s collect the spirit resonance golden dew and regroup with the rest," li guan commanded. the rest assented as they quickly scattered to do so. a similar sight occurred in the other directions of the forest as well. on the other hand, the devil fire hall were the ones who felt the most confused. tian miao was leading the group suppressing the dragon''s blood lineage and attacking them from afar. the way he saw it, with zhao yan taking action, the dragon''s fang lineage would be quickly dealt with and they would be in a superior position. however, he never expected that zhao yan would release the signal to retreat. it was especially confusing when he saw the team from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao pause momentarily before choosing to leave. as a result, he couldn''t contain himself as he shouted, "wait! wait!!! the bloodline of heavenly emperor li is about to collapse. if we don''t deal with them now, our efforts will all be in vain when they eventually regroup!" tian miao''s expression was steely green. an individual from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao frowned. "elder brother yan has given the signal. i''m sure he has a good reason for doing so, and he is also our leader. we naturally have to obey his orders. tian miao, we feel even more disgruntled than you are. however, we have no choice but to follow orders; otherwise, who can take responsibility if something goes wrong?" after which, they ignored tian miao, who was clearly panicking, and quickly retreated out of the forest. "trash! you''ll never be able to accomplish anything in your lives!" tian miao was trembling with anger. he had put himself at great risk by plotting against the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, and his team would inevitably bear the brunt of their anger after they escaped this predicament. at the same time, he understood that being angry wasn''t a solution. with the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao''s retreat, the devil fire hall could not single-handedly restrict the bloodline of heavenly emperor li''s teams, so he had to grit his teeth and lead his men away. the people from the dragon''s blood lineage watched their enemies scatter like frightened animals and fell into deep thought. after which, their gazes turned towards the east as well. what was going on? "you still haven''t left?" atop the valley in the east, zhao yan''s gloomy gaze surveyed the group from the dragon''s fang lineage. he could already imagine the countless scoldings he would attract after releasing the signal to retreat. but there was no other option. although the other areas were at an advantage, it was ultimately just a minor one. on the other hand, this location was already completely compromised. the other four teams would not emerge victorious in a short amount of time. meanwhile, zhao shenjiang and zhao fengxu were facing the very real risk of falling here. if they had to blame someone, it would be li luo with his vicious summoning of countless guardian spirits. li luo looked at zhao yans malevolent eyes. deep down, he knew that he might have just become the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao yan''s number one target. the enmity formed today might end up being a little too much to bear. still, he could only sigh helplessly. if that was the case, then he might as well push things to the extreme. at the same time, he pointed towards the guardian spirits who were chasing a miserable-looking zhao jingyu. "i like that underworld thunder runic arrow you bought at the golden dragon bank yesterday. give it to me." zhao jingyu seethed in anger when he heard that greedy statement. "in your dreams!" this bastard was clearly hitting him when he was down. "your refusal has forced us to stay here for a while longer. your fellow teammates are getting more and more injured as time goes on. just let it go, treasures are just objects. after all, don''t you remember giving me those five dragon fangs in the past? you might have been unfamiliar with the practice of giving on your first time, but you''re already accustomed to it. that''s what''s important," li luo stated. li fuling and li fengyi shot li luo a strange look. they were completely taken aback by how shameless he was. "give it to me, zhao jingyu," zhao yan emotionlessly commanded. zhao jingyu clenched his teeth and unwillingly removed the underworld thunder runic arrow from his pocket sphere before throwing it in zhao yan''s direction. zhao yan received the object, and after inspecting it briefly, he shot it towards li luo with a flick. "take it. i hope you''ll keep that little life of yours safe. the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao will definitely spare no effort in killing you before we leave the spiritual resonance cave. take care." zhao yan''s icy voice was laced with bone-chilling murderous intent. one could clearly see that he had been absolutely aggravated by li luo. li luo received the underworld thunder runic arrow and, without any other words, turned to leave with unfurled energy wings. the rest of the dragon''s fang lineage similarly left. only then did zhao yan and the rest proceed with a rescue. Chapter 0959: Li Luos Growing Influence chapter 0959: li luo''s growing influence somewhere far away from the valley. li luo and the rest stopped, and he glanced towards the valley they had retreated from. frightening surges of resonant power undulations were emanating from that location, causing the ground to tremble and shudder. gigantic cracks were forming in every direction like giant pythons tunneling beneath the surface, leveling the forest. zhao yan and the rest had taken out all the stops to rescue zhao shenjiang and zhao fengxu. "do we want to take this opportunity to ambush them?" the one who asked was lu ze, who was the previous generation''s gold light banner leader. he could feel the tremors quaking through the ground, and a sinister gleam could be seen in his eyes. li luo shook his head. "if we truly drive them into a corner, we will also pay a heavy price. we were only able to force zhao yan back a step because the time was right. if the spiritual resonance cave was about to end, he would not have opted to rescue his teammates. dealing a crippling blow to the dragon''s blood lineage would have been a far better choice." li fuling and the rest nodded in agreement. they had been lucky to come out unscathed, and if they did try to harass zhao yan, he might really put his life on the line. if that happened, they would suffer as well. "it looks like we have to thank you, third brother. otherwise, all five lineages would have fallen into a trap. the combined efforts of the guardian spirits, the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, and the devil fire hall would have left us scrambling for our lives with significant injuries." li jingtao sighed. this was something no one could deny. even li fuling, who was the group''s leader in name, let go of her formalness, speaking to li luo pleasantly for once. "cousin li luo has not only saved the dragon''s fang lineage, but the other four as well." li luo didn''t really care about the other four lineages, because he was ultimately just looking out for himself. "more importantly, how much spirit resonance golden dew did we gather?" li luo asked the question everyone was most interested in knowing. li fengyi piped up. "we received fifty-two droplets of spirit resonance golden dew. there was more than that, but some landed in the valley and we didn''t dare to collect it." the rest flashed excited smiles. this had far exceeded their expectations, as they had only expected perhaps twenty droplets in the beginning. li luo nodded. fifty-two wasn''t considered little, but it was far from what they needed. there were over ten individuals from the dragon''s fang lineage, and if they wanted at least half of them to be able to ascend the golden dew platform, they would need over two hundred droplets. however, he was not in a rush. the spiritual resonance cave had just opened, so there was plenty of time to obtain more. "give the signal to inform the rest of the four lineages to gather here. enemies are still around, so scattering will leave us susceptible to being chased down," li luo informed li fuling. after defusing the previous situation, li luo''s standing within the squad had soared, and even li fuling started to take his opinions more seriously. thus, she immediately released the signal with her blood essence to inform the rest to gather. the manifestation of a dragon soared into the skies with life-like vigor, a sight which could be seen hundreds of miles around. ten minutes later, sonic booms could be heard as ten over figures with dragon wings descended before li luo. li luo swept his gaze over them, and his eyes eventually landed on lu qingmei. it seemed that the first group to arrive was the dragon''s scale lineage. "fuling, what happened on your end?" the leader of the dragon''s scale lineage''s squad, li guan, asked the very moment he arrived as though he could not hold in his curiosity any longer. the rest from the dragon''s scale lineage were all similarly shocked. "is lady lingjing the reason for this?" li guan turned towards her. she was the most mysterious individual, and her true strength was unknown. if it was because of her, things would make sense. li lingjing gave a shallow smile. "although i wish to claim credit for this, it largely has nothing to do with me. the one who contributed the most is my handsome cousin li luo." these words caused everyone''s looks to shift towards li luo in complete disbelief. he was the one who had forced the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao and the devil fire hall to retreat? how could that be possible? li fuling then proceeded to briefly explain the situation. this caused the people from the dragon''s scale lineage to fall into momentary silence as they processed the surprise within them. "there''s no need to be too surprised over this. i was simply lucky. the first group sent by the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao was coincidentally surrounded by guardian spirits, then zhao yan rushed over to help. in the end, he realized that the guardian spirits were too strong, and he was concerned we might launch a pincer attack on them. therefore, he opted to retreat." li luo grinned. li luo''s words were simple and they glossed over the details. however, the dragon''s scale lineage were not fools and did not fully believe him either. what did he mean by coincidentally encircled by the guardian spirits? and then the guardian spirits happened to turn out to be too strong? someone must have manipulated things behind this series of lucky encounters. lu qingmeis gaze then turned towards the valley, where the energy undulations seemed to have died down. they then saw several figures ascend into the skies. the one in the lead was zhao yan, but astonishment arose within li guan and the rest''s hearts. there were countless individuals behind zhao yan who were riddled with eye-catching injuries. some even had broken limbs, and they looked extremely pitiful. "such serious wounds? how many guardian spirits did they face off against?" the dragon''s scale lineage''s people were scratching their heads. they finally had an idea about how mighty the supposedly "stronger" guardian spirits were. zhao yan gloomily glared in their direction with immense amounts of killing intent. unsurprisingly, most of it was focused upon li luo, and it could be seen that he detested him. however, zhao yan noticed that another lineage had arrived, and his expression darkened even further. he had wanted to see if there was an opportunity to deal with li luo right away, but the quick arrival of his allies caused him to rethink. the rest of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao had already left the forest anyway. "go!" zhao yan spat out a single word as he fiercely turned, his resonant power surging into the air. zhao jingyu''s eyes were red as he sinisterly eyed li luo like a wolf, almost desperate to find a way to deal with him to vent the bitterness in his heart. he had unwillingly offered li luo five dragon fangs on a silver platter during their first encounter. after their second meeting, the underworld thunder runic arrow he had barely bought a day ago was now sitting in li luo''s pocket as well. even his respected father was not as generous as he was! "let''s go. now that it''s with him, we will find a way to pry it from his dead corpse in future." zhao shenjiang did not look at li luo, merely reminding zhao jingyu with a single sentence before leaving and following zhao yan. his actions seemed nonchalant, but those who were well-acquainted with zhao shenjiang knew that he hated li luo to the core as well. thus, zhao jingyu took a deep breath and calmed himself before quickly tailing behind the leaving team. not long after the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao''s team had left, the remaining three lineages appeared from the depths of the forest, gathering where li luo had previously signaled from. "where is zhao yan?" li wuyuan uttered with the desire to kill. li luo pointed in the direction they had gone towards. "they''ve left already. it''s too late to chase them." the corner of li wuyuan''s lips twitched as he looked towards li lingjing. as he was about to speak, she sighed lightly. "don''t ask any. it had nothing to do with me. the reason why you were able to escape your predicament was mainly due to li luo." li fengyi then explained what had happened, repeating the sequence of events before intentionally looking at li hongli. "if not for li luo, the dragon''s blood lineage might have been injured, perhaps even finished." this caused li hongli''s expression to turn white. she wanted to retort, but she realized that it was truly possible that the story she had just been told was true. additionally, she wasn''t particularly outstanding when it came to her personal strength, so if something had happened, she might not have been able to protect herself adequately. thus, she swallowed down the words in her mouth and quietly stood by. the rest similarly fell silent. no one could deny li luo''s contributionthey wouldn''t have been able to turn the tides without his brazen actions. otherwise, they might have been forced to pay a significant price to escape. in the end, the people of the dragon''s horn lineage and the dragon''s bone lineage turned towards li luo and respectfully cupped their hands. on the dragon''s blood lineages side, li wuyuan sucked in a deep breath before saying, "dragon''s head li luo, you are extraordinary. the dragon''s blood lineage is truly thankful to you for salvaging such a hopeless situation." li fuling coldly snorted at this point. "the dragon''s fang lineage would never take advantage nor plot against our own." anger could be sensed in her statement. this was clearly directed at the dragon''s blood lineage and how they had used their ward to transfer some of the guardian spirits to other districts, secretly borrowing the aid of the other lineages to reduce the pressure on their end. when faced with li fuling''s words, li wuyuan''s expression turned a little overcast, but he could only shamelessly reply, "this is something i''m not aware of. perhaps it was the ward malfunctioning. no one informed us about this when we were told of this area." li wuyuan would never dare to admit the truth before the other lineages. additionally, the number of guardian spirits that were transferred to the other lineages was not as overt as that of the dragon''s fang lineage. the other three lineages similarly glanced at li wuyuan briefly but did not say anything. they had similarly sensed that the ward could transfer guardian spirits from one district to another, but as the numbers sent their way was not as significant, they would not speak out against the dragon''s blood lineage so openly. the only thing was that a hint of distrust had been seeded within their hearts, unknowingly lowering the prestige and image li wuyuan had built up. if he ever wished to rally the other three lineages for assistance, it would not be as easy to do so as before. still, li wuyuan had no other choice. if things had gone smoothly, the other lineages would have tolerated his actions since they had benefited off him. but things had ended up this way... thus, li wuyuan could only bite the bullet, ignoring the slightly judgmental gazes of the other three lineages. li luo gave a slight smile, but he did not comment any further. "now that everyone has gathered, we can leave. this way, we can prevent the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao and the devil fire hall from regrouping and causing trouble for us." the other lineages agreed. with a tiger like the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao eyeing them, they would temporarily choose to band together. "let''s go." li luo unfurled his energy wings and left the forest. behind him, the other squads from the other lineages immediately followed suit. the only difference was that the people from the dragon''s blood lineage felt a little uncomfortable as they were used to being in the lead. li wuyuan''s expression changed upon this sight. however, he could only sigh and follow the group as well. Chapter 0960: Pairs chapter 0960: pairs when the bloodline of heavenly emperor li left the forest, they did not encounter a single individual from the rival bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. it seemed as though zhao yan did not wish to engage in a decisive battle at this point in time. the two parties did not differ too much in strength, and if push came to shove, achieving victory would not be a simple matter. the most likely scenario would be that both sides would end up heavily injured and retreating to lick their wounds. if enemies were plotting in the shadows, both parties might very well depart the spiritual resonance cave prematurely. thus, despite the fact that zhao yan was absolutely incensed and hated li luo, wishing to tear him into thousands of pieces, he had to retreat. meanwhile, the devil fire hall had received news of zhao yan retreating much earlier, so tian miao naturally did the same as well. however, he berated zhao yan deep in his heart. ... despite not seeing any traces of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, the heavenly dragon''s five lineages continued to maintain a single body as they retreated, in order to ensure that they would be guarded from any retaliatory measures by them. the entire squad began to head in the direction of the golden dew platform and the deeper regions of the spiritual resonance cave. this situation persisted for half a day before the leaders of the respective lineages gathered again to determine the next course of action. "everyone, now that we have reached this point, i believe it is time we split up." the one who spoke first was none other than li wuyuan. his expression was slightly helpless. the group had encountered droplets of spirit resonance golden dew, but what they had received was far too lacking when compared to what was gathered in the forest. only a few droplets would be found during each encounter, and with almost a hundred individuals gathered together, such a pitiful trickle was insufficient for everyone''s needs. in fact, it would only lead to strife as people bickered over the distribution. at the end of the day, it would also affect the overall efficiency of distribution and it only cause frustration. "the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao has left, and it''s unlikely they are still chasing us. thus, we should change the way we move." li luo agreed. based on past experience, it made more sense to split into groups of two to scour for spirit resonance golden dew. this way, when the golden dew platforms opened up, there would be a larger number of individuals who could reap the benefits. the other leaders nodded in agreement as well. "since that''s the case, let us divide ourselves into new groups and scatter from here. when the golden dew platform is ready, we can gather," li wuyuan continued. everyone nodded, and li luo and li fuling returned to the dragon''s fang lineage''s squad. li luo explained the situation to the rest. "we are going to scatter, and the most effective way to do so will be in pairs, with one stronger and one weaker. this way, everyone can be taken care of." this meant that an individual of a higher heavenly pearl tier would be matched with someone with weaker combat strength. only by doing this could each group possess significant might and successfully obtain more dew. "i''ll group up with you, cousin li luo, since my role is to protect you." li lingjing immediately spoke up before she glanced at li fuling with a smile. "fuling, i don''t believe you''ll fight me for this chance, will you?" li fuling pouted. "it''s not like he''s some sort of amazing steamed bun. what is there to fight over? i''ll group up with fengyi." the rest similarly formed their own pairs, which, to a certain extent, were already decided beforehand. deng fengxian and lu ze were one pair, and li jingtao was paired with the previous generation''s violet spirit banner leader. after this was complete, li luo smiled. "since this is the case, i''ll congratulate everyone in advance for successfully obtaining ample amounts of spirit resonance golden dew. let us butt heads again at the golden dew platform." "take care, little brother," li fengyi teased. li luo grinned and nodded. "if you encounter danger, don''t forget to release the dragon''s fang lineage''s signal for help. if i''m nearby, i will definitely come to your assistance." "you too. now that the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao hates you to the bone, they will definitely take revenge if the opportunity surfaces," li jingtao reminded. li luo nodded. after the heavenly dragon''s five lineages had completed their own arrangements, they said their goodbyes and the pairs scattered. li luo and li lingjing similarly picked a direction, and he activated his energy wings whilst she surrounded her body with dense amounts of resonant power. the duo then soared away steadily. they passed through mountains and rivers before discovering places with dense amounts of worldly natural energy which they would then descend to and investigate. generally, it would be li luo doing the searching as li lingjing leisurely followed behind. she even picked up a small branch and twirled it around for fun, rolling up a leaf into a whistle and creating a pleasant melody. it was an indescribably leisurely and elegant sight. they occasionally encountered guardian spirits, and li luo was the one who almost always took action. whenever she watched from the side, she would beam happily whilst cheering him on. they also came across groups of rogue cultivators who were similar to jackals, greedy and vicious. these cultivators were mostly above the fiend body tier, and some even had multiple heavenly pearls. li luo might have had a hard time escaping their clutches if he were alone. they didn''t care about his background, and if they did take action to rob and plunder, no one would know. the bright side was that li luo had li lingjing as a reliable guardian. with strength at the eight-pearl tier, none of the rogue cultivators dared to even set their sights upon them. two days passed quietly this way, with a tacit understanding between them. they had obtained eight droplets of spirit resonance golden dew. combined with the dew they had obtained in the valley, each of them had fifteen droplets to their name, which was halfway to the required amount. however, no one would resent having more droplets. even though thirty droplets were needed to activate the golden dew platform, the extra amounts could be used to temper one''s resonance. it could be considered a type of spirit liquid and purifying light that was created by the world around them. if this liquid were placed in the outside world, it would undoubtedly attract endless demand. it was thus a pity that the spirit resonance golden dew would dissipate shortly after it was taken out of the spiritual resonance cave. however, li luo and li lingjing were not in a rush. there was still plenty of time, so obtaining thirty droplets should not be a problem. a small fire was lit in a vast field, sending smoke wafting into the sky. li luo took out some meat that he had prepared beforehand from his pocket sphere and roasted it above the fire. the golden-yellow fat glistened as it dripped off the bone, resulting in an unbelievable fragrance that permeated through the area. li lingjing was sitting beside the fire, focused on the meat with a look of anticipation. as the meat slowly reached the ideal temperature, li luo flashed li lingjing a smile. "you seem a lot more carefree these days." she took a light whiff of the delicious aroma before she replied, "well, there''s no one else around. of course i can feel more relaxed." "do you dislike interacting with others, cousin lingjing?" li luo asked after a short pause. her eyes seemed to droop at this point. "perhaps it''s mental trauma after all these years." hearing this, li luo picked up a perfectly grilled piece of meat and handed it to her before he said with a soft voice, "you dont need to worry any longer. the nightmare has passed, and with your talent, we will become the dragon''s fang lineage''s dual geniuses. becoming a duke or even a king is just a matter of time!" li lingjing covered her mouth coyly as she gently bit into the piece of meat. her red lips seemed even more delicate when smudged with a hint of oil, and her gaze seemed to be filled with happiness. "you speak such honeyed words, cousin. before we separated, cousin fengyi reminded me to protect you properly. your enemies are not fewon top of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, there''s also the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing''s renowned fairy of water. so you can relax''ll still do my best to ensure your safety even if you don''t say such nice things." she then gave a strange smile. "of course, the fairy of water is an exceptional lady, so i can leave her to you if you don''t want me to interfere." li luo rolled his eyes as he scarfed down the remaining pieces of meat before starting to cultivate. li lingjing, on the other hand, continued to sit by the fire, tending to the flame with a stick. then she paused all of a sudden, and a frown crept up on her face. at the same time, she looked towards the darkness in the distance. there was a strange feeling tugging at her ever since she entered the spiritual resonance cave, as though she was being watched. the feeling was eerie and cold. it even seemed a little familiar. her eyes shrunk, and a frightening look surfaced from the depths of her eyes. her slender fingers slowly ground the wooden stick into dust. as the fire crackled lightly, she whispered almost indiscernibly, "don''t force me..." Chapter 0961: Purifying Spirit Resonance Golden Dew chapter 0961: purifying spirit resonance golden dew before long, the hard work of li luo and li lingjing garnered a total of sixty droplets of spirit resonance golden dew. however, something interesting occurred in the midst of all this. li luo was experimenting with the spirit resonance golden dew and his acquired resonance flame. he wanted to see what would happen if the two were used together. what caused him to be extremely surprised was that the acquired resonance flame could refine the spirit resonance golden dew and purify it! in an attempt to see how far he could go, he added droplet after droplet of spirit resonance golden dew into the flame until he finally obtained a golden crystal the size of a baby''s thumb. when the golden crystal landed in li luo''s hand, it melted into a stream of pure energy just before he was able to inspect it, then it entered his body. the mysterious energy caused his three resonant palaces to tremble. and his resonances, which usually sat quietly within them, suddenly attempted to break out of the resonant palaces so they could devour that mysterious energy! clearly, the golden crystal created from the spirit resonance golden dew was of great use in improving one''s resonance. after hesitating for a moment, li luo then directed the energy into his thunder dragon resonance. it was the weakest amongst the three, a lower seventh-grade, and his aim was to raise all of his resonances to the eighth-grade by the end of this expedition. after the energy was absorbed by the thunder dragon resonance, the resonant power within it seemed to have become much more refined. when the process was over, draconic cries and thunderous booms resounded throughout the palace. the effect of the crystal was equivalent to refining an eighth-grade spirit liquid or purifying light. this caused li luo to feel a little taken aback. one had to understand that a single eighth-grade spirit liquid or purifying light would cost several million skygold. even though he had obtained the salary of the main hall master of the green nether hall, using such pricey spirit liquids and purifying lights would cause him to feel a hint of heartache at the sheer cost. who wouldve guessed that the golden crystals could also provide such a wondrous effect? "the spiritual resonance cave is truly a top tier secret realm. i can''t comprehend how the sacred void resonance sect actually managed to construct it." li luo was deeply amazed. of course, he similarly understood that the spirit resonance golden dew did not have such good effects on its ownit only reached its full potential with the assistance of the acquired resonance flame. it seemed as though the acquired resonance godly forging art was exceptional even within the sacred void resonance sect. li luo''s mind started to race, and he suddenly thought of something. peering into the jade bottle used to contain the spirit resonance golden dew, he realized that the only thing he could see was its cold, empty bottom. lost in his curiosity, he had exhausted the entire stock of his hard-earned dew in the purification process. "i''ve squandered all my efforts from the last few days..." li luo sighed helplessly. it looked like he would have to redouble his efforts to gather more spirit resonance golden dew. as he sighed, he felt a trace of resonant power undulations from the forest in front of him. at the same time, he heard something resembling a cry for help. "cousin lingjing?" li luo was slightly shocked. li lingjing had scouted the area earlier, so it shouldve been safe. when he made his way over to investigate, he saw several miserable figures sprawled out on the forest floor. shortly after, li lingjing sauntered out with a bamboo pole in her hand. "cousin li luo, it seems like they have something important to say." li lingjing grinned slightly as she spoke to li luo. li luo cautiously stepped over as he inspected the bloodied group of individuals. based on their dressing, they definitely seemed to belong to a group of vicious rogue cultivators. they had likely spotted li lingjing all alone and wanted to rob her. alas, they had ended up kicking a steel plate. "please, maam! we were wrong. just treat us like farts in the wind and let us go!" the rogue cultivators were now kneeling and begging for mercy. they had been dancing along the edge of a knife for as long as they could remember. thus, kneeling and giving in was just one of their numerous methods to survive. li lingjing stood prettily before them, one hand on her waist whilst the other held the bamboo pole that was now resting on her shoulder. she grinned happily. "stop with the crap. what is the secretive news that is worth as much as your little lives?" she waved the green bamboo pole and lightly tapped one of the rogue cultivators'' heads. "remember, you only have one chance! if i feel that the information isn''t worth my time, you can''t blame me for ending you." listening to her cheery tone, the rogue cultivators felt a chill run down their spines. when they had attacked her just a while ago, they experienced for themselves how cruel and ruthless this seemingly weak and beautiful lady in front of them was. three of their brothers had been struck so hard on their heads by the bamboo pole that their blood and brain matter was mixed into one. thus, they did not dare to tell any lies. after pausing for a moment, they replied, "we heard that in the southwestern direction, deep within the mountains, there lies a massive, gilded hall. numerous droplets of spirit resonance golden dew condense once someone enters it, and it also seems like no guardian spirits appear." "no guardian spirits?" li luo was a little taken aback before he asked suspiciously, "wouldn''t all the spirit resonance golden dew have already been taken away? what''s the point of going over now." "how could it be taken away so easily?" the rogue cultivators hurriedly shook their heads. "although there are no guardian spirits, it''s said that there are people protecting it. many people have approached the gilded hall, only to be cut down." "there are people defending it?" both li luo and li lingjing were surprised by this fact. ?"who are they? other than us explorers, who else could it be?" the rogue cultivators halted for a moment before replying, "well, it seems like they aren''t real people. we don''t really know either. all i''ve heard is that they don''t seem like guardian spirits. instead, they are almost no different from sentient humans, and they can even use resonance arts. many people have been attracted by these rumors, as being able to obtain the spirit resonance golden dew from within the gilded hall would easily give them enough dew to activate the resonant talismans and enter the golden dew platform. although this piece of news is not an absolute secret, it is absolutely true! i would never dare to deceive you!" li luo''s eyes showed a look of contemplation. he had been searching hard for the last couple of days, but his efforts had not borne much fruit. clearly, specific locations were required to produce significant amounts of spirit resonance golden dew, and the gilded hall might very well be the sort of place he was looking for. this was a little different when compared to the forest that the dragon''s blood lineage had set up. that was something man-made, while the gilded hall was at least not created by the people of today. "this information doesn''t seem bad. we can go and take a look," li luo said to li lingjing. he had squandered away all of their droplets of spirit resonance golden dew, and if the gilded hall truly did have as much as the rogue cultivators claimed, he could replenish their stock and perhaps the excess could even be purified. li lingjing then stowed away the bamboo pole and said, "you''re quite the honest bunch. go. live a little more decently and upright. licking blood off the edge of a knife will inevitably lead to an accident." the group hurriedly nodded before dashing away into the distance. clearly, they had been absolutely frightened by her. "what did you do to them? they''re terrified!" li luo grinned as he glanced into the depths of the forest. li lingjing didn''t reply but grinned as she tugged at li luo''s sleeve, leading him in another direction. "let''s go. we have to go to this gilded hall and take a look. it should be a bustling location," she said with a hint of anticipation. her mood wasn''t the best today, and as a result, her blows had been heavy-handed when faced with those rude and foul rogue cultivators. as a result, blood stained the forest. those individuals weren''t saints. if she were just a normal girl, falling into their hands might very possibly have led to a life worse than death. thus, li lingjing didn''t feel any remorse in killing a few of them. li luo smiled and nodded in agreement, letting her lead him along. he wasn''t some sanctimonious saint either. those rogue cultivators had bad intentions, and they had reaped what they sowed. still, li lingjing''s actions were a little brutal, and he was concerned the soul eater true devil might have some remnant influence left in her. as the two soared into the air, they shot away at breakneck speed. shortly after they left, a shadowy figure appeared within the bloody forest. he stepped on the sticky pools of blood, and a pair of squirming pupils emotionlessly took in the grisly sight. his pupils continued to wriggle, eventually transforming into two worms that tunneled out of his eyeballs, seemingly basking in the foul air. a moment later, a hair-raising smile surfaced on his emotionless face. "number three.... i am number two. i want... to devour you." a bout of stiff, cold, and hoarse laughter echoed out in the middle of the sanguine forest. Chapter 0962: Meeting Qin Yi chapter 0962: meeting qin yi it was not hard to find the massive, gilded hall that the rogue cultivators had mentioned. after li luo and li lingjing flew for around four hours, they ran into more and more other explorers. they had come from all directions, and judging from their trajectory, it was clear that they were heading towards the same place as li luo and his group. without a doubt, the news of the gilded hall had spread all over the place. however, this was also a sign that it really existed. li luo and li lingjing picked up their pace as soon as they noticed this. after half a day, they could finally see a mountain shrouded in mist and clouds appear in the distance. the mountain range was really mysterious. it was covered by fog and clouds all year round, making it impossible to see inside it. there were already many people standing outside the mountain range. they remained extremely cautious as they studied the mountain, not daring to make any hasty moves. many people had come running out of the mist earlier, shouting in fear about staying away from the gilded hall or risk dying to the guardians inside. as such, many of the explorers were left wondering if the guardians they spoke of really existed. after they made their landing, li luo and li lingjing took a quick glance at the surroundings and noticed a big group of people gathered at a mountaintop not too far away. in the center of the group was a charming and beautiful figure. her long hair danced in the wind, paired with a captivating smile as her bewitching eyes glanced around. she was none other than qin yi. numerous young and talented elites from various other powers were by her side. judging from the undying admiration in their eyes, they must have been captivated by qin yi''s dazzling beauty. this was to be expected. after all, she was the one known as the fairy of water. not many youths could withstand her alluring charm. "is that qin yi from the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing? lower ninth-grade water resonance. she''s truly a talented girl with mesmerizing looks. it''s no wonder everyone is drawn to her," li lingjing remarked as she too was smitten by qin yis extraordinary appearance. as she narrowed her eyes, she continued, "cousin li luo, it''s much more troublesome to deal with someone like this than zhao shenjiang. she just needs to throw a nasty look at you, and those soldiers by her side will give you a hell of a time." li luo replied helplessly, "it''s not like i wanted it. this is just passed down enmity from the previous generation." "the guy in black standing by her side is extremely strong. he must be her protector," li lingjing proceeded to warn him. hearing this, he looked over and saw a skinny guy dressed in black standing behind qin yi. the man had an indifferent look on his face, but the fierce and murderous intent emanating from him forced those who tried to approach qin yi to back off with restraint. li luo pondered for a moment and said,. "that fellow should be qin ying, the leader of the previous generation of the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. his strength should be comparable to that of li wuyuan and zhao yan." this was included in the information that he had gathered regarding the elites of various heavenly emperor powers before he set off for the spiritual resonance cave. just as the two of them were talking, qin yi and qin ying sensed their presence, and their gazes turned towards li luo and li lingjing immediately. qin yi''s usually calm expression changed immediately when she noticed li luo. with a charming smile, she said in a soft voice, "dragon''s head li luo, why don''t we catch up since you''re here? we have a lot of information, perhaps we can even form a temporary partnership." when she finished speaking, the young crowd around her turned and looked towards li luo with all kinds of gazes. their faces changed a little as soon as they saw him. in terms of appearances, li luo was truly exceptional. at the same moment, li luo thought about her offer for a while before he smiled and replied fearlessly, "how could i dare to turn you down after youve made such a generous offer, fairy qin?" qin yi was a really smart girl. she had mentioned information to lure li luo over, knowing very well that this was precisely what he could not say no to. however, li luo turned over to li lingjing afterwards and told her in a serious voice, "please do your job well and protect me, cousin lingjing." li lingjing laughed and replied, "with how promptly you answered, i assumed you were confident in your ability to protect yourself." "of course. my confidence stems from you, cousin," li luo answered boldly. with that, he activated his energy wings and flew into the sky. a few breaths later, he landed over at qin yi''s side on top of the mountain. when he arrived, the crowd surrounding her shot him looks filled with hostility, as if they were trying to tell him it should be first come first served. however, li luo was not bothered by them at all. he looked over to qin yi with a smile and asked, "is it dangerous here? i am surprised you wanted to create a temporary alliance with me." before qin yi could reply, a youth in golden robes stepped up from her side and replied with a smirk, "perhaps it''s not you, but the young lady by your side?" li luo looked back at him. nonetheless, he continued in a calm voice before li luo could say anything else, "nice to meet you, dragon''s head li luo. i am chen ping from the golden goose clan." the golden goose clan was also one of the top powers in the heavenly origin divine continent. there was a king in their clan, and chen ping was one of the up and coming elites in their younger generation. li luo could clearly sense strong waves of resonant power coming from him. he was at least a one-pearl, judging from the undulations. chen ping glared at li luo as he asked with an inexplicable smile, "dragon''s head li luo, is it true that youre still a fiend finisher?" "what''s wrong with that?" li luo replied with a grin. "just asking out of curiosity. after all, i''ve never heard of any dragon''s head in the history of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li that was not at the heavenly pearl tier at least," chen ping replied. hearing this, some of the guys around him gave sly smiles. they understood that chen ping was trying to bring down li luo with those words. this was a good thing for them. after all, they would not want the dragon''s head from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li to steal the limelight here. in response, li luo simply smiled and said, "you''re right. i have made unprecedented achievements thanks to my hard work in cultivation every day, coupled with my unparalleled natural talent. it''s definitely not due to the resources of the dragon''s fang lineage at all. i am sure you are all aware that i''ve not even spent a full year there." the crowd''s faces turned a little stiff when they heard this. chen ping was also left speechless for a moment. was i talking about your unprecedented achievement here? although, it was not completely wrong to say that either. "dragon''s head li luo is really special. after spending more than ten years in the outer divine continent, you still managed to win against all the talents in the heavenly dragon''s five lineages and obtained the dragon''s head position with fiend finisher strength. moreover, this took you less than a year in the dragon''s fang lineage. even i, qin yi, have to admire you for such an amazing achievement," qin yi said with a sweet smile. "enough with the banter. what useful information might you have, fairy qin?" li luo responded with a smile. surprisingly, qin yi was not angry at his frank and direct response. she took out a jade stone that glowed and formed a screen in front of everyone. there was a forest on the lit screen. further ahead in the distance was a faint sign of a golden-colored grand hall hidden within the trees. they could see a huge battle happening in that location. there were many figures flashing by, many with radiant heavenly pearls behind their backs. all of them were fighting to move towards the gilded hall. however, none of them succeeded. at this moment, a group of people walked out of the forest. massive amounts of resonant power exploded into the air and terrifyingly powerful resonant arts flew across the field. in the blink of an eye, the heavenly pearl cultivators trying to make their way into the gilded hall were completely wiped out. only a few lucky survivors watched in fear as they retreated hastily. at this point, the light screen abruptly stopped. it froze on the scene with the mysterious individuals who had suddenly appeared. they all had indifferent looks on their faces, as if they had no emotions at all. however, what really caught li luo''s attention was the uniform-like robes that they were all wearing. the symbol of heaven and earth was sewn onto them. wearing matching outfits that seemed to resemble a sect''s uniform in this situation? in that instant, li luo could guess just who they could be. these people... were they the disciples of the sacred void resonance sect? Chapter 0963: Cooperation chapter 0963: cooperation when the recording ended, the crowd fell into silence. judging from their reactions, li luo could tell that they had guessed these people''s identities just like himself. after all, they were all elites from the various powers, so they would surely have heard of the origins of the spiritual resonance cave. "do these people show up whenever the spiritual resonance cave opens?" li luo asked curiously. qin yi sighed deeply before shaking her head. "the spiritual resonance cave was only discovered a few dozen years ago, so it has only opened a few times. unfortunately, we have never heard of any disciples of the sacred void resonance sect making an appearance. additionally, they might not be actual humans. i feel like they are some sort of energy projection. the thing is that the spiritual resonance cave is full of mysterious phenomena, and the sacred void resonance sect is known to have been capable of creating all sorts of miraculous things. its not surprising at all that they had the means to produce energy projections capable of maintaining such tyrannical power despite thousands of years going by." at this point, chen ping spoke up. "actually, the spiritual resonance cave is connected to you, dragon''s head li luo." "connected?" li luo frowned. chen ping grinned. "the spiritual resonance cave only made its appearance two years after your parents entered the supposed ruins of the sacred void resonance sect." these words caused the atmosphere to turn silent, and the gazes of the crowd shifted away from both li luo and qin yi. it was that very same incident that resulted in li taixuan, tan tailan, and qin lian forming an endless grudge with each other. the corner of li luo''s lips twitched slightly. this piece of crap just couldn''t wait for qin yi to break out into a brawl by fanning the flames. it seemed like all of these proud children of the heavens were simply vile and toxic. thinking back to his time in the xia kingdom, house duze''s steel-headed leader was much more adorable compared to them. qin yi''s eyes also fluttered briefly, but she did not show any emotion, only changing the subject. "dragon''s head li luo, what you''ve just seen are just the normal protectors of the gilded hall. what''s truly thorny is the second layer of guardians. the squad is composed of eight elite disciples with strength at the seven-pearl tier. and perhaps due to the enhancements provided by the ward that covers them, their battle strength is on the level of an eight-pearl. this is the reason why no one has managed to break in thus far." "oh? eight disciples with eight-pearl strength?" li luo was a little taken aback. not even he would be able to break through such powerful enemies. however, this also meant that the real reason why qin yi sought to work with him was because of li lingjing. when li luo reached that conclusion, qin yi''s beautiful gaze turned towards the silent li lingjing. "might you be lady li lingjing? you should be the western region''s li family''s prized daughter, and it was said that you had the potential to become the dragon''s head of your generation. it was a pity that you disappeared without a word due to an accident. however, it looks like your strength is not at all inferior to li wuyuan''s." li luo was a little surprised. qin yi was far more adept at gathering intelligence than he had expected. he never thought that she would be able to determine where li lingjing had come from and even recognize that she was on par with li wuyuan. li lingjing was similarly shocked, but she flashed li luo a smile. "it seems like even the young heroes of the dragon''s fang lineage are unable to resist fairy qin''s charm." the only way that the other party could receive such in-depth information was if someone within the lineage had leaked it. that being said, this was not at all unexpected. her enchanting looks could keep pretty much any youth from the dragon''s fang lineage under her thumb, easily giving her what she wanted. li luo pouted helplessly. qin yi did not admit to it, only giving a slight smile. "lady li lingjing, if you were to combine forces with elder brother qin ying, you should be able to deal with quite a number of the elite disciples. with the aid of everyone else here, we should be able to break through the eight disciples defensive line." the black-robed youth behind qin yi glared at li lingjing with a gaze like daggers as he indifferently said, "i can sense that lady li lingjing has been directing a hint of hostility towards me. you should have your means." the expressions of the elites from the other powers changed. they now looked at li lingjing with an even higher degree of alertness. even though they were in pairs too, their own protectors were nowhere near her level. additionally, the eight-pearl cultivators were this generation''s top experts. li lingjing then flashed a shallow smile towards all of the other youths. "if you dare to provoke li luo again, be aware that i might just end you here." the crowd''s expressions started to twitch, and they inadvertently took a step backwards. at the same time, their stronger partners began to closely observe her every movement. they weren''t sure if they were mistaken, but they seemed to have sensed a hint of murderous intent in her words. however, this beautiful girl was surely just joking... right? only li luo knew that she wasn''t kidding around. her slender, jade hands had already reaped countless lives in the spiritual resonance cave. although his cousin seemed smiley and lovely, she was hiding a heart full of slaughter beneath. li luo didn''t have any solution to this either. the experiences that had shaped her had been too defining. she was once the treasured daughter of the western region, but over the passing of time, her outstanding radiance had morphed into a burden. the heaven-toppling drop in status she had experienced had warped her personality, and this was on top of having half her spirit consumed by the soul eater true devil. the constant erosion and torture of her will would cause even li luo to feel a chill just thinking about it. the only good thing was that li luo was the one who had salvaged her situation and pulled her from the depths of the abyss into the light. thus, she truly treated him well. "when do we take action, then?" li luo quashed the thoughts in his heart and directly questioned qin yi. if the defenses were as qin yi had said, just relying on li lingjing would not be enough to break through. qin yi made her decision. "we won''t dawdle any longer. more and more rogue cultivators are making their way here, and the situation will change the longer we take." li luo naturally did not disagree. when the crowd moved out, their presence was eye-catching. countless gazes shot towards them, and the most outstanding of the lot were qin yi and li luo. they were instantly recognizable with their esteemed statuses, and the fact that they were working together elicited much surprise. they were supposed to be blood enemies, yet they were now cooperating. of course, such opinions were ignored by the two. they might be working together on the surface, but they kept a fixed distance of ten steps from each other. both of them inched ever closer to their paired protector. clearly, the two didn''t trust each other fully, as it should be. the group then entered the mountainous forest and disappeared into the fog. the other rogue cultivators nearby also took action, following the group at a distance. they were hoping to fish within the chaos and enter the gilded hall to find treasures. amongst the crowd, an emotionless male slowly walked up with squirming, black pupils. his gaze was locked in li lingjing''s direction. "hey! why are you taking your time here? scram if you don''t want to follow!" an angry shout was directed at the male from an angry rogue cultivator. the male did not move, completely ignoring the other person. the rogue cultivator then s became infuriated, so he surged with resonant power and directly punched towards the male, causing a boom to echo throughout the sky. he struck at the seemingly defenseless back of the male, who seemed completely oblivious to what was happening. however, the body of the rogue cultivator suddenly tensed up, and he stared at his own fist in absolute terror. a single black worm had tunneled into his skin, and its limbs were extremely strange, looking like countless miniature human hands. before he knew it, it vanished. suddenly, the rogue cultivator''s pupils turned stygian black, and a single worm could be seen squirming within one of his eyes. a moment later, the rogue cultivator began to follow the strange male with stiff steps, disappearing into the clouds. Chapter 0964: Li Luos Discovery chapter 0964: li luo''s discovery visibility was bad due to the mountain being shrouded in mist, and one''s other senses were naturally dulled here. li luo, qin yi, and the group marched forward while maintaining some distance between themselves. their eyes scanned the surroundings as they remained vigilant. when they first entered the area, there were quite a number of rogue cultivators heading in the opposite direction. some of them were even injured, clearly escaping from the disciples of sacred void resonance sect, judging from their sad appearances. however, li luo and the group were not bothered by their presence. they maintained their pace and marched forward, swiftly disappearing into the thick mist. this went on for dozens of minutes. suddenly, qin yi, who was at the front of the group, stopped in her tracks. her expression had turned serious. as the others looked over in the direction of her gaze, they could see a vague silhouette walking out of the mist. li luo looked over too, a serious expression on his face. they didnt look out of place at all, except for the fact that they were wearing the robes of the sacred void resonance sect. there was hardly any emotion on their faces, no spirit within their eyes. clearly, they were not real humans. when the disciples of the sacred void resonance sect emerged from the mist, they did not say anything. an instant later, huge amounts of resonant power surged up within them and extraordinarily powerful arts were activated. a barrage of resonance arts flew towards the group like raging waves. without any hesitation, they took out their treasured artifacts and activated their own arts, preparing to defend themselves. qin ying, li lingjing, and the other strong heavenly pearl tier cultivators took a stand at the front and deflected the majority of the attacks that came charging towards them. li luo, qin yi, and the weaker ones stood on the sidelines and dissipated the remainder of incoming attacks. with this formation, they would have no trouble defending against the attacks of the sacred void resonance sect''s disciples under ordinary circumstances. however, qin ying''s face changed a little after the two sides exchanged blows for a while. he exclaimed, "something is off! their resonance arts seem to contain some kind of hidden energy that can erode the resonant power in our bodies!" another expert replied, "indeed. what exactly is this energy? it''s so domineering!" even qin yi nodded slightly in agreement. "my resonant power has also been slightly eroded. but the feeling is weaker." however, there were many shocked faces as soon as they heard her. they knew that qin yi possessed a lower ninth-grade water resonance, which was an extremely high resonance grade. it was an extremely challenging thing to erode resonant power like hers. the fact that even their ordinary disciples could pull off such a feat demonstrated that the sacred void resonance sect truly was the most formidable sect in the world in its time. however, a thought flashed in li luo''s mind while the others were surprised by this development. he did not change his expression, but he clenched his fingers tightly. two resonant powers surged up within his body and rapidly merged into dual resonance power. this bit of energy contained vestiges of spirituality, providing it sentience. at this moment, his resonance grade was comparable to qin yi''s lower ninth-grade water resonance. right at the same moment, there was another wild attack charging towards them from a disciple of the sacred void resonance sect. li luo punched towards it to counter. the two resonant powers clashed openly. li luo could clearly sense that his dual resonance power was eroded slightly as well. there was truly a hidden kind of power within the attacks from the disciples of the sacred void resonance sect that could weaken their opponents'' resonant power. in fact, this power was something li luo was very familiar with. it was... the acquired resonance flame. these attacks from the disciples of the sacred void resonance sect contained the traces of the acquired resonance flame. so, the acquired resonance flame has the function of igniting and weakening others resonant power? li luo felt taken aback at this discovery. he had no idea the acquired resonance flame had such a use. at the very least, the acquired resonance flame that he had cultivated was not capable of doing the same. how could the flames from the disciples of the sacred void resonance sect do so? li luo could not help but get excited over this new discovery. this was truly practical and effective. if his acquired resonance flame could also gain erosion properties and he merged it with his resonant power, his offensive capabilities would improve by one fold. but how could he do it? should he fuse the acquired resonance flame directly with his resonant power? he had already tried such a simple method in the past, and it did not work out. "perhaps there is a trick i need to learn? or is a more complete cultivation method required?"?li luo thought to himself. this was highly plausible. after all, the foundation of an ancient sect like the sacred void resonance sect went deep. it was likely leagues above the heavenly emperor powers today. naturally, their special methods were not something that could be easily learned. as li luo was pondering over this, the defenses of the sacred void resonance sect''s disciples were attrited steadily by the group. their group ultimately had the advantage based on their strength and cultivation levels. as long as they did not encounter the elite disciples, they should have no issues advancing. noticing this development, li luo calmed the excitement in his heart. he put the idea of the resonant power that could erode that of others onto the back of his mind for now. perhaps he would be able to find more clues about it in the gilded hall. minimally, he would need to understand more about the ancient and mysterious sacred void resonance sect. with that in mind, he continued making his way deeper into the mountain. there were other disciples from the sacred void resonance sect along the way, and their resistance steeped in intensity as they advanced. in the end, casualties started to form within li luo''s group as well. the fact that the disciples of the sacred void resonance sect could ignite and weaken their resonant power was really giving them a headache. even though they had the edge, their resonant power was getting depleted rapidly against these unusual opponents. it was causing a much greater toil on them than ordinary battles. unless there was an overwhelming gap in strength, anyone would have trouble fighting foes capable of eroding ones resonant power. nonetheless, li luo''s gaze was getting more and more passionate as he saw the others struggling. he looked deep into the depths of the mountain. his interest in the sacred void resonance sect was increasing exponentially. he was going to make his way into the gilded hall to have a closer look one way or another. as they slowly progressed, the group finally entered the deeper regions of the mountain. at this moment, golden light could be seen faintly glowing in the thick mist. everyone began to look more excited as they marched on. however, a wave swept in from the front as soon as their expressions of excitement surfaced. the mist was slightly blown away for a moment, and eight stone platforms appeared in front of them. on each platform was a young person sitting in the lotus position. they sat there like guardian statues, watching the group approach with calm and empty eyes. however, their robes were different from those of the ordinary disciples earlier. they were much more elegantly designed, and the disciples themselves exuded an air of dominance just by being present. seeing this, the expressions of li luo and the group grew more serious. they understood that these eight people were the elite disciples that guarded the massive gilded hall. there were eight eight-pearl experts. breaking through would be an arduous task. li luo scanned the surroundings and noticed that there were multiple corpses lying around the place. some of the blood was still fresh. clearly, a recent attempt had just failed miserably, and all of them had been slaughtered. "take care of yourself. i may not be able to look after you when we fight them later," li lingjing told li luo. even she could not let her guard down against such strong foes. li luo nodded, and the dragon sigil on his forehead glowed brightly. on the other side, the eight elite disciples had not said or done anything. they simply watched the intruders charge towards them. a brief moment later, they started forming hand seals. weng! astonishing amounts of resonant power burst into the sky. a bright flame flared up, and numerous phoenixes materialized above. the birds cried out sharply as they covered the sky and rained down upon the crowd of intruders. it was a truly frightening sight. Chapter 0965: Lying Corpse chapter 0965: lying corpse a sky full of phoenixes swept downwards, each one emitting terrifying undulations of energy. every single feather on their bodies was alight with flames, giving them an intimidating appearance. the flames reminded the group of the foes they had encountered earlier, possessing the ability to ignite one''s resonant power, though this was on a significantly smaller scale. clearly, the elite disciples before them wielded an even greater mastery of this power. in order to prevent the weaker ones in their group from sustaining severe injuries, qin ying, li lingjing, and the rest of the stronger ones did not dare to tarry. they immediately burst forth with majestic amounts of resonant power, and all of their heavenly pearls immediately manifested behind them, devouring worldly natural energy endlessly. streams of energy rose up to block the flames. but the layers of energy were swiftly eroded, and the expressions of the group changed. it was indeed as they had expected. each phoenix was also able to burn away one''s resonant power, so their own resonant power had dissipated upon that collision. their defenses were breached almost instantly, and the phoenixes tunneled through the gaps. it was then when qin yi, li luo, and the rest took action. when li luo saw this, he activated his wings. with a flap, he vanished like a bolt of lightning, attempting to dodge the phoenixes. the barrage of attacks was so strong that even li lingjing, qin ying, and the rest were unable to protect them, so of course they had no chance of stopping it themselves. when li luo dodged, qin yi''s reaction was in no way less efficient. a stream of water took form beneath her feet and then a small water fountain instantly appeared a distance away. it transformed into a water lotus, and qin yi''s figure flashed before appearing on it tens of feet away, as though she had teleported. this technique that combined speed and elegance gave her the appearance of an immortal fairy. everyone else began to reveal their own preservation abilities. still, there were some unfortunate ones who were struck directly by the phoenixes, letting out miserable yelps. they ended up covered in flames as a result, but their bodies remained unharmed. their resonant power, however, gradually receded into nothingness. in the short span of ten or so breaths, they powerlessly collapsed onto the ground. although they were still breathing, all of the resonant power in their bodies had been sucked dry and they had no ability to resist any longer. this caused the team''s scalps to turn numb. they were sitting ducks without resonant power, unable to utilize any of their techniques or arts, leaving them completely at the mercy of others. li luo continued to evade, flickering and weaving through the flying phoenixes. occasionally, one would almost brush past his body, leaving him with a back full of cold sweat. his eyes swept across the battlefield before he noticed qin yi. he approached her and shouted, "fairy qin, how long are we planning to hide for?" qin yi batted him a single glance before replying, "this is just their first wave of attacks. the stone platforms they are sitting on should contain unique wards that bolster their strengths. they are also the keys that will allow us to enter the gilded hall. we are awaiting the moment when their offensive stops before we launch a combined counterattack. the moment we can knock one disciple off their stone platform, we can make our way in." li luo nodded. although the stone platforms were able to boost the elite disciples'' strength, they were no different from automatons as they lacked spirit and sentience. if they could find an opportunity, it should allow them to break through. the only issue was that before the chink in their armor could be found, the assault only increased in intensity and ferocity. they formed more hand seals, and all of the remaining phoenixes that were flying in the air suddenly fused together and transformed into a gigantic thousand-foot-tall phoenix. the phoenix spread its wings. with a single motion, countless flaming feathers poured down from the sky like a torrential rain. when faced with this overbearing assault, even li lingjing, qin ying, and the rest of the ones who were powerful enough to resist the eight-pearl elite disciples could only do their best to attract as much of the flames as they could, with the hopes of reducing the pressure on the ones they had to protect. the opponents could make use of the wards to unleash torrential attacks, but it was not time for the counterattack yet. unfortunately, this also meant that the danger li luo and the rest were under had increased. the flaming feathers that blanketed the sky were weaker than the individual phoenixes, but in terms of sheer quantity and reach, they vastly exceeded the latter. if one were struck by too many feathers, they would be left in a miserable state. li luo did his best to avoid them, but he noticed something interesting. the quicker he moved, the quicker the feathers became and the more feathers he would attract. the flaming feathers seemed to possess some sort of tracking ability. thus, li luo quickly realized that he was being chased by a large amount of flaming feathers. he was well aware that if he was struck, he would likely have all of his resonant power sapped from his body. being exhausted of all his resonant power in this situation would definitely be an ominous situation for him. even the temporarily allied qin yi might cut him down at that opportune time. li luo then glanced at qin yi and realized that she had not utilized many means to avoid the flaming feathers. instead, she remained cool and collected, restraining the resonant power within her body, looking almost like an exquisite and beautiful jade carving. in this almost passive and inanimate state, she avoided all of the flaming feathers. the few that struck her passed through her body as though she was not there. at this point in time, li luo understood that qin yi already knew how to dodge this attack but had not been inclined to inform him. "cunning!"?li luo gritted his teeth in silence. this woman was not to be trusted after all. however, it was not the time to think about such matters as the flaming feathers behind him shot towards him. li luo suddenly retracted all of his resonant power and rolled on the ground several times. he then froze in position and acted like a lifeless corpse. as li luo played dead, the large number of flaming feathers halted a few inches before his frightened gaze. a brief moment later, they turned around and directly rushed towards the other fleeing opponents. this brought a sense of relief to him. it seemed that the feathers had the ability to track down moving creatures with resonant power undulations. by remaining still and abandoning his sense of fear, he could easily avoid them. one only had to feign death and await the prime chance to break through the elite disciples'' wards, then they could enter the gilded hall. the motionless li luo swept his gaze in all four directions and noticed that the ground was full of corpses. there were many rogue cultivators who had fallen trying to break in, and the majority had ended up here. this tragic and bloody scene shook li luo. he offered them a quiet prayer before he caught a glimpse of a lone flame feather rushing towards him. it seemed as though a fish had slipped through the net. li luo frowned, but he then noticed a large, mountainous individual that had died on his right. he quickly moved himself behind that body and used it as a meat shield. the flaming feather lodged itself in the massive body, then a large amount of flesh was blown apart, causing blood to spill in every direction. at the same time, the body began to burn. "my condolences, brother. i hope you rest in peace even though your corpse couldnt remain intact."?li luo sighed in his heart. however, he then realized that a few more flaming feathers had shot towards him yet again. these were all feathers that had escaped the net. it seemed like they had wandered too far from the phoenix, so now they were randomly attacking anything in their sights instead of maintaining their original targets. li luo noticed that the out-of-control flaming feathers liked to shoot in his direction. it seemed as though there was something about him that was attracting them. confusion flooded his mine. did it mean that he could no longer pretend to be dead? just what about him was attracting the attention of these damned feathers. after a moment of thought, the corner of his mouth twitched inadvertently. could it be that it was the acquired resonance flame? as a result, the lost feathers naturally felt an attraction and affinity towards him, racing at him as a result. li luo smiled bitterly. fortunately, the mountain of meat before him was a helpful shield, able to resist quite a few more feathers that flew in his direction. unfortunately, it gained quite a few new holes as a result. "brother, thank you for your help. i''ll definitely find an auspicious place to bury you later," li luo murmured to the corpse which he had repurposed as his shield. after he spoke, he was completely shocked to see the mountain of meat suddenly open his eyes and stare at him! his voice trembled as he said, unsure of whether it was because of the sheer pain or anger towards li luo, "dear brother, could you move a little further away from me, please? you''re about to get me killed!" Chapter 0966: Zhu Dayu chapter 0966: zhu dayu the sudden reaction from the mountain of meat gave li luo a fright. however, he soon felt a hint of vitality arising from within what he had thought was a corpse. he was alive! the fellow was trying to do what he was... which was to play dead and avoid the assault of the elite disciples. li luo felt a little embarrassed. he had thought this was a dead man and thus used his body to block quite a few hits. however, despite all of the awkwardness he felt in his heart, his face held no trace of that. instead, he smiled and said to him, "brother, our meeting is one of fated destiny. shall we not bicker about the minor details?" at the same time, he sized up the massive fellow. it seemed that on top of being prodigiously fat, he was also fairly young. the humongous youth then glared angrily. "fated my ass! i''ve been happily hiding here for half a day without being disturbed, but then you came along and now look at me. are you trying to sabotage me?" li luo smiled. "i don''t even know who you are, how could i possibly try and harm you?" the youth then berated li luo, "get away from me!" li luo shook his head. "well, this place doesn''t belong to you. if you want to leave, you can. i''m not moving an inch!" why would he leave when there was such an excellent meat shield before him? the moment he so much as twitched, he would definitely attract the attention of all the rogue flaming feathers that were out to get him. the fat youth then glared at the shameless li luo viciously. the more he thought about it, the angrier he got, then he swiped the pocket sphere on his wrist and an object flew out. when li luo saw this action, he immediately went on guard and prepared to react to the chubby fellow. but when he saw what the object was, he was left in a daze. the chubby fellow wasn''t taking out some sort of mighty, slaughtering treasure... instead, it was a leg of roasted beast meat, and he immediately began to chomp down on it heartily, swallowing it in a mere two to three bites. grease dripped off his chin and landed on the ground. watching his meat shield gorging all of a sudden left li luo flabbergasted. had he snapped? as li luo''s mind churned, he was shocked to see that as the fatty ate, the injuries that he had received as a result of the exploding feathers were quickly healing. a minute later, all of the bloody holes on his body had healed over. this frightening regenerative ability left li luo stunned once again. even if he took advantage of his water, light, and wood resonant powers, all of which held strong restorative properties, they could not even begin to compare! this brought a thought to his mind as he asked, "are you from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu, brother?" he had once seen intel on their bloodline, and this sight had reminded him of it. the people were unique in the sense that the majority were quite rotund, and they had a unique resonance that allowed them to use food as a means to obtain terrifying regeneration powers. it was said that their dukes were the hardest to kill. so long as they were not finished off in a single move, they could activate their regenerative abilities and quickly reach peak condition again even if their bodies were left half-destroyed. the fatty then snorted. "it looks like your eyesight isn''t bad. the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu isn''t to be provoked, so you best leave." li luo grinned. "nice to meet you, i''m the bloodline of heavenly emperor li''s li luo." the fatty then turned slightly sluggish as he glanced at li luo. "the new dragon''s head from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, li luo?" it seemed he had heard of him. li luo nodded, a genial smile on his face. the fatty then pouted in displeasure. this meant that it would be useless to use the threat of his bloodline to scare li luo away! "you can call me zhu dayu," the fatty stated. "i guessed as much. with such a stalwart figure, who else could you be?" li luo grinned. based on what he knew, the members of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu deemed one''s fat as beauty, especially when it came to their own figures. clearly, zhu dayu reacted positively to this compliment as his brows seemed to lift in satisfaction. li luo suddenly seemed a lot more pleasant. "brother zhu, how long have you been lying here?" li luo asked. "almost half a day. i followed the first group of people in, but almost all of them have died. i didn''t want to give up, so i lay here, awaiting an opportunity," zhu dayu explained. li luo nodded, but before he could continue speaking, the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of a flaming feather shooting towards him. he immediately got down, and the feather, unfortunately, impaled itself in zhu dayu''s butt before exploding, blowing a bloody hole yet again. zhu dayu''s immense body trembled as he silently glared at li luo. before he could give him a piece of his mind, li luo had already started speaking. "brother zhu, your magnificent body is akin to a mighty mountain! your splendor is clearly grabbing the attention of the feathers, but this shouldnt be an issue for someone with your amazing regenerative abilities." zhu dayu fell silent and swallowed his words before he took out yet another hunk of meat to chow down on. very quickly, the injury on his butt healed. however, not long after, yet another flaming feather arced over! bang! "you have such a sturdy body! you must be the most heroic person i''ve ever seen, brother zhu!" bang! "you truly have the demeanor of a future duke, no, the demeanor of a king!" bang! "brother zhu, look at how interesting this hole is... it''s perfectly round!" in the end, zhu dayu finally said with a pale face, "brother li luo, could you please stand aside for a moment and give me a moment to catch my breath?" li luo then consoled him, "you just have to hold on for a little longer. the assault of the elite disciples has begun to wane, so we will soon have an opportunity to counterattack!" zhu dayu couldnt get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth. just what sort of unlucky star was this guy? with the way things were going, he might actually be killed! although the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu possessed incredible restorative abilities, they weren''t infinite! but just as li luo spoke, the situation indeed started to change. li lingjing, qin ying, and the rest approached the elite disciples. the countless flaming feathers that once blanketed the skies had started to reduce in number. a glint flashed through their eyes. immediately after, boundless amounts of resonant power surged out of their bodies like erupting volcanoes. "everyone, let''s combine our efforts!" qin ying shouted as he rallied all of the higher heavenly pearl tier cultivators to release their mightiest attacks. a torrent of berserk resonance arts was launched in the direction of the eight elite disciples, and the air shuddered as they whizzed past. the eight disciples similarly joined hands and executed a few more hand seals. starry threads spurted out of the tops of their heads, forming a barrier that protected them. bang! bang! as the resonance arts landed upon the starry veil, it trembled violently before the attackers onslaught. however, the starry veil wasnt showing any signs of giving way. the arts of the sacred void resonance sect were evidently exceptional. when qin ying saw this, he frowned before he shouted, "zhu zhu! if you don''t lend us a hand, we will all go home empty-handed!" "ah! qin ying! you''re quite sharp. i cant believe you noticed me." right after qin ying''s voice echoed, a female''s vigorous laugh could be heard. then a pile of corpses suddenly blew apart, and a well-built figure dashed out. eight heavenly pearls manifested, rotating rapidly behind her as she dashed towards a corner of the starry veil. her fingers clenched into a fist and she struck out with imposing force. bang! that single punch was ferocious and maniacal. however, the scene looked like a gigantic primordial pig colliding with a mountain, causing the ground to shake hard enough to feel like an earthquake. the corner of the starry veil could not endure zhu zhus punch, and a tear formed on the point of impact. some of the elite disciples on the stone platforms were affected by the aftershock and were sent flying. when the platforms were exposed, all of the people in the crowd had blazing gazes as they knew that the passage to the gilded hall had emerged. almost simultaneously, wings appeared behind li luo and he kicked off like a bolt of lightning, explosively shooting towards the gap. similarly, the previously inanimate zhu dayu, who was moaning on the ground, demonstrated an uncanny swiftness that one would not expect from someone with his body type. he flashed forward, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. li lingjing, qin ying, zhu zhu, and the rest did not rush in after them, as they had to concentrate on suppressing the starry veil. otherwise, it would recover and block the entrance once more. in the short span of a few breaths, li luo approached the tear in the veil. just as he was about to barge in, a geyser of water appeared before him, and qin yi appeared in it. she had clearly been a step ahead of him. when li luo''s foot landed on the stone platform, the scene before him seemed to have changed. a trail appeared before him, and a gilded hall could be seen looming amidst the clouds and mist at the very end. li luo''s heart was bursting with excitement as he dashed forward. he reached the end of the path moments later, then he rushed into the gilded hall and disappeared inside. Chapter 0967: Stone Cup chapter 0967: stone cup the moment li luo stepped into the gilded hall, he could sense his surroundings begin to change. clouds and mist appeared around him. when his vision cleared up, he found himself on another small path leading far into the distance. there were many courtyards and halls along the way. furthermore, there seemed to be a mysterious force controlling the space around the hall, making him unable to leap up high or fly. li luo simply kept his composure and proceeded with caution. after a few moments, he paused in front of a hall. there was a special kind of energy coming from inside it that caught his attention. he thought about it for a while before he gingerly pushed open the tightly shut door. the hall was wide and spacious, with very few things inside of it. in its center was a stone ladder leading up to a stone platform with a stone cup on it. the cup caught li luo''s attention immediately. it contained golden liquid that seemed to display a hint of sentience, as though there were spirits dancing in it. as soon as he saw this, his eyes lit up with desire. that liquid was none other than the spirit resonance golden dew that he wished for! when he looked closer, there appeared to be around ten droplets. this was considered a really great harvest. li luo and li lingjing had worked very hard for multiple days to obtain the same amount. now a significant quantity had simply fallen into his hands. li luo scanned the surroundings carefully before he took his first step forward. proceeding with utmost caution, he slowly walked towards the stone platform. with each step he took, the stone cup was becoming clearer and clearer in his eyes. he began to see rays of light extending out of it, continuously absorbing the worldly natural energy from the surroundings. "it seems the cups purpose is to absorb worldly natural energy and then refine it into spirit resonance golden dew. could this hall have been built by the sacred void resonance sect in order to collect the dew?"?li luo thought to himself as he stretched his hand out to grasp the stone cup. however, it shook violently right before he was able to touch it. five rays of light shot out of the cup and transformed into five silhouettes. their resonant power surged up instantly, then they launched their attacks at li luo directly. this sudden development caught li luo completely by surprise. nonetheless, he did not panic as he had kept his guard up the entire time. he was prepared for this. without any hesitation, the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade materialized in his hand. the dragon sigil between his eyebrows glowed brightly as well. "nine scales sanctified dragon''s body!" at this moment, li luo''s body expanded and his physical strength, speed, and defenses increased substantially. "five dragon''s might!" li luo slashed down with his blade, launching a blade light towards the attackers. a faint, draconic cry bounced around the room, and the air vibrated vigorously as the blade light traveled across. clang! when the slash clashed with the five figures, a sharp noise exploded in the air and a wild storm of energy swept across the hall. fighting against five opponents at the same time, li luo could not help but feel the strain on his body despite coming in prepared. fortunately, the nine scales sanctified dragon''s body had strengthened his body tremendously. he was not hurt badly, but he was sent flying back with his feet dragging across the ground, leaving a trail behind. li luo quickly steadied himself before he looked at his foes with a solemn expression. there were five people dressed in the robes of the sacred void resonance sect standing between him and the stone cup. they were utterly quiet and expressionless, just like the ones he had come across outside. however, these disciples were slightly weaker, probably around the one-pearl tier. li luo was fully confident he could be each of them individually. however, things were a little more troublesome with five of them working together. "is this a protection mechanism for the spirit resonance golden dew?" li luo muttered to himself. this appeared to be some kind of defense or trial set up by the sacred void resonance sect, and it would activate as soon as anyone touched the stone cup. when the five disciples appeared, their gazes locked onto li luo immediately. in the next moment, their resonant power surged up like a storm and they attacked him again. "i can''t let this drag on for too long. otherwise, other people will come,"?li luo thought to himself. the starry veil had already been torn by li lingjing and qin ying earlier, so it wouldnt be long until it was destroyed completely. at that time, a lot of rogue cultivators would rush in. thus, he had to make full use of his time now to grab all the spirit resonance golden dew he could. with this thought in mind, li luo formed hand seals with a single hand. the power of dual resonances filled with vestiges of spirituality flowed out of him like raging torrents. "pseudo duke art, emerald dragon ent!" the ground in front of li luo cracked open instantly, and a giant tree grew out of it. its branches extended out and transformed into countless dragon ents that proceeded to charge towards the five disciples. at the same time, li luo rushed towards two of the disciples. "thunderpeal avatar, three sonic pulse! "divine elephant power, level three!" despite the calm expression on his face, there was a thunderous howl coming from li luo''s body. his right arm shook violently, the green veins beneath his skin twitching as he charged ahead with full force like a stubborn elephant. resonant power flowed out of his body relentlessly like a broken dam. there was no end to the power of his dual resonances as he swung his blade down on the two disciples. before his attack could land, the void in front of him tore open. the sound of a flowing river could be heard, and in the next moment, an impressive and lively black dragon floating along a black river flew out of the crack, its dazzling scales glinting with cold light. although li luo was still a fiend finisher, his fiend dipper energy had already reached seven hundred feet. and this was before taking the nine orifices dipper smelting pill. he could stretch his fiend dipper energy to nine hundred feet whenever he wanted, which would put him at the very end of the fiend finisher tier. those with weaker foundations might have decided to give up cultivating their fiend dipper energy long before reaching the same length and attempted to break into the heavenly pearl tier already. of course, this would result in a lower chance of success. moreover, the quality of their heavenly pearl would not be too high even if they succeeded out of luck. paw?ead.com ]. li luo did not want to sacrifice his foundation in order to rush things. therefore, he would only attempt to break into heavenly pearl tier when his fiend dipper energy reached its limit. as a result, he had been holding onto his nine orifices dipper smelting pill while he waited patiently for the moment to arrive. besides, li luo was comparable to a one-pearl with the advantage of his three resonant palaces. taking all these factors into account, how could an average one-pearl be able to handle his greater completion underworld river''s black dragon banner? the two closest disciples of the sacred void resonance sect melted instantly after the howl of the black dragon, not given any chance to struggle at all. he had eliminated two foes in a blink, and it had only taken one strike. on the other side, though, the three remaining foes had smashed the emerald dragon ent into bits. they pointed their fingers towards li luo and shot three flames towards him. li luo froze immediately when he saw this. these flames looked similar to the flaming feathers from beforethey surely had the special ability to burn up one''s resonant power. if he got hit by them, his resonant power would be greatly depleted. like a flash of lightning, li luo''s mind spun as a new thought came to mind. "i wonder if i can use the acquired resonance flame to counter these?" he no longer hesitated. the ability to burn up one''s resonant power was the most troublesome obstacle when fighting against the disciples of the sacred void resonance sect. if he could find a way to handle it, his path forward would be much smoother. li luo stretched out his palm, and the acquired resonance flame materialized at the next moment. it was a transparent flame that gradually rose up. just as li luo was about to counterattack with this transparent flame, a shocking scene unfolded in front of him. all of a sudden, the three flames that were still a distance away disappeared. "eh?" li luo couldnt help but react in surprise. when he lifted his head and looked at the three disciples of the sacred void resonance sect, he could sense that the resonant power within them was no longer surging. it had been suppressed completely. the looks in their eyes had changed as well. afterwards, they each formed a sign with one hand and placed it in front of their chests. to li luos surprise, they slowly bowed before him. this was a display of formality. a sign of respect towards him. the offensive attitude towards him from before had completely disappeared. li luo was dumbfounded for a while before he looked down at the acquired resonance flame in his palm again. it was only at this moment that he finally understood. the acquired resonance flame that he had cultivated was special even among those in the sacred void resonance sect. it seemed like... this was something that represented one''s status? Chapter 0968: Lantern Bearer chapter 0968: lantern bearer the hall that was just raging with wild energy a moment ago fell into silence. if not for the debris that remained on the ground, li luo might have thought that he had been hallucinating the entire time. the three remaining disciples stood quietly on the stone platform, showing no further signs of hostility. li luo was filled with mixed feelings. a few moments later, he slowly walked towards the stone platform. he then stretched out his hand, the small acquired resonance flame still hovering on his palm. the dragon sigil between his eyebrows was still glowing, his body was still tense, and his resonant power was still activated. he dared not let his guard down for even a moment. maintaining constant vigilance, he approached the stone platform once again. the disciples did not stop him this time. li luo was able to reach the stone cup successfully. with a wave of his sleeves, the spirit resonance golden dew inside it floated into the air. not wasting a single second more, he took out his jade bottle and collected the dew. the process was so smooth that it was almost unbelievable. the three guardians stood on the side, showing no intention to obstruct him at all. li luo was pleasantly surprised as he studied that acquired resonance flame on his palm. based on the reactions of the disciples, it was clear that not every member of the sect was allowed to cultivate the acquired resonance flame. one required at least a respectable rank within the sacred void resonance sect to be allowed to do so. in addition, these disciples were just replicas. they did not have the mind and awareness of real people. hence, they had determined that li luo was a respected individual from the sacred void resonance sect and stopped their attacks immediately. li luo then tried to control the disciples using his acquired resonance flame. however, they did not show any reaction despite his numerous attempts, so he had to give up on this idea. "forget it. it''s already good enough that i can avoid getting attacked," li luo commented with a laugh. he did not hang around any longer and walked back onto the silent pathway, following along it in search of further clues. although ten droplets of spirit resonance golden dew was not a small amount, it was still insufficient for him. he had to continue searching for more. in the next hour, li luo managed to find quite a few more cups. however, some of them had already been shattered and there was no spirit resonance golden dew to be found. as a result, he only managed to get a few dozen droplets of dew on his subsequent search. as time continued ticking by, li luo began to sense movement coming from behind him. it was clear that others had entered the gilded hall too. there were quite a few strong undulations of resonant power as well. however, he was not sure if this was due to fights among the rogue cultivators themselves or if they were fighting against the sacred void resonance sect''s disciples. "i have to hurry up," li luo muttered to himself. although the gilded hall was vast, there would be fewer droplets of spirit resonance golden dew left for him as more rogue cultivators entered. he had to ensure that a sufficient amount was obtained for himself before these people appeared for a slice of the pie. with that in mind, lightning crackled beneath li luo''s feet and he zoomed into the distance ahead. as he traveled deeper in, he suddenly began to sweat profusely. the dragon sigil between his eyebrows also began to hurt. li luo stopped in his tracks immediately. he knew that this was a signal from his body that there was a life-threatening presence somewhere nearby. li luo scanned his surroundings with a serious look on his face. his fingers were placed on the crimson bracelet containing the three-tailed heavenly wolf. given that the spiritual resonance cave had a cultivation level restriction, he would not dare to use the power of the wolf unless he absolutely had to. he was afraid this would cause an abrupt and unexpected effect in the space around him. however, he would disregard the rules if he was truly thrown into a life-or-death situation. additionally, there should not be too much of a commotion if he only tapped into part of the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s power. as soon as he entered a state of high alert, li luo heard faint footsteps coming from the end of the pathway shrouded in mist. the steps sounded light, but he could not tell who or what it was exactly. he stared without batting an eyelid. a few moments later, someone emerged from the faint mist. it was the figure of a human, but he was somewhat illusory. clearly, this was not an actual man. he was wearing the familiar sacred void resonance sect robes. however, his robes contained golden threads and were clearly more elaborate and delicately designed than those of the previous disciples. "another energy replica from the sacred void resonance sect?" li luo thought to himself. he could not understand why this energy replica was wandering aimlessly around here though. as li luo looked at him anxiously, he noticed that the illusory replica was holding onto a bronze oil lamp. however, there was no flame. the replica tightly grabbed onto the bronze oil lamp and said, his hollow voice echoing in the air, "the flame has died out. the flame has died out..." li luo swallowed his saliva as he listened to the eerie echo. he did not dare to make any hasty moves before he figured out what exactly was going on with this replica. the last thing he wanted was to trigger any defensive mechanisms and end up in a battle. as such, li luo stood on the same spot without moving a single step. he opened his eyes widely and observed the mysterious replica floating closer to him on the pathway before disappearing into the distance again. phew. li luo finally heaved a sigh of relief as he saw the lantern bearer disappear from his sight. was he referring to the flame in the lantern in his hand? what''ll happen if i help him light the lantern again? however, theres no way an ordinary flame would work...nove)lb)in as li luo thought about this, his expression suddenly changed. could it be the acquired resonance flame? nonetheless, li luo kept this thought in his mind and did not dwell on it any further. it would not be wise to approach that man recklessly. he could give it a try after he had collected enough spirit resonance golden dew. for now, it was better to wait. with that in mind, li luo did not hang around any longer and continued down the pathway, this time in the opposite direction from where the lantern bearer had disappeared to. after a few dozen minutes, li luo paused in his tracks once again. a hall with a concealed gate had appeared right beside him. he could sense strong and condensed energy waves undulating from it. li luo was hit with extreme excitement and moved towards it immediately. he paused at a spot several feet away from the gate and glanced inside. his eyes burned with excitement from what he witnessed. the courtyard behind the gate was far larger than the locations he had seen previously. the stone cup that stood in the center was overflowing with golden light. it seemed like there was quite a lot of spirit resonance golden dew inside it. "finally." li luo prepared to head towards it, controlling his surprise. just as he was about to push open the gate, water materialized in front of him. it expanded to form a veil, covering up the entrance completely. li luo frowned at the sudden development. he slowly turned around. there was a charming fairy not far behind him, walking towards him with light steps. her long hair hung down her slender waist like a smooth waterfall, and her beautiful eyes reflected the world like a crystal-clear mirror. "fairy qin, you sure are fast," li luo said with a smile. he pointed to the hall at his back and continued, "everyone gets a share. if you are interested, we can discuss how to split it." qin yi looked back at li luo with her pretty eyes. her red lips pouted a little as she replied with a slight smile, "if i say i want to have it all, would you be willing to give in, dragon''s head li luo?" hearing this, li luo sighed helplessly. as expected, it was impossible for qin yi and him to cooperate peacefully. the enmity from their previous generation was far too great. they were destined to be foes rather than friends. previously, they had cooperated purely out of necessity. now that qin yi had encountered him alone, she would surely think about acting against him. perhaps she wanted to find out just how strong li luo had gotten. however, if li luo''s performance didnt meet her expectations... the test would become a battle of life and death instantly. Chapter 0969: Battling Qin Yi Again chapter 0969: battling qin yi again when qin yi said those words, li luo knew that he could not avoid exchanging blows with her. thus, he immediately unsheathed his onyx-elephant blade, the mottled edge glistening with cold light. "although i exchanged blows with you at the dragonbreath pool, it was under special circumstances. i''ve never truly gotten a taste of how mighty your lower ninth-grade water resonance is. i''ll finally get the long-awaited chance to find out today." li luo grinned, showing no sign of fear. there wasn''t much of a conflict between the two in particular, but their parents were filled with enmity for each other. and the feelings of hostility had been passed down. qin yi was obedient to her mother, so she could never have a cordial relationship with li luo. additionally, qin lian had commanded qin yi to find the opportunity to beat li luo into the dirt so she could let everyone in the heavenly origin divine continent know that her bloodline was superior to li taixuan and tan tailan''s. even though li luo didn''t want to have a bad relationship with qin yi, qin lian wanted to use him as a vehicle for her wrath towards his parents. as someone with a backbone, he couldn''t simply retreat and let her have her way. otherwise, when jiang qing''e arrived at the heavenly origin divine continent and found out that he had been suppressed by her masters'' enemy, the first one to receive a beating would very likely be him! then she would go and deal with qin yi. jiang qing''e held utmost respect for his parents and would not tolerate any sort of insult towards them. plus, they were using that conflict as a means to suppress li luo too. thus, if he wanted to keep his head held high before jiang qing''e, he knew he could lose to anyone but qin yi. otherwise, his position in the family would plummet into the depths! at that time, even his mother might look at him with disdain. he could already imagine the words coming out of her mouth. "such a worthless son. you might as well just leave the family!" at this point, li luo felt a chill run down his back. when he looked into qin yi''s eyes, he gained a renewed sense of conviction and cruelty. in order to protect his esteemed position within his family, he would have to bear the pain and go through with it. when qin yi noticed the change in li luo''s gaze, she felt like he was acting a little strange. no one could possibly imagine the complicated threads of logic in li luo''s heart and how quickly he had come to a decision. however, she didn''t mind this at all. as the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing''s most outstanding youth, she possessed unparalleled self-confidence. she was not afraid of anyone in the heavenly origin divine continent. whether it was zhao shenjiang from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao or the heavenly origin ancient college''s jiang wanyu. although li luo had only spent a short time in the lineage and had experienced a frighteningly rapid growth, she had belief that she could accomplish the task her mother had given her. no matter how many tricks li luo had up his sleeve, he was still in the fiend finisher tier, while qin yi had two-pearl strength. and li luo wasnt the only one that could beat people at a higher cultivation level. qin yi''s beautiful face glinted with scintillating, white light, complimenting her ethereal, fairy-like appearance. with a wave of her jade-like hand, two heavenly pearls manifested behind her. the pearls were azure in color, bright, and dazzling. their mere presence caused the world around them to turn moist as all the water-affiliated worldly natural energy surged forth. in a blink, it was like a river of water had manifested behind her. additionally, her dress had been covered in a layer of water that flowed and turned into waves. this was her soul ascension-grade body-tempering duke art, invincible water jade armour. qin yi seemed delicate, but the truth about her physical body was that it was even stronger than li luo''s nine scales sanctified dragon''s body by an entire level. li luo squinted a little as he could feel a hint of danger emanating from her body. strictly speaking, the aura she gave off was even stronger than the energy replica of li taixuan! bang! li luo''s three resonant palaces immediately got to work. waves of resonant power began to flow ceaselessly, taking the form of dual resonance power and emanating from his body. the majestic dual resonance power was interlaced with vestiges of spirituality, which gave a form of sentience to his energy. "nine scales sanctified dragon''s body! thunderpeal avatar, four sonic pulses!" li luo activated all of his enhancements instantly, and thunderous booms could be heard coming from his body. savage energy filled every inch and crevice of his flesh and blood, overflowing into the space around him. when the thunderpeal avatar let out four booms, li luo knew that he had reached his limit. feeling the explosive strength that was hidden within his lean muscles, he suddenly took a step forward, crushing the tiles beneath his foot. he then dashed towards qin yi like a bolt of lightning, creating a thunderclap as a result of his sudden acceleration. he grasped his blade with both hands and hacked downwards emotionlessly. "divine elephant power, level three!" a brutal slash that tore the void in its path arced downwards with such speed that one could only see the trail it left in its wake. it was fierce and savage. a weaker two-pearl expert might not be able to take such a blow. however, qin yi''s eyes remained as clear as a still lake despite being faced with such a move. she pointed her finger, and the void rippled with waves. a brief moment later, a water mirror engraved with numerous mystical runes formed before her. the mirror rippled vigorously, and immediately after, a berserk blade strike lashed forth from it, leaving a trail of blade light in its wake. it looked exactly like the slash li luo had just executed. qin yi had clearly replicated li luo''s attack. this was the most commonly used method among water resonance usersthey would reflect the enemy''s attack using water as a mirror. and qin yis lower ninth-grade water resonance possessed exceptionally pure water resonant power, so the reflected attack was nearly identical to the original in terms of strength. bang! the two strikes clashed, and blade energy raged in every direction, riddling the ground with gashes in an instant. however, a replica was ultimately just that. it could not surpass the original in strength, so a few breaths later, li luo''s strike shattered the mirror image like a dried twig and struck the water mirror explosively. the energy from the blade strike was absolutely overflowing, even injuring qin yi as a result. qin yi then raised a single hand, and a faint, green light coalesced around it, causing her beautiful arm to seem as though it had transformed into green jade. duke art: starplucking green jade hand. qin yi casually flicked her jade-colored fingers, and the air before her shuddered at this seemingly simple movement. the amount of power that was being displayed was truly shocking. clang! clang! blade energy continuously clashed against her fingers, causing metallic ringing sounds to reverberate, and a shower of sparks accompanied each hit. regardless of how violent each strike was, the blade energy was unable to penetrate her defenses and was cleanly mitigated. li luo''s gaze turned serious as he could feel the shock coming from the rebounding of blade energy. they had barely exchanged blows in the dragonbreath pool, but it was clear now that qin yi had been holding back many of her other techniques. weng! at this point, the void before li luo shattered and the manifestation of the green jade hand burst through the gap. it had dealt with the remnant blade energy and now mysteriously appeared before him with an unexpected strike. as the hand descended, it directly reached out towards li luo''s head, looking to pluck out his eyes! this unexpected ambush was swift and left him with nowhere to run. as a result, the green jade hand manifestation directly pierced li luo''s eyes. however, no blood spewed forth! li luo''s body turned illusory instead. it was an afterimage. qin yi''s enchanting eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced around. where li luo''s body once was, there was now a puddle of residual water resonant power that had formed a reflection that took the place of his true body. "water resonant power..."?her gaze trembled. she had almost forgotten that li luo had a water resonance too, and he seemed to be particularly adept at using it. additionally, she vaguely sensed that there was a trace of holiness within the water resonant power. could it be light resonant energy? it was the combination of two kinds of resonant power that allowed his eighth-grade water resonance to create an illusion that was indistinguishable from reality. "didnt he only have three resonances?"?a hint of surprise arose in qin yi''s heart. however, before she could contemplate further, li luo reappeared by her right like a ghost. paw?ead.com ]. he immediately struck down with his blade and tore the void in its wake. the next moment, an overwhelmingly large and fearful black dragon soared out of the void accompanied by a stygian black river that emanated absolute coldness. it directly struck at her with tyrannic strength. this duke art was something that qin yi had seen li luo demonstrate during the dragonbreath pool. the only thing was that this time, the duke art simply seemed much more alive. is it... n--ovelbin "a greater completion duke art?" she mused to herself. li luo''s assault did not stop there. he flew backwards as the black dragon roared, and a bow that gave off an ancient air appeared in his hands in a blink. triple violet-eye treasured artifact: heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow! li luo was not planning to spare any mercy. he would ruthlessly destroy this gorgeous flower today. Chapter 0970: Sunchasing Arrow chapter 0970: sunchasing arrow roar! the black dragon roared angrily as its massive claws smashed downwards. the void was showing traces of being completely destroyed just by its presence. black water wreathed the dragon''s claws, taking the shape of dusky runes. the runes radiated an endless chill. if they were to hit someone''s body, the victims resonant power might very well be frozen before gradually eroding. the greater completion underworld river''s black dragon banner possessed a might that could not be underestimated. a look of solemnity appeared on qin yi''s alluring features. this duke art had yet to reach this realm when she fought against li luo in the dragonbreath poolit seemed li luo had made frightening progress in the past few months. it was no wonder he had emerged victorious against li qingfeng for the dragon''s head title. however, li luo was not the only one who had improved in this span of time. as the most outstanding sapling of the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing, qin yi''s talent was not inferior to anyone. she tapped her foot lightly and vanished backwards, creating distance between them. at the same time, her jade-like hands formed seals, and endless strands of light-blue threads made of water shot out of her fingertips. these streams of water had each been personally refined by her with ninth-grade water resonant power. "duke art: ten thousand water streams slaughter." qin yi lightly dotted the air with her finger, and all of the streams immediately converged. then they immediately began to spin until they took the shape of a dark-blue awn.[1] although it seemed gentle and harmless, it possessed terrifying penetrative capabilities that could drill through a mountain. as it streaked across the ground, a seemingly bottomless trail was sliced open in its wake with an unusually smooth surface. this was the duke art qin yi was most adept at. at this point, she had similarly cultivated it to the realm of greater completion. when qin yi used her duke art, a faint illusion manifested behind her. it was her ninth-grade resonance''s unique ability, a water spirit avatar. a spirit avatar could bolster the strength of one''s resonance arts and allow one''s body to attune itself more closely with worldly natural energy. the water spirit avatar''s appearance caused the dark-blue water awn to become more responsive and agile. worldly natural energy with water affinity continuously surged forth and bolstered the art even further. with a simple motion, the awn shot forward explosively, viciously colliding with the black dragon''s massive claws. weng! unexpectedly, the collision of the two arts didnt result in an earth-shaking boom. instead, all of the terrifying energy that made up each attack was used to cancel out the other''s might with frenetic frenzy. waves of energy continuously buffeted the surroundings, and even the stone lions and pavilions that dotted the area around them began to disintegrate. as the two duke arts faced off, qin yi retracted her gaze. at this point, she could sense a swift and ferocious aura locking onto her. she lifted her gaze and noticed that li luo was currently floating in the air with the aid of his energy wings. in his hand was a dragon-shaped bow that emanated a sense of ancientness. the surrounding worldly natural energy was roused as he drew it, and it endlessly converged onto the bowstring. an immense sense of danger arose in her heart. "a triple violet-eye treasured artifact?!" qin yi could make out the three violet-eye marks on the body of the bow, and she felt her scalp turn numb. not only was it a triple violet-eye treasured artifact, it was a weapon meant for slaughter! li luo was truly taking out all of his killing moves this time. before she could recover from her shock, the dragon sigil on his forehead shone with scintillating light. all nine dragon scales lit up as he shouted, "nine scales sanctified dragon''s body, nine dragons might!" li luo''s body trembled, the blood within his body seemed to be boiling over as it took on a life of its own and roared! all of his inner meridians seemed to have transformed into rampaging dragons that exploded with terrifying strength. because the increase in strength was too much for his body to handle, his hands started to bleed from every pore. crunch! the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow was finally drawn with li luo''s bolstered strength, and a storm of worldly natural energy started to congregate into the shape of a single arrow made of light. its brightness was overwhelming, and a majestic amount of energy circulated just above the tip. it looked as though a dragon made of light was hovering right above the arrow. the skin of the fingers holding on the bowstring suddenly began to split open, causing blood to drip onto the ground below. monstrous strength was required to use the bow, and his body was barely able to hold on. li luo also understood now why li jingzhe had specifically mentioned he had to obtain the nine scales sanctified dragon''s body before he could give the bow to him. without the nine dragons might, he would be completely incapable of drawing the bow. the searing pain lancing through his fingers was ignored as he emotionlessly glanced at qin yi''s enchanting body. her country-toppling beauty would deter any tender-hearted male from trying to hurt her. it was a pity that li luo wasn''t in that bucket. thus, when the light dragon arrow had fully formed, li luo released it from the bow without any hesitation. at that very moment, a piercing sonic boom rumbled through the skies as a stream of light that seemed to be ignited with glorious flames shot outwards. a dragon manifestation circled the arrow as it roared. the projectile was dazzling beyond description, and it seemed to have the power to chase the very sun. it seemed to have sucked in the world around it, including the very air. this was why it was known as the sunchasing arrow. the single arrow''s might far surpassed li luo''s greater completion underworld river''s black dragon banner in terms of tyranny and incisive penetrative ability. the dragon-shaped arrow rapidly magnified in qin yi''s eyes. its sheer speed prevented any movement technique from evading it. qin yi''s absolutely alluring features turned solemn. at the same time, a subtle look of admiration appeared in her eyes. li luo was able to produce an arrow of such might despite being at the fiend finisher tier. in a way, it demonstrated how amazingly talented he was. even a three-pearl rogue cultivator would likely be unable to block such an attack. however, she was not a rogue cultivator. she was the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing''s most outstanding genius of the younger generation. her cherry-red lips parted slightly and she lightly spat out a blue pearl made of light. it looked as though an entire ocean full of raging waves was contained within it. the appearance of the pearl immediately caused changes in the environment. all the worldly natural energy with water affinities in the surroundings was aroused and surged towards the pearl. this was the boundless heavy ocean pearl, a twin violet-eye treasured artifact. the artifact itself was an entire boundless ocean full of heavy water refined into the pearl. it seemed harmless at first glance, but it possessed the sheer weight to crush even mountains! qin yi flicked her finger, and the boundless heavy ocean pearl shot forward in a beam of blue light. as it flew, the space around it seemed to be unable to resist the sheer force of its acceleration, causing it to warp.n)/ovelbin the pearl flew forward and instantly collided with the void-tearing arrow of light. bang! terrifying energy waves cascaded over the area like crashing tsunamis, and the void was torn apart whenever the waves of energy swept past. li luo and qin yi were the first to physically experience the aftershocks. even though they had already braced themselves, they were still shaken by the sheer force. their blood and energy roiled within their bodies. the cataclysmic explosion and aftershocks lasted for several breaths. in the end, the blue light on the boundless heavy ocean pearl began to gradually fade. the arrow of light had pierced through it, and a resonating ding was heard when it struck the pearl''s body. at the same time, the ocean contained within the pearl began to crash violently, partially destroying the dragon manifestation with the sheer impact. the boundless heavy ocean pearl was sent flying backwards and was eventually caught by a slender hand. qin yi saw that there was a thin crack on the surface of the pearl now, and a look of distress could be seen in her alluring eyes. afterwards, she glanced at the arrow, which was still flying at her without any lessened momentum. however, the flames of light that wreathed it had diminished in intensity. she stretched out her hand as green light flowed across it, seemingly turning it into a piece of jade. duke art: starplucking green jade hand. she flicked her slender fingers, blocking the arrow directly, and the void instantly detonated due to the collision of the two forces. qin yi''s delicate body trembled and fresh blood oozed from her fingers, combining with the green light and turning her hand jasper in color. however, the sunchasing arrow was finally at the end of its flight, its energy completely consumed. it then exploded into a spectacle of light motes that gradually dissipated into the air. still, the energy fluctuations continued to spread throughout the hall. the ground they stood on was completely ruined. li luo and qin yi then quietly confronted each other. the previous exchange demonstrated that both parties were merciless. only by doing this could they better understand the opponent''s tricks. qin yi was the first to break the silence. "dragon''s head li luo, you are truly an exceptional individual. you''re able to push me to such an extent with fiend finisher strength." "you are extraordinary too. even my bow was unable to faze you." li luo smiled slightly. qin yi then calmly replied, "however, you''re ultimately at the fiend finisher tier. even though you have triple resonances and significant reserves of resonant power, comparable to an average heavenly pearl tier cultivator, it might be difficult for you to keep up in a battle of attrition." li luo''s expression was unchanged. qin yi''s words weren''t totally wrong, but she had misunderstood something. his triple resonances weren''t that simple either. when it came to resonant power, he far surpassed what one would expect a triple resonance user to have. "however... what is known about your triple resonances might just be scratching the tip of the iceberg." qin yi suddenly said whilst li luo was lost in his own thoughts. she shot him an incomparably sharp look, a trace of amazement clearly visible in her eyes. "your resonant power doesn''t just have three affinities. perhaps all of them are split into a primary and secondary resonance?" 1. tl note: this should give you an idea what the awn looks like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/awn_%28botany%29 ? Chapter 0971: Strange Cultivators chapter 0971: strange cultivators "your resonant power doesn''t just have three affinities. perhaps all of them are split into a primary and secondary resonance?" li luo raised his eyebrows when qin yi finished her question. after all this time, she was the first opponent that had managed to figure out one of his secrets after such a short fight. it was not really hidden in any way. however, most would not think that way. it was already a really rare sight for someone to possess triple resonances, as rare as someone with a ninth-grade resonance. as such, one would not expect a split of primary and secondary resonances on top of his triple resonances. in a certain sense, this was akin to having six resonances in total. even though the secondary resonances were weaker than the primary resonances, they still held onto the fundamental characteristics and strengths of each element. at times, these different resonant powers had been the key to helping him conquer his challenges. li luo had not tried to hide his secondary resonance deliberately in his previous battles. after all, a lot of his pseudo duke arts actually required his secondary resonances. it was just that people thought he had utilized artifacts and treasures in order to use them. they had not expected him to possess both primary and secondary resonances. hence, li luo could not help but sigh when qin yi guessed it right on the spot. her senses and intuition were on a different level compared to the common rabble. other than that, there was not much for him to brood over. ultimately, his secret regarding the primary and secondary resonances was bound to be revealed sooner or later. "seems like i''ve guessed correctly." qin yi had figured out the truth of the matter from his momentary silence. her charming eyes were filled with surprise. "this must be why you have such strong resonant power. i am just wondering if you only have one secondary resonance or if it''s for all three resonances." li luo smiled in response. "since you are so perceptive, fairy qin, do you want to keep guessing?" qin yi also chuckled and replied, "i''m afraid you will silence me if i make too many guesses, dragon''s head li luo." "you''ve overestimated me, fairy qin," li luo said. despite what was said, li luo''s eyes lit up for a second as he took a glance at the crimson bracelet on his wrist. if he really borrowed the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf now, could he finally threaten her? he knew that qin yi was no ordinary foe. she was the most unfathomable opponent that he had come across to date. given her special background, it would not be surprising if she had some secret trick up her sleeve to save herself in times of danger. n--o.-v/-e))l.(b-(i(-n li luo really had no confidence that he could finish her in a single strike here. "why have you stopped your attacks, fairy qin?" li luo continued with a grin. qin yi sighed a little and replied, "i was originally planning to dispose of you before lady li lingjing arrived. i thought it wouldn''t take up too much time. however, it seems like i''ve underestimated you." "i am sure you still have secret moves that you''ve yet to reveal." qin yi chuckled lightly. her pure, white skin radiated holiness and her stunning beauty easily bewitched everyone present. "arent you hiding your killer move too? i heard that the duke art you used to defeat the energy replica of your father during the battle of the dragon''s head is truly terrifying." li luo pouted in response. qin yi had even learned of this... which diehard fan of hers had leaked it out? nonetheless, qin yi was cunning and quick-witted. all she had done until now was test his strength. if she had an easy way to take him down, it would have turned into a real fight. however, since li luo had surprised her with unexpected power, she had made the decision to withhold her intention of going all-out here. this was a really complicated situation. if she fought li luo here and both of them ended in a dire state, it would be truly undesirable. on the other hand, li luo''s eyes flashed with this realization. he did not want to fight qin yi to the death. after all, he felt that she was a much more fearsome foe than zhao shenjiang. now that all the rogue cultivators had entered the gilded hall, his utmost priority was to gather as much loot as he could. just as li luo was about to soften his tone and negotiate with qin yi again, his face suddenly changed. he frowned and looked behind her. a strong energy wave came from that direction. qin yi also raised her eyebrows as she felt the same disturbance. this energy wave was coming really quickly. it was as if someone was charging towards them at maximum speed. in a few moments, li luo and qin yi noticed an extremely fat figure flying in their direction like a zooming cannonball. although the new arrival seemed sturdy, his movements were extremely erratic. in a blink, he was right next to them. as soon as li luo saw the unique body-type, he realized who it was. who else could it be but zhu dayu from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu? li luo''s eyes flickered as he hurriedly shouted to him, "brother zhu, help me! quick!" to his surprise, zhu dayu shouted back at him at the same time, "brother li, help me as well! even quicker!" the two of them were dumbfounded after hearing each others plea. the first thought that came to li luo''s mind was that this guy was too thick-faced. they barely even knew each other, and the first words out of his mouth were a plea for help? hmph! li luo gave a dry cough and replied, "brother zhu, i have a great deal for you. there is a lot of spirit resonance golden dew in the hall, so let''s work together to chase her away. after that, we can split the dew equally. how about it?" when qin yi heard this, her charming eyes narrowed a little, and the boundless ocean pearl on her palm floated up slowly. zhu dayu looked over at qin yi after hearing the proposal. he laughed out dryly and shouted in response, "brother li, she is the least of your worries right now. i think that whats coming my way is more troublesome." li luo cast a suspicious look at zhu dayu. just what kind of trouble had this fatty brought along with him? in that case, he couldn''t be blamed if he escaped... after all, they were simply acquaintances. as they were shouting back and forth, li luo spotted dozens of people in the direction zhu dayu had come from. he frowned immediately. first of all, the composition of the group was very strangethere were rogue cultivators as well as people wearing the robes of other powerful forces. furthermore, their faces were completely blank. there were also clear signs of injuries on their bodies, perhaps left behind by zhu dayu. one of them had even lost an arm during the chase. the most mysterious part of it all was that none of these people displayed any signs of anguish or pain. their eyes were eerie and their bodies were surging with resonant power, giving anyone who saw them a really cold and frightening feeling. all of them were at different cultivation levels, with the strongest being a three or four-pearl and the weakest a fiend finisher. well, it was no surprise that zhu dayu was running for his life, considering the sheer number chasing after him. "what have you done, zhu dayu? why are they chasing after you? if you''ve done something wrong, just apologize to them quickly," li luo said with a serious tone. zhu dayu stared back at li luo resentfully. this guy had referred to him as brother a moment ago. now that he saw so many people chasing after him, he changed his tone and addressed him formally immediately. "brother li, i did not do anything to them. they''re also not willing to communicate with anyone. something strange is going on," zhu dayu explained in a hurry. in fact, li luo had sensed it even before he finished his sentence. the eerie and blank stares from these people had already locked onto him as well. they were definitely not ordinary. li luo frowned a little. he sensed a whiff of the others from them. however, the spiritual resonance cave was not like the dark domain, so how could he possibly feel such a sensation here? as li luo pondered over the situation, the new foes began to turn hostile. their resonant power surged up. li luo and zhu dayu instantly noticed that things were not right, so they retreated in unison to a spot beside qin yi. "fairy qin, things don''t seem right. let''s work together," li luo said as he smiled warmly at qin yi. qin yi pursed her red lips lightly and replied with a light grin, "weren''t you planning to work together with zhu dayu to chase me off just a moment ago?" "of course not! i was simply kidding... i''d never do something as shameful as having two men team up against a single lady," li luo quibbled. qin yi was left speechless at his shameless response, but it was indeed true that these strange people gave her an uneasy feeling. "let''s deal with them first." ...... in another corner of the gilded hall. in a quiet hallway, li lingjing was whistling a tune as she walked with both her hands behind her back. suddenly, she paused in her tracks. she raised her head and stared into the shadows far ahead. there was a figure that did not really seem like a living human quietly standing there. his eyeballs were wriggling slowly as he watched li lingjing in silence. "what a disgusting aura," li lingjing said in a low voice as she looked at him. the figure slowly walked out of the shadows. strange, black worms wriggled out of his eyeballs as he stared at li lingjing intently. there appeared to be miniature human faces on the heads of the tiny worms, each one grinning. a cold and hoarse voice came from his mouth. "number three, let me consume you." Chapter 0972: Luring the monsters chapter 0972: luring the monsters wild resonant power erupted outside the hall. the dozens of emotionless individuals who were previously chasing after zhu dayu charged towards the group. although most of them were rogue cultivators and not too strong, the two leaders of the group were three-pearls. the remaining people weren''t too weak either. coupled with their advantage in numbers, they posed a real threat to li luo and his group. li luo went up directly against a rogue cultivator who had reached the three-pearl tier. it was only at this moment that he truly felt how strong his own resonant power was. although his opponent was way ahead of him in cultivation level, the pressure during their clash was far weaker than what he had felt from qin yi earlier. he was finally comparing himself to someone normal. after all, qin yi possessed a ninth-grade water resonance. on top of that, she was naturally gifted and could win against opponents at higher tiers. with her domineering strength, she could probably fend off a four-pearl opponent, let alone a three-pearl one. this was evident when she clashed with another three-pearl tier rogue cultivator not far away. her control of the battle was even better than that of li luo. "ah! brother li luo, help me quickly!" at this moment, a loud cry from zhu dayu came from the other side. due to the large number of opponents, zhu dayu had to hold off all the others while li luo and qin yi focused on the two strongest ones. pa??read.com ". he had tried to drag out the fight with the strange rogue cultivators using all the tricks up his sleeve, coupled with speed. however, no matter how talented and quick he was, there were bound to be attacks that landed on him from time to time. after a short while, there were terrible injuries all over that fat body of his. fortunately, zhu dayu''s recovery capability was truly unfathomable. while he dodged around pathetically, he took out cooked pieces of meat and stuffed them into his mouth gluttonously. as he consumed them, the terrible injuries all over his body began to recuperate with surprising speed. he might be able to recover from these injuries, but the pain inflicted was unavoidable. as a result, his terrible, loud cries echoed in the air across the whole battlefield. li luo and qin yi felt a little angry about the entire situation as well. after all, these cultivators had been lured over by him. "fairy qin, we can''t continue this forever. these people are really strange, and they feel similar to others. could they have been corrupted by others?" li luo shouted out. qin yi nodded slightly. her captivating eyes continued to focus on her foe, who had not spoken a single word since their clash started and simply continued going after her life with a blank stare that lacked any sign of spirit and vitality. most importantly, the rogue cultivator was not showing any signs of pain no matter how many attacks landed on him. although the opponent wasn''t too strong in terms of battle prowess, it was clear that qin yi would not get out of this unscathed if she dragged things on for too long. moreover, it would become increasingly dangerous for zhu dayu. if they got surrounded by more of these strange rogue cultivators later, she would probably have to sneak away on her own first. "how could the other corruption extend to the spiritual resonance cave?" qin yi asked with a frown. li luo shook his head and responded, "our utmost priority now is to finish them off. if we get caught up with them now, there will be no way for us to collect any more spirit resonance golden dew." qin yi understood this as well. there were more and more people flooding into the gilded hall. the longer they took, the fewer the rewards left behind for them later. however... it was not an easy feat to get rid of all these rogue cultivators in a short amount of time. "i''ve got an idea. fairy qin, if you trust me, please help me hold off this rogue cultivator over here," li luo suddenly told her. qin yi''s eyes flickered for a moment as she pondered over it in silence. afterwards, she raised her jade hands, and a veil of water resonance power emerged from the ground. it formed a wall of geysers, trapping the three-pearl rogue cultivator that li luo was holding off previously. "there are two three-pearl foes. i will not be able to hold them down for long. if you take too long, i am afraid i''ll have to go for another option," qin yi replied calmly. li luo simply smiled in response as he turned around and headed off into the hall. seeing this, zhu dayu hurriedly shouted at him, "brother li, surely you aren''t thinking of collecting the spirit resonance golden dew inside and making an escape, right?" "who knows? that''s indeed possible," li luo replied playfully as he pushed open the doors and went into the hall. in the same moment, qin yi''s eyes lit up as if she had figured out his plan. "he''s thinking of luring the guardian spirits that guard the spirit resonance golden dew here. he plans to use them to fight against these rogue cultivators. since both are lacking in sentience and awareness, it''s perfect for them to fight against each other." zhu dayu''s eyes lit up after hearing this. "brother li, what a brilliant plan!" he praised. however, qin yi continued, "the guardian spirits will attack whoever is in range as soon as they spawn. in other words, dragon''s head li luo''s plan is pretty risky. if the guardian spirits decide to focus on him first, what will be coming from our back will not be reinforcements, but another dangerous tiger." zhu dayu let out another cry, and he could immediately feel his heart pounding. if they were caught in a pincer attack by these strange rogue cultivators and the guardian spirits, they would really have to fight for their own lives and escape pitifully. nonetheless, li luo had already entered the hall. he looked around and noticed the stone cup in the center. this stone cup was not small, and gold light flowed within it. like little sprites filled with sentience, there were multiple spirit resonance golden dew drops dancing around in it. li luo did not hesitate to move towards the cup. as he got closer, it shot out rays of golden light. in the blink of an eye, the light transformed into guardian spirits who surrounded him in all directions. they were all wearing the familiar robes of the sacred void resonance sect. as soon as they appeared, their eyes locked onto li luo and a wild storm of energy swept up. like a flash of lightning, the disciples of the sacred void resonance sect charged towards him. his response was to lift his hand as quickly as possible, the acquired resonance flame materializing on his palm. the guardian spirits that were charging towards him paused as soon as they noticed it, and the wild storm of energy dissipated. at the same time, they bowed down towards li luo politely. witnessing this familiar scene, li luo extinguished the acquired resonance flame in satisfaction and reached for the stone cup. he took it, turned around, and started walking out of the hall. when the stone cup began to move, the guardian spirits followed it obediently. outside the hall, qin yi was holding down both of the three-pearl rogue cultivators single-handedly. at the same time, she kept looking into the hall to keep an eye on what was happening. the berserk undulations of energy which erupted in an instant earlier was a clear sign that li luo had activated the guardian spirits. however, how would he avoid being the focus of the guardian spirits now? would he simply cause a mess and lure the attacking guardian spirits towards them? qin yi kept her vigilance up as her eyes glanced over from time to time. as soon as she noticed li luo''s plan failing, she would escape by herself without any hesitation. just as qin yi was thinking about it, li luo emerged from the hall. he came running towards her straight with a fearsome force of guardian spirits following closely behind. qin yi retreated immediately when she saw them coming, keeping a close watch on the guardian spirits at the same time. she was completely astonished by this scene. although the guardian spirits were chasing li luo, they were showing no signs of attacking him. li luo approached, and the two three-pearl rogue cultivators were soon in attacking range of the guardian spirits. bang! the next moment, the disciples of the sacred void resonance sect started attacking the two rogue cultivators with full force. although the two tried to defend against their attacks, they were soon overwhelmed. "brother li, come over here and help me! quickly!" zhu dayu screamed from across the field, delighted at the sight he had just witnessed. li luo grinned and directly threw the stone cup towards him. however, zhu dayu''s face changed completely. he dodged it, avoiding the cup as if it was a poisonous scorpion. when it landed, the huge group of sacred void resonance sect disciples followed along. zhu dayu quickly used his arts and escaped in a hurry. however, the strange rogue cultivators were unable to escape in time. when the sacred void resonance sect disciples arrived, the two groups clashed with one another. a crossfire of savage energy flew across the sky as the two sides threw everything they had at each other. li luo, qin yi, and zhu dayu made full use of this chance to make their escape, not wanting to get caught in the middle. "brother li, that was impressive! you managed to lure the guardian spirits over and not get trapped yourself," zhu dayu praised. li luo looked over to him and said, "remember, you owe me a favor." zhu dayu froze for a moment and replied, "that was considered worthy of a favor?" li luo responded confidently, "they were after your life, and i saved you. is this not considered a favor? are the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu so unreasonable?" n)-0ve1bin zhu dayu grumbled something to himself. li luo looked around as blood was shed on the battlefield. he frowned a moment later. "these rogue cultivators have lost their senses. they act just like puppets with an eerie air around them... i don''t recall them being like this earlier." qin yi agreed with him. "i recognize one of them. he spoke to me before we entered the gilded hall. he is acting like a completely different person now. i think something strange happened when he entered the gilded hall." li luo thought about it carefully and replied, "it seems like there''s something really dangerous in this place." changing so many rogue cultivators into puppets would indicate that the mastermind was extraordinary. bang! as li luo was waiting for the clash between the rogue cultivators and sacred void resonance sect''s disciples to conclude, an enormous torrent of energy shot into the air a distance away in the gilded hall. this was a truly shocking clash that shook the entire area. even li luo and the group could clearly sense the waves despite being far away from its origin. lifting her beautiful face, qin yi looked over and exclaimed, "based on the energy undulations, it must be a confrontation with an eight-pearl at the very least!" on the other hand, li luo''s expression changed completely at that moment. he was very familiar with the energy that had shot into the sky. it was none other than li lingjing''s! what is going on over there?! Chapter 0973: Li Lingjings Predicament chapter 0973: li lingjing''s predicament the terrifying energy boom resounded through the air and echoed throughout the vast gilded hall, causing the ground to tremble. li luo looked towards the direction of its origin with a frown on his face. he then glanced over at qin yi. if one of the two energy undulations was from li lingjing, who is she fighting against? is it qin ying? or zhu zhu? as li luo thought about it, he looked back over to the battle between the rogue cultivators and guardian spirits. both sides were lacking in consciousness, so neither showed any signs of backing down. n/.0velb1n the numbers of both factions dwindled rapidly. such a brutal scene caused li luo and the others to look on with a little bit of aversion. nonetheless, the threat they posed to li luo and the others decreased as their numbers fell. "let''s prepare to strike too. we''ve caused quite a commotion over here. if we drag this on any longer, other people might make their way to us," li luo said. he scanned the surroundings, and his gaze landed on the center of the battlefield. that was where the stone cup had landed, the dazzling, golden glow of the liquid inside it attracting the gazes of the three of them from time to time. the spirit resonance golden dew in it was their true target. hearing what li luo had said, the other two had no objections. in the next moment, the three of them took action with all their might. they eliminated the guardian spirits that were between the rogue cultivators and them before they went ahead to clear out the rogue cultivators. dozens of minutes later, blood filled the floor outside the hall. the place was deathly silent all of a sudden. li luo looked at the corpses of the strange rogue cultivators. there were traces of pitch-black coloration within their fresh blood that gave one a really uneasy feeling. it was as if these rogue cultivators had been corrupted by an other. however, there were some differences in the details. he had no time to ponder over what had caused this change, however. as the trouble was resolved, the three of them glanced over at the stone cup. "ahem." li luo coughed lightly as he looked over to qin yi and asked, "how do you think we should share the spirit resonance golden dew, fairy qin?" qin yi smiled gently and replied, "the two of us were the first to arrive. under normal circumstances, i''d suggest we split it between the two of us equally. as for brother zhu, he not only did not contribute anything, he even lured a group of weird rogue cultivators over to us. no matter how you look at it, there''s no reason to share the spirit resonance golden dew with him, right?" when zhu dayu heard this, his fat face changed completely. he was about to flare up, but he understood just how powerful qin yi was. he could only look over to li luo with a sad face and say, "brother li luo, i was covered in blood and wounds in order to hold back that group of rogue cultivators earlier. surely i deserve a little for that hard work, right?" li luo thought for a moment and said, "fairy qin, although zhu dayu did attract the strange rogue cultivators, we would have had some trouble dealing with the guardian spirits if not for those very rogue cultivators. as such, i propose that we each get forty percent of the spirit resonance golden dew here. the remaining twenty percent will be allocated to him. what do you think?" as soon as zhu dayu heard his words, he jumped for joy. "thank you, brother li luo!" although it was only twenty percent, it was still better than nothing. the two in front of him were much more troublesome to deal with than others. as such, zhu dayu was very satisfied to be able to get even a little reward from them. despite his plump and fat appearance, his heart was as clear as a mirror. he knew that everything li luo and qin yi did had a purpose, and things were not as they seemed right now. at present, the two of them were staying vigilant against the other. by helping him, li luo was hoping to borrow his strength to pressure qin yi. if a fight broke out, he could borrow his strength to tilt the situation in his favor slightly. qin yi''s eyes moved a little before she calmly said, "dragon''s head li luo, you''re trying to make me the bad guy here." she was astute as well. she knew very clearly what li luo meant with those words. perhaps he was hoping that she would reject his suggestion on the spot. in that case, li luo and zhu dayu could team up against her. if they emerged victorious and chased her away, they could share her portion amongst themselves. after all, zhu dayu was not a weakling by any means. if he really joined hands with li luo, qin yi might have to endure humiliation today. qin yi pondered over it for a few moments. in the end, she nodded slightly and replied, "in that case, let''s split it according to your suggestion." it was clearly not a wise choice to make an enemy out of zhu dayu just for a bit more dew. li luo was beaming when he heard her reply. at the same time, he was slightly disappointed in his heart as well. qin yi was really a cautious one; she would not give him any chance to get rid of her at all. with a wave of his hand, resonant power surged up and the stone cup flew towards him. under the gazes of the other two, he collected all the spirit resonance golden dew from the cup and shared it with them as agreed. li luo was able to gain twenty-five droplets of spirit resonance golden dew in the end. with such a harvest, he could not help but sigh a little in his heart. if he had been able to take all of it for himself, it would have been a bountiful harvest. after they allocated the spirit resonance golden dew, li luo looked over to the other two and asked, "are we going to continue our search together?" zhu dayu answered without any hesitation, "i''ll tag along with you. those rogue cultivators are really strange and eerie. it''s better if we can look out for each other on the way." in contrast, qin yi smiled a little and answered, "thank you for the offer, but i will kindly turn it down. i''ll go and look for my clanmates first." she was unable to tell what exactly the relationship between zhu dayu and li luo was. as such, she was not willing to take the risk and continue the search with them. if they were ambushed along the way, she might end up placing herself in an undesirable situation. as she finished speaking, she floated off into the distance. "what a pity." li luo sighed as he watched her disappear. similarly, zhu dayu nodded and said, "indeed. fairy qin is as gorgeous as the rumors have said. it''s truly a pity we cannot journey together with her." li luo shook his head and said, "i''m referring to the spirit resonance golden dew that was allocated to her... if she had continued the journey with us, we could have found a chance to snatch it back from her." zhu dayu paused for a moment after hearing him. "you fool! such a beauty should be cherished. how can you harbor such sinister thoughts?!" li luo replied, "she must have at least seventy or eighty droplets on her." at this point, zhu dayu paused once again. "is it too late to chase after her now?" li luo glanced over at him with a smile that was not a smile. nonetheless, he turned around and headed off towards where the terrifying energy wave had come from earlier. seeing this, zhu dayu hurried after him. the two of them navigated the complex routes in the gilded hall in a hurry. at this point, the districts around the hall began to turn into a mess. not only were people from various powers fighting against each other for spirit resonance golden dew, there were also battles against guardian spirits. of course, there were plenty of strange rogue cultivators that seemed to have been corrupted by others as well. chaos reigned as battles were strewn throughout the place. there were even people who didn''t know their place, sneakily following li luo and zhu dayu. fortunately, the two of them were able to deter these people with malicious intentions after a destructive display of their powers. as for the stronger ones that had four or five-pearl strength, they were well aware and cautious of the duo''s backgrounds. they kept their distance from the two guys and did not make any moves on them. after all, this place was full of spirit resonance golden dew, so there was no need to forcefully pit themselves against these two well-respected talents from heavenly emperor powers. moreover, it was hard to say if they had any secret artifacts with them that could turn the tides when things turned dire. as such, it was a smooth journey for li luo and zhu dayu as they made their way through the gilded hall. li luo''s face suddenly changed when he approached the origin of the energy wave. his body froze for a moment as a terrifying energy storm washed over him once again. bang! this wave was much stronger than the previous. li luo and zhu dayu were thrown backwards by it. their bodies shook vigorously from the violent energy. the constructs in their surroundings cracked repeatedly under the sheer force. "what''s happening over there?!" zhu dayu exclaimed in horror. li luo looked over to the district not too far ahead. there was previously a hall standing over there, but the buildings and structures had been torn down. two opposing energies continued to clash and wreak havoc to their surroundings, and one of the energies belonged to li lingjing. she was fighting against a truly fearsome opponent. as he thought about this, worry surfaced in li luo''s eyes. he summoned up all the resonant power in his body to resist the terrifying energy storm, which died down after a few moments. li luo could see a black mist rising up into the sky from the district. it was a mist that left him with a sense of unease. after a few moments, it disappeared completely. he frowned, gritting his teeth before charging ahead at full speed. "brother li luo, it''s too dangerous over there. let''s not get too close!" zhu dayu warned him in a hurry when he saw his reaction. however, li luo did not care, speeding up instead. zhu dayu hesitated for a moment before similarly committing himself, following li luo with all his speed. the two of them rushed off, and after a few minutes, they finally arrived at the spot where the energy eruption had occurred. the ground was full of cracks and the buildings were totally crushed. the remnant energy undulations still left them in surprise. li luo looked over to a destroyed hallway that was shrouded in darkness. there was a familiar figure standing still right there. li lingjing. li luo slowly walked over to her. "brother li luo, don''t go over there! something is wrong with her. her aura is just like those rogue cultivators we faced earlier!" zhu dayu shouted in a hurry as sweat dripped from his plump face. li luo waved his hand and replied, "wait for me here, brother zhu." he had to go over and find out what had happened with li lingjing. he could not leave and ignore her now. he gradually made his way into the eerie darkness. he soon paused and tentatively whispered, "cousin lingjing? are you alright?" she did not reply. her white face was cloaked in darkness. it seemed like something was wrong. li luo took another deep breath and cautiously went closer. he stretched his hand out into the darkness and grabbed li lingjing''s wrist. when they came into contact, he could feel an eerie coldness run up his spine. then he saw li lingjing suddenly open her eyes violently. her beautiful, almond shaped eyes that were always filled with a look of amusement were now clouded in countless negative emotions. it seeped right out of her eyes like a tide, powerful enough to cause anyone present to shudder. chapter marked as read! undo Chapter 0974: Spread of the Devilish Mist chapter 0974: spread of the devilish mist li luo froze for a moment when he saw that li lingjings eyes were filled with negative emotions. for a moment, it reminded him of the way she looked when she was under the influence of the soul eater true devil back in the western region''s dark domain. still standing on the same spot, she grabbed li luo''s hand in response. her slender fingers grasped his hand tightly, nails digging deep into the back of his palm. at that moment, the strengthening provided by the sanctified dragon''s body seemed to have no effect at all. li luo could feel an icy sensation from her fingers, which gave him an uneasy feeling. when he felt a lancing pain from the back of his hand, li luo said solemnly, "cousin lingjing, what''s wrong?! wake up!" however, she did not respond. she started squeezing his hand with even greater strength, and veins began to pop up on her arm. although her hand appeared tiny and weak, it was making li luo''s bones creak. the negative emotions that she had been repressing this whole time were flooding outwards. and there were strange, black lines crawling about in her pupils. "traces of the soul eater true devil!" li luo was shocked when he saw it. it seemed like the soul eater true devil that had been completely eradicated previously had begun to show up after the huge battle earlier. however, this thing could not be deterred even by an ordinary duke. only a king was sufficient. after these thoughts ran through li luos mind, he was hit with an idea. he clenched his fist, and the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade appeared in his hand. he channeled his mental state inwards and activated the kingmark hidden deep within the blade. bang! an indescribable energy surged up. li lingjing''s tiny body shook a little when she came into contact with the energy, and she released her grip on li luo''s hand instantly. the overwhelming negative emotions in her eyes also died down speedily. after a few moments, her eyes were back to normal. "li luo..." she looked at him with a bitter smile on her face. her body sagged with weakness immediately after. seeing this, li luo caught her immediately and held her by the waist. li lingjing grabbed li luo''s clothes as her tiny body leaned into him for support. her pale face seemed completely helpless. "cousin lingjing, what happened over here?" li luo asked. li lingjing pressed her cheek weakly against li luo''s chest. she sighed and said gloomily, "i met another soul eater true devil." hearing this, li luo''s eyes were horrified. he couldn''t help but ask in a wavering tone, "another soul eater true devil? how did that thing get into the spirit resonance cave?!" at present, there were countless elites from the various powers standing guard right outside the spiritual resonance cave. these others could not have possibly snuck in! li lingjing thought about it for a moment before she replied, "they''re not ordinary others... they''re a special hybrid of others and something else. this is why they cannot be detected by dukes as long as they do not reveal themselves willingly. the soul eater true devil must have sought me out intentionally. i fought with it, and it was a tough opponent." li luo''s face turned serious as he listened. if it was an opponent that even li lingjing claimed to have difficulty dealing with, the situation earlier must have been a terrifying ordeal. it was no wonder the energy waves coming from it were so frightening. "however, it cannot just do as it pleases. i managed to force it to retreat in the end." despite li lingjings soft and weak voice, her willpower remained strong. "cousin lingjing, you are truly impressive. things would have turned even uglier if qin ying had encountered it," li luo said in an attempt to console her a little. li lingjing smiled bitterly as she said, "although i forced it to retreat, i was corrupted by it earlier. that was why i was acting completely differently..." her eyes drooped slightly and she continued in a soft voice, "this shows that my previous corruption has not been erased completely. i have failed your kind intentions." li luo sighed and replied, "don''t worry about it, cousin lingjing. what''s most important is that you''re safe." "you are too kind," she said with a light smile. li luo continued out of concern, "how''re you feeling currently?" "i''ve exhausted a huge amount of resonant power and will need some time to recuperate." li lingjing rubbed her red lips a little before she continued, "cousin li luo, you can put me down now. we should not let others see me in such a weak state. if we do, there will be no one to stop people like qin ying later." indeed, the situation in the gilded hall was a mess. the various forces were all fighting against the rogue cultivators. if anyone saw how weak li lingjing was, people like qin ying and qin yi might make full use of this opportunity to attack them. at that time, li lingjing would not be able to render much assistance in her weak state. li luo alone would most likely be unable to fend them off. "cousin lingjing, don''t worry about it. i have plans of my own," li luo said with glee. he was a little moved seeing how li lingjing was so concerned about him even though she was absolutely exhausted. nonetheless, he could also tell that their current position was making her a little uncomfortable, so he slowly released her. li lingjing staggered a little with her body still slightly limp. her slender hands held onto li luo''s arm for support while her pale cheeks slightly flushed. afterwards, she took out a broken sword filled with an ominous aura from her pocket sphere and tossed it away like scrap. li luo recognized it with a single look. that was the violet-eye treasured artifact that li lingjing had used previously. it seemed like it had been completely shattered in the earlier battle. after she regained a bit of her strength, she looked up towards the outside of the hallway. there was a fat figure that had been stealing glances at them every now and then. when he noticed li lingjing looking over, he shivered and hid behind a pillar. "he''s zhu dayu from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu. we just started working together," li luo explained. li lingjing nodded slightly. just as she was about to speak, her expression suddenly took a complete change. she raised her head and looked far ahead into the distance of the gilded hall. there was a strange, black mist slowly spreading in all directions. the mist seemed unusual, as if it had a life of its own, and they could faintly hear numerous strange whispers from it. even from a distance, the mist was able to arouse the negative emotions within one and make one feel uneasy. "it''s the soul eater true devil. after i shattered its physical body, it became completely unscrupulous. it''s spreading its corruption now. i guess it''s not going to stop until it has me captured," li lingjing explained slowly. li luo frowned when he heard this. the situation in the gilded hall was already a mess, and now they had to deal with the soul eater true devil on top of it all. this was really troublesome. "let''s go into the depths of the gilded hall. the other pairs from the various powers will be headed there too. looking at the way the soul eater true devil is spreading its corruption, it''ll be hard for the other teams to escape unscathed. in that case, we may be able to work together with them and borrow their strength to fight against it," li luo whispered to her. his current plan was to drag the other teams down along with them. there was no way they could fight off the soul eater true devil without help. li lingjing nodded lightly. afterwards, li luo stepped forward and told zhu dayu seriously, "a very strong other has snuck into the gilded hall. those strange rogue cultivators from before should be its work. my cousin fought against it just now and was nearly corrupted. zhu dayu replied in disbelief, "how can there be others in the spiritual resonance cave?" "it is true." li luo pointed over at the strange mist spreading in the distance. zhu dayu was at a loss for words. as a member from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu, he was no stranger to others. based on the eerie and peculiar feeling he got, it confirmed his suspicions. "i''ll have to hurry up and find my clan member too," zhu dayu said in a panic. when the situation took a turn for the worst, it was safest to stick with who he knew. "let''s go together. your clan member should be heading towards the depths of the gilded hall too," li luo suggested.n/-ovelb1n zhu dayu hesitated for a moment, but he did not turn down the offer. looking at the situation on hand, it was indeed safer for them to work together. as such, the three of them made their way towards the center district of the gilded hall in a hurry. while they did that, the creepy, black mist slowly spread to the outer districts of the gilded hall. the strange whispers echoed in the air as it gradually filled every room. some of the rogue cultivators did not manage to escape in time. when they came into contact with the mist, their eyes turned pitch-black immediately and faintly visible worms started crawling inside their pupils. following this, the corrupted individuals would follow the black mist, slowly creeping towards the center district of the gilded hall. Chapter 0975: Cooperation chapter 0975: cooperation li luo, li lingjing, and zhu dayu flew past numerous halls as they headed towards the center district of the gilded hall. at this point, the situation in this vast building had begun to turn chaotic. the strange, black mist continued to spread at a frightening pace with no signs of stopping. everything seemed to be swallowed up completely as it passed byeven the buildings disappeared without a trace. li luo turned back to look at it from time to time. his gaze had turned solemn. the soul eater true devil had lost its physical body after its fight with li lingjing earlier. as a result, it became even more uncontrollable. however, it did not feel as scary as the one they encountered back in the dark domain of the western region, perhaps due to the restrictive effects of the spiritual resonance cave. nonetheless, the situation before them was vastly different. li luo had the support of the various banner members back then. with the boost from harmony, he had the strength to rival foes as strong as dukes. now, he did not have allies by his side. he would have to rely solely on his own strength to fend off the soul eater true devil. this was a truly challenging task. based on his estimate, the strength of the soul eater true devil must have reached the pinnacle of the heavenly pearl tier even when restricted. they might not stand a chance against it even if the eight-pearls like li lingjing, qin ying, and zhu zhu worked together. li luo could not help but frown as he thought about all of this. if he had the option, he would rather leave the gilded hall at this very moment. however, that was impossible given that the mist had surrounded the outer regions and completely cut off their escape routes. at this moment, he turned around to take a look at li lingjing, who was following closely behind. signs of redness had begun to return to her pale face. li luo had utilized numerous recovery resonant arts with his water, wood, and light resonant powers to speed up her recovery. as he was pondering, li luo and the group jumped onto the top of a tall structure. he took a quick glance towards the back and suddenly paused for a moment. the district behind them had been completely engulfed by the black mist. however, there was a small, untainted region amongst it. li luo could faintly see the outline of a figure in the empty region in the distance. "is that... the lantern bearer from before?" he was surprised. the lantern bearer could be considered the highest ranking and most exceptional character in the entire gilded hall. however, his actions just made him seem like a walking corpse. even with the black mist engulfing his surroundings, he just stood there without any movement. while li luo tried to come up with a game plan, he sensed movement coming from the front. he looked back up, and a fat figure came rushing towards them. "sister zhu!" zhu dayu shouted happily when he saw the incoming person. it was zhu zhu, whom li luo had met earlier. her body was pretty rotund, which was the signature characteristic of those from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu. when she landed in front of them, she took a quick look at zhu dayu before locking her eyes on li luo and li lingjing. "sister zhu, they''re my friends. we''ve looked out for each other on our way here," zhu dayu said. hearing this, zhu zhu nodded and revealed a friendly and warm smile towards li luo and li lingjing. "i would like to thank you for your help, my friends." her attention was mainly fixed on li lingjing. she had seen her fight outside of the gilded hall earlier, so she was well aware of how strong this lady in front of her truly was. "do you know what''s happening over there?" zhu zhu asked with a serious look on her face. at the same time, her fat fingers pointed towards the black mist in the distance. she had been collecting spirit resonance golden dew all this while before she felt the disturbance. "i think an other managed to sneak into the spiritual resonance cave," li luo explained. he did not mention anything about the soul eater true devil. after all, this concerned li lingjing, and she surely preferred it if others did not know about her history of getting corrupted. zhu zhu was stunned. "how''s that possible? there are so many peak experts standing guard outside!" indeed, the various heavenly emperor powers had sent many of their strongest cultivators to stand guard outside the cave. some of them were even seventh-grade dukes. they were all the elites within the heavenly origin divine continent. li luo shrugged in response. "sister zhu, let''s move together. this other is really troublesome. it''ll be a headache for anyone to face it alone," zhu dayu suggested. zhu zhu hesitated for a moment before she nodded in agreement. "let''s move towards the main hall for now. we can look for others and work together to deal with it," li luo stated as he pointed towards the great hall that was not too far away from them. it was the most majestic looking one that they had come across so far. the others had no objection, so they made their way towards that direction. at this point, the black mist had caught even more people by surprise. they were all shocked by this strange development. with nowhere else to escape, everyone ended up heading towards the same great hall. after a few moments, li luo and the group arrived. they noticed that other people had arrived before them, qin yi being one of them. she was the center of attention as usual. with her cute smile and charm, she caught the passionate gazes of everyone in the surroundings. close by her side was qin ying protecting her. "you guys got here really quickly," li luo commented with a smile towards qin yi. qin yi responded with a faint smile. she then took a quick look at li luo before turning towards li lingjing. after taking a quick look, she asked, "is lady li lingjing injured?" a smile appeared on li lingjing''s face as soon as she heard the question. "i had a fight with that other earlier," she replied. she chose not to hide everything from qin yi. given qin yi''s exceptional intelligence, doing so would only raise her suspicion even more. in fact, she had chosen to reveal that the enemy was an other straight away to draw qin yi''s attention away from her injuries.n/.ovelbin as expected, everyone was shocked as soon as they heard her, even qin yi. ignoring li lingjing''s weak breath for now, she continued, "is that really an other?" li lingjing explained, "it is extremely strong, and even with the restrictions from the spiritual resonance cave, it''s not something that we can handle. i fought against it earlier and ended up with these injuries, as you can see." qin ying frowned as he listened. his strength was similar to li lingjing''s. if li lingjing had come out with such bad injuries, he would surely have a tough time against it as well. "everyone, we''ll need to cooperate if we want to fight against that other. that way, we may be able to carve a path out of this place even if we cannot eliminate it. once we make it outside and get word to the experts outside, we''ll be able to surround it and kill it," li luo told the others. "due to the restrictions in the spiritual resonance cave, the other has been unable to display power above the heavenly resonance tier even though its actual strength is unfathomable. "however, what''s most troublesome now is not the other. there are also many individuals who have been corrupted by it. if the other makes use of the corrupted to deplete our stamina, we''ll end up in a really precarious situation. hence, our only choice now is to cooperate and work together." "brother li luo is right. if we remain divided now, there will be more and more corrupted individuals. if that happens, none of us will be getting out of this alive," zhu dayu added. qin yi hesitated for a moment before she replied decisively, "that''s right. cooperating is the most rational choice." she was well respected and admired by many within the group. as soon as she agreed, the others naturally followed suit. "dragon''s head li luo." qin yis beautiful eyes turned towards li luo, then her slender, jade finger pointed towards the golden great hall in the distance. "there are numerous protective wards and runes in that hall. it should be set up for protection. if we''re somehow able to enter it, we should be able to get some shelter for the moment." hearing this, li luo immediately looked over. indeed, there were many runes glowing around the outside of that great hall. that was the main hall of the gilded hall. who knew what secret treasures were hidden over here? "however, we''ve been unable to make any progress because of the runic protection. we spent half a day attacking, but were still unable to make our way in. i suggest we focus our efforts, work together, and make an opening in the ward first, so that we can go in to take shelter," qin yi suggested. li luo took a step forward and carefully placed his hand on the heavy doors of the main hall. as soon as his palm came into contact with it, an enormous force appeared and pushed him away. runes glowed on the doors. for a moment, it seemed like they formed the shape of a flame. as he stared at the flame shape, his eyes narrowed. this looks like... the acquired resonance flame. Chapter 0976: Treasure Seizing chapter 0976: treasure seizing acquired resonance flame... li luo thought about it. it seemed like he would need to use the acquired resonance flame as a catalyst in order to open the doors of the main hall. however, there were too many people around, and he did not want to reveal his secret like this. "our situation is dire. let''s cooperate and focus our efforts to make an opening and force our way in. we''ll have an additional layer of protection once we''re inside," li luo suggested calmly. qin yi nodded slightly. this was exactly her thoughts as well. in the next moment, they worked together to create an extraordinary blast of resonant power that struck a corner of the doors. the runes fluctuated brightly as they resisted the attack. however, the doors remained stationary. li luo had summoned up his resonant power in this moment as well. however, his resonant power had a strand of the acquired resonance flame hidden within it. bang! as soon as li luo''s resonant power struck the doors along with the attacks from the others, the runes started reacting vigorously. "it''s working! let''s redouble our efforts!" zhu dayu shouted when he saw that there was finally a reaction. the others were similarly motivated, and their attacks grew fiercer. meanwhile, li luo ensured that his strikes continued to hit the doors. gradually, the runes turned darker. a few moments later, they completely dissipated. bang! the doors of the main hall opened up slowly. li luo and qin yi were the first ones to rush into the main hall. they knew that if the main hall had such an impressive protection set up, there could very well be treasures hidden inside. the interior of the hall was dazzling gold, with the marks of earth, wind, water, and fire engraved onto its walls. it was a really magical sight. however, what really caught everyone''s attention was the center region. there was a golden platform there, with numerous runes carved into it. these runes extended out and stretched to all the other parts of the main hall. one could faintly see worldly natural energy flowing continuously towards the golden platform. and there were more than a dozen balls of light hovering above the platform and constantly moving about. within them were numerous artifacts, each emitting an extremely powerful energy wave. "treasured artifacts!" the eyes of everyone who had entered the main hall lit up immediately. the items inside the balls of light were all treasured artifacts. in fact, they were all violet-eyed treasured artifacts based on the energy waves. moreover, the brightest one in the middle had such a strong energy wave that it could very well be a triple violet-eye treasured artifact! not to mention the ordinary rogue cultivators, such a high-grade treasured artifact was attractive to even people like li luo, qin yi, and zhu dayu. li luo''s eyes lit up as well at the same moment. the only triple violet-eye treasured artifact he had to date was the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow. the only other one would be his violet resonant tree brooch. yet there were dozens of such treasures lying in front of them right now. if he could just get even one of them, his battle strength would surely improve significantly. after a short moment of silence in the main hall, resonant power began to surge up. in the blink of an eye, everyone was rushing towards the golden platform. there was no doubt that everyone wanted to get their hands on a treasured artifact first. when the crowd approached the platform, it abruptly began to give off a sharp ringing noise. then there was a golden flash all of a sudden, and the crowd was blown back with everyone spitting out blood. the treasures stored in the center also flew out in all directions at this time. the place turned into chaos as everyone chased after the treasured artifacts. li luo scanned the surroundings with his eyes. the three resonant palaces within him buzzed and resonated with each other as resonant power surged within his body. he then combined them into dual resonance power as chased with explosive speed. his eyes scanned the surroundings swiftly before focusing on a ball of light. this was the brightest ball among all the treasures here. the energy coming from it was as shocking as a volcanic eruption. clearly, this was no ordinary treasure. li luo was naturally drawn to it. however, it had caught the eyes of qin ying and zhu zhu, two of the strongest people in the room, as well. eight heavenly pearls appeared behind those two, and their fearsome energy undulations swept across the field and blew the others away. the two of them charged straight towards that ball of light. seeing this, li luo looked over to li lingjing. however, her resonant power had yet to fully recover and she could only respond with a helpless look. if she were to fight qin ying and zhu zhu for the treasure now, it would only reveal to them that her body was in bad shape. nove/lb.1n li luo felt a little regretful. he signaled for li lingjing to watch out for herself before he rushed out as well. however, he had no intention to compete with qin ying and zhu zhu for the time being. he wanted to grab hold of the other violet-eye treasured artifacts first. as for the most eye-catching one? he would see if there was a chance to get it later. his eyes were soon locked onto one ball of light, which was already the target of many others. resonant power reached out towards the ball of light repeatedly, causing it to tremble violently. as the ball of light weakened, li luo could see the item within it. it appeared to be an emerald feather fan, radiating green light full of vitality. this treasured artifact likely had a wood resonance affinity. li luo possessed wood resonant power, so it was perfect for him. without any further hesitation, he charged towards it with his nine scales sanctified dragon''s body activated. his wings spread out behind him, and the boom of lightning and thunder filled the air. "how bold of you!" it seemed like many people had already laid their eyes on this treasured artifact too, and none of them were weak, the strongest amongst them being a three-pearl. he shouted out angrily when he saw a fiend finisher like li luo coming to fight with them for the treasure. although they all knew about li luo''s background, the final result would be decided by strength. one''s background was completely disregarded when such a delicious treasure was right in front of their eyes. as such, he glared angrily. the heavenly pearls behind him shone even brighter, then he launched an attack towards li luo. nonetheless, li luo did not back down. his eyes were filled with murderous intent as he lifted his hand and a sword silhouette emerged in his palm. it seemed to contain a vast ocean of indescribably sharp sword energy, drawing over the horrified gazes of many in the hall as soon as it materialized. this was shocking even to those multiple tiers stronger than li luo. in the distance, qin yi also looked over with a serious expression. the sword silhouette in his palm has to be the secret ace up his sleeve. it must have been the secret art that had helped him defeat the replica of li taixuan during the battle of the dragon''s head. the silhouette exuded horrifying power. clearly, this duke art was of a really high grade, perhaps a destiny-grade. the people who had thoughts of retaliating against li luo froze in their tracks instantly. their faces changed completely and they did not dare to attack anymore. they could totally tell that the azure sword intent in li luo''s palm was fatal, even to them! even the three-pearl cultivator knew that he would likely end up seriously injured if he became li luos target. the situation was beyond chaotic now, especially with others coming after them from the outside. if he got seriously injured now, he could really lose his life in the fights that followed. no matter how precious and attractive the violet-eye treasured artifacts were, it was not a wise choice to fight over one with li luo. besides, he could still go after the other treasures. li lingjing was also observing the situation from nearby. although he did not know why she had chosen to stay out of battle for now, her strength was something he could not ignore. hence, many of the people backed down despite how unwilling they were. li luo went ahead and reached into the ball of light without any further hesitation when he noticed the others backing down. opening his hand, he went ahead to grab the emerald feather fan. however, there was a strong resistance as soon as his hands came into contact with the handle of the treasure. there seemed to be a special mark on the handle, and li luo could not gain control over the fan without getting rid of it. li luo frowned as he attempted to erase the mark by channeling his resonant power. however, the mark seemed to be alive, resisting his efforts. it was a really troublesome mark. if he continued at this pace, it would take a really really long time to erase it completely. it seemed like even if they got ahold of these treasures, they would not be able to gain control over them. li luo raised his head at this moment. he noticed that the other people who had managed to get their hands on treasured artifacts were facing the same problem too. there appeared to be some kind of mark protecting them. li luo thought about it for a moment before he summoned up the acquired resonance flame. as an experiment, he tried to let the acquired resonance flame come into contact with the mark. to his surprise, the acquired resonance flame simply made one rotation around the mark and then was completely erased without any traces left behind. li luo channeled his resonant power into the treasure once again. this time, he easily gained control of the emerald green fan. a message surfaced deep in his mind as soon as he did so. violet-eye treasured artifact: blackwood feather fan. with a single swipe, it can sweep out with the mysterious light of life and death. the light of life is white in color, granting vitality to one and aiding in recovery. the light of death is black in color, dissolving one''s blood and bones. Chapter 0977: Aquamarine Bamboo Python Staff chapter 0977: aquamarine bamboo python staff "blackwood feather fan..." li luo held onto the emerald feather fan as his eyes lit up with interest. the fan was made out of a special kind of wood that only grew on ancient battlefields. it needed corpses as its fertilizer, but once the tree started growing, it would contain a well of life energy. even the tree sap was enlaced with so much lifeforce that it could treat most serious injuries. as such, this fan was an artifact that contained both life and death energy. after some refinement, it had gained the power to activate both. li luo took another look at the handle of the feather fan. on it was an extremely bright, violet jewel. this was clearly a single violet-eye treasured artifact. li luo was pleasantly surprised. although it was only a single violet-eye, its strength should not be underestimated. he had obtained another treasure to bolster his strength. bang! when li luo got hold of the blackwood feather fan, a shocking and wild energy storm exploded in the center of the main hall. many people spat out blood from the crazy shockwave before taking a few steps back. looking over, he saw that qin ying and zhu zhu had begun their aggressive fight for the most brilliant treasured artifact. they had exchanged over a hundred blows in the blink of an eye. they struck out with their full strength, neither side holding back. the eight radiant heavenly pearls behind each of them spun vigorously as they sucked in all the worldly natural energy from the surroundings, emitting a tremendous and frightening pressure. every time they traded blows, the strong resonant power aftershocks were so great that the air trembled. nonetheless, it was clear that qin ying had the upper hand when it came to offense. the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu ultimately specialized in regeneration, so they were bound to have a harder time when faced with such a situation. in one of their clashes, the plus-sized zhu zhu was forced to retreat multiple steps. as she shifted back, the energy in the air vibrated so violently that white smoke could be seen. qin ying made use of this opportunity to reach out towards that most brilliant ball of light. as his hand reached towards it, dark-gray energy enveloped his arm in the shape of an iron eagle claw. with a tight grip, he shattered the ball of light. an item flew out of it immediately after. it was a long staff that was aquamarine in color, covered with scales similar to those of a python. as soon as the staff appeared, it sucked in worldly natural energy from the surroundings. it seemed like water flowing into the mouth of a whale. in this instant, everyone could see that the worldly natural energy was gathering on the aquamarine staff, on which three violet marks could be seen. "triple violet-eye treasured artifact!" someone shouted. although everyone would have guessed that this would be an extraordinary treasure given the brilliance of the ball of light earlier, a lot of them were expecting just a twin violet-eye treasured artifact. they did not expect it to be a triple instead! such a treasured artifact was considered the strongest kind that anyone below the duke stage could ever get. even among all the various major forces, only the most talented individuals could get their hands on one. qin ying''s eyes lit up jubilantly when he saw the treasure. he let out a long cry, and a golden falcon materialized behind him. the falcon exuded an unusually sharp aura, with every feather dazzling brightly like swords made of light. this was his resonance, an upper eighth-grade sword falcon resonance. qin ying reached out as quick as lightning and grabbed the aquamarine staff, his resonant power surging. however, the treasure trembled aggressively as soon as they came into contact. aquamarine light flowed around it and took the shape of a giant python. then the snake opened its maw with a vicious hiss. a deadly, poisonous ray shot out of its mouth, aimed directly at qin ying. this sudden development caught him completely off guard, and his mind fell into a daze all of a sudden. "what a vicious poison ray!" qin ying''s face changed completely as he released his grip on the staff. he flipped the sleeve of his robes, and golden resonant power surged up, clashing directly with the ray of poison. in the next moment, pungent smoke filled the air, and the golden light quickly melted away. after the aquamarine bamboo staff forced qin ying to take a step back, it transformed into a aquamarine light and slithered across the main hall.n-.0velbin as there was no owner yet, the triple violet-eye treasured artifact attracted the greed of many rogue cultivators around the hall as they chased after it. however, the staff seemed to possess a life of its own. like an aquamarine python slithering through the battlefield, it was really swift and no one could catch up to it. occasionally, someone would get close to it out of pure luck. however, they were immediately forced to retreat by the poison ray. in just a few moments, quite a few people were turned into pools of blood by the poison ray. li luo was shocked at the sudden turn of events. at the same time, he was also eager to try in capturing the aquamarine bamboo staff. "cousin lingjing''s treasured artifact was completely destroyed earlier. if we can get our hands on this staff, we should be able to keep qin ying in check if we combine it with her original strength, li luo thought to himself as his gaze flickered. however, the staff was far too lively. it was a true challenge to capture it, as one could easily tell from the shock qin ying had received earlier. however, li luo had the experience gained from obtaining the blackwood feather fan previously; he should be able to do the same thing with the staff too. he had no choice. after all, his acquired resonance flame was simply too useful in the spiritual resonance cave, so how could he let such a wonderful treasure run loose? just as li luo was thinking about it, the staff seemed to be heading in his direction. seeing this, he did not retreat. instead, he reached out and grabbed the bamboo staff directly. the crowd sneered when they saw his arrogant move. even people as powerful as qin ying had suffered at the hands of this thing. how daring was li luo, a mere fiend finisher, to touch it with his bare hand like this? was he not afraid of the poison ray that would turn him into a pool of blood? on the sidelines, li lingjing was shocked to see this too. she did not expect li luo, who was usually calm and composed, to act so rashly all of a sudden. was he blinded by his greed for a triple violet-eye treasured artifact? nonetheless, it was far too late for her to do anything now. before the gazes of the crowd, li luo got a firm grasp on the aquamarine light. he tightened his grip on the handle of the staff. it was densely covered with what looked like python scales, causing it to feel slightly prickly. however, he had no time to be bothered by that. at this moment, the aquamarine light flashed and the huge aquamarine python emerged. it hissed with its ferocious mouth, and the poison ray shot out like a waterfall. the poison ray lanced across the main hall. everyone retreated immediately, afraid to get caught up in it. at the same time, they felt disapproval in their hearts as they watched li luo, confident that he would end up paying a really heavy price for his greed today. qin yi was also looking at him intently. she found the entire situation a little out of the ordinary as li luo was clearly not such a dumb fool, judging from their previous encounters. "aiya, brother li luo." zhu dayu let out a sigh. "we''ll be brothers again in the next life!" however, li luo''s face was totally calm despite all the gazes from the peanut gallery. he stared directly at the incoming poison ray as the acquired resonance flame emerged in the palm of the hand that was holding the staff. in the blink of an eye, the flame wrapped around the whole treasure. weng! the acquired resonance flame burned fiercely, and the staff buzzed violently in response. everyone in the main hall was dumbfounded by what happened next. the poison ray that was about to finish li luo off split into numerous branches all of a sudden, avoiding li luo completely. in the next moment, the poison rays gathered back together and were then swallowed back up by the giant python! the giant python hissed as if it were speaking as it stared at li luo with its vertical pupils. it then gradually moved closer to him and actually hissed with what seemed like affection towards him. at this moment, multiple messages flashed across li luo''s mind. aquamarine bamboo python staff, triple violet-eye treasured artifact. it was created through a combination of the heavenly aquamarine python and aquamarine bamboo, both of which were tens of thousands of years old. it''s immune to thousands of poisons, and its aquamarine bamboo body grows back whenever it breaks. a resonant power injection can cause it to transform into the heavenly aquamarine python, which can spit out deadly rays of poison that can completely disintegrate the flesh. "what a treasure," li luo unwittingly muttered after understanding the information that had surfaced in his mind. with such strength and capabilities, this was indeed a triple violet-eye treasured artifact. while he had a heart full of satisfaction, many of the people in the hall had their eyeballs nearly dropping out of their sockets after seeing the result. they could not understand why the deadly aquamarine staff had been so easily captured by li luo. their stares all turned into gazes of jealousy in an instant. "hand it over!" qin ying, who had worked so hard to capture it, was the most furious of all. his face was gloomy as he screamed. in a flash, he appeared right in front of li luo. the eight radiant heavenly pearls behind him exploded with terrifying pressure, trying to force li luo into submission. at the same time, he did not hesitate to attempt to snatch the staff away from li luo''s hands. bang! the air shook violently. li luo had fully activated the nine scales sanctified dragon''s body to resist the tremendous pressure. right at this moment, a slender, jade hand tapped li luo''s shoulder and pulled him back just in time to avoid qin ying''s clutches. li lingjing walked up from behind li luo and stood in front of him, looking at qin ying directly with an icy stare. "do you really want to fight?" she asked. when he locked eyes with li lingjing, qin ying felt a chill run up his spine, as if he could instinctively feel fatal danger coming from her. he could sense that there was a frightening existence hidden inside this pale lady that would frighten anyone. as a result, qin ying froze on the spot instead of taking another step forward like he originally planned. his eyes were full of questions. he could not understand why li lingjing, who should be around the same level as him, could emit such a terrifying sensation. "li lingjing, you''re injured, right? if not, youd surely have joined the fight to grab the treasures earlier," qin ying said with a gloomy expression, clearly trying to sound out his opponent. however, li lingjing did not reply. she merely stared at him coldly. at this point, a sneerful laugh came from the distance. zhu zhu was walking over, obviously gloating over his misfortune. "hey, qin ying, i''ve given you a chance, but you did not make full use of it. the treasure has found its owner; are you so ill-mannered that you would steal it?" qin ying''s face twitched a little. "brother, forget it. danger is approaching, so we should not fight amongst ourselves now," qin yi said with a gentle voice as she walked over. the situation was really unfavorable for him. besides, they could not tell how strong li lingjing truly was. it would be really unwise to get into a fight right now, considering all the uncertainties present. hearing her words, qin ying nodded unwillingly. the crowd was very disappointed at this ending. a fierce fight had erupted between two of the strongest cultivators in the room, and no one wouldve guessed that the treasure they had fought over would end up with li luo. nonetheless, li luo simply turned towards li lingjing and smiled. the crowd sighed at this uneventful ending. li lingjing looked at him angrily and whispered, "why are you trying to show off at this point in time? although the triple violet-eye treasured artifact is precious, it''s not as if you do not have one." at this moment, li luo simply reached out and took li lingjing''s hand. he placed the aquamarine bamboo python staff in her grasp as he looked into her confused eyes and replied with a smile, "it''s for you." when li lingjing felt the cold touch of the aquamarine bamboo python staff in her hand, her red lips opened slightly. she was totally surprised as she stared blankly back at li luo. "for me?" Chapter 0978: Gift chapter 0978: gift faced with li luo''s sudden gift, li lingjing was at a loss for words. it was a triple violet-eye treasured artifact with unimaginable value. in the western region''s li family, no one of the younger generation had ever received something like this. "no, no, it''s too much. why don''t you take it? if you don''t need it, you can even give it to li fengyi." li lingjing hurriedly rejected it. "your previous treasured artifact was destroyed by the other, and you lack one now. you''re my guardian, and your strength has been affected! if you become stronger, no one would dare to set their greedy gaze upon me." li luo grinned. li lingjing was a little stumped for words. he had risked danger to obtain a treasured artifact for her based on just this? "that was too dangerous," she softly said. "if you truly wish to decline, then why not treat it as me lending it to you? i still need you to get me out of this place in one piece." li luo continued. with his persuasive words, li lingjing fell silent for a while before reluctantly nodding. she gingerly grasped the icy aquamarine bamboo python staff, and her resonant power surged up, flooding into the staff and causing the scales to light up brilliantly. very faintly, it seemed to have manifested an aquamarine snake that coiled and swam around the staff''s body. she casually waved her hand, and an aquamarine light sprayed forth. whether it was intentional or not, it shot straight towards qin ying. when he saw this, he punched outwards with a fist wreathed with golden resonant power, colliding directly with the light. mighty waves of energy blasted out in every direction, causing the void to shake. qin ying trembled and his face turned dark. aquamarine poison had corroded his fist, sticking to it like gangrene attached to the bone. he hurriedly circulated resonant power to counteract and eliminate it. that simple clash allowed him to experience the might of the aquamarine bamboo python staff in the hands of li lingjing. he felt extremely infuriated and also fearful towards her. she was already a tricky opponent, but now that she had a triple violet-eye treasured artifact in her arsenal, he might not be her match in a fight. "li lingjing, what are you trying to do?" he angrily shouted. "just testing it out a little." li lingjing casually wrote him off. li luo smirked as he grasped his blackwood feather fan. with a single swish, white light full of life force landed upon both parties'' bodies. li lingjing''s gaze flashed as she could feel the injuries sustained from the battle with the soul eater true devil heal at a rapid rate. this method far outstripped the resonance arts li luo had utilized previously. "cousin lingjing, you can count on me to support and aid you with all my might from behind as you battle!" li luo smiled. li lingjing felt that the notion was a little amusing. it seemed like their roles were reversed. normally speaking, the hot-blooded male, li luo, would be at the forefront fighting on the edge whilst she would be supporting him, no? however, these were just minor details. li lingjing''s pale, slender fingers tightly grasped the aquamarine bamboo python staff, and she could feel the boundless amount of energy that was contained within the treasured artifact. no matter how dangerous things got, she would do everything to get li luo out safely. she wouldn''t care even if everyone else had to die. at this point, all the violet-eye treasured artifacts within the gilded hall had been fully subdued and the chaos subsided. although some empty-handed individuals were unhappy, they had no means to snatch the artifacts away from others. but while they were fighting for the treasures, the black mist outside the main hall had continued to spread relentlessly. even if one obtained a treasure, the biggest question was how they could escape. qin yi took a few steps forward, her beautiful eyes inspecting the mist that had covered the hallway. a solemn look arose on her fair and crystal-clear cheeks. "everyone, we have to hurry and combine our strengths. this way, we can see if we are able to battle against the other," qin yi continued. li luo''s gaze swept across the interior of the large hall, and based on a quick estimation, there were three with eight-pearls, multiple six-pearls, and even more five-pearls. however, the vast majority were only one and two-pearls. in a certain sense, their combined strength was not to be scoffed at. if they were to combine their strengths, even a heavenly resonance tier opponent would not be their match. however, the soul eater true devil was not some simple opponent. its true strength should be at the duke stage, and although it was greatly suppressed within the spiritual resonance cave, it was likely powerful enough to obliterate even heavenly resonance tier cultivators. what was most troublesome was the fact that it was not just a single soul eater true devil. it could control numerous corrupted individuals, which would undoubtedly increase the pressure on everyone. "i suggest that those at the five-pearl tier and above combine their strength and face off against the other directly. the rest will handle the corrupted individuals. if we are defeated, we can use this hall as a barrier to stall for time," qin yi coldly suggested. the rest nodded in agreement. li lingjing then dragged li luo away and sent him a secret message that was protected by her resonant power. "if it comes to a point where we cannot resist the soul eater true devil, you have to find an opportunity to escape. i will create a path for you." she did not think very highly of the cooperative efforts as she had a clear understanding of the terror known as the soul eater true devil. even with the suppression of the spiritual resonance cave, she did not think that they could triumph even with the aid of everyone here. li luo frowned slightly as he looked straight into her eyes. "we will both find an opportunity to escape together." li lingjing gave a slight smile but did not reply. the soul eater true devil had its eyes set on her, so if the two of them were together, it would be even harder to escape. everyone in the main hall stood ready as they nervously glanced at the quickly advancing black mist. the entire sky seemed to have turned overcast at this moment. tens of minutes later. the black mist had encircled the entire central district, and the main hall was gradually being surrounded. whispers could be here coming from the mist. a series of strange and twisted figures jumped out with eyes as dark as ink, emitting negative emotions just by being present. after being corrupted, those cultivators bodies had been warped into unimaginable creatures, crawling on the ground with all four limbs like monsters. eventually, the mist halted a distance away from the main hall and then transformed into a gigantic visage of a man. it stared at the numerous figures within the hall before letting out a harsh, grating laugh full of hunger and greed. when its laugh reached everyone''s ears, it incited feelings of irritation, anger, and murderous intent within their hearts. those with weaker mental states had their eyes turn red. "everyone, calm your hearts. do not be riled up by it," qin yi reminded them. a drop of blue spiritual liquid was produced from her fingertip. it was catalyzed by her ninth-grade resonant power, and it quickly transformed into a mist that spread out amongst the crowd. as the mist washed past them, they could feel a cool sensation arise within their hearts, and the other''s provoking thoughts were washed away. "let''s see what this other is all about!" zhu zhu coldly stated. she waved her hand, and a massive hammer appeared within her grasp before it heavily landed on the ground, creating an indent in the floor that was protected by a mysterious formation. then eight pearls appeared behind her and began to spin rapidly. with her lead, qin ying similarly screeched as he led a group of five-pearl experts forward. li lingjing glanced at li luo before tightly grasping the aquamarine bamboo python staff and ascending into the air. heavenly pearls began to manifest behind each and every individual present, creating a startling sight. from afar, it was like a sea of stars, which was truly a magnificent sight to behold. the gigantic face in the mist began to let out strange laughs. it then unhinged its massive mouth, and dusky liquid spewed out like a coursing river. this liquid had a fishy stench, and countless twisted corpses with hideous faces could be seen floating inside. the black river was headed straight towards li lingjing, qin ying, and zhu zhu. when the crowd saw this, they no longer dared to tarry and quickly activated all the strength they possessed. all of their resonances were on full display. they summoned every bit of worldly natural energy they could and clashed with the fishy, black river. li lingjing grasped the aquamarine bamboo python staff, and all of the resonant power within her body surged up. a titanic, black snake manifestation appeared behind her, giving off an archaic air. lower ninth-grade: abyssal serpent resonance. after her resonance took form, the aquamarine bamboo python staff in her hands began to shudder and aquamarine energy coursed out of it, transforming into a colossal python. the python seemed to hiss at li lingjing with much pleasure after it took form. it seemed that li lingjing''s own resonance was extremely compatible with the aquamarine bamboo python staff. she then waved the staff, and the humongous python immediately opened its maw. a moment later, a ray of poison shot outwards. this poison ray was significantly larger than the ones seen before, being over a hundred feet wide. it sliced through the air and collided with the river in tandem with everyone''s attacks. bang! energy scattered and the void shattered. the black river continued to erode the attacks thrown at it.n-)o(.v.)).l--b.(i.-n unfortunately, it seemed like the black river came from a source that could never be exhausted, constantly raging with waves. the liquid suddenly split apart, and a gigantic, alabaster hand stretched out from the depths. if one were to look at it closely, they would see that it was formed from countless limbs. the middle of the palm had a huge mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, making it a horrifying sight. bang! when the humongous hand appeared, it swatted directly towards the trio. whilst the stronger cultivators were fighting against the soul eater true devil directly, many corrupted individuals flooded out from the mist. they crawled and jumped along the ground like a swarm of ghosts and attempted to distract the main force. weng! weng! however, the first group of corrupted individuals were immediately blasted into a mush of mud and blood by a series of extremely violent arrows of light which pierced through the sky with alarming speed. li luo was wielding his dragon-shaped greatbow as he walked out of the main hall. he calmly surveyed the area, which was now being overrun by corruption. quite a number of the corrupted began to screech as they quickly attempted to mob him from every direction, climbing across both the ground and walls relentlessly. bang! behind li luo, majestic resonant arts were activated and completely submerged the corrupted within like a tide. he lifted his head as he observed the grand battle in the air with a frown. the pressure coming from the corrupted was not significant. achieving victory would all be dependent on li lingjing, qin ying, and zhu zhu''s group''s battle against the soul eater true devil. from what he could see, he could only hope that the spiritual resonance cave had suppressed the soul eater true devil enough to prevent it from utilizing any stronger moves. otherwise, escaping would be extraordinarily difficult. Chapter 0979: Heroes Battling the Devil chapter 0979: heroes battling the devil li luo, qin yi, and zhu dayu''s group began to fight off the endless hordes of corrupted people. however, the battle in the sky had turned even more intense and dangerous at this point. with li lingjing, qin ying, and zhu zhu as the leaders of the group, they had pushed themselves to the limit as their heavenly pearls shone radiantly like stars in the sky, constantly devouring worldly natural energy to sustain their bodies. the fishy, black river, on the other hand, had created a gigantic, white hand to retaliate. a mouth filled with countless fangs dripping with black liquid opened up in the middle of the palm. it spewed out a stream of black light that swept towards the group. the black light was terrifyingly powerful, and it left everyone in a difficult situation as it seemed to squirm and move like a living creature, making it difficult to target. a five-pearl was struck by the black light, which had penetrated his defenses. when the hit landed, the black light swiftly infiltrated his body. a few breaths later, he screamed pitifully. his entire body then erupted with innumerable black worms that had completely gorged up every bit of his flesh and bone, leaving nothing behind. not a single shred was left behind. this frightened everyone and left them sweating buckets. as a result, they hastily took out treasured artifacts and activated resonance arts to protect their bodies, afraid to let even a trace of the black light stain their skin. the eight heavenly pearls behind li lingjing brightened as she gripped the aquamarine bamboo python staff tightly. then a stream of azure light surfaced on the staff''s body and surrounded it. the halo of light gave off a delectable fragrance, but the truth was terrifying. this was a halo containing poisonous gas. anything that approached li lingjing would inevitably be dissolved into nothingness just by being near her. this was the protective ability of the aquamarine bamboo python staff, and it demonstrated how unique it was. every time li lingjing activated her resonant power, the staff wrapped in azure light would meet the black light headfirst whilst the azure python would strike it. with a swing of the staff, the void started to show signs of shattering. the force seemed to be able to blow even a mountain to pieces. bang! li lingjing smashed the staff downwards, leaving an afterimage in its wake as it heavily collided with the black light once again. the black light broke into pieces, and numerous worms that were too small to be seen with the naked eye started to shoot towards her. however, the staff emanated a poisonous gas that corroded the worms into nothingness. "this is an amazing treasured artifact," li lingjing thought to herself. without its aid, she would have to rely on her own resonant power to ward off the worms, forcing her to split her concentration. looking at the others around her, it seemed that everyone was in quite a sorry state. only she was safe from the soul eater true devil''s attacks for the time being. however, li lingjing knew that her situation would only be temporary. others might not be able to sense it, but she could. the gaze hidden within the mist was solely focused upon her. it was as though a spotlight was shining upon her. "everyone, don''t hold back any longer. we have to destroy the black river!" qin ying exhorted. as time went by, the number of hands coming out of the river were increasing, and they would be in a precarious position if things continued this way. when his words resounded throughout the group, he was the first to take action. golden resonant power erupted into the sky, transforming into dozens of golden feathers. these feathers were like swords and were piercing to the eye. duke art: golden feathersword technique! qin ying roared, and the golden feathers resembling massive swords that could pierce through the skies struck downwards, directly chopping countless alabaster hands into pieces before striking directly at the black river. zhu zhu''s attack swiftly followed. she grasped her massive hammer and waved it once, manifesting a humongous, crimson mountain before her. it was so incredibly heavy that its sheer presence and weight caused the air to tremble. the crimson mountain was added to the weight of the hammer. with a low grunt, the veins on her arm twitched as she hefted it and struck downwards. bang! the entire area was struck by an ear-rending sonic boom, kicking up a frightening gust of wind that buffeted everyone. duke art: mountain moving strength! li lingjing chimed in at this point. a humongous abyssal serpent manifested behind her before transforming into an obsidian light that shrouded the aquamarine bamboo python staff. the aquamarine python then shot outwards and underwent a transformation. a hint of obsidian color could be seen on its scales, and its body swelled up immensely, looking like a legendary inky-green flood dragon. the inky-green python turned into a stream of rainbow light, shattering the black lights that were coming towards them and striking the black river with great force. she might not have used a duke art, but the attack was not at all inferior to the ones qin ying and zhu zhu had dished out. in fact, it was even stronger than theirs. it was clear that the aquamarine bamboo python staff had increased her battle power to the point that she would not be at a disadvantage even if she were to face a nine-pearl. the other cultivators also activated their most powerful resonant arts, and the entire sky was filled with energy undulations. all sorts of duke arts weaved through the air and struck the black river heavily. when faced with everyone''s combined efforts, the numerous gigantic hands that were sticking out of the black river were destroyed, sending huge waves roiling across the surface. it looked as though the black river was gradually shrinking. a short while later, the black river was broken into several pieces, looking like a writhing snake that had been chopped into a few segments. outside the main hall, the group fending off the corrupted felt their morale soar. li luo turned to glance at the scene, but there was no trace of relief in his gaze. instead, the lines on his forehead furrowed even more deeply. he had fought against the soul eater true devil in the past, so he knew how hard it was to deal with this unique other. although it had been suppressed by the spiritual resonance cave and its strength was gravely weakened, they alone might not be enough to deal with it. as these thoughts passed through li luo''s mind, the face in the black mist began to laugh. the sound was grating, as if countless painful wails had condensed into a single cry. it instantly aroused the negative emotions in everyone''s hearts. the black mist then descended from the sky, condensing in the air. a humanoid figure took shape a few moments later. this figure was like a fleshy mountain, looking even more stalwart than the likes of zhu dayu and zhu zhu. its most unsettling feature was its head. it was constantly spinning, and a new face appeared after each rotation. qin ying, zhu zhu, and the rest felt a chill in their hearts. they could see their own faces within the constantly changing faces. at this time, a bloody hole was ripped open on the side of its neck, where a black worm tunneled out. it opened its maws and bit off an entire face with a crunch. the sound of it chewing was truly sickening, causing everyone''s hair to stand on end. every time a face was eaten, the body of the strange figure expanded and the terrifying aura coming from it increased in strength accordingly. this scene was both bone-chilling and eerie to everyone present. li lingjing''s glum voice sounded out. "when we struck the black river with our attacks, it absorbed a strand of resonant power from each one of us. thats what allowed it to create replicas of our faces. as it gobbles our energy up, it will continue to strengthen unceasingly." everyone felt their scalps turn numb. this other truly possessed a strange ability. "we have to stop it from getting even stronger!" qin ying shouted. even without his reminder, the rest had already begun to renew their assault. resonance arts poured out from them, targeting the mountainous figure. bang! bloody holes riddled the soul eater true devil''s body, but countless black worms crawled out of them a moment later, filling up the gaps that had been created. the soul eater true devil didnt take long to finish eating the replicated faces of everyone present. it then transformed into a faceless entity, but its towering body stood confidently in the sky, emanating a daunting sense of pressure that restrained everyone. however, worldly natural energy suddenly poured into the area, and a mysterious power began to restrict the ever-strengthening soul eater true devil. the spiritual resonance cave''s rules were now acting upon it with even greater intensity. even then, the soul eater true devil still struck fear in the hearts of everyone present. it resisted the suppression of the spiritual resonance cave and struck out with a gigantic hand. this attack seemed to ignore the distance between itself and everyone else, and it appeared directly before them. as the hand descended, the void began to show signs of shattering. li lingjing, qin ying, and zhu zhu were the three strongest, allowing them to quickly shrug off the influence of the soul eater true devil and retreat. though they had managed to dodge the first strike, there were two who were unable to do so. they were captured by the hand, then a mouth opened up in the middle of the palm, baring its sharp fangs. with a few crunches, the two were completely swallowed up, causing blood to spill and stain the skies. it was horrifying to watch.n.-o/)v(-e--l/-b.(i()n the soul eater true devil began to laugh with a strange sound. a ray of blood light was spat out by the mouth, and within it were the twisted and pained faces of the two who had just been eaten. this light then swept towards the trio. they could not directly evade it in time, having to utilize their own methods to block it. bang! an explosion echoed throughout the skies. the three were sent flying before landing heavily on the ground. a wall was smashed into pieces where qin ying and zhu zhu lay defeated, each vomiting a mouthful of blood. it was clear that they had been seriously injured from that one attack. everyone''s hearts sank. if the three strongest amongst them had worked together and yet were grievously injured, how could they survive? li lingjing, on the other hand, was not left in such a miserable state. her figure flashed and she appeared by li luo''s side. li luo hurriedly supported her as he asked, "cousin lingjing, are you alright?" li lingjing grabbed li luo''s hand, placing something within it before she hurriedly let go. her gaze was gloomy as she said in a low voice, "cousin li luo, activate this rune if something goes wrong. it can protect you from the black mist. that way, you can escape quickly." li luo was shocked as he glanced at his palm. he could see a black rune writhing within. "don''t let anyone else discover it. the soul eater true devil is too strong, and only you can escape. the others..." there was no pity in her words, only indifference. "let them remain and be the bait that attracts its attention." the moment she finished speaking, she once again soared into the sky and engaged in a struggle with the soul eater true devil. li luo wasnt even given time to react. Chapter 0980: Li Luos Plan chapter 0980: li luo''s plan li luo stared at the battle in the air between the soul eater true devil and li lingjing. he clenched his fists and his expression turned heavy. clearly, li lingjing didn''t think the alliance could deal with the soul eater true devil. this was probably the truth. the three leaders with the highest cultivation levels, li lingjing, qin ying, and zhu zhu, were already at a disadvantage from the start, and the ones supporting them were attacked and slaughtered by the soul eater true devil as time went by. with the way things were going, their cohesive strength would be greatly depleted in just a short while. the soul eater true devil would be able to do whatever it wished very soon. li lingjing also understood that this was the case and had prepared an escape route for li luo. although he was a little surprised that li lingjing had the means to escape through the mist, he understood that she had her own secrets and did not ask too much. however, abandoning her to escape by himself just wasn''t something he planned to do. additionally, the situation didn''t seem that dire. li luo continued to observe the soul eater true devil in the sky as his finger gently brushed the crimson bracelet on his wrist. he did not know if utilizing the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s power would cause him to be similarly suppressed like the soul eater true devil. that being said, he had the confidence that borrowing its strength would allow himself and li lingjing to escape safely. it was his final trump card, but there was no need to use it yet. why? there were still numerous existences in the gilded hall that could deal with the soul eater true devil. li luo''s eyes flickered and his gaze shot towards a certain location within the black mist. he remembered the lantern bearer, who clearly held a status that was far superior to the average sacred void resonance sect disciple. his mere presence gave li luo a sense of immense pressure that indicated it was likely a duke. perhaps the lantern bearer was the highest ranked individual within the gilded hall and might have been tasked to oversee the area. if he could rouse the lantern bearer from his befuddled state, he might be able to borrow his strength to deal with the soul eater true devil! if that came to be, he could save the three-tailed heavenly wolf for a more opportune time. that being said, he did not know if the lantern bearer could even be manipulated, but he would still try. with this thought in mind, his figure flashed forward as he moved towards qin yi and zhu dayu. "my two friends, i suppose you understand the current situation... right?" qin yi and zhu dayu both had grim expressions. the sense of oppression the soul eater true devil gave off was so intense that even qin ying and zhu zhu were left in a pitiful state. the situation wasn''t going well. qin yi''s eyes flashed as she asked, "do you have an idea, dragon''s head li luo?" although she did not know what li luo, a mere fiend finisher, could do in the face of such a dominant foe, she didn''t reply in disdain but asked cautiously. "i don''t know if this is a solution, but i wonder, have the two of you come across the lantern bearer?" li luo asked. when they heard his words, their expressions changed and they nodded. "you''ve also chanced upon the lantern bearer? we did meet him previously, but he is extremely dangerous, so we dared not approach. i heard that someone tried to get close to him to see if they could discover any opportunities." li luo asked in surprise, "what happened after?" qin yi frowned slightly. "he was completely untouchable. the lantern bearer doesn''t seem to exist in our plane, and no matter how close we approach him, we cannot so much as touch him." zhu dayu then asked, "are you hoping to borrow his strength to deal with the other? the idea is good, but it will not work out, unfortunately. the lantern bearer is a mysterious ethereal existence. we can''t even tell if he truly exists, so how can you borrow his strength?" this was met with li luo''s calm reply. "i''ve got to give it a try regardless. otherwise, if things continue progressing this way, the situation will definitely turn out to be a disaster." "so, what do you plan to do?" qin yi asked after thinking deeply. li luo grinned. "i was hoping you could help open a path for me. there are many corrupted individuals blocking the way, so i cant go out there on my own. i''ll see if i have any means to get the lantern bearer to act." zhu dayu was taken aback. "the entire area is filled with black mist. if you were to linger inside it for too long, you might also be corrupted. even so, you dare to take the risk?" qin yi similarly stared at li luo in surprise. she had never expected him to take on such a risk. "if i languish here and do nothing, i''ll die in the end as well. so instead of inaction, i''ll take the risk and see if i can find an opportunity," li luo reluctantly explained with a sense of righteousness. he would not tell them about the black rune li lingjing had given him for his protection. complicated gazes from all around fell upon him, coupled with respect and admiration. zhu dayu''s chubby face also changed upon hearing those words. "brother, you''re truly noble. if misfortune falls upon you, i will definitely burn some incense for you at the dragon''s fang lineage..." li luo guffawed. "if i''m misfortune enough to die here, do you think you will be able to live as well?" that damned fatty was truly dreaming. did he really think that li luo was going to sacrifice himself? qin yi''s gaze wavered slightly. li luo was not an impulsive person. the fact that he wanted to look for the lantern bearer at this time indicated that he had found some sort of clue. at the very least, this was not a whim built on purely hotheaded hope. thus, she felt that there was a possibility of success.n-.ovelbin "if dragon''s head li luo wants to try, we will do our best to create a path for you," qin yi stated. the situation was deteriorating, and li luo had an idea that could reverse it. this was a good thing for everyone. the rest hurriedly assented as well. "then i''ll have to trouble all of you," li luo said. he did not hesitate any longer. based on his memory, he recalled the direction in which he had spotted the lantern bearer and rushed towards him. numerous corrupted individuals surged towards him, screeching at the top of their lungs. however, li luo did not have to take action as the people around him swiftly activated their resonant arts, blocking the attacks before gradually tearing a hole in the encirclement of corrupted. the gloomy mist squirmed as the rest carved a way in for li luo, causing all who saw it to feel a shudder run down their backs. the group showed looks of fear as they did not dare to approach the mist. li luo did not hesitate. he charged forward and directly carved a path through the corrupted under the complicated gazes of the crowd. the mist then surged forth once again, covering up the gap and swallowing up every trace of him. zhu dayu glanced at his fading figure and sighed. "my good brother, i hope you will come back alive." at this point, li lingjing glanced downwards. she thought he had finally taken the opportunity to escape with the help of the black rune she had given him. with that, she heaved a sigh of relief. the previous few years of her life were like living in a hellish limbo where life was worse than death. she constantly grappled with the darkness and yet never even saw so much as a glimpse of light. things only changed when li luo arrived at the desolate courtyard that everyone had abandoned. he had rescued her from the depths of despair. after which, he even brought her to the dragon''s fang lineage to have the true devil taken care of, and thus she held immense gratitude towards him. "cousin li luo... the soul eater true devil is here for me. i''ll stall him and give you time to escape... you have peerless talent and will eventually stand supreme amongst the heavens and the earth. i will protect your future today," li lingjing said to herself as she tightly grasped the cold aquamarine bamboo python staff. her gaze turned icy and dark as the gigantic abyssal serpent manifestation behind her transformed into a female figure that looked identical to herself. this manifestation exuded a sense of majesty and mystery whilst immediately allowing li lingjing to become more in tune with the worldly natural energy around her. lower ninth-grade: abyssal serpent resonance. ...... as li luo barreled through the mist, the black rune in his hand turned into a film of light that enveloped him. the black mist did not attack him, and it even seemed to treat him like an other. li luo''s tense heart finally relaxed a little, but he did not slacken his pace. instead, he sped up and rushed to the location in his memory. he glanced in every direction as he surveyed the broken buildings he rushed past. "lantern bro, where are you?" li luo anxiously shouted. when his voice echoed, he suddenly felt the hairs on his back stand on end. his entire body screamed in warning as he quickly turned his head and glanced at a corridor to the right. it was there where he saw an ephemeral figure with a lantern, dragging his footsteps and wandering around. wherever he went, the black mist would part and hover a few feet away from him, making it difficult to approach him. li luo''s expression stiffened. now that he had found him, he would have to test if his idea would work. otherwise, he could only return in defeat and slaughter the true devil other with the aid of the three-tailed heavenly wolf. if that plan failed as well, he could at least escape with li lingjing. although she wanted him to escape at the first opportunity, his personality would never allow him to do so. no matter how bad the situation was, he would never abandon her and escape by himself. Chapter 0981: Activating the Lantern Bearer chapter 0981: activating the lantern bearer li luo stared at the lantern bearer in front of him. he remained quiet as he continued his slow stroll along the destroyed hallway, appearing illusory from time to time. the same old lantern was swaying from side to side in his hand, its flame appearing to have been extinguished since time immemorial. li luo took a deep breath and did not hesitate any longer. ignoring the warning signs from his body, he carefully approached the lantern bearer. in a few moments, he was standing right beside him. from such a close distance, he could see that the lantern bearer''s face was kind of blurry. however, his size and posture indicated that he stood tall and stalwart. li luo grit his teeth and reached out with his hand, trying to give the lantern bearer a light tap. to his surprise, his hands went straight through him. nonetheless, he had no reaction to li luo''s sudden action. he simply continued with his slow walk. li luo pulled his hand back. it seemed like ordinary methods would not suffice if he wanted to awaken the lantern bearer... after putting some more thought into it, his gaze turned towards the old, bronze lantern. "the flame has died out... the flame has died out..." the same phrase continued to echo faintly from the lantern bearer, as if these words had come from a far more ancient time. "don''t worry, brother. little brother here will help you light the flame. i only hope that you''ll show some other reaction afterwards..." after saying this, li luo placed both of his hands together as if he was doing a prayer. he then stretched out his arm and activated the acquired resonance godly forging art. in the blink of an eye, a transparent ball of acquired resonance flame hovered above his palm. he was not sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but for a moment, the illusory lantern bearer seemed to have finally reacted when his acquired resonance flame appeared. "is it working?!" li luo felt his spirits lift. with a flick of his fingers, the acquired resonance flame flew through the air, aimed right at the bronze lantern. he did not even dare to blink as he watched the flame''s flight carefully. what happened next was shocking. the acquired resonance flame reached the inside of the bronze lantern, but it did not fly past it like every other object. instead, it hovered inside the lantern for a moment. li luo''s heart was beating rapidly as he watched the situation unfold. pop! the wick inside the lantern ignited! a ball of flame faintly rose into sight in the ancient, bronze lantern. in the same moment, the lantern bearer finally stopped his endless walk. li luo excitedly looked at the lantern bearer. there finally seemed to be a faint sign of life within his empty eyes. however, it was still a mere glimmer. nonetheless, this was much better than the illusory state that he was in previously. in fact, li luo could feel that the lantern bearer had begun to turn his confused eyes towards him in an extremely slow manner. "...who''s... that... "cultivated... acquired resonance flame... but... did not merge... with resonance... "f... foolish..." li luo was dumbfounded, but the words gradually entered his mind. "who cultivated the acquired resonance flame but did not merge it with their resonance. foolish?" li luo''s face turned black. this elder must have been a really strict teacher back in the sacred void resonance sect. despite how weak and faint he sounded, the first words out of his mouth are calling me a fool? nonetheless, what did he mean by merging it with my resonance? no one taught me anything about it at all! li luo felt aggrieved by these words, but he knew that there was something more important now. he carefully said, "elder, an other has snuck into the sacred void resonance sect. please help us out and eliminate this devil!" as soon as he finished speaking, he noticed the illusory figure of the lantern bearer showing violent fluctuations. this time, anger appeared to surface within those dead and blank eyes. "other? other! how dare it sneak into the sacred void resonance sect! it deserves to die!" his words and voice had chained together and became coherent this time. li luo was really pleased as he replied, "yes, it deserves to die. please help us out quickly, elder!" "kill it! kill it!" the voice of the lantern bearer echoed. however, li luo''s face changed quickly after a few seconds. he realized the lantern bearer was repeatedly chanting for it to be killed, but there was no further action... "elder, what''s the use of shouting? please act now!" li luo could not help but shout in response. the lantern bearer turned silent for a moment before he replied, "i am just a remnant of memories from years ago. what can i do?" hearing this, li luo felt like he was about to vomit blood! this was completely different from how he had imagined it to turn out. at this point, the lantern bearer continued slowly, "i may not be able to act directly. however, i can still borrow your hands to slay this devil." li luo was taken aback after hearing such big words from the elder. however, he immediately answered, "as long as i can get rid of the devil, i am more than willing to help out as a disciple of the sacred void resonance sect!" the lantern bearer nodded slightly. in the next moment, the flame in his bronze lantern burned more brightly before it condensed into a golden flame talisman. the flame talisman rose into the air and hovered in front of li luo. "this is the golden holy fire talisman. you can use this to help you get rid of the devil. however, you will also suffer burns when its used. if you can endure through this ordeal, you may perhaps earn some unexpected rewards." li luo''s heart wavered when he heard the lantern bearer''s words. he looked at the flame talisman in front of him, and he could feel terrifying undulations it faintly emitted. he carefully reached out to it. at the same time, he noticed that the flame in the lantern had died out once again after being used to create the fire talisman. the lantern bearer''s body was also beginning to fade, as if he was about to disappear. li luo quickly took the chance to ask him another question. "elder, what did you mean by merging it with resonance earlier?" the lantern bearer replied in a deep voice, "you fool. didn''t you pay attention during our daily training? i''ve never seen such a foolish disciple." li luo was stunned by his blunt scolding. nonetheless, the lantern bearer explained to him in the end. "go towards the golden dew platform and complete the ritual. you''ll be able to merge it with your resonance." "golden dew platform?"nove.lb-1n li luo''s eyes move slightly. he was about to say more, but the lantern bearer was about to disappear completely. as such, he took the chance to ask one last question. "sorry, but how should i address you, elder?" all of a sudden, the blank eyes of the lantern bearer reacted violently again. it seemed like he had regained consciousness completely for a moment as he stared back at li luo. he seemed to have seen right through him. in the next moment, li luo saw a surprising scene. the lantern bearer vanished completely, but the bronze lantern remained, falling onto the ground. he then heard a soft echo that seemed to have come from a time long past. "i am known as the sixth son of void resonance, wang taixi." "the sixth son of void resonance, wang taixi?" li luo whispered to himself as the image of the lantern bearer''s gaze surfaced in his mind once again. he frowned for a moment, unable to understand the lantern bearer''s reaction in that last moment. however, he could not come to any conclusion. li luo took a look at the bronze lantern on the ground and hesitated for a moment before he carefully reached out and picked it up. using some resonant power, he tried to activate it, but there was absolutely no reaction from it. it seemed to have become a piece of useless junk. li luo stored it in his pocket sphere though, never wasting anything. he then looked down at the gold light fire talisman, and his eyes lit up. with this in hand, his trip here had not been wasted. li luo turned around and dashed back towards the depths of the thick mist once again. cousin lingjing, please wait for me! Chapter 0982: Rescue chapter 0982: rescue ear-piercing laughter echoed throughout the main hall. the giant hand of the soul eater true devil stretched out as the mouth on the palm continued to chew, letting out harsh grating sounds accompanied by the dripping of fresh blood. the next moment, the mouth in the palm unlatched and spat out three white pearls. these pearls were bleached white and seemed to have been formed from the bones of the consumed bodies. on top of that, they were covered in a layer of smelly blood. and each pearl was decorated with a constantly swiveling eyeball that was wrapped in blood-red threads, forming a nauseating sight. when the three bone pearls appeared, they shot forward like rays of light, directly rushing at li lingjing, qin ying, and zhu zhu. the expressions of the three changed when they saw the projectiles barrelling towards them. they could sense terrifying undulations the pearls emitted. qin ying shouted loudly, and a suit of scarlet body armor appeared on his body. it contained scarlet runes in the shape of a turtle, and a single violet eye mark was on the top of the shell. this was the scarlet turtle carapace, a violet-eye treasured artifact. when faced with the soul eater true devil''s frightening attacks, qin ying could not hold back anything in reserve, taking out his defensive artifacts. zhu zhu formed hand seals with both hands, and a dark-green pearl of light materialized from her head, slowly rising into the sky and forming a dark-green barrier that enveloped her. li lingjing did not have any protective violet-eye treasured artifacts, but the aquamarine bamboo python staff was sufficient. the best defense was a strong offense after all. with a thought, the gigantic abyssal serpent manifestation behind her transformed into a ray of black light that entered the aquamarine bamboo python staff. she then released the staff, and it began to float in the air, emitting resplendent, azure light. a moment later, the aquamarine bamboo python staff disappeared, transforming into a gigantic, aquamarine python that let out an ear-rending screech. it shifted its body, directly covering li lingjing in its protective embrace. seeing that the three mightiest fighters on their side were taking defensive measures, the remaining five and six-pearls started to escape with expressions of fear. the three bleached, bone-white pearls pierced through the void before detonating on impact. pasty, white light radiated in every direction coupled with endless gusts of chilly winds. this was accompanied by endless shrill screams that caused a tingling sensation in the heads of everyone in earshot. the whole sequence caused the negative emotions within their hearts to well up and overwhelm them. as the white energy swept past, it submerged everything in its path. li lingjing, qin ying, and zhu zhu were struck directly, and their defenses gradually shattered and collapsed. in the end, all three were sent flying, heavily colliding into the ruined buildings below. if the best amongst them were left in such dire straits, the rest understandably suffered even more. those who had been struck directly by the pasty white light, even the ones at the five-pearl tier, had all of the blood within them sucked dry, leaving them as bare skeletons that fell from the skies and shattered into bone fragments. when the cultivators who were fighting the corrupted saw this scene, their faces filled with utter shock and terror welled up in their eyes. even qin yi, who had been calm all this while, began to frown deeply. "it''s over!" zhu dayu''s entire body was trembling as he grimaced. he then rushed in the direction where zhu zhu had fallen and began to dig her out of the debris. after which, a hand that was covered with fresh blood stretched out before a robust body busted out from beneath. it was naturally zhu zhu, but she was drenched in blood. most of the flesh and blood on her arms had melted away, leaving just the bone. she collapsed on the ground, constantly gasping for air as blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. however, she immediately took out several large pieces of meat from her pocket sphere and ravenously wolfed them down. with the ingestion of copious amounts of food, her flesh and blood started to squirm and the injured locations began to heal and repair at a speed visible to the naked eye. "dayu, things are going to get quite serious today. if the situation takes a turn for the worse, you have to find a way to escape by yourself," zhu zhu stated as she continued to shove food down her throat, never breaking eye contact with the worried zhu dayu. zhu dayu gave a bitter smile as he consoled her, "sister zhu, you don''t have to be so down. li luo has gone in search of the lantern bearer, and he might find a way to break the stalemate." "li luo? that fiend finisher brat?" zhu zhu glanced at him. "i''ve always thought he was bright. perhaps instead of finding a solution to deal with the other, he has taken the opportunity to run away." zhu dayu scratched his head. "li luo seems quite loyal and shouldn''t have escaped..." "who knows." zhu zhu clearly was not planning to pin her hopes on an outsider. she and some of the most powerful cultivators in the cave were unable to hold on much longer. even though li luo was the dragon''s head, his assistance didn''t count for much. not far away, another figure crawled out of the debrisqin ying. however, the entire scarlet turtle carapace had shattered into half, leaving his face bloodstained. qin yi immediately rushed over and formed a few hand seals. "duke art: coming of spring rain." with a wave of her hand, rain that possessed strong restorative effects was formed, the droplets landing upon qin ying''s body and quickly healing all of his injuries. qin ying''s pale demeanor improved immediately, but he was still gasping heavily, giving qin yi an agonized smile. "cousin qin yi, you might need to prepare for the worst," qin ying said heavily. qin yi fell silent as she naturally understood what he was referring to. she had to plan her own escape from here. her beautiful gaze turned towards the depths of the mist, landing on the location where she last saw li luo. he had been gone for a while and there had been no response. she didn''t know if he had actually managed to awaken the lantern bearer. or perhaps... he had already escaped? this possibility flashed through her mind as her gaze turned towards another location full of debris. a beautiful figure was currently walking out slowly with an azure staff in hand. it was li lingjing. qin yi swept her gaze past li lingjing and realized that she was the least injured amongst the three. there were no signs of her flesh and blood having been eroded, and only her clothes were a little tattered, leaving her white thighs exposed. however, she had a haggard and pale expression as well, showing that she had also suffered quite the blow. qin yi''s eyes flickered with her thoughts. li lingjing had always given her a strange and mysterious feeling. before li luo left to search for the lantern bearer, the two had briefly interacted. perhaps she had given him a hint. did she have something up her sleeve that would allow li luo to remain immune to the mist? just as qin yi thought of this possibility, li lingjing seemed to have noticed her examining gaze. however, her expression remained unchanging, like a pool of stagnant water that did not ripple. li lingjing then turned to face the floating soul eater true devil. the injuries left on them after the previous exchange were not light, but the soul eater true devil''s presence seemed to have diminished slightly. perhaps it was due to the continuous suppression from the spiritual resonance cave. "cousin li luo, where did you run to?"?li lingjing asked in her heart. she then turned to face the rest of the survivors emotionlessly. "with so many people here, the soul eater true devil is bound to have its fill. qin yi will be a great treat, so i doubt it will let her off easily. this is a good thing. cousin li luo has enmity with her, and having her die here would ease some of his troubles. however, this girl is quite intelligent and i don''t know what sort of preparations she has made for her escape. her position in her clan is very high, so it may not be impossible for her to run. perhaps i can look for an opportunity amidst the chaos later to kill her. she should not be watching out for me. the soul eater true devil likely wants to eat me in the end, and from what it said before, i''m number three and it is number two. does this mean there''s a number one? it seems like the soul eater true devil is not an other that was born naturally, but a creation of humans... either way, being eaten doesn''t matter. i''ve already made my preparations. even so, being devoured is something i have experience in." the corners of li lingjings lips lifted lightly into a smirk as she tightly grasped the aquamarine bamboo python staff. it seemed a little sinister when contrasted against her fair and beautiful cheeks. at this point, the soul eater true devil glanced downwards at who was left as it once again started letting out its ear-piercing screeches that sounded almost like infants crying. the sounds it made caused the crowd to turn pale. even the strongest fighters were grievously injured in the previous exchange, and it seemed as though the creature was about to go on a killing spree. some began to run away in terror, ignoring the mist and running into it. however, before they took even a few steps, the mist enveloped them and eroded away the resonant power that surrounded their bodies. then their steps turned stiff and their pupils darkened. afterwards, worms could be seen squirming within their eyeballs. a moment later, they started to contort their bodies, all four limbs on the ground as they slowly crawled back. this was a sight that caused the rest to feel a sense of despair. the soul eater true devil continued to watch the scene below before focusing upon li lingjing. it seemed that she was its true target. it stretched its giant arm out, and the palm full of fangs immediately spat out a blood-red bone spur that was covered with spikes. the bone spur zipped forward and pierced the air like a bolt of lightning. li lingjing had no chance to even hide. a moment later, the bone spur penetrated her body before the shocked gazes of the crowd, nailing her to the ground. she was injured severely by this sudden attack, but her gorgeous face did not show any signs of pain, only continuing to coldly stare at the soul eater true devil. the soul eater true devil then let out a wave of cackling, grating laughter. it picked up the bone spur, lifting li lingjing''s frail body with it. then the mouth in the palm began to swallow the bone spur. li lingjing was naturally inching closer to the palm. the massive mouth began to chew ravenously, and malodorous blood began to leak from the corners like a beast drooling before a meal. it was almost as though it was eagerly anticipating the treat. this scene caused everyone present to feel a sense of utter despair and sadness. however, just as the bone-red spur was ten feet away from the mouth, the soul eater true devil''s body suddenly froze as it could innately sense a threat to its life. "damned beast! put my cousin down!" it was at this point that a thunderous shout reverberated throughout the skies. the familiar voice caused li lingjing''s previously unmoving expression to change, despite having been skewered through. n--ove1bin she hurriedly raised her head and saw that a slender and tall youth was standing atop one of the numerous halls. who else could it be but li luo? she saw that he was completely out of breath. hadn''t that brat already escaped through the mist? why did he come back! however, amidst her fury, complex emotions surged within her heart. was he unwilling to leave her to suffer alone and had come back to protect her? "cousin lingjing! i''m here to save you!" li luo shouted. the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow was fully drawn, and with the flick of a finger, a golden flame talisman flew up and attached itself onto the bowstring. a golden flame ignited a moment later, setting the bow ablaze as a flaming arrow took shape. the flaming arrow was golden in color, and absolutely alarming undulations of power could be felt rippling throughout the area when it took form. the sheer aura was so formidable that zhu zhus and qin ying''s expressions also shifted nervously. they looked upon li luo with faces full of disbelief. never in their wildest dreams would they have imagined a fiend finisher capable of exploding forth with so much power in a single arrow. even qin yi trembled slightly when she focused upon li luo. has this brat actually succeeded? Chapter 0983: Single Arrow Slays the Devil! n--o/-v(-e--l).b//1-/n chapter 0983: single arrow slays the devil! when li luo drew the bow and transformed the golden holy fire talisman into a flaming arrow, he finally understood why the lantern bearer had said that he would experience untold amounts of pain. the wantonly burning holy fire had spread from the bow in just a few breaths of time, enveloping li luo within a giant ball of fire. the holy fire did not differentiate between friend and foe, so the flames brought him immense pain. li luo''s face immediately twisted in agony as the hand holding the bowstring began to tremble. if his heart was not resolute, he might have already thrown the bow away. he sucked in a deep breath of scalding air as the golden holy fire continued to adhere to his body, sending waves of pervasive burning pain. "nine scales sanctified dragon''s body, thunderpeal avatar!" li luo activated his two body-strengthening arts without hesitation, which brought momentary relief from the flame. "oh?" however, as the fire continued to burn, li luo was shocked to discover that the fiend dipper energy in his body had increased! it was previously seven hundred feet long, but as the fire continued to refine his body, it had increased by another ten feet in just a short span of time. "was this the benefit that the lantern bearer said i would receive? the holy fire can refine my fiend dipper energy?" satisfaction welled up in his heart. it seemed that being able to endure the pain was worth it. as he was thinking about this, his gaze continued to stare unabated at the soul eater true devil. all the power in his body surged up explosively at this critical moment. the bowstring was pulled so hard that it began to creak, the entire bow forming the shape of a full moon. the arrow was engulfed in burnished flame like a dragon made of fire, releasing terrifying fluctuations of energy. li luo''s palms were burned to the point that the skin had peeled off and was completely worn out. the increasingly turbulent flames continued to wildly burrow into his body. at this moment, the black, demonic mist that covered the skies seemed to have felt something, and they began to gradually retract. roar! the soul eater true devil roared in response as it could feel that its life was in danger. it momentarily set aside the thought of devouring li lingjing, and the massive mouth in the middle of the palm immediately spat out a ball of bloody light. within it were countless faces stacked over each other like layers of skin. in the end, it culminated with a huge, pale face with a twisted and strange expression. blood poured from every orifice of the face as it floated before the true devil like a bulwark made of skin. the only thing was that one could sense endless iciness and negative emotions emanating from its core. meanwhile, all of the gazes from the crowd were now focused upon the top of the hall where li luo stood, armed with his flaming bow that had been fully drawn. they could see that the flames had completely engulfed him and were incinerating every inch of his body. they instinctively knew that the horrifying arrow was causing him extreme suffering. li luo''s eyes were unwavering as he focused on the soul eater true devil. his now charcoal-black fingertips released the bowstring without any hint of hesitation. the frightening energy at his literal fingertips was released. as a result, the flesh on the fingers holding the bowstring burst apart, revealing the white bone beneath. with that, the golden flame arrow penetrated through the void thunderously. the blazing light streaked through the air like a golden crow, burning the mist in its path into nothingness. the arrow flew by so quickly that even qin ying was unable to perceive its movement completely, only seeing the trail of light left in its wake. when he came to his senses, the golden flame arrow had already struck the face made of human skin. it was like a fire dragon bearing its claws and striking anything that dared impugn upon its majesty. roar! in a blink, a fiery tornado that was reminiscent of the sun ignited the skies. the human-skin face let out shrill cries as it was swiftly incinerated. the arrow instantly pierced a hole through it, shooting right at the soul eater true devil. the soul eater true devil continued to scream. its giant hand swatted outwards, forming countless black shadows that attempted to block the unimpeded advance of the arrow. however, the flowing flaming arrow possessed irresistible force, easily tearing through all of the soul eater true devil''s defenses. before everyone''s surprised eyes, it shot right into its body. bang! a moment later, golden flames erupted from the body of the soul eater true devil like a volcano. the flames leaked from every single hole on its body, swiftly causing it to melt. shrill wails continued to echo out endlessly. a few moments later, the soul eater true devil''s entire body was completely disintegrated by the golden flames. everyone stared at the result blankly. was this how the terrifying soul eater true devil would meet its end? it almost seemed a little uneventful. li luo''s single arrow was terrifying beyond comparison! with the soul eater true devil being burnt to ashes, the remnant mist began to swiftly vanish and the corrupted individuals began to thrash around, seemingly having lost control. the chaotic scene was like a ray of hope for the crowd, representing a new opportunity at life. everyone burst into unrequited cheers. no one had expected the situation to change when they were stuck in the pits of despair. as the group celebrated, li luo, who was still atop the hall, weakly set his arms down. he was in a miserable state, his entire body charred black after suffering from the effects of the golden flames. the insides of his body were such a mess that his resonant power could barely circulate. as a result, he staggered forward before plummeting from the top. however, a slender figure had shot over right before he landed, embracing him and landing stably on the ground. li luo glanced at the pale li lingjing and flashed a weak smile. "cousin lingjing, are you alright?" li lingjing''s body was also full of bloodstains, and she too seemed to be in a bad state. however, a radiant smile emerged on her beautiful face. "i''m fine," she replied with a nod. "you shouldn''t have come back," she continued. li luo sighed weakly. "abandoning a comrade is not something i''ll ever do." li lingjing fell silent as she stretched out her slender arm, wiping off the ash on his face. she chuckled as she looked at the sorry man before her, whose handsomeness didn''t seem to have diminished. "alright, i guess i have to thank you. you can rest for now." he was definitely in a worse state than her. li luo nodded and then closed his eyes, quickly circulating his resonant power to restore the mess within his body. at this point in time, not too far away, qin yi and qin ying approached, their gazes focused upon the heavily injured and weakened li luo. "haha, fairy qin, i don''t suppose you are planning to do anything to li luo, are you?" at this point in time, a well-built but chubby figure flashed over, blocking them from moving any closer. it was zhu dayu. he stared at qin yi with some apprehension as he was well aware of the enmity between the two. now that li luo and li lingjing were critically injured, it was the perfect opportunity to take revenge. they may have joined hands previously, but it was only to deal with a superior foe. now that their common enemy had been dispatched, things would go back to the previous status quo. qin ying glared at zhu dayu. "what does this have to do with you?" "hey! qin ying! has your conscience been eaten by beasts? li luo took the initiative to save you and yet you want to strike him when he is down? you''re definitely not human." zhu zhu then appeared beside zhu dayu, smiling coldly. the remaining individuals nodded in agreement. qin yi softly replied, "the two of you have misunderstood. i noticed that li luo''s injuries were not light and wanted to render him some aid." zhu dayu smiled. "fairy qin, you are benevolent. i suppose us brutes have misunderstood your intentions. however, for the sake of preventing any trouble, i think we should leave it as it is." "you!" qin ying fumed. qin yi fell silent, but she did not show any signs of anger. she knew that zhu dayu was on guard against her and thus did not pursue things, only turning to leave. the cultivators from the other powers as well as the rogue cultivators approached the two and clasped their hands respectfully. they gave thanks before scattering as well. looking at their panicked expressions, they had clearly gone through the fright of their lives and no longer wished to linger. li lingjing then turned towards zhu dayu and zhu zhu as her gaze flickered. "can i trouble the two of you to take care of li luo for a moment?" zhu dayu asked with a strange expression on his face, "what do you plan to do?" "i''m going to take advantage of the chaos and gather more spirit resonance golden dew." she grinned. zhu dayu scratched his head briefly before pounding his chest in affirmation. she then grunted her thanks before flashing away, a cold expression forming over her beautiful face. the others may not have felt it, but the soul eater true devil had not been truly destroyed by li luo. she could vaguely feel that it was heavily injured and was planning to escape. li lingjing would not let that happen. Chapter 0984: Disliking the Light chapter 0984: disliking the light the damaged gilded hall was a mess. rogue cultivators and the teams from various powers were scattering in all directions, hurrying to leave this damned place. although the other had been eliminated, the fear they felt for their own lives earlier had remained vividly in their minds. they did not want to linger around here any longer. of course, there were some who were more greedy and continued searching for treasures within the chaos. amongst them were also the corrupted individuals. at present, they seemed to have lost control and were running about like walking corpses. their bodies continued to decompose as blood flowed out and white bones were revealed. even though the soul eater true devil had lost control of them, it seemed like a matter of time before these people disappeared from this world completely. everyone else avoided them like the plague. they did not want to risk getting corrupted as well. at this moment, li lingjing dashed past the countless halls, bounding atop the roofs. her charming face remained emotionless and icy. all the strangers kept their distance from her. originally, some of the teams that got lost in the action earlier wanted to greet her when they saw her running by. however, they quickly changed their minds when they saw how unapproachable she seemed. li lingjing was not bothered by this. she followed her senses and ran past the vast gilded halls before arriving in front of an eerie and dark forest. she tightly gripped her aquamarine bamboo python staff and slowly walked into it. the forest was pitch-black with barely any sunlight passing through the canopy, and it was shrouded in a chilly air. li lingjing looked through the forest and noticed a handicapped corrupted individual lying in the distance. this individual seemed to have lost any hope of survival as he lay with the stench of decay. li lingjing simply stared coldly at it. "stop acting dead. aren''t you dying to get a bite of me? come on, i am here now." however, the corrupted individual did not move at all. li lingjing then proceeded to take a step forward. suddenly, the aquamarine bamboo python staff swung towards the right and a poisonous ray shot out, filling the bamboo forest with a faint fragrance. an amputated limb could be seen falling onto the ground from above where the poisonous ray had struck. the flesh of the limb appeared to be wiggling with something. li lingjing''s resonant power surged when she saw this, and she blasted it into pieces without any hesitation. the bloody remains splattered across the ground. as the blood and flesh spewed across the dirt, a black light that could hardly be detected by the naked eye suddenly shot out and flew towards the center of her forehead. it was so fast that an ordinary heavenly pearl cultivator would hardly ever notice it. however, a slender arm shot up just before the black light struck her. she caught the black light just in time. when li lingjing looked down at her hand with her icy eyes, she saw a strange, black worm wriggling in her palm. it was really tiny, but one could see that there was an extremely twisted human face on its head. the worm continued to struggle violently at this point. its negative energy erupted and shot high up into the sky. it was so strong that it could even corrupt a late stage heavenly pearl cultivator. however, li lingjing allowed it to come towards her. her red lips curved slightly as she whispered, "i''ve managed to keep my consciousness intact even after sinking into the depths of despair and madness. do you think you can actually corrupt me? you soul eater true devils make me sick." as li lingjing looked at the strange, black worm in her palm, she seemed to be talking to herself as she asked, "so, it seems you are number two. is number one in the spiritual resonance cave too?" the worm wriggled and its twisted face suddenly burst into an eerie laughter. "number three, you''ll surely be eaten by it! you can''t escape! only the last variant can reach the perfect form! it''ll be a masterpiece!" hearing this, li lingjing pondered for a moment before she asked, "perfect form? based on what you''ve just said, a variant can get stronger by consuming others?" at this moment, her bright, almond-shaped eyes stared at the strange, black worm in her hand.the smile on her red lips became a little strange. "doesn''t that mean... i can eat you too?" the worm seemed to freeze for a moment before it started struggling violently, trying to escape. li lingjing''s eyes turned gloomy and dark as she stood in the dimly lit bamboo forest with her aquamarine bamboo python staff. there was a heart-stopping sense of darkness around her, as if she was a rakshasa from the abyss. in the end, li lingjing took out a black jade bottle with a rune on it and threw the black worm inside. at the same time, she directed poisonous rays from the aquamarine bamboo python staff into the bottle to continuously deplete the black worm''s strength, not giving it any chance to recover back to its original power. li lingjing''s eyes lit up as she looked at the jade bottle. she let out a light sigh of relief before she held it close to her chest. after finishing this, she slowly walked out of the dim bamboo forest. when she found herself back in the sunlight, she felt a little disorientated. she instinctively retreated a few steps back into the darkness of the forest. this was a natural reflex. however, this surprised even li lingjing herself. she laughed and murmured to herself, "it seems that i still prefer the darkness. light is really not suitable for me." at this moment, the sound of breaking wind could suddenly be heard coming towards her. li lingjing looked up and saw li luo rushing towards her direction. there was a look of worry on his face. li lingjing fell into a moment of silence as she watched him rush over. then a bright smile appeared on her pretty face and she stepped out of the shadows of the forest, waving to him. li luo landed in front of her and let out a sigh of relief as soon as he saw her. "cousin lingjing, you''re seriously injured. you should not be running about. i''ve more or less collected enough spirit resonance golden dew, so there is no need to search for it anymore," li luo complained to her. zhu dayu and zhu zhu soon arrived on the scene too. in response to his complaints, li lingjing smiled and nodded. then her eyes paused as she studied li luo and said with some surprise, "you seem to have gotten stronger somehow." li luo smiled modestly and replied, "it''s a small boost. my fiend dipper energy has only increased by one hundred and fifty feet." nove/lb.1n although the golden holy fire talisman had brought about enormous pain for li luo, it also came with many benefits. originally, he only had seven hundred feet of fiend dipper energy, and now that number had increased to eight hundred and fifty feet. his current plan was to head towards the golden dew platform and leverage its power to consume the nine orifices dipper smelting pill. with that, he could give it one last push. he would reach the pinnacle of the fiend finisher tier there. afterwards, it should be really easy for him to break into the heavenly pearl tier. Chapter 0985: Call for Help chapter 0985: call for help the chaos that ensued in the main hall did not last for long. some began to realize that the hall itself was beginning to turn illusory and that the entire gilded hall was about to vanish. li luo and li lingjing departed immediately upon seeing this. they could see the entire structure turning illusory and gradually vanishing. everyone else felt that this scene seemed a little strange. everything that had happened within seemed incomparably realistic, but when they looked back, it was as though everything was just an illusion. li luo assumed that the illusion was created by the sacred void resonance sect. it might not have truly existed in this particular time and space but was projected here through some means. however, the spirit resonance golden dew was real, and the miraculous powers of the sacred void resonance sect caused li luo to sigh in amazement. they must have been incomparably domineering during their prime. the foundation which they were built upon was something even the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, a heavenly emperor power, was unable to compare to. he retracted his gaze and then smiled at li lingjing. "let''s go. now that we''ve collected enough spirit resonance golden dew, we can head to the golden dew platform." his voice was full of anticipation as his plans and aims were all resting upon the platform''s powers. once he got there, he could complete his breakthrough and improve his resonance grade. if he succeeded in doing so, his strength would advance by leaps and bounds. li lingjing lightly smiled as she grasped the aquamarine bamboo python staff, looking quite carefree at the moment. li luo then turned towards zhu dayu and zhu zhu, who were beside him, and thanked them profusely for their assistance. however, the two pairs did not continue to move together, each taking their own separate paths. there were three golden dew platforms, and it would be good to split their goals to prevent unnecessary competition. after saying their goodbyes, li luo and li lingjing zoomed away. the two were no longer held back by anything, and even though they occasionally stumbled upon traces of spirit resonance golden dew, they couldn''t be bothered to collect any more. their gains in the gilded hall were already stupendousthey would have dew to spare even after gaining entry to the golden dew platform. as a result, their journey was smooth. when they stopped to rest, li luo used his acquired resonance flame to refine some of the spirit resonance golden dew into a golden crystal before he beamed happily at li lingjing. "cousin lingjing, please hold out your hand. i have another gift for you." li lingjing looked at him suspiciously but did not reject, only smiling as she stretched out her slim hand. "be careful now, taking advantage of your elder sister might be grounds for a beating," li lingjing mischievously said as her other hand waved the aquamarine bamboo python staff in li luo''s face li luo pouted slightly as he placed the golden crystal in her hand. she inspected the golden crystal with much curiosity as she was also able to feel some sort of incomparably pure energy coming from it. it felt familiar, and although it seemed to resemble the spirit resonance golden dew, it was purified to a much higher degree. "why don''t you try to absorb it?" li luo continued. if it were anyone else giving her a strange object for her to absorb, she would simply give a friendly smile as her other hand slammed the staff downwards, causing their brains to splatter. however, the person asking her to do so was li luo, and she trusted him. thus, she circulated her resonant power and absorbed the golden crystal. a moment later, her eyes were wide open, full of surprise at the result. "my resonance seems to have become more pure. this degree of improvement is equivalent to what eighth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights provide." li lingjing had a lower ninth-grade abyssal serpent resonance. at this point, it was extremely difficult to rely on spirit liquids and lights to temper it further. based on her needs, only eighth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights could work, and even then, the effect was miniscule. ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights? one shouldn''t even bother thinking about those, as they were so rare that their prices were terrifying. even the heavenly dragon''s five lineages found it hard to obtain one, much less the western region''s li family. as a result, the fact that the golden crystal could benefit her came as a surprise. li luo grinned. "good stuff, isn''t it?" li lingjing smiled lightly and nodded. however, she did not ask where it had come from. just as he spoke, his expression suddenly changed and his gaze shifted towards the sky. there was a burst of light, and it very quickly transformed into a massive, coiling dragon that looked alive. in particular, the dragon''s fangs were exceptionally eye-catching. "dragon''s fang signal?" when li luo saw the light signal, his expression changed. that was the dragon''s fang lineage''s emergency signal, which meant that someone from the dragon''s fang lineage had encountered danger. was it second sister or elder brother? energy wings unfurled from li luo''s back, flapping with great strength, almost kicking up a tornado as he shot into the air. li lingjing followed quickly. they utilized their full speed without any restraint and rushed in the direction of the emergency signal. a while later, they finally approached the location where the signal originated from. it was a relatively hidden ravine, and worldly natural energy was coursing towards it wantonly. it seemed that this was a location that contained quite a bit of spirit resonance golden dew. n)/0velb1n however, li luo was not concerned with any of this, only focusing his vision into the interior of the valley. massive bursts of energy undulations were exploding, and it looked like an intense fight was ongoing. li luo swept his gaze across the area and noticed that the battlefield had been split into two. on one side he could see li fengyi, li jingtao, and deng fengxian. the three had grouped up closely. what surprised li luo was that they were only facing one opponent. the trio were currently working together to fend off a light red-robed girl. she gave off an ethereal beauty, and behind her were two heavenly pearls that constantly absorbed worldly natural energy. in her hand was a fiery-red jade ruler, and she emitted mighty resonant power waves. what surprised li luo the most was that her resonant power was a combination of wind and fire. this meant that she possessed dual resonances! despite only being a single individual, her battle power was so ferocious the trio were forced into an embarrassing situation. li jingtao''s side could only weather her assault, but the young lady was also equally smart. after experiencing how terrifying li jingtao''s defensive arts were, she focused her attacks on li fengyi instead, targeting the weakest link. although all three of them had their own strengths, they had been forced into a miserable state. on the other side, the explosions and exchanges were even more fiery. clearly, the higher stage heavenly pearl cultivators were engaged in a brawl there. li fuling and the other two banner leaders of the previous generation were surrounding a single male. he looked extremely ordinary, but there were eight heavenly pearls floating behind him, giving him the ability to burst forth with frightening strength. with a wave of his sleeves, yellow sand was kicked up, transforming into an amber dragon that entangled the trio, preventing them from escaping. "eight-pearl male... fire and wind dual resonances young lady..." li luo glanced at the battle as he mentally reviewed the intelligence he was given. he soon knew who they were. they came from the heavenly origin ancient college. the male was zong sha, the one leading the group. the younger lady was jiang wanyu, who possessed dual resonances of fire and wind. it seemed as though the two sides had burst into conflict over the appearance of spirit resonance golden dew in this valley. "as expected of the best amongst the heavenly origin ancient college." li luo sighed in his heart. the two were outnumbered, but they had still forced the trio to release a signal for help. of course, the signal was mainly to garner more assistance to deal with these troublesome foes. "cousin lingjing, separate them," li luo immediately said as he blazed towards li fengyi''s group. li lingjing then made her way towards li fuling''s battle. when the two made their move, it attracted the attention of the combatants. when li fengyi spotted li luo, she happily shouted, "little brother! come help us get rid of her!" jiang wanyu, who was locked in battle, also noticed li luo. frowning, she immediately opened her mouth, and crimson flames rolled out of her lips. at the same time, a berserk tempest of wind whistled as the combination of flame and wind roiled and forcefully pushed the trio back. at the same time, she retreated atop a giant tree and icily glared at li luo. "you cretins from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. is using numbers to overcome others the only thing youre good at?" Chapter 0986: Jiang Wanyu chapter 0986: jiang wanyu li luo landed behind li fengyi and the trio, then his eyes focused on the girl in the red dress before them. she was like a fiery rose full of thorns, with captivating looks mixed with a hint of coldness and arrogance in her eyes. he was not at all bothered by her ridicule earlier. turning around to take a look at li fengyi and the rest first, he asked, "are you guys alright?" among the three of them, li jingtao was in the best state. he had barely suffered any injuries at all. li fengyi, who had been the main target, appeared to be relatively unharmed too. in contrast, deng fengxians gilded armor that was flowing with resonant power seemed to be badly damaged. li fengyi took a closer look at deng fengxian. she paused for a moment before asking, "are you okay? why did you help me block that attack? i could''ve handled it myself, i didn''t need your help." it seemed like deng fengxian had stepped forward to fend off jiang wanyu''s attack. he must have taken the majority of the blow for li fengyi, but it came at a heavy price. in reality, she was deeply grateful. she just could not easily switch to words of gratitude after acting in such a hostile manner towards him for so long. nonetheless, deng fengxian did not mind it at all. "don''t worry about it, i have the gilded armor to protect me," he replied. hearing this, li fengyi mumbled a little to herself but did not say anything more in the end. "third brother, you arrived just in time. we discovered a batch of spirit resonance golden dew, but these two suddenly appeared. simply put, we got into a fight over it," li jingtao explained with a smile. ?li luo nodded. this was similar to what he had thought. while they continued to banter, jiang wanyu unceasingly stared at them icily. she did not show any signs of backing down just because of li luo''s arrival. rather, she pointed her fiery-red ruler at li luo in a provocative manner. "if my guess is right, you are li luo, the dragon''s head for this generation. i wonder, are you truly worthy of that title?" li luo simply smiled after hearing this and asked, "what do you want?" he had no intention to make enemies with the people from the heavenly origin ancient college. after all, he still wanted to make use of this opportunity to get acquainted with them. however, he could tell that this lady in front of him was arrogant, so it would be best to display his strength first when communicating with her. "i want to test your skills!" jiang wanyu''s personality was just like her resonancedirect and unyielding. like the wild flame and wind, she dashed towards li luo as soon as she finished her sentence. she then waved her jade ruler in front of her and drew a line in the air. a crack appeared in the air, and a deafening dragon roar echoed throughout the space. a fire dragon burning with incinerating flames broke out from the crack and soared into the sky. it charged towards li luo with a domineering and tyrannic presence. li luo could not help but freeze for a moment when he saw her duke art. this was one that he felt really familiar with. in the next instant, li luo snapped out of his confusion with a smile appearing on the corner of his lips. he formed a hand seal with a single hand, and resonant power surged up within his body. with a swing of his blade, he slashed down in front of him. this time, a crack appeared in the sky as well. sounds of rushing water could be heard as a black dragon flew out of the crack riding on the underworld river, flying straight towards the crimson fire dragon. bang! when the two clashed, the atmosphere exploded as boiling vapor hissed from the combination of water and sheer heat. the two opposing elements struggled and eroded each other continuously. after a few moments, the aftermath of the clash gradually subsided. li luo put his blade away and stood upright. he then looked over to jiang wanyu, whose cold and arrogant face had turned into one of shock and surprise. she could not believe her own eyes as she looked at li luo and asked, "underworld river''s black dragon banner?! how did you learn one of the heavenly origin ancient college''s duke arts!" as she was one of the elite students from the heavenly origin ancient college, jiang wanyu was naturally very familiar with the duke art that li luo had just used. in fact, it was in the same class of duke art as the purgatory''s crimson dragon banner that she had just activated! they were all a part of the same destiny-grade duke art, the three dragons heavenly banner canon! it was a top tier duke art even in the heavenly origin ancient college. the purgatory''s crimson dragon banner that jiang wanyu had mastered was just one part of it. the underworld river''s black dragon banner that li luo had used was another part of it! n-(o--v(.e-/l--b.(i(.n she had recognized it instantly because it had always been her dream to master the complete version of the three dragons heavenly banner canon one day. therefore, she had some knowledge of the underworld river''s black dragon banner. seeing her response, li luo smiled a little but did not answer her directly. he looked over at the battle in the distance. over there, zong sha from the heavenly origin ancient college was fighting against li fuling''s group. with his eight-pearl strength, he had pressured them into a corner. however, the situation changed completely when li lingjing arrived to help. li lingjing did not hold back at all. as soon as she dashed into the battlefield, she waved the aquamarine bamboo python staff, and the poison rays fueled with shocking resonant power shot directly at zong sha''s face. bang! as the poison rays swept across, the void shook fiercely. the sudden strike was so domineering that the expressions of li fuling and the rest changed. zong sha was also taken aback. he could sense a grave threat coming from her attack, and as such, he did not dare to hesitate, only spitting out a stream of amber sand from his mouth immediately. the amber sand seemed to possess a sort of mystical charm, as if it was some form of treasured artifact. when the sand landed on zong sha''s fist, it transformed into an auric glove with which he threw a strong punch. golden light radiated from it like the rising sun. bang! the glove struck so quickly that a golden afterimage was left behind when it clashed directly with the poison rays. a tempest of wild energy swept across the battlefield upon collision, resulting in li fuling and the rest being blown back, feeling their blood churn within their bodies from the sheer aftershock. zong sha took a few steps back as his body shook from the direct confrontation. his gaze turned exceptionally serious at this moment. is this girl one of the elites from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li??however, he had zero intel about her. from what he knew of those who had entered the spiritual resonance cave, the strongest individual from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li was li wuyuan. this lady in front of him was at a similar level and yet she was not recognizable. as he retreated, li lingjing had no intention of losing the initiative. her small body moved forward in a flash, chasing after him. with a swing from her aquamarine bamboo python staff, the sky seemed to be enveloped by countless pythons that rained down upon zong sha. read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at [ innread.com ] "duke art: gold sandstorm!" zong sha did not dare to let his guard down. he formed hand seals with both hands and let out a long scream. continuous streams of glittering sand flew out of his sleeves and turned into a raging sandstorm, clashing with the rain of pythons. bang! astonishing energy undulations constantly caused explosions within the void as well as in the space around them. this exchange of blows did not last very long before the golden sandstorm started to disperse up in the sky. zong sha was forced to retreat, and he landed beside jiang wanyu. he stared at li lingjing with a hint of fear as he said, "the situation is bad. they have gotten strong reinforcements. we should prepare to retreat." however, jiang wanyu did not pay him any heed. she kept looking at li luo and asked incessantly, "how did you learn the underworld river''s black dragon banner?" "underworld river''s black dragon banner?" zong sha was shocked when he heard her. he looked at li luo suspiciously and said, "the underworld river''s black dragon banner is a secret art of the academic federation. you''re from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, so how did you learn it?" li luo cupped his hands together and smiled. "my two friends from the heavenly origin ancient college, there seems to have been some misunderstanding. can we take a break and talk things over, please?" "explain your possession of the underworld river''s black dragon banner first. the heavenly origin ancient college has a team of inspectors meant to protect the secrecy of our arts. if you do not have a legitimate reason for possessing it, our college will send a team over to demand an explanation, even though you''re from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li," zong sha said. hearing this, li luo smiled and replied, "before i came to the dragon''s fang lineage, i studied in the astral sage college in the outer divine continent. the underworld river''s black dragon banner is something that i learned back then. "in other words, i''m actually from the academic federation as well." "the outer divine continent? astral sage college?" zong sha and jiang wanyu took a look at each other. they were aware that some sage colleges were allowed to obtain incomplete copies of duke arts from the ancient colleges. li luo''s explanation did seem reasonable here. besides, they could easily verify if he was really from a sage college later on. with that, their expressions gradually became less serious. their gazes towards li luo softened a little, showing less hostility. like what li luo had said, they were all part of the academic federation, even though he was from a sage college. therefore, they were all on the same side. as such, the duo slowly descended from the top of the tree after a few moments of hesitation. Chapter 0987: Acquaintance chapter 0987: acquaintance when li fengyi and the rest saw zong sha and jiang wanyu descend with their resonant power restrained, they understood what li luo was trying to do and similarly withdrew their hostile intentions. after all, there wasn''t much enmity between themthey were simply fighting over the spirit resonance golden dew. at the next moment, li luo turned and asked li fengyi, "how many droplets of spirit resonance golden dew are there?" li fengyi answered, "twenty droplets." li luo pondered for a moment before taking out a jade bottle and throwing it over to zong sha with a smile. "since there''s twenty droplets of spirit resonance golden dew here, we''ll split it equally. what do you think about this, senior zong sha?" after the rich harvest from the gilded hall earlier, li luo had a lot of excess spirit resonance golden dew on hand. the two parties were scuffling over just ten droplets, and he was not too concerned about gathering even more. zong sha caught the bottle before inspecting the interior. he could tell that there were ten droplets of spirit resonance golden dew inside. feeling a little embarrassed, he replied, "since dragon''s head li luo has said so, i''ve no problem with this distribution. we did not plan to fight over the spirit resonance golden dew if it wasn''t for the fact that some of the people in our team were still lacking the necessary amount." li luo had been really kind and polite towards them. in fact, he had even given away spirit resonance golden dew out of his own pocket. zong sha naturally understood that there was no need to continue acting aggressively. on his side, jiang wanyu did not say anything. however, her attitude had also softened a little. at the minimum, there was nothing to complain about from li luo''s attitude towards them. besides, their opponent appeared to be stronger than them. if they had decided not to share any spirit resonance golden dew with the two of them, there was likely little they could have done except sigh and retreat. at this moment, li lingjing and the rest also arrived beside li luo. zong sha was still wary as he took a look at li lingjing. the exchange earlier had left a deep impression on him. at the same time, he looked over to li luo with a friendly smile and said, "who would have expected we would have such a connection with dragon''s head li luo?" "you may address me as junior following the rules of the academy, senior zong sha," li luo said. zong sha could tell that li luo wanted to be friends with them. additionally, he himself did not want to be on bad terms with the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. as such, he nodded as a friendly gesture. "i''ll call you junior li luo, then." jiang wanyu continued to stare at li luo as she asked, "if you were still in the astral sage college now, which hall would you be in?" li luo replied with a smile, "it should be the two star hall." jiang wanyu was a bit surprised at the response. li luo had yet to reach the heavenly pearl tier, but his battle strength was already amazing. when the two of them fought earlier, she was not able to gain an edge over li luo despite being a two-pearl. without a doubt, his resonant power now was on par with that of an ordinary heavenly pearl cultivator. such talent was a rare sight even in their heavenly origin ancient college, let alone the astral sage college. at the very least, it seemed like even the strongest person in their two star hall would not be able to match up to li luo. "in that case, you''ll have to refer to me as senior too," jiang wanyu said with a muffled voice. "senior jiang," li luo responded cheerfully, trying to get on closer terms with them. "i have heard that you possess triple resonances, junior li luo. although you''re still at the fiend finisher tier, the foundation of your resonant power is really strong. in fact, it''s not any weaker than those in the heavenly pearl tier," zong sha commented as he noticed jiang wanyu looking a little gloomy. this junior of his had always been proud. back in the academy, she had many diehard fans and her own talent was exceptional. not only was she at the top of the three star hall, she had also cultivated the purgatory''s crimson dragon banner, which was one of the prerequisites to fully mastering the three dragons heavenly banner canon. mastering the three dragons heavenly banner canon one day was undoubtedly her goal, meaning she had high ambitions for herself. "is the purgatory''s crimson dragon banner used by senior jiang part of the three dragons'' heavenly banner canon? i''ve heard that the complete version of this duke art is at the destiny-grade back in astral sage college. unfortunately, my college only has the underworld river''s black dragon banner," li luo said with a smile. jiang wanyu nodded in response. she continued staring at li luo and asked, "you have a dragon resonance?"nove-lb-in li luo nodded and replied, "yes. my third resonance is a dragon resonance." hearing this, she felt a little jealous. she possessed wind and fire dual resonances, but not the dragon resonance. she had only managed to utilize the purgatory''s crimson dragon banner thanks to the help of an extremely high-grade treasure with dragon resonant power affinity. while this had allowed her to create the dragon resonance power artificially, it was ultimately much less convenient than possessing the actual resonance. "your underworld river''s black dragon banner and my purgatory''s crimson dragon banner are only two parts of it. there''s also an art known as the heavenly judgment silver dragon banner. once you''ve mastered all three of them, you''ll be able to unleash the full potential of the three dragons'' heavenly banner canon," jiang wanyu explained. "purgatory''s crimson dragon banner, heavenly judgment silver dragon banner..." li luo''s eyes lit up as he listened. these two arts seemed to require fire, lightning, and dragon resonance power affinity to be activated. in that case, it would fit perfectly with the dragon resonance he possessed. "you can forget about the three dragons'' heavenly banner canon. now that you''ve left the astral sage college, the academy will not give you the chance to learn the other two anymore," jiang wanyu added, trying to pour some cold water over him when she noticed the desire in his eyes. "it''s always worth a try," li luo replied. he did not seem affected by her comment at all. instead, he continued with a smile, "speaking of which, i''ll need to head over to the heavenly origin ancient college some time in the future." hearing this, zong sha replied with hospitably, "we''ll welcome you with open arms. you can visit at any time." li luo thanked him politely. as they chatted, the atmosphere in the air grew more relaxed. at this moment, multiple beams of light flew across the sky and landed around zong sha. they were the other students from the heavenly origin ancient college that had noticed his call for help earlier. after zong sha spoke with them for a while, their hostile presence reigned in and they sheathed their swords. li luo warmly invited zong sha, jiang wanyu, and their group to walk together as they were pretty close to the golden dew platform already. zong sha did not turn it down. as such, the two groups gathered and walked towards the same direction with a casual pace. on the way, li luo continued to gather more information regarding the heavenly origin ancient college. "senior zong sha, is there a mentor called lan lingzi in your college? the principal from the astral sage college had a close relationship with her." "lan lingzi? she''s not a mentor in our college," zong sha replied with a smile. li luo was surprised to hear this. vice principal su xin had clearly told him to go to the heavenly origin ancient college and look for someone named lan lingzi. could it be that she had already left the place? "lan lingzi is the vice principal of our college," jiang wanyu added from the side. li luo heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this. at the same time, his interest was piqued. he had heard that principal pang qianyuan and lan lingzi were old acquaintances. however, he did not know how close they were. if they were close enough, perhaps he could make good use of their relationship. speaking of which, principal pang was really good at cozying up to vice principals... not only did he have the loyal vice principal su xin serving under him, his old acquaintance was a vice principal in an ancient college. "senior zong sha, does the heavenly origin ancient college have a close relationship to other ancient colleges? as my roots are from a sage college, i''ve always looked up to ancient colleges like yours. initially, i had never planned to return to the dragon''s fang lineage... the only place i really wanted to visit back then was an ancient college," li luo said with a grin. hearing this, several students from the heavenly origin ancient college beamed with joy. they all praised li luo for having such good vision... or skills at flattery. zong sha also laughed and replied, "all the major ancient colleges are rivals with each other as well as friends. our relationships are tight knit. at times, students from various colleges even work together for some of the special missions we are assigned to." li luo''s eyes flickered when he heard this. with a grin, he asked, "senior zong sha, have you heard about the hallowed coruscation ancient college in the central core divine continent? i have a really good friend that is studying there. with her exceptional talent, i bet she''s gone straight into the heavenly star hall." "oh? straight into the heavenly star hall? your friend must be really amazing, then," zong sha replied with surprise. at this moment, jiang wanyu''s expression suddenly changed. she spoke out from the side. "i''ve heard something about the hallowed coruscation ancient college. there are a few new people who have ascended to the heavenly star hall this year. amongst them, there was a single girl that caused a huge commotion." zong sha nodded and continued, "now that junior jiang has mentioned it, i have some recollection of this as well... i heard that the heavenly star hall in the hallowed coruscation ancient college has a new superstar. she''s broken the record for rising up in ranks at the fastest pace. currently, her fame is not restricted to just her own collegeeven the guys from our college are gathering information about her." li luo''s heart started pounding and he felt a little excited. he could not help but feel that the person they were talking about was the one that he had in mind. "what''s her name?" li luo asked curiously. jiang wanyu thought about it for a moment before replying, "jiang qing''e, the hallowed coruscation''s holy maiden." although he had expected it, li luo could not help but feel emotional when he heard her name. an overwhelming sense of longing surged out from the depths of his heart. he was speechless for a moment as that unforgettable and familiar face filled up his mind. jiang wanyu didn''t pay attention to his sudden change in expression. she continued with great interest, "senior jiang has a really domineering personality. she is now the most popular girl in the hallowed coruscation ancient college. countless elites have wanted to chase her, but she turned all of them down ruthlessly and even declared in public that she already has a fiance. although her fiance is from the outer divine continent, none of the geniuses could compare with him in her eyes. i don''t know how many arrogant individuals were provoked when she said those words. some of them even began investigating the identity of this fiance, hoping to travel thousands of miles to the outer divine continent to force him to annul the engagement." when she finished speaking, li luo could feel his head drooping down in abject sadness. he was both moved and on the verge of tears. how had he unknowingly and unwillingly attracted so many enemies all of a sudden? Chapter 0988: Golden Dew Platform chapter 0988: golden dew platform chapter 0988: golden dew platform li luo felt a hint of complication within his heart. although he was elated at the fact that jiang qing''e was flaunting her splendor at the hallowed coruscation ancient college, he felt a little helpless at the newfound legion of enemies his status had brought upon him. however, he still felt pleased deep down. when jiang qing''e had returned the engagement certificate to him, it signified that their official relationship had taken a turn for the worse. at the very least, they were no longer engaged to one another. however, jiang qing''e had continued to maintain their relationship, at least to the outside world. perhaps in her heart, this engagement agreement had never really mattered. only someone as prideful as li luo would bother bickering over something insignificant like it. li luo''s downcast expression attracted the attention of the others around him. zong sha suspiciously stared at him with a grin. "junior li luo, could it be that you know this senior from the hallowed coruscation ancient college?" li fuling smiled as she asked, "could it be that she is your fiancee from the outer divine continent?" jiang wanyu pouted. "that was probably just an excuse that she came up with to prevent the rabble from disturbing her whilst she cultivates. she has no equal within her college, and she has a boundless view of the world. how could she possibly have fallen for some bumpkin from the outer divine continent?" her words were logical, and they resonated with the crowd as they similarly agreed. /p>li fengyi snorted in dissatisfaction. "please! third brother is also unrivaled and incomparable to anyone else. even though he is supposed to be in the two star hall, his battle strength is no weaker than that of a three star hall student. just who can compare to him in terms of talent and potential? is there anyone in the heavenly origin ancient college that can be compared to him?" jiang wanyu frowned as she rebuked, "please, i''m no slouch when compared to li luo. he might have triple resonances, but he has not entered the heavenly pearl tier. when we arrive at the golden dew platform, i would like to see what he''s made of for myself if we have the chance." li luo helplessly smiled but did not retort. being able to hear news of jiang qing''e from the heavenly origin ancient college''s students was more than enough to satisfy him. it seemed that the issue with the sacrificial ignition of her heart of light had been resolved. this was what brought him relief. when the spiritual resonance cave concluded, he would find a way to pay a visit to the heavenly origin ancient college and see if they had a method to deliver the nine marks sacred heart lotus to her. that heavenly treasure could revert the damage to jiang qing''e''s foundation as a result of the sacrificial ignition and prevent any issues from cropping up during her breakthrough into the duke stage. the group then continued to make their way towards the golden dew platform. after half a day, they noticed more and more people rushing in the same direction. it was clear that they had gathered the requisite amount of spirit resonance golden dew and were now headed towards the golden dew platform. li luo glanced into the distance. he could barely make out a faintly glowing blip of light, akin to a star at the edge of the sky. there seemed to be a restless whisper echoing throughout the heavens and the earth the closer they approached. eventually, li luo and the rest saw that the land they were on had an end. at the point where the land mass ended, clouds and mist covered the entire area, as if forming an invisible wall that blocked any further progress. at the edge of the cloud wall stood a lone, towering mountain. it was like an unmovable pillar supporting the skies. there was a source of golden light at the peak of the mountain, and it was shaped like a huge and magnificent platform. this was the goal of everyone in the cave, and their gazes turned heated with anticipation. making it past the golden dew platform would allow one to enter the core districts of the spiritual resonance cave to search for rarely seen treasures. but the platform itself was a miraculous treasure that was capable of improving one''s resonance grade, so just taking advantage of that was a goal for many. obtaining the right to enter the core districts was too hard of a task for certain rogue cultivators, so there was no need to try too hard. just being able to experience the golden dew platform''s baptism made this a worthwhile trip. li luo and the rest had looks of hope and excitement. it was said that just stepping onto the platform would lead to a baptism that could temper their resonances. the purity of their resonances would thus rise significantly, and some could even evolve their resonances. "i now have a lower eighth-grade waterlight resonance, an upper seventh-grade woodearth resonance, and a lower seventh-grade thunder dragon resonance. advancing to the upper eighth-grade for the waterlight resonance is probably not going to happen even with the assistance of the golden dew platform. however, if i focus on tempering my seventh-grade woodearth and thunder dragon resonances, there is a much higher chance of evolving them, considering my accumulations,"?li luo thought to himself. the minimum goal for him was to raise the thunder dragon resonance to the upper seventh-grade. evolving one''s resonance was an arduous task, even with the magical properties of the golden dew platform. even though the sacred void resonance sect was the unquestionable tyrant of their time, it was surely just as difficult to achieve. the group finally stopped before the towering mountain. the area was filled with countless other powers and rogue cultivators. when li luo arrived, he noticed some unfriendly gazes that were shot towards him. when he investigated the source of the hostile looks, he recognized a familiar group of "friends. the one leading the pack was the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao''s zhao yan. behind him were zhao jingyu and zhao shenjiang, who were glaring at him with gloomy expressions. "ah, enemies..." li luo smirked slightly upon seeing this. he was not surprised at all. although there were three golden dew platforms, there was still a significant chance that they would encounter the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. qin yi and zhu dayu, on the other hand, were not present. it seemed that they had picked a different golden dew platform. if they had all coincidentally picked the same one, there would be too little gruel and too many monks, and the battle would inevitably turn bitter. not long after, a group from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li arrived, and li luo recognized lu qingmei''s heroic figure within the crowd. the dragon''s scale lineage was all together. li guan led the group, and when he saw li luo''s party, he immediately approached them. "haha, it seems you''ve arrived pretty quickly, fuling." li guan looked slightly happy as he flashed an elated smile at li fuling. the people already present were of assorted groups from different powers, and since they were both of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, working together would bolster their advantages. li fuling similarly beamed when the two groups combined, becoming much stronger than before. as time passed, the number of teams that gathered at the foot of the mountain steadily increased. many altercations broke out during this period when some of the groups that had failed to collect enough spirit resonance golden dew saw that the golden dew platform was before them. they were unwilling to accept the fact that they were not qualified to progress any further. as a result, frustration boiled over into violence and they attempted to pilfer it from others. thus, chaotic brawls ensued. however, most of these conflicts were between the rogue cultivators; the groups with both numbers and strong battle power like li luo''s were ignored. n.(ovelb1n li luo similarly remained unconcerned about these battles, only quietly awaiting the opening of the golden dew platform. it was not yet time, and the gold resonant talisman in his hand had not been activated. they continued to wait for another half a day, and it was then that the golden dew platform began to buzz with activity atop the mountain. blinding, golden light overflowed from the giant, floating platform, and seats started appearing beneath it. these seats were spread out from the top of the mountain and were shining with strange light, like a sea of stars. gazes turned fiery upon this sight. li luo was no different as he swept his gaze across the entire mountain. at this point, he noticed that there were some differences amongst the seats that had materialized. the ones closest to the golden dew platform were resplendent, golden lotus thrones that shimmered with an enigmatic radiance. the golden thrones were fewest in number. further behind were jade praying mats that were crystal-clear and engraved with ancient runes. even further behind were stone mats that were tinged green, shining with inscrutable light. the appearance of these three types of seats allowed everyone to see at a glance the different grades of baptism that were available. clearly, the golden lotus thrones were the best, followed by the white jade praying mats, and then finally the greenstone mats. li luo''s gaze was focused upon the golden lotus throne. even someone who used their butt to think would conclude that those were the beast seats. the only thing was that obtaining one would be tricky with so many people around. in terms of strength, there were also countless individuals at the late heavenly pearl tier who could absolutely suppress him at the fiend finisher tier. the bright side was that he was not unaccompaniedhis group possessed numbers and an almighty expert by the name of li lingjing. even if there were some disgruntled rogue cultivators, they would be forced to give way. however, the ones he had to pay most attention to were the other elite powers that were present. for example, the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. with the enmity between them, they would not idly sit by and watch the fiend finisher li luo hog a golden lotus throne. thus, this was a battle that could not be avoided. Chapter 0989: Battle for the Thrones chapter 0989: battle for the thrones when the lotus seats, jade mats, and stone mats appeared beneath the golden dew platform, the crowd turned rowdy and everyone stared at them with eyes full of desire. there was a limited number of seats beneath the golden dew platform. only those who managed to secure one could experience the baptism they desired. everyone could tell from a quick glance that there were roughly a hundred seats, with better rewards for the more exquisite ones. among them, the golden lotus thrones were the fewest. naturally, the competition for them would be the fiercest. only those at the seven or eight-pearl tiers would dare to aim for them. perhaps with the help of a strong backing, some of them could acquire more golden lotus thrones for their respective groups. however, most of the people had accepted the fact that the golden lotus thrones were not meant for them. they would be more than happy if they could get their hands on the jade praying mats. if worse came to worst, they would be fine with just the greenstone mats as well. at this moment, li luo''s gaze turned from the numerous seats towards li fuling, li guan, and the rest. he said, "everyone, let''s work together to get as many seats as we can, regardless of whether it''s the lotus thrones, jade praying mats, or greenstone mats. once we''ve gathered all of them, we will guard them with all our might until the situation clears up. we''ll allocate them based on our contributions later. how does that sound?" it would definitely be a chaotic mess later on as everyone, including the rogue cultivators, fought like hungry tigers and wolves for the opportunities available. as such, they would easily draw the attention of enemies in a group if they were simply fighting and guarding the seats individually. it would be best for them to work in teams now. with their advantage in numbers, they could form a line of defense and guard the seats they secured. in that case, the rogue cultivators would not dare to fight with them no matter how hungry they were. everyone nodded in agreement after hearing li luo''s suggestion. this was indeed the most natural choice for a domineering power like them to make full use of their advantages. "i excel in defense. you can send me to the seats and i''ll guard them for everyone," li jingtao said with a grin, securing the best position for himself before anything even started. "we''ll depend on lingjing, cousin fuling, and li guan to compete for the golden lotus thrones, then," li luo added. those three were the strongest present. li lingjing had stunned the crowd with her eight-pearl strength, and there weren''t many that would dare to stand up to her. while li fuling and li guan were slightly weaker, they were still seven-pearls and the top tier in terms of battle strength. as such, the three of them were most suited to fight for the golden lotus thrones. hearing this, li fuling and li guan nodded as well. li lingjing said, "if i get a golden lotus throne, the priority will go to li luo." "what about you?" li fuling asked. "i can do without it," li lingjing replied nonchalantly. "aren''t you generous?" li fuling said with a few coughs. at this point, li lingjing waved the aquamarine bamboo python staff in her hands and continued, "li luo gave me this earlier. it''s only right that i return something valuable to him as well." in fact, li fuling had been paying attention to this staff in her hands since earlier. it was exuding potent and pressurizing energy undulations. now that li lingjing showed it off in front of them, the crowd could clearly see the triple violet-eye marks on the staff. this elicited cries of surprise. "triple violet-eye treasured artifact?" such a high-grade treasure was so rare that not even li fuling had owned a single one in her life. even though such treasures did exist in the dragon''s fang guardians, the price was so ridiculously high that she could only ever watch in envy. li luo had handed such a treasure to li lingjing? what was going on between these two? "cousin li luo is very generous," li fuling sourly complained with a bit of jealousy. li luo simply gave a dry cough as he explained, "we happened to enter a place full of treasured artifacts earlier, which came with immense danger. since cousin lingjing''s treasured artifact was destroyed, i gave her that one to help us fight off our powerful enemies. if i hadnt, we might have lost our lives." at this point, he turned towards li lingjing and continued. "it''s alright, cousin lingjing. if we only get one golden lotus throne in the end, you can have it. there''s no need to give it to me." li lingjing smiled a little, but she did not say more. it seemed like she would have to get at least two golden lotus thrones in the end. otherwise, li luo might not be willing to accept it after he made his stance clear. as they continued to discuss their plans, the golden dew platform on the mountain peak began to glow brightly and the faint sound of beating drums started echoing in the air. at the next moment, everyone noticed the resonant talismans in their hands glowing as well, as if they were attracted by some otherworldly force. "the battle for the seats beneath the golden dew platform is about to begin. prepare yourselves!" some of the guys shouted out excitedly. bang! countless beams of resonant power surged up into the sky. the colorful resonant energy enveloped their surroundings and the rustling of wind filled the air. everyone soared high up into the sky towards the peak. li luo and the rest also took this opportunity to gather up, and they flew high into the sky as a group. it took them just a short moment to arrive at the vicinity around the golden dew platform. everyone''s eyes were locked onto the seats hovering in the air immediately. without any hesitation, li lingjing, li fuling, and li guan rushed up to the golden lotus thrones all the way at the front. radiant heavenly pearls materialized behind them and began to ravenously devour all the worldly natural energy in the environment. violent energy undulations that emitted an immense sense of pressure crackled in the air. however, no one was willing to give up on the golden lotus thrones so easily. the elites from the other powerful forces, as well as some of the stronger rogue cultivators, charged towards it as well. waves of wild attacks flew across the air. everyone who tried to get any closer to the golden lotus thrones were faced with layers of obstruction almost immediately. li lingjing was no exceptionthree people flew towards her as soon as she tried to move towards one of the golden lotus thrones. they were all six-pearls, and they launched a coordinated attack to try to take her down. her cute face turned cold instantly, and she waved her staff in response. fierce, poisonous rays shot out directly towards the trio. bang! the three of them attempted to resist it with all their might. however, their faces changed drastically when their resonant power barriers came into contact with the poison rays. their resonant power was eroded immediately and the one with weaker defenses was struck. the poisonous rays pierced through him, and one of his arms had all of its flesh melted completely. all that was left was the white bone beneath. argh! he screamed out in pain. after seeing li lingjing''s true strength, he no longer dared to fight her and retreated immediately. with one member down, the other two were thrashed by li lingjing soundly. she struck fiercely with her staff once again, and the two of them spat out blood as a force that could even split mountains came crashing down upon them. after just a few moments, the two of them lost their nerve and attempted to escape. however, li lingjing wanted to make an example out of them. her eyes turned icy with murderous intent as the eight heavenly pearls behind her back shone brightly. two gigantic manifestations of the python staff smacked down. bang! bang! when the manifestations descended upon them, the two six-pearl fellows were squished. their bodies were smashed into the ground, resulting in two pulpy messes that were horrifying for all to see. at this instant, everyone who was watching the battle fell silent as they observed li lingjing with fear in their eyes. despite her delicate and beautiful appearance, the girl was brutal and vicious when she struck, like a rakshasa from the abyss. while everyone was stunned by how quickly she had dealt with the two six-pearl opponents, she moved swiftly and appeared beside a golden lotus throne. however, more people appeared around her as soon as she got her hands on one of the thrones. their eyes were unable to hide the greed that filled them. "let''s work together. she may be an eight-pearl, but she''s dead meat if we all work together!" one of them shouted. everyone jumped in to give it a try. however, a black serpent manifested behind li lingjing before they could even strike. her gaze turned frigid and resonant power surged within her body. with a preemptive strike, all the fools who dared to infringe upon her majesty were decimated. as a result, the battlefield descended further into chaos. battles were happening in every corner of the mountain. it was not just the highest grade golden lotus thrones that were contested forthe battles for the greenstone mats were really fierce as well. this treasured opportunity would affect how their cultivation journey would proceed in the future. no one was willing to give in without giving their all. the battles in the golden lotus throne area were the most dangerous. only four-pearls and above dared to involve themselves with those. as such, li luo did not charge recklessly. his targets were the jade praying mats where the opponents were weaker and more suitable for him. nonetheless, there was still quite a bit of obstruction. when li luo firmly stepped on one of the jade praying mats, the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade materialized in his hand and he slashed downwards. the void cracked open, and a black dragon surfing a river roared to life. duke art: underworld river''s black dragon banner!nove-lb-1n the greater completion underworld river''s black dragon banner exuded an impressive presence. the face of one of the two-pearl rogue cultivators changed into fear as his resonant power was eroded in an instant. his body was pierced by the gushing, black water, and blood flowed out of every orifice. then his body landed on the ground pathetically. li luo had eliminated a two-pearl rogue cultivator in a single strike. in the next moment, he released the blade from his hand. he then clenched his fist again, and a tyrannical greatbow appeared in his grip. heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow. without any hesitation, he pulled the string back, causing the bow to tremble as three unstoppable arrows pierced through the air and forced three of the figures who were trying to get closer to retreat immediately. "a triple violet-eye treasured artifact?!" one of them exclaimed in shock. the bow in li luo''s hands was a clear sign of the threat he posed. some of the others hesitated for a moment and decided to give up on this praying mat in the end. nonetheless, li luo did not let his guard down. he hefted his bow with a cold expression, ready to strike again at any moment. at the same time, he dragged the jade praying mat with his feet towards a region not too far from here. li jingtao, li fengyi, and the rest had formed a defensive formation at that location. their treasured artifacts were all out as they stood guard. li luo kicked the jade praying mats into the group. li jingtao and the rest summoned up their resonant power and a shield made of light appeared, securing the object. it was only at this moment that li luo looked over at the deepest district. li lingjing had been getting the most attention as she stood firmly on one of the golden lotus thrones. this attracted many foes towards her, but she had not retreated. everyone who came after her was faced with her brutal retaliation. fresh blood continued to flow down her staff without pause at the same time, li fuling and li guan tried their best to make their way towards li lingjing as well. when li lingjing noticed the two of them, she slammed her staff onto the golden lotus throne under her feet. it transformed into a stream of golden light that flew towards them. "take this over to li luo and the rest," li lingjing told them with a light cough. at the same instant, the aquamarine bamboo python staff transformed into a giant python and soared into the sky above. once again, poisonous rays swept across the field, forcing the people that were also eyeing the golden lotus throne to retreat. li guan and li fuling caught the golden lotus throne and rushed over to li luo''s side immediately. "this is the property of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li now. who dares to steal it!?" they shouted at the same time. these words were relatively effective. the mightiest individuals were all caught up in battle over at the main area where the golden lotus thrones could be found. the others dared not approach li fuling and li guan, who were both seven-pearls. making full use of this chance, the two of them attempted to make their way across the chaotic battlefield once again. however, a sharp, golden light suddenly shot towards the two of them. like a falling blade, it hacked down from the sky above. the faces of li fuling and li guan changed immediately as the heavenly pearls behind them spun crazily and their resonant power surged up. bang! the two sides clashed directly. unfortunately, the two of them were forced back as the golden resonant power continued to push towards them. horror filled their faces as they looked over to see where the gold light resonant power had come from. there was a figure floating in the air over there. it was zhao yan! behind him were eight heavenly pearls constantly rotating as he smirked with cold eyes. "the others might not dare to steal it, but i do." the faces of li fuling and li guan darkened. zhao yan had come prepared, but they were not afraid. they smacked the back of the golden lotus throne. at the same time, the two of them charged towards zhao yan directly. "catch it, li luo!" their voices followed after them. the golden lotus throne flew towards li luo, who had noticed the commotion and was running towards them. energy wings unfurled behind li luo and then he flew across the air like a bolt of lightning. reaching his destination, he stood firmly on the golden lotus throne. zhao yan gave li luo a cold stare as he waved his hand. "shenjiang, i''ll leave him to you." immediately after, a vicious-looking figure dashed across the air. with a heavy, black spear in his hand, zhao shenjiang charged towards him with an icy stare. a vicious smile appeared on his face as he looked at li luo. "li luo, who do you expect to save you this time?" Chapter 0990: Battle against Zhao Shenjiang chapter 0990: battle against zhao shenjiang murderous intent filled the air as the vicious-looking zhao shenjiang charged at him ferociously. li luo looked at the angry figure and said with a smile, "big brother zhao, why are you being so aggressive? we can discuss things peacefully." zhao shenjiang revealed an icy smirk as he replied, "you had a fun time tricking me back in the valley, right?" li luo responded in a serious voice, "well, that''s because you lack a brain. it was such an obvious trap, yet you stepped into it without any precautions. you can''t blame me for that." zhao shenjiangs grin became wider and his murderous intent nearly solidified in the air at this point. "what a sharp mouth. i''ll see what else you have to say when i tear your limbs off later. when your brain juices are flowing beneath my feet, i will her you out fully." "seems like it''s a fight i can''t avoid," li luo said with a sigh. following it, he asked, "have you prepared anything for me?" zhao shenjiang glared at li luo but did not answer. although he did not understand li luo''s question, he knew it was a form of trash talk. li luo sensed the lack of reaction from zhao shenjiang, so he decided to explain, "all of you from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao are charitable individuals, you see. the brother named zhao jingyu always gives me something wonderful whenever we meet. the first time we met, he gave me a set of dragon fangs. just a while earlier, i received a valuable runic arrow from him. if you have any gifts for me, there''s no need to go through all the trouble. you can just pass them to me right now." as expected, zhao shenjiang knew that nothing good would come out of li luo''s mouth. nonetheless, he was boiling with rage now. he understood that he could never triumph over li luo with mere words. in that case, it was time to act. bang! resonant power burst out of zhao shenjiang''s body like a volcanic eruption. his skin gradually turned blood-red and his veins began squirming like dragons on his body. a terrifying force flowed beneath his flesh. zhao shenjiang possessed a ninth-grade strength resonance. it was a rare resonance that would give one incredible physical prowess. when he took a step forward, the air seemed to explode from the sheer speed and force his body was able to produce. he then shot across at the speed of sound and appeared in front of li luo in an instant. with his fist tightly clenched, he punched out. bang! a thunderclap boomed from the absolute speed of the strike, and a dark-red fist manifestation flew towards li luo, leaving an afterimage in its wake. li luo stood firmly on the golden lotus throne, and the dragon sigil between his eyebrows lit up. "nine scales sanctified dragon''s body! thunderpeal avatar!" li luo activated both of his strongest body-enhancing secret arts immediately. at the same time, the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade had appeared in his hand. "level three divine elephant power!" li luo clenched his other hand tightly into a fist. he had boosted the physical prowess of his body to its peak at this point. he wanted to have a taste of just how strong zhao shenjiangs lower ninth-grade strength resonance was in a physical battle. li luo took the dark-red fist manifestation head-on. when the two clashed, the void shuddered aggressively and cracked open, causing huge torrents of energy to sweep across the field in all directions. li luo''s body shook violently at the moment of impact. he slid back with the golden lotus throne under his feet. blood spurted out from the pores of his right arm as it trembled continuously in an attempt to neutralize the devastating energy that had invaded his body. "truly impressive physical strength," li luo said as he stepped backwards. he had barely managed to withstand it. zhao shenjiang had sent him flying even with both the nine scales sanctified dragon''s body and thunderpeal avatar in effect. without a doubt, zhao shenjiang was the strongest foe li luo had come across in his generation in terms of physical prowess. he took out the blackwood feather fan immediately. with a wave, a white light surrounded his arm and his injuries swiftly recovered. "kill this brat, big brother!" a voice came from the distance. it was coming from zhao jingyu, who had been watching their battle with eyes full of murderous intent. he had shouted out of excitement when he saw how zhao shenjiang had pushed li luo back with his punch. in fact, the fight between li luo and zhao shenjiang had caught the attention of many other individuals from the various powers. this was ultimately a battle between two of the strongest in their generation. with their background, this was like a confrontation between both of the heavenly emperor powers. this included jiang wanyu, who was not too far from them. she appeared more relaxed at this moment as most of the people from the heavenly origin ancient college had gathered at this point. they clearly held the advantage in terms of numbers, so most people had not approached them recklessly. "sister jiang, are those two elites from the younger generation of the heavenly origin divine continent?" some of the curious and younger students asked her as they watched the battle. jiang wanyu nodded. "zhao shenjiang is a two-pearl, and he possesses a lower ninth-grade strength resonance. however, it seems like he can easily kill three-pearl rogue cultivators if they dare to stand in his way." "what about li luo? he doesn''t seem to have reached the heavenly pearl tier yet. is he still a fiend finisher? the dragon''s head of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li is only this strong?" a beautiful girl asked in surprise from the side. "li luo is not as simple as he looks. he possesses triple resonances. with just the presence of three resonant palaces, the foundation of his resonant power is extraordinary. earlier, i crossed swords with him for a little, and his resonant power was no weaker. he''s likely to have many trump cards hidden as well. this battle against zhao shenjiang can really be considered a fight between two of the strongest in this generation," jiang wanyu calmly explained. "who do you think will win, senior jiang?" jiang wanyu shook her head and replied, "i don''t know. li luo may have his trump cards, but zhao shenjiang is not simple either. this will be a climatic fight between the dragon and the tiger." as they were talking about it, zhao shenjiang continued to stare at li luo with deadly eyes, his hand tightly gripping his spear. it gradually started to turn dark-red as well, as if layers of fresh blood were covering the weapon. the red was so dark that it was nearly black. there were two faintly visible violet marks on the spear as it continuously absorbed the worldly natural energy from the surroundings. twin violet-eye treasured artifact, heavy mountain spear. this spear was as heavy as a mountain. in fact, it was the perfect weapon for someone like zhao shenjiang. bang! zhao shenjiang took another step forward before dashing towards li luo with murderous intent, causing the space to shake. li luo gripoped the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade tightly, and the three resonant palaces within him started to activate. huge amounts of resonant power surged within his body. the power of dual resonances fused together with the vestiges of spirituality, creating a lively and sentient resonant power. li luo''s face was expressionless as he slashed his blade downwards. the void in front of him cracked open. at the next moment, a black dragon charged out of the crack, soaring towards zhao shenjiang with a ferocious roar and a river of black water. greater completion underworld river''s black dragon banner! zhao shenjiang snorted as he watched the dragon rush towards him. he waved the heavy mountain spear, and for a moment, a mountain seemed to have manifested into being as the void rippled from the terrifying force it exuded. with a wave of his spear, manifestations of mountains appeared in the sky above. this added onto the weight of his spear, creating a truly devastating force. duke art: nine mountains heavy spear technique. zhao shenjiang thrusted his spear, and white waves of energy rippled and set off a series of explosions. at that moment, it was like a meteorite had fallen from the sky and collided directly with the black dragon. bang! wild energy undulations swept across the battlefield, drawing the attention of many in the surroundings. the fight between these two was so crazy that the shockwave was comparable to the result of a clash between four-pearls.nove.lb/1n the fierce black dragon claw clashed repeatedly with the enormous mountain manifestations. at the same time, the heavy spear pierced through the cold, black water like a bloody streak, going straight through the black dragon''s body. in the end, zhao shenjiang emerged from the black rain. the underworld river''s black dragon had been destroyed completely. however, his face changed completely before he could say anything regarding his victory against the black dragon. in that instant, he felt an imminent sense of danger. he looked intently at li luo, who was holding onto a greatbow exuding an archaic aura. he had also drawn a black arrow beating with lightning and was about to shoot. this arrow was something zhao shenjiang was very familiar with. it was the underworld thunder runic arrow that li luo had taken from zhao jingyu. li luo loaded the underworld thunder runic arrow onto his bow as he smirked. "come on, let''s test out this gift from your good brother." as he ended his sentence, resonant power surged within his body and flowed onto the pitch-black runic arrow. roars of thunder echoed from the runic arrow, and a terrifying presence could be felt. at that moment, many of the four-pearls had expressions of shock after noticing the energy waves coming from it. when it was released, a series of deafening thunderclaps reverberated in the air. the runic arrow combined with the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow was a frightening sight, even to a four-pearl. Chapter 0991: Myriad Beasts Devil God Body chapter 0991: myriad beasts devil god body bang! the black runic arrow seemed to struggle ferociously whilst it was strung on the bow, much like an irate thunder dragon that was keen to let loose. li luo was now at full strength and ready to strike. the resonant power within his body flowed out without reserve, suppressing the raging thunder coming from the arrow. "nine scales sanctified dragon''s body, nine dragon''s might! four sonic pulses!" li luo shouted in his heart as the sigil on his forehead spilled out copious amounts of radiant light. his heart crackled with lightning as the sonic pulses elevated his body to the highest limit he could handle. four sonic pulses thumped rhythmically within his body, each one causing his flesh and blood to tremble before reaching its strongest state. the underworld thunder runic arrow was a fifth-grade royal engraving, so it possessed frightening strength. normal bows could not contain its power, but li luo''s heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow was different. it was unafraid of the wild erosion from the lightning, and the seemingly fragile bowstring was like a lock that could seal even dragons, perfectly capable of containing the underworld thunder runic arrow''s power. li luo did not plan to hold back in any way against zhao shenjianghis intention was to kill with this shot. he released the bowstring without hesitation. a thunder dragon capable of absolute devastation pierced through the sky with incomprehensible speed. the sight caused the eyes of the four-pearls who were watching the fight to widen. the dragon simply moved so fast that there was no place to hide. even though they were a distance away, it was almost as if they could feel the raw power that was hidden within the runic arrow. how could zhao shenjiang block this? before the crowd''s surprised eyes, zhao shenjiang''s expression had turned solemn as well. he could only see a trace of the bolt of lightning arcing through the skies as he felt a sharpness on his forehead before the arrow had even landed. he was sure that with his strength alone, he would die if he was struck. however, if li luo had the underworld thunder runic arrow, how could he, as the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao''s prodigy, not have his own life-saving methods? zhao shenjiang used the tip of the spear to slice a line through his palm, causing him to bleed. however, a mote of light flew out of the wound, transforming into a jade tablet. when the jade tablet appeared, numerous ancient runes could be seen on it, which then began to absorb blood essence from zhao shenjiang himself. its color gradually became crimson. as the jade tablet soared in the air, countless runes were projected out of it and took the shape of a shield. it was floating between him and the arrow. bang! the runic arrow whizzed through the skies and struck the jade tablet''s shield. bang! that momentary collision released an ear-rending boom, and berserk energy undulations washed over the battlefield. the eyes of everyone watching shrunk, and even some of the five-pearl cultivators felt their minds go blank. the result was unimaginable considering that this was a battle between a fiend finisher and a two-pearl. li luo frowned as he observed the point of the collision, where energy continued to rage. he had seen zhao shenjiang activate the jade tablet, which seemed to contain a royal engraving as well. this should have been his trump card to save his life. "all within expectations, i suppose," li luo mumbled to himself. although he had wished to use the slaughtering prowess of the underworld thunder runic arrow to get rid of zhao shenjiang, he expected a chosen one from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao to have a method to protect his own life. this attack could not have been said to be useless. at the very least, zhao shenjiang had been forced to activate one of his protective measures. li luo waved his hand, and the runic arrow returned to him, landing in his grasp. after using the underworld thunder runic arrow once, the runes had dimmed significantly. this was a fifth-grade royal engraving and was considered a consumable item. based on li luo''s expectations, just a few more uses would completely exhaust all of its stored power. he put the underworld thunder runic arrow away as after each usage, the thunder resonant power had to be replenished before he could summon its explosive abilities yet again. then he lifted his head and glanced at zhao shenjiang, who now looked incomparably gloomy. his jade tablet had turned dim, and even a fine crack could be seen in it. "damn it!" seeing the crack on the tablet was like feeling his heart crack the same way. zhao shenjiang''s gaze was flooded with murderous killing intent as he had received the jade tablet from an elder. it had to be nurtured with his blood essence and was capable of protecting him in times of danger. however, li luo''s savage blow had damaged the foundation of the jade tablet, so it would not be usable for a long time. "die for me, li luo!" zhao shenjiang bellowed as he waved his heavy mountain spear once more. spear manifestations appeared, transforming into nine gigantic mountains that pressed down upon li luo yet again. li luo remained calm, wielding the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow. he drew the bowstring, and nine arrows of light were formed, each one shining with all the splendor of a rainbow. they swished through the air when he released them and punctured each of the nine manifestations. with a triple violet-eye treasured artifact in hand, li luo possessed immense strength in battle, and each arrow of light was equivalent to the full strength strike of a two-pearl. after boring through each of the nine mountain manifestations, li luo shot even more arrows, each one puncturing through the void like a zooming meteor, shooting right at zhao shenjiang with the intention to harm. zhao shenjiang grasped his heavy mountain spear, adeptly smashing every arrow that came towards him so quickly that afterimages were left in his wake. however, every arrow that was smashed brought about an incisive pain to his body. he could only frown darkly in response. li luo''s bow was simply of a higher grade compared to his heavy mountain spear, so he had to pay a price to defend himself. "that bow isn''t bad. once i kill you, it''ll be mine!" a hint of greed could be seen in his eyes that were previously only full of killing intent. at the same time, he understood from the previous exchanges that li luo was even more of a prickly opponent than he had ever expected. although he was only a fiend finisher, he was no weaker than some of the most prodigious one-pearls due to the aid of his triple resonances. "its no wonder how you managed to defeat li qingfeng and become the dragon''s head of this generation. regardless, i am not a weakling like him. you will grovel beneath my feet very soon. the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao will always be ahead of your pathetic bloodline." zhao shenjiang took a step forward and let go of the heavy mountain spear. he then clasped his hands together and formed a series of hand seals. with each hand seal, worldly natural energy rumbled and a torrent of energy visible to the naked eye converged upon zhao shenjiang''s body without end. with the infusion of worldly natural energy, zhao shenjiang''s body then began to expand at a monstrous rate, and the flesh on his right arm seemed to squirm. the next moment, the entire limb had transformed into an azure dragons claw. his left arm had turned into a white tiger''s paw. a moment later, the rest of his body also began to contort and warp, turning into the body parts of different beasts. zhao shenjiang was now emanating a savage and fiendish aura. he had become an abomination stitched together from a myriad of beasts. not far away, jiang wanyu, who was watching zhao shenjiang transform, had a heavy expression on her face. information about zhao shenjiang flashed through her mind. "this is the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao''s soul ascension-grade duke art: myriad beasts devil god body. i cant believe zhao shenjiang managed to cultivate it successfully. i heard that it requires one to fuse with a hundred beasts'' blood and souls. the art condenses a monstrous amount of evil energy within the users heart, and one''s mind might be eroded and destroyed by it if they are not careful. in the past, numerous geniuses from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao coveted the power of this duke art but were corrupted by the evil energy, turning them into mindless beasts. some were even irreversibly paralyzed. it seems that zhao shenjiang has treated himself very viciously." some of the juniors from the heavenly origin ancient college heard her words, and their gazes flashed with fear. despite how far they were from him, they could sense the savage and devilish aura he gave off. it was possible that he was stronger than the average four-pearl rogue cultivator. this was the advantage that being from a heavenly emperor power providedthe ability to battle above ones cultivation level. "now that zhao shenjiang has pulled out all the stops, does that mean that li luo can''t hold on any longer?" a female junior asked. jiang wanyu shook her head. "that might not be the case." her gaze was now firmly fixed upon li luo. at this moment, she could feel a sense of sharpness coming from li luo''s body, one that made her heart palpitate in fear. this mysterious undulation seemed to give off a sense of threat that surpassed even zhao shenjiang''s myriad beasts devil god body. li luo immediately activated his energy wings and soared into the sky, closely observing the fiendish zhao shenjiang. he had a strange look in his eyes as he assessed his opponent. this fellow might be arrogant, but he is truly strong. stronger than li qingfeng to boot. "sigh. if it wasn''t for me, this generation would have been firmly suppressed by the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. what a pity..." li luo mumbled to himself as he activated the resonant power within his body yet again. with the mottled ancient blade in hand, he sliced open the void and created a crack in space. a moment later, rushing sounds of water could be heard as a black dragon that surfed along frigid, dark waters appeared, ferociously baring its claws and fangs as it attempted to attack zhao shenjiang. "the underworld river''s black dragon banner again?" jiang wanyu frowned when she saw li luo activating the same duke art as before. how could a communion-grade duke art threaten zhao shenjiang? could it be that the sense of danger she felt from li luo was a misunderstanding? "haha! li luo! you really are a peasant from the outer divine continent. you seem to wholeheartedly rely on a single communion-grade duke art." zhao shenjiang cackled as he formed a fist with the azure dragon''s claw, striking in retaliation. roar! that simple attack seemed to blast the void to pieces with a single motion. space seemed to collapse as a terrifying force struck the black dragon directly.nove/lb-in bang! the black dragon''s gargantuan body instantly began to shatter, turning into motes of light. it was as jiang wanyu expected. the underworld river''s black dragon banner was unable to threaten the current zhao shenjiang. however, li luo seemed strangely calm, the corner of his lips lightly lifted into a callous smirk as he formed a hand seal with a single hand. with that, the dissipating black dragon suddenly opened its maw, and a stream of black dragonbreath shot towards zhao shenjiang. zhao shenjiang smiled coldly. he had originally planned to disregard this feeble counterattack, but his body began blaring with warning signs, bursting forth with a piercing pain that seemed to signal his impending death. cold sweat erupted from his pores as his gaze reflected the incoming dragonbreath. at this moment, he could feel that the seemingly weak dragonbreath was hiding a metaphorical dagger in the dark. it was concealing absolutely frightening undulations of power. it was something even his myriad beasts devil god body was unable to resist. li luo, that scammer! he had used the cover of a communion-grade duke art to obfuscate his true killing move! zhao shenjiang howled as all of the beasts he had fused with came to life, all similarly roaring in tandem. a series of sound waves that looked to have taken physical form spread out from his body. the sound waves were able to dissolve the dragonbreath, finally revealing the true ace that was hidden beneath. it was a slightly curved, light-blue sword manifestation resembling a dragon''s fang. the sword manifestation tore through the void silently, but every location it passed through was cut cleanly, leaving behind dark traces. it was like a hot knife cutting through butter. nothing was capable of stopping it. when zhao shenjiang finally noticed the dragon fang sword, jiang wanyu similarly discovered it as well. her usual, cold expression had turned into one full of surprise as she observed it. the sword manifestation gave one an indescribable sense of purity when they laid their eyes upon it. at this moment, her heart knew that the light-blue dragon fang sword was li luo''s hidden ace. perhaps this was how li luo had managed to triumph over li qingfeng and obtain the position of dragon''s head. Chapter 0992: The Ruthless Cousin chapter 0992: the ruthless cousin as jiang wanyu was taken aback at li luo''s dragon fang sword manifestation, the one who was being attacked, zhao shenjiang, felt his heart fill with turmoil and his expression turned into one of shock. he could similarly feel the sword energy the dragon fang sword was emitting. it was incomparably pure and had reached a level that ordinary duke arts could never hope to achieve. in fact, the grade of this duke art didnt seem to be below the grade of the myriad beasts devil god body. "how''s that possible?! li luo is only at the fiend finisher tier! how could he cultivate such terrifying duke art!?"?zhao shenjiang felt like a bomb had gone off in his head. he had specifically only focused on learning the myriad beasts devil god body, almost passing through death''s door multiple times. he had been met with countless failures in the process. it was only through immense sacrifice that he had succeeded. how had li luo cultivated such a duke art? however, this was not the time to think such thoughts. the light-blue dragon fang sword had pierced through the void and the sword energy it possessed was infinitely sharp with indescribable cutting power. it was as though it could cleave through anything the world could throw at it. his life-saving jade tablet had already been wasted by the underworld thunder runic arrow, so he was now short of a life-saving method. roar! zhao shenjiang roared explosively, and the blood within his body started to boil, rushing towards the parts that had been transformed into beasts. "myriad beasts devil god body: blood beast art!" blood light spilled from his body, and the souls of numerous savage beasts could be seen within it. all of them roared as they began to quickly fuse together. an instant later, blood light burst apart, revealing a titanic creature that was hundreds of feet tall. the titanic creatures body was blood-red in color and it continuously dripped fresh blood. its appearance was simply chimaeric. it had a dragon''s head, a tiger''s body, and the tail of a python. at the same time, the body contained traces of other spirit beasts and radiated an air of savagery. its presence seemed to have dyed the skies red. the gigantic blood beast immediately rushed forward. with every step, the void trembled and cracked. it collided directly with the unparalleled water dragon fang sword. when the two attacks clashed, there was no cataclysmic explosion or boom. instead, the dragon fang sword easily sliced through the blood beast''s humongous body, leaving behind a cut as smooth as glass. the imposing demeanor of the berserk beast seemed to have been split into two, and copious amounts of fresh blood sprayed in every direction. it was almost akin to a waterfall of blood that attempted to smother the brightness of the sword''s energy, but it was instantly wiped out without a trace. the sword continued to noiselessly pierce the air, headed towards the now pale zhao shenjiang. zhao shenjiang tightly grasped his heavy mountain spear and spat out a mouthful of blood essence onto it. the spear seemed to have gained a life of its own, and blood-colored runes formed all over it. with an angry snarl, he hurled the heavy mountain spear outwards. it turned into a stream of crimson light that shook the void, directly clashing with the light blue dragon fang sword. clang! a metallic ringing reverberated crisply throughout the skies. the next instant, zhao shenjiang retreated miserably as the heavy mountain spear began to emit shrill cries when it returned to him. the dragon fang sword seemed to have transformed into waves of water that washed over the spear. wherever the waves moved past, the blood runes were forcibly erased. however, the water waves did not stop there and soon poured over zhao shenjiang''s arm. argh! zhao shenjiang''s pitiful cry rang out as his arm was chopped off at its root, fresh blood flooding the ground. li luo had severed his arm, but he did not stop there. the dragon fang sword, which had been weakened significantly, flickered and directly slashed towards his head like a bolt of lightning. now that he had taken action, he did not plan to spare his enemys life. when zhao shenjiang saw this, he finally understood that li luo was out to kill, so he retreated in a mad rush. however, the dragon fang sword was even faster. just as it was about to decapitate zhao shenjiang, another figure appeared before him like a ghost. six heavenly pearls appeared behind this newcomer and began to absorb huge amounts of worldly natural energy. it was an expert from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, and when he saw that zhao shenjiang was in mortal danger, he immediately stepped into help. "brother zhao song!" zhao shenjiang cried out in pain as his remaining arm grasped at the now severed stump in an attempt to reduce the blood loss he was experiencing. nove)lb.in the one named zhao song nodded and glanced at the water dragon fang sword. he immediately struck out with a palm, and boundless amounts of resonant power swept forth like a celestial river, colliding with it. bang! this direct confrontation caused the water dragon fang sword to shake. uncountable motes of water splashed in every direction, directly resisting the majestic resonant power that had pressed down upon it. about half of the energy of the water dragon fang sword had been consumed already. facing zhao song''s superior six-pearl strength, it was difficult to come out on top. that single strike had shattered the water dragon fang sword, but it was not as easy as expected. zhao song lowered his head to look at his palm, and he noticed that he had been cut, fresh blood flowing down in rivulets. his gaze turned gloomy. li luo''s strange duke art had drawn blood from a six-pearl? the dragon fang sword was truly amazing. killing intent surged in zhao song''s eyes. even he felt a hint of apprehension when faced with li luo''s demonstrated strength. li luo was only at the fiend finisher tier. if he reached the three or four-pearl tier one day, wouldn''t he be an actual threat to him as well? "i can''t leave you alive!" zhao song''s eyes blazed with fury. just as he spoke, an aquamarine staff manifestation that was shrouded with tremendous amounts of poisonous energy descended from the sky, heavily striking towards his head. the staff manifestation contained power that induced fear in everyone who saw it, him included. he quickly sent zhao shenjiang flying away with a strike of his palm and immediately opened his mouth, spitting out a mottled tortoise shell. a mystical light shone outwards as the shell acted like a shield, attempting to resist the descent of the aquamarine staff manifestation. however, at the moment of collision, zhao song''s face showed horror as he realized that the single violet-eye treasured artifact tortoise shell had cracked almost instantly. the aquamarine light that surrounded the staff seemed to be all-pervasive, melting the tortoise shell without delay. a chill arose in his heart. whoever was taking action was truly a ruthless character. at the same time, zhao yan''s voice could be heard from a distance. "zhao song! hurry and run!" zhao song''s face was already pale, and he turned tail and ran without hesitation. he finally understood that the one who had taken action was the bloodline of heavenly emperor li''s li lingjing. she was an eight-pearl, someone he could not face. as he retreated, zhao song continued to activate hand seals, directly causing the turtle shield to detonate. at the moment it exploded, a single bone needle that was concealed within shot out towards li lingjing. his plan was simple. he wanted to delay li lingjing, which would give him the opportunity to attack. with zhao yan''s support, they could obstruct this malignant star. however, despite all his well laid plans, li lingjing''s cold gaze had turned even gloomier. "it looks like the one who can''t be left alive should be you!" her tone was icy and flat. with one hand, she smashed her staff downwards whilst she stretched out her other hand to catch the bone needle. the bone needle pierced into her flesh and even partially penetrated her bone. however, she was unfazed by this, as though she had not even felt it. the staff manifestation shuttled past like a poisonous python and, to zhao song''s horror, struck him straight on his head. a dull crack?could be heard as zhao song''s head turned into a watermelon that had been dropped from a great height. it was a grisly scene. the world seemed to have paused momentarily as countless frightened gazes shot towards them. no one had expected li lingjing to be so ruthless that she was willing to sustain an injury just to kill her opponent. and her opponent was a six-pearl expert from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao! yet he had been smashed to death as easily as a chicken. silence reigned for a few moments as zhao yan''s eyes turned bloodshot. he stared venomously at li lingjing before he pounced towards her and bellowed, "li lingjing, die for me!" Chapter 0993: Three Thrones chapter 0993: three thrones when faced with the all-consuming killing intent coming from zhao yan, li lingjing''s gorgeous face did not show any reaction. she raised her aquamarine staff, and a massive abyssal serpent manifested behind her, swallowing up worldly natural energy. "you''re no king. you want me to die? why would i follow your orders?" li lingjing coolly replied. her tone was almost emotionless, but the words contained a mocking note to them. she ascended into the air and rushed directly at zhao yan, slamming her poison-imbued staff right at his head. zhao yan bellowed as his golden sword energy came into being. in the short span of a couple of seconds, he had engaged in several hundred exchanges with li lingjing. the more they fought, the more shocked zhao yan became. li lingjing''s offensive was unimaginably ferocious. every single strike of her staff was as heavy as a mountain, and the poisonous light that surrounded the staff was no farce either. it was incredibly tyrannical, and if he was not careful and allowed it to come into contact with his body, it would invade his inner organs and blood. "it''s that damned staff!" zhao yan glanced at the aquamarine bamboo python staff in li lingjing''s hand before he noticed the three violet eye marks that were flickering on its body. "it''s a triple violet-eye treasured artifact!" greed clouded zhao yan''s gaze. when the two of them fought earlier, she had not obtained this wondrous treasure. it looked like her luck had been excellent to find it in the spiritual resonance cave. "i''m afraid li lingjing is stronger than li wuyuan." zhao yan''s gaze turned gloomy. now wasn''t the time to engage in a decisive battle with her, and his side had yet to obtain a golden lotus throne. if he was bogged down by the opponent here, even relying on the rest of the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao would not guarantee their success. "forget it. the golden lotus thrones are more important. i''m already at the eight-pearl tier, and if i borrow the aid of the golden dew platform, i might be able to enter the nine-pearl tier. if i fail, there won''t be any other chances left and i can break into the lesser heavenly resonance tier instead. although my foundation may be a little weaker, there''s not much choice," zhao yan thought to himself. based on the rules of the spiritual resonance cave, if one were to make a breakthrough on the golden dew platform, the suppression of being at a higher cultivation level would be lessened, and this would allow him to demonstrate the power of the lesser heavenly resonance tier at the very least. at that point in time, he could find an opportunity to deal with both li luo and li lingjing. with this in mind, he quickly retreated and no longer entangled himself with li lingjing. li lingjing did not give chase. the situation was chaotic and everyone else was like a tiger eyeing weakened prey. if she was held down by zhao yan, someone could take the opportunity to harm li luo, and that would be problematic as well. zhao yan appeared beside zhao shenjiang, who was still holding on to his now detached arm, his expression forlorn. "elder brother." zhao jingyu came over as well. he stared at zhao jingyu''s chopped off limb and his expression turned ugly. at the same time, there was a hint of surprise as this result was out of his expectations. in his eyes, zhao shenjiang was the strongest in his generation. he had a lower ninth-grade strength resonance and was also a two-pearl. he seemed to be superior to li luo in every way, but the result was unimaginable. li luo had taken zhao shenjiang''s arm instead. li luo, that damned bastard. is he some sort of limb-severing fiend? "the duke art li luo used has an extremely high grade. it''s at the very least at the soul ascension-grade. you only lost this time because you were careless. don''t worry about it," zhao yan consoled. "the good thing is that the severed arm was not destroyed. i have some spirit medicines here that can help you reattach it. you won''t be affected as much as a result." zhao shenjiang gloomily accepted the medication from zhao yan. clearly, his heart was full of dissatisfaction and fury. losing to li luo had turned him into a stepping stone. in the future, word would spread that the bloodline of heavenly emperor li had triumphed over the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao in this generation. he had lost the first battle. "forget about it. ignore their provocations and don''t bother with them. let us focus on obtaining more thrones," zhao yan continued as he rushed into the area surrounding the golden dew platform yet again. battles continually raged like wildfire as people struggled to obtain their fated opportunities. as the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao retreated to focus on their next battle, li lingjing leisurely returned to li luo''s side. "not bad. you actually managed to beat zhao shenjiang." li lingjing beamed happily. li luo''s face was a little pale. the previous battle had consumed quite a lot of his stamina and resonant power, so he took the blackwood feather fan out and gave it a swish, creating two white lights that quickly restored his reserves. "cousin lingjing, you are even more merciless than me. you killed the chicken to scare the monkey! it looks like the rogue cultivators will probably be too afraid to provoke me any longer." li luo hefted a thumbs up at her. li lingjing''s methods were brutal, and a prodigy from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao had been beaten to death viciously. everyone who caught sight of it felt a chill down their spine. her peal of laughter rang out as she fiddled with the staff in her hand. it seemed almost impossible to reconcile the image of this beauty as a ravenous killer. li luo smiled and exchanged a few more words before he sent the golden lotus throne towards li jingtao''s defensive perimeter. "third brother, do you want me to give you a hand?" li jingtao asked worriedly. he had watched the entire fight. li luo smiled. "no matter. the most important task now is to protect these seats. if we were to divide our forces, it would be hard to prevent people from coveting our goods." he inspected the group who had formed a defensive line with numerous treasured artifacts floating in the air, creating even more layers of defense. even an eight-pearl would not be able to cut through the defenses in a short period of time. li luo then escorted the golden lotus throne to the middle of the protective encirclement. at this point in time, li fuling and li guan had also returned, each with a jade praying mat beneath them. "cousin li luo, you''ve performed beautifully. zhao shenjiang is this generation''s most outstanding individual in the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. your victory has brought about great fame to our bloodline." li fuling''s gaze held a hint of elation. she previously harbored doubts over li luo''s position as the dragon''s head as he was only at the fiend finisher tier. however, the battle just now had cleanly set all her concerns to rest. zhao shenjiang had demonstrated shocking power. even li qingfeng might very well have been at a disadvantage against him. but li luo had chopped his arm off, which proved his superiority. li luo waved his hand. "i still have to rely on you to seize more of these higher grade seats, cousin fuling. i''m only lending a hand." although he had beaten zhao shenjiang, there were still countless stronger cultivators around. this was especially so when it came to those who were protecting the seats they had obtained. there were numerous five, six, and even seven-pearl individuals here. even with the myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation, li luo couldn''t pose a threat to enemies of that level. unless he mobilized the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s power, of course. "if we want to seize more golden lotus thrones, we would have to rely on li lingjing." li fuling''s gaze was complicated as she glanced at her. her performance had stunned the crowd. li lingjing pointed at the sole golden lotus throne within the protective encirclement. "this is for cousin li luo." "alright, alright, we know. no one will fight him for it," li fuling replied. this golden lotus throne was obtained by li lingjing, and li luo had staved off zhao shenjiang in an epic fight to protect it. thus, no one would disagree if she wanted li luo to have it. li lingjing did not speak further with li luo. she merely turned around and flew off quickly like a beam of light. it seemed that she was planning to obtain yet another golden lotus throne. li fuling and li guan hurried behind her. li luo, on the other hand, sat cross-legged and began to restore his resonant power. after a while, he left with lu qingmei and headed towards the location of the jade praying mats to seize more for their side. chaotic battles continued to rage around the golden dew platform. for the sake of obtaining a seat, everyone''s eyes had turned red with avarice and bloodlust. the blood of cultivators stained the mountain as many perished. however, the place where the most intense battles took place was naturally the area with the golden lotus thrones. every single throne was contested until someone died. li lingjing was the most eye-catching individual as she was once again riding a golden lotus throne. the aquamarine bamboo python staff created a torrent of poisonous light that forced anyone who coveted the throne beneath her to retreat in panic and misery. anyone who was caught would have their flesh and blood melted away, leaving behind only ivory bone. when she struck, it was relentless and ruthless. whoever dared approach would have to bear the brunt of a blow meant to reap their lives. in the process, even the heavenly origin ancient college''s zong sha had accidentally come too close and was struck in the face by a ray of poisonous light, giving him a gigantic shock. zong sha was speechless at this development. when they had journeyed together with li luo, she was all smiles and they seemed to have gotten along just fine. however, it was only now that he understood that this lady was just faking ither merciless personality was who she truly was.nove-lb.1n zong sha then glanced at the unlucky fellow who had just been smitten to death by a strike of her staff, his blood and brains strewn over the sky. he couldn''t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva as he muttered to himself, "forget it, she''s crazy. no way i''m going to provoke her." li lingjing''s methods were too ferocious, and even hardened rogue cultivators who lived by the sword dared not approach her, all clearly frightened by her murderous aura. zong sha similarly pulled apart the distance between him and the cold, killing goddess who might not even spare her relatives. he finally understood that getting close to her would solely depend on the toughness of his skull. as time went on, the battle on the golden dew platform gradually came to an end as the stench of blood covered the skies. the ground was covered with corpses and flowing with fresh blood. those who had survived to the end were shrouded with killing intent. at this point, all of the thrones, praying mats, and mats had found an owner. li luo gingerly released the bowstring in his hand. his fingers were still dripping with blood and lightly trembling. the intense battle had forced him to kill countless enemies. when he turned his head, he took stock of the seats that had been protected by his fellow teammates. the most eye-catching sights were three golden lotus thrones. Chapter 0994: Gift of Golden Smoke chapter 0994: gift of golden smoke the three golden lotus thrones seemed to possess a sentience of their own as they zoomed around like little fishes. as they wandered around the defensive encirclement, numerous blazing gazes were focused upon them. only two of the powers present had obtained three golden lotus thrones. one was li luo''s side, and the other was the heavenly origin ancient college. zong sha had managed to gather quite a few of his fellow students, and they were the strongest group present. thus, after a series of battles, they had managed to obtain three. zhao yan''s side had only managed to secure two golden lotus thrones. other than the golden lotus thrones, li luo''s side had secured many jade praying mats, which were second only to the prized thrones. many rogue cultivators had attempted to obtain even one. li fuling''s gaze retracted from the three golden lotus thrones as she turned towards the crowd. "everyone, the battle has come to an end, so we should decide how we should divide the spoils. two of the three thrones were obtained by li lingjing, so she can decide how she wants to distribute them. she mentioned that li luo would get one, and so these two will belong to both her and li luo." no one opposed these words as li lingjing had indeed contributed the most. it was precisely her merciless slaughter that had deterred many rogue cultivators from setting their sights on these seats. "i''ve taken advantage of cousin lingjing here." li luo smiled. li lingjing''s slender hands were wrapped around the aquamarine staff, which looked as though it was made of jasper. the sight was exquisite and seemed to have a sense of grace to it. however, all who had seen her rampage knew that an uncountable number of individuals had been smashed to death by the seemingly soft girl. she laughed gaily. "cousin li luo, you defeated zhao shenjiang, so your contribution isn''t minor either." li luo modestly replied, "i''m not comparable to you! even zhao yan was scared away." the last golden lotus throne was obtained with li fuling and li guan''s cooperation. thus, the two drew lots to determine who would obtain it. ultimately, li fuling was more fortunate and received it. li guan''s expression was unimaginably sorrowful, but he accepted the decision. there was also a good number of jade praying mats, and thus, li guan, li jingtao, li fengyi, lu qingmei, and the rest all obtained one. this result was satisfying to all of them. after all the seats were distributed, li luo flashed forward and appeared atop one of the golden lotus thrones. he sat down cross-legged, and he could instantly feel a cooling energy circulate within his body, causing the injuries from the previous battle to heal. most importantly, he could feel his three resonant palaces being stirred up and his resonance affinities becoming more active. his heart trembled slightly. it seemed as though the upcoming baptism of the golden dew platform would have a strong chance of raising his resonance grade. the only question was how much. "i hope my woodearth and thunder dragon resonances can both raise a grade," li luo said in his heart. "oh yes, there''s also the thing that the lantern bearer mentioned. he said i could do it on the golden dew platform, but i''m not really sure where to start..." at this point, li luo frowned. the sacred void resonance sect no longer existed, and there was no information on how to cultivate their methods. thus, things weren''t so simple. "forget about it. i''ll take things as they come." li luo didn''t have any better plans, so he could only console himself. at this point in time, numerous people had already sat cross-legged on their seats atop the golden dew platform. the different types of seats were radiating colors of light, basking the platform in a beautiful glow. outside the platform were quite a few figures who stared at the scene in dismay. they had fought but failed, unable to obtain even the greenstone mats. life was just so cruel, and not everything went along with their own wishes. all of the seats had an owner, and it was at this point in time that the worldly natural energy above the platform began to emanate fluctuations. a moment later, vast amounts of energy poured downwards onto the golden dew platform itself. scintillating golden light was released by the platform, making it look like the sun for an instant. all of the resonant talismans in everyone''s hands began to float on their own accord into the skies above. after which, the golden dew platform began to emit the crisp sound of flowing water. when one looked at the source of the sounds, they could see that the worldly natural energy had condensed into a golden stream. every droplet of water in the golden stream contained immense amounts of purified energy. everyone could feel their resonance affinities start to boil, thirsting for the golden stream of energy. the golden stream gushed out and began to split into numerous smaller streams, each one slightly differentiated as they fell upon the individuals who were seated. they varied in size, and those that fell upon the golden lotus thrones were the most majestic and full of purest energy. clearly, the higher the grade of the seat, the stronger the baptism. when the golden stream of energy descended onto li luo, whose eyes were full of anticipation, it entered the resonant talisman first. after a period of refinement, the energy dripped off it in the form of golden beads. when the golden beads fell upon li luo''s head, they turned into puffs of golden smoke, entering his body. the entire scene looked mysterious to everyone. with the golden smoke entering his body, li luo''s expression changed as his three resonances seemed to have lost all control, constantly shifting within the resonant palaces. within the waterlight resonant palace, the waterlight resonance which took the form of a pristine lake began to kick up humongous waves whilst flashing with radiant light. in the woodearth resonant palace, the towering tree that was rooted in the earth began to shake as green motes of light started to flit around its branches gaily. the thunder dragon resonant palace was no different. thunder clouds blanketed the skies and a dragon''s silhouette zoomed around, belching bolts of lightning. the golden smoke was as attractive to the resonances as eighth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. in fact, the smoke acted in a much more direct fashion. li luo examined the golden smoke within his body and lightly sighed as he started to distribute it amongst his resonant palaces. fifty percent entered the woodearth resonant palace, forty percent to the thunder dragon resonant palace, and the last bit was given to the waterlight resonant palace. the waterlight resonance was already at the eighth-grade, so the requirements for further advancement were much higher. upgrading the other two was a better option than focusing on it. as the golden smoke permeated the resonant palaces, they greedily sucked it in, and its effects were shocking to li luo. the effects were most obvious on the two weaker resonances. in the woodearth resonant palace, the gigantic tree that covered the skies began to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye. its branches and leaves increased in size and density, creating a lush appearance. every branch and leaf was swaying gently, filled with endless amounts of vitality, and the brown soil underneath was also expanding in size. the earth resonance''s purpose was to support the wood resonance and allow it to grow even higher and more stably. endless thunder clouds began to materialize inside the thunder dragon resonant palace, and the dragon inside them seemed to be gradually transforming. its body increased in size prodigiously, and lifelike apparitions would emerge from the dense thunderclouds, with a majesty to behold. li luo was elated as he could feel his resonances strengthening. both were rapidly approaching a critical point of evolution. "what wondrous effects. its equivalent to tempering each resonance with a large number of seventh-grade spirit liquids." li luo sighed. spirit liquids and purifying lights were very expensive, and the time required for one to be utilized was not short. but all of this was accelerated by the golden smoke. "the golden smoke created by the golden dew platform is not simple. there should be a limit to how much can be created," li luo thought to himself. the effect of it was so amazing that it was bordering on perverseness! if the golden dew platform could create this golden smoke on a whim, the sacred void resonance sect would have been truly frightening, possessing power beyond comprehension. however, li luo didn''t continue to think about such things. as more and more golden smoke surged in his direction, his body was shrouded in such a thick layer that all sounds from the outside world faded away. the only thing he could hear was the pounding of the waves, the rustling and swaying of the tree, as well as the roars of the thunder dragon.n)-ovelbin golden smoke continued to wrap around the seats on the golden dew platform, and everything fell silent. everyone was quietly enjoying the gifts bestowed upon them. Chapter 0995: Strength Boosted chapter 0995: strength boosted as the golden smoke circulated around the golden dew platform, things turned so silent that one could hear a pin drop. those fortunate enough to obtain a seat quietly absorbed the golden smoke as they experienced their resonances improving. in the blink of an eye, half a day had gone by. the ones who awoke first were those on the greenstone mats. the amount of golden smoke they had received was also the least and thus they finished it the most quickly. but the resonant power fluctuations coming from them had undergone a transformation that allowed them to shed their original resonance grades. however, none of them had high-grade resonances in the first placethe majority only had sixth or seventh-grades. perhaps most of them were already at the cusp of evolving their resonances, and thus the golden dew platform was the last push required to cross that chasm, allowing their grades to rise. the difficulty of taking that last step was not to be underestimated, however. without a fateful opportunity, evolving or transforming ones resonances required a large amount of both spirit liquids and purifying lights, and time. only with all of those ingredients could one succeed. the surrounding gazes turned towards them, all filled with envy. that being said, the first group were not disappointed at their gains, including those that had not evolved their resonances. they could feel that the baptism had allowed them to save half a year''s worth of tempering their resonances. it was not only time saved, but also the sheer cost of procuring spirit liquids and purifying lights. it was not a sum to be scoffed at. to rogue cultivators and even those from large powers, this could not be ignored. even li luo from the dragon''s fang lineage was struggling to find enough resources to support his eighth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights expenditure! whilst others could only absorb these goods in a controlled manner for fear of impurities, li luo had a special constitution. he could gorge himself silly on tempering items, but that also made him a true skygold-swallowing beast. even thousands of violet-eye treasured artifacts were just a couple of days of spending on his endless consumption of spirit liquids and purifying lights. when the baptism of the greenstone mats ended, li luo could feel one of his resonances evolving. it was the lower seventh-grade thunder dragon resonance. after obtaining his third resonance, he had invested a lot of time and effort into improving it. as a result, it was no surprise that it was the quickest to evolve. with the opportunity provided by the golden dew platform, it brought forward the time needed. li luo''s mental state was submerged into the third resonant palace, and he could see the thunderclouds continuously expand and cover the skies, lightning flashing within. in the middle of all this he could see a lone dragon with an aura that was gradually increasing in intensity and grandeur. occasionally, it let out a roar in tandem with the booming thunder, which combined to form an awe-inspiring but wild sight. this happened for quite some time before the berserk thunderclaps began to recede. li luo could see that the dragon in the clouds had expanded in size. it had grown from a hundred feet long to over three hundred feet. all of its scales were flowing with lightning currents, making it look mystical. thunder dragon resonance, upper seventh-grade. a sense of joy arose within li luo''s heart. although it was just a small upgrade from the lower to the upper tier, he felt incomparable happiness. more importantly, the baptism had not concluded. after this, he wanted to borrow the aid of the golden dew platform to boost his upper seventh-grade woodearth resonance to the eighth-grade! this was his most important aim as once that was accomplished, he would have two eighth-grade resonances. however, there was a qualitative gap between the upper seventh-grade and the lower eighth-grade. the difficulty was far greater than raising a resonance from the lower seventh-grade to the upper seventh-grade by countless times. thus, li luo was not sure if the golden dew platform would be able to assist him with this. even if it couldn''t, he would at least make significant progress. with this in mind, li luo focused all of the remaining golden smoke into the woodearth resonance. time continued to pass, and the golden smoke began to recede. an hour after the greenstone mats baptism had ended, the jade praying mats time came to a stop. those who were able to evolve their resonance to the next grade were few as most of the people who had obtained a jade praying mat were elites amongst the large powers. their resonance grades were not low and thus it was difficult to increase them. li fengyi, li jingtao, lu qingmei, deng fengxian, and the rest were all unable to achieve any breakthroughs. however, they gained other benefits, which was that their own cultivation levels had improved. li fengyi and deng fengxian were originally at the late stage of the fiend finisher tier. their fiend dipper energy had already reached their limit, and even though it wasn''t at nine hundred and ninety feet, they had built strong foundations for themselves. n-/ovlbin after the golden dew platform''s baptism, their resonances had become more pure and their resonant power had taken a leap forward. a single radiant heavenly pearl formed behind each of them, demonstrating their ascent into the next stage. li jingtao was already at the pseudo-heavenly pearl tier before the battle of the dragon''s head, so he had made that breakthrough long ago. with the aid of the baptism, his strength increased and he was now a two-pearl. lu qingmei was originally a one-pearl and similarly rose to the two-pearl tier as well. looking at how brilliant her second heavenly pearl was, she had already caught up to zhao shenjiang before he had undergone his own baptism. all of those in the second group were exuberant. their resonances had not evolved, but a rise in their resonant power was worth celebrating as well. this opportunity had been hard to obtain, and it had saved them half a year''s worth of bitter cultivation. as they cheered, the crowd then turned towards the innermost area with the lotus thrones. their gazes were full of curiosity and envy. if the jade praying mats could provide such great benefits, how much better were the golden lotus thrones? under everyone''s curious looks, the thick, golden smoke curled around each and every individual in the innermost area. as time passed, they began to open their eyes, demonstrating that their baptism had come to an end. . those who had just awoken could sense the resonant power within their bodies rise steadily, and the degree of improvement was greater than those who had used jade praying mats. jiang wanyu and zhao shenjiang were the two with the most prominent gains. they were both at the two-pearl tier before and had directly stepped into the four-pearl tier after the baptism. of course, their resonances were already of a high grade, especially zhao shenjiang, with his lower ninth-grade strength resonance. advancing a step higher was unimaginably difficult. he would literally require a sea of spirit liquids and purifying lights to temper the resonance, which was simply impractical even with the golden dew platform. however, his resonance had become more pure, which was still an excellent outcome. this was something the two had already expected and thus neither was disappointed. on the contrary, they were elated at the increase in heavenly pearls. zhao shenjiang had reattached his arm with the aid of the spirit medicines, and although his combat power had been slightly affected, it was still a better result compared to zhao jingyu. he immediately turned towards li luo with a dark and brooding expression. at this point in time, he was itching for a fight and wanted to find an opportunity to reverse the previous outcome. li luo, on the other hand, had no time to bother with zhao shenjiang. he was gradually approaching the end of his baptism, and to his disappointment, even directing all of the remaining golden smoke into his woodearth resonance would not be sufficient to elevate it to the lower eighth-grade. he needed a bit more fuel for the fire. he was not satisfied with this result, but the golden smoke was already receding, so what else could he do? it was then that he remembered the words from the lantern bearer. "golden dew platform''s ritual..." li luo''s heart trembled. at this point, he had not even encountered even a hint of this so-called ritual. could it be that he had missed out on something? as he bitterly thought over it, what could he possibly be lacking to prove his identity as a disciple of the sacred void resonance sect? a few moments later, his eyes flickered. he was lacking proof of his identity. so how could he gain acknowledgement in this regard? it wasn''t too hard to guess what he had to do. with a thought, the acquired resonance godly forging art was circulated within his body. Chapter 0996: The Difficulty of Nine Pearls chapter 0996: the difficulty of nine pearls a huge change took place at the exact moment li luo activated the acquired resonance godly forging art. the golden dew platform on the mountain peak suddenly rippled with a mystical, golden light and started to tremble. for a moment, everyone thought that they were hallucinating. however, more and more streaks of golden light shot into the sky and formed a gigantic ward before their eyes. the ward was filled with an ancient atmosphere, and a golden eye with an almighty presence of authority floated in the center of it. burnished rays shot out from the eye as it quietly scanned the people on the golden dew platform. those who had a higher sense of awareness immediately caught onto the fact that the golden ray contained a similar feeling as the golden smoke. in fact, it was much stronger than the smoke. "is this an additional gift from the golden dew platform?!" some of the people exclaimed in surprise. their voices were filled with greed and anticipation. some of them were even drooling over this newfound surprise! all of those who had experienced the mysterious, golden smoke understood how alluring and valuable it was. who knew how big of a commotion the smoke could spark if it could be brought outside? nonetheless, it could not be an easy substance to create. it had only appeared in such small quantities even on the platform. as such, it was no wonder everyone craved the benefits that this golden ray, which seemed even stronger than the golden smoke, would bring. in fact, some had already tried to make a move to acquire it by force. however, their attacks disappeared without a trace as soon as they got into contact with the golden light. in the end, there was nothing else that they could do except sit down and wait quietly. they watched the golden ray sweep across their surroundings repeatedly with great anticipation, hoping that this boon would ultimately land upon them. after a few moments, the countless golden rays scanning the surroundings all congregated on the same spot, on a golden lotus throne. there was a figure sitting cross-legged on it. countless eyes of fury looked over. who was the lucky fellow that had stolen such a heavenly opportunity from them?! "li luo?!" zhao shenjiang''s face turned dark as soon as he saw who was sitting on the golden lotus throne. "how is this possible?! how is he worthy of it?" zhao jingyu shouted in anger from the side too. his eyes were full of jealousy and he was about to burst with rage. in the distance, where the heavenly origin ancient college students had gathered, jiang wanyu was also shocked to see the golden rays ending up on li luo. "what a lucky guy. to have obtained such an opportunity!" jiang wanyu muttered. "however, there are too many people over here. if he''s the only one to get such an opportunity, he''ll definitely draw the ire of others." many harbored ill intentions, especially in such a situation. everyone wanted what he was getting, so there would surely be a group of dissatisfied individuals ready to pounce. "what should we do, sister jiang? do you think more golden smoke will appear if we break through the golden rays?" one of the students whispered to her just as she was pondering about it. this was probably what many were thinking about as well. however, jiang wanyu simply gave the student a light stare. "a relationship exists between li luo and the heavenly origin ancient college. you have all witnessed the underworld river''s black dragon banner he used earlier as well. although this does not warrant us rendering aid to him in this situation, there is no need for us to add insult to injury," jiang wanyu explained calmly. "li luo possesses triple resonances and is exceptionally talented. there is really no need to make an enemy out of him. after all, golden smoke may not come out even if we really break this opportunity apart." hearing these words from jiang wanyu, the student nodded in agreement. at the same moment, the members of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li sensed the hostility in the field towards li luo. li fuling, li fengyi, li jingtao, and the rest rushed over to help out. as they stood on all four sides around li luo''s golden lotus throne, their resonant power surged up. they stared coldly at all the gazes filled with avarice as they stood guard around li luo. "everyone, do not be mistaken. this opportunity has been decided by fate. if any of you dare to take a step forward, the bloodline of heavenly emperor li will not sit idly," li fuling warned them coldly. there were some whispers around the field at this moment. after all, the bloodline of heavenly emperor li was a truly strong heavenly emperor power. it would not be a wise choice to make enemies with them. when zhao shenjiang noticed the change in the surroundings, he laughed coldly to himself. zhao jingyu asked, "big brother, should we do something to encourage the others to contest for li luo''s opportunity?" "there''s no hurry. let''s wait for brother zhao yan to finish his ceremony first. he''s been prepared for this breakthrough for a really long time. if he succeeds, he can reach the nine-pearl tier. even if he fails, he''ll still break into the heavenly resonance tier. we can think about going after li luo afterwards," zhao shenjiang replied. as they talked about it, they looked over to a golden lotus throne not too far away. zhao yan was sitting cross-legged on it, and enormous resonant power shockwaves were pulsing from his body. on his back were eight radiant heavenly pearls that absorbed worldly natural energy from the surroundings. amidst the eight pearls was a fine and tiny glow of light that was gradually condensing. the light seemed pretty dim, but the energy pulsing from it was immense; it was many times stronger than any of the other eight pearls. many others were also watching this scene in anticipation. this was the preparation required to form the ninth pearl. as many of them were at the heavenly pearl tier themselves, they could understand just how challenging the cultivation of the ninth pearl was. it required one to accumulate a strong foundation. this was something that most of the rogue cultivators would not even think about. in fact, this wasn''t something one would expect to see even from the talents of the heavenly emperor powers. the ninth pearl was the mark of one''s foundation and potential. it was said that those who could cultivate to the nine-pearl tier had a much higher chance to reach the duke stage than those who couldnt. in other words, the appearance of nine heavenly pearls would bestow one with the title of duke seedling. the duke stage was a significant breakthrough in the realm of cultivation. if one could achieve it, they would be considered exceptional. they would be well respected regardless of where they went, even amongst the heavenly emperor powers. as a result, many watched zhao yan''s ninth pearl formation with a hint of envy. however, his energy waves began to change whilst they were watching in awe. all of a sudden, there were some signs of stagnation, as if he had encountered a bottleneck. zhao yan''s expression fell. he took out some pills from his pocket sphere in a hurry and swallowed them before he attempted to continue his cultivation. the pills stabilized his energy waves once again. yet the ninth pearl continued to struggle in the air, unable to condense completely. at this point, some of the people started to sigh to themselves. zhao yan was a truly talented individual, but it seemed like he would fall short when it came to condensing the ninth pearl. what a pity. watching this scene from a distance, jiang wanyu shook her head. "the nine-pearl tier is truly challenging. it is much harder than reaching the limit of the fiend finisher tier, something that even senior zong sha and zhao yan didnt manage to pull off." when she finished speaking, she looked over at zong sha. he initially had the same plan as zhao yan, to make full use of this opportunity and break into the nine-pearl tier. however, he was ultimately lacking and it eluded him. their dreams of getting the ninth pearl had come to an end. "brother zhao yan has failed to reach the nine-pearl tier, it seems," zhao shenjiang said with a serious tone at this point. zhao jingyu replied with a hint of disappointment, "it seems like you have the highest hope of obtaining the ninth pearl now, big brother." zhao shenjiang did not disagree with him. as the owner of a lower ninth-grade resonance, his foundation and potential were indeed higher than zhao yans. "it''s fine even if brother zhao yan fails. he has the resonance forming pill prepared in advance. he just needs to make good use of this chance and break into the heavenly resonance tier directly. although there are restrictions in the spiritual resonance cave, he will end up becoming stronger than every heavenly pearl cultivator here. when that time comes, we can finish off all those people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li." when he finished speaking, a deadly and vicious look appeared in his eyes. zhao yan continued to keep his eyes closed with a serious expression. at this point, he could sense that the resonant power within his body had reached its maximum capacity. the nine-pearl tier was too much of a challenge after all. at this moment, zhao yan''s eyes lit up and he unclenched his palm. another jade bottle appeared in his hand, from which he took out a dim, silver pill. the pill seemed magical, with a faint and enchanting mist surrounding it. it was a really expensive item known as the resonance forming pill. he had paid a high price for it, all just to prepare for this day. even though he had failed to reach the nine-pearl tier, he could still use this pill to reach the heavenly resonance tier. with that, he would get a huge boost to his strength and he could finish off the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. this would be considered a huge achievement for him. when he returned to his bloodline, he would surely be rewarded handsomely. nonetheless, a shocking resonant power shockwave erupted from the distance just as he was thinking about this. zhao yan looked over in surprise, and his face changed immediately. there was a golden lotus throne in that direction. li lingjing was sitting cross-legged on it. worldly natural energy had condensed in the sky above her, pouring down like a waterfall. the eight pearls behind her were spinning rapidly. at this moment, another heavenly pearl appeared behind them. amazingly, it was slowly condensing from an illusory state into reality. shouts and screams broke out on the golden dew platform all of a sudden. everyone looked over towards li lingjing in shock.nove/lb-1n zhao yan and zong sha had failed, but this li lingjing... she had succeeded and broken into the nine-pearl tier! Chapter 0997: Enigmatic Auric Halo chapter 0997: enigmatic auric halo when li lingjing formed her ninth heavenly pearl, it caused the crowd on the golden dew platform to kick up a fuss. everyone watched her with both surprised and complicated looks in their eyes. obtaining nine heavenly pearls was the ultimate achievement of the heavenly pearl tier. only those with a sturdy foundation, potential, and a hint of luck could achieve success. zhao yan from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao and zong sha from the heavenly origin ancient college had both failed. these were dragons amongst men, yet they had failed by a single step. it was like an insurmountable mountain. it was precisely because those had failed that li lingjing was now shining. even jiang wanyu was focused upon her as she softly said, "we have almost no information on li lingjing. when did the bloodline of heavenly emperor li produce such a genius? it seems like she''s even better than li wuyuan." "she is strong indeed. i''m afraid that only those in the four star hall who have obtained the right to enter the heavenly star hall can compare," one of her fellow students said. li fuling and the rest were full of joy when they saw her breakthrough. "cousin lingjing is amazing. no one in the dragon''s fang lineage has reached the nine-pearl tier in the last two generations." li fengyi sighed. li jingtao nodded. "it''s a pity that cousin lingjing suffered from that mishap all those years ago. otherwise, the previous generation''s dragon''s head would have belonged to us." li fuling''s gaze remained complicated. she was of the same generation as li lingjing, though based on her memory, lingjing was impressive but not as frightening as she was now. the tragedy that struck her had honed her potential. all she could say was that blessings and calamities came in pairs. lu qingmei also looked towards li lingjing with yearning in her eyes. she always strove for strength and sought constant improvement. seeing herself in li lingjing, who was now in the spotlight, stimulated her own fighting spirit. although li lingjing was surnamed li, she was from a branch bloodline, the western region''s li family. they might be considered almighty in the western region, but when it was compared to the main lineage, the difference was as stark as night and day. thus, li lingjing''s achievement was also an inspiration for her, as both of them were not directly related to the main bloodline. deng fengxian, on the other hand, was observing the surroundings, especially when the others started coveting li luo''s opportunity. when li lingjing condensed her ninth heavenly pearl, some of them had lost their nerve and began to doubt themselves, lessening the pressure on them. clearly, they had to consider the consequences of ruining li luo''s opportunity. it would undoubtedly arouse the wrath of a nine-pearl expert. meanwhile, as li fengyi and the rest were celebrating, the people of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao had dark expressions. "damn it. li lingjing is from the western region''s li family? it''s just a small branch. how is she so talented?" zhao jingyu fumed. zhao shenjiang frowned as he spoke in a deep voice, "it''s not that surprising. she has a lower ninth-grade abyssal serpent resonance and her foundation is not any worse than mine. although she has spent many years in isolation, it may have been an intentional ploy by the dragon''s fang lineage to prevent her from being noticed. it''s also a good thing. she might have entered the nine-pearl tier, but elder brother zhao yan should be able to suppress her so long as he advances to the heavenly resonance tier." those at the nine-pearl tier were reputed for being duke seedlings, but they were far weaker than cultivators at the heavenly resonance tier. n/(o))v--e/-1)(b-.i(-n at this point, his gaze turned towards zhao yan, who was gloomily glaring at li lingjing. in the end, he stuffed the resonance forming pill into his mouth and swallowed it in a single gulp. he then took the opportunity to immediately refine the pill and make a breakthrough. worldly natural energy billowed like a tempest on the golden dew platform. more individuals completed their baptism, and there were only three individuals remaining. they were li luo, li lingjing, and zhao yan. li lingjing and zhao yan were the topic of many discussions. compared to them, li luo was relatively quiet as the golden light illuminated his body and golden smoke endlessly poured into him. other than some resonant power fluctuations rolling off him, he remained unperturbed. only he knew how much of a change his resonant palaces were undergoing. chiefly, his woodearth resonance. stupendous amounts of golden smoke was being funneled into it, resulting in the giant tree that represented the resonance growing at a frightening pace. the tree trunk gradually expanded in diameter and turned sturdier, becoming a sky-supporting pillar. the tree bark was starting to show signs of ancientness yet was filled with vitality and life. the soil continued to spread beneath the tree. dense earth resonant power supported the growth of the wood resonance, ensuring that the tree remained stable and upright. with the resonance affinities complementing each other, it led to a wonderfully beneficial outcome. the gigantic tree began to sway gently as numerous motes of green light began to rise from the earth. it transformed into the purest of resonant power, and the resonant palace began to shake. at this point, every single branch and leaf had shallow runic patterns present on them. they were formed naturally, as though the heavens had wished it, forming a mystical sight. the tree stopped swaying at this point in time. the branches and leaves began to become ever more green, like shining emeralds that contained boundless amounts of life energy, causing the entire resonant palace to be filled with vitality. li luo''s own resonant power also began to increase. the upper seventh-grade woodearth resonance had completed its evolution and had firmly stepped into the eighth-grade. however, before li luo could fully experience the changes in purity of the eighth-grade woodearth resonance, he noticed that his body had changed in another way. he could feel that as the golden smoke entered his body, a wisp of acquired resonance flame had risen up. when the smoke was burned by the flame, it transformed into a mystical, golden strand that bordered between illusion and reality. the strand started to extend in all directions and steadily took the form of some esoteric shape. it was an incomplete circle, and the traces within exuded an indescribable, archaic air and inscrutable aura. li luo tried to call to mind the image of it, but he instantly felt a sharp pain stabbing through his head. it seemed that just trying to imagine the concept of this object would erode his will. he felt a little shocked. just what was this thing? regardless, the gold strand continued to spread until a point where it stopped. at this moment, an object that reminded one of a halo of light took shape within li luo''s body. this auric halo was not complete, and it seemed to be full of gaps. however, at the three corners of the halo were three different spots of light that were slowly taking shape. there was one with scintillating water flowing within, another had the silhouette of a swaying tree, whilst the last was a coiled-up dragon. wasn''t this the representation of his three resonances? the resonances were each illuminating an empty space within the auric halo. it seemed like they had filled up the gaps perfectly. li luo fell into a daze as he felt slightly overwhelmed. the enigmatic halo seemed to have adapted to fit his resonances perfectly. was this coincidence? or perhaps was it that disciples of the sacred void resonance sect would undergo a change that suited them after the ritual? additionally, there were still gaps in the halo that had not been filled up, so it seemed as though he needed even more resonances to complete it. he felt puzzled at what was going on. however, this was not the time to think about it. with the woodearth resonance''s evolution, li luo''s resonant power had soared and strengthened immensely yet again. his resonant power was about to break through, and with that, he would reach a whole new cultivation level. thus, he retracted his mental state and flicked his hand, sending the nine orifices dipper smelting pill flying into his mouth. pristine and violent medicinal power burst in his body like a volcano. with a thought, he fused the medicine with his rising resonant power, finally preparing himself for his long-awaited breakthrough. Chapter 0998: Three Heavenly Pearls chapter 0998: three heavenly pearls on the golden dew platform, everyones attention was focused upon the last three who had yet to complete the baptism. the first one to show signs of movement was li lingjing. as the worldly natural energy continued to roil, they could see the nine heavenly pearls behind her glowing with utmost intensity, giving off terrifying fluctuations of power. everyone understood that li lingjing had successfully obtained nine heavenly pearls. this sight caused some to sigh. the only ones capable of this feat were geniuses that were rarely found even in the heavenly origin divine continent. regardless, once the spiritual resonance cave expedition ended, li lingjing''s reputation would soar into the skies, and perhaps the golden dragon bank''s empyrean chronicle might record her name as well. li lingjing suddenly let loose boundless amounts of energy, which then wildly converged upon the ninth heavenly pearl. a moment later, the torrent of energy subsided as a radiant heavenly pearl quietly manifested behind her, seemingly even more outstanding than the other nine. li lingjing''s eyes opened at this point, showing pupils full of calmness, almost indifferent to her success. the moment she stood up, an astonishing wave of pressure rolled off her as a result of the sheer energy she possessed. this caused the countless gazes that were fixated upon her to show looks of fear. she undoubtedly gave off an even more oppressive presence than before. the most important fact was that she had acted ruthlessly and mercilessly. no one knew just how many people had their heads smashed by her staff. perhaps the empyrean chronicle might even add a comment about her. "enjoys smashing skulls." however, as soon as li lingjing completed her breakthrough, another earth-shaking transformation that caused worldly natural energy to boil over occurred on the other side. eyes turned towards that direction, where they saw zhao yan bellowing. behind him was a one hundred foot manifestation of a giant beast. n).ovelbin it was a humongous crocodile wrapped in a suit of gilded armor. it radiated a sense of savagery and brutality, possessing a mouth that could seemingly devour the world. this was zhao yan''s resonance, an upper eighth-grade golden armored crocodile resonance. as zhao yan howled, the eight heavenly pearls behind him split apart, forming an outburst of energy that was then gulped down by the golden armored crocodile with a single bite. all of the energy caused the manifestation''s body to increase prodigiously in size, like a mountain that could cover the skies. the surrounding worldly natural energy was also affected by this change, rhythmically pulsing and further pouring into the crocodile''s mouth as it breathed in and out. terrifying waves of pressure radiated from it, causing everyone to turn pale. "the resonance is fusing with the world! this is the heavenly resonance tier! zhao yan has successfully broken through!" someone shouted. when one reached the heavenly resonance tier, their resonance would form an intimate connection with the world and would thus transform. with worldly natural energy at its beck and call, it would become a force akin to a natural disaster, one to be reckoned with. zhao yan floated into the sky. entering the heavenly resonance tier allowed him to soar through the skies and the void, giving him much more mobility when compared to the stage before. he could feel the explosive power within his body, which was almost intoxicating. although he was only at the lesser heavenly resonance tier, he was countless times stronger than before. after which, his gaze turned towards li luo, who had yet to finish his breakthrough. based on his close connection with the world around him, he could naturally sense the exact state of his situation. he smirked coldly, and with a thought, the golden armored crocodile above let out a thunderous cry. it opened its mouth, and a one hundred foot ray of light that could shatter the sky blasted towards li luo. those around li luo such as li fuling, li fengyi, and the rest frowned upon seeing this. zhao yan''s current state was something they could not defend against. however, just as the ray of light was about to strike, a figure wielding an aquamarine staff appeared before it. with a single wave, boundless amounts of aquamarine poisonous light surged forth, colliding with the ray of light. bang! chaotic energy undulations swept across the field at the moment of collision, forcing countless people back. li lingjing stood before li luo, shielding him from the fluctuations of the battle. she sullenly observed zhao yan, her eyes now clouded with killing intent. zhao yan smiled coldly. "i''ve always wondered who was stronger, a nine-pearl or someone at the lesser heavenly resonance tier." he continued to stare at the nine heavenly pearls that were floating behind li lingjing with a hint of jealousy in his gaze. after all, that was the peak of strength in the previous stage, something he would never ever be able to attain. it meant li lingjing would have a higher chance of entering the duke stage in the future than him and would only continue to advance at a pace superior to his. how could he remain calm in the face of that? "youre courting death. it won''t be so easy," li lingjing coldly retorted as she remained seemingly indifferent to his words. the nine heavenly pearls began to rotate quickly, and when they reached a critical threshold, they had transformed into a complete halo of light that floated behind her. the halo simply looked divine, and some complicated ancient runes took form on its outer layer. at the same time, it was like a black hole, sucking in horrifying amounts of worldly natural energy endlessly. li lingjing''s resonant power undulations started to amplify massively as a result. all eyes were on the radiant transformation of the nine pearls behind li lingjing''s back, and a commotion broke out. "that is the symbol of the nine-pearl tier, the nine pearls divine halo!" "it''s said that the nine pearls divine halo gives one the ability to absorb tremendous amounts of worldly natural energy and convert it into resonant power to support the user, greatly bolstering their strength." "with the aid of the nine pearls divine halo, it feels like she isn''t any weaker than the lesser heavenly resonance zhao yan!" "wow, as expected of the peak of the heavenly pearl tier!" zhao yan''s gaze was gloomy. the mysterious divine halo that had condensed behind his opponent caused him to feel a sense of pressure. it looked like the ninth pearl wasn''t just a simple increase in one''s resonant powerit unlocked a new capability. just as zhao yan planned to continue probing li lingjing''s strength, a disturbance kicked up where li luo was sitting. the crowd''s gazes turned once again, but this time to li luo. fiend dipper energy was shooting into the skies from the top of his head, and it seemed to possess a sharpness that sliced even the clouds apart. this sight caused an uproar to break out amongst the crowd. it was because they realized that the fiend dipper energy above li luo had reached a height of nine hundred and ninety feet. this was the absolute peak of the fiend finisher tier! similar to li lingjing reaching the nine-pearl tier, the nine hundred and ninety feet of fiend dipper energy was also a watershed for cultivators! under everyone''s curious gazes, the fiend dipper energy continued to suck in energy before quickly being compressed. a few moments later, it transformed into a mass of light that contained copious amounts of energy. it was then instantly compressed, releasing alarming undulations of power. then, in front of everyone''s eyes, the large mass of compressed fiend dipper energy quickly split into three smaller balls of light. each ball of light quickly condensed further, blinding rays of light spilling forth from each one. three resplendent orbs of light then gradually took their place behind li luo. his tightly shut eyes were now open, and a previously unseen sharpness was now present in his gaze. the resonant power undulations coming from his body also experienced an unbelievable surge as well. three heavenly pearls rotated behind him, ravenously absorbing worldly natural energy like starving beasts. this sight left everyone on the golden dew platform in a daze. had he just refined three heavenly pearls in one go upon entering the heavenly pearl tier? just how much of a foundation had he built before he entered it? Chapter 0999: Grand Perfection chapter 0999: grand perfection li luo was currently standing atop a golden lotus throne in the skies above the golden dew platform. his three heavenly pearls were giving off scintillating light, looking as dazzling as stars. he had undoubtedly become the most handsome sight on the platform. half the crowd was dazed, whilst the others were astonished. they had never seen anyone directly reaching the three-pearl tier upon breaking through. this only occurred once in a blue moon. li luo''s expression was calm as he inspected the dense resonant power flowing within his body. then a hint of satisfaction could be seen in his eyes. this breakthrough had met his expectations. others might have felt shocked, but he took it as a matter of fact. he had borrowed the aid of the golden dew platform''s baptism, consumed a nine orifices dipper smelting pill, and, most importantly, had built a sturdy foundation over a long period of time. he had made sure to reach the extreme end of every step before he progressed. in terms of potential and foundation, he was not inferior to anyone. if not for the fact that he was afraid of increasing his cultivation level too quickly, he could have even easily entered the four-pearl tier by now. not only that, it wasn''t only his resonant power that had taken a leap forward. when he inspected his body, all three of his resonant palaces were shining with a brilliant radiance. lower eighth-grade waterlight resonance, lower eighth-grade woodearth resonance, and upper seventh-grade thunder dragon resonance. mighty and majestic resonant power flowed within each resonant palace, and it was countless times stronger than before his breakthrough. additionally, his body now contained the enigmatic auric halo. li luo could feel the presence of the auric halo whenever he swept his senses through his body, proving that it was not an illusion of the mind. although he didn''t know where this thing had come from, it brought him many benefits. namely, this was the merging of the acquired resonance flame with his resonant power. the acquired resonance flame was alight in the middle of the auric halo. it had become a little different from the past, as it would only appear when he activated the acquired resonance godly forging art. however, it looked like the flame had been born from the auric halo itself, entrenched in the middle and slowly swaying. whenever li luo activated his resonant power, the small ball of acquired resonance flame would generate countless small motes of flame that would fuse with his resonant power and ignite it. this gave it the effect of burning up other resonant power when they came into contact. this special effect would give his future opponents a huge headache. at the very least, it would increase the rate at which his opponents consumed their resonant power. li luo remembered that jiang qing''e''s light resonant power possessed a purification power. whenever they fought, he had to take precautions over his own resonant power being purified, increasing the rate at which it was consumed, making it tricky to deal with her. he then attempted to activate the auric halo within his body, but to no avail. he temporarily shelved this matter and would spend more time researching it in the future. "it looks like there is some golden smoke left over." as he continued to inspect his body, he noticed that there were left over bits of golden smoke. it was helpful in evolving his resonances, but after the baptism was complete, it seemed as though his resonances had developed a resistance towards it and there would be little effect in doing so. thus, he raised his head and turned towards li jingtao and li fengyi. with a deep sigh, he flicked his finger, and the remaining tendrils of golden smoke were drawn out of his body and directed towards li fengyi. li jingtao and deng fengxian had upper eighth-grade resonances, and the difficulty of elevating them any further was massive. the gap to the ninth-grade was a chasm few could cross. li fengyi, on the other hand, only had a lower eighth-grade resonance, so the remnant golden smoke might be helpful in pushing her over the edge after the baptism. at the same time he smiled and reminded her, "second sister, receive it." li fengyi looked at the golden smoke that was funneled towards her and fell into a daze. hearing li luo''s voice caused her eyes to light up, then she inhaled deeply and absorbed the smoke. with the golden smoke entering her, li fengyi could feel her own resonance coming to life and clamoring for it. she was unable to evolve her resonance during the baptism, but it had definitely reached a climactic point. with the additional golden smoke from li luo coming to assist her, she could feel her resonance breaking through that final barrier. crimson light fluctuated behind her body, where a meandering manifestation of a dragon appeared, coiled up and ready to strike. upper eighth-grade scarlet dragon resonance. li luo smiled. "that last bit of golden smoke was perfect in assisting her with stepping through the door completely." this was meant for li jingtao to hear. li jingtao, on the other hand, put on a genial smile and waved his hand, demonstrating that he didn''t mind. he understood that his own resonance grade was high enough and that bringing it to the next stage would require more than another round of the golden dew platform''s baptism. li fuling and the rest felt envious upon seeing this. however, they understood the relationship between li fengyi and li luo. they were extremely close and thus, no one could not feel dissatisfied over it. after giving away that prized opportunity, li luo arrived by li lingjing''s side and glanced over at the gloomy-looking individuals from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao with a grin. "you guys don''t look very happy." when faced with his mocking gaze, they reciprocated with coldness. li luo might have been in the process of undergoing a breakthrough, but he could sense that zhao yan and the rest were out to disrupt his fated opportunity. if not for li lingjing''s advancement to the nine-pearl tier and her protection, he would have been ruined by these bastards. zhao yan broodingly stared at li luo as he indifferently said, "you are an uncommon prodigy. be wary of your smarts leading you to a premature death." "i don''t know when i will die, but i feel that you geniuses from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao need to leave something for me before you go." li luo smirked as a trace of killing intent surfaced within his eyes. n/-0velb1n the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao had constantly targeted them with one deadly scheme after another, and now that he had finally leaped ahead in strength, entering the three-pearl tier, he naturally felt the need to avenge those enmities. they couldn''t let the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao keep flaunting their power before them. it would eventually damage their own prestige and curb their sides'' spirit. "cousin lingjing, can you block this fellow for me?" li luo asked. the nine pearls of light behind li lingjing immediately began to revolve at a high speed, causing a wave of resonant power to be released from her body. "leave him to me." she didn''t say more, directly taking a step forward as her body transformed into a beam of brilliant light, shooting towards zhao yan. with her staff in hand, she waved it and caused sky-covering amounts of poisonous light to appear around it before smashing downwards onto him. "hmph! do you actually think i''m afraid of you?" zhao yan coldly snorted. the gigantic, coiled- up golden armored crocodile in the sky transformed into a beam of glittering light that descended upon zhao yan''s body. it transformed into a suit of impenetrable golden armor, and a giant crocodile mouth could be seen protruding out of the chest piece. the appearance of the golden crocodile suit caused terrifying fluctuations of resonant power to roll off zhao yan''s body. his every motion seemed to stimulate the worldly natural energy around him. he then barreled towards li lingjing as gratuitous amounts of energy undulations bombarded the golden dew platform with every clash. the moment the two started exchanging blows, li luo rushed towards zhao shenjiang. zhao shenjiang malevolently glared at li luo as he grasped the heavy spear in his hand tightly. behind him, his four heavenly pearls began to spin rapidly, sucking in worldly natural energy. "li luo, don''t think you''re the only one who has experienced a major boost in strength." li luo completely ignored his provocations, only slicing apart the void with the ancient blade in his hand. the void was rent apart, and a draconic cry coupled with the sound of rushing water could be heard. zhao shenjiang smirked. "li luo, do you really think that the three-pearl tier is that amazing? that a mere communion-grade duke art can deal with me? you think too highly of yourself." as the void split apart, a gigantic, black dragon emerged with an ebony river trailing right behind, radiating a chilliness that could freeze even the air around it. the only issue was that the black dragon did not rush towards zhao shenjiang. instead, it opened its maw and inhaled deeply, sucking up all of the water around it. after the river was consumed, it let out another deafening roar. its originally inky scales gave off a dusky, mysterious glow that condensed into special runes. at the same time, the black dragon grew in size, and its fangs and claws glinted with an indescribable sharpness. a simple movement from it would tear a dark rift through the void. the black dragon''s might had increased exponentially. not too far away, jiang wanyu let out a shocked gasp and her eyes turned round. "this is... the dragon and water fusing as one. the underworld river''s black dragon banner has reached the realm of grand perfection!" Chapter 1000: Glamor of Corrosion chapter 1000: glamor of corrosion the draconic roars of the enormous, black dragon reverberated through the air. terrifying energy surged up within its body as its claws sliced the void apart. everyone could tell that li luo''s underworld river''s black dragon banner was much stronger than ever before. this was not solely due to his breaking through into a new stage. it was also because the black dragon had undergone a metamorphosis. looking at the energy flowing through it, it was as if it had a newfound special ability.n-/ovelbin the smell of corrosion permeated the air. at this moment, the crowd heard the surprised gasp from jiang wanyu and shifted their attention over. grand perfection! this had to be why the black dragon seemed so lifelike right now. it held a special charm that was only achievable with a grand perfection duke art. everyone knew that there were three different grades to a duke art: lesser completion, greater completion, grand perfection. grand perfection was the pinnacle of all duke arts. every duke art that managed to reach this grade would gain a unique glamor. for the black dragon, it seemed like it was some sort of corrosive ability. without a doubt, this glamor of corrosion had greatly strengthened the destructive capabilities of this duke art. it was not at all surprising to see grand perfection duke arts in the hands of a duke, who had years of experience and expertise with various duke arts. however, what made it shocking was that li luo, someone who had just broken into the heavenly pearl tier, was the one who had unleashed it. just how talented was he at comprehending resonance arts? everyone present was undeniably gifted amongst their peers; even the rogue cultivators were a cut above the rest. yet only a handful of their duke arts had managed to reach greater completion, let alone grand perfection. as everyone looked at li luo in the middle of the sky, they could not help but recall a stunning figure of the heavenly origin divine continentli taixuan. he was someone who had left behind a series of spectacular achievements back in his younger days. it was said that he had cultivated more than one duke art into the grand perfection realm. and li luo seemed to be as talented as his father. under their complicated gazes, the enormous, black dragon completely overshadowed zhao shenjiang, whose expression had changed completely. it raised its claws that were wrapped with stygian liquid, slashing directly at him. emitting a keen, ebony light, the claws were enhanced with the glamor of corrosion. "myriad beasts devil god body!" zhao shenjiang did not dare to hesitate here. the four heavenly pearls radiated brightly behind his back as they sucked in all the worldly natural energy from the surroundings. he had chosen to activate his strongest skill right off the bat. roar! numerous cries from vicious beasts could be heard immediately as zhao shenjiang''s body expanded. after a few moments, he transformed into a giant man that was over a hundred feet tall, with each part of his body taking the form of the body parts of different beasts. this transformation was much more vicious than before. from afar, it seemed like he was garbed in a hundred different beasts as his armor. at this moment, he tightly gripped his heavy mountain spear and his ninth-grade strength resonance appeared behind him like a mirage. it turned into a ninth-grade spirit avatar and boosted the power of his resonance art tremendously. "myriad beasts spirit armor!" as zhao shenjiang shouted, the beastly parts of his body quickly took on the color of steel, radiating a sense of invincibility. "bring it on! i''m not afraid of a grand perfection art. it''s ultimately just a pathetic communion-grade duke art!" zing! the sharp dragon claws that were overflowing with the glamor of corrosion sliced apart the void and slashed down viciously onto zhao shenjiang. a stunning energy shockwave erupted coupled with an ear-piercing explosion. however, zhao shenjiang''s face was extremely gloomy during this clash. he could see with his very own eyes that the dragon''s claws were slowly leaving marks on his myriad beasts armor. even though it was just a communion-grade duke art, its destructive strength in the grand perfection realm was stunning. with the help of the glamor of corrosion, it was ripping through his myriad beasts spirit armor''s defense! he could also sense a strange energy coming from the dragon''s claws during the clash. this energy was able to burn up his resonant power every time they came into contact. in fact, the burning spread like wildfire. he could not help but feel worried about this strange development. during the short instant where he was distracted, the keen claws of the dragon slashed down with dazzling light. it viciously smashed against the myriad beasts spirit armor, trying to break through his defenses and go for the kill. zhao shenjiang''s expression began to change as he sensed the repeatedly frigid air emanating from it. in the end, a series of sharp sonic booms could be heard as multiple afterimages were left in his wake in his hurried retreat. clearly, he had given up on a head-on confrontation. the black dragon raised its claws once again and slashed down repeatedly as it chased after him for the kill. zhao shenjiang raised the heavy mountain spear and waved it fiercely in the air. in the next moment, a stream of domineering light came out of the spear and collided with the strikes of the dragon. a deep echo sounded off as the two opposing energies clashed violently. this confrontation lasted for quite some time, but just as zhao shenjiang swung his spear to defend against the final blow, he heard a painful scream come from behind him. he quickly turned around to see what had happened. zhao jingyu, despite hiding in the back, had been hit by two of the claw attacks. coincidentally, both of his arms had been sliced off. zhao jingyu screamed out in agony. he had never expected to get caught up in this fight after sequestering himself far away. li luo must have done it on purpose. that bastard just wanted to go after his arms! "li luo!" zhao shenjiang''s gaze turned vicious as he tightened his grip on the heavy mountain spear. he glared at li luo with eyes full of murderous intent. however, he did not appear as intimidating as before. his myriad beasts spirit armor was sullied with countless parts ripped out of it by the dragon''s feverish attacks. in a way, it seemed as though the entire thing was about to fall apart. zhao shenjiang was boiling with anger, but he did not retaliate. he formed hand seals with a single hand, then a jade tablet appeared from the flesh of his palm. li luo''s grand perfection underworld river''s black dragon banner was devastating even though it was only a communion-grade duke art. it was comparable to a soul ascension-grade duke art. however, it was not possible to kill zhao shenjiang with just this art alone. the main thing that zhao shenjiang had to defend against was li luo''s other duke art, the dragon fang sword. ultimately, that was li luo''s mightiest killer move. he had initially planned to draw out the dragon fang sword before using the jade tablet and its recovery power. once he had successfully blocked it, he could then counterattack without a second thought. however, he had not expected li luo to force him into such a pathetic state already! he could not help but admit that li luo had caught up in terms of resonant power after his breakthrough. at present, the so-called bumpkin did not seem to be lagging behind at all. as zhao shenjiang raged furiously in his mind, li luo simply grinned and glanced at zhao jingyu. he said empathetically, "what an unlucky child. perhaps we should just leave your arms like this? you know, just in case they get severed again. it''ll save you the trouble of reattaching them." as li luo mocked him, li fuling, li guan, and the others from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li swiftly caught up and surrounded them. their resonant power surged up as they fixed their eyes fiercely on those from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. it was clear that they were prepared for a decisive fight between the two sides. the teams from the other major powers retreated immediately as they did not want to be caught up. the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao similarly made their own preparations as they observed the situation. resonant power surged up on their side as well. bang! amidst the tense atmosphere while everyone was primed to fight, a sudden explosion of noise erupted from the back of the golden dew platform. everyones attention was turned towards it, and they were shocked to see that the cloud wall that originally blanketed the skies and the land had begun to slowly open up. in the small opening, they could faintly see a magical pavilion that stood amongst the clouds. the crowd on the golden dew platform exclaimed excitedly as they looked desirously into the depths. they all knew that the deepest parts of the spiritual resonance cave lay behind the golden dew platform. "let''s go!" someone shouted immediately. figures flew into the sky one after another, shooting towards the opening in the cloud wall like meteors in the sky. at the same moment, li lingjing and zhao yan, who had been fighting in the sky above, returned to their respective camps. "let''s go! into the cloud wall!" zhao yan''s face was exceptionally dark at this point. he had noticed the grave situation at zhao shenjiang''s side earlier. despite breaking into the four-pearl tier, he was clearly at a disadvantage in the fight against li luo. however, he did not talk about it at this moment. there were more important things to do. it was clear that li lingjing and li luo were able to hold their ground now. his only option was to meet up with the others from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao and decide how to end this later. hearing this, zhao shenjiang also kept his anger in check as he supported zhao jingyu, who was screaming in pain. they followed the rest of their bloodline and flew into the sky, towards the opening of the cloud wall. on the other side, li luo looked into the cloud wall in the distance and made his decision. "let''s follow them." naturally, he felt curious and had high hopes towards the deepest part of the spiritual resonance cave. the others, even li fuling, had no objections to his orders now. his performance all this while had clearly shown that he was worthy of being their leader. as such, they also flew into the sky. ... as li luo and the rest were making their way towards the cloud wall from their golden dew platform, the second golden dew platform that was a distance away was also bustling with activity. many figures flew into the air. on that golden dew platform, a girl with a delicate body and a silk cloth covering her face was staring at a group of people, looking into the depths of the cloud wall. the robes of her group all had the emblem of the golden dragon bank on them. although her face was hidden by the silk, the faint outline still looked extremely beautiful. at the same time, there was an extremely pure, icy aura around her, causing the air to continuously turn into frost. her eyes scanned the surroundings before landing on the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. she did not find the person she was looking for amongst them. as such, she turned back towards the cloud wall, looking at the pavilion deep within. that place was the main reason for her visit to the spiritual resonance cave. ...... on the third golden dew platform. this place was deathly silent compared to the other two golden dew platforms. it was a scene filled with fresh blood flowing on the ground. there were thousands of twisted corpses lying around. their faces were all filled with extreme fear and fright. it seemed like a terrifying and bloody battle had taken place, and there was not a single survivor. the smell of blood filled the air. kacha! all of a sudden, a strange noise broke the silence. if one''s eyes followed the sound, they would discover that there was a figure sitting on the highest point on the now sanguine golden dew platform. it was a bald young man wearing a white monk''s robe. the young man looked extremely handsome with bright, red lips and pure-white teeth. at this time, he was holding onto a severed arm which he then stuffed into his mouth, slowly chewing it. on his smooth head were lines of blood squirming like slow-moving worms, resembling a blood-red lotus. fresh blood spurted out of the corner of his mouth. there was an indescribable eerie and chilling atmosphere around him. in the end, the young man patted his stomach and said satisfactorily, "i''m finally full." then he lazily stood up from his spot while he rubbed his tummy. he looked over to the cloud wall at the back of the golden dew platform. a creepy smile appeared on his face as he softly murmured, "number two has been finished off? "hehe, what a useless thing. oh well, at least this gives me a good reason to eat all of you." Chapter 1001: Spiritual Resonance Palace chapter 1001: spiritual resonance palace as li luo flew past the cloud wall, he could sense the space around him begin to twist. when his vision cleared up, he found himself standing in a white square. his eyes scanned the surroundings. all he could see was an indescribably tall, majestic palace in front of him, making the people standing under it appear as small as ants. yet he could sense danger coming from it. it was faint, but he could tell the surroundings were full of wards and runes. these wards were extremely terrifying and appeared to be totally unscathed despite being so old. in comparison, the gilded hall that they had come across earlier was nothing. li luo guessed that even dukes would not dare to barge into this majestic palace hastily. as he marveled at the sight of this majestic palace, many other people began to appear in the square. li fengyi, li jingtao, li lingjing, and the rest arrived not too far from his spot.n.(o)(v.)e.-l)-b(.1..n everyone gathered up. from the looks of it, the cloud wall was a teleportation portal. after passing through it, one would be transported here. "this must be the spiritual resonance palace." li fuling could not help but sigh as she studied the majestic palace in front of them. "the spiritual resonance palace?" li luo asked. li fuling nodded and continued, "the spiritual resonance palace can be considered the heart of the spiritual resonance cave. this place is filled with fearsome defenses, and its numerous wards have never been damaged before. it is said that many of the kings from the various powers sent their avatars in to inspect this place in the past. however, none of them were confident in deactivating the wards without completely destroying the spiritual resonance cave. many people have spent time exploring the cave over the years, but only the districts on the outside have been properly mapped. no one has dared to break into the deeper districts to date." li luo nodded slightly as his eyes continued to sweep past the jade white square. more and more people were appearing in their surroundings. all of a sudden, he noticed a few familiar faces, namely li wuyuan, li qingfeng, li hongli, and the rest. li wuyuan noticed them at the same time, and he brought the others over. he seemed a little high-spirited at this time. it seemed like he had gained a lot on the platform. taking a look at li lingjing, li luo, and the others, he said with a faint smile. "i thought you all would have fallen behind. i didn''t expect everyone to make it here. it seems like the journey has been relatively smooth sailing without any unconquerable enemies encountered. seeing this guy, li fengyi was a little unhappy, and she replied angrily, "we met zhao yan and the rest. it surely was not as easy as you say." startled to hear this, li wuyuan asked, "didn''t zhao yan take any action against you all?" however, he immediately waved his hand and brushed it aside, "it doesn''t matter. since we are all here now, there is no need to be afraid of zhao yan and the others anymore. i made a breakthrough at the golden dew platform earlier. i am now half a foot into the heavenly resonance tier." li luo glanced strangely at him when he heard this. it was no wonder he seemed so high-spirited. it turned out that he was halfway into the heavenly resonance tier. but buddy, aren''t you still half a step behind zhao yan? although he had used pills and potions to aid him, he was fully at the heavenly resonance tier now. "brother qingfeng has reached the three-pearl tier too. he''s even beginning to show signs of reaching the four-pearl tier," li hongli interrupted them from the side. she looked at li luo as if she was bragging about her own achievements. on her side, li qingfeng appeared pretty calm as he looked at li luo and asked, "with your talent, you must have progressed quite a bit on the golden dew platform as well." li luo answered humbly, "i ended up falling a little short of you. i barely managed to reach the three-pearl tier." as soon as he heard this, li qingfeng''s face froze completely. li wuyuan and li hongli asked in surprise, "three-pearl?" when they entered the spiritual resonance cave, li luo was still at the fiend finisher tier. how had he skipped ahead all of a sudden? "that''s nothing. third brother was able to cut off one of zhao shenjiangs arms even before his breakthrough. after his breakthrough, he fought zhao shenjiang again and was able to force him back despite his foe being a four-pearl," li fengyi added on with a grin. "what? you managed to defeat zhao shenjiang and cut off one of his arms?!" li qingfeng exclaimed in disbelief. zhao shenjiang possessed a ninth-grade strength resonance. his strength was top tier even amongst the elites of their generation. this was an opponent that even he would avoid facing head-on. yet li luo was able to confront him at the fiend finisher tier and cut off one of his arms?! "zhao shenjiang was a really strong opponent. i only managed to eke out a lucky victory after using up all my tricks." at this point, li luo smiled and continued, "but my achievements are nothing compared to cousin lingjings. she managed to condense her ninth heavenly pearl. not even zhao yan, who broke into the lesser heavenly resonance tier with the help of a resonance forming pill, was able to get an edge over her in a fight." when they heard about this, the members of the dragon blood, dragon bone, and dragon horn lineages fell silent as they stared at li lingjing in surprise. even li wuyuan''s face trembled as he asked with a dry mouth, "you managed to enter the nine-pearl tier?!" nine heavenly pearls was considered the pinnacle, and reaching it required a shocking amount of accumulated foundation and potential. of course, li wuyuan harbored ambitions to reach it as well during his previous breakthrough. however, he had fallen short by a little bit just like zhao yan and the rest. he could only choose to push for the lesser heavenly resonance tier in the end. in the past, li wuyuan could have said that li lingjing was someone with pointless ambition who had failed to get into the heavenly dragons five guardian armies. without a doubt, he looked down on her a little. now he had to admit that her potential and foundation were extraordinary. in fact, she was leagues above him. after all, there were few nine-pearls even in the heavenly dragons five guardian armies. li lingjing held onto her staff and laughed lightly. "it''s all thanks to this weapon, the aquamarine bamboo python staff, which was a gift from my cousin li luo. this is the only reason i was only able to fight off zhao yan." when the others heard her, their eyes turned towards the aquamarine bamboo python staff. there were three mythical violet marks on it, which made their eyes twitch a little. "a triple violet-eye treasured artifact. dragon''s head li luo is certainly generous," one of the guys muttered enviously. li luo could not help but stare at li lingjing a little. must she bring this up every time she gets an opportunity to? she must be doing it on purpose. however, li lingjing simply smiled happily, acting like she did not notice. li wuyuan was silent for a while before he forced a smile and responded, "congratulations to you all, then." evidently, his high spirits and haughty attitude from before had died off. he originally planned to assert his edge over the dragon''s fang lineage with his huge power-up and make use of this chance to regain command of the whole detachment. however, he did not expect the dragon''s fang lineage to have obtained such remarkable achievements. although li lingjing was not yet at the heavenly resonance tier, the significance of the nine-pearl tier could be said to be even greater. li hongli''s charming face darkened upon hearing their conversation. her lively mouth had stopped and the gloating look in her eyes had faded. on the side, the people from the dragon''s bone lineage and the dragon''s horn lineage were looking a little perplexed. how had the strength of the dragon''s fang lineage risen to the point that they nearly overshadowed the dragon''s blood lineage? was this the comeback of the dragon''s fang lineage?! li luo smiled a little and said, "brother wuyuan, let''s work together since everyone has gathered again. this place is full of dangers, and the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao are lurking in the shadows. if we split up again, it''ll be even more perilous for all of us." indeed, the strength of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao was not to be underestimated. zhao yan had reached the heavenly resonance tier and posed a significant threat. most importantly, the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing was around here somewhere as well. especially qin yi. if they worked together with the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, it would be terrible news for the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. as such, it was best for li luo to grab onto li wuyuan and the rest as there was strength in numbers. blood was also thicker than water. even if they were to take a beating, they should endure it as a whole. li wuyuan nodded vaguely. this was also his initial plan. after all, the people from the other bloodlines were also starting to group up themselves. however, he was finding it more and more challenging to lead the teams now that the dragon''s fang lineage was getting stronger and stronger. his authority had undoubtedly weakened, and they were in a position to object to his commands now. nonetheless, li luo was not bothered by li wuyuan''s feelings. he just needed more people to shield him from the multitude of attacks he would inevitably attract. at this moment, his eyes scanned the surroundings yet again, and he raised his head to look over to the other corner of the square. amidst the noise and commotion, he saw a girl with a veiled face surrounded by a group of people. she looked over with a pair of bright and cold eyes from a distance. the girl''s skin appeared to be whiter than snow. she was wearing an indigo dress full of golden silk patterns embroidered on the edge. with her slender figure outlined by the simple yet gorgeous dress, many people had their hearts stolen on sight. li luo''s heart skipped a beat when he met her gaze. there was an indescribable familiarity to her. Chapter 1002: Heavenly Dipper Pearl Condensation Art chapter 1002: heavenly dipper pearl condensation art li luo pondered over how he could possibly feel a sense of familiarity with someone he had never met, the locked eyes with each other briefly. the delicate body of the veiled lady shook a little when she saw that recognizably handsome face. many suppressed emotions overwhelmed her like an uncontrollable tidal wave. however, someone walked between them at this point and blocked their sight. the girl regained control over her emotions, which quietly dissipated as she raised her head and looked at the person in front of her. it was a tall and good-looking young man with a bright smile on his face. his eyes were warm as he asked in a friendly voice, "what''s the matter, young mistress qing?" this gentleman was named mu yao. he was the beloved grandson of an elder of the golden dragon bank''s headquarters in the heavenly origin divine continent. in terms of background, he was possibly one of the most prestigious amongst the young cultivators that had entered the spiritual resonance cave. his talent was also extraordinary. he was also just as well known as the top elites like zhao yan, qin ying, and li wuyuan. when she heard his question, the lady called young mistress qing shook her head gently and replied softly, "it''s nothing, i just felt a wave of dizziness after being transported here. speaking of which, thank you so much for your protection throughout this trip, big brother mu." mu yao smiled and responded, "you''re too kind, young mistress qing. there are many strong people around you. there''s no need for me to protect you at all. it''s just that we have to do a great job as the hosts, or my grandfather will give me a hard time when i return." his attitude and words were passionate. while they were talking, his eyes also lingered on the beautiful eyes of the young lady that were as clear as an icy lake. these were faint signs that he was interested in her... no, in fact, it was pretty obvious to everyone around them. however, this was to be expected. after all, a virtuous lady was the perfect partner for a gentleman like him. this young mistress came from a prestigious bloodline with an extraordinary background. in terms of status and looks, she was leagues above the girls back in the headquarters of the heavenly origin divine continent''s golden dragon bank. as such, it was no surprise that mu yao''s heart was moved. "young mistress qing, we''ve entered the spiritual resonance palace already. your mission is our priority. we of the golden dragon bank headquarters will give you our full support," mu yao continued. "i''m sorry to have troubled you all." then young mistress qing nodded slightly. she did not seem to notice the feverish gaze coming from mu yao as she continued, "without further ado, let''s move out, then." "let''s go, elder sister jin." she turned around, and there was a tall lady that had been following her closely, protecting her at all times. the tall lady nodded in agreement. leading the group, they quickly made their way over to the end of the square. young mistress qing stopped herself from looking over at li luo again as she hurriedly followed the group. her most important task on hand was to finish her mission. she could find a chance to meet li luo again later. mu yao and his group followed them from behind. however, he turned and looked over at li luo before he left. his eyes moved a little. he had been closely watching young mistress qing all this while, so he had naturally noticed that she had glanced at li luo earlier. previously unseen emotions were present in her usually cold eyes. clearly, she was not looking at a stranger. besides... he had many informants as the grandson of a senior elder of the heavenly origin divine continent''s golden dragon bank. he knew that young mistress qing had sent someone to deliver a nine orifices dipper smelting pill over to li luo on the night before they entered the spiritual resonance cave. this confirmed his suspicion that they knew each other. in fact, they were probably very close. "li luo is from an outer divine continent, right? how did he get to know young mistress qing?" a faint smile hung on mu yao''s handsome face as he murmured to himself, but there was a cold light briefly flashed across his eyes. "i hope you don''t spoil my plans." ....... li luo turned back towards his team as he watched people disappear into the distance. he was unsure if that familiar feeling from before was his imagination. "let''s move out. since we''ve arrived at the spiritual resonance palace, we have to give the heavenly dipper wheel a go," li wuyuan stated. everyone''s attention was drawn to him immediately. "heavenly dipper wheel? what''s that?" li luo asked li fuling in confusion. "the heavenly dipper wheel is a mythical treasure found in the spiritual resonance palace. it is said to contain countless pearl condensation arts. as long as one puts in some spirit resonance golden dew, they will be able to get a pearl condensation art that suits them. many of the heavenly pearl rogue cultivators have chosen to come into the spiritual resonance cave largely due to this," li fuling explained. li luo''s heart moved a little. "pearl condensation arts?" he had heard about these before. just like the fiend arts he cultivated back at the earth fiend tier, pearl condensation arts were cultivation methods unique to the heavenly pearl tier. their use was simply to speed up the process of condensing a new heavenly pearl. as li luo had just broken into the heavenly pearl tier, he did not have a chance to properly pick up any pearl condensation arts for himself. there were also many of them kept in the dragon''s fang lineage so he was not in a hurry. initially, he had planned to look for one that suited him back in the dragon''s fang lineage after the spiritual resonance cave had concluded. "cousin li luo, you can try your luck since you''ve reached the heavenly pearl tier already. although there are many pearl condensation arts back in the dragon''s fang lineage, they pale in comparison to the sheer collection available in the heavenly dipper wheel. moreover, the pearl condensation arts from here have a strong affinity with one''s resonance. you have triple resonances, so your requirements for a pearl condensation art must be really stringent. if you can find one that suits you from the heavenly dipper wheel, it''ll be wonderful," li fuling suggested. li luo was slightly moved by her words. a good and suitable pearl condensation art was the dream of every cultivator at the heavenly pearl tier. as the two of them were chatting about it, they began to follow li wuyuan. they swiftly walked towards one side of the square. at the same time, li luo also noticed many others moving in the same direction. they were clearly going after the so-called heavenly dipper wheel too. as they all moved at top speed in the same direction, an elevated platform came into sight after a few moments. a giant, white jade wheel that was thousands of feet tall stood on the platform. its surface was decorated with many ancient runes, and it gave everyone who gazed upon it an inexplicable feeling. many people had gathered at the bottom of the wheel, watching it with eyes full of greed. n-)o)/v-(e/.1-)b/)1.-n "why aren''t they doing anything?" li luo asked when he saw that no one was doing anything. they were simply watching each other with ferocious gazes. "they do not have enough spirit resonance golden dew," li wuyuan said calmly. "each person has to fork out a hundred droplets of spirit resonance golden dew to activate the heavenly dipper wheel. this is not a small amount for most rogue cultivators." li luo was shocked to hear this. indeed, a hundred drops of spirit resonance golden dew was no small amount. previously, they only needed thirty droplets to activate the gold resonant talisman back at the golden dew platform. li hongli suddenly chimed in. "the dragon''s blood lineage, the dragon''s horn lineage, and the dragon''s bone lineage have only gathered up two hundred droplets. that''s only enough for two people. brother qingfeng is going to be one of them, so you can forget about us giving anything to you." there was a warning hidden behind her words. with only two slots and li qingfeng taking one of them, she was naturally going to be taking the remaining one. there was no way she would give it up to the dragon''s fang lineage. the pearl condensation arts found in the heavenly dipper wheel were perfect for young cultivators like them, who had just entered the heavenly pearl tier. as for those at the higher tiers like li wuyuan, li fuling, and the rest, they already had pearl condensation arts that they were familiar with, so there was no need for them to spend any more effort on it. "who cares!" li fengyi replied unhappily. li hongli pouted as she retorted, "well, are you able to afford a hundred droplets of spirit resonance golden dew?" li fengyi hesitated. she was not clear about the situation of the other teams. however, her team was still far from the hundred droplets of spirit resonance golden dew required after spending some of them at the golden dew platform earlier. li jingtao laughed out loud and said, "let''s gather up what we have between us. it should be enough to give third brother a chance." li fuling nodded and agreed. "let''s do that, then." at this point, li luo frowned and asked, "a hundred droplets of spirit resonance golden dew for each slot you say?" li fengyi sighed and answered, "yes, it''s basically daylight robbery." li luo laughed it off and said, "that''s not too bad." everyone rolled their eyes when they heard his seemingly arrogant comment. however, they immediately saw li luo taking out three jade bottles from his pocket sphere, and he throw them to li fengyi, li jingtao, and deng fengxian. "come on, everyone in dragon''s fang lineage will have a share. one hundred droplets per person, go give it a try," he enunciated clearly. after he finished speaking, he turned over to lu qingmei and asked, "do you all have enough?" lu qingmei hesitated for a moment before she looked over to li guan. the latter replied back with some shame, "we''re thirty droplets short." as such, li luo took out another jade bottle and told her, "i''ll make up the difference for you all. we walk the same path, and i can''t let the dragon''s scale lineage get the shorter end of the stick." lu qingmei took the jade bottle and answered with a slight smile, "thank you for your generosity, dragon''s head." when li luo finished up over here, the dragon''s blood lineage, the dragon''s bone lineage, and the dragon''s scale lineage fell into silence yet again. Chapter 1003: Triple Palaces Six Resonances chapter 1003: triple palaces six resonances li fengyi, li jingtao, and the rest were stunned for a moment as they received the jade bottles from li luo. they hurried up and opened them to have a look. they were dumbfounded when they saw the sheer amount of spirit resonance golden dew within. "how did you get so much spirit resonance golden dew?" li fengyi asked in surprise. they had painstakingly worked on collecting it previously and barely got a hundred or so droplets. after she used some to activate the golden dew platform with li fuling earlier, there was not much left. yet li luo had casually thrown out a few bottles, which was in the hundreds of excess droplets. "i happened to pass by a secret realm with cousin lingjing by luck. we collected a lot of spirit resonance golden dew over there," li luo answered cheerfully. his rewards from the gilded hall were bountiful. and besides, he had also scouted the battlefield after their fight with the soul eater true devil and collected quite a bit more. "don''t worry, just take it," li luo said with a smile as he noticed their hesitation. li fengyi and li jingtao nodded when they heard his words. on the other hand, deng fengxian contemplated if he should accept such a huge gift from li luo. at this point, li fengyi turned over and asked him, "you don''t want to accept third brother''s gift. are you thinking of rebelling?" with that, deng fengxian could not help but accept it helplessly. "thank you, dragon''s head." li luo smiled and brushed it off with a wave of his hand. at this point, li fengyi leaned over to li hongli and said in a careless tone, "my third brother is selfless and will fork out of his own wallet for his companions. unlike him, someone wants to benefit even though she''s contributed nothing." li hongli''s face was red with fury when she heard those words. she knew that li fengyi was mocking her for taking up the second slot from the three lineages. however, she initially stood a really good chance at taking the second slot without li luo''s interference. with her background, she was likely to be able to convince the other two lineages even if they were slightly unhappy with the decision. yet li luo had gone off and shared his spirit resonance golden dew so generously in front of all of them. in fact, he had even offered to make up the difference for lu qingmei. if she still insisted on getting the second slot in such a situation, the contrast between the two sides would be glaring. the people from the other two lineages would surely feel dissatisfied about it. perhaps this was exactly what li luo had hoped for. he wanted to make use of this opportunity to sow discord between the dragon''s blood, dragon''s bone, and dragon''s horn lineages. li wuyuan''s face looked a little stiff when he thought about all of this. after a few moments, he turned towards the teams from the dragon''s horn and dragon''s bone lineages and said with a smile, "we have two slots over here. one will be given to qingfeng. as for the other slot, you can nominate someone from your side." he had no choice but to give up the slot that was originally planned for li hongli. li hongli was about to say something. however, she was quickly silenced by a stare from li wuyuan as he told her, "it''s just a pearl condensation art. we have many back at the dragon''s blood lineage. they aren''t at all inferior to the ones you can get here." li hongli swallowed back her words. she was not a fool either. she knew that li wuyuan could not show favoritism to her now, or the other two lineages would openly express their dissatisfaction. this could give the dragon''s fang lineage a chance to get ahead in this generation. she felt disgruntled over this conclusion. if she had known about it beforehand, she would not have opened her mouth and gloated to li luo and li fengyi. in the end, she had shot herself in the foot. nonetheless, li luo was not bothered by her unhappiness. he raised his head and looked at the giant heavenly dipper wheel. some people had already gathered a hundred droplets of spirit resonance golden dew at this point and began to move onto the elevated platform. li luo could see a few familiar faces amongst them. qin yi, zhu dayu, jiang wanyu, zhao shenjiang. it was clear that they were all interested in the pearl condensation art that was deemed most suitable for them. although they were all from reputable backgrounds with endless support, pearl condensation arts were rather unique. the art needed to have nearly perfect affinity with one''s resonance in order to speed up the efficiency of condensing heavenly pearls to the maximum. as such, there was a huge element of luck involved in finding the right art. as li luo looked at them, one of the fellows on the platform reached out and touched the giant heavenly dipper wheel with the spirit resonance golden dew in his palm. a stream of golden light flowed into it, and the heavenly dipper wheel gradually began to spin. many ancient and complicated runes began to glow and moved about as if they were stars in a constellation in the sky. the heavenly dipper wheel did not spin for long before it stopped. under everyone''s gazes, a beam of light that was over thirty feet tall fell from the sky and landed between the eyebrows of the guy that had activated the wheel. that man immediately concentrated on the information that had surfaced in his mind. a satisfied smile followed a few moments later. he was clearly elated with the pearl condensation art that he had received. many people followed after him and began to spin the heavenly dipper wheel one after another. after watching them for a moment, li luo noticed a certain pattern to it. it seemed like the longer the heavenly dipper wheel spun, the brighter the beam of light that followed when the pearl condensation art fell from the sky. without a doubt, the resulting pearl condensation arts were surely better. in this short span of time, dozens of people had walked up to the wheel. the highest beam of light that he had seen so far was only around one hundred feet tall. as more and more talents began to walk up to it, the bestowed arts seemed to have improved. zhu dayu, jiang wanyu, and zhao shenjiang were able to draw beams of light that were over three hundred feet tall. there was nothing to pick about something as wonderful as that. however, the most stunning of all was qin yi. her dress floated in the air as she walked up before everyone''s gazes. her jade hand reached out, and the heavenly dipper wheel began to spin. it spun for a good five minutes. it was so long that some people''s eyes began to twitch in impatience. in the end, a pale-blue beam of light fell from the sky. this one was over five hundred feet tall. it came down like a comet and landed between qin yis eyebrows. she concentrated on the abstruse pearl condensation art that had appeared in her mind. a moment later, a pleased smile bloomed on her charming face. the art she had received was comparable to the best amongst the ones in the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. moreover, it was an even better match for her compared to those. her cultivation speed would definitely be improved by leaps and bounds with this new pearl condensation art. it was a truly wonderful reward. qin yi''s charming figure disappeared into the crowd once again under everyone''s gazes of envy. on the other hand, li luo rubbed his hand together as he prepared to move onto the platform with li fengyi and the rest. he had understood from watching the others before him. it seemed like those with higher resonance grades would receive a pearl condensation art with a correspondingly higher grade. li fengyi and li jingtao were the first to give it a try. they each received a pearl condensation art with a beam of light that was two hundred feet tall. seeing this, li luo stretched out his hand and touched the heavenly dipper wheel too. it was cold as ice. li luo watched it carefully. he could sense that there was a terrifying energy hidden within this object. however, the energy was not really activated. it was probably a protective mechanism set up in case someone tried to destroy the heavenly dipper wheel. it was no wonder. anyone from the heavenly emperor powers would be tempted to get their hands on such a precious treasure. although the pearl condensation art was only useful for those at the heavenly pearl tier, it was one of the main factors in progressing rapidly in this tier. if a faction could get their hands on such a treasure to speed up the cultivation of their young, they could definitely get an edge over others. as li luo thought about this, his palm with a hundred droplets of spirit resonance golden dew had already touched the heavenly dipper wheel. the wheel began to spin. everyone watched closely, including qin yi, jiang wanyu, and zhao shenjiang, who had finished their turns. after all, li luo''s strength had reached new heights after his battle with zhao shenjiang earlier. everyone would naturally watch his every move as he stood tallest in the current generation. their eyes followed intently as the heavenly dipper wheel spun. after a while, their eyes started getting a little tired. they suddenly snapped back into reality and realized that the wheel was spinning for a little too long! at this point, their gazes turned a little curious. even the five hundred feet of light qin yi had drawn earlier had been quicker, right? were li luos triple resonances even better than her lower ninth-grade water resonance? qin yi watched this scene intently. her beautiful eyes wavered a little. everyone thought that li luo only had triple resonances, but she knew from her fight with him earlier that it was not simply three resonancesthere were actually primary and secondary resonances. in other words, he had a total of six resonance affinities. it was naturally challenging to find a perfect pearl condensation art for such a complicated resonance composition. even the heavenly dipper wheels deep library simply might not contain a perfect art for it.nove/lb/1n when she thought about how li luo could end up empty-handed here, she almost felt like laughing. it was not really directed at his possible dismay and disappointment, but at the absurdity of the situation. li luo was also starting to think the heavenly dipper wheel was spinning a tad too long at this point. he frowned and asked, "it couldn''t be that, right? surely it can''t be so hard to find a compatible pearl condensation art for me?" just as he started to fret over this, he began to feel a strange, tingling sensation within his body. his face suddenly changed when he felt this sensation. he noticed that the strange feeling was coming from the auric halo within his body. the auric halo had shown no reaction whatsoever no matter how he had tried to interact with it. at this moment, it was actually spinning! in the same moment, the heavenly dipper wheel in front of him trembled a little, and the mysterious auric halo in him began moving. the runes around the heavenly dipper wheel glowed rapidly. a beam of light seemed to have shot out from the deepest part of the wheel. all the worldly natural energy in the surroundings shook violently when the beam of light shot out. it fell down from a height of more than a thousand feet! everyone stared with wide eyes. this beam of light was more than twice as tall as qin yis! under everyone''s surprised stares, the light landed between li luo''s eyebrows. he quickly concentrated his mind and inspected it cautiously. complicated messages flooded his mind at this moment. "triple palaces six resonances pearl condensation art." as li luo studied his new pearl condensation art, his eyes glowed brightly in excitement and surprise. this pearl condensation art... it''s no coincidence! it was created specially for him! Chapter 1004: The Cave Abode chapter 1004: the cave abode "triple palaces six resonances pearl condensation art." li luo contemplated the special pearl condensation art that had surfaced in his mind. like its name suggested, it was a really complicated art created for someone with three resonant palaces and six resonances. despite its difficulty, it was able to condense heavenly pearls with utmost efficiency. although li luo had not come into contact with any other pearl condensation arts, he could still tell just how advanced and complex the art before him was. in terms of grade, he felt that perhaps none of the ones in the sea of pearl condensation arts back in the dragon''s fang lineage would be comparable to this. n)-o-/v/)e/-l)-b/)i)/n however, what was most strange about it all... was that this art seemed to have been custom made for him. it seemed like too much of a coincidence here. could it be that the heavenly dipper wheel had tailored a custom art exclusively for him? or was this something that already existed beforehand? it had dropped out of the wheel like all the rest despite being a perfect match for someone unique like him. . however, if it already existed beforehand, did it mean that someone back in the ancient sacred void resonance sect had three resonant palaces and six resonances just like him? li luo pondered all of this. the acquired resonance godly forging art could give one acquired resonances. in other words, there were people who had blank palaces in the past, just like him. it was not at all inconceivable that someone from the sacred void resonance sect possessed similar circumstances. li luo was submerged deep in his thoughts for but a moment before he quickly snapped out of his trance. this was not the time to be thinking about all this. regardless, it was good news that he had found this pearl condensation art. it would greatly speed up his progress through the heavenly pearl tier. at this moment, he felt countless gazes shooting through him like sharp knives. these piercing gazes seemed to be trying to look through him. clearly, the beam of light earlier that was a thousand feet tall had stunned everyone completely. the spiritual resonance cave had opened multiple times in the past. however, there had been no news of anyone who had gotten a pearl condensation art that reached such heights. this was a pearl condensation art that was incredibly rare even amongst the heavenly emperor powers. yet li luo had managed to get ahold of one such art right before their eyes. envious looks continued to pepper him. over at the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, zhao jingyu shouted angrily as he watched with red eyes, "what a bastard. why is he always so lucky?!" it was enough that he had gotten lucky back at the golden dew platform. this time, he had easily obtained a marvelous pearl condensation art from the heavenly dipper wheel. one could not help but wonder if the spiritual resonance cave existed just for him. zhao shenjiang frowned and his face darkened too. before he entered the spiritual resonance cave, he didnt consider li luo a threat at all. he was not even concerned about someone like li qingfeng, so why would he ever pay attention to some country bumpkin from an outer divine continent? originally, he was exceptionally confident that he could smash the elites from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li in the spiritual resonance cave. everyone from the heavenly origin divine continent could see for themselves that they, the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, were the stronger ones in this generation. however, li luo''s appearance had shattered his dreams. during the battle back at the golden dew platform, it was clear that li luo was not at all weaker than him. after his breakthrough, even the unruly zhao shenjiang had to admit that the power balance between the two had tilted despite his one pearl advantage. he could only imagine how quickly the advanced pearl condensation art that li luo had just obtained would allow him to fly through the heavenly pearl tier and catch up. when that time came, the gap between the two would widen once again. as he thought about this, a murderous intent lit up deep within his eyes. he turned towards zhao yan and said solemnly, "brother zhao yan, li luo''s potential is unlimited. he''ll definitely be a threat to us in the future." zhao yan looked at him and asked, "what do you want to do?" "find a chance to kill him before we leave the spiritual resonance cave, of course," zhao shenjiang replied coldly. zhao yan was silent for a moment. "the bloodline of heavenly emperor li is pretty strong. li lingjing is already a nine-pearl. she''s not any weaker than me. besides, there''s still li wuyuan..." "that''s why we need to work with the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. qin lian and li luo''s parents have deep enmity between them. i believe she has tasked qin yi to take care of li luo here," zhao shenjiang said. "work with the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing..." zhao yan''s eyes flickered. his heart trembled as he looked over at the charming figure not too far away. that was none other than qin yi. at this moment, qin yi was silently watching li luo as well. she thought that li luo would return empty-handed for a moment. but he had managed to obtain an extraordinary pearl condensation art in the end. "could it be a triple palaces six resonances pearl condensation art that is fully compatible with li luo?" even qin yi could not help but exclaim in surprise. this was such something so unique that she had not even heard of it in the vast library which she frequented back in the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. "li luo is really lucky. or should i say, his luck in the spiritual resonance cave seems to have been exceptionally good." qin yi''s eyes wavered a little. besides, he powered up significantly since we parted ways back at the gilded hall. this should be due to the golden dew platform. i heard that he even defeated zhao shenjiang earlier? that''s a truly shocking accomplishment." qin yi sighed a little in her heart. li luo''s talent was immeasurable. one had to remember that he had spent a significant amount of his childhood in an outer divine continent. although she would not underestimate people just because they were from an outer divine continent, the resources available were ultimately much worse than what the inner divine continent had access to. this would ultimately result in a huge difference in cultivation speed even for those with the same amount of talent. yet li luo, who had spent many years away, had managed to catch up with all the elites from his generation in just the short span of a single year. such a talent was something that she definitely could not belittle. if possible, qin yi would not want to make an enemy of li luo. however, their family''s history was complicated, so they were fated to clash no matter what. her strong-willed mother would never allow her to get any closer to li luo, let alone become friends with him. qin yi lowered her eyes. on the other hand, li luo was not bothered by the gazes of jealousy coming from all directions. he left the platform with li fengyi and the rest and returned to the meeting point for the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. li wuyuan, li hongli, and the rest continued to stare at him. they had not expected li luo to cause such a huge commotion just by going for a simple pearl condensation art. feeling the eyes of greed from all directions, li wuyuan''s face twitched a little. although they were not afraid of others just because of this, they truly felt a sense of helplessness after getting dragged into such a situation. "brother wuyuan, don''t worry. the bloodline of heavenly emperor li is not to be trifled with. if any of them come after us, we''ll let them have a taste of the combined iron fist of our five lineages," li luo said to him after sensing his feelings. li wuyuan''s mouth curled up into a bitter smile. this brat has waited until now to mention that we are all from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li? why didn''t he distribute any spirit resonance golden dew to us earlier, then?! in the end, li wuyuan said with a muffled voice, "let''s go." he led them away as others stared intently at their backs. it was best for them to leave the area as soon as possible. li luo grinned happily as he nodded. the group left the area and made their way into the deeper parts of the spiritual resonance palace. ...... as li luo and the rest left for the depths, the young mistress known as qing and the golden dragon bank''s group had gotten through multiple defensive wards on the other side of the palace. they had paused right before a cave abode. the gates to this cave were tightly shut, and it was covered in faintly glowing energy runes. there were terrifying energy waves pulsing from it that would leave anyone stunned. at the same time, anyone could tell that the cave was filled with an extreme sort of frost and cold. it was an unexplainable chill that left even their souls shivering. as young mistress qing looked at this, her eyes that previously belied an icy lake fluttered a little. however, she did not notice that the man named mu yao was also staring at the cave. a strange look flashed across his eyes. Chapter 1005: Glacier Godlotus chapter 1005: glacier godlotus the tightly shut gates of the cave were covered with the corrosive marks of time. despite that, the wards were solid and gave off a frightening sensation, unaffected by the passing of time and holding great power to this day. "young mistress qing, the wards have been preserved very well. i''m afraid even a duke would have difficulty penetrating them." mu yao frowned as he examined the cave abode''s gates. at the same time, the others from the golden dragon bank nodded in agreement. young mistress qing''s veil seemed to shift slightly as though she was smiling. "that is not a problem. since we chose to come here, we have naturally made arrangements." she stretched out her right arm, revealing that it was garbed in snow-white, ice silk gloves. she gingerly removed the gloves, exposing her flawless jade hand to the biting chill. yet those hands seemed to bring a sense of coldness to the air around it. simply leaving it exposed caused a cold mist to form around them. just looking at her flawless hands left all of the men and women around her a little surprised. that hand was too beautiful for their mortal eyes. it almost looked like a divine work of art. suddenly, a complicated, dark-blue rune that seemed to be made of ice appeared in the center of young mistress qing''s palm. it contained an indescribably terrifying power. she then placed her hand on the gates to the cave abode. a moment later, dark-blue frost spread out from her palm and completely encapsulated the gates. the wards that protected the gates then gradually began to dim after being sealed by the dark-blue frost.n()o/-v((e(/l)(b--1-.n it was then when the heavy gates began to slowly open up. "let''s go. this seal will only last for a period of time, so we cannot tarry." young mistress qing took the lead into the abode. behind the gates was a massive cave where an endless number of icicles hung from the ceiling and protruded from the ground. a piercing chill permeated the entire area. it was as though they had walked into a world of ice. everyone curiously sized up their surroundings. however, at this point in time, the surrounding icicles seemed to be making some clacking sounds. a brief moment later, they snapped off and transformed into numerous icy puppets. the puppets were a defensive measure that had activated upon sensing intruders. bang! the moment they took form, they spat out cold air before taking on a life of their own and attacking the group. "elder brother mu yao, i''ll have to trouble you to restrain them," young mistress qing said. "you can rest assured, young mistress qing. focus on your mission and leave the rabble to us," mu yao immediately asserted as boundless amounts of resonant power burst forth from his body. he led a group to fight off the ice puppets. when the two sides clashed, energy undulations swept across the frigid world. young mistress qing, under the protection of elder sister jin, then rushed forward, weaving through the complex layout of the cave. after avoiding many obstructions, she eventually emerged in an underground location full of ice crystals. the area pulsed with a cold air, and flowers bloomed amidst the ice crystals. these were no simple flowersthey looked like sapphires, reflecting a deep, dark-blue radiance as they basked in the chilly light. in the centermost area was a frozen platform. it looked to be made of ice as it was transparent and exuded intense frostiness. young mistress qing''s crisp gaze turned towards the peak of the platform. there was a white lotus quietly growing there. it was absorbing the frigid air from the heavens and earth and almost seemed like a sculpture made out of ice. the lotus itself was covered in numerous ancient runes that gave it a hint of mystique. most uniquely, there was a seat right in the middle of the lotus. it was a flowerbud that appeared to be transparent, and one could make out a vague, human-shaped figure no larger than the size of a palm curled up within. young mistress qing''s eyes flickered as she observed the snow-white lotus, and she murmured to herself, "so it truly is a glacier godlotus." the glacier godlotus was a scarcely seen heavenly treasure. it was incomparably valuable to those who possessed ice resonances. most importantly, when the glacier godlotus reached maturity, an ice spirit would take form. this was her true aim. with that, her ice resonance would fundamentally metamorphosize and she would reach a peerless compatibility with the holy permafrost seed of her family. she cautiously made her way towards the icy platform. the one addressed as elder sister jin followed closely, her gaze cautiously observing their surroundings. it was at this point that her expression changed. she hurriedly stretched her hand out and grabbed the young mistress as she spat out a ball of golden light that gave off a peerlessly sharp aura towards the attackers. ding! the golden light immediately clashed with the tip of a sharp sword, erupting with immeasurable amounts of resonant power and completely shattering the blade. at the moment elder sister jin took action, the bodyguards who had been accompanying them appeared, all with gazes that glinted with vicious light. they directly jumped into action, looking to harm young mistress qing. the sudden ambush left elder sister jin confused, and she bellowed, "lu san, what are all of you doing?!" however, all of the bodyguards turned a deaf ear to her pleas as they continued to ferociously strike at the young mistress. young mistress qing frowned as her hands formed a hand seal. a bracelet made of dark-blue beads appeared on her slender wrist, each bead engraved with frosty runes. with a flick of her fingers, the beads shot outwards and formed a series of ice-crystal shields that floated before her and blocked the relentless assault. ding! clang! the shields held firm as the wave of attacks was repelled, then the attackers quickly retreated. elder sister jin hurriedly stood before young mistress qing as she shouted in fury, "lu san, have you all gone crazy? you dare to ambush the young mistress? aren''t you afraid of the consequences?!" these individuals had been specially chosen to become the young mistress'' bodyguards. they were originally a group of loyal helpers, but it seemed like they had chosen to betray them. this was something elder sister jin could not believe. when faced with her frustrated shouts, the figures remained deathly silent. "elder sister jin, there is no need to beat yourself up over this. since they took action, it means that their intention has always been to obstruct me, not to protect me," young mistress qing said indifferently. when elder sister jin heard those words, she felt her heart shudder. all of these bodyguards had been selected by the family head himself. yet they were still compromised, which demonstrated how deep the plot went. it seemed that there were numerous people in golden dragon mountain that were not keen on seeing the young mistress obtain the glacier godlotus. young mistress qing spoke her mind as she stared at the group. "i suppose there should still be more of you. however, they probably did not enter as bodyguards. the most likely possibility is that they are from the heavenly origin divine continent''s golden dragon bank." as soon as she finished speaking, a peal of laughter came from the path that led here. "young mistress qing, you are a sharp one. it looks like you already harbored doubts about us from the beginning." at this point, mu yao appeared with ten others, slowly sauntering in. as he made his way over, he inadvertently released the resonant power within him, exuding a wave of pressure that swept across the icy cave. he was at the lesser heavenly resonance tier. he was no weaker than zhao yan, who had borrowed the aid of a resonance forming pill! elder sister jin could feel the pressure radiating from the enemy, and her expression turned gloomy. when they were on the golden dew platform, mu yao was only half a step into the lesser heavenly resonance tier. he had clearly concealed his true strength. elder sister jin herself was only half a step into the heavenly resonance tier. the two of them were previously neck and neck, but now he held the advantage. additionally, there were countless helpers with him. including the bodyguards who had turned against them. their strength had waned immensely. "young mistress, hurry and take the treasure. i''ll escort you out of here immediately after!" elder sister jin whispered. young mistress qing shook her head slightly. "you are not strong enough to deal with him." at this point, mu yao revealed a warm smile. "young mistress qing, i truly don''t wish to hurt you. however, the glacier godlotus cannot end up in your hands. if you are willing to let it go, we will escort you out of here." young mistress qing then took a step forward, stepping in front of elder sister jin. the veil covering her face rippled, as though she was smiling. "sure." listening to her concede so readily shocked mu yao. just as he was about to respond, young mistress qing raised her hand, and a dark-blue rune surfaced from her palm. bang! a moment later, a dark-blue halo of light suddenly swept across the group before her. the light contained an indescribable sort of coldness that completely froze the world before her. this included the entire group that had ambushed them. mu yao''s expression warped as he swiftly roused his heavenly resonance tier resonant power to resist it. however, the halo of light was tyrannically mighty, easily freezing his resonant power when it swept past his body. as a result, mu yao noticed that he was gradually losing control of his body before he transformed into a sculpture of ice. "young mistress qing, your own body will also be sealed by the frost by doing this," mu yao said in a gloomy tone. it was indeed as he said. the method employed by her did not differentiate friend from foe, and she similarly lost all control of her entire body as the frost spread across her skin. "young mistress!" elder sister jin worriedly shouted. at this point in time, young mistress qing stretched her hand out, shooting an icy talisman into elder sister jin''s hand. she calmly told her, "hurry and leave. find li luo and tell him that his old friend seeks his help." elder sister jin was taken aback. this was an internal struggle of the golden dragon bank, and li luo was the bloodline of heavenly emperor li''s dragon''s head, so why would he stick his nose into this? however, the frost seal was still spreading, so elder sister jin couldnt just stand there. she directly shot out of the area with the aid of the icy talisman protecting her. when she was a distance away, she turned back to look. the entire passage had been frozen solid, and the temperature alone made her shudder. elder sister jin hesitated for a moment before she made her decision. clenching her teeth, she rushed out of the cave. chapter marked as read! undo Chapter 1006: Treasure Trove chapter 1006: treasure trove the spiritual resonance palace was majestic and awe-inspiring. although it was full of treasures and opportunities, danger lurked behind every corner. this was completely different from the gilded hall li luo had previously explored. the entire area here was filled with defensive wards. if one came into contact with one recklessly, it would trigger a counterattack powerful enough to turn any cultivator in the cave to dust. the correct way to break through the defensive wards was to take things step by step and exploit any flaws found within them. coupled with their advantage in numbers, the cultivators could then crack them open. no matter how strong a ward was, they were ultimately autonomous and there were loopholes to be found. li luo and the rest passed through the outer region of the spiritual resonance palace. they eventually found themselves surrounded by dilapidated buildings. the runes that made up the wards had already vanished and the interior of the buildings was empty and barren. it was as though a swarm of locusts had swept through. this was likely the work of those who had entered the cave in times past. as the number of times the spiritual resonance cave opened up increased, more and more elites pillaged the spiritual resonance palace, gradually moving into its depths. "now that we have entered the spiritual resonance palace, our most important aim is here." li wuyuan had removed a simple map from his pocket sphere and pointed at a specific location. as many others had explored this location in the past, the bloodline of heavenly emperor li had naturally accumulated knowledge of the area. li luo swept his gaze across and noticed that the area which li wuyuan was pointing at was marked in a poignant, dark-red color. "based on what we know, this is the spiritual resonance treasured garden. there are numerous heavenly treasures that have been planted and raised there. if any of these objects were placed in the outside world, they would be priceless. there was once a lucky rogue cultivator who managed to make his way in. he managed to obtain a crimson sun godflame fruit, which, when eaten, allows one to create a secondary resonance of the fire element." despite being from a heavenly emperor power, hearing those words caused the group''s eyes to blaze with endless desire. a treasure that could give birth to a secondary resonance was absolutely priceless. if it were auctioned at the golden dragon bank, the price would be terrifying. however, li luo was a little indifferent. a secondary resonance might be rare to others, but it wasn''t that attractive to him. all of his resonances had both a primary and secondary resonance component to them. even if he obtained the same fruit, he couldn''t get another second secondary resonance. thus, treasures that pertained to secondary resonances were not as interesting to him. what he was keen on were treasures that could raise his resonance grade. who knew if he could encounter something in the spiritual resonance treasured garden that would evolve his resonances yet again. although he had already benefited greatly from the spiritual resonance cave, li luo''s wild heart could not be satisfied so easily. the spiritual resonance treasured garden will naturally be protected by massive and powerful wards. i believe even dukes would be unable to force their way through them. however, our forebears, through repeated experiments, have managed to determine certain rules to it. there are seven treasure troves in the vicinity of the spiritual resonance treasured garden. they might seem to be scattered randomly, but they are actually the secret to the garden''s wards. if the treasure troves are all destroyed, it can cause flaws to appear in the main set of wards, which gives us an opportunity to enter. this information is something that only top tier powers possess. thus, it can be said that everyone''s interests will be aligned to ensure that the troves are all destroyed. additionally, the treasure troves can be thought of as delicious steamed buns. they can possibly contain large amounts of spirit liquids and purifying lights, pills, and other things. thus, the quicker we act, the more we can get out of them." li wuyuan shared all the information he knew in a single stream of words. at the same time, his gaze turned towards li lingjing. the fact that she had reached the nine-pearl tier meant that she was now the strongest individual amongst the entire group. li wuyuan flashed a warm smile towards her as he politely asked, "lady lingjing, do you have any opinions?" li lingjing''s potential was something others had to pay attention to. if she were to enter the dragon''s fang guardians, she would cause its power to soar massively. li wuyuan wanted to see if he could find ways to lure her into the dragon''s blood guardians instead. from what he knew, she didn''t have a particularly close relationship to the dragon''s fang lineage. ?additionally, she had a chilly disposition and might not have formed strong relationships with anyone. if the dragon''s blood lineage was willing to acquiesce certain benefits in her favor, there was potentially a chance that she might be convinced. alternatively, they could pick someone from the main lineage to marry into her western region''s li family and provide an opportunity to elevate her entire family. this was also a tantalizing thought. despite seeing how li wuyuan had suddenly changed his tone when dealing with her, li lingjing remained relatively nonchalant. she did not intend to reply, only turning her gaze towards li luo, signifying that his will was her will. li luo shot li wuyuan a curious glance. he could distinctly sense that the fellow had suddenly warmed up towards li lingjing significantly. he casually replied, "brother wuyuan, you speak a lot of sense. let''s go with your plan." li wuyuan beamed and nodded, but a trace of irritation could be seen in his gaze. the relationship between li luo and li lingjing seemed a little too deep, but based on what he knew, they had barely known each other for half a year. if the dragon''s blood guardians wanted to poach li lingjing, li luo was their biggest obstacle. the group left quickly and reached a dense thicket a while later. the outline of an ancient stone palace with a simple shape could be seen in the depths of the forest as runes glowed on its surface. li luo and the rest landed atop a tree outside the vicinity of the stone palace and closely observed it. they could see that the palace''s gates were shut tightly and there were mottled marks on it, evidence that a lot of time had passed since its construction. however, the clear glow of the runes meant that the wards remained active. there were two tidy rows of stone elephants outside the gate, attracting the gazes of the group. "those are guardian golems," li lingjing said as she glanced at the runes on the elephants. li wuyuan did not find this surprising. he took a step forward, and his heavenly resonance tier resonant power swept forth like a hurricane as he directly rushed forward. "let''s get rid of them first." when he neared the stone palace, the stone elephant golems'' eyes lit up and they came to life. packed with immense amounts of energy, they directly attacked li wuyuan. at this point li fuling, li guan, li luo, and the rest all took action, brawling with the stone elephant golems. a chaotic battle ensued. although it was an intense fight, it did not last long. the golems had already weakened with the passing of time and did not have much energy remaining. with the bloodline of heavenly emperor li cooperating and combining their efforts, the final golem was shattered to pieces with a smash of li lingjing''s staff just half an incense stick''s worth of time later. it was then that the wards on the ancient palace''s stone gates began to show signs of flickering and then gradually dimmed. eventually, the once tightly shut doors opened up. the group revealed cheerful looks at this sight. despite the treasure trove opening up, the group did not rush in like a hive of bees. li wuyuan recommended that they be separated into two squads. one to explore the palace and the other to secure the perimeter. doing so would deter the rogue cultivators who were like hungry locusts and prevent them from getting involved. this made a lot of sense, so li luo expressed his agreement. thus, the group drew lots to decide their taskings. in the end, li lingjing was chosen to lead the group into the treasure trove, whereas li wuyuan would lead another group to guard them. it was unfortunate, but li luo, li fengyi, and li jingtao had similarly drawn lots to become the guards and had to temporarily separate themselves from li lingjing. with that, they got to work. li lingjing left li luo with a few words before leading the group into the ancient palace. li wuyuan, on the other hand, led the group to the vicinity of the treasure trove and began to deter any rogue cultivators who were beginning to make their way over. li luo sat outside the treasure trove on the ground full of stone shards. li jingtao and li fengyi similarly accompanied him, and they began to banter. time gradually passed. a few rogue cultivators had indeed spotted the treasure trove and approached it with interest. however, the moment they saw the cold gazes of the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, they had no choice but to retreat. as a result, their task was relatively relaxed. but suddenly, a beam of light shot over. it was a woman whose body radiated immense amounts of resonant power. even li wuyuan felt threatened by this newcomer, so he waved his hand, summoning the group to him. n))0velb1n under the group''s curious looks, the beam of light landed at a location neither too far nor too close to the treasure trove''s entrance. they realized that it was a tall and slender lady. her expression was icy, and they could tell that she was no weaker than li wuyuan. "greetings, friend. we from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li have already taken ownership of this site. if you would like to hunt for treasures, please go elsewhere," li wuyuan gloomily announced. the tall lady glanced at li wuyuan. "i''m not here to steal treasures. i''m looking for someone. li luo specifically!" li wuyuan felt a little surprised, but before he could reply, li luo had stood up and made his way towards the familiar lady. it was then when he recognized her as the individual who had given him the nine orifices dipper smelting pill. li luo took a few steps forward as he asked suspiciously, "hello! may i ask why you are looking for me?" the tall lady was naturally elder sister jin, who sized him up immediately. she could not understand how he was related to the young mistress and neither did she know if he was willing to risk danger to rescue her. however, there was not much choice now, so she said, "my family''s young mistress said that an old friend is in trouble. she seeks your assistance." li luo felt a little confused. "an old friend?" when elder sister jin saw his expression, she added another sentence. "an old friend from the xia kingdom." it was then that li luo felt like he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. the other party was from the golden dragon bank, and now that he thought about it, they wouldn''t have sent him such a precious pill for no reason. then he recalled the coincidental moment when the two had locked eyes briefly on the white square. there was an indescribable sense of familiarity in those eyes. it all made sense now. that lady... was actually lu qing''er! Chapter 1007: Disagreement chapter 1007: disagreement "is your young mistress lu qing''er?" li luo''s emotions were churning. he already knew the answer, but he wanted confirmation. elder sister jin nodded. with that, li luo felt a sense of happiness well up within him. it was rare to find an old friend on the heavenly origin divine continent, so it was a pleasant revelation. "why is qing''er on the heavenly origin divine continent? did she not stay in the xia kingdom?" li luo thought that this was strange. the way elder sister jin addressed lu qing''er was full of respect, and it demonstrated that her position in the family was not low. the golden dragon bank was similarly a peak power in the continent, very possibly several degrees stronger than the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. "is it because of lu qing''er''s father?" li luo guessed in his heart. he was quite familiar with yu hongxi, and although she was the xia kingdom''s golden dragon bank president and possessed significant sway in the outer divine continent, it didn''t mean much in the context of the heavenly origin divine continent. thus, lu qing''ers current position should be due to her father. no matter how one looked at it, her father definitely wielded great influence and power in the golden dragon bank. however, li luo didn''t think too much about it. he immediately asked, "did qing''er meet with some sort of danger? let''s go, take me there!" he did not hesitate, as they were extremely close. if she was in trouble, he would definitely lend a helping hand. li luo''s quick response allowed elder sister jin to heave a short sigh of relief. it seemed like the relationship between the two was indeed not shallow. otherwise, he would not have offered to go without hesitation. "this actually involves an internal conflict of the golden dragon bank. the young mistress received a mission to retrieve a treasure in the spiritual resonance cave. unfortunately, another faction came out to obstruct us and a battle ensued. the young mistress used an almighty frost seal secret art and sealed everyone except me. i''ve come to get your help to assist her," elder sister jin quickly explained. li luo nodded. "let''s go, then." elder sister jin was taken aback. "just you?" one of the opponents was mu yao, and he had plenty of support. furthermore, mu yao himself had stepped into the lesser heavenly resonance tier, while li luo was only at the heavenly pearl tier! what could he achieve by himself? elder sister jin was more interested in the group dispatched by the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. she guessed that this was the young mistress'' intention as well. with li luo''s connections, the bloodline of heavenly emperor li would be good reinforcements. "little brother, i''ll go with you!" li fengyi hurriedly exclaimed. "you can''t go by yourself," li jingtao continued as he expressed his intention to follow as well. deng fengxian was no different. "you''re the dragon''s head. we can''t let you run off alone to save others." lu qingmei also smiled lightly. "now that i''ve taken your spirit resonance golden dew, if you need help, just ask."n)/o..v--e--l-(b.-1)(n elder sister jin was a little surprised by what she was witnessing. it seemed that li luo''s influence was quite extensive as well. however, the ones who had volunteered were part of the younger generation, so their strength was lacking. she was naturally looking for the assistance of stronger individuals. as a result, her gaze fell on the coldly watching li wuyuan. this was the sort of assistance she wanted. when faced with her gaze, li wuyuan''s expression did not change. instead, he frowned. "what are you bickering about? i don''t support your intervention with the golden dragon bank''s internal conflicts. that has nothing to do with us. additionally, we are guarding the treasure trove. if you leave, our strength will be reduced greatly. what will we do when another part shows up? this is something we are doing as a group. you need to think of the rest of us as well." li fengyi retorted irritatedly, "li luo''s friend is in danger. why can''t he render assistance in this situation?" "this is related to the golden dragon bank. it won''t be a simple affair, and if you end up provoking strong enemies, who will take responsibility for it?" li wuyuan indifferently replied. "in any case, i don''t agree with assisting them. it will also be impossible for me to help out. i have to guard the treasure trove." with that, the discussion came to an end. he could tell that the lady from the golden dragon bank wanted his help. elder sister jin''s expression fell when she heard his words. just as she was about to reply, li luo waved his hand, indicating for her to stop. he had never assumed that li wuyuan would provide his help and thus was not at all frustrated by his refusal. "third brother, should we wait for cousin lingjing to come out?" li jingtao asked. li luo sighed deeply and shook his head. "my friend is in a precarious situation, and i don''t know how much more time cousin lingjing will need in the treasure trove. i''m afraid we might not have enough time. it doesnt matter, i''ll just go by myself." his expression was calm, and although there were likely enemies more powerful than him, he didn''t feel too afraid. the three-tailed heavenly wolf had been hidden away for too long, and it was about time to rouse it. "no! i have to go as well." li fengyi rejected his idea immediately, indicating that she would not let li luo go off on his own. li jingtao and the rest nodded as well. seeing this, he smiled and nodded. "alright, we''ll go together, then." he had the trump card known as the three-tailed heavenly wolf up his sleeve, so even someone as powerful as zhao yan could be dealt with. thus, he was not too worried. when li wuyuan saw that there were others willing to follow li luo, his expression turned gloomy and he immediately spoke his mind. "don''t you think youre being too unscrupulous?" faced with his repeated efforts to obstruct them, a hint of irritation also arose within li luo. "don''t forget that i am also a leader of the team. you don''t have any right to oppose my actions." hearing his impolite words caused li wuyuan to turn furious. frightening waves of energy rolled off his body like a raging tempest. li luo''s expression remained icy, indicating that there was no way he was going to step back. in the end, the one who gave in was li wuyuan, who retracted his aura and spat out in an inhospitable tone, "if you wish to die, then so be it. i''ll look forward to your explanation when casualties arise." "i don''t need your concern," li luo replied as he clasped his hands towards elder sister jin respectfully. "i beseech your assistance in leading the way." elder sister jin glanced at the group who stood behind li luo. they were all at the low heavenly pearl tier, which made her feel a little helpless. what could they do to improve the situation? however, she could see that the rift between li luo and li wuyuan was not small, so it was impossible to bring the latter. thus, she sighed deeply and nodded, turning and heading in the direction of the cave abode. li luo led the way as the group rushed away. li wuyuan snorted frostily as he watched them leave. "these brats can''t discern how high the skies are nor how deep the earth is. just a few lower heavenly pearl tier cultivators and they dare to render assistance? if they want to die, then no one can stop them." he flicked his robes in irritation, no longer planning to think about them as his gaze turned towards the treasure trove. an hour after the group left, a loud sound came from the treasure trove. the countless runes on the outside of the ancient palace then began to quickly dim before vanishing completely. with the runes disappearance, the ancient palace''s stone gates began to fracture and shatter, clearly only being held together by the runes power. a while later, beams of light shot out of the treasure trove, landing outside on the remains of the gates. it was li lingjings group. li wuyuan hurriedly walked over as he asked with a tone full of concern, "is everyone alright? how are the gains from the treasure trove?" li lingjing was uninterested in speaking with him and thus let li fuling explain. her eyes then swept across the perimeter, but she realized that li luo was nowhere to be found. frowning, she demanded, "where is li luo?" when li wuyuan heard her words, his expression turned a little stiff before he smiled. "someone came over and claimed that an old friend of li luo''s is in trouble and asked for his help. thus, he took a group with him and left to render assistance." li lingjing''s beautiful, almond-shaped eyes gradually shrunk into slits and turned slightly malevolent. she glared at li wuyuan as she spoke icily. "you let him follow some random fellow whom you don''t even recognize? you let a bunch of low heavenly pearl tier cultivators run off to rescue someone?" her cold, interrogating tone caused li wuyuan''s expression to turn ugly. "i tried to stop him, but he was determined to leave. what else could i have done? i had to stay here and guard the perimeter. was i supposed to just follow him?" he felt a little dissatisfied with the way she was treating him. he was a blood descendant of the main family of the dragon''s blood lineage. his personal status was much nobler than li lingjings, who had come from a branch family. if she was not a nine-pearl, he would never have bothered to take her words seriously. "sort out your gains from the treasure trove right now," li wuyuan impatiently commanded. li lingjing''s face turned emotionless and a hint of killing intent momentarily arose in her eyes. she then raised her staff, and it began to emit boundless amounts of poisonous light. without speaking another word, she swung towards li wuyuan''s skull. "sort out my gains? i''ll sort you out with my staff! how about that!?" her chilling voice was coupled with immense amounts of poisonous light and resonant power as the staff descended. Chapter 1008: Meeting Old Friends in a Foreign Land chapter 1008: meeting old friends in a foreign land after spending quite an amount of time traveling, li luo''s group finally arrived before the frosty cave abode with the guidance of elder sister jin. they entered the cave in a single file and eventually reached the frost-sealed area.n-/ovlb1n it was here that li luo noticed that another group was already present and that their robes were emblazoned with the logo of the golden dragon bank. therefore, the faction they belonged to wasnt a mystery. they were standing guard outside of the passageway, and they seemed a little confused. when they noticed elder sister jin, they made their way over. "halt!" elder sister jin watched the group with a chilly look in her eyes. "elder sister jin, what has happened here? what about brother mu yao?" a beautiful lady by the name of bai lingyan asked with a frown. "hmph. mu yao brought men to ambush my young mistress. you, the members of the golden dragon bank from the heavenly origin divine continent, sure have some gall!" elder sister jin snorted icily. "what?" everyone''s faces turned pale. bai lingyan''s expression was tinged with fear as she cautiously asked, "elder sister jin, you can''t spout such lies. how could elder brother mu yao do such a thing?" young mistress qing was from golden dragon mountain and also a member of the lu family. how could mu yao not understand that? his grandfather, the heavenly origin divine continent headquarters'' grand elder, was nowhere near as influential or powerful as someone from golden dragon mountain. unless... it was also a command from golden dragon mountain. additionally, this situation seemed to have touched upon the internal affairs of the golden dragon bank''s core, and bai lingyan couldn''t help but feel some cold sweat form on her brow as she thought about the possible ramifications. "are you here to help mu yao?" elder sister jin coldly declared. bai lingyan''s face turned gloomy before she answered solemnly, "we have no such intention... this matter has nothing to do with us." shooting the rest of the group a glance, they cautiously retreated, not intending to take sides. elder sister jin did not stop them from backing off, but neither did her expression warm up at the sight of this. with the golden dragon bank''s team retreating, elder sister jin turned towards the passage that had been sealed with ice. her eyes flickered briefly before she turned to speak to li luo. "once the frost seal is lifted, we have to escort the young mistress out. i doubt mu yao would truly dare to harm her, but i''m afraid they have already achieved their goal." at this point, elder sister jin felt helpless deep down. she had wanted to gather some strong helpers to directly suppress mu yao and his team, therefore allowing lu qing''er to obtain the glacier godlotus. alas, li wuyuan was unwilling to intervene and li luo had brought a small group of friends instead. unfortunately, they were all at the low heavenly pearl tier, so how could they be a match for mu yao? as a result, the goal to obtain the glacier godlotus had to be shelved in favor of escorting lu qing''er away safely. the reason that mu yao had obstructed lu qing''er was likely due to the orders of the faction behind him. however, elder sister jin believed that he wouldnt dare to harm her. after all, if lu qing''er''s father was enraged, even his grandfather as a grand elder would be unable to save him. li luo couldn''t help but smile. he knew that this elder sister jin thought that their group had no hope of deterring the other party. however, reassuring her now was also useless. he would let his actions speak for themselves. elder sister jin took a step forward and shot the icy talisman ahead. it turned into a beam of cold light that tunneled into the ice, causing the entire frost seal to gradually recede. when elder sister jin saw this, she dashed forward with the group of helpers nipping right at her heels. the moment they passed through the archway into the cave interior, they were struck by the bone-chilling air. the frozen platform could be seen by everyone, and a glacier godlotus was at the highest point, emitting a mysterious light whilst spewing out boundless amounts of frigid energy. it seemed as though the entire reason why the cave abode was so cold was because of the object before them. however, li luo was not focused on the glacier godlotus. the moment he entered, his gaze fell upon a frozen figure. from a glance, he could tell that this person was slender and graceful. her icy flesh and jade-like bones seemed to give her an almost saint-like presence. li luo''s face broke into a smile. they had not met for a year, and lu qing''er seemed to have also undergone a massive transformation. despite that, there was still a sense of familiarity that could not be ignored. meanwhile, lu qing''er''s frost seal was swiftly dissipating. ten breaths later, her frozen eyelids began to flutter and she locked eyes with li luo. a smile appeared on each of their faces. the two had never expected to meet again so far from the xia kingdom after merely a year. elder sister jin quickly briefed her. "young mistress, i''ve only managed to bring li luo. the experts from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li were unwilling to lend a hand." lu qing''er, on the other hand, didn''t seem to be crestfallen. just the fact that li luo had arrived was sufficient. whether they could resolve the problem at hand wasn''t as importantafter all, the worst case scenario was to forgo the glacier godlotus. "long time no see, li luo," lu qing''er greeted softly as she walked towards li luo slowly with happiness in her eyes. "why did you leave the xia kingdom? and how did you end up in the heavenly origin divine continent?" li luo asked elatedly. one of the joys in life was to meet an old friend in a foreign land. "more importantly, even though you are here, you were hiding yourself! why didn''t you show yourself sooner?" listening to li luo speak so casually to the lady before them, li fengyi and li jingtao curiously observed lu qing''er, especially li fengyi. her eyes glinted at the prospect of hearing the juicy gossip related to these two. the lady was wearing a veil, and the faintly exposed outline of her face suggested that she was a beautiful individual. she had a slender and elegant figure that boasted a certain attractiveness. most importantly, her skin was sparkling, almost like white jade, which stirred the heart of anyone who looked at her. hearing li luo''s dissatisfied question, lu qing''er laughed lightly and removed the veil. the cave seemed to brighten the moment her exquisite features were revealed. everyones eyes lit up at that instant. this lady had both a stunning appearance and demeanor that were comparable to qin yis. li luo, on the other hand, was focused on the face he recognized. she had undergone a massive change. her temperament had become much more icy and aloof, giving others a feeling of nobility and distance. it was like looking upon a snow lotus flower, growing alone atop an icy mountain, only able to be seen but not touched. however, when they locked gazes, he could sense a heat burning beneath those seemingly distant eyes. lu qing''er must have encountered her fair share of experiences in the year they spent apart. it was at this point that li fengyi nudged him with her elbow as she teased him, "you said that you had a fiancee in the xia kingdom. could it be this lady before us? she''s truly outstanding! it''s no wonder you rejected the sisters i tried to recommend you to." li luo felt a little awkward, and just as he was about to reply, lu qing''er beamed at her slightly and gave a small nod. "elder sister, you''ve misunderstood. the one he is engaged to isn''t me. it''s a lady whose looks and talents are both unmatched. i simply can''t compare." li fengyi looked like she had been struck by a bolt of lightning and seemed a little embarrassed at this point. in an attempt to make amends, she hurriedly spoke up. "little sister, you are giving me too much face. you are the most radiant pearl in the skies. how much more impressive could a person else possibly be? even if someone like that exists, how could this brat be a match for her?" she was being exceptionally polite to lu qing''er. in terms of appearance and disposition, lu qing''er was already at the peak. such individuals were the focus of their peers and drew endless followers. just what sort of woman would compel her to put herself down? lu qing''er grinned and shook her head. "li luo is quite impressive as well. in just the short span of one year after arriving from the outer divine continent, he has already reached the peak of his peers. in terms of ability, he is second to none." listening to her praise for li luo caused li fengyi to knowingly nod in agreement, and her opinion of lu qing''er shot up by several notches. li luo could only smile bitterly. however, his expression quickly changed as he turned around and focused on the group of individuals that had now been unsealed. specifically, the fellow named mu yao was glaring at him drearily. Chapter 1009: Performance chapter 1009: performance within the frosty cave. the moment lu qing''er''s frost seal unraveled, mu yao and the rest were similarly freed. they immediately turned their attention to li luo''s group. "people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li?" mu yao focused upon li luo as he recognized him with a glance. however, he also noticed that the only ones who had come were from the younger generation. the only one he was wary of, li wuyuan, was not present. this revelation caused him to heave a sigh of relief. so long as li wuyuan was not here, there was no one from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li who could threaten him. "it seems like dragon''s head li luo has long been acquainted with young mistress qing," mu yao said. "however, young mistress qing, you''ve gone to such lengths to seal us just to have him brought here? or perhaps you wanted to borrow his relationship with his lineage to gain a group of reinforcements? the way i see it, li wuyuan has been quite astute to separate himself from the golden dragon bank''s internal affairs," mu yao continued with a smirk on his face. "young mistress qing, i think it''s best for us to give up," elder sister jin said softly. lu qing''er did not reply. elder sister jin continued, "mu yao, are you planning to cause trouble for the lu family? or perhaps i should say that your grandfather has made his choice. you should weigh for yourself the consequences of your actions." mu yao fell silent before he gave a wry smile. "since i''ve chosen to take action, do you honestly believe i will retreat here?" he then turned towards lu qing''er and said in a sincere tone, "young mistress qing, i''m unwilling to harm you, but the glacier godlotus cannot fall into your hands. if you leave now, we will definitely not harm you." lu qing''er''s face turned icy like a blizzard as she responded coolly, "mu yao, do you think i have no other means to counter you?" mu yao''s smile faded and he glared at li luo. "you don''t mean to say that you wish to rely on the dragon''s head?" li luo similarly grinned at this point and said attentively, "well, you can''t ignore that possibility either."nove.lb-1n "li luo, this is an internal conflict of the golden dragon bank. if you have any brains at all, you would leave right now in order to prevent this situation from affecting the relationship between the bloodline of heavenly emperor li and the golden dragon bank," mu yao indifferently replied. li luo smiled in response. "qing''er is my friend. her problems are my problems. additionally... can you really represent the golden dragon bank?" these words forced elder sister jin to look at li luo with newfound appreciation. although his strength could not change the situation, his relationship with the young mistress was deep and true. he had taken action the moment he heard that she was in trouble, and even now, he stood unfazed against mu yao''s threats. the corners of lu qing''er''s lips curled up slightly, but complicated traces of emotions could be seen welling up within her eyes upon hearing the word "friend." mu yao remained emotionless as he nodded lightly. "in that case... i won''t be giving you any more face!" he declared as his gaze turned chilly. peerlessly mighty energy undulations rolled off his body, then his resonant power transformed into a yellow mountain of earth behind him. just looking at the mountain gave one a sense of heaviness. this was mu yao''s earth resonance. he had just entered the lesser heavenly resonance tier, so his earth resonance had transformed. it was now capable of manifesting as an actual mountain created out of soil. he then stretched his hand out and clenched his fist viciously in li luo''s direction. bang! the ground began to shudder and countless streams of sand that glittered with runes shot out of the ground, quickly piercing towards li luo. "don''t even think of harming my third brother!" before li luo could take action, li jingtao roared and took a step forward with both hands in the shape of a hand seal. resonant power erupted from his body at the same time. "eight carapaces art, six carapaces!" as li jingtao shouted, his body swelled up, especially his skin, which then quickly turned mottled. it was as if there were layers of mystical armor enveloping his body. it seemed sturdy and possessed shocking defensive strength. bang! bang! when the sand streams shot over, they struck li jingtao''s body. layer after layer of the armor protecting him began to shatter, also forcing him backwards. a few moments later, all of the carapaces were destroyed and his own skin split apart, causing blood to ooze out. however, what surprised everyone was that mu yao''s attack had been blocked in its entirety. mu yao''s gaze seemed a little unfocused in his shock. although he had not used all of his strength, he was still at the lesser heavenly resonance tier. li jingtao, on the other hand, was just a two-pearlthe difference between them was massive. in a normal situation, wouldn''t he have been killed instantly? how had he blocked it? the brat''s defenses were a little ridiculous. mu yao''s gaze shrunk as he said indifferently, "you have some strength, i''ll give you that. still, your cultivation level is simply too low. perhaps if you were a seven or eight-pearl, i would have been a little more concerned as you might truly be able to hold me back." li jingtao clenched his teeth. taking blows from this fellow wasn''t the least bit enjoyable. even with him going all out, his body was still laced with injuries. when li luo saw this, he immediately took out the blackwood feather fan. with a wave, white light fell upon li jingtao''s body, quickly healing all of his injuries. li jingtao was pleasantly surprised by this. "wow, third brother, your treasures are awesome. with your help, i''ll definitely be able to block a few more blows." li luo hurriedly stopped li jingtao from trying to block yet another strike. although he was hardy and possessed an absolute defense, mu yao had not attacked with everything he had. it was unlikely that li jingtao could handle another one. "mu yao, what''s the point of bullying the weak? i''ll take care of you myself!" elder sister jin coolly declared. resonant power surged out of her and a stream of golden light shot out of her robes. within the light was the silhouette of a sword glinting with a keen edge. the sword roared as it whizzed through the air, directly hacking at mu yao. with elder sister jin''s move, the other bodyguards also took action and rushed at their enemies. "you''re not my match, so why bother?" mu yao mocked with a smirk. he swiped his hand, and the gigantic mountain of soil behind him began to tremble. after which, a boulder a thousand feet wide rolled off from its peak, gaining significant momentum as it fell from the sky like a meteor, smashing apart the sword beam. mu yao then clenched his fist and punched out violently. bang! a one thousand-feet-wide fist made of earth descended from the void with deafening booms. the icicles in the cave were similarly shattered by the sheer pressure, creating a rain of hail. elder sister jin''s gaze flashed and she clasped her hands together. the golden beam of light containing the sword stabilized at this point, transforming into a golden immortal crane with gorgeous feathers. each of its feathers was incomparably sharp and emanated a radiance that could not be described. bang! when their attacks collided in the air, the entire cave shuddered uncontrollably and energy was blasted outwards in every direction. the ice within the cave began to show signs of fracturing and cracks emerged. both parties were also struck by the aftereffects and were sent retreating backwards. in the end, mu yao held the upper hand in the collision. as the giant fist pressed down, the golden light from elder sister jin began to dim. in the end, a defeated cry was heard and the sword shot back towards her. weng! the long sword trembled as it returned to elder sister jin''s side. its violet-eye mark was visibly dimmer than before. elder sister jin sighed gloomily as blood trickled out of the corner of her lips. she was only half a step into the lesser heavenly resonance tier, so she was a bit weaker than mu yao. a trace of dissatisfaction could be seen in her eyes as she quickly commanded li luo, "hurry and take the young mistress away. i''ll block him!" li luo shook his head and responded calmly, "elder sister jin, you can rest. now that things have reached this point, it''s time for me to make my entrance." "what rubbish are you spouting now? things have already escalated to a point where we can''t joke around!" elder sister jin hurriedly replied. she was furious. li luo was just a paltry three-pearl. he was useless in such a situation! how could he possibly make his entrance?! if not for the dire issue at hand, she wouldve given this brat a good knock on the head to see if there was anything inside! li luo naturally felt a little resentful at being chastised. the only good thing was that lu qing''er seemed to have taken all this in stride and was smiling at his exaggerated response. her usually frigid expression had transformed into a beaming and beautiful smile. lu qing''er laughed as she explained, "elder sister jin, don''t look down on him. the fact that he came here shows he has his own means to deal with this." "sigh. as usual, only qing''er understands me." li luo hefted a thumbs up towards her. then he waved his hand, and the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow appeared. majestic fluctuations of energy spread out in every direction as a result. "a triple violet-eye treasured artifact?" elder sister jin felt a little taken aback at li luo''s weapon. however, this was not enough to erase the frown on her face. such an artifact held indisputable power, but it was not enough to bridge the gap between the two. mu yao was the grandson of the heavenly origin divine continent''s golden dragon bank''s grand elder, so he definitely possessed treasured artifacts that were suitable for his stature. "elder sister jin, there''s no need to worry. he''s just a piddly lesser heavenly resonance ant. one arrow is enough." li luo grinned. elder sister jin''s eyes were full of doubt, but lu qing''er didn''t say anything. thus, she held her tongue, only tightly gripping the latters hand as she prepared to escape with her in tow. li luo drew his bow and calmly focused upon mu yao, who was not too far away. with a thought, he began to communicate with the three-tailed heavenly wolf within the crimson bracelet. "little three, time to wake up. it''s time for your show." the now five-tailed[1] wolf lethargically opened its eyes, showing blood-red pupils that were prepared to reap a life. 1. translators note: you might have been a little confused over how many tails the wolf actually has. the answer is five tails. but the author and li luo by extension constantly refer to the wolf as the "three-tailed wolf", even giving him the nickname little three. thus, we will still refer to the wolf as the three-tailed heavenly wolf, but when it comes to descriptions, it will be described as five-tailed. Chapter 1010: An Arrow Slays Heavenly Resonance! chapter 1010: an arrow slays heavenly resonance! when the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s eyes opened, the people around li luo could suddenly feel a ferocious and savage energy coming from his body. the energy was so domineering that even elder sister jin was forced backwards several steps with absolute shock in her eyes. when she looked at li luo, she could see him draw the bow without hesitation, and crimson energy condensed on the bowstring. bang! waves of turbulent energy surged from li luo''s body, and the icy ground beneath him began to show signs of cracking. his group hurriedly retreated. elder sister jin''s eyes were as wide as saucers as she asked, "how can he burst forth with such terrifying energy?" the energy coming from him was not any weaker than that of a lesser heavenly resonance tier cultivator, but the sheer fiendish aura coming from it was almost heartstopping. "it looks like third brother has revealed yet another trump card," li jingtao answered with a look of surprise. deng fengxian and lu qingmei, on the other hand, were looking at li luo with gazes full of astonishment. they had never seen li luo use this particular move, even during the battle of the dragon''s head. however, they could guess that this fiendish energy did not come from him. it was not something he had cultivated on his own, but likely the result of borrowing external aid. with the battle of the dragon''s head''s rules and the close observation of the lineage chiefs and elders, it was not appropriate to use it back then. that said, when this external strength was wielded during a situation where ones life was on the line, it was extraordinarily helpful. li luo''s expression remained serene as he felt the ferocious energy pouring out of the crimson bracelet. at the same time, he could feel a heavy sense of oppression emanating from the world around him. this was likely the spiritual resonance cave suppressing him. although the three-tailed heavenly wolf had duke stage strength, he could not easily wield all of it because of the rules laid down upon the cave. however, it was more than enough to deal with the situation before him. berserk and boundless amounts of crimson energy continued to pour out, and li luo could feel the strain accumulating on his body. both of his limbs were beginning to erode due to the sheer power, and even his bones were exposed. yet he remained nonchalant, the dragon sigil on his forehead bursting forth with resplendent light and releasing a draconic roar. "nine scales sanctified dragon''s body, thunderpeal avatar!" both body-enhancing secret arts were activated simultaneously, bolstering his body and resisting the influence of the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s energy. in the past, li luo had to also watch out for the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s mental strain on his mind. as principal pang had mentioned, mobilizing too much of the wolf''s power would inevitably corrupt his consciousness and eventually turn him into the wolf''s thrall. the bright side was that this hidden danger had been mostly reduced due to li luo''s ingenious means of controlling the power. he had taught the nine revolutions draconic breath to the three-tailed heavenly wolf and then activated the state of harmony to tap upon its power. it was as though he had a green nether banner by his side at all times. a wolf was comparable to eight thousand members! with his augmented body, he was able to forcefully tolerate the erosion of the crimson energy as his fingers fully drew the bow. energy continued to condense on the bowstring, eventually transforming into a crimson arrow that struggled wildly like an untamed beast attempting to escape. terrifying energy undulations pulsed in every direction from its body. the target of the arrow was mu yao, whose expression began to change. the fact that li luo could summon up such an arrow was unimaginable to him. his skin was prickling with piercing pain just from the fact that the arrow had simply been locked onto him. the arrow gave him the feeling that the grim reaper was lurking before him. with death looming overhead, mu yao flashed backwards in a hurry the very moment li luo had drawn the bowstring, retreating thousands of feet away. at the same time, he grunted and executed a series of hand seals in a flurry. bang! the earth trembled, and a gigantic wall of earth arose from the ground like the walls surrounding a city, protecting him from the front. mu yao''s intentions were clear. as li luo''s strength was borrowed, he naturally had some sort of limitation. if this fatal blow could be avoided, there would be an opportunity for a counterattack. looking at the fleeing mu yao, li luo''s gaze flickered with an almost merciless glint. he glanced at his bloodstained fingers, which were keeping the bow drawn. he could sense that the arrow created from the crimson energy was even stronger than the underworld thunder runic arrow he had employed previously. "i name this... the heavenly wolf''s smite." after li luo named his new move, he gingerly released the bowstring. an ear-rending howl was heard, causing all of the remaining icicles in the cave to shatter into icy fragments. even his hand was blown into a bloody mess by the sheer power released from the arrow. bang! a ray of crimson light penetrated through the air. soon, it transformed into a snarling, monstrous wolf that emitted an evil aura. the light passed through layer after layer of mu yaos defensive walls, reducing them to nothingness the moment they attempted to obstruct the arrow. in just a breath''s worth of time, the ground was ravaged and everything was annihilated in the wake of the attack. the scarlet light quickly magnified in mu yao''s eyes as it rapidly approached him. he could feel all of his hairs standing on ends and began to sweat profusely. he knew that ordinary methods were meaningless before this attack, so he activated the duke art he had prepared. as he retreated, he executed a hand seal with a single hand before slamming his palm onto the ground beneath him. bang! the earth trembled, and seven gigantic gates took form and were arrayed before him. each gate was over a thousand feet tall and was tightly shut, flowing with runes on every inch of their surface. duke art: nine immovable earthen gates! although this was a communion-grade duke art, mu yao had spent a lot of blood and sweat toiling over it and had reached the greater completion realm, allowing him to generate seven gates. it was a perfect match for his earth resonance and was one his greatest life-saving measures. alas, it was a pity that it was not enough. the seven grand gates of earth barely blocked the arrow for just a few breaths of time before getting completely destroyed. the unstoppable beam of crimson light continued zooming through the air in pursuit of the quickly fleeing mu yao.nove/lb(1n at that instant, mu yao could only hear the thundering boom of the wind as the arrow surpassed the speed of sound. mud gushed out of his every orifice, surrounding his entire body. bang! before everyone''s eyes, the crimson arrow pierced his body, dragging him along as it brutally nailed him to an icy mountain on the far side of the cave. part of the frigid mountain of ice couldn''t withstand the impact either, quickly breaking apart and collapsing into an avalanche that rolled down the side. mighty energy undulations continued to emanate from the point of impact as the thick ice covering the entire cave also began to shatter from the sheer force of the attack. the chaotic unrest that had previously blanketed the cave soon subsided into a deathly silence and stillness. countless dazed gazes were focused upon the point of impact. mu yao''s body was still stubbornly nailed to the icy mountain, his limp body flailing amidst the biting and turbulent winds. Chapter 1011: Xia Kingdoms Transformation chapter 1011: xia kingdom''s transformation the cold wind whistled as it blew through the icy cave. everyone was taken aback by the figure hanging on the side of the mountain. mu yao''s men were full-on panicking. no one had expected the lesser heavenly resonance tier mu yao to be left in such a state. he had been crucified to death by the heavenly pearl li luo with a single shot. at this point in time, the group surrounding lu qing''er felt their morale plummet. they understood that their task could no longer be achieved today, so they withdrew soundlessly. elder sister jin and the rest did not chase them. she gradually retracted her gaze before turning towards li luo with apprehension. to be fair, he wasn''t in a good state either, with one of his hands having been blown into a bloody mess and his blood dyeing the icy ground. clearly, the explosive strength he had demonstrated had consequences that resulted in injuries. additionally, the fiendish energy was lingering around him and his pupils remained a bloody crimson. it was like seeing a crazed and violent beast, causing the rest to avoid him. however, lu qing''er didn''t seem to mind. she took two steps forward and lightly grasped his bloodied hand. at the same time, she channeled her ice energy into the wound and quickly sealed it up, staunching the bleeding. at the same time, her actions caused the crimson coloration of his eyes to fade. li luo gradually returned to his usual state and flashed lu qing''er a smile. he immediately took out the blackwood feather fan once again and used it to quickly regenerate and heal his injuries. "third brother, you''ve kept this trump card of yours hidden under tight wraps. a single arrow was able to slay a lesser heavenly resonance realm expert?" li jingtao chortled in surprise. deng fengxian and lu qingmei were similarly looking at li luo with complicated gazes. a heavenly pearl killing a lesser heavenly resonance tier cultivator was a remarkable achievement. li luo smiled and shook his head. "i''ve only heavily injured him. he''s not dead." he glanced at the rigid body that was still stuck to the mountain. suddenly, the body transformed into mud, slid down the wall, and began to escape. some flesh and blood was left behind, but mu yao had completely disappeared. "a death substitution art?" li fengyi asked curiously. clearly at the very last moment, mu yao had used a life-saving secret art to preserve his life before li luo''s reaping arrow, managing to escape just in the nick of time. li luo was not too surprised. mu yao had quite a background, so he would naturally be in possession of several methods that would preserve his life. just injuring him severely was within expectations.n/-ove1bin at the end of the day, li luo had been suppressed by the spiritual resonance cave''s rules and was unable to tap upon the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s full power. otherwise, mu yao would have been unlikely to escape. li luo lowered his head as he glanced at the crimson bracelet. dukes were fairly uncommon even in the heavenly origin divine continent. the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s power may not be outstanding, but li luo had not seen anyone else with a similar trump card. this was not because three-tailed heavenly wolves were rare; it was more so that the method principal pang had utilized to seal the beast was unique. without the bracelet''s seal and an exquisite method to tap upon its strength, li luo could not possibly have been able to summon the wolfs power at his beck and call. thus, the most impressive part was the bracelet itself. it might very well have been the culmination of a king''s blood and sweat. lu qing''er laughter was like the tinkling of a bell as she watched li luo. after which, she turned towards elder sister jin. "see? don''t you think the nine orifices dipper smelting pill was a worthwhile investment?" this left elder sister jin slightly dumbstruck. when lu qing''er had gifted the pill to li luo, she had told her that it was an investment. elder sister jin had felt that the young mistress was simply trying to come up with some sort of reason to justify the gift, but looking back, her foresight was extremely discerning. perhaps it would be better to say that lu qing''er fully trusted li luo. however, the young mistress had a personality as chilly as ice and snow. thus, these thoughts seemed almost out of tune. was she trying to defend li luo? "young mistress, you are farsighted and astute. i was shallow and did not understand dragon''s head li luo''s strength," elder sister jin said as a smile surfaced on her face. then she continued much more slowly than before, "when we return to golden dragon mountain, i will inform the family head that you and dragon''s head li luo''s have a deep relationship, capable of rousing the dragon for assistance." lu qing''er retorted with displeasure. "there''s no need to shoot your mouth off!" their brief exchange caused li luo''s gaze to flicker. golden dragon mountain? thats the golden dragon bank''s core headquarters. its like dragon''s fang mountain to the dragon''s fang lineage. just what sort of position does lu qing''er''s father hold there? its no wonder she came to the heavenly origin divine continent. li luo smiled as he reminded her, "qing''er, hurry and retrieve the treasure." the enemies'' retreat might only be temporary, so it was ideal to quickly accomplish her task during this brief lull. this was to prevent a situation where that mu yao would return to cause trouble yet again. "come with me, then." lu qing''er glanced at the icy platform. li luo naturally agreed and followed her, slowly climbing the frosty steps as they slowly ascended towards the peak. as they climbed, li luo could feel lu qing''er occasionally glancing at him, so he took the opportunity to ask, "when did you leave the xia kingdom?" lu qing''er replied in a low voice, "not long after you did. the xia kingdom is simply too chaotic, and with the astral sage college destroyed, my mother sent me back to golden dragon mountain, where my father was." li luo sighed. he had grown up in the xia kingdom and had forged many memories there, especially in house luolan. that was the most important place in his heart. even considering all of the cultivation benefits he had received from the dragon''s fang lineage, it was his one true home. "how are things on the astral sage college''s side? do you have any news? what about yu lang and the rest?" li luo asked. "well, the golden dragon bank has branches all over the divine continent, so in terms of gathering information, i believe we are a little better than the bloodline of heavenly emperor li." lu qing''er grinned. "thus, i have been kept informed of the happenings within the xia kingdom. there has been a great schism and they have been split into two factions, the first princess and the regent. both have been constantly engaged in battle, leading to the fires of war spreading across the xia kingdom. in addition to the other disaster that has already wreaked havoc across the lands, the situation seems pretty dire. yu lang and the rest have loyally remained with the astral sage college. the previous campus may have been destroyed, but their foundation still remains as a result of years of accumulation. it is said that they have mainly focused on defeating the others, and the college has paid a heavy price to do so. "yu lang has performed outstandingly well against the others and has stood out amongst his peers. "mengmeng has developed countless new methods to manufacture spirit liquids and purifying lights and has given the formulas to house luolan. the bai family elders objected to this, causing some trouble as a result. "xin fu returned to house lanling and has not been heard of since. "house luolan has been well led by sister cai wei. it is only unfortunate that the entire xia kingdom has been plunged into chaos and times have been trying." hearing the familiar names coming from her soft voice left li luo in a slight daze. he had left the xia kingdom for merely a year and yet massive changes had engulfed his homeland. "that brat yu lang is actually quite a resilient fellow. although his resonance is not of a high grade, he has not disappointed anyone. mengmeng has been quite obedient and also stubborn. when i tricked her into researching formulas for the suncreek villa, she actually took it seriously even to the very end..." li luo sighed lightly. all of his old friends had been scattered across the world, and he didn''t know when they would ever gather together once again. "li luo..." lu qing''er watched li luo intently. "are you planning to return to the xia kingdom?" li luo nodded resolutely. "of course i will. the day i return is the day that everyone who has ever acted against house luolan will be running for the hills." Chapter 1012: Godlotus Cold Energy chapter 1012: godlotus cold energy as lu qing''er updated li luo on the situation of his friends at the xia kingdom, they finally arrived at the top of the icy platform. in front of them was a single snow-white lotus. each and every petal was decorated with ancient runes that seemed to have been created by the heavens. the petals were undulating slightly, as though the lotus was alive and breathing. periodic waves of biting, cold air emitted with each pulse, and even the void around it seemed to have been frozen as well. "what terrifying cold energy," li luo commented as he observed the mysterious godlotus. "this is the glacier godlotus, a rarely seen ice treasure. it has grown for tens of thousands of years and formed an ice spirit. it is an incredible boon to any ice resonance cultivator. the only reason i entered the spiritual resonance cave was to obtain this." lu qing''er did not hide any information. "this is indeed a peak treasure." li luo nodded in agreement. the mystical charm the glacier godlotus exuded told him that this was probably the most valuable treasure he had ever come in contact with. in terms of rarity and preciousness, it was probably similar to the nine marks sacred heart lotus. if it was ever auctioned by the golden dragon bank, the price would be atrociously high and every single heavenly emperor power would be fighting tooth and nail to obtain it. "it looks like the golden dragon bank''s ability to gather intelligence is unparalleled. the others outside are competing for some insignificant treasures, whilst you''ve discovered such a top-notch wonder by yourself," li luo praised. even the aquamarine bamboo python staff paled in comparison to this. based on his estimates, the price of this object could likely compare to that of a destiny-grade duke art. "you''re quite generous. despite knowing how precious this object is, you still chose to bring me along." li luo smiled. lu qing''er trusted him wholeheartedly. normally speaking, one would quickly snatch the treasure after chasing everyone away. who would actually choose to bring an opportunist along and even explain its value? "if i can''t trust you, who can i trust?" lu qing''er quietly replied. li luo nodded and sighed. "ah, qing''er, you''re still as amazing as ever. you can see through my inner character with just a glance." she rolled her eyes, but the corners of her lips teased upwards in a smile, revealing her true thoughts about his flattery. lu qing''er pointed at the terrifying energy that was radiating from the glacier godlotus as she smiled. "the glacier godlotus is not just a marvelous treasure in and of itself, but the cold energy it emits is also something special. it''s known as godlotus cold energy, and its considered one of the highest grade ice treasures available. it can also protect one''s mind against external and evil influences. "since the glacier godlotus belongs to me, i''ll give you the godlotus cold energy in return. how about that?" li luo hurriedly waved his hand. "no, no. i don''t have an ice resonance, so it''s not useful to me. there''s no need to be polite amongst us." "absolutely not!" lu qing''er shook her head vigorously. at the same time, she took action and removed a small box that looked to be made of cold steel. there were countless sealing runes all over it as well. she tossed the box in the lotus'' direction and activated it, causing the godlotus cold energy in the air to rise up in wisps before being sucked into the box. as more and more godlotus cold energy condensed, a thumb-sized, lotus-shaped ice crystal could be seen forming in its place. it emitted a frightening chill that caused the air to freeze over. lu qing''er then quickly shut the box and activated the sealing runes, causing the coldness to subside. after all was said and done, she passed the box to li luo. "you have to accept this!" she stated firmly. li luo felt a little helpless in the face of her determination. he glanced at the steel box, but a thought suddenly came to mind. it might not be useful now, but what if he were to open another resonant palace? at that point, he would need yet another acquired resonance, and this high-grade ice resonance treasure would be a good material for it. having an ice resonance wasn''t out of reach to him. with that in mind, he slowly nodded and received the box. when his hand touched it, he could feel a bone-biting chill pierce his flesh, causing him to shiver. he quickly stored it within his pocket sphere after that. lu qing''er nodded in satisfaction upon seeing li luo''s actions. after which, her lips opened slightly, and a snow-white bead flew out of her mouth. the bead floated above the glacier godlotus and began to slowly expand as it descended, completely enveloping it. then the bead shrunk back to its original dimensions, which was around the size of a thumb. at this point, the glacier godlotus had vanished off the platform. if one looked closely, they could see an extremely miniature version of it within the bead. such a miraculous way of storing a treasure caused li luo to sigh in amazement. seeing that she had succeeded, lu qing''er''s face lit up elatedly. she then opened her mouth once again and swallowed the bead.n-)ovelbin when it entered her body, some icy runes appeared on her snow-white skin and her demeanor turned even colder than before. if she were to stand silently, she would remind one of an icy immortal fairy, with a pristine aura that none would dare to blaspheme. "qing''er, you seem to have gone through a significant transformation." li luo sighed as he observed her. ever since they reunited, he felt like lu qing''er had undergone some sort of inscrutable change. additionally, the ice resonant power coming from her body was incomparably purer than it was a year ago. based on his memories, she had a lower eighth-grade ice resonance, but the ice resonant power she gave off now was far superior. additionally, he could feel that her body contained a terrifying sort of cold energy that even he was wary of. clearly, she had obtained some sort of humongous upgrade. lu qing''er smiled slightly. "i can''t compare with you. you''ve reached the three-pearl tier in just one year. you would still be in the two star hall if we used the astral sage college''s rankings. you''re so strong that im afraid even the four star hall students might be frightened dumb by you." li luo shook his head. "well, prodigies and talents are as common as clouds in the inner divine continent. it''s not something the astral sage college can compare to. in addition, the enemies we have to face in the future will not be from our generation, so being a three-pearl isn''t nearly enough." "yes, yes. who doesn''t know that you, li luo, are aiming for the skies," lu qing''er teased. "yes..." her gaze suddenly turned towards him as she quietly asked, "how are senior jiang''s injuries?" li luo replied, "after she arrived at the hallowed coruscation ancient college, her injuries stabilized and things have been okay. it''s unfortunate that the distance between us is too vast, and i don''t know her exact situation." lu qing''er consoled, "with her talent, she will shine brightly wherever she is. she will definitely be prized by the hallowed coruscation ancient college, and they will certainly take care of her." this was met with a smile, and li luo nodded in agreement. "what are your plans now that you''ve gotten what you needed? are you planning to leave the spiritual resonance cave?" li luo asked. lu qing''er paused for a moment before replying, "since you''ve done me such a huge favor, how can i just leave? i''ll accompany you for the last stretch. if you encounter any danger, i can provide some help." in actuality, she had planned to leave upon obtaining the glacier godlotus to return to golden dragon mountain. this was to prevent any complications from arising. however, she happened to chance upon li luo, whom she had not seen for over a year, and wasn''t willing to leave just like that. li luo didn''t reject her, only replying happily, "well, that was exactly what i was hoping for. your team is pretty strong, and with your help, we should be able to travel through the spiritual resonance treasured garden a little easier." the bloodlines of heavenly emperor qing and zhao were his enemies, and he even had internal strife amongst the people of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. her support was timely and thus he agreed without hesitation. as the two descended from the icy platform, the two groups were informed accordingly. when elder sister jin heard that lu qing''er wanted to follow li luo for a bit, she was left slightly helpless. the determined gaze in qing''er''s eyes forced her to swallow any words she wanted to say. after which, the two groups regrouped and quickly left the cave before heading back towards the treasure trove. upon returning, they unsurprisingly found the team from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li waiting there. unfortunately, the atmosphere seemed a little off. the group had been split into two. on one side was li lingjing leading the dragon''s fang lineage, whereas on the other was li wuyuan and the dragon''s blood, horn, and bone lineages. things were at a boiling point, and it looked like both parties had swords drawn and bows bent. additionally, looking at the ruined scenery around them, it seemed that a battle had already broken out before this. li luo''s return broke the tension, and gazes from both parties shot over. Chapter 1013: Conflict chapter 1013: conflict when li luo''s group arrived at the scene, the tension that had built up was broken as both parties stared at them. "li luo, you''ve returned? are you alright?" standing behind li lingjing was li fuling, who had taken the initiative to check on him. unfortunately, this was immediately followed by a tone of displeasure. "you brat. why did you not wait for us? this place is full of dangers and there are countless factions and rogue cultivators around. do you think that becoming a three-pearl gives you the right to roam freely?" at the same time, she turned towards the silent li lingjing and sighed. "if you had not returned, i think cousin lingjing would have started a massacre in search of you." a hint of lingering fear could be seen in her eyes. when li lingjing heard that li wuyuan had let li luo run off on his own, the two had burst into a fight, and her cruel moves caused cold sweat to form on everyone''s backs. they had no doubt that if she had found a flaw in his defenses, li wuyuan would have been slain regardless of the consequences. li lingjing''s fair and beautiful face seemed to have become incomparably calm as she turned towards li luo. "you''re back." the murderous intent that was emitting from her eyes dissipated.n-.0velb1n li luo apologetically replied, "i''m sorry, i''ve made you worry. i received an old friend''s distress call and time was tight. i could not afford to wait, so i left on my own." li lingjing nodded. "so long as you''re fine, then everything is fine." alas, while she was speaking, li wuyuan''s face turned even gloomier and he fumed. "li lingjing, are you insane? were you trying to kill me?!" he raised his hand, which had turned inky black. all of the flesh and blood had been afflicted with poison, and he was hurriedly circulating resonant power to counteract the insidious energy that was invading his body. he was both shocked and angry. the previous brief confrontation had shown that he was at a disadvantage when pitted against her. the nine-pearl tier was so domineering that it made his heart palpitate just thinking about it. li lingjing shot him a glance as she indifferently asked, "aren''t you alive though?" li wuyuan continued in an exasperated tone, "li luo left on his own. why are you venting your anger on me? i was guarding the perimeter, all for the sake of preventing other parties from entering the treasure trove. what''s wrong with that?" "i think you were more concerned about the possibility of me taking all the treasures and thus you remained to keep an eye on me," li lingjing retorted. "additionally, even if you didn''t want to follow li luo, arranging for a few higher stage cultivators wouldn''t have been difficult. instead, you stood by idly and watched them leave on their own. do you think that no one knows of your machinations?" li wuyuan paused for a moment. when li luo left, he indeed did not send anyone after him, and it was precisely due to his own selfish motivations. however, there was no proof of that, and he wasn''t dumb enough to admit it. "that''s just your assumption," li wuyuan coldly replied. "alright, enough, enough." li luo waved his hand and interrupted the two bickering parties with a smile. "everything is over now." "do you think that things are over just because you said so? she just tried to kill a teammate. when we return, i will definitely report you and get you the punishment you deserve," li wuyuan continued. li luo couldn''t be bothered either, so he casually replied, "if you don''t let things go now, we will have to go our separate ways and rely on ourselves. "also, cousin lingjing is from the dragon''s fang lineage. it''s not up to the dragon''s blood lineage to determine her punishment." "you!" li wuyuan was incensed and his frustration reached its peak. on the past expeditions, the dragon''s blood lineage was always the leader of the group. however, li luo and li lingjing had popped up and had completely ruined his majesty and influence over the rest. "li luo, do you really wish to split the team apart? do you think that will be beneficial to you? your enmity with qin yi is deepdo you think she will let you off?" li hongli threatened. li luo then flashed her a smile as he pointed at lu qing''er and the rest. "come on, let me introduce her to everyone here. this immortal fairy who possesses looks superior to yours is known as lu qing''er. she''s from the golden dragon bank and my old friend. i just rescued her, and now she will repay the favor by working together with us." lu qing''er rolled her eyes at li luo. the brat didn''t mince words when he truly wanted to hurt others. although li hongli''s chest was heaving heavily in anger at li luo''s insolent words, she could not keep her eyes off lu qing''er. she was from the golden dragon bank? li wuyuan, li qingfeng, and the other men turned towards the newcomer in the indigo dress who carried a noble presence. the moment their eyes fell upon her, undeniable shock flickered in their gazes. this young lady was the perfect example of what it meant to be a beauty, with sparkling, smooth, and radiant skin. her raven-black hair fell like a waterfall across her back, reaching her waist. and she had a pair of long and slender legs covered by pristine, white stockings. yet they seemed to pale in comparison to her snowy skin. the young lady in front of them truly had an exquisite appearance. most importantly, she gave off a solitary air and seemed as frosty as a snow lotus, giving one the feeling that she was untouchable. her demeanor was in no way worse than that of the legendary fairy of water qin yi. these were the thoughts that immediately flashed through their minds. li wuyuan took the opportunity to speak after being left speechless for quite a few breaths of time. "greetings, my lady. i understand you come from the golden dragon bank? are you from the heavenly origin divine continent''s headquarters?" as his gaze swept past lu qing''er, it landed on elder sister jin momentarily, and he noticed that the energy power fluctuations coming off of her were no weaker than his. does li luo actually possess such a close relationship with the people from the golden dragon bank? when faced with his curious gaze, lu qing''er merely smiled. "i''m not from the heavenly origin divine continent''s golden dragon bank." li hongli, who had some pent-up frustration in her heart since the beginning, snorted lightly before she contemptuously said, "could you have come from some affiliated branch of the golden dragon bank? are people like you capable of representing the golden dragon bank?" when elder sister jin heard her rude words, she nonchalantly retorted, "my young mistress is indeed not from the heavenly origin divine continent headquarters. she comes from golden dragon mountain itself. are you saying that she is unsuited to represent the golden dragon bank?" "golden dragon mountain?!" the words struck the crowd like a bolt of lightning. everyone, li wuyuan, li hongli, and li fuling included, were left with expressions of shock. clearly, they all understood the implications of what it meant to be from golden dragon mountain. that was the true core of the bank. however, golden dragon mountain was not on heavenly origin divine continent and thus they rarely saw anyone from there. "and your surname is lu?" li wuyuan asked with an unsettled tone as he suddenly seemed to have remembered something. he knew that amongst the families that occupied golden dragon mountain, the lu family belonged to the upper echelons and held a lofty and prestigious position. at that moment, lu qing''er stretched out her hand wrapped in ice silk gloves, and a golden plaque appeared in the midst of her palm. the plaque was engraved with a golden dragon, and the character "lu" was engraved right in the center, radiating an aura of tyranny that everyone present could feel. at this point, li wuyuan fell silent once again. the young lady before him had shown indisputable proof that she was from golden dragon mountain. this was rarely seen. a trace of a smile appeared on lu qing''er''s delicate and flawless face, a smile capable of moving everyone''s hearts. "li luo is an old friend of mine and our relationship runs deep, one that we are willing to risk life and death for. when i was in danger, he came to my rescue regardless of the situation. now that he needs help, i will naturally reciprocate in any way i can." the gazes of the crowd turned a little complicated upon hearing her straightforward words. just what sort of relationship existed between them? hadn''t li luo spent his time languishing in the outer divine continent? how could he have gotten to know someone from golden dragon mountain? additionally, with lu qing''er''s support, li luo''s lineup was even stronger than before. even if the bloodlines of heavenly emperor qing and zhao joined forces, they would surely be able to hold them off. at that point, if they were to find an origin enlightenment fruit in the spiritual resonance treasured garden, they would actually possess the strength to compete for it. with this train of thought, li wuyuan sighed lightly and flashed the biggest smile he could. "what lineage brother li luo just said makes a lot of sense. i acted inappropriately previously, and it was right of you to point it out. at the end of the day, the spiritual resonance treasured garden is the final goal for everyone here. i believe we should do our best and work together harmoniously, all so that we are able to become the eventual winners." when the rest of the group heard his words, they knew that li wuyuan had chosen to give in. alas, it was unfortunate that the repeated setbacks had caused his once unquestionable voice and position as the leader to gradually erode with each defeat. Chapter 1014: Treasured Garden Opens chapter 1014: treasured garden opens faced with li wuyuan''s resignation, li luo smiled lightly and turned towards li lingjing. "cousin lingjing, how was the harvest from the treasure trove?" although he felt dissatisfied with li wuyuan, they still had to divide the spoils appropriately. otherwise, the other three lineages would feel that the dragon''s fang lineage was hogging everything for themselves, and that would inevitably affect the group''s sense of harmony and cooperation. upon hearing his words, li lingjing retrieved copious amounts of jade boxes from her pocket sphere, which she then opened. "the treasure trove contained mostly spirit liquids and purifying lights, and the amount is not small. they have been preserved relatively well. in terms of the amounts, three hundred bottles of fifth and sixth-grade, ninety bottles of seventh-grade, and thirteen bottles of eighth-grade. everyone who entered agreed with these numbers as well." li luo nodded lightly. just a single treasure trove had allowed them to obtain several hundred bottles of spirit liquids and purifying lights. most importantly were the thirteen bottles of the eighth-grade liquids and lights. in terms of skygold, they were worth hundreds of millions. this was not an insignificant amount of wealth, so it was no wonder li wuyuan was concerned about it. li luo couldn''t be bothered with wasting time with the dragon''s blood lineage and used the crudest method to divide the loot. the entire portion of spirit liquids and purifying lights was divided into five parts. the dragon''s fang lineage had a slightly large allocation as li lingjing and li fuling had put in the most amount of effort, and it was within their rights to do so. after he was done, li luo no longer bothered with the complaints from the dragon''s blood lineage. he was inclined to simply break the team up into two and go their separate ways if they were unhappy. when he turned back towards his group, he gave a smile towards li lingjing and li fuling before introducing lu qing''er and elder sister jin and their group to them. "li luo, you''re quite capable. you disappeared for just a short amount of time and you managed to seize a princess from golden dragon mountain?" li fuling took the opportunity to inspect lu qing''er from head to toe. the young lady had snow-white skin and an enchanting beauty that elicited envy within her as she joked with a smile. li lingjing was still gripping the aquamarine bamboo python staff as her gaze lingered upon lu qing''er briefly. no emotions could be seen on her face. when elder sister jin saw this, she took half a step in lu qing''er''s direction. at the same time, her body tensed up subconsciously. she could feel a dangerous sort of aura emanating from li lingjing. however, lu qing''er remained calm. she gave her a shallow smile as they locked gazes briefly. li lingjing nodded lightly which was as good as a greeting from her before she turned to leave. elder sister jin felt a little dissatisfied at li lingjing''s indifferent reaction, but before she could speak her mind, lu qing''er shook her head. as a result, the words she had in mind remained unsaid. lu qing''er continued to watch li lingjing''s graceful back as she left. based on her own female instincts, she could feel that this cousin of li luo''s had a very different relationship with him compared to li fuling. at the very least, li fuling''s feelings towards li luo were more ordinary and simple. lu qing''er''s gaze flickered as she reminded herself in her heart, "this cousin lingjing is a very dangerous person." she could feel a threatening aura coming from her. additionally, even though li lingjing had looked at her with a faint smile, lu qing''er felt that it was a smile devoid of any warmth. in fact, it seemed even colder than her own ice resonance. that said, she had to admit that even though li lingjing seemed to be shrouded in a threatening aura that caused one to not underestimate her, she had also felt a similar aura from jiang qing''e as well. however, this was because jiang qing''e was far too outstanding and excellent, which had inadvertently caused those around her to feel immense pressure. this was where the two diverged. li lingjing was like a quietly hibernating but resplendent poisonous snake. "why does li luo constantly attract such menacing ladies to his side?" lu qing''er sighed helplessly in her heart. cousin lingjing was the type to not waste words, and she didn''t know how the first meeting between her and senior jiang would turn out. would a mighty confrontation break out between the two? it wasn''t that she was hoping for anything to happen between them, it was just a feeling that the two would likely be in conflict with each other based on their personalities. this caused lu qing''er''s lips to curl up in a smile upon the thought of this. "what are you thinking about?" li luo''s voice suddenly rang out. lu qing''er collected her thoughts and nonchalantly batted him an eye with a smile. "i''m just thinking of an interesting event in the future." li luo was a little confused at what she was referring to, but just as he was about to ask more, his expression suddenly changed. he raised his head and glanced into the distance, where majestic pillars of light were shooting into the sky. these pillars of light refracted an image from the void. it looked like an ancient forest that emanated a desolate air. if one looked more closely, they could even see rays of light from treasures that surfaced from time to time. this development left the group silent with bated breaths. "that is the spiritual resonance treasured garden!" li wuyuan exclaimed with great joy. "it looks like the other treasure troves have been destroyed and the spiritual resonance treasured garden''s defensive wards have been activated." li luo focused intently on the scene before him. the treasured garden was gigantic, and it was undoubtedly created with the culmination of much effort and resources of the sacred void resonance sect. as the projected image from the void continued to shift, li luo suddenly noticed an ancient tree that towered into the sky within the depths of the treasured garden. it seemed to contain the vicissitudes of life, having existed for an unknown number of years. when he looked at it a little more closely, there seemed to be several fruits hanging from it. the fruits were vibrantly colored and its interior pulsed with the different elements, representing all of the different resonances. the sight of that mystical fruit caused the three resonant palaces within his body to come to life, the resonant power within them churning explosively. an indescribable sort of thirst and desire for it surfaced within his heart. li luo instinctively knew what he was looking at. "an origin enlightenment fruit!" before he could speak, someone else within the crowd had shouted out the exact words he had in mind. li wuyuan, li fuling, and the rest were bursting with excitement and their motivation surged. this origin enlightenment fruit was the object they desired the most. by refining this natural treasure, they could gain enlightenment of their resonance origin. this was something that only greater heavenly resonance tier experts would come into contact with. if one wanted to break into the duke stage and form their duke bergfrieds, they required an accumulation of resonance origin. this was the foundation of a duke. if they could obtain this treasure, the likelihood of entering the greater heavenly resonance tier and subsequently the duke stage would be greatly amplified. the projection gradually dissipated, and li luo was left staring into space. at the moment the towering tree faded, he noticed a thatched cottage nearby with a blurry, white figure within. it was so fleeting he couldn''t be sure if it was an illusion. it was a white ape, and it was wielding a stone pestle, grinding herbs into a medicinal paste. before he could fully comprehend what he had seen, the projection vanished. what followed were the sounds of sonic booms and numerous figures dashing madly from all directions towards the location of the spiritual resonance treasured garden. "let''s go as well," li luo said as he glanced at the group. no one had any objections. everyone couldn''t wait to do so. thus, the large group swiftly made their way towards the location of the projection. tens of minutes later, they slowly reduced their speed. before them were thick clouds and mist that obscured the skies and area before them. beneath the clouds and intermingled with mist stood titanic trees that were as large as giants, standing solitarily and forming a barrier before them. this was the spiritual resonance treasured garden''s defensive ward. originally, the barrier had been without flaws, but with the treasure troves destruction, certain areas had become extremely thin and showed signs of deterioration. every individual that arrived quickly utilized their own methods to breach the thinnest parts of the cloud wall to enter the garden. however, when li luo''s group arrived, he could sense a chilly gaze observing their every move from not too far away. when he turned his head, his eyes shrank. a large wave of people was moving towards them, with zhao yan and zhao shenjiang at the front. they were almost obsessively staring at him. right beside them were the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. qin yi and qin ying were also present within the group. clearly, the two bloodlines had joined forces as expected. zhao yan glared at li luo''s group with murderous intent before he noticed the unfamiliar lu qing''er and elder sister jin. "are those li luo''s reinforcements?" zhao yan asked qin ying. before qin ying could reply, qin yi sighed deeply. "these are the people of the golden dragon bank. however, why is it that i don''t see mu yao? he was supposed to be the leader of the group." "could he have gotten lost or perhaps met with an accident?" qin ying suggested. qin yi shook her head, indicating that she did not know. her crystal-clear eyes lingered upon lu qing''er briefly. the latter seemed to have noticed her and returned the stare. to qin yi, that gaze contained a sort of coldness that was comparable to a land that had been covered in ice and snow for tens of thousands of years. "hmph. it doesn''t matter. if the two of us join hands, we can definitely send the bloodline of heavenly emperor li packing without any rewards." zhao yan snorted coldly. "let''s go. we should enter the spiritual resonance treasured garden. what is most important is to obtain the origin enlightenment fruits." the two sides came to a consensus and immediately rushed into the thinnest part of the cloud barrier. nov.lb-1n "damn it. they actually joined forces." li wuyuan continued to glare at the group with an ugly expression as he clenched his teeth. "this is what we had expected from the beginning." li luo remained unfazed. zhao yan''s group had experienced repeated setbacks on the golden dew platform, and they knew that li lingjing had reached the nine-pearl tier, so they had to cooperate with the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing to have any chance of dealing with them. "we have the friends from the golden dragon bank supporting us, so our lineup may not be inferior to theirs," li luo said. with that, he led the group to rush into the garden through the thinnest part of the cloud wall. as the groups gradually filed into the spiritual resonance treasured garden, the surroundings fell silent. a while later, a single figure leisurely walked over. it was a handsome young man dressed in white monk robes. he had a gentle expression and a genial smile that seemed utterly refreshing in this cruel world. however, his shiny, bald head was covered in blood-red lines that squirmed as though there were living creatures under his skin. the dissonance was unsettling. as he examined the cloud wall that blanketed the spiritual resonance treasured garden, he smiled and nodded. "contrary to what one might expect... this is indeed a gigantic coffin." with that, he took a step forward and vanished into the depths as well. Chapter 1015: Corpse Beast chapter 1015: corpse beast when li luo and the group entered the cloud wall, the air in their surroundings began to shake violently. at the next moment, they found themselves in a completely new environment. it was an extremely vast wilderness with rows of mountains rising up from the ground, standing between the heavens and earth like titanic giants. this place did not seem like a medicinal garden. rather, it felt like an isolated world that had existed since ancient times. perhaps, this was what the sacred void resonance sect had intended, all in order to nurture the various treasures. at the same time, more and more people arrived in this wilderness, gathering in groups of considerable size. the people that had made it this far were no ordinary folk. whether it was the talents from the various powers or the rogue cultivators, they were all elites. they knew that competition would be immense, so they had formed teams in order to get an edge when it came to eliminating other competitors and fighting for treasures. of course, li luo''s team was spectacular as well. li wuyuan and elder sister jin were already half a step into the lesser heavenly resonance tier. li lingjing was a nine-pearl that was not any weaker than a lesser heavenly resonance tier expert. at the same time, li luo''s strength had increased tremendously recently too. although he was still a three-pearl, he was confident he could beat a five-pearl opponent with the various treasures and skills he possessed, even if he did not use the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf. in comparison, he was only a fiend finisher when he first entered the spiritual resonance cave. although his battle strength allowed him to punch well above his cultivation level, he ultimately lacked in terms of the foundation of his resonant power. if not for the resonant power from his three resonant palaces, he would have fallen short against the others here. moreover, the team had geniuses from the previous generation like li fuling around. yet things had taken a drastic change since then. after the baptism at the golden dew platform, li luo had gotten a huge boost to his power. he could confidently stand as the top few in terms of battle strength even amongst elites like li fuling. li luo and the group did not hesitate to fly directly towards the treasured garden. the garden was massive. although it was filled with countless treasures, the thing they were truly aiming for was the origin enlightenment fruit. as such, their priority now was to be the first group to reach the ancient, towering tree. bang! as they hurried over at top speed, energy explosions erupted around them. when they looked around, they noticed huge beasts emerging from the forests filled with treasures. the beasts had joined battles between various teams fighting over the treasures. they appeared to be spirit beasts tasked with guarding the area. they emitted intimidating, berserk energy. "there are spirit beasts living in the garden?!" the group exclaimed in surprise when they saw the beasts. the spiritual resonance treasured garden had been around since ancient times. how were the spirit beasts that were guarding it still alive after thousands of years? "these spirit beasts seem kind of strange..." after looking at them for a few moments, li luo and the group noticed immediately. although the spirit beasts appeared alive, their eyes lacked any signs of life. there was no vitality in their bodies either. instead, a stench reminiscent of rotting corpses emanated from them. "there''s no signs of vigor within these spirit beasts. however, their bodies have not decomposed after all these years either, as if there''s a special energy protecting them. they are just like corpse puppets. they''re likely acting in order to protect the treasures at this location," li lingjing explained after scanning the battlefield. "although their energy has not strengthened over the course of thousands of years, their physical bodies seem to have been tempered in some way," li luo said as he observed a battle in the distance. a team of roughly ten people was fighting against a black tiger spirit beast. the tiger spirit beast emanated fluctuations of energy matching the heavenly pearl tier. however, its dried-up body was as hard as iron, fending off all the strikes from the team''s attacks. as it continued to attack in a mad frenzy, two unlucky fellows had their lives reaped under its claws. li luo and the rest instantly increased their vigilance after the sudden appearance of the beasts. nonetheless, they did not slow down at all. they ignored the treasures in the forest and hurried into the depths at full speed. people like zhao yan and qin ying surely had taken a similar plan of action. if they were too slow to contest for the fruits, it would become a lot more troublesome to get them once they had fallen into the hands of others. unfortunately, their journey was not completely smooth. the corpse beasts in the vast forest sensed their presence from time to time and attacked them abruptly. they possessed such thick skin that it was a huge headache to deal with them. they were just as tough as li jingtao, so it took a considerable amount of time to get rid of them. just like this, half a day passed by. when li luo and the group made their way out of the forest, it was like their view had broadened almost instantly. what stood before them was a plain with no end in sight, and right in the middle stood an ancient heavenly tree. the tree was like the nexus of this world. its canopy stretched out for dozens of miles and its branches and leaves were so dense that they seemed like a world of their own. they swayed and glowed lightly as light circulated around them. a rich and distinct fragrance could be smelled even miles away. the hearts of li luo and the others skipped a beat at this sight. their eyes all turned towards the center of the tree, where a few mythical fruits hung quietly among the branches and leaves. the fruits seemed to possess an indescribable charm that caused the elements to flow around them. their breaths seemed to have turned heavy at this moment as they heaved in anticipation. those fruits were the ultimate goal of their expedition. the origin enlightenment fruits! nove.lb(in however, as soon as li luo and the rest discovered the ancient tree, sonic booms were heard and numerous figures landed in their surroundings. the ones leading the incoming group were none other than zhao yan and qin ying. "li luo, li wuyuan, you guys seem to run quite quickly," zhao yan mocked as he looked over with a cold gaze. "you too," li luo replied with a sarcastic smile as he glanced over at qin ying and qin yi. his eyes narrowed a little as he said to zhao yan, "it seems like you''ve found some helpers after receiving a beating at the golden dew platform." zhao yan revealed a solemn smile and replied, "do you think it''s just them? i have to thank you for creating enemies everywhere, li luo. i''ve found quite a lot of reinforcements." just as zhao yan finished speaking, numerous figures dashed through the sky and appeared behind li luo and his group. li wuyuan and the others turned around and noticed two more groups. the first group was no stranger to them. they were the people from the devil fire hall who had worked with zhao yan and the rest when they first entered the spiritual resonance cave. they had set up an ambush for the bloodline of heavenly emperor li back then. leading this group was tian miao, the leader of the devil fire hall. he was considerably strong. the other group of people were wearing robes with the emblem of the golden dragon bank. their leader was familiar as well. "mu yao?" li wuyuan''s expression changed instantly. "are you people from the golden dragon bank interfering as well?" mu yao''s eyes were gloomy as he watched them from the sky in the distance. he replied snidely after hearing li wuyuan''s question, "you should ask li luo that question first. he''s the one who interfered with the internal affairs of the golden dragon bank! he even attacked me first. if not for my life-saving technique, i would be dead right now. do you think i can just let go of this grudge?!" many of the people present were shocked to hear mu yao''s words, especially li wuyuan, li hongli, and the rest of their lineage. they looked over at the innocent-looking li luo in astonishment. this fellow almost killed mu yao, who is at the lesser heavenly resonance tier? how is that possible?! however, there was no reason for mu yao to lie about such an embarrassing thing. in that case, li luo actually possessed an ace that could gravely injure a lesser heavenly resonance tier foe? li wuyuan''s expression changed a littlehe looked over to li luo with a hint of fear. the fellow was truly unfathomable. "haha, it sure is lively over here. however, we need to share good things. don''t try to hoard it all for yourself!" just as they were talking, thunderous laughter boomed from the distance, and another group of people appeared. everyone looked over and saw a group of people that possessed balloon-like figures floating in the sky. such distinct bodies indicated that it could be no one but the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu. leading the group was zhu zhu, with zhu dayu following closely beside her. "greetings, friends. we from the heavenly origin ancient college are also simply passing by. however, if there are any treasures to be found, please share a few with us." warm laughter echoed from another direction right after the team from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu arrived. beams of light shot through the sky into the vicinity as well. amongst them were zong sha, jiang wanyu, and the others from the heavenly origin ancient college. in just a few moments, all the elites from the various powers had gathered in one place. the situation could not have been any more complicated. however, none of the teams noticed that a pair of gray eyes was watching from the dense branches and leaves of the ancient tree in the distance. Chapter 1016: Display of Power chapter 1016: display of power the groups from the various powers were floating in the sky around the ancient plains. amongst them, the tension between the bloodline of heavenly emperor li and bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao was the greatest. the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao had come fully prepared this time, gaining the support from bloodline of heavenly emperor qing, the devil fire hall, and mu yao. they seemed to possess the strongest lineup in the battlefield at this point of time. even with the assistance of lu qing''er and elder sister jin, li luo''s side still seemed weaker than them. zhao yan stared coldly at li luo and his group. he had proactively reached out to the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing in order to take down the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. fortunately, due to the incident with qin lian in the past, qin ying and the rest naturally had bad ties with li luo as expected. moreover, the bloodline of heavenly emperor li was one of their main competitors. as such, they had naturally agreed to team up with each other. as for tian miao and the devil fire hall, they had previously collaborated to ambush li wuyuan. although the ambush had ended in disaster, it had offended li wuyuan. there was no other way for tian miao to move forward but to work with zhao yan once again. after all, his topmost priority was to obtain an origin enlightenment fruit. if he could eliminate the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, it would be favorable for him. as for mu yao... it was purely just a stroke of luck for zhao yan. he had approached zhao yan on his own not long after they had entered the spiritual resonance treasured garden. of course, zhao yan was more than happy to team up with him. mu yao was at the lesser heavenly resonance tier, and in addition to that, there were a lot of elites from the golden dragon bank on his side as well. the power of his alliance would increase dramatically with the golden dragon bank team''s collaboration. "zhu zhu, zong sha, my team currently holds the advantage. there are only a few origin enlightenment fruits up for grabs. don''t you think we should remove some of the competition?" zhao yan glanced over at the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu and the heavenly origin ancient college, hinting that they should join his side. his plan was clearhe would get everyone on his side and get them to focus on eliminating li luo and his team before they proceeded. his words caused quite a commotion within the groups from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu and the heavenly origin ancient college. with so many people already on his side, zhao yan''s alliance was indeed looking formidable. he could very well have the strongest group present. if they joined hands with him, the squad from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li would be left standing alone. in that case, they would be eliminated for sure regardless of their might. most importantly, they would have a higher chance of getting their own origin enlightenment fruits with the competition from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li eliminated. naturally, the faces of li wuyuan, li hongli, and the rest turned ugly immediately. zhao yan''s alliance was already a step ahead in strength. if he could get zhu zhus and zong sha''s groups to side with him, they would be finished. li luo frowned. zhao yan was truly vicious. from the way things were looking, it was indeed favorable for the other squads if they were eliminated from the competition right now. however, just as li luo was thinking about how to respond, laughter came from zhu zhu, the leader of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu. "zhao yan, you sure thought it through. however, the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu has no intention of becoming a pawn for anyone. if you wish to fight it out, go ahead and see who''s stronger." she did not accept zhao yan''s invitation. although the alliance from zhao yan''s side seemed to have an advantage, the bloodline of heavenly emperor li was not to be underestimated. in particular, li lingjing was a nine-pearl that was on par with anyone at the lesser heavenly resonance tier. additionally, li luo''s strength was unfathomable. like mu yao had said earlier, he had nearly lost his life to li luo. in such a situation, zhu zhu naturally would not lead the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu to side with anyone.n/-0velbin "sister zhu, we should help li luo out! he''s more reliable than zhao yan. if we help him chase those people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao away, we''ll definitely get a share of the origin enlightenment fruits," zhu dayu secretly suggested to zhu zhu from her side. zhu zhu rolled her eyes and whispered back, "what''s the hurry? we are also looking after our family here. there is no need to make our bets so hastily. we will observe the situation first and act later. if li luo and the others fall into a crisis, our assistance will be worth more." when zhu dayu heard this, he could only mumble to himself in dissatisfaction. meanwhile, zong sha from the heavenly origin ancient college laughed out loud. "the heavenly origin ancient college has always taken a neutral stance with regards to matters relating to the heavenly emperor powers. you should settle it amongst yourself." indeed, it was to their benefit to remain as spectators rather than getting caught up in the fight themselves. jiang wanyu had not said anything about it. zong sha was their leader after all. she simply took a quick glance at li luo and wondered if what mu yao had said was the truth. was this fellow actually capable of threatening him? on the other hand, zhao yan''s eyes darkened a little when he saw both zhu zhu and zong sha choosing to stay on the sidelines. however, he soon regained his composure and smirked. "since the two of you aren''t willing to take sides, you can wait and see." after all, his side held the upper hand. if zhu zhu and zong sha truly refrained from interfering, that was nothing but good news for him. at this moment, mu yao slowly opened his mouth and said to lu qing''er, "young mistress qing, if you''re willing to hand the object over to me, we will not interfere with the fight. how does that sound?" lu qing''er''s expression remained frigid. however, li luo interrupted with a smile before she could speak. "mu yao, you must have paid quite a price for the life-saving technique i forced you to use." hearing this, mu yao''s eyes turned colder. he could sense immense pain coming from his abdomen. if someone were to tear open his shirt now, they would expose that a huge piece of flesh had been sliced off his abdomen. it was a truly frightening scar. he had indeed paid an extremely heavy price to avoid that arrow from li luo. this was also why he was looking at li luo with eyes full of murderous intent. if he had the chance, he would definitely get rid of this troublesome guy forever. "let''s do it!" zhao yan gave the order loudly. huge amounts of resonant power surged up like a storm, and the energy of a lesser heavenly resonance tier cultivator enveloped the battlefield. the resonant power of mu yao, qin ying, tian miao, and all the other strong people soared as well. the worldly natural energy from the surroundings vibrated violently. two at the lesser heavenly resonance tier and two half a step into the lesser heavenly resonance tier had summoned up their power! with such a lineup, the spectators from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu and the heavenly origin ancient college could not help but waver. over at the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, there was only a nine-pearl li lingjing. li wuyuan and elder sister jin were only half a step into the lesser heavenly resonance tier. based on this, it was clear that zhao yan and his group had the absolute advantage here. li wuyuan frowned as he looked at the battlefield. with only li lingjing and elder sister jin helping him, it was indeed a tall order to fend off the four strongest fighters from the opposing side. just as li wuyuan started getting a headache over the situation, a calm voice suddenly came from the side. "leave tian miao to me. you can just tie down the other three. i''ll try and finish him off completely as fast as i can." everyone was shocked at the person speaking. it was none other than li luo. li fuling asked him in disbelief, "you''re going to kill someone who''s half a step into the lesser heavenly resonance tier?" although mu yao had said that he had nearly been killed by li luo earlier, they had their reservations without seeing it with their own eyes. "it''s just a little trick, borrowing the power of others. however, i can''t keep it up for long, so we have to end this fight fast," li luo explained coolly as the others looked at him with surprise. he had chosen tian miao because he was the weakest. the other three, zhao yan, qin ying, and mu yao, were significantly stronger, considering their backgrounds. they definitely had multiple and mightier life-saving techniques. he did not have the confidence to deal with them. as such, he had chosen the easiest opponent out of the four. after all, injuring four fingers would not be as effective as cutting one off completely. as long as he could kill tian miao, the situation for both sides would change drastically. li qingfeng, li hongli, and the rest were at a loss for words. they were in the same generation as li luo. however, li luo had openly declared that he would kill someone half a step into the lesser heavenly resonance tier. had the gap between them and li luo grown so wide? although li luo had said that he was borrowing some kind of external power, it was still a form of strength nonetheless. in a life and death battle, staying alive was the only victory that mattered. li wuyuans expression changed as he stared deeply at li luo. if what he had said was true, there was really no one in this generation of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li that could obstruct him anymore. if he spent a few more years cultivating, even the best amongst the heavenly dragons five guardian armies would be unable to stop him. this was just like li taixuan back in the day. li wuyuan was overwhelmed with emotion, but he kept it under control. there was a greater foe before them right now. his priority was to deal with this issue first. at this point, li wuyuan did not have any other thoughts. he summoned up his resonant power. together with elder sister jin, the worldly natural energy of the surroundings gathered around them. on the other hand, nine radiant heavenly pearls materialized behind li lingjing. the energy coming from these nine pearls was even stronger than the energy li wuyuan and elder sister jin had released. li luo took a deep breath at this moment. he focused his thoughts onto the crimson bracelet. ferocious crimson energy flooded out like a torrent. his eyes gradually took on a crimson hue. the pressure from his energy undulations was comparable to li wuyuan and the others. a huge roar echoed through the air as the worldly natural energy around him shook violently. on the side, li qingfeng and li hongli were flabbergasted when they sensed the terrifying pressure. li luo had such an incredible ace hidden up his sleeve! in the distance, qin yi also looked over at li luo with a serious gaze. the faces of zhao jingyu and zhao shenjiang had turned green. zhao jingyu could not help but ask in confusion, "is this brat really from a barren outer divine continent? how does he possess even more aces than us?!" "the energy coming from him is vicious beyond belief. it should belong to some kind of spirit beast. although i don''t know how he transformed such energy into his own power, it''s still considered unorthodox. if he''s not careful, his mind will be corrupted and he''ll be dead meat!" zhao shenjiang explained gloomily. there were indeed many secret arts that could allow one to tap upon the power of spirit beasts. however, the aftereffects were extremely frightening. quite a few people had turned crazy from it. he looked over at li luo with cold eyes. "let me see just how strong he has gotten with this external power!" when zhao shenjiang finished his sentence, the eight figures overflowing with tremendous energy flew into the air and clashed directly against one another. a huge battle was about to unfold. Chapter 1017: Ice and Water chapter 1017: ice and water when the strongest fighters from the two sides charged towards one another, beams of resonant power shot out from the others too. the worldly natural energy in the surroundings trembled violently, and a chaotic fight ensued. li fuling, li guan, and the other higher stage heavenly pearl cultivators led an offensive charge towards the devil fire hall, the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing, and the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. on the other hand, li qingfeng led the younger generation to stop qin yi, zhao shenjiang, and zhao jingyu''s group. "fairy qin, i didn''t expect that we''d meet each other on the battlefield one day," li qingfeng commented with a sigh as he glanced at the charming qin yi with her beautiful fairy-dress dancing in the air. "this is not what i wished for. but since the situation calls for it, i cannot resist," qin yi replied softly. "li qingfeng, you''re such a disappointment. initially, i thought of you as the strongest in your lineage. however, you''re so useless that you let a country bumpkin from the outer divine continent take that title from you so easily. if i were you, i''d just sit back here and watch him die so that he can''t steal your limelight anymore," zhao shenjiang told li qingfeng with malicious intent as he held firmly onto his heavy spear. however, li qingfeng simply shook his head after hearing those words. he smiled a little and replied, "you must have really suffered under the hands of li luo. if not, you wouldn''t be more anxious than me right now." zhao shenjiang''s eyes turned cold immediately. "tsk. since he cut off one of my arms earlier, i''ll cut off all four of your limbs later. if you want to blame anyone, just blame li luo!" as soon as he said those words filled with cruelty, four radiant heavenly pearls materialized behind his back. his pearls spun at extremely high speeds as they absorbed the worldly natural energy from the surroundings, causing zhao shenjiang''s power to increase incessantly. "let me have a taste of your might, then," li qingfeng responded with a cold voice. at the same moment, three radiant heavenly pearls also manifested behind his back, with a faint fourth pearl barely visible. "you have such a weak and illusory fourth pearl, yet you wish to fight against me?" zhao shenjiang smiled contemptuously. "it''s enough to stop you here!" li qingfeng gripped his sword tightly and stared back coldly. "if you''re held up by me over here, who''ll fight against fairy qin? are there any other useful fellows in the bloodline of heavenly emperor li?" zhao shenjiang remarked with a smile. hearing this, li qingfeng went silent for a moment. despite looking calm and peaceful, qin yi was likely even more dangerous than zhao shenjiang. if he went up against her, things would likely end ugly. as for the others... "let me handle this fairy qin girl." at this point, a voice that was akin to the sound of a clear spring flowing down from an iceberg came from behind him. li qingfeng was surprised to hear this, and he turned back to have a look. behind him, lu qing''er was standing in midair with a chilly air under her feet. the air had crystallized into ice, and she stood on top of it like a goddess of snow. she observed the enchanting qin yi with her icy gaze. naturally, she had heard about qin yi before and knew about the enmity between her and li luo. "miss qing, do you come from golden dragon mountain?" qin yi asked with a little surprise as her eyes turned towards lu qing''er. clearly, she had an inkling about lu qing''er and her background as well. lu qing''er smiled slightly and nodded. "you are truly a wonderful lady, miss qing, as pure and beautiful as a snow lotus. i wonder, what sort of relationship do you have with li luo? those from golden dragon mountain seldom get themselves involved in the affairs of the various powers," qin yi asked out of curiosity. "we are just old friends," lu qing''er replied calmly. "i don''t think it''s that simple..." qin yi responded with a smile. lu qing''er looked back at her and said, "fairy qin, it may not be a good thing for our generation to get too involved with the grudges from the previous generation. li luo may be compassionate, but not everyone is like that. if you really wish to plot against him, be careful that you do not look for trouble." hearing this, qin yi chuckled softly. "what is this? miss qing, do you wish to stand up for him?" "it would have been fine if it were just me," lu qing''er responded. "i am afraid that the one who will wholeheartedly support him will not be as pleasant as me. she will not be willing to talk things over with you when she arrives." qin yi smiled and asked, "that sounds like yet another lady. li luo is such a player. however, i am not as weak as you may imagine. if someone really wishes to assist him in the future, i will naturally face her head-on. unfortunately for me, i cannot go against my mother''s wishes, so your advice is useless." when she finished speaking, she flicked her jade-like fingers, and a beam of resonant power shot out like a water jet. the water meandered, transforming into a huge water dragon with a dominating presence. seeing this, lu qing''er did not waste her breath either. she took off her ice silk gloves, revealing her flawless, slender, jade-like hands. she then began forming seals with all ten fingers. extremely cold resonant power surged up, and a snow lotus bloomed under her feet. the surrounding air froze instantly. "this cold air..." qin yi''s eyes twitched a little as she felt the extremely pure and cold air in the surroundings. lu qing''er seemed to possess an extremely special power in her body. the cold air was definitely not something that an ordinary ice resonance could form. if she dared to step up by herself to fight against her, she must have some tricks up her sleeve. after pondering for a moment, qin yi did not hesitate any longer. surrounded by the sound of rushing water, the majestic water dragon roared out and charged straight towards lu qing''er.nove-lb(in ..... while li qingfeng and lu qing''er were having their own fights, li luo had come face to face against tian miao, the leader of devil fire hall, in the sky above them. tian miao frowned when he saw li luo charging towards him. at this moment, li luo was surrounded by an extremely ferocious crimson energy. the energy was so destructive that it made li wuyuan and the others pale in comparison in terms of danger. "i heard from mu yao that li luo''s strength can rival someone at the lesser heavenly resonance tier with his external aid. mu yao was nearly finished off by him. as someone half a step into the lesser heavenly resonance tier, i am even weaker than mu yao..." the look in tian miao''s eyes changed immediately as he whispered to himself, "i can''t confront him directly. i will have to employ hit and run tactics while slowly draining his borrowed power." as long as li luo lost the support of his external aid, he would simply be a three-pearl. tian miao was confident that he could suppress him at that time. with that, tian miao took a deep breath, and the scarlet resonant power coming from his body surged high up into the sky. for a moment, the whole sky seemed to be lit up in flames. the air burned with excruciating heat, and anyone who breathed it in would feel their throat throbbing with pain. he stood in the middle of the sea of flames he had manifested in the sky. it was an extremely spectacular sight. he had no intention to speak any nonsense with li luo. without hesitation, he formed a hand seal. giant fireballs emerged from the sky, raining down towards li luo like meteorites. li luo raised his palm, and water resonant power condensed on it. fused with the crimson energy, the water resonant power turned into a wave of devastating crimson water. the crimson water gushed out like a tidal wave. with a single movement, it swallowed up all of the giant fireballs. "water resonance..." tian miao frowned when he saw this. li luo was his natural enemy. he knew that his probing move had been ineffective. as such, he flew back instantly and retreated thousands of feet, not planning to face off against li luo directly. li luo understood what tian miao was plotting. clearly, he was not going to let things go according to plan. there was no need for him to test out the other party''s power in this battle. he only needed one lightning-fast move to upend the whole situation. "a one-hit killer move, huh? i do have one." li luo lowered his eyes slightly. murderous intent flashed across his eyes as he formed a hand seal. weng! the faint ringing of a sword cry quietly resounded in the background. at the same time, the void vibrated violently. it was... the water dragon fang sword! Chapter 1018: Twin Swords Slay the Flaming Devil chapter 1018: twin swords slay the flaming devil a stream of light blue light rose into the sky above li luo''s head. a sword made of light shaped like a dragon''s fang gradually materialized. the appearance of the water dragon fang sword caused the sword cries resonating throughout the field to reach a crescendo. worldly natural energy was mobilized in great amounts, and it all whizzed towards the sword. as the sword pulsed with energy, it caused the void around it to rip and tear. numerous shocked gazes in the distance fell upon the sword that had taken form. they had all noticed the sheer power that was contained within it. tian miao frowned. it looked like li luo had seen through his strategy and had directly taken out his ace, intending to settle things immediately. his gaze flickered, and he did not dare to tarry. scarlet light manifested around his body, transforming into a suit of plate armor. on it was a single violet mark, indicating that this was a violet-eye treasured artifact. at the same time, scarlet light surged into the skies above him, transforming into a single pearl of flame. it emitted a veil of flame that further augmented his defenses. he knew that li luo''s attack would not be easy to deal with, so he quickly brought out all of his protective means to defend himself. "if i withstand his strongest move, i''ll be at an advantage afterwards." tian miao''s eyes turned chilly. the fact that he had actually been forced into such a situation by a mere three-pearl was humiliating. however, he knew that that was the least of his worries right now. protecting himself was. li luo stared at the layers of defensive shells his opponent had summoned from afar, and one of his eyebrows lifted quizzically. tian miao was truly cautious, having steeled himself and curled up in his shell. it seemed that a single water dragon fang sword would not be sufficient to end him. "since one dragon fang sword is insufficient... then let''s use two." li luo lowered his eyes slightly, and at the next moment, a vibrant, emerald light rose into the sky above him. at the same time, a different sword cry rang out. when the emerald light appeared, the shriveled-up plant life beneath them seemed to have been rejuvenated and began to flourish and grow. a moment later, another shining dragon fang sword appeared within the emerald light. this was the wood dragon fang sword. after much refinement within the spiritual resonance cave, li luo had finally managed to cultivate the second dragon fang sword of the myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation. both swords lingered atop him, emanating peerless and majestic sword energy. their presence seemed to have split the clouds above into pieces, making them look like the scales of a fish. the sword energy that rocketed into the sky radiated with a chilling aura that caused everyone present to have a change in expression. nove(lb/in this included the heavily armored and protected tian miao, who was hoping to tide through this assault. the corners of his mouth were twitching uncontrollably. when li luo only employed a single dragon fang sword, he could distinctly sense that he should be able to block it and protect his life. however, the appearance of the second sword and the combined sword energy caused his scalp to tingle. "damn it! what terrifying sword energy. this should be at the very least a greater completion upper soul ascension-grade duke art. how did he manage to achieve all of this at his age and cultivation level?" tian miao''s heart was screaming. a greater completion upper soul ascension-grade duke art was something that few geniuses in even his generation had been able to master. li luo, on the other hand, was unconcerned with tian miao''s internal struggles. he raised his head and wistfully glanced at the wood dragon fang sword that he had managed to create after shedding endless amounts of blood, sweat, and tears and sighed lightly. the combined sword energy was incomparable to just having one. "i''ll use you as the first sacrifice to my sword." li luo formed a hand seal and then pressed downwards. weng! a moment later, the two dragon fang swords shot into the air, transforming into two beams of light-blue and emerald light. they lanced through the air with ferocious momentum, splitting the sky cleanly into two. a sword scar was left on the plains below as they flew past. looking at the rapidly enlarging swords that left trails of light in their wake, tian miao bellowed. the scarlet energy in the sky roiled and swiftly surrounded his body, transforming him into a humongous flaming devil with four limbs that was thousands of feet tall. "four armed flaming devil body!" with the threat of death looming overhead, tian miao swiftly activated the strongest duke art he had. this was the devil fire hall''s lower soul ascension-grade duke art. the flaming devil bellowed, then its mouth spewed a gigantic gout of flame at the two streams of boundless sword energy. the water dragon fang sword was the first to collide with it. the sword energy that seemed to contain the raging ocean instantly extinguished the flames in an all-encompassing manner. the sword energy then pierced through the skies unobstructed and brutally hacked at the flaming devil''s true body before everyone''s eyes. bang! terrifying amounts of energy exploded at that very instant, causing a storm of energy to burst forth in every direction, enveloping an area thousands of meters wide with crackling energy. everyone''s attention was focused upon the four-armed flaming devil. alas, the four armed flaming devil body was not as sturdy as tian miao had hoped. with the domineering strike of the two dragon fang swords, his duke art began to dissipate at a pace visible to the naked eye. the dragon fang swords possessed an energy that could disintegrate anything and everything. after a few breaths of time, the flaming devil vanished with a final roar. the two beams of sword energy did not weaken in the slightest. in a blink, they struck downwards yet again, shattering the veil of flame that had surrounded tian miao''s body. the flaming pearl above him crumbled as a result. tian miao looked horrified, and he retreated in a frenzy. sword energy continued to envelope him, ripping deep gouges in his scarlet armor with every strike. feeling the air of death gradually suffocating him, tian miao screamed with absolute fear, "li luo! stop! i''ll retreat from your battle! i.. i.. i''ll lead everyone away!" however, in spite of tian miao''s surrender, li luo''s gaze remained icy. the two sides had already taken things to such an extreme that admitting defeat was meaningless. li luo had intended to use his strongest move to kill with a single strike. he would use tian miao''s life to shock and awe the remainder. he formed yet another hand seal, and the two dragon fang swords burst forth with yet another domineering cry. shrouded with boundless amounts of killing intent, the two swords penetrated the enemys armor like a hot knife through butter. bang! when they exited from tian miao''s back, two unimaginably deep holes were gouged into the ground. tian miao''s armor fragmented, revealing his pale and terrified visage. he could sense the tyrannic sword energy coursing through him, destroying his body with utter ease like crushing brittled twigs. on the surface of his body, half of his skin was eroding at breakneck speed, whilst the other had seedlings sprouting out of every inch. when he felt his life slipping away before him, endless regret surfaced in his eyes. he was a prodigy of the devil fire hall, yet he had fallen in the spiritual resonance cave just like that? if he had known earlier, he would never have interjected himself between the two heavenly emperor powers. alas, there was no medicine for regret. tian miao''s rigid body plummeted from the skies, crashing heavily into the ground beneath. the chaotic battle between the two sides screamed to a halt. everyone''s attention had turned towards them. tian miao, who was half a step into the lesser heavenly resonance tier, had been killed by li luo in a single blow. although li luo had borrowed external strength, the spiritual resonance cave''s suppression limited him to the lesser heavenly resonance tier. comparatively speaking, even zhao yan would have great difficulty achieving the same result if pitted against tian miao. li luo had become so powerful in just a single year after coming from an outer divine continent! from afar, zhu zhu, zhu dayu, zong sha, jiang wanyu, and the rest silently observed him. they were reminded of the stories their elders had once told them, how the invincible li taixuan and tan tailan had triumphed over their peers without equal. they could feel that li luo might very well be in no way inferior to his parents, who had once shocked the world. no matter how things were, li luo''s reputation would soar upon the conclusion of the spiritual resonance cave. Chapter 1019: Divine Golden Clawed Bronze Condor chapter 1019: divine golden clawed bronze condor with the demise of tian miao, the chaotic battle that was raging high up in the air froze as though time stopped. the fighters from both sides were shocked by what had happened. although tian miao was only half a step into the lesser heavenly resonance tier, this was largely due to having slightly less resonant power in his body. if he were given some more time to cultivate, he would surely be able to step into the lesser heavenly resonance tier in full.n--0velbin as an elite of the devil fire hall, he naturally had multiple tricks up his sleeve too. his battle strength was not necessarily weaker than that of rogue cultivators at the lesser heavenly resonance tier. yet such a man had been killed by li luo in front of everyone''s eyes. it was such a clean and straightforward win from li luo that even someone like zhao yan and mu yao might not have been able to pull it off. after all, there was a big difference between winning and killing. at this moment, li luo was pretty calm and composed despite accomplishing such an outrageous feat. this was nothing worth bragging about in his eyes. he had ultimately borrowed the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf, which surely put him on par with a legitimate lesser heavenly resonance tier cultivator even though it was restrained. moreover, he had pulled out his killing move immediately by brandishing the two dragon fang swords. with every card in play, he could forget about showing his face in the heavenly origin divine continent ever again if he couldn''t even deal with tian miao. if he wasn''t afraid of tian miao having even more life-saving techniques prepared beforehand, he probably would not have gone all-out with two dragon fang swords to pull off the win. nonetheless, he did not slow down from here. his eyes swiftly turned towards the three other strong foeszhao yan, mu yao, and qin ying. sensing his gaze, their faces twitched a little. they could clearly tell from the earlier battle that the strength of the two dragon fang swords was extraordinary. if those swords had attacked them directly, they would likely be dead as well. in the end, li luo''s eyes stopped on zhao yan. there was killing intent laced within his gaze. zhao yan had been going against them at every turn since the beginning. he was also the leader of the squad from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. if he could was taken out, it would be a great blow to the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, and they would naturally lose the heart to continue competing for the origin enlightenment fruits. zhao yan''s expression changed as soon as he sensed the murderous gaze from li luo. resonant power surged from his body, and ring after ring of protective energy formed around him. with a cold look in his eyes, li luo drew the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow from his pocket sphere. the power of the myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation was undoubtedly immense. however, such domineering power also caused a huge strain to his body every time he used it. as such, he had to slow down the pace of his offense. the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow was also a tyrannical weapon in its own right, and fortunately, it was not as taxing on him. at the same time, li luo also pulled out the underworld thunder runic arrow, the fifth-grade royal engraving he had been kindly "gifted." he had used it once already, so the royal engraving was slightly dimmer. nonetheless, it seemed like it could still be used quite a few more times before crumbling completely. "with the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s power, the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow, and a fifth-grade royal engraving, this strike should be slightly stronger than the two dragon fang swords. this should be able to finish off zhao yan directly regardless of what life-saving techniques he has up his sleeve... right?" li luo thought to himself. he looked over at zhao yan with a bright smile. the latter''s face had turned pale as he hovered in the air. in the same moment, the underworld thunder runic arrow was activated, taking shape on the bow. bang! thunder roared when the arrow was released. the underworld thunder runic arrow exploded with lightning that sparked wildly as it shot across the air like a raging torrent of elemental doom. at this moment, the lightning flooded the air around li luo. zhao yan''s face changed completely with this sight. he wanted to escape to avoid li luo''s strike. however, li lingjing had arrived precisely at this moment with her aquamarine bamboo python staff in hand. the aquamarine poison rays swept across the sky, and the void trembled under the pressure of her resonant power. zhao yan had no choice but to summon everything he had to defend himself. "hey, zhao yan seems to be out of luck. is he really going to die here? this would be such a great embarrassment for the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao," zhu zhu commented with a peal of uncontrollable laughter as she watched from afar with the squad from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu. everyone could tell that zhao yan was in a precarious predicament. without a doubt, his lesser heavenly resonance strength was no match against the teamwork of li luo and li lingjing. "if not for the wild variable li luo, i am afraid that this generation from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li would have been oppressed by the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao yet again..." zong sha said with a sigh over at the heavenly origin ancient college''s group. "li luo is truly a monster. although he relied on external aid to kill tian miao earlier, the two dragon fang swords he had used were probably a very high-grade duke art. judging from how domineering his sword energy is, i think... it is probably not any weaker than the completed three dragon''s heavenly banner canon," zong sha continued. jiang wanyu''s face changed a little after hearing his words. the completed version of the three dragon''s heavenly banner canon was a destiny-grade duke art. although it was one grade short of being transcendent, it was still considered top-class when compared to the weaker soul ascension-grade duke arts. the fact that zong sha had commended thedragon fang swords indicated that he was wary of their tremendous power. "based on hall divisions by age, li luo would be placed in the two star hall in the heavenly origin ancient college. however, his strength would place him amongst the top few in the three star hall even without that fearsome external power he wields. he''s truly what you''d call a monster," jiang wanyu commented with a complex look on her charming face. she had originally treated him coldly and even felt a sense of arrogance when they first met. however, the scene before her forced a reluctant recognition of his exceptional talent. "if were in our college, he would potentially have become one of the heavenly star seedlings and eventually be promoted into the heavenly star hall in advance," zong sha said. "heavenly star seedling..." jiang wanyu''s eyes fluttered a little. in the ancient college, the heavenly star hall was a place that towered over the rest. however, one would need to be at the heavenly resonance tier before they could enter the heavenly star hall. it could be said to be a place where all the monstrous talents from the college gathered. under ordinary circumstances, dukes emerged from the heavenly star hall every few years. this was even more impressive than the four heavenly bloodlines in some ways. as for the heavenly star seedlings, it was a term reserved for someone who had not attained the heavenly resonance tier but had been nominated into the hall in advance due to their extraordinary talent. this was a feat so rare and difficult that not even someone as spectacular as jiang wanyu had achieved it. as such, she was inevitably moved when she heard zong sha''s words. while they were talking about it, li luo kept up his attacks. however, just as he was about to launch another devastating blow, a strange cry reverberated throughout the place. everyone was taken aback by this sudden development. their eyes turned towards the origin of the sound. it had actually come from the giant tree that spanned across the sky... the ancient tree appeared to be swaying slightly, its leaves rustling. at the next moment, the sounds of flapping wings could be heard. everyone watched in surprise as streaks of golden light flew up from the branches of the ancient tree. within the beams of golden light were giant birds with wingspans of tens of meters. their bodies were bronze in color, but their claws were bathed in golden light, each emitting strong waves of energy. a moment later, thousands of these giant condors soared into the sky. their feathers appeared to be as hard as iron and there was a stench that resembled a rotting corpse wafted off them. "are these... divine golden clawed bronze condors? why are there so many of them?!" the crowd exclaimed when they saw the sudden deluge of giant condors flying towards them. despite their shock, they were able to recognise the spirit beasts straight away. the divine golden clawed bronze condors in their adult formswere comparable to heavenly pearl tier cultivators. with such huge numbers, it could be considered an unavoidable natural disaster. they were probably the spirit beasts guarding the ancient tree. when he saw this sudden development, li luo''s face changed too. he noticed that the gray-white eyes of these condors had already locked onto the scuffling crowd. the hisses[1] of the condors filled the air as countless beams of golden light descended towards them from the skies. 1. tl note: seriously, condors hiss. ? Chapter 1020: Killing Zhao Yan chapter 1020: killing zhao yan the crowd froze in fear for a moment as numerous streams of golden light rained down from the sky, radiating terrifying amounts of energy. with these numbers, the attack was likely too much for even a lesser heavenly resonance tier cultivator to handle. "run!" some of the people screamed in shock. at this point, the teams were no longer fighting amongst themselves. they brandished their resonance arts one after another, attempting to escape from the torrential rain of doom. this sudden development had caught li luo off guard as well. he frowned. with his arrow already loaded onto the bow, this was the perfect chance to gravely injure zhao yan. however, he had been disrupted by the sudden appearance of the divine golden clawed bronze condors. he looked around, and the area afflicted by the beams of golden light was truly vast. even his side was caught up in the midst of it. if he chose to leave them alone, it would cause quite a headache for him down the line. conversely, if he delivered a killing blow to zhao yan, his own resonant power and that of the three-tailed heavenly wolf would be exhausted for sure. after all, the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf was still restricted by the spiritual resonance cave. in that case, the rain of golden light that blanketed the sky would be a threat to him. but zhao yan had been such a troublemaker all this time; he had even teamed up with the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing, mu yao, and the devil fire hall. if li luo did not get rid of him here, he would definitely be a huge threat in the future. li luo''s eyes flickered briefly, showing his resolute and merciless decision. at this moment, a figure flew towards him, only stopping when they were very close. laughter followed, then he heard some very reassuring words. "third brother, just go ahead and do what you need to. i''ll block the golden light for you." it was none other than li jingtao. li luo was a little surprised. however, he had no time to hesitate at this critical juncture. he nodded and replied, "i''ll leave them to you, then, eldest brother. take care of yourself. if you can''t withstand it any longer, get away quickly!" li jingtao smiled and said, "don''t worry, i may not be good at attacking, but i''m very confident when it comes to defending." he raised his head and looked at the rain of golden light that was heading towards him. with a loud and long cry, a huge shadow that seemed like both a dragon and a turtle materialized behind him. he then channeled his resonant power and formed seals with his fingers. "eight carapaces art, six carapaces diamond shield!" resonant power surged up and formed an energy shield that spanned hundreds of feet long in front of li jingtao. different colored runes spread out across the shield''s surface. there were six different kinds of runes, just like six different carapaces, allowing him to possess an impenetrable defense. li luo took a glance at the energy shield li jingtao had just created. although he was merely a two-pearl, his defensive arts were top notch. based on his estimates, not even a four-pearl would be able to break through it in a single strike. "eldest brother, you are getting further and further ahead when it comes to your defensive ability," li luo said with happiness in his eyes. however, his eyes turned serious again as he looked back over at zhao yan. his underworld thunder runic arrow was already drawn at maximum power on his bow. from afar, it looked just like a raging lightning dragon that was being forcibly restrained. moreover, it had been imbued with crimson energy as well, giving it an extremely fearsome appearance that sent chills up one''s spine. the dragon sigil between li luo''s brows lit up at this point as the nine dragon scales came to life. he could distinctly feel the uncontrollable lightning dragon squirming on his bow. no longer hesitating, he let go with a gaze flooded with murderous intent. ridiculous amounts of energy waves detonated through the air and thunder claps filled the sky. for a brief moment, the sharp condor hisses were drowned out completely. the lightning dragon soared through the sky. it was so bright that even the rain of golden light looked like dull copper in comparison. everyone''s attention was drawn to it. it seemed like li luo was more determined to finish off zhao yan than they had imagined. zhao yan had also sensed li luo''s commitment to dealing with him regardless of the consequences. this lightning dragon arrow was filled with all his power. the energy flowing through it was enough to leave him fearing for his life. without any hesitation, zhao yan retreated, his eyes scanning the surroundings. he wanted to find some helpers to defend against this attack. he could tell that li luo had reached his limit after finishing off tian miao earlier. the use of external power to aid him had inevitably caused a significant strain on his body.n-/0velb1n as long as he was able to escape from this arrow, he would be able to handle the weakened li luo later. but... no one was able to lend him a helping hand as he scanned his surroundings frantically. they were all too busy dealing with the attacks pouring down from the divine golden clawed bronze condors. "damn it! do you really think that i''m like tian miao? someone that can be killed off that easily?!" a vicious look appeared in zhao yan''s eyes when he felt his life being threatened. since there was no way to avoid it, he would face it head-on. li luo''s attack truly was fearsome, but was zhao yan just an ordinary weakling? zhao yan took a deep breath and spat something out of his mouth. a dark, golden orb of light appeared, and inside it was a metal fragment engraved with ancient and complex runes. "you''re not the only one with a royal engraving!" zhao yan laughed coldly. as the strongest member of the older generation of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, he possessed his own ace to protect his life in such desperate situations. this royal engraving was the seven treasures pagoda, a sixth-grade royal engraving! it was a whole grade higher than the underworld thunder runic arrow used by li luo! this was zhao yan''s final trump card, and he had to pay a high price in order to obtain it. a sixth-grade royal engraving was an extremely rare treasure that was hardly seen even in the heavenly origin divine continent headquarters of the golden dragon bank. however, a royal engraving diminished with each use, and zhao yan would not want to use it if he really had a choice. evidently, he could not think too much now that li luo was coming after his life. as the wild lightning dragon pierced through the sky, the golden fragment spat out by zhao yan exploded into a burst of scintillating light. at the next moment, it transformed into a giant pagoda a hundred feet tall. there were seven levels to the pagoda, each with its own unique treasure that bloomed with majestic amounts of light. as soon as the golden pagoda took form, the lightning dragon arrow exuding a ferocious aura cut through the air and crashed directly into it. bang! extremely fierce energy shockwaves erupted and the void shuddered. thunderous booms filled the ancient plains. everyone''s eyes were locked onto the clash of engravings. zhao yan, who was under the protection of the golden pagoda, was staring intently at the point of contact with the lightning energy arrow. the seven treasures pagoda emitted a seven-colored energy that continuously negated the immensely corrosive effect of the lightning. li luo''s attack was truly fearsome. zhao yan was left wondering if his sixth-grade royal engraving would be sufficient to fend it off completely. the two fearsome powers struggled against each other for quite a while. suddenly, a clear and crisp sound reverberated through the air. it was faint, but in zhao yan''s ears, it was no different from a resounding roar. his eyelids trembled as he looked toward the direction where the sound had come from. a slight crack had appeared on the shield of light formed by the seven treasures pagoda. zhao yan''s breathing stopped for a moment. in that same moment, more cracks appeared throughout the shield. the berserk lightning energy was gradually penetrating his defenses! he felt a chill rising in his heart. how could a bastard like li luo pose such a huge threat to him? he didn''t consider li luo at threat at all when he first entered the spiritual resonance cave. even though li luo had managed to secure the position of dragon''s head, as far as zhao yan was concerned, it just meant that this generation of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li was utterly trash. never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that li luo would not only defeat zhao shenjiang, but also force him into such a dire predicament! if he had known earlier, he would have ignored li wuyuan back in the valley and focused all his strength on getting rid of the disaster known as li luo and the dragon''s fang lineage! sadly, regretting it now was pointless. the violent and raging lightning spread rapidly across the shield before zhao yan''s eyes. in the next moment, the shield formed by the seven treasures pagoda finally reached its limit and the pagoda and shield both shattered. zhao yan looked horrified as he witnessed this scene. he left behind a series of afterimages as he retreated at maximum speed. at the same time, powerful resonant power flooded out of his body, forming a protective barrier. although li luo''s attack had broken through his seven treasures pagoda, its energy had been largely used up in the process. despite beating a quick retreat, the underworld thunder runic arrow was even faster. bang! in the sky above, only the roar of thunder could be heard. although it was much dimmer than before, the lightning dragon arrow pierced the sky like a shooting star as it charged through the countless afterimages. before everyone''s surprised gazes, it struck zhao yan directly. the layers of defenses around him were destroyed as the arrow drilled through his chest with a loud bang. Chapter 1021: Sound of Grinding Medicine chapter 1021: sound of grinding medicine "ahhhhh!" zhao yan''s shrill cries echoed through the air as he was sent flying from the sheer force of the arrow, fresh blood spewing out of his chest. countless gazes stared in shock. not even zhao yan could withstand li luo''s arrow? was li luo going to finish off two experts at the lesser heavenly resonance tier in one fight? their eyes followed zhao yan, who was flopping in the air like a kite with its string cut. they had assumed that this would be the end for him. however, zhao yan suddenly writhed and then shot off with maniacal speed. there was a gaping hole in the front of his chest, but he had managed to perserve his life. "save me!" zhao yan screamed, now completely disheveled.n(-ovelbin not too far from him, the other elites from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao hurried over. they were horrified to see the state he was in and decided to prioritize saving him over defending themselves from the bombardment of gold light. "what a hardy person." li luo sighed when he saw this. at this moment, he had completely exhausted all of the resonant power in his body and was only staying in the air with the help of his energy wings from the nine scales sanctified dragon''s body. the crimson bracelet was now dim, and the flow of crimson energy gradually halted. trying to finish off tian miao and zhao yan consecutively had evidently taken a huge toll on li luo. as such, he did not have any more strength left to finish off zhao yan even though he knew that his opponent was at the end of the line as well. the stronger individuals from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao had arrived to render assistance. at the same time, the divine golden clawed bronze condors from the ancient tree were attacking indiscriminately... as li luo watched with regret in his eyes, the numerous members of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao caught zhao yan. they were shocked to see the grievous wound on his chest, so they hurriedly took out pills to help with his injuries whilst they retreated rapidly. zhao yan swallowed the pills quickly, but his face remained pale and his resonant power seemed to be in complete disorder. clearly, he had been severely injured by li luo''s arrow. "damn it! damn it! that bastard li luo! i''ll definitely find a chance to finish him off after this! i''ll let him know that he''s going to die at a young age no matter how talented he is!" zhao yan screamed with eyes full of rage and resentment. he was extremely angry and frustrated after being defeated by li luo in public. zhao yan gritted his teeth and said, "let''s retreat..." however, he immediately sensed that something was amiss at the next moment and cried out, "watch out!" as soon as he finished his words, a figure dashed in from their right like a phantom. there were nine radiant heavenly pearls dazzling behind her, continuously sucking in worldly natural energy. "li lingjing!" zhao yan shouted in horror. li lingjing was firmly gripping her aquamarine bamboo python staff. she locked onto zhao yan with her dark and clear eyes. no emotion could be seen on her fair and pretty cheeks. her beautiful figure had slid amongst them like a stealthy python, ready to strike. as she struck downwards towards zhao yan''s cranium, it left behind an afterimage of her staff wrapped in poisonous rays.. her sneak attack had caught everyone by surprise. it was almost as if she had expected zhao yan to be severely injured and predicted that he would run past her. she ignored everyone else who attempted to protect himshe only had one target. the faces of the elites changed completely in that instant. zhao yan was too badly injured to dodge this strike. clenching their teeth, they summoned up every bit of resonant power they had, imbuing the weapons in their hands with energy and launching vicious attacks towards li lingjing''s vitals. it was a smart move. they wanted to force li lingjing into giving up on killing zhao yan and make her defend herself. however... they had underestimated li lingjing''s ruthlessness and determination. instead, she did not even think about dodging their attacks. facing them head-on, the vicious attacks struck her petite body, spilling her blood. in return, zhao yan could only watch helplessly as her staff descended upon him. splat! it was like the sound of a watermelon falling onto the ground and breaking apart. zhao yan''s head exploded, sending blood and brain matter flying in every direction, landing on the faces of the elites from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. this left them in a daze for a few moments. they stared blankly at li lingjing''s cute and emotionless face. they had not expected such ruthlessness from such a beautiful lady. she was willing to sacrifice a figurative arm to take a life. after killing zhao yan, li lingjing ignored the vicious attacks that had struck her and retreated without hesitation. as for the several experts from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, they stared blankly at the headless corpse next to them, trembling with their feet stuck to the ground. zhao yan had died in such a gruesome way right before their very own eyes. even the ones who had been watching from the sidelines stared at the aftermath in shock. zhao yan... the most outstanding talent from the previous generation of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, had died just like that? zhu zhu from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu, zong sha from the heavenly origin ancient college, as well as the others all sucked in deep breaths as they observed li lingjing''s retreating figure with some fear in their eyes. the duo comprising of li lingjing and li luo had been the two most unexpected dark horses in the expedition into the spiritual resonance cave. "tsk!" li luo also inhaled a deep breath of cold air as he watched in surprise. he had not expected the sneak attack from li lingjing either. additionally, she had allowed herself to be injured for the sake of taking zhao yan''s life. it was a merciless decision that demonstrated how cold-blooded she truly was. however, li luo could not help but laugh out loud after the moment of shock passed. it was because li lingjing''s finishing blow was too perfect. with zhao yan dead, the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao had lost their leader. they would no longer be a threat in the spiritual resonance cave, and naturally, they would not have a share of any of the origin enlightenment fruits. as for whether killing zhao yan would incur the wrath of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, li luo was not bothered about it at this moment. after all, there had been simmering tension between the two lineages for years. many talents from both sides had died under various means over the years. as such, adding zhao yan to the pile might not be a big deal. bang! just as li luo heaved a sigh of relief from zhao yan''s death, he felt immense amounts of energy coming from behind him. he quickly turned around to see countless rays of golden light raining down towards him yet again. fortunately, they were all obstructed by li jingtao''s energy shield. however, cracks were constantly appearing on the mottled shield when pitted against such a dense and continuous chain of attacks. even though li jingtao had demonstrated his adeptness with defensive arts, there were still faint signs that it would cave eventually. li jingtao bitterly gritted his teeth and continued to persist. unfortunately, streaks of blood could be seen on his palms already. however, he did not dare to retreat, as he knew that li luo, who had exhausted all his strength, was right behind him, relying on him! "third brother, hurry up. i can''t hold on any longer!" as the golden light poured down torrentially, li jingtao was finally unable to hold on. with a loud explosion, the six carapaces diamond shield broke apart. streams of golden light shot directly towards li luo. li luo was slightly startled by the turn of events, but he activated his energy wings immediately, preparing to evade. however, right at this moment, a beautiful figure rushed over. waving the aquamarine bamboo python staff in her hands, poisonous rays of light condensed before him, clashing directly with the endless streams of golden light. the collision of energy was like a catastrophic disaster, destroying everything around it. li luo looked at li lingjing, who had just appeared in front of him. she was still bleeding, with wounds strewn all over her body. he took out the blackwood feather fan right away. with a swipe, a beam of white light quietly fell upon her body, treating all of her injuries. li lingjing turned her head slightly and glanced back at him. she said jokingly, "congratulations on being the most important individual in today''s battle." li luo had killed tian miao, who was half a step into the lesser heavenly resonance tier, with one blow. he then gravely injured zhao yan with another strike. in a way, li luo had indeed contributed the most with his spectacular performance. hearing this, li luo smiled helplessly. if zhao yan had not forced his hand, he would not have revealed all his cards to finish him off. thinking back, that bastard was just courting death. however, the most troublesome thing right now was not the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhaoit was the huge number of divine golden clawed bronze condors. there was no way for them to approach the ancient tree with the condors'' protection, let alone obtain any of the origin enlightenment fruits. li luo scratched his head as he looked into the distance. they were completely outnumbered. however, just as he was brooding over what to do, he heard a faint sound that grabbed his attention. dong! dong! it seemed to be some sort of rhythmic pounding. along with the strange sound, li luo also noticed that the condors circling around the ancient tree seemed to have quietened down a little. li luo squinted as he looked at the area behind the ancient tree. then his gaze flickered all of a sudden. a thatched hut had appeared on the originally empty plains. in the small courtyard of the thatched cottage was a white ape holding onto a stone pestle and grinding medicine. the sound that he had heard earlier was coming from the stone pestle in its hands. the others had also noticed this sudden change, so their attention turned towards it. in that instant, the whole world seemed to have fallen gravely silent with the exception of the stone pestle''s continuous pounding. Chapter 1022: Thatched Cottage, White Ape chapter 1022: thatched cottage, white ape dong! dong! the sound of the stone pestle pounding away echoed repeatedly throughout the plains. it was an oddly strange scene that left everyone watching from the distance suspiciously. the chaotic battle had stopped by now. with the deaths of tian miao and zhao yan, the situation had come to a conclusion, albeit one that was unexpected. the faces of those from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao were really ugly, as if they were mourning for their deceased parents. this was especially true when they saw the headless corpse that was brought back. they were simply shaking in their boots. however, it was due to a combination of both fear and anger. they had never imagined that the strongest amongst them, zhao yan, would die here. "impossible... impossible..." zhao jingyu muttered repeatedly. his face was ghastly white and his eyes were full of terror. he could not understand how the lesser heavenly resonance tier zhao yan had been so gravely injured by li luo. making full use of that opportunity, li lingjing had finished him off. zhao shenjiang''s face was extremely gloomy as well. such a conclusion was beyond anyone''s imagination. after all, the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao had been triumphing over the bloodline of heavenly emperor li for decades. when was the last time they had been dealt such a humiliating defeat? additionally, all of this was due to a country bumpkin from the outer divine continent? "li luo only managed to hurt brother zhao yan so badly because of external aid! if he had relied on his own strength, our brother would have finished him off with one slap!" zhao shenjiang''s eyes were almost despondent as he continued, "this is just an unorthodox and underhanded way of doing things. today, he used an immoral method to kill a genius from our lineage. in the future, the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao can also use such a method to kill him!" although he had spoken boldly, zhao shenjiang knew very well in his heart. with the death of zhao yan, the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao''s strength had diminished significantly. this would gravely affect their chances of competing for the origin enlightenment fruits. "if the bloodline of heavenly emperor li continues to come after us now that brother zhao yan is dead..." one of the others commented worriedly. "we''ll join hands with the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. if li luo and his group continue to force us, we''ll fight him to the death! if we can''t get anything good, they can forget about it too!" zhao shenjiang replied with a vicious look on his face. however, if they were to act together with the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing, their relative positions would be changed. qin ying and qin yi had long stopped their attacks and had watched the situation unfold with complex emotions. just like the others, they had not expected the battle to end in such a way. li luo was ruthless and decisive. in just a short moment, he had reaped the lives of two of the strongest experts from their side. qin ying was the most surprised. it was fortunate that li luo had not come after him. otherwise, he might have ended up with the same fate as the other two. instead, he felt almost glad that zhao yan had been front and center, absorbing all of the hatred and vengeance all this while. if not, he would have fallen as well. "li luo is truly vicious." qin ying sighed. "my dear brothers, don''t be afraid. li luo only managed to pull that off due to tapping upon the external aid of a spirit beast. since he''s revealed all of his trump cards now, it''ll not be so easy for him to catch us off guard anymore," qin yi reassured the others softly from the side. "however, we definitely cannot underestimate li luo. his talent is comparable to that of his father, li taixuan. given more time, he''ll definitely attain the position of hidden dragon in the heavenly dragon five guardian armies." hearing this, qin ying responded with a bitter laugh. "please don''t say these words to the hall master. she absolutely loathes such words the most." qin yi looked back at him helplessly. her mother''s hatred towards li taixuan and tan tailan was deep rooted. as a result, she disliked li luo a lot too. if she heard such comments coming from her own daughter, she might very well explode with anger. "looking at the situation now, li luo has the upper hand. should we continue fighting against him?" qin ying asked. qin yi pondered over it for a moment. "there''s no hurry. the situation''s changed now. we''ll see how things develop and decide."nove/lb(in when she finished speaking, she looked at the mysterious thatched cottage in the distance. her charming eyes flickered slightly. the other squads from the various powers also retreated and regrouped. at the same time, those from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li also swiftly gathered back together. however, the others were much quieter this time, especially those from the dragon''s blood, dragon''s horn, and dragon''s bone lineages. their gazes vaguely swept past li luo with fear and shock within them. li luo''s rapid and swift strikes had not only led their foes to be taken aback, but also his own teammates. li wuyuan, li qingfeng, and li hongli were no exception. none of them had expected li luo to have so many aces hidden up his sleeve. li qingfeng''s expression was the most perplexing of all. he had originally thought that the gap in strength between him and li luo was not too huge. alas, the previous battle had changed his understanding completely. even though li luo had borrowed external power, it was still a strength he possessed. if one was forced into a life and death situation, they would have no choice but to acccept their fate if they did not have enough strength. the ones who died had no right to criticize the other party''s methods. at the same time, li wuyuan was no different. he was polite to li luo originally because of li lingjing''s presence. however, he had no choice but to treat li luo as someone on the same level now. li wuyuan broke the silence with dry laughter. "brother li luo, you have surely made the bloodline of heavenly emperor li feel a sense of pride today." "it''s merely some external power, nothing worth mentioning," li luo replied humbly. he did not waste any more time chatting with li wuyuan. he turned over to lu qing''er and said with a smile, "you''re really impressive yourself. you managed to obstruct qin yi without much difficulty." he had noticed earlier that lu qing''er had stopped qin yi in her tracks, forcing her into a situation where she was unable to make any moves against the others from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. lu qing''er chuckled and replied, "you can''t be the only one who has grown stronger... right?" "that''s true," li luo said with a smile. the foundation of the golden dragon bank was unfathomable. it was only natural for her to have soared ahead. after which, his eyes turned towards the ancient tree in the center of the plains. the huge crowd of condors had restrained their hostility ever since the sound of the pounding pestle started echoing from the thatched cottage in the distance. they simply watched as they remained sitting amongst the thick leaves of a tree. this was a scene that left many confused. how could the sound of grinding herbs from within the thatched cottage control the condors? just what exactly was the thatched cottage? was the white ape a living creature or a corpse beast? faced with so many questions, the squads from the various powers did not dare to make any hasty moves. nonetheless, some of them started feeling traces of impatience as time ticked by, especially those who stared covetously at the origin enlightenment fruits. they began to fidget restlessly. now that the condors were lying dormant, it seemed like the perfect chance to snatch the origin enlightenment fruits before the situation changed. this was something that li luo and the rest had realized as well. "cousin lingjing, brother wuyuan, you guys can give it a shot at picking the origin enlightenment fruits. we have the upper hand currently, as the other teams would not dare to compete with us recklessly. as long as we''re not monopolizing all of the origin enlightenment fruits, it shouldn''t be hard to get a few," li luo said after giving it some thought. li lingjing naturally accepted his request. li wuyuan hesitated for a moment, but upon recalling how ferocious li luo was earlier, he did not object to it. the previous battle had undoubtedly cemented li luo as the leader of the squad now. just as li lingjing and li wuyuan were about to take action, the other powers also sent out their elites in a bid to obtain the precious fruits. however, just as they approached the vicinity of the treasures, a sudden noise came from the thatched cottage. everyone looked over. the white ape had struck the stone pestle against the wall on its side. weng! a clear and crisp sound rang out. a brief moment later, everyone watched in disbelief as several divine golden clawed bronze condors flew out of the ancient tree and used their sharp beaks to pick the origin enlightenment fruits. they flapped their wings before flying over and dropping the fruits into the thatched cottage. the crowd stared at the now empty tree, their hopes dashed. the origin enlightenment fruits that they had painstakingly worked so hard for had disappeared in the blink of an eye. with one look at the thatched cottage, they could tell that it was a mysterious place. now that all of the origin enlightenment fruits had fallen inside, who would dare to take action? this scene elicited some angry rebukes from the group, and even li luo felt a little surprised. li lingjing paused and asked him, "shall we go?" li luo sighed. what else could he do now? Chapter 1023: Entering the Cottage chapter 1023: entering the cottage li luo was not the only one feeling a headache over the situation. the others from the various powers also looked over into the thatched cottage a fair distance away, falling into an awkward silence. nonetheless, just standing here and looking would not solve the problem. as such, the groups began to approach the thatched cottage carefully, thinking about their next steps after getting closer to it. there was no obstruction to their advance. after a few moments, they were all gathered in front of the thatched cottage. mu yao and those from the bloodlines of qing and zhao continued to group together. they watched with wary eyes while maintaining a safe distance, glancing over at li luo from time to time. li luo simply responded to them with a friendly smile. nonetheless, there was no way for them to let their guard down no matter how friendly he seemed, especially not after seeing his previous actions. at this point, zong sha from the heavenly origin ancient college let out a dry cough. he said with a smile, "everyone, the appearance of this cottage is a little strange. it''s also taken all the origin enlightenment fruits. i suggest that we stop fighting amongst ourselves and think of how to resolve the problem on hand first. what do you guys think?" li luo nodded. "no problem with me." now that he had established himself amongst the crowd, it would be wonderful if he could take a rest from the battles and recover his resonant power. qin ying and mu yao glanced at each other. they could sense the weakened resonant power coming from li luo now that he had exhausted most of his energy during the battles earlier. however, he had the protection of both li lingjing and li wuyuan at the moment. therfeore, it would likely be impossible for them to make use of this opportunity to finish him off. qin yi also revealed a light smile. "what brother zong sha said is absolutely right." at this point, zhu zhu from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu laughed loudly. "why don''t we work together and see if we can destroy the cottage?" faced with her seemingly reckless suggestion, li luo nodded after giving it some thought. "that is indeed one way to go about it. let''s see just how durable this thatched cottage is." if the thatched cottage was indeed so fragile, they could destroy it completely and be rid of an unknown variable. if not, they could think of other ideas. hearing this, the leaders from the other squads also nodded in approval after pondering for a while. huge waves of resonant power surged up at the next moment. they worked together and struck the simple-looking cottage fiercely. everyone watched without baited breath. all of their attacks flew towards the stone wall that held up the thatched roof, and before everyone''s confunded expressions, the stone wall swallowed it all up. it simply took in all their attacks and absorbed them completely like some sort of black hole. with their power combined, they could have easily decimated an entire mountain. yet they had not even left a single scratch on the strange structure before them. everything had disappeared cleanly without a trace. many of the people watched with shocked faces. li luo, on the other hand, remained calm. clearly, he had expected such a result. he had agreed to the suggestion earlier just to confirm his suspicions. now he was certain that destroying the cottage was out of the question. if he couldn''t force his way through, what else could he do? everyone fell silent once again. qin yi''s eyes flickered briefly as she stared at the thatched cottage a moment later. "oh?!" the silence went on for another moment before someone shouted, "the sound of the grinding pestle seems to have stopped!" li luo''s face changed a little when he heard this. true enough, the sound of pounding had disappeared all of a sudden. what did this mean? at this moment, li luo could hear faint footsteps coming from the cottage. the footsteps were making their way towards the wooden door. "could it be the mysterious white ape that was grinding away inside?" everyone went on alert immediately as they focused upon the sounds of the footsteps. as everyone listened intently, the footsteps came to a stop behind the wooden door. everyone held their breath. a soft creak gradually sounded in the air. the mottled wooden door slowly opened up. the white ape emerged. his eyes were filled with the vicissitudes of life. he merely swept his gaze past the people outside the cottage before he said in a slightly hoarse voice, "the medicine cottage is a place of utmost importance. all stragglers should leave. trespassers will be punished." as the crowd listened to the faint words of the white ape, everyone felt a chill in their hearts. they could sense a dangerous aura emanating from him. the white ape was definitely not an enemy they could handle. but... the origin enlightenment fruits were all inside. they were reluctant to just give up on them without a fight. the white ape did not care about any of them and was about to close the wooden door. seeing this, the crowd panicked. they felt that if they missed this chance, the wooden door might not open up again. just as everyone was at a loss as to what to do, a voice as soft as water suddenly said, "senior white ape, i have been tasked to come here and collect the medicine. may i come in, please?" everyone was stunned. their eyes turned towards the origin of the voice. the person who had spoken was... qin yi. even li luo looked over at her in confusion. what did she mean by that? tasked to come here and collect the medicine? by who? what medicine could they collect from here? besides, how did qin yi know about such info? li luo looked over at the others from the various forces, including li wuyuan, zhu zhu, and zong sha. they were all just as confused. clearly, none of them knew what was going on. where had qin yi learned this? most importantly... would it work? wild thoughts ran through everyone''s minds at lightning speed. at the same time, they all stared at the white ape to see his reaction. everyone could see that the white ape was stunned for a moment too. he turned his eyes towards qin yi. inexplicable memories seemed to surface within them. this strange state lasted for a while before he finally opened his mouth. "oh... you''re here to collect the medicine. "you may come in, then." hearing these words, everyone was shocked. they all shouted out ecstatically, "senior white ape, we are also here to collect the medicine!" when the white ape heard them, he slowly responded, "you need the elder''s plaque to collect the medicine. please show it to me." everyone was dumbfounded when they heard this. what freaking plaque? they all thought that they could fool the ape. however, it seemed like the white ape was quite smart after all. as everyone was cursing him in their hearts, qin yi took a few steps forward. she stretched out her jade hand, and a crimson plaque appeared in her palm. on the plaque was an ancient carving of the word "resonant." "senior white ape, here is the plaque," qin yi said softly with her red lips. the white ape raised his hand, and the crimson plaque flew over from qin yi''s hand. he studied the plaque for a while before nodding in approval. "this is the right plaque indeed. you may enter." everyone was stunned when they heard this. they all started to panick. if qin yi was the only one who could enter, wouldn''t all the treasures fall into her hands? li wuyuan could not help commenting with a gloomy look on his face, "fairy qin, that''s not quite right." "we''ve all worked very hard to get here. it wouldn''t be very fair if you were the only one who walked away with a reward, right?" zhu zhu added, clearly a little unhappy too. the leaders from the various powers began to voice out their displeasure too. although qin yi was popular amongst them, she still paled in comparison to the origin enlightenment fruits. "tsk! treasures are for those with affinity. who can you blame if you didn''t prepare in advance?" qin ying snorted coldly when he saw the rowdy crowd. at the same time, he glared at them with unfriendly eyes. zhu zhu was undeterred as she yelled back, "i don''t care. if you don''t give me a satisfactory explanation, i won''t let you enter the cottage so easily!" the others around her echoed her sentiments too, trying to put pressure on qin ying and his group to force them to give in. despite all the commotion, there was no anger on qin yi''s beautiful face. she simply smiled and told them, "i have already handed my plaque over. if you want to stop me, this senior white ape may be forced to take action. i don''t know if you all are willing to risk your lives to see if he will." hearing this, everyone''s expressions changed slightly. even zhu zhu frowned. she couldn''t help but look over at the white ape. he seemed to be terror incarnate. if he acted, none one present would be able to fight him off. however, would he really act? everyone felt a little suspicious, but none dared step forward to give it a try. qin yi continued in a soft voice, "don''t worry, everyone. i will go in and take a look first. if i am truly blessed with an opportunity, perhaps i might be able to share some." the crowd was immediately moved when they heard this. after all, they were not even qualified to enter the thatched cottage. it would be a pleasant surprise if qin yi was really willing to give them a portion of the pie later. with that, those who were previously opposing her smiled brightly. "fairy qin is the best!"n).0velbin the faces of zhu zhu and li wuyuan changed when they saw this. the situation had turned diceyqin yi was tough to handle. she had gotten the crowd over to her side with just a few sentences. everyone was now just hoping to get lucky. however, she was the only one who would enter the cottage, so she had the final say in what treasures she would get inside. even if she did distribute some leftovers to them later on, who would be able to question it? but what could they do about it? as they were scratching their heads over it, qin yi entered the cottage and stood behind the white ape. the white ape began to close the wooden door slowly. however, li luo suddenly stepped forward at this moment and shouted, "senior white ape, please hold on!" Chapter 1024: Li Luos Proof chapter 1024: li luo''s proof "senior white ape, please hold on!" everyone was stunned when they heard his sudden shout. their eyes all turned towards li luo. "stop messing around, li luo. if you anger senior white ape, we''ll all be dead meat!" qin ying snorted coldly at him. he suspected that li luo was out to create trouble so that qin yi would lose this opportunity. "besides, qin yi has promised to share some of the treasures if she gets any. if we lose out because of you, the others will be really unhappy about it." qin ying''s words were sly as he tried to use qin yi''s earlier words to pit the crowd against him. whispers broke out amongst the crowd as soon as they heard him. however, none of them came forward to criticize li luo. they were still wary of li luo after his slaying of tian miao and zhao yan earlier. li luo did not care about qin ying blabbering. his eyes were fixated on the white ape as his mind turned. the cottage contained a considerable amount of treasures. he had worked extremely hard to reach this stage, so how could he sit around and watch qin yi take the largest share without putting up a fight? from what he had seen earlier, one needed to have the elder''s plaque to ascertain their status before they were allowed into the cottage.n--o(-v)(e--l.-b-.1)-n as for the plaque... li luo definitely did not have one. and he wasn''t sure how qin yi had gotten her hands on one. however, the plaque might not be the only way for him to prove his status. from his experience on the way here, the acquired resonance godly forging art and the acquired resonance flame were also ways to prove his status. although he did not know what kind of people in the sacred void resonance sect could cultivate the acquired resonance flame, he was sure it was limited to people of reasonably high status. in that case, he might have the right to enter the cottage if he could prove his identity with that. he wanted to give it a try. hearing li luo''s shout, the white ape paused for a moment. his somewhat cloudy eyes looked over as he slowly asked, "do you have the elder''s plaque?" qin yi also stared at li luo with slightly twitching eyes behind the white ape. could it be that he also had a similar object? li luo replied in a deep voice, "i do not have the elder''s plaque, but i have another means to prove my status. please check it, senior white ape." when he finished speaking, he did not wait for the white ape to respond. he walked up over to him and stretched his hand out. the white ape''s cloudy and aged eyes seemed to flash for a moment when he saw li luo''s actions. he went silent for a while before he slowly stretched out his hand. before everyone''s gazes, he held onto li luo''s palm. when li luo came into contact with his hand, he felt an extremely cold sensation, like the touch of ice. he could not help but sneeze a few times. however, that was not important right now. he instantly activated the acquired resonance godly forging art, and the acquired resonance flame gradually ignited within his body. the wisps of flame gradually passed from his palm over to the ape''s hand. after this, li luo saw a hint of surprise appear within the white ape''s eyes. "there''s hope!" li luo was pleasantly surprised. as li luo was trying to prove his status with the acquired resonance flame, he did not notice that the mysterious auric halo within his body had begun to move as well. gradually, it trembled a little. for a moment, a strange sound echoed throughout their surroundings. this sound was not audible to the others, only to li luo and the white ape. in the next moment, li luo saw the white ape tremble violently. a look of shock flashed across his face as he stared blankly at li luo. his breathing seemed to have become much faster. there was a subtle and vague murmur coming from his pointed mouth. however, it was too vague for li luo to make out the words. all he could hear was the word "sacred." next, the white ape let go. "senior white ape, may i enter now?" li luo asked nervously. a smile appeared on the expressionless face of the white ape. he nodded and replied, "of course." when the crowd heard this, they began whispering amongst themselves. everyone was stunned as they stared at li luo. they did not understand how he had been granted the right to enter after a handshake with the white ape. clearly, li luo had not revealed any sort of identification item. perhaps li luo had proven his right to enter by some other means? "hey, li luo is really unfathomable." zhu zhu smiled. she seemed to have seen li luo pulling off unexpected things time and time again ever since they met. as for zhao shenjiang, zhao jingyu, mu yao, and those with a grudge against li luo, their faces were extremely gloomy. it was not good news to them that li luo had gained the right to enter the cottage. similarly, a strange light passed through qin yi''s clear eyes. "li luo managed to obtain the right to enter as well? what exactly did he show the white ape?" curiosity bloomed deep in her heart. li luo was naturally elated now that the white ape had acknowledged him. without a doubt, the thatched cottage was the biggest treasure trove in the spiritual resonance cave. he couldn''t just sit back and watch qin yi take everything. either way, he had made up his mind earlier. if he really couldn''t get in, he would just stay outside and wait for qin yi to come back out. then... he would have to be the villain for once. the two sides had been enemies all this while anyway. there was really no need for him to show any mercy here. he hurriedly walked up and stood behind the white ape too. qin yi glanced over and said with a light smile, "dragon''s head li luo, you sure are resourceful. you have truly managed to latch on to this fateful opportunity. it is no wonder you''ve managed to attain the success you have today." li luo replied with a smile of his own, "it''s nothing compared to the lengths you''ve taken to prepare for this, fairy qin. you seem to have known about this cottage way beforehand. i wonder, how did you manage to obtain that plaque?" "if you are willing to share how you were able to convince senior white ape to let you in, i''ll be more than happy to exchange information with you," qin yi said with a subtle smile. li luo pondered over it for a second. "if i were to say that senior white ape let me in because he thinks i am handsome and elegant, would you believe me?" "it seems you are unwilling to share your sources, dragon''s head li luo," qin yi replied. li luo laughed without saying anything else. the value of each person''s information was clearly not equivalent. he would not lose his head just because of her beauty and share his personal secrets. besides, he was not really interested in qin yi''s side of things. it was no longer important to him now that he had managed to get the right to enter the cottage. next, he had to ensure that qin yi did not hoard all of the treasures for herself. as the two of them continued to spar verbally, the white ape gradually closed the wooden door. the crowd outside felt a sense of helpless reluctance about the situation as they watched the door close. impatient individuals like zhu zhu even summoned up their resonant power, clearly thinking of a way to force their way in. however, zhu zhu stayed cool in the end. the treasures were wonderful, but her life was even more important. it was best for her to wait quietly on the outside for now. she could think of a new plan when li luo and qin yi emerged. the other forces also had the same thought. as such, everyone retreated a short distance and waited outside the cottage. but no one noticed a scarlet stream flowing silently across the distant plains. it was scarlet-red like fresh blood, emitting a vile, pungent smell. if one looked down from above, they would notice that the blood-red stream was growing larger at an extremely fast pace, faintly turning into a massive river of blood that spread in all directions and swept across the plains. atop the flowing river of blood was a figure. it was a handsome young man wearing a white monk''s robe. his face seemed to exude compassion, but it was juxtaposed against his smooth head, which was engraved with blood-red lines. the lines were moving slowly, squirming like worms of blood. he glanced down at the river of blood. there were many corpses with twisted faces floating in the red liquid. judging from their clothes, the corpses were the other explorers who had entered the spiritual resonance cave. a faint smile surfaced on the handsome young man''s face. "as expected, the restriction of the spiritual resonance cave has been diminished after i held a blood ritual with the people who were baptized by the golden dew platform... it seems like this time i''ll be able to enjoy my meal and achieve my state of grand perfection successfully." Chapter 1025: Divine Medicine chapter 1025: divine medicine the thatched cottage was silent. surrounded by shelves filled with herbs, the air wafted with the heavy fragrance of medicine. li luo and qin yi followed the white ape closely while their eyes surveyed the area. apart from the courtyard at the front, the thatched cottage had three other buildings. the main building was situated in the middle, slightly larger than the others. from the outside, they all appeared pretty ordinary. however, their doors and walls were engraved with countless runes and wards that emanated tremendous energy waves. without a doubt, these buildings were important areas that were guarded by powerful wards despite their simple appearances. as li luo and qin yi stuck closely to the white ape, they could faintly smell the stench of a rotting corpse coming from him. it was similar to the guardian spirit beasts that they had encountered earlier. as they discovered this, emotions surged up within their hearts. "senior white ape, are you alone?" qin yi asked softly as her beautiful eyes blinked.nove-lb-1n the white ape replied in its usual slow tone, "there used to be others. however, they have been sent elsewhere. the sect has ordered me to stay here and refine divine medicine." "divine medicine?" qin yi''s eyes lit up when she heard this. "senior white ape, we saw that the origin enlightenment fruits were all picked earlier. are they used to create divine medicine?" li luo asked. "yes. the origin enlightenment fruit is the main ingredient. we harvest them when they''re ripe and use them to make the medicine," the white ape answered while nodding. "what exactly is divine medicine?" qin yi asked curiously. however, the white ape did not answer that question. he simply strolled into the thatched cottage. nonetheless, qin yi was not discouraged by this. she swiped across her pocket sphere, and a jar of wine appeared in her hands. the mouth of the jar was sealed with mud, but it was unable to block the alluring aroma of the fine wine. the white ape paused for moment and turned around, then he eyed the jar of wine with a joyous look. qin yi smiled a little and continued, "i''ve heard that you are fond of fine wine, so i brought a jar for you." on her side, li luo could not help but stare at her with a peculiar look. qin yi was even more well prepared than he had expected. she even knew the preferences of the white ape. how in the world had she or could she have learned about all this? the white ape took the jar of wine in a hurry and shattered the mud seal. he gulped down the fragrant wine in large mouthfuls, with a face full of satisfaction. "thank you for the thoughtful gift, little girl." the white ape squinted as he savored the wine for a good while, satisfying his alcohol cravings. afterwards, he smiled at qin yi and continued, "unfortunately, i can''t tell you about the divine medicine, because you don''t have enough authority." hearing this, the smile on qin yi''s charming face froze. in contrast, li luo felt secretly happy. she tried her best but still couldn''t get the answer in the end. sensing the gloating look in li luo''s eyes, qin yi couldn''t help but clench her teeth and glare at him. "if i, the person with the elder''s plaque, doesn''t have enough authority, do you think you, someone who got in for no good reason, would have the right?" indeed, li luo actually felt like he did possess sufficient authority. when the white ape finished his wine earlier, he gave him a quick look. he understood what that meant. he seemed to possess quite a high position within the sacred void resonance sect, although he did not know if it was due to the acquired resonance flame or the mysterious auric halo in his body. nonetheless, his authority was much higher than that of an elder. regardless, li luo was not planning on helping qin yi satisfy her curiosity about the divine medicine. he did not want her to learn about it and bring the knowledge back to the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing, in case it brought him more trouble in the future. the white ape and the two of them continued walking deeper. in the end, they paused in front of the three houses. the white ape pulled off a handful of his fur, and a ball of flame rose up in its palm, incinerating the fur and turning it into a seal the size of his thumb. next, he passed the seal to qin yi and pointed to the side of the second building. "with your seal, you may go in there to collect the medicine." qin yi''s eyes twitched a little when she heard this. clearly, the most precious treasure in the thatched cottage would be kept in the main house in front of them. even if the second building on the side had treasures, they were surely lackluster compared to the main house. besides, the so-called divine medicine was surely not stored in the side buildings. after working so hard to get here, qin yi obviously had greater ambitions. she hurriedly responded, "senior white ape, the elder tasked me to collect divine medicine." li luo gritted his teeth when he heard this. qin yi was truly greedy. she was still trying to cheat the white ape! the divine medicine was obviously his! just as these thoughts ran through li luo''s mind and he was planning to speak up against her, the white ape glared back at her and asked, "which elder? how could he say such ignorant words? notwithstanding the fact that the divine medicine is not ready yet, even if it was, did he think it was something he could take?" qin yi became speechless immediately. just what kind of existence was the white ape? he obviously couldn''t tell them apart clearly, but he still retained some form of intelligence and couldn''t be fooled at all. however, she had learned from his words that the so-called divine medicine had not been successfully refined. the white ape waved his hand and said, "go on ahead. since you let me have the wine, i''ll allow you to collect a few more things." qin yi looked on helplessly. she glanced over at li luo beside her. deep down, she wanted to ask what sort of arrangement he had obtained, but she didn''t. it was useless to ask after all. she couldn''t change the white ape''s mind, and she couldn''t beat it in a battle either. instead, she resolved herself to exploring and obtaining whatever treasures she could in the second building. with that, she did not hesitate any further. she turned around decisively and walked into it as he saw her turn around and leave, the white ape revealed a warm and friendly smile towards li luo. "follow me." they made their way towards the main house after saying that. li luo could not hold back his smile when he saw this. his acquired resonance flame or auric halo were incredibly effective. it seemed like he had a much higher position than a so-called elder. he followed closely behind the white ape. at this point, qin yi stood in front of the door to the second building. she was on the cusp of pushing open the door and entering. however, she had a strange feeling as she turned back to have a look. it was then that she saw li luo following the white ape into the main house. moreover, the white ape had even opened the door, which was protected by strong wards, for him personally. "what is going on?! why does li luo have the right to enter the main house!?" qin yi fell into a daze as turbulent emotions surged up in her heart and as her chest heaved deeply. even with her usually calm temperament, she couldn''t help but feel a little angry at this point. she was the one who had presented the elder''s plaque. why was li luo being allowed to enter the main house instead of herself? sure, the white ape had said that her elder''s plaque did not have enough authority, but what about li luo? qin yi frowned as she thought about all of this. li luo had been extraordinarily lucky ever since he entered the spiritual resonance cave. no matter where he went, there always seemed to be some unknown power in the background helping him out. "was it because li taixuan and tan tailan obtained something in the ruins of the sacred void resonance sect back then and passed it to him?" qin yi whispered to herself. after all, the elder''s plaque was something that qin lian had found in the same ruins. the information she possessed about the thatched cottage was also obtained there. qin yi took a deep breath and recomposed herself. she clasped the seal given to her by the white ape in her fingers and touched the door. light runes flowed around the door for a moment before she was able to push it open successfully. the thick and almost visceral smell of medicine flooded out. qin yi''s charming and composed demeanor returned before she made her way inside. back at the main house, the white ape had pushed open the door and even held it open for him. li luo was doing his best to keep his rapidly beating heart in check. his face remained placid as he calmly strode into the main house. ... outside the thatched cottage, the people from the various forces were sitting cross-legged, waiting. over at the group from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, li lingjing, who was holding onto her aquamarine bamboo python staff, suddenly opened her eyes. she turned around around abruptly and looked into the distance behind them. in this moment, she felt a throbbing and ominous feeling. it was like something extremely dangerous and scary was approaching them. she could also faintly hear the sound of liquid flowing. however, it sounded viscous and left one feeling uneasy. "cousin lingjing, what''s wrong?" li fengyi asked from her side after seeing her suddenly go on alert. li lingjing''s fair and pretty cheeks twitched slightly. her eyes revealed a look of coldness as she held tightly onto her aquamarine bamboo python staff. "something horrible is approaching us." when the people around her heard this, their expressions changed drastically. they looked around in surprise, but they didn''t find anything. li wuyuan was more cautious and did not ignore the warning from li lingjing''s senses. he flew into the air and looked far into the distance. in that instant, his face turned pale and he asked in shock, "what''s that?" a scarlet tide had suddenly appeared on the plains in the distance. the red tide had swept across the area and drowned everything it touched. at the same time, there was the faint stench of blood flooding the air. li wuyuan''s reaction caught the attention of the other experts from the various powers immediately. they flew into the sky for a look as well. a moment later, cries of surprise and confusion followed. "what is that thing?" "a river of blood?!" "it seems to be coming at us!" everyone''s faces turned extremely ugly, and the cries of surprise continued. it was clear from what they could see that whatever was approaching wasn''t a good or friendly thing. li lingjing''s expression did not change much though. as the river of blood got closer to them, she could sense a familiar feeling. it was just like what she had felt when she met number two, the variant other, earlier. "variant number one? it''s come after all," li lingjing whispered to herself, as icy murderous intent emerged from within her starry eyes. she turned around and looked at the simple and ordinary-looking building. it was the thatched cottage that could not be destroyed. her eyes warmed up a little upon seeing it. "at least li luo should be safe in there." in that case, there was nothing more she needed to worry about. "as for the others..." li lingjing''s eyes swept across everyone on the field, including the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. "it''s everyone for themselves. good luck." Chapter 1026: Limit Breaking Heavenly Dew chapter 1026: limit breaking heavenly dew when li luo walked into the main house, he could smell the thick fragrance of medicine wafting through the air. as he glanced around curiously, he noticed that the house was really spacious, but a little messy. there were cabinets full of medicine placed in various locations, as well as elevated platforms that were several feet tall. each platform held medicine cauldrons of different sizes. it seemed that there was a time where many alchemists had worked together here.nove)lb-in "if the sacred envoy is visiting the thatched cottage, you must be concerned about divine medicine, right?" the white ape asked. li luo was stunned. sacred envoy? was he referring to him? what kind of status was that? he was confused, but he did not show it on his face. the white ape was definitely a special existence. judging from the faint stench of a corpse that emanated from his body, he was likely no longer alive. yet he had retained his sentience and intelligence. this had to be due to the special ability of the spiritual resonance cave, just like the guardian spirit beasts earlier. as such, li luo did not know if appearing flustered would arouse his suspicion. he simply smiled back at him confidently. "senior white ape, how''s the divine medicine coming along?" li luo asked as he acted out his role. a troubled look appeared on the face of the white ape. "the refining process is too hard. i''ve gone through countless failures, and now it is only a half-completed product." li luo nodded but he did not ask any other questions about the divine medicine. he smiled widely and asked, "i have come here to collect medicine that will help with raising one''s resonant grade. i wonder, is there anything prepared?" the white ape grinned. "of course! the spiritual resonance cave provides nearly half of the spirit liquids and purifying lights required by the sect." then he quickly walked over to a mysterious shelf that exuded cold air. he took out a jade object that looked like a honeycomb that radiated a mysterious light that circulated around it. "there are hundreds of seventh-grade liquids and lights in here, as well as approximately thirty bottles of eighth-grade liquids and lights." li luo was ecstatic as soon as he heard this. hundreds of seventh-grade liquids and lights were worth hundreds of millions! he was rich! what a windfall! however, just as li luo was feeling exuberant over it, the white ape shook the honeycomb jade-like object a little and asked in confusion, "eh? where''s the liquids and lights stored in it? why are they all gone?" li luo''s face froze. he stared at the white ape with resentful eyes. what the heck was he doing? however, it was probably within reason that all of the liquids and lights had disappeared because of the long time that had passed. everything had probably evaporated or dissipated into thin air. on top of that, the white ape was in a neither dead nor alive form, so he probably could not have looked after them properly. li luo watched the white ape still mumbling in confusion to himself, and because he was afraid that this would ruin the white ape''s relatively lucid state of mind, he quickly changed the conversation subject. "it''s alright. the liquids and lights are not needed. do you have other medicines with similar effects?" liquids and lights were ordinary objects that one used to raise their resonance grades. nonetheless, there were special medicines with similar effects. these treasured medicines were usually easier to preserve as well. the white ape smiled and nodded. he continued walking forward and arrived at a dusty, jade chest. there were some archaic runes engraved upon it, giving off faint energy waves. it seemed like the chest could only be unlocked with the appropriate method, almost like some kind of key. energy flowed through the white ape''s palms before transforming into seals which landed upon the chest. the runes around the jade chest gradually dissipated. in the end, it unlocked automatically with a click. li luo hurried over to take a look. the jade chest was filled with a light-green liquid substance, and there were several jade bottles within. the design of the jade bottles were exquisite, each one engraved with even more runic patterns. clearly, the goods stored here were likely extraordinary. the white ape took out a jade bottle and passed it over to li luo. "this jade bottle contains limit breaking heavenly dew, which is most suitable for improving the grade of one''s resonance. if your resonance has reached the upper seventh-grade and is beginning to break into eighth-grade, you can use this to save a huge amount of liquids and lights and break through directly." as li luo listened, his heart skipped a beat. it was especially challenging for a resonance to increase in grade. it was an enormous endeavor in terms of resources. yet the limit breaking heavenly dew was able to provide a significant boost to the process. its effect was truly astonishing. in a certain sense, this dew was just like the spirit deposit functionality of his violet resonant tree brooch. however, its effects were certainly many times stronger. if the outside world knew about such a thing, their eyes would turn red with envy. "can i use this to break through with an upper eighth-grade resonance?" li luo asked. although the breakthrough from seventh-grade to eighth-grade was considered amazing to ordinary folks, li luo was an exception. he possessed blank palaces and could endlessly temper his resonances as long as he had enough liquids and lights. it was only during the breakthrough from upper eighth-grade to ninth-grade that the amount he would require would be so abysmally large that it would be impossible to see the end of it. moreover, that jump to the next grade wasn''t even considered a true ninth-grade either. it would just reach the pseudo ninth-grade! the white ape pondered for a moment before he replied, "the resources required for the breakthrough of an upper eighth-grade to a pseudo ninth-grade is extremely terrifying. even with the limit breaking heavenly dew, it''s unlikely. however, it can increase your success rate by thirty percent or so even if it can''t help you achieve it immediately." li luo nodded. that was already priceless. this was amazing indeed. li luo swallowed his saliva and asked, "may i take it with me?" the white ape grinned. "ordinary individuals can only collect one medicine even after they have verified their identity. however, there''s naturally no restrictions for the sacred envoy." li luo was elated. following this, the white ape took out the other jade bottles from the jade chest and said, "you''ll find enlightenment cores inside these jade bottles." li luo''s heart skipped a beat when he heard this name. "how are these related to the origin enlightenment fruit?" "ah, these things are made from the cores of origin enlightenment fruits. after all, we harvest ripened origin enlightenment fruits every once in a while to brew the divine medicine. at times, there are origin enlightenment fruits that fall short of the expected quality, so we transform them into enlightenment cores." "these objects have a similar effect to the origin enlightenment fruits. if it is refined, it can help one understand the origin of their resonances. it is an extremely valuable treasure for those under the duke stage. moreover, the ones stored here are the best refined products. the inferior ones have been stored in the side room by me. their effects will be weaker than those here," the white ape explained. li luo''s heart was racing as he listened. he had came to the spiritual resonance cave to increase his resonance grades and obtain an origin enlightenment fruit. although he couldn''t get the actual fruit, these enlightenment cores were just as good. "i''ll give them all to you." the white ape pushed all the jade bottles over to li luo. with all these freebies, even the usually calm li luo was about to faint from happiness. he thanked the white ape and carefully put all the treasures away swiftly. after this, the white ape brought him to walk around the area. some of the jade chests that they walked past had been cracked apart and the treasures inside were missing. the white ape felt exceptionally furious as he scolded out loud, waving his hands and legs in the air in anger. li luo also shed some tears out of pity. all of this would have been his if they were still around. however, he kept his emotions in check whilst consoling the white ape, in order to ensure he did not lose control of himself. just like this, the white ape continued grumbling while he brought li luo to the central region of the main house. this was where he saw a golden cauldron over a hundred feet tall, with fire surging from it. the white ape''s face turned serious as he approached the golden cauldron. li luo sensed this change in mood. his mind was slightly shaken as he asked, "senior white ape, what''s this?" there was a hint of fanaticism in the white ape''s eyes as he nodded slowly. "this is the divine medicine that the sect has ordered me to refine. who knows just how much resources and effort we''ve put into it... "i named this divine medicine... "the divine cultivation serum!" li luo coughed a little. "divine cultivation serum? what big words. what can it do?" the white ape chuckled a little. "sacred envoy, you have quite a few resonances in your body. the highest seems to be an eighth-grade, am i correct?" "just lower eighth-grade," li luo replied ashamedly. "if you use the divine cultivation serum, the lower eighth-grade... can leap ahead and be transformed into a ninth-grade!" when the white ape finished his sentence, his words boomed in li luo''s ears like a thunderclap. li luo''s face froze up and he was left in a daze at this realization. Chapter 1027: Divine Cultivation Serum chapter 1027: divine cultivation serum the voice of the white ape continued to echo in his ears, but li luo was rooted on the spot. there was only one thing in his mind at the moment. "ninth-grade! ninth-grade! ninth-grade!" only the heavens knew how much li luo had been wishing for a ninth-grade resonance. no, it was probably the dream of every cultivator. although li luo possessed triple resonances and might not appear weaker than someone with a ninth-grade in some sense, the ninth-grade resonance was still the pinnacle. it was the final dream that everyone chased after. li luo had been trying all kinds of ways to cultivate his resonances to the ninth-grade, which was why he knew just how challenging of a feat that was. over the years, he had taken in so many liquids and lights that if it were anyone else, they would probably have their resonant palace overwhelmed with the sheer amount of impurities. the amount required to reach the ninth grade was exorbitant. most importantly, most of the ordinary liquids and lights lost their effects after one''s resonance reached the eighth-grade. one would minimally need liquids and lights of the seventh-grade to have some sort of effect. ideally, eighth-grade ones would be used. however, they were extremely expensive resources that even the beloved grandson of the dragon''s fang lineage, li luo, could not afford. as for ninth-grade liquids and lights... li luo had never seen any of them so far. yet the divine cultivation serum was capable of substituting for that monstrous amount of liquids and lights. this was enough to shake li luo''s mind, even with his temperament. it was a godly medicine that was exponentially more amazing than ninth-grade liquids and lights! after the surprise, li luo''s eyes lit up with burning enthusiasm. his gaze was boiling so furiously that it seemed to melt even the golden cauldron in front of him. how could he miss out on such a wondrous medicine that could save him and almost endless amounts of resources? "give it to me! give it to me! give it to me quickly!" as li luo was overwhelmed with excitement and his heart was trembling, the white ape scratched his chin and said with a troubled look, "the divine cultivation serum is indeed a top notch medicine. however, the refinement process is too complicated. we''ve spent countless resources on it, but it''s still yet to be fully completed. currently, we''re unable to refine the finished product. it''s still a half-finished one. in this state, we can forget about refining it to increase one''s resonance grade. with its imbalanced medicinal properties, it''ll harm your resonance instead."n).ovelb1n as soon as the white ape finished his explanation, the enthusiasm in li luo''s eyes dissipated and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. he stared at the white ape with frustrated eyes. such a critical difference in effect almost caused li luo to scream out and curse at it. "so this half-finished medicine is not only ineffective, but is essentially a poison? god damn it!" li luo felt agitated and his gaze turned a little stormy. "sacred envoy, what''s the matter?" the white ape asked in a caring tone when he noticed that li luo was trembling. he quickly reached out and supported li luo by the shoulders. "don''t touch me. i need to think quietly for a moment," li luo replied restlessly. the white ape scratched hijs face and said, "in the past, we had someone we called the quiet kid here." li luo continued in an emotionless tone, "senior white ape, the sect entrusted you with such an important responsibility and so many precious resources. why did the final result end up like this? my disappointment in you is immeasurable." hearing this, the white ape''s face turned red immediately. he hurriedly explained, "w-well, the divine medicine is truly too difficult to refine. after all, a divine medicine with such effect has barely been seen throughout history. be-besides, it''s not like we''ve totally failed. although the divine cultivation serum is merely a half-finished product now, it''s only a step away from success according to my estimations! we''re just one step short of it over here. if we can imbue it with an ancient and pure energy, we should be able to balance its medicinal properties. the divine cultivation serum will finally be created!" li luo was shocked. "ancient and pure energy? we should have something like that, right?" "ordinary heavenly treasures aren''t sufficient. it has to be exceptional!" the white ape explained. he took out an ancient book and passed it to li luo, pointing to a particular item on the book. "something like this." li luo looked at the ancient book. there was a drawing of an indescribably tall tree. the tree covered the whole sky, surrounded by an air of longevity yet bursting with vitality. as he stared at the tree, he felt a very familiar feeling from it. after a while, it finally clicked for him. "isn''t this the tree of resonant power?!" he had seen a tree of resonant power back in the astral sage college. it looked exactly like this, except for its scale and age. "tree of resonant power?" the white ape scratched his head in confusion. li luo was slightly startled. he had forgotten that the sacred void resonance sect existed long ago, probably before the academic federation was formed. the tree of resonant power was clearly a name that had been given subsequently. however, the tree of resonant power back in the astral sage college might not be old enough. perhaps only the original trees of resonant power from the ancient colleges would suffice. in other words, could he complete the divine cultivation serum if he could borrow the use of the tree of resonant power from the ancient colleges? li luo''s heart that had just died of disappointment had come to life once again. the final ingredient to complete the divine cultivation serum probably required something important from the tree of resonant power as well. nonetheless, his hope had been reignited. li luo pondered for a few moments before he smiled warmly towards the white ape. "senior white ape, the sect has some information regarding this ancient tree that you mentioned. how about this? you can pass me the half-finished divine cultivation serum and i''ll bring it back to the sect and complete it." when he said this, his heart skipped a beat. he stared at the white ape without batting an eyelid as he awaited his response. after all, it wasn''t easy to get the spiritual resonance cave to open up. he would have to wait numerous years before it''d open again. that would be too long of a wait for li luo, so he had to bring the divine cultivation serum along with him. he wasn''t sure if the white ape would allow him to do so, however. "are you taking it away?" the white ape looked at li luo with reluctant eyes. he had spent a lot of effort trying to complete the divine cultivation serum after all. "senior white ape, our goals are the same. we all want to complete the refinement of the divine cultivation serum. the sect will remember all the hard work you''ve spent on it. when the time comes and we''ve achieved our goal, i will suggest to the sect to name it the white ape divine cultivation serum!" li luo vowed with a mouth full of lies. "oh?" the white ape''s eyes lit up when he heard this. he then laughed and said, "that''s a pretty good suggestion, sacred envoy. "in that case, you may take the divine cultivation serum with you. it''s useless to keep this here if we''re lacking the last ingredient after all." finally, the white ape agreed. li luo was elated as he thanked the white ape. "i will definitely live up to your expectations, senior." the white ape grinned as he put his hands together. a seal emerged, and the golden cauldron in front of them began to shrink in size. after a few moments, the cauldron that was a hundred feet tall became the size of a palm. the white ape stretched out his hand, then the golden cauldron flew over and landed in his grasp. "here, take this. this golden cauldron has the ability to preserve the divine cultivation serum. once you find the final ingredient, just put it in and the golden cauldron will assist you with the final step," the white ape explained. li luo received the cauldron in a hurry. his hands could not stop shaking with the little golden cauldron in them. this treasure was much more valuable than the golden dew platform and the heavenly dipper wheel. this was something that could elevate his resonance to a ninth-grade! li luo took a deep breath and kept his excitement under control as he carefully placed the little golden cauldron into his pocket sphere. as the white ape looked at it with a gradual loss in interest, he waved his hands, planning to leave. just as li luo was about to follow, he noticed something familiar in the cauldron next to them. the cauldron was full of origin enlightenment fruits. however, these fruits were mostly charred and the energy that remained appeared pretty weak. clearly, these were the origin enlightenment fruits left behind after their energy had been extracted. li luo blinked. although these origin enlightenment fruits were leftovers, they still contained some medicinal properties. the white ape might have thrown them aside without a second thought, but they were still quite valuable. after all, most of the people outside the thatched cottage had never even had the opportunity to get a whiff of an origin enlightenment fruit. li luo hurriedly asked, "senior white ape, may i bring this along with me too?" the white ape blinked for a moment and asked in a strange tone, "isn''t that just trash? sacred envoy, you sure are thrifty." but then he waved his hands and continued, "up to you." li luo quickly waved his hands, and the leftover origin enlightenment fruits in the cauldron flew over to him. after some selection, he picked out some of the dessicated fruits that still contained some medicinal properties. only then did he reveal a satisfied smile. the harvest was... so great that he felt a little guilty. li luo placed his hands together and said a prayer. "dear masters of the sacred void resonance sect, i''m not a swindler. this is all for the reputation of the sacred void resonance sect in the future. please do not blame me." after his prayer, he followed after the white ape and left the main house with a grinning smile. however, his face changed completely when he walked out the door. he noticed that the sky outside the thatched cottage had turned blood-red. a surging river of blood was reflected in his eyes, causing the smile on his face to turn stiff. Chapter 1028: Blood Covers the Sky chapter 1028: blood covers the sky the sky was dyed blood-red, making it look like the entire region was covered in blood. it was utterly terrifying. li luo was left taken aback for quite a few breaths of time before he awoke from his stupor. the sky above the thatched cottage was surrounded by bloody light, making it basically impossible to see what was going on outside. however, li luo could sense intense collisions of energy right outside. it seemed that a heaven-shaking battle had already erupted out there. "dragon''s head''s li luo, what''s going on?" at this point, a dignified voice rang out. it was qin yi, who had just finished exploring the second building. she had similarly noticed the changes outside, and her beautiful features looked ruffled as she quickly walked up to him. li luo frowned and shook his head. "i don''t know either. however, it looks like a battle is taking place outside." qin yi''s expression changed as she said, "i don''t believe our teams are fighting amongst themselves." since the two of them had entered the thatched cottage to obtain treasures, it was unlikely that any battle would have occurred before the duo were out. thus, it only made sense that this was not some sort of struggle between cultivators. "could it be that the condors on the ancient tree have launched an attack?" qin yi ventured a guess. li luo''s expression turned dark and he shook his head. the blood light emanated a cold energy that it seemed almost inauspicious. it was completely different from the energy which the divine golden clawed bronze condors gave off. additionally, the energy seemed to be different from what the elites outside possessed... in fact, it almost resembled the energy of others. at this point, li luo was reminded of the other soul eater true devil whom he had encountered in the gilded hall. there was even a hint of similarity between the two situations. "could it be that more than one soul eater true devil entered the spiritual resonance cave?" li luo''s eyes shrank. if this was the case, he had to rush to li lingjing''s aid immediately. this thought caused him to feel a sense of anxiety. "dragon''s head li luo, have you figured something out?" the change in his mood was instantly detected by qin yi''s sharp sense, so she quickly probed at the heart of the matter. li luo glanced at her and fell silent. "do you remember the encounter in the gilded hall?" qin yi''s expression changed when she heard those words and asked almost in surprise, "could it be that more than a single other has infiltrated the spiritual resonance cave?" li luo nodded and answered, "from the situation at hand, it seems possible. plus, this other might be even more fearsome than the previous one." the white ape, who was beside li luo, suddenly stated, "i can sense vigorous undulations of energy from the outside that are no weaker than that of someone at the greater heavenly resonance tier. additionally, it seems to be strengthening over time." "greater heavenly resonance tier? how is that possible?" qin yi''s delicate body shook. wasn''t there rules within the spiritual resonance cave that suppressed such power? everyone who entered was suppressed to the lesser heavenly resonance tier, so how could something like that happen? "senior white ape, this foreign presence is an enemy who has entered the spiritual resonance cave. i would like to seek your assistance in taking action to eliminate it!" li luo hurriedly said as soon as this idea came to mind. qin yi''s eyes lit up. she had forgotten about the white ape, who seemed to possess unquestionable strength. if he lent a hand, this mysterious opponent would be dealt with. when the white ape heard those words, he did not reply. instead, a lonely expression could be seen in his eyes, then he sat down on the stone platform beneath them and sighed. "don''t you know what sort of condition i''m in?" li luo and qin yi glanced at each other before turning towards him. "what are you trying to say, senior?" the white ape then took out a bronze pipe that he had stashed away, which he then filled up with some medicinal herbs. with a flick of his fingers, the herbs started to burn, and thick, medicinal smoke wafted into the skies, partially obscuring the wizened features of the ape. at this point, his aged voice rang out. "i should be dead already... right? i assume the sacred void resonance sect has also fallen? the only reason i still exist is because a trace of my obsession continues to linger in this world. combined with the spiritual resonance cave''s effects, it should have allowed me to continue to survive in this special state. this is why some of the things you say are things i do not understand. this spiritual resonance cave is probably not the spiritual resonance cave of old either. i cannot sense the familiar atmosphere of vitality i have long grown accustomed to; all that''s left is just deathly stillness and dust. it seems that this paradise has changed greatly." li luo fell silent before he respectfully clasped his hands towards the white ape. "i''d like to apologize to you, senior." the white ape shook his head and smiled. "you have already resolved the knot of obsession that has kept me tied here. my mission is now complete. i truly wish to help you one last time, but it''s a pity... the moment i step out of this thatched cottage is the moment i dissipate into nothingness." these words caused the two to feel a hint of disappointment, but their expressions did not show it. "although i don''t have any means to deal with the enemy outside, i can ensure that you are protected. so long as you do not leave the thatched cottage, the thing outside cannot harm you," the white ape continued. li luo smiled bitterly and shook his head. his elder brother, second sister, lu qing''er, and li lingjing were all outside. how could he hide in here and watch them struggle before death''s door? qin yi then asked. "senior, can you allow the ones outside to enter and seek shelter from this disaster?" the white ape shook the pipe slightly and sighed helplessly. "i am only the remains of a caretaker. how could i change the rules? if they don''t have an identity plaque, they simply cannot enter." when li luo heard those words, he did not try to continue reasoning with the white ape. instead, he clasped his hands yet again. "senior, you have good intentions, and i deeply appreciate you. however, my close friends and family are outside. i cannot leave them behind." qin yi fell silent before she answered as well, "my bloodline members are also outside, and if i were to abandon them, i would not be able to rest easily." the white ape nodded. "you are kindhearted individuals. all i can do is wish you the best." the two then bade farewell and then turned towards the door of the cottage. when li luo was about to push open the weathered door that had been corroded by the passage of time, his ear quivered. he could hear a subtle voice being transmitted to him directly. it was the white ape''s final words. li luo''s hand paused momentarily as he took those words to heart. no longer hesitating, he summoned up his strength and pushed the door open. outside, bloody mist flooded the air, blocking one''s field of vision. low whispers seemed to come from the depths of the mist, which caused one to feel fear deep in their hearts. however, li luo didn''t seem fazed. he waved his hand, and the onyx-elephant blade appeared in his grasp. at the same time, the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow was swung on his back. then he activated the resonant power within his body, and three heavenly pearls materialized behind him. qin yi was no different, equally calm as she stretched out her hand. a light-blue jade bottle that pulsed with strong waves of energy appeared, causing li luo to turn his attention towards it. "you truly have many tricks up your sleeve, fairy qin," li luo said with a smile. the jade bottle was a triple violet-eye treasured artifact, so it definitely possessed uncanny might. "even then, i can''t compare with you, dragon''s head li luo. i believe what you''ve shown isn''t everything you have either... right?" qin yi grinned back at him. li luo neither agreed nor denied. tightly gripping his ancient, mottled blade, his gaze was focused upon the unnerving sight before him, the thick blood mist. he strode forward cautiously. qin yi hurriedly followed, knowing that the other was even stronger than the one in the gilded hall. in the face of absolute strength, even with all the means at her disposal, things would be risky, so it was best to move with li luo to improve their odds of success. when the duo entered the blood mist, they could hear endless whispers echoing into their ears. the low voices were directly transmitted into the depths of their hearts, stirring up their deepest, darkest feelings. anyone who did not possess sufficient strength of mind might very well be drowned within the eldritch whisperings, their spirits swallowed up by the other. however, the two of them were not feeble or weak-minded. guarding their hearts and minds closely, they hastened their steps. the most important thing was to find the rest of the groups and combine everyone''s efforts to deal with the other. a short distance later, they heard footsteps before them. the two immediately snapped to attention and their resonant power surged, preparing to take action. the blood mist rippled as the footsteps neared. a figure walked right into their sights. when li luo saw the familiar face, he shouted out in joy, "cousin lingjing?!" it was indeed li lingjing. energy rippled off her body in waves, indicating that she had just been through a massive fight. she was wielding the aquamarine bamboo python staff, which was dripping with blood, making it look a little dirty. "li luo? you came out of the thatched cottage?" li lingjing''s face was full of surprise as she looked at li luo. "cousin lingjing, what happened here?" li luo anxiously asked. "an other appeared not long after you entered the cottage. it was much stronger than the one we faced previously, and even though we all worked together to resist it, many were injured grievously, some even killed. it then summoned this bloody mist that blanketed the skies and the earth, dividing us and taking us on individually," li lingjing gloomily replied. "however, it''s great that you''re here. follow me, i''ll take you to the gathering point." after which, she turned to lead the way. li luo smiled and nodded before asking another question. "cousin lingjing, your staff is a little dirty. why don''t you let me help you clean it?" this was met with her rejection and a wave of her hand. "why are you bothering with this now?"n))o-/v/-e((l(-b(-1-/n li luo stopped in his tracks as the smile on his face receded as he stared at li lingjing from behind, his gaze turning solemn. "what''s wrong?" qin yi asked after detecting the change in him. li lingjing slowed to a halt as well. li luo grasped the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade even more tightly as he coldly said, "cousin lingjing is mysophobic. everytime she kills someone, she cleans her weapon as soon as she is able to. the aquamarine bamboo python staff was a gift from me to her, so whenever it''s coated with blood, she cleans it meticulously. she would not have allowed it to languish with such an appearance." li luo''s gaze had turned frigid as he continued to stare at the familiar figure from behind. "this is why you cannot possibly be cousin lingjing. you are... the other!" Chapter 1029: Other Li Lingjing” chapter 1029: other li lingjing when li luo''s gloomy words rang out, qin yi felt a chill run through her body. majestic amounts of resonant power poured out of her, transforming into countless droplets of water that surrounded her as she adopted a defensive posture. at the same time, four radiant heavenly pearls materialized behind her, greedily sucking up worldly natural energy. her gaze attentively focused upon the fake li lingjing. this was a cunning opponent, capable of almost perfectly transforming into someone else with almost no evident flaws. although li luo''s suspicions seemed a little far-fetched, the words he had said were also a form of a test. being cautious in such a situation was necessary to protect their lives. li luo''s cold eyes were locked on the familiar figure as he brandished his blade. seeing that the two were now on alert, the fake li lingjing''s delicate body trembled lightly and laughter rang out. however, the sound of the laughter didn''t seem to have originated from her mouth, but from the back of her head, which was covered in long, black hair. it was then that the long hair parted by itself, revealing a pasty, white visage with sinister eyes. the sharp laughter had originated from the pasty visage, and the very sound of it seemed to contain some bizarre power. anyone who heard it would feel the negative emotions burrowed deep in their hearts surface. this sight dashed any remaining hopes that it was truly li lingjing before them. without a doubt, it was an other. li luo''s probing questions had not been in vain. additionally, it seemed like the other was not willing to waste any more time carrying on with the farce. "sisisi!" the ugly, pasty visage emitted an ear-piercing shriek. dense amounts of blood-red energy spewed out from his mouth, dyeing the previously black hair red. the blood-red hair seemed to have turned into a living creature, quickly intertwining into two fanged snakes. with a twitch of their bodies, the two blood snakes pierced through the void with shocking speed towards the duo. it was like the condensation of filth and negative emotions, roaring as they blitzed towards them. li luo''s breathing slowed down to a crawl at the oppressive atmosphere, but his actions were unaffected. he hacked downwards with his blade directly. the slash left an afterimage of light in its wake, and a gash was torn through the void. a raging torrent of rushing water could be heard from the gap before an imposing, gigantic, black dragon emerged from it. the black, frigid water that surrounded its body very quickly merged with it, and its aura surged into the skies. with a wave of its claws, dozens of deep claw marks appeared on the ground, each one dozens of feet long. a corrosive aura could be felt within the marks, continuously eating away at the ground with frightening destructive power. duke art: underworld river''s black dragon banner! grand perfection! li luo held nothing back in reserve when facing the unknown other. he had struck out with the intention to kill from the very beginning. qin yi''s expression was similarly solemn as the four heavenly pearls behind her began to spin rapidly. an illusory copy of herself appeared behind her. it was her spirit avatar. the spirit avatar''s appearance caused all of the water elemental worldly natural energy in the environment to rush towards her.n(-ovelbin stretching her hand out, green jade light bloomed while her fingers moved as though she was plucking an instrument. crisp, ringing sounds rang out as the light exploded outwards, transforming into an immense jade handprint that struck the roaring blood snake. duke art: starplucking green jade hand bang! a moment later, a terrifying wave of energy swept across the land, shattering the earth they stood on. when the attacks collided, the two blood snakes suddenly opened their maws, revealing mouths full of fangs and, strangely, a pair of pale, human hands! the hands formed a seal, which caused a blood mist to spew outwards. wherever the blood mist passed, regardless of whether it was li luo''s underworld river''s black dragon or qin yi''s green jade handprint, everything dissipated in its wake. li luo''s and qin yi''s expressions changed upon seeing this. they had not held back in the slightest, so the immediate threat had been dealt with quite easily. it was then that the fake li lingjing suddenly vanished. at that very instant, the blood mist in front of li luo rippled, and li lingjing reappeared. the aquamarine bamboo python staff in her hand had transformed into a long, white bone. it resembled a thigh bone, but with all of the flesh and blood sucked dry. the bone was wielded like a club, and she gracefully smashed it towards li luo''s head. majestic amounts of blood light condensed on the thigh bone, transforming into a ferocious grimace that emitted countless shrill howls, temporarily inundating the target. as the bone swung downwards, li luo could feel that the frightening energy that had condensed upon it far exceeded that of the heavenly pearl tier. the nine scales on his forehead radiated with scintillating light, then dragon scales materialized on his entire body. his blood and flesh trembled as they werre strengthened by his art. "nine scales sanctified dragon''s body, nine dragons'' might! "thunderpeal avatar! five sonic pulses! "level three divine elephant power!" every single secret art li luo possessed was brought to the fore. with the tempering of his thunder dragon resonance, the thunder resonant power within his body had strengthened and he was able to bring the thunderpeal avatar to grand perfection as well. all the resonant power within li luo''s body bubbled up and fused, forming boundless amounts of dual resonant power. the vestiges of spirituality appeared within it and brought a hint of sentience to the resonant power, improving its effectiveness greatly. the three heavenly pearls behind him began to shine with blinding light as they began to recklessly absorb worldly natural energy. li luo then struck outwards with his blade so quickly that it left an afterimage behind, akin to a comet with a tail. the void twisted in the wake of this mighty blow as he struck the falling white bone. clang! blade met bone, and the resulting energy blast threw the surroundings into disarray. sparks flew as the two weapons clashed. the ground which li luo stood on cracked and collapsed from the sheer force. a burst of titanic force pressed downwards upon li luo like a collapsing building. despite the aid of all his secret arts, the palm holding the blade split from resisting the attack, and rivulets of fresh blood flowed down his arm. the blade was imbued with dual resonant power, which was being eroded by the filthy, blood-red energy that emitted harsh howls. if not for the vestiges of spirituality, he might have been defeated instantly. the fake li lingjing had demonstrated overwhelming strength. just as li luo''s attack was about to be destroyed, qin yi quickly came to his aid. she spat out a blue pearl that seemed to contain an entire ocean. the object seemed innocuous enough, but it possessed the weight of a mountain! the void around it distorted, seemingly unable to support the weight of the pearl. this was qin yi''s twin violet-eye treasured artifact, the boundless heavy ocean pearl. it transformed into a bolt of blue light that heavily struck the thigh bone. a faint buzzing sound erupted at that moment, and a mighty gravitational force came into being, forcing the bloody grimace on the bone to pause for a moment. li luo then swiftly took the opportunity to retreat. he regrouped next to qin yi, the hand holding the blade trembling uncontrollably. "thank you, fairy qin, for taking action." qin yi coolly replied, "if you were to die here, i wouldn''t be able to escape either." "its strength should be around the lesser heavenly resonance tier, so not as strong as what the white ape said. i don''t think this is the other''s true body," li luo replied. the previous clash had allowed him to gain a better understanding of the other''s capabilities. "lesser heavenly resonance tier... that''s still more than sufficient to kill the both of us." qin yi turned her beautiful eyes towards li luo. "dragon''s head li luo, if you aren''t able to summon up the strength that allowed you to deal with tian miao and zhao yan, i''m afraid we won''t be able to get out of this." one of them was a three-pearl and the other was a four-pearl. despite being the top amongst their peers, they were incapable of dealing with the other before them. "this thing can fuse with the blood mist and is hard to catch. if we can''t restrain it, slaying it will be impossible." li luo glanced at the other. at the same moment, it vanished yet again, completely becoming one with the blood mist and leaving not even a trace behind. this was incredibly difficult to deal with. li luo could indeed summon the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s strength, but he had to save it for a critical opportunity. otherwise, the other might simply hide itself to tide over the disaster. after which, li luo would be helpless to deal with it afterwards. qin yi quietly observed the blood mist before sighing deeply. "i might be able to help you with this." "oh?" li luo''s eyebrows jumped in surprise. qin yi actually possessed the means to trap a lesser heavenly resonance other? "it seems like you have already forgotten about our battle at the dragonbreath pool." qin yi smiled lightly. she did not speak further. her jade-like fingers swiftly formed hand seals, then her gemstone studded earring flew forward, emitting countless rays of light. the rays of light then gradually intertwined, transforming into a gigantic hall that enveloped the entire area. this familiar sight reminded li luo of the dragonbreath pool battle. qin yi had summoned up this water hall to obstruct all of the elites from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. it was a type of ward that had the power to create an illusory copy of the opponent. whoever fell into it would be entangled with a water replica. the appearance of the water hall caused the blood mist to gradually recede. then a figure made of blood appeared before them. it was the true form of the other that had attempted to mimic li lingjing. at the same instant, the glass-like floor beneath it flickered, and an identical water replica took shape. the water replica oozed with corruption as it pounced at the other. the other cackled, and immense amounts of corruption flooded out fo its body, causing the water replica to dissipate. clearly, the fake could not block the actual one for long. qin yi bit her lip as she reminded him, "dragon''s head li luo, please hurry up. without the fire lotus camp''s assistance, the amount of energy i have is severely limited." li luo nodded lightly before a wolf''s howl came from the scarlet bracelet on his wrist. berserk crimson energy swept out of it like a tide and entered li luo''s body. bang! the power of his aura skyrocketed and the energy undulations coming from him strengthened immensely. in the span of a few seconds, it reached the limit of what the spiritual resonance cave could allow. the lesser heavenly resonance tier! li luo was incomparably calm despite feeling the terrifying energy circulating within his body. this was a sensation he would not get drunk upon. controlling the entire banner and wielding the strength of a duke was far superior to this. his bloody hand tightly grasped his blade as his icy gaze focused upon the trapped other. leaping forward, the untamed and ceaseless energy poured out of him into his surroundings. the air shook and boomed in his presence. he flashed forward like a bolt of lightning, intent on decimating the enemy. Chapter 1030: A Single Strike Reaps chapter 1030: a single strike reaps qin yi intently observed li luo. although the other li lingjing was at the lesser heavenly resonance tier, it possessed strange abilities that multiplied the difficulty of dealing with it, so it was much more difficult to kill when compared to enemies of a similar level. if li luo wasn''t able to kill it with a lightning-fast strike, it may very well transform back into mist, making it incredibly daunting to deal with. li luo appeared before the other while qin yi watched nervously. at this point, the other also realized the dangerous situation it was in. it directly smashed the water replica to pieces with a single strike, then the face on the back of its head began to howl, murmuring some ambiguous words. the effect of its enchanting voice was to throw off one''s focus and addle the mind. however, a fiendish howl similarly echoed out from li luo''s scarlet bracelet, breaking through the chant of doom. the other immediately began to retreat, and the pale visage on the back of her head opened its mouth. in the depths of the shadowy mouth were a pair of pasty, white hands that were forming a seal. roar! white flame spewed out a moment later, and numerous faces with pained expressions could be seen within it. the faces began to devour each other at breakneck speed and very quickly merged into a pale, nine-fingered bone palm that burned with ghastly flame, directly facing off against the brunt of li luo''s attack. li luo could sense the immense corruption contained within the palm. a normal lesser heavenly resonance tier cultivator would not dare to collide with it head-on. however, his gaze showed no hint of retreat, only turning more focused and icy. "unclean creature, i won''t let you abuse cousin lingjing''s image any longer." he snorted lightly as he hacked downwards. with a thought, the myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation in his body activated and the water and wood dragon fang swords hummed. two tyrannical sword energies surged forth and bolstered his strike. as the blade descended, it cleanly struck the nine-fingered bone palm. the moment of collision was not an exaggerated scene full of explosions. instead, the blade cleanly carved through the object like a hot knife through butter. li luo''s figure ethereally flashed forward, appearing behind the other as the killing intent within his eyes gradually faded. nove.lb.in the blade was slowly sheathed away. the bone palm suddenly broke apart, and a thin, bloody line appeared on the other''s neck. two dominating sword energies were wreaking havoc within its body, and in the short span of a few breaths, the other''s body violently exploded with a bang, turning into countless squirming blood worms which melted into blood energy before completely dissipating. li luo exhaled deeply as he cut off the connection with the fiendish energy he had just utilized. after dealing with the other, li luo turned towards qin yi. the latter was idly staring at him, as though shell-shocked by that crisp and stunning strike. when she finally realized that li luo was watching her, she regained her usual sense of calm and said with relief, "dragon''s head li luo, you have yet another outstanding result added to your amazing combat record." li luo shook his head. "without your assistance in containing it, i could not have done so with a single strike." then he quickly took out the blackwood feather fan and activated it, causing two streams of white light to appear around himself to hurriedly bolster his resonant power recovery. this was a dangerous environment, so he had to maintain peak condition at all times. just as qin yi spoke, her gaze suddenly changed as well. she had felt a disturbance within the blood mist a distance away. she swiftly rushed forward and stood by li luo''s side. lifting her palm, the boundless heavy ocean pearl floated above them, transforming into a screen of water that protected the duo. li luo frowned. "could it be that after dealing with the other''s clone body, we attracted the attention of the even mightier true body?" as the two watched in trepidation, the blood mist rippled and several figures milled out, shooting wary glances at them. when both sides realized who they were looking at, they felt equally shocked. these people were not foreign to him. it was li lingjing, lu qing''er, li fengyi, li wuyuan, zong sha, zhu zhu, and their other familiar friends. "qing''er, second sister, cousin lingjing?" "li luo!?" "fairy qin!" when the two sides met, they seemed a little taken aback. however, they did not approach each other; they remained vigilant instead. it seemed like the other party had already had a taste of the others'' transforming antics. lu qing''er''s cautious gaze was focused upon li luo as she asked in concern, "are you alright, li luo? we felt strong undulations of energy and rushed over." "we just encountered an other that had adopted cousin lingjing''s appearance. however, we managed to kill it," li luo explained. li lingjing''s gaze turned frigid upon hearing this. the two sides then probed each other with further questions until they finally confirmed each other''s identities. although the others could adopt the appearance of their friends, one could discover flaws if they inspected them closely. this led both parties to heave sighs of relief. with most of the group gathered, li luo''s tense body relaxed slightly as he asked, "what happened here?" "damn it. we have no idea how an other appeared. its strength exceeds the rules of the spiritual resonance cave, reaching the greater heavenly resonance tier. only when everyone worked together in a grand battle were we able to force it to retreat. however, it created this blood mist that covers the skies and the ground, scattering the groups. it has repeatedly ambushed us with the aid of its transformation abilities, and the number of casualties were tremendous by the time we were able to regroup once again." zhu zhu''s expression was steely green. the rest looked gloomy as it seemed they had suffered greatly as well. li luo glanced around him and realized that the group had shrunk significantly. only some of the elites from the different powers had managed to survive. the bright side was that li fengyi and li jingtao were unharmed. li lingjing hefted the aquamarine bamboo python staff and fell silent after gazing at li luo. "you should never have left the thatched cottage." with the protective wards of the cottage, the other would not be able to harm him so long as he remained inside. "you dumb brat. you could have sat there safely, so why did you run out!?" li fengyi angrily shouted as she smacked his shoulder. they had experienced the sheer terror of the other, and even with the addition of his lesser heavenly resonance tier strength, they probably wouldn''t be able to tip the scales in their favor. li jingtao also sighed. li luo instead flashed the most radiant smile he was capable of. "aren''t you aware of my personality? how could i sit idly? saying all of this is useless now. we just have to decide how we can deal with the other." zong sha from the heavenly origin ancient college smiled bitterly. "although the other has greater heavenly resonance tier strength, i think it''s limiting itself. the reason it has continued to entangle itself with us is not because its afraid of our numbers. instead, i have a feeling it''s toying with us. in its eyes, we are just a group of trapped mice, capable of entertaining it." zong sha''s blunt words caused the group''s expressions to turn ugly. it was clear that they all felt the same way. "damn it! how could an other appear in the spiritual resonance cave? what are the duke experts outside doing?!" zhu zhu berated. this was a question no one could answer. it was the first time such a strange development had happened. "huh. is the blood mist fading?" jiang wanyu suddenly asked. these words caused the group to feel a sense of surprise. the all-encompassing blood mist was indeed dissipating gradually. "what is going on?" the group stared at each other with uncertain expressions. the other had not been injured, but the blood mist was disappearing. this abnormality must have been intentionally caused by it. however, the group did not have to wonder for too long. they could hear the sound of liquid flowing from afar. as the sound got louder, the strong stench of blood wafted over as well. everyone knew that something was not right, so they hurriedly gathered together, their eyes focused upon the direction of the sound. a few moments later, their eyes shrank. a towering river of blood was rushing towards them from the mist. the blood river curled up into a wave a hundred feet tall, smashing the void apart. within the blood river was a single blood lotus, on top of it was a handsome male garbed in white. he was looking at the crowd with a compassionate gaze. his shiny, bald head was laced with blood-red lines that squirmed like wriggling worms. they gathering atop his head and gradually penetrated his flesh before transforming into two bloody, curved horns that made him resembe a devil. at the tips of the horns were two chalky white eyeballs that swiveled, causing a chill to run down the spines of everyone present. however, what was most terrifying about the other was not its appearance. they could distinctly feel that the energy it was emanating was increasing in intensity. in the short span of a few dozen breaths, it surpassed the greater heavenly resonance tier. directly stepping into the duke stage! when faced with this jaw-dropping pressure, a few of the less resolute individuals fell onto their butts, their expressions in complete despair. this was a duke stage other! how were they going to stop it? this was essentially a death sentence! Chapter 1031: Blood Ossuary Seal chapter 1031: blood ossuary seal "duke?! how is this possible?" the enemy sitting cross-legged atop the blood lotus was terrifying. everyone''s faces fell; even the silent li lingjing was no different. she grasped the aquamarine bamboo python staff with so much strength that a slight crunch could be heard. li luo similarly sucked in a breath of cold air as his expression turned unsettled. some of the others seemed to have collapsed from the sheer shock. others shouted, "doesn''t the spiritual resonance cave suppress everyone''s power? how could it possess duke-level strength?!" on their side, there were just a few who had reached the lesser heavenly resonance tier. previously, the other was at the greater heavenly resonance tier, and dealing with it was incredibly difficult already. however, they were able to put up a resistance when they worked togethere. alas, the opponent had entered the duke stage, and the stark difference in might was insurmountable. li wuyuan, zong sha, zhu zhu, mu yao, and the rest seemed to have fallen into the pits of despair, staring at the creature sitting atop the blood lotus in a complete daze. in contrast, the other''s gaze portayed nothing but compassion. yet the situation was more like a juvenile wolf entering a hunting ground and coming face to face with a fully grown tiger. the morale of the group instantly fell to rock bottom. the handsome youth sitting atop the lotus glanced at the dispirited group, and his smile became even more warm. he truly enjoyed seeing such expressions. "my only goal is her. if you capture her and hand her over, i''ll let the rest of you go," he said in a calm, warm tone as he pointed towards li lingjing. these words caused the entire group to be taken aback, then they stared at her in shock. the other had come for her specifically? "were you the one who attracted this other, li lingjing?!" zhao shenjiang shouted righteously. "li lingjing, don''t drag the rest of us down with you. since you brought it here, you should resolve the situation yourself," mu yao said gloomily. the rest seemed a little unsettled. they did not understand what sort of relationship li lingjing had with it. when faced with the almost accusatory gazes, li lingjing casually replied, "act if you wish to do so. let''s see if the other really will let you go after we resolve our internal strife. perhaps he might truly be compassionate enough to release you." these words caused the crowd to stiffen. expecting mercy from the other would undoubtedly be a mistake. "why don''t you grow some brains? it clearly just wants to see us fight amongst ourselves and entertain it," li luo icily retorted. "so what? do you really think we''re strong enough to defeat a true devil?" mu yao replied furiously. "if you want to escape by yourself, go ahead. whoever wishes to act against cousin lingjing will have to see if my blade agrees." the ancient blade in li luo''s hand glittered with cold light. dense amounts of resonant power arose into the air as the three heavenly pearls began to spin. li fengyi, li fuling, and li jingtao similarly stood up and expressed their agreement with his actions. li wuyuan, li guan, and the rest of the other individuals from the other lineages hesitated for a brief moment but did not choose to separate from li luo and li lingjing. internal strife within their faction would not bring about any benefits and would only incite mockery from others. lu qing''er similarly led elder sister jin to stand by li luo. zong sha sighed before admonishing the group. "we cannot fight amongst ourselves now. instead, we should be working together to find a glimmer of hope to succeed." zhao shenjiang and mu yao felt a pang of resentment upon seeing the stance of the crowd. clearly, they would not be able to sacrifice li lingjing to the dogs. the other continued to smile warmly as it observed the group before shaking its head. "it looks like you''ve chosen the path of death. so be it. you''re all blessed geniuses with exceptional talent after all, no different from the most tasty delicacies. i wouldn''t have let you go even if you had obeyed." this other had the ability to devour the talent of whomever it consumed, and every cultivator present was the cream of the crop. in its eyes, the youths were a delectable feast that it could never let go. after it finshed speaking, it waved its hand, causing the blood river beneath him to roar. before everyone''s eyes, the river rushed forward like a burst dam, directly drowning the world beneath it like an unstoppable tsunami. li luo and the rest were the first to bear the brunt of its power. energy wings sprouted from his back, which immediately flapped with all of his strength as he hurriedly attempted to ascend into the skies. the rest similarly activated their resonant power and soared into the skies, afraid of being stained by the chilly, bloody water. of course, a true devil''s attack would never be so simple. as the blood river spread into the distance, it started to look more and more like a sea of blood. the true devil other remained atop the blood lotus as it grinned at the flailing individuals. it scratched at its chest with its nails, peeling back both flesh and skin before it removed a single bleached bone. it broke the bone into pieces before scattering it into the midst of the blood sea. bang! the bleached bone pieces were dyed red upon touching the sea, then they quickly expanded. a few breaths later, the bone pieces transformed into several blood-red ossuaries that floated silently above the blood sea. "everyone, i''d like to invite you to enter." the true devil flashed a devilish smile. however, this scene horrified them. who would dare to enter? instead, they scattered, trying to find a way to escape from this region. unfortunately, they understood that so long as the true devil other remained atop the blood sea, it had numerous means to bend them to its will, making it impossible to resist. li luo felt the same way as he attempted to retreat. unfortunately, his vision started turning black and the air before him distorted as soon as he turned away. all of a sudden, he felt something touch his back, making his expression change dramatically.nove(1b/in he did not know when a blood ossuary had appeared behind him. when he attempted to step back, he actually collided with it! this mysterious means of controlling the situation caused his heart to turn cold. before he was able to rouse any of his resonant power to break away, the ossuary released a terrifying suction force that prevented him from moving a single inch. at the same time, a lid flew down and sealed it with a snap. at the moment he was sealed, he saw that everyone else had suffered from the same fate, forcefully stuffed into other ossuaries much like him. the surface of the blood sea then turned silent. the ossuaries were the only objects in sight. the true devil other had fully demonstrated its overpowering might. not a single one of the talented youths, not even the lesser heavenly resonance elites, were able to resist in any way. the power gap was simply far too wide. as the true devil other sat atop the blood lotus, its elbows were propping up its chin as it grinned cheerily at the floating ossuaries. then it pressed down with a hand, causing each of the ossuaries to slowly sink into the blood sea. it then opened its mouth, and a crimson tongue slithered out and hung limply. "who should i eat first?" its gaze swept across each and every one of the ossuaries. regardless of whether they were at the heavenly pearl tier or the lesser heavenly resonance tier, none could escape the blood ossuary seal. "hmm?" just as it had decided upon a specific blood ossuary as the first tantalizing appetizer, it displayed a look of surprise. turning towards the source of the disturbance, he could see that there were four particular blood ossuaries that were struggling violently. it seemed that each one was being broken apart by a mighty, disruptive force. "oh? they seem quite persistent." the true devil other chuckled. bang! at the next instant, four majestic energies surged into the sky, breaking through the blood ossuary seals. then four figures soared into the air. Chapter 1032: The Remaining Four chapter 1032: the remaining four when the blood ossuary restraining li luo was shattered, he noticed that there were three other sources of energy nearby as well. turning his head to look, he first saw li lingjing emerge from the entrapment. he wasn''t surprised that she had managed to escape. she was a special case, and even though she seemed to be a nine-pearl, he could not truly fathom the depths of her power. his gaze then turned towards the remaining two figures, and a look of surprise surfaced on his face. it was actually qin yi and lu qing''er. all of this was out of li luo''s expectations. he had expected it to be mu yao or li wuyuan, one of those at the lesser heavenly resonance tier. instead, the weaker qin yi and lu qing''er had managed to escape. li luo''s gaze swept over lu qing''er, and he realized that her long hair was gradually turning an icy blue and her body was radiating an intense chill. as she stood there in mid air, all of the ice energy in the surroundings surged into her, forming a layer of ice beneath her. if one looked closely, they would see some esoteric, icy runes appear on her jade like skin. most striking of all were the wings made of ice behind her. they looked like they were made of crystals condensed of the purest ice, transparent and pristine. as they flapped, cold air circulated around her and powdery snow fell onto the sea beneath. lu qing''er was like the living embodiment of a snow fairy. li luo was shocked at this sight. the energy coming from her surpassed that of mu yao. perhaps it was because the spiritual resonance cave''s restrictions made it difficult to surpass the lesser heavenly resonance tier. regardless, she had used her extremely high-grade ice resonant power to break through the blood ossuary seal. qin yi was no different. her long dress fluttered in the wind as she gracefully floated in the air. a bright, light-blue moon hung in the air behind her. it looked like a planet with an endless ocean where huge waves surged into its sky. strong fluctuations of energy pulsated from her, but if one were to observe closely, this energy did not originate from her body but from the light-blue moon. as li luo examined the two mighty ladies, he couldn''t help but shake his head. it seemed that he had underestimated these geniuses with extraordinary backgrounds. since he could borrow the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf to assist him, it was no surprise that others had their own unique methods to bolster themselves. "both of you have concealed your strength deeply." li luo sighed. lu qing''er glanced at him as she said in a voice as cold as the deepest winter, but also intimate, soft, and warm, "this is my last life-saving art. i would not have brought it out if i wasn''t truly desperate." qin yi lightly added, "it seems that even though we have all brought out our hidden aces, it''s still hard to breach the cave''s rules." the four of them had utilized their own special means to deal with the blood ossuary seal, but the true devil other was an unassailable existence. an enemy at the duke stage was not something they could overcome with their current means. li lingjing approached li luo. her lips trembled and her voice was transmitted into his ears. "the true devil other is looking for me. if i''m truly not equal, i will obstruct it. take the opportunity to escape, and so long as you can leave this area, you might be able to live if you borrow the aid of the wards in the spiritual resonance cave." li luo replied with a smile as he shook his head, "there''s no need to do so. i don''t believe it can do so." hearing his stubborn reply, li lingjing felt a little frustrated. "use your brain a little. you might still have trump cards to play, but you''re only at the heavenly pearl tier. you don''t have the assistance of the green nether banner to fight it. when faced with a true devil other, the smart thing is to escape!" li luo sighed and shook his head yet again. if li lingjing were to fall into the grasp of this other, she would definitely be devoured, so how could he stand by idly and watch her give up her life for a chance for him to escape? before li lingjing could continue to chastise him, the true devil other grinned and lifted its hand, forming another seal with its finger ka! when the seal was completed, the expressions of the four changed yet again. they could see that the blood ossuaries that were previously floating atop the sea had their lids slide open. but the four didn''t feel any joy when the ossuaries were open; their hearts were chilled by the sight. the people who had originally been sealed within all strode out, their faces covered in blood-red runes. the runes seemed to have been engraved into their flesh and were like parasitic worms, devouring their strength. all of their eyes had turned stygian black, and not a single trace of white could be seen. qin yi''s expression changed as she shouted, "be careful! they have already been corrupted and controlled!" li luo''s eyes turned gloomy as he glanced at the familiar figures. even li fengyi, li jingtao, and li fuling had all fallen under its control. blood was oozing from every pore on their bodies. the true devil other possessed enough strength to suppress them with utmost ease, yet it had chosen not to take action personally. instead, it had possessed their companions to slaughter them. it was like a cat toying with a mouse. the four would gradually crumble amidst this despairing situation. li luo felt fury well up within him. "this other is truly warped. it''s the embodiment of the human race''s negativity, utilizing the most ruthless and cruelest methods." bang! at this point, their previous companions soared into the sky after leaving the confines of the blood ossuaries, shooting towards the four. blood-red corruption wafted from their bodies. thanks the soul eater true devil''s influence, all of them had been empowered!n.)ovelb1n "there are too many. we have to pull apart the distance between us." lu qing''er was the first to speak as she stared at the familiar figures shooting towards them. as many of them were friends, being surrounded would leave them helpless, so it was best to trap them. lu qing''er removed her ice silk gloves, revealing her flawless, jade-like hands. the ice wings behind her flapped slowly, and the air turned biting cold. kacha! kacha! frost condensed in the air, and an icy, ethereal voice sounded out a moment later. "duke art: white lotus frost seal!" all of a sudden, the once-companions began to pause in their tracks. ice elemental worldly natural energy condensed beneath their feet, then white lotuses began to bloom a few breaths later. a frightening chill spread out after all of them were firmly sealed within the white lotuses. the weaker ones, like li fengyi, li jingtao, and deng fengxian, were firmly rooted in place. however, the strongest ones, like mu yao, li wuyuan, and zong sha, were able to swiftly break out, bellowing as they continued their mindless rush towards the four. li lingjing''s gaze turned frigid as she grasped the aquamarine bamboo python staff tightly. her nine heavenly pearls materialized, then they burst with radiant light, devouring copious amounts of worldly natural energy. at the same time, a gigantic abyssal serpent manifested behind her. she directly rushed towards mu yao and zong sha, intending to tie two of them down. as qin ying pierced through the sky, the spear in his hand transformed in to a myriad of blood-red skewers that struck at li luo. "elder brother qin ying." qin yi sighed lightly as the boundless heavy ocean pearl in her hand shook. all one could see was dark-blue water pouring out of it, transforming into a gigantic water dragon that immediately obstructed all of the elites from the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. lu qing''er similarly took action and waved her hand towards elder sister jin. frost condensed in the air before blasting out a stream of numerous icicles, forcing her to take cover. everyone intended to handle their own people. although they were at a numbers disadvantage, they were able to even the odds thanks to the aid of their trump cards. li luo continued to float in the air as he glanced at the familiar figures before him. they were the elites from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li led by li wuyuan, including the likes of li guan and li fuling. however, their expressions were full of malice at this time. if looks could kill, li luo would have already been torn to pieces. he held the onyx-elephant blade in one hand as he calmly watched the group approaching him. with a thought, the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s fiendish energy surged forth from the crimson bracelet once again. a chaotic fight ensued above the bloody sea. meanwhile, the true devil other continued to sit atop the blood lotus a distance away, enjoying the sight of the former allies engaging in mutual slaughter, its expression becoming even more compassionate. "how impressive. they are truly four peak-level geniuses. they must be incomparably delectable... i''ve had so few of them in recent years." the four burst forth with all their power amidst the brawl, constantly repelling the puppets that were throwing themselves at them. yet whenever the former companions lost strength, the true devil other would stimulate the sea of blood and revive the puppets once again. as a result, the four were faced with an endless gauntlet of opponents to defeat. based on the current situation, they would eventually suffocate to death or tire themselves out. "keep struggling. the final survivor will win the grand prize of being savored by me... one bite at a time," the true devil gloated with a warm smile. the smile on its face intensified as it observed the expressions of the four. however, this emotion only lasted for a moment. it suddenly felt like something just wasn''t quite right. it was an instinctive feeling. did it happen to have overlooked something? as the smile on the true devil other''s face receded, it swept its gaze across each of the four once again. a few moments later, his gaze rested upon li luo! it was him! something was up! Chapter 1033: Escape chapter 1033: escape the true devil other''s eyes flickered coldly upon sensing that something was off, immediately shifting its gaze to the turbulent sea of blood below. following its will, ten gargantuan, crimson pillars emerged from the sea, forming a terrifying ten-fingered blood palm that shot towards li luo with massive pressure. the palm stretched across the sky, leaving only void in its wake. the true devil had previously treated the entire situation like a cat playing with mice, believing that nothing could come close to equalling the might of the duke stage. never had it assumed that the situation had veered off the confines of its control. however, the unexpected had occurred with the arrival of li luo. as such, the soul eater true devil naturally had no interest in dragging the fight out any longer and wanted to wipe out the unforeseen danger as quickly as possible. although it did not know how li luo could make it feel uneasy, it did not want to dally about and find out. the sudden action from the true devil other alarmed li luo, who was still in the midst of battling li wuyuan and the others. "shoot! i''ve been discovered!" he grimaced. the true terror of the soul eater true devil was indeed hard to fathom. the ten-fingered blood palm hurtled through the air, filling both earth and sky with a dense blood aura. all the space in front of the blood palm appeared to decelerate, with li luo beginning to look like a mosquito trapped in a spider''s web within. this move contained unmistakably immeasurable power, too much for li luo to even lift a finger against. "li luo!" lu qing''er''s and li lingjing''s comely countenances changed when they saw what was about to happen. they urgently rushed towards li luo''s location in an effort to provide some aid. but they were too late. even though li luo had lesser heavenly resonance tier strength thanks to the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf, it was insignificant in the face of a duke''s attack. at that moment, all they could see was the horrific energy of the blood palm bearing down upon li luo, swallowing him whole. but at the moment when all hope seemed to be lost, li luo suddenly sprouted a pair of viridescent wings from his back. with a single flap of the wings, he transformed into an emerald ray of light and moved with unimaginable speed, leaving only a trail of afterimages in the spot where he once was. the blood palm crashed down, bringing utter destruction to everything below. but li luo reappeared a few thousand feet away in the sky, though he was looking completely disheveled. his clothes were tattered from the shockwave of the blood palm, and his inner qi and blood flow appeared shaken. a thin stream of blood trickled down the side of his lips. although he had managed to avoid a fatal blow from a duke stage expert, the aftershock of the attack was not easy to bear. he turned his head to give a quick glance to the pair of green wings behind him. it was the third-grade royal engraving he had received as a reward from the holy grail meet, the phantasmal spirit wing evasion art. it had only one purpose, which was to turn its user into a dazzlingly swift beam of light, but it had served this very purpose well. without it, he would not have been able to escape. "oh? a speed attribute royal engraving? but how many times can it save you?" the true devil other was a little taken aback when it saw that its move had not hit the mark. its gaze turned towards li luo''s other hand. that hand had been hidden by li luo''s sleeve, but there was nothing left to cover it now that his clothes had been torn. it was now apparent that li luo was holding a slightly oxidized bronze lamp in his left hand. drops of blood were steadily dripping from li luo''s fingertips into the lamp while wisps of transparent flames swirled within it. the lamp constantly emitted a wave that seemed to resonate with the very space they were in. in other words, the spiritual resonance cave itself. it also seemed as though li luo was slowly beginning to resonate with cave as well. "so that''s what''s happening." the soul eater true devil realized that li luo was using some sort of mysterious art to activate the bronze lamp, allowing the artifact to synchronize the resonance between himself and the spiritual resonance cave. the more in tune he was with the cave, the less restrictive the suppressive effect on him. if li luo had been allowed to finish what he was doing, he would have been able to break through the limit of the lesser heavenly resonance tier and use his power with reckless abandon just like the other. but it seemed like the method of activation was not simple, which would explain why li luo had been hiding his movements and stalling for time before launching a surprise attack. "i almost gave you some hope." the true devil other coldly chortled behind its cruel gaze. although it did not think that li luo would be able to affect anything by breaking through the restrictions of the spiritual resonance cave, it was not planning to leave anything to chance. it wanted to see li luo and the others wallow in despair. "let''s see how many more times you can use that royal engraving," the soul eater true devil taunted as it waved its hand. once again, a massive blood palm formed inside the tumultuous sea of blood and rose towards the sky, enveloping the target space in a dense aura. the horrifying energy was so condensed that anyone caught within the area would feel like they were being mired in quicksand. li luo deployed the phantasmal spirit wing evasion art without hesitation and turned into a radiant, emerald beam, instantly appearing thousands of feet away. he grasped the bronze lamp tightly despite how deep his wounds were. after all, even though he could speed his way out of the main brunt of the attack, he could not avoid the shockwaves resulting from the bloody aura. it was truly a strike by a duke stage expert, where a light graze would injure and a touch would be fatal. "eternal oak armor!" a verdant suit of war armor wrapped around li luo''s torso. it radiated strong life force, gradually repairing his injuries. li luo''s brows furrowed as he stared at the bronze lamp in his hand. this sacrificial method of activating the lamp had been divulged to him by senior white ape. however, the method was cumbersome, so he had originally planned to take his time to activate it in secret while he hid amidst his allies. he wanted to fully activate the artifact before dealing with the true devil other, but he did not expect the enemy to be so quick on the uptake and leave him without sufficient preparation time. when the soul eater true devil had turned li luo''s companions into murder puppets for its own entertainment, li luo had recognized the blessing in disguise despite his personal feelings, as it would at least allow him to stall for time. unfortunately, he had underestimated the soul eater true devil''s sharpness. it had actually managed to detect that he was up to something. "as expected, all are ants in front of dukes." li luo sighed. if not for the speed of the phantasmal spirit wing evasion art, he would already have lost his life to the true devil other''s two blood palms. "ouch!" the crimson bracelet started to vibrate, and a faint wolf cry filled with murderous energy came out. this was the three-tailed heavenly wolf acting up. it could sense the threat of the soul eater true devil and understood the peril that li luo was in. and if li luo were to meet his end here, it would not be far behind. therefore the three-tailed heavenly wolf was on high alert, and a steady stream of violent energy started to pour out of the bracelet. however, the energy could not be utilized by li luo whatsoever due to the suppressing effect of the spiritual resonance cave. "calm down, wait a little longer!" li luo said to the three-tailed heavenly wolf in an attempt to pacify it upon sensing its energy leaking out. just as he managed to quell the wolf, another wave of destructive energy swept towards li luo. once again, he employed the phantasmal spirit wing evasion art to escape the attack, but the royal engraving did not have unlimited uses; he feared that it would soon run out of energy and disappear. li luo had not experienced being in such a pitiful position in a long time, left with no option but to desperately run away. but there was no helping it against the might of a duke stage experthe simply did not have any means of fighting back, save for maybe the kingmark on the gilded onyx-elephant blade. nonetheless, that was his final trump card, something he could not play without fully understanding the full extent of the true devil other''s power. if it had a technique to save itself when the kingmark was used, then it would be game over. while li luo was busy evading fatal blows, li lingjing, lu qing''er, and qin yi were aghast. they had not expected the true devil to attack li luo after idling on the sidelines for so long. qin yi''s voice traveled to li lingjing''s and lu qing''er''s ears. "li luo must have some means to deal with the true devil if it''s decided to interfere directly." "we have to help him!" declared lu qing''er.nove/lb-1n li lingjing''s eyes turned a shade darker as her slender fingers tightly grasped her staff. the hostility in her heart bubbled over, and she began to fill with killing intent. she wanted to aid li luo, but she was not a threat to the true devil at her current level. she needed to become stronger! as li lingjing glanced over at qin yi and lu qing''er, her pupils flashed a deep crimson for a moment and a mysterious voice spoke from within the recesses of her mind. "eat them and gain more power!" the color of li lingjing''s eyes shifted a few times before she took a deep breath, suppressing the unholy emotions from within. at the same time, she clasped a hand over her bosom, in which nestled a jade bottle that sealed the no. 2 variant other. while li lingjing was in tumult, lu qing''er carefully observed the sea of blood below before saying, "the true devil other has been floating above the sea of blood the whole time, never leaving even while it was attacking li luo. i''m guessing that its power is somehow tied to it." "perhaps the sea of blood is what allows it to ignore the suppression of the spiritual resonance cave." upon hearing this, qin yi''s and li lingjing''s expressions changed. this inference made a lot of sense. qin yi kept silent for a few breaths before replying, "even though we know that the sea of blood is the key, we can''t do anything about it" although each of them had employed different means to greatly increase their strength, they had not exceeded the lesser heavenly resonance tier. at this level, it was highly unlikely that any of them had the power to affect the oceanic sea of blood. lu qing''er''s eyes, which glittered like a frozen lake, were trained on the roiling sea of blood. after a moment, she focused her gaze on li luo, who was dashing to and fro for his life. at that moment, she made her decision, and a voice that seemed calm yet contained a raging blizzard rang from behind her clenched teeth. "i''ll freeze the sea of blood over!" Chapter 1034: Glacial Mirage chapter 1034: glacial mirage when lu qing''er''s voice rang out, li lingjing and qin yi cast astonished gazes at her. "miss qing, can you really freeze the entire sea of blood?" qin yi felt incredulous. the sea of blood was conjured by the true devil other, so freezing it would rightfully require the strength of a duke stage expert. lu qing''er''s frigid wings flapped gently as she replied, "as expected, i cannot do it purely with my own poweri just have to utilize a few of my last ditch measures." "the cost of using such a heaven-defying technique cannot be small," qin yi softly said. lu qing''er kept silent as she watched li luo flee for his life in the distance. voice full of conviction, she affirmed, "i will not allow li luo to perish before my eyes." qin yi''s gaze shifted slightly as she observed lu qing''er''s fair countenance. the latter''s icy complexion radiated with a crystalline light as though the term "as fair as snow white" was tailor made for her. even the ever refined qin yi could not help but silently admire lu qing''er''s poise and beauty at that moment. "dragon''s head li luo is truly a lucky man to have a friend like you," qin yi admitted. lu qing''er shook her head, conflicting emotions apparent through her irises. "i possess no noteworthy strength and cannot help as much as i''d like. if that man''s fiancee had been here, even that true devil other would not be able to force li luo into such dire straits. "she has always protected li luo well; her presence here would have guaranteed that he would be unharmed." this was apparent even back at the xia kingdom, when house luolan was facing a desperate situation with shen jinxiao leading the incursion. jiang qing''e had chosen to sacrifice her heart of light to protect li luo from harm. as she spoke, lu qing''er scanned the faces of the other two women. both could not help but be slightly intrigued. qin yi''s eyes met lu qing''er''s as she responded with a slight grin, "this isn''t the first time that i''ve heard the rumor that dragon''s head li luo has a fiancee from the outer divine continent. is it really true? still, even if that fiancee exists, it shouldn''t be a reason for you to belittle yourself, miss qing." from what she had seen thus far, lu qing''er was at the top of their generation. it was hard to believe that li luo''s fiancee could eclipse even the dazzling lu qing''er, who could rival any top talent in the inner divine continent. how could such a person have come from an outer divine continent? from her perspective, this was just embellishment on lu qing''er''s part to give li luo the face that all men craved. during the brief moment that lu qing''er was talking to qin yi, the frost patterns on her skin were starting to shine brighter and brighter, and a terrifyingly cold aura that was gradually being released from her body. it was obvious that she had been preparing for a while. "you will cross paths in the future, and if you are still at odds with li luo then, you''ll experience the gap in power first-hand." lu qing''er chuckled. qin yi nodded gently and replied. "that gives me something to look forward to." she understood that lu qing''er''s words were meant to tease, so she did not mind, though the idea had stirred her competitive spirit a little. although she usually looked gentle and reserved, her inner strength was not below anyone else''s. she personally felt that she would not be inferior to any woman. power gap? not necessarily. li lingjing had not participated in the conversation between the other two women. even when lu qing''er talked about li luo''s fiancee, she did not display any emotional reaction. her slender digits just gripped her staff while icy darkness flowed from the depths of her eyes. "i beseech both of your help to restrict their movements." at this moment, lu qing''er''s jade-like hands formed a seal, and an icy, sapphire color began to spread in her pupils. she was referring to the group of puppets, including li wuyuan. with those words said, she ceased conversation. her hands danced in a flurry of dazzling sealing spells as a horrifyingly cold aura suddenly erupted from her body. even the void had been frozen at this moment. li lingjing and qin yi hastily retreated. an ephemeral mist of ice began to emerge from between lu qing''er''s rouge lips, and her eyelids slowly shut as the frigid energy from within her gradually started to release. "the power of the sacred seed, glacial mirage." a low yet calm voice echoed from the depths of lu qing''er''s heart. this was her trump card. after accepting the sacred seed''s trials, its power had been imprinted into her. it was unfortunate that the power was far too great for her to wield properly; all she was doing currently was releasing a very unrefined version of its strength. however, it was just as qin yi had assumedsuch a feat would exact an equal cost. the power of the sacred seed would freeze everything without exception, including her own body. it was impossible to dispel a seal that came from within with regular means, and nobody could predict the aftereffects of such a move. lu qing''er had undoubtedly put herself at great risk. but at such a critical juncture, there was no other choice. as soon as the increasingly frigid aura began to permeate, the icy wings on lu qing''er''s back moved, sending her swooping directly towards the sea of blood below. cold wind whistled behind her as she flew, looking as though she was painting a frozen river in her wake. splash! after a few moments, lu qing''er charged straight into the depths of the sea of blood. countless disembodied voices started to whisper straight into her core from all around with the intention of distracting her, but her heart was already like a polar iceberg, rendering such distractions ineffective. terrifying amounts of pure ice energy continued to emanate from her. kacha! kacha! wherever the ice energy touched, the churning sea of blood froze solid, turning into crimson ice immediately. the ice then spread at an astonishing speed. just a few short breaths later, the surging and roiling sea of blood was transformed into a boundless field of ice. the blood-red waves that had been in motion and about to crash down ceased all movement, instead transforming into innumerous icebergs. the temperature on land and sky had plummeted. the deafening roar of the bloody waves had also come to an end. high up above, li luo had just used his last phantasmal spirit wing evasion art to evade a bloody palm strike. gripping the onyx-elephant blade, he realized that there was no way to escape the next palm without the royal engraving. forced into a corner, all he had left was the kingmark. just as li luo''s fingers grasped the hilt of the sword, the bloody palm suddenly shuddered and then exploded into a bloody rain whistling down harmlessly around him. li luo was soaked in blood and looked even worse for wear. his eyes betrayed his shock that the fatal blow had vanished all of a sudden. it was at this moment that he sensed the drastic changes happening beneath him. lowering his head, he was amazed to find that the sea of blood had transformed into a frozen sea instead. "what terrifying ice energy! is it qing''er?" li luo''s heart skipped a beat as he sensed that something was not quite right. he swept his gaze across the ice, finally resting it in one spot in the depths. he spotted lu qing''er''s silhouette. she was curled up with arctic ice diffusing out from the depths of her body, freezing her completely solid. from afar, it looked as if she was an angelic ice sculpture. it was apparent that she had utilized some kind of special power to freeze the sea of blood, but she herself seemed to have become part of the ice as a result. li luo''s heart welled up with intense concern, but he understood that this was lu qing''er''s way of buying precious time for him. all he could do was suppress his worries and accelerate the speed at which he activated the bronze lamp. concurrently, the soul eater true devil''s face had twisted into a furious visage because of the frozen sea of blood. it was beyond its calculations that these four beings that were like ants in its eyes would bring it such huge trouble. as lu qing''er had guessed, the sea of blood was vital to the soul eater true devil. it was only by utilizing the blood sacrifices of those who had passed through the golden dew platform that it had shielded its power from the spiritual resonance cave''s suppression, and now that the sea of blood had been frozen, the corrupt energy that emanated from its body was beginning to disperse. as if on cue, the suppression effect of the spiritual resonance cave began to kick in again. although the effect was rather weak at the moment, it was nonetheless a bad sign. killing intent flourished in the heart of the soul eater true devil. it knew that it could no longer mess around and had to deal with these ants as soon as possible. it glared at li luo in a mysteriously cold manner, its instincts telling it that he had to be eliminated first. confirming its decision, it transformed into a deathly shadow and shot out immediately. a vast amount of corrupted energy surged from the sky, as if a natural disaster was on its way. at the same time, it directed the manipulated blood puppets to deal with li lingjing and qin yi. upon witnessing the soul eater true devil lunging at li luo, li lingjing''s eyes flashed urgently and she shot qin yi a question. "can you handle them?" qin yi looked at the rapidly approaching qin ying, li wuyuan, and the others before releasing a deep sigh and steeling her resolve. "since qing''er has selflessly sacrificed herself for us, i cannot lag behind. "leave these guys to me. "a final word of caution: i will likely have to expend everything to keep them at bay, so i must leave the other fight to you two." in this life and death situation, qin yi naturally understood that if she wanted to keep living, she could not keep any means at her disposal hidden. she took a single step forward. water seemed to ripple beneath her feet, and the round moon behind her began to shine brighter. raising her hand, an azure water pearl radiating mysterious light materialized in her grasp. this was the boundless heavy ocean pearl. a few beads of blood dripped from qin yi''s slender fingertip onto the surface of the boundless heavy ocean pearl, dyeing it scarlet. completing this step, she once again raised her hand. the boundless heavy ocean pearl floated towards the shining moon behind her, coming to a complete stop in the dead center of it. suddenly, the boundless heavy ocean pearl started cracking, and the cracks slowly spread around the entire surface of the artifact before it completely disintegrated into fine dust. experiencing the loss of the boundless heavy ocean pearl, qin yi''s beautiful countenance had turned pallid. it seemed like deploying her trump card also required a great sacrifice of her own blood essence, and this would even affect her spirit foundation if she was not careful. even though she possessed the rejuvenating properties of a lower ninth-grade water resonance, what she was about to do was going to render her almost completely helpless for a while. "lunar river cavern, nine arias of celestial water." qin yi produced a jade bottle. tightening her grip, the bottle started to resonate with the shining moon behind her, transforming into a dimensional floodgate. in the next instant, crystal-clear water gushed out from the mouth of the bottle, sweeping throughout the void. at the same time, the wave also swept in the oncoming qin ying, li wuyuan, and the rest of the crowd. nove.lb.in Chapter 1035: Self-immolating Heavenly Pearl chapter 1035: self-immolating heavenly pearl when qin yi executed her technique to deal with the ones who were being manipulated, li lingjing simultaneously shot forth in a beam of light. staff in hand, she charged towards the true devil other. the other''s situation had changed drastically. since it had originally relied on the sea of blood to circumvent the suppression effect of the spiritual resonance cave, it could once again feel the cave hinder its strength as the blood sea was frozen. therefore, the terrifying pressure that used to emanate from the soul eater true devil''s body was steadily diminishing, and its strength was undoubtedly sharply reduced. a viridian peal of poisonous light imbued with a mysterious fragrance pierced the sky, racing towards the true devil other. sensing the incoming attack, the soul eater true devil''s figure lurched as it stretched out its palm to intercept. the flesh and blood in the center of its palm wriggled, transmogrifying into a twisted human face, which opened its mouth and hissed, spitting out a sinister, umbral light full of corrupting breath. the umbral light collided with the poisonous beam, quickly dispersing the technique. even though the true devil other was greatly weakened at this time, it was still far more powerful than lingjing. however, li lingjing was unperturbed, and she appeared directly in front of the other in a flash. the soul eater true devil looked her in the eye, a hint of color appearing on its face. its scarlet, serpentine tongue could not help but flicker as it licked its lips, saying grim voice, "number three, you and i are both others, so why would you go so far as to protect a human? how ridiculous." li lingjing''s eyes were shadowy as she glared at other number one, flatly replying, "don''t compare me with the likes of you. you are just a wastrel who doesn''t know its own name, nothing more than vermin. do you even remember what you used to be called?nove.lb-in the true devil other was stunned for several moments, then a bewildered look emerged within its eyes. indeed, it no longer remembered its own name, so who exactly was it? the bewilderment lasted for a while and was accompanied by an outpouring of negative emotions. its face became more and more twisted and grotesque, and its eyes salivated while staring at li lingjing. "number three, you are indeed very unique, and because of that, i will definitely eat you today! after eating you, i will become the most perfect soul eater true devil! in the future, i will even become the king of the others!" finished speaking, the soul eater true devil opened its mouth and spat out a crimson light spanning thousands of feet. a giant, pallid hand emerged from the light. the skin on the palm of the hand starting wriggling before an extremely sharp spike made of flesh and bone burrowed out from the center. the spike shot out and pierced through the empty space, aimed straight at li lingjing. the attack was so overbearing that space in the bone spike''s path was torn apart. although the true devil other had been weakened, this attack was still far too powerful for someone at the lesser heavenly resonance tier to block. li lingjing beat a hasty retreat as countless rays of poison shot out from the aquamarine bamboo python staff. however, the rays immediately dispersed upon contact with the flesh and blood spike. the power disparity between the two techniques was undeniable. upon seeing this, li lingjing braced herself and took a deep breath. her eyes began to gradually turn a fierce shade of crimson that harbored a savage murderous intent. in the next breath, she formed a hand seal. her brilliant heavenly pearls began to vibrate uncontrollably, and specks of blood-red light diffused within them. after just a few moments, all nine heavenly pearls behind li lingjing had completely turned scarlet. the nine bloody pearls started to rotate while radiating blinding, ruby rays. li lingjing''s long hair, which had been neatly tied up, was now pouring down like a waterfall, reaching down to her slender waist. her hair moved with the wind, cutting a savage caricature. a huge abyssal snake emerged from behind her. the snake''s scales, which ertr initially glossy and black, were now tinted with the color of blood. from afar, it looked like a heaven swallowing blood python. evidently, li lingjing couldn''t afford to hold anything back if she wanted to buy some time for li luo. li lingjing grasped the aquamarine bamboo python staff in one hand as her slender figure moved to intercept the flesh and bone spike. behind her, the blood-red abyssal snake slithered down and wrapped itself around the staff. she swung the staff, imbuing it with imposing energy. the abyssal snake hissed before it hardened itself, preparing to take the spike head-on. clang, clang, clang! up on high, the two parties exchanged blows dozens of times within a few short seconds. every collision between the staff and the spike resulted in a terrifying shockwave, causing even empty space to crack. every collision caused the blood python atop the staff to let out a painful hiss, but li lingjing did not let up on her attacks. blood had welled up in her pupils, which were full of malicious killing intent. after many unrelenting attacks, she gave a final, crazed swing. the flesh and bone spike finally reached its limit and burst into smithereens. li lingjing leapt backwards, her long hair fluttering in front of her. the palm holding the aquamarine bamboo python staff was covered in blood. the final clash had caused her hand to fracture from the force of the recoil alone. the soul eater true devil stared peculiarly at li lingjing and said, "number three, you are also existed in the darkness once. i never thought that you would be the type to get on your high horse to protect someone else. you know full well that there is a disparity in power between you and i. if you continue to fight, you will die. "although you insist on acting like a moral person, you are ultimately an unfeeling being, and this display of emotion is but a farce for you." li lingjing was slightly discouraged, but her scarlet pupils rumbled violently, overflowing with killing intent. as she gripped the aquamarine bamboo python staff tightly, the cold touch from the staff caused a single emotion to rise from the deepest part of her heart. the true devil other before her eyes could never hope to understand this feeling. it was precisely because she had experienced the darkness that she would give everything to preserve the last ray of light. that last ray of light was a mark of hope and trust. back in the deserted backyard of the western region''s li family, when she was sitting in a wheelchair, a young man suddenly appeared before her eyes while she was waiting for her sanity to erode. at that moment, he became her shining ray of hope. as such, she retrieved a jade ornament, her heart set on putting it all on the line. her ray of light was li luo. if she were to lose that light, she would cease to exist as li lingjing; she would just become an other. li lingjing gripped the aquamarine bamboo python staff tightly, her face expressionless as one of the nine blood-red heavenly pearls behind her suddenly produced a loud crack. a heavenly pearl seemed to have compacted in on itself and eventually collapsed. but as soon as it did, an extremely terrifying energy exploded from within. li lingjing had given up a heavenly pearl! this was a last resort for someone at the heavenly pearl tier. in exchange, they would receive a short burst of unimaginable power. the soul eater true devil shook its head as it stated indifferently, "you reckless fool, you''ll never learn." the two black horns atop its forehead shuddered, causing two bloodshot eyeballs to slowly form at the tips of the horns. pupils seemed to constantly emerge from them like an endless, twisted kaleidoscope. "infinite eyes of death!" the bloodshot eyeballs started to vibrate, then a jet-black light spewed out. everything was annihilated wherever the light passed through; even worldly natural energy was reduced to a state of death and silence, devoid of vitality. li lingjing took a deep breath and summoned the violent energy wrought from the shattered heavenly pearl. she then corralled as much of the energy into the aquamarine bamboo python staff as she could. responding to the massive influx of energy, the three violet eyes on the staff began to shine exuberantly. a moment later, the shaft of the staff began to wriggle! it had transformed into a gargantuan jade python. the jade snake coiled itself around li lingjing, protecting her from all sides. jade python throne! bang! the black light arrived, directly blasting on top of the coiled snake. immediately after, the snake hissed in agony as its scales began to rapidly melt. li lingjing''s eyes darkened, then she once again destroyed a heavenly pearl without hesitation! bang! unrestrained energy surged out, empowering the jade snake. "a dying struggle." a twisted and hideous grin surfaced on the soul eater true devil''s face, and another ray of deathly light shot out from the eyes on its horns, directly ripping open a huge gash on the jade snake. despite the terrifying attack of the soul eater true devil, li lingjing remained expressionless. even as blood spilled from the corners of her mouth, she stood firmly, unmoved. she then started destroying her heavenly pearls one after another. bang! bang! the deafening explosions set off by the heavenly pearls resounded again and again. in the distance, qin yi, who had been dealing with the others, could not help but cast a concerned gaze towards li lingjing. "isn''t she afraid of permanently hurting her foundation? is li luo worth such a sacrifice?" qin yi stared quizzically. after li lingjing had self-detonated her fourth heavenly pearl, she knew that she was in a dire situation. scarlet blood spewed from the corners of her mouth, dripping down along her sharp chin in rivulets. bang! this time, the ray of death completely tore the jade python to shreds. li lingjing knew that detonating another heavenly pearl would not be enough to block further attacks, so she reached for another jade bottle with her hand. bang! the death ray pierced through, disintegrating all that was left of the jade python. it then promptly transformed back into the aquamarine bamboo python staff, falling from the sky. the aftershock sent li lingjing tumbling backwards. all she could do was stare at the pitch-black light closing in on her. enduring the violent churning of blood essence and qi in her body, she prepared herself to crush the jade bottle and devour the number two other sealed within it. the dark ray grew in size in li lingjing''s vision as it rapidly approached. it was at this moment that she suddenly felt herself collide with something while she was moving backwards. a muscled arm wrapped around her waist, simultaneously dispersing the raging and berserk energy within her body. li lingjing raised her head in surprise, instantly recognizing that familiar, handsome face. li luo had arrived. but this version of li luo was imbued with the ferocious energy of the wolf. his silver hair had been dyed scarlet, and a regal but ruthless energy surrounded him like a raging hurricane. with one arm wrapped around li lingjing and the other holding a blade, he casually slashed downwards. whoosh! in that instant, a vermilion blade light appeared, towering a hundred feet into the air. it was accompanied by a wolf howl that was filled with an aura ferocious enough to shake the very sky. it was as if the heavens had been split asunder. the blade light filled the void and collided with the deathly ray. upon impact, the death ray dispersed into glittering lights that littered the sky. a savage wind swept across the battlefield as li luo stood floating in the sky, sword brandished. he glared at the true devil other with a gaze full of malice and venom as his voice rang out like thunder. "arrogant vermin, had your fun? "if so, it''s my turn!" Chapter 1036: Void Obliteration chapter 1036: void obliterationnove-lb)1n as li luo''s voice echoed like thunder, qin yi, who had been fending off li wuyuan, qin ying, and the others alone, looked over in surprise. she could sense the sudden and terrifying surge of energy coming from li luo, causing her beautiful face to flutter. "the power of a duke?!" she was at a loss for words. the energy waves coming from li luo had completely exceeded the greater heavenly resonance tier. this was clearly the power of duke! "li luo still had such an ace hidden up his sleeve? moreover, he even broke free of the spiritual resonance cave''s restrictions?" a perplexed look surfaced in her charming eyes. li luo was truly unfathomable. fortunately, this ace also meant that they might actually have a chance to break out of this dangerous predicament. at the same moment, the soul eater true devil''s face turned dark. it was extremely frustrated. "who could''ve guessed that this brat would have such a trick hidden? no wonder i was feeling so uneasy earlier." its strength had been greatly diminished now that the sea of blood had been completely frozen over. conversely, li luo now possessed the power of a duke, and it seemed like the balance of power between both sides had begun to shift in their favor. li luo suppressed the wildly raging energy inside of li lingjing before he let her go, glancing upon the self-immolated heavenly pearls momentarily "thank you, cousin lingjing," he said in a soft voice full of gratitude and warmth. if she had not fought so desperately to buy him those precious few seconds, the situation would have been exceptionally precarious. li lingjing''s face had turned pale white. she shook her head as she reached out her hand. as she closed her fist, the aquamarine bamboo python staff that she was disarmed of previously flew back up into her hands. her gaze was filled with heartbreak as she saw the numerous cracks on the staff. she carefully put it away along with the jade bottle in her hand before asking, "do you need help?" "cousin lingjing, you have had enough of the limelight. leave some for me, please. if you don''t, the empyrean chronicle will only illustrate the unparalleled li lingjing''s exploits. li luo would become a shameless side character," li luo replied. hearing this, even li lingjing could not help but feel like giving his head a good smack with her staff. she immediately responded in an annoyed tone, "who wants the limelight? if you want it, you can have it all." nonetheless, her state of mind had improved after hearing these carefree words from li luo. li luo grinned in response before he turned his attention back towards the soul eater true devil. the fierce look in his eyes could not be contained any longer. his only desire right now was to kill. at the same time, the wild energy from his crimson bracelet surged out violently, pushing his body to a point that it seemed to be exploding in pain. the angry howls of the three-tailed heavenly wolf resounded in his heart repeatedly. if li luo had been killed off by the soul eater true devil here, the three-tailed heavenly wolf would be greatly injured too. however, it was unable to lend li luo all of its power due to the restrictions of the spiritual resonance cave. therefore, it had no choice but wait impatiently in the bracelet until now. with the restrictions lifted, it had poured all its power into li luo without further ado. it was worried that li luo would end up dying if it took its own sweet time. "no hurry. it''s our time to shine next." li luo frowned as he tried to calm it down. he was helpless before its impatience. if he didn''t need its strength badly right now, he would have given it a good thrashing. did it not know the meaning of taking things step by step? as he thought about all this, his gaze fell upon the soul eater true devil and became colder. at this point, it was useless to probe the opponent''s strength any further. what he needed to do was finish it off with a lightning-fast strike. li luo formed hand seals so quickly that his hands left afterimages behind. without any hesitation, he had activated the myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation. weng! a clear ringing sound emanating from the swords echoed between the heavens and earth. sword energy surged forth from li luo''s body and materialized into an ancient and mysterious sword formation in the sky. all the worldly natural energy of the surroundings trembled violently as soon as it appeared. two dragon fang swords hovered quietly inside the sword formation. one blue and one emerald. as the sword energies intertwined, a terrifying force swept across the field. this was the first time that li luo had summoned the myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation. in the past, he had always relied on the dragon fang swords to finish off his opponents. however, he was not planning to hold back against the soul eater true devil. one dragon fang sword on its own might not suffice in gravely injuring an other in a single strike. after all, these creatures were tenacious and hardy. he had to unleash the true potential of this move by using it with the sword formation. li luo''s face was emotionless as torrents of energy flowed from his body to the formation. its glow gradually intensified until it was utterly blinding. the ringing of the swords resounded through the air. it was also at this moment that the face of the soul eater true devil changed. it could sense something horrifying brewing, something that could completely annihilate it. the unnerving sense of danger came from the sword formation. at this moment, the soul eater true devil did not dare to hold anything in reserve either. it retreated swiftly, leaving a trail of afterimages behind. at the same time, it opened its wide mouth, and pale hands stretched out from its depths, forming a strange hand seal. bang! bang! as soon as that was done, explosions could be heard coming from the frozen sea of blood below them. upon closer inspection, it was coming from the corpses that lay within the sea. as the corpses detonated, they turned into bloody lights that shot up into the sky. the soul eater true devil opened its mouth and sucked them all in. just like that, its strength started coming back. this was clearly a move to boost its power in a short span of time. however, li luo was not bothered by it at all. his myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation with the full power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf was definitely enough to kill even a duke. he formed a series of changing hand seals, and the water and wood dragon fang swords began to vibrate vigorously within the sword formation. in the next instant, both transformed into beams of light and shot outwards. the swords soared around the sword formation in an esoteric manner, as thought they two dragons gallantly reigning from the skies above. as the swords continued to intertwine, they seemed to be gradually fusing together. at some point, li luo could sense the energy in his body depleting at a terrifying rate. he secretly clicked his tongue. the energy consumption of the myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation was astonishing. if he did not have the assistance from the three-tailed heavenly wolf, he might not have been able to summon the full power of the sword formation despite having three resonant palaces. his eyes followed the swords closely as they fused. this was the true manifestation of this embryonic transcendent duke art, the myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation. "phew." li luo took a deep breath as his hand seal shifted. a low murmur could be heard at this moment. "myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation. "double resonance dragon fang, void obliteration sword light." the culmination of the process resulted in a black sword light that spanned thousands of feet. it moved silently across the void like a stream of water, slicing open deep cracks wherever it passed. as li luo stared at the black sword light, he could sense an indescribable, destructive power coming from it. just like its name suggested, it seemed to be capable of annihilating anything in the world and returning it to oblivion. "is this... the true myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation?" li luo stretched out his finger and pointed lightly. in that instance, the void obliteration sword light vanished from within the sword formation. at the same time, the soul eater true devil in the distance felt a tingling, sharp pain throughout its whole body. it could also feel an impending sense of doom arising in its heart. it gave out a loud cry and retreated hastily. at the same time, pitch-black blood flowed down from the eyes on its horns. however, it was useless no matter how fast it ran. the void in front of it split open, the black sword light silently appeared in front of it and slashed through its body. where the sword light slashed past, everything was obliterated. the soul eater true devil screamed, and the eyes on its horns exploded. "infinite eyes of death!" amidst its scream, two black rays full of condensed energy shot out from the now destroyed eyeballs. these two rays were much stronger than they were during the fight with li lingjing earlier. they clashed directly with the black sword light. in the next moment... the soul eater true devil froze as it witnessed the result. the powerful black rays that contained all of its power disappeared into nothingness when they came into contact with the sword light. a horrified look appeared on the soul eater true devil''s face. before it was able to utter so much as a squeak, the void obliteration sword light penetrated through the void and once again struck the soul eater true devil directly. the retreating other paused in its tracks. it lowered its head and saw that a thin, black line had been drawn across its chest. yet it did not stop there. the line spread at an alarming rate, enveloping its body. wherever it passed through, regardless of whether it was bones or flesh, it vanished. as an other, the vitality of the soul eater true devil was ridiculously strong. however, no amount of tenacious vitality could help it out of this. the devastating power rampaged throughout its body, annihilating everything. after just a few breaths of time, the soul eater true devil disintegrated. it was totally gone, and not even a single speck of bone dust was left behind! looking at this, even li lingjing and qin yi watched on in disbelief. how could that sword light possess such heaven-defying power? a single move had slain the true devil! Chapter 1037: Another Development chapter 1037: another development above the frozen sea of blood, the body of the soul eater true devil crumbled into mere smoke and ash, dissipating into the wind as the world fell silent. those who had previously succumbed to the manipulation of the true devil other started dropping from the sky like birds with broken wings. the crimson tinge in their eyes subsided. qin yi lifted her slender hand, summoning a gushing spring in the air to catch everyone safely. then she looked in the direction where the soul eater true devil had disappeared, muttering to herself in disbelief, "exterminated in a single strike?" qin yi was well aware of how difficult it was to kill an other, but li luo''s sword phantasm seemed to contain an extremely terrifying power that had extinguished the other''s existence directly. as she looked at the mysterious sword formation that was gradually dispersing above li luo''s head, the fluctuations emanating from it caused her to feel a piercing chill deep in her bones. despite simply glancing at it for a couple of seconds, her eyes were starting to hurt due to the dissipating aura.nove-lb-in "that sword formation has to be an extremely high grade duke art!" qin yi sighed as she recalled the battle at dragon lake just a few months ago. although li luo had the help of the green nether banner, his own resonant power level was lagging behind his peers. now, however, li luo was not any weaker than the rest of them. this unfathomable progression speed was mind-boggling. li luo had only been at the dragon''s fang lineage for one year. if he had arrived a year prior to that, even the geniuses of the previous two generations may not have been able to match him, let alone his peers. the events that transpired in the spiritual resonance cave would definitely raise great attention in the heavenly origin divine continent, and li luo''s reputation would consequently rise. while qin yi''s mind was still reeling from the sheer shock of the situation, li luo exhaled heavily. his eyes were still crimson and his heart was flooded with murderous intent, an aftereffect of housing the ferocious and untamed power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf. compared to utilizing harmony with the green nether banner, the power of the three-tailed wolf was much more domineering. although the eight thousand banner members had their power condensed into one, they were still composed of different entities. the wolf, however, was solely its own. thankfully, the three-tailed heavenly wolf had reached an agreement with li luo. if it willed itself to rebel against him, the residual effects would be much more serious. "it''s finally over," li luo muttered to himself, eyes clearly fatigued. "no, it''s not dead yet!" li lingjing suddenly shouted from behind him. the color on li luo''s face drained when he heard her warning. he had clearly felt that the presence of this soul eater true devil had been completely exorcized. how could it not be dead yet? li lingjing said nothing as her eyes scanned the surroundings. whilst the physical body of the other had indeed been destroyed, there were still trace remnants of its aura lingering in the vicinity. if it wasn''t for the fact that she was familiar with the others, she would not have been able to detect it. li lingjing moved forward. li luo hurriedly followed suit. although he had originally planned to disperse the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf, he could only grit his teeth and hold on for a while longer. the two of them covered some distance before li lingjing lowered herself and landed on the frozen sea of blood. her eyes then glanced intently into the depths of the ice before landing on a twisted, skeletal figure that was completely frozen. it didn''t seem like there was anything out of the ordinary. nonetheless, li luo didn''t hesitate to slash downwards with his sword. the crimson energy sliced through the ice, approaching the skeleton rapidly. however, just as his attack was about to hit, the skeleton suddenly trembled and a bloody light swiftly shot out of it, bursting through the air at an astonishing speed. li luo cautiously watched what seemed to be a palm-sized, blood-soaked ball of flesh within the bloody light. a strangely sinister visage emerged on the surface of the fleshy ball, emitting a shrill cry that caused one''s heart to palpitate. the ball of flesh tried to escape, but li luo was prepared. fiendish energy swept out of him, forming an solid cage and imprisoning the ball of flesh. the face on the ball of flesh started to breathe out dark plumes of black smoke from which countless miserable howls echoed. the smoke slowly eroded the energy of the prison as it attempted to escape. this was but a futile effort since the soul eater true devil''s physical body had been eliminated and its power was greatly diminished. if this remnant had not been discovered, it could have quietly slipped away to recuperate. unfortunately, it had been weeded out by li lingjing. "it seems this is the end of the line for you." li luo looked at the wildly thrashing soul eater true devil indifferently before directing a stream of energy towards the ball of flesh. exposed to the might of li luo''s power, the face on the ball of the flesh gradually vanished. a moment later, the ball ceased its struggle and floated silently in the air. li luo took one last look at it as he raised the gilded onyx-elephant blade, preparing to annihilate every last trace of the other. but li lingjing suddenly cut in. "li luo, perhaps i should handle this." li luo gave her a blank look, replying plainly, "cousin lingjing, this thing is too evil. it''s too dangerous to keep in your hands." a glimpse of hesitation surfaced in li lingjing''s eyes. seeing this, li luo directly slashed at the blood-red ball of flesh. he could surmise li lingjing''s intentions, but the soul eater true devil was too malicious, and he didn''t want his cousin to have anything to do with it. however, just when li luo''s blade was about to make contact with the fleshy ball, it suddenly cracked open and a withered palm suddenly emerged from the gap, lightly clashing with li luo''s savage strike. bang! the blade that contained the full force of the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s energy was shattered completely, and the golden onyx-elephant blade was sent flying backwards, emititng a shrill, ear-splitting wail. li luo was shaken to his core as he hastily retreated. all of the energy within his body swept outwards as if he was preparing for something. within the crimson bracelet, the three-tailed heavenly wolf fiercely stood up in agitation from its previously redolent state. all of its fur was standing on end as a low growl passed through its fangs and sharp snout. it had detected an indescribably dangerous aura. "something''s wrong, get back!" li lingjing grabbed li luo''s wrist as she hurriedly took a few steps back, unease painted on her face. li luo stared incredulously at the withered palm sticking out from the fleshy ball. "how did this thing resist the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf so easily? what in the world is it?" as li luo and li lingjing retreated, a low, raspy voice echoed from within the ball of flesh as if from the netherworld. "she''s right, just hand this thing over to her." following the sound of the voice, another withered palm emerged from the ball. the two hands pushed outwards slowly, and li luo was horrified to see a dark silhouette emerge. the figure was clad in gloomy robes engraved with a blood-red eye. the eye moved as if it was a living thing, constantly spinning around with lucent rays of evil light. just being within its view would cause negative thoughts and emotions to run rampant within one''s mind. the person was hunched over and he resembled a kind old man, but something about him caused li luo to feel a foreboding sense of dread. how could a being that had emerged from the soul eater true devil be benevolent or friendly? moreover, based on the previous attack, li luo understood that the old man in front of him was by no means an existence that they could hope to fight against! li luo was mortified. at the same time, he silently cursed at the elites from the major forces that were guarding the entrance of the spiritual resonance cave. what were they doing and how was everything just getting past them and entering this place? while li luo felt a hint of panic, the bizarre old man clad in robes raised his head. he didn''t actually care about li luo, instead focusing his gaze on li lingjing. his eyes were filled with sinister joy. "remember me no.3?" asked the creepy old man with an ominous grin. li lingjing stared at the old man in front of her. her mind churned as some long-forgotten memories were unearthed. it was from a long time ago, when she was training in the western region''s dark domain. back then, she was still an elite with unlimited potential and a bright future ahead. she had been embroiled in a battle to the death with an other, and just when she had managed to decapitate it, the same old man had reached out from within that other''s body, emerging right before her eyes in the same macabre way. she remembered the old man smiling at her with extreme benevolence. then her vision had faded into darkness, and when she came to her senses, everything had changed. the elite with a boundless future had turned into a catatonic existence waiting for death. li lingjing''s eyes turned bright red at that moment. the man before her was the cause of everything! seeing li lingjing''s scarlet eyes, the old man grinned and said in a gentle voice, "allow me to introduce myself. i hail from the origin reversion institute. you may call me... "the spirit eye other king." Chapter 1038: Spirit Eye Other King chapter 1038: spirit eye other king "spirit eye other king." when the old man said those words, li luo felt like his scalp was going to split apart and a tidal wave of fear surged out from the depths of his mind. the elder before him was actually a king stage expert! li luo couldn''t understand what was happening. wasn''t there a suppression effect in the spiritual resonance cave? it was difficult enough for a duke to enter, so how could a king come? as if sensing li luo''s thoughts, when the voice of the spirit eye other king rang out, the worldly natural energy suddenly stirred violently and a horrifying pressure started to rapidly condense. the target of this pressurized energy was the spirit eye other king! the worldly natural energy surged and moved, coalescing into mysterious energy talismans. these talismans were ancient and obscure, all of them focused on suppressing the spirit eye other king. but the spirit eye other king merely sneered in the face of the suppression from the spiritual resonance cave. the blood pupil on his dark robe started to emit bloody mist that floated up and formed a crimson cloud. the cloud expanded and floated to each talisman that had been formed, challenging the suppression effect head-on. wherever the two collided, the void shattered silently. li luo could feel a destructive aura from the faint aftershocks. the spirit eye other king proclaimed jauntily, "the spiritual resonance cave''s suppression is indeed extraordinary. i can hardly believe i was detected by it despite utilizing such a secretive method of intruding. fortunately for me, my physical body is not the one present; otherwise, coming here would''ve taken a lot of effort. "but right now, prolonging my stay is not an issue." then he cast his gaze towards li lingjing and laughed. "no. 3, i have been paying attention to you from the moment you regained your sense of self. you really surprised me! i originally thought you were just a run-of-the-mill experimental subject, but i never thought that you would bring me such a great surprise. you possess perfect potential. no. 1 and no. 2 are just boring cripples compared to you." a a look of greed emerged in his eyes. "so, i''ve come in person." the instant he said that, li luo grabbed li lingjing''s wrist and frantically ran away with all his might. however, li luo''s expression changed abruptly a moment later as he realized that instead of going backwards and escaping from this place with li lingjing, he was constantly moving towards the spirit eye other king. it felt as if he was leading li lingjing right into a trap. the rules of nature seemed to have been reversed by the spirit eye other king. the strength of a king stage expert was too unbelievable. the spirit eye other king looked at the two approaching figures with a smile and stretched out his shriveled palm to grab li lingjing. upon seeing this, li luo''s heart surged with boundless fury. this old fogey had already brought great harm to his dear cousin, yet he still wanted more, now intending to take her away! "scram!" an intense, crimson light surged from li luo''s eyes as he willed power out from within the crimson bracelet, pushing himself to the limit. this time, li luo had to utilize the help of the sealing ward within the crimson bracelet to extract the power of the three-tailed heavenly wolf. it could not be helped because when the spirit eye other king appeared, the three-tailed heavenly wolf started trembling with fear and refused to fight. after all, it was only equivalent to a duke, so it naturally had no will to fight a king stage powerhouse. the violent energy impacted li luo''s whole body. this time, every inch of his skin immediately split apart, sending signals of sharp stabs of pain into his brain. but li luo was unperturbed. he poured all of his strength into the golden onyx-elephant blade without hesitation and chopped down at the spirit eye other king. brilliant blade light imbued with a deep coldness emerged, and the ice under their feet was instantly pulverized. however, faced with li luo''s shocking slash, the spirit eye other king only smiled faintly and said, "hiding a great spirit beast inside the bracelet? this sealing technique is extremely intricate; it''s not something an ordinary person can craft. but these techniques are just child''s play. why would you attempt to hit me with them?" he smiled and stretched out his withered hand and gently flicked into the void. ping! all one could see was the space in in front of his finger erupt into a pitch-black abyss from which formless waves spread and collided with li luo''s descending blade of energy. in that instant, the majestic and savage energy wrapped around the sword energy was melted almost instantly, and the ferocious blade light was dissipated without even a splash. and it was at that moment that li luo heard a tiny crack. looking down, he was horrified to see that some cracks had appeared on the crimson bracelet. then an anguished howl came from within it. it was apparent that the power of the spirit eye other king had managed to reach inside the crimson bracelet, directly injuring the three-tailed heavenly wolf! due to the wolf being seriously wounded, its ferocious energy abruptly disappeared and even the bracelet became dull. the disparity in power between both parties was now more apparent than ever. not just li luo, even the three-tailed heavenly wolf was like a tiny ant in the eyes of the spirit eye other king. following the sudden curtailing of the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s power, a severe feeling of weakness washed across li luo''s body. "li luo, run quickly!" at this moment, li lingjing sensed li luo''s situation. with a flip of her slender hand, she tried to force him back as she knew that the spirit eye other king''s only aim was her, but li luo''s constant intervention would surely attract his ire and make him use lethal force. a king stage expert, even without his physical body present, was definitely not someone they could stand against. however, li lingjing was not able to push li luo back. instead, li luo stretched out his hand and grasped her hand tightly. li lingjing looked towards him and saw that the latter''s eyes were resolute. he shook his head and said in a low voice, "i won''t let him capture you!" her heart wavered. li luo was still gripping the golden onyx-elephant blade, a hint of madness flowing in his eyes. since the situation had come to this, he couldn''t care that his enemy was a king stage expert! hesitating no longer, li luo sank his mind into the depths of the golden onyx-elephant blade and activated the kingmark hidden within it. boundless and endless golden light surged out from within the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade, and the jagged and uneven traces of battle along its edges were suddenly smoothed out by a mysterious power. it sounded like the trumpeting of an ancient elephant had travelled across space and time to reach them. explosive power spread out in a torrent, causing the entire spiritual resonance cave to vibrate. vast and unfathomable energy surged within the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade in li luo''s hand. the torrent of energy ran rampant throughout the sky, constantly colliding with itself. it was as if countless divine runes were being born.n(.0ve1bin every single rune was emitting a resonant power that was manifested from the extreme condensation of worldly natural energy. li luo wore a hard-boiled expression on his face as he completely ignored his flesh and blood melting on his arms. even his bones were fracturing from the sheer amount of worldly natural energy that his body had no way to channel. but he was in no mood to pay his injuries any heed. limitless shining, golden blades burst forth from his hands, cleaving straight down towards the spirit eye other king in front of him. blade light slashed down, splitting the ancient plains into two. even the dome of the sky was cleaved apart. faced with li luo''s strike, the wrinkled countenance of the spirit eye other king finally betrayed a flash of astonishment. "could this be... a kingmark?" Chapter 1039: Golden Blade Meets Blood Eye chapter 1039: golden blade meets blood eye when the golden blade slashed down, a trail over ten thousand feet long cut through the frozen, bloody plains below. it was akin to a force of nature, with power capable of splitting the heavens and earth. faced with this attack, a look of surprise finally appeared on the spirit eye other king. as a king himself, he was well aware of the power contained within a kingmark. it wasn''t some casual thing that just any king stage expert could leave behind. not only did it require the king to put in an immense amount of effort and time, it also required an item that was seamlessly compatible as a catalyst. as such, not many kings would spend the time and effort to leave such a mark behind. thus, the entire situation left the spirit eye other king a little baffled. "did li jingzhe give this to you? but the energy seems a little different from his," the spirit eye other king muttered to himself before he gave a soft sigh. "i thought this would be a simple and easy trip, but it seems like i will have to get serious after all. what a farce... to be forced into such a state by a heavenly pearl brat." with that, his eyes and attention shifted from li lingjing over to li luo for the very first time. his aged face remained emotionless as he watched the golden blade light that had spilled across the world, severing everything in half. he then slowly closed his eyes. at the moment his eyes were shut tightly, li lingjing could see the surroundings turning blood-red. even the worldly natural energy in the area had been dyed red and could no longer be absorbed. it seemed that the worldly natural energy itself had been imbued with a certain kind of consciousness. it was the will of the spirit eye other king. in other words, everything in their surroundings was under the control of the spirit eye other king now. not even a duke could harness the worldly natural energy here. this was why kings were so fearsome. they could imprint their consciousness into the areas around them and be the absolute monarch of a domain. without worldly natural energy, even a duke would weaken over time as their own resonant power depleted. in this blood-red space, only the golden blade light retained its dazzling shine. it was the only thing that had not been eroded or rejected by the hostile worldly natural energy. li lingjing raised her head. an enormous, blood-red eye emerged in the sky above the spirit eye other king. the eye was terrifyingly large and was slowly rotating while exuding an endless sea of fear to those who looked at it. it was so immense that even someone like li lingjing couldn''t help but tremble at the sight. bloody tears slowly dripped down from the corners of the eyes, making her quickly avert her gaze. she knew that if she continued staring at it, she could very well be blinded and end up with her spirit shattered. the bloody eye coldly stared at the golden blade light that seemed to penetrate even the heavens. flames resembling fresh blood dripped from the bloody eye as its sheer presence swept across the world with the force of an unrestrained wildfire, colliding directly with the golden blade light. the world fell utterly silent at that moment. it was a clash of powers that people like li luo and li lingjing were too weak to observe directly. they could only use their other senses to feel the indescribable powers struggling against each other. deafening silence reigned as each and every moment dragged on. it felt like an eternity had passed. when li luo and li lingjing regained control of their senses, the fight had concluded. as li luo examined his surroundings in confusion, the frozen sea of blood had began to melt. the blood-red flames could be seen raging in every direction, burning soundlessly. fueled by worldly natural energy, the flames seemed to be able to burn forever. if nothing was done, the environment would turn into an eternally scorched world akin to a living hell. fortunately, the spiritual resonance cave had its own protective mechanisms. worldly natural energy was transformed into rain, automatically extinguishing the raging inferno. nonetheless, li luo was in no mood to worry about any of this right now, as he heard a faint and subtle crack. when he looked down at the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade, he could see that faint cracks were beginning to spread on the body of the blade. he even seemed to have heard the sorrowful cry of an elephant. kacha! the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade shattered into pieces starting at the tip, each fragment clanking loudly when they hit the ground. li luo felt his heart trembling. this treasured artifact had accompanied him through countless fights to date. alas, it had finally given way. although the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade was not a high-grade treasured artifact, it was much more beloved than the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow as it had followed li luo for much of his cultivation journey. unfortunately, it had finally crumbled when they faced off against a king together. he could tell that the kingmark left behind by pang qianyuan had dissipated with this clash. he gradually lifted his head and watched the spirit eye other king closely. the spirit eye other king looked indifferent, but only one of his eyes was open. where the other eye should have been was a deep gash, a parting gift left behind by the domineering kingmark. it was clear he had paid a heavy price. li luo heaved a heavy sigh as exhaustion surged throughout his body. he had tried his best. even though this was not the true body of his enemy, it was an utterly hopeless struggle in the face of his overwhelming power. taking out an eye was the best he could do against the spirit eye other king even though he had the kingmark as his ace. perhaps this should have been expected. after all, a kingmark was simply a remnant trace of a king''s power. the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade''s quality also capped the amount of energy that pang qianyuan could imbue into it. additionally, the spirit eye other king was clearly not any weaker than pang qianyuan.nove)lb)1n feelings of powerlessness and futility welled up within li luo as he was struck with the revelation of just how puny he was. over in the distance, qin yi was also staring blankly at them. she had hurried over as soon as she sensed the unusual surge in energy earlier and witnessed that heavenly strike. it was truly terrifying. perhaps even her own mother was not capable of such a thing. though the most frightening fact was how the mysterious old man had blocked it. "a king..." an almost desperate cry welled up from within qin yi. she could not understand why so many unusual developments had cropped up within the spiritual resonance cave. even such an expert had been drawn into the fray. qin yi smiled bitterly. there weren''t even thoughts of escape as she knew it would be completely pointless before a king. her only hope now was that other elites standing guard outside the spiritual resonance cave could sense this change and come to their aid. "what a fierce little brat..." the spirit eye other king said as he touched the scar left behind on his eye. the monstrous sword intent that lingered on the wound caused his face to sting. li luo and the others could not tell what was going on, but he knew that the sword''s intent was still struggling violently in his bloody eye. this clash would likely make it difficult for him to open his eye for quite a while. the spirit eye other king glanced at li luo. he seemed to be smiling, but it was the smile of an unfathomly terrifying, giant beast. "the bloodline of heavenly emperor li has gotten a wonderful seedling." he did not kill li luo off at this point. instead, he looked over to the pale li lingjing and said gently, "no 3." my name is not no. 3! i have a name! it is li lingjing!" li lingjing screamed back with hatred and anger. however, the spirit eye other king did not seem angered by her response. rather, he seemed pleased as he replied, "yes, indeed. only you were able to preserve your sense of self despite falling deep into an abyss of desperation. only you are worthy of attaining the perfection that i have looked forward to. compared to you, all of my previous works were trash! you will become the masterpiece that will be the culmination of my life''s work!" fanaticism was evident on his old face as he scrutinized li lingjing like a work of art without any flaws. "come with me, li lingjing. i will lead you on a path to perfection that no one else will ever be able to attain," the spirit eye other king continued in a warm voice. "no...!" li luo shouted immediately. however, he noticed a cold gaze coming from the spirit eye other king as soon as the words came out of his mouth. at that moment, he knew that the control he had over his body had been stripped away. it was as though the world had fallen silent, and he remained completely immobilized. qin yi, despite being quite a distance away, was similarly affected. in fact, her situation was worse, as her eyes started bleeding and she felt as though she had descended into the abyss. only the king and li lingjing could speak at this point. the spirit eye other king smiled and continued, "li lingjing, you must know your own heart better than anyone else. you should know which path suits you the most. after this incident, you will definitely bear the brunt of endless suspicion and disdain when you return to the dragon''s fang lineage. do you really think that such a place fits a perfect being such as you? you actually hate the dragon''s fang lineage. you hold no control over your own life when you are there. li lingjing, i know that you are ambitious. the dragon''s fang lineage will never take you in as their own." he spoke slowly in an effort to tempt her, the same way the devil would. "do you think i am a naive kid? when it comes to being disdained and evil, no one even comes close to a monster like you. how many lives have you ruined by creating others?" li lingjing replied coldly. the spirit eye other king did not take her words seriously. he simply said with a smile, "for the sake of the path i am pursuing, i will not hesitate even if all living things in the world are sacrificed. li lingjing, come with me. you will become the most perfect being in the world in the future, someone that transcends even me. i know that you hate me, but it''s precisely because of this that you should come with me. you will never find such an opportunity in the dragon''s fang lineage. most importantly..." the smile of the spirit eye other king became gentler as he said, "if you do not come with me, i''ll... erode your will. and afterwards, i''ll use your very hands to kill him." he stretched out his dry finger and pointed towards li luo. Chapter 1040: Li Lingjings Decision chapter 1040: li lingjing''s decision cold murderous intent surfaced within li lingjing''s eyes as soon as the spirit eye other king finished speaking. her slender fingers gripped the aquamarine bamboo python staff with so much force that it trembled in her grasp. her knuckles were completely white. the old man had made an incomparably vicious threat. nonetheless, the spirit eye other king remained nonchalant towards her icy stare. after all, her reaction was proof of how effective his words had been. as his black robes fluttered slowly in the air, the bloody eye on them continued to stare at li lingjing. it seemed to possess a life of its own, as human emotions were present within the gaze. "li lingjing, this is a great opportunity for you. be true to those ambitions in your heart. you desire strength much more than anyone else. if you''re truly not interested in it, why have you kept no.2 with you? wouldn''t it have been better to just annihilate it completely? when li jingzhe cleansed you of the other corruption in the dragon''s fang lineage, you only pretended to cooperate. i know that you secretly stashed a strand of corruption in the deepest depths of your heart." "nonsense!" li lingjing exclaimed. the spirit eye other king grinned slightly. "you know best whether i''m speaking nonsense or the truth. so, what''s your final decision? i do not have much time left. a massive commotion was caused earlier, and the various powers standing guard outside must have noticed my presence as well. if we drag it on any longer, we may even attract the kings from the heavenly emperor powers." as li lingjing stared at the smile that hung on the aged face of the spirit eye other king, she understood that this was his final ultimatum for her. she thought about it for a moment before turning her head slowly. she looked at li luo. he was frozen in place like a mosquito in amber, unable to move even a single muscle. his senses had been stripped away, leaving him unable to see, hear, or feel anything. "can you let him hear my final words?" li lingjing said with a hoarse voice. the spirit eye other king flicked his finger, and li luo regained his sense of hearing. however, he was still unable to speak. li luo instinctively felt a sense of unease. at this point, he heard a soft voice coming from li lingjing. "li luo, i don''t think i can return to the dragon''s fang lineage with you." li luo''s heart was pounding like a violent tide hitting the shore. frustration and anger welled up within him, but he was restrained to the point that it prevented him from even making a single sound. "there''s no need to feel so agitated over this. although this decision was forced upon me... to tell you the truth, my heart does not resist it. the dragon''s fang lineage is a wonderful place, but it''s simply not suitable for me. ever since you pulled me out of the darkness and into the bright outside world, i''ve constantly been thinking about what the future holds for me. if i went to the dragon''s fang lineage, i could try to forget all the depressing, dark years and attempt to fit back in, eventually joining the dragon''s fang guardians and continuing my cultivation there. however, i now realize that that was not the path for me. those years spent languishing within the depths of my own mind ended up molding me into someone who is ruthless and indifferent to the world. it wouldn''t be good for anyone if i joined the dragon''s fang guardians like this..." li lingjing said gently. "please let me go. apart from my aunt, just tell the rest that the one they knew as li lingjing died in the spiritual resonance cave. i don''t think that anyone would care either way. most importantly, thank you for the aquamarine bamboo python staff. i will take good care of it. li luo... you must take care." as li luo listened to her say those hard words in a gentle voice, his heart sank. he knew that li lingjing''s departure was set in stone. he would have liked to give her a proper farewell, but that was impossible. once again, he felt powerless and helpless. he was simply too weak. when li lingjing finished saying farewell, she smiled warmly and etched li luo''s handsome face into her mind. she had special feelings for him, but not ones of love for the opposite sex. with her current temperament, it was impossible for her to experience something of the sort. it was just like what she had said earlier. li luo was the last strand of light that had lifted her from the depths of her despair. he was like a beacon of hope and direction for her. with him as her guiding light, she was able to hold onto herself regardless of the corruption and despair that engulfed her. if she were to discover that li luo had died one day, she might truly lose herself completely, merging with the darkness within. at that time, li lingjing would truly cease to exist. "so you have to keep on living, li luo," li lingjing whispered to herself. with that, she did not hesitate any longer. she grabbed the ice-cold aquamarine bamboo python staff with her jade fingers and walked towards the spirit eye other king. the spirit eye other king smiled. "congratulations. you''ve chosen an unprecedented path. in the future, you might just thank yourself for the decision you''ve made today." "when that time comes, it might also be the day of your demise," li lingjing said calmly. she did not hide any of her murderous intent towards him. however, the spirit eye other king was not angry about her comment at all. his smile turned even warmer as he replied, "if such a day really comes, i might be absolutely delighted instead. it would mean that i have paved the way to greatness." he shook the sleeves of his robes, and the blood-red eye jumped out. bloody light shot out, creating a vortex with an unknown destination. "let''s go." li lingjing looked at the vortex silently for a moment. then she stepped forward without any further hesitation. but just as she was about to step inside, she paused. she seemed to contemplate the idea of turning back. however, the feeling of the ice-cold staff in her hand kept these emotions under control, and she did not turn back in the end. she took a step forward and immediately disappeared into the vortex. after li lingjing was gone, the smile on the aged face of the spirit eye other king gradually faded too. his gaze turned towards li luo. "i don''t think i ever promised to spare him if you made the right decision." the spirit eye other king rubbed the blade scar on his left eye, and a chill surfaced in his good eye. staring at li luo, blood-red flames began to flow out of his remaining eye. however, just as the spirit eye other king directed his murderous intent towards li luo, a faint light flew out of the pocket sphere on his wrist. the light hovered above li luo for a moment before it transformed into an ancient plaque. the plaque was labeled with the character "li." the "li" character was glowing at this moment. there seemed to be an unusual aura coming from it. when the spirit eye other king sensed the aura, his expression changed slightly and became more solemn. he stared at the plaque and commented slowly, "who would have expected a heavenly pearl brat to attract the attention of heavenly emperor li?" the blood-red flames in the spirit eye other king''s eye gradually faded. he knew that the plaque had acted up in reaction to the murderous intent from him. the aura the plaque was emitting came from a heavenly emperor. heavenly emperor li, li jun. the plaque had shown up as a warning to the spirit eye other king. if he continued his act, he would attract the attention of heavenly emperor li. although heavenly emperor li was busy fighting at the world border, it would be really troublesome for him if such a man decided to interfere with his plans. as such, the spirit eye other king decisively gave up on his plan to kill li luo. "sorry about that," the spirit eye other king said with a laugh. he bowed slightly towards the plaque and moved back one step at a time. the red vortex expanded, and he was swallowed into it. as soon the spirit eye other king disappeared from the scene, the surroundings returned to normal once again. the plaque above li luo transformed back into a light and flew back into the pocket sphere. when li luo recovered from his frozen state, he looked up into the vast sky. there was a faint fragrance lingering in the air.nove-lb.in the fragrance was still around, but the person it belonged to was gone. how long would it be before they could reunite? would she still be human or not? in fact... would she be friend or foe then? li luo''s expression was complicated. he didn''t know how to react to this situation. he should obviously be anxious and furious now that li lingjing had been taken away by the spirit eye other king. he should try his best to rescue her... but just like she had said earlier, this decision might not be all due to the spirit eye other king''s coercion. perhaps she really didn''t want to stay in the dragon''s fang lineage. ordinary life might not be suitable for her anymore. li luo was a little confused. in the end, he was too weak to do anything about it. if he was stronger, lu qing''er would not have needed to freeze herself in order to help him and li lingjing would not have been taken by the spirit eye other king. regardless of whether it was her own will or not, she would at least get to have a choice if li luo was stronger. she would not have been forced into a decision. "spirit eye other king..." murderous intent flashed across li luo''s eyes. although the gap in their strength was extremely huge now, this grudge would remain in his heart for a long time. although he had been stripped of his senses earlier, he knew for sure that the spirit eye other king had used him as a bargaining chip to threaten li lingjing. li luo lowered his head and picked up the broken pieces of the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade. the spirit eye other king was a very distant target. his primary goal now was to reach the duke stage as soon as possible. li luo was silent for a long while as he looked into the sky ahead. finally, he let out a sigh. "take care, cousin lingjing." Chapter 1041: The End chapter 1041: the end as li luo stood there feeling depressed and confused, he heard a whoosh behind him. qin yi had flown over and landed by his side. clearly, she had been released from that state of petrification as well. she looked at the same directoin as him with a look of confusion on her charming face. "li luo, where did that strange king go?" "he left," li luo replied as he restrained the wild array of emotions he was feeling. "he left?" qin yi was baffled by that response. that king had put in great effort to sneak into the spiritual resonance cave, yet he had left without doing anything? "what exactly happened? where is miss lingjing?" qin yi asked when she noticed that li lingjing was nowhere to be seen. however, li luo did not reply to this question. he simply turned around and began walking in the opposite direction. seeing his reaction, a shocking thought surfaced within qin yi''s mind. "could it be that li lingjing had been killed by the mysterious king? it would have been effortless for a king to finish off someone at the heavenly pearl tier. "perhaps li luo managed to stay alive because he has a special protective treasure from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li?" with the limited amount of information available, this was qin yi''s best guess. nonetheless, the departure of the king a piece of good news. it was clear from the way he had acted that he was not a friend to them. if he wanted them gone, they would all be dead by now. li luo was not concerned with qin yi''s internal thoughts. he continued to walk until he reached the area where lu qing''er was frozen within the ice. she was curled up in the shroud of ice, eyes tightly shut. there was a certain charm to this silent beauty as her snow-like skin looked even clearer with the icy backdrop. she was the living embodiment of a snow fairy. li luo tried to break the ice seal, but his effort was in vain. his resonant power froze as soon as it came into contact with the ice. in fact, he seemed to be exacerbating the situation, as the ice seal thickened in response. his face was gloomy. the frosty seal that surrounded lu qing''er would not be easy to resolve. at the very least, it was not something he was capable of doing with his level of strength. if he tried to do it forcibly, he could end up hurting her. li luo took a deep breath and whispered to the beauty that lay in the ice, "qing''er, don''t worry. if the golden dragon bank can''t help you, i''ll bring you back to the dragon''s fang lineage and ask grandpa for help. he''ll surely be able to undo this." lu qing''er had ended up in this state because she had gone through great lengths to save him. there was no way he would sit idly by. as li luo continued to check on her, noises could be heard coming from a distance. li wuyuan, qin ying, and those under the control of the soul eater true devil started to awaken at this point. the soul eater true devil did not have much time to be concerned about his puppets due to the great battle earlier. as such, they had not suffered any major injuries apart from losing control of their bodies. everyone stood up with blank expressions, all in a daze. it was only several breaths later that they seemed to recall what happened to them and resonant power surged within their bodies. however, their expressions soon turned into looks of surprise. the sea of blood that had filled the sky in their memories had vanished. the true devil other that had threatened their lives was gone without a trace as well. the sky was clear, and it was as if what they had experienced earlier was nothing more than a mirage. however, the faint traces of corruption that remained on their bodies clearly told them that the true devil other had really existed. "what''s that?!" suddenly, a shocked shout came from someone. they stared blankly at the deep canyon that had appeared on the ancient plains. there was no end to it, and it almost seemed like it divided the plain into two. there was nothing of this sort before! this meant that something catastrophic had occurred when they were unconscious. was this done by a human? if so, which expert was it? everyone looked at each other. there was surprise and confusion in their eyes. "li luo, what happened? where''s the true devil other?" li wuyuan asked as he looked over to li luo, who was not too far away from him. he had remained calm, unlike the others. li luo glanced over at him but could not be bothered to respond. he looked over at li fengyi and li jingtao as he asked, "elder brother, second sister, are you alright?"n-(ovelbin the two of them shook their heads in confusion. li fuling rubbed her forehead as she asked, "li luo, where''s lingjing?" she was the first to notice that li lingjing wasn''t around. li luo fell silent when he heard this question. "young mistress!" at this moment, elder sister jin screamed in panic and rushed over to the ice sculpture. her face was pale as she asked, "young mistress, what happened to you? li luo, what did she do?!" everyone looked over in surprise too. the atmosphere immediately turned chaotic as everyone could tell by now that something major had happened. li luo could not help but sigh tiredly as he watched the scene before him unfold. he was in no mood to explain anything to them. "guys, please stay calm." at this point, qin yi walked over slowly. her soft voice soothed everyone as she took a glance at the depressed li luo. she briefly explained to the rest what had happened earlier. everyone fell into a long moment of silence after listening to her. countless gazes of disbelief turned towards li luo. "li luo, you... you killed the true devil other?" jiang wanyu from the heavenly origin ancient college asked in complete disbelief. her arrogant attitude from before was completely gone. after all, what qin yi had told them was basically unbelievable. he was still a three-pearl. although he had shown that he was not at all weaker than someone at the lesser heavenly resonance tier when he fought tian miao earlier, it was still a far cry compared to that creature. after all, the true devil other was as strong as duke! li wuyuan and li hongli found it hard to believe as well. even though the words had come from qin yi, it seemed ludicrous. no matter how strong li luo was, how could he have killed the true devil? a complicated look then surfaced on qin yi''s charming face as she softly continued, "after killing the true devil other, a mysterious king appeared. my belief is that he is the one orchestrating everything from the background." hearing this, the crowd was at a loss for words. everyone had the same stupefied expressions. was qin yi trying to mess with them? a king?! the spiritual resonance cave was just a training ground for juniors. their strength was supposed to be restricted to the lesser heavenly resonance tier and below. just how far could their potential be stretched? yet her blunt words told them that a true king expert had popped up out of nowhere. an actual king! they were considered to be the mightiest beings, even amongst the heavenly emperor powers. a stamp of their foot could send the entire heavenly origin divine continent trembling. yet she was saying that one had snuck into this location? this was just like a bunch of young wolves being confronted with a giant dragon whilst they were learning to hunt. "although it sounds unbelievable, it''s the truth. just look at this deep chasm that was left behind in the wake of the battle. li luo struck the king with a treasure given to him by the dragon''s fang lineage. of course, it wasn''t his own strengthit was intended to protect his life in a time of danger." everyone''s heads were spinning upon hearing this. this deep chasm that split the humongous plain was caused by li luo? he had attempted to cut down a king? everyone here was a mere mortal, so what was it that gave him the guts to attempt that? the crowd no longer held any doubts regarding the explanation. although what qin yi had said was almost impossible, there was clearly no need for her to weave such an extravagant lie if she had wanted to deceive them. "w-what happened to the king in the end? don''t tell me li luo killed him." zong sha from the heavenly origin ancient college broke the stalemate. shock was scrawled all over his face. if qin yi nodded at this point, he felt like he might just collapse in disbelief on the spot. fortunately, qin yi responded with a bitter smile and shook her head. "that''s impossible, obviously. the king retaliated and we were all stripped of our senses. when i awoke, the king had already left. not only that, li lingjing had disappeared as well. i suspect that... she''s been murdered." speaking of this, qin yi appeared a little sad. it was far too easy for a king to deal with them. although li lingjing was a nine-pearl, she was no different from an ant in the eyes of a king. "what?!" everyone was astounded when they heard this. "cousin lingjing has been killed?!" li fengyi and li jingtao was at a loss for words. li fuling had the biggest reaction out of all of them. her face was pale and she shook her head repeatedly. "impossible. impossible!" nonetheless, the image of a despondent li luo was all they needed to confirm the questions in their hearts. the expressions of li wuyuan and li hongli changed completely as well. although they were not very close to li lingjing, she was still a part of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. they could not help but feel sorrowful that she had been killed. meanwhile, qin ying and the others felt a sense of relief when they heard this. li lingjing''s talent was truly extraordinary. she had reached the nine-pearl tier, meaning she would surely become an indomitable existence amongst her generation once she broke into the heavenly resonance tier. now that she was dead, there''d ne one less competitor for them in the future. as everyone was lost in their own thoughts after hearing the huge surprise from qin yi, countless flocks of birds suddenly flew towards them from the horizon. the bodies of the birds were filled with energy runes. when they appeared, a loud voice resounded. "the training exercise in the spiritual resonance cave has ended. all teams, please exit immediately! exit immediately!" as the birds scanned the surroundings, they emitted extremely strong energy fluctuations. it was as if they were searching for enemies. clearly, the experts standing guard outside had sensed the unusual developments in the spiritual resonance cave and had come to take a look using special means. however, their appearance was far too late. the birds scouted the surrounding area but were unable to spot any foes. they then swooped down in front of the crowd and transformed into countless energy vortexes. the crowd heaved sighs of relief at this sight. their stay in the spiritual resonance cave had finally come to an end. Chapter 1042: Distribution chapter 1042: distribution the crowd could finally relax when the energy vortexes formed in front of them. the dangers they had faced in the spiritual resonance cave had far exceeded their imaginations. it was truly lucky that they had gotten out of this alive. however, no one stepped into the energy vortexes to exit just yet. their eyes all turned towards li luo and qin yi. mu yao from the golden dragon bank was the first one to speak out. he gave a dry cough and asked in a seemingly casual tone, "hey, fairy qin. i''ve been wondering... just what sort of treasures did you obtain from the cottage? you mentioned that you''d share some with us earlier. does your promise still hold up?" as soon as his words came out, the many groups that had worked with the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing earlier turned and looked at qin yi. clearly, they wanted a share as well. qin yi''s eyes fluttered a little as she smiled gently in response. "since i said i would, i will naturally give you all a share." she waved the sleeves of her robes. she understood that all the teams that had joined hands with them had considerable backgrounds and strength. it would be unwise to offend them because of some petty gains. everyone was delighted when they heard qin yi''s reply. mu yao also cupped his hands together towards her. he said with a smile, "fairy qin, you are truly a trustworthy person." qin yi stretched out her jade-like hand, and three crystal-clear, gem-like objects appeared in her palm. mysterious runes were engraved on their surfaces and esoteric energy fluctuations flowed within them. everyone''s attention was immediately drawn over. they could sense the familiar energy fluctuations from the origin enlightenment fruit in the three objects. "these are the most valuable items that i managed to obtain. i assume they were refined from the origin enlightenment fruit, so they should have a similar effect. however, i only have three of these precious treasures. qin ying and i will keep one each, as for the last one..." qin yi put two of them away, and the last one hovered in the air. there was a look of unease on her beautiful face. "it should naturally be distributed based on everyone''s contributions. i believe i am most worthy of it," mu yao said as he took a step forward. he waved the sleeves of his robes, and a stream of resonant power pulled the item over towards him. he had forcibly taken it away. some within the crowd were unhappy when they saw this, especially the people from the devil fire hall. they had lost their leader and suffered significant losses. in the end, they had received no treasures at all, not even any dregs! it was no wonder they were furious. over at the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, they had also lost their leader, zhao yan. although zhao shenjiang was more talented, he still fell short in terms of experience. he did not possess the charisma to lead his entire bloodline to compete with mu yao, so all he could do was watch on with a frown. not only did mu yao possess a strong backing, his strength was well recognized. without tian miao and zhao yan to lead them, there was nothing they could do against his forceful methods. they could only glare angrily to show their dissatisfaction and displeasure. mu yao naturally sensed their irritation and anger, but he was unaffected. at this point, qin yi smiled gently as she continued, "there''s no need to rush, everyone. although i may have only found three of these enlightenment cores, i''ve managed to find other treasures as well. they may not match up, but it''s better than nothing." she lightly swiped her pocket sphere, and several balls of lights flew out. on closer look, one could see black crystals fluctuating with energy hovering in the air. "take these instead. they serves as some form of compensation for your support to the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing." qin yi flicked her fingers, and the mysterious, black crystals flew towards the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao and the devil fire hall. zhao shenjiang and the rest quickly grabbed the black crystals that were given to them. their faces lit up in delight as they sensed a hint of origin enlightenment fruit energy within them. although the crystals were less potent when compared to the enlightenment cores, there was a significantly larger number of them. as such, it was a pleasant surprise for them to receive this reward. "thank you for your generosity, fairy qin. if you need any help in the future, feel free to ask and we will be there!" the crowd exclaimed in gratitude. qin yi had clearly won over the hearts of many with this single move. more importantly, they did not dare to voice out any further complaints even though they were unsure if this was the entire haul from the cottage. she had treated them kindly and even shared some of her gains. besides, the treasures were obtained with her own capabilities and they had not contributed in any way. she had already demonstrated her benevolence. as the treasures were being distributed, another group of people watched on with eyes of envy. this included the people from the heavenly origin ancient college and the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu, who had chosen to remain neutral earlier. li luo had managed to calm himself down after a period of time. he had watched qin yi''s actions and understood her goals. this result left him feeling a little helpless. she was truly talented at being a troublemaker. if she had simply kept quiet, both of them could have kept all the goods to themselves. wasn''t she pulling him down as well by doing this? eventually, rumors might spread and the others would harangue li luo, that he was a selfish gremlin, hogging all the rewards to himself. how would he have the face to remain in the heavenly origin divine continent in the future? li luo shook his head as he thought about the possible consequences before coughing lightly, drawing everyone''s attention over. "hehe, dragon''s head li luo. could it be that you wish to share some of the soup with us?" li guan from the dragon''s scale lineage said with smiling eyes. the dragon''s scale lineage had been the closest ally to the dragon''s fang lineage throughout this expidition. they had worked together multiple times, so if li luo was planning to distribute some of the rewards, they were the most likely candidates to get something out of it.nove-lb.in the people from the other lineages looked over as well. however, those from the dragon''s bone lineage and the dragon''s horn lineage felt too embarrassed to ask for anything. after all, they had been allied with the dragon''s blood lineage all this while. honestly, they hadn''t gained much at all for helping the dragon''s blood lineage! no one spoke up, but doubts towards li wuyuan had surfaced deep in their hearts. he had been a little useless as a leader! as the people from those two lineages looked over, li wuyuan''s face stiffened and he felt his frustration welling up. they were unhappy with him over a little reward? what sort of muppets were they? out of two things that qin yi had distributed, only the three enlightenment cores had any real value. how many could li luo possibly share with them now? just as li wuyuan was pondering over this, li luo took out a bunch of items. there were so many that brilliant light spilled out of his hands. it was a handful of crystal-clear enlightenment cores that resembled perfect gems. they dazzled with an alluring luster in the sunlight, and a faint fragrance wafted out of them. everyone in the vicinity fell silent. li fuling, li guan, and the people from the other lineages seemed to have choked on something. they stared at the cores in li luo''s hands without batting an eyelid. they instantly recognized that they were similar to the cores that qin yi had taken out earlier. moreover, the enlightenment cores from li luo were filled with even more life and energy. they were clearly of a higher quality! most importantly... qin yi only had three to share and distribute. meanwhile, li luo had a handful of them! if they could not sense the special fragrance coming from the enlightenment cores, they would have surely questioned if the ones li luo was holding were truly real. this commotion immediately drew the attention of others too. the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu and the heavenly origin ancient college swallowed mouthfuls of saliva. they watched on with eyes full of jealousy. the smiles on the faces of those on qin yi''s side froze up. just a moment ago, they felt that qin yi had been really generous. however, once li luo revealed his hand, it demonstrated the huge disparity in rewards between them. even mu yao''s face turned green when he saw this. it was clear that the enlightenment core he had been given was of inferior quality compared to the ones in li luo''s hand. some of them could not help but glare at qin yi suspiciously. they were clearly wondering if she had kept most of the treasures to herself while passing on the dregs! facing their accusatory stares, qin yi''s usually elegant and charming face turned a little solemn. her plump chest rose and fell repeatedly, a clear sign of the anger and resentment brewing within her. although she had kept some treasures to herself, the three cores that she had taken out were truly the biggest rewards she had gotten. it was already a great sign of her sincerity to share and distribute the best items with them. she had wanted to take more enlightenment cores with her. however, the white ape had warned her that three was the limit. she could only give up no matter how unwilling she was... yet li luo had been allowed to take a handful of higher quality ones. even with qin yi''s temperament, she couldn''t help but feel wronged. "why was this guy allowed to take so many? that ape was simply biased!" Chapter 1043: Generous Li Luo chapter 1043: generous li luon).ovelb1n while qin yi seethed with resentment, li luo waved his hand, and the enlightenment cores flew out. li fengyi, li fuling, and the others from the dragon''s fang lineage each received one. li luo had collected quite a few bottles of these cores back in the main house, each one containing quite a number of them. as such, he did not affix too much value on them, considering he had dozens of them. in fact, most of the treasures in the thatched cottage paled in comparison to the real treasure, the divine cultivation serum. everyone from the dragon''s fang lineage received their gifts happily. even li fuling forced herself to cheer up a little, and blood returned to her pale face. following this, li luo turned towards li guan and the others from the dragon''s scale lineage. they had been hungrily staring at enlightenment cores entire time like a ravenous beasts eyeing a piece of meat. "it''s been a pleasure working with the dragon''s scale lineage. i hope there will be more opportunities to collaborate with you in the future." li luo took out three enlightenment cores and flicked them towards them. "unfortunately, i do not have many enlightenment cores, so i am unable to give one to each of you. if you all don''t mind, i hope this will be enough." after saying this, li luo opened his palm, revealing dozens of black crystals. these were the same crystals that qin yi had taken out earlier, each with some traces of the energy from the origin enlightenment fruit. in fact, these objects were remnants from the refinement of the divine cultivation serum. the white ape had discarded them like trash, but li luo had gathered them all up. clearly, li luo did not place much emphasis on them, but they were extremely attractive to the others since they contained traces of energy from the origin enlightenment fruit. using them as gifts for the masses was the perfect choice to win their hearts over. li guan got hold of the enlightenment cores first before he hurriedly received the black crystals. behind him, lu qingmei and the other members from the dragon''s scale lineage were delighted. li luo had given out quite a handful, so they would all be able to receive a share. all of a sudden, everyone from the dragon''s scale lineage was looking at li luo with eyes full of gratitude. "haha, dragon''s head li luo, you are truly generous. i am sure someone as capable as you will enter the dragon''s fang guardians soon, so we''ll surely have more opportunities to work together. i''ll surely share good words about your generosity when we return to the dragon''s scale guardians. i am sure our commanders will be very excited to hear about it." li luo was already a three-pearl, and his growth would be limited if he continued staying in the twenty banners. he would have to join the dragon''s fang guardians, which acted on a greater scale, if he wanted to obtain more cultivation resources and opportunities. besides, li guan had grown a lot more optimistic about li luo''s future after this expedition. the fellow was a monster through and through. there would surely be a massive upheaval when he entered the dragon''s fang guardians in the future. he might even stand out when he joined the heavenly dragon''s five guardian armies, where all the elites from the different generations of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li had gathered. li luo grinned when he heard his compliments. he glanced over at the dragon''s horn lineage and the dragon''s bone lineage and casually threw two enlightenment cores and some black crystals in their direction. "since we''ve fought side by side, take these and distribute them amongst yourselves. however, i don''t know if brother li wuyuan will stand for this." the leaders from the dragon''s horn lineage and the dragon''s bone lineage glanced at each other briefly before turning towards the fuming li wuyuan. in the end, they ignored him and kept the gifts from li luo. after all, they had only taken the dragon''s blood lineage as their leader because they would be rewarded for doing so. however, li wuyuan had barely accomplished anything, and his own gains were barely enough to share, so he couldn''t really blame them for defecting to li luo. "thank you, dragon''s head li luo." the leaders from the dragon''s horn lineage and the dragon''s bone lineage expressed their gratitude as well. li luo waved his hands and brushed off their thanks. he knew that these small perks would not be enough to sway the relationship between the dragon''s horn lineage, the dragon''s bone lineage, and the dragon''s blood lineage. not that any of that mattered. numerous small actions would eventually accumulate over time and result in the tide changing. after this, li luo turned towards the emotionless li wuyuan. he said with a sigh, "brother wuyuan, i''ve always known that you are an upright and unyielding individual. i''m sure such trifling offerings don''t mean much to you. i''ll understand if you don''t wish to accept these meager offerings, so i''ll give them to our brothers from the dragon''s bone lineage and the dragon''s horn lineage if you aren''t interested." he opened his hand once again, and everyone could see two more enlightenment cores and a few black crystals. the corner of li wuyuan''s eyes twitched a little when he heard his almost sanctimonious words. deep down, he truly wished to ask li luo to scram with those items. after all, he wouldn''t stoop down and beg for such treasures with his status. however, he noticed from the corner of his eye that the others from the dragon''s blood lineage were staring at the objects in li luo''s hand with feverish desire. if he chose to reject this offering, it would undoubtedly cause dissatisfaction amongst his lineage members. this would ultimately be detrimental to his reputation amongst them as well. more particularly, the dragon''s bone lineage and the dragon''s horn lineage were watching his actions with great anticipation on the tips of their toes, eagerly awaiting his rejection. being stuck between a rock and a hard place made him feel even more furious. "these damned juniors are simply too disloyal!" in the end, li wuyuan stretched out his hand and groaned forcefully, "i have to thank you, dragon''s head li luo, for your generosity." hearing this, li luo tossed the treasures over to him as well. with that final distribution, his hands were finally cleaned out of enlightenment cores. qin yi heaved a sigh of relief when she saw this. however, before she could even finish sighing, li luo took out yet another handful of dazzling enlightenment cores. "senior zong sha and senior jiang, come over here. it seemed we share a connection with each other since we had the opportunity to cross paths here. in the future, i may need your help to navigate the heavenly origin ancient college as well. please take care of me then." li luo walked towards the group from the heavenly origin ancient college as everyone watched with eyes wide open. he handed two enlightenment cores over to the stunned zong sha and jiang wanyu. zong sha swallowed his saliva and asked with a little embarrassment, "we''re part of this as well?" jiang wanyu pursed her red lips lightly as she stared at the enlightenment cores. her unyielding personality made her want her to turn these gifts down as she had not done anything to deserve them. the mind was strong, but the flesh was weak. she immediately said without any hesitation, "junior li luo, you are simply too kind. when you do visit the heavenly origin ancient college in the future, feel free to let us know if you need any assistance." hearing this, zong sha followed her cue and accepted the gifts with a warm smile. "brother li luo, do you plan to come to the heavenly origin ancient college in future? we''ll surely give you a warm welcome then." li luo took the opportunity to exchange a few words with the two of them to express his intentions as well. the plan was that after taking a good rest at the dragon''s fang lineage, he would most likely head straight over to the heavenly origin ancient college. after all, he had to pass jiang qing''e the nine marks sacred heart lotus as soon as possible. hence, it was to his benefit to keep good relations with them. zong sha and the rest would surely report what had happened to them upon their return. this would be a good chance for the higher-ups to also learn of him. after settling things over here, li luo walked over to the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu and took out two enlightenment cores for zhu zhu and zhu dayu. zhu zhu was a little taken aback by this. after all, the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu had not lent a helping hand to him when he was fighting the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao earlier. "brother li luo, we did not provide any assistance and do not deserve this. just give us some of the black crystals to satisfy our greed and that will do," zhu dayu said, feeling embarassed. "well, you didn''t side with the others either, right? that can be considered a kind gesture. besides, if you accept my gifts now, i''m sure you won''t idly stand by when i need help in the future. right?" li luo said jokingly. zhu dayu nodded firmly. "of course. i''ll definitely side with you next time, brother li luo!" after which, he whispered to li luo, "those birds that appeared earlier were produced by an art from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu, and they passed on some information. the people outside are very concerned about the unexpected developments in the spiritual resonance cave. i''m unsure of how the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao obtained this information, but they accused you and li lingjing of assisting the others in sneaking into the cave. you should return to the bloodline of heavenly emperor li as soon as possible, before the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao takes action." li luo''s eyes lit up when he heard those helpful words. the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao had suffered a massive setback with the death of zhao yan, who had been killed by li lingjing and him. they would undoubtedly be agitated and wish to reclaim some face back for their bloodline. "thank you," li luo whispered back. as li luo captivated the hearts of those he had gifted enlightenment cores to, qin yi''s side was getting a little antsy after seeing li luo pull out two large handfuls of treasures. as such, they quickly turned around and walked into the energy vortexes before them, quickly disappearing from the scene. out of sight, out of mind. when she left, the people from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, mu yao and the golden dragon bank, and those from the devil fire hall followed and left too. zhao shenjiang shot li luo a cold glare and his mouth moved, transmitting a message into the latter''s ears. "li luo, don''t be too happy right now. this is not over yet!" li luo''s expression did not change despite the threat. he then made his way to elder sister jin. finally, he passed two more enlightenment cores to her before asking, "elder sister jin, do you know how to undo the qing''er''s seal?" elder sister jin had already calmed down after her initial shock. "i believe the young mistress has activated the remnant sacred seed energy within her body. as this energy is quite mystical, i am afraid i''ll have to bring her back to the mountain as soon as possible to resolve it." li luo nodded. "if you do need any help, feel free to look for me." he paused to think for a moment before taking out a jade bottle. it contained the limit breaking heavenly dew he had obtained from the thatched cottage. this was the most precious treasure he had collected apart from the divine cultivation serum. li luo then split the dew into two equal portions. he was not planning to keep the other part for himselfit would be given to li jingtao as he was currently just one step away from the quasi ninth-grade. with the assistance of the limit breaking heavenly dew, the chances of him succeeding in a breakthrough would rise greatly. "elder sister jin, please take this with you. when qing''er wakes up later, please pass it to her." as soon as she looked at the jade bottle li luo had handed her, she could sense how valuable it truly was. she nodded subtly. after all that the young mistress had gone through for him, li luo had at least demonstrated that he possessed some conscience. after taking care of all these matters, li luo looked at the cave''s surroundings once more. it seemed like there were still countless mysteries hidden within the depths of the spiritual resonance cave. however, he was simply not qualified to explore it right now. there would be opportunities to return in the future. with that, he waved and said goodbye to the rest before walking into an energy vortex decisively. then countless figures were swallowed by other vortexes. a few moments later, the cave was utterly silent. when it inevitably reopened in future, there might very well be a change in the environment yet again. Chapter 1044: Eighth-grade Duke, Zhao Jinwu chapter 1044: eighth-grade duke, zhao jinwu heavenly star plains. towering pagodas dotted the plains. however, a gloomy and solemn atmosphere blanketed the numerous powers outside, a far cry from before the juniors had entered the spiritual resonance cave. the pagodas had been built by the powers that controlled the continent, and at this moment, countless beams of light shot up into the air from within them. the beams interweaved to form a net that covered the sky. at the same time, experts from the various powers had closed off all routes in the air as they watched the area with dark expressions on their faces. the news that others had invaded the spiritual resonance cave had spread. everyone felt shocked and angry at this development. after all, the others had essentially snuck in right under their noses without being detected. the implications were terrifying. if the others could sneak past an actively monitored encirclement and enter the spiritual resonance cave, they could very well do the same to the cities under their jurisdiction. furthermore, they had sent their young talents into the spiritual resonance cave. however, the other that had managed to infiltrate the cave was a true devil other as strong as a duke! more surprisingly, it had managed to bypass the restrictions set by the cave. this was something that none of them had ever seen before! moreover, they had sensed yet another frightening presence within the spiritual resonance cave earlier. whoever it was, they were powerful enough to send chills up their spines. the strongest amongst the group of guardians hailed from the various heavenly emperor powers, including the hall master of the gold blood hall from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li and zhao jinwu from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. they were eighth-grade dukes, but even they felt a sense of fear and unease towards the presence earlier. this could only mean one thinga king had appeared! but why would a king do so? they understood immediately that something had gone wrong in the spiritual resonance cave. things had to end as soon as possible. additionally, news of this had been reported back to their headquarters without delay. in the sky above, all the experts from the various forces each occupied a direction. a middle-aged man with a robust and well-built body was the first to break the silence. his voice was loud like thunder, each word causing the worldly natural energy of the surroundings to shudder. "i''ve informed the kids in the spiritual resonance cave to exit as soon as possible. however, my mythical bird art did not detect any traces of the true devil other after scouting. there''s no trace of the king either. if i''m not wrong, they have probably chosen to retreat. i am unable to understand their goals." this man was named zhu gang, the leader of the group from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhu. he was also an eighth-grade duke that was well known in the heavenly origin divine continent. when the others heard his words, they finally relaxed a little. the king was gone and the pressure had undoubtedly lifted. however, the key concern that lingered in the minds was: what exactly had attracted the king over? a voice suddenly broke out accompanied by snide laughter, attracting the attention of the other experts. "i heard from some of the guys that exited the spiritual resonance cave early that they heard the true devil other was after li luo and li lingjing from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. could all of this have been caused by them?" heads turned and all eyesfocused upon another male who stood tall in the air, hands held behind his back. he had a large and heroic physique with a head of dazzling, golden hair. he was emitting a faint but radiant glow, making it hard for anyone to stare at him directly. it was zhao jinwu, the representative leader for the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao. he too was an eighth-grade duke. as soon as zhao jinwu finished speaking, the fiery li jinpan from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li yelled back angrily, "zhao jinwu, stop spouting nonsense. how can two heavenly pearl juniors attract the attention of a true devil other? "i bet you''re just afraid that your juniors from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao will be crippled by our juniors!" zhao jinwu laughed mockingly. "dream on. since when have the juniors from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li ever gotten the upper hand? who''s the one who suffered a humiliating defeat during the last spiritual resonance cave opening?" li jinpan was furious when he heard those words. the void behind him turned turbulent, then seven duke bergfrieds that were as tall as mountains faintly appeared behind him. each of them emitted enormous energy fluctuations that seemed to be able to suppress even the sky. "you''re still stuck at the seventh-grade after so many years. i guess you''ve wrung out all of your pathetic potential after all." zhao jinwu laughed out loud as he observed the duke bergfrieds. he then took a step forward, and the void behind him cracked open in response. dazzling, golden light burst through, and eight golden duke bergfrieds that possessed an overbearing presence materialized, enveloping the whole heavenly star plains. the pressure from li jinpan''s side was instantly suppressed and overwhelmed. "hmph, so what if i''m just a seventh-grade duke? back when my third brother was still around, you didn''t even dare to squeak, zhao jinwu!" li jinpan did not give in with his words despite having his momentum stalled. zhao jinwu''s face darkened immediately when he heard those piercing words. he felt both annoyed and ashamed as he knew very well how insignificant he was back when li taixuan roamed freely. "the past is the past. li taixuan has been away from the heavenly origin divine continent for many years and might not have made any progress. otherwise, why wouldn''t he have returned to the heavenly origin divine continent?!" as zhao jinwu retorted, the eight duke bergfrieds behind him erupted and shook the sky, representing his anger reaching its peak. the sounds of rumbling and the pressure emanating from it caused the void to shudder and crack continuously, as though it was unable to withstand it. however, another burst of light spilled forth at this moment, streaking across the sky like a rainbow. it immediately nullified the pressure rolling off the eight duke bergfrieds that floated behind zhao jinwu. "zhao jinwu, a discussion is conducted with words, not your hands and legs. are you a barbarian?" a faint laugh echoed through the air. zhao jinwu looked over and retorted indifferently, "li jiluo, since you''re the mountain ruling chief that the dragon''s blood lineage has been grooming, aren''t you able to do something as simple as keeping that bad-tempered beast of the dragon''s fang lineage under control?" indeed, it was as he had said. li jiluo, the hall master of the gold blood hall, had taken the stage as well. as the leader representing the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, he would not sit by idly and watch zhao jinwu chastise his bloodline. li jiluo laughed it off when he heard zhao jinwu''s stinging words. "the dragon''s blood lineage may be the mountain ruling lineage, but we do not control the dragon''s fang lineage. zhao jinwu, stop trying to incite trouble." zhao jinwu snorted coldly. he waved the sleeves of his robes and the void behind him gradually calmed down. the eight duke bergfrieds also vanished. at this moment, a somewhat frigid voice rang out. "what zhao jinwu said earlier is quite right. if the appearance of the true devil and king were truly due to li luo and li lingjing and the juniors from the various powers were harmed because of it, they''ll have to be held responsible." the gazes of the crowd turned and they focused upon a beautiful woman with an ambivalent expression, similarly standing with her hands held behind her back. the experts from the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing also stood attentively beside her. she was also no stranger to those present. qin lian, the hall master of the fire lotus hall from the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. when li jinpan heard her words, he couldn''t hold himself back and was about to retort yet again. however, li qingpeng stopped him. putting on a warm smile, he said, "hall master qin lian, please do not believe in mere rumors. don''t you think it''s quite ludicrous that a king could be provoked so easily? right now, everything that has been said are just unfounded accusations. we''ll know once the juniors are out. we''ll surely have our answers after asking them." qin lian, on the other hand, remained expressionless as she simply stared at the huge gate with eyes full of undisguised hatred. the others did not talk anymore either. everyone simply waited patiently. a while later, lights shot out from the huge gate. many other beams of light followed, and soon after, the juniors finally managed to return. all the various powers scanned the crowd and searched for those that belonged to them. li luo was mingling within the crowd. he recalled the warning from zhu dayu earlier and thus, he rapidly looked towards the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. his goal was to dash over immediately. however, he noticed an icy stare watching him as soon as he was about to move. a strange force trapped him in place, leaving him unable to take even a single step. li luo''s expression changed a little, then he looked around. a familiar and icy face was staring at him. qin lian! li luo cursed in his heart. what was this shrew doing, staring at him? at the same time, zhao jinwu had spotted zhao shenjiang and the rest. however, his face changed as he could not find zhao yan anywhere. he was the mightiest genius that the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao had sent into the spiritual resonance cave! zhao jinwu instantly felt that something was amiss. "shenjiang, where''s zhao yan?" zhao jinwu asked.nove-lb.1n before zhao shenjiang could answer, zhao jingyu shouted out, "uncle jin, zhao yan was killed by li lingjing and li luo!" zhao jinwu was shocked. his expression changed into a gloomy glare boring down upon li luo, and he shouted in a thunderous voice, "how dare you do such a thing, you brat!" as his voice rumbled, the void behind him split open with energy pouring forth. a golden claw with three talons descended from the sky, directly targeting li luo! Chapter 1045: Interrogation chapter 1045: interrogation zhao jinwu''s sudden attack caused li luo''s expression to change. he had never expected that a duke from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao would attack him without a second thought for his own reputation. he must have been affected by the death of zhao yan. however, li luo did not show any signs of fear or anxiety. he looked calmly at the falling golden claw. its overwehlmingly tremendous energy undulations had sealed his surroundings the moment it was launched. there was nowhere for him to escape to in this situation. hence, it was pointless for him to even attempt to dodge it. besides, even though zhao jinwu was a duke from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, li luo was not some rogue cultivator with no backing, so killing him in front of everyone was a pipe dream. as li luo expected, a ferocious and thunderous voice roared out just as the golden claw enveloped the whole sky. "zhao jinwu, you''re an eighth-grade duke! aren''t you ashamed to attack a junior like this?" the angry cry had come from li jinpan. along with his words, he punched out, creating a fist manifestation that emanated overwhelming waves of energy. it exuded a monstrously sharp energy, tearing the sky apart with its presence. boom!nove)lb(1n the fist manifestation clashed against the golden claw. unsurprisingly, the eighth-grade duke zhao jinwu clearly held the upper hand. after a loud explosion, the golden claw ripped through the energy fist cleanly. however, it was eventually blocked. a figure appeared in front of li luo in a flash. it was li qingpeng. with a wave of his sleeves, azure light swept across the sky, causing a storm to kick up. the raging winds struck the now dim, golden claw, causing it to tremble before finally breaking apart completely into motes of golden light. li qingpeng kept li luo sheltered behind him, and a chilly expression appeared on his usually friendly face. he said coldly, "zhao jinwu, do you really think there''s no one in the dragon''s fang lineage who can deal with you?" at this moment, the other experts from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li watched on with furious glares. strong energy undulations erupted from their bodies, causing the worldly natural energy in the heavenly star plains to shudder violently. li jiluo shouted, "zhao jinwu, is the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao just a bunch of sore losers? it''s alright to kill our geniuses, but you can''t afford to lose if we return the favor? when did the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao become the sole overlord of the heavenly origin divine continent?" tensions rose amongst the two sides. weapons were drawn and the two forces eyed each other cautiously. a deep grudge existed between them, so they knew that words were meaningless. zhao jinwu''s face turned extremely gloomy as he glanced at li luo. his expression gradually calmed down as he said indifferently, "i did not strike him because of zhao yan''s death. i was trying to question li luo on his involvement with the true devil other that appeared in the spiritual resonance cave!" li jinpan immediately yelled, "zhao jinwu, stop maligning others! if throwing accusations is that simple, i could say that the true devil other was brought in by your people! should i capture your juniors and question them in that case?" "nonsense!" zhao jinwu retorted coldly. "bastard zhao, i bet you were beaten so hard by our third brother back that now you''re dealing with some post-traumatic stress. the moment his son appeared in front of you, you lost your mind and tried to bully him! oh right, it wasn''t just my third brothermy sister-in-law has thrashed you countless times as well." li jinpan sneered back angrily. the veins on zhao jinwu''s head were visibly throbbing as all the embarrassing matters from the past were revealed in front of the juniors. he glared back at him with eyes full of murderous intent. "li jinpan, you can stop trying to change the topic. at the end of the day, the juniors here did come across the true devil other, and it''s best that we check to see if any others have infiltrated their ranks," qin lian from the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing said coolly. everyone nodded in agreement after hearing her words. others were exceptional at hiding, and since the juniors had come into contact with a true devil other, it was wise to check them thoroughly. qin lian flicked her finger, and a wisp of flame rose into the air. it slowly transformed into a flame mirror with nine lotus flowers carved into it. "my nine lotus flaming mirror of truth possesses the ability to restrain others. it''s the best tool to use for detecting them. what do you guys think?" the other experts had no objections. the nine lotus flaming mirror of truth was a well known treasure amongst them. seeing no one speak up, qin lian went on to activate the nine lotus flaming mirror of truth. flames lit up around the mirror, shining brightly onto the youths that had just returned from the spiritual resonance cave. they could all feel an extreme burning sensation as the mirror''s light shone onto them. under the domineering light, their bodies scorched with burning pain. fortunately, the light moved away from them after a moment and swiftly swept through the crowd. li luo could also feel his body burning from the light. his skin was stinging from the heat, but he endured it and kept quiet. however, he soon sensed that something was amiss. the light was shining on him much longer than it had on others. additionally, it was extremely tyrannical, making him feel like he had been set ablaze. thankfully, a wide palm tapped on his shoulder at this point, and a stream of azure light swept across him, causing the light that was focused upon him to dissipate immediately. li qingpeng had taken action. he frowned and stared at qin lian. "hall master qin lian, why did you spend so much time on li luo?" qin lian''s expression did not change as she replied, "since he''s under suspicion, i''ll naturally have to check more thoroughly. hall master li qingpeng, please do not get overly anxious." "so, what did you discover?" li qingpeng asked. qin lian shook her head, clearly disappointed at her results. she withdrew the mirror with a wave of her hand as she explained to the crowd, "there''s no traces of others amongst them." everyone finally heaved sighs of relief after hearing her words. then qin lian said, "qin yi, can you share with us in detail what had happened in the spiritual resonance cave?" qin yi nodded gently and recounted the numerous incidents that had occurred in a calm tone. this included the first time they encountered the other back in the gilded hall. many of the experts were surprised when they heard that li luo had slain the true devil other. some of the sharper ones glanced over at the crimson bracelet on li luo''s wrist. they could faintly sense a wild and savage energy radiating from it. from the looks of it, there was duke-level spirit beast sealed within. but... wouldn''t a heavenly pearl cultivator be concerned about being consumed by the beast? regardless, it was still a stunning result that li luo could finish off the true devil. "haha, nice one, kid. you''ve really done well, just like your father back then!" li jinpan praised him happily as he slapped li luo on the shoulder. li luo smiled bitterly. "i simply borrowed a blade to deal with it, it''s nothing much to brag about." li jinpan clicked his tongue. "do you think anyone can tap upon such a form of external power and wield it casually? if you gave that bracelet to any other heavenly pearl cultivator, we''d have someone crippled permanently with each usage!" on his side, li qingpeng also laughed loudly. "little luo, you''ve really made a name for yourself this time. a heavenly pearl that slayed a true devil. even though the result was not solely due to your strength, it''s enough to leave a mark on the empyrean chronicle." as they were praising li luo, qin yi then proceeded to recount the incident where the mysterious king appeared. everyone''s face turned serious upon understanding the gravity of the situation. "do you know why the king decided to make an appearance?" qin yi shook her head. she continued calmly, "the last scene i saw was li luo raising his blade against the king. when i regained consciousness again, the king had already left." many of the experts could not help but feel a little unsettled. li luo had raised his blade against a king? wasn''t this brat afraid of dying? it was akin to an ant charging at a dragon, no? even they would be left motionless and in awe before the presence of a regal king. where had this li luo brat found the courage to strike at him? qin lian also frowned as she looked at qin yi. this girl was usually quite smart and knew what to say. why had she chosen to highlight li luo''s spectacular moment of bravery? was she looking to cause trouble for him or trying to make him famous? everyone fell silent momentarily. after a while, zhao jinwu''s cold voice broke the silence. "everyone, don''t you think there''s something wrong here? li luo and li lingjing were present every time the others appeared. in the end, the mysterious king also chose to appear before the two of them. isn''t that too much of a coincidence? this is why i suspect that the two of them are the reason the others were attracted to this place! they are the main culprits that caused our talented youths to suffer such great injuries! in fact, i am most curious as to what the two of them possess that could incite even a king into taking action personally!" when zhao jinwu finished his last sentence, everyone''s gazes froze. Chapter 1046: Suspicion chapter 1046: suspicion everyone looked towards li luo with suspicious gazes as soon as zhao jinwu finished his words. he must have obtained something truly extraordinary if a king was motivated to take action. although this was just a guess coming from zhao jinwu, it had aroused everyone''s curiosity. what did they possess that would cause a king to come after li luo and li lingjing? even high-grade dukes like them, who were well known throughout the heavenly origin divine continent, were unlikely to attract any attention from a king. there was an invisible cage of pressure pushing down on li luo as the numerous dukes stared at him. if his will was any weaker, he would have found it hard to even stand firm under their sharp looks. however, li luo remained calm and composed. after all, he had endured the pressure from a king earlier. these upper-grade dukes were indeed noteworthy people, but their pressure was not enough to cause him to lose himself. "if you don''t know what happened in the spiritual resonance cave, it''s best not to speculate. that said, i really do understand your feelings, since the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao has lost a talented individual," li luo replied calmly. li jinpan also smiled sarcastically. "losing yourself over your fury? psh, how embarrassing." this was a satisfactory retort for their previous exchange. zhao jinwu''s face twitched a little as he stared coldly at li luo. "well then, why don''t you explain what happened inside? why did the true devil and king both come after the two of you?" li luo responded calmly, "when i fought the true devil other, i gained some understanding of its motivation. that other was known as the soul eater true devil. it had the unusual ability to devour people with exceptional talent and make them its own." all the dukes'' expressions changed a little as soon as they heard this. an other that could steal someone else''s talent for itself? this was incredibly rare. li luo pouted as he continued, "as for why it eyed cousin lingjing and i, it was naturally because of our exceptional talent. after all, i believe we were the most talented ones out of everyone who entered the spiritual resonance cave. what''s so surprising about that?" the crowd glanced blankly at each other. even though they couldn''t gauge how much potential he had, they could say with confidence that his thick-skinned behavior was unmatched by anyone else. "so you''re saying that qin yi''s lower ninth-grade water resonance is weaker than yours?" qin lian voiced her dissatisfaction with a frigid tone. she was clearly unsettled at seeing li luo brag about himself. "that is why she met the true devil in the golden grand hall as well. it only proves that what i just said is the truth," li luo explained. qin lian paused for a moment. she frowned and asked, "what about the mysterious king in the end? he wasn''t an other. what happened during the time where qin yi lost her senses? and what about li lingjing? what was the true goal of that king?" she asked a string of questions in a sharp tone. li luo paused for a moment before he replied, "that king calls himself the spirit eyes other king. he hails from the origin reversion institute." origin reversion institute?! as soon as he mentioned that, everyone''s expressions turned serious. the origin reversion institute was a secretive and mysterious organization. many people from the outer divine continents had never heard of them, but the name was well known in the inner divine continents. some of those present here had even encountered them in the past. the origin reversion institute was an organization that sought to collaborate with the others. as such, many felt uneasy about them. their belief was that the unity of good and evil was the ultimate goal. this went against the goals of mankind as they believed that releasing the others into the world and merging into one was the highest ideal. as such, they had gone around the world luring groups of others and causing other disasters. ghost towns that spanned thousands of miles were the inevitable result, and many lives had been lost. over the years, many powers had been torn apart by the other disasters that had been incited by the origin reversion institute. hence, the various powers really hated them. however, they were unable to stop the origin reversion institute from existing. they were enigmatic and possessed a foundation that spanned back to ancient times, far exceeding that of the heavenly emperor powers. even with the academic federation on the frontline struggling against it for all these years, they continued to exist. as such, many of the powers, whether they were spirit beasts or mankind, held a great aversion and wariness towards them. not only had the origin reversion institute resurfaced in the spiritual resonance cave today, even a king was involved! a king was surely a key figure even in a strange organization like origin reversion institute. as such, everyone was completely taken aback when they heard li luo''s words. "that is simply what the king himself said. as for why he came here, i have no idea. my senses were sealed just like qin yi. when i awoke, the king was no longer around. cousin lingjing was dead by then," li luo explained sadly as his expression turned for the worse.n)-0velbin all the other experts fell into silent thought briefly. however, zhao jinwu quickly muttered, "you said that li lingjing was killed. where''s her corpse, then?" li luo frowned. "the king can turn us into dust with just a breath. what corpse are you talking about?" "that means you didn''t witness it either. in that case, li lingjing may not have been killed. she could have left with the spirit eye other king. perhaps they were in cahoots all along. it may be because of li lingjing that the king managed to sneak past all of us and enter the spiritual resonance cave!" zhao jinwu sneered. "li lingjing''s actions are truly suspicious!" qin lian calmly commented. "li luo, if you cover up for li lingjing, you may not be able to escape yourself!" another cold voice sounded off from the distance. it came from an old man with fiery-red hair, staring intently at li luo with murderous eyes. he was wearing a long, fiery robe with the crest of the devil fire hall sewn onto it. it was clear that he was the leading figure from the devil fire hall. he had heard the news of how li luo had slain tian miao and was watching him with a chilly expression in his eyes. when his words came out, all the others from the various powers frowned. the kindness on li qingpeng''s face vanished and his voice turned cold. "zhao jinwu, li luo is a direct descendant of the dragon''s fang lineage. if you want to accuse him without any solid proof, you''ll need to ask our whole lineage if we agree with your slander. "your geniuses suffered heavy casualties, so you should go find the origin reversion institute to settle the score. do you really think that the people from the dragon''s fang lineage are easy targets to bully?" li jiluo also nodded at this point. "this issue was caused by the origin reversion institute. please don''t blame it on a junior." zhao jinwu took a step forward and declared firmly, "this is not a trivial matter. it involves a conspiracy with the origin reversion institute looming overhead. how can you brush it off with just a few words? if you really have nothing to hide, you should hand li luo over to us and let us interrogate him. if he really had nothing to do with it, we will apologize to him!" as he finished his words, the void behind him began to shake. eight duke bergfrieds appeared once again, and a magnificent pressure enveloped the entire heavenly star plains. "i also think it''s best that you hand li luo over to be questioned. everyone can have a satisfactory answer in that case," qin lian voiced out coldly. "the devil fire hall agrees!" the old man with red hair shouted. when the other forces saw the three major powers pressurizing the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, their expressions changed slightly. they did not say anything for the moment. "let''s see who dares to take action, then!" li jinpan shouted back angrily. he took a step forward, and seven duke bergfrieds materialized behind him, making the worldly natural energy roar as it surged towards him. "li jinpan, you won''t be able to protect him today!" zhao jinwu laughed out coldly. the eight duke bergfrieds behind him boomed so loudly that the entire world shook. endless golden flames surged up. a raging inferno covered the entire sky like a blanket, which made for an eye-popping sight. at the next moment, the gold flames poured towards li jinpan in a raging torrent. the gazes of the crowd turned serious as they saw the gold flames raining down. this was zhao jinwu''s domineering golden crow''s inferno, a skill born from the fusion of his golden crow and fire resonances. li jinpan looked at it with a solemn and inhospitable expression. the seven duke bergfrieds behind him trembled, and countless black streams of light shot up into the sky. each of the lights was a black dragon fang, all of them hundreds of feet long. they formed a sea of swords with the power to penetrate the sky. the numerous black dragon fangs rushed over with unparalleled sharpness and charged directly towards the golden sea of flames like a torrent of meteor strikes. the void shattered when the two collided. wherever the golden sea of flames passed through, the black dragon fangs melted into nothingness. clearly, the eighth-grade zhao jinwu had the advantage in this clash! after a few moments, the golden sea of flames completely dissolved all the black dragon fangs. zhao jinwu laughed out coldly. the golden flames then morphed into a hand that stretched out straight towards li luo. however, the sound of howling wind interrupted him. an azure wind that knew no bounds blasted out from the void. it contained a mysterious moisture, and rain clouds emerged as it enveloped the sky. the wind blew and the rain fell. the golden sea of flames was extinguished instantly. zhao jinwu''s face changed when he saw this sudden development. that was not from li jiluo! who was it from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li that had taken action? who could have extinguished his golden crow''s inferno? zhao jinwu''s eyes swept across the field swiftly when he saw the pot-bellied li qingpeng taking two steps forward. behind him, the void shook violently and duke bergfrieds filled with tremendous energy could be seen emerging one after another from his world space. there were eight duke bergfrieds! zhao jinwu narrowed his eyes and muttered uncontrollably, "li qingpeng, w-when did you break through?!" Chapter 1047: A King Does Not Act Lightly. When They Do, Its Godly! chapter 1047: a king does not act lightly. when they do, it''s godly! everyone looked surprised when li qingpeng suddenly interfered. behind him were eight towering duke bergfrieds that stood firmly, each emitting majestic amounts of energy. eight duke bergfrieds! an eighth-grade duke! his usually kind face had become emotionless and serious now, with an indescribably oppressive pressure coming from his body. li qingpeng was no stranger to them, but he was always just viewed as the elder brother of li taixuan. he was always just seen as quiet and friendly and thus, no one really viewed him as a threat. in comparison, li jinpan was probably more well known than him. none of them had expected the low-profile li qingpeng to have become an eighth-grade duke. the difference between a seventh-grade and eighth-grade duke should not be underestimated, as it was a sign of one''s potential and foundation. many dukes were talented individuals who had progressed speedily when they were young. however, their progress slowed significantly once they attained the duke stage. in this stage, every grade would require one to exhaust all of their latent potential to take each step forward. when one''s talent was fully exhausted, it would be close to impossible to advance any further. as such, the crowd was shocked to see this sight. even li jiluo was surprised. zhao jinwu''s expression changed a little as he stared at li qingpeng with sharp eyes. he slowly said, "they''ve always said that li taixuan was the only one with potential amongst the descendants from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. looking at it now, your talent is not at all inferior, li qingpeng. you''ve hidden yourself deeply." li qingpeng smiled gently and replied, "you think too highly of me. i am nothing compared with my third brother. i didn''t want to fight any of you, but if you truly think that the dragon''s fang lineage is weak and easy to bully, i''ll have to stand up and prove a point." zhao jinwu''s expression was still cold. "li qingpeng, i am not attacking li luo because he killed zhao yan. the battles that took place inside the spiritual resonance cave were competitions amongst the young ones. if zhao yan died, it just meant that he was too weak. however, having the spirit eye other king from the origin reversion institute show up is no trivial matter. there may have been a hidden agenda for his sudden appearance in the spiritual resonance cave. we need more information. we are only questioning li luo to verify the veracity of this information. if he doesn''t lie and has nothing to hide, we will naturally let him go. if you insist on stopping us, aren''t you shielding li luo and, by extension, the origin reversion institute?" when zhao jinwu opened his mouth, all kinds of accusations were thrown onto li luo. the origin reversion institute was the most feared existence amongst the various powers. if anyone was involved with them, they would definitely become the common enemy of the various powers. even the bloodline of heavenly emperor li would not be able to handle the pressure. "hand li luo over to us so we can interrogate him, li qingpeng. you may be an eighth-grade duke, but you won''t be able to protect him today!" qin lian announced coldly. she took a step forward as soon as she finished speaking. eight duke bergfrieds appeared behind her, and the void shuddered. qin lian had always harbored deep resentment for the dragon''s fang lineage. moreover, li luo was the son of li taixuan and tan tailan. now that she was presented with an opportunity to strike at them, there was no chance she would let li luo off so easily. after expressing her intentions, a thought flashed across her mind and a mysterious mist rose into the air, shrouding the skies. she was using the duke''s divine mist, a special technique that was unique to duke bergfrieds. the divine mist had the ability to transform into anything under the sun, and it was a common means that dukes liked to use against their enemies. as the divine mist slowly rose into the air, it condensed into a crimson lotus that was over a thousand feet tall. there were crimson red flames alight on its petals. the frightening sight of the raging flame lotus placed pressure upon li qingpeng.nove-lb(in "hall master qin lian, do you really think there''s no one else in the bloodline of heavenly emperor li who would stand up to you?" as everyone''s attention was focused upon the crimson lotus, a low voice rang out. it was none other than li jiluo. although the dragon''s blood lineage and the dragon''s fang lineage had a lot of competition and friction between them, they were still from the same bloodline. zhao jinwu and qin lian were working together to get at li luo, which could be seen as a provocation directed at the entire bloodline of heavenly emperor li. naturally, li jiluo would not stand idly by. the void shattered when he finished speaking a golden dragon claw thousands of feet tall smashed through the void, its glittering golden scales becoming the new center of attention. the golden dragon claw clashed with the crimson lotus savagely. it slashed downwards and tore the lotus apart, destroying it and leaving behind a shower of sparks that resembled a firework. "li jiluo!" qin lian''s face turned dark as she stared at the man that had taken a step forward. li jiluo was much more famous than li jinpan and li qingpeng. ever since li taixuan had left the heavenly origin divine continent, he had been the strongest and most influential individual below the king stage in the bloodline of heavenly emperor li! it was said that he possessed the potential to reach the ninth-grade, and if he succeeded one day, he would be just one step away from becoming a king. if he was lucky enough to come across some sort of fated opportunity, the dragon''s blood lineage might really gain yet another king. even qin lian had to be careful against such a man. initially, she held hopes that li jiluo would not seek to lend a hand, as the dragon''s blood lineage didn''t have a good relationship with the dragon''s fang lineage. plus, they had always tried to improve relations with the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. however, it was clear now that li jiluo would not act as she had expected. "do you think i''m afraid of you?!" qin lian wasn''t a pushover either. she did not stop just because li jiluo had joined the battle. the eight duke bergfrieds behind her roared to life as more divine mist gushed out. the entire area around them was shaking like a natural disaster was occurring. a terrifying pressure engulfed everyone. zhao jinwu shouted, "tian zhao, li luo and the origin reversion institute are the reason the devil fire hall lost its precious talents. your nephew, tian miao, died as well. is the devil fire hall going to do nothing about this?" the eyes of the red-haired elder from the devil fire hall changed immediately when he heard these words. he took a step forward, and shocking energy undulations erupted into the sky. "li jiluo, li qingpeng, we just want to ask li luo some questions. we will not harm him. isn''t stopping us unreasonable? we''ve suffered heavy casualties in the spiritual resonance cave. you have to give us an answer! listen up, everyone from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao! capture li luo!" zhao jinwu gave the order with a ferocious look on his face. as soon as the experts from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao heard this, their resonant power flooded out without hesitation and duke bergfrieds appeared behind them. they had always disliked the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. now that there was a reason to fight, there was no need for them to hold themselves back. the dukes from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li saw what was happening, and their resonant power surged as well. in an instant, the void seemed to be on the brink of complete collapse as duke bergfrieds appeared one after another. thick divine mist rose into the air. the sheer number of battlements that could be seen resembled an ancient castle with towering walls. the other forces were shocked to see the battle develop. they knew that zhao jinwu was just using the easiest excuse to start an all-out war against the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. this was not the first time something like this had happened. the two sides were like fire and water, and there was no need for them to get involved in this conflict. as such, the other forces began to retreat when the two sides drew their swords. in the end, zhao jinwu was the one that broke the stalemate. he stared coldly and took a step forward. the eight duke bergfrieds behind him roared out. divine mist shot into the air and transformed into a gigantic, golden seal decorated with the carving of a three-feet golden crow. "li luo, since your parents did not teach you to be honest, i''ll give you a lesson in their place today!" zhao jinwu exclaimed. the golden crow seal flew directly towards li luo. li qingpeng snorted coldly and was about to retaliate. however, just as he was about to strike, the worldly natural energy in the surroundings seemed to have come to a standstill. at this moment, he felt that even his duke bergfrieds could not longer operate. li qingpeng''s heart skipped a beat. at the next moment, everyone could hear a faint voice penetrating the air, echoing through the heavenly star plains. "who exactly thinks they have the right to teach my grandson a lesson? the grandson of li jingzhe?" as soon as the old and decrepit voice came out, the golden crow seal began to disintegrate and the vast amount of energy flowing through it evaporated into nothingness. "li jingzhe!" zhao jinwu was horrified. he had never expected the lineage chief of the dragon''s fang lineage to take action himself! wasn''t this being too much of a bully? a king would not act easily. this was a common understanding amongst everyone present. didn''t li jingzhe care about his status at all? zhao jinwu was frozen in fear as he hurriedly shouted, "elder li, please don''t get angry. i''ll-" before he could finish begging for mercy, the sky split open and a massive dragon fang, one so long that no one could see its full length, extended outwards. it lightly swiped across the world space that zhao jinwu occupied. bang! that simple motion caused zhao jinwu to completely lose his spirit in fright. a deep rift appeared on each and every one of his eight duke bergfrieds. the scar was so deep that his duke bergfrieds nearly broke apart. zhao jinwu spat out a huge mouthful of blood. his face had turned completely white and his eyes were full of horror. the duke bergfrieds that were the accumulation of his whole life of cultivation were as weak as paper in front of that dragon fang! however, he did not have time to worry about his injuries. he retreated immediately as he could sense the murderous intent coming from li jingzhe''s next strike. this king was planning on finishing him off. at the same time, the other experts were frozen in fear when they saw what happened to zhao jinwu. even the faces of qin lian and tian zhao from the devil fire hall changed completely. none of them had thought that a normal clash would attract the attention of a king! wasn''t li jingzhe afraid of escalating matters? everyone''s faces changed, then they turned and looked towards li luo. clearly, the dragon fang lineage''s lineage chief loved his grandson a lot more than they had expected. a king would not act easily because most things simply did not attract their attention. however, once one angered a king, his fury would fall upon that person like divine retribution. Chapter 1048: Divine Tiger King, Zhao Zong chapter 1048: divine tiger king, zhao zong the heavenly star plains that were surging with violent energy waves seemed to have turned into a pool of still water. all the vigorous worldly natural energy had been forcefully suppressed by an invisible, giant hand and no more movement was seen.0 most of the dukes present were well known experts in the heavenly origin divine continent, but they had all become unusually quiet and obedient quails at this point.1 that was to be expected. none of them expected that this clash would attract the attention of li jingzhe.0 it was a king after all!0 there was an unspoken rule amongst all the top forces in the heavenly origin divine continent. a king would not act easily. this was because their actions had far too many implications. if a battle broke out, it could really destroy both the heavens and earth.0 as such, they were all taken aback when li jingzhe took action.0 the old man was clearly not following that rule.0 zhao jinwu''s face was pale at this moment. he wiped the bloody traces off the corner of his mouth. the energy waves around him were disorderly and weak. previously, what seemed like a light scratch from li jingzhe had gravely injured him. however, he did not dare to show any unhappiness regarding it. he knew that if li jingzhe really wanted him dead, he would not have had the chance to escape.1 that was how frightening a king was. zhao jinwu had truly experienced it for himself.0 in the silent space, li luo suddenly sensed movement in the space in front of him. a moment later, an elderly man stood in the spot.0 he had appeared very suddenly, but no one was surprised. it was as if he had been standing there all along.0 a series of admirable gazes looked at the cold and serious elder.0 "father!" li qingpeng and li jinpan bowed politely as soon as they saw him.0 "we greet the dragon fang lineage''s lineage chief!" li jiluo and the dukes from other lineages bowed down to him immediately.0 the dukes from the other forces also bowed slightly to show their respect for him.0 li jingzhe''s old face remained nonchalant and solemn. he gave li qingpeng and li jinpan a glance as he berated, "useless fools. you can''t even protect a junior."0 li qingpeng and li jinpan smiled in embarrassment as they replied, "don''t say that, father. we wouldn''t let anyone bully little luo even if it cost us our lives."0 on the side, li luo quickly added, "grandpa, do not blame first and second uncle. they tried their best to protect me."1 li jingzhe nodded slightly in response. his face became a little less stern as he said, "don''t worry. with me here, the sky won''t fall no matter what kind of trouble you''ve gotten yourself into."2 they were simple words, but they truly displayed how tyrannical he was.0 li luo was extremely grateful. he knew that his grandpa had his own set of rules for doing things and always acted in line with them. the old man had broken the iron rule of kings and made a move to protect him. whether he had done this due to the regret he felt about the incident with li taixuan back then, li luo didn''t know, but he was immensely thankful nonethless. 0 li jingzhe swept his powerful gaze across the dukes that surrounded them. duke bergfrieds were still manifested, but the divine mist was gradually dissipating.0 "put away your duke bergfrieds. they are eyesores," he commanded indifferently.2 with these words, all the dukes could hear buzzes from the duke bergfrieds behind them. as if fueled by the feeling of fear, they began to shrink in size and eventually turned into rays of light before disappearing into their world spaces.0 this scene left countless people on the heavenly star plains shocked.0 everyone could tell that the dukes had not retracted their duke bergfrieds by their own will. they had been put away because of the words from li jingzhe.0 his words were like ironclad laws that none dared to disobey.0 like an emperor in the secular world, he could easily dismiss the princes and generals.2 zhao jinwu, qin lian, and the rest felt fury towards the domineering actions of li jingzhe. however, they did not dare to show it. he was on a completely different level, and there was no way they could force anything out of him.1 when facing li qingpeng and li jinpan, they could leverage their strength and demand for li luo to be handed over for interrogation. but with li jingzhe present, they did not dare to make a single sound.0n//o()v((e))l(/b./1/.n his appearance itself was already a resounding message to all of them.0 he would protect li luo no matter what.0 if they still dared to say anything in such a situation, li jingzhe might very well make them understand the consequences of a king''s fury.0 just as they fell silent, a loud and majestic voice boomed from the distance.0 "dragon fang king, you''ve crossed the line."1 when the loud voice rumbled throughout the sky, a look of pleasant surprise lit up in zhao jinwu''s eyes.0 this sudden voice did not catch li jingzhe by surprise. he knew that his arrival had already drawn the attention of all the kings from the various heavenly emperor powers. the voice belonged to a king from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao.0 the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao possessed five palaces, a counterpart to the lineages of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. this voice had come from the palace master of the divine tiger palace.0 divine tiger king, zhao zong.0 roar!0 an ancient tiger''s roar could be heard lingering in the air, and countless gazes turned over. a gigantic tiger appeared, seeming to have traveled through the void. gradually, it shrank in size until it was just a few feet tall, and a man in golden robes sitting cross-legged on the tiger''s back came into eye level.0 the man had a heroic temperament and his eyes scanned the surroundings, causing everyone to feel a chill run up their spines.0 "we pay our respects to the palace master!" zhao jinwu and the others from the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao hurriedly knelt down and offered their greetings.1 the man on the tiger waved his hands. he looked towards li jingzhe as he smiled and said, "li jingzhe, i did not expect a law-abiding king like you to break the rule today. you shouldn''t have come here at all. it would''ve been better to let those under us handle this matter."0 li jingzhe replied indifferently, "we can get straight to the point. your guys are acting like sore losers and trying to bully the juniors. i''m just letting them have a taste of their own medicine."0 zhao zong shook his head. "they just wanted to question him. it''s not like they wanted li luo''s life. after all, this involves the origin reversion institute."0 "do you really think i am a senile old man?" an icy look flashed across li jingzhe''s eyes. "the wastrels here are just garbage that couldn''t even squeak before my youngest son when he was around. they couldn''t do anything to li taixuan, and now that they''ve found li luo, they''re taking the chance to vent it out on him."9 hearing these direct and blunt words, zhao jinwu and qin lian''s faces turned extremely ugly.1 "as for the origin reversion institute and the spirit eye other king, they should be going into the depths of the spiritual resonance cave to find out more. li luo''s not involved at all."0 as he said this, li jingzhe''s eyes turned heartless. he stared at zhao zong, and his voice gradually became colder.0 "i considered the bigger picture and held myself back earlier. there''ll be no second time. since all of you are watching this, i''ll make one thing clear. the peers will settle matters among themselves. if any of you dare to play any dirty tricks on li luo, the dragon''s fang lineage will destroy you at any cost!"0 hearing these words from li jingzhe, zhao zong''s face turned dark.0 "li jingzhe, aren''t you being a bit unreasonable? can the dragon''s fang lineage speak for the whole bloodline of heavenly emperor li?" zhao zong was a key figure in the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao after all. he held authority, and no one had dared to disobey him in the past. now that li jingzhe was taking such a tough stance, the situation was a little awkward for him as he could not step down without losing face. li jingzhe stared at zhao zong with emotionless eyes.4 "zhao zong, are you just going to keep talking? let''s fight, then!"11 as soon as li jingzhe finished issuing his challenge, the worldly natural energy in the surroundings started howling. endless torrents of energy that were hundreds of thousands of miles long swept towards the sky. everyone was dumbfounded. was li jingzhe trying to start a battle between kings? Chapter 1049: Three Crowned Realms chapter 1049: three crowned realms when li jingzhe''s cold voice reached everyone''s ears, the experts from the various powers were shocked. was li jingzhe planning to start a battle with the divine tiger king? a battle of such a massive scale was rare even in the inner divine continent. divine tiger king zhao zong''s face darkened. he was not having an easy time dealing with the unreasonable li jingzhe. an invisible, terrifying pressure expanded from him, and the entire world began to quake. worldly natural energy whipped upwards like an angry tide in the face of their confrontation. "li jingzhe, you''re too arrogant!" zhao zong shouted in a deep voice. his anger could not be concealed any longer. he was well known within the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao for being tyrannical and forcing things to go his way all the time. no one dared to go against his wishes. hearing such provocative words coming from li jingzhe had fully awakened his murderous intent. zhao zong knew that li jingzhe had acted unreasonably because he wanted to show everyone he would protect li luo no matter what. he wanted to give a warning to the other forces. if someone planned to scheme against li luo, they would incur the wrath of the dragon''s fang lineage. clearly, his grandchild was of utmost importance to li jingzhe. he was much more significant than anyone else. however, zhao zong was even more furious when he thought about this situation more deeply. li jingzhe wanted to demonstrate his commitment to his grandson to the world, and zhao zong had been chosen as the target! did li jingzhe think he was a pushover? "li jingzhe, do you really think i''m scared of you? if you want a fight, i''ll give you one!" zhao zong declared with a heartless tone. the temperature of the surroundings plunged instantly and a terrifying murderous intent filled the area. all the dukes could feel their scalps turning numb. zhao zong was not planning to give in either. he was going to clash directly with li jingzhe! all the dukes retreated rapidly. they did not want to risk getting caught in the crossfire. they were nothing more than cannon fodder in the presence of these two, just like li luo and the heavenly pearl juniors. when zhao zong struck back against li jingzhe''s provocation, he took a step forward. he then rose into and, before everyone''s surprised eyes, his body expanded at an alarming rate.n)(ovelb1n after just a few moments, zhao zong had become a giant. his gigantic body was over a hundred thousand feet tall, looking even more overwhelming than the mountains that stood tall in the surroundings. on his body were numerous ancient runes. each of them emitted an esoteric aura, and one could feel how unfathomable and archaic they were. this scene left everyone dumbfounded as they looked at the giant that shadowed over the plains. it was a truly intimidating sight. he resembled an the ancient god who had created the world itself. li luo''s face was full of shock as he stared at the humongous titan that could pluck the stars from the sky. the tremendous energy that emanated from him was far beyond any thing he could imagine. "this is known as the dharma godbody, the mark of the king stage," li qingpeng explained to li luo with a voice full of admiration. he sighed with a perplexed look. no one dared to be disrespectful before such power. "eldest uncle, does the king stage have different grades?" li luo asked humbly. the king stage was too far removed from him, so he had never really taken the time to understand the difference. li qingpeng smiled and answered, "naturally." he then turned towards the prodigiously huge figure, and his gaze lingered on the top of its head. there was a huge crown that hung above it. the crown contained the condensation of endless amounts of energy. it emanated nobility and had a regal presence. when he saw it, he could feel an intense desire in his heart to kneel down immediately and pay his respects. it was like the crown of an emperor. however, it was much more majestic and grand than the crown a mortal emperor would wear. its nobility transcended the heavens and earth. there were ancient runes carved into the crown. they seemed to have originated from the world itself, with each line signifying a source of primordial origin. zhao zong was like a god emperor that had descended onto earth. everyone in the heavenly star plains was left in awe with his presence. "the realms within the king stage are known as the three crowned realms." "three crowned realms?" li luo pondered for a moment. he endured the sharp pain in his eyes as he took a look at the crown on zhao zong''s dharma godbody. "does it refer to that crown?" li qingpeng smiled and nodded. "that''s right. the king''s celestial crown that you see is the symbol of a king''s lifetime of cultivation. the celestial crown is mythical and allows one to wield the source origin of the world itself. it can move mountains and the sea with a single thought. divine tiger king zhao zong has one celestial crown, so he''s a single crowned king. based on this logic, the following grades are the dual crowned king and the triumvirate crowned king." li luo could not help but reveal a slightly strange expression. "that seems a little... casual." li qingpeng smiled in response. "although it sounds really simple, you''ll naturally respect it when you truly understand the vast amount of power they represent. amongst our five lineages, only lineage chief li tianji from the dragon''s blood lineage is a dual crowned king." li luo''s heart skipped a beat. this meant that li jingzhe was also a single crowned king like zhao zong. as li luo was thinking about this, the worldly natural energy of the surroundings roared to life and li jingzhe''s body expanded. after just a few moments, there was another giant standing on the land before them. "li jingzhe, you want to make an example out of me? you''re not fit to do so!" zhao zong''s laughter boomed like thunder, audible thousands of miles away. all the lifeforms on the heavenly star plains could feel their eardrums bursting in pain. at the next moment, billions of light rays shot out of the king''s celestial crown on zhao zong''s forehead. they merged into an energy river that was millions of miles long with no end in sight. a brilliant tiger with golden eyes walked out of one end of the river. the giant tiger raised its claws and smacked down heavily towards li jingzhe. all light suddenly seemed to have vanished. the tiger''s claw blotted out the sun, and the void shattered and repaired itself continuously. the shattered pieces of void transformed into a wild storm that destroyed everything in sight. at this moment, li jingzhe stared at the tiger''s claw with indifferent eyes. numerous ancient runes flowed down from the king''s celestial crown on his forehead and transformed into an ordinary-looking, black longsword. the blade of the sword was thin, but it was filled with countless stygian marks. li jingzhe flicked his finger, and the black longsword pierced through the void. in the blink of an eye, it clashed with the tiger''s claw that had covered the sky. when they collided, there was no sound. the black longsword penetrated the tiger''s claw and flew right through it, leaving behind a trail of light. the golden-eyed tiger and the endless river of energy dissipated completely. zhao zong''s eyes narrowed immediately. he slowly lowered his head and realized that a deep sword wound that spanned thousands of feet had been gouged across his dharma godbody. the sword energy coming from it was filled with unparalleled sharpness. he could feel pain intense enough to pierce his bones. his godbody had been injured in that short clash! everyone was stunned as they witnessed this scene. "impossible!" zhao zong screamed out angrily. li jingzhe continued to stare at the surprised zhao zong indifferently. thunder and lightning broke out across the sky and reverberated throughout the plains. "it''s not impossible. it''s simply because we are not the same." zhao zong laughed angrily. "not the same? how can we not be the same?!" there was a hint of sarcasm on li jingzhe''s old face as he pointed to the top of his forehead. "look closer. we''re different up here." zhao zong suddenly looked at li jingzhe''s forehead and noticed that on top of the first king''s celestial crown was an endless effluence of light. ancient and mysterious runes intertwined as if they were collecting energy from the source origin of the world. finally, the outline of a more regal crown could be seen. zhao zong''s heart was filled with turmoil. there was also an uncontrollable shock coming from the depths of the void. two king''s celestial crowns! unbeknownst to anyone... li jingzhe had become a dual crowned king! Chapter 1050: Dual Crowned King Li Jingzhe chapter 1050: dual crowned king li jingzhe li jingzhe''s dharma godbody stood tall as two king''s celestial crowns shone brightly on his forehead. every rune on it was overflowing with source origin. there was an indescribably noble air surrounding it. at this moment, he was like a godlike figure that everyone averted gazing at directly.n.-0velb1n dual crowned king! whether it was zhao zong or the kings from the various powers that were watching from the shadows, their hearts skipped a beat at this moment. who would have thought that li jingzhe had silently become a dual crowned king! in the past, lineage chief li tianji from the dragon''s blood lineage was the only dual crowned king in the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. now, li jingzhe was the second. all the dukes from the various powers were shocked as well. the faces of zhao jinwu, qin lian, and those who hated the dragon''s fang lineage turned green. with li jingzhe getting stronger, the influence and standing of the dragon''s fang lineage had gained yet another level. this was not good news for them. "the respected elder has hidden his progress so well. when did he break through?!" li qingpeng was elated. on the side, li jinpan commented helplessly, "i finally understand where eldest brother and that brat jingtao inherited their personality of keeping a low profile..." li qingpeng was a little embarrassed. "second brother, i didn''t hide my breakthrough intentionally. you have to understand that if i had revealed it before, the violet spirit hall would''ve wanted to compete with the gold light hall. it would''ve definitely caused a huge uproar in the dragon''s fang lineage." li jinpan glared at him. "what''s so bad about competing with the gold light hall? they''ve been acting much too arrogantly all these years. zhao xuanming literally climbed all over our heads and even took a shit on us!" li qingpeng smiled and replied, "things aren''t that bad. the respected elder is still around. no matter how haughty zhao xuanming acts, every action he takes only bolsters and adds to the dragon''s fang lineage. if you have an open mind, you''ll soon realize he''s a very diligent and hardworking worker!" li jinpan angrily rebuked, "how simple-minded of you." however, li qingpeng did not mind. he happily looked at the two celestial crowns that were perched on li jingzhe''s head. he knew that this reveal of strength would lead to the dragon''s fang lineage ascending in both power and influence. they would finally have the right to stand on equal footing with the dragon''s blood lineage. li luo secretly cheered as he listened to the two''s conversation and looked at li jingzhe''s majestic figure in awe. previously, he was unable to make any comparison amongst the strength of kings. now, he could roughly estimate that pang qianyuan was very likely a single crowned king. the respected elder was stronger by an entire level. before all the shocked gazes, li jingzhe locked onto zhao zong and asked indifferently, "do you still want to fight?" zhao zong''s face was uncertain as his eyes raged with fury. after all, he was a king and was normally respected and revered. however, li jingzhe had openly disgraced him in front of so many today. he was unwilling to accept this outcome. "li jingzhe, if you want to fight, then we shall fight! the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao is unafraid of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li!" zhao zong roared. as soon as he said that, the others knew that he was having second thoughts. he was clearly attempting to implicate the two heavenly emperor powers behind them into the conflict. those words were also a threat, warning li jingzhe not to go overboard. li jingzhe''s gaze remained deep and profound. the celestial crowns on his head radiated a blinding brilliance, containing the primal elements that shaped the world. the terrifying and oppressive pressure rolling off him descended like a calamity upon everyone around. as it continued to build up, all the dukes in the surroundings broke out in cold sweat. zhao zong felt immeasurably frustrated in his heart. was li jingzhe still planning to continue the fight? however, an aged voice broke the silence and echoed through the air just as zhao zong was running out of options to de-escalate the situation. "congratulations on becoming a dual crowned king, dragon fang king." as soon as the words ended, a meteor fell from the sky. when it ripped through the horizon and landed, it transformed into an individual. he was wearing a starry robe emblazoned with a golden phoenix spreading its wings. his white hair seemed a little messy, and although his features reminded one of a wizened old man, his skin was delicate like a baby''s. his eyes were as deep as the abyss, and he was holding a white ruler that was carved with a range of endless mountains and rivers. when this person appeared, even li jingzhe''s indomitable gaze wavered slightly. there were five palaces in the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao, and the one in front of them was the leader of them all, the palace master of the divine phoenix palace. divine phoenix king zhao huaijin. he was a dual crowned king that had reached that tier long ago. "i didn''t expect the divine phoenix king to show up as well," li jingzhe said calmly. zhao huaijin smiled slightly. "who could have expected this situation? the dragon fang king seldom shows up, but when he does, his appearance was thunderous. the moment you revealed your hand, you became the second dual crowned king of the heavenly dragon''s five lineages. the bloodline of heavenly emperor li now has two dual crowned kings, so the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao will have to act a little more humbly now." his fingers lightly rubbed against the white ruler in his hand as an unfathomable light shone in his eyes. as soon as the divine phoenix king finished speaking, another stream of laughter burst out into the sky. "divine phoenix king, there''s no need to act humble. the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao has a deep and profound foundationhow can the bloodline of heavenly emperor li compare?" golden light pierced through the sky, and another figure made his entrance. lineage chief li tianji from the dragon''s blood lineage had arrived as well. when the divine phoenix king saw li tianji, his smile grew even wider and he stopped tapping on the white ruler. he knew that this sly old man had been secretly watching him whilst staying hidden. as soon as he appeared, li tianji took to the field as well. the divine phoenix king thought for a moment and then asked li tianji, "dragon blood king, let''s stop here for today. how does that sound?" li tianji turned and looked towards li jingzhe. he smiled and asked, "lineage chief jingzhe, what do you think? if you feel that things aren''t resolved satisfactorily, i can help you stop the divine phoenix king." li jingzhe''s face remained composed. a moment later, his gigantic godbody began to shrink. soon, he returned to normal size. the majestic aura coming from the king''s celestial crown on his forehead also vanished. he once again looked like an ordinary elderly man. clearly, li jingzhe was not planning to continue escalating the issue. he understood that if war broke out between the two heavenly emperor powers, the repercussions would be too much for both sides to handle. besides, he had already accomplished his goal for today. the scar left on the chest of divine tiger king zhao zong would force all the other kings that had been watching from the shadows think twice if they wanted to try anything dirty against li luo. after li jingzhe''s body returned to normal, the gigantic godbody of zhao zong also shrank rapidly. his face was gloomy as he stared at the scar on his chest. he did not say anything more before he turned around and disappeared from the scene. he was too embarrassed to hang around after getting injured by li jingzhe. the divine phoenix king took a look at all the powerful experts from the various powers and said with a smile, "with this, the spiritual resonance cave expedition has reached its conclusion. as for the matter with the origin reversion institute, please remain vigilant after you''ve returned home." the others nodded in agreement. with the divine phoenix king''s words, this matter had come to an end. it was now impossible to use interrogation as an excuse to capture li luo. after all, his grandfather was a dual crowned king. who would dare to mess with him with the threat of death looming over? the other powers knew very well that divine tiger king zhao zong had simply used li luo as an excuse. they did not truly believe that the king from the origin reversion institute would sneak into the spiritual resonance cave just for a mere heavenly pearl cultivator... qin lian was also clearly unhappy with this ending. however, she understood that her opinions meant nothing in front of the kings from both sides. her face was bitterly cold as she turned around and left. when the experts from the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing saw this, they followed suit. qin yi took a look at li luo before turning around and leaving with the squads from the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. just like this, the various powers left one after another. the frenetic atmosphere of the past few minutes gradually died down. li luo finally heaved a sigh of relief. the people from the inner divine continent were exceptionally frightening. kings popped out of the woodwork with just a spark, and the scale of the confrontations were many times greater than those of the outer divine continent. "thank you, grandpa." li luo smiled with gratitude towards li jingzhe. as li jingzhe fondly looked back at li luo, a smile appeared on his cold and stern face. "it seems like you''ve obtained quite a few beneficial opportunities in the spiritual resonance cave." he could tell with a single look that li luo had strengthened significantly both in terms of resonant power and resonance grade from this short trip. "it''s nothing worth mentioning," li luo replied humbly. he thought for a moment and before speaking in a hurry, "grandpa, i do need your help with one more thing!" "what is it?" li luo''s eyes turned towards something not too far away. that was where elder sister jin was. he leapt through the air and arrived a few moments later. elder sister jin and the group from the golden dragon bank were still gathered here. the entire group was looking at the ice sculpture in front of them, and lu qing''er remained frozen within. "grandpa, this is an old friend from the outer divine continent, and we have a really deep relationship. she sealed herself in order to help me out back in the spiritual resonance cave. can you help resolve this predicament of hers?" li luo asked nervously. li jingzhe took a look at the beautiful face in the ice sculpture. the girl had skin as smooth as ice. his eyes turned a little curious and he asked with a laugh, "a friend from the outer divine continent? a deep relationship? is she the fiance that you''ve been talking about?" Chapter 1051: Return chapter 1051: return li jingzhe''s words left li luo feeling a bit helpless and embarrassed. shaking his head, he responded, "grandpa, you''re overthinking things..." li jingzhe replied, "that''s a bit of a pity, this little girl doesn''t look too bad. this power... is it the power of golden dragon mountain''s sacred seed?" a look of surprise appeared in his eyes as he surveyed the frozen lu qing''er, saying, "she can mobilize a strand of the power of the holy permafrost seed at such a young age. though it is just a small amount, it still proves her affinity for it... its a perfect match." "sacred seed? what exactly is that?" li luo asked curiously. he had heard elder sister jin mention it before. "it''s a true world-class treasure, a derivative of the world''s source origin, and it was refined by the blood and toil of a heavenly emperor. the sacred seed is the foundation of a heavenly emperor power, and a power without a sacred seed cannot survive for long," li jingzhe patiently explained. li luo was secretly shocked. it sounded like the so-called sacred seed was very profound. this was information that he was previously completely unable to surmise. from li jingjing''s words, it seemed that the bloodline of heavenly emperor li also possessed a sacred seed. however, li luo didn''t ask any further questions about it. "then, can you free her from her sealed state, grandpa?" the priority right now was to save lu qing''er. li jingzhe smiled and said, "i am able to undo the seal, but i don''t think there''s a need for it." "why?" li luo asked in shock. "self-freezing using the power of the sacred seed is not a bad thing. it will cause this young lady to deepen her attunement with the power of the sacred seed in a higher state of concentration. as long as she can maintain a wisp of clarity within her heart and prevent the endless ice from freezing her mind, she will be able to reap the benefits from it. moreover, if i were to make a move, my only option would be to destroy the power of the sacred seed with an equally strong power, which is not the best strategy. the most prudent thing to do right now would be to send the young lady back to golden dragon mountain, where they will use the power of the sacred seed to lift the ice seal." when li jingzhe said this, he glanced at the several figures beside elder sister jin and asked, "what do you guys think?" these duke stage experts had obviously been sent to protect lu qing''er. when they heard his question, they respectfully said, "what you just said is indeed the best course of action, dragon fang king." elder sister jin also nodded and said to li luo, "li luo, you don''t have to worry too much. we have deliberated amongst ourselves earlier and have decided to take the young mistress home as soon as possible." li luo could only nod when he heard this. he just felt a little regretful in his heart as he could not personally say goodbye to lu qing''er. golden dragon mountain was not located in the heavenly origin divine continent, thus he did not know when they would meet again. "then i''ll leave her in your care. qing''er experienced some changes in the spiritual resonance cave, so it would be wise to keep an eye on her." li luo reminded them. an elder from golden dragon mountain nodded and cupped his hands together. "many thanks to dragon head li luo for the reminder. we have heard the same from lady jin, and we will report it to the family head and let him make the decision when we return to golden dragon mountain." after a brief conversation with li luo, they brought lu qing''er onboard one of golden dragon mountain''s flying ships and quickly left the heavenly star plains without any further delay. slightly despondent, li luo looked at the flying ship fade into the distance before exhaling deeply and collecting his emotions. this was finally the official end of the trip to the spiritual resonance cave, and he had managed to reap a lot of rewards from it. the harvest from this trip could be considered a massive windfall. "let''s go, we should return to dragon''s fang mountain as well," li jingzhe said. li luo nodded. a few moments later, the main ship of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li floated up into the air with the teams of the five lineages on board, and it began to start the return journey. the other teams of the various powers also began to retreat one after another. as they dispersed, all the news and happenings within the spiritual resonance cave would propagate at an astonishing speed, eventually spreading throughout the entire heavenly origin divine continent. of which a sizable chunk would be the deeds of li luo and li lingjing.nove/lb.1n as the dragon''s head ship sailed across the sky, swiftly heading towards the boundaries of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, li luo once again met li jingzhe on the top floor of the ship. when li jingzhe saw li luo, the first thing he said was, "li lingjing didn''t die in the spiritual resonance cave, but was taken away by the spirit eye other king, right?" li luo''s heart skipped a beat, then he laughed dryly and asked, "how did you know, grandpa?" he didn''t try to deny it, because if li jingzhe could ask this question, he probably already had the answer. li jingzhe smiled faintly and said, "there were too many people back there, so it was not a good place to talk... perhaps because of her history, li lingjing''s way of thinking is very deep and complex, and she is very guarded against everyone, including me. when i helped her purify the corruption, she appeared to be extremely cooperative, causing the purification to be very effective. but in reality, there was a trace of the soul eater true devil''s aura lurking in the deepest recesses of her heart." li jingjing gestured for li luo to sit down, then he poured a cup of tea for him before continuing, "unfortunately, this means that li lingjing''s innermost heart did not actually intend to remove the soul eater true devil." li luo froze. this information had come out of left field. "cousin lingjing, she..." li luo wore a conflicted expression. during his time with li lingjing, he was naturally able to sense that the latter wouldn''t hesitate to resort to underhanded means to achieve her objectives, but she did not have the slightest bit of evil intentions towards him. "grandpa, cousin lingjing never harbored the intention of harming me," li luo said. li jingzhe nodded and said, "i know. that''s why i let her leave dragon''s fang mountain alive. between the dragon''s fang lineage and the origin reversion institute, she chose the latter out of ambition. if she is truly allowed to rise in a place like the origin reversion institute, she might have the potential to become an important figure in it in the future. truthfully, a hidden danger of this kind is best eliminated when it has not yet matured... but she''s really cunning. she''s pinned her hopes on you, and in doing so, she''s preserved a glimmer of hope for herself as well." listening to the blunt words of the elder in front of him, li luo let out a bitter smile. he understood what his grandfather was trying to say. if anyone else pleaded for mercy for li lingjing, li jingzhe would pay no attention; the only one who could make li jingzhe change his mind was a certain special person: li luo. this is why li jingzhe had said that li lingjing was very cunningshe had keenly chosen the person who was most useful to her among so many people. "perhaps she used you again," li jingzhe said slowly. li luo was silent for a moment before saying, "grandpa, cousin lingjing might have been influenced by the soul eater true devil to act egotistically, but i don''t blame her. she was just trying to preserve her own life, and it''s precisely because of all the despair she has experienced that she would want to utilize every means possible to survive. moreover, i believe in her, and i know that she won''t harm me." li luo''s expression became serious as he also trusted his own perception and judgment. regardless of what li lingjing turned out to be in the future, at the very least, she wouldn''t harm him. as for some of the other problems, they would have to be dealt with when the time came. li jingjing nodded slightly and replied, "i hope your feeling is right." and then his tone suddenly changed. "was that blade of yours shattered?" Chapter 1052: Reforged chapter 1052: reforged hearing the sudden question from li jingzhe, li luo couldn''t help but nod with a heavy heart. he then took out all the fragments of the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade that he had managed to salvage. the blade had followed him for a long time and had witnessed his growth. li jingzhe glanced at it and commented, "this blade is of average grade; what set it apart was the kingmark. it seems its previous owner put a lot of effort into it, and he is likely a sentimental person. "the kingmark was destroyed in the clash with the spirit eye other king, right?" li luo nodded. a king-level opponent was too terrifying; all he could do was use this trump card to survive for a short while. in the end, the result was the destruction of his blade. "you really are a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers. you dared to brandish your sword before a king as a mere heavenly pearl cultivator." li jingzhe commented. li luo smiled bitterly and replied, "i had no choice. if i hadn''t made a move, i would have perished. since that was the case, i didn''t care what he was." a thoughtful expression surfaced in li jingzhe''s eyes as he said, "luckily, you survived in the end." "if it wasn''t for cousin lingjing, i might not have come out alive." li luo sighed. "that''s not necessarily true." li jingzhe smiled faintly as he pointed out, "do you think the people of the origin reversion institute are trustworthy? even though he seemingly agreed to the terms, he had ten thousand ways to kill you silently after taking li lingjing away." "then... then how did i survive?" li luo was stunned. li jingzhe''s gaze flickered for a moment before gesturing with his fingers. a flash of light flew out from within the pocket sphere on li luo''s wrist, transforming into a mottled and ancient plaque. li luo gawked at the artifact in surprise. "the heavenly emperor''s writ?" li jingzhe stared at the heavenly emperor''s writ for a while and said, "there is residual energy from this artifact being activated. if my guess is correct, the spirit eye other king displayed murderous intent towards you. having sensed it, the plaque emitted a trace of the old ancestor''s aura, and that''s how it managed to scare off the spirit eye other king." cold sweat surfaced on li luo''s back. that damned spirit eye other king truly did intend to kill him! he really would have perished in the spiritual resonance cave if he didn''t have the heavenly emperor''s writ to protect him.n((o)-v/-e.-l-)b()1-.n the thought of this sent a cold shiver into li luo''s heart. he had been so close to death and not even known. "scum, wait for me to settle the score with you!" li luo silently cursed. the spirit eye other king was still far away from his own level of strength, so for the time being, he would have to stay in li luo''s kill list. immediately after, he flashed a cheeky grin at li jingzhe and said, "grandpa, i beheaded zhao yan in the spiritual resonance cave. that feat is enough to raise the prestige of the dragon''s fang lineage, right?" looking at the way his grandson was obviously fishing for compliments, li jingjing let out a faint smile and said, "it was only zhao yan. he could be barely considered within the top ten amongst the young heavenly prides of the bloodline of heavenly emperor zhao" li luo''s face turned gloomy when he heard this. it was only then that li jingzhe chuckled. "you little fox, just say what you want to say." li luo pointed to the fragments of the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade and said dryly, "i have no more usable weapons, so won''t you replace my old one for me?" li jingzhe smiled and said, "your performance was indeed great. since you''ve earned merits, you naturally need to receive rewards. that is the rule of the dragon''s fang lineage after all." he fiddled with the fragments in front of him as he pondered slightly. "although the kingmark within this blade of yours is broken, the good news is that it hasn''t completely disappeared. there is still some residual aura dispersed throughout these fragments, forming a rudimentary bond with them. although this bond will dissipate very soon, if you reforge the blade before that happens, perhaps there will be some unexpected gains." "really?" li luo was taken aback. with a wave of his robed sleeve, li jingzhe rolled up the fragments of the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade and said, "leave this to me. i''ll look for the best blacksmith to forge something for you when we return to dragon''s fang mountain." "thank you, grandpa!" li luo cried with great joy. li jingzhe waved him off as he suddenly glanced at the scarlet bracelet on his wrist and said, "show me that bracelet of yours." li luo obediently removed the bracelet and handed it over. li jingjing took the bangle, observing it for a moment before exclaiming, "what an intricate sealing ward! the king who gave you this artifact has a few unique techniques." he extended his finger and gently flicked the top of the bracelet, causing a slight vibration to emanate. at the next instant, a wisp of blood mist rose from it, transforming into a wolf silhouette about the size of a palm in front of li luo. it was the three-tailed heavenly wolf. however, it didn''t have the ferocious aura that li luo had previously seen. instead, it was curled up into its tail, shivering. it cut a rather pitiful figure. that was because it had detected an even more powerful aura from li jingzhe than pang qianyuan, the one who had sealed it. "this great spirit beast is what you relied on to deal with the threats in the spiritual resonance cave, isn''t it?" li jingzhe stared at the three-tailed heavenly wolf while chuckling. li luo retorted, "it only serves as a bit of extra seasoning on top of your grandson''s own might and bravery." li jingzhe smiled and continued, "it should be from the heavenly wolf clan. has it evolved to five tails now? i suppose it''s rather useful." "grandpa, don''t scare it. little three has helped me a lot over the yearsi have relied on its strength in many critical moments." li luo pouted. the three-tailed heavenly wolf cast a grateful gaze at li luo, secretly feeling thankful. fortunately, it and li luo had established a tenuous alliance a while back, and it hadn''t hindered li luo in the spiritual resonance cave. otherwise, it would probably have died miserably today. li jingzhe stared at the three-tailed heavenly wolf blankly and said, "good for you." following this, he cautioned li luo, "although the sealing bracelet suppresses the savage energy of the three-tailed heavenly wolf, you should not rely on it too much. it is, after all, a great spirit beast at the duke stage. even though it doesn''t have any intention to erode your consciousness, it will still have an effect on you if you keep using its power. the result can be as terrible as damage to your foundation. " li luo obediently agreed. pang qianyuan had also said such words, so he wouldn''t op to use the three-tailed heavenly wolf if it wasn''t a last resort. "grandpa, little three was also injured gravely. i used its power to clash with the spirit eye other king..." li luo looked at the wolf silhouette before him. he was able to feel the dejection that the latter exuded. the spirit eye other king not only dispersed his attack, his terrifying power had also heavily wounded the three-tailed heavenly wolf within the bracelet. li luo was even able to feel the weakness of the three-tailed heavenly wolf at this moment. it seemed like it would be in recovery for a long while. when li jingzhe heard this, he thought for a moment and stared at the three-tailed heavenly wolf before saying, "fine. on account of the fact that you have protected li luo, i will give you a chance. "if you are able to make use of this opportunity, it will greatly benefit your own cultivation." an ecstatic emotion immediately surged out of the three-tailed heavenly wolf''s eyes, then it lowered its head and kowtowed to li jingzhe. li jingzhe turned to li luo as he raised the scarlet bracelet and said, "i will keep this item for now and return it to you later." li luo had no objection. there were many powerful dukes in the heavenly origin divine continent, and the three-tailed heavenly wolf was only on par with the weakest of them. if the wolf could advance with the help of li jingzhe, li luo would benefit as well. moreover, after gaining this boon, the three-tailed heavenly wolf would also have more trust and loyalty towards him. seeing li jingzhe put away the bracelet, li luo slightly pondered before saying, "grandpa, there is something i need to talk to you about." "what is it?" li luo replied, "after returning to the dragon''s fang lineage and resting for a few days, i plan to leave for a while. i have something i need to go to the heavenly origin ancient college for. at the same time, i will bring the nine marks sacred heart lotus with me." "going to the heavenly origin ancient college, huh?" li jingzhe nodded, but he did not stop him. "that''s fine, but there is a task that needs to be completed before you go." "what?" li jingzhe smiled. "pass the fiendish devil cave. there are many rewards to be obtained in there." Chapter 1053: Primordial Seed chapter 1053: primordial seed a majestic flying ship pierced through the clouds, smoothly maneuvering as if traveling over land. on the hull of the vessel was a lifelike fire lotus pattern. this was the flying ship of the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. and at this moment, qin lian was sitting cross-legged in the cabin on the top floor of the flying ship, her gaze fixed on the beautiful figure in front of her as she calmly asked, "qin yi, have you completed the task i entrusted you with?" complicated emotions surfaced on qin yi''s stunningly beautiful cheeks. she naturally knew about the task that qin lian was talking about. it was for her to find an opportunity to obtain a piece of li luo''s flesh and blood. she gently shook her head and said, "i''ve disappointed you, mother. li luo''s defenses against me were immensely solid, and the trump card he had hidden was extremely strong. not only was zhao yan heavily injured by him, i even witnessed him slay the true devil other with my own eyes. therefore, i could not obtain his flesh and blood." qin lian''s face chilled slightly as she said, "you''re too much of a disappointment!" qin yi slightly hung her head and said, "i apologize for my incompetence." qin lian stared at her daughter and said in a cold voice, "i''m warning you right now. that li luo brat is indeed good-looking, but i am mortal enemies with his family. either i will die at their hands, or they will die at my hands one day. as my daughter, you''d better figure out where you stand!" qin yi softly replied, "what are you saying, mother? there is no relationship between li luo i. you are my mother, so i will stand by your side no matter what." qin lian smiled, and her expression eased a little as her eyes flickered. "you said earlier that li luo entered the medicine hut without displaying the plaque? and the white ape there took him into the main house?" qin yi nodded and said, "that''s correct. i didn''t see li luo take out any plaque, and the white ape seemed to be quite courteous and even respectful to him. my guess is that perhaps li luo was extremely lucky and obtained an important status in the spiritual resonance cave."n-/ovelb1n qin lian sneered and said, "how could a status obtained within the spiritual resonance cave be higher than the elder plaque i gave you? i found that plaque in the ruins of the sacred void resonance sect, along with the information about the medicine hut..." qin yi was puzzled. "then why would the white ape be so polite to him and even invite into the main house? i surmise that li luo gained a lot of rewards there." qin lian''s eyes flickered before she waved her hand and said, "forget it. this issue has already passed, so there is no need to pursue it any further. after you return, you must start making preparations for breaking into the heavenly resonance stage in the future." qin yi nodded in response before turning around and withdrawing. following qin yi''s departure, qin lian''s face sharply turned icy and her eyes glittered with suspicion. "that brat li luo was respectfully ushered into the main house by the white ape without presenting the elder plaque. his identity..." as such, whether it was the others, the human race, or other living beings, everyone took a great interest in the primordial seed. because in the long records of history, there had always been a saying: chaos is primordial. there were some who said that chaos was perhaps the origin of the others... after all, the most frightening and disturbing existences to all living things under heaven and earth were the others. but the primordial seed was the oldest hidden secret in the world, and it presented a temptation no one could resist. silence fell within the secret chamber. the wild surges in qin jiujie''s eyes finally calmed down. even he could not be unruffled when the primordial seed was mentioned. "well, it is also possible that the primordial seed is still within the ruins of the sacred void resonance sect, and that li taixuan and tan tailan may not have obtained it back then," qin jiujie slowly said. the implications of the primordial seed were too great, so only qin jiujie and those in true positions of power within the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing were privy to this information. even then, they did not dare to hunt down li taixuan too aggressively, because they all understood that although he had left the heavenly origin divine continent, li jingzhe was always on the lookout. if they acted too aggressively, they would inevitably attract suspicion. of course, another important issue was that nobody could truly ascertain if li taixuan and tan tailan had obtained the primordial seed. all of this was just based on qin lian''s suspicions. however, even if it was just a guess, the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing had acted as if they were ready to go to war with the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. "grand palace master, what if they really did manage to obtain the primordial seed?" qin lian queried softly. qin jiujie fell silent. if li taixuan and tan tailan had indeed gotten their hands on the primordial seed, it would only be a matter of time before the bloodline of heavenly emperor li would far surpass the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing. if that ever occurred, then the bloodline of heavenly emperor qing would definitely pay the price for the enmity that was sown between the two. the silence lasted for an uncomfortable length of time before qin jiujie slowly closed his eyelids and said, "li jingzhe''s advancement to the dual crowned king tier has greatly increased the strength of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. and making such a huge spectacle of attacking divine tiger king zhao zong was meant to warn us not to even think of doing anything to li luo. he is warning us. therefore, as long as li jingzhe is around, we won''t be able to touch li luo." qin jiujie smiled faintly and gazed at qin lian. "this situation still requires some plotting. wait for now, i have my own plans." qin lian understood what he meant. she hung her head and complied, but as she stared at the ground, she pictured the faces of li taixuan and tan tailan, her gaze turning ice-cold. *authors note: dear readers, here is a clarification. the original seed of genesis will henceforth be referred to as the primordial seed. it was a spelling error. haha. Chapter 1054: Golden Seal chapter 1054: golden seal in the dragon''s fang mountain range. li luo spent his first two days back at the dragon''s fang mountain range behind closed doors, only stepping out once to visit li rouyun. he relaxed himself, clearing all useless thoughts and fully focusing on recovering. the spiritual resonance cave expedition had been extremely dangerous for li luo. it was an exhausting adventure where he had to juggle dealing with the talented sprouts from the other powers, a sneak attack from the true devils, as well as the terrifying king that appeared in the end. although he had managed to come out alive, he was completely spent. he was not fit for further cultivation in this state of tension. the wiser move for the long term was to unwind for a while. two days later, in his cultivation chamber. li luo, who was now rejuvenated and full of vitality once more, sat cross-legged on the futon. he closed his eyes slightly and entered a cultivation state. it was also at this time that he finally activated the pearl condensation art that he had obtained from the spiritual resonance cave. the triple palaces six resonances pearl condensation art! now that he was finally at the heavenly pearl tier, having a good pearl condensation art was of utmost importance. the better his pearl condensation art, the more efficient it would be for him to condense his heavenly pearls. like an engine, a buzz echoed in his three resonant palaces. his six resonances were projected into the space behind him. water, light! wood, earth! thunder, dragon! the worldly natural energy surged as the six resonances intertwined with each other. energy with different attributes was drawn out continuously and flowed into his body. three dazzling and brilliant heavenly pearls appeared behind li luo and began to spin gradually. just beside the third pearl was a small spark of light. as the worldly natural energy flowed in, it gradually lit up and grew in size and brilliance.nove-lb)in this was the embryonic form of his fourth heavenly pearl. it hadn''t even been ten days since li luo had broken through to the heavenly pearl tier, yet his fourth heavenly pearl had already reached an embryonic stage. this was thanks to the impressive triple palaces six resonances pearl condensation art as well as the final fight in the spiritual resonance cave. coming face to face with death, his mental state was at its peak, and that was very beneficial to his cultivation. this went on for a while before the worldly natural energy being absorbed slowly calmed down. li luo''s tightly shut eyes slowly opened up. as a thought flashed through his mind, his fourth heavenly pearl floated before him. he nodded slightly as he sensed its progress. "the triple palaces six resonances pearl condensation art is really impressive. based on my progress, it''ll take me no more than half a month to condense the fourth heavenly pearl completely," li luo muttered to himself. such speedy progress would make others elated, but it was not enough for li luo. however, the last bits of energy from the enlightenment core had been exhausted, and it had only been enough to form half of his resonance origin. he could only vaguely make out its overall shape. it was like an incomplete, golden seal. "so this is the resonance origin?" li luo muttered to himself curiously. he would need it to assist his cultivation once he reached the heavenly resonance tier. this was the thing he would use as the foundation of his duke bergfrieds in the end. as li luo stared at it, faint, golden light continued to spill out of the incomplete seal. the water around it was slowly being dyed gold, giving off an unparalleled sense of purity that was incomparable to the way it was before. "so it seems one enlightenment core is not enough?" li luo frowned. however, this was not an issue for him. he had quite a few left with him after all. he took out another enlightenment core and swallowed it without hesitation. rain once again began to fall in his waterlight resonance palace. he repeated the process and exhausted four enlightenment cores in total. in the end, a golden seal had completely formed in the middle of his waterlight resonance lake. the seal exuded an ancient aura. it was like a fish full of spirituality, swimming happily in the lake. wherever it swam past, the water was refined and further purified. at the same time, the golden seal continued to absorb waterlight resonance power as if it was feeding on it. however, it was not without end. once it reached its limit, the golden seal shook a little and a golden water pearl was produced. the golden water pearl floated on the lake''s surface, giving off a similarly archaic presence, much like the golden seal itself. li luo opened his eyes. he was lost in thought for a moment before he decided to take action. flicking his finger, a strand of resonant power flew out and circled around him. he focused his mind, and the golden water pearl from the golden seal flew out, fusing with the strand of resonant power immediately. the fusion of the two led to the strength of the resonant power skyrocketing. there was also a sense that it had been refined further, and the result was the condensation of something more tyrannical and mighty. without a doubt, the golden water pearl''s purpose was to amplify one''s power. li luo was pleasantly surprised with this result. the golden water pearl contained a trace of source origin and could improve the purity of his resonance power. this was the main advantage of the heavenly resonance tier. who knew that he could obtain this result with the assistance of the enlightenment cores? it was no wonder qin yi and the others were dying to get their hands on themthey were a potent tonic and boost for those at the heavenly resonance tier. li luo''s eyes lit up as his hand swiped the pocket sphere on his wrist. he should be able to create quite a number of golden seals with the amount he had left. these seals would lead to a virtuous cycle where even more golden water pearls would be created! if everything was activated when he fought against his foes, he could temporarily experience a huge spike in resonant power. this was a huge boost to his battle strength. "not bad at all." li luo stood up in satisfaction. with that, his cultivation session had ended for today. he would head over to the green nether banner tomorrow and meet his fellow banner members. there was a need to speed up his progress in the fiendish devil cave after all. once everything was said and done, he could finally head for the heavenly origin ancient college. Chapter 1055: Setting New Records chapter 1055: setting new records on the next day, li luo visited the green nether drill grounds. he found all eight thousand banner members standing in an orderly formation, with the banner''s flag flying grandly behind. "congratulations, dragon''s head!" they all shouted out in unison as soon as li luo appeared. "what a grand sight." li luo smiled happily as he observed them. he walked onto the stage and told zhao yanzhi, li shi, mu bi, and the various sub leaders in the front row, "i haven''t seen you in almost a month. i was afraid there might have been a civil uprising and i''d be thrown out!" zhao yanzhi chuckled and looked at li luo with charming eyes. "dragon''s head, you are now the number one figure in the younger generation in the heavenly origin divine continent. even geniuses like qin yi and zhao shenjiang pale in comparison to you. who would dare to kick you out?" the events that had transpired in the spiritual resonance cave had spread throughout the heavenly origin divine continent over the past few days. the green nether banner members had naturally heard as well and were very excited about the result.? after all, li luo was the banner leader of the green nether banner. as fellow members working under li luo, they felt incomparably honored that he had displayed such remarkable feats in the spiritual resonance cave. whenever they spoke with members of the other three banners of the dragon''s fang lineage, they could sense their envy. thinking back, the green nether banner was no different from common rabble amongst the twenty banners just a year ago. li shi, mu bi, and the other sub leaders felt endless admiration towards their leader. li luo was merely the dragon''s head when he first entered the spiritual resonance cave. now that it had ended and he was compared against his peers, he had demonstrated his unquestionable brilliance amongst the prided elites. it was also said that li luo had reached the three-pearl tier. this far exceeded their expectations, and it made them think back to when he first joined the green nether banner a year ago. li luo weaker than even the sub leaders at that time, but now... there was such a huge gap in their strength. looking at their leader now, they finally understood what it meant to be compared to a heavenly genius. besides, li luo had spent the bulk of his youth in a barren outer divine continent. if he had developed in the dragon''s fang lineage, he would most likely have reached even the heavenly resonance tier long ago. li luo looked at the eyes of idolatry from his banner members. he understood that he had cemented his status and attained their absolute respect. perhaps this was comparable to how the green nether banner felt back when his dad led it. li luo smiled and looked at them. he said in a warm voice, "have you guys been slacking off while i was gone? i have set a goal for everyone. i hope that we can give it our all." "boss, you just have to give the command and we will follow it!" mu bi shouted loudly. li luo smiled brightly and said, "i want to clear the seventy-two layers of the fiendish devil cave in a month''s time. please lend me your strength, everyone." the cheers in the crowd suddenly died down. everyone looked at li luo with shocked faces. clearing all seventy-two laters in a mere month? that was an impossible task.nove.lb.in the green nether banner was currently at layer sixty-three. although they were just nine layers away, everyone knew that the last few layers of the fiendish devil cave were the hardest. clearing the last nine layers in a month''s time was an extremely challenging task. the silence went on for a while before zhao yanzhi softly said, "boss, are you aware of which banner holds the record for the fastest clear of all seventy-two layers of the fiendish devil cave? do you know who the banner leader was at the time?" "clear the seventy-two layers!" "set a new record!" "li taixuan? who cares about him? we''ll set a new record!" when everyone in the crowd heard that last hoarse roar, they looked at the man in shock. who did he think he was? li luo was very satisfied with his banner''s reinvigorated fighting spirit. after all, it was impossible to clear this fiendish devil cave with his efforts alone. achieving harmony was the key here, and the fighting spirit of the green nether banner would affect it directly. as such, it was a worthy deal to trade some of these enlightenment cores to bolster the morale of the green nether banner. with such a great reward awaiting them, they would definitely fight courageously! now that everyone was mentally prepared, he just needed to boldly advance. li luo''s generous encouragement reaped its rewards shortly after. as soon as the fiendish devil cave opened three days later, the green nether banner charged forth like ravenous wolves. the other three banners of dragon''s fang lineage were surprised as they watched them blitz through the fiendish devil cave. their progress was extraordinary. the green nether banner ended up going from layer sixty-three to layer sixty-six in a single breath. this left the other nineteen banners of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li completely stunned. what had gotten into the green nether banner all of a sudden? it had suddenly erupted with heightened morale. however, li luo was not surprised by this explosive progress. he was only at the fiend finisher tier the last time they tackled the fiendish devil cave. he now possessed three-pearl strength. with such a huge power-up, the layers that had been a challenge previously were now easy peasy. the green nether banner''s speedy progress caused a huge uproar amongst the other banners. at the same time, li luo''s bold declaration to clear the fiendish devil cave in a month''s time also spread. not only did it cause a big commotion within the twenty banners, some of the hall masters in the other lineages were also surprised. to clear all seventy-two layers of the fiendish devil cave in a month... li luo, was he thinking of breaking the record set by his father? this brat... was really ambitious! he wouldn''t even let his father off! the commotion from the spiritual resonance cave had not even died down completely when all of a sudden, all the attention and limelight had fallen back on the green nether banner. li luo was once again a shining star. Chapter 1056: Great Advancements in Strength chapter 1056: great advancements in strength layer seventy-one of the fiendish devil cave.n--o--v).e/-l-.b--i((n majestic and terrifying energy fluctuations swept out from the mountains like tsunamis. mountain peaks constantly crumbled and huge cracks spread out in all directions along mountain faces. smoke and dust blanketed the sky. a huge silhouette loomed within the curtain of smoke and dust. after it gradually cleared, a huge figure hundreds of feet tall stood between heaven and earth was revealed. it was a six-armed fiendish devil leader with countless ancient and mysterious runes inscribed on its body, each one emitting a strange light. the fiendish devil leader was extremely powerful. energy storms were conjured between each of its breaths, wreaking havoc and destruction within the mountain range. it was a giant beast of destruction. in the distance, the green nether banner''s eight thousand members looked at the fiendish devil leader with solemn faces. after the recent period of intense tempering, the green nether banner''s strength had increased greatly. at the same time, their spiritual energies were condensed to the extreme, a powerful testament to their victories that had accumulated one after another. moreover, they had progressed to the seventy-first layer of the fiendish devil cave under li luo''s leadership, an achievement they could surely be proud of. at this moment, every single person was proud of being a member of the green nether banner, so they were naturally doing everything they could to uphold this pride. this was the third time that li luo had returned to the dragon''s fang mountain range to enter the fiendish devil cave. during these twenty days or so, the green nether banner had had a very hard time undergoing one bitter battle after another. they had started at layer sixty-three and cruised straight up to layer seventy-two! their speed not only shocked the members of the other banners, even many seniors of the five lineages were astonished at their progress. when li luo first made the bold statement of setting a new record for the fiendish devil cave, not too many people were optimistic about his chances. after all, the current record holder was li taixuan. although li luo had repeatedly achieved amazing feats over the past year, the prestige that li taixuan had garnered was accumulated over many years. compared to that, li luo was ultimately a little green. however, the green nether banner pierced through the fiendish devil cave step by step and eventually arrived at layer seventy-one around twenty days later. all doubts and scrutiny disappeared at this juncture. their accomplishment not only erased the doubts of outsiders, the members of the green nether banner also began to see the hope and possibility of breaking the record. therefore, although they were originally motivated by the rewards promised by li luo, they were now pushing themselves to bring home the glory of breaking the record. this was because they wanted to carve out their legacy in the history of the twenty banners, so that every future member would remember the green nether banner of this generation! achieving that result would also be greatly beneficial to their future prospects. in the future, when they left the twenty banners and went to serve in the huge territory of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, nobody would dare to slack off in their presence as long as they mentioned that they were from the record-breaking green nether banner. the fiendish devil leader in front of them was the guardian of layer seventy-one. as long as they defeated him, they would be able to move on to challenge the last layer! the record was in sight. li luo floated in midair. his eyes had become sharper due to the battles he had experienced in the past few weeks, which had been a few notches more intense than those within the spiritual resonance cave. although harmony was not his own power, it made him as strong as a duke stage expert. right then, li luo''s gaze focused as he stared at the huge body of the fiendish devil leader that was guarding the exit of layer seventy-one in the distance. he whispered softly to himself, "upper third-grade duke stage." indeed, the fiendish devil leader before him was clearly equivalent to an upper third-grade duke! li luo guessed that he would have been destroyed by its mere breath if he didn''t have the support of harmony. roar! the black dragon roared as its fanged maw opened wide. a noxious, black dragonbreath imbued with a corrosive effect sprayed towards the fiendish devil leader. the fiendish devil leader screeched shrilly as two columns of arcane light shot out of its gigantic eyes. the arcane light was so hot that even the void became distorted as a result. the two terrifying forces collided, causing the void to shatter even more. but it was the fiendish devil leader who gained the upper hand in the end. the arcane light made the dragon''s breath dissipate. some sighs rang out from within the void. the spectators were the higher-ups of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, and they had been paying close attention to this battle, it seemed like the upper third-grade duke fiendish devil leader was a difficult roadblock. if li luo was unable to surpass this obstacle, the final floor would be out of reach. however, just as they were lamenting over the situation, they suddenly started to hear a low sword chant. the sword hymns rose with the wind and quickly became loud and clear. countless surprised looks were cast, and they realized that that sword chant was coming from the black dragon''s breath. the breath dissipated at this moment, leaving behind a sword light. when the sword light appeared, the heavens and earth were filled with extremely sharp sword qi that even eroded and sliced the worldly natural energy. the faces of numerous dukes who were spectating suddenly changed color. it was because they sensed that that sword light was particularly terrifying! "dual resonance dragon fang, void obliteration sword phantasm," li luo said in a soft voice the sword light was the true killer move hidden in the underworld river''s black dragon banner. dazzling sword light slashed through the heavens and earth. the mighty fiendish devil leader sensed the incoming crisis, and its six arms punched a barrage of terrifying fist shadows in an attempt to block it. however, everything that the sword light passed by instantaneously froze in place. a few breaths later, li luo deeply exhaled a cloud of white vapor. in the reflection of his pupils, the distant fiendish devil leader that was emitting monstrous pressure... had all six arms broken. a sword scar as deep as an abyss had been carved on the rolling mountain range behind it. the eight thousand banner members were silent. the spectating dukes were also at a loss for words. the towering fiendish devil leader crashed down on its back. upon hitting the ground, it exploded into countless orbs of brilliant light that swept throughout the air, forming a violent shower of energy that rained down. li luo stood in the air, quietly absorbing and refining the rain of energy that washed down upon him, eyes closed. this was a boon of his victory. bolstered by the massive influx of energy, a tiny ball of light gradually condensed below the four heavenly pearls behind him. after a long while, li luo opened his eyes, and a smile appeared at the corners of his lips as he felt the undulating resonant power surge within his body. then he raised his head and gazed into the void, as if addressing those prying eyes, and said, "the green nether banner will challenge layer seventy-two in seven days." Chapter 1057: Five Golden Seals chapter 1057: five golden seals the news of the green nether banner''s completion of layer seventy-one of the fiendish devil cave spread throughout almost the entire heavenly dragon''s five lineages in the following days, which naturally garnered much attention. normally speaking, a regular completion of the fiendish devil cave wouldn''t have caused such a big stir. after all, the twenty banners were just small fry in the context of the entire bloodline of heavenly emperor li. but its completion in this particular time was different. because this could be the birth of a new record. the previous record set by li taixuan had been untouched for decades, and it had become a barrier that every subsequent generation of the heavenly dragon''s five lineages'' geniuses were unable to overcome. however, li luo seemed to have truly raised the possibility of breaking the record. still, not everyone was optimistic. after all, passing layer seventy-one did not mean that one could successfully clear the final level. the difficulty of layer seventy-two was well known to everyone. otherwise, it would not have become a roadblock that made so many of the geniuses from the twenty banners discuss it with fear. in the past century, only thirteen banners had managed to pass layer seventy-two. each generation of the twenty banners lasted about two to three years, and most banners only cleared the seventy-second layer after the two-year mark. and those who were able to pass before two years were few and far between. li taixuan''s one year and seven month record was simply an insurmountable mountain in the eyes of the geniuses of the various banners. and now, li luo was attempting to scale that very mountain and leave behind an even higher peak. while all eyes of the heavenly dragon''s five lineages were focused on the upcoming challenge of layer seventy-two, the main star of the event, li luo, did not show his face at all. he had been spending all his time immersed in cultivation. ...... within the cultivation chamber of a modest building.n((o-)v-/e-.l//b)-i./n li luo''s eyes were shut tight, and a dense mass of worldly natural energy constantly flowed around him. four brilliant heavenly pearls slowly rotated behind him, greedily absorbing the surrounding energy. another point of light had begun to coalesce beside the pearls. it was the skeletal blueprint of the fifth heavenly pearl, though it obviously needed more time to truly condense into a proper heavenly pearl. however, li luo hadn''t been focusing on channeling all his energy to the fifth heavenly pearl, but rather to the golden seal that was derived from his resonance origin. within the waterlight resonance palace in his body was a pristine, shimmering lake, its water crystalline and exuding a sense of clarity. "i can only do my best." li luo chuckled. worried, li fengyi replied, "you are getting a bit ahead of yourself. there''s no way you can win with your current strength. if you just wait a month, your chances will definitely increase by several percent. i asked my father before i came here, and it seems the earlier you attempt to clear the floor, the higher the difficulty. third uncle challenged it when it was one year and seven months in; do you know what appeared on layer seventy-two?" li luo''s expression changed. "was it not a fiendish devil leader?" li fengyi shook her head and said, "that''s the case when the fiendish devil cave is more than two years old, but it is different before that. what third uncle met at layer seventy-two was a fourth-grade duke stage creature from the dragon race. it''s said that it was extremely strong, and even third uncle had a very difficult time dealing with it." "a fourth-grade duke stage creature from the dragon race." li luo''s eyes narrowed slightly. amongst the thousands of spirit beast races, the dragon race definitely stood at the top of the pyramid, and one as powerful as a fourth-grade duke was bound to have terrifying battle prowess. the old man''s record was truly magnificent; it was no wonder nobody had been able to beat it for so many years. li fengyi nodded and continued with uncertainty in her voice, "you want to challenge it one month earlier than third uncle, so i surmise that the obstacles that will appear on layer seventy-two will be even more tricky." li luo smacked his lips. sure enough, the old man had pushed the record to a perverse limit, and one had to become an even more deranged maniac in order to surpass him. li luo would not have chosen to take on such an extreme challenge if not for the fact that he planned to leave for a while. but there was no way around it, as time was too precious for him. "whatever the case, i''ll give it a go with all i have! there''s nothing to lose if i fail anyway." li luo chuckled. li jingtao and li fengyi nodded. after all, since all the lineages were intently observing, there would be much ridicule if li luo suddenly backed down. go for it! if you succeed, i''m sure that even the five guardian armies will be astonished." the two encouraged him. li luo acknowledged them with a smile and chatted for a while longer before seeing them off. shortly after the two left, ox biaobiao and li rouyun arrived to impart some words of encouragement. li luo received them gratefully. he also sensed that there seemed to be something amiss between the two, so he raised his brow quizzically at ox biaobiao. li rouyun noticed li luo''s gaze and blushed slightly, while ox biaobiao explained, "ah yun hasn''t been feeling the best lately, i''m just accompanying her." li luo understood that li rouyun''s somber mood was naturally because of li lingjing''s departure, and having ox biaobiao accompany her to ease her mood was a good thing. ox biaobiao and li rouyun didn''t bother li luo too much after leaving their encouragement. li luo saw the two of them off and then stood in front of the building, looking at the mountain bathed in moonlight. his mind was serene and at peace. although there were some unexpected developments in the upcoming challenge, he was looking forward to it. li luo grinned to himself. "say goodbye to your record tomorrow, old man!" Chapter 1058: Obstruction on Layer 72 chapter 1058: obstruction on layer 72 the fiendish devil peak of the dragon''s fang lineage was undoubtedly the center of attention in the bloodline of heavenly emperor li today. in each courtyard in the dragon''s fang lineage, a huge mirror of light slowly rose till it was suspended in midair. the mirrors were currently murky and cloudy, not displaying anything. once the green nether banner entered layer seventy-two, their struggle inside would be projected in real time onto the giant mirrors.nove.lb.1n this was not only happening within the dragon''s fang lineagemany similar mirrors also appeared in the other four lineages. ...... dragon''s blood lineage, fiendish devil peak the four banners of the dragon''s blood lineage had long converged on the square, their mystified sights trained on the huge light mirror that was rising into the air. the previous attempts on the fiendish devil cave had never attracted such fanfare. no matter what the outcome of the challenge was, all the members of the four banners of the dragon''s blood lineage knew that the mere fact that li luo had garnered such attention meant that he had far outdone everyone present. li qingfeng stood at the vanguard of the thousands of banner members, arms folded. as he stared at the mirror of light, his expression looked especially conflicted. originally... he was the frontrunner of the young geniuses of the heavenly dragon''s five lineages , but the glory that belonged to him had completely changed owners with the arrival of li luo. "brother qingfeng, i don''t think li luo can possibly succeed. he''s too ambitious. he wants to break the record left behind by li taixuan, but he doesn''t know what exactly will happen to him by challenging layer seventy-two one month earlier." li hongli noticed li qingfeng''s expression and couldn''t help but comfort him. li qingfeng shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "i do hope he succeeds." li hongli was stunned. li qingfeng admitted forlornly, "li luo indeed possesses supreme talent. if he hadn''t appeared in our generation, then who would we rely on to keep qin yi, zhao shenjiang, and the others in check? if he can really lead the green nether banner to create a new record, then at the very least this generation of ours can be considered to have left a mark in the history of the twenty banners. though... the protagonist will not be the dragon''s blood lineage." li hongli was dumbfounded, and she felt equally conflicted. in the past, she had always looked down on the weaker li luo. coupled with the resentment passed down from their parents'' generation, she had always felt animosity towards him. alas, reality would not always conform to what her heart desired. in the short span of less than a year, li luo had demonstrated rapid progress that made even someone as strong as li qingfeng begin to feel frustrated. if li luo truly did set a new record during today''s challenge, then all the other lineages and banners of the current batch would be overshadowed by him and the green nether banner. it would be a repeat of what happened before. ...... main peak of dragon''s fang mountain. li jingzhe was sitting in a stone pavilion, his measured gaze skimming over the mirror of light rising in front of him. li qingpeng, li jinpan, zhao xuanming, and the heads of the various halls were all gathered behind him. "this scene reminds me of when third brother led the green nether banner through the fiendish devil cave." li qingpeng laughed before letting out a sigh. what unfolded before his eyes was a huge lagoon with islands scattered everywhere. li luo frowned slightly as he did not sense any energy fluctuations from a fiendish devil. moreover, there were no energy fluctuations of any sort. this abnormal situation caused li luo to become even sharper and more alert. his old man had met a fourth-grade duke stage dragon in layer seventy-two, and li luo was challenging the layer even earlier, meaning the obstacle would be more difficult than that. "green nether banner, harmony!" li luo bellowed deeply. the eight thousand banner members erupted in a low roar. at the next moment, their breaths merged into one, transforming into a majestic energy that supplemented li luo''s body. feeling the immense boost of energy, li luo''s fears were slightly eased. by his estimates, his spiritual energy level was now undoubtedly equivalent to an upper third-grade duke. with this kind of strength added to his own techniques, he had a chance of coming out even in a fight against a fourth-grade duke. li luo floated in the air as his eyes sharply scanned the surroundings. a moment later, he finally detected something strange not far away. he spotted a humanoid silhouette on a island. li luo approached cautiously, and only when he was closer did he realize that the figure was pretending to be sleeping. it seemed to be a handsome-looking youth with silky, untied hair. he was sitting cross-legged with a golden staff with a dragon coiled around it resting on top of his lap. li luo furrowed his brows as he scanned the dashing young man. it seemed that the main obstacle on this floor was him. but what exactly was this person''s origin? was it a certain ancestor from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li? as more questions ran through li luo''s mind, the handsome youth suddenly opened his eyes. his pupils were as bright and as deep as the milky way, seemingly reflecting the mysticism of the ancients. spotting li luo, a smile appeared on his face. "i never expected anyone to enter layer seventy-two so early and activate this avatar of mine." he sounded a little incredulous. li luo''s heart skipped a beat as he cupped his fist and said, "greetings, senior. i am li luo. may i learn your name?" the handsome young man stretched his waist and slowly stood up as he gripped the golden coiled dragon staff. a gentle laugh echoed out. "me? you may call me... li jun." the instant the young man''s words escaped his mouth, every single person who was watching outside froze as none could believe what they had just heard. countless eyes had popped out of their sockets in astonishment. shrill exclamations of shock and horror resounded in all lineages one after another. is that... the ancestor?!" the final challenge li luo would be facing was actually the first ancestor of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, heavenly emperor li jun himself? Chapter 1059: Ancestor Li Jun chapter 1059: ancestor li jun shocked and amazed voices resounded in all corners of the heavenly dragon''s five lineages at this moment as they all stared incredulously at the handsome young man holding the golden coiled dragon staff in the mirror of light. was this person actually their ancestor? it was just that his appearance did not seem to match most of the portraits they had seen. however, no one dared to doubt the truthfulness of the handsome young man''s words, because there was no one who would dare to impersonate the ancestor of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li! especially with the chiefs of the five lineages watching the battle, anyone who dared to impersonate the ancestor would be obliterated in an instant. after all, even the lineage chiefs would have to bow and pay their respects as juniors towards him. heavenly emperor li, li jun. this was the bedrock of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li! also the originator of the bloodline! as the ancestor resided in the world border to repel the others, many people within the clan had not seen him for many years. for the younger generation, the only way to catch a glimpse of the legendary progenitor was to see him on the portrait in the ancestral hall. this explained why they were so astonished when they saw that the challenge on layer seventy-two of the fiendish devil cave was actually the ancestor. excitement exploded in every corner of the heavenly dragon''s five lineages. not just them, even the five lineage chiefs were likewise looking at this scene with some bewilderment in their eyes. li jingzhe stared at the handsome young man in the mirror and muttered to himself, "i didn''t expect that challenging layer seventy-two this early would result in meeting the ancestor..." "father, why does the ancestor in front of us look different from the portraits?" li qingpeng asked, full of curiosity. everyone else also nodded frantically. the ancestor was a true legend to everyone in the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, so they were naturally very interested in him. "because this is not the ancestor''s true body," li jingzhe replied. "could it be a doppelganger?" li jinpan remarked. "it''s not really a doppelganger... it should just be a figment of intent left behind by the ancestor when he created the fiendish devil cave," li jingzhe slowly responded. a figment of intent? the onlookers gasped in amazement. how could a mere figment of intent exist for so long? "this is not an ordinary figment of intent. the ancestor dug into his own past and transformed into it. you could consider the ancestor in front of you as the ancestor when he was at the duke stage. he is completely tangible, yet almost indestructible; it seems that no one can fathom the intent of a heavenly emperor." a mere intention could be called indestructible? the crowd listened in bewilderment and horror. was this the divine technique of a mighty existence that stood at the pinnacle of heaven and earth? it was truly unimaginable. "but if the ancestor''s intent is guarding in layer seventy-two, that makes it completely impossible for anyone to pass, right?" li qingpeng laughed bitterly. the others were also dumbfounded. although the ancestor before them seemed to be only at the duke stage, what kind of strength would a future heavenly emperor exhibit? the difficulty of defeating such an existence was simply ridiculously high. li jingzhe was somewhat lost for words as well as he said, "the difficulty is indeed beyond imagination. the cheeky ancestor went and left a hidden technique to torment his juniors. but the fact that li luo was able to meet the figment of intent of the ancestor could actually be considered a success, in a manner of speaking." the others deeply agreed with him. being able to unlock the secret boss of layer seventy-two of the fiendish devil cave could not be considered a failure in the first place. after all, ever since the fiendish devil cave was created, no one had been able to discover this figment of intent left behind by the ancestor. being able to exchange blows with the ancestor, even though it was just a figment of intent from the past, was considered a great honor for anyone at the duke stage. however, while the crowd outside the cave was freaking out over the appearance of the ancestor, li luo''s own mood was somber.n-)o//v/-e()l-)b-.i(-n he stared blankly at the handsome young man holding the golden coiled dragon staff. the moment the latter said the name "li jun," he knew that he was in trouble. he hurriedly retreated. but the golden staff stuck to him like a shadow, incessantly striking at him. li luo frantically pulled out some treasured artifacts that he had prepared beforehand to defend against the onslaught. sadly, these defensive measures were like paper against the might of the golden staff, shattering as soon as the staff swept past. li luo finally realized that the golden coiled dragon staff in the hands of li jun was extraordinary, and it seemed to have the miraculous power to destroy treasured artifacts. regular treasured artifacts or even single violet-eye treasured artifacts could not endure its attacks. it was too tyrannical! li luo lamented. how could the ancestor even bring his own divine weapon? did he have to use the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow? still, that was a long-range treasured artifact that could not be used in melee combat. while losing a single violet-eye treasured artifact was regrettable, it was still acceptable. li luo would definitely cry a river of tears if the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow was destroyed as well. after the initial clash, ancestor li jun did not follow up with any other moves since the golden coiled dragon staff was powerful enough to force li luo into a corner. ...... in the stone pavilion of dragon''s fang mountain. witnessing this scene, li jingzhe sighed haplessly. "the golden coiled dragon staff of the ancestor broke many opponents'' hearts back in the day. li luo still lacks a treasured artifact suited for close quarters." just as he said this, li jingzhe''s expression changed abd he revealed a smile. "just in time." immediately after, he stretched out his finger and slashed down at the void in front of him. a gash appeared in the air as it was clearly split. in the distance, a faint ringing of metallic blades grew louder and louder. within the metallic ringing were the roars of dragons and elephants. as li jingzhe''s robed sleeves fluttered in the wind, a flash of sword light appeared and passed through the gash in the void. it was headed straight into layer seventy-two. while li luo was desperately retreating, his ears suddenly picked up on a somewhat familiar sound, the sound of a blade. suddenly, the space beside him was cut open, and a flash of sword light shot out. li luo instinctively stretched out his palm and grabbed the beam of light with his hand. right then, the golden staff came swinging down. li luo''s majestic energy roared out, bolstering the sword light in his hand and colliding with the staff. clang! clear sounds of iron and gold rang out and exploded across the lagoon, creating huge waves from the sonic booms. to li luo''s delight, the sword in his hand did not shatter. the ancestor''s golden coiled dragon staff, which specialized in destroying treasured artifacts, seemed to have lost its effect. as li luo drew back, his delighted gaze wandered towards the sword in his hand. "is this... the reforged golden-jade onyx-elephant blade?" Chapter 1060: Dragon Elephant Blade chapter 1060: dragon elephant blade the weapon in li luo''s hands appeared to be the same sword that he wielded in the past. however, it was slightly longer this time, and a golden light circled around the hilt. it seemed to have been adorned with dragon scales. the blade was dotted with points of glittering, golden light, each one emitting an aura of extreme sharpness. they seemed like... fragments of a dragon fang? the dragon fang shards were unusually sharp. added onto the sword, its sharpness was greatly enhanced. most importantly, li luo could see three violet marks around the hilt. each one around the size of an eye, they sucked in the worldly natural energy and refined themselves repeatedly. a triple violet-eye treasured artifact!n-)o(-v))e.-l)(b)/i-)n after the reforging process, the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade had transformed completely, reaching the triple violet-eyed grade. this great improvement was primarily made possible due to the kingmark left in the original golden-jade onyx-elephant blade. although it had been shattered, its remaining aura had been infused into the broken pieces. this had allowed it to increase in grade after getting reforged. li luo was ecstatic as he wrapped his fingers around the handle of the new golden-jade onyx-elephant blade. he could sense the same familiar feeling from wielding it all this time, but now there was a domineering aura that further augmented it. the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade had not been destroyed. it had been enhanced and transformed into something greater! the sword vibrated, and the cries of an ancient elephant could be heard coming from it. and now it was accompanied by the roar of a dragon. with this sword in hand, li luo was like a tiger blessed with wings. "since it''s been reborn, it deserves a new name. in the future, you''ll be called... the dragon elephant blade," li luo whispered to himself. the dragon elephant blade vibrated in his hand. it emitted domineering and sharp sword light, revealing a shocking sign of sentience. at the same time, the others from the various lineages had also noticed the sudden appearance of the treasured artifact. li tianji, the lineage chief of the dragon''s blood lineage, frowned when he saw this. "lineage chief jingzhe, how can you interfere with the training in fiendish devil cave? you are going against the rules by providing aid in the form of such a mighty treasured artifact." his voice pierced through the void and echoed in the sky above dragon''s fang mountain. the lineage chiefs from the other three lineages also turned their attention over. such interference by li jingzhe really did seem inappropriate. li jingzhe remained calm in the stone pavilion as he replied nonchalantly, "that sword has always belonged to li luo. it was destroyed during the calamity of the spiritual resonance cave, and i''ve simply promised to fix it for him, given his spectacular performance in the cave. as such, it''s not considered external aid. i''m just returning an item to its rightful owner. this is not considered against the rules. besides, can''t you tell that this has excited the intent of our ancestor? if you have any objections, feel free to voice it out to him directly." hearing this, the other lineage chiefs were left speechless. even li tianji was left without words, the corner of his mouth twitching. ...... layer seventy-two. the handsome, young li jun smiled when he saw the dragon elephant blade in li luo''s hands. "nice treasured artifact. it holds great potential for evolution." his face grew more and more solemn. the ancestor was simply frightening. the golden coiled dragon staff in his hand seemed to be able to shatter anything and everything in the world. li luo took a deep breath, and a ringing sound could be heard from the three resonant palaces in his body. resonant power surged out soon after. there were ten golden water pearls in the resonant lake of his waterlight resonance palace, and they exploded immediately. strands of primordial energy flowed out and fused with his resonant power. weng! at the moment of fusion, the resonant power coming from li luo''s body strengthened suddenly. joining the four radiant heavenly pearls behind him, the fifth one had condensed and the sixth one had appeared in embryonic form! five heavenly pearls! when the younger cultivators watching from outside saw this, they were astonished. "how did he reach the five-pearl tier already?!" li hongli exclaimed in shock. standing beside her, li qingfeng''s expression changed. he had trained bitterly for the past month and had only just reached the four-pearl tier. he finally thought that the gap between him and li luo could be closed, but looking at things now, he had been too naive. "this should be some kind of secret art that bolsters his strength to the five-pearl tier temporarily," li qingfeng explained. li hongli and the others were at a loss for words. li luo had too many tricks up his sleeve. as li luo''s power had been elevated by source origin energy, the strength of harmony had also reached shocking new heights. he had reached the limits of an upper fourth-grade duke. one could easily tell from the surprised expressions on the faces of all the dukes witnessing this scene, especially the fourth-grade dukes. the power of harmony was really magical. although it was just the combination of multiple lower grade experts, the result was beyond terrifying. this truly demonstrated the sheer might of a heavenly emperor power''s foundation. li jun grabbed onto his golden coiled dragon staff as he floated in midair. he observed the shocking energy waves pulsing out of li luo as he commented, "not bad, not bad. it is no wonder why you dared to challenge layer seventy-two so much earlier. little kid, you''re looking a little like me back in the day. however, you can forget about using ordinary moves to beat me. show me your real strength." li luo looked at him calmly as he formed handseal with a single hand. the heavenly pearls behind him rotated rapidly, and the worldly natural energy around him shook violently. an unparalleled sword energy filled the air as his handseals formed. at the next moment, an ancient and mythical sword formation emerged gradually in the sky above li luo. countless black rifts that were sliced open in the void in the presence of the formation could be seen in the air and in the lake. ancestor li jun was finally a little surprised as he looked at the mysterious sword formation. a smile appeared in the corner of his lips. "is this... the myriad resonances dragon fang sword formation?" Chapter 1061: Heavenly Dragons Cloudburst Art chapter 1061: heavenly dragon''s cloudburst art the giant sword formation was shrouded in an arcane aura as it emerged in the sky above. two dragon fang swords hovered within it, evident for all to see. they emitted sword energy filled with unparalleled sharpness that split the void open, revealing black lines. in fact, the countless spectators watching through the mirrors could feel a stinging pain in their eyes just at the sight of it. for some of the weaker ones, tears of blood flowed down their faces, demonstrating exactly how domineering the sword formation was. in fact, even some third and fourth-grade dukes couldn''t hide their surprise. they felt chills when they sensed the sheer power contained within the formation. if they were the ones standing before li luo, they would have no choice but to retreat! this left them with complicated feelings. although this terrifying energy output was only possible due to harmony, the truth was that a heavenly pearl junior was the source of it all! a heavenly pearl cultivator threatening a duke was a preposterous concept. anyone would feel unsettled with that realization. every member of the heavenly dragon''s five lineages stared at the mirrors without batting an eyelid. no one knew if this move of li luo''s could contend against the golden coiled dragon staff of the ancestor. amidst their countless gazes, li jun looked up at the mysterious sword formation and revealed a happy smile on his handsome face. "i didn''t expect a junior to be capable of learning this duke art of mine." he took a glance at li luo, and a flash of light passed through his eyes. "hmm, three palaces and six resonances? it''s no wonder you were able to cultivate it." li luo also smiled and replied sincerely, "there is nothing special about learning this art. on the contrary, creating it is what''s truly impressive! the younger generation can only dream of reaching your level and achieving even a fraction of what you have." li jun raised his eyebrows and smiled joyfully. "brat, it looks like you''re quite skilled when it comes to flattery." li luo''s cajoling words seemed to have been pretty effective. on the outside, the elders from the heavenly dragon''s five lineages listened with strange expressions on their faces. what in the world was going on? this brat was taking advantage of every opportunity to engage in the most shameless bootlicking they had ever seen! li jingzhe was such a stern and lawful person, so how had his grandson turned out like this? the gazes of li tianji and the other lineage chiefs seemed to pierce through the void, falling squarely onto li jingzhe who was sitting coolly in the stone pavilion on top of dragon''s fang mountain. li jingzhe simply sneered and said, "what a bunch of hypocrites. weren''t you guys all loafing around and sucking up to the ancestor, hoping to get something sweet as well back in the day? now that you''ve become kings, you''ve forgotten all about your actions?" some dry coughs reverberated through the void, and the gazes dissipated with those scorching words. li jingzhe''s lips curled up a little as he looked back at the mirror. "how did this kid know that the ancestor enjoys being praised more than anything? his instincts are sharp, and he needs no teacher for that," he murmured to himself. standing behind li jingzhe, li qingpeng, li jinpan, zhao xuanming, and the other elders of the dragon''s fang lineage stared intently at the mirror, pretending they had not heard his words at all. back in layer seventy-two, li jun gripped the golden coiled dragon staff and smiled. "little brat, let me have a look at how well you''ve mastered that duke art." even though the li jun in front of them was only at the duke stage, no one at his tier could hold a candle to him back in the day. li luo stared blankly at the golden rain that had enveloped the battlefield in front of him. he had just experienced the overwhelming power of the ancestor first-hand. he had not expected his most powerful duke art to be defeated so easily. he could tell from the energy undulations coming from li jun that they were at the same tier. li jun did not hold any advantage in cultivation level. after all, the proud ancestor had always been one to defeat stronger opponents. defeating a weaker foe would be meaningless to someone like him. this was truly the arrogance of a heavenly emperor. "little brat, if you condense three dragon fang swords, your sword formation will be able to break through my heavenly dragon''s cloudburst art," li jun said with a grin. li luo nodded and replied earnestly, "i still want to keep going." li jun was surprised by his response. looking at this youth in front of him, the burning desire to keep competing lit up in his eyes. the youth had not been demoralized by the previous exchange at all. such perseverance and determination was truly commendable. there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes as li jun looked at his opponent. he did not dissipate his art but instead flicked his finger, causing the torrential downpour to turn directly towards li luo. although each and every droplet looked insignificant, but everywhere they passed by seemed to have been struck by a meteor shower! the golden rain was reflected in li luo''s determined eyes, but his expression became calm and his mind was like a clear lake without any ripples. the three resonant palaces within his body buzzed, and he summoned up all the resonant power available to him. his spirit and energy were all condensed into a single point within his body. at the next moment, he could sense the mysterious auric halo deep inside him start to hum faintly. and then li luo formed yet another handseal. a second void obliteration sword phantasm materialized within his sword formation. but this time, there was golden light flowing from the auric halo in his body to the sword phantasm. finally, he waved his sleeve. weng! the manifestation of sword light soared towards the golden rain instantly. the result of the collision was evidently different from before. everyone was watching with shocked gazes. as the sword flew across the battlefield, the previously indomitable shower of golden rain that possessed enough power to wreak havoc across the land was extinguished! a few moments later, the sword penetrated through the curtain of rain. the clouds covering the sky opened up, looking like a clear afternoon after a heavy downpour. the entire lineage fell completely silent, and all the spectators'' hearts trembled at what they were witnessing. Chapter 1062: A Bountiful Reward chapter 1062: a bountiful reward "li luo... actually managed to dissolve the ancestors attack." surprised cheers finally erupted in all of the heavenly dragon''s five lineages like a volcano after a short period of silence; even the many duke experts had looks of admiration. they were all able to clearly feel the ferocity of the ancestor''s heavenly dragon''s cloudburst art and naturally knew that nobody at the fourth-grade duke stage could block it. but li luo had managed to do it. his powerful sword light erupted in a sweeping arc, dissipating the golden rain in the sky. just how sharp was the sword light? everyone found it hard to believe that a heavenly pearl tier cultivator could produce such a keen sword light. although he had the support of harmony, this was clear proof of just how talented li luo was. he was a heavenly genius not inferior to his father, li taixuan. many of the dukes from the heavenly dragon''s five lineages looked at the young figure in the mirror of light with conflicted expressions. they were in a trance, as if they had once again seen the man who had ruled the heavenly dragon''s five lineages years ago. if even the duke experts were so shocked, then of course the many figureheads of the younger generation such as li qingfeng, li hongli, lu qingmei, and so on were even more stupefied. ancestor li jun was a legendary figure in their minds, and they had never even laid eyes on him. but now li luo was fighting against the young ancestor and managing to resist the other party''s masterful attacks. this performance was even more amazing than fighting the true devil in the spiritual resonance cave. li qingfeng smiled bitterly at li hongli as he said, "i think i understand the kind of powerlessness my father and his generation felt when they faced li taixuan. "watching a maniac like him makes it difficult to even find the motivation to catch up." li hongli winced as she also felt a sense of inferiority. seeing li qingfeng''s forlorn expression, she attempted to console him. "he might be a terrifying talent now, but that does not mean much in the long run. what matters more is seeing who can walk longer and further. after all, there are records of cultivation geniuses reaching the duke stage and then stagnating. conversely, there have also been instances of cultivators that had slow starts but advanced faster and much further upon reaching the duke stage." still, these were just words of comfort. both she and li qingfeng knew deep in their hearts that cultivators who had monumental progress despite having slow beginnings were extremely rare. looking at li luo''s fearsome and regal appearance today, it was obvious that he did not belong to the group with limited potential. she then added, "li luo only appears this dazzling because he is a big fish in a small pond. we of the twenty banners are the youngest generation, and he will definitely meet more generational talents once he enters the heavenly dragon''s five guardian armies. someone is sure to outshine him in the future." the dragon''s blood lineage had gained too much over the years, completely overshadowing the dragon''s fang lineage. as such, li hongli was unable to accept that li luo was representing the dragon''s fang lineage to rise up and outshine the dragon''s blood lineage. "perhaps." li qingfeng was noncommittal and said no more. li luo replied with a straight face, "i don''t care for any rewards. fighting you, ancestor, has allowed me to experience how peerless you were in your youth, and that is the true reward. from now on, i shall follow the your example and climb to the top!" his bold words were loud and clearly transmitted along the mirrors of light to all the spectators outside. the faces of all the senior members of the heavenly dragon''s five lineages started twitching when they heard li luo''s words. the damn kid was far too thick-skinned. did he really think that people couldn''t see through his crude tactic of retreating in order to advance? do he think the ancestor wouldn''t recognize his petty trick? do he truly believe this would work? however, the five lineage chiefs remained totally expressionless. they knew very well that this petty tactic would absolutely work on the ancestor. as a result, all of their mouths were agape when they saw ancestor li jun''s beaming expression as he pointed at li luo and said with a chuckle, "this kid is indeed very interesting. "don''t worry. you are the first descendant to meet this intent of mine, and you have also passed the test, so the reward will definitely satisfy you." ancestor li jun stretched out his palm, and the vast worldly natural energy instantly surged and converged before finally taking the form of a golden liquid in the center of his palm. an indescribably pure energy seemed to be contained within the liquid. golden light began to radiate from the center of the golden liquid, and a gale blew fiercely around it. an instant later, a golden tree sprouted from the liquid. singular fruits hung from the boughs of the tree. dragon scales engraved with ancient and subtly glowing runes covered the surface of the fruits. ancestor li jun waved his hand, and the fruits fell down one after another, dropping towards the eight thousand banner members below. "these are golden dragon fruits. once consumed, they will increase and advance one''s resonant power and can also greatly strengthen one''s physical body." zhao yanzhi and the others frantically grabbed the golden dragon fruits, feeling the majestic and pure energy contained within them. they were trembling with excitement, and although the ancestor had explained it rather casually, they understood the preciousness of the golden dragon fruits. if they refined them, their strength would increase considerably. an improvement to their physical bodies in particular would greatly increase their combat power. after distributing the rewards among the banner members, li jun looked at li luo, who was staring back at him. with a slight smile, he stretched out his other hand, and the flesh in his palm cracked open, revealing a pill that slowly rose up. the pill was dark viridian in color and seemed rather ordinary, possessing no eye-catching details. but when it appeared, li luo could feel the blood in his veins begin to heat up like a blazing furnace. the dragon manifestation in his thunder dragon resonance palace erupted with a draconic roar of longing. li luo''s gaze was dead set on the dark-green pill. if it wasn''t for his sense of reason suppressing his inner emotions, he would already have reached out to grab it. on the outside, when li tianji, li jingzhe, and the other :ineage chiefs saw the dark viridian pill, their eyes couldn''t help but betray their emotions. a soft voice rang out. is that... "a true dragon seed pill?" Chapter 1063: True Dragon Seed Pill chapter 1063: true dragon seed pill "ancestor, what is this?" li luo suppressed the raging dragon resonance in his body, his gaze transfixed on the mysterious, dark-green pill. a true dragon seed pill," replied li jun nonchalantly. "true dragon seed pill?" li luo''s eyes glimmered with a thought as he said, "could it be that this is a sacred seed?" lu qing''er had shown him the holy permafrost seed at the spiritual resonance cave, so he knew that a sacred seed was an extremely powerful treasure. even among heavenly emperor forces, the sacred seed was a symbol of underlying strength. unfortunately, sacred seeds were too mysterious and too valuable for juniors like himself to know much about. "sacred seed? that''s wishful thinking on your part. you couldn''t handle something like that right now." li jun couldn''t help but laugh out loud at his words. li luo gave a sheepish grin. considering how important sacred seeds were, there was no chance he would receive one in a test while he was still in the twenty banners. "however, this item does have some relation to the sacred seed of our lineage. to be precise, this is refined with the power of the sacred seed, so it is called the true dragon seed pill," li jun explained. li luo jolted up and asked curiously, "what is the unique property of the true dragon seed pill?" li jun smiled and extended two fingers, explaining, "this item has two uses. the first is what is known as transforming dragon, and the second is the ascending dragon." "transforming dragon? ascending dragon? li luo''s eyes betrayed his thirst for more information. "transforming dragon is actually a simple effect. when you activate the true dragon seed pill, you can dragonize your physical body to possess the power of the dragon race. this is an all-encompassing dragonification. be it strength, defense, or even vitality, all your attributes will be like that of a dragon for a short period of time. the sanctified dragon''s body that you have already cultivated cannot compare. as for ascending dragon..." li jun paused and smiled. "it is for your dragon resonance. once you activate ascending dragon, the grade of your dragon resonance will be directly raised to the ninth-grade. the true ninth-grade to be exact." li luo''s eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. "th-th-the true dragon seed pill can raise my dragon resonance to the ninth-grade?!" if not for the fact that the person in front of him was a heavenly emperor, li luo would have laughed in his face! li luo was very well aware of how rare and strong ninth-grade resonances were. among his peers within the heavenly origin divine continent, only qin yi and zhao shenjiang possessed ninth-grade resonances. even quasi ninth-grade resonances were a rarity. li jingtao, who had been cultivating for many years, had only recently upgraded to a quasi ninth-grade with the help of the limit breaking heavenly dew. when he first arrived, he was only at the start of the earth fiend general stage. now he was at the five-pearl tier! if he were still in the astral sage college, he would be qualified to challenge the seven astral pillars. in terms of academic level, he would be in the three star hall. if he entered the three star hall as a five-pearl, he would definitely be feared as a demon in the astral sage college. it was now obvious that cultivating in the resource-rich dragon''s fang lineage was far better than doing so in the outer divine continent. as li luo''s mind raced, the space changed. when his vision cleared, he was already outside the fiendish devil cave. li luo could feel countless respectful gazes staring straight at him from all sides. they belonged to the other three banners of the dragon''s fang lineage. after personally witnessing the encounter between li luo and ancestor li jun, all of the banner members were won over. at this moment, no one remained unconvinced about li luo. they were deeply proud of li luo despite not belonging to the green nether banner, because they were all part of the dragon''s fang lineage! henceforth, who would be able to say that this batch of the dragon''s fang lineage was inferior to the dragon''s blood lineage? the three banners all beamed at the regal figure leading the green nether banner with utmost respect in their eyes. "hail the dragon''s head! "hail the green nether banner!" a single voice cried out before being joined by many others, eventually merging together into a raucous cacophony that echoed from the entrance of the fiendish devil cave all throughout the dragon''s fang mountain range. ...... atop dragon''s fang mountain, the various hall masters also heard resounding the cheers from afar. li qingpeng, li jinpan, and the rest all broke into smiles and congratulated li jingzhe. "congratulations, father. the dragon''s fang lineage has produced another peerless hidden dragon." the other hall masters also offered their congratulations. li luo''s performance today had indeed proved that he was worth of being called a "peerless hidden dragon." a smile blossomed on li jingzhe''s cold and solemn old visage. he stood up, affixing his gaze onto the fiendish devil peak from afar. "this time... i will not let any harm befall the hidden dragon of the dragon''s fang lineage." Chapter 1064: Commotion and Departure chapter 1064: commotion and departure in a few days'' time, the news of li luo leading the green nether banner to clear the entire fiendish devil cave spread throughout every city that belonged to the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. normally, clearing the fiendish devil cave wasn''t that special of an achievement. a new generation of the twenty banners cropped up every few years, and this was considered a training ground for the younger generation. compared to the heavenly dragon''s five guardian armies, the twenty banners didn''t capture the public''s attention that often. however, it was different this time. the green nether banner led by li luo had set a new record! even more surprisingly, he had encountered a manifested intent of the ancestor, heavenly emperor li. it was a heavenly emperor expert! that was an existence that left dukes in fear, only able to watch on in awe. it was something that they couldn''t even worship if they wanted to, let alone witnessing his true appearance. additionally, not only had li luo meet the ancestor, he had also passed the trial successfully. without a doubt, his feats had left an impression, and his future achievements were sure to be immeasurable. some of the dukes from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li might have considered li luo''s recent achievements trivial, but they would have to take another look at him now. of course, the most important thing wasn''t his strength, it was his potential. they would have to reassess the green nether hall after his performance. after all, dragon''s fang mountain had declared that li luo was the representative of the hall master. the main hall master position had been left vacant ever since li taixuan left years ago. they had lost a strong pillar, and the green nether hall''s influence had fallen drastically since then. as a result, a lot of the hall''s benefits had been greedily absorbed by the gold light hall. the gold light hall had even taken the lead from the green nether hall to become number one in the dragon''s fang lineage. most critically, lineage chief li jingzhe had not raised any objections to it. he had even given more opportunities to the gold light hall on a few occasions. this led to the gold light hall running rampant. the violet spirit hall and the crimson cloud hall were in a slightly better situation as they had li qingpeng and li jinpan as their leaders. but the green nether hall had no hall master to fight for their needs, so they couldn''t stop the gold light hall from exploiting them. as a result, many city lords that were under the green nether hall had been poached by the gold light hall. this caused the green nether hall to decline even faster. after countless years, even the absolute supporters of li taixuan had begun to waver. after all, so many years of waiting would extinguish one''s flame of hope eventually. li luo''s arrival at the inner divine continent had revived the faith of this group. it brought up the possibility of li taixuan''s return. unfortunately, there had been no news of li taixuan, and no one even knew if he was still alive. luckily, his son was exceptional. miracles were created with his return, and he even represented the main hall master in the interim. although a heavenly pearl hall master sounded like a joke, it was li jingzhe''s signal to the rest. with the exceptional results in clearing the fiendish devil cave, many had begun to see how he resembled his father in more than just looks. perhaps li luo was truly capable of following in his father''s footsteps. and perhaps he could even exceed his father. ...... in a small administrative building. li luo was sitting cross-legged with files in front of him. celebrations for the green nether banner had been held one after another over the past two days. he could not turn them down and ended up attending them all with the banner. after all, this achievement also signified the end of his training with the green nether banner. the eight thousand banner members would go their separate ways eventually, and the outstanding ones would join the dragon''s fang guardians after some more cultivation. meanwhile, the vast majority of the rest would be deployed and stationed in various regions of the dragon''s fang lineage to continue their training. in the bamboo forest, at the back mountain of dragon''s fang mountain. li jingzhe had prepared a simple meal and some wine for himself when li luo arrived. "come, it''s over here." li jingzhe smiled gently as he watched the young man walk in. he waved his sleeve, and a crystal that was around the size of a thumb landed on the stone table. within the crystal was a lotus engraved with countless ancient and mystical runes. however, there seemed to be a seal on the crystal. the energy undulations from the nine marks sacred heart lotus had been completely hidden. "i''ve placed a seal on the nine marks sacred heart lotus to stop anyone from sensing it. this is a rare treasure that many upper-grade dukes would be willing to die for. if someone found out that a kid like you was holding onto it, they''d surely watch you closely. with such great temptation, i am afraid not even the name of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li would be able to stop them," li jingzhe warned. "if you are unfortunate enough to come across an enemy that you cannot handle, you may hand this over to them. the seal on it can only be broken by a king. i''ll be able to sense it when that happens. when you set out, remember that your life is the most important thing, always." li luo felt touched as he listened to all of li jingzhe''s advice. he then received the crystal gingerly. "thank you, grandpa." li jingzhe signaled for li luo to take a seat and enjoy the food as well. "your performance in the fiendish devil cave wasn''t bad. you''ve made your father and i proud." li luo laughed naively. "the true dragon seed pill is exceptionally valuable. apart from its obvious uses, it holds a much greater significance as you can use it to familiarize yourself with the power of the sacred seed. in the future... you may be able to strengthen your compatibility with the dragon sacred seed," li jingzhe explained calmly. "dragon sacred seed?" li luo''s heart skipped a beat. the true dragon seed pill that borrowed the power of the sacred seed was already so impressive. one could only imagine how powerful the legendary dragon sacred seed was. li jingzhe did not elaborate any more on this. he took out a crimson bracelet and said, "i''ll return the three-tailed heavenly wolf to you. i''ve treated all its injuries from the previous fight. the little wolf is pretty lucky too. considering its loyalty to you, i''ve given it a little opportunity, and if it works, his strength and bloodline will be greatly enhanced." li luo received the bracelet hurriedly as he listened. a strand of his resonant power flowed into it, then he peered inside and was surprised. instead of the three-tailed heavenly wolf, he only found a giant blood ossuary. it was covered in arcane runes that were pulsing with faint energy waves. the blood ossuary seemed to turn illusory from time to time, and li luo could see that the wolf was sleeping inside it. it seemed like the three-tailed heavenly wolf had received quite the boon from li jingzhe. its strength would surely rise when it awakened. "thank you, grandpa." li luo expressed his heartfelt thanks once again. he knew that li jingzhe had aided the three-tailed heavenly wolf in order to provide him with one more form of protection when he was traveling. li jingzhe waved his hand and said, "the heavenly origin ancient college is located in the western region of the heavenly origin divine continent. it is far away from the heavenly kings powers like us. at the same time, some powerful forces reside there, so you have to be careful. i will ask someone to escort you to minimize any trouble. anyway, come back as soon as possible once you''re done. i still need you to lead the dragon''s fang guardians... i can only feel safe if you''re in the dragon''s fang lineage. just remember, whatever you can find in other places, the dragon''s fang lineage will have it for you as well." listening to li jingzhe''s rare nagging, li luo grinned. he filled his grandfather''s cup with wine as he nodded with warmth in his heart. "got it, grandpa." Chapter 1065: Empyrean Chronicle chapter 1065: empyrean chronicle under the arrangements made by li jingzhe, li luo stealthily departed the dragon''s fang mountain range the next day. no one besides the lineage chief was informed of his absence. in order to keep his departure under wraps, li luo did not board the extravagant and eye-catching flying vessel of the dragon''s head, instead opting for a regular flying ship. two stoic and silent dukes accompanied him under li jingzhe''s direction to act as his bodyguards and escort him to the heavenly origin ancient college. evidently, li jingzhe had spared no expense for this trip. li luo had caused quite a stir recently. not only had his performance in the spiritual resonance cave been exceptional, he had also managed to pass the ancestor''s challenge. these achievements had naturally caused him to enter the sights of the various powers of the heavenly origin divine continent. as such, it was necessary to keep secrecy and a low profile so that li luo''s planned course of action could not easily be discovered by outsiders. a flying vessel fueled by worldly natural energy shuttled across the azure sky unhurriedly. the silhouettes of other similar ships were visible in the distant clouds. li luo sat in the cabin of the flying ship, guzzling worldly natural energy and cultivating with his eyes shut. four heavenly pearls orbited like stars behind him, absorbing the worldly natural energy at an astonishing rate and funneling it into li luo''s body. next to the fourth heavenly pearl was a dim orb of light. it seemed like a new heavenly pearl was taking form within the ball of light. it was li luo''s fifth heavenly pearl. one of the results of the great battle with the ancestor was that li luo''s strength was once again refined. he was now only one step away from the five-pearl tier. after cultivating like this for an hour, the glowing heavenly pearl behind li luo began to gradually dim before turning into a wisp of light that returned into his body. li luo opened his eyes. he examined the strength of the resonant power in his body and said to himself, "at this rate, i might be able to truly break into the five-pearl tier by the time i arrive at the heavenly origin ancient college." if he were still in the astral sage college, he would be equivalent to the top elites of the four star hall and might even be able to compete for the position of the seven astral pillars. but the heavenly origin ancient college was even more prestigious. he estimated that a student at the top of the four star hall would probably be at the lesser heavenly resonance tier. when compared like this, the gap between a sage college and an ancient college was really apparent. going by age, li luo would currently only be at the two star hall! still, a five-pearl heavenly pearl tier student in the two star hall would be rather uncommon even in an ancient college, wouldn''t it? but it was said that the true gap between the ancient colleges and the sage colleges was not at the four star hall, but... the heavenly star hall. this was where the true heart and soul of every ancient college laid. quickly scanning through, he recognized some familiar names. "fairy of water, qin yi" was the most striking name, and her description within it was also very beguiling. at the same time, zhao shenjiang''s name was also present, though not much was written about him. most of the notes described his lower ninth-grade resonance, which was perhaps the only reason why he was on the list. after roughly skimming through, li luo flipped to the newest page, and his eyes froze. there, he spotted an extremely familiar name. li luo, bloodline of heavenly emperor li. grandson of li jingzhe, the dragon''s fang lineage''s lineage chief. son of li taixuan and tan tailan. possesses triple resonances. displayed unparalleled talent in the spiritual resonance cave, dispatching tian miao and gravely injuring zhao yan despite only being a three-pearl. utilized the power of a great spirit beast to kill a true devil that had infiltrated the spiritual resonance cave. suspected of encountering a king from the origin reversion institute and living to tell the tale. after returning from the spiritual resonance cave, he led the green nether banner to break the fiendish devil cave clearance record left by li taixuan. while doing so, he challenged and ultimately overcame one of heavenly emperor li jun''s intents in layer seventy-two this man originated from a resource-strapped outer divine continent, yet he was able to outperform many young geniuses who were privy to the resources of the inner divine continent, displaying terrifying potential and unrivaled drive. perhaps in the future he will emulate his father and become a shadow over the hearts of the many heavenly prides of the same generation. li luo quietly finished reading about his extremely remarkable achievements. the section dedicated to him was extremely thick, much more so than zhao shenjiang''s and even qin yi''s. a little too thick, even. especially the last sentence, the evaluation. death by compliments. li luo knew that if a regular person was faced with such paragraphs evaluating them in the empyrean chronicle, they would definitely be proud and fall into the trap of complacency. originated from a resource-strapped outer divine continent, yet he was able to outperform many young geniuses who were privy to the resources of the inner divine continent? wasn''t this implying that the geniuses of the inner divine continent were all trash? how would this affect the pride of the talents of his generation? these inflated and bombastic words would definitely make li luo the man of the hour in the heavenly origin divine continent, but it would also make him a prime target of hate and jealousy. "there are people in the golden dragon bank who harbor ill intentions towards me," mused li luo as he put away the heavenly origin records. "is it mu yao?" li luo remembered mu yao, whose plans he had ruined in the spiritual resonance cave. that person''s grandfather was the grand elder of the golden dragon bank''s headquarters in the heavenly origin divine continent, so he possessed unimaginable influence. if there were clandestine instructions from him, then the person who had authored the heavenly origin records would naturally not dare to refuse. li luo''s gaze was calm, and he smiled faintly. death by compliments would only affect someone who held himself in too high a regard, but to li luo... these compliments were simply big, empty words. Chapter 1066: Heavenly Origin Ancient College chapter 1066: heavenly origin ancient college ten days later, the flying ship that li luo was on finally arrived at the western side of the heavenly origin divine continent. his fifth heavenly pearl had condensed successfully during the journey. after hurrying for a few more days, li luo rushed across the area and arrived at his destination. he stood at the front of the ship as he looked into the distance, eyes full of surprise. endless rows of mountains with steep peaks stood tall in front of him, shrouded in clouds and mist. from time to time, he spotted shadows of huge beasts as they swallowed up the dense worldly natural energy in the area. however, this was not what caught his eye. deep within the mountain range stood an ancient tree that stretched across the horizon. it was far bigger than he had always imagined. the ancient tree looked peculiar, with branches extending outwards like giant, wooden dragons, shrouding everything for thousands of miles. the branches were shaped like lotuses. right at the epicenter of the titanic organism, the trunk of the tree was surrounded by a dense web of leaves that gave it a bud-like appearance. the scale of the tree was simply gigantic, extending way into the clouds above. the surrounding mountain range was definitely awe-inspiring, but it paled in comparison to the ancient tree. gigantic amounts of condensed worldly natural energy gathered in the vicinity of the tree. it was so thick that an energy mist wafted in the areas around it. the energy density was leagues above that of the dragon''s fang mountain range. "tree of resonant power..." li luo stared at the gigantic, ancient tree that he could easily identify with a glance. in the past, he thought that the tree of resonant power in the astral sage college was considered massive! it was able to shelter the entire campus under it''s shade. however, the tree of resonant power in front of him was on a whole new level. despite looking from a distance, li luo could see the countless buildings on the tree of resonant power that seemed to be places of study. the buildings stood tall like skyscrapers built on the branches of the tree. in contrast, the tree of resonant power back in the astral sage college was planted in the college grounds. meanwhile, the heavenly origin ancient college was built on the tree of resonant power itself. they were on completely different scales. "this must be one of the mother trees of resonant power," li luo guessed in his heart. its existence seemed to be a miracle in and of itself. at this point, the ship continued to travel ahead. after two more hours, they finally approached the heavenly origin ancient college. there were a few cities in the surrounding area. they were all quite large, and the air was bustling with flying ships going in and out in all directions. li luo''s ship landed on the bottom-most part of the tree of resonant power. upon stepping off, he found himself before a majestic gate. dangerous energy undulations could be felt coming from the defensive wards set upon it. this location was known as the sky gate, the main entrance to the heavenly origin ancient college. it was the only way for outsiders to enter the college. if they tried to enter from the sides, they would be attacked by defensive wards. "third young master, we will stop by the cities outside and wait for you over there. if there''s a need, just break the communication dragon fang. we''ll be able to sense it and rush over," one of the two dukes that had escorted li luo said. it wasn''t exactly courteous for dukes from other powers to loiter around the heavenly origin ancient college itself. as such, they were unable to follow li luo the whole way. jiang wanyu stared at li luo with her beautiful eyes. her red lips lifted slightly as she said, "it is our honor to play host for the invincible dragon''s head li luo." she was wearing the uniform of the heavenly origin ancient college. the well-fitting uniform highlighted her exquisite figure with full curves. her long hair was tied up and her charming face had a certain coolness to it that drew the gazes of many. as she chatted with li luo, the slight aloofness on her charming face grew warmer, and this made her seem even more attractive. however, li luo did not pay much attention to any of this. as he chatted with her, he understood that the news of the empyrean chronicle had begun to spread. "it must be mu yao''s fault. what a shameless guy," li luo saidhelplessly. zong sha and jiang wanyu smiled in response. they knew about the conflict between li luo and mu yao back in the spiritual resonance cave. they had guessed that some of the words in the empyrean chronicle had been written due to mu yao''s influence. "although he played a shameless trick, it''s been pretty effective. the empyrean chronicle is very popular in our college, and many students pay attention to it. after being titled as one who is invincible amongst your peers, you''ve garnered the attention of many students here," jiang wanyu said. zong sha nodded. "when you''re in the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, it''s probably fine. but now that you''re here in the heavenly origin ancient college, there will be people looking for you." a hint of a warning could be heard from zong sha''s words. li luo grinned but did take it to heart. there were many prized geniuses in the heavenly origin ancient college, and they were all prideful. it''d be hard for him to fit in, considering his background as a decedant of a heavenly emperor lineage. however, that was fine. he was not planning to join the heavenly origin ancient college. "let''s go, brother li luo. i''ll take you around the college for now. if there''s anything you need later, we''ll help you pass the message," zong sha said. "i''ll trouble you two, then." li luo nodded as he followed the two onto the jade-green leaf. the leaf flew steadily towards the main trunk of the tree of resonant power. along the way, they passed various wide roads and tall buildings. zong sha enthusiastically explained the ongoings of the college to li luo. li luo listened attentively. after a while, he suddenly asked, "senior zong sha, i''ve noticed many students from the other colleges." "oh, those are the teams from the sage colleges in the heavenly origin divine continent as well as some from the outer divine continents... they''re here to participate in the bi-annual academic evaluation," zong sha explained. "academic evaluation?" "yep. to be honest, it''s just an evaluation to see how much cultivation resources will be allocated to other colleges. ordinarily speaking, the higher one''s evaluation score, the more resources they''ll be allocated. as such, it''s of utmost importance for the sage colleges," zong sha said. li luo understood him well and sighed immediately. if the astral sage college had not encountered that disaster, they would likely have been here for the evaluation as well. "that''s right, brother li luo, you mentioned that you''re from a sage college in the outer divine continent? could you tell us its name?" zong sha suddenly asked. "the astral sage college from the xia kingdom," li luo replied. zong sha thought about it and smiled. "haha. the reason i asked is because i happen to be helping out with hosting the teams from the sage colleges, so i''ve interacted with a few of them. there''s a representative from the astral sage college, but it''s only a mentor. i don''t think they''re here to participate in the evaluation." li luo was surprised as he asked in a hurry, "there''s a mentor from the astral sage college? who is it? what''s their name?" zong sha scratched his head. "it''s a female mentor, and she''s quite pretty. i think she''s called... chi chan?" Chapter 1067: A Kindred Face in a Foreign Land chapter 1067: a kindred face in a foreign land "chi chan." li luo froze the instant the familiar name tumbled into his eardrums. after a few breaths, he stared at zong sha with wide eyes. "the mentor from astral sage college is called chi chan?!" li luo had never expected to hear her name in the heavenly origin ancient college. zong sha and jiang wanyu noticed his extreme reaction. zong sha immediately understood, so he replied, "that''s right, that mentor''s name is chi chan. are you familiar with her, brother li luo?" li luo shook his head in disbelief and laughed. "mentor chi chan was my squad mentor back in the astral sage college!" zong sha and jiang wanyu finally realized why it was such a surprise to li luoit was truly like meeting an old friend in a foreign land. but the astral sage college is a little strange; they only sent a single teacher for the evaluation. how will they participate in the evaluation without a single student?" jiang wanyu asked curiously. li luo was momentarily silent. the astral sage college was in ruins, the tree of resonant power was damaged, even principal pang had sealed himself away to delay the invasion of the king-stage others. shen jinxiao''s rebellion had also brought grievous harm to the college. with the current astral sage college barely struggling to survive, how could they have enough resources to participate in the evaluation? his best guess was that the college had dispatched mentor chi chan this far not for the evaluation, but to beg the ancient college for more resources. vice principal su xin had originally requested li luo''s participation, but he simply had not found the time to come to the heavenly origin ancient college over the past year. it seemed like vice principal su xin could not wait any longer and was forced to send mentor chi chan over. it looked like the astral sage college was in dire straits. li luo went through many scenarios in his head before saying, "the astral sage college hasn''t been doing well ever since a frighteningly powerful other emerged from the umbra cave, destroying the tree of resonant power..." zong sha and jiang wanyu were both taken aback at his words, then said with some sympathy, "so that''s how it is. no wonder only one mentor could make it." li luo asked, "considering the tragedy that took place in the astral sage college, would the ancient college or academic federation provide some aid?" zong sha hesitated for a moment before saying, "brother li luo, many other sage colleges have been infiltrated by others as well... the academic federation does take some action after receiving such news, but there isn''t always enough manpower. in recent years, the number of sage colleges that have been destroyed has jumped up, especially in the outer divine continents. i''ve heard from my mentor that there might be a force that''s secretly masterminding such developments." jiang wanyu''s vermilion lips parted as she chimed in. "the mastermind is not difficult to guessit''s most likely the origin reversion institute, since they are the academic federation''s mortal enemies." zong sha nodded and said, "thats why the academic federation has been stretched too thin recently. after all, the academies under the jurisdiction of our heavenly origin ancient college number in the hundreds." he looked around before continuing in a low voice, "the principal and several vice principals haven''t shown their faces in the college for a while. it is rumored that they have gone out to deal with these problems." li luo was silent and finally agreed despondently. it now made sense why principal pang and vice principal su xin had not even considered asking for aid from the academic federation when the astral sage college was sent into turmoil. they instead pinned their hopes on the ancient colleges'' supply of resources to aid in their recovery. elder wang ling grinned as he said, "the lake sage college is the college that has the most support from the heavenly origin ancient college in the xiyu province. "mentor chen yun has come here because he has something to discuss with you, mentor chi chan." chi chan frowned slightly and said, "why would mentor chen yun be looking for me?" chen yun let out a faint smile and said, "i won''t beat around the bush. i heard that the astral sage college failed to secure the umbra cave, their tree of resonant power has been destroyed, and the college is on the brink of disappearing?" chi chan''s eyes instantly narrowed as she asked, "what do you mean?" chen yun ignored chi chan''s anger as he replied, "regarding the astral sage college''s situation, i doubt you will be able to continue holding onto the title of sage college. it is also rather impossible for you to gain resources from the academic evaluation. but i can provide you with a lifeline. if you are willing to transfer the academic evaluation rights of the astral sage college to the lake sage college, we can utilize your slots to obtain more resources from the ancient college. at that time, we will divide 30% of the resources from it to you to bring back to your college." when chi chan heard this, anger surged in her heart and she said in an icy voice "so the lake sage college is hitting us when we''re down!" chen yun frowned, replying, "your words are rather harsh, mentor chi chan. do you think the astral sage college can pass the evaluation? if i do this, you guys can at least get a small share of the profits. otherwise, you''re bound to return empty-handed!" elder wang ling smiled lightly and said, "mentor chi chan, the principal of the lake sage college is a relative of vice principal wu yu." these words were spoken lightly, yet their meaning was obvious. chi chan finally understood why she had been unable to meet vice principal wu yu even though she had been in the heavenly origin ancient college for ten days. it turned out that the dilapidated astral sage college had already been blacklisted. chi chan''s slender hands were clenched tightly as she stared at elder wang ling and said in a chilling tone, "i want to see vice principal lan lingzi!" elder wang ling replied indifferently, "vice principal lan lingzi is not in the college at the moment." chi chan was so angry that she was trembling slightly. at this moment, she realized that she was alone and weak in the ancient college. no one would pay attention to her and the broken astral sage college. this was reality, and there was no shortage of nasty politicking even within the colleges. elder wang ling continued, "if you''re not interested in the lake sage college''s offer, then you can pack up and leave. you''re an outsider, so you can''t stay on college grounds for too long." chi chan clenched her teeth and retorted defiantly, "i won''t leave. the astral sage college will participate in the academic evaluation." chen yun sneered and said, "the astral sage college didn''t even send a single student, so how are you going to participate?" chi chan clenched her fists, her slender body looking frail and helpless. vice principal su xin had warned her that this trip would be quite difficult, but she never expected it to be this difficult. however, just as chi chan was fuming helplessly, a distant yet familiar voice suddenly rang out. "who told you that there are no students from the astral sage college?" chi chan looked up in bewilderment, her eyes following the direction of the voice. not far away on a jade-green leaf, a young man with a handsome face and well-built figure slowly approached. seeing that familiar face, chi chan froze for two seconds before crying out in disbelief, "l-li luo?!" Chapter 1068: Whats wrong? Cant I 1v4? chapter 1068: what''s wrong? can''t i 1v4? chi chan could not believe her eyes when she first saw the familiar young man. she was stunned for a moment. it wasn''t until the young man walked towards her with a bright smile that she knew she wasn''t hallucinating. a hint of pleasant surprise lit up in her beautiful eyes. nothing else mattered to her at the momentshe was simply overjoyed to see her ex-student again after a year. as li luo walked over, he completely disregarded the men she had been talking to. he smiled at chi chan and said, "mentor chi chan, long time no see." chi chan''s beautiful eyes lit up and her voice softened up. "li luo, why''re you here?" she knew that li luo had come to the heavenly origin divine continent, but the place was gargantuan. she had never expected to run into him. li luo grinned and replied, "i have some matters to settle, so i happened to visit the heavenly origin ancient college. my friend mentioned that you''re here, so i hurried over to meet you, mentor." hearing this, chi chan understood immediately. she took a good look at the young man. li luo seemed to have matured in the year they had spent apart. his playful youthfulness was gone, replaced by an air of confidence. this made her pleasantly surprised. it seemed he had not lost his charisma even after coming to this talent-filled continent. as she was looking at li luo, the two individuals who had been sidelined were beginning to feel irritated. elder wang ling frowned and took a glance at li luo. "you''re not a student from the heavenly origin ancient college?" "no. i am a student from astral sage college," li luo answered. wang ling took a look at mentor chen yun from lake sage college. he sounded like he was poking fun as he commented, "it seems like mentor chi chan brought a student along." although it was funny, it was also a bit baffling. what was the point in bringing just one student? nonetheless, wang ling didn''t bother to ask any other questions. his eyes turned back to chi chan as he asked aggressively, "mentor chi chan, won''t you give it a second thought? this may be your very last chance. if nothing works out today, you can prepare to head out. the heavenly origin ancient college cannot let outsiders hang around for too long." chi chan''s eyes turned cold again. however, li luo interrupted with a grin before she could say anything, "i thought cannibalism only occurred in remote and barren lands... i definitely didn''t expect to see such a thing occurring in an ancient college. elder, aren''t you afraid of tarnishing the heavenly origin ancient college''s reputation for doing something like this?" li luo wasn''t pulling any punches. hearing this, wang ling''s face darkened immediately as he said coldly, "mentor chi chan, is this how the astral sage college teaches its students to act? he shows no respect to his elders at all. if this is how he speaks to others, i''m afraid he''ll live a short life. enough is enough, mentor chi chan. my patience has already been tested. please leave our school grounds by the end of today!" chi chan clenched her fists and anger whelmed up within her eyes. however, there was a sense of helplessness within her anger. although she held a respectable position as a duke back in the xia kingdom, it was of little significance in the heavenly origin ancient college. "wow, this elder here is truly impressive." li luo laughed again. there was clearly a sense of sarcasm hidden in his words. elder wang ling''s face turned even darker when he heard the sarcastic laugh. he waved his hands and was about to signal for the enforcement team of the academy to come over and escort these two out. li luo smirked indifferently. "since the elder wishes to follow the rules now, we''ll follow suit. the astral sage college will take part in the academic evaluation and earn those resources with our own capabilities." wang ling shot him a strange look. "li luo, the other colleges have sent at least four students for the evaluation. it''ll be a four-man team during the evaluation. the astral sage college only has you, a single student." "yes, one student. what''s the problem?" li luo then asked, feigning confusion, "i''ll fight all four alone. is that not allowed?" everyone fell into silence. even zong sha and jiang wanyu stared at li luo. how could he say something so arrogant with such a humble expression? mentor chen yun from the lake sage college smiled and said, "li luo, you mean you want to represent the astral sage college for the academic evaluation as a single individual?" "mentor, are you hard of hearing? do i need to repeat myself again?" li luo smiled a little. with how despicable this man had acted towards mentor chi chan earlier, li luo would naturally not hold back with his words. a flash of anger flew across chen yun''s eyes as he snorted. however, his frustration could only be bottled up due to li luo''s background. at this point, he finally felt how aggrieved chi chan was when they bullied her earlier. li luo stared at wang ling and asked, "elder wang ling, i''ll participate alone. this is not against the rules, right?" wang ling hesitated for a while before he replied, "indeed, there''s no rule against one person participating in the evaluation... alright, then. if you all insist, i''ll let you." after saying that, he turned around to leave, but li luo suddenly stopped him. "please wait a moment." "what''s the matter now?" elder wang ling asked with a frown. "may i ask how many vice principals are in the college at the moment?" li luo said. wang ling did not feel like answering him. however, he thought for a moment and replied, "two. one of them is vice principal wu yu, the other is vice principal qing man." "i would like to meet them." wang ling rejected him immediately. "the two vice principals are really busy at the moment and have no time to meet with the astral sage college." at this point, li luo slowly pulled out a letter from his robe. it was marked with the crest from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, and behind it was a dragon''s maw, revealing its sharp fangs. "i''m not asking to meet the two vice principals as a student of the astral sage college. this is a letter from the dragon''s fang lineage from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. please help me to pass this on to the two vice principals and see if they can make some time to meet me." wang ling was dumbfounded as he stared at the letter. it was emitting a strange pressure, and he was unsure of how to handle this sudden turn of events. Chapter 1069: Greeting Letter chapter 1069: greeting letter elder wang ling was stunned for a moment as he looked at the letter. he did not know what the best course of action was. deep down, he felt great dissatisfaction towards li luo. as such, he had swiftly turned down his request to meet the two vice principals with any reason he could think of. however, he did not expect li luo to provide an official missive. this was indeed the formal way of doing things. it was an official way of sending greetings among the various powers. unless the two sides were mortal enemies, one would usually accept the invitation in a friendly manner. in fact, it would be a great insult and humiliation if one were to turn it down. the bloodline of heavenly emperor li was a heavenly emperor power after all; they were one of the top forces in the heavenly origin divine continent. if he damaged the amicable relationship between the two sides over something petty, wang ling would not be able to bear the consequences. it was much more serious than directly beating li luo up right now. as such, wang ling did not dare to reject. he rubbed his nose, held out his hands, and accepted the greeting letter politely. deep in his heart, he knew that the missive might not really be from the dragon''s fang lineage. it might simply be a small trick from li luo. but what could he do? he couldn''t possibly go to the dragon''s fang lineage directly and ask if it was real, right? besides, if li luo himself was the one presenting it, it should be legitimate... all wang ling could say was that li luo was truly the beloved child of the dragon''s fang lineage. "pass me the greeting letter, and i''ll assist you in passing it on to the two vice principals. please wait for an update," wang ling said with a muffled and slightly defeated tone. "i''ll also arrange for our dear friend li luo to rest in the vip area later." hearing this, li luo turned towards mentor chi chan and asked, "mentor, do you want to have a change in scenery too?" he could tell at a glance that the small building chi chan was staying in was bare and basic. it was undoubtedly worse than the building next to it. mentor chi chan shook her head and replied, "no need. i''m fine here." living conditions were unimportant, and she could not be bothered with it. li luo nodded. "in that case, i''ll stay here too. there should still be multiple rooms, right?" "it''s called letting them have a taste of their own medicine," li luo replied. the two of them looked at each other and laughed out loud. "mentor, aren''t you going to invite me in? i am curious about the situation back in the astral sage college," li luo said with a grin. mentor chi chan nodded, then she turned and extended her hand to invite him in. "please come in, esteemed young master from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li." ...... on the other side, elder wang ling and chen yun were leaving together. "is there nothing we can do about this? it was a task from the principal. if i head back and tell him i failed to persuade her, i''ll be scolded for sure." clearly, chen yun was still reluctant to give up. the astral sage college was in ruins now, so it''d be a waste to allocate any resources to them. elder wang ling was also feeling a little helpless about the situation. "who would have expected a sage college from an outer divine continent to have a student with such a strong background? moreover, he''s willing to stand up for them... "li luo''s reputation has been soaring as of late. he is considered the new leader amongst the younger generation in the heavenly origin divine continent." at this point, he took a glance at chen yun and continued, "don''t worry too much. li luo may have the backing of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, but the heavenly origin ancient college is not afraid of him in the least. we just need to make sure we handle things properly to prevent others from gossiping. besides, the evaluation is a four-person team fight format. li luo may be strong, but that''s only amongst his peers. he will be the only one representing the astral sage college. no matter how powerful he is, does he really think he can beat four others by himself?" wang ling sneered and continued, "i heard that he utilized an external power in the spiritual resonance cave that allowed him to win against people above his level. he tapped upon the strength of a sealed spirit beast. however, such a method will be banned during the academic evaluation, so there is no need to worry about it. chen yun heaved a sigh of relief. "that''s comforting to hear. i felt fear when the brat confidently declared that he could take on an entire team by himself." wang ling smiled lightly. "it is natural for young people to feel a sense of pride and fall to their own hubris. besides, it''s obvious he just wants to show off when there''s such a beautiful mentor watching him. afterwards, he''ll start to regret his words and actions. i will report this matter to vice principal wu yu. he is from the same clan as your principal, so i believe he will step in and provide some help. if we make some adjustments to the rules, the astral sage college may just decide to give up on the competition by themselves. although li luo''s background can''t be ignored, there is no reason for the bloodline of heavenly emperor li to interfere in the internal affairs of the academic federation." he took a glance at chen yun and whispered, "vice principal wu yu also has some old grudges to settle with pang qianyuan, the principal of the astral sage college." chen yun finally understood. so it seemed there was some sort of bitter history between the two. it was no wonder vice principal wu yu treated the astral sage college as such. he didn''t even want to meet chi chan. he turned his head and looked at the small building with a roof protruding out of the trees. with a cold snort, he thought, "so what if he''s from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li? we of the lake sage college have already decided that we will consume that corpse." Chapter 1070: Yu Langs Incident chapter 1070: yu lang''s incident li luo followed chi chan into the small building. although the building appeared shabby, it had been tidied up by mentor chi chan. there was a coffee table next to the window. delicate flowers were planted in a jade vase, and the faint fragrance of the beautiful flowers lingered in the air. mentor chi chan sat down beside the window. she watched with her beautiful, clear eyes as she waited for li luo to take a seat opposite her. with a light smile, she said, "i didn''t expect you to be the beloved grandchild of the lineage chief from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li''s dragon''s fang lineage. although, i really should''ve known better. how could someone like li taixuan come from anywhere other than such a ordinary place?" li luo brushed it off with a wave of his hand and replied seriously, "i''ve always relied on my own capabilities when i travel outside. i am not the kind that likes to show off his status or background. you know me best, mentor. i prefer to be ordinary. i don''t usually tell people things like ''i am from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li,'' ''i''m the beloved grandchild of the dragon''s fang lineage''s lineage chief,'' or that ''i''m the third young master of the dragon''s fang lineage.''" chi chan found it both frustrating and funny. it seemed like her student was still as witty as ever. she lifted the teapot with her jade-like hands and poured li luo a cup of fragrant tea. "regardless of all that, i am really grateful to you for today. if not for you, i might really have had to return empty-handed," chi chan said in a gentle tone. li luo asked, "how''s the situation back in the astral sage college? vice principal su xin gave me a few tasks before i left. i was planning to take care of them today. who would have thought they''d send you over as well?" chi chan sighed when he heard this. "it''s because there''s been no news from you for the past year. the situation back in the college is getting worse, and they had no choice but to send me." "the college has lost the high-grade tree of resonant power. right now, the students have to borrow the lower grade tree of resonant power from southwind academy to cultivate. such cultivation is naturally less efficient, and most of the cultivation resources we had stockpiled have been exhausted. if we''re unable to replenish them, we may not be able to keep the students united for long." "as you know, cultivation resources are essential for both mentors and students. the college can''t expect people to carry out assignments for free. it''s not a sustainable way for the college to carry on." li luo nodded. although the astral sage college had met with a catastrophe, there was still a large group of people under it. such a group would require a lot to maintain. it must have been a headache for vice principal su xin to figure out how to carry on for the past year. at this point, chi chan took out a scroll and opened it up. it was a map of the xia kingdom. li luo immediately noticed a crimson line of blood drawn across the map, splitting it into two. the place where the line of blood started was right at xia city. "the area within this line of blood has already been corrupted. there are a lot of unusual others in the area, and there are barely any living souls left in the two districts beside it. "in the south of the xia kingdom, the first princess is leading the royal court to fight back against the regent. the situation has been extraordinarily chaotic over there. "the astral sage college has been very busy. we have formed lines of defense against the others, but there''ve been quite a number of casualties over the past year. that is why we need more resources." as he listened, li luo stared at the crimson line that had split the xia kingdom. this simple stroke of red on the map represented endless disaster for the people who actually lived there. back in the holy grail meet, he had witnessed how the others invaded the blackwind empire. even now, he could still feel chills when he recalled that terrible scene. li luo pondered quietly for a moment. the xia kingdom was a special place to him. after all, it was where he was raised, and house luolan was there... although yu lang usually looked carefree, he possessed a strong sense of self-confidence. this situation must have inevitably caused him to take such drastic measures. "the bai family will surely regret this in the future," li luo said with a soft voice as he frowned. he was very close to yu lang, so he deeply disagreed with the actions of the bai family. "these families are indeed quite pedantic. fortunately, bai doudou has a strong personality. she disregarded her family''s objections and is still dating yu lang. the bai family was absolutely incensed. those two sisters are too much for them," chi chan continued. "how is this related to mengmeng?" li luo asked. a flash of happiness lit up in chi chan''s eyes. "do you think the suncreek villa has only been doing so well because of the support from the first princess and president yu? if not for the many spirit liquid and purifying light recipes from bai mengmeng, how could the suncreek villa compete against the established players? their success should have belonged to the bai family. do you know how mad they are now? they have been constantly trying to entice bai mengmeng to come back home. however, mengmeng chose to hide in the suncreek villa under the protection of house luolan, refusing to leave. in fact, there was one occasion where the matter blew up and the first princess herself had to step in and mediate the situation." li luo was silent for a while before he let out a sigh. "mengmeng is truly loyal." he thought about it for a moment before he took a jade box out of his pocket sphere. it contained quite a few mysterious, black crystals. they were the leftovers from the refinement of the divine cultivation serum, one of the things he had collected in the spiritual resonance cave. each crystal contained a trace of the origin enlightenment fruit''s power. "mentor chi chan, can you pass these to yu lang and the rest upon your return?" although these things were not as valuable as enlightenment cores, there were a lot of them, so they would surely be of some help to yu lang and the rest. mentor chi chan received the box carefully and examined the contents. she seemed a little surprised when she finally understood what effect these crystals had. "the inner divine continent is truly full of resources. such a treasure can hardly be found in the outer divine continents. don''t worry, i''ll make sure they get it." she nodded slightly and then stowed the box away. afterwards, she continued, "as for the academic evaluation, are you really planning to represent the astral sage college by yourself? based on your age, even though you''d be in the three star hall by now, the other colleges will definitely send out their best students to fight. some of them will not be any weaker than the seven astral pillars from our college." chi chan was looking a little worried. li luo was not only lagging behind in terms of the time he had cultivated, he was also lacking in numbers. as the only representative, he would be eliminated no matter how one looked at it. li luo gave a warm smile when he heard this. since that things had come to this, it was time to show his hand. he straightened his back, and the resonant power in his body surged, emitting a ringing sound. in the next moment, five radiant heavenly pearls appeared behind him, continuously absorbing worldly natural energy. li luo looked at the beautiful mentor in front of him. her charming eyes had clearly widened as her jade fingers tightly squeezed her teacup. with a light click, the handle of the teacup broke in her grasp at this point, he asked with a bright grin, "mentor, aren''t my five heavenly pearls big and round?" Chapter 1071: Shocked Mentor Chi Chan chapter 1071: shocked mentor chi chan "five-pearl tier..." mentor chi chan stared blankly at the five brilliant heavenly pearls reflected in her pupils. she could not help but question reality for a moment. she remembered that li luo was only at the fiend palace tier when he had left xia kingdom. how could he have reached the heavenly pearl tier within the short span of a single year? this was a monstrous leap in cultivation for a single year. a truly terrifying speed. chi chan remembered that even jiang qing''e was only at the fiend body tier when she first entered the three star hall. although, based on the latter''s performance, she had probably suppressed her cultivation speed with a secret art in order to accumulate more knowledge for a period of time. but regardless of that, li luo entering the three star hall at the five-pearl tier had shattered every previous record in all of astral sage college''s history. and it was not just in the astral sage collegesuch a powerful three star hall student would be rare even if one looked across all the powerful ancient colleges. chi chan gradually returned to her senses and couldn''t help but sigh. "you have progressed unbelievably quickly. it seems the xia kingdom can''t even come close to the resources as well as the cultivation conditions of the inner divine continents." it was no wonder the people from the inner divine continents had a rather cavalier attitude towards the outer divine continents. the gap between the two sides were indeed hard to make up for. in an attempt to defend himself, li luo said, "although the cultivation conditions are indeed better, it''s mainly because my own talent is outstanding. at the same time, i cultivated hard and never slacked off." mentor chi chan''s eyes filled with mirth as she replied, "alright, alright. i know you''re great." she continued, "a five-pearl is close the the pinnacle of the four star hall in our college. but there must be something like the seven astral pillars in the other sage colleges, and their top students may be seven or eight-pearls... perhaps there''ll even be some wildcards who have broken into the lesser heavenly resonance tier." back then, the seven astral pillars of the astral sage college such as gong shenjun, the first princess, and the rest were all at the seven or eight-pearls. this time around, the level of the various major sage colleges that were competing for the resources was even higher than that of the holy grail meet. after all, like the lake sage college, they were sage colleges of the inner divine continents. they surpassed the sage colleges in the outer divine continents from the get-go. "the lesser heavenly resonance tier is rather high." li luo dispersed the radiant heavenly pearls behind him and then pulled out the heavenly origin records. he flipped to the latest page of the empyrean chronicle and handed it to chi chan, saying, "mentor, take a look. two months ago, it just so happened that i fought some of my talented peers from the heavenly origin divine continent in a cave. it can be said that i''ve done well as a student of the astral sage college." "heavenly origin records, empyrean chronicle?" "oh? principal pang has an old grudge against vice principal wu yu?" li luo''s expression changed. it was no wonder the latter had not bothered to meet chi chan even though she had been there for half a month. it was deliberate targeting. since mentor chi chan and the other party had never met each other with the latter being a high-ranking king stage elite, the latter would not stoop so low solely to target her. as such, it had to be because of principal pang''s history with that person. "it seems principal pang has some history of his own." pang qianyuan knew many vice principals of the heavenly origin ancient college and was a king level powerhouse himself, but he did not serve as a vice principal in the ancient college. instead, he had ventured out to the xia kingdom in an outer divine continent and created the astral sage college. many things had probably happened that led to this outcome. "there''s no rush to preserve the sage title. since the vice principals are not in the college, a resolution naturally can''t be passed, so all we can do is wait for now. for the time being, securing this batch of resources is the most important thing," li luo mused. he would be staying here for some time anyway, so it was convenient for him to settle these issues now. "thanks to the greeting letter, i think that vice principal wu yu will have to meet us tomorrow even if he doesn''t want to, so let''s see his attitude then," li luo said. chi chan nodded and smiled sweetly. "if not for you, i would never have been able to meet him." her eyes flashed as she asked, "how is student jiang qing''e?" "she should be quite alright. i came to the heavenly origin ancient college to deliver her medicine. as long as she receives this medicine, the problem of the heart of light''s sacrificial ignition should be able to be completely resolved. maybe she will be able to take advantage of the situation to raise her cultivation level even further." li luo laughed. "that''s good. with her natural talent, i think that she will stand out as much as you have even in the hallowed coruscation ancient college," said mentor chi chan. li luo smiled as he didn''t have any doubts about that. after all, she was a strong woman who had handled him ever since he was a child. even though he was in a much greater position now, he suspected that he still paled in comparison to jiang qing''e. "by the way, mentor chi chan, do you have any news about shen jinxiao?" li luo suddenly asked. when mentor chi chan heard that name, a chill emanated from her eyes and she said, "shen jinxiao has not shown his face much this year, though our investigations have found that he seems to be in seclusion in xia city." she paused before she continued, "he is squatting in the headquarters of house luolan and is probably using it as his place of cultivation." li luo''s eyes also became dispirited when he heard this. that vile scum even dared to occupy house luolan''s headquarters. he lifted his teacup, taking a sip with an expression full of murderous intent. another reason for shen jinxiao to die had formed in li luo''s mind. Chapter 1072: Those Former Rivals chapter 1072: those former rivals the next day, zong sha and jiang wanyu delivered the information that li luo had requested about the participants from the other sage colleges. li luo warmly invited the two into the small building. he was extremely happy with his decision to become good friends with them in the spiritual resonance cave, or else he would''ve had to spend time trying to find someone to help him out in the heavenly origin ancient college since he was unfamiliar with everything. "brother li luo, this information covers all the sage colleges. according to past evaluations, the sage colleges are divided into three tiers. there are two available spots in the first tier, which naturally receives the highest share of resources. the second tier has ten available spots, with only half the resources of the first tier. the third tier also has a limited number of spots, but they are given the lowest amount of resources." zong sha removed three sheets from the top of the stack of papers in front of him and placed them in front of li luo, saying, "these three are the strongest. in the past, the first tier has been occupied by them nine times out of ten." li luo''s gaze swept across the names of the three colleges. thunder sage college. lake sage college. lunar sage college. li luo''s gaze paused on the lake sage college. the mentor named chen yun from yesterday was from here. "because the academic evaluation is a team battle, four students will be sent out from each college to make up a team, but the people from the one and two star halls are basically just making up the numbers and don''t need to be paid too much attention to. the only students that are considered somewhat capable are those from the three and four star halls." jiang wanyu''s red lips slightly parted as she stared at li luo, the corners of her lips curling into a smile. "you might need to pay attention to the four star hall representatives these three colleges in particular." she helped li luo to pull out a piece of paper, which he thanked her for before taking it. it contained the records of the teams of the top three sage colleges, and the students in the one, two, and three star halls were all skipped by li luo. thunder sage college, gu jing, upper eighth-grade lightning resonance, lesser heavenly resonance tier, illusory seal-grade. lake sage college, gao xuhan, quasi ninth-grade poison resonance, lesser heavenly resonance tier, illusory seal-grade. lunar sage college, tong yan, upper eighth-grade five-colored divine ox resonance, lesser heavenly resonance tier, illusory seal-grade. li luo swept his gaze across and paused for a moment at the three students'' strength levels. "lesser heavenly resonance tier, illusory seal-grade." "the strength of these students is rather similar to mine right now." zong sha let out a laugh, then the resonant power in his body flowed and moved, condensing in his palm. a shimmering, translucent, golden seal gradually materialized on it. collecting his thoughts, li luo looked through the information of the teams from the other sage colleges. apart from the three who had entered the illusory seal-grade of the lesser heavenly resonance tier, there was no lack of seven-pearl and eight-pearl students. he did not spot any nine-pearls though. li luo was quickly flipping through the information when he suddenly paused. he stared at a page and softly exclaimed when he saw an unexpectedly familiar name, "huh?" enlightened sage college, three star hall student, jing taixu, quasi ninth-grade wind resonance, fiend finisher. recognizing this name, li luo was hit by a wave of nostalgia and let out a laugh. jing taixu was his arch-enemy back at the holy grail meet. he never expected to meet him here. the representative of the enlightened sage college''s four star hall was lu jinci, a seven-pearl. li luo also had a deep impression of this person as he had competed with jiang qing''e for the title of the strongest three star hall student at the holy grail meet. looking at the two names, li luo thought for a moment before he continued to flip through the pages. very quickly, he found two other familiar names. heavenly inferno sage college, lu ming, seventh-grade illusion and lightning dual resonances, fiend finisher. sacred summit sage college, sun dasheng, upper eighth-grade stone ape resonance, fiend finisher. li luo couldn''t help but feel a little emotional upon thinking back to the holy grail meet. after more than a year, the former rivals once again had the opportunity to meet each other. only this time, things would not be the same. li luo smiled at zong sha and jiang wanyu as he said, "these other sage colleges are not weak at all. you are just outstandingly monstrous." jiang wanyu said, "an external force was the main reaosn you were able to kill tian miao and heavily injure zhao yan in the spiritual resonance cave, right? i''m afraid it will be difficult for you to utilize any external aid in the academic evaluation, because that is a violation of the rules. the astral sage college has only you as a representative. not only do you have no advantage in terms of cultivation level, you are also disadvantaged in numbers. so, are you really sure that you want to represent the astral sage college?" li luo nodded and replied, "it will indeed be somewhat challenging." zong sha then commented, "actually, with junior brother li luo''s strength, as long as he avoids the top sage colleges and isn''t targeted, it shouldn''t be too difficult to achieve a second tier placement." there were ten places in the second tier, and the intensity of competition was not that fierce. if li luo could single-handedly place in the second tier, it would be considered a good achievement. as far as he knew, the second tier was as high as the astral sage college had placed in the past. li luo smiled, his eyes fixated on the information on the three strongest sage colleges. the second tier placement was indeed considered decent, and he would''ve had no issue settiling for it under normal circumstances. however, now that the astral sage college was in such dire need of resources, li luo wanted to be a bit greedy. so, he would not settle for a second tier placement as his target. "those two first tier spots... i wonder who''s going to move out of the way for me?" Chapter 1073: Wu Yu and Qing Man chapter 1073: wu yu and qing man after gleaning all the information about the teams from the other sage colleges that would be participating in the academic evaluation, li luo called mentor chi chan before following zong sha to the central grounds of the college. a huge pagoda sat there, but upon closer inspection, the building was actually a branch that had grown out of the tree of resonant power. the branch was gargantuan, towering at about a hundred meters high, and the academy had sculpted it into a soaring, mossy, emerald pagoda. this was the heavenly origin ancient college''s control center, accordingly named the heavenly origin pagoda. zong sha led the two to the entrance of the pagoda before bidding them farewell. after all, regular students like him could not enter the heavenly origin pagoda without special permission. fortunately for li luo and chi chan, the guards stationed outside the pagoda seemed to have been informed of their arrival beforehand and ushered them into a discussion hall on one of the upper floors. as soon as they stepped into the discussion hall, they felt an extremely terrifying pressure surrounding them from all sides. at that moment, the two of them felt as if they had been cornered by some sort of savage ancient beast. li luo frowned as his gaze focused towards the very end of the spacious discussion hall. someone was sitting atop a large stone throne there. the terrifying pressure was coming from him. he was a well-built middle-aged man. wisps of flame constantly wafted from a flame pattern that was etched between his eyebrows. he leaned against the backrest of the throne, rotating two scarlet pearls within one of his palms. the void showed signs of shattering whenever the pearls collided against each other. li luo knew his identity the moment he laid his eyes on him. it was the vice principal of the heavenly origin ancient college, wu yu. vice principal wu yu stared straight at the two of them like a hawk eyeing its prey. the terrifying pressure he exuded did not seem to recede, instead showing signs of increasing. mentor chi chan''s eyebrows furrowed. she was also bearing the extremely strong pressure, but she took half a step forward to protect li luo. a duke bergfried invisibly materialized behind her. she could tell that vice principal wu yu wanted to threaten them. as soon as mentor chi chan stepped forward, the pressure became even more oppressive. after just a few breaths, a fine line of cold sweat emerged from the center of her elegant eyebrows. a spark of anger appeared in li luo''s gaze. just as he was about to speak, his expression changed and he immediately raised his palm. a beam of shimmering light emerged from the pocket sphere next to his wrist. an ancient plaque appeared from within the shimmering light. in the center of the plaque was the ancient "li" character, which glowed with a mysterious and inexplicable luster. when the plaque felt the pressure from the king stage expert, it seemed to have awakened from its slumber. it''s imposing aura emerged at the same time as well. upon meeting that imposing aura, the king-level pressure emanating from vice principal wu yu melted away rapidly like snow touching lava. moreover, the aura quickly expanded towards wu yu. a tinge of emotion finally appeared on vice principal wu yu''s expressionless visage and he fiercely stood up, withdrawing all of his tempestuous king aura until there was none left. while vice principal qing man sighed and explained, "don''t be too hasty in your assessment of us. although the ancient college is a humongous organization, the problems we face are also beyond your imagination. even now, there are only two vice principals in the college. it''s not that we don''t want to help, but there are too many places where things have gone wrong in the past few years, and we''ve been stretched too thin from putting out fires all over the place. " chi chan was crestfallen. hearing this, li luo knew that reinforcements could not be acquired for the time being, so he backed down and asked, "then can the ancient college provide us with a batch of cultivation resources to help the astral sage college tide through this critical period?" vice principal qing man was about to speak when vice principal wu yu plainly asked, "vice principal qing man, i am the one in charge of the college these days, am i right?" vice principal qing man glanced sympathetically at wu yu and answered with a faint smile, "naturally." vice principal wu yu looked at the two of them and said, "i truly sympathize with the situation of the astral sage college, but the ancient college has its own rules, and the sage colleges are all observant of our resource allocation. if i were to make an exception and specially hand some over to you, how could i appease the rest of them in the future?" mentor chi chan could sense that vice principal wu yu had been opposing them from the start, and her eyes were full of icy malice. li luo maintained his composure and asked, "then what do you think we should do, vice principal wu yu?" vice principal wu yu shook his head and replied, "it''s not about what i think. as long as the rules are followed, all will be fair game." he scanned li luo and said, "aren''t you going to represent the astral sage college in the academic evaluation alone? i think your courage is commendable, it''s a good thing." his last two words carried some level of disregard. li luo smiled. "i also feel that it''s a good thing." after a short pause, li luo added, "vice principal wu yu, i have to ask, are you interested in a bet?" vice principal wu yu was noncommittal and did not reply. with his strength and status, he wouldn''t even have said half a word to li luo if it wasn''t for li luo''s background. li luo, on the other hand, muttered to himself, "i come from the astral sage college, and i do think that principal pang is extremely capable, so i reckon that even though i''m alone, i should be able to end up in the first tier in the academic evaluation." hearing the words "principal pang is extremely capable" from li luo''s mouth, vice principal wu yu finally swept an expressionless glance at him and said, "what if you can''t get the first rank, you young and impetuous boy?" "if i can''t get it, then the astral sage college will return empty-handed," li luo answered. "but... what if i do get it?" li luo asked with a mischievous smile. the flaming pattern on vice principal wu yu''s brow began to burn hotter, and the red pearls in his hand rotated a bit more quickly, emitting a crisp cracking sound. several breaths later, he replied in an indifferent voice, "if you get it, i''ll give you double the resources, with the extra amount coming from my own pocket." Chapter 1074: Commotion chapter 1074: commotion after li luo and vice principal wu yu agreed on the bet, li luo left with mentor chi chan. after they were gone, vice principal qing man took a look at wu yu and slowly said, "that li luo kid was clearly provoking you earlier. yet you still fell for it?" "so what? he''s just a little kid. even if he uses the bloodline of heavenly emperor li and pretends to be a tiger, he''s in the heavenly origin ancient college now. this is not the dragon''s fang lineage," vice principal wu yu calmly responded. "he''s merely a five-pearl. he''s daydreaming if he thinks his strength alone is sufficient to snatch a first tier spot from the other teams." qing man grinned when she heard this. "li luo is not an ordinary kid. he has already managed to stand out amongst peers like qin yi, zhao shenjiang, and the other geniuses of his generation. he even left his mark on the empyrean chronicle." "all he did was use external aid," vice principal wu yu commented. he clearly knew all about li luo''s accomplishments and did not care. "i believe li luo came prepared. he''s very sly; he even knew how to use pang qianyuan to infuriate you. he''s clearly luring you into his trap." qing man could not help but laugh at this point. "luring a king into a trap. that junior possesses extraordinary charisma." "charisma alone will not help him obtain any resources from the heavenly origin ancient college," vice principal wu yu replied indifferently. he knew that li luo was especially talented and strong. he did not deny those facts. however, that alone was not enough for him to overcome the incoming challenges. currently, li luo was considered a sage college''s three star hall student. his strength was likely at the top amongst those at the same hall, and this did not just apply to the sage colleges, but to the ancient colleges as well. unfortunately, he wouldn''t just be meeting students of the same hall during the academic evaluationthere would be four star hall students from the major sage colleges as well. in fact, those titled students would be his main obstacles. qing man glanced over at wu yu as she said, "it''s been so many years already, yet you still can''t get past that grudge with pang qianyuan. when she learns about what you''ve done, lan lingzi is surely going to come after you when she returns." wu yu frowned and replied, "i''m just following the rules. what can lan lingzi say? besides, his sage college is not the only one that''s been destroyed in the past few years." "well, you''re the vice principal in charge. whatever you say goes." vice principal qing man did not want to argue with him any further. besides, she did not want to be involved with the testy situation between wu yu, pang qianyuan, and lan lingzi. wu yu was fine with this. "the academic evaluation will begin in three days," he said. vice principal qing man smiled gently. the timeline had been brought forward. even though wu yu had said that he was not bothered by li luo, he clearly did not want to lose the bet. most importantly, he would have to fork out one more share of cultivation resources from his own pocket if he lost. with his status, he would not feel much pain over those resources. although their value was high, someone like him could easily afford them. however... if the resources fell into the hands of the astral sage college, it would be akin to helping pang qianyuan. this would be unacceptable for wu yu. vice principal qing man did not comment any further either. she turned around and left. after she was gone, wu yu waved his hands. elder wang ling walked into the hall and greeted him with a bow. "spread the news that li luo will be representing the astral sage college by himself in the academic evaluation. let them know that he''s aiming for a first tier spot. i want every college participating in the evaluation to know about it," wu yu ordered casually. elder wang ling acknowledged him respectfully. this news would surely cause a huge commotion. it was extremely rare to hear of one individual fully representing their sage college for the evaluation. moreover, li luo was aiming for the top placement. what would the teams from the other sage colleges think? when the others heard what he had said, they fell silent too. this was the cruel and harsh truth that they had to confront. "once again, i am afraid the students from the outer divine continents like us have no choice but to collect the leftovers in the academic evaluation," a student from the four star hall said with a bitter smile. he looked over to another person standing by his side and continued, "lu jinci, you''re considered the strongest amongst all of us as a seven-pearl. however, i heard that the strongest students from the three inner divine continent sage college have already reached the lesser heavenly resonance tier. how can we compete with them?" hearing this, the student named lu jinci shrugged helplessly. "what can we do? unless that big sister from the holy grail meet comes here, i doubt any of us can put up a fight against them." at this point, they all knew who he was referring to. it could not have been anyone but jiang qing''e, the one who had crushed him in the holy grail meet and obtained the title of the strongest student in the three star hall. if jiang qing''e were around, she should have become the representative of the four star hall. "argh, what a pity. i heard that the astral sage college has been destroyed. there''s no news of jiang qing''e and li luo either. i doubt they''re coming for the evaluation," someone on the side commented. everyone''s faces turned a bit gloomy. that was not the only sage college in the east divine continent that had been destroyed. there had been quite a number of them over the past few years. "li luo..." lu ming sighed softly. an image of the handsome young man appeared in her mind. she wondered if he was still alive or not. just as everyone was silently pondering, a commotion came from the lower floor of the building. it continued to spread, and everyone started talking about it. "what''s happening?" sun dasheng looked over curiously. after a while, someone brought the news over to them. his face was full of astonishment as he told them, "it''s news regarding the astral sage college. they''ve sent someone over for the academic evaluation, but it''s only one guy. he''s representing the college alone!" lu jinci, jing taixu, lu ming, and the rest were shocked to hear this. "representing the college alone?!" lu jinci''s expression changed as he asked, "could it be jiang qing''e? i wonder which stage has she reached. if she''s already at the lesser heavenly resonance tier, it may be possible to do it alone." but the guy shook his head. his face was still full of surprise. "it''s not jiang qing''e, it''s li luo from the three star hall! additionally, he''s even declared that he''ll get a first tier spot!" everyone''s eyes widened when they heard this. they were all shocked. "li luo?!" "participating alone?!" "and he''s going to take a first tier spot?!" "is he crazy?!" one after another, the voices escalated and resounded in the building. the commotion grew even bigger. Chapter 1075: Red and Black Lots chapter 1075: red and black lots in the building by the lake, the commotion grew so loud that the roof almost collapsed from the sheer clamor. jing taixu, lu ming, sun dasheng, and the others were all baffled. it was already shocking that the astral sage college was only sending one representative, but li luo had declared that he would unquestionably come out with a first-tier spot. that was simply insane. sun dasheng frowned and said, "has li luo gone crazy from shock or something?" jing taixu squinted and exclaimed, "i heard that something drastic happened in the xia kingdom. maybe something happened to his family and he''s gone mad." "more like something happened to your family! can you stop speaking ill of others?" lu ming scolded. "if nothing happened, why''s he doing something so crazy? if jiang qing''e were the one saying this, i could understand. however, he''s just a three star hall student. no matter how powerful he is, why did he say he''s planning to take a first position? does he have an greement with students at the lesser heavenly resonance tier?" jing taixu replied. lu ming was speechless. although li luo''s performance back in the holy grail meet was spectacular, it meant little in the academic evaluation. the crucial determinant of the evaluation was the titled students, not the three star hall students like them. so even though li luo was stronger than them, he was far from the level of the titled students. besides... he''s the only one from the astral sage college. that was the really crazy part. nonetheless, lu jinci chipped in from the side after he recovered from the initial shock. "if this li luo is the li luo that i''ve heard about, it may really be possible..." "senior lu, what do you mean?" jing taixu asked with a frown. lu jinci''s words had left them even more puzzled. meanwhile, lu jinci took out an exquisite-looking book from his pocket sphere. three words were emblazoned on the cover: heavenly origin records. "the heavenly origin records contain countless legends. it''s a compilation of the records of the most spectacular individuals and treasures ever found. within it, there''s the empyrean chronicle. only the most stunning and outstanding talents of the whole younger generation of the heavenly origin divine continent can leave their mark on it." at this point, lu jinci flipped the book open and quickly turned over to the empyrean chronicle''s index. he then flipped to the newest page and told them with a complex look on his face, "take a look at this, guys." lu jinci passed the book over to them. jing taixu grabbed it hastily and scanned the page. a moment lalter, his eyes started twitching like an earthquake had occurred. in the small building, mentor chi chan looked over at li luo helplessly. "i heard that you''re famous amongst all the sage colleges now. everyone knows that you''re representing astral sage college alone in the evaluation. most importantly... the news that you''re aiming for first tier has spread like wildfire. it must have been the work of the heavenly origin ancient college." li luo laughed it off. "it seems like vice principal wu yu is taking our gamble pretty seriously." mentor chi chan replied, "you''re too ambitious. just obtaining a second tier spot is good enough for me. after all, that''s always been our placement in past evaluations." li luo smiled and responded, "i''m just trying my best to help the school fight for a little more resources." mentor chi chan sighed lightly. she did not mean to scold li luo. it was just that news of his bet had spread, and li luo would surely become a common target during the evaluation. "don''t feel too stressed over it. if you really can''t do it, it''s fine. i''m already prepared to return empty-handed," mentor chi chan said. li luo nodded with a grin. "don''t worry, mentor. i''ll do my best. by the way, what''s the format of the academic evaluation?" with the evaluation happening in three days'' time, time was very tight. li luo had to gather as much information as he could before then. mentor chi chan shared whatever she knew candidly with him. "the academic evaluation has been going on for a number of years. the format has remained relatively similar. before every match, there will be a drawing of lots. there are two kinds of lots, red and black. "the red lot represents a battle between multiple colleges. this means that multiple teams from different colleges will participate in a battle at the same time. everyone will be eliminated except for the two teams left standing in the end. as for the black lot, it represents a battle between two colleges. each college will send out a team and the loser will be eliminated. "regardless of the color of the lot, the winning team will receive one star, which works like a point accumulation system. moreover, every college has three opportunities that will be consumed upon a loss. in other words, you''ll be eliminated once you''ve lost three times." li luo was surprised to hear of the format. a battle between multiple colleges would be a complicated situation as many teams would participate at the same time. there would be many changing variables. on the other hand, a battle between two colleges would be more straightforward, solely depending on who was stronger. if he had a choice, li luo would prefer a battle between two colleges. after all, he was the sole participant in his team. if he went into a battle royale, it would only just spell more trouble for him. "mentor, i''ll cultivate behind closed doors for the next two days to prepare for the evaluation," li luo said as he stood up. he could not underestimate the strength of the titled students from the sage colleges, especially those at the illusory seal grade. he was clearly at a disadvantage against them. as such, he needed to prepare himself. "i''ve collected quite a bit of cosmic sword intent, so it''s about time i try to condense the third dragon fang sword..." a light flashed across li luo''s eyes as he thought about it. the third dragon fang sword. which resonance should it be? Chapter 1076: Attention chapter 1076: attention throughout the following days, the news that li luo would represent astral sage college alone continued to spread. it became a very hot topic amongst the students of the sage colleges. even though the academic evaluation had been held for many years, this was the first time such a thing had happened. naturally, the information regarding li luo''s strength and status had also spread. many of them had learned about li luo''s background. however, some of the sage colleges from the inner divine continent continued to sneer at him. they recognized his exceptional talent and strength and they acknowledged the dazzling achievements written in the empyrean chronicle. if this were a single one-on-one battle, there was likely not a single three star hall student in any of the sage colleges that would stand a chance against him. however, the academic evaluation was not a simple brawl, it was a team battle consisting of four students in each team. in particular, the four star hall students were the key determining factor. did he really think that the other sage colleges would play by his rules and send only their four star hall students to deal with him? strictly speaking, most of the four star hall representatives were titled students. if they really had to be placed into a hall, it would be more appropriate to put them in a hypothetical five star hall. this was a commonly known loophole in the academic evaluation. however, it was not really unfair, since everyone had been exploiting it. as such, the heavenly origin ancient college had never bothered fixing it. unfortunately, the astral sage college had become a victim of the loophole. the majority of the teams that li luo would face off against would be led by titled students. in the situation of a one versus four, it did not matter if the one and two star hall students were mainly there to make up the numbers, because the three and four star hall students would still pose a huge threat to li luo. as such, they did not understand why li luo would dare to claim so boldly that he''d end up in first tier. did he really think that all the squads from the other sage colleges were just there for show? they were furious at him for his unbridled arrogance. some had even proclaimed that they''d make him pay for his words if they had the opportunity to meet li luo during the evaluation. as the commotion continued to grow, it even caught the attention of the various halls in the heavenly origin ancient college. it was important to remember that under normal circumstances, they did not care much about the academic evaluation of the sage colleges. just like how the sage colleges from the inner divine continent looked down on the sage colleges of the outer divine continent, the individuals from ancient colleges viewed all the sage colleges in a similar light. it was not that they truly sought to discriminate against them, but the truth of the matter was that they believed they were superior! in this chain of contempt, the ancient college stood at the very top of the pyramid. however, their interest was piqued following li luo''s appearance. he was from the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. his achievements in the spiritual resonance cave had been extraordinary. he had also stood out above qin yi, zhao shenjiang, and the other geniuses from his generation. in particular, it had been written in the empyrean chronicle that he was unrivaled amongst his peers. many of the prideful talents in the ancient college were highly skeptical of those words. they had always believed that the heavenly origin ancient college was not inferior to the heavenly emperor powers in any way. however, they did not have the chance to voice out their opinions before. li luo was with the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, and he had barely interacted with the heavenly origin ancient college. fortunately, li luo had traveled to the heavenly origin ancient college for the academic evaluation. it would be a wonderful chance for them to witness how miraculous and invincible the so-called genius of their generation truly was. "this curse is extremely problematic. i''ve been trying to remove it for years, but the methods of the other king are simply too strange. as of now, i have no idea how to remove it," mentor chi chan told him calmly. after all these years, she had long gotten used to it. li luo thought about it for a moment. "mentor chi chan, if you some time to spare, you can come with me to the dragon''s fang lineage. i''ll ask my grandfather to help you out with it." "it''s fine, there''s no hurry. after all, i''ve gotten used to the curse," chi chan answered. the situation back at the astral sage college was precarious after all. she could not afford to stay in the heavenly origin divine continent for too long. she would have to hurry back as soon as she secured the resources. li luo nodded. after a while, he finally stood up. "it''s about time. let''s go, mentor." mentor chi chan took off her apron and put on her mentor robes from the astral sage college. she took another look at li luo and smiled all of a sudden. "are you going to change your clothes?" li luo was taken aback for a moment. after a while, he understood what she meant. mentor chi chan was referring to the astral sage college uniform. however, this was something he had not been prepared for, and his uniforms from back then had long been thrown away. when mentor chi chan saw this, her hands swiped past the pocket sphere on her wrist and she removed a set of astral sage college robes. "i had some extra sets of uniforms prepared when you and the other two became my students." li luo stared at the uniform as it was handed over to him. he fell into a daze when he focused on the emblem of astral sage college. it had only been a year since he had left the xia kingdom. however, it felt like an entire lifetime had passed with what he had gone through. emotions flooded him as he put on the robes. the young man had a slender figure. his handsome face had sharp, refined features like a chiseled statue. coupled with his gray-white hair, he radiated a unique temperament that none could match. mentor chi chan nodded in satisfaction. li luo sighed once again. "it''s a pity the evaluation is not based on looks. if it were, i don''t think anyone would stand a chance against me." mentor chi chan rolled her eyes and shook her head. she proceeded to push the door open, and the two left the building. they then walked along a path leading towards an area bustling with cheers. Chapter 1077: Battle Between Two Colleges chapter 1077: battle between two colleges the venue for the academic evaluation was somewhere in the east of heavenly origin ancient college. it was like the colosseum; spectators sat around a circular elevated platform that was grand and spacious. in the middle was an empty area where the battles would take place. the area appeared extremely vast with signs of faint distortions in the world space surrounding it. it had clearly been built using a special method, making it so that the battlefield inside was larger than one could imagine. there were countless giant, green tree trunks wriggling about like pythons in the battlefield. as if they were alive, they moved into position and formed the stage for the fight. some of them were large enough to form mountains and rivers while others were very small. it was truly magical. when li luo and mentor chi chan arrived, they moved towards the spot allocated for the astral sage college. they immediately drew the gazes of the crowd. the academic evaluation had yet to begin, but li luo was already a well-known figure. he did not care about those gazes. his eyes scanned the surroundings and paused on a familiar figure. lu ming waved to him from the distance. her cute face was full of excitement. sun dasheng had a wide grin. however, his expression was far more friendly than the battle-hungry look he had shown li luo in the past. since the gap in their strength was so wide now, there was no need for him to compete with li luo anymore. beside them, jing taixu''s face remained impassive as he stared at li luo. it seemed like he was trying to figure out just how powerful li luo had gotten. further from their spot were the teams from the inner divine continent sage colleges. they were all paying close attention to li luo as well. the most eye-catching ones from that group were the three sage colleges that had the highest chance to secure the first tier spots. thunder sage college. lake sage college. lunar sage college. wu yu''s eyes scanned the surroundings. as his gaze passed through the crowd, both students and mentors could feel an uncanny sense of fright rising up within their hearts. their legs shivered uncontrollably, as if they were about to give way. he was not trying to show off his might. after all, there was no need to do so at his level... it was simply because a king was too powerful of an existence. every single move from him elicited waves in the space around him and was enough to make even dukes fear for their lives. a primal and instinctive fear naturally overtook their bodies. as wu yu''s gaze swept across the area, his eyes landed upon li luo and chi chan. however, just as he was about to make eye contact with them, he could see from the corner of his eye that li luo had sneakily taken out the heavenly emperor''s writ from his pocket sphere. the green veins on wu yu''s forehead bulged. his gaze then skipped past li luo''s area completely. he did not want to trigger the protective mechanism of the heavenly emperor''s writ with his aura yet again. after all, it might cause a huge commotion that could lead to the academic evaluation being delayed. on his side, vice principal qing man had noticed this as well. the corners of her lips twitched a little in amusement. in the end, wu yu withdrew his gaze. then his voice thundered in the air. it seemed to contain an inexplicable sense of authority as the surrounding cultivators listened in silence. "everyone, it''s about time. i will not waste your time with unnecessary words. the academic evaluation will be similar to previous years. let''s proceed with the drawing of lots now." he waved his sleeve, and a giant, green tree trunk rose from the center of the stage. countless branches grew out of the trunk, stretching towards each team. at the end of each branch was a wooden construct that was shaped like a lottery box. they emitted mysterious light that shrouded the interior from the outside. with this, each of the sage colleges sent a representative up to draw lots. li luo went up as well. he rubbed his hands a little and then casually drew his lot. he looked at what he had fished out. a black lot. there seemed to be some numbers written on it. li luo smiled. his first fight would be a battle between two colleges. Chapter 1078: The First Match chapter 1078: the first match when all of the sage colleges completed their draws, a loud chime rang out on the huge, circular grandstand. immediately, everyone witnessed the empty area in the center start to rumble and vibrate as countless giant, python-like tree trunks writhed on the ground, quickly taking the form of dozens of platforms. the platforms were of different sizes, some being far wider than others. those were clearly meant for the multiple college battles, while the smaller ones were meant for the single battles between two colleges. "since the lots have been drawn, let''s get started," vice principal wu yu declared as he took a seat high above. at the same time, mentors from the heavenly origin ancient college rose into the air to act as judges and referees for each battle arena. a loud and clear voice announced, "all teams, enter according to your drawn numbers. those whose numbers are not up, wait for now!" li luo glanced at the black lot in his hand, which did not light up, indicating that his number was not up for the time being. there was no hurry since he could observe the other teams'' battles. his gaze was directed towards the largest platform at the center, which was beginning to become more lively as each team leapt down upon it. bursts of strong resonant power ceaselessly erupted. the two-team and multi-team battles were very different. the former was simple and brutal; the weaker members would go up against each other while their team leaders would duke it out. on the other hand, the group matches were expansive and complex, with several teams trying to eliminate each other until only two teams were left, both of which were considered to have won. while li luo was observing the matches, he did not realize that there were also some gazes locked onto him. this group of young people were all wearing the uniforms of the heavenly origin ancient college, and their auras were undoubtedly stronger and more resplendent than those of the other students from the sage colleges. zong sha and jiang wanyu were among the group. obviously, these people were students of the heavenly origin ancient college. in front of the crowd, there was a long-haired young man who was playing with a bone flute in his hands. he stared at li luo with a smile on his face as he asked jiang wanyu, "wanyu, is that li luo?" jiang wanyu''s willowy brows knitted together slightly as she replied in a faintly icy tone, "i''d prefer it if you called me ''junior sister jiang,'' senior mo yun." senior mo yun was a well-known figure in the four star hall, and he was a bit above zong sha in terms of both fame and strength. mo yun smiled faintly, ignoring jiang wanyu''s cold attitude, and said, "he''s definitely good-looking, but i don''t see his ''terrifying potential and unrivaled drive'' at the moment." he looked at zong sha, who was to the side, and laughed. "zong sha, you guys were overshadowed by him in the spiritual resonance cave?" it seemed that the biggest attraction of the academic evaluation was finally going to step up. "although the sacred eventide college is not from the inner divine continent, its team leader is said to be at the seven-pearl tier, so you have to be careful," mentor chi chan warned li luo. seven-pearl, huh... li luo nodded as he grinned. "li luo, go for it!" a clear shout suddenly rang from the distance, causing li luo to look up. it turned out to be from lu ming, who just happened to have finished her own battle, and it looked like her team had won. he acknowledged her with a wave of his hand and then leapt out with no hesitation directly under every gaze in the arena. the black lot in his hand turned into a ray of light at that moment, wrapping around his figure and transporting him onto a battle platform. the platform was about ten thousand feet in width, far more expansive up close than when viewed from the stands. shortly after li luo entered the arena, four identical streams of light descended from the sky and landed on the other side of the platform. it was the team from the sacred eventide college. li luo quickly scanned the group, then he ignored three of them and just focused on the person at the very front. it was a young man clad in silver armor. he was holding a large sword and there was an extremely strong resonant power fluctuating in bursts from his body. he was the leader of the sacred eventide college''s team, wang dao, the one chi chan had cautioned li luo about. "hehe, leader, we''re lucky to have bumped into the astral sage college in the first match. it''s a freebie!" a youth grinned joyfully behind wang dao. the other two students were also wearing jaunty smiles because according to the information they had received, li luo was only around the three heavenly pearl tier. meanwhile, their team leader, wang dao, was a seven-pearl! however, in contrast to his teammate''s frivolity, wang dao frowned and said, "don''t be careless. li luo comes from the bloodline of a heavenly emperor and possesses triple resonances! he''s no pushover!" hearing his admonishment, the three students only straightened up a bit and nodded. "got it, leader." at this moment, an unknown number of gazes locked onto their platform. it was also at this time that a light shout of the officiating referee, and the energy barrier in the center of the battle platform dissipated. li luo''s first match was officially under way! Chapter 1079: A Single Cleaving Strike chapter 1079: a single cleaving strike when the referee''s voice sounded out, li luo calmly stepped forward amidst the countless curious gazes. at the same time, his three resonant palaces came to life and vigorous amounts of resonant power poured out of him. five radiant heavenly pearls appeared behind him as well. there were five of them! this sight caused the crowd''s eyes to shrink. even zong sha and jiang wanyu revealed expressions of shock. li luo''s strength had once again taken a leap forward! they had assumed he would be at the four-pearl tier at best. clearly, they had underestimated his cultivation speed. lu ming, jing taixu, and sun dasheng were silently ogling at the five radiant pearls. the gap between them was stupendously large. amidst the surprised looks, li luo shot forward explosively like a bolt of lightning and sped across the square. as he moved, the onlookers could see a large ancient bow appear in his hands. the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow. the moment the bow appeared, the three violet eye marks on it began to devour copious amounts of worldly natural energy. soon after, an ear-rending draconic roar sounded out. the appearance of a triple violet-eye treasured artifact brought about numerous envious gazes. such a treasured artifact was difficult to obtain even for an elite in an ancient college, much less those from sage colleges. li luo quickly drew the bow, and the resonant power within his body fused into dual resonance power before pouring into it. weng! a single arrow made of light swiftly condensed, radiating berserk waves of energy that caused the void to tremble. the sheer might contained within the arrowwhich was supplemented by a triple violet-eye treasured artifactwas something even a seven-pearl would have to be cautious of. the next moment, the arrow of light split the air as it pierced through the sky like a lightning bolt. it traveled thousands of feet in a single breath, wrapped in a hurricane of energy that directly blasted towards wang dao. wang dao roared angrily as seven heavenly pearls condensed behind him, summoning up a tempest as worldly natural energy was riled up. he had no intention of retreating! a heavy sword appeared in his hand, imbued with mighty resonant power. sword light pierced the air, carving a hole into the sky. "cleave!" wang dao''s voice boomed like thunder. endless amounts of tyrannical sword energy descended from the sky and clashed directly with the arrow of light. at the moment of collision, wang dao could sense that the arrow had separated three additional smaller arrows that shot past him. his expression turned dark. li luo''s initial strike was aimed at clearing out the field! the three mini arrows of light zipped past with frightening speed, each one targeted at one of his three teammates. "dual resonance power." the halo of light representing the fused powers surfaced on his weapon as the dual resonance power flowed forth. numerous mysterious little motes of light danced around the weapon, seemingly containing a hint of sentience. li luo''s eyes lowered slightly as the nine-scaled dragon sigil on his forehead began to radiate with light. "nine scales sanctified dragon''s body: nine dragons'' might!" his blood seemed to have been ignited; it flowed through his body like lava, channeling an astonishing amount of power through him that caused his veins to tremble. a single step was taken as the dragon elephant blade hacked towards his opponent. the void was split apart, and the sound of rushing water could be heard in that crevice. a moment later, a gigantic black dragon roared and emerged from the crack. it sucked in a deep breath, absorbing all of the churning, dark water. this resulted in its sharp claws gaining the glamor of corrosion. the roar of the black dragon allowed everyone to sense the eruption of power within its body. it then clashed directly with the tiger manifested from sword light. a violent energy tempest kicked up from the impact. at this point, a look of fear surged from the depths of wang dao''s eyes. he realized that when the two arts clashed, his sword energy was being swiftly eroded. "impossible!" wang dao exclaimed as any further words were stuck in his throat. he was a seven-pearl, so how could he have lost to li luo in a direct confrontation? as hard as it was to believe, this was the truth. the black dragon roared once again, releasing an aura of terrifying majesty as its sharp claws continued to descend unabated. the tiger manifested from sword light was shattered along with the void. the dragon, wreathed in cold air, then crashed towards wang dao without any hesitation. wang dao quickly summoned up all of his remaining resonant power in an attempt to protect himself. the storm of energy continued to rage. wang dao''s resonant power barrier was swiftly smashed, and when the black dragon slashed past him, it left a scar in the ground that was a thousand feet deep. meanwhile, li luo remained in place, still in his striking posture. he could see the look of shock and disbelief on wang dao''s face as he gradually collapsed on the field. thud! the sound that his body made when it hit the ground seemed ever so poignant amongst the silent crowd. the scene seemed to have petrified everyone. the result of the first battle between a five-pearl and a seven-pearl... a single strike had slain the opponent! Chapter 1080: Three Consecutive Victories chapter 1080: three consecutive victories the once bustling stands fell deathly silent when wang dao hit the ground. the atmosphere suddenly turned muted as the students from the sage colleges revealed expressions of disbelief. the seven-pearl wang dao had been defeated by the five-pearl li luo with just a single strike. how had this happened? they could all see that wang dao had never let his guard down for even moment during their confrontation. he had immediately utilized his mightiest killing move, a duke art. when the situation culminated in a clash, one duke art was crushed like a brittle twig. the issue was that wang dao''s duke art was the one that had been destroyed! the numerous gazes then turned towards the figure who was still stationary in his previous attacking pose. the ferocious aura that surrounded his body gave off the impression of an unsheathed godly weapon, sending chills down everyone''s spines. his combat power was truly terrifying. it was not surprising that he was in the empyrean chronicle. "my god! that guy is way too frightening!" sun dasheng was flabbergasted as he stared at li luo. lu ming looked stunned as well, then her gaze turned complicated. thinking back to the holy grail meet, she was capable of exchanging blows with li luo at the time. alas, the gap between the two was now an unbreachable abyss. "is this the advantage conferred by the inner divine continent? it''s no wonder the inner divine continent sage colleges feel superior to us," lu ming bitterly commented. if one were to discount the fact that he possessed prodigious talent, li luo''s gigantic leap in strength could only have been due to the amazing cultivation resources that had access to. this was something the outer divine continents could not compare with. "li luo''s resonance art is also a true duke art!" sun dasheng''s gaze had turned feverish. only those from the outer divine continents would know how difficult it was to learn a real duke art at their cultivation level. although heavenly pearls had it easier, those who were capable of wielding one were rare and far between. "his duke art is also at a high realm. if i''m not wrong, he has already reached grand perfection," jing taixu said in a gloomy voice. thinking back to the holy grail meet, the enlightened sage college''s lan lan had borrowed the power of the enlightened sage scripture duke art to suppress the geniuses of the opposing sage colleges. 0v3l.b11n. however, the enlightened sage scripture had been created by their college''s principal and was not extraordinary. even then, the conditions to master it were harsh, and even jing taixu had suffered without success when he had the opportunity to learn it. upon landing, mentor chi chan eyed him intently before saying, "li luo, i wouldn''t dare to call you my student any longer with how amazing you are." li luo waved his hand in response. "what are you trying to say, mentor? i''m only at the five-pearl tier now. wait for me to reach the king stage before you say such words. it won''t be too late then." "how pompous." mentor chi chan rolled her eyes, but seeing how she couldn''t hide the happiness within them, it was clear she was extremely pleased with li luo''s performance. "five-pearl tier cultivation and a grand perfection duke art. li luo, if this news were sent back to the astral sage college, it might very well demoralize yu lang and qin zhulu." chi chan sighed. "i don''t have a choice. someone has to tell them that the harsh truths of the world are cruel." li luo lamented sincerely. mentor chi chan''s smile deepened as she shook her head and asked, "how is your energy consumption? i''m afraid there may be intense battles ahead." li luo shook his hand as he replied humbly, "a seven-pearl opponent isn''t a big deal." with his current strength, unless it was a nine-pearl genius, individuals at the heavenly pearl tier would not be enough to give him pressure. mentor chi chan seemed extremely satisfied. his confidence did give others a sense of comfort. in any event, the academic evaluation continued. in the next hour, li luo went through another two fights, both being single battles. the competition went smoothly as he did not encounter any troublesome foes. unknowingly, li luo had already put the astral sage college at tier three despite being solo. this allowed him to enter the upper bracket. his three consecutive victories had caused the people who had mocked him to turn solemn. at this point, they could not understand just how a five-pearl was able to burst forth with the strength of at least an eight-pearl. it was difficult for anyone at the heavenly pearl tier to compete with him. li luo had encountered an eight-pearl opponent in the third battle. although the opponent was not decimated by a single strike, li luo held the upper hand the entire way and eventually won. at this point, everyone understood that if he did not encounter the peak experts at the lesser heavenly resonance tier, there might be no one capable of stopping him. of course, things might be different if he were to engage in a group battle. as this thought lingered in the crowd''s minds, li luo drew a red lot for his fourth battle. Chapter 1081: Group Battle chapter 1081: group battle "battle platform number nine, group battle match! "the participants are: astral sage college, sacred arts sage college, heavenly inferno sage college, phantasmal blade sage college, and holy unity sage college!" as the referee''s voice resounded like booming thunder, li luo grimaced slightly. his first group battle match had a total of five colleges participating. he was also slightly surprised that there was even a familiar face in the mix. it was lu ming from the heavenly inferno sage college. li luo directed his gaze towards where lu ming''s team was, and he saw that the latter was also looking in his direction, her smooth and supple cheeks similarly filled with the color of surprise. "i guess my luck isn''t that bad." li luo smiled to himself. considering his relationship with lu ming, if the heavenly inferno sage college''s team did not mind extending some goodwill, then li luo wouldn''t mind teaming up with them. after all, the group battle allowed for the coexistence of two winners. mentor chi chan''s voice suddenly wafted over from beside him. "among the five colleges, you have to be most careful of the sacred arts sage college. "the sacred arts sage college has also earned three consecutive victories today. their team leader is named chen xuan, and he''s an eight-pearl who has managed to defeat an opponent of the same level. he has possibly reached the pinnacle of the heavenly pearl tier and might begin to encroach upon the lesser heavenly resonance tier very soon" li luo nodded. he had also been observing the earlier battles, so he had taken note of the sacred arts sage college''s chen xuan. the sacred arts sage college was also from the heavenly origin divine continent, and although its reputation was not as good as the lake sage college''s, it had managed to secure second tier finishes every time it participated in the academic evaluation. therefore, it was considered a powerful college. the only threat in this round was probably the sacred arts sage college. a booming voice rang out from the heavens. "teams from each college, enter!" li luo did not tarry for a moment when he heard the announcement. he leaped directly towards the massive platform in the center of the circular stadium. along with the emergence of spatial fluctuations, the clamorous roars of the crowd began to subside when li luo landed, finding himself in a mountain range. n??vl-b1n was the first platform to present this chapter. the mountain range was filled with sky-high ancient trees that obscured his view. the venue of the group battle was indeed much more vast than the stages of the single battles he had experienced. li luo stood and waited in place for a while, and when a loud bell chimed across the entire area, he knew that the other teams had already entered and the match had officially begun. he did not hold back, and the dragon sigil in the center of his brow flowed with arcane light. nine scales sanctified dragon''s body! a pair of draconic wings made of energy sprouted out from his shoulder blades, whipping up a tempest and lifting li luo up into the air. he also opened his palm, and the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow materialized on it, looking menacing. he made a quick scan of his surroundings before flapping his wings with force. his figure transformed into a stream of light that beamed quickly towards the right. li luo acted ostentatiously as he did not have any intention of hiding. after all, he was now the hunter from a normal person''s perspective after three consecutive victories. as long as it wasn''t one of top colleges like the lake sage college, any team who saw li luo would logically choose to hide on first instinct. unfortunately, hiding was not always an option in the middle of a competition. li luo suddenly drew the heavenly dragon''s sunchaser bow, and a majestic arrow of light wrapped in violent wind tore through the sky, hurtling towards a certain location in the forested mountain. weng! the energy thundered onwards, snapping all the towering trees in the area like twigs. at the same time, a four-member team hidden within the trees was exposed. it was the squad from the holy unity sage college. when the team saw that they had been discovered, all the blood drained from their faces and they hurriedly retreated. they all knew of li luo''s reputation from his preceding three matches, and they didn''t think that their team would have any chance of winning against him. li luo broke into a satisfied smile and then shot three more arrows of light which honed in on the remaining team members of the holy unity sage college, eliminating them with ease. ...... at the same time, in another part of the forested mountain range... the heavenly inferno sage college''s team with lu ming had encountered some trouble. they were originally trying to conceal their movements as well, but they were detected by both the sacred arts sage college and the phantasmal blade sage college. fortunately, neither party seemed to have the intention of making any moves to eliminate them. lu ming saw a tall, buff youth who wielded a heavy battleax look in their direction. he called out a loud voice, "friends of the heavenly inferno sage college, how about we join forces and eliminate li luo from the astral sage college before we fight each other?" "that''s chen xuan from the sacred arts sage college!" a rotund man with a pudgy silhouette stood beside lu ming. his name was deng zhu, and he was the titled student and de facto team leader of the heavenly inferno sage college. he was looking at the youth with the heavy battleax not far away with a look of distress on his face. deng zhu cast a worried look at lu ming and asked with uncertainty, "junior sister lu ming, the sacred arts sage college has joined forces with the phantasmal blade sage college, and it looks like they are going to deal with li luo first. what should we do?" although he was the leader of the team in terms of strength, deng zhu had a weak character, so the one who was actually leading the squad was the three star hall student, lu ming. lu ming lightly nibbled on her scarlet lips as she said, "they are trying to rope us in to deal with li luo." "shouldn''t we just accept, then? li luo is just one person. if he faces a siege from two teams simultaneously, he might not be able to win. if we don''t agree, they''ll just eliminate us first. we''ve already lost one match, and if we''re eliminated again in this one, the next one will be dangerous," deng zhu hesitantly responded. lu ming was silent for a moment before replying, "leader, do you believe in me?" "of course i do!" deng zhu responded. lu ming took a deep breath and said dryly, "then we should just run towards li luo and join forces with him!" deng zhu''s voice trembled as he said, "junior sister lu ming, do you think li luo can beat those two teams?" "li luo might have some trouble dealing with them alone, but we are not useless. as long as we help out a little, i think the one who will win in the end will be li luo. by joining him, we can eke out a win. what would happen if we joined those two? even if we were to help them to eliminate li luo, do you think they would let us have one of the two winning positions?" lu ming calmly asked. "you''re completely right!" deng zhu said. as for the other two team members from the one and two star halls, they quietly listened and obeyed as they knew that they were just there to make up the numbers. at this moment, chen xuan and his team approached and asked, "friends of the heavenly inferno sage college, have you considered our proposition?" "alright, alright, we''re willing to join you and eliminate li luo first!" a loud voice replied. a smile emerged on chen xuan''s lips. it seemed like the other team was still rather sensible. although li luo had won three matches in a row and had some momentum built up, he was at a disadvantage in multi-group battles. "great, then please join us..." however, before chen xuan''s words had even escaped his mouth, the heavenly inferno sage college suddenly darted into the forested mountain and swiftly disappeared into the distance. he was stunned for a split second before his face morphed into a scowl. he could not fathom why the other party would take such a foolish action. between the two sage college teams and li luo, they had chosen the latter? their choice was considerably insulting. "i''ve forgotten that the heavenly inferno sage college is also from the east divine continent. perhaps they have some sort of relationship with li luo." chen xuan''s eyes were ice-cold as he waved his hand. in the next instant, both teams shot forth violently, murderously chasing after lu ming''s team. "since you''ve chosen to stand on the wrong side, we''ll just have to eliminate you first." Chapter 1082: Dragon and Elephants Divine Might chapter 1082: dragon and elephant''s divine might the squad from the heavenly inferno sage college fled desperately into the forested mountains. behind them, two murderous squads pierced through the air in hot pursuit. waves of ferocious resonant power shot out towards them. deng zhu was positioned at the rear of the squad, his seven radiant heavenly pearls spinning frantically as mud-colored resonant power gushed out. bang! n??vl-b1n was the first platform to present this chapter. deng zhu clearly posessed an earth resonance and was a defensive specialist. when his resonant power activated, the earth behind the team shook and thick walls of mud and stone rose up, forming defensive barriers against the attacks of the other two teams. but with just his own strength to rely on, the earthen walls were shattered in mere moments like thin paper. "junior sister lu ming, i won''t be able to hold them off for much longer at this rate!" deng zhu screamed in agony, his forehead plastered in sweat. "team leader, hold on just a little longer! this large commotion will surely draw li luo over here!" lu ming encouraged him while she grabbed her other two teammates with both hands. lightning resonant power flowed around her long legs, causing her speed to drastically increase. she realized that deng zhu was at his limit, but there was no way to fight back and win, so the only option was to run away and stall for time. it was not as if lu ming did not think of pretending to agree to chen xuan''s proposal to join forces before backstabbing them once they had joined up with li luo, but she had decided not to follow through with that plan because chen xuan was no fool. if they agreed to join forces, chen xuan would be wary of the heavenly inferno sage college since it was from the same continent as the astral sage college. he probably would''ve forced them to fight li luo first. so instead of being a disposable pawn, it was better to risk it all. chen xuan frowned as he looked at the fleeing four-member team and said, "they are trying to stall for time. it seems that they really did have the intention of joining forces with li luo from the get-go." an icy rage swept across chen xuan''s eyes as he gripped his heavy battleax tightly. the eight heavenly pearls behind him erupted into a deafening buzz as worldly natural energy gushed out. weng! he slashed down with his battleax, and a one-hundred-foot tall wave of resonant power shot out with an ear-piercing sonic boom, leaving long white streaks in the sky. chen xuan''s first strike was a dominant display of crushing power, and deng zhu''s heavy defenses were destroyed instantly. the resonant power blasted towards the trio at the front. the ground was torn asunder and all the trees in the vicinity were cleaved away from the base of their trunks. but chen xuan''s expression darkened when he saw the silhouettes of lu ming and the others begin to slowly dissipate. an illusion? chen xuan quickly scanned the vicinity and spotted some figures desperately running between the trees in the distance to his right. his gaze landed on lu ming, and he sensed two separate resonant powers flowing within her body. a powerful wave of pressure burst forth; this pressure was far stronger than that of an average eight-pearl. evidently, chen xuan''s strength had reached the pinnacle of the eighth heavenly pearl tier. no wonder he was able to defeat other opponents at the same tier. gripping the heavy battleax, a viridian wind resonant power flowed out of him, forming extremely sharp wind constellations at the tip of his weapon. facing the battle-hungry chen xuan, li luo spared no courtesies and raised his hand to loose two more light arrows towards his head. grasping the situation, chen xuan snorted calmly, and the flesh between his eyebrows cracked apart to reveal a viridescent vertical eye. this was the wind of corrosion spirit pearl, a single violet-eye treasured artifact, but its power was comparable to that of a twin violet-eye treasured artifact due to the fact that it had been nurtured by chen xuan''s flesh and blood for many years. the eye could emit a special attack called wind of corrosion, which was extremely overbearing and could erode many resonant power attacks. it was able to melt flesh and bones if it entered the human body, and even his eight-pearl opponents in the previous three battles had been forced into difficult situations by it. this was one of chen xuan''s trump cards. the dusky green wind of corrosion whistled forth, colliding with the light arrows and destroying them swiftly. li luo''s eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. chen xuan had some skills after all. since this was the case... li luo grinned and extended his palm, materializing the dragon elephant blade in his grip. at the same time, the sound of thunder crashed and bellowed from within his body as the lightning forge in his chest shook violently. thunderpeal avatar, five sonic pulses! at present, li luo had cultivated the thunderpeal avatar to its highest level. thunder reverberated within his body, and his flesh, blood, and bones were all rapidly fortified. nine scales sanctified dragon''s body, nine dragon''s might! the dragon sigil on li luo''s brow began to glow and emit draconic roars. violent and tyrannical power thundered like an angry dragon within his body, and the explosive power caused li luo''s breath to become hot and fiery. li luo''s body swelled and tiny dragon scales emerged on his skin. an invisible and terrifying power vibrated with his every breath, causing the air to explode into layers of white mist. he tightly grasped the hilt of the dragon elephant blade. the three violet eyes on the blade started to greedily suck in worldly natural energy as if they were alive. slowly raising the sword, li luo examined the reforged weapon. the previous golden-jade onyx-elephant blade had the power of the onyx elephant, and since the current version was much better than the previous, the dragon elephant blade naturally also had its own unique features. for example, this strike... li luo''s expression was aloof as he suddenly chopped downwards. dragon and elephant''s divine might! Chapter 1083: Chen Xuans Breakthrough chapter 1083: chen xuan''s breakthrough when li luo swung down, the sky in front of him appeared to be cut open by a terrifying force, and the clouds split into two. two powerful waves of blade energy flew out of his sword in a trail of light. one of them transformed into an enormous golden dragon, while the other turned into a dark-green ancient elephant. the two creatures were humongous, exuding an immense amount of force and pressure. roar! as the roars of the beasts thundered in the air, they charged forward. the dragon and elephant crossed paths with each other. in the next moment, they fused into a giant blade wheel. the dragon elephant blade wheel was covered with eerie, ice-cold engravings of an ancient elephant and a dragon. as it flew across the air, it left behind a long, black trail. a cold gleam could be seen shining off its edges. most frightening of all, there was a terrifying energy within the blade wheel that appeared to be driven by the dragon elephant. in the past, the golden-jade onyx-elephant blade solely contained the power of the divine elephant. after it had been reforged, it contained the power of the dragon elephant instead! the blade wheel soared through the air and left a path of devastation in it''s wake, heading directly towards the wind of corrosion coming from chen xuan''s spirit eye. when the two clashed, chen xuan''s expression changed immediately. no matter how his wind of corrosion tried to erode the blade wheel, it had simply no effect on it. in contrast, his wind of corrosion was blown apart wherever the blade wheel passed through. chen xuan was startled as he hurriedly formed hand seals. at the same time, a mouthful of blood essence filled with resonant power dripped onto the tips of his fingers. he then swiped across the spirit eye between his eyebrows with two of his fingers. "wind of corrosion light edge!" he shouted loudly as his spirit eye began to release the wind of corrosion once again. this time, it rapidly condensed into several blades. the wind blades then began to gather and spin, transforming into a whirlwind of doom. without further ado, it charged towards the incoming dragon elephant blade. a terrifying energy shockwave swept across the field when the two attacks clashed against each other. the forest under the hill was flattened instantaneously and the mountains cracked from the enormous pressure. the aftershock was so intense that the faces of lu ming, deng zhu, and the other people changed immediately. they lifted their heads and turned towards the place where the two attacks had clashed. as wave after wave of the calamitous energy extended outwards from the point of collision, the void shook violently. at the next moment, the giant dragon elephant blade wheel smashed the whirlwind that was blocking its path yet again. the blade wheel left a deep gouge in the ground that spanned hundreds thousands of feet in the vast mountain range. everything in its path was devastated. "argh!" a shrill cry could be heard in the air. everyone turned their eyes over in a hurry. chen xuan could be seen with both hands covering his brow as he stepped back with an expression of immense pain. after a while, he lowered his trembling hands, and a gash could be seen on his spirit eye. the blade energy sliced the azure pearls apart, but the tempest trapped within them was released, erupting with the full force of a storm! the howl of the dragon elephant could be heard coming from li luo''s dragon elephant blade. activating all of the resonant power within his body, li luo attempted to neutralize the natural disaster that he now faced. naturally, he was sent flying backwards as he defended himself from the storm. thanks to his three resonant palaces, li luo had as much resonant power as an ordinary seven-pearl even though he was only a five-pearl. of course, this was assuming his opponent didn''t possess a ninth-grade resonance. luckily, chen xuan''s wind resonance was not a ninth-grade. despite this, he had gotten a huge boost to his resonant power after his breakthrough. he was standing leagues above li luo now. in the second clash, chen xuan undeniably had the advantage. the others were well aware of this as they watched the two struggle. some of the spectators finally felt vindicated and almost refreshed as li luo had finally met a worthy opponent! ...... "this chen xuan guy is pretty good. looking at his hidden ace, he must be thinking of gunning for a first tier spot," mo yun commented with a smile as he watched this scene. "what he said is true. in terms of age, li luo sits in the three star hall of the sage colleges. he may undeniably stand at the top, but it''s too farfetched to say no one is his match. what do you think, zong sha?" zong sha knew what mo yun was hinting at. he wanted to belittle li luo to highlight zong sha''s failure in leading the squad during the spiritual resonance cave. zong sha, on the other hand, could not be bothered to reply to him. though jiang wanyu frowned a little as she responded, "the results are not out yet. please don''t rush to conclusions, senior mo yun." hearing this, mo yun was a little unhappy. he had a crush on jiang wanyu for a while, but she had never given him much attention. and it was obvious li luo had attracted her eye. feeling furious within, he replied angrily, "that''s true. li luo still has the spirit beast as his ace. i just wonder if he will dare to use it or not." jiang wanyu''s pretty face turned a little colder. she did not bother with him any further and turned her full attention to the battle. ...... back in the battlefield, chen xuan, who held the advantage in resonant power, was preparing his next attack. at the same moment, li luo took a deep breath. his face was still calm. in his waterlight resonant palace, the countless golden water pearls that contained source origin energy began to shatter. strand after strand of source origin energy rose up and fused with the resonant power within li luo''s body. just as he was preparing for his next attack, chen xuan suddenly paused. he watched li luo with a puzzled look as his eyes fixed onto the scene behind li luo. there were five heavenly pearls behind him. however, in the blink of an eye, two other radiant heavenly pearls began to condense. seven heavenly pearls?! as li luo watched chen xuan''s face gradually change, a smile appeared on his face. "i have no intention to call myself invincible, but it''s too early for someone like you to call me out. you''re merely at the lesser heavenly resonance tier without any golden seals. why wouldn''t i be able to beat you?" Chapter 1084: Defeating Chen Xuan chapter 1084: defeating chen xuan the sudden addition of two heavenly pearls left the crowd dumbstruck and silent. chen xuan had just made a breakthrough to bolster his strength, but where ha li luo''s sudden burst of power come from? was this what the empyrean chronicle had recorded? that li luo''s body contained a great spirit beast''s power that he could tap upon at will? wouldn''t this be considered an external source of power, something that was prohibited in the evaluation? a clamor ensued. at the highest point, wu yu and qing man, the two vice principals of heavenly origin ancient college, were closely observing the situation. their calm gazes swept across the battlefield, focusing upon li luo. with their king stage strength, they could naturally see that the sudden outburst from li luo did not come from an external source. instead, it came from his own body. "his resonant power contains a trace of source origin energy. this is something that only those at the heavenly resonance tier should have." vice principal qing man smiled wryly. "that little brat has a lot of trump cards indeed." vice principal wu yu remained emotionless as he glanced at the stands. his indifferent voice resounded in every individual''s ears. "do not disrupt the competition." hearing his voice, the crowd ceased their uproar. if the king who was adjudicating the competition had decided not to penalize li luo, it meant that this was not some form of external aid. did this mean that he had boosted himself with the aid of a secret art? this left countless people shocked. it was no wonder he had left his mark upon the empyrean chronicle. the amount of secret aces he had up his sleeve was beyond comprehension. ...... as the people watching sighed, chen xuan felt incomparably frustrated. to his knowledge, the only reason li luo had managed to slay lesser heavenly resonance tier opponents was because he had some form of aid. since he hadn''t used his own strength, he had no right to be so arrogant. "you can use a secret art to boost yourself to the seven-pearl tier?" chen xuan tightly clutched the halberd in his hand. the fact that the referee had not booted li luo from the stage implied that this method had come from himself. however, with his own breakthrough, his own resonant power was constantly strengthening and so was his own confidence in his own abilities. so what if the opponent had reached the seven-pearl tier? he was at the lesser heavenly resonance tier, an entire stage above! chen xuan stood in midair as an azure wind blanketed the world around him. the whistling sounds of the wind raged all around before transforming into numerous blades of wind that circled around him. thanks to his breakthrough, his affinity with the wind elemental worldly natural energy reached its peak. li luo, on the other hand, didn''t seem concerned with chen xuan''s elevated state. he was sensing the invigorated flow of resonant power in his body with a look of satisfaction. after his period of cultivation, the five primordial golden seals within his waterlight resonant palace had refined source origin energy of a higher quality. fusing with it allowed him to reach a level of power that far surpassed what he wielded in the fiendish devil cave. li luo''s body surged with majestic amounts of resonant power thanks to his three resonances. the fusion of all three powers gave off an ethereal and inscrutable sort of feeling. "triple resonances..." lu ming stared at the scene with a complicated look. li luo possessing three resonances was already well known, but it could not be compared to seeing it in the flesh. he only had dual resonances in the holy grail meet, so the third one must have formed afterwards. it was no wonder he had managed to thrive in the inner divine continent, considering how exceptional he was. chen xuan''s joy did not go unnoticed by li luo''s sharp gaze. he couldn''t help but smirk at how naive he was. the next moment, he pointed towards chen xuan. roar! the black dragon roared and its maw opened. icy dragonbreath poured forth towards the wings in a deluge of destruction. chen xuan counterattacked immediately. the azure wings soared upwards and countless azure lights shot out of it, colliding with the dragonbreath. when the two attacks made contact once again, the dragonbreath easily ripped through the azure lights. before chen xuan could heave a sigh of relief, he felt the hairs on his back stand on end. he could sense terrifying energy undulations shrouded by the dragonbreath. he hurriedly focused his gaze and noticed a hint of blue light in the depths of the dragonbreath. inside the light was a slightly curved dragon fang sword, silently biding its time. in the next instant, the dragon fang sword slashed outwards together with the dragonbreath. whoosh! the draconic growl of the dragon fused with the hymns of the ringing sword, resulting in a sound that filled the heavens and the earth. the dragon fang sword was simply too swift, and chen xuan could feel a chill in his heart. he willed the azure wings to intercept it, then a massive gust of wind wrapped around his legs, bolstering his speed and hastening his retreat. a blue sword arced across the skies, leaving a beautiful trail of blue light. the azure wings were cleaved into two when they attempted to obstruct it, and an unfathomable chasm opened up in the ground in the wake of that slash. chen xuan, in the midst of hastily retreating, was caught by the sword. he felt death loom over him, and he could not fathom how tyrannical the sword energy was. his eyes were only filled with the light left behind by the sword''s energy, which seemed capable of ignoring the distance between them. that was when horror flooded his heart. was this sword li luo''s true killing ace? it was absolutely terrifying. as his mind spun, chen xuan was unable to put up any defenses. the sword energy penetrated all his defenses, passing through him like a hot knife through butter. a mountaintop behind him began to shift, then it collapsed in the wake of that strike. he felt like he had been struck hard as blood burst out of every orifice on his body. afterwards, he fell from the sky like a bird with clipped wings. he landed exactly where the other squads were currently battling. crash! when they saw the bloody chen xuan collapse before them, both sides stopped fighting. their gazes turned towards him. the lesser heavenly resonance tier chen xuan had actually... lost? at the same time, the crowd''s gazes began to change. Chapter 1085: Seven Stars Result chapter 1085: seven stars result chen xuan was defeated! this piece of news sent shockwaves throughout the crowd, and no one could hide their surprised gaze. chen xuan had broken into the lesser heavenly resonance tier, which was considered to be the peak amongst the sage college elites. only the thunder sage college, the lunar sage college, and the lake sage college had elites at the illusory seal-grade, so almost no college was capable of contending against them. yet chen xuan, one who potentially was capable of doing so, had lost. he had been defeated by a single hit of a dragon fang sword. li luo''s strength was terrifying. on the viewing platform, the squads from the other colleges were in complete disbelief and in a frenzy. the lake sage college''s gao xuhan, the thunder sage college''s gu jing, and the lunar sage college''s tong yan were also focused on li luo''s battle. their original nonchalant and casual expressions had turned solemn. although li luo had vanquished opponents one after another till this point, his strength was seen to be at the seven or eight-pearl tier at best. that was insignificant in their eyes. however, the situation had changed. chen xuan might not have condensed his heavenly resonance golden seals, but his strength should have far surpassed the eight-pearl tier. li luo had hidden an art within an art to take chen xuan by surprise, but the fusion of the two had been executed perfectly. it demonstrated his expertise and deep understanding of his duke arts. that sword light seemed to possess unimaginable power. yet saying all this now was unimportant. this battle had catapulted li luo''s rising momentum to the top, and no one could mock him any longer for daring to say that he was gunning for a first tier spot. gao xuhan and the other two could no longer neglect li luo''s presence and were beginning to treat him as a true foe they had to be wary of. however, this change in perception also caused the three to feel uncomfortable deep down. if they were to look at their seniority, li luo was considered to be in the three star hall, while they were titled students. they had almost two years of additional cultivation time over him. if someone had told them in the past that a three star hall student would pose a threat to them during the academic evaluation, they might have treated that fellow as a fool. monsters like li luo were exceptionally rare in ancient colleges, much less sage colleges. however, such a dark horse had truly appeared before them, representing an outer divine continent sage college. the only thing the three of them could do now was do their best to hamper li luo''s prospects as they did not wish to become a mere stepping stones for his ascent to the top. no one knew the heights he could ascend to in the future, but they would be fierce tigers that would obstruct his path in the present. however, this was not the time for them to chat. after the two sides exchanged a few more words, beams of light descended, enveloping them and sending them out of the platform. li luo returned to the astral sage college''s spot. the first thing he saw was mentor chi chan''s bright eyes, which were staring at him without blinking. "it seems like the distance to the first tier spot has closed yet again?" even though chi chan was wearing a veil, li luo could vaguely make out her raised, red lips. she was obviously in a good mood. "it looks like my mentor is starting to believe in me. didn''t you feel like i was trying to revive a dead horse before?" li luo sighed. mentor chi chan gave a wry smile. "in order to express my apologies, i''ll get vice principal su xin to erect a statue in your honor when i return." li luo perked up. "it''s best if you get yu lang, qin zhulu, and the rest to worship it everyday. i''m sure they''ll improve if they do that." this reply resulted in chi chan rolling her eyes at him. it was clear that li luo''s victory had allowed some of her stress to ease up. at the same time she began to look forward to the results. with li luo''s strength, a first tier spot was indeed possible. the intense competition continued. li luo managed to rest for a period of time before lots were drawn once again. however, he didn''t come across any opponents stronger than chen xuan. thus, li luo easily trampled over his opponents in the name of astral sage college. as a result, he won another three battles. at this point in time, the results between the different colleges began to pull apart. there were four squads who were ranked in the first tier, with a result of seven consecutive victories. amongst the four, three were inner divine continent sage colleges. these were familiar faces, having been the ones who had monopolized the first tier spots of the previous academic evaluations. however, it was the fourth squad that made others feel complicated. no, strictly speaking, it wasn''t really a squad. it was a squad that consisted of just a single individual. it was none other than the astral sage college, which was represented by li luo. when the referee announced that four squads had obtained the result of seven stars, the stands turned quiet. everyone knew that the much anticipated finals were about to start. Chapter 1086: Finals! chapter 1086: finals! dong! the crisp sound of a bell rang out through the stands, and the voice of the mentor who was hosting the competition was heard. "now that we have four squads with a result of seven stars, the final battles to determine the first tier winners has arrived. we will now begin the final round. the ones who have qualified are as follows: lake sage college, lunar sage college, thunder sage college, and astral sage college!" "next up, we will have vice principal wu yu draw lots for the finals!" the entire area erupted with excitement at this announcement. although many sage colleges were regretful that their squads had not managed to achieve a first tier spot, they were still looking forward to the final battle. this would the highest level battle amongst the sage colleges. additionally, this was the first academic evaluation where things were a little different. there was a certain squad that didn''t seem to truly belong to the group that was participating in the finals. that was, of course, the astral sage college. an outer divine continent sage college had managed to muddle their way into the finals. this sort of situation hadn''t been seen in countless years. this was not to say that the students from sage colleges in the outer divine continents were untalented. it was simply a reflection of the stark difference in cultivation resources available to those in the inner divine continents versus everyone else. though it was not just cultivation resources that created the gapthe worldly natural energy in the inner divine continents was incomparably denser. this had a significant impact, and as a result, the inner divine continent students were several steps ahead. the difference might not have been evident if one looked at it over the span of a few days. however, over many years of time and accumulation, just how large would the gap become? the influence of their environment was something even a heavenly emperor was unable to resolve. thus those in the inner divine continents usually monopolized the first tier spots and a good portion of the second tier spots. the outer divine continent colleges could only take what was left. yet against all odds, an outer divine continent student had fumbled their way into the finals! what made everyone more surprised was that there was only one representative! one individual representing an entire squad had rushed all the way to the end. such an outstanding achievement had attracted the attention of all the students, and they couldn''t help but feel a sense of admiration towards him. whether the astral sage college was able to obtain a first tier spot or not was secondary. his feats and reputation had already spread amongst the sage colleges, cementing a legacy of his creation. li luo''s name now resounded throughout their halls. amidst the cheering hubbub, vice principal wu yu calmly stood up from his viewing platform. at the same time, green vines sprouted from the ground and a lottery box with two lots formed. mysterious light flowed around it, shrouding the process from sight. the two lots within would determine the final format. would it be a single battle or a group battle? although the lot drawing process seemed fair, playing a small trick was child''s play for someone with wu yu''s strength and stature. no one would suspect him of doing so. in fact, no one would even dare to. it was not a wise decision to question the actions of a king, especially without conclusive evidence. thus, even though mentor chi chan held reservations in her heart, she would not dare to voice them out. li luo''s gaze remained calm. this unfortunate situation was something he had already mentally prepared himself for. since vice principal wu yu had set the stakes, he would naturally not allow him to win so easily. what he had expected was a trial that was akin to the depths of hell and not a walk in the park. "there is no need to worry, mentor. no one knows the result until the end," li luo said. chi chan lightly pursed her lips. "i''ve had you bear such a heavy burden, and yet i can''t help in any way. i can only sit and watch you helplessly." li luo smiled. "when house luolan was surrounded by enemies, you chose to relinquish your position and confront house lanling''s lord. these are just three illusory seal-grades; even if it was three dukes, i would happily raise my blade against them to repay the favor." mentor chi chan smiled slightly and nodded. li luo''s consoling words had allowed her to feel a sense of relief before she attentively spoke up. "li luo, just do your best. there is no need to endanger yourself, and failing is fine. we can think of other ways." li luo nodded in acknowledgement. on the viewing platform, vice principal wu yu indifferently looked down upon the field, his powerful voice ringing in everyone''s ears. "the squads from the four sage colleges are to enter now." with that, he turned around and returned to his seat. at the side, vice principal qing man glanced at him before coolly commenting, "your actions are too rough." "and so what? do you plan to expose me in public?" vice principal wu yu retorted. vice principal qing man continued, "this has nothing to do with meyou''ve created a rift with li luo." "when he finally reaches the king stage, you can remind me again. however, right now..." vice principal wu yu shook his head. he couldn''t be bothered to continue. if not for the backing of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li, li luo would not even have the right to speak with him. his apathetic gaze was then directed towards the battle platform in the center. with his exhortation, the four squads shot forward explosively, entering the field. Chapter 1087: Going Big Chapter 1087: Going Big Surrounded by the lively cheers of the crowd, Li Luo entered the platform for the final fight. It was an extremely wide area dotted with mysterious stone peaks of all shapes and sizes. Looking down from above, it looked like a cave that had been carved out with a sword. Here, the noise from the outside world was shut off completely. Li Luo gradually regained his composure as he stood silently on the peak on his own. He wasn''t anxious at all despite the sudden challenge that had surfaced. His eyes scanned his surroundings before they locked onto the highest peak in the area. He unfurled his energy wings, flying directly into the sky and landing on top. Tightly clenching his fists, the Dragon Elephant Blade materialized in his hand. He stood aloof and peered into the distance calmly. "This spot should be conspicuous enough, right?" The other three squads from the sage colleges would likely notice him pretty soon. After that, they would undoubtedly come after him from all sides. Li Luo did not intend to hide and stay low as most had expected when pitted against the three full squads. On the contrary, he stood at the most obvious spot. He was planning to face off against all three at the same time. Many of the spectators were puzzled by his unexpected move. Chatter began to spread as they discussed his unusual stance. "Is Li Luo crazy?! What, does he want to save them the trouble of finding him?!" "Haha, he must have chosen to give up. That''s to be expected. After all, he stands no chance of victory in such a situation. It''s better for him to be eliminated early." "No way! What''s Li Luo doing? He should hide in a secluded spot so that the other three squads won''t be able to find him. In that case, they''ll surely fight against one another sooner or later. He should come out only after their strength has been diminished. At least he''ll still have a slim chance of victory then. Jumping out so recklessly now is just asking for death!" "Sigh. It''s over. I thought he would produce a miracle for the sage colleges of the outer divine continents." Heated discussions ensued. The sage colleges from the inner divine continents watched the proceedings as if it was a joke, while those from the outer divine continents lowered their heads in disappointment. They could not understand Li Luo''s suicidal behavior. Lu Ming, Sun Dasheng, and Jing Taixu also looked at each other in confusion. They were similarly in disbelief when they saw what Li Luo had done. "Li Luo is not foolish or careless. He must have his reasons for doing that!" Lu Ming stood up for Li Luo as she looked at the other outer divine continent sage colleges not too far away. They had begun to talk badly about him as they could not understand his intentions. "Forget it, just ignore them. They can''t stand up for themselves, yet they''re criticizing someone who can do what they could neve rdream of," Jing Taixu told her. "Li Luo is not fighting for their sake anyway. He wouldn''t care about their words." Lu Ming sighed helplessly. Her charming eyes were fixed on the figure standing atop the stone peak. Standing tall with a blade in hand, Li Luo had a certain handsome allure to him. Sadly, this would not last long. Amidst the gossip amongst the spectators, Mentor Chi Chan was surprisingly calm. She focused on the figure standing in the middle of the battlefield. The young boy she had met over a year ago had matured. Even after he left for the inner divine continent full of talents, he continued to thrive in the limelight. She had already seen numerous miracles created by his hands. As such, it might just happen again. Gao Xuhan and Gu Jing''s expressions turned blank when they heard this. They could not be bothered to banter with Li Luo any further. In the blink of an eye, huge amounts of resonant power surged up within their bodies. Two illusory gold seals could be faintly seen within their enormous resonant power. They continuously absorbed the worldly natural energy from their surroundings, exuding tremendous pressure. "Junior Li Luo, that joke is not funny at all," Tong Yan responded with a smile as she summoned her resonant power as well. The Heavenly Resonance Golden Seal surfaced from her body. The three Illusory Seal-grade elites stood in the air with devastating presences. Any other Heavenly Pearl opponent would have been suffocated to death by the sheer pressure alone. Behind the three of them, the rest of their squads formed an encirclement and gave off murderous intent. However, Li Luo remained unfazed. His grayish-white hair fluttered lightly as the wind blew. His fingers tapped the handle of his blade lightly, as if there was some rhythm to it. In the eyes of others, it seemed unwise for him to lure all of his foes over at once. However, that was only because they did not understand him well. To Li Luo, it did not matter whether it was one or three of them. Just activating his ultimate move once would finish everyone off. Naturally, it was more efficient for him to gather them up and take them all out in one go. Li Luo closed his eyes as his mind focused on his waterlight resonant palace. On the calm surface of the lake were around ten water pearls filled with source origin energy. He had used up a huge amount back in his fight against Chen Xuan, and there simply wasn''t enough time to replenish his supply. However, Li Luo was not planning to use them here. He looked directly at the clear lake. There were five Primordial Golden Seals swimming inside like lively carps. "This time, we''ll have to go big," Li Luo thought to himself. Along with his thought, huge waves started churning on the surface of the clear lake, and a whirlpool suddenly erupted within it. The five Primordial Golden Seals were activated, and at that moment, a steady stream of golden light emerged from each and every seal. When the golden rays of light stretched out, the five Primordial Golden Seals gradually began to dim. Li Luo''s resonant power began to spike at an astonishing speed as the golden light filled with source origin energy fused with his resonant power. Then he slowly opened his eyes. Five radiant Heavenly Pearls materialized behind him. Following this, more and more appeared... When the eighth Heavenly Pearl materialized, a huge commotion broke out among the spectators. Eight Heavenly Pearls! Li Luo had strengthened himself once again! Nonetheless, he did not stop here. He focused his mind and activated the True Dragon Seed Pill within his body. At the same time, he looked towards the bewildered Gao Xuhan and the group and smiled. "Everyone, I am about to go big." True Dragon Seed Pill, Dragonification! Chapter 1088: Dragonification! Three Dragon Fangs! Chapter 1088: Dragonification! Three Dragon Fangs! Roar! When Li Luo activated the True Dragon Seed Pill, deep and low draconic roars resounded through every corner of his body. His blood began to heat up at an astonishing rate. Gradually, it turned from fresh red into gold. Tremendous amounts of energy gushed through his blood like a torrent. His bones began to expand as well. His body was visibly growing larger, and golden dragon scales appeared on his skin. His palms grew wider and his nails turned as sharp as blades. His gray-white hair also grew longer at a shocking speed. Spreading out like a white waterfall, it danced wildly in the blowing wind. In just a few moments, Li Luo''s palms had transformed into a pair of powerful dragon claws. His claws held onto the Dragon Elephant Blade. With a casual swing, the void was immediately slashed apart and a stream of blade energy flew out across the battlefield, slicing the stone peak in the distance in half. At this moment, Li Luo was like a ferocious dragonoid. Waves of wild energy exploded from him. Along with each wave, immense dragonfear pulsated across the field. The faces of Gao Xuhan and the other two changed completely when they witnessed this scene. The pressure Li Luo was emitting made the resonant power within their bodies circulate more sluggishly. "No wonder he dared to fight us alone. He had an even better ace hidden up his sleeve!" Gao Xuhan said with a darkened face. For the first time, he was finally feeling a sense of danger coming from Li Luo, who had undergone Dragonification. In other words, Li Luo had powered up so much through this that he was capable of fighting off the Illusory Seal-grade foes. Fortunately, there were three of them here! As Gao Xuhan was thinking about his next move, Li Luo struck without any hesitation. After releasing such a volcanic burst of energy from his body, Li Luo finally understood. The Dragonification from the True Dragon Seed Pill was leagues above the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Bodythis was a complete metamorphosis. Apart from the wild burst of energy from Dragonification, Li Luo''s body had also strengthened considerably. His skin was so thick now that none of the three rivals in front of him could harm him. And this was only the beginning. Li Luo had no plans to fight a battle of endurance with the three squads. He understood that such an explosive burst of power was temporary, and he would enter a period of weakness afterwards. As such, he had to end this fight as soon as possible. This time, he would clean up the battlefield without any frivolous moves. Golden light swirled in his eyes as he focused his mind. In the next instant, there was the ringing of swords resounding in the sky above. Endless sword energy rained down from the sky and formed a mysterious and ancient sword formation. Enormous amounts of sword energy surged onto the field when two Dragon Fang Swords gradually materialized within the formation. One of them was a light blue sword surrounded by waterlight. It had unparalleled sharpness that could cut anything in the world in half. The other was an emerald sword that seemed to have buds growing out of it. It was like a giant ancient tree full of vitality and lifeforce. With the arrival of the swords, streams of sword light flowed around the surroundings, leaving thin and clean cuts in the void as they passed by. "This is the sword that defeated Chen Xuan!" Gao Xuhan and the other two recognized the light blue sword immediately.. Most surprising of all was that there were two such swords now! "Guys, please do not hold anything back if you do not want to become a stepping stone. Li Luo... is not simple!" Gao Xuhan cried out to the other two. However, his warning was unnecessary. The faces of Gu Jing and Tong Yan turned serious as soon as they saw what Li Luo had done. Li Luo had grown so powerful that they had begun to turn wary. The three of them had pulled out their best skills without any hesitation. Coupled with the strengthening from their Heavenly Resonance Golden Seals, their combined power could easily rival that of a True Seal-grade Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator. Many of the spectators were completely in awe at the lineup of arts. Even Zong Sha, Mo Yun, and the Four Star Hall elites from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College watched in amazement. "Li Luo is going to be in trouble!" Mo Yun said. "A five-pearl just forced three Illusory Seal-grade opponents to give it their allLi Luo did not lose no matter how you look at it," Jiang Wanyu said as she looked at Li Luo with admiration. "With such strength, he might have been nominated to enter the Heavenly Star Hall early if he was a student of our college." Some of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College students reacted when they heard this. They knew very well what the Heavenly Star Hall entailed and how hard it was for one to be nominated to enter it early. This required the kind of monstrous talent that could only be found once in a few centuries. Mo Yun was extremely unhappy when he heard this, but he was unable to rebut. Even for him, it was impossible to force three Illusory Seal-grade opponents into such a state by himself. He wanted nothing more than to see Gao Xuhan and the other two eliminate Li Luo. Otherwise, that fellow would create a titanic splash amongst all the colleges. As Mo Yun was hoping for his defeat, Li Luo had also witnessed the all-out attacks coming from the trio. Their power wasnot to be underestimated. However, Li Luo was not too bothered by them. He focused all his attention into the sword formation above. The two Dragon Fang Swords had materialized, but Li Luo was not going to stop there. "Phew." He took a deep breath, and resonant power poured out of his body. At the same time, a light began glowing within the sword formation. It was a blindingly bright light that burned like the flames from the sun. Strands of pure energy condensed around it, and gradually, the faint shape of a Dragon Fang Sword could be seen. Resplendent light glimmered around the new Dragon Fang Sword. It was truly dazzling. Rays of light circulated around the sword, akin to the purifying flames surrounding a sacred object. This was the third Dragon Fang Sword that Li Luo had forged. The Light Dragon Fang Sword! It was a combination of his light resonance and dragon resonance. However, the light dragon fang sword did not materialize completely. The light resonance was Li Luo''s secondary resonance, so it was considerably weaker than the water and wood resonances, which were his primary resonances. Nonetheless, it was a fearsome force to behold with the boost from the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. Li Luo formed handseals quickly with both hands. Whoosh! Three beams of sword energy flew out of the three Dragon Fang Swords, leaving trails of light behind. They gathered up in the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation and fused together. Dense and unstoppable amounts of cosmic sword energy emerged from within the sword formation. It seemed to be filled with countless asteroids. As the energy passed by with a glorious light trail, it looked like an enormous ancient dragon swimming in the boundless galaxy. An indescribable force exuded from it, tearing the void apart and leaving signs of fragmentation in the surroundings. Li Luo summoned up all his strength and pushed out his palm. "Triple Resonances Dragon Fang: Void Obliteration Sword Phantasm!" Chapter 1089: I Refuse Chapter 1089: I Refuse The cosmic sword light swept across the battlefield. Wherever it passed, worldly natural energy was obliterated. Everyone watched in shock as the sword light clashed directly with the strongest attacks from Gao Xuhan and the group. When the two sides collided, a terrifying energy shockwave exploded. A blinding light flooded the scene, and no one could tell what exactly was happening during the collision. Despite how hard it was to look at the battlefield, everyone wanted to know the conclusion of the battle as soon as possible, so they forcibly kept their eyes wide open, resulting in tears on every face. As everyone watched without batting an eyelid, the immensely powerful sword light finally began to subside. The whole place fell into silence for a moment. The first thing that caught their attention was the messy aftermath on the battlefield. Countless stone peaks had been flattened to the ground. There were endlessly deep sword marks left all over the terrain. However, the sword marks differed from one another. Some were sliced so cleanly, they looked like they had been finely crafted; some were littered with growing buds; others were simply burning with holy flames. In just one clash, half of the vast battlefield had been destroyed. N??vl-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter. The countless spectators scanned the surroundings frantically. Finally, their eyes landed the highest stone peak. There was a dragonized Li Luo, standing in the same position with his blade in his hands. His gray-white hair danced as the wind blew. He remained untouched! However, the astonishing resonant power that he had shown earlier was diminishing at a brisk pace. This included his dragon scales and his dragonized body. He was rapidly turning back to normal! What about Gao Xuhan and the others? Had they survived the clash? The crowd hurriedly looked around again. After a while, they finally spotted a group of figures surrounded by faint, emerald glows on the devastated battlefield. It was none other than Tong Yan, Gu Jing, and the rest. Looking at their current state, it was clear that they had lost consciousness from the collision earlier. If not for the life-saving treasures that they possessed, they might have been killed by Li Luo''s earlier attack. Gasps of cold air could be heard in the circular viewing platform at this moment. When Tong Yan, Gu Jing, and their teammates came into sight, the battle had been decided. The fearsome sword light from Li Luo had swept through the battlefield and finished off the three teams in a single strike?! "However, I recall hearing a mentor from your college threatening my mentor a few days ago. He was trying to rob the Astral Sage College of our rights to participate. So, it''s a pity..." Li Luo slowly lifted the Dragon Elephant Blade. "I''ll have to refuse your suggestion." Although leaving Gao Xuhan aside would not affect Li Luo''s placement, Li Luo felt that there was no reason to let him off easy. Gao Xuhan had not suggested sharing the benefits at the start of the fight, so why would Li Luo agree to it at the end of the fight? There was no need to show such kindness; he was no saint. At times, he felt the urge to be vengeful too. Gao Xuhan shouted angrily, "Li Luo, are you picking a fight with the Lake Sage College? There''s no need to be so extreme! There''s no need for you to do this!" With how things are right now, we can both be winners!" Li Luo was a little puzzled, shooting Gao Xuhan a strange look. "If you''re not happy, ask your principal to come look for me at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." "Damn!" Gao Xuhan cursed angrily in his heart. He had forgotten that the guy in front of him was not just a studenthe was also a member of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li! In fact, he was the beloved grandson of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Lineage Chief. And that particular Lineage Chief was a Dual Crowned King, much stronger than their principal! As such, his threat earlier was completely useless. As Gao Xuhan watched with despair, Li Luo lifted the Dragon Elephant Blade and slashed down towards his head. Although Gao Xuhan knew that he was under the protection of the battlefield, he couldn''t simply allow himself to get hit. He mustered up the last of his strength and shouted out hoarsely, "I surrender!" The sword stopped right in front of Gao Xuhan. "Good." Li Luo smiled happily as he lightly tapped Gao Xuhan''s pale face with the tip of his sword. He continued to resist the tiredness screaming in his body as he grabbed onto the sword with both hands. Using the weapon as support, he looked up at the referee in the sky above and asked, "So, can it be announced that I have won the final battle?" At this point, the referee from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College finally returned to his senses from the surprise. His heart wavered a little as he looked at the messy aftermath on the battlefield. Despite the fact that Li Luo''s attack was unpolished, even an expert like him saw the potential in the youth before him. This was another monster. After the referee thought about it, his loud and clear voice resounded in the air. It echoed into the ears of every spectator. "The winner of the final fight of the academic evaluation is... "The Astral Sage College!" "Li Luo!!" The place exploded with excitement. Chapter 1090: Startling Skills Chapter 1090: Startling Skills When the referee announced Li Luo as the final winner, the entire audience burst into ear-piercing shouts and cheers. Everyone was completely taken aback as they had just witnessed a rare miracle. The main characters of the academic evaluation would usually be the sage colleges from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. The outer divine continent sage colleges could only be sent packing. Being able to obtain a second tier spot was considered a decent result for them; the first tier spots had nothing to do with them. Although the outer divine continent sage colleges could only look ogle at the resources allocated to the first tiers with eyes full of envy, there wasn''t much of a choice. The sheer difference in environment ensured that the gap between them was vast. They were on completely different levels of power. However, in this special situation, Li Luo''s representation of the Astral Sage College and his subsequent victory over the most elite students of the inner divine continent sage colleges was mindboggling. They were finally able to see Li Luo''s true worth in this competition. No one in the history of the event had ever single-handedly represented their college and fought the way he had. He was lacking both in terms of numbers and cultivation level, so no one could fathom how Li Luo had managed to chase away the ravenous gazes of the top three sage colleges with just a wave of his hand. It was done cleanly as well. The surprising result was a blow to everyone and their expectations. "This is too insane," Lu Ming finally blurted out after being lost in thought for some time. She sucked in a deep breath, and a look of horror could be seen on her face. Jing Taixu and Sun Dasheng looked as though they had been turned into wood. Even the usually calm and collected Jing Taixu had nothing to say. A five-pearl had confronted three Illusory Seal-grades and their squads. If someone claimed that Li Luo was in the True Seal-grade, it would be believable in light of this result! However, the truth was that he was not! This was the most unbelievable part. Sun Dasheng sighed. "It''s no wonder cultivators from the outer divine continents constantly seek to enter the inner divine continents. The opportunities and cultivation conditions are incomparablye." Lu Ming and Jing Taixu were in agreement. As the three sighed in unison, the students from the outer divine continent sage colleges burst out in tremendous cheers. Although Li Luo''s victory didn''t have anything to do with them, he was considered their representative. His victory would dampen the momentum and arrogance of the inner divine continent sage colleges who usually did not deign to even spare them a glance. "This reminds me of the Heavenly Star Hall''s genius senior sister, Spirit Artist," Zong Sha said. Jiang Wanyu''s face changed as she asked, "Do you mean the one who cultivated numerous Duke Arts to Grand Perfection? Senior Feng Lingyuan?" When some of the other students heard that name, they glanced to their side with slight fear. Clearly, Senior Feng Lingyuan was an extraordinary person. In the Heavenly Star Hall, where the truly talented gathered, she was one that stood amongst the top three in terms of monstrous talent. The nickname of "Spirit Artist" was something that the Principal had personally bestowed upon her. Just this alone was sufficient to let others know of how terrifying her talent in comprehending resonance arts was. And Zong Sha had compared her to Li Luo. The battle he had just witnessed had truly brought him immense shock. As the viewing stands buzzed with excitement, the atmosphere at the highest viewing platform seemed a little stagnant. The two crimson pearls in Vice Principal Wu Yu''s hand had stopped rotating. Instead, his fist was tightly clenched and the two pearls were emitting waves of loud tremors, causing the void to shudder. "Vice Principal Wu Yu, please don''t destroy this place. I don''t want to be responsible for helping you clean things up," Vice Principal Qing Man reminded him. Vice Principal Wu Yu was still expressionless as his palm opened and the two crimson pearls were swallowed up. "It looks like my previous guess was not as ludicrous as you thought. It came true in the end." Vice Principal Qing Man smiled slightly. It looked like she was enjoying the moment, unconcerned with the fact that she would anger Wu Yu. Vice Principal Wu Yu''s eyes shrunk as he said, "This has been unexpected. Regardless, Li Luo is from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, and the result was not because of the Astral Sage College. If he had not gone to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, such a result would not have been possible." Vice Principal Qing Man grinned. She understood Wu Yu''s words. He was clearly telling her that he had not lost to Pang Qianyuan, but instead to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Regardless, there wasn''t much point to that. It was nothing more than forced words used to console himself. Vice Principal Qing Man did not continue to provoke him. Instead, she remained amused that Wu Yu had managed to fall to a little Heavenly Pearl Tier brat''s schemes. At the same time, she let out a lazy stretch. "It looks like there''s not much point in hanging around after this. Let''s hurry and bring this to a close." When she finished speaking, her expression suddenly changed and she looked towards the depths of the college. Her usual, lazy expression suddenly became solemn. "A vice principal is returning from the depths." Vice Principal Wu Yu''s gaze turned serious when he heard this. It seemed that the Principal was about to transmit some news to them. Chapter 1091: Lan Lingzi, All-Being Devil King Chapter 1091: Lan Lingzi, All-Being Devil King It was as Vice Principal Qing Man had said, after Li Luo''s battle against Gao Xuhan, the rest of the fights would be quite boring. The rest of the crowd was still engrossed in discussing the happenings of the previous fight as well. It would be hard for them to focus on any other fight after that. The good thing was that the rest of the fights would quickly end. As a result, the academic evaluation swiftly reached its conclusion without any complications. Li Luo''s performance had surpassed all expectations, taking home one of the first tier slots. The winner of other slot ended up being determined by the drawing of lots. The three other squad leaders who had obtained seven stars in their evaluations drew them personally. Tong Yan burst out in wild cheers when she received the winning lot. Gao Xuhan and Gu Jing''s expression had turned as ashen as the bottom of a well-used wok. There was nothing they could do. Alas, their luck had deserted them at the very end. However, they truly were quite unlucky. Under normal circumstances, it woud''ve been fairly easy for prodigies like them to come out with first tier spots. Unfortunately, Li Luo was a stumbling block for them. Additionally, they had served as stepping stones for him. As Li Luo''s reputation spread in the future, the three of them would be turned into the villains of the story and be subject to verbal lashings from the public. Once the placements were confirmed, the usual award ceremony was canceled as Wu Yu and Qing Man quickly left in full view of the crowd. The sage colleges present immediately started to discuss what might have happened. The good thing was that the mentors from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College stepped in to pick things up, assuring everyone that everything would continue as usual and the cultivation resources would be delivered as agreed upon. It was only then that the commotion subsided. After which, the sage colleges took their leave. Li Luo stretched lazily as he watched the vice principals walk off. "Wu Yu wouldn''t be the sort to renege on his bet, would he?" Chi Chan shook her head. "With his status and position, doing such a thing would be detrimental to his reputation." Li Luo paused to ponder about it. Although the price of the cultivation resources was insignificant, a King would not be concerned. A battle of this magnitude was a fight amongst peak experts. In a sense, it was almost like two King powers going head-to-head against each other. However, as a core member of the Academic Federation, the Heavenly Origin Ancient College would usually remain neutral and not engage in wars against other powers. Their only goal was to obstruct and defeat the Others. This was the main reason why the other peak powers on the continents highly respected the Academic Federation. The stronger the power, the better they understood how frightening the threat of the Others was. The Academic Federation carried a heavy burden for the sake of the living, all for the sake of resisting the shadow world. "It seems like the situation has escalated," Vice Principal Qing Man said. "The Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm is too tempting. The space is linked to the Nobles'' Battlefield, and if this fact had not been discovered, things would have been fine. We could''ve borrowed the aid of the Tree of Resonant Power to cover its existence and gradually developed it. Unfortunately, the All-Being Devil King, who was closest to the area, discovered it," Lan Lingzi coolly explained. "It sowed corruption and managed to influence a mentor of our college. It caused his skin to mutate and separate from his flesh and blood before developing a life of its own and escaping to inform the Devil King of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm." Wu Yu and Qing Man frowned at this point. The Other Kings had methods that were esoteric and unpredictable, including the All-Beings Devil King. It could force an individual''s skin to separate from their own body upon being corrupted! When faced with such a strange existence, even a Duke would unknowingly be corrupted. And eventually, they would suddenly discover that part of their body was no longer their own and turn into a lump of flesh and bone. "So what is the plan now? Did you return due to the Principal''s orders?" Vice Principal Wu Yu asked. Lan Lingzi nodded, but then she replied with a question of her own, "Is the academic evaluation is occurring again? Have the Sage colleges sent out their most exceptional squads?" Vice Principal Wu Yu''s face shuddered slightly as he unnaturally nodded in confirmation. "How are the results? Which colleges earned first tier slots?" Lan Lingzi continued. Vice Principal Wu Yu was expressionless at this point, but Qing Man laughed lightly. "The most exceptional college that obtained a first tier slot is none other than the Astral Sage College." Lan Lingzi did not react at first, but a few moments later, a look of surprise sprang up on her face. She stared at Vice Principal Wu Yu. "Astral Sage College? The college that Old Pang runs?" Chapter 1092: Mobilization Order Chapter 1092: Mobilization Order Lan Lingzi was a little surprised when she heard the news. She knew about the strength of the Astral Sage College led by Pang Qianyuan very well. Based on the previous evaluation, their best result to date had only been a second tier spot. How had that turned into first tier spot all of a sudden? She then shot Vice Principal Wu Yu a suspicious look. With all the senior members of the college away, Wu Yu had been left in charge. Based on his character and his past with Pang Qianyuan, he would definitely do his best to make things difficult for the Astral Sage College as long as it was within the rules. In other words, it must have been even harder for them to achieve a good result. Vice Principal Wu Yu''s face was a little uncertain as Lan Lingzi looked at him suspiciously. He felt a little uncomfortable under her piercing gaze. It was not as if he hadn''t deliberately made things harder for them; Li Luo was simply too strong. Vice Principal Qing Man continued with a smile, "It was pretty interesting. The Astral Sage College only sent in one Three Star Hall student as their representative. He formed a team alone, and the final fight was a group battle. In the end, he defeated all three squads from the inner divine continent by himself." Lan Lingzi was even more curious about it after hearing this. "One Three Star Hall student defeated three full squads from the inner divine continent? Is there really such a monster in an outer divine continent sage college? Old Pang, you''ve done well." This was not just amazing for a the sage college from an outer divine continentsuch a monstrous talent was a rare sight even in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. Embark on an odyssey to the core at N?vl??n# Vice Principal Wu Yu finally couldn''t take it anymore and said, "Although Li Luo claims to be a student from the Astral Sage College, he left it more than a year ago. He is actually a member of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, and the grandson of Li Jingzhe, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. His father is Li Taixuan and his mother is Tan Tailan, two of the most brilliant individuals in history, a duo that dominated the Empyrean Chronicles during their prime. Strictly speaking, he is not a student trained by the Astral Sage College! How could this achievement be related to Pang Qianyuan in any way?" Wu Yu stomach seeing Li Luo come out on top, but he could not stand listening to Lan Lingzi attributing the result to Pang Qianyuan. After all, if Li Luo had not gone to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, he would not have achieved this result today. "Oh?" Lan Lingzi''s eyes moved a little. She did not expect the winner to have such a background. Vice Principal Wu Yu frowned as well. Both sides had sent at least ten Kings to the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm; even a Duke was an insignificant presence in that battle! Sending students at the Heavenly Pearl Tier and Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier over was the same as sentencing them to death. "It''s because the All-Being Devil King has chosen to envelope the entire Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm with the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion. Based on the Principal''s deductions, the All-Being Devil King is trying to erect a Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar. It''ll be able to use that to expand the reach of its dominion and completely corrupt the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. At present, it has taken preliminary form and we''re under its rules when we enter. The stronger the person entering the place, the stronger the corruptive presence. Only those below the Duke Stage can move in and out freely. As such, we''ll need to use the students. They''ll act as the vanguard to charge into the area, destroy the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar, and break the hold of the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion. Only with that will we stand a chance at victory," Lan Lingzi explained. "This is a very dangerous task. I am afraid the squads from the sage colleges will not be able to handle it," Vice Principal Qing Man said seriously. "We won''t only be relying on them, of coursethey''ll just be assisting us. The main force will still be the Heavenly Star Hall, the Three Star Hall, and the Four Star Hall students from our college," Lan Lingzi said. "So, our next priority is to stop all students from going out on any external missions. Send a message to all our students outside, especially the Heavenly Star Hall ones. Let them know that they''ll have to return to the college in the next few days for this mission!" Vice Principal Qing Man nodded silently. The college had provided lots of cultivation resources to the students in the Heavenly Star Hall, and it was finally time for them to shoulder their responsibilities. "Our mission is of utmost importance. We may not be able to succeed with only our own students. The Principal has sent word over to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College to request for assistance too. Thus, they will be sending help. They''ll use their Tree of Resonant Power as the connection point and send squads from their college into the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm too." Lan Lingzi added. Vice Principal Qing Man laughed when she heard this. "The Principal has always been at odds with that guy from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. He must have felt quite disgruntled when he asked for their assistance." Lan Lingzi also smiled a little and replied, "Which is why he asked me to come back here with a message for everyone. Our students have to make him proud in this mission. If there are any outstanding performances, they will definitely be rewarded well." Vice Principal Wu Yu thought about it for a moment. "Since the academic evaluation has just ended, the sage colleges have not left yet. I will go and issue the Mobilization Order right away." Lan Lingzi nodded as she stared out of the window. There was a peaceful atmosphere on the schoolground. However, their mission was an extremely dangerous one. There would definitely be casualties, and the atmosphere in the school would not be as pleasant then. She thought about it for a while and asked Vice Principal Qing Man, "Where are the people from the Astral Sage College situated? I''ll pay them a visit." Although they were already aware of the catastrophe that had happened to the Astral Sage College, Lan Lingzi would still like to meet the people from the Astral Sage College and find out how Pang Qianyuan had been doing. Chapter 1093: Hearing the News Chapter 1093: Hearing the News The next day, Li Luo woke up and walked down the steps in the small building he was staying in. To his surprise, he found an unknown lady sitting opposite Mentor Chi Chan at the table in front of the window. She was equipped with an azure jade armor with a crown that seemed to be woven from grass sitting lightly on her head. She appeared casual and relaxed, but just by sitting there, she was giving off an indescribably terrifying aura. A King! Li Luo was familiar with such aura. He recognized how strong this lady was immediately. As he was left a little dumbstruck, the lady in the jade armor looked up and smiled. "You must be Li Luo." Li Luo walked closer to the table, cupped his hands together, and greeted her respectfully. "Greetings, Senior." Mentor Chi Chan smiled a little and said, "Li Luo, this is Vice Principal Lan Lingzi." His face lit up when he heard this. He had finally found the person he was looking for. Although he was still unsure of the relationship between Principal Pang and her, she was definitely not like Wu Yu. He had finally found a vice principal in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College that was willing to speak to him. With her help, things would undoubtedly go smoother now. "I''ve finally found the esteemed Vice Principal Lan Lingzi," Li Luo said with a bow. Lan Lingzi signaled for Li Luo to take a seat. She studied him with her eyes for a while and then said with a smile. "Not bad, you''ve made your Principal proud with your results in the academic evaluation. If that old man heard about this, he would surely be very elated." Li Luo was a little embarrassed as he replied, "Principal Pang has treated me really well, and I am very grateful to the Astral Sage College. Since I was given an opportunity, I naturally did my very best to repay them." Lan Lingzi nodded and said, "You really are the type that appreciates and treasures your relationships. Old Pang sure is good at selecting students. He asked you to come to this college and look for me, am I right? Our college happens to be in the jmiddle of an extremely important mission, so I haven''t been around." Li Luo blinked a few times. "Principal Pang specifically told us that when we come to the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, we must pay Vice Principal Lan Lingzi a visit and check how she''s doing. At the same time, he wanted us to convey the message that if you are ever free, do drop by the Astral Sage College and have a look at what he has been working on all these years." Mentor Chi Chan glared at Li Luo upon hearing this. Would Principal Pang ever say such words? Li Luo did not pay much attention to her reaction. Based on how Lan Lingzi referred to Principal Pang, he was sure that the two were quite close. As such, he had to do something to help him. Besides, if he could make a King like Lan Lingzi pay the Xia Kingdom a visit, the situation there might finally be dealt with. Lan Lingzi laughed lightly when she heard his words. "If that old man with his stubborn personality were capable of saying such words, do you think that he would have had to leave the Heavenly Origin Ancient College and go to the outer divine continent?" Li Luo suddenly felt a pang of embarrassment. "Damn it, Old Pang. Why did you leave such an impression in Vice Principal Lan Lingzi''s heart?" "Vice Principal Lan Lingzi, how are you related to Principal Pang?" Li Luo immediately asked curiously. He had hung around Li Jingzhe so much that he didn''t feel much restraint nor the immense respect others were overcome with when speaking to Kings. "The first matter is fine, no problem at all. As for the Three Dragons'' Heavenly Banner Canon, it is a top-tier Duke Art of our college; how could I just let you take a look at it? As for the third matter, the ingredient from the Tree of Resonant Power that contains a huge amount of lifeforce energy would be the Seed of the Tree of Resonant Power, right? Judging from what you''ve mentioned, it seems like the lifeforce energy you''re looking for is no ordinary one. In that case, you must be referring to the seed from a high-grade Tree of Resonant Power." She shot Li Luo a strange look at this point. "I have already explained the difficulties and process involved in obtaining the seed of a high-grade Tree of Resonant Power. Moreover, the Academic Federation has never given such a seed to an individual before. I would say you can probably forget about that." Li Luo was dumbfounded when he heard this. He had no idea that what he needed was the seed of a high-grade Tree of Resonant Power. This was the same thing that the Astral Sage College had been dying for, so how could he fight them for it? In that case, his dream of completing the Divine Cultivation Serum was up in flames! Li Luo frowned and finally sighed. It seemed that he would have to put more thought into this. If it really couldn''t work out, he would have to go back and ask Li Jingzhe if he had any other alternatives. "In that case, may I trouble you to help me send the item over to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College?" Li Luo asked. Lan Lingzi pondered for a bit. "Is that fiancee of yours a student from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College? Which Star Hall is she in? If it''s the Three Star Hall and above, I think you may not need to use the Tree of Resonant Power to send the item over." Li Luo was stunned at her reply. What did she mean by that? "My fiancee should be in the Four Star Hall currently. No, with her talent, she may very well be in the Heavenly Star Hall of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College already. Her name is Jiang Qing''e," Li Luo explained in a hurry. Lan Lingzi nodded slightly as she repeated the name Jiang Qing''e a few times. Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes and stared at Li Luo. "Are you sure your fiancee is Jiang Qing''e from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College?" Li Luo nodded in confirmation. Mentor Chi Chan added, "His fiancee is indeed named Jiang Qing''e. She used to be a student in the Astral Sage College as well. It''s been more than a year since she entered the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College if I remember correctly. What''s wrong? Is there a problem?" Lan Lingzi took another look at Li Luo, and her eyes lit up with interest. "From what I know, there is indeed a girl named Jiang Qing''e in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient Collegeshe''s so famous that even I''ve heard of her. She is the most talked about student over there. The vice principals over there are treating her like their most precious treasure." Li Luo was a little puzzled. Jiang Qing''e was indeed very talented. However, there were probably many others with ninth-grade light resonances in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, right? Was Vice Principal Lan Lingzi exaggerating? Lan Lingzi could tell what he was thinking from the look on his face, and she chuckled. "She has double ninth-grade light resonances before reaching the Duke Stage. This requires a monstrous amount of talent. I do not know where Old Pang gets his luck to have such an outstanding student coming from his college." "Eh?!" A look of surprise appeared on Li Luo and Mentor Chi Chan''s faces. They were completely lost for words. Double ninth-grade light resonance? Chapter 1094: Rewarded in Advance Chapter 1094: Rewarded in Advance "Double ninth-grade light resonance!" This was a piece of shocking news from Lan Lingzi, leaving Li Luo stunned. Initially, he thought that after putting in so much hard work, his triple resonances would close the gap between himself and Jiang Qing''e with her ninth-grade light resonance. Who would''ve guessed that Jiang Qing''e was advancing just as quickly? In fact, she''d improved much more than him! Double ninth-grade light resonances? This was exceptionally rare! Was Jiang Qing''e planning to follow the light resonance path to its utmost limit? She was simply the natural nemesis of Others. Light resonant energy contained the holy power to cleanse all things, so it was a natural counter to them. Moreover, the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College prided itself with their ability to utilize light resonances. The outroar set off by Jiang Qing''e''s double ninth-grade light resonance must have been unimaginable. Li Luo was stunned for a while before he sighed. "As expected of Sister Qing''e. She''s brilliant no matter where she goes." Although he''d been rising steadily in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, Jiang Qing''e was equally outstanding. Nonetheless, Li Luo was genuinely glad to hear about her spectacular progress. "Vice Principal Lan Lingzi, what did you mean when you said we do not need to use the Tree of Resonant Power to transfer the item?" Li Luo asked. "If it was before, it would''ve indeed been the most convenient option. However, there is another way now..." Lan Lingzi replied. She smiled gently at Li Luo and continued, "You may have a chance to pass the item over to her personally." Li Luo was surprised to hear this. He asked excitedly, "Is Jiang Qing''e coming to the Heavenly Origin Ancient College?" Lan Lingzi shook her head. "Strictly speaking, the Heavenly Origin Ancient College and the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College will be having a joint operation soon. The teams will comprise students from the Three Star Hall, Four Star Hall, and Heavenly Star Hall from the two colleges. As we''re heading to the same destination, there''ll naturally be a chance for us to meet one another." "Oh?" Li Luo''s expression suddenly changed. "But I am not a student of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College." "It''s fine. I''ll be issuing a Mobilization Order later. All the sage colleges that are currently in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College will have to send out a team to participate in the mission," Lan Lingzi explained with a smile. Li Luo''s heart skipped a beat. He could sense that the mission was nothing ordinary. What kind of mission would require the two ancient colleges to work together as well as to recruit help from the sage colleges? On the side, Mentor Chi Chan''s face also turned serious. "Vice Principal Lan Lingzi, can you elaborate more about the mission?" Lan Lingzi was silent for a moment. However, she did not hide anything and explained the events over at the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm to them. Li Luo took a deep breath after hearing the story. What kind of terrifying place was that? Both sides had sent as many as ten Kings? "In that case, let me express my gratitude to you on behalf of the sage colleges, Vice Principal Lan Lingzi!" Li Luo replied with a grin. Lan Lingzi continued, "In addition to that, the school will reward those who perform well in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. Getting you hands on the complete version of the Three Dragons'' Heavenly Banner Canon and the seed of a high-grade Tree of Resonant Power may not be impossible." Hearing this, Li Luo immediately became excited. He replied in a serious tone, "Vice Principal Lan Lingzi, I have an immature suggestion here." "What are you going to say this time?" Lan Lingzi looked at him suspiciously. Li Luo revealed a warm smile. "I have a feeling that my performance in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm mission will be utterly outstanding. So, may I request to take a look at the Three Dragons'' Heavenly Banner Canon first? As you already know, the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm is full of danger. If I can master the Three Dragons'' Heavenly Banner Canon, my strength will increase considerably and I can contribute more." Lan Lingzi was surprised to hear this. This kid was really an oddball. Asking to be rewarded in advance? Did he think his performance would be outstanding just by willing it? This was not just a matter of words! She shook her head and rejected the proposal directly. "No! The college has its own rules and regulations. Countless students in the Heavenly Star Hall have set their eyes on the Three Dragons'' Heavenly Banner Canon. However, many have been rejected because their performance has fallen short. If you could get it that easily, it''d be hard to explain it to them." Li Luo could only sigh in disappointment. At this point, Mentor Chi Chan suddenly spoke up. "Vice Principal Lan Lingzi, I remember there being a rule stating that students from sage colleges who have achieved excellent results can be granted some preferential treatment in the ancient college, such as cultivating some of the Duke Arts. Li Luo won the title of the strongest One Star Hall student in the Holy Grail Meet in the East Divine Continent. He also received the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch, so he should fit this requirement, right?" Lan Lingzi was a little startled to hear this. She pondered for a moment before replying, "Indeed, there is such a rule. However, the complete version of the Three Dragons'' Heavenly Banner Canon is not among the Duke Arts available." Mentor Chi Chan chuckled. "What if we''re not asking for the complete version, but just one part of it?" Lan Lingzi thought about it again. "If it''s just one part of it, it is somewhat possible." The Three Dragons'' Heavenly Banner Canon was comprised of three different Duke Arts. It was only considered a Destiny-grade Duke Art in its completed form. Each individual art was regarded as a top-notch Communion-grade Duke Art. Seeing this turn of events, Li Luo was elated. In his heart, he couldn''t stop praising Mentor Chi Chan for her ingenuity. He had already cultivated the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner to Grand Perfection. If he could learn another part of it, the two Duke Arts combined should be able to reach theSoul Ascension-grade at the very least. He was sure to accrue many outstanding achievements in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm mission, so he could think about the completed version of Three Dragons'' Heavenly Banner Canon afterwards. "Thank you, Vice Principal!" Li Luo exclaimed. Although it was Mentor Chi Chan''s quick thinking that made Vice Principal Lan Lingzi change her stance in the end, he also understood that Lan Lingzi had deliberately given way to them. If it had been Wu Yu in her place, he would have come up with a hundred reasons to turn him down. Lan Lingzi smiled and replied, "I''ll get this settled as soon as possible. You should prepare well too. Once the Mobilization Order has been issued, we''ll have to move out." Li Luo nodded. At the same time, there was a sense of longing deep in his heart. Who would''ve thought that he would have a chance to meet Jiang Qing''e? This was really a... gigantic pleasant surprise. Chapter 1095: Teaming Up Dive into Stories, Embrace Enchantment: N?vlB?n. Chapter 1095: Teaming Up In the end, the news of the Mobilization Order spread like lightning across the whole Heavenly Origin Ancient College. It also reached the ears of the sage colleges who had just finished the academic evaluation and hadn''t left the place in time. As expected, it caused a huge commotion. The students from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College were nervous to receive such a sudden and urgent mission. The squads from the sage colleges were in confusion and chaos. They had come here for a competition. How had it turned into a mission? The college was mobilizing the Heavenly Star Hall as well. With that in mind, were the squads from the sage colleges up to task? Weren''t they just being asked to be cannon fodder for the mission? With such rampant thoughts in their minds, many students from the sage colleges protested as expected. The mentors leading them were scratching their head at this situation too. They went around frantically looking for the higher executives in the ancient college, trying to figure out if there was an error in the message. Unfortunately, the reply they got back was that the message was right. The Heavenly Origin Ancient College had issued a Mobilization Order. According to the rules of the Academic Federation, the lower tier sage colleges were not allowed to turn down a Mobilization Order from the ancient colleges. Otherwise, they would not be allocated any more resources in the future and might even lose their sage status. As a result, the students from the various sage colleges burst into cries like the wailing of vengeful ghosts. Thankfully, the news of the Spiritual Tree Tide came swiftly as well. This appeased many of them as it was a privilege that was unique to the students from ancient college. It was hard for them to resist its temptation. The Heavenly Origin Ancient College continued to strike while the iron was hot. It promised many other benefits to the sage college students in order to keep them satisfied. High-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, Duke Arts, violet-eye treasured artifacts from one to three marks, rare cultivation resources... These were all precious treasures that the sage college students, especially those from the outer divine continent, could barely imagine. In the end, the voices of protest from the sage colleges died down. Although the mission was dangerous, it was also a precious opportunity for the students. Under normal circumstances, they would have no chance of tagging along on a mission with the ancient college. As their hearts gradually accepted the mission, the squads from the sage colleges began to get busy again. They were running all over the ancient college, trying to find the best partners to team up with. Ideally, it would be a senior from the Heavenly Star Hall so that their chances of survival could be maximized. As such, the various sage colleges tried to use whatever connections they had to arrange for stronger leaders for their students. ...... "Li Luo, we''re here to join up with you!" When Li Luo opened the door, he heard Lu Ming''s voice. He could not help but laugh out loud. Even though he was younger, if they encountered Others... they wouldn''t go easy just because of their ages. Everything would be determined by their strength. Looking at their attitude, Li Luo could not find any reason to say no. What Jing Taixu had mentioned was correct as wellif he really had to look for a team, it''d be better to form one with trusted comrades. In the Holy Grail Meet, Li Luo had fought against all three of them and knew their temperaments well. As a result, there was already a certain level of trust between them. As such, Li Luo thought about it for a while and did not refuse their proposal. He answered with a grin, "Since I am all alone now, it will save me a lot of trouble if you are willing to group up with me. In line with the team requirements set by the school, I will also pull some strings tomorrow and see if we can find a strong teammate from the Heavenly Star Hall. This will boost our team''s strength considerably. When they heard this, Lu Ming and the others were overjoyed. Li Luo''s reputation was different from theirs. If he was willing to speak up, the people from the Heavenly Star Hall might be willing to listen to him! Dong! Dong! Dong! Just as they were rejoicing, a loud bell suddenly rang three times. "Eh? Three bell rings? Does this mean someone from the Heavenly Star Hall has returned?" Lu Ming and the rest looked at each other in surprise as their conversation got interrupted by the bells. They had already heard such bells numerous times today. It was said that this was a tradition of ancient college. Every time one of the top ten students from the Heavenly Star Hall returned, the bells would ring to welcome them. There wasn''t much meaning to it; it was simply for face. However, this was enough to motivate the Heavenly Star Hall students, making them fight each other fiercely just to earn a spot in the top ten and receive this special treatment. Clearly, the school''s elders had a good grasp of these young students. "Three bell rings. This is the greeting that belongs to the top student of the Heavenly Star Hall!" Lu Ming exclaimed in shock. "Oh? The top student?" Li Luo was surprised to hear this. He looked up into the sky and saw a golden flying leaf passing by, leaving behind a long wave of clouds and attracting the admiration of everyone. "What''s his name?" Li Luo could faintly make out a strong figure with a domineering aura on the golden leaf. Lu Ming thought about it for a moment. "I think his name is Wu Changkong." Chapter 1096: Wu Changkong Chapter 1096: Wu Changkong The golden flying leaf thath carried Wu Changkong was the center of attention as it made its way to a quiet courtyard deep within the college. Waiting in the courtyard was a figure standing with hands behind his back, casting his gaze over at him. It was none other than Vice Principal Wu Yu. Wu Changkong stepped off the golden leaf slowly. He was tall and gave off a heroic presence. His eyes were light blue and occasionally flickered with light, giving him a mystical look. Giving off a forceful aura, as his eyes swept across the field. As one of the Heavenly Star Hall''s elites, there was no doubt that he was excellent in terms of talent and potential. Even the Principal and vice principals had expressed their praise towards his strength and felt that he could go far. Wu Changkong was at the Peak of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier and possessed dual resonances: a lower ninth-grade One Legged Mountain Ox Demon resonance and a fire resonance. Ever since he had ascended to the top of the Heavenly Star Hall, no matter how the rankings beneath him shuffled, there was no one who was a threat to him. His long tyrannical tenure at the top had cemented his prestigious position within the hearts of the students. He was truly the brightest star in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. Additionally, he was adept at managing his influence, so his words carried a lot of weight amongst the student populace. In fact, some even privately called him the Junior Principal. "Great Grandfather." Wu Yu respectfully greeted Vice Principal Wu Yu. l--B1n. When Wu Yu saw Wu Changkong, a slight smile surfaced on his face. It could be seen that he was very satisfied with this young man from his family. Their relationship had nothing to do with all his accomplishments. The way Wu Yu saw it, Wu Changkong''s achievements were comparable to those of the Inheritance Seedlings that were specially raised by the Heavenly Emperor powers. He would definitely become a Duke in the future and might even gain the opportunity to reach the King Stage. In that case, their clan would shine even more brightly. Although they did not have a Heavenly Emperor sitting at the helm, their foundation was no weaker. And by relying on the Academic Federation, they were not afraid of the Heavenly Emperor powers at all. "Welcome back. Did your mission go smoothly?" Vice Principal Wu Yu asked. "It was just a minor thing. I was just bored and wasting some time." Wu Changkong gave a slight smile. "The college released an urgent recall and thus I hurriedly returned. I just don''t know what exactly it''s for." However, Wu Yu''s previous words also implied some other things. "Does this also mean that the Lake Sage College didn''t even get a first tier spot?" Wu Changkong asked as he lifted an eyebrow quizzically. Wu Yu nodded. Wu Changkong smiled meaningfully. "It looks like Grandfather is going to burst into a rage." His grandfather was the Lake Sage College''s Principal. He was also Vice Principal Wu Yu''s relative. "Their skills are simply inferior to others," Vice Principal Wu Yu casually remarked. He then told Wu Changkong to be cautious when entering the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm and to maintain his vigilance. Wu Changkong bowed and left. As he left the courtyard, he mumbled to himself, "Li Luo? He is indeed interesting." His gaze flickered. He knew of his great grandfather''s character very well. He would not talk about Li Luo without reason, and since he did, things had become interesting. Wu Changkong thought about it some more before giving a shallow laugh. "Brother Wu!" As Wu Changkong left the courtyard, a respectful voice called out to him. Several Heavenly Star Hall students who were usually close to him had heard the news and quickly came to find him. The other students who passed by looked at him with eyes full of awe and respect. Wu Changkong gave a warm smile as he waved at one of his companions and asked, "I assume the students from the Heavenly Star Hall will serve as squad leaders and form squads for the mission, correct?" "Yes. We have been busy with this recently. However, the process has been quite irritating. We have to group up with the sage colleges, and some are approaching us due to previous relationships, which is frustrating to deal with," one of the youths with a high ranking complained. Wu Changkong nodded slightly. "Has Li Luo found a squad yet?" The youth paused. "Li Luo? Oh, that brat? He has become quite famous over the past few days, and we have not heard of him approaching the Heavenly Star Hall to form a team." Wu Changkong patted that youth''s shoulder as he sighed with emotion. "He is a genius from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. His talent is uncommon, so why would he need the help of someone from the Heavenly Star Hall? Wouldn''t that be taking him too lightly?" The youth paused for two seconds before he understood something from Wu Changkong''s gaze. He then beamed at him. "I understand, Brother Wu. Why would such an impressive individual need the help of others? He can lead his own squad." Wu Changkong smirked and turned to leave. Chapter 1097: Rejection Chapter 1097: Rejection l--B1n. The hottest topic over the past two days in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College was the formation of teams for the mobilization order. According to the rules determined by the college, each team needed to be led by a student of the Heavenly Star Hall and the number of team members could not exceed ten, leading to all the teams from the sage colleges scrambling to find a suitable leader. Likewise, Li Luo planned to do the same. After all, the difficulty of the mission was quite high, and even the Heavenly Origin Ancient College with all its strength needed to seek help from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. No one would dare to underestimate the danger since even the teams from the weaker sage colleges had been forcibly mobilized. Even though Li Luo''s battle prowess was enough to rival even some Heavenly Star Hall students whose strength had reached the True Seal-grade, there was still a power gap that could not be ignored between that and the students who possessed higher seats. Those students were truly at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, the final realm before the Duke Stage. Unfortunately, Li Luo did not know any students from the Heavenly Star Hall of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, so he had to go and seek Zong Sha and Jiang Wanyu again, intending to ask them for help. "Haha, Junior Li Luo, if you want to meet the Heavenly Star Hall''s senior students, then Junior Jiang can help you out. Her connections are much stronger than mine." After witnessing Li Luo''s performance at the academy evaluation, Zong Sha became even more deferential towards Li Luo while giving advice. Jiang Wanyu did not refuse, though she glanced at Li Luo and then at Lu Ming, Jing Taixu, and the others. Hesitantly, she asked, "Have you formed a team already?" Li Luo nodded and replied, "They are all friends that I have met in the past, I trust them." Jiang Wanyu didn''t reply, because in the eyes of the students from the ancient college, the students of the sage colleges in the outer divine continent were almost filler positions in this kind of mission. The mentors of the sage colleges had no choice but to around offering financial incentives to the students of the Heavenly Star Hall to join their students. In response to this, the students of the Heavenly Star Hall jokingly referred to it as protection money. "I do know some seniors in the Heavenly Star Hall. I''ll get you guys in touch with them. Li Luo, you would have no problem finding someone yourself. Even the students in the Heavenly Star Hall know what you did in the evaluation, so by all accounts, you''re quite a good candidate to form a team with." Jiang Wanyu chatted softly with Li Luo while they rode atop a flying leaf, going deeper into the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. The worldly natural energy here was even denser, and it was the place where the Heavenly Star Hall students usually lived and cultivated. After arriving, Jiang Wanyu took Li Luo and the others to visit some of the Heavenly Star Hall students that she was friends with. However, the results were slightly out of Jiang Wanyu''s expectations. The Heavenly Star Hall students who were originally enthusiastic began to act a little evasive and came up with a number of reasons to politely decline after hearing that Li Luo wanted to team up with them. Jiang Wanyu wasn''t bothered at first, but after several Heavenly Star Hall students acted the same way, her brows furrowed. In terms of strength, he was definitely considered a good teammate even though Lu Ming and the rest were relatively weak. Even then, they were stronger than other people on the same level. And despite all that, they were not considered the main force but just some reinforcements with minor roles to play in the mission. Jiang Wanyu''s expression was also a little dark as she stared at Meng Zhou and asked directly, "Senior Meng Zhou, why is this happening?" Faced with her question, Meng Zhou was a bit stunned and hesitated for a moment before replying, "Junior Jiang, why don''t you take him to Brother Wu and ask?" Jiang Wanyu was stunned and asked, "Senior Wu Changkong?" The only person in the entire Heavenly Star Hall who could make Meng Zhou refer to them as "Brother Wu" was the chief of the Upper Hall. Meng Zhou nodded and said no more, pulling Zheng Yunfeng along as he left. Jiang Wanyu stared at their backs as they departed, her pretty visage visibly vexed as she looked towards Zong Sha, who was also frowning. "Li Luo, do you have any beef with Hall Chief Wu Changkong?" Jiang Wanyu asked. So this was the root of the problem. No wonder all the Heavenly Star Hall students were unwilling to team up with Li Luoit was all masterminded by Wu Changkong! "I don''t know him." Li Luo shook his head with a calm expression, then he remembered something and asked, "This Wu Changkong guy, what is his relationship with Vice Principal Wu Yu?" "Vice Principal Wu Yu is his great grandfather," Zong Sha replied. Li Luo suddenly realized that Jiang Wanyu did not know that he had made a private bet with Vice Principal Wu Yu and won. It was considered a bit of a slap in the face for the vice principal. Since it was improper for a vice principal to intervene personally, had he told Wu Changkong to knock him down a few pegs on his behalf? Vice Principal Wu Yu was oddly petty. Then was Wu Changkong trying to force Li Luo to take the initiative to find him first so he could settle his great grandfather''s grievances? Li Luo faintly chuckled. He''d rather let the old bag Wu Yu burst a vein from pettiness. "Senior Wanyu, Senior Zong Sha, if you can''t find anyone from the Heavenly Star Hall, then forget it. It doesn''t matter if I lead the team myself," Li Luo said with a laugh. After experiencing all this, he couldn''t be bothered to look for someone. Although not having a teammate from the Heavenly Star Hall would result in the team''s strength being lowered by a large amount, which in turn would affect the final rewards, he was entering the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm for the purpose of meeting Jiang Qing''e more than anything else. When he met Jiang Qing''e, all the bullshit of the Heavenly Star Hall would be tasteless compared to the plump white goose of Luolan mansion. Jiang Wanyu''s willowy brows furrowed, but she was not willing to give up, so she thought for a moment before saying, "If it really is Chief Wu Changkong obstructing you, I think there is another person we can go to. She has never given face to Wu Changkong." "Who?" "Senior Feng Lingyuan, rank two in the Heavenly Star Hall''s Upper Hall." Chapter 1098: Feng Lingyuan Chapter 1098: Feng Lingyuan Li Luo no longer wanted to look for someone from the Heavenly Star Hall to form a team with. However, Jiang Wanyu was stubborn and had made a promise, so she naturally had to follow through. Li Luo had no choice but to helplessly follow her with a rather demoralized line of people and Zong Sha in tow to look for the second seat of the Upper Hall. They went straight to a small building that appeared to be a bit secluded. The door was wide open, so Jiang Wanyu went straight in. The group traveled through the winding paths and secluded gravel paths until the view in front of them started to widen. A rockery appeared in their line of sight, and below it was a pool that radiated an intensely frigid energy. Someone stared at them from within a stone pavilion beside the icy pool. Li Luo cast his gaze over to see that it was a woman garbed in mysterious clothes. She was svelte and slender, with hints of her pale skin peeping through her outfit. She wore a dark crimson mask that was engraved with shimmering arcane patterns, obscuring her eyes and forehead from view. Li Luo also felt a powerful pressure, one much stronger than the other students he had seen before. The woman in front of him was apparently the second seat of the Upper Hall, Feng Lingyuan. "Wanyu, why are you looking for me?" Feng Lingyuan glared at the line of people funneling into the area, her eyes cold as she spoke. Jiang Wanyu was unperturbed at her attitude, having long been accustomed to her aloofness. She stepped forward and smiled. "Senior Sister Lingyuan, do you have a team for the mission yet?" Feng Lingyuan didn''t answer immediately, but glanced at Li Luo behind Jiang Wanyu and said indifferently, "You''re here to find a team for Li Luo, right? Haven''t you had enough of being rejected over and over?" She knew about Jiang Wanyu''s previous encounters, and it was obvious that she had quite a few eyes in the college. Jiang Wanyu wasn''t surprised and replied, "It seems like Hall Chief Wu Changkong has targeted him, so I simply brought him to you. After all, you''re the only one that doesn''t care about Wu Changkong''s warnings." Even when faced with Jiang Wanyu''s praise, the eyes under the mask did not budge. They looked as deep as the bottomless pool next to her. She coldly retorted, "It''s true that I don''t care about Wu Changkong''s warnings, but then why would I bother to make enemies with him for the sake of an unwilling person? It''s not like he''s someone to be messed with." "Senior Lingyuan, although Li Luo is only from the Three Star Hall, I''m confident that he''s stronger than some of the students in the Heavenly Star Hall. I''m sure you''ve heard of the results of the academic evaluation. He has strong potential and means; I''ve witnessed them in the Spiritual Resonance Cave myself, so he''s definitely a qualified teammate." Jiang Wanyu tried her best to persude her. Jiang Wanyu was quite familiar with Feng Lingyuan as they had carried out missions together in the past. She knew very well that Feng Lingyuan was the type of person who was rather antisocial and prioritized her own self-interest. She wasn''t the type to meddle with other people''s goals, but she also wouldn''t allow others to affect her interests in the slightest. To put it mildly, she was a little bit stingy with every penny. Feng Lingyuan stared at Jiang Wanyu and said, "I need to obtain three A Merits in the mission so I can redeem the Duke Art of my choice. I''ve been in the Heavenly Star Hall for a few years now, and this mission may be my last one." Jiang Wanyu secretly smacked her lips. The Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s mission system was divided into four grades: A, B, C, and D. Feng Lingyuan needed to complete three of the most difficult missions to earn three A Merits, and with this upcoming mission having extraordinary circumstances, A MeritS were bound to be even more difficult to earn. "If that''s your goal, I think that''s even more reason to choose Li Luo. He will definitely be a surprise when the time comes," Jiang Wanyu said. "Let''s go," Li Luo said to the crowd. "Wait." It was at this moment that Feng Lingyuan suddenly spoke, and the crowd couldn''t help but cast puzzled gazes at her. Feng Lingyuan gazed at Lu Jinci and said, "Did you just say... Jiang Qing''e?" Lu Jinci nodded blankly. "Jiang Qing''e from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College?" Feng Lingyuan asked. Lu Jinci didn''t know how to answer at this time because all he knew was Jiang Qing''e of the Astral Sage College. "Senior Feng, do you know her?" Li Luo replied quizzically. "The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s newest peerless heavenly pride, carrying dual ninth-grade light resonances. In just a year''s time, she ascended all the way into the top ten seats of the Heavenly Star Hall, breaking the records of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. She hasn''t dueled anyone since entering the top ten four months ago, and everyone suspects that she''s qualified to be one of the top three now. " Feng Lingyuan''s eyes finally changed. "And their peerless heavenly pride is called Jiang Qing''e." Lu Jinci and the others were filled with shock, then they swallowed back mouthfuls of saliva before muttering, "The Jiang Qing''e that we know of only has a single ninth-grade light resonance, so it might just be a coincidence..." Li Luo smiled at them at this moment and said, "She did end up going to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. The person that senior Feng is talking about is indeed her." Lu Jinci was dazed and disoriented. Jiang Qing''e was certainly strong and stunning, but there was always a sense that she was within reach if he chased hard enough. But now dual ninth-grade light resonances were simply too intimidating. Feng Lingyuan stared at Li Luo and asked with some surprise, "What is your relationship with Jiang Qing''e?" Li Luo thought about it but didn''t try to hide it. "She is my fiance?e." Though they kind of had broken off the engagement. When he uttered that sentence, Feng Lingyuan''s cold and unflinching eyes finally widened in shock as she stared at Li Luo with disbelief. "Fiance?e?!" Chapter 1099: Maximum Animosity Chapter 1099: Maximum Animosity The cool Feng Lingyuan was shocked to hear about Li Luo''s fiancee. According to the information she had obtained, Jiang Qing''e was the hottest rising star in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Although she was only in the top ten, the focus placed on her had far surpassed that of the top rank of Heavenly Star Hall. This couldn''t be helped since Jiang Qing''e had a double ninth-grade light resonance. And the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College prided itself in light resonances. The attention they placed in wielding light resonances to their utmost far exceeded all the other ancient colleges. It had been said that after Jiang Qing''e entered the Heavenly Star Hall, her suitors were flowing endlessly like carps in a river. In fact, it was said that two of the guys in the top ten had fought over her. The whole Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College was in an uproar because of it. Nonetheless, there wasn''t much of a conclusion to the battle. After all, Jiang Qing''e had been saying it again and again... She already had a fiance. As she thought about it, Feng Lingyuan looked suspiciously at Li Luo. This was in line with what Li Luo had been saying. Could this guy really be the fiance of the unparalleled genius of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College? On the other hand, Li Luo was excited to hear more about Jiang Qing''e from Feng Lingyuan. He asked while she was deep in thought, "Senior Lingyuan, what else do you know about her?" Feng Lingyuan pondered for a moment before asking, "Do you still want to team up with me?" Li Luo was startled by her question. "Well, I''ve promised my friends." Feng Lingyuan shook her head and replied calmly, "They''re fine. At best, they will become energy boosters. It''s basically the same for all the other Three Star Hall students." Jiang Wanyu chimed in helplessly, "Senior Lingyuan, your words are too hurtful." After all, she was also a Three Star Hall student. "What do you mean by ''energy boosters?''" Li Luo asked curiously. Jiang Wanyu explained to him, "The ancient college uses students from all halls when carrying out missions. As such, we use the Tree of Resonant Power as a medium and pass an energy talisman to each of the lower hall students. The energy talisman is mainly used during emergencies after the higher hall students have exhausted all their resonant power due to repeated battles. The lower hall students can transfer their resonant power over to the higher hall student using the energy talismans, allowing them to recover a portion of their resonant power rapidly. Over time, people started to call these individuals ''energy boosters.''" Li Luo was stunned to hear this. He could not help but comment, "The ancient college sure has its ways." By doing this, the ancient college was mainly trying to let the lower hall students feel their worth. Under normal circumstances, the higher hall students might view them as burdens and refuse to let them tag along during some of the dangerous missions. However, if they served as energy boosters, the lower hall students would also have critical rolesand become essential for the mission. Feng Lingyuan looked at him strangely and continued, "Because every time someone in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Heavenly Star Hall wants to ask Jiang Qing''e out, she says the same thing." "What does she say?" Li Luo asked curiously. Everyone had grown interested and listened in. "She rejects them and tells them, ''I already have a fiance, and no man in the world can compare to him.''" "Tsk." Everyone around him bared their teeth, feeling a little embarrassed. However, they got what Feng Lingyuan was trying to say. Although these words from Jiang Qing''e appeared sweet... they actually contained some animosity towards Li Luo. The more the geniuses from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College admired Jiang Qing''e, the more they would hate Li Luo. After all, the people who managed to get into Heavenly Star Hall were all talented geniuses with a lot of pride. If Jiang Qing''e said they were nothing compared to Li Luo, how would they take it lying down? They were all young men. Why should they give way to Li Luo? Initially, Li Luo was stunned to hear this. After a while, a feeling of relief popped up in his heart. Although he knew this would direct others'' aggression towards him, it felt amazing! His plump white goose was simply too awesome. "You seem to be very happy," Feng Lingyuan said as she stared at Li Luo. He could barely contain his excitement, and the corners of his lips curled up a little. "Indeed, she did not handle the situation very appropriately. However, it''s not wrong to tell the truth," Li Luo replied ''humbly''. Jiang Wanyu fell speechless for a moment. "Is it too late to leave the team now? I am afraid the people from Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College will group up against us," she said helplessly. Feng Lingyuan shook her head. "Anyway, I suggest you keep a low profile until we meet Jiang Qing''e. If you don''t, I cannot guarantee that I will help you if anything happens." Li Luo smiled at her. After what Feng Lingyuan had said, he was undeniably feeling more pressure. After all, the students from the Heavenly Star Hall were not ordinary folks. It would be best for him to raise the team''s strength as much as possible to prevent getting into unnecessary trouble later. "I hope the Spiritual Tree Tide from the ancient college will not disappoint me." Chapter 1100: Heavenly Judgments Silver Dragon Banner Chapter 1100: Heavenly Judgment''s Silver Dragon Banner While Li Luo waited for the Spiritual Tree Tide to arrive, Vice Principal Lan Lingzi brought him a surprise. It was the other two parts of the Three Dragons'' Heavenly Banner Canon, Purgatory''s Crimson Dragon Banner and Heavenly Judgment''s Silver Dragon Banner. He was looking at two ancient, small, and plain banners, one crimson and the other silver. A mysterious light radiated from the banners, and one could vaguely see countless ancient runes revolving around them. Li Luo stared greedily with fiery eyes. These were the two Duke Arts that he had been longing for! If he managed to successfully cultivate them, the three arts would be united and he could have a Destiny-grade art in his arsenal! A Destiny-grade Duke Art was considered top-tier amongst all the major Heavenly Emperor-level forces. The only grade above that was the legendary Transcendent Duke Art. Li Luo could not fathom just how powerful a true Transcendent Duke Art would be, because even though he had cultivated the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, it was probably categorized as a Destiny-grade Duke Art. It was just that its full potential had not been fully realized yet, so it was considered Transcendent for now. Lan Lingzi looked at the fiery-eyed Li Luo and smiled. "Since I''ve made a promise, you may choose one of these two arts." Truth be told, both the Purgatory''s Crimson Dragon Banner and the Heavenly Judgment''s Silver Dragon Banner could only be considered Communion-grade Duke Arts. Their individual grades were not particularly high, but their advantage was their huge potential for growth, which explained why the Three Dragons'' Heavenly Banner Canon was considered a hot favorite among Duke Arts for students in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. However, there were very few students who were able to cultivate all three arts and merge them into the Three Dragons'' Heavenly Banner Canon. After all, even though the Three Dragon''s Heavenly Banner Canon was simplified and split into three Communion-grade Duke Arts, it was still Destiny-grade at the end of the day, so how could it be easy to cultivate it? The higher the grade of the Duke Art, the harsher the conditions for successfully cultivating it. In addition, a lapse in concentration would lead to a violent backlash, damaging the cultivator''s potential or even crippling them outright. The college had witnessed its fair share of over-ambitious students over the years who had stunted their futures due to coveting a high-grade Duke Art. Li Luo stared wide-eyed and couldn''t help but ask greedily, "Can I have them both?" "Letting you choose one at this time is already abusing some loopholes, and you still want both? Do you think this college is a lawless land?" Vice Principal Lan Lingzi snapped back at him. "And if I wanted to redeem the third part, how many merits would I need?" Li Luo asked. "Generally speaking, a Communion-grade Duke Art can be redeemed with a single A Merit, but the three parts of the Three Dragon''s Heavenly Banner Canon are differenteach of them requires two A Merits," replied Lan Lingzi. "As for how to obtain A Merits, you will understand when you enter the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm." Thinking about this, Lan Lingzi suddenly remembered something. "You have some sort of means of utilizing the power of spirit beasts, right?" As she said this, her eyes locked onto the scarlet bracelet on Li Luo''s wrist. "I feel some familiar energy fluctuations coming from that," she said as she sighed softly. Li Luo didn''t hide it and replied honestly, "There is a Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf with the strength of a first-grade Duke in here. Principal Pang was the one who made the seal." "This intricate method of sealing was something I invented with him back in the day," Lan Lingzi calmly explained. Li Luo was a little surprised and did not expect this kind of backstory. The seal in the bracelet and the strange ward that siphoned the power of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf that even Li Jingzhe evaluated highly had actually been jointly researched by Principal Pang and Lan Lingzi. "He has a big heart. The power of the spirit beast is too overbearing and ferocious for you, so if you use it too many times, your mind will be eroded by it and you will be reduced to being its slave." Stopping herself, Lan Lingzi shook her head slightly and laughed. "However, that grandfather of yours is more capable than me, so I''m guessing he also knows about this and there is no need for me to say any more." Li Luo nodded. He only used the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s power in life-or-death situations, and he had learned how to harmonize, which reduced the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s erosive effect even further. In the end, external power was external power, and he would not be over reliant on it. Otherwise, he could affect his cultivation by changing his mindset for the worst when it came to power sources. Lan Lingzi pondered for a while before warning him, "Try to refrain from using the power of the Five-Tailed Heavenly Wolf in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. The whole place has been enveloped by the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion, which is mysterious and unpredictable. Since the power of the spirit beast is ferocious and wild, it may attract evil powers and herald something troublesome." "To a certain extent, this All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion is even more sinister than the Umbra Cave of your Astral Sage college, after all, this is a domain created by a Triple Crowned King level Other King, and even if it''s just a projection, the degree of danger in it is still beyond imagination." Li Luo nodded solemnly. He couldn''t imagine how terrifying a Triple Crowned King was, because the Ichythian King that existed in the depths of the Umbra Cave in the Astral Sage College was probably just an ordinary Single Crowned King. Even so, it had caused the destruction of the Astral Sage College, and the entire Xia Kingdom had been affected as a result. It seemed that the trump card of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf could not be recklessly employed in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. "I truly appreciate your wise words, Vice Principal." Li Luo smiled and thanked the other party for her kind warning. Lan Lingzi shook her head as she slowly retracted her gaze from the scarlet bracelet before she turned around and left. At the same time, her voice rang out. "Prepare yourself, the Spiritual Tree Tide will open tomorrow. And after that... "The mobilization mission will officially begin." Chapter 1101: Spiritual Pool Stairs Chapter 1101: Spiritual Pool Stairs Boom! Thunderclouds filled the sky. Deafening thunder and flashing lightning were raging wildly. There was a faint, giant shadow slithering within the clouds. In the next moment, the clouds were torn apart. A giant silver dragon emerged from it, with bolts of lightning repeatedly dancing across its silver scales. It looked down upon a sole human figure with its ferocious eyes. Then the dragon wrapped itself around a bolt of lightning and smashed it down with devastating force. Bang! The void seemed to have shattered into pieces. Li Luo opened his eyes at this moment. Traces of lightning could be seen waltzing around his eyes before it gradually died down. "Phew." He let out a long breath, bits of lightning coming out of his mouth. He had begun to cultivate the Heavenly Judgment''s Silver Dragon Banner as soon as he got his hands on it yesterday. However, he had yet to master it despite one whole night and hundreds of attempts. Nonetheless, he was not feeling down. When he was cultivating the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner, he had to borrow the help of the Golden Nirvana Lotus from the college. It was only with that precious treasure that he had managed to cultivate the art. This was mainly because he was still at the Fiend Palace Tier back then. It was too risky to cultivate a Duke Art at that level, and he had been forced to only because of the Housemeet. Now Li Luo was a five-pearl. Not only had he cultivated the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner to Grand Perfection, he had also cultivated even higher grade Duke Arts like the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. Therefore, learning the Heavenly Judgment''s Silver Dragon Banner now probably wouldn''t be too difficult. Updated from This was the main reason why he was able to endure that destructive baptism of the lightning dragon. If anyone else had attempted to do the same thing for a whole night, they would likely have been crippled already. "It seems like this will take quite a bit of time," Li Luo whispered to himself. The Heavenly Judgment''s Silver Dragon Banner was clearly more of an offensive art than the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner. Its brilliant lightning could overwhelm and destroy anything standing in front of it. Nonetheless, he could sense some sort of connection between the Heavenly Judgment''s Silver Dragon Banner and the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner after countless attempts. If he could wield it freely, the two arts would be able to elevate each other. With the twin dragons working together, his strength would surely skyrocket. With much anticipation in his heart, Li Luo left his cultivation chamber and walked into the living room, where Mentor Chi Chan had been waiting. "Today is the day the Spiritual Tree Tide opens up. I heard that you will be setting out for the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm the day after tomorrow," Mentor Chi Chan told him. "What a tight schedule." Li Luo sighed. The Heavenly Origin Ancient College was definitely rushing here. Clearly, things weren''t optimistic. "You must tread carefully in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. The Others are extremely peculiar. Besides, there''s a Triple Crowned King inside," Mentor Chi Chan reminded him with a serious look. Li Luo nodded. "After you enter the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, I may have to rush back to the Astral Sage College as soon as I receive the resources. Vice Principal Su Xin and the rest are awaiting my return, so I will not be able to stay here and wait for you," Mentor Chi Chan continued in an apologetic tone. "Don''t worry about me. The Astral Sage College needs you more, Mentor," Li Luo replied with a smile. Wu Changkong grinned and responded, "I am just surprised. Judging by your personality, I thought you would have looked for a better option. Junior Li Luo only obtained fame because he borrowed the power of a spirit beast. However, the situation in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm is a little special. It''s said that if you use such a ferocious power, you''ll only get yourself into more trouble. If you''re having trouble finding a suitable team member, I can recommend a True Seal-grade friend to you, Student Feng." Jiang Wanyu, who was standing on the side, frowned when she heard this. Feng Lingyuan turned her head, but her eyes looked straight past Wu Changkong. They landed on a delicate and gentle-looking lady behind him. "If you''re willing to give Xu Xi to me, I''ll consider it." The gentle lady had been looking at Wu Changkong all this while. However, she frowned when she heard this and replied in a nonchalant manner, "Feng Lingyuan, why are you dragging me into this out of the blue?" Wu Changkong laughed twice and shook his head. "That''s too much for me. After all, Xu Xi is the treasure of our team." The pretty face of the girl named Xu Xi turned slightly red as she looked at Wu Changkong with a hint of admiration in her eyes. Feng Lingyuan was not surprised by his reply. Although Xu Xi was only at the Illusory Seal-grade and did not rank amongst the top in Heavenly Star Hall, her resonance was really special. The Divine Lingzhi resonance was weak in offense and defense. However, it could be used together with special Duke Arts to support her team members, boosting their resonant power greatly for a short period of time. This kind of support made her even more important than a True Seal-grade during a team mission like this. It was extremely rare to find a resonance that could bolster the resonant power of others. In fact, there were only two students who could do it in the whole Heavenly Star Hall. One of them was Xu Xi and the other one was the tenth rank in the Upper Hall, Li Hongyou. She possessed the Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance that had an even stronger effect than Xu Xi''s. However, Li Hongyou already had a seat in the Upper Hall, so she could not form teams with other Upper Hall students according to the rules. As Feng Lingyuan thought about all this, she could not be bothered to chat with Wu Changkong any further. On the high platform where the three vice principals were, Wu Yu noticed that it was about time, so he announced, "The people from sage colleges have arrived. We''ll let them in now, and they will go to their steps according to their hall levels." When Lan Lingzi heard this, she shook her head and added, "That''s not appropriate. Although some students are in a lower hall level, their strength has far surpassed that. As such, they should naturally go to a higher step." According to the rules of Heavenly Origin Ancient College, the highest steps were closest to the Green Wood Portal. Those steps belonged exclusively to those in the Heavenly Star Hall. Moving down in order, there would be the steps for the Four Star Hall, Three Star Hall... When the Green Wood Portal opened later, the Spirit Tide would pour out of the gate like water and the students nearest to it would naturally benefit more. Wu Yu frowned when he heard this. "The rules have never been broken. Vice Principal Lan Lingzi, you aren''t thinking of changing the rules just because of Li Luo, are you?" Of course, he knew that when Lan Lingzi mentioned "some students," she was referring to Li Luo. Lan Lingzi replied calmly, "According to the rules, the students from the sage colleges do not have to participate in this mission. They all know how dangerous this trip will be, but they''ve still decided to participate. Naturally, the Heavenly Origin Ancient College will have to make some exceptions and help them out as much as possible. Otherwise, if another mobilization mission arises in the future, everyone will shirk from it. How are we going to deal with it then?" Wu Yu was unhappy. However, Vice Principal Qing Man interrupted them before he could speak. She smiled as she said, "There''s no need to argue over it. I think we will let them decide for themselves. When the spiritual tide flows out, it will emit pressure across the field. We dont need to assign them to any steps; they can stand wherever they want to, depending on their strength. Wu Yu frowned, but he did not say anything. After all, there was really no need to argue with Lan Lingzi in the current situation. Lan Lingzi thought about it and then nodded slowly. "Let''s do it that way, then." Chapter 1102: Spiritual Pool Surge Chapter 1102: Spiritual Pool Surge "All students, prepare to get on a platform. The position each of you can occupy in the Spiritual Tree Tide will depend on your strength." Hearing the soft voice of Vice Principal Qing Man, many of the sage college students looked excited and expectant. The Spiritual Tree Tide was an experience that the students of the ancient college could only enjoy once a year. Being able to experience it themselves was an extraordinary boon. With the mobilization mission about to start, any tiny improvement to their strength could save their lives when the time came. At the next moment, all the students of the sage colleges jumped up and landed on the huge flight of stairs. Li Luo didn''t miss a beat; he moved out and then tentatively landed on a step meant for Four Star Hall students. He looked at the pyramid-shaped steps and gazed at the lone Green Wood Portal at the highest point. The closer to the portal one was, the more Spiritual Tree Tide one would be able to absorb. Of course, the tide was bound to be stronger and more pressure-filled the higher one went, so one would need the strength to withstand such pressure in the first place. This format was not a rare sight, but it was a true test of one''s abilities. Li Luo reflected silently. With the imminent mobilization mission and the lurking dangers within the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, it was absolutely essential for him to increase his strength as much as he could now. At his current level, the fifth Heavenly Pearl Tier, it would take him about one or two more months of regular cultivation before he could even think about breaking through to the sixth Heavenly Pearl Tier. This was already considered quick, as other people would probably take twice that amount of time. But Li Luo did not want to wait. If he wanted to complete his breakthrough quicker, he would have to rely on external stimuli such as the Spiritual Tree Tide. "I hope I won''t be disappointed," Li Luo muttered to himself. Today''s goal was to utilize the Spiritual Tree Tide to advance into the sixth Heavenly Pearl Tier. And the Four Star Hall step was not nearly high enough in order to achieve that breakthrough. Thus, Li Luo set his eyes set on a higher step from the beginning. It was a Heavenly Star Hall position. Updated from While he was forming plans in his mind, he saw an ancient talisman fly out from within Vice Principal Wu Yu''s sleeve. It pierced through the air and plastered itself directly above the Green Wood Portal. In the next moment, the countless mysterious glowing runes on the Green Wood Portal lit up and the closed door slowly began to swing open. Whoosh! The moment the Green Wood Portal opened, a turquoise wave gushed out of its depths, sweeping out violently and vigorously down the steps. This was the Spirit Tide. The sight of the gargantuan turquoise tsunami was spectacular. However, this was not just a simple tsunami, but one filled with pure and condensed worldly natural energy. All the sage college students standing on the steps wore grave expressions when they saw the wave. In the next instant, all of them expended as much resonant power as they could muster. At the front of the Four Star Hall, brightly dazzling Heavenly Pearls began to appear one by one. And at the very, very front, a few Heavenly Resonance Golden Seals appeared. They belonged to the top titled students like Gao Xuhan, Tong Yan, and Gu Jing. Li Luo also did not hold backfive glowing Heavenly Pearls materialized behind him. Although this number did not stand out amongst those that stood at the front of the Four Star Hall, the gazes surrounding him were full of scorn. After all, everyone was already clear of the quality of Li Luo''s five Heavenly Pearls. Just then, the turquoise Spirit Tide roared like a tsunami crashing against the shore, smashing directly into the bodies of the students. A faint, three-colored light suddenly began to flow on the surface of his skin. It was the Tri-Radiance Glass that he had cultivated at the Fiend Body Tier. This proved that every step Li Luo had ever taken was based on a solid foundation. With this kind of foundation, he could endure far more than an ordinary five Heavenly Pearl Tier cultivator. At the same time, the three resonant palaces in Li Luo''s body started buzzing with violent vibrations as the Triple Palaces Six Resonances Pearl Condensation Art exploded into life with all its might. The energy that poured into his body was indeed boundless, but as long as it was refined fast enough, it would not overfill his meridians. When Li Luo fully utilized the Triple Palaces Six Resonances Pearl Condensation Art, six faint arcane lights constantly flowed around the surface of his body, as if forming a halo that enveloped him entirely. The majestic energy pouring into his body began to be refined at an accelerated pace, eventually turning into resonant power and stored within his three resonant palaces. Li Luo felt his body relax almost immediately. His footsteps quickly sped up as he eventually took the lead and took the first step onto the Heavenly Star Hall''s steps directly under Gao Xuhan''s revenant-like gaze. The moment Li Luo stepped onto the steps of the Heavenly Star Hall, the faces of the surrounding Heavenly Origin Ancient College students who were watching all changed a little. Wu Changkong, who was originally laughing with his companion next to him, paused and stared calmly. Feng Lingyuan''s slightly droopy eyes rose a bit at this moment. Being able to rise to the steps of the Heavenly Star Hall while only at the Heavenly Pearl Tier proved that Li Luo''s base and foundation were truly solid and terrifying. Despite the many surprised gazes, Li Luo did not care. Instead, his brows furrowed right then. The amount of resonant power in his body was climbing at an extremely alarming rate, but the sixth Heavenly Pearl still showed no signs of condensing. Obviously, if one wanted to advance into the sixth Heavenly Pearl Tier in one go, the amount of energy required was immense. At this point, Li Luo had already utilized his foundation as well as the Triple Palaces Six Resonances Pearl Condensation Art to the extreme. He could feel that if he continued to move forward, his energy refining speed would not be able to keep up with the influx of energy. Li Luo raised his head and looked at the steps in front of him, where there were prayer mats spaced out between the steps. The further he went, the lower the number of prayer mats became, and eventually there was only one stone prayer mat a hundred steps away. That location was almost just a hundred feet away from the Green Wood Portal. If he was able to reach that location, then advancing into the six Heavenly Pearl Tier would be assured. As for that position, judging from its unique appearance, it probably represented the chief of the Heavenly Star Hall. That location exerted the strongest pressure but also contained the most abundant energy. And it was the exclusive position belonging to Wu Changkong. The chief''s position ought to be rather comfortable, shouldn''t it? Thinking that, Li Luo hesitated no further and took another step. Chapter 1103: Blocked Li Luo suddenly took a step forward again as he stared at the steps for the Heavenly Star Hall in front of him. The spectators were shocked to see this. "What''s that guy doing?" "He''s still not satisfied with the Lower Hall of the Heavenly Star Hall? He''s still trying to move towards the Upper Hall steps" "This is too much. Who does he think he is? Are the Upper Hall meant steps for someone like him? Without a Greater Heavenly Resonance, his body is going to burst open from the enormous amount of energy gushing in!" "Is he tired of living?" On the elevated platform, Jiang Wanyu frowned and whispered, "This is too dangerous. There was a student at the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier who tried to move up and receive the Spirit Tide in the Upper Hall steps. In the end, his body nearly burst open from the overwhelming energy. If he hadn''t been attended to quickly, he probably would have died." Doing well in this scenario had nothing to do with one''s battle strength; it was more about their endurance and the durability of their body. If they could not handle the enormous surge of energy, their body would simply burst open like a water pipe that was too full. Therefore, if a Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier student could not handle it, there was no way a five-pearl like Li Luo could. The efficiency at which Heavenly Pearls refined energy was nowhere near the level of a Heavenly Resonance Golden Seal. Li Luo could make it all the way into the Lower Hall steps because his foundation was really solid. However, he would have to pay a heavy price for taking another step forward. Feng Lingyuan said indifferently, "He''s not a kid. If there''s a price for his reckless actions, he''ll have to bear it himself." Jiang Wanyu sighed helplessly. On the other hand, Li Luo was completely nonchalant towards the countless gazes falling upon him. He was fully focused as the three resonant palaces within him rang vigorously, resounding in his heart. His six resonances were surging wildly. Li Luo had completely shut out all external interferences. There was only the continuous ringing of his triple resonances in his heart. Right at this moment, he felt something coming from deep within his body. Li Luo''s mental state followed that weak vibration and traced it to its origin. It was the mysterious Auric Halo deep within his body. The Auric Halo still appeared incomplete as usual. In the other three corners, his resonant palaces were glowing brighter and brighter. The incomplete Auric Halo started rotating slightly at this point. As it rotated, the enormous amount of energy that was originally flooding Li Luo''s meridians seemed to be sucked into the Auric Halo by a mysterious force. This happened in the blink of an eye. The speed at which it disappeared was like a giant dragon by the river, devouring all the water in a single gulp. Surprisingly, Li Luo''s mental state did not waver much despite this sudden development. He quietly felt the enormous amount of energy disappear into his body. Just like this, the resonant power in his three resonant palaces began to increase at a shocking rate. The energy that had been absorbed by the Auric Halo had already turned into his resonant power. Li Luo stood at the top spot before everyone''s gazes. His expression was content as he sensed the rapid increase of resonant power within his body. In just this short span of time, his resonant power had grown more than what he would have achieved in over half a month of cultivation. However, a thought suddenly flashed across Li Luo''s mind. He looked up and asked, "Is this the limit?" Based on his position, it did seem like the limit. However, he was not out of options just yet. Logically, the nearer he was to the Green Wood Portal, the stronger the Spirit Tide. Looking at his current position, it was still thousands of feet away from the Green Wood Portal. If he moved a little forward, or even to the front of the Green Wood Portal, the effects should be even stronger, right? Even with the incomplete Auric Halo helping him, Li Luo''s idea was frankly quite wild. If he did this, would it be going overboard? It was the Heavenly Origin Ancient College after all. If he was too conspicuous, the other students could find it unsettling. But... even if they were uncomfortable with it, how was it his business? As he thought about that, Li Luo couldn''t help but feel relaxed and took another step forward. Facing the rushing Spirit Tide head-on, he rapidly moved to the top of the stairs. His sudden movement left all the students of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College confused. Could he continue to move forward from that location? They had never seen such a ridiculous thing in their lives. Under their shocked gazes, Li Luo continued to walk up. A few moments later, he was right in front of the Green Wood Portal. Majestic torrents of energy gushed into his body at a terrifying rate. As he sensed the explosive increase in resonant power, Li Luo could not help but stretch out both hands. His body completely blocked out the front of the Green Wood Portal, and the sixth Heavenly Pearl on his back steadily began to glow brilliantly. In fact, a tiny light began to glow beside the sixth Heavenly Pearl as the crazy amount of energy continued to pour in. As the spectators watched this scene unfold, they could feel their scalps tingling and were unable to maintain straight faces. This was simply too ridiculous. Who knew you could do such a thing in the Spiritual Tree Tide?! This Li Luo guy... What the hell. Chapter 1104: Six and a Half? The Spiritual Tree Tide lasted for two hours. When the Green Wood Portal closed, the gushing torrent of energy turned into a gradual stream and eventually disappeared completely. Many of the spectators remained quiet for a while after. They all stared at the highest step. Over there, Li Luo had directly obstructed the front of the Green Wood Portal. His hands were fully extended and he was stationed there like a giant rock bracing against the tide. No matter how the gushing water smashed against it, the rock wouldn''t even budge a single inch. Everyone else was waiting for the Spirit Tide below. Looking at Li Luo, it seemed like he couldn''t wait to block off the Green Wood Portal directly. What a shocking development. None of them had seen anything like this before. Even someone as strong as Wu Changkong had remained in his step even though he could withstand the Spirit Tide. He had never gotten such insane thoughts like blocking it directly. This was such a ridiculous idea. Many eyes turned towards Wu Changkong. His heroic, handsome face had turned into one full of shock and confusion. Jiang Wanyu turned towards Feng Lingyuan. Beneath her usually cool face, the latter was clearly confused too. "So, you can block off the gate in the Spirit Tide?" Feng Lingyuan was at a loss for words. After a while, she continued, "No one''s tried it before. Amongst all those from the previous generations, no one''s even considered such an insane idea." None of them knew how Li Luo had done it. Under the strange and quiet atmosphere, Li Luo finally snapped back from his state of full concentration. The first thing that he did was summon the resonant power within his body. Bzz! Bright and brilliant Heavenly Pearls materialized behind him one after another. In the end, there were six complete Heavenly Pearls, rotating at very high speeds and absorbing the worldly natural energy from the surroundings. Beside of the sixth pearl was another half-completed Heavenly Pearl. Its color was clearly dimmer than the rest. In just a short two hours, Li Luo had not only reached the six-pearl tier but also laid the foundation for his seventh pearl. There seemed to be some self-deprecation in his words, which made him appear somewhat magnanimous. On his side, the beautiful lady named Xu Xi said, "Senior Changkong, don''t belittle yourself. You''ve relied on your own abilities instead of some secret art to take full advantage of the Spiritual Tree Tide. Besides, with your reputation and status, there is no need to take such an unorthodox approach." Many of the other Heavenly Star Hall students agreed with her. However, Jiang Wanyu rebutted them. "There are no rules or restrictions in the Spiritual Tree Tide. It all depends on the individual''s capabilities. Whoever is better will be able to get more out of it. What''s unorthodox about what Li Luo did?" Xu Xi did not respond to her. She could not be bothered to argue with a Three Star Hall student like Jiang Wanyu. Wu Changkong grinned when he heard this. He glanced towards Li Luo before turning around and leading the crowd out of the place. On the other hand, Li Luo was not too bothered by the strange gazes from the crowd. He turned around and happily greeted Lu Ming, Jing Taixu, and Sun Dasheng. "Li Luo, you''re too scary," Lu Ming could not help but comment. They could sense how immeasurably large the energy flowing into their bodies was even at the far bottom step. Yet Li Luo had moved beyond the topmost step, stand right in front of the portal, and physically obstruct it. "That reward comes with its risks," Jing Taixu said with only a little hint of envy. Li Luo''s strength had increased drastically; it was comparable to months of cultivation for anyone else. This was the kind of opportunity that could never have been found back in an outer divine continent. Although Jing Taixu had not received as much of a power-up as Li Luo, it was still a considerable boost for him. The Fiend Dipper Energy within him had increased by quite a bit. "There''s no helping it. The mobilization mission is coming, so I have to increase my strength as much as possible to maximize our odds of survial," Li Luo said. He never meant to make himself so conspicuous. If not for that mysterious activation of his Auric Halo, he would really have struggled. However, the upcoming mission was really dangerous, so his priority was to increase his strength. The rest nodded in agreement. Although they were shocked by Li Luo''s actions earlier, they were even more pleased to see that he had once again strengthened himself. After all, Li Luo and Feng Lingyuan were the two main pillars in their team. Lu Ming patted her chest and commented, "The mission will begin tomorrow. I''m so nervous. I''ve never felt like this even when delving into the depths of the Umbra Cave in the past." "I hope we meet Jiang Qing''e soon. I will feel safer with her by our side," Lu Jinci said with a sigh. Li Luo revealed a smile when he heard this. Lu Jinci''s sigh was a reflection of the thoughts in his heart. He had been missing that person ever since they separated back in the Xia Kingdom. Thankfully... his lovesick pain would be coming to an end shortly. Chapter 1105: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Chapter 1105: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon On the next day, the Heavenly Origin Ancient College was bustling with activity. All the students who were going to participate in the mission were nervously making their final preparations. The whole college was filled with a tense atmosphere. Li Luo led Lu Ming, Jing Taixu, Sun Dasheng, and group into a giant square into the depths of the college. The square looked like a gigantic tree leaf that was dyed jade-green. The space itself was extraordinary. The ground seemed to have a life of its own, slowly expanding and contracting as though it was breathing. When they arrived, the square was already full of people. "Li Luo, over here!" Li Luo heard Jiang Wanyu calling out to him as soon as he arrived. He looked over and saw her, Feng Lingyuan, and Zong Sha. Cutting through the crowd, he led Lu Ming and the rest to meet up with the three of them. As he walked through the crowd, he could sense the strange gazes directed at him. There were also faint mentions of the word "Spirit Tide." Clearly, his performance had caused another uproar in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. Nonetheless, Li Luo was not bothered by it. He scanned the surrounding area and felt a slight chill in his heart. He could feel the presence of numerous strong fighters. Without a doubt, they were the top elites within the ranks of the Upper Hall of the Heavenly Star Hall. "This mission is of utmost importance. Many of our Heavenly Star Hall students have been summoned back. Thinking about it, it''s the first time I''ve seen so many students from the Heavenly Star Hall ever since I entered the college three years ago," Jiang Wanyu said as she noticed Li Luo scanning the area. "Seems like a pretty big mission," Li Luo replied with a smile. It was clear how much the Heavenly Origin Ancient College valued the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. As they were chatting, Li Luo''s eyes landed on an area at the front. It was in the middle of this square, Wu Changkong''s location. Standing amongst the crowd, Wu Changkong appeared tall and charismatic. As he chatted and laughed, he attracted the admiration of many beautiful female students, especially the girls from the One and Two Star Halls on the edge of the field. Although they were not participating in the mission, they had all rushed over to catch a glimpse of the various famous figures from the Heavenly Star Hall. These people were rarely spotted during ordinary times. Amongst them, Wu Changkong was naturally at the top. Although Li Luo had a few amazing feats recently, he was simply a dark horse in their eyes. They did not really compare him with Wu Changkong. After all, one was a new star, while the other had been at the top of the Heavenly Star Hall for years. There was simply nothing to compare between the two. Standing beside Wu Changkong, Xu Xi with the Divine Lingzhi resonance also had a remarkable presence. She was a beautiful girl closely followed by numerous admirers. As if he had noticed Li Luo''s gaze, Wu Changkong turned around. Their eyes met, and Wu Changkong smiled at him, slowly making his way towards Li Luo. When he started moving, everyone''s gazes followed. Jiang Wanyu, Zong Sha, Lu Ming, and the rest tensed up immediately when they sensed Wu Changkong walking over. Their nervousness could be seen clearly within their eyes. After all, his reputation was too great. As Wu Changkong made his way over, there was a friendly smile on his handsome face. He looked directly at Li Luo and said, "It''s been a number of years since we''ve seen someone as talented as you in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, Junior Li Luo. You''ve really outshone your predecessors. Perhaps before long, you''ll have a seat in the Upper Hall too." Li Luo stared back at Wu Changkong''s green eyes. After staying at the top of Heavenly Star Hall for so many years, this guy emitted an indescribable sense of pressure. It was a kind of confidence that was born from being undefeated after hundreds of battles. Li Luo was stunned for a moment before he responded, "He? "She... I mean, he''s a guy?!" He finally understood why Duan Mu had given him such an angry stare earlier. However, the man was simply far too feminine. If any man were to look at this individual without knowing his gender, he would likely fall in love! Li Luo sighed. Right at this moment, he noticed several more teams with their own impressive presences entering the stage. The one that caught Li Luo''s attention the most was a guy with dark yellow skin. His appearance was ordinary, even a bit aged when compared to the rest. He placed his hands in his sleeves and always had a grimace on his face, as if others owed him money. "That''s Zheng Jiang, the fourth seat in the Heavenly Star Hall. He has an upper eighth-grade earth resonance and a lower eighth-grade Spiritual Thorn resonance," Jiang Wanyu whispered. "Dual eighth-grade resonances." Li Luo was surprised. Then he noticed a young girl with short hair. She was extremely sexy with a hot figure and wore a red skirt that outlined her plump and charming curves. Her lips were flaming red, and when she bit them gently, there was a fiery charm from her. "She is Hou Ying, fifth seat in the Heavenly Star Hall. She has a ninth-grade fire resonance," Jiang Wanyu whispered to him. It seemed like Li Luo had seen all the top students of the Upper Hall now. Of course, this did not mean that they knew about him. The Heavenly Star Hall was truly a gathering ground for the gifted. If any of them were to enter the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Guardian Armies, they would definitely stand out there too. As Li Luo sighed again, he noticed another commotion coming from the crowd. A beautiful girl entered the stage, surrounded by people. She was an extremely cold and charming young girl. She had long hair as red as fire, and a strange fragrance lingered around as she walked by, pleasing the people around her. Her entry attracted even the attention of Wu Changkong. Li Luo stared at the cold, young girl. For some reason, he felt like she looked a little familiar. "That is Li Hongyou, rank ten," Jiang Wanyu said as she stared at the cold yet attractive girl. Her eyes seemed a little... jealous? "Tenth seat? Why does it feel like she''s getting even more attention than the others?" Li Luo asked. This time, it was Feng Lingyuan that answered. She calmly explained, "It''s because she has a quasi ninth-grade Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance. It is an extremely rare support-type resonance. When used with specific resonance arts, it can protect people''s minds from the corruption of Others. At the same time, it can boost the overall strength of her teammates. If you look around the whole Heavenly Star Hall, she is actually everyone''s first choice for a team member. "If she weren''t in the Upper Hall, it''s likely that a fight over her would''ve broken out." Li Luo was startled. "Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance?" He had heard that support-type resonances had weak offense and defensive capabilities. However, it was highly desired by every team leader. It was no wonder she was so popular. She could support her teammates very well and allow their performance to reach a higher level. There was no disadvantage to that. Chapter 1106: Ancient Spirit Leaf Chapter 1106: Ancient Spirit Leaf More and more students from the Upper Hall gathered in the huge leaf square as time passed. The atmosphere of the place was reaching its peak. These students had a lot less restrictions. Therefore, some of them travelled throughout the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent for training. It was rare to see all of them gathered in once place, so many curious students from the lower halls had gathered to catch a glimpse of them. The square was bustling with activity and noise as everyone talked about these legendary figures. Li Luo also had the chance to see the real foundation of an ancient college with his own eyes. In a certain sense, the blood and essence of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s efforts was gathered on this square. In the future, some of these people were sure to become Dukes. Some of those Dukes would leave the Heavenly Origin Ancient College one day and venture out. Regardless of where they ended up, they would always have the mark of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College left on them. As for those that would stay behind, they would likely end up as mentors and further strengthen the foundation of the college. It was still hard to tell if any of them would end up as Kings. Reaching that level would require talent, potential, and opportunity, none of which was dispensable. So the future was unknown, even if they possessed a ninth-grade resonance now. As Li Luo sighed in his heart, a bell rang in the square. Lights fell from the sky and transformed into leaves that hovered in midair. The three vice principals and other elders from the school were standing on the leaves. "All the students participating in the mobilization mission, please fall in line!" Lan Lingzi''s voice echoed into everyone''s ears as her eyes scanned the area. The people around the large square hurried about. After a while, everyone assembled neatly into their teams.Visit for the best novel reading experience Some teams were lacking a few members. Most of these teams were from the sage colleges as they had failed to find a suitable leader. Seeing this, Lan Lingzi gave an instruction, and mentors from the college hopped down instantly. They quickly regrouped the students and made sure everyone was in an appropriate team. "Dear students, today''s mission is much more dangerous than any mission you''ve participated in in the past. Simply put, this is a battle between the Heavenly Origin Ancient College and the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion," Lan Lingzi told them in a serious tone. Everyone''s faces froze for a moment. Ordinary lower grade Others were peculiar, but they had no mind of their own; they would simply act according to their instincts. However, there were many higher grade Others in the shadow world that pulled the strings and formed their own forces. Some of these terrifying forces were called Dominions. The passage of vines continued to overlap and extend until it eventually tore the void apart. One end of the passage went directly into the void, and it seemed to have connected to an unknown area. Lan Lingzi, Qing Man, and Wu Yu inspected the passage of vines at this juncture. Once they made sure that everything was fine, they took a look at each other and nodded. "Everyone, you may enter the tunnel now. Once you''ve passed through, you''ll be at your destination!" Lan Lingzi said. All the students'' faces turned nervous once again. Feng Lingyuan breathed out softly. She turned towards Li Luo and the rest and said, "Let''s go. Keep your guard up. No one knows the situation behind that tunnel. Remember, don''t touch anything." Everyone nodded with a serious expression. After that, Feng Lingyuan took the lead and entered first. She walked into the giant passage of vines that looked like a massive python. Li Luo, Jiang Wanyu, Lu Ming, and the rest followed her. When they disappeared into the tunnel, the world space around them began twisting. Slowly, their figures disappeared without a trace. More teams walked into the tunnel, maintaining a somber mood. On the side of the square, the students from the Lower Star Hall who were not involved in the mission watched on. They lowered their heads slightly and whispered the words of faith by the Academic Federation. "May fear be gone." "May we live long." Chapter 1107: Ning Meng Chapter 1107: Ning Meng Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. The impressive pure-white square was filled with stone statues and bustling with people. Many renowned individuals from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College walked into the square, and everyone''s eyes were drawn to them. Nonetheless, these brilliant stars appeared a little dim under the dazzling, bright moonlight. In the center of the square stood a slender figure as resplendent as the full moon. She was simply standing there quietly, yet she radiated an immense brilliance that drew everyone''s attention. They could not help but feel a little lacking in comparison as they looked at her. She was the most spectacular star in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College over the past year. In fact, she was so brilliant that she had outshone all of her predecessors in the Heavenly Star Hall. The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College had taken in many talented students since its inception. Even though they did not have a ninth-grade resonance student every generation, there were bound to be some eventually. With such a high quality pool of students, it was uncommon for any gifted talent to cause a huge uproar in the college. After all, it was a sea of heavenly geniuses. Nonetheless, there was a new star born despite such a stringent standard. Her presence had caused a huge commotion within the whole college. Dual ninth-grade light resonance, Jiang Qing''e. She had entered the Heavenly Star Hall upon admission into the college. In less than half a year, she had defeated her seniors and secured a seat in the Upper Hall for herself. Following that, she took part in a challenge every month and had gotten a decisive win every time. She was so dazzling that everyone had set their eyes on her. It wasn''t until four months ago, when she had gotten into the top ten, that she stopped her challenges. She had been cultivating in silence for four months, so no one had any idea how strong she was. They could only guess that perhaps, she was a match for even the top three by now. Many students in the college had naturally become her admirers and gave her a title. The Holy Maiden of Hallowed Coruscation, Jiang Qing''e. In the crowded square, the warm sunlight fell onto the girl that had gotten countless secret stares from all directions. The faint glimmer of sunlight was like a veil of light around her body. Her curves were almost perfect and her delicate cheeks were like a sculpted masterpiece from the heavens. Everything was flawless. Her long hair was tied up into a high ponytail, revealing both of her ears. At the same time, her long and graceful goose-like neck was displayed elegantly. She wore the robes of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Her slender and straight legs were exposed, looking as if jade light was dancing around them. The girl stood there calmly, not bothered by the many secret gazes. Her golden eyes gave off a deep and mysterious feeling as well as an indescribable charm. Anyone that caught a glimpse was sure to fall deeply into her gaze and wake up feeling ashamed. She was such a perfect being. Who would dare to approach her? As everyone''s eyes were on Jiang Qing''e, she was staring at the stone statues in front of her. She was thinking about her own matters deep in her heart. She slowly moved her feet until she stood really close to Jiang Qing''e. A look of satisfaction appeared on her cheeks. The Light Chaser Beast loved pure-light energy the most. As the owner of this resonance, Ning Meng had inherited this love as well. And where was she going to find a purer light energy source than the dual ninth-grade light resonance from Jiang Qing''e? Therefore, the leader of the Heavenly Star Hall had been following Jiang Qing''e around ever since she entered it. She would always gravitate to her side quietly whenever they were in the same area. Jiang Qing''e took a look at Ning Meng. Ning Meng was still chewing on the straw, revealing a flash of her white teeth. "Little Qing''e, do you want to have some bamboo juice?" Ning Meng held out the bamboo cup in her hand. Jiang Qing''e shook her head. "No, thank you." "Oh!" Ning Meng nodded. She continued to gulp down the drink in large mouthfuls. "Can I stand here for a while?" "Up to you." Jiang Qing''e felt a little helpless about this. She knew about Ning Meng''s resonance and easy-going personality. She was usually quite lazy as well, so she did not have the arrogance one might expect from the top-ranked individual in the college. As a result, Jiang Qing''e had a good impression of her. Wei Chonglou smiled at the side and began to attempt to banter with the two girls yet again. Jiang Qing''e frowned a little. The incessant chatting from Wei Chonglou was getting a little irritating. When she noticed the frown, Ning Meng swung her hand down and clenched her fist. A dark-green rod instantly appeared in her hand. The rod looked pretty simple; it was thin at the bottom and thick at the top, like a branch that had been cut off a tree. It appeared a little messy on the surface, but mysterious runes flowed around it. Ning Meng held up the rod and said to Wei Chonglou in a serious tone, "Stop talking. If you don''t, I will give you a beating!" Wei Chonglou''s voice was stifled immediately. The smile on his face froze. He lifted up his hands helplessly and replied with a smile, "Alright. I will do as you say, Sister Meng." Ning Meng did indeed have an easy-going personality, but it was not her harmless face that had helped her stay at the top of the Heavenly Star Hall for so many years. She was short, but her small body contained strength that many Greater Heavenly Resonance experts feared. Wei Chonglou had seen it personally with his own eyes. Ning Meng had turned a spirit beast that had Greater Heavenly Resonance strength and specialized in defense into mincemeat with one smack of her rod. Therefore, he had to give way to her even with his domineering personality. He had no choice but to shut his mouth. Nonetheless, the silence did not last long. Amidst many cries, a slender and tall figure walked out of the crowd and headed straight towards Jiang Qing''e. As they walked towards her, a cold and arrogant voice came out playfully. What this person said set off a huge uproar in the square. "Jiang Qing''e, I''ve found out about your fiance." Chapter 1108: News of Li Luo Chapter 1108: News of Li Luo The voice was explosive. All of the Heavenly Star Hall students in the area got excited, and their gazes turned towards the origin of the voice. It came from a tall young girl. She had a very pretty face with a curvy figure under her robes. Her legs were long and drew the crowd''s eyes as she made her way forward. There was a diamond-shaped chip giving off a holy aura in the smooth area between her eyebrows. It was faint, but the waves were special and frightening. The girl exuded an air of cold arrogance that could not be concealed, causing the surrounding eyes to look away. No one dared to provoke her recklessly, because she was also a well-known figure in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Yue Zhiyu, ranked third in the Upper Hall; lower ninth-grade light resonance. The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College had always prided itself in its development of students with light-related resonances. Therefore, it had taken many more students with light resonances compared to the other ancient colleges. Many students with these resonances aimed to enter the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College as they believed their cultivation would be better there. Despite all this, Yue Zhiyu was one of the few ninth-grade light resonance users before Jiang Qing''e showed up. Unfortunately, she and her lower ninth-grade light resonance had fallen out of the limelight thanks to Jiang Qing''e. She was the petty, cold, and arrogant kind, so she naturally felt frustrated over this change and had been actively going against Jiang Qing''e for the past year. When Wei Chonglou saw Yue Zhiyu walking straight up to them, his eyes changed a little. He frowned and asked, "What''re you talking about, Yue Zhiyu?" Yue Zhiyu walked up to them directly, crossed her arms, and replied, "Something that''ll make you sad, of course. Jiang Qing''e was not lyingshe really has a fiance. It''s not some shield she created out of nothing." Wei Chonglou''s expression changed a little. He could not help but look towards Jiang Qing''e. He had always thought that she had used an imaginary fiance as a shield to fend off all her admirers. However, Yue Zhiyu was saying that her fiance really existed. Jiang Qing''e did not care about his gaze though. The feelings of these unimportant people did not matter to her. Actually, it was great that Yue Zhiyu could confirm this truth for her. However, she knew that Yue Zhiyu was not here to help her out, knowing her personality. The corners of Yue Zhiyu''s lips curled a little as she continued, "Jiang Qing''e, you used to study in the Astral Sage College of the East Divine Continent''s Xia Kingdom, right?" Jiang Qing''e gave her a glance but did not reply. Jiang Qing''e was slightly stunned. She had not expected to suddenly hear about Li Luo today. Wasn''t he with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li? How had he ended up representing the Astral Sage College in the academic evaluation in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College? On top of that, he had managed to secure a first tier spot with just his own strength. This was clear proof of how much stronger he had gotten over the past year. Memories of his familiar face flashed across her mind. Jiang Qing''e couldn''t help it. A subtle smile appeared on the corners of her lips, which turned the noisy crowd around her silent for a moment. Everyone looked towards her in surprise. Jiang Qing''e hardly ever showed such an expression. Wei Chonglou noticed this as well. He felt irritated deep down. That bright smile was proof that this guy named Li Luo clearly held a very important position in her heart. As for the achievements mentioned by Yue Zhiyu, he did not care about them. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that the academic evaluations between sage colleges were novices pecking at each other. Li Luo had to be pretty strong to be able to win with his strength alone. However, Wei Chonglou did not care about it at all. In terms of strength, how would he lose to a country bumpkin from an outer divine continent? Jiang Qing''e was just unable to let go of her old feelings at the moment. As more time passed, she would surely understand that Li Luo was clearly not the best choice. Nonetheless, he was such a despicable fellow. Thankfully, this fellow was not in front of him. Otherwise, he would definitely show Jiang Qing''e the difference in their strength. "Jiang Qing''e, you seem really happy." A playful expression appeared on Yue Zhiyu''s face. "Let me tell you another piece of happy news. As the academic evaluation took place around the mobilization mission, all the Three and Four Star Hall students from sage colleges have been recruited into the mission by the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. In other words, your fiance will be coming into the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm too. Perhaps you''ll be able to meet him." At this moment, even Jiang Qing''e could not keep her composure. Her eyes were blank for a few breaths, and there seemed to be an overflowing light emerging from the depths of her eyes. Coupled with her beautiful and delicate cheeks, the charming sight made everyone lose their minds. She had silenced everyone in that instant. Her heart was overwhelmed with emotions. Li Luo would be participating in this mission too? Could they finally meet again after one whole year? Chapter 1109: All Parties Have Arrived Chapter 1109: All Parties Have Arrived Jiang Qing''e was overwhelmed with emotions. It lasted a while before she got the look of surprise deep in her eyes under control. This information shared by Yue Zhiyu was completely unexpected. Who would have expected Li Luo would be participating in the mission led by the Heavenly Origin Ancient College in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm? However, her surprise soon turned into worry. This mission was extremely dangerous; even Upper Hall students from Heavenly Star Hall had to be careful. She wondered if Li Luo had found any reliable team members. He had been cultivating at the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li all this while, so he was unlikely to have friends in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. "Guess I''ll have to find him as soon as possible after we''ve entered the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm," Jiang Qing''e thought to herself. Afterwards, she looked up and stared back at Yue Zhiyu, who had been watching her reaction. She had finally understood why the latter was so playful in her tone. It was all because of Li Luo participating in this mission. She had ensured that everyone was well aware of Li Luo now. Without a doubt, this would spell trouble for Li Luo later. There were already people discussing it in the square right now.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only This was especially true for Wei Chonglou. His expression changed and he said with a laugh, "Is this junior named Li Luo only a Three Star Hall student?" He got his emotions under control and his face relaxed once again. "From what you''ve shared, it seems like Junior Li Luo is pretty talented. If he performs well in the mission, we can try to have him join the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. When that time comes, I''ll be glad to help you speak to the Principal, Junior Jiang." His face was friendly and earnest, as if he was really ready to help. It was unknown if his intentions were pure or not, but he had definitely portrayed himself in a positive light. The nearby students secretly praised him when they witnessed this. Senior Wei Chonglou seemed so magnanimous even in the face of his rival in love. He had not attacked him and was even willing to recommend him into the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. This simple act had won the praise and admiration of many. Jiang Qing''e remained calm as she replied, "No, thank you. He has his own plans already." "Wei Chonglou, can''t you at least try to look sincere?" Yue Zhiyu pouted and laughed out coldly. "Li Luo does not need your help." "Oh?" Wei Chonglou''s eyes opened wider. Yue Zhiyu continued with great interest, "Do you really think he''s just a country bumpkin from the outer divine continent? In terms of background, not even you hold an edge over him." Wei Chonglou could not help but narrow his eyes. What did Yue Zhiyu mean by that? His background was not comparable to a guy from an outer divine continent? "You don''t seem to believe me." Yue Zhiyu gave him a glance. She then continued with smiley eyes, "Do you think that Li Luo is just some random peasant that originated in a remote outer divine continent? He''s actually from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. His grandfather is the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, a Dual Crowned King. How do you think you can compare?" When she finished speaking, whispers broke out around the crowd. Many students were bewildered. Who would have expected Jiang Qing''e''s fiance to have such a background? Wei Chonglou was also taken aback by her words. His eyes were full of suspicion. Li Luo was the grandson of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Lineage Chief? The one from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li in Heavenly Origin Divine Continent? Was Yue Zhiyu telling the truth or not? He had mixed feelings about it. However, he decided to believe her. He knew about Yue Zhiyu''s background; her family''s forte was gathering information. All of a sudden, she was really looking forward to the mission. ...... Bronze lamps hung on the walls of a dark hall. The pale-green flames swayed slowly from side to side, creating a cold and eerie atmosphere. There was a stone door at the end of the dark hall. Behind it was pitch-black darkness. Not even a glimmer of light was able to penetrate it. Numerous strange and weird whispers could be faintly heard coming from the darkness. These murmurs had an extremely mighty aura of corruption. Even someone at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier would probably lose their mind and go crazy if they hung around here long enough. The space around the stone door began to twist and turn. At the next moment, an elderly man in a black robe appeared. There was a blood-red eye hanging around his neck. Like a living thing, the eye repeatedly moved about, giving off an endlessly evil light. This was none other than the Spirit Eye Other King, the Origin Reversion Institute''s King that Li Luo had encountered back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. He walked into the darkness behind the stone door. There were giant jail cells hidden behind the darkness, each one containing thick, black mist thick enough to obstruct the view of the things wriggling inside. Those things were emitting the strange whispers. However, the Spirit Eye Other King was indifferent towards them. He slowly walked towards the deeper end. After a while, he stood in front of a black pool and looked towards its center. There was a black cocoon in the middle of the strange, black water. The black cocoon continued to wriggle. The faint outline of a human face was protruding out of it. It gave off an extremely peculiar air. Right at this moment, the black cocoon seemed to have noticed that someone was watching it. It began to melt, and black water dripped down. At the same time, the human figure within it was revealed. It was the face of Li Lingjing. However, she was different from before. Her skin had turned even more pale and her eyes had turned a deep onyx. However, her charming face remained, one that was full of temptation. She looked at the Spirit Eye Other King and asked, "What''s the matter?" Li Lingjing''s voice echoed in the darkness, accompanied by the strange whispers that shrouded the area. "We have a small task. Would you like to participate?" the Spirit Eye Other King asked her with a grin. Li Lingjing''s eyelids drooped slightly. "Not interested," she replied. "Oh, you''ll be interested. Our target is the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. It''s very lively over there now. The Heavenly Origin Ancient College and the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion are fighting with each other. It''s the perfect chance for us to retrieve something." Li Lingjing''s face remained cold and indifferent. There was barely any movement. The Spirit Eye Other King laughed and continued, "I heard that Li Luo from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li will be going there as well." Finally, there was slight movement within Li Lingjing''s eyes. She remained silent for a while before asking, "Who else are you sending?" "The Murderous Ghost Horde." When Li Lingjing recalled how berserk and demented those creatures were, she stretched out her slender and pale hands towards the dark pool of water underneath her feet. Ripples appeared on the surface of the black water, and in the next moment, the Aquamarine Bamboo Python Staff slowly floated up. She grabbed it and held it tightly. When she felt the ice-cold touch of the staff, Li Lingjing''s red lips trembled slightly. Then her ice-cold voice echoed in the darkness. "Alright." Chapter 1110: Street Full of Others Chapter 1110: Street Full of Others When Li Luo stepped into the passage of vines, the space around him began to twist and turn. It seemed to shatter into pieces for a moment, and he began to feel dizzy. This sensation enveloped him for quite a while, but at the same time, it felt like only a second had passed before he heard a sudden buzzing in his ears. The dizzying sensation began to fade and his eyes began to take in the sights before him. There was a crowded street in front of Li Luo. People walked about and vendors were shouting from all around. It looked like a bustling and lively market. Li Luo was at a loss for a few moments. Where was he? Hadn''t he entered the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm? Why was it like a city here? Li Luo raised his head and saw that the sky was gray. The light in this area looked a little dim, and it was accompanied by a strange chill. He felt uncomfortable all over, especially in his heart. Goosebumps arose all over his body and his instincts reminded him to stay vigilant repeatedly. He came to a realization of his situation when he managed to piece the facts together. This was indeed the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. However, the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion''s projection had descended over this location. He was standing in it right now. In that case... just who were the people in front of him? Li Luo looked at the realistic pedestrians and vendors in front of him. There were wide smiles on their faces, but they felt oddly cold. "Li Luo!" A voice wrapped in resonant power suddenly came from behind. Li Luo turned around hurriedly and saw Feng Lingyuan, Jiang Wanyu, Lu Ming, Zong Sha, and the rest. They were standing on the same street just a short distance away. Feng Lingyuan''s face looked a little serious. "Be careful, everyone. We have landed in the middle of an Other nest." Li Luo''s mouth twitched a little. An Other nest was a spot where Others gathered. Unfortunately, they had been thrown into one right at the start. However, they hadn''t figured out the rules of this area yet. Careful observation of their surroundings was required. He retracted his breath, and the resonant power in his body circulated quietly. His face remained calm, but he watched the passersby vigilantly. No one knew how many Others were hiding in the crowd. The people continued to stream up and down the streets, their voices filling his ears. Everything seemed so realistic here. The people passing by did not seem to notice that Li Luo and his group did not belong. Lu Ming, Jing Taixu, and Sun Dasheng were frozen stiff. They did not dare to move a single muscle as they stared at their surroundings intently. Deng Zhu, who was from the same school as Lu Ming, was also in the crowd. He could sense a dangerous aura lingering in the area, one that far exceeded what they had sensed back in the Umbra Cave. Boing. Just as Deng Zhu was thinking about this, a white rubber ball suddenly flew out of the crowd and landed at his feet. "Group up," Feng Lingyuan said softly. The group gathered, and their resonant power surged. Odd, twisted smiles appeared on the faces of the people on the street. At the next moment, they all flew towards them directly. The moment they pounced, their skin expanded rapidly. Just a few seconds later, they all turned into human-skin balloons. All their veins tore open, and thick amounts of corruption was released into the air. "They''re going to self-destruct!" Jiang Wanyu shouted. Hundreds of human-skin balloons flying towards them was a really terrifying sight. With so many of them, the corruption that burst out would be extremely frightening. Feng Lingyuan swiftly formed handseals with both hands. Resonant power surged up within her, and a grayish-black spirit avatar materialized behind her. The spirit avatar looked exactly like gerself, but its body was surrounded by countless grayish-black light rays that were connected to it like strings. This was Feng Lingyuan''s resonance. Lower ninth-grade Shadow Puppet resonance. "Duke Art, Bronze Turtle Puppet Art!" The gray resonant power flowed out and transformed into the shadow of a giant turtle. The shadow seemed to have been forged with copper and exuded an impenetrable defensive power. The skin balloons flew towards them and exploded one after another. The corruption swept up like a wild storm. The bronze turtle that was protecting the group let out a low cry. It flickered with green light as it resisted the erosion from the storm of corruption. The turtle did not move a step despite the fierce attacks. Green light circulated around it, and it stood against the storm like an immovable mountain. Looking at the bronze turtle, Li Luo could spot a unique glamor coming from it. Its presence was similar to that of his Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner. Clearly, Feng Lingyuan had cultivated this Duke Art to the Grand Perfection Realm. As the storm of corruption gradually died down, the crowded street in front of them changed completely. The people were gone and the street was now empty. Snow lightly fell from the sky. However, Li Luo and the group could tell very clearly that those were not snowflakesthey were shreds of pale skin. The flakes of skin slowly fused in the sky above. In the end, huge pieces of human skin floated in the air, with strange and twisted faces on them. The faces had gray-white pupils, and they glared at Li Luo and the group. Corruption oozed out of every orifice. Without a doubt, these human skins were a kind of Other. Li Luo scanned the far ends of the town. He could faintly see a pale pillar that was hundreds of feet tall in the distance. That location was the origin of the endless air of corruption that enveloped the whole town. Li Luo turned around and gave Feng Lingyuan a look. Chapter 1111: Evil Spirit Chapter 1111: Evil Spirit The gray-white pieces of skin fell down like snow with a cold and eerie aura. As soon as it touched one''s skin, it dug its roots into the skin directly and decayed the flesh. It spread like a virus. Resonant power exploded out of everyone as they shielded their bodies, destroying the skin flakes with the resonant power before they could land on their skin. Li Luo clenched his fist, and the Dragon Elephant Blade materialized in his hands instantly. He looked at the Human Skin Others falling from the sky. They floated about like kites, their twisted faces letting out ferocious and sharp hisses. Feng Lingyuan watched the falling human skin Others with cold eyes. She could tell that these Others possessed Heavenly Pearl Stage strength. Therefore, she instructed Li Luo, Zong Sha, and the rest before she stretched out her slender arms, "Protect the lower hall students!" Grayish-black resonant power shot out of her fingertips. It looked as though it was formed from the condensation of countless light rays. As soon as they shot out, they weaved into shadows of hawks and falcons, swooping down on all the falling Others across the sky. The human skin Others screamed and appeared to be struggling from the looks on their twisted faces. They then spewed white flames from their pitch-black mouths that spread like wildfire as soon as they came into contact with the skin flakes. The result was an inferno that blanketed the skies. However, the sea of white flames was not burning hot, but extremely cold and eerie. When the sea of flames clashed with the shadow hawks and falcons, it swiftly incinerated them. However, Feng Lingyuan was rank two in the Heavenly Star Hall of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, an expert at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. How could her plan to eradicate Heavenly Pearl Others be so easily neutralized? When the hawks and falcons were burnt to ashes, the black light within them began to change. In the next moment, countless grayish-black sword lights flew out of the sea of flames. In the blink of an eye, they pierced through the faces of the Human Skin Others. A shrill cry could be heard in the air. The Human Skin Others quickly shriveled up. After a short while, countless Lesser Heavenly Disaster-class Others were eradicated. Zong Sha, Lu Jinci, and the others could not help but gasp at her efficiency. Feng Lingyuan had cleanly finished off the Others. Her eyes turned towards the other side of the small town. A strong energy shockwave had originated from that location. "Other squads are here too. We must destroy the Devil Heart Pillar before them!" Feng Lingyuan shouted to Li Luo and the group. Li Luo and the rest were surprised to hear this. Resonant power surged within them as they dashed towards the Devil Heart Pillar that was in the center of the town. Others continued to appear on their way there. However, rays of grayish-black light shot out from the shadows around them as soon as soon as they attmepted to attack. The shadows turned into sharp claws and tore them apart immediately. Without a doubt, this was Feng Lingyuan helping them out. Li Luo was shocked to see the incredible speed at which Feng Lingyuan dispatched the Others. This was mainly due to the unique resonance she possessed. The Shadow Puppet resonance was primarily of the shadow element. Li Luo had seen such a resonance on Xin Fu before. However, there was gigantic difference in the way she used her resonance. Their journey proceeded smoothly with Feng Lingyuan''s assistance. Gradually, the strange, white pillar that stood hundreds of feet tall became clearer and clearer to them as they made their way to the center of the town. Follow current novels at novelhall.com) At the same time, Li Luo and the group saw another squad rushing towards the Devil Heart Pillar. It seemed like everyone was in a race to destroy the Devil Heart Pillar first. Fortunately, the strength of the other team leader was below that of Feng Lingyuan, and as a result, they were bogged down by the Others, unable to clear the path as quickly.. Li Luo looked over at the grayish-black curtain out of the corner of his eye. The picturesque sight made his heart waver slightly as he murmured to himself, "Is that the symbol of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, the Heavenly Resonance Diagram?" Nonetheless, he did not slow down. Feng Lingyuan was delaying the Evil Spirits, providing the rest of the team a perfect opportunity to destroy the pillar. Their only problem now was the other four people charging towards the pillar too. This was another team, and their leader''s strength was similar to Zong Sha''s, around the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier. Without a doubt, they were eyeing the merits. Li Luo and the group were already within a thousand feet of the Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar. It seemed to be wrapped in countless layers of stiff human skin, which were covered in a multitude of blood-red runes, making for a sight that would make anyone''s skin crawl. Li Luo felt indescribably restless as he looked at the object he had to destroy. "Junior Li Luo, let''s do it!" Zong Sha said in a hurry when he saw the other team rushing towards the pillar. A light flashed in Li Luo''s eyes. He lifted the Dragon Elephant Blade slightly. However, he did not slash down towards the Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar. "Wait," he suddenly said. Zong Sha and Lu Jinci were taken aback. If they slowed down even a tiny bit, the merit would be snatched away by the other team... However, they had faith in Li Luo, so they followed his order. The four individuals from the other team were elated to see them pause. They attacked the pillar without any hesitation. Huge and fearsome resonant power sailed through the air and landed directly on the Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar. Boom! Resonant power explosions rang out in the air. A deep scar appeared on the Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar, making it seem like the pillar was about to snap in half. When the four saw what was happening, they summoned their resonant power once again, preparing to give it another strike. At this juncture, the feeling of unease in Li Luo''s heart grew even stronger. He pulled Lu Jinci and Zong Sha back in a hurry. Zong Sha and Lu Jinci did not understand what was going on, but at the next moment, the hairs on their bodies suddenly stood on end. They saw a huge, blood-red face slowly crawling out of the crack on the pillar. There were no facial features on its head, only a vicious and terrifying "evil" character engraved onto the front. At the same time, an extremely terrifying amount of corruption burst outwards in every direction. Zong Sha and Lu Jinci were at a loss for words. "Greater Evil Spirit?!" Chapter 1112: Somethings Not Right Chapter 1112: Something''s Not Right The huge, strange, blood-red creature crawled out of the Devil Heart Pillar. The "evil" character on its face wriggled slowly. It had no expression, but if it did, it would undoubtedly be one of ruthlessness as it stared at the four fellows that had attacked the pillar. Monstrous amounts of corruption surged out like a swampy deluge, as if it was solid, horrifying everyone in the area. "How can there be a Greater Evil Spirit in a B-class mission?!" Zong Sha was nearly at a loss for words. Evil Spirit Hordes also contained Greater Evil Spirits. They were extremely vicious and were considered to be amongst the strongest of the Greater Heavenly Disaster-class Others. Only those at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier could stand up to them. Under ordinary circumstances, the Greater Evil Spirits were a small number of the Evil Spirit Horde. Based on the college''s estimates, Greater Evil Spirits would only appear in an A-class missions. Thus, Zong Sha and the rest were stunned to see one right in front of them. "Get back!" Li Luo ordered decisively as his face turned serious. The Greater Evil Spirit stood at the peak of the Greater Heavenly Disaster Others. Now that Feng Lingyuan and the other team''s leader had fallen behind to hold back the previous enemies, the situation would be hard to handle. However, the Greater Evil Spirit was quick to act. As soon as its voice faded, it jumped out of the pillar. An Other that was hundreds of feet tall stood in front of them, several times larger than the Evil Spirits seen earlier. The smell of rot permeated the air around it. The Greater Evil Spirit tore two pieces of blood-red skin off its chest with its sharp claws. The skins rapidly rose into the air and expanded. After a short while, the skins were dozens of feet wide with twisted faces wriggling on their surfaces. Suddenly, the two pieces of skin turned into streams of crimson light. One shot towards the retreating Li Luo and his group, trapping them in a cage. Zong Sha and Lu Jinci reacted without any hesitation. Their resonant power surged up and they struck back ferociously. Bang! When the two clashed, a low, muffled sound could be heard. The skin cage looked weak and flimsy, but it did not break apart. At the same time, countless black lines extended from the twisted faces on the cage. The black lines slowly stretched across the whole cage, resembling veins that possessed extraordinary resilience whilst having an unsettling appearance. The faces of Zong Sha, Lu Jinci, and the group changed. A gold seal appeared above Zong Sha''s head as he roused all of his strength. However, he wasn''t able to break through the skin cage. Visit for the best novel reading experience "What a terrifying skill!" Lu Jinci exclaimed as his eyes twitched in fear. The Greater Evil Spirit had casually activated an ability, and it was powerful enough to leave them in such a pathetic state. The difference in their strengths was simply too great. At this moment, the blood-red skin that reeked of corruption blocked the sky above them, ready to entrap them in every direction. Radiant Heavenly Pearls appeared behind Li Luo one after another. At the same time, the golden water pearls in his waterlight resonance palace shattered, and the source origin energy fused with his resonant power. In the blink of an eye, eight Heavenly Pearls appeared behind Li Luo, and immense amounts of resonant power swept across the field. There was an extremely fearsome stream of lightning on that blade energy. As it roared past, it reduced the skin tp ashes. The four people trapped in it fell onto the floor pathetically. Their bodies were full of injuries as if they had been savagely bitten by wild beasts. Someone landed in front of the four of them. Huge resonant power surged up and the thunder clouds filled the sky above. Zong Sha exclaimed with shock when he saw the individual that had just entered the fray, "It''s Deng Changbai, ranked sixth in the Upper Hall." Li Luo took a glance at him. He was a young and strong man with disheveled hair. He had an exaggeratedly large blade with a bolt of lightning circulating around it, looking quite tyrannical. Li Luo could vaguely recall the info that he had read earlier. Deng Changbai, nicknamed Lightning Blade, had an upper eighth-grade lightning resonance. Although he was not as renowned as Feng Lingyuan, he was still an impressive cultivator. Deng Changbai gave Li Luo a glance upon arrival, then he looked further towards his back. There was a slender figure in black clothes walking towards them with light steps. It was none other than Feng Lingyuan. "Deng Changbai, when did you find the courage to compete with me?" Feng Lingyuan asked casually as she walked up to Li Luo and took a glance at Deng Changbai. Deng Changbai frowned a little. He was clearly afraid of Feng Lingyuan from the look in his eyes. He quickly looked away and turned towards the Greater Evil Spirit in front of him. "Feng Lingyuan, there''s no way you haven''t noticed that something is wrong here. There shouldnt be a Greater Evil Spirit here. The intel provided by the college seems to be wrong. Feng Lingyuan sighed a little. She looked over at the pale Devil Heart Pillar and replied, "You''re still as slow as ever. Do you think there''s only one Greater Evil Spirit here?" Deng Changbai''s face changed completely. "What do you mean?!" Li Luo and the rest were stunned too. Feng Lingyuan''s face had no expression. As soon as she finished speaking, a strange voice sounded off from the Devil Heart Pillar. The stench of fresh blood strong enough to sting the nose gushed out of it, and at the next moment, a skeletal hand reached out. As the fresh blood continued flowing, two more Greater Evil Spirits slowly emerged from it. They had no facial features, only the twisted "evil" characters decorated their heards. Corruption soared through the sky, and the void vaguely began to twist. Everyone sensed a chill run up their spines when they saw this. Three Greater Evil Spirits? Wasn''t this a B-class mission? Chapter 1113: White Fog Chapter 1113: White Fog The three huge Greater Evil Spirits stood in front of the Devil Heart Pillar menacingly as the "evil" character on their heads wriggled and took the shape of sneers as they stared at Li Luo and the others. Even Feng Lingyuan''s eyes grew dark when faced with three Greater Evil Spirits, because it meant that they would be facing three Greater Heavenly Disaster-class Others, all at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. With Feng Lingyuan''s strength, three Greater Evil Spirits would not be able to stop her if she truly wanted to leave, but the current situation was way too unexpected. Based on Feng Lingyuan''s past experiences, a B-class mission could not be considered difficult by any stretch of imagination. The appearance of a single Greater Evil Spirit was already surprising, but there were three! Feng Lingyuan would''ve rated this mission as A-class with those three alone. However, the cruel reality was right before their eyes, so there was no way that they could suspend their belief. "The situation is not right. There is too much deviation from the college''s intelligence report," Feng Lingyuan said coldly. Deng Changbai also frowned deeply. It was naturally impossible for the academy to intentionally trap them with fake information, and if it wasn''t the academy that had planned this situation, then it could only be... the work of the All-Beings Devil King. The All-Beings Devil King was definitely aware of the college''s intention to send students into the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm to destroy the Devil Heart Pillars, so it wouldn''t just sit back and watch them successfully complete the sabotage plan. It would obviously devise countermeasures. Then the appearance of the three Greater Evil Spirits was most likely one of the countermeasures that the All-Beings Devil King had put in place. It had turned what most students thought was a practice field to cultivate and train in into a murder arena where only the strongest would survive. It was hard to imagine how many casualties and how much chaos this would wreak amongst lesser teams if they were to encounter the same situation in other areas. Thinking about this scenario, the faces of everyone present all turned sour. However, the three Greater Evil Spirits did not give them more time to ponder. An opening slowly emerged on each of their twisted and cracked faces right then. Whoosh! In the next instant, an extremely dense, white fog erupted from the openings accompanied by countless mournful screams. In just a few breaths, the entire town was completely veiled. Li Luo and the others immediately activated their resonant power to resist the sinister cold aura that the white fog emitted. Li Luo examined the white fog closely, vaguely making out what seemed to be countless dust-like particles floating within. A drop of cold sweat emerged from his brow when he realized that the white fog was made of minute fragments of Other skin. The white fog was extremely insidious and seemed to dull everyone''s five senses, causing the group''s vision and awareness to be greatly reduced. "You guys stay where you are and protect each other as a group!" Two Dragon Fang Swords were flying erratically in the sword formation, constantly gulping sword light. With the appearance of the sword formation, a terrifying amount of sword qi piercing through much of the white fog filling the area, slightly increasing the visibility. The sword formation did not launch any attacks; it merely hovered above the heads of the group. Zong Sha and Jiang Wanyu immediately relaxed a little. The level of Li Luo''s sword formation Duke Art was rather high, hence it naturally exuded an indescribably dangerous aura while it was activated. However, Li Luo did not intend to use the Dragon Fang Swords of the sword formation to dispatch the Greater Evil Spirit, as that was obviously not very realistic. Instead, he had activated the formation as a deterrent. This was undoubtedly a bluff that would not be very effective in actually dealing with the Greater Evil Spirit. The arcane sword formation rotated slowly, flowing with thick sword qi. Lu Ming stood behind Li Luo, stretching out her palm that was engraved with the Ancient Spirit Leaf. The resonant power within her body began to rapidly flow out and, through the enhancement and transformation of the Ancient Spirit Leaf, surged into Li Luo''s body, replenishing his quickly depleting resonant power. Time passed quietly. About ten seconds later, Zong Sha, Jiang Wanyu, and the others'' pupils suddenly shrunk as they saw a hideous face inscribed with the "evil" character slowly emerge from the dense fog in front of them. It seemed to be staring at the sword formation, and its sharp bloody talons stretched out towards it, intending to test the strength of the formation. Upon seeing this, the group immediately tensed up and clenched their teeth. Fortunately, the Greater Evil Spirit retracted its claws a few moments later and quietly retreated back into the midst of the thick fog. It was only when it was fully out of sight that the entire group could finally heave sighs of relief. Still, Li Luo still did not retract the sword formation, choosing to maintain it lest the Greater Evil Spirit changed its mind and returned to kill them all. But it wasn''t long before some miserable screams rang out from the other direction. They were from Deng Changbai''s group! Chapter 1114: Grand Feast for the Devil King Chapter 1114: Grand Feast for the Devil King Not long after the cries from Deng Changbai''s team, an odd scream that did not sound like a human voice echoed in the white fog. At the next moment, the fog retreated rapidly. Li Luo could faintly tell that the spot where the white mist was retreating towards was the Devil Heart Pillar. Suddenly, an angry shout came from Deng Changbai. "Leave them behind!" Thunder exploded in the air and huge amounts of lightning resonant power surged up. It fought the fog, trying to push it back, but something had stopped it in its tracks. The white fog retreated faster than they had expected. In just a few moments, it was completely gone. Li Luo and the group had seen everything very clearly. The fog had retreated back into the Devil Heart Pillar along with two of the Greater Evil Spirits, which had liquefied and flowed back as pools of blood. There were a few bags made of human skin being carried by the retreating blood stream. The bags obviously contained Deng Changbai''s teammates, and the outlines of their struggling faces were easy to see. In that case, had they been captured by the Greater Evil Spirits? The Greater Evil Spirits'' retreat was too swift. Li Luo could barely catch a glimpse of their shadows before they turned into a stream of blood, flowing back into the Devil Heart Pillar, leaving not a single trace behind. A sword filled with wild lighting energy slashed the Devil Heart Pillar directly. As the blade sliced across, the area shattered into fragments. However, the pieces simply fell down like black mud. There were no more signs of the Greater Evil Spirits. Deng Changbai approached and looked down at the black mud. His face was dark and his eyes were full of fury. Unfortunately, all his team members had been kidnapped by the Greater Evil Spirits. With so many casualties, his final merit score would definitely be affected. In other words, Deng Changbai was certain to earn nothing even though the mission had just begun. Jiang Wanyu, Lu Ming, and the rest felt a chill in their hearts when they saw this scene. They were probably the ones who had caught the eyes of the Greater Evil Spirits first. Fortunately, Li Luo had sensed that something was off and activated his high-grade Duke Art immediately. If not, they would have been the ones captured in the bags of human skin. After all, Zong Sha was not strong enough to fend off a Greater Evil Spirit. "Oh right, isn''t there supposed to be three Greater Evil Spirits? But only two of them escaped," Lu Jinci suddenly said. As soon as he finished speaking, a huge black cocoon fell down from the sky, landing right in front of the group. The cocoon was made up of countless grayish-black light rays. When the cocoon broke apart, a blood-red body and a destroyed "evil" character spilled out. It was a Greater Evil Spirit! However, this Greater Evil Spirit had clearly been slain. The countless grayish-black light rays pierced through its body and repeatedly eroded the corruption energy. However, the lifeforce of an Other was really strong. The destroyed body parts continued to wriggle about despite the fatal injuries. The "evil" character kept trying to form back together. However, the grayish-black light rays quickly swept towards it, destroying it before it could do so. Everyone was shocked to see this. They took a few steps back and did not dare to get too close to it, afraid to be accidentally corrupted. At the same time, a slender figure descended from the sky. There was a dominating presence in the eyes under her dark-red mask. It was none other than Feng Lingyuan. Li Luo clicked his tongue secretly. This Greater Evil Spirit had clearly been slain by Feng Lingyuan. The second ranked individual in the Upper Hall was truly formidable. Although Deng Changbai was also in the Upper Hall, he had only been able to fight on par with the Greater Evil Spirit. In the end, his team members had been taken away and he could not do anything about it. There were more than ten teams calling for help. It seemed they were all having trouble. Everyone''s faces turned serious. "So, the other teams have fallen into the same trap too?" Li Luo asked in a low voice. If they were the only ones who had encountered three Greater Evil Spirits, it could''ve been considered a coincidence. However, there were a dozen calls for help. This meant that the All-Beings Devil King had prepared a grand feast for the arrival of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s students. It was a grand feast for the Devil King. It was a truly tragic and bloody start. "There''s a new mission!" Jiang Wanyu suddenly shouted. Everyone focused their minds and sensed a new message coming from the Ancient Spirit Leaves. Rescue Mission: A-Class. Head over to the specified district and rescue the students. Merits will be allocated based on your performance. Up to three A Merits. "Three A Merits?!" everyone exclaimed in shock. Even the cold Feng Lingyuan was staring with wide eyes. Based on their understanding of how the college operated, it was rare to find a mission that gave a single A Merit. Now, however, they had been presented a mission that would award three A Merits! However, this also told them that the situation here had gone out of the college''s expectations. They had to break the rules and send out a call for help urgently. Li Luo was very surprised to see this. He had checked the scores earlier and noticed they''d gotten a B Merit for accomplishing the mission earlier. Feng Lingyuan had one A Merit and one B Merit, most likely due to her killing a Greater Evil Spirit. As Li Luo stared at the map on his Ancient Spirit Leaf, he noticed a red skull a little north from them. That was the location of the rescue mission. So the kidnapped students had been sent over there? Just as Li Luo was pondering over it, Lu Ming tapped his shoulder. She cried out in surprise, "Li Luo, take a look at the scoreboard!" Li Luo was startled. He focused his mind and opened up the scoreboard on the Ancient Spirit Leaf. The screen in front of him changed into a list. Li Luo glanced at it and understood what Lu Ming was trying to say. He could see a familiar name on the top of the scoreboard. Jiang Qing''e, three A Merits, one B Merit. When he saw those simple words, Li Luo could not help but take in a deep breath. Had Jiang Qing''e encountered the same problem as them? However... she had killed all three Greater Evil Spirits?! How had she done that? Even Feng Lingyuan had only managed to kill one before the others escaped. Yet Jiang Qing''e had eradicated all of them?! At this moment, Li Luo could only sigh in his heart. The big goose from House Luolan was a truly terrifying killing machine. Chapter 1115: Heavenly Crimson Pills Chapter 1115: Heavenly Crimson Pills While Li Luo was taking in Jiang Qing''e''s incredible achievements, the others noticed the news too. Everyone was shocked to see this. "Junior Li Luo, your fiancee is a tigress." Zong Sha sighed with a complicated look. She had gotten three A Merits very quickly. It seemed like the trap set up for them was actually a gift to Jiang Qing''e. Meanwhile, they had only earned one A Merit, and it was at the cost of the total elimination of one team. The difference in power made them feel complicated. "How in the world did she do it? Senior Lingyuan was only able to kill one Greater Evil Spirit. I don''t think even Wu Changkong can kill three of them at once, right?" Jiang Wanyu asked in disbelief. Feng Lingyuan took a look at the scoreboard and commented, "She''s a dual ninth-grade light resonance wielder. She holds an advantage over the Others. It''s not entirely out of the world for her to achieve such results." Afterwards, she took a look at the subsequent ranks on the scoreboard. The one second place was also from Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. It was Ning Meng, who had two A Merits and one B Merit. Feng Lingyuan assumed that this person was the top ranked in their Upper Hall. In the same rank as Ning Meng was Wu Changkong with two A Merits and one B Merit as well. The ones following them had one A Merit and one B Merit. Feng Lingyuan glanced at the scoreboard for a while before turning back to Jiang Qing''e. She had clearly caught her eye. The new superstar of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College had taken the first place from both the top-ranked individuals of both ancient colleges. Although this was likely temporary, it was still testament to her strength. In a year or two, such a person would likely become the strongest student in the whole Academic Federation. Feng Lingyuan suddenly looked towards Li Luo. Li Luo looked back at her strangely. "Senior Feng, what''s the matter?" Feng Lingyuan replied, "Such an outstanding lady didn''t wish to break off your engagement?" Li Luo smiled back. This seemed unexpected... right? She surely would never guess that he was the one who had proposed that they should break off their engagement. Although he had regretted this reckless action countless times in the dead of the night, the engagement had been annulled in the end. He could only force out a laugh and swallow the bitter pill left behind by his youthful self. Of course, he wasn''t going to share all this knowledge with Feng Lingyuan. He put on a brave front and retorted, "Senior Feng, what do you mean by that? We''re not a bad pair." Feng Lingyuan did not say anything further. Although Jiang Qing''e was exceptionally outstanding, Li Luo was not ordinary either. He had triple resonances, so even someone with an ordinary lower ninth-grade resonance would pale in comparison to him. Besides, he had managed to defeat three Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier opponents when he was just a five-pearl. This was a clear sign of just how strong his foundation was. All of that along with being a high ranking member of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, Li Luo was truly an exceptional person himself as well. Most importantly, he was also very handsome. Feng Lingyuan took a look at that handsome, young face. His eyes were filled with warmth and friendliness, with a bit of sharpness hidden beneath. His hair was grayish white. All of this added points to his charm. Although Feng Lingyuan was not one who would go crazy for looks, she had to admit that Li Luo looked much better than most guys. "If not for you, we''d likely have suffered heavy casualties earlier. You deserve one too," Feng Lingyuan said. She had a headstrong personality and decided on everything without consulting the rest. However, the others did not object to her decision. After all, it was just like Feng Lingyuan had said. If not for Li Luo, they would likely have been captured by the Greater Evil Spirits too. Li Luo did not stand on ceremony. He reached out and accepted the Heavenly Crimson Pill. With this, he could get even stronger. This mission was more dangerous than they had imagined, and it would be best for him to power up as much as possible. As for the remaining pills, which were of lower grade, Feng Lingyuan distributed them equally amongst the rest. Everyone was pleased. The fear instilled in them by the Greater Evil Spirits earlier finally dispelled after the pleasant surprise of treasure. Li Luo pinched the Heavenly Crimson Pills lightly. He finally understood why the Heavenly Origin Ancient College was fighting the All-Beings Devil King for the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. This place had a vast amount of cultivation resources. If they could secure it, it would be a great boost to the college. If a Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar indicated a few handfuls of Heavenly Crimson Pills, then there would definitely be rarer treasures under a Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar. When he thought about this, Li Luo grew more passionate. Although Merits could be traded for cultivation resources, that was a delayed reward. It was more practical to receive treasures by themselves on the spot. Besides, the two weren''t mutually exclusive. He could just get both. Li Luo and Feng Lingyuan exchanged glances and saw the excitement within each other''s eyes. As a late stage Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator, Feng Lingyuan was currently paving her path towards the Duke Stage. Therefore, the amount of cultivation resources she needed was immense. In other words, the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm was the perfect chance for her to ascend. Feng Lingyuan did not dally. She looked at the map on her Ancient Spirit Leaf. There were dozens of red skulls on it, each representing a big Other nest. Those places would be their main battlegrounds moving forward. Teams from both ancient colleges would be heading towards them. Feng Lingyuan''s eyes lit up as she asked, "Deng Changbai, do you want to come along with us?" Deng Changbai hesitated for a while. Feng Lingyuan had just shared one Heavenly Crimson Pill with him, so it would be a bit rude to turn her down. Besides, his own team members had been captured and he really needed to find a strong ally right now. It was not a bad choice to stick with Feng Lingyuan, who was ranked second in the Upper Hall. The only problem was dealing with Wu Changkong, as he seemed to dislike Li Luo. If he followed them, would he be offending Wu Changkong? However, he recalled what Li Luo and the rest were chatting about earlier. Jiang Qing''e, who was at the top of the scoreboard, was Li Luo''s fiancee? That was definitely a really strong person. In that case, he did not have to worry too much about any fallout with Wu Changkong. After he pondered all this, Deng Changbai came to a conclusion quickly. He nodded towards Feng Lingyuan, agreeing to team up. Feng Lingyuan smiled faintly. She then pointed to an area with a blood-red skull with her slender finger. "In that case, let''s do our best and head over there." Chapter 1116: An Unexpected Reward Chapter 1116: An Unexpected Reward In a dark stockade. The thick corruption was quickly dissipating and the world space began to change. Gradually, it returned to its original form. One team studied the surrounding area casually. A tall and slender figure walked out of the depths of the stockade. She was radiating light resonant energy in every direction, and as the resonant power spilled across her back, it seemed to form a pair of wings that gave her the appearance of a divine angel. It was none other than Jiang Qing''e. "Leader!" The team in the stockade looked towards the slender figure with eyes of admiration. A robustly built young man said with a smile, "Leader, you''re too strong. We barely even saw the faces of the three Greater Evil Spirits before you killed them all." Although he was smiling, his eyes were undeniably wavering. What he had seen was really shocking. No one had expected three Greater Evil Spirits, all with strength comparable to a cultivator at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, to be finished off in such a short span of time by Jiang Qing''e. Perhaps not even Ning Meng, who was top ranked, could achieve such efficiency. The young man was Li Yuanfeng, a student from the Lower Hall of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Heavenly Star Hall. He was currently a True Seal-grade Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator, second only to Jiang Qing''e in the team. His face was full of respect when he looked at Jiang Qing''e. At the same time, there was a tinge of admiration hidden in his eyes. This was normal. After all, Jiang Qing''e was very popular in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Wielding both talent and looks, she was irresistible to both guys and girls. However, Li Yuanfeng was a smart one. He knew that Jiang Qing''e was solely focused on cultivating. If he revealed his admiration for her, Jiang Qing''e would likely remove him from the team to reduce any unnecessary troubles. As such, he had kept his feelings secret. He maintained a distance with Jiang Qing''e in their daily interactions, just like what was expected from team members. "Of course! We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to tag along with the leader," a beautiful girl said with a grin. She also looked at Jiang Qing''e with eyes full of admiration. She was Yao Xin, a Four Star Hall student, at the Illusory Seal-grade of the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier. She was a die-hard fan of Jiang Qing''e, one that was almost fanatical and crazy. There was not much reaction on Jiang Qing''e''s face as she listened to their praise. She had managed to finish off three Greater Evil Spirit because she had a dual ninth-grade light resonance. She had sensed the Greater Evil Spirits lying in ambush and then activated the Holy Silver Flame Core to strike first, gaining the upper hand in the battle. This Holy Silver Flame Core was a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art. Its full name was the Holy Silver Flame Core Art. It used a holy flame to refine the cores, which would explode with devastating power when used on enemies. Jiang Qing''e had only managed to cultivate two Flame Cores, and one had been used to injure the three Greater Evil Spirits gravely. "Leader, we''re at the top of the scoreboard now," Yao Xin said with a smile. Visit for the best novel reading experience Jiang Qing''e focused her mind and activated the Ancient Spirit Leaf on the back of her hand. She looked at the scoreboard, but she did not stop at her name. Instead, she continued to scroll through the screen as if she was searching for something. After a few moments, she bit her lips lightly. It seemed like she did not find what she was looking for. Feng Lingyuan, Deng Changbai, and Li Luo got together and opened up the map on their Ancient Spirit Leaves. Deng Changbai pointed to a location with a skull as he said, "Based on our traveling speed, we should be able to arrive in two days'' time." His expression was serious. "On our way here, we''ve only encountered small Other nests. There wasn''t even a single Greater Evil Spirit." Li Luo added, "This is clearly different from the Other nest we encountered right at the beginning." "This further proves that our first encounter was a trap laid out by the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion. I am afraid all the stronger Others have gathered up in these spots," Feng Lingyuan said as she pointed at the red skulls on the map. Li Luo and Deng Changbai looked at each other seriously. If that was true, they would not be able to clear the area by themselves. "There should be other teams rushing over too. We should work with them," Deng Changbai said. Feng Lingyuan nodded in agreement. Just as she was about to open her mouth again, her face changed. She turned toward her right and noticed a wave of resonant power coming from that direction. At the next moment, some people appeared in the sky. Those people had noticed Feng Lingyuan and her team too, and they landed next to them. Everyone turned around and saw the leader of the group. It was an attractive girl with long, crimson hair. Feng Lingyuan and Deng Changbai were startled to see this lady. It was Li Hongyou, ranked ten in the Upper Hall of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s Heavenly Star Hall. She had the Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance, making her the ideal team member, someone everyone wished to work with. "To think we''d meet you guys here, Hongyou." Unlike her usual, cold self, Feng Lingyuan spoke with a slight smile as she welcomed them. Li Hongyou was not particularly polite towards Feng Lingyuan just because she was ranked second. She nodded coldly and then turned to look at Li Luo. She was silent for a while before making her way over to him. Li Luo was shocked when he saw this. Everyone watched with puzzled looks. Li Hongyou walked in front of Li Luo and studied him for a while. She pursed her red lips slightly and asked, "Li Luo, do you want to work together?" Chapter 1117: Li Hongyous Past Chapter 1117: Li Hongyou''s Past Li Luo was surprised by the sudden arrival of Li Hongyou, and her follow up question left Li Luo flabbergasted. Although Li Hongyou was only ranked tenth in the Upper Hall, she was extremely popular. In fact, she was comparable to the top three. Everyone, including Wu Changkong, wanted to get into her good books. This was because Li Hongyou possessed the Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance, an extremely rare support-type resonance. With her presence, the team''s strength would be boosted significantly. As such, she was the most popular choice for a teammate, and it was also why Li Luo was shocked by her offer. There were people lining up just to get her on her team! Why would she even bother with him? There was nothing about him that could attract Li Hongyou. Feng Lingyuan, Deng Changbai, and the rest were taken aback too. Feng Lingyuan had tried to get on good terms with Li Hongyou on multiple occasions, but the latter had always responded coldly. Why had she decided to move in on Li Luo all of a sudden? Meanwhile, Deng Changbai glanced at Li Luo''s handsome face as he muttered to himself, "Damn it. Is this a perk of being good-looking?" Feng Lingyuan rolled her eyes at him. Based on her understanding of Li Hongyou, she was confident this was not the case. Li Hongyou was not bothered by the shocked gazes that surrounded them. She looked at Li Luo and revealed a faint smile, then she said, "Shall we step aside for a moment?" There was no reason for Li Luo to turn such an opportunity down, so the two walked a short distance away for some privacy. As the surroundings were filled with dense white fog, there was always the risk of Others hiding within, so they did not move too far away. "Senior Hongyou." Li Luo stood and stared at the familiar, charming face in front of him. He asked her directly, "Why do you want to team up with me? Under normal circumstances, shouldn''t you be looking for Senior Feng Lingyuan instead?" Li Hongyou pondered in silence for a while before asking, "You''re the grandson of the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, right?" Li Luo smiled. "Yes. My grandfather is Li Jingzhe, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. My father is Li Taixuan and my mother is Tan Tailan. I don''t believe there is anyone else who would dare to brandish their identity so flagrantly, right?" He was the beloved descendent of a Heavenly Emperor. If anyone else attempted to impersonate such an identity, would the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li to let it slip? Li Hongyou''s red lips moved gently as she responded in a calm voice, "If we solely look at our bloodlines, I am from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li too. However, I am not a member of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage." Li Luo was even more surprised to hear this piece of news. This was utterly unexpected. Why would someone from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage travel all the way to the Heavenly Origin Ancient College just to cultivate? A cold mocking smile surfaced on Li Hongyou''s lips. "She bullied my mother and I relentlessly throughout my childhood. My ruthless father only watched it all happen indifferently. In the end, my mother was forced to take me away from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage in order to protect me. She had to endure a lot of hardships in order to raise me. Two years ago, she finally exhausted herself and passed away. Even in the face of death, she reminded me not to provoke them, but I won''t take this lying down. Back then, Li Hongque even slapped my mother arrogantly and drove us out of the house. Now that my mother has passed away, I have nothing holding me back. I will return this humiliation regardless of the price." Li Hongyou''s voice had remained flat as she spat those vicious words out. However, the hatred within left Li Luo silent. He had not expected such a story behind Li Hongyou. It was a dog-eat-dog world. However, there was nothing surprising about such a scenario in large families; it was a common sight. The mother and daughter were cruelly driven away when they were young. They could only rely on each other for the years to come. In the end, the mother passed away and the daughter was left all alone. Alas, it was a truly tragic tale. "As Li Hongque is in the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, I''ll have to borrow someone''s strength if I want revenge. Joining the Dragon''s Fang Guardians is the perfect choice. However, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians may not necessarily agree to it, given my special background. I''ll need you, as the grandson of the Lineage Chief, to support me. Based on my understanding of that cold father of mine, he will surely fly into a rage once he learns about this in the future. He''ll surely try to pressure the Dragon''s Fang Guardians to discard me." Li Hongyou stared at Li Luo. "Ordinary people are unable to stand up to him. However, your background is special. If you''re willing, you''ll be able to protect me." Clearly, Li Hongyou had done her homework. She was well aware of Li Luo''s position in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. He was the beloved grandchild of Lineage Chief Li Jingzhe and was so well loved that he even got to hold onto the position of Main Hall Master of the Green Nether Banner. With Li Luo''s support, Lineage Chief Li Jingzhe would surely pay no attention to her father''s incensed words and opinions. After all, even though her father held a high position in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, he was nowhere near as influential as Li Jingzhe. "Once I''ve fulfilled my wish, I can stay in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and listen to your orders if you don''t find it too troublesome. If you prefer, I can leave the Dragon''s Fang Guardians and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li as well. How about that?" Li Luo looked into Li Hongyou''s eyes. She looked as cold as usual, but at this moment, it seemed that there was a hint of pleading deep within her eyes. Li Luo pondered for while before he replied with a smile, "It will be a blessing for us to recruit such an elite into the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. We have always been at odds with the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, and I believe you will be able to fulfill your wishes when you join us, Senior Hongyou." He extended his hand out to Li Hongyou and continued with a bright smile, "It is not appropriate to say this during a mission from the college, but I''ll say it anyway. Welcome to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." Li Luo directly glossed over the matter. Regardless of whether it was Li Hongyou''s decision to join the Dragon''s Fang Guardians or the pressure coming from her father in the future, none of it mattered. After all, he was the beloved Third Young Master of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Li Hongyou tightly clenched hands slowly relaxed. She looked at Li Luo''s smile and paused for a moment. Then she extended her hand and shook Li Luo''s hands lightly. "In that case, I''ll listen to you from now on, Junior Li Luo." Chapter 1118: Strong Support Chapter 1118: Strong Support As Li Luo and Li Hongyou were walking back, Li Luo still felt a little gobsmacked. How had the most popular support from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s Heavenly Star Hall fallen onto his lap so easily? And looking at Li Hongyou, it seemed like she was the one who felt relieved and excited? Wu Changkong and Feng Lingyuan had been trying to pull Li Hongyou over to their sides using every method they could. With her great support, their strength would increase significantly. Wu Changkong was unable to recruit Li Hongyou, so he had settled for Xu Xi in the end. Besides, Li Hongyou was at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier in addition to her top tier support resonance. Although she was slightly weaker than her peers when it came to fighting, her strength undeniably deserved respect. With her help, the strength of Li Luo''s team had skyrocketed. Li Luo felt ecstatic and chatted enthusiastically with Li Hongyou, sizing her up at the same time. Li Hongyou was tall, and her well-fitting school uniform accentuated around her unusually plump curves. The most unique charm she possessed was her long, red hair, which rested on her shoulders like waves of fire. When she moved, her long hair danced lightly like a flickering flame, an exotic sight to behold. Perhaps it was a result of her resonance. There was a faint redness concealed underneath her white skin, and her face appeared particularly radiant. She also had a refreshing fragrance around her that left people at ease. Those who smelled it all felt an urge to get closer to her. Unfortunately, Li Hongyou had a frigid personality. Anyone who stepped too close to her would be scared off by her deathly stare. As a result, the feeling of not being able to bridge the distance despite having a deep desire to do so left one''s heart itchy. Due to her experiences, she tended to be more withdrawn. She was clearly not good at talking to others. Therefore, she did not know how to react to the sudden enthusiasm shown by Li Luo. If it were anyone else, she would have ignored them. However, she would have to rely on Li Luo in the future. She would have to follow him back to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians and would need his protection. Thus, she tried her best to reply... at least a little. As the two of them walked back, Feng Lingyuan, Deng Changbai, and the rest found the scene baffling. What was Li Hongyou doing? She never gave anyone the time of day in the past. Why was she acting all chummy with Li Luo now? "Damn it. Did Li Hongyou really fall for someone like Li Luo? Why would she? He''s just a brat with middling talent, an average background, and average looks to boot..." Deng Changbai commented with a face full of jealousy. Honestly, Li Hongyou was a gem in the Heavenly Star Hall. She was also not as thorny as Feng Lingyuan. As such, she had attracted more guys than Feng Lingyuan. In fact, she was the type that Deng Changbai loved. Feng Lingyuan took a glance at him. The contempt coming from men was indeed divorced from reality. Li Luo truly possessed looks, talent, and background. It was tough for anyone in this generation to compete with someone as amazing as him. If a girl had expectations so high that they wouldn''t fall for him, would they even give Deng Chengbai a passing glance? However, Feng Lingyuan did not voice those thoughts. "It probably has nothing to do with love; Li Hongyou is not that type of person. Besides, she''s only seen Li Luo a couple of times. How could she have developed feelings for him? I think it''s related to her family, considering their similar family names." Deng Changbai was startled. He asked in surprise, "Could it be that Li Hongyou is also from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?" However, Feng Lingyuan did not care about Deng Changbai''s feelings. A rare smile appeared on her face as she said, "Li Luo, Hongyou, let''s rest a little more and then prepare to set off. With our speed, it''ll take almost another day to arrive at our destination." Li Hongyou took it easy as she walked back to her team and explained the situation. On Li Luo''s side, Zong Sha, Jiang Wanyu, and the rest could not help but question him curiously. Just what had he offered Li Hongyou to draw her over? However, Li Luo''s lips remained sealed and he did not reveal the agreement between them. After all, they were on a mission from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. If the higher-ups learned about this, they would surely be unhappy. Due to her special resonance, the Heavenly Origin Ancient College was naturally very interested in getting Li Hongyou to join the Academic Federation. It was common to see the major forces fighting for talent. Li Luo also took some time to look at Deng Zhu. He was the only one injured in their team. Fortunately, his skin was thick and his luck was good. He had been stabbed by Feng Lingyuan, and the Greater Evil Spirit was a distance away. As such, he did not get captured by them. After everyone had rested, they began to move once again. Li Luo''s team was now exceptionally impressive with the addition of Li Hongyou and her team. They had top-tier battle strength covered with the presence of Feng Lingyuan and Li Hongyou, two of the top ten students in the Upper Hall. Deng Changbai was also at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. Coupled with a significant number of Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier students bolstering their team, they would have no problem finishing their foes off, even if they came across three Greater Evil Spirits again. As the group moved out, resonant power surged in all directions, blowing away some of the fog in the forest. Others that had been spying on them secretly did not dare to reveal themselves anymore. The rest of their journey was smooth. They found a couple more Devil Heart Pillars on the way, but they were merely Hundred Skin Devil Heart Pillars. There was no sign of any Evil Spirits. After nearly a day of traveling, Li Luo and the group finally arrived at their destination. When they looked far ahead, they could see a big, black swamp that was simply boundless. It was filled with thick, white mist that seemed to be alive, slowly expanding and contracting as if it were breathing. Additionally, they could faintly make out some islands that sat within the black swamp. In the center was the outline of a giant, silent city. It was an extremely daunting sight, like a strange giant beast that had hidden half of its body in the swamp. Li Luo and the rest looked at the city filled with fog. Their faces turned serious. They could clearly feel a strong sense of danger coming from it. Who knew how many frightening Others were hiding within it? When Li Luo and the group approached the area, they suddenly saw a green lantern light up on a hill not too far away. It was like a guiding light. Everyone''s hearts skipped a beat. That was the light that emanated from the Ancient Spirit Leaves. It seemed other teams had arrived before them. But which team was it? Feng Lingyuan, Li Luo, and Li Hongyou took a look at each other. They then flew into the sky and headed towards the hill. Chapter 1119: Duan Mu Chapter 1119: Duan Mu When Li Luo and his group landed on the hill, there were multiple wary eyes looking at them. However, their looks of vigilance turned into pleasant surprise as soon as they saw familiar faces like Feng Lingyuan and Li Hongyou. Li Luo took a look at the surrounding area. There was quite a number of people here, roughly seven to eight teams. However, some of the teams were incomplete. They had most likely suffered from the same ambush as Li Luo''s group. Since these teams were all from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, they were delighted when they saw Feng Lingyuan. Everyone rushed up to welcome her. "Sister Feng!" "It''s great to see you here, Sister Feng. We''re so lucky to have you with us. Our next mission will be easier with you around." "There''s Sister Hongyou too. Did the two of you team up?" "As expected. The mission has been strange and unfathomable. It''s safer for the stronger fighters to team up and work together." "That''s great news. We have Brother Duan Mu here. He''s ranked third. With such a formidable group, there''s no tiger''s den that we dare not venture into... right?" The people discussed amongst themselves. Their faces were evidently full of fear as the shocking situation earlier had left a deep trauma in their hearts. No one had expected the Others to give them such a painful welcome as soon as they arrived. With the frightening memories still fresh in their minds, they had all halted before the black swamp. No one dared to enter it. As the crowd continued to chat amongst themselves, Feng Lingyuan looked straight past them towards the back. There was a slender and beautiful figure standing there. His hair was shoulder-length and his eyes glittered like cherry blossoms. With both of his hands in his pockets, he appeared really cool. The feminine young man was Duan Mu, ranked third in the Upper Hall. "Duan Mu, how''s the situation on your side?" Feng Lingyuan asked. At this moment, Duan Mu walked over with a group of people. The other teams gave way to him, and the two leaders came together. The feminine youth took a glance at Feng Lingyuan. "Things went alright. We were caught by surprise, but there were only two Greater Evil Spirits. In the end, we managed to kill one of them whilst the other was forced to retreat." As he was looking for the familiar figure, a girl''s arrogant laughter echoed in the air. "Is this all? The Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s teams look so pathetic." As soon as her disdainful words left her mouth, the faces of those from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College turned furious. Feng Lingyuan''s brows narrowed a little as she loudly said, "Dear friends from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, why don''t you come down for a chat since you''re here?" Their resonant power subsided as the new arrivals landed from the sky. The original group quietly observed as they landed. Amongst them, there were three figures that stood out. One girl and two guys. The girl was young and beautiful. Her body was voluptuous and her legs were shockingly long. In between her eyebrows was a diamond-shaped crystal that emanated a fearsome holy aura. It was Yue Zhiyu, ranked third in the Upper Hall of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Heavenly Star Hall. The other two were no slouches either. One was a youth with short hair. He appeared ordinary but he seemed to possess extraordinary grit and determination. It was Wang Kong, ranked second in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. His rank was higher than Yue Zhiyu''s, but he was clearly one who preferred to keep a low profile. He stood at the side as if he was just accompanying her. In contrast, the last fellow was the most eye-catching. Even the beautiful and arrogant Yue Zhiyu was unable to steal the limelight from him. He was tall and handsome with a head of fiery hair. A blazing heat flowed around his body, giving off a tyrannical aura. He smiled as he took a glance at the crowd, then he introduced himself as if he was the leader. "Dear friends from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, it is my pleasure to meet you. My name is Wei Chonglou, and I''m ranked fourth in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Heavenly Star Hall." Chapter 1120: Expected Clash Chapter 1120: Expected Clash With teams from both ancient colleges gathered here, there was naturally some friction as both sides studied and compared themselves with each other. As some of the strongest experts of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, Feng Lingyuan, Duan Mu, and Li Hongyou took two steps forward. They could not lose out in terms of momentum. "Feng Lingyuan, ranked second in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College," Feng Lingyuan said calmly. "Duan Mu, ranked third," Duan Mu said with his hands still in his pockets. He studied the other three cautiously with his feminine eyes. "Li Hongyou, ranked tenth." There was not much of an expression on Li Hongyou''s cold face. The leaders from the other teams did not step forward at this juncture. For such a meeting between the two ancient colleges, it was best for them to remain low since they were nowhere comparable. Opposite them, Yue Zhiyu crossed her arms. Her pointed chin rose slightly as she took the lead and said, "Yue Zhiyu, ranked third in Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College." Wang Kong, the highest rank amongst them, was the last to introduce himself. However, he did not mind. He casually paced himself and said, "Wang Kong, ranked second. Dear friends from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, it is nice to meet you all." Feng Lingyuan took a look at Wang Kong. "Are you all here for Black Swamp City as well?" "Obviously! Why else would we be here? The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College is superior when it comes to fighting the Others," Yue Zhiyu replied arrogantly. She was truly the spitting image of a haughty young lady. "Do you all possess light resonances?" Duan Mu raised his eyebrows. He could sense a wave of holy power coming from Yue Zhiyu. "Lower ninth-grade light resonance," Yue Zhiyu replied proudly. After all, light resonances did have an advantage when it came to fighting Others. The people from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College took a look at each other and sighed in their hearts. Yue Zhiyu was acting like a spoiled young lady, but they could not deny that her light resonance would be of significant help here. At the very least, they would be able to detect the traces of Others faster. "Everyone, I believe you understand how difficult this mission will be after coming all the way here?" Feng Lingyuan asked. Without a doubt, they had received a huge boost in battle strength with the arrival of the other group. Both sides would have to work together in order to complete this mission. Wei Chonglou nodded slowly. "Of course. We were also ambushed by Greater Evil Spirits earlier." Yue Zhiyu took a look at Black Swamp City in the distance. Her cute face turned serious. As a ninth-grade light resonance wielder, she was more sensitive to Others and corruption. She could tell with a glance that a terrifying amount of corruption was festering in the city. "It seems like we''ll have to work together if we want to clean up this city and save the captured students," Yue Zhiyu said. "We have the same goals. I hope we can work together earnestly," Feng Lingyuan said with a nod. Both sides had the same goal. Although there was some degree of rivalry between them, it would not have a significant effect on their cooperation. "When are we setting out?" Wang Kong asked. Feng Lingyuan replied, "Let''s wait a while more. If no other teams arrive, we''ll go." No one had any objections to this, so both sides waited patiently. It was only at this point that Li Luo looked away from the teams of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. There was some disappointment in his eyes as he could not find Jiang Qing''e. It seemed like she had moved to another location instead. "Student Li Luo, you sure have an interesting personality. I wonder, can your strength match your wits?" Fiery-red resonant power started flowing out of Wei Chonglou''s body, and the temperature in the surrounding area slowly increased. When he took a step forward, astonishing amounts of energy burst out. However, Feng Lingyuan and Li Hongyou, who were standing by Li Luo''s side, stepped forward immediately. Two immense torrents of resonant power surged forth and clashed with the energy coming from Wei Chonglou. Bang! Muffled explosions continued booming in the sky above, forming white shockwaves. The students from both sides were startled. Who had expected a fight to break out so suddenly? Feng Lingyuan''s face was cold. "Wei Chonglou, what''re you trying to do?" Wei Chonglou''s body was covered in crimson flames. The pebbles by his feet had begun to melt as he calmly responded, "I am simply warning him to watch his words. This is not a place for a Heavenly Pearl like him to speak so casually." Li Luo smiled. "What a domineering friend we have here. It''s a pity I dislike working with such people." "You can leave, then. No one will care if we have one less Heavenly Pearl brat." Wei Chonglou laughed out coldly. Li Hongyou responded indifferently, "I care." Her plans for the future all relied on Li Luo. In her eyes, she would protect Li Luo even if this meant that this mission would be a complete failure. Feng Lingyuan shook her head helplessly. "If you want Li Luo to leave, we truly will be unable to work together." Li Hongyou would leave as soon as Li Luo walked away. If that happened, her team would crumble as well. Therefore, she had no choice but to stand up for Li Luo. Duan Mu snorted out coldly with both of his hands still in the pockets. "If you want to act like a tyrant, go back to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. We don''t deal with such things." Although he wasn''t very close with Li Luo, they were on the same side. Wei Chonglou had acted without a care for anything else. Such a rash personality was definitely not to his liking. Wei Chonglou''s face grew even darker. He did not expect an outsider like Li Luo to have obtained the support of so many from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. Yue Zhiyu was shocked as well. Li Luo had somehow managed to win people like Feng Lingyuan over to his side despite only being at the Heavenly Pearl Tier. He seemed to possess extraordinary charisma. And she knew that Li Luo was not from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College based on the intel she had gathered. At this point, Wang Kong stepped forward. "Calm down, everyone. We have a great enemy in front of us. It''s not wise to fight among ourselves." Yue Zhiyu looked at Li Luo with a smile. "I don''t mind. I just want to see how capable Jiang Qing''e''s fiance is. I hope you can give me a pleasant surprise. Don''t give me a chance to mock Jiang Qing''e." Li Luo did not respond to her. He could tell that Yue Zhiyu didn''t like Jiang Qing''e. The confrontational air between both sides slowly subsided. However, it was clear that a rift had been created between the two parties. As things calmed down, no one noticed that there was a pair of dark eyes watching everything that had occurred from the dark forest. The eyes were filled with a brutal coldness as they slowly closed, fading back into the woods before disappearing into thin air. Chapter 1121: Murderous Ghost Horde Chapter 1121: Murderous Ghost Horde It was a dark and cold valley. A strange pair of gray-white eyes suddenly appeared on the branch of a tree. Grayish-white energy circulated in them before a face took form from the mist, melding into the tree branch. The face struggled a bit and then freed itself from the tree branch. More energy flowed out, and a person emerged. The person was peculiar. His body was cold and stiff, as if it were made of gray wood. His face was marked with circles that resembled the rings of a tree. His expression was stiff, with a pair of grayish-white eyes that gave off a frightening chill. On his back was a black coffin. Cold air flowed through it, and something twisted and odd could be faintly sensed inside. When this man appeared, he looked towards the darkest part of the valley before saying, "The teams from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College and the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College have gathered. It seems like some of them have considerable strength." Some sounds were heard from the darkness, as if there was something within the shadows moving about. At the next moment, a few figures took form as well. There were about seven or eight of them, each of varying heights. However, they all had a common pointthere was a black coffin exuding an excruciating chill on each of their backs. Visit for the best novel reading experience The person in the center of the group was as skinny as a skeleton. His coffin was red, as if it was made of blood. The coffin''s lid shook repeatedly, as if there was something extremely terrifying waiting to break out at any moment. His eyes were unique as well. One of them was pitch black with no whites while the other was purely red, much like a pool of blood. The sight was both creepy and unsettling. "Two ancient colleges fighting against the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion. What a rare occasion. The Murderous Ghost Horde is simply here to join in on the fun." The hoarse voice of the man carrying the blood coffin echoed in the dark valley. "Let them fight amongst themselves first. The Evil Spirit Dominion is not a pushover. We''ll be the fishermen that benefit from their struggles. Whether it''s the Evil Spirit Dominion or the talents from the two ancient colleges, they''re both top-class delicacies." A look of gluttony and desire could be seen within his eyes. He reached out and slowly caressed the coffin on his back. His lips curved up into an icy, eerie smile. He then gently patted the cover of the coffin and whispered in a soft, doting tone. "No hurry, no hurry. I''ll definitely let my precious have its fill." After this, he took a quick glance at the people around him and frowned. "There are too few of us. Just to be safe, we should be better prepared. Blackwood, did you send out the summoning message?" Blackwood was the one who had crawled out of the tree branch earlier. He replied, "I''ve sent out the message. However, we''re the only ones nearby currently. Some members of the Murderous Ghost Horde appear to have been summoned by someone." The one with the blood coffin frowned when he heard this. "By whom? Another blood coffin?" "No, she was named Aquamarine Python, I think." "Aquamarine Python?" "Who are you people? From the Heavenly Origin Ancient College?" she asked. The forest was silent. No one answered her question, including the masked girl. Everyone just stared at her oval face with cold eyes. "I lost my way. Do you all happen to know where my team members are?" the girl continued without showing any fear. After her question, she stretched out her hand and fanned in front of her face. "There''s a bad stench coming from you guys." As soon as she finished talking, a figure with a black coffin mysteriously disappeared from his spot. In the next instant, dark, twisted, sharp claws pierced through the shadows beside the girl. It reached out directly for the girl''s fair face in a cunning and ruthless way. A chilly aura flowed out of him as along with strange whispers that confused one''s mind. Bang! A huge sound exploded in the air. The void seemed to have shattered. Everyone, including the masked girl, watched with serious looks as the first individual that had tried to strike the girl was sent flying. The trees that they crashed into along the way shattered into powder, leaving behind a deep gouge that spanned more than a thousand feet in the forest. The sloppy girl still seemed a little confused, but her fist had been thrown out onto the right. The dazzle of light resonant energy crackled on her fist. What a fearsome punch. She lightly bit her straw, revealing her pearly white teeth. She then asked with a grin, "Are you looking for a fight? I''m not afraid of you." The fellows with the black coffins were completely taken aback. They fully understood the strength of their comrade, and yet he had been sent flying by this cute little girl with just one punch. "That''s Ning Meng, the top ranked student in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Heavenly Star Hall," the masked girl explained in a cold voice. "Oh, you''ve heard of me?" Ning Meng reached for the giant rod behind her. When the rod touched the ground, a huge pit was smashed with cracks spreading out along the edges. She shook her head gently, and her eyes stopped on the masked girl. "But... "I really dislike the smell coming from your body." Chapter 1122: Jiang Qinge, Wu Changkong Chapter 1122: Jiang Qing''e, Wu Changkong As Ning Meng spoke, shocking amounts of light resonant energy swept out of her body like a storm. The light resonant energy shot into the sky and formed a gigantic diagram that released an endless amount of light. A giant black and white beast materialized in the light. It let out a deep howl that shook both the heavens and the earth. The gloomy ambience that filled the forest was immediately erased by the light. The eyes of those with black coffins changed slightly when they saw this. At this instant, they sensed a terrifying pressure from the cute girl before them. This pressure was even stronger than that of their comrades with blood coffins. "Ninth-grade Light Chaser Beast resonance." The masked girl with the Aquamarine Bamboo Python Staff looked up at the Light Chaser Beast that covered the sky. From the looks of it, Ning Meng''s Heavenly Resonance Diagram had exceeded ninety thousand feet. This was an astonishing foundation. The Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier was all about compatibility between one''s resonance and the world. By connecting the two, one could absorb even more worldly natural energy to strengthen oneself. The trademark of the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier was the Heavenly Resonance Golden Seal, while the identifying factor of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier was this, the Heavenly Resonance Diagram. The masked girl''s eyes flashed coldly, filled with murderous intent. Ning Meng was truly a fearsome foe. However, venturing here alone was reckless of her. Was it a good idea to finish her off here? The masked girl contemplated this decision. If they were to make use of this chance to finish Ning Meng off here, what price would they have to pay? After thinking about it for a moment, she gently crossed that idea off. Now was not the best time to clash with her. Besides, the other teams from the two colleges would surely hurry over after seeing Ning Meng''s diagram. It would be better for her to find another chance after entering the Humanskin Flag Plains. At that point, the Evil Spirit Dominion would become her ally. With this decision in her mind, the masked girl waved her hand gently to signal a retreat. Visit for the best novel reading experience "Escaping?!" Ning Meng smiled when she saw that. She gently tapped the ground with her toes, and the land shook violently. Then she soared thousands of feet up into the sky. At the same time, a pillar of light with a shocking amount of light energy fell down from the gigantic Light Chaser Beast Diagram. The pillar of light landed on the rod in Ning Meng''s hands, bestowing terrifying physical prowess to her tiny body. Equipped with both immense light energy and tyrannical physical prowess, she swung her rod, delivering a blow like a deity of light. It created a torrent of light energy that rained down on the figures with black coffins. The targets felt a chill running through their hearts. Their hands subconsciously shifted onto the coffins on their backs, as if they were ready to release something at a moment''s notice. However, the masked girl struck first. A black mist flowed out of her palms, turning into a roiling, gooey, icy substance that had something strange swimming within it. The black mist flowed past like a giant python swimming by, swallowing up all the individuals with black coffins. In the next instant, the black mist rapidly sank into the ground, fusing with it as everyone disappeared. The rod bursting with light energy finally hit the ground with tremendous force. Boom! The whole mountain range shook violently. Half of the forest was flattened instantly. A gigantic rod stood firm at the epicenter of the blow with cracks spreading out like spiderwebs. Ning Meng''s slender figure landed on a cracked boulder. One of her hands was still holding onto the bamboo cup, and she continued to drink from it with big mouthfuls. "They sure do run fast." As they continued to chatter, they suddenly sensed a commotion coming from the back of the cliff. Some of the teams'' attention turned towards the source immediately. Noticing this, Wu Changkong also turned around. His expression turned into one of surprise. To their surprise, yet another team was walking over. It was being led by a stunning beauty who stole all the limelight. She was shining like an angel descended from the heavens. Her delicate face was like a flawless jewel while her eyes flowed with a mysterious, golden luster. One could not help but fall head over heels by simply peering into her enchanting eyes. Wu Changkong had seen plenty of beauties as the top student in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. However, he was completely taken aback by this enchanting girl upon laying his eyes on her. When he heard the voices coming from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College students, his heart skipped another beat. "Is she the dual ninth-grade light resonance wielder, Jiang Qing''e?!" Wu Changkong''s eyes lit up. He had always held extremely high standards for girls, but at this moment, his heart started throbbing uncontrollably. Some people were so extraordinary that others would shield their eyes upon a mere glance. Perhaps the throbbing in his heart was a sign of mutual attraction between two talented individuals! Wu Changkong recalled something. His grandfather, Wu Yu, had high hopes for him, so he had always reminded him that whoever he fell in with in the future had to be approved by the family before they could get together. With two Kings, it was indeed a respectable family, so no ordinary girl would be able to earn their approval. Therefore, he had not put much thought into affairs of the heart. His heart had not moved even with Xu Xi by his side; the only thing he cared about was her rare support-type resonance. However, he could not hold back his emotions back when he first laid eyes on Jiang Qing''e. "If it''s her, even my proud grandfather would approve with a big smile, right?" As he thought about all this, Wu Changkong could not help but laugh at himself. He understood that his heart had been captured by this stunning beauty who also possessed otherworldly talent. Otherwise, why would he even be dreaming of such things? Wu Changkong''s eyes changed and he quickly calmed himself down. He took the initiative and walked up to the girl with a warm smile on his handsome face. "I didn''t expect to be blessed with the opportunity to meet Junior Jiang, the top ranked on the leaderboard. I am Wu Changkong from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. I am sure our next mission will be completed with ease now that you''re here." With a bright smile, he stretched out his hands towards Jiang Qing''e in a friendly manner. However, Jiang Qing''e did not extend her hand in return. She looked calmly at Wu Changkong for a moment and then gave a light nod. Then she walked past him towards the edge of the cliff and studied the giant city in the basin. Wu Changkong''s feelings did not change much even though Jiang Qing''e had walked past him. His smile was still gentle. He was in no hurry. Rather, he had started to look forward to the mission. After all, a dangerous situation was the perfect chance to get closer to her. Jiang Qing''e was truly spectacular. Her presence was so brilliant that even he could feel it. However, he did not feel ashamed of himself like others normally would. Rather, his fighting spirit was aroused. After all, Wu Changkong believed that he was just as outstanding. He walked over to Jiang Qing''e once again, intending to take the opportunity to exchange information and speak with her more. At the same moment, Jiang Qing''e turned towards him. She looked at him with her mysterious, golden eyes, and her red lips parted when she asked, "Top ranked Wu Changkong, I would like to ask for information about someone. Would you be able to help me?" Wu Changkong responded passionately, "Of course, Junior Jiang! If I know anything about them, I''ll tell you everything." A trace of longing appeared on Jiang Qing''e''s delicate and charming face at this moment. She said softly, "His name is Li Luo. From what I know, he''s come to the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm with the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. "He... he''s my fiance." Hearing this, Wu Changkong''s warm smile suddenly iced over. Chapter 1123: Two Kings Confrontation Chapter 1123: Two Kings Confrontation As the teams from the two ancient colleges congregated in the respective gathering spots and prepared to enter, there was also a confrontation of an entirely different scale in the chaotic space outside the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. Immense amounts of worldly natural energy surged across like an endless tsunami. It was so great that the void seemed to have split into two. Deep in the depths of the void, a terrifying wave radiated outwards. Thousands of phantoms could be seen within the void from time to time, along with strange, odd whispers. Mighty energy shockwaves clashed and detonated repeatedly. This was the result of conflict between the vice principals of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College and the King of the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion. Despite the tumultuous energy shockwaves that rippled in every direction, the epicenter was surprisingly peaceful. Two figures quietly were sitting in the lotus position there, unaffected by the disorderly surroundings. Their mere presence had caused them to become the core of the void. They exuded an indescribable presence that forced everything to submit to them. Even the Kings fighting outside reserved a portion of their mental state to watch over the situation unfolding here. These two figures were the backbones behind the two King powers. The person on the left was a dignified middle-aged man in a yellow robe. He had a bronze ruler in his hands and a golden gourd on his waist. Although he was just sitting there, every breath of his was like a thunderous explosion that shook the void itself. This man was none other than Wang Xuanjin, a top-tier Triple Crowned King and the Principal of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. Opposite him, the void appeared to be dyed white. Even the worldly natural energy in the surroundings had been assimilated. Everything seemed like a viscous, white substance decorated with the faint outlines of human shadows, all kneeling down in an extremely pious manner. They were all facing a young man in white robes. He appeared clean and tidy with a gentle smile on his face. However, his appearance did not hold for long. At the next moment, his face began to age and his skin wrinkled. From this perspective, the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm was indeed filled with white mist, and white pillars could be spotted in different locations. There was a total of seven pillars. Although they were in different spots of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, they appeared to be connected. White mist continued to flow out of them, spreading across the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. Wang Xuanjin stared at the projection before him. Due to the All-Beings Devil King''s interference, the two ancient colleges had sent in their elite students early, disrupting his plans. With the kidnapping of the new students, the All-Beings Devil Kings had gained more ingredients and sped up the construction of its Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars. Once all seven pillars were completed, the corruption emanating from them would be able to defile the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm entirely. The realm would then become a territoy of the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion and the All-Beings Devil King would be able to move in and out of it freely. If that happened, even Wang Xuanjin would have difficulty trying to regain control of it. However, Wang Xuanjin was neither frightened nor furious despite falling behind. Instead, he firmly gripped his ruler and said calmly, "This fight is not over yet. You may be celebrating a little too soon. Do not underestimate the children from our college. Your seven Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars have not been fully formed, and as long as they are able to destroy it before then, the game can be reversed." The appearance of the childlike All-Beings Devil King continued to change. Gradually, it turned into a mature young man. It smiled and replied, "But if they fail, your children will all be buried and their skins will become my food. Dont you think this is a little too cruel to them? Wang Xuanjin, I will give you one last chance. As long as you give up on the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm now, I can let them all leave here safely. How about it?" Wang Xuanjin responded softly, "Since the establishment of the Academic Federation, we have never compromised with Others. Many of our ancestors were willing to sacrifice their lives for this. How can we, as the younger generation, break that streak? If we really have to die here, we of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College will surely give our all to fight you. We''ll see who will be the last one standing." When he finished speaking, strong winds and thunder emerged in the sky above like the scene of an impending apocalypse. However, the All-Beings Devil King remained unfazed. Its appearance slowly changed into that of an elderly man now. Its voice grew more sinister as it responded, "The Academic Federation has placed the eradication of Others as its main responsibility. But it''s all pointless. Over the years, many powers have risen and fallen. Only us, the Others, will remain forever. The Academic Federation will eventually disappear along the long river of time." Wang Xuanjin smiled back gently. "Evilspawn like you would naturally be unable to understand the power of faith and our inheritance." He shook his head, not bothering to continue this conversation any longer. He looked towards the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, where many teams of youths had begun to gather around the seven Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars. The key to this battle was destroying the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars. If they failed, the will of the All-Beings Devil King would descend once the construction of the pillars were completed. At that time, the children were unlikely to be able to stop him. Naturally, he would try his best to save his children. However, he would no longer be able to gain back control of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, and the Heavenly Origin Ancient College would have failed in their mission. Wang Xuanjin slowly caressed his bronze ruler as his eyes lowered a little. A whisper resounded in his heart. "Success or failure hinges upon you, little ones." Chapter 1124: Human Skin Lanterns Chapter 1124: Human Skin Lanterns "Prepare to set off." After waiting for a while more, Li Luo and the group discovered that no other teams were coming. Therefore, Feng Lingyuan gave the order to prepare for their advance into Black Swamp City. There was no objection from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s teams. With unconcealable nervousness in their eyes, everyone stood up. They looked forward with serious faces. The city enshrouded in thick, white mist was a truly terrifying place to behold. The army marched on and passed through the forest speedily. Soon, they arrived by the side of the black swamp. As they got closer, they could feel an uneasy chill in the air. The water was so dark and murky that one could not see through the surface. Above the water was the thick mist, and it was not ordinary either. On a microscopic level, it was made up of countless insidious worms! To protect themselves from it, everyone had to surround themselves with resonant power to prevent any contact between their skin and the "mist." Furthermore, they noticed another problem. There seemed to be some kind of special power around the swamp that made it impossible for anyone to fly across. Even if they tried to jump, the distance was severely restricted. It seemed like their only choice was to walk on the surface of the water. The faces of quite a number of people turned pale as they looked at the pitch black water in front of them. Even though they were all elites from ancient colleges, it was uncommon for them to participate in such a dangerous mission. One of the guys rallied up his courage and approached the water slowly. He stretched out his head to peer inside. His face was faintly reflected in the pitch black water. Slowly, the student noticed that this reflection appeared to become clearer and closer. Just as the student was finding it strange, the water''s surface broke apart and a white figure shot out. It directly pounced onto the student''s face and wrapped around it. "Argh!" The student gave a horrified scream as he hurriedly retreated. Everyone looked over anxiously. There was a layer of pale human skin covering his face. It seemed to be slowly corroding his flesh. Just as the human skin was about to fuse with the student''s face, a ray of light resonant energy shot towards him. The human skin was scorched by the light energy. It fell off the student''s face and attempted to escape in a hurry. However, black arrows shot out and pinned it tightly onto the ground. It screamed and struggled frantically, but it could not break free. Feng Lingyuan stared at it coldly. "It seems like there are plenty of corrupted creatures in the water. If we walk across the surface, there''ll likely be a lot of casualties." Li Hongyou frowned a little. "But that seems to be our only option." At this moment, Li Luo suddenly interrupted them. "Look! Something''s happening to the Ancient Spirit Leaves." Everyone''s faces changed. They activated the Ancient Spirit Leaves on the back of their hands to check out the new message. However, she quickly noticed another problem. There was a limit to the range of the lantern. Based on her estimate, it could only keep five to six people safe. But there were hundreds of them here. Making human skin lanterns would not be too hard as they just needed to lure out and capture more human skin Others. However, the number of students with light resonances was a limiting factor. It wouldn''t be too big of an issue for the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Apart from the ninth-grade light resonance of Yue Zhiyu, there were seven others with different grades. Unfortunately, their side only had three people with light resonances. Moreover, the strongest student out of these three was only a True Seal-grade. This was clearly not enough to ensure that all the teams from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College made it across the swamp. Duan Mu had also noticed the problem at this point. He turned towards her and said, "We do not have enough students with light resonances. If we force our way across, there may be a lot of casualties." Top students like them would be able to protect themselves, but many other students likely wouldn''t survive. Deng Changbai suggested, "Why don''t we borrow two students with light resonances from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College?" Duan Mu pouted. "They may not be willing to lend. In such a place, having another lantern would mean another layer of security." Everyone turned silent. Although both sides were cooperating, the significance of a light resonance was too great at the moment. Who would be willing to risk their own team''s safety and lend them a light resonance user at this point? "Wei Chonglou is likely to interfere if we ask," Li Hongyou said. Feng Lingyuan looked over when she heard this. She noticed that Wei Chonglou was standing not too far. He was looking back at them playfully, as if he was waiting for them to look over. Wei Chonglou had an argument with Li Luo earlier, and they all had stood on Li Luo''s side. He would surely keep that in mind. "Ahem." As the team leaders were contemplating over things, a light cough came out. They turned around and saw Li Luo smiling at them. "Everyone, if you need light resonance energy... I have that too." He stretched out his fingers, and resonant energy gathered on his fingertips, forming a radiant ball of light. The light was so dazzling that even the students from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College looked over in surprise. Chapter 1125: Crossing The Swamp Chapter 1125: Crossing The Swamp "Light resonant energy?!" Everyone was surprised as they looked at the light resonant energy gathered on Li Luo''s fingertips. Even Yue Zhiyu from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College was astonished to see this. Who would have expected Li Luo to possess a light resonance too? According to her intel, Li Luo was a triple resonance user with water, wood, and dragon resonances. How had a light resonance appeared out of nowhere? "Li Luo, h-how many resonances do you possess?!" Lu Ming was the first to exclaim in surprise. Back in the Holy Grail Meet, Li Luo was just a dual resonance user like her. In a year''s time, he had suddenly become a triple resonance user. And now he had a light resonance too?! Was obtaining new resonances that easy? It was shocking enough that he had triple resonances. What kind of monster had four resonances? Moreover, Li Luo had not even reached the Duke Stage! Feng Lingyuan''s eyes twitched a little as she looked at the light resonant energy on Li Luo''s fingertips. During the battles she had watched, she had faintly noticed something different about Li Luo''s resonant power. It appeared pretty complex, as if there was something more than just the triple resonances that he had shown. However, Li Luo had not specifically revealed these strengths in the past. It was shocking enough that he had triple resonances, so most people did not think about him having even more resonances. Nonetheless, it was clear from the light resonant energy he had summoned. The divine power was slightly weaker, as if it paled in comparison to the others'' light resonant power. "Your light resonance is... a secondary resonance?" Feng Lingyuan asked in surprise. Li Luo did not hide it from her. He nodded and explained with a smile, "Great perception, Senior Lingyuan. My light resonance is just a secondary resonance. We''ll have to make do with this for now." The others heaved sighs of relief when they heard this. So, it was just a secondary resonance. A secondary resonance could be gained using rare and precious treasures. Although such treasures were fought over by the various powers, it was not totally impossible, considering Li Luo''s background. Nonetheless, they knew that a secondary resonance was still considered yet another type of resonance. It was not as shocking as having a fourth resonance, but it was sufficient to provide him with greater flexibility and options to use in battle. Besides, Li Luo was already a triple resonance user. With the addition of a secondary resonance... It was no wonder he was able to defeat opponents at higher levels than himself. The foundation of his resonant power was far superior than that of any ordinary fighter on his level. Everyone looked at Li Luo with complex expressions. Triple resonances with a secondary resonance. This was so rare that it was probably was not at all inferior to a ninth-grade resonance. The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College students that were originally jealous of Li Luo, thinking that he had gotten Jiang Qing''e''s affection because of his family background, could no longer ignore his exceptional talent when slapped directly in the face with it. Wei Chonglou''s eyes had also paused around the light resonant energy on Li Luo''s fingertips. A dark light flashed past the depths of his eyes, but his face did not reveal any emotions. He simply said, "Since Li Luo also has a light resonance, I believe your side has enough to cross the swamp." Li Luo could not help but think about Jiang Qing''e at this moment. If she were around, her dual light resonances would surely be so bright that she could protect everyone with her shine alone. The divine power from the light resonance indeed held a great advantage against Others. "Follow me closely," Li Luo told Lu Ming, Jing Taixu, and Sun Dasheng. This was an extremely dangerous place for Three Star Hall students from sage colleges like them. They did not have the strength to fend for themselves, yet they were too precious for the team to abandon. If they encountered a fierce battle, their support as energy batteries could be the deciding factor between victory and defeat. The three of them understood the situation as well, so they nodded solemnly. After seeing the mission from the ancient college, it seemed like their previous missions into the Umbra Cave was not at all worth mentioning. They could not help but feel like the distance between themselves and Li Luo was growing bigger and bigger. Although they were all of the same age, Li Luo did not need anyone to protect him here. In fact, he was even able to protect others. While their hearts were filled with complex feelings, everyone had stepped onto the pitch black water. Strange whispers echoed in the thick mist, trying to incite fear into their hearts. "Let''s go!" Along with the call from Feng Lingyuan, the teams moved forward. The divine glow from the four lanterns shielded them and tore the mist apart. Everyone gradually made their way deeper into the black swamp. Countless white shadows rushed out of the way under the black water. A pair of strange eyes watched intently as the people made their way across. At this moment, silhouettes that were carrying coffins appeared on the other side of the black swamp. A crimson flash surfaced in their eyes as they stared at the crowd making their way across. A figure who carried a blood-red coffin laughed out viciously. "It seems we can make use of this swamp and give our precious ones some appetizers to feast upon." When he finished speaking, the person walked towards the swamp and slowly sank into it. Countless Others wriggled around him as his body submerged into the swamp. At this point, a strange shriek came from the blood coffin on his back. The cover rattled, and a blood-red substance extended out of the cracks. When the Others heard this, they scattered away in a hurry. The one with the blood coffin led the ones with black coffins deeper into the black swamp. The direction that they were heading towards was exactly where the teams from the two colleges were. Chapter 1126: Auric Halo Stirs Chapter 1126: Auric Halo Stirs Two large squads slowly made their way over the black swamp shrouded in thick mist, their lanterns emitting divine light around them. Everywhere the light shone upon, the chilly, white mist retreated and the dark water underneath turned clearer. Nonetheless, no one in the two squads dared to relax for even a single moment. They could tell that they were surrounded by eerie, cold gazes watching them from the shadows. White figures floated around just outside the range of the lanterns, and strange whispers continued to echo in the surroundings. As time passed, more and more white figures gathered. Everyone could see that these creatures resembled fish with totally white bodies. The fish looked robust and well built. Upon closer inspection, they did not have any scales. Instead, they were covered in pale skin. Their eyes were surprisingly large, just like those of humans. When they opened their mouths, they revealed their black, razor-sharp teeth. Their smooth bellies wriggled, embedded with grieving faces whose mouths were wide open as if screaming in despair despite making no noise. Visit for the best novel reading experience From time to time, the fish tried to approach the light from the lanterns. However, their skin started to burn whenever they came within a certain range, turning them into white flames that fell back into the water. The lanterns were clearly very effective against these rogue Others. However, more and more fish started to gather. Soon, they formed a thick physical barrier right outside the range of the two squads'' light sources, which was an unsettling sight. The strange fish-like Others weren''t all that strong, but there were a lot of them. If they managed to break through the protection afforded by the light, they would be a headache to deal with. Especially in this unknown swamp. Who knew what other scary Others were lying in wait in the shadows? Therefore, the two squads quickened their pace and tried to make their way across the water as soon as possible. Once they entered the city in the depths of the swamp, they could destroy the Devil Heart Pillar and complete their rescue mission. As time passed, the Others began to get impatient. They tried to charge into the lit area in waves. Clearly, they could not wait any longer. Many of the fish-like Others were reduced to ashes when they attempted to rush forward. However, the divine light protection from the lanterns began to weaken under their incessant attempts. Things were better at the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s side. Yue Zhiyu took on the burden from most of the hits herself. She had a solid foundation and a ninth-grade light resonance, and she put on a truly tyrannical display. Her divine light erased all the fish-like Others as soon as they attempted to break in. However, it was much worse for Li Luo''s side. Zhou Yao''s face was visibly turning paler and the light from her lantern was rapidly getting dimmer. "Replenish her energy!" Feng Lingyuan ordered as soon as she saw this. One of the Three Star Hall students hurried forward. He supported Zhou Yao''s waist with his hands. The Ancient Spirit Leaf mark on his hand lit up and resonant power flowed out of his body. After transforming, it went to Zhou Yao and replenished her strength rapidly. Li Hongyou stretched out her slender fingers. Her fingertips quickly softened up like ripe fruits, emanating a faint fragrance. Everyone who got a whiff felt their resonant power recover at a rapid pace. At the same time, the irritating and frightening weird whispers in the surroundings gradually calmed down. Duan Mu looked at the layers of fish-like Others at the edge of the light. He frowned and asked, "Should we finish them off?" Li Hongyou replied calmly, "We do not know how many Greater Evil Spirits are in the city. It''s best for our best fighters to keep themselves in peak condition before then." Feng Lingyuan nodded in agreement. The most important thing for the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivators like them was to deal with the Greater Evil Spirits. It would not be wise to exhaust their power here. The fish-like Others were killing one another. As the mutual killing intensified, everyone''s faces turned ugly. Moments later, stronger Others were created from the slaughter. They were extremely large and looked like a white crabs with countless limbs. The limbs possessed unsightly fingers that left one unsettled. On the back of their shells were many strange faces that writhed and spewed out powerful corruption. As soon as the Crab Others were created, they charged straight into the light. The light full of divine energy caused their shells to disintegrate; however, they were able to move quite a bit into the lit area before they were completely eradicated. As a result, the light from the lanterns quickly turned dim. The situation was slightly better for the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College students. Over at the Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s side, however, the four lanterns began swaying and their light grew dimmer and dimmer. The lit area was getting smaller as well. Everyone''s faces changed completely. Zhou Yao, who stood at the front of the squad, was having the hardest time. Light resonant energy gushed out of her body like a torrent. It flowed into the lantern continuously as she tried to keep the flame strong, annihilating the fearless Others. She continued to sweat as she endured the immense drain of her energy. "Senior Feng, I can''t hold on much longer!" she shouted through gritted teeth. Feng Lingyuan sighed helplessly as she evaluated the situation. A huge amount of resonant power surged up. If their defenses broke down, she would have to lead the team and fight their way out. Not too far from them, the squad from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College had noticed the situation. "Should we help them?" Wang Kong asked with a frown. Although he was ranked higher than Yue Zhiyu and Wei Chonglou, he kept a low profile. He was stronger than them for sure, but he had no background. His strength was a result of his hard work, and he could not compare with elites like Yue Zhiyu and Wei Chonglou, who had powerful families backing them. Yue Zhiyu hesitated for a moment. However, Wei Chonglou replied emotionlessly, "Let''s take care of ourselves first. No one knows if there are more Others lurking in the shadows. If we split up our lantern light, we may suffer a breakthrough from the Others as well. Things may get risky on their end, but Feng Lingyuan and the rest have not made a move yet. There''s no need to worry about them." The students close to Wei Chonglou agreed immediately. Although both sides were cooperating, their own survival was paramount. Besides, things had not descended into complete disarray just yet. Looking at the situation, Wang Kong did not comment any further. During this short conversation, more and more Crab Others were created. They seemed to be aware that the Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s side was easier to deal with. More and more Crab Others charged, and the lit area continued to shrink under their incessant attacks. The lantern flame in Zhou Yao''s hands grew weaker and weaker. Even if she summoned all her strength and poured all her resonant energy into it, she could only watch the lantern flame flicker out in the end. She sighed helplessly. At the next moment, what they had been dreading occurred. The lantern in her hands snuffed out completely. Chapter 1127: Lantern Detonation Chapter 1127: Lantern Detonation As soon as the flame in Zhou Yao''s lantern died out, ten vicious Crab Others charged towards them. The twisted faces on their shells spewed out corruption that sprayed across the squad. Feng Lingyuan''s eyes lit up and her resonant power exploded. Just as she was about to strike, someone quickly ran to her. He pushed Zhou Yao to the side, and she stared at him in surprise. Following this, he lifted up his lantern, which was not too bright. "Li Luo?!" Zhou Yao was shocked. She quickly told him, "Your light isn''t strong enough to block them! Take cover quickly!" Feng Lingyuan, Duan Mu, and Li Hongyou were astonished too. If Zhou Yao, a True Seal-grade with a lower eighth-grade light resonance, was unable to withstand it, how would Li Luo, who only had a light resonance as his secondary resonance, be able to do it? However, Li Luo was not bothered by them. He looked directly at the corruption that was spreading towards them. Behind it were countless Crab Others charging forward in a united attempt to drown them out in a white torrent. He focused on the mysterious Auric Halo in his body. The three resonant palaces within him reverberated, and a huge amount of resonant power was poured into the halo. At this moment, the Auric Halo turned a little. Suddenly, the huge amount of resonant power that had flowed into it vanished completely. At the same moment, a dazzling ball of light arose up from the center of the Auric Halo. As it slowly ascended, endless brilliance burst out of it like a resplendent star. Li Luo did not sense an overwhelming amount of resonant power from the glow of light. However, he could feel that it contained an incomparably pure form of holy energy. It was as if all the resonant power that he had poured in had been refined into light resonant energy that contained the purest cleansing and divine power. He did not understand how this had happened. However, he was glad to see it. He had full control over the light, and it flew from his fingertips into the lantern in his hands. An extremely shrill cry erupted from the twisted faces on the human skin lantern. At the next moment, the lantern began to expand rapidly. The glorious light was unable to be contained, so it started bursting at the seams. A moment later, the lantern expanded like a bulging rubber ball. "It''s going to explode!" Li Luo''s eyes twitched uncontrollably when he realized what was hapenning. He did not expect this move of his to overwhelm the human skin lantern. Li Luo quickly recovered from all of the surprised gazes. He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and shouted in a hurry, "Quick! Quick! We have to make full use of this opportunity to move!" Feng Lingyuan similarly snapped back to attention. The Others in the surroundings had been completely wiped out and even the white mist was gone; this was the perfect chance for them to cross the swamp. Otherwise, they would be trapped by the Others once the white mist returned. She gave the order decisively. Everyone in the squad ran with all their might. They stepped on the water''s surface and sprinted towards the city in the depths of the swamp. Seeing this, the squad from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College followed. The two squads made full use of this brief opportunity to quickly cross the water. As they were running, they did not notice the group of people far behind them. These people were also flabbergasted. It was none other than the Murderous Ghost Horde. The leader with the blood coffin was taken aback. After a few moments of silence, he dryly commented, "What fearsome cleansing power." The riotous behavior the Others had exhibited earlier was instigated by him. He had originally planned to kill off some of the students to weaken the group. However, things had taken an unexpected turn. Luckily, they had kept their distance. If not, they would have been caught up in the explosion and ended up as collateral damage. Although they wouldn''t have been completely eradicated like the Others, they would have been spotted and possibly injured. One of the individuals with a black coffin said, "It seems to be the work of that Heavenly Pearl kid." "Such pure divine energy couldn''t possibly have been created by someone at the Heavenly Pearl Tier." "Could he have some kind of expendable artifact?" The one with the blood coffin pondered for a moment as his underlings bickered. "Let''s follow them. There is a Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar in the city, so the All-Beings Devil King must have prepared something. We''ll let them suss out the opponents and exhaust their energy first." "This is one of the spirit motherlodes of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, so there is sure to be an extremely rare treasure under the Devil Heart Pillar. The Lord has instructed us to retrieve it." The ones with black coffins nodded. They avoided the area that had been purified and sneakily moved through the black swamp towards the same destination. There were no more attacks launched at the two ancient college squads, and the groups arrived smoothly at Black Swamp City. Chapter 1128: Illusionary Realm Atop the Bridge Chapter 1128: Illusionary Realm Atop the Bridge An enormous city lay in front of Li Luo and the group. It was painted in white and stood quietly in the depths of the black swamp. No matter how much black water splashed onto the city walls, it never left a trace behind. It exuded an extremely cold and eerie aura, as though it was a giant grim reaper in white skin, ready to harvest their lives upon entry. They stared into the depths of the city, where they could just barely make out a strange pillar that extended high into the heavens above. Right in front of them was a bridge that led all the way into a dark but lofty city. The groups stepped out of the swamp and onto the paved ground and began checking on their respective team members. At this point, Li Luo finally had the time to turn towards Lu Ming and the rest. He said with a bitter smile, "Quick, give me a mouthful please." His previous move had exhausted more than half of his resonant power, so his resonant palaces were beginning to feel empty. He had not expected the mysterious Auric Halo to be so powerful. It had the ability to transform the other types of resonant power in his body into light resonant energy. Under normal circumstances, this was something that only Dukes were able to do. Moreover, the purity and cleansing power of the energy that appeared were comparable to a lower ninth-grade light resonance. This was what truly surprised Li Luo. In that case, would he be able to transform all his resonant power into a particular resonant power type whenever he wanted to in the future? And it would even be at the quality and power of a ninth-grade resonance? Although his dual resonance power was not any weaker than a ninth-grade resonance during a fight, this would be surprisingly useful under special circumstances. After this incident, Li Luo started viewing the mysterious Auric Halo in a different light. After all, it was still incomplete. If he was able to bring it to completion in the future, its capabilities could very well be beyond his imagination. Lu Ming, Jing Taixu, and Sun Dasheng stretched out their palms. They placed them on Li Luo''s shoulders and channeled their resonant power to him through the Ancient Spirit Leaves, quickly replenishing his energy. "Thanks a lot," Li Luo said with a grin. "Well, this is the only way we can be useful," Lu Ming replied jokingly. In a mission of such difficulty, Fiend Finishers like them had to depend on the team for protection. Otherwise, they would barely be able to make any progress before being finished off. "Don''t be disheartened. All these people from the Heavenly Star Hall were once energy batteries too," Li Luo said to comfort her. "We clearly started together as a big group. What happened?" Jing Taixu asked with a worried face. "It should be some sort of ward. Perhaps we fell into the trap as soon as we stepped onto the bridge," Li Luo replied after thinking for a moment. He turned around, summoned up his resonant power, and threw out a few ferocious strikes filled to the brim with blade energy. The strikes flew into the distance, but soon after, they appeared to have been blocked by the world space and vanished. "The world space has been sealed. I''m afraid we''re too weak to break out with brute force," Li Luo said with a frown. "So we''re trapped here?" Lu Ming asked reluctantly. "As expected. There''s no way the All-Beings Devil King would let us destroy the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar without any complications," Sun Dasheng added on with a bitter smile. "Li Luo, do you have any ideas?" Jing Taixu turned towards Li Luo. Now that they had been forcefully separated from the main group, Li Luo was the main pillar they had to rely upon. Li Luo frowned as he pondered over his options. He then looked towards the front. "Let''s move forward and see." After saying that, he took the first step forward. The Dragon Elephant Blade remained in his hand as he followed along the mottled black bridge and slowly walked towards its end. Lu Ming and the group quickly followed him. The bridge was completely silent except for their footsteps. This continued for several minutes before Li Luo''s eyes turned serious. Blade energy circulated around the Dragon Elephant Blade. This caught Lu Ming and the group by surprise, and they followed Li Luo''s gaze and looked towards the front. Their eyes narrowed. An old lady had appeared in front of them. They did not know when it had happened, but the old lady was smiling at them. It was a dark and unsettling smile. "Do you want to get out, children?" she asked in an aged and gentle voice. Li Luo looked back at her and, without giving a reply, slashed down with the Dragon Elephant Blade. The void in front of him split open immediately. In the next moment, a black dragon accompanied by a stygian river let out a roar. Li Luo had given his reply with his actions. The Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner. After all, it made no sense that a friendly old lady would suddenly show up, considering their circumstances. The Underworld River''s Black Dragon charged directly towards the old lady. However, Li Luo''s face darkened when he saw what happened next. The energy shockwaves had dissipated, but the old lady remained standing! She looked back at them with her friendly smile. "Do you want to get out, children?" she asked with a grin. The gentle voice that came out of her black lips echoed continuously on the unnervingly silent bridge. At the same time, it sent chills up everyone''s spines. Chapter 1129: Cursed Chapter 1129: Cursed On the dark mottled bridge, Li Luo''s face turned gloomy. He stared at the old lady who had remained unfazed after receiving the brunt of his Duke Art, the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner. Lu Ming and the group were simply terrified at this result. "Is that an Other?" Lu Ming asked. Li Luo shook his head and replied, "It doesn''t give off the feel of an Other. Rather, it feels like she doesn''t really exist." He began to ponder over the current situation for a moment. Suddenly, he took the initiative to walk up and gradually approached the old lady. Lu Ming and the rest could only grit their teeth and reluctantly tail him. "Do you want to get out of here, children?" the old lady asked once more with a grin. Li Luo looked back at her. His eyes lit up and he nodded. "Yes we do," he replied. As soon as the old lady heard this, her gaze changed and her wrinkled face appeared lively. She then reached into her sleeve and pulled out four bowls of dark tea with trembling hands and placed them in front of her. "Four bowls of tea. Three of them contain a curse and one of them will dispel the ward. If you drink one bowl each, you can all get out," the old lady said with a cackle. "Who would dare to drink this strange liquid?!" Lu Ming scolded back angrily. Lightning sparks appeared on her palm, and she fired straight at the old lady. When the lightning bolt hit her face, it slid off like slippery mud. However, a few moments later, the old lady recovered and simply stared back at the four of them with a grin. Li Luo frowned. "This seems to be some kind of illusionary ward that requires us to follow specific rules. Since we cannot break out forcefully, we have to follow the rules that have been set here." "Are we really going to drink this?" Sun Dasheng cried out. "Let''s ignore her. Shall we keep walking on and see?" Jing Taixu suggested. Li Luo nodded. That was a feasible idea as well, so the four of them ignored the old lady. They walked around her and continued down the bridge. After dozens of minutes, they came to a stop again. Their faces turned ugly when they realized who was before them. The strange old lady had appeared yet again. The old lady grinned and looked back at them. "Do you want to get out, children?" The eerie voice sent chills up their spines. Lu Ming sighed dejectedly. "It''s not working. It''s impossible to get out." "Damn it, go to hell!" Sun Dasheng took out his iron rod and swung it at the old lady. However, it was just a waste of strength. As he was panting from the exertion, the old lady reappeared in front of them, intact as usual. Jing Taixu had been quiet. He stared at the four bowls of black tea in front of the old lady. "If there''s really no choice, shall we try following the rules?" "Three out of the four bowls contain a curse. The probability is too high," Lu Ming responded. "But we have no other choice. We can''t be trapped in this illusionary realm forever. I have a feeling that if we hang around too long, there will be even greater danger," Jing Taixu said in a serious tone. Li Luo frowned. This illusion realm was likely a creation of the All-Beings Devil King. How could they dare to underestimate it? It was hard to tell what would happen if they continued to linger around. It was likely that their situation would become even more perilous. Their priority right now was to get out of this illusionary realm. "There is no other choice. We''ll have to do it since the rules have been set. It''s unlikely our situation will resolve itself if we continue to wait. When we get out, we can find our comrades and seek help," Li Luo said slowly. After that, he reached out and took a bowl. Li Luo stared at the old lady and said slowly, "You mentioned just now that everyone has to drink one bowl each?" The old lady smiled back gently. "One bowl each indeed." Li Luo pondered for a while. "So are you counted as well?" Lu Ming and the others were stunned when they heard this. What did Li Luo mean? Li Luo slowly moved the bowl of black tea over to the old lady''s mouth. He whispered to himself, "It does not matter whether this bowl contains a curse or dispels the ward. If you''re the one that drinks it, we''ll minimize our risk, right? If drinking what''s in this bowl dispels the ward and you drink it, the ward will naturally be dispelled. If it contains a curse, will it be strong enough to get rid of you too? And if we destroy you, will it be considered as dispelling the illusionary realm? "In conclusion, the last bowl... should be for you. Right?" The old lady continued to grin at him, though she did not pull away. Lu Ming and the rest finally understood. They exclaimed in surprise, "You can do that?!" None of them had considered the old lady in front of them as one of the people to drink the black tea. "We''ll know after giving it a try," Li Luo said. He poured the tea into the old lady''s dark mouth directly. The old lady did not dodge it and let him do whatever he wanted. In the blink of an eye, all the tea was poured in. The four of them stared at the old lady nervously. The old woman smiled back at them gently. However, this only lasted for a while before she slowly turned vicious and her body began to dissolve. After a few moments, the old lady had completely melted. She turned into black smoke and disappeared into thin air. "She was destroyed like that?!" Lu Ming and the group were astonished by this. At the next moment, the surrounding world space began to twist. The mottled black bridge below them disappeared, replaced with street with dark water flowing beside it. It seemed like they had entered the Black Swamp City without even realizing it. "Has the illusionary realm been dispelled?" The three looked at each other with eyes full of excitement. Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief. "Seems like my guess was right. The old lady was the way to dispel the ward. All four bowls were curses. If we drank them, we might have been unable to escape from the ward. In fact, things could have worsened. The old lady was simply a strange existence that we could not defeat with force. We had to get rid of her using the tea." "Then it looks like we drank the bowls of tea for nothing!" Sun Dasheng cried sadly. Lu Ming, on the other hand, didn''t seem to mind her decision. "It was not really for nothing. If we hadn''t figured out that the three bowls were cursed, Li Luo may not have thought about letting the old lady have the fourth bowl. After all, who else would have thought of that?" After seeing what had happened to the three of them, there was a high chance the fourth bowl was another trap. From there, Li Luo had luckily managed to find the right answer. It was perhaps a decision born out of desperation. Li Luo did feel a little guilty. If he had figured out the trick to the realm sooner, Lu Ming and the rest would not have had to drink the tea themselves. "How are you all feeling? Is everything..." Li Luo asked. Before he could finish, he froze and his eyes turned solemn. His eyes widened, and the trio had flustered looks on their faces. Their bodies suddenly began to expand rapidly. Their skin was expanding as if air was being blown into them. They continued to bulge, and their flesh was separated from their blood. Finally, they turned into round human skin lanterns. Their heads were at the top of the lanterns, and their pupils were like black vortexes. They had fallen into a deep slumber. Right in front of Li Luo''s eyes, the human skin lanterns began to rise into the air. Chapter 1130: Ten Thousand Curses Ward Chapter 1130: Ten Thousand Curses Ward Li Luo''s face turned ugly when he saw the sudden change to the trio. Clearly, their transformation must have been the work of the curses that they were forced to drink earlier. "Damn it!" Li Luo yelled. He activated his wood resonant power, and green vines extended from his fingertips and wrapped around the human skin lanterns that Lu Ming and the rest had transformed into. This prevented them from flying away. Li Luo shouted at them a few times, but there was no response. Their eyes were still open, but they had turned completely black now. Their minds were clearly lost in something and they had fallen into a deep slumber. "Will they recover if I pop their skins?" Li Luo''s eyes flashed. Thorns began to appear on his vines as he tried to save them by breaking their skins apart. Just as he was about to do it, a voice suddenly came from the back. "Li Luo, hold on!" Li Luo was shocked to suddenly hear someone. He turned around in a hurry and looked over carefully. In the street behind him was a slender figure with extremely eye-catching, crimson hair, giving off a captivating and cool look. It was Li Hongyou! "Senior Hongyou?" Li Luo did not relax just because Li Hongyou had arrived. Instead, he tightened his grip on the Dragon Elephant Blade. It was best to keep his guard up against everyone he came across. After all, the All-Beings Devil King was skilled in manipulating human skins and could also feign the appearances of others. Li Hongyou sensed that Li Luo''s guard was up, so she did not continue moving closer. She paused a few dozen feet away from him and slowly said, "Don''t break the human skins apart. Otherwise, the corruption will spread and even infect their flesh. The situation will become much more dire in that case." Li Luo frowned. "How do you know they''ve been cursed?" Li Hongyou lifted her slender fingers and pointed to the sky in the distance. "Look." He looked over with the corners of his eyes. His face turned solemn immediately. Numerous round lanterns were floating in the air just a small distance away. Each of them had a human head on top. It was just like Lu Ming and the rest! In fact, Li Luo found some familiar faces amongst the lanterns. They were the students from the other teams! It seemed like Lu Ming and the group weren''t the only ones that had fallen to the curse! "The news sure came late," Li Luo commented helplessly. If they had learned about the Ten Thousand Curses Ward before stepping into the city, they would not have stepped in so recklessly. In the end, they had sacrificed their team members for nothing. Fortunately, their team members had not lost their lives. "There was no other choice. The Ancient Spirit Leaves need to use us as mediums to study the surroundings. After collecting a suitable amount of information, it is sent back for further analysis, and any useful info is then relayed to us," Li Hongyou explained. In the end, the students had to investigate the situation before anything else could be done. Li Luo pondered for a moment. "I assume the Heavenly Star Hall students had no problem escaping the illusionary realm. Once they receive this info, they''ll proceed to attack the nearest altar. If we move accordingly, we should be able to regroup with the rest. What do you think, Senior Hongyou?" Li Hongyou took a glance at him with her cold eyes. "It''s up to you. After all, I''ll be depending on you rather than the college in the future. It does not matter if the mission fails. The most important thing is to keep you safe. I will try my best to stick with you, and if things turn sour, I''ll escape with you immediately." Her face did not reveal much emotion, but her eyes had turned serious. She was clearly not joking around with Li Luo. Li Luo did not know how to respond to her frank words. "Let''s go. We will head towards the nearest Soul Summoning Altar," Li Luo said after studying the map from the Ancient Spirit Leaf. He then turned to the right and walked in that direction. At the same time, he took another look at Lu Ming and the rest, who were floating in the sky as human skin lanterns. He whispered to himself, "Don''t worry. I will definitely break the curse and save all of you." Li Luo and Li Hongyou made their way along the white street, which had a smooth texture to it. Stepping on it felt like they were walking on cold, dead, human skin. Suddenly, Li Hongyou pulled Li Luo''s arm. The two of them came to a stop immediately. "Senior Hongyou?" Li Luo was slightly shocked. He followed Li Hongyou''s gaze and looked ahead. Thick, white mist began to spill out of two shops along the street. Then the sounds of doors shutting echoed, and red shadows slowly crawled out of the shops, blocking the road in a twisted posture. Li Luo''s eyes narrowed. The twisted figures had no facial features. There was only a cold "evil" character curved onto each of their faces. They were once again faced with Evil Spirits! The creatures had finally appeared in their path again. Chapter 1131: Harvester Chapter 1131: Harvester "Seven Evil Spirits." Li Luo looked at the seven twisted figures in front of them. His eyes narrowed a little. Based on their sizes, they were not Greater Evil Spirits. Nonetheless, seven Evil Spirits were like seven Lesser Heavenly Resonance opponents. Resonant power surged up within Li Luo''s body, and six radiant Heavenly Pearls appeared behind his back. Strictly speaking, there were six and a half. Right beside the sixth Heavenly Pearl was a small spark of light that spun and compressed world natural energy. However, it was short of fully materializing. "Just one step away from the seventh Heavenly Pearl." He had not slacked off on his training during the past few days, so he was getting closer and closer to advancing in strength. Frankly speaking, if he had decided to refine the Heavenly Crimson Pill that he had gotten earlier, he would have been at the seventh Heavenly Pearl Tier by now. However, he was planning to save it for a better opportunity to advance even further. "I''m still not strong enough." Li Luo sighed softly as he looked at the overwhelming corruption emanating from the seven Evil Spirits. If he were facing them alone, he would''ve had no choice but to retreat. The difficulty of the mission was exceptionally high. "Let me handle them," Li Hongyou said as she walked up. Her snow-white skin began to emit a light red glow when she summoned up her resonant power. A fragrance lingered in the air as she made her way forward, like she was a walking Vermilion Fruit that everyone was dying to have a bite of. Li Hongyou raised her hand, and a red ribbon that scintillated with wondrous light slithered out of her sleeve and curled around her like a snake. Wrapped in majestic energy, the red ribbon vibrated gently, and a huge sonic boom reverberated in the air. Without a doubt, the ribbon was Li Hongyou''s treasured artifact. Li Luo noticed the traces of a single violet eye on the ribbon. It was a single violet-eye treasured artifact. For one of the top ten students in the Heavenly Star Hall, it was definitely a little weak. Li Hongyou explained with a little embarrassment when she noticed Li Luo''s gaze, "I''ve spent all my resources on cultivation. My resonance is not suited for combat, so I never got a better treasured artifact." Li Luo sighed in his heart. Li Hongyou''s father was an elder in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Unfortunately, she had to leave him at a very young age and did not get to enjoy any of the benefits that came with such status. With only her mother taking care of her, getting into the Heavenly Origin Ancient College was the best they could do, considering their means. In comparison, Li Luo had two triple violet-eye treasured artifacts with him. If he were to challenge other elites at the same level, one of them would be more than enough for him to completely crush them. Even with the incident back with House Luolan and the disappearance of his parents, Jiang Qing''e had saved the best cultivation resources for Li Luo to the best of her abilities. Notwithstanding that, he was the Third Young Master of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, so he had received the best cultivation resources, Duke Arts, liquids and lights, and all kinds of treasures after coming to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. His background had truly provided him with every advantage possible. Damn it. It didn''t feel like he had worked hard for any of his accomplishments. "When we go to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, I will find a way to get you a triple violet-eye treasured artifact," Li Luo said. Her special resonance alone was enough reason for Li Luo to win Li Hongyou over to his side. She would be his capable right hand man after entering the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Therefore, there was no way he would treat her badly. "As long as you can fulfill my wish, I don''t really care about receiving treasured artifacts," Li Hongyou replied softly. Resonant power conversion! Light resonant energy! At the next moment, a blindingly radiant light resonant power surged out of Li Luo''s body. It condensed into an arrow of light energy on his bow. The arrow contained endless amounts of light energy. It had an extremely pure and condensed form of purification and divine power. When he formed the arrow, all of the corruption in the surroundings was cleansed. The seven Evil Spirits that had been contained by Li Hongyou felt a sense of imminent danger. The "evil" characters on their faces seemed to have come to life as they struggled. At the next moment, the space around them twisted strangely and they burst forward to attack Li Luo directly. Seeing this, Li Hongyou activated the Heavenly Resonance Diagram. Seven giant, crimson pillars fell down from the sky and locked the seven Evil Spirits in place firmly. "Although it''s tiring for me to kill you all, you shouldn''t just ignore me completely right?" Li Hongyou whispered to herself. "Good job, Senior Hongyou," Li Luo commented with a smile. His eyes turned sharp and he released the bowstring. The arrow filled with immense light resonant energy flew across the air and landed straight on an Evil Spirit''s head. Boom! The light resonant energy detonated like a supernova. The Evil Spirit was completely eradicated in an instant. This Evil Spirit was close to the strength of a True Seal-grade, so under normal circumstances, it would be extremely difficult for Li Luo to finish it off by himself. However, this Evil Spirit was completely locked in place, so it was surprisingly easy for him to finish it off with light resonant energy. When he witnessed how effective his first shot was, Li Luo rapidly fired off more arrows filled with immense light resonant energy. Bang! Bang! After he had fired off the seventh arrow, Li Luo relaxed his fingers, which were now slightly trembling. He looked at the street in front of him. All the corruption was now completely cleansed and purified. Li Luo was very pleased. Three of the seven Evil Spirits were equivalent to True Seal-grades and four of them were equivalent to Illusory Seal-grades. Nonetheless, they had all fallen to his arrows. With Li Hongyou holding them down, they were like livestock waiting to be harvested. Suddenly, Li Luo felt a vibration in the Ancient Spirit Leaf on the back of his hand. He focused his mind and a message appeared. "Seven Evil Spirits slain. Seven B Merits earned." Li Luo raised his eyebrows. He had fought so hard for a total of three B Merits on his way here. Now he had another seven. That was ten in total! Ten B Merits were equivalent to one A Merit. In other words, he had earned himself one A Merit already. Li Luo''s eyes lit up. He could completely dominate Others with his arrows of light. He was like an Other harvester! Although Li Hongyou was lacking in offensive strength, Li Luo could make up for it. With the two of them working together, it was perfect! Chapter 1132: Gifting The Fan Chapter 1132: Gifting The Fan With the seven Evil Spirits slain, the corruption on the streets cleared up completely. Li Hongyou looked at the scene in surprise. She had not expected Li Luo to dispatch the Evil Spirits so easily. "The light resonant energy on those arrows was extremely pure. It''s comparable to that of a high-grade light resonance. However, his light resonance is only a secondary resonance, right?" Li Luo was not even a seven-pearl and yet he had killed off Evil Spirits! Such a feat was truly shocking. Li Luo jumped down and landed beside Li Hongyou. Just as he was about to speak, his body staggered due to momentary weakness. Li Hongyou hurried forward to support him with her delicate hands. "Eh?" Li Luo finally snapped out of his euphoria. He checked himself in surprise and noticed that his body had turned weak because some of his blood had disappeared from his body. "My blood... has been consumed by the Auric Halo?" Li Luo was a little startled. Earlier, he was firing those arrows off so happily and nonchalantly that he had not noticed that his blood was slowly being siphoned away from his body. When he traced the disappearance back to the source, he discovered that it was due to the mysterious Auric Halo. "So the resonant power conversion from the Auric Halo uses my blood as a catalyst as well." Li Luo was surprised. Before this, he had only used the Auric Halo to convert his resonant power once. He had not felt any side-effects back then. However, the arrows he had just fired contained extremely pure light energy, and he had used up quite a bit. As such, he finally felt the physical strain. "It seems like the secret art you used earlier consumes your blood essence," Li Hongyou explained as she held onto Li Luo''s wrists. Although her resonance was not particularly effective at attacking, she was able to sense the changes in one''s body very acutely. Li Luo nodded in agreement with a gentle smile. "A little loss of blood is fine." Li Hongyou took out a jade disc from the pocket sphere on her wrist. She then bit her fingertip, and a drop of crystal-clear blood dripped down onto it. Ding! When the drop of blood landed on the disc, a crisp sound echoed in the air. Then an invigorated, blood-red pearl rolled about playfully, emanating a delicate fragrance. "Drink this. It will help replenish your blood essence." Li Hongyou passed the jade disc over to Li Luo. Li Luo''s face was full of surprise. "Wow, Senior Hongyou. You''re full of treasures!" Who knew that Li Hongyou''s blood could help replenish another''s blood essence? It was almost like a pill! "What else can I do? It''s one of the specialties of support resonances. We are not good at fighting, so we have to learn some tricks to help others." "Why does it feel a little evil to be drinking someone else''s blood?" Li Luo frowned as he grasped the blood-red pearl between his thumb and index finger. "Stop fooling around!" Li Hongyou rolled her eyes. If Li Luo wasn''t critical for her entry into the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, there''s no way she would be helping him right now? Visit for the best novel reading experience Li Luo threw it into his mouth with a grin. Suddenly, he felt a rush of hot air flowing through his body. Slowly, strength returned to his legs that had turned wobbly from the loss of blood essence. Li Luo put his bow away. His face turned slightly pale, and he sighed. Li Hongyou rushed up to his side and handed him a blood essence pearl yet again. He quickly swallowed it before he checked the scoreboard. At present, he had accumulated two A Merits and eight B Merits. Although it wasn''t too spectacular, he had squeezed into the top fifty. The others on the scoreboard were all students from the Heavenly Star Halls of the two colleges. Li Luo was the only Heavenly Pearl on it. "Looking at the map, the Soul Summoning Altar should be right up ahead." Li Hongyou looked far into the distance. At the end of the alley was thick, white mist full of corruption energy. As they fought their way over here, the number of Others had been increasing as well. However, they had not met any other teams. Most people must have fallen prey to the Ten Thousand Curses Ward. In fact, even some students from the Upper Heavenly Star Hall had fallen for it and turned into human skin lanterns floating high up in the air. Very few had managed to escape this fate. This showed just how truly difficult their mission was. "But why didn''t we meet a single Greater Evil Spirit?" Li Luo was a little confused. They had encountered quite a number of Evil Spirits on the way here, but not a single Greater Evil Spirit. It was like they had completely disappeared. Li Hongyou shook her head. Before she could open her mouth, her eyes turned serious. She looked towards the thick, white mist at the end of the alley. "There''s resonant power undulations coming from that direction," Li Hongyou said. Li Luo was shocked. "Did other teams arrive at this Soul Summoning Altar before us?" "Let''s go!" The two of them took a glance at each other before their resonant power surged up. They flew forward like bolts of lightning as they dashed straight into the mist. An altar stood in the center of the mist. There was a torn, white flag flying above it. It shot out countless rays of light that blended in with the air. However, Li Luo and Li Hongyou did not pay much attention to it. Their eyes were captured by the fierce battle happening in front of the altar. There were some familiar faces there. Wang Kong, Yue Zhiyu, and two other students from the Upper Hall of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College were fighting. Li Luo recalled that one of them was called Meng Zhou while the other was Zheng Yunfeng. Back when he was trying to form a team, Jiang Wanyu had brought him to them, but they had turned him down. Apart from them, there was an Upper Hall student from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. It was quite a grand setup, but their team appeared to be at a disadvantage. This was because they were surrounded by ten Greater Evil Spirits who gave off an immense corruption auras! Li Luo took a deep breath. He finally understood why they had not encountered any Greater Evil Spirits on the way here. They had all gathered in this place! Chapter 1133: Chaotic Fight Chapter 1133: Chaotic Fight At present, the battlefield was chaotic and intense. Three out of the ten Greater Evil Spirits were going after Wang Kong. The second ranked student of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, who had always kept a low profile, finally revealed his true strength here. Wang Kong was very tall in his battle state, and grayish-white energy circulated around his skin. He was like an impenetrable statue with a great battleax in his hand. When he swung his ax, terrifying shockwaves shook the void, threatening to tear it open. In the sky above was a Heavenly Resonance Diagram flowing with immense grayish-white energy. Thousands of towering rocks and boulders could be faintly spotted in the diagram. It was an extremely majestic sight. Judging from his Heavenly Resonance Diagram, Wang Kong possessed a stone resonance. He swung his battleax and fought against the three Greater Evil Spirits as a rocky behemoth. His hits were extremely heavy, and every time he swung his battleax, one of the Greater Evil Spirits was forced back. Attacks from the Greater Evil Spirits sometimes landed on him, but they were completely negated by the energy enveloping his skin. Clearly, Wang Kong possessed astonishing defense with his stone resonance. His Heavenly Resonance Diagram was eighty-five thousand feet wide, as expected of someone at the peak of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. After all, it was said that Heavenly Resonance Diagrams could potentially reach one hundred thousand feet. This was why he could stand up against three Greater Evil Spirits alone and prevent them from joining the other battles. Yue Zhiyu was handling two of the Greater Evil Spirits. Her Heavenly Resonance Diagram was dazzling; it was full of light resonance and exuded a divine aura. Although, it was slightly weaker than Wang Kong''s at around eighty thousand feet. This did not mean that she was any weaker than Wang Kong, however. After all, the size of the Heavenly Resonance Diagram was just a reflection of one''s progress. Their actual battle strength depended on other factors like their Duke Arts, treasured artifacts, or other secret arts. When it came to those matters, Yue Zhiyu was extremely well-equipped. She held a golden scepter in one hand, and the top of the scepter contained a milky-white jewel around the size of a fist. It emitted intense light energy pulses and was engraved with three violet eyes. Yue Zhiyu''s triple violet-eye treasured artifact greatly amplified her light resonant energy, and she was able to push back both Greater Evil Spirits. Besides them, Meng Zhou, Zheng Yunfeng, and the other student from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Upper Hall were fighting one Greater Evil Spirit each. Although they were able to hold off eight Greater Evil Spirits, they were clearly panicking. Two of the Greater Evil Spirits had managed to break free from the battle and were heading towards the other students behind them. It turned out that there were dozens of people over there. Amongst them were a few familiar facesZong Sha, Jiang Wanyu, Lu Jinci, Deng Zhu, and a few others from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. The strongest of the group was only a True Seal-grade. Even with their advantage in numbers, they were like weak little foxes waiting to be culled in front of the two Greater Evil Spirits. Li Luo took a glance at the people behind him and asked, "Wanyu, are you guys alright?" Jiang Wanyu nodded. She wiped off a trace of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth as she said, "Thank God you guys arrived. Otherwise, we might have died fighting them." The faces of the others were also full of excitement as they had narrowly missed the gates of death. Li Hongyou checked their condition and then waved the Blackwood Feather Fan. The light of life combined with a few traces of her crimson energy fell upon the group. They could feel the resonant power in their bodies recover rapidly, and the strange whispers that had been corrupting their minds vanished without a trace. The excruciating pain on their bodies swiftly subsided with her aid. "Thank you, Senior Hongyou!" Zong Sha exclaimed. Experiencing just how magical her presence was, he immediately understood why Wu Changkong and Feng Lingyuan were dying to have her on their teams. Li Hongyou nodded slightly. She lightly caressed the feather fan in her hand with eyes full of satisfaction. Although the Blackwood Feather Fan was only a single violet-eye treasured artifact, it was perfectly suited for her. She then looked towards the two Greater Evil Spirits in front. They were radiating an overwhelming amount of corruption. They were much bigger than ordinary Evil Spirits, and they had several pairs of arms. "Two Greater Evil Spirits..." Li Hongyou bit her lip lightly. Although she was at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, she was not a fighter. She could tie one Greater Evil Spirit down at best, but if it was two of them, she would likely be left at a disadvantage. "Senior Hongyou, I''ll help you." Li Luo walked up at this point. Even against two Greater Evil Spirits, he had not shown any fear. Six radiant Heavenly Pearls materialized behind his back. At the same time, he activated all the golden water pearls in his waterlight resonance palace. Source origin energy flowed out of the water pearls and fused with his resonant power. In the blink of an eye, the number of Heavenly Pearls behind Li Luo increased to eight in total! In fact, a faint glow appeared just beside his eighth Heavenly Pearl. That was the embryonic form of a ninth Heavenly Pearl. However, getting to the nine-pearl tier was an extraordinary achievement. Even though it was just temporary, it was a gap just too great for Li Luo to leap across now. Li Hongyou took a glance at the Heavenly Pearls behind him. No doubt, his battle strength was far ahead of his peers. However, it would not be so easy to pose a threat to these Greater Evil Spirits. Moreover, she would not be able to hold them down like how she had done with the ordinary Evil Spirits, so Li Luo would not be able to deal critical strikes as easily as before. It would already be a blessing if the two of them could fend off the two terrifying enemies. Finishing them off was an entirely different thing, and she wasn''t suited to do so. Li Hongyou''s gaze flashed as a thought came to mind. Afterwards, she gave Li Luo a smirk. "Do you want to see what the nine-pearl tier feels like?" Chapter 1134: Nine Heavenly Pearls Chapter 1134: Nine Heavenly Pearls "Nine pearls?" Li Luo''s heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He always had a deep and strong desire for it. Nine Heavenly Pearls was the pinnacle of the Heavenly Pearl Tier. One would need to establish an impeccable foundation and have access to opportunities that were beyond one''s imagination to achieve it. Li Lingjing was the only one that he knew of that had managed to reach it. Of course, people like Qin Yi and Zhao Shenjiang most likely had the resources and aptitude, but they were ultimately unable to surmount that final step. The nine-pearl tier was naturally one of Li Luo''s goals; it was something he had constantly worked towards. However, it was challenging. He had stowed away his Heavenly Crimson Pill as he was waiting for the perfect chance to use it. He wanted to use everything for a last sprint breakthrough when the opportunity arrived. Looking at things now, he had already exhausted all of the source origin energy from his golden water pearls and yet he was far from the true nine-pearl tier. It was too far-fetched to even call the ninth pearl an embryo, let alone form a faint shape! The energy he had accumulated was barely enough to create a speck of light "Senior Hongyou, do you have a way to do that?" Li Luo asked as he looked towards Li Hongyou with passionate eyes. Even though it was just temporary, his battle strength would skyrocket if he was successful. With that, he would really be able to pose a threat to the Greater Evil Spirits. Li Hongyou nodded slightly. Without another word, she quickly bit her fingertip, and fresh blood leaked out. At this moment, a strong fragrance filled the air. She waved her slender fingertip and drew on a crimson seal in front of her. The seal slowly rose into the air. At the same time, golden rays of light circulated around it. With the appearance of the seal, the natural energy in the surroundings gathered in it. The golden rays of light grew brighter and brighter. "This is known as the Crimson Heart Golden Seal, and it can greatly boost your resonant power for a short period of time. However, it requires some time to absorb and activate. I will keep the two Greater Evil Spirits at bay whilst you begin the absorption process. After it is complete, we will see if you can pose a threat to them. Otherwise, you can help me hold them off and we''ll think of another way," Li Hongyou explained. Following this, she flicked her finger, and the Crimson Heart Golden Seal turned into a beam of light that shot directly into Li Luo''s chest. Li Luo felt an explosion of immense heat in his body immediately. At the next moment, waves of energy surged up within him like torrents of water gushing through his veins. "What an overwhelming amount of pure energy!" Li Luo was surprised. The Crimson Heart Golden Seal contained Li Hongyou''s resonant power, but his body didn''t reject it. Instead, he felt the desire to consume it. Li Hongyou was facing off against two Greater Evil Spirits by herself. However, it was clear that this was a little too much for her. She was ultimately not suited for combat. Despite being at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, she could barely deal with one Greater Evil Spirit, so facing two meant that she would be at a disadvantage very soon. "Let''s go help!" Zong Sha looked towards two of the Illusory Seal-grade students who were in better condition. The two students smiled bitterly. They stepped forward together with Zong Sha and assisted Li Hongyou from the side, trying to reduce the pressure on her. However, they barely made a difference. Their attacks could barely deal any damage, so the Greater Evil Spirits disregarded the three flies and focused on Li Hongyou. Jiang Wanyu stood beside Li Luo and watched him anxiously. Both sides had sent all their fighters into battle, but things had clearly developed into a stalemate. Li Luo was their only hope of breaking out of this situation. Although it was not very practical to place their hopes on a Heavenly Pearl Tier junior, Li Luo had proven many times that he was capable of creating miracles. As Jiang Wanyu watched him anxiously, the resonant power within Li Luo began to grow stronger and the pulses of energy coming from him grew more immense. Even Jiang Wanyu was unable to endure the waves of energy coming from him, so she involuntarily took a few steps back. The small speck that was supposed to be his ninth Heavenly Pearl began to grow brighter and was finally showing clear signs that it was materializing. "What a guy he is..." Jiang Wanyu''s expression was complex. Li Luo''s strength was clearly below hers back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. However, he was beginning to overtake her by a formidable margin now. Reaching the nine-pearl tier was a formidable feat; no more than three people in the whole Heavenly Star Hall had attained it. "The ninth Heavenly Pearl is beginning to take shape." Suddenly, Jiang Wanyu felt an oppressive pressure emanating from Li Luo. He slowly began to open his eyes, and at the same time, the ninth Heavenly Pearl radiated a blinding dazzle. The nine pearls slowly began to spin behind Li Luo, like a holy halo. Jiang Wanyu was at a loss for words. Li Luo had finally done it. Although it was temporary, his battle strength would definitely reach a surprising level. However, the outcome of the battle would depend on how he utilized his newfound strength. Chapter 1135: Dual Poison and Great Sanguine Poison Art Chapter 1135: Dual Poison and Great Sanguine Poison Art When Li Luo felt the immense resonant power circulating through his body, a look of ecstasy arose in his eyes. So, this was how it felt to reach the nine-pearl tier? It was in an entirely different league when compared to the eight-pearl tier. Although it was just one pearl apart, the difference was like a gigantic chasm. The nine-pearl tier was comparable to the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier based on the depth of resonant power alone. In a certain sense, anyone who attained the nine-pearl tier could easily enter the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier too. All it was lacking was the Heavenly Resonance Golden Seals. Jiang Wanyu, Lu Jinci, and the rest looked over at Li Luo. At this moment, the nine Heavenly Pearls behind him were shining brightly. It was a dream that many ordinary elites could not hope to achieve. That said, their main issue was that their opponents had Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier strength. Even Jiang Wanyu and Zong Sha, who had bore witness to Li Luo''s multiple miracles, were uncertain if he could turn the situation around. Nonetheless, Li Luo was not bothered by their gazes. He looked over at Li Hongyou and noticed that she was gradually losing ground in the struggle against the two Greater Evil Spirits. She was hardly able to hold on with the Blackwood Feather Fan. Li Luo''s gaze turned pensive. He could understand the doubts coming from the others as after all, their opponents were Greater Evil Spirits! His resonant power might have surged, but his opponents weren''t going to give him an easy fight. He was confident he could triumph over Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier opponents, even those at the True Seal-grade. However, the Greater Evil Spirits were another matter. Others possessed tenacious lifeforce and were usually harder to kill than humans of the same level. As such, ordinary methods would not work against Greater Evil Spirits. "Too bad the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf is still in slumber. Besides, his fiendish energy may attract greater amounts of corruption in the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion..." Li Luo''s brain moved quickly. He was considering all the tricks and options he had on hand to resolve this situation. After a while, he came to a decision. "Everyone, move back a little and stay away from me," Li Luo told Jiang Wanyu and the rest. Jiang Wanyu and the others looked at each other in confusion. They did not know what Li Luo was plotting, but they stepped away. It was not just Jiang Wanyu at this point. Wang Kong, Yue Zhiyu, and Zheng Yunfeng were also looking over as they engaged in their battles. "What is he thinking?" They thought to themselves when they saw the group move away from Li Luo. As he remained the center of attention, a majestic bow materialized in his hand. It was none other than the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow. "Is he going to convert his resonant power into light resonant energy again?" Li Hongyou frowned a little when she noticed this. Li Luo had taken Evil Spirits down with ease using light arrows. However, those Evil Spirits had been completely suppressed by her and thus had no means to defend themselves at all. Looking at the circumstances right now, she was the one being suppressed by these two Greater Evil Spirits. It would be meaningless if Li Luo used the same trick. Follow current novels at novelhall.com) Even if he converted his resonant power into light resonant energy, it would not be able to cause any practical damage to the two Greater Evil Spirits. As everyone watched in surprise, Li Luo activated the final bit of poison. It flowed out of his arm and gathered on his bow. There was an immense halo of poisonous energy circulating around the bow, ultimately condensing into a black arrow. The arrows of light energy were bright and full of divine might, while this arrow was extremely insidious and fear-inducing. Poison continuously dripped down from the arrow. Everytime a drop touched the ground, the worldly natural energy around it was infected and melted away. The arrow was like a venomous python bound onto the bowstring and ready to spring. The bones on Li Luo''s palm were visible due to the corrosive effect of the poison energy. It was clearly something that was too hard to fully control, even for himself, but Li Luo did not mind. His bow was fully drawn like a full moon. He thought about it for another moment. He did not aim the arrow at the two Greater Evil Spirits that were engaged in battle with Li Hongyou. Instead, he chose the one over at Yue Zhiyu''s side. Li Hongyou was fighting. Even if he helped her finish off one Greater Evil Spirit, the stalemate would continue. However, Yue Zhiyu was different. She was handling two Greater Evil Spirits on her own and had a slight advantage. If Li Luo helped her out, Yue Zhiyu would be able to finish the fight quickly and after that, she would be able to help the others out and the situation would change drastically. "Senior Hongyou, endure it a little longer," Li Luo whispered to himself. The nine Heavenly Pearls behind him buzzed and vibrated, glowing like suns in the galaxy. His fingers relaxed and the bowstring snapped explosively as it was let loose. Whoosh! A black light zipped across the void, leaving a trail of shattered rifts. The immense poison energy was unconcealable. A vicious python had finally broken free after being bound for so long. The poison energy whizzed past many astonished pairs of eyes almost instantly and directly penetrated the body of the Greater Evil Spirit that was fighting with Yue Zhiyu. At that moment, the place turned silent. Everyone stared at the Greater Evil Spirit that had been shot. No one knew how powerful the arrow was. Roar! Before their eyes, the blood-red Greater Evil Spirit looked down at the black wound on its chest. The "evil" character on its face twisted ferociously. After which, the poison energy rapidly spread throughout its body. Everywhere it passed, including the corruption that it wielded, was eroded. In just a few moments, the Greater Evil Spirit turned completely black. It shook from side to side and took two more steps forward, trying to launch another attack towards Yue Zhiyu. However, just as it raised its claws, its enormous body turned into a puddle of vile water that spilled across the ground. It splashed everywhere, and Yue Zhiyu retreated swiftly to avoid being struck. She watched this scene with eyes full of surprise. Li Luo... had killed a Greater Evil Spirit with a single arrow?! Chapter 1136: Breaking the Stalemate Chapter 1136: Breaking the Stalemate Everyone on the field was shocked to see the Greater Evil Spirit finished off in a single hit. Jiang Wanyu, Zong Sha, and the rest could not believe their eyes. This was a Greater Evil Spirit that could rival a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator! How had Li Luo slaughtered it with a single arrow? Did the nine-pearl tier truly possess such monstrous strength? Meng Zhou and Zheng Yunfeng were also stunned when they witnessed this. They looked over at Li Luo in confusion. Each of them was only on par with a Greater Evil Spirit, yet Li Luo had killed one such tenacious creature with a single arrow. Didn''t that mean Li Luo could finish them off in a single blow too? As they thought about it, they felt a chill run up their spines. Luckily, they did not have any deep grudges with Li Luo. However, due to Wu Changkong''s earlier interference, they had turned him down when Jiang Wanyu brought him over to look for teammates. This was truly regrettable now that they had witnessed his superb skills. If they had known beforehand, they would definitely have kept themselves out of the issue between Wu Changkong and Li Luo. "Alright!" As everyone watched in surprise, Yue Zhiyu had snapped back to her senses. A brilliant flash lit up in her beautiful eyes and a look of excitement could be seen on her face. Now that Li Luo had helped her finish off one Greater Evil Spirit, she had undoubtedly secured the upper hand in this battle. Follow current novels at novelhall.com) She did not hesitate any further; she took advantage of the opportunity now that the attacks coming from the Greater Evil Spirits had weakened. Her light resonant energy surged up into the sky above, which rose up like the glaring sunrise. Divine purification power enveloped their surroundings, and the corruption was completely cleansed. In the next instant, a figure of light began to materialize behind her. This was her light spirit avatar. It was the trademark of a ninth-grade resonance. As soon as the light spirit avatar appeared, the light resonant energy in the surroundings gathered and condensed rapidly onto Yue Zhiyu. She gripped her light scepter firmly and help it up. Beams of light shot out of the dazzling jewel on top of it and interweaved with each other, forming a giant cage that trapped the remaining Greater Evil Spirit. The Greater Evil Spirit tried to tackl the beams of light. However, its body was charred black as soon as it made contact. The light resonant energy could purify it and caused an immense amount of pain on the Greater Evil Spirit. Yue Zhiyu''s face remained calm and emotionless. Her slender, jade fingers formed seals rapidly. At the end, she raised her light scepter into the sky. Endless amounts of light energy gathered in the sky above. It transformed into a cloud of holy light that rapidly compressed itself. In the end, it transformed into a dense pillar of light that contained an extremely condensed form of divine might, descending from the sky like holy judgment. Li Luo took a glance at her. He endured the extreme pain in his body and replied calmly, "I can only use it once more for now." The poison arrow was a unique attack that possessed unparalleled might, but it required the user to fuse his own blood essence with the poison that afflicted him. This specially created fusion poison would then flow through his body, resulting in damage to himself as well. Therefore, it was a pyrrhic move that could not be utilized too often. Nonetheless, that was to be expected. If an ordinary trump card allowed one to surpass the sheer difference in strength and finish off their opponents with minimal cost, it would not be a surprising feat. Yue Zhiyu nodded slightly. "In that case, let''s help Li Hongyou out first. I will hold off one of the Greater Evil Spirits and create a chance for you to finish it off." Li Luo was surprised to hear this. "If I am the one to finish it off, I will get the merit for it." Yue Zhiyu replied indifferently, "It''s just one A Merit. You may find it very precious, but it''s nothing to me." Hearing this, the corner of Li Luo''s mouth twitched a little. This girl was truly arrogant. However, he did not mindthe more, the merrier. So he nodded in agreement. Yue Zhiyu dashed to Li Hongyou''s side. Immense amounts of resonant power surrounded one of the Greater Evil Spirit and attacks rained down incessantly onto it. The pressure on Li Hongyou was reduced tremendously. She immediately heaved a sigh of relief as she wouldn''t have been able to hold off the attacks from the two Greater Evil Spirits for much longer. Yue Zhiyu summoned up all her strength. Her resonant power gushed out and suppressed the Greater Evil Spirit. Li Luo drew his bow once again. The arrow shook fiercely on the bowstring like a living, raging serpent. Terrifying poison energy and its undulations of power shook his surroundings yet again. In the next instant, the arrow was released. It flew through the air like a black beam of light, burrowing straight into the Greater Evil Spirit that had been suppressed by Yue Zhiyu. Upon contact, the poisonous energy that filled the arrow corroded it. Pitch black orifices surfaced on its body immediately from the disintegrative effect, and the "evil" character on its face faded rapidly. Very soon, it was turned into an inanimate, blood-red husk. Li Luo fell on his butt. His arms were flowing with putrid, black blood and he had no energy left to draw his bow anymore. The two arrows had exhausted all his strength. Lu Jinci, Jiang Wanyu, and the rest hurried over. They formed a circle around him to protect him from any other dangers. Li Luo sighed heavily. He had already done all that he could. The battles from this point onwards would no longer be his business. However, it was evident that he had done enough for the team. When Yue Zhiyu and Li Hongyou emerged victorious, the situation on the battlefield began to shift. Their mission at this Soul Summoning Altar could already be considered a success. Chapter 1137: Ranked 17th Chapter 1137: Ranked 17th When Li Luo fired off his second arrow to finish the Greater Evil Spirit, the situation on the battlefield changed drastically. Yue Zhiyu joined hands with Li Hongyou immediately to face off against the remaining Greater Evil Spirit. They were able to crush it completely in just a few minutes. It left a desiccated husk of blood-red skin on the ground. Following this, Yue Zhiyu and Li Hongyou went over to assist Meng Zhou and Zheng Yunfeng. They worked together and began to reap the opponents'' lives. Their situation improved tremendously. All of a sudden, a strong burst of energy could be felt in the distance. Li Luo raised his head, and the corner of his eye twitched a little. The source was the battle between Wang Kong and the three Greater Evil Spirits. This was the most intense fight on the battlefield. "Wang Kong is exceptionally strong. He is able to hold off three Greater Evil Spirits at the same time and he''s not even losing to them." Li Luo watched with a serious look. Wang Kong''s physical strength and defense were truly mind-boggling. He took a few direct hits from the Greater Evil Spirits and yet he had no serious injuries. Wang Kong had clearly perfected the use of his stone resonance. It was no surprise that he was ranked second in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Heavenly Star Hall. In fact, the group would not have lasted until Li Luo''s arrival if not for Wang Kong''s indomitable presence. He had been enduring most of the pressure on their side. Otherwise, most of them would have been critically injured or killed. One of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s students beside Li Luo noticed the way he was scrutinizing the fight. He smiled and explained, "Senior Wang Kong has the toughest body in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Heavenly Star Hall. Although he had an ordinary upbringing, his cultivation level has surpassed that of Senior Yue and Senior Wei, who both have illustrious backgrounds. "He''s also the only one in our college who has mastered the Ten Thousand Cuts Bone Refining Art." "Ten Thousand Cuts Bone Refining Art?" Li Luo responded. This sounded like a really formidable art. "Yes. It is a high-grade secret art from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. In order to cultivate it, one has to experience unbearable pain. It''s said that it feels like ten thousand blades slowly slicing away at one''s bones and flesh. Ordinary people cannot withstand it at all. However, this secret art does not require many cultivation resources, so it is also known as the common man''s secret art. Senior Wang Kong is the only one who has fully cultivated the art in recent generations, and hence the ordinary students in our college view him as an idol," the student explained with a voice full of idolatry. Hearing this, Li Luo also began to feel some admiration for Wang Kong. To endure such excruciating pain meant that his willpower was truly formidable. In a certain way, his path was the complete opposite of Li Luo''s. He had no family background whatsoever and had managed to rise up all thanks to his own hard work. As he let out a sigh in his heart, Li Luo focused his attention back onto his body. He could faintly sense the damage caused by the two poison arrows. His blood essence and resonant power had been greatly depleted, but they would recover with time. As for the dual poison in his body, he noticed that a decent amount had been used up. The poison was an external object placed into his body, and he had no way to replenish it. Therefore, it would continue to decrease whenever he utilized it. Based on the rate that it had been consumed earlier, he probably had less than ten dual poison arrows left. It was the first time in his life that he felt a sense of reluctance to part with the dual poison. It was, after all, such a sincere gift from Pei Hao. Now that Pei Hao was no longer around, the dual poison was the only thing that reminded Li Luo of him. "It seems I''ll have to find some other poison to replace it in the future," Li Luo thought to himself. However, the others could only watch in silence. From how Li Hongyou had helped Li Luo step into the nine-pearl tier earlier, it was evident that their relationship was special. Besides, Li Luo had contributed significantly to their victory. If not for his poison arrows, they would still be struggling against the Greater Evil Spirits even now. The battle would have dragged on, and if it attracted more Evil Spirits, they would be the ones in trouble. The others made full use of the time to rest and replenish their energy as well. After a while, Li Luo finally opened his eyes again. A pair of beautiful eyes were staring right back at him. It was none other than Li Hongyou. "Thank you, Senior Hongyou," Li Luo said with a smile. Although his eyes were closed earlier, he recognized the familiar energy flowing into him. He stood up and took a look around. The battle had concluded and the surroundings had fallen silent. Soon, his gaze paused in front of the Soul Summoning Altar. Wang Kong and Yue Zhiyu were standing near it and staring at the white mist that had gathered around it. It was gradually getting thinner. Previously, the thick mist acted like a shield and protected the Soul-calling Flag on the Soul Summoning Altar. Now that the Greater Evil Spirits had been slain, the mist was getting weaker. Li Luo walked over as well. Yue Zhiyu briefly glanced at him. Although she did not say anything, her gaze was much kinder than when they first met. Clearly, his performance in the earlier fight had obtained her recognition and acceptance. "Junior Li Luo, thank you for your help earlier. It''s truly extraordinary that you can use such terrifying poison arrows at the Heavenly Pearl Tier," Wang Kong said with a grin. Since the other party was so polite, Li Luo naturally replied similarly. "Senior Wang Kong, you''re too kind. My arrows were just some little tricks. What I did was nothing compared to how you single-handedly held down three Greater Evil Spirits." "Okay, okay. Stop praising each other." Yue Zhiyu''s lips curled up. "Since we have almost recovered, let''s work together to get rid of this white mist and destroy the Soul Summoning Altar." Li Luo nodded. He looked at the altar in front of him, and his heart skipped a beat. Back when they destroyed the Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar, the surroundings returned to their original state and they discovered the Heavenly Crimson Pills. Following this logic, this spot was surely one of the noteworthy nodes in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. In terms of worldly natural energy, it would surely surpass that of the city earlier. So, after they destroyed the altar and dispelled the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion, would there be an even rarer treasure? All this while, Li Luo had held off on using the Heavenly Crimson Pills for cultivation. This was because while the pills could aid him, they weren''t quite potent enough to catapult him into the nine-pearl tier in a single go. Therefore, what he really needed was something even better. Li Luo could barely contain his excitement as he tapped his feet on the ground. The easiest place to find such a treasure in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm would be... ...None other than here! Chapter 1138: Enlightened Spirit Lotus Chapter 1138: Enlightened Spirit Lotus After a brief moment of rest and recuperation, the rest of the group gathered in front of the Soul Summoning Altar. The white mist moved back as if it were a living thing. It condensed into a wall as a last ditch effort to protect the altar. "Let''s do it." After Yue Zhiyu gave the order, everyone launched their attacks towards the wall of white mist, and cracks quickly formed all over it. The protection from the white mist did not last long. The wall shattered after a few moments, and the altar stood right in front of their eyes. The mottled stone platform was pale white and in the center of the altar was a white soul-calling flag that fluttered in the wind. Countless strange whispers suddenly flooded out of it as it attempted to invade their minds. Some of the students'' faces turned ugly immediately. It was clear from the look in their eyes that they were struggling to fight against its influence. This soul-calling flag was clearly an insidious artifact. It was trying to corrupt and take over their minds. "Still trying to pull tricks on us?!" Yue Zhiyu''s cute face changed immediately. She possessed a ninth-grade light resonance, so the corruption had no effect on her. Quickly responding to the situation, she waved her scepter, and sacred flames shot out of the jewel on its tip. The soul-calling flag was set aflame immediately. Numerous cries came from the flag. The soul-calling flag was very weak on its own, so it was defenseless without the protection of the Greater Evil Spirits. In just a short while, the flames of purification burned it to ashes. When the soul-calling flag disappeared, Li Luo and group immediately noticed the surrounding world space changing. It gradually twisted and warped, and the streets and buildings began to disappear. It felt like an ink painting was being washed away. Nonetheless, Li Luo and the group did not mind this. They knew that the surroundings had been created by the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion. Now that they had destroyed the formation, the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion was gone from this area and the original Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm was returning. The ground below Li Luo''s feet had completely disappeared. He was now standing on the surface of a vast lake. The water was crystal clear and numerous fish were swimming about. It was a scene full of vitality and life that was the complete opposite of the streets filled with strange twisted Others that were the harbingers of death. Li Luo''s eyes moved across the lake and landed on the spot where the altar was located. There were ten lotus leaves quietly floating on the water. The lotus leaves was jade green in color and dozens of feet wide. Golden threads of light flowed on them with a mysterious charm that calmed people down. "Are those... Enlightened Spirit Lotuses?" "Senior Hongyou, what''s the matter?" Li Luo asked. Li Hongyou took a look at the Enlightened Spirit Lotus. "Do you trust me?" "Of course." Li Luo smiled. "Choose the one at the side." Li Hongyou pointed to the outer region, where there was a dry-looking Enlightened Spirit Lotus. Everyone was stunned by her words. Their faces were perplexed. Not only was that Enlightened Spirit Lotus young in terms of age, it looked really desiccated, as if it was about to wither and die. Yue Zhiyu took a careful look at the Enlightened Spirit Lotus suggested by Li Hongyou. She could not see anything special about it. "Li Hongyou, are you planning to let Li Luo give up on the best Enlightened Spirit Lotus so you can have it for yourself?" She was really direct with her words. Li Hongyou''s cute face froze a little when she heard this. However, just as she was about to speak up, Li Luo extended his hands and plucked out that specific Enlightened Spirit Lotus with his resonant power. Yue Zhiyu smirked coldly. "What a caring and doting Young Master from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. He would rather lose the Enlightened Spirit Lotus than break a girl''s heart." Li Luo smiled back. "I simply trust in Senior Hongyou''s judgment." Yue Zhiyu glared coldly at Li Luo. Was he implying that she had poor judgment? "Pass it to me." Li Hongyou held out her hands towards Li Luo. He gently placed the dry Enlightened Spirit Lotus onto her hands. As everyone watched with curiousity, Li Hongyou bit the tips of her own fingers. Fresh blood dripped out and landed on the Enlightened Spirit Lotus. All of a sudden, the blood boiled vigorously and spread across the surface of the Lotus leaf. Soon after, numerous dewdrops could be spotted under the lotus leaf. This dew gathered towards the center of the lotus leaf and gradually became a little pool. Then something surprising happened. Faint signs of violet light began to materialize in the pool at the center of the lotus leaf. After some time, it transformed into a golden-violet fish that was around the size of one''s palm. The little fish slowly swam in the pool, giving off a sense that it possessed sentience. Everyone stared at the fish in disbelief, especially Yue Zhiyu. She was dumbfounded for a moment before she stuttered, "Is that a... Spirit Lotus Essence?" Chapter 1139: Curse Lifted and Seven Pearls Chapter 1139: Curse Lifted and Seven Pearls "Spirit Lotus Essence?" Li Luo''s eyes widened when he heard Yue Zhiyu''s surprised cry. It was said that there was a very small chance for a Spirit Lotus Essence to be born in areas where large numbers of Enlightened Spirit Lotuses gathered. In simpler terms, this was the condensation of the spirituality of all the Enlightened Spirit Lotuses in the surroundings. It was truly the essence from the heavens and earth. However, it was extremely hard to satisfy the conditions for one to be created. They had the ability to seek good fortune and avoid evil, making it extremely difficult to catch. Therefore, no one had expected Li Luo to find a Spirit Lotus Essence with the help of Li Hongyou. Everyone stared at him with envy. They were extremely jealous at how he had picked it up right before their eyes. "Senior Hongyou, how did you know that this Enlightened Spirit Lotus contained Spirit Lotus Essence?" Li Luo asked in surprise. Li Hongyou had clearly known about it, which was why she had suggested Li Luo to give up on the oldest Enlightened Spirit Lotus and go for the feeble-looking one. Li Hongyou grinned and explained, "My resonance happens to be compatible with these natural treasures. As such, I noticed that the spirituality within that Enlightened Spirit Lotus differed from the others in the surroundings and asked you to give it a try." Hearing this, Li Luo gave her a big thumbs up. Who knew that her resonance had such a discerning eye for treasures? Yue Zhiyu took a look at Li Luo and Li Hongyou for a moment. Suddenly, a strange smile appeared on her face. "Li Hongyou, if you knew that this Enlightened Spirit Lotus contained Spirit Lotus Essence, why did you tell Li Luo about it? Wouldn''t it be better to keep it for yourself? Or is it because... you two are already at a stage where such treasures don''t matter? "Let me remind you kindly. Li Luo already has a fiancee and she''s really fierce. If you meet her later, things may turn ugly." Li Luo''s mouth twitched a little. Although she had phrased it as a kind reminder, he could tell from her tone that she couldn''t wait to watch the commotion that would inevitably ensue. However, Li Hongyou did not react to her taunt. Her relationship with Li Luo was not like what Yue Zhiyu had mentioned. "A Spirit Lotus Essence would not be do much for me, and you need it more than me," she told Li Luo. She knew that he was trying to reach the nine-pearl tier. Li Luo accepted it graciously. He had been preparing for a really long time, and the Spirit Lotus Essence would boost his confidence significantly. For now, he could only engrave this favor from Li Hongyou in his heart and hope to return it to her in the future. After Li Luo obtained the Spirit Lotus Essence, the others lined up and went forward to select their Enlightened Spirit Lotuses. At the end of the day, it was a joyous occasion for everyone. Li Luo raised his head and looked into the skies above their district. After they had destroyed the Soul Summoning Altar, the white mist that had originally filled the area was slowly dissipating. It was as if a huge part had gone missing in the sky above the city. He could tell that cracks had begun to form in the Ten Thousand Curses Ward that enveloped the area. Everyone waited for a while. However, there was no sign of the fourth altar going down. Yue Zhiyu frowned a little. "It seems like the main combatants have gone over to the three destroyed altars. It''s very challenging for the remaining forces to take down the fourth one." "I suggest we send someone over to help them," Wang Kong said. "I will bring some people over," Yue Zhiyu responded. Wang Kong nodded in agreement. As Yue Zhiyu was selecting the members to bring with her, their faces suddenly changed and their eyes all turned towards the north. The mist had begun to dissipate. At the same time, the Ten Thousand Curses Ward that enveloped the city was shaking tremendously. Countless black runes appeared in the sky above and started falling down like little worms. It was as if black rain was falling. "The Ten Thousand Curses Ward has been lifted?!" Everyone''s faces were full of surprise. Yue Zhiyu was also astonished by this. "Has the fourth altar been destroyed too? Who did it? Why was there no signal?" The others were perplexed over it as well. Based on their previous understanding, they would fire off a signal to inform the rest that the mission was accomplished, but it was silent from the fourth altar''s side. No one had sent any signal out. However, they did not have the luxury to ponder over this. With the Ten Thousand Curses Ward dispelled, the human skin lanterns floating in the sky above began to descend. The students that had been cursed began to recover. In the chaos, Li Hongyou suddenly turned towards Li Luo. The seventh Heavenly Pearl had begun to glow brighter behind his back! A strong wave of resonant power swept by. It slowly extended out of Li Luo''s body and drew everyone''s gazes. Li Luo opened his eyes, and a smile appeared on his face. The seventh Heavenly Pearl had successfully condensed. He was now another step closer to the nine-pearl tier. Chapter 1140: White Pillar, Blood Pool Chapter 1140: White Pillar, Blood Pool Li Luo''s breakthrough had attracted all of the attention from Yue Zhiyu and the rest of the group. They were astonished when they saw the brilliant seventh pearl floating behind him. However, it was not because of his successful breakthrough. Rather, it was because they were once again reminded that Li Luo was still only in the Heavenly Pearl stage. As a Heavenly Pearl, he could finish off two Greater Heavenly Resonance opponents. That was truly monstrous. "All four altars have been destroyed?" Li Luo asked as he stood up to stretch his muscles. He looked into the sky above. The cursed students had all begun to deflate and they were beginning to fall back down. Nonetheless, the others did not hurry over to help them. After all, the physical bodies of those who had reached the Fiend Body tier and above possessed a certain level of sturdiness. They would not be so unlucky to die from a fall just like this. "Yes. However, there is no signal from the fourth altar''s side. We do not know what''s happened but it seems like the altar has been destroyed." Li Hongyou explained. "I see." Li Luo found it a little odd too. Nonetheless, he did not dwell on it for too long. "Perhaps the ward has crumbled because the other three altars have been destroyed." Li Hongyou nodded her head. That was their guess as well. Yue Zhiyu''s eyes lighted up as she quickly added on, "Since the Ten Thousand Curses Ward has been dispelled, we should grab hold of time and head towards the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar in the center of the city!" The others agreed with her. As such, they did not dwell any further on the ward that had just been dispelled or the students that were still recovering from the curse. They summoned up their resonant power and dashed towards the center district of the city like bolts of lightning. At the same time, the teams who were still able to fight also made their way towards the center district. Everyone had the same thought in mind. ... At the location of the last destroyed Soul Summoning Altar. The scenery of the surrounding area began to change now that the altar had been destroyed. As the elites from both Ancient Colleges rushed towards the center district, this place turned back into a mountain stream. The mountain stream was dark. Although the Soul Summoning Altar had been destroyed, corruption did not dissipate here. Instead, it had gotten even stronger. Some strange chewing sounds could be heard from the shadows of the mountain stream. A few moments later, a shadow slowly walked out. The one at the front carried a blood ossuary. The others behind were carrying black ossuaries. "These elite students from the Ancient College are truly delicious delicacies. My precious had such an enjoyable time eating." A vicious smile appeared on one of the Black Ossuary Minions. He patted the black ossuary on his back as fresh blood continued to ooze out from the side. When the cover of the ossuary shook a little, one could faintly see a twisted and gooey monster in it. Previously, some of the students had also rushed over to the fourth altar. However, they were extremely unlucky. Not only did they have to contend with the Greater Evil Spirits, they also had to face the Murderous Ghost Horde. In the end, none of them survived. As Li Luo, Yue Zhiyu and the rest watched this scene in horror, a chill ran up their spines. Tui! Sonic booms could be heard from other directions as many figures dashed over and stopped nearby. Li Luo turned his head around and saw Feng Lingyuan, Wei Chonglou and the others. Strong resonant power surrounded their bodies as they held onto their treasured artifacts. Their bodies were full of injuries. It seemed like they had just finished a tough battle. Both sides were delighted to see each other. However, they did not approach each other directly. From the incident earlier, they had learnt to be careful and to verify each other''s identities first. "Li Luo, it seems like you''re fine. I thought you would have turned into one of those lanterns in the sky." Feng Lingyuan heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Li Luo. The previous incident had been too terrifying. Even some of the Greater Heavenly Resonance students fell prey to it, let alone a Heavenly Pearl like Li Luo. As he heard this, Li Luo smiled back helplessly. "Senior Hongyou and I happened to bump into Wang Kong and Yue Zhiyu." Wei Chonglou took a quick glance at him. "You''re a lucky individual, Junior Li Luo." He was clearly a little unhappy about things. His side had fought a deadly battle and even he had been injured in order to destroy the altar. Yet, Li Luo appeared to be completely unhurt under the protection of Wang Kong and Yue Zhiyu. This really didn''t sit quite right with him. Sensing his animosity, Li Luo did not give in. "It seems like Senior Wei has suffered." "I have slain one Greater Evil Spirit and seven Evil Spirits. Although there are some injuries, my companions are all safe. This is nothing." Wei Chonglou calmly replied. The other students that had come along with Wei Chonglou nodded their heads, praising Wei Chonglou for his courage and strength. At the same time, they glared back at Li Luo, hinting that he shouldn''t be mocking Wei Chonglou about it. Wei Chonglou took another look at Li Luo. He said in a warning tone, "Junior Li Luo, Junior Jiang has been known to possess unparalleled potential. If you''re just someone who sits on the side and enjoys the fruits of her labor, you''re going to tarnish her name." Li Luo smiled back. "This is between the two of us. There''s no need for you to worry about it." At this point, a hint of fury flashed in Wei Chonglou''s eyes. He was clearly provoked by Li Luo''s words. "Alright, stop finding trouble, Wei Chonglou. Although I don''t quite like him, I have to admit it. If Li Luo did not help us kill off two Greater Evil Spirits earlier, we will be in a much worse position right now." At this point, Yue Zhiyu unwillingly interrupted the two of them. "Which is why, if you''re saying he''s made no contribution, I am afraid no one from our side will agree with you." As she finished her sentence, everyone was shocked. Even Feng Lingyuan and Wei Chonglou were startled, as if they had misheard her. "Li Luo finished off two Greater Evil Spirits?!" Chapter 1141: Devil Egg Chapter 1141: Devil Egg After hearing what Yue Zhiyu said, Feng Lingyuan, Wei Chonglou, Duan Mu and the rest were shocked. Although they knew Li Luo had some tricks up his sleeves, he was still a Heavenly Pearl. Even if he could defeat some of the Lesser Heavenly Resonance opponents, the Greater Evil Spirit was at the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage! It would be a tough feat for some of the students in the Upper Heavenly Star Hall as Others were infamous for their bizarre powers and tenacious lifeforce. They were notoriously tough to finish off. Yet, Li Luo had slain two Greater Evil Spirits? They could tell from Yue Zhiyu''s expression that she was not joking. Li Luo looked at their stunned expressions. He responded in a helpless tone, "Haven''t you checked the scoreboard?" Wei Chonglou''s face twitched a little. He would check his own ranking and the movements in the top 10 occasionally but why would he care about Li Luo? On the other hand, Feng Lingyuan took it seriously and opened up her scoreboard. On the 17th rank, she spotted Li Luo''s name. The "A" Merit behind it must be proof that Li Luo had really killed the Greater Evil Spirits. "Did you use the strength of that spirit beast? We''re in the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion currently. The spirit beast is extremely vicious and it''s very susceptible to getting corrupted." Feng Lingyuan asked with a frown. Li Luo shook his head. "It''s just another little trick in my arsenal." This chapter is updated by A light flashed by Feng Lingyuan''s eyes once more. Li Luo could fight against these Greater Evil Spirits even without relying on the external aid from the spirit beast? Just how many treasures did this Third Young Master of Dragon''s Fang Lineage possess? Wei Chonglou''s face changed a little as well. It was not too hard for people like him to kill a Greater Evil Spirit. However, Li Luo was just a Heavenly Pearl. Back when he was a Heavenly Pearl, he definitely wouldn''t have been able to do it. As such, Wei Chonglou had to admit that Li Luo was more capable than he had expected. On the other hand, Duan Mu did not dwell on this topic for too long. He looked towards the giant pit in front of them. The pool of blood and that giant white pillar was too eye-catching. "This is the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar, right?" The feminine face of Duan Mu turned serious as he asked. He looked up onto the bleeding and flayed humans hanging in the air above. His face darkened. "These human candles that have lost their skins are the students that''ve been kidnapped. I can see a few familiar faces among them. Although they''ve lost their skins, I can still sense it''s them." The others were aghast. These bloody bodies that were barely recognizable were the students who had been kidnapped? However, they were soon filled with fury. These students were their companions after all. Now, look at what they had become? "There is still some lifeforce left in them. The Greater Evil Spirits must have kidnapped them in order to feed their blood essence to the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar." Feng Lingyuan said. Yue Zhiyu''s face turned gloomy as well. She looked at the pool of blood and said in a disgusted voice, "Let''s do it together. We''ll destroy this Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar directly." She took a step forward. Dazzling light resonant power surged out of her body, transforming into a beam of light that was thousands of feet tall and shot towards the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar directly. The others did not stop her. They knew that someone needed to step forward and launch the first strike. Li Luo grabbed tightly onto his Dragon Elephant Blade. The blade sliced through the void in a flash as a black dragon roared into life along with the stream of pitch black water, charging straight towards the Others at the front. Many of the Others were wiped out by it''s onslaught. Nonetheless, two Evil Spirits were more tenacious and survived, dragging along their broken bodies and continued charging towards the group. Tui! Two black rays of death flew across the void and landed on the two Evil Spirits, directly melting them down into a puddle of pungent black water. Li Luo turned around. This was done by Li Hongyou, who was standing not too far away from him. She held onto the Blackwood Feather Fan and smiled back at him. "Thank you, Senior Hongyou." Li Luo responded with a grin. He did not really require much assistance from her but she had clearly decided to stick close to him in case the situation turned south. "A great battle is coming. Seven pearls won''t be enough." Li Luo took a glance at the seven radiant pearls behind his back. Then, he looked at the Others that were swarming towards them. His eyes were not filled with fear. Rather, it was burning with excitement. The three resonant palaces in his body rang out. He had reached the peak for his current state. At this moment, Li Luo knew that his chance had arrived. He took out the Enlightened Spirit Lotus that he had obtained previously. In the middle of the lotus leaf, there was a small golden violet fish swimming in it. Li Luo reached out his hand and used his resonant power to extract out the Spirit Lotus Essence. Then, he took out his Heavenly Crimson Pills too. He inserted the Heavenly Crimson Pills into the mouth of the Spirit Lotus Essence fish first. Afterwards, he put his palms together. His resonant power skyrocketed as he condensed the Spirit Lotus Essence into a tiny ball of light. Li Luo sliced the front of his chest open with his Dragon Elephant Blade. Then, he inserted the ball of light into it. His blood began to react vigorously. As the ball of light cruised through his body, seemingly endless amounts of energy flooded into his limbs and bones. His eyes grew more passionate as the energy rapidly spread throughout his body. He held firmly onto his Dragon Elephant Blade and charged towards the army of Others directly. Right now, he needed a grand battle to help him completely refine and absorbed the large amount of energy coursing through his body. This would set the stage for him to complete the breakthrough he''d long been waiting for. Nine Heavenly Pearls! As the fierce battle erupted around the pool of blood, the Blood Ossuary Carrier continued to watch secretly from the shadows not too far away. "What a crowd." The eyes of the Blood Ossuary Carrier lit up as he stared at the Devil Egg in the vortex of the pool of blood. At this moment, the blood ossuary behind him was shaking violently. Numerous bloody red eyeballs were trying to squeeze out from the edges around the ossuary. The Blood Ossuary Carrier pressed tightly onto the lid of his ossuary. His gaze held a fanatical desire to get ahold of that Devil Egg. "That is a..." "True Devil Embryo!" Chapter 1142: Pinnacle of the Heavenly Pearl Stage Chapter 1142: Pinnacle of the Heavenly Pearl Stage Resonant power and corruption raged wildly in the sky as the fierce battle broke out outside the pool of blood. One after another, majestic Heavenly Resonance Diagrams extended across the sky, absorbing the worldly natural energy and transforming it into beams of resonant power that rained back down like divine judgment. Feng Lingyuan, Wang Kong, Yue Zhiyu, Duan Mu and Wei Chonglou were the main force from the two Ancient Colleges. As the strongest line of defense from the students side, they each confronted two or more Greater Evil Spirits. Magnificent Duke Arts were launched consecutively at their opponents. Meanwhile, the other students tried their best to handle the Evil Spirits and the Others transformed from their schoolmates'' skins. The fight escalated fiercely right off the bat. As the Others were being eliminated, some of the students lost their lives too. This could not be helped. After all, it was a life and death battle here. It wasn''t the warm and protected training ground back in their schools. Expecting these heartless Others to stop when it''s enough would be ridiculous. Everyone pushed their resonant power to its extreme. Their veins stung from the heavy collisions and their eyes turned bloodshot. Yet, none of them dared to stop for a single second. They continued to charge towards these Others and killed as many as they could. Zong Sha, Jiang Wanyu and Lu Jinci were fighting together. Amongst them, Jiang Wanyu was the weakest. She had managed to reach the five-pearl stage with the help of the Heavenly Crimson Pills earlier. However, this was barely sufficient in a crazy battlefield like this. If not for the help of Zong Sha and the others, she would have been ambushed by the Others multiple times. This was a truly risky mission. Heavenly Pearls like them could only hope to keep themselves safe. After all, not every Heavenly Pearl was as monstrous as Li Luo. Zong Sha held firmly onto his spear. A Heavenly Resonance GoldenSeal appeared above his head. Golden beams of light shot out from his gold seal and the Others surrounding him swiftly retreated. Only one of the Evil Spirits endured the strike from the golden beam and continued charging towards him. For a moment, the spear in Zong Sha''s hands flashed like a bright light. It stabbed directly towards the Evil Spirit. Dang! It was like the sound of metal being struck. Zong Sha took a few steps back, trembling from the impact. The Evil Spirit was not any weaker compared to him. In fact, cracks had appeared in their line of defense as soon as he was pushed back. The other Evil Spirit charged forward in a strange and unusual pattern. A sharp ring echoed in the air. Its razor sharp claws surrounded with eerie cold corruption slashed directly at Jiang Wanyu behind him. Zong Sha''s face changed immediately. He tried to rush back to her aid but the Evil Spirit in front of him had dashed forward with another strike. Corruption surged and he was forced back into self defense. Lu Jinci and Deng Zhu were slightly stronger but they were still at the seven-pearl stage. Their resonant power surged up and they confronted the incoming Evil Spirit. Weng! As the two sides clashed, the two of them were knocked back as fresh blood spewed out of their mouths. They were sent flying back directly, rolling on the ground almost defeated. The corruption continued to swamp towards them. Countless strange whispers echoed in their minds as their gazes lost focus. Seeing this, Jiang Wanyu gritted her teeth. Five radiant heavenly pearls materialized behind her, with a slight crack appearing on one of it. She acted decisively. She knew that the gap in strength between her and the Evil Spirit was too great. As such, she had decided to sacrifice one of her Heavenly Pearl to buy some time for her comrades. Weng! Just as she made her decision, a domineering stream of blade energy flew across the void. A draconic roar echoed in the air as the blade energy sliced through the thick layers of corruption and directly decapitated the Evil Spirit. Nonetheless, the headless Evil Spirit continued to charge forward. Resonant power surged up and a flash of light flew out of Jiang Wanyu''s blade. The void was torn open and a fire dragon roared to life. "Purgatory''s Crimson Dragon Banner!" The fire dragon bared its fangs and claws and directly clashed against the decapitated Evil Spirit. As it had been severely injured, its aura of corruption had weakened. The fire dragon was able to penetrate and incinerate it into nothingness. New novel chapters are published on Jiang Wanyu heaved a sigh of relief. She turned her head to see where the blade energy had come from. On the spot, it was Li Luo with his Dragon Elephant Blade. He stepped forward to confront the incoming Evil Spirit. "Thank you." Jiang Wanyu said. At the same time, they dashed forward from their spots and attempted to stop it. However, Li Luo did not retreat. He slowly lifted the Dragon Elephant Blade in his hand. His toes landed on the ground. His ankles bent and the ground cracked open. His figure blasted forward as the energy in his body skyrocketed. Simultaneously, the Heavenly Pearls behind his back rotated madly forming a sight that resembled a dazzling halo. The three resonant palaces roared to life in tandem as violent sparks jumped wildly across his blade. The mark of dual resonance power also appeared as his blade slashed down and the void tore open. Endless thunderclaps could be heard coming out from within. A huge dragon head slowly emerged. It was majestic and ferocious, with lightning flowing between its sharp fangs and claws. This was the... Heavenly Judgment''s Silver Dragon Banner! In his currently nearly perfect state, Li Luo had finally mastered this Duke Art. As he was at the edge of breaking through, it contained an immense amount of resonant power that far surpassed any previous times. The Thunder Dragon and blade energy fused together. In the next moment, it clashed against the incoming Evil Spirit. The shockwaves were so strong that some of the Greater Heavenly Resonance students nearby looked over in surprise. Under their gazes, Li Luo directly confronted that elite Evil Spirit. Weng! The ground cracked open at their point of confrontation. The wild energy shockwaves directly eradicated some of the Others nearby. The elite Evil Spirit maintained its pace of charging forward. However, cracks filled with lightning energy emerged on its body after a dozen more steps. The lightning crackled once again and the body of the Evil Spirit exploded. All the other students had their eyes widened in disbelief. Zong Sha, Lu Jinci and the group took in a deep breath. That elite Evil Spirit that they couldn''t take down together was slain by Li Luo in a single slash. After staring in disbelief, Jiang Wanyu was the only one whose eyes turned into admiration. In the next moment, she noticed that he placed his blade down. The brilliant heavenly pearls began to rotate wildly... One pearl... three pearls... five pearls... eight pearls... Jiang Wanyu''s eyes paused at the spot beside the eighth heavenly pearl. Over there, there was another glaring heavenly pearl. It quietly rotated. This heavenly pearl was clearly many times stronger than the others. Because... It was the ninth heavenly pearl. The Pinnacle of the Heavenly Pearl stage, Nine Heavenly Pearls! Li Luo had finally completed his breakthrough. Chapter 1143: Discovered Chapter 1143: Discovered In the chaotic battlefield, Li Luo''s side had turned into a piece of scorched earth. Violent lightning energy sparkled and the ground was incinerated into a desolate plain. He stood there with his blade drawn, his eyes glowing with a brilliant dazzle. Nine radiant Heavenly Pearls rotated behind his back, devouring worldly natural energy from the surroundings like a whale. Extremely strong waves of resonant power were coming from Li Luo''s body. Everyone watched in awe.New novel chapters are published on "Nine Heavenly Pearls!" Although they were in the middle of the battle, many of them couldn''t help but exclaim out loud. The waves of resonant power coming from him were so strong that they even attracted the attention of Feng Lingyuan, Yue Zhiyu, and Wei Chonglou. Although they were fighting against Greater Evil Spirits, they couldn''t help but turn their attention to the nine pearls rotating behind Li Luo. Everyone''s eyes changed immediately. For the elite students in the Upper Hall, reaching the nine-pearl stage was challenging but not impossible. They were all talented individuals, and many possessed ninth-grade resonances. As such, it wasn''t unheard of for them to reach this tier as welll. However, most of them attained it when they entered the Four Star Hall. Li Luo, on the other hand, managed to do it while he was still in the Three Star Hall. It was merely a year''s difference, but they understood how much more challenging such a feat was. Even the proud Yue Zhiyu had to admit that she wouldn''t have been able to do it when she was in his position. Her background, talent, and resources weren''t an issue, yet she lacked something in the end. However, Li Luo had managed to do it. Everyone watched with perplexed looks. It was no wonder Jiang Qing''e admired him so much. His talent, background, and looks were unparalleled. Any girl would easily fall in love with him. Wei Chonglou gritted his teeth furiously. Damn it! His competitor was too strong. Not only was he already engaged to Jiang Qing''e, he was well liked by her too. It was such a strong bond that even outsiders could feel it. It was a perfect scenario with barely any flaws. He could feel tremendous pressure from this love rival. It was really an immense mountain to overcome. Li Luo smiled brightly as he looked back at the curious gazes from the surroundings. The day had finally arrived. Nine Heavenly Pearls! He had worked so hard and prepared so much for this. Thankfully, his hard work had paid off. He had finally attained it. The pinnacle of the Heavenly Pearl Tier, Nine Heavenly Pearls. An extremely solid foundation was required in order to achieve it. As such, many referred to those who reached this tier as Duke Seedlings. Even if something went wrong down the road, a Duke Seedling would have no issues reaching the Duke Stage. Immense amounts of resonant power flowed in Li Luo''s body. It was many times more intense than what he felt when he was back at the seven-pearl tier. "Ah, the nine-pearl tier! With this, I probably wouldn''t lose even against True Seal-grade opponents at the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier. I''m probably invincible against anyone below the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier too. If I have to face a Greater Heavenly Resonance opponent, I will probably be evenly matched without using the wolf or the Great Sanguine Poison Art." Of course, he was referring to ordinary Greater Heavenly Resonance cultivators with a Heavenly Resonance Diagrams spanning a few thousand feet. It would be a different story for those in the later stages. People like Feng Lingyuan and Yue Zhiyu had Heavenly Resonance Diagrams that spanned more than eighty thousand feet. At this moment, Li Luo''s body was in peak condition. His senses were extremely acute as he had just finished his breakthrough. He could clearly sense the energy flowing through every corner of the battlefield. At the same time, he walked towards the battlefield. Many of the students were forced to retreat because of the tremendous pressure he was radiating. They could tell that the man with the red coffin was even more deadly than the Greater Evil Spirits. A cruel smile appeared on the Blood Coffin Carrier''s face. He waved his sleeves, and an energy storm swept up in the surroundings, blasting towards the students. "Hey!" Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook violently. Jade-green resonant power surged upwards and trees began to grow out of thin air. The trees formed a protective barrier to keep the cold energy away. The frigid energy was extremely merciless. When the two came into contact, the trees withered immediately. A figure appeared on the top of the tree. It was none other than Duan Mu, ranked third in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. He was the first to free up his hands, so he had stepped in to stop the Blood Coffin Carrier''s attack. "Where did this creepy thing come from? Go away!" Duan Mu stared back at him coldly. A majestic Heavenly Resonance Diagram expanded above his head. It was jade-green in color, looking like an ancient forest full of vitality. He did not say anymore words as he watched the Blood Coffin Carrier walk forward. He formed hand seals with both hands so rapidly that afterimages followed behind, and immense resonant power poured out of him. Worldly natural energy descended from the Heavenly Resonance Diagram above and fused with his own resonant power. At the next moment, a giant green hand appeared in the sky above. The giant hand was covered in countless ancient runes, and it formed hand seals. At the same time, an extremely domineering pressure descended from above. When some of the students from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College saw this, they couldn''t help but exclaim, "That is the Emerald Wood Buddha''s Hand from Senior Duan Mu! It''s a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art!" Clearly, Duan Mu did not dare to hold back against the mysterious man. He had used his strongest art right from the start. The Emerald Buddha''s Hand pressed down with overwhelming power and weight, almost akin to Mount Tai. However, there was no fear on the face of the Blood Coffin Carrier. He gently patted the coffin on his back, causing it to open slightly, and a blood-red tentacle slithered out of it. Then it directly stabbed into the back of the Blood Coffin Carrier. A line of cracks appeared on the chest of the Blood Coffin Carrier, and a strange, red eyeball emerged from one of the cracks. Roar! The blood-red eye blinked a few times, then blood-red flames surged forth and confronted the domineering Emerald Buddha''s Hand. Bang! When the two came into contact, an astonishing energy explosion erupted. However, the crowd''s faces quickly changed when the Emerald Buddha''s Hand withered rapidly, incinerated by the flames. In just a few seconds, Duan Mu''s strongest art was turned to ashes. The Blood Coffin Carrier slowly walked past the ashes towards Duan Mu with a chilly grin. "Is this all you can do, geniuses of the ancient colleges?" Chapter 1144: Chaos Envelops the Battlefield Chapter 1144: Chaos Envelops the Battlefield The Murderous Ghost Horde had made their appearance in the frenetic battlefield, causing the situation to descend into even greater chaos. However, the chaos was not good news for the students. They had now become the joint targets of both the Murderous Ghost Horde and the Evil Spirits!Follow current novels at novelhall.com) What was most surprising was that the Blood Coffin Carrier had demonstrated utterly surprising strength. Even the Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s Duan Mu, who was ranked third, had been suppressed. Based on the students'' estimations, he could very well be on par with Wu Changkong! Duan Mu and the Blood Coffin Carrier''s clash had been noticed by Feng Lingyuan, Yue Zhiyu, and Wang Kong. Their hearts sank as they understood that they had to regroup and reassess the situation. "Feng Lingyuan, you and Wei Chonglou need to quickly assist Duan Mu to fend off that individual. The Greater Evil Spirits here will be dealt with by Wang Kong, Li Hongyou, and me!" Yue Zhiyu quickly shouted. "Are you able to handle the situation with just the three of you?" Feng Lingyuan frowned. They were dealing with almost ten Greater Evil Spirits, so how could just the three of them pull off a win? "It might be tricky, but we should be able to hold on." Yue Zhiyu continued, "Wang Kong''s defenses are robust, and he will hold on with all his strength, attracting the attacks of the Greater Evil Spirits. Li Hongyou and I will support him, and we should be able to block them for a period of time." Wang Kong smiled bitterly when he heard her. Having to clash with ten-odd Greater Evil Spirits would be an arduous task, and if anything went wrong, he would be torn to pieces. The bright side was that with Li Hongyou''s supportive capabilities, it was actually possible. He understood that in the current situation, Duan Mu could not block off the Blood Coffin Carrier and would definitely require Feng Lingyuan and Wei Chonglou''s reinforcement. Feng Lingyuan sighed deeply and nodded. "I''ll leave it to you." Her figure flashed, transforming into a black shadow that rushed away. Wei Chonglou did not say much either, gloomily following her. As they retreated, many Greater Evil Spirits attempted to give chase, but Wang Kong jumped between them and blocked any chance of that. "Roar!" Wang Kong bellowed loudly and his body expanded. The surface of his skin flowed with a grayish-white light that made him resemble a statue made of stone. "Oh? Three at once?" The Blood Coffin Carrier''s eyebrow raised when he saw the new additions. "It looks like things will finally get interesting." Although his words sounded casual, the Blood Coffin Carrier''s gaze had turned serious. The ancient colleges possessed a deep foundation and were no weaker than the Heavenly Emperor powers. These three were all elites from the ancient colleges, and even though he was not scared of one, three of them joining hands would pose a threat. The Blood Coffin Carrier stretched his hand out and patted the coffin on his back. At the same time, more tentacles burst out and directly penetrated his flesh. His upper clothes were ripped apart, revealing his crimson body. At the same time, the flesh on his arms split apart, and two blood-red eyeballs surfaced. Frightening amounts of icy energy blasted out from his body like a hurricane. Feng Lingyuan, Wei Chonglou, and Duan Mu''s eyes shrank. "Hehe, the ancient colleges are far too pedantic. They treat the Others as mortal enemies, but they don''t understand that the fusion of the two is truly the true way." The Blood Coffin Carrier''s eyes quickly turned bloodshot and his smiling expression turned twisted and feral. "Looking at you right now, do you even consider yourself human?" Feng Lingyuan coldly asked. The Blood Coffin Carrier didn''t seem to mind. "Only strength matters. Who cares about looks? Once I hack off your limbs, will you be any different from a squirming worm struggling on the ground?" Feng Lingyuan no longer wasted her breath trying to speak with him. The trio exchanged looks before majestic amounts of resonant power were summoned up, soaring into the skies. Heavenly Resonance Diagrams materialized, immediately devouring worldly natural energy and channeling it into their wielders. At the next moment, the trio explosively dashed forward and activated truly awe-inspiring Duke Arts, throwing them at the Blood Coffin Carrier with the intent to kill. The Blood Coffin Carrier remained unfazed. His body trembled and the coffin on his back was now wielded as a massive weapon. Gloomy energy twisted around it and was then directed at the trio. Bang! The cataclysmic clash between Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivators had started. As the trio exchanged blows with the Blood Coffin Carrier, the Black Coffin Carriers stirred up the gloomy energy in their surroundings and entered the battlefield as well. The ancient colleges'' squads allocated a group of their Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier elites to fend them off. Unfortunately, with the addition of the Murderous Ghost Horde, the students had been forced into a perilous situation and their offensive had been involuntarily scaled back. It was at this point that two Black Coffin Carriers approached Li Luo. Chapter 1145: Double Dragon Might Chapter 1145: Double Dragon Might The two Black Coffin Carriers flanked Li Luo on his left and right, their venomous, cold eyes fixated on him. One even revealed a brutal smile. They enjoyed seeing an expression of utter despair on a youthful genius. "Oh? A nine-pearl? Is that supposed to be amazing?" The Black Coffin Carriers glanced at the resplendent Heavenly Pearls behind Li Luo, and their gazes turned sinister. "Isn''t it pretty cool? I suppose it is." Li Luo shrugged with a face full of smiles. The duo''s eyes flashed with murderous intent. Did this brat really think that they were complimenting him? How did he have the gall to brag in such a situation? One of them gave a deep smile and stomped the ground. A wave of cold energy roared forth as the black coffin behind him shot outwards in a beam of black light, slamming right into Li Luo. When the black coffin launched itself towards Li Luo like a cannonball, it caused the void to crack and split. "Watch out, Li Luo!" Jiang Wanyu hurriedly warned him. This was all she could do as the two Black Coffin Carriers were at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier and she would only be a burden if she tried to step into this battle. The situation of the students was not looking optimistic. The mysterious coffin carriers had ruined whatever advantage they had obtained. Zong Sha and the rest were fending off the Others with all their might. When they saw what was happening to Li Luo, they inevitably felt worried for him. Although Li Luo was in peak condition, even reaching the nine-pearl tier, the ones who were attacking him were a whole stage above him! Could it even be called a match? As a result, they naturally felt a little pessimistic. In the midst of their worry, Li Luo tightly grasped the Dragon Elephant Blade and the nine Heavenly Pearls behind him began to radiate with even greater brilliance as they absorbed copious amounts of worldly natural energy, almost akin to a black hole and its event horizon. Feeling the massive amounts of energy flowing into his body, Li Luo took in a deep breath. This strength was his and his alone, not power borrowed from Li Hongyou. He wasn''t at all inferior to someone at the True Seal-grade. Alas, the opponents before him were even stronger. Thus, Li Luo immediately activated the golden water pearls within his resonant palaces without hesitation. Source origin flooded into him and fused with his resonant power. The majestic amounts of resonant power within him began to qualitatively transform yet again. He was now filled with mighty resonant power in every nook and cranny of his body.Follow current novels at novelhall.com) Li Luo chopped downwards with the Dragon Elephant Blade that was imbued with blade energy, directly clashing with the black coffin that was flying towards him. He had to test out his strength and see if he could truly compete with those at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. Clang! A moment later, a metallic sound rang out, and great amounts of energy immediately spilled across the battlefield and shattered the void. The surroundings had been wrecked as a result of the clash, leaving deep cracks in the ground. The Dragon Elephant Blade in Li Luo''s hand shook violently and his body was also shaking as a result. The terrible resultant rebound force that coursed through his body was then eroded by his resonant power. At the same time, the Black Coffin Carrier whom Li Luo was targeting could feel alarm bells ringing in his heart when he saw the two dragons that were rapidly lunging at him. "You brat... it seems I''ve underestimated you. Do you really think I can be killed so easily?" The Black Coffin Carrier revealed a ruthless expression and formed a hand seal. "Other Transformation!" The Other Transformation was their strongest trump card. The black coffins on each of their backs contained an Other that they were raising. At some point in the future, they would fuse with those Others, and their own strength would experience a meteoric rise. Bang! The black Coffin that was now suspended a few feet behind him began to shake violently. However, the look in his eyes began to change into one full of fear. He realized that no matter how much the coffin shook, the lid remained stuck and the Other was unable to escape and assimilate with him. "What is going on!?" the Black Coffin Carrier shouted in horror Yet he had no time to turn around and figure out what was going on, as the draconic Duke Arts were barreling towards him with the intent to destroy everything in their wake. The Black Coffin Carrier could only roar as the black, icy energy poured out of his body and transformed into a black glacier before him. Boom! The two Duke Arts clashed against it, and violent energy undulations radiated in every direction, causing the void to shudder. Things did not end here. Li Luo''s attack was not so easily resolved. The two dragons violently bashed apart the black glacier and reached the Black Coffin Carrier. A moment later, he felt as though he was flying, but all he saw was a headless body that was standing where he used to be. He had been decapitated just like that. As his head rolled, he finally had the time to look at his coffin. He suddenly realized that a black plaque was lodged within it. The plaque was engraved with the character "Li," and it gave off a terrifyingly oppressive aura. That tiny object was holding the coffin''s lid down like a mountain holding up the skies, preventing the Other from breaking out and merging with him. "What is that?" "That black plaque... did he attach it onto the coffin when they clashed?" These thoughts ran through the Black Coffin Carrier''s mind. Although his head was separated from his body, he had yet to die as his body possessed tenacious amounts of vitality as a result of fusing with the Other for a long period of time. "If I can reattach my head..." he thought to himself. But then he saw an arrow made of light energy whizzing towards him. It contained immense amounts of divine power. The light arrow directly penetrated his defenseless head. The holy power within the arrow began to spread, and the Black Coffin Carrier felt utter terror at this development. His vitality was beginning to dissipate at a rapid rate and even his robust lifeforce was unable to keep up. In his last moments, he turned towards Li Luo. The brat had put down his intimidating greatbow and was smiling at him while waving his hand. It was like he was saying goodbye to him. "Damn it! I''ve been had!" The last thoughts in his mind were filled with regret, then his vision turned black. Chapter 1146: Did You Really Think Its All Luck? Chapter 1146: Did You Really Think It''s All Luck? With the Black Coffin Carrier''s death, the violent shaking of the black coffin slowly calmed down. Then it fell onto the ground with a loud thud, and sharp, shrill cry suddenly came from the creature inside. Crack! Cracks appeared all over the black coffin, then it completely shattered. Pitch-black flesh and blood pooled around the pieces. The end result was a horrifying soup of muck and eyeballs. However, the vicious eyeballs were disintegrating at an alarming rate. Just a few moments later, they completely broke down. The remaining flesh laid completely motionless before simply turning into dust as well. The Black Coffin Carrier, an enemy at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, had been slain. Everyone was shocked. Zong Sha and Jiang Wanyu were dumbfounded as they stared at Li Luo. They had been worried about him ever since his fight started. They never would''ve guessed that he was capable of finishing off one of the Black Coffin Carriers with so much ease. It was a Greater Heavenly Resonance opponent! Although Li Luo had shown them how he could instantly kill a Greater Evil Spirit, it was largely thanks to the poisonous arrow that also inflicted grievous injuries upon him. But he had finished his opponent off with his own strength now. Was the nine-pearl tier so perverse that it could rival the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier?! It was indeed hard to reach it, but it was not like they had never seen it. Nine-pearls were nowhere near this formidable, right? As everyone stared at him in disbelief, Li Luo grasped the Dragon Elephant Blade and let out a long sigh. The surging resonant power in his body slowly began to calm down. His sudden blitz had achieved his desired outcome. Most importantly, he had managed to catch one of his opponents by surprise and finished him off. He stretched out his hand. The black plaque on the coffin''s lid flew back into his palm. He rubbed it with a smile on his face. The Heavenly Emperor''s Writ was really useful. He just wanted to test things out, to see if the terrifying aura from the plaque could possibly restrict his opponent''s coffin. The effect was better than he had thought. The plaque had prevented the Black Coffin Carrier from fusing with his Other. Otherwise, he would have managed to complete the Other Transformation, and Li Luo''s Twin Dragon Duke Art might not have been enough to kill him. Although the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ did not contain any offensive prowess of its own, it was certainly better than a triple violet-eye treasured artifact if one knew how to use it well. Li Luo thought about it. Suddenly, he sensed some vibrations coming from the Ancient Spirit Leaf on the back of his hand. He focused his mind to check the incoming message. A Merit obtained. He was delighted. The Black Coffin Carriers were considered for the scoreboard as well. "Not bad... not bad indeed." He beamed happily and looked over at the other Black Coffin Carrier greedily. At this point, the Black Coffin Carrier''s expression was extremely dark. The sudden attack from Li Luo was too ferocious. They had clearly let their guards down. After all, it was two Greater Heavenly Resonance cultivators against one Heavenly Pearl cultivator. Even though Li Luo was a nine-pearl, common sense dictated they had an overwhelming advantage. He thought that his comrade could have easily handled it, especially with Li Luo charging up towards him directly. Who would have expected that Li Luo''s frenetic outburst of strikes would result in such a deadly conclusion?Follow current novels at novelhall.com) Most importantly, his comrade had failed to activate the Other Transformation. "It must jave been the work of the plaque on the coffin''s lid. What in the blazes is that thing? Did it forcefully prevent the Other from coming out?" The Black Coffin Carrier shot Li Luo a suspicious look. It was the first time he had experienced something like this. That brat had a lot of strange methods up his sleeves. The face of the Black Coffin Carrier changed again, and he tapped on the lid of his coffin decisively. In the next moment, the lid shifted aside and the seals changed. "Other Transformation!" Pitch-black flesh reached out of the black coffin. It was an extremely disgusting and unnerving creature covered in countless eyeballs. The black flesh wriggled and crawled into the Black Coffin Carrier''s body directly. Then his body began to expand. A few moments later, he turned into a black giant that was dozens of feet tall. His body was riddled with black cysts, just like a toad. The end result was a fiendish creature that instilled fear in all who saw him. Although it was extremely hideous, the waves of resonant power he was emitting were nothing to scoff at. They instantly swept across the field like a raging tsunami. In just a few moments, there was nothing left. However, it was then that Li Luo launched his surprise attack. When the dragonbreaths dissipated, two black rays shot through them. There was a stinging smell in the air that was so noxious that anyone who breathed it in would turn dizzy. Clearly, some kind of terrifying poison was at work here. It was the poison from Li Luo''s Great Sanguine Poison Art! The poison was extremely tyrannical. It completely reversed the situation and eroded the grayish-black beam coming from the Black Coffin Carrier, allowing it to fly towards him unimpeded. When the poison landed on the body of the Black Coffin Carrier, it began to rot. His giant body full of cysts began to melt before everyone''s eyes. His face turned ugly. He could sense how dangerous the poison was. He let out a cry, and his body full of cysts began to wriggle. Soon, multiple eyeballs emerged and shot out black rays, trying to prevent the poison from completely destroying his body. The Black Coffin Carrier was ultimately able to suppress the poison with his persistent regeneration and tenacious lifeforce, though he was left in a rather pitiful state. "What a tricky brat. Once I get rid of the poison, I will strike with full strength. I have to finish him as soon as possible to prevent any unnecessary trouble!" he thought to himself angrily as he focused on dealing with the poison. However, he suddenly sensed another change while he was thinking about how to deal with Li Luo. While he was focused on dealing with the poison, a light filled with unparalleled sharpness suddenly appeared. The Black Coffin Carrier was startled. Something wasn''t right. Something else was hidden within the poison! Incomparably sharp blade energy flew out of the black poison. It was like a python hidden in the dark, lying in wait to deliver a deadly strike. It was the blade energy from the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation! Li Luo had hidden a strand of the Dragon Fang Sword in the depths of the poison! The blade energy rushed towards him with astonishing speed. With his defenses torn apart earlier, the Black Coffin Carrier''s body was sliced up as soon as the blade energy flew by. The numerous eyeballs that had emerged on his skin were shattered to pieces as soon as the blade energy so much as touched them. Foul, black liquid oozed out. Even the eyeball that was between his eyebrows had been struck in the sudden ambush. "Argh!" The Black Coffin Carrier cried out in anguish. The energy waves around his body turned chaotic and began to weaken. Horror surfaced within his eyes as he retreated pathetically. "What a cunning bastard! "Not only did he hide the poison in the dragonbreath, he layered blade energy within the hidden attack as well! This brat is exceptionally cunning!" At this point, Li Luo stared coldly at the Black Coffin Carrier. He gripped the Dragon Elephant Blade and dashed forward. The tip of his blade dragged across the ground, leaving behind a deep trail. At the same time, brilliant light resonant energy poured out of the Dragon Elephant Blade, imbuing it with holy power as he swung down. He had transformed his resonant power into light resonant power, the element that Others detested the most. Li Luo''s figure flashed across the battlefield, and in just a few breaths, he caught up with the fleeing Black Coffin Carrier. He raised his sharp blade filled with light resonant power and hacked at the latter''s neck, slashing past in a clean motion. He then stopped when he was ahead of the Black Coffin Carrier, who had stopped in his tracks. Li Luo gradually lowered the Dragon Elephant Blade. Behind him, a thin line could be seen on the Black Coffin Carrier''s neck. Then his head fell on the ground. His gigantic body also tumbled down with a loud crash. This drew the attention of those in the surroundings. When they saw the second Black Coffin Carrier fall, their eyes froze. Li Luo might had gotten lucky with his previous opponent. But what about the second one? He had clearly won the fight in a direct confrontation. This was a terrifying feat. Li Luo could feel that more than half of his resonant power had been depleted. He turned his head and watched the Black Coffin Carrier, who was being purified by the divine light resonant power. "Did you really think it was pure luck that I killed your comrade?" he whispered softly to himself Chapter 1147: Power of Teamwork Chapter 1147: Power of Teamwork When the second Black Coffin Carrier fell over, everyone on the battlefield was startled. Not only were the students from both colleges staring in disbelief, the faces of those in the vicious Murderous Ghost Horde changed drastically too. Everyone glanced over at that corner of the battlefield, where a young lad stood upright with his sword resting on the ground. He commanded an impressive presence with the nine Heavenly Pearls rotating and absorbing worldly natural energy behind him. Nine Heavenly Pearls. This brat was only at the Heavenly Pearl Tier! How could a nine-pearl win against two Greater Heavenly Resonance opponents?! It was unbelievable! One could argue that the first Black Coffin Carrier had been caught off guard and lost because he had failed to use his Other Transformation. However, the second guy had lost in a face-to-face confrontation at full power. Due to his immense battle experience, Li Luo had acted with much cunning. In the end, the second Black Coffin Carrier was outwitted. Nonetheless, this was to be expected. It was amazing that the second Black Coffin Carrier could retain some of his sanity after fusing with the Other. It would be too much to ask for him to come up with a clever and detailed strategy, much less think up countermeasures. It was also too late to talk about this as well. After all, the two Black Coffin Carriers were dead. This was particularly impactful considering the chaotic situation. With Li Luo taking the lead in kills, the morale on their side had risen tremendously. For the moment, it seemed like they had managed to defend against the pincer attack of the Evil Spirits and the Murderous Ghost Horde. Li Luo let out a long breath and tightened his grip on the Dragon Elephant Blade. Slowly, the surging resonant power in his body began to calm down. The temporarily enhanced senses that were a result of his breakthrough gradually subsided. The previous two fights had taken a great toll not just on his resonant power, but also his mental strength. The gap in their strength was undeniable, and he had to admit that he had won mainly due to clever tricks. However, who would worry about having an open and fair fight when one''s life was on the line? "I have spent seventy to eighty percent of my resonant power." Li Luo frowned. His record was spectacular, but he had used up too much energy in this fight. He would not be able to change the overall situation after this. Their morale had indeed improved, but the overall situation hadn''t shifted all that much. There was still a tremendous amount of pressure bearing down upon Wang Kong, Yue Zhiyu, and Li Hongyou. They were holding back around ten Greater Evil Spirits. Although Wang Kong seemed like an impenetrable wall, it was largely due to the assistance from the other two. Once their assistance wore off, even he would be overwhelmed. They would lose control of the whole situation then. Meanwhile, Feng Lingyuan, Wei Chonglou, and Duan Mu were at a stalemate in their fight against the Blood Coffin Carrier. Even with the three of them working together, they were hardly able to gain any advantages. Instead, they ended up in disadvantageous situations from time to time due to his strange and unexpected attacks. The other groups were also fighting fiercely. The situation was hardly optimistic. However, it would take time to recover his resonant power. No matter how anxious he was, Li Luo had no choice but to sit and recuperate quietly. "Li Luo!" Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice calling from behind. He turned around and saw a group of people running down the street. There were a few familiar faces among themLu Ming, Jing Taixu, and Sun Dasheng. These were the students who had gotten cursed and turned into human skin lanterns earlier. He scanned the surroundings and paused on the spot where Feng Lingyuan and the group were fighting the Blood Coffin Carrier. That was where the scales would be tipped in their favor. However, the Blood Coffin Carrier was far too strong. He was nearly at the pinnacle of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. It seemed like only Wu Changkong would be capable of fighting him individually. Even with his nine-pearl strength and the Great Sanguine Poison Art, Li Luo was unable to injure the Blood Coffin Carrier. Therefore, he wanted to find another way to help, and the energy transfer from the Ancient Spirit Leaf had given him another idea. After seeing his serious expression, the students looked at each other. Li Luo''s idea was really bold. With the amplification from the Ancient Spirit Leaves, the group had enough energy to fully replenish someone at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. If they poured such an enormous amount of energy into Li Luo, it would surely lead to a dangerous situation if they were not careful. However, they could also see how desperate the situation on the battlefield was. If things did not change, they would slowly fall into a disadvantage. At that time, their casualties would be many times worse. "Then shall we try transferring a little bit at a time and see how things develop? If things go wrong, we can stop," Lu Ming said hesitantly. "Special times call for special measures. It''s a bit risky. But if Li Luo says so, he must feel confident about it," Jing Taixu said. Hearing this, the others did not hesitate anymore. They placed their hands on Li Luo once again, and the Ancient Spirit Leaves on the backs of their hands glowed brightly. Pure, concentrated energy flowed continuously into Li Luo''s body. The pain from his body expanding returned. His three resonant palaces began to ring out vigorously. At the same time, the nine Heavenly Pearls behind his back grew brighter and brighter. They were so bright that it seemed like a miniature sun had appeared him his back. Cracks began to appear on his body and blood began to ooze out. Everyone was shocked to see this and wanted to stop. However, Li Luo told them to continue with his eyes. At the next moment, he activated the True Dragon Pill. True Dragon Pill: Dragonification! Roar! In the blink of an eye, an ancient draconic roar resounded in Li Luo''s body. Chapter 1148: Arrow Slays the Devil Chapter 1148: Arrow Slays the Devil Roar! When Li Luo activated the True Dragon Seed Pill in his body, a mysterious and ancient power overflowed within him. Everyone in the surrounding watched in surprise as his body began to transform. First, his body rapidly grew larger. At the same time, golden dragon scales appeared on the surface of his skin. His four limbs grew much stronger, as if they contained an extremely terrifying force within them. Lastly, his fingers grew thicker and sharper. In just a few moments, both of his palms had turned into enormous dragon claws. His short grayish white hair continued to grow longer, like a waterfall that poured out from the back of his head. Before they knew it, Li Luo had morphed from a human into a fear inducing dragonoid! In this form, his body glittered with metallic dazzle, whilst giving off an indescribable sense of pressure to his surroundings. His physical body had strengthened to a shocking level with dragonification from the True Dragon Pill. Lu Ming and the others on the side watched with pale white faces under the influence of the immense dragonfear. "Continue to transfer the energy to me!" Li Luo reminded them in a deep voice. With the aid of dragonification, his body that was about to burst open earlier had increased in capacity. Lu Ming and the rest gritted their teeth when they heard his words as they then continued to transfer their resonant power over to Li Luo. Through this process, some of the students exhausted all their resonant power and fell weakly onto the ground. The other students hurried up to support these students. As the enormous amount of energy continued to pour in, Li Luo began to shine brightly. The dragon scales all over his body were scintillating with blinding light. Everytime he so much as moved his body, the void appeared to shudder in his presence. He was like a ticking time bomb. If anything were to go wrong, it would cause a catastrophic explosion. As such, Lu Ming and the rest were watching him anxiously. If Li Luo were to explode, they would also be caught up in it. Nonetheless, the arrow had already been drawn on the bow. It was too late for them to turn back and they could only tough things through and continue to transfer energy. Gradually, some cracking sounds could be faintly heard coming from Li Luo that seemed to originate from his scales. He was clearly reaching his new maximum capacity as well. New novel chapters are published on Even with the stronger physical body, it seemed like the energy that was contained within him was still too much. Besides, these were only the signs seen on his physical exterior. In the three resonant palace within Li Luo, it was shining like a blinding sun. Every vein within him appeared to be containing rampaging primal beasts that rippled with sheer power. Excruciating pain surged through him. It was then when Li Luo finally understood that he had truly reached his maximum capacity. If he continued to take in any more energy, the resonant palaces in him would explode and his physical body would crumble. In a certain sense, this was similar to the times where he borrowed the power of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf. However, the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s power only possessed a single will. In comparison, the power he had gotten from the group contained many slight differences. Even with the refinement from the Ancient Spirit Leaf, it was still challenging for Li Luo to control all of them. If the power from the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf was like a gushing river, this power of the group was like thousands of little streams flowing all into him. The former only required a huge dam to keep it under control. The latter, on the other hand, required him to focus his mind in order to prevent it from spilling all over the plains. Phew. Li Luo let out a deep sigh. It was truly difficult to harness and wield the power of the entire group with so many contrasting wills. Fortunately, he had already come up with a plan beforehand. Li Luo signaled to Lu Ming and the rest with a look in his eyes. They immediately heaved a sigh of relief and fell back with pale white faces. "Li Luo, it''s all up to you now." Lu Ming said playfully. The gray black light rapidly wrapped around the body of the Blood Ossuary Carrier. Although his body continuously emitted a chilly energy to dissolve these light strands, they resiliently resisted being completely destroyed. It held the Blood Ossuary Carrier firmly on the spot, not allowing him to escape. Duan Mu took a step forward. Emerald resonant power swept across the sky and an enormous beam of energy fell down from his Heavenly Resonance Diagram. It directly transformed into the Emerald Buddha''s hands forming a handseal. These Buddha''s hands were like the mountain, directly pressing down from the sky with its overwhelming pressure. "Duke Art: Emerald Wood Buddha''s Hand!" Wei Chonglou did not stand around idly either. A crimson red Heavenly Resonance Diagram spread out across the sky above him which rippled with crimson red energy, akin to heavenly fire burning the skies. From time to time, a giant shadow could be faintly seen within this sea of flames. The five fingers clenched together and it descended down from the sky. "Duke Art: Flame God''s Nine Spirits!" Boom! The void cracked open. A burning crimson red stallion that was thousands of feet tall charged towards the Blood Ossuary Carrier directly. All three of them were the elites within the Ancient College. They grabbed hold of the opportunity to launch their strongest attacks, coordinating seamlessly to finish off the Blood Ossuary Carrier at this moment. The Blood Ossuary Carrier sensed the imminent danger approaching him. He gave a guttural cough and a blood red substance continuously flowed out of his ossuary which tunneled into his body. The body of the Blood Ossuary Carrier then began to wriggle and contort as he transformed into a bloody red giant. This giant seemed to be stitched out of huge chunks of flesh. It didn''t even have any skin. On its flesh, horrifying eyeballs began to emerge as blood spilled out. "Hundred Eyes Flaming Blood Talisman!" A thick bloody red flame spewed out from those eyeballs on the Blood Ossuary Carrier. Then, they merged into a strange and creepy giant talisman. Fresh blood flowed on the talisman and lines of eyeballs could be faintly seen on it. Clearly, the Blood Ossuary Carrier had used his strongest spell to defend against this coordinated attack from the Ancient College. Weng! The Emerald Wood Buddha''s Hand and ferocious flames roared at the same time. These two Duke Arts contained all the power from Duan Mu and Wei Chonglou as it clashed directly onto the blood talisman. Bang! A wild wave of energy swept through the air. The void trembled repeatedly and the shockwaves blew the surrounding members from both sides away. The bloody red eyeballs on the blood talismans kept blinking one after another. However, the energy emitted from it was enough to stop the deadly attack from Duan Mu and Wei Chonglou. Tui! In the same moment, shadow energy in the void quietly condensed as if it had fused into a black shadow. From a tricky angle, it flew towards the blood talisman and pierced through it. The blood talisman reacted violently as the bloody eyeballs on the talismans began to blink even faster. The faces of Feng Lingyuan, Duan Mu and Wei Chonglou turned red at this moment. They had exhausted all their strength and both sides were currently locked in battle of attrition. There was no way for them to back off now. With the way things were, Li Luo''s arrow would truly determine if they could turn things around! With that thought in mind, it was then when another burst of blinding light resonant power filled the skies of the Swamp City. Like a rising sun, the corruption in the air vanished as light swept over it. Everyone watched in stupor as the light spilled across the horizon and reached the ends of the sky. Rolling light resonant power surged forward like white waves. The arrow had returned to slay the devil. Chapter 1149: Top 10 Chapter 1149: Top 10 The radiant arrow of light resonant power shot through the air. As everyone watched without batting an eyelid, it struck the blood-red talisman directly. Overwhelming divine power exploded outwards. The strange talisman had been pushed beyond its limits against the attacks from the four students. Many of the eyeballs closed completely. Boom! The blood-red talisman shattered. With the talisman out of the way, there was nothing stopping the combined assault of the arrow of light, the black shadows, the emerald hands, and the burning flames now. All of them charged across the sky, intent on ending their target. Everyone watched in delight as the attacks clashed directly with the Blood Coffin Carrier that was trying to escape. Violent, wild energy swept across the field, completely flattening the surrounding area. Even the void cracked apart from the tremendous pressure of the devastating attacks. The projection of the swamp city turned blurry, and the real scenery of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm could be faintly seen as a result of the cataclysmic clash. However, everyone''s eyes were still locked onto the Blood Coffin Carrier. Despited facing four coordinated attacks, he displayed a tenacious lifeforce that refused to give in. Thousands of cracks appeared on his body, but he just wouldn''t die. Unfortunately for him, Li Luo''s arrow of light continued to purify him, rapidly cleansing the Other fused with his body. In the end, a look of terror surfaced on the Blood Coffin Carrier''s face. Boom! His body exploded, leaving pieces of flesh and blood splattered on the ground. The enormous and berserk energy undulations from earlier had disappeared completely. Li Luo''s arrow was the last straw that broke the camel''s back, killing the Blood Coffin Carrier. This caused a drastic change on the battlefield. The Black Coffin Carriers that were still fighting were horrified and lost any further desire to continue their fight. They hurriedly retreated. The students did not stop them from escaping. After all, they did not have the energy to chase their enemies down. Their retreat would enable them to tide over the challenging situation in front of them. "He is finally dead!" Feng Lingyuan''s eyes lit up in delight. She turned back and looked at Li Luo with eyes full of surprise. Who would have thought that the stalemate would be broken by the miraculous blow delivered by Li Luo? Without his attack, the three of them wouldn''t have been able to win against the Blood Coffin Carrier even if they worked together. Her achievements had earned her thirteen A Merits. Li Luo was dumbfounded as he stared at that. He was already making leaps and bounds in progress, yet they were still so far apart. "How fierce of her!" Li Luo was startled. "Could it be that Jiang Qing''e''s side has already destroyed the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar? How did she get so many Merits?" However, she did possess dual light resonances. That was the ultimate bane for all Others, making her almost invincible here. Li Luo glanced over at second place. It was Wu Changkong with twelve A Merits. "His score is close to Jiang Qing''es. Could they be together?" As Li Luo browsed the leaderboard, the situation on their battlefield was slowly getting better. With Feng Lingyuan and the other two coming to his aid, Wang Kong was slowly able to finish off the ten Greater Evil Spirits. Li Luo could only watch quietly as he was completely spent at this point. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the battlefield calmed down. All the students were relieved. They sat down tiredly on the ground, their resonant power completely depleted. Some of the students were sobbing as comrades had turned into cold corpses. The atmosphere on the battlefield was heavy, but everyone did their best to compose themselves. Li Luo sighed in his heart, then he saw Li Hongyou hurrying towards him. She asked out of concern, "Are you okay?" He nodded. Li Hongyou took out the Blackwood Feather Fan. Two white lights flew out of it and healed Li Luo. Then she took out a few blood essence pearls and handed them to him. Li Luo accepted them and consumed them instantly. A burning sensation gradually arose in his body as his injuries rapidly recovered. His strength had returned. Li Luo stood up and walked over to the side of the blood pool with Li Hongyou. Feng Lingyuan, Wang Kong, and Yue Zhiyu were standing there as well. They looked at Li Luo and nodded slightly. He had shown his strength and won their recognition. Li Luo smiled back at them. He then looked down towards the blood pool. The strange Devil Egg was still floating in the center of the vortex. He pointed to it and asked, "What should we do with it?" Chapter 1150: Blood Egg Changes Chapter 1150: Blood Egg Changes Everyone looked towards the floating egg with frowns on their faces when they heard Li Luo''s question. Just looking at that object gave them the chills. "Let''s see if we can destroy it," Feng Lingyuan said. The egg was creepy-looking, and even though they did not know its purpose, they knew that destroying it was important. No one objected to her suggestion. Resonant power surged up and attacks flew towards the egg directly. Bang! Bang! It looked like the students were throwing pebbles into the ocean. Everyone''s attacks struck the egg, but there was barely any effect on it. Only one stream of resonant power caused a little hiss when it landed on the egg. It was the light resonant power from Yue Zhiyu. New novel chapters are published on "It seems like only light resonant power is effective on this thing," Wei Chonglou said with a frown. Feng Lingyuan turned towards Yue Zhiyu and asked, "We''ll have to trouble Student Yue, then. Shall we leave the egg to you while we go up and save those hanging students?" There was nothing Yue Zhiyu could do about it. Her light resonant power was the only thing that had any effect, so she nodded in agreement. "Let me help her too," Li Luo suddenly said. He could transform some of his resonant power into light resonant power after all. This would be much more efficient than just having Yue Zhiyu working on it alone. With how disturbing the blood egg was, it was best to get rid of it as soon as possible. Feng Lingyuan and the rest nodded before they all headed off. Li Luo walked over to Yue Zhiyu and stood by the side of the blood pool. Yue Zhiyu glanced overat Li Luo and said, "I am really curious. How is your light resonant power so strong? If I am not wrong, your light resonance should only be a secondary resonance." Li Luo chuckled a little, but he did not answer her. He channeled his resonant power directly into the mysterious Auric Halo, creating a bright glow. Light resonant power burst out and flew towards the blood egg in the center of the pool. Yue Zhiyu pouted when Li Luo dodged her question. She concluded that it was probably some highly secretive art from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. It was a truly rare skill, but it wasn''t as if she had never heard of it. She raised her jade hands, and pure divine light resonant power poured out. The light resonant power from the two of them continuously shot towards the blood egg. Soon, the vicious face on the surface of the egg grew agitated. The bloody aura it exuded seemed to be getting slightly weaker each second. It was indeed much more efficient with Li Luo and Yue Zhiyu working together. Meanwhile, the others went on to help the skinless students who were hanging off the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar. Those students were extremely miserable. Their skins had been peeled off and their bodies were covered in blood. Something that resembled a bone had been inserted into each their heads. All the students were frightened when they saw this scene. At the same time, they were infuriated. Damned Others! Now that the Blood Coffin Carrier had fused with the blood egg, no one knew what was going to happen. Feng Lingyuan and the group gathered everyone immediately. Numerous streams of resonant power rained down upon the egg mercilessly. Suddenly, a strange and shrill laugh could be heard coming out of the blood egg, and its surface began to wriggle. Slowly, the twisted face of the Blood Coffin Carrier appeared on it. "Fools. I''ve fused with the True Devil Egg. In the near future, I''ll finally become a True Devil!" The Blood Coffin Carrier laughed out viciously. The liquid from the blood pool swept up and turned into a blood water curtain. The attacks that landed on the blood water were instantly absorbed into it. At the same time, a terrifying undulation was emitted from the blood egg. "True Devil?!" The faces of Feng Lingyuan and the rest changed completely. A True Devil had the strength of a Duke. If the Blood Coffin Carrier managed to finish his breakthrough, none of them would stand a chance against him. However, just when everyone was panicking, a violent and chaotic wave of energy suddenly erupted from the egg, and a faint light could be seen within it. "Argh!" Instantly, the expression of the Blood Coffin Carrier turned into one of pain and fury. "Argh. Damn brat! Stupid light resonant power!" he screamed out. Li Luo was slightly taken aback for a moment before he understood what was happening. This was due to the light resonant power that had struck the piece of flesh earlier! His light resonant power had not been neutralized and had even been brought into the blood egg when the two fused together, causing some sort of internal damage. Everyone watched in astonishment. The blood egg trembled violently as the struggle within continued to escalate. In the end, the crazy screams coming from the Blood Coffin Carrier slowly died down. Just when the crowd felt a hint of relief, the egg suddenly split into two. Half of the blood egg turned into a bloody light and escaped, shooting across the air directly. Meanwhile, the other half charged towards Li Luo. Li Luo was startled by this development, and he hastily retreated in a flash. Seeing this, Feng Lingyuan and the rest stepped up to help immediately. Resonant power surged up as they tried to destroy the half that was attacking him. However, the egg was like a vicious beastit shattered their attacks and continued chasing after Li Luo. A determined light flickered across Li Luo''s eyes, and he held up his sword and chopped down directly. When the blade came into contact with the egg, the egg fell apart like mud. It flowed along the blade and eventually came into contact with Li Luo''s hand. The remnants of the blood egg immediately tunneled into his body. Li Luo''s face turned extremely ugly when he saw this. Chapter 1151: Corruption Chapter 1151: Corruption In the blink of an eye, the blood egg had split into two, with one half attempting to escape and the other attempting to assimilate with Li Luo. As the group regained their senses, their faces turned horrified. The blood egg was surely a trick of the All-Beings Devil King. Therefore, it was undoubtedly full of corruption. Now that half of the egg had entered Li Luo''s body, wouldn''t it try to corrupt him? However, Li Luo had no time to worry about their appalled faces. As soon as the egg entered his left hand, his palm began to transform. Firstly, his skin turned blood-red. The bones of his fingers grew thicker and his nails turned sharper. The entirety of his left palm grew a few times bigger, as if it had become the claws of a monster. It was a little similar to what had happened when he underwent dragonification earlier. However, the ferocious dragon claws were under his control. Meanwhile, the bloody claw that he held in front of him was twisted and strange, with blood-red cysts popping out of his flesh. At the back of his hand, a bloody line surfaced and slowly began to extend outwards. It was as if some twisted, creepy eyeball was attempting to emerge out of that crack. This was a sign of corruption by an Other. The blood-red energy continued to make its way across Li Luo''s arm, clearly trying to invade his entire body. Li Luo''s face turned dark. He knew that if the corruption spread across his whole body, it would be an extremely grave matter. He had to halt the corruption from spreading any further if he wanted to survive. Follow current novels at novelhall.com) Li Luo activated his resonant power and channeled it towards his left arm to resist the insidious corruption that raged within him. However, there was barely any effect. Li Luo could even feel that his resonant power was the one being corrupted! "Ordinary resonant power is unable to fight against this corruption. It''s far too strong. Luckily, I have light resonant power...!" Li Luo did not panic. He thought about it for a moment and poured all the resonant power from his body into the mysterious Auric Halo. All of it was transformed into brilliant light resonant power. Filled with divine and purification prowess, he channeled the light resonant power into his left arm and readily formed layers of defenses. This time, he was successful and the rate of corruption finally slowed down. Like two elite armies clashing in a war, the light resonant power and the corruption in his left arm fought a battle to the death. As Li Luo focused all his attention on the vicious war occurring inside his body, Feng Lingyuan, Wang Kong, and the others watched anxiously from the outside. They were looking a little wary. After all, they had seen countless cases where one lost control of themselves after getting corrupted. As everyone raised their vigilance around Li Luo, Li Hongyou chose to walk up to him directly. "Hongyou!" Feng Lingyuan shouted in a worried tone. Li Hongyou did not care pay her any mind. She frowned and looked at Li Luo. Nothing could happen to him here. If something did, how could she fulfill her wish in the future? At present, Li Luo''s situation was dire and she had to help him in any possible way. Against an all-out defense, the corruption''s rampant spread had finally been staunched and suppressed. However, Li Luo did not relax. He knew that this was only temporary, and as time passed, the corruption would slowly inch its way forward. Nonetheless, the rate of corruption was at least slower than its pace at the beginning. Yet the fact that it would spread was inevitable. At its current pace, the corruption would spread to an alarming degree in a few days'' time. "Not even light resonant power can stop it completely?" Li Luo''s heart was heavy. He had tried everything he could think of. However, the corruption energy from the strange egg was too persistent. It was definitely an extraordinary object He thought deeply about it for a few moments. Suddenly, an idea flashed across his mind. He looked at the Acquired Resonance Flame deep in the depths of the mysterious Auric Halo. It was a very special flame. Perhaps it could be of help. He focused his mind to control the flame. The Acquired Resonance Flame slowly floated up, cruised through his body, and appeared in the battleground between the light resonant power and corruption energy. With the arrival of the Acquired Resonance Flame, small buds of flame rose out of the fire and entered the light resonant power. A surprising result was achieved when the two of them combined. As the light resonant power surged up, buds of flame faintly flowed within it. The line of defense had become impregnable as a result if the comination. No matter how hard the vicious corruption tried to erode the upgraded defenses, there was no breakthrough. Li Luo finally heaved a sigh of relief. He tried to launch a counterattack to force the corruption out of his left arm completely. However, the corruption seemed to have a mind of its own. Sensing the danger, it began to quickly shrink back and consolidate into a mass. For a moment, the two armies were locked in stalemate. Li Luo was not satisfied with this. He tried to find other opportunities to quell the issue, but the corruption was too tenacious. With his current strength, there was no way for him to get rid of it completely. At this point, he finally understood. With his current capabilities, all he could do was protect his body and prevent the corruption from spreading. He would need some greater external aid if he would like to purge his body of it completely. This would most likely be possible only after they had completed this mission. Li Luo sighed in his heart, then he slowly opened his tightly-shut eyes. The first thing he noticed were strong energy undulations surrounding him in all directions. Everyone was looking at him warily. Chapter 1152: Treasure Cave Chapter 1152: Treasure Cave After Li Luo opened his eyes, he did not move from the spot. His resonant power was not activated and he stood there with a calm face. To date, he has had his fair share of encounters with the Others. He knew the kind of dangers that a corrupted individual would pose to a group, especially in the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion. As such, the others were extremely vigilant towards him. As Li Luo kept quiet on the spot, the others around him heaved a sigh of relief. The resonant power that had been summoned up gradually subsided. "Li Luo, how''re you feeling?" Feng Lingyuan asked him in a hurry. Li Luo replied calmly, "Not very good." He looked down and stared at his left arm. There were some signs of an Other Transformation that had occurred to it. It had grown a few times thicker and its veins were out of place. From the outside, it looked extremely frightening. On the back of his hand, a bloody red cyst had surfaced with a faint crack seen on it, as if a Devil Eye was on the point of opening up. When you compared it against his other unaffected arm, the left one was clearly terrifying and strange. It was the arm of a devil. "Li Luo, we will do some simple tests next to check if you remain clear headed. Is that alright?" Feng Lingyuan hesitated for a moment and asked him. Li Luo nodded his head. He knew that this was a standard procedure of the College to guard against corrupted individuals attempting to infiltrate the group. With that, Feng Lingyuan began to ask him questions about his past memories. They were trying to see if he could still recall them correctly. After all, if his mind was corrupted, there would be gaps and loopholes within his memories as well. This would be discovered from the series of questions. However, Li Luo had no problem with it. The corruption was tightly sealed within his left arm and did not spread any further. As such, he could answer Feng Lingyuan''s questions with composure. As they finished the last question, Feng Lingyuan finally heaved a sigh of relief. Her gaze towards Li Luo lightened up a little as she told him, "Li Luo, don''t worry too much about it. The state of corruption isn''t too serious. When we return to the College, we should be able to cleanse it with the help of the Vice principal." Li Luo nodded his head. "What about the Blood Ossuary Carrier?" He asked. "He''s escaped. He fused with the other half of the blood egg and snuck off. We do not dare to chase after it carelessly." Li Hongyou answered from the side. A cold light flashed across Li Luo''s eyes. This irritating opponent had really given him a big headache this time. If he had the chance in the future, he would definitely enact his revenge on him! "Senior Hongyou, thank you very much for your assistance earlier." Li Luo expressed his gratitude to Li Hongyou. He had sensed her resonant power helping out when he was struggling against the corruption raging in his body. "And Senior Yue too." Li Luo looked over to Yue Zhiyu. Although their relationship had started off on opposing terms because of his relationship with Jiang Qing''e, she had still rendered help when the time called for it. All the buildings had disappeared. Even the pitch black lake was no longer there. All the air into their surroundings turned refreshing and vibrant. The chilly atmosphere from before had swiftly dissipated. It had disappeared so fast that some might have even wondered if everything earlier was just an illusion. Everyone appeared to be in a trance but they were soon awakened by undulations of extremely pure worldly natural energy. They looked over at the spot where the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar once stood. There seemed to be a bottomless cave over there and endless resplendent light shone outwards. In an area where their eyes could perceive, a sea of treasures were lying in wait. Furthermore, they all looked exceptional. In the deeper parts of the cave, they could sense even stronger waves of energy flowing within it. Worldly natural energy had condensed into a physical mist due to its sheer density. Everyone''s eyes lit up passionately. The place where the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar stood must be one of the spots where worldly natural energy gathered in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. If they made some adjustments to the area, it could even become a valuable spot for cultivation. Since the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm had been sealed for thousands of years, the cultivation resources available had been brewing bountifully. Outside the cave, many of the students couldn''t help but drool at the sight of this. They could not wait to lay their hands on these treasures. "Guys, pick whichever treasures you like. It''s all up to your personal ability now." Feng Lingyuan communicated to some of the other top students before she informed everyone else. As her words ended, Feng Lingyuan and these elites turned into flickering shadows as they rushed into the cave. Li Luo was also amongst the group. After such an arduous battle, it was time to reap the rewards. ... As Li Luo and the rest rushed into the treasure cave, the two supreme beings outside the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm also sensed these changes in the world space. ... Chapter 1153: Coiling Dragon Golden Bone Pill Chapter 1153: Coiling Dragon Golden Bone Pill In the vast sky outside the void. The Principal of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, Wang Xuanjin, and the All-Beings Devil King were still sitting in the lotus position. Their imposing and majestic presences made the stars in the sky appear dim. Both of them were looking down at the small world space in front of them. Although these two magnificent figures were quiet and their faces remained calm and peaceful, the void around them was filled with an indescribable killing intent. Not even an ordinary Single Crowned King would dare to approach them at this moment. From time to time, waves of destruction would surge from the world space a distance away from them. The amount of resonant power that gushed out was enough to flood the heavens and the earth. At the same time, a chilly energy brimming with countless negative emotions would sweep across the field. These were the battles between the vice principals of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College and those under the command of the All-Beings Devil King. The fights were on a scale that was beyond one''s imagination. At one point, Wang Xuanjin''s eyes moved a little. He stared at the projection of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm and suddenly said, "It seems like seams have appeared in your All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion." The cloudy, white mist that had originally enshrouded the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm was trembling violently. The seven Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars that were supporting the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion began to show signs of breaking down at this moment. This had caused rifts to appear in the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion that was originally covering up the entirety of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. Clearly, this was thanks to the hard work of the students that had gone into the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. They had successfully destroyed four of the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars. Although their mission had not been completed yet, the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion was no longer perfect. Hearing these words from Wang Xuanjin, the All-Beings Devil King, who had transformed into a boy with red lips and white teeth, chuckled. "I thought your students would have been able to destroy all seven by now. It seems like they''ve fallen a little short ultimately." "They''re trying their best. Why are you so harsh?" Wang Xuanjin slowly replied. His unfathomable eyes glinted with a trace of sharpness. "But I sure didn''t expect the rats from the Origin Reversion Institute to sneak into our fight. This must be part of your plan with the Spirit Eye Other King, right?" "Two grand ancient colleges have grouped up to fight me. It is only normal to find a little help. Besides, the Origin Reversion Institute is a power of the human race," the All-Beings Devil King replied with a laugh. "Just a bunch of cancer cells to be excised." Wang Xuanjin''s eyes narrowed a little. A tinge of hatred could be heard in his calm voice. "How do you know that the beliefs of the Origin Reversion Institute are not the right ones? Perhaps their path is the only one that will unite the heavens and earth, allowing the world to return to its ideal state. You all are simply too closed-minded to change." The appearance of the All-Beings Devil King began to change again. It slowly transformed from the image of a child earlier into that of a hunch-backed elder with a wrinkly face. Wang Xuanjin coolly responded, "In the end, the path that they''ve picked will not lead us to a world that thrives with humanity. It will be a husk left with only ghosts." The All-Beings Devil King cackled. "In that case, you will have to depend on us, your so-called Others, to end this mess for you." Wang Xuanjin was not interested in continuing the pointless chatter. He took a glance at the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm and remarked, "So these Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars of yours are just a diversion. Your real objective is to incubate the True Devil Eggs with a trace of your own will. Once they hatche, you will be able to imprint the entirety of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, turning it into part of your All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion." When the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars were destroyed, Wang Xuanjin was able to see the situation clearly. Each pillar was incubating one True Devil Egg. Wang Xuanjin thought about it for a moment and said, "However, the True Devil Eggs are still in their embryonic forms. They won''t be able to carry a strand of your will like this. It seems like your next step is to fuse all the eggs together. These chess pieces from the Origin Reversion Institute are just your delivery men. They are all outsiders, so they''ve gone undetected by me." If he could really bring this incomparable lady back, his grandfather, Wu Yu, would surely make him the next leader of the Wu clan immediately. Wu Changkong stopped to think for a moment. He suppressed the desire in his heart and smiled towards Jiang Qing''e. "Junior Jiang, are you interested in the Coiling Dragon Golden Bone Pills?" Jiang Qing''e did not turn her head. She nodded and replied, "I want the fruit and nothing else." Her tone was calm and composed, but her determination was evident in her firm tone. Wu Changkong thought about it after hearing her reply. It was said that Coiling Dragon Golden Bone Pills were especially potent for with dragon resonances. Li Luo was from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li... Was Jiang Qing''e asking for it because of Li Luo? As he thought about this, Wu Changkong''s smile froze up. He was feeling unhappy and frustrated in his heart. He asked, "Junior Jiang, are you asking for this because of Li Luo?" As soon as he asked the question, he immediately regretted it. Jiang Qing''e turned her head a little, and her golden pupils took a quick glance at Wu Changkong. Then she responded indifferently, "What does it have to do with you?" Wu Changkong replied embarrassingly, "It was just a simple question." Jiang Qing''e responded calmly, "I made the biggest contribution in destroying the pillar. It is only reasonable that I get the Coiling Dragon Golden Bone Pill, right?" The students in the area nodded in agreement. Jiang Qing''e and her dual ninth-grade light resonances were the main reason they had progressed so smoothly. Her contributions were undeniable. Not even Wu Changkong could compare to her. A light flashed across Wu Changkong''s eyes. Logically, it would be best to give in to her demand. If he presented this item to Jiang Qing''e, he could still try to pull their relationship a little closer. However, he felt extremely frustrated when he thought about Jiang Qing''e handing the fruit over to Li Luo. He felt that he had to stop this from happening no matter what. Jiang Qing''e looked over to Wu Changkong and suddenly said, "Leader Wu, I heard that my fiance and you had some sort of disagreement in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College." Wu Changkong''s face stiffened up and he cursed in his heart. Some of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College students must have told her about it. As he did not say anything, Jiang Qing''e continued, "Li Luo is really direct with his words. It is very easy for him to offend others." Hearing this, Wu Changkong relaxed a little. Was Jiang Qing''e trying to soften things up for Li Luo? With her personality, who would have expected that she would change like this for her man? This made Wu Changkong a little unhappy, knowing that he was not that man. As he was thinking about it, her golden eyes gradually turned sharper. "If he''s offended you in any way, then I, as his fiancee, will have to take his side... Sorry about that." In the forest, right in front of the Coiling Dragon Tree, the light of the surroundings seemed to glow even more resplendently all of a sudden. Chapter 1154: Divine Thorn Chapter 1154: Divine Thorn Meanwhile, in another cave filled with treasures, Li Luo was making his way deeper into it. Everyone was looking around for treasures excitedly, and he did not want to go back empty-handed after such a tough fight either, especially now that his left arm had ended up in such a cursed state. He greatly desired to find a good treasure to reward himself for all of his suffering. A large amount of worldly natural energy had gathered in this cave. This created an immense wave of energy that made it hard for anyone to venture all the way inside. Over at Li Luo''s side, things were pretty quiet. Most people had kept their distance from him as his cursed arm looked really unnerving. This didn''t bother him at all, however. It actually worked out for the better since no one would contest the treasures he spotted. He continued walking deeper and saw quite a number of ripened and valuable herbs along the way. Without any hesitation, he harvested them. These could become gifts for his First Brother and Second Sister once he returned to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. They really needed such cultivation resources right now. Very soon, the time needed for an incense stick to burn had passed. Li Luo was very pleased with his bountiful harvest thus far. If he added all of them up, it would be worth a considerable amount of money. He paused when he came across a crack in the depths of the cave. The energy pressure around this area was so strong that even he found it suffocating. It would not be wise for him to go any deeper than this. Therefore, Li Luo did not walk any further. He scanned the pitch-black wall on his right. When he arrived here a moment ago, he had noticed the eyeball on his cursed arm reacting violently. It was clearly feeling uneasy about something there. "There must be something in there that this cursed arm feels revulsion towards, " Li Luo mumbled to himself as his gaze flickered. Then his right hand grabbed the Dragon Elephant Blade and he slashed down towards the wall. The strike was so quick that it left a stream of light in its wake, creating a clean cut on the wall. Li Luo was very careful with his strike. There had to be some kind of treasure in there, and if he was careless, he could end up damaging it. That would be a heavy price he was unwilling to pay. The source of this content nov(el)bi((n)) As he carved at the wall layer by layer, Li Luo noticed something. It was a vine-like plant that resembled numerous white pythons. On closer look, he noticed that there were thorns on it. The thorns were translucent and somewhat white. It was as if they were made out of some kind of divine gem. When he broke off the stones around it, there was suddenly an outburst of immense and pure light energy. "Is this... a Divine Thorn?!" Li Luo was surprised as he stared at the plant before him, an expression of delight on his face. The Divine Thorn was an extremely rare treasure with a light resonant attribute. By refining it, one could create powerful treasures imbued with light resonant energy. However, it was extremely hard to find, as it liked to hide in the depths of rocks within deep caves. Surprisingly, Li Luo had discovered it because of his cursed arm that was brimming with corruption. It had an extremely strong aversion to light resonant energy, and hence he was able to notice its existence. "My light resonance is just a secondary resonance. It will be a waste if this treasure is used on me. However, this will be the perfect gift for Sister Qing''e when I meet her later," Li Luo whispered to himself happily. He had even thought of how to refine this thorn. Perhaps he could craft it into a crown. This would be a perfect match for Jiang Qing''e. Li Luo quickly used his Dragon Elephant Blade to dig out the thorns from the depths of the wall. Alas, the plant even tried to escape by tunneling deeper into the rocky crevice, as if it possessed a will of its own. "Do you think a light resonant crown fits well with Jiang Qing''e''s image?" Li Luo asked with a grin. He was clearly being mischievous about it as he knew very well about their almost caustic relationship. Yue Zhiyu''s face had no visible reaction. With Jiang Qing''e''s delicate and charming face, she would certainly look like a goddess of light if she wore a crown made up of Divine Thorns. The thought of it only frustrated her further. Yue Zhiyu took a deep breath. She kept her emotions in check and collected the Divine Thorn from Li Luo. "You''re so lucky. I passed by here earlier, but I could not sense its presence at all." She was full of regret. If she had discovered this earlier, there would be nothing left for Jiang Qing''e. Li Luo took a glance at his cursed arm. "It''s all thanks to this thing." Yue Zhiyu was shocked. She did not know what to say. The Divine Thorn was an item created by extremely pure and concentrated light resonant energy. It was naturally a disgusting item for anything corrupted. Hence, Li Luo''s cursed arm had acted up as soon as he passed by. Li Luo was able to pick up on this and discovered the treasure. As the two of them were chatting, their faces suddenly changed. They felt an extremely strong wave of energy in the air. The world space around them began to twist. They took a look at each other, then their eyes turned cold and they summoned up their resonant power immediately. They had sensed the changes in the surroundings as they rushed out of the cave. When they exited, they looked at the vast sky above. A palace so large that they couldn''t see its end was slowly making its way out of the void. The palace looked extremely majestic, just like the stars and moon in the sky. As soon as it appeared, dense corruption that went above and beyond their imagination swept through the skies of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. Li Luo and the rest felt as though the corruption was like an extremely vicious beast. It had come out of the sky to devour all living things. Faintly, they could spot three strange words slowly wriggling on the pale, white plaque outside the giant palace. All-Beings Palace. When Li Luo and the rest noticed the All-Beings Palace, the surrounding world space began to tremble violently. The All-Beings Palace grew bigger and bigger right in front of their eyes. Then their expressions gradually turned into ones of abject horror. It wasn''t the All-Beings Palace growing bigger. Instead, they were getting sucked into it at an unimaginable speed. They were being dragged through world space against their wills, inching closer to the All-Beings Palace. This lasted a few moments. Before long, the All-Beings Palace was right in front of their eyes. Chapter 1155: All-Beings Palace Chapter 1155: All-Beings Palace When Li Luo noticed that the vibrations in the world space had calmed down, he sensed a chilly feeling coming from the bottom of his feet. This caused goosebumps to rise across his skin, as if his skin was about to fall off his body against his will. He looked down and saw that the floor was filled with mottled, white tiles. There were faint blood veins inside them, and when he raised his head to inspect his surroundings, he noticed that everything was of a similar hue. The floor was like the skin of a dead giant. It made one feel uneasy merely by standing on it. Li Luo took a deep breath. He suppressed the itch under his skin and studied the surrounding area. At this point, they seemed to be on some kind of platform. In front of them was an endless group of smaller halls. It was extremely vast but also dead silent. It was the kind of silence that made one uncomfortable. Feng Lingyuan, Yue Zhiyu, and Li Hongyou also regained their senses behind Li Luo. They studied the countless halls in front of them with serious faces. This was on a much larger scale than the city earlier. "It seems like this is the final destination for our mission," Feng Lingyuan said in a low voice. "The other teams must have been dragged forcibly into this place as well," Yue Zhiyu added. Li Luo''s heart skipped a beat. In that case, Jiang Qing''e was probably in the All-Beings Palace as well. She was probably in another spot, but this made him unusually pleased. In a way, they were getting closer to meeting each other. "There''s a message in the Ancient Spirit Leaf!" Li Hongyou said suddenly. New novel chapters are published on Hearing this, everyone focused and activated the Ancient Spirit Leaves on the backs of their hands immediately. A message flowed into their minds. "The All-Beings Devil King has been incubating seven True Devil Eggs with his Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars. He''s also recruited the Murderous Ghost Horde from the Origin Reversion Institute to help out. Currently, there are four True Devil Eggs left. If they manage to fuse together, a strand of the All-Beings Devil King''s will will descend upon the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. Students, please work together to prevent the fusion of the True Devil Eggs. The fusion will require the assistance of the Heavenly Ghost Altar in the center of the All-Beings Palace." When Feng Lingyuan and the rest processed the information, they frowned. It seemed the egg that they had tried to destroy back in the blood pool was a True Devil Egg. Then the strange group of people with coffins behind their backs were from the Origin Reversion Institute. They were the strange ones who belonged to a separate power. "Looking at your current state, you''ll lose control of yourself pretty soon," she said while staring at the Blood Coffin Carrier. "Aquamarine Python! It''s all your fault! If you hadn''t taken half of my men, I would have finished off those brats long ago. I would never have become like this! With just half of the True Devil Egg as well!" the Blood Coffin Carrier yelled angrily. He glared at her with eyes full of murderous intent. "At least I''ve managed to snag half of a True Devil Egg. What about you? You''re still empty-handed!" Hearing this, Aquamarine Python casually replied, "I simply met a monster. Luckily, the one who encountered her was me. If it were you, you''d have been finished off by her." The Blood Coffin Carrier felt incredibly infuriated. However, he suppressed his fury and roared back, "Aquamarine Python, bring your men and come along with me! I want to snatch back the other half of the True Devil Egg! I am going to tear that little brat Li Luo apart!" Originally, Aquamarine Python could not be bothered with him. However, a light flashed across her eyes as soon as she heard the last sentence of the Blood Coffin Carrier''s rant. She quietly asked, "The other half of the True Devil Egg is with a student named Li Luo?" "Yes! That bastard is only at the Heavenly Pearl Tier! How dare he ruin my plan! If not for him, I wouldn''t be in such a pathetic state right now!!" the Blood Coffin Carrier howled. "Aquamarine Python, if you help me, there will be a seat saved for you amongst the Murderous Ghost Horde!" The eyes under the mask were filled with a heart-stopping coldness. She held onto her staff with her slender fingers and sensed the chill emanating from it before she stared at the Blood Coffin Carrier and asked, "Can you find him?" "I have the other half of the True Devil Egg in my body. I can roughly sense his location. He has already entered the All-Beings Palace. There is no escape for him now!" the Blood Coffin Carrier said with a vicious laugh. Aquamarine Python lightly tapped the floor with her staff. Her eyes slowly calmed down and she nodded slightly. "Okay." The Blood Coffin Carrier found it strange that she had actually agreed to help. Originally, he thought he would have to promise her more things, but since she had agreed so readily, he felt a hint of suspicion. "Aquamarine Python, let me warn you. This True Devil Egg is mine. When we snatch it back, I am not going to give you any of it!" he warned sternly. The red lips under the Aquamarine Python mask curled a little, forming an indescribable smile. Then she nodded. "Alright, I will follow you to find him." Chapter 1156: Blood Coffin Carriers Ambush Chapter 1156: Blood Coffin Carrier''s Ambush Li Luo, Feng Lingyuan, and group leapt across the hallways with speed. However, they were unable to jump too high as an indescribable pressure would push them down once they reached a certain height. Perhaps the real All-Beings Palace was the actual residence of the All-Beings Devil King. In the land of a King, there would be a special set of rules to abide by. Even a Duke expert would have to carefully watch their step in such a place. No one would dare to flagrantly soar across the hallways so disrespectfully. Although Li Luo and the group were simply in a projection of the All-Beings Palace, it was more than powerful enough to suppress the students who weren''t even Dukes yet. Li Luo was at the center of their formation. He was surrounded by elite students like Feng Lingyuan, Yue Zhiyu, Duan Mu, and Wei Chonglou. With such a formation, they were clearly remaining vigilant around him. However, this was to be expected as he had that strange and terrifying cursed arm. No one could let their guards down. He could understand their concerns, and he knew very well that the corruption within his cursed arm was only being suppressed for now. If there was any sign of weakness, the cursed arm would start to devour him and invade his spirit once again. "I have to get rid of this damn thing as soon as possible." Li Luo sighed in his heart as he took a glance at it. Corruption originated from Others and contained countless negative emotions. If it stayed in his body for too long, his mind and spirit would ultimately be affected no matter how much he tried to suppress it. The effects of it could be clearly seen on the members of the Murderous Ghost Horde. Although those guys still looked like humans, their spirits were completely twisted and mad, a fragment of what they once were. Li Luo did not want to turn out like them. Just as he was thinking about all this, his face suddenly changed. The corruption within his cursed arm began to act up all of a sudden. Li Luo immediately felt another terrifying wave of energy coming from a room in the distance. There was a certain familiarity to it. It was the Blood Coffin Carrier from before! "Ambush! Watch out!" Li Luo shouted as soon as he realized it. The large group was a little surprised when they heard this. However, there was no time for them to ask any questions. Fearsome energy waves shot at them from the front. They were condensed into black shadows that possessed terrifying might, and inside each shadow was a pitch-black coffin. "It''s the Murderous Ghost Horde!" Feng Lingyuan and the others understood the situation as soon as they saw the coffin. Bang! At the next moment, immense amounts of resonant power surged up into the air, and Majestic Heavenly Resonance Diagrams appeared one after another in the sky above. All the other Greater Heavenly Resonance students took out their treasured artifacts, ready to fend off the sudden attack. Boom! Terrifying energy shockwaves swept across the field. Some of the Greater Heavenly Resonance students spat out blood from the aftershock of the enormous clash. Clearly, there was quite a number of black coffins attacking in unison. Fortunately, the strongest elites like Feng Lingyuan and Yue Zhiyu reacted immediately and managed to stop them, reducing the pressure on the other students. "Li Luo, return the True Devil Egg to me!" A crazy voice reverberated throughout the hall, then a red light shot through the air. It was none other than the Blood Coffin Carrier. His body writhed like some kind of blood-red fiend and his face had an expression full of insanity and murderous intent. His pupils were bloodshot as he barreled straight at Li Luo. Seeing this, Feng Lingyuan''s beautiful eyes turned cold. She clenched her fists in the air, and countless grayish-black shadows whizzed down from the Heavenly Resonance Diagram above. These shadows fell onto the Blood Coffin Carrier like chains and restrained all of his limbs. "Screw off!" At this moment, the Blood Coffin Carrier was much stronger than before since he had assimilated with half of the True Devil Egg. His flesh wriggled and he exuded a blood-red aura, directly melting the black chains tying him down. Then he clenched his fist tightly tightly and threw a punch directly at Feng Lingyuan, who was trying to interrupt him. At the next moment, he hurriedly snapped to attention, activating all the resonant power in his body and transforming it into light resonant power, pouring it into his left arm to resist the surging corruption. At this point, the half of the True Devil Egg in his left arm was reacting very violently. It had clearly been invigorated by the presence of the other half. Li Luo''s face turned green. There was a huge battle happening right in front of him, but all he could do was put all his energy into resisting the True Devil Egg. He could not help the others at all. In fact, he would''ve loved it if the Blood Coffin Carrier could just take the other half of the True Devil Egg out of his arm. The thing was clearly just a ticking time bomb. However, Li Luo knew how vicious the Blood Coffin Carrier was. If he was allowed to take the True Devil Egg, he would probably take his life as well. "Aquamarine Python, what are you waiting for?!" the Blood Coffin Carrier suddenly shouted. Feng Lingyuan and the rest were stunned when they heard this. Did the Blood Coffin Carrier have another ally in the shadows? Just as the Blood Coffin Carrier shouted, a giant python over a hundred feet long suddenly shot out from the shadows behind him. The python was odd-looking with multiple eyes. Above its head was a faint figure with half of her body fused into it. At the same time, another group of Black Coffin Carriers rushed out as well. The two sides clashed with each other. The Aquamarine Python easily sent dozens of Greater Heavenly Resonance students flying. As the python whipped its tail, it slithered speedily towards the back in an odd way. "Li Luo, get back!" Li Hongyou was shocked when she saw this. She waved the Blackwood Feather Fan, and black rays of death flew towards the Aquamarine Python. The Aquamarine Python shot out a poisonous ray in retaliation, causing the black rays to disintegrate. In an instant, the whole battlefield had turned chaotic. Li Luo retreated in a flash. Feng Lingyuan was also feeling the pressure at this point. There was clearly more Murderous Ghost Horde members than before. With just their team alone, it was challenging to hold them off. Therefore, she quickly took out a talisman and threw it into the air. The talisman turned into a pillar of light, and a "Feng" character appeared in the middle of the sky. This was her call for help. ...... At the same time, there was another team rushing across the hallway in another corner of the All-Beings Palace. They suddenly stopped in their tracks. They raised their heads and saw the request for assistance in the distance. Some of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College students were surprised to see this. "That is Senior Lingyuan''s call for help. Have they been ambushed?!" The others were shocked too. With Feng Lingyuan''s strength, why was she looking for assistance? "Brother Wu, shall we go to her aid? Or should we rush over to the Heavenly Ghost Altar first?" one of the students asked. Their eyes all turned towards the two figures at the front. A male and a female stood at the forefront. They were none other than Wu Changkong and Jiang Qing''e. Wu Changkong was also stunned for a moment. A flash of light flew across his eyes. "Feng Lingyuan''s team? That means..." As he was thinking about it, Jiang Qing''e quickly turned towards one of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College students and asked, "Is Li Luo in Feng Lingyuan''s team?!" Hearing this, the student answered in a hurry, "Yes. Li Luo is part of Senior Feng''s team." Boom! As soon as the student finished speaking, radiant light resonant power exploded like the blinding sun. At the next moment, everyone saw Jiang Qing''e turn into a flash of light and disappear into the distance. She had left the whole squad behind. Regardless of their choice, she was heading over there herself. Everyone was at a loss for words. It was the first time they had seen Jiang Qing''e, who had always been calm, rushing off with a look of extreme urgency on her face. Wu Changkong''s face turned gloomy upon seeing this. However, he did not say anything. He simply waved his hand and brought the whole team along to reinforce her. Chapter 1157: Aquamarine Pythons Betrayal Chapter 1157: Aquamarine Python''s Betrayal Boom! A fierce battle broke out immediately as wild energy shockwaves swept across the cold hallway. Feng Lingyuan, Wang Kong, and the other top students worked together to stop the Blood Coffin Carrier. The other students tried their best to fend off the Black Coffin Carriers as well. The Aquamarine Python that had suddenly appeared on the battlefield took advantage of the chaos. It tore through their defenses and, with astonishing speed, slithered towards Li Luo at the back. Many of the students tried to stop it along the way. However, they were blown away by its enormous, mighty undulations of chilly energy, resulting in them spitting out blood from the terrifying aftershocks. The energy shockwaves that came from the giant Aquamarine Python were more fearsome than they had imagined. "Wei Chonglou, stop it!" A sense of worry appeared in Li Hongyou''s eyes as she watched the giant python dash towards Li Luo directly. However, she still had to support Feng Lingyuan and the rest. She could only shout at Wei Chonglou, who was closer to the rear to assist. Hearing this, Wei Chonglou''s face changed immediately. He stared at the giant python and noticed a graceful female figure partially fused into the top of its head. The woman and the snake seemed to have turned into a singular entity, and the sight was extremely creepy. "What strong energy undulations!" Fear appeared within Wei Chonglou''s eyes. The strange Aquamarine Python did not seem to be any weaker than the Blood Coffin Carrier. How would he be able to stop it alone? Besides, doing all this just to protect Li Luo? Putting his life on the line against this mysterious, strong foe? To defend someone he didn''t even like? Wei Chonglou''s eyes turned dark. He gritted his teeth and he dodged out of the Aquamarine Python''s way. Li Luo, who was standing behind him, was completely exposed now. "You can''t blame me for this! There''s no way I can stop it!" Wei Chonglou said in his heart. Then he whispered to himself, "Go for him!" However, he sensed a strange gaze coming from the graceful figure on the python as he dodged out of its way. He did not know if it was simply his imagination. There seemed to be icy murderous intent directed towards him behind that gaze. Wei Chonglou froze on the spot for a moment. Was it unhappy that he had given way? He had to be imagining things. How could there be such a strange enemy in this world? Just as he was thinking about it, the roaring Aquamarine Python suddenly turned around. Its enormous body filled with ice-cold energy was like a river of death that spanned thousands of feet. It gushed through the air and charged towards him fiercely. Behind it, the Blood Coffin Carrier, who was busy fighting Feng Lingyuan and group, was delighted when he saw this. "Aquamarine Python, crush that little brat into pieces. Just bring his left arm back!" Boom! The Aquamarine Python bellowed. Its vicious mouth opened and it swallowed Li Luo up completely. Then the python turned into a black light and flew off into the distance. The Blood Coffin Carrier was dumbfounded as he watched the Aquamarine Python rush away. Then he understood what was going on. He cried out angrily, "Damn Aquamarine Python! You dare snatch my True Devil Egg!? I''m going to kill you!" The Blood Coffin Carrier roared angrily, his eyes turning blood-red. Mind-boggling amounts of corruption surged out of him and his terrifying body began to expand once again. He grew into a giant dozens of feet tall. He then threw out a punch with the force of a meteor. It flew towards Wang Kong and sent him flying back. When Feng Lingyuan and the rest landed attacks, frightening scars appeared all over his body. However, his flesh wriggled slightly and the injuries healed in the blink of an eye. The Blood Coffin Carrier could not be bothered with Feng Lingyuan and the rest at this moment. He could not stand the thought of Aquamarine Python stealing his other half of the True Devil Egg. He stomped his feet, causing the ground to shatter, and he quickly flew towards the direction where the Aquamarine Python had gone. The fierce battle turned chaotic once again. Meanwhile, the Aquamarine Python was really swift. In just a few moments, it slithered into one of the abandoned halls. Its mouth opened, and Li Luo fell out of it. At this moment, Li Luo was on high alert. As he suppressed the corruption in his left arm, he was prepared to go all-out in an instant. However, just as he was thinking about how to fight for his life, a slender, jade hand suddenly stretched out of the giant python''s mouth. The hand was holding a sharp, poisonous fang. Slowly, the graceful figure made its way out of the mouth, holding an aquamrine python staff. Li Luo was stunned for a moment as he looked at the familiar weapon. Then he heard a familiar laugh. "It hasn''t been that long since we last met. Why have you gotten yourself into such a predicament?" The person was wearing a mask that covered half her face. Li Luo stared at the half-covered face. Then he took another look at the staff. His eyes widened up and his shocked voice echoed in the silent hall. "C-Cousin Lingjing?!" Chapter 1158: Reunion with Li Lingjing Chapter 1158: Reunion with Li Lingjing Li Luo was absolutely shocked when he saw Li Lingjing. Perhaps due to the fact that half of her face was covered by the Aquamarine Python mask, she seemed almost enchanting at this moment, beautiful with a hint of mystique. However, it was the same old familiar pair of eyes looking back at him. This chapter is updated by "W-Why are you here?" Li Luo asked in surprise. Li Lingjing thought about it for a moment. She then replied with a smile, "Clearly, I am here on a mission." Li Luo understood what she meant. "Are you part of the Murderous Ghost Horde?" Li Lingjing nodded. "You can say that." He stared at her with a complex look. He never expected his reunion with Li Lingjing to happen under such circumstances. She had completely changed sides now. Based just on that, they were supposed to be mortal enemies right now. Li Lingjing looked back at Li Luo''s perplexed gaze, then she told him frankly, "Li Luo, you''ve known about it all along. I am no kind soul." Li Luo replied softly, "Cousin Lingjing, that is just because of the incident back then. I believe that the heroic girl of the Western Region still lives within you. You are still kinder than anyone else." Li Lingjing was a little taken aback. She kept quiet for a moment before she answered sadly, "Perhaps." Before Li Luo could say anything further, his vision began to blur. The corruption in his left arm was running amok and his mind was beginning to get affected. Li Lingjing could sense the changes happening to him. "Focus your mind and suppress the corruption. I will help you take care of the True Devil Egg." At this point, she paused. "As long as you still trust me." Li Luo smiled back at her. He sat down in the lotus position and closed his eyes, completely lowering his guard against all external threats. Then he focused his mind to resist the corruption and protect his body. Looking at his defenseless state, a hardly noticeable warm light flashed across Li Lingjing''s ice-cold eyes. She kneeled down beside Li Luo, stretched out her hand, and lifted Li Luo''s terrifying cursed arm. As soon as she came into contact with the arm, an extremely cold energy gushed out of it. Countless strange whispers resounded within her heart, trying to corrupt her spirit. Such whispers were really frightening to ordinary people, but Li Lingjing was not bothered by them at all. Her inner self was like a lake of dead water. No matter how many negative emotions fell onto it, she was completely unaffected. She stared at the cursed arm and thought about it for a moment. If she cut the arm off, it would be the easiest way to retrieve the True Devil Egg. This was what the Blood Coffin Carrier had planned to do. However, she clearly couldn''t use this method. She had to do it in a less extreme way. Li Lingjing opened her red lips, and two of her teeth suddenly grew sharper. Like the fangs of a python, she bit Li Luo''s wrist directly. Surging waves of corruption gushed out, flowing along Li Lingjing''s red lips and going straight into her body. As Li Lingjing absorbed the energy of the True Devil Egg, Li Luo''s tight frown gradually loosened up. However, he had completely shut off his senses to the outside world as he was completely focused on channeling his resonant power and resisting the corruption. Li Lingjing waved her sleeve at this point. A green and black mist filled with countless screams slowly expanded out of her body. The demonic feeling emanating from Li Lingjing was gradually strengthening. She was trying her best to buy as much time as possible. Hopefully, she could resolve the problem of the True Devil Egg on Li Luo''s left arm before the Blood Coffin Carrier reached them. Time passed rapidly as Li Lingjing struggled against the incoming foes. This was all until a particular moment... Bang! A loud explosion could be heard outside the hall. The huge and heavy doors of the hall were blown apart. The Blood Coffin Carrier stood in front of the gate with his body dripping in blood. He stared into the hall with deadly and mad eyes. When he saw Li Lingjing''s red lips biting Li Luo''s left arm, his eyes grew even fiercer. "Aquamarine Python, you shouldn''t steal my things! I am going to torture you to death. I''ll feed every scrap of your flesh to my beloved!" The Blood Coffin Carrier screamed in a mad voice. His blood and flesh moved towards the center of his palm, transforming into a bloody, fleshy spear with an eyeball. "Die, Aquamarine Python!" The Blood Coffin Carrier laughed out viciously and threw the spear at Li Lingjing and Li Luo with immense murderous intent. Looking at its trajectory, the spear would pierce through both Li Luo and Li Lingjing without a doubt. Li Lingjing could feel it approaching them after his angry cries. Her eyebrows frowned a little. However, she did not plan to dodge it. She quietly channeled her power, and the scales on her skin grew even darker. Clearly, she was planning to fight back against it. Whoosh! The spear cut through the air with a sharp ring. When it was just a few feet away from Li Luo and Li Lingjing, the surroundings were suddenly illuminated with radiant light. A pillar of light containing unimaginable divine energy descended on the dome of the hall. It melted the dome instantaneously and then crashed down upon the spear. As it was saturated with pure and concentrated purification power, the fleshy spear screamed in pain. Then it began to evaporate into a wisp of black smoke before everyone''s eyes. The endless light energy pierced through the sky and brightened up every corner of the hall. The Blood Coffin Carrier was stunned by the sudden development. He looked up and saw a tall, slender figure slowly descending. On her back were two light Spirit Avatars. They rippled with light resonant power, giving off an incredibly holy appearance. Four wings made up of light resonant power were on her back. Looking like a goddess of light, she gradually descended into the world of mortals. Jiang Qing''e had finally arrived. Chapter 1159: Arrival of the Light Chapter 1159: Arrival of the Light The radiant light resonant power broke through the dome of the hall and shone onto every corner. Under its majestic brilliance, the vast amount of corruption in the area rapidly retreated. Jiang Qing''e slowly lowered down on a bed of light resonant power that flowed like water, looking like a goddess of light. The first thing she did was look over at Li Luo. He was sitting in the lotus position at the center of the hall with his eyes shut. Even with her aloof personality, she couldn''t help but stare at him momentarily, unable to suppress the emotions from surging within her heart. A bright smile appeared on her usually calm and charming face. "Li Luo, I''ve finally found you." However, she soon noticed that something was not right with Li Luo. Her eyes turned towards that strange left arm of his. She saw Li Lingjing leaning onto him and biting his wrist. At the next moment, Jiang Qing''e gripped her heavy sword. She almost slashed down with all her might instinctively. However, she did not do so in the end. With her acute senses to corruption, she could tell that the girl, shrouded in ice-cold energy, was actually absorbing the corruption gently from Li Luo''s arm. Although she did not know of her identity or objective, she was definitely doing Li Luo a favor. As such, Jiang Qing''e immediately shifted her attention towards the gate of the hall. She looked at the Blood Coffin Carrier surging with immense and wild energy. "Double ninth-grade light resonances?!" The Blood Coffin Carrier was surprised when he saw the two light Spirit Avatars behind Jiang Qing''e. That was the signature trademark of someone with a ninth-grade light resonance. In other words, this girl in front of him had two of them? In an instant, his surprise turned into disgust. Having fused with the Others, he felt an extreme sense of unease around the vast amount of divine power. "Roar!" The Blood Coffin Carrier roared loudly as he took heavy steps into the palace. However, Jiang Qing''e did not spare him any quarter. She could tell that this person''s target was Li Luo. A cold glint flickered across her eyes, and immense amounts of light resonant power surged up. Jiang Qing''e formed a handseal with a single hand. At the same time, the two Spirit Avatars behind her copied the same set of hand movements. Each of them raised one hand and placed their palm on her back. Radiant light energy condensed on their palms, which served as a conduit into her body. Whoosh! Suddenly, an overwhelming amount of light resonant power poured directly into Jiang Qing''e''s body. The pulses of resonant power emanating from her body increased at an astonishing rate. At this moment, the eyeballs that had protruded out of the Blood Coffin Carrier''s body shot out red beams of energy. Unfortunately, the beams evaporated in as soon as they came into contact with the Seven Treasures Glazed Sword of Light. The Blood Coffin Carrier cried out furiously, pushing the defensive prowess of his body to its maximum. If he couldn''t dodge it, he would have to face it head-on. Unfortunately, he had overestimated his own defense and underestimated how terrifying the all-out strike from Jiang Qing''e was. The giant sword penetrated him. As soon as it came into contact, it disintegrated his body and flesh immediately. White bones full of strange, black creatures were revealed. In the next instant, these things were caught up in the light resonant power and turned into dust. Bang! The huge sword pinned the Blood Coffin Carrier to the ground. A huge pit had appeared on the ground when the sword slammed into it. The Blood Coffin Carrier cried out madly. He struggled as hard as he could, but it was pointless. The immense light energy had sealed up any chance for him to escape this alive. After a few moments, the radiant light energy resided. All that was left in the huge pit was a pile of bones. The formidable Blood Coffin Carrier had been finished off by Jiang Qing''e in a single strike! Looking at the dead remains of the Blood Coffin Carrier, Jiang Qing''e raised her hand, and the huge sword flew back towards her. It rapidly shrank and the gems vanished. In the end, her original heavy sword fell back into her hands. The light Spirit Avatars behind her back had disappeared too. Jiang Qing''e''s face was a little pale. That strike earlier had clearly left her exhausted. However, she did not stop here. She grabbed her sword and slowly landed in the hall. She then turned around with the sword still in her hands. Her calm and cold eyes glanced towards the girl who was sucking the corruption out of Li Luo''s wrist. At this point, Li Lingjing was near the end as well. After a few moments, her sharp fangs slowly released Li Luo''s wrist. She could sense the cold stare coming from Jiang Qing''e, but her expression remained calm. She held onto the Aquamarine Bamboo Python Staff on her side and stood up. Then she turned around and looked straight back into Jiang Qing''e''s eyes. An endless amount of radiant light energy was pouring out behind Jiang Qing''e. Due to half of the True Devil Egg that she had just absorbed, Li Lingjing was similarly overflowing with energy. However, it was black and icy, the antithesis to the warm light. A line of distinction could be clearly seen between the light and darkness. Li Luo was sitting with his eyes closed right in the middle of them. Chapter 1160: Light and Dark Chapter 1160: Light and Dark The light and darkness split the hall into two regions, with Li Luo sitting on the dividing line. Things had fallen deathly silent at this point. Jiang Qing''e stared at Li Lingjing. Immense amounts of corruption were overflowing out of the latter as she had just absorbed half of the True Devil Egg. On her forehead, the green and black horn was becoming even more monstrous too. No matter how Jiang Qing''e looked at it, the girl in front of her was clearly the embodiment of evil. The light resonant power in her body was crying out nonstop. As if out of reflex, it wanted to cleanse the immense corruption leaking out of the other girl. Slowly, Jiang Qing''e tightened her grip on her sword. Her eyes turned sharp. Jiang Qing''e had always held an impressive and domineering presence amongst her peers. Few were able to remain unfazed under her sharp gaze. However, Li Lingjing had not shown any signs of wavering on her beautiful face. In fact, she had tightened her grip on her Aquamarine Bamboo Python Staff in response. In the end, Jiang Qing''e did not attack her directly. The girl was strange, but she had ultimately done no harm to Li Luo nor taken him hostage. Jiang Qing''e stared at Li Lingjing. Her red lips opened slightly and she asked in a cold voice, "Are you part of the Murderous Ghost Horde?" Apart from the students of the two ancient colleges, there were only Others and the Murderous Ghost Horde from the Origin Reversion Institute in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. This girl was strange and spooky, but she still retained her human form. Therefore, she had to belong to the latter group. Although Li Lingjing did not respond to her directly, the answer was clear. "Why did you help Li Luo?" Jiang Qing''e asked with a little doubt and surprise. She was not bothered about the previous fact at all. "Are you worried about him?" Li Lingjing finally opened her mouth. Her eyes scrutinized the beauty dazzling in radiant light. Her temperament and appearance were clearly one notch above that of the Fairy of Water from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. "Li Luo is my fiance," Jiang Qing''e replied in a direct and calm voice, establishing their relationship. Li Lingjing was a little shocked when she heard this. She stared back at Jiang Qing''e. She had heard about Li Luo having a fiancee from the outer divine continent long ago. She lowered her head a little and looked at Li Luo, who still had his eyes closed as he tried to mop up the mess within his body. Then she swung her staff, turned around, and left. She did not plan to interact with Jiang Qing''e any longer. The immense cold and dark energy subsided along with her departure. As Jiang Qing''e watched her walk away, she did not stop her. She could tell that this girl had a special relationship with Li Luo. However, it wasn''t that of romantic love. Jiang Qing''e was feeling a little perplexed about this. It was their first time meeting, but she could already sense it. This girl would definitely become a True Devil in the future. In fact, she would definitely become a strong True Devil. Why would someone like that protect Li Luo? She had shown no signs of dodging the fatal attacks from the Blood Coffin Carrier earlier; she must have planned to take the hits for Li Luo. Just how deep was their relationship? A light flashed across Jiang Qing''e''s eyes. As she watched Li Lingjing slowly walk into the darkness, she thought about it for a moment and suddenly said, "Although I don''t know who you are, I want to say... Thank you. I will remember this favor in my heart. If there is a chance in the future, I will surely repay you." The figure faintly seen in the shadows paused for a moment. Li Lingjing did not turn back. Then the darkness swallowed her up completely. However, her ice-cold voice echoed in the palace. "I think... You will no longer have that chance." Jiang Qing''e slightly raised her brows. "What a personality. Just what is the relationship between that girl and Li Luo?" Was he slaying the hearts of maidens wherever he went? She blinked for a moment and shot him an unkind look as she wondered. "Should I give him a beating to keep him in check? It would be a fitting reunion gift, right?" When this thought ran through he mind, her lips curled up uncontrollably. Her usually calm inner self was surging with waves of happiness. Soon, it reached all parts of her body. The light beams around her glowed even brighter as a result. She kneeled down in front of Li Luo and looked at his face. His handsome face had aged compared to the time they last saw each other. Then her smile grew and her eyes lit up in delight. "Li Luo, we finally meet again." Jiang Qing''e stared at him for a good, long while. Then Li Luo''s eyes moved a little and slowly opened up. An unforgettable and charming face was reflected in his slightly dazed eyes. Chapter 1161: Ive Missed You For A Thousand Autumns Chapter 1161: I''ve Missed You For A Thousand Autumns Sparkles of light filled the air due to the immense light resonant power from Jiang Qing''e earlier. It was as if the entire place had been set alight with stars. A familiar, exquisite, and charming face was reflected in Li Luo''s eyes. Her beauty eclipsed all the stars in their surroundings. Li Luo did not move from his spot. Instead, his breathing slowed as he stared at that unforgettable face. In the past year, this stunning face had appeared in his dream countless times. Li Luo could smell the fragrance coming from the girl in front of him. It felt incomparably real, so he knew that this was not an illusion. The person that he had been thinking about every day and night had really appeared in front of him. Jiang Qing''e looked back at the dumbfounded Li Luo. Her golden eyes were filled with warmth as she pursed her lips and chuckled. She broke the silence and asked, "Are you smitten by me?" Li Luo''s heart surged like the waves of an ocean. He replied softly, "Jiang Qing''e, every day apart from you feels like the passing of three autumns. I''ve missed you for a thousand autumns now." Jiang Qing''e was a little startled. She could clearly feel the sincerity and longing in Li Luo''s words, which made her heart beat loudly. It was not just Li Luo who had been looking forward to their reunion. She had been thinking of him all day and night. How was he doing in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li? Was anyone bullying him? Endless warmth extended out of her heart, so much so that her calm and sharp appearance on the outside had grown gentle. "It''s been a while since we last met. You''ve really learned how to flatter people during that time," Jiang Qing''e said with a light chuckle. As soon as she finished speaking, Li Luo suddenly stood up and leaned over to her. His face gradually grew larger in front of her. Before she could react, she felt a warm and soft feeling on her lips. Jiang Qing''e eyes grew slightly larger. The light resonant power radiating from her grew even brighter, as if it was about to explode out of reflex. She reined in her powers. Although Li Luo had grown much stronger, she was still at the pinnacle of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. If her light resonant energy detonated, he would surely be caught up in the aftershock and be injured. Jiang Qing''e couldn''t let this happen, not after finally reuniting. As her thoughts flowed, Li Luo had succeeded in his sneak attack and retreated swiftly. He wiped his lips with a face of satisfaction, as if he was reminiscing the taste of the sweetest delicacy in the world. Jiang Qing''e glanced over coldly and gradually lifted up her heavy sword. Seeing this, Li Luo quickly explained, "It''s just a sign of my deep love. A gift for our reunion!" "A gift for our reunion? Is that all?" Jiang Qing''e chuckled. The goddess of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College was kissing Li Luo! Yue Zhiyu had a strange look on her face. Then she turned over to Wei Chonglou. His eyes were red, his body was trembling, and his fists were tightly clenched. His breath was as heavy as that of a raging cow. His eyes were bursting with jealousy and fury. It almost seemed like these emotions would even take physical form. Yue Zhiyu thought to herself, "If there was an Other around to ignite his negative emotions, Wei Chonglou would surely transform immediately." There was no helping it. After all, this scene in front of him was too much for him to handle. From this, it was evident that Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo were really engaged. The feelings they had for each other were beyond their wildest imaginations. It was no wonder Jiang Qing''e always said that no men in this world could compare to Li Luo. It was because her heart already belonged to him. She had no eyes for anyone else. "That is Jiang Qing''e? She is truly beautiful." Feng Lingyuan and the rest had a different reaction. They were proud that Li Luo was able to win over the radiant pearl of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Although Li Luo wasn''t really a student from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, he had tagged along for quite a few missions already and they considered him as one of them. Besides, the one shocked by this sight wasn''t just them. In the dome above the hall, another figure was slowly descending. It was their leader, Wu Changkong. He stood above them and looked down. His face was extremely dark and a terrifying resonant power pulsated out of his body. However, he quickly restrained these undulations of power. Wu Changkong forced himself to look away as his heart burned with fury. A student on his side felt unhappy for him. He told Wu Changkong sourly, "How can someone like Li Luo get such a perfect fiancee like Jiang Qing''e?" "Is it just because he''s from the Bloodline of a Heavenly Emperor? Or is it because of his triple resonances? Perhaps it could be the fact that he was able to slay Heavenly Resonance opponents as a Heavenly Pearl? Or maybe he is handsome? Or could it be..." Before the student could finish speaking, Wu Changkong glared at him. "Shut up!" "Huh? Yes, Boss!" Chapter 1162: Who? Chapter 1162: Who? Finally, the two of them noticed the arrival of the crowd outside the hall. Jiang Qing''e let go of Li Luo''s collar and quickly shoved him away. She took a glance at the intoxicated Li Luo shyly. Then she quickly got her emotions in check, and the rosiness on her cheeks subsided. Her well-endowed chest continued to lightly heave. When she turned around, she had regained her usual composure. This change in appearance was so fast that some would even suspect that the entire scene they had previously seen was just a figment of their imagination. "Fake. It''s all fake,," Wei Chonglou muttered. He truly hoped that everything he had seen was just an illusion. However, he was soon interrupted by the heartless Yue Zhiyu. She looked at Jiang Qing''e playfully and said, "Who would have thought that the Holy Maiden of Hallowed Coruscation would be so madly in love?" Jiang Qing''e glanced over at her. She replied indifferently, "We are officially engaged after all. Is he supposed to be in love with you instead?" Li Luo also stepped forward at this moment, explaining in a hurry, "Sister Qing''e, please do not misunderstand. I already have a phoenix at home; why would I bother with the wild ducks on the side?" Yue Zhiyu''s face turned red with fury. She shouted angrily, "Who''re you calling a wild duck?!" The combination of verbal blows by Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo had caused her to seethe. She couldn''t help but make fun of Jiang Qing''e as she was someone who enjoyed teasing others. Meanwhile, Feng Lingyuan, Duan Mu, Li Hongyou, and the rest walked into the hall at this point. Feng Lingyuan''s eyes paused on Jiang Qing''e as she extended her hand out of goodwill. She said in a friendly voice, "I am Feng Lingyuan. I have heard of you for quite some time, Junior Jiang, and having had the chance to meet you today, I can see why you are the pearl of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College." Jiang Qing''e shook hands with Feng Lingyuan and replied, "I would like to thank you, Senior Feng, for taking care of Li Luo along the way." Feng Lingyuan smiled back. "Not really. If it weren''t for Li Luo, we would have suffered even greater casualties on our way here. Taking him as my teammate was truly the right choice." Jiang Qing''e''s expression turned gentle. Hearing Feng Lingyuan praise Li Luo made her feel better, as if she was the one receiving it. Li Luo also walked up and specially introduced Li Hongyou to Jiang Qing''e. "Sister Qing''e, this is Senior Hongyou. She is close to me and will return to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage with me later." At the same time, he secretly whispered to her, "Strictly speaking, she is actually my cousin by blood. She possesses the Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance, which boasts magnificent support capabilities." Jiang Qing''e nodded slightly. She smiled warmly towards Li Hongyou. Since she was the one who had created the problem, she planned to be the one to resolve it. The simplest way to do so would be to give Wei Chonglou a beating. This would send a clear warning to everyone else not to find trouble with Li Luo. Jiang Qing''e was always decisive with her actions. Seeing this, Wei Chonglou''s face turned ugly immediately. Although they were obstructed by the poison mist earlier, they could still tell how formidable Jiang Qing''e''s sword of light was. It was likely that Ning Meng was the only one left in the whole Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College that could rival Jiang Qing''e. Even Wei Chonglou was no match for her anymore. If Jiang Qing''e really came after him, he would suffer a humiliating defeat. Therefore, he could not help but take a few steps back under Jiang Qing''e''s determined gaze. Seeing this, everyone held their breath for a moment before they tried to calm things down. This was not the time for internal strife. After all, the Evil Spirits and Murderous Ghost Horde were their biggest enemies right now. Li Luo grabbed Jiang Qing''e''s wrist and shook his head with a smile. He knew that Jiang Qing''e wanted to eliminate the root of the issue that she had inadvertently sowed. However, there was no actual need for this. After all, their relationship wasn''t so weak that it would be affected by something like this. Jiang Qing''e remained quiet as she looked at the situation. Gradually, the resonant power around her subsided. However, her piercing gaze remained locked onto Wei Chonglou. At this moment, many more people appeared above the dome of the hall. Wu Changkong took the opportunity to slowly descend as well. With a warm face and gentle smile, he nodded politely at the crowd. Then he turned over to Jiang Qing''e and said with a smile, "Junior Jiang, you really shocked me with that move earlier. I thought I would be able to rush over to assist you. In the end, you finished the Blood Coffin Carrier off with a single strike. The strength of dual ninth-grade light resonances is truly domineering." After saying this, he turned towards Li Luo and asked, "Junior Li Luo, are you alright? Junior Jiang rushed over as soon as she heard you were in trouble." Looking at his friendly face, Li Luo would have really thought that Wu Changkong''s words were out of genuine concern if they had not had that previous argument. However, now he could tell it was all facade. Nonetheless, Wu Changkong was definitely much more troublesome than Wei Chonglou. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e both coolly nodded at him. They did not plan to improve their relationship with just a few words. Wu Changkong was not bothered by their actions either. He turned towards the crowd and said, "Now that we''re all here, let us head towards the Heavenly Ghost Altar and stop the True Devil Egg fusion together. What do you guys think?" Naturally, everyone agreed with his suggestion. So the crowd set off from the spot. Li Luo intentionally extended his hand out to Jiang Qing''e and invited her to come along with him. The latter took a glance at the backs of the crowd who had set off. Then a sudden smile surfaced on her face as she asked in a casual tone, "So you haven''t told me who that lady was. The one who absorbed the corruption from your body." Chapter 1163: Mutual Gifts Chapter 1163: Mutual Gifts The sudden question from Jiang Qing''e caused Li Luo to glance towards the crowd. He whispered softly to her, "Are you referring to Cousin Lingjing?" "Another cousin?" Jiang Qing''e looked over at Li Luo. It seemed she would have to take some time to understand just how many cousins he had gotten acquainted with in the short amount of time that they had been separated. Li Luo laughed and responded, "Do you remember Aunt Li Rouyun? The one who came to the Xia Kingdom in order to bring me back to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage? Cousin Lingjing is her niece." Jiang Qing''e nodded slightly and then paused for a moment. Seeing this, Li Luo understood the situation. "Have you met Cousin Lingjing before? Did something happen between the two of you? If she had not helped to remove the True Devil Egg from my left arm, I am afraid I wouldn''t have been able to return to normal." Li Luo lifted his left arm. At this point, the cursed arm had reverted back to its normal appearance. The corruption that was trying to invade his body had been completely removed. This was all thanks to Li Lingjing. Jiang Qing''e replied calmly, "Don''t worry, I am not unreasonable. Although her entire being is basically corruption itself, she ultimately helped you out. I will naturally not make things hard for her." Li Luo smiled bitterly and sighed in relief. "Cousin Lingjing has lived a really tough life. It''s due to factors beyond her control that she ended up like this." Jiang Qing''e warned him, "She''s part of the Origin Reversion Institute. If she continues down this path, she''ll end up as your enemy one day." Li Luo thought about it in silence. "We''ll think about it when it happens." This was a tough reality for him to swallow, so he decided to brush it aside for now. He looked at Jiang Qing''e with concern and asked, "Has your problem with the sacrificial ignition of your Heart of Light been resolved?" Jiang Qing''e replied softly, "Don''t worry about it. It''s mostly resolved." "Really? If you''re lying to me, I''ll get angry," Li Luo responded with a frown. Looking at his serious expression, Jiang Qing''e could only say, "There are still some aftereffects from it which may affect my breakthrough to the Duke Stage in the future. I will need some rare and precious resources to cure it completely. However, it''s hard to find such resources." Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com Li Luo nodded, then his hand brushed across his pocket sphere, and a pearl that was around the size of one''s thumb appeared in his hand. There was a seal on the pearl, and a holy lotus could be faintly seen within it. He placed the pearl into Jiang Qing''e''s hands and whispered to her, "This is a Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus. It''s a natural treasure that can repair your foundation and cure all of the remaining aftereffects." "Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus? You actually managed to get it?" Jiang Qing''e felt incredibly touched. Back when they separated, Li Luo had said that he was going to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li to obtain a certain item. She did not think much about it back then until she arrived in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. As she gathered more information in the college, she finally understood how precious this item was. The Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus was highly coveted even amongst some of the high-grade Dukes. She was moved by his actions; she had never imagined that Li Luo would be able to obtain it. "This item is too precious. You... you must have worked really hard for it, huh?" Jiang Qing''e asked with overwhelming emotions in her heart. She looked at Li Luo with gentle and warm eyes. "You ignited your Heart of Light in order to protect me. It''s only natural for me to do everything I can in order to find the best panacea for you," Li Luo replied as he looked back at Jiang Qing''e''s eyes. He could not bear to see her in such a state. Back when Jiang Qing''e ignited her Heart of Light, he was in so much pain and anger over his own powerlessness. The corners of Jiang Qing''e''s lips curled up slightly. Seeing Li Luo like this, she could feel ripples appearing in her usually calm inner lake. This would affect her skills with her sword, but she did not reject it at all. "This too." The soft sound of her footsteps echoed in the silent hall. The Black Coffin Carriers felt like their hearts were being strangled, as if each step she took was trampling their chests. The pressure exuding from her was simply tyrannical. In the end, Li Lingjing stopped in front of one Black Coffin Carrier. This indiviual was shivering as he lowered his head further. Li Lingjing shook her head slightly and stared at him coldly. No. To be exact, she was staring at the coffin behind him. Mocking laughter came out as she said, "Do you think such petty tricks will save your life?" "Master Aquamarine Python?" The Black Coffin Carrier was terrified when he heard her words. Li Lingjing did not bother to listen to his explanation. A huge wave of energy swept up from her staff and knocked the black coffin away. It flew into the air and landed with a loud thud. The coffin''s cover broke apart. At the next moment, a red piece of flesh fell out of it. The flesh tried to take human form, but it was unable to do so. Instead, a vicious face was the only thing that managed to take form on the piece of flesh. It was the Blood Coffin Carrier! He had not been finished off by Jiang Qing''e. Instead, he had managed to keep his life with the aid of some tricks. "Aquamarine Python! What''re you doing?!" the Blood Coffin Carrier roared out angrily. He couldn''t hide the terror in his voice. A cold smile appeared on Li Lingjing''s face as she softly said, "What do you think? I am naturally taking the other half of the True Devil Egg from you." "Don''t you dare! Aren''t you afraid of making the Master angry?" the Blood Ossuary Carrier cried out. Li Lingjing grinned at him. "Perhaps he''s just been waiting to see this. There is no point in letting failures like you continue living." The Blood Coffin Carrier shouted at the Black Coffin Carriers furiously, "Everyone, stop her!" However, all of them remained silent. The Blood Coffin Carrier was their previous leader, but there was no loyalty to talk about in the Murderous Ghost Horde. The loser would lose everything and the winner would take it all. The Aquamarine Python had clearly beaten the Blood Coffin Carrier. Naturally, there was no point in keeping the latter alive anymore. Despair filled his heart when he saw none of his previous underlings making a move. He cried out loudly, and the piece of flesh wriggled and squirmed in an attempt to escape. It left behind a trail of bloody light as it shot towards the outside of the hall, attempting to retreat. Just then, a jade-green light flew through the air, turning into an aquamarine staff and impaling him tightly onto the floor. The vicious face on the piece of flesh turned around. His eyes were filled with horror. He was then enveloped in black mist that transformed into a giant python. It opened its mouth and swallowed him. There was no chance he could survive this. Chapter 1164: Everyone Gathered Chapter 1164: Everyone Gathered A large group of people with surging resonant power dashed across the silent, cold hall. It was a truly grand sight to behold. Li Luo''s group had combined with Jiang Qing''e and Wu Changkong''s group. Their total team strength had grown tremendously. At this moment, they were all heading directly to the center of the All-Beings Palace where the Heavenly Ghost Altar was located. That was the final destination for their mission. Victory or defeat would be decided over there. The team continued their advance as nothing really stood in their way. No Others or Murderous Ghost Horde members stood in their way. However, no one let their guard down. Everyone knew that this silence was just the calm before the storm. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e remained close together as they made their way forward. This was largely due to Li Luo leaning over despite Jiang Qing''e giving him a stare. The others were a little jealous as they watched the two of them. Wei Chonglou was trembling and his eyes were bloodshot. Meanwhile, Wu Changkong stayed at the front of the pack to avoid any unnecessary thoughts. In the end, Feng Lingyuan transmitted a message to Li Luo and told him to control himself. It was not ideal to be fighting amongst themselves before they even arrived at the Heavenly Ghost Altar. It was only then that Li Luo reluctantly moved his body away by half an inch. Just like this, the group continued moving towards their destination. It lasted around the time needed for one incense stick to burn. Suddenly, Li Luo and the rest noticed something, and they all looked up. There were white pillars up ahead. These pillars were a familiar sight to themthey were Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars, just like the ones they had destroyed earlier. However, these pillars were all over the place. There were also strange statues on top of some of the pillars. They statues had no facial features. Instead, there was an "evil" character carved onto their faces. "Greater Evil Spirits!" Everyone''s eyes turned cold when they saw the statues. Li Luo looked past these Devil Heart Pillars and saw a gigantic statue with a ghostly face in the center. A strange and twisted feeling surrounded this statue as its ghastly face looked up at the sky. Its huge mouth was open, displaying its sharp fangs. White liquid flowed out of its mouth, forming a pool. The liquid gave off an extremely chilly and unsettling aura, as if it was the leftover product after boiling human skins in a hot pot for a really really long time. The giant ghost-faced statue was clearly the objective of their mission. The Heavenly Ghost Altar! Wu Changkong and Feng Lingyuan glanced at each other, and the same thought flashed through their minds. If they destroyed this altar, the True Devil Eggs would be unable to fuse together. Their mission would thus be considered a success. "Let''s do it!" At the next moment, Wu Changkong dashed in front, leading the charge. He cried out loudly, and immense amounts of resonant power surged up into the sky above, forming a majestic Heavenly Resonance Diagram. This Heavenly Resonance Diagram was shrouded in crimson flames. A giant bull could be seen within the flames, feeding on them as a thunderous roar resounded in the air. Whoosh! A radiant light streaked across the sky of the hall. Like a meteor crashing down from the galaxies above, it landed directly on two of the Greater Evil Spirits and splattered them. The ground shook violently. Many surprised gazes looked over at the crumbled ground, and a small figure appeared in the distance. This person was wearing a black and white checkered shirt and was hoisting a gigantic rod with both hands. A hood was covering her head, but a small, white, oval face could be spotted underneath it. If not for the terrifying waves of resonant power that were pulsing from her body, she would undoubtedly be called cute. Even Wu Changkong could not help but turn his attention towards her. His gaze froze for a moment. He could sense a serious threat coming from this petite little girl. He understood who it was immediately. Who else could it be except for the top-ranked student of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, Ning Meng? "Ninth-grade Light Chaser Beast resonance..." Wu Changkong sighed in his heart. They were both ninth-grade and he even had a secondary resonance. However, there was ultimately a considerable difference between a lower ninth-grade and a middle ninth-grade. He had consumed countless spirit liquids and purifying lights over the years, trying to temper his lower ninth-grade resonance into a middle ninth-grade one. However, the effect was barely noticeable. As such, he knew how wide of a gap there was. "Haha, I have arrived, children!" Ning Meng planted her giant rod firmly into the ground when she entered the stage. She placed her hands on her waist and burst out in lighthearted laughter. "Is she the top student in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, Ning Meng?" With such exaggerated movements, Li Luo had naturally looked over as well. Jiang Qing''e nodded. "She''s quite adorable," Li Luo praised. Jiang Qing''e chuckled. "If she punched you, I''m sure you wouldn''t be saying that." "Little Jiang''e!" As the two of them were chatting, Ning Meng noticed Jiang Qing''e instantaneously. The pure and condensed divine power coming out of her body could not go unnoticed. Ning Meng''s eyes lit up when she saw her. She grabbed onto her weapon and leapt over to Jiang Qing''e''s side immediately. Seeing this, Jiang Qing''e sheathed her sword and stood there. Ning Meng leaped over to Jiang Qing''e and wrapped her arms around her neck, saying happily, "I''ve missed you! So nice! So soft!" She rubbed her cheeks against Jiang Qing''e''s chest. Jiang Qing''e stood there helplessly. Li Luo glared at Ning Meng for a moment as he watched this. "Brat! Who''d you think you are? Are those meant for you?" However, Ning Meng sensed his glare and turned over. She looked into him straight in the eyes and said fiercely, "What''re you looking at? Are you looking for a beating?" Chapter 1165: Fusion Chapter 1165: Fusion Ning Meng''s ferocious voice and her cute appearance made her seem fiercely cute at the moment, like an angry puppy, so Li Luo was not annoyed. He responded with a bright and handsome smile. Such a charming smile would have worked wonders against any other girl, but it had absolutely no effect on Ning Meng. Instead, she felt that this guy deserved a beating for standing so close to Little Jiang''e. Li Luo was a little frustrated by her response. It seemed like his charismatic looks could only be appreciated by older sisters. Jiang Qing''e could not help but laugh out lightly as she watched the two of them. She gave Li Luo a playful look. It seemed there were girls who wouldn''t fall for his tricks. "Little Jiang''e, who is he?" Ning Meng was a little surprised when she sensed Jiang Qing''e''s reaction to Li Luo. From her understanding of Jiang Qing''e, she was not someone who would allow strangers to get close to her. Jiang Qing''e did not hide it. She told her frankly, "This is my fiance." "Ah!" Ning Meng''s small face was full of surprise. She had heard about Jiang Qing''e having a fiance all this while, but she always had her doubts. She always wondered if it was an excuse that Jiang Qing''e had made up to keep men away. Now this person had finally appeared in front of her, so she had no choice but to believe it was true. Ning Meng looked back at Li Luo and studied him for a moment. "Your appearance is not too bad. But you''re still at the Heavenly Pearl Tier?" She could tell that Li Luo was at the nine-pearl tier. This was an admirable achievement that was impressive to most. However, Ning Meng had a middle ninth-grade resonance herself. She had naturally attained it back when she was at the Heavenly Pearl Tier. "He''s just a few stages below us. In terms of talent, he doesn''t lose to anyone else," Jiang Qing''e explained. She was clearly trying to speak up for Li Luo. Ning Meng could tell that Jiang Qing''e really valued him. As such, she became a little friendlier to Li Luo and tried to find some common topics for conversation. "Do you possess a light resonance too? I can sense some traces of it from your resonant power." Li Luo nodded and smiled. "A secondary light resonance." "Ah, a secondary resonance..." Ning Meng''s large eyes blinked. To her, this was as good as not having one. Such weak light resonant power was of no interest to her, so the atmosphere turned a little awkward. Fortunately, a few Greater Evil Spirits full of corruption soon came after them. The tension was broken in an instant. "Leave it to me!" Ning Meng grabbed her heavy rod with both hands. Overwhelming light resonant power surged up, and a black-and-white giant beast emerged behind her. The beast was filled with divine power. Every move it made created a huge shockwave that cracked the void apart. Bang! Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com Ning Meng was small, but her attacks were domineering and furious. She charged straight towards one of the Greater Evil Spirits. When they clashed, it was the huge Greater Evil Spirit that was sent flying back. The concentrated corruption surrounding it grew many times weaker upon collision. Ning Meng was ruthless in her attacks. She stomped her foot, and the ground below her cracked apart like a turtle shell. Then she dashed forward like a bolt of lightning and appeared in front of the Greater Evil Spirit instantaneously. To finish it off, she lifted her rod and smashed it down. The terrifying wind pressure from her monstrous blow created a huge pit in the ground before the rod even landed! The Greater Evil Spirit screamed out loud as it waved its twisted claws wildly in a futile attempt to protect itself. Boom! The ground shook violently. The Greater Evil Spirit that was as strong as a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator was smashed by Ning Meng. Half of its body was reduced to splattered goo. However, the Greater Evil Spirit was very tenacious. Even with just half of its body left, it struggled violently, jumping up and down. It understood how frightening the small little girl in front of it truly was, so its twisted body began to escape in the opposite direction. The whispers slowly spread out from the ghost-faced statue, and soon, the whole area was submerged in its echoes. Suddenly, three shocking energy waves surged into the sky in the distance. There were three figures, each carrying a red coffin. They were Blood Coffin Carriers! However, they appeared to be struggling in pain. Their eyes were alternating between looks of madness and being in a complete daze. Their skins were covered in mysterious, creepy runes thatwere interwoven with each other and carved deeply into their flesh. At the next moment, they began to take steps forward. All of them were heading towards the Heavenly Ghost Altar. At the same time, somewhere in the depths of the palace, Li Lingjing looked at her own arm coldly. Mysterious runes had appeared on her skin too. She could feel an immense calling within the depths of her heart, asking her to head towards the Heavenly Ghost Altar. However, her feet did not move a single step. She had suppressed this crazy desire in her heart with her own mind. She knew that this was due to the True Devil Egg in her body. If she really moved towards the Heavenly Ghost Altar, the True Devil Egg would be able to fuse and a strand of the All-Beings Devil King would be able to materialize. However, would anyone be able to keep their own will if such a divine will truly took form? Perhaps they would all be fused into it directly. Li Lingjing only wanted the strength from the True Devil Egg. She did not want to fuse with the All-Beings Devil King and became a part of him. Therefore, she focused her mind and suppressed the desire in her heart. She planned to watch quietly and observe how things unfolded. However, it was impressive for her to be able to do so. The other three Blood Coffin Carriers who had gotten True Devil Eggs could not help but get lured towards the Heavenly Ghost Altar. They slowly made their way towards it without any obstruction in their paths. The three of them stood in front of the pool formed by the mouth with sharp fangs, looking at the vortexes with gazes full of madness. They could sense an intense longing surging within them. If they jumped into it, they would be able to obtain an unlimited amount of power. As such, the three of them did not hesitate at all. In front of the gazes of all the other students, all three jumped into the Heavenly Ghost Altar. Splash! The splashes could be heard amidst the raging battlefield. The battleground fell silent all of a sudden, like a barrier of sound had expanded across the whole field. ....... At the same time, in the void outside the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. The All-Beings Devil King was in his kid form at the moment. A smile appeared on his face and he lifted his head up. He looked at Wang Xuanjin, and a creepy laugh echoed in the air. "Wang Xuanjin, it seems like it''ll be your loss." Chapter 1166: Quasi Duke True Devil Chapter 1166: Quasi Duke True Devil Splash! The liquid in the mouth of the ghost-faced statue began to stir violently as the vortex churned. At the same time, a terrifying aura began to brew at an astonishing speed. It caused the expressions of all the students to change. Even the strongest two, Wu Changkong and Ning Meng, had solemn gazes. They could feel immense danger coming from it. "Prevent the fusion of the True Devil Eggs!" Wu Changkong yelled. He was the first to take action. His mouth bulged and his chest swelled up, then he formed a fist seal that heavily struck his chest. Duke Art: Demon Ox''s Heavenly Bellow! Roar! An ancient divine ox''s bellow rang out. Crimson sound waves visible to the naked eye propagated outwards, and within those soundwaves, one could make out the illusory form of a divine ox. Several Greater Evil Spirits attempted to block the attack, but they were sent flying. Ning Meng similarly shouted loudly, and her tiny figure leaped across the air. A gigantic black-and-white beast manifested behind her and worldly natural energy rapidly condensed into a point on her fist. Her hands were clenched so tightly the veins could be seen on her small, white hands. At the same time, runes started surfacing on her skin. She slowly pulled her arm back like a bowstring accumulating power before thunderously shooting it out. Bang! That strike caused the void to shatter like thin glass. A fearsome power propagated outwards, transforming into a humongous beast''s fist manifestation constructed out of light! Duke Art: Radiant God''s Fist! With the two top-ranked students joining forces to attack, the two earthshaking arts roared past the surprised eyes of the watching students, directly targeting the churning vortex in the Heavenly Ghost Altar. However, their surprise did not last for long. A moment later, the white liquid within the pool inside the Heavenly Ghost Altar began to churn and waves kicked up. The white substance quickly began to solidify and formed a pocket of pale human skin. The human skin sack directly swallowed up both Wu Changkong and Ning Meng''s combined attacks. Bang! The depths of the human skin sack began to rumble with energy undulations, but in the end, the disturbance died down as though it had never happened. "Argh!" Some of the weaker students were out of luck as their resonant power was unable to prevent the white smoke from corroding them. The moment it landed on their skins, ulcers began to appear at a speed visible to the naked eye. At the same time, their skins began to swell as if they wanted to pop off their bodies entirely! "Those below the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, retreat immediately!" Feng Lingyuan commanded. At the same time, she glanced towards Wu Changkong, Ning Meng, and the rest. "We have to restrain it. Otherwise, it will definitely cause a disaster." Wu Changkong nodded and said, "Those in the top ten ranks of the two colleges, let''s work together to deal with the True Devil." Ning Meng and him both stood atop a Devil Heart Pillar, and majestic amounts of resonant power poured out of their bodies without restraint. Heavenly Resonance Diagrams appeared above their heads, immediately beginning to devour worldly natural energy. Feng Lingyuan, Duan Mu, Wang Kong, Wei Chonglou, and Yue Zhiyu similarly took positions on nearby pillars, and their own Heavenly Resonance Diagrams were summoned. The other ranked students similarly took action. The cream of the crop had gathered and were about to work together. The outcome of this entire mission would be dependent on the outcome of this battle. The students versus the Quasi Duke! Jiang Qing''e glanced at Li Luo and said, "You have to be careful. Once the battle begins, the aftershocks will not be small." Looking at the battle ahead, Jiang Qing''e was going to be a core member of the attack. Her dual ninth-grade light resonances had a suppressive effect on Others, so even though the opponent was a Quasi Duke True Devil, her attacks would likely be the most threatening amongst all those here. Li Luo nodded. "You need to take care of yourself as well. Remember to keep yourself safe." He did not wish to forcefully involve himself in this higher level battle. Although he could improve his combat strength in many ways, whether it was through the True Dragon Pill or the Great Sanguine Poison Art, there were limits to how many times he could use those methods. Thus, if he could avoid it, he would. Though if the situation devolved to a point where taking action was necessary, he would not avoid it either. Jiang Qing''e stretched out her slim hand and lightly squeezed Li Luo''s palm before quickly releasing it. A light smile surfaced on her face before she tightly gripped her heavy sword. Her beautiful figure separated from Li Luo and she soared away, landing on the top of the pillar beside Ning Meng. Li Luo lifted his palm to his nose and gently sniffed the lingering fragrance as he looked at Jiang Qing''e''s slender and imposing figure from afar. He chuckled lightly. He then waved his hand, and the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow appeared in his grasp. He would prepare himself for the opportune moment to enter the battlefield too. Right as he did this, in the shadows far away, Li Lingjing was calmly observing the situation. She would occasionally focus on the incredible amounts of corruption emanating from the Quasi Duke True Devil. An abstruse glint could be seen within the depths of her eyes.The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) Chapter 1167: Evolution, White Eyed True Devil Chapter 1167: Evolution, White Eyed True Devil More than ten of the strongest students were waiting in formation atop the Devil Heart Pillars. All of their Heavenly Resonance Diagrams had been summoned and were absorbing incredible amounts of worldly natural energy. It was truly a sight to behold. Jiang Qing''e''s eyes were focused on the Quasi Duke True Devil, and her expression was solemn. In truth, if they had to truly challenge a true Quasi Duke expert, they were more than capable of resisting and their odds of victory would not be low. After all, they were at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier and were also the best even amongst the elites of the ancient colleges. Additionally, she, Ning Meng, and Wu Changkong had their own ways of exploding forth with much greater power. A Quasi Duke could not stop themthey were absolutely sure of this as absolute geniuses. However, the Quasi Duke True Devil gave her a deep sense of unease. It was because she could feel a mysterious pressure emanating from it that worried even her. She knew that this could only have come from the All-Beings Devil King. The Quasi Duke True Devil possessed a strand of will from the All-Beings Devil King, and no matter how minute the strand of will was, it ultimately stemmed from a Triple Crowned King. When their opponent was a King, no matter how talented they were, they were no different from ants. Although it was not as terrifying as facing an actual King, the All-Beings Devil King had his own methods. How could they be certain that it was really restricted by the rules set by the realm and that this creature before them was only at the Quasi Duke Stage? She believed that Ning Meng and Wu Changkong had come to a similar conclusion in their hearts. This was the true source of her anxiety, and in order to not let Li Luo worry, she remained silent about it. Regardless, she had to fight in order to discover what other tricks the All-Beings Devil King had up its sleeve. The strongest students of the two ancient colleges had Ning Meng, Jiang Qing''e, and Wu Changkong at their core. They remained silent and alert as their eyes were fixated upon the True Devil before them. The Quasi Duke True Devil seemed to have noticed their wariness, and it cackled with its strange voice. The white robes on its body suddenly vanished, revealing its naked body underneath. At the same time, the pale skin on its stomach split apart, revealing an orifice that resembled a bloody mouth. Three faces that would occasionally appear on its chest. It seemed to be the three Blood Coffin Carriers who had fused with the True Devil Egg. The Quasi Duke True Devil''s chest let out a strange whine. This sound dispersed quickly over the battlefield, and all of the Greater Evil Spirits seemed to have been affected. The Others then shot forward like a flock of birds descending upon a forest, rushing directly into the gaping maw on its belly. The Quasi Duke True Devil''s stomach skin began to expand at a rapid speed. "It''s swallowing up the Greater Evil Spirit to strengthen its body!" Wu Changkong shouted out as his expression changed. They instantly understood the True Devil''s plan, and all of the previously prepared Duke Arts were immediately activated. Worldly natural energy rumbled as vicious attacks were launched. The triple violet-eye treasured artifact began to show signs of melting before the ray of light. It seemed to whine as it flew back to its owner. "Despicable!" Ning Meng shouted as she hastily stretched her hand out and caught her trusty weapon. She examined the rod, which now showed signs of corrosion, and her heart ached over it. However, no one was concerned about that as everyone was fixated upon the Quasi Duke True Devil who had now gained a pair of eyes. No, perhaps it was not appropriate to label it a Quasi Duke any longer. The moment its eyes took shape, the corruption emanating from its body had experienced a meteoric rise in density. The boundless amount of corruption surging in the skies above covered the entire horizon like turbulent, black clouds. It seemed to possess the ability to destroy everything. All of their expressions changed. With such power, this was now a bonafide True Devil! Although it was a True Devil only comparable to a first-grade Duke, the two stages were worlds apart. Jiang Qing''e, Ning Meng, Wu Changkong, and the rest had solemn expressions. Clearly, the All-Beings Devil King''s final card was not something as weak as a Quasi Duke. Their worst fears had come true. They could challenge a Quasi Duke and possibly defeat it. But a True Devil was exponentially harder to beat. As the group was frozen in shock, the White Eyed True Devil finally took action for real. All they could see were two wisps of smoke coming from its eyes. The white smoke shot into the sky and merged with the billowing corruption, causing the entire world to shake. The black clouds of corruption were stirred by the white smoke, and in the next moment, a massive shadow covered the ground. When the group hurriedly turned their attention upwards, they saw a humongous palm with eighteen fingers piercing through the clouds. It formed a hand seal, and as it descended, it was like a mountain of death, crushing everything in its wake as it exuded a cold and deathly aura. Its sheer strength was something that no normal Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator could resist. The White Eyed True Devil had finally revealed its true strength. When Li Luo saw this, his brows furrowed. This was the unstoppable might of a Duke. Moreover. the White Eyed True Devil had gained so much strength with just two eyes. The other facial features had not appeared yet; did that mean it would continue to grow stronger? If it had some way to cause the other facial features to appear, just how strong would the True Devil become? At that point in time, what could these students do to stop it? Chapter 1168: Archaic Runes Chapter 1168: Archaic Runes The eighteen-fingered gigantic hand swept through the clouds of corruption as it descended, suppressing all of the top students. Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com They could feel a terrifying pressure that caused looks of alarm to surface. If the Other had remained a Quasi Duke, then the group here would''ve had a chance to fight back. However, this massive hand was like the incarnation of death that towered over them like a gigantic mountain. Even Feng Lingyuan and the others felt abject terror as it loomed closer towards them. This was the true strength of a Duke. Ning Meng, Jiang Qing''e, and Wu Changkong, the strongest three, were able to restrain the fear in their hearts. They quickly glanced at each other and knew that the morale of their companions had been devastated. If they wanted to reinvigorate their fighting spirits, they had to take the first step. With a thought, the three grandest Heavenly Resonance Diagrams began to exude waves of energy. Immediately after, three huge pillars of energy, each several thousands of feet wide, shot out and collided with the massive hand. Bang! When the two forces clashed, the indomitable eighteen-fingered hand paused for a moment before endless amounts of corruption swept outwards, causing the pillars of energy to collapse. However, the trio''s actions had caused the rest to awaken from their stupor. They were elites too, and they knew that fearing the opponent wouldn''t help anyone. They would die if they stood still. A True Devil was mighty, but they had three of the strongest Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivators with them. There was still a possibility that they could resist their opponent with them serving as the nexus for the counterattack. A moment later, everyone poured all of their strength into their respective Heavenly Resonance Diagrams, and majestic amounts of worldly natural energy surged. Energy beams of different attributes shot out, resulting in an explosion that filled the skies as they struck the gigantic hand. Berserk energy undulations kicked up and swept across the skies. It was truly a heaven and earth-shattering strike. With everyone''s combined efforts, the pressure coming from the massive palm was reduced. Unfortunately, each of those energy beams gradually shattered before everyone''s eyes. Li Luo''s head was raised as he watched the two parties clash. It was obvious that the White Eyed True Devil held the advantage. If not for the trio having blocked the majority of the attack, the others would have been severely injured. This was Duke-level power after all. "It''s a pity. If only the Green Nether Banner were by my side." Li Luo frowned as his hand tightly gripped the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow. With the eight thousand members assisting him, he would have the strength of a third-grade Duke. With that, he would easily be able to suppress the White Eyed True Devil. Of course, Li Luo knew that this was all idle fantasy. Not to mention, it wouldn''t be very appropriate to bring the banner with him to the ancient college. Li Luo''s gaze lingered on Jiang Qing''e. He was afraid that she would resort to another sacrificial ignition of her Heart of Light. Their previous departure was heart-wrenching, and he did not want to experience it a second time. Thus, if she was forced to even consider it, he would rather forcefully awaken the slumbering Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf to fight against the opponent. It didn''t matter if utilizing the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s strength would attract the corrosion of his mind by the All-Beings Devil King. Perhaps in this massive battle, that would be the only way to save their lives in the midst of despair. Li Luo hoped the situation would not lead to that. However, looking at the state of the battle now, the top ten students of both colleges were already exerting all their might and yet were still at a disadvantage. They could only rely on the strongest trio to change things. This was something that they understood in the depths of their hearts. Wu Changkong''s expression was complex when he heard her nonchalant reply. Archaic Runes were a power exclusive to middle ninth-grade resonances. They allowed the user to experience a form of Primal Atavism and allowed for one to reach a greater synchronization with their resonance affinities. Ning Meng had sprouted black and white fur because the form of her Primal Atavism was that of the Light Chaser Beast. This resulted in a great boost to her strength. Wu Changkong wanted to possess this power as well. Alas, it was only possible if one had a middle ninth-grade resonance. He, on the other hand, merely had a lower ninth-grade resonance with a secondary resonance, and raising its grade had proven extremely difficult. Thus, he continued to envy Ning Meng in his heart. However, he suddenly noticed that Jiang Qing''e had burst forth with blinding light. Endless amounts of light could be seen flowing on the surface of her skin, giving her a sacred appearance. The rays of light took the form of runes that flowed over her skin, and eventually, a circular spot of light surfaced in the middle of her forehead. At this time, four dazzlingly bright wings unfurled from her back. Waves of pure light resonant power emanated from her body, causing the gloomy aura in the All-Beings Palace to recede and vanish. Wu Changkong was dumbfounded at this moment. The rune made of light on her forehead was also an Archaic Rune! This meant that one of her ninth-grade resonances was a middle ninth-grade! "With such talent, it would be easy to blieve that she is the direct descendant of a King!" Wu Changkong''s heart was in turmoil. This lady possessed earthshaking beauty and talent. If she could be brought into the Wu family, even his picky grandfather would be agreeable. In the future, their family''s bloodline would likely experience a meteoric rise. However, his idealistic thoughts were brought to a sudden chill. This was impossible because Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo were engaged. Their relationship was also as unshakeable as a boulder, meaning it was impossible for him. This caused him to feel immensely dissatisfied in his heart. How could all these good things all belong to Li Luo? Damn him! What if he were to kill him? Wu Changkong''s gaze turned towards Li Luo, and killing intent surfaced. However, his heart immediately turned cold and he hurriedly retracted his intense emotions. This was happening because the corruption around him had stimulated his feelings! Although he had retracted his gaze quickly, that momentary flicker of killing intent did not go unnoticed by Jiang Qing''e. She possessed a Heart of Light, so she could easily sense the thoughts in the hearts of those around her. Thus, she knew that Wu Changkong was out for Li Luo''s blood. Her gaze turned bone-chilling as she turned her sword towards Wu Changkong. Her icy words were laced with killing intent as she looked at him. "Wu Changkong. Retract the thoughts in your filthy heart, or I won''t mind striking you down alongside the White Eyed True Devil!" Chapter 1169: The Three Elites Challenge The Devil Chapter 1169: The Three Elites Challenge The Devil Wu Changkong''s face stiffened up as soon as he heard Jiang Qing''e''s deadly warning. He laughed out dryly amidst the crowd''s suspicious gazes. "It''s all due to the corruption''s effects. They don''t represent my real feelings," he hurriedly explained. He had not expected Jiang Qing''e''s senses to be so sharp. He had merely contemplated hurting Li Luo for just a moment, and she had immediately picked up on it. She was clearly still thinking about Li Luo despite the fierce fight before them. Just how concerned was she for him? At this point, Wu Changkong clenched his fists tightly. He knew that he could not entertain these thoughts any further. A golden battleax with three violet eyes materialized in his hand. Runes flowed across its surface as it was poised to strike like a majestic bull about to charge ahead. His battle ax was a little special. Both of its blades were razor-sharp as it glinted with cold air. This was the Heavenly Ox Gilded Battleax, Wu Changkong''s most valuable treasured artifact. After he became the top student in the college, there had been very few who could force him to pull out this weapon in combat. However, now was clearly not the time to be holding back. Otherwise, he could even lose his life here. Wu Changkong could clearly sense how terrifying things were as he looked straight at the True Devil. Moreover, Ning Meng, and Jiang Qing''e had already revealed their Archaic Runes. If he did not show his trump cards, he would be overshadowed by them. This was unacceptable, considering how proud of an individual he was. Wu Changkong inhaled deeply and, like a deafening thunderclap, an ox cry exploded from the Heavenly Resonance Diagram in the air. The worldly natural energy in the surroundings trembled. Crimson energy poured down from the sky like a torrential waterfall, and an ancient ox emerged from it. The ox dove into Wu Changkong''s body directly. At the next moment, Wu Changkong''s body began to expand. The veins on his arms and body swelled up as if they were engorged pythons. His muscles began to tremble as well, emitting a terrifying force when he merely flexed them, causing the air around Wu Changkong to detonate explosively in an incessant stream. Wu Changkong had clearly activated some kind of secret art. Jiang Qing''e retracted her cold gaze towards him. There was a major enemy in front of them at the moment; it was not the time for her to argue with Wu Changkong. While the three of them unveiled their aces, the domineering palm with eighteen fingers created by the True Devil had completely shattered the energy pillars of the resistance. Feng Lingyuan, Duan Mu, and Yue Zhiyu groaned as they were knocked back. That was when Ning Meng cried out, "It''s showtime!" She slowly spun her huge rod. Although the movement was slow, there was extremely terrifying power behind it. The void was cracked open and a shriek could be heard. Strands of mysterious, green smoke slowly rose up from Ning Meng''s rod due to the overwhelming condensation of energy. As the green smoke continued to rise into the air, it quickly filled the void behind Ning Meng. At the next moment, an enormous ancient phantom was materialized. It was similarly hefting a gigantic rod, brandishing it with a brutal but refined elegance, almost akin to a dance. The worldly natural energy in the surroundings shuddered and deafening thunder continued to roar continuously in the sky above. For a moment, it seemed like a giant crack had been ripped open in the sky. Yue Zhiyu and the rest watched in shock as they saw Ning Meng sweating profusely as she continued to spin her rod. They couldn''t help but stutter, "Is... is that the God Feared Rod?!" The God Feared Rod was an extremely high-level Duke Art from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. It was Destiny-grade and was just as domineering as its name suggestedit struck fear even in the hearts of gods! Moreover, this Duke Art had one of the most terrifying backlashes when utilized. It was said that one of the top students who had tried to cultivate this art in the past did not succeed and the immense pressure crippled his lower body. "I don''t think they would mind that." In the short span of time that the two exchanged words, the astonishing attacks from both sides clashed in front of everyone''s eyes. Energy shockwaves that were beyond description swept through the surroundings. The entire All-Beings Palace started shaking as a result. The halls in the lower areas began to crumble and turn into ashes. All the students took cover from the aftermath in a hurry, afraid being caught up in the ruthless shockwaves. However, their eyes were still firmly fixed on the point of impact. The eighteen-fingered palm that was like a looming mountain of death was still releasing overwhelming amounts of corruption. Nonetheless, the combined attacks from the trio were repeatedly diminishing it. The void in the surroundings ripped apart continuously, creating an unstable region above them. Bang! This stalemate did not last long. After a while, everyone''s eyes lit up in delight. The combined attack from the trio finally pierced through the endless corruption and tore the palm apart. The giant palm crumbled before their eyes. However, that was not the end of the trio''s combined attack. After the giant palm was reduced ashes, the trio''s attack flew through the air like lightning. It arced straight towards the White Eyed True Devil for the kill. They had made full use of this chance for their counterattack. The pale eyes of the White Eyed True Devil blinked violently. The trio''s combined attack was clearly beyond its expectations. It stepped back rapidly. At the same time, white beams of light shot out of its eyes. Whenever the white lights passed, the air vibrated and transformed into countless pouches of skin. The skins piled together and turned into a pale human-skin shield. Unfortunately, the shield was created too hastily. Ning Meng, Jiang Qing''e, and Wu Changkong had launched attacks with their full power. A few moments later, the human skin shield exploded. Three fearsome attacks pierced through it and then directly penetrated the White Eyed True Devil''s body. The vicious and terrifying wound left on the White Eyed True Devil''s body began to spread across its entirety. Bang! Its enormous body was thrown back into the palace instantly by the sheer force of the attack, destroying the surroundings as the rubble buried it. It was only at this moment that the wild worldly natural energy in the surroundings slowly subsided. All the students watched the clash in a daze. Loud cheers erupted shortly after. Eyes of admiration looked adoringly towards the three figures in the air. With their Greater Heavenly Resonance strength, they had managed to push back a True Devil as well as injure it. Such an amazing feat was surely worthy of being added into the Empyrean Chronicle! Chapter 1170: A New Development Chapter 1170: A New Development Many halls within the palace continued to collapse and countless stone pillars came crashing down. All the students were filled with delight as they cheered happily. Everyone looked at the three figures in front of them in admiration. Three Greater Heavenly Resonances had fought off a True Devil! Just thinking about it was enough to make their blood boil. With such an amazing feat, these three would likely be known amongst all the major ancient colleges. Li Luo was also surprised by the trio''s attacks. Ning Meng, Jiang Qing''e, and Wu Changkong were truly the cream of the crop from the two colleges. Their earlier strikes were so fearsome that ordinary Quasi Dukes would likely flee at the sight. They were truly frightening. However... His eyes turned towards the collapsed halls. The White Eyed True Devil had been buried under the debris. The trio''s combined attack should have caused a considerable amount of damage to it. However, it was uncertain if it was enough to end it. Others had always been known to be extremely tenacious. Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com After this setback, the White Eyed True Devil would not dare to underestimate the trio anymore. This was not the time to relax yet. Glug! Glug! At this moment, a strange sound could be heard from the heavy debris. Li Luo and the others looked over in a hurry and noticed an eerie aura overflowing from the wreckage. White substance secreted out of the debris, and within it was a vicious-looking face that seemed to be struggling. The substance started to flow out at a faster speed. Soon, it completely covered up the debris, and the area turned into a white pool. The pool continued to expand before finally condensing back into a figure. Its white hair flew in the air and the only features on its face were its cold, white eyes. It was the White Eyed True Devil. However, it now had three deep scars on its body. Although it was not bleeding, countless layers of pale skin were underneath the injuries. It was an unsettling sight. A terrifying, cold air continued to exude from the White Eyed True Devil. Its white eyes, filled with murderous intent, locked onto the trio. Clearly, the injuries had infuriated it. The White Eyed True Devil stretched out its hand with sharp claws and gestured towards the white pool under its feet. The liquid churned, then an object gradually arose from the depths, ending up in its hand. It was a Soul-calling Flag. The flag was pale white, as if it was made up of human skins. Terrifying faces were packed tightly onto its surface. Enormous amounts of corruption surged up, and the sky above was filled with thick, black clouds. Countless strange whispers echoed in the air with its presence. She did not seem to be present though. "I hope Cousin Lingjing has already left the area." A look of worry appeared on Li Luo''s face. They were already giving their all to resist the attacks from the White Eyed True Devil at the moment. If it managed to absorb another half of a True Devil Egg, its strength would increase drastically. At that time, the balance would be tilted and they would definitely suffer heavy casualties. Just as Li Luo was worrying about this, Li Lingjing was also watching the battle from the shadows far away. Her eyes paused for a moment around Jiang Qing''e. The radiant light energy coming from Jiang Qing''e was so bright that it stung her eyes a little. She was the complete opposite of that goddess of light; she was filled with an ominous aura, like a poisonous python in the dark. Li Lingjing watched in silence as she held her Aquamarine Bamboo Python Staff. The staff felt cold in her hands, but it was the only strand of warmth left in her heart. Her eyes flickered a little and she turned around, planning to leave. Suddenly, she paused. A white substance was emerging from the ground in front of her. The substance bubbled. A cold, authoritative, and terrifying pair of eyes emerged from the liquid. The eyes stared directly at Li Lingjing. In an instant, she felt endless fear surging within her heart. Li Lingjing''s face changed completely. She gripped the Aquamarine Bamboo Python Staff tightly and said, "All-Beings Devil King?" "I didn''t expect a little girl like you to consume my True Devil Egg. And you''ve even managed to resist the call to fuse with the main body. Not bad," a spooky and indifferent voice said. Li Lingjing frowned, slowly stepping back so she could make her escape. However, the eyes in the white substance simply stared at her coldly. "You want the power of my True Devil Egg without paying the price for it? Do you really think I am such a pushover? Spirit Eye sent you all here to be my pawns. How can you retreat now? You''re my chess pieces. Do you think I would let you jump out of the game board that easily?" Cold energy surged up within Li Lingjing''s body, and she transformed into a black beam of light to flee. However, she froze just as her body was about to move. She lowered her head and looked down. Without her noticing, the white substance had caught onto both of her feet. It then travelled up her legs rapidly like candle wax, completely swallowing her body up. Li Lingjing could slowly feel that she was losing control over her own body. However, she was not in despair yet. Instead, there was a flash of ambition deep within those eyes. The cold, white substance wrapped her up in countless layers. In the end, Li Lingjing was completely encased in it, just like a wax figure. At the next moment, the wax figure turned into a white beam of light and flew high up into the air. It flew across the sky and headed straight towards the center of the battlefield. Chapter 1171: Devouring Lingjing. True Devil Evolution Chapter 1171: Devouring Lingjing. True Devil Evolution The ice-cold, wax figure pierced through the air. This sudden development attracted the attention of all those present. They looked on in surprise, unsure of what was happening. Li Luo similarly saw the exquisite and lifelike wax figure, but he noticed that it was wielding an Aquamarine Bamboo Python Staff. His eyes shrunk. "Cousin Lingjing!" In a blink, he understood what had happened. He quickly shouted, "Watch out! That wax figure contains the fourth True Devil Egg! The White Eyed True Devil wishes to absorb her!" The expressions of the rest changed when they heard him. There was still another True Devil Egg that had not fused with the main body? The current White Eyed True Devil was already a Duke, and if it were to fuse with the last egg, just how much would its strength soar by? If that came to pass, even if Ning Meng, Jiang Qing''e, and Wu Changkong were to exert all their strength, they would be unable to deal with it. Thus, Feng Lingyuan, Yue Zhiyu, and the rest immediately took action, activating their resonant power and blasting it towards the human wax figure. Unfortunately, their attacks were incapable of penetrating even the outer layer. At the same time, the White Eyed True Devil waved its hand, and a wormhole opened in front of the wax figure. The wax figure then appeared right beside the White Eyed True Devil in just an instant. The trio felt their hearts sink upon seeing this. Before they could even react, half of the White Eyed True Devil''s body liquefied and directly enveloped the wax figure of Li Lingjing. "Stop him!" Ning Meng hurriedly shouted as she swung her weapon. The void shattered, and black cracks that resembled black dragons shot towards the White Eyed True Devil. Jiang Qing''e and Wu Changkong were no slower. They could already feel that the fusion of the fourth True Devil Egg would cause the White Eyed True Devil''s power to increase explosively. Majestic attacks poured forth, striking the White Eyed True Devil''s liquid form. Bang! The attacks left numerous holes on its body. Unfortunately, they healed almost as quickly as they had appeared. The entire group could feel a terrible sense of unease, and Feng Lingyuan and the rest began to attack with everything they had. For a brief moment, the worldly natural energy around them surged violently as densely-packed, mighty Duke Arts and treasured artifacts shattered the void and blasted towards the White Eyed True Devil. However, the White Eyed True Devil did not retaliate when faced with the barrage of attacks, letting it all land on its body. The waxy liquid flowed and instantly recovered from all the damage it had sustained. This continued to occur until the wax oil suddenly stopped moving to restore the damage that had been done. Instead, a halo of white light was emitted with the White Eyed True Devil as the center. Everything passed through the halo, resonant power included, solidified before being enveloped by a thick, white, waxy liquid. Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com A moment later, numerous waxy objects fell from the sky. Despite the danger to herself, she would not hesitate to make that decision if she could save Li Luo''s life. As her mind churned, the White Eyed True Devil''s pale lips gradually curved into an arc. It raised its hand, and black clouds began to condense, the culmination of incredible amounts of corruption. A moment later, rain began to fall. The raindrops were the size of beans, but instead of water, it was white wax oil. The wax oil was cold to the touch and radiated a biting chill. The white rain covered the entire area, transforming it into a prison that none could escape from. ...... At the same time, in the void outside the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm The two Kings were still seated in the lotus position. The All-Beings Devil King that had taken the form of an old man had a terrible smile on his face as it faced Wang Xuanjin. "The four True Devil Eggs have fused and its might is unstoppable. Your little students have tried their best. Wang Xuanjin, the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm will soon become part of the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion." Wang Xuanjin''s gaze was focused on the realm before him. His abstruse gaze seemed to penetrate the void and see everything that was going on within. He smiled gently in response. "It looks like not everything is under your control." The Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, which had previously been shrouded in mist, was now incomparably clear in his eyes. His gaze transcended the void and landed on a certain youth wielding a bow in the All-Beings Palace. The All-Beings Devil King glanced casually as it returned the smile. "Are you referring to the Duke spirit beast on that person? I have already taken his external power into account. If he activates it, the endless amounts of corruption will make him understand that a spirit beast''s power is not so easily wielded." Wang Xuanjin indifferently replied, "All-Beings Devil King, do you believe that I''ve merely been watching a show this whole time? That I am incapable of doing anything?" "Hm?" The All-Beings Devil King''s wizened expression changed, then it transformed into a child with dark eyes, with looks that seemed to have been carved out of jade. He continued to mercilessly glare at Wang Xuanjin. Wang Xuanjin smiled lightly as his gaze remained focused on the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm "When four of the seven Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars were destroyed, the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm was no longer under the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion''s control." He raised a finger and pointed at the realm. At the same time, countless motes of light arose within the realm, piercing through the void, congregating within the All-Beings Palace. Chapter 1172: Hopeless and Desperate Situation Chapter 1172: Hopeless and Desperate Situation The thick and cold clouds covered the sky completely. White rain drops trickled down as if the curtain had been drawn. The students stared at the white rain in horror. The raindrops were extremely sticky. It was clearly not ordinary rainwater, but some kind of creepy wax oil. Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com When the wax oil came into contact with the resonant power defenses on the students'' bodies, their resonant power began to melt. The wax oil was extremely cold, yet it gave off a sizzling sound like hot lava when it reacted with resonant power. Soon, some of the weaker students cried out. After the wax oil corroded all of their resonant power defenses away, it immediately landed on their skins. Then the most frightening thing happenedthey instantly lost control of their own bodies. The white wax oil slowly flowed around their bodies like an additional layer of white skin, then they were turned into ice-cold, human wax figures. In just a few moments, quite a number of students fell to it. Nearly half of their bodies had been covered in the ice-cold wax. They watched in horror, but regardless of how much they struggled, it was all futile. Screams of horror echoed in the air one after another. None of them could take this calmly as they watched the terrifying sight unfold before them. They were all slowly turning into wax figures. Some of the stronger students, like Feng Lingyuan, were able to resist the rain of wax. However, they could sense that their resonant power was rapidly being depleted. If this continued, it would only be a matter of time before they were lost to the rain too. They could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness in their hearts. This was the power of Duke. A single move could change the situation drastically. With such a huge blanket attack, there was no chance of them escaping at all. Ning Meng, Jiang Qing''e, and Wu Changkong were observing what was happening with the other students, and their eyes darkened. They knew that the situation had turned completely hopeless after the fusion that the White Eyed True Devil had experienced. Even if the trio worked together now, they could hardly pose any threat to the White Eyed True Devil. This battle had really gone beyond their capabilities. Although all three of them were at the pinnacle of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier with the skills to beat opponents at higher tiers, it was clear that they had reached their limits when they tried to hold off the White Eyed True Devil when it possessed first-grade Duke strength. Now that it was further empowered, its strength had reached the peak of a second-grade Duke. This was far beyond what the trio could handle no matter what they tried. Their only hope was to use some kind of pyrrhic method like the sacrificial ignition of Jiang Qing''e''s Heart of Light. As they were brooding over how to handle the situation, the White Eyed True Devil took the first strike. Its cold, white eyes locked onto Jiang Qing''e, Ning Meng, and Wu Changkong. It stretched out its hand with sharp claws. In the next instant, the white rain gathered up and was mostly directed towards the three of them. Then it condensed into three human skin lanterns that were hundreds of feet tall, each one surrounding one of the three strongest students. Who would have thought that she was still trying to save him even in this state? "I''ll surely kill this White Eyed True Devil and save her!" Li Luo did not hesitate any further. He focused his spirit into the crimson bracelet, attempting to wake the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf up. Sadly, the call fell on deaf ears. Li Luo did not panic. The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf was in deep slumber, so the process would take some time. At this juncture, the White Eyed True Devil roared out ferociously. A domineering pressure could be felt within its white eyes. Under this tremendous pressure, Li Lingjing''s face went back to sleep with her eyes shut tightly. The White Eyed True Devil had regained control over its body. A vicious look appeared on its face. Filled with murderous intent, it locked onto Li Luo once again. His earlier move had been detected by Jiang Qing''e, who was trapped amongst the human skin lanterns. Dazzling light resonant power burst out of her like the stream of holy water. Her golden pupils were filled with fury and murderous intent. The White Eyed True Devil was planning to kill Li Luo. With the latter''s strength, it was unlikely for him to escape it. But if Li Luo died right in front of her... Even the usually calm and composed Jiang Qing''e could not stop the overflowing murderous intent that was bubbling up within her. This was something she would never accept. Shen Jinxiao was far stronger than the enemy in front of them, yet Jiang Qing''e had not backed down from that fight at all. What was the White Eyed True Devil compared to him!? Jiang Qing''e''s heart began to beat even faster. Her eyes turned cold, but she did not choose to activate the sacrificial ignition just yet. She opened her hand, and a crystal appeared. There was a nine-runed lotus that glimmered mysteriously inside the crystal. It was filled with an endless amount of spiritual energy. It was the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus that Li Luo had given her. The seal on it had naturally disappeared when Li Luo passed the gift to her. With this treasure, Jiang Qing''e could recover from the damage caused by the previous sacrificial ignition. She would also be able to solidify the foundations she had built up over time. Of course, Jiang Qing''e was not planning to break into the Duke Stage here. It would require a lot more preparation, and it would not be wise for her to hastily forge her Duke Bergfried in this situation. However, she could attempt to break into the so-called pinnacle of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. With that thought in mind, Jiang Qing''e did not hesitate any further. She swallowed the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus. At the next moment, a boiling geyser of energy erupted within her body. Chapter 1173: Hundred Thousand Feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram Chapter 1173: Hundred Thousand Feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram The white rain continued to envelope the area. The previous stalemate had been completely broken. Many of the students were struggling to hold on. Row after row of human wax figures began to form on the field. Even some of the Greater Heavenly Resonance students could do nothing but endure. There was no way for them to get out of this situation at all. Jiang Qing''e, Ning Meng, and Wu Changkong were the core of their battle prowess. However, they had been trapped by the human skin lanterns from the White Eyed True Devil. There was no way for them to escape any time soon. As a result, they felt a sense of absolute despair. Mentors from the college had always followed them on their missions in the past, so they had never experienced the true terror of a True Devil. Now that the mentors were missing, they could only rely on themselves. They had finally seen first-hand how wide of a gap there was between a True Devil and a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator. Feng Lingyuan and Li Hongyou had also noticed that the White Eyed True Devil had locked onto Li Luo. A flash of worry appeared in their eyes. They tried to rush to his aid, but the white rain flooded over and their resonant power was eroded in an instant. "Be careful, Li Luo!" They could only scream at the top of their lungs to warn him. However, such an act was pointless. Li Luo could only smile helplessly even though he had heard the warning. He had not expected to catch the White Eyed True Devil''s attention despite hiding all the way in the back. The White Eyed True Devil must have felt the presence of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf lying dormant within his bracelet. This was a power that could potentially threaten it. That was why it wanted to eliminate him first. Although his bracelet had a seal from a King, the White Eyed True Devil was part of the All-Beings Devil King, a Triple Crowned King. This terrifying enemy was certainly watching them from outside the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. There was no way for the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf to sneak by unnoticed. Li Luo''s thoughts spun as he shook his bracelet repeatedly. He was trying to awaken the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf as quickly as possible, but the white wax arrow had condensed once again in the distance. Waves of terrifying pressure could be felt all the way here, sending a chill up Li Luo''s spine. He remained resolute regardless of the situation. Even in the face of death, he had not panicked because he knew that would not help. As Li Luo continued with his awakening attempts, the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf finally showed some signs of stirring. Waves of vicious energy overflowed and condensed within the world space inside the bracelet. "Hurry! Hurry up, Elder Brother Five Tail! Wake up, please!" Li Luo did not show it on his face, but his heart was full of anxiety. In fact, what really shocked them was the scale of the Heavenly Resonance Diagram. With one look, they could tell that it was a hundred thousand feet wide! Like the Glass Fiend Tier in the Fiend Body Stage or the nine-pearl tier in the Heavenly Pearl Tier, the hundred thousand feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram was the pinnacle of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. In terms of difficulty, this was many times more difficult to achieve than the previous two. Under ordinary circumstances, one would be considered a Duke seedling if their Heavenly Resonance Diagram could reach ninty thousand feet. This was something that not even Feng Lingyuan and Yue Zhiyu had achieved yet. Ning Meng had managed to reach ninty-eight thousand feet while Wu Changkong had reached ninty-six thousand feet. Although they were just a few hundred feet away from the hundred thousand feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram, the last few feet were the most challenging. Even someone with a ninth-grade resonance like Ning Meng had toiled hard for a long time, only to merely scratch the surface of it. As for Wu Changkong, he would need to chance upon some kind of opportunity. A one hundred thousand feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram was truly hard to achieve. When everyone saw it, they were completely taken aback. Jiang Qing''e''s pristine and beautiful face remained calm and composed under their surprised gazes. Her eyes only revealed a hint of surprise when she glanced at her chest. She could feel a sacred lotus blooming within her heart. It acted as a protection barrier for her Heart of Light. The power of the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus was beyond her imagination. She had only used an insignificant portion of its power to achieve the pinnacle of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. Of course, apart from the fact that the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus was a King-grade rare material, it was also partly due to the strong foundation that Jiang Qing''e already possessed. With her talent, she would''ve achieved this eventually without the help of the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus. The Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus had simply sped things up for her. Li Luo had really worked hard to help her recover from the aftermath. Emotions whelmed up within her heart. However, her eyes remained sharp. She looked at the deadly, white arrow that was flying through the air. She lifted her heavy sword and slashed downwards elegantly. At the same time, the Heavenly Resonance Diagram in the sky above resonated with the strike, and endless light energy poured out. "Seven Treasures Glazed Sword of Light!" Under everyone''s astonished gazes, Jiang Qing''e wielded her sword. She confronted the deadly attack from the White Eyed True Devil without any fear. Chapter 1174: Awakening the Five Tails Chapter 1174: Awakening the Five Tails The elegant and holy glazed sword materialized once again. As everyone watched in surprise, it penetrated the void and flew towards the wax arrow. The arrow was brimming with corruption, dying the surroundings black as it flew towards its target. Only light energy was able to charge towards it without any fear of erosion. When the two violent powers clashed, it was like the light of dawn fighting back against the pitch-black darkness. A terrifying tempest swept through the battlefield. Even the endless white rain was blasted apart and vaporized by the explosion. Alas, this only lasted until the wild energy storm finally died down. The white rain gradually returned and continued to fall over the entire All-Beings Palace. Everyone''s attention was locked onto the battle in the middle of the sky. Jiang Qing''e stood there with her sword unsheathed as dazzling light energy radiated from her. It seemed like she had managed to obstruct the White Eyed True Devil this time. Everyone stared in disbelief. After all, the White Eyed True Devil was as strong as a peak second-grade Duke. Its attack was akin to an unavoidable catastrophe for a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator. Yet Jiang Qing''e had succeeded where others had failed. This was a truly unbelievable feat. Even with the hundred thousand feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram, she was still at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. Her success must have partially been attributed to the Seven Treasures Glazed Sword of Light and her dual ninth-grade light resonances. However... "Just how many times can you use such a Duke Art?" the White Eyed True Devil asked with an ice-cold. At the same time, the white rain circulated around its body. Enormous corruption enveloped the sky above as it stood there like a harbinger of the apocalypse. Although his previous attack had been blocked, Jiang Qing''e had used all her strength in order to do so. As a high-grade Duke Art, the Seven Treasures Glazed Sword of Light was extremely taxing on the user, especially considering her cultivation level. Even with her dual ninth-grade light resonances and hundred thousand feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram, it was unlikely that she could sustain it for long. As soon as the White Eyed True Devil finished speaking, the white rain gathered around and transformed into two white spears in front of it. Cold, white wax oil dripped down the white spears, sometimes causing white bubbles to form. There was a twisted face full of agony in each bubble. Pop! When the bubbles burst open, the twisted faces were ripped into pieces. The White Eyed True Devil did not give Jiang Qing''e any time to catch her breath. Even though the difference in their power levels was humongous, it was not in the mood to play around with trifling weaklings. It wanted to finish this fight as quickly as possible. Whoosh! The spears flew forward in a flash. Everywhere they passed, the void was torn apart as they left two long black trails, like two comets flying across the sky. Jiang Qing''e looked at the frightening attacks from the White Eyed True Devil. However, there was no sign of fear on her face at all. She waved the heavy sword in her hand, and immense amounts of light energy gathered up once again. "Seven Treasures Glazed Sword of Light!" As the strongest art in her arsenal, she did not hesitate to use it again. She knew that this would be extremely draining on her stamina. However, the other arts would barely help in this situation, given their huge gap in strength. Bang! Li Luo''s words were firm and fierce. There was no room for negotiation. The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf was furious when it heard this. Li Luo was merely a Heavenly Pearl Tier junior. How dare he threaten it? However, he was reminded of Li Luo''s background at this point. After hanging out in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage with Li Luo, he had seen how powerful the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was. This kid was no longer the same brat that had to coax it for help back in the Xia Kingdom. In the end, it let out a frustrated cry after thinking about it. "Go ahead if you want to die!" As it let out the low cry, the immense and fearsome power of the spirit beast surged up. Crimson energy flooded out of the bracelet and poured into Li Luo. Everyone stared at him in surprise. At the next moment, an enormous wave of energy swept through the field and shot out of Li Luo''s body into the sky above. The sky above gradually turned crimson. Li Luo could sense the immense and fearsome energy surging within his body. He quickly focused his mind. At the next moment, his world appeared to be dyed red, and countless strange whispers echoed in the depths of his mind. Negative emotions soared up within his heart. They started to spread into every corner of his mind. For a moment, Li Luo''s eyes were full of red veins that stretched out like a spiderweb. Wild and violent emotions rapidly spread within him. This deluge of negative emotions was actually a common occurrence back when he borrowed the power of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf. However, these suggestive thoughts were not that strong, and he could control the erosion of his mind. Now the negative emotions had been amplified a thousand times. This was clearly the work of the All-Beings Devil King. He would not let this uncontrollable energy enter the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion so easily. The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf grew irritated when it sensed Li Luo''s struggle. It had already warned him beforehand, yet this fool still insisted on courting death. Damn it! The other students had also sensed the changes happening to Li Luo. There was a crazy amount of vicious negative energy pouring out from him. They knew that Li Luo had been forced to utilize his spirit beast''s power. However... The corrosion of the All-Beings Devil King came as promised as well. Li Hongyou and Feng Lingyuan watched him in worry. If Li Luo could not handle the backlash, it would not make their situation any better. In fact, he would place them in a more desperate situation. Nonetheless, there was little they could do to help him. In the end, it was all up to him. Chapter 1175: Gamble Chapter 1175: Gamble Endless amounts of negative emotions welled up within Li Luo''s heart. This was the most terrifying ordeal that he had experienced to date. Under its influence, Li Luo''s mind began to blur. Borrowing the power of a spirit beast under the watch of a Triple Crowned King was really challenging. However, Li Luo did not give up. He held onto the last strand of consciousness within his heart. It was like a weak candle flame flickering in the endless darkness of the night sky. Hanging onto that last thread of his consciousness, Li Luo channeled the vicious energy from the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf into the mysterious Auric Halo. "Change into light resonant power!" These were the last words from Li Luo before the darkness overwhelmed his heart. All of a sudden, everything fell dead silent. However, this silence only lasted a short while. Suddenly, a strand of divine light burst out of the endless darkness. Then more and more light rays pierced out. Li Luo was regaining control over his mind and spirit! His heart started beating faster and louder. He was really frightened when he had lost himself earlier. If he had been any slower, he might not have been able to regain control. It was a really close shave. However, this was also the reason why Li Luo had made the risky decision to borrow the power of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf. He was planning to change the vicious energy of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf into divine light resonant power all along. With the power of immense divine energy, he would then be able to resist the corrosion from the All-Beings Devil King. To be honest, he was not sure if this would work at all. However, he had to take the risk, given their predicament. Now that his mind had recovered, his bold attempt had paid off. At the very least, he could resist the terrifying corrosion a little now. He had not completely lost his spirit. However, this happiness did not last long for Li Luo. He noticed that the crimson bracelet was vibrating strongly even though he had managed to keep his spirit. Faint runes appeared on the surface of the bracelet. Li Luo quickly focused his mind into the bracelet. Inside, he saw the enormous Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf struggling wildly. The seal and chains that were tying it down were showing faint signs of breaking apart. At the same time, its vicious eyes were crimson. It was being corroded too. Li Luo fell into silence when he saw this. The All-Beings Devil King was really sly. He knew that Li Luo had resisted the corrosion, so he had targeted the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf instead. Once the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf went out of control, Li Luo would be the first one caught in the aftermath. From the strength she had displayed so far, she would have been able to finish it off if this was just an ordinary first-grade True Devil. It was a truly amazing feat. Someone at the Greater Heavenly Resonance tier slaying a True Devil was a rare sight even in the inner divine continent. After all, Chu Qing from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing had only managed to escape from a first-grade Duke. That was enough for him to earn a spot in the Empyrean Chronicle... Evidently, Jiang Qing''e''s foundation and potential were frightening. Jiang Qing''e did not mind the shocked gazes from the crowd. Divine light circulated in the depths of her golden eyes as she locked onto the White Eyed True Devil. The White Eyed True Devil had not expected Jiang Qing''e would resist its attacks for so long, and a terrifying murderous intent surfaced within its eyes. "You''ve managed to hold on for longer than expected, but you must be near the end of the rope now, right? In that case, let me send you off!" The White Eyed True Devil opened its mouth, and a pale hand stretched out of the eerie darkness of his throat and formed a strange handseal. In between the seals, a white flame lit up. The pale flame was extremely creepy. It seemed to be capable of burning one''s vitality directly. Cold air blasted from the throat of the White Eyed True Devil. At the next moment, a white flame followed. It flew across the air and went straight for Jiang Qing''e. Jiang Qing''e could sense that she was facing a formidable attack. The white flame gave off an incredible sense of danger. If it so much as brushed past her, her life force would be completely burned up for sure. A decision was quickly made. She gripped her sword rightly and a decisive look appeared in her eyes. She was ready to defend this attack with her life. However, just as she had made her choice, a finger suddenly tapped her shoulder. She was taken aback by this sudden move. Then a hand pulled her back. Someone pushed past her and stood in front of her. He shielded her and was clearly planning to face the eerie flame alone. "Li Luo..." Jiang Qing''e was a little stunned. Li Luo was wielding the Dragon Elephant Blade. He turned his head slightly and looked at Jiang Qing''e, who had been putting up a fight regardless of how exhausted she was. Seeing her in this pitiful state made his heart ache. "Thanks for the hard work, Sister Qing''e. You can rest now. I will finish this creature off in your place." He stepped forward with his blade in hand, then he slashed it down against the raging sea of white flames. The magnificent blade light was like a moon rising up into the dark sky. All of the remaining students squinted as they watched the dazzling blade light arc across the horizon. Chapter 1176: Li Luo Battles True Devil Chapter 1176: Li Luo Battles True Devil The resplendent blade energy that arced across the sky swept towards the True Devil. The gloomy, white rain instantly evaporated before the tyrannical sword energy, and even the thick, black clouds of corruption were crushed into nothingness. Similarly, the white sea of flames was also purified by the immense holy energy of the blade energy. A single blade''s descent led to the clearing of the skies. All of the students'' eyes dilated in absolute surprise. This was the first time they had seen the White Eyed True Devil''s attack dismantled in a frontal clash. Their gazes inadvertently turned towards the sky where they were greeted with the sight of Li Luo brandishing his blade whilst standing before Jiang Qing''e. Indescribably large amounts of light resonant power were pulsing off his body, making him resemble a holy god of war. The intensity of the light resonant power had far surpassed Jiang Qing''e''s hundred thousand feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram. "Is that power coming from his spirit beast?" "Li Luo was actually able to resist the All-Beings Devil King''s attempts to erode his mind?" "How did he achieve it?" Feng Lingyuan, Yue Zhiyu, and the rest were shocked. Li Luo possessing the ability to borrow the power of a spirit beast at the Duke Stage was no secret. However, they knew that it was not possible to use it in this space. The vice principal had warned them from the beginning that the fiendish energy that the spirit beasts possessed would attract the will of the All-Beings Devil King within the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion. However, looking at Li Luo, it looked as though that problem had been resolved. This caused them to feel a little taken aback. After all, it was akin to messing around with a being on a completely different plane of existence. Jiang Qing''e was also a little startled as she looked at the back of the tall figure in front of her. His grayish-white hair was dancing in the wind as blinding light resonant power that resembled a tempestuous storm radiated from him. A moment later, a smile appeared on her lips. After spending a year apart, Li Luo had matured further and even gave her a sense of safety. "Be careful," she softly warned. Li Luo heard her and nodded. At this moment, he felt incredible. The fiendish energy from the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf had been transformed into light resonant power by the Auric Halo. "Second-grade Duke strength." Li Luo could also feel how strong the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf had become. After awakening from its hibernation, it was actually at the peak of the second-grade Duke Stage. The speed of its improvement wasn''t considered exceptionally fast. In fact, it had only grown stronger because it had gained a lot of benefits in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage after following Li Luo for so long. But borrowing its power still gave Li Luo some trouble. This was because he had to consume his blood essence to transform the light resonant power. If not for the mighty light resonant power that coursed through his body and its restorative properties, he might already have fainted due to the massive loss of blood essence. However, he had no other option. If he had not done so, he could not have resisted the All-Beings Devil King''s will, much less have a chance to slay the White Eyed True Devil. Light resonant power pulsed from Li Luo''s body, and it faintly condensed into flames made of light that slowly dappled in the air. Li Luo stared at the White Eyed True Devil. He didn''t bother with any superfluous words as he took a step forward. The bright light spread across the field, then he appeared before it instantly. He struck with his Dragon Elephant Blade at that instant, causing the sky to crack apart. Overwhelming amounts of blade energy condensed and directly hacked towards the White Eyed True Devil''s neck. At the same time, corruption quickly condensed and took the form of a sickle in the White Eyed True Devil''s palm, which it then swung to meet Li Luo''s attack. Clang! Clang! In the span of a few breaths of time, countless rays of blade energy collided with the sickle, which was moving so quickly that afterimages were left behind. Every time they two weapons collided, the void shattered and the All-Beings Palace was took more damage. However, a single blade wheel had managed to break through the defensive perimeter of the lanterns and flew right at the White Eyed True Devil. The White Eyed True Devil raised its weapon and struck out towards the blade wheel in response. Bang! As the attacks collided, the blade wheel shattered. However, there was no majestic explosion of energy. Instead, it resulted in a flash of light as bright as the sun. The White Eyed True Devil couldn''t stand to look at the blinding light, so it closed its eyes to avoid the pain. At the same time, it felt a sense of terrible unease, so it began to retreat yet again. Unfortunately, it was too late. Li Luo exploded out of the surge of light with the Dragon Elephant Blade in hand. He swung it sideways, sending a beam of blade energy that was a thousand feet long towards the White Eyed True Devil''s waist. The blade light created a similar sized rift in its wake. The White Eyed True Devil was bisected. The lower half of its body was instantly vaporized by the tyrannical holy energy that suffused it. The upper half of its body continued to escape. Cold wax oil was dripping from the gaping wound, and it was clear that the corruption emanating from it had weakened. This sight caused the students to cheer in joy. This was the first time it had been grievously injured since it appeared. Feng Lingyuan, Yue Zhiyu, Li Hongyou, and the rest had looks of excitement. Li Luo''s single strike had clearly been effective. The situation had stabilized now, right? Just as these thoughts entered their minds, the White Eyed True Devil let out a screeching roar and formed a seal with its hands. A moment later, one of the four faces on its chest began to swim up its body with a look of fear. The direction was none other than the White Eyed True Devil''s head. When the face reached the White Eyed True Devil''s face, the two seemed to fuse together. No, perhaps it was more appropriate to say that the Blood Coffin Carrier''s face had been devoured by the White Eyed True Devil. The moment this happened, the bottom half of its body began to regenerate swiftly. In fact, the energy undulations coming from it had strengthened as well. This sudden change caused the ones watching to feel a chill in their hearts. Li Luo''s eyes shrank upon seeing this, and zoomed forward. Sacred blade energy poured outwards as he renewed his offensive. When faced with Li Luo''s attacks, the White Eyed True Devil began to frantically parry the blows with its sickle as it continued to retreat. It was then that another face on its chest began to show signs of terror. Soon, it began to make its way up to the White Eyed True Devil''s head as well. Clearly, the White Eyed True Devil would receive a considerable boost in strength once it was devoured. Before anyone noticed, however, the fourth face, Li Lingjing, came to life, stealthily devouring the third Blood Coffin Carrier''s face. If it could eat, she would eat too. Chapter 1177: All-Beings Furnace, Ninth-grade Dragon Resonance Chapter 1177: All-Beings Furnace, Ninth-grade Dragon Resonance Dazzling blade strikes flew across the sky as quick as lightning, slashing the White Eyed True Devil repeatedly with indescribable sharpness and strength. In response, the White Eyed True Devil waved its sickle around frantically. Its cries of pain echoed in the air. Clang! As their weapons clashed, it resounded clearly in the air. For a moment, the void around them showed signs of crumbling. Immense energy shockwaves flew hundreds of miles into the distance, nearly flattening the All-Beings Palace below. However, Li Luo''s eyes turned more serious with each exchange. The cold energy passing through his Dragon Elephant Blade had made the surging light resonant power coming from his body dim a little. Clearly, the White Eyed True Devil had gotten stronger again! Previously, it was already as strong as a second-grade True Devil. Now it was readily getting closer to the level of a third-grade True Devil. This was likely due to it consuming the faces on its chest! Li Luo felt a shiver in his heart. The plans of the All-Beings Devil King were really frightening. Even at this stage, the True Devil was still getting stronger. If it really managed to consume all of the remaining faces on its chest, it would likely transform into an actual third-grade True Devil. Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com At that time, Li Luo would not be able to slay it so easily even with the power of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf. "Hehe!" Creepy laughter came from the powered-up True Devil. At the next moment, its body began to wriggle about, and two figures who looked exactly the same as each other emerged from the wax oil with white sickles in their hands. The two figures were overflowing with corruption as they charged directly towards Li Luo. Li Luo slashed down with his blade. Light resonant energy that was hundred thousands of feet tall flew across the air, and the two figures retreated hurriedly. All of a sudden, another sharp cry came from the real body of the White Eyed True Devil. It had cut open its own belly with its sickle. Cold and creepy wax oil gushed out of its belly, then a white furnace with three handles surfaced. The furnace was all white, with an extremely creepy air surrounding it. There were runes carved onto its three legs. On closer look, the runes were the mural of a sacrifice. Countless figures in a daze could be seen lining up and jumping into the furnace one after another. They had sacrificed themselves and turned into a white pot of human-skin wax oil. Facing the relentless pressure coming from Li Luo, the White Eyed True Devil had finally revealed its ace. "All-Beings Furnace!" The White Eyed True Devil let out a sharp cry. It then stretched out its fingers, and strands of energy condensed on their tips. This energy had come from Li Luo, which he had collected during each clash. As it condensed, a faint shadow appeared in front of them. From a distance, the blurry figure looked just like Li Luo. A deafening draconic roar echoed in the air. Li Luo''s body started trembling violently. Gradually, he grew larger and taller. Dragon scales appeared on his skin and his hands turned into sharp dragon claws. His grayish-white hair grew longer at an astonishing speed, flowing down behind his back like a white waterfall. At the next moment, he started emitting waves of domineering draconic might. His aura was so strong that the inner walls of the furnace shook violently. Signs of melting began to appear on the walls by merely being in his presence. At this moment, Li Luo had transformed into his fearsome half-dragon, half-human form again. The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf could sense the changes inside the bracelet as well. The aura was so strong that even it was a little surprised. However, this was not the end. As Li Luo felt the fearsome power cruising through his body, a soft and calm voice echoed in his heart. True Dragon Pill: Dragonification! Endless rays of mythical light burst out of the True Dragon Pill within his body. The mythical light flew straight into his third resonant palacethe Thunder Dragon resonant palace. It went directly onto the dragon that was lying amongst the thunder clouds. A moment later, the dragon let out a deafening roar. Its body began to grow at an alarming speed! The sea of thunder clouds could no longer hide it from view. Roar! Another deafening roar resounded before finally dying down. The clouds rapidly shrank, then a majestic dragon''s head emerged from the sea of thunder clouds. Its fangs were extremely sharp, reflecting the flashes of lightning. At the same time, a faint shadow materialized behind Li Luo''s back. It looked just like him; however, it was as large as a dragon with an extremely pressurizing presence. The worldly natural energy in the surroundings went wild as the shadow sucked in the energy like a whale. In the end, all of the energy was converted into resonant power, and it poured into Li Luo. This was... a ninth-grade Spirit Avatar! Dragon Spirit Avatar! At this moment, merely looking into Li Luo''s eyes would overwhelm someone with a terrifying pressure. When he sensed the immense power flowing in his body, his lips slowly curled up into a smile. Finally, he could experience what it was like to wield a ninth-grade resonance. Chapter 1178: Twin Banner Fusion Chapter 1178: Twin Banner Fusion The enormous, white furnace hovered in the sky above. Endless amounts of corruption spewed out of it, covering the sky completely. It was a truly terrifying sight. The faces of all the students changed completely. Everyone watched in shock. They could tell from the shockwaves just how scary the furnace was. Not even a first-grade Duke could come out of it alive. Now that Li Luo was trapped in it, how was he going to survive this ordeal? Just then, light energy burst out of Jiang Qing''e''s petite body. Her face was cold, and her grip tightened around her sword. In the blink of an eye, she charged towards the White Eyed True Devil without any hesitation. "Little Jiang''e, don''t be rash!" Ning Meng shouted when she saw this. The White Eyed True Devil was no longer an ordinary True Devil. Even with the hundred thousand feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram, Jiang Qing''e''s strength was still a farcry from being able to contend against it. However, Jiang Qing''e did not heed the warning. Her golden pupils were filled with murderous intent. Boom! Just as she was about to attack the White Eyed True Devil with her light resonant power, a loud explosion suddenly resounded in the air. A majestic and domineering draconic roar echoed along with it. The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) Everyone looked towards the origin of the disturbance. They stared in disbelief as the white furnace cracked open. A ferocious dragon claw pierced through it and ripped it apart, leaving behind a long crack. From there, a charismatic and impressive figure walked out. This person was dozens of feet tall. His body glittered with golden dragon scales and gray-white hair flowed down his back like a waterfall. His palms looked like dragon claws coated with a sharp, icy glint. They were so sharp that they seemed to be able to tear the void apart with a mere movement. An astonishing and domineering pressure swept across the field. The world seemed to tremble with his appearance. "Is that... Li Luo?!" Everyone, including Ning Meng and Wu Changkong, watched in disbelief as the fearsome dragonoid emerged. Then they glanced over and noticed a mysterious illusory shadow behind him. The shadow looked similar to him, but it also looked like a large, golden dragon. A dragon''s regal aura was exuding from it. This was a very familiar sight to all of them as some of them possessed a ninth-grade resonance too. A ninth-grade Spirit Avatar. The figure behind Li Luo represented his dragon resonance. However... When had he obtained a ninth-grade dragon resonance? Just how many aces did Li Luo have? In the middle of the sky, Jiang Qing''e did not follow through with her attack. She seemed a little dazed as she stared at the ferocious figure. Although he was exuding an extremely terrifying aura, she was able to recognize him immediately. "Sister Qing''e, it''s okay. I am fine." Li Luo smiled and looked back at her. Then he focused his mind onto his newborn ninth-grade dragon resonance. There were many different kinds of dragon resonances, such as the Water Dragon resonances or Wind Dragon resonance. Some had no attributes, just like Li Luo''s current one. However, this also meant that Li Luo''s dragon resonance was purer. It was more suited to boost his power and physical strength. After all, dragons had always been known for their overpowering physical bodies. As such, it was only natural for a dragon resonance to allow one to surpass their physical limits. This was perfect for Li Luo. After all, he was not in need of any other elements at the moment. Li Luo slowly put his dragon claws together. The void started to shake a little, and faint traces of runes appeared in the air. How had this fellow suddenly grown so strong? However, Li Luo did not give it time to look for an answer. His cold gaze shifted over to his enemy, then he raised the Dragon Elephant Blade and slashed down. Worldly natural energy in the surroundings flowed along with his slash. A huge crack appeared in the void. At the next moment, the sound of rushing water could be heard. Lightning and thunderous booms accompanied it. Bang! The void tore open and an immense black river gushed out. Its surface glinted with lightning sparks and the whole area shook violently. An enormous black dragon emerged from the depths of the black river. Ice-cold water flowed around the black dragon''s claws, brimming with the glamor of corrosion. Lightning also gathered and transformed into a berserk silver dragon that danced through the air. Frightening streams of lightning flowed between its fangs. Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner! Heavenly Judgment''s Silver Dragon Banner! This was not the end of it. Li Luo immediately formed handseals, and the two enormous dragons wrapped around each other. Then they quickly began to fuse together. The Underworld River and the Heavenly Lightning intertwined. the resulting energy shockwaves shook the sky. After a few moments, the two dragons were one. A two-headed dragon with a black head and a silver head emerged. Li Luo''s eyes lit up when he saw this. It was the first time he had seen these two Duke Arts fused together. This was a Destiny-grade Duke Art from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. Although it was not in its complete state, it was finally beginning to show its true prowess. Roar! The two-headed dragon let out a deafening roar, then it tore through the sky and charged directly at the White Eyed True Devil. The White Eyed True Devil was horrified to see this. This was an attack that could threaten its life. As such, it did not hesitate either. It focused its mind and began consuming the faces on its chest. It was going to strengthen itself once again. However, there was no response this time. The third face seemed to be resisting its attempt. The White Eyed True Devil grew frustrated. This person was already food in its stomach. How dare they try to resist? It looked down, and what it saw left it stunned. The third face had been torn into pieces. All that was left in its place was traces of damage. At this point, the remaining white face raised her cheeks slightly and stared back at it. The White Eyed True Devil remembered this face. It was the last face it had consumed! This face belonged to a girl. But how could she have stolen his food?! The other three faces had completely lost their minds when they were absorbed. How had she kept her mind and spirit intact, and even stolen its food secretly? At this moment, the White Eyed True Devil felt like a rat had snuck in and taken food from its carefully prepared banquet. It was infuriated. Great. Since its food had been stolen, it would just consume her instead! It was all the same in the end! Chapter 1179: Devil Kings Eye Chapter 1179: Devil King''s Eye The furious White Eyed True Devil took a deep breath. Suddenly, an enormous suction force tried to pull Li Lingjing''s face towards its head in an attempt to consume her. However, it did not go smoothly. Li Lingjing''s face had grown stronger after consuming the third Blood Coffin Carrier. As such, she was able to resist much harder than the two faces the White Eyed True Devil had consumed earlier. Li Lingjing''s face wavered around the White Eyed True Devil''s chest, struggling against it. This made the White Eyed True Devil feel even more frustrated. This development was completely out of its expectations. All the Blood Coffin Carriers were supposed to be sacrificed to him. Why was this last one resisting? "Puny ant. You may be an odd one, but do you seriously think you can eat that which does not belong to you?" The White Eyed True Devil gave off a cold gaze that emanated a terrifying pressure. At the same time, countless strange whispers came out of its throat like a curse. Li Lingjing''s open eyes flickered under its influence, as if she was getting corrupted. Her eyes were gradually closing. After which, her visage began to move up along the White Eyed True Devils body. After quashing Li Lingjing''s attempts to resist, the fingers of the White Eyed True Devil suddenly fell off. They flew along with the wind and expanded rapidly into giant pillars in the sky. The ten white pillars stood perfectly in a line like a giant gate. The two-headed dragon charged towards the gate with overflowing energy. It opened its maws, and two streams of dragonbreath gushed out. One was black as ink like the cold Underworld River water. The other was a brilliant silver with lightning sparkling over its surface. Bang! As soon as the two torrents of dragonbreath clashed with the gate formed by the ten fingers, a deep rut was left on it. However, this gate was extraordinary. Cold wax oil continuously flowed down and repaired the damage. Nonetheless, the Twin Banner Fusion from Li Luo was also nothing to scoff at. When the dragonbreath didn''t work, the two-headed dragon charged towards the gate. It swiped with its sharp claws and directly left a torn rift in their wake. Bang! The attack was vicious. In just a few swipes, the giant gate was torn into pieces. The two-headed dragon flew through the gap in the broken gate as a result. Suddenly, Li Luo''s eyes narrowed when he saw what was happening. Li Lingjings face was being controlled by the White Eyed True Devil. It appeared to overlap with its own face, and its facial features were wriggling violently, as if she was being assimilated. The swallowing process was not as smooth as earlier. As its facial features changed, some faint traces that resembled Li Lingjing could be spotted from time to time. Nonetheless, Li Luo could still sense that the corruption bursting out of the White Eyed True Devil was increasing at an alarming rate. Murderous intent whelmed up in his eyes. Damned White Eyed True Devil! It has begun consuming Cousin Lingjing. I have to finish it off quickly in order to give her a chance of survival. When the students witnessed this, an overwhelming sense of helplessness flooded their hearts. This True Devil was incredibly tenacious. Even a devastating attack from Li Luo was unable to slay it. It seemed like even a second-grade Duke would be forced into a bitter struggle against such a creature. "You must have reached the limits of your strength, right? In that case, I will be adding your skin to my collection today." The White Eyed True Devil laughed. Both sides had revealed their aces in this battle. Unfortunately, Li Luo had fallen a little short. When it finished speaking, endless amounts of corruption surged up within its body. One could tell from the energy pulses that it was now as strong as a third-grade Duke. Clearly, it must have completely consumed Li Lingjing''s face. The students faces fell into despair when they felt the terrifying pressure. Jiang Qing''e firmly grasped her sword, and her golden eyes turned cold. If things took a turn for the worse, she was prepared to step up. However, the White Eyed True Devil did not pay any attention to them. Its eyes were firmly fixed on Li Luo. He was the only threat in this battlefield. Fortunately, it seemed like Li Luo was at the end of his wits now. The White Eyed True Devil laughed out lightly. At the next moment,its body started melting at an alarming rate. White wax oil fell onto the ground, and every drop turned into a surging torrent. In just a few moments, the White Eyed True Devil''s body had completely melted. Only a pair of white eyes that quietly stayed afloat remained. It was a truly chilling sight. The white eyes then began to rotate, and the endless white sea was absorbed into them. With every drop that entered the eyes, they seemed to gain another mysterious power. It seemed to be a power that was above the heavens. The worldly natural energy in the vicinity seemed to have come to a standstill. Even Li Luo felt a chill run up his spine. He felt like the eyes were directly connected to the All-Beings Devil King. It was as if that terrifying presence was looking straight at him. The Devil King''s Eye! With just a single gaze, Li Luo almost collapsed onto the ground. However, Li Luo was able to fortify his mental will and resist the influence of corruption when he closed his eyes. He could sense Jiang Qing''e looking over at him. If he could not handle the situation, she would rush up regardless of how dangerous it was. This was something that Li Luo did not want to see ever again. In that case... "Let''s give it a try... "Is your Devil King''s Eye stronger? Or is my Embryonic Transcendent Duke Art superior?" Li Luo thought to himself. At the same moment, an endless galaxy of sword energy rose up above his head, and an ancient sword formation appeared in the sky above him. Both sides were now wielding their final aces. It was time for the mobilization mission to conclude! Chapter 1180: Two of One Mind Chapter 1180: Two of One Mind Endless amounts of sword energy flooded the sky as an ancient sword formation appeared above Li Luo. All the worldly natural energy for miles reverberated vigorously as soon as the sword formation materialized. The sword energy inside it swam about like dragons. Their unparalleled sharpness was fearsome enough to send chills up one''s spine. Li Luo was utilizing the power of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf, so his Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation was an entire stage stronger than before. As Li Luo made the necessary hand seals, the sword energy gathered up in one corner of the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. Seconds later, water energy condensed in that area and turned into a vast ocean. There was an enormous dark blue dragon swimming in its depths, but the dragon quickly shrunk and transformed into a blue sword. The Water Dragon Fang Sword! Blue sword energy floated in the sea, looking peaceful, calm, and gentle. However, it was frighteningly sharp. At the next moment, sword energy filled with lifeforce materialized as well, but this one was green. Everywhere it passed, vitality was brought back to the area, but there was also a threatening aura hidden behind its overwhelming vitality. A gigantic ancient tree sprouted within the sword formation. On closer look, it was actually a giant emerald dragon. The dragon soared into the sky and transformed into a green sword in the other corner of the sword formation. When the two dragon fang swords took physical form, the ancient sword formation seemed to gain a new breath of life. Immense amounts of sword energy surged up, creating numerous black rifts simply with its presence. However, that was not all. When Li Luo''s hand seals finally came to a stop, the transformation continued. A radiant light shone out brightly in another corner of the sword formation. Sword energy burst out of it, though this one was much faster than the other twoit seemed to move at the speed of light. One could hardly make out where it was heading to. It seemed to combine both light resonant power and sword energy. However, its intensity paled a little in comparison to the two previous dragon fang swords. Nonetheless, there was an endless amount of it in Li Luo''s massive resonant power now. Li Luo focused his mind as he controlled the new sword energy and gave it shape. In the end, an illusory dragon fang sword slowly took form. It was his third dragon fang sword! The Light Dragon Fang Sword! As soon as it took shape, the whole Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation vibrated violently. The overwhelming sword energy rang excitedly in the air. All the students froze on the spot as they stared at it. The sword energy in the formation was extremely frightening. A look of surprise appeared on Ning Meng''s cute, little face. She could not help but ask, "What a fearsome Duke Art. What grade is it?" The other top students had gathered around at this point too. There was a little confusion in Yue Zhiyu''s beautiful eyes as she responded, "At least Destiny-grade. Judging by its impressive presence, this art likely surpassed even the Seven Treasures Glazed Sword of Light used by Jiang Qing''e. Since her Duke Art was Destiny-grade, Li Luos sword formation was at least a middle or even upper Destiny-grade Duke Art. "Li Luo must be very gifted when it comes to cultivating arts. What a good fit for Little Jiang''e." Ning Meng smacked her chest and grinned happily. "I approve of this marriage." Yue Zhiyu pouted. "What does it have to do with you?" On the side, Wu Changkong and Wei Chonglou''s eyes turned a little gloomy. As they watched the overpowering ancient sword formation in the sky, they felt a bit reluctant to accept what the girls were saying, though they couldnt shake off the tinge of fear that entered their hearts when they looked at it. Never in their wildest dreams would they have expected Li Luo to steal the limelight from them in this mission. When they got out of this place, Li Luo''s name would definitely be well known across all the ancient colleges. His cultivation level wasnt high enough to make him well known. However, he was simply too brazen and outstanding. He was at the Heavenly Pearl Tier, yet he dared to borrow the strength of a Duke. Moreover, he wasn''t even afraid of being consumed by it. From another perspective, he was also really courageous. Jiang Qing''e was also a little lost as she stared at the ancient sword formation. Then a satisfied smile slowly appeared on her face. It seemed like Li Luo had not been slacking in the past year. He had been working really hard as well. The little boy that had always been bullied by her had grown up before she had noticed. Jiang Qing''e understood his intentions. He was always chasing after her, hoping to fight side by side with her. He didn''t want to stay at the back and watch her protect him from all the danger. Li Luo''s Void Obliteration Sword Phantasm was winning! A smile appeared on the faces of Ning Meng, Yue Zhiyu, and Feng Lingyuan. However, their smiles did not last long. When enough layers of the black flame lotus were peeled off, everyone finally saw what was in the middle. There was someone in the center! It was an infant with black skin. The infant appeared to be asleep; however, it opened its eyes as soon as the sword energy got close. Black flames flowed within its eyes, then it opened up its mouth and wailed out loud. A shrill cry resounded in the air. Everyone watched in horror. As the cries of the black infant spread across the area, the Void Obliteration Sword Phantasm began to crack. The black infant continued to cry. Everyone was horrified by the sound. Crack! Crack! More cracks appeared on the Void Obliteration Sword Phantasm. In the end, it exploded into pieces to everyones shock. All that remained were traces of light. Li Luo spat out a mouth of fresh blood when the backlash struck his body. His face turned extremely dark. This fight was truly arduous. Even the Void Obliteration Sword Phantasm was incapable of slaying the White Eyed True Devil. As the black infant continued to wail, the black flame lotus slowly rose up into the air. It turned into a black beam and shot towards Li Luo. The crying continued like the chimes from the god of death. Li Luo''s heart turned heavy. He had overdrafted himself by forcing himself to create the third dragon fang sword. But what else could he have done in this situation? His light resonance was a secondary resonance, so it would never be as pure as his water resonance and wood resonance. "What can I do?!" Li Luo''s eyes changed. This was a life-or-death situation for him. If the attack managed to reach him, there would be no chance of survival. As Li Luo thought about this, he suddenly felt a slender hand reaching out and supporting his back. Li Luo was a little surprised. He turned around and saw Jiang Qing''es charming face. "Li Luo, try again. I will lend you my light resonant power through the Ancient Spirit Leaf." Jiang Qing''e''s voice was the most soft and gentle it had ever been. "You''ve already done a very good job.... Well done," she whispered to him. Li Luo was stunned. Jiang Qing''e was planning to be his energy battery. This was undoubtedly one of the most impressive batteries in the history of the college. "Wait a minute." Li Luo smiled at her and reached out to her. Jiang Qing''e knew what he was thinking with a glance. However, she did not turn him down. She placed her hand on Li Luo''s. In the next instant, dazzling, pure light resonant power flowed from her hand to his, transformed by the Ancient Spirit Leaf and changing owners. Such pure light resonant power was something that Li Luo had never experienced before. He tightened his grip on Jiang Qing''es gentle hand. A bright smile appeared on his face. "Do you know what this is called?" "Huh?" Suddenly, a gigantic burst of divine light exploded in the ancient sword formation above Li Luo. The illusory sword body was beginning to crystallize completely. Divine light energy flowed through it, and light spilled out in all directions. "When the husband and wife are of one mind, they can slay any devil." Chapter 1181: Void Obliteration Dragon Chapter 1181: Void Obliteration Dragon An immense amount of sword energy burst out of the mysterious and ancient sword formation, and a sword hymn echoed in the air. At this point, the Light Dragon Fang Sword was the brightest spot in the whole sword formation. Light resonance power flowed into it like an endless stream of holy water. It was finally capable of taking form. It wasn''t so much about the overwhelming amount of light energy that Jiang Qing''e could transfer. After all, Li Luo was borrowing the power of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf, which was a second-grade Duke. In the face of its power, even her hundred thousand feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram would pale in comparison. But... Jiang Qing''e''s light resonant power was extremely pure and condensed. It was of an otherworldly grade. Her dual light resonant power was many times superior to the light resonant power that Li Luo was capable of creating with the Auric Halo. On top of having access to her light resonant power, Li Luo also made full use of the fact that he had attained a ninth-grade dragon resonance temporarily. The Light Dragon Fang Sword was finally able to take form with the most perfect materials. Nonetheless, Li Luo was barely concerned about the terrifying sword energy above him. At this moment, what was most important to him was to keep holding Jiang Qing''e''s slender hand. The cool feeling of her jade-like hand was enough to make him forget about his predicament. At the same time, all the students were watching them with perplexed looks. It was extremely frustrating to watch Li Luo holding Jiang Qing''es hand, especially for people like Wu Changkong and Wei Chonglou; it was an excruciating sight for them. The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) Feng Lingyuan squinted at them, unable to resist poking fun. "In a way, Li Luo can be considered a member of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s team. Now that he''s taken the brightest pearl of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, let''s see if any of you still dare to act arrogantly before us." On her side, Li Hongyou coquettishly covered her mouth and smiled. "Li Luo''s looks, talent, and background are all top-notch. If he is not worthy of Jiang Qing''e, who would be?" Yue Zhiyu did not respond kindly to them. "The Black Flame Lotus Infant is coming. Are you all planning to choke it to death with your idle banter?" Jiang Qing''e had heard everything. She lightly squeezed Li Luo''s hand as the latter continued to passionately look at her. "Hehe, don''t worry. If we can''t stop it, at least we''ll die together," Li Luo said with a smirk. Of course, this was meant as a joke. Li Luo had already focused his attention back onto the dragon fang swords. A deluge of sword energy swept across the field as the three swords fused into one. It was a dark sword energy that was as vast as the ocean. Triple Resonances Dragon Fang: Void Obliteration Sword Phantasm! However, it was a little different from the last one. As the sword energy circulated, one could faintly see the enormous shadow of a dragon. The dragon was extremely dark, but every scale on its body was unbelievably sharp. A sharp bone shaped like a battleax protruded out of the dragon''s head, making it look even fiercer. As everyone was cheering happily, the white eyes from the White Eyed True Devil began to dim rapidly. At the same time, its eyes radiated fury. It glared at Li Luo with enough anger to cause the air to shake. It was the combined fury from both the White Eyed True Devil and the All-Beings Devil King, who was pulling the strings from behind the scenes. The All-Beings Devil King had planned countless countermeasures, but Li Luo had rendered all of its efforts futile. This final clash had decided whether the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion would successfully absorb the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. Nonetheless, the battle had reached its conclusion, and no amount of anger would alter the result. "Brat, you''ve spoiled my plans. Do you think you''ll get out of this alive?!" A dark and gloomy voice echoed in their surroundings. At the next moment, endless black runes started flowing out of the white eyes. Boom! The eyes exploded. Copious amount of corruption swept through the surroundings, forming a gigantic, black vortex that spanned hundreds of thousands of feet. The All-Beings Palace began to crumble. All the debris turned into black smoke and was sucked into the vortex. The world space in the area began to twist. The Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm was returning to its original state now that the descent of the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion had been forcibly halted. However, the students did not relax just yet. They were staring at the giant vortex with horrified looks. This was the last gasp of the dying White Eyed True Devil. It was a pyrrhic move that was targeted at Li Luo! "Be careful, Li Luo!" Feng Lingyuan and Li Hongyou exclaimed in shock. However, they were too late. The vortex expanded at a terrifying speed. The corruption within it was more fearsome than any attacks they had seen previously. This was because this final attack wasn''t just from the White Eyed True Devilthe All-Beings Devil King had unleashed everything it had set up in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. This included the leftover energy of the All-Beings Palace and the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion. If one were sucked into it, not even a third-grade Duke would survive. Li Luo watched as the black vortex rapidly grew larger in front of his eyes. His face was horrified. At the most critical juncture, he suddenly let go of Jiang Qing''e''s hand, then he threw out an energy wave. The defenseless Jiang Qing''e was pushed thousands of feet away by this move. At the same time, the black vortex swallowed up everything that was in its presence. It overwhelmed him like a tsunami and completely engulfed Li Luo. Chapter 1182: White Eyed True Devils Last Stand Chapter 1182: White Eyed True Devil''s Last Stand The black vortex covered up the sky and the sun completely. Terrifying amounts of corruption filled the air. It was like a giant devil that could devour the entire world was about to come into existence. In the distance, the scenery changed. Mountains, valleys, and rivers gradually returned. This was the original look of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. Jiang Qing''e looked a little stunned. She had finally snapped out of her daze after being pushed by Li Luo. Then she hurriedly dashed towards the black vortex. It was as if she did not care about the copious amounts of corruption. She only knew she had to dive in no matter what. In a flash, Ning Meng appeared right beside her and grabbed her arm. "Little Jiang''e, don''t be rash. The corruption in that vortex is too wild. Even with your dual ninth-grade light resonances, you won''t be able to resist it!" "Let go!" Jiang Qing''e shouted coldly. Her usually calm, golden eyes were looking a little anxious at this point. "No! You have to calm down! Li Luo is still under the protection of the spirit beast, so he''ll be able to last a while. If you dash in recklessly, things will only become even harder for him!" Ning Meng shouted back in a hurry. She was a little unsure about what to do. After all, Jiang Qing''e was usually the unfazed and collected individual in all situations. Who would have expected her to act according to the whims of her heart now? It was the first time she had seen Jiang Qing''e lose her cool. At the same time, Feng Lingyuan and Li Hongyou arrived by their side. Although they were looking worried as well, they tried to calm Jiang Qing''e down. "Exactly, Student Jiang. You have to take a step back and observe the situation." Jiang Qing''e was stopped from making any rash decisions when faced with all their resistance. She stared unblinkingly at the terrifying, black vortex. "If Li Luo is not out in a hundred seconds, please do not stand in my way." Her voice was calm and composed once again. However, her decision was one that made the crowd''s hearts skip a beat. It seemed like if they tried to stop her again, Jiang Qing''e would tear down all pretense. The vortex was the last struggle of the White Eyed True Devil before its death. It was further bolstered by the power of the broken All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion, making it so powerful that even a Duke probably wouldnt make it out alive. How would Jiang Qing''e be able to do anything? Li Luo was stuck in a truly precarious situation. Nonetheless, Jiang Qing''e did not care about what the others thought. She clenched her hands tightly. Veins surfaced on her arm, and her heart was overwhelmed with emotions. If one could peer inside her, they would notice that rays of light had begun to emit from her Heart of Light. If Li Luo did not come out in a hundred seconds, she would sacrifice her Heart of Light without any hesitation. Then she would rush into the vortex of corruption to save him. ...... Just as Jiang Qing''e''s side was preparing for the worst-case scenario, Li Luo had indeed fallen into yet another dangerous situation. However, the arm shook a little. Then she lightly waved at him to turn him down. Before Li Luo could respond, the arm rapidly melted away. It turned into black smoke and was absorbed back into the vortex. Li Luo was stunned. He could faintly see a slender figure amidst the thick shroud of corruption. She was holding the Aquamarine Bamboo Python Staff, and she turned around to smile at him before walking off. It was a choice she had made willingly. Then the corruption surged, and the figure disappeared completely. Li Luo''s eyes were filled with mixed emotions. Cousin Lingjing had chosen to take another path, and no one knew where it would lead. He did not know what would happen to her in the future either. Would she become twisted and strange like the members of the Murderous Ghost Horde? Regardless of what happened, he knew that she would always be a heroic lady in his heart. The indomitable and proud girl from the Western Region, Li Lingjing. "Cousin Lingjing, no matter what happens in the future, I will always be there to help you," Li Luo said. After that, he did not hesitate anymore. Resonant power exploded from his body and he pushed back against the corruption pressing down on him, dashing forward in a flash. In just a few breaths of time, he reached the outskirts of the vortex, where the corruption was a lot weaker. The vast and beautiful world was slowly appearing in his sight. Then Li Luo sensed a formidable energy coming out of Jiang Qing''e. His face changed completely and he shouted in a hurry, "Sister Qing''e, don''t worry! Don''t be rash! I am almost out!" From the looks of it, Jiang Qing''e was ready to begin the ignition of her Heart of Light. If he had arrived any later, she would have sacrificed herself once again to save him. The energy fluctuations coming from Jiang Qing''e stabilized a little as she stared deep into the vortex of corruption. Her eyes came to life when she saw Li Luo. She flew forward and dashed towards him. Li Luo grabbed onto her slender waist. In the same moment, a cold voice entered his ears. "Li Luo, I will not let you off lightly if you make decisions on your own and push me away again!" Li Luo turned to face her and saw that Jiang Qing''e eyes were welling up with redness, something he did not see often. She must have felt terrified when he was engulfed by the vortex. She was afraid she would lose him forever. Li Luo''s heart was overwhelmed with emotion as well. He hugged her lightly and said in a gentle voice, "I''m sorry." He wanted to say more, but before he could do so, the energy within his body diminished rapidly. As the power of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf left him, weakness spread across his body. Li Luo''s face turned pale immediately. He didn''t even have enough strength left to hold onto Jiang Qing''e. This was not just the aftermath of borrowing power from the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf; he had converted his resonant power multiple times, causing him to lose a huge amount of blood essence. Jiang Qing''e noticed that something wasn''t right with him. She hurriedly grabbed him and asked in a worried tone, "Li Luo?" But he was unable to answer. His eyelids grew heavier and his vision began to darken. Just before he lapsed into unconsciousness, Li Luo could see Li Hongyou rushing over. She cut herself and let the blood from her arm drip into his mouth. Chapter 1183: Severing A Crown Chapter 1183: Severing A Crown In the void outside the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. The two superior beings were sitting in the lotus position as they watched the ongoings of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. It looked just like a tiny chess board in front of them. Every breath they took could cause the world space in front of them to tremble. The elements of earth, wind, water, and fire circulated around Wang Xuanjin. From time to time, a golden lotus would bloom and the worldly natural energy in the area would turn gentle, moving along with his will. Over at the All-Beings Devil Kings side, there was endless darkness. Multiple shadows seemed to be squirming within. For a moment, a faint scream echoed out of the darkness. It was like the ripples created when one threw a pebble into a pool of still water. At this point, the All-Beings Devil King changed into the appearance of a kid. Its young face stared at the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm with cold eyes. In the endless darkness behind it, white shadows that could completely cover the sky flashed by. They turned into hundreds of millions of human skins that hovered in the void. A moment later, the human skins opened their mouths and shot out white beams. The beams condensed into a ray of destruction that could annihilate anything in its path. Then the white ray of destruction blasted directly towards the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm! It seemed like the All-Beings Devil King was planning to destroy the world space completely. Fortunately, Wang Xuanjin did not sit idly as the All-Beings Devil King threw his tantrum. It was acting like a child who was about to flip the table because it had lost a game of chess. Seeing this, Wang Xuanjin waved his sleeve. A golden lotus that was hundreds of thousands of feet wide surrounded the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. Ancient runes could be seen on the lotus, and it rotated slightly as it absorbed the ray of destruction. "All-Beings Devil King, it''s too ungraceful to ruin the chessboard just because you lost the game," Wang Xuanjin said with a light smile. When the All-Beings Devil King''s scheme was thwarted earlier, all the previous preparations he had put in place had been neutralized as well. The world space had naturally fallen back into the control of Wang Xuanjin. The All-Beings Devil King could no longer change the rules of the realm according to its will. "Wang Xuanjin, this is just an insignificant world space. Even though there is Worldly Source Energy in it, it''s not much of a loss to me," the All-Beings Devil King responded indifferently. Worldly Source Energy was the most primal type of energy in the world. It was said that it was a prerequisite for anyone who wanted to reach the King Stage. At the same time, it was essential in the crafting of extraordinary artifacts. The Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm was full of precious treasures, but they meant nothing to beings like the All-Beings Devil King and Wang Xuanjin. What truly attracted their interest was the Worldly Source Energy that had materialized in this realm. Wang Xuanjin smiled pleasantly. He knew that the All-Beings Devil King was trying to be tough with its words. If it really did not care about the Worldly Source Energy, why would it have used the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion to take it over? The All-Beings Devil King''s eyes darkened. It was pointless for it to say anything more at this point. It took another cold glance at the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm before it stood up. Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com The sky full of stars turned dim as soon as it did. Wang Xuanjin looked over, his gaze penetrating the void. He had locked onto a city without any life. Numerous figures were slowly marching through it like corpses. However, his eyes landed on one particular corpse. That corpse trembled, and a hint of fury suddenly appeared in its lifeless eyes. The will within that body tried to shift into a new target once again. However, the ancient chains of light suddenly appeared in the region. Physical matter seemed to mean nothing to the chain of light. It directly wrapped around and tied down the will of the All-Beings Devil King. Wang Xuanjin waved his ruler emotionlessly. Countless stars rained down like comets falling in the night sky. When the ruler descended, it did not release anything resembling a terrifying force. It simply split the sky into two with the corpse at its center. A giant valley that spanned hundreds of thousands of miles appeared on the land. Everything was wiped out in its wake. Including the walking corpses. A cry of pain echoed in the void as the area trembled violently. "Wang Xuanjin, I will remember this. I will wipe out the Heavenly Origin Ancient College and have my revenge next time!" The voice cursed angrily as it transcended across world space and even echoed in the void outside the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. Wang Xuanjin''s eyes remained indifferent. He glanced over at his ruler and saw a trail of white blood. His strike had severed the crown of the All-Beings Devil King. In other words, the All-Beings Devil King had now fallen to the Dual Crowned King Stage. This was an extremely critical injury for the All-Beings Devil King. It would need a huge amount of hard work and cultivation before it could recover from this loss. Moreover, this meant that the shadow world had one less Triple Crowned King. This was a huge piece of good news for the humans. Wang Xuanjin looked back at the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. His eyes were full of complex emotions. He had bided his time just for this single strike. However, this had also caused many of the young students to lose their lives. Perhaps he was truly as cold and calculating as the Others described him. As he was pondering in silence, waves of energy rippled out in the area behind him. Numerous figures with domineering auras appeared. They were all fierce and full of murderous intent. They were none other than the vice principals of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. As the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion and the All Beings Devil King retreated, they had also returned in victory. Chapter 1184: Rewards Chapter 1184: Rewards The void rippled, and four figures walked out of it. They all possessed terrifying presences. Some also had clearly visible injuries as they had just been involved in an intense battle. These four were the vice principals of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. All of them were Kings. Earlier, they were caught up in a fight against the King-level subordinates of the All-Beings Devil King. That was why they were injured. Amongst them was a young lady in blue armor and golden boots. She gave off a heroic and awe-inspiring presence. It was none other than Vice Principal Lan Lingzi. The Lan Lingzi that Li Luo had encountered at the college was just a skin clone made by the All-Beings Devil King. The one right here was the real deal. "Congratulations, Principal. You''ve severed a crown of the All-Beings Devil King," said a man that stood tall like an iron tower. His upper body was exposed and glittered with raven light, making it resemble black iron. He had multiple scars, and each of them radiated terrifying energy waves. This was Han Yue, another vice principal of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. Wang Xuanjin barely showed any signs of happiness on his face. He simply replied, "I can''t take much credit. It was all due to the students'' contributions in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. They were able to distract the All-Beings Devil King. If they hadn''t destroyed that strand of its will, I wouldn''t have been able to exploit the All-Beings Devil King''s weakness with the Heaven Illuminating Mirror." Lan Lingzi looked a little down and frustrated. "It''s all my fault. I accidentally allowed the All-Beings Devil King to get a piece of skin from me. This allowed it to create a clone of me and fool the other two vice principals, luring all the students into the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm." Clearly, she had learned about the All-Beings Devil King''s scheme. Wang Xuanjin waved his hand and smiled at her. "The All-Beings Devil King is very crafty and his methods are hard to counter. If even I didn''t see through its plan, how can we blame you? Besides, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. If it hadn''t gotten a piece of your skin and fooled Wu Yu and the others, we might not have reached a conclusion in this battle even now." Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com "Oh?" Lan Lingzi was a little surprised to hear this. The other three vice principals didn''t understand him either. Wang Xuanjin grinned lightly. "Do you know who contributed the most to the mobilization mission?" "It was one of the two top students from either of the ancient colleges Heavenly Star Hall, right?" Vice Principal Han Yue responded. Lan Lingzi''s eyes moved a little. "I heard that the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College has an elite student with dual ninth-grade light resonances. Could it have been her?" "Dual ninth-grade light resonances?" the other vice principals exclaimed in surprise. It was extremely rare for anyone below the Duke Stage to possess dual ninth-grade resonances, let alone two of the same. Such a person was simply born to destroy the Others. Wang Xuanjin laughed. "The maiden with the dual ninth-grade light resonances is indeed spectacular. In the future, she''ll definitely be an indomitable force that will shake up the shadow world. However, there''s another fellow that outshone her. He is the one who defeated the strand of will of the All-Beings Devil King." She could not help but sigh. That stubborn old man... Unfortunately, the Heavenly Origin Ancient College was in trouble themselves. The problem with the All-Beings Devil King had been resolved, but there was still a list of other equally crucial issues waiting in line to be dealt with. All the vice principals had been working hard, and they could barely spare any time to travel to the outer divine continent and to assist the Astral Sage College. She could only pray that Pang Qianyuan could endure just a little longer. "I will ask Wu Yu and Qing Man to allocate more resources to the Astral Sage College later," Wang Xuanjin said. He clearly knew what was on Lan Lingzi''s mind. She nodded slightly and stopped worrying. Then she looked over at the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm and asked, "The students have contributed greatly to the success of this mission. Now that it''s completed, we should reward them handsomely." Wang Xuanjin explained, "The Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm will provide a large amount of cultivation resources to the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. They will definitely get their fair share. "The exceptional students should be rewarded as well." He stared at the fainted Li Luo on the screen. He pondered for a moment before continuing, "There are ten strands of Worldly Source Energy in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. We can take one out and split it amongst them based on their contributions. What do you think?" Hearing this, even Lan Lingzi was a little moved. "Rewarding them with Worldly Source Energy? Isn''t that a..." Vice Principal Han Yue could not help but say. However, he did not finish the sentence with "waste of resources." After all, the students had put themselves in immense peril for the college. The other vice principals did not say anything, but they all had the same thought in their minds. Worldly Source Energy was an exquisite and valuable resource; it was something that even Kings would like to get their hands on. This was a prerequisite to break into the King Stage, and giving a strand to the students would undoubtedly incite unrest amongst the Dukes with the potential to reach the King Stage. Wang Xuanjin smiled slightly. "The Emperor should not let his soldiers starve. If we are stingy with rewards after all the dangers they''ve gone through, it''ll be a little demoralizing." Seeing how Wang Xuanjin had already decided on it, the other four vice principals simply nodded. "Let''s do that, then." Wang Xuanjin beamed. He lifted his fingers and lightly flicked at the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. At the next moment, the other Kings in the area noticed strands of mysterious smoke rising around the small world space. The smoke was barely noticeable to Dukes; only Kings could see it. The smoke rose up and gathered in the sky above the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. Wang Xuanjin pressed his hand down, then beams of light flew down and landed in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm like a meteor shower. Each of the meteors landed on a student. The one that shone the brightest landed on Li Luo. Chapter 1185: Ten Golden Pillars Chapter 1185: Ten Golden Pillars Arcs of light blazed across the starlit sky of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. The students raised their heads in surprise when they saw this. However, before they could react, the rays of light with different widths and brightness landed on everyones heads. When the starlight landed on their bodies, their expressions changed. They felt extremely jubilant and excited as the resonant power within their bodies experienced a tremendous improvement. At this point, a heroic voice resounded throughout the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. "All students, please calm yourselves and start cultivating." Some of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College students recognized the voice and exclaimed in shock, "It''s the Principal!" "Are these the rewards for the mobilization mission? What sort of treasure is this? It''s incredibly effective for cultivation!" a student shouted in joy. Most of the students quickly sat in the lotus position and started to cultivate, absorbing the mysterious energy that had just entered their bodies. The worldly natural energy began to surge in this particular region. On Jiang Qing''e''s side, she also naturally received some of that mysterious starlight. Due to her significant contributions, the starlight that had entered her body was only second to Li Luo in terms of intensity and radiance. When she analyzed the wondrous energy, she thought, "This energy is incredibly pure and ancient!" As the energy circulated through her body, it caused her light resonant power to react violently. It was almost to the point that she lost control of it! The starlight illuminated her two resonant palaces, and the amount of light resonant power flowing within them began to increase like the rising tide. Jiang Qing''e could sense her energy gradually increasing, and she felt a hint of satisfaction in her heart. She had already reached the peak of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, and the next step would put her on the path of the Duke. But this was no simple task. It required ample amounts of preparation and accumulation. Jiang Qing''e had originally wanted to spend a bit more time consolidating her foundation, but it seemed like the mysterious energy would allow her to bring her plans forward. When entering the Duke Stage, the most important thing was to lay the foundation for the path ahead. The first step was to build the foundation of one''s future Duke Bergfrieds! In order to do so, one needed a significant amount of previous accumulations and a Foundational Spirit Treasure. They were rarely found, and every expert who entered the Duke Stage would be on the lookout for more of them. A ninth-grade Duke would need to construct a Duke Bergfried for each grade they attained. As a result, they would require quite a number of Foundational Spirit Treasures. It was said that most Dukes would throw half of their wealth into this bottomless pit. A key reason why so many Dukes would choose to give up their freedom and tie themselves to peak powers was in order to obtain these treasures. The Duke Stage was not just about building a solid foundation for the next tier, but also about wealth. The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) The Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus that Jiang Qing''e possessed was considered a top-tier Foundational Spirit Treasure. Everything was ready at this point in time, and the opportunity to breakthrough could not have been more perfect. Jiang Qing''e resisted the surging waves of energy in her body and placed Li Luo in the lotus position as well. At this point, the latter''s pale expression was gradually improving, and the mysterious starlight that had landed on his body was the brightest of them all. Thus, Jiang Qing''e was not particularly concerned for him. Time passed quietly within the now-beautiful and restored Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. Unknowingly, three months flew by. Within those three months, the students gradually awakened from their period of cultivation. There were looks of absolute delight on their faces as their secluded cultivation had reaped great results. Amongst the students, there were two that outshone the others in particular. Ning Meng and Wu Changkong. They had similarly completed their breakthroughs, leaping through the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier and into the Duke Stage. Wu Changkong had formed eight pillars on his Duke Bergfried, known as an Eight-Pillar Duke Bergfried. Ning Meng''s Duke Bergfried had formed nine pillars, so she had a Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfried. A Duke''s Bergfried could be judged by what was termed as the Ten Golden Pillars. When one first formed their Duke Bergfried, golden pillars would take form upon it. Each one represented one''s foundation and potential, capable of being transformed by Foundational Spirit Treasures. In a simple way of speaking, it showed how high one could go in the Duke Stage. Those with weaker foundations, potential, and fewer resources would only form two or three pillars upon entering the Duke Stage, while those who had made ample preparations would be able to create many more. This meant that their Duke Bergfried would be much more majestic and powerful, invincible amongst those of the same grade. Additionally, once the pillars were created, it was difficult to make any changes to their Duke Bergfried. Wu Changkong and Ning Meng''s results demonstrated that they had set a strong foundation and had great potential. It also meant that they had prepared a relatively high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure. Seeing their breakthroughs, the rest of the students could only sigh with envy. From what they could see, the duo had pulled apart from them once again. When they returned to the college, they would be recognized as true experts. They would also be allowed to become mentors. Amidst the group''s sighs, their gazes then turned towards the only two gigantic energy vortexes that remained. They belonged to none other than Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. They had yet to conclude their round of cultivation. Judging by the fluctuations coming from Jiang Qing''e, she had taken the opportunity to break into the Duke Stage as well. The only thing was that her Duke Bergfried had not been formed. This caused the students to sigh in their hearts. They understood the brazen thoughts going through Jiang Qing''e''s mind. She was very likely gunning for a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried! In the Duke Stage, there was a saying. Ten pillars are unrivaled! Jiang Qing''e was definitely looking to cultivate an Unrivaled Duke Bergfried! Chapter 1186: Path of Ascension Chapter 1186: Path of Ascension In the vast and beautiful Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, the energy vortexes gradually vanished over the course of three months. Those who had ended their period of cultivation returned to the college. However, not everyone had left. Ning Meng, Wu Changkong, Yue Zhiyu, Li Hongyou, and a few of the elite students had chosen to remain. The worldly natural energy in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm was very dense, making it a great location to cultivate. These students also wanted to see the results of the two individuals who had yet to complete their cultivation session. More specifically, they wanted to see Jiang Qing''e''s results. Everyone could tell that Jiang Qing''e was boldly attempting to obtain a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. This was an exceptional result that only a select few were capable of attaining. This was the only way she could pave her way towards becoming a legend. The path of a Transcendent Duke! Although Transcendent Dukes werent that different from other Dukes, they walked a path very few had the privilege to tread on. They surpassed common sense and understanding, and the most elite Transcendent Dukes possessed a tyrannical air to them that would cause a normal Duke to revere and worship them in awe. As the saying went... I stand supreme beneath the Heavenly Emperors. I stand uncowed before the Heavenly Emperors. Unmatched against those inferior to Heavenly Emperors. Unfearing towards those superior, even Heavenly Emperors. Indeed, a Transcendent Duke was not simply seen as a Duke. Instead, they were mystical existences that surpassed a normal King! Across the long river of time, those who were able to attain this honor were all heavenly-prided talents that had suppressed their generation. Of course, those who wished to tread on the legendary road of the Transcendent Duke would have to go through an arduous journey that had caused countless geniuses to fall into the pits of despair. Those who truly wanted to become a Transcendent Duke had to construct seven perfect Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds. Just this point alone was enough to eliminate more than ninety percent of all potential talents. Even Ning Meng with a middle ninth-grade Light Chaser Beast resonance had only succeeded in constructing a Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfried. Clearly, constructing a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried was difficult beyond belief. Additionally, a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried was just the first step. One had to repeat this six more times to undergo a true metamorphosis. They would also have to cultivate a Transcendent Duke Art; only then could they truly be known as a Transcendent Duke. It was a task of colossal difficulty, and every single step was capable of stumping the hearts of even the most talented of their generation. Making it to the end of this road would require immense amounts of talent, luck, and perseverance. That was why every single Transcendent Duke was a shining star that possessed a radiance not at all inferior to a Heavenly Emperor. This was also the reason why the proud sons and daughters of the Heavenly Star Hall had chosen to patiently wait and witness the possibility of Jiang Qing''e succeeding in the creation of a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, paving the first step towards the path of being unrivaled. Many students eagerly awaited this sight atop the mountain. Ning Meng was squatting atop a rock, hugging her bamboo cup, which she was greedily slurping from. Her dark eyes would occasionally flit over and stare at the gigantic energy vortex. She grinned as she muttered to herself, "Little Jiang''e is very impressive. If she can form a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, then she will have embarked on the path of being unrivaled. This alone is worthy of being engraved upon the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Holy Monument." Yue Zhiyu''s expression had turned a little ugly as she glared at Ning Meng. "It''s all because you''re useless. You couldn''t even form a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried with a middle ninth-grade resonance, and now Jiang Qing''e has stolen that achievement away from you." Zhen Mingyu clenched her teeth, shattering the jade sugarcane. Her eyes were filled with grief and sadness. It felt as though a pig had stolen away a cabbage she had invested endless amounts of attention and effort to grow. However, Lan Lingzi was speaking the truth. Now that Jiang Qing''e was a Duke, she was no longer bound to the college. If she so wished, she could follow Li Luo. Zhen Mingyu had no way to stop this except to bully her fiance. Alas, Li Luo was part of the direct bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. If she took things too far, the elders behind him would take action and she would simply ruin the entire situation. She wasnt a fool, so she had no choice but to accept her feelings of dejection. "Qing''e''s breakthrough was too hasty. I havent had a chance to prepare a suitable Foundational Spirit Treasure for her. It will truly be a pity if she fails to construct a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried." Even though her treasured disciple was going to leave, she still hoped that she could manage to attain the best result. Thus, she shelved the annoyances in her mind, and worry overtook her. "Looking at how stable the energy fluctuations are and the intensity of the light that was briefly emitted from the treasure, it looks as though this isnt an average Foundational Spirit Treasure," Lan Lingzi said in an attempt to console her. "It seems like her fiance gave her something befitting of a Heavenly Emperor power." "Well, it looks like he''s sincere after all." Zhen Mingyu pouted. When the two finished speaking, they continued to wait, and several days passed in the blink of an eye. This went on until the group who had been quietly waiting could suddenly feel massive undulations of energy coming from Jiang Qing''e. The heavens and earth rumbled and clouds appeared in the sky. Endless amounts of energy began to pour out of Jiang Qing''es vortex, forming golden lotuses that covered the sky. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Their eyes were filled with surprise when they noticed the transformations occuring in the world around them. They then turned towards the center of the vortex, where a slender girl was sitting cross-legged. Scintillating light poured out of her, and everything for tens of thousands of feet was lit with dazzling splendor. Within the light arose a gigantic object. It was a towering Duke Bergfried! Immense pressure rolled out of the blinding Duke Bergfried. The sheer pressure it emanated far surpassed that of Ning Meng and Wu Changkong. However, no one was focused on that. Instead, they were all staring at the top of the Duke Bergfried. Even though the bright light made their eyes water, they continued to stare unabated. On a mountaintop further away, the two vice principals had borrowed the aid of their King Stage strength to see everything that was going on in full clarity. Atop the impressive Duke Bergfried were ten ancient golden pillars, looking strong enough to hold up the sky. The sight of the ten pillars caused even the two Kings to sigh lightly before glancing at each other. A Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. The Path of Ascension had opened up before her. It had been countless years since a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried had been seen. Only one question remained. Would Jiang Qing''e be able to travel the arduous and difficult Path of Ascension to a perfect end? Chapter 1187: Fifty Thousand Feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram Chapter 1187: Fifty Thousand Feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram The lofty Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried towered over the horizon. It was like a godly and awe-inspiring divine mountain. Worldly natural energy roiled in the skies above, pouring into the Duke Bergfried. The light coming from the Duke Bergfried was absolutely blinding to the naked eye. This was because it had been formed with the purest light resonant power. Waves of scintillating halos of light continuously radiated from the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried as though it was the sun, causing all of the students to feel a hint of respect in their hearts. The students held awe-struck gazes as they stared at the perfect Duke Bergfried. Some indulged in the aura of its godly majesty until they had drunken looks on their faces, perhaps fantasizing of obtaining one for themselves. It was something they all dreamed about. It was truly unrivaled. Wu Changkong had a complicated look on his face. Jiang Qing''e''s talent was something they could all physically feel as they basked in the light. If someone were to say she was the direct child of a Heavenly Emperor, no one would suspect otherwise. Alas, how could someone so perfect be engaged to Li Luo? How did this brat manage to be blessed with everything? Not only was he born to a great family, he is also good-looking and, most irritatingly, he has lived a good life! Wu Changkong felt pangs of pain in his heart and intense jealousy welled up within him. With Jiang Qing''e embarking on the path of a Transcendent Duke, if she were to be brought back to the Wu family, even the far-sighted and highly picky family patriarch would be so excited that he would hold banquets for many months. In fact, Wu Changkong would likely be confirmed as the next generation''s family head! It was a pity that these were all just idle dreams. He felt disappointed. He had always been proud and lofty, and there were countless exceptional maidens who admired him, yet he had not reciprocated. Who would have known that one day, he would experience the very same one-sided and heartless treatment and feel heartbreak. After materializing for a while, the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried transformed back into a stream of light that re-entered the body of the young lady who was sitting cross-legged. Her eyes finally opened after being rightly shut for over three months. Her golden eyes flowed with light, and all who saw her felt a sense of abstruse mystery and sacredness in their brilliance. A mysterious pressure rolled off her body as well. Jiang Qing''e slightly lowered her head and looked down at her slender, white hands in a slight trance. She knew that she had truly stepped into the Duke Stage now. This was the goal she had arduously strove for in the Xia Kingdom. Not only that, she had attained a perfect Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. In her memories, whether it was Master Li Taixuan or Mistress Tan Tailan, neither of their Duke Bergfrieds had ten pillars. If she had possessed such might in the Xia Kingdom, perhaps she wouldnt have been separated from Li Luo for so long. However, despite her happiness and relief, the Duke Stage could not resolve all of their problems. There would only be stronger enemies, and she had to keep getting stronger. When she thought of this, her mind focused inwards and she inspected the third resonant palace that had been created as a result of her breakthrough. The third resonant palace gave off a sacred light as well. Her third resonance was, unsurprisingly, also a light resonance, middle ninth-grade. This meant that she currently had three light resonances, one being a lower ninth-grade and the other two middle ninth-grade. She wasnt the only one with three ninth-grade light resonances in the world, but it was definitely rare. When all three were combined, the terrifying purification power would enable her to truly be the bane of Others. As Jiang Qing''e inspected the three light resonances, she felt the void before her tremble, and two people appeared. Atop Li Luo''s head, a radiant pillar of light shot up into the air. His nine Heavenly Pearls began to fuse, combining into a golden seal. This meant that he had broken into the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier and formed a Heavenly Resonance Golden Seal. The golden seal was illusory, which meant that he was still at the Illusory Seal-grade. However, this was not the end of things. Just a few breaths of time later, the illusory seal took physical form, and he started emanating strong undulations. Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier, True Seal-grade! In a short span of time, he had reached the next grade! However, the roiling fluctuations of energy did not cease there. The Heavenly Resonance Golden Seal began to shine brightly, and a moment later, the void was lit up and a blurry diagram was formed in the sky. Huge amounts of energy flowing through the diagram. This caused the group to feel a sense of shock. This was the formation of a Heavenly Resonance Diagram! Was Li Luo planning on directly attacking the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier? He had leaped over an entire stage. As the blurry diagram gradually opened up in the skies above, many miraculous things seemed to be contained within it. The energy up there condensed to form an image, like ink drawing on a blank slate. A raging torrent of water materialized, then a towering tree took root. Meanwhile, a dragon''s silhouette was seen lurking in the clouds. Light shone resplendently throughout. Earth took form in the ground, and thunder and lightning crashed into it. The beautiful scenery was gradually unfolding. In the end, the Heavenly Resonance Golden Seal rushed into the sky and directly landed in the diagram. It was as though a piece of art had been completed and this was the stamp of approval. Bang! As soon as it happened, it shattered, turning into countless motes of golden light that spread across the entire diagram. This resulted in the illusory diagram gaining an actual form. A gigantic and majestic Heavenly Resonance Diagram appeared in the skies above, swallowing up all of the worldly natural energy around it. Although he had not incited the level of surprise that Jiang Qing''e had with her Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, seeing Li Luo jumping stages shocked everyone present as well. Especially because the width of the Heavenly Resonance Diagram was fifty thousand feet! Li Luo had vaulted over the Heavenly Pearl Tier, directly entering the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. Chapter 1188: Crossroads Chapter 1188: Crossroads The majestic Heavenly Resonance Diagram hung in the skies above like a wondrous painting, causing all who looked at it to fall into a trance. Even Lan Lingzi and Zhen Mingyu, who were Kings, were dumbfounded at the sight. What they marveled at was naturally not the energy coming from the Heavenly Resonance Diagram, as this level of strength was nothing in their eyes. What stunned them was how colorful and vibrant the energy within it was. There were six resonant powers within. Strictly speaking, it represented six resonances! This was excessive even for King Stage experts like themselves. Many Kings only had three resonances. That said, a King''s triple resonance power was one of the mightiest abilities one could possess, and it far surpassed the fake creation Li Luo made when he forcibly mixed three resonant powers together. "Three resonant palaces and six resonances... Looking at their grades, it seems two of the palaces are eighth-grade. It looks like Li Luo can be considered a peak genius as well," Zhen Mingyu commented as she observed the energy in the Heavenly Resonance Diagram. Although it didnt seem all that impressive when compared with Jiang Qing''e''s triple ninth-grade light resonances on the surface, the most important fact was that Li Luo was only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. When he entered the Duke Stage, he would gain yet another resonant palace! Seeing someone with this number of resonant palaces was rare even across the long annals of time. Thus, Li Luo possessed terrifying potential! Lan Lingzi nodded lightly and she sighed. "Can you believe that these two monstrous brats are from an outer divine continent''s sage college? Old Pang is indeed fortunate, I have to say." Zhen Mingyu was in complete disbelief when she heard this. Although the outer divine continents were relatively barren, it was not impossible for such monsters to be born there from time to time. And yet both of them were from the same sage college? That was almost an impossibility! As the two bigshots chatted, the rest were left in a daze upon seeing the fifty thousand feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram. Although it was not considered exceptional amongst this group of individuals, Li Luo was only at the nine-pearl tier before the breakthrough. Even though his foundation was incredible, they had only predicted that he would reach the True Seal-grade. This was normal when it came to nine-pearls having had a solid preparation in the stage before. It was then that he opened his eyes, and his joy was obvious for all to see. The breakthrough had been sudden, but it had also surpassed all expectations. Li Luo knew that the main reason was because of that mysterious starlight that had landed on him. It contained an ancient energy that allowed him to advance by leaps and bounds. "The Principal of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College is indeed magnanimous." Li Luo was extremely satisfied, and such a generous reward meant that the danger he had put himself in was not in vain. He arose and saw that Jiang Qing''e was making her way to him. He could feel the mighty undulations of energy coming from her, which caused him to click his tongue. "Sister Qing''e, you... have you broken into the Duke Stage?" Jiang Qing''e nodded slightly. Li Luo feigned a look of hurt and disappointment before letting out a sigh. He was reminded of the wager they had made before they went their separate ways. Who would be the first to reach the Duke Stage? Clearly, he had lost. Even though he had chased after her whilst putting his life on the line multiple times, he had failed to catch up. It wasn''t that he hadn''t tried hard enough, but the opponent was simply too heaven-defying. Jiang Qing''e rolled her eyes and consoled him when she saw his expression. "You''re quite impressive yourself. You''re just one step away from reaching the Duke Stage." Li Luo stared with eyes wide as saucers. "Well, looking at how hard I''ve worked, do I get any rewards?" Jiang Qing''e''s fair face flushed red upon hearing his direct words. She knew that he had been thinking of the great reward that came with the bet. However, before she could reply, the two vice principals appeared before them. "Li Luo, this is my mentor, Third School Master Zhen Mingyu. When I first arrived at the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, she fought tooth and nail to allow me to enter the Radiance Pool, resolving the issue of the sacrificial ignition of my Heart of Light," Jiang Qing''e said. When he heard those words, he retracted the mischievous thoughts in his heart. With a look full of solemnity, he bowed deeply towards Zhen Mingyu and said, "Thank you, Third School Master. Your favor has been deeply engraved in my heart." Zhen Mingyu waved her hand. She was a direct person, so she didnt linger on this. Looking at Jiang Qing''e, she asked a question that made Li Luo''s heart skip a beat. "Qing''e, what are your plans now? You have entered the Duke Stage, so it can be said that you have graduated. However, I wish to recommend you as an entrant into the Academic Federation''s Celestial Mirror Pagoda, to become a Celestial Mirror Knight. You can obtain numerous resources there and, with the support of the Academic Federation, truly attain success on the Path of Ascension." With those words, everyone''s gazes turned towards Jiang Qing''e. Chapter 1189: In Name Chapter 1189: In Name "The Celestial Mirror Pagoda is the true core of the Academic Federation. The mentors of the ancient and sage colleges all see it as a holy land and strive to join it. Those who pass the trials are granted the privilege to become a Celestial Mirror Knight. In fact, most of the Kings from the Academic Federation were Celestial Mirror Knights in the past. Since the creation of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, the Radiant King also came from the ranks of the Celestial Mirror Knights. Qing''e, your potential is unparalleled, so if you go there, you will find that it will be of great aid to traverse the Path of Ascension." Zhen Mingyu looked at Jiang Qing''e with much anticipation. Li Luo had originally wanted to say something, but he kept silent in the end. Although he hoped that Jiang Qing''e would return with him to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, if it was as Zhen Mingyu had saidthe Celestial Mirror Pagoda would be a wondrous opportunity for Jiang Qing''e. Entering it would be in her best interest as well. Thus, he had no plan to influence her decision. He would always respect her choices. Either way, it was not like they would be separated forever. Lan Lingzi crossed her arms as she watched this scene with amusement. She knew that Jiang Qing''e was much too surprising, to the point that even Zhen Mingyu was unwilling to let go of her. The Celestial Mirror Pagoda held a lot of importance to the Academic Federation, and numerous elite Dukes had chosen to set it as their goal, becoming mentors all for the sake of being able to join it. These Dukes had worked hard for decades simply for a chance to join. Meanwhile, Zhen Mingyu had directly offered her entry and even promised to give her the title of Celestial Mirror Knight just to keep her. Notably, Celestial Mirror Knight was a title that represented utmost glory and status in the Academic Federation. If one had to ascribe a value to it, it would be countless times more valuable than being the top-ranked student of the Heavenly Star Hall. Of course, it was hard to tell what Jiang Qing''e''s decision would be, considering how hard Zhen Mingyu was selling it. However, it was not only Lan Lingzi who thought this way. Everyone else who heard those words were similarly awaiting Jiang Qing''e''s decision. Ning Meng was included as well. She was planning to enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, and if Jiang Qing''e came along too, that would be excellent news for her. Jiang Qing''e fell silent in deep thought for a moment. Then she lightly replied, "Mentor, thank you for your kind intentions. No matter where the college needs me to be in future, you simply have to send me a message and I will do my best to assist." These words betrayed Jiang Qing''e''s decision. The crowd looked on with complicated expressions. She was willing to give up the opportunity to become a Celestial Mirror Knight, instead choosing to stay with Li Luo. A trace of disappointment flickered in Zhen Mingyu''s eyes as she lightly sighed and nodded. "Alright, I will respect your decision." She then turned towards Li Luo and warned him, "If the Dragon''s Fang Lineage shortchanges Qing''e in any way, I''ll personally trouble Li Jingzhe to settle accounts." Li Luo nodded immediately. "Third School Master, you can rest assured. I will never allow Sister Qing''e to be slighted in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." "Rest assured? Has the Dragon''s Fang Lineage learned from its past mistake? Tan Tailan was a heavenly genius even amongst geniuses. Yet what happened to her in the end? The only good thing was that Li Taixuan was truly a man with guts. He took his wife away and was unwilling to compromise even in the end." Zhen Mingyusnorted coldly . Li Luo smiled bitterly upon hearing this. It was not his place to criticize the decisions of the older generation. He knew that Li Jingzhe deeply regretted his decision to step back in the past. This resulted in his favorite son having been estranged and leaving for lands afar. This was also one of the reasons why the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and the Dragon''s Blood Lineage did not get along. Of course, he was not willing to discuss this with outsiders, so he quickly changed topics. "Third School Master, I have a suggestion." "What?" Zhen Mingyu lazily replied. Li Luo felt a little taken aback. Didn''t she remember? She had promised him numerous benefits. Had she already forgotten? Or perhaps he had been tossed away after being used like a rag? Lan Lingzi leisurely replied, "Brat, the Lan Lingzi you met before was not me. More specifically, it was a skin clone created by the All-Beings Devil King when it took part of my energy. Thus, whatever it promised you was actually a promise from the All-Beings Devil King. It was not me. If you want anything, you can go get it yourself." Li Luo was a little shocked and creeped out by this. "The Vice Principal Lan Lingzi in the college was a skin clone of the All-Beings Devil King?" She nodded. "The All-Beings Devil King had wanted to ruin our plans and get the students to enter the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm in advance. You fell for its scheme, but luckily, you overcame it as well." Li Luo was astonished by this. Just how frightening was the All-Beings Devil King? It was capable of using skin clones to mimic another individual to absolute perfection. It was important to note that Wu Yu and Qing Man, both Kings, were unable to differentiate it from the real one. However... Did this mean that the promised Three Dragon''s Heavenly Banner Canon and the high-grade Tree of Resonant Power Seed would not be given to him? This realization left him dazed. Seeing Li Luo''s expression, Lan Lingzi couldn''t help but laugh. "Alright, I won''t tease you any longer. Although the All-Beings Devil King created a skin clone that could replicate my thoughts and actions, in a certain way, it was not too different from the real me. The decisions it made were probably very similar to what I would do. Thus, I will honor its promises." This answer made Li Luo heave a sigh of relief. He quickly gave her a thumbs up. "Vice Principal, you are magnanimous! It is no wonder Principal Pang is always thinking of you and asked me to head to the Heavenly Origin Ancient College to find you." Her eyes flickered briefly upon hearing Li Luo''s words, unsure if she could believe him. After settling all these things, the students from the two ancient colleges began to leave the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. After which, the Academic Federation would send an exploratory team to gather the resources inside. Ning Meng and Jiang Qing''e reluctantly bade farewell. "Little Jiang''e, I''ll wait for you at the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. You have to hurry over soon." Jiang Qing''e smiled as she promised. Yue Zhiyu pouted as she kept her head raised haughtily, walking towards the transportation formation behind Zhen Mingyu. Wei Chonglou''s gaze was dark and gloomy as he glared at Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. In the end, no words came out of his mouth, and he turned to leave in disgrace. In the end, the two vice principals activated the transportation formation. A pillar of light shot into the air, enveloping all the students. Everyone vanished without a trace. With the conclusion of this small matter, the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm regained its calm and quiet. This brought to an end the mobilization mission in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, which had spanned several months. Chapter 1190: Black Pool Creature Chapter 1190: Black Pool Creature There was a deep dark cave somewhere in the world. Dim candlelight illuminated its interior, revealing a black pool from which inky smoke rose into the air. Occasionally, a ferocious face surfaced on the liquid, letting out ear-piercing wails. Beside the black pool sat an old man in robes emblazoned with a blood-red eye. The eye would occasionally shift around as though it was a living creature, a strange sight to behold. The old man was none other than the Spirit Eye Other King. His eyes were currently focused on the black pool, and a strange and unpredictable luster shone in his eyes. He waved his hand lightly, and a huge figure slowly walked out of the darkness. The candlelight made it just bright enough to see that the figure was twisted and grotesque, leaking boundless amounts of corruption from its body. It was an Other. However, the Other''s body was full of black steel needles covered in a mysterious substance. They seemed to have turned the Other into a puppet under the control of the Spirit Eye Other King. He flicked his finger, and the Other began to plod forward, entering the black pool and sinking into its depths. It seemed to have drowned inside. At the same time, the Spirit Eye Other King took out quite a few pills and he tossed them into the liquid. More and more Others made their way into the black pool and vanished. The calm liquid suddenly began to erupt with numerous bubbles. After a while later, the Spirit Eye Other King''s raised a single eye. A slender figure began to rise from the surface. The black liquid flowed over her body, covering her skin. Then the liquid began to recede, transforming into robes that covered her elegant body. The woman then opened up her eyes. Her eyes were pitch-black and radiated a sense of pressure. Gradually, the pressure lightened as her eyes regained a sense of clarity. She stood up from the black pool and coolly glanced at the Spirit Eye Other King. It was Li Lingjing! The Spirit Eye Other King was focused intently on her before he suddenly said, "You''re quite daring. You actually took the initiative to consume the All-Beings Devil King''s strand of will. That was even crazier than what Others would dare to do." "Really?" Li Lingjing casually replied as she stretched her hand out, pulling the Aquamarine Bamboo Python Staff from the depths of the pool. The Spirit Eye Other King continued indifferently, "The All-Beings Devil King sent a message to me, that I had to hand you over. Otherwise, he would make you experience true excruciating pain." During their short stay, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had become the topic of conversation throughout the entirety of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. After all, the results of the mobilization mission had been spread throughout the students while they were cultivating. Thus, the originally remote and quiet abode had turned into a location where countless students would often stop by. On the surface, they would say that they were trying their luck, hoping to catch a glimpse of the extraordinary Li Luo. In truth, everyone knew that this was nothing more than an excuse. Who they really wanted to see was the shining pearl of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. In fact, there was one individual who had managed to chance upon her and was completely smitten by her. He bluntly spread the fact that her demeanor and appearance were superior to even Jiang Wanyu and Li Hongyou! This caused even more students to attempt to catch a glimpse of the beauty. Alas, Jiang Qing''e rarely showed herself, choosing to seclude herself within the abode, away from the prying eyes of others. This resulted in many sighs from the people squatting around. At this moment, Li Luo was currently entertaining Jiang Wanyu, Zong Sha, Li Hongyou, Feng Lingyuan, and those he was familiar with. His relationship with them had deepened due to the mission. "Hongyou, did you say you were planning to leave with Li Luo?" Feng Lingyuan was a little surprised when she heard of Li Hongyou''s plans. Li Hongyou nodded but did not explain further. "That brat Li Luo... He''s truly taken away the gem of our college!" Feng Lingyuan complained. Li Hongyou had received a significant reward after the mission as well. Currently, her Heavenly Resonance Diagram was ninety thousand feet wide. Of course, her firepower wasn''t the key thing. It was her resonance''s effect, which was of great strategic importance in any battle. "If youre interested, you can also enter the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, Sister Lingyuan. You''re exactly the type of person were looking for." Li Luo grinned as he extended his invitation. Additionally, Feng Lingyuan was just a step away from entering the Duke Stage;she could do so as soon as she found a suitable Foundational Spirit Treasure. Feng Lingyuan shook her head. "I still have other things to do. Once I settle a few things, I''ll look for you at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. I hope you will not forget our friendship when that happens." Li Luo nodded and changed topics, not planning to push the subject. Whilst Li Luo spoke, Jiang Qing''e sat by his side and occasionally picked up the teapot to pour tea for the others. When the rest saw this, they felt flattered but hurriedly stopped her and thanked her profusely. Jiang Qing''e was now a Duke, so the passive energy undulations coming from her were mighty. Even though she was merely sitting quietly, everyone except Li Luo could feel the pressure. It was then that Li Luo noticed that there were spatial fluctuations in the courtyard, and Lan Lingzi appeared before them. His eyes lit up in excitement. Was he about to receive the things he wanted? Chapter 1191:Transporting Across Tens of Thousands of Miles Chapter 1191:Transporting Across Tens of Thousands of Miles When Vice Principal Lan Lingzi appeared, Feng Lingyuan, Li Hongyou, and the rest hurriedly took their leave. The sheer pressure felt from being in the presence of a King was nothing to scoff at, and they did not want to sit uncomfortably in the presence of a powerhouse. "Vice Principal Lan Lingzi, I''ve been waiting for you for a few days now." Li Luo respectfully invited Lan Lingzi in and poured her a cup of tea. "Were my requests approved by the college?" Lan Lingzi rolled her eyes. "You brat, you have quite the appetite. Two Tree of Resonant Power Seeds and a Duke Art, Purgatory''s Crimson Dragon Banner. On top of that, you asked for one portion of quasi ninth-grade and five portions of eighth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. Do you think that the Heavenly Origin Ancient College is a foolish spendthrift for you to slaughter?" Indeed. Li Luo had taken the initiative to ask for more, but it was because he felt he had slaved arduously over the mobilization mission and even outperformed expectations. Lan Lingzi angrily continued, "Do you know how angry Wu Yu was? He slammed the table and said your request was impossible. At most, you''d get one high-grade Tree of Resonant Power Seed and the Purgatory''s Crimson Dragon Banner." Li Luo cried out sadly, "I gave my life for the college! The fact that the college is so petty really saddens my heart." Lan Lingzi ignored him. "Well, why don''t we bring up the fact that the Principal gave you a strand of Worldly Source Energy? Do you know how precious that is?" "The second high-grade Tree of Resonant Power Seed is actually for Astral Sage College. In a way, it''s actually for Principal Pang. He shed blood for the college, and I hope that when we finally unseal him, he will be able to see a thriving college instead of one that is withered and dilapidated..." Li Luo looked a little pained as he spoke. Alas, Lan Lingzi was an experienced fox, so she could easily tell that this brat was using Pang Qianyuan as a card to stir up her emotions. Even then, she could only sigh. "You brat, you''re truly a scoundrel." Jiang Qing''e spoke up for the first time at this juncture. "Vice Principal Lan, I''ve also made quite a few contributions on my end. Since the achievements of students in the ancient colleges are exchangeable, please add mine in. Is this sufficient to allow Li Luo to get what he needs?" Since she was not planning to return to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College any time soon, there was no point in retaining the credit she had earned and thus, she had decided to use it. Lan Lingzi sighed. "I suppose that works. Your contributions will not be ignored by the college. When the Principal left, he specifically reiterated that. Thus, even if Wu Yu interferes, it will not work." After which, she raised her hand and waved lightly. Several balls of light appeared, floating before Li Luo. Each light scattered, revealing the objects within, and more light flooded the small room. "Once I return to the Xia Kingdom, I''ll definitely let Principal Pang know how much you''ve supported the Astral Sage College!" Li Luo grinned. At the same time, he prayed in his heart. "Vice Principal Su Xin, you can''t blame me for doing this! I''m simply doing what''s best for the college!" "Who cares about him? That old man is simply asking for trouble," Lan Lingzi indifferently replied. Li Luo couldn''t discern just what was going on between them and thus, he hurriedly changed the topic yet again and asked, "Vice Principal Lan Lingzi, how can I send this high-grade Tree of Resonant Power sapling to the Xia Kingdom?" The Xia Kingdom was very far away. If he were to take a flying ship, it would take months to get there, and he didn''t have the time to spare. If he sent someone to deliver it, who knew what would happen, considering how precious it was. After all, it could ruin the Astral Sage College''s hopes of revival. "If it''s just sending a sapling, that''s relatively simple," Lan Lingzi replied. With that, she waved her hand, and her resonant power wrapped around the two of them and carried them through the void. A moment later, Li Luo realized that he was atop the Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s Tree of Resonant Power. There was a wooden altar with a burning piece of sandalwood nearby. "This Ancient Progenitor Tree is connected to the college''s Tree of Resonant Power. The Tree of Resonant Power sapling comes from the same source, so it can naturally tap on this link and arrive in any location that has a Tree of Resonant Power." Hearing this made Li Luo excited. The Astral Sage College was currently situated in the City of Southwind''s Southwind Academy, which had a low-grade Tree of Resonant Power. This would indeed be convenient, and he would not have to worry about the object being lost. "I will have to trouble you with this, Vice Principal Lan Lingzi." She waved him off before replying, "When I send the sapling over, I can also send a message. Do you want to say anything?" Li Luo was a little taken back. Damn, this transportation service was a little too amazing. It even came with a free message! He pondered briefly before replying, "Please tell them this: My Astral Sage College friends, await my return. I will definitely lead you to reclaim the Xia Kingdom." After thinking for a bit more, a smirk appeared on his face. "Wait, there''s one more thing... Yu Lang, I''ve accidentally stepped into the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier." Chapter 1192: A Changed Southwind Academy Chapter 1192: A Changed Southwind Academy Xia Kingdom City of Southwind, Southwind Academy Southwind Academy had undergone great changes. No, strictly speaking, Southwind Academy had been subsumed into the Astral Sage College. That said, this assimilation was something that brought great joy to both the staff and students. The Astral Sage College was an institution that the Xia Kingdom worshiped and yearned for in the past. All of a sudden, the Astral Sage College had moved here. Although they had taken over their facilities, the Southwind Academy students benefited from a rise in status, turning into Astral Sage College students. Although the current Astral Sage College was a fallen phoenix, it was still once a peak power of the Xia Kingdom. It still possessed a significant amount of resources allocated to it from the Academic Federation. In the past, only a few students from Southwind Academy were admitted to it. The Astral Sage College had indeed subsumed Southwind Academy, but this was something that everyone had happily accepted. As a result, the Astral Sage College had seized and expanded upon Southwind Academy and was now bustling with people. However, the atmosphere within was completely different from the past. The college was once a peaceful and carefree place, but times had changed. There was a sense of tension in the air, and all of the students were anxious. If they weren''t rushing for cultivation lessons, they were bitterly practicing their resonance arts. Things were no longer the same as before. The kingdom had been severed into two by a black river of corruption that expanded with each passing day. As a result, Others spawned relentlessly, leading to terrifying situations. The towns and villages that were unable to evacuate in time were exterminated. The number of deaths was spine-tingling. The entire Xia Kingdom was full of unrest. The terror of the Others had been contained by seals in the past, so the average individual did not have a good understanding of them. Unfortunately, now that an Other Disaster had occurred, everyone had first-hand experience with how frightening those creatures were. The Xia Kingdom had undergone a schism, but the First Princess had managed to turn the tide on the separatist royal court. With the aid of the Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank, she had stabilized the situation and set up defenses to prevent the corruption from spreading. The numerous powers had dispatched elite individuals to form Exorcism Squads. They constantly hunted Others across the long defensive line that had been setup. Although it had merely been two years, no one knew how many died at the hands of the Others. However, no one shirked from their duty. What lay behind them was their homes, and they had already experienced the loss of their old homes in the city due to the corruption. In order to ensure that this would not happen to them as well, the citizens were doing their best. The young students of the Astral Sage College were no exception. They were the ones who had the most combat experience against the Others and were saddled with a large portion of the burden. As a result, the college had also paid a heavy price. At this moment, a long, drawn-out horn was heard across the campus. Hearing Vice Principal Su Xin''s words filled Wei Sha with numerous emotions. Who would have expected that the youth with a blank palace would reach the heights he had today? As Vice Principal Su Xin spoke with Wei Sha, she sighed gently. If the ancient college''s Heavenly Star Hall students had been called on, it meant that the mission was of incredible danger. Li Luo was at the Heavenly Pearl Tier, but that was nothing in the eyes of those students. Thus, she did not get her hopes up. But what could she do but hope when they were in such dire straits? As she was lost in thought, two young people approached them from the team of elites that had returned. One was male and the other female. The young lady was carrying a Cherry Blossom Spear. She was tall and her short hair brushed her ears, giving her a heroic temperament. It was Bai Doudou. The other one was a young man with an uninhibited smile on his face. Obviously, it was Yu Lang. The only thing was that Yu Lang had greatly matured in the span of a year. He had seen and experienced far too much, yet the look in his eyes remained the same. If Li Luo were here, he would remark that his gaze was resolute but filled with a hint of stupidity. The duo seemed to have gotten a lot closer since Li Luos departure. They respectfully greeted Vice Principal Su Xin. "Things must have been tough for the two of you," Su Xin said gently. The two had participated in the mission and had managed to return safely. She knew that Yu Lang was Li Luo''s good friend, and if anything happened to him, it would be hard to explain things. However, who could guarantee anything when they were risking their lives on the front lines against the Others? Excluding him from these missions wouldn''t be possible, considering his personality. "Mentor Chi Chan, I was busy with the mission, so I didn''t have time to hear about that brat Li Luo yet." Yu Lang immediately flashed a grin towards her. "Did you tell him that I am the strongest Three Star Hall student that tied with Qin Zhulu? Once I enter the Four Star Hall, I''ll break into the Heavenly Pearl Tier too." Bai Doudou''s gaze was complicated as she looked at the happy-go-lucky Yu Lang. Since he had cultivated Mentor Mi Er''s secret art, his resonance could no longer exceed the sixth-grade, but it allowed his personal strength to advance by leaps and bounds. She blamed herself for that. If not for the fact that her family looked down upon him, he would not have chosen such a path. At the end of the day, he simply wanted to be a suitable match for her. With that thought, she bravely stretched her hand out and grabbed Yu Lang''s hand before everyone. Yu Lang''s eyebrows jumped and he immediately felt his spirit lift. It was a pity Li Luo wasn''t here. Otherwise, he would definitely sing praises about Yu Lang''s charming personality, and even Bai Doudou would undoubtedly be impressed... Just as Yu Lang was dreaming of these fanciful thoughts, the expressions of Vice Principal Su Xin and Mentor Chi Chan suddenly changed and they turned their heads towards the center of the college. A pillar of light had shot out into the sky from the low-grade Tree of Resonant Power. Everyone was shocked by this sudden development. Just what was happening? Chapter 1193: Crisis Averted Chapter 1193: Crisis Averted When the pillar of light appeared, all of the students stopped in their tracks with expressions of shock. Even Vice Principal Su Xin, Mentor Chi Chan, and Dean Wei Sha were taken aback. "Did something happen to the Tree of Resonant Power?" Wei Sha hurriedly asked. All of the students were currently relying on the Tree of Resonant Power, and although its effects were not comparable to the Astral Sage College''s old one, it was something that supported the students'' hearts and minds. If something were to happen to it, the Astral Sage College would descend into the depths of despair. Vice Principal Su Xin frowned slightly. "It doesn''t seem like it." Based on her senses, the low-grade Tree of Resonant Power had suddenly overflowed with life force, and the branches, which were previously only a few hundred feet long, were now starting to grow at an astonishing pace. Dense bunches of leaves began to populate the tree like gigantic palms that shadowed over all. In a short span of time, they had covered the entirety of Southwind Academy. This sight left the students dumbfounded. Worldly natural energy began to churn and condense under the shade of the Tree of Resonant Power, and almost immediately, the density of the energy increased by multiple times. In fact, it almost reached the level of the Astral Sage College''s Tree of Resonant Power in the past... Vice Principal Su Xin thought of something, and undisguised excitement arose in her eyes as she shouted, "The Tree of Resonant Power has increased in grade!" Wei Sha replied in shock, "How could this happen out of nowhere..." An increase in grade was something he could never have imagined. Additionally, it was not something Dukes could do. "This didn''t happen out of nowhere. It happened with assistance from the ancient college!" Vice Principal Su Xin chortled with happiness. "Only the ancient college''s Ancient Progenitor Tree of Resonant Power can transport a high-grade Tree of Resonant Power seedling across immense distances to elevate our Tree of Resonant Power''s grade!" Mentor Chi Chan was a little shocked. "The seedlings are extremely precious, and the Academic Federation keeps them under tight control. How and why was one sent here?" Suddenly, a look of disbelief surfaced in her eyes. "Could it be... Li Luo?" "What did Li Luo do now?" Yu Lang asked in surprise after hearing their words. Bai Doudou was the first one to connect the dots, though she had a similar expression to everyone around her. "Did Li Luo manage to request a high-grade Tree of Resonant Power seedling for us?" The Academic Federation and the ancient colleges were foreign and faraway concepts to her, but she knew that such a seedling was something even an expert on the level of Vice Principal Su Xin was unable to easily obtain. Yet Li Luo had resolved their predicament? Vice Principal Su Xin was not sure either. Li Luo had a strong background on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, but that alone was unable to influence the Academic Federation''s decisions. They would not give the Astral Sage College a seedling just because of his status. After all, he was merely a member of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and not Heavenly Emperor Li himself. No one had any idea that they had left the Xia Kingdom for an inner divine continent, and they never wouldve imagined that Li Luo would thrive there. He had even managed to earn such a great gift with his contributions. Yu Lang''s jaw dropped when he heard this. The mental impact he had received from the news was not minor. He stomped his foot as he said with mock bitterness, "It''s such a shame. I''ve been made a fool by him again." Bai Doudou smiled. "Aren''t you supposed to be great brothers? Now that Li Luo is doing well, shouldn''t you feel pleased for him?" Yu Lang sincerely replied, "You don''t understand the feelings of men. I worry that my brother has suffered too much. Yet I also worry that he will live an easy life." Bai Doudou wordlessly rolled her eyes at the mischievous fool. After which, she turned towards the growing Tree of Resonant Power. "It looks like this Tree of Resonant Power will be able to reach the scale of the one in the old college." This was undoubtedly a moment of great joy for the students of the Astral Sage College. Li Luo had truly given them a lifeline. It was then that another message began to play from the pillar of light. It was transmitted over vast distances and was a little unclear but everyone who knew Li Luo could feel a sense of familiarity from this voice. "My Astral Sage College friends, await my return. I will definitely lead you to reclaim the Xia Kingdom." Many students eyes turned misty upon hearing this. The image of the magnificent sage college outside Xia City was still fresh in their memories. There were some who had even fought beside Li Luo and could remember his high-spirited confidence. He was the creator of miracles. He had left as a One Star Hall student, but he had achieved far more than even the Seven Astral Pillars, who could only hang their heads in shame. Perhaps when he truly returned one day, they would be able to retake and rebuild their homes. "Brother, I''ll await your return. But don''t forget, I''ll be breaking into the Heavenly Pearl Tier soon. I will not lag behind you. Can you feel the pressure despite the distance between us?" Yu Lang said to himself with eyes full of profundity as he grasped the daggers on his waist. It was at this point that another message played from the pillar of light, resounding throughout every corner of Southwind Academy. "Yu Lang... "I''ve managed to stumble into the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier." The campus became so silent that the rustling of the leaves was the only sound to be heard. Bai Doudou realized all of a sudden that there was no one beside her. Turning her head, she saw Yu Lang walking away. "What''s wrong with you?" Yu Lang did not turn his head, but he yelled from afar, "Damn it, it''s time to seclude myself!" Chapter 1194: Returning Home Chapter 1194: Returning Home While the Astral Sage College descended into a sea of cheers and happiness due to Li Luo''s surprising news, Li Luo himself was on the way back to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. His flying ship cruised through the cloud layers, swiftly speeding into the distance. Li Luo was sitting cross-legged on the ship with Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou beside him. Escorting them were two Dukes from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li as well. The two guards couldn''t help but cast their gazes upon Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou occasionally, with a hint of amazement in their eyes. They knew that Li Luo had come to the Heavenly Origin Ancient College alone; how had he managed to pick up two exceptional beauties on the way back? The mysterious, golden-eyed maiden was especially shocking. She had an exquisite countenance and gave off a vague sense of oppressive pressure. The two of them were also Dukes and thus naturally knew the reason behind that. This young lady was at the Duke Stage. Just how talented was she to do so at such a young age? If she was placed in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, she would definitely have suppressed an entire generation of geniuses. So just how had the Third Young Master of the Dragon Fang Lineage managed to snare such a wonderful beauty? Was it because of his good looks? Thinking back, it seemed as though the Green Nether Halls Hall Master Li Taixuan had done something similar in the past. That said, Li Luo had clearly outperformed his predecessor by bringing back two instead of one! On the flying ship, Li Luo was able to sense that the two bodyguards were stealthily taking glances at them. However, he was too lazy to explain the situation. Instead, he took out the quasi ninth-grade spirit liquid and purifying light and gave it to Li Hongyou. "Senior Sister Hongyou, this is a quasi ninth-grade purifying light, known as a White Barrier Purifying Light. You previously mentioned that your resonance was on the brink of evolution and needed the right stimulus to do so. Why don''t you try using this?" Li Hongyou stared at the glass bottle before her in a daze. It was covered in complicated runes and she could feel a warm radiance coming from within, causing her own resonance to cry out for it. A quasi ninth-grade spirit liquid and purifying light! Such a high-grade object was something she could only dream about as she was unable to afford it. A ninth-grade one, even though it was a quasi ninth-grade, was more valuable than most people could imagine. It was worth no less than a triple violet-eye treasured artifact. Thus, she was a little dumbfounded when faced with this exorbitantly generous gift. She even glanced at Jiang Qing''e momentarily. Was it even appropriate for Li Luo to give out such a gift before his fiancee? Noticing her gaze, Jiang Qing''e smiled slightly. "Just accept it. Your Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance is special. If it can reach the lower ninth-grade, it will be of great aid to Li Luo in the future." Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com The value of the purifying light was immense, but Jiang Qing''e did not need it. Her resonances were already higher than the quasi ninth-grade by a mile. It was only after hearing those words that Li Hongyou stretched her hand out to receive the glass bottle with a beaming smile. "Then I have to thank you, Junior Li Luo, for your generosity. If you have any requests for me in future, don''t hesitate to ask." She was naturally moved by this. No one could resist the temptation to evolve their own resonance. "We are family, so there is no need to be polite." Li Luo grinned. She supported her cheek with her hand on the table and she flashed the stupefied Li Luo a smile. He had no idea that his stubborn determination to return the engagement contract would have such a result. "I had reminded you in the past that the engagement contract would not be difficult to dissolve, but renewing it will not be easy," Jiang Qing''e unhurriedly continued. These words were what she had told Li Luo when she had gone to Southwind Academy to pick him up in the carriage all those years ago. However, Li Luo was brash and full of youthful spirit back then, completely unconcerned about this. He paused for a while as he contemplated his next course of action. Immediately after, he gave the saddest expression possible. "Sister Qing''e! Don''t mess with me any longer. Please return the engagement contract to meeeeeeeee!" Jiang Qing''e grinned lightly. "How could it be so easy? If you want it, you have to wait till you reach the Duke Stage and we can fight. If you win, I''ll naturally return it to you. Otherwise, you''ll have to taste the bitter fruit that you sowed." Although Li Luo was not far from the Duke Stage, Jiang Qing''e had decided to put some pressure on him to prevent him from slacking off, especially considering his time limit. Li Luo was devastated. He had to enter the Duke Stage AND beat her? That was an impossibly difficult goal! This was as good as casually breaking off their engagement! Looking at Li Luo''s listless appearance, Jiang Qing''e said, "You don''t have to worry. Even though we aren''t engaged, you can still introduce me as such in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." Li Luo gulped. There was no other choice. He would have to temporarily take on the position of her fiance in name only... However, as they continued to chat casually, Li Luo could feel that Jiang Qing''e''s mood seemed a little off, thus he directly broached the topic. "Sister Qing''e, is something wrong?" Her face turned a little red, but she did not admit it. "The Dragon''s Fang Lineage is the true hometown of Master and Mistress. There are also many relatives of yours." Li Luo smiled. "There is no need to worry, they don''t know how amazing you are. Once Grandpa sees you, he will definitely be exuberant." "...Li Luo, I want to know exactly what happened to the Master and Mistress in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent," Jiang Qing''e suddenly said. Li Luo was a little startled by the question, but he quickly shared all that he knew about what had happened to Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan back then, including the enmity formed with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. "Qin Lian is arrogant and uncultured!" When she heard of how rude Qin Lian was towards Tan Tailan, a hint of coldness could be seen in her eyes. The person she respected most was the Mistress, and she would not accept anyone disrespecting her. Additionally, it was the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing that had forced the two of them to leave the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent with severe injuries. Li Luo knew that Jiang Qing''e had taken note of Qin Lian. If they were to meet, the two would definitely erupt into battle. Either way, he didn''t carehe didn''t like her anyway. Time passed by quickly as the flying boat shuttled across the skies. After a few days, they finally arrived at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. It was also on this day that powerful undulations of energy were emitted from Li Hongyou as she sat in meditation. A dense fragrance wafted through the skies, permeating the air within a hundred meters. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e exchanged looks of delight. Li Hongyou had successfully evolved her resonance. Chapter 1195: Flaunting his Fiancee Chapter 1195: Flaunting his Fiancee Li Hongyou finally completed her resonance evolution just as they were approaching the Dragon''s Fang Lineages territory. Her Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance had finally reached the lower ninth-grade. "Congratulations, Senior Hongyou!" Li Luo cheerfully congratulated her. This was the first time he had seen anyone increase their resonance grade to the lower ninth-grade. Without a doubt, Li Hongyou must have been working very hard for years to accomplish this. Her Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance was a quasi ninth-grade when she first awakened it. This combined with her effort over the years had helped to slowly build up the foundation. Unfortunately, the gap she had to cross was so big that she needed the right opportunity. Her success was also due to the quasi ninth-grade purifying light she had received from Li Luo. Of course, it wouldn''t have been possible without all her hard work. If she hadn''t been working on it for years, not even a real ninth-grade spirit liquid would have made a difference. Li Hongyou was overjoyed. Although quasi ninth-grade and lower ninth-grade only had slightly different names, there was a significant upgrade to her potential. This would be critical when she broke into the Duke Stage in the future. Besides, her Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance was a support resonance. With this evolution, she would be able to provide an even bigger boost. "Junior Li Luo, thank you so much." A bright smile appeared on Li Hongyou''s charming face. Although Li Luo''s actions were largely driven by the value he had placed on her special resonance, it still required an incredible amount of trust for him to go to such lengths for her. This wasn''t something that most people would be willing to do. In fact, a quasi ninth-grade purifying light would have been really helpful for Li Luo too. Nonetheless, he had still decided to give it to her. Li Hongyou was really grateful for this. "Senior Hongyou, your lower ninth-grade Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance must be one in a million even amongst the talented members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. I wonder how many squads will be fighting over you once you join," Li Luo said with a grin. Li Hongyou smiled back lightly. "No matter who''s vying for me, I will only choose you." At this point, the two Dukes who were escorting Li Luo looked at each other in surprise. From her cultivation earlier, they had already noticed that the beautiful lady with long, crimson hair was trying to evolve her resonance to the ninth-grade. Her resonance gave off a unique fragrance that invigorated anyone who took in a breath of it. This was clearly some kind of rare and treasured ability. With such a special support resonance, coupled with the fact that it had reached the lower ninth-grade, she was a talent that even Heavenly Emperor powers like the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li would love to have. So, their Third Young Master had discovered such a treasure after spending just a few months in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College? Impressive indeed. As they looked at each other in surprise, multiple beams of light shot over from a city in the distance. The people from the city had sensed the strong pulses of energy and had sent their elites over to check it out. However, Li Luo was not bothered by it. He waved his hand, and the two bodyguards walked over to explain things. They were currently at the borders of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. This was their turf, so there was nothing to fear. The two bodyguards walked up and soon, the curious gazes from the other experts retreated. When they learned that the Third Young Master of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was on the ship, they cupped their hands together as a form of respect before stepping back. Li Luo continued speeding ahead to the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range. After half a day, the majestic mountain range that represented the cornerstone of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage appeared in their view. There was a giant light formation faintly glowing over the mountain range, and numerous peaks peered over the clouds. Countless rows of green-tiled buildings could be spotted on them. There was also a terrifying energy pressure in the region. This was the foundation the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was built upon. Jiang Qing''e nodded. "That''s great! That''s wonderful! It''s a cause for celebration!" Ox Biaobiao heaved a sigh of relief, and a smile surfaced on his oily, aged face. Jiang Qing''e had been forced to leave for Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College in order to treat the sacrificial ignition of her Heart of Light. This had always been something that had weighed down on Ox Biaobiao''s heart. After all, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had instructed him to look after the children before they left. If something were to happen to Jiang Qing''e, he would not know how to answer them. He had heard no news about her ever since she had left. As such, he had always been worried about her. Now that she was standing safely in front of him, he could finally place this burden down. After Jiang Qing''e and Ox Biaobiao greeted each other, Li Luo also noticed the curious gazes coming from Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan. The two of them had clearly noticed that his relationship with this girl was special. However, Li Luo spoke up with a grin before they could ask. "Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, this lady here is Jiang Qing''e. I previously mentioned... that I had a fiancee. Her appearance and talent are nothing to brag about, but I love her regardless." Li Jinpan and Li Qingpeng were stunned by the news. "You really did have a fiancee?" They had always thought that that was just an excuse Li Luo had made up. Li Jinpan took a look at Jiang Qing''e, and his eyes lit up. He said with a smile, "What a charming beauty. Nothing to brag about? You must be asking for a beating." Jiang Qing''e had also come from an outer divine continent, where resources were scarce compared to the inner divine continents. He assumed Li Luo had brought her back here to provide a suitable cultivation ground for her. Li Qingpeng laughed out loud. Perhaps Li Luo was referring to her talent when he said there was nothing special? After all, the elites from the outer divine continent paled in comparison to those in the inner divine continent. Li Qingpeng was not looking down on her. He quietly pondered over how he ought to treat Li Luo''s fiancee. Maybe it was appropriate to prepare a welcome gift for her to show how much the Dragon''s Fang Lineage valued her? Regardless, she was beautiful enough to capture anyone''s heart, even though her talent was a little lacking. As the two of them were thinking about how to respond appropriately, Li Luo continued his introduction lightheartedly. "Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, Sister Qing''e has just entered the Duke Stage. She has triple ninth-grade light resonances with a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. I guess you can say she''s barely good enough for me." "Watch your words, kid. How can you say a lady is barely good enough for you?" The two of them told him off in a hurry without understanding the implications of what he had just said. As soon as they finished speaking, they realized that something was wrong. "Wait, what did you say?" Li Qingpeng looked back at Li Luo in shock. "A Duke. Triple ninth-grade light resonances. Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried," Li Luo repeated in a calm voice. The two of them took in a deep breath after they heard Li Luo repeat himself. They then finally realized what was happening. Damn it! They''ve been fooled by this kid. He was flaunting his wife more than Li Taixuan had done with Tan Tailan back in the day. Chapter 1196: Meeting A King Chapter 1196: Meeting A King Everyone on the platform fell silent momentarily. Whether it was Li Qingpeng, Li Jinpan, or any of the heavenly-prided upper-grade Dukes, they were all similarly shell-shocked by Li Luo''s blunt introduction of Jiang Qing''e. Triple ninth-grade light resonances? Reaching the Duke Stage at an incredibly young age? Furthermore, she walked the Path of Ascension with her Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried? Anyone who possessed just one of the above would be considered a peerless genius that stood head and shoulders above their generation. Yet all three were found on a single individual. This was something that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had never seen in their youths. Li Jinpan was the first to recompose himself, and his expression turned complex. "Elder Brother, this scene seems a little familiar." Li Qingpeng nodded in agreement. Of course it seemed familiar. This was basically a repeat of how Li Taixuan had first introduced Tan Tailan when they arrived at the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. However, the only difference was that both of them had just stepped into the Duke Stage then. When they first met Tan Tailan, they were shocked beyond words. They felt shame simply being in her presence, as they had been outshone in terms of talent and appearance. It was as if Tan Tailan was the direct descendant of a Heavenly Emperor. When Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan stood beside each other, it was like the perfect pair coming together, giving off a dazzling aura that surpassed all others. Li Qingpeng felt as though he could see Tan Tailan and Li Taixuan behind Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo. "It seems you''re truly your father''s son. However, you''re even luckier than your father." Li Qingpeng sighed. He considered Li Luo lucky because when Li Taixuan had first brought Tan Tailan back, things were not great. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing had reached a verbal agreement on a marriage. Alas, Li Taixuan was young and rebellious, disdainfully abandoning Qin Lian and choosing to leave home entirely. He then proceeded to court Tan Tailan openly for all to know and brought her back after the marriage had fallen through. At that point, Tan Tailan never even got to meet Li Jingzhe. Li Taixuan''s actions had undoubtedly challenged his prestige as the Lineage Chief, and he was put in a tough spot, forced to explain himself to the other Lineage Chiefs. More importantly, he had himself agreed to the marriage with Qin Lian. Thus, the atmosphere within the lineage was not pleasant in the least. It was then that the seeds of a bitter fruit were sown. Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan were lost in thought momentarily. They had been reminded of the tenuous emotions during that time. Jiang Qing''e walked forth and bowed respectfully at this point. "Greetings, Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle. I am Jiang Qing''e." Although the engagement contract had been returned to her and there was no physical evidence of their relationship, the two knew deep down that such a document didn''t mean much. Thus, to everyone on the outside, Li Luo was truly her fiance. Since these two were Li Luo''s direct relatives, Jiang Qing''e would naturally treat them with the respect they deserved. When Li Jinpan and Li Qingpeng saw this, they hurriedly stretched their hands out and lifted her back up. At the same time, their expressions turned warm and gentle. "Qing''e, is it? There''s no need to be so polite. We''re all family after all." "Li Luo is a mischievous and naughty brat. I cant believe he tried to cause trouble when introducing you. We need to teach him a lesson later." Li Jinpan grinned. Jiang Qing''e smiled sweetly. "He was just cracking a joke with his elders." Li Luo nodded. Li Jingzhe was the heavens in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, so as long as he approved of it, it would happen. Thus, Li Luo said farewell to Ox Biaobiao and Li Rouyun before the group flew into the skies, heading straight to the back mountain. On the way there, Li Luo found out from Li Qingpeng that Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi had already joined the Dragon''s Fang Guardians and were no longer on the mountain. This wasnt at all surprising as he had been gone for almost half a year. The Twenty Banners had chosen a new round of leaders, and those who were older had undergone trials to see if they were capable of entering the Dragon''s Fang Guardian reserves. The rest were dispatched across the vast territories of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. The group gradually approached the bamboo thicket on the mountain before they descended and approached on foot. After trekking through the bamboo forest for a bit, they came across bamboo that radiated spiritual light. In the middle of a clearing surrounded by the special bamboo was a quiet abode surrounded by a small garden. Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan immediately retracted their smiles and their expressions turned respectful. Li Hongyou was especially nervous, so her fists were tightly clenched. The Dragon''s Fang Lineages Lineage Chief was someone who truly held power in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. His might was absolute in his lineage, and even her father would not dare to act presumptuously before him. Jiang Qing''e''s expression had turned serene, but her slightly curled fingers revealed a trace of her inner feelings. She was not afraid of Kings, but this was Li Luo''s grandfather and also her Master''s father. This man was Li Taixuan and Li Luo''s most important family member. At this point, Li Luo stretched his hand out and grabbed Qing''e''s slightly cold hand. She tilted her head slightly and was faced with Li Luo''s bright smile. She knew that he was demonstrating his intent before he approached the Lineage Chief. Thus, she no longer felt any hint of nervousness and criss-crossed their fingers. The group climbed up the steps and finally arrived outside the little garden that surrounded the abode. When they arrived in the bamboo garden, they saw a wizened old man cutting at the bamboo shoots with his head hunkered down. Li Luo was the first to call out to him. "Grandfather." Li Jingzhe casually waved in their direction, but he did not even raise his head. Instead, his aged voice rang out. "Bring the guests in, I''ll cook a meal for you. The two of you can leave." The latter sentence was clearly meant for Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan. The two coughed slightly in response and then smiled. With that, they turned to leave. When they were a fair distance away, Li Qingpeng let out a hearty laugh and said to Li Jinpan, "The Respected Elder is making amends for all that happened in the past. That meal... was originally meant for Third Brother and Sister."Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com Chapter 1197: The Amiable Li Jingzhe Chapter 1197: The Amiable Li Jingzhe The little courtyard located in the sea of bamboo was silent. As the wind whistled past, only the sound of leaves rustling could be heard. Li Luo didn''t feel restrained in any way as he dragged Jiang Qing''e further in. Li Hongyou hesitated for a moment before cautiously following them. There was just a single square table in the abode, and there were already a few piping hot dishes on it. It looked as though it had just been prepared, all by Li Jingzhe himself. Food prepared by a Dual Crowned King was something that few in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had been able to enjoy. The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) "Sit, sit." Li Luo gestured for the other two to sit, and he then turned towards Li Jingzhe with a smile. "Grandpa, do you need my help?" Li Jingzhe waved his hand, signaling no as he continued to hustle and bustle. A while later, a dish of bamboo leaves and shoots made its way over to the table before he sat down himself. Li Luo immediately picked up the flask of wine on the table and poured him a cup. As Li Jingzhe held the cup, his gaze lingered upon Jiang Qing''e, who was beside Li Luo. His expression was often solemn, giving others a sense of oppressive pressure when combined with his might. Even his two sons were often jittery and trembling in fear before him. However, his expression swiftly softened and he did his best to give an amiable smile before saying gently, "Your name is Jiang Qing''e?" She nodded slightly. "Greetings..." She had wanted to call him "Lineage Chief," but that seemed a little distant, considering Li Luo''s relationship with him. "You can call me Grandpa like Li Luo does," Li Jingzhe replied as though he had read her mind. "Greetings, Grandpa." Jiang Qing''e did as she was told, speaking without any pretense or fear. "Did both of you live in the Xia Kingdom?" Li Jingzhe continued asking. "Mhm, I lived with Master and Mistress, along with Li Luo, in the Xia Kingdom since I was young. They established House Luolan there, and although it wasn''t as vast and grand as the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, it was a loving home," Jiang Qing''e softly replied. "I signed an engagement contract with Li Luo before Master and Mistress." These words inadvertently caused Li Luo to reveal a strange smile. The supposed engagement contract was just his old man cajoling a young girl. In the end, the joke had been taken too far and it resulted in him bearing the brunt of his wife''s fury, ending up beaten and kicked out of the house entirely. It in no way happened as affably as Jiang Qing''e''s simple words suggested. "With both parents as witnesses, this is naturally in line with the rules. It seems like Li Luo''s very fortunate." Li Jingzhe revealed a slight grin. The girl before him not only had an excellent temperament and appearance, her talent was unrivaled. Qin Yi might have once been considered unparalleled in her generation, but when compared to her, bluntly speaking, she fell short. "Come, let''s eat while it''s hot." Li Jingzhe then pointed towards the dishes on the table. Li Luo did not stand on ceremony, ravenously tearing into the food. On the other hand, Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou were refined in behavior, only lightly sampling the food before their eyes dazzled with amazement at how tasty it was. "What?" Li Luo took out the Divine Thorns he had obtained in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. He had purposefully picked them up for Jiang Qing''e. "I need your help, Grandpa! Could you help Sister Qing''e craft a Duke-level treasured artifact with these materials, please?" Now that Jiang Qing''e had entered the Duke Stage, her previous treasured artifacts were a little lacking. Li Jingzhe waved his sleeve, and the Divine Thorns were whisked away as he gave a smirk. "You can rest assured that I won''t disappoint you." He had actually prepared some greeting gifts, but since Li Luo had put his heart into this, he wouldn''t mind spending some of his time and footing the cost to ensure the gift was perfect. He knew that youths loved to engage in these little acts of service. Jiang Qing''e then echoed Li Luo''s thanks before she raised a new topic. "Li Luo''s talent is also second to none. He has three palaces and six resonances, which is in no way inferior to me. Now that he''s at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier and not far from the Duke Stage, I feel that the speed at which he will break through will be quicker than me. Perhaps he will form a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried too." Li Luo sucked in a breath of fresh air. Sister Qing''e, could you please not place me on a pedestal! Does she think that a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried is easy to form? However, having Jiang Qing''e''s speak so highly of him warmed his heart. Li Jingzhe revealed a hint of a smile. "This brat isn''t bad at all. He has a heroic demeanor, and if he can become a Transcendent Duke, my position as Lineage Chief will be passed down to him. That said, he''s still quite a distance away. So, what are your plans now?" "What do you think I should do, Grandpa?" Li Luo asked in response. Li Jingzhe sighed lightly. "Go to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. That is the most suitable place for you. All of the best and most elite talents in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage have congregated there. If you wish to obtain the best Foundational Spirit Treasures, you''ll have to go there. That said, it is full of danger and far more competitive than the Twenty Banners. Also, your status wont be very helpful there. "So? Do you still wish to go?" Li Luo flashed his most radiant smile at his grandfather in response. "Well, it doesn''t matter, honestly. If my status isn''t helpful, I still have a triple ninth-grade light resonance, Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried fiancee to support me." Li Jingzhe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry when faced with Li Luo''s outrageous words. This brat... If you can''t rely on your status, you''ll rely on your fiancee? Isn''t he living much too flagrantly? Chapter 1198: World Ends River Region Chapter 1198: World End''s River Region Li Jingzhe didn''t know if he was supposed to laugh or cry when he heard Li Luo''s big words. However, it was indeed practical to rely on someone''s power. The crux lay in whether he could really get the other party''s help. When he had the strength to get things done, he would step up readily and fight for himself. When he could borrow help from others, he wouldn''t turn it down just because others didn''t agree with it. This kid was truly flexible with what came his way. He was much better than his father in this aspect. "You are at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier now, so you should start making preparations for your next breakthrough. If you want to get the best Foundational Spirit Treasures, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians is the best place to find one. Not only thatQing''e, having just started on the Path of Ascension, will need to forge many more Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds in the future. This means she will require the best cultivation resources and Foundational Spirit Treasures. All of the cultivation resources in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li are concentrated in the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies. All of our elites are gathered there, so it''ll be the best training ground for the two of you," Li Jingzhe explained. Li Luo nodded. Indeed, the most important thing for him right now was to begin preparations for his Duke breakthrough. He would not be able to stay on Dragon''s Fang Mountain, as it was too peaceful here. This would only slow down his progress. He would only be able to push past his limits and reach his maximum potential by putting himself through life-and-death situations. "Grandfather, where exactly are the Dragon''s Fang Guardians situated?" Li Luo asked curiously. Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com "At World End''s River Region." When Li Jingzhe mentioned the new term, he saw a confused look on Li Luo''s face. He continued before Li Luo could ask further, "The World End''s River is an endlessly long river that separates the two worlds." "World End''s River? Two worlds?" Li Luo still had a perplexed look on his face. It was then that he finally realized what his grandpa was referring to, and he shouted out in surprise, "Could it be that the World End''s River separates us from the shadow world?!" The shadow world was where the Others came from! Li Jingzhe nodded. "The World End''s River flows endlessly. The part that runs through the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent is just a part of it. Numerous Others attempt to cross over into the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent from time to time. In a way, it is like a giant portal to another world, so the World End''s River Region is full of danger. Countless True Devil Others appear there, so even a Duke has to be careful. However, it still remains the most attractive forbidden zone in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. All of the heavenly talents from the various powers, including exceptional rogue cultivators and the Heavenly Emperor powers, seek to continue to expand their influence over there. This is because the city itself contains bountiful cultivation resources. It also hides a gargantuan amount of precious resources that can be used to forge Foundational Spirit Treasures." "Resources for crafting Foundational Spirit Treasures?!" Li Luo instantly understood from this sentence alone how precious World End''s River Region was. After all, the Dukes were the true pillars of foundational power in this society. And what did they care most about? Foundational Spirit Treasures! "The Guardian General of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians is Li Foluo. He is a few generations ahead of you and is a fourth-grade Duke now. Li Foluo is an extremely talented individual with strict control over his subordinates. He has proven himself as a great commander on many occasions. Speaking of which, he received a recommendation from your father when he was younger. He started his cultivation journey from there and eventually ascended to the position of Guardian General for the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." "Li Foluo, fourth-grade Duke?" Li Luo clicked his tongue in secret. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians were really full of surprises. "Under the Guardian General, there are two Dragon Fang Envoys. They are usually second-grade or third-grade Dukes. Under them are the four Grand Commanders, each a first-grade Duke." Li Luo''s eyes flickered a little. It seemed like the four Grand Commanders he had learned about before were only ranked third in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. The Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies truly held an important spot in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Li Jingzhe pondered for a moment before he continued, "Strength is everything in the Five Guardian Armies. Your background will not be of much help over there. However, I dont believe you will need that help. The Ceremony of Ascent for the Dragon''s Fang Guardians will take place in just a few days. It is a time where people receive rewards for their recent achievements. Promotions will also happen then. You were the Dragon''s Head in the Twenty Banners, so you will have the right to challenge any of the four Grand Commanders. If you feel confident enough, you can try taking on one of the Grand Commander ranks for yourself. The position you hold is very important in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians as it will directly affect the amount of cultivation resources you can get." As Li Luo stuffed another piece of bamboo shoot into his mouth, he contemplated the new information. A Grand Commander would be a first-grade Duke, while he was a Greater Heavenly Resonance with a Heavenly Resonance Diagram of fifty thousand feet. Did he stand a chance? It would not be appropriate for him to borrow the power of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf in such a situation. People would not be satisfied if he won in such a way. However, it was a worthy challenge. Li Luo had significantly strengthened himself in the time he spent away, so he wanted see how he held up against an actual Duke. "What about Sister Qing''e?" Li Luo asked. "Qing''e was not part of the Twenty Banners. According to the rules, she will have to climb up the ranks in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians slowly. However, there are exceptions to everything. I will give her an opportunity to challenge a Dragon Fang Envoy." Li Jingzhe looked over at Jiang Qing''e and smiled a little. "Most people who challenge the Dragon Fang Envoys are at least second-grade Dukes. Sometimes, they''re even third-grade. Considering that you''ve just entered the Duke Stage, are you confident in winning?" Li Luo was surprised. Challenging a Dragon Fang Envoy directly? They were all second-grade and third-grade Dukes! Jiang Qing''e thought about it seriously after hearing his proposal, then her clear voice echoed in the small hut. "Can I challenge the Guardian General instead?" Chapter 1199: Guardian General Chapter 1199: Guardian General "Challenge the Guardian General?" Li Jingzhe was a little taken aback when he heard that. Then he laughed out loud. "Youre truly ambitious and self-confident!" "I enjoy challenges," Jiang Qing''e replied calmly as she looked back into the eyes of the Dual Crowned King sitting before her. If she became the Guardian General, she would be the most authoritative figure in the entire Dragon''s Fang Guardians. In that case, no matter what Li Luo did, no one would dare to utter a word. "Although you''ve formed a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, you shouldn''t underestimate others. Li Foluo is a fourth-grade Duke in the late stages. His foundation is immense. If you''re able to forge a second Duke Bergfried, you might actually stand a chance." There was a hint of appreciation in Li Jingzhe''s eyes. If anyone else had said that they wanted to challenge a fourth-grade Duke as a first-grade Duke, people would think they were too arrogant and were overestimating themselves. However, Jiang Qing''e had unrivaled talent. She had the right to hold such wild thoughts. Nonetheless, the gap between a first-grade and a fourth-grade was far too large. It was the difference between a lower-grade Duke and a middle-grade Duke. This was not a gap that could be easily closed. "You''re also new here. You''ve not built a reputation for yourself yet, so even if you defeat Li Foluo, people may not be completely convinced. Instead, it will cause unrest among them, affecting the rest of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians," Li Jingzhe continued. He was not unhappy to see Jiang Qing''e going after the Guardian General. It was simply the fact that World End''s River Region was full of dangers. It was not a wise idea to cause such a big change upon their arrival. Li Luo quickly nodded when he heard this. "Sister Qing''e, there is no need to rush. With your capabilities and a little more time, the Guardian General seat will definitely be yours." Looking at the reactions from the two of them, Jiang Qing''e nodded slightly. She did not insist anymore. However, it would still be nice to get a feel for Li Foluos power in order to prevent any unnecessary troubles for Li Luo and herself in the future. Li Foluo, who had been sitting steadily at the top of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, had no idea that a newcomer who had yet to join was already coveting his position. In order to establish their authority, others would usually kill the chicken as a warning for the monkeys. However, Jiang Qing''e was planning to kill the tiger as a warning for the monkeys. "Indeed. Also, Grandpa, there''s still the matter with Li Hongyou," Li Luo said with a smile as he pointed to the other side of the table. Li Hongyou had been sitting there without making a sound all this while, as though she was invisible. As soon as Li Luo mentioned her, she hurriedly cupped her hands together respectfully. She did not dare to look directly at Li Jingzhe. In the past, she had only seen the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage from afar. Even her father had to be careful and respectful in front of the Lineage Chief. She understood that it was all thanks to Li Luo that she was able to sit here and enjoy a meal personally prepared by a King. She also knew that whether or not she could enter the Dragon''s Fang Guardians depended on Li Jingzhe. If he didn''t agree to it, she wouldnt be able to accomplish her goals. Thus, without his support, she would never be able to fulfill her promise to her mother. Li Luo did not know whether to laugh or cry at his suggestion. Who could have guessed that Li Jingzhe would try to rush them into getting married? At this point, a red blush appeared on Jiang Qing''es face. Despite her personality, she was still a little shy when it came to such matters. She did not know how to answer, so she looked to Li Luo for help. Li Luo smiled. "Grandpa, we arent in a rush to get married. Sister Qing''e and I truly love one another. You don''t have to worry that she''ll run away." Li Jingzhe took a deep look at Li Luo. This kid was still too young to understand. An engagement was ultimately just an agreement. It would be much safer for them to seal the deal. Li Luo continued, "Besides... we want Father and Mother to be around for the wedding." Hearing this, Li Jingzhe turned silent for a moment. He sighed and commented, "Indeed, they should be around for such an occasion." The two of them were stuck in the Nobles'' Battlefield, so it was indeed a little inappropriate for Li Luo to hold his marriage now. After Li Jingzhe stopped pushing the matter, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e secretly heaved sighs of relief. They agreed that now was not the right time. "Let''s eat. You can come visit more over the next few days. After you leave, things will become really quiet over here," Li Jingzhe said. Li Luo nodded and smiled. They finished the meal together, and Li Jingzhe seemed to be particularly happy. Li Luo drank a few more cups of wine with him. When it was deep into the night, Li Luo stood up to take his leave. Li Jingzhe did not stop them. After all, they needed a good rest after so many days of traveling. Li Jingzhe then sat in his small courtyard and watched the trio disappear into the distance. He held onto his wine cup and stared at it in a daze for a moment. If he had set down his pride and done all of this back then, would the ending have been different? As he remained lost in his memories, he took a sip from his cup and let out a soft sigh. After which, he placed his cup on the table, and his eyes gradually lit up. "Qing''e is really talented. Seeing someone with triple ninth-grade light resonances is extremely rare. She must also have been following Taixuan and Tan Tailan since she was young. And that blank palace Little Luo was born with..." Gradually, Li Jingzhe''s eyes turned more serious. "What exactly did Taixuan and the rest discover in the ruins of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect?" Chapter 1200: Completing the Divine Cultivation Serum Chapter 1200: Completing the Divine Cultivation Serum When they returned to Dragon''s Fang Mountain, Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou stayed with Li Luo in his cottage. After all, it was a large residence that could easily spare two more rooms. For the next two days, Li Luo completely relaxed himself. He had been constantly strung up for half a year; even on the trip back, he had to maintain his vigilance at all times. Now that he was back in Dragon''s Fang Mountain, he could finally heave a sigh of relief and take it easy. He spent his time visiting Li Jingzhe just to chat, as well as catching up with Li Rouyun and Ox Biaobiao. Li Luo had also brought Jiang Qing''e to the Fiendish Devil Peak of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage during this time. They met the new generation of the four banners over there. As soon as they saw the arrival of the ex-Dragon''s Head, they got very excited. They had all heard the stories of the legendary Li Luo, and they were overjoyed that they could catch a glimpse of the man himself. Li Luo interacted with them calmly and humbly. From time to time, he glanced over at Jiang Qing''e with a pleased expression. Hopefully, she was taking note of all that was happening here. He was truly a legendary figure in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage who had established numerous records! At the same time, some of the more daring new banner members had approached Jiang Qing''e to strike up a conversation. However, Li Luo stepped in with a smile. He introduced his fiancee and told them that she had already reached the Duke Stage and thus would be joining him in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. This statement caused another uproar amongst the crowd. So, the Third Young Master of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage already had a fiancee? She was so beautiful and charming. Most importantly, she was already a Duke! And at such a young age too?! Just how talented was she?! All the other beauties that they had seen paled in comparison to her. The new banner members were so shocked that they did not know what else to say. All of them stared at Jiang Qing''e in surprise. Perhaps only someone like her was worthy of being with the previous Dragon''s Head. With that, Li Luo left with Jiang Qing''e, a satisfied look plastered on his face. The new members watched them go with both shock and envy. On their way back, Jiang Qing''e looked at Li Luo with a look full of amusement mixed with frustration. It seemed like this guy was lying when he said he would guide her around the place and let her have a look at the sights. His real intention was to simply show her off in a different way. Li Luo put on a sheepish grin. He then grabbed her slender hand and explained, "When we arrive in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, I''ll introduce my Elder Brother and Second Sister to you. They treated me really well when I first arrived, and they''ve helped me out a lot. I did tell them in the past that I have an unparalleled fiancee, but they simply did not believe me. I can''t wait to see their reactions when they get to meet you in the flesh." Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com Jiang Qing''e rolled her eyes. "I will not help you out if you get a beating over this." The golden cauldron began to shake in response as well. The golden liquid within the cauldron began to boil, and when bubbles surfaced, they popped, creating a comforting sound that reverberated through the air. The Divine Cultivation Serum was truly exceptional. It appeared to have a mind of its own and knew that the seedling would allow it to reach a state of completion. Li Luo did not hesitate. He flicked his finger, and the seedling flew directly into the golden cauldron. The golden liquid boiled vigorously and swallowed it up. At the next moment, a terrifying force exploded inside the cauldron. The worldly natural energy around his residence reacted violently, and a gigantic energy vortex materialized. It completely enveloped the peak that his residence was located on. Naturally, such a huge commotion drew many curious gazes. Many people flew into the air and looked over with looks of suspicion in their eyes. However, the void shuddered before they could go over to check things out. The image of Li Jingzhe appeared in the middle of the sky, and all of them bowed down respectfully. Li Jingzhe waved his hand and said, "It''s nothing. You can stand down." The ones who had seen the disturbance remained curious despite Li Jingzhe''s words. However, they did not dare to probe any further and left hurriedly. Li Jingzhe stood in the sky and looked over at Li Luo''s residence. His aged face had a hint of surprise as he mumbled to himself, "Such a miraculous disturbance. Is a treasure going to be born? Just what kind of opportunity did Li Luo come across to get it? It looks like he''s pretty smart, only taking it out upon returning to Dragon''s Fang Mountain." Such a development had piqued even Li Jingzhe''s interest. If Li Luo had decided to do this outside, it would have definitely attracted a lot of unwanted attention. Li Jingzhe stood with his hands behind his back. He did not leave the area and planned to stand guard for Li Luo. Although it would definitely be safe in the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range, he would feel more assured if he personally watched over his grandson. Li Luo had also sensed the commotion outside. Although he was a little afraid, he had been very careful and hadnt revealed the cauldron to anyone to prevent an unwanted situation from arising. Phew. Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief. He sat cross-legged beside the golden cauldron and watched it with eyes full of anticipation. After all these years... the ninth-grade resonance that he had always dreamed of was finally in front of his eyes. Chapter 1201: Ninth-grade Waterlight Resonance Chapter 1201: Ninth-grade Waterlight Resonance The commotion triggered by the Divine Cultivation Serum continued for the next seven days. Li Luo didnt have much to do during that time. The completion of the Divine Cultivation Serum was not up to him, so he could only watch silently from the side. After the initial anxiety settled down, he was a lot more relaxed. His greatest concern previously was the eyes of the outsiders. However, with Li Jingzhe standing guard, there was no need for Li Luo to worry at all. He spent most of this time cultivating the Purgatory''s Crimson Dragon Banner. The completed version of the Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon had been on his mind ever since he first saw the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner. After a long time and significant amounts of hard work, he had finally gotten his hands on all three Duke Arts. He couldn''t wait to fully cultivate the new art. Nonetheless, cultivating the Purgatory''s Crimson Dragon Banner required a fire resonance. This was a barrier to entry that Li Luo couldnt break, because he lacked a fire resonance. The only solution for most people in his situation was to use fire resonance treasures to act as a catalyst. However, Li Luo came up with a creative way around this problemusing his Acquired Resonance Flame as a substitute. Thus, he began his cultivation. Alas, things did not go smoothly at the start. Li Luo tried multiple times, but the Acquired Resonance Flame showed no reaction despite his attempts. Nonetheless, he did not give up. He kept on experimenting and trying again after his repeated failures. Finally, wisps of flame began to flow out of the Acquired Resonance Flame. Li Luo was pleasantly surprised to learn that his Acquired Resonance Flame actually contained some kind of energy with fire resonance energy. Additionally, it had the special ability to ignite resonance energy. If he utilized this Acquired Resonance Flame to activate his Purgatory''s Crimson Dragon Banner, the final version of the Duke Art could contain such a special effect too. This meant that its destructive prowess would reach an even higher level. Li Luo was pleased with this unexpected discovery. His motivation was reignited, and he began to familiarize himself with the Purgatory''s Crimson Dragon Banner. At the same time, he tried to fuse the Acquired Resonance Flame into it. This was no easy task. Even with his natural gift when it came to learning resonance arts, failure was the norm. Vigorous energy explosions could be heard coming from his cultivation chamber one after another. His face was soon covered with a layer of soot. However, Li Luo remained highly driven to succeed; the Divine Cultivation Serum had become an afterthought. Fortunately, it was already near completion. There was no need for Li Luo to take care of it, as it would naturally brew itself. Just like this, another seven days passed. It had been nearly half a month since Li Luo started. Suddenly, there was an unexpected movement in his chamber. Li Luo, who had been fully indulged in the cultivation of the Purgatory''s Crimson Dragon Banner, looked up in a daze and stared at the golden cauldron. The golden liquid that was originally inside the cauldron had disappeared. In its place was a golden pill that was around the size of an infant''s fist. The surface of the golden pill was transparent. Looking through it, he could see a lively, golden liquid flowing within. It was a magical liquid that seemed to cycle through the five elements continuously. It was truly a mystical sight. Li Luo was shocked to hear the warning from Li Jingzhe. This was truly an incomparable treasure of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. It had the ability to attract others to fight over it, all in an attempt to escape. He was once again glad that he had not attempted to complete the Divine Cultivation Serum back in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. Otherwise, the result would have been unimaginable. He did not hesitate any longer and opened the cauldron with a push of his resonant power. The cover flew away and he reached in to grab the pill. The pill shook violently, as if it was trying to flee. "I spent so much effort to complete you, do you think I''ll just let you escape?" Li Luo smirked and directly put the pill into his mouth. He surrounded it with thick layers of resonant power and swallowed it. Then he sat down with a serious expression and focused his mind. He could sense an enormous and pure energy about to course through his body. This energy was similar to what he experienced when tempering his resonance with liquids and lights, invigorating the energy within his body. His three resonant palaces roared loudly, as if they were all competing to take in the energy. Li Luo tried his best to keep things under control. He pondered for a moment and tried to direct the energy into his waterlight resonant palace according to his initial plans. He had already decided beforehand that the first thing he would elevate to the ninth-grade would be his first acquired resonance. Li Luo watched in anticipation as the gargantuan amount of pure, concentrated energy poured into his waterlight resonant palace. At the next moment, a drastic change occurred within his waterlight resonant palace. The crystal-clear lake in his resonant palace began to expand at an astonishing speed. Torrents of waves surged up and the sound of a roaring tide echoed throughout the palace. The whole lake evolved drastically. Dazzling sparkles began to appear within the water. As the light intertwined with the waves, the water turned even clearer. Faintly, divine, purifying energy could be sensed within it. Suddenly, a giant pillar of water shot up into the air from the midst of the magnificent lake. At the top of the pillar of water was a faint silhouette. Upon closer inspection, the silhouette looked exactly like Li Luo. However, it was light-blue and surrounded by ancient light runes. With the appearance of this figure, the waterlight resonant palace was filled with an abstruse charm. Additionally, the whole resonant palace seemed to have become more solid. Li Luo revealed a smile of satisfaction. He finally understood what the figure was. It was something exclusive to ninth-grade resonances... a Spirit Avatar! It was a sign of spirituality in one''s resonance. A waterlight Spirit Avatar. Li Luo was overjoyed. He had finally fulfilled his dream of obtaining a ninth-grade resonance after so many years of hard work despite starting with nothing. This belonged to him now. A ninth-grade waterlight resonance. Chapter 1202: Dragon Sacred Seed Chapter 1202: Dragon Sacred Seed Li Luo finally opened his eyes. They were layered with mysterious light, as if his eyes were glittering gemstones. After a few moments, the magical light slowly subsided. Li Luo stretched out his palm. He could sense worldly natural energy with water affinity circulating around him, gushing into his body continuously. His affinity was at a whole new level compared to the past. "Lower ninth-grade waterlight resonance. Upper eighth-grade woodearth resonance." Li Luo sensed the resonances in his body. A look of surprise appeared on his face as his lower eighth-grade woodearth resonance had also evolved. When his waterlight resonance increased to the lower ninth-grade earlier, Li Luo had noticed that a bit of the Divine Cultivation Serum still remained. It was insufficient to push the waterlight resonance from a lower ninth-grade to a middle ninth-grade, so he had directed it towards his woodearth resonance instead. This resulted in his lower eighth-grade woodearth resonance improving in quality. Right now, his three resonances were the lower ninth-grade waterlight resonance, uthe pper eighth-grade woodearth resonance, and the upper seventh-grade Thunder Dragon resonance. This was definitely a stellar combination, considering each of his resonant palaces contained a primary resonance and a secondary resonance. It was only a little less shocking when compared to the monstrous Jiang Qing''e by his side. Once Li Luo reached the Duke Stage and gained his fourth resonant palace, he would likely possess four resonant palaces with eight resonances. That would be a truly astonishing feat. Very few people throughout history possessed this number of resonances. As Li Luo studied the resonances in his body, he found a pleasant surprise as well. His resonant power had increased considerably as well. "Now my Heavenly Resonance Diagram should be sixty thousand feet wide." Li Luo felt immense satisfaction. He was gradually getting closer to his goal of becoming a Duke. "The Divine Cultivation Serum was truly magnificent." It was a pity that he only had one portion of it. He wondered if there were any more of these prized treasures lurking around in the ruins of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. After experiencing the effects for himself, Li Luo truly wanted to get his hands on more. After all, the ordinary way of increasing ones resonance grade was very exhausting. Li Luo could accumulate progress slowly thanks to his blank palaces special trait, but other people had it much harder than him. Taking in too many impurities from the spirit liquids and purifying lights would lead to their resonant palaces being sealed off, making it impossible for them to increase their resonance grade at certain points. The Divine Cultivation Serum was so godly that it had evolved his resonance in one go. Whilst Li Luo pondered over this, the void in the cultivation chamber shuddered lightly, and Li Jingzhe appeared in the room. He took a glance at the golden cauldron and asked, "Did you get this from the Spiritual Resonance Cave?" Li Luo stood up in a hurry and nodded, smiling at his grandfather. "You''re really lucky. This item has a similar effect to spirit liquids and purifying lights, but on a completely different scale. Its no wonder why the Sacred Void Resonance Sect once stood above all others. They actually managed to find another way to improve one''s resonance grade." Li Jingzhe sighed. "Unfortunately, there was only a little bit left." Li Luo pouted. "Lesser Sacred Seeds?" Li Luo blinked and asked curiously, "What can I do with them?" "Theyre similar to the True Dragon Seed Pill, but theyre better. For example, the True Dragon Seed Pill can only increase your dragon resonance to the lower ninth-grade temporarily when you use Ascending Dragon. The Lesser Sacred Seeds can increase your dragon resonance to the middle ninth-grade instead. In addition, the Lesser Sacred Seed contains a Destiny-grade Duke Art created by the Ancestor himself. You will naturally understand how to use it once you''ve refined the seed. There is no need to spend the usual amount of effort trying to cultivate it. The Lesser Sacred Seed also possesses a magnificent power within itself. You can treat it like a top-class Duke mythic armament with formidable powers. Of course, I have to remind you that both the Lesser Sacred Seeds and Dragon Sacred Seeds are the bedrock of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. You may earn the rights to use it, but if the bloodline needs it, you''ll have to hand it back." As Li Luo listened to his explanation, his eyes became wider with each passing moment. Middle ninth-grade dragon resonance? Plus another Destiny-grade Duke Art that he would not need to spend time cultivating? And a top-class Duke mythic armament?! It was no wonder this treasure was considered an object that could support a Heavenly Emperor power. Having to return it when necessary was not a huge deal at all. Li Luo wiped off the saliva off his mouth. He had inadvertently drooled while hearing how wonderful it was. "Grandpa, just tell me straight away. How can I get it?" Li Jingzhe smiled and continued, "It''s not too hard. According to the rules, the Grand Guardian General of each generation is awarded the right to use a Lesser Sacred Seed for ten years." Li Luo was shocked to hear this. "Grand Guardian General?" Li Luo was shocked to hear this. "Grand Guardian General?" "The leader of a guardian army is the Guardian General, and the leader of all five guardian armies is known as the Grand Guardian General." Li Luo''s mouth twitched a little. In other words, he would need to become the strongest Guardian General in the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies to be given a Lesser Sacred Seed? At present, he could only compete for the position to be one of the four Grand Commanders. That was a far cry from the Guardian General, let alone the Grand Guardian General. Realizing this, Li Luo glanced at Li Jingzhe resentfully. Forget it. This is too far away. Sensing his gaze, Li Jingzhe told him, "Indeed, it''ll take some time for you to get there, but you have Qing''e, right? It shouldn''t be too difficult for her." Hearing this, Li Luo sternly rejected his suggestion. "It''ll be too shameful for me to rely on Sister Qing''e to get the Lesser Sacred Seed. Do I look like the type of person that would mooch off my fiancee? A man has to rely on himself, and I, Li Luo, have to take my pride into consideration!" With that, he pushed open the doors and left without any hesitation. Jiang Qing''e, who had been standing guard outside, was about to open her mouth. However, Li Luo spoke first with a beaming face. "Sister Qing''e, you must be tired. Why don''t I cook a meal for you?" Jiang Qing''e looked at him in confusion. Did this brat damage his brain earlier? Whats going on? Chapter 1203: Sacred Crown of Thorns Chapter 1203: Sacred Crown of Thorns After Li Luo raised his resonance grade with the Divine Cultivation Serum, his business in Dragon''s Fang Mountain was done. He discussed a little with Jiang Qing''e and they decided to head over to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians soon. Although Li Luo had a sixty thousand feet wide Heavenly Resonance Diagram and was close to reaching the Duke Stage, Jiang Qing''e continued to remind him from time to time about the need to reach it quickly and resolve the blade hanging above him. World End''s River Region was a dangerous place, but it was also the perfect training ground. In such a place, Li Luo would continue to push himself and complete his breakthrough as soon as possible. Besides, they would need to prepare a Foundational Spirit Treasure as well. Whether it was for Li Luo''s breakthrough, the construction of his Duke Bergfried, or Jiang Qing''e''s progress on the Path of Ascension, they would inevitably need more Foundational Spirit Treasures. Hence, the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies in World End''s River Region was the best place for them to be right now. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e made their preparations and set off. Before departing, the two of them paid Li Jingzhe a visit at the back mountain to bid him farewell. "World End''s River Region is a place full of dangers. True Devils roam the place wantonly and countless Duke Stage rogue cultivators are up to no good. You cannot underestimate those people. They are all plotting against you for the sake of their own cultivation. The name of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li can instill some fear into them, but you must still be careful." In the end, Li Jingzhe prepared a few simple dishes for the two of them and continued to nag a little, akin to an elderly man sending his grandchild off on a long journey. "I may head over to World End''s River Region as well. Looking at the time, it''s probably my turn to stand guard against the Stygian Rain of Calamity." Hearing this, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e stared at each other with puzzled looks. "The Stygian Rain of Calamity? What''s that?" Li Jingzhe smiled and explained, "When the Stygian Rain falls, thousands of Others march. It is one of the most frightening disasters that can occur around World End''s River Region. Every time it happens, all the major powers send their top fighters over to stand guard. If we''re not careful, we may lose decades of effort of keeping the Others at bay. The Lineage Chiefs of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages take turns protecting the city, and it''s my turn this time." Li Jingzhe did not explain any further. He waved his sleeve, and the void cracked apart. Beams of light burst out of the crack and an object flew out in front of Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. Within the dazzling bright light lay an exquisite and beautiful crown of thorns. Divine light circulated around it and extremely pure sacred energy pulsed from it. As soon as the crown of thorns appeared, Li Luo could sense the light energy in the surroundings shudder. It surged up and transformed into concentrated wisps of light energy that circulated around the crown. It emanated an indescribable sense of pressure. "This crown is the Duke Mythic Armament I''ve crafted from the Divine Thorns. It should be considered top-class amongst middle-grade Duke Armaments," Li Jingzhe told them. "Middle-grade Duke Armament?" Li Luo was a little surprised to hear this. Duke Armaments were generally split into three different categories that corresponded to the respective Duke Stages: low-grade, middle-grade and high-grade. Mythic Armaments were incredibly mighty, and their value far exceeded that of violet-eye treasured artifacts. As such, many middle-grade Dukes did not have a middle-grade Duke Mythic Armament that was compatible with themselves. Based on Li Luo''s own estimate, the Divine Thorns that he had handed over were barely sufficient to craft a low-grade Duke Mythic Armament, but Li Jingzhe had turned it into a middle-grade one. Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com "If you do not believe me, you can ask Qing''e to show you." Li Jingzhe smiled. Jiang Qing''e stretched out her slender hand after hearing this. Dazzling and radiant light resonant power gathered, and a magical halo of divine light appeared around her wrist. Her dual resonance power was truly unique. There was no fusion of resonant power with different attributes. Instead, it amplified the power of light resonant power and pushed it to an extremely pure and concentrated level. Li Luo said with a frown, "Isn''t this just the light of dual resonance power? I''ve already..." However, he was unable to finish his sentence. He spotted special runes on the bright and magical halo of light around Jiang Qing''e''s wrist. They emitted familiar pulses of energy. Those were... the Vestiges of Spirituality. This was something he had seen in his resonant power whenever he used the power of dual resonances. It could increase the sentience of one''s resonant power. However, the runes from Jiang Qing''e''s dual resonances were in a different realm. "This is the true power of dual resonances. Strictly speaking, it is on a completely different level from the three stages of dual resonances you have learned about. This is what we call a resonance seal. It is a quantitative improvement of resonant power. It is also the reason why the power of dual resonances is so formidable. An attack from a Duke is far more powerful than an attack used by someone a stage below because of this." Li Luo rubbed his lips after hearing Li Jingzhe''s explanation. This was profound knowledge he had not known before. It was no wonder it was the signature ability of the Duke Stage. Jiang Qing''e dispersed her power of dual resonances and glanced back at the Sacred Crown of Thorns. "Thank you for the gift, Grandfather." There was no need for any pretense, so she accepted Li Jingzhes goodwill. Li Jingzhe was very satisfied with her attitude. A smile appeared on his face and he turned towards Li Luo. "You blind fool. Aren''t you going to help her put it on?" Li Luo was at a loss for words, and he complained in his heart. In the past, Li Jingzhe used to refer to him as his beloved grandson. Now that the old man had a granddaughter-in-law, he started calling him a blind fool. As expected, his position in the family had fallen down a level as soon as Jiang Qing''e arrived. Nonetheless, he picked up the exquisite and elegant Sacred Crown of Thorns. Jiang Qing''e took a glance at him before she lowered her head a little. Li Luo was a little stunned. This situation caused his heart beat faster for some unknown reason. He lightly placed the Sacred Crown of Thorns on Jiang Qing''e''s head, and it fit perfectly with her long hair. Holy light circulated around the elegant Divine Thorns. It made Jiang Qing''e''s charming face even brighter. It was as if she had become even more elegant and majestic. Li Luo was in a daze as he stared at the beauty in front of him. At this point, the girl''s eyes were sparkling. She truly resembled a goddess of light, holy and captivating. Chapter 1204: A New Development Chapter 1204: A New Development An airship sped across the sky. The majestic flag of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s Dragon''s Fang Lineage flew proudly on the mast. "We need to enter a special portal in order to enter World End''s River Region. The nearest portal to us is just outside the Dragon''s Fang Domain, in a place known as Green Mountain City. It will take about three days of flight to get there," Li Rouyun explained to the three youths on the airship with a warm smile. The tall and fierce-looking Ox Biaobiao sat beside the group. They were the two people accompanying Li Luo and his friends to World End''s River Region. That place was full of danger, so Li Jingzhe had assigned some bodyguards to escort them there. Coincidentally, Ox Biaobiao was free and had volunteered for it. With his personality, Ox Biaobiao wasn''t suited to stay in Dragon''s Fang Mountain to manage the affairs of the Green Nether Hall. World End''s River Region was a better place for him. He had been thinking of leaving Dragon''s Fang Mountain for a while, and this opportunity to go to World End''s River Region had come at a perfect time. As for Li Rouyun, she was simply accompanying him. The two of them had gotten together and were inseparable at the moment. As such, they ended up being the bodyguards for this trip. Ox Biaobiao was a seventh-grade Duke, while Li Rouyun was sixth-grade. They were more than strong enough to protect Li Luo and his friends. "Uncle Biao, you are indeed charismatic. Aunt Yun was willing to put down all the matters in Green Nether Hall in order to follow you here," Li Luo said playfully with a smile. Ox Biaobiao''s aged face turned red. "She insisted on following me, so there''s nothing I can do. I am an adult, do I really need to have someone accompany me?" Li Rouyun smiled at Li Luo. "Don''t worry, Hall Master. I settled all of the affairs of the Green Nether Hall before departing, so there won''t be any problems." "Uncle Biao is so lucky," Li Luo said. His father was the Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall, but he had been missing for so many years. If not for Li Rouyun''s help, the hall would have turned into a complete mess long ago. Ox Biaobiao said, "In my eyes, she''s still the little girl from the past. She always wanted to tag along with Li Taixuan and I when we went out training." In the past, he was very close to Li Taixuan. When they adventured together in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, Li Rouyun had just entered the Duke Stage. As such, she was always seen as a younger sister in his eyes. Li Luo rubbed his chin. "So, Aunt Yun has been charmed by Uncle Biao since then? Hehe, Uncle Biao, you''re the embodiment of the saying, the old cow enjoys tender grass most." Li Rouyun''s face turned a little red, but she did not say anything. Li Luo''s eyes moved a little. Chu Qing had started off with a quasi ninth-grade and an upper eighth-grade dual resonances. Now he had a lower ninth-grade as his third resonance. He was truly the cream of the crop amongst his peers. Fortunately, he paled in comparison to Jiang Qing''e. He wondered if they would meet Chu Qing in World End''s River Region. The mad Qin Lian was always comparing herself to his mother. Now that both her daughter and disciple had fallen behind, it was obvious how she''d react when she learned about it. As the airship continued to cruise in the sky, the passengers continued to chat casually. Three days later, they arrived at Green Mountain City. It was a bustling city, but Li Luo and the group did not hang around for long. They went straight for the portal that would teleport them to World End''s River Region. There were many people around the portal, each burning with strong resonant power. Quite a few of them were Dukes, and they all had the same goals. Under Ox Biaobiao and Li Rouyun''s protection, Li Luo and friends headed straight to the portal. The world space around the area quaked a little and then they disappeared. When they vanished from sight, they had not noticed that a pair of cold eyes was watching them from a tower in the city. On that tall tower, a lady stood with her hands behind her back. Her eyes were sharp and cold, and she had a formidable air around her. It was someone familiar. This was none other than the lady that Li Luo had been talking about earlierQin Lian. "Ox Biaobiao. Tsk, it''s been a number of years. I destroyed his Duke Bergfrieds in the past; I can''t believe he actually managed to restore them. What a lucky guy," Qin Lian commented coldly. Behind her were three people who radiated impressive amounts of energy. "Hall Master Qin, it seems like our intel was right. When should we do it?" one of them asked with a grin. "Wait for them to enter World End''s River Region first. Li Jingzhe will be unable to sense what happens there. Countless True Devils roam the area and it''s a very messy place; it''s only natural to get attacked or killed in the city. Even Dukes from the various Heavenly Emperor powers have fallen there," Qin Lian replied. "When we do it, we''ll light the Hidden Spiritual Incense to hide our identities. They won''t be able to trace the murders back to us. Even if Li Jingzhe is suspicious, there will be nothing he can do about it." Hearing this, the three people at the back nodded in agreement. Qin Lian turned around and stared directly at the giant teleportation portal with her ice-cold eyes. Their mission had been approved by the head of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing, Qin Jiujie. After all, the risks were worth it. If they could get their hands on the Primordial Seed, they would surely become the strongest power in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Other Heavenly Emperor powers would have to bow down to them. Her cold voice resounded throughout the room. "Remember this: capture Li Luo alive." Chapter 1205: World Ends River Chapter 1205: World End''s River When the vibrations in the world space subsided, Li Luo opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the outline of a rough city. Huge stone pillars were erected around the city, and on top of each pillar was a huge mirror. Rays of light reflecting from mirror to mirror intersected above the city, illuminating the city like sunlight. People were walking about in all directions. It was a bustling location, and mighty undulations of resonant power could be felt from time to time. Clearly, many Dukes were passing by. The number of Dukes far exceeded what Li Luo had seen back in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. "World End''s River Region is a place full of Foundational Spirit Treasures. In terms of value and grade, it is probably second only to the actual Nobles'' Battlefield. As such, many Dukes from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent gather here despite the dangers. "In fact, some Heavenly Resonance Stage elites come here to try their luck too. If they are lucky and obtain a Foundational Spirit Treasure, they can use it to trade with the Dukes if they can''t use it themselves. They are all worth considerable sums of money," Li Rouyun explained as Li Luo looked around. He nodded, sensing the desire these Dukes had for Foundational Spirit Treasures. The more power and authority one saw a Duke wielding, the more one would strive to reach the same stage. To do so, a Foundational Spirit Treasure was a prerequisite. As such, this World End''s River Region was especially important for Dukes without a strong power backing them. "We are in a transit area in the western district of World End''s River Region. This can be considered the outer region of World End''s River Region. We''ll be heading deeper into the east. That is where Heavenly Dragon Peak is located." Li Rouyun smiled at Li Luo and his friends as she continued, "Heavenly Dragon Peak is the base the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li has built up over the years. The Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies are situated there. Let''s get going. World End''s River Region has all kinds of people, and there are true experts here as well. We will only be safe after we reach Heavenly Dragon Peak." Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and Li Hongyou had no objections to that, so the group set off. The airship flew through the air and dashed towards the east. When they left the city, there were fewer beams of light from the mirrors illuminating the area. Li Luo could see the sky turning darker. Following this, he could hear the rushing sound of water. When this noise reached his ears, his resonant power slowed down uncontrollably. Then a strange pressure surfaced within his heart, and his face turned pale. Without any hesitation, he looked over at Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou. The former appeared better, but she was frowning a little. Li Hongyou''s face, on the other hand, was full of fear. "What''s happening? Where is the sound of water coming from? Is it the Others?" Li Luo asked suspiciously. However, Ox Biaobiao and Li Rouyun looked completely fine. Li Rouyun raised her fingers and pointed above them. "Take a look." The three of them raised their heads, and their eyes narrowed immediately. There was an endless river coursing and raging in the vast sky above them. They could not see its source, but it cut across the sky and continued flowing as far as the eye could see. Only the Dukes within those squads managed to survive. Since their airship waved the flag from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, none of them dared to offend Li Luo and the rest. Thus, the journey went smoothly "We will reach Heavenly Dragon Peak in half a day''s time," Li Rouyun said as she heaved a sigh of relief. As long as Li Luo and the duo arrived at Heavenly Dragon Peak safely, their mission would be completed. Jiang Qing''e, who had been resting at the side, suddenly opened her eyes. She shouted in shock, "Something is amiss!" Ox Biaobiao was surprised to hear this. Then his resonant power surged up without any hesitation. The air vibrated, and seven Duke Bergfrieds appeared above him. Thick smoke slowly arose from the Duke Bergfrieds. This was a Duke''s Divine Mist. The Divine Mist formed a protective shield and rapidly covered up the airship. However, the void in front of them tore open just when Ox Biaobiao''s preparations were almost complete. Four Divine Mists of different attributes penetrated the sky in beams and charged towards the airship directly. Bang! The Divine Mist shield that Ox Biaobiao had set up turned dim at an astonishing speed. At the same time, runes started extending across the shield. At the next instant, the Divine Mist shield cracked open. The four other Divine Mist beams had shattered the airship''s shield completely. Luckily, Ox Biaobiao was able to buy them enough time. With a wave of her sleeves, Li Rouyun had made use of this window to grab onto Li Luo and the other two, and they escaped towards the rear of the airship. Ox Biaobiao attempted to retreat as well. His eyes turned extremely gloomy and fierce as he looked towards the front. Four figures appeared in the middle of the sky. They were surrounded by green mist that covered up their bodies and auras, so no one could tell who they were exactly. However, their murderous intent could not be hidden. Ox Biaobiao and Li Rouyun''s hearts sank immediately. When had World End''s River Region become so chaotic? They dared to attack an airship from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?! Chapter 1206: Interception Chapter 1206: Interception The four mysterious people enveloped in smoke dashed forward. Despite how thick the smoke was, it was unable to conceal the cold glints in their eyes. On the other hand, Ox Biaobiao and Li Rouyun had gloomy expressions. They had never expected someone to make a move on the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s flying ship. "My friends, might you have mistaken us for someone else? If you''ve gotten it wrong, you can still choose to leave. We don''t want trouble. We can act as if nothing happened," Ox Biaobiao said with a heavy voice. If it were just the two of them, they wouldve been able to escape. Unfortunately, and more importantly, Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and Li Hongyou were with them. Thus, Ox Biaobiao did not mind attempting to weasel his way out of this way despite his personality. When faced with his attempt to de-escalate the situation, a cold laugh came from the leading figure. A moment later, resonant power exploded outwards from their bodies and imposing Duke Bergfrieds began to surface one after another. The combined effect was like a gigantic black hole, sucking in all of the worldly natural energy. These Duke Bergfrieds were also covered by the mysterious green smoke and made it impossible to learn more about them. "One seventh-grade and three sixth-grade Dukes?" Just by counting the number of Duke Bergfrieds, Ox Biaobiao was able to estimate the opponents strength. Alas, his expression turned ugly as their last trace of hope was snuffed out. This attack was clearly premeditated! They had come precisely for them! "Rouyun, take Little Luo and the rest away!" Ox Biaobiao''s gaze turned ferocious. Even though the opponents lineup was far stronger than theirs, he was not intimidated. He waved his hand, and his signature butchering knife appeared in his hand, emanating a bloody air. At the same time, seven Duke Bergfrieds appeared. His Divine Mist wafted around them, transforming into two gigantic beasts. The first was a four-horned green bull and the other was an eye-catching golden bear. Both creatures roared, giving off a frightening aura that caused the void to shudder. They were the Four Horned Godly Bull resonance and the Blue-eyed Golden Bear resonance. Li Rouyun did not hesitate either. Six Duke Bergfrieds appeared, and her Divine Mist wrapped around the youths, protecting them as they shot off into the distance. "You want to run?!" The leading figure let out a bone-chilling laugh as they quickly formed hand seals at lightning speed. "Duke''s Worldspace Domain!" A spiritual light rose from that person''s head, then it propagated rapidly, enveloping the area at an alarming rate. The Duke''s Worldspace Domain was something that only Seventh-grade Dukes were able to use. Everything within the domain could be controlled according to the wielder''s wishes, including worldly natural energy. This was like a titular Duke being the ruler of their own fief, the true master of everything within. The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) It was the signature move of a high-grade Duke. Those weaker than them would feel tremendous suppression within it. It was also like a prison; once one was captured, it was impossible to escape without breaking it forcefully. Clearly, the attackers wanted to trap Li Luo and the rest, preventing them from leaving. The eighth Bergfried. A moment later, the resonant power fluctuations coming forth from her increased in intensity, and the entire world seemed to tremble before her. "An Eighth-grade Duke!" Ox Biaobiao''s expression changed when he saw this. The stalemate between the two domains ended immediately. With the appearance of the eighth Duke Bergfried, the lead figures domain gained the upper hand, expanding and crushing Ox Biaobiao''s domain. An eighth-grade Duke''s Worldspace Domain was like a tyrannical king that ruled over the world. At the same time, the crimson blade energy was enveloped by the domain. Pockets opened up within the domain and red chains that flowed with magma shot out, wrapping around the blade energy. Ear grating sounds could be heard as the countless chains were forcefully torn apart. However, with the aid of the domain, they poured out endlessly and the blade energy was eventually weakened. In the end, it was unable to pierce through the chains and dissipated away. Ox Biaobiao heaved heavily as blood leaked out of the side of his mouth. The leader of the four glared coldly at Ox Biaobiao and said with a voice full of killing intent, "If you don''t wish to fall here, you should just turn tail and run!" A mocking smile appeared on Ox Biaobiao''s face. "It looks like you aren''t here for me. Are your targets Li Luo and the rest? Since you know who he is and still dared to ambush us, you must have a considerable backing. Are you from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing or the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao?" "It seems like you prefer to leave as a corpse." The attacker did not bother with superfluous words. Her eight Duke Bergfrieds rose into the air and started radiating intense heat, as though they were eight suns in the sky. Eight streaks of crimson light shot into the air, condensing into a mirror several hundred feet wide. Countless ancient runes were engraved on it. A moment later, the mirror began to flare brilliantly and a fiery-red lion''s head appeared within. The lion opened its maw, and red light gathered in its mouth. Immediately after that, red smoke that covered the sky was belched out with a force that could incinerate the world. The smoke was imposing beyond measure, seeming to cover the entire world. But no matter how scary the opponent''s attack was, Ox Biaobiao''s expression remained unchanged and full of fierceness. He did not take a single step back. He knew that if he allowed this eighth-grade Duke to take action, Li Luo and the rest would not be able to escape. Thus, his seven Duke Bergfrieds began to burst with light and formed a barricade that sought to obstruct the attack. Bang! The red smoke unfurled. The seven Duke Bergfrieds were immediately submerged. When Li Luo turned around to see what was happening, he fell into a daze when he saw what was happening to Ox Biaobiao. He was being burned alive! His flesh and blood were incinerated by the horrifying attack! Chapter 1207: Joining Hands to Counterattack Chapter 1207: Joining Hands to Counterattack While Ox Biaobiao resisted with all his might, Li Rouyun''s situation was no better. As she had to bring the trio along, she was unable to move at full. Additionally, the three enemy Dukes were no weaker than her and could easily catch up. She frowned when she realized that Ox Biaobiao was facing an eighth-grade Duke. There was no way he could stop such a powerful foe for long. However, the current situation did not allow her to worry about him right now. If she could break the pursuit, Ox Biaobiao would be able to find an opening to escape. Additionally, Heavenly Dragon Peak was not far away, and if they could drag things on for a while, the disturbance here could alert them. If their elites were mobilized, these ambushers would be forced to retreat. Alas, evading the three pursuers with the trio in tow was no easy task. Li Rouyun''s gaze flickered as she looked at Jiang Qing''e. She seemed extraordinarily calm despite the situation, showing no hint of fear or worry. Her willpower was truly commendable. "Qing''e, I will do my best to tie down two of them. Take Li Luo and Li Hongyou towards Heavenly Dragon Peak," Li Rouyun said in a gloomy tone. Only Jiang Qing''e had reached the Duke Stage amongst them and thus could barely count as having the ability to escape. Jiang Qing''e nodded. "Aunt Yun, you have to be careful!" Li Luo''s expression turned sullen and his heart blazed with fury. He had never expected to encounter such a dangerous situation right after entering the World End''s River region. An eighth-grade and three sixth-grade Dukes... This was truly an extravagant lineup. Even the Others they encountered in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm could not compare. Just who would dare to act against them? World End''s River City was full of dragons and snakes that mingled together. There were bloodthirsty Dukes everywhere, but even if they were crazy rogue cultivators, would they not look to profit from their actions? Their group had just entered this place and did not possess any treasures, so why would rogue cultivators attempt to rob a Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li flying ship? "Are they from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao?" Li Luo wondered. In the Spiritual Resonance Cave, he had essentially caused a blood feud between him and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. After that, the Divine Tiger King from their bloodline had clashed with Li Jingzhe. In the end, it was only with the Divine Phoenix King and the Dragon''s Blood Lineages Lineage Chiefs intervention that things were resolved. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao''s reserves could easily dispatch a group of such strength to ambush him. "Or could it be Qin Lian from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing?" That mad woman hated his entire family intensely. If she had the opportunity to do so, she would definitely kill him. Both parties had their own motives and were equally suspicious. Furthermore, the opponents before them had taken measures to hide their identities. Even their resonant power undulations were masked, which was not too difficult to do for Dukes. As he thought about all this, Li Rouyun pushed out with a single palm, and a gentle power ejected the trio outwards. She then turned and immediately began fighting, attempting to tie down the pursuers. However, after a moment, killing intent welled up within him. She had unbelievable potential and was a member of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li; how could he let go of such an opportunity? If she were to cultivate another two or three Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds, he wouldn''t be her match even as a sixth-grade Duke! This would undoubtedly be a threat to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing! With this in mind, the sixth-grade Duke''s gaze turned merciless. He no longer dared to hesitate, and the six Duke Bergfrieds above him trembled. It was then that a titanic archaic rune emerged from each one of them. The Duke''s Worldspace Domain was the signature of a high-grade Duke, whilst the Duke''s Spirit Insignia was that of a middle-grade Duke. "Duke''s Spirit Insignia, Four Poles Golden Pagoda!" After the six Spirit Insignias rushed into the sky, they teleported forward and appeared above the trio, transforming into a golden pagoda. The pagoda descended, bringing down massive pressure upon them. Jiang Qing''e''s gaze fell. She had a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, but she was still a first-grade Duke. As a result of the large gap between her and the opponent, she could feel a significant sense of oppression. "Li Luo..." Before Jiang Qing''e could finish speaking, Li Luo grinned at her. "You can''t tell me to run away first." Jiang Qing''e fell silent before she nodded. "Let''s go together, then." The Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried that was as dazzling as a glass mural burst forth with even more radiant light, and all of the light resonant power in the world surged towards her. Li Hongyou smiled as well. "Let''s go." She formed a hand seal and blood flowed from her fingertips before quickly drawing two runes in the air. "Crimson Heart Golden Seal!" A single seal was shot into Jiang Qing''e''s body, strengthening her resonant power. Since her Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit had reached the lower ninth-grade, Li Hongyou''s Golden Seal had increased in efficacy. The other Golden Seal landed on Li Luo. The effect on him was even greater than on Jiang Qing''e. Strands of crimson light flowed within his body. It was then that Li Luo sucked in a deep breath and transmitted his thoughts into his red bracelet. "Five-Tails, time to wake up and fight for our lives!" Chapter 1208: Dragons Fang Guardians Chapter 1208: Dragon''s Fang Guardians The slumbering Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf was awoken by Li Luo, though it was still a little muddle-headed. It had just assisted Li Luo in beating a third-grade True Devil and was still recuperating. The sudden awakening caused the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf to feel a little annoyed. "You brat! Youre getting a little too irritating. You''re only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, how do you keep getting into these sticky situations? What sort of strong opponent did you encounter now?" Li Luo responded with an amused voice, "Nothing too amazing, just a sixth-grade Duke, that''s all." "Sixth-grade Duke!" The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s shocked cry caused the crimson bracelet to shake. It couldn''t help but stand up in the sealed space. It quickly spread its senses out into the world and finally noticed the outrageous energy undulations coming from the sixth-grade Duke suppressing the group. Even the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf almost had its hairs stand up in fright as it roared, "Brat! Don''t you think you''ve been acting a bit too brazenly? A Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier brat managing to aggravate a True Devil is one thing, but now you''re fighting a sixth-grade Duke? Don''t you think you''re a little too crazy?!" Li Luo explained, "I didn''t have a choice. I wasn''t the one looking for them, they were trying to ambush me!" The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s roar caused the space to tremble. "I only have the strength of a second-grade Duke. What can I possibly do against this opponent? If you want to die, can you just release me first!?" The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf truly felt weary. It simply couldn''t count the number of times it had been forced into Li Luos fights. Alas, the stakes and results had gotten more and more excessive and now he was even being forced into a fight with a sixth-grade Duke?! If it had that sort of strength to begin with, it wouldn''t be stuck with him at all! Li Luo felt a little embarrassed at this point. It did seem that he was asking a bit too much from the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf. However, everyone was simply on the same boat at the moment, and if something happened to him, the wolf wouldn''t be able to survive either. "I can''t beat a sixth-grade Duke! Really! Think of another plan!" the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf roared as it abandoned itself to despair. Li Luo sighed upon hearing its words. "I thought that our friendship had transcended boundaries after all these years." The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf snorted in its head. Who would want to be this brat''s friend? Let me out of here and see if I stay! Li Luo''s voice continued, "I originally wanted to let my grandpa release your seal once I entered the Duke Stage. I was headed to the World End''s River to find opportunities for you. Although spirit beast cultivation does not require constructing Duke Bergfrieds, there are Foundational Spirit Treasures that can be of great aid to you." The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf fell silent as it asked suspiciously, "Brat, when have you ever been so kind?" "Brother Wolf, you''ve followed me for many years. Haven''t you realized how I treat the ones around me?" Li Luo grinned. The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf did not retort. Ever since it had been forced to journey with him, it had gained an understanding of his personality. Furthermore, it understood how terrifying Li Luo''s talent was. In the future, he wouldnt lose out to even his fiancee. And so long as he did not die young, he would likely walk the Path of Ascension to the end as well. A Transcendent Duke was an expert that stood at the peak even amongst other experts. With this relationship, it could even return to the Heavenly Wolf race one day. Additionally, Li Luo was from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, who had a great relationship with the dragon race. The worst part was that it had worked with Li Luo for too many years and the cost to itself had been immense. If it gave up now, wouldn''t that be a waste of all its efforts so far? With this line of thought, it sighed helplessly. At the rate Li Luo was provoking stronger and stronger enemies, it had doubts that it would live long enough to see his rise. The opponent was a sixth-grade Duke this time. Perhaps the next time it would be a King? Just like in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. Thinking of this, the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s hairs stood on end. Even so, its strength began to unceasingly flow into Li Luo''s body. "Brother Wolf, you are true to your friends." Although the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf had clearly launched into an outburst earlier, it would always help out in a time of need. Whilst Li Luo was gathering power from the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf, Jiang Qing''e had taken action. The Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried above her head shone with radiant light, akin to a gigantic sun as it rose into the air. Light resonant power churned in the skies above, illuminating the entire area. A storm of energy kicked up once again, this time leaving rifts in the void around them. The golden pagoda, on the other hand, was being pushed back, and the suppressive force keeping them in place disappeared. The sixth-grade Dukes eyes were full of disbelief. The scene before him was unimaginable. He was a sixth-grade Duke and he had actually been blocked by a first-grade Duke and a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier junior? Had the younger generation surpassed him? For a moment, he doubted his own strength. During that brief moment of disbelief, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e glanced at each other and abandoned any thoughts of continuing. They knew that their resistance was short-lived and that even with their strongest moves, they could only block and not triumph over their opponent. It was foolish to think they could actually chase this Duke away. Li Hongyou hurriedly retreated with the pair as well. When the sixth-grade Duke realized that they were fleeing yet again, his face turned green. If he were to let Li Luo go, Qin Lian would likely rip him apart. "Be suppressed!" The Duke immediately formed a hand seal with both hands, and his six Duke Bergfrieds began to rumble. Pillars of dense energy descended upon the golden pagoda, causing it to shine brilliantly. The base of the pagoda began to push downwards yet again, shattering both the sword of light and the black dragon made of sword energy. As it continued to fall, the entrance to the pagoda locked on to the trio, who were doing their best to retreat. In the depths of the golden pagoda was a torrent of golden light that began to churn. An explosive roar could be heard as though a devastating blow was being prepared. A few moments later, the sixth-grade Duke pointed outwards and shouted, "Heavenly Golden Mysterious Water!" Golden light shot out of the mouth of the pagoda. The light exuded an aura of sharpness and contained golden liquid. It was like a golden river was rushing towards the trio. The golden river pierced through the air like a ten-thousand-meter-long sword, slicing through everything in its path. Clearly, this Duke was no longer holding back. He had utilized his mightiest move to bring an end to things. The golden river churned as it split the sky. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s gazes turned gloomy. This Duke was simply too strong. Even if they worked together, it would be too difficult to win. They glanced at each other yet again. It seemed as though the only way forward was to delay for as long as possible. They were extremely close to Heavenly Dragon Peak now, and if the people there could discover this disturbance, they would dispatch experts to investigate. Right when the two had resolved themselves to bitterly hold on, they heard the booming of ancient drums. The entire world shook in tandem with the beat. The trio glanced towards the source of the sound, then they saw a sudden wave of energy burst upwards before them, covering the horizon like endlessly rolling clouds. Amidst the clouds were countless figures who were approaching in formation through the skies. Everything seemed to tremble before their march. As the extremely powerful army crossed through the sky, a deep and loud voice boomed from afar. "Vagrant scum, you dare to cause trouble in front of Heavenly Dragon Peak? "Dragon''s Fang Guardians, assemble!" The loud command was followed by a beam of gigantic blade light. The presence of that blade energy seemed to sweep everything in its wake away, and it struck the golden river. Bang! The heavens and earth shook and golden droplets fell. Chapter 1209: Retreating Enemy Chapter 1209: Retreating Enemy The golden rain poured down upon the earth. When it landed, each drop created a black hole across the landscape. The holes were smooth, as though they had been punched by a sharp object. Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and Li Hongyou were gathered together, doing their best to resist the rain. Their eyes were all focused upon the marching legion that was approaching them from the clouds. There were thousands of them, and their energies were fused together, as though they were utilizing a form of Harmony. The only difference was that the energy undulations far surpassed those of the Twenty Banners by countless times. "It''s the Dragon''s Fang Guardians!" Li Hongyou shouted in relief. They had held off the opponent for long enough and had managed to attract the attention of Heavenly Dragon Peak. The best part was that the one coming to assist them was none other than the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. This was the true army that belonged to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, so the trio could be said to be safe now. Li Luo''s gaze narrowed as he observed the army that gave off a fierce aura. His heart trembled. This was the first time he was seeing the Dragon''s Fang Guardians in the flesh. They were the reason why the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was an indestructible existence. His gaze focused on the front of the group, where he saw a robustly built man clad in black armor. His dragon wings were flapping behind him. His expression was icy and solemn, resembling Li Jingzhe. In his hand was a dark-red halberd, the surface of which was filled with the scars of battle. This was truly a veteran of countless battles. He cut a solitary figure, each breath like a dragon''s roar, causing the immense amount of condensed energy from the Dragon''s Fang Guardians to fluctuate. An invisible sense of pressure could be felt from him despite the long distance. In just this short moment, Li Luo understood who the black-armored individual with a halberd was. Dragon''s Fang Guardians, Guardian General Li Foluo. The man then cast his gaze towards the group, and he immediately asked them, "Who are you? Why are you attempting to fight before Heavenly Dragon Peak!?" His voice resounded like thunder across the firmament. He just happened to be training with the Dragon''s Fang Guardians in a field and had sensed the battle unfolding. Due to the proximity, he had rushed over to investigate. At the same time, Li Foluo glanced into the distance where an even more shocking exchange was occurring. There seemed to be an eighth-grade Duke fighting as well. Li Luo knew that he had to hurriedly declare his identity, so he swiftly took out the Green Nether Hall Master''s plaque. A green light shot forth from it towards Li Foluo. "I am the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Green Nether Hall Master, Li Luo. Guardian General Li Foluo, hear my command, please slaughter these invaders. They are of unknown origin and have tried to intercept and kill us!" Li Luo shouted gravely. Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com Since he had not entered the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, he would have to use his identity as the Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall to explain things. Although the Dragon''s Fang Guardians did have high authority and were independent of the four halls, in terms of rank, the Hall Master position was higher than that of the Guardian General. The situation was dire, so he had no choice. This smile that seemed to ridicule her caused Qin Lian to feel absolutely incensed. She slapped downwards, and burning resonant power that resembled magma slammed towards Ox Biaobiao''s melting body. At the same time, a fiery poison pervaded his bones. "Qin Lian, is that you? Only you would act so madly and stupidly, unable to accomplish even a simple task," Ox Biaobiao said calmly. Clearly, the leading figure would not retort to Ox Biaobiao''s probing words. Without much reaction, she waved her sleeves and her resonant power shot into the sky, causing all the smoke to vanish. This was the signal to retreat. Now that their attack had failed, staying behind would only lead to an encirclement by Heavenly Dragon Peak. She transformed into a beam of light, escaping into the distance. The Dukes who had tied down Li Rouyun and were facing off against Li Foluo immediately dropped everything they were doing and attempted to escape. "You want to run? Leave one behind!" Li Foluo''s gaze turned ferocious and he formed a seal with a single hand. The halberd that had taken the form of a crimson dragon immediately transformed back into a weapon. It then pierced through the air, heavily crashing towards the Duke. The Duke immediately directed his Duke Bergfrieds to form a defensive wall to protect him. Bang! The skies shook, and a deep scar was left on the six Duke Bergfrieds. Meanwhile, the Duke quickly waved his sleeve, looking to escape at all costs. Unfortunately, an almost illusory figure explosively shot through the air at this point. It was a nail made of light. Its speed was immense and the light resonant power that flowed across its surface amplified its penetrating power. It viciously punched a hole on the sixth-grade Duke''s forehead. The killing blow was too sudden, and this had happened right as Li Foluo had struck him as well. Thus, the nail had managed to pierce through his defenses. The sixth-grade Duke spewed out a mouthful of fresh blood and roared in pain. He had no intention to remain behind any further. Borrowing the aid of his blood essence, he activated a secret art and transformed into a stream of bloody light that vanished into the distance. In just a few breaths of time, he completely disappeared and any semblance of his aura was gone. If it weren''t for the destroyed scenery that lay in ruins all around them, the battle wouldve felt like a mere trick of the mind. Li Foluo raised his hand and his halberd returned to his grasp. After which, he glanced in surprise towards Li Luo''s position. There was a young lady floating in the sky. She had an incredibly beautiful and exquisite countenance that no one could match. However, the dazzling and glazed Duke Bergfried above her was even more shocking than her beauty. "What? A Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried?!" A commotion broke out yet again among the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Their looks of utter surprise were focused on the ethereal beauty. A Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried was, after all, rarely seen. Who was she? Just when had such an unparalleled talent appeared in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li? Countless questions arose within their hearts. Chapter 1210: Concise Introductions Chapter 1210: Concise Introductions While the Dragon''s Fang Guardians were stunned by the sight of Jiang Qing''e''s Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, Li Luo had rushed over to Ox Biaobiao''s side. Ox Biaobiao was standing on top of a shattered mountaintop at this point. Most of his flesh and blood had been incinerated and his white bones were completely exposed. It was a truly sad and horrifying sight to behold. There were also signs of the flaming poison corroding his bones. "Uncle Biao, are you ok?!" Li Luo asked with a worried face. Ox Biaobiao heaved a deep breath of burning-hot air. His face was twisted and he looked really miserable. "Damn it, she sure is vicious." At the next moment, Li Rouyun landed beside them as well. She felt her heart ache while looking at Ox Biaobiao''s injuries. With a wave of her sleeves, an icy resonant power shot towards Ox Biaobiao''s body and attempted to resist the domineering flaming poison. "Luckily, this is nothing compared to the injuries I sustained back in the day. My Duke Bergfrieds were shattered and I nearly lost my life back then," Ox Biaobiao said. Li Luo was a little apologetic about this. "I didn''t expect to get you hurt again while escorting me, Uncle Biao." Ox Biaobiao took a look at him. "What''re you saying? I''m glad that I decided to come along on a whim. If it were anyone else, they may not have risked their lives to hold back that eighth-grade Duke." If Ox Biaobiao had thought of backing down, they would definitely have been unable to withstand the attacks from the eighth-grade Duke. Without him holding her back, she would have reached the trio and they would have been dead for sure. Hearing this, Li Luo''s eyes turned dark. "Who were those people? Why did they try to kill us? What were they after?" Although the World End''s River Region was a chaotic place, the assassins were clearly prepared. An eighth-grade Duke and three sixth-grade Dukesthey were definitely not a random group of rogue cultivators. Besides, which rogue cultivators would dare to attack a flying ship from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li? What benefits would they get out of it? They did not have any valuable treasures with them. "They used Masking Spiritual Incense to hide their identities. The resonances that we saw may not be their actual ones either. Masking Spiritual Incense is an extremely valuable treasure that ordinary rogue cultivators couldnt get their hands on easily," Ox Biaobiao said as his eyes turned furious. "I think theyre linked to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing or the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao." Li Luo frowned when he heard this. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had a long history of grudges with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Both sides shared a common border and fights often broke out there. Moreover, Li Luo had caused one of the talents from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao to suffer greatly at the Spiritual Resonance Cave, so their Elders surely hated the mere mention of his name. Therefore, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao definitely had a reason to come after his life. Li Foluo looked over at Li Luo for a moment when he heard this. As everyone watched him in awe, Li Luo smiled. "Elder Brother and Second Sister, you have gotten stronger too." He was paying much more attention to Li Jingtao, as he could sense an unexpectedly powerful aura coming from him. "Im doing alright, I''m just an eight-pearl now. I wanted to break into the nine-pearl tier, but I failed," Li Jingtao answered embarrassedly. "Who knows why this lazy bum wanted to show off for once? He wanted to aim for something so difficult. Don''t you know that even Li Qingfeng failed to do so?" Li Fengyi added on bluntly. Li Luo smiled a little. "It''s good that his goal is high now. Elder Brother may have failed this time, but he''s gotten an important experience. His resonant power has increased too. If he gets another opportunity in the future, he may succeed." At this point, Li Fengyi glanced over his shoulder. She looked directly at the two ladies behind him, especially the beautiful Jiang Qing''e. Even she was captivated for a moment before she smiled playfully. "Brat, where did you get these two beauties from? I''ve never seen them in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. How are they related to you? Answer honestly!" Li Luo grinned a little. Since you asked for it, I won''t be shy. "The main reason for my trip to the Heavenly Origin Ancient College was to fetch my fiancee." Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao were stunned to hear this. "Fiancee? Which one?!" Li Fengyi''s eyes lit up. She could not stop herself from scrutinizing Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou. It was fine when she focused on Li Hongyou, but when she turned to Jiang Qing''e''s eyes, she inadvertently had to look away. This girl was extraordinarily bright and dazzling. She had such a magnificent presence that even Li Fengyi was hesitant to stare directly. In a certain sense, she felt more stress looking at her than even Li Foluo. Besides, Jiang Qing''e had revealed her Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried earlier. Such talent was a legend even within the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies. Even though she knew that her Third Brother was a good catch, she had not expected his fiancee to be so exceptional. How was he worthy of such a great fiancee? Li Hongyou smiled a little and shook her head when she noticed Li Fengyi''s eyes. Jiang Qing''e also gave Li Luo a stare before she walked up. She stood beside Li Luo and smiled warmly at the curious Li Fengyi. "Im Jiang Qing''e. Greetings, Elder Brother, Second Sister." Li Fengyi''s eyes grew larger when she heard this. So, our Third Brother really got himself such a great fiancee?! Chapter 1211: Li Zhiqiu Chapter 1211: Li Zhiqiu Li Fengyi was at a loss for words after hearing Jiang Qing''e''s self-introduction. By her side, Li Jingtao and the others were also staring in surprise. The charming girl in front of them was really Li Luo''s fiancee?! Li Fengyi swallowed a mouthful of saliva. She turned over and asked Li Luo, "You didn''t bribe someone to set this show up, right? If thats what you did, I''m going to beat you up." Li Luo chuckled. "Sister Qing''e and I have already paid Grandfather a visit." Finally, Li Fengyi was convinced that her youngest brother wasn''t lying. She stared curiously at Jiang Qing''e. "Back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, Miss Qing''er mentioned that you''re much more outstanding than her. I thought she was being too humble, but it seems like she told the truth." Hearing this, Jiang Qing''e''s eyes moved a little. Miss Qing''er? Is she referring to Lu Qing''er? She has come to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent as well? From the side, Li Luo explained in a hurry, "Qing''er has gone to the Golden Dragon Mountain. Previously, she passed by the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent and we happened to meet." Jiang Qing''e nodded quietly. She did not say another word. At this point, Li Fengyi finally digested the shocking news. She did not hold herself back anymore now that she knew about her new sister-in-law and grabbed onto Jiang Qing''e''s arm passionately. "Qing''e, you''re too beautiful. You''ve even reached the Duke Stage at such an early age and constructed a legendary Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. How did my youngest brother get so lucky to have you?" "Second Sister, you think too highly of me. Li Luo is just as talented as me. He''ll definitely obtain a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried in future too," Jiang Qing''e softly answered. She was not the type of person who would get close to people easily, but she could sense the sincere joy from Li Fengyi. As such, she did not mind her being so close. Li Fengyi felt even happier as she took in the stunning beauty that was Jiang Qing''e. "The Fairy of Water Qin Yi is well known for her beauty in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. However, she will surely be blown away if she ever sees you, Qing''e." Jiang Qing''e smiled a little. She was self-aware, but she was never one to show off. Her priority had always been the sword in her hand and her desire to strengthen herself. Li Fengyi continued to ask about the matters between Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, and Jiang Qing''e answered truthfully. "I grew up with Li Luo. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan are both my masters." Li Fengyi exclaimed and commented with a grin, "Oh! Childhood sweethearts! So sweet." The two people that Li Luo had brought were a great addition to their team. "We will be in your care, Guardian General," Li Luo said with a smile. Since he still held the position of Hall Master, Li Foluo did not have any authority over him. However, things would change once he entered the Dragon''s Fang Guardians officially. "Strength is king in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. If you have the ability to do so, you can get any position you want, including mine as the Guardian General," Li Foluo said indifferently with a stern face. He had a cold personality that not many could get along with. However, Li Luo actually preferred such people to those who said one thing but meant another. "Let''s go back to Heavenly Dragon Peak. We need to report this assassination attempt so it can be investigated," Li Foluo said. The others had no objection to this. Besides, Ox Biaobiao was injured and needed to rest. Just as they were about to move out, multiple streams of light flew towards them from the distance. A group of people appeared in front of them. One of the individuals walked out of the group and asked, "Li Foluo, what happened here? We detected some strong energy waves." Li Foluo frowned a little when he saw this person. This individual was wearing a starry silver robe and he had a magnificent presence. A golden earring shaped like a dragon hung from his earlobe. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e froze for a moment when they saw him. Their memories surfaced within their minds and their faces turned cold. This was the Dragon''s Blood Lineage Duke that had visited the Xia Kingdom with Li Rouyun in the past. He had arrived before Li Rouyun and tried to cheat Li Luo of his Heavenly Emperor''s Writ. Back then, he had a confrontation with Jiang Qing''e, who had ignited her Heart of Light. He had injured her as well. Although the injuries werent serious, he had pushed her into a more precarious situation after her sacrificial ignition of the Heart of Light. It was none other than... Li Zhiqiu. Chapter 1212: Identity Exposed Chapter 1212: Identity Exposed Li Zhiqiu. Li Luo stared coldly at the Duke that had just arrived. After the incident back in the Xia Kingdom, he had left with Li Rouyun and he had not seen Li Zhiqiu since then. It seemed this fellow had been transferred over to Heavenly Dragon Peak. What a coincidence. The last time they met, he was with Jiang Qing''e too. Li Fengyi had noticed that there was something off about Li Luo. As such, she whispered and asked, "What''s the matter?" "Back when Aunt Yun visited the Xia Kingdom to bring me back, Li Zhiqiu was with her. We had a little conflict back then," Li Luo explained. Li Fengyi was surprised to hear this. "He is the inspector of Heavenly Dragon Peak sent by the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Currently, he''s a seventh-grade Duke. His younger brother is the Guardian General of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, Li Zhihuo. But you don''t need to worry about that. He is not part of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, so your Green Nether Hall Master title holds greater authority than him. When he sees you, he''ll need to bow to you." Li Luo''s eyes twitched a little. The Guardian General of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians was the younger brother of Li Zhiqiu? It seemed like he was pretty influential after all. Li Foluo watched indifferently as Li Zhiqiu made his way over. "Earlier, some individuals attempted to assassinate the Green Nether Hall''s Hall Master and his group. We have already forced them to retreat. Since you are here, Inspector, may I trouble you to investigate this matter?" "The Green Nether Hall''s Hall Master?" Li Zhiqiu was taken aback. He had been in Heavenly Dragon Peak for close to two years, so he wasn''t aware of the changes in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Based on his memory, the Green Nether Hall''s Hall Master position had always been left empty. "This is the Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall, Li Luo," Li Foluo answered as he pointed at Li Luo. Li Luo looked back at him and said in an indifferent tone, "I didn''t expect to meet you again, Li Zhiqiu." Li Zhiqiu was stunned for a while when he saw Li Luo''s face. He frowned and asked in disbelief, "It''s you?" Clearly, he remembered what had happened in the past. How did this brat become the Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall? His strength is clearly not fit for such a position. Is the Dragon''s Fang Lineage going crazy? What''s the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage thinking? Doesn''t he always follow the rules? Li Zhiqiu''s face turned stiff. Previously, he had rushed over to meet Li Luo before Li Rouyun as he wanted to trick him out of his Heavenly Emperor''s Writ. He might not have been able to use it for himself, but he could have handed it over to the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage for a reward. Unfortunately, Li Luo had not fallen for his trickery. "And a lower ninth-grade Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance. With the addition of these two, the strength of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians will increase significantly." Li Zhiqiu took a look at Li Hongyou. The latter was not as shocking as Jiang Qing''e with her Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, but he understood the gigantic impact such a rare and precious support resonance could bring. His heart trembled a little. The Dragon''s Blood Guardians had been the strongest amongst the Five Guardian Armies for years. His younger brother had been eyeing the position of the Grand Guardian General as well. Now that Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou had come into the picture, how would things change? Li Zhiqiu did not want things to go awry. After all, the position of Grand Guardian General was connected to the Lesser Sacred Seeds. Their lineage had poured endless amounts of resources into Li Zhihuo for this purpose. "I''d like to congratulate the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, then." Li Zhiqiu''s heart was torn, but a smile remained on his face. Li Foluo smiled lightly and nodded. Meanwhile, Li Luo was enjoying himself as he observed the changes on Li Zhiqiu''s face. Suddenly, he felt a stare coming from the group of people that were following Li Zhiqiu. Li Luo followed the gaze and saw a familiar, beautiful face. Li Hongli. She had joined the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. However, Li Hongyou''s gaze did not stop at Li Luo for long. After hearing a certain name, she felt a little shocked and then looked over at Li Hongyou. Looking at the vaguely familiar face, memories surfaced in her mind. The shock in her eyes grew stronger and stronger. Li Hongyou had noticed Li Hongli earlier, but her eyes remained calm. She knew that this was bound to happen after she came to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. She just did not expect it to be so soon. She had not even entered Heavenly Dragon Peak, yet she had already met a familiar face. "Hongli, what''s wrong?" Li Zhiqiu asked curiously when he noticed the dumbfounded Li Hongli. He was about to leave at this point. Then he noticed that Li Hongli was staring straight at the girl with the lower ninth-grade Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance. "Sister Hongyou, is it really you?" Chapter 1213: Dispute Chapter 1213: Dispute Li Honglis words roused many surprised gazes from the crowd. When they looked at Li Hongli and Li Hongyou, they realized that they looked pretty similar. "Li Hongyou, Li Hongli..." When Li Fengyi repeated the words, she finally caught onto it. She asked in astonishment, "Are... are the two of you sisters?" If Li Hongyou was Li Honglis sister, that meant she belonged to the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Why was she joining the Dragon''s Fang Guardians? Li Zhiqiu was also taken aback for a moment. He turned and asked, "Hongli, you know her?" Li Hongli stared at Li Hongyou with a puzzled look. She hesitated for a while before answering, "She... she''s my sister. However, she left the Dragon''s Blood Lineage with her mother a long time ago. There was no news of them all this while, and I never expected to meet her here." "She''s the daughter of Cousin Yuanzhen?" Li Zhiqiu was surprised to hear it. This wasnt all that unexpected as Li Yuanzhen had multiple wives. Naturally, he had quite a number of sons and daughters. However, the only ones who had been acknowledged officially were Li Hongque and Li Hongli. He had never seen or heard about Li Hongyou. Li Foluo frowned as he listened to their conversation. So Li Hongyou is Li Yuanzhen''s daughter? Why does she want to join the Dragon''s Fang Guardians? The Dragon''s Blood Guardians will surely make a mountain out of a molehill over this matter. At this point, a light flashed through Li Zhiqiu''s eyes and he smiled warmly at Li Hongyou. "So you''re a member of our family, Niece Hongyou. Come, Ill take you home now. Hongque and Hongli are both in the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. I will pass the message to Cousin Yuanzhen. He''ll surely be excited to hear about you." This was truly a pleasant surprise. Originally, he thought that Li Luo had brought back two pieces of good news for the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Who would have expected that one of them was related to the Dragon''s Blood Lineage? Although Li Hongyou was not as impressive as Jiang Qing''e, she was still in the later stages of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. She was just a step away from the Duke Stage and had the lower ninth-grade Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance. This made her far superior to her peers. Li Hongyou looked back at them with an emotionless face. "My mother and I cut all relations with Li Yuanzhen after we left the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. We are no longer family." Everyone was stunned to hear this. Even Li Foluo and Li Fengyi looked at her in shock. There must have been a story behind all this that they were unaware of. Li Zhiqiu frowned. "Hongyou, what are you saying? You''re the daughter of Cousin Yuanzhen. This is a fact that can''t be changed." Then his tone got a little softer as he continued, "I don''t know what happened to you over the years, but it''s completely natural for you to feel angry. Don''t worry, I''ll bring Cousin Yuanzhen over and he will surely compensate you for your hardships." Li Hongyou''s eyes turned icy when she heard that name. Her mouth twitched a little and she smiled mockingly. "I''ll give it a second thought if he can bring back my mother, who died from overworking." Li Zhiqiu was fuming at this point. This brat was brandishing his position of Hall Master as a weapon. Although he was young, he held a higher position; this was truly frustrating. Li Luo laughed out coldly. "If you have any objections, you can ask Li Yuanzhen or your Lineage Chief to go speak with my Lineage Chief directly. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians will not take orders from anyone else." Li Zhiqiu''s face was completely pale. "Are you trying to worsen the relationship between the Dragon''s Blood Guardians and the Dragon''s Fang Guardians?" "What a joke! Do you expect us to go against our Lineage Chief because of your words? What do you think we are?" Li Luo rebutted without backing down. "This matter is out of your hands. You should keep yourself out of it!" Li Zhiqiu laughed angrily. "Excellent... Just wait and see! The Dragon''s Blood Lineage will not let this slide." He knew it was pointless to argue any further, so he waved his sleeve, and a huge amount of resonant power surged up, dragging Li Hongli and the others away with him. After Li Zhiqiu and the rest had left, Li Foluo and Li Fengyi took a look at each other. They had no idea that Li Luo would start an argument with Li Zhiqiu and the Dragon''s Blood Lineage right after coming to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. "Hall Master Li Luo, you''ve certainly brought us quite a bit of trouble," Li Foluo said. Li Luo smiled. "Guardian General Li Foluo, you wouldn''t want to hand such a talented person over to the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, right?" Li Foluo shook his head. "I definitely welcome her. However, Li Zhiqiu will definitely create a ruckus out of it. Besides, the Guardian General of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, Li Zhihuo, is his brother. Our groups will definitely not get along moving forward." "Did we get along well in the past?" Li Luo asked. "Not really," Li Foluo replied. "You just need to accept us into the army. I will handle all the other matters. Besides, this is something my grandfather has agreed to. If the Dragon''s Blood Lineage wants to argue over it, they will have to bring it up to him directly." "Since the Lineage Chief has agreed, we will follow accordingly," Li Foluo said. Li Luo nodded. He then turned around to take a look at Li Hongyou, who was clenching her fists tightly. He told her in a serious tone, "Senior Hongyou, don''t worry about it. No one can take you away from the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. I can promise you that." Li Hongyou looked back at him with eyes of gratitude and nodded lightly. Following this, they did not hang around any longer. They flew into the sky, and after an hour or so, a majestic and huge mountain came into view. They had arrived at Heavenly Dragon Peak. Chapter 1214: Heavenly Dragon Peak Chapter 1214: Heavenly Dragon Peak A long and awe-inspiring range of mountains sprouted from the ground like a coiling dragon. The mountains were full of steep peaks that reminded one of the intertwining fangs of a dragon, extending as far as the eye could see. In the middle of the mountain range was a gigantic peak that towered above the rest and pierced the skies. On it was a majestic city that shone like a heavenly palace. Streams of light arose from its core and formed a huge layer of light that covered the entirety of Heavenly Dragon Peak like clouds. From afar, it resembled a dragon''s scales, continuously flowing with piercing light. Energy undulations could be felt from the layer of clouds, and even a high-grade Duke seemed insignificant when compared to it. Clearly, the entirety of Heavenly Dragon Peak was covered by a terrifying defensive ward! When Heavenly Dragon Peak appeared in Li Luo''s field of view, Li Fengyi excitedly gave a quick rundown to the three newcomers. "This mountain range is known as Heavenly Dragon Peak. The majestic city you see before you is Heavenly Dragon City. It is the result of the combined efforts of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s ancestors, who had carved it out from a river of blood and countless battles, finally establishing a place for themselves in World End''s River Region. This is the foundation of our existence here. With Heavenly Dragon City as our base, we have erected a Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation, which is capable of blocking even Kings. It possesses unimaginable might, and it is with this ward that Heavenly Dragon Peak remains standing despite the Stygian Rain of Calamity. It is also a location where rogue cultivators come to seek shelter from the disasters that occur regularly here. Within Heavenly Dragon City is also a renowned location named the Heavenly Dragon Arch. That is where many rogue cultivators and experts gather and choose to exchange information or cooperate with each other. Most importantly, it''s where they go to exchange Foundational Spirit Treasures for ones that suit them better. Haha... do you know that the fee to enter Heavenly Dragon City is so expensive that it would make my hand shake?" Li Luo nodded absentmindedly as he focused on the mysterious, fragmented cloud layer that resembled a dragon''s golden scales. It was tens of thousands of meters wide and the entirety of Heavenly Dragon Peak was within its sphere of influence. The moment they stepped into its range, specks of golden light that could barely be seen by the naked eye descended from the skies. Although the golden light did not possess any killing power, it seemed to possess the power to detect. This was probably a method used to identify and counter the Others. The moment an Other stepped into its range, the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation would sense it. "Even the pressure of the World End''s River is blocked by it." Li Luo raised his head. The feeling of pressure that had been bothering him had completely vanished, allowing him to inadvertently sigh in relief. This was the might of a Heavenly Emperor power. They were able to create a sacred line that was undefiled by the Others despite being in the middle of a dangerous region. As the group continued to chat with each other, they crossed over numerous mountains, rivers, and forests before finally arriving at Heavenly Dragon City. Only when he was close did he realize the sheer size of the city. Xia City seemed puny when compared to this. Li Luo sighed in amazement when he sensed countless strong energy undulations that mostly belong to Dukes. Li Foluo gave him a deep look. "The Five Guardian Armies do not allow for external strength when it comes to contesting for positions. Strength is king, and this is an ironclad rule set by the Ancestor." He had clearly heard about Li Luo possessing the ability to tap on a spirit beast''s strength and had thought that he was planning to rely on it. Li Luo nodded and expressed his understanding. "So youre saying you plan to beat a Duke when youre only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier?" "It''s not against the rules, right?" Li Luo asked. Li Foluo fell silent for a few breaths of time. "You are the previous generation''s Dragon''s Head. There are many amongst the Dragon''s Fang Guardians who know of you and respect you greatly. If you wish to fight for that position, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians should approve. However, there is an event called the Ceremony of Ascent where all the Five Guardian Armies gather and exchange pointers. As a new position holder, you may attract the challenges from the other four armies. The Dragon''s Blood Guardians will not let you off so easily, especially after seeing Li Hongyou''s situation. If you wish to stand out, it will give them a chance to retaliate. Thus, I advise you to lay low for a period of time. After you enter the Duke Stage and form your Duke Bergfried, you can attempt to take the position." Li Luo took in his words and gave Li Foluo a sincere smile. "Guardian General, you are kind and you are indeed giving good advice... however...I simply don''t have the time to endure quietly." He had a helpless expression on his face. He had come to the World End''s River Region to temper himself and break into the Duke Stage at the quickest possible speed. What he needed was challenges and not to retreat. Furthermore, the higher his position in the Five Guardian Armies, the better the remuneration and the more opportunities there would be. Climbing steadily did not suit him. Li Foluo stopped speaking when he heard his response. He turned a little expressionless, clearly a little overwhelmed by these two prickly thorns. He finally turned towards Li Hongyou with a numb expression. "What about you?" When she saw the face he was making, she couldn''t help but beam at him before shaking her head. "I''ll follow your advice." This answer finally caused his expression to soften. He brought the group into Heavenly Dragon City and headed towards the Dragon Fang Gate. At the same time, he gave a command to Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao. "Recall the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Let them know that... two little ancestors have arrived." Chapter 1215: Heavenly Dragons Five Treasures Chapter 1215: Heavenly Dragon''s Five Treasures Just as Li Luo and the rest had arrived at the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, Li Zhiqiu had furiously returned to the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. He went straight to a vermillion mountain in the center of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians'' assigned area. On it stood a tall and upright tower. This was the Dragon''s Blood Pavilion, where the most powerful of them resided. On the highest level stood a few people with their hands placed behind their backs, observing the drill grounds below where the soldiers trained and competed. The most eye-catching in the group was a male garbed in scarlet robes. He had a heroic aura, and as he swept his gaze across the field, he emitted a breathtaking sense of pressure that struck awe in everyone who saw him. The man was not considered all that handsome, but his eyebrows were like swords, giving off a sharp and mighty aura that gave him a unique charm. This was none other than Li Zhihuo, the Guardian General of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. Beside Li Zhihuo was a tall and slender lady. Her hair was pinned up, not covering an inch of her gorgeous face. However, her chin was a little pointed, causing her to give off a cold and harsh temperament. This was Li Hongque, Li Hongyou''s motivation for entering the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. The upper echelons of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians were currently watching over the training below. Li Zhihuo suddenly raised his head and looked at the group that had just flown in. When he felt a familiar aura, he smiled. "Elder Brother, seeing that you''ve come to the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, is there something urgent you wish to talk about?" Li Zhiqiu and the rest landed in front of him. "Want to guess who I just met?" Li Zhiqiu asked with an ugly expression. The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) Li Zhihuo had a confused look on his face as he shook his head. "Li Luo," Li Zhiqiu replied. "Li Luo?" Li Zhihuo repeated as he pondered over what he was referring to. "Are you talking about Li Taixuan''s son, the one who returned from the wilds? It heard that he managed to become the Dragon''s Head in his generation and the Dragon''s Blood Lineage was suppressed to the point that they couldn''t even raise their heads. Since he is at Heavenly Dragon Peak, is he planning to join the Dragon''s Fang Guardians? Elder Brother, are you planning to use him to motivate us?" At the same time, Li Hongque indifferently said, "Hes just a minor character of the younger generation. Even if his talent is even more amazing than we think, he cant act wildly in the Five Guardian Armies. This is not the playground of children like the Twenty Banners. If he wants to rise up, he can come back in a few years." Li Luo''s generation was, frankly, unqualified at the moment. They could be considered to be at the bottom of the food chain amongst the Five Guardian Armies. This was not a place that cared about one''s personal status. Only strength mattered, and no matter his identity, he would just be another soldier. Even the likes of Li Qingfeng and Li Hongli were undergoing tempering at the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. This was something that was unavoidable for all of the geniuses in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. They had served their time as well. Li Zhiqiu then continued, "Li Luo has already reached the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. He is one level above his peers like Qingfeng and Hongli." At this point, Li Hongque was a little taken aback. "Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier?" Even the most outstanding member of the Dragon''s Blood Lineages younger generation, Li Qingfeng, was only at the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier, at the Illusory Seal-grade. Li Luo had clearly left him in the dust. Li Zhihuo was also surprised and gave a slight smirk. "As expected of Li Taixuan''s son. His cultivation speed is so fast that it gives rise to envy." Li Hongque pouted. "The Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier merely puts him at the middle level in the Five Guardian Armies." "Elder Brother, did you come here just to tell us that?" Li Zhihuo was confused. Li Luo entering the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was nothing strange. Even though he was the Dragon''s Head and had reached the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, that wasnt enough to make him stand out all that much. After seeing his numerous achievements and his talent, none would doubt him. However, it would be several years before he could rise to the point where he was capable of influencing the Five Guardian Armies'' rankings. That individual would be capable of clashing with a King! In order to promote competition amongst the Five Guardian Armies, the Ancestor had mandated that if two Guardian Armies were to battle, the winner could take away the loser''s mythic armament. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians Light and Dark Spear had been lost in such a battle years ago. If an urgent situation arose, they could request to borrow the weapon. Alas, the mere thought of it was frustrating, having to beg someone else for their own possession. Thus, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians had constantly been thinking of ways to retrieve the Light and Dark Spear. Li Zhihuo stretched his hand out, and the center of his palm flickered. A long spear appeared in his hand, its shaft covered in scars that had accumulated over time. Even so, its tip remained keen and it possessed a chilly glint and sharpness. Upon closer inspection, there were even blood stains. The long spear spun lightly in Li Zhihuo''s grasp, constantly leaving behind rifts in the void despite the casual action. It seemed as though it could pierce through the firmament with a single thrust. Li Zhihuo fiddled with the Light and Dark Spear and gave a shallow smile. "I have only won the Light and Dark Spear out of the five. This can''t be compared to how domineering Li Taixuan was. He possessed four mythic armaments! Who could compare?" That said, he waved his hand. "The girl with the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried will be a great enemy to the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. However, I don''t believe we have to worry about her. The Path of Ascension is not an easy one, and constructing a single Duke Bergfried doesn''t mean that she will be able to maintain her progress. Perhaps she has already consumed all of her potential. As we''ve seen in the past, it is not unprecedented for one to shine brightly in the beginning but taper off shortly after." At the Duke Stage, every Duke Bergfried one constructed consumed their potential. At some point, their potential would be fully consumed and they would no longer be able to progress. This was why Foundational Spirit Treasures existed. They were capable of reducing the consumption of one''s potential and allow one to progress further on the path of cultivation. Li Zhiqiu nodded before he turned towards Li Hongque. "Li Luo actually brought back another girl who plans to enter the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." Li Zhihuo''s expression turned stiff. "Elder Brother, couldn''t you have said all this in one go?" Li Hongque smiled coldly. "It looks like the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Third Young Master is a romantic one. Is he planning to turn the Dragon''s Fang Guardians into his harem?" Li Zhihuo then asked, "She couldn''t possibly also have a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried too, right?" "Of course not. Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds aren''t like cabbages you can pick off the ground. She is at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, but she has a lower ninth-grade Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance." "Lower ninth-grade Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit, you say?" Li Zhihuo sighed lightly before he helplessly continued, "Dragon''s Head Li Luo is truly causing trouble for the Dragon''s Blood Lineage." Although the individual with the Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance was not a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried Duke, her utility could not be scoffed at, especially since she was at the late stages of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. If she completed her breakthrough and reached the Duke Stage, her influence on the battlefield would be extraordinary. Li Zhiqiu then continued, "We might not be able to poach Jiang Qing''e, but we will have to try to win over the one with the Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance. At the very least, we can''t leave her in the hands of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." "Why?" Li Zhihuo felt a little unconvinced. "Her name is Li Hongyou," Li Zhiqiu explained. "Li Hongyou?" Li Zhiqiu paused for a moment. The name sounded very familiar, so he turned towards Li Hongque. Her expression had started off a little suspicious but gradually morphed into one full of iciness. Is her name truly Li Hongyou?" Li Hongque asked in a tone that could even chill ones bones. Li Zhihuo didn''t understand why, but it was then that Li Hongli piped up and helplessly sighed. "Elder Sister, you didn''t hear wrongly. She was the one who left us. That Elder Sister Hongyou." Li Hongque''s expression was like ice and her gaze flickered with fury. "What do you mean Elder Sister Hongyou? She is just a despicable slave. She hasnt contacted us in so long that I assumed she was dead. Who would have thought she''d dare to come back and even join the Dragon''s Fang Guardians? What does she plan to do? Disgrace our family further? Cause others to mock our father? That cheap bitch! I chased both her and her mother out of the family all those years ago, and now they dare to scurry back to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians?" Chapter 1216: Trap? Chapter 1216: Trap? When faced with Li Hongque''s sudden fury, Li Zhihuo felt a little surprised. However, he understood something from her words. "Is Li Hongyou Cousin Yuanzhen''s child?" Li Zhihuo asked as he looked at Li Hongli. Li Hongli hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Her mother was one of Father''s concubines. When she was young, her mother took her away and left the Dragon''s Blood Lineage to lands unknown." Li Zhihuo now knew what was going on. Li Hongque had spoken like she had chased the mother and daughter away, and not so much that it was a willing departure. The conflict between the two parties likely ran much deeper than he expected. Judging by this, it seemed unrealistic that they would be able to poach her. Perhaps Li Hongyou had joined the Dragon''s Fang Guardians precisely to take revenge on Li Hongque and Li Yuanzhen. "A lower ninth-grade Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance? If she breaks into the Duke Stage, she will definitely cause a lot of trouble for the Dragon''s Blood Guardians," Li Zhihuo remarked dryly. "Hmph! Does she think that breaking into the Duke Stage is easy? What sort of cultivation resources do you think that lowlife earned on her own? I bet she cant even afford a low-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure!" Li Hongque snorted coldly. Li Zhiqiu helplessly shook his head. "A lower ninth-grade talent lacking a Foundational Spirit Treasure shouldn''t have too much trouble constructing a Duke Bergfried. At the most, she will just have to consume some of her underlying potential." The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) He knew that Li Hongque was unhappy, which was why he had spoken harshly about Li Hongyou. Li Zhiqiu then turned towards Li Zhihuo. "If you can''t get Li Hongyou to join the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, then you definitely cannot let her remain in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. The Dragon''s Blood Guardians might be stronger than the Dragon''s Fang Guardians now, but we must act with caution. They have the addition of a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried Duke, and more variables might appear in future. Thus, we need to do our best to reduce the odds of something unexpected happening." His expression turned cold as well. Their family had paid a heavy price, all in order to push Li Zhihuo into the position of Grand Guardian General. They held great hopes for him, and perhaps with the aid of the Lesser Sacred Seed, he would become a high-grade Duke and possibly advance into the King Stage. The investment he had received was a huge gamble, so how could they let their plans be ruined so easily? Li Zhihuo saw Li Zhiqiu''s serious expression. He understood where he was coming from, and he fell silent momentarily before asking, "What do you plan to do, then?" "Even if Li Hongyou does not agree, the blood of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage flows in her veins. That is an unchangeable fact. From the ancient times till today, just when has someone from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage joined the Dragon''s Fang Guardians? I will transmit news of this back to the lineage and also inform Cousin Yuanzhen. He is Li Hongyou''s father, so he will naturally discipline her. At that time, we can exert heavy pressure and at the very least force her out of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." Li Hongques expression turned ugly when she heard those words. "There is no need to inform my father. I''ll visit this wretch myself and give her a piece of my mind and force her to leave. If she takes the initiative to leave the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, then so be it. If she holds onto an illusion of being able to stay, I wouldn''t mind ending her with my own two hands." This was an ugly secret of her family, and if it were to be revealed to the world, Li Yuanzhen would similarly be displeased whilst the Dragon''s Blood Lineage would become the butt of everyone''s jokes. Li Zhihuo thought about it momentarily before tactfully reminding her, "It would be great if you could speak to her first. There is no need to be overbearing. Itll be good if she joins the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. Remember, everything is for the guardians." As the Guardian General, he would naturally want to recruit talented individuals. He wouldn''t mind if Li Hongyou was willing to be used by him. Seeing Li Zhihuo attach so much importance to the recruiting of Li Hongyou caused Li Hongque''s eyes to turn even more icy. That said, she did not retort, merely clenching her fists as she nodded. Li Hongli sighed in her heart. She understood her older sister''s temper much too well. She had always treated Li Hongyou and her mother arrogantly. The Guardian Generals request for Li Hongque to lower herself and invite Li Hongyou into the Dragon''s Blood Guardians was, frankly, never going to happen. Li Hongyou had been invited to join the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, which showed that Li Luo had taken action as well. She had once looked down on him, but she no longer dared to at this point. Li Luo carefully sized them up. He noticed some familiar faces as some of them were elites from the Twenty Banners. Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, Mu Bithe three who had followed him in the Green Nether Bannerwere also there. Their gazes met Li Luo''s and looks of excitement stirred on their expressions. However, Li Foluo was strict with his men, so they did not dare to make a single sound. "Greetings, Guardian General!" the entire field of ten thousand cried out in unison, their joint voices booming like thunder and causing the ground to quake. On the field were several stone steps, each one with a stone seat. Clearly, the one at the top belonged to the Guardian General. Beneath him were two seats, and two people were already occupying them. Further beneath them were another four individuals. Those seats naturally belonged to the Dragon Fang Envoys and the Four Grand Commanders. As Li Foluo led the trio down, his stern face didn''t reveal any trace of emotion. At the same time, he did not delay and went straight to the topic at hand. "There are some new arrivals to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. I have called you all to see them. However, things are a little different today." Li Foluo pointed towards Li Luo. "This is Li Luo. I believe many of you have heard of him. He is the Dragon''s Head of the most recent generation and has aided the Dragon''s Fang Lineage in obtaining prestige after countless years of being trodden upon. I believe none of you have anything to say about his contributions?" Numerous gazes turned towards Li Luo. A moment later, they cupped their fists and respectfully saluted him with a bow. Li Luo was a little astonished by this sudden action, but just as he was about to speak, Li Foluo explained, "The Five Guardian Armies are one entity, but competition is stiff. You have led the Green Nether Banner to suppress the other four lineages and have also won much honor for the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Thus, this deserves our bow." Li Luo could only helplessly receive this. "Now you are part of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, and you have expressed your interest in becoming a Grand Commander even though you''re only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. Li Foluo then turned towards the four and continued, Now, out of the four of you, who is willing to relinquish their role?" Li Luo felt his scalp turn a little numb. Li Foluo clearly had a rock for his brain. What Grand Commander would casually hand their position over to a newcomer? He was basically stirring up trouble with his question! Just as Li Luo felt a little helpless yet again, awaiting the four Grand Commanders'' fury, the four of them briefly glanced at each other. A moment later, the one sitting at the end stood up and let out a hearty laugh. "Dragon''s Head Li Luo, if you feel that the position of the fourth Grand Commander is not too low, then I''ll temporarily give my seat to you." Li Luo stared at the man who had given up his position in surprise. This all felt a little unbelievable. Wasn''t this too easy? Was this a trap? Chapter 1217: Fourth Grand Commander Li Luo Chapter 1217: Fourth Grand Commander Li Luo In the field, Li Luo was looking at the beaming male who had just given up his position. For a moment, he did not know how to react. He had assumed that he would encounter some obstacles after arriving and was even prepared for an arduous battle today. After all, in the Green Nether Banner, he had to establish his dominance through violence to intimidate the rest and consolidate his power. But someone had just directly given up his position in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians? Things were progressing so smoothly, he wondered if there was a plot abound. Perhaps he was looking to retreat only to take advantage of the situation before advancing yet again? When faced with Li Luo''s surprise, the man couldn''t help but smile. He took two steps forward and explained, "My name is Li Jian, and I''m the Dragon''s Fang Guardians'' Fourth Grand Commander. I''m a lower first-grade Duke. There is no need to feel confused over this, Dragon''s Head Li Luo. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians may prize strength over everything, but we also recognize one''s contributions and achievements. We have not underestimated your importance in leading the Green Nether Banner into becoming the leader amongst the Twenty Banners. After all, the only other person who had managed such a feat was your father, Li Taixuan. "When news of you becoming the Dragon''s Head reached our ears, everyone was ecstatic. They felt that they could see the shadow of your father within you. During his time, Li Taixuan elevated the guardians to their most glorious era, having managed to win over four of the five mythic armaments. He was like an unstoppable force that struck awe in everyone. Under his guidance, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians were the leaders of the Five Guardian Armies. Every Guardian General after him has looked up to him. Unfortunately, our strength was not up to par, and our generation is a little too weak; our Light and Dark Spear was lost to the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. Thus, you represent a beam of hope for us, so we don''t mind helping you out. If you feel that the position of the Fourth Grand Commander is not too low, then please take it." Li Luo finally understood. It seemed that his reputation had preceded him and it was because of what he had achieved in the Twenty Banners. It seemed that Li Jian and the others in front of him were acting kindly because they also saw it as a form of investment. To that, Li Luo could only say that the Dragon''s Fang Guardians truly lived up to their reputation. Their sights lay much further into the future when compared to those in the Twenty Banners, and it was no surprise they had managed to become Dukes. Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m "Thank you, Elder Brother Li Jian." Li Luo sighed in his heart. Li Jian represented the goodwill of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians towards him, and he would naturally not reject it. Now that he had been able to achieve his goal effortlessly, he knew that he would have to fight even harder on behalf of them in future. Alas, this group was still unaware that if they wished to pin their hopes on someone, perhaps Jiang Qing''e would have been the better option. After all, no matter how one looked at it, embarking on the Path of Ascension meant that she possessed even more shocking talent. Unfortunately, Li Jian did not know all this, instead smiling as he stretched his hand out to shake Li Luo''s hand. He then pushed him on to the Fourth Grand Commander''s seat. It was at this point that the other three Grand Commanders looked at him, nodding in assent. This was a position just second to Li Foluo. Both of them were veterans of countless battles with numerous achievements and undeniable strength. There was no chance one of them would give up their position solely because Jiang Qing''e was Li Luo''s fiancee. Even though Jiang Qing''e had a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, she was still a first-grade Duke, so things would not be as simple. Thinking about this, Li Foluo turned towards Jiang Qing''e. Jiang Qing''e, on the other hand, remained unfazed and took a step forward, attracting the eyes of everyone in the field. A hint of amazement could be seen in the eyes of everyone. Her looks impressed most of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, causing their eyes to light up in delight. After all, a girl with such temperament and beauty was rarely seen. But she was so outstanding that the numerous members only dared to stealthily size her up. As she had taken the initiative to step up, the rest could finally observe her in peace. At the same time, Li Foluo''s voice rang out. "Jiang Qing''e, as per the Lineage Chief''s special approval, you have one opportunity to battle someone for their title. I hope you will take advantage of this and not waste it." Jiang Qing''e took in Li Foluo''s final reminder but did not pay much attention to it. Instead, she turned to face the two stone seats directly under his. At the same time, her calm voice rang out. "I choose to battle for the position of Dragon Fang Envoy." Li Foluo closed his eyes as the entire field erupted into shouts, helplessly sighing. These unrivaled geniuses were simply too wild and out of control. It seemed they would have to be beaten down before they were willing to listen! Chapter 1218: Jiang Qinges Challenge Chapter 1218: Jiang Qing''e''s Challenge Chapter 1218: Jiang Qing''e''s Challenge The field erupted into a furor despite Li Foluo''s strict management of the guardians. It was unbelievable that Jiang Qing''e would directly choose to contest for the position of Dragon Fang Envoy. Seeing someone challenge the two envoys despite just entering the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was rare. It was important to note that Left Dragon Fang Envoy Luo Jiang was an upper third-grade Duke and Right Dragon Fang Envoy Li Changfeng was a lower third-grade Duke. Both had undergone countless bloody battles in the World End''s River Region and had bountiful combat experience. Their techniques and cultivation foundation were not weak either. They had defeated numerous rogue cultivators of their own level and were high-ranking figures even when taking Heavenly Dragon Peak as a whole. Meanwhile, Jiang Qing''e was just a youthful newcomer. Just what did she have to dare to challenge them? Although everyone was impressed by her looks, she would have to demonstrate her strength and take one of their seats through force. Whilst the crowd was still in an uproar, Jiang Qing''e did not say anything. Sacred light flowed around her and then boundless amounts of light resonant power burst out of her. A single towering Duke Bergfried quietly materialized within the radiant light. The surface of the Duke Bergfried was like glazed glass, almost like an exquisite work of art. The ten golden pillars around it gave off an abstruse sort of charm as it devoured worldly natural energy. The entire field turned silent and shocked expressions surfaced on everyone''s faces. They could only stare blankly at her Duke Bergfried. "This is..." Some were so taken aback that they could barely speak. "Ten golden pillars?!" "This is the legendary Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried!" "My God, Im actually seeing a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried in person?" "She has such demonic talent! Which sacred god is this young lady the reincarnation of? How did she end up coming to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians?" The appearance of a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried triggered another round of commotion from the audience. Those who had entered the Dragon''s Fang Guardians could be considered the elites of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and had access to much more information than normal people. Thus, they understood what this represented. Even within the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies, it had been several generations since such a genius had appeared. Although a single Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried was merely the starting point of the Path of Ascension, it also represented that her body contained exceptional amounts of talent and potential. Thus, everyone understood why this youthful lady before them had the confidence to directly fight for the role of Dragon Fang Envoy. "Do your best, Sister Qing''e!" Li Luo cheered. Jiang Qing''e slightly nodded as she rose into the air. When both parties were in position, Li Foluo waved his sleeve, and light began to rise from all corners of the field, eventually forming a gigantic shield made of light that covered the area. This was a measure to protect the area around them; it also isolated them from prying eyes. After all, there were many people in Heavenly Dragon City that werent members of the Five Guardian Armies, including numerous rogue cultivators. Li Changfeng glanced at Jiang Qing''e''s beautiful face as he said in a deep and calm voice, "Miss Jiang, you have unlimited potential, so having you in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians is our fortune. Logically speaking, it would be fine for me to give up my position of Dragon Fang Envoy, but it looks like you do not wish for this concession." He understood her intention very well. She had to demonstrate her power, and no matter how rare someone like her was, strength was still king. Thus, Li Changfeng knew that he had been designated as a stepping stone for her. That said, he was not angry. As a veteran of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, he always looked at the bigger picture. He understood the benefits that she would bring them in the future. She was merely a first-grade Duke today, but who could guess how far she would go? What if her second Duke Bergfried was also a Ten-Pillar one? Even Li Foluo would be hard-pressed to hold an advantage over her then. Her potential was terrifying. Thus, for the sake of strengthening the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, Li Changfeng was willing to be a stepping stone for her. However, this did not mean that he would go easy on her. He believed that she wouldn''t need him to do so in order to eke out a victory. Just standing before her, he could feel the pride hidden behind her indifferent expression. No one was qualified to go easy on someone on the Path of Ascension. Thus, Li Changfeng''s expression turned solemn and he swung his golden staff. The air shook and dark-yellow resonant power blasted into the air. As the majestic amounts of resonant power buffeted the skies, three towering yellow Duke Bergfrieds began to ravenously devour worldly natural energy. Behind him, yellow sand raged across the sky, and a gigantic figure took shape inside it. It partially resembled a dragon and partially a rhinoceros. Frightening fluctuations of energy could be felt coming from it. Upper eighth-grade Rhinoceros Dragon resonance. Upper eighth-grade sand resonance. Chapter 1219: Jiang Qinge vs Li Changfeng Chapter 1219: Jiang Qing''e vs Li Changfeng A sandstorm swept across the battlefield when Li Changfeng activated his resonant power. The sand came from his resonance and contained the power of corrosion. It was powerful enough to trap an ordinary first-grade Duke. Unable to escape, they would gradually have their resonant power eroded over time. All the Dragon''s Fang Guardians watching the fight had serious expressions as they sensed the tremendous pressure coming from the battlefield. The resonant power from a third-grade Duke was extremely terrifying. How was a first-grade Duke going to stand up against it? The members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians were very familiar with Li Changfeng. They knew about his numerous battle achievements. In the past, he was chased by two Dukes, one second-grade and the other first-grade. In the end, the second-grade Duke was severely injured and managed to retreat. The first-grade Duke, on the other hand, lost his life in the battle. Even with a perfect Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, it was unclear if Jiang Qing''e''s strength would exceed that of a second-grade Duke. This was something that even Li Foluo had no answer to. "Miss Jiang, I will warn you again. I''m not going to hold back. Watch out!" Li Changfeng''s deep voice echoed. Then he waved his sleeve, and waves of yellow sand swept up. Duke Art: Yellow Sand Miasma! The sky turned dark immediately and a yellow sandstorm blew directly towards Jiang Qing''e. This was a Communion-grade Duke Art. Its grade wasnt all that high, but the Grand Commanders were horrified as they watched the battle. They knew that this was Li Changfeng''s signature move. He had mastered it when he was at the Heavenly Resonance Tier, and after so many years, he had cultivated this Duke Art to the Grand Perfection Realm. The sandstorm swept across the battlefield like a disaster. Any Duke who got caught in it would have their senses dulled. At the same time, the yellow sand would gradually erode their resonant power. The yellow sand contained a kind of poisonous miasma. If one accidentally breathed it in, the yellow sand would invade their blood and they would feel as if a thousand needles were piercing their body. In the hands of a true Duke, even an ordinary Communion-grade Duke Art possessed terrifying power. The yellow sandstorm charged directly towards Jiang Qing''e. Everyone watched without batting an eyelid as holy light began to dazzle on Jiang Qing''e''s snow-white skin. At the next moment, an endless amount of light resonant energy shone out from behind her. Three figures of light that resembled Jiang Qing''e appeared behind her. From afar, it looked like she had duplicated herself thrice. The three figures were made of an extremely pure light resonant energy. The worldly natural energy in the surroundings roared to life, and a humongous amount of light resonant power condensed. It all turned into a light vortex that spun around the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. Then the holy light resonant power shone out brightly across the whole battlefield. Jiang Qing''e was like a goddess of light, and the immense light energy kept the terrifying sandstorm at bay. Everyone watched in shock. They exclaimed in surprise when they saw the three figures behind her. "Those are.... Spirit Avatars?!" "Light Spirit Avatars? Three of them?!" "She... she has three ninth-grade light resonances?!" At this moment, everyone was staring at her in disbelief. They had all seen ninth-grade resonances before, so they knew what the three light figures behind Jiang Qing''e represented. However, it was the first time they had seen three ninth-grade resonances on the same person. On top of that, all three ninth-grade resonances were light resonances. This was extremely rare. Li Changfeng''s face was very serious. The three Duke Bergfrieds behind him sucked in worldly natural energy ceaselessly. It turned into a long river of resonant power, and a humongous figure materialized within it. It was a giant dragon. However, the dragon''s body was short and its head had a sharp, yellow horn that seemed capable of piercing through the sky. This was the Rhinoceros Dragon, a creature with formidable might. The Rhinoceros Dragon rode along the resonant power river and soared into the sky. It circled around the sandstorm staff, letting out a draconic roar that reverberated in the air. The faces of all the Dragon''s Fang Guardians changed immediately when they saw this. "Is Master Changfeng going to use that?!" "That is a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art! It''s his strongest skill!" The Grand Commanders were beginning to look worried as well. Li Changfeng really wasn''t going to hold back with this strike. This was the art that had nearly taken the second-grade Duke''s life back then. "That fool. He better not injure the other party critically. She''s the hope of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians!" Xia Yu, the First Grand Commander, sighed helplessly as she watched. Second Grand Commander Li Shanlan and Third Grand Commander Li nodded in agreement. Xia Yu glanced at Li Luo. Surprisingly, he was completely calm. He didn''t seem nervous at all. She asked jokingly, "Grand Commander Li Luo, how are you related to Miss Jiang? She wouldn''t run away so easily, right?" Li Luo smiled, understanding what they were worried about. "She is the disciple of my parents. She''s also my fiancee." Hearing this, Xia Yu and the other Commanders were stunned. They could feel emotions surging up in their hearts. They had not expected Jiang Qing''e to be the disciple of Master Taixuan... Furthermore, she had such a close relationship with Li Luo? Wasn''t she already spiritually part of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians in that case? Bang! As they talked, Li Changfeng pushed himself to his limits. The muscles in his arms bulged out as enormous amounts of resonant power rushed through them. Then an explosion erupted like thunder. Green veins popped up on his skin, like he was attempting to move a giant mountain. As his bulging, muscular arms were pushed to the limit, the giant staff roared in the air. This art was so large, it covered the sun completely. It then fell directly onto Jiang Qing''e. As the giant staff descended, the whole earth shuddered violently. "Miss Jiang, if you can survive this strike, I will hand over the Dragon Fang Envoy position willingly!" Li Changfeng said with a thunderous voice. "This strike is known as... The Eight Desolations!" Chapter 1220: Radiant Divineflame Heavenly Ring Chapter 1220: Radiant Divineflame Heavenly Ring Bang! Heaven and earth shook violently when the shadow of the giant staff covering the sky fell down. The Grand Commanders present felt their scalps turn numb as they watched the battle, not to mention the ordinary members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. If they didn''t know that the strike wasn''t targeted at them, they might have fled from the scene in fear. "Guardian General, Li Changfeng is being reckless. Miss Jiang is an unrivaled talent. If he causes any damage to her foundation, it will be a great loss to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians," Luo Jiang, the Left Dragon Fang Envoy, told Li Foluo as he looked up and watched the terrifying attack. Li Foluo''s face remained cold. "She is the one who requested this battle. Each of us has to be responsible for our own choices." "In that case, why have you taken your Dragon Fang Insignia out?" Luo Jiang responded with a laugh. There was a plaque in Li Foluo''s hand at this moment. It was marked with a giant dragon with its maw wide open. It seemed like the dragon could devour anything. What was most notable was its fangs, which seemed to possess an unparalleled sharpness. It was the commanding token of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Li Foluo could use it as a catalyst to direct the entire Dragon''s Fang Guardians as a singular entity. It allowed him to reach a state akin to the state of Harmony used in the Twenty Banners. The reason he had pulled it out was so he could jump in and rescue Jiang Qing''e if required. He was clearly not acting as coldly as his words made him out to be. However, Li Foluo''s mouth twitched a little as Luo Jiang revealed his intentions. He glared at Luo Jiang and said, "If you don''t want to be a Dragon Fang Envoy, I can let Jiang Qing''e replace you immediately." This brat really had no sense. How could he read his leader''s mind like that? The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) Luo Jiang immediately gave up and replied with a smile, "Guardian General, it looks like you dont think Jiang Qing''e can endure Li Changfengs attack." Li Foluo frowned. "A Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried is very rare, so I don''t know exactly how powerful it can be. Regardless of that, there is a gap of two grades between them, so we need to take the necessary precautions just in case. Jiang Qing''e is also Li Luo''s fiancee, and our Lineage Chief thinks highly of her. If something goes wrong here, we won''t be able to bear the consequences." "Oh? Jiang Qing''e is Grand Commander Li Luo''s fiancee?" Luo Jiang was surprised to hear this. He assumed they were pretty close since Li Luo had brought her to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. However, he did not expect their relationship to be this exceptional. "It seems like Grand Commander Li Luo is the Dragon''s Fang Guardians lucky star." Luo Jiang sighed. Bringing a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was an even bigger achievement than becoming the Dragon''s Head. As the two of them were speaking, their eyes moved over to the slender figure in the sky. She looked particularly small in comparison to the gigantic staff that was pressing down towards her. However, she showed no signs of retreating. Her presence was spectacular, winning their admiration. Everyone stared without batting an eyelid. The three dazzling light Spirit Avatars behind Jiang Qing''e suddenly shrank. After a few moments, they turned into three holy halos behind her head. The halos circulated around her, and everyone could feel worldly natural energy being absorbed into them. All the energy was then converted into dazzling beams of light resonant power. They were then absorbed into the three divine halos behind Jiang Qing''e, transforming into purified light resonant power. She was truly unrivaled in her own grade. At this moment, the gigantic staff tore through the sky and reached right above Jiang Qing''e, exerting an immense amount of pressure. Even the protective shield casted by Li Foluo was trembling from it. Jiang Qing''e took a deep breath. She calmed down the rigorous resonant power in her body and raised her hands. The golden ring flew up and clashed with the gigantic staff. At the next moment, a soft voice echoed within Jiang Qing''e''s heart. "Radiant Divineflame Heavenly Ring." Bang! The golden ring shook vigorously and emitted an immense, white divine flame. It flew through the sky with a brilliant light energy that could cleanse the world. The divine flame directly tore through the void. Everything it touched was purified into emptiness. It burned like fire, but it was not as hot. It contained extremely concentrated light resonant power that could purify anything in this world. The divine flame clashed directly with the giant staff. The firmament itself appeared to have been ripped apart at the moment of collision. Yet there was no explosion in the air upon contact. There were no terrifying energy storms either. Instead, the golden staff with the ancient Rhinoceros Dragon let out an anguished wail. Then the divine flame purified the art into oblivion in just a few breaths of time. The yellow sand that had wrapped around the golden staff began to melt away. The last bit of flame then surged into the skies. All the spectators were dumbfounded by this result. The golden rod, having lost its spirituality, fell to the ground, creating a huge hole below. In the sky above, brilliant and radiant light eradicated all darkness. A domineering divine ring flew straight towards Li Changfeng. Right before it struck him, it suddenly exploded like a fireworks show. Blinding light broke out, but Li Changfeng did not care about the pain in his eyes. He stared at the slender figure floating in the air in disbelief and revealed a smile of admiration. Although he still had some tricks up his sleeve, there was no need for him to use them anymore. The strength of his opponent was undeniable. It was a blessing for the Dragon''s Fang Guardians to welcome such a genius. Chapter 1221: Congratulating the New Envoy Chapter 1221: Congratulating the New Envoy While the atmosphere was heating up, Li Changfeng''s resonant power gradually subsided. His three Duke Bergfrieds turned into three specks of light and gathered back in his body. Then he held his arm out, and the giant staff flew back into his hand. Cupping his fist, he greeted Jiang Qing''e respectfully. "Miss Jiang, you''ll be our new Dragon Fang Envoy." Hearing this, Jiang Qing''e restrained her light resonant power as well. She looked back at Li Changfeng and said, "Thank you for letting me win. I can still sense the formidable defense all over your body. If I had continued with my attacks, you''d have no problem stopping me." "It''s a battle between a third-grade and a first-grade. If we were at the same stage, that exchange wouldve been pointless." Li Changfeng smiled bitterly. "Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang, with your talent and potential, it wont take you long to become a second-grade Duke. At that point, I will support you if you challenge the Guardian General... but only if you would like to." On the side, Li Foluo''s eyes twitched a little when he heard this. What a traitor! This guy is already changing sides? Luo Jiang laughed secretly. "Guardian General, it looks like the leadership of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians will be experiencing a complete restaffing soon enough." Li Foluo did not show much of a reaction to his comment. He answered indifferently, "If she leads the Dragon''s Fang Guardians back to its past glory and retrieves the Heavenly Dragon Light and Dark Spear, I would not mind at all." He then looked over at the battlefield. A deep and low voice resounded in the air. "Everyone, let''s congratulate our new Envoy. May the Dragon''s Fang Guardians attain new heights!" Everyone watched the slender figure in the air with eyes full of admiration. They cupped their fists, and a loud cheer echoed in the air. "Congratulations new Envoy!" "May the Dragon''s Fang Guardians attain new heights!" Their lively voices reached every corner of the arena. Everyone watched on with awe and passion. Who could have expected that Jiang Qing''e, a first-grade Duke, would manage to push back against Li Changfeng, a third-grade Duke? Was this the power of a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried? Every member of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was considered a genius in their generation. They had seen many talented people, but they had never seen one that was so domineering. This got everyone very excited. With Jiang Qing''e becoming part of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, they had gained a talent with unrivaled potential. In the future, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians would surely regain their past glory. Li Fuling stared blankly at the beauty in the sky as she whispered to Li Fengyi, "She is very impressive. I feel like Li Luo is a little unworthy of her." Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m Li Luo rubbed his hands against the cold plaque. He could sense a special and familiar kind of energy wave inside it. It was... similar to the Heavenly Emperor''s Writ. Clearly, the state of Harmony in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians relied on this special plaque. Without it, no one would be able to mobilize the strength of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. He used to rule over eight thousand banner members back in the Green Nether Banner. However, they would likely pale in comparison to the two thousand guardians under his command now. "I can finally wield such power again." Li Luo felt a sense of relief as he firmly held his plaque. This would allow him to experience the strength of a Duke once again. With two thousand soldiers behind him, he would not need to be afraid of other Dukes when he was out in the World End''s River Region. Li Foluo turned towards Li Hongyou and said, "With Li Hongyou''s strength, she can only lead a thousand guardians. I can arrange for her to be placed under you later on." "Thank you, Guardian General," Li Hongyou said. With the huge commotion caused by Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo, no one paid any attention to the fact that Li Hongyou had gained command over a thousand guardians as well. "Guardian General, what about Brother Li Changfeng and the rest?" Li Luo asked as he looked over at Li Changfeng. "There is a role for everyone in the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies. Anyone who has reached the Duke Stage but holds no position is assigned to the Dragon Reserves. They are also known as the Reserve Dragon Knights. Their power is similar to that of a Grand Commander, but they do not have any authority over the troops. Nonetheless, they can step in and command the troops if there is an emergency," Li Foluo explained. "During the Ceremony of Ascent, Reserve Dragon Knights can challenge any of the Grand Commanders, Dragon Fang Envoys, or even the Guardian General. If they win, they can take that position for themselves." Li Luo finally understood. The Reserve Dragon Knight position was equivalent to a sinecure. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians members that had become Duke would be temporarily placed there. After all, the high-level positions in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians were limited. "What about our salary?" Li Luo asked curiously. Li Foluo stretched out his hand and revealed a golden pearl that was around the size of one''s thumb. Intricate dragon scales decorated its surface along with a faintly discernible dragon carving. "This is known as dragon essence, a unique currency in the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies. It can be traded for Foundational Spirit Treasures, Duke Bergfried Arts, spirit liquids and purifying lights, Duke Arts, mythic armaments, and many more things. Under ordinary circumstances, a Grand Commander receives a thousand of these monthly." "How much does a high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure cost in terms of dragon essence, then?" Li Luo asked. Li Foluo raised three fingers, and a smile appeared on his cold and stern face. "Merely 30,000 dragon essence." Chapter 1222: Scheming Chapter 1222: Scheming "Thirty thousand dragon essence?" Li Luo was left speechless. He would have to serve as a Grand Commander for three years to barely save up for a single one? What if it was a Foundational Spirit Treasure that was even better than a high-grade? Something on par with Jiang Qing''e''s Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotusthat would be the best amongst the best. However, he had no choice. Jiang Qing''e had raised the bar, and he did not want to be left too far behind. Thus, he had to aim for a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried as well. The issue was that forming one had harsh requirements on one''s talent and potential on top of requiring an exceptional Foundational Spirit Treasure. As every Duke Bergfried would consume one''s potential, Foundational Spirit Treasures were critical in mitigating the cost, thus making them absolutely essential. That said, high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures were not very helpful in constructing Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds and thus, Li Luo had set his sights on a top-grade one. Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m Additionally, it seemed that they were quite rare as well. It was only now that Li Luo started to appreciate how precious the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus was. It was no wonder the other four Lineage Chiefs had prevented Li Jingzhe from taking it. To him, it was more important that Jiang Qing''e was safe and sound. Even a more precious Foundational Spirit Treasure could not compare to her life. "Having a salary is just one way of obtaining dragon essence. One can also accept missions to gather more. If you find a low-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure that you are unable to use, you can trade it for dragon essence to obtain a better one." Li Luo sighed. It seemed that obtaining one that would satisfy him was going to be a long and arduous task. "I think instead of worrying about your salary, you should think about how you plan to survive the Ceremony of Ascent. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians acknowledge your achievements in the Twenty Banners and have voluntarily given you a spot, but the Dragon''s Blood Guardians will be looking to humiliate you," Li Foluo reminded him. On top of that, there was the situation regarding Li Hongyou, and the Dragon''s Blood Guardians would definitely not let it rest. There was an eighty to ninety percent chance that the Grand Commander Dukes would attempt to exchange pointers with Li Luo. Li Luo was only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, so the gap was massive. It was no less than the difference between Jiang Qing''e and Li Changfeng. "Guardian General, you can rest assured that I will do my best to prevent the Dragon''s Fang Guardians from losing any face." Li Luo grinned. Li Foluo emotionlessly replied, "It''s not about doing your best, but making sure it doesn''t happen at all! Don''t forget that you''re the Twenty Banners'' Dragon''s Head and your father is Li Taixuan. Your loss won''t only result in you losing face." At this point, he thought of something and paused before continuing, "Tomorrow, both Jiang Qing''e and you can go to the Heavenly Dragon Treasury. According to the rules, newly appointed Grand Commanders and Dragon Fang Envoys can retrieve a treasure for themselves." "Heavenly Dragon Treasury?" Li Luo''s eyes lit up in excitement. "The Heavenly Dragon Treasury is where you can trade for precious treasures, and each of the five lineages sell their exclusive Duke Arts there. Its the only place in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li where one can learn the other lineages signature Duke Arts. However, you can only choose a treasure worth twenty thousand dragon essence at the moment. Remember, this is just a loan and the cost will be deducted from your salary." Li Luo didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry. He hadn''t even received his first month''s allowance and he was already in debt? That said, getting some benefits in advance was not a bad thing. He had seen quite a few Duke Arts that were meant only for the lineage when he entered the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Treasure Pavilion. The Heavenly Dragon Treasury was definitely worth looking at if it contained the Duke Arts of all the other lineages. "Alright, we will end things here for today. You can familiarize yourself with everyone else since you are now an official member of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." That cultivation speed could frighten anyone! Her thoughts churned in disbelief, but her expression remained placid, only respectfully answering, "I understand. I will work harder to cultivate." Qin Lian then turned towards Chu Qing. Her expression softened a little when she looked at her disciple. Li Luo had surpassed Qin Yi, which caused her to feel extremely dissatisfied, but her disciple was exceptionalhe was currently a second-grade Duke. "Both of you can rest, no need to be concerned about me." Qin Lian then headed to the inner courtyard. As Qin Yi watched her mothers departing figure, her gaze flickered, lightly asking, "I could feel Mothers killing intent. What was she doing?" Chu Qing shook his head. "Perhaps she encountered rogue cultivators who could not recognize the sky for what it is." Qin Yi did not respond. However, Li Luo''s face appeared in her mind. Ever since they left the Spiritual Resonance Cave, he had truly surpassed her. His talent was indeed demonic. Once Qin Lian entered the inner courtyard, she opened up a secret chamber and entered. Within was a crystal orb that gave off a glowing light. The light took the shape of a person that gave off boundless amounts of pressure. It was the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s leader, the Grand Palace Master, Qin Jiujie "It looks like you''ve lost," Qin Jiujie said indifferently as he observed Qin Lian. Qin Lian bitterly replied, "Its because I am incapable. Grand Palace Master, please punish me." Qin Jiujie fell silent for a while before asking, "A punishment will be naturally be meted out. Li Jingzhe will inevitably be made aware of your failure and arrive in the World End''s River Region ahead of schedule to serve as a deterrent. Thus, you won''t be able to try again. Li Jingzhe might very well come up with his own conclusions, considering your impatient behavior. Such actions cannot be explained away with a simple answer like your hatred towards Li Luo. Thus, he may suspect that it has to do with the Genesis Seed." Qin Lian''s expression changed. If Li Jingzhe truly found out, then the protection placed around Li Luo would undoubtedly increase by several magnitudes. It would not be easy to seize it from him in that case. "What should we do, then?" Qin Lian couldn''t help but ask. Qin Jiujie''s eyes were filled with an unpredictable light as his faint voice echoed throughout the secret chamber. "So long as Li Jingzhe remains, Li Luo will be untouchable." "Are you saying we should just let the Genesis Seed go?" Qin Lian hurriedly asked. "Who said we were planning to let it go?" His gaze was as deep as the abyss, causing all who saw it to feel fear. "It is Li Jingzhe''s turn to guard Heavenly Dragon Peak in the World End''s River Region. The Stygian Rain of Calamity will be a good opportunity. So long as Li Jingzhe remains, we cannot touch Li Luo. If that''s the case... we will deal with Li Jingzhe first." Chapter 1223: Heavenly Dragon Treasury Chapter 1223: Heavenly Dragon Treasury The next day. Early in the morning, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e went to the Heavenly Dragon Treasury with Li Foluo. "The Heavenly Dragon Treasure Pavilion is located in the center of the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion. All five lineages have appointed inspectors and experts to reside there." The three were soaring high in the sky as Li Foluo explained the rules. "Oh yes, here are your Heavenly Dragon Jades." It was at this point that Li Foluo took out two dark-golden, round jades. Characters were engraved on the jades, and if one looked carefully, they could see their names and their titles on it. In the center of each jade was the carving of a coiled dragon, giving off a sense of mystery. "These are the identification jades of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Once you refine them with your blood essence, you can then enter the Heavenly Dragon Treasury to get a treasure. More importantly, its used to communicate with the other members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." He then turned towards Li Luo. "You cultivated the Draconic Atavism Scripture in order to utilize Harmony when you were in the Twenty Banners. In the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, you only need the Heavenly Dragon Jades to form a battle formation. Its called the Dragon''s Fang Guardians'' Dragon Fang Formation." Now Li Luo understood that there was no need to utilize the Draconic Atavism Scripture in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Simply refining the provided jade allowed everyone to combine their power. This was definitely a much higher-level ability. However, the creation of the Heavenly Dragon Jade was a secret of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. They didnt have the means to create more, which was why each Guardian Army could only have ten thousand members. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e both sent a drop of blood essence into their Heavenly Dragon Jades. Very quickly, a wisp of blood could be seen within the jade, and they suddenly felt a sense of closeness and connection with it. Additionally, if they delved into the connection, they could sense numerous other energies that were connected to theirs. It was clearly the auras of the other Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Jiang Qing''e had not experienced being in the Twenty Banners, so this sort of magical strength was a little wondrous and fascinating to her. Thus, she continued to play with the jade in her hand. Li Foluo then asked, "What do you plan to redeem at the Heavenly Dragon Treasury?" "I want a Duke Bergfried Art," Jiang Qing''e replied without hesitation as she had made her decision earlier. The most important thing to a Duke was their Duke Bergfrieds. As the formation of each one would deplete a person''s potential, no one truly knew how far they could go. Therefore, reducing the rate at which their potential was consumed was the top priority. This was because when they were combined as a single entity, they could even challenge a King! Li Foluo brought the duo to a black building. After making their way through the halls, they came across a gigantic lake decorated with a humongous statue of a coiled dragon. On top of the head of the dragon was an open golden door, with several large words engraved on it that shone brightly. Heavenly Dragon Treasury The three paused outside of the door. There was a middle aged male sitting cross-legged in the doorway, taking note of the individuals going to and fro. "The two of you can go in by yourselves and find what you need. I''ll wait for you outside," Li Foluo said. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e nodded. They flew over to the man guarding the door and handed over their Heavenly Dragon Jades. After a quick inspection, he allowed them to enter. The two exchanged looks full of curiosity before entering the treasury stuffed full of rare items. Once they entered, it seemed as though they entered a different space, and their eyes widened. There were countless tall pagodas before them, each one giving off scintillating light. Atop each of the pagodas was a sign. Treasured Artifact Pagoda, Duke Arts Pagoda, Spirit Liquids and Purifying Lights Pagoda, Bergfried Arts Pagoda... Each one was a dazzling sight to see, demonstrating the rich foundation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. When Li Luo first entered the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, he had entered the Dragon''s Fang Cave, which contained all of the Duke Arts of their lineage. The scene before him made the previous experience seem almost destitute and shabby in comparison! It was clear that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li placed significant emphasis on the Five Guardian Armies. All of the lineage''s unique arts were in these pagodas. There were also individuals from the other guardian armies in the Heavenly Dragon Treasury. When they saw Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, they had looks of shock in their eyes. Most of them were unsurprisingly directed towards Jiang Qing''e as her sheer beauty was stunning. Jiang Qing''e completely disregarded the gazes as she told Li Luo in a low voice, "I''ll head over to the Bergfried Arts Pagoda to take a look." Li Luo nodded and smiled before parting ways. Then he made his way towards the Duke Arts Pagoda. He wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to take a look at how unique the Duke Arts from the other lineages were. Chapter 1224: Dragons Blood Lineage Duke Arts Chapter 1224: Dragon''s Blood Lineage Duke Arts Li Luo was greeted by a dazzling light as soon as he stepped into the Duke Arts Pagoda. Its inside was vast and brilliant. He squinted to acclimatize himself to the brightness. Slowly, the blinding scenery in front of him cleared up. There were rows of towering jade shelves inside the pagoda. There were multiple grids on each shelf, and a shiny jade tablet sat quietly on each grid. The pagodas size indicated that the inside collection was far beyond one''s imagination. Some people were lost in thought amidst the rows of shelves. Without a doubt, they were members of the Five Guardian Armies who had arrived earlier in search of their Duke Arts. The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) Li Luo studied his surroundings curiously. It was the first time he had seen such a huge collection of treasures. Most likely, the majority of them were Duke Arts. This was a truly frightening foundation of their lineages power. He slowly walked through the area and scanned the shelves. He noticed that the shelves had been sorted into the five lineages. Each shelf in a particular area was filled with the Duke Arts of one lineage. He took another quick glance before he closed his eyes and began to ponder over his options. Each of the five lineages'' Duke Arts had their advantages and disadvantages. For example, the Duke Arts from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and the Dragon''s Horn Lineage were more suitable for offense. The Duke Arts from the Dragon''s Bone Lineage and the Dragon''s Scale Lineage were more compatible with strengthening one''s body and defense. The Duke Arts from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage were unique, as they were connected to the purity of the cultivator''s bloodline. It would be very challenging to cultivate a Duke Art from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage if one''s bloodline wasn''t pure enough. It was possible for someone with impure blood to cultivate a powerful Duke Art, but it wouldnt be very effective. However, the same Duke Art would be significantly stronger if the user had a pure bloodline. "The Heavenly Dragon''s Blood..." Li Luo rubbed his chin as he thought about it. He recalled Li Qingfeng using the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art during the battle for the Dragon''s Head. That art had the ability to compare the purity of their blood, and Li Luo had managed to emerge victorious back then. Therefore, he knew that his blood was even more pure than Li Qingfengs, who came from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. "It seems like the Duke Arts from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage would be really compatible with me." Li Luo could not help but grin. He had this thought previously, but since he was from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, he was unable to get his hands on the Duke Arts from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Who knew that this opportunity would present itself in the Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies? Li Luo did not hesitate any longer and made his way over to where the Duke Arts of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage were located. When he entered the outer region of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage shelves, Li Luo casually pulled out a jade tablet. His eyes scanned through its contents. It seemed like the Duke Arts in the outer areas were mainly ordinary ones, at the lower Communion-grade. Li Luo was not interested in these. He continued down the shelves and read through the tablets one by one. Finally, he found a familiar Duke Art. Dragon Blood Art. Upper Communion-grade. One could condense their own blood essence into blood pills that would boost their resonant power. It cost eight thousand dragon essence. Li Luo was really interested in this art because he had experienced its might when he fought Li Qingfeng. There probably weren''t many people in the Dragon''s Blood Guardians with blood more pure than his. Therefore, he could actually use this art to suppress those from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage if he mastered it. It would be really interesting to watch their faces when that happened. However, after some careful consideration, he decided not to take it. Firstly, he did not have enough dragon essence to buy it. Also, this art could be considered really strong but also really weak since it could only be used against people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Furthermore, he would need to get his hands on their blood essence. Li Qingfeng had only been able to pull it off because Li Luo did not have his guard up. Otherwise, it would be a really tricky art to wield, even for Li Qingfeng. Besides, Li Luo thought it was a waste of his time to focus his cultivation efforts on an art that was targeted at people from his own bloodline. His time was too precious to be spent on cultivating an art that solely focused on internal strife. As such, Li Luo gave up on it decisively. However, he did get some inspiration from the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art. He was interested in finding a similar Duke Art that could be applied on a wider scale. With that, he continued to search through the shelves. In the end, he found a Duke Art that had been flipped through numerous times in a corner. Dragon Blood Affliction Art, lower Soul Ascension-grade. One first had to take something that was part of their opponent, like their hair or blood essence. Then the user could infuse their own blood into it to create a Dragon Blood Puppet. The purpose of the puppet was to weaken the targets connection to the worldly natural energy in the surroundings, weakening their resonant power as a result. The effectiveness of this art was proportional with the purity of the users Heavenly Dragon Bloodline. However, this art came with a drawback as well. One would receive a backlash if their blood wasn''t pure enough. If the opponent was much stronger, they would suffer injuries on top of not being able to weaken their opponent''s resonant power. It cost nineteen thousand dragon essence. Li Luo grabbed the jade tablet happily. This was almost a perfect Duke Art for him. It was within his budget and was extremely suitable for someone like him, who frequently fought against opponents at higher cultivation levels. If he could get his hands on his opponents blood essence or hair during battle, he could secretly use this malignant art and weaken their resonant power. This would create a lot more opportunities for him to secure a victory. The main caveat was the ease of receiving backlash. This was probably the main reason why so many people passed on this art. Fortunately, this wasn''t a big issue for Li Luo. After all, Li Qingfeng had shown him in their previous battle that the purity of his Heavenly Dragon blood was exceptional. As such, this was a good choice. Li Luo had made his choice, but he decided to go deeper. He continued to walk towards the end of the shelves, hoping to see what the Destiny-grade Duke Arts of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage were like. As he walked deeper, the number of grids on the shelves became significantly fewer. After a while, there were only three shelves left in front of him. On these shelves were three blood-red jade tablets that radiated a terrifying presence. When Li Luo first entered the building, he sensed a strong wave of energy in the background. He now understood that the source was the elites standing guard in the Heavenly Dragon Treasury. After all, a Destiny-grade Duke Art was extremely precious. Anyone who approached this area would be under watch just in case they tried to do anything funny. Li Luo did not mind being observed. He walked up and stretched out his hand to grab one of the three jade tablets. Suddenly, information flooded into his mind. What he learned shook him, making his gaze heat up. Chapter 1225: Dragon Blood Atavism Art Chapter 1225: Dragon Blood Atavism Art "Great Dragon Nascent Soul Art, quasi-Destiny-grade. Along with other materials, one uses their dragon blood as a catalyst to create a nascent soul. This allows one to raise their dragon resonance that is below the lower ninth-grade by half a grade. Sixty thousand dragon essence. "Dragon Rearing Art, lower Destiny-grade. This requires one to possess a wood resonance. One can inject dragon''s blood into their wood resonance and raise a real blood dragon. This blood dragon can protect the user and even battle the enemy amongst many other uses. Ninety thousand dragon essence. The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) "Dragon Blood Atavism Art, upper Destiny-grade. Allows one to trace back to the source of their bloodline, transforming into a Heavenly Dragon and gaining all of the Heavenly Dragon''s might. 150,000 dragon essence." Li Luo was dumbfounded as he stared at the three crimson jade tablets in front of his eyes. His breathing had become heavier from the inflow of new information. He had come across many enchanting Duke Arts on his way here, but the three scrolls in front of him were in a class of their own. Even the quasi-Destiny-grade Great Dragon Nascent Soul Art was multiple times stronger than the ones he had come across so far. Destiny-gradetrue to the label, each Duke Art of that grade was powerful enough to change one''s destiny. "Increasing all dragon resonances under the lower ninth grade by half a grade..." Li Luo swallowed his saliva. This included the quasi ninth-grade, right? It was truly rare for a quasi-Destiny-grade Duke Art to have such a spectacular effect. Although it was just an improvement of half a grade, the impact was significant. "The Dragon Rearing Art too... It''s unique and requires one to have a wood resonance... Isn''t it perfect for me? As for the Dragon Blood Atavism Art, the Heavenly Dragon energy within my blood is really pure. If I cultivated this art, would I regress into a real Heavenly Dragon?" The last one made Li Luo shake in excitement. He had only experienced a half-dragon state when he borrowed the power of the True Dragon Pill. Back then, his strength, defenses, and speed had experienced an astonishing boost. If the half-dragon state was that strong, how terrifying would a real Heavenly Dragon state be? Originally, Li Luo was very satisfied with the Dragon Blood Affliction Art. However, the three Destiny-grade Duke Arts had shown him how different things could be. It was no wonder the Dragon''s Blood Lineage had always maintained their position as the Mountain Ruling Lineage. Their foundation was truly stronger than that of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Upper Destiny-grade. This was the highest-grade Duke Art that Li Luo had ever seen apart from the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, which couldn''t really be classified. It was said that the Dragon''s Blood Lineage had a real Transcendent-grade Duke Art created by the Ancestor himself. It was only accessible to the five Lineage Chiefs though, so the Dragon''s Blood Lineage did not store it in the Heavenly Dragon Treasury. "I want to take all of them so badly!" Li Luo''s heart was pounding in his chest. After a while, he sighed regretfully. Right now, he did not even have a single bit of dragon essence on hand. Even the Dragon Blood Affliction Art would be taken on credit. No matter how much he wanted the Destiny-grade Duke Arts, it was simply impossible for him to get them. Nonetheless, he now had something to look forward to. Once he had accumulated enough dragon essence, he would come back to take them home. "I am getting my hands on the Dragon Blood Atavism Art no matter what!" Li Luo cheered himself on in his heart. He could pass on the other two Duke Arts, but the Dragon Blood Atavism Art was simply too tempting. He knew that the purity of his Heavenly Dragon Blood was somewhat unmatched, so he felt that this art was a perfect fit for him. Jiang Qing''e sighed a little in her heart. She looked at the last jade shelf at the end of the row. There was a small tree that looked like it was made of glass. The tree was bathed in an extraordinary radiance with a hint of a mysterious charm. The only caveat was that the tree was completely bare. It seemed to have lost all of its vitality. As Jiang Qing''e studied the small tree, her eyes suddenly lit up. She whispered to herself, "Is this... a Divine Spirit Treasure Tree?" Her heart skipped a beat as she reached out for the jade tablet to read up on it. The Divine Spirit Treasure Tree was originally a top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure. However, its origin was corrupted by a True Devil Other, so its grade fell to the upper-grade. Forty thousand dragon essence. "I knew it..." Jiang Qing''e recalled that this Divine Spirit Treasure Tree was extremely rare. How could it be a mere upper-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure? Its origin had been corrupted, which led to its qualities deteriorating. "An item ruined by a True Devil Other... If we can cleanse its corruption, this item will definitely revert to top-grade." Jiang Qing''e eyes flickered and a sense of joy swelled within her heart. This was truly a pleasant surprise. "Forty thousand dragon essence..." Jiang Qing''e took another look at the Divine Spirit Treasure Tree. Now she knew what she had to do. ...... At the same time Li Luo, who was still thinking of the Dragon Blood Atavism Art, was making his way out with the Dragon''s Blood Lineage Duke Art. However, two people appeared in front of him and blocked his path. He looked up and saw a girl and a boy. The girl was clearly the leader of the duo. Li Luo took a glance at the girl with a pointed chin. She looked like the type who was really difficult to deal with, and he could guess her identity. Li Hongque from the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. Li Luo could see some similarities between her and Li Hongyou and Li Hongli. At this point, Li Hongque looked indifferently at Li Luo as she lightly moved her red lips. "Grand Commander Li Luo, may we have a word?" Chapter 1226: Wen Xuan Chapter 1226: Wen Xuan Li Luo stopped in his tracks and looked at Li Hongque with a glint of curiosity in his eyes. This was the first time he had seen the sister that Li Hongyou hated. The three sisters were attractive in their own ways. Li Hongque gave off the aura of a delicate beauty, but her oval-shaped face with a slightly pointed chin gave her the appearance of being a little mean. "I believe this is our first time meeting. We shouldn''t have much to talk about if that''s the case?" Li Luo replied with a smile. Li Hongque stared back at Li Luo. The young man truly was handsome, and his grayish-white hair gave him a special kind of charm. However, her eyes remained cold as Li Luo had truly brought her quite a bit of trouble. If Li Hongyou had joined the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, her family wouldve become the talk of the town in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Their father was surely going to be extremely furious when he learned about what had happened. As such, Li Hongque calmly said, "This may be our first meeting, but I am sure that bitch Li Hongyou has already badmouthed me in front of you, Grand Commander Li Luo." Li Luo frowned a little when he heard this. "Grand Commander Li Hongque, please watch your words. Senior Hongyou has not ridiculed you in front of me. She has only spoken of the history behind the two of you." Li Hongque was so direct that it was making Li Luo feel a little uncomfortable. Even Li Hongli, with her straightforward personality, wasn''t so blunt. It seemed like Li Hongque''s temper was the worst among the three sisters. Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com Anger flashed in Li Hongque''s eyes when she heard this. "Grand Commander Li Luo, I will not waste your time. Li Hongyou is my sister, and she belongs to the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. She cannot join the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. I hope that you can hand her over and let me bring her back to the Dragon''s Blood Lineage." Li Luo responded calmly, "I am the one who brought Senior Hongyou here. I''ll naturally stand by her no matter what. If you want her, ask your Lineage Chief to speak with my grandfather." Li Hongque''s face turned completely dark when she heard this. Who did he think the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage was? Let alone her, not even her father would be able to ask him to do anything. "Grand Commander Li Luo, won''t you give it a second thought? You may be the beloved grandson of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Lineage Chief, but things do not work like that in the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies. If you make Li Hongyou stay in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, the Dragon''s Blood Guardians will not take this lying down." Li Hongque''s attempt at persuasion was faintly becoming a threat. Li Luo took another glance at Li Hongque. He suddenly grinned and replied, "Actually, it''s not totally out of the question. I was just looking at Duke Arts, and one from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage caught my eye. If you can get that for me, perhaps I''ll give it a second thought?" "Which Duke Art?" Li Hongque was delighted when Li Luo softened his stance. However, she was still careful with her words. Li Luo smiled back warmly. "I believe it was the Dragon Blood Atavism Art." Hearing this, Li Hongque''s face froze up immediately. Then she flew into a furious rage. How could she not know about the Dragon Blood Atavism Art as the Grand Commander of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians? It was the most prized Duke Art in the entire Dragon''s Blood Lineage. An upper Destiny-grade Duke Art! Everyone in the Dragon''s Blood Guardians desired it with all their hearts! Behind her was an even prettier girl that Li Luo recognized. Lu Qingmei. "Wen Xuan, why are you such a busybody? How''s this related to the Dragon''s Scale Guardians?" Li Hongque snorted coldly when she saw the two girls. The silver-haired girl was Wen Xuan, the First Grand Commander of the Dragon''s Scale Guardians. Wen Xuan smiled at her. "I simply saw two Dukes blocking the way of a junior. I just couldn''t stand the injustice. What are you going to do, then?" Then she winked at Li Luo and chuckled. "Grand Commander Li Luo, I heard from Little Lu that you helped the Dragon''s Scale Lineages four banners in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. Lets see what Li Hongque will dare to do to you now." Li Luo did not expect the Grand Commander of the Dragon''s Scale Guardians to appear so suddenly. Fortunately, she seemed to be on his side. He gave her a friendly smile and waved to Lu Qingmei. "Banner Leader Lu, it''s been a while." Lu Qingmei smiled back. "You are truly a rule breaker. You caused a huge commotion as soon as you joined the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." It seemed like the news that the Dragon''s Fang Guardians had a new Grand Commander that was only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier had spread across the Five Guardian Armies. Li Luo smiled and turned back towards Li Qingbai. "Can you please step aside? I am afraid something bad will happen to you later if you don''t." Li Qingbai''s eyes turned even colder. "Are you getting cocky just because Grand Commander Wen Xuan is here?" Li Luo sighed. "No, it''s because my fiancee is here. She is not like meshe won''t waste time talking to others." Li Hongque and Li Qingbai were taken aback by his comment. Before they could react, a radiant, blinding light burst forth. The pure and concentrated light resonant power was like a giant sun rising. Along with it, a beam of sword energy filled with light resonant power flew by with indescribable divine and purifying power. Before Li Hongque and Wen Xuan got over their shock, the sword energy struck Li Qingbai directly. He hastily attempted to shield himself with his resonant power, but it was completely purified and disintegrated in an instant. Another second ticked by. Li Qingbai was knocked back pathetically and crashed against the rows of shelves behind him. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Li Hongque, Wen Xuan, and Lu Qingmei slowly turned their heads after they recovered from the shock. An unbelievable beauty was standing in a corner not too far away, a heavy sword in her hands. Her face remained completely calm as she slowly walked over. Chapter 1227: Bet Chapter 1227: Bet The brilliant light resonant power filled up the entire area at that moment. However, what Li Hongque or Wen Xuan were focused on was the youthful lady walking towards them. Her otherworldly demeanor and exquisite features exuded a sense of divinity, and her abstruse, golden eyes added onto that feeling. Li Hongque, Wen Xuan, and Lu Qingmei were all girls who were incredibly confident in their own looks, but when compared to the girl shrouded in light, they couldn''t help but lose a little bit of hope. It was as if all the flowers in the world would lose their color and vitality before her. "What are you doing?" As they were still in a daze, Jiang Qing''e had made her way over and stopped. Her golden eyes were full of combative vigor as she glared at the three of them. When she had first arrived, she saw that Li Qingbai was attempting to obstruct Li Luo with a vicious expression. Thus, she had taken action to get rid of the obstacle. She wasn''t too interested in figuring out the whole story. To her, things were simpleif anyone threatened Li Luo, she''d hit them with her sword. Back when she was only at the Heavenly Pearl Tier, she dared to strike a Duke in order to defend Li Luo. Now that she was a Duke, how could a measly first-grade Duke make her bat an eye? When they heard the iciness of a frigid mountain spring in Jiang Qing''es voice, Li Hongque, Wen Xuan, and Lu Qingmei were awakened from their stupor. Li Hongque''s expression turned incredibly gloomy, while the other two looked at Jiang Qing''e with interest. "Who are you? How dare you strike the Dragon''s Blood Guardians'' Grand Commander?" Li Hongque frowned as she spat out her words. Jiang Qing''e shot an icy glare at her, unwilling to reply. Instead, the sword in her hand turned slightly and light resonant power began to flow through her. She had locked onto Li Hongque with her energy. It seemed she was about to take action yet again. She could clearly tell that Li Qingbai and Li Hongque were on the same side. Seeing how decisive and straightforward Jiang Qing''e was, Wen Xuan couldn''t help but raise her eyebrows in surprise. She then took the initiative to back off and said to Lu Qingmei in a low voice, "This maiden is truly direct. I think Li Hongque is going to get fried in this encounter." Lu Qingmei''s eyes flickered. "I did hear that Li Luo''s fiancee was here..." Wen Xuan''s expression changed slightly. "If I''m not wrong, this is the one that Li Luo brought to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. She possesses a legendary Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried and is an unrivaled genius. I heard that she managed to defeat Dragon Fang Envoy Li Changfeng, replacing him as a Dragon Fang Envoy, even though shes only a first-grade Duke." Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com Lu Qingmei was a little shocked, so she blurted out, "A Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried and a first-grade beating a third-grade? What sort of demonic genius is she? Which Heavenly Emperor is she a direct descendant of?" Most importantly, Jiang Qing''e was so incredibly beautiful that even she marveled at her in secret. "Who knows." Wen Xuan sighed. With this goddess joining the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, they were bound to rise in the future. If she was capable of traveling further down the Path of Ascension, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians could very well return to the peak with her at the helm. After all, a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried was unbelievably powerful. As they were speaking, Li Hongque suddenly came to the same realization as Wen Xuan. Being treated so unceremoniously and forcefully by Jiang Qing''e caused her to breathe heavily and her expression to turn green. When Li Luo saw the newcomer, his gaze turned abstruse. Although he had not met Li Zhihuo before this, he could already tell who it was from the undulations coming from his body, which surpassed Li Foluo. Each Guardian General was a middle-grade Duke at best, and when placed amongst a lineage''s elders, they wouldnt look all that impressive. However, their potential simply could not be compared with that of the decrepit older experts. Li Zhihuo was still in the prime of his life, so he could push ahead bravely. His potential was currently flourishing and being developed to its utmost, thus his future prospects were much better than those of some of the existing Hall Masters. Before Li Luo could speak, another voice rang out. "Li Zhihuo, are you really intervening in a minor scuffle? It seems like your standards are dropping lower and lower as the days go by, losing face for yourself." The crowd parted as another figure walked forward, stopping beside Li Luo and coldly looking at Li Zhihuo. It was the Dragon''s Fang Guardians'' Guardian General, Li Foluo. With the appearance of the two Guardian Generals, the crowd burst into an uproar in their hearts. Li Zhihuo shot Li Foluo a look and smiled. "A Dragon Fang Envoy took action to injure my Grand Commander. This has nothing to do with face." "An upper second-grade and an upper first-grade Duke were obstructing a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier junior. That doesn''t seem very pleasant either, does it?" Li Foluo retorted. "Isn''t he a Grand Commander?" Li Zhihuo smiled. The meaning of his words were clear. Since the Dragon''s Fang Guardians had appointed Li Luo as a Grand Commander, it meant that Li Hongque and Li Qingbai were on the same level as him. "Oh? In that case, Li Qingbai and Jiang Qing''e are both first-grade Dukes. There''s nothing much to say here either," Li Foluo apathetically continued. Li Zhihuo shook his head with a smile. "It seems like you''re good with words. Forget about it. This verbal sparring is meaningless. You can await the Ceremony of Ascent in half a month''s time. The Dragon''s Blood Guardians will be sure to put the Dragon''s Fang Guardians'' new Grand Commander to the test." He continued to smirk as he focused on Li Foluo. "I wonder, will the Dragon''s Fang Guardians simply choose to retreat when the time arrives?" Li Foluo''s gaze turned cold as he cooly replied, "The Dragon''s Fang Guardians will never retreat. If you wish to challenge us, then go ahead. We''ll cripple whoever comes forward." These domineering words caused Li Luo to suck in a breath of air. Li Foluo! How could he casually incite such hatred between the parties without going through him at least!? He was merely at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, and he had to ruin a first-grade Duke? Even he didn''t have that much confidence in himself. Li Zhihuo squinted. "Li Foluo, since you have so much confidence, shall we make a bet?" "What sort of bet?" Li Foluo casually replied. Li Zhihuo''s gaze flickered as he smiled. "There will be two martial demonstrations. If the Dragon''s Blood Guardians win both, you simply have to agree to one condition. You will not allow Li Hongyou to enter the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. If we lose both battles, I''ll give both of them twenty thousand dragon essences. What do you think?" Chapter 1228: Raising the Stakes Chapter 1228: Raising the Stakes When Li Zhihuo set the terms of the bet, the surroundings broke out into a furor. Many members of the Five Guardian Armies started to drool at the thought of these lavish conditions. After all, they were moved by the forty thousand dragon essence offered by him. This was no small sum. Someone with a Grand Commander title would barely make more than ten thousand in a year, and although this was just their salary and did not include other sources of dragon essence, there were only twenty people at that rank. Most Grand Commanders would take more than half a year to earn forty thousand dragon essence, and the Thousand Guardians would take even longer. Thus, the stakes set out by Li Zhihuo had moved the crowd. Li Foluo''s eyebrows furrowed as he icily glared at Li Zhihuo. "I was wondering why all of you had gathered at the Heavenly Dragon Treasury. It seems this is the reason why you were waiting for us." It looked like their aim all along was to seduce Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e with extravagant stakes to lure them into this bet that would allow them to resolve the situation with Li Hongyou. Li Zhihuo did not admit or deny this; he merely smiled. "One Li Hongyou for forty thousand dragon essence seems fair, doesn''t it?" Li Foluo smirked coldly as his gaze turned towards Li Luo. "What do you think?" Li Luo shook his head with a smile. "Nope, not doing it." An uproar burst out amongst the crowd. Li Luo''s refusal was straightforward and decisive. He completely disregarded the forty thousand dragon essence placed before him. That said, he had just entered the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, so he surely had a great need for more. "Grand Commander Li Luo is truly amazing for rejecting my offer. However, isn''t the Duke Art you''re holding being purchased with credit?" Li Zhihuo asked in surprise. Li Luo continued grinning. "Forty thousand dragon essence? I would reject this bet even if you were to provide 400,000 dragon essence! I promised Senior Hongyou that I''d bring her into the Dragon''s Fang Guardians to accomplish her goals. If I were to take up this bet, wouldn''t it be the same as selling her off? Guardian General Li Zhihuo, do you think that a promise from me is merely worth a paltry forty thousand dragon essence?" These words shocked the spectators, and the way they looked at Li Luo changed slightly. His words showed that he was a righteous person who prioritized his relationships. "Li Luo is very sentimental," the First Grand Commander of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage, Wen Xuan, whispered to Lu Qingmei. Lu Qingmei nodded slightly as she replied softly, "Li Luo does have a good character, and he''s trustworthy as well as a good comrade. When we were in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, he never treated us poorly despite being at an advantage when we cooperated. Li Foluo similarly looked at Li Luo. He had never expected him to reject this proposition so decisively. Furthermore, Li Hongyou had just joined the Dragon''s Fang Guardians and was helpless, only able to rely on Li Luo. Thus, she did not have any room to object to his decision. That said, Li Luo did not offer her up to the wolves. Even though the other party had attempted to lure him in with enticing terms, he had remained unfazed. His character truly wasn''t bad. Furthermore, despite the fact that Li Zhihuo had made his pronouncement in public, it didn''t seem to be an intentional trap on the surface. That said, if Li Luo had truly been moved by this offer, others may have thought of him as greedy and ruthless. How would he have been able to win the hearts of the Five Guardian Armies if that was the peoples general opinion of him? No one would ever want to follow someone who would cut them loose in the face of greater benefits. Li Zhihuo turned towards Li Luo. "Grand Commander Li Luo, Li Hongyou is a member of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Whether you agree or not, this is a fact. Your actions are not in line with the rules." This was met with a cold smile, and Li Luo''s words sharpened as well. "Senior Hongyou and her mother were chased out of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage when she was young. Afterwards, they suffered for many years, and they never used a single bit of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s resources. Senior Hongyou relied on no one but herself to get to where she is today. And now you''ve come running over to tell me she''s a member of your lineage? Guardian General Li Zhihuo, don''t you think you''re a little too thick-skinned?" Whispers broke out amongst the crowd. As onlookers, they did not know of the exact relationship between Li Hongyou and Li Hongque. However, Li Luo''s words had provided them with the context, and the way they looked at Li Hongque turned a little strange. Everyone in the Five Guardian Armies knew what Li Hongque was like. Thus, there was quite a bit of certainty that she was capable of doing what Li Luo had accused her of. As a result, many felt pity towards Li Hongyou, and they agreed that what Li Hongque had done was simply tyrannical. Li Zhihuo remained emotionless. "I will have to inform Cousin Li Yuanzhen of this. He will naturally report this to the Lineage Chief, who will discuss this with Lineage Chief Li Jingzhe." "In that case, we can speak later," Li Luo cooly replied. Li Zhihuo knew that talking more was useless and thus turned to leave. At this point in time, Li Hongyou''s voice suddenly rang out. "Guardian General Li Zhihuo, if you want to gamble, why don''t we raise the stakes? A puny sum of forty thousand dragon essence is not fitting of your magnificent title as Guardian General." Li Zhihuo paused and turned his head, giving Li Hongyou a piercing look. "What are you trying to say?" "Its not like we are fully against accepting a bet," Li Hongyou replied. "However, we have to raise the stakes. If you lose, you''ll have to give Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang and Grand Commander Li Luo forty thousand dragon essence each. If you win, I''ll leave the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." Her words caused a flurry of activity amongst the crowd. Li Luo hurriedly replied, "Senior Hongyou, there''s no need to put yourself on the line for a bet!" Li Hongyou smiled as she whispered to him, "Aren''t you moved by the amount of dragon essence? This is a great opportunity." Li Luo bitterly smiled. It would be a lie to say that he was not moved by the thought of eighty thousand dragon essence. Li Zhihuo would probably have to work tirelessly for an entire year to earn such a sum. However, a bet with so much on the line would not be easy to win. "I believe in you," Li Hongyou said in a low voice. Li Luo rubbed the center of his brows in response. It seemed like everyone only knew how to pile on the pressure... Had they all forgotten that he was at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier? Chapter 1229: World Ends River Falling Star Terrace Chapter 1229: World End''s River Falling Star Terrace "Eighty thousand dragon essence?" When they heard Li Hongyou''s counteroffer, many within the crowd were quietly shocked by the stakes. It was truly a huge sum of dragon essence; even a Grand Commander would need to save for multiple years to get that much. Li Zhihuo couldn''t help but laugh at the offer. He looked at Li Hongyou and asked, "What makes you think youre worth such an amount?" However, Li Hongyou ignored his condescending tone. She replied calmly, "I may not be worth eighty thousand dragon essence, but as long as I am in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, some people in the Dragon''s Blood Guardians will feel uncomfortable. The additional amount is simply payment for that. Some may think this is a farce, but others will find it worthwhile." When Li Hongyou finished speaking, she glanced over at Li Hongque, whose expression was dark. Her lips revealed a slight smirk, as if she was taunting her with those words. Li Hongque clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Li Hongyou was not wrong. Each day Li Hongyou stayed in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was a day of torture for Li Hongque. "Li Hongyou, do you want to play?" Li Hongque asked in an icy tone. At this point, the frustration on her face had subsided. However, those close to her knew that this was simply a sign that her anger had reached its peak. She gave Li Hongyou a deadly stare. "Let''s play, then. Eighty thousand dragon essence? I will fork out the difference. However, if you lose, you will not only have to quit the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, but also come to the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. In the future, you will have to obey every word of mine." Since the stakes of their bet had increased, she would not let Li Hongyou get away so easily. If this bitch fell into her hands again, she would surely make her regret coming here. Despite the burning fury behind Li Hongque''s gaze, Li Hongyou maintained her cool composure. "Fine," she replied coldly. There was no reason for her to retreat. After all, her whole purpose for coming to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was to struggle against Li Hongque to the bitter end. This was her main motivating force ever since her mother passed away. She had always wanted to return the humiliation that her mother suffered. She did not care what price she had to pay for it. As for falling into the hands of Li Hongque? That wasn''t an issue either. If that happened, Li Hongque would only get a stiff corpse. The corpse would become another sharp blade directed at Li Yuanzhen and Li Hongque. At that time, their reputation would be completely tarnished. As such, Li Hongyou would win the bet no matter what. After all, she was prepared to give up her own life. While the sisters bickered with mortal animosity, the bystanders began to whisper amongst themselves. They were clearly related by blood, yet the scene reminded them of eternal enemies. Li Zhihuo frowned a little at her response. Li Hongque was acting rashly yet again. There was no need to escalate matters. In fact, this was exactly what Li Hongyou wanted. Nonetheless, what Li Hongyou had said was not wrongas long as she remained in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, it would be a thorn in their side. Li Luo scratched his head over all this. When a female got mad, the results were truly frightening. "So, my future will be in your hands," Li Hongyou said to Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo as she tousled her long, red hair across her chest. Jiang Qing''e reached out and grabbed Li Hongyou''s hand. Her hand was cold, but there was a hint of gentleness within her golden eyes. She said calmly, "Don''t give up on yourself. You are much better than her. The real act of revenge is not to be destroyed with her. Instead, it is to surpass her completely and let her sink into the deepest depths of shame and jealousy." Li Hongyou was startled to hear this. She felt the warmth coming from Jiang Qing''e''s tender palm, and her eyes became slightly watery. Jiang Qing''e''s words reminded her of her mother''s last words, which were full of worry for her. Li Hongyou held onto Jiang Qing''e''s hand and said softly, "Thank you." She gave her a sense of hope with her belief, almost as if she was the sun that warmed one''s soul. At this point, Li Foluo turned to them. "The crux of the two battles will likely be Li Luo''s fight. During the Ceremony of Ascent, the Dragon''s Blood Guardians will likely send out the Right Dragon''s Blood Envoy Li Yuanshan to challenge Jiang Qing''e. Li Yuanshan is an upper third-grade Duke. Li Changfeng fought him a few times, but he never managed to break through his defenses. If he cannot win against Jiang Qing''e, it will not be hard for him to force a draw since the fight has a time limit. In that case, Li Luo''s battle will become the determining factor. If Li Luo loses, it will become one draw and one loss, which would be our loss in the bet." Jiang Qing''e replied calmly, "I will not let it end in a draw." If her battle ended in a draw, all the pressure would fall onto Li Luo. He was still at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier; the difference between him and an upper first-grade Duke was comparable to the difference between a first-grade Duke and a third-grade Duke. After all, they were completely different stages. Li Luo would not be allowed to borrow any external help from his spirit beast, so it would truly be a challenge. Li Luo nodded. "It''s indeed stressful. However, I will give it my all for the sake of Senior Hongyou." Li Foluo shook his head. "It''s useless to just talk about it. You''re at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier with a Heavenly Resonance Diagram of sixty thousand feet, so you will need to reach seventy thousand feet at least and strengthen yourself as much as possible before the ceremony. I suggest that you cultivate at a particular place to accomplish that." "Where?" Li Luo asked curiously. Li Foluo took another glance at him. "The World End''s River Falling Star Terrace." Chapter 1230: Commotion Chapter 1230: Commotion "World End''s River Falling Star Terrace? What''s that?" Li Luo asked curiously. "It''s a special cultivation ground for the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies. You can think of it as something similar to the Fiendish Devil Cave for the Twenty Banners." Li Foluo pointed up. "You know the World End''s River? It contains an immense amount of energy. It''s so great that even Kings desire it. Heavenly Dragon Peak is connected to the World End''s River by the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation. Using this, we neutralize the corruption and Others within a section of the river, creating a special cultivation method. The World End''s River water is so heavy that when it descends, it''s almost like a meteor. Thats why the cultivation ground is named the World End''s River Falling Star Terrace. Every month, there is a three day period where the water descends. These three days are considered a grand affair for the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies as it is a special privilege for us. Outsiders can only dream about taking advantage of it. As for the actual proceedings, you''ll find out when you enter the World End''s River Falling Star Terrace in two days." Li Luo came to a sudden realization as the grand and majestic sight of the World End''s River appeared in his mind. Gifts from such a magnificent natural wonder had to be taken advantage of, right? If he could gain something from it, he would be able to reach seventy thousand feet in his Heavenly Resonance Diagram before the Ceremony of Ascent. As he thought about it, he couldn''t wait to see what would happen in two days. At the same time, the crowd gradually dispersed. Nonetheless, their bet had caused quite a commotion within the Five Guardian Armies. After all, it was really rare to see a bet with eighty thousand dragon essence on the line. Wen Xuan, the First Grand Commander of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage, walked over with Lu Qingmei. She looked at Jiang Qing''e curiously and then introduced herself with a smile. "Are you Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang Qing''e, the one with the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried? I am Wen Xuan, the First Grand Commander of Dragon''s Scale Guardians. Nice to meet you." Jiang Qing''e nodded slightly. She saw Wen Xuan helping Li Luo out earlier and thus felt somewhat friendly towards her. "All the best. I look forward to your performance at the Ceremony of Ascent. Only an unrivaled talent with a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried would dare to challenge a third-grade Duke as a first-grade Duke," Wen Xuan said with a sigh. Lu Qingmei looked over at Li Luo and asked, "Are you really going to fight Li Qingbai?" "We''ve already made the bet. Theres no way I can back out now." Li Luo laughed. Lu Qingmei clicked her tongue. "You''re really fearless, fighting a first-grade Duke." He was able to proceed smoothly without encountering any failures. At one point, it was so simple that he wondered if this Duke Art was really a Soul Ascension-grade. Nonetheless, that was a pointless concern. He could only bury his head and focus on his cultivation. Otherwise, his twenty thousand dragon essence would have been spent for nothing. As Li Luo was focused on his cultivation, the news of the bet had spread across the Five Guardian Armies. It had caused an unexpectedly large commotion. Many were drooling over the stakes. It was a mind boggling amount after all. What was even more shocking were the parties involved in the bet. Jiang Qing''e, first-grade Duke. The new Dragon Fang Envoy of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Li Luo, Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. The newly appointed Grand Commander of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. The two of them had created new records when they took their ranks in the Five Guardian Armies. A first-grade Duke had never become a Dragon Fang Envoy before, and there had never been a Grand Commander at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. Their opponents were an upper third-grade Duke and an upper first-grade Duke. Many were shocked when they heard about the news of Jiang Qing''e, someone with a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, defeating Li Changfeng. As such, they did not have any doubts regarding her strength. She probably wasnt too far off from an upper third-grade Duke. As for Li Luos match, it would be a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator against an upper first-grade Duke. There was such an immense gap between these two that they were unsure of how Li Luo could bridge it. If it were an ordinary person, that fellow would be dead without a doubt. However, Li Luo was an exceptional individual who had pulled off many miracles before. He was new to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, but he was the Dragon''s Head of his generation, so his potential was indisputable. As such, many were curious as to how he was going to beat an upper first-grade Duke. Amidst the feverous anticipation, the two short days passed by quickly. Everyone was still fixated on the bet. On this day, the World End''s River Falling Star Terrace that everyone in the Five Guardian Armies looked forward to arrived. Chapter 1231: Five Guardian Armies Gather Around The Terrace Chapter 1231: Five Guardian Armies Gather Around The Terrace Dragon Fang Encampment, Boulder Square Ten thousand people were standing in neat lines, emitting immense amounts of resonant power that soared into the skies above. Although they were not in formation, discipline had been drilled into their souls and they had a tacit understanding of each other. Therefore, even though there was no one controlling them, their resonant power was in a preliminary state of fusion, transforming into a faint mist. A certain undulation of energy sliced through the energy mist, akin to a fang breaking through the void and rending everything in its path. On the field''s platform, Li Foluo was sitting upright, equipped with his Dragon Fang Armor. He gave off a sense of oppression. Beneath him were naturally the two Dragon Fang Envoys, Jiang Qing''e and Luo Jiang. Further below were the four Grand Commanders, one being Li Luo, and the countless titleless Reserve Dragon Knights. Li Changfeng and Li Jian were in their ranks. The entire Dragon''s Fang Guardians had been assembled. Dragon Fang banners dappled in the air, letting off crackling sounds as they emanated killing intent. Li Luo was closely observing the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, and he couldn''t help but sigh in his heart. He estimated that with Guardian General Li Foluo in command, a formation with everyones power would be capable of contending against an eighth-grade Duke. It was no wonder the Five Guardian Armies were capable of fighting against a King when they gathered to form the Heavenly Dragon Grand Formation. As expected of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s strongest army. Additionally, the way that the Dragon''s Fang Guardians had come out in full force showed how important the World End''s River Falling Star Terrace was to them. "Since everyone has arrived, we can set off." Li Foluo''s gaze swept across the group as his heroic voice boomed across the fields. He then grasped the Guardian General plaque and waved it. Immediately after, the energy mist in the sky frothed and surged downwards, turning into a layer of clouds that swept up all of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians present. It was as though they were riding on clouds. After which, Li Foluo, Jiang Qing''e, Li Luo, and the rest soared into the air as they were whisked into the skies above Heavenly Dragon City. As the wind whistled past, the gigantic city beneath them shrank with explosive speed as they ascended. After they reached a certain point in the sky, they could only see the golden scales of the protective shield that encapsulated that entirety of Heavenly Dragon Peak. When the Dragon''s Fang Guardians came in contact with the golden scales of light, Li Luo felt a majestic wave sweep across him. It was clearly the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation scanning them. After the wave swept past, the scene before Li Luos eyes transformed. Gold light flooded his vision and a gigantic, golden platform appeared before him. There were numerous looks coming from the Dragon''s Blood Guardians towards Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo. It could be said they weren''t friendly. Thanks to Li Zhihuo and Li Hongque''s influence, they thought that Li Luo allowing Li Hongyou to enter the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was a breach of the rules. That said, their gazes didn''t matter to Li Luo nor Jiang Qing''e. The two parties had different stances, so it was useless to speak more about it. Everything would be resolved in due time. Bang! As all of the Five Guardian Armies had gathered, a resounding boom came above. Everyone raised their heads and saw the golden light gradually diffuse above them, fading away. After the disappearance of the golden light, Li Luo''s eyes shrank. He could now see a mysterious, silvery-black river flow before him. It carried an inexplicable momentum that tramped through the firmament, creating mighty roars that could be heard a significant distance away, causing one''s heart to tremble. This was the World End''s River. The only thing was that it seemed even more mysterious and magnificent than when he had seen it from afar. The undulations coming from it were capable of striking fear in the hearts of Dukes. Although Li Luo and the rest were within the protective confines of the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation, they felt like ants before a raging river when faced with the wonders of the world. A while later, Li Luo and the rest finally snapped back to attention. They then realized that there were five gigantic, golden lotus platforms suspended above them. They were definitely large enough to fit ten thousand people. "That is the Falling Star Terrace," Xia Yu explained to Li Luo. "When the World End''s River Falling Star Terrace opens up for cultivation, there are two parts to the event. The first is called Star Plucking and the second is Star Transformation." She then pointed towards the massive World End''s River that hung atop the formation. "When the time comes, the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation will direct a portion of the World End''s Rivers water towards us. The weight of it is immense, so a ball of it is akin to a meteor descending upon the world. Frankly, it''s terrifying. Even a Duke would be hard-pressed to resist it. One''s body might very well be smashed into pieces if hit directly. Thus, we have to form the Dragon Fang Formation and rely on everyone''s strength as a whole to intercept it. We call the first part Star Plucking, which is when the Five Guardian Armies use their strength to obtain as many World End''s River Meteors as possible. The more we get, the more we benefit. After Star Plucking is Star Transformation, which is when we purify the meteors. As the World End''s River is connected to the Shadow World, the energy within it is infused with corruption. Although the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation is able to block significant amounts of corruption, some will inevitably remain behind. Thus, we must purify the meteors before we take what we need. The final aim is to obtain Star Pearls." Li Luo was a little taken aback by everything she had told him. "Star Pearls?" Xia Yu smiled. "Simply speaking, they are a product of the World End''s River water. Each one is full of esoteric and pure worldly natural energy, extremely suitable for our cultivation needs. Once you have experienced it for yourself, you will grow to love them." Li Luo revealed a smile as he raised his head to look at the flowing river above him. He would have to see how effective these Star Pearls were in improving his strength. Hopefully, he would not be disappointed. Chapter 1232: Star Plucking Chapter 1232: Star Plucking Guardian General Li Zhihuo''s indifferent voice entered everyone''s ears. "It''s almost time." "Could the rest of you prepare your plaques? It''s time to activate the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation." As Li Zhihuo spoke, everyone saw Li Foluo, Li Tingyue, Li Jushen, and Li Boyuan take a step forward. In each of their hands was a plaque that emanated authority and power appeared. It was their Guardian General plaques. Together with Li Zhihuo, the five Guardian Generals'' plaques shot out beams of light that converged in the sky above. A mystifying dragon manifestation could be seen within the light. It emitted indescribable pressure that even made the void shudder. The dragon manifestation immediately made contact with the golden scales, setting off mighty ripples. The golden scales shone brightly, and ancient runes surfaced on them layer after layer. Then a gigantic dragon emerged on the barrier. The dragon was coiled in the center of the area covered by the golden dragon scales. It then opened up its gaping maw, which resembled an unfathomable abyss. Roar! The draconic roar shook the skies like cataclysmic thunder booming throughout the world. An incredible suction force came from the open jaws of the dragon, causing even the void to tear, creating black rifts in front of it. The black rifts multiplied, and the suction resembled the pull of a black hole. Li Luo remained rooted as he observed the phenomenon. Shock filled him when he saw that the majestic World''s End River was starting to shake a little. The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) The suction force emanating from the dragon had disrupted its flow. A moment later, boundless amounts of World''s End River water was sucked out, breaking past the rivers boundaries, piercing through the air, and descending upon them. It was like space itself had been forcefully wrenched out to fall before them. Torrential rain poured down from the skies above, but when the droplets fell, they quickly gathered together and turned into gigantic, grayish-black balls of water that were a thousand feet wide. They truly resembled meteors as they smashed downwards. The meteors emanated massive waves of energy that could cause even a Duke to falter. As the meteors streaked across the air, it was like watching a meteor shower. "Everyone, onto the Falling Star Terraces!" Li Zhihuo shouted. The five Guardian Generals took the lead to fly upwards with their armies, each landing on a specific golden lotus platform. Each platform was wide, allowing all ten thousand members to stand comfortably. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e similarly landed on their golden lotus platform, and it was then that Li Foluo glanced towards the World''s End River Meteors that had been forced to descend because of the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation. He ordered in a low voice, "Dragon''s Fang Guardians, assemble the formation!" All of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians responded in unison, their voices booming like thunder. They each took out their Heavenly Dragon Jades and poured all of their energy into them. Bang! Li Luo watched Li Foluo, Li Zhihuo, and the rest erupt with shocking prowess. With the power of the guardians behind them, they wielded domineering power as their Duke Bergfrieds appeared behind them, devouring worldly natural energy to augment their strength. When he took a closer look at the five Guardian Generals, he found that Li Foluo, Li Jushen, Li Tingyue, and Li Boyuan were all fourth-grade Dukes. Only Li Zhihuo was a fifth-grade. However, this was not important. With the aid of the Guardian Formations, they were all eighth-grade Dukes. The vast amount of energy took the form of a rainbow that pierced through the air, transforming into a gigantic dragon''s palm. It then stretched outwards and grasped towards the World''s End River Meteors. Boom! When the two forces collided, they caused heaven-shaking reverberations. The void seemed to wail under the pressure as energy tempests ripped space apart. If not for the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formations protection, Heavenly Dragon City might have been devastated. Li Foluo had captured two World''s End River Meteors in a single breath. His face was ruddy and his body and resonant power were as red as lava. Immense heat emanated from his body. It was clear that utilizing the Dragon Fang Formation to grab two meteors had exerted quite a bit of energy. The other three Guardian Generals were the same. The only exception was Li Zhihuo. He had single handedly grabbed three of them. Everyone heard cheers arise from the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. They had obtained the greatest number of World''s End River Meteor and thus would purify a greater number of Star Pearls. However, the other four Guardian Generals were used to this. Li Zhihuo was the strongest amongst them, so it wasnt surprising that he could take three. Li Foluo only shot him a quick glance before retracting his gaze. He waved his sleeve, and two gigantic magma dragons flew out, wrapping around the two World''s End River Meteors before bringing them towards the golden lotus platform where the Dragon''s Fang Guardians were. He heaved a long breath and then sat down cross-legged. He had expended quite a bit of energy and needed to quickly recover before the next round of meteors. When it came to the second step of Star Transformation, he would leave it to the Dragon Fang Envoys. How many Star Pearls they ended up with depended on the abilities of the two of them. That said, the purification rate didn''t differ by too much amongst the rest. "Luo Jiang, Jiang Qing''e, each of you will take control of five thousand guardians and purify the World''s End River Meteor to obtain Star Pearls." After Li Foluo''s command descended, a meteor the size of a small mountain landed before both Luo Jiang and Jiang Qing''e. Jiang Qing''e raised her pretty, delicate face at this moment, and her gaze flickered when looking at the World''s End River Meteor before her. "Purification?" This was something she was particularly adept in. Chapter 1233: Star Transformation Chapter 1233: Star Transformation Two awe-inspiring World''s End River Meteors, each around the size of a small hill, appeared in the air above the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. However, the members were not surprised. Rather, they stared at them with eyes full of yearning. This was not their first time experiencing this. Once they had purified the World''s End River Meteors, they would be able to get their hands on the valuable Star Pearls. "Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang, I believe this is your first time experiencing this power. Let me give you a quick demonstration," Luo Jiang said to Jiang Qing''e with a smile. He waved his hand with the Dragon Fang Envoy plaque, and the energy from five thousand Dragon''s Fang Guardians gathered up. It flowed into his body, causing the void to tremble. Luo Jiang was an upper third-grade Duke, and his strength had reached that of a fifth-grade Duke with the assistance from the five thousand Guardians. When Li Luo and the group were ambushed previously, Li Foluo had come to their aid with only five thousand Guardians. However, he was able to fight a sixth-grade Duke back then. This meant that even with the same number of Dragon''s Fang Guardians, one would reach a different level of power depending on the user. Luo Jiang activated the enormous resonant power flowing in his body and caught one of the World''s End River Meteors. His power was surging yet fluid, flowing endlessly and naturally out of his body. Luo Jiang possessed a water resonance. The waves of resonant power flowing out of his body transformed into a giant water vortex that enveloped the World''s End River Meteor. Light-blue water resonant power brushed against the World''s End River Meteor repeatedly. It started out as large as a small hill, but the vortex was causing it to shrink. This was not because the energy from the World''s End River Meteor was dissipatingit was due to the cleansing of all the residual corruption left on the meteor. As the corruption was slowly purged, the energy left behind became more refined and condensed. In other words, the smaller the World''s End River Meteor became in the end, the more refined its energy would be, and the larger the number of Star Pearls. Thousands of Dragon''s Fang Guardians watched the vortex cleanse the meteor with eyes wide open. They were all secretly cheering for Luo Jiang as they watched the World''s End River Meteor slowly grow smaller. This process was directly tied to the rewards they would receive in the end. Li Luo looked up and watched the purification process continue. Then he turned over to Grand Commander Xia Yu and asked, "Under ordinary circumstances, how much can we purify and refine the World''s End River Meteor?" Xia Yu smiled at him. "For the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, the Guardian General is usually the one in charge of obtaining the World''s End River Meteors. Our two Dragon Fang Envoys are then responsible for the purification process while Grand Commanders like us assist them. Other Guardians focus on providing resonant power to support us. Last month, our smallest meteor ended up being 970 feet, which gave us 4,200 Star Pearls in the end." "970 feet..." Li Luo thought about it for a moment. The World''s End River Meteor in front of him was still around two thousand feet or so. It seemed like the purification process wasn''t easy after all "What about the other Guardian Armies?" Li Luo asked. "The Dragon''s Bones Guardians, the Dragon''s Scale Guardians, and the Dragon''s Horn Guardians are pretty similar to us. However, the Dragon''s Blood Guardians are able to do much better than us as they have the strongest Envoys in the Five Guardian Armies." "The strongest Envoys?" Li Luo''s eyes flickered. He could not help but look over at the golden lotus platform that the Dragon''s Blood Guardians were occupying. In the middle of its sky, the Dragon''s Blood Envoys were purifying and refining their own World''s End River Meteors. What attracted Li Luo''s gaze was the person on the right. He was a tall and strapping man with an extremely sharp gaze. He radiated an impressive presence merely by floating there. Behind him were four Duke Bergfrieds that continuously devoured worldly natural energy. Li Fuling and the others followed suit as well. Although Jiang Qing''e had just joined the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, she had won many fans and supporters with her beauty and unrivaled talent. Jiang Qing''e looked back at Li Fengyi and nodded slightly. She then grabbed her Dragon Fang Envoy plaque and waved it in the air, causing the energy from the other half of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians to activate. Bang! A dazzling Duke Bergfried appeared in the air. The Duke Bergfried had an incomparably sacred appearance, as if it was made of glass. Ten ancient, golden pillars stood firmly around it, giving off an impeccable charm. Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried! This was a symbol of perfection. When the unrivaled Duke Bergfried appeared, everyones attention was drawn over to it. Even the members of the other Guardian Armies were looking. The five Guardian Generals in the air glanced over as well. It was extremely rare to see a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. With all eyes on her, Jiang Qing''e clasped her slender, jade hands together. Three holy and brilliant light Spirit Avatars appeared behind her back. Under their dazzle, the worldly natural energy in the surroundings transformed into light resonant power and flowed into her. As soon as the three Spirit Avatars appeared, the crowd grew boisterous. Three ninth-grade light resonances! What kind of demonic talent was this!? Li Luo also looked up at this moment. Seeing his fiancee steal the limelight put a smile on his face. Jiang Qing''e seemed to have noticed him; she lowered her head a little and looked back at Li Luo. Then her mouth curled up a little. "So cool!" Xia Yu exclaimed in surprise. Jiang Qing''e retracted her gaze and began to form hand seals as everyone watched in anticipation. At the next moment, enormous amounts of light energy swept across the field. Light halos appeared around the World''s End River Meteor one after another. Divine resonant power flowed across the meteor like streams of holy water. Then everyone watched in disbelief. The World''s End River Meteor that was thousands of feet wide began to shrink at an astonishing speed. In just a few moments, the World''s End River Meteor was reduced to less than a thousand feet! More surprisingly, the purification continued to accelerate! Luo Jiang, Xia Yu, and the rest stared with their eyes wide open. Even Li Foluo, who was in the air above them, squinted in surprise. Chapter 1234: Purifying the World Ends River Meteor Chapter 1234: Purifying the World End''s River Meteor The divine light resonant power swept across the sky. The worldly natural energy in the surroundings was transformed into light resonant power upon contact with it. Then it rushed back into the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried behind Jiang Qing''e like a rainbow. No one, not even the five Guardian Generals, had seen such pristine purification prowess before. At this moment, Jiang Qing''e was like a holy goddess that lit up the world, dispersing all of the darkness from it. The World''s End River Meteor began to melt, shrinking at a shocking speed. After just a few moments, it was smaller than the 980 feet that Luo Jiang had achieved with all his might. Moreover, the speed at which it was shrinking had not slowed down. The meteor continued to reduce in size as everyone watched in disbelief. As the purification continued, the color of the World''s End River Meteor began to turn brighter and purer. The majestic energy inside it flowed turbulently as if it was boiling. "Is this the power of triple ninth-grade light resonances and a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried?" All the members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians were dumbfounded. At the same time, they were elated. They all knew that light resonant power was especially effective in cleansing corruption, but none of them had ever witnessed the miraculous sight of three ninth-grade light resonances stacked on top of each other. Frankly, it was terrifying. The members of the other four Guardian Armies were taken aback as well. The cheers from the Dragon''s Blood Guardians had died down. When they saw what Jiang Qing''e was doing, they were worried that she would catch up to Yuan Tianzhao''s progress very soon. Li Hongque''s face turned extremely dark and she clenched her fists tightly. Jiang Qing''e was too dazzling; she had completely stolen the limelight from the other Dragon Envoys. What was worse was that she was engaged to Li Luo, and Li Luo was supporting Li Hongyou! This made her dislike Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e too. Li Hongque suddenly shifted her eyes to the sky. She looked towards Yuan Tianzhao and whispered, "Brother Yuan, we can''t lose to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Can you purify and refine the next World''s End River Meteor a little more?" Strictly speaking, Li Hongque was lower ranked than Envoy Yuan Tianzhao and should have acted more politely. However, she was a very haughty person and had always looked down on those with a different surname. Moreover, Li Zhihuo had been trying to matchmake the two of them, and she knew that Yuan Tianzhao liked her quite a bit. Thus, she always acted hot and cold towards Yuan Tianzhao. Although the latter was considered quite talented amongst his peers, she had always been quite aloof towards him. As such, Yuan Tianzhao was a little surprised when he heard Li Hongque calling him Brother Yuan. A passionate smile appeared on his face, but it slowly turned a little awkward. "Hongque, this new Dragon Fang Envoy is a little too monstrous. With a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried and triple ninth-grade light resonances, I think she can purify a World''s End River Meteor to less than six hundred feet. Even though I am stronger than her in terms of raw strength, I may not be able to beat her when it comes to this." Li Hongque frowned at his response. "Brother Yuan, I know that this is a little challenging. However, we cannot let the Dragon''s Fang Guardians steal the limelight. I also don''t need you to beat her every time. However, we should at least triumph over her first attempt so that we can keep her reined in." Yuan Tianzhao hesitated for a moment. He noticed that Li Hongque was getting a little unhappy, so he nodded in the end. "I will give it a try later. However, I can''t do this all the time, or I''ll risk hurting my own foundation." A voice suddenly came from the side and caught Luo Jiang by surprise. He turned his head and saw Li Luo walking up. "Dragon Fang Envoy Luo, can you lend me two thousand Guardians from your side? I will help her." "You?" Luo Jiang stared back at Li Luo. The doubt in his eyes was not hidden at all. After all, Jiang Qing''e had nearly purified the World''s End River Meteor to its limit. Even if he lent a helping hand at this point, it would have no effect whatsoever. Besides, Li Luo was still at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier; what could he do with the power of two thousand Guardians? "I just want to give it a try," Li Luo said with a smile. He knew how much of a perfectionist Jiang Qing''e was, so he wanted to try helping her out. Luo Jiang hesitated for a moment. However, he nodded in the end. There was no harm in granting his request. Perhaps Li Luo really had some special trick up his sleeve. Maybe this generation of the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies would see a World''s End River Meteor that had been purified to a size below five hundred feet as a result of this decision. When was the last time such a miracle had happened? It was so far back that no one could recall. Even Li Taixuan couldn''t pull it off. Li Luo expressed his gratitude to Luo Jiang with a smile. He then gripped his Grand Commander plaque rightly and focused his mind. An enormous pool of energy surged up within the Dragon Fang Formation and flowed into his body. It was an extremely strong and domineering power. However, Li Luo did not feel any pressure when wielding it. He was familiar with it after all. "Sister Qing''e, are you having trouble purifying the last bit of corruption?" Li Luo asked with a grin as he walked up to Jiang Qing''e. Jiang Qing''e nodded slightly. "The energy inside is already very refined. However, the last bit of corruption is hidden so deep that even my light resonant power is having some difficulty." "Do you need my help?" Li Luo asked with a smirk. Jiang Qing''e looked at him in surprise. She did not ask how Li Luo was going to help, as she knew Li Luo wouldn''t do meaningless things. "Give me your hand," Li Luo said. Jiang Qing''e took another glance at Li Luo. Her inadvertent gaze was enchanting. It was simply a rare sight for outsiders. Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, she stretched out her hand and placed it onto Li Luo''s palm. "Let me see what you''re up to." She laughed lightly. "Activate your light resonant power," Li Luo replied with a beam. The other members of the Five Guardian Armies watched with perplexed looks on their faces. Was he trying to force his way into the limelight? What was Li Luo trying to do? Even with the strength of two thousand members, what could someone at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier possibly do? Under all their confused gazes, Jiang Qing''e summoned up her dazzling light resonant power once again. At the same time, Li Luo focused his mind and activated the mysterious Auric Halo and the Acquired Resonance Flame. The mysterious flame flowed through their tightly held hands and fused with her light resonant power. Suddenly, the light resonant power appeared to have been imbued with flames. Their combined energy flowed towards the giant World''s End River Meteor in front of them and entered its depths. In the next instant, everyones eyes went wide in disbelief. Blinding light burst out of the World''s End River Meteor! Despite being extremely close to its limit, the meteor began to shrink once more! Originally, the World''s End River Meteor had a weird, irregular shape. However, it had suddenly become a sphere, and all impurities and corruption within it appeared to have been cleansed completely. Most shocking of all, the World''s End River Meteor had shrunk to a size of three hundred feet! Everyone on the five golden lotus platforms was at a loss for words. The place fell into complete silence. Chapter 1235: 13,500 Pieces Chapter 1235: 13,500 Pieces Bang! The thousands of Guardians on the five golden lotus platforms fell deathly silent. Even their breaths were held for a moment. Only the thunderous ring from the overwhelming energy could be heard in the air. Every single person, including the five Guardian Generals, was dumbfounded. They stared at the brilliant and perfect World''s End River Meteor that dazzled like a flawless gemstone. They had never seen a World''s End River Meteor purified to this extent before. Three hundred feet! It was the first time such a size had ever been seen. No World''s End River Meteor below four hundred feet had ever been recorded. Yet Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo had pushed the record to three hundred feet right in front of their eyes. This was a completely baffling sight for all of them. How many Star Pearls would they get from such a highly purified World''s End River Meteor? At least ten thousand, right? When they thought about this, all the members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians began to feel a little dizzy. More than ten thousand Star Pearls from just one World''s End River Meteor? This was a concept they didn''t even dare to imagine before today. However, an unbelievable record had been set right before their eyes. "Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang is incredible! Grand Commander Li Luo is invincible!" Overwhelming cheers exploded from the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Everyone was filled with ecstasy. No one had expected that the combined efforts of Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo would create such a result! Luo Jiang, the Left Dragon Fang Envoy, wiped the sweat off his face and smiled awkwardly. "What kind of ridiculous couple is this?" Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were a truly magnificent duo. Maybe Luo Jiang would be able to just sit and watch during the next few Star Transformations. Even if he insisted on taking action, there was a chance the Dragon''s Fang Guardians would refuse to assist him... Xia Yu''s eyes also lit up as she watched the two of them. "Grand Commander Li Luo is truly the lucky star of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage.. He brought the Green Nether Banner from last place to first in his time in the Twenty Banners. Now he''s brought his unrivaled fiancee to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. I can see the good old days of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians returning soon." On her side, Second Grand Commander Li Shanlan and Third Grand Commander Li Meng nodded in agreement. After all, a three hundred feet World''s End River Meteor was right in front of their eyes. If this wasnt a sign of the good times to come, what else could it be? "If it''s not against the rules, I wouldnt mind giving Grand Commander Li Luo the Left Dragon Fang Envoy position right now." Li Meng laughed out heartily. "It''s only a matter of time. My First Grand Commander position will be reserved for him." Xia Yu pursed her lips and smiled. Luo Jiang replied with a chuckle, "Damn it, you traitors. Is all the hard work I put in over the years worth less than a three hundred feet World''s End River Meteor?" Li Hongque took a deep breath. She did not say anything as she turned around and went back to the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. Inside, she was fuming with anger. However, she understood that no matter what she did now, she would not be able to steal the limelight away from Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e on the Falling Star Terrace. She could only hope to do so during the Ceremony of Ascent. As the Five Guardian Armies were lost in a bevy of complex emotions like envy and shock, Li Luo let out a sigh. He looked at the perfect three hundred feet meteor right in front of him and revealed a smile of satisfaction. His use of the Acquired Resonance Flame had achieved unbelievable results. Although the Acquired Resonance Flame was not particularly good at purification, it was skilled in refinement. After all, it was the essential ingredient for refining his acquired resonances. It had the ability to completely eradicate the impurities in an ingredient. If even a tiny trace of impurity was left, the refinement would be a failure. As such, Li Luo had the idea of fusing it with Jiang Qing''e''s light resonant power to see if it could refine the World''s End River Meteor to a perfect state. In the end, he succeeded. This was a spectacular result that was only possible because the two of them had worked together. "How''s that?" Li Luo said with a smirk. Jiang Qing''e nodded slightly, then a smile appeared on her flawless and beautiful face. "Impressive." "Let''s see how many Star Pearls we can get out of it," Li Luo said with a laugh. It was time for the real harvest. Jiang Qing''e lifted her jade fingers, and a ray of light resonant power shot into the World''s End River Meteor. The interior of the meteor vibrated and then a huge energy wave pulsed out. Then countless cracks started spreading through the surface of the World''s End River Meteor. When the World''s End River Meteor was riddled with cracks, it exploded. A sky full of bright stars fell down on them. Each star contained a shiny pearl that was around the size of an infant''s fist. They emitted an exquisite glow that could only be described as beautiful. Jiang Qing''e lifted up her palm, and her light resonant power gathered up all the bright stars in front of them. Luo Jiang couldn''t resist asking, "Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang, how many Star Pearls did we get?" Jiang Qing''e checked it with her senses for a moment before she turned over to face the crowd full of anticipation. Her red lips moved a little, and cheers of wild excitement echoed in the air. "13,500 pieces." Chapter 1236: Forcing Li Foluo To The Limit Chapter 1236: Forcing Li Foluo To The Limit 13,500 pieces! When Jiang Qing''es clear voice came out, the five golden lotus platforms burst into a huge commotion. Everyone had their wild guesses beforehand, but it hit differently when they actually heard it for themselves. Shock and jealousy filled them. One World''s End River Meteor had been refined into 13,500 Star Pearls. This was a feat that they had never heard of. In other words, just one World''s End River Meteor was enough to let every member of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians get at least one Star Pearl. Even the strongest Envoy, Yuan Tianzhao, could only refine seven thousand Star Pearls from a Meteor. Although the Dragon''s Blood Guardians had managed to get three World''s End River Meteors thanks to Li Zhihuo''s strength, they had actually ended up with fewer Star Pearls than the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. "Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang is almighty! Grand Commander Li Luo is amazing!" The Dragon''s Fang Guardians were cheering excitedly. Jiang Qing''e and Li Luos reputation had skyrocketed. "Hahaha! Aren''t Third Brother and his fiancee impressive? In the future, they will lead the entire Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies. No, they''ll stand at the pinnacle of the younger generation in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent! Just wait and see, they''ll bring the Dragon''s Fang Guardians back to its peak!" Li Fengyi boasted to the people around her excitedly with a look of pride. No one objected to her statement. The 13,500 Star Pearls right in front of them were beneficial to the whole Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Even if Li Fengyi had suggested for Li Luo to take over as a Dragon Fang Envoy, the others would seriously take it into consideration. In the sky above, even Guardian General Li Foluo was surprised to witness this. A stiff smile appeared on his usually cold face. He had truly been given a pleasant surprise today. He had expected that Jiang Qing''e, with her triple ninth-grade light resonances, would have an advantage when it came to purifying the corruption in the World''s End River Meteor. However, he had underestimated the combined prowess of triple ninth-grade light resonances and a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. Most surprising of all, Li Luo had helped out in amplifying the result. Li Foluo never wouldve guessed that Li Luo would help bring Jiang Qing''e''s purification to another level. It was so frightening that they had refined the World''s End River Meteor to three hundred feet. "Is this what they mean when they say that a husband and wife of the same mind can overcome any difficulties?" Li Foluo whispered to himself. Then a majestic voice came from above. "Luo Jiang, leave the purification of the World''s End River Meteor to Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo. In the future, you will assist from the side." This meant that Luo Jiang, as the Left Dragon Fang Envoy, was completely redundant now. However, Luo Jiang simply shrugged it off nonchalantly. He was not a narrow-minded person, and the Star Pearls concerned the cultivation of every member of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. If he opposed this decision because of his position, it would only draw the ire of the others. After all, the World''s End River Meteors purified by him only produced four thousand Star Pearls. Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo could produce triple that amount when they worked together! There was simply no way he could match up to them. Besides, he would benefit from the higher number of Star Pearls too. He formed hand seals with a single hand, and immense amounts of ice resonant power surged out of his five Duke Bergfrieds. The resonant power condensed in the sky and transformed into an ice dragon with a length of over a hundred thousand feet. However, Li Zhihuo did not stop here. After the ice dragon materialized, he let out a long cry. Spiritual light shot out from the top of his head, and a nascent soul sitting in the lotus position appeared. Draconic runes could be seen all over the nascent soul. "Li Zhihuo is getting serious. He''s using the Great Dragon Nascent Soul Art!" Luo Jiang suddenly exclaimed when he saw the nascent soul with draconic runes. "Great Dragon Nascent Soul Art?!" Li Luo was stunned when he heard this. He looked over at the nascent soul in surprise. This art was not foreign to him as he had come across it back in the Heavenly Dragon Treasury. Great Dragon Nascent Soul Art, quasi-Destiny-grade. This art was able to raise one of the user''s dragon resonances that was below the lower ninth-grade by half a grade! "Li Zhihuo has a quasi ninth-grade Ice Dragon resonance and a lower ninth-grade ice resonance. He cultivated this Great Dragon Nascent Soul Art specially for his Ice Dragon resonance," Luo Jiang explained. Li Luo''s expression changed when he heard this. That meant that Li Zhihuos quasi ninth-grade Ice Dragon resonance would be boosted by half a grade. It was a little strange to boost it by half a grade, but without a doubt, it would increase Li Zhihuos strength considerably. Luo Jiang''s face turned serious as well. "Li Zhihuo must be planning to collect four World''s End River Meteors this time. He knows that the purification ability of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians cannot match the two of you. As a result, he''s trying to triumph over us by taking more meteors. If he can collect four in one go, the Dragon''s Blood Guardians will surely get more Star Pearls than us." "Four World''s End River Meteors?" Li Luo frowned when he heard this. That was a competition that neither he nor Jiang Qing''e could assist with. The weight of a World''s End River Meteor was immense, enough to shatter an ordinary Duke''s body completely. Even people like Li Foluo had to borrow the power of the other Guardians to collect the meteors. "Can our Guardian General collect three World''s End River Meteors?" he asked. Luo Jiang hesitated for a moment. "That would be very challenging. He tried it once in the past, but he didn''t manage to pull it off. After all, the impact from each World''s End River Meteor is terrifying, so taking three is simply unbearable." Li Luo nodded. Then he looked up towards Li Foluo and shouted, "Guardian General, the pressure is on you now. For the sake of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, go for it!" Li Foluo lowered his head and glanced over to see Li Luo waving from below. His mouth twitched a little. This brat was basically asking him to risk his life. However, Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo had already helped the Dragon''s Fang Guardians a lot. If they couldn''t beat the Dragon''s Blood Guardians because of his performance, he would have really failed them as the Guardian General. In other words... Li Foluos eyes turned serious as he looked into the distance. Li Zhihuo stood tall like a sovereign of ice, ready to do his utmost. He would have to push himself to the limit! Chapter 1237: Terrifying Harvest Chapter 1237: Terrifying Harvest The overpowering World''s End River Meteors fell from the sky one after another. Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m Li Zhihuo acted first. The immense ice resonant energy from his five Duke Bergfrieds soared into the sky and transformed into a giant ice dragon. Then the ice dragon let out a thunderous roar, and four beams of icy dragonbreath shot out of its mouth. The dragonbreath turned into four enormous freezing vortexes, confronting four of the World''s End River Meteors head-on. This caused a commotion amongst the crowd, and everyone watched in awe. It was extremely rare to see someone going for four World''s End River Meteor at the same time. After all, Star Plucking was a tremendously straining act that could easily lead to injuries if one wasn''t careful. Li Zhihuo had always been wary of it and did his best to avoid taking damage. However, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians were going to collect more Star Pearls than the Dragon''s Blood Guardians thanks to Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. This did not really mean anything practically, but the morale of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians would inevitably take a hit. As such, Li Zhihuo had to make up for it in some other way. The enormous, freezing vortexes collided directly with the four World''s End River Meteors. Ice-cold resonant power exploded instantly, and the surface of the meteors froze up. The speed at which the World''s End River Meteors were falling gradually slowed down. Nonetheless, the terrifying impact was nothing to scoff atthe meteors completely ripped the four enormous freezing vortexes apart. Countless ice flakes fell from the sky, causing the temperature to plummet. Li Zhihuo''s face turned serious as he felt the tremendous pressure. He took in a deep breath, and his pupils slowly turned ice-blue. The ice dragon that had materialized continued to spew out powerful dragonbreath. Coupled with the vortexes and his ice resonant power, he tried to reduce the terrifying force of the meteors further. At this moment, the spot where Li Zhihuo stood in the sky turned into a domain of ice that chilled everyone to the bone. As Li Zhihuo gave it his all, the four World''s End River Meteors finally came to a stop. The ice vortexes surrounding them slowly carried them over to the golden lotus platform of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. "All hail our Guardian General! The Guardian General is invincible!" The Dragon''s Blood Guardians shouted in excitement. If they let Dragon''s Blood Envoy Yuan Tianzhao refine all four meteors, they would end up with around 28,000 Star Pearls. A smile finally appeared on Li Hongque''s gloomy face. "Its fortunate we have such a dependable Guardian General." "Tsk." A cold snort came from the distance when Li Zhihuo successfully collected all four World''s End River Meteors. This had come from Li Foluo, who gave Li Zhihuo a hostile glance. What a bastard. He had always been above the rest by obtaining one more World''s End River Meteor than the others. Now he wanted to beat them by grabbing two more? Wasn''t he adding too much pressure to the other Guardian Generals? Li Foluo took a step forward, and the sky behind him became crimson all of a sudden. The faint projection of a giant volcano appeared behind him. The volcano erupted and lava covered the whole sky. The silhouette of a dragon could be faintly spotted in the lava. Quasi ninth-grade dragon resonance. Upper eighth-grade lava resonance. Submerged in the lava, the dragon manifestation had crimson scales. It was hundreds of thousands of feet long, flying across the sky. Burning hot magma dripped from its sharp fangs. This dragon manifestation was the result of Li Foluo channeling all the energy he could from the Dragon Fang Formation. Then the giant meteor began to shrink at an astonishing speed. Li Hongque and the others at the Dragon''s Blood Guardians were originally elated that they had obtained four World''s End River Meteors. However, the looks of delight on their faces had completely vanished. Some of the disgruntled Dragon''s Blood Guardians complained. "Ah, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians got three World''s End River Meteors. Our lead over them is getting smaller again." "Exactly. Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo are simply ridiculous. I have never seen anyone purify a meteor to such an extent." As the members of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians discussed among themselves, Li Hongque''s face turned dark. "Shut up, everyone. Don''t ride on the coattails of others. It takes a lot of energy and concentration to purify a World''s End River Meteor. No matter how exceptional Jiang Qing''e is, she''s merely a first-grade Duke. Li Luo is even worse, at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. How many more do you think they can refine? I predict they will last four rounds at most. After that, the responsibility will be handed back to Luo Jiang. We will be able to catch up then." When the others heard this, they understood immediately. Sure, Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo were exceptional, but could their stamina hold out? With that, the Dragon''s Blood Guardians gradually calmed down. The Five Guardian Armies then concentrated on their tasks once again. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians continued to attract the attention of others from time to time. With Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo working together, they continued to purify and produce World''s End River Meteors of three hundred feet one after another. The others understood immediately when they saw the repeated success. This meant that the first time wasn''t a lucky flukethe two of them really had the means to do it consistently. Just like this, the hours passed by. The World''s End River Meteors continued to fall, and they finally reached the fourth round. No one had any complaints about their harvest. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians had a total of 139,000 Star Pearls at. In contrast, they had only accumulated a total of 50,000 to 60,000 Star Pearls in seven rounds during previous month''s Falling Star Terrace. Now they had more than twice that amount! This was an absolutely terrifying increase. The other four Guardian Armies were speechless when they saw the terrifying harvest. Even the Dragon''s Blood Guardians had fallen into complete silence. Li Hongque clenched her fists tightly and her face turned extremely grim. However, her gloominess faded away when she noticed that the brilliance of Jiang Qing''e''s Duke Bergfried had dimmed a little. Li Luo was also taking a longer break and his eyes were closed. Clearly, the mental and physical exhaustion was finally catching up to them. A smile appeared on Li Hongque''s face. She said coldly, "They finally can''t endure it anymore. I almost thought they were made of steel." However, her delight only lasted for a few seconds. Her cold gaze turned towards the Dragon''s Fang Guardians once again when she saw Li Hongyou approach the duo. Suddenly, Li Hongque remembered Li Hongyou''s resonance, and a burning rage flared up within her! That bitch! She actually dared to take action?! Chapter 1238: Hongyous Support - Seven Rounds of Meteors Chapter 1238: Hongyou''s Support - Seven Rounds of Meteors When the fifth round of World''s End River Meteors descended, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were both sitting cross-legged to recuperate. The resonant power undulations coming from them had weakened. This was especially the case for Li Luo as he was only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. Purifying the World''s End River Meteors was not a simple task, so he was depleted after providing auxiliary support merely four times. Jiang Qing''e was the main force, so she was even more tired. If not for her Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried and three ninth-grade light resonances, she would have fallen out a long time ago. Thus, Li Luo could feel that Jiang Qing''e''s condition was also deteriorating. Anyone who looked at that would come to the same conclusion. There were numerous individuals who were heaving sighs of relief deep down. If Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo were allowed to continue for the full seven rounds, it was possible that they would accumulate more Star Pearls than the other four Guardian Armies combined. It would be a ludicrous amount. Luo Jiang floated over and asked in concern, "Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang, do you want me to take over?" Jiang Qing''e sighed slightly before asking, "How are the Star Pearls distributed?" Luo Jiang paused momentarily. "It usually depends on each individual''s title. The Star Pearls are divided into ten equal parts. The Guardian General gets two parts, each of the Dragon Fang Envoys get one part, and the four Grand Commanders share two parts equally. The remaining four parts are then distributed amongst the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." Jiang Qing''e then asked, "Are there any rewards for an outstanding performance?" She wasn''t exactly the calculative type, but Li Luo needed massive amounts of resources to rush towards the Duke Stage. The energy within the Star Pearls was pure and extremely suitable for him. Thus, she was willing to bring this topic up for his sake. Luo Jiang paused for a moment, but before he could reply, Li Foluo''s voice descended from above. "The Dragon''s Fang Guardians have been able to receive far more Star Pearls than normal because of you two. With me as witness, we can reduce everyone else''s share by one part in total, and it will be given to you as a reward." Jiang Qing''e nodded lightly. "You can give all of that to Li Luo, then." When looking at things as a whole, a single portion was a massive amount of Star Pearls. After all, every single member of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians desired them. The reason Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo had the ability to purify the meteors so thoroughly was due to the crucial assistance of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians'' combined might. Li Luo hurriedly spoke up."Sister Qing''e..." Jiang Qing''e was on the Path of Ascension and similarly also needed a large amount of resources for cultivation. Jiang Qing''e replied, "You have to first break into the Duke Stage. My heart worries for you, and your situation makes it hard for me to cultivate peacefully." Li Luo was speechless. His five-year time limit was indeed approaching quickly. Although he was confident he would reach the Duke Stage in less than two years, Jiang Qing''e thought that the earlier he could resolve the issue that had been plaguing him, the better. There was no need to push things to the edge and cause everyone else to worry about him. Thus, he hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement, no longer saying anything else. He truly needed to reach the Duke Stage as soon as he could. Only then could he join hands with Jiang Qing''e to obtain the resources they needed. Jiang Qing''e then turned to Luo Jiang. "We will push on for one more round. If we are unable to carry on, you can take over." Luo Jiang nodded. "If you''re ready, we will begin with the fifth round of Star Plucking," Li Foluo said from above. His voice was still full of strength, but there was a tone of solemnity within it. She bit her finger and fragrant blood flowed forth, swiftly forming an outline in the air. Ten breaths of time later, two ancient, crimson seals that flowed with golden light appeared. These seals surpassed the previous Crimson Heart Golden Seals in both complexity and mysteriousness. "Vermilion Fruit Godly Transformation Seal!" After Li Hongyou spoke, the seals immediately shot towards Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. Li Luo''s body trembled violently as he felt a mystical energy entering his body. All of his resonant palaces erupted into roars as they greedily absorbed the incoming energy. After which, Li Luo could feel the resonant power within his body rise at a frightening rate. It was as though his energy had ignited and turned into a raging inferno, sweeping away any inkling of the fatigue he had previously felt. "What amazing effects!" Li Luo sighed. Li Hongyou''s seal had become more effective. Next to Li Luo, a hint of rosiness began to appear on Jiang Qing''e''s fair cheeks. Her dim Duke Bergfried was quickly revitalized and began to sparkle with life yet again. "Thank you." Jiang Qing''e lightly nodded towards Li Hongyou. She then summoned up boundless amounts of resonant power and began to quickly purify the World End''s River Meteors. With the aid of Li Luo''s Acquired Resonance Flame, a three hundred feet meteor that resembled a precious gem appeared very quickly. She then got to work on the second meteor immediately. Her sudden rejuvenation and display of energy elicited cheers amongst the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. The other Guardian Armies were left sighing helplessly. They had thought that Jiang Qing''e had reached her limit, but now she was suddenly as spritely and energetic as before. Could it be that she would be able to last all seven rounds now? There was now an air of depression amongst the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. The fact that Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo could continue to purify the meteors did not go unnoticed. That bitch! How dare she! How dare she do such a thing!" Li Hongque was so incensed that her entire body was trembling. The fire burning within her eyes seemed like it could incinerate Li Hongyou into ashes. The moment she saw Li Hongyou step up, she knew that things would take a turn for the worse. And it had gone exactly as she had expectedLi Hongyou had used her resonance to bolster the couple. Both their minds and bodies had recovered, so holding on for seven rounds would not be a problem. Li Hongque was by far the angriest person in the crowd upon seeing Li Hongyou take action. The way she saw it, Li Hongyou was trampling all over her face. Some of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians began to shoot her slightly confused glances. However, they felt like sharp knives piercing her skin, causing her immense pain. "That bitch! Bitch!" Unfortunately, her anger was useless. Li Hongyou completely ignored her vicious gaze, leaving Li Hongque so furious that her mind blanked out. The skies continued to boom as the meteors fell. The Five Guardian Armies were doing their best to receive as much of this monthly gift as they could. In the end, when the final meteor of the seventh round landed, their time at the Falling Star Terrace came to an end. What was up next was the time everyone had been waiting for. Chapter 1239: Distributing Star Pearls Chapter 1239: Distributing Star Pearls The resounding roar that constantly echoed through the skies was coming to an end. All of the golden dragon scales that made up the barrier began to increase in density above the platforms. In the end, golden light flooded the area, and the World''s End River gradually blurred and vanished from sight. This indicated that the Falling Star Terrace event had come to an end. In order to ensure that Heavenly Dragon Peak remained protected, the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation was once again operating at peak protection, entering a fully defensive state. On the five golden lotus platforms, the Five Guardian Armies had complicated expressions as they watched things come to an end. The Dragon''s Bone, Dragon''s Horn, and Dragon''s Scale Guardians sighed enviously. The Dragon''s Blood Guardians, on the other hand, were experiencing disappointment and the feeling of being surpassed for the first time in a while. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians, however, were so ecstatic that they were celebrating. No one had expected Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e to last all seven rounds. Thanks to their hard work, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians had ended up with 260,000 Star Pearls. This was a mind-boggling sum. Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m Before today, they had never thought that it was even possible to obtain such a large amount. The Dragon''s Blood Guardians had also broken their own record of Star Pearls. They had managed to refine 180,000 Star Pearls, which was an extraordinary result, normally speaking. If the Dragon''s Fang Guardians haul wasnt significantly larger, they would undoubtedly be the center of attention. The Dragon''s Blood Guardians morale had suffered, and the atmosphere around them was clearly depressed. After all, they had held the top spot for a long time, and being surpassed was a new experience that led to discomfort in their hearts. Li Zhihuo descended from the sky and surveyed his soldiers with a frown. "Its just a single defeat. Why are all of you so depressed over it? If you''re unable to overcome such a minor setback, why are you even here? We have been at the top of the Falling Star Terrace for years; a single loss does not mean that we have been defeated forever." Li Zhihuo''s words caused the Dragon''s Blood Guardians to lower their heads in shame. Li Hongque''s fists were clenched tightly and her heart was filled with anger. Isnt that slut Li Hongyou the one to blame for all this? She actually dared to support Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo! If it wasnt for her, those two would not have endured through all seven rounds, and the Dragon''s Blood Guardians would have taken first place again! She had never even dreamed that the lowly slave who she had bullied when she was a child would dare to harbor thoughts of revenge. Li Hongyou had put on a brilliant display today and attracted the gazes of many. The relationship between her and Li Hongque was known to many, so she would definitely become a topic of conversation. The thought of this caused Li Hongques fury to rise, and her body shook in anger. That woman is a catastrophe! I absolutely cannot let her remain in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians! Her presence was like a slap in her face, and if things continued this way, she felt like she would simply go crazy with rage. Li Hongque then walked up to Li Zhihuo. She gritted her teeth and said, "Guardian General, we cannot let Li Hongyou remain with the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. She is at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, but she is just one step away from reaching the Duke Stage. If she succeeds, her supportive abilities will improve qualitatively and Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e will be like tigers with wings. Not only that, Li Foluo will also benefit from her boons and will even pose a threat to you." Li Zhihuo''s eyes shrunk a little. He was a lower fifth-grade Duke, while Li Foluo was currently at the upper fourth Duke Stage. That said, he was the one who posed the biggest threat amongst the other four Guardian Generals. He simply did not know when Li Foluo would break through and catch up. Li Hongyou''s lower ninth-grade Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance was only able to provide a temporary boost and was of not much help to Li Foluo. However, that would change once she became a Duke. With that, the atmosphere relaxed a little and the Guardians began to disperse in twos and threes, finding their own space. Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, Li Hongyou, Li Fengyi, and the rest then gathered to speak for a while. Li Fengyi and Li Fuling were incredibly delighted, endlessly showering praise upon Jiang Qing''e as looks of idolatry could be seen in their eyes. Jiang Qing''e simply smiled in response. A while later, her golden eyes turned towards Li Luo, and she said, "I''ve been given around twenty thousand Star Pearls. If you need any more, let me know." Li Luo hurriedly shook his head. "I have enough! The Star Pearls energy may be incomparably pure, but there should be a limit to how much I can absorb. You also require huge amounts of cultivation resources, and if I obstruct your progress, I''ll never be able to forgive myself." Li Fengyi and Li Fuling shuddered upon hearing his corny words. They felt that it was better to leave and cultivate in peace than to interrupt these lovebirds... There, they hurriedly turned tail and left. Li Luo helplessly smiled, and it was then when Jiang Qing''e reminded him, "Li Hongyou has demonstrated her value during this event. I''m afraid the Dragon''s Blood Guardians will go out of their way to get her out of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians as quickly as possible." He nodded slightly. "Are you talking about the bet?" If they wished to get rid of her, they could only do so through the bet. "I''ll do my best to refine as many Star Pearls as I can and strengthen myself before then." Li Luo knew that Jiang Qing''e was reminding him of the bet. The gap between the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier and the Duke Stage was like a massive chasm. It was no easy task to bridge this gap. "Do your best." Jiang Qing''e stood gracefully before Li Luo with a peerless temperament, her stunning beauty on full display. Her fair cheeks were like delicate porcelain and her smile was breathtaking. She instantly became the focus of everyone around them, and many eyes snuck a look at her. Li Luo similarly appreciated the beautiful sight in front of him. He stretched his hand out and took hold of her hand, leading her away to find a spot to cultivate. She could feel a sense of warmth radiating from his palm, and the corners of her lips moved slightly. They then found a platform made of golden dragon scales and sat cross-legged, their minds gradually calming down. With a wave of Li Luo''s hand, a single Star Pearl appeared in his palm. He could feel the exceptionally pure energy circulating within it. Exerting a small amount of force, he shattered the Star Pearl and absorbed the energy into his body. He could immediately experience the effect of the Star Pearls for himself. Chapter 1240: Refining Star Pearls, Advancing Forward! Chapter 1240: Refining Star Pearls, Advancing Forward! The pure energy entered Li Luo''s body and was quickly refined into strands of resonant power that entered his resonant palaces. "This energy is incredibly pure and easy to refine. A single Star Pearl is worth several days of cultivation progress for a normal individual." Alas, for Li Luo, its effects were not as pronounced. That said, it was still much faster than usual, so he could make immense progress with such a large number of Star Pearls. He also discovered that the process of refining the Star Pearl''s energy created a small strand of golden energy that entrenched itself within his body. Li Luo looked inwards with his mind when he noticed this. The strand of energy exuded a wild aura, as though it was a feral cub of a beast. "What is this?" Li Luo was a little surprised. When his mind came in contact with it, he felt a stream of information entering his brain. "Heavenly Dragon Golden Star. Whenever a World''s End River Meteor passes through the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation, the formation transforms some of the energy into this form. Said energy condenses within one''s body to create a star. It can be used for offense or defense. All of the Five Guardian Armies have to cultivate this so that when they come together, this energy can surge out and annihilate all enemies." Li Luo came to the realization that this was a secret art that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had created for the Five Guardian Armies. The Star Pearls were not only capable of increasing one''s strength, they even provided them with Golden Star energy. It was naturally a powerful offensive art for them. Most importantly, it did not require a special method to be cultivated. So long as they refined Star Pearls, the Golden Star would increase in power. "It seems like I''ve casually picked up something amazing," Li Luo thought to himself. Afterwards, he surrounded himself with a hundred Star Pearls and shattered all of them, allowing the energy to surge into his body. The hundred Star Pearls created a large wave of energy that made him feel a little disoriented for a moment. The bright side was that the energy was easy to absorb, so a little while later, it was refined into an immense amount of resonant power that entered his resonant palaces. At the same time, the strand of Heavenly Dragon Golden Star energy became much more vigorous. As his resonant power soared, Li Luo was filled with utmost satisfaction. Yet he suddenly opened his eyes as he could feel monstrous energy undulations which had surfaced. What he saw startled him. Tens of thousands of Star Pearls were floating in the air above the golden lotus platform. At the same time, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians were each grasping their Heavenly Dragon jades. Streams of light shot out of the jades, landing on the golden lotus platform. This caused the platform to emit a blinding golden light that swept outwards before taking the form of a dragon. The dragon manifestation coiled around the Star Pearls and, a moment later, spewed out a torrent of dragonbreath to simultaneously refine all of the Star Pearls. Jiang Qing''e was not far away, and her gaze was trained on the vortex. She had finished cultivating a few days ago. As a Duke with a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, her speed of refinement far surpassed Li Luo. However, she did not leave, remaining behind to protect Li Luo in case any accidents occurred. Li Fengyi, Li Hongyou, Li Jingtao, and the rest had similarly remained behind to accompany him, their concern towards Li Luo shown through their actions. More importantly, the Ceremony of Ascent was just three days away. "Li Qingbai from the Dragon''s Blood Guardians has been spreading nonsense recently. He claims that while Li Luo has talent, a Greater Heavenly Resonance junior should never have taken the position of Grand Commander. In fact, he says that Li Luo abused his status to seek personal gain," Li Fuling said to Li Fengyi. When she heard this, she frowned. "Li Qingbai doesn''t have any face. He''s clearly trying to besmirch Third Brother''s reputation and performance on the Falling Star Terrace. He just wants to harm him!" Li Fuling nodded in agreement. "Just based on Li Luo''s contributions to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians on the Falling Star Terrace, he deserves the position of Grand Commander even though hes only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier." Li Jingtao added, "Li Qingbai is simply looking to build up his own momentum before their battle during the Ceremony of Ascent." "Li Qingbai is an upper first-grade Duke, so Li Luo doesn''t have any advantage over him. If Li Luo does lose, do they really plan to chase Li Hongyou out of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians?" Li Fuling asked anxiously. Li Hongyou, on the other hand, didn''t seem to be too concerned. Her gaze remained focused on the gigantic energy vortex. "I believe in Li Luo." Jiang Qing''e nodded in agreement. "He won''t lose." Li Hongyou helplessly gave a bitter smile. Clearly, their confidence was unmatched. It was as though the gigantic gap in strength between Li Qingbai and Li Luo didnt even exist. Hopefully, Li Luo would pull off a miracle. Otherwise, they wouldn''t know how to deal with the aftermath of the bet. Amidst their worries, Li Luo suddenly bellowed. The energy vortex around him began to dissipate, and a magnificent Heavenly Resonance Diagram unfurled in the sky before their eyes. The Heavenly Resonance Diagram portrayed a surging sea and towering trees that had taken root in brown soil. Thunderclouds loomed above the landscape, the silhouette of a dragon flew inside it. It was rare to see so many resonance affinities on one diagram. The crowd was also taken aback by this. Seeing the numerous resonances present in a single person was no less shocking than seeing Jiang Qing''e with three light resonances. At the same time, they saw that the Heavenly Resonance Diagram had reached a width of 84,000 feet. In just a short seven days, his Heavenly Resonance Diagram had increased by more than ten thousand feet. The speed of Li Luos growth was simply unbelievable. Chapter 1241: Evidence Not Required Chapter 1241: Evidence Not Required The sky roared with energy in the presence of the majestic Heavenly Resonance Diagram. After a while, it started fading. Li Luo then appeared in front of Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou. "Looks like you''ve become quite a bit stronger," Jiang Qing''e said to Li Luo with a smile. \ "An 84,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram. You''ve nearly caught up to me." Li Hongyou sighed. When they first met at the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, Li Luo was still at the Heavenly Pearl Tier. Now they were almost on par. This was truly shocking progress. "Thats ridiculous! Your Heavenly Resonance Diagram expanded by over 20,000 feet, right? Are those Star Pearls really that effective!?" Li Fengyi couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise. Although Li Luo had gotten a large number of Star Pearls, a portion of their energy had been absorbed by the Heavenly Dragon Golden Star. As such, his strength shouldn''t have increased by such a big leap. Getting 20,000 feet of progress was akin to a whole year of cultivation for a normal individual with an eighth-grade resonance without the help of any other special opportunities. Li Luo pondered quietly for a moment. "It might be due to my good looks." As soon as he said that, the girls present rolled their eyes. Li Luo grinned. In his heart, he knew that the Star Pearls had probably been abnormally effective due to the mysterious Auric Halo. On top of that, he had made full use of the Acquired Resonance Flame to purify the energy further. "The members of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians have gone to report news of this," Li Fengyi commented as she glanced over to the side. Some of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians that had remained behind had taken off as soon as Li Luo finished cultivating. "Are you really going to challenge Li Qingbai from the Dragon''s Blood Guardians in the Ceremony of Ascent? He''s an upper first-grade Duke. What are we going to do about Sister Hongyou if you lose?" Li Fengyi asked worriedly. Li Hongyou said, "This is a gamble that I''ve agreed to, so there is no need to blame Li Luo if we lose. After all, the reason I came to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians is to take revenge on Li Hongque for how she treated my mother and I in the past. This gamble is a good chance to do precisely that." A faint smile appeared on her cold face as she continued, "Besides, they''ve put so much at stake." It was rare for her to make jokes. The others didn''t know if they should laugh or cry. "By the way, this is going to be my first time fighting a Duke with my strength alone," Li Luo said with a smile. There was no fear in his eyes. Instead, they were burning with excitement and anticipation. Back in the Xia Kingdom, a Duke was so far above him that he could only dream about fighting one. But he had fought countless Dukes and True Devils after coming to the Dragons Fang Lineage. However, those were all done with the aid of Harmony or the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf. He had never really challenged one with just his own strength. He would only be able to rely on himself during the Ceremony of Ascent. Li Luo couldn''t help but sigh. Time had flown by, but he had made it far. All the hard work he had put in over the years was worth it. Jiang Qing''e looked at Li Luo with her abstruse, golden eyes. Indeed, the youth from the City of Southwind who was once cursed with a blank palace was now a renowned figure in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Abyssal City was the headquarters of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin in the World''s End River Region. Li Jinpan shot a look at him and commented, "Oh? Do you also think that Qin Lian is the one behind the ambush?" Li Jiluo replied in a deep voice, "Ultimately, it''s just our suspicion. If Lineage Chief Jingzhe goes after Qin Lian because of it, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin will surely retaliate. We already have a strained relationship with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, so it would not be wise to make an enemy out of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin as well." "Li Jiluo, aren''t you supposed to be the next Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage? Why are you such a scaredy cat? If the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao work together, are we, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, just going to let them bully us?" Li Jinpan rebutted. Li Jiluo replied indifferently, "I am not scared. I am just considering the bigger picture here." "So you''ll let my family members suffer because of the bigger picture?!! If you ask me, that bitch Qin Lian deserves to be slapped to death by our Respected Elder!" Li Jinpan shouted angrily. As the two of them engaged in a heated conversation, Li Qingpeng hurriedly interrupted them. "Alright, alright, let''s stop arguing." He turned and looked at Li Jiluo. "We honestly don''t know where the Respected Elder went. Even if we did, do you think we could change his mind?" Li Jiluo frowned in response and sighed helplessly. He knew that what Li Qingpeng had said was right. The Lineage Chief was their superior and one of the main decision makers in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Only the other Lineage Chiefs could even hope to change Li Jingzhe''s mind. Right now, he could only hope that the usually rule-abiding Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would continue to consider the bigger picture. If not, there would be a lot of troubles to deal with at the World''s End River Region. As Li Jiluo was thinking about all this, an elderly man wearing linen clothes and holding a bamboo stick stepped out of the void and onto a faraway hilltop. He shot an indifferent look at the majestic city in the distance that was shrouded with dense and boundless formations. This man was none other than Li Jingzhe. Even ninth-grade Dukes would hesitate to attempt to break through the energy formations surrounding the city. However, that was not a worry for Li Jingzhe. "I said that the grudges from the previous generation will stay with the previous generation. If you cross this line, do not blame me for retaliating. If you think I can''t do anything just because you''ve hidden your true self, you are too naive. Because... I''ll act based on what I feel in my heart, not on the evidence," he whispered softly to himself. When he finished speaking, he took a step forward. The void around him twisted and he appeared in the sky above Abyssal City. He did not hide his presence at all. A terrifying pressure fell from the sky, and the whole city succumbed to his suppression. Thunderous booms resounded in the sky instantly and the whole city began to shake violently. In the blink of an eye, all the elites in Abyssal City raised their heads and looked up at the sky. Chapter 1242: The Domineering Old Man Knocks Down The Door Chapter 1242: The Domineering Old Man Knocks Down The Door Bang! All of the worldly natural energy within tens of thousands of meters of Abyssal City was stirred into action. It then converged towards the city as if it was driven by something. A moment later, nigh infinite amounts of energy transformed into a massive wave in the sky, seemingly capable of crushing the city beneath. The pressure caused the void to continuously ripple and shatter. Even the ground beneath shuddered as though it feared the cataclysmic power that was about to descend. The countless experts in Abyssal City were shocked. The terrifying pressure bearing down on them far surpassed that of an upper-grade Duke. They could feel a chill running through their bodies as an inconceivable notion appeared in their heads. "Is that... a King?" "Where did this King come from? Why would he cause trouble in Abyssal City?" "This is the core of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin in the World''s End River Region." "Oh God! Is he planning to fight against the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin?" Numerous shocked shouts echoed throughout Abyssal City. Numerous powers and rogue cultivators had taken up residence in the city; some felt that the situation didn''t seem right and the quicker ones took the initiative to leave. If the King truly took action, half of the city could very well end up smashed to pieces. As Dukes, they were usually the ones to flaunt their power, but they would simply be collateral damage in such an encounter. Even if they had interests in Abyssal City, it was not worth risking their lives. Thus, chaos unfolded throughout the city in just moments. Streams of light swiftly shot outwards as people took their leave with haste. At the same time, some of the experts in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin finally reacted. Although they felt that the situation was unbelievable, towering pillars of light shot into the sky as Duke Bergfrieds took form, absorbing immense amounts of worldly natural energy. A guard of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin respectfully cupped his hands and solemnly asked the figure in the sky, "Esteemed elder, could you please explain why you are assaulting Abyssal City? This is the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s stronghold. Could you have made a mistake?" Li Jingzhe''s indifferent gaze focused on Qin Lian. "My grandson Li Luo encountered an assassination attempt from an eighth-grade Duke the moment he stepped into the World''s End River Region. It must have been you." Qin Lian''s expression turned gloomy as she replied without hesitation, "Lineage Chief Li Jingzhe, I don''t know what you''re talking about. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan made countless enemies in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent all those years ago. It''s not hard to imagine that someone out there is dissatisfied with them and chose to act against their son. Furthermore, there are many rogue cultivators in the World''s End River Region. They act without scruple and are unrestrained. It is entirely possible that Li Luo offended them and invited retribution." Li Jingzhe callously replied, "I''m not here to engage in sophistry. I warned you before that the problems of the previous generation will remain with the previous generation. If you still hold enmity, you can look for Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. However, if you dare to bully my grandson, I will make sure you experience what its like to be bullied by someone with far more power. Qin Lian gritted her teeth. "I said it beforeI have no idea what you''re talking about. Is the dignified Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage an unreasonable man? If you can prove that it was me, take out the evidence and I''m willing to be punished. Otherwise, Lineage Chief Jingzhe, do you think that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin is so easily bullied?" Li JJingzhe coolly replied, clearly unfazed by the threat, "Evidence? I don''t need any. If it really was you, then what I am doing is perfectly justified and you deserve to be punished. If it wasn''t you, I''d just kill the chicken to scare the monkeys." The experts that remained now understood why Li Jingzhe was here. Clearly, Li Luo had been attacked and he suspected that the culprit behind it was none other than Qin Lian. That said, it was a little unsettling that he would come knocking on their door so violently on a mere suspicion. Was the Dragon''s Fang Lineages Lineage Chief such a tyrannical individual? Some of the elites in the city began to whisper amongst themselves. "What''s his grandson''s name? Remember it dearly and don''t bother him." It wouldn''t be possible to deal with the aftermath of any situation in which a King Stage grandpa would personally turn up to look for trouble whenever something happened. Qin Yi frowned. She understood her mother''s personality very well, and if there truly was a chance, she probably would attempt to kill Li Luo. Alas, no one had expected that Qin Lian''s reckless actions would lead to a reckless response from the usually stoic and rule-abiding Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. He''d kill his way to the doors of his enemies just because he suspected it was them. If news of this spread, the entire Heavenly Origin Divine Continent would be shocked. Qin Lian, on the other hand, was also furious. Li Jingzhe was clearly being too tyrannical. She had a feeling that he was planning to deal with her today no matter what. A ferocious glint flashed across her eyes. Since there was nothing that could be said, then she would no longer bother! Since Li Jingzhe had caused such a ruckus, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s King was sure to have sensed it. If she could hold on for a while, the King would quickly make his way over. Qin Lian clenched her fists and a plaque appeared in her hand, emitting a resounding roar throughout the area. "Since you dare to attack the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s stronghold so brazenly, I have no choice but to take action. Otherwise, it would be a stain on our reputation. Everyone, listen to my command. Activate the Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation!" Chapter 1243: Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation Chapter 1243: Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation As Qin Lian''s voice echoed throughout Abyssal City, numerous beams of light shot up into the air. The light runes interweaved with each other in the sky above the city. Sounds of gushing water echoed through the air as a terrifying formation materialized, causing the void to tremble violently. All the Dukes in the city looked up at the giant formation in the sky. It appeared to have torn the sky apart as a pitch-black deluge of water burst out. The black water gave off a terrifying feeling. It seemed like even a Duke would disintegrate in an instant if they came into contact with it. This was the defensive ward that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin had set up in Abyssal City. The Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation! It was said that this formation was capable of fending off even Kings. It was one of the main reasons why Abyssal City had managed to survive the Stygian Rain of Calamity time and time again. As one of the Heavenly Emperor powers in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, the foundation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin was indeed worthy of its name. Qin Lian felt a little more confident when she looked up at the Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation. She was the highest ranking administrator in Abyssal City right now and the only one who had the authority to utilize the defensive ward. Her sharp eyes turned towards Li Jingzhe, who remained in the middle of the sky, allowing her to activate the defensive ward. "Lineage Chief Jingzhe, if you retreat right now, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin will treat it as if nothing happened here today." Li Jingzhe looked back at her coldly. "Are you done activating the formation?" Qin Lian''s eyes darkened immediately. Was Li Jingzhe waiting for her to activate the defensive ward of Abyssal City on purpose? It seemed like he was really here to wreak havoc. She couldn''t help but feel frightened at the thought of it. She did not expect Li Jingzhe''s fury to have reached such a point. He was the Lineage Chief best known for always following the rules. Why was he acting so unreasonably this time? Nonetheless, she felt no regrets on her decision to ambush Li Luo earlier. The Genesis Seed was far too important. If the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin could get their hands on it, they would definitely become the strongest power in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Even the other three Emperor Bloodlines would have to step aside for them. Qin Lian gritted her teeth with that thought in mind. She activated the Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation with the plaque in her hand. She did not harbor any crazy thoughts of resisting Li Jingzhe with her own strength. After all, he was a Dual Crowned King. Such a terrifying presence could easily flatten her eight Duke Bergfrieds as soon as she brought them out. As such, she could only hope to resist him temporarily with the defensive ward. When Qin Lian activated the formation, endless streams of black water gushed out. Every drop of water carried the formidable power of erosion. Wherever it flowed by, the surroundings disintegrated without a sound. The streams of black water filled the air, and the whole city came to a standstill for a moment. Suddenly, the black water burst forth like a torrent of rain and charged towards Li Jingzhe. A single ball of water was enough to liquefy a middle-grade Duke. Physically bearing witness to such a large number of them caused the Dukes that were watching below to all feel a chill run up their spines. This was the terrifying might of a Heavenly Emperor power. However, Li Jingzhe''s aged face remained unfazed amidst this development. Two mythical and majestic crowns materialized above his head. These crowns contained an immense, ancient power, resembling the primordial energy from the beginning of time. Every rune on it contained a special kind of source origin energy. This seemingly ordinary charge looked harmless at first glance, but immense fear could be seen on the faces of many Dukes within the city. They understood that even if a ninth-grade Duke were standing in its way, the giant beast would not be obstructed or even slowed. A hint of anticipation surfaced in Qin Lian''s eyes. She did not expect the Blackwater Kirin to stop Li Jingzhe. All she wanted was for it to cause a little trouble for him, buying some time for herself. Before everyone''s eyes, the Blackwater Kirin charged directly towards Li Jingzhe. Li Jingzhe stretched out his wizened palm, and it expanded at an astonishing speed. In just a few moments, it was large enough to cover up the sun in the sky. Numerous spiritual lights started circulating around it, and countless ancient runes appeared on it. The giant palm grabbed the terrifying Blackwater Kirin directly. The fearsome black water swept up and attempted to erode the giant palm, but to no avail. The palm did not waver at all. Spiritual light surrounded the palm and completely negated the waters effects. A moment later, the giant palm clenched tightly. The Blackwater Kirin that struck fear in all the countless Dukes exploded. Boom! The void was shattered and pitch-black water fell. The city that suffered from the aftermath was eroded, and everyone within its range hurried to take cover. Qin Lian spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. She was shocked that her fearsome attack was crushed by Li Jingzhe with a single movement! The difference between their strengths was unbelievable. Run! Qin Lian''s heart was completely filled with fear now. However, numerous mythic runes appeared in the world space around her before she could even turn around to escape. The runes imprisoned her and locked down the space completely. At the same time, the giant palm fell from the sky with a screeching sound. Qin Lian was horrified. Bang! The palm hit her body directly. In that instant, her flesh and blood was instantly smashed apart. Qin Lian was crushed and pummeled into the ground. A deep hole appeared in the middle of the city. Qin Lian, with half her skeleton exposed, could be seen lying in the depths of the hole. Her breath was weak and fresh blood covered her entire body. Chapter 1244: Kings Confront Chapter 1244: Kings Confront When the giant pit was created in the middle of Abyssal City, crevices extended in all directions like giant pythons, swallowing up all of the buildings in the surrounding area. The whole city fell into chaos. Many of the Dukes had flown into the sky. They swallowed their saliva as they stared at the newly created pit. Qin Lian had been struck so hard that her entire body was smashed to the point her bones could be seen. She was an eighth-grade Duke, someone who could easily hold her ground regardless of where she was in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Yet Li Jingzhe had injured her with utmost ease. A Dual Crowned King was truly terrifying. Qin Lian had already lost control of her body. She could sense the excruciating pain coming from her limbs and bones. Her expression was twisted with pain. Li Jingzhe''s casual blow carried the power of a King, which made it extremely hard for her body to recover. All she could do right now was lie there motionless. If Li Jingzhe struck yet again, it would surely be fatal. When Qin Lian realized this, overwhelming fear appeared in her eyes. Li Jingzhe shot her an indifferent look. Then he looked towards the void in front of him and said, "Qin Jiujie, you''re finally here." "Li Jingzhe, you''re acting out of hand." In the next instant, a husky, furious voice reverberated in the air. As the voice echoed, everyone in Abyssal City could see the sky crack open, and a figure walked out. This person was muscular and handsome. Mystical runes could be seen on his face and even around his eyes. As a result, he seemed truly enigmatic. On his head were two precious crowns radiating the almighty power of a King. This was yet another Dual Crowned King! "We pay our respects to the Grand Palace Master!" All the elites from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin knelt down respectfully as soon as they saw the man. They were elated to see him appear in Abyssal City. This man was none other than Qin Jiujie, the leader of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. Other than their Ancestor, Heavenly Emperor Qin, who had not been seen for years, Qin Jiujie was the one that held the most power in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. Hearing this, the cunning Qin Jiujie couldn''t help but laugh angrily. "All this just for Li Luo? You''re willing to take on such a big risk for him? Li Jingzhe, have you turned into a senile fool?" Clearly, Li Jingzhe had come precisely to escalate the situation. At the same time, he was sending a message to everyone else that they shouldn''t even think about bullying his grandson. This was a truly unexpected development, given Li Jingzhe''s status. It seemed he was a little too overprotective of his family. Years ago, he had not protectedLi Taixuan like this. Perhaps it was the lingering guilt that caused him to act like this for Li Luo? "Back then, I forced myself to take a step back. I gave you guys an inch, but you ended up taking a mile. Taixuan left the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent with his wife. Now that his son is finally back with the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, I won''t let any of you touch him. Forget you, Qin Jiujieeven if Heavenly Emperor Qin himself appeared, I would not back down!" Li Jingzhe''s indifferent voice rang far and wide. The rules had been clearly set. If anyone dared to break them, he would hold no punches. If they wanted to play, he would go all out. As soon as he finished speaking, Li Jingzhe raised the ordinary-looking bamboo staff in his hand. The two crowns on his head turned into an endless, clear stream of air that surrounded the bamboo staff. "It''s been a long time since I''ve truly acted. Perhaps the world has forgotten about my treasured Kingslayer Staff. There is a reason for why it''s been named such. When I first entered the King Stage, a King fell before it." Li Jingzhe''s face turned solemn. He waved his staff, and the sky appeared to be split in half. Torrents of worldly natural energy gathered up and transformed into tiny runes that dotted the full length of the staff. The weapon was only a few feet long, yet all the elites in Abyssal City were taken aback at that moment. All of a sudden, a manifestation of the staff cast a shadow that enveloped them all The Black Water Divine Formation that had enveloped the whole city began to vibrate violently, and faint cracks started to form all over it. This was unimaginable. If this defensive ward wasn''t around, the presence of the staff might have flattened the whole city in an instant. Was this the true power of a Dual Crowned King? An apocalyptic power that could completely devastate the land? As all of them were still stunned by its appearance, the staff descended straight towards Qin Jiujie, full of murderous intent. Chapter 1245: Kings Battle Chapter 1245: King''s Battle The majestic staff manifestation heralded a cataclysm that was about to descend upon the city. Even a Single Crowned King would be forced to retreat before this very blow. However, Qin Jiujie did not withdraw, as he was also a Dual Crowned King. His expression sank as he stretched his hand out and waved gently. The void before him shattered, then a scintillating lake of thunder appeared. On top of the thunder lake was a rising red flame. The harmony of thunder and flame persisted for a few breaths before they transformed into several streams of light that landed in Qin Jiujie''s hand. They then took the form of a heavy truncheon. The truncheon was engraved with source origin runes that had been formed by the fusion of thunder and flame. Below him, surprise appeared in Qin Yi''s beautiful eyes when she spotted the crimson and silver truncheon in Qin Jiujie''s hand. Chu Qing''s gaze also turned heated when he saw the weapon. "That is the Grand Palace Master''s venerated heirloom, the legendary Extreme Thunder Heaven Burning Truncheon! It is said that countless Kings have fallen to it. "He started the fight off with his trusty venerated heirloom! It seems that he fears the Dragon Fang King''s attack," Qin Yi lightly commented. "He is a renowned Dual Crowned King after all," Chu Qing replied. He stared unblinkingly as the two terrifying existences exchanged blows. A confrontation between Kings was incredibly rare to see, and these were even Dual Crowned Kings. After all, once one reached the King Stage, they were apex existences whose every move had far-reaching ramifications both physically and politically. Thus came the saying that a King never moved lightly. This was why the experts in the city were confused when Li Jingzhe barged into their doorstep. Before the respectful gazes, Qin Jiujie brandished the Extreme Thunder Heaven Burning Truncheon. Billions of bolts of thunder energy lashed out from the skies, mingled with numerous fire dragons. Every single strand of the fused energies contained condensed source origin energy of both fire and thunder. Bang! The Extreme Thunder Heaven Burning Truncheon and the Kingslayer Staff collided! The entire firmament seemed to have been rendered into two. One side was a world of thunder and flame whereas the other was filled with immense, golden light. The latter side contained a golden dragon and a golden stalk of bamboo that stood defiantly between the skies and the earth, emitting violent thunder. "The Grand Palace Master possesses a thunder and a fire resonance. The Dragon Fang King should have a Golden Dragon and Heavenly Thunder Bamboo resonance. All of them are good at offense," Qin Yi said as she quietly observed. "Additionally, they seem to be perfectly compatible with their resonance affinities, to a greater extent when compared to me and my lower ninth-grade resonance. It looks like the rumors were not false. When one enters the King Stage, their resonances evolve and enter the ninth-grade. The Grand Palace Master and the Dragon Fang King should have already reached the middle ninth-grade. That means that Triple Crowned Kings have upper ninth-grade resonances." Chu Qing nodded and then let out a sigh. "The King Stage is truly an incredible realm. Once you step into it, you have truly transcended the world." As the two conversed, the Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation above Abyssal City continued to operate at full capacity. The black water continued to surge forward and transform into a barrier that resolved the collateral impacts of the two Kings'' attacks. He knew that this large disturbance had already attracted the attention of the neighboring powers with Kings. If he continued to hold back, he would ruin the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s reputation. "Li Jingzhe, do you think were afraid of you?!" Qin Jiujie''s depressed voice boomed through the skies. Divine light surged out of his body, and the howling of wolves could be heard coming from the world of thunder and flames. The howls echoed throughout the city. It was then that everyone saw a gigantic, golden wolf walk towards them. It emanated an aura of ferociousness, and its nine tails could be seen dancing in the skies, creating tornadoes with every swish. A Nine-tailed Heavenly Wolf! If Li Luo was here, he would definitely sigh in amazement. This was the final form of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf. It was said that amongst the spirit beast tribes, the Nine-tailed Heavenly Wolf reigned at the top. Qin Jiujie lightly waved the Extreme Thunder Heaven Burning Truncheon. The two crowns above him transformed into a stream of pure energy, then the Nine-tailed Heavenly Wolf shrunk and similarly condensed into another stream of energy, all of which landed on the truncheon and turned into three archaic runes. It was then that a tri-colored halo surrounded it. This was triple resonance energy. "Li Jingzhe, I''ll ask you one last time. Will you step back?" Qin Jiujie asked coldly. "Both of us are Dual Crowned Kings. Even if you kick up a fuss, what can you do?" Qin Jiujie''s frigid words cut through the silence. Behind Li Jingzhe, the golden dragon coiled up and the gigantic stalk of thunder bamboo absorbed and released heavenly thunder. A moment later, azure wind manifested within the golden light. Wherever the wind passed through, the sky was split apart. This was Li Jingzhe''s third resonance, a wind resonance. He grasped his staff as he glared at Qin Jiujie before casually replying, "Dual crowned? That''s unfortunate. I am actually just a little bit better than you." When Qin Jiujie heard those words, his eyes shrunk and an inconceivable notion surfaced in his mind. He hurriedly lifted his head and looked at the sky above Li Jingzhe. The imposing crowns floating above Li Jingzhe radiated an imperial might that could not be surpassed. It was then that he could sense a thin layer of energy flowing above the second crown. In fact, an illusory outline of a third crown emerged at this moment. Bang! The appearance of the illusory crown caused everyone who was watching within the World End''s River Region to feel absolute shock. Worldly natural energy surged and frothed as though it was expressing its worship for what was to come. A third crown? Li Jingzhe was actually a Triple Crowned King? Chapter 1246: Quasi-Triple Crown Chapter 1246: Quasi-Triple Crown The two crowns above Li Jingzhes head exuded endless amounts of pure energy. Above the crowns was a faint and illusory image of yet another crown! It was a mythical and ancient crown, giving off an indescribable aura of royalty and supremacy. This crown represented the pinnacle of strength in this world. Even though it was illusory, it represented that Li Jingzhe had already touched upon it and reaching completion was simply a matter of time. He was on his way to becoming a Triple Crowned King. In the absence of a Heavenly Emperor, a Triple Crowned King was invincible. The worldly natural energy in the surroundings trembled. One could faintly see the energy transforming into manifestations of spirits, kneeling down to worship Li Jingzhe. The roaring tremors in the background were like an ancient melody that heralded the emergence of a new Triple Crowned King. Everyone was completely taken aback at this point, whether it was Qin Jiujie or the other powerful figures that were watching this scene from afar. "A triple crown? How''s that possible?!" Qin Jiujie muttered incoherently. His eyes were filled with doubt. Just a year ago, Li Jingzhe was publicly acknowledged as being a Single Crowned King. Half a year ago, he had surprised everyone when he stepped forward as a Dual Crowned King in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. After all, Li Jingzhe had not made any moves for more than ten years. The renowned Dragon Fang King was like an elderly retiree, spending the rest of his days in the woods. He had handed over most of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage affairs to the four Hall Masters. No one had heard much about him in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Thus, who would have expected that he would suddenly appear in the Spiritual Resonance Cave as a Dual Crowned King? Originally, Qin Jiujie thought that Li Jingzhe had been hiding his strength on purpose. However, he had truly underestimated the degree of which he had hidden his power. He was on the cusp of becoming a Triple Crowned King! Although his third crown was still incomplete and he was, strictly speaking, just a Quasi-Triple Crown, it still signified that Li Jingzhe was already one step ahead of him. Qin Jiujie''s heart was filled with mixed emotions. It signified he had already embarked on that last step to bridge the gap. In the giant pit below, the half-dead Qin Lian was also staring in disbelief. Li Jingzhe had hidden himself well over the years. A Quasi-Triple Crown King. If not for the incident with Li Luo, the Dragon Fang King would still be hiding this fact today. One day, when he finally revealed his true strength, he might have already truly entered the ranks of the Triple Crowned Kings. Qin Lian was terrified. This old man was truly unfathomable. In Abyssal City, many other Dukes were also discussing this reveal of power. They watched the elderly figure in the sky with eyes of respect. The old man gave off such an authoritative presence that the Duke Bergfrieds in their bodies were trembling in fright. At this point, they finally understood why Li Jingzhe dared to cause trouble in Abyssal City alone. Even though Qin Jiujie had made an appearance, he had no intention to hold back. After all, he had the power to do what he wanted. "Li Jingzhe, I''ve always thought that Li Tianji was the closest to becoming a Triple Crowned King in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Who would have thought... Everyone has underestimated you," Qin Jiujie said in a low voice. He did not mention anything else about threatening Li Jingzhe to retreat. After all, Li Jingzhe had revealed his Quasi-Triple Crown here. He knew that Li Jingzhe would not back off until he''d collected all the interest for the debt owed. Li Jingzhe looked back at him indifferently. He did not waste any more effort talking to Qin Jiujie. He raised his bamboo staff and lightly brought it downwards in the air in front of him. An instant later, a shocking draconic roar resounded in the air. An enormous golden dragon whose end couldnt be seen emerged in the sky. When it opened its maw, all the worldly natural energy within hundreds of miles flooded in. At the same time, the stalk of golden thunder bamboo that was thousands of feet tall and connected the skies and the earth blasted out an endless amount of thunderbolts. Additionally, an azure wind swept across the sky, howling fiercely like a primordial storm ravaging the world. The golden dragon and the heavenly wolf gradually dissipated in the skies above. Terrifying energy waves continued to radiate from the point of collision. When the aftershock subsided, everyone in the city could see that the area above the Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation was devoid of anything. All the black water that had originally filled the sky had evaporated in the blink of an eye. Qin Jiujie''s hands that were holding onto the Extreme Thunder Heaven Burning Truncheon trembled a little. Then fresh blood fell onto the truncheon. These droplets of blood rolled down and transformed into crackling thunderbolts, tiny flames, and multiple miniscule wolf manifestations. He waved his hand, and the droplets of blood disappeared instantly. His expression was full of gloominess. Clearly, he had been injured in the clash. Fury then began to burn in Qin Jiujie''s eyes. He looked coldly at Li Jingzhe but did not say anything. Suddenly, strands of energy began to rise up within Abyssal City. They interweaved together, and the people on the ground could faintly feel a terrifying presence coming from them. All the elites in the city were shocked at this sight. They looked into the depths of the city, and a deep crack could be seen running through the ground. The Blackwater Guardians from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin were residing within it. This was the source of the new presence. This was a force that could rival even a King''s might. Furthermore, that was not all. Mysterious light began to shine out from the back of Qin Jiujie. Majestic figures slowly appeared from the rays of light. At this moment, another mighty energy wave swept across the area. They were... the other Kings from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. The commotion was so large that the rest of them had come to the rescue. "Li Jingzhe, do you really think you are invincible just because you''ve gotten close to becoming a Triple Crowned King?" one of the new arrivals coldly said. "Audacious! You might as well die here today!" The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin was clearly enraged at this point. Li Jingzhe grabbed onto his bamboo staff and looked back at them indifferently. Before he could say anything, the void behind him began to shake as well. At the next moment, four majestic figures walked out from the void. "If you want to slay a King from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, I hope you have also prepared a dirge for yourself." The remaining four Lineage Chiefs from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had made their entrance! Everyone within the city scratched their heads in confusion. This incident had clearly been blown out of proportion. Could it be that these two Heavenly Emperor lineages were going to wage a war in the World End''s River Region? Chapter 1247: Kings Gathered Chapter 1247: Kings Gathered In the sky above Abyssal City, four figures had arrived through the void to a place behind Li Jingzhe. The one taking the lead was none other than Li Tianji, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. The other three were Li Qingying, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage; Li Xuanwu, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Bone Lineage; and Li Jinjiao, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Horn Lineage. Li Jingzhe had created such a big commotion that all of the Kings on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent had been alerted to this fight. Now that the Kings from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin had made their entrance, the Kings from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li would naturally make their stand as well. No matter how much the five lineages usually fought amongst themselves, they would stand united against all external foes. It was then that they looked at Li Jingzhe with complex expressions. "Lineage Chief Jingzhe, you''ve hidden your strength well. You''ve gotten close to becoming a Triple Crowned King without anyone noticing," Li Tianji, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, said slowly. He had mixed feelings regarding this. After all, he was the first to become a Dual Crowned King in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. In terms of foundation, his was the best. As such, everyone thought that he would be the first to reach that much desired stage. Who would have expected that Li Jingzhe, the one who maintained the lowest profile amongst the five lineages, would overtake him and take that final step first? Li Jingzhe responded calmly, "After being shut away and cultivating for so many years, I''ve gained the necessary enlightenment. You''ve accumulated many years of progress, so it''ll undoubtedly be your time soon." Li Tianji shook his head, deciding not to talk about this any further. He then turned towards Qin Jiujie and the rest that were hovering above the skies of Abyssal City. "Palace Master Qin Jiujie, this is just a friendly exchange. Do you need to kick up such a big fuss? You have the Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation and the Blackwater Guardians, plus the Kings from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin have been summoned. If others didn''t know any better, they would think that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin was planning to go to war here." Qin Jiujie''s face was extremely dark. "You should be telling that to the Dragon''s Fang Lineages Lineage Chief instead! He came over and wreaked havoc in our city for no good reason. If the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin just stands by and lets him continue, outsiders might think we are pushovers!" Li Tianji laughed. "You are overthinking, Palace Master Qin Jiujie. Lineage Chief Jingzhe simply wanted to have a friendly spar with you. This exchange was the culmination of your friendship. There is no provocation here at all." Hearing this, all the elites in the city looked at each other strangely. The Dragon''s Blood Lineages Lineage Chief seemed to possess a silver tongue. The two parties had already engaged in a bitter struggle, yet he could still claim it was a friendly match? What complete hogwash! Qin Jiujie snorted coldly. "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li must give us an explanation for today''s incident. If not, we will not let it slide!" Li Tianji sighed lightly. "If you really insist, all five of our Lineage Chiefs will have no choice but to stay here till the very end." Although his words appeared kind, his attitude was firm. Li Tianji understood that no matter what happened, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li would not sit back and watch the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin group up against Li Jingzhe. As such, his stance was very clear. It did not matter if this would eventually escalate into a full-blown war with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. After all, Li Jingzhe had an exceptional position. No matter how big of a mess he got into, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li would stand behind him all the way. Li Tianji was not bothered by the indifferent response. He turned towards Li Jingzhe and said, "Lineage Chief Jingzhe, I believe we''re done over here?" Li Jingzhe stowed away his bamboo staff and nodded casually. Li Tianji sighed. Li Jingzhe was in charge of guarding Heavenly Dragon Peak, and they themselves were just energy projections that would dissipate soon. Hopefully, he would not create any more trouble afterwards. With that, the five Kings from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li turned around and left. Seeing that the conflict had concluded, Zhao Zong also took his leave in disappointment. The White Elephant King from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhu nodded slightly towards Qin Jiujie. Then his white elephant charged through the void and took its leave as well. Just like this, the shocking clash ended abruptly. Everyone in Abyssal City heaved sighs of relief. The fight was finally over Qin Jiujie beckoned with his hand, signaling for the other elites to tidy up the aftermath. Then his cold eyes stared at the spot where Li Jingzhe had disappeared from. He gave a nod towards the other Kings from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, and they took their leave as well. It was only at this point that Qin Yi and Chu Qing rushed over to the huge pit in the center of the city. The two of them saw the crushed body of Qin Lian and rushed over to help immediately. Qin Jiujie''s voice suddenly rang in the air, stopping them in their tracks. "Don''t touch her. The remnants of Li Jingzhe''s King energy is still on her body, continuously eroding her flesh and blood. This caused her to be unable to recover from her injuries. If you so much as make contact with her, you''ll turn into a pile of bones instantly." Qin Yi and Chu Qing stopped immediately. "Palace Master, please save my mother," Qin Yi requested earnestly. Qin Jiujie nodded. "You can take a step back." The two of them took a glance at each other and left the huge pit, waiting in a corner not too far away. Qin Jiujie waved his hand yet again, and a bolt of lightning energy flew out. It landed on Qin Lian''s body and milled away the leftover energy left by Li Jingzhe. This once again inflicted excruciating pain onto Qin Lian, and her face twitched viciously. After a while, Qin Lian recovered some strength, managing to crawl and pick herself up. Unfortunately, her flesh was still being eroded and she looked extremely pathetic. "Palace Master." Qin Lian''s eyes were full of hatred. She looked up at Qin Jiujie and said, "Li Jingzhe is already a Quasi-Triple Crown. Are we just going to give up on the Genesis Seed now?" Qin Jiujie''s eyes were ice-cold. He pondered over it for a moment before he responded with an indifferent voice, "Quasi-Triple Crown... This was truly an unexpected surprise. However, Li Jingzhe has revealed his trump card in order to protect Li Luo. In a way, this may not be a bad thing. In fact, this is just the beginning. We will never give up on the Genesis Seed." Chapter 1248: Standing Guard over Heavenly Dragon Peak Chapter 1248: Standing Guard over Heavenly Dragon Peak A dragon-shaped flying ship slowly soared across the sky. The five Lineage Chiefs that held the highest authority in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li were on board. Li Tianji and the three other Lineage Chiefs were looking at Li Jingzhe with complex expressions. "Lineage Chief Jingzhe, you''ve quietly approached the threshold of the Triple Crowned King Stage. You make us feel like we''ve wasted all these years for nothing," Li Qingying, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage, said with a laugh. "It was no wonder you dared to barge into the base of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin alone. From today onwards, the Triple Crowned King Li Jingzhe will be known in every corner of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent!" Li Xuanwu, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Bone Lineage, exclaimed loudly. The void shook with his voice. Li Jingzhe shook his head and replied, "It''s just a tiny step forward, I''m not a real Triple Crowned King yet." "Hey, there is no need to be humble, Lineage Chief Jingzhe. Lineage Chief Tianji has been cultivating for years and he hasn''t taken that tiny step yet," Li Jinjiao, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Horn Lineage, commented with a grin. "He has higher ambitions. He wants to reach it in a single step," Li Jingzhe said. On the side, Li Tianji shook his head. "You have acted too rashly today. We have no evidence to prove that Qin Lian was involved in the ambush on Li Luo. It could have also been the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao after all. Li Luo did cause them significant humiliation back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave." Li Jingzhe slowly replied, "That is not important. If anyone is targeting Li Luo, you can be certain Qin Lian has a hand in it. If anything happens to him, I will make her pay, regardless of whether she''s actually responsible." Hearing this left the other four Lineage Chiefs at a loss for words. Li Jingzhe was clearly targeting her. Perhaps it was because of the grievances from the incident years ago? Li Tianji sighed. "The World''s End River Region is a chaotic place, and you will be guarding it for some time. At most, there is a year until the next Stygian Rain of Calamity. We don''t know which Other King from the shadow world will appear this time, but with you, a Triple Crowned King, standing guard, Heavenly Dragon Peak will definitely feel safer." Once the Stygian Rain of Calamity fell, the void in the World''s End River Region would be left in a constant state of chaos and it would be very challenging for any of them to send their projections over to help. The Other Kings from the shadow world were always plotting to make use of this opportunity to invade the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. In the past, Other Kings had actually managed to penetrate the defenses of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. A large group of Others was thus able to invade, causing a horrifying catastrophe. As such, many of the major powers in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent had made preparations for such a scenario, to prevent it from reoccurring again. The four Heavenly Emperor lineages had even sent their own armies to stand guard and protect the border. Li Jingzhe nodded in agreement. Seeing this, Li Tianji did not say anything further. The projections of the four Lineage Chiefs gradually faded away. Li Jingzhe stood with his hands behind his back. He looked up into the sky and observed the vast and mysterious World''s End River. With his strength, he could faintly peer through the water and see the darkness that constantly flowed behind it. It seemed like an unimaginable disaster would soon befall the World''s End River''s Region. Li Luo was currently cultivating here as well. With Li Jingzhe standing guard over Heavenly Dragon Peak, he could protect his grandson to some extent. Li Jingzhe closed his eyes. The dragon-shaped flying ship sailed across the sky. After a few moments, he gradually opened his eyes and looked at Heavenly Dragon Peak in the distance. Li Jingzhe waved his hand, signaling them to stand down. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had stopped their fight as well. Li Luo looked over at Li Jingzhe happily before he greeted him. "Greetings, Lineage Chief." Li Luo was considered part of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians right now. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for him to act too personally with Li Jingzhe. Jiang Qing''e followed suit and greeted Li Jingzhe with a bow. Li Jingzhe looked at the two of them, and a smile appeared on his face. "Li Luo, Qing''e, follow me." With that, he turned around and left the training ground, heading towards a small cottage. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e took a glance at each other. They then hurriedly followed him. As the two of them walked into the small cottage with Li Jingzhe, the old man sat down on a stone seat. He looked towards Li Luo and said, "I visited Abyssal City earlier and had a fight with Qin Jiujie." Li Luo was a little confused and did not understand what exactly had happened. "Who is Qin Jiujie?" "The Grand Palace Master of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. He is a Dual Crowned King," Li Jingzhe explained. Li Luo was shocked to hear this. Li Jingzhe had gone over to Abyssal City earlier and fought against a Dual Crowned King? Why was he talking about it like it was just a walk in the park? "Grandpa, are you okay? Abyssal City is the headquarters of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin in the World''s End River Region!" Li Luo asked worriedly. "I am fine. However, Qin Jiujie suffered a slight injury." Li Luo was surprised to hear that. Qin Jiujie was also a Dual Crowned King, and he even had a homeground advantage. How had he ended up getting bested by his grandfather? "I had a breakthrough a while ago and have gotten a little closer to the Triple Crowned King Stage. That is how," Li Jingzhe explained as though reading his mind. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e looked at the old man in front of them in disbelief. He had mentioned getting to the Triple Crowned King Stage in the most casual tone possible. However, this was news that would shake up the whole Heavenly Origin Divine Continent... Grandpa, you''re really good at acting! In the end, Li Luo grinned happily and said. "Congratulations, Grandpa." Li Jingzhe continued, "I also injured Qin Lian. She should have suffered quite a bit as a result." Li Luo finally understood. "Grandpa, did you go to Abyssal City because of the ambush on me? Did you think it was orchestrated by her?" "It doesn''t matter if it was her or not. She deserves a beating," Li Jingzhe responded. Li Luo didn''t know whether to laugh or cry at his response. Li Jingzhe then looked intently at Li Luo as he slowly asked, "Li Luo, do you know anything about the Genesis Seed?" Chapter 1249: Secret of the Genesis Seed Chapter 1249: Secret of the Genesis Seed "The Genesis Seed?" When he heard this foreign but seemingly mysterious term come from Li Jingzhes mouth, Li Luo was left a little surprised for a few seconds. After which, he shook his head with honesty, demonstrating his lack of knowledge on this subject. Li Jingzhe didn''t find it surprising. Information on the Genesis Seed had always been kept secret in the higher echelons of the world. "What exactly is the Genesis Seed?" Li Luo asked curiously. He could tell that this was something that Li Jingzhe had paid particular attention to. Li Jingzhe fell silent for quite a while before he explained with deliberately chosen words, "You can think of it as the most precious treasure in the world. It is blessed by the luck of the entire world. Throughout recorded history, the Primordial Seed has appeared several times, and everyone who ended up in possession of it became an existence that suppressed an entire era. There is a proverb that has been handed down from ancient times. "When chaos descends, genesis dawns. "The chaos here specifically refers to the Others." Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had looks of sheer shock on their faces. "Does this mean that the Genesis Seed has the power to end the threat of the Others?" The Others were simply too strong and terrifying. Li Luo had personally experienced this countless times himself. It could be said that in the long conflict between the living creatures of the world and the Others, the living had not managed to gain any advantage over the Others despite their rich and deep foundations. On the contrary, the Others seemed to have gained in strength! The countless citizens of the world lived in constant fear brought about by the Others. Even the Heavenly Emperors were unable to get rid of the threat, and yet this so-called Genesis Seed held hope of doing so? The implications were immense. Li Jingzhe shook his head. "Perhaps it is better to say that despite the Genesis Seed having appeared throughout history and creating exceptional cultivators to fight against the Others, the Others have continued to exist. The saying has also given rise to several suspicions on my part. Either way, I have to admit that the Genesis Seed is the most precious treasure imaginable, and if it is nurtured to a level of exceptional power, it can become the pillar for everyone to rally around to defeat the Others once and for all. When I told you about the Sacred Seeds and how the other elite powers used incredible amounts of resources to create them, the truth of the matter is that they are mere imitations of the Genesis Seed. " Li Luo clicked his tongue. The Dragon Sacred Seed of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was just a copy of the Genesis Seed? Yet despite its lesser status, it was a wondrous object capable of representing the deep foundation of their almighty lineage. Li Jingzhe shifted on his stone chair. Li Luo could feel that his gaze had fallen into a slight trance. It was obvious that Li Jingzhe was not completely clear of what it meant to reach the stage above it, so he was pondering over his reply. In the end, he said, "Honestly speaking, you''ve probably already guessed the answer, but you''re unwilling to say it. After all, these seemingly simple words could inspire respect and awe within others." Li Jingzhe''s shriveled fingers lightly drummed against the seat as he enunciated each word. "That stage is none other than... the tenth-grade!" The small abode fell deathly silent. The words that had just been uttered seemed to solidify the worldly natural energy around them. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s hearts were thumping madly and their blood was boiling in excitement. An inexplicable feeling of awe filled the depths of their hearts and their legs weakened. "Tenth... tenth-grade?!" Li Luo exclaimed with difficulty. His voice trembled as he asked, "Could a tenth-grade resonance actually exist?" With Li Jingzhe''s bombshell revelation, he felt as though he had stumbled upon a humongous secret that ordinary individuals would never be able to even come across. Li Jingzhe nodded lightly. "Since ancient times, Heavenly Emperors have been bitterly chasing after that stage, the supposed tenth-grade. However, no one has ever succeeded, and there are suspicions that only the Genesis Seed allows one to do so. When chaos descends, genesis dawns. Perhaps this is what the world is waiting for. The birth of a tenth-grade resonance. Whoever achieves it will truly become the Absolute Resonance Emperor." Li Luo plopped backwards onto a seat as he wiped away the cold sweat that had formed on his forehead. This information was too terrifying. Perhaps it was something a tiny individual at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage like him was not supposed to hear. Each and every sentence was like a heavy blow from a hammer, and his heart received shock after shock. "Grandpa, why did you suddenly tell us all this? What are you getting at?" Li Luo asked. There was no need to tell these two younglings all this after all. Li Jingzhe calmly looked at Li Luo. It was this calmness that unnerved Li Luo, causing more sweat to form on the youths forehead. A moment later, Li Jingzhe said with a faint voice, "Li Luo, I suspect that you are the Genesis Seed."Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com Chapter 1250: Im the Genesis Seed? Chapter 1250: I''m the Genesis Seed? "I''m the Genesis Seed?!" Li Jingzhe''s voice seemed to echo through the small room as it lingered in Li Luo''s ears, causing his expression to turn a little dazed. He had never expected that the worldly treasure would be related to him. Li Luo lost focus for quite a bit of time before he finally calmed the waves in his heart. He then shook his head. "Grandpa, I think you''re mistaken. If it is as you said, that the Genesis Seed is the blessed child of the world, encountering all the fortunes of the world, then I..." He paused for a moment. "I may have been born with three resonant palaces, but all of them were blank palaces. If not for my parents finding me an acquired resonance secret art, I would still have nothing but blank palaces today, perhaps even unable to cultivate at all. If I was the Genesis Seed, wouldn''t that be a little humiliating?" Li Jingzhe continued to stare at Li Luo as he let out a slight smile. "So it seems that your three palaces and six resonances were all acquired resonances. I had guessed as much in the past, and the secret art came from the Sacred Void Resonance Sect, isnt that right?" At this point, there was no need to hide this fact any longer, so Li Luo nodded. "It is rumored that the Sacred Void Resonance Sect researched resonances to the deepest level in the past. They indeed had a secret art that allowed one to refine acquired resonances that were capable of taking the place of one''s natural resonances. In those years, the Sacred Void Resonance Sect was the undisputed tyrant of the entire world; even Heavenly Emperor powers were unable to compete with their radiance. In the annals of history, the Sacred Void Resonance Sect was the only force that managed to eke out an advantage over the Others in the endless battle against them." Li Jingzhe paused for a moment before he continued, "After researching some secret historical remnants, we have discovered traces of the legendary sect leader of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect, who eclipsed even Heavenly Emperors during the period of history where they surprised a generation. It is likely that he was a Genesis Seed too." Li Luo was surprised by this. It made sense that the Genesis Seed was known as a World Treasure. So long as the individual was allowed to grow, their strength would be so shocking that they would dominate an entire era. "Under the leadership of this sect leader, the Sacred Void Resonance Sect ascended to the peak. They even entered the shadow world and brought the fight to the Others. And they exterminated them," Li Jingzhe continued. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were moved by this. The Sacred Void Resonance Sect was truly impressive and also terrifying. "However, everything that prospers eventually declines. The Sacred Void Resonance Sect was ultimately unable to succeed, and they suddenly collapsed. The behemoth that far surpassed anything today vanished into the depths of history as a result." "If the Sacred Void Resonance Sect was so amazing, how could it collapse so suddenly?" Li Luo asked. "This is a long-lost ancient secret that no one has been unable to understand or figure out," Li Jingzhe answered. "The current Academic Federation and the Origin Reversion Institute are ancient powers that arose after the disappearance of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect." Li Luo smiled bitterly. "The more I hear your explanation, the more I think theres no chance Im the Genesis Seed. When compared to others, Im a little too ordinary." Jiang Qing''e shot him a serious look as she said, "There''s no need to be unduly humble. You only started cultivating after you realized you had blank palaces, and you managed to reach the peak of the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier in just three short years. The Duke Stage is merely a step away, and your cultivation speed is actually quicker than mine. If you''re ordinary, then no one in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent can be considered exceptional." Jiang Qing''e''s voice was gentle and reminded one of the light resonances she had, giving one a sense of warmth as she spoke. "You can test for the Genesis Seed?" Li Luo was once again taken aback. "An average power might not have such means, but the Heavenly Emperor lineages might be able to do so. Although such a test might not be fully accurate..." Li Luo hesitated for a moment before nodding vigorously. "Let''s try it, then!" The Genesis Seed was extraordinary, and he had to find out for himself if the rumors were true. Li Jingzhe nodded in approval after seeing his grandsons reaction. After all, something this important had to be confirmed if possible. "In this case, I''ll let you broaden your horizons today." A slight smile surfaced on his elderly visage. "What do you mean?" Just as Li Luo blurted out his words, he saw Li Jingzhe stretch out the staff in his hand. Golden light flowed out from the tip of the staff, and it exuded an incredibly domineering sharpness. As the staff casually swept across the air, it split apart and a rift opened up. The rift was massive, and Li Luo''s gaze was focused on it. He saw a golden pool that seemed to stretch on endlessly in the depths of the rift. The water within flowed with radiant light that was dazzling to the eye. Bang! Suddenly, a gigantic wave arose, and Li Luo''s eyes widened in surprise. He could see that a titanic golden dragon was swimming in the depths of this pool. The golden dragon gave off an indescribable sense of awe, and its appearance immediately stimulated the True Dragon Pill within him. A moment later, he realized what the dragon was. He was left speechless at this understanding. "Is that... the Dragon Sacred Seed?" It seemed that this test would require the participation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s foundational treasure, the Dragon Sacred Seed. It was truly amazing. It was no wonder Li Jingzhe had said that he would broaden his horizons today. Chapter 1251: A Glimpse of the Sacred Seed Chapter 1251: A Glimpse of the Sacred Seed The golden pool inside the rift was home to a mysterious, massive, golden dragon. The dragon itself was the Sacred Seed of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li! Li Jingzhe smiled as he explained, "As I previously said, the Sacred Seed and the Genesis Seed have a close relationship with one another. Therefore, we can use it to test for the existence of the Genesis Seed. "This golden pool is the most important core ground of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. It has been sealed within a world space and augmented with countless layers of mighty formations. Even a King would have difficulty finding it within the void. Other than the Ancestor himself, the five Lineage Chiefs are the only people in the entire Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li who have the right to access it. Normally speaking, the Dragon Sacred Seed is so important that not even you should have seen it. However, the current situation is crucial and time is of the essence, so there shouldn''t be a problem if we make use of it for a quick test." Li Luo''s gaze burned passionately as he looked at that gigantic dragon swimming in the world space. The True Dragon Pill within his body was trying its hardest to leave his body and rush towards its source. The bright side was that he was able to suppress this feeling. "Give me a drop of your blood essence," Li Jingzhe said. Li Luo used a fingernail to nick one of his fingertips, and a droplet of blood essence flew into the air. Within it was a harmonious blend of his numerous resonant powers, giving off an exceptional radiance. Li Jingzhe took hold of the drop of blood essence. Immediately after, the space around his palm violently distorted and a terrifying pressure compressed the droplet of blood, refining it with a complicated process. It was so difficult that even Li Jingzhe, a Quasi-Triple Crown King, took half an hour to complete it. After which, the droplet of blood essence transformed into a blood crystal the size of a grain of rice. Within the blood crystal were six different resonances, giving the object an abstruse charm. Clearly, Li Jingzhe''s refinement had manifested Li Luo''s resonance affinities from the droplet of blood essence. Such a method was truly awe-inspiring. Li Jingzhe then lightly flicked his finger, and the blood crystal shot into the world space, into the golden pool. The blood crystal radiated a red light when it hit the surface of the pool. "The Sacred Seed naturally feels a sense of affinity with the Genesis Seed and desires it greatly. If you truly are the Genesis Seed, then this blood crystal will incite the interest of the Dragon Sacred Seed," Li Jingzhe explained. Li Luo had a feeling that his blood essence was merely going to be used as bait to see if the Dragon Sacred Seed was interested in him... And this was the "amazing" method to identify the identity of the Genesis Seed? Didn''t this seem a little crude? If he was the Genesis Seed, then so be it. If he was not, that would be fine as well. Why had the Dragon Sacred Seed unenthusiastically consumed the blood crystal? This was completely different from what he had seen in the records. Despite having a plethora of life experiences, Li Jingzhe was confused by this outcome. Li Luo spoke up at this point. "I can eliminate the possibility of being a natural Genesis Seed. An acquired Genesis Seed requires the evolution of a Sacred Seed, and since I''ve never even seen a Sacred Seed until today, I can also eliminate this possibility. Thus, I dont think I have anything to do with the Genesis Seed." Li Jingzhe pondered over the situation for a moment before he sighed. "I remember reading in another historical record that there is one more method to obtain an acquired Genesis Seed." This left Li Luo a little curious. "What other method is there?" "The natural born nurtures the acquired." Li Jingzhe continued, "It was said that there were some acquired Genesis Seeds that voluntarily consumed the primordial blood of another Genesis Seed to nurture itself. This could lead to the creation of an acquired Genesis Seed as well. However, such a scenario is rarely seen. After all, a natural Genesis Seed would have to give up their own primordial blood, which would also lead to great harm to him or herself. As a result, they would not be willing to do so. Furthermore, an acquired Genesis Seed nurtured this way ought to be the weakest amongst the three kinds." Li Luo nodded in agreement. This possibility seemed the most far-fetched as which natural Genesis Seed would choose to sacrifice themselves for someone else? Furthermore, how was he going to even find one? Much less get them to willingly harm their foundation to nurture him? This was just outrageous. As Li Luo thought this way, his gaze turned towards Jiang Qing''e, who had been beside him all this while. A sudden memory came to his mind. It was something that caused all the hairs on his body to stand on end. He thought back to when he heard a message from a projection left behind by Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. Li Taixuan had mentioned something. "Actually, your mom and I owe her." Li Luo''s eyes shrank and a humongous wave of shock surfaced in his heart. Could it be that he was not the Genesis Seed? And it was Jiang Qing''e instead? Chapter 1252: Shocking Suspicions Chapter 1252: Shocking Suspicions Li Luo''s heart was in turmoil as this possibility played out in his mind. Tan Tailan had told him once that they were indebted to Sister Qing''e. Could this debt mean that they were once saved by the Genesis Seed, Jiang Qing''e, at a critical juncture? Could she have given him her primordial blood to help him? It was possible that this was the reason why he was a little special. Was this why the Dragon Sacred Seed had reacted to his Blood Crystal and swallowed it? This seemed to be closer to the truth... and it made the most sense. At this point, Li Luo recalled the special circumstances surrounding Jiang Qing''e''s past. She had grown up with him in House Luolan ever since she was a kid. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had never talked about her birth and had never mentioned anything about her real parents. In other words, Jiang Qing''e''s birth was a complete mystery. Coupled with the fact that her talent was so exceptional, it appeared that she was really more likely to be the Genesis Seed among the two of them. However, outsiders did not know about this. As such, their suspicions fell on the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, Li Luo. This thought flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning. However, Li Luo quickly suppressed the feeling of surprise in his heart. He felt like he was probably right. But why hadn''t Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan told him about it? Was it because of Jiang Qing''e''s involvement? Li Luo''s eyes flickered. He hesitated for a few moments and ended up deciding not to reveal his thoughts in front of Li Jingzhe. He didn''t know what secrets were hidden behind this possible revelation. He wasn''t even sure if this was a secret he could share. He trusted Li Jingzhe, but not everyone in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was deserving of this trust. Additionally, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin appeared to be spying on their every move too. It was a blessing in disguise that they had mistaken him as the Genesis Seed and made a move on him. This could act as a cover to keep Jiang Qing''e safe. It seemed like this mystery would only be resolved when Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan returned. Getting back to the topic at hand, if Jiang Qing''e really was the Genesis Seed, it would mean that everything was simply a misunderstanding. Most likely, it was not him. Li Luo couldn''t help but feel a little disappointed. After all, the Genesis Seed stood as an example of exceptional talent. Which energetic youth wouldn''t wish to stand out amongst their peers? Moreover, Jiang Qing''e appeared to be even more dazzling now with this newfound knowledge. This inevitably led to Li Luo feeling even more pressure. His fiancee was truly leagues ahead of him. He didn''t know how to feel about it. The attentive Jiang Qing''e could pick up on the change of emotions even though Li Luo had recomposed himself very quickly. Her beautiful eyes looked over at Li Luo as she softly asked, "What''s the matter?" Li Jingzhe thought about it silently before he replied, "I can''t figure it out." Li Luo looked back at him curiously as he thought to himself, My old grandpa, is there something wrong? I let you probe if I was the Genesis Seed and unfortunately you couldn''t come to a conclusion. Now you''re also unable to see through the Auric Halo? You wouldn''t happen to be faking that you''re a Triple Crowned King, would you?" A rare look of embarrassment surfaced on Li Jingzhes face as Li Luo looked back at him. However, there was nothing he could do about it. Li Luo wasn''t at a high cultivation level, but his body was full of mysterious phenomena. The entire result was baffling. He rubbed his beard, saying, "The Auric Halo in your body gives off an extremely ancient and mysterious presence. I have never heard of anything like it. From the runes on it, I believe it''s related to the Sacred Void Resonance Sect." However, these words were meaningless to Li Luo. He had obtained the Auric Halo at the Spiritual Resonance Cave after all. Thus, it was naturally linked to the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. Seeing how Li Luo was still pouting at his generic answer, Li Jingzhe could only add, "It''s not my fault. I don''t know what exactly it is. That said, I can tell that it''s an incredible object. In fact..." He paused for a moment and his eyes turned solemn. "It''s probably something as unique as a Genesis Seed. That said, I can tell it''s still incomplete. However, it''s clearly closely tied to your own resonances. If you manage to obtain more resonances in future, the mystery behind this object might be fully revealed." Hearing this, Li Luo finally nodded in satisfaction. At least now it was clear that he had something extraordinary within him too, meaning he wasnt too far behind Jiang Qing''e. At this point, Li Jingzhe shifted the topic. "I will be standing guard over Heavenly Dragon Peak for a while, awaiting the Stygian Rain of Calamity to fall upon the World''s End River Region. With the commotion that I''ve caused, I believe Qin Lian and any others that have their eyes on you will not dare to break the rules. However, their spying and hostility towards you will not end. As long as it''s within the boundaries set, you''ll have to handle the brunt of their animosity by yourself. Do you understand this?" Li Luo nodded. He knew that Li Jingzhe was trying to provide a layer of protection for them. At the same time, he did not want them to become weaklings because he was over protective. After all, they would need to overcome the difficulties on the path of cultivation to truly become great. Li Jingzhe did not want his coddling to affect their future achievements. "Right, tomorrow is the Ceremony of Ascent. I have heard about your bet." Li Jingzhe smiled at Li Luo and continued, "Someone at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier fighting against an upper first-grade Duke? Impressive. I''ll take a look tomorrow." With his status, there was no need for him to show up to the Ceremony of Ascent. However, since Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e would be participating in it, he would naturally want to take a look. Li Luo nodded again. It seemed like Li Jingzhe did not suspect Jiang Qing''e could be the Genesis Seed. After all, outsiders had no idea how Jiang Qing''e had ended up with him. They would probably guess that she was simply a talented girl taken in by his parents. Although Jiang Qing''e shone resplendently with triple ninth-grade light resonances, what she had was not unheard of. In fact, the Genesis Seed was even rarer to come by. Suspicion wouldn''t easily fall upon her due to her talent. In fact, this entire situation had only occurred because Li Jingzhe was pondering over why Qin Lian and Qin Jiujie were focused on him. Regardless, this was not the most important matter right now. For Li Luo, his topmost priority was to break into the Duke Stage as soon as possible. Then he would be able to eliminate the sword hanging over his head: his dwindling lifespan. Additionally, he had a feeling that the mysterious Auric Halo in his body would undergo a drastic evolution when he progressed to the next stage. Perhaps at that time, he would finally be able to get a hint of what was going on. Chapter 1253: Team Battle Chapter 1253: Team Battle On the next day, the members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians were all gathered in the field by the time Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e arrived. Numerous gazes full of anticipation were focused on them, and everyone was prepared to cheer them on. Today was the Ceremony of Ascent for the Five Guardian Armies. The Ceremony of Ascent was a day where the Five Guardian Armies announced any promotion in ranks. Then the Guardian Armies would initiate a friendly competition between themselves as a form of training. Not much attention was paid to it most of the time as it was just another regular event. However, this time it was different. The appearance of Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo had spiced things up. There was a bet with 80,000 dragon essence at stake. It had been a hot topic of conversation amongst the Five Guardian Armies. Most importantly, one party involved in the bet merely had an upper first-grade Duke and... a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier junior on their side. The other party was an upper third-grade Duke Dragon''s Blood Envoy and an upper first-grade Duke Grand Commander. There was a stark difference in their apparent strength. Yet the weaker-looking side had firmly accepted the bet. Over the past few days, everyone in the other Guardian Armies had already learned that Jiang Qing''e was an unrivaled genius with a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. Her exceptional talent had stolen the limelight in the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies. Not only that, her beauty and temperament were, practically speaking, godly. In just a short time, her name was widely known throughout. As for Li Luo, he had also gotten a lot of attention. Everyone knew that he was the Dragon''s Head in his generation of the Twenty Banners. He had three resonant palaces and six resonances, and his achievements in battle had similarly been spectacular. Li Luo''s achievements had surpassed all his peers from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. If he was given enough time, he would definitely rise up in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. No one had doubts about their potential. From the day they joined the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, many people understood that the time where the Dragon''s Blood Guardians stood as the leader was inevitably slated to end. However, they ultimately required time to mature, and that was precisely what they were lacking. Perhaps, this was why the Dragon''s Blood Guardians wanted to grab hold of this opportunity and dampen their momentum. This would also suppress them a little. The two of them were the center of everyone''s attention right now. Li Luo was tall and handsome, with grayish-white hair that made him stand out in the crowd. At the very least, he would not lose in a battle when it came to exterior appearances. On the other hand, Jiang Qing''e was slender with charming curves. When she moved her long legs, her skin that was as white as jade peaked out from under her skirt from time to time. Every line on her stunning face exuded a sense of perfection. After forging a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, even Li Luo had to admit that she, who was already dazzling, seemed to shine ever brighter and was even more eye-catching. "Third Brother, all the best today. Don''t drag Qing''e down!" A cheerful cry came out from the crowd. It was none other than Li Fengyi giving him her well wishes. A smile appeared on Li Hongyou''s cold face too. "Li Luo, my future is in your hands." Despite the serious ramifications, the atmosphere remained light-hearted. "Let''s go." He waved his hand and then instantly soared off into the distant sky. The members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians followed him until they all arrived at the western part of Heavenly Dragon City. At one corner, there was a giant martial stage. The place was already fully packed with people. Apart from the members from the Five Guardian Armies, many other elites in Heavenly Dragon City had come to watch the fight as well. After all, the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies were well known and the Ceremony of Ascent was a chance for them to have a look at the strength of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Most importantly, rumors had it that the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would be attending as well. The news of Li Jingzhe charging into Abyssal City had already spread all over the World''s End River Region. Many elites from the various powers were shocked. Who would have expected that Li Jingzhe had q gotten so close to becoming a Triple Crowned King? This man would stand guard over Heavenly Dragon Peak in the coming days. Without a doubt, it made many of them feel more at ease. When Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e arrived with the rest of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, there were already no seats left. Everyone was chatting excitedly. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians had a special district allocated to them. With thousands of members appearing together, a black shadow suddenly covered the sky. It was a truly grand sight. This made quite a few elites sigh in admiration. The other four Guardian Armies also turned their eyes over. Especially the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. Li Hongque''s face was completely dark as she glared at Li Hongyou. Her fists were clenched so tightly that green veins could be seen on the back of her hand. In the end, she took a deep breath and got her frustration under control. She would let that bitch have her way for a little while longer. After the Ceremony of Ascent, she would no longer be part of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. At that time, Li Hongque would make her understand that coming back for revenge was the most foolish choice she''d ever made in her life! Amidst the bustling crowd, many people appeared in the highest seats of the arena. In front of them was an elderly man with a cold face. Behind him stood other elders like Li Jiluo, Li Qingpeng, and Li Jinpan. Their appearance instantly elevated the atmosphere in the area. Everyone stood up and greeted the old man respectfully. The old man took a seat and waved his hand nonchalantly. His clear voice then echoed across the arena. "No need to waste time, let''s get started." Chapter 1254: Ceremony of Ascent Chapter 1254: Ceremony of Ascent As Li Jingzhe''s nonchalant words died down, the Ceremony of Ascent for the Five Guardian Armies officially commenced. The first segment would be the announcement of promotions for the now-titled individuals. Following this, those in the same rank would be allowed to pick their opponents for the martial arts challenge. However, everyone knew who the main characters for today were. The guardians from the Dragon''s Scale, Dragon''s Bone, and Dragon''s Horn Lineages all shrugged their shoulders and gave up their rights to challenge another for the martial arts competition. They did not want to waste time, much less get jeered at. They were also dying to watch the fight today, to see who would emerge as the victor, especially with 80,000 dragon essence at stake. This was a fight where the parties involved had a huge discrepancy in cultivation levels. Would it be a one-sided fight? Or would both sides be equally matched? Everyone looked forward in anticipation. Under the bustling whispers from the crowd, two people separated from the Dragon''s Blood Guardians and leaped onto the huge stage. Faint runes could be vaguely seen on the ground and the void surrounding it. One of them was a strong and muscular male with grayish-yellow resonant power circling around his body. It gave the impression that an endless earthen field had materialized in the air, pressing down on everything and creating a sense of stability. The person beside him was Li Qingbai, whom Li Luo had met back in the treasury. "Right Dragon''s Blood Envoy, Li Yuanshan." "Dragon''s Blood Guardians Fourth Grand Commander, Li Qingbai." The two of them said in harmony, "I would like to ask for your guidance, Dragon''s Fang Guardians." As their voices rang in the air, the members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians all turned towards Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. Their gazes were supportive, but a hint of worry could still be seen. After all, their opponents were an upper third-grade and an upper first-grade Duke. Their resonant power and cultivation levels were clearly ahead of Li Luo and Jiang Qing''es. If the two of them had not displayed exceptional talent time and again, no one would have even harbored any hope for them. "Third Brother, Sister-in-law, all the best!" Li Fengyi cheered. Go for it! If you can''t win, just retreat. It''s alright as long as you''re not hurt," Li Jingtao shouted. Li Fengyi''s eyes widened when she heard this. "It''s not that simple. What will we do if Sister Hongyou is forced to leave?" Li Jingtao smiled in response. "Isn''t the Respected Elder here? If we actually lose, we can ask him to step forward and say a fair word for us. Currently, Sister Hongyou is part of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. If she didn''t do anything wrong, we shouldn''t force her to leave no matter what. Besides, the stakes are to force Sister Hongyou out of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. We didn''t say when. So, we can let her go after waiting another one to two years, right?" Those in the surroundings who heard his words stared at Li Jingtao''s simple and honest face, tongue-tied. Even an honest person knew how to bend the rules as well. Li Luo gave him a thumbs up and smiled. "Great idea, Elder Brother. If we do it that way, we cannot possibly lose!" Li Fuluo added helplessly, "This is clearly the last resort. After all, news of the bet has spread across the city. If we take advantage of loopholes like this, it will only worsen the relationship between the two Guardian Armies and lead to greater conflicts in the future. As such, we''ll only do this if there is really no other way." He looked over at Jiang Qing''e and continued, "Regarding the matter with Li Hongyou, we can only shut the Dragon''s Blood Guardians up for good if we beat them openly. You''ll also obtain the dragon essences with peace of mind. Of course... This will undoubtedly be very challenging. To be honest, I can''t even fathom how you''ll be able to eke out a victory." Jiang Qing''e nodded slightly. Her deep, golden eyes reflected the sunlight and her exquisite face attracted all the gazes from afar. However, she didn''t pay much attention to them and just replied, "Back in the Xia Kingdom, I was only at the Heavenly Pearl Tier, whereas Li Luo was at the Earth Fiend tier. At that time, our opponents far surpassed us and no one thought that we would be able to win, but in the end... we stood victorious." Li Luo grinned. He knew that Jiang Qing''e was referring to the Housemeet that concerned the life and death of House Luolan. As such, they would not be able to deal with Li Hongyou as long as Li Jingzhe was present. This opportunity was their very last chance to do so. Dong! A bell rang in the air, marking the start of the challenge. The crowd cheered excitedly. Li Yuanshan took a heavy step forward. Enormous amounts of resonant power flooded out of him and his three Duke Bergfrieds took form, continuously devouring the worldly natural energy around it. One of them had eight pillars whilst the other two had seven. Each of the Duke Bergfrieds emitted a grayish-yellow radiance, and a giant dragon could be faintly seen in each of them. The dragons bodies were surrounded by a grayish-white coating of light that gave them an air of stability. Quasi ninth-grade Earth Dragon resonance! Upper eighth-grade granite resonance! Meanwhile, countless green lights shot out from above Li Qingbai''s head too. A jade-green Duke Bergfried emerged from the lights, surrounded by seven pillars. Above his Duke Bergfried was a giant tree that reached thousands of feet into the air. The tree was covered with sharp scales almost akin to numerous swords fused into a single entity. As the branches swung, it was as though thousands of swords were slicing through the air. A giant, green dragon slowly coiled up around the trunk of the giant tree. The jade-green energy pulsing out of it seemed to contain unlimited amounts of vitality. Upper eighth-grade Wood Dragon resonance! Upper eighth-grade Swordscale Tree resonance! Many elites of Heavenly Dragon City sighed at this sight. The Dragon''s Blood Guardians were indeed the strongest amongst the Five Guardian Armies. The strength shown by these two was almost considered the peak amongst those at the same cultivation level. A seven pillar Duke Bergfried was exceptional, and these individuals could be considered elites. As they exclaimed in surprise, overflowing light resonant power shot up into the sky in response. The sea of light blanketed the entire sky, and a Duke Bergfried quietly floated in the middle with a sacred aura. Everyone squinted curiously as they attempted to count the number of glazed pillars that stood tall around the perfect Duke Bergfried. After a few moments, their already small eyes shrank even more. They could see ten pillars supporting the Duke Bergfried! A legendary Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried! The crowd burst into an uproar immediately. At this moment, they finally understood why the other party had agreed despite the difference in strength. The stunning beauty in front of them was actually... An unrivaled genius! Chapter 1255: Li Luos First Battle Against A Duke Chapter 1255: Li Luo''s First Battle Against A Duke The dazzling Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried stood tall in the sky. Many Dukes stared at it as if they were drunk. The Duke Bergfried that truly represented perfection was right before their eyes. Even Li Jiluo and the other elders were moved when they saw it from the elevated platform. "Hall Master Li Qingpeng, when did such an unrivaled genius join the Dragon''s Fang Guardians? What''s her name?" Li Jiluo couldn''t help but ask. Li Qingpeng revealed a smile on her friendly face. "Her name is Jiang Qing''e. She just joined the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." "It doesn''t seem like she''s from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Someone as exceptional as her should have an extraordinary background, isn''t that right? Why did she come to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians?" Li Jiluo asked in surprise. He did not mean to be rude. However, if Jiang Qing''e was from another top-tier power, it would be hard to understand why they would let her go. This did not make any sense at all. "Haha. She is Li Luo''s fiancee. They grew up together, and Li Luo brought her to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage recently. Qing''e followed him and they chose to join the Dragon''s Fang Guardians together to pursue the path of cultivation," Li Qingpeng explained. "Li Luo''s fiancee?!" Li Jiluo was taken aback by this, and a complex look appeared on his face. Li Luo was truly the son of Li Taixuan. Even his ability to capture the hearts of the girls was as excellent as his father''s. Back then, Li Taixuan had left to roam the world and eventually returned with Tan Tailan. She, too, was peerless and stood far above those in the same generation. Meanwhile, Li Luo was even better. He had grown up with her and was already her fiance? Did those two have some special secret that allowed them to attract these unparalleled women? Li Jiluo knew very well that with the talent Jiang Qing''e had displayed so far, even if she was unable to complete the Path of Ascension, she would definitely still become a central pillar of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. In this generation, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would have both Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. Li Jiluo was beginning to worry for the Dragon''s Blood Lineages future.Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m Furthermore... Li Jingzhe had recently made a breakthrough, becoming a Quasi-Triple Crown King. His eyes flickered and he sighed in his heart. More and more people were threatening the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s position as the Mountain Ruling Chief of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. As everyone was surprised by the sight of the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, Li Luo also summoned up all the resonant power within him. His 84,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram appeared in the sky above. It was considerable in the outside world, but every other person in the arena had mighty Duke Bergfrieds behind them. Thus, it appeared relatively miniscule. Everyone whispered amongst themselves, unable to understand why this Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator was in the middle of a fight between Dukes. How was a first-grade Duke and Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator going to fight against the combined might of an upper third-grade and an upper first-grade Duke? This was akin to the difference between heaven and earth. Even with a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, surely it wouldn''t be enough to change their fates, right? Li Yuanshan''s eyes locked onto Jiang Qing''e cautiously. Although she only had one Duke Bergfried, it was one that emitted extremely strong resonant power. It was comparable to the energy coming from a third-grade Duke. "Qingbai, we''ll follow the plan. I will hold down Jiang Qing''e while you finish Li Luo off as soon as possible. Then I will join hands with you and secure our victory," Li Yuanshan said in a deep voice. "Okay." Li Qingbai nodded. He then looked towards Li Luo with a cold mocking grin. The three Duke Bergfrieds behind Li Yuanshan roared to life. They sucked in an immense amount of worldly natural energy from the surroundings as he took a step forward. Bang! The void shook violently. The Duke Bergfrieds from both sides were spewing out resonant power at their maximum capacity, trying to push back against each other. All the Duke spectators were watching the clash with solemn faces. Li Zhihuo from the Dragon''s Blood Guardians couldn''t help but sigh as he watched their confrontation. "The Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried is extraordinary. Even though shes only a first-grade Duke, she''s actually fighting back against a third-grade Duke. "If her second Duke Bergfried is another Ten-Pillar, I am afraid I''ll even be in danger." Li Hongque was also looking at the dazzling figure in the middle of the battle with eyes full of jealousy. "Do you think itll be easy to make another one? Many Dukes throughout history forged a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried when they first entered the Duke Stage. However, they expended too much of their potential on the first one and were ultimately unable to complete the Path of Ascension. In the end, they had to return to the normal path of cultivation. Guardian General, you may not have a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, but you''ve forged a nine-pillar in the past. With such a foundation, you''re definitely extraordinary as well." Hearing this, some regret could be seen on Li Zhihuo''s face. Who didn''t want to forge a perfect Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried? He had experienced an opportunity once where he had attempted to vye for this symbol of ultimate power. Unfortunately, he fell short in the end and could only obtain a nine-pillar. "It seems like Li Yuanshan will not be able to secure a speedy victory against Jiang Qing''e. However, he''s exceptionally skilled when it comes to defense, so not even Jiang Qing''e will be able to defeat him. As long as Li Qingbai is able to defeat Li Luo, the situation will turn in our favor." Li Hongque nodded in agreement. Her relieved gaze turned towards Li Luo. Li Qingbai had already appeared in front of him with his majestic Duke Bergfried. Li Qingbai was an upper first-grade Duke. How could someone at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier like Li Luo resist his attacks? Many spectators had turned their attention over to Li Luo at this point as well. Everyone had expected Li Luo to be the weak link in this fight. This was the main reason why Li Zhihuo had agreed to take up this bet. A Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator against an upper first-grade Duke. How could he possibly win? Everyone watched intently. Li Luo calmed down when he saw Li Qingbai''s playful eyes. This was the first time he was fighting against a Duke with his own strength. It was also his first true battle since he joined the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies. Jiang Qing''e had already stolen all the limelight on the other end. It was time for him to flaunt his strength as well. With that in his mind, Li Luo took a deep breath. He formed seals with one hand. True Dragon Seed Pill! Transforming Dragon! Ascending Dragon! Chapter 1256: Battle of the Grand Commanders Chapter 1256: Battle of the Grand Commanders A low roar could be heard within Li Luo''s heart. His body expanded rapidly and dragon scales emerged on the surface of his skin. His body grew larger and his hands turned into terrifying, sharp dragon claws.2 As the wind blew along, his grayish-white hair grew longer, flowing down his back like a streaming waterfall. After just a few moments, Li Luo had transformed into a fearsome dragonoid. The air coming out from his nostrils crackled with the force of thunder even when he simply inhaled.5 Li Luo gripped his Dragon Elephant Blade tightly and waved it artistically, slicing the void open. The effects of the dragonification were even more formidable now that he had reached the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier.0 The physical strength of his dragonoid form surpassed the combined power of his Thunderpeal Avatar and the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon''s Body.0 Moreover, this was not the end.1 Just a mere dragonoid form was far from sufficient if he wanted to truly butt heads with a first-grade Duke alone.0 Therefore, he activated the Ascending Dragon effect as well.0 The Thunder Dragon resonant palace in his body surged with power. Deafening draconic roars echoed in every corner of his body, and his dragonoid form elevated in power once again. His blood coursed swiftly like a raging river, akin to all the force of a great typhoon, bringing him even more exaggerated strength.3 Additionally, the most obvious change was perhaps seen on his Heavenly Resonance Diagram.1 It was originally 84,000 feet wide. The Heavenly Resonance Diagram vibrated vigorously and a shocking draconic roar reverberated in the air. The manifestation of the dragon within it grew quickly larger.0 The clouds and mist moved apart, as if the Heavenly Resonance Diagram was expanding as well.0 This was because Li Luo''s dragon resonance had been pushed into the lower ninth-grade!0 With a higher resonance grade, his resonant power had naturally become purer and was on a completely different level.0 Everyone watched in surprise. The Heavenly Resonance Diagram above Li Luo expanded at an astonishing pace, growing from 84,000 feet to 95,000 feet!0 The worldly natural energy in the surroundings surged up and poured into the vast Heavenly Resonance Diagram.0 A look of surprise could be seen on some of the Dukes watching the Heavenly Resonance Diagram. They could clearly sense the power of six resonances within it. 0 Six resonances?! 0 The elite Dukes from Heavenly Dragon City were startled. Li Luo actually had six resonances?! 0 That was simply too disgusting!8 At this point, they finally understood why Li Luo dared to challenge an upper first-grade Duke even though he was still at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. His talent was monstrous!0 As everyone watched him in surprise, two Spirit Avatars slowly materialized behind him.0 It was his lower ninth-grade water resonance and lower ninth-grade dragon resonance!0 The worldly natural energy in the surroundings boiled and flowed into the Heavenly Resonance Diagram without end. 0 The Divine Mist roared in the air. Countless sharp scales collided with the Dragon Elephant Blade, sending sparks into the air. The ringing sounds from the clash echoed.0 Li Luo could clearly sense the violent vibrations coming from the Dragon Elephant Blade when he clashed with Li Qingbai. The sharp scales continuously tried to stab into his body.0 Is this the power of Divine Mist? Its spectacular.0 This was the first time Li Luo was fighting against a Duke with his strength alone.0 He could sense the tremendous pressure bearing down upon him in this clash. Even after pulling out all the stops, he could hardly resist the Divine Mist.0 "Li Luo, if you were a Duke, I wouldn''t have dared to challenge you today. Not even if you were at the lower first-grade. Unfortunately, you''re not!"0 Li Qingbai could tell that Li Luo was unable to break through his Divine Mist. He laughed out indifferently as he stared at his foe with icy eyes. He flicked his finger, and a branch descended from the Swordscale Tree atop his Duke Bergfried.0 The branch danced along with the wind and transformed into an emerald wooden sword.0 The wooden sword was covered with scales that glinted coldly. It was like a treasured blade that was so peerlessly sharp, it could pierce the sky.0 The Wood Dragon coiled around the Swordscale Tree spat out a stream of jade-green dragonbreath. When the dragonbreath landed on the wooden sword, it began to enlarge. It expanded to thousands of feet long, and emerald energy condensed around its hilt into a form resembling a vicious dragon''s head.0 The emerald wooden scale sword hovered in the air with a magnificent aura.0 Cries of surprise could be heard from the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. Even Li Zhihuo nodded slightly. 0 This is the Emerald Dragon Thousand Scales Sword, the lower Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art that Li Qingbai cultivated. Not bad, it seems like he didn''t underestimate Li Luo just because he''s at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. This is his strongest offensive art. If nothing goes wrong, victory will be decided soon."0 On the other hand, Li Hongque was pleasantly surprised as well. Li Qingbai was no fool; he did not plan to waste time with Li Luo. Since he had an advantage in terms of resonant power, he activated his art with all of his resonant power immediately to secure a decisive victory. Li Luo would have no chance to create an opportunity to make a comeback in this scenario.0 If Li Luo fell here, Jiang Qing''e would be trapped in a pincer attack. Sooner or later, their side would be able to emerge as the eventual victor.0 On the other hand, the members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians had looks of worry on their faces. They could tell how terrifying Li Qingbai''s attack was.0 Li Foluo stared at Li Luo. If the latter did not have any more tricks up his sleeve, he would not be able to resist this strike from Li Qingbai.1 Everyone stared at the battlefield intently. Divine Mist surged up over at Li Qingbai''s side, surrounding his Emerald Dragon Thousand Scales Sword. Then he pushed it out with his palm without any further hesitation. Resonant power burst forward.0 The giant emerald sword flew across the sky. It charged towards Li Luo''s location with immense power and unparalleled sharpness.0 Azure wind swept across the field, as if an emerald dragon was diving downwards from the sky.0 It was the fusion of the endless vitality of wood resonant power as well as the incredible sharpness of the Swordscale Tree.0 Clearly, this was Li Qingbai''s plan from the beginning.0 To defeat Li Luo in a single strike. Chapter 1257: Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon Chapter 1257: Three Dragons'' Heavenly Banner Canon The Emerald Dragon Thousand Scales Sword soared into the air, and its energy completely blanketed the sky. The sword energy then plummeted from the sky like a torrential rain and encompassed everyone beneath. It was a truly awe-inspiring sight. The streams of sword energy were reflected in Li Luo''s eyes, and his expression grew solemn. Even though he was in his dragonoid form, his scales were prickling with intense pain before he came into contact with his foes attack. He knew that even in this form, he would not be able to withstand Li Qingbai''s attack. If he took it head-on, he would surely be gravely injured. This was the absolute crushing pressure of having to fight against an upper first-grade Duke. A Duke that had fused his dual resonances into resonance seals, a whole realm higher than the power of dual resonances that Li Luo possessed. As such, Li Luo knew that the methods he had used to deal with Duke opponents in the past would not work here. If anything, it would only whittle him down. If it were any other Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator standing here right now, they would definitely have surrendered as soon as they saw the terrifying sword from Li Qingbai. Not even a 90,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram was going to change anything. However, he could not give up here. This was his first battle since he had joined the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies. The members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians had allowed him to get the Fourth Grand Commander position so easily because of his past achievements in the Twenty Banners. If he lost pathetically, he would be a disgrace to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Given that he had contributed significantly back in the World''s End River Falling Star Terrace, this probably wouldnt shake up his position very hard. However, it would still be an ugly mark on his reputation. Most importantly, this battle would decide the fate of Li Hongyou. Although there was a shameless way to avert the disaster temporarily, the method suggested by Li Jingtao earlier, it was something they would only do if there were no other alternatives. Li Luo gripped the Dragon Elephant Blade tightly with his cold and sharp claws. The Heavenly Resonance Diagram above him shook violently and ravenously absorbed all the worldly natural energy in the surroundings. Finally, the Heavenly Resonance Diagram turned into a beam of light that landed on Li Luo. The resonant power within his body surged up. Li Luo formed seals with his free hand, and his resonant power surged, taking the form of a Duke Art. He swung his blade downwards, and the void in front of him was sliced open. The loud sound of rushing water could be heard from the depths of the crack. At the same time, the clear and crisp roar of a dragon rang out in the background. In the next moment, a stream of pitch-black, ice-cold water gushed out of the crack. A black dragon emerged from the water, as if it was surfing the river across the void. This was the Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner! Many Duke spectators raised their eyebrows as soon as they saw this Duke Art. Its power wasn''t too impressive. Its only noteworthy point was the glamor of corrosion that they could feel emanating from the black dragon. This meant that Li Luo had already cultivated this Duke Art to the Grand Perfection Realm. However, it was ultimately still a Communion-grade Duke Art, so it was a far cry from Li Qingbai''s attack. It was likely going to be of minor consequence in this clash. If Li Luo was thinking of using this Duke Art to counter Li Qingbai''s killer move, he must have underestimated the power of an upper first-grade Duke. As the spectators were doubting his choice, Li Luo hacked down with his sword once again. This time, they could sense a change in the type of resonant power flowing on his blade. Li Luo put both of his hands together, and the hand seals changed. The three dragons above him transformed into three beams of light and merged together, turning into a humongous vortex of energy. Bang! The entire firmament began to shake as soon as the vortex materialized. Boundless amounts of worldly natural energy gathered with it as the nexus. The faces of many Dukes in the spectator seats changed when they saw this. The 95,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram above Li Luo also transformed into a beam of immense energy, shooting straight into the vortex. After a few moments, the energy vortex shrank rapidly. In the end, only one thing was left in everyone''s sight. It was a banner that was thousands of feet tall. It appeared ancient with the figures of three dragons engraved onto it. The dragons looked as though they were alive as they swam around the banner in a circular motion just like a swirling vortex. Everyone could feel a chill run up their spines. The void shook yet again. Li Luo flew into the air above, stretching out his hand and grabbing the ancient banner. As soon as he came into contact with it, he could feel its titanic weight, causing his arm to tremble despite his augmented physical strength. Even in his dragonoid form, it was extremely taxing for him to utilize this. However, Li Luo''s eyes were full of anticipation. The banner with all three dragon manifestations was the true form of this Destiny-grade Duke Art. Li Luo summoned up all his energy to wave the ancient banner in the air. As the emerald sword flew towards him, he struck down against it directly. All the resonant power in his body instantly vanished as though a whale had swallowed it up. Both his arms tore apart with fresh wounds that leaked down his dragon scales. Yet Li Luo''s eyes were as bright as ever. Three dragons had gathered to take the form of... The Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon. This was the Dance of the Dragon. This was... Three Divine Dragons Demon Smiting Light! Chapter 1258: Three Divine Dragons Demon Smiting Light Chapter 1258: Three Divine Dragon''s Demon Smiting Light It was exhilarating to watch Li Luo, in his dragonoid form, wave the gigantic ancient banner that had taken form in the middle of the sky. As the ancient dragon banner swept through the air, a stream of majestic divine light emerged from it. It was colorful and brilliant, resembling a Five-colored Divine Dragon. The divine light contained an indescribable feeling, as if it had the power to shatter and devour anything that came into contact with it. It was extremely fearsome and tyrannical. Under everyone''s gazes, the divine light flitted across the sky majestically, clashing directly with the emerald sword energy. When the two terrifying forces collided with each other, the entire sky appeared to crack for a moment. Even under the protection of secret arts, fault lines appeared across the stage itself. The brilliant divine light continuously battered down the emerald sword, as if the Five-colored Divine Dragon was tearing everything in its path apart, flattening all the mountains and rivers in its way. More surprisingly, the broken pieces of the emerald sword energy were swallowed up by the divine light, being assimilated and further strengthening it! As such, the emerald sword energy was gradually pushed back as time passed. All the spectators cheered out excitedly. Who would have thought that Li Luo, at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, would hold the upper hand in a clash against Li Qingbai, an upper first-grade Duke? Li Qingbai''s face turned pale amidst all the commotion. He formed hand seals with lightning speed as his Duke Bergfried thundered. An enormous amount of resonant power shot out towards the Emerald Dragon Thousand Scales Sword to further reinforce it, and an endless emerald sword energy spread across the sky. "What''re you feeling so smug about? Sure, you''ve cultivated a Destiny-grade Duke Art, but how long can you sustain it with your Greater Heavenly Resonance strength?!" Li Qingbai shouted. When he finished speaking, the emerald scales on his Emerald Dragon Thousand Scales Sword lit up with a golden glint. After just a few moments, the emerald wooden scale sword changed colors! The new sword energy it exuded contained an unparalleled sharpness, giving it much greater strength. As the divine light charged towards him once again, the speed at which it was able to push back the emerald sword energy had slowed down. "Emerald Dragon Thousand Scales Sword, Emerald Gilded Sword Dragon Essence!" Li Qingbai clapped his hands together, and an emerald gilded light wrapped around the Emerald Wood Gilded Scales Sword. The sword essence transformed and took on draconic elements, gaining a horn and claws as it ferociously fought back against the divine light. This time, the brilliant Triple Dragon Demon Crushing Divine Light finally showed signs of shattering. Clearly, the Emerald Gilded Sword Dragon Essence had pushed it to its limit. Li Luo''s face remained calm. He gripped the unimaginably heavy ancient dragon banner with both hands. It was as if he was lifting three giant dragons at once. Moreover, he could only rely on his physical strength to lift it up. If he was not strong enough, he would have been unable to use the Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon despite cultivating it. Being able to brandish and lift its immense weight was a key requirement in activating the Three Divine Dragons Demon Smiting Light. Perhaps this was the special trait of a Destiny-grade Duke Art. Fortunately, Li Luo was in his dragonoid form right now, so his physical prowess had reached a stunning level and he was thus able to wield it. Nonetheless, he could feel his muscles screaming and tearing apart with every motion. Li Luo looked at the fresh blood flowing down his arms and then at the ancient dragon banner in his hands as thoughts flooded his brain. "Goodbye, Li Luo!" Li Qingbai was ecstatic as well. His Emerald Wood Gilded Scale Sword, which was on the verge of shattering, burst forward and charged towards Li Luo directly. However, Li Luo''s face remained emotionless as he watched the emerald sword fly towards him. When the sword energy appeared in front of him, he slashed down with his dragon claws, which were still dyed with his fresh blood. Bang! When his claws clashed with the Emerald Wood Gilded Scale Sword, a sharp ringing sound echoed through the air, as if it had reached its limit. In the next instant, the sword exploded into pieces right in front of Li Qingbai. Emerald motes of light created from the destruction of sword energy dissipated in every direction. The Emerald Wood Gilded Scale Sword had exhausted most of its energy in the previous clash with the divine light. All that remained was an empty shell. The whole crowd fell into silence when they saw the sword shatter into pieces. Everyone stared in disbelief. Li Luo, a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator, had managed to block an all-out attack from Li Qingbai, an upper first-grade Duke! What a stunning achievement! One could even say that Li Luo had proven his worth with this clash. The members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians burst into thunderous cheers. The other three Guardian Armies also gasped in surprise. Originally, their attention had been captured by the stunning Jiang Qing''e. However, they now realized that Li Luo''s talent was actually just as monstrous as Jiang Qing''es. With these two newcomers, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians would inevitably soar into the heavens. Bang! Suddenly, a terrifying energy wave exploded in another corner of the sky. Two figures with surging resonant power flew back and landed beside Li Luo and Li Qingbai. Li Yuanshan appeared beside Li Qingbai as he took a glance at Li Luo. His eyes darkened a little as he frowned and asked, "You didn''t manage to finish off Li Luo?!" Li Yuanshan appeared a little frustrated. He had kept Jiang Qing''e in place this whole time, but in the end, Li Qingbai wasn''t able to get anything done. Li Qingbai''s face was even uglier. He could not help but retort, "You didn''t manage to finish off Jiang Qing''e either!" However, he managed to calm himself down in the end. "Li Luo''s talent is comparable to hers. He''s even cultivated a formidable Destiny-grade Duke Art. There is nothing I can do against him in such a short time. However, he''s merely at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, so he does not have the resonant power to keep using a Duke Art of such a high grade. Just give me a little more time, I''ll definitely be able to finish him off!" Li Yuanshan shook his head. "It''s alright. Since you were unable to bring Li Luo down in the first clash, there''s no point in dragging it out. Let''s move on to our second plan. Since this battle concerns the reputation of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, we cannot afford to lose." Hearing this, Li Qingbai''s face changed a little. He nodded in agreement in the end. The true reason they had chosen to go with the team battle format was because of this. In the next instant, the two of them stretched out their hands, and a dark-red oil lamp appeared on each of their palms. Chapter 1259: Parent-Child Blood Fusion Lamp Chapter 1259: Parent-Child Blood Fusion Lamp Dark-red oil lamps had appeared in the hands of Li Yuanshan and Li Qingbai, one lamp being larger than the other. They were engraved with crimson runes, their light flickering. Li Yuanshan was holding the larger lamp, while Li Qingbai held onto the smaller one. As soon as the lamps appeared, Li Qingbai took two steps back. He then bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood essence. The droplets of blood landed on the oil lamp. All of a sudden, his face turned a lot paler. At the same time, the lamp''s wick was ignited by the blood. Lines of blood wriggled like worms and extended out from the flame of the lamp, directly tunneling into Li Qingbai''s hand. It seemed like the lines of blood were extracting even more blood from Li Qingbai. The flame on the oil lamp began to burn with renewed intensity. At the same time, the oil lamp in Li Yuanshan''s hands lit up without any fuel. Lines of blood also extended from it and pierced into his palm. However, Li Yuanshan appeared to be getting more energetic, unlike Li Qingbai. The pulses of resonant power coming out of his body steadily grew stronger. A large boom echoed in the air above, coming from the three Duke Bergfrieds above his head. Like a black hole, they began to suck in all the worldly natural energy within thousands of miles. This caused many of the spectators to exclaim in surprise. Many of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians were shocked to see this too. Luo Jiang, the Left Dragon Fang Envoy, inadvertently muttered, "This is..." Li Foluo''s face fell. "Thats the Parent-Child Blood Fusion Lamp, a lower-grade Duke Mythic Armament. It has to be paired with a complementary secret art to function. Using the child''s lamp as an energy source, it''ll serve to bolster the holder of the parent lamp. Its no wonder they wanted to fight a team battle. This was the ace hidden up their sleeves." Li Qingbai and Li Yuanshan brandished their trump card as soon as they realized they were unable to bring down Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e individually. It wasn''t really rare to see someone use it, but this was usually kept as a last resort against external foes. This was because of the huge cost it would inflict upon the user of the child lamp. It seemed like Li Zhihuo had really gone all-out to ensure they would emerge victorious. "Damn it. They already had a big advantage in cultivation levels and yet they''re still resorting to such moves. They''re really shameless," Li Fengyi said angrily. "The stakes of the bet are very high. Li Zhihuo must have felt the heat," Li Jingtao replied. "This means that they''re determined to chase Hongyou out of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians," Li Fuling commented in annoyance. Nonetheless, they all understood that no amount of complaints would change anything. Although the method used by Li Yuanshan and Li Qingbai was a little controversial, the outcome of the battle was the only thing of importance. Although Li Jiluo was from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, this was considered high praise. At this point, Li Jingzhe couldn''t help but feel a little regret in his heart. If Taixuan had not left the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, he would have been able to keep Li Jiluo in check. While they were talking, the resonant power from Li Yuanshan had grown more and more terrifying. A brilliant outburst of light radiated from the three Duke Bergfrieds above his head; it shone so brightly that it seemed like there were three big suns above him. It seemed like he was approaching the strength of a fourth-grade Duke at this point. It was so dazzling that even the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried from Jiang Qing''e had been overshadowed. After all, a single Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried was only capable of resisting a third-grade Duke. Li Luo raised his head and looked at the terrifying Duke Bergfrieds, frowning. "They really came prepared." Fortunately, he had prepared himself amply as well. He turned his head and smiled at Jiang Qing''e. "Sister Qing''e, do you have the item?" Jiang Qing''e nodded. She stretched out her hand, and a drop of fresh blood could be seen in the middle of her palm. "This is the drop of blood that I obtained from Li Yuanshan earlier." Her golden pupils locked onto Li Luo. She hesitated for a moment before she asked, "Are you going to use the Dragon Blood Affliction Art to hamper Li Yuanshan''s power-up? It is indeed wondrous, but he is at a much higher cultivation level than you. You''ll likely be susceptible to an immense backlash if it fails." Li Luo smiled in response. "If we were fighting outsider Dukes, I wouldn''t have dared to use this. However, I think it''s worth a try since our opponents are from the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages. After all... whose fault is it that the Dragon''s Blood Lineage developed such an insidious art for internal challenges?" They had developed many Duke Arts that would use the purity of their blood to suppress the other four lineages. As such, they had always stood head and shoulders above the rest in any internal competition as their emphasis had always been on the strength of their blood. Hence, they had created the likes of the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art, the Dragon Blood Affliction Art, and so forth. Additionally, experiencing Li Qingfeng''s Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art allowed Li Luo to understand that the purity of his Heavenly Dragon Blood was far superior to most elites in the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. He definitely had the capability to use their art against them. "Let''s give it a try. If it doesn''t work, I still have other methods," Jiang Qing''e said softly. Li Luo reached out and retrieved the drop of blood from Jiang Qing''e. He then took a glance at Li Yuanshan with redeemed interest. Since they were using a secret art to boost their strength... Who would come out victorious? Would he manage to weaken them more, or would their combined bolstering effects be superior? Chapter 1260: The Affliction Art Breaks the Situation! Chapter 1260: The Affliction Art Breaks the Situation! The drop of blood from Li Yuanshan hovered above Li Luo''s palm. Without further ado, Li Luo activated the Dragon Blood Affliction Art. He had spent much time mastering this art over the past few days. He bit the tips of his fingers, and fresh blood fell out of the wounds. The blood quickly gathered up and transformed into a crimson doll shaped like a person. However, the doll had no face and its head was blank and featureless. Seeing this, Li Luo dripped the droplet of fresh blood from Li Yuanshan onto the face of the doll. The blood flowed into the doll, then its head began to twist and change. Gradually, its facial features surfaced. The doll''s face was exactly the same as Li Yuanshan''s. As he did all this, many spectators watched in confusion. They couldn''t understand what was happening. However, the members of the Five Guardian Armies knew what he was trying to pull off. They had seen others use the Dragon Blood Affliction Art in the past, so it was not surprising to them. The baffling thing was that Li Luo was actually trying to stop Li Yuanshan with this art. The stronger the opponent, the higher the chance that Li Luo would suffer a backlash. Didn''t he know about this? Li Yuanshan was now in tip-top shape thanks to the Blood Fusion Secret Art. If Li Luo tried to use the Dragon Blood Affliction Art with his Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier strength, he would simply be asking to fail, and miserably for that matter. They had never seen anyone use this art so recklessly. "That brat really should know his limits better!" Li Hongque laughed out coldly. It was not a secret that Li Luo had chosen the Dragon Blood Affliction Art from the Heavenly Dragon Treasury. As such, they had considered the possibility of Li Luo using it against Li Qingbai. However, they had not expected Li Luo would dare to use it against Li Yuanshan. Li Zhihuo frowned as he watched the battle. Li Luos decision was completely irrational. He was definitely not a rash and reckless individual, so why would he choose to do this? Did he have some secret up his sleeve? "I heard from Li Qingfeng that he used the Dragon''s Blood Judgment Art against Li Luo during the Battle for the Dragon''s Head. However, Li Luo''s blood was of much higher purity, resulting in a devastating loss for Li Qingfeng. Perhaps this is Li Luo''s ace in the hole?" the Left Dragon''s Blood Envoy Yuan Tianzhao commented from the side. Li Zhihuo shook his head gently. "No matter how pure his blood is, it won''t be enough to bridge the difference between an upper third-grade Duke in peak condition." Yuan Tianzhao shrugged. "In that case, I have no idea what he''s up to." "It''s probably just a desperate struggle before his final gasp. Ultimately, Li Yuanshan holds an absolute advantage at this moment," Li Hongque said. As they discussed what was happening, their eyes remained fixated on the battlefield. When the doll took form in Li Luo''s hand, his lips began to move as well. Some strange murmurings could be heard, and the worldly natural energy in the surroundings began to quake. Drops of fresh blood began to rise from his fingertips. Then the droplets writhed in mid-air before transforming into strange-looking blood charms that resembled worms. Li Luo reached out, and the blood charms gathered up in the middle of his palm, taking the form of a blood-red blade that was as thin as a cicada''s wing. Occult scarlet runes decorated the surface of the blade. Li Luo grabbed the blood red blade with his fingers and took another glance at the doll. He couldn''t help but feel like this was an unorthodox art. However, he did not mind using it as long as it was helpful. As he stared at the doll, he lifted the blade into the air. He could sense that it was locked onto the human doll. Suddenly, the blade became a thousand times heavier. Li Luo''s blood started to churn. However, the ancient draconic roar continued to reverberate throughout his body in response. Thanks to its resistance, the effects of the backlash began to weaken. However, the force that struck him was much stronger than expected. The remaining power that had not been whittled down quickly spread across the interior of Li Luo''s body in an attempt to destroy his internal organs. Nonetheless, Li Luo did not panic. He focused his mind and tried to amplify the effects of the draconic roar to protect himself. Most importantly, he attempted to direct all of the remnant force into a specific location of his body. That was none other than where the mysterious Auric Halo was quietly waiting. Gradually, he managed to do so. When the external force entered the vicinity of the Auric Halo, the halo began to stir. It seemed to possess a life of its own as it disdainfully turned, though only slightly. Another cry could be heard. And with that, the remnant force dissipated with a mere rotation of the Auric Halo. Li Luo slowly breathed out a sigh of relief. He raised his eyes at this point and smiled confidently at the worried Jiang Qing''e by his side. "Everything''s under control." The spectators were all lost for words as they watched this. Li Zhihuo and Li Hongque couldn''t believe their eyes either "Was he not affected by a backlash force?!" In the next instant, their eyes turned towards Li Yuanshan. Didn''t this mean that the Dragon Blood Affliction Art had succeeded?! Under all their shocked gazes, Li Yuanshan''s face turned extremely ugly. He slowly raised his head and looked up at the three brilliant Duke Bergfrieds above him. At this point, one of the Duke Bergfrieds turned really dim. Worldly natural energy retreated and the Duke Bergfried turned into a ball of light, flying back into Li Yuanshan. At the same time, the terrifying energy waves coming from his body subsided at an astonishing speed. Li Qingbai, who was holding onto the other lamp, watched with his eyes wide open. Many of the Dukes spectating this were similarly gasping in disbelief. They all understood what this meant. Li Luo had managed to seal one of Li Yuanshan''s Duke Bergfrieds. Although it was only temporary, this meant that Li Yuanshan had fallen from a third-grade to a second-grade Duke all of a sudden. This was a huge development! In Li Luo''s hands, the effects of the Dragon Blood Affliction Art were truly tyrannical! The spectators cried out loudly. In the same moment, Jiang Qing''e''s charming face turned ice-cold. She slowly stepped forward, heavy sword in hand. The Sacred Crown of Thorns that sat atop her head began to glow. "It''s my turn now, right?" Jiang Qing''e''s gaze was so cold and merciless that Li Yuanshan and Li Qingbai could feel chills running up their spines. Chapter 1261: Husband and Wife Are Victorious Chapter 1261: Husband and Wife Are Victorious Li Yuanshan and Li Qingbai felt their hearts pounding in their chests upon hearing Jiang Qing''e''s cold voice. Their initial plan was to strengthen Li Yuanshan with the Parent-Child Blood Fusion Lamp, enabling them to knock her out with a single strike. However, a completely unexpected chain of events had unfolded. Li Luo had managed to activate his Affliction Art successfully, and not only had he negated any power-ups gained, he had even pushed Li Yuanshan down to a second-grade Duke. Li Yuanshan was originally on par with Jiang Qing''e as an upper third-grade Duke. Now that he had fallen down into a second-grade, would he still be a match? Updated chapters at novelhall.com Worry filled them. On the other hand, Jiang Qing''e was not planning to show any mercy to them whatsoever. Countless rays of light burst out of the glazed Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. Everywhere the light touched, worldly natural energy was converted into light resonant power. Bang! At the next moment, a rumbling boom could be heard from the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. A giant pillar of light descended like a strike of divine punishment. An immense amount of light resonant power enveloped Li Yuanshan. Li Yuanshan''s scalp turned numb as he witnessed Jiang Qing''e''s vicious strike. He couldn''t surrender, as he was representing the Dragon''s Blood Guardians at the moment. He had to grit his teeth and take it head-on. It would be best if he could withstand a few hits in order to prevent a humiliating defeat. With that in mind, Li Yuanshan took a deep breath. He summoned up all the resonant power in his body without any reservation. The two Duke Bergfrieds above his head began to spew out enormous amounts of grayish-yellow resonant power. The resonant power itself was unbearably heavy. Li Yuanshan possessed an Earth Dragon resonance and a granite resonance. Thus, defense had always been his main attribute. He formed lightning-fast hand seals and pressed down firmly against the ground in front of him. Bang! The ground quaked violently, and an extremely large wall rose up from the ground. Atop the wall sat the coiled-up manifestation of a dragon, which had an indomitable and unshakeable presence. At the same time, grayish-white light extended out and dyed the wall, giving it the appearance that it was constructed from sturdy rock. Many members of the Five Guardian Armies whispered amongst themselves when they saw this. They recognized this art immediatelyit was Li Yuanshan''s favorite defensive art. Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art: Giant Dragon Wall! When it arose, it gave the spectators the feeling that it was impenetrable. The pillar of light struck the solid Giant Dragon Wall head-first. Immediately after, the wall began to break down at an astonishing speed. This pillar of light was composed of the purest light resonant power, and its purification power was so great that even Li Yuanshan, who specialized in defense, was having difficulty blocking it. "Triple ninth-grade light resonances are truly formidable." The Dukes spectating the match couldn''t help but sigh. Li Yuanshan also felt the humongous pressure pushing down on him. He gritted his teeth as he swiped his palm across the pocket sphere on his wrist. A jar appeared in his hand. He opened the jar, which contained a yellowish-brown mud which was then slathered onto the Giant Dragon Wall. This was the Enchanted Heavy Mud, a lower-grade Duke Mythic Armament that was created through multiple rounds of complex refinement. However, what made it different was that it was an expendable item. Once it was used, Li Yuanshan would have to fork out a significant amount of resources to refine it again. Nonetheless, he didn''t have time to hold back, given the situation at hand. He had to use it and salvage the face of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. When the mud fell onto the Giant Dragon Wall, the thick wall solidified instantly. The mud spread across the wall, and its defenses strengthened considerably. Even the purification effects of Jiang Qing''e''s light resonant power appeared to have been abated temporarily. Li Taixuan was truly the center of attention in his heyday. However, he was ultimately limited by being a single person despite how amazing he was. On the other hand, this duo seemed to contain frightening potential. Li Luo was just one step away from the Duke Stage, and if he also managed to forge a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, those two would be truly formidable. Li Foluo nodded slowly, revealing a faint smile as well. "It seems like I won''t be sitting in this position for much longer." On the side, Li Hongyou had heard their conversation. A gentle smile appeared on her cold face as she lifted her head up. She then looked towards the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, where everyone was completely silent at the moment. She saw Li Hongques stunned and dumbfounded expression, which then transformed into one full of shock and anger. Seeing this, Li Hongyou''s smile turned even more radiant. Meanwhile, Li Hongque was snapped from her fury as soon as she sensed her gaze. Her eyes burned with fury as she glared back at Li Hongyou, dissatisfied with this result. Never in her wildest dreams had Li Hongque expected their side to lose the bet! This meant that she had lost the chance to chase Li Hongyou out for good. As she thought about this, her face turned twisted. "How did we lose? How''s that possible! What the hell are Li Qingbai and Li Yuanshan doing?!" She couldn''t help but vent her frustrations on the two of them. However, Li Zhihuo frowned at her. "Hongque, it''s not their fault. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e are simply too extraordinary." There was also a hint of disappointment in his gaze. This loss meant that they had to fork out 80,000 dragon essences. It was a painful price to pay even for a Guardian General like himself. Most importantly, they had not managed to stifle Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s upward momentum. Instead, it had made them even more spectacular. It was really a total defeat, both in monetary terms and face. If people were to ask who had helped Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e tide through their toughest times when they first entered the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, his name would definitely be on the top of the list with his generous "contribution." He had lost too much in this bet. Amidst the bustling cheers, Li Luo looked towards Li Zhihuo from the middle of the stage. He cupped his hands together politely and said with a warm smile, "Thank you very much for your kind contribution of 80,000 dragon essences." He was truly excited to receive them. If he split them equally with Jiang Qing''e, he could make up for the previous loan and still have quite a bit leftover. He would be able to trade for higher grade spirit liquids with the remaining amount. Although Li Luo was able to attain a ninth-grade dragon resonance with the help of the True Dragon Seed Pill, it was still an external aid. His resonance grade did not increase permanently. At present, his Thunder Dragon resonance was in the upper seventh-grade. Li Luo wanted to try and increase it to the eighth-grade next. He wasn''t too far away from the Duke Stage, and his ambition was to forge a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. If his Thunder Dragon resonance remained slightly weaker, it could potentially drag him down a little. Hence, he wanted to improve it as soon as possible. It was time for him to think about his Foundational Spirit Treasures as well. He did not dare to dream about getting a perfect Foundational Spirit Treasure like the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus. However, it had to at least be a top-grade one. With all this in mind, it seemed like he would have to work really hard in the coming days. Li Zhihuo''s face remained emotionless as he looked back at Li Luo. With that, the battle had come to a conclusion. The other Guardians did not waste any more time, and the Ceremony of Ascent came to a close. Li Jingzhe finally took a step forward. His eyes looked across the crowd and he gave them some words of encouragement. At the same time, he reminded the members again. "The Stygian Rain of Calamity is coming soon. The World''s End River Treasure Domain will be opening up again. This is the greatest opportunity in the World''s End River Region. You all have to work hard and prepare for it. Do not bring shame to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li." When he finished speaking, the Respected Elder turned around and departed. This announcement left many in the crowd exclaiming in excitement. Chapter 1262: World Ends River Treasure Domain Chapter 1262: World End''s River Treasure Domain Li Jingzhe took the lead and left with the elders. The bustling and lively chatter in the surroundings continued. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e returned to the district of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Many of the members were cheering to welcome them back. Some even looked at Li Luo with admiration. Previously, Li Luo had been handed the Fourth Grand Commander position because of his past achievements as the leader of the Green Nether Banner. Becoming the Dragon''s Head was a commendable contribution to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. However, he was only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier at the moment, which wasn''t really befitting of a Grand Commander. That said, he had truly proven his worth with his victory today. Li Luo wasnt a Duke yet, but his talent was extraordinary. It wasn''t at all inferior to Jiang Qing''e''s talent. During his fight with Li Qingbai, he had shown exactly how strong his foundation was. This was especially true with his last move, the Dragon Blood Affliction Art. It had directly reduced Li Yuanshan, who was in peak condition, from a third-grade to a second-grade Duke. With that, Jiang Qing''e was able to secure their victory with ease. Li Luo''s contribution in the previous battle was definitely on par with that of Jiang Qing''e. Even with his own strength, he was definitely worthy of this position as the Fourth Grand Commander now. Li Luo grinned as everyone congratulated him. He saw the excitement in the crowd after Li Jingzhe''s speech earlier and asked curiously, "Guardian General, what is this World''s End River Treasure Domain that the Respected Elder mentioned?" Li Foluo replied, "The World''s End River Treasure Domain is a region in the depths of the World''s End River Region. It is situated in an area where the World''s End River penetrates the world space, and its water continuously flows there. You know where the abundant Foundational Spirit Treasures in the World''s End River Region come from, right?" Li Luo nodded. The Foundational Spirit Treasures originated from the World''s End River itself. They were found submerged along the river and descended upon the World''s End River Region at some point. When he recalled this, he suddenly understood what Li Foluo meant. If the river continuously flowed through the domain in question, just how many Foundational Spirit Treasures would be left behind in it? There would surely be a terrifyingly large amount of them. That region was truly worthy of its name as a treasure domain, filled with bountiful rewards. When he saw the expression on Li Luo''s face, Li Foluo figured out that he understood the origin of the name. "Not only does the treasure domain contain a mind-boggling amount of Foundational Spirit Treasures, their grades are extraordinary as well. It''s not just top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures that can be found... there may even be rarer treasures than that. This is the real reason why every upper-grade Duke is excited over this. It is also why every time the treasure domain opens up, a bloodbath ensues." Li Luo''s heart skipped a beat. Treasures that were even rarer than top-grade? Wouldn''t that be on the same level as the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus? That was surely a treasure in a class of its own. Even Li Jingzhe had to fork out quite the price in order to obtain it. "The Heavenly Dragon resonance is the pinnacle of all dragon resonances and thus is extraordinary. I heard that people with that resonance can purify their own Heavenly Dragon blood. It is an extremely rare resonance. Since the birth of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, the number of times that Heavenly Dragon resonance has appeared in our entire history can be easily counted with our fingers. This included those who acquired it," Li Foluo explained. "Acquired the Heavenly Dragon resonance?" Li Luo asked curiously. With his keen sense, he had caught onto the crux of the question immediately. Li Foluo nodded. "It''s said that those who possess a dragon resonance can attempt to evolve it into the Heavenly Dragon resonance. Of course, this is extremely rare. There''ve only been two cases of this since ancient times... It seems like this evolution relies on the purity of one''s natural Heavenly Dragonblood. At this point, he couldn''t help but take a glance at Li Luo. The latter had shown his confidence in the purity of his own blood when he used the Dragon Blood Affliction Art earlier. Li Luo understood this when he saw his gaze as well. His eyes grew excited. Could it be that his dragon resonance could potentially evolve into a Heavenly Dragon resonance, the leader of all dragon resonances? However, why didn''t he feel anything when he used the True Dragon Seed Pill and elevated his dragon resonance to the ninth-grade? Did this mean that he would need a permanent increase in grade in order to evolve it? Li Luo''s heart started beating faster as he thought about this. His Thunder Dragon resonance was just an upper seventh-grade at this point. If he continued to increase its grade, would it evolve into a Heavenly Dragon resonance? This was definitely worth looking into. That way, he would have more confidence in forging a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried when he broke into the Duke Stage. As he thought about all this, Li Luo couldn''t hold back his anticipation any longer. He couldn''t wait to get his hands on the dragon essences that he had just won, and trade them all into high-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. There was also the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch that he had not used for a long while. That item could increase one''s affinity with their resonance, and it was time for him to give it a try again. "Guardian General, how long will it be before the World''s End River Treasure Domain opens up?" "It''s hard to say, but it shouldn''t be any longer than a year. The Stygian Rain of Calamity is coming, and the World''s End River Treasure Domain will surely open before then." Li Luo nodded. There was still some time for him to prepare himself. If he could, he would push his Heavenly Resonance Diagram to 90,000 feet before its opening and increase his Thunder Dragon resonance to the lower eighth-grade. This would give him a little more confidence against his numerous competitors when he finally entered the Treasure Domain. It seemed like in the coming days, he would need to borrow every opportunity available in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians to improve himself. Chapter 1263: Qin Lians Anger Chapter 1263: Qin Lian''s Anger The Ceremony of Ascent of the Five Guardian Armies came to a close. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had made a name for themselves. Even in Heavenly Dragon City, many had come to learn about them. Whether it was Jiang Qing''e''s Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried or Li Luo''s three resonant palaces and six resonances, they were all spectacular signs of their foundation and potential. Their background and the relationship between Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had been exposed as well. This made many older Dukes recall what had happened dozens of years ago, when Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan dominated the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent during their generation. Many elites during that period were completely suppressed by them. They didn''t even dare to show an attitude in front of them. Even though they had disappeared for so many years, their admiration for the duo remained. Right now, it seemed like this young team was even more spectacular than the duo back then. They could foresee these two youths rising up and creating another legend in the history of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. ...... Abyssal City. Bang! Inside a bright and vast hall, Qin Lian''s face was extremely dark as she slammed her palm onto the table. There was a piece of information right in front of her, stating the various happenings regarding Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e during the Ceremony of Ascent. This included their strengths and resonances. Many Dukes from other powers were present during the martial arts competition. As such, it was naturally not a hard task for the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin to get information regarding it. "That Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried girl is the disciple of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan?!" Qin Lian''s eyes were burning with fury. She had noticed the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried when she ambushed Li Luo earlier. It was a shocking discovery, but she didn''t know where that unrivaled girl had come from. Just now, she had learned that Jiang Qing''e was personally trained by Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. This was truly an annoyance to her ears. "Triple ninth-grade light resonances and a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. How are Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan always so lucky?! How did they find such an unrivaled talent in such a backward and rural place like an outer divine continent?!" Qin Lian gritted her teeth. Her eyes were full of jealousy. Were they really blessed by the heavens? Why did all the good things in the world always happen to them? Chu Qing had a muscular body, and there were gold and silver rings wrapped around his arms. He gave off a magnificent presence at this moment, with a burning desire to fight in his eyes. He was not frightened just because Jiang Qing''e had a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. On the contrary, he was actually looking forward to challenging such a powerful opponent. Having such a strong rival was the perfect way to train himself. He had faced many hardships on his cultivation journey in order to get to where he was today. When he was at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, he had challenged a Duke. His fighting spirit was definitely extraordinary. Qin Lian nodded, clearly pleased with Chu Qing''s courage and fighting spirit. "You two should train hard in the coming days. The World''s End River Treasure Domain will open before the Stygian Rain of Calamity arrives. At that time, you will definitely have the chance to face off against the elites from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. When that time comes... lets see if Li Jingzhe will be able to protect them!" An icy light flashed across Qin Lian''s eyes. When Qin Yi saw this, she understood that her mother was furious over what Li Jingzhe had done. She said in a soft voice, "Li Jingzhe is a Quasi-Triple Crown King. Even the Grand Palace Master has to give him some face, so you don''t need to feel resentful over this, Mother." Qin Lian gritted her teeth. She replied in a cold voice, "So a Quasi-Triple Crown King can just have his way with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin? Tsk. We''ll talk about this when Li Jingzhe becomes the second Heavenly Emperor in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li!" Her eyes suddenly turned towards Qin Yi. "All the various powers will send their forces into the World''s End River Treasure Domain. This includes the Imperial Beast Hall from the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent." "Mythical Spirit Divine Continent? Imperial Beast Hall?" Qin Yi and Chu Qing were stunned when they heard this. Both of them exclaimed in surprise, "Why are the people from the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent coming to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent!?" The Mythical Spirit Divine Continent was one of the four main inner divine continents. It was said that there were two halls and three lineages that were Heavenly Emperor powers on that distant and vast continent. The Imperial Beast Hall was one of the two halls. They would definitely be a powerful force when they came over. Qin Lian explained to them calmly, "They''ve been invited over by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin." "The World''s End River Treasure Domain is a grand affair in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Wouldnt it be inappropriate for us to invite a Heavenly Emperor power from the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent over? I am afraid some of the other powers in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent will not be happy about this," Qin Yi said in a worried tone. "What''s inappropriate about this? If you want the treasures, you need to prove your worth. It''s as simple as that," Qin Lian replied casually. She did not explain any further. "Our guests will have gone through a long journey to get here. You must remember to host them well," Qin Lian reminded her. Qin Yi nodded. She still had doubts in her heart, but she did not dare to probe any further. It seemed like there were many plans in play behind the scenes of the World''s End River Treasure Domain. This event would be a lot more intense and dangerous than previous iterations. Chapter 1264: The Secret Behind The Heavenly Dragon Blood Chapter 1264: The Secret Behind The Heavenly Dragon Blood Over the next few weeks, news of Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s stunning performance during the Ceremony of Ascent spread across the outside world. However, Li Luo kept a relatively low profile during this time. He was fully focused on cultivating his Thunder Dragon resonance. Because of this, he didn''t even have time to take care of the monthly duties required from the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. This lasted for the majority of the month. His cultivation had progressed and his Heavenly Resonance Diagram had increased from 84,000 feet to 88,000 feet. Most of this was thanks to the 40,000 dragon essences that he had received from the bet. He had used up 20,000 to repay the loan for his Dragon Blood Affliction Art. As for the remaining dragon essences, he had traded them in for cultivation resources and high-grade liquids and lights. The good news was that his resonant power had taken a step forward. However, the much anticipated evolution of his dragon resonance wasn''t so easy to achieve. He had already used up the majority of the eighth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights that he had gotten from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. When coupled with the high-grade liquids and lights that he had purchased with his dragon essences, the actual cost of what he had consumed was undoubtedly sky high. It was probably a figure that an ordinary rogue cultivator at the Duke Stage wouldn''t be able to afford even if they auctioned off all their belongings. That said, Li Luo could sense that his upper seventh-grade Thunder Dragon resonance had grown stronger. Unfortunately, it was still quite a distance away from reaching the eighth-grade. Trying to increase one''s resonance grade was a truly challenging task. One should not forget that he could continuously refine and take in liquids and lights. If it were anyone else, it would be close to impossible for them to get any visible improvement in half a month''s time. Most people would take months, or even years, to temper their resonances. The spirit liquids and purifying lights contained impurities, and consuming too many at once would result in ones resonant palaces being sealed off. Fortunately, Li Luo was different from ordinary folks. The only thing that restricted him was the number of liquids and lights he had and the time he would need to absorb them all. This meant that in theory, he would be able to reach the ninth-grade for all his resonances, given enough time and resources. Of course, being able to prove this theory wasnt easy at all... Light rays pierced into the room. Li Luo was sitting in the lotus position, staring at the table in front of him. There were a few empty glass bottles on it that were originally filled with valuable eighth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. "All used up." Li Luo sighed. He had used up all that he had. After thinking for a moment, a violet badge that resembled a leaf materialized in his hand. This was the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch, which he hadn''t taken out in a long while. By keeping this item close to him, it would have a slight resonant tempering effect which slowly accumulated over time. If he wasn''t satisfied with the slow progress, he could also activate the spirit deposit contained within. This would directly provide a boost to his resonance tempering but it came with the side effect of draining it completely and leaving it deactivated for a period of time. Li Luo had only used the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch once in the past. As such, it had completely recovered its energy. The fishing rod in Li Jingzhe''s hand trembled a little when he heard Li Luo''s words. "Heavenly Dragon resonance? You''re really an ambitious brat. Not even I managed to cultivate it." Li Luo explained to him honestly, "Well, Grandpa, I have exceptionally pure Heavenly Dragon blood. I believe I should qualify for a chance to obtain the Heavenly Dragon resonance." Li Jingzhe was a little amused by Li Luo''s bragging, but he still nodded. "Your Heavenly Dragon blood is indeed very pure. When you used the Dragon Blood Affliction Art previously, your blood was stimulated to the point that even the Heavenly Dragon Manifestation appeared." "The Heavenly Dragon Manifestation?" Li Luo blinked and asked curiously. "Grandpa, come to think of it, why does our lineage have the blood of the Heavenly Dragon? Could it be that... our Ancestor is the Heavenly Dragon itself?" Li Jingzhe shook his head and responded, "Our Ancestor is a human being." He could still see the undying curiosity in Li Luo''s eyes. He hesitated for a minute before he continued, "When our Ancestor was young, he entered the Nobles'' Battlefield and came across a critically injured Elder Heavenly Dragon then. That was when a human had the opportunity to form a blood pact with a dragon. To be honest, the blood pact wasn''t entirely good news for our Ancestor. The Heavenly Dragon was much stronger than him, so it would continuously absorb his blood essence. However, our Ancestor demonstrated why he was an exceptional genius who had survived countless life-and-death situations. When he reached the pinnacle of strength and attained the Heavenly Emperor Stage, the blood pact transferred over to his lineage. This affected his descendants and caused the Heavenly Dragon blood to flow within us as well." Li Luos eyes were wide. He was full of praise as he listened. It seemed like their Ancestor had also gone through numerous legendary adventures since he was young. "I wonder, was the Heavenly Dragon that he met a male... or female?" Li Luo asked politely. "A female dragon, of course," Li Jingzhe replied. "This Elder Heavenly Dragon is now one of the most authoritative existences amongst the whole Dragon Race. It is all thanks to her that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li has such a close relationship with the Dragon Race. However, the Dragon Race seldom comes out, so you haven''t had the chance to meet them." At this point, Li Luo had a sudden realization. A female dragon, huh... Their Ancestor really served as a role model for future generations. However, this wasn''t important right now. Li Luo shifted the topic of the conversation and asked earnestly, "Grandpa, do you think I have a chance to evolve my dragon resonance into a Heavenly Dragon resonance, then?" Li Jingzhe pondered in silence for a moment. "If it were anyone else asking, I''d tell them to continue dreaming. But you, on the other hand, have demonstrated that you possess a strong affinity with the Heavenly Dragon blood. I think it may be possible. Nonetheless, this is not a simple matter. If you try to do it using normal methods, you will not be able to succeed no matter how pure your Heavenly Dragon blood is." "What should I do, then?" Li Luo asked in a hurry. The fishing rod in Li Jingzhe''s hand shook a little again. He reeled in the line, and ripples scattered across the surface of the lake. A golden fish had been caught by his fishing rod. He placed the fish into the basket and said with a serious tone, "Refinement Art, Blood Refines the Resonance." Chapter 1265: Blood Refines the Resonance Chapter 1265: Blood Refines the Resonance "Refinement Art, Blood Refines the Resonance?" Li Luo repeated the words to himself before he asked again, "What do you mean by that?" "Originally, it is impossible to evolve your dragon resonance into a Heavenly Dragon resonance. Even if you look through the entire history of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, not many people have actually thought about trying to accomplish this." Li Jingzhe took a glance at Li before he continued, "This is because they simply didn''t have Heavenly Dragon blood as pure as yours. Of course, this just means that you have a slightly higher chance to succeed compared to the rest. This evolution isn''t something you can achieve with spirit liquids and purifying lights alone. You''ll have to rely on yourself. More specifically, you''ll have to depend on your Heavenly Dragon blood. You will use your own body as the furnace to refine your own blood and integrate it into your dragon resonance. Once your dragon resonance absorbs enough Heavenly Dragon blood, it''ll have a chance to evolve into a Heavenly Dragon resonance during its breakthrough." Li Luo''s eyes were full of excitement as he listened to Li Jingzhe''s suggestion. His initial guess was right after all. It was impossible to obtain the Heavenly Dragon resonance using ordinary methods. Luckily, he had erred on the side of caution and had not used his Violet Resonant Tree Brooch. It was the right move for him to seek advice from Li Jingzhe first. "It sounds like I''ll have to fuse my blood essence with my resonance. How can I do that?" With his sharp mind, Li Luo was able to pick up on the most critical point straight away. Indeed, the refinement art would be the key here. Li Jingzhe nodded with a hint of admiration towards his grandson. "Such a refinement art is extremely valuable. In a way, it is worth as much as an upper Destiny-grade Duke Art. Of course, it is only for the people who can utilize it." Li Luo nodded. If one did not have pure Heavenly Dragon blood, they would never dream about doing something as crazy as trying to attain a Heavenly Dragon resonance. As such, there were naturally not many people who would have a use for this secret art. "In this case, I respectfully beseech you to teach me the secret art, Grandpa!" A faint grin appeared on Li Jingzhes cold and aged face. "There''s no problem with me teaching you the art... However, we must follow the rules... 10,000 dragon essences." Li Luo''s eyes widened in shock. Li Jingzhe slowly explained, "I am not cheating you here. This secret art is extremely valuable. Its price is easily higher than the price I have just quoted." Li Luo pouted, but he still replied decisively, "Fine, 10,000 dragon essences it is! That said, I don''t have that much with me right now... Can I put this on credit, please?" He had already completely spent the 40,000 dragon essences that he had won at the Ceremony of Ascent, so there was no way he could afford it right now. Li Jingzhe didn''t know whether to laugh or cry when he heard this. This brat was truly thick-skinned. He was probably the first one who ever dared to bargain with him like this. However, he had quoted the price of 10,000 dragon essences only to follow the lineage''s rules, which stated that this secret art should not be easily imparted. Now that he''d fixed a price, it didn''t matter how Li Luo was going to pay it off. If the other Lineage Chiefs heard about this, they wouldn''t be able to say Li Jingzhe was playing favorites here. After all, Li Luo had paid a not-so-insignificant price for it... on paper. The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) "The secret art is known as the Crimson Pill Blood Refinement Resonance Art." "The object is known as the Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearl. Traces of it were spotted in a deep valley just a few thousand miles away from Heavenly Dragon Peak. That area is a hunting ground that has not been claimed and thus, many rogue cultivators flock there. Whenever the World''s End River water descends, Golden Stone Spirit Clams often appear in large numbers there. This object is also capable of being refined into an upper-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure and is quite valuable. Its appearance often leads to large confrontations between rogue cultivators, and even some of the powers may eye it, Li Jingzhe casually explained. "You have been cultivating in your room for the past few weeks and haven''t been going on any missions. This is the perfect time for you to lead the Guardian Army and retrieve this item." Li Luo nodded as he listened. The Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearl was closely tied to whether he would be able to get the Heavenly Dragon resonance. Li Jingzhe had already paved most of the path for him, so it was only right that he did his part to at least obtain the final ingredient. After all, it wouldn''t sit too well with him if he purely relied on his grandfather. "Thank you, Grandpa," Li Luo said earnestly. He was moved by all of the preparations and planning that Li Jingzhe had done for him. As the saying went, having an elder at home was like having a treasure. "It''s nothing much. Do you need anything else?" Li Jingzhe asked nonchalantly. It was a casual question, almost rhetorical, but Li Luo''s face lit up immediately. He nodded and asked without holding back, "I have another small thing to ask of you, Grandpa." "You''re really not holding back at all, are you?" Li Jingzhe said in a joking tone. Everyone in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage knew about the old man''s temper; even Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan were extremely polite and respectful towards him. They would never dare to bother him like this. Li Luo was the only one who would speak to him without any restraints. Nonetheless, there was a feeling of warmth in his heart. "Ask away." Li Luo smiled. "The World''s End River Treasure Domain will be opening soon and competition will be fierce. I would like to prepare myself for it adequately. As such, I hope to create a poison that can threaten even Dukes." He stretched his hand out, and a strand of poison energy condensed in the middle of his palm. A putrid stench that assailed their noses wafted upwards. This was none other than the dual poison that was left in his body when Pei Hao had attempted to hurt him back in the Xia Kingdom. In the past, Li Luo did not have a way to neutralize it completely and had therefore left it dormant. Later on, he wanted to keep it for his own use, especially since he had mastered the Great Sanguine Poison Art. He had turned disaster into a boon for himself, keeping this as a trump card. However, he was bound to face more Dukes as he continued on his cultivation journey. As such, this dual poison that was once a big headache to him was becoming less impactful as a result of the mightier opponents. In fact, Li Luo was even strong enough to purge the poison out of his body if he so wished to. Therefore, he had asked Li Jingzhe for advice as he wanted to find a more deadly poison that would become another ace up his sleeve. Chapter 1266: Grandfathers Overflowing Love Chapter 1266: Grandfather''s Overflowing Love "A deadly poison that can threaten even Dukes?" Li Jingzhe was a little surprised by Li Luo''s question. He took a look at the poison condensed in the middle of Li Luo''s palm and pondered for a moment. "This poison has fused with your blood essence to form a special type of blood poison. It seems you''re really making full use of your bloodline here." At Li Jingzhe''s level, he could tell with a single glance that the poison had traces of Li Luo''s blood essence. He immediately connected it to the Great Sanguine Poison Art. Li Luo explained to him frankly, "Back in the Xia Kingdom, Jiang Qing''e and I had to protect House Luolan when Father and Mother weren''t around. We did everything it took to become stronger." Li Jingzhe fell silent momentarily before he answered with a hint of frustration, "Those two are so unreliable when push comes to shove." The Xia Kingdom was nothing in the eyes of someone like Li Jingzhe. However, it was a place full of danger for the young Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. It was honestly reckless behavior for Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan to leave the two kids behind without anyone to protect them. However, he did not really blame the two of them. After thinking for a bit longer, he answered, "If it''s a poison that can threaten Dukes, it''ll be a dangerous one for you as well. I am afraid you may not be able to handle it if you wish to hide the poison inside your body. As such, we need to store it another way." Li Luo was a little puzzled. "Where else can I keep it?" Li Jingzhe''s gaze suddenly shifted to the crimson bracelet on Li Luo''s wrist. "The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf?!" Li Luo exclaimed in surprise. Li Jingzhe raised his finger slightly, and the bracelet floated up into the air. Complex and bright runes appeared around the bracelet. He flicked his finger, and some of the runes slowly faded away. In the next instant, blood-colored smoke rose up from the bracelet. A thick and ferocious aura filled the air, followed by a vicious wolf howl. Li Luo was shocked. Was the Respected Elder going to release the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf? An enormous shadow appeared behind the thick smoke. On its back, five of its tails swung from side to side like giant pythons. A sharp shriek resounded in the air, followed by ripples continuously expanding on the surface of the lake. This was the true form of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf! Clearly, Li Jingzhe had changed some of the seals on the bracelet. This had allowed the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf to appear in its true form. It was the first time the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf had come out ever since it was sealed in the bracelet by Pang Qianyuan. Its excitement was palpable as it managed to witness daylight once again. Its five tails moved from side to side, causing gusts of wind to sweep across their surroundings. Roar! It looked at Li Luo with its ferocious eyes. This brat had been squeezing power out of it for years at this point. It had been slaving away arduously, but it dared not say anything before. Finally, it had an opportunity to escape. It was time to collect all of the interest accrued for its hard work! Li Luo reached out to pat the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf, who was around the size of a small puppy right now, and laughed. "Why didn''t you tell me about it earlier? What sort of friend are you?" The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf momentarily glanced at him from the corner of its eye. If his grandfather wasn''t around, it would have given him a good taste of its fangs. It would then see how many holes would be left behind on his body afterwards... Then it turned over to Li Jingzhe and explained pitifully, "Great Sir, although the Heavenly Wolf Race can definitely cultivate the Heavenly Wolf''s Bloodfiend Venom... I''ve yet to form the most critical part..." "Are you referring to the Bloodfiend Core?" Li Jingzhe asked. Clearly, he was very familiar with the cultivation path of the Heavenly Wolf Race. The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf nodded repeatedly. "That won''t be a problem. You can stay with me for the time being, I''ll help you form your Bloodfiend Core," Li Jingzhe replied casually. The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf was both surprised and glad. It seemed a wonderful opportunity had fallen upon it. After all, Li Jingzhe was a Quasi-Triple Crown King, which was considered one of the strongest existences even to the Heavenly Wolf Race. In fact, it would have normally been impossible for a beast like it to gain such assistance. "Considering you possess the Heavenly Wolf bloodline, your intelligence must be extraordinary. You should clearly understand why I''m willing to help you." The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf nodded again. It knew that Li Luo was the reason for all of the benefits lavished upon it. Otherwise, Li Jingzhe wouldn''t even cast a glance at it. "Don''t worry, Great Sir. This little wolf here will definitely help the Young Master to the best of its abilities." The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf was very flexible... not to mention willing to accept all opportunities that came knocking. Despite suppressing the urge to bite Li Luo just a minute ago, it was now addressing him as Young Master. Li Luo was secretly pleased as he listened in on their conversation. The vicious wolf was incredibly difficult to tame in the past. In fact, it had even thought of consuming him. Who would have expected it to act so obediently right now? Li Jingzhe nodded a little. "You''re from the Heavenly Wolf Race and Li Luo possesses Heavenly Dragon blood. It''ll only be to your advantage if you stay close to him. In the future, you may need his help to reach the Nine-tailed Stage." Although the Heavenly Wolf Race was not as respectable as the Dragon Race in the world of spirit beasts, it was still a peak existence. Li Jingzhe could tell that the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf did not possess particularly pure blood. When placed amongst the members of its race, it would only be considered ordinary. If it wanted to reach the Nine-tailed Stage, it would be close to impossible with its strength alone. The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s eyes lit up when it heard those words. It understood what Li Jingzhe was implying. After some hesitation, it lowered its head to the ground. "I will keep your advice in mind, Great Sir." Li Jingzhe nodded in approval. Although he knew about the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf in the bracelet, he had always treated it as one of Li Luos tools, not paying much attention to it. However, he had seen how the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf helped Li Luo tide through difficulties time and again over the past few months. Whether it was truly willing or not, it was undeniable that it would be a strong boon to Li Luo if it stayed by his side. As such, Li Jingzhe didn''t mind helping it out to aid Li Luo. "The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf will stay with me for the time being. Meanwhile, you can search for the Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearl. We''ll attempt the Crimson Pill Blood Refinement Resonance Art afterwards and see if the Heavenly Dragon resonance is within reach." Li Luo nodded happily. It seemed that this visit had reaped an exceptional amount of benefits today. At the same time, he couldn''t help but sigh a little. Seeing all this planning and preparation done for him, could this be what the others called... A grandfather''s overflowing love...? Chapter 1267: Jiang Qinges Charm Chapter 1267: Jiang Qing''e''s Charm After enjoying a bowl of delicious fish-head soup with Li Jingzhe, Li Luo casually took his leave. The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf watched his departing figure with somewhat uneasy eyes. This was a rare and prized opportunity for the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf to receive guidance from Li Jingzhe. However, it didn''t know what kind of training it would get. Things probably wouldn''t be easy. Perhaps its life would be at risk. But it was too late to give up now. Li Jingzhe wouldn''t entertain such thoughts. Li Luo left the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion and went straight back to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. On the way, he passed by Jiang Qing''e, who was returning with the Guardian Army. The training ground was bustling with chatter. Many members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians had just finished their missions for the day and were taking a rest there. When Li Luo arrived, everyone turned their attention over to him and then start laughing. "Fourth Grand Commander, you''re finally out." Li Luo had shut himself in his room for a month to cultivate as he was working on his Thunder Dragon resonance, so hadn''t participated in any missions thus far. Li Luo smiled in response to their greetings. He continued making his way towards the center of the training ground, where members were talking about the highlights of recent days. Meanwhile, Jiang Qing''e was so beautiful that she had become the focus of many. Most members were in awe of her beauty. From time to time, they even stole glances at her. Her reputation had skyrocketed over the past month. Whether it was in terms of looks or talent, she had no equal. There was no other female that came close to her amongst the Five Guardian Armies. In the past, there was Li Hongque, Li Hongli, and Lu Qingmei. They were the three beauties of the Five Guardian Armies. However, Jiang Qing''e''s arrival had demonstrated to the rest what it meant to stand head and shoulders above the rest. Li Luo also stopped by to admire the brilliant girl in the crowd. Her skin was as white as cream and her beautiful cheeks were like delicate, white porcelain that shone with a crystal dazzle. This was combined with her deep and mysterious golden eyes, tall black eyebrows, and a jade-like nose. Her appearance was perfection personified. A single look at her would elicit admiration. The elites from the Dragon''s Fang Guardians surrounded her, smiling brightly and trying to strike up a conversation. Jiang Qing''e simply smiled back. It was a light and friendly smile, yet there was an elusive sense of distance. If anyone else saw this reaction, people might have thought that she was simply arrogant. However, it felt natural and expected to see this from Jiang Qing''e, perhaps because of how otherworldly she was. In a sense, this feeling originated from her natural charisma. At the very least, it seemed like Jiang Qing''e had become more popular than Luo Jiang, the senior Dragon Fang Envoy of the Dragon''s Fang Guardian. Every time she went on a mission, the Thousand Guardians would all fight to volunteer themselves. Li Luo wasn''t too surprised by this. He had no doubts about how appealing she was to others. Back during the incident at House Luolan, Jiang Qing''e was just a student that had just enrolled in the Astral Sage College. Yet she was able to rally support for House Luolan, winning the hearts of others, and she even fought against Pei Hao to a standstill. They had been together for so many years that they wouldn''t bother with these little things anymore. "Speaking of which, are any of you familiar with the Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearl?" Li Luo suddenly asked. Since Li Jingzhe had pointed him in the right direction, he would need to gather this last ingredient as soon as possible. After that, he would be able to practice the Crimson Pill Blood Refinement Resonance Art and evolve his dragon resonance. Li Fengyi was a little surprised to hear this. She thought about it for a moment and asked, "Are you referring to the Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearl found in Golden Stone Valley? There is a magical item found in the Golden Stone Valley known as the Golden Stone Spirit Clam. They look a little like actual pieces of gold but also resemble rocks. Theyre hidden in the toughest rocks in the deepest parts of the valley; even an ordinary Duke would have trouble breaking one open with brute strength. When water flows through the valley, it soaks into the golden stone. That is when the Golden Stone Spirit Clams emerge. They take in the golden water and nurture the golden pearls within them. This is the only chance to collect them. The golden pearls are extremely valuable as theyre a type of precious ingredient that can be used to craft high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. The Golden Stone Valley is quite a distance from Heavenly Dragon Peak. It''s a hunting ground with no owner, so the situation is chaotic over there. There are many strong rogue cultivators that frequent the location as well. Every time the water flows through, a bloodbath ensues." Li Fengyi frowned before she continued, "That area is far from Heavenly Dragon Peak''s jurisdiction. In fact, it''s close to the core grounds of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. As such, the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies seldom approach it." "Oh? It''s close to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao?" Li Luo frowned when he heard this. The relationship between the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had always been very tense. There were countless grudges from both sides, and Li Luo had even killed Zhao Yan back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. "Third Brother, if it''s not necessary, I recommend you avoid the area," Li Jingtao warned him. Li Luo sighed helplessly. Unfortunately, this matter was urgent and essential. "I think I''ve seen a mission for the Golden Stone Valley," Jiang Qing''e suddenly said. "Yes, there are such missions. However, very few in the Five Guardian Armies will accept them, as the area is very dangerous." Li Fengyi replied. She opened her eyes wider and stared at Jiang Qing''e. "Qing''e, are you thinking of accepting it?" Jiang Qing''e responded calmly, "It''s perfect for us since we''ve nearly finished all the missions that pertain to nearby hunting grounds. Let''s go to the Golden Stone Valley and have a look. Who''s willing to lead the Guardians and follow me?" She turned back to the Thousand Guardians in the surrounding area. As a Dragon Fang Envoy, she was allowed to bring five thousand Guardians with her on a mission. Li Hongyou was the first one to raise her hand. After all, Li Luo was the one who had brought her into the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. She had been tagging along with Jiang Qing''e since Li Luo hadn''t been participating in any of the missions. Following this, the rest of the Thousand Guardians fought amongst each other to volunteer themselves. They were smart and knew that with Li Luo''s background and Jiang Qing''e''s talent, this duo would definitely become the future leaders of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. It would be in their best interest to build a stronger relationship now. Jiang Qing''e picked four of the Thousand Guardians that she was more familiar with before giving her order decisively. "In this case, we''ll set off for the Golden Stone Valley tomorrow. Please do not be late." "Yes!" Everyone answered in harmony. Jiang Qing''e''s clear gaze turned back towards Li Luo. "Shall we set off tomorrow?" Li Luo looked back at Jiang Qing''e, who had firmly established her authority in just this short period of time. He could only raise his thumb up in silence. "Whatever you say, Boss!" Chapter 1268: Golden Stone Valley Chapter 1268: Golden Stone Valley The next morning. When Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e arrived at the training ground, the five thousand Guardians were already assembled, each brimming full of energy and determination. Majestic amounts of resonant power gathered them and could be faintly seen in the air, giving off a dense pressure. After years of training together, all the Dragon''s Fang Guardians had achieved a high level of integration. When Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e appeared, all the eyes turned towards them. Everyone, regardless of gender, only had eyes of admiration for the duo. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were clad in the black and red armor of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians today. One of them was a handsome lad whilst the other was a stunning beauty. Everyone enviously watched the two of them stand side by side. In front of them, Xia Yu, a Grand Commander of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, smiled. She clasped her hands together and said, "Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang, I will be tagging along for this mission. I await your orders." According to the rules of the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies, the Dragon Fang Envoys could command five thousand Guardians and two Grand Commanders whenever they set off for a mission. And in this case, the two commanders would be Li Luo and Xia Yu. "Grand Commander Xia, weren''t you out on a mission?" Li Luo asked in surprise. Based on his understanding, Xia Yu, the First Grand Commander, hadn''t been around Heavenly Dragon City for the past few days. Xia Yu smiled in response. She did not hide anything from them and replied frankly, "This was arranged for by the Guardian General. He heard that the two of you are setting out to the Golden Stone Valley, so he ordered me to return to assist." Now Li Luo understood what had happened. Li Foluo had heard of the news last night and had summoned Xia Yu back in a hurry. After all, their overall strength would increase significantly with a second-grade Duke added to the team. Li Foluo was clearly worried about their visit to the Golden Stone Valley as well. However, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians had other missions assigned to them. Therefore, he could only summon Xia Yu back to assist. "Li Luo, we''re here too." As Li Luo was thinking about it, a manly voice suddenly came from above. Three people flew down from the sky and landed in front of the crowd. Li Luo looked over in surprise. "Second Uncle, Uncle Biao, and Aunt Yun?" The three that had arrived were none other than Second Uncle Li Jinpan, Ox Biaobiao, and Li Rouyun. "Do you all plan to head to Golden Stone Valley too?" Li Jinpan nodded. "You were ambushed before, and although the Respected Elder has sent out a warning, it''s still best to be careful. The Golden Stone Valley is a den of chaos and is of close proximity to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. They''ve always had their eyes on the area, so it''s best for us to tag along." Li Luo scratched his head. The Golden Stone Valley truly seemed quite dangerous. Otherwise, Li Jingzhe wouldn''t have sent such a team to accompany him. "Uncle Biao, how are your injuries?" Li Luo asked out of concern as he looked over at Ox Biaobiao. He had been badly injured during the ambush. Since then, he had spent most of the time recuperating. "The Lineage Chief treated my injuries personally, and I''ve fully recovered," Ox Biaobiao replied with a smile. "I heard that the Lineage Chief wreaked havoc in Abyssal City. That bitch Qin Lian even got a sound thrashing. What great news. I''m sure that the person who ambushed you was that vicious lady!" Ox Biaobiao swore. He could vaguely feel presences who emanated strong waves of resonant power. Their gazes were vicious and filled with murderous intent. "Hmph!" Li Jinpan coldly snorted at this moment. It sounded like thunder as it echoed throughout the area. Many hostile gazes changed for the better when they heard this. Some whispers could be faintly heard coming from both sides of the valley. "They''re from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li!" "It should be the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Looking at their numbers, it must be half the army." "That guy is Li Jinpan from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. He''s a seventh-grade Duke!" "Damn it, another tiger has appeared. They already hold the majority of the upper-grade hunting grounds, so why''re they coming to the Golden Stone Valley?" Many of the rogue cultivators from the area were unhappy with the visit from the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. After all, this meant that there were more people competing with them, and they would ultimately get a smaller share of the treasures. However, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was an enormous beast in their eyes. No matter how unhappy they were, they did not act upon it, especially now that they knew the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage was standing guard in Heavenly Dragon Peak. That was a truly terrifying presence, a Quasi-Triple Crown King. Li Jinpan did not mind the hostile gazes as he told Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e, "Ignore them. Let''s find a resting ground first." The two of them nodded in agreement. They then turned their attention towards an empty field in the valley. However, just as they were about to move, shocking undulations of resonant power suddenly blasted across the sky from a distant mountain. Seven Duke Bergfrieds rose up into the air to accompany the immense resonant power. Like a towering mountain, it gave off a looming sense of pressure. A sharp voice rang out in the air. "Tsk tsk, Li Jinpan. The Golden Stone Valley is quite the distance from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and yet you still wish to fight over it? Do you really think the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao are pushovers?!" "Others may be afraid of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, but I am not! Gather your people and scram! Otherwise, don''t blame me for being rude!" The worldly natural energy in the surroundings raged wildly. Li Luo''s face changed a little as he looked into the distance. He saw a muscular man holding a trident, slowly rising into the air, accompanied by his seven majestic Duke Bergfrieds. It seemed that a Duke from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had appeared. As expected, the Golden Stone Valley was not a land of peace. Chapter 1269: Confrontation Chapter 1269: Confrontation The sudden appearance of the seventh-grade Duke from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao attracted the attention of everyone else in the Golden Stone Valley. Many rogue cultivators started laughing in secret. It would be a joy to watch two Heavenly Emperor forces clash. At the same time, a cold smile appeared on Li Jinpan''s face as he looked at the distant figure in the sky. "I was wondering who it was. It turns out it was you, Zhao Jiao." He took a step forward, and his own resonant power exploded out like a tsunami. At the same time, seven Duke Bergfrieds materialized behind him. Li Luo and the others could feel the pressure coming from Zhao Jiao vanishing. "Zhao Jiao, the Golden Stone Valley is not under the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao''s jurisdiction. What right do you have to stop us?" Li Jinpan laughed out coldly. The muscular man with a trident looked back at Li Jinpan sharply. "The Golden Stone Valley is situated closest to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao''s region. We''ve always sent our people here for the harvest. This is an unspoken rule amongst the various powers!" "Rule? Is this Golden Stone Valley part of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao''s hunting grounds? If not, what rule are you talking about?" Li Jinpan retorted, not even attempting to sound polite. "This has always been a hunting ground without an owner. Anyone who has the ability can get a share of the pie. Zhao Jiao, are you treating this as a piece of meat that is exclusive to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao? Is no outsider allowed to have a bite? If things go on like this, the Golden Stone Valley will truly be swallowed up by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. If that happens, others may not even be able to get a bite of the leftovers, isn''t that right? We came here just to get a piece of the pie, but the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao is planning to take even the pot away. That''s simply too overbearing." The faces of many rogue cultivators changed when they heard this. Li Jinpan had truly verbalized the pain they were feeling. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had been acting more and more tyrannically in the Golden Stone Valley in recent years in order to expand their share of the pie every year. However, there wasn''t much that the rogue cultivators could do in the face of a major power like the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. Even if they grouped up, they could only force them to show a little more restraint so as to prevent tarnishing their own reputation. This was the sadness of the weak. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao was constantly attempting to expand their influence in the Golden Stone Valley, employing all sorts of means to prevent the rogue cultivators from grouping up as a whole. Their ambition was clear as day. "Li Jinpan! It seems like the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li is hellbent on interfering with the Golden Stone Valley! In that case, let me see if you''ve got what it takes!" Anger burned up in Zhao Jiao''s eyes, fueled by his murderous intent. He took a step forward, and an enormous amount of light-blue resonant power surged up, indicating he possessed a water resonance. At the same time, the thousands of people on the mountaintop also stepped up. Thousands of strands of energy fused together into a majestic pool of resonant power that then surged up into the air. In the blink of an eye, this energy transformed into a ferocious, giant tiger. The people at the front flew up into the air. Their leader was a handsome young man with long hair. He had one hand behind his back as he glanced over at the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. He said with a smile, "I am Zhao Jiyun, a Divine Tiger Envoy of the Divine Tiger Guardians. I heard that the Dragon''s Fang Guardians has a newly appointed Dragon Fang Envoy that has a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. I wonder if this is true?" As soon as he finished speaking, resonant power similarly gathered up in response amongst the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. All of it was focused on Jiang Qing''e as she leapt into the air with the heavy sword in hand. She had no interest in exchanging pointless words; she simply pointed her heavy sword towards him. The sword glowed brightly as energy condensed around it. A perfect Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried appeared above her head, lighting up everything within hundreds of miles. This attracted countless shocked gazes from those watching. Both sides had just met each other, yet they were already baring their fangs in this confrontation. The atmosphere had reached its boiling point instantly. As the two Heavenly Emperor powers prepared to fight each other, there were some curious gazes watching from yet another mountaintop in the distance. They were all wearing robes emblazoned with the Golden Dragon Bank''s insignia, indicating their affiliation. "A Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried... What formidable talent. But I wonder, how many of those can she forge? Many people throughout history have exhausted all of their potential for simply a single Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. In the end, they slowly fell from grace," a girl in the middle of the group said with a light chuckle. Her hair was light blue, she had a slender figure, and her long skirt outlined her attractive curves. Her skin was white like snow, giving one a faint sense of coolness. Her facial features were delicate and her overall looks were breathtaking. On her side, a man suddenly said to her, "Second Mistress, Li Luo is the one with grayish-white hair, standing behind the one with the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried." This man was familiarit was Mu Yao, the one who had been utterly thrashed by Li Luo back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. His background was exceptional, with his grandfather being one of the Grand Elders of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continents Golden Dragon Bank. The girl''s eyes lit up when she heard this. She looked over at Li Luo, and an inexplicable smile appeared at the corners of her lips. "Oh? So thats Li Luo, the guy that my sister misses so much?" Chapter 1270: Information from Golden Dragon Mountain Chapter 1270: Information from Golden Dragon Mountain "Yes, Second Mistress. He is Li Luo." Mu Yao''s gaze was affixed on Li Luo with hidden hostility. Back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, he had lost to Li Luo and was unable to complete his mission. His actions had also left him on the wrong side of Lu Qing''er as he had offended her without obtaining any benefits. It caused quite a bit of commotion back in the headquarters of the Golden Dragon Bank, causing inconveniences for his grandfather. Fortunately, they were able to join another internal faction in Golden Dragon Mountain. This allowed them to retain their power and his grandfather wasn''t transferred away. However, it still had a significant impact on their lineage. "He''s quite handsome; it''s no wonder my sister misses him so much." The girl with snow-white skin chuckled. "From our latest intelligence report, Li Luo is already at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier and his Heavenly Resonance Diagram is over 80,000 feet. He has triple resonant palaces and six resonances, namely the waterlight resonance, the woodearth resonance, and a Thunder Dragon resonance. His waterlight resonance has reached the ninth-grade, the woodearth resonance is at the eighth-grade, and his Thunder Dragon resonance is at the seventh-grade. However, he possesses a special ability to temporarily raise his Thunder Dragon resonance to the ninth-grade for a short period of time. My guess is that this is due to the True Dragon Pill from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li," Mu Yao reported quickly. "It seems like you''re also very interested in him," the girl teased playfully. Mu Yao remained silent. He had truly suffered in the hands of Li Luo back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, so it was only natural for him to harbor some hatred. However, Li Luos cultivation progress was simply shocking. Mu Yao was stronger when they first met, but he lost in the end due to external aid. Now they were both at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, but the foundation of his Heavenly Resonance Diagram was far weaker than Li Luo''s. In fact, it seemed that Li Luo had defeated an upper first-grade Duke of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians with just his Greater Heavenly Resonance strength. Such a battle achievement was definitely leagues ahead of his peers. "It must have been Eldest Sister that ordered you to obstruct my sister, is that right?" the girl suddenly asked. Mu Yao gave her an embarrassed smile. He did not dare to say too much in front of her. The main factions in Golden Dragon Mountain were known as the three families and seven peaks. They formed the core powers of the Golden Dragon Bank. The three families were, respectively, the Lu, Zhang, and Qian families. This appeared cliche, but these families formed the foundation of the Golden Dragon Bank to move around the ten Great Divine Continents without obstruction. Lu Qing''er and Lu Shuanglu, the girl in front of him now, belonged to the Lu family. They were the ones who held the bulk of the power in Golden Dragon Mountain at the moment. Their influence was the greatest. As for Mu Yao''s grandfather, he was supported by the family behind this so-called Eldest Sister. Zhang Cuicheng was one of the top elites from the Zhang family in Golden Dragon Mountain. He was already a second-grade Duke at a young age and had constructed two nine-pillar Duke Bergfrieds. His battle strength was extraordinary and he had even defeated a third-grade Duke with his second-grade Duke strength. It was said that the Zhang family valued him greatly and was trying to help him forge a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried when he entered the Third Duke Stage! Zhang Cuicheng was at the World End''s River Region at the moment as well, he was just not at the Golden Stone Valley. "If he knew that Li Luo was here, he''d surely regret not coming," Lu Shuanglu said with a laugh. Mu Yao''s heart wavered. He couldn''t help but ask, "Does Master Zhang Cuicheng like Miss Qing''er?" Lu Shuanglu replied with glee, "Yes, he fell in love with her after meeting her a few times. He even asked his elders to visit our peak for a marriage proposal. Unfortunately, he was rejected by Sister Qing''er directly. He was unwilling to accept it and started investigating why. That''s how he found out about Li Luo." After hearing this, Mu Yao seemed to understand something, so he asked, "In that case, the reason why you and Master Zhang Cuicheng had come to the World End''s River Region is to..." Lu Shuanglu nodded slightly. "He wants to see what Li Luo is capable of. Tsk, the competition between men is incomprehensible sometimes." "Li Luo is only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. There is a huge gap between him and Master Zhang Cuicheng. After all, there''s a few years of difference in their cultivation journeys," Mu Yao said. "Who cares?" Lu Shuanglu shrugged nonchalantly. As they continued to talk about the secrets of Golden Dragon Mountain, the confrontation between the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao was growing fiercer in the sky. Enormous amounts of energy filled the area as the heavens and earth trembled. However, just when the atmosphere couldn''t get any more tense, more people suddenly flew across the sky towards the scene of the confrontation. Duke Bergfrieds began to appear one after another, and a helpless and aged voice echoed out in the sky. "Everyone, the Golden Stone Valley has its own rules. Since you''re here, please respect them. Rogue cultivators like us do not dare to fight with the Heavenly Emperor lineages. However, we have a temper as well. If you''re going to destroy our ricebowl, we have no choice but to fight back." As the voice resounded in the sky, a resonant power that was not any weaker than Li Jinpan''s and Zhao Jiao''s surged up. It directly tore the tense atmosphere apart. Chapter 1271: Golden Stone Alliances Guanhu Chapter 1271: Golden Stone Alliance''s Guanhu The sudden appearance of a third party broke the tense atmosphere in the sky above the Golden Stone Valley. Li Jinpan and Zhao Jiao turned their heads towards the numerous people floating in the distant sky. An elderly man in yellow robes stood in front of the group as their leader. He appeared skinny and short, but a huge bow that struck fear into all who saw it hung on his back. It emanated golden energy that shook the air around it, sending chills up one''s spine. Seven Duke Bergfrieds materialized above his head, continuously devouring worldly natural energy from the surroundings, and a terrifying pressure swept across the field. There was no doubt about itthis newcomer also had a formidable foundation of his own. His strength was on par with Li Jinpan and Zhao Jiao, both seventh-grade Dukes. "I was just wondering who had spoken up. So it turns out it was the Alliance Master of the Golden Stone Alliance, Guanhu," Zhao Jiao said nonchalantly. He squinted slightly as he looked over at the elderly man. The so-called Golden Stone Alliance was an alliance formed by the rogue cultivators in the Golden Stone Valley. Although they were largely disorganized, it was necessary that they teamed up to protect their own interests. Many strong Dukes were part of the alliance. Guanhu, the old man in front of them, was an upper seventh-grade Duke. He was considered one of the stronger and more reputable rogue cultivators in the World''s End River Region. T/his chapter is updated by Over the years, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had been trying to claim this high grade hunting ground for their own. However, the Golden Stone Alliance had thwarted their plans time and time again. Of course, the mighty Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao wasn''t afraid of Guanhu. He was simply an upper seventh-grade Duke, nothing worth mentioning in the eyes of a Heavenly Emperor power. However, the Golden Stone Alliance contained many unruly rogue cultivators, and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao did not want things to get too ugly. If these rogue cultivators became their enemies, it would bring a lot of unnecessary trouble for them. That said, over the last few years, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had been slowly encroaching over this territory. However, they did not push too hard for it either. The old man with the bow took a glance at Li Jinpan and Zhao Jiao. He cupped his fists together and greeted them respectfully. "Greetings. The tide will be rising soon in the Golden Stone Valley. We should avoid creating any unnecessary energy undulations at this moment in case we scare off the Golden Stone Spirit Clams. I believe everyone is here for the Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearls as well? If we frighten them, they will not dare to appear. This will affect our harvest. I''m sure you don''t want that to happen either, right?" Hearing this, the energy waves coming from Li Jinpan subsided. "Alliance Master Guanhu, the Golden Stone Valley hunting ground doesn''t belong to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, does it?" "The Golden Stone Valley does not belong to anyone," Guanhu replied. Li Jinpan revealed a smile. "Zhao Jiao has been barking at us like a wild dog guarding his food. For a moment, I thought the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had staked a claim over it." Zhao Jiao''s eyes darkened when he heard this. Truth be told, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao treated the Golden Stone Valley as their private hunting ground. They were simply doing it gradually and not using any extreme methods to chase out all the rogue cultivators. It was not announced explicitly in order to prevent further troubles with other rogue cultivators in the World''s End River Region from cropping up. However, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was now on the rise. It was truly unwise to challenge them at the moment. His topmost priority was also the harvest of the Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearls. With that in mind, the resonant power around him gradually subsided. The seven Duke Bergfrieds above his head turned back into beams of light and flew back into him. He landed from the sky, back atop the mountain where the others from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had gathered. The Divine Tiger Envoy Zhao Jiyun took another look at Jiang Qing''e. Then he grinned and ordered his men to retreat. The tense confrontation had finally been resolved with the intervention of Guanhu. Guanhu heaved out a sigh of relief in his heart as he watched the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao retreat. He turned over to Li Jinpan and cupped his hands together respectfully. "Hall Master Jinpan, the tide in the Golden Stone Valley should rise within half a month''s time. As this is your first time visiting, I''ll arrange for the relevant information to be sent over to you later." Li Jinpan accepted his kind intentions with a smile. Although he had an impulsive nature, he could see that this old man was trying to get the two Heavenly Emperor powers to engage in conflict with each other. It didn''t really matter though. If he could establish a foothold in the Golden Stone Valley, he could end up helping the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li gain yet another hunting ground in the future. Seeing this, Guanhu turned around and departed. Li Jinpan turned back in satisfaction. He walked over to Ox Biaobiao and Li Rouyun and said with a smile, "Those people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao really deserve a beating. If we try to talk to them nicely, they''ll only take advantage of us. We have to show them that we''re stronger and force them to back off." "It''s too bad we didn''t get to fight," Ox Biaobiao replied in agreement. He held onto the vicious-looking butchering knife by his waist, and his wrinkled face appeared really fierce. Li Rouyun shrugged helplessly at the side. Clearly, these two guys were not made of the stuff that would allow one to negotiate peacefully. They would resort to violence upon any hint of disagreement and fight to the death even if they couldn''t win. Nonetheless, everything had worked out. It seemed like an unyielding personality was most suitable here. She finally understood why the Lineage Chief had sent over the impulsive Li Jinpan rather than the amiable Li Qingpeng. Regardless, they had finally gotten themselves a spot in the Golden Stone Valley. Next, they would wait for the tide to rise and join the harvest. Chapter 1272: Lu Shuanglu Chapter 1272: Lu Shuanglu "The Golden Stone Valley is eight thousand miles long. However, the real goods lie in the area three thousand miles upstream. That is the area that produces high-grade Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearls, the ingredient needed for high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. Since we''ve already been here for five days, the tide will rise soon." The Dragon''s Fang Guardians had set up their encampment in a corner of the Golden Stone Valley. In one of their tents, Li Rouyun was explaining the information she knew to the others. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were present as well. "When the tide rises, the deep valley shows its true form. Water will flood over the rocks and lure the Golden Stone Spirit Clams out of hiding. Strictly speaking, the Golden Stone Spirit Clams aren''t really clams. They are magical objects transformed from the golden stone that exists here. They''re so resilient that even ordinary Dukes have trouble breaking them apart. As such, we''ll have to wait for them to open up their shells after they''ve revealed themselves. This will be our best chance to obtain the pearls." "It''s said that there is a king Golden Stone Spirit Clam. Known as the Golden Stone Spirit Clam King, the Sovereign Pearl from it is the perfect ingredient for refining top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. It is extremely valuable and also extremely rare. Usually, it''s very cautious and is hardly spotted. The number of people who have found one throughout the years can be easily counted with our fingers." "Golden Stone Spirit Clam King? Sovereign Pearl?" Li Luo''s heart skipped a beat when he heard about this. The higher grade the Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearl, the more it would help when he used it to evolve his dragon resonance into a Heavenly Dragon resonance. In that case, wouldn''t his success rate be much higher if he could get ahold of the Sovereign Pearl? Then he laughed at himself in a lighthearted way. Wasn''t he getting a little too greedy? The number of people who had found Sovereign Pearl could be counted with his fingers. What were the odds that he would come across it? Was he truly so blessed? If he could get himself a high-grade Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearl, the mission would be considered a success. "There''s one other important point. The water in the Golden Stone Valley is not ordinary water. It''s water from the World''s End River. Over the years, the World''s End Rivers water spills over into the World''s End River Region whenever the Stygian Rain of Calamity approaches. However, it does not simply evaporate into thin air once the calamity is over. Instead, it flows away into depths of the earth and pools into special locations, such as the Golden Stone Valley here. "Although the water is magical and full of energy, you should already know what it contains, right?" Li Rouyun asked with a light smile as she looked over at Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e and Xia Yu. "Corruption?" Li Luo asked. Back at the Falling Star Terrace, the World''s End River water that flowed down contained corruption. They had to purify it before they were able to obtain the greatly desired Star Pearls. Li Rouyun nodded before she continued in a serious tone, "The water in the Golden Stone Valley also contains corruption. Naturally, the Golden Stone Spirit Clams have accumulated a lot of it as they have absorbed the water for years. As such, some of them have... become Others. When you collect the Golden Pearls, you will have to stay alert. Sometimes, you will not find Golden Pearls in the Golden Stone Spirit Clams, but Others instead... Every year, when the tide rises and people gather here for the harvest, many fall prey to the Clam Others. When you set out to collect the pearls later, stay in groups of two hundred Guardians at least. Jiang Qing''e will lead three thousand while Xia Yu and Li Luo each take a thousand. As soon as you spot an Other or any other strong opponent, finish them off quickly and mercilessly." With two hundred Dragon''s Fang Guardians, they would be as strong as a lower first-grade Duke. This was the minimum strength required if one would like to harvest the pearls in the Golden Stone Valley. "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, the Golden Stone Alliance, and the rogue cultivators are all bloodthirsty individuals. They are definitely not kind souls, so please remain vigilant. This is all the information that the Golden Stone Alliance shared with us. You should prepare yourselves well, the tide should be rising in the coming few days." With that, the meeting came to a conclusion. Li Rouyun had shared all of the knowledge they had obtained over the past few days with the rest. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e left the tent together. As if they could read each other''s minds, they both ended up at the edge of the cliff instead of returning to their respective tents. They looked into the distance, at the deep valley that sputtered with golden glitter. From this distance, it looked like a giant, golden dragon that was lying motionless on the ground. They exchanged a few words before Jiang Qing''e sat down in the lotus position and continued with her daily cultivation. Meanwhile, Li Luo laughed playfully by her side. He lightly patted her long dress, as if he was trying to sweep the dust off, although there wasn''t any. As his hands brushed across, he could feel how well-built her leg muscles were. Jiang Qing''e did not hold back and told Li Luo off. "I need to continue with my cultivation." It was an intentional rebuke to chase him away. Li Luo acted as if he didn''t understand and replied passionately, "I will protect you here!" Jiang Qing''e looked at him helplessly. She was just planning to ignore him when her eyes turned cold. She suddenly looked towards the right. A little distance away, a beautiful lady with snow-white skin and a yellow dress appeared. The girl smirked and looked over at the two of them. "Who are you?" Li Luo had become more vigilant when he sensed the girl approaching. "This camp belongs to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. It''s best for you to keep your distance and avoid any trouble." Hearing his words, the girl couldn''t help but chuckle. "What a heartless fellow. My sister Qing''e helped you so much and even sealed herself away in ice for quite some time. Yet here you are, playing with the heart of yet another girl. It seems like the saying is truefew men are truly faithful." Chapter 1273: News of Lu Qinger Chapter 1273: News of Lu Qing''er Li Luo was shocked when he heard the playful words of the newcomer. Sister Qing''e? Is she referring to Lu Qing''er? Li Luo took another glance at the girls dress. As expected, the Golden Dragon Banks emblem was sewn onto it. "It seems you''re from the Golden Dragon Bank. Do you know Lu Qing''er?" The girl blinked and replied in a lighthearted voice, "What do you think?" Without a doubt, the girl in front of them was Lu Shuanglu. Li Luo frowned at her reply. He couldn''t figure out her relationship with Lu Qing''er. However, Jiang Qing''e wasn''t so friendly. Her cold gaze locked onto her. With a single thought in her mind, brilliant light resonant power burst out of her body and a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried materialized above. The worldly natural energy in the surroundings came into contact with the light resonant power and was purified instantly. Then unrivaled Divine Mist poured out of the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried like an endless stream. It gushed directly towards Lu Shuanglu. "What a domineering genius." Lu Shuanglu raised her eyebrows when she saw Jiang Qing''e lashing out without a single word. She lifted her jade-like hand, and ice-cold energy gathered. Her palm was like a piece of icy jade at that moment. She pushed out her palm, and chilly energy blasted outwards. In a blink, the ground froze up and even snowflakes started condensing around them. The two energies clashed, sending heart-palpitating shockwaves across the field. Fortunately, the ground that they were standing on was formed by the golden stones that were the namesake of this location and was extremely tough. Only a few cracks appeared as a result of the clash. At the same moment, frozen, crystalline runes appeared on Lu Shuanglu''s snow-like skin. The runes completely froze the incoming light resonant power upon contact. She giggled and asked, "Is this how the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li treats their guests?" "It''s still unclear if you''re supposed to be a guest," Li Luo replied. Back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, it was an internal faction of the Golden Dragon Bank who had taken the initiative to attack Lu Qing''er. As such, he did not let his guard down just because the other party knew her. Lu Shuanglu shook her head. "Don''t you want to know how Lu Qing''er is doing now? She''s gotten herself sealed up in ice all because of you." Then she looked over at Jiang Qing''e in mischief. "Or is it because you don''t want your fiancee to hear about it? In that case, should I come back and look for him tonight?" Li Luo couldn''t help but grit his teeth as he listened to these provocative words. "Is she talking about Lu Qing''er?" Jiang Qing''e asked. Li Luo nodded, then he explained what had occurred in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. "So she''s the Young Mistress of Golden Dragon Mountain''s Lu family." Jiang Qing''e was surprised to learn this. Golden Dragon Mountain was one of the mightiest Heavenly Emperor powers in the world. Its foundation was even stronger than that of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Back in the Astral Sage College, Lu Qing''er had openly questioned the legitimacy of their engagement in front of Jiang Qing''e. As such, Jiang Qing''e knew in her heart that Lu Shuanglu was not lying. Lu Qing''er had fallen for Li Luo right from the start. Jiang Qing''e looked at the naive and handsome fellow in front of her as a pang of frustration welled up in her heart. Why did this brat end up with such good looks? However, she did not say anything to Li Luo and kept things in her heart. She did not tell him about how Lu Qing''er had courageously stood up and confronted her in the past. After all, it did not concern him. Li Luo took a step forward when he saw her deep in thought. He stretched out his hand and wrapped it around Jiang Qing''es slender waist. He told her with a smile, "Sister Qing''e, don''t worry. I will never forget that I''m engaged to you. The only thing that I''m looking forward to right now is for Father and Mother to return. Then we can have our wedding." A pale, red blush appeared on her white cheeks when she heard those sudden words. She had been wishing for that day to come as well. Then the sound of rushing wind could be heard coming from the distance. Jiang Qing''e got her emotions under control and gave Li Luo a stare, smacking his arm away from her waist. It seemed like she wouldn''t be able to continue cultivating today. It was time to return and to rest. She walked off with long strides, back to the camp. Li Luo hurriedly followed. Then a sentence came from Jiang Qing''e that caused him to feel immensely aggrieved. "You''re not allowed into the tent tonight." This girl was really hard to please. ...... The Golden Stone Valley gradually got more crowded in the coming days. More squads from the various powers, as well as rogue cultivators, had gathered for a share of the harvest. Despite there being more people, the area had gotten quieter. No one started any fights in the meantime. This was because the energy shockwaves from a fight would scare off the Golden Stone Spirit Clams. As everyone awaited in anticipation, the time they had been looking forward to came on the seventh day. Everyone could hear the sounds of gushing water emerging from the depths of the valley. It was so incredibly loud that the sound could be heard thousands of miles away. Li Luo''s eyes were wide, full of anticipation. The time had come. Chapter 1274: Rising Tide Chapter 1274: Rising Tide Boom! The sound of rushing water smashing against the rocks could be heard coming from the depths of the Golden Stone Valley. The surroundings trembled violently and worldly natural energy surged into the skies. Numerous people began to appear on both sides of the valley. Their eyes were full of greed and avarice as they stared down into the depths. The Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearls were a very valuable item in the World''s End River Region. Most importantly, this hunting ground didn''t belong to any of the major powers officially, so everyone had a chance to compete for it. Li Jinpan, Ox Biaobiao, and Li Rouyun appeared with the Guardian Army on one of the mountain peaks that flanked the valley. They led the group at the front, with the younger ones like Jiang Qing''e, Li Luo, Xia Yu, and Li Hongyou behind. Five thousand fully equipped Guardians stood behind them, ready to act on command. It was a truly grand sight. Li Luo looked deep into the valley. Numerous golden lights were spotted, which then transformed into roaring waves of water. The stream flowed quickly with a faint golden luster, as if gold had been melted and infused into it. More golden water flooded out until more than half of the valley was filled up. One could no longer see the ground. Along the two sides of the valley were countless golden boulders, all lined up. As a result of being soaked in the golden water for a long period of time, they had gotten stronger and more durable. Now they could even withstand the attacks of a Duke. It was one of the magical sights found in this region. It was then when Li Luo sensed some movement coming from the inside of the boulders. It was as if something was trying to make its way out. As time passed by, the movements became more obvious. Suddenly, a loud cry of surprise could be heard. A Golden Clam that was a few feet long slowly emerged from the inside of a golden boulder. When it came out, its shell opened up a little and it began to greedily suck in the golden water. The Golden Clam appeared to be completely fused with the golden boulder itself. If one wasn''t paying close attention, it would have easily gone undetected. As the clam took in more of the golden water, its shell began to open up wider. Golden Clam flesh could be spotted inside it, and if one looked carefully, they could spot a mysterious light shining from its core. Li Luo''s heart skipped a beat upon this sight, and his eyes lit up immediately. This was a Golden Stone Spirit Clam, the reason why he had come to Golden Stone Valley. In the center of its flesh, that dazzling spiritual light had to be the so-called Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearl! Many others on both sides of the valley had been waiting for this moment impatiently. In the blink of an eye, enormous amounts of resonant power surged up and several figures dashed down into the valley. Splash! Splash! The sounds of splashing water resounded in the valley repeatedly. Countless individuals dove into Golden Stone Valley like a school of fish, all attempting to obtain treasures from the Golden Stone Spirit Clams. Li Rouyun turned and told Jiang Qing''e, Li Luo, and Xia Yu, "You should set out too. Go in teams of two hundred and keep a distance from each other, just like how we discussed earlier. Ensure that you''ll be able to reinforce each other if an enemy strikes." "The three of us will stand guard over here. We will isolate this area, and if any strong True Devils appear, we will rush to your aid immediately," Li Jinpan added. Li Luo was a little disappointed with his first harvest, but he kept the middle-grade Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearl. At the same time, the Golden Stone Spirit Clam he had just attacked was startled. It dove straight back into the golden boulder and there was no sign of it ever again. He did not care about this and continued his search. The valley was extremely lively as people swam about from point to point. Some of the rogue cultivators had even gotten into fights for the pearls. Fighting had halted in the vicinity earlier because the tide hadn''t arrived. Now that things had started, they did not need to worry about causing disturbances with their energy waves anymore. When more Spirit Clams appeared, some unlucky people found themselves opening up clams with hidden Others. These Others were of varying strength, and every time one appeared, it would cause quite a bit of commotion. Casualties began to rise as the golden water continued to flood into the valley. However, no one retreated because of this. This was just another common sight in this particular region. Before they noticed, two hours had passed. Li Luo had gotten a total of five Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearls during this time. His hard work had finally paid off and he managed to find one high-grade pearl with one hundred and fifty feet of brilliant light. However, this did not mean that the high-grade pearl belonged to him yet. If he wanted it for himself, he would have to buy it in the end using his contributions during this mission. Strictly speaking, Li Luo hadn''t earned it with his strength alone. It was thanks to the combined strength of all the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Li Luo put the high-grade pearl away carefully. Just as he was about to set off again, he sensed an extremely strong energy wave nearby. He looked over and was shocked. "Senior Hongyou?" Li Hongyou was leading two hundred Guardians not too far away. In front of her were three True Devil Others that resembled humans. However, there was no hair on their bodies and their brains could be clearly seen on the tops of their heads. From a distance, they were like three humans with a giant spiritual pearl on each of their heads. Their brains wriggled in an unsettling fashion and their facial features twisted strangely as they approached. They had surrounded Li Hongyou. Li Luo was taken aback by this. He had not seen a single True Devil yet, so how had three appeared in front of Li Hongyou all of a sudden? However, his hands did not slow down because he was surprised. He dashed forward like a fish swimming across the water. "Senior Hongyou, I''ll help you out!" Along with his voice, a flash of sharp blade energy zipped across the water, directly heading towards the True Devil Others. Chapter 1275: The Marvelous Li Hongyou Chapter 1275: The Marvelous Li Hongyou The three True Devil Others that had surrounded Li Hongyou had the strength of first-grade Dukes. However, it wouldnt be easy for Li Hongyou to deal with them, as she only had the aid of two hundred Guardians. She had a lower ninth-grade resonance, but her Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance was supportive in natureit wasn''t very effective in actual fights. As such, she was at a loss when the three True Devil Others ambushed her. Nonetheless, having been one of the top students back in the Heavenly Star Hall of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, keeping the situation under control wasn''t a problem, despite not being skilled in offense. She did not panic, as they were still in the area under the control of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. As long as she could drag things out, someone would come to her aid for sure. In fact, her aid had come sooner than she had expected. Bang! As fast as a bolt of lightning, domineering blade energy shrouded with dual resonance power flew across the golden water and struck the exposed cranium of one of the True Devil Others. A crack appeared on its head immediately. However, what happened next was almost unnerving. A pale palm extended out of the brain and grasped at the two halves, pulling them together. With that, the gap that was cut open by the energy was forcefully sealed up. Nonetheless, the offensive assault launched by the three True Devil Others had been affected. They looked up with their white eyes, and a figure wielding a blade zipped across the water towards them. It was none other than Li Luo. Li Luo looked at the Others calmly and hacked downwards. The void in front of him split open immediately, and a black dragon charged out. It rode atop a pitch-black stream of water, diving through the golden water, and directly clashed with one of the True Devil Others. The Underworld River''s Black Dragon Banner! The black dragon let out a low roar. At the next moment, both the dragon and the black water dissipated after a single strike. The True Devil Other had disintegrated as well in the resulting explosion. With just a single strike, Li Luo had finished off one of the first-grade Duke True Devil Others. It was clear his offensive might was in an entirely different realm when compared to Li Hongyou''s. Li Hongyou''s face relaxed when she saw Li Luo coming to her aid. She moved back swiftly and formed hand seals with her slender, jade hands. At the next moment, a golden talisman surrounded by crimson light condensed in the air and was fused into Li Luo''s body. The pulses of resonant power coming from Li Luo''s body strengthened significantly. Li Luo grinned. He then burst forward once again and swung his sharp sword across the golden water, leaving behind a trail of sparkling waves. This environment greatly bolstered his water resonance The other two True Devil Others let out sharp cries and charged directly towards Li Luo. Bang! The battle concluded faster than they had expected. The two True Devil Others were not much of a threat to Li Luo, who had the aid of two hundred Guardians as well as Li Hongyou right now. In just a few minutes, the waves in the surrounding area calmed down. The two True Devil Others let out pitiful shrieks just before they were completely vanquished. Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief, still holding onto his Dragon Elephant Blade. Li Hongyou leaned over and whispered to him, "Thank you, Li Luo." Li Luo shook his head. He then asked in surprise, "Senior Hongyou, how did you encounter so many True Devil Others?" Li Luo had been hunting for half a day, and none of the Golden Stone Spirit Clams that he had come across contained Others. It must have been exceptionally unfortunate for Li Hongyou to meet three of them like this. "Maybe it''s because I''ve also encountered quite a lot more clams," Li Hongyou explained. This left Li Luo in surprise. "How many pearls have you collected?" Clearly, they were a bit confused by the summon. Now was the best time to search for the Golden Stone Spirit Clams, and calling them here would delay their search efforts. Nonetheless, Li Luo had established his reputation in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, so they had moved as soon as they received the order. "Everyone, if you trust me, please get into formation and support me. I believe the final harvest will not disappoint you all," Li Luo declared. The other members took a look at each other. Then they quickly scanned their surroundings and realized there were not many traces of the Golden Stone Spirit Clams. However, since Li Luo had spoken, they would obey. "We acknowledge your command!" With that, the thousand Guardians got into formation. Resonant power surged up and flooded the area. Then Li Luo grabbed onto his Grand Commander plaque, and the enormous energy in the area poured into his body. An extremely terrifying amount of energy then surrounded his body. Li Luo could tell from the energy undulations that he had reached the threshold of an upper third-grade Duke. This gave him more confidence in his plan. He turned towards Li Hongyou and told her, "Senior Hongyou, let''s begin." Li Hongyou nodded and sat down in the lotus position in the middle of the golden water. Then she bit her own finger, causing fresh blood to ooze out. She then activated her resonant power, and her fresh blood was invigorated and a fragrant scent was unleashed. Li Luo could sense that the scent was spreading in every direction, into every nook and cranny. He was a little nervous as he looked around the crevices and pits in the area. Whether they would reap a bountiful return would be all up to how enticing Li Hongyou''s Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance was to the Golden Stone Spirit Clams. At this moment, the other members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians were also looking around the surroundings with a hint of doubt in their minds. They knew what Li Luo was trying to do. However, would this really work? The Golden Stone Spirit Clams were well known for being cautious creatures. At the slightest hint of trouble, they would hide deeply in the golden boulders and refuse to come out again. That said, their doubts were quickly addressed. Suddenly, movement could be seen in the water. Li Luo''s gaze shifted over as quickly as lightning. His heart started beating quickly. Some Spirit Clams were slowly making their way out of a golden boulder not too far away. Spirit Clam after Spirit Clam could be seen emerging from it. They were craving a taste of the golden water in the area, which had been mixed with Li Hongyou''s blood. On first look, there were more than ten Spirit Clams already! And more were coming out! The eyes of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians widened as well. Had they discovered a nest of Golden Stone Spirit Clams? However, their surprise quickly turned into joy. With so many Spirit Clams coming out of the boulder, how many Spirit Pearls were they going to harvest in one swoop? As the saying goes, if you follow Grand Commander Li Luo, things will never be slow. Chapter 1276: Spirit Clam King Chapter 1276: Spirit Clam King The Golden Stone Spirit Clams came out of the golden boulders like bamboo sprouts emerging after the rain. They reached out greedily towards the water mixed with Li Hongyou''s blood. Gradually, their shells opened up. A dazzling spiritual light could be seen emanating from the core of their flesh. Li Luo was extremely satisfied with this sight. Without any further hesitation, he began to reap the harvest. He waved his sleeves, and the energy around him transformed into a rope. The rope flew across the water as quick as lightning, reaching into the deepest depths of the mouths of the clams before wrapping around the area where the spiritual light emitted from. With a tug, the energy rope wrenched backwards. In the blink of an eye, the surroundings were suddenly filled with rays of brilliant light zooming over. Dozens of pearls flew towards Li Luo''s location like a flock of birds returning to their nests. Li Luo put the Spirit Pearls away immediately. He could tell from the first glance that there were quite a few high-grade Spirit Pearls that had brilliant light that stretched over a hundred feet. His heart pounded excitedly. His excitement was interrupted by a sharp and strange cry. Li Luo''s eyes turned serious. He suddenly saw a pitch black substance leaking out from inside a few of the Spirit Clams. Then a number of figures with snow-white skin emerged from the clam meat. The figures looked terrifying and had multiple arms that were extremely long. At the same time, an immense amount of corruption spilled out of their bodies. Sssssh! Their bodies twisted and they let out sharp cries. At the next moment, they closed the distance in a flash, appearing in front of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Weng! The twang of a released bowstring echoed in the surroundings. A series of condensed energy arrows arced across the heavy valley water and struck the Others firmly. Li Luo tightly grasped the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow. Its bowstring continued to vibrate violently from the barrage of shots he had just taken. With the thousand Guardians backing him, he had reached the level of an upper third-grade Duke. Even though some True Devil Others were amongst the clams that had just emerged, they were a piece of cake to handle. On his side, Li Hongyou had also seen the Golden Stone Spirit Clams continuing to appear without end. She knew that Li Luo''s conjecture was righther blood, which gave off the alluring scent of her resonance when combined with the golden water, was an extremely attractive snack for the Golden Stone Spirit Clams. She took in a deep breath and bit the tip of her tongue. Then she spat out more fresh blood and formed hand seals to fill it with her resonant power. The previous attempt was just a warmup, and she now planned to release her resonant power infused blood essence to the limit. Almost immediately, the golden water in their surroundings began to turn pink. An unusual fragrance filled the area. Li Luo seized this opportunity and continued to harvest quickly. The Spirit Clams continued to emerge from the golden boulders in tides, and Spirit Pearls were basically being pocketed by him continuously. In this short period of time, his harvest was many times more than what he had gotten from the hours of hard work earlier. Of course, there was no shortfall of Others coming out of the clams. There was even a third-grade True Devil, which proved to be quite a bit of trouble even for Li Luo. It significantly slowed down his speed of harvesting. Li Luo had no choice but to pause the gathering and focus on bringing it down. It was a chaotic fight, and it caused quite a bit of a commotion. Naturally, this caught the attention of others. Li Luo frowned and sent out a message immediately for reinforcements before picking up speed. The Spirit Pearls shining with brilliant light continued to fly across the water like a meteor shower. An hour passed by like this. Suddenly, a wave of resonant power could be felt coming from outside of this region. It was the other elites, who had been drawn over by the scintillating, bright light in the area. After all, his methods for gathering these treasures had broken the balance within the valley. He had to make full use of his time to collect as many pearls as he could. With that in mind, Li Luo focused his attention on the task at hand, no longer being on guard against anyone in the surroundings. His resonant power surged out of him and, like tentacles, spread in every direction, pocketing Spirit Pearls at an astonishing speed. The brilliant light that came from the large amount of pearls being gathered caused the area to shine incessantly. With that, even more people were attracted to this sight. Their hearts were overflowing with greed as they stared at the brilliant light emitting from the region. However, the pressure from Jiang Qing''e was simply too domineering. None of them dared to approach recklessly. Before long, this location became one of the most lively regions in the valley as more and more people gathered. They all coveted the pearls that this group was easily picking up like taking candy from a baby. With so many people here, even Jiang Qing''e was beginning to feel the pressure. Li Luo knew that it was time to stop soon. He glanced over at Li Hongyou and gave her the signal. Li Hongyou nodded. She restrained her resonant power as she knew it was time to reel in the bait. Bang! At the same moment that Li Hongyou restrained her resonant power, a large commotion suddenly came from the depths of a crack. In a flash, a golden tentacle burst forward, trying to grab onto her. This attack had caught them off guard. Besides, the amount of energy the golden tentacle released was enough to rival that of a fifth-grade Duke! Li Hongyou could only watch with wide eyes as the golden tentacle reached out towards her. Whoosh! When it was just about to come into contact with Li Hongyou, a nail of light suddenly pierced through the water and struck the tentacle heavily. Berserk energy waves swept across the area, and Li Hongyou was sent flying away from the shockwaves, spitting out a small mouthful of blood from the impact. Li Luo quickly dashed over and grabbed her. His face changed a little as he looked over at the crack. Slowly, the crevice enlarged further, and a Spirit Clam that was thousands of feet tall emerged from it. The golden tentacle had come from the inside of that clam. "What an enormous Golden Stone Spirit Clam!" Li Luo exclaimed in surprise. Wait, no! Li Luo suddenly shuddered. All the hair on his body stood up at this moment, and he stared at the giant clam passionately. This was no ordinary Golden Stone Spirit Clam! It was the legendary Golden Stone Spirit Clam King! Li Luo swallowed his saliva. He knew that he had struck the jackpot. Chapter 1277: Sovereign Pearl Chapter 1277: Sovereign Pearl A giant clam that looked like it was made of gold emerged from the crack on the wall. It had a golden horn protruding from its inside, stirring up huge waves filled with terrifying power. The surrounding water had become turbulent with the appearance of the giant clam. At the same time, the people that had been watching from the sides had noticed the giant clam too. They were completely taken aback for a moment, their eyes full of disbelief. "Is that... is that a Golden Stone Spirit Clam King?!" someone cried out from a corner, and his words echoed. Bang! Everyone was shocked, but the atmosphere in the region suddenly became much more lively. Was this truly the legendary Golden Stone Spirit Clam King, the one that was only ever mentioned in stories?! The tide would rise in Golden Stone Valley every year, but the number of times that the Golden Stone Spirit Clam King had been seen could be only counted with one''s fingers. None of them had imagined that they would see it with their own eyes! That said, their surprise was soon replaced with greed. The Golden Stone Spirit Clam King contained a Sovereign Pearl. That was one of the core ingredients for refining a top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure. It was extremely valuable, something that one wouldn''t be able to trade for even with high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. In the World''s End River Region Golden Dragon Bank branch, the Sovereign Pearl was commonly one of the top five most desired rare spirit materials. There were many bidders but hardly any sellers for it. One would appear occasionally, and many mighty upper-grade Dukes with immense foundations would fight over it. In fact, the object had caused wars to break out amongst Dukes quite a number of times. "Golden Stone Spirit Clam King!" The water moved apart, and a large group of people made their entrance. Zhao Jiyun from the Divine Tiger Guardians was leading them. He had been watching Li Luo''s harvesting since earlier, and the efficiency was really out of this world. That idea of pilfering the area from these juniors was very tempting. Who would have expected that the even more precious Golden Stone Spirit Clam King would make its appearance? "It''s because of that girl! Her resonance seems to be some kind of heavenly treasure!" Zhao Jiyun noticed Li Hongyou straight away. He knew that she was the source of the unusual fragrance and that it was the bait that had lured out so many Golden Stone Spirit Clams. The girl was simply a treasure. He didn''t know how Li Luo had gotten his hands on her. However, that wasn''t important right now. The Sovereign Pearl had appeared before them and he had to get his hands on it. Such an achievement would earn him the recognition to stand far above all the others in the Ten Thousand Beast Guardians. Zhao Jiyun summoned up his resonant power with that thought in mind. With three thousand Guardians supporting him, his strength had reached that of a lower fifth-grade Duke. Waves of energy swept up, and a gigantic hand materialized out of energy. It reached across the water and directly sought to capture the Golden Stone Spirit Clam King. Everyone looked up and saw three people entering the water. It was Li Jinpan, Ox Biaobiao, and Li Rouyun! "Who dares to steal from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?!" Li Jinpan shouted angrily. Ox Biaobiao took out his butchering knife, and his murderous intent swept across the field. Both of them were upper-grade Dukes and their strength was indisputable. Many of the Dukes felt the pressure and did not dare to move a single muscle. "Haha, Li Jinpan. I thought you said earlier that the Golden Stone Valley is a hunting ground with no owner. When did the Spirit Clam King become a belonging of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?" The pressure from Li Jinpan and Ox Biaobiao only lasted a short while before another voice sounded out in response. Following this, another wave of pressure descended to push back against them. Zhao Jiao from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had also shown up. He took a glance at the giant Spirit Clam below, and greed surged up in his eyes. He had been stuck at the Seventh Duke Stage for many years. It seemed like his potential was at its limit. If he wanted to break through, he would need to rely on a Foundational Spirit Treasure. However, ordinary Foundational Spirit Treasures would not sufficehe would need a top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure to stand a chance. The Sovereign Pearl in front of him was the opportunity he had so desired! Soon after, the Golden Stone Alliance led by Guanhu also arrived. They all had their eyes set on the Spirit Clam King. As rogue cultivators, the Sovereign Pearl was even more valuable to them. "Hey, the Spirit Clam King was lured out by our people. Of course it belongs to us!" Li Jinpan replied coldly. His face turned dark. "What a joke. Since when was there such a rule in the Golden Stone Valley? Whoever lures it out will have the right to get it?" Zhao Jiao replied mockingly. Ox Biaobiao took a glance at Zhao Jiao with murderous intent. In the next instant, he suddenly charged towards the Golden Stone Spirit Clam King. With such a chaotic situation, it would be best for him to get ahold of the Sovereign Pearl first. "Don''t you dare!" Ox Biaobiao''s action had caught the attention of other upper-grade Dukes like Zhao Jiao and Guanhu. Their resonant power exploded out with so much force that even the heavy, golden water was blown apart. Without any further hesitation, they launched their own attacks to interfere with Ox Biaobiao. At the same time, they flew forward in a flash. Everyone had the same thought in their mind. No matter what, they had to get their hands on the Sovereign Pearl first! Seeing this, Li Jinpan and Li Rouyun did not sit back idlythey went to Ox Biaobiao''s aid immediately. Suddenly, it seemed like a major battle between Dukes was about to break out. It was all thanks to the appearance of the Spirit Clam King. Chapter 1278: Eighth-grade True Devil Chapter 1278: Eighth-grade True Devil A chaotic fight erupted in the middle of the Golden Stone Valley. Elite fighters from various powers had gathered. Fearsome waves of resonant power pulsated out of them and blew the heavy golden water aside, as if an air bubble had formed in this region. Whether it was Li Jinpan and Ox Biaobiao from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, Zhao Jiao from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, or Guanhu from the Golden Stone Alliance, their eyes were all locked onto the Golden Stone Spirit Clam King. They had sealed up all the escape routes for the Spirit Clam King. At the same time, they continued firing attacks at each other, trying to prevent them from acquiring the Spirit Clam King. Towering Duke Bergfrieds rose up one after another. The others watched in silence from the side. No one dared to step any closer, as this had turned into a battlefield for upper-grade Dukes. The aura emanating from the Duke Bergfrieds felt so monstrous that anyone below the Fourth Duke Stage would be crippled immediately if they got caught up in the aftershocks. At this point, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had also stopped their attacks. They could only watch on as these elite fighters brawled it out among themselves. "Senior Hongyou, I''ve really underestimated how attractive you are..." Li Luo said humbly. If he knew Li Hongyou would have been so alluring to the Spirit Clams, he would have found a spot that was sequestered away and carried out this plan in secret. Li Hongyou''s cold face revealed a smile when she heard this. "I''ll take that as a compliment." Jiang Qing''e understood where Li Luo was coming from. She told him, "The commotion caused by the appearance of the Spirit Clam King is too great to go unnoticed. There are also too many eyes watching every inch of this valley. No matter where you hide, this was bound to happen at some point. Luckily, it seems like we still stand a chance to obtain it." The situation had devolved into utter chaos. With two upper-grade Dukes, Li Jinpan and Ox Biaobiao, they stood a fair chance at acquiring the Spirit Clam King. Li Luo nodded in agreement. He could only pin all his hopes on the two of them right now. After all, the Sovereign Pearl was very important to him. It could very well be the crucial factor in whether he could evolve his Thunder Dragon resonance into a Heavenly Dragon resonance successfully. As they talked, the resonant power shockwaves were becoming more intense. The Spirit Clam King was starting to feel uneasy from the strikes of the upper-grade Dukes as well. It waved its golden tentacle and turned it into thousands of streams of brilliant, golden light, neutralizing the endless attacks flying at it from across the battlefield. However, this Spirit Clam King was only at the level of a fifth-grade Duke. It began to lose out in this clash and its golden tentacle shattered into pieces. Ultimately, it was absolutely frightened and attempted to escape. It summoned up yet another golden tentacle and punched fiercely towards the wall of the Golden Stone Valley. This wall was now covered by the resonant power of the upper-grade Dukes. If it wanted to fuse back into the wall and sneak away, it would need to break this layer of resonant power apart first. However, the upper-grade Dukes from the different sides had closed in on it by now. Zhao Jiao took the lead and stared at the gigantic Spirit Clam King greedily. He bent two of his fingers and flicked out forcefully. Golden Thunder Finger! Argh! Zhao Jiao let out a shrill cry. The seven Duke Bergfrieds above his head roared into life and immense resonant power burst out. He tried to pull his wrist away, but it was anchored there like a rock thrown into the deep sea. The terrifying corruption continued to spread. Seeing this, a vicious light flashed across Zhao Jiao''s eyes, then he hacked down and amputated his arm. He didn''t have time to staunch the bleeding, so he retreated in a pathetic state. This sudden development brought the battlefield to a standstill for a moment. Everyone looked at the Spirit Clam King in shock. In the center of its flesh, an ink-black color began to spread out. Soon, its flesh was fully dyed black. A small mouth filled with sharp fangs opened up in the clam''s flesh. The mouth began to move, chewing on Zhao Jiao''s severed arm before swallowing it up. Everyone felt a chill run down their spine as they watched the gruesome scene. Ox Biaobiao broke out in cold sweat. Clearly, an Other had been born in the Spirit Clam King. Moreover, it appeared to be extremely strong as well. It was fortunate that he had heeded Jiang Qing''e''s earlier warning. Otherwise, he would have ended up with the same fate as Zhao Jiao. Oddly enough, the sudden appearance of this Other seemed to have brought order onto the battlefield. Everyone watched warily, seeing how things would develop. Its flesh began to wriggle before everyone''s eyes. At the next moment, its flesh split apart and a figure slowly rose up. The figure resembled a girl wearing a tulle, with an extremely alluring figure and tempting curves. Although her skin was pale and cold, it gave it a unique sort of charm. Her facial expressions and laugh were so seductive that they were akin to the whisperings of the devil. Only the "hair" on her head was different from what one would expect from humans. It was instead a chain of beads, and each bead resembled the Spirit Pearls, except they were pitch-black. As the dark energy revolved within them, pained and twisted faces could be spotted on the surface of the beads. She shook her head lightly and the countless beads knocked against each other. However, the sound that came out was not a light clinking of beads knocking against each other, but an endless cacophony of frightful cries and agonized screams. The faces of Li Jinpan, Zhao Jiao, Guanhu, and the other Dukes turned solemn immediately. They could tell from the corruption emanating from this Other... That it was an eighth-grade True Devil! Chapter 1279: Retrieving the Pearl from the Clam Chapter 1279: Retrieving the Pearl from the Clam After the enchanting and strange girl came out of the Spirit Clam King''s flesh, the Spirit Clam King also turned into a source of corruption. Endless amounts of it poured out. Heehee. The tempting girl chuckled seductively. Some of those with weaker mental states were immediately dazed and started moving towards the Other. "Hmph!" Li Jinpan gave a thunderous snort, causing the water in the surroundings to shake. This snapped the lost souls out of their stupor, and they broke out in cold sweat before backing off in a hurry. Guanhu from the Golden Stone Alliance looked at the eighth-grade True Devil with solemnity before he said, "Everyone, let''s work together and bring down this eighth-grade True Devil. Everything else can be discussed later. If we let this creature run rampant, our casualties will be far worse." There was no eighth-grade Duke amongst the people present, so none of them would be able to hold this True Devil down on their own. Fortunately, they had the advantage in numbers, so it was possible to deal with it. Li Jinpan nodded at Guanhu''s suggestion. Zhao Jiao looked down at the severed stump of his arm with a gloomy expression. He regretted acting much too recklessly earlier. The Spirit Clam King had clearly been around for a very long time. Naturally, it was sure to have taken in a lot of the water, and so immense amounts of corruption had gathered within it. The possibility of an Other being born was thus expectedly high. Sadly, he had been blinded by his greed for the Sovereign Pearl and lost his rationality for a moment. As a result, the price he paid was an arm. Although he would probably be able to regrow his arm with spiritual medicines, it would ultimately have a lingering effect on him. "Let''s work together to slaughter it!" Zhao Jiao said with a deep voice full of fury. The Dukes that had just been fighting amongst themselves had joined hands under the pressure of a mightier external enemy. The sixth-grade and seventh-grade Dukes stepped forward. This time, they were all focused on a singular opponent: the True Devil Other. Right before Zhao Jiao attacked, he glanced over at Zhao Jiyun for a second. The latter understood his intention and nodded secretly. Bang! All the Dukes attacked together right after. Towering Duke Bergfrieds appeared in the air one after another, and immense amounts of resonant power surged up as all sorts of arts flew towards the eighth-grade True Devil continuously. Streams of Duke Divine Mist flooded over, also attempting to overwhelm the eighth-grade True Devil. However, the eighth-grade True Devil simply revealed a smile in the face of these attacks. Countless black beams shot out from the black beads chained behind its head. Each black beam was made of condensed corruption. As soon as they came into contact with the Duke Divine Mist, the whole mist was dyed black. Then the corruption spread onto the Duke Bergfrieds like a plague. Fortunately, all the upper-grade Dukes were experienced. They dispelled their Divine Mist immediately and followed up with their formidable Duke Arts instead. Li Luo''s gaze flickered momentarily as he stared at the solidified corruption. "Things are in complete disorder. Perhaps if we are able to use corruption as a veil, it would serve as the perfect opportunity for us to obtain the treasure." "But the corruption in that area is simply too oppressive. Even Zhao Jiyun couldn''t handle it," Li Hongyou replied. "Using my light resonant power, I should be able to make my way and retrieve the pearl. However, that would exhaust most of my energy. Even if I were to return with the Sovereign Pearl, we wouldnt be able to guard it from others." Almost all the people here had their eyes on the Sovereign Pearl. If they went and grabbed it under their noses, the rest were bound to notice. A new complication would arise, and it was uncertain if Li Jinpan, Ox Biaobiao, and Li Rouyun would be able to handle it. Jiang Qing''e would be their main fighting force here. It would not be wise to exhaust her energy wantonly as a result. Li Luo pondered over the possibilities. "Sister Qing''e, can you carve a path through the corruption and open it up for me using your light resonant power? I will be the one who will approach the Spirit Clam King and retrieve the Sovereign Pearl." In that case, Jiang Qing''e would not have to fend off the brunt of corruption directly and deplete her energy less. You want to go? Even with the strength of a thousand Guardians, I am afraid you won''t be able to withstand the corruption. Why don''t we wait a while more for Grand Commander Xia Yu to arrive?" Li Hongyou replied with a little surprise. "The situation is urgent; we have to hurry before more unexpected factors arise." Li Luo shook his head in disagreement. He gave Jiang Qing''e a smile and continued, "Sister Qing''e, don''t worry. I have a little trick of my own to ward off corruption as well." Obviously, he was referring to the Acquired Resonance Flame. It was a bane to corruption in a certain way. Jiang Qing''e''s light resonant power would purify the corruption while his Acquired Resonance Flame would treat it as an impurity and burn it into oblivion. Jiang Qing''e looked back at Li Luo and thought about it for a moment. Then she lightly nodded and replied, "I will force a path through the corruption for you to retrieve the Sovereign Pearl." Seeing how much the two of them trusted each other, Li Hongyou couldn''t help but feel like her presence was a little unnecessary over here. "Let''s hurry up and take advantage of the opportunity. Come back as soon as you have the pearl," Jiang Qing''e reminded him. Without any further hesitation, divine light shone brightly from her Sacred Crown of Thorns. Her beautiful and charming face appeared flawless at this moment, engulfed with a sacred glow. In the next moment, Jiang Qing''e pushed outwards with her immense light resonant power. It sliced across the thick mist of corruption like a sharp sword. In the blink of an eye, the corruption was purified and a path opened up. Remnant corruption around the path continued to seep into the gap, as if it was trying to destroy the path of light resonant power. Li Luo knew that time was tight. He burst forward in a flash and dove into the pathway of light. Jiang Qing''e maintained control of her domineering light resonant power, so it did not cause any harm to him. Instead, it became a pushing force and propelled him further. The couple''s teamwork was flawless. In just a minute, divine light penetrated the dense corruption and the pathway of light reached the Spirit Clam King. Li Luo''s feet landed on the hard and cold clam flesh. Chapter 1280: Escape with the Pearl! Chapter 1280: Escape with the Pearl! As soon as Li Luo stepped onto the clam flesh, a deluge of corruption surged towards him. He heard countless strange whispers, trying to fill his heart with negative emotions. Jiang Qing''e''s light resonant power had become weaker at the end point of the path, so the corruption began to slowly infiltrate Li Luo''s body. He took in a deep breath before quickly activating the mysterious Auric Halo and Acquired Resonance Flame. A transparent and wondrous flame arose from the inside of his body. The flame burned strongly, and any corruption that came into contact with it was burned into nothingness at an astonishing speed. The efficiency of the cleansing was comparable to that of the triple ninth-grade light resonance power coming from Jiang Qing''e. Li Luo couldn''t help but marvel in his heart when he saw this. The Acquired Resonance Flame from the Sacred Void Resonance Sect appeared to be specially created to counteract and annihilate corruption. However, time was tight and he did not have the luxury to think about this any further. Li Luo''s eyes locked onto the only spot that was still giving off brilliant light amidst the dense smog. He took out his Dragon Elephant Blade, gathered his resonant power, and hacked downwards fiercely. Clang! Sparks flew out and a clang, akin to the clashing of metals, rang out as soon as he struck. This attack contained Li Luo''s full power, but it only left a slight injury on the flesh of the clam. The wound began to close up rapidly as the pitch-black muscles wriggled, quickly restoring any damage that had been left behind. Li Luo frowned when he saw this. The flesh of the Spirit Clam King was truly durable. Coupled with the overflowing corruption, it only meant that he was in a lot of trouble. He focused his mind, and the transparent Acquired Resonance Flame surfaced outside his body. It enveloped his Dragon Elephant Blade and he slashed down yet again. This time, things were truly different. With a visibly obvious sign, the pitch-black muscles that were originally wriggling were burnt into oblivion by the flames. The firm and durable flesh of the clam softened up like tofu without the protection of the muscles. His blade descended in a flash, and in just a short moment, Li Luo had hacked a hole around the source of light. When revealed to the world, the dazzling light was so blinding that Li Luo had to squint. However, his hands did not slow down despite the pain in his eyes. He waved his sleeve, and resonant power surged out. It materialized into a giant hand that grabbed onto the brilliant pearl. Then he pulled it back to him. A burning heat could be felt in his palm. Li Luo looked closely and saw a round Spirit Pearl in his hand. The Spirit Pearl seemed to be made of gold, emitting scintillating, wondrous light. On its surface were ancient runes that seemed to have formed due to the sheer amount of energy it contained. It even seemed to have a life of its own as it gradually absorbed the worldly natural energy in the surroundings. It was like a sentient creature. Li Luo''s eyes lit up at this sight. This was a Sovereign Pearl, the treasure that all the upper-grade Dukes outside were fighting for. Not only that, it could be used to forge top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures! The World End''s River Region was truly a place of bountiful treasures. Although it was dangerous, it was also full of opportunities. He thus felt much more confident in obtaining a Heavenly Dragon resonance now that he had his hands on this object. Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com Li Luo put the Sovereign Pearl away. Just as he was about to turn back, he suddenly noticed another bright sparkle in the hole carved out of the clam flesh. Meanwhile, Li Luo was back at Jiang Qing''e''s side in a flash. He did not hesitate to shout, "Let''s go!" With the Sovereign Pearl in their hands now, there was no reason to hang around here any longer. They would only be surrounded and attacked. Jiang Qing''e reached out and grabbed Li Luo''s wrist. Radiant light resonant power burst out and transformed into a pair of light resonant wings. Then a curtain of light wrapped around them and they shot away. Li Hongyou and the rest followed them in a hurry. "Where are you going?!" Li Luo''s actions had caught the attention of many others. Even Zhao Jiao, who was attacking the eighth-grade True Devil, looked at him with eyes full of anger. The others might not have noticed, but he had witnessed everything. The Sovereign Pearl had been taken by Li Luo. Alas, he had been bogged down with dealing with the True Devil and was thus unable to take any action. He wanted to leave this fight and chase after Li Luo immediately. However, a beam of sharp, fiendish energy shooting through the air halted him in his tracks. A brutal knife chopped downwards and forcefully stopped his pursuit. Zhao Jiao turned his head and saw Ox Biaobiao wielding his butchering knife. Ox Biaobiao was glaring at him fiercely, his knife filled to the brim with resonant power. "You damned animal, we have our own games to play. Why''re you going after the younglings? Come on, let''s see if my knife is sharp enough for you!" Zhao Jiao had no choice but to face Ox Biaobiao head-on. However, before he was bogged down once again, he shouted, "Zhao Jiyun, chase after Li Luo. He has taken the Sovereign Pearl, so slow him down until our reinforcements arrive!" The valley devolved into complete chaos as his voice shook the entire area. "Chase after them!" Zhao Jiyun shouted with a pale face. Then he burst forward and gave chase with his Divine Tiger Guardians. All the other powers and rogue cultivators also hurried after them. For a moment, everything was turned upside down. In a distant corner, the girl named Lu Shuanglu had cupped her hands around her eyes like a pair of binoculars, watching the entertaining events unfold. She couldn''t help but laugh as she watched the group miserably escape. The Sovereign Pearl was a valuable treasure, and many people had set their eyes on it. It would take two whole days before they would be able to reach the region protected by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. If Li Luo was planning to charge back like this without a plan, it would be challenging for him to succeed. Besides, if news of this got out, people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin and Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhu would probably interfere as well. It was really hard to tell if Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e would be able to protect the Sovereign Pearl till the very end. "Li Luo is pretty good at this... Let''s see how he wraps things up from here." She laughed as if gloating at his predicament. Chapter 1281: Return Trip Chapter 1281: Return Trip Bang! Like a comet, the dazzling light resonant power turned into a beam of light and blazed across the sky at astonishing speed. Within it were thousands of Dragon''s Fang Guardians. They had gotten into formation and everyone was in sync with Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. At this point, Xia Yu and her thousand Guardians had also arrived to help out. The five thousand Guardians had assembled. They were an impressive force to behold. Li Luo took a glance towards his back and saw beams of shocking resonant power surging up into the sky. Then the newcomers all dashed towards his direction at an alarming pace. The members of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao were the most conspicuous in the group. Zhao Jiyun was hot on their heels with a group of five thousand from the Divine Tiger Guardians. Li Luo''s mouth twitched a little at that sight. "Li Luo, what have you done?" Xia Yu couldn''t help but ask. She could see an army of pursuers coming after them. Earlier, she was quite a distance away from Li Luo and his group, so she didnt know what was happening. While she was rushing over here, she had watched Jiang Qing''e escaping in a beam of light and joined up with them immediately. "Nothing much, I just picked up two Sovereign Pearls, that''s all," Li Luo answered casually. "Sovereign Pearls?! Two of them?!" Xia Yu exclaimed in surprise. She knew how valuable Sovereign Pearls werethey were treasures that even upper-grade Dukes would fight over. They were, after all, the main ingredient for forging top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures! Xia Yu finally understood why so many people were coming after them. "Aren''t they afraid of offending the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?" Li Luo asked. He had already gotten his hands on the Sovereign Pearls, yet they were trying to snatch them away. They truly weren''t showing any respect for their backers. Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com Xia Yu answered, "Those rogue cultivators are willing to risk everything for a Sovereign Pearl. If they get their hands on it, they won''t mind leaving the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent completely. Nonetheless, you don''t need to worry too much. Even if they catch you, they''ll just pilfer the Sovereign Pearl from you. They wouldn''t dare to take your life. Rogue cultivators are smartthey know where to draw the line." After all, a Quasi-Triple Crown King was standing guard in Heavenly Dragon Peak. If Li Luo and his team weren''t strong enough to protect their treasure, it was reasonable that it would be snatched away. But if his life were threatened, the Dragon''s Fang Lineages Lineage Chief would not sit idly by. Li Luo shook his head helplessly. There was no way he would accept having his Sovereign Pearls taken away from him. After all, this was the key to evolve a Heavenly Dragon resonance. "Looking at the situation right now, we can only rush back to Heavenly Dragon Peak at full speed. Once the news of the Sovereign Pearl gets out, even more people will have their eyes set upon us. We don''t have any upper-grade Dukes with us, so we''re not strong enough to put up any meaningful resistance," Xia Yu explained. Even with Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang Qing''e and all five thousand Guardians gathered up, they only had the strength of a fifth-grade Duke at best. This would barely suffice in a chaotic setting like the World''s End River Region. With the Sovereign Pearls at stake, using their lineage to intimidate the rogue cultivators was pointless. Moreover, their pursuers included members of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. "Four groups of a thousand Guardians will take turns supplying me with energy. We need to reduce our consumption as much as possible, Jiang Qing''e said calmly. "Hongyou, take control of the remaining group of a thousand Guardians and keep me bolstered." A deafening noise broke out as the beam of light penetrated the sky, heading straight for the four third-grade Dukes. The sky appeared to be sliced into half as the beam of light arced across. With the aid of four thousand Guardians and Li Hongyou''s boost, Jiang Qing''e''s strength was frightening. The faces of the third-grade Dukes changed immediately when they saw this. They quickly formed hand seals, and the twelve Duke Bergfrieds roared out at the same time. Icy Divine Mist rose out of their Duke Bergfrieds and condensed into a nine-cornered ice shield in front of them. Ancient runes could be seen on the surface of the ice shield. The beam of light that sliced the sky apart did not hesitate for even a single moment. It crashed directly into the ice shield that was thousands of feet tall. Kacha! The third-grade Dukes were horrified when the two attacks clashed. Fault lines rapidly spread out across the ice shield, and the terrifying light resonant power continued to purify and erode away at their resonant power at an alarming rate. "This is bad! Retreat!" the leader of the group of Dukes shouted. Bang! As soon as he spoke, the ice shield shattered. The beam of light gradually grew larger in the eyes of the third-grade Dukes. In the next moment, it pierced through the resonant power shielding their bodies. The sound of an object piercing through their bodies could be heard. Everyone who had been sneakily watching from the sidelines were stunned by this scene. The Duke Bergfrieds from the third-grade Dukes dissipated rapidly, turning into motes of light that were absorbed back into their bodies. The four of them spat out copious amounts of blood and then plummeted into the mountain range. In just an instant, Jiang Qing''e had crushed four third-grade Dukes. It was such a clean victory that it sent chills up the spines of those who were secretly observing. They had seen for themselves how tyrannical an unrivaled talent like Jiang Qing''e could be. A Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried coupled with the triple ninth-grade light resonances was nothing to scoff at. Silence reigned momentarily. Nonetheless, Jiang Qing''e did not slow down at all. She continued to lead the Guardians, zipping across the sky. She knew that this lightning-fast victory had achieved the purpose of shock and awe. However, it wouldn''t be enough to stop all their pursuers. An even stronger fellow was sure to appear before them in the future, one that was likely to spell trouble for her. This trip home was harder than she had imagined. Jiang Qing''e''s eyes turned cold. She gripped her sword so tightly that green veins surfaced on her snow-white skin. Surely things wouldn''t be harder than what happened in the Housemeet, right? Chapter 1282: Splitting Up Chapter 1282: Splitting Up Bang! A terrifying energy storm swept across the sky. Immense light resonant power blanketed the horizon, lighting up the sky as if the sun had risen. Argh! Light resonant power surged, and pathetic cries could be heard. Two people fell from the sky and attempted to make their escape. Above them, four Duke Bergfrieds appeared to be melting away, as if the light resonant power was purifying them into nothingness. "Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang is incredible!" The Dragon''s Fang Guardians cheered excitedly. They looked at the beautiful and dazzling goddess in front of them with eyes full of respect and admiration. It had been half a day since they had made their hasty retreat out of the Golden Stone Valley. During this period, more than ten groups had appeared before them, all attempting to steal the Sovereign Pearls. However, even fourth-grade Dukes were unable to slow their advance. They were nothing worth mentioning in front of Jiang Qing''e. With four thousand Guardians assisting her, Jiang Qing''e had reached the strength of a lower fifth-grade Duke. Her invincible track record in battle had left a lasting impression on everyone. "It should take us a little more than a day to reach Heavenly Dragon Peak. As we get closer, fewer people will be willing to risk it and stand in our way. When we get to the districts near the Heavenly Dragon Peak, the powers affiliated with our Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li will render assistance. As such, we should be safe if we can hold on for another day!" Grand Commander Xia Yu said. "If we can successfully fight our way back to Heavenly Dragon Peak, we''ll have one more epic story to tell amongst the Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies," one of the Thousand Guardians said with a laugh. The others agreed with him. Fighting off so many powerful foes across thousands of miles was indeed a heroic feat. Jiang Qing''e''s golden pupils glanced briefly behind her. She could tell that an impressive opponent, with resonant power comparable to hers, was catching up to them very quickly. It was none other than the Divine Tiger Guardians from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, along with their leader, the Divine Tiger Envoy Zhao Jiyun. This fellow was a shrewd one. All this while he had opted to keep pace, lagging one step behind them and monitoring the situation from behind. Undoubtedly, he must have planned to make use of the other pursuers to wear them down. However, judging by his rapidly increasing speed, he must have run out of patience. Jiang Qing''e thought about it for a moment. She then turned towards Li Luo and told him, "Li Luo, I think it''s about time we split up. I will take three thousand Guardians and stop the pursuers here. Xia Yu and you will each take a thousand Guardians and continue sprinting back to the Heavenly Dragon Peak. I will buy enough time for you." T/his chapter is updated by nov(e?(l)biin.co/m Li Luo frowned when he heard this. "You want to stay behind to cut off our pursuers?" Jiang Qing''e explained to him calmly, "The most important thing right now is to bring the Sovereign Pearls back. We cannot get caught up with them. Once we''re entangled, those watching us from the sidelines will begin to make their move too. This is extremely disadvantageous for us. If we split up here, we can separate those who covet our treasures. This will give us a better chance of success. You don''t have to worry about me. In fact, it''s more dangerous for you if we separate. There will still be people chasing after you and I will not be around to protect you. You''ll be on your own for the remaining leg of the journey back." She held firmly onto her heavy sword and turned around. Her golden gaze stared coldly to her front. After they had split up, there was a commotion coming from their pursuers. Shortly after, an immense beam of energy shot towards her, which, upon closer look, was a manifestation of a ferocious tiger overflowing with endless amounts of vigor. Zhao Jiyun stood at the head of the tiger as the leader. He looked back at Jiang Qing''e and said, enunciating his words slowly, "Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang, surely you aren''t thinking of stopping all of us alone, are you?" Jiang Qing''e did not plan to waste her breath talking to him. Her Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried rose up into the air and brilliant bright light burst out. Then three light Spirit Avatars appeared behind her, and an endless amount of pure and concentrated light resonant power channeled into her body. Zhao Jiyun''s face gradually turned serious as he looked at her. Jiang Qing''e was just a first-grade Duke, but her resonant power was comparable to that of a third-grade Duke thanks to her triple ninth-grade light resonances and Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. Although her power had weakened a little after Li Luo left with two groups of a thousand Guardians, she had merely fallen from the peak of the lower Fifth Duke Stage to an ordinary lower fifth-grade Duke. Zhao Jiyun''s eyes flickered as he turned his head in another direction. He said with a smile, "Since you''re all here, there is no need to hide. If we don''t defeat Jiang Qing''e now, I don''t think we''ll be able to get past her." As soon as he finished speaking, three people flew towards them and landed a few hundred feet away from Zhao Jiyun. Five towering Duke Bergfrieds appeared above each of their heads. Each sucked in copious amounts of worldly natural energy from the surroundings with a loud roar. Clearly, all three of them were fifth-grade Dukes! The faces of those watching from the shadows changed a little when they saw this trio. They recognized that the three fifth-grade Dukes were renowned rogue cultivators in the World''s End River Region. Each of them was no weaker than Jiang Qing''e with the aid of the Guardians. All three of them, coupled with Zhao Jiyun, had put Jiang Qing''e in a very disadvantageous situation. "Zhao Zhuoyan, Zhao Zhu, each of you will take a thousand Guardians and chase after Li Luo. Do not let him get past Black Soul Peak," Zhao Jiyun ordered confidently. Jiang Qing''e might have had unrivaled talent, but she was ultimately a first-grade Duke. Even with the additional help, surely she wouldn''t be able to fight against all four of them alone, right? Nonetheless, he understood that Jiang Qing''e was just trying to buy time over here. If they let Li Luo escape back to Heavenly Dragon Peak, it would be a huge disgrace for them. "Yes, Sir!" The two of them followed the order immediately. Zhao Zhuoyan was the First Grand Commander of the Divine Tiger Guardians and a lower second-grade Duke, one notch above Xia Yu. Zhao Zhu was the Second Grand Commander, an upper first-grade Duke. The two of them were stronger than Xia Yu and Li Luo and hence, Zhao Jiyun had great confidence in them. Zhao Zhuoyan and Zhao Zhu each took a thousand Guardians and made their way around Jiang Qing''e. Then they burst forward and flew across the sky. Jiang Qing''e took a glance at them before looking back. She did not try to stop them. After all, there were Zhao Jiyun and three fifth-grade Dukes in front of her. If she had taken a single step, they would have taken the opportunity to attack her immediately. Besides, the strength of the forces going past her was within her estimations. They must have felt that such a force would be sufficient to bring down Li Luo. However, she had great confidence in her fiance. Everyone was too focused on her strength and had neglected him, the one who they should have looked more closely at. Jiang Qing''e knew that although she had managed to tie down a group of strong opponents, Li Luo''s side wouldn''t have it easy either. However, she would have to trust in him. The only thing she could do right now was make sure Zhao Jiyun and these fifth-grade Dukes remained here, regardless of the cost. Jiang Qing''e lowered her eyes and formed hand seals quickly. A moment later, divine light shone out from the Sacred Crown of Thorns, taking on a blood-red hue. In just a few moments, the Sacred Crown of Thorns became... the Bloody Crown of Thorns! At the same time, the energy waves coming from Jiang Qing''e had grown wildly stronger. The faces of Zhao Jiyun and the rest changed immediately. Chapter 1283: Offering a Helping Hand Chapter 1283: Offering a Helping Hand Li Luo and Xia Yu each led a thousand Guardians across the sky at maximum speed. While they were on the move, Li Luo turned his head back and looked into the distance. He sensed an extremely strong energy undulation behind him. It seemed like Jiang Qing''e had met some challenging opponents indeed. "Don''t worry, Li Luo. With Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang''s strength, she''ll surely be able to get away safely even if she can''t defeat her opponents," Xia Yu said in an attempt to comfort him when she saw the look of worry in Li Luo''s eyes. T/his chapter is updated by nov(e?(l)biin.co/m Li Luo nodded slightly, but he felt guilty deep down in his heart. Since long ago, back in House Luolan, Jiang Qing''e had always been shielding him from all these storms. Meanwhile, he had continued to chase after her, hoping that one day he would be able to be the one standing in front of her and telling her he would protect her from danger. Despite his strength growing at an astonishing speed over the last few years, Jiang Qing''e''s had continued to outpace him with her equally monstrous talent. Even he felt left behind! His fiancee was simply unbelievable. Things were never simple. Li Luo clenched his fists tightly. It was precisely because of this that he wanted to evolve his dragon resonance to further strengthen himself. Additionally, his goal during his time at the World''s End River Region was to break into the Duke Stage. Not just that... he was going to forge a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried as well! Crafting a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried was so difficult, it was impossible to describe. Perhaps the Heavenly Dragon resonance was the final key he required. As Li Luo was pondering over these matters, the Dragons Fang Guardians did not slow down. Although Jiang Qing''e had stopped most of their pursuers for them, they could sense a group of energy undulations quickly catching up. Jiang Qing''e was no longer with them, so they would have to depend on themselves now. In fact, the obstacle had appeared in front of them sooner than they had expected. Those who had been quietly watching in the shadows were now impatient, seeing that the strong deterrent, Jiang Qing''e, wasn''t around anymore. Worldly natural energy surged violently, and a gigantic tree sprouted out from the ground in front of Li Luo''s group. The branches danced along with the wind as they swiftly swept towards the Guardians like a giant python. "Be careful!" Xia Yu warned the rest. Two towering Duke Bergfrieds materialized above her head, and the Guardians boosted her further. Her strength was now that of an upper third-grade Duke. An azure longsword appeared in her hands, and she slashed downwards decisively. The python-like branches were sliced apart and a beam of sword energy flashed across the air. The powerful sword strike spanning thousands of feet headed straight for the trunk of the giant tree. Suddenly, a figure appeared on the highest point of the tree. Three towering Duke Bergfrieds materialized in the air and immense resonant power surged up, transforming into a massive, wooden, leafy shield. Bang! The sword energy easily sliced through the shield like a hot knife through butter before striking the tree trunk directly. The person groaned in pain and retreated in a flash. While Xia Yu was handling this surprise attack, Li Luo had been ambushed as well. Three second-grade Dukes had appeared in front of him. Divine Mist poured out across the sky and a rain of attacks flew towards Li Luo directly. "Li Luo, hand over the Sovereign Pearl!" they cried out greedily. In their eyes, Li Luo was just a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier junior. Even with a thousand Guardians assisting him, it would be challenging for him to unite their strength, and the three of them would be more than enough to suppress Li Luo. Their attacks gradually grew larger in Li Luo''s eyes, and his face turned cold and he took a step forward. The power from the thousand Guardians poured into him. He firmly gripped his Dragon Elephant Blade and hacked downwards. The void trembled as a blade wheel of immense resonant power condensed in the air. It spun rapidly and clashed with the incoming attacks directly. "Dragon and Elephant''s Divine Might!" The blade wheel whistled as it shot through the air. The incoming attacks from the three second-grade Dukes shattered into pieces when the blade wheel crashed into them. The three of them were stunned by this unimaginable scene, then the blade wheel bashed their Duke Bergfrieds directly. Bang! A deep scar was left on each of the Duke Bergfrieds. The three of them spat out fresh blood. Gravely injured, they retreated immediately. "You fellows have been truly patient. Why don''t you rename yourselves? The Divine Turtle Guardians is a much more fitting title for you!" Xia Yu replied sarcastically. Zhao Zhuoyan and his army chose to bide their time during the pursuit, not making a single attack along the way. Clearly, they wanted to let Xia Yu exhaust herself until it was the right time to strike. And it seemed that this was the moment they had been waiting for. Zhao Zhuoyan looked at Xia Yu''s curvy figure lustfully. He responded with a grin, "Xia Yu, don''t be stubborn. My Hundred Flame Poison is not something that people can endure. Considering that you''re weaker than me, how can you possibly restrain me?" Xia Yu''s face turned pale as she felt the burning pain spreading across her body. "Shut up!" At this point, Li Luo arrived. He took a look at Xia Yu and noticed her face alternating between red and pale. It seemed like she was critically injured. "Li Luo, hand over the Sovereign Pearl. This is your limit. You''ll never make it past Black Soul Peak." More laughter came from the side of Zhao Zhuoyan as another man made his appearance. It was Zhao Zhu, the Second Grand Commander of the Divine Tiger Guardians. He was an upper first-grade Duke. Zhao Zhuoyan gave a smirk and told Li Luo, "Take a look." He pointed to Li Luos back, where many people stood in the air and stared at them greedily. These were the rogue cultivators that had been lurking in the shadows all this time. In front of them was Zhao Zhuoyan and Zhao Zhu. Behind them were rogue cultivators. They were truly trapped with nowhere to run. Li Luo''s gaze turned sharp. Suddenly, the chuckle of a girl could be heard coming from a mountaintop not too far away. "Li Luo, it looks like this last leg of the journey might be a little too tough." Li Luo looked over and saw a slender girl. It was none other than Lu Shuanglu. He frowned when he saw her. Was she here to fight for the Sovereign Pearl too? Lu Shuanglu stretched her back lazily when she saw his reaction. She continued with a smile, "I am not interested in your Sovereign Pearl. However, if you''re willing to beg me, I can help you get rid of these rogue cultivators. How about it?" Li Luo pondered for a moment and answered, "There is no need for me to lower myself. In the worst case scenario, I will just drag someone down to hell with me. At the very least, my grandfather will know who to look for after my death. A life for a life." As soon as these words came out, the rogue cultivators glanced at each other briefly. The arrogant air around them seemed to have vanished for a moment. Lu Shuanglu was also taken aback by his reply. She couldn''t help but laugh. "Your threat is a little shameless." Li Luo shrugged. In such a situation, it didn''t matter as long as it was effective. "Forget it." Lu Shuanglu chuckled. "For the sake of my sister, I will help you out today. I will get the payment for this favor from my sister later." Finished speaking, she clapped her hands lightly. Suddenly, a strong undulation of energy appeared in the surroundings, locking the rogue cultivators down. "Unfortunately, I can only do so much to help you hold these rogue cultivators back. I can''t do anything to those from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, so you will have to handle them by yourself," Lu Shuanglu continued with a grin. Li Luo was taken aback by her response. It looked like Lu Shuanglu wasn''t here to snatch his Sovereign Pearl away. Instead, she was here to help him out? He didn''t say anything more; he merely clasped his hands together and thanked Lu Shuanglu. "Don''t thank me yet. Wait until you get past those two commanders." Lu Shuanglu put her hands behind her back and watched Li Luo with interest. She wanted to see how Li Luo, as a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator, was going to escape from Zhao Zhuoyan, a lower second-grade Duke in peak condition, and Zhao Zhu, an upper first-grade Duke. Chapter 1284: Two Thousand Guardians. Fourth-grade! Chapter 1284: Two Thousand Guardians. Fourth-grade! The faces of Zhao Zhuoyan and Zhao Zhu changed upon seeing Lu Shuanglu''s sudden intervention. They could easily guess her identity from her clothing. She was from the Golden Dragon Bank. Clearly, her authority was exceptional, considering how many she had under her command. "My friend from the Golden Dragon Bank, are you planning to help the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?" Zhao Zhuoyan asked. ViiSiit novelbi/n(.)c/(o)m for latest novels Lu Shuanglu chuckled. "Don''t put words in my mouth. I am not interfering with your affairs. However, many of these rogue cultivators owe the Golden Dragon Bank quite a bit, and I would like to keep them here to clear their debt with us. How''s that considered helping the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?" Zhao Zhuoyan frowned when he heard this. She was clearly playing with her words here. Besides, he could sense faint but formidable undulations coming from Lu Shuanglu. She possessed both might in quality and numbers, so it would not be wise to make an enemy out of her right now. Lu Shuanglu did not stop the two of them from attempting to snatch the Sovereign Pearl from Li Luo. Clearly, she wasn''t planning to fall out with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. Either way, it was fine. Zhao Zhu and him would be enough to handle Li Luo. After all, Xia Yu had fallen prey to his Hundred Flame Poison and had weakened significantly. No matter how talented he was, Li Luo was only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. What could he possibly do in front of an overwhelming power advantage? As such, Zhao Zhuoyan did not bother with Lu Shuanglu any longer. His sharp gaze turned towards Li Luo. "Li Luo, the outcome is clear. You will not be able to get past Black Soul Peak. If you hand over the Sovereign Pearl without any trickery, we can end this peacefully. There is no need to escalate the situation any further. Otherwise... it''s often said that swords have no eyes, and you''ll only be asking for it if you end up gravely injured." Li Luo could not be bothered coming up with a reply. He was only concerned about Xia Yu''s injuries. Xia Yu gritted her teeth. "I will hold Zhao Zhuoyan back. Can you handle Zhao Zhu?" A vicious look filled her eyes. "Otherwise, you can pass control of your thousand Guardians to me. I will hold both of them back at all costs. You can make use of this chance and escape!" They were now in a thorny predicament. She was the only one who could stand up against Zhao Zhuoyan in a normal fight. Unfortunately, she was ultimately weaker than him and had ended up seriously injured in the first clash. In her current state, she wouldn''t be able to hold up against Zhao Zhuoyan for long. Li Luo''s eyes flickered. "Without the thousand Guardians, I am afraid I won''t be able to make it much further even if I reached Black Soul Peak. I am merely at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier after all." Xia Yu pondered for a moment. "But we can''t give up just like this," she said bitterly. Li Luo thought about it for another moment and told her gently, "Grand Commander Xia Yu, why don''t you give me control of your thousand Guardians? I''ll try to fight them instead." Xia Yu was startled to hear this. "You want to lead two thousand Guardians? At the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier... This is a different case from the time back in the World''s End River Falling Star Terrace. In a battle formation, the power surging through you will be immense! It''ll be extremely challenging to control it!" His grayish-white hair grew and extended behind his back, dancing along with the breeze. When he entered his dragonoid form, his muscles strengthened considerably. The looming sensation that his body was about to explode subsided rapidly. He had managed to withstand the immense pressure, but Li Luo still felt like the immense power was challenging to control. The energy felt incredibly heavy and full of inertia, and that it was something he could barely even rouse with his Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier strength. Fortunately, he had come prepared. He focused his mind, and a humming trill could be heard from the mysterious Auric Halo deep within his body. It began to rotate extremely slowly. An unknown force suddenly appeared and channeled all the energy in Li Luo''s body into the Auric Halo. Then the energy was processed and circulated outwards again. For some reason, the energy that came out appeared to be much more tame. It was gentle and flowed so smoothly that Li Luo could command it as he wished. Li Luo''s eyes lit up. It seemed like no matter how unruly any energy was, it would become obedient as long as he processed it by the mysterious Auric Halo. Based on his estimates, the amount of resonant power provided by the two thousand Guardians was not even worth mentioning. If he could, he would like to experience wielding the full power of the entire Dragon''s Fang Guardians and see if the Auric Halo was capable of replicating this feat. If it could, wouldn''t that mean he would be able to experience wielding the power of the Guardian General in advance? Li Foluo... it was almost time for him to step down! The smile on Li Luo''s face grew wider, and he brandished the Dragon Elephant Blade lightly. The void trembled from the shocking pressure, and an immense force shot out from Li Luo''s body. It was a power that engulfed everything within thousands of miles the moment it appeared. His strength could rival that of a fourth-grade Duke! In the same instant, the mocking expressions on Zhao Zhuoyan and Zhao Zhu''s faces froze. Lu Shuanglu''s eyes lit up and she watched in disbelief. Was Li Luo, a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator, really handling the power of two thousand Guardians? This brat was more capable than she had expected. Chapter 1285: Battle Against Zhao Zhuoyan Chapter 1285: Battle Against Zhao Zhuoyan Li Luo was in his dragonoid form with his long, grayish-white hair streaming behind his back. He hovered in the sky with the two thousand Guardians standing behind him. Enormous amounts of energy surged up, causing the surrounding void to tremble. There was a look of satisfaction in his eyes when he felt the overflowing power in his body. This was the first time he had wielded the strength of two thousand Guardians in a real battle. Back at the World''s End River Falling Star Terrace, he was only helping Jiang Qing''e purify corruption. That wasn''t a real battle, so the energy flowing into him was a lot more calm. Right now, the energy was turbulent and raging. Li Luo could tell that the power from the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was of a higher grade and complexity compared to what he wielded with Harmony back in the Twenty Banners. It was much harder to gain control of. Every movement felt like he was moving with the weight of a thousand pounds stacked on his back. If he did not have the assistance of the Auric Halo, it would be virtually impossible to wield it. As the strength of a fourth-grade Duke burst out from Li Luo''s body, the eyes of those watching changed immediately. Li Luo had truly exceeded their expectations. Zhao Zhuoyan''s face gradually turned dark. He had thought that the greatest obstacle would be Xia Yu. This was why he had spent so much effort planning an ambush to injure her. Who would have expected that Li Luo was capable of this feat as well? "Zhao Zhu, let''s get into formation," Zhao Zhuoyan said in a deep voice. If they wanted to fight him, they would also need to combine their strength. Zhao Zhu nodded as soon as he heard the order. At the next moment, enormous amounts of energy surged up from their army and poured into Zhao Zhuoyan directly. The two Duke Bergfrieds above Zhao Zhuoyan''s head shone brightly. Extremely hot air burst out from them, causing the temperature to skyrocket. The pressure that had come from Li Luo was offset in an instant. "Li Luo, it''s indeed shocking that you can wield the strength of two thousand Guardians. However, the general is the most important key in a battle between two armies. You''re merely at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, yet you are thinking of fighting against me, a second-grade Duke? The gap between us won''t disappear just because of external aid!" A flame ignited within Zhao Zhuoyan''s eyes. He clenched his fist, and a crimson blade appeared in his hand. Fiery runes circulated around his blade, weaving into the shape of a volcano that erupted with lava that enveloped his blade. He shouted loudly, attempting to intimidate Li Luo, "Hand over your Sovereign Pearl, or I will not go easy on you!" However, Li Luo simply smiled back in response. The Dragon Elephant Blade in his hand trembled, and the cries of the Dragon Elephant could be heard in the background. He answered casually, "Well, I''ll be honestthis won''t be the first time I''ve slain a Duke. If you really think I am no match for you, why don''t you come at me?" Back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave and the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, he had slain True Devils before he reached the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. In his eyes, Dukes weren''t really a threat anymore. Zhao Zhuoyan''s eyes turned cold when he heard this, and he seethed with murderous intent. At the next moment, his two Duke Bergfrieds roared to life and flames pumped out of them, covering the whole sky. A gigantic, crimson rhinoceros slowly emerged from the sea of flames. These were Zhao Zhuoyan''s resonances, the Flame Rhino resonance and a fire resonance, which were both extremely fierce and domineering. "Since you wish to act stubbornly, don''t blame me for being ruthless." Zhao Zhuoyan took a step forward, and turbulent waves kicked up in the sea of flames. He hacked downwards with his blade while he formed hand seals with his free hand. The blade split the sky apart, and an endless inferno spewed out from the rift. All of a sudden, it seemed like a titanic waterfall of flames that was thousands of feet tall was descending down from the sky. Bang! The violent crash of the waterfall echoed in the air and a terrifying heat wave blew across the battlefield. It was like a dragon that heralded the dawn of doomsday, roaring and charging towards Li Luo directly. The surroundings had turned so hot that it felt like he was locked in a furnace. Duke Art: Extreme Flame Skyfall Art! Surprisingly, Li Luo chuckled when he saw the majestic curtain of flames. "A fire resonance? It''s fortunate that I have a water resonance... It seems like I am the bane of your existence." It was the Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon! All three dragons possessed different affinities. As everyone watched in surprise, the dragons came together and fused into an ancient banner that stood thousands of feet tall. The dragons swam within the banner itself, emitting an indescribable pressure that pushed down on everyone present. The pressure was so domineering that even the flames from Zhao Zhuoyan were suppressed. The faces of the Dukes watching from the shadows changed as soon as they saw this. They muttered softly, "Is that... Is that a Destiny-grade Duke Art?!" It was such an incredible Duke Art that its appearance could lead to changes in the world around it. Lu Shuanglu''s eyes flickered a little. Even in Golden Dragon Mountain, a Destiny-grade Duke Art was a top-class treasure of its own. Any Duke who could master a Destiny-grade Duke Art would easily stand out amongst their peers. Not only was it valuable and rare, it was incredibly challenging to cultivate such a Duke Art. Many Dukes had hoped to do so but ultimately failed. How had Li Luo managed to cultivate one despite only being at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier? His talent for learning resonance arts was truly shocking. Under everyone''s gazes of surprise, Li Luo stretched out his hand and grabbed the heavy ancient banner. The scales on his skin trembled as he summoned up all the strength in his body. He had to do so if he wanted to even so much as move the dragon banner. Fortunately, he was able to do so in his dragonoid form. Zhao Zhuoyan watched with an extremely ugly expression. Even he hadnt mastered a Destiny-grade Duke Art yet! The sight of the Duke Art made him fear for his life. At this moment, Zhao Zhuoyan knew that if he did not give it his all, it would really spell his end. He would lose to a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier junior with his second-grade Duke strength. This would be a complete disgrace for the Divine Tiger Guardians. As such, he formed hand seals with both hands and slowly extended them out. A ringing sound could be heard coming from the endless crimson energy swords. Then the thousands of energy swords flew up like a phoenix and combined into one. A blade of fire that was absolutely titanic took shape. Its temperature was terrifyingly high and the world space was literally warping due to the heat.. "Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art: Divine Blade of Flames!" As Zhao Zhuoyan shouted, the colossal sword swung downwards. A giant line split the sky apart, and the terrifying strike fell down onto Li Luo. Li Luo hovered in the air, calmly looking at the falling blade of flames. Then he slowly waved the ancient dragon banner, and immense amounts of resonant power surged into it. Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon. Triple Dragon Demon Crushing Divine Light! There was no need for Li Luo to hold back. His aim was to scare off all the others hiding in the shadows, so he used his killer move straight away. As he waved the dragon banner, brilliant divine light burst out. Resembling a Five-colored Divine Dragon, it flew across the sky and clashed directly with the Blade of Flames. Chapter 1286: A Single Arrow Chapter 1286: A Single Arrow Vibrant divine light filled the surroundings. In that instant, all of the worldly natural energy in the vicinity appeared to be devoured by it. There was an unusual pressure coming from the divine light, something that frightened the spectators watching from the shadows. They stared without batting an eyelid. So, this was a Destiny-grade Duke Art? It was incredibly formidable. Under everyone''s gazes, the vibrant light collided with the blade of flames. Bang! A thunderous roar exploded in the air. Then more explosions ensued. The entire world appeared to be shaking under the continuous violent shockwaves. Deep fault lines appeared all over the ground. Lu Shuanglu was also watching the clash intently. She could tell that when the two arts came into contact, the vibrant divine light was rapidly disintegrating the burning blade of flames. "What impressive light!" Lu Shuanglu commented in surprise. The blades had been augmented with Zhao Zhuoyan''s Divine Mist, yet it was on the losing end of this struggle. This meant that Li Luo was not forcibly utilizing the Destiny-grade Duke Arthe had mastered it. His talent for resonance arts was simply monstrous. After all, there was no shortage of Destiny-grade Duke Arts in Golden Dragon Mountain. She had seen many talented people attempt to cultivate one, hoping that doing so would give them an edge over their peers and allow them to be unrivaled. However, their attempts ended up in vain and all the time and effort spent was for naught. Bang! As the chain of explosions continued in the air, Zhao Zhuoyan''s face began to turn extremely ugly. He could tell that his blades were falling apart. At the same time, Li Luo''s vibrant divine light was charging forward and crushing every obstacle in its path. However, Zhao Zhuoyan did not retreat. He couldn''t back down with so many eyes watching this fight. If word got out that the second-grade Duke First Grand Commander of the Divine Tiger Guardians lost to the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier Fourth Grand Commander of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, their reputation would be in tatters. "Divine Blade of Flames Spirit!" Zhao Zhuoyan cried out loudly. His hand seals changed rapidly, and another pool of energy flooded into his blade of flames. Suddenly, the fire on his blade burned even more fiercely. Amidst the flames, a giant tiger with lava overflowing from its body emerged. Ancient runes could be seen all over the tiger''s body. It took a step forward, causing the mountains in the surroundings to quake. It let out a fearsome roar, launching burning air across the battlefield. The divine light shivered and halted, as if it was unable to force its way forward. The giant tiger leapt out and collided with the divine light directly. The void quaked violently and a storm of hot air buffeted everyone present. The mountains in the surrounding area began to burn and the fearsome flames continued to spread. A look of disbelief appeared in Li Luo''s eyes when he saw the fearsome tiger obstructing the light in its tracks. It was no wonder Zhao Zhuoyan was the First Grand Commander of the Divine Tiger Guardianshe naturally had an ace up his sleeve. However, Li Luo couldn''t afford to drag this battle out any longer. He could sense strong undulations of energy coming towards his direction. If this dragged on, more people would appear. At that time, even Lu Shuanglu won''t be able to hold them back for him. As such, his gaze wavered for a moment, then he calmed himself yet again. He held out his hand, and a giant bow appeared in his grasp. It was the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow. "So be it. You''ll be the first one I''m testing this move on. After all, I''ve just been inspired to try something new," Li Luo muttered to himself as he lacerated his fingertips and swept them across the bowstring. Fresh blood dyed it red before he summoned up all his strength and moved the dragon banner yet again. "Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon: Three Dragons Kingslayer Arrow. Bang! Everyone watched in shock as the tri-colored beam of light pierced the air, directly striking the giant tiger. Suddenly, Zhao Zhuoyan''s face changed completely. The giant fire tiger that contained all his energy crumbled as soon as the arrow came into contact with it. An indescribable, terrifying force penetrated the tiger. The flames on its body dissipated in an instant and even the space it occupied was obliterated; nothing was left behind. A giant hole was left in the vast sky. There was no worldly natural energy either. Zhao Zhuoyan''s face turned pale. He knew that this spelled disaster for him. He had to run! He couldn''t stop the arrow. Escape was the only option! He flew back as quickly as he could. Flames exploded under his feet and the void trembled. There was a series of afterimages left in his path as he retreated at maximum speed. However, no matter how fast he was, he wasn''t fast enough to evade the tri-colored beam. Boom! Everyone could only hear a loud explosion. When the arrow appeared in their vision again, it was lodged into Zhao Zhuoyan''s body. The arrow of destruction was reflected in Zhao Zhuoyan''s pupils. In that split second, he could only muster up the last of his strength to strike the arrow with a palm shrouded with crimson fire. Bang! A violent energy tempest kicked up from the impact. Everyone stared in disbelief. The palm wreathed in flames was shattered. Half of his body, along with that left palm, was completely crushed. Fresh blood and broken limbs splattered below. The other half of Zhao Zhuoyan''s body was blown away by the impact and fell from the sky, landing in a lonely valley where rocks came tumbling down. His body was buried. Boom! More rumbling was heard when even more rocks from the mountain rolled down as a result of the devastating impact. All the rogue cultivators watching from the side were at a loss for words. Who would have thought that after just a few rounds of fighting, Zhao Zhuoyan, who had been so aggressive, would have become... crippled? The arrow had struck fear into the depths of their souls. Chapter 1287: Chu Qings Assault Chapter 1287: Chu Qing''s Assault Bang! Rocks that had been burnt black like charcoal continued to roll down. In the distance, many spectators watched in shock and disbelief. Zhao Zhuoyan had been defeated?! He was a second-grade Duke, the Grand Commander of the Divine Tiger Guardians. Had he really been defeated by a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator? What an unbelievable turn of events. Although the gap in their strength had narrowed thanks to the assistance of the two thousand Guardians, Li Luo was only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. Zhao Zhuoyan had an edge in that he possessed various abilities and methods that only a Duke could access. On the top of the mountain, a look of surprise surfaced in Lu Shuanglu''s beautiful eyes. However, she was not as shocked as the others. In the brief moment of their earlier clash, she could tell that Li Luo had exhausted all his means in this final strike. Triple resonant palaces and six resonances. Two of his resonances had even reached the ninth-grade. Based on this alone, his resonant power reserves could rival those of a first-grade Duke. When one added in the domineering power of his Destiny-grade Duke Art... The truth was that Zhao Zhuoyan had been too careless. That stunning arrow earlier was intimidating, but it had consumed an extremely large amount of energy. Li Luo had exhausted more than half of his resonant power for it. This made one wonder if he could use it a second time. "He went all-out with his strongest attack and defeated Zhao Zhuoyan to frighten the others," Lu Shuanglu said with a light smile. Li Luo had acted decisively, killing the monkey to scare the chickens. At this point, the two Divine Tiger Guardian groups had suffered from a backlash following Zhao Zhuoyan''s defeat. Close to half of the two thousand Guardians spat out blood. Their energy undulations were chaotic and many even fell from the sky as well. Second Grand Commander Zhao Zhu watched on with a pale face. He tried to hold the army together, but it was hard to hide their defeat. "How''s this possible..." he muttered. This conclusion was totally different from how they had imagined it would be. They had managed to ambush Xia Yu, their greatest threat, successfully. Li Luo was merely at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. No matter how hard he tried, there was no way he would be able to stand up against Zhao Zhuoyan, right? Yet Zhao Zhuoyan was the one that had fallen. They were just a group of defeated soldiers now, so there was no way they could snatch the Sovereign Pearl from Li Luo anymore. In other words, they had failed their mission completely. Zhao Zhu broke out in a cold sweat when he realized this. He could imagine how furious Zhao Jiyun would be when they returned empty-handed. The other four Guardians in the Ten Thousand Beast Guardians would definitely laugh at the Divine Tiger Guardians over this failure. Zhao Zhu and the other Dukes watched on with complicated looks as Li Luo flew off before their very eyes. Suddenly, Lu Shuanglu''s eyes changed. She looked into the other end of Black Soul Peak and noticed a beam of light shooting up into the sky. A mighty aura filled the air. Black light flooded the skies, and a flag could be spotted within it. A boundless black ocean was emblazoned on the flag. "The Blackwater Guardians from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin?!" Lu Shuanglu frowned when she saw this. The commotion over here had been so great that the other Heavenly Emperor lineages had been drawn over. Li Luo stopped in his tracks and his face darkened when he saw this. He could sense an extremely dominating presence amongst the ocean of black light locked onto him. "Li Luo, this is bad. It''s the Blackwater Guardians from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. They''re here!" Xia Yu shouted out in a hurry. Upon closer inspection, they had way more Guardians as well. At the same time, another stream of immense energy surged up from the other corner. A vast shadow emerged in the sky with a red flag flying high, covering the sky and sun itself. "That is..." Li Luo''s heart sank. "It''s the Heaven Devouring Guardians from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhu!" They had dragged their feet for too long. The armies from the other two Heavenly Emperor lineages had arrived. Li Luo sighed in his heart. He looked in the direction of the Blackwater Guardians. It was like an endless black swamp with no end in sight. Within it were many fierce figures wearing full suits of black armor. "Grand Commander Li Luo, you guys made too much of a fuss. I had no choice but to come and take a look. I am here on orders, so it''s nothing personal. Hand over your Sovereign Pearl immediately." An impressive voice boomed from the direction of the Blackwater Guardians. Li Luo looked over and saw that a handsome and muscular figure was the source of it. Rings of gold and silver could be seen on both of his wrists, and he gave off an almost heroic temperament. It was Chu Qing, someone he was relatively acquainted with. On his side was another familiar figure. She wore a light-green dress and looked extremely beautiful. Her skin glittered like light reflecting off water, looking soft and moisturized. Who else would it be but Qin Yi, the Fairy of Water? Chapter 1288: Blackwater Guardians, Heaven Devouring Guardians Chapter 1288: Blackwater Guardians, Heaven Devouring Guardians Many figures rushed over from the two different directions. An enormous amount of energy surged up and enveloped the skies of Black Soul Peak. These newcomers were powerful forces that were leagues above Zhao Zhuoyan. Looking at the size of the armies, the Blackwater Guardians and Heaven Devouring Guardians were clearly the strongest two powers on the battlefield right now. The faces on the rogue cultivators changed immediately when they saw their arrival. They knew that their chance of getting the Sovereign Pearl had completely vanished. Li Luo''s gaze had turned gloomy as well. He could sense that there were at least 5000 Guardians amongst the Blackwater Guardians and Heaven Devouring Guardians respectively. This wasn''t something that he would be able to handle with his current strength. Besides, he just concluded a cataclysmic battle with Zhao Zhuoyan earlier. Although he did not deplete all his energy in that fight, more than half of it had been used up. It was clearly impossible for him to fight back against these two Heavenly Emperor forces right now. "Grand Commander Li Luo, it''s impressive that you''re able to defeat the second-grade Duke Zhao Zhuoyan with just 2000 Guardians with your Greater Heavenly Resonance strength. This is enough to bring you much renown in the World End''s River Region. However, you can''t steal all the limelight for yourself. If you''re willing to hand over the Sovereign Pearl, I''ll guarantee that you can return to Heavenly Dragon Peak safely." In front of the Blackwater Guardians, the charismatic Chu Qing said with a slight grin. Right beside him, Qin Yi was also staring at Li Luo with a complex expression on her beautiful eyes. Her resonant power was clearly superior to Li Luo''s back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. It''s only been a year since they last met. Yet, Li Luo appeared to have completely eclipsed her right now. The consecutive news of his spectacular achievements had been truly surprising. Even now, he was able to defeat Zhao Zhuoyan, the Grand Commander of Divine Tiger Guardians, with just 2000 Guardians and his Greater Heavenly Resonance strength. His talent was so stunning that even the usually proud Qin Yi felt impressed. It seemed like Li Luo would be the undisputed leader amongst his peers in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Unfortunately, the two of them were on opposing sides and coupled with the enmity sown from the previous generation, they were destined to clash against each other today. Qin Lian was extremely excited when she heard about the news of Li Luo trying to fight his way back to the Heavenly Dragon Peak with the Sovereign Pearl. She had summoned Chu Qing and Qin Yi immediately and deployed all the Blackwater Guardians that were resting at the moment. They rushed over without any hesitation to intercept him immediately. Previously, Qin Lian had been severely injured by Li Jingzhe and she lost all her face, having suffered terribly during that incident. Her frustration that had been bottled up had no way of release. Now that such a good opportunity for revenge presented itself in front of her, there was no way she would let go of this chance. She instantly gave the order to Chu Qing. If they were able to intercept Li Luo, they must snatch the Sovereign Pearl away from him! This would be a conflict amongst the younger generation. Surely, Li Jingzhe wouldn''t step in right? Even if he did, Qin Lian would be more than happy to see Li Jingzhe acting wantonly. If that happened, Li Jingzhe would face criticism internally. After all, did he really think that the other powers had no one watching over their own people? The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was not the strongest in the world. Even in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, there were other Heavenly Emperor lineages that served as a check and balance against them. Li Jingzhe wouldn''t be able to do everything as he pleased just because he''s a Quasi-Triple Crown King. As Qin Yi was thinking about all this, Li Luo stared at the two magnificent forces standing in his way. He sighed in his heart. Black Soul Peak was right in front of his eyes. However, that short distance seemed like an insurmountable chasm. He had really tried his best as he fought his way over here. Chu Qing nodded his head. His sharp eyes immediately turned towards Li Luo and he took a step forward. The 5000 Blackwater Guardians got into formation and a terrifying amount of energy poured into him. A bright beam of light shot out of his head. Two towering Duke Bergfrieds materialized in the air, each with 9 pillars. A thick amount of Divine Mist slowly arose into the air. Lu Shuanglu stared at the two Duke Bergfrieds and commended him. "What an extraordinary foundation. This Chu Qing has two Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds." Although it wasn''t as shocking as having a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, he was a top genius to be able to construct two Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds. It was evident that he possessed the requisite talent and if the opportunity arose in future, he might even succeed in forging a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. Looking at his Duke Bergfrieds, Chu Qing was most likely an upper second-grade Duke in the late stage. This was way ahead of Zhao Zhuoyan, whom Li Luo had defeated earlier. "Grand Commander Li Luo, are you going to hand the Sovereign Pearl over to me? Or should I take it myself?" Chu Qing calmly said. Li Luo narrowed both of his eyes as he grasped tightly onto his Dragon Elephant Blade. Seeing this, Chu Qing did not waste time with any more words either. He stretched out his hands and worldly natural energy in the surrounding shook vigorously. An energy manifestation of a hand that was thousands of feet wide descended on Li Luo''s location directly. Li Luo looked up at it with calm eyes. On his back, immense sword energy began to circulate. Faintly, an ancient sword formation could be seen behind him. Just as Li Luo was about to summon up all his resonant power to fight back, the energy hand that was falling onto him came to a halt all of a sudden. It seemed like an invisible force had held it back. Chu Qing''s face changed a little when he noticed the sudden development. He turned his head around quickly and saw a massive undulation of energy coming from the distant end of Black Soul Peak. Weng! The world space in the sky appeared to be torn open by the giant fangs of a dragon. Lights shot out of it onto the sky above the Black Soul Peak. At the same time, an indifferent voice resounded in the air. "Try and reach out with your hands if you dare." Li Luo was relieved when he heard that familiar voice. A delighted smile appeared on his face instantly. This was the voice of Guardian General Li Foluo. After dragging it out for so long, his reinforcements from the Heavenly Dragon Peak had finally arrived. Chapter 1289: Reinforcements Chapter 1289: Reinforcements Beams of light filled with enormous energy flew across the sky. Many newcomers arrived on the battlefield at this instant. As soon as they appeared, a powerful force swept across and pushed back against the pressure coming from the Blackwater Guardians and Heaven Devouring Guardians. Countless shocked gazes looked over immediately. The enormous amount of energy appeared to have condensed into a cloud layer. Thousands of people stood on the cloud as strands of energy rose up, gathered and condensed into a giant formation. An extremely sharp and majestic aura emanated from it, seemingly capable of easily slicing the sky apart. At the front of the formation, a cold and heroic man stood upright with his hands behind his back. A domineering pressure radiated from him. Four Duke Bergfrieds materialized above his head as they rumbled amidst the tremendous amount of energy that had condensed. Many of them recognized him immediately. They all exclaimed in surprise, "Isn''t that... the Guardian General of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, Li Foluo!" The reinforcements from Heavenly Dragon Peak had finally arrived. The rogue cultivators let out a sigh of disappointment. With the way things had developed, they could forget about getting their hands on the Sovereign Pearl now. Some of them glanced over at Li Luo, with a little admiration in their eyes. During the escape, Li Luo and his team had arduously conquered obstacle after obstacle. He had to overcome strong foes like Zhao Zhuoyan and if he had not defeated him earlier, the latter would have taken his Sovereign Pearl and retreated by now. Even with Li Foluo''s arrival, there was little he could do to get the Sovereign Pearl back. Surprisingly, Li Luo had against all odds, managed to hold firm Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com He had dragged things out and bought enough time for himself. "This brat is only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage as well..." Some of them sighed. Under ordinary circumstances, they would have expected someone like him to have been cannon fodder in such a conflict. Yet, Li Luo was able to achieve a spectacular result. When he stepped into Duke stage later, just what would he achieve? "The Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried from Jiang Qing''e is shocking for sure. However, Li Luo''s potential is extraordinary as well. Who knows? In the future, he may become another one that treads the Path of Ascension. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s rise is preordained." Some of the Dukes commented. The commotion caused this time had been too huge. No matter how it turned out, Li Luo would definitely rise up in fame in the World End''s River Region. As they sighed about it, Chu Qing raised his head and looked up at Li Foluo solemnly. He was a fourth-grade Duke and had brought 5000 Guardians along with him. This meant that his strength could reach the level of a sixth-grade Duke. This would have been sufficient to oppress everyone here. "Li Luo, you have an exceptional talent for causing trouble. You merely left for a mission and yet you''ve alerted half the World End''s River Region, causing everyone to mobilize." Li Foluo said as he glanced at Li Luo. He was originally carrying out his own mission when an emergency summons came from the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion. He was asked to rush over and aid Li Luo as fast as he could. "You can''t blame me for this." Li Luo looked back at him innocently. It was already a rare occurrence for a Sovereign Pearl to even appear. How could he possibly give up on it in that case? "Oh right. Guardian General, please hurry and help Sister Qing''e!" Li Luo exclaimed suddenly. He might be safe now but Jiang Qing''e had been left behind to face many of the Dukes alone. Li Foluo waved his hands. "Don''t worry. Li Jushen has left to reinforce her with the Dragon''s Bone Guardians. Hall Master Li Qingpeng has also flown over to the Golden Stone Valley personally. He heard that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had sent out many powerful Dukes and was worried Hall Master Jinpan would be at a disadvantage. Thus he''s also brought some friends." Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief when he heard about it. It wasn''t an unfounded comment that he was the source of trouble... Three Guardian Generals from the Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies had rushed over due to this incident. During his escape, he had constantly been in a state of tension and stress. Now that the Guardians were here, he suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion pervade his body. It was truly a blessing that he managed to hold onto the Sovereign Pearl successfully. A few moments later, he noticed beams of light filled with powerful energy flashing across the sky as countless figures appeared. In a short while, a huge army of them had appeared in the sky. Li Luo looked over and noticed the beautiful Jiang Qing''e instantly. He rushed over and asked with concern, "Are you alright, Sister Qing''e?" "Haha, Dragon''s Fang Envoy Jiang is truly an unrivaled talent. When I arrived, she had completely suppressed Zhao Jiyun and the other Dukes by herself. She was really amazing." A tall and well built man spoke. This was Li Jushen, the Guardian General of the Dragon''s Bone Guardians. His voice was clear and resounded loudly across the sky like the boom of thunder. Not too far away, Chu Qing and Qin Yi had also heard his words. Their eyes wavered as they glanced over at the beauty who floated in the middle of the sky. "She''s the unrivaled talent with the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried?" Chu Qing''s gaze seemed to ignite with interest as his competitive nature was aroused. "So that''s the fiancee of Li Luo... Jiang Qing''e?" Qin Yi thought in her heart. Chapter 1290: Successful Return Chapter 1290: Successful Return Under everyone''s gazes, Jiang Qing''e floated alone. Her slender figure was garbed in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians'' armor which outlined her exquisite curves. Her countenance possessed an otherworldly beauty and her golden eyes were deep and abstruse, seemingly capable of sucking people into them, causing one to lose their minds before her. As she grasped her heavy sword, one could see bloodstains on the blade''s edge, giving off a fiendish atmosphere. It made her seem even more attractive as she gave off a dangerous and sharp air. The Sacred Crown of Thorns atop her head was still radiating with holy light, causing her presence to be likened to the descent of a god. "This Jiang Qing''e is indeed extraordinary. Perhaps it''s no wonder that she is considered to be unrivaled." Chu Qing sighed as he sized her up. Despite being someone with immense self control, he couldn''t help but to be dazed for a moment. Most importantly, he could sense an indescribable pressure coming from her body, arousing his fighting spirit. She might have a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried but she was still only a first-grade Duke. Chu Qing was an upper second-grade and had constructed two Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds. This sort of foundation was something he took pride in and what allowed him to defeat third-grades. Thus Chu Qing wanted to experience for himself just who was stronger. Would it be him or Jiang Qing''e? Qin Yi''s gorgeous eyes were also staring at Jiang Qing''e as she praised. "She truly is beautiful." Chu Qing smiled, "It looks like the unmatched Fairy of Water of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent now has a worthy competitor." She lightly pursed her lips as she replied helplessly. "What do you mean Fairy of Water? This is just the idle ramblings of bored individuals. There''s no need to make fun of me Martial Brother." Chu Qing continued. "With how exceptional she is, if someone told me she was a descendant of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent''s Heavenly Emperor powers, I would have believed them. Instead it turns out she heralded from the Outer divine continent. This is truly unbelievable." "The outer divine continent might be sparse and desolate but there would be instances where truly shocking individuals would be born there. Even since ancient times, there were geniuses from the outer divine continent who managed to become Heavenly Emperors." Qin Yi mused. "Li Luo is indeed blessed." Chu Qing sighed once again. "Master detests Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan and thus Li Luo has also suffered because of that. In the past, I had thought that the best way for her to release her anger would be to get you, Martial Sister, to seduce him and have him firmly under your thumb. That way he would be your suitor and such a defeat would be more humiliating than beating him in a fight." When Qin Yi heard Chu Qing''s words, she furiously and coldly glared at him . "How could Martial Brother say something so depraved!" Chu Qing bitterly smiled. "Well Master made you do it anyway. More importantly there''s nothing despicable about this. An elegant lady would be pursued by gentlemen and Martial Sister is unmatched. Li Luo wanting to chase after you would only be a natural thing." Li Luo sighed as he hurriedly changed the topic. "Sister Qing''e, your complexion doesn''t seem great. Are you injured?" Although her skin was fair and flowing with holy light, he could see that her face was a little pale and it was clear that it was not an easy task to block Zhao Jiyun and the rest. "I''ve just overexerted myself a little." Jiang Qing''e shook her head as she gave a slight smile. "Whereas you actually defeated Zhao Zhuoyan as well. This achievement will definitely shock the Five Guardian Armies." "It''s only because I relied on the Dragon''s Fang Guardians formation. Otherwise if I were to challenge him alone, I would barely be more than a bug before him." Li Luo replied humbly. This was the truth after all. Without the formation helping to bridge the gap in their strength, Li Luo''s Greater Heavenly Resonance stage power wouldn''t have been able to even shake a lower second-grade Duke. "Alright, there''s no need to act humble. Your battle achievements are sufficient for you to rise to the position of the First Grand Commander." Li Foluo''s voice suddenly sounded out. "Oh? Have I been supplanted?" Xia Yu asked. Li Luo hurriedly plastered a smile on his face. "First Grand Commander Xia Yu can rest relaxed. I''m not interested in the role of First Grand Commander. Instead I want to become the Guardian General." Xia Yu grinned upon hearing this. "Well work hard then. I''ll support you." Li Foluo guffawed upon hearing Li Luo''s big words. "You''ll have to temper yourself for another two years at least if you are eyeing my role. Perhaps only Jiang Qing''e might be able to do so." After which he waved his hand. "It''s time to go. There are too many unwanted eyes watching us. We shall first return to Heavenly Dragon Peak." The area they were in was chaotic and without rule of law. Although Li Foluo had hurried over and there was no one else remaining who desired to steal from Li Luo, there were still many vicious individuals within the World End''s River Region. It would be best if they did not stay. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e naturally did not disagree, especially Li Luo. He couldn''t wait to get back and turn in the Sovereign Pearls. Now that he had emerged from this dangerous trial, it was time to reap the rewards. As such, the entire group began to move off, transforming into a gigantic beam of light that shot across Black Soul Peak and towards Heavenly Dragon Peak. With their departure, Zhao Zhu also took his men to dig through the collapsed rubble, fishing out a heavily injured Zhao Zhuoyan before gloomily retreating. It seemed like the Ten Thousand Beast Guardians would become the butt of jokes after this. Chapter 1291: Surprise and Distribution! Chapter 1291: Surprise and Distribution! On their way back to the Heavenly Dragon Peak, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s team met up with Li Tingyue, who had led the Dragon''s Scale Guardians to intercept the Blackwater Guardians reinforcements earlier. The group gathered up and rushed back to the Heavenly Dragon Peak directly. There were no more obstructions along the way. When they returned, there were whispers all over the Heavenly Dragon City. Many curious gazes looked over excitedly. Clearly, the news of Li Luo getting past all the obstructions and coming back with the Sovereign Pearl had spread all over the City. Countless people were talking about it. Initially, most of them felt that Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e wouldn''t be able to last until reinforcements from the Heavenly Dragon Peak arrived. There were many strong foes along the way. Dozens of Dukes had set their eyes on it and moreover, there were also those from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao as well as the other Heavenly Emperor powers. Jiang Qing''e might be an unrivaled talent with a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried but she was still a first-grade Duke. She was too inexperienced compared to the numerous Dukes in tge World End''s River Region. She was unlikely to change anything with just her alone. As for Li Luo, even more people had neglected his presence. He was still a Greater Heavenly Resonance, which would barely be worth watching in a battle of such scale. However, they continued to hear more news over time and realized that Li Luo had defeated Zhao Zhuoyan, the Grand Commander of Divine Tiger Guardians. This caused a really huge commotion in the City. After all, Zhao Zhuoyan was at the pinnacle of a lower second-grade Duke stage! Coupled with two thousand Guardians assisting him, his strength could rival that of a fourth-grade Duke! Yet, he still lost the fight in the end. The arsenal of tricks up Li Luo''s sleeves was truly shocking. His achievements from the fight did not pale in comparison to Jiang Qing''e. It was all thanks to both of their stunning performances that they could buy sufficient time for reinforcements to arrive. Many strong Dukes in the Heavenly Dragon City sighed in their hearts. Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo had truly made a name for themselves in the World End''s River Region. Many veteran Dukes would begin to pay attention to them from now onwards. In an encampment at the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. Guardian General Li Zhihuo watched the large army return with a complex look in his eyes. The Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies had sent out three of the Guardian Armies to help Li Luo this time. This had caused quite a bit of commotion. Everyone in the Heavenly Dragon City had heard about the stunning battles of Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo. Naturally, the Guardian General of Dragon''s Blood Guardians was aware of it too. The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) "With just her own strength and three Thousand Guardians, Jiang Qing''e had managed to stop Zhao Jiyun from the Divine Tiger Guardians as well as three other fifth-grade Dukes. The triple ninth-grade Light resonance and Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried are truly domineering. If her second Duke Bergfried is also a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, I am afraid I will even have to give way for her." Li Zhihuo commented with a perplexed look. On his side, the charming face of Li Hongque changed too. She was so shocked by their battles that she couldn''t say anything disparaging. In the end, she said, "It''s not so easy to forge a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried again. Since ancient times, there have been many top talents who have gotten a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried as their first Duke Bergfried. However, they exhausted all their potential for it and no longer achieved anything spectacular afterwards. In fact, they even got from bad to worse. Most of them couldn''t even forge a Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfried afterwards." Li Zhihuo shook his head. "Li Luo actually managed to defeat Zhao Zhuoyan. It seems like I''ve really underestimated him in the past. With such a track record, he''ll definitely become the First Grand Commander of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians once he gets enough experience. When that time comes, your title as the strongest First Grand Commander in the Five Guardian Armies will be challenged." Li Hongque pouted her mouth. "I''ve fought with Zhao Zhuoyan earlier, he is nothing worth mentioning." She was an upper second-grade Duke and considered the strongest First Grand Commander amongst the whole Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies. Naturally, she was stronger than Zhao Zhuoyan. He didn''t hide anything from Li Jingzhe and took out the two Sovereign Pearls. At the same time, he handed over all the other Spirit Clam Pearls he had collected. Endless amount of brilliant light shone out, filling up the whole Pavilion brightly. Many Elders stared at the golden pearls emitting thousands of feet of brilliant light. This''s the precious and rare Sovereign Pearl. Li Luo was able to get two of them? Just how lucky was he? Even Li Jingzhe was a little surprised. Li Qingpeng walked up and collected the Sovereign Pearls along with all the other Spirit Pearls. He tabulated their harvest accordingly. Many of the Elders were watching excitedly. The Sovereign Pearl was a top grade ingredient for crafting top grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. It was an extremely attractive treasure even to them. However, they understood the rules. Only those involved in the mission and had made significant contributions for its success would have the priority in exchanging for the prizes. "You all have made significant contributions to the success of the mission this time. If any of you wants to trade for the Sovereign Pearl, feel free to speak up." Li Jingzhe told Jiang Qing''e, Li Luo, Li Jinpan, Ox Biaobiao and Li Rouyun. Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo made the biggest contributions by fighting their way back with the Sovereign Pearl. However, Li Jinpan and the other two had contributed significantly for its success too. If they had not stayed back to stop the upper grade Dukes, Li Luo and the rest wouldn''t be able to leave the Golden Stone Valley at all. As such, they also had priority in exchanging for the rewards. Li Jinpan rubbed his nose. This Sovereign Pearl was something he immensely coveted. However, he felt a stern gaze coming from Li Jingzhe before he could speak up. He laughed out and responded, "Hey, how can the Elders like us fight over it with the youngsters? You can give it to Li Luo and Qing''e." Ox Biaobiao nodded his head. Li Rouyun also smiled and nodded. "Second Uncle and the rest had really helped us a lot. I can give up on this as long as there''s one left for Li Luo. He''s the one who really needs the Sovereign Pearl." Jiang Qing''e said softly. Li Jingzhe waved his hand and answered, "Your contributions have been rewarded with dragon essences. However, it''s most likely still insufficient to trade for the Sovereign Pearl." He took a glance at Li Qingpeng, who quickly did some calculations before replying, "The two of them will still need to add on around another 70,000 dragon essences." Li Jingzhe nodded his head. "Put it on the tab first. We''ll talk about it later." Then, he lifted his fingers and the two Sovereign Pearl flew towards Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e directly. The two of them took a look at each other before they reached out and accepted it. In the Pavilion, the corners of the mouths of many Elders twitched a little when they witnessed this scene, especially Li Jiluo, Li Zhiqiu and those from the lineages. Before they could voice out their opinions for the Sovereign Pearl, it had already been distributed by Li Jingzhe. And the requisite dragon essences could even be provided in the form of a loan...? This Is simply... Spoiling his grandson openly and blatantly! However, there was nothing they could say in the face of Li Jingzhe, a Quasi-Triple Crown King. They could only rub their noses and accept the truth of things reluctantly. Chapter 1292: Reward Chapter 1292: Reward After the two Sovereign Pearls were distributed, the rest of the Elders didn''t see any point in hanging around further. They exchanged several words before they too chose to disperse. Li Jingzhe then had Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e stay behind. "Leave the Sovereign Pearl''s with me. I''ll help you refine the Crimson Pill Blood Refinement Resonance art''s spiritual liquid. It will require a few days and you shouldn''t leave Heavenly Dragon City before then." Li Jingzhe first told Li Luo. He hurriedly nodded his head and smiled. "Thank you grandpa." "I''ll first keep Qing''e''s pearl in safekeeping. Once I''ve obtained enough precious materials, I should be able to refine her a top grade Foundational Spirit Treasure." Li Jingzhe then continued as he glanced at Jiang Qing''e. "Thank you grandpa." Jiang Qing''e similarly spoke. She could feel from his gaze a certain sort of protective love. Although the Sovereign Pearl was precious, it was only one component necessary to craft a Foundational Spirit Treasure. Just having it wasn''t enough. Now Li Jingzhe had taken it away and would even supplement with his own treasures to return her a completed Foundational Spirit Treasure. She definitely benefited from this arrangement. Although Jiang Qing''e never wanted to accept charity from others but there was no need to be so calculative when it came to her own elders. "The two of you performed exceedingly well but I think you''ve also gotten a feel for how many crouching tigers and hidden dragons exist within the World End''s River Region right?" Li Jingzhe smiled as he spoke. Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo nodded their heads. During their escape, they had experienced countless huge battles and whether it was rogue cultivators or Dukes from established powers, they had experienced a lot of pressure. If not for the aid of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, even Jiang Qing''e would have been unable to succeed if they had to rely on themselves. "What you''ve seen in your journey is that you have been evenly matched so far. However lurking in the dark were even more powerful foes like high grade Dukes. Perhaps they may have been wary of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and opted not to easily take action. There were others that were instead blocked by our own experts and it allowed you to return safely. This could be considered to be good luck as well." Li Jingzhe continued. Jiang Qing''e nodded her head slightly. "I have to rush towards the second-grade Duke stage. If I''m able to forge yet another Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, our ability to protect ourselves will also increase." Li Jingzhe sighed. This granddaughter of hers was clearly not run of the mill. She was clearly determined to travel the Path of Ascension. However this was possibly the hardest route one could possibly take since ancient times. Even between Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, both had only managed to obtain one Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried amongst their first three bergfrieds. It was easier said than done to become a Transcendent Duke. "There is no rush. You need to wait for the right opportunity and when you have enough confidence before approaching the breakthrough. The Duke stage is all about taking advantage of the right opportunities. There are many who did not advance in tens of years but when the right circumstances lined up, they reaped the results they desired." Li Jingzhe consoled. In the end, she shook off Li Luo''s hands as her figure turned into a flowing beam of light, shooting towards the Dragon''s Fang Guardians''s mustering grounds. Li Luo on the other hand chuckled darkly with a heart full of anticipation as he followed behind. When they returned, the sun was still blazing in the sky. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians'' were naturally tired but their spirits were lifted. This glorious escape was incredibly dangerous but had also become a legend in and of itself. The other 5000 Guardians could only watch on with envy as they had only managed to appear towards the end. Both Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e received a hero''s welcome as they spent some time interacting with the Guardians before leaving. When they returned to their private abode, Jiang Qing''e immediately disappeared. Li Luo felt a little helpless as he began to tidy up the place himself, before finally laying down in his bedroom completely exhausted, too tired to move. It was just as Li Luo was about to fall asleep when he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door to his room. He turned his eyes towards the doorway before his eyes widened in complete shock. In the doorway was none other than Jiang Qing''e. However she had changed from her usual suit of armor and dressed into a pair of familiar pajamas. Atop the pajamas was sewn a large white goose. Li Luo could remember that this was something Tan Tailan had personally sewn for her and it was her favorite set. When they were in House Luolan, she would often wear it. The pajamas were a little loose but they were unable to conceal Jiang Qing''e''s prided figure and alluring curves. The thighs beneath were snowy white like the ivory tusks of an elephant. Jiang Qing''e''s long hair was still damp and it seemed she had just taken a shower. Her arms were folded across her chest and her pajamas pressed against her willowy body, further accentuating her curves. When Li Luo saw this, he felt a heat surge within his nostrils. However his words did not reflect his hypocritical inner thoughts. "Sister Qing''e, are you trying to test me?" Jiang Qing''e took in a deep breath as her chest heaved before she closed the door with her hand. As the door shut, it caused Li Luo''s heart to tremble wildly. He felt completely ecstatic. Could it be? Jiang Qing''e''s beauty expression was calm but he was able to see her blushing. This meant that her mind was not as calm as what her exterior portrayed. She walked to the side of the bed as she haughtily looked down upon Li Luo. However what came next was a voice that contained a hint of a tremor. "I''ll be sleeping here tonight. Are you satisfied with this reward?" Chapter 1293: Secret Chapter 1293: Secret Within the candle lit room, Li Luo''s surprised gaze remained on the lightly perfumed Jiang Qing''e who stood by his bedside. He continuously gulped as his heart was literally thumping against his chest despite his strong mental fortitude. "Sister Qing''e, are you serious?" In the end, Li Luo couldn''t help but to break the stalemate. "Aren''t you satisfied with this reward? Never mind then." Jiang Qing''e then turned and pretended to leave. Li Luo hurriedly raised his hand, directly grabbing onto Jiang Qing''e''s cool jadeite hand, "I was simply taken aback by this great fortune. It naturally caught me off guard." His fingers playfully hooked onto Jiang Qing''e''s palm and the heat in his gaze seemed like an ignited flame. In fact, it even felt like it would scorch her skin. "Don''t imagine perverted things." The ruddy red which colored her cheeks increased in intensity as she hurriedly explained. "I''m just sleeping next to you tonight. You... you are not allowed to do anything else." "Huh?" Li Luo''s expression turned bitter. "Is this a punishment or a reward?" Having to share the same bed with her but yet unable to do anything... Was this trying to torment the devils in his heart? Jiang Qing''e''s face was still red as she felt a little embarrassed. She had been forced by Li Luo to come up with a suitable reward and could only come up with this temporarily. However it would be a bit too soon if she were to do anything funny with Li Luo. In such a situation, even the usually collected Jiang Qing''e felt at a loss. When Li Luo saw her reaction, he couldn''t help but to grin. Seeing such a reaction was simply too rare. As he thought about it, he did not press forward either. It was to prevent her from feeling so embarrassed that she would simply fly away. They had to take things step by step and this reward was already a step forward in terms of causing her to take bold action on her own. With this reward as the foundation for the next, wouldn''t it mean he would get to advance yet another step when he was rewarded yet again? Thus Li Luo pretended to sigh with disappointment. "Alright, who asked me to feel sorry for my dearest Sister Qing''e. It seems we will just share a bed tonight and engage in idle conversation, pouring our hearts out to each other." This caused Jiang Qing''e to sigh in relief. She didn''t know what would happen if Li Luo continued to push her. Would she relent or not? Either way they were both engaged to each other and even if they went that far, it would be justifiable anyways. The emotions in her heart similarly experienced a change. She knew that it was impossible for her to hold any affection for anyone else in this life. Li Luo would be her one and only. She suddenly stretched out her hand and grabbed Li Luo''s sneakily wandering hand and asked. "Li Luo, I have to ask you something." Li Luo''s hand was now pressed against her smooth and flat belly as he casually reploied. "Go ahead." "Am I the Genesis Seed obtained from the Sacred Void Resonance Sect by Master and mistress?" Jiang Qing''e''s sudden question immediately extinguished any restless flames in Li Luo''s heart. His whole body couldn''t help but to shake a little as his eyes were full of shock. "Sister Qing''e... what, what are you talking about? Aren''t I the Genesis Seed?" Li Luo dryly smirked. He had never thought that Jiang Qing''e would have come up with this conclusion. Jiang Qing''e lightly shook her head. "Do you think I never had any suspicions towards this? I have no memories of my life before House Luolan and had always grown up with you. My body is full of secrets and I''ve always known about this since I was young. In terms of being special, I should be much more special when compared to you. Outsiders might find it difficult to make this deduction but I am not the same. I have a higher probability of being the supposed natural Genesis Seed when compared to you. That also means that Qin Lian wants to capture me instead of you as well. You knew about this but never said a word... I suppose you wanted to bear the danger on behalf of me." When Li Luo heard Jiang Qing''e''s soft words, he fell into deep thought before giving a bitter smile. "Sister Qing''e, all of this is just our own guesses. Perhaps we will only know the truth when Father and Mother are back. Thus you cannot let others know about this." Jiang Qing''e lightly beamed at him. "Is this your plan to protect me?" "What''s wrong with protecting my future wife?" Li Luo snorted as he hugged her ever more tightly. Jiang Qing''e stretched her hand out and lightly caressed Li Luo''s handsome face. "It seems like this younger brother from back then has become quite spirited." "Hey who are you calling a younger brother?" Li Luo fumed. "If you hadn''t begged for mercy just now, I would have let you know just what a husband means." Jiang Qing''e chuckled lightly as she knew that Li Luo was simply teasing her and didn''t mind. Instead she ignored him and spoke quietly. "Li Luo, when I broke into the Duke stage, I could distinctly feel that my body contained a humongous secret. Its implications are grave and I''m afraid when the day comes, it will change everything. That includes both me and you." Li Luo''s heart began to palpitate as he hugged Jiang Qing''e yet again and said seriously, "There is nothing in this world that can change us. You don''t need to worry about this. There are also countless secrets within my body and who knows just who is more impressive. That remains to be seen." He consoled. Jiang Qing''e remained within Li Luo''s embrace as her golden eyes gradually closed. In the darkness, she quietly murmured. "Li Luo, no matter what happens, in my heart... House Luolan is my only home." Chapter 1294: Preparing to Evolve the Dragon Resonance Chapter 1294: Preparing to Evolve the Dragon Resonance When Li Luo opened his eyes lazily in the early morning, the soft body in his arms had already vanished. He got up in a hurry and saw Jiang Qing''e standing by the window. She had already changed her clothes and was looking at the training ground in the distance, where the sounds could be heard. Jiang Qing''e had noticed his movement and turned her head around. "Oh you''ve awakened?" She had returned to her usual calm composure. Li Luo pouted when he saw this, as he said with a reluctant look, "Give me back the gentle Jiang Qing''e!" During the previous night, Jiang Qing''e had been demure and shy and this was a really rare sight even for Li Luo. Jiang Qing''e rolled her eyes back at him. "I will head over to the training ground first. In the next few days, there is no need for us to take on any missions. You can focus on your cultivation." She was about to leave the room but it was then when she saw the melancholic look on Li Luo''s face. She slowly walked over and bent down, her red lips lightly kissing his forehead, leaving a faint mark on it. Then, she turned around and left the room swiftly. Her fragrance lingered in the air as her slender body walked out. Li Luo was left a little stunned as he watched the elegant figure leave. He couldn''t figure out their roles at this moment. Just who was the one who was actually rewarded last night? Nonetheless, that wasn''t important. At least he had a wonderful night. The plump white goose had a nicely scented and soft body. Sleeping with such a bolster had a much better rejuvenating effect than any pills. It would be perfect if he could be rewarded like this everytime. However, that seemed unlikely given his understanding of Jiang Qing''e''s temperament. Li Luo got up feeling a little regretful. He prepared himself and left for the cultivation chamber for his daily cultivation session. He had spent close to half a month of time to accomplish the Golden Stone Valley mission. His resonant power had also strengthened considerably after pushing himself constantly with all the fierce fights he was forced into. His Heavenly Resonance Diagram had reached 90,000 feet at this point. Many ordinary individuals in the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage would be completely satisfied if their Heavenly Resonance Diagram had reached such a level. However, this was insufficient for Li Luo. The 90,000 feet was only his starting point. His ultimate goal was to reach a perfect 100,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram. Such a foundation was absolutely necessary if he wanted to forge a Ten Pillar Duke Bergfried during his breakthrough into the Duke stage. "The opening of the World End''s River Treasure Domain will be coming soon. I have to achieve a 100,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram before that. That way, if I come across any top grade Foundational Spirit Treasures in the Treasure Domain, I''ll be able to use it and breakthrough into Duke stage immediately." Li Luo sat down on the stone platform and pondered with a solemn face. Once the Heavenly Resonance Diagram had reached 90,000 feet, the difficulty in increasing it any further became exponentially harder. Even with his triple resonant palaces, Li Luo could only achieve about 10 feet of growth per day. This left him clearly dissatisfied. Fortunately, he still had the World End''s River Falling Star Terrace to help him. He couldn''t participate in the previous round as he was out on a mission in the Golden Stone Valley. As such, he did not receive any Star Pearls from the previous Falling Star Terrace. Luckily, its next opening would be in around 10 days time. If he made full use of it, Li Luo should be able to achieve remarkable growth. That said, it was unlikely that he would replicate the achievement of 20,000 feet like his first time. Like all things, the first supplement usually had the strongest effects. Besides, Li Luo had stepped into the 90,000 feet region now. The difficulty had ballooned exponentially. "Not only that, there is still the evolution into a Heavenly Dragon resonance." Li Luo grew excited as soon as he thought about it. He had toiled so hard over the past half month in order to obtain the requisite Sovereign Pearl. This item would significantly increase his chance of evolving his dragon resonance into the Heavenly Dragon resonance. "The effects of the Sovereign Pearl you brought back were fantastic. I ended up spending a little more time refining it but I managed to create the Evolving Spiritual Liquid in the end." Li Jingzhe stared at Li Luo and continued slowly, "Let me remind you. You only have one chance to use this secret art and attempt evolution. If you fail, the secret art would no longer work again in the future. Any affinity with the Heavenly Dragon resonance will come to an end." Li Luo''s face turned solemn as he listened and nodded his head. He had already been prepared for this possibility. No matter how challenging the task would be, he wasn''t going to give up. If he really wanted to forge a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried when he reached the Duke stage, a seventh-grade Thunder Dragon resonance would definitely hold him back. He had to do something about this shortcoming. "For the evolution of the Heavenly Dragon resonance, you''ll be refining the Heavenly Dragon blood in your body and fusing it with your own Dragon resonance. This will bring about excruciating pain. If your mental fortitude isn''t strong enough, you will not be able to last through it." Li Luo looked over at the Volcano Cauldron which was a terrifyingly high temperature. At this point, his face gradually turned calm and composed. There was no more anxiety like how he had felt over the past few days. "Grandpa, I am ready. If it''s not a life and death situation, I hope grandpa will not interfere with the process." Li Luo responded in a gentle voice. Li Jingzhe did not reply but there was a hint of appreciation deep within his eyes. If Li Luo did not have such determination and wanted to rely on his protection, he wouldn''t have stood a chance. "Grandpa, I have another question." "Yes?" Li Luo asked curiously, "If I really succeed in evolving my dragon resonance into the Heavenly Dragon resonance, what grade will it be?" Li Jingzhe thought about it for a moment before answering. "Your Heavenly Dragon resonance wouldn''t be any lower than eighth-grade. Although your Thunder Dragon resonance is only upper seventh-grade now, it will definitely reach the eighth-grade at least if your evolution is successful. Your spiritual liquid also contains a Sovereign Pearl, so there''s a high chance you will reach the upper eighth-grade too." "Oh, upper eighth-grade." Li Luo pouted his mouth, clearly a little dissatisfied with this result. "An upper eighth-grade is still too low for you? An increase from upper seventh-grade to upper eighth-grade is a jump in one full grade. If you rely on spirit liquids under ordinary circumstances, who knows how many of those you will need? Besides, an upper eighth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance will not pale in comparison to many of the quasi ninth-grade resonances." Li Jingzhe explained. "Can we increase it just a little more?" Li Luo asked. "It''s really rare to see someone as ambitious as you." Li Jingzhe replied angrily. "It''s not my fault. Sister Qing''e is just too strong, I am under a lot of pressure!" Li Luo answered back. "It''s indeed shocking that Qing''e has triple ninth-grade Light resonances. However, your triple palaces six resonances are just as good as well. You don''t need to underestimate yourself." Li Jingzhe pondered for a moment before he continued, "The Heavenly Dragon resonance may be stronger than the other Dragon resonances but tempering its grade is also equally difficult. In the past, your Father spent a gargantuan amount of resources on his quasi ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance but was ultimately unable to increase it to the lower ninth-grade. This is the degree of difficulty that awaits you. It''s good for you to be ambitious but there is little I can help you with in this regard. Evolution requires one to first have the secret art and spiritual liquid. The second would be to depend on their Heavenly Dragon blood purity. Ultimately how far you can go will depend on yourself." Li Luo nodded his head and took in a deep breath. "I understand." Li Jingzhe nodded his head slightly. "Let''s enter the Cauldron then." Chapter 1295: Evolution in the Cauldron Chapter 1295: Evolution in the Cauldron Klang! As soon as Li Jingzhe finished his words, the cover of the Volcano Cauldron lifted up gradually. Crimson red fumes flooded out of it and the temperature in the Grand Hall soared. The crimson red spiritual liquid bubbled in the Volcano Cauldron like lava. Then, the Volcano Cauldron vibrated a little and the volcano carved onto its sides began to spew out magma continuously. The magma circulated around the cauldron like an inscription and the temperature rose to an astonishing level. It seemed like stepping into the cauldron was akin to stepping into a volcano itself. It was definitely going to feel like entering the depths of hell itself. However, Li Luo did not hesitate at all. He knew that this was a rare opportunity with Li Jingzhe watching over him from the side. Others could only dream of having such treatment. If he was still afraid in such a situation, he would truly not deserve to obtain a Heavenly Dragon resonance. As such, he took a step forward and leapt into the cauldron in a flash. His vision was clouded with crimson red and the world space in the Volcano Cauldron was larger than he had imagined, likely due to the magical nature of the cauldron. The crimson red spiritual liquid boiled continuously. The bubbles gradually grew larger until they popped, releasing a terrifying amount of heat. Li Luo''s feet landed on the crimson red spiritual liquid cautiously. Suddenly, a surge of hot air shot up from the soles of his feet. The spiritual liquid appeared to possess sentence as it slowly crawled up his body. Anywhere it passed by, he could sense an excruciating pain from the burn. It wasn''t just the physical pain from getting burnt. Li Luo could feel a gush of hot air wreaking havoc within his body. Green veins surfaced and his usually handsome face turned a little twisted. Fortunately, he was already prepared for it. He summoned up his resonant power to protect the core of his body. At the same time, he activated the Crimson Pill Blood Refinement Resonance art. The blood in his body became invigorated and Li Luo could hear a faint draconic roar resounding through him. As the crimson red mist continued to invade his body, it finally came into contact with Li Luo''s blood. In that moment, a horrifying pain spread across his body. Even with Li Luo''s mental fortitude, he nearly screamed out in agony. He understood that this was the spiritual liquid trying to refine and fuse with his Heavenly Dragon blood essence. This was the pain and price he had to pay to evolve. He had lost count of how long this excruciating pain went on before he sensed a faint strand of violet golden energy in his body. This violet golden energy gave off an extremely pure and ancient draconic might. "Yes." Li Qingpeng accepted it and left immediately. In the Grand Hall, Li Jingzhe sat down casually in the lotus position. He closed his eyes and stood guard over the place personally. This session lasted two months. During these two months, the World End''s River Region was getting more lively. As time went by, people began to notice a faint mist appearing in the air. This mist was mysterious and appeared to contain faint and strange whispers that could corrupt one''s mind. The people in the World End''s River Region were no stranger to this mist. This was known as the Calamity Mist. The appearance of this mist meant that the so-called Stygian Rain of Calamity was coming soon. Some began to worry over it. Others were elated. The greatest opportunity in the World End''s River Region would appear right before the Stygian Rain of Calamity. The opening of the World End''s River Treasure Domain would be coming soon. This was a great opportunity that many Dukes and major powers had been eyeing. Numerous Foundational Spirit Treasures would appear whenever the World End''s River Treasure Domain opened up. Some of them would be top grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. Even the usually proud upper grade Dukes would join the fight for it. As such, more people had come into the World End''s River Region as the Calamity Mist appeared. Some of them were even well known figures in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. As the World End''s River Region got more lively, it also got more chaotic. ... In the World End''s River Region, base of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, Abyssal City. In the west side of the City, there was a huge reception platform made of a giant blue gemstone. This was only used by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin when they wanted to welcome distinguished guests. Today, all the Elders had gathered. Led by Qin Jiujie, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin stood guard in this Abyssal City. Qin Lian was present as well. Behind her, there were Qin Yi and Chu Qing. The two of them were looking up into the sky. A giant object flew across. It was a giant ship but the whole body of the giant ship seemed to be made of some kind of beast bones. The shapes of thousands of beasts were engraved onto it. Qin Yi stared at the giant ship. This was the renowned Heavenly Emperor powers from the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent. The Imperial Beast Hall. Under the invitation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, this fearsome force had arrived. Chapter 1296: Shen Yunge Chapter 1296: Shen Yunge In the reception hall of Abyssal City. The reception hall was filled with banquet tables as nicely dressed maids attended to the distinguished guests. The atmosphere was lively. Qin Lian sat in the main seat. Qin Jiujie appeared for a moment when they welcomed the guests but disappeared shortly after. He had handed most of the matters over to her. At this moment, she was smiling and chatting with the Elders from the Imperial Beast Hall. Meanwhile, Qin Yi sat down elegantly behind a table in the hall. Her pretty face was paired with a refreshing smile. Her appearance and temperament had made some of the young geniuses of Imperial Beast Hall steal glances at her quietly. Due to her age, her strength was nothing worth mentioning in this large hall. However, her talent would not pale in comparison to the others. Coupled with her mesmerizing looks, she had definitely caught the attention of many young geniuses even if she was not hosting them inside the hall. Qin Yi did not mind this at all. After all, she was already used to such attention. From time to time, her eyes would meet with that of others. She would give them a polite nod and the other party would raise their glasses back respectfully. However, she would quickly turn her eyes away, causing these young geniuses from the Imperial Beast Hall, who was looking for an opportunity to come over and have a chat with her, to sit back awkwardly. Although Qin Yi had not reached the Duke stage, the way she carried herself was enough to make many of the opposite gender embarrassed. However, not everyone would shy away from her brilliance. Qin Yi could sense that an invasive gaze had been watching her from time to time. Her face remained calm as she took a glance from the corner of her eyes to check out where this gaze was coming from. There was a handsome skinny man in green robes. He appeared a little feminine with narrow eyes and untidy hair. Qin Yi had taken note of this guy during the self introduction earlier. His name was Shen Yunge. Despite his young age, he was already the deputy leader of the Snake Division of Imperial Beast Hall. This was comparable to the position of the Guardian General in their Blackwater Guardians. Amongst the young talents from the Imperial Beast Hall, Shen Yunge could be regarded as their leader. As she thought about these, a few figures had suddenly walked towards her. One of them was Shen Yunge. She sighed helplessly in her heart. It seemed like she wouldn''t be able to avoid it after all. She looked up with her bright eyes. The leader of the group was a muscular and heroic looking individual. This was Qin Zhenlin, the Guardian General of the Nine Tribulations Guardians. She did not respond to Shen Bixi''s words directly as she didn''t want to suggest anything unwanted. Besides, she had no interest in him at all. "Lady Qin Yi is even more talented than me. If I had not broken into the Duke stage, I would have been a far cry when compared to you. In the future, you will definitely rise up to the top of your generation in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent." Shen Yunge replied with a gentle smile. However, an image of a young and handsome man with long gray hair surfaced in her mind when she heard this. She sighed in her heart. If Li Luo wasn''t around, she might have really become the top of their generation in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. She had progressed at a shocking pace over the last few months and finally entered the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage. However, Li Luo was already a few months ago ahead of her. He should be in the late stages of the Greater Heavenly Resonance by now. Nonetheless, Qin Yi did not voice out all these thoughts in her mind. Due to the grudges from the previous generation, the two of them weren''t close to each other. Even back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, Li Luo had constantly kept his guard up against her. Yet, she did not plan to say anything in front of Shen Yunge in case it caused any misunderstanding. Qin Yi knew of her own charm very well. Over the years, she had caused many men to turn into enemies just because of a casual comment from her. "Little Yi''s talent is indeed exceptional among her generation but it still pales in comparison to Li Luo from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li." A voice sounded out as laughter came from the side even though she wasn''t planning to say anything about it. Qin Yi recognised the familiar voice instantly. She sighed in her heart as she looked over. "Mother." She greeted as she watched Qin Lian walk towards them. Qin Lian took a glance at her before she turned towards Shen Yunge with a smile. "Brother Yun, it''s your first visit to the World End''s River Region. If there is anything you''re unsure of, feel free to ask Little Yi. After all, you all will be staying here for a while." "Thank you, Hall Master Qin Lian." Shen Yunge thanked her quickly. Qin Yi was a little annoyed in her heart. Her mother often acted so forcefully that she often ignored her own feelings. "This Li Luo that Hall Master Qin Lian mentioned is one of the young geniuses from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?" Shen Yunge asked suddenly. He was a smart one and could sense the animosity hidden in her words. "He is indeed a youth with triple resonant palaces and six resonances. His talent is extraordinary. Two months ago, he even startled the whole World End''s River Region by winning against the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao''s First Grand Commander of the Divine Tiger Guardians, who had reached the pinnacle of lower second-grade Duke, with just his Greater Heavenly Resonance strength and 2000 Guardian members." Qin Lian elaborated. "Three resonant palaces and six resonances?" Shen Yunge revealed a face of surprise when he heard this. It was the first time he had heard of someone with such special resonances. However, his surprise quickly faded away as he smiled and continued, "Such talent is indeed exceptional. If he cultivates for a few more years, even our generation will be left behind by him. If I have the chance in the future, I''ll love to meet him in the World End''s River Treasure Domain." Shen Yunge could sense the unhidden animosity Qin Lian had towards Li Luo. As such, he naturally stood with Qin Lian to gain her favor. A smile could be faintly seen in the corners of Qin Lian''s eyes. This young guy Shen Yunge had caught the meaning hidden in her words. They spoke for a while more before she turned and told Qin Yi, "Little Yi, if you have nothing to do, why don''t you show Yunge and the rest around the World End''s River Region. This will help them familiarize with the surroundings and prepare for the World End''s River Treasure Domain later." With that, she turned around and left the conversation to the younger generation. Qin Yi took another glance at Shen Yunge, who had an even brighter smile on his face now. Then, she looked down with slightly gloomy eyes. Chapter 1297: Birth of the Heavenly Dragon Resonance Chapter 1297: Birth of the Heavenly Dragon Resonance Heavenly Dragon City. In the Grand Hall of Heavenly Dragon Pavilion. Li Jingzhe stood beside the Volcano Cauldron and stared into it. The spiritual liquid in the cauldron had decreased significantly. By now, it couldn''t even cover Li Luo''s body anymore. Li Luo was seated in the lotus position with both of his eyes shut tightly. His resonant power had grown considerably stronger after two months of cultivation. At the same time, Li Jingzhe could tell that an ancient and extremely pure might had surfaced inside his body. Li Qingpeng, who was standing beside Li Jingzhe, watched in surprise. This pure and ancient might was faint but it was enough to make the Dragon resonant power flowing in his body freeze for a moment. He could stimulate it easily but the fact that it made him sluggish, albeit temporarily, was enough to startle him. "Is this... the Heavenly Dragon''s might?" He couldn''t help but ask. Li Jingzhe nodded his head. "The dragon resonance in Little Luo''s body has been infused with his Heavenly Dragon blood essences after the past two months of cultivation. Looking at his progress, the evolution should begin soon. It seems like he''s successfully passed the first step." Li Qingpeng was a little shocked to hear this. "You mean he''s actually managed to evolve it into the Heavenly Dragon resonance?" This could be considered one of the most sought after achievements for those within the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. After all, the Heavenly Dragon resonance was viewed as the leader of all dragon resonances. It would naturally be able to suppress the other dragon resonances. This could be easily seen from how Li Taixuan had dominated the other geniuses of his generation with just his quasi ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance. However, it was no easy task to attain it. This was not a matter of talent nor strength. It was solely dependent on how pure one''s Heavenly Dragon blood lineage was. This was decided at birth and no one could change it. In the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, there were many elites who similarly harbored such ambitions too. However, none had succeeded in the past hundred years. Li Taixuan''s Heavenly Dragon resonance was something obtained naturally and not something he acquired subsequently. Yet, Li Luo was about to accomplish the latter right now. "The purity of Little Luo''s Heavenly Dragon blood is truly unbelievable." Li Qingpeng commented. "The crux right now is to see what grade his Heavenly Dragon resonance will reach." Li Jingzhe said. Li Qingpeng was stunned for a moment when he heard this. "Little Luo''s dragon resonance was originally upper seventh-grade. After evolution, it should be in the eighth-grade at most, right?" He knew how challenging it was to raise the grade of a Heavenly Dragon resonance. In the past, Li Taixuan had complained to him multiple times. He exhausted a gargantuan amount of spirit liquids and even used a lower ninth-grade spirit liquid. Yet... his quasi ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance was unable to reach the lower ninth-grade ultimately. Li Jingzhe''s eyes continued to stare at Li Luo''s figure in the cauldron. "Who knows? Let''s watch and see." Boom! As the two of them were chatting, a strong wave of energy erupted from the inside of the Volcano Cauldron. The energy shockwave was so strong that it shook the cauldron walls continuously, causing a large explosion to echo in the air. Extremely bright violet golden light shot out. In the background, an ancient draconic roar resounded. Li Jingzhe and Li Qingpeng looked at the center of the violet golden glow without batting an eyelid. They could see that Li Luo''s physical body was beginning to grow at a visible rate. In just a few moments, he had turned into a little giant that was hundreds of feet tall. The blood and flesh of his body vibrated. Li Jingzhe and Li Qingpeng could tell that Li Luo''s physical body was getting stronger at an astonishing speed. He wanted to go for a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried when he broke into the Duke stage later. As such, he had to solidify his own foundations with all possible means. An upper eighth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance was a little short of what he wanted. "Can''t I push it just a little more?" Li Luo felt a little bit of reluctance in his heart. However, he could tell that the refinement secret art was already losing its effects in his body. The Heavenly Dragon blood in his body had been completely squeezed dry for him to achieve this upper eighth-grade. It was extremely hard to achieve any further breakthroughs. Li Luo pondered over it. He thought of all the tricks in his arsenal that could be of use. "The True Dragon Seed Pill?" "Heavenly Emperor''s Writ?" "..." As Li Luo thought about these, he didn''t hesitate to give them a try. Just as he was about to activate them, he felt a faint ringing coming from the depths of his body. He focused his mind and sensed the mysterious Auric Halo in his body. It had begun to slowly rotate at this moment. As it moved, Li Luo could sense an immense and pure energy overflowing into his body, rushing towards his Thunder Dragon resonant palace. "Is this..." Li Luo was a little unsure about it. He could sense the familiar feeling he got from liquids and lights within this energy. It was as if a small portion of the liquids and lights he had used all this while had been stored away within this Auric Halo for a moment like this. Besides, the energy that was coming out of this Auric Halo was purer than he could have imagined. Li Luo didn''t have much time to figure out what was happening. In the next instance, the extremely pure energy had entered his Thunder Dragon resonant palace. The Heavenly Dragon resonance that was coiled up in the palace opened its mouth and swallowed it up immediately. Suddenly, the violet golden glow from his Heavenly Dragon resonance grew many times brighter. His body began to expand rapidly once again. The changes within his resonant palace were reflected in the outside world too. Both Li Jingzhe and Li Qingpeng were surprised to see this. The violet golden dragon manifestation above Li Luo''s head continued to grow bigger until it filled up the entire Grand Hall. However, that wasn''t the thing that surprised Li Jingzhe and Li Qingpeng. They could faintly sense a special energy emitting from this dragon manifestation. The two of them had seen a lot and they recognised this special energy immediately. This was the energy of a ninth-grade. "Is that..." Li Qingpeng sucked in a deep breath. The shock couldn''t be contained within his voice. "A quasi ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance?!" Chapter 1298: Quasi Ninth-grade Chapter 1298: Quasi Ninth-grade The gigantic violet golden dragon hovered in the air for a while before it turned into violet golden streams of light that were slowly absorbed back into Li Luo''s body. At the same time, his enlarged body rapidly shrank in size. He finally turned back to normal after a few moments. However, his body was clearly different from the past. On the surface of his skin, there was a faint violet golden glow. If he clenched his five fingers tightly, an explosive power would surge up in his muscles with a thunderous crack. There was an invisible pressure emanating from his body. Li Luo opened his eyes and a violet golden light shot out from it. After a while, it gradually subsided and sank back into the depths of his pupils. He inspected the Thunder Dragon resonance in his body immediately. No, it should be called the Heavenly Thunder Dragon resonance now! "Quasi ninth-grade, Heavenly Dragon resonance!" Li Luo had expected this result but he was still elated. He had endured so much over the past two months of cultivation. Finally, all his hard work had paid off. Li Luo understood that his Heavenly Dragon resonance had reached the quasi ninth-grade this time all thanks to the help of the mysterious and cheat-like Auric Halo. Without it, he would have been unable to bridge the gap between the eighth-grade and ninth-grade. Just how much liquids and lights did he save? All these while, he had never known the mysterious Auric Halo had an ability either. Wouldn''t this mean that he could use it to help him increase his other resonance grades next time too? Li Luo focused his mind on the Auric Halo in his body once again. He noticed that the Auric Halo had become much quieter. It seemed like the outburst of energy earlier had caused considerable strain on the Auric Halo. "The energy emitted earlier was extremely pure. It also has some similarity to the liquids and lights I consumed in the past. Does this mean that all this while, remnant traces of liquids and lights that I had not absorbed were stored in the Auric Halo?" Li Luo could only make this guess. The stored remnants seemed to possess an even greater effect than when they were whole. If this was really the case, this object was much more magical than he had ever imagined. Li Luo wanted to try if he could replicate this once again. If the Auric Halo really had such an ability, he would be able to speed up the rate he increased his resonance grade significantly. Excitement bubbled in his heart but he knew now was not the time. His figure moved swiftly as he leapt out of the Volcano Cauldron. Li Jingzhe casually waved his hands and said, "The Heavenly Dragon resonance has emerged once again. This will definitely cause a commotion in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. The other four lineage chiefs may question you about it too. However, I will help you handle them." The Heavenly Dragon resonance was the leader of all dragon resonances. It naturally held a special significance in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Whenever it emerged, the five lineages would fight to obtain this talent. In fact, it had been recorded in their history that there was one occasion when the Heavenly Dragon resonance once appeared in a distant extended clan. The five lineages sent people over to recruit the talent and to poach them into their own lineages. Alas this competition caused quite a bit of unhappy friction among them. Its importance and uniqueness could not be understated. Li Luo''s Heavenly Dragon resonance was not natural. He had obtained it after birth. Under ordinary circumstances, the other lineages would definitely investigate it out of curiosity. This was unavoidable. However, with Li Jingzhe helping him, Li Luo could avoid a lot of these troubles. This was the perks of having a strong backing. Li Luo quickly thanked his Grandfather once again. "During the two months that you''ve been cultivating, a lot of things have happened. Calamity Mist has surfaced in the World End''s River Region, which means that the Stygian Rain of Calamity is not too far away. The opening of the World End''s River Treasure Domain will also be coming soon. This is one of the grandest affairs in the World End''s River Region. Many elite Dukes from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent will gather for it. Even upper grade Dukes who have been in seclusion may join in. After all, the temptation of a Foundational Spirit Treasure is irresistible for any Duke." Li Jingzhe explained. Li Luo''s eyes lit up with anticipation as he listened. He too was eyeing a top grade Foundational Spirit Treasure. After all, that was an indispensable component in forging a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. Unfortunately, a top grade Foundational Spirit Treasure was too precious. Many upper grade Dukes would set their eyes on it as well. One could easily tell from how many people had came for the Sovereign Pearl back then. This Sovereign Pearl was simply one of the main ingredients in crafting a top grade Foundational Spirit Treasure and yet the fighting that broke out was endless. If it was a natural top grade Foundational Spirit Treasure itself, just how much blood would have to be spilled for it? "Oh right." Li Qingpeng suddenly spoke out from the side. "There''s another piece of good news." "Li Hongyou has begun to prepare to break into the Duke stage." Li Luo was delighted to hear this but he was not surprised. Li Hongyou had reached the pinnacle of the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage for quite some time. She had accumulated and solidified her foundation for more than half a year. Now, it''s finally time for her to proceed onwards. Li Hongyou had a very special resonance and once she stepped into the Duke stage, she would be able to render significantly more assistance when it came to fighting in the World End''s River Treasure Domain. Chapter 1299: Entering the Treasury Chapter 1299: Entering the Treasury When Li Luo happily returned to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians training ground, he was shocked to find it empty. There were barely any people around. He quickly grabbed onto a sentry on duty and asked him about it. "Today is the day they enter the Spirit Treasury?" Li Luo understood as soon as he heard this. Every quarter, the Five Guardian Armies would organize a visit to the Spirit Treasury. All of them would put the Foundational Spirit Treasures that they had found over the past 3 months into the Heavenly Dragon Treasury. This would represent the contributions each of the Guardian Army had made during this period. After these Foundational Spirit Treasures had been placed into the Treasury, any member would be able to exchange for it. As such, nearly everyone in the Five Guardian Armies would gather at the Heavenly Dragon Treasury on this occasion to see if there''s any suitable Foundational Spirit Treasure for themselves. Most of the time, the Foundational Spirit Treasures would be of lower or middle grade. Higher grade Foundational Spirit Treasures were so rare that they might not even see one in half a year''s time. "Sister Qing''e and Senior Hongyou has gone over to the treasury." Li Luo knew that Li Hongyou was preparing to break into the Duke stage. The most important thing for her right now would be a Foundational Spirit Treasure. If she couldn''t find any suitable ones, it would definitely affect the pillars of her Duke Bergfried even if she succeeded. It seemed like Li Hongyou must be planning to find a suitable Foundational Spirit Treasure after all. Li Luo turned around and flew across the sky immediately, heading towards the Heavenly Dragon Treasury. In the parade square outside the gigantic gate of the Heavenly Dragon Treasury. It was bustling with chatter as an uncountable number of people filled the place. It was a really grand sight with thousands of guardians all gathered in the same place. Jiang Qing''e, Li Hongyou, Li Fengyi and Li Fuling were walking together. These beauties of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians drew the gazes of the crowd wherever they passed by. In the short time since her arrival, Jiang Qing''e had silently been crowned the prettiest in the Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies. She also possessed an unrivaled talent apart from her mesmerizing charm. In their generation of the Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies, she was the only one who had forged a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. "Upper grade Foundational Spirit Treasures cost 30,000 dragon essences. As this item is offered by the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, they have the first right to exchange for it in the initial 3 months. If anyone from the other Guardians wants to trade for it, they''ll have to offer twice the amount. Otherwise, they''ll have to wait for the 3 month grace period to pass first." Li Hongyou explained. "I cannot afford it." "I''ll help you raise the amount." Jiang Qing''e replied. Li Hongyou shook her head. "Li Luo and you still owe a huge amount of dragon essence because of the Sovereign Pearls. Qing''e, you''ve been rushing all over the place to take on missions for the past two months and you''ve only repaid a small amount of the debt." Dragon essences were an extremely valuable resource for those in the Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies. Everyone was working for it the whole year round. It was a necessity for them to exchange for other cultivation resources and methods. If Li Hongyou wanted the Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence, she would have to fork out 60,000 dragon essence. This was such a huge amount that even the Guardian General would not be able to raise it in a short time. Jiang Qing''e heard her words and did not insist any further. She indeed did not have much dragon essence left because of the debt incurred from obtaining the two Sovereign Pearls. As the two of them were talking, the crowd in the front split into two suddenly. Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou paused in their tracks. In front of them was Li Zhihuo, the Guardian General of Dragon''s Blood Guardians. Yuan Tianzhao, Li Hongque and Li Hongli were by his side. Li Hongyou frowned a little. She turned around as she did not want to deal with the Dragon''s Blood Guardians at the moment. However, Li Zhihuo walked up to her quickly with a grin. "Hongyou, can''t you give us a chance to talk?" Li Hongyou''s feet stopped for a moment. She answered indifferently, "Guardian General Li Zhihuo, what''d you want to talk about?" Li Zhihuo smiled and stretched out his hand. He did not hide it from her. In his palm, there was a green jade lotus that was a few feet wide. In the middle of the lotus, there was a layer of pale green liquid, giving off an alluring fragrance. The eyes of everyone in the surroundings lit up as they looked over. "That is the upper grade Foundational Spirit Treasure, the Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence?!" As the crowd talked about it, Li Zhihuo looked over at Li Hongyou earnestly. He said in a gentle tone, "Hongyou, I know you hold a grudge against Hongque. However, you have the blood of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage flowing in you. No matter what, this is an unchangeable fact. If you''re willing to come back to the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, I''ll make the call to let you use this Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence first. You can use it to help you breakthrough into the Duke stage first and slowly repay the dragon essence later. As for your grudge with Hongyou and her family, the Dragon''s Blood Guardians will promise not to interfere. You can settle it amongst yourselves. What''d you think?" Many of the Five Guardian Armies members were secretly shocked when they heard Li Zhihuo''s words. It seemed this Li Zhihuo was trying to bribe Li Hongyou into leaving the Dragon''s Fang Guardians using an upper grade Foundational Spirit Treasure? Chapter 1300: Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence Chapter 1300: Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence The sudden appearance of Li Zhihuo had caused Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou to pause in their tracks. They did not expect him to tempt Li Hongyou with the Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence so blatantly. Was it because of the fact that the hard approach had not worked earlier that he was now trying a softer one instead? "Guardian General Li Zhihuo, you guys are really persistent." Li Fengyi responded with a fiery tone. Although she was just a Hundred Guardian within the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, her background was far superior compared to Li Zhihuo''s. As such, she did not mince her words either. Li Zhihuo simply returned a light smile in response. "Hongyou, nothing in this world is more important than your own future. If you have this Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence, you''ll be able to forge a Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfried during your breakthrough into the Duke stage. With this talent, you''ll definitely stand amongst the top in the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. I know about the deep enmity between Hongque and you. If there''s a chance in the future, I will let the two of you fight it out fairly to resolve this." The face of Li Hongque, who was standing by his side, darkened immediately. She glared back at Li Hongyou but did not say anything in the end. It seemed like Li Zhihuo had already spoken to her about it beforehand. The news that Li Hongyou was trying to reach the Duke stage had spread across the Five Guardian Armies. Once she succeeded, her importance and potential to contribute to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians would skyrocket. That was the significant improvement in power upon reaching a new stage. Even Li Jiluo, who was standing guard in the Heavenly Dragon City, had heard about it. He had the highest authority and had the strongest standing amongst all of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage in Heavenly Dragon City. He was well known in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent and had been regarded as the next Lineage chief for the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Such a figure had already expressed his intention that it would be best for the talents of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage to return to their side. With his words, there was no way Li Hongque would raise any objections no matter how unhappy she was. Thus she could only cooperate. Upstodatee from However, Li Hongyou''s gaze did not change despite the tempting offer. She only briefly glanced at the Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence when Li Zhihuo first revealed it in his hands. Then, she did not bother with it any longer. "Li Zhihuo, you''re too stingy. If you want to poach those from our side, you should just gift it to her for free. Why did you still ask her to repay the dragon essence afterwards?" A cold laugh came from a corner as the commotion in the area grew. The crowd opened up from the opposite side and Li Foluo walked in with his aides, giving Li Zhihuo an unfriendly gaze. He did not expect Li Zhihuo to have acted so brazenly, attempting to steal his people so openly in public. Li Zhihuo took a glance at Li Foluo. "It''s not that I am stingy. This are simply the rules. I didn''t say that I''ll need Li Hongyou to pay the full price either but we have to follow proper procedures." "There''s no need for you to worry about that." Li Zhihuo answered in a nonchalant tone. "If you''re really so concerned about your subordinate, why don''t you take out 60,000 dragon essences now? You can just exchange this item and gift it to Li Hongyou. Wouldn''t that be a perfect ending?" Li Foluo was at a loss for words. With his annual salary and rewards from the missions, he could only earn a few tens of thousands of dragon essences a year. He wasn''t one to save a lot either. Discounting all the Foundational Spirit Treasures and cultivation resources he had purchased for himself, there was no way he could fork out 60,000 dragon essences all of a sudden. "There is no need to fall for his provocation, Guardian General. The Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence is good but there isn''t a huge gap between a Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfried and an Eight-Pillar Duke Bergfried. I don''t have the ambition to aim so highly either. A middle grade Foundational Spirit Treasure will be good enough for me." Li Hongyou spoke out to comfort Li Foluo. Li Foluo''s face had turned glum. He knew that Li Hongyou possessed exceptional talent. Her lower ninth-grade Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance was even stronger than what he had when he was at her stage. If there were any deficiencies in resources when she broke into the Duke stage, it would definitely affect her future foundation as well. This was truly a pity. "It seems like Guardian General Li Foluo isn''t able to fork out the dragon essences? In that case, don''t blame me for not giving you a chance." Li Zhihuo replied mockingly. There was a smile in the corner of his mouth as he kept the Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence away. Suddenly, a voice came out from the back. "Wait a minute. Just 60,000 dragon essences? I''ll take it. Wrap it up for me, please." All the surrounding members from the Five Guardian Armies were stunned. Their eyes turned towards where the voice had come from and they saw Li Luo walking in. "Li Luo? You''re out?" Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou were elated to see Li Luo. After all, it had been two whole months since they last saw each other. Li Luo nodded his head with a smile. He looked towards Li Zhihuo and continued, "60,000 dragon essences right? Surely, Guardian General Li Zhihuo will keep to his words?" Li Zhihuo looked back at Li Luo with a frown. He replied in an emotionless voice, "Li Luo, I have no time to mess with you. From what I understand, you still owe a huge amount of dragon essences. Where''re you getting the 60,000 dragon essences from? Could it be... you''re thinking of taking a loan from our Dragon''s Blood Guardians?" Many people in the surrounding area burst out laughing when they heard his mocking words. Li Foluo and the rest were confused as well. They knew about his situation and Li Luo should be in a much worse financial situation when compared to any of them. How was he going to fork out that 60,000 dragon essences? (Author''s Note: Li Jiluo is the Hall Master of Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Gold Blood Hall. Li Foluo is the Guardian General of Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Don''t confuse their names, friends.) Chapter 1301: Alternative Ways to Earn Dragon Essences Chapter 1301: Alternative Ways to Earn Dragon Essences Li Luo''s appearance had attracted all the attention in the area. Everyone looked over curiously. They wanted to know what Li Luo was planning. How would he dare to proclaim so confidently that he would buy this Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence from the Dragon''s Blood Guardians for 60,000 dragon essences? After all, everyone in the Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies knew about his incident with the Sovereign Pearl earlier. He was in a huge debt because of that. For the past two months, Jiang Qing''e had been taking on risky missions and working non stop in order to pay it back as well. DiiSco?ver new stories on Yet, Li Luo still dared to confidently proclaim that he could pay for the 60,000 dragon essences? Where''s he going to get the dragon essences from? Was he continuing to borrow? There was no way the Dragon''s Blood Guardians would agree to it. Even if they escalated this matter to Li Jingzhe, there wasn''t much he would be able to do as well... However, Li Luo''s face did not change despite all their gazes of doubt. He looked at Li Zhihuo with a grin and said, "You don''t need to care about whether I can afford the 60,000 dragon essences. If I am really able to pay up, are you going to hand the Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence over?" Li Zhihuo frowned at his words. Li Luo''s nonchalant attitude was making him feel a little suspicious but considering his previous open declaration, it wasn''t good for him to go back on his words now. Besides, he really doubted that Li Luo would be able to fork out such a large sum of dragon essences. "If you can pay up, i''ll naturally hand the Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence over to you. However, let me remind you first. We do not accept anything on credit. Hand over the dragon essences and we''ll hand over the Spiritual Essence." Li Zhihuo replied. "Good." Li Luo nodded his head. Li Zhihuo stared back at Li Luo. "Hand over your dragon essences then." Li Luo shook his head. "Well I still don''t have it right now." Li Zhihuo''s face turned cold. "Are you trying to mess with me?" Whispers began to spread amongst the other members of the Five Guardian Armies in the surroundings. If Li Luo was attempting to make a fool out of him in public, it would truly be a little too much. "Don''t be impatient. I''ll have it soon." Li Luo smiled happily and walked towards the crowd suddenly. There was a beautiful lady in a white dress. She had a pure and charming temperament with pretty eyes that was as clear as a pool of spring water. One should not be fooled by her gentle appearance either as she was the Guardian General of the Dragon''s Scale Guardians, Li Tingyue. Li Tingyue had come over to check out the commotion but was surprised to see Li Luo walking up to her. She gave him a gentle smile and asked, "Grand Commander Li Luo, you''re not planning to borrow dragon essences from me right?" The two of them weren''t very close to each other so she had no plan to get involved with the dispute between the Dragon''s Fang Guardians and Dragon''s Blood Guardians. "Guardian General Tingyur, I have a business proposal for you. Are you interested?" Li Luo responded with a smirk. Everyone was confused by his words. Not even Li Foluo and Li Zhihuo knew what Li Luo was up to. What business would he have with the Dragon''s Scale Guardians? "Please elaborate, Grand Commander Li Luo." Li Tingyue answered with a little doubt. "The World End''s River Falling Star Terrace will be opening again in 3 days time. From what I recall, the Dragon''s Scale Guardians obtained around 60,000 Star Pearls previously, right?" Li Luo asked. Li Tingyue nodded her head. Li Luo continued with a beam, "Our Dragon''s Fang Guardians refined 260,000 Star Pearls." Li Tingyue wanted to answer that she already knew about this but how would that concern her. However, she suddenly realized that if Li Luo was telling her about this right now, his goal must be... Her heart skipped a beat when she thought about it. "No problem." Li Luo accepted it without any hesitation. "Hand over the dragon essences first." Li Tingyue did not have any objection to this request. After all, she understood that Li Luo had come up with such a proposal because he needed the dragon essences urgently. He wanted them to exchange for the Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence. As such, she took out her Guardian General plaque and handed over 30,000 dragon essences. Li Luo accepted it with a beaming face. Then, he walked over to Li Jushen, the Guardian General of Dragon''s Bone Guardians. Everyone in the surrounding had their eyes fixed on him. Li Luo cut to the chase this time. "30,000 dragon essences for 160,000 Star Pearls. Deal or no deal?" Li Jushen rubbed his chin but he was more decisive than Li Tingyue. He accepted it with a nod of his head. "Deal!" With that, he handed over 30,000 dragon essences too. Just like this, Li Luo had easily raised 60,000 dragon essences. Li Zhihuo''s face was as dark as the bottom of the pot at that moment. His eyes were full of fury and shock. He wasn''t afraid that Li Luo would really raise the 60,000 dragon essences. It was the fact that he could help the other Guardians harvest even more Star Pearls than usual. If he was really able to do so, he would become the most popular individual within the Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies! If that happened, the other members might even think Li Luo was more important than Guardian Generals like themselves! Li Luo kept the 60,000 dragon essences as Li Zhihuo stared at him. However, he did not stop here. He continued walking towards Li Boyuan, the Guardian General of Dragon''s Horn Guardians. "Guardian General Boyuan, there is too much work for the Falling Star Terrace this time. I am afraid I won''t have much energy left when I reach your side. I can only promise you 120,000 Star Pearls but I''ll only ask for 20,000 dragon essences. How about it?" Li Luo said cheerfully. Li Boyuan was a little dissatisfied when he heard this. "Why''s it only 120,000 Star Pearls for us? Do you think our Dragon''s Horn Guardians cannot afford the dragon essences? Why don''t I pay you 40,000 dragon essences for you to help the Dragon''s Horn Guardians refine the Star Pearls first?" "Li Boyuan, do you have a death wish?!" As soon as he said that, Li Tingyue, who had always maintained a pure and gentle temperament, raised her eyebrows and glared at him with murderous eyes. Why''s this bastard messing with the market? Just imagined what would happen if he started such a trend. "Li Boyuan, stop messing around!" Li Jushen, the Guardian General of Dragon''s Bone Guardians, also told him off sternly. Li Boyuan pouted his mouth helplessly as the two of them pressured him. "Alright, 120,000 Star Pearls then. However, Grand Commander Li Luo will have to help our Dragon''s Horn Guardians first in the next World End''s River Falling Star Terrace." "Sure, sure." Li Luo accepted it with a grin. He received the 20,000 dragon essences payment from Li Boyuan. Then, he turned around and returned to the side of Jiang Qing''e, Li Hongyou and Li Fengyi. They were staring at him in disbelief as he returned with the 80,000 dragon essences. Most importantly, the gazes from the other members of the Four Guardian Armies were looking at him with passion and complex expressions. At this moment, Li Luo had indeed become the man of the hour within the Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies. Chapter 1302: Foundational Spirit Treasure Acquired Chapter 1302: Foundational Spirit Treasure Acquired Whether it was the members of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians or the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, everyone was silent when Li Luo walked back. Even Li Zhihuo had suppressed the emotions surging in him. He stared at Li Luo and watched him slowly return. None of them had expected Li Luo to raise 80,000 dragon essences just like this. Much less in just a few simple minutes! 80,000 dragon essences! This was something that Guardian Generals like Li Zhihuo and Li Foluo might not even earn after one whole year of hard work. The rate that Li Luo was gaining dragon essences was shocking. In fact, this was probably unheard of in the history of the Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies. Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou gradually recovered from the surprise as they blinked their eyes and smiled back at Li Luo. He was really creative at times. At the very least, she would never have spotted such a business opportunity in the World End''s River Falling Star Terrace. This was so much faster compared to the dangerous missions she had been undertaking. At the same time, Li Hongyou''s eyes lit up. She was not tempted by Li Zhihuo''s offer but this did not mean that she wasn''t interested in the Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence. Conversely, if she managed to forge a Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfried with it, she would deal a huge blow to Li Hongque. However, 60,000 dragon essences was really beyond her reach so rationally, she gave up on it. Who knew that Li Luo would bring back a glimmer of hope for her? The two ladies watched as Li Luo walked directly towards the dumbfounded Li Zhihuo. He said with a grin, "Guardian General Li Zhihuo, if I hand over the dragon essences, you will hand over the Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence right?" Th.e? most uptod/ate novels a/re published on n(0)velbj)n(.)c/o/m Li Zhihuo''s face turned extremely ugly. On his side, Li Hongque almost exploded in anger. They didn''t expect that Li Luo had the ability to raise 60,000 dragon essences at all. Did they really have to hand the Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence over to Li Hongyou? Li Zhihuo immediately regretted his words earlier. If he knew this would happen, he wouldn''t have used this to mock them. He had shot himself in the foot this time. Moreover, the 60,000 dragon essences that Li Luo paid would not fall into their hands. It would be passed to the Heavenly Dragon Treasury. Li Zhihuo really wanted to turn around and walk off without further ado. However, he knew that he would become the laughing stock of the Five Guardian Armies if he chose to do so. Everyone was watching this commotion after all. This would only ruin the reputation and name that he had worked so hard to establish over the years. The eyes of all the Dragon''s Fang Guardians members lit up as soon as they thought about it. Even Li Foluo gave a dry cough. "If you need my help, I''m all ears." He had suddenly realized that if Li Luo kept this up, he would very likely become the richest person in the Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies. "Of course! We have to share the meat as one." Li Luo gave a pat on Li Foluo''s shoulders. The whole area had turned excited and lively. Everyone was elated... except the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. Many of their members were uncomfortable over this development. Their Dragon''s Blood Guardians had become the strongest amongst the Five Guardian Armies because they always refined the most Star Pearls in the World End''s River Falling Star Terrace. If Li Luo continued to help the other 3 Guardian Armies, they would gradually catch up with them. This meant that their lead would significantly lessen in the coming days. This would completely change the dynamics of the Five Guardian Armies. Furthermore, Li Luo would definitely not help them given the strained relationship he had with Li Zhihuo. This meant that they could only watch in envy as the others enjoyed greater benefits. This made many of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians members unhappy. If Li Zhihuo and Li Hongque had not targeted Li Luo and Li Hongyou, perhaps there was the possibility of discussing a deal with Li Luo too? After all, it wasn''t as if they couldn''t afford the 30,000 dragon essences. Unfortunately, that was impossible now. Although they didn''t dare to show it on their faces, they were all a little dissatisfied with how Li Zhihuo handled things this time. Li Zhihuo sensed the dissatisfaction from the members of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians and his face turned even more gloomy. This time, he had really lost more than he gained. Even his reputation within the Dragon''s Blood Guardians had been affected. "Grand Commander Li Luo, I hope that you really can refine all the Star Pearls for the other Guardian in the World End''s River Falling Star Terrace 3 days later. If not, you may have to refund all the dragon essences. If that happens, I''ll have to report this issue honestly, letting the elders know that you''ve taken a shortcut to cheat the Treasury." Li Zhihuo retorted with an insipid tone before he turned around to leave directly. The other members of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians followed after him. Looking at the back of Li Zhihuo and the other members, Li Foluo asked Li Luo with a frown. "Are you really confident of doing so? Refining the Star Pearls for all four Guardians will consume a significant amount of energy. You all were already on the brink of exhaustion when you did it for just the Dragon''s Fang Guardians earlier. Are you really able to do it for the others too?" At the moment, the other members from the 3 Guardians were looking forward to it excitedly. However, this would turn into disappointment if Li Luo failed to fulfill his end of the bargain. The higher they thought of Li Luo now, the harder he would fall then. Li Luo simply smiled back as Li Foluo looked at him out of concern. "We''ll know in 3 days time." Chapter 1303: Heavenly Dragon Appears in the Falling Star Terrace Chapter 1303: Heavenly Dragon Appears in the Falling Star Terrace The Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies felt more and more restless during the three days which passed by in the blink of an eye. The day of the World End''s River Falling Star Terrace opening had finally arrived. Li Luo could feel that the atmosphere was different this time when he appeared in the World End''s River Falling Star Terrace. During the first time, no one had paid any attention to him as he was just a newbie of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Conversely, he was now the centre of attention no matter where he went right now. And within these gazes was burning anticipation. Li Luo was undoubtedly the one whom everyone paid the most attention to in the entire Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies right now. "Li Luo, you''d better not screw up today..." Li Foluo reminded Li Luo when he felt the atmosphere which was almost boiling over. Instead of celebrating, his face had turned much more serious. He wasn''t sure if Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e would really have the strength left to refine Star Pearls for the other Three Guardian Armies after they''re done with the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. After all, it was a really demanding task. Everyone from the Dragon Scale Guardians, Dragon''s Bone Guardians and Dragon''s Horn Guardians were looking forward to the result. If Li Luo failed to deliver because he was out of energy, their anticipation would flip into dissatisfaction straight away. The Dragon''s Blood Guardians would surely make use of this to stir up troubles. Things would turn ugly then. Hearing Li Foluo''s reminder, Li Luo nodded his head with a grin. He had actually discussed this possibility with Jiang Qing''e much earlier. However, in the end, they didn''t proceed as they didn''t have extra energy to spare. Over the past few months, they had gotten stronger and more experienced in refining the Star Pearls. This was especially true for Li Luo. During his first refinement, his Heavenly Resonance Diagram was only 60,000 feet. Now, his Heavenly Resonance Diagram had reached 96,000 feet! Most importantly, his Dragon resonance had also successfully evolved into the Heavenly Dragon resonance! Li Luo dared to make such a promise because of all these factors combined. Only then did he revive the discussion and have things proceed to where it was today. Furthermore, he did not overpromise them either. He wasn''t refining close to the maximum of what he could do at 260,000 Star Pearls like what he did for the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. This gave him a little breathing room. With everyone''s eyes on him, Li Luo walked up and looked towards the Dragon''s Scale Guardians, Dragon''s Bone Guardians and Dragon''s Horn Guardians respectively. His clear and loud voice resounded in the air, "To the three respectable Guardian Generals, you can first secure the World''s End River Meteors when the Falling Star Terrace opens. I will need you to hold onto them for a while. We''ll come over and help you as soon as we finish our job at the Dragon''s Fang Guardians." Li Tingyue, the Guardian General of Dragon''s Scale Guardians, smiled back at him. "We''ll wait for the good news from Grand Commander Li Luo then." The other two Guardian Generals also nodded their heads. Compared to the burning and palpable excitement found in the other Four Guardian Armies, the mood at the Dragon''s Blood Guardians was a lot more gloomy. Today was a huge occasion and yet they were simply spectators for the main stage. Li Zhihuo''s face turned dark as he sensed the dour atmosphere all around him. On his side, Li Hongque tried to comfort him. "Don''t worry, Guardian General. Li Luo is simply too greedy seeing how he accepted jobs from all three Guardian Armies. He''s just a Greater Heavenly Resonance. How long does he think he can keep doing it? When he fails to deliver, we''ll see how he answers to the others." Li Zhihuo nodded his head slightly. He had gone through countless rounds of cultivation in this World End''s River Falling Star Terrace and he knew just how tiring it was to refine even a single Star Pearl. Even if Jiang Qing''e had triple ninth-grade Light resonance and Li Luo had his special artificing methods, their strength would ultimately limit how many Star Pearls they could actually refine. But... what if Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e really succeeded? From afar, Li Tingyue, Li Jushen and Li Boyuan had also noticed this with their sharp senses. They frowned immediately. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had really used up quite a lot of resonant power. Was it really too much for the two of them to refine Star Pearls for all four Guardian Armies? Li Zhihuo secretly heaved a sigh of relief as well. However, Li Luo simply gave Li Foluo a bright smile as everyone watched. He focused his mind and immense resonant power radiated from him. It expanded in the air above into an exquisite Heavenly Resonance Diagram. The Heavenly Resonance Diagram began to activate as it sucked in worldly natural energy and transferred it into Li Luo. The members from the Five Guardian Armies were stunned when they saw the Heavenly Resonance Diagram. "This Heavenly Resonance Diagram is at 96,000 feet?!" One of them exclaimed in surprise. A 96,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram. This was a dream for many at a similar stage. "What shocking speed of cultivation." Li Tingyue uttered. When Li Luo first came to the Falling Star Terrace, his Heavenly Resonance Diagram was only 60,000 feet. That was just a few months ago. Besides, everyone knew how much more challenging it became once the Heavenly Resonance Diagram reached 90,000 feet. His talent and cultivation resources must have been truly exceptional to keep it constantly increasing. Just as everyone was stunned by the majestic Heavenly Resonance Diagram, a thunderous roar suddenly rang in the air. A thundercloud suddenly appeared in the sky and an enormous dragon manifestation could be seen within it. Roar! The dragon gave out a guttural draconic roar. It opened its maw and frenziedly swallowed up the worldly natural energy in the surroundings. At the same time, the waves of resonant power coming from Li Luo grew stronger rapidly. The ancient and mighty dragon roar echoed throughout the World End''s River Falling Star Terrace. All the faces on the other members of the Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies changed immediately. Even Guardian Generals like Li Foluo, Li Zhihuo and Li Tingyue were squinting their eyes. When they heard the dragon roar, the dragon resonance in their body trembled a little. They couldn''t believe it themselves. With their level of strength, how would they feel any fear coming from Li Luo''s dragon resonance? With Li Luo''s current strength, they shouldn''t be frightened even if he had a ninth-grade dragon resonance. What''s happening?! Their eyes turned towards the Heavenly Resonance Diagram as quickly as a bolt of lightning. The thundercloud was gradually thinning out and a majestic violet golden dragon emerged. The faces on all the Guardian Generals, as well as all other Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li members with a dragon resonance, changed drastically when they saw the violet golden dragon. At the same time, a sharp cry rang out in the air. "Is that... the Heavenly Dragon resonance?!" Chapter 1304: The Big Daddy That Lifts Everyone Up Chapter 1304: The Big Daddy That Lifts Everyone Up As the gigantic Heavenly Resonance Diagram from Li Luo unfurled, the numerous different kinds of resonant power he possessed appeared as it transformed into a wondrous depiction of his resonances. What made everyone shocked was the emergence of a violet gold gigantic dragon from the thunderclouds. It emanated an archaic majesty that allowed everyone to instantly identify it. It''s the Heavenly Dragon resonance! The emperor of all dragon resonances! This was a sight that caused everyone from Li Foluo to Li Zhihuo to stare in complete disbelief. They all possessed their own dragon resonances and they could keenly sense the pressure this violet gold dragon gave off. It was a qualitative difference which one would feel when facing a progenitor. The Heavenly Dragon was the undisputed king amongst all of the dragons that roamed the world. As a result, they could feel a pressure weighing down upon them. Both Li Foluo and Li Zhihuo had strength that far surpassed Li Luo and thus the pressure wasn''t too obvious. However, amongst those within the Five Guardian Armies who had dragon resonances, especially those in the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage had their faces turn pale. Obviously they felt sheer fright at this scene. In a battle of life and death, they might very well have lost almost 30 to 40 percent of their combat strength in such a situation. In the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, Li Qingfeng, Li Hongli and the rest had complex expressions. They could still remember that just two years ago, the recently arrived Li Luo was just a country bumpkin who had spent his entire life in the outer divine continent. Everyone had thought that he had wasted countless years of his life languishing in a barren wasteland and thus had been indirectly crippled, unable to demonstrate his full potential. Yet those who had thought that way were humbled very quickly. Even today, this country bumpkin had once again taken another step forward, evolving his resonance into the most almighty of resonances in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, the Heavenly Dragon resonance. This sight instantly reminded them of Li Luo''s father, Li Taixuan. He had wielded the quasi ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance and unceremoniously suppressed all of the geniuses of his generation. Even the one acclaimed to most likely reach the King stage, Li Jiluo of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, had lived under his shadow. It was clear why the Heavenly Dragon resonance was thus acclaimed to be the emperor amongst them all! "How could this be..." "How did he obtain a Heavenly Dragon resonance? Wasn''t it an ordinary dragon resonance previously?" As they were still shell shocked by this revelation, Li Hongque couldn''t help but to remain speechless. Her expression was warped as if she could not accept the sight before her. "He had secluded himself for two months previously. I''m afraid it was precisely to evolve his resonance. I''ve once heard that if you possess a dragon resonance and an extremely pure Heavenly Dragon bloodline, you could use certain secret arts to stimulate it and evolve it." Li Zhihuo sighed deeply as his voice fell. "However those who were capable of this feat of evolution amongst the entire history of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li could be counted with the fingers on one hand. He glanced at Li Luo''s figure from afar as his expression turned serious. Li Luo brought him an incredible sense of pressure, one that even exceeded that of Jiang Qing''e. Although she had a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried and triple ninth-grade Light resonances, she didn''t have a Heavenly Dragon resonance at the end of the day. Only those who possessed a dragon resonance would be aware of the suppressive effects of the Heavenly Dragon resonance. Li Luo was currently at a much lower stage compared to him but once he entered the Duke stage, he would very likely be affected as well. Meanwhile amidst the gazes of idolatry and surprise, Li Luo remained calm and collected. He was keenly sensing the resonant power which was rapidly restoring within his body as he flashed a smile at Li Foluo. "I should be able to hold on for quite a bit more now." Li Foluo could only nod his head with a complex and dumbfounded look on his face. It was no wonder why Li Luo dared to magnanimously accept the requests of the other three Guardian Armies. It turned out his Heavenly Resonance Diagram had leaped forward to 96,000 feet and he had obtained a Heavenly Dragon resonance. This brat was still in the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage and yet even the Guardian Generals were already feeling the heat. The bright side to all this was that Li Luo still belonged to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Jiang Qing''e who was beside him continued to watch silently as a trace of amusement appeared in her golden eyes. In the past, everyone had always felt that she was simply too outstanding, but yet they didn''t realize that Li Luo''s talent and potential wasn''t any worse than hers. "Everyone, please follow me to earn the dragon essences." Li Luo grinned as he spoke to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians behind him. The Guardians glanced at each other before agreeing with new found respect after seeing Li Luo''s display of might. They then made their way to the Dragon''s Scale Guardians first with 8000 Guardians in tow. If Li Luo was capable of assisting them everytime the Falling Star Terrace opened, the amount of Star Pearls obtained would be incredible. Their cultivation speed would thus increase significantly. In the face of actual strength gain, what did dragon essences mean for? The goal of obtaining dragon essences was to exchange for better cultivation resources to improve their strength after all! However, so long as the entire army was able to fork out 30,000 dragon essences, they could cost effectively raise their own strengths and after tasting such a sweet treat, how could they let go of it so easily? It is often said that it was easy to go from a frugal to a luxurious lifestyle but not the reverse. After experiencing the benefits of utilizing 160,000 Star Pearls, who would be willing to go back to the past? So then how would Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e be treated since they were the ones who could give them such a wonderful experience? Informally, someone capable of such a feat would be known as the Big Daddy! "Grand Commander Li Luo is almighty!" "Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang is almighty!" Cacophonous cheers rang out from all of the four Guardian Armies except for those from the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. At this point, the duo had undoubtedly been elevated to the peak. They were not Guardian Generals but the prestige they held was no different from one. The Dragon''s Blood Guardians on the other hand were a plain of deathly silence. Their expressions were ugly as they felt like they had been ostracized. However they also understood that because Li Zhihuo and Li Hongque had created an acrimonious relationship with the duo, Li Luo would naturally not assist them with any refinement of Star Pearls. They were originally proud of the amount of Star Pearls they were capable of refining but the gap had closed tremendously and any sense of superiority was gone. Some of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians didn''t dare to express their dissatisfaction towards Li Zhihuo and instead directed their ire towards Li Hongque. She naturally sensed these unhappy gazes and her heart was filled with frost and fury. The reputation she had bitterly raised amongst the Dragon''s Blood Guardians had been torn apart by Li Luo''s meddling. It seemed that from now on, she would be subject to a torrent of complaints during the refining of Star Pearls. This would undoubtedly turn into a sort of long term torment for her. Li Hongque was so angry her entire body trembled. Yet Li Luo was uninterested in dealing with Li Hongque in any case. After the refinement was completed, he was extremely exhausted and he just wanted to return to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians to obtain his Star Pearls and cultivate in peace. With that, his Heavenly Resonance Diagram might be able to take another step forward. "Ah?" Just as Li Luo was about to turn, Jiang Qing''e suddenly let out a cry. Li Luo was shocked by this. "Sister Qing''e, what''s wrong?" Jiang Qing''e then raised her head as her gaze penetrated the protective formation of Heavenly Dragon Peak, directly observing the gigantic and terrifying World End''s River. Li Luo similarly looked as well as his eyes shrunk. He could see that the World End''s River had become much more turbulent and restless. An describable sort of roar seemed to resound throughout the world as countless streams of black light spilled out from it, transforming into a meteor shower that blanketed the World End''s River Region. Some also descended in the direction of Heavenly Dragon Peak. Li Luo could feel a chill arising within his body. He could sense extremely terrifying and dense corruption within these meteors. These black meteors were clearly a transformation of powerful Others. This sudden development caused the expressions of the five Guardian Generals to change. In the next moment, a shrill alarm rang out which spread throughout Heavenly Dragon Peak. Chapter 1305: Descending Devil Tide Chapter 1305: Descending Devil Tide Whoo! As the shrill alarm permeated the air, the five Guardian Generals on the Falling Star Terrace had solemn expressions on their faces as they watched the black meteors descend. The amount of corruption emanating from it was incredibly dense and enough to shock them. Clearly the meteors that descended from the World End''s River contained frightening amounts of strong Others. Li Foluo, Li Zhihuo, Li Tingyue and the rest rushed forward. The Five Guardian Armies immediately got into formation as majestic amounts of energy surged into the Guardian Generals. Although the Heavenly Dragon Peak was protected by the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation, they had to be prepared regardless. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e returned to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians as well. They curiously looked at the descending meteors. As the Falling Star Terrace was located high in the sky, they were also able to use it as a vantage point to see far into the distance. The black meteors were present everywhere and in a way, there was a twisted sense of beauty to it. "What is going on?" Li Luo then asked Left Dragon Fang Envoy Luo Jiang. Luo Jiang''s expression was heavy as he replied. "This is the Descending Devil Tide." "What is that?" Luo Jiang nodded his head. "Before the Stygian Rain of Calamity arrives, the World End''s River won''t be calm either. It will turn turbulent and as its waves churn, some of the Others will be swept up and engulfed by the water of the river, turning into meteors which fall from the sky. In a way, it is akin to us refining World''s End River Meteors. The only difference is that the corruption from these black meteors is much more dense and terrifying. Furthermore, World''s End River Meteor would be purified by the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation and thus we only have to deal with remnant corruption. On the other hand, these black meteors are more like a prison break for the Others. This occurrence is known as the Descending Devil Tide. As they land within the World End''s River Region, it would incite the Others that are already here and cause Calamity Mist to form. This would then lead to chaos erupting within the region, making it much more dangerous. Moving on, the Five Guardian Armies'' key responsibility would be to get rid of all these descended Others. Otherwise some of our hunting grounds might be corrupted by their presence and our losses would be immense." Li Luo continued to look at the countless meteors that were plummeting to the ground. It reminded one of a scene from an apocalypse as his heart turned cold. He knew that the area would soon be rife with devilish creatures roaming and there would be countless strong Others that would continually emerge. It was fortunate that the World End''s River Region was special as well. Everyone who was here had achieved some level of success in their cultivation and could not be considered to be weak. If something like this happened in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, large swathes of territory and the life within would undoubtedly be extinguished. It would truly be an Other Disaster. Li Luo had participated in the East Divine Continent''s Holy Grail Meet under Astral Sage College. When he had first witnessed the destroyed Blackwind Empire, he could feel goosebumps rising on his skin when he witnessed the devastation wrought by an Other Disaster. Numerous living creatures were kept in captivity by the Others just like livestock. Death was a luxury as the Others needed the negative emotions of the living creatures to propagate and flourish. Thus unimaginable torment in the form of fear, despair and madness was inflicted upon them. The? source of this conte/nt n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) In the end, when the emotions had reached its peak, they would turn into food. The bloody scene was vividly remembered and was shocking even when he thought about it now. An Other Disaster was the worst possible thing that could occur to living creatures. The force seemed to be capable of controlling even the world around them. The Five Guardian Armies then looked outside of the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation where a decrepit old man had unknowingly appeared. An indomitable and awe inspiring aura that transcended everything emanated from his body. When the crowd saw the figure, looks of respect appeared in their face as they saluted him. "We greet Lineage chief Jingzhe." Who else other than Li Jingzhe could command such respect from the Guardian Armies? Li Jingzhe casually waved as he emotionlessly glanced at the falling meteors. He then raised his hand in response. At the same time, the meteors that contained terrifying amounts of corruption seemed to have been caught in mid air by an invisible gigantic hand, forcibly halted in the skies. However, no matter how much the corruption continued to rage, they were unable to undo the shackles that bound them. Li Jingzhe then lightly exhaled and a mystical azure wind blew across the earth. All of the black meteors that came into contact with it collapsed and simply vanished. A meteor that an upper grade Duke might have been unable to stop had been easily extinguished with a casual motion from Li Jingzhe. After dispelling the danger at hand, Li Jingzhe turned towards an area in the distance. With his strength, he could naturally see many more meteors descending into the World End''s River Region. Additionally there were Others emanating incredible amounts of corruption slowly emerging and beginning to wreak havoc. "It looks like the scale of this Descending Devil Tide is greater than the previous times." Li Jingzhe raised his head and stared at the mysterious World End''s River. Who knew just how many terrifying Others were waiting on the other side? Some that even he might fear. His eyebrows creased as he frowned. With how large the scale of this Descending Devil Tide was, wouldn''t that mean that the corresponding Stygian Rain of Calamity would be even more frightening than before? On the other hand, it also indicated that the opening of the World End''s River Treasure Domain was about to arrive. It would come in tandem with the Stygian Rain of Calamity. Li Jingzhe stood amongst the wind and rain as he remained in thought with a deep gleam in his eyes. The perceptive abilities of a King allowed him to smell that there was something different with the coming Stygian Rain of Calamity. It was as though a mighty storm was coming. Chapter 1306: Faceless Other King Chapter 1306: Faceless Other King Abyssal City, City Center. Deep in the Royal Palace. In a quiet courtyard, the black robed Qin Jiujie was standing with his hands behind his back. He too was looking towards the sky and the never ending black meteor shower. He remained expressionless as he watched. "Descending Devil Tide." He murmured to himself. This signified that the World End''s River Treasure Domain would open soon as well. The World End''s River Region''s most dangerous and chaotic period was about to begin. Qin Jiujie fell silent in thought for a while before a serving maid respectfully walked up, passing him a cup of tea which he picked up casually. He immediately narrowed his eyes as he turned his head towards the maid who had served him for many years. She possessed a delicate prettiness but under Qin Jiujie''s pressure filled gaze, her expression turned pale as her body shuddered. She didn''t understand why Qin Jiujie was acting this way. Qin Jiujie glared at her as he indifferently spoke. "Since you''re already here, why bother with these little games?" As his words sounded out, the serving maid stopped trembling as she lightly smiled. A strange scene occurred where her once exquisite features of her face began to disappear one after another. In a few moments, the originally charming maid had turned into a faceless individual. At the same time, her aura had turned incredibly gloomy. Ne/w novel chapters are p/u/blished on "It''s been a while, Qin Jiujie." Her voice was neutral, neither male nor female and yet also seemingly illusory and hard to perceive. At the same time, it possessed a power of its own and as this power spread, portraits hung within the stone pavilion began to have its faces erased. "As expected of one of the Origin Reversion Institute''s Thirteen Kings, the Faceless Other King. Your Myriad Transformations allow you to be incredibly elusive and hard to sense. If not for this cup of tea, I wouldn''t have known you were here." Qin Jiujie continued to stare at the faceless individual as a trace of fear flashed through his eyes as he enunciated his words. The person before him was from an organization that struck fear even in those from Heavenly Emperor powers. The Origin Reversion Institute was the world''s most ancient organization and even the Academic Federation could not compare. Furthermore they were extremely mysterious and thus few knew about them. However their true strength was undoubtedly terrifying. Ancestor Heavenly Emperor Qin''s condition was something that caused a sense of unease amongst those that ruled the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. In the shadow world, there would be an apocalyptic war that would break out once every long while. The intention was to cover the entire world with corruption and humanity christened this battle of existence the Origin Reversion War. The truth of the matter was in the name itself. If they lost, everything would revert back to its origin, nothingness. It was also said that this was how the name of the Origin Reversion Institute came about. The Yin Yang Demon Emperor might have a cliched and almost crude title that was laughable, but Qin Jiujie was unable to do so. Instead he felt abject terror. This Yin Yang Demon Emperor was after all one of the strongest amongst the Others. From ancient times, there were countless Kings who had fallen to him. Even Ancestor Heavenly Emperor Qin had injured his source origin whilst fighting it. Thus even though the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin seemed strong on the surface, it was concealing its true state. On the contrary, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was on the ascent, especially since Li Jingzhe had reached the Quasi-Triple Crown stage. Qin Jiujie sighed deeply. "This is why I''ve sought you out." "Qin Jiujie, do you want us to help you deal with Li Jingzhe? Keke. The Origin Reversion Institute is not some hired thug of yours." The Faceless Other King mocked. "Perhaps you can choose to truly enter the Origin Reversion Institute. With your strength, you can become an Other King and most importantly, you''ve already experienced for yourself the power we hold. If you wish to go further down the path of cultivation and even reach the Heavenly Emperor stage, you will need our help." The Faceless Other King''s words were like the temptations of the devil. Qin Jiujie sunk into deep thought. "Now is not the time." "If you get rid of Li Jingzhe, the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent will descend into chaos and isn''t that what the Origin Reversion Institute wishes for? It would make it easier to carry out your plans." "Qin Jiujie, he is a Quasi-Triple Crown King. Even if we were to join hands, I''m afraid we wouldn''t be his match. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li wouldn''t watch idly either." The Faceless Other King scoffed. "I have invited the Imperial Beast Hall Master Lin Miao over. He will arrive as a guest of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin shortly after. At that point in time, the attention of the other Lineage chiefs will also be focused upon him. Furthermore, the Imperial Beast Hall and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li hold deep grudges against each other, passed down from the generation of the Heavenly Emperors which cannot be resolved easily. Thus they will expend no effort in dealing with Lin Miao." Qin Jiujie continued. "Qin Jiujie, you''ve made many meticulous preparations indeed. You''ve even invited someone from the Imperial Beast Hall huh..." The Faceless Other King spoke with some surprise. However he paused only briefly before continuing. "However, the price is simply not enough." Qin Jiujie frowned as he paused for a few moments before speaking indifferently. "Well I''d like to gift you a piece of news as well." "What?" Qin Jiujie''s calm voice rang out. "The Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Li Luo possesses the Genesis Seed." "Oh?!" The previously vacant face of the Faceless Other King seemed to show an expression of excitement upon hearing this. Chapter 1307: 99,200 Feet Chapter 1307: 99,200 Feet With the Descending Devil Tide, the entire World End''s River Region erupted into chaos. Countless Others emerged and even though those who were present in this area were experts in their own right, there were still many unlucky individuals who fell each day. This included many Dukes. However the atmosphere within the World End''s River Region had not dampened. On the contrary, even more experts from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent made their way over. They all knew that the World End''s River Treasure Domain was about to open as well. The World End''s River Treasure Domain was an opportunity that everyone was interested in. It contained a great variety of Foundational Spirit Treasures including those of upper and even top grade! If they could chance upon a top grade Foundational Spirit Treasure, even if they weren''t going to use it for themselves, they could sell it to the Golden Dragon Bank. They could then exchange for an immense amount of cultivation resources for themselves. When faced with such temptation, whether it was rogue cultivators or Dukes from esteemed Heavenly Emperor powers, they would all do their best to compete for these treasures. Furthermore, Foundational Spirit Treasures could be considered to be hard currencies. Thus the news of Duke''s dying daily did not deter the tide of people entering the World End''s River Domain, all keen on making preparations to enter the World End''s River Treasure Domain. That said the situation in the region had become much more dangerous and more and more rogue cultivators poured into Heavenly Dragon City, Abyssal City and the other strongholds built by Heavenly Emperor powers. It might be expensive to reside there but it was ultimately safe. There were grand formations protecting them and were capable of preventing Others from infiltrating. Additionally, they also had to make preparations for the Stygian Rain of Calamity. During this period of time, Heavenly Dragon City had become extraordinarily bustling and order had to be maintained. This task naturally fell upon the Five Guardian Armies. Even though many Others had surfaced as a result of the Descending Devil Tide, there were no traces of Others within Heavenly Dragon City. However Heavenly Dragon Peak was massive and also encompassed countless hunting grounds and other districts. These districts on the other hand began to show signs of Others infiltration. Th.e? most uptod/ate novels a/re published on n(0)velbj)n(.)c/o/m The hunting grounds were capable of producing rare treasures that could be refined into Foundational Spirit Treasures and thus were incredibly valuable. As a result, the Five Guardian Armies had to first spend a period of time to purge them of the Others to prevent the hunting grounds from becoming corrupted. The Five Guardian Armies were thus inundated with a large volume of missions and they were incredibly busy as a result. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians were no exception. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e only had a small amount of time to rest and recuperate within Heavenly Dragon City whereas the bulk of their time was spent accomplishing missions in the coming half a month. What had to be said was that after the events of the Falling Star Terrace, Li Luo''s Heavenly Resonance Diagram had reached a size of 98,000 feet. This gave rise to complex emotions in people''s hearts. This couple were incredibly disgusting when it came to how outstanding they were. No one would be able to shake their position in future amongst the Five Guardian Armies. Li Luo on the other hand paid no attention to how shocked the crowd was. Instead he was bitterly wracking his brains trying to figure out how he could obtain that last 800 feet. It seemed like he wouldn''t be able to do anything in a short period of time. Wanting to break through this barrier would require a special opportunity. Jiang Qing''e had managed to borrow the aid of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm and the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus to take this step. However Li Luo very quickly realized that there was no need to be anxious at this point. He just had to wait for things to fall into place. Thus once the Falling Star Terrace concluded, Li Luo chose to rest and adjust his condition over the next few days. After all, he had something important to focus on next. It was none other than Li Hongyou''s breakthrough into the Duke stage. She had spent quite some time preparing herself and it was time. Dragon''s Fang Guardians Encampment. Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, Li Foluo and the rest were gathered around a cultivation abode. There were majestic undulations of resonant power that continuously emanated from within. A gigantic energy vortex had taken from atop the abode which ravenously devoured worldly natural energy. It was naturally Li Hongyou who was cultivating within. His breakthrough had already lasted for a few days. Everything was going smoothly and Li Hongyou had only chosen to breakthrough upon reaching a 96,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram. This was on par with Wu Changkong, a top elite of the Heavenly Star Hall. Adding on to the fact that she had a lower ninth-grade resonance and an upper grade Foundational Spirit Treasure, it would not be an arduous process to do so. Furthermore, it was about to come to an end soon. Weng! The gigantic energy vortex above the abode suddenly gave off a boom before finally transforming into a final torrent of energy which flowed down below as things turned silent. Tens of breaths later, a humongous pillar of light shot into the air and one could see a crimson red Duke Bergfried condensing within. As Li Luo saw this, a smile broke out on his face. Li Hongyou was finally a Duke now. Chapter 1308: Pharmacist Jade Dragon Resonance Chapter 1308: Pharmacist Jade Dragon Resonance As the towering and gigantic Duke Bergfried appeared within the pillar of light, it exploded with incredible suction force as worldly natural energy was devoured. At the same time, it began to materialize with incredible speed. The area around the abode gave off cheerful shouts. Li Hongyou was someone whom everyone appreciated within the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. It wasn''t just because of her cool demeanor and elegant looks but also her Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance. After all, everyone would love to have a companion who could bolster their strength at critical moments which would assist them with facing many dangerous tasks. Now that she was a Duke, her supportive capabilities would be even more amazing. A while later, as the pillar of light dissipated, the crimson red Duke stood tall before everyone''s eyes. As the crowd gazed at it, they could see that the peak of it stood nine huge pillars that were engraved with wondrous runes. It was a Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfried! "A Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfried! This is cause for celebration." Li Foluo sighed. To achieve this feat required one to possess extraordinary talent and have built a sturdy foundation. Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried was the domain of unrivaled geniuses and it was completely impractical for the average elite to strive as it required a confluence of incredible potential and opportunities which they would find arduous to stumble upon. Li Hongyou''s Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfried thus allowed her to look down upon the remaining 99%. Li Luo similarly nodded his head. He had hoped she would achieve this much. She was already considered to have reached the pinnacle of her preparatory attempts after all. However what he was more curious about was what her second resonance would be. This curiosity was soon replaced with satisfaction. In the skies above the Duke Bergfried, a green light began to spread. After which it condensed in mid air and a draconic roar could be heard. This caused Li Luo''s gaze to turn abstruse. A dragon resonance? Li Hongyou was after all part of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and this result was not unexpected either. However there were countless variations of it. Just which one did she obtain? As he was lost in thought, a dense medicinal fragrance emanated from the cultivation abode. It permeated everyone''s noses as they instantly felt refreshed. "Just what is this smell? It''s so fragrant. Just the scent of it has caused my mental state to calm down." Someone remarked in surprise. "That green light seems to be the source of it." Someone pointed towards the condensing green light. One that was capable of concocting it would be a humongous boon to the entire Dragon Race, a treasure worth protecting at all costs. "It is said that the Pharmacist Jade Dragon treats heavenly treasures as food and does not eat anything else, thus its blood is also full of medicinal potency. To refine the Jade Dragon Pills also requires its own blood as the main ingredient. Now that Li Hongyou has given birth to a Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance, it would be something that is incredibly compatible with her. She already has the Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance which can be considered the best sort of nourishment for the Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance. Perhaps in future, she might actually be able to refine an actual Jade Dragon Pill!" Li Foluo''s gaze turned feverish at this point of time. Li Luo sighed as well. Li Hongyou''s Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance was magical in its own way, capable of boosting one''s resonant power and with the aid of the Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance''s curative powers, she could be considered to be the Queen of Support. With her assistance, he could truly run rampant. As Li Luo thought about all this, the coiled Jade Dragon manifestation in the air then transformed back into a beam of light which entered her Duke Bergfried. A few moments later, a familiar figure strode out into mid air. It was none other than Li Hongyou. The current her had skin that glowed with lustrous jade light and her body wafted with a strong medicinal scent. It was so refreshing that one couldn''t help but wish to get closer to her. "Senior Honyou, congratulations on entering the Duke stage and obtaining a Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfried." Li Luo clasped his hands and respectfully greeted her. Li Hongyou gave a slight smile as she warmly looked upon Li Luo. "Isn''t it all because you helped me obtain the Jade Lotus Spiritual Essence? Otherwise I would not have reached this step." Li Luo waved his hand in response before curiously asking. "So just what grade is your Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance at?" She naturally wouldn''t hold back such information as she lightly smirked. "It''s a little bit weaker than my Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit, its only at the quasi ninth-grade." Quasi ninth-grade Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance. Li Foluo helplessly replied upon hearing this. "You''ve accompanied Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e for too long and your thinking has been warped! How could you treat a quasi ninth-grade resonance so casually?" This was a quasi ninth-grade, almost a ninth-grade! This was something that countless individuals dreamed of obtaining. Furthermore amongst the dragon resonances, other than Li Luo''s Heavenly Dragon resonance, the Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance was something rarely seen as well. The combination of her two resonances was a perfect pairing and if the Five Guardian Armies were to know of this, she would probably only be second when compared to Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e in terms of how outstanding she was. When news of this spread, it would undoubtedly stir up the Five Guardian Armies. It seemed that Li Zhihuo and Li Hongque wouldn''t be able to rest peacefully then. Li Foluo couldn''t help but to gloat at their misfortune upon thinking about this. Chapter 1309: Calamity Mist Flows, Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Chapter 1309: Calamity Mist Flows, Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Li Hongyou''s breakthrough had unsurprisingly caused a furor within the Heavenly Dragon Five Guardian Armies. Furthermore the Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance was also something rare and unique. Although it didn''t have exceptional combat power, its supportive prowess far surpassed what could be achieved with even a specialized offensive resonances. With her by one''s side, one''s ability to fight would be boosted and they would even gain a high level of safeguard when it came to their own life. This was a companion anyone would dream about. Especially since the World End''s River Treasure Domain was about to open and Li Hongyou''s value would be incalculably high. It was also rumored that later that day, after Li Hongyou''s breakthrough and the emergence of her Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance, Li Hongyou had hosted a banquet for the Dragon''s Blood Guardians but she had become so infuriated that she slapped a table full of dishes to pieces. As a result, the entire event ended unceremoniously and unhappy. During the next few days, her expression was like a frigid block of ice, no one dared to bother her. Clearly the more outstanding Li Hongyou was, the more embarrassed she felt. It was like Li Hongyou had once said. For everyday she remained in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, it was like a thorn stuck in her side, causing great discomfort and preventing her from sleeping or eating well. However no one really cared much about how Li Hongque felt at this point. As time went on, Calamity Mist began to surface in increasing amounts throughout the World End''s River Region, eventually covering the skies and the earth in a thin layer. This mist was thick and cold, and countless strange whispers could be heard coming from it, leaving people with a sense of unease. Everyone understood that the Calamity Mist indicated that the World End''s River Treasure Domain was about to open. Thus all of the elites within the World End''s River Region were huddled within the strongholds, minimizing their time outside. They were all awaiting the final transformation of the region. Thus the usually chaotic World End''s River Region had fallen into a temporary peace. Re?a? latest cha/p/ters at novelhall.com ... "When the World End''s River Treasure Domain opens, corruption within will be extremely dense. All of those below the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage in the Five Guardian Armies will not be allowed to enter." WIthin Heavenly Dragon Pavilion''s Discussion Hall, Li Jingzhe''s calm voice resounded throughout the walls as all of the experts and elders had been gathered within. Li Luo and the other Grand Commanders were allowed to be present but they were far off at the back. Their expressions had all turned solemn. With Li Jingzhe''s words, it was clear just how dangerous the situation within the World End''s River Treasure Domain would be. "If those beneath the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage cannot enter, then wouldn''t that mean that the Five Guardian Armies formations would be almost useless in this case?" Li Luo murmured to himself as he frowned. This was not good news, especially to the Guardian Generals. It had heavily weakened themselves and their ability to contest for treasures in the World End''s River Treasure Domain. Even the strongest Li Zhihuo only had lower fifth-grade Duke strength. Although it wasn''t weak, all of the peak experts with the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent would be present and the number of high grade Dukes would not be minor either. The other party was a domineering Heavenly Emperor power from the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent and would inevitably have an extraordinary foundation as well. Since Shen Yunge was invited by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, it would also mean that if they were to encounter each other in the World End''s River Region, they would be enemies and not friends because of the built up enmity. It was clear that this expedition would be rife with danger. "After you enter the World End''s River Treasure Domain, Li Qingpeng and Li Jiluo will be the leaders. All matters will be decided by them. Do not disobey them." Li Jingzhe coolly commanded after seeing that everyone had gone through the information in the tablet. Li Jiluo and Li Qingpeng were both eighth-grade Dukes and could be considered the strongest beneath the Kings. The two acknowledged the command as they clasped their hands respectfully. "I''ll remain at Heavenly Dragon City and await your return." Li Jingzhe was not intending to enter the World End''s River Treasure Domain. After all this was the main stronghold and the Stygian Rain of Calamity was about to descend. He had to guard this place vigilantly and not move lightly. The group respectfully clasped their hands together in acknowledgement as well. After which he gave a few more commands before the group scattered. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e similarly left the Discussion Hall side by side intimately. "Sister Qing''e, what did you exchange for your dragon essences? I used my 30,000 dragon essences to purchase a bottle of quasi ninth-grade lights and liquids." Li Luo explained. He had obtained another 80,000 dragon essences during the Falling Star Terrace and with 20,000 being distributed to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, the remainder was split between the two of them. Just as he obtained it, he noticed that the Heavenly Dragon Treasury had a new bottle of quasi ninth-grade liquids and lights. Thus he immediately swapped for it without delay. There was no choice. He needed it in order to evolve his upper eighth-grade Woodearth resonance. After he entered the World End''s River Treasure Domain, things would be dangerous and he had to make preparations. If time was tight, he would see if this spirit liquid could bring it to the next level. If he was successful, then he would have stepped into the realm of three ninth-grade resonances~! Furthermore it would be for all of his primary and secondary resonances! This sort of accumulation, talent and foundation should be more than sufficient to obtain a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried? Jiang Qing''e''s gaze flickered and just as she was about to reply, her footsteps paused abruptly as she suddenly lifted her head and looked at the sky. Li Luo also felt something as he raised his head. At this point his expression trembled. What they saw was under the vast sky, countless plumes of black smoke began to waft into the air, as though they were countless gigantic pythons flying upwards. The tip of the smoke trail seemed to have embedded itself into the World End''s River itself in the skies above. Additionally, other than the black smoke, Li Luo also saw countless columns of water, seemingly seized by an invisible force, which were then forced to flow backwards towards the boundary of the World End''s River. This sight was both spectacular and strange. Li Jiluo, Li Qingpeng and the other experts sighed as they saw this sight. "Calamity Mist Flows, Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source." Li Jingzhe''s voice was transmitted to everyone as the crowd separated. He strode to the fore as his eyes closely inspected the situation before his aloof voice sounded out in everyone''s ears yet again. "The World End''s River Treasure Domain has opened. Prepare to head out." Chapter 1310: World Ends Sea Chapter 1310: World End''s Sea When the scene representing the saying, "Calamity Mist Flows, Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source", the entire World End''s River Region began to shake from its very core. It was at that point where the depressed yet peaceful atmosphere completely ended. In the numerous stronghold cities, pillars of light erupted, blanketing the sky as they all rushed towards the southwestern area, deep within the World End''s River Region. The originally thin Calamity Mist that covered the world had transformed into huge columns of black smoke that seemed as though it was being sucked back into the World End''s River. So long as one avoided these smoke columns, they would be able to travel unobstructed. This was the safest the World End''s River Region would ever be. However, it also preceded the opening of the World End''s River Treasure Domain and that peace would soon be enveloped by the disastrous and chaotic winds that would soon blow. It was as if the World End''s River was taking a brief breather in preparation of the Stygian Rain of Calamity that would come. The numerous powers had to quickly take advantage of this situation and reap the harvest of the World End''s River Treasure Domain quickly. The resources there were something even a Heavenly Emperor power would die for. Furthermore the greatly prized top grade Foundational Spirit Treasures could possibly appear there as well. The atmosphere within Heavenly Dragon City was similarly bustling as numerous beams of light shot into the sky, traveling into the distance towards the World End''s River Treasure Domain. Meanwhile the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s people were gathering in the quickest amount of time possible. This would be an impressive party with Li Jiluo and Li Qingpeng, two eighth-grade Dukes leading the pack. After which the numerous lineage''s mid tier powers like Li Jinpan, Ox Biaobiao, Li Rouyun, Li Zhiqiu and the other sixth and seventh-grade Dukes were also right behind them. Behind them were the likes of Li Zhihuo and Li Foluo, the Guardian Generals. Li Luo and the rest in the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage were considered to be the bottom when it came to this army. Normally speaking, they would only be able to share in the scraps left behind. That said, this should be more than enough for them. In the past there were many Greater Heavenly Resonance stage Guardians who had undergone many trials and arduous hardships within the World End''s River Treasure Domain, only to take advantage of a prized opportunity, entering the Duke stage. "Let''s move." Li Jiluo and Li Qingpeng glanced at each other before their words were transmitted into the entire army''s ears. The two then shot into the sky with the rest trailing behind, creating pillars of light in their wake. This majestic momentum caught the eyes of the experts below, leaving them in admiration and awe. This was the might of a Heavenly Emperor power, they were simply not the same. Chee?ck out latest novels at novelhall.com Li Jinpan''s expression turned serious as well. "The World End''s River Treasure Domain is the most dangerous region within the World End''s River Region. In a normal situation, there would be an endless flood of Others that hide within. At the same time, they would consume and devour each other, forming all sorts of creatures of all shapes and sizes. Gradually, many terrifying Others were born as a result. If I were to put it bluntly, half of the Others within the entire World End''s River Region can be found here." Li Jinpan then pointed towards the void a distance away. "Look there." Li Luo turned in that direction as he squinted his eyes. What he saw surprised him. Floating in the void was a golden talisman which exuded a faint light. This golden talisman seemed ordinary but for some inscrutable reason, Li Luo could feel as though the entire world was being suppressed by it. He felt an indescribable sense of respect from the depths of his soul just looking at it. "Is that a Heavenly Emperor Talisman?" Li Luo lightly sucked in a breath of air as he asked. This pressure was something he didn''t even sense from Li Jingzhe and that was a Quasi-Triple Crown King! The only ones who were even stronger than him were the heaven defying Heavenly Emperors. "Mm, you have good eyes." Li Jinpan smiled as he nodded his head. "The golden talisman contains a trace of power from the four Heavenly Emperor power''s Heavenly Emperors. It seals off the World End''s Sea and prevents it from expanding outwards whilst imprisoning the Others within." Li Luo was amazed. It was no surprise how it could seal this entire area. It seemed that even Heavenly Emperor Li had also taken action? "Because the World End''s River Treasure Domain is at the point beneath where the World End''s River penetrates our world, a large amount of its water pours into this location. At the same time, it also means that numerous Others are brought along. They cannibalize each other and in the end, the strong survive and thus the corruption here is much more oppressive. It gradually erodes the sealing talisman and thus whenever the World End''s River Treasure Domain opens up, it serves as an opportunity to clean up the Others. Li Jinpan continued. "Only by continuously getting rid of these strong Others can we prevent the birth of more King stage Others, getting rid of a hidden danger during the Stygian Rain of Calamity." Li Luo finally understood why they were truly here. It wasn''t just a looting fiesta, it was a great spring cleaning! It was no wonder why the four Heavenly Emperor powers had chosen to allow strong experts from the outside to take part in this instead of keeping a tight monopoly over it. It was all for the sake of borrowing their power to cleanse the World End''s River Treasure Domain. "Actually the World End''s River water has not fully receded and we still need to wait for a bit more." Li Jinpan continued. Li Luo nodded his head and was about to speak when his expression changed. Turning his head, he saw majestic fluctuations of energy in the distance as numerous groups of figures rushed in their way. A few of these groups whose size was no less than theirs immediately made their way towards other mountains not far away. He instantly knew that the other three Heavenly Emperor powers had arrived. Chapter 1311: Experts Plentiful as Clouds Chapter 1311: Experts Plentiful as Clouds As the majestic energy undulations filled the skies, countless figures pierced through the void to arrive here. At the fore of the group were four individuals who landed atop a mountain not far away with a momentum that struck awe into the crowd. They seemed no weaker than the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. In the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, only the other three Heavenly Emperor powers were comparable. Li Luo''s eyes first swept across the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. As he looked at them, he first noticed Qin Yi''s eye-catching figure. Although her strength did not stand out, her appearance and temperament stood second to none. Qin Yi seemed to have noticed his gaze as the two glanced at each other, giving him a slight smile as a greeting. The truth was that there was not much enmity between the two. They had even cooperated to slay an Other within the Spiritual Resonance Cave. Unfortunately the grievances from the previous generation had forced a situation where they could not interact as friends and kept them wary of each other. Just as their eyes met, an aggressive gaze from behind her swept across Li Luo''s side, seemingly looking for the source of her smile. Li Luo''s eyes shifted towards the source as he noticed that right behind Qin Yi stood a green robed male. His features seemed slightly feminine and his eyes were long and narrow. He also had a head of disheveled long hair. His gaze made one feel uncomfortable, as though a poisonous snake was lurking in the dark, causing one''s hair to stand on ends. At the same time, Li Luo could feel a slight sense of pressure emanating from him. "Imperial Beast Hall, Shen Yunge." Li Luo instantly recognized the individual. He had come from a Heavenly Emperor power from another inner divine continent. Li Luo was honestly quite curious about him as this was the first time he had met another expert borrowing the power of a spirit beast like himself. In these years, the Heavenly Wolf had provided him with much needed support and aid, tiding over numerous dangerous situations and thus he knew just how amazing it was to fuse with the power of a spirit beast. Meanwhile this Shen Yunge was already a Duke and with the aid of his spirit beast, should possess power that he could not look down upon. Just as Li Luo was lost in thought over this, he could feel an icy glint filled with pressure shooting towards him. He could feel intense hatred radiating from it and without even looking over, he knew who it was. Who else could it be, other than Qin Lian herself? The Golden Dragon Bank''s reputation was second to none amongst the divine continent and thus even wary rogue cultivators were willing to do business with them. This reputation was the reason why they had accumulated so much wealth. Within the Golden Dragon Bank squad, Lu Shuanglu had noticed Li Luo looking over as she raised her head and flashed him a beautiful smile. She then raised her hand and pointed at someone beside her. Following her finger, he caught sight of a young tall man with bronzed skin standing there. He had a heroic and resolute look on his face. His gaze seemed to linger on what he looked at and an onyx colored metal staff was slung over his back. His very presence caused waves of pressure to radiate from him. This man''s eyes were originally a little distracted as he seemed to be lost in a daze but he sensed Lu Shuanglu''s casual action, causing him to stare right back at Li Luo. His eyes turned sharp and serious as he began to scrutinize Li Luo. Li Luo knew that he had already recognized who he was. Golden Dragon Mountain, Zhang Cuicheng. He was the supposed genius who could possibly forge a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried for his third Duke Bergfried. He had left Golden Dragon Mountain all for the sake of Lu Qing''er. Was he also coming for him? Li Luo coolly retracted his gaze. It seemed like there were quite a number of mighty enemies he would have to face in the Treasure Domain. Weng! Just as more figures made their way over and descended outside the World End''s River Treasure Domain, a resounding boom originated from within. The last of the World End''s River water had been sucked back into the World End''s River itself. The entire area had fallen deathly silent and it felt as if countless gazes were looking at the entire group from the dark. That said no one showed any fear. Instead their eyes burned with fervor and anticipation. The truth was simple. There were numerous Foundational Spirit Treasures that could allow them to take a step forward in the path of cultivation within the Treasure Domain. Under such temptation, the Others didn''t seem so frightening in comparison. Li Jiluo and Li Qingpeng then glanced at each other before giving their next command. "Prepare to enter the Treasure Domain." Chapter 1312: Origin Reversion Institutes Plot Chapter 1312: Origin Reversion Institute''s Plot As Li Jiluo and Li Qingpeng''s voice fell, the two took the lead to move. Majestic amounts of energy undulations emanated from them, causing the void to shake. They then moved so quickly leaving behind beams of flowing light as they shot towards the dark Treasure Domain. When the rest of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li saw this, they immediately followed behind as hundreds of figures pierced through the air in grandiose fashion. In this group of hundreds, the majority were the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage cultivators of the Five Guardian Armies. They held great hopes in their hearts to obtain Foundational Spirit Treasures and to temper themselves. Ideally they hoped to use this as an opportunity to break into the Duke stage as well. After all, unlike the rogue cultivators, they had the peak experts from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li protecting them and thus they would definitely have more opportunities. Li Luo was one of those in that group. However no one dared to treat him as an average fellow in the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage. After all, his Heavenly Resonance Diagram was vaster than before and he could compete head on against a first-grade Duke. Additionally, it had reached the terrifying size of 99,000 feet. This was what attracted awe and respect from his peers. They were very clear that to reach this step requires immense amounts of talent, preparation and also ample opportunities. Despite everyone''s respectful gazes, Li Luo remained focused on the dark and corruption filled World End''s River Treasure Domain. The depths of his eyes burned with anticipation as he could feel that his years of hard work and sweat would culminate into reality at this point. The Duke stage! Many years ago, he had just resolved the issue of his blank palace and before he could relish in the happiness of having a great resonance, he was slapped with a five year time limit to hit the Duke stage or perish. It was like a blade looming over his head and it forced him to keep pushing forward, never daring to rest in case he didn''t have enough time. In a flash, three years had passed just like that. The originally unfathomable target of the Duke stage was within arms reach. Thus Li Luo couldn''t help but to feel a little bit of excitement within his heart. He raised his blank face and stared at the seemingly ordinary golden talisman in the distance as he lightly spoke to himself. "It seems that after so many years, they are still able to rely on that crappy talisman to seal off the World End''s Sea, making it impossible for Kings to enter. It does look like the Heavenly Emperors do have powers beyond my imagination. That said, it''s about time isn''t it?" "The four Heavenly Emperors are probably too busy taking care of themselves and don''t have the energy to pay attention to this location. The plan the Origin Reversion Institute has come up with over countless years can finally take place." The crux of this plan was to destroy the Heavenly Emperor talisman. However this object could not be touched at all from the outside. Even if he took action personally, it would simply be too difficult to destroy it. However it also had a grave weakness whereby it was much easier for a King to destroy it from the inside. Yet the talisman itself suppressed King stage existences, preventing them from entering in the first place! Thus the Origin Reversion Institute had always been planning to rear a King stage Other or cultivator within the Treasure Domain and borrow its strength to destroy the talisman. Only then could their other plans come to life. They had conspired in the dark for numerous years and they were now on the cusp of accomplishing it. The Faceless Other King turned his head towards the direction of Abyssal City and a smirk seemed to form on his featureless visage. "Qin Jiujie, even if you didn''t choose to invite me on your own initiative... I''d still have to come to the World End''s River Region. After all, our plans run much deeper than you''d ever imagine. However, you have brought me quite a bit of joyful surprise. Is that gray haired youth within the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s squad the Genesis Seed containing Li Luo? He possesses the potential to have a 100,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram. This sort of talent isn''t common at all. It seems that the Genesis Seed has not awakened and is still in a perfect embryonic form. If I am able to bring this back, this contribution should allow me to rise within the Thirteen Other Kings. So be it Qin Jiujie, as compensation, i''ll help you get rid of Li Jingzhe. After all, wanting to touch Li Luo would also mean that this stumbling block will also have to be kicked aside. He is also the biggest obstacle to our plan this time. However Qin Jiujie, it looks like your view is a little short sighted. Our Origin Reversion Institute has plotted within the World End''s River Region for so many years and it''s not only just to deal with a single Li Jingzhe." After which the Faceless Other King seemed to remain in thought for a moment before forming a handseal with a single hand. A deep white flame began to rise from its fingertips. It gave off a gloomy and cold feel and gradually transformed into a eyeball sized whirlpool of flames. In the depths of the whirlpool, the space within it seemed to constantly warp, piercing through endless layers of darkness, seemingly searching for something. In the end, the changing scenes within it stopped and from within the flames, a figure appeared. The figure''s robe had an eyeball on it which continued to turn and inspect its surroundings. "Hmm?" The figure who seemed to have been engrossed in something suddenly raised its head as he glared at the deep white flaming whirlpool with a frown. "Faceless, what are you looking at me for?" "Spirit Eye, we are kicking off the plan for the World End''s River Region. Li Jingzhe has already reached the Quasi-Triple Crown stage and he''s a little tricky to deal with. Since you''re in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, would you like to cooperate?" Faceless Other King''s ephemeral voice transmitted out of the whirlpool. The Faceless Other King''s ally was none other than the Spirit Eye Other King whom Li Luo was acquainted with. Clearly for the sake of the success of the plan, the Faceless Other King was planning to find other strong helpers as well. Chapter 1313: Li Lingjings Situation Chapter 1313: Li Lingjing''s Situation Within a pitch black hall, dusky mist flowed within and at the same time, innumerable whispers filled the space. The rustling echoed throughout the hall and if an ordinary Duke were to enter, they would very quickly be corrupted by the sheer density of the corruption that filled the area, losing their mind without a doubt. At this point, the Spirit Eye Other King was standing at the center of the hall as he frowned whilst responding to the deep white flame. On the other side of it was a faceless head which gave off an unsettling aura. "World End''s River Region? You''re finally taking action on the plan? The fact that Li Jingzhe has been able to reach the Quasi-Triple Crown stage is indeed impressive." The Spirit Eye Other King lamented. However after thinking about it briefly, he shook his head and continued tinkering with the things on hand. "The World End''s River Region is your responsibility and has nothing to do with me. My experiments have also reached the most critical step and I have no time to bother." Hearing Spirit Eye Other King''s rejection caused the Faceless Other King to coldly snort. "You don''t even want to obtain this contribution? Your damned old man, you''ve clearly been bedeviled by your research with those strange things." The Spirit Eye Other King''s expression changed as he retorted. "Bedeviled? Aren''t we even more terrifying than actual devils in the eyes of the people?" The Faceless Other King then continued speaking. "I''ve also discovered a very interesting brat and it''s Li Jingzhe''s grandson. If you don''t come, when he falls into my hands, you might regret it!" The Spirit Eye Other King remained nonchalant in the face of the Faceless Other King''s enticing words. In his eyes, the experiment at hand was of even more importance than that. So if one had to talk about participating in this plan for contribution, much more even if the Faceless Other King were to perish in the World End''s River Region, he simply didn''t care at all. "Stop wasting my time here. I''m very busy and have no time. Shoo." The Spirit Eye Other King rejected him unceremoniously once again. The scales were as sharp as a knife''s edge and just a simple movement would cause injuries to Li Lingjing''s body. Every time this happened, her expression would distort in pain as she remained in sleep. As the Spirit Eye Other King saw this, he lightly spoke. "Keke, you''re truly crazy. Considering how puny you were, you dared to take the initiative to devour the All-Beings Devil King''s strand of will. However being able to hold on for so long also tells me that the Soul Eater True Devil i''ve created has infinite potential! So long as you can overcome this trial, you''ll become even more perfect. In future, you''ll become the perfect being!" His gaze gradually turned frenetic and even drunken. Li Lingjing had brought him a massive surprise and all the other experimental bodies compared to her were all lacking. "You will thus be the living embodiment of my work and that the direction I''m taking is the correct one. That is the path to revert oneself to their origin! You can rest relaxed that although you''re insane, I greatly cherish this madness. Only with such frenzy can we pave the road ahead." The Spirit Eye Other King continued to murmur to himself as he stretched out his withered palm. A ball of flesh flowing with black blood surfaced and it looked extremely strange. From time to time, numerous limbs would stretch out of it as if they were trying to escape. It was filled with corruption and a piercing low voice transmitted from it. "If you wish to compete against the All-Beings Devil King''s will, you cannot resort to ordinary means. I''ve thus fashioned an Other''s Blood Womb. This object is capable of corrupting even Dukes, destroying their minds. However it looks like you don''t have any other choice." The Spirit Eye Other King stretched his hand out and tossed the ball of flesh into the inky black pool. Upon contact, it immediately sublimated into countless black worms which tunneled towards the ball of water containing Li Lingjing. The black worms then directly burrowed into the saturnine black tail and sounds of chewing began to sound out. "Li Lingjing, you have to work harder. You are the culmination of all of my lifeblood. The next time you awaken, there will only be two possibilities. Either you will be assimilated by the All-Beings Devil King''s will and transformed into a puppet clone, forcing me to destroy you... or to completely devour the strand of will and become an even more perfect existence." He continued to stare at the deeply asleep Li Lingjing before he smiled. "Did you also hear what was said just now? The person the Faceless Other King should be referring to should be the Li Luo that you know. He''s truly unlucky, having been targeted by Faceless. Li Jingzhe might be strong but we have made preparations for a long time in the World End''s River Region. He too will be left in a bad situation. The moment he dies, then Li Luo will definitely fall into the hands of Faceless and at that point of time, even wanting to die will be difficult." He continued with his soliloquy for a while more before turning away and planning to leave. It was just as he left when the slumbering Li Lingjing''s eyelids seemed to twitch. A single strand of her hair fell off and dropped into the inky black pool. It began to move on its own, seemingly like a tiny snake, fusing into the darkness before vanishing. Chapter 1314: Many Other Dominions Chapter 1314: Many Other Dominions When Li Luo entered the Treasure Domain, he could feel that the entire world seemed to have turned dark and if he looked into the distance, it seemed as though all sorts of strange structures could be seen in the distance and there were vague figures moving amidst it. However, just as he tried to inspect things more carefully, it would vanish into thin air as though it was all part of his imagination. Space continued to ripple, giving one an illusory and unsettling feeling. The entire area was filled with a cold and sticky atmosphere. Even worldly natural energy had to be refined before it could be absorbed into the body. Whispers continuously inundated the group, attempting to invade their hearts and negative emotions swelled up. "This is the World End''s River Treasure Domain. The corruption here is also much denser than the outside." Li Qingpeng explained. At this point he was standing at the front of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s squad and he was frowning. With his eighth-grade Duke stage abilities, he could keenly sense how ferocious the corruption truly was. "Even the number of Other Dominions have increased in number." Li Jiluo had produced a bronze mirror at this point. Groups of scarlet vortex lights of different sizes could be seen on it and were scattered everywhere. Li Luo and the rest similarly took out identical mirrors. These were Dominion Scouters and they were able to identify the location of Other Dominions within the Treasure Domain. As there were many mighty Others within, they would also choose to gather in specific areas and with the dense corruption present, Other Dominions would form in all shapes and sizes. At the same time, they had to be built in areas where worldly natural energy was concentrated and thus Foundational Spirit Treasures would be found there as well. Thus regardless if the aim was to purge the Others or to obtain Foundational Spirit Treasures, these Other Dominions were locations that had to be visited. At this point, the Dominion Scouter in their hands would provide them with a direction to head in. "The Other Dominions are separated into three tiers. The large ones are located deep in the Treasure Domain and are the biggest balls of light. The smallest ones are in the perimeter with the middle sized ones in between." Li Foluo explained to Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou. "The highest tier Other Dominions contain Others of fiendish strength. However the number of Foundational Spirit Treasures would also be the greatest there. Top grade ones can only be found there as well." Li Luo understood it immediately. In fact, he had explored an even more terrifying place in the past, specifically the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. The All-Beings Devil King had caused his All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion to descend and even though it was only a projection, it was capable of enveloping the entire world space and it was hard to imagine just how much more terrifying the actual dominion was. It was likely that even a high grade Duke wouldn''t be able to walk out alive after they entered. Compared to that, the Other Dominions here would be insignificant in comparison. "The truth is that whenever the World End''s River Treasure Domain opens, our mission would be to destroy as many of these Other Dominions as possible. Especially the large ones. They must be eradicated otherwise when the Stygian Rain of Calamity falls, their strength would also receive a boost and a King might be born. This is something that cannot happen at all costs." Li Foluo explained with a solemn expression. Li Luo''s gaze turned serious. "What happens if a King is born here?" "If an Other King appears, it would be able to suppress the Four Heavenly Emperors'' Sealing Talisman and once its destroyed, the corruption within this space will erupt with deadly force and with the Stygian Rain of Calamity, it will become a landing ground for the arrival of even more Others and possibly additional Other Devil Kings. At that point in time, the entire World End''s River Region would be lost and the Others would have a direct path to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, creating indescribably horrifying Other Disasters to descend towards us." Li Foluo explained glumly. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s expressions turned heavy as well. They had seen an Other Disaster erupt within the Xia Kingdom and it had changed the entire geography of their home. Clearly the Other Disasters encountered from the World End''s River Region would be on a different scale compared to the one at Xia Kingdom. These Other Devil Kings were creatures that were capable of competing against Triple Crowned Kings. Thus the opening of the World End''s River Treasure Domain was like mowing grass. The numerous powers would send their strongest squads to get rid of Other Dominions in all shapes and sizes, preventing the Stygian Rain of Calamity from becoming even more dangerous and destroying the Four Heavenly Emperor''s Sealing Talisman. At this point, even Li Jiluo had a look of desire in his eyes. He was originally determined to obtain the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus but unfortunately, Li Jingzhe had seized it in the end which caused him endless regret. Li Qingpeng lightly nodded his head. He had never expected that such a development would occur upon entering the World End''s River Treasure Domain. This transformed Other Dominion would definitely be riddled with danger but also held fatal temptation towards high grade Dukes like them. "It looks like we have to change our plans. We have no time to slowly push ahead. We will organize our strongest forces to forcefully breakthrough the obstructions and lead the charge in order to reach the depths quickly." Li Qingpeng sighed. Based on their original plans, they would organize the squad to advance from the outside to the depths methodically. They would sweep away all Other Dominions in their path. However with this new change in the situation, their peak experts would act as sharp knives, cutting into the depths to resolve the issue of this strange Other Dominion. However this would also mean that the squad would be split into two. As the strongest experts slaughtered their way into the depths, the weaker ones would stick with the original plan, slowly clearing out the Other Dominions from the perimeter. This was because the Treasure Domain was riddled with Other Dominions and the corruption formed a sort of sealing barrier from penetrating deeper easily. Even sixth-grade Dukes couldn''t force their way through. Moreover, medium sized Other Dominions also contained large amounts of Foundational Spirit Treasure and that also included high grade ones. This was a considerable amount of resources which they couldn''t easily let go. Li Jiluo and Li Qingpeng, the two leaders quickly reached a resolution. The others could only look at each other and obey the orders. After all, they could see the terrifying fluctuations of corruption and even the rogue cultivators were beginning to take swift action. Everyone knew that this change to the large Other Dominion meant incredible opportunities. Being able to obtain a top grade Foundational Spirit Treasure would allow their stagnant cultivation to once again take a step forward. Li Luo was filled with envy. Such an opportunity excited him but he also understood that even the Guardian Generals didn''t qualify to enter that elite group. Thus he could only stay behind with the group that advanced forward slowly. Getting some high grade Foundational Spirit Treasures to start wouldn''t be bad either. He could eventually exchange a few for a top grade one. This was how he consoled himself. Furthermore a large sized Other Dominion was not easy to take down. Perhaps they might be unsuccessful and miss the opportunities within. With this in mind, he relaxed slightly. At the same time, his eyes were directed towards the depths of the Treasure Domain. The void seemed to distort continuously, and countless strange scenes appeared from time to time. He seemed to fall into a trance as a trace of worry surfaced in his heart. There were too many strange developments going on within the World End''s River Treasure Domain. Hopefully things would all turn out alright in the end. Chapter 1315: Separate Squads Chapter 1315: Separate Squads The depths of the World End''s River Treasure Domain suddenly began to emanate strong waves of corruption. It immediately ruined all of the plans of the numerous powers who had entered within. All of their strongest experts had both solemn and avaricious gazes as they looked into the distance. A few of the strongest rogue cultivators also got ready to move. Everyone knew that this sort of development with a large Other Dominion would indicate that there would undoubtedly be top grade and possibly even peak grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. These were treasures that upper grade Dukes would salivate over. Thus when they could sense the disturbance within the Treasure Domain, they couldn''t restrain the greed in their hearts, directly rushing ahead. This also included the Heavenly Emperor powers who had very quickly completed their internal reassignments. Without exception, almost every squad was divided into two. The strongest experts of each squad directly broke through the layers of the Other Dominion''s barriers whilst the other group opted to push ahead slowly, planning to regroup in the depths. Thus in just a few moments, numerous figures giving off immense resonant power fluctuations rushed into the sky. As their majestic Duke Bergfrieds towered in the void, Divine Mist flowed and wrapped around their bodies, allowing them to pierce through the void. It was a spectacular sight to behold. On the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s side, with Li Jiluo and Li Qingpeng at the lead, they quickly made arrangements. "Why don''t I stay behind and accompany Li Luo and Qing''e." At this point Ox Biaobiao suddenly spoke up. The World End''s River Treasure Domain was a den of dragons and snakes. No one knew just how many Dukes were present and even if Jiang Qing''e had a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, it wasn''t sufficient to keep her safe. Additionally, there was also the fact that Li Luo had been attacked in the past and it gave him a sense of unease. Li Luo heard his words and smiled as he shook his head. "Uncle Biao, you can rest and relax. They''re so many Guardian Generals here. All of the high grade Dukes have already gone running into the depths and the outer region is much safer as a result." "Uncle Biao, you don''t have to worry either. With me here, I''ll make sure nothing happens to Li Luo." Jiang Qing''e similarly nodded her head and chimed in. The disturbance of the large Other Dominion was also an opportunity for Ox Biaobiao. After all, he also needed to obtain high grade Foundational Spirit Treasures for himself as well. All those years ago in the Xia Kingdom, Ox Biaobiao had quietly hidden himself away in House Luolan''s Headquarters, always watching over the duo. If not for the rumors of him being a powerful Duke, Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo might not have been able to hold on until the Housemeet. Ox Biaobiao had done a lot for them all these years and at this point, he should be thinking for the sake of his own cultivation now. He looked at the two and he was a little dazed. Unknowingly, the two children he had taken care of had blossomed into magnificent youths. They had already stretched their wings and were now independent. Li Luo was a little shocked as he was now thrown into a dilemma. The three of them hadn''t even discussed anything such as how they planned to distribute the Foundational Spirit Treasures and yet Li Foluo this Elder Brother had stormed his way in already? Would they be on the short end of the stick in that case? After all, he heard that in most squads, the Guardian General alone would monopolize the greater half of all treasures. When he saw how Li Luo hesitated, Li Foluo unhappily replied. "When it comes down to it, we''ll split evenly." "The Guardian General is righteous!" Li Luo immediately flashed a radiant smile. This was the best solution and they had managed to rope in an upper fourth-grade Duke''s help with the lowest possible price. With just the two of them, the comprehensive strength of the squad wouldn''t be weaker when compared to anyone else. When he saw Li Luo''s grin, Li Foluo couldn''t help but to snort in his heart. Why else would he have chosen to evenly divide the spoils if not for Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou''s sake? Why else would he share his hard earned gains! At the same time, the numerous Guardians made their own arrangements as each squad left in an orderly fashion. On Li Zhihuo''s side, Yuan Tianzhao, Li Hongque and the strongest remnants of the Dragon''s Blood Guardians had grouped up together. However when they saw Li Foluo grouping up with Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou, they couldn''t help but to frown. With this configuration, they indeed were not weak. Not to mention Jiang Qing''e had a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried and even though Li Hongyou had just entered the Duke stage, her resonance was a great boon to the squad she was in. With her assistance, Li Foluo''s combat strength would skyrocket. Li Luo was a better sight for sore eyes. Since he hadn''t reached the Duke stage and couldn''t borrow the aid of the Guardian Formations, he only had Greater Heavenly Resonance stage power. Even if his Heavenly Resonance Diagram was 99,000 feet, he''d only be able to deal with a first-grade Duke at best. However just the presence of the other three elevated the squad''s strength comprehensively and would also be a competitive opponent. It was hard to say now but Li Foluo should indeed be able to destroy quite a number of Other Dominions and earn quite the same. That said Li Zhihuo had no other solutions. Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou were with the Dragon''s Fang Guardians and he simply couldn''t snatch them away. Thus he could only quash the envy and depression in his heart as he spoke gloomily. "Everyone, once you''ve completed your preparations, you can leave." The other squads then assented to his command. Li Luo raised his head and could see that the other powers and rogue cultivators had formed squads of their own. All of them rushed into the sky like a gigantic swarm, capable of blanketing the skies as they rushed further into the Treasure Domain. Sounds of rushing wind rumbled. It could be said that the expedition to the Treasure Domain had officially started. Li Luo clenched his fist in anticipation. His goal was now to obtain ten upper grade Foundational Spirit Treasures and this should be enough to earn him a top grade one. "Let''s go!" The sky continued to rumble with the sounds of piercing sonic booms as Li Luo shouted out in excitement. Chapter 1316: Treasured Child Chapter 1316: Treasured Child The gloomy World End''s River Treasure Domain was now filled to the brim with individuals of all sorts of backgrounds. Additionally they had started to push towards the depths and noise soon filled the area as violent energy fluctuations raged from time to time, contrasted against inhuman piercing shrieks. The squads that had gone ahead were starting to clear the Other Dominions in the outer perimeter. The Others were being purged and at the same time, they searched for Foundational Spirit Treasures. Li Luo and the rest took action as well. Other than the four of them, there were tens of Dragon''s Fang Guardians in the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage following them. The Greater Heavenly Resonance stage was the lowest existence within the Treasure Domain. Furthermore they didn''t have the same sort of foundation and methods Li Luo possessed. Thus they could only follow along these senior brothers of theirs, hopefully feeding off the leftovers and gaining valuable experience. "The small Other Dominions usually have True Devils that wouldn''t be stronger than the third-grade. The medium sized Other Dominions are much more dangerous and there might even be a fifth-grade True Devil present. There might even be more than one and such locations can''t be monopolized by just one team. There are less large Other Dominions in the perimeter and if we do encounter it, we shouldn''t have the strength to conquer it. This is because there would likely be sixth-grade and above True Devils." As the squad advanced, Li Foluo explained the situation as he had the most experience. After all, it was Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e and Li Hongyou''s first time entering this Treasure Domain and were basically noobs. Li Luo attentively listened. After all, when it came to Others, they were simply too weird. They could even subvert opponents stronger than them and there would be a good chance it would cost them their lives. Thus they couldn''t afford to hold them in contempt. At the same time, Li Luo glanced into the distance. The light that lit up the Treasure Domain was dim and the space was perpetually distorted. He understood that this was because of the influence of the Other Dominions. They would open a rift in space itself and thus even if the road ahead seemed clear, by the time his foot landed, he had already entered the domain of the Other Dominion. That said the Dominion Scouter gave him a sense of direction to work with as well. As the group advanced, a while later, Li Foluo paused in his footsteps. As he looked ahead, they could see with the naked eye that there was an unobstructed plain before them. However on closer inspection, they could see that the space was slightly distorted and even illusory. Gloomy fluctuations spilled out from it as well. "This is a small Other Dominion." Li Foluo pointed at the area before them. Li Luo frowned slightly. There weren''t any rules in the World End''s River Treasure Domain and for the sake of Foundational Spirit Treasures, even rogue cultivators would dare to pick a fight with the Heavenly Emperor powers and bare their fangs. This was a chaotic place and dying here was normal. The only question that remained on their minds was just who was approaching them. Just as Li Luo was lost in thought, tens of figures rushed through the air, landing not far behind them. "Oh? Li Luo, it seems like we meet again." At this point a figure descended as crisp laughter sounded out in his ear. When Li Luo focused on the source, he saw that it came from a beautiful yellow robed lady who was beaming at him. "Lu Shuanglu?" Li Luo lightly sighed in relief. It was the girl from the Golden Dragon Mountain. When he had obtained the Sovereign Pearl earlier, she had even stepped in to give a hand and thus he had a good impression of her. This would also mean that this was the Golden Dragon Bank''s squad. Why would they run all the way over here? It was then when a tall man stepped out from the group, directly towards Li Luo. When Li Luo saw this, his eyes squinted slightly. This man was none other than Zhang Cuicheng, the Golden Dragon Mountain''s peak genius. It seemed that he had chased him here? Chapter 1317: Zhang Cuicheng Chapter 1317: Zhang Cuicheng The Golden Dragon Bank''s group''s appearance caused Li Foluo and the rest to relax a little. They had always been neutral and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had always maintained good relationships with them. However the tall male with a black metal staff strapped onto his back continued moving forward with incredible momentum, right towards Li Luo. This action caused Li Foluo to frown. The man''s actions seem to imply that he didn''t come here with kind intentions. Li Foluo had seen information on Zhang Cuicheng. He was the most decorated and talented elite amongst the Zhang Family in Golden Dragon Mountain, being one of the Three Families which held the most power within. The Zhang Family was descended from Heavenly Emperor Zhang and was a peak existence who was renowned in the entire world. Surnamed Zhang, his name was Daxian. His name which literally meant "Grand Immortal" was an impressive one. At the same time it also amazed an era and many legends were left in his wake. What was most well known was the fact that during a previous round of the Origin Reversion War, he had single handedly suppressed seven Devil Kings, each equivalent in power to a Triple Crowned King. It thus led to the expression. "Hear the Immortal''s descent, bury the seven kings beneath the moon." Thus those who belonged to the Zhang Family held a pivotal position within the Golden Dragon Mountain. If Zhang Cuicheng truly wished to attack Li Luo, this newfound enmity would definitely lead to trouble. Although Li Foluo might have felt this way, he planned to stand between them to block Zhang Cuicheng. After all he was only an upper second-grade Duke. The other party might be talented and it was said he planned to obtain a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried for his third Duke Bergfried. Perhaps it was because of this declaration of wild ambition that it signified how confident he was. Just as Li Foluo took a step forward, Li Luo then stretched his hand out to stop him. The other party was looking for him and his obstruction would not be of any help here. After all, the opponent''s lineup was also incredibly strong and there were many experts who were no weaker than Li Foluo. Li Luo calmly watched Zhang Cuicheng who had made his way before him. The other party''s facial expressions were resolute but his eyes seemed to drift from being focused to unfocused from time to time, giving one the feeling that he was a little slow of mind. However he could sense an incredibly dangerous aura from him. This was the strongest second-grade Duke he had ever met. "Are you Li Luo?" Zhang Cuicheng''s gaze focused upon Li Luo as he asked with a deep voice. Li Luo nodded his head. "Do you know Lu Qing''er?" Zhang Cuicheng went straight to the punch without holding back. "We are old and close friends. I''d naturally recognize her." Li Luo indifferently replied. Could it truly be the fact that he had liked Lu Qing''er and knew that the two of them had a good relationship that he''d run over here to cause him trouble? Although it was slightly despicable, it was still within expectations. Youths were hot blooded and enjoyed such childish challenges. Zhang Cuicheng then fell silent before answering. "If you ever encounter trouble within the World End''s River Treasure Domain, I''ll help you out once." "Huh?" Li Luo and even Li Foluo was taken aback by this. They had not expected the churlish and intimidating Zhang Cuicheng would have such a strange change in opinion. Li Luo''s mind was full of suspicion as he asked. "Why?" "I''ve been entrusted by her." "Qing''er?" This answer made no sense. Furthermore Li Luo only had a good relationship with Lu Qing''er within Golden Dragon Mountain so why would anyone travel such a long distance just to help him out? In the end she sighed deeply twice and quashed the feelings in her heart as she coldly responded. "Scram back here. The squad belongs to me and don''t cause a scene before others." After being berated by Lu Shuanglu, Zhang Cuicheng gave a nonchalant expression. He forced himself to look away from Jiang Qing''e unwillingly. He really wanted to have a fight but it looked like now wasn''t the right time. As a result, he could only turn back and return to the squad. Li Luo couldn''t help but to smirk upon seeing Lu Shuanglu''s expression. She had a strange personality indeed. She had lent him a hand once and yet also hoped that Zhang Cuicheng would give him a beating. Lu Shuanglu rolled her eyes in response as she glanced at the Other Dominion ahead of them. "Do you want to go together?" Li Luo then hurriedly shook his head. "It''s just a small Other Dominion. It''s not worth joining hands for this. Perhaps next time." This might have been a small Other Dominion in other''s eyes but if they relied upon Li Hongyou''s intuition, there should be a middle-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure within which would be a considerable prize. How would they be willing to share it with the Golden Dragon Bank? When faced with Li Luo''s rejection, Lu Shuanglu didn''t mind it either. After all it was simply a small Other Dominion and there wouldn''t likely be anything precious, perhaps just a few low-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. She was so rich she wouldn''t even do both at times. "Alright, if you obtain a few middle or upper-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures that don''t suit you, you can sell it to us. I''ll buy it at a high price. If you want to exchange for something, we can help you with that too." Lu Shuanglu then changed the subject immediately. Li Luo thought about it before smiling and asking. "What about quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights?" He had prepared a single bottle for himself but that was it. It wasn''t enough to evolve his Woodearth resonance. That said the Heavenly Dragon Treasury only had a single bottle and wanting to procure more would take time. "Quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights?" Lu Shuanglu mumbled before smiling gaily at him. "You have a far sighted view of things. Other powers wouldn''t be able to satisfy you at all. However our Golden Dragon Bank has a foundation beyond your most grandest imaginations." She lightly waved her hand and a middle aged man walked up. He then took out a jade case sealed with a talisman. Its surface was engraved with countless runes. As she opened the jade case, there were two glazed jade bottles that appeared. Within each bottle was a mysterious substance that thrummed with life force, constantly shifting and demonstrating a wondrous scene. These were both quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights! Li Luo knew it from a glance. As expected of the Golden Dragon Bank, just a casual movement and two bottles had appeared before him. However, considering that they were in the Treasure Domain, they would be used to trade for Foundational Spirit Treasures. Thus it was expected that they would bring with them precious treasures. This also meant that Lu Shuanglu probably also brought along humongous amounts of cultivation resources and skygold. They were truly a walking house filled with treasures. At the same time they didn''t fear that others would steal from them. "What''s the price?" Li Luo asked. Lu Shuanglu stroked her snow white chin lightly as she stretched out two fingers. "Two upper-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures for one bottle of quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights." Li Luo''s jaw dropped at the preposterous price. Lu Shuanglu was indeed a black hearted maggot! Chapter 1318: Treasure Hunting Affinity Chapter 1318: Treasure Hunting Affinity "Two high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures for one bottle of quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights? Lu Shuanglu isn''t that profiteering?" Li Luo''s expression turned a little dark as he unhappily replied to the grinning Lu Shuanglu. In the Heavenly Dragon Treasury, a high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure would go for around 30,000 dragon essences and a bottle of quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights would have the same price. Meanwhile Lu Shuanglu had asked for a price twice as high! That was simply too expensive. When faced with Li Luo''s furious retort, she spread out her hands. "Hey, you can''t slander the reputation of the Golden Dragon Bank? The items in the Heavenly Dragon Treasury are greatly discounted for the Five Guardian Armies. We, on the other hand, have to operate a business and can''t give you the same price. If you feel that it''s too expensive, you don''t have to do business with us." With Lu Shuanglu this old hand around, she didn''t care if Li Luo would agree or not. After all, there were already so many other individuals asking to do business and they could make a killing during the opening of the World End''s River Treasure Domain. Li Luo looked at the bottles of quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, seemingly unwilling to be separated from them. However he then decisively turned his gaze away. There was no choice. He simply didn''t have the high-grade treasures required for exchange. "Do you take loans?" In the end Li Luo asked the question, not wishing to give up so easily. Lu Shuanglu rolled her eyes at him yet again as she waved her hand. The middle aged Duke had a mocking smile as he retrieved the jade box. "Do you think I''m Sister Qing''er? Do you want to get serviced without paying? The Golden Dragon Bank never allows for people to take a loan on their items!" Lu Shuanglu coldly snorted. Li Luo shook his head sadly. "Wanting a loan is impossible but what I can do is keep these quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights for you for a period of time. Once you''ve obtained the Foundational Spirit Treasures, you can come and find me." Lu Shuanglu continued. "Alright." Li Luo sighed as he nodded his head. "Go go. The group of you should work hard. I hope you all reap many treasures." Lu Shuanglu didn''t continue to banter, instead placing two hands behind her back as she turned around to leave. The Golden Dragon Bank''s squad then followed behind with Zhang Cuicheng grasping his staff tightly. He nodded at Li Luo coolly, slowly following the team before gradually leaving. Li Luo looked in the direction which they left in as he muttered. "It feels like the amount of treasures they have on hand is greater than what you can get in a large Other Dominion..." Li Foluo hurriedly spoke up to curb his dangerous thoughts. "A long time ago, a King had the same thought. He coveted the possessions of the Golden Dragon Bank and in the end, he was caught by the Heavenly Emperor of Golden Dragon Mountain and suppressed within the depths of a Golden Dragon Bank Auction House for a hundred years. Over that period of time, everyone who came to trade with them could personally witness the King being imprisoned." Indeed they had acted decisively and cruelly. Li Luo was left widened and speechless. Even a King had been suppressed for a hundred years for others to watch. These friendly businessmen with a reputation that harmony breeds wealth were actually terrifying when provoked. That said it made sense. It was as the common folk said, there would probably be no Heavenly Emperor power that could surpass the Golden Dragon Bank in terms of wealth. Thus they would likely possess immense power to safeguard it. All of the Three Families had a Heavenly Emperor as well. It also meant that their foundation was something that no ordinary Heavenly Emperor power could compare with. "We are all just friends, why would I go and steal from them? Wouldn''t that be too immoral." Li Luo righteously replied. Li Foluo nodded his head. "Well in the end, it looks like Zhang Cuicheng wasn''t looking to find trouble for you and that''s a good thing. His strength is exceptional and with the support of the Golden Dragon Mountain, clashing against him would undoubtedly be a troublesome affair. It seems like Grand Commander Li Luo has forged impressive friendships. Who would have known that he''d have friends even within Golden Dragon Mountain? She even beseeched someone else to travel thousands of miles just to assist him within the Treasure Domain. It seems like this relationship isn''t shallow." As Li Foluo spoke that final sentence, Li Luo could feel Jiang Qing''e''s casual gaze shifting towards him. He immediately felt a chill on his back before he glared angrily at the stone headed Guardian General. If he couldn''t say something positive, he shouldn''t speak at all! "Ah, let''s go. Time is tight and we should quickly enter this small Other Dominion and confirm Senior Hongyou''s treasure finding abilities!" Li Luo hurriedly changed the topic. "Indeed indeed. That''s what''s important!" Li Foluo similarly got excited over this. If Li Hongyou had such an ability, they would be able to make a tonne of money! The Tree Other screeched angrily as countless palms stretched out from the branches to form an unsettling shield made from it. Bang! Of course now that a fourth-grade Duke had taken action, a second-grade True Devil would naturally be unable to receive it. The fist manifestation descended and crushed the palms like dry twigs, even causing the trunk of the tree to crack as corruption flowed out of it like blood. Li Foluo''s single attack had grievously injured it. That said, the Other possessed immense lifeforce and countless white sprouts sprouted out from the cracks left behind by his attack, attempting to mend the damage dealt to it. However at this point in time, a radiant sword light swept downwards to the trunk, severing it into half. At the same time, the purification powers of the light resonant power completely obliterated the tree. In just tens of breaths of time, the second-grade True Devil had been completely vanquished with Li Foluo''s and Jiang Qing''e''s efforts. Meanwhile at its previous location, a deep hole appeared. When Li Hongyou walked forward, she waved her hand and 3 balls of flowing light surfaced. The balls of light emitted an incredible fragrance and everyone could feel familiar fluctuations from it. They were Foundational Spirit Treasures! Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e and Li Foluo looked on with anticipation. Of the 3, 2 had weaker spiritual energy and were clearly low-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. However the last one seemed to emanate much more vigorous spiritual energy. It was like an icy cold bead as cold air spread from it. Snowflakes and ice crystals continued to condense in its vicinity. At the same time the group gasped as their gazes turned heated. This was indeed a middle-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure! Li Foluo sucked in a breath in shock. This demonstrated that Li Hongyou''s ability to sense treasures was indeed genuine. Furthermore, the odds of a middle-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure appearing in a small Other Dominion would usually be one in ten. "We''re going to strike it rich this time." Li Foluo emotionally spoke to himself. Li Hongyou smiled slightly as she stretched out towards the three Foundational Spirit Treasures. However at this point voices suddenly rang out. "Wait. Don''t touch it." The ones who had spoken were actually Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. Li Hongyou looked suspiciously at the two and noticed that the duo were warily inspecting the object. This caused her eyes to shrink slightly. Was there a problem with it? Chapter 1319: Hidden Danger? Chapter 1319: Hidden Danger? Li Hongyou''s slender jade-like hand paused before the three Foundational Spirit Treasures. Although she didn''t know what the problem was, she trusted Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. Li Foluo had also descended from the skies. He had heard them objecting and immediately asked curiously. "What''s happening? Is there something wrong with the Foundational Spirit Treasure?" Based on his own senses, he couldn''t figure out that anything was amiss. Li Luo then glanced at Jiang Qing''e before asking. "Sister Qing''e, do you also feel like something isn''t right?" Jiang Qing''e hesitated for a moment before answering. "My Heart of Light sensed that there is something peculiar going on with this Foundational Spirit Treasure. However I can''t tell if this was just my imagination." At the same time she cast out her senses yet again and that sense of disconnection had vanished. Li Luo frowned. Truthfully speaking, at that point in time just now, the Auric Halo within his body had also let out a warning towards him, which caused him to speak up. The mysterious Auric Halo had a special origin and had often helped him escape from dangerous situations. Thus he trusted it immensely. More importantly, even Jiang Qing''e had detected something was not right and thus it should not have been a coincidence. However neither of them could come up with a reason why they felt this way. "If you trust us, we should temporarily not come into contact with thie Foundational Spirit Treasure. We''ll store it away and when we return, Sister Qing''e and I will closely examine it." Li Luo sighed after a few moments as he spoke carefully. "It''s not about trusting you, you''re simply looking out for our safety." Li Foluo said without a care for the treasures. He might not know whether there was something truly wrong with the Foundational Spirit Treasure but in the World End''s River Treasure Domain, it was best to be cautious. Otherwise if something unexpected occurred, it would be too late to even regret it. Li Foluo was not a fledgling child anymore and he understood just how serious things could get over a moment of recklessness or greed. In any case there was no rush to use these Foundational Spirit Treasures anyways so it would be best to keep them away and investigate it more closely later. Thus they took out three jade spheres which were engraved with numerous runes, emanating unique energy fluctuations. Li Foluo tossed the jade spheres outwards which then opened up and directly enveloped the three Foundational Spirit Treasures. These jade spheres served as a simple seal, perfect for containing these potentially problematic items. "Should I leave these Foundational Spirit Treasures in your care, for you to take a closer look?" Li Foluo glanced at the two as he asked for their opinion. "Give it to me then." Jiang Qing''e took the initiative to receive it. If they contained some inexplicable danger within, it would be best kept with her. Li Luo was still preparing to break into the Duke stage and it would be best that he was kept safe from unforeseen circumstances. She stretched her hand out and placed the jade spheres into her own pocket sphere. The rest retracted their gazes. Despite that, everyone''s mood remained high as one thing was confirmed at least. Li Hongyou could sniff out treasures before entering the Other Dominions and find out just what sort of grade the Foundational Spirit Treasure was. This was an incredible discovery as it could save them endless amounts of effort and time. Immediately upon hearing this, the group shook their heads vigorously. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e held a high standing within the Dragon''s Fang Guardians and everyone trusted their abilities. The fact that they were unable to discover the source of the problem within half a day did not mean that they dared to test this with their lives. After all, that was the most important. Li Foluo didn''t have any better solution either. It was the first time he encountered such a situation and in the past, when they entered the Treasure Domain, no one had ever mentioned that there was some sort of problem with the Foundational Spirit Treasure. At the same time, he also trusted the duo and not someone to speak without thinking. Thus he cast his gaze into the distance where the skies and earth were blanketed by darkness. Even the air felt gloomy and sticky here. The void was distorted and every so often, the figures of strange Others could be seen. The boundless amounts of corruption was multiple times denser than before. In some of the distorted spaces, it emanated waves of corruption that caused Li Foluo''s expression to turn serious. "We have already entered the deeper parts of the Treasure Domain. I''m afraid we will encounter medium-sized Other Dominions next and we will have to rely on everyone''s ability as a squad to destroy them." Li Luo''s expression turned solemn as well. Such Other Dominions had much more True Devil Others and there might be True Devils who were stronger than the fourth-grade. Thus the degree of danger far surpassed that of a small Other Dominion. Even Li Foluo wouldn''t be able to deal with things in a relaxed fashion. That said it might be more perilous but the benefits were also several times greater. Middle-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures were common in these Other Dominions and if one was lucky, they might find high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. With Li Hongyou''s assistance, they could find the Other Dominions with the greatest value. That said small Other Dominions were relatively simple and the time and effort required to deal with them wasn''t significant. If they were unsatisfied with the rewards, so be it. However a medium sized Other Dominion required them to fight with their lives on the line and some might be injured or even die. If they only received a few middle-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures after going through all that, they would feel as though someone was slicing their heart apart with a knife. Li Foluo then glanced at Li Hongyou. His usually cold expression had turned into a vibrant smile. "Hongyou, I''m afraid we have to trouble you yet again." "I''ll do my best. The corruption coming from the medium Other Dominions is much denser and it can even cover the fragrance of the treasures. I cannot completely be sure." The squad''s expectations were too high and she did not want to guarantee things, lest be stressed out by this. Li Luo similarly smiled. "Senior Hongyou, whether I can find Lu Shuanglu to exchange for more quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights will all depend on you." Li Hongyou looked at Li Luo''s handsome and smiling visage before pursing her lips into a smile. Her expression softened as she nodded lightly. "Alright alright, I''ll definitely help you find a high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure containing Other Dominion..." When Li Foluo saw this, the corner of his lips twitched slightly. The differential treatment they received was simply too obvious! On the side, Jiang Qing''e shot a glance at Li Luo. It seemed this "Elder Sister Killer" had reached the peak. Chapter 1320: Passing By Other Dominions Chapter 1320: Passing By Other Dominions As time passed, the corruption within the outer region gradually dissipated. The originally distorted spaces gradually returned to normal and the surroundings went back to normal. This was as most of the Other Dominions in the outer perimeter were being gradually cleansed by the experts of the numerous powers. Through the process, some squads also celebrated as they received their spoils of battle whereas others were left depressed due to the paltry treasures obtained whilst being heavily injured. There was an entire spectrum of emotions present. However there was no other choice. The World End''s River Treasure Domain was not some cordial training exercise. Those who wanted to obtain treasures would naturally have to make preparations to give up their own lives. This was a location where they not only had to keep a look out for Others but also avaricious thieves. For the purposes of obtaining more Foundational Spirit Treasures, if they sensed that the other party was weak, including those from Heavenly Emperor powers, there would be rogue cultivators descending upon them like ravenous wolves. This was especially after the medium sized Other Dominions appeared. High-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure which were capable of inciting unrequited greed from other cultivators were being unearthed one after another and it was enough for them to take on risks to obtain it. As a result, Li Luo and his squad remained on alert. However their squad was not the same as others. They had discovered four medium sized Other Dominions in half a day but chose not to enter any of them, directly bypassing it. Based on Li Hongyou''s senses, these four did not contain any high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. Since there weren''t any, they would naturally see no need to vanquish those Other Dominions. After all, it would be a huge waste of time and effort. Thus they kindly left these areas for the other squads to explore. That''s right, when Li Luo and the rest arrived before some of these Other Dominions, there were already a few other squads eyeing them. They too were similarly on alert and warily observing them. After all, if more squads entered, it would also mean there would be a fight for the Foundational Spirit Treasures that revealed themselves after. However, just as they were keeping a close eye on Li Luo''s squad, they had instead turned to leave after a single glance. Before they left, Li Luo had even magnanimously informed the other squads that since they were first to arrive, they would not be involving themselves, even wishing them good luck in their ventures. The other squads, seeing how they had chosen to give up, were first surprised, and then elated, quickly expressing their thanks and gratitude. Thus they even happened to gain some goodwill amongst them. Divine Tiger Guardian Guardian General, Zhao Qianjun, upper fourth-grade Duke. Li Luo frowned. He had not expected that this carefully selected Other Dominion would have allowed him to encounter this particular group of friends. It seemed that the saying that enemies walk a narrow road was true. Just as Li Luo had discovered the squad from the Divine Tiger Guardians, they similarly had discovered Li Luo and friends. Zhao Jiyun and Zhao Zhuoyan''s expressions changed. This was especially the case for Zhao Zhuoyan as he glared furiously at Li Luo. During the debacle around the Sovereign Pearl, he was beaten by Li Luo and lost the opportunity to snatch it. This caused him immense humiliation amongst the Ten Thousand Beast Guardians and he was unable to hold his head up high. A Grand Commander of the Divine Tiger Guardians at the lower second-grade Duke stage was actually beaten silly by a Greater Heavenly Resonance Li Luo. He had not just lost face for himself but also the Divine Tiger Guardians as a whole. Thus his biggest hope during this excursion into the Treasure Domain was to encounter Li Luo and personally end this humiliation with his own hands. Furthermore they couldn''t bring all the guardians into the World End''s River Treasure Domain so everyone had to rely on themselves. Without the support of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, Zhao Zhuoyan had confidence he could beat Li Luo to death with ease. "Li Foluo, this Other Dominion has been claimed by the Divine Tiger Guardians since we first arrived. I''ve already informed the other squads from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao and they will rush over soon. Thus if you don''t wish to start a conflict here, you can go elsewhere and find another Other Dominion for yourself." At this point in time, the Divine Tiger Guardian General Zhao Qianjun indifferently announced. Li Foluo frowned. Zhao Qianjun''s squad was in no way weaker than theirs and he was an upper fourth-grade Duke. If they were to truly fight, it would be one that would require him to give it his all. Normally speaking there were no benefits to this and fighting such a strong squad wasn''t a very good use of their limited resources and time. Furthermore the Treasure Domain had just opened. Li Foluo then turned towards Li Hongyou whilst the latter blinked innocently with her long eyelashes as she spoke softly. "We can''t give in. This Other Dominion might have two high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures." These words caused the group to feel absolutely shocked. "I understand." Li Foluo responded. Li Luo exhaled deeply. Two high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures were a bottle of quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids! With such a delicious prize before them, let alone Zhao Qianjun, even if the strongest Guardian General Zhao Xiuyuan from the Ten Thousand Beast Guardians were here, they would still have to fight a decisive battle for the treasures. Chapter 1321: Divine Tiger Guardian General, Zhao Qianjun Chapter 1321: Divine Tiger Guardian General, Zhao Qianjun When Li Hongyou said that the medium sized Other Dominion before them likely contained two high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures, Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e and Li Foluo all knew that they couldn''t let anyone else take it. Thus Li Foluo turned towards Zhao Qianjun who was coldly glaring at them as he smiled and shook his head. "I''m sorry, since we are already here, we can''t leave empty handed. We also want to explore this Other Dominion as well." When Zhao Qianjun heard his refusal, his eyes turned gloomy. He didn''t understand why Li Foluo was so determined to fight them this early because it didn''t make rational sense. Thus Zhao Qianjun could only guess that the reason why Li Foluo acted this way was because Zhao Jiyun had targeted Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e in the past for the Sovereign Pearl. They were taking this opportunity to get back at him. Frightening amounts of resonant power began to emanate from Zhao Qianjun like a storm as a huge wave of pressure descended on everyone present. His gloomy eyes were focused on Li Foluo before briefly sweeping his gaze past Jiang Qing''e, Li Luo and finally Li Hongyou. However just when everyone thought the two teams were about to clash, the resonant power around him began to gradually recede. "Li Foluo, I hope you don''t regret this." He aloofly said. With those ominous words and his posture, it was clear he had no intentions to forcefully push them away. "Guardian General, we arrived at this Other Dominion first. Why are we letting them go in without a fight?" Zhao Zhuoyan asked hurriedly. He wanted to return the humiliation he had received to Li Luo. During the struggle for the Sovereign Pearl, he had been beaten to within half an inch of death and had suffered immensely. His injuries had also harmed his cultivation progress, reducing the speed at which he could advance to the upper second-grade Duke stage. Thus his hatred for Li Luo was immense. Zhao Qianjun glared at him as he frowned. "Do you think we can actually beat them?" Zhao Zhuoyan was taken aback. "Why not? The only reason why Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo could emerge victorious during the struggle for the Sovereign Pearl was because of the support of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, reducing the gap between our cultivation bases. There are no Dragon''s Fang Guardians today so we can definitely beat them silly. Brother Yun and I will be able to regain our honor after this!" Zhao Qianjun retorted. "If you truly think this way, I feel like you might very well die by Li Luo''s hands." Zhao Zhuoyan was about to retort when Zhao Qianjun interrupted him and his expression changed. "Li Luo might not have the aid of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians but did you forget that he still has a spirit beast as his trump card? From what we gathered, the spirit beast is at the second-grade Duke stage and might be no weaker than you. Furthermore Li Hongyou possesses a supportive resonance and she''s now in the Duke stage. If she bolsters Li Foluo and Jiang Qing''e, do you think that Zhao Jiyun and I have a chance to beat them?" Perspiration beaded on Zhao Zhuoyan''s forehead as he unwillingly clenched his teeth. "When we fought over the Sovereign Pearl, I never once saw Li Luo tap upon the spirit beast''s strength. Perhaps he might no longer be able to use it. It''s likely that he''s limited in its usage anyways." "Perhaps, but there are other squads eyeing us here as well. They clearly hope that Li Foluo and I would both be injured here so that they can act as the fisherman and fish up all the rewards. Thus it is stupid to act here." Zhao Qianjun continued. Zhao Jiyun continued, "The Guardian General should be waiting for help to arrive. Since we already sent out a signal for help, once we join hands with our reinforcements, we will be able to control the entire space. At that point in time, they will have to cough up all the treasures they have snatched from us. The Guardian General''s plan is the safest bet whereas you, Zhao Zhuoyan, are too impatient." Zhao Zhuoyan nodded his head reluctantly upon being berated. He knew that he had been too anxious as he wanted to obtain revenge. He couldn''t help it. Ever since he had lost to Li Luo, he was the laughing stock amongst the Ten Thousand Beast Guardianss. Now that he had personally set eyes on Li Luo yet again, he wished to remove this stain on his reputation. It was his best chance yet. Li Luo and the rest under Li Foluo''s lead had directly tunneled in the direction of the ancient gate. As their figure passed through the gate, they could hear countless sounds before them. When they looked around, they could see a bustling city scene with numerous people coming and going. Pedestrians and vendors filled the street as far as the eye could see. It seemed as though it was a living, thriving city! However Li Luo''s gaze turned cold when they witnessed this. Although the expressions on the faces of these humans seemed realistic, they knew that this was just an illusion cast by the Other Dominion. Furthermore Jiang Qing''e''s senses towards Others were particularly sharp and she could detect inhuman presences hiding beneath these human skins. This city was a killing ground. This was a middle sized Other Dominion and danger was aplenty. It far exceeded that of a small sized Other Dominion. Weng! When faced with this scene, Li Foluo immediately burst forth with his upper fourth-grade Duke stage strength. With a single strike, boundless amounts of resonant power swept towards his front. Wherever the resonant power passed by, it razed both the people and the buildings into dust. The figures of the pedestrians shattered and some Others which were hidden within were pulverized into ash and smoke before being able to react. On the street, the remaining walking individuals suddenly froze as all their heads turned towards the squad simultaneously, casting their cold eyes upon these intruders. A moment later, ear rending screeches were emitted from all of them. The bodies of these pedestrians began to distort as corruption filled the air. Strange Others began to emerge one after another. Within which were numerous True Devil Others as well. Corruption descended like a tide, blotting out the skies and the sun within the Other Dominion. Chapter 1322: Fourth-grade True Devil Chapter 1322: Fourth-grade True Devil Weng! At an intersection, corruption surged forth and Li Foluo directly rushed outwards. Four looming Duke Bergfrieds manifested above his head and Divine Mist spilled out. Lava flowed through it and it emitted a horrifying temperature. Li Foluo had an upper eighth-grade Lava resonance and his Divine Mist inherited this tyrannical affinity, able to destroy everything in its path. As the lava imbued Divine Mist swept past, the Others were submerged into the mist and were then disintegrated, creating a path ahead. However the corruption in the Other Dominion was too dense and the amount of Others was simply terrifying. Thus an endless number of strange Others pounced forward and even Li Foluo was blocked from progressing forward. Of course Li Foluo wasn''t the only one fighting back. A moment later, blinding light resonant power that resembled the sun flooded the air as sacred light shone. Corruption was purified wherever it passed through and the Others were blasted into smoke. Jiang Qing''e had made her move. Her triple ninth-grade Light resonances condensed light resonant power that was incredibly tyrannical and its purification power was incredibly lethal to both the corruption and the Others. Thus the area which the resonant power swept through immediately opened up. A single move of hers had greatly relieved the pressure on Li Foluo and the two joined forces to quickly tear a path through the corruption and Others, allowing them to advance. Li Luo, Li Hongyou and the rest of the squad remained behind them, cleaning up any Others that had escaped the net. The pressure was mostly being borne by Li Foluo and Jiang Qing''e, thus Li Luo had the luxury of looking around. It seemed that the entire city had no end in sight. Only billowing corruption filled his view. Who knew just how many twisted Others were milling around in the darkness? This was completely incomparable to the small Other Dominion they had encountered prior. It truly was a case of one being completely insignificant to the other. The other squads who had followed them into the Other Dominion had completely vanished without a trace. It seemed as though they had been separated but this was also a good thing. If the squads were all placed in the same instance, they not only had to deal with the attacks of the Others but remained wary of those with greedy intentions. Furthermore the dense corruption in this region meant that those without sufficient willpower would have their negative emotions amplified and might even do things that were simply irrational. Li Luo''s eyes shrunk. He could see that within this pale beam of light was a bleached white finger almost a foot long. It radiated with frightening undulations. A normal third-grade Duke would definitely die when faced with such an attack. The good thing was that Li Foluo had remained on alert the entire thing. He immediately took action and the halberd in his hand was thrown outwards like a roaring red dragon, colliding directly against the finger. Weng! Shocking energy undulations blasted out in every direction as a result of the clash. Even the ground and buildings around them were shattered and completely leveled as a result. This bleached white finger had been smashed apart by the halberd. Li Foluo stretched his hand out and the halberd returned to his hand, the tip was raised, pointing towards the surging corruption before him. "Watch out, the fourth-grade True Devil has arrived." He reminded. The rest warily looked ahead and saw that the corruption began to condense into a single figure. They could now see the view ahead. On top of a dilapidated and mottled tower at the end of the street before them, stood a single humanoid figure. This figure resembled an extremely tall woman several tens of feet high but her skin was alabaster white. However she didn''t thrum with vitality, instead looking rather sickly and cold instead. There were only a few strips of cloth covering her important areas and her legs were unusually straight and slender. Meanwhile her figure was in contrast quite plump. Her facial features were charming but on top of her head sprouted two white horns. If one were to look closely, it was actually made up of numerous bleached white fingers that had been sewn together individually. Finally the tip of the horn resembled a blooming lotus but the petals were made of fingers instead. Li Luo''s gaze lingered upon the tip of the horns. It was there where he could see two dark green branches growing from it. These branches seemed quite mystical and it was engraved with numerous runes that continued to devour worldly natural energy. It seemed as though those were the high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures they had been looking for! Chapter 1323: Blade Culls Four Devils Chapter 1323: Blade Culls Four Devils "High-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures!" When Li Luo discovered the green branches protuding from the fourth-grade True Devil''s strange horns, it elicited a cheer from Li Foluo who had similarly seen it at the same time as well. Li Hongyou''s sense for treasure had been validated once again. Seeing a single high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure in a medium sized Other Dominion was already rare, much less two of them! "I''ll deal with it and the rest can clear the field, preventing it from being easily reinforced by other True Devils. " Li Foluo no longer hesitated as he grasped his halberd tightly. The four humongous Duke Bergfrieds above him began to rumble as worldly natural energy rushed into it. He then shot towards the True Devil Other, moving so quickly he left a trail of light in his wake. The scorching halberd was like a flaming dragon brandishing its tail, striking and enveloping the Other with his resonant power almost immediately. Sssssh Faced with Li Foluo''s assault, the fourth-grade True Devil screeched as its eyes flowed with negative emotions that seemed to take physical form. Its slender arm twisted and transformed into a gigantic pale white sickle with its sharp edge imbued with corruption. Dang! The massive hand sickle hacked towards him, moving so fast that a sonic boom was heard and the void was ripped apart. Massive amounts of corruption surged towards Li Foluo like a poisonous python, heavily clashing against his halberd. Weng! Shocking amounts of energy diffused in every direction and the surrounding streets and buildings were wrecked. Any Others that approached the area of collision were also obliterated. As the two collided, black light suddenly shot out from some of the ruined houses nearby. Within could be seen hooks that were slathered with some kind of black substance as it attempted to viciously gash Li Foluo ruthlessly. Each beam of black light was a True Devil Other that was planning to ambush him! However it was at this point that absolutely brilliant light resonant power descended upon these black lights. Wherever the radiant light swept across, the black light would be forced to back away! These poisoned hooks were then purified and vanished into a puff of smoke. Tui! Jiang Qing''e floated triumphantly in the air as a thin nail shot out from the Sacred Crown of Thorns. All they could hear was light puffing sounds as the mysterious nail easily pierced through the heads of the Others which had attempted to ambush Li Foluo. As the sacred power of purification swept across the field, even the True Devil Others with stronger life force were forcefully sublimated, melting away amidst their shrill cries. As the Light Nail returned, it reattached itself back to Jiang Qing''e''s Sacred Crown of Thorns as light flowed around it. It bathed her fair and beautiful face with a warm light which gave her an even more holy and magnificent appearance. Jiang Qing''e then glanced towards Li Foluo. The fourth-grade True Devil was no weaker than him and thus both held nothing back. The battle was intense and their numerous killing blows were performed one after another, shocking the crowd. Was this even something a Greater Heavenly Resonance stage was capable of doing? They were left in shock at how ridiculously powerful Li Luo was. Meanwhile Li Luo didn''t feel like anything was wrong with that. He had triple resonances, a lower ninth-grade Waterlight resonance, upper eighth-grade Woodearth resonance and a quasi ninth-grade Heavenly Thunder Dragon resonance. With such a luxurious setup, and with the fact that he had an almost perfect Heavenly Resonance Diagram, didn''t it make sense that he could easily split a True Devil into two? Li Luo lifted his head and continued watching the front. After he took down the True Devil, he could sense several gloomy gazes locked onto him from within the mist of corruption that blanketed the skies. Rustling sounds came from the corruption. A moment later, the mist rippled and four figures walked out. Feeling the fluctuations of corruption coming from them, he could sense their grades. They were all upper first-grade True Devils. Li Luo''s five fingers began to slowly tighten around his blade''s handle. There was no fear in his eyes, only a blazing desire to fight. In the past he had to rely upon the Heavenly Wolf''s power to deal with True Devils. However with how much his strength had risen by, these originally terrifying enemies no longer felt oppressive to any more. It was then when Li Hongyou also stepped in to support him. It was not the time to look cool as they had to deal with these Others as quickly as they could. Her jadeite hands formed a hand seal as a Vermilion Fruit Godly Transformation Seal flew outwards, directly entering Li Luo''s body. A dense fragrance emanated from the seal and Li Luo''s resonant power began to rise. Weng! Majestic resonant power fluctuations burst out from Li Luo''s body like a tsunami. The intensity of the resonant power was already no weaker than a first-grade Duke. It was clear that Li Hongyou''s Vermilion Fruit Godly Transformation Seal had also gotten a large upgrade when she broke into the Duke stage. As he felt the surging resonant power within his body, Li Luo''s eyes glittered as he let loose a thunderous roar into the skies. He took a step forward and slashed downwards with his blade which created a rift. Frightening amounts of resonant power exploded outwards without restraint. The void shattered. A moment later, three shocking draconic roars sounded out as three gigantic dragons trampled their way out of the void. When faced with four upper first-grade True Devil Others, he did not hold anything back, directly utilizing a killing move. Three Dragon''s Heavenly Banner Canon. He would use a single blade to cull all four of them! Chapter 1324: Distinguished Achievements Chapter 1324: Distinguished Achievements Roar! Three titanic dragons with different energies bellowed thunderously. They then began to coil around each other and the void shook as an ancient mottled banner manifested. The banner floated before Li Luo as worldly natural energy began to condense around him with frightening speed. It gave off an oppressive aura which spread in all directions like a tide. Li Luo stretched his hand out and grasped the pole of the banner. This time, he could sense something completely different. In the past, when he grabbed hold of the Dragon Banner, it required him to utilize every single inch of his strength before he could forcefully wield it. After all, it was unique in the sense it required physical strength to move despite being created from resonant power. Resonant power wasn''t effective at moving it at all. Thus he had to borrow the aid of Transforming Dragon with the True Dragon Pill and take on dragonoid form before he could barely wield it. However when he grasped the banner today, it seemed to have become much lighter. Surprise filled Li Luo''s eyes as he casually waved the banner. With a single movement, terrifying amounts of energy were summoned up which destroyed the void. Faint divine light shimmered, seemingly having the power to suppress everything. Li Luo''s mind pondered over this new development. As he looked at his arms, he could see that some vague violet gold runes had appeared and it resembled a hazy figure of a dragon. These were the violet gold draconic runes. When he had evolved a Heavenly Dragon resonance, his physical body had also taken a large leap forward. The supposed violet gold draconic runes were a power derived from the Heavenly Dragon bloodline. It was capable of greatly enhancing his physical strength and defenses. "The Three Dragon''s Heavenly Banner Canon might have also been influenced positively by it." Furthermore, Li Luo could feel that the boundless divine light which was produced by the banner now contained a trace of extremely pure but ancient power, which had originated from his Heavenly Dragon resonant power. The saying that the emperor of all dragon resonances, the Heavenly Dragon resonance, could produce Heavenly Dragon resonant power that would bolster all dragon resonance related Duke Arts was true. Thus Li Luo felt like his body had reached an unprecedented peak of power thus far. This was all possible due to the augmentation of the Heavenly Dragon resonance, the improvement of his cultivation base and also Li Hongyou''s support. Thus even though corruption was sweeping towards him like a wave and the four first-grade True Devils were demonstrating why they were feared with a terrifying attack launched at him, Li Luo was unperturbed in his heart. In contrast, he took a step forward amidst the horrified eyes of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians in the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage. He would stand alone and confront these four upper first-grade True Devils! This scene was simply too shocking to the other guardians. They had never heard of a Greater Heavenly Resonance stage daring to confront such an enemy by himself. Even a second-grade Duke would feel wary when dealing with such an opponent. These Others had not been completely vanquished and so long as they could escape, they could borrow the aid of corruption to rebuild their bodies. Phew. Yet Li Luo suddenly spat out a small ball of Acquired Resonance Flame. This fire swept across the field and ignited all of the remnant True Devil Others, leaving behind not even a single trace of their existence. The mottled ancient banner in his hand then transformed into motes of light as it dissipated. Weakness flooded his body and he suddenly felt great pain through his body due to the wounds obtained from that clash. He had expended all of his resonant power and that could be considered his strongest state at the moment. As his body swayed slightly, almost about to collapse, a cold slender hand was placed on his back as a gentle power accompanied with a unique fragrance entered his body. This energy was greedily lapped up by his now dried up resonant palaces, allowing him to regain resonant power. The wounds on his body were also knitted together with shocking speed. Li Luo turned his head and glanced at Li Hongyou who was standing behind him and flashed her a smile, "Thank you Senior Hongyou." Her alluring eyes looked at him with astoundment, "With Greater Heavenly Resonance stage strength, you managed to destroy four first-grade True Devil Others with a single move. This sort of achievement would probably not be surpassed by any other Greater Heavenly Resonance stage cultivator in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent for a hundred years." This was met with his humble reply, "Without Senior Hongyou''s support, I would have never been able to go that far." This sort of battle achievement was impossible without Li Hongyou''s help and his Three Divine Dragon''s Demon Smiting Light had properties which could counter a True Devil''s corruption. Adding on the fact that his Heavenly Dragon resonant power could bolster his Destiny grade Duke Art, it thus created such a miracle. At the back, the other Dragon''s Fang Guardians looked completely shell shocked, their gazes full of newfound respect for Li Luo. They could deeply feel the difference between them. With Li Luo killing the four True Devils, Li Hongyou then assisted with regenerating his resonant power as quickly as possible. Not far away, an even more shocking battle was happening. Radiant light resonant power flooded downwards, purifying all of the corruption that blanketed the world. At the same time, a pitiful screech could be heard. The once boundless amounts of corruption was beginning to recede. Li Luo and the rest understood that the fourth-grade True Devil had been eliminated with Li Foluo and Jiang Qing''e''s combined efforts. There was nothing surprising about this. It might be at the upper fourth-grade but so was Li Foluo. With the addition of Jiang Qing''e and her affinity at harming and suppressing Others, the fact that the True Devil was able to hold on for such a long period of time was only because the duo had not wished to damage the two high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures growing atop its strange horns. Thus they held back a little. Amidst the group''s elated eyes, Li Foluo and Jiang Qing''e returned. Before them were the two green branches that exuded a spiritual light. The Foundational Spirit Treasures were now in their hands. Chapter 1325: Treasures In Hand Chapter 1325: Treasures In Hand "You dealt with four upper first-grade True Devil Others?" Li Foluo''s figure descended as he stared at Li Luo in utter shock. Even he was taken aback by his achievement. This sort of result was incredibly impressive even when placed amongst those in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. It might very well be something that no one would be able to match even in a hundred years time. Li Luo gave a slight smirk, "I''ve surprised the Guardian General." In retrospect, this result was also out of his expectations. He hadn''t thought that with just the addition of a Heavenly Dragon resonance would allow the Three Dragon''s Heavenly Banner Canon to reach such an imposing level of might, capable of slaughtering four True Devil Others in one blow. Based on his own estimates, the Three Dragon''s Heavenly Banner Canon was a low-grade Destiny grade Duke Art and with the aid of the Heavenly Dragon resonance, it would reach the might of a middle-grade Destiny grade. Li Foluo''s gaze turned complicated. Ever since Li Luo arrived in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, he might have had a relatively low profile when compared to Jiang Qing''e resulting in many inadvertently ignoring him. However his abilities had been completely revealed today which was enough to cause a huge sensation amongst the Five Guardian Armies. This was because other than being subject to Li Hongyou''s buff, Li Luo had fully relied on his own strength. Just what sort of ability was this. "Everyone has underestimated you. Your talent and methods are nothing less when compared to Jiang Qing''e. I look forward to the day you break into the Duke stage." Li Foluo sighed. Perhaps that would be the day that the Dragon''s Fang Guardians give rise to a pair of unrivaled geniuses. If that was the case, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians would attain an unprecedented era and the thought of it caused his heart to tremble. This content is taken from . Jiang Qing''e''s bright eyes were focused on Li Luo''s body. Her gaze had turned warm as she knew just how much effort he had put in all these years. Back then, this youth from Southwind Academy had taken a huge gamble. He gambled with his entire life, giving him only five years of lifespan to accomplish a goal. As of now, almost four years have passed. This was the last year he had left and he was just one step away from the Duke stage. Li Foluo was looking forward to the maturing of yet another genius but to her, it was about resolving the sword that dangled above his head. The good thing was that after years of waiting, that moment was finally at hand. Jiang Qing''e sincerely felt happy about this. "Zhao Qianjun, get your ass out here!" Li Foluo''s gaze turned cold as he struck downwards with his halberd, causing a hundred foot long spear manifestation that resembled a dragon to explosively shoot towards the distance. Weng! As the void distorted, a well built figure walked out with his five fingers clenched into a fist. The fist was imbued with a tyrannical golden lightning resonant power as it transformed into a sharp tiger''s paw. The golden lightning tiger paw manifestation swatted towards Li Foluo''s lava spear manifestation and collided, causing a resounding boom in the air. freewebnvel.c?m The well built figure wasn''t shaken in the least, instead slowly walking forward as he lightly laughed. "Li Foluo, your luck is a little too good. You''ve actually managed to obtain two high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures in a medium sized Other Dominion." Behind him, Zhao Jiyun, Zhao Zhuoyan and the rest of the Divine Tiger Guardians'' experts followed behind as they looked on greedily. On their end, they had fought against a lower fourth-grade True Devil Other and had only obtained two middle-grade and a few low-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. This was simply too pathetic when compared to what Li Luo''s side had obtained. Li Foluo icily glared at Zhao Qianjun. "Oh? You want to steal it from us?" "The fact that you could kill the True Devil Others here was also because we distracted some of them as well. Now that you''ve taken all the benefits, we find it hard to look the other way." Zhao Qianjun''s gaze flickered. "Li Foluo, so long as you give us one of the high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures, we''ll go our separate paths. What do you think?" His gaze swept across his surroundings. "The Other Dominion is about to vanish and if others were to find out, you won''t be able to escape without paying your dues." Li Foluo''s eyes turned gloomy. He could sense the corruption receding and that there were certain eyes spying on them in the distance. There was nothing they could do about it as the commotion caused when taking these two Foundational Spirit Treasures was too large. He would naturally be unable to hide from those determined prying eyes. "What do you think?" When faced with Zhao Qianjun''s threat, Li Foluo looking towards Jiang Qing''e and Li Foluo. Jiang Qing''e''s jade-like face was chilly and her slender hand tightly grasped her heavy sword. Resplendent light resonant power overflowed in all directions. Li Luo then glanced at Zhao Qianjun as he gave a harmless smile as he warmly replied. "Guardian General Zhao Qianjun, the exit is just there and i''d advise you to be friendlier." "So what if I don''t wish to? What are you going to do about it?" Zhao Zhuoyan unhappily retorted when he saw Li Luo''s attitude as he smirked coldly. Li Luo thought about it before replying seriously. "If you don''t want to be friendly, you might just die. Here." Chapter 1326: Golden Peng Guardians, Zhao Baisun Chapter 1326: Golden Peng Guardians, Zhao Baisun "Li Luo, you still dare to speak wantonly when there aren''t any Dragon''s Fang Guardians to supplement you?" Li Luo''s words infuriated Zhao Zhuoyan, whose eyes were filled with killing intent. During the battle for the Sovereign Pearl, he had lost to Li Luo and lost face for the Ten Thousand Beast Armies. Thus, he had sworn in his heart if they were to fight again, he would kill Li Luo and wash away the shame! Zhao Qianjun''s eyes shrunk slightly as he indifferently said, "It looks like you''re not willing to share." He sighed, giving the other party a look full of pity. "Since that is the case, I can only pry it from your dead corpses and take away all of your Foundational Spirit Treasures." Li Foluo''s gaze turned chilly. "You''re pretty good at talking big." Zhao Qianjun raised his head and glanced at the disappearing Other Dominion around him. The environment around him was turning illusory, and it became a location where others could join in. "Our squad alone won''t be able to devour you." Zhao Qianjun then slowly enunciated his next words. "However, I''d like to remind you that I''ve long asked for reinforcements. Although you sent out a signal for help, our friends should be one step ahead." As his words echoed, a group emanating boundless amounts of resonant power rushed into the sky from a distant clump of mountains. They flew so fast that they left a trail of light in their wake. They stopped in the air just above the bickering squads. The person at the front was a skinny man with a head full of white hair. His eyes were sunken in and he had an aquiline nose that gave him a particularly ruthless appearance. What stood out were his hands, which looked broad and sharp. When Li Foluo saw him, his expression changed. "Golden Peng Guardian General Zhao Baisun!" The squad that had come to reinforce the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao was none other than the Golden Peng Guardians of the Ten Thousand Beast Armies. The Guardian General was a lower fourth-grade Duke, and behind him was a squad of experts. In terms of strength, the opponents now had two Guardian Generals and their respective squads, clearly intent on crushing them. "Ah, Li Foluo. It''s been a while," Zhao Baisun said, directly positioning himself and his squad in Li Foluo''s path of retreat. A dark and stern smile was plastered on his face as he greeted Li Foluo. Zhao Qianjun then crossed his arms and calmly said, "Li Foluo, I gave you a chance, but you didn''t take it. If you wish to give in now, a single high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure will not be enough." Li Foluo''s face turned gloomy. "Zhao Qianjun, if you want to eat us up, then the Divine Tiger Guardians will have to pay the necessary price. Who knows how many other medium Other Dominions are waiting to be harvest? Do you really want to cripple yourself now?" Meanwhile, Li Foluo was completely left in disbelief at their words. "You''re only a first-grade Duke; how can you handle a fourth-grade?" Li Foluo couldn''t help but ask. Jiang Qing''e had a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, but as far as he was aware, she could only handle an upper third-grade Duke at most. "I''ve made some progress in my cultivation and have improved." Jiang Qing''e gave an absolutely beautiful albeit small smile as she gripped the hilt of her heavy sword. "I''m invincible when fighting against anyone beneath the fourth-grade, though I can hold my own against fourth-grade Dukes. If I push myself, I can deal with much more." Li Foluo paused. Those words sounded sounded like they had come from Li Luo''s mouth, not hers! "You''ve reached the upper First Duke Stage?" Jiang Qing''e nodded. This was unbelievable to him. "I can''t believe you''re so strong now. It looks like you could''ve taken me down a while ago." Jiang Qing''e curiously glanced at him. "When we arrived at the World''s End River Region, Li Luo and I were ambushed and you came to save us. Why would I want to take our benefactor down?" Li Foluo was left speechless at her reply. He had the feeling that if he had not rescued them in the beginning, then perhaps there might have been a change of Guardian Generals once they entered the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. However, Jiang Qing''e concealing her strength had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. At the very least, it would greatly abate the pressure on them. Li Foluo pointed his finger at Li Luo and asked suspiciously, "Then how about you? You even dared to say that you could deal with Zhao Jiyun? That''s an upper third-grade Duke! You couldn''t even deal with Zhao Zhuoyan, so how are you planning to fight Zhao Jiyun? And without Li Hongyou''s help?" "It looks like you''ve forgotten that I have a Duke Stage spirit beast with me, Guardian General." Li Luo flashed a harmless and radiant smile and lightly tapped on his scarlet braclet. The Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf yawned at this moment. It then released an incredibly majestic and ferocious energy that poured into Li Luo''s body like a torrent. Li Foluo''s eyes shrunk a little when he felt the energy undulations. This was comparable to a third-grade Duke, and the energy had exploded like a tempest from Li Luo''s body. This sight left him numb. He now understood that these two generals beneath him had concealed their strength, one deeper than the other! Chapter 1327: The Absolutely Outstanding Young Couple Chapter 1327: The Absolutely Outstanding Young Couple When he saw Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e taking out their trump cards, Li Foluo was first left speechless, then excitement filled him. After all, he couldn''t wait for the two of them to surprise him further. It seemed like the situation had been salvaged from the jaws of defeat. "Alright, then leave Zhao Qianjun to me. With Hongyou''s support, it won''t be hard to take him down." Li Foluo brandished his halberd, and the four Duke Bergfrieds above him roared to life. Worldly natural energy was swallowed in huge amounts and a frightening pressure descended on the area. He then shot into the air, pointing his weapon towards Zhao Qianjun as he bellowed, "Zhao Qianjun, let''s fight!" Scarlet lava flowed from his Duke Bergfrieds. The horrifying heat caused the air to distort. Zhao Qianjun was still a little taken aback by Li Luo''s sudden burst of resonant power. Now that he saw Li Foluo take the initiative to challenge him, his gaze turned icy. "Do you think that Li Luo borrowing the aid of a spirit beast will change the outcome of things?" The energy undulations coming from Li Luo indicated that the Duke Stage spirit beast was around the third stage. However, this didn''t mean that Li Luo could bring out all of its strength and the energy''s ferocity and fiendishness was unmatched. A single third-grade Duke should be able to restrain him. The crux of the battle was whether he could beat Li Foluo. So long as he beat him here, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians would naturally fall apart. "Zhao Baisun, let''s join hands and kill Li Foluo first! "Zhao Jiyun, lead a group and intercept Li Luo! "The rest will restrain Jiang Qing''e!" Zhao Qianjun swiftly gave out his commands, and immediately after, incredible amounts of resonant power burst out of him and he shot into the skies. Duke Bergfrieds appeared above him and Divine Mist flowed, covering the sun and sky. It was a spectacular scene. The strongest two, Zhao Qianjun and Zhao Baisun, zoomed towards Li Foluo in an attempt to deal with him quickly. However, a sacred sword made of light pierced through the air, heading straight for Zhao Baisun. Zhao Baisun frowned. "Jiang Qing''e? You dare to fight me?" His stern expression turned vicious. The opponent was an unrivaled genius, but she was still a first-grade Duke. It was possible that she could fight a third-grade, but he was at the fourth stage! Golden Divine Mist poured down from over Zhao Baisun''s head, transforming into a thousand-foot-tall Golden Peng. It unfurled its wings, which were sharp as blades, as it soared through the void, directly clashing with the sword of light. Bang! The clash resulted in an ear-piercing explosion. Zhao Baisun''s expression was the first to change as he realized that his fourth-grade Divine Mist manifestation didn''t cause the sword of light to dissipate. Instead, its unparalleled ability to purify was gradually causing the Golden Peng to turn illusory... He waved his hand, and a golden, feathery longsword appeared in his grasp. He swung the sword, and beams of sword energy that resembled thousands of feathers shooting across the sky materialized, destroying the sword of light. His expression turned serious as a result of this. The most important part was that Jiang Qing''e''s single move had forced him to retaliate with his Duke Mythic Armament, the Golden Feathered Sword. This meant that her strength had far surpassed his expectations. Zhao Baisun shifted his gaze to Jiang Qing''e''s alluring figure, floating the bright sky. She was radiating extremely pure light resonant power, condensing into a form of holy light that shrouded her, preventing any unclean presences from tainting her. Roar! A piercing draconic roar echoed as Li Luo''s body greatly grew in size and underwent a quick transformation. Dragon scales surfaced on his skin and his palms turned into claws. His grayish-white hair lengthened and draped behind his back like a waterfall, dancing wildly in the strong wind. In just a few moments, he had transformed into a dragonoid, standing several dozen feet tall. Impressive draconic might emanated from him, causing Zhao Jiyun and the rest to pause and their expressions to change. However, Li Luo did not stop therehe activated the other trump card of his Heavenly Dragon resonance. Heavenly Dragon True Body! Li Luo had always wanted to know if he would be able to summon the true body of the Heavenly Dragon after utilizing the True Dragon Pill''s Transforming Dragon ability. When these abilities were superimposed, just what sort of heights would his physical strength reach? It seemed like he would learn the answer to that shortly. Roar! An ancient roar reverberated throughout every inch of Li Luo''s body, and his dragonoid form started to expand yet again. His scales began to turn violet-golden and became much thicker. In the end, they were shaped like suit of violet-golden scale armor! On top of that, the energy flowing through his flesh and blood began to change at a frightening pace. His surging blood felt like a gigantic dragon shuttling through his body, and he began to emit extreme heat, causing faint wisps of smoke to rise into the air. His sharp dragon claws tightly clutched his sword''s handle. The Dragon Elephant Blade had been affected by the Heavenly Dragon resonance and experienced a transformation as well. The violet-golden scales covered the entire blade. It looked like the weapon itself had sprouted scales, turning the originally sharp weapon into one that was jagged and resembled fangs. The smell of blood filled the air. A ball of flame was belched from Li Luo''s mouth, igniting the smoke around him. He stood confidently before Zhao Jiyun, Zhao Zhuoyan, and the rest. Their eyes shrunk at the sight of his transformation. Li Luo was now as sturdily built as a metal pagoda. His body was equipped with a suit of Violetgold Dragonscale Armor and his eyes seemed to have turned into a pair of a dragon eyes. As his gaze swept across the field, they could sense ancient dragon might radiating from him, causing their bodies to feel sluggish and heavy. Even the resonant power circulating in their bodies was affected. Barbarous, mysterious, primal. These were the adjectives that could be used to describe Li Luo. It left a deep impression on the group attacking him. At the same time, they felt an indescribably fiendish aura from him. Swoosh! It was at this point that he finally took action. He resembled a Heavenly Dragon straight from the myths, capable of devouring the heavens and the earth. It was time to display his majesty for the world to see. Chapter 1328: A Blade Slaughters Little Zhao Chapter 1328: A Blade Slaughters Little Zhao Boom! Li Luo created a sonic boom when he shot out, as his speed had risen to an unimaginable level. Numerous afterimages were left in his wake as he barrelled towards the group. He exuded a sense of merciless momentum that seemed to fill the skies. "How arrogant!" When Zhao Jiyun saw this, his face had turned steely green. Li Luo, a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator, dared to call out five Dukes? He was an upper third-grade Duke himself, and he felt like Li Luo''s behavior truly looked down upon them. "Everyone strike at once. Kill him!" Zhao Jiyun''s eyes welled up with killing intent as he bellowed. In the next moment, the five acted as one. Divine Mist flowed out of their Duke Bergfrieds, forming all sorts of wondrous attacks that covered the sky. Li Luo currently had the aid of the Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf, and his greatly enhanced body and speed made him move like a bolt of lightning. Even Zhao Jiyun could only briefly make out illusory afterimages as Li Luo zoomed past. All of the Divine Mist attacks hit nothing but empty air. "Zhao Zhuoyan, watch out! He''s heading for you!" Zhao Jiyun warned. Zhao Zhuoyan''s mind spun as he hurriedly attempted to escape. He could hear the sounds of air compressing and exploding due to Li Luo''s sheer speed. In a flash, the figure wrapped in Violetgold Dragonscale Armor and wielding the blade that resembled a dragon''s fang had appeared ominously before him with a savage aura. The pressure coming from his foe caused Zhao Zhuoyan to go pale. "As I said, if you don''t want to be friends, you can just go ahead and die." Li Luo''s callous words were filled with murderous intent. The last time they met, he had merely destroyed half his body. This time, since they planned to fight to the death, he wouldn''t show any mercy. Li Luo swung his sword, sending ferocious blade energy flying in every direction, directly shattering the void. This strike was a result of the Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s power and Li Luo''s newfound physical might. When the light from the blade energy filled Zhao Zhuoyan''s eyes, he sensed death beckoning him. His mind was a mess as the two Duke Bergfrieds above him roared to life and dense amounts of Divine Mist flowed forth, swiftly condensing into a runic flame shield. The tyrannical blade light, on the other hand, was not hampered in any way by Zhao Zhuoyan''s resistance. As it hacked downwards, the two attacks clashed. Li Luo had carried out a lightning-fast blitz, resulting in the death of Zhao Zhuoyan, but he now discovered the impending attacks launched at him. It was too late for him to retreat, though he didn''t plan to. The keen dragon claws covered with scales tightly gripped the Dragon Elephant Blade. The Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s energy roared within his body, and he became slightly excited at the terrifying power he now possessed. "Elder Brother, who should we first kill?" He grinned. The Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf let out a low snort in the scarlet bracelet, still lying down like it was napping. However, its scarlet eyes flickered momentarily. It was now comparable to an upper third-grade Duke and the amount of fiendish energy it possessed was several times greater than before. Whever Li Luo borrowed its strength in the past, he had to suffer for it. However, it was shocked to see that when its energy poured into Li Luo, the energy seemed to turn docile. Furthermore, the fiendishness of the energy failed to affect Li Luo in the least. If not for the fact that its own power was being used, it might have suspected that this was Li Luo''s own energy. When it observed more closely, it realized that the reason was because Li Luo had a Heavenly Dragon resonance now. The Heavenly Dragon race stood at the absolute peak of the spirit beasts, stronger than even the Nine-tailed Heavenly Wolf. Li Luo had used the Transforming Dragon and the Heavenly Dragon True Body to create a humanoid Heavenly Dragon. The fiendish energy of the Heavenly Wolf Race was naturally subjugated thanks to those power-ups, unable to wreak havoc within his body. This situation left it feeling a little complicated. In the past, Li Luo had to carefully borrow its strength, fearing the corrosion of his spirit due to the fiendish influence of its energy. He had to tread carefully if he didn''t want to become a slave to it. However, as of today, it could no longer pose a threat to him. This also meant that the brat could wantonly wield its power as he wished! This caused the Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf to sigh bitterly in its heart. Despite how dangerous it was, this brat had managed to squeeze out an immense amount of power from it. Now that he could fully withstand its power, wouldn''t the wolf just be drained at a whim? That said, the brat was quite impressive in his own way. He had managed to slay a second-grade Duke in the blink of an eye despite dealing with the combined efforts of five Dukes. If they were to change positions, it wouldn''t have been unable to do the same. The Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf closely observed Li Luo''s imposing figure in the sky. It knew that the moment he broke through, their strength and positions would reverse. Perhaps this brat was deserving of being its master. Chapter 1329: A Single Arrow Chapter 1329: A Single Arrow Fearsome energy erupted from Li Luo like a volcano as he swung the scale-covered Dragon Elephant Blade. The next thing everyone saw was a huge ray of blade energy directly colliding with the Duke Bergfrieds. Every single collision caused the void to shudder. The explosive booms could be heard hundreds of miles away. Those who were watching from the dark were left with jaws gaping. They have never seen such a disgusting Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator, capable of contending against five Dukes. In fact, he had even ended the life of a second-grade Duke right off the bat. Furthermore, this singular man was sending Zhao Jiyun and the other three''s Duke Bergfrieds flying with every strike. This terrifying strength caused the eyelids of many Dukes to twitch in utter disbelief. Li Luo was in his dragonoid form, equipped with the Violetgold Dragonscale Armor. On top of that, his physical strength had reached phenomenal heights. Even when an attack hit him, it only stopped him in his tracks momentarily. It was clearly difficult to injure him. Riding on his invincible momentum, the battle continued to increase in intensity. On the other hand, Zhao Jiyun and friends were unable to gain the upper hand, and impatience welled up on their faces. Amidst the increasingly frenetic exchange, Li Luo once again found an opportunity and managed to take advantage of it, slaughtering the Golden Peng Guardians'' Second Grand Commander, an upper first-grade Duke. That blow had shattered the opponent''s Duke Bergfried and instantly sent him on his way to the afterlife. The price of that was to endure Zhao Jiyun''s all-out spear assault. The spear imbued with vicious energy was finally able to break through the Violetgold Dragonscale Armor, but it was unable to go any deeper than that. The spear itself was forcibly halted by Li Luo''s impregnable muscles and was pushed out. The injury formed by the spear energy swiftly healed after that. On the opposing side, the group of five was now three. "Li Luo, do you dare to take me head-on?" Zhao Jiyun screamed furiously. Li Luo had spent most of his time avoiding him and dealing lethal blows to his companions whenever the opportunity arose. He had no chance to clash with him directly. At this rate, Li Luo could very well kill off everyone except for him. Li Luo gave a slight smirk. "Don''t you think that suggestion is a little too illogical? It''s five against one, and you think I''d focus on you before I got rid of your friends?" Zhao Jiyun''s gaze turned incredibly gloomy and he clenched his teeth. His hatred for Li Luo simply couldn''t grow more intense; his only desire right now was to crush Li Luo''s bones and scatter his ashes. "So be it. It''s about time for your turn now." Li Luo''s smile receded and his gaze turned chilly. He hacked downwards with enough force to split the void apart, and three low, guttural roars were heard from the rift that had been created. There was a platinum mirror int he vortex. Engraved upon it was a primeval divine tiger with its fangs bared, wanting to devour the skies. The expressions of Zhao Zhu and the remaining Golden Peng Guardian Grand Commander turned solemn when they saw this. They could tell that Zhao Jiyun was utilizing the Divine Tiger Guardians'' signature Duke Art. Quasi Destiny-grade Duke Art: Divine Tiger''s Rotating Mirror! It was capable of releasing the Divine Tiger''s Fiendish Light, which possessed unparalleled ferociousness and was capable of destroying all things. After Zhao Jiyun had shouted, the platinum Divine Tiger''s Rotating Mirror began to spin, releasing crackling booms as it did so. A moment later, everyone saw a beam of platinum light, thousands of feet thick, fly out! It split the skies and earth in its path. This frightening display caused the scalps of those watching to turn numb. An upper third-grade Duke had activated a quasi Destiny-grade Duke Art that was capable of shaking the earth. Li Luo saw the tyrannical beam of light shooting towards him, but he remained unfazed. He indifferently murmured to himself, "I guess this counts as fighting back." The violet-golden dragonscales covering his body began to blaze with radiant light as he activated all the strength he could muster. Upon reaching his peak, he released the bowstring. Roar! It was like a furious dragon emerging from the sea. Another stream of light penetrated the sky. The arrow actually seemed a little weak in comparison to the impressive, giant beam of platinum light. However, no one dared to underestimate it. Its sheer destructive aura caused the sky to turn dark in its presence. Boom! The arrow of light collided with the platinum beam. At the same time, Li Luo noticed from the corner of his eye that a vast ray of light had swept across the battlefield in the distance, purifying everything into nothingness. Jiang Qing''e had gone all-out as well. Chapter 1330: Dual Demons Chapter 1330: Dual Demons A golden wheel began to shine with incandescent light. It was bright enough to cover the skies. At the same time, a sacred white flame with an aura capable of purifying the entire world descended, and whatever its light touched, the worldly natural energy was transformed into light resonant power. The entire place had become as bright as day. Jiang Qing''e floated in the air with the three sacred halos rotating behind her. They were the physical manifestations of her triple ninth-grade light resonances, and each halo sucked in copious amounts of worldly natural energy as they spun, funneling the purest light resonant power into her body, supplementing the energy she consumed when she used her arts. Her resonant power recovered at a frightening rate. Meanwhile, the Sacred Crown of Thorns had turned blood-red. The ever-shimmering scarlet brilliance reflected a certain hue on her fair, white face, making her seem a little devilish. The contrasting holy and devilish auras seemed to have fused spectacularly into one, giving her a unique sense of beauty. Her golden eyes were filled with indifference as she observed the world before her. The area was in ruins, completely disintegrated by the holy flame. What had also vanished... were the four Duke Bergfrieds and their owner, Guardian General Zhao Baisun of the Golden Peng Guardians. Not far away, the Golden Peng Guardians'' Envoy turned pale. His eyes were full of abject terror and he began to shake in fear as he looked at the spot in the void where Zhao Baisun had completely vanished. He had personally witnessed Jiang Qing''e''s terrifying attack; she had crushed Zhao Baisun as easily as a brittle twig despite the latter going all-out. In fact, he had been wiped out of existence, leaving not even a strand of hair behind. As an upper third-grade Duke, the Envoy was no weaker than Zhao Jiyun. He had originally thought that Jiang Qing''e was courting death, since she was merely an upper first-grade Duke daring to challenge both him and Zhao Baisun at the same time. But when they exchanged blows, he seemed like a harmless chick before her. She had dealt with the situation in a completely different manner from Li Luo, who had opted to get rid of the weaker ones first. The first thing she had done was target Zhao Baisun, and what was most shocking was the fact that he had been suppressed the entire time. The battle between the two hadn''t lasted for very long either. Jiang Qing''e had opened the battle with an explosive killing move, demonstrating a horrifying Destiny-grade Duke Art. Even though Zhao Baisun had tried his best to defend, even activating his Duke''s Spirit Insignia, something unique to middle-grade Dukes, he was unable to withstand her blow and had been slain on the spot. A first-grade Duke had slaughtered a fourth-grade Duke! While this scene completely frightened the Envoy, those watching from the shadows felt even more terrified. Was this the might of an unrivaled genius with a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried? Wasn''t that just too scary? Jiang Qing''e''s raging energy gradually subsided. The immense amount of resonant power consumed by her Duke Art had been rapidly replenished by the three halos behind her. The blood-tinged hue of the Sacred Crown of Thorns subsided as well, gradually dimming. "As expected, it wasn''t easy to kill a fourth-grade Duke," she said to herself. Her objective was to kill Zhao Baisun instantly, so she had not held back at all, layering two Destiny-grade Duke Arts together. Zhao Baisun had only thought that she was using the Radiant Divineflame Heavenly Ring; he had never expected a Seven Treasures Glazed Sword of Light to be concealed inside it. They had been perfectly fused together, a splendid display of her remarkable talent when it came to light resonant power arts. Her eyes then shifted towards the Golden Peng Envoy. She lifted the holy sword, which flowed with radiant, multicolored light. However, before she so much as pointed the sword at him, he started to retreat at breakneck speed with a horrified expression on his face. He had completely lost the will to fight. His reaction wasn''t that surprising. If even Zhao Baisun had been killed with nary a trace left behind, what could he, a third-grade Duke, do? The arrow of light collided with them. Zhao Jiyun thought to himself, "This Duke Art might seem terrifying, but only a trace of its power is left. It''s impossible for it to penetrate through the absolute defense of my three Duke Bergfrieds." However, at that very moment, his eyes shrunk. The three indomitable Duke Bergfrieds had been pierced through by the arrow, and waves of killing intent raged all around. His Duke Bergfrieds began to crack. "How could this be..." Zhao Jiyun''s expression was even more pale than before. A flash of light quickly began to enlarge in his field of vision, and he felt primal fear welling up within him. Before he could say a word, the arrow pierced through his forehead. Whoosh! A smooth hole was punched into his skull, right through his forehead. The shocking killing intent spilled out of the wound and instantly wiped out his spirit. His body remained floating in the air, but his pupils had turned vacant and gray. Meanwhile, the energy undulations from his body began to quickly vanish. The three Duke Bergfrieds began to scatter before everyone''s eyes. They started off by shattering into pieces, then they dissipated into motes of light. It was as though a rain of light had descended upon everyone present. But no one found this beautiful scene pleasing to the eye. Instead, a cold chill filled their hearts. Zhao Jiyun had lost his life as well. The elites of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had been completely stomped in the amount of time it would take for an incense stick to burn. Those who had been watching had witnessed the side that was supposed to hold an overwhelming advantage lose spectacularly. The Golden Peng Guardian General, a Divine Tiger Envoy, and a few Grand Commanders had been killed. This was a dire loss for the Ten Thousand Beast Armies. Gazes full of fear were levied at both Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo, who were still floating in the sky. No one had expected that the most brilliant performance of this battle was not made by the Guardian General Li Foluo. Instead, this achievement was obtained by the two youths who had just joined the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. "They are demons!" someone couldn''t help blurting out. After this battle, the notorious reputation of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians'' Dual Demons would likely spread throughout the Treasure Domain. Chapter 1331: Regretful Zhao Qianjun Chapter 1331: Regretful Zhao Qianjun The radiance that erupted from firing the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow gradually dimmed. Some cracks had been left on the bow, and Li Luo felt a little sad when he saw them. This triple violet-eye treasured artifact was unable to keep up with him any longer. Though this wasn''t unusual. Dukes did not use violet-eye treasured artifacts, and he could already use techniques with enough power to rival one. The strain his power caused on the treasured artifact was only normal. Li Luo watched Zhao Jiyun''s corpse fall from the sky. His usually warm gaze was now cold and sharp. Since the opponent had come at him with the intention to kill, he wouldn''t hold back either. He then turned towards the Golden Peng Guardians'' First Grand Commander and the Divine Tiger Guardians'' Second Grand Commander. Li Luo resembled a humanoid dragon holding a massive bow, and monstrous killing intent surrounded him. It was a sight capable of striking fear into even third or fourth-grade Dukes. Naturally, Zhao Zhu and the other fellow were shivering in fear. They understood that if Li Luo was capable of taking down Zhao Jiyun, they wouldn''t be of much help and would only be walking into their deaths if they approached him. The attempted encirclement of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was a complete disaster. The two no longer dared to advance, quickly restraining their resonant power and attempting to retreat in panic and despair. At the very least, Zhao Zhu still remembered his companion and picked up Zhao Jiyun''s body before he left. Li Luo watched the two back away, choosing not to to chase. Shooting the arrow had caused his internal energy and blood to surge dramatically and the Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s fiendish energy to rampage. The fortunate part of all this was that the fiendish energy seemed to be wary of the Heavenly Dragon energy within his body and thus acted obediently, not taking the opportunity to harm him. He then calmed the resonant powers in his body and glanced at Jiang Qing''e. She was looking at him as well, and the two locked eyes. "Sister Qing''e, you actually killed Zhao Baisun!" Li Luo surveyed the area and noticed that not even Zhao Baisun''s corpse could be found. This meant that he had suffered an even more pitiful loss than Zhao Jiyun. That said, he was a little shocked at the plump swan''s battle power. Wasn''t she a little too terrifying? A first-grade Duke had fought against a fourth-grade Duke, resulting in the latter being destroyed without a trace left behind. Clearly, she had acted more viciously than Li Luo. An unrivaled genius had her own indisputable style. This made Li Luo look forward to his breakthrough even more. A subtle smile appeared on Jiang Qing''e''s face, which was originally frosty and intimidating. She even flashed him a thumbs up as though praising his achievement as well. Li Luo respectfully clasped his hands in response with a smile. The two then turned their attention to the part of the battlefield where shocking energy fluctuations were still erupting from time to time. It was the battle between Li Foluo and Zhao Qianjun. They were the two with the highest cultivation levels here, both being upper fourth-grade Dukes. That said, Li Foluo had managed to maintain the absolute upper hand, whereas Zhao Qianjun had been forced backwards after each strike, his life constantly on the edge as he attempted to fend off Li Foluo''s offensive. The reason for that was Li Hongyou''s support. She had given Li Foluo a buff that bolstered his resonant power by a large amount, and all of that power was being unleashed on Zhao Qianjun. Li Foluo didn''t know just what sort of dastardly device had been thrown towards them and was just about to smash the object apart when Li Luo hurriedly exclaimed, "Guardian General, hold on!" Li Foluo was startled by his words and restrained his resonant power. After briefly inspecting the object, he blurted out in surprise, "Foundational Spirit Treasures!?" It seems like Zhao Qianjun had scattered Foundational Spirit Treasures! What was most surprising was that one particular Foundational Spirit Treasure had an incredibly strong fragrance. Judging by its energy fluctuations, it was a high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure! "That brat really is decisive. He chose to give up his treasures to preserve his life," Li Luo praised. The directions in which Zhao Qianjun had scattered the treasures was also in the direction where numerous other squads were hiding. He clearly wanted to take advantage of the chaos to prevent their pursuit and escape with his life. If they were to spend their effort chasing after him, these Foundational Spirit Treasures would be snatched up by the other squads. "What do we do? Do we chase or seize the treasures?" Li Foluo asked. "What do you think, Guardian General?" Li Luo asked back. Li Foluo sighed deeply. "Seize the treasures, obviously! Zhao Qianjun still has the ability to fight back, and if he''s trapped in a desperate situation, he might very well trade his life for some of ours." Zhao Qianjun was an upper fourth-grade Duke after all, a whole step above Zhao Baisun. Even a cornered rabbit would bite, much less someone of his stature. "There''s no need to chase after poor bandits." Jiang Qing''e agreed. Li Luo nodded as he watched Zhao Qianjun''s miserable escaping figure. Either way, they had already heavily crippled the Divine Tiger Guardians and the Golden Peng Guardians. This achievement was good enough to send the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Guardian Armies into a furor. They then rushed out in unison towards the Foundational Spirit Treasures. Of course, the top priority was none other than the high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure. Its appearance had invited many covetous gazes, and a few of the stronger Dukes were salivating over it. However, Li Luo and the rest were a step ahead, so they intercepted the object first. "Li Foluo, you found two high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures in the Other Dominion. Don''t you think you''re a little too greedy in wanting to seize this as well?" a Duke with lower fourth-grade strength exhorted. Li Foluo coldly snorted, "You sniveling rats. This Foundational Spirit Treasure was obtained through our slaughter. It naturally belongs to us. If you don''t agree, let''s fight." "Hmph! Everyone, they have already gone through an intense battle and have naturally expended quite a bit of their energy. Why don''t we join hands and snatch away all of their Foundational Spirit Treasures?" someone suggested from the crowd. These words reflected the inner thoughts of some of the Dukes that harbored avaricious intentions. When Li Foluo saw this, his gaze turned ruthless. He took a step forward, and his Duke Bergfrieds began to rumble once again with boundless amounts of resonant power, causing immense pressure to descend. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s gazes turned icy as they similarly roused their resonant power. The originally peaceful atmosphere had turned tense once again. However, not long after, numerous figures pierced through the air and stopped in front of them. Then a gentle, female voice rang out. "Li Foluo, were you the one who requested for reinforcements?" Li Foluo, Li Luo, and Jiang Qing''e turned around, and their expressions relaxed slightly upon seeing the newcomers. It was none other than the Dragon''s Scale Guardian General, Li Tingyue, and her squad. Chapter 1332: Combining Squads Chapter 1332: Combining Squads Li Tingyue had arrived in the nick of time with her squad in tow. This caused the wild rabble consisting of the other squads to stop in their tracks. They had no assurance that they could take down both the Dragon''s Fang and the Dragon''s Scale Guardian squads and successfully snatch away the Foundational Spirit Treasures. Thus the squads belonging to other powers and rogue cultivators thus chose to retreat without a further word, their resonant power fluctuations disappearing into the distance. Li Foluo looked at the scattering squads as he coldly snorted. The four Duke Bergfrieds above him transformed into motes of light which were reabsorbed into his body as he retracted his resonant power. The ferocious energy emanating from Li Luo disappeared like flowing water, reabsorbed back into the scarlet bracelet. Meanwhile the Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf was feeling a little weakened at the moment as most of the energy consumed by Li Luo had come from it. It couldn''t help but to sigh in its heart. It seems like following this master would tire him to death! It was now an upper third-grade but it was still squeezed dry! "Keke, thank you Guardian General Tingyue for your timely assistance." Li Foluo smiled as he cupped his hands to express his thanks. "Li Foluo, did you encounter an ambush?" Li Tingyue''s long skirt fluttered in the wind. Her beautiful eyes glanced around the area and she was able to sense the violent energy fluctuations that lingered in the vicinity, demonstrating that a huge battle had occurred. "We were attacked by both Zhao Qianjun and Zhao Baisun''s squads." Li Foluo replied with a smile. "The Divine Tiger Guardians Zhao Qianjun and the Golden Peng Guardians Zhao Baisun?" Li Tingyue was momentarily taken aback upon hearing his words. Zhao Baisun was a lower fourth-grade and the combination of the two squads would mean that Li Foluo would have to suffer in such a situation. What was most confusing to her was the fact that none of them seemed to be injured. "Jiang Qing''e killed Zhao Baisun and Li Luo took out Zhao Jiyun, Zhao Zhuoyan and another. I''m afraid the Ten Thousand Beast Armies have been grievously injured this time." Li Foluo continued. "What?" Li Tingyue''s eyes became as wide as saucers. She even suspected that her ears might have some issue. Behind her, the Dragon''s Scale Guardians'' First Grand Commander was also completely dumbfounded. What did they just hear? The Golden Peng Guardian General was the fourth-grade Zhao Baisun so how in the world did Jiang Qing''e do it? Meanwhile, wasn''t Zhao Jiyun the Divine Tiger Envoy? He had upper third-grade strength and even the Dragon''s Scale Envoy didn''t dare to brag that he was capable of beating him. Meanwhile this esteemed individual was killed by the Greater Heavenly Resonance Li Luo? "Li Foluo, I rushed over here in a hurry so stop messing around." Li Tingyue frowned. Li Foluo sighed at her response. He completely understood why she felt this way. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he might have agreed with her as well. "Jiang Qing''e has reached the upper first-grade Duke stage and Li Luo borrowed the aid of an upper third-grade Duke stage spirit beast." He replied succinctly. "Upper first-grade... upper third-grade spirit beast..." Li Tingyue paused for a moment as her expression turned complicated. Was this the supposed unrivaled-ness of a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried genius? An upper first-grade Duke was capable of contesting against a fourth-grade Duke? Li Tingyue and the rest of her squad were left dumbfounded for quite a bit before they blurted out. "How could this be?" Ever since they entered the region with medium sized Other Dominions, Li Foluo could have at best conquered two of them. How could they have obtained three high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures then? Even the one which they had vanquished didn''t have a single one. Li Luo hurriedly chimed in. "Actually this Other Dominion had two high-grade ones whereas the third one was seized from Zhao Qianjun." Li Tingyue''s lips twitched slightly. This "explanation" was as good as not explaining things at all. Just what sort of medium sized Other Dominion would possess two high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures? How had she not encountered such a fortunate situation? Li Tingyue wasn''t that easy to fool either as she pondered over things. Thinking back to how Li Luo and the rest had reacted when she asked to join them, a sudden thought sprang to mind as she asked tentatively, "Might you actually have a way to figure out what sort of Foundational Spirit Treasures are found within an Other Dominion before you enter it?" Her gaze then locked onto the silent Li Hongyou as she continued, "Could it have to do with Hongyou''s resonance?" Li Luo was shocked. The fact that she was able to become a Guardian General did indicate that she had her own abilities. Just from their previous actions alone, she had managed to deduce the reason for their success. That said they had to work together from now on and there was no need to hide anything. Thus he nodded his head. "Guardian General is indeed very sharp." Hearing Li Luo''s acknowledgement caused her to lightly exhale. Her gaze towards Li Hongyou heated up as she was clear how beneficial Li Hongyou''s ability was. Thus she understood that by joining them, they were the ones to have benefited from the arrangement. It was no wonder why Li Foluo had hesitated. It seemed that it was the right choice to come to their "rescue". "Since we are the ones who benefit from this arrangement, we''ll let you take the priority in selecting any treasures obtained from the Other Dominion. The distribution ratio will also be up to you." Li Tingyue knew her to act appropriately and took the initiative to let the Dragon''s Fang Guardians decide how things would go. This arrangement also satisfied Li Foluo and Li Luo. Since they were so agreeable, there was no reason to not let them benefit as well. "Since you''ve just had a huge battle, we should first find a place to adjust your condition." Li Tingyue beamed widely. Li Luo didn''t disagree and he had wanted to find a place to attempt to purify the Foundational Spirit Treasures, removing any traces of the hidden danger within. At the same time he could also absorb the quasi ninth-grade spirit liquid and see if he was able to evolve his Woodearth resonance. The World End''s River Treasure Domain was incredibly dangerous and added onto it was the Ten Thousand Beast Armies'' enmity. They had to quickly bolster their strength in anticipation of the upcoming challenges. Chapter 1333: Insufficient Fuel Chapter 1333: Insufficient Fuel The group settled down in a little valley which was sparsely dotted with corruption. This was the quiet spot which Li Luo and the rest had decided upon. He immediately took out the quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights which he had obtained from the Heavenly Dragon Treasury for 30,000 dragon essences. This particular glass bottle emitted a dense spiritual light and Li Luo couldn''t help but to sigh upon seeing it. This was the first time he would utilize such a grade of spirit liquids and purifying lights in order to temper his resonance. Furthermore it was such a small one and yet the price was capable of even causing a Duke to reconsider buying it. "If this bottle of quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights is unable to evolve my Woodearth resonance, I''ll have to look for Lu Shuanglu." Li Luo pursed his lips. This resonance was now in the upper eighth-grade and could already be considered to be out of reach for most people. However, to Li Luo, it was the one holding him back. He could sense that his three resonant palaces were relatively filled up and bulging and thus he knew he was approaching the limit of which he could bear. This also meant that he was about to break into the Duke stage as well. Before that, he had to succeed in evolving his Woodearth resonance. Only then could he have absolute confidence in forging a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried and embarking on the Path of Ascension. There was no other choice. This was too important. If he were to miss out on this opportunity, he would be on the same path as everyone else. Although the alternative also allowed him to climb to the peak, he was not willing to be left behind by Jiang Qing''e. After all there would be a day where he would have to establish himself as the head! This was his hope and ambitions! With this in mind, he directly opened up the bottle of quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, imbibing it through his mouth. The dense spiritual light immediately spread throughout his body. "Quasi ninth-grade but the taste is only average." Li Luo smacked his lips after tasting the spirit liquids and purifying lights. He then quickly closed his eyes and began to refine and absorb the massive amount of spiritual energy that was coursing through his body. This tempering process took over 6 hours. When Li Luo opened his eyes, a look of regret could be seen on his face. As expected, a single bottle of quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights was completely insufficient to evolve his eighth-grade Woodearth resonance to the quasi ninth-grade. However he wasn''t disappointed by this fact as he had already expected this in the beginning. Otherwise he wouldn''t have stashed this bottle away for so long. He had taken it out now only because the Treasure Domain was becoming increasingly dangerous and he had to speed up his rate of improvement. That said it wasn''t as though he hadn''t benefited in any way. When he had evolved into the Heavenly Dragon resonance, the mysterious Auric Halo had released a burst of pure spiritual energy at the most critical moment. At that point in time, Li Luo had wondered where this energy had been sourced from and had guessed it was the remnant traces and energy of the spirit liquids and purifying lights he had often absorbed. This was then taken in by the Auric Halo and processed, stored away for the right opportunity. "I think my resonant power is greater than yours at the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage." Li Luo spoke proudly. Seeing the pride on his face upon making this comparison, Jiang Qing''e couldn''t help but to smirk slightly. That said it was the truth. She had not reached the same peaks which Li Luo had at this point. She had borrowed the aid of the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus and the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm''s powers to reach the perfect Heavenly Resonance Diagram and breakthrough into the Duke stage at the same time. Thus it wasn''t wrong to say that Li Luo was stronger than her at a similar point. "We have to take advantage of this opportunity and purify these Foundational Spirit Treasures. If we cannot cleanse the hidden dangers from it, I wouldn''t dare to use it." Jiang Qing''e stretched out her slender fingers as the three high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures could be seen floating above her palm, isolated by her light resonant power. Li Luo attentively nodded his head. He then stretched a finger out as he lightly stroked the scarlet bracelet on his wrist with a smile. "Brother Wolf, I''ve got to trouble you yet again." If he wanted to properly purify the Foundational Spirit Treasures, he would need the Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s help. An annoyed growl sounded out from within the bracelet. Regardless, the dense but ferocious energy surged out like a torrent, entering Li Luo''s body. The two then sat facing each other and began to purify it as they did with the World''s End River Meteor. As they started, Li Foluo, Li Tingyue and the rest watched on curiously. "Do you really think that there is something wrong with these Foundational Spirit Treasures? Ever since we''ve started, we''ve come into contact with quite a few of them but i''ve never sensed anything strange." Li Tingyue asked. Li Luo had already explained the situation before this but Li Tingyue remained suspicious. Li Foluo hesitated briefly as he had not detected anything either. Furthermore Li Tingyue''s group had not found any abnormalities after coming into direct contact with these Foundational Spirit Treasures and thus he could not make up his mind. "Regardless if there is a problem or not, we''ll wait for them to purify it and we will soon know the answer. It''s always better to be careful." Li Foluo explained. Li Tingyue didn''t agree immediately but she didn''t say anything either, only quietly watching the duo at work. If nothing happened, then they could put these unwarranted worries to rest. Thus everyone''s notice was focused upon the duo who were beginning the process of purification. Alas as a result, no one noticed that the eyes of the First Grand Commander of the Dragon''s Scale Guardians, Wen Xuan, had started turning pitch black. Chapter 1334: Venomous Curse Chapter 1334: Venomous Curse Within the valley. Radiant light resonant power spread like flowing water and began to purify and eliminate all the corruption within the area. Within the light resonant power was also a wisp of mysterious flame. It coated the light resonant power giving it an even more ethereal appearance. This flame was naturally the Acquired Resonance Flame of Li Luo''s from the Auric Halo. It had its own mystical properties and was capable of refining an acquired resonance. Thus its seemed to have the ability to refine anything that existed in this world. Meanwhile Jiang Qing''e''s light resonant power came from triple ninth-grade Light resonances. It possessed a purity that none could compare with. Thus with the aid of Li Luo''s Acquired Resonance Flame, it became the bane of any Other or wisp of corruption. Thus Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e believed that the hidden danger within the Foundational Spirit Treasures would be exposed by it no matter what. With the aid of pervasive and in depth refinement, it would be impossible for anything to escape. The valley remained silent with the exception of the sizzling sound emitted by the resonant power refining the Foundational Spirit Treasure. Meanwhile Li Foluo and Li Tingyue were tensely watching the duo work as their resonant power poured in gradually. Time ticked by. The three high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure''s didn''t seem to react in any way. Li Foluo then heaved a sigh of relief internally. He had obviously hoped that nothing was wrong with these Foundational Spirit Treasures. It was not because he doubted Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s instincts but merely because it would save them a lot of trouble. He knew very clearly that if Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were not wrong, then this would be a colossally terrifying matter. It would indicate that a massive conspiracy beyond their wildest imaginations was occurring before them and everyone else was blind. Li Tingyue then slightly smiled. "It looks like the problem isn''t huge. Perhaps these Foundational Spirit Treasures have laid within the World End''s River Treasure Domain for far too long and have naturally been stained by the corruption that surrounds them. Thus Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s sharp senses recognized there might have been an issue." Li Foluo slightly nodded his head upon hearing Li Tingyue''s words. However, just as she spoke, a sudden change occurred. Ji ji! A piercing cry resounded throughout the valley and it shocked everyone. As their gazes turned towards the source, they saw that the three high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures that were being refined by Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e started to squirm crazily. It was as if they were living creatures. At the same time, their surfaces began to swell as black sarcomas popped up, emitting pained wails as a black substance began to drip off them. When this substance touched the duo''s resonant power, it immediately transformed into countless strange black moths, all of which had wings which were covered with anguished human faces. That said the moths were vaporized into oblivion shortly after. Li Foluo and Li Tingyue''s expressions immediately changed. Li Foluo paused as he thought about it. "Perhaps it''s because of the Foundational Spirit Treasure?" Li Tingyue frowned. "All of us have touched it but no one ended up like her..." At this point her expression warped as she seemed to have thought of something. "What is it?" Li Foluo''s heart fell as he asked hurriedly. Li Tingyue clenched her hands as she spoke with difficulty. "I remember now. Wen Xuan wanted to break into the third-grade Duke stage and thus refined one of the Foundational Spirit Treasures. However she didn''t succeed." Li Foluo''s eyes shrunk. "She took one of the problematic Foundational Spirit Treasures to absorb?" Li Tingyue''s expression was ugly as she nodded her head. It looked as though the issue with the Foundational Spirit Treasures was more serious than she had ever imagined. "She''s basically absorbed a venomous curse into her body." A voice suddenly rang out. Li Foluo and Li Tingyue turned their heads to look at Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e who had completed the refinement process. At this point they had kept away the three high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures as they walked over. After a thorough refinement, the issue with the Foundational Spirit Treasures seemed to have been cleansed. "Absorbing a venomous curse? What''s that?" Li Foluo and Li Tingyue asked. Jiang Qing''e continued, "As we were refining those flying moths, I received some vague information about it. The issue with these Foundational Spirit Treasures should be that they have been afflicted with a venomous curse. Specifically known as the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse." Li Luo then spoke up. "Guardian General Tingyue, can you temporarily stop moving?" Li Tingyue''s cheeks twitched as she asked dryly. "Grand Commander Li Luo. What is the meaning of this? Do you suspect that we have been corrupted as well?" Li Foluo waved his hand and retreated with Li Hongyou and the rest of them. Li Luo sighed as water resonant power condensed within his hand, forming a water mirror and placing it before Li Tingyue''s squad. It reflected their faces clearly. "Guardian General Tingyue, those who''ve been affected by this venomous curse will have their pupils gradually expand until their eyeballs have been completely filled by it. Once they fully transform into black colored eyes, they would end up in a state similar to Grand Commander Wen Xuan, their minds fully corrupted. Whilst the rest of you have not been affected as severely as her, you''ve also been affected." Li Tingyue stared blankly at the water mirror. Her fair cheeks were mirrored clearly as she stared firmly into her own eyes. After a few moments, a look of horror emerged from within her. This was because she could see that her own black pupils had already increased in size. A bonechilling sensation rushed through her body from top to bottom. Chapter 1335: Removing the Curse Chapter 1335: Removing the Curse A deathly silence descended upon the valley. All of those within the Dragon''s Scale Guardians squad had turned deathly pale as cold sweat fell from their foreheads. Gripping fear could be seen within their eyes. Being corrupted was one of the most terrifying feelings. Even a Duke, if they were unable to cleanse themselves, could only watch with creeping horror as they gradually lost their minds. Li Tingyue''s bangs were plastered onto her forehead due to the sweat as she cut a sorry figure. However she quickly overcame her inhibitions and regained a sense of calm. She directly sat cross-legged and four spiritual lights emerged from her, transforming into towering Duke Bergfrieds. Boundless amounts of Divine Mist descended like a waterfall and completely covered her. This was her way of testing if she could detect and purge the corruption from her body with the aid of her Divine Mist. This was the most effective means for a Duke to remove the corruption from their body. Normally speaking, the Divine Mist was able to do so. Unfortunately this sort of corruption was not what they usually encountered. After the amount of time needed for half an incense stick to burn, Li Tingyue opened her eyes. A look of panic appeared on her pale face as she heavily spoke, "I... I am unable to even detect the corruption within my body." She had meticulously inspected every corner of her body but the corruption was nowhere to be found. That said, Wen Xuan''s transformation and the fact that she had seen her own pupils change before her eyes meant that she had been hoodwinked. Thus there was no way to detect that she had been corrupted. It wasn''t that it didn''t exist, it was just that it could conceal itself more deeply than usual and was incredibly dangerous. When the rest of those within the Dragon''s Scale Guardians heard her words, their expressions turned ugly as well. If even Li Tingyue was incapable of dealing with the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse, did that mean that they were just waiting for death? Li Foluo''s expression turned even more gloomy. Although he was happy that none on his side had been affected, Li Tingyue and the rest were also his fellow compatriots. He couldn''t stand by and watch idly. However, what could they do? It was then when he thought of Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e! He hurriedly turned towards the duo and asked anxiously, "Since you''re capable of refining the Foundational Spirit Treasures and destroying the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse, does that mean you can help rid Guardian General Tingyue and the rest of the corruption?" After quite some time. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e gradually retracted their resonant power. Li Tingyue and the rest also realized that their blurry vision was beginning to turn clear and everything was back to normal. However when they looked at the water mirror summoned by Li Luo, they could see a black and fishy substance leaking out from the corners of their eyes. Additionally, their pupils had regained their original size. An inexplicable sense of clarity and peace emerged from the depths of their heart. "Guardian General Tingyue, the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse should have been exorcized from your bodies. It was fortunate that you had not been greatly exposed to the Foundational Spirit Treasures. Thus the corruption was not deep either. However this curse is extremely sinister and it seems to possess a high potential for growth. Once the seed has been planted, it will slowly mature before taking over your minds." Li Luo continued. Li Tingyue bowed deeply as her gentle and beautiful face expressed her utmost gratitude. "Thank you. This favor is something the Dragon''s Scale Guardians will remember in our hearts." At this point she felt very lucky. It was fortunate that they had spotted Li Foluo''s signal for help and had come to their rescue. Otherwise this insidious curse would have continued to forment within them and when it finally matured, they would pay a heavy price. Si Si. It was at this point another piercing wail sounded out. When they turned over to see the source, they saw Li Foluo using his resonant power to seal Wen Xuan. She was berserkedly struggling before managing to break free. Li Foluo hurriedly activated his resonant power and with a roaring boom, the ground cracked due to the sheer pressure as Wen Xuan was firmly held in place. That said, Wen Xuan continued to resist mightily. She crawled along the ground with great difficulty, her hands dripping with black liquid as she scratched long grooves into the earth. The groups'' hearts turned chilly upon seeing this. Even Li Luo frowned as he watched Wen Xuan struggle with all her might. It seemed as though she was trying to go somewhere? Just what had summoned her? Li Luo stood before Wen Xuan who then lifted her head. The originally pretty face was now distorted with ferocious rage as her pure black eyes dripped with a disgusting substance glared at him. Li Luo stared at her abyss-like eyes as a chill ran through his heart. At that very moment, he felt as if a sinister gaze was staring at him through those very eyes, carefully sizing him up. Chapter 1336: A Grand Show Chapter 1336: A Grand Show Li Luo looked away from Wen Xuan''s pitch black eyes as he cautiously retreated two steps. "Li Luo, do you think you can purge the corruption afflicting Wen Xuan?" Li Tingyue asked as she couldn''t bear to see her friend suffer like this. Li Luo similarly had a good impression of Wen Xuan and in the Heavenly Dragon Treasury, when Li Hongque had wanted to cause them trouble, she had voluntarily stepped up to help him. He sighed heavily. "Grand Commander Wen Xuan''s situation is much worse than yours. From what Guardian General Tingyue has said, she absorbed a Foundational Spirit Treasure into her body?" Li Tingyue glumly sighed and nodded her head. "She wished to break into the third-grade Duke stage and thus used a middle-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure. It''s all my fault, I should have stopped her. Otherwise she wouldn''t have fallen to such a state." Li Luo then glanced at Jiang Qing''e as the latter pondered over the situation. "The Black Pupil Ghostly Curse has already fully matured and it would be tricky to get rid of it. We can first seal her away and prevent the Ghostly Curse from completely eroding her mind. After which we will gradually purge the corruption from her and see if it can be removed. In this way, even if the curse cannot be completely removed, we can still suppress it and when the World End''s River Treasure Domain comes to an end, we can bring her back to Heavenly Dragon City to seek further help." "This is a safe method." Li Luo agreed as well. Thus Jiang Qing''e took out a crystal case that was ten feet long from the pocket sphere on her wrist. On it were engraved complex runes of light that gave it a sanctified appearance. This was a Devil Sealing Crystal Coffin which could be used to seal away Others that could not resist. A bright holy light then condensed on the tip of her jade-like finger which contained the purest light resonant power which she then used to dot Wen Xuan''s forehead. Sizzling sounds were heard as smoke wafted into the air. The sacred light on Wen Xuan''s forehead transformed into a runic pathway which radiated with light resonant power. It directly suppressed the corruption within Wen Xuan''s body as her violently struggling body froze and fell to the ground. With a wave of Jiang Qing''e''s hand, light resonant power twisted around Wen Xuan''s body as she was placed within the Devil Sealing Crystal Coffin. At the same time, Jiang Qing''e left another trace of light resonant power on the coffin itself, firmly sealing her. "You can bring her along now." Jiang Qing''e said as she looked at Li Tingyue. "Thank you Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang." Li Tingyue hurriedly thanked as she informed some of her squad members to carry the sealed Wen Xuan on their backs. Since it now contained a living creature, it could not be stored in the pocket sphere any longer. Jiang Qing''e waved her hand as she cast her golden eyes towards Li Luo who was deep in thought and she asked. "What are you thinking about?" Li Luo fell silent for a while longer before replying, "I''m just thinking just how this Black Pupil Ghostly Curse came about? Judging from the bits of information we obtained from purifying the flying moths, it seems like this wasn''t something that had occurred naturally but was rather a work of man." These words immediately left the group shell shocked. ... Just as Li Luo and the rest worried over the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse which they had inadvertently discovered, something was brewing in the darkness outside the Treasure Domain. A figure walked out from the shadows. Its face had no features and it was a strange sight to behold. This was the Faceless Other King from the Origin Reversion Institute. A black substance seeped out of the flesh and blood on his palm, forming a black mirror. As he looked at it, a scene was revealed. It contained Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. As the Faceless Other King observed the duo, his empty visage squirmed slightly before gloomy laughter sounded out. "I had never expected that these two brats would discover my Black Pupil Ghostly Curse. Is that the Li Luo who is the supposed Genesis Seed which Qin Jiujie mentioned? He does have certain unique abilities." "Meanwhile that other young lady has three ninth-grade Light resonances. Keke... if she was allowed to mature, there would be yet another invincible Radiant King." Although the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse was revealed earlier than expected, it remained unworried. The Origin Reversion Institute''s plan would not be compromised in the slightest because of this. A few ants could not change the situation. "Since it''s been discovered, I''ll have no need to hide it anymore. Since the fish has already entered the net, it''s time to reap the harvest." The Faceless Other King''s empty face suddenly split apart as he stretched his hand out and grabbed something out from inside it. A blood red flute appeared and there were fleshy growths on it that slowly squirmed in an unsettling manner. It gave off terrifying fluctuations of corruption and even the void in the area around him began to distort and warp. It then placed the fleshy flute at the gap in its face as something strange seemed to flow out. At the same time, it began to blow and play the flute. The sounds coming from the flute began to scatter in the surroundings, however what was strange was that it could only be heard if one was ten feet within the vicinity of the Faceless Other King. The soundwaves then merged with the void before it vanished, nowhere to be seen or heard. "It seems this play is about to reach its climax. I hope things liven up a little... shishishi..." Chapter 1337: Strange Other Dominion Chapter 1337: Strange Other Dominion Tens of figures pierced through the dark skies and rushed into the depths of the Treasure Domain. Li Luo''s eyes carefully surveyed the four directions. With the appearance of the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse, it meant that the situation had escalated with unprecedented danger. Before, he only had to watch out for Others but now he had to keep a look out for Ghostly Curse victims. "Quite a few medium size Other Dominions have been vanquished." Jiang Qing''e suddenly spoke. On the way, they had noticed quite a few traces of Other Dominions which had already been cleansed. Many of them were once filled with True Devils but they had all been slain. Li Luo nodded his head lightly. This was not good news. The more Other Dominions that were vanquished would mean that there were even more Foundational Spirit Treasures landing in the hands of others. This also meant that the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse would have propagated amongst even more individuals. If it continued to spread, Li Luo suspected that there would be more people who were corrupted than those who weren''t. At that point wouldn''t they be surrounded by the corrupted? When he thought about how there would be numerous others corrupted like Wen Xuan, Li Luo''s scalp turned numb. Weng! Just as he was wallowing in his own thoughts, the sky before him began to rumble explosively as worldly natural energy began to surge violently, as though the sky was about to collapse. Everyone''s figure paused in surprise as their gaze looked into the distance. What they saw was that the void was distorting before them and dense amounts of corruption began to scatter in every direction. The fluctuations indicated that this was an Other Dominion! However this wasn''t an ordinary one either. It seemed to be alive as it constantly expanded, and whilst it did so, beams of light that reminded one of starlight shot out from it. The disturbance created by this Other Dominion''s appearance was humongous. At the same time, numerous gazes from all across the Treasure Domain were directed towards it. When they carefully inspected those beams of light, they were completely shocked. A moment later, greed and avarice could be seen in their eyes. After previously vanquishing the Other Dominions, they knew that these energy undulations signified that the beams of light contained Foundational Spirit Treasures! Furthermore considering the amount of light emitted, it would indicate that the Foundational Spirit Treasure would likely be at least high-grade! Just what sort of Other Dominion could produce such a humongous number of them? Was that a large sized Other Dominion? However the corruption that radiated from it seemed to be far inferior. This caused everyone to look at it suspiciously. This Other Dominion was too strange and its origin wasn''t simple. However the beams of starlight were simply too alluring. Quite a few hesitated. "This Other Dominion is a little weird." Li Luo spoke heavily as he interrupted everyone''s eager gaze. Jiang Qing''e nodded as she spoke coolly. "The previous Other Dominions all had Foundational Spirit Treasures that were tainted by corruption. Now that this Other Dominion very clearly released Foundational Spirit Treasures outwardly, its intentions are obvious." The two Guardian Generals, Li Foluo and Li Tingyue also retracted their gazes as they nodded. After experiencing the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse, they now trusted Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e unconditionally. "Do you think that this Other Dominion is a bait set by the Origin Reversion Institute?" Li Foluo asked. There was no need for him to say it as everyone had the same thought in mind. How could such a delectable meat pie fall from the skies before them? There was definitely something wrong if two top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures had appeared here. However dangers came coupled with opportunities. If they wanted to obtain these treasures, how could they not expose themselves to immense danger? Jiang Qing''e sighed as she suddenly turned towards Li Hongyou. "Hongyou, are you able to tell if those are real or fake Foundational Spirit Treasures?" The rest were surprised by her question. Indeed, there could be a possibility these Foundational Spirit Treasures weren''t even real. If it was just an illusory projection, wouldn''t they have suffered a tremendous loss if they rashly rushed for it? If they were actual top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures, there was a chance they could bear the risk and fight for it. Otherwise it would just be a waste. Li Hongyou was taken aback by the question but she immediately and attentively attuned herself towards the fragrance. In the end, she opened her red lips and spoke, "These are real Foundational Spirit Treasures. This includes the two top-grade ones. The fragrance and spiritual energy fluctuations are all legitimate." The rest believed her considering her sensitivity to natural treasures. Jiang Qing''e then fell silent for a brief moment before her bright eyes flickered. "Sister Qing''e, it''s too dangerous!" Li Luo could sense what Jiang Qing''e was about to do as he blurted out. He knew that these two top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures had moved her heart. However it wasn''t for her but for him instead. "What you need now are top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures." Jiang Qing''e looked at Li Luo and spoke without reservation. She knew his wild ambitions and that he wanted to forge a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried once he broke through, similarly embarking on the Path of Ascension. Thus he had to get his hands on those treasures. "Furthermore, if the Other Dominion truly has someone pulling the strings behind it, avoiding this situation may not be for the best. We may lose the opportunity to gather critical information and be unable to respond to it appropriately later. It might be dangerous to enter the Other Dominion but only then can we discern the plots that lie hidden. Otherwise if they were to accomplish their objective, could we actually remain unscathed by standing alone outside? There are quite a few squads within the Other Dominion which we can cooperate with. If they are all dealt with, then could we only rely on ourselves? No one knows the situation regarding the high-grade Dukes deep within the Treasure Domain. I feel that the ones plotting this conspiracy will not let them interfere either." Jiang Qing''e explained with a cool voice as her long hair fluttered in the wind. Her incredible beauty seemed enhanced as bright light flowed around her. Everyone fell silent. Her explanation was quite logical after all. "Of course this is just my rational analysis." A slight smile broke out on her face as she continued. "What I personally feel is that Li Luo needs a top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure. So no matter the danger, I''ll still brave it." The rest were caught off guard by this sudden declaration as they looked on at the duo with complicated expressions. Li Luo felt a little helpless. Jiang Qing''e''s attitude was clear for all to see. She knew that it was a perilous task but she was willing to do it for the treasures. He then sighed deeply a few times before turning towards Li Foluo and the rest. "What do you all think?" "I feel that Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang''s words are reasonable. This is an opportunity, not a disaster. If it really is one, there''s no avoiding it either." Li Tingyue grinned. Li Foluo nodded his head. "Since we''ve encountered such a treasure, it''d be a crime to not take a closer look..." Li Hongyou only lightly smiled. "I''m with you two." Their intentions were made clear and the answer was obvious. Thus Li Luo no longer hesitated either as he raised his head and glanced at the Other Dominion in the distance. So be it. Now that things had come to this, they had to go take a closer look and see just what sort of dangers were present within. After all, a top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure was simply too alluring. Chapter 1338: Blood Red Lake Chapter 1338: Blood Red Lake Li Luo and the others made their way towards the Other Dominion, their eyes filled with anticipation and fear towards the rippling void. Behind the void lay a dense veil of corruption where the whispers penetrated from, inciting the deepest, darkest emotions of the group. In the surroundings, countless figures hurriedly rushed over, directly entering without pause. The starlight emitted by the Foundational Spirit Treasures had aroused their greed and perhaps they weren''t concerned with the dangers. However in order to advance their cultivation, they were willing to trek through mountains made of blades and seas of flames. On the path of cultivation, if one chose not to fight, they could only retreat in defeat. "If the situation turns for the worst, we will immediately retreat. A top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure is precious but it''s not worth our lives." Li Luo looked at the rest, his gaze lingered upon Jiang Qing''e as he reminded them. When faced with his reminder and warning, Jiang Qing''e helplessly glared at him. The rest nodded their heads. Then they activated their resonant power and wrapped it around themselves as protection before entering carefully. Once they came into contact with the barrier, their figures vanished. Upon entering the Other Dominion, the scene before them changed. When things stabilized, they noticed that things were completely different from the outside. First and foremost was an eyecatching blood red mist which blanketed the sky. A heavy stench of acrid blood emanated from it. The group had resonant power protecting their bodies which caused the mist which touched them to dissipate. When they looked ahead, they saw numerous figures who were radiating majestic amounts of resonant power. These figures were divided into both large and small groups. They should have come from the other powers and the rogue cultivators. When Li Luo''s squad arrived, their eyes turned towards these newcomers. As Li Luo''s eyes swept across the other group, he noticed a familiar figure amongst them. She had a waist as slender as a willow branch, a delicate and gorgeous face as well as bright eyes that reminded one of light blue gemstones which flowed with water. It was the Fairy of Water, Qin Yi. Beside her were the people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, specifically, the squad led by the Guardian General Qin Zhenlin of the Nine Tribulations Guardians. At the same time, numerous gazes were directed towards the middle of the lake. They could see that there were four blood red corals. The bodies of which resembled crystals made out of blood and they pulsed with mysterious energy. All four seemed to be high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures! This was also one of the reasons why everyone had gathered here. At the same time, Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e and the rest had also discovered the four corals in the middle of the lake. They looked at it with astonishment. They had only just entered and already four high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures could be found. This was indeed a tempting sight. In the past, it was only with the aid of Li Hongyou''s treasure sniffing abilities that they were able to obtain three high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. However, despite only being at the outer perimeter of the Other Dominion, they had already seen four of such treasures. Wouldn''t this drive people insane? If it hadn''t been the strange sight of those female beauties floating in the clear lake, the entire area might already have erupted into a brawl and the waters muddied. Li Luo and Li Foluo glanced at each other. Since there were high-grade treasures, they would naturally have to fight for one too. That said, just before they were about to advance, Li Foluo, Li Tingyue and Jiang Qing''e''s gaze turned deep. Li Foluo took a step forward and stood beside Li Luo, clenching his fist as majestic resonant power rolled off him. He then punched heavily towards the blood mist on his right. The mist was ripped apart as a tyrannical beam of light shot outwards to clash against Li Foluo''s fist manifestation. Weng! Berserk resonant power undulations rippled in every direction. What surprised everyone was that the upper fourth-grade Li Foluo had been at a disadvantage as he was forced a few steps backwards whilst a trail of blood leaked out of his mouth. Li Tingyue stretched her hand out and stabilized Li Foluo, also being forced back several steps as her gaze turned gloomy. Li Foluo''s expression had also turned serious as he wiped away the trickle of blood coming out of his mouth. He icily stared into the depths of the now scattered blood mist as his voice rang out. "Zhao Xiuyuan, the strongest Guardian General of this generation''s Ten Thousand Beast Armies, is only capable of ambushing others from the dark?" Chapter 1339: Zhao Xiuyuan Chapter 1339: Zhao Xiuyuan As Li Foluo coldly spat out those words, those who heard it felt as though a thunderclap had gone off by their side. The numerous squads'' expressions changed as voices began to whisper amongst themselves. "True Dragon Guardian General, Zhao Xiuyuan?" "Oh? Zhao Xiuyuan actually came here as well? It''s said that he''s the strongest Guardian General amongst the Ten Thousand Beast Armies. It was no wonder why Li Foluo was injured with a single strike. He''s an upper fourth-grade while his opponent is a lower fifth-grade." As the experts in the crowd continued to speak amongst themselves, their eyes were directed at the location where the blood mist was gradually disappearing. Only then did they see a group of figures walking over slowly. Everyone''s eyes were focused on the foremost figure. This was a tall and slender man garbed in black robes. He was handsome and at the same time, his hair and eyebrows were white which gave him an even more extraordinary appearance. As he walked forward, it was as though a white mist was propagating from under his feet, shrouding his body and giving him an ethereal sort of feeling. "It really is Zhao Xiuyuan!" Qin Zhenlin also saw the white haired and browed male as his eyes shrunk. At the same time he felt a little confused. Zhao Xiuyuan had clearly opted to ambush Li Luo from the very start and his resonant power seemed to contain immense amounts of killing intent. This meant that he had indeed sought to kill Li Luo. So what did Li Luo do? How could he have provoked Zhao Xiuyuan to the point that he would take action without caring for his stature and position? "Li Foluo, it has been a while. It looks like you haven''t improved much considering that i''ve seriously injured you without using my White Dragon Seasplitting Palm." Zhao Xiuyuan glared at Li Foluo with a cold smirk before everyone''s fearful gazes. Li Foluo''s expression turned grave. "Sneakily ambushing someone from the dark? The strongest Guardian General of the Ten Thousand Beast Armies only amounts to so much after all." When faced with Li Foluo''s mocking words, Zhao Xiuyuan insipidly replied. "This is nothing compared to what you guys have done. After all, Jiang Qing''e killed Zhao Baisun whereas Li Luo also took out Zhao Jiyun. They indeed are quite capable. You''ve dealt such a crippling blow to my Ten Thousand Beast Armies and now I''ve coincidentally managed to encounter you guys here. In that case I naturally have to pay a life for a life. Do I still need to act politely?" Zhao Xiuyuan''s words immediately caused the crowd to fall silent. Even Qin Zhenlin was taken aback as he blurted out. "Zhao Baisun was killed by Jiang Qing''e? The Divine Tiger Envoy Zhao Jiyun also fell at Li Luo''s hands? How could this be possible?" It was common knowledge that Zhao Baisun was a lower fourth-grade Duke. Although his strength was nearer to the bottom amongst the Guardian Generals, he was still a fourth-grade! Meanwhile Jiang Qing''e was a first-grade? This meant that the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried allowed her to surpass even the third-grade, to slaughter Zhao Baisun? Meanwhile the gap between Li Luo and Zhao Jiyun was even wider. One was an upper third-grade whilst the other? A mere Greater Heavenly Resonance stage! The gap between the two stages was like the difference between heaven and hell. Just what did he rely upon to bridge this gap? Qin Yi''s red lips were also slightly ajar as her beautiful eyes couldn''t hide the astonishment within her. Although Li Luo had always displayed spectacular battle results, being able to jump stages and beat a third-grade Duke was a little too unbelievable. Shen Yunge glanced at the shell-shocked Qin Yi and his eyes shrunk as he smiled. "Didn''t I hear from you that Li Luo possesses a secret art that allows him to wield a spirit beast''s strength? I think he should have used it to beat Zhao Jiyun." Shen Yunge''s Imperial Beast Hall was also an exceptional Heavenly Emperor power. This was partially due to the fact that they could fuse with spirit beasts and the two combined had a greatly augmented battle strength. Thus all of the Imperial Beast Hall disciples could beat others of a higher stage. In that sense, Li Luo''s methods were quite similar to the Imperial Beast Hall''s. "However what I''m most curious about is the fact that he''s able to utilize a Duke stage spirit beast''s strength at the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage. Isn''t he afraid of his mind being taken over by the ferocious energy and turning into a crazed beast?" Shen Yunge laughed. They were most clear of the risks and power from wielding a spirit beast''s energy. There were numerous disciples that had gone berserk and lost all control as well. Qin Yi lightly shook her head. "In the Spiritual Resonance Cave, even when he utilized this power, his mind looked to have remained unharmed. Furthermore he has a resolute mind and I''m afraid this fiendish energy is unable to corrode his will." Shen Yunge didn''t reply. Qin Yi was unaware of just how frightening and overbearing a spirit beast''s energy was. This was especially the case when the spirit beast was of a higher stage than the user. Such corrosion of the spirit was incredibly domineering and with Li Luo''s Greater Heavenly Resonance stage strength, it would not be an easy task to wield a Duke spirit beast''s energy. The fist manifestation that originally gave off a holy aura instantly dimmed with the appearance of this figure. Surprised gazes turned towards the newcomer as they saw an inimitable beautiful figure float in mid air. Behind her, three halos formed by her light spirit avatars slowly rotated. It was Jiang Qing''e! "Hongyou!" Jiang Qing''e shouted out as she grasped onto her heavy sword. When Li Hongyou heard her, she formed a handseal as a Vermilion Fruit Godly Transformation Seal appeared, shooting into Jiang Qing''e''s body in a beam of flowing light. At the same time, the pure and rich resonant power within her body began to increase steadily. Light bloomed between her hands and a sacred sword made of light swiftly manifested, striking out explosively towards the fist manifestation. Weng! As the two attacks struck, the fist manifestation was the first to collapse into motes of light as its energy had already been depleted in the clash against Li Foluo and Li Tingyue. Zhao Xiuyuan''s expression changed. A hubbub kicked up amongst the crowd. Numerous shocked gazes were directed towards Jiang Qing''e and the perfect Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried above her. She then slowly raised her sword, pointing at Zhao Xiuyuan from a distance. At this time Li Foluo and Li Tingyue had recovered, taking their place beside her. Jiang Qing''e''s countenance was frigid and sharp like a blade and at the same time, a clear and pleasant voice that reminded one of a clear spring striking a rock sounded out, laced with immense killing intent. "If the Ten Thousand Beast Armies wants to lose yet another Guardian General, I''m happy to oblige." Zhao Xiuyuan laughed furiously when he heard those words. "What a brazen first-grade Duke. Do you really think that a single Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried would mean that you''re unrivaled? Kill me? With just the three of you?" "Well I''d hate to interject..." At this point Li Luo smiled as he took a step forward. Boundless amounts of ferocious energy surged into him like a wild tempest, blasting out of his body in waves. He now emanated the fluctuations of an upper third-grade Duke. His gaze then lingered upon Zhao Xiuyuan as his eyes flickered with murderous intent. At the same time his voice rang out for all to hear. "Zhao Xiuyuan, do you dare to try us now?" Chapter 1340: Spirit Beast Struggle Chapter 1340: Spirit Beast Struggle Li Luo''s voice laced with killing intent reverberated throughout the area as many in the crowd had their eyebrows jumping in shock. They felt that this scene was simply too unbelievable, to the point that it was hilarious. A Greater Heavenly Resonance dared to babble nonsense in front of a fifth-grade Duke? That said, Zhao Xiuyuan didn''t take another step forward, it was as though he seemed afraid to fight yet another opponent. Originally, Zhao Xiuyuan''s strength was more than capable of allowing him to deal with Li Foluo and Li Tingyue, two fourth-grade Dukes. However with the addition of Jiang Qing''e, it tipped the scales in his opponent''s favor, leaving the matchup relatively even. Now if Li Luo with third-grade Duke great spirit beast strength was added to the mix, he would have to temporarily avoid conflict. Otherwise he would have to pay a heavy price to kill one or two of them. Not only that, there were Others here and numerous other powers quietly watching from the sidelines. If he was wounded, he might not even have the opportunity to fight for the Foundational Spirit Treasures here. He had originally descended onto the field with seemingly unstoppable momentum but in the blink of an eye, the situation changed and he was forced back. Frustration welled up in his heart. As the Ten Thousand Beast Armies'' strongest Guardian General, he had his own sense of pride. He was not willing to leave things as it was. Thus he shifted his gaze towards Qin Zhenlin and the rest. "Qin Zhenlin, if I remember correctly, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin was also unable to deal with Li Luo. Would you be willing to join hands with me and expel them from here first? At that point there will be less competition for the Foundational Spirit Treasures." Qin Zhenlin knew what Zhao Xiuyuan was getting at. He wanted to drag them all down together and fight against the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li as a group. However their opponent was two Guardian Generals and Jiang Qing''e. This was a tough nut to crack and it wouldn''t be easy to deal with them. "Guardian General, I feel that there is no need for us to join hands and fight. It''s only to our benefit if both parties are injured." Qin Yi lightly suggested as Qin Zhenlin remained deep in thought. "Also, this Li Luo is a little too heaven defying. I''m concerned he has more tricks concealed up his sleeves and we will suffer as well." Qin Zhenlin glanced at her as he asked in surprise. "Do you think so highly of Li Luo?" Qin Yi calmly replied, "I''ve seen him overcome the odds and create miracles time and time again. To date he''s still alive and kicking, only becoming stronger and stronger each time." Qin Zhenlin was shocked. This Li Luo was indeed a wildcard. When he first returned to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, no one had cared about him. However this country bumpkin had ascended to the point where he was seen as the number one figure in his generation. "keke. Maiden Yi doesn''t have to worry. The way I see it, Li Luo isn''t much stronger than you. His battle achievements are only due to his spirit beast and without it, he''s not much better." Shen Yunge suddenly chimed in with a smile. Qin Yi looked back at him with her crystal clear eyes but did not reply. Shen Yunge then looked at Qin Zhenlin as he grinned. "Guardian General Zhenlin, before I entered the World End''s River Treasure Domain, Hall Master Qin Lian had informed me that if I were to encounter Li Luo, I should give him a greeting on her behalf. Since you have some concerns, why not leave it up to me? You can relax. I''ll simply balance out both parties such that both sides will lose out." When Qin Zhenlin heard his words, a smile appeared in the depths of his eyes. In truth, he had hoped for this result. Shen Yunge was not someone from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin so who would care if he took action? Thus Qin Zhenlin nodded his head with a smile. Meanwhile a faint golden light covered the wolf''s claws, resembling scales which increased its sharpness. What was most eye catching was the six tails that danced in the air. As someone from the Imperial Beast Hall, he understood the numerous beast tribes. In fact, he probably knew the most about them amongst everyone here. Thus he could instantly recognize this spirit beast. It was a Heavenly Wolf that stood at the apex of the spirit beast races. Li Luo actually had a Heavenly Wolf as his spirit beast! Furthermore it was a six tailed one! This meant that the Heavenly Wolf had quite a pure bloodline as well. Furthermore the scales on its claws seemed to resemble that of a dragon''s? This meant that this Heavenly Wolf had experienced a baptism of high grade dragon energy which had greatly improved its potential. An avaricious look surfaced in his eyes. It was hard to find a lone Heavenly Wolf, and if he could capture it with the Beast Taming Incantation, he would experience a significant boost to his strength. It was wasted in Li Luo''s hands. With that in mind, Shen Yunge no longer hesitated as he gave a shallow smile. "Guardian General Zhao Xiuyuan, if you can hold back Li Foluo and the rest of them, I''ll help you deal with Li Luo. What do you think?" Before hearing a reply, he waved his hand and dark emerald resonant power burst out of him, transforming into a dark emerald python. It blitzed towards Li Luo like a bolt of lightning. When Zhao Xiuyuan saw this, he activated all of his Duke Bergfrieds without hesitation. Radiant light intertwined, forming a suppressive aura which pressed down on the other three. Li Luo''s eyes flickered with cold light when he saw this, but just as he was about to take action... Weng! Before his resonant power was even summoned, a rumble could be heard coming from the blood mist not far away. A beam of light pierced through the air, destroying the void as it passed and collided against the dark emerald python manifestation. Bang! A deafening boom sounded out and the python was smashed apart. A heavy steel staff fell from the sky, stabbing right into the ground. When Li Luo saw this familiar staff, his expression shifted slightly. He then turned his head as a group of familiar figures emerged from the blood mist, entering the crowd''s view. At the head was a male and a female. Zhang Cuicheng and Lu Shuanglu had made their entrance. The Golden Dragon Bank''s people had entered this Other Dominion as well. Before everyone''s surprised eyes, Zhang Cuicheng stretched his hand out and the heavy steel staff flew back into his hand. His gaze swept across the group before lingering on Shen Yunge as he indifferently spoke. "It looks like you need my help Li Luo." Chapter 1341: Blood Lake Changes Chapter 1341: Blood Lake Changes The crowd quickly recognized this group as shocked whispers were heard. "Those are the Golden Dragon Bank''s people!" "Why are they helping Li Luo? Aren''t they supposed to be neutral?" The numerous squads from the different powers and the rogue cultivators were completely taken aback. The Golden Dragon Bank lived by the creed that harmony breeds wealth. They had rarely seen them clashing against other powers, much less step up for Li Luo. Zhao Xiuyuan and Shen Yunge were forced to halt as they frowned at the group of newcomers. Their entrance had undoubtedly made the situation even more chaotic. The Golden Dragon Bank may be known for being good at doing business but no one doubted their actual might. "Is the Golden Dragon Bank planning to break their own rules?" Zhao Xiuyuan glumly spoke. Lu Shuanglu glared at Zhang Cuicheng as she unhappily spoke. "He''s acting on his own. This has nothing to do with the Golden Dragon Bank so you can beat him to death if you wish." Zhao Xiuyuan gloomily inspected Zhang Cuicheng. He already knew of the latter. This was Golden Dragon Mountain''s Zhang Family''s young genius. This man wielded considerable influence within Golden Dragon Mountain as a result. Thus he clearly didn''t believe a single word Lu Shuanglu was saying. If he actually killed Zhang Cuicheng, the Golden Dragon Bank would undoubtedly take action. Zhang Cuicheng only had upper second-grade Duke strength and thus Zhao Xiuyuan couldn''t be bothered with him. Instead, it was the middle aged man who stood beside Lu Shuanglu with a raging aura that worried him. That man''s strength was no lesser than his. Thus Lu Shuanglu and Zhang Cuicheng''s appearance meant that he would no longer be able to deal with Li Luo''s group. That said he unwillingly retracted his five Duke Bergfrieds as his figure retreated back to the True Dragon Guardians. When Shen Yunge saw this, a look of disappointment flickered in his eyes. Without the aid of Zhao Xiuyuan holding the rest down, there was no way he could wrest away control of the Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf from Li Luo. It seemed that he would have to meet up with the rest of the Imperial Beast Hall and the squads of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin before trying again. Thus he waved his sleeve and the gigantic Gilded Scale Heavenly Python transformed into a beam of light which wrapped around his wrist, turning into a bracelet. Li Foluo, Li Tingyue and the rest retracted their resonant power as they secretly heaved a breath of relief upon seeing that their opponents had ceased their assaults. Truthfully speaking, they weren''t sure if they could resist the combined might of the True Dragon Guardians and Shen Yunge. Furthermore, Qin Zhenlin and the rest were like tigers stalking their prey. The moment they exposed a moment of weakness, he would definitely deliver a heavy handed blow. Thus it was all thanks to the Golden Dragon Bank and their timely assistance. Li Luo then waved his hand and allowed the manifested Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf to transform into a beam of crimson light, shooting back into the bracelet on his wrist. His gaze lingered on Shen Yunge''s figure for a moment. He had sensed the greed in his eyes which had been barely concealed. He obviously had set his sights on his Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf. It was said that the Imperial Beast Hall could utilize a fusion Duke Art with spirit beasts. In truth he was fascinated with it as well. Perhaps he might be able to research a little more about it from Shen Yunge... However looking at how Shen Yunge was eyeing him maliciously, the odds probably weren''t great. Very quickly they realized that what flew out of the waves was not only those charming visages of females but also Foundational Spirit Treasures! Although the vast majority were low-grade, there were some middle-grade ones within them as well! Weng! Everyone seemed to be filled with irrational exuberance! Treasures were being delivered to their doorsteps! Numerous individuals began fighting to pick up the treasures and chaos ensued. Even the people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin and Zhao Xiuyuan''s squad were not spared. They couldn''t resist the urge to pounce upon those treasures, fighting happily to seize as many as they could grab. "Is this a treasure delivering lake?" Lu Shuanglu was taken aback. In the previous Other Dominions, they had to seize the treasures themselves, going through a gauntlet of fights. Meanwhile in this location, treasures were being chucked at them like rubbish. Lu Shuanglu''s group couldn''t help themselves either as some tried to intercept these flying goodies being sent their way. However Li Luo frowned and restrained her. "I''d advise you not to touch those Foundational Spirit Treasures." Lu Shuanglu, Zhang Cuicheng and the rest of the Golden Dragon Bank''s experts looked suspiciously at Li Luo. When he saw their questioning gazes, he calmly replied, "I suppose a fight started within your squad and infighting ensued?" Lu Shuanglu''s expression changed as she looked at Li Luo with a wavering gaze. She couldn''t help but to blurt out. "How did you know?" In fact, just half a day ago, a disaster had befallen their squad. Their originally fine companions had suddenly been corrupted and berserkly attacked them. This was why their squad had suffered a crippling loss as some of the powerful Duke bodyguards had died. Lu Shuanglu was completely ashen faced and dejected after that. They could not understand where the source of the corruption had come from. Meanwhile Li Luo, an outsider, had noticed what had happened, thus was completely shocked. Li Luo shrugged his shoulders with a smile. "Perhaps its lucky that you met me." "Do you mean you know why they were corrupted?" Lu Shuanglu hurriedly asked. Li Luo''s gaze fell upon the numerous Foundational Spirit Treasures flying out from the blood lake. His cool voice sounded out in the ears of everyone in Lu Shuanglu''s squad. The explanation left them in complete disbelief. "It''s because you''ve gathered too many Foundational Spirit Treasures." Chapter 1342: Chaos Ensues Chapter 1342: Chaos Ensues "Gathered too many Foundational Spirit Treasures?" When faced with Li Luo''s words, Lu Shuanglu, Zhang Cuicheng and the rest of the Golden Dragon Bank''s experts revealed expressions of ridicule. If Li Luo wasn''t someone from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, they''d even think that he was trying to reduce the number of competitors fighting for the Foundational Spirit Treasures. Lu Shuanglu frowned as his words seemed quite outlandish. However, her mind pondered over the possibilities carefully before she asked, "Li Luo... are you saying that the Foundational Spirit Treasures have problems?" Li Luo smiled and nodded his head. Lu Shuanglu had a sharp mind and definitely far surpassed Zhang Cuicheng. It was no wonder why she''d ended up leading the squad. When he nodded his head, the Golden Dragon Bank''s people felt that Li Luo was talking hogwash as some angrily rebuked. "Our Golden Dragon Bank has collected the Foundational Spirit Treasures from the World End''s River Treasure Domain for more than a hundred years and i''ve never heard that there was something wrong with them." Li Luo indifferently replied, "Well did such a disturbance happen in the past when you were gathering Foundational Spirit Treasures?" These words which seemed to challenge them caused a few of them to feel incensed. Lu Shuanglu''s expression shifted slightly. She might not have had too many interactions with Li Luo but she knew that he was not someone who shot his mouth off on a rumor. More importantly, if he was truly looking to spout gibberish, wouldn''t it destroy any goodwill between the two parties? Logically speaking, she began to believe Li Luo''s words. There were too many people that had been affected previously and none of them exhibited any signs prior to being corrupted. They had a few guesses of their own but no one had ever expected that the source were those treasures. "Did your corrupted companions all have completely black eyes without any whites?" Li Luo then casually continued with his line of questions, immediately causing the people from the Golden Dragon Bank to turn pale. What had happened was as Li Luo had described. All those who had been corrupted and lost their minds had eyes that were completely black. "Now that I think about it, some of those who were corrupted had indeed handled the greatest numbers of Foundational Spirit Treasures." Lu Shuanglu continued. Her expression changed. "If these treasures do have a hidden danger, considering that all of us here have been in contact with it in some way, doesn''t that mean..." The rest of them felt as though a bucket of cold water had been splashed upon them. Li Luo glanced at them and nodded his head. "You''ve guessed correctly. You''re all already corrupted, it just hasn''t reached the state where you mind has been overtaken by it. However... it''s just a matter of time." His shocking words caused all of the people from the Golden Dragon Bank to feel cold sweat dripping off their bodies. Lu Shuanglu forced a smile, "Li Luo, you shouldn''t be scaring us like this. We''re all just fine and none of us have discovered any trace of corruption within our body." "This affliction is known as the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse. It will cause your pupils to continuously expand and when even the whites of your eyes have been covered and the pupils completely occupy your eye sockets, that is when your sanity will be eroded." Li Luo explained. The face was sickly pale but it radiated a certain delicateness. However as the massive face opened its mouth, a jarring screech that reminded one of a banshee was emitted, causing the void to ripple and distort. Zhao Xiuyuan and Qin Zhenlin''s energy palm manifestations were instantly shattered. The sound waves continued to propagate outwards. On the Blood Lake''s shore, the numerous experts who had grabbed Foundational Spirit Treasure''s began to feel their face shifting. If one looked carefully, they could see that the pupils in their eyes were rapidly expanding. The whites of their eyes were quickly disappearing. Argh! One of them screamed out in agony as a black substance leaked from the sides of his eyes. Corruption surged out of his body like a tide. This sudden change caused the situation to deteriorate into a panic. All of those cultivators who had been struggling for their lives for more Foundational Spirit Treasures were all completely taken aback. Before some of them could react, their fellow companions suddenly rose up and charged at them, like feral beasts looking to kill. In just a few moments, screams perforated the air. The stench of blood quickly mingled with the smell of the lake. Qin Zhenlin and Zhao Xiuyuan''s expressions changed immensely. A similar situation had occurred within their own squads as some members lost control and their eyes had turned completely black. Corruption oozed out of every pore as they seemed to have transformed into Others, pouncing upon their previous compatriots. In just a short span of time, numerous injuries piled up. At this point they could barely care less about the Foundational Spirit Treasures in the middle of the lake. They hurriedly turned tail and began to suppress their corrupted companions. This entire situation unfolded before Lu Shuanglu, Zhang Cuicheng and the rest of the Golden Dragon Bank. Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads. Fear welled up in their hearts. If they had not listened to Li Luo''s previous reminder, that very same situation would have happened to them and they would have had to pay a heavy price. Their sincere and thankful gazes were directed towards Li Luo. Zhang Cuicheng in particular felt extremely vexed. He had yet to repay Lu Qing''er''s favor so how had things changed and he too owed Li Luo one as well? Chapter 1343: Seizing Treasures in the Chaos Chapter 1343: Seizing Treasures in the Chaos A disorganized slaughter broke out at the shores of the Blood Lake. Wild torrents of resonant power undulations swept across the field, mingled with pained screams and inhuman wails. This change had come about too abruptly and few managed to react in time before they were cut down by their friends. Broken limbs and fresh blood dyed the ground. Even the squads from the Bloodlines of Heavenly Emperor Qin and Zhao were no exception. Their members were corrupted by the curse and many were seriously injured. Qin Zhenlin and Zhao Xiuyuan''s had faces that were steely green as they forcefully suppressed the corrupted individuals. This was what infuriated them. They had no time nor attention to spare on obtaining the high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. Meanwhile a single area remained unblemished within this chaotic region. It was where Li Luo and the Golden Dragon Bank''s squads were at. They formed a defensive line that warded off all the corrupted from sowing chaos amongst their ranks. Most importantly, because none of their own had turned against them, their situation remained stable and there were no casualties. Lu Shuanglu, Zhang Cuicheng and the rest of their squad watched the chaos unfold and brutality ensued with expressions that turned pale. This was a scene that they were extremely familiar with. At this point, they truly believed in Li Luo''s words. At the same time, they couldn''t help but to reach out and gently touch their eyes, even taking out mirrors to inspect their eyes. "Don''t look anymore. Ever since the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse was discovered by us, it has chosen to act more discreetly. It will grow secretly and when the time is right, erupt with intensity to erode your minds." Li Luo casually said as he watched them. Lu Shuanglu unwillingly turned towards the fifth-grade middle aged male Duke as she asked. "Uncle Wang, can you sense the source of the corruption within your body?" The one addressed as Uncle Wang bitterly smiled as he shook his head. "I didn''t feel a thing." "This Black Pupil Ghostly Curse should be something created by a King. Dukes would find it difficult to detect it." Li Luo continued. "A King? An Other King? Within the World End''s River Treasure Domain, there shouldn''t be any of them!" Lu Shuanglu''s expression turned ugly as she exclaimed. "It might not be an Other King. It could have been created by a conspiring King stage expert." Li Luo continued. "Other than an Other King, just what sort of King stage expert would dare to do such a thing?" "The World End''s River Region is the gateway to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. If anything happens here, it would doom the entire continent! No wait..." At this point her voice stuttered as her expression turned heavy. She spat out three words. "Origin Reversion Institute!" The disturbance they created did not elude Zhao Xiuyuan nor Qin Zhenlin''s senses. However they could only shout out in fury, "You dare!" They were just about to take action to stop them but the moment their resonant power suppression lessened on their corrupted squad members, they immediately started to act up, breaking out of the seal and rushing towards them with a roar. The two could only retract their resonant power and continue to apply pressure on their corrupted squad mates. They could only stare blankly as the trio snatched the four high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures before their very eyes, regrouping with the rest of their squad. Their eyes turned gloomy from utter rage. Who would have expected that all of the benefits would be monopolized by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li? Jiang Qing''e continued to keep the Foundational Spirit Treasures wrapped up in her resonant power, letting it float before them. Li Luo then flicked a finger as a single Foundational Spirit Treasure which was wrapped in resonant power flew towards Lu Shuanglu as he grinned. "Since we were lucky to meet, I''ll share this with you. I hope you don''t dislike it." "You''re giving us a share?" Lu Shuanglu was a little taken aback. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li were the ones who had taken action and their side barely contributed. Furthermore, if not for Li Luo''s reminder, their situation would be no better than the other squads. "You''ve helped us ward off the corrupted and that''s also an important contribution. How can I let you work for free?" Li Luo explained. Lu Shuanglu turned towards the others in the Golden Dragon Bank who were also pleasantly surprised. No one had expected to receive these treasures so easily. It looked like the good feelings toward Li Luo had increased quite a bit. "Then we won''t be shy." Lu Shuanglu nodded in the end. However she glanced at the Foundational Spirit Treasure with a look of awkwardness. If nothing had happened before this, she''d definitely receive the treasure without much objection, perhaps even fiddling with it for fun. Unfortunately, now that she knew it was cursed, she was a little reluctant to even touch it. "You can first seal it away before its purified. After I help you purify it, you should be able to touch it." Li Luo smiled as he reminded her. Lu Shuanglu hurriedly took action as she possessed quite a few items that could help with that. When Li Luo saw this, he smiled in his heart. He had managed to form a good relationship with Lu Shuanglu and Zhang Cuicheng and this might mean he could have a connection with Golden Dragon Mountain in future. At that point in time, he might even be able to assist Lu Qing''er. She had used a favor owed to her to help him, so he naturally had to return the favor. "Ah?" As Li Luo was still lost in his own thoughts, Jiang Qing''e suddenly let out a surprised cry. As Li Luo was about to ask what had happened, his expression changed. They seemed to have heard a barely perceptible sound of a flute coming out from the void. Li Luo then discovered that wherever the sound of the flute transmitted, the corrupted would leave the battlefield in droves, as though they had been possessed. They seemed to have been attracted to something, rushing into the depths of the blood mist. This scene caused Li Luo''s eyes to shrink. Was the black hand behind the curtain beginning to direct the show? Chapter 1344: Disaster Chapter 1344: Disaster This sudden development brought the chaos that was unfolding by the Blood Lake to an instant standstill. The corrupted began to rush towards the depths of the Other Dominion, some completely shrugging off the fierce attacks and even allowing their bodies to be torn apart by the raging resonant power from the defenders. However that said, they seemed to have felt no pain as they continued to advance, never looking back. In a short span of time, the killing had stopped. The numerous powers had ugly expressions as they regrouped. Some of the unluckier squads were almost completely wiped out. The ground stank of blood and made one feel like retching. This incident had caused heavy losses to every squad other than Li Luo''s and the Golden Dragon Bank''s. As the numerous powers licked their wounds, Li Luo frowned as he stared into the distance. All of the corrupted had left without a care. It was clear they had been summoned by something. It should have been due to the sounds of the flute. Looking at the other''s expressions, it also seemed like no one else had noticed other than Jiang Qing''e. "Things are getting stranger and stranger here." Li Luo murmured. He was already sure that there was a humongous conspiracy afoot. "I think it''s best for us to retreat from here." Lu Shuanglu suggested. "Young mistress, the exit for the Other Dominion has already vanished." The middle aged fifth-grade Duke then spoke. These shocking words caused everyone to turn their heads to see for themselves. The void behind them had turned blood red, as though it was a massive wall, preventing anyone from escaping. This caused a commotion to kick up as some of the squads who had thoughts of retreating were now filled with abject terror. They all understood that there was something different about this Other Dominion. It was now too late to leave. In their fear, they started to pound on the mist with impressive resonant arts but the latter remained unmoving. In fact, dense amounts of corruption started to emanate from it, sweeping towards these experts like a tide. This forced the attackers to retreat but things were not over there. The retaliating corruption was unstoppable as it engulfed them, the result being that they were liquified into a pool of bloody water. This caused the expressions of the rest to change as they hurriedly put distance between them and the wall of mist. "It looks like we can only move forward." Li Luo continued to frown. The rest glumly nodded their heads. "Li Luo, you better not speak without thinking! The World End''s River Treasure Domain has remained open for so long and I''ve never heard of the treasures containing some sort of curse." Zhao Xiuyuan coldly reprimanded. Li Luo couldn''t be bothered to speak further as he pointed his finger and several previously purified low-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures were thrown in his direction. "Why don''t you feel it for yourself." When Zhao Xiuyuan glanced at the numerous low-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures flying at him, his expression changed as he hurriedly retreated. At the same time he waved his hand and resonant power surged forth, holding the treasures in place. At the same time he scolded in his heart. Damn it, why couldn''t this brat just speak his mind? Why''d he have to throw these things at him? Who would dare to touch it? What if he really got cursed by it? The people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li couldn''t help but to smirk upon seeing Zhao Xiuyuan retreating miserably. He might have strong words but his actions told the truth. Zhao Xiuyuan then stopped as his expression shifted between varying shades.. "Since you said that high-grade Dukes are unable to discover it, how did you manage to do so then?" Qin Zhenlin piped up. Li Luo pointed at Jiang Qing''e with a smile, "This is because our Dragon Fang Envoy here has triple ninth-grade Light resonances. Her Heart of Light is particularly sensitive to corrupted items and is better than even a high-grade Duke." He didn''t mention anything about his Auric Halo. It was a secret he didn''t plan to reveal and everyone already knew of Jiang Qing''e''s abilities in any case. No one would doubt her. As expected, Li Luo''s explanation was accepted by the crowd. When Zhao Xiuyuan saw the situation changing, he immediately spoke up, "This has nothing to do with you taking advantage of us being taken offguard and stealing away all the treasures!" He noticed that everyone had been distracted by Li Luo and he immediately turned everyone''s attention back. But before anyone could agree with him, Li Luo''s following sentences left their hearts chilled and nervous. "Although you haven''t been corrupted yet, all of you have undoubtedly been afflicted by this curse. The only fact is that the curse is still weak and has yet to mature. Once it erupts, you''ll be no different from your fellow companions." The crowd felt as though a bucket of cold water had been doused upon them as they were struck with waves of dizziness, their hearts filled with horror and fear. Even Zhao Xiuyuan and Qin Zhenlin''s squads had ugly expressions. Comparatively speaking, the four high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures were of much lesser importance that they wouldn''t even bother about it at this point. Some seemed to be on the verge of collapse because of their fear. It was at this point when Li Luo spoke up once again, which pulled them from the cusp of insanity. "The good news is... I can cleanse this curse." Chapter 1345: Purifying And Winning The Peoples Hearts Chapter 1345: Purifying And Winning The People''s Hearts "You can cleanse the curse?" Li Luo''s words immediately caused a commotion amongst the crowd. Even those who were almost about to go crazy looked at him in disbelief. Yet a trace of hope lay within those tired eyes. They had already witnessed the effects of the corruption. The lingering fear of transforming into such a creature had gnawed away at their hearts. That said Li Luo offered a ray of hope for them amidst the darkness. This caused them to no longer be concerned about the issue of the high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. When Zhao Xiuyuan saw this, his eyes turned gloomy. He had originally riled up the crowd to cooperate with him in dealing with Li Luo. However who would have ever expected the situation was upended with just a few sentences from him, ruining the atmosphere he had intentionally crafted. Furthermore it looked like they were beginning to look upon him in a positive light. "Li Luo, you''re just a Greater Heavenly Resonance. Just what sort of capabilities do you think you possess that can allow you to cleanse this curse that we cannot even detect?" Zhao Xiuyuan questioned in an interrogative manner. "Then I''ll take my leave?" Li Luo shrugged. At that point numerous angry gazes shot towards Zhao Xiuyuan. Li Luo was the last straw they could grasp to save them from the terror that was gripping their hearts. Whether it was true or not, they would only know after they had tried it. Meanwhile Zhao Xiuyuan was clearly trying to obstruct him in this scenario. Was he trying to get them all killed? The corner of Zhao Xiuyuan''s lips twitched. He had originally wished to borrow the aid of the crowd to deal with Li Luo and yet in the blink of an eye, he was now subject to the crowd''s fury instead. Thus his expression turned even more gloomy as he shut his mouth. Those on Qin Zhenlin''s side also glanced at each other. No one expected that Li Luo would turn into the knight in shining armor, ready to deliver salvation to those in need. That said they didn''t speak their minds either. Although they were unwilling to see Li Luo winning the favor of others, if he could truly purify this curse, then they could only hold their noses and forcefully accept it. After all, this was a matter that concerned their lives. "Purifying the curse definitely can''t be done by me alone. I''ll have to join hands with her." Li Luo pointed at Jiang Qing''e beside him. She was incomparably beautiful and her entire body gave off a saintly aura which was coupled with a cool expression. They couldn''t help but to feel a little bit more confident in their chances. Her triple ninth-grade Light resonances were indeed the bane of corruption. "Then could we trouble the two of you to help us cleanse this curse. This favor will not be forgotten." The numerous powers began to respectfully clasp their hands as they made the request. It was clear their attitude had become much more humble. Even the unruly rogue cultivators who lived on the edge of the knife had restrained their wanton attitudes, trying their best to give a kind smile. This was in stark contrast to how they had attempted to extort Li Luo and the rest for their high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. It almost seemed like these were completely different people. In anycase Li Luo remained unfazed. He didn''t feel resentful that these individuals had changed tack at the drop of a hat. Furthermore, purifying the curse from them was beneficial to him as well. Otherwise if the curse were to erupt later and they were corrupted, the others that weren''t corrupted would be surrounded and attacked. Thus what he was doing now was to lessen the number of future enemies and turn it into battle strength as a whole. As Li Luo had these thoughts in mind, he turned towards Jiang Qing''e with a grin. "Sister Qing''e, it''s time for us to take action." Qin Zhenlin nodded his head upon hearing Qin Yi''s logical deduction as he heaved a small sigh of relief. "However..." Qin Yi then glanced at the group who was being cleansed by Li Luo with slightly pursed lips. She helplessly replied, "Li Luo will probably help us as part of the bigger picture but with his personality, he wouldn''t make it easy for us." Qin Zhenlin''s brows jumped upon hearing her words as an ominous feeling arose in his heart. Whilst Qin Zhenlin and the rest were thinking of what to do, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e continued to purify the curse from group after group. It was quite a time consuming task as after each round, the two had to rest to recover their resonant power. Fortunately Li Hongyou was supporting them and they were able to persist. After two hours, the crowd had all been cleansed. At the same time, the looks of despair and despondency had also disappeared, replaced with the joy of having averted a disaster. Meanwhile they now had looks of respect for Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. The curse might have been lifted but no one would know if they would be affected by it yet again. Thus the duo had become their protective gods in this place. Li Luo exhaled with tiredness. He had to purify so many individuals with his Greater Heavenly Resonance stage strength and even with Li Hongyou''s assistance, it was still incredibly draining. He then lifted his gaze towards the two groups which had not been cleansed. It was none other than Zhao Xiuyuan and Qin Zhenlin''s squads. Zhao Xiuyuan and Qin Zhenlin''s expressions twitched upon meeting eyes with Li Luo. Just two hours ago, they might have even sneered at him but the current situation was such that only Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e could help them. As a result they remained extremely wary, no longer daring to provoke them either. "Hai... Zhao Xiuyuan, weren''t you acting very arrogantly earlier?" Li Foluo couldn''t help but to rub salt into the wound upon seeing Zhao Xiuyuan''s expression. His expression turned gloomy, "Li Foluo, if we truly end up being corrupted, I''m afraid you wouldn''t have a good time either." Even now a threat was hidden in his words. "Hmph? You still dare to speak such unbridled words even though you''re begging for your life?" Li Foluo snorted. Li Luo waved his hand indicating that the two should stop bickering. He then coldly swept his gaze over the remaining two groups, cutting right to the chase. "I truly don''t wish to save you. In fact, the group of you dying here would be the best result for me. However its as you said. If you end up being corrupted, it would bring us a lot of trouble. So..." Qin Yi''s eyes shone as she replied, "Li Luo, name a price." Li Luo gave a wry smile, "The Fairy of Water is the most straightforward." He then raised a single finger as his voice rang out. "So long as each of you take out a top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure, i''ll cleanse you." Chapter 1346: Quasi Ninth-grade In Sight Chapter 1346: Quasi Ninth-grade In Sight "A top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure?!" When Li Luo''s words were blurted out, Zhao Xiuyuan, Qin Zhenlin, and the rest were left stunned for two seconds. It was as though they had misheard him. Shortly after, they regained their senses and uttered some angry words. "Li Luo, I think you''ve gone crazy!" Zhao Xiuyuan clenched his teeth as he seethed. This bastard had asked for a top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure right off the bat! This wasn''t a lion taking a bite, it was a dragon! A top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure was as valuable as a bottle of ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. That was how frightening one''s value was. Even in the Heavenly Emperor Bloodlines, they were rarely seen. However, Li Luo''s first demand was to fork one over as the price of cleansing them. This was truly too black-hearted. Qin Zhenlin''s gaze was furious as well. Li Luo''s starting price seemed like something he had come up with on the fly. Qin Yi remained calm as she gently replied, "Li Luo, don''t mess with us. Do you truly think that we would give you a top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure?" Li Luo smirked. "If we don''t try, we won''t know. Otherwise, what if someone takes advantage of me?" Zhao Xiuyuan''s expression turned ugly beyond comparison. "Li Luo, stop being an annoyance. Quickly cleanse the curse from us. This Other Dominion is very strange, so we need to work together." "It didn''t look like you wanted to cooperate just a little while ago ago." Li Tingyue smiled warmly, but her words contained piercing barbs. Since Li Luo realized it was impossible to extort a top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure out of them, he could only settle for the next best thing. Thus, he spoke as though he was suffering deep down. "Since you don''t have any top-grade ones, then three high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures will do." Zhao Xiuyuan exhaled heavily as he coldly replied, "We''ve only found a single high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure since we entered the Treasure Domain, yet you''re actually asking for three?" "Only one high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure? How could your harvest be so pitiful?" Li Luo asked in disbelief. Zhao Xiuyuan was so angry that when he clenched his fists, his veins could be seen throbbing. He was obviously trying his best to contain his anger, but this bastard wasn''t just blackmailing him, he was also out to humiliate him! When Li Luo saw his reaction, he understood that what he was saying was probably the truth. After all, the other squads didn''t have a treasure detector on par with Li Hongyouthe only thing they could rely on was luck. It was also important to understand that not all Other Dominions possessed high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. "Forget it, one will do, then." Li Luo generously waved his hand. After all, he couldn''t stand by and watch Zhao Xiuyuan, Qin Zhenlin, and the rest become corrupted. If they did, it would truly be a thorny situation. Since that was what they had, he would take it. It was better than them becoming so incensed that they would rather seek mutual destruction. Seeing the disappointed look on Li Luo''s face and knowing that the reason he was making that face was because he was unable to squeeze anything else out of them disgusted the two groups. In fact, they were so furious that they were grinding their teeth trying to restrain themselves. Unfortunately, there was no other option since they were now under the thumb of someone else. Thus, they could only endure the pain in their hearts, and each of them tossed over a high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure. Li Luo used his resonant power to catch the treasures. After a brief check, nodded in satisfaction. "Come over here, please." He then glanced at the group with a much warmer expression. The two squads weren''t exactly pleased, and it showed on their black faces as they sat cross-legged. Li Luo, on the other hand, mustered up his most customer-oriented attitude and gave a jolly smile. Then he joined hands with Jiang Qing''e and began the process of purification. After two hours. Zhao Xiuyuan, Qin Zhenlin, and the rest had expressions that were more relaxed. When the black stains were cleansed from the corners of their eyes, they felt as though a weight had been lifted off their hearts. If not for a favor, he would not have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent''s Treasure Domain and gotten himself mixed up in so much trouble. Furthermore, he had not even repaid Lu Qing''er''s favor, and now he owed one to Li Luo. How had he gotten mired in even more debts in a trip meant to resolve one? Li Luo passed the four treasures to Lu Shuanglu. She hesitated for a moment before only taking just two of them and handing the two bottles of quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights to him. "We cannot give treasures away for free. That is a rule. However, earning a little less is acceptable under the rules. Although you might not care for these two treasures, I must show my appreciation for what you''ve done for us." Lu Shuanglu beamed as she looked at him. Li Luo returned the smile and nodded, retrieving the two high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. He then received the jade box with the bottles. When they were in his hands, he could sense the strong spiritual energy emanating from them, which caused his heart to stir. His preparations for breaking into the Duke Stage were becoming more and more complete. Bang! Just as his spirits were soaring, the entire world started to rumble around him. Everyone could sense that the corruption was surging at an unprecedented pace. "The Other Dominion is expanding!" Jiang Qing''e suddenly chimed in as her gaze was focused on the depths. A gigantic wall made of blood energy had appeared, and it was moving away from them rapidly, indicating that the Other Dominion was indeed increasing in size. As it expanded, the people nearby were swallowed up by it. Li Luo''s expression changed as he stared into the distance. He could vaguely see that a gigantic object was growing at an alarming pace inside the blood mist. In fact, the corruption around him seemed to be attracted to it and rushed in its direction. As it was absorbed in copious amounts, the gigantic object seemed to become even clearer. Li Luo''s eyes shrank when he saw what it was. He could see a humongous flower bud in the roiling corruption. It was tens of thousands of feet wide and still growing. The buds were blood-red and each petal was covered in millions of twisted faces. A gloomy and ominous air spread throughout the area. Everyone who saw this scene felt a chill running through their spines. The titanic blood-red flower bud swayed gently between the earth and the sky. Sometimes, its petals drooped slightly, resembling a devil overlord looking over its people. A blood-red viscous liquid was falling from the tips of its petals continuously... as though it was a devil salivating over its next meal. Chapter 1347: Big White Swans Love, Divine Spirit Treasure Tree Chapter 1347: Big White Swan''s Love, Divine Spirit Treasure Tree The dense corruption seemed to have gathered into a vast ocean, and at the center of it stood the humongous, mountain-like blood-red flower bud, greedily absorbing it all in. As it absorbed, it expanded. At the same time, the bud became increasingly red, as though it was pregnant with something within. Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and the rest looked at it with shock. They could sense a terrifying presence within it. It was undoubtedly nurturing a frightening existence. "Is this what the forces in the shadows are plotting?" Li Luo''s gaze turned solemn. Although he didn''t know what exactly was inside the flower bud, he could easily guess that the moment it emerged, they would all die. "Look at what''s beneath the flower bud!" Li Tingyue suddenly shouted. Their eyes were shifted in that direction, where they spotted two radiant balls of light that were floating up and down beneath the bud. Each ball of light emanated majestic amounts of energy. There were blood-red roots inserted into each of the balls, seemingly absorbing energy from them. When they observed the balls of light closely, they noticed to their surprise that they were Foundational Spirit Treasures. One was a seven-colored fruit that flowed with a mysterious light, whereas the other was a brownish-yellow spirit bead. Even from afar, they could sense the frightening energy undulations coming from them. "Those are top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures!" someone shouted as their eyes filled with unconcealable greed. This Other Dominion did have top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures! However, as far as they could tell, the strange flower bud was using their energy as nourishment! Li Luo''s chest started to heat up in excitement. With the two bottles of quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, what he lacked now was just a top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure. At this point, Jiang Qing''e transmitted her voice to his ear. "Li Luo, we need to secure that Seven Treasures Fruit!" Li Luo was shocked. He turned towards Jiang Qing''e, who now had a solemn look on her face, and asked curiously, "Seven Treasures Fruit? Are you referring to that fruit that''s emitting seven colors?" Li Luo''s gaze swept over the group, and could see that another large group was gathering in the distance. Within which was a male equipped with a suit of black armor. The man had a handsome face and exuded domineering power. An immense pressure radiated from him, capable of striking fear in the hearts of others. Li Luo noticed that even Li Zhihuo was looking at that man with fear in his eyes. "Guardian General Beiming!" Right when Li Luo had figured out the newcomer''s identity, Qin Zhenlin shouted in surprise. The rest of his squad revealed relieved and ecstatic expressions. Hearing the name confirmed his suspicions. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s Deep Abyss Guardian General, Qin Beiming. This was the only upper fifth-grade Duke amongst the four Heavenly Emperor powers'' Guardian Generals. This also meant that he was the strongest. Other than that, Li Luo also noticed people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhu. At this point, the four Heavenly Emperor powers'' Guardian Generals had all gathered here. "Guardian General Zhenlin, what''s going on with this Other Dominion?" Qin Beiming''s nonchalant gaze swept across the area and turned into a frown when he noticed the humongous flower bud in the depths of the Other Dominion. Qin Zhenlin immediately began to explain the situation, including how they had all been corrupted by a curse, that Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had cleansed them, and how they had been extorted of a high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure. However, Qin Beiming completely ignored that last bit and asked in surprise while looking at the duo, "You''re able to purify the curse?" Li Luo couldn''t help but to break out into a grin when he saw his reaction. "Guardian General Beiming, would you be interested in our services?" Chapter 1348: Qin Beiming Chapter 1348: Qin Beiming When faced with Li Luo''s teasing words, Qin Beiming''s expression shifted slightly. However, he wasn''t the only oneall the other experts from the other powers had the same reaction. That said, he wasn''t angry; a look of joy surfaced in his eyes. "You''re actually able to purify this venomous curse, Li Luo?" Li Zhihuo couldn''t help but to blurt with eyes full of disbelief. Beside him, the Dragon''s Bone and Dragon''s Horn Guardian Generals, Li Jushen and Li Boyuan, were similarly taken aback but also jubilant. Looking at their reactions, Li Luo could easily guess that all of them had already experienced the sudden turning of their compatriots. Their squad members had undoubtedly been corrupted at some point. In fact, they must have paid a painful price. As their gazes fell upon him, Li Luo calmly nodded. "Strictly speaking it requires both Sister Qing''e and I to join hands to do so. Everyone here can testify to that." The numerous experts present began to speak up to show their agreement. It was clear that there was a hint of respect within their voices as well. Amongst the group that had rushed over, a male whose body resembled a ball stood out. His gaze seemed to contain a trace of violent thunder, emitting a tyrannical aura. That person said in a booming voice, "Haha, who would have expected that Brother Li Luo would have such an ability. We were left grievously wounded by the sudden ambush of our corrupted squad members, and if giving up a high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure would allow us to resolve this hidden malaise, I consider that a great deal. Brother Li Luo, I would kindly like to invite you to cleanse the Heaven Devouring Armies!" Li Luo''s gaze turned over, and he recognized the person that had spoken loudly. This was the Thunder Guardian General of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhu, Zhu Zhan. He was a lower fifth-grade Duke and was the strongest Guardian General amongst them. "Zhu Zhan, when did I ever say it wasn''t worth it?" Qin Beiming indifferently glared at Zhu Zhan. He then turned towards Li Luo. "Li Luo, although the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin holds some enmity towards you, this is not the time nor place to fight. If all you require to purify us is a high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure, I am more than willing to part with one. Furthermore, I can assure that this favor will be repaid. I will make it so the Blackwater Armies will not target you on the basis of any personal grudges until we leave the Treasure Domain." As expected of the strongest Guardian General in the Heavenly Emperor powers. Even the way he carried himself was vastly different than Qin Zhenlin. When Qin Zhenlin heard this, he swallowed any words he might have wished to say. Qin Beiming''s position and influence in the Blackwater Armies was supreme, and he was fearful of him as well. Qin Yi nodded discreetly. This was the behavior expected from a reasonable and logical leader. Li Luo couldn''t help but feel a little impressed at how decisive Qin Beiming was. It seemed like not everyone from his faction was an ignorant idiot. The number of lunatics like Qin Lian was even lower. Li Luo turned his head and glanced at the terrifying undulations coming from the blood-red flower bud in the depths of the Other Dominion, pausing silently. He then made a decision. "The reason I wanted the Foundational Spirit Treasures was to teach Zhao Xiuyuan and Qin Zhenlin a lesson for acting aggressively towards me. However, looking at how dangerous the situation is, I''m afraid a frightening existence may appear if that flower bud is allowed to bloom. Thus, I''ll not accept any treasures. All of you can sit down, and I''ll purify the insidious curse. Afterwards, we need to use however much time we have left to the fullest and join hands to get rid of it." His words elicited surprised gazes from the crowd. They had not expected him to give up this opportunity to gather wealth. All of them had eyes that were completely black and a black substance dripped from the corners of their eyes as they sat like unmoving statues. Blood-red rhizomes were sticking out of the ground and pierced into their bodies, squirming from time to time as if they were sucking out their flesh and blood and using them as nutrients for the flower bud. The corrupted individuals had no way to resist in this situation, gradually being sucked into dry husks. Some of the people in the group expressed cries of rage and sadness. The people below were the experts that had been corrupted by the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse. Some of them were friends, and others companions. Unfortunately, all of them ended up in such a tragic state. Qin Beiming''s gaze was filled with fury as some of those individuals were his companions and brothers. "Let''s take action together and destroy this flower bud!" he roared. Everyone surged forth with their strongest attacks. The sky filled with all sorts of techniques, making it look like a meteor shower was streaking across the sky, slamming right into the flower bud. ...... Meanwhile, outside the Treasure Domain. In a particularly dark area. The Faceless Other King''s head was lowered as it was observing a crevice filled with water. Energy flowed through the water, and numerous images could be seen within, including what was happening at the flower bud. "Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e have brought me quite some trouble," it muttered with a slight smile. If not for the two purifying the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse, everyone in that dominion would have turned into nutrients for the Heavenly Devil Flower. However, this wasn''t a big problem. The Origin Reversion Institute had plotted for many years, and it was too late to stop them now. "It looks like it''s time to use those two chess pieces." The Faceless Other King tore open the front of its head and retrieved two white seeds. It flicked its finger, and the two seeds ignited on their own accord. Then two figures could be seen within the flames. After which, the Faceless Other King planned to leave. However, it paused when it turned around. It had spotted an elderly man in the void not too far away. "Eh? As expected of a Quasi-Triple Crown King. It seems like your senses are sharper than I had imagined." The Faceless Other King let out a mirthless laugh. An indifferent expression hung on the elderly man''s face as he looked downwards, focusing on the figure in the darkness. The old man was none other than Li Jingzhe! Chapter 1349: Li Jingzhe and the Faceless Other King Chapter 1349: Li Jingzhe and the Faceless Other King Outside the Treasure Domain, in the void. Li Jingzhe indifferently observed the figure in the shadows as his placid voice filled with terrifying pressure resounded throughout the void. "I just sensed some Other activity earlier. Who would have thought it would lead to one of the Origin Reversion Institute''s Thirteen Other Kings, the Faceless Other King? Wherever the Origin Reversion Institute can be found, chaos is sure to ensue. So tell me, just what are you plotting in the Treasure Domain?" The Faceless Other King''s empty face began to squirm and low laughter rumbled outwards. "Well, that isn''t possible. Even though you are a Quasi-Triple Crown King, Li Jingzhe, I cannot reveal the Origin Reversion Institute''s plans." Li Jingzhe didn''t seem to be surprised with this answer. His deep gaze penetrated through the barrier, into the depths of the Treasure Domain, before lingering on the golden talisman that was floating in the air. An indescribably mystical aura flowed around the talisman, and even Li Jingzhe felt a sense of solemnity just from looking at it. After all, this aura was the product of the four Heavenly Emperors banding together. "I suppose the Origin Reversion Institute''s goal is to destroy the Four Heavenly Emperors'' Sealing Talisman? After all, the Treasure Domain contains a gigantic amount of corruption, all of which has been suppressed by it. You plan to release all of it, and when combined with the Stygian Rain of Calamity, completely destroy the World''s End River Region," Li Jingzhe said calmly. The Faceless Other King let out a strange laugh. "Perhaps we might even be able to kill off all of the Kings watching over the World''s End River Region and really cause the Heavenly Emperor Bloodlines in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent to squirm." "Here''s the only thing I don''t understand. The Four Heavenly Emperors'' Sealing Talisman contains the power of the four Heavenly Emperors, and even you and the three Grand Other Kings who sit atop the Thirteen Other Kings cannot destroy it from the outside." The Grand Other Kings that Li Jingzhe was referring to were the three strongest Other Kings amongst the Thirteen Other Kings. They were all Triple Crowned Kings! The Faceless Other King laughed yet again. "How would you be able to guess the intentions of the Origin Reversion Institute? I advise you not to meddle in matters that do not concern you. If the Origin Reversion Institute gets angry, it wouldn''t be difficult to overthrow the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li." Li Jingzhe smiled. He had a good understanding of how massive the Origin Reversion Institute was; when it came to resources and foundation, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li simply couldn''t compare. However, if they truly had the ability to act so brazenly, they wouldn''t be as secretive as they were now. Thus, the Faceless Other King''s threatening words were just thin air. "The Four Heavenly Emperors'' Sealing Talisman cannot be penetrated from the outside; even Triple Crowned Kings are unable to move it. If I had to come up with a method to get rid of it, then I would say a King Stage existence has to take action from within the Treasure Domain. However, because of the Four Heavenly Emperors'' Sealing Talisman''s suppression, Kings cannot enter. And the Treasure Domain is unable to give birth to an Other King." At this point, Li Jingzhe began to closely observe the World''s End River Treasure Domain yet again, and he coolly continued, "I suppose you''ve come up with some ploy to create a King Stage existence within the Treasure Domain and plan to upend the balance of things?" "What do you think?" The Faceless Other King began to cackle. Li Jingzhe shook his head. "It looks like I will have to suppress you and slowly interrogate you." When he finished speaking, all the worldly natural energy in the World''s End River Region seemed to surge towards his location, and three vast and majestic crowns took form above him. The third crown seemed the most supreme and noble, giving off an incredible air of majesty that would deter anyone from looking at it directly. Every rune engraved upon it seemed to have been condensed from the world''s source origin and gave off a unique charm. The only thing was that this third crown was a little illusory. However, Li Jingzhe''s divine wind was capable of accurately determining its position each and every time. It blasted through the void with incredible speed, and every single clone was chased and decimated. In the time required for half an incense stick to burn, countless clones were wiped from the face of the world. At that point, a pained groan could be heard in the void. That was when a piece of facial skin belonging to a child appeared, falling down onto the ground before being crushed by yet another gust of azure wind. It looked as though the search to destroy all traces of the Faceless Other King had ended. Li Jingzhe waved his sleeve once again, and the numerous gusts of azure wind swept back towards him after going all across the region. The Faceless Other King had cut off one of its life faces, finally ending the pursuit of the Divine Azure Wind. But then a venomous voice reverberated through the depths of the void. "Li Jingzhe, I will remember this. Do you think you''ll be able to prevent the Origin Reversion Institute''s ploy? That is simply wishful thinking. Even if Heavenly Emperor Li were to come here, he would be unable to stop us!" Li Jingzhe frowned. The Faceless Other King was only a Dual Crowned King, but his ability to escape was unparalleled. It was then that the surrounding worldly natural energy began to rumble and three people emanating endless amounts of majesty arrived from the void. "Lineage Chief Jingzhe, were you exchanging blows with someone?" The one who spoke was a wizened elder sitting atop a gigantic, white elephant. It was the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhu''s White Elephant King, Zhu Yuan. The other two were naturally Qin Jiujie and Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong. Li Jingzhe glanced at the three of them and said, "It was the Origin Reversion Institute''s Faceless Other King. The fact that it was skulking around here indicates that the Origin Reversion Institute is plotting something." These words immediately caused the expressions of the trio to change. "It has been severely injured by me and has fled. However, I doubt it will choose to leave the World''s End River Region. I recommend that the four of us join hands and root him out. At the same time, we need to spread word of this back to our lineages. Any plot of theirs is bound to be heaven-shaking, and I''m afraid the four of us might not be able to contain it," Li Jingzhe explained. Qin Jiujie frowned. "Li Jingzhe, the Faceless Other King is merely a Dual Crowned King. There is no need to act with such great fanfare. Furthermore, with the four of us present, he wouldn''t dare to cause any more trouble." "The Faceless Other King itself isn''t a huge threat, but the fact that the Origin Reversion Institute has been planning something for countless years and yet we have heard nothing about it is cause for concern," Li Jingzhe emotionlessly replied. His words were met with Zhu Yuan and Zhao Zong''s unhesitating approval. Qin Jiujie''s gaze flickered, but he didn''t speak further. However, at this point in time, Li Jingzhe''s expression changed and he raised his head to look towards the humongous river above. The seemingly eternal river began to churn with terrifying fluctuations. The entire World''s End River Region began to tremble due to the turbulence of the World''s End River. Numerous terrified gazes were directed towards the skies. Boom! Heavy rain started to descend upon them, covering every inch of the World''s End River Region. This rain was deep black in color. The Stygian Rain of Calamity had descended ahead of time. Chapter 1350: Stygian Rain of Calamitys Descent Chapter 1350: Stygian Rain of Calamity''s Descent Massive rumbling sounds filled every corner of the World''s End River Region. However, the source was not thunderit was the sound of waves churning. It was World''s End River water. The World''s End River was like an apocalyptic dragon, breaking free from the constraints of world space before finally pouring down upon the World''s End River Region. The torrential rain was like ink, emanating a gloomy energy. When the stygian rain arrived, so too did corruption. It swept across the world along with countless low whispers that spread in tandem with the monsoon-like rains. This caused a chill to surge through everyone''s bodies, and fear filled their hearts. The most terrifying catastrophe of the World''s End River Region had arrived. Furthermore, it had come in advance. The previous Stygian Rain of Calamity had only occurred after the expeditions to the Treasure Domain had ended. At this point, the World''s End River Region was completely sealed, preventing anything from entering or exiting. Those who had planned to take the opportunity to loot some treasures in the Treasure Domain before escaping out of the World''s End River Region would be sorely disappointed. This was especially the case for those hunting for treasures only in the outer regions. They were extremely unlucky as the Stygian Rain of Calamity had come much too early and unexpectedly, blotting out their vision and perception. Their expressions were filled with worry and shock. As the inky rainwater condensed on the ground, twisted figures began to emerge. Many True Devils of all shapes and sizes emanating boundless amounts of corruption began to take form. These True Devil Others were even more frightening than normal ones. The corruption emanating from them was much denser and colder as these were Others who had snuck in from the Shadow world. Thus, their despairing cries filled the World''s End River Region. Zhu Yuan nodded as he glanced at the inky, black rain. "We will take one direction each, and if any Other Kings appear, we''ll send a message and join hands to destroy it. I hope that a Devil King doesnt emerge from this Stygian Rain of Calamity," he said with a sigh. A Devil King was at the very least at the Triple Crowned King Stage. If an Other Devil King appeared, they would have to pay a significant price to beat it even if they joined hands. Normally speaking, King Stage Others werent uncommon, but Triple Crowned Devil Kings were rarely seen. In these last hundreds of years, the number of sightings could be counted on one hand. Li Jingzhe''s gaze then turned towards the depths of the Treasure Domain. The golden talisman was preventing him from understanding what was going on inside. However, he had a hunch that the crux of the plot lay in this area. The Treasure Domain was undoubtedly playing a key role in what was going to happen. "Li Luo, you have to be very careful." A look of worry surfaced on his face. With that, the four Kings vanished into the void, returning to their seats in their cities to fend off the Stygian Rain of Calamity. Peace finally came to the area outside the Treasure Domain. Only the inky rain continued to pour down unceasingly. As the rain pooled, countless Others emerged and then disappeared into the shadows as they bounded away. ...... A tiny, black figure was speeding through a forest outside the Treasure Domain like a bolt of lightning. Its destination was the Treasure Domain. It was an inky black snake, and its eyes flickered with spirituality. As it bathed in the gloomy rain that struck fear in the hearts of experts, it felt a trace of relief. It loved being in such an environment. Numerous strange Others kept surfacing in every direction, but they completely ignored the black snake. They could sense that it was surging with corruption as well. The Others would even let out joyful laughs when they passed by the snake. The black snake completely ignored them. It moved so quickly, it resembled a black beam of light piercing through the curtain of rain. Eventually, it arrived at its destination and entered the Treasure Domain without hesitation. The sounds of the rain continued to rumble violently. When the Stygian Rain falls, thousands of Others march. Such a statement had indeed come to life. Chapter 1351: Joining Hands, Breaking the Stalemate Chapter 1351: Joining Hands, Breaking the Stalemate Countless attacks hurtled through the air like shooting stars, targeting the blood-red flower bud. Bang! At this point, the ground began to shake and tear apart, then numerous blood-red roots tunneled out. They looked as though they were made of flesh and blood, squirming and flowing with red, viscous liquid. The fleshly tendrils resembled a stick of candied haws after it ran through all the nearby corrupted experts like a shishkebab, quickly assembling a gigantic humanoid abomination made of bodies. Every single part of it was made up of corrupted experts being strung together. Corruption spilled forth like a tide from the humongous abomination''s body. It soon unhinged its massive mouth, spewing out a foul-smelling river of blood. The blood contained the remains of the cultivators. As the bloody river arced through the sky, it collided directly with the attacks of the group, extinguishing them with overwhelming might. All of the strongest experts stood at the foreQin Beiming, Li Zhihuo, Zhao Xiuyuan, Zhu Zhan, and the Golden Dragon Bank''s fifth-grade Duke. Their faces turned solemn as they looked at the fleshy creature made up of the strung-up corrupted experts. The creature emanated fluctuations of energy so strong that even they felt a sense of pressure. The giant, humanoid figure was equivalent to a sixth-grade Duke Stage in terms of strength! The remaining corrupted individuals seemed to be under its control. They raised their heads, locked their black eyes onto the group, and began to move. "Those Foundational Spirit Treasures should be the source of its energy, so we have to approach the roots beneath the flower bud and take them away. By doing so, we can prevent it from growing any further," Qin Beiming said. "Do you think thats easy? Just that flesh golem alone is capable of blocking us!" Zhao Xiuyuan blurted out. "We will distract the Giant Flesh Golem and the rest of you will break through the encirclement of the corrupted individuals. Destroy that flower bud!" Li Zhihuo said. The five of them were all fifth-grade Dukes, and since Qin Beiming was an upper fifth-grade, they were likely strong enough to tie the opponent down if they worked together. Qin Beiming was decisive, so he quickly made his decision, shouting loudly, "Everyone, if we wish to persevere through this trial, we will have to work together. Leave the Giant Flesh Golem to us and push ahead. Pierce through the defenses and prevent that flower bud from giving birth to the creature!" His words caused everyone''s expressions to turn serious, and they solemnly nodded in agreement. Although the different squads had enmity between them, it was not the time to settle grudges. They had to overcome this adversity before anything else. Thus, with Qin Beiming at the lead, the five strongest began to rouse their resonant power. One majestic Duke Bergfried after another manifested in the sky, devouring copious amounts of worldly natural energy. Twenty-five impressive Duke Bergfrieds began to spew out incredible amounts of Divine Mist that rushed towards the Giant Flesh Golem. The void shook and the entire world started to rumble loudly, the sounds spreading across thousands of miles. At the same time, Li Foluo, Li Tingyue, and the rest of the stronger cultivators shot forward. They pounced towards the tide of corrupted experts, which resembled a red wave. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e followed along and clashed with the corrupted. Incredible amounts of resonant arts exploded with mighty force, ripping scars into the ground. A merciless confrontation had unfolded in this empty land. If one were to look at it from the skies, they would see the grand scene of two opposing forces eroding away at each other in the vicinity of the blood-red flower bud. The squads had all sorts of different resonance affinities and thus, their side was like a myriad of different colors fusing together, whereas all of the corrupted individuals emitted a blood-red energy. The Giant Flesh Golem screeched loudly. Flesh and blood shot out of the severed stump that was once his arm, quickly transforming into a complete limb. A gloomy light surfaced in the Qin Beiming, Li Zhihuo, and the rest''s eyes. They then pushed ahead with all their strength yet again. With them leading the charge, the morale of the group had held firm. Since there was no way back, they had to struggle with all their might. Thus, they braved through the despair, bursting forth with their mightiest abilities. Amongst them, Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo had attracted the most attention. The couple cut through the corrupted like a hot knife through butter. As the squad''s relentless advance was not halted, the blood-red flower bud seemed to have sensed the danger it was in and began to emit a low, strange cry. Countless worm-like, fleshy roots emerged from the ground, directly tunneling into the corrupted experts bodies, causing them to squirm and swell. At the same time, the corruption emanating from them thickened. This change hindered the advance of the combined squads. There was only one particular group that remained unstoppable. It was where Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were situated. Their combined attacks were clearly effective at suppressing the Others, so they advanced unimpeded through the enemy''s defensive lines. Thus, they gradually approached the roots of the blood-red flower bud. Once they could enter that protected area and retrieve the Foundational Spirit Treasures, they would forcibly disrupt the energy the blood-red flower was absorbing and cause it to wither. The corrupted would naturally also no longer be under its control. Therefore, everyone''s gazes were focused on them. However, the flower bud began to struggle with increasing intensity. It seemed to be summoning the Giant Flesh Golem back towards it for protection. However, Qin Beiming and the rest were fighting with all their might in an attempt to prevent this from happening. "Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e! Advance with everything you got!" Li Foluo''s voice thundered. The intensity kicked up a notch as everyone pulled out all the stops to restrain the corrupted as well. A small wisp of hope began to surface in everyone''s hearts. They watched with wide eyes as the duo rushed out of the final layer of defenses, transforming into two beams of flowing light that zoomed towards the flower bud. However, it was at this point that a certain person appeared before them. This sight left everyone completely dumbstruck. Especially when they realized who it was. It was a bitter-faced male. On his wrist was a squirming, golden snake, but most importantly, the snake''s eyes were pitch-black. It was Shen Yunge! Chapter 1352: Transformed Shen Yunge Chapter 1352: Transformed Shen Yunge "Shen Yunge?!" The individual that was obstructing Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e from moving forward was none other than the Imperial Beast Hall''s Shen Yunge. This sight left everyone shocked and surprised. "What are you doing, Shen Yunge?!" Qin Beiming shouted. He was both furious and taken aback by this unexpected development, and he could not understand what the guy was doing. All eyes were focused on the dangerous confrontation. They needed Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e to break the deadlock, but Shen Yunge had appeared to block them. It made no sense whatsoever. Furthermore, if the terrifying existence within the flower bud were to hatch, would anyone be able to escape this dominion? Even Shen Yunge would be no exception. "Shen Yunge, are you trying to doom all of us?" some of the other experts shouted. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e frowned as they glanced at each other. "Something doesn''t seem right." They could clearly sense corruption emanating from his body, as though he had been fully corrupted. "How could he have been corrupted? Didn''t we purify him earlier?" Li Luo asked as he puzzled over this. Jiang Qing''e then glanced at the tiny, golden snake on his wrist. Its eyes were completely black and dripping a black substance. "It seems his life spirit beast has been corrupted. While he was purified, the snake wasn''t." "However, the snake didn''t really come into contact with Foundational Spirit Treasure, so how could this have happened?" Li Luo found this all very strange. Only those who had physically touched Foundational Spirit Treasures had been afflicted with the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse. The snake was usually in a state of suspended animation, so it basically had no chance of being cursed. Additionally, Li Luo''s sharp senses were telling him that for some reason, the Black Pupil Ghostly Curse that afflicted the Gilded Scale Heavenly Python was much more ferocious than anything he had seen thus far. Jiang Qing''e shook her head. She couldn''t understand why this would happen to Shen Yunge''s spirit beast. That said, this conversation was meaningless. Clearly, he had been corrupted by association with his Gilded Scale Heavenly Python. Due to their close relationship, he was unable to escape this fate. "We don''t have time to mess around with him. Since he has inadvertently been affected, all we can do is..." Killing intent flashed through Jiang Qing''e''s eyes. "We''ll have to bury the two of them together!" After her voice rang out, she rushed out, and radiant light resonant power bloomed in every direction. A single perfect Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried appeared above her head, absorbing copious amounts of worldly natural energy, transforming it into even more light resonant power. Her triple ninth-grade light resonances transformed into halos that appeared behind her, further bolstering it. Jiang Qing''e raised her heavy sword, looking like flowing light as she passed by Shen Yunge. Her sacred sword energy viciously pierced towards his chest. She landed behind him after executing her attack, but she didn''t relax in the least. Instead, her expression had turned even more serious. This was because when the sword energy drilled through Shen Yunge''s body, she could sense a terrifying amount of corruption condensed within him, directly eroding and causing her light resonant power to dissipate. Jiang Qing''e moved once again, leaping to Li Luo''s side as her beautiful eyes were filled with solemnity. She then lightly warned him, "Be careful! He''s significantly stronger than before." Li Luo''s expression similarly turned gloomy as he replied, "Shen Yunge might be a chess piece that was specifically planted by the conspirators." The dragonoid form had appeared once again. Heavenly Dragon True Body! However, Li Luo didn''t stop therehe also activated his other physical enhancements. Ancient and pure draconic might emanated from him as the mysterious Violetgold Dragonscale Armor took form around him, encasing his body in a layer of protection. The Dragon Elephant Blade in his hand began to sprout sharp scales, taking a brutal, jagged shape that instilled fear into others. Its sharpness was unparalleled and it exuded a barbarous aura. With Transforming Dragon and the Heavenly Dragon True Body, Li Luo''s body had reached an alarming level. It was completely capable of containing the Heavenly Wolf''s ferocious energy. A terrifying pressure emanated from Li Luo''s body like a tempest. It seemed as though he was approaching the level of lower fourth-grade Duke. This strength caused the others to stare, dumbfounded. Such a disgusting Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator was rarely seen. Qin Yi froze for an instant as she gazed at him from afar. He stood tall against the corruption around him, a burly figure that resembled a dragon wielding a ferocious weapon. This was the majesty of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent''s strongest youth. When Li Luo revealed his trump cards, Jiang Qing''e began to glow with glorious incandescence. One could see wings of light stretch out from behind her back, and a mysterious rune of light condensed between her eyebrows. Middle ninth-grade light resonance, Archaic Runes! At the same time, holy light swirled around the Sacred Crown of Thorns. It began to take on a blood-red coloration, transforming into a bloody crown of thorns. The blood-red light accentuated her beautiful features and gave her an enchanting and almost devilish sort of appearance, making her look even more stunning. Waves of resonant power continuously emanated from her like a tide. She looked like an unblemished and holy goddess of light right now, bedazzling everyone who looked at her. Sacred light wrapped around the heavy sword in her hand as she glanced at Li Luo. Her lips curved slightly and a soft voice rang out. "Are you ready, Li Luo?" Li Luo grinned widely as he lifted the Dragon Elephant Blade. Meanwhile, Shen Yunge stood firm like an invincible demon, with monstrous amounts of corruption emanating from his body. Further behind him, the gigantic blood-red flower bud continued to sway from time to time, creating a hair-raising backdrop for the battle. Li Luo''s clear laughter resounded throughout the area. "Now that everyone is paying attention to us, it''s time for the pair of us to join hands... and slay a fifth-grade Duke!" Chapter 1353: Joining Hands, Battling a Fifth-grade Chapter 1353: Joining Hands, Battling a Fifth-grade After Li Luo let out that laugh, both he and Jiang Qing''e shot forward explosively. Majestic amounts of resonant power pulsed from him like a tempest, colliding with a thick wall of corruption. Li Luo''s fingers were tightly clutching his Violetgold Scaled Dragon Elephant Blade that now resembled a vicious fang. He didn''t dare to launch any probing attacks when facing the transformed Shen Yunge, as this foe was an upper fifth-grade Duke. This sort of strength was a whole step above Li Zhihuo. If it were Li Foluo or an ordinary Guardian General in his shoes, they would simply not be his match. Thus, all the resonant power within Li Luo''s body thrummed to life and he directly hacked outwards with his sword. At the same time, the void was ripped apart, and draconic roars could be heard coming from that rift. A moment later, three titanic dragons of different affinities rushed out of that gap and combined into a mottled, ancient dragon banner. Li Luo reached out and grabbed it. With how mighty his physical strength was, he was capable of waving the massive banner wantonly despite its mountain-like weight. Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon: Three Divine Dragons Demon Smiting Light! With a single motion, brilliant divine light spewed outwards. It resembled a five-colored divine dragon capable of suppressing all the devils in the world, bellowing as it shot towards Shen Yunge. At the same time, radiant light exploded forth from Jiang Qing''e, then a gigantic, elegant, and sacred-looking sword made of light materialized. Its blade was decorated with seven jewels that shone with a holy luster. Seven Treasures Glazed Sword of Light! Jiang Qing''e had similarly started off with a Destiny-grade Duke Art. The two were well aware of the gap between them and their opponent. Conventional means were insufficient to deal with Shen Yunge, so they had to put everything they had into this. The two majestic attacks flew through the sky, their energy undulations causing shock to appear on the crowd''s faces. Even Li Foluo, an upper fourth-grade Duke, could scarcely believe his eyes. The duo''s combined attacks were definitely strong enough to threaten most of the Guardian Generals. It was truly unbelievable that this impressive barrage had come from the hands of a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator and a first-grade Duke. That said, if they were in Shen Yunge''s place right now, these intense attacks could very likely harm them, but Shen Yunge was an upper fifth-grade! Before everyone''s worried gazes, Shen Yunge didn''t move from his original position. Instead, boundless amounts of grayish-black resonant power emanated from his body in response. It felt frigid to the touch and seemed to have been tinged with corruption as well. He stretched his hand out, and one could see that his palm was covered with snake scales. Corruption was oozing from the gaps between them. A moment later, the grayish-black resonant power twisted upwards, transforming into a humongous snake covered with black scales. It hissed loudly and gathered as much energy as it could to block Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s attacks. Boom! A wild energy tempest kicked up from the clash of violent energies. It caused the ground to crack, resembling a spider''s web. What was particularly eye-catching were his legs, which had transformed into a pitch-black snake-tail. In just a few short moments, Shen Yunge had transformed from a human into an obsidian half-snake half-human monster. At the same time, his aura had turned savage and cold. Shen Yunge''s inky eyes locked onto Li Luo, and the smile on his face deepened. It seemed that he no longer held any trace of consciousness, but the disgust towards Li Luo in his heart had turned into mindless killing intent. He then slammed his tail downwards fiercely. Bang! The sheer terrifying physical force caused the ground to shatter. He moved so quickly, he looked like nothing but a beam of black light, soaring through the air and barreling towards Li Luo. Li Luo''s expression shifted slightly. He backed off explosively, waving the dragon banner as he retreated. Copious amounts of divine light shot outwards, transforming into a resplendent dragon that protected him. Bang! However, Shen Yunge''s scale-covered palm punched towards him, ripping apart the layer of divine light violently. His face full of scales squeezed into the gap created by his attack, and he flashed a mocking, cruel smile. "Aren''t you supposed to be extremely capable, Li Luo?" Immediately after, a domineering fist flew at Li Luo like lightning. Li Luo repeatedly activated the divine light to create layers of protection between them. However, the fist was imbued with incredible amounts of killing intent, and Shen Yunges upper fifth-grade Duke pierced through all of Li Luos defenses unimpeded. In the end, it struck Li Luo squarely in the chest. Bang! The void shattered and Li Luo was sent flying like a shooting star, heavily crashing into the ground. The entire area was pulverized by the impact. In the outer regions, the rest of the squad members looked on with pale faces. Shen Yunge''s murderous punch was so powerful that a normal third-grade Duke might have been killed instantly. If Li Luo wasn''t dead yet, he wouldn''t be far off! It seemed like the combined efforts of Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e werent enough to shake the upper fifth-grade Shen Yunge. It was as though their hopes had been doused with a bucket of cold water. The situation was becoming incredibly disadvantageous. Chapter 1354: Quasi ninth-grade Woodearth Resonance Chapter 1354: Quasi ninth-grade Woodearth Resonance "Li Luo!" The sudden attack on Li Luo caused Jiang Qing''e''s expression to change. Shen Yunge''s explosive outburst was beyond their expectations. Anger and coldness surfaced in Jiang Qing''e''s deep, golden eyes. Her jade-like hands quickly formed hand seals and the Archaic Rune on her forehead began to emit a blinding radiance. The Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried above her began to shine with thousands of rays of brilliant light. It gave off a sense of purity as Divine Mist poured downwards like a baptizing waterfall. Another Seven Treasures Glazed Sword of Light took form before her, and when Divine Mist adorned it, a large number of sacred runes were engraved on its blade. A moment later, the Seven Treasures Glazed Sword of Light directly hacked towards Shen Yunge with the intent to slaughter him. Even the humongous amounts of corruption that blotted out the skies were sliced in two by this slash. Despite Shen Yunge having an eroded mind and being in a constant state of confusion, he could sense how harmful the light resonant power coming from Jiang Qing''e''s furious assault was. Thus, he reached over his shoulder and pulled out an obsidian bone spur from his back. The bone spur resembled a sharp and long spear, its tip dripping with an inky substance. Every single droplet was the product of incredibly condensed corruption. Shen Yunge''s finger flicked outwards, and the bone spur imbued with dense corruption pierced through the void with bang, colliding against the humongous sword made of light. Boom! A loud explosion ensued, and the two frightening energies attempted to erode away at each other. If it were an average fourth-grade Duke attacking, much less a first-grade, they would have found it hard to resist Shen Yunge''s strike. However, Jiang Qing''e''s triple ninth-grade light resonant energy had the added benefit of being able to purify corruption. It was clear that the seemingly weak light resonant power was dealing with the billowing corruption, slowly but surely. Tens of breaths later, the obsidian bone spur and the glazed sword of light shattered simultaneously. This sight caused the spectators eyebrows to jump in shock. By their estimations, if they were in the same position, they would not have been able to stop Shen Yunge. However, just as the sword of light dissipated, a sudden glint of blood light pierced through space and appeared before Shen Yunge in a flash. It was the bright red Nail of Piercing Light! This was the Sacred Crown of Thorns'' offensive ability, and she had secretly nestled away a Nail of Piercing Light into the sword of light, only to appear when it was destroyed as a sneaky follow-up. This was both abrupt and unexpected. and before Shen Yunge was able to react, the bright red stream of light flickered and appeared right before his head. However, before it was able to strike him, pitch-black snake scales sprouted from his forehead, as though it was a suit of armor. Clang! Sparks flew when the golden nail was blocked. Jiang Qing''e''s gaze turned solemn. The Nail of Piercing Light had managed to penetrate half an inch into his head before being blocked by the scales. Inky-black blood flowed from the injury as it slowly closed up, squeezing the nail out. Shen Yunge laughed callously. "Why are you so anxious? It looks like you''ve been aggravated by the fact that I killed Li Luo. However, the angrier you are, the happier I will be!" It was... a ninth-grade Spirit Avatar! Everyone was shocked by this. How had Li Luo''s resonance evolved to the ninth-grade here? Looking at how the figure was illusory, it indicated that his resonance was quasi ninth-grade. This was the quasi ninth-grade woodearth resonance! Li Luo could feel the woodearth resonant power course through his body. Within the resonant palace, the ancient and towering tree that was rooted in the earth began to grow, becoming even more indomitable and massive. A trace of a smile that could not be hidden surfaced on his face. When Lu Shuanglu had handed him the two bottles of quasi ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, he had immediately used them secretly to temper his resonant palace. Unfortunately, the process had been relatively slow, and after being struck by Shen Yunge, his body had been forced to its limits and his potential was stimulated as a result, causing the speed of tempering to skyrocket. Thus, the woodearth resonance had evolved! His heart was surging as he had finally achieved his goal after years of hard work. Three ninth-grade resonances! Furthermore, all of them had both primary and secondary resonances. He had benefited greatly from this. Li Luo took a step forward, and majestic amounts of resonant power shot into the sky like a massive pillar. It then unfurled into a humongous Heavenly Resonance Diagram. When it came out, it quickly expanded as worldly natural energy poured in. From afar, Qin Yi, Lu Shuanglu, Li Hongyou, Li Hongque, and the rest looked at it with surprise. The Heavenly Resonance Diagram was expanding further! 99,600 feet! 99,900 feet! 99,990 feet! Its rate of growth paused momentarily for a few breaths before it started to grow yet again! Bang! The entire world seemed to be rumbling in anticipation of what was happening. The Heavenly Resonance Diagram expanded by yet another ten feet! In the end, an extremely rare and magnificent Heavenly Resonance Diagram appeared before everyone''s eyes. It was a perfect 100,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram! Chapter 1355: 100,000 Feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram, Heavenly Wolf Bloodfiend Venom Chapter 1355: 100,000 Feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram, Heavenly Wolf Bloodfiend Venom The majestic and massive Heavenly Resonance Diagram unfurled in the sky, devouring worldly natural energy ceaselessly. Everyone couldn''t help but to turn their attention to it. Turbulent waves arose within their hearts. A Heavenly Resonance Diagram didn''t mean much to most of the experts here. Furthermore, the majority were Dukes and had already surpassed that realm. It was a common sight, and even a 90,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram wasn''t rare to them. However, a perfect 100,000 Heavenly Resonance Diagram was a rare sight to behold. Furthermore, Li Luo''s Heavenly Resonance Diagram was incredibly awe-inspiring. There was an ancient Heavenly Dragon coiled up within thunder clouds, a vast sea that crashed into the shores, a grand sun rising above the horizon, and a prodigiously large tree embedded in endless soil. All of these different affinities gave off distinct energies and yet also seemed to be integrated harmoniously. It was truly an eye-opening experience to see so many resonances within a single Heavenly Resonance Diagram. "Yet another 100,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram. It must be another embryo that will become an unrivaled Duke." Qin Beimings eyes shrank when he looked at it from afar. Now that Li Luo had revealed his foundation, which was coupled with six resonance affinities, he would very likely form a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried the moment he reached the Duke Stage and embark upon the Path of Ascension. If he were to succeed, then the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would have two unparalleled geniuses, which would be incredibly rare. One had to know that it was difficult to find just one such individual in a Heavenly Emperor power every hundred years. The number of individuals who had managed to make progress on the Path of Ascension was even smaller. Qin Yi''s beautiful eyes flowed with brilliant light as she focused on Li Luo. She sighed in her heart. If her mother saw this, she would undoubtedly be so frustrated that she might literally explode. At that point, she would compare her daughter with Li Luo yet again and she would receive another earful without reason. Before Li Luo showed up, Qin Yi would receive compliments from Qin Lian from time to time. However, ever since that fellow popped up in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, Qin Yi could feel her relationship with her mother deteriorating. Of course, Qin Yi didn''t blame Li Luo. If anything, it was that the enmity weighing down on her mother''s heart was simply too heavy. Furthermore, her personality had become more and more twisted as time went by. Regardless, she was still her mother, so Qin Yi would bear it silently. Numerous feelings surfaced in everyone''s hearts. However, most of it was relief. After all, if one were to look at the bigger picture, the duo were the only ones who could break through the final line of defense and destroy the growing flower bud. The rest had been bogged down by the corrupted experts, and even Li Hongyou was unable to assist them. Shen Yunge remained floating in the sky as his tail swayed, causing the all-encompassing corruption to stir. His gaze was filled with fury and killing intent as he glared at Li Luo. His previous strike had been unable to end him, and this aggravated him. "Hisssss... So what if you have a 100,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram? You''re merely at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier!" However, whilst Li Luo was preparing his killing move, Shen Yunge seemed to have sensed something! His tail swished and he shot forward, leaving behind afterimages as he darted towards Li Luo. However, just as he started to move, resplendent light shone in every direction and a gigantic sword made of light hacked towards him. Clang! The snake head embedded on Shen Yunge''s chest spat out a poisonous ray in an attempt to block the sword. However, Jiang Qing''e had stalled Shen Yunge for long enough to move to a position where she could block his way. Shen Yunge was forced to halt in his tracks as a gigantic halo made of light appeared above Jiang Qing''e. Sacred flames flowed out of it, and even the torrential black rain seemed to have been boiled up and swept away in its presence. Jiang Qing''e''s beautiful face had a cold expression. The mysterious dot of light on her forehead had transformed into a ball of sacred flame and golden motes of light constantly arose into the sky around her. The motes of light were gradually integrating with the giant halo, causing it to become even more dazzling and bright. The giant halo now resembled a humongous sun that floated above the firmament and shone down upon everything. The scales on Shen Yunge''s body shuddered at this moment as he could sense that this posed a threat to him. It seemed that this was the strongest attack that Jiang Qing''e had up her sleeve! As he hissed with his inky-black snake tongue, the snake head on his chest opened its maw. A moment later, a snake-scaled longsword was slowly spat out. The sword was grayish-black and covered with scales, exuding tremendous energy undulations. This was the Demon Snake Belly''s Sword, the Imperial Beast Hall''s Destiny-grade Duke Art. The sword was hidden within the snake''s body and would be nurtured by it over time, making it extremely terrifying when unleashed. Jiang Qing''e''s eyes turned sharp. She and Li Luo tacitly understood each other and knew that he was preparing a move to end things. Thus, she would buy as much time as possible for him. She pressed her fingers together and struck downwards without hesitation. Radiant Divineflame Heavenly Ring! A moment later, before everyones shocked eyes, the radiant halo that resembled the sun smashed through the skies, heading towards Shen Yunge! It was as though the sun had been stripped from the sky, landing like a cataclysmic meteor! Chapter 1356: A Poisonous Arrow Chapter 1356: A Poisonous Arrow The blazing halo descended from the skies and the entire world seemed as though it would be sundered into two. The ground below started to crack and break and there were even parts that looked as though it was liquefying from the heat. At this time, Jiang Qing''e could be said to have exerted her strength to the extreme. That single attack not only contained the power of all of the light resonant power refined by her triple ninth-grade Light resonances but also included her Archaic Runes and the Sacred Crown of Thorns'' augmentation. Lastly, it was bolstered by her Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried''s Divine Mist! Thus the lower Destiny grade Duke Art Radiant Divineflame Heavenly Ring had reached a terrifying level. "This is a first-grade Duke?!" When Li Foluo and Li Tingyue saw this, they were absolutely dumbfounded. The energy undulations coming from Jiang Qing''e had clearly exceeded that of an upper fourth-grade Duke and was already at the threshold of a fifth-grade! This was an entire stage difference! Such a huge jump in strength was simply incomprehensible to a normal Duke. It was very likely that only someone with a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried on the Path of Ascension would be capable of such perverse heights. As the halo of light pierced through the sky, it was reflected in Shen Yunge''s pitch black eyes. "You dare to act so brazenly with just that?" A look of jealousy surfaced on Shen Yunge''s face. In his corrupted state, his negative emotions were amplified multiple times and her brilliance naturally provoked his small mindedness. "I''ll tear you apart and feed you to my snake! It will finally get a taste of what an unrivaled genius is like!" Shen Yunge''s words boomed as he formed a handseal with just one hand. He brandished the grayish black scaled longsword in his hand, creating a series of sword manifestations. Meanwhile the corruption around him roiled and the black rain which began to fall with even greater intensity were all sucked into the longsword itself. "Demon Snake''s Swallowed Sword, Yellow Springs Sword Energy!" As Shen Yunge exclaimed, the countless sword manifestations combined and transformed into a gigantic cave. This cave was filled with numerous holes and from each one, a pair of icy pupils belonging to a snake could be seen. A moment later, boundless amounts of grayish black sword energy gushed out. This sword energy continued to condense, transforming into a Yellow Spring''s River tens of thousands of feet long. It gave off a chilly aura and anything that was sucked in would be quenched by the Yellow Spring''s Sword Energy. The sword energy arced across the skies and directly collided against the eye catching sacred halo of light before everyone''s eyes. Bang! At the moment which they collided, the entire world seemed to shake and a resounding boom rang out. Berserk energy undulations dispersed in every direction and caused even the torrential black rain to dissipate. Countless nervous gazes were focused upon the scene of impact. The Radiant Divineflame Heavenly Ring was incredibly tenacious as it had been refined by Jiang Qing''e''s incredibly condensed light resonant power. Thus despite how domineering the Yellow Spring''s Sword Energy was, it was incapable of extinguishing the sacred flames. This sight was incredibly moving for many of the Dukes. Jiang Qing''e had actually managed to block Shen Yunge''s incredibly frightening counter attack. One had to know that Shen Yunge was displaying his trump card which was also a Destiny grade Duke Art. Any normal Duke beneath his grade would be easily crushed in a normal situation. Meanwhile Jiang Qing''e had not only not been directly finished off, she had managed to block his attack. Thus it was more accurate to call this, the Three Dragon''s Wolf Venom Kingslayer Arrow Li Luo''s arms looked a little withered at this point in time, as though all of the blood had been drained out of it. Clearly the usage of the Great Sanguine Poison Art fused with the Heavenly Dragon blood essence and the Heavenly Wolf Bloodfiend Venom had taken quite the toll on his body. How could he control such frightening power if he wasn''t willing to pay the cost? Killing intent surged from the depths of Li Luo''s gaze as he focused upon Shen Yunge. He then released the arrow without hesitation. Weng! The bowstring twanged with immense force, flaying the flesh on his finger. One had to know how robust his physical body was and thus this injury meant that the recoil was considerable. Tui! The blood red arrow pierced through the skies. Almost instantly, a billowing wave of air rushed past Jiang Qing''e''s head, causing her long hair to drift in the air. It then collided against the Yellow Spring''s Sword Energy directly. Blood red light exploded outwards instantly. The Yellow Spring''s Sword Energy melted away with frightening speed like snow meeting lava. This attack had already been weakened by Jiang Qing''e''s previous strike and thus Li Luo''s trump card was able to easily overcome the remnant energy left within. Bang! The Yellow Spring''s Sword Energy then collapsed with a resounding boom. The blood red arrow then continued to zip across the skies with unimaginable speed, appearing right before Shen Yunge in the blink of an eye. It was only then when Shen Yunge managed to react to the situation. He summoned up all of the resonant power within his body, attempting to retreat as he left afterimages in his wake. However the blood red arrow was simply too swift as all the afterimages were pierced through. Shua! Shen Yunge wanted to employ some of his other means to defend himself but the blood red arrow was closely approaching. Finally a bang was heard! The arrow had pierced through Shen Yunge''s forehead. The crowd in the surroundings gave excited cheers upon seeing this. It seems like Li Luo''s final trump card, that single arrow, possessed incredible might. Shen Yunge should finally be done for now... right? Chapter 1357: Heavenly Dragon and Wolf Toxin Chapter 1357: Heavenly Dragon and Wolf Toxin The gloomy black rain continued to fall endlessly. Everyone''s eyes were focused upon Shen Yunge. At this moment, his figure was frozen in mid air and a bloody holy the size of a fist was bored through his forehead. This was a sight worth celebrating. So long as Shen Yunge was killed, they would be able to obstruct the blood red flower bud from growing further and that would also put an end to the corrupted experts'' attacks. It seemed that they were lucky to have held the upper hand during this pivotal battle. This result was gladly accepted. However, just as smiles spread across their faces, a strange laugh came from Shen Yunge. "Did you really think that this was enough to kill me?" Everyone''s expressions froze. They saw Shen Yunge massage his neck as a smirk hung on his face. The bloody hole on his forehead might look shocking but after being corrupted, Shen Yunge''s lifeforce had become significantly more tenacious. This sight caused everyone''s hearts to sink. Even that final ferocious arrow was incapable of slaying him? Shen Yunge''s malevolent eyes were gloomily glaring at Li Luo. "What a pity, this arrow of yours was just lacking by a little." That arrow was capable of threatening a lower fifth-grade Duke but Shen Yunge had already surpassed that level. With the addition of the corruption''s influence, he had become even more resilient. Wounds that would normally be fatal to a Duke weren''t as scary to him. "Li Luo, take a step back." Jiang Qing''e appeared before Li Luo as her gaze was warily trained upon Shen Yunge. Li Luo was now spent and his battle strength had fallen. That single arrow had consumed too much of his strength and if they were to engage in another battle, he wouldn''t stand a chance. "Sister Qing''e, there is no need to worry." Li Luo flashed her a warm smile, telling her to relax a little. He then looked at Shen Yunge whilst nodding his head. "It is a pity." That arrow was his strongest move. He had not only borrowed the Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s strength but also broken through to the 100,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram stage and supplemented it with the aid of his three quasi ninth-grade resonances. This sort of additive prowess should not have been any weaker to his full powered Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. Yet in the end, it was simply not enough. He was ultimately at a Heavenly Resonance stage and without the assistance of his spirit beast, even if he were to exert all of his strength and activate the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, he wouldn''t be able to threaten Shen Yunge. Additionally the grade of this Duke Art was high and required an immense amount of resonant power. That said Li Luo already had a vague feeling that this arrow would not have been able to kill Shen Yunge upon impact. This was also because its strength lay not in its sheer destructive power, but rather the poison laced within. He had activated the Great Sanguine Poison Art and fused the Heavenly Wolf Bloodfiend Venom and his Heavenly Dragon blood essence together, creating a new insidious poison. Li Luo lightly replied, "My apologies. You were corrupted. I would just like to know, just who was the one who planted that venomous curse within you?" Shen Yunge''s eyes flickered in confusion as vague memories flashed through his mind. However it wasn''t his memories he was screening but that of the Gilded Scale Heavenly Python. It was a familiar environment within Abyssal City. From the perspective of the Gilded Scale Heavenly Python, he was at a stone pavilion and a certain figure walked out. This figure was quite strange as he had no features on his face. Just as the snake saw the faceless man, the latter also noticed it. His face began to squirm as though he was smiling. He then raised a hand and grabbed onto the Gilded Scale Heavenly Python. A low voice rang out. "My second chess piece is now complete." The memories ended here as Shen Yunge''s expression turned pained. Within his chest, the embedded snake head began to expand. "You... little..." Shen Yunge''s struggled to speak but before he was able to, his body was completely melted away, leaving only the snake''s mouth in mid air. Everything fell silent. A black hand then stretched out of the snake''s mouth and a twisted face could be seen on it. As the face opened its mouth, it spat out a beam of black light. It immediately seemed to absorb all the inky black rain in the sky and dense corruption surged. This black light then shot directly towards Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo. Jiang Qing''e had long sensed that something wasn''t right, especially when Shen Yunge started speaking. She hurriedly grabbed hold of Li Luo''s hand as she retreated with him in tow. Alas the black beam was extremely quick as well. Within it was a seed of corruption and even if one was a sixth-grade Duke, they would also fall to it. Clearly this was the final trump card hidden up the sleeves of the conspirators. It was a vicious hand to play. The black beam of light grew larger in their eyes as it approached. Jiang Qing''e could feel an immense sense of danger as her face turned frigid. She formed a handseal as she planned to activate an art without hesitation in this desperate situation. Yet right at this critical moment something happened. A tiny ray of light pierced through the air and directly collided against that seed of corruption hidden within the black beam of light. Li Luo could clearly see that that ray of light contained a tiny snake. Chapter 1358: Li Lingjings Arrival Chapter 1358: Li Lingjing''s Arrival That tiny ray of light had clashed headfirst with the black beam of light that had shot out of Shen Yunge''s body. A black and gloomy energy tempest raged at that instant. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e hurriedly retreated. "What is that?" Jiang Qing''e asked curiously. She could sense that that tiny ray of light also emanated corruption. However, she couldn''t understand why it would block Shen Yunge''s final blow at the brink of death. In fact, that final act of retaliation was probably not of Shen Yunge''s making, but rather laid down by the ones pulling the strings in the shadows, the one who had cursed his snake to begin with. Perhaps anyone who had pushed Shen Yunge to the straits of desperation would have been hit by it. Thus, it could be said that the ones plotting within the shadows were very vicious and cunning. Seeds of corruption were extremely evil objects, and it was impossible to know how they would affect the victim. If one were corrupted by it, they would still have to pay a significant price to rid themselves of it. "It looks like a snake," Li Luo said after pausing for a moment. After the two were a distance away, their gazes were focused on where the corruption raged. They could clearly see that a vortex had formed and a pitch-black snake was forcibly opening its maw and devouring that seed! This scene was shocking to the two of them. That seed of corruption was capable of ruining even Shen Yunge, and yet this strange snake was trying to consume it. Wasn''t it afraid of being controlled by something else? As the two watched on, the vortex began to churn even more violently. After a while, the snake became larger and larger, and it finally managed to consume the seed of corruption. The pitch-black giant serpent coiled up in the sky. It then turned its head towards Li Luo and started watching him. Jiang Qing''e then raised her sword, and sacred light resonant power swept out from her like a tempest. She lightly said, "Take a quick break. I''ll handle the giant serpent." Li Luo frowned as he locked gazes with the serpent. What surprised him was that he felt a sense of familiarity in its aura. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sister Qing''e, please wait." "Hm?" Jiang Qing''e was a little confused. "I having a feeling that it holds no ill intentions towards us," Li Luo continued. Jiang Qing''e replied, "Li Luo, you don''t need to feel grateful towards it for taking action just now. It is an Other, and it even devoured the seed of corruption. It might very well have turned crazy." Li Luo smiled bitterly. He knew that it was naive to assume that Others wouldn''t have malicious intentions towards him. However, he had a feeling that it wasn''t trying to trick him. It was at this point that the giant serpent began to shrink, then it swam over through the air. Jiang Qing''e tightly gripped the hilt of her sword and light resonant power flowed out of her hand. Her eyes were keenly focused on the snake as she could sense terrifying corruption emanating from it. It was frightening not because of how strong the snake was, but rather how intense the corruption was. It was like an agglomeration of many types of Others. Under Jiang Qing''e''s watchful gaze, the small snake stopped within a few dozen feet from Li Luo and opened its mouth to speak. "Li Luo." It was a female''s voice, one that was deeply familiar to him. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were taken aback, especially the former. After being shocked silent for a few breaths, he composed himself and blurted out, "Cousin Lingjing?" Upon sensing this change, Li Lingjing''s cold eyes turned warmer and she lightly replied, "Li Luo, you cannot die here. Otherwise, I''m done for." She had a complicated relationship with him, though it wasn''t love. He represented her last strand of humanity. "What?" Her words were too soft, so Li Luo simply couldn''t hear her. However, she didn''t say anything else on that topic. She then glanced at Jiang Qing''e, who had remained wary all this time, clearly holding back her primed light resonant power. Li Lingjing knew that this was Li Luo''s fiancee, and she was indeed beautiful and untainted. Conversely, she had been entrenched within the darkness, a strange abomination. She opened her mouth and spat out a golden pearl. "This is what remains of that last fellow. I think there are some Duke Arts within that might be helpful." Li Luo was surprised when he received it. "Shen Yunge left this behind? There should be something from the Imperial Beast Hall here." This was something he held great interest in. Furthermore, the Imperial Beast Hall had methods of controlling spirit beasts that would definitely be more wondrous than relying on Principal Pang''s bracelet. Principal Pang''s sealing bracelet had a lot of side-effects, and the only reason why Li Luo''s mind had not been eroded by the Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf was because of his Heavenly Dragon bloodline. He casually took it before asking, "Cousin Lingjing, could you please tell us more about this situation?" Li Lingjing fell silent for a moment before answering, "Everything that has happened to the World''s End River Region is due to the Origin Reversion Institute''s machinations. They have been plotting for many years, and it was finally time to take action. The main conspirator is the one of the Origin Reversion Institute''s Thirteen Other Kings, the Faceless Other King. Furthermore, the Faceless Other King has its eyes on you. It finds you very interesting." Li Luo''s eyes narrowed. Why would a Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator have attracted the attention of a King? Perhaps it was because of the Genesis Seed? How did the Faceless Other King know about it? "However, Li Jingzhe is your biggest bulwark. Thus, the Faceless Other King will have to come up with a way to get rid of him before he can touch you." Li Luo''s expression changed. "Grandpa is a Quasi-Triple Crown King, so the Faceless Other King shouldn''t be his match." "The Faceless Other King does not plan to take action itself. This is because the Origin Reversion Institute plans to attract a terrifying existence to traverse the World''s End River and completely destroy the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent''s defensive lines." Li Luo''s eyes shrunk. "Does this mean they plan to attract a Devil King?" His voice was filled with horror. Devil Kings were equivalent to Triple Crowned Kings! Li Lingjing then fell silent. What she said next caused both Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e to feel a chill run down their spines. "I personally feel that that might not be the end." Turbulent waves overcame Li Luo''s heart. Not just a Devil King? Then what could it be? A Grand Devil King! A single additional affix represented the world''s most terrifying strength: the Heavenly Emperor Stage! Chapter 1359: Calamity Chapter 1359: Calamity World''s End River Region, Heavenly Dragon City The gigantic Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation was activated, and vast energy fluctuations spread like a storm. The void was constantly shattered by the energy waves, creating a huge crack with a width of a hundred thousand feet. A humongous, golden shield of light covered the entire city, and right outside that shield was the torrential black rain. The monsoon-like downpour fell from the highest heavens, exuding a gloomy energy. Every single droplet felt ominous and seemed like it was foreshadowing something far more grim. It also formed a curtain that obscured everyone''s vision. Even one''s resonant power sense was curtailed by the corruption. One would definitely get lost if they tried to travel out there. As the rain pooled on the ground, Others very slowly emerged from the dense corruption. They would then wander in all directions. It was indeed a scene of ghosts walking amidst the rain. Within Heavenly Dragon City, the experts all had solemn and fearful expressions as they watched the rain fall. This was the terrifying Stygian Rain of Calamity, and even high-grade Dukes were endangered by it. In this situation, they had to rely on cities with mighty defensive wards to protect them. Countless respectful gazes were directed towards the center of Heavenly Dragon City, where the lofty Heavenly Dragon Pavilion sat. They could see an elderly figure standing with his hands behind his back as he watched the inky rain fall outside the shield. It was none other than Li Jingzhe. His presence gave the people in the city a sense of calm and relief. Looking at the entire World''s End River Region, there mightve been no location safer than the Heavenly Dragon City. After all, he was the sole Quasi-Triple Crown King Stage expert here. Although the Stygian Rain of Calamity''s early descent was out of everyone''s expectations, Li Jingzhe''s presence eased their worries. Li Jingzhe himself didn''t seem to care about the numerous respectful gazes directed at him. His wizened eyes were focused on the pitch-black curtain of rain that now shrouded the world around him like a well. The rain could obstruct a Duke''s senses, but it was impossible to block his sight. He could see many strange and twisted Others appearing in the vicinity outside Heavenly Dragon City. However, these creatures could also sense the immense might of the defensive ward and thus did not dare to approach. Amongst them were quite a few True Devils that were comparable to high-grade Dukes. Li Jingzhe wasn''t concerned with them either as they weren''t a threat to the city. All of these Others were also starting to gather, awaiting the arrival of a King. Only Other Kings were capable of spurring them into an attack on Heavenly Dragon City. Li Jingzhe''s expression remained placid as his gaze turned towards the depth of the World''s End River Region, specifically the Treasure Domain. A trace of worry appeared in his eyes. He had thought that by coming to the World''s End River Region, he could ensure Li Luo''s safety. No one could have imagined that all of this would happen. Since even he was unable to enter, who knew how Li Luo was doing now? His old bones wouldn''t be able to face his third son if anything ever happened to Li Luo. He sighed in his heart, and his gaze suddenly shifted, focusing in a distant area. He could see that the rain was gathering in a specific spot. "Just what sort of existence are you trying to attract?" Qin Jiujie asked heavily. The Faceless Other King gave a mysterious cackle. "You''ll know when the time comes." When Qin Jiujie saw the Faceless Other King pretending to act devious, he felt extremely frustrated. He truly felt as though inviting the Faceless Other King was like leading a wolf into his house. That said, even if he had not taken action, the Faceless Other King would have come anyway... Thus, it could be said that Li Jingzhe was simply unlucky. "Huh?" The Faceless Other King suddenly gave a surprised shout. An eyeball tunneled out of its face, flowing with scintillating light. It seemed to be trying to observe something. "A chess piece has been ruined." It helplessly shook its head. This was an unexpected development. The bright side was that this was not the most important piece. It reached up, ripped out a piece of its own face, and carved some runes on it. It then spat out a mouthful of black flame, igniting it. The piece of skin transformed into black smoke which then vanished into thin air. ...... Deep in the Treasure Domain There was a humongous Other Dominion there, but things were eerily silent. Everything within it seemed to be frozen, including time itself. There were a few people floating around the Other Dominion, all of whom had their eyes tightly shut as though they had fallen into some sort of trance. If one were to look carefully, they would be able to notice that these people were the likes of Li Jiluo, Li Qingpeng, and the rest of the high-grade Dukes from the numerous powers. They were all of the peak experts that had rushed into the depths much earlier on. Looking at their current situation, it seemed as though they were in a deep sleep. Clearly, some terrifying means were hidden within this Other Dominion, considering how many high-grade Dukes had been affected. However, the silence was broken by the sounds of subtle footsteps. Someone was slowly walking out of the Other Dominion. It was a woman with disheveled hair and dark eyes, emanating a merciless aura. It was Qin Lian! Chapter 1360: Restored Divine Spirit Treasure Tree Chapter 1360: Restored Divine Spirit Treasure Tree "A Grand Devil King!" Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were shocked by Li Lingjing''s revelation. It was an existence that was comparable to a Heavenly Emperor, and even they were shaken despite their personalities. In addition to their fright, a look of anxiety appeared on Li Luo''s face. If a Grand Devil King was truly summoned by the Origin Reversion Institute, then Li Jingzhe, as the strongest individual within the World''s End River Region, would definitely bear the brunt of things. Although he was a Quasi-Triple Crown, he would be utterly helpless before a Heavenly Emperor. "We can''t let this go on. I''ll have to inform Grandpa and get him to leave the World''s End River Region," Li Luo said anxiously. Jiang Qing''e fell silent. "You''re still trapped here, and all of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s direct lineages are here as well. Even if Grandpa were to know of this news, he wouldn''t choose to escape alone. The Stygian Rain of Calamity''s early descent must be part of the Origin Reversion Institute''s ploy. They chose to seal off the World''s End River Region and prevent the other Heavenly Emperor powers from reinforcing us. Furthermore, they might even have incited strife amongst the other Heavenly Emperor powers to tie down their Kings." Li Luo slumped downwards when he heard her words. Indeed, it wasn''t just him trapped hereFirst Uncle Li Qingpeng and Second Li Jinpan were here as well. His Elder Brother and Second Sister were also in Heavenly Dragon City, and with his grandpa''s personality, he would never abandon them and escape alone. Li Luo was left a little dazed. When faced with the prospect of meeting a Grand Devil King, he felt completely powerless as the gap between them was so large, he could only languish in despair. It wasn''t only himeven the usually cool and collected Jiang Qing''e had fallen silent. Li Lingjing''s news was beyond shocking, and even if they were to relay this to Qin Beiming and the rest, who knew how many would simply give up there and then? At this point in time, Li Lingjing said, "There is no need to be overly depressed over this. If the Grand Devil King were to truly descend, it would indeed be a calamity, but it is not easy to lure something that powerful. So long as it has not completely descended, there is the opportunity to turn things around." Li Luo then asked, "How do they plan to attract the Grand Devil King?" Li Lingjing''s snake form pointed its tail towards the gigantic, blood-red flower bud as she answered, "What is gestating within the flower bud is the object to lure the Devil King. Once it is fully grown, it should be able to lure in a Grand Devil King. But if you are able to destroy it, it might potentially halt the process altogether." Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s minds were seemingly struck by a lightning bolt. So it turned out that the existence that was being nurtured here was the object needed to lure in a Grand Devil King! "Regardless, we will have to wreck that thing. "If we remove those two top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures, the flower bud will lose its energy source and no longer be able to grow," Jiang Qing''e said. "Li Luo, now is not the time to give up. The Origin Reversion Institute will come prepared, and Grandpa might already be restrained from taking action. Eldest Uncle and the rest should have also fallen into some sort of predicament and thus, we haven''t heard anything from them either. If we wish to break out of this situation, we''ll have to rely on ourselves." Jiang Qing''e tightly gripped the sword in her hand as her absolutely breathtaking face turned serious. Behind her, the three radiant halos began to shine with immense light. Her well-fitted armor accentuated her exquisite curves and straight legs. The other top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure was a brownish-yellow spirit pearl. They both gave off strong undulations of spiritual energy and even caused his resonant palaces to let out cries of desire for them. To any Duke, these were treasures that they would give their lives for. He and Jiang Qing''e carefully observed for a moment before taking action. Two streams of resonant power shot out like a rainbow, targeting the treasures. The ground suddenly shattered and countless blood-red rhizomes that resembled humongous snakes tunneled upwards, looking to attack the duo. However, the tiny black snake around Li Luo''s wrist opened its mouth and exerted a mighty suction force. All of the fleshy plant appendages were transformed back into corruption and were then absorbed by it. It was no more than a tasty supplement to Li Lingjing. With her assistance, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s attacks arrived before the two Foundational Spirit Treasures and, with a single motion, directly severed them from the roots. At the same time, their resonant power wrapped around the two treasures and pulled them back. The two balls of light were now floating before the duo. The one before Jiang Qing''e was the Seven Treasures Fruit, whereas the spirit pearl was in front of Li Luo. Jiang Qing''e waved her hand, and the Divine Spirit Treasure Tree appeared. When it came out, the Seven Treasures Fruit seemed to be attracted to it, floating towards the tree before connecting itself to a branch. With the Seven Treasures Fruit attached, the Divine Spirit Treasure Tree began to exude a glorious radiance. Ancient runes surfaced on its trunk, almost like scales. At the same time, it began to radiate increasing amounts of spiritual energy at an alarming rate. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e glanced at each other, letting out sighs of shock. The spiritual energy undulations coming from the Divine Spirit Treasure Tree were no weaker than what the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus emitted. This meant that it was absolutely a top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure. With such an object, even an ordinary Duke would be capable of forging a nine pillar Duke Bergfried! "With this and your latent potential, I''m sure you can forge a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried." Jiang Qing''e glanced at him as she pushed the treasure towards Li Luo with a slight smile. "Li Luo, congratulations. You are about to embark on the Path of Ascension." Chapter 1361: Qin Lian Arrives Chapter 1361: Qin Lian Arrives As he looked at the Divine Spirit Treasure Tree that Jiang Qing''e had pushed over, Li Luo felt his gaze burning. He knew that Jiang Qing''e had worked hard to plan everything out for him and thus, he didn''t beat around the bushhe directly reached out and grabbed it. With this item in hand, his dream of reaching the Duke Stage was right before him. Bang! Just as he received the Divine Spirit Treasure Tree, the blood-red flower bud began to let out loud screeching wails as its energy source had been cut off. The sound waves propagated in every direction. As it wailed, the flower bud''s rate of growth began to stagnate, and at the same time, the massive number of corrupted experts started to turn sluggish. The fleshy roots that were connected to them had started to wither! Meanwhile, the Giant Flesh Golem that had been obstructed by Qin Beiming and the rest started to fall apart. The corrupted that made up its body began to peel off in layers, falling onto the ground like rain. It looked as though the flower bud no longer had the strength to influence and control the corrupted. Everyone burst out in joy at this sight. Were they about to get the final laugh after this arduous battle? Qin Beiming remained in the air, sternly observing the gradually weakening Giant Flesh Golem. He then turned towards the depths, where the duo were, and sighed in surprise. "I can''t believe the two of them actually succeeded." After all, not many had high hopes for the two, considering the fact that Shen Yunge was the one obstructing them. Furthermore, Shen Yunge was capable of overpowering Qin Beiming. Zhao Xiuyuan''s gaze flickered. "I''m afraid we will have to properly discuss how we plan to allocate those two Foundational Spirit Treasures." Now that the situation was under control, his avaricious intentions were allowed to flourish, and the treasures were simply too tempting. Li Zhihuo frowned. "There''s no need to be anxious." Although Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s power placed some stress on him, they were united against all external parties. "The fact that we were able to overcome this was mostly due to Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s contributions. They should have priority in selecting their spoils." Zhao Xiuyuan smirked coldly. "The two of them might have contributed significantly, but does that mean that the rest of us have not? Without us holding down the fort, could they have managed to obtain those Foundational Spirit Treasures?" Qin Beiming frowned as he heard the two bicker. "Zhao Xiuyuan, now is not the time to speak of such things. When things calm down, we can discuss this again." Then a frightening aura radiated from the vortex like a storm, enveloping the entirety of the Other Dominion. Bang! The void began to shake with incredible intensity. This sudden change also caused Qin Beiming, Li Zhihuo, and the rest to jump in fright. Their gloomy expressions were turned towards the vortex made of corruption, and their previously relaxed bodies turned tense. "What mighty undulations of corruption!" Qin Beiming commented. From what he could sense, it was probably comparable to an eighth-grade Duke! "Damn it! How is it not over?" Zhao Xiuyuan''s expression had turned steely green as he ranted. This sudden change had rattled him. Just where had this terrifying True Devil popped up from? Wasn''t a True Devil at this stage only supposed to appear in the large Other Dominions found in the depths of the Treasure Domain? Why was there one in the outer region? Li Zhihuo clenched his teeth as he asked, "Where are our high-grade Dukes?" There were many high-grade Dukes from the numerous powers, and all of them had made a beeline towards the depths of the Treasure Domain. How had none of them appeared? "I''m afraid they might have encountered trouble," Qin Beiming bitterly replied. He simply couldn''t fathom just how big the situation was if even the four Heavenly Emperor bloodlines had been dragged into it. When the Treasure Domain first opened, a disturbance had taken place in the depths and the numerous high-grade Dukes from all the different powers had quickly rushed over to it. Perhaps that was when everything had started to go wrong. At this point, everyone could hear footsteps coming out of the vortex. They could all see a single figure casually walking out. A few moments later, the corruption dissipated and the figure became clear to everyone. There were looks of shock in everyone''s eyes. Even Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were taken aback. Meanwhile, the people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin were in complete disbelief, especially Qin Yi. Her eyes were blank as she stared at the person coming out of the corruption vortex. Her usually calm demeanor had been shattered and her pretty face was drained pale with horror. At the same time, she spluttered, "Mo... Mother?" Chapter 1362: Woman, Youre At the Wrong Table Chapter 1362: Woman, You''re At the Wrong Table The person that had walked out had a head of messy hair and a cold expression. Her eyes resembled black whirlpools and corruption flowed around her. It was Qin Yi''s mother, Qin Lian! Shocked looks appeared on the faces of those in the crowd. This was especially the case for those from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, including Qin Beiming. They could scarcely believe that Qin Lian would be emitting such dense undulations of corruption. "Hall Master Qin Lian, you... have you been corrupted by a venomous curse?" Qin Beiming''s body had turned cold as Qin Lian''s current appearance was not foreign to him. Shen Yunge had transformed similarly, but the difference was that the corruption coming from her was multiple times more intense. Furthermore, her inky-black eyes had turned into two black vortexes and were leaking a black substance that ran down her cheeks and dripped onto the ground. It looked as though the curse that had afflicted her ran much deeper than Shen Yunge''s. "Damn it. Why is it that the only ones who have been deeply cursed are from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin?" Qin Beiming''s expression turned green. Shen Yunge wasnt part of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, but the common point between the two corrupted experts was that they had spent time in Abyssal City before they entered the Treasure Domain. Qin Beiming felt like this was a little too coincidental, and he could have never imagined that the instigator of all this was none other than Qin Jiujie himself! "Mother!" Qin Yi''s face was pale as she looked at the familiar woman with disheveled hair. Her heart ached deeply upon seeing this. Although Qin Lian had often expressed her dissatisfaction with her, they were still mother and daughter. Despite everything, Qin Yi had always done her best to live up to her mothers expectations. However, Qin Lian''s current state brought great distress and pain to her. Chu Qing''s expression was also ugly. "Master!" he shouted, attempting to awaken Qin Lian. But it was pointless. As Qin Lian made her way out of the corruption vortex, a wave of terrifying corruption emanated from her body and blanketed the world. Everyone could feel that the void around them had turned a little sticky and restrictive, as though they were flies trapped in a web. Their bodies felt sluggish in her presence. "It''s over. How could we deal with a corrupted eighth-grade Duke? Did all of the high-grade Dukes in the Treasure Domain perish?" Lu Shuanglu''s expression was pale and a look of despair could be seen in her eyes. She felt that she was truly very unfortunate. She had entered this place for a little bit of fun, but instead of gaining any benefits, she had been thrown into one disastrous situation after another. First, it was Shen Yunge, but there was at least a faint glimmer of hope after overcoming him. Qin Lian''s appearance, on the other hand, only served to cement their lack of hope. Zhang Cuicheng sighed helplessly. "It seems like we are about to die here." Lu Shuanglu then retorted angrily, "Shut up! It''s all your fault, wanting to come here to find Li Luo!" He pouted in response. How did this have anything to do with finding Li Luo? Wasn''t the reason they were here because she wanted to partake in the action here and thus took on this mission? However, he knew that Lu Shuanglu was impulsive, so there was no need to argue with her. He thus kept his mouth shut, only frowning as he pondered over a way out of this predicament. Everyone else present was in a similar state. Even Li Luo. "This is going to be even more troublesome. That crazy woman actually got corrupted," Li Luo said when he saw the ghostly Qin Lian arrive. His scalp had turned numb. Her mind was already warped to begin with, and with the addition of corruption, wouldn''t she be even more illogically frightening? However, a black light slowly rose from atop Qin Lian''s head and suddenly expanded. In just a few breaths of time, it enveloped the entire area. Dusky flames appeared, filling up the skies and the void. In the end, the whole world seemed to have transformed into a saturnine flame sea. At the same time, everyone could sense that they had lost all connection to worldly natural energy. Some within the crowd blurted out, "A Duke''s Worldspace Domain!" This was one of the abilities a high-grade Duke possessed. They could create a domain around them, controlling the worldly natural energy within that area as they wished. No one else could wrestle that control from them. Thus, one would be weakened within an enemy''s domain. The only way to resist a Duke''s Worldspace Domain was with another domain. Only then could they compete for hegemony of the world around them. However, the strongest person present was Qin Beiming, and he was quite a distance away from reaching that stage. Within the void, the saturnine flames formed into chains and began to shoot out like bolts of lightning, wrapping around those who were attempting to flee. They attempted to fight back, summoning their Duke Bergfrieds, but the flames were domineering, instantly incinerating the Duke Bergfrieds and melting them completely. A series of pained cries rang out. A first or second-grade Duke was no different from an ant before a high-grade Duke. The saturnine flame chains burned their skin to a crisp, exposing flesh and blood before forcefully dragging them back alive. With a light flick, the unfortunate individuals were thrown into the gaping maw of the blood-red petal. The giant mouth began to chew, and one could hear the sounds of bones crunching and flesh squelching as blood seeped out. The flower gradually transformed and turned even more red. To everyones shock, the flower bud was expanding yet again. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e looked on with ugly expressions. The two began to retreat. They had to group up with the rest and combine their strengths in order to see if they could even muster up a defense. But just as they moved, Qin Lian''s vortex-like eyes turned to them. This was the first time she had spotted him. Li Luo similarly looked into her eyes, seeing her ghostly visage twist up with an exaggerated smile. A moment later, a mirthless and venomous laugh resounded through the skies. "Look what I''ve found! Li Luo! Do you think Li Jingzhe is that impressive? Do you think he can save you now? I''ll let you experience the most painful torment before you die. I''ll then take your bones and form a puppet in your image to send to Li Jingzhe, Tan Tailan, and Li Taixuan! "Hahahahaha!" Chapter 1363: Onyx Cauldron Refines the Couple Chapter 1363: Onyx Cauldron Refines the Couple As Qin Lian''s unsettling laughter echoed through the skies, Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo flew backwards explosively without hesitation. Neither of them were anywhere near Qin Lian''s level, and by the look of things, they would have to group up with the rest to even have a chance at resisting. Furthermore Li Luo knew that Qin Lian wanted to kill him. That crazy bitch had already attempted to murder him even when she was fully lucid. Now that she had been corrupted and her negative emotions were running rampant, her killing intent had increased by a tremendous amount. The two pushed themselves as far as possible, creating a sonic boom in their wake. "Do you think you can escape?" Qin Lian''s vortex-like eyes were focused on the duo, and she gave a deep smile. With a flick of a finger, the void shattered and two black flaming chains that gave off terrifying energy undulations chased after the two. Bang! As the chains zipped forth with unstoppable momentum, the void shattered. With the aid of the Duke''s Worldspace Domain, Qin Lian''s every attack had become even more fear-inducing. Jiang Qing''e gritted her teeth as she glanced at the black flame chains. Without hesitation, she stopped to block them, activating her strongest Duke Art. "Radiant Divineflame Heavenly Ring!" A gigantic halo of light rushed into the sky, directly colliding against the two chains. Boom! Alas, her all-out attack seemed incredibly fragile in comparison to the chains. The black flaming chains were like two black dragons. The moment they crashed into the halo of light, they instantly smashed it into tiny motes of light. However, Li Luo didn''t plan to let Jiang Qing''e handle this opponent all by herself. He began to circulate the Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf''s strength, and the wolf itself let out an ear-rending howl. All of the strength it had was summoned as it understood precisely how dangerous the situation was. If Li Luo was killed by Qin Lian, it would fall victim as well. The man and wolf came together to supplement each other, to deliver their strongest blow yet. "Three Dragons Kingslayer Arrow!" Li Luo grinned. "Ah, in our family, the one that has to be watched over is actually House Luolan''s young mistress. Don''t you know who sits at the top of the hierarchy? Haven''t you been taking pointers? If Father and Mother heard my words, they would definitely be disgusted and say something along the lines of, you brat, how did you only just figure out what''s going on?" Jiang Qing''e smiled and softly said, "How could I possibly be that important?" While the two were talking to each other, Qin Lian''s grating voice suddenly rang out. "What a wonderful pair of love-struck sweethearts!" When she saw the two tightly holding hands, the vortexes in her eyes started to spin with even greater intensity. "Ha... since the two of you are so addled by love, then I won''t let you get what you want. I''ll use the most vile emotions to erode your minds and throw all your feelings away before dying in the other party''s hands. Isn''t this the most torturous way to die?" Qin Lian''s harsh words caused everyone''s expressions to change. Bang! It was at this point that the black flame chains that were surrounding Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e started to fuse together. In just a few moments, the chains transformed into a one-hundred-feet-wide onyx cauldron. The couple had been trapped inside it. Atop the onyx cauldron was a terrifying black flame, and numerous struggling figures could be seen within it, attempting to escape. Unfortunately, all of the figures were incinerated by the flames, letting out shrill cries. All of their negative emotions were set alight, transforming into black fumes that surged into the cauldron. Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo''s expressions changed. They both held some degree of resistance against corruption, but the onyx cauldron''s flames continuously burned their resonant power away. As their resonant power gradually withered up, their ability to hold out against the corruption weakened. It had to be said that this Qin Lian was indeed incredibly venomous and despicable. She viciously smacked outwards with her palm, and the cauldron fell like a meteorite, striking the ground with a large boom. A huge pit was created, and the cauldron was embedded deeply. A mocking smile then appeared on her ghastly face. "I''m very curious about which of the lovestruck ducks will emerge alive." Chapter 1364: Desperation Chapter 1364: Desperation After Qin Lian smashed the onyx cauldron deep into the earth, she withdrew her callous and cold gaze from it. The reason why she had not immediately killed Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e was precisely because of the hatred and negative emotions that had been amplified by the corruption, choosing instead to toy with them much like a cat with a mouse. She would let them experience agonizing pain before letting them die. Her gaze now turned towards the rest of the crowd consisting of members from the other powers. Her gloomy voice resounded throughout the dominion. "It looks like none of you plan to offer your flesh and blood up voluntarily." Qin Beiming, Zhao Xiuyuan, and the rests expressions turned green. In the end, one of them gritted their teeth and shouted, "All of us should join hands and fight!" As they watched Qin Lian slowly approach them, they knew that there was no other choice. Only by working together would they have a chance to escape. Thus, with Qin Beiming at the lead, all of the Dukes summoned their Duke Bergfrieds. However, because they were all within Qin Lian''s Worldspace Domain, their Duke Bergfrieds were unable to control worldly natural energy and thus, they were greatly weakened. The Duke Stage had nine grades, and there was a line separating every three grades, known as the low, middle, and high-grades. The high-grade Dukes were the strongest, and it was due to the Duke''s Worldspace Domain. Middle-grade Dukes would have to avoid the attacks of low-grade Dukes if they fought a large number of them. Meanwhile, numbers meant nothing to high-grade Dukes. Thus, when Qin Lian appeared, everyone had thought that this madwoman had turned up at the wrong place. If they didn''t at least try to resist, they would simply turn into snacks for the flower bud. Rather than to sit back and wait for death, it was better to struggle and look for a path of survival. Thus, the slightly dim Duke Bergfrieds began to billow out large amounts of Divine Mist, transforming into all sorts of attacks that blanketed the sky in an impressive display of overwhelming might. The scene was both spectacular and heroic. When faced with the crowd''s retaliation, Qin Lian''s expression didn''t change at all. She waved her sleeve, and the clear cry of a phoenix was heard. A beam of black light shot out of her sleeve, creating a tempest in its wake. It then transformed into a hundred-thousand-feet-tall bird. It was a Luan that burned with saturnine flames. Its wings were like hanging clouds, and when they flapped, a sea of fire unfurled across the sky. Terrifying energy undulations filled the entire sky. Qin Beiming stared at the ebony Luan that occupied his entire vision with a hint of bitterness on his face. Lower ninth-grade Crimson Flame Luan resonance! This was the manifestation of Qin Lian''s resonance, but due to the effects of corruption, the originally tyrannical Luan fire had transformed into gloomy, saturnine flames. The Luan unhinged its beak and spewed out a sea of pitch-black flames. Wherever the flame passed, the weaker Dukes Duke Bergfrieds were ignited and destroyed, transforming into falling meteors that crashed into the ground. Who knew just how many were crippled by this. Meanwhile, countless black flame chains tunneled out of the void, directly piercing through the bodies of the injured Dukes. As they cried out pitifully, they were dragged towards the blood-red flower bud''s gaping maw and were devoured, their blood splashing all over. This was simply a massacre. Blood flowed like rivers amidst utter desperation. Clang! As the ones outside were falling to Qin Lian''s onslaught, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were in the onyx cauldron embedded in the ground. The two of them were doing their best to escape by attacking the walls. When their attacks landed on the cauldron''s walls, they were immediately destroyed by the black flames, turning into nothingness. His heart and mind suddenly felt clear. Li Luo didn''t dare to waste any of the precious time Li Lingjing had taken pains to create for him. He sat cross-legged and took out a small, slightly withered sapling. The tree''s trunk was engraved with numerous runes, and a seven-colored fruit hung from one of its branches. Majestic amounts of spiritual energy emanated from it. This was the top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure, the Divine Spirit Treasure Tree. "Four years of effort will culminate here." Li Luo''s eyes were focused on the Divine Spirit Treasure Tree that flowed with glorious light. He no longer hesitated, spitting out a ball of energy that enveloped the treasure. The tree was then broken down into innumerable motes of light. A moment later, Li Luo inhaled, sucking all of it into his body. He closed his eyes and calmed his heart, beginning the long-awaited process of his breakthrough. When Li Luo started on the breakthrough, Jiang Qing''e sighed lightly. She waved her hand, and the brownish-yellow spirit bead appeared in her hand. This was the other top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure they had taken from the roots of the flower bud. Although the spiritual energy emanating from it was not comparable to the completed Divine Spirit Treasure Tree, there was no other choice. Jiang Qing''e was planning to make her breakthrough as well. Having Li Luo reach the First Duke Stage would not be enough to deal with Qin Lian, even if he formed a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. She popped the spirit bead into her mouth without hesitation. As the two began to take advantage of every precious second to break through, the interior turned silent. Li Lingjing was tightly coiled around them, providing them with the last semblance of shelter amidst this catastrophic situation. The roiling corruption was constantly being absorbed by Li Lingjing. Any normal individual would have been corrupted by the sheer density of the corruption. However, Li Lingjing''s eyes remained as calm as a deep pool, completely unfazed. But as time passed by, Li Lingjing realized that her scales were beginning to split and break apart. This was because of the black flames in the onyx cauldron. They brought about unimaginable agony and caused her to shrink slightly. When her scales broke, the barrier she had created was penetrated little by little. The influence of negative emotions would disrupt Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s state of mind. "It seems I am unable to completely seal off the influence of corruption and the negative emotions," she said softly to herself. She had to figure out a way to resolve this. Otherwise, the duo''s breakthrough could backfire. Li Lingjing thought about it for a moment before a thought came to mind. It would be difficult to completely prevent all of the corruption''s influence from intruding into their space, but perhaps she could filter it and allow emotions that were less harmful to pass through. However, what sorts of emotions would those be? Li Lingjing could sense the spectrum of negative emotions and eliminate the ones that were particularly undesirable, like murderous desire, the intent to cause chaos, despair, fear, and so on... In the end, her gaze flickered. This would work. Furthermore, the two were already engaged, so it didn''t matter. The emotion she chose to let through... was lust. Chapter 1365: Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus Grand Devil King Chapter 1365: Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus Grand Devil King Bang! Berserk energy undulations raged throughout the Other Dominion as a storm of blood and gore unfolded. The black flame chains were like dragons weaving in and out. They would occasionally coil around a person who would then let out a pitiful scream full of desperation before tossing them into the large maw of the flower. The sharp fangs crunched up flesh and bone, and the sound of blood splashing filled the air. This sound only led to greater terror amidst the crowd, and their expressions were contorted with absolute horror. Qin Beiming, Zhao Xiuyuan, and the rest of the fifth-grade Dukes bore the brunt of the pressure. This was because Qin Lian was mainly focusing on them. That said, they were only able to barely protect themselves. They could only watch with eyes wide open as their companions were all dragged away, turning into nutrients for the flower bud. Their eyes turned red, seemingly about to burst. If only looks could kill, but the truth was that they were completely powerless. Qin Lian''s strength was too much for them to handle, and she had complete control over the situation. No matter how many of them there were, they were of no threat to her. Based on how things were going, it was just a matter of time before they fell at her hands. Desperation welled up in everyone''s hearts. Meanwhile, Qin Yi watched the chaos unfold from a corner. The bloody scene filled her usually clear and beautiful eyes with agony and pain. She had watched many familiar faces from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin being taken away and fed to the insatiable plant, turning into nothing more than bloody soil. "Mother..." Crystalline tears dripped from the corners of her eyes. The greatest pain in the world was seeing relatives killing each other. Although Qin Lian had often treated her strictly and she didn''t like mother''s way of doing things, they were still mother and daughter. Qin Yi stared at her mother, who was in front of the flower bud with a head full of messy hair. She bit her lip as she knew what had to be done. Although Qin Lian was not herself, her reputation in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin and the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent would reach a point where she would become notorious and cursed. Her reputation would be completely tarnished. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin would not protect her from that. Qin Yi couldn''t bear to see her own mother fall into such a state. Thus, she wiped away her tears and walked forward without hesitation. She had to stop Qin Lian. "Martial Sister!" Chu Qing hurriedly reached out to stop her. He knew what she was planning to do, and with reddened eyes, he said in pain, "Master has been fully corrupted. She will not awaken from it just because of you. If you approach her, you''re only seeking death." The corruption coming from it was dark and sticky, creating a rolling sea that fought against the golden dragon''s suppression. The entire area was turned upside down by this confrontation. The Dukes within Heavenly Dragon City watched on in trepidation. This terrifying confrontation could create aftershocks that could instantly vaporize them. After all, it was a battle of the King Stage. The bright side was that looking at how things were going, the large-headed Other King was clearly being suppressed and had no room to fight back. The bystanders were extremely shocked by this. Gazes filled with awe were cast upon the elderly man standing atop Heavenly Dragon Pavilion. Li Jingzhe had not taken action, only activating the protective Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation to beat the Other King black and blue. With such an expert taking charge, they would likely be safe during the Stygian Rain of Calamity. Meanwhile, Li Jingzhe remained calm and collected as he observed the Other King be contained by the golden dragon. This result was not out of his expectations. It was simply a Single Crowned King, and he was using the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation to deal with it. This result was expected. If there was enough time, he would be capable of wiping it out completely. However, Li Jingzhe didn''t relax despite this. After all, he knew that the Origin Reversion Institute had plotted for many years. Looking at what was happening now, he couldn''t help but wonder if the rumors regarding their strength were true. As he continued to ponder over what other hands the Origin Reversion Institute could play, his expression suddenly changed. He could sense that the worldly natural energy within the World''s End River Region had suddenly become turbulent. The worldly natural energy was even beginning to show traces of rejecting him in the areas where his perception had spread. This shocked him. Just what sort of power was capable of disrupting the control he had as a Quasi-Triple Crown? Li Jingzhe raised his head and looked at the sky. It was then that he saw that a gap had opened up in the World''s End River. There was a gigantic eye with three pupils emerging from the water. This sight caused his heart to sink and emotions appeared on his wizened face for the first time. At the same time, he couldn''t help but to blurt out. "That is... the Obsidian Dominion''s Emperor. The Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus Grand Devil King!" His gaze turned incredibly gloomy. The Origin Reversion Institute''s aim had finally been revealed. They were looking to attract the attention of a Heavenly Emperor-level existence! Chapter 1366: Serpents Body As A Curtain, Red Mist As A Blanket Chapter 1366: Serpent''s Body As A Curtain, Red Mist As A Blanket The black flames continued to burn in the interior of the cauldron. The strong corruption brought about a huge wave of negative emotions that constantly buffeted the serpent coiled up in the center. The serpent''s scales were gradually being shattered, and the tyrannical black flames brought about indescribable pain. However, Li Lingjing''s transformed body only contracted slightly as she silently endured the pain. After all, this sort of torment didn''t mean much to her. Conversely, she was able to maintain a calm expression whilst filtering all of the negative emotions, only letting lust through. The area enclosed by her body had transformed into a sealed space. Dark red energy filtered through, forming a mist. Its appearance caused many whispers to sound out. The mist represented the emotion of lust, and it very gradually took the shape of a faint, graceful figure. The mist continued to intensify, and Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were breathing it in. Lust itself was not inherently destructive as an emotion. In addition, they were both immersed in their breakthrough, so it was able to infiltrate their bodies stealthily. In the beginning, this emotion wasn''t capable of influencing the duo by much. However, as time passed, it accumulated and swelled within them. At this point, Li Luo, who was completely immersed in the surging resonant power in his body, suddenly felt an inexplicable heat rising within the depths of his heart. This sensation was particularly intense, and it had awakened him from his deep, meditative state almost immediately. He hurriedly inspected his body and could sense a dark red aura that had permeated throughout him. He was horrified. "Negative emotions?" He couldn''t understand how he had been affected. Without hesitation, he activated the Auric Halo''s Acquired Resonance Flame and used it to quickly incinerate the mist. However, he realized that the heat within him had not dissipated. He then understood that all of the negative emotion''s aura had infiltrated every inch of his body and merged into his flesh and blood. His heart sank. It would be quite time-consuming and troublesome to get rid of all of it, and what he lacked now was time. "Just what sort of negative emotion is this? It''s entered my body and yet the Auric Halo didn''t warn me of it?" The heat that was affecting Li Luo gradually intensified, which made his breathing heavier. It was impossible to continue with his breakthrough in this state. At this point, Li Lingjing''s voice was transmitted to his ear. "Li Luo, don''t reject it." Li Luos eyes widened as he was startled by the extremely dense, dark-red mist before him. He raised his head and asked hurriedly, "Cousin Lingjing, what is going on?" Li Lingjing hissed as her voice was transmitted over. "My barrier has been eroded by the black flames. I am unable to block all of the negative emotions, and can only selectively choose some of the weaker negative emotions to allow through." "What sort of negative emotion is this, then?" Li Luo looked at the large amount of dark red mist with a strange expression. "Lust." Li Lingjing''s simple answer caused Li Luo''s face to twitch. The heat in his heart seemed to have intensified upon hearing her answer. His mouth became dry and he began to heave more heavily. As he endured the fluctuations in his mood, he gave a bitter smile. "I can''t make a breakthrough in this state." "There is no need to worry. Lust is the easiest emotion to deal with," Li Lingjing responded. "And how am I supposed to do that?" Li Luo hurriedly asked. Li Lingjing''s gaze shone as she lightly replied, "You just need to find someone of the opposite sex." Li Luo was dumbfounded and his temples began to throb. He blurted out, "How is this easy to resolve? Where am I going to find someone at this time..." When those words came out, he came to a realization as he glanced at Jiang Qing''e. He now understood what Li Lingjing was getting at. At this point, she casually replied, "Aren''t you two lawfully engaged to each other? This is just something that will happen sooner or later. It is the easiest way to get through this predicament. Of course, this isn''t an ideal location, but what has to be done, has to be done. There''s no need to worry about it." Who would believe those callous words! Jiang Qing''e gritted her teeth. The only reason why she was feeling a little embarrassed and furious was because Li Lingjing, an outsider, was here! Just thinking about how ridiculous this entire thing was caused her scalp to turn a little numb despite her usual personality. That said, what choice did they have? With a thought, Jiang Qing''e tightly gripped Li Luo''s hand. Her golden eyes were filled with a watery light, increasing her charm even more. The Sacred Crown of Thorns was put away and her long hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, falling to her waist. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s gazes intertwined. Both of them could see the strong affection they had for each other in their eyes. They had grown up together since young and had experienced countless things together. There was no need to say more about the emotions they had for each other. Perhaps if Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan hadnt disappeared all those years ago, they might already have become a couple in more than name. Jiang Qing''e approached him until her red lips pressed against his ear, calling out to him gently, "Li Luo." Li Luo stretched his hand out and grasped her slender waist. He could feel how hot her delicate body was, and when their bodies pressed together, it felt as though a volcano was erupting. It was then that Li Luo squashed down the bestial desires in his heart with utmost determination as he smelled the fragrance of the beauty in his arms. "I''m sorry, Sister Qing''e." He understood that Jiang Qing''e wanted them to reach this point naturally after a grand ceremony, not in this rush of a situation. However, for the sake of their lives, she was willing to let go and endure it all. Smooth, brilliant hair hung from Jiang Qing''e''s porcelain-like face. This slightly messy appearance gave her a sense of softness that Li Luo had never seen before. Perhaps it was because of the lust coursing through them that Jiang Qing''e seemed very emotional at this time. She lightly shook her head and said, "Actually, this is one part of the reward I was planning to give you when you reached the Duke Stage." She nestled her head into Li Luo''s neck. "A reward." These words were like a fuse, directly igniting the heat in Li Luo''s heart. At this moment, he could no longer bear it. With a low roar, he leaned over and their bodies intertwined. Thus... With the serpent''s body as a curtain and the red mist as a blanket, the two joined bodies. Right above them, a pair of snake eyes watched the scene quietly, flickering occasionally. An unknown amount of time passed as the mist continued to flow. At this point, a mysterious, golden light was reflected in Li Lingjing''s eyes. Within the light was a vast, golden wheel flowing with dazzling divine light. An indescribable radiance bloomed and an incomprehensible aura was emitted. In fact, even her stagnant state of mind came to life at this point. Her distant memories suddenly awakened, and she saw the image of that noble girl from Western City who once walked with high spirits and a sword across her back. Her cold, snake eyes turned moist unknowingly. The divine radiance then spread and her serpentine body turned into falling azure rain. The black flames within the onyx cauldron showed signs of extinguishing under the light. All of the corruption and negative emotions also vanished. The black serpent was being transformed by the light, but it was not erased, instead turning into an azure tide that flowed within the cauldron. Tiny waves that resembled Li Lingjing''s eyes were stirred within the tide. As the tide flowed quietly, it caressed the two tightly intertwined people in the water. It seemed that all three of them had miraculously changed. Chapter 1367: Qin Yi Rescues Her Mother Chapter 1367: Qin Yi Rescues Her Mother World''s End River Treasure Domain, Other Dominion The unabated slaughter continued to unfold amidst a field of chaos. More and more individuals were being turned into fleshy nutrients as they were sent into the gaping maws of the flower bud. Meanwhile the blood red flower bud continued to bloom. Neverending blood light surged from the flower bud, covering the skies. Some even pierced out of the Other Dominion, blanketing the entirety of the Treasure Domain itself. At the same time, the blood-red pillar of light coming from the center of the flower bud became more and more intense. This pillar of light threaded through the void and was directed towards the turbulent World''s End River. Strange, blood-red runes could be seen flowing through it as it widened the gap in the World''s End River. On the other side of the gap was a gigantic eye with three pupils, constantly looking down upon the World''s End River Region without any emotion. It emanated a terrifying pressure despite the fact that there were layers of the void between the eye and the people in the region. That said, the entire region was trembling before it. All of the worldly natural energy had turned turbid and sluggish, as though it was a quail trembling under its gaze. Meanwhile, the blood-red pillar of light emitted by the flower bud continued to strengthen, doing its best to harken its arrival. When the blood-red pillar reached its full strength, the golden talisman that floated above the Treasure Domain began to vibrate violently. A moment later, endless beams of golden light shot out from the talisman, piercing through the void. It directly collided with the pillar of light coming from the flower bud. Boom! A thunderous explosion echoed, the soundwaves spreading to every corner of the World''s End River Region. When the talisman activated its defensive measures, the blood-red pillar of light was affected and the speed at which the gap expanded slowed down. The massive tri-pupil eye finally showed a hint of emotion. It was as though it was furious with this development. It then turned its attention towards that golden talisman. "Hmph! The four of you better take care of yourselves..." An ominous and low voice rumbled from the skies. It was like the low growl of a True Devil, transmitted from far away. When faced with this vicious attack, Qin Yi did not seek to avoid it; she merely stared intensely at Qin Lian. "Mother! Did you completely lose all sense of reason? If you continue down this path, you''ll ruin yourself! If killing your daughter will allow you to awaken, then I won''t hide at all!" Whoosh! The chain paused half an inch away from Qin Yi''s head. Despite not having physically touched her, the resultant force had nicked her, causing striking, red blood to drip from her smooth and fair forehead. The blood slid down her face, leaving behind an eye-catching trail across her nose, which was as straight as a mountain. However, Qin Yi was simply too attractive and this bloody line was unable to tarnish her charm, instead giving her a melancholic but gorgeous beauty. Years fell from her eyes as she looked at the black flame chain that had paused right before her. She then looked at Qin Lian. The vortex in her mothers eyes seemed to have become even more turbulent as she softly said, "Mother, please don''t continue down this path. You can still turn back." She then took slow steps towards Qin Lian, unafraid of the consequences. "Please wake up, Mother," she pleaded. Qin Yi continued to approach her mother, whose expression seemed to soften slightly. When Qin Yi noticed this, a hint of joy arose within her heart. It did seem like Qin Lian had retained a small part of her mind, and if this could be roused, this entire disaster could come to an end. She still held a place in her mother''s heart. However, just as this thought flickered through her mind, Qin Yi heard the sound of whistling wind coming from behind her. Before she could turn around, she felt a sharp pain coming from her lower abdomen. Her body stiffened. She lowered her head and saw a black chain piercing through her. The black flames brought about immense pain. Fresh blood flowed from the wound, which sizzled and evaporated upon coming into contact with the flames. "Mother..." Her pale face gave a bitter smile as she looked at her own kin. Qin Lian''s indifferent voice rang out. "Since you''re looking to die, I''ll send you on your way." Blood leaked out from the corner of Qin Yi''s mouth as she sighed lightly. "It seems it was too hard to obtain my mother''s love. Mother, does the hatred in your heart overwhelm everything else? Did your resentment come from Li Taixuan''s rejection all those years ago? Or perhaps it was due to your paranoia and jealousy towards Tan Tailan?" When Qin Lian heard those names, her stern expression warped. However, before she could explode with killing intent, Qin Yi deeply sighed. Her delicate skin turned ever more pale as all of the blood was drained out of her. At the same time, she stretched out a single finger, and a dark-blue droplet condensed on her fingertip. This droplet contained a mysterious aura. It was incredibly pure and clear. Qin Yi flicked her finger, and the droplet shot into Qin Lian''s forehead right as she was on the verge of erupting. It was quickly absorbed into her body. Qin Lian suddenly paused and her heartless expression froze. Chapter 1368: Qin Lians Secret Chapter 1368: Qin Lian''s Secret The vast amounts of resonant power pouring out of her body suddenly halted. At the same time, the black flame chains that were rampaging around the battlefield began to retreat. This gave everyone a bit of breathing space. Their surprised gazes were directed to Qin Lian''s direction, ultimately falling upon Qin Yi. "Qin Yi!" Qin Beiming''s expression changed when he saw that a chain had pierced through her lower abdomen. Clearly, Qin Lian''s sudden pause was due in no small part to Qin Yi''s actions. However, Qin Yi was heavily injured. Everyone was now looking at this scene with bated breath. They didn''t quite understand what Qin Yi had done, but if Qin Lian had been restrained, their dire predicament would be resolved. "Martial Sister!" Chu Qing looked horrified as he rushed over in an attempt to rescue her. However, Qin Yi stretched her hand out with much difficulty to signal him to stop. She had consumed a significant amount of her blood essence and fused it with her ninth-grade water resonance with a secret art in order to condense that droplet of Spirit Returning Water. The Spirit Returning Water didn''t have much offensive capabilities, but it was an incredible stimulant when it came to revitalizing one''s spirit. Qin Yi didn''t know if it would be enough to awaken her mother, but she had to try. Based on what she was seeing, it was at least somewhat effective. That said, she wasn''t very strong when compared to her mother and thus didn''t dare to let the others like Chu Qing approach, so as not to alarm her. Qin Yi endured the agonizing pain coming from her body as she lightly called out, "Mother." As she did so, Qin Lian''s black, vortex-like eyes started to change, transforming back into ordinary pupils. That change was observed by Qin Yi, and Qin Lian''s expression changed slightly. In the end, a low, hoarse voice sounded out. "Little Yi, you... you''ve acted too recklessly." A forced pale smile surfaced on Qin Yi''s face. "Mother, I don''t wish to see you ruin yourself. So please, wake up." Qin Lian let out a screeching laugh. "I''ve always treated you so harshly and yet you still risked your life to save me, someone sinking further into depravity?" "You''re my mother. How could I give up just like that?" Qin Yi shook her head. Qin Lian''s gaze glumly swept across the chaotic, bloodstained battlefield, falling silent for a moment. "My good daughter, there is but one problem... how would you know if I was even willing to wake up in the first place?" Qin Yi''s delicate body shook as she responded in a trembling voice, "Mother, what are you talking about?" Qin Lian answered almost robotically, "Perhaps what I truly wished was to take this opportunity to destroy everything?" A smirk appeared on her face. "Look at how things are. I can use this chance to kill Li Luo. I think if Tan Tailan and Li Taixuan learned of this, they would be absolutely heartbroken." Tears fell from Qin Yi''s eyes as she asked painfully. "Mother, does your hatred run so deep? You''ve become more and more paranoid throughout the years, and today, you seem even more determined to destroy everything. Is this really worth it?" Qin Lian''s eyes turned gloomy. "My hatred is more than bone deep, especially towards that bitch, Tan Tailan! I hate her with every fiber of my being. You have to know! When I found out I was going to be engaged to Li Taixuan, do you know how happy I was? That man had even rescued me from the hands of the Others! Before Tan Tailan had ever appeared, his face had long been deeply imprinted in my heart. If not for her, I would have become the luckiest and most fortunate lady in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent! However, Tan Tailan ruined everything! I was the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s prized genius and my generation''s most outstanding female. However, Tan Tailan just had to pop out from some crappy place. She firmly suppressed me under her feet, and Li Taixuan was willing to break up our engagement to get together with her! Who does she think she is?!" Qin Lian''s face became distorted with rage and hatred and her eyes oozed endless enmity. Qin Yi fell silent. Qin Lian was simply too proud, and Tan Tailan''s appearance had caused the most outstanding genius of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin to suffer a blow. She was naturally unwilling to accept this result, and furthermore, the issue with Li Taixuan... Qin Yi continued to look into Qin Lian''s eyes, which had become like black vortexes again. Her heart was full of despair. She understood that her mother''s heart had been filled with too much resentment and hatred. Now that those emotions had been ignited, there was no chance the Spirit Returning Water could possibly suppress them. She had naively assumed that so long as she could awaken a trace of Qin Lian''s sanity, her mother would take the initiative to suppress the corruption. Unfortunately, after the secret was unveiled, she knew that her mother never had any intention of saving herself. She was looking to die! However, before that happened, she would drag everyone down with her. Li Luo especially. "Little Yi, you''ve suffered a lot all these years. However, you can''t blame me for this. This road is one that I cannot look back on." The vortexes in Qin Lian''s eyes resurged with greater intensity than before, and just before her eyes were completely filled up by it, she flicked her finger and sent a ball of black light towards Qin Yi. It turned into a layer of feathers that completely enveloped her. "Little Yi, this is your mother''s last gift of love towards you. I hope you''ll be able to live through this catastrophe," Qin Lian softly said. When the black feathers covered Qin Yi''s entire body, Qin Lian''s face regained a sense of serenity and boundless amounts of resonant power rushed out of her. She stretched her hand out and viciously smacked the air. The void shattered and a black flame hand that resembled a devil''s claw appeared, directly reaching out towards Zhao Xiuyuan. Zhao Xiuyuan was completely taken aback. His five Duke Bergfrieds began to surge with incandescent light as he did his best to retreat. Bang! Alas, the eye-catching radiance emitted by his Duke Bergfrieds were nothing compared to the black flame hand. With a mere smack, all of his Duke Bergfrieds began to crack. In the end, he screamed in pain and his Duke Bergfrieds transformed back into motes of light that returned to his body. Zhao Xiuyuan vomited out a large mouthful of blood as he retreated hastily. However, the black flame hand lunged straight at him, catching him before crushing his flesh and bones in an instant. Argh! Zhao Xiuyuan let out an anguished cry. "Save me!" he screamed at Qin Beiming and the rest. Everyone had pale expressions. Zhao Xiuyuan was a fifth-grade Duke and yet he was as powerless as a newborn chick before Qin Lian. In their fright, the black flame hand then clenched into a fist, pulverizing what was left of Zhao Xiuyuan before flinging him away. His blood dyed the skies as he flew. Before everyone''s fearful gazes, Zhao Xiuyuan''s pitiful figure fell from the sky, landing right into the open maw of the flower bud. Crunch, crunch, crunch! The sharp fangs began to chew and the sounds of crunching bones were heard throughout the battlefield. Deep despair welled up within everyone''s eyes. Chapter 1369: Qin Jiujies Choice Chapter 1369: Qin Jiujie''s Choice The humongous gaping maw''s sharp fangs were grinding against each other as it chewed, sticky blood continuously flowing out and dyeing the nearby ground. A fifth-grade Duke had turned into meaty sustenance for the plant, and he was swallowed alive before everyone present. This scene heavily bore down upon their minds as they were on the verge of mental collapse. This was especially so for those from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. The Ten Thousand Beast Armies'' Guardian Generals were all pale with fright and their eyes welled up with terror. As everyone plunged into utter fear and despair, they saw that the huge, red petals were blooming further. There was now a black lotus seat in the center of the flower bud. Every petal of the lotus seat was carved with mysterious runes, each of which seemed capable of condensing incredible amounts of corruption. Negative emotions would surge within a Duke''s heart merely by setting their eyes upon it. Black energy flowed beneath the lotus seat, and if one looked closer, they would see millions of twisted figures propping up the seat with their bodies, preventing it from falling. The black lotus that made up the seat had not fully bloomed, but the blood-red pillar of light that shot out from the flower bud had strengthened by tens of times. Originally, the Four Heavenly Emperors Sealing Talisman was capable of resisting not only the blood light, but also the strange, gray motes of light that fell from in the gap in the World''s End River. However, with the strengthening of the blood-red pillar, everyone could see that the Four Heavenly Emperors Sealing Talisman was starting to dim. Although it contained a trace of four Heavenly Emperors powers, the side that was facing the Treasure Domain was weaker. And with the pillar of light''s interference from the inside, it was naturally affected. This also meant that as the black lotus within the flower bud grew, its ability to lure Others from the World''s End River gradually became even greater. In the gap of the World''s End River, the Tri-pupil Eye''s gaze flickered momentarily. All three pupils began to rotate as it observed the situation within the World''s End River Region. Qin Lian was focused on the gradually blooming black lotus when a twisted look of amusement and a sickly smile appeared on her cold face. "Now who''s up next?" She cackled coldly. The furious Qin Jiujie immediately turned glum when he heard the Faceless Other King speak about the Honored Lord Courtyard. Fear flashed through his eyes. The Honored Lord Courtyard was the terrifying foundation that allowed the Origin Reversion Institute to continue to exist. There were even Heavenly Emperors within it. A single Honored Lord''s appearance would attract the attention of all of the Heavenly Emperor bloodlines and incite a massive war. However, the Faceless Other Kings words made Qin Jiujie feel a little better. This meant that this entire disaster was not caused by his actions. This was a deep conspiracy that had long been planned for by the Origin Reversion Institute and had nothing to do with him. "Furthermore when this grand existence finally descends, the place where it will cause the most destruction will be the land of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. At that point in time, the Kings of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li will suffer the most. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin will then gain significant benefits." The Faceless Other King chuckled. Qin Jiujie''s expression shifted as he said in a harsh tone, "I don''t dare to trust you. I''m afraid I won''t be able to clean things up!" The Faceless Other King waved its hand. "It doesn''t matter if you don''t believe me. You can''t change anything. If this plan succeeds, do you still wish to be the hero that steps out and saves the World''s End River Region? Hahaha... Qin Jiujie, there is no need to make trouble for yourself. Don''t you know what sort of situation youre in? The moment your relationship with us is revealed, all of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent''s Heavenly Emperor powers will hate you to the bone. Even though you belong to the core of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, they won''t let you off easily. Perhaps your own Heavenly Emperor might smite you into oblivion out of righteousness. "Qin Jiujie, your only path ahead is to become the newest Other King of the Origin Reversion Institute. What will the chaos of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent have to do with you then? You might lead the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin now, but your potential has long been exhausted. If you wish to advance yet another step, you will have to rely on us. This is something that even your decrepit Heavenly Emperor Qin is unable to help you with." That last sentence caused Qin Jiujie to fall silent, and his gaze turned dark. Although the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin was a hegemon on the divine continent, it was far lacking when compared to the Origin Reversion Institute. This was something he was very clear about. Furthermore, the reason why he had the strength and position he held today was because of the Origin Reversion Institute''s support. In the end, Qin Jiujie chose to turn his head and look in the direction of Heavenly Dragon Peak. "In that case, when will I be able to see Li Jingzhe fall?" he asked gloomily. The Faceless Other King''s expressionless face began to squirm. "Thanks to Qin Lian''s great performance in the Treasure Domain, the ninth-grade luring platform has already started to bloom, attracting the attention of the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus. Now look..." When Qin Lian''s name was mentioned, Qin Jiujie''s gaze trembled slightly. He was aware that the Faceless Other King had planted several chess pieces during his time in Abyssal City. So it turned out that Qin Lian was one of them. However, this didn''t matter anymore. He didn''t pity her at all. That woman had become much too extreme in recent years, and her end was nigh. Qin Jiujie raised his head and looked into the void above the World''s End River. The gigantic eye continued to sweep its gaze about before finally focusing in a specific direction. It was locked onto Heavenly Dragon Peak. "The Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus will naturally be able to sense the strongest individual in the World''s End River Region. Who else could it be but the Quasi-Triple Crown Li Jingzhe? A good show will start soon," the Faceless Other King said in a mocking tone. Chapter 1370: The Fetus Descends Chapter 1370: The Fetus Descends Heavenly Dragon City When the humongous eye turned toward him, Li Jingzhe, who was standing atop the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion, felt as though the entire world had gone silent. The apocalyptic rain that caused even the void to shake had subsided and the dense corruption that lay outside the city seemed to have turned gentle. The countless Others that emerged from the corruption began to prostrate themselves on the ground, giving off a pious attitude. The numerous experts in the city were shocked by this development. They felt a sense of unease as this scene was simply too abnormal. Li Jingzhe''s wizened face turned solemn. He could sense that a terrifying aura was condensing. When he raised his head and looked towards the gap in the World''s End River where the three-pupil eye was, he could sense its gaze penetrating through the void and locking onto him. It contained power that even the Quasi-Triple Crown Li Jingzhe felt pressured by. This was something he had not experienced in years. So long as the Heavenly Emperors did not make a move, there were few in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent that could incite such a feeling within him. "Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus Grand Devil King," Li Jingzhe softly murmured to himself. It was a Heavenly Emperor-level existence, and it was a true peak existence even amongst the Others in the Shadow World. Thus, its mere gaze brought about an incredible sense of oppression and terror. Meanwhile, this particular Grand Devil King was focused right on him. Wah! Wah! The fetus then began to bawl as loudly as it could. As its cries rang out, all the worldly natural energy within the World''s End River Region was violently agitated. It then transformed into innumerable torrents of light which were then swallowed into the mouth of the fetus. After which, it began to shake its immature body and stretched its feet. The gray fetus then began to step forward, its body starting to swell. Ten steps later, the fetus transformed into a gray-robed man who silently stood in the sky above Heavenly Dragon City. The man''s eyes were dark gray and his appearance was average. He had a slight smirk on his face as he stood in the void with majestic amounts of vitality radiating from his body. If everyone had not personally seen the human fetus transform into its current shape, they would have assumed the man was a King from the human race. The gray-robed man completely ignored Heavenly Dragon City''s countless terrified gazes. His focus was on Li Jingzhe. "Li Jingzhe, do you plan to stop me from descending?" it asked. Although this was the first time it had even set his eyes on the old man, it was able to glean information about him from the frightened emotions of the crowd. The gray-robed man smiled. "Actually, our strength is relatively comparable right now. This is your last chance to leave the World''s End River Region. Otherwise, if things drag on... then your Quasi-Triple Crown bones will be buried here." Li Jingzhe remained silent. Worldly natural energy surged around him, looking as though a massive energy tide was forming in the world. Three crowns appeared above him, each giving off a pristine aura. Each wisp of pure energy contained energy fluctuations that would shock even a ninth-grade Duke. However, the third crown was relatively illusory when compared to the other two. Li Jingzhe stretched out his right hand, and an ordinary-looking bamboo pole appeared in his grasp. As the bamboo pole gently swayed, the void seemed to be screaming due to it bearing an immense pressure. This was the Kingslayer Staff! At the same time, he stretched out his left hand, and a crimson veil appeared. Within it were nine coiled flaming dragons. This was the Nine Dragon Fire Sword Veil. Clearly, even someone as strong as him didn''t dare to underestimate the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus. He had directly pulled out his two strongest venerated heirlooms.[1] Li Jingzhe took a step forward and appeared in the void above Heavenly Dragon City. This sort of battle was something that even the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation was unable to effectively influence. The old man stood outside the city with a bamboo pole in one hand and a veil in the other. He calmly observed the gray-robed man as his indifferent voice rang out. "Greetings, Grand Devil King. I am the Dragon''s Fang Lineages Lineage Chief, Li Jingzhe. I have no ambition to protect all of the hundreds of millions of living beings that occupy this world. I only wish to make sure that the children in my family remain safe and sound. This is why even though you are a Heavenly Emperor... I... will fight you to the very end." 1. TL Note: Those below Dukes use treasured artifacts. Dukes use Mythic Armaments, Kings use Venerated Heirlooms. ? Chapter 1371: Breaking Out Of The Cauldron Chapter 1371: Breaking Out Of The Cauldron Bang! The worldly natural energy in the entire World''s End River Region was violently thrashing around. Even the gloomy rain had stopped. It was almost as though the heavens were about to fall. "The human fetus of the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus has descended." In Abyssal City, Qin Jiujie''s gaze pierced through the void as he observed the two figures outside Heavenly Dragon City. The reason why worldly natural energy had started to run rampant was because of them. "Li Jingzhe truly possesses extraordinary courage. He shows no fear even when facing off against a Heavenly Emperor. He''s much better than you in that aspect," the Faceless Other King said with a grin. Qin Jiujie remained emotionless. "Those who can survive are the true victors." He then changed the subject. "The human fetus doesn''t seem to have reached its peak strength. I''m afraid it won''t be able to stop Li Jingzhe, especially since Zhu Yuan and Zhao Zong might lend a hand." Although Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong wasn''t on good terms with Li Jingzhe, the Origin Reversion Institute''s plot had come to light and the entire World''s End River Region was in danger. He wasn''t such a fool that he wouldn''t lend a helping hand. After all, if Li Jingzhe was dealt with, he wouldn''t be able to escape either. If Zhao Zong felt the need to take action, it also went without saying that White Elephant King Zhu Yuan would too. If they could offer assistance, the human fetus could be suppressed. "It looks like you''ve thought things through," the Faceless Other King mocked with a smile. Frankly speaking, Qin Jiujie had completely changed sides. He was no longer looking at things from the perspective of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, but rather as the newest Other King of the Origin Reversion Institute. "Rest assured, they can''t help him." The Faceless Other King waved its hand to show that Qin Jiujie had nothing to worry about. After it spoke, Qin Jiujie could sense majestic energy undulations coming from two different directions. "Zhu Yuan, Zhao Zong..." Qin Jiujie''s gaze flickered. He could sense that the two of them had started to fight. Clearly, they had been ambushed by Other Kings that had hidden away after the rain just before they were able to reinforce Heavenly Dragon Peak. "Now that they''ve taken action, we can''t stay silent either, or itll be too obvious. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin will receive criticism from everyone in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent," Qin Jiujie said. The Origin Reversion Institute was strong, but their reputation was in shambles. Furthermore, they were being targeted by the Academic Federation. Nothing positive would be gained if the relationship between them was exposed. The Faceless Other King nodded in agreement. "Your current identity is still useful to us. We have to ensure that it''s kept secret for now. Since that is the case, I''ll be the one to hold you back." The Faceless Other King grinned and then vanished into thin air. A few moments later, terrifying undulations capable of crushing the void could be felt from a location not too far away from Abyssal City. A gigantic, faceless visage surfaced amidst the inky-black rain. There were two vast, pitch-black crowns floating above the head, emanating black energy. Clearly, the Faceless Other King was about to start a show with Qin Jiujie as the main actor. A wry smile surfaced on Qin Jiujie''s face and his gaze turned cold. Roaring loudly, his voice boomed like thunder, reverberating throughout the region. "Faceless Other King, you dare to approach Abyssal City?" He then stepped forward, and incredible amounts of energy surged in the world around him. Two regal crowns condensed above him. It seemed as though everything around him was under his complete control. ...... World''s End River Treasure Domain, Other Dominion The blazing saturnine talons descended upon them and directly smashed their Spirit Insignias apart. The void was destroyed, and all it took was a single motion in order to capture the two of them. Terrifying amounts of energy accompanied the black flames as the two of them screamed in utter pain. It felt as though all the bones in their bodies were being slowly crushed. This scene left everyone chilled. Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo were the two strongest fighters on their side. They were the ones responsible for bearing the brunt of the pressure. Now that they had been seized, the rest of them were completely powerless to even resist her. "It''s over." Lu Shuanglu''s face paled. Zhang Cuicheng, who was beside her, wiped the traces of blood off his face. He tightly clutched his metal staff, which was dyed with blood. "Who would have thought that the two of us would die together like this? It would have been much much better if Young Mistress Qing''er was here instead," he lamented dryly. "Zhang Cuicheng! How about I kill you first?!" Lu Shuanglu screamed in frustration. This bumbling idiot had tricked her into this entire disastrous situation, and even at the end of the line, he dared to spout such nonsense! Not far away, Li Hongyou raised her head and stared intently at the Luan that covered the sky. In the end, she sighed lightly and sat down, no longer bothering to resist. The situation was desperate and everyone had basically lost the will to fight on. Qin Lian, on the other hand, let out peals of raucous laughter. The Saturnine Luan was on the verge of tossing Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo into the maws of the flower bud. However, it was at this very moment that Qin Lian''s eyes flickered. She hurriedly turned her head, and her crazed eyes stared at the indentation in the ground. What was sitting within that pit was an onyx cauldron that burned with black flames. More importantly, it was currently in the process of refining Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. However, she had sensed strange undulations coming from inside it just a moment ago. It seemed that the situation had gone out of her control. Without any hesitation, she summoned up even more black flames and directed them into the onyx cauldron. Boom! Unfortunately, the cauldron suddenly exploded before that happened! Incredibly violent energy undulations raged in every direction and the entire pit began to fall apart, forming huge cracks. Then black flames soared into the air. Qin Lian''s gaze was focused on those flames. Her expression twisted into a perverted smile. "Hahaha! Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, do you see this? I''ve finally killed your son! Hahahahaha!" Her laughter continued for quite a while before dying down. This was because two incredible pillars of light had arisen from the ashes, shooting into the sky. The entire area was bathed in their radiance. At the same time, a refreshing laugh rang out. "You mad woman! Today''s joy is all due to you! I''ll display your ashes on my table when I throw a grand wedding." Those words caused everyone''s pupils to dilate. At the same time, countless murmurs began to rise. "Li Luo?" "He actually didn''t die?!" 1. TL Note: Dukes gain a new power every three grades. Low-grade Dukes have Divine Mist. Middle-grade Dukes have the Spirit Insignia. High-grade Dukes have the Worldspace Domain. ? Chapter 1372: Li Luo, A Duke! Chapter 1372: Li Luo, A Duke! The two eye-catching resonant power pillars scattered the black flames. They then scattered the corruption in an eye-opening fashion before everyone''s despairing gazes. "Li Luo!" Li Hongyou, who had originally resigned herself to her fate, cried out as a look of joy appeared on her face. Not far away, Li Foluo, Li Tingyue, Li Hongque, and the others from the Heavenly Dragons Guardian Armies had faces full of shock. Who would ever have expected that the two of them would be able to escape the onyx cauldron alive? However, escaping was just buying time before they died. They had jumped from one boiling pot to another. Just how could Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e change the situation when Qin Lian was simply so terrifying? Qin Lian was also shocked senseless for a few moments. However, her vortex-like eyes began to revolve with increased intensity as a shrill and grating scream rang out. "Li Luo!" Frightening resonant power undulations burst out of her body, and her immense killing intent seemed to have solidified. It was obvious that she had gone completely crazy upon seeing Li Luo escape from the onyx cauldron. "So what if you''ve escaped? I''d feel so much more excited if I could kill you with my own hands!" Qin Lian gloomily spat out these vicious words. At the same time, the Saturnine Luan that had grabbed hold of Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo let out a screech before spewing out a stream of black flames. The black flames possessed shockingly high temperatures, and the void seemed to burn in its wake. It was like a dragon breaking through the skies and blasting towards the two radiant pillars of light. When everyone saw this, their hearts skipped a beat. The moment the Luan took action, even the likes of Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo were captured as easily as baby chicks. How could Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e even hope to block this? Just as they began to worry, another pillar of light that seemed to contain immense amounts of sacred light resonant power shot out in response. It was as though a sun was being born. A gigantic and gorgeous sword was condensed with seven jewels embedded into it. At the same time, divine light wrapped around the weapon, giving it a reflective glint. The light that flowed around it was far more dazzling than any other time it had appeared before. Tremendous resonant power undulations that exceeded everyone with the exception of Qin Lian could be felt. Bang! The radiant, giant sword directly clashed with the black flame tide that was spewed by the Luan. At the moment of collision, the holy sword energy immediately purified the tyrannical, black flames, leaving nothing behind! Everyone gaped in shock at the scene. However, the sacred sword energy didn''t stop there. After dealing with the black flames, it continued to zip across the skies without any loss of momentum, heavily striking the huge body of the Saturnine Luan in the blink of an eye. That single blow almost split the Saturnine Flame Luan into two. At the same time, the talons that were holding Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo loosened their grip. The two of them unceremoniously fell to the ground, vomiting out mouthfuls of fresh blood. This sight caused everyone''s eyes to shrink. From the moment Qin Lian had appeared, no one had been able to stop her attacks. Everyone had been suppressed and forced to retreat. This was the first time they had succeeded in counterattacking! "That sword... was that from Jiang Qing''e? How is that possible?" Li Zhihuo muttered in disbelief as he lay defeated on the ground. After all, he could clearly sense that the sword possessed light resonant power that had far surpassed what an ordinary fifth-grade Duke was capable of wielding. Qin Beiming was similarly moved. That was a blow he could not possibly have blocked. How did Jiang Qing''e become so strong? Could it be? At this point, his gaze hurriedly turned towards the two radiant pillars of light in the distance. He could see a long-robed figure who possessed absolute beauty slowly striding forward, wreathed with sacred light. It was a stunning sight. She held a holy sword, and wings of light slowly fluttered behind her, exuding divine brilliance. Her deep, golden eyes were piercing and mysterious, giving off a unique charm that one could lose themselves in. Jiang Qing''e! Her otherworldly appearance and temperament caused everyone to pause in their tracks momentarily. It was then that they saw two dazzling lights rising from the top of her head, transforming into two Duke Bergfrieds that stood proudly in the air. Their expressions remained solemn and their previous joy dissipated. Jiang Qing''e''s growth was a pleasant surprise, but Qin Lian was a bonafide eighth-grade Duke! She wasn''t someone they could look down on. No matter how strong a Transcendent Duke was, the gap between them was not easily filled. "We have to help as well!" Li Foluo shouted. Jiang Qing''e''s appearance had shown them a ray of hope. Bang! However, as soon his voice rang out, another beam of light burst out beside Jiang Qing''e. The energy fluctuations were incredibly vast and mighty, surprising everyone yet again. It was strong enough that everyone''s attention had turned over to it. "My apologies, I''ve just broken through and I''m not familiar with how to wield this incredible power. That is why I had to take some time to sort things out..." This was accompanied by laughter. "Li Luo?" Jiang Qing''e''s appearance had been a miracle, and they had almost forgotten about him. Amidst their bewildered gazes, Li Luo emerged from that blazing pillar of light. He still looked the same and his features were as sharp as before. His eyes shone brightly and a warm smile hung on his face, though something about him felt different. It was an indescribable sense of pressure. This feeling was only exacerbated when Li Luo stepped into the skies and two rays of light shot out of him. Everyone''s gazes were directed towards the rays of light. The dazzling lights were accompanied by gusts of wind. After a few moments, two Duke Bergfrieds appeared before everyones eyes. Both of them stood tall and had an imposing presence. However, they were a little different from Jiang Qing''e''s glass-like Duke Bergfrieds and were instead flowing with a myriad of different colors of brilliant light. Clear, water-like light flowed around them, constantly pouring downwards and keeping the Duke Bergfrieds unblemished and free of dust. Countless dark-green, tree-like patterns were wrapped around the Bergfrieds. The walls were engraved with the image of a Heavenly Dragon, which emitted a majestic and mysterious presence. No one had ever seen a Duke Bergfried with so many different elements to it. However, this did not hinder their gazes, which finally lingered at the top of the Bergfrieds. There were ten ancient and towering pillars, quietly standing before their very eyes. The golden pillars were perfect with none missing, possessing a transcendent quality. They were also Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds! Everything fell silent at this moment, and numerous flabbergasted gazes stared at the sight before them. Meanwhile, Li Luo let out a light chortle. "Mad woman, I have to apologize. I also am..." Li Luo waved his hand, and the Dragon Elephant Blade appeared in his grasp. Meanwhile, the two Duke Bergfrieds above him roared to life. "A second-grade Transcendent Duke!" Chapter 1373: Two Second-grade Transcendent Dukes Chapter 1373: Two Second-grade Transcendent Dukes The two towering Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds above Li Luo''s head were incredibly eye-catching. Everyone was staring at them, and waves battered their hearts. In fact, they felt even more shell-shocked as compared to when they saw Jiang Qing''e emerge. It wasn''t surprising that Li Luo had reached the Duke Stage, and it wasn''t the fact that he had obtained a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried either. After all, this was still acceptable, considering that he had fully completed the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, obtaining a 100,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram. No, it was the fact that he had jumped straight to the Second Duke Stage from the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, and with two Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds to boot! This terrifying jump had exceeded everyone''s wildest imaginations. There were many exceptional geniuses amongst this group, including the likes of Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo. They were all the best amongst their peers and hence had the possibility of becoming high-grade Dukes as well. If things aligned, they could even become Kings! In the depths of their hearts, they had also harbored ambitions to forge a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, symbolizing unrivaled strength and the highest achievement one could obtain in the Duke Stage. It would allow them to possess unparalleled power! With just a single Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, their combat power would rise exponentially, capable of easily fighting foes above their level. This was a normal feat for those who embarked on the Path of Ascension. Even if one had fully completed the earlier stages, whether it was the likes of the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier or the 100,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram, it was all just a foundational stone on the way to forging their Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. However, the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried was simply in a league of its own. It was incredibly difficult to form one, and even a genius like Qin Beiming, who had worked hard over countless years, had failed to forge one. The difficulty was simply incomprehensible. Thus, when they saw that Li Luo had obtained two Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds at once, they were in complete disbelief. What sort of terrifying talent and opportunity was required for this to happen? What had happened in the onyx cauldron? "He formed two Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds starting from nothing. Just what sort of freak is he?" Lu Shuanglu''s expression shifted and her mouth was agape. As a genius from Golden Dragon Mountain, she had high expectations of herself. However, such a breakthrough into the Duke Stage was extremely rare even in their long chronicled history. Meanwhile, Zhang Cuicheng fell silent for a while before he said bitterly, "As expected of the person that Young Mistress Qing''er has taken a fancy to. His potential and talent far surpass mine." Lu Shuanglu glanced to her side. Although this boorish fellow seemed a little slow on the outside, he was extremely arrogant deep down. Not many could catch his eye, much less make him admit that he was their inferior. Despite those words, anyone who saw the scene before them could only nod in agreement. Not far away, Li Foluo, Li Tingyue, and the rest of the survivors from the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies were in a daze. It was only a while later that Li Foluo regained his spirit and said with a complicated expression, "What in the world? That brat soared into the heavens with a single step." His heart was full of varying emotions. The good news was that Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had shown them a ray of hope in this despairing situation. The bad news was that his time as the Guardian General was about to come to an end. That all-encompassing happiness was condensed into a single reply. "Congratulations, Li Luo." This meant that his limited lifespan of five years, the blade that hung over his head, had been dealt with. He was no longer restrained by it. With that, a heavy stone had been lifted off her heart. Li Luo grinned cheekily. "Actually, it''s all thanks to you, Sister Qing''e." Jiang Qing''e''s beautiful and sacred appearance turned a little flushed. This only added to her stunning appearance because she knew exactly what he was referring to. "Oh right, now that you''ve reached the Duke Stage, have you obtained a fourth resonance?" Jiang Qing''e asked curiously. He was already in a special situation, considering he had three resonant palaces with six resonance affinities even before breaking through. Even Jiang Qing''e had only obtained her third resonance upon reaching the Duke Stage. In an ordinary situation, a fourth resonance should have been born. Four resonant palaces! Just thinking about it was incredibly shocking. Even with Jiang Qing''e''s usually taciturn character, she was incredibly curious about it. A look of helplessness appeared on Li Luo''s face. Indeed, a new resonant palace had appeared within him after the breakthrough, as per normal. Within his body, his mind inspected the new resonant palace. It was incredibly bright and well-built, and it even gave off a majesty that was incomparable to the previous three. Alas... the interior was empty. Unsurprisingly... it was a blank palace. 1. TL Note: They are called MC''s ? Chapter 1374: Fourth Resonant Palace, Blank Palace! Chapter 1374: Fourth Resonant Palace, Blank Palace! Li Luo felt a little melancholic upon sensing this... Sure enough, he was different from everyone else. This result didn''t cause him to lose hope. On the contrary, he was no longer that lost and ignorant youth from years ago. He knew that a blank palace was not a burdenit was actually a wondrous opportunity others could never ask for. He was able to reach his current heights and achieve these miracles precisely because of his three resonant palaces and six resonances. He would simply have to find a way to obtain a fourth acquired resonance, and everything would be fine. However, he would have to find the supposed Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art to do that. The first step was to figure out how to obtain that art in the first place. As he was lost in thought, Jiang Qing''e came to a realization and asked him in surprise, "Could it be that your fourth resonance is also a blank palace?" Li Luo nodded. "Thats..." Jiang Qing''e''s expression was a little strange. She didn''t know exactly how to respond, but in the end, she consoled him. "This should be a good thing for you." Anyone else might have felt helpless if they ended up with a blank palace after reaching the Duke Stage. However, Li Luo was extremely experienced when it came to this, so Jiang Qing''e didn''t worry too much. He had already resolved the issues of three blank palaces in the past, so he would naturally find a way. "However, your breakthrough for the second Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried was a little hasty. You shouldn''t have rushed it." Jiang Qing''e''s tone changed and her expression turned serious as she glanced at the two Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds above him. To everyone else, the fact that Li Luo had produced a second Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried out of nowhere was nothing short of mind-blowing. However, Jiang Qing''e had been with him the entire time in the onyx cauldron and understood his situation best. The second Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried had been formed with the same top-grade Foundational Spirit Treasure as its foundation and had been supplemented with his own potential and the help of the magical state he was in. To an ordinary genius, just obtaining such a Duke Bergfried was perfection, but to her, the second one was slightly flawed. It did not seem like a problem at this point in time, but it would definitely become a hidden malaise, causing his Path of Ascension to be even harder. Li Luo responded coolly with a smile, "Sister Qing''e, you can rest assured. I have my own considerations here." Jiang Qing''e glanced at him suspiciously. Since Li Luo had said it himself, she would not probe any further. At this point in time, a weak voice was transmitted to his ears. "Congratulations on reaching the Duke Stage, Li Luo." It was the small snake that Li Lingjing had transformed into. She had been quietly lingering around him, and her eyes slowly opened with a hint of indolence. "Are you alright, Cousin Lingjing?" Li Luo asked. "So what if you became a Transcendent second-grade Duke? You''ll die anyway." As her gloomy voice echoed, the eight Duke Bergfrieds above her began to radiate terrifying energy undulations that swept across the field. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s expressions turned serious. Jiang Qing''e had reached the upper second-grade, whereas Li Luo was at the lower second-grade. It was said that Transcendent Dukes were capable of challenging ordinary Dukes up to three grades above them. Thus, Jiang Qing''e was capable of challenging an upper fifth-grade Duke, and Li Luo, a lower fifth-grade. Of course, if they were able to use a tyrannical Destiny-grade Duke Art, their combat power would be even higher. As a result, their relative strength wasn''t truly fixed. However, none of this was enough to deal with the eighth-grade Qin Lian. Their breakthrough, despite giving everyone morale, had only increased the odds of survival from a zero percent chance to perhaps thirty percent. Regardless, this was a positive development. At the very least, Qin Lian couldn''t act as wantonly as before, casually sealing them in a cauldron for her own entertainment and controlling their lives on a whim. "Sister Qing''e, are you ready?" Li Luo grinned as he brandished his Dragon Elephant Blade. Jiang Qing''e''s expression was calm as she nodded slightly. "Now for the next act... it will be just the two of us." At this point, he paused and looked at the little black snake wrapped around his wrist with a smile. "Well, the three of us. Let''s see if we can truly escape this catastrophe." "Ouch!" At this point, the scarlet bracelet on his wrist suddenly let out a howl. It was the Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf... "Oh? Brother Wolf, have you been awake the whole time?" Li Luo asked with a wry smile. Just as it was about to answer, it felt a chill in its heart. It hurriedly said, "No, no... I just woke up." Li Luo nodded approvingly. The Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf heaved a sigh of relief. It had no choice here as it knew that from now on, it could no longer speak to Li Luo arrogantly. After all, Li Luo completely eclipsed it in terms of strength. Its power was capable of greatly augmenting Li Luo''s strength when the latter was at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. But now that he was a second-grade Transcendent Duke, their positions had reversed. Thus, its role had diminished as its power was less helpful to Li Luo. In order to not be abandoned, it had to demonstrate its presence. Li Luo didn''t say more as he tightly grasped the Dragon Elephant Blade. A moment later, the two perfect Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds above him roared to life. Boundless resonant power surged through Li Luo''s body like a tide. Li Luo lifted the blade while his gaze was focused on Qin Lian. At the same time, his voice boomed like thunder laced with overflowing killing intent. "Qin Lian! All those years ago, my parents let you go because they couldnt be bothered to get rid of you. Today... is the day I will slaughter you and reap the karmic fruit from the karma that was sown years ago!" Chapter 1375: The Couple Join Hands Battling Qin Lian! Chapter 1375: The Couple Join Hands Battling Qin Lian! "Hahaha! Two measly second-grade Transcendent Dukes dare to claim that they will kill me?" When faced with Li Luo''s murderous declaration, Qin Lian began to guffaw crazily. Her long hair danced in the wind and an ocean of viscous corruption overflowed out of her body, covering almost half the sky. The oppressive feeling she gave off made it difficult for the lower-grade Dukes to even breathe. Everyone had faces full of worry. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e might have had a stupendous rise in strength, but they were still a little too weak. Even if they were both third-grade, Qin Lian would still have an overwhelming advantage over them. Qin Beiming and the rest of the fifth-grade Dukes had joined hands previously, and some had ended up dying pitifully. Just how much better could the two of them do? As they were lost in worry, Qin Lian took a step forward and her cold voice rang out. "Eight Bergfrieds Empowerment! Duke''s Worldspace Domain!" The eight towering Duke Bergfrieds that resembled humongous mountains began to emit terrifying resonant power undulations. The world started to darken at this moment. Qin Beiming, Li Zhihuo, and the rest had ugly expressions. Qin Lian was no longer holding back, fully activating the power of her Duke''s Worldspace Domain. This meant that all of the worldly natural energy within her domain would fall under her control. It had become onerous for them to wield worldly natural energy to assist in the battle. This was why Dukes were strong; their Bergfrieds were able to resonate with worldly natural energy and thus mobilize it and augment their own attacks. However, Qin Lian''s eight Duke Bergfrieds had strengthened her Worldspace Domain and wrestled control from everyone else, weakening them immensely. "I want you to know that a second-grade Transcendent Duke is nothing more than a worm shaking a tree before absolute power! I will let you personally taste despair and death!" Qin Lian waved her pale hand, and her Duke Bergfrieds began to emit black smoke into the skies, forming two gigantic, obsidian-colored meteors. Each meteor blazed with sooty flames and possessed incredible annihilative power. They streaked through the void, smashing towards Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo. Ear-rending booms could be heard as the meteors descended. Qin Beiming, Li Zhihuo, and the rest stared in shock. Qin Lian was significantly stronger than she was earlier and was radiating a completely different level of hatred compared to before. If they were on the receiving end of that attack, considering the fact that their Duke Bergfrieds had been suppressed, they would definitely perish. When the rune fused with the divine light, its appearance turned even more exquisite and glorious. In fact, it looked like a rainbow-colored divine dragon! "Transcendent Divine Mist is truly miraculous." Li Luo sighed when he sensed that the Divine Mist from his Duke Bergfrieds had bolstered his Demon Smiting Light significantly. After cultivating with no break for several years, he was finally able to truly experience the sheer power of a Duke without the aid of others. A moment later, the divine light arced across the horizon together with the beautiful sword of light, directly colliding with the descending meteors. Bang! When the attacks collided, terrifying twisters and gales buffeted the area and energy shockwaves permeated in every direction. Those who were weaker were sent flying and their internals were shaken by the sheer force. Despite that, they continued to stare at the point where the attacks had clashed. The void showed signs of collapsing and a storm of energy raged wantonly. The two black flame meteors were gradually pulverized into black motes of light in the sky. At the same time, the dazzling divine light and sword of light shattered as their energy was consumed. The attack had been blocked! Looks of glee appeared in everyones eyes. This was the first time since Qin Lian had arrived that they had managed to fend off her attacks. Despite the growing happiness of the crowd, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e didn''t share in their sentiment. They had only managed to stop Qin Lian''s probing blow, which was nothing worth celebrating. Qin Lian''s vortex-like eyes began to churn. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had shrugged off the controlling effects of her Worldspace Domain, which was out of her expectations. Furthermore, although she knew that a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried was considered perfect and gave their user great strength, it didn''t have such an ability. That said, her casual attack had already forced their hand and she had learned something important. Thus, what came next would be important... Qin Lian took a step forward, and her voice, which resembled the coldest winter, rang out. "Destiny-grade Duke Art? You''re not the only ones with that. I have one too." Chapter 1376: Nine-tiered Golden Rampart Karmic Flame Pagoda Chapter 1376: Nine-tiered Golden Rampart Karmic Flame Pagoda Qin Lian''s words were laced with endless amounts of killing intent and hatred. Even those who were far away could feel the heart palpitating aura of her words. Qin Beiming, Li Zhihuo, and the rest felt their scalps turning numb and their gazes were full of shock. She stepped forward, and her hands flowed with pitch-black light while she executed hand seals at lightning speed, leaving behind countless afterimages. As each hand seal was executed, the eight Duke Bergfrieds above her began to boom thunderously and an ocean of resonant power rushed into the air, ripping apart the firmament. The pressure exuded by the sheer amount of energy congregating around her caused a hurricane to sweep across the area. The eight Duke Bergfrieds began to spew out resonant power, which immediately transformed into a black flame. It gave off a cold and gloomy aura, congealing above her. This transformed into a humongous pagoda that was hundreds of thousands of feet tall. It had nine floors and an intense, jet-black flame surrounded it. The walls of the pagoda were engraved with magical runes and talismans. Golden light began to spread across the walls layer after layer. Its appearance elicited shocked cries. The weaker Dukes immediately started to shake. Their entire being seemed to have been paralyzed by the imposing pressure radiating from the pagoda, and their faces had turned pale. An eighth-grade Duke utilizing a Destiny-grade Duke Art with all their strength was so destructive that the mere aftershock could annihilate first and second-grade Dukes. "Brother Qin, is that a Destiny-grade Duke Art from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin?" Li Zhihuo tentatively asked. Qin Beiming answered hesitantly, "Hall Master Qin Lian is quite talented. This should be the Nine-tiered Golden Rampart Karmic Flame Pagoda, a lower Destiny-grade Duke Art. She''s cultivated it for many years, so she should have reached Greater Completion. It can be considered to be at the peak of lower Destiny-grade and close to middle Destiny-grade. She once used it as a lower sixth-grade Duke to slaughter an upper sixth-grade opponent." Li Zhihuo''s expression paled. Qin Lian was an exceptional genius in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, and if not for the emergence of Tan Tailan and Li Taixuan, she might have been the central figure in her generation of elites. Thus, she easily had the ability to battle above her grade. That combined with the fact that she was utilizing a Destiny-grade Duke Art meant that she was more than a force to be reckoned with. Just how could Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e overcome this trial? A second-grade Transcendent Duke was indeed almighty, but it was as Qin Lian had saidit was simply not enough. Not even if they were third-grade. However, Li Zhihuo knew that it was a delusion to believe that they could survive. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had reached a whole new realm of strength, and that was already a miracle, but it would be unrealistic to expect more from them. How could they possibly resist Qin Lian''s all-out assault? Li Luo was taken aback before he finally relaxed a little. However, he still asked with worry, "Are you sure?" The fact that Jiang Qing''e was forced to ignite her Heart of Light in the past had cast a great shadow on his heart. He never wanted to see her sacrifice herself in the same way ever again. She nodded, but deep down, her thoughts were a little different. If they truly had no way out of this, leaving the Heart of Light intact would be worthless as well. It was better to sacrifice it to save Li Luo and create a path out for him. As she thought about this, a wisp of sacred light arose from her head and floated above her Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds. After which, incomparably pure light resonant power surged out and caused this wisp of light to expand, eventually transforming into a halo thousands of feet long. The halo blazed with sacred flames. This was her lower Destiny-grade Duke Art, the Radiant Divineflame Heavenly Ring! However, the Duke Art had transformed slightly. As the gigantic ring of light increased in brilliance over time, a slender and exquisite figure walked out of the ring itself. This figure was a copy of Jiang Qing''e in every way, with the exception of its size. It was thousands of feet tall, resembling an apparition of the heavens and earth, instilling shock in everyone''s hearts. At the same time as the figure had manifested, a gigantic sword made of light that was studded with seven jewels began to condense. Quasi-Destiny-grade Duke Art, Seven Treasures Glazed Sword of Light! Ancient runes appeared on Jiang Qing''e''s forehead, condensing into a circle of light between her eyebrows. Those were her Archaic Runes! After which, she borrowed the aid of the Heart of Light and the Archaic Runes to bolster the resonant power coming from her, reaching an astonishing level. When she lifted her head, her gaze was focused on the figure that resembled her. The figure had gracefully stretched its jade-like hand out to grab the regal sword of light. Two Destiny-grade Duke Arts had been perfectly fused into one. Light illuminated the entire dominion, dispelling corruption where it stood. Her eyes flickered as she felt a little emotional. She had tried many times to fuse these two Duke Arts, and she had finally done so perfectly. In the past, she had never been able to integrate them fully into one. However, now that she was an upper second-grade Duke, she had succeeded. Based on what the Third School Master had said, when two Duke Arts were successfully fused, the result would be considered a brand new Destiny-grade Duke Art. It was known as... the World Cleansing Goddess'' Sword! This was a peak middle Destiny-grade Duke Art! Chapter 1377: Thunder Dragon Fang Sword! Chapter 1377: Thunder Dragon Fang Sword! When the divine goddess wielding the sword appeared, it attracted everyone''s attention. They were genuinely shocked by this scene. Qin Beiming, Li Zhihuo, and the rest all revealed looks of fear. The energy undulations the figure emitted were capable of threatening even a sixth-grade Duke. "The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College is indeed extraordinary." Li Luo sighed in amazement. Jiang Qing''e had learned all her Destiny-grade Duke Art at that ancient college, and their Duke Arts all came from the same lineage and were full of potential. However, just as Jiang Qing''e prepared her trump card to deal with Qin Lian''s killer move, majestic amounts of sword energy burst out from above Li Luo. This sword energy seemed capable of slicing the firmament into two, leaving a chill in everyone''s hearts. The sword energy swiftly interweaved and integrated as one, taking the shape of a mysterious and ancient sword formation. "Water Dragon Fang Sword, Wood Dragon Fang Sword." With a thought, two Dragon Fang Swords with different resonant powers condensed. The sword energy coming from the formation instantly became sharper, constantly slicing rifts in the void. This was Li Luo''s trump card, one that he had kept hidden away for a long time. The Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation! The two Dragon Fang Swords anchored the corners of the formation and began to release incredible amounts of sword energy. However, this was not enough. It was far from enough. Li Luo formed a hand seal, and a moment later, a resplendent mote of light arose from his head and a storm kicked up. Tens of thousands of rays of light blossomed from that mote, accompanied with a draconic roar and the hymns of swords. It was as though a giant light dragon was emerging from the void. The Light Dragon Fang Sword! Li Luo flicked his finger, and the newly condensed Light Dragon Fang Sword found its way into the formation as well, causing the formation''s overall strength to skyrocket. Sword energy surrounded by violent thunder energy pierced through the skies and illuminated the world. This was the fourth sword, the Thunder Dragon Fang Sword! As numerous gazes turned towards the lightning storm, Li Luo stood under it valiantly, his dragonoid figure exuding a savage aura. He then lifted his hand, and his voice boomed like thunder. "Thunder Dragon Fang Sword, enter the formation!" Boom! The sword cut through the void as it sped across, eventually settling into a corner of the ancient sword formation. Four swords were suspended in four different corners. The formation was filled up with a terrifying amount of sword energy. When the rest saw this, they felt frightened out of their wits. It was as though they could smell the stench of death merely by setting their eyes on it. "How absolutely frightening!" Qin Beiming gulped. Now that both parties had summoned their strongest techniques, the skies and the earth turned calm. Everyone knew that an annihilating tempest was brewing. Qin Lian stood tall in the air, her robes fluttering with the wind. Her vortex-like eyes were still filled with endless amounts of hatred and killing intent. Meanwhile, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had pulled out their aces in this final decisive moment. It was sufficient to amaze anyone, but the more outstanding they were, the more intense Qin Lian''s murderous intent became. After all, only by killing them could Tan Tailan feel true pain! "The thought of being able to slaughter Transcendent geniuses is truly refreshing!" Qin Lian cackled. The eight Duke Bergfrieds above her began to quiet down as the gigantic pagoda that blazed with black flames turned corporeal. A devilish pagoda hundreds of thousands of feet tall stood before the duo. Her art had finally reached its peak stage of power. Qin Lian no longer hesitated, slamming her hand viciously forward. The void shattered like glass before her. The nine-layered gigantic pagoda began to descend! It was like a humongous devil descending from the skies, capable of smashing apart everything. Meanwhile, the figure that stood above Jiang Qing''e brandished its beautiful sword and rays of light reminiscent of the sun lit up the entire world, heading towards the pagoda in response. Li Luo sucked in a deep breath, and the majestic amounts of sword energy condensed into a singular body within the formation. He curled his fingers together and his most powerful attack was launched. Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, Four Dragon Fang Swords! Condensed Obliteration Sword Embryo! Chapter 1378: Condensed Obliteration Sword Embryo! Karmic Fire Extinguishes! The gigantic and archaic sword formation let out a massive rumble. The sound waves resulting from that contained a trace of sword energy, leaving behind numerous rifts in the void as they traveled through the air. Meanwhile, the ground below was being sliced up, with each sword scar looking as smooth as glass. The vast amounts of sword energy merged into one body as it flooded outwards. This sword energy was a chaotic blend of different colors, seemingly endless. As light flowed, it formed a vague and humongous sword manifestation. It resembled some sort of developing sword embryo. However, the sheer energy released by the blurry sword was capable of rending the heavens into two. This was the Condensed Obliteration Sword Embryo! It was Li Luo''s strongest trump card now at the Four Sword Realm. The Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation had reached the upper Destiny-grade at this point. Such a Duke Art would be considered a treasure shared by the entire bloodline amongst the four Heavenly Emperor bloodlines! No one had ever imagined that Li Luo still had something this lethal up his sleeve. Furthermore, such a Destiny-grade Duke Art would rarely be encountered even in the archives of the Heavenly Emperor lineages. And as for the ones that were available, few had the aptitude to learn them. Li Luo pushed his palm out amidst the shocked gazes. The blurry sword embryo seemed to be wrapped in waves of power that could completely annihilate everything in its wake as it flew through the air. At the same time, the figure of light above Jiang Qing''e struck at the same time, and both attacks collided with the black pagoda directly. In that moment of collision, everything seemed to have turned silent. Space and time seemed to have paused. However, it was not that things had turned silent, but that the resulting explosion was so incredibly loud that it blotted out every other sound. When the raging energy undulations reached their peak, everyone''s senses were blocked by their sheer power. They could only vaguely make out that three terrifying energies had smashed into each other in the air, just before a cataclysmic explosion capable of exterminating all life unfolded. A giant black hole was ripped out of the firmament, and it began to suck in everything around it, crushing everything to pieces like a humongous millstone. In the middle of that blackhole were the three Destiny-grade Duke Arts still clashing and looking to erode away at each other. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds were working in overdrive, copiously devouring worldly natural energy and transforming into Divine Mist to further augment their attacks. This confrontation allowed them to clearly sense how devastating the nine-tiered pagoda was. It truly held apocalyptic power. An eighth-grade Duke had poured all her strength into this Destiny-grade Duke Art and thus, it might have exceeded their expectations. If it were Qin Beiming or Li Zhihuo facing off against her, they might barely have held on for a single breath before being pulverized. Meanwhile, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were able to use the combination of their Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds, their talent, and their strong teamwork to withstand Qin Lian''s attack. If news of their achievement made it out of the Treasure Domain, it would undoubtedly send tremors throughout the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Of course this is assuming they could survive. The cataclysmic clash continued to unfold in the void. The mere aftershocks were causing the Other Dominion to begin to show signs of collapse. "Those freaks actually managed to block an eighth-grade Duke''s Destiny-grade Duke Art?" Lu Shuanglu was completely taken aback. "They haven''t succeeded yet. That massive pagoda is still crushing down on them," Zhang Cuicheng commented. "Of course, but just doing what theyre doing now is already frightening." When the gloomy ringing of the bell sounded out, everyone who heard it was affected and their gazes became vacant. It was as though their minds were being muddled by the sounds of the bell. Only Qin Beiming, Li Zhihuo, and those who were stronger were capable of resisting the bell''s chimes. They clenched their teeth as they raced towards the flower bud. Very quickly, they were forced to stop in their tracks. Qin Beiming''s expression was dark as he glanced at the bloody maw. He could see a pale hand that oozed fresh blood stretching out of it. It then grasped hold of one of the fangs and forcefully wrenched itself out of the flower bud. A figure that Qin Beiming was familiar with emerged. Surprisingly, it was Zhao Xiuyuan, the one who had been thrown into the maws of the flower bud and been chewed up not too long ago. That said, Zhao Xiuyuan had eyes devoid of any spirit and it looked as though he had long lost his mind. This was nothing more than an empty shell. However, Qin Beiming''s heart sank. This empty shell was oozing with corruption, and it seemed to be even stronger than the Zhao Xiuyuan of the past. He sucked in a deep breath. Their opponent clearly had all sorts of methods up their sleeves; even this backup precaution was capable of leaving people in despair. That said, he had no other path available to him. Qin Beiming tightly clutched his spear and bellowed loudly. He roused all of the resonant power and killing intent he could muster, infusing it into his strike as he dashed towards Zhao Xiuyuan. Another bloody battle began to unfold. Qin Lian never gave him a second look. Instead, her callous gaze was focused on the black hole in the air. The two sides were giving everything they had to destroy the other. The bottom of the pagoda spewed out dark-red flames. Wherever the flames passed, whether it was Li Luo''s Condensed Obliteration Sword Embryo or Jiang Qing''e''s Goddess of Light, everything began to show signs of being burned into nothingness. "So what if you reached the second-grade? Transcendent Dukes are nothing more than ants before absolute power!" Qin Lian scoffed shrilly. She then clasped her fingers together to make a seal before heavily smashing her hands downwards. Bang! The gigantic devilish pagoda suddenly pressed down with even greater force. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s eyes shrunk and their hearts sank. Her move had caused the Condensed Obliteration Sword Embryo and the sword-wielding Goddess of Light to show signs of shattering! Chapter 1379: Desperate Straits The void began to fracture with increasing speed as the dark-red flames surged. Everything it passed by disintegrated, including the Sword Embryo and the goddess of light. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e grunted as the energy in their bodies began to churn violently. Blood leaked from the corners of their mouths, and they could sense an overbearing and burning energy enter their bodies. This was the power of karmic flames. The flames blazing around the pagoda swamped towards their Duke Arts and infiltrated their bodies, burning them from within. The flames were so that tyrannical ordinary resonant power was unable to extinguish them. Ordinary individuals would only be able to watch helplessly as the flames ignited their entire bodies and reduced them to ashes. However, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had methods to protect themselves. Li Luo immediately roused the Acquired Resonance Flame and used its exceptional refining abilities to resist and to destroy the karmic flames entirely. Meanwhile, Jiang Qing''e borrowed the aid of her exceptionally pure light resonant power to purify them. That said, they didn''t relax just yet. The karmic flames that invaded their bodies were just a minor issue. The true problem, the humongous pagoda that was pressing down on them, was still descending. The duo solemnly looked at the giant pagoda that was coming from the skies. Qin Lian had far too many advantages over them, and even though they had tried their best, they couldnt overcome them. There was no choice. The gap between them was immense. If it were anyone else, even if they were two sixth-grade Dukes, they might also have been left in utter despair. Bang! The pagoda moved downwards once more, and dark-red karmic flames surged towards them once again. The void surrounding the pagoda had transformed into a black hole. Above Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were four majestic Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds that resembled unconquerable walls, blocking the descent of the flames. Bang! The two sides clashed, and the ancient runes on the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds lit up, spewing out incredible amounts of Divine Mist that attempted to stem the reach of the karmic flames. However, this only slowed them down. Even Transcendent Divine Mist was incinerated into nothingness by the karmic flames. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e activated every shred of resonant power they could, attempting to persevere as long as possible. As they endured, Qin Lian''s cold voice rang out. "Li Luo, you can resist, but I''m afraid those beneath you won''t be able to." His gaze turned downwards, and his heart sank. In the battlefield below, many people had been affected by the bell, and some of the weaker ones already had their minds controlled. They then lumbered towards the bloody maw like zombies. Meanwhile, the fanged maw seemed almost delighted to see that fresh food was walking towards it. It chomped at them, and the sounds of squelching flesh and crunching bones reverberated. As more and more offered themselves to it, the black lotus within the flower bud began to bloom further and the pillar of red light intensified. "Li Luo, that pillar of light is capable of ruining the effects of the Four Heavenly Emperors Sealing Talisman. The terrifying entity it has lured has already partially descended and is fighting against Lineage Chief Jingzhe. Once the Four Heavenly Emperors Sealing Talisman is completely destroyed, the black lotus can let out an even stronger force and allow that existence to descend with even greater strength. At that point in time, Lineage Chief Jingzhe will not be its match," Li Lingjing told Li Luo. She softly said, "Today, we will either live together, or die together." With those words, she formed a seal with both hands and lightly patted her chest. Her Heart of Light began to shine with incandescent brilliance. A tidal wave of light resonant power roared out, and her glazed Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds became even more blinding. Jiang Qing''e had stimulated her Heart of Light further in exchange for greater power. The two Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds began to rise higher, emitting so much sacred light that it resembled a sea, resisting the burning of the karmic flames. Sweat dripped off her fair and perfectly shaped face as she now had to bear the effects of the karmic flames by herself. It was clearly no easy feat. When Li Luo saw this, he knew he couldn''t tarry any longer either. He immediately recalled his two Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds back towards him, and they bloomed with brilliant light above him. He glanced at the second Duke Bergfried. This particular one was as Jiang Qing''e had said. It was hastily forged, and although it had ten pillars, it had flaws. There werent any consequences at the moment, but if Li Luo truly wanted to become a Transcendent Duke, it would undoubtedly become a hidden danger in his path ahead. Jiang Qing''e had not understood why Li Luo had chosen to act so hastily. That said, Li Luo had explained to her that he had a plan for it. Judging by the way things were going, it was now time to put that plan into action. His gaze was serene as he lifted the Dragon Elephant Blade and resolutely hacked towards the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. The blade energy wasn''t exceptionally strong, but it seemed to light a fuse, and countless cracks appeared on the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. Kacha! Kacha! A moment later, the sounds of shattering rang out. Jiang Qing''e hurriedly turned her head to see Li Luo destroying one of his Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds. Turbulent emotions flooded her heart. She knew what Li Luo was planning to do... He was going to sever his Bergfried and break through this situation! Chapter 1380: Destroying His Bergfried Chapter 1380: Destroying His Bergfried Severing one''s own Duke Bergfried was a desperate measure that was not considered to be too rare amongst Dukes. Whenever a Duke Bergfried was destroyed, it would generate a massive influx of energy that would far exceed one''s own level. However, a Duke Bergfried was the culmination of one''s potential and foundation. Many Dukes had spent immense amounts of sweat and blood just to forge one. Just how difficult would it be to reforge it again? Thus, some Dukes would choose to die rather than do such a thing. Jiang Qing''e had not expected that Li Luo would be this decisive. After all, it was a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried! Countless geniuses and talents sought them as the pinnacles of achievement. Countless opportunities and resources were used to create them, so who in their right mind would be willing to destroy their own Bergfried? However... Jiang Qing''e''s heart trembled. Li Luo had chosen to destroy the second Duke Bergfried, which was flawed to begin with. She had originally thought that he had acted too hastily. Now that she looked at it, it was clear this was all part of his plan. Perhaps during his breakthrough in the onyx cauldron, Li Luo had already foresaw the dire situation they would be trapped in. Thus, he had consciously opted to forcefully construct the second Duke Bergfried. The second Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried was never intended to be kept foreverhe had planned to catalyze its destruction to escape from the situation! The determination that Li Luo was demonstrating was simply praiseworthy, especially considering it was a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. Jiang Qing''e looked him up and down. Without her realization, the youth with blank palaces in the City of Southwind had transformed into someone who possessed exceptional charm and courage. A hint of gratitude welled up in her heart. The Archaic Runes on her forehead began to glow ever more brightly and the two Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds above her began to emit an even mightier sacred aura, blocking off the karmic flames. With Li Luo''s Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried shattering, a burst of boundless energy surged outwards. The energy was violent and directly smashed the void apart, creating numerous rifts. Li Luo felt his insides churn. The act of destroying his own Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried had critically harmed his body. The only upside was that his second Duke Bergfried had not been perfectly formed and thus was not perfectly synchronized with his body. Otherwise, the backlash might have been unbearable. He forcefully resisted the pain surging through his body as his hands formed a seal. The first Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried began to emit incredible devouring strength as it absorbed all of the energy resulting from the destruction of the other. Their energies came from the same source and thus, it was very easily absorbed. The only uncertainty was that the amount was simply too massive. Li Luo''s first Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried began to expand in size, and in the end, it stood tall like a giant mountain bridging the heavens and the earth. Argh! At this point Li Luo let out a pained cry. His dragonoid form was beginning to break apart as the humongous amount of almost berserk energy had filled his body. Even with the aid of Transforming Dragon and the Heavenly Dragon True Body, he was unable to contain all of it! It was a testament to just how terrifying the amount of energy was. Li Luo''s violet-golden dragon scales began to show signs of breaking apart, and even his flesh and blood were showing signs of melting down, causing him to look extremely miserable. As time went on, even his bones began to show signs of fracturing and cracking. At this point, a cry rang out. Li Hongyou was rushing over, and all her resonant power surged outwards, causing a wonderful fragrance to fill the air. A single Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfried floated above her. This Duke Bergfried radiated with glorious light as a crimson fruit appeared. The fruit swayed within the light, and a dense fragrance permeated the air. Roar! Behind the crimson fruit was a slender dragon. The dragon looked like it was made of jade and gave off a sense of elegance along with a medicinal aroma. This was her Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance. Then Li Hongyou lightly bit the tip of her tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood essence. The dragon then gave a long roar and spewed out azure energy that fused with the crimson fruit''s energy and integrated with the blood essence. The three energies combined to form a single spirit pill. On it were three draconic runes that seemed to be inactivated. The appearance of the spirit pill filled the entire world with a dense fragrance. Li Hongyou''s face immediately turned pale. The azure spirit pill was none other than the special ability of the Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance, the Jade Dragon Pill! If it possessed Nine Transformations, it would be unparalleled, capable of preventing one''s body from being destroyed. However, she was only capable of creating a Three Transformations one at this moment. Furthermore, this wasn''t a true Jade Dragon Pill either. It possessed most of its effects, but they were only temporary. They would wear off once the medicinal strength ran out. That said, it was still a miraculous treasure and was capable of reversing the situation. "Go!" Li Hongyou shouted as the Jade Dragon Pill shot outwards, directly landing on Li Luo''s broken-down body. Azure light filled the air around him, and wherever the light touched, the collapse of the body halted. With Li Lingjing and Li Hongyou''s support, Li Luo was able to bring the terrifying amount of energy resulting from the destruction of his Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried under his control. Li Luo''s gaze was filled with bright light as he tightly grasped the Dragon Elephant Blade. The incredible power rushing through him caused even his blade to whine as it could barely resist the stress. "Sister Qing''e, Cousin Lingjing, Senior Hongyou... Thank you. "Now, Qin Lian, it''s time for me to end you!" Chapter 1381: A Blade Severs Karma Bang! Extremely terrifying undulations of resonant power swept out of Li Luo in a violent tempest. This resonant power was so strong that it was ripping apart Li Luo''s body whilst destroying the void around him as well. He swung the Dragon Elephant Blade downwards, and a tyrannical beam of blade energy pierced through the void, directly colliding against the karmic flames. When the beam of energy swept past, the karmic flames that had been suppressed by Jiang Qing''e were snuffed out like a candle by the hurricane-like force. This frightening scene caused those watching to turn pale. "Li Luo actually chose to destroy his own Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried?!" Li Foluo exclaimed with a pained look. That was a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried! Any ordinary genius pursued this goal relentlessly in the Duke Stage. Meanwhile, Li Luo seemed to have casually chosen to give it up, which demonstrated how exemplary his sheer will was. Anyone else would rather die than to sacrifice the embodiment of their potential and opportunities. Perhaps it was precisely this sort of determination that allowed him to forge a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried to begin with. His mental fortitude and grit were so incredible that he believed that it was just a matter of time to forge yet another one in the future. Furthermore, he was only capable of breaking through this desperate situation by going all out. Additionally, Qin Lian was also from a Heavenly Emperor bloodline and possessed exceptional talent and a foundation that superseded her peers; she wasn''t someone that a rogue cultivator could aspire to beat. Qin Beiming, Li Zhihuo, and all the other fifth-grade Dukes would have been brutally slaughtered by her even if they joined forces. Li Luo couldn''t hold back in any way if he wished to overcome this predicament. He continued carrying out his plan while the crowd was left to their own thoughts. Majestic amounts of sword energy condensed in the sky, forming an ancient and mystical formation. At the same time, four incredibly sharp Dragon Fang Swords nestled into place. The difference was that the waves of the sword energy were several times mightier than before. Roiling sword energy filled the world, causing everyone to be able to feel the heart-stopping sword energy. The Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation! Four Dragon Fangs Swords! Condensed Obliteration Sword Embryo! Sword hymns reverberated throughout the space as sword energy poured out of the formation like a torrent, transforming into an embryonic chaotic sword. The sword embryo was much larger and more magnificent in comparison to before. Its appearance was still illusory, but it struck fear into everyone''s hearts. As the sword embryo floated above, flitting between reality and illusion, it resembled a gigantic beast, capable of devouring anything before it. Li Luo''s body was riddled with injuries, but his gaze remained sharp and steadfast whilst a murderous intent brewed within. He had only encountered such life-and-death situations a few times before. However, he would sever all of the karma between them with this attack. Li Luo took in a deep breath as his body thrummed with resonant power. It then poured out like a raging tide into the embryonic chaotic sword. "Qin Lian, it''s time for the second round!" Li Luo''s voice reverberated throughout the world. A moment later, the embryonic chaotic sword sliced through the void. The sword hymns intensified to the point that even people outside the Treasure Domain were capable of hearing it. "A piddly second-grade Duke... even if you were to destroy both Bergfrieds, you would not be able to escape death today!" Qin Lian''s expression was twisted. Li Luo''s desperate counterattack had caused her to sense a hint of danger. If she were in her right mind, she might have chosen to dodge the edge of the blade. However, the hatred that clouded her heart and mind only gave rise to even more resentment, and madness overtook her. The eight Duke Bergfrieds above her roared to life, each of their runes emitting wondrous light. Vast amounts of resonant power flowed out and further supplemented the Nine-tiered Golden Rampart Karmic Flame Pagoda. The originally dark-red karmic flames blazed with even greater intensity. A tiny crack had appeared on the towering Golden Rampart Pagoda. Right after the first crack appeared, it was as though a chain reaction had been set off. In a few moments, countless cracks riddled the massive structure; even the eye-catching golden walls began to break. Meanwhile, Qin Lian''s black, vortex-like eyes were fluctuating intensely upon seeing this. She could smell death approaching her. "How could this be possible?!" Her vision became distorted. Her entire body was trembling as she quickly formed hand seals whilst resentment continued to pour out of her gaze. If only looks could kill. Once the seals were complete, the eight Duke Bergfrieds above her began to shake and cracks appeared on them. Qin Lian was similarly planning to detonate her own Duke Bergfrieds! Such an explosion would emit a tremendous amount of energy akin to a bomb that would wipe out all life within tens of thousands of meters of her. However, this would also bring about a humongous backlash. If she was unlucky, the energy explosion would backfire onto her and annihilate her as well. This was a vicious double-edged sword. That said, Qin Lian didn''t care at all about the consequences. She had activated her Duke Bergfrieds and was determined to struggle to the death. But just as she was about to complete this act, her gaze fell upon a certain location beneath her. It was there where a beautiful figure completely enveloped in black feathers was revealed in the aftermath of the destructive blows that rained down upon the battlefield. That was none other than Qin Yi. Her eyes were wide open, dripping with tears as she quietly watched her mother. When their gazes met, it was as though a drop of pristine spring water had fallen upon Qin Lian''s demented and twisted heart, setting ripples throughout her soul and stimulating the final trace of humanity she possessed. Waves of endless fatigue washed over her tormented heart. This was the tiredness that had built up as she pursued her obsessive path of hatred over the years. It was then that a thought ran through her mind. Perhaps her death would bring about peace and relief. "Qin Yi..." Qin Lian murmured. "These years have been bitter for you. I''m sorry. I haven''t been a good mother to you." Qin Lian froze momentarily, just before activating the final seal that would catalyze the self-destruction of her Bergfrieds. The embryonic chaotic sword continued to arc through the skies, cleaving through all eight Duke Bergfrieds and Qin Lian''s body during that moment of hesitation. Bang! All the Duke Bergfrieds were shattered, transforming into a rain of light that poured down across the entire domain as a vast energy tempest erupted. Every beautiful mote of light was reflected in Qin Yi''s light-blue eyes. Unabated tears fell like rain. "Mother!" Qin Yi cried with a heart full of grief and pain. Chapter 1382: Qin Lians Death Chapter 1382: Qin Lian''s Death When Qin Lian died, the heavens and earth rumbled as her eight Duke Bergfrieds exploded and transformed into boundless amounts of energy returning to the world. In the skies above, a gigantic scarlet Luan''s illusory figure was blazing with flames, illuminating the dim clouds like the glow of sunset. That was Qin Lian''s resonance. High-grade Dukes had a close connection with the world around them, and whenever they fell, their resonance would dissipate and resonate with the environment, creating certain phenomena. This scene was reflected through the void, and even some of the mighty beings in the World''s End River Region could sense it. "Qin Lian has fallen." "Was she actually killed by Li Luo?" Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong and White Elephant King Zhu Yuan couldn''t help but to halt momentarily. They focused their gazes into the depths of the Treasure Domain, where the Four Heavenly Emperors'' Sealing Talisman was gradually being eroded. Qin Lian was an eighth-grade Duke, and although her strength didn''t mean much in their eyes, it didn''t make sense that Li Luo had beaten her, even though he had just broken through to the Duke Stage. There was an uncrossable chasm in strength between them after all. "He actually destroyed his second Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried? His determination is commendable," the Kings thought to themselves in surprise upon sensing what had happened. "Good brat," Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong mused to himself as his eyes lit up. This was a good conclusion to the situation from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao''s perspective. They didnt want to see yet another Transcendent Duke arise from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Additionally, Qin Lian''s death meant that the Origin Reversion Institute''s plans would be set back. This was killing two birds with one stone. ...... In the air above Heavenly Dragon City. Li Jingzhe similarly sensed Qin Lian''s demise. "Little brat, you''re even more amazing than your father all those years ago. It must have been tough for you," he said to himself in a low voice. His abstruse gaze turned towards the void before him. A gigantic flame veil with nine flaming dragons stood before him, each emitting energy undulations that were capable of slaying Qin Lian effortlessly. Currently, all of the dragons were spewing out scarlet dragonbreath that flowed with boundless sword energy, capable of destroying everything. The Faceless Other King was currently embroiled in a "vicious struggle" with Qin Jiujie. However, Qin Jiujie''s expression suddenly changed. He glanced towards the Treasure Domain and then turned towards Heavenly Dragon City. "Faceless! The Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus'' ability to project more strength has been halted," he glumly said. From afar, the Faceless Other King, who was shrouded in gloomy energy, replied in surprise, "That woman Qin Lian is pretty useless. How could she, an eighth-grade Duke, be beaten by a bunch of juniors?" Qin Jiujie''s gaze turned dark. No matter what had been said, Qin Lian was his descendent, and she would not have been implicated in this if he had not invited the Faceless Other King here. Thus, he had a big part to play in her death. "It wasn''t that she was useless; it was because she had a death wish. Otherwise, if she was willing to give everything she had, Li Luo might not have beaten her even if he were to destroy his remaining Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried," he coldly retorted. This caused Qin Jiujie to feel frustrated. Things had long escalated to the point of no return, but Qin Lian had hesitated in the end. "What do we do now, Faceless? If the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus cant project any more power, the Human Fetus won''t be able to reach Triple Crowned King strength." "Haha... Qin Jiujie, why are you so anxious?" The Faceless Other King laughed. Qin Jiujie''s eyes creased as he coldly replied, "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin has sacrificed a lot of people, and if Li Jingzhe remains safe and sound, won''t that mean that I''ve lost completely?" The Faceless Other King continued to cackle. "No need to be anxious... no need to be anxious. Li Luo might have caused a little bit of trouble, but the schemes of the Origin Reversion Institute are not that easy to deal with. After all, the real sacrifice doesn''t come from those pipsqueaks. It was actually... Qin Lian all along!" Qin Jiujie squinted. "Qin Lian is the real sacrifice? Then why didn''t you do it from the start? It would have saved so much time." "Hahahaha! Qin Jiujie, you''re even more vicious than I am! You are definitely suited to join the Origin Reversion Institute," the Faceless Other King praised. He then explained, "The secret method I arranged could not be activated while she remained conscious. Now that Li Luo has killed her, I can finally take action." The Faceless Other King stretched out a sharp finger and ripped apart the pale skin on its head, forming a human-skin talisman. He then drew on it, outlining some ominous runes before spitting out a ball of white flame and incinerating it. The human skin talisman burned up, forming black smoke that disappeared into thin air. Chapter 1383: The True Sacrificial Offering World''s End River Treasure Domain, Other Dominion When Li Luo had unleashed the most powerful attack he could muster to take down Qin Lian, the oceans worth of resonant power within his body were all sucked dry. Weakness washed over his entire body, radiating from his very core. The previous strike had not only consumed his energy but also tired him out mentally. Adding on the fact that he had to suppress the backlash from destroying his second Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried, Li Luo was undoubtedly in terrible condition at the moment. His body teetered before plunging from the skies. However, a beautiful figure immediately zipped over, embracing him in her arms. It was Jiang Qing''e. Her alluring eyes were filled with worry as she looked at the depleted and pale Li Luo. His injuries were heartbreaking. Li Hongyou had similarly rushed over. She bit her finger, and a dense medicinal aroma accompanied the blood that came out. She then placed her finger into Li Luo''s mouth, allowing the blood to drip in slowly. Now that she had the Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance, even her blood possessed medicinal qualities that were capable of reinvigorating the body. As the fresh blood flowed into Li Luo, his injuries began to knit together at a speed visible to the naked eye. At the same time, his withered body began to show signs of strength. His eyelids opened, and he saw two enchanting faces that were filled with worry and concern. "I... am fine," Li Luo hoarsely wheezed out as he felt a fire burning in his throat. He then realized that there was a slender, white finger stuffed into his mouth, dripping with fresh medicinal blood. It was like tasting the finest nectar, and he greedily lapped it up. The stinging pain coming from her fingertip caused Li Hongyou to wince slightly, but she suppressed it. It was at this point that Li Luo had regained a sense of clarity. He hurriedly unlatched his mouth and awkwardly apologized. "Sorry, Senior Hongyou." She clasped her fingers together and smiled as she shook her head. "Is Qin Lian finally dead?" Li Luo asked hurriedly. "She should be. After all, her resonance has dissipated," Jiang Qing''e answered. But at that very instant, the black snake that was wrapped around Li Luo''s wrist suddenly shouted out in surprise, "No, Li Luo! Her corpse is moving! Hurry and destroy her body!" Jiang Qing''e''s reaction was the quickest. The heavy sword in her hand burst forth with sacred light resonant power, directly striking towards Qin Lian''s broken remains. However, at the very moment the holy sword energy struck the corpse, dense, black energy flowed out and shielded it. At the same time, Qin Lian''s corpse began to twist violently. All of her flesh and blood seemed to be wrung out, transforming into a fleshy, bloody paste. The roiling stench of blood wafted nauseatingly through the air. Seeing her face on the blood-red flower petal was even more frightening than facing her directly. Qin Beiming, Li Zhihuo, and the rest all felt their bodies turn numb. They had been hit with successive setbacks, and now they had truly lost all will to struggle any further. Meanwhile, the blood-red flower bud didn''t stop just because they did. The gigantic face that resembled Qin Lian opened up its pale lips and spat out sticky, black flames that covered the sky. The flames spread like wildfire. Wherever the flames passed, life was extinguished. The groups'' eyes reflected the waves of flames that were growing larger and larger by the moment. It seemed as though they could only close their eyes and wait for death. However, amongst the despairing figures, Jiang Qing''e stood alone with her sword in hand. Dazzling light bloomed from her body like a bright light in the darkness. The only issue was that the darkness that now encapsulated the world was virtually everywhere. This single spot of light was a little too small. The flames continued to spread unabated, destroying everything in its path. That said, just as the flames were about to engulf the group, the skies of the Other Dominion were suddenly ripped apart and numerous whizzing sounds could be heard. This was accompanied by the appearance of countless Duke Bergfrieds. Qin Beiming and the rest raised their heads. The Duke Bergfrieds were reflected in their eyes, being as plentiful as the stars in the sky, bringing them hope. This was because those Duke Bergfrieds were also accompanied by layer after layer of Worldspace Domains! Buzz! The Worldspace Domains that had just descended were like layers of barriers, enveloping everyone protectively. Thanks to them, the black flames were finally blocked. Li Luo raised his head in surprise. He could see figures descending from the sky, all emitting mighty energy undulations. "Li Luo, Qing''e, are you alright?!" A bald man was the first to arrive, and his meaty face was filled with anxiousness. It was none other than Ox Biaobiao! Li Luo raised his head. He could see that the likes of Li Jiluo and Li Qingpeng had also arrived. They were all the high-grade Dukes that had been kept captive within the Treasure Domain! Li Luo was so moved that tears fell from his eyes. God damn it! Couldn''t these high-grade Dukes have come earlier? Were they planning to attend my funeral banquet? Chapter 1384: The Black Lotus Appears When the domineering newcomers emanating mighty undulations of resonant power appeared in the sky above them, Qin Beiming, Li Zhihuo, Lu Shuanglu, and the rest were moved to the brink of tears. They could finally sense the tension in their minds loosening. After which, they miserably slumped on the ground as their chests heaved heavily, like drowning men struggling to climb to shore, greedily slurping up the air. The sight of the high-grade Dukes had made them emotional. Their deeply longed for expectations were finally fulfilled. Their reinforcements had finally arrived. With these Dukes here, they would no longer have to bear the brunt of the pressure of resolving the situation. After all, if the sky were to fall, these greater beings would be the ones to keep the sky lifted up. If they couldn''t, everyone would die together and it wouldn''t matter anyways. All of the Dukes from the different powers had rushed over. Shock and anger filled them when they witnessed the tragic scene, quickly splitting up into different directions to search for their descendents. Unfortunately, some were fatally injured and some pained roars rang out. It seemed that individuals close to those Dukes had died in this disaster. They had come too late and they were only in time to witness their deaths. At the same time, the entire situation was explained to the newcomers. "What? Qin Lian was killed by Li Luo after he destroyed one of his Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds?" When they found out that Qin Lian had fallen, some of the more well-known high-grade Dukes in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent were completely flabbergasted. After which, they shot gazes full of disbelief towards the pale and seated figure. It was important to note that Qin Lian was an eighth-grade Duke! And she wasn''t your average rogue cultivatorshe was from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. She possessed exceptional talent and had built a robust foundation in order to climb to the peak. In fact, the number of Dukes present that were capable of challenging Qin Lian could be counted on one hand. Yet that mighty woman had been struck down by the hands of a junior who had just broken into the Duke Stage. That said, Li Luo had paid an incredible price, sacrificing a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, something so valuable that even a high-grade Duke would treat it as an incredible treasure. Who couldve imagined that he would be willing to bear the backlash and take this risk, all to fight for his life? That was an eighth-grade Duke he had challenged! Thinking back, wasn''t it a little too monstrous to have achieved this feat? Even considering the price he had paid? Over at the group from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, a silver-haired middle-aged man with an extraordinary temperament quietly listened to Qin Beiming''s explanation with a serious expression. It was Qin Baiyan. He was the strongest amongst the group sent by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, superior to even Qin Lian. He had been an upper eighth-grade Duke for many years and some had even suspected that he had reached the threshold of the ninth-grade. At that point, he would only be one step away from becoming a true King. His position would ascend to the skies and he could even form his own Palace, becoming a titan within the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. "Qin Lian..." Qin Baiyan''s eyes were filled with hurt. She was his cousin and was considered to be quite talented. The fact that she had died here was a crippling blow to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. Kings rarely took action and thus, high-grade Dukes were considered to be the pillars and peak fighting force of a Heavenly Emperor power. Nurturing another high-grade Duke would require an immense amount of resources that was difficult to even estimate. Li Luo helplessly shook his head. Qin Lian might have hated him to her bones, but now that she was slain, the grudges between the generations had been resolved. Thus, he no longer wished to talk further about it. "I think you big guys should quickly resolve the problem here. The flower bud contains an object that is capable of summoning a frightening existence. Even Grandpa has been restrained by it," Li Luo explained. Li Qingpeng and Li Jiluo both nodded and then ascended into the sky. Qin Baiyan and the other eighth-grade Dukes from the Bloodlines of Heavenly Emperor Zhu and Zhao, Zhu Gang and Zhao Jinwu, did so as well. Zhao Jinwu glanced at Qin Baiyan with an ugly expression. It was clear he had heard about how Zhao Xiuyuan had been killed by Qin Lian. Now that Qin Lian had perished, he could only squash his frustration and anger. Furthermore, now wasn''t the time to argue. The Dukes serious eyes were directed towards the flower bud. At the same time, they could see a face that resembled Qin Lian''s on the petals. "We''ll all take action and annihilate that vile creature!" The high-grade Dukes quickly came to an agreement as their Worldspace Domains all activated. Overwhelming amounts of resonant power was condensed into terrifying energies. Alas, just as they were about to take action, the gigantic flower bud let out a wail and began to wither at an alarming speed. At the same time, the face on the petals began to turn dark bit by bit. In a short span of time, the blood-red flower bud turned into a desiccated husk before crumbling into ashes. This sight elicited joy from the crowd. However, before the look of ecstasy spread on their faces, they could see a black lotus appear in the center of where the flower bud once was. At this moment, it began to bloom even more vigorously. Layers of black lotus petals began to spread out in all directions, forming an intricate design that was difficult to understand. It exuded a gloomy and mysterious feeling. It felt like all of the blood-red flower bud''s energy had been transferred into this black lotus. Qin Baiyan, Li Jiluo, Li Qingpeng, and the rest of the eighth-grade Duke''s eyes flickered upon seeing this. The destructive force they had condensed was immediately redirected towards the black lotus. They had brought the full brunt of their power down on this foreign object. Bang! When their terrifying attacks landed on the black lotus, the void shattered and rifts opened up. Their gazes were fully focused on the point of impact. A few moments later, the black lotus emerged before their horrified eyes, rotating ever so slowly. It was completely untouched by the previous assault. When Li Luo saw this, his heart sank once again. It seemed as though... they were too late. Chapter 1385: Black Lotus Transforms the Golden Talisman Chapter 1385: Black Lotus Transforms the Golden Talisman The mysterious black lotus began to rotate in the air. There were nine layers of lotus petals, and numerous runes appeared on each. These runes were twisting and intertwining with each other, causing an indescribable sort of gloomy sensation that spread like a tide over everyone present. The appearance of the black lotus also caused the world to suddenly turn dark, as if it had swallowed all of the light. Between the heavens and the earth, gusts of shadowy winds blew and a shrill whine could be heard. Qin Baiyan, Li Jiluo, Li Qingpeng, and the rest of the peak experts from the numerous powers were taken aback by this. They could sense terrifying undulations coming from the black lotus. In fact, it even seemed like those of a King. Clearly, the blood sacrifices of the many victims as well as Qin Lian had allowed this black lotus to fully bloom. Bang! Qin Baiyan, Li Qingpeng, and the rest didn''t give up; they activated their strongest Duke Arts without hesitation. Worldly natural energy rumbled as Duke Arts capable of devastating the world poured towards the black lotus. As the black lotus continued to rotate in place, a pale, jade-like palm stretched out from its center. Its fingers formed a flower hand seal before waving gently. Then a stream of mystical, pitch-black light shot outwards. If one were to look closer, hundreds of millions of contorted and twisted figures could be seen writhing inside, almost as though those figures were actually alive. Everything the pitch-black light swept past turned deathly silent. Even worldly natural energy was extinguished, losing all hints of vitality and life. Meanwhile, the Duke Arts that were utilized by Qin Baiyan and the rest disappeared without a trace upon being struck by the light. Even sound itself seemed to be destroyed by it. Everyones expressions turned ugly. The eighth-grade Dukes were no exception, and looks of unease could be seen in their eyes. One could only say that the Origin Reversion Institute''s schemes ran deep. Even though Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had given it their all, they had only managed to delay the birth of the black lotus. Unfortunately, their opponent had all sorts of contingency plans and had managed to nourish it to completion. "What a frightening organization..." Qin Baiyan said in a low and fearful voice. "As expected of an organization that has weathered the test of time and proven capable of subverting Heavenly Emperor powers. For them, this is probably just a small ploy," Li Qingpeng added as a look of anxiety could be seen on his face. During that moment where they were helpless, the pale jade-like hand in the middle of the black lotus began to transform. A small and exquisite crimson incense burner appeared. It looked as though it was crafted from flesh and blood and as it squirmed, it was oddly terrifying. During that moment where they were helpless, the pale, jade-like hand in the middle of the black lotus began to transform. A small and exquisite crimson incense burner appeared. It looked as though it was crafted from flesh and blood, and as it squirmed, it was oddly terrifying. Within the incense burner was a small flame. With the disappearance of the talisman, the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus'' strength could be channeled towards their world through the aid of the black lotus. The worst-case scenario had truly occurred. "Even the remnant energy left behind the four Heavenly Emperors did not awaken. This means that they are unable to turn their attention away from their current matters to aid the World''s End River Region. The Origin Reversion Institute has indeed plotted deeply. Do they plan to upend the peace in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent?" Li Jingzhe lightly sighed as the three mighty crowns above him began to transform into endless amounts of azure smoke that flowed downwards. The billowing smoke immediately fused with the Nine Dragon Fire Sword Veil. The gigantic veil then began to shrink, transforming into a red gourd that was slightly transparent. Three ancient talismans were engraved upon it. These three talismans flowed with dense amounts of source origin and were the ultimate manifestations of Li Jingzhe''s three resonances. The crimson gourd was currently sealing a gray figure. It was none other than the Human Fetus. Li Jingzhe had transferred the source origin within his body into the Dragon and Bamboo Source Origin Gourd to temporarily contain the Human Fetus. His intention was to deal with the black lotus while his opponent was incapacitated. However, the gourd began to show signs of change, and a smile formed on the Human Fetus emotionless face. "Li Jingzhe... I''ve given you so much time, but in the end... you''ve still lost." The inhuman and ethereal voice of the Human Fetus drifted outwards. The next moment, the entire World''s End River Region shook and the worldly natural energy transformed into a tide that swept in every direction, as though it was attempting to escape. The Human Fetus stretched out its pale hand and swiped at the void. As its hand moved downwards, the crimson gourd created by Li Jingzhe ruptured and a gaping hole opened up. At the same time, the Human Fetus'' aura began to rise. It took a step forward and smashed through the gourd. It then appeared before Li Jingzhe. Li Jingzhe''s gaze turned gloomy. After all, the Human Fetus had changed. It had truly stepped into the Triple Crowned King Stage. Chapter 1386: Protecting His Descendents Bang! As the Human Fetus smashed its way out of the gourd, a formless pressure descended upon everyone''s hearts within the World''s End River Region. Regardless of whether they were Dukes or Kings like Qin Jiujie and Zhao Zong, every single person could feel something taking shape in the skies above. This power was supreme and mighty, capable of manipulating the world in their image. Only Kings were able to control worldly natural energy before it. This was the authority wielded by an expert second only to a Heavenly Emperor. ...... "Triple Crowned King..." Within the Treasure Domain, Qin Baiyan, Li Qingpeng, and the rest raised their heads with indescribably bitter expressions as they looked at the void. They could see a gray figure that stood proudly like a sovereign of the world, radiating terrifying undulations of energy. Its presence was like a titanic devil that walked out of the deepest abyss, its overwhelming pressure bearing down upon everyone. All of the World''s End River Region''s worldly natural energy ebbed and flowed with each breath it took. High-grade Dukes like them were no different from ants before such an extraordinary existence. It didn''t matter how many of them there were. It could snuff them all out with just a thought. After all, it would just be as easy as taking a single step for it, while they would all be crushed underfoot. Thus, they all felt despair when facing a Triple Crowned Other King. It wasn''t as though they had not tried their best to destroy the black lotus. It was simply because it was essentially giving off undulations of the King Stage as well. This was something that they couldn''t overcome with force. Li Luo then sighed. Who would have expected that despite fighting so hard, they would fail to change the situation in any way. This was the most dire ordeal he had been through in his entire life. Even he didn''t know how they could turn the tables. The Origin Reversion Institute was beyond frightening, and he had personally experienced it for himself now. Jiang Qing''e leaned down beside Li Luo. She took the initiative to stretch her slender hand out and grab his. The two interlocked fingers, and she could feel his warmth. "Sister Qing''e, it looks like we will truly be a pair of mandarin ducks that will share the same fate," Li Luo lamented. Jiang Qing''e smiled slightly as her golden eyes shone with meaning. "Being able to die together isn''t that bad." Li Luo raised his head and looked into the void. He could sense the familiar energy undulations from Li Jingzhe as well as the terrifying energies coming from the figure in gray. "Grandpa, hurry and leave. You''ve already done your best,"Li Luo whispered to himself with a complicated expression on his face. The situation in the World''s End River Region was basically catastrophic. Even Li Jingzhe himself wasn''t capable of changing things, and if he stayed, even he would perish. Although the gray-robed figure had reached the Triple Crowned King Stage, Li Jingzhe was still capable of escaping if he wished to. Compared to the rest of them, Li Jingzhe''s life was much more important when looking at the bigger picture. After all, he was a peak existence in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. If Li Qingpeng or Li Jinpan were to fall here, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would continue to exist. However, if Li Jingzhe fell, then the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would exist only in name. In the void, far away. Li Jingzhe''s gaze was directed towards the Treasure Domain. It almost seemed as though he had heard Li Luo''s words, and a trace of a smile surfaced on his wizened face. He stretched his palm out and formed a hand seal. At that very instant, a golden dragon scale appeared on the backs of Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s hands. The scales were engraved with runes that gave off an ancient air, and they began to glow brightly, enveloping Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s entire bodies. The gray-robed Human Fetus sensed the energy undulations. While it was stabilizing its cultivation and truly entering the Triple Crowned King Stage, Li Jingzhe was using all his strength to send away his four grandchildren. It then grinned at Li Jingzhe and said, "If you had taken the opportunity to escape before I had stabilized my cultivation, I wouldn''t have been able to stop you. What I can''t believe is that you chose to take that last bit of time to protect those four ant-like existences. Is this the so-called human emotions? It''s truly ignorant of you." Faced with the Human Fetus'' mocking words, Li Jingzhe calmly replied, "I was unable to protect my third son all those years ago. Today, I''ll ensure that no one will be able to touch them, so long as I am alive." The Human Fetus sighed lightly. "What a pity. In this world, things will never go the way you wish. I''m afraid you won''t be able to protect anyone today." Li Jingzhe''s ancient face suddenly changed and his gaze shifted towards the Treasure Domain. He roared with a voice so cold, it was bone-chilling, "Faceless Other King!" As soon as he raised his palm, vast power surged towards him. However, the Human Fetus flicked its finger lightly in response. An endless abyss appeared out of thin air, cutting off the space they were in from the rest of the world, making it impossible for Li Jingzhe to intervene. ...... At the same time, countless pale fragments of skin danced within the Treasure Domain. Every piece of skin exuded a gloomy aura that struck fright into the hearts of Qin Baiyan, Li Qingpeng, and the rest of the high-grade Dukes. The paper thin scraps of skin penetrated the golden light that surrounded the duo and covered the golden dragon scales on the backs of their hands. The scales began to dim quickly. The vortex that had opened up was also dissipating. The two fell down as a result. As the shredded fragments of skin danced in the air, another rift opened up and someone stepped out of it. This figure had no features on its face, but the muscles were lightly squirming. It was the Faceless Other King. His merciless laughter resounded throughout the area. "Hahahaha! Li Jingzhe, you can''t even protect yourself right now, yet you wish to send people away? Has your mind become muddled in your old age?" Chapter 1387: Li Jingzhes Decision Chapter 1387: Li Jingzhe''s Decision The Faceless Other King''s uncaring laughter echoed throughout the area. Everyone''s expressions changed as they could sense the frightening undulations of energy coming from it. They all scattered in a desperate attempt to flee. The Faceless Other King''s featureless visage squirmed as it locked onto Li Luo. "Brat, you''re my target, so how can I let you flee?" Being locked onto by a Dual Crowned King caused Li Luo to feel a chill. However, his face didn''t betray any hint of fear as he tightly gripped the handle of his sword. The only reason why this creature would come specifically for him was the Genesis Seed. Jiang Qing''e came to the same conclusion, but before she spoke, Li Luo glanced at her. This was the first time she saw Li Luo give her this sort of expression. She couldn''t help but to feel a little sour in her heart. She understood what Li Luo was thinking. He wanted to use himself as bait to attract unwanted attention away from her. Jiang Qing''e''s slender fingers were clenched into a tight fist as she knew that Li Luo wanted to protect her. However, the two of them were now one and inseparable. If something were to happen to him, she would ignite her Heart of Light and go down together in a blaze of glory rather than live alone. She did not wish to be by herself while bearing thoughts of avenging him. "Protect Little Luo!" At this point in time, Li Qingpeng, Li Jinpan, and Ox Biaobiao rushed towards Li Luo upon hearing the Faceless Other King''s words. One towering Duke Bergfried after another rushed into the skies, striking the Faceless Other King without hesitation. They were terrified in their hearts, having to face a Dual Crowned King, but for the sake of protecting Li Luo, they were willing to give it their all. Meanwhile, Qin Baiyan and the rest cowered in fear, unwilling to provoke a King. In fact, they even felt that they were lucky. Perhaps the Faceless Other King would only target Li Luo and then let them leave after achieving its goal. As the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s experts launched their attack, the Faceless Other King laughed and a bloody streak ripped open on its face, akin to a mouth. A grayish-white energy was spewed out amidst the fresh, oozing blood. It swept past the Duke Bergfrieds, freezing them in their tracks. "Grandpa!" Li Luo hated how weak he was. Perhaps if he had seven Duke Bergfrieds, he would have become a true Transcendent Duke, capable of fighting side-by-side with his grandpa and not just hiding behind him, unable to help in the least. "So what if you can seal me for a few moments, Li Jingzhe? You can''t even block the Human Fetus anymore and yet you''ve chosen to cripple yourself and weaken yourself further? Without a hand, how can you possibly fight it? Hahaha, perhaps I''ll just wait here and watch. Once the Human Fetus kills you, I''ll see how you can stop me." The Faceless Other King sneered loudly from within the golden talon. Meanwhile, Li Qingpeng and the rest who had been held back by the Faceless Other King''s strange methods gradually had their facial features restored. They hurriedly retreated, though their gazes were despondent. They understood just how dire the situation was. Li Jingzhe had to fight off the incomprehensibly strong Human Fetus whilst splitting his attention to suppress the Faceless Other King. No matter how one looked at it, they were doomed. The gray-robed Human Fetus had a slight smile as it looked at Li Jingzhes endlessly bleeding arm. As the droplets of blood fell, they formed giant lakes that emanated an incredible fragrance. In a short span of time, countless mysterious plants bloomed and flourished. Every drop of blood of a King was a miraculous tonic. "Li Jingzhe, it seems like you''re still distracted despite being in this situation. You''ve even chosen to sacrifice a hand to save those ants. You are truly embarking on a path of death with no return," the Human Fetus said with a sigh. "You''ve completely lost your chance to leave." Golden light flowed from the severed hand, staunching the bleeding. Li Jingzhes elderly face remained composed as he retorted, "Did you actually think that I was planning to escape by myself?" "Since you''ve made the decision to die in the World''s End River Region, I''ll gladly fulfill your wish," the Human Fetus responded. Li Jingzhe shook his head lightly as his indifferent voice boomed and echoed throughout every corner of the region. "There''s one thing you''re mistaken about. I will die here, but it won''t only be me. Don''t look down on what a grandpa will do to protect the children of his family. My decision has already been made." Everyone within the World''s End River Region directed their attention towards the majestic figure standing in the air. Above his head, the three crowns that symbolized his power suddenly burst into flames. Endless amounts of fiery light bathed the world, reflected across the heavens. The light was accompanied by a calm and ancient voice that boomed, "I, the Dragon''s Fang Lineages Lineage Chief Li Jingzhe, invite you, Your Excellency... to die with me!" Chapter 1388: Igniting the Crown Chapter 1388: Igniting the Crown A raging inferno was ignited in the void above the World''s End River Region. Its fiery light illuminated every corner of the land, and even the endlessly falling inky-black rain was vaporized by the boundless flames. This was simply too eye-catching. Everyone''s eyes were glued to the blazing flames as they looked on in shock and horror. The three regal crowns were on fire in the midst of the humongous inferno, and dense amounts of source origin energy wafted into the skies. Just by being present in the area caused everyone''s resonances to feel uplifted and alive. In fact, some resonances started to show signs of advancing. This was all because of the burning crowns. The three crowns were the manifestation of all of Li Jingzhe''s effort, which was why the emitted condensed source origin. As it burned and dissipated, it naturally blessed the world and all living beings around him. In the air above the World''s End River Region, Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong and White Elephant King Zhu Yuan looked at the roaring flames with complicated expressions. They contained power that made even them tremble in fear. This was Li Jingzhe''s firm decision, bringing all of his Quasi-Triple Crown power to bear. "You''ve actually chosen to ignite your crowns..." Zhao Zong and Zhu Yuan''s eyes were filled with respect and admiration for Li Jingzhe''s actions. Even Zhao Zong, who was often at loggerheads with him, sighed lightly. They even felt ashamed when they compared themselves with the old man. Reflecting introspectively, if they were in the same position, they would have chosen to escape on their own instead of putting their lives on the line to fight the Human Fetus. After all, if they were to be truly pragmatic, cold, and calculating, a Quasi-Triple Crown King was much more valuable than everyone here combined. ...... In the skies above Abyssal City. Qin Jiujie coldly stared at the scene as he mumbled to himself, "What a mad old man. He could have taken the chance to escape, but instead he opted to give his life for a few useless descendents, sacrificing himself. Li Jingzhe had ignited his crowns for a final, desperate fight against the Human Fetus. This was, in all honesty, a positive development for Qin Jiujie. If the two parties could take each other down in mutual destruction, then Qin Jiujie would no longer have to worry about Li Jingzhe and the Origin Reversion Institute''s plan would be back slightly, preventing the situation from spiraling out of control. ...... As the inferno raged, one could see an awe-inspiring, golden dragon coiled within, and azure winds blew around it. Meanwhile, a gigantic stalk of bamboo stood tall beside it, emitting glorious thunder energy. They were Li Jingzhe''s three resonances. "Father!" Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan shouted. Their eyes turned red upon seeing the old man standing within the scarlet flames. Tears welled up in their eyes. "Grandpa!" Li Luo was shedding tears and his heart felt like it was being torn apart. His eyes were solely focused on the elderly man in the middle of the wildfire, that striking image imprinted in the depths of his heart. When he arrived in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage two years ago, he started thinking of the stern old man as a close family member. Whether or not his actions stemmed from guilt over Li Taixuan, he had constantly watched over Li Luo patiently and kindly. It was through his actions that Li Luo was able to experience the unrequited familial love that reinforced the fact that blood was thicker than water. Li Jingzhe had never put on the airs of a King before him; he was simply a loving grandpa that would give his all. The Dragon''s Fang Lineages Lineage Chief, who staunchly stuck by the rules, would bend and change them just for him. Despite only being there for two years, Li Jingzhe had taken much more care of him than his unreliable parents. This was something Li Luo had carved into his heart. Its gloomy and terrifying gaze seemed to pierce through the void and focused on Li Jingzhe. The flames that had briefly swept through the world, causing even the rain to vaporize, were beginning to gradually extinguish. There were faint cracks throughout Li Jingzhe''s body, resembling porcelain that was about to shatter. Everyone could sense that the pressure emanating from his energy undulations was vanishing at a shocking rate. A cruel and callous laugh rang out. "Hahaha. Li Jingzhe, oh, Li Jingzhe... I would never have thought that the Dragon''s Fang Lineages Lineage Chief would die here." The one who had spoken was none other than the Faceless Other King, who was being suppressed by the golden dragon claw. As Li Jingzhe''s energy dissipated, the severed claw gradually dimmed. Qin Baiyan and the rest began to retreat hurriedly. The Faceless Other King waved its hand, and cold, grayish-white energy flooded outwards, eroding the claw that trapped it. It then walked out leisurely. The claw was no longer able to restrain him. The Faceless Other King raised its head, and a blood-red eye tunneled out of his featureless visage. The eyeball seemed to be capable of looking through the void as it stared at Li Jingzhe, whose entire body was on the verge of collapse. "Li Jingzhe, do you still think you can hold me back right now?" Li Jingzhe didn''t reply to him either. "If you aren''t able to, then I''ll kill all of your descendents before your very eyes before you perish." The Faceless Other King guffawed. It stretched its finger out and tapped the void lightly, causing spatial ripples to spread. Wherever the ripples spread, everyone could sense that their bodies were trapped like mosquitoes stuck in amber, completely unable to move. The Faceless Other King then walked towards Li Luo casually. It made an effort to ensure that each step was as slow as possible, intending to let the two of them experience the greatest amount of despair before it took action. Meanwhile, Li Jingzhe completely ignored the Faceless Other King as he stood in the air. He raised his head and focused his gaze on the World''s End River before him. A crystal layer had appeared along a particular section of the turbulent river. When he had previously ignited his source origin, he had used some of the flames to burn away at the World''s End River. This had caused part of it to crystallize, and he could sense some familiar fluctuations approaching. Bang! The void shook all of a sudden, and Li Jingzhe saw a fair fist covered with incredible power striking towards the crystal layer. It broke violently upon contact. It was only then that a reassuring smile could be seen on his face. Chapter 1389: Tan Tailans Return Chapter 1389: Tan Tailan''s Return The rumbling could be heard throughout the World''s End River Region. Numerous surprised gazes were directed towards the fist that had pierced through the crystallized area of the river. It all seemed a little absurd. Just what was trying to break out of the World''s End River? The Faceless Other King stopped in its tracks due to the disturbance. The blood-red eye on its face was directed at the crystallized part of the World''s End River, and its heart skipped a beat. "Li Jingzhe actually used his source origin flames to burn a gap through the World''s End River? Why did he do that? Also whose fist is that? The World''s End River is so turbulent that even Kings have difficulty crossing it. Who in the world could possibly be hiding in there? All of this was incredibly strange, and the Faceless Other King felt a sense of unease. However, it didn''t hesitate any longer, appearing before Li Luo and reaching for him with its pale and clammy hand. Regardless of what happened, it would first retrieve the Genesis Seed. Li Luo activated all of the resonant power he had access to. He attempted to flee, but space seemed to be constricted. No matter how hard he struggled, he was unable to move even an inch. Jiang Qing''e''s eyes were red and all of the light resonant power within her attempted to burst out. Even then, it was tightly restrained within her, and unable to be mobilized in the slightest. When faced with a Dual Crowned King, their resistance was futile. "Little Luo!" Li Qingpeng, Li Jinpan, Ox Biaobiao, and the rest roared in pain. They had similarly been restrained and could only watch on with eyes wide open as the Faceless Other King took action. Hopelessness flooded them. In a situation where Li Jingzhe was incapable of taking action, there was no one who could stop the Faceless Other King! As endless despair surged into everyone''s hearts, a beam of silver light arced across the sky. The void seemed to resonate with it. Everyone then saw the void in front of Li Luo distort, and a fair, slender hand stretched out of it. The palm glowed with golden light. The slender hand then tightly clenched, forming a fist. Bang! When the first struck outwards, the void exploded and a large area around it shattered. The spatial fragments then transformed into a silver torrent that wrapped around the fist, colliding with the Faceless Other King. "You are looking to die!" The Faceless Other King snorted coldly. No matter who the other party was, they would be unable to stop it. After all, even Li Jingzhe was helpless! A palm pushed outwards in response. The palm and the fist collided heavily. At that instant, the Faceless Other King''s blood-red eye showed an expression of shock. This was because that single fist was even stronger than him! Bang! The world rumbled explosively and an indescribable energy shockwave rippled in every direction. To everyones shock, the Faceless Other King was knocked backwards violently. Every single step it took backwards was accompanied by a layer of featureless facial skin exploding into dust. The crowd sucked in a collective gasp and their eyes shook. A Dual Crowned King had actually been put at a disadvantage in a full frontal clash! Just who was that? "Wait for me to clean this place up." Tan Tailan then flashed yet another smile at them. "You can rest now that I''m back. I won''t let anyone bully you either." She took a step forward and stood before her children. At this point in time, the crowd had also recovered from the unexpected revelation of this newcomer. They were even more taken aback when they saw the lady, and deeply etched memories came to the fore of their minds. "You... Are you Tan Tailan?!" Qin Baiyan eyes were as wide as saucers. Li Jinpan and Li Qingpeng had expressions of disbelief as well. "Sister-in-law?" Who would have expected that she would appear here after years without any contact. Ox Biaobiao similarly blinked as though he had seen a ghost. Meanwhile, Tan Tailan only flashed a radiant smile. "There truly are many familiar faces." "Tan Tailan?" It was then that the retreated Faceless Other King looked at her with surprise. How could she have popped out from the World''s End River? Tan Tailan lightly rubbed her fists and commented coolly, "You''re just another freak from the Origin Reversion Institute. You dare to set your grubby hands on my son?" The Faceless Other King had no response, but the blood-red eyeball was filled with suspicion and surprise. It asked in a gloomy voice, "You have not forged King crowns. How dare you stop me?" He could sense that there were no undulations of a King''s crown coming from her body. Didn''t that mean that she wasn''t a King? Then how was it that her fist had stopped him? "King''s crown? I truly don''t have that. But... my path doesn''t require such a thing." Tan Tailan''s hands were hidden in her coats pockets as she casually sauntered forward. Boundless amounts of resonant power shot into the sky as she walked, and eight Duke Bergfrieds appeared above her. "Duke Bergfrieds?" Everyone looked on with disappointment. How could she deal with a Dual Crowned King? The conclusion was obvious. However, this thought quickly changed as they noticed that something amiss. The energy undulations coming from each of the Duke Bergfried caused the world to shake. A terrifying pressure like a tempest unfolded. It was then that they were reminded of something. Their gazes turned towards the tops of those Duke Bergfrieds. They finally noticed ten golden pillars representing perfection on top of them. Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds! Seven Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds bestowed one with the title of a Transcendent Duke! Meanwhile, one with eight of them... was known as a Greater Transcendent! Chapter 1390: Greater Transcendent Duke Eight glorious and titanic Duke Bergfrieds stood tall, akin to massive mountains as they quietly floated in the sky. They were emitting indescribable and vast energy undulations, like an unfathomable ocean. The aura of absolute perfection flowed around them, as though they were the most perfect objects in the world. Every single trace of it was filled with an inscrutable charm. Meanwhile, Qin Baiyan, Li Jiluo, Li Qingpeng, and the rest of them also had their Duke Bergfrieds out. Originally, they possessed the most awe-inspiring array of Duke Bergfrieds in the Treasure Domain, but now they were overshadowed by Tan Tailan''s. In fact, their Bergfireds began to subtly shake and the brilliance emitting from them was slightly restrained. It was almost as though they feared her. After all, she stood at the very peak of the Duke Stage, a Transcendent Duke! As one cultivated resonant power through the stages, only by becoming a Transcendent Duke could they be considered to have reached the true extremities of power. A single step allowed them to ascend into the heavens. This was the only stage where they could surpass a King with the power of a Duke. Although Transcendent Dukes possessed an unrivaled reputation throughout the ages, the difficulty of reaching such a point was beyond one''s imagination. The necessary confluence of talent, potential, and opportunity was rarely seen. Who knew just how many demonic geniuses had attempted the Path of Ascension throughout history. However, each Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried built was yet another incredible chasm they had to cross. Each step exhausted ones limited amount of potential. In the end, very, very few had managed to walk this path to the end. Thus, obtaining seven Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds would grant one the title of a Lesser Transcendent Duke. Meanwhile, Tan Tailan had eight, which meant she was a Greater Transcendent Duke! In terms of battle ability, Greater Transcendent Dukes were able to match Dual Crowned Kings. Furthermore, even amongst Dual Crowned Kings, they stood at the top with exceptional battle strength. As a result, when Tan Tailan had revealed her eight Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds, everyonenot only Qin Baiyan, Li Qingpeng, and the rest of the crowd, but also the Faceless Other Kingbegan to squirm. One could see vast amounts of resonant power erupting from the top of the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds, and as the resonant power fused with the void, a gigantic golden throne began to materialize. The appearance of this throne affected all of the worldly natural energy within the World''s End River Region; all of that energy surged into it like an endless sea. The divine throne was engraved with countless archaic runes and emanated dense source origin energy. What was most eye-catching was a carving of a gigantic golden Peng on the throne, whose wings were spread out. The bird seemed as though it was alive, its sharp eyes looking down upon the land as its tyrannical aura pressed down upon everyone beneath. "A Transcendent Heavenly Throne!" Qin Baiyan, Li Qingpeng, Li Jiluo, and the rest of the high-grade Dukes shouted out. A look of obsession and longing appeared in their eyes as they observed the throne that flowed with the aura of perfection. Possessing that very object was a dream most Dukes held in the depths of their hearts. The throne was also the mark of a Transcendent Duke, their qualification to contest and rebuff even Kings. Thus, once the Transcendent Heavenly Throne appeared, no one doubted Tan Tailan''s stature as a Greater Transcendent Duke. "Tan Tailan didn''t have a single Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried in the past. Yet she was able to remedy the flaws twenty years later? Did she come across some wondrous opportunity?" Qin Baiyan said with a trace of bitterness in his voice. Back then, Tan Tailan was truly talented and outstanding. She dominated her peers, and even many Dukes of the older generation were suppressed by her. Everyone remembered that Tan Tailan had not reached such a state at that time. Thus, the only explanation was that she had come across a fortunate encounter in the last twenty years. This caused many of the familiar people in the crowd to feel complicated emotions in their hearts. They had thought that Tan Tailan would lose some of her shine by leaving the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, but who would have expected that she would instead reach even more unfathomable heights? "It''s a good thing that Qin Lian is already dead..." This thought flashed through Qin Baiyan''s mind. If she was still around, considering the hatred she held towards Tan Tailan, her mental state wouldve simply distorted to the point that she would go crazy and die on the spot. The smoke seemed to be unstoppable as it pervaded every inch of the void. Even parts of the World''s End River Region began to fill with smoke. To their terror, everyone who encountered the smoke felt their facial features swiftly vanishing. Once all their features disappeared, their bodies would transform into wisps of white smoke! When a Dual Crowned King took action, they were capable of extinguishing all life as easily as turning their palm over. Qin Baiyan and the other high-grade Dukes avoided the smoke-like poison. The Faceless Life Eroding Smoke was what the Faceless Other King was notorious for. It had once turned a humongous kingdom into a land filled with faceless people. It would be hard to survive once they came into contact with the smoke, despite being high-grade Dukes. In the moment of chaos, Tan Tailan took her hands out of her pockets. Her gorgeous face had a hint of a smile on it. Reeeeee! A heaven-shaking cry of a bird resounded through the world. Vast amounts of golden light spilled out of the void behind her, and a gigantic golden Peng flew out. Its outstretched wings reminded one of vast clouds that could cover the skies and the sun. The golden light wrapped around the wings gave off the impression that it was so sharp, it was capable of slicing through the firmament with ease. The Golden Peng''s sharp claws were surrounded in mystical runes, emitting terrifying force. It felt as though even the Dragon Race''s tough bodies could be easily ripped apart with how honed they were. This was Tan Tailan''s first resonance. The middle ninth-grade Golden Winged Peng resonance! However, that wasn''t all. After the Golden Winged Peng soared into the sky, space began to distort, and a mysterious, silver light flowed. The silver light seemed to be perfectly matched with space itself, filling up any gaps as it constantly shifted between all sorts of different shapes. Many were staring at the shifting void with dazzled eyes. It seemed like space was completely under her control. This sight caused the crowd to be reminded of a rarely seen resonance in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. It was the Tan Tailan''s second resonance. The space resonance. Furthermore, the spirituality of the resonance seemed to have become even greater than before. In fact, the power it emanated was simply frightening. It contained even more spirituality than the Golden Winged Peng resonance. They all knew that the Golden Winged Peng resonance was at the middle ninth-grade... Did this mean that the space resonance, considering its incredible spirituality... was at the upper ninth-grade? Chapter 1391: Heavenly Pengs Talon Celestial Record Chapter 1391: Heavenly Peng''s Talon Celestial Record Middle ninth-grade Golden Winged Peng resonance! Upper ninth-grade space resonance! Tan Tailan''s resonances were so bright, they blinded everyone who looks at them. This also included the likes of Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. "Mother''s resonances have evolved!" Li Luo was surprised to see this. As far as he knew, Tan Tailan didn''t have any resonance at the upper ninth-grade. "It must be an evolution brought about from becoming a Transcendent Duke." Jiang Qing''e guessed. When one reached the King Stage, all of their resonances would evolve. A Single Crowned King would have all of their resonances reach the lower ninth-grade, a Dual Crowned King the middle ninth-grade, and a Triple Crowned King would have three upper ninth-grade resonances. Being able to defeat Kings meant that Transcendent Dukes had similar abilities. Tan Tailan was an eighth-grade Transcendent, capable of contending against Dual Crowned Kings. Thus, her resonances had also naturally risen to the middle ninth-grade. The upper ninth-grade space resonance was a little out of expectations and thus should have come about because of some miraculous opportunity she had encountered in the years she spent in the Nobles'' Battlefield. Li Luo''s face was full of envy. He wanted to experience something similar. It was a pity that he was only a second-grade Transcendent... Furthermore, he had just destroyed one of his Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds and fallen to the first-grade. Thus, the seventh-grade was quite a distance away. Tan Tailan was unfazed by the shocked gazes of the crowd. Her slender hands began to form a series of hand seals. Countless cryptic and ancient seals manifested in quick succession, leaving behind illusory images. In a short span of time, Tan Tailan had formed tens of thousands of seals which lingered in the air like stars in the sky. These seals transformed into glimmers of light that soared higher into the air before entering the Heavenly Throne. Then the Throne itself lit up and an ancient star map with vast and terrifying energy fluctuations emerged. Tan Tailan''s cool voice rang out. "Your Excellency, you have bullied the younger ones as an elder. As a mother, I hate seeing them suffer, so I''ll have to act on behalf of them and make a statement." As she finished speaking, the deafening cry of a Peng resonated from the Transcendent Heavenly Throne. It was sharp and piercing, yet filled with absolute tyranny. The sound waves permeated into every corner of the World''s End River Region. The vast skies and void began to distort in the sound waves wake, looking as though fish scales had appeared out of thin air as the violent space energy poured out. The ancient star map above the Transcendent Heavenly Throne was already alit, gold and silver light rising from it. The stream of light resembled a simple but archaic gold and silver seal. However, its appearance caused all of the worldly natural energy within the World''s End River Region to flow into it ceaselessly. The gold and silver seal emanated a primordial air and almost seemed to have originated from the most ancient of times. "That is..." Qin Baiyan, Li Qingpeng, and the rest of the high-grade Dukes looked shell-shocked when they recognized the object. A few moments later, someone blurted out, "Source Origin Celestial Seal!" Meanwhile, space began to fracture layer after layer. The absolute power of a Transcendent Duke Art was beyond everyone''s wildest imagination. It would forever change the landscape of this area. Meanwhile, the silverish-golden pearl collided with the Faceless Life Eroding Smoke before everyone''s eyes. The pearl immediately exploded forth with frightening suction force, like a gaping abyssal mouth, directly swallowing up all of the cold, white smoke. The pearl contained numerous separate spaces within, and everything was absorbed. The Faceless Other King''s featureless face began to twitch and a dull hum could be heard from it. At the same time, its blank face began to shatter continuously and fresh, inky, black blood leaked from every crack. Qin Baiyan and the rest were elated to see this. It seemed the Faceless Other King was heavily injured. Tan Tailan''s Transcendent Duke Art had demonstrated her superiority! Boom! A moment later, the Faceless Other King''s body exploded, transforming into countless strange faces that began fleeing in every direction. When Tan Tailan saw this, she raised her arm, and boundless amounts of space resonant power wrapped around it. She then lightly waved her hand. Space immediately began to fracture, creating a gigantic spatial vortex. The faces that were attempting to escape were all sucked in and annihilated. Pained wails continuously rang out. In just a few short moments, all of the faces had been grounded down into fine ash. Tan Tailan''s gaze flickered with silver light as she coldly snorted. "Do you think my children can be bullied by a fool like you?" A furious and clearly hurt voice faintly rumbled in response before quickly dissipating away. "Very, very good, Tan Tailan... What a great Transcendent Duke you are... The Origin Reversion Institute will remember this!" Chapter 1392: Paying Respects On Behalf Of The Husband Chapter 1392: Paying Respects On Behalf Of The Husband When the Faceless Other King''s furious cries vanished, the surging worldly natural energy within the Treasure Domain gradually calmed down. Qin Baiyan, Li Jiluo, Li Qingpeng, and the rest of the experts from the numerous powers were elated to see this. With the Faceless Other King retreating, it meant that their dire predicament had been resolved! They let out cheers of joy as they realized they now had a new lease on life. At the same time, they sent looks of respect and gratitude towards Tan Tailan. Some still had complicated feelings in their hearts. They relished the fact that they were still alive, but at the same time, were also wary of her. The power she had demonstrated had terrified them to the core. She was a Greater Transcendent wielding a Transcendent Duke Art! In terms of strength, she had single-handedly sent the Faceless Other King reeling with heavy injuries. Furthermore, it was clear from how indignant and angry its response was that the injuries suffered were severe and would take a long time to deal. On top of that, Tan Tailan''s return to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would mean that their momentum to the top would not have ceased. Tan Tailan descended towards where Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were. "Mother, has the Faceless Other King escaped? You can''t let it go! That beast caused a disaster!" Li Luo said with dissatisfaction. "I''ve destroyed one of its crowns, so it has regressed by a whole stage. If a Heavenly Emperor doesn''t take action to help it, the Transcendent power I''ve left behind in its body will forever inhibit any further advancement," Tan Tailan replied. Li Luo heaved a breath of relief. Destroying a crown was perhaps the most crippling injury a King could sustain. "However, since it''s already set its eyes on you, we truly can''t let it off this easily." Tan Tailan''s voice changed and her eyes flickered with silvery light, seemingly capable of piercing through space itself. "The Faceless Other King''s life-preserving methods might be impressive, but my space resonance can be considered to be its bane." She was able to faintly make out a wisp of gray light hiding in the void, attempting to escape at an unimaginable speed. However, she didn''t take action. "The Origin Reversion Institute''s schemes run deep. There are many other chess pieces that have been put into play. There must have been a co-conspirator, and I''ll use this frightened mouse to root out whoever it is." Li Luo clicked his tongue. It seemed he had underestimated his mother''s abilitiesher intention was to use the Faceless Other King as bait. "Mother, you are amazing!" Li Luo flashed her a thumbs up with a look full of admiration. "Ke..." The giant eye rotated, emitting a frightening sound. It then squirmed violently as it attempted to breach the World''s End River and pass through the gap forcefully. Tan Tailan ignored the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus'' actions. Now that the summoning object was destroyed, it couldn''t possibly descend anymore. Thus, she turned towards the old man sitting cross-legged in the air. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e looked at Li Jingzhe with eyes full of worry. Li Jinpan and Li Qingpeng hurriedly rushed over, also looking concerned. Li Jingzhe''s bamboo staff was sitting across his knees and his usually cold face looked gentle. There was no trace of the indifference he always displayed when talking to his children. Tan Tailan also made her way over. The relationship between her and Li Jingzhe was a little special. After all, he didn''t like her all those years ago and had always blamed her for Li Taixuan''s actions. That said, she had a prideful personality, so she couldnt care less if he liked her or not. She couldn''t even be bothered to respond in kind. When the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin had encircled her and Li Taixuan, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had also made their stance clear. They only cared about Li Taixuan. Tan Tailan had nothing to do with them. Thus, she didn''t hold any positive feelings towards the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li either. That said, these were all matters from many years ago. After going through all sorts of situations, the feelings of both parties changed. Furthermore, the only reason why Tan Tailan was able to break through the World''s End River was because Li Jingzhe had assisted her. Otherwise, it wouldn''t have been so easy with just a space resonance, or perhaps even possible. Most importantly, Tan Tailan had witnessed for herself how Li Jingzhe had stepped up to protect her children. This action had moved her despite everything that had happened before. Li Jingzhe didn''t have a good temper, but he was an extraordinarily qualified grandpa. In this regard, he had taken even better care of the two than the parents ever did. Thus, Tan Tailan approached Li Jingzhe. The proud back that had never bent to anyone had voluntarily done so as she kowtowed to pay her respects. "Father, your daughter in law Tan Tailan pays her respects on behalf of her husband. I wish you good health." Seeing the woman before him, one that had always stood tall and arrogant yet was acting so genuinely, brought a warm smile to his elderly face that was filled with cracks. At the same time, his eyes moistened. Chapter 1393: King’s Fall Chapter 1393: Kings Fall "Have you been well?" Li Jingzhe quietly looked at Tan Tailan, who was now much more mature than the last time he saw her. All of his complicated feelings had been condensed into a single simple greeting. Tan Tailan gave a smile. "There''s no need to worry, Father. We are all doing well. I''ve temporarily separated from Taixuan due to certain developments. However, there is no need to worry about him." Li Jingzhe lightly nodded and didn''t probe further. Now that Tan Tailan was a Greater Transcendent Duke, her strength meant that even in his prime, he might not have been able to beat her. It seemed like these youths had made their own achievements after twenty years. "Grandpa, is your body fine?" Li Luo hurriedly asked. His gaze betrayed the anxiety in his heart, and Li Jingzhe''s condition didn''t look very good. The skin on his entire body was covered in cracks and he was emanating terrifying, chaotic fluctuations of energy. Li Jingzhe gave a wry smile. "Little Luo and Qing''e, the two of you really aren''t normal. Both of you have embarked on the Path of Ascension. I hope that you''ll become even more outstanding in the future." Li Luo''s expression changed when he heard those words. He forced a smile. "Grandpa, without your protection, how could I, your grandson, have the confidence to become a true Transcendent Duke?" Li Jingzhe lightly sighed. "I''m afraid I won''t be able to see that day." In order to destroy the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus'' Human Fetus, he had paid the price of igniting his three crowns. This was a heavy price that even he was unable to escape from. Li Luo''s heart trembled and Jiang Qing''e''s eyes turned red. "Mother, you must help Grandpa!" Li Luo desperately grabbed Tan Tailan''s arm. Tan Tailan fell silent. She was stronger than Li Luo and thus could sense the vitality slipping away from Li Jingzhe''s body. Igniting his three crowns had forced him to pay a price that even she couldn''t do anything about. On the side, Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan had reddened eyes with faces full of grief. Li Luo stood there blankly as though he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Hot tears gushed out of the corners of his eyes as he couldn''t accept the fate of the invincible grandpa in his heart. Someone as powerful as Li Jingzhe could have escaped from the World''s End River Region at any time. Even the Human Fetus wouldn''t have been able to stop him. Yet for the sake of protecting them, he gave up opportunity after opportunity to save himself. In the end, he chose the path of self-sacrifice, burning his three crowns to carve out a path for them to escape. If not for him giving up his life, they would be stuck in a predicament even if Tan Tailan had managed to arrive on time. Li Jingzhe''s selfless actions to keep his descendents safe played through Li Luos mind. The grief within his heart could no longer be suppressed. Jiang Qing''e tightly gripped Li Luo''s hand in an attempt to console him in her own way. "My silly grandson... the world is naturally filled with regrets, so there is no need to demand perfection." Li Jingzhe then gave a hearty smile. "I was originally a little worried for all of you, but now that Little Lan is here, I can truly be at peace." He removed a plaque that emanated a sense of pressure from his robes. The ancient characters for "Dragon''s Fang" were engraved on it. At the same time, the experts from the other powers similarly bowed with complicated expressions. Even Qin Baiyan and the rest were no exception. "We respectfully send off Lineage Chief Jingzhe." One after another, reverent and thankful voices chimed in, turning into a resounding roar. Everyone knew that it was Li Jingzhe''s sacrifice that had allowed them to survive this doomed situation. Amidst the deferential well wishes, Li Jingzhe''s body burst into gloriously incandescent light and then shattered in full view of everyone. Vast amounts of energy shot into the sky, directly causing waves of energy to ripple in every direction across the World''s End River Region. There seemed to be a gigantic golden dragon soaring through the skies, letting out a final melancholic roar. Heavy rain began to pour down upon the earth. However, this was not the inky-black rain that was falling like before, but a spiritual rain that contained majestic amounts of energy. A King''s fall would lead to the blessings of the heavens and the earth returning back to the source. Amidst the falling rain, Li Luo let out a pained cry from the depths of his soul. The grief and misery contained within was so intense that no one could bear to even look at him. Jiang Qing''e gently wiped the tears from the corners of her own eyes. She didn''t comfort him at this time as she knew that he needed some space to vent his sadness. Tan Tailan gripped the plaque that was now entrusted to her and felt her heart breaking at Li Luo''s mournful cries. "Huh?" However, her eyes suddenly froze. At that very moment, she could see a violet-gold light spilling out from Li Luo''s body. Within the depths of this violet-gold light, she could see a mysterious halo slowly turning. "This is..." A look of shock flashed through Tan Tailan''s eyes. Bang! As the mysterious Auric Halo spun, a special roar resounded through the skies. The spiritual rain began to gather towards Li Luo at that instant, absorbed into the Auric Halo within him. Tan Tailan waved her arm and materialized a silver light that distorted space and prevented anyone from seeing what was happening. The grieving Li Luo also sensed this sudden change and raised his head. The Auric Halo within him was shining with esoteric light which then weaved and condensed before him. It gradually condensed into a golden bamboo shoot about an inch long. Li Luo''s eyes widened as he could feel familiar fluctuations from this bamboo shoot. It gave off Li Jingzhe''s aura. "Gran... Grandpa?" Li Luo''s eyes turned blurry. "How did he transform into a bamboo shoot?" Chapter 1394: Rebirth Chapter 1394: Rebirth The golden bamboo shoot was no bigger than his palm. Although seemed a little short and chubby, was actually adorable. Despite that, there was a mysterious air around it. Many ancient runes were carved into it, and one even resembled a dragon. At the same time, lightning energy danced across the bamboo shoot. Li Luo recomposed himself for a moment. Sadness and confusion flickered in his eyes as he didn''t know what was happening. He could distinctly sense a familiar feeling from this golden bamboo shoot. However, the aura was very weak and seemed to be on the cusp of extinguishing. That said, it didn''t seem like the aura could have been faked. It was definitely Li Jingzhe''s aura. Not only was Li Luo at a loss for words, but Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan were similarly sweating in confusion. Their eyes were glued firmly to the shoot. They too could sense the familiar aura coming from it. However, they also had no idea what had just happened. Li Jingzhe had clearly shattered into pieces before their eyes, yet a trace of his energy was contained with this golden bamboo shoot. No one knew what was going on. As their eyes widened in disbelief, Tan Tailan suddenly said, "This looks like the immature form of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo. If I''m not wrong, it should be a transformation of your grandpa''s Heavenly Thunder Bamboo resonance." "Then..." Li Luo''s mouth was ajar. He didn''t dare to speak what was on his mind. There was a cautious look on his face, as if he was afraid that any trace of hope in his heart would be dashed yet again. Tan Tailan felt a little sorry upon seeing Li Luo''s expression, so she reached out to gently ruffle his hair. "I know what you want to ask..." She glanced at the bamboo shoot and sighed heavily. "A trace of your grandpa''s aura remains within this Heavenly Thunder Bamboo. It is said that amongst plant resonances, the bamboo types are the most tenacious. The Heavenly Thunder Bamboo is exceptional even amongst them, capable of being reborn amidst their destruction as they are struck by heavenly thunder again and again. I think that object in your body was stimulated by your intense emotional outburst and thus released its power in tandem with the remnants of your grandpa''s Heavenly Thunder Bamboo resonance. Perhaps these two powers combined allowed it to create a miracle and gathered a trace of your grandpa''s energy remains. It was then transformed into this bamboo shoot." At this point, Tan Tailan paused and continued seriously, "Perhaps there could be a miracle here." Li Luo''s heart began to thump. His originally gloomy eyes were now filled with newfound hope as he excitedly asked, "Can Grandpa come back to life?" Tan Tailan paused and thought about it before responding, "We cannot rule out the possibility, but it requires that this Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot be cultivated carefully. When it truly matures, we might be able to use it as a catalyst for your grandpa''s remaining spirituality and aura, using the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo''s power to be reborn in destruction and revive him." Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan were extremely emotional upon hearing this. "The Dragon''s Fang Lineage will definitely spare no expense to invite the best experts at cultivating spiritual plants to grow this Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot to maturity." Tan Tailan lightly shook her head. "How can it be so simple? This is no ordinary plant. I''m afraid conventional means might not work at all. If anything goes wrong, that last strand of hope will be destroyed." In the end, he nodded and said, "I understand." Li Luo had no intention to experience such immense grief again. This entire miracle was already unexpected and thus, he would take hold of this opportunity. He then glanced at the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot embedded in the Five-colored Spiritual Soil and said in a low voice, "Grandpa, you can be assured that this grandson of yours will definitely help you come back to life!" After which, he carefully stowed the plant away in his pocket sphere. When Tan Tailan saw this, she quickly reminded everyone, "News of this cannot be allowed to leak. Otherwise, there will be many who covet his powers. Furthermore, we need to maintain the facade that Father has completely perished. Not even the other lineages can know." Li Jingzhe was a Quasi-Triple Crown King, and the possibility of his rebirth was no small matter. If anyone were to desire Li Luo''s special powers, he would undoubtedly be put in a lot of danger. Jiang Qing''e, Li Qingpeng, and Li Jinpan all nodded solemnly. After which, they adjusted their expressions, revealing looks of pain and sadness. Tan Tailan then flicked her finger, and the sealed space around them was released. The shattered remnants of the Treasure Domain was once again visible around them. The entire atmosphere was gloomy as the numerous members of the different powers felt sorrow over Li Jingzhe''s fall. Although Tan Tailan''s actions to seal off the area temporarily was unexpected and a little strange, no one would ever guess that Li Jingzhe could possibly be reborn. Li Luo was about to ask his mother how to clean things up when he suddenly saw her raise her head with a shocking and fearsome look in her eyes. "Mother, what happened?" Li Luo hurriedly asked. Tan Tailan''s gaze turned bone-chilling as she glanced into the distance and responded in a detached tone, "The Faceless Other King has stopped moving. Its collaborator has also appeared. It''s just as I had expected..." "Who is it?" Li Luo was shocked as he clenched his teeth in anger. The entire reason why Li Jingzhe was in such a state was all because of the Faceless Other King''s machinations, and its collaborator was equally culpable. Tan Tailan had not chosen to lower her voice, so everyone raised their heads when they heard her words. Who exactly was collaborating with the Faceless Other King? The numerous powers felt incensed. So many of their geniuses had fallen because of this, and this debt had to be repaid. Tan Tailan''s cold voice then rang out as they simmered in their fury. "Qin Jiujie from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin." This revelation caused immense disbelief to well up in the eyes of everyone present. Chapter 1395: Qin Jiujies Choice Chapter 1395: Qin Jiujie''s Choice Abyssal City Qin Jiujie was standing at the top of the city, and his gaze was directed at the faraway Treasure Domain. His expression was ashen and a look of panic appeared in his eyes. "Tan Tailan... she actually returned!" He had witnessed Tan Tailan''s descent and her battle with the Faceless Other King. This development had sent waves rocking through his heart. He had never predicted, amidst all of his calculations, that Tan Tailan would return by breaking through the World''s End River and reverse the situation. Furthermore, she had revealed eight Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds, making her a Greater Transcendent Duke! This meant that she was capable of defeating a Dual Crowned King! If he were to challenge her alone, he could even be placed at a disadvantage! "Damn it! Damn it!!!" Qin Jiujie''s heart was filled with frustration and anger. He had worked hard to cause Li Jingzhe''s fall, but who could have expected that after the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had lost a Quasi-Triple Crown King, they would then gain a Greater Transcendent Duke? There was basically no difference between the two! Was the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s fortune simply that blessed and abnormal? Qin Jiujie tightly clenched his fists. His plan had basically been completely upended. However, at this point, his expression changed and he flickered away, appearing in the depths of one of the pavilions within the city next to a huge lake. The water was bubbling violently and a large, white fish emerged from the depths. This fish had a strange appearance as its face was featureless. "Faceless! You dare to come here?! Are you trying to ruin me as well!?" Qin Jiujie shouted as he glared at the weird fish with a voice full of anger. The fish let out a cold laugh. "Qin Jiujie, the Origin Reversion Institute has supported you for countless years, yet you still wish to stay neutral?" Qin Jiujie''s eyes turned gloomy. "When Tan Tailan appeared, you should have joined hands with me to suppress her," the Faceless Other King said bitterly. "Even with the two of us joining hands, we might not have been able to suppress her, especially considering that you''re still injured," Qin Jiujie explained with a frown. "In addition, Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong and White Elephant King Zhu Yuan were watching. If I dared to step in, they would definitely have found out that we are working together, so how could they possibly stand by idly?!" The Faceless Other King knew that Qin Jiujie was right. Tan Tailan''s sudden appearance had completely ruined their plans. Their goal was to restrict all of the other Kings, but they had not taken such a wildcard into account. This couldn''t have been foreseen. Who would have thought that someone who had disappeared from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent for more than twenty years would choose this very moment to return as a Greater Transcendent Duke? "Won''t we be discovered by Tan Tailan since you chose to escape here?" Qin Jiujie couldn''t help but ask. "Qin Jiujie, don''t think about standing alone anymore. The final plan of the Origin Reversion Institute is to cause the World''s End River to completely overturn and herald an Other Disaster with a magnitude thats never been seen before on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Originally, we wanted to use the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s land as the nexus, but it looks like we have no choice but to use the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qins territory now," the Faceless Other King replied. When Qin Jiujie heard this, he was completely taken aback. "What are you trying to do?!" "I want Abyssal City to be the anchor point where we disrupt the World''s End River. This way, the Other Disaster will break out from this region," the Faceless Other King indifferently replied. "What?!" Qin Jiujie''s expression turned steely green. "You dare to act so audaciously, Faceless?" The Other Disasters incited by the Origin Reversion Institute were never trivial in scale. If it were to erupt from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s territory, the casualties would inevitably be tremendous. The entire city could hear her resounding voice, and looks of shock appeared on their faces. What had they just heard? The Origin Reversion Institute''s Faceless Other King was hiding here, in Abyssal City? Furthermore, Qin Jiujie, the Dual Crowned King, was connected to it? How could this be? Countless confused eyes turned towards the skies above the city. If it weren''t for the exceptionally pure and vast undulations of resonant power coming from the lady, they might have even assumed that she was an Other. Before anyone in the city could react, those who had followed her from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin with Qin Baiyan at the lead couldn''t help but to speak up. "Duke Lan, could this situation have been orchestrated by the Faceless Other King to sow discord amongst the four Heavenly Emperor powers to create an opportunity for it to escape? Palace Master Qin is the leader of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin; how could someone of his stature possibly be in cahoots with the Faceless Other King?" Tan Tailan indifferently replied, "Wasn''t it people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin who were heavily corrupted and caused great change within the Treasure Domain?" Qin Baiyan paused. That was indeed strange. Shen Yunge and Qin Lian, two important chess pieces that served to control the situation, had both spent time in Abyssal City before everything happened. Despite that, saying that Qin Jiujie was working together with the Faceless Other King was a little too much. Li Luo stood beside Tan Tailan, and his gaze turned icy. The damnable Origin Reversion Institute and the damnable Qin Jiujie had harmed Li Jingzhe and caused his fall. This bloody enmity could not be forgiven. As they spoke, the void shook and two figures pierced through, appearing in the skies above Abyssal City as well. The might of a King swept over the area, causing the heavens and earth to shake. One was sitting atop a ferocious tiger and the other atop a glazed white elephant. They were none other than Zhu Yuan and Zhao Zong. The two Kings immediately turned their eyes towards Tan Tailan, and looks of surprise surfaced in their eyes. It was only after a few moments that they raised one hand before their bodies and respectfully greeted her. "Greetings, Duke Lan. Congratulations on becoming a Transcendent Duke." Their expressions were uneasy, especially Divine Tiger King Zhao Zongs. It was important to note that just twenty years ago, Tan Tailan was merely a member of the junior generation. However, she had surpassed him. Zhao Zong and Zhu Yuan were both Single Crowned Kings, and in terms of strength, were incomparable to the Greater Transcendent Duke Tan Tailan. They had started cultivating before her. Yet despite their seniority, she was much stronger than them and thus they had no choice but to address her respectfully. Only Transcendent Dukes were worthy of being treated as equals by Kings, and the two Kings actions did not go unnoticed by the people below. An uproar ensued. There were many who could no longer even remember Tan Tailan''s appearance. Thus, they simply didn''t understand why the Kings were treating this lady with so much courtesy. "Duke Lan, do you have any proof of your claim?" Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong asked solemnly. Zhu Yuan nodded in agreement. They were taken aback when they first heard her declaration. They never could have imagined Qin Jiujie would be working together with the Origin Reversion Institute''s Faceless Other King. This was something that would send shockwaves throughout the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Furthermore, the situation within the four Heavenly Emperor powers would change as a result of this. Their lineages had suffered crippling losses within the Treasure Domain, and if Qin Jiujie was responsible for this, they would not let this go. When faced with the Kings questions, Tan Tailan calmly looked towards the Abyssal City, which resembled a gigantic beast. Her nonchalant voice rang out, causing the hearts of everyone present to sink. "Is it not proof of your involvement that you, Qin Jiujie, have chosen to not come out of Abyssal City despite everything?" Chapter 1396: Jiujie Betrays the Qin Chapter 1396: Jiujie Betrays the Qin When Tan Tailan''s words rang out, Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong and White Elephant King Zhu Yuan''s eyelids jumped. They had looks of suspicion as they glanced towards the depths of Abyssal City. There was such a huge disturbance, yet Qin Jiujie refused to come out. What did this mean? Was he truly guilty? Zhao Zong then decided to speak, his voice booming. "Palace Master Jiujie, we''d like to invite you to show yourself. The White Elephant King and I will express our apologies if there has been any mistake." Zhu Yuan nodded in agreement. Everything was silent with only Zhao Zong''s voice echoing throughout the area. There seemed to be no reaction coming from Abyssal City. Qin Beiming, Qin Baiyan, Qin Yi, and the rest of those from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin began to turn pale. Meanwhile, within Abyssal City, chaos had ensued as some of the more alert experts had felt that something didn''t seem right. They quickly attempted to leave. Unfortunately, before they were able to do so, a frightening defensive ward began to shimmer into existence in the sky above the city, turning the entire city into a cage. This meant that everyone was prevented from leaving. Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong and White Elephant King Zhu Yuan had gloomy expressions on their faces. Qin Jiujie had chosen not to respond, and even the Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation had been activated. His actions had spoken for themselves. "Qin Jiujie, you''ve made a mistake! The World''s End River Region is a protective barrier for the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. How dare you collude with the Origin Reversion Institute and plot against us!" Zhao Zong growled. In the skies above, the void rippled and a black-robed man appeared. Vast amounts of energy radiated from him and filled the world. It was none other than Qin Jiujie. There was an icy expression on his face and his gaze was full of hatred as he stared at Tan Tailan. If not for her, he would never have been forced into such a predicament. Escaping from this city would be a herculean task as he had to face off against a Greater Transcendent Duke and two Single Crowned Kings. He would undoubtedly be left at a disadvantage. Qin Jiujie would not take actions that would put his life in danger. The fact that Tan Tailan had appeared here meant that the Faceless Other King had been tracked. She definitely had some way to force him out. Perhaps this was part of the Faceless Other King''s plan to drag him under and force a decision out of him. Thus, there was no need to bother with any superfluous words. EVerything that happened within the World''s End River Region had been caused by the cooperation between Qin Jiujie and the Origin Reversion Institute. "Qin Jiujie, aren''t you afraid of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s wrath?" Zhao Zong asked in disbelief. "The elders of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin won''t let you go either!" Zhu Yuan said heavily. Tan Tailan nonchalantly added, "He''s already chosen to side with the Origin Reversion Institute. He naturally does not care for Heavenly Emperor Qin. Furthermore, he probably started working with them a long time ago. Once someone chooses to embark on the Origin Reversion Institute''s boat, they can never get off. My two acquaintances, the disturbances to the World''s End River have not ended. The Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus is still snooping around in the gap of the World''s End River, and we must capture these two if we want to survive this disaster." When Tan Tailan spoke, Zhao Zong and Zhu Yuan''s expressions turned solemn. "We will follow Duke Lan''s lead." Qin Jiujie was a Dual Crowned King, and with the aid of the Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation, the two Single Crowned Kings would not be Qin Jiujie''s opponent even if they worked together. Tan Tailan understood the two of them hoped that she would be the vanguard. That said, there wasn''t anything to be worried about at this point. Their top priority was to capture the Faceless Other King and Qin Jiujie. She thus took a step forward, and her eight Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds appeared. As the Duke Bergfrieds floated in the air, Transcendent Divine Mist surged out and condensed int a Transcendent Heavenly Throne, which gave off the aura of perfection. The Transcendent Heavenly Throne floated majestically in the sky, attracting countless shocked and obsessed gazes. This was the deepest desire of any Duke. Even the two Single Crowned Kings looked at it with respect. Transcendent Dukes were basically a direct conduit between the heavens and the earth It was something only the most talented and impressive people could attain. This allowed them to defeat even Kings. Zhu Yuan and Zhao Zong similarly displayed the crowns they possessed. However, their usually dignified and glorious crowns seemed a little ordinary when compared to the perfect Transcendent Heavenly Throne. The three revealed their strength immediately and condensed apocalyptic attacks without hesitation, sending them towards Abyssal City. Qin Jiujies expression turned serious when he saw the furious assault of the trio. "Faceless, I''ll use the Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation to restrain them. "As for Abyssal City..." He sucked in a deep breath and his gaze turned cruel. "I''ll leave it to you to do as you please!" Chapter 1397: Kings Battle "Hehehe.... good, good, good... Qin Jiujie, your attitude befits the fourteenth Other King of the Origin Reversion Institute!" Hearing Qin Jiujie''s heartless words brought great joy to the Faceless Other King. It immediately ripped apart its white face, and numerous talisman papers appeared. Each one emanated a chilly energy and shot outwards towards different locations within Abyssal City. Wherever the talisman papers descended, the buildings nearby melted away and holes formed, causing wax-like liquid to bubble out. This chilly, white substance gradually subsumed all of the buildings around it. Meanwhile, the humans who were struck by the white substance were similarly horrified to find out that their bodies were melting away, assimilating with it. Who knew just how many had died in just a few moments. Desperate cries rang out endlessly. "We will fight back!" Some of the stronger Dukes didn''t wish to sit and await their deaths. Duke Bergfrieds appeared one after another in the air as they made a last-ditch and tragic attempt to attack the Faceless Other King. "Palace Master Qin, you''ve ruined the reputation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin built over thousands of years!" one of the elderly experts wailed melancholically. If news of this were to spread, their reputation would undoubtedly plummet. They then joined the teams who were attempting to fight back against the Faceless Other King. Looking at the situation, it was clear that Qin Jiujie was planning to sacrifice them. The guardians of the Blackwater Armies were still lingering within Abyssal City. Unfortunately, they were in an embarrassing situation because all of their Guardian Generals and leaders like Qin Beiming were trapped outside the city. Without the lead of the Guardian Generals, the Blackwater Armies, which could have resisted a King as a united whole, were now as useless as loose sand. This was the disadvantage of fusing one''s strengths into a singular whole. Without the head, they were nothing. Things had turned completely upside down within the city. Qin Jiujie''s expression was like steel and he no longer showed any sympathy towards the people he had once protected. His choice was made and he would pay the price. From today onwards, he was no longer the leader of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, but the Origin Reversion Institute''s newest Other King! Qin Jiujie didn''t feel like he had done anything wrong. In fact, he thought to himself, "Old Ancestor, if I ever enter the Heavenly Emperor Stage, I will cut down the Faceless Other King and repay this enmity. At that point in time, I''ll form an entirely new Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin." The gloomy and cold white substance dispersed throughout Abyssal City, and towers made of bone began to rise slowly. These bone towers emitted a strange light, seemingly capable of piercing through the void and connecting with a separate space. Qin Jiujie''s eyes narrowed when he saw them. These objects had clearly been planted within Abyssal City much earlier and had only been activated now. And none of the Kings had sensed a thing. It must have been the work of the Origin Reversion Institute''s Honored Lord. Qin Jiujie''s heart turned chilly. This organization''s might was truly frightening, and it seemed like joining them had been the right decision. Two regal crowns had condensed above him, each flowing with pristine air before transforming into a world of thunder and flames.A gigantic Heavenly Wolf stood tall amidst one of the crowns as well. The two crowns above his head flowed with source origin energy and fused into the black Thunderflame Heavenly Wolf. The Heavenly Wolf''s tails began to gather together, channeling energy into a singular black orb. This black orb was only the size of a palm and looked extremely delicate. However, what was contained within it were three elements: thunder, fire, and blackwater. Dense amounts of source origin surged towards it, transforming the seemingly ordinary orb into a terrifying object. "I''d like to invite the three of you to have a taste of my work." Upper Destiny-grade Duke Art: Heavenly Wolf Thunderflame Bead! Just how terrifying was it when a Dual Crowned King borrowed the aid of a King-grade formation to supplement his upper Destiny-grade Duke Art? Shock and fear appeared in Zhu Yuan and Zhao Zong''s eyes. The two of them might have run off by now if not for Tan Tailan''s presence. After all, even though they had joined hands, they were not Qin Jiujie''s opponents. Tan Tailan remained collected despite this. An ancient star map manifested above the Transcendent Heavenly Throne, and it began to emit scintillating light. Silver energy condensed, quickly transforming into a silverish-gold talisman. When the talisman manifested, Zhao Zong and Zhu Yuan''s hearts trembled. "Source Origin Celestial Seal!" As Kings, they understood what this representedit was the key to utilizing Transcendent Arts. A Transcendent Art was something that could threaten even their lives. As the silverish-gold talisman floated in the skies, it began to radiate mighty undulations of energy. The void continuously shattered and then it transformed into a silverish-gold pearl. Similarly, the two Kings restrained their fear and glanced at each other. They then activated their crowns, and source origin energy flooded the world. The void behind Zhao Zong shattered and a violet-gold divine light bathed the firmament. A gigantic violet tiger claw stretched out of the void, as though it had teleported from the primordial era, emanating vicious ferocity. Meanwhile, a humongous white elephant materialized above Zhu Yuan. The elephant trumpeted loudly as mighty black-and-white energies swept outwards, crushing everything in its wake. Upper Destiny-grade: Violet God Claw! Upper Destiny-grade: Yin-Yang White Elephant''s Enigmatic Energy! However, the most intimidating one of them all was none other than the one from Tan Tailan. Transcendent Art: Heavenly Peng''s Talon Celestial Record! These three horrifying attacks streaked across the air, smashing through the heavens and colliding with Qin Jiujie''s Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation-boosted Heavenly Wolf Thunderflame Bead! Chapter 1398: Fate Shaping King Art The instant the arts collided, all sound in the World''s End River Region fad. Deafening silence reigned. Li Luo and the rests eyes were glued to the epicenter as incomprehensible amounts of majestic energy battered at each other. The resulting shockwave quickly spread across the entire area at breakneck speed. It was fortunate that Tan Tailan, Zhao Zong, and Zhu Yuan were standing in the front and could bear the brunt of the blowback. Otherwise, those who were watching might simply have been rendered into dust. Li Luo watched in complete disbelief. Tan Tailan''s Transcendent Art was overwhelming and gave off the aura of perfection. It was as though it was the most brilliant art in the world and stood at the peak of all Duke Arts. Meanwhile, the Destiny-grade Duke Arts wielded by the Kings were equally astonishing. Li Luo had cultivated a Destiny-grade Duke Art, but what he could output was akin to the firefly when compared to the moon. Their Duke Arts were activated by triple resonance power and even had a trace of source origin as well. This was the strongest and most primordial energy one could wield. At this point, Li Luo could sense that their arts exuded an indescribable sort of charm. It was as though the power of fate itself had channeled through them, allowing them to shape their destinies with it. "This is a true Destiny-grade Duke Art." Li Luo was enthralled by the sight of these arts. Those who were the target of these arts had no place to hide. No matter how amazing their movement arts or how fast they could move, they would be locked onto by the Duke Art and be unable to escape. The heavens and earth themselves would lend their might to these arts. The targets of these Destiny-grade Duke Arts would be abandoned by fate and their existence would be rejected by the world. This was their wondrous power. Li Qingpeng suddenly chimed in and explained with a smile, "When a King uses a Destiny-grade Duke Art, strictly speaking, it is no longer considered in the same vein as an ordinary Duke Art. It should be considered a Fate Shaping King Art..." "A Fate Shaping King Art?" Li Luo was a little surprised. This was something foreign to him. After all, he hadn''t seen many battles at the level of Kings, and it was naturally difficult to observe a King wielding arts at their maximum potential. That said, the difference between Destiny-grade Duke Arts and Fate Shaping King Arts was bigger than just the words themselves. They were completely different in essence. Li Qingpeng sighed emotionally before adding, "A Duke is an ant before a King, regardless of whether they are high or low-grade. They are completely unable to withstand the power of fate. The only exception are Dukes who have cultivated a Transcendent Art. By borrowing the aid of their Transcendent realm, they are not affected by it. After all, no matter how blessed one''s fate is, it cannot possibly surpass the illustrious and prosperous ancient times. As you can see, Qin Jiujie, the other two Kings, and their Fate Shaping King Arts look drab before your mother''s Transcendent Art." Li Luo turned his head and looked at the air above Abyssal City. The two Single Crowned Kings and their Fate Shaping King Arts were directly clashing with Qin Jiujie''s. Qin Jiujie''s Heavenly Wolf Thunderflame Bead had smashed apart their arts easily, causing the void around them to collapse. Energy surged in every direction. Qin Jiujie far surpassed the two thanks to his Dual Crowned King cultivation and the Blackwater Divine Transformation Formation. However, he couldn''t relax, as the silverish-gold pearl emanating transcendent might was his greatest threat. The bead flowed with streams of gold and silver light, each capable of piercing through the void effortlessly and bathing the entire area in light. In the end, the bead crashed into the pearl. At the moment of collision, Qin Jiujie''s eyes shrunk. The boundless amounts of gold and silver light was reflected in his eyes, and for a moment, he thought he could see a gigantic golden Peng with its wings spread out, resembling clouds in the sky as space twisted around it. "It''s done!" the Faceless Other King replied. Half of Abyssal City had been submerged in a white, waxy substance, and the void above it began to fracture. The entire city seemed to be sinking into the depths of the void! If one were to peer deeper into that rift, they would be able to see another space and world. Numerous towering cities stood amidst plains and mountains. The entire area was bustling with activity, indicating how peaceful and prosperous it was. Qin Baiyan, Qin Beiming, and the rest of the experts from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin paled when they saw this. They thought they had seen the insignia of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin in the city. This meant that this spatial rift was connected to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent... to where the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin was located. What were they trying to do? At the same time, the numerous bone towers began to emit beams of light that pierced through the layers of the void, focusing towards the gap in the World''s End River, where the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus'' humongous eye was lingering. A moment later, a torrent of pitch-black blood swept out of the eye, following the beams of light that had come from the bone towers and forming a titanic bridge that stretched for tens of thousands of miles. The blood bridge then crashed into the city from the spatial rift, piercing through the heavens and the earth. Tan Tailan, Zhu Yuan, and Zhao Zongs expressions changed when they saw this. They lifted their heads to look at the gap in the World''s End River, where the river itself was churning violently. The blood bridge served as a channel for the raging water to rush down into their world. An apocalyptic disaster was unfolding before their eyes. After all, the goal of this was to create a pathway into the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, into the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s territory! Zhao Zong and Zhu Yuan were speechless. "Qin Jiujie, you actually dare to incite an Other Disaster and to direct it towards the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin? Have you gone completely insane?!" Chapter 1399: Blood Bridge Heralds Other Disaster Chapter 1399: Blood Bridge Heralds Other Disaster The region around Abyssal City had collapsed into a gigantic spatial rift. World''s End River water rushed into it as the boundary between worlds was destroyed. It was like a devastating flood, falling from the sky and pouring into the territory protected by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. Everyone''s faces had turned pale. Even Tan Tailan had a grim expression on her face. Qin Jiujie was simply addled in the mind. Did he not know that his actions would bring about great casualties and losses to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin? The World''s End River contained countless Others, and if this Other Disaster broke out within their territory, who knew how many kingdoms and fiefs would be reduced to lands of death? "It looks like Qin Jiujie has chosen to completely abandon his background as someone from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin." Tan Tailan understood that the Origin Reversion Institute''s goal in the World''s End River Region was always to cause an Other Disaster to break out in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. They had planned to incite it in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s territory, but because of Li Jingzhe''s stalwart protection, they had failed there. Thus, the Faceless Other King could only choose to work with Qin Jiujie and plant the festering cancer within the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. That said, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin possessed a strong foundation and there were several Kings watching over their territory. Therefore, if an Other Disaster broke out, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin would have the means to limit the damage. However, Tan Tailan could feel that things weren''t as simple as they had expected on the surface. The Origin Reversion Institute''s schemes definitely ran deeper. "The Origin Reversion Institute''s tentacles have stretched deep. Their traces have also been seen in the Nobles'' Battlefield in recent years. They must have an unprecedented plan in mind. Perhaps this Other Disaster they wish to cause in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent is just another part of it." Tan Tailan frowned. Although she didn''t hold any goodwill towards the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin and considered them enemies, she had to put aside these grudges for now when faced with the greater threat of the Others. If the Others were allowed to wreak havoc and the different powers were to be taken down individually, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li wouldn''t be able to survive alone. Furthermore, the four Heavenly Emperor powers were all located in the center of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, bordering each other. Thus, Tan Tailan turned her gaze towards Zhu Yuan and Zhao Zong. "Everyone, please follow my lead and destroy the blood bridge. Otherwise, the World''s End River will continue to overflow and affect the World''s End River Region as well." The World''s End River water was being channeled through the bridge, crossing through the void and flooding the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s territory. This action also affected the World''s End River Region, and even though it wouldn''t cause the entire area to change akin to the Stygian Rain of Calamity, it would still lead to the environment becoming much more dangerous. Its value as a treasure zone would also decrease. Thus, this was not in the interests of the Heavenly Emperor powers. The two Kings nodded in agreement. The three then changed their targets immediately, launching a massive offensive with all their strength. It resembled a world-destroying meteor that caused the entire World''s End River Region to shake. Their majestic attacks filled the eyes of the observers as it arced towards the Blood Bridge. "They want to destroy the bridge!" Qin Jiujie said. The Faceless Other King''s featureless face was full of cracks as it gloomily said, "We''ve done what we were supposed to do. This Blood Bridge was created by the will of the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus, so it won''t be destroyed that easily. We as the Origin Reversion Institute have already expressed our sincerity by doing this much." As he spoke, the gigantic eye in the sky was watching everything. Gray light condensed before it, then it shot outwards in a single ray. Intense murderous intent surged in Tan Tailan''s eyes as she locked on the Faceless Other King in the spatial rift. The Faceless Other King was the one who had orchestrated everything that had happened and also held malicious intent towards Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. Furthermore, it was one of the main perpetrators in Li Jingzhe''s fall. Her gaze didn''t go unnoticed by the Faceless Other King. At this point, its face began to twitch and squirm and it transmitted a message. "Qin Jiujie, hurry and run." It was seriously injured and had become even weaker after causing the changes to Abyssal City. If it were to face off against Tan Tailan in combat, it would have to pay a horrendous price. Qin Jiujie nodded. The two figures flickered, intent on diving into the depths of the World''s End River water. However, Tan Tailan acted first. She stretched out her hand, locking onto the Faceless Other King. Radiant, silver light flowed around her hand and the space around her twisted. A black hole started to form over her palm. "Spatial Oblivion Grand Art!" A cold voice rang out, and the Faceless Other King''s body stiffened. Soon after, silver runes emerged from the depths of its cracked face. Each and every one of these runes contained vast and tyrannical power, ripping its body apart from within. The Faceless Other King''s body was shredded at a rapid pace. No matter how it circulated energy throughout its body in an attempt to recover, it was all futile. This was because the silver runes that had appeared in its body were like individual spaces, causing all of its flesh and blood to be divided into different, segregated spaces which were unstable. The Faceless Other King felt a deep sense of horror as Tan Tailan had actually left spatial imprints all over its body without it knowing. If it had not used so much energy to cause the downfall of Abyssal City, it might have been able to suppress these injuries. Unfortunately... It was a little too much to handle right now. If this was allowed to continue, it would become even weaker and its cultivation level would fall yet again! "Help me, Qin Jiujie!" it shouted. Qin Jiujie had similarly discovered the Faceless Other King''s predicament, and his gaze flickered. He paused for a moment before stretching his hand out and viciously stabbing his hand into the Faceless Other King''s head. The Faceless Other King let out a pitiful roar. "What are you doing, Qin Jiujie!?" Qin Jiujie''s hand seemed to be fishing around its head before he pulled out his hand, only to see two bloody pieces of squirming facial skin. If they had eyes, these two facial skins would have been staring at Qin Jiujie with poisonous hatred. "Are these your two natal facial skins? I can escape with them on your behalf. Your body has Tan Tailan''s imprint, so it wouldn''t be wise to bring it along." Qin Jiujie''s gaze was filled with sinister intentions. Now that the Faceless Other King had lost its body, it would be grievously crippled and he would have many ways to deal with the two remnant natal facial skins. "Faceless, youre far weaker than I imagined. It seems that you''ve only ever been bragging." Qin Jiujie''s lips curled up into a mysterious smile. "Furthermore... I feel that the Origin Reversion Institute''s Thirteen Other Kings is a nicer sounding title." With that, he tightly clutched the two facial skins and directly leaped into the depths of the World''s End River. The raging water surged and he vanished, completely submerged. Chapter 1400: Conclusion and Reunion "Qin Jiujie is quite the ruthless character." As she watched Qin Jiujie disappear, Tan Tailan''s gaze flickered. Regardless of whether it was his merciless treatment of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin or his retaliation towards the Faceless Other King, his actions had clearly demonstrated his character. He was decisive and unforgiving. Perhaps he would be like a fish in water in the Origin Reversion Institute. "It''s a pity that Qin Jiujie managed to escape. He was the main culprit who caused Grandpa''s predicament." Li Luo felt that it truly was a shame. The Faceless Other King''s body had been torn to shreds and its two remaining natal facial skins were now in Qin Jiujie''s hands. At the very least, one threat had been dealt with. "There wasn''t any choice. We can only wait for another opportunity to avenge this hatred." Tan Tailan had come to Li Luo''s side. The Origin Reversion Institute''s ploys were far-reaching and secretive and their backup plans were endless. Even the four Heavenly Emperor powers had fallen to their schemes, and if it hadn''t been for her, the situation would have had an undoubtedly tragic end. Li Luo nodded before he turned towards Qin Beiming, Qin Baiyan, Qin Yi, and the rest. All of those from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin looked crestfallen and their faces were pale. Abyssal City had sunk into the ground and the World''s End River had rushed into the void around it. The people in the city were probably in dire straits, and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin had undoubtedly suffered a heavy blow. This was especially the case for the Blackwater Armies... It was very possible that this generation had been completely wiped out. As a foundational pillar of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, it could take tens of years of careful cultivation before they could rebuild it. It was clear that they had suffered the most in this incident. They had lost a Dual Crowned King as well as numerous Hall Master-level Duke experts like Qin Lian. However, they couldn''t blame anyone else for this. Heavenly Emperor Qin''s eyes had gone bad with age if he had actually accepted such a traitorous individual into their midst. At this point, Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong and White Elephant King Zhu Yuan gathered up the remnants of their people. After a quick head count, their expressions turned unsightly. Both of the Heavenly Emperor powers had lost quite a lot of their soldiers. The two Single Crowned Kings had no intention to linger around any longer, so they respectfully bade farewell to Tan Tailan and quickly headed out. With that, the experts from the smaller powers scattered as well. Regardless, they all paied their respects with a clasped fist towards Tan Tailan before leaving as thanks for turning the situation around. Lu Shuanglu and Zhang Cuicheng also bade farewell to Li Luo before miserably leading their people away. They wanted to leave this godforsaken place as soon as they could. It was unfortunate that the teleportation array between the World''s End River Region and the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent was still sealed off, meaning it would be a day or two before they could return. Regardless, there was now momentary peace. The heaven-toppling battle that shook the entire World''s End River Region had finally come to an end with Abyssal City sinking into the void. All of the numerous factions returned to their home grounds completely exhausted and with heavy casualties. The weight on everyone''s hearts seemed to have been lifted as there was now space to breathe. The change to the Stygian Rain of Calamity had been huge. It led to numerous Kings taking to the field and even attracted the descent of the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus. In the skies above, in a gap within the World''s End River itself, a gigantic petrified eye that emanated a gloomy aura was still fixated on the World''s End River Region. This was the transformed form of the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus. Although it had not managed to descend successfully, its continuous stone gaze would bring about far-reaching effects upon the World''s End River Region. As a Grand Devil King, its gaze was capable of making one feel uneasy, possibly breeding negative emotions within them. Thus, one could imagine that it would be difficult for the World''s End River Region to regain its previous prosperity, and the number of treasure hunters would decrease. Perhaps when the teleportation arrays reopened, there would be a large exodus of treasure hunters from the World''s End River Region. The changes that had occurred here had greatly alarmed them. After this change, the World''s End River Region would surely become more desolate. Meanwhile, Li Luo was feeling a little awkward. He showed a simple smile and explained, "Mother... Heres what happened... Well, the main thing was that there was an urgent need at that point... Aaaagh!!" Before he could finish speaking, Tan Tailan had grabbed him by the ear. "Youre feeling a little proud about all this, aren''t you? You idiotic brat, are you actually worthy of my Little Jiang''e?" Tan Tailan''s furious voice rang out. Li Luo was in so much pain that he almost cried. The familiar feeling of getting his ear pulled and this entire situation seemed to be right out of a memory from the past... Who would have thought that so many years later, nothing had changed. At this point, he deeply missed Li Taixuan''s presence. If his old man was around, he could definitely share the blame. Tan Tailan very quickly let go and tenderly hugged Jiang Qing''e even more lovingly, saying in a serious tone, "Little Jiang''e, when it comes to matters of emotion, you have to follow your heart. You can''t let gratitude cloud your mind as you wrong yourself." Jiang Qing''e''s face was red as she lightly replied, "Mistress, Li Luo and I have lived together for many years and relied on each other. He has constantly sacrificed himself for me. From the point where he started with a blank palace to the heights he has reached today, his efforts have not been any less when compared to anyone else. He was willing to fight with his life on the line to protect me. Thus, this isn''t about repaying gratitude." She paused at this juncture. "I... I like him. I''m willing to live and die together with him." Jiang Qing''e was normally fairly shy, but she fully expressed her feelings at this point. Meanwhile, Li Luo''s heart was buffeted by waves and he couldn''t help but to stretch his hand out and tightly grasp her slender hand. Tan Tailan felt relieved when she heard the sincerity in Jiang Qing''e''s words. It seemed that her dumb son was at least a little charming. She then turned towards Li Luo and said in an approving tone, "You''ve managed to reach the Duke Stage in four years and escaped from the limitations of your five-year lifespan. That''s not bad." She and Li Taixuan had always been deeply worried about Li Luo''s limited lifespan. After all, it was the only way he could resolve the issue with his blank palaces. Reaching the Duke Stage from scratch in merely five years was incredibly difficult. Even though they knew that Li Luo was talented, there was no guarantee he would succeed. The bright side was that he had not been crushed by the looming pressure. "However, you smelly brat.... Now that your vitality has been restored to its peak, just what is going on with your hair? Turn it back right now." Tan Tailan glared at Li Luo''s grayish-white hair as she reprimanded him with disgust. Li Luo sarcastically retorted, "Don''t you think it looks quite unique?" She truly was his biological mother... It hadn''t been very long since they had reunited, yet she was already picking on him... "Mistress..." Jiang Qing''e piped in. "You''re still calling me Mistress?" Tan Tailan replied. Jiang Qing''e was startled for a moment before her face turned rosy. "Mother." There was actually no hesitation in the way she addressed her, because the two of them had always treated each other like mother and daughter. They had a deep relationship. "What a good girl. When that fellow Li Taixuan finds out about this, he might be even more excited than when he became a Transcendent Duke." Tan Tailan held Jiang Qing''e''s face as she smiled sweetly. It was then that Li Luo scratched his head after hearing Tan Tailan mention the person with the lowest position in the family. "Mother, are we finally going to talk about Father? Why hasn''t he returned with you? Furthermore, how did you get here through the World''s End River? How did you become a Greater Transcendent Duke?" Chapter 1401: Tan Tailans Experiences on the Nobles Battlefield Chapter 1401: Tan Tailan''s Experiences on the Nobles'' Battlefield "There is no rush, we''ll take one question at a time." When faced with Li Luo''s barrage of questions, Tan Tailan couldn''t help but grin. She gently led the two to take a seat and watched their curious faces. Warmth filled her eyes as she looked at them once again. She had been fighting without pause in the Nobles'' Battlefield, and there was no time to experience the warmth of others. "Let''s start with your question on becoming a Greater Transcendent Duke." Tan Tailan slightly smiled. "Well, I''m not the only one. Taixuan has also reached a similar realm." "Father is also a Greater Transcendent Duke?" Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s faces were filled with shock. Didn''t this mean their family possessed two true Transcendent Dukes? This was an incredible foundation. In the thousands of years of history in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, there might not have been a single family that had such achievements. Li Luo could feel that he would be able to run rampantly around the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent in the future. He was taken aback for a bit before he asked doubtfully, "I dont remember you and Father having Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds in the past." In his memories, the two of them had revealed their Duke Bergfrieds before, and none of them were Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds. "Because we were outsiders, we didn''t wish to reveal our full strength in the Xia Kingdom. Thus, no one other than Pang Qianyuan knew how strong we were. The Duke Bergfrieds we revealed were disguised. Of course, our foundations at that time had not reached the point where every single Duke Bergfried was a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. This means that the two of you have a much higher starting point than us." Tan Tailan revealed a heartened smile as she looked at the two of them. Jiang Qing''e suddenly piped up. "You and Father must have come across a great opportunity in the Nobles'' Battlefield, allowing you to make up for your foundation''s deficiencies." "You are smart, Little Jiang''e." Tan Tailan smiled sweetly as she lightly pinched Jiang Qing''e''s beautiful face. "The Nobles'' Battlefield is dangerous beyond comparison. However, it also contains incredible opportunities. What might seem impossible in the outside world is common over there. Taixuan and I wandered along the edge of life and death numerous times in our time there, and during one such occasion, we were being chased by three Other Kings. We ended up falling into a spatial rift that contained the ancient remains of fallen Kings, and a miraculous divine fruit was growing on their bodies. The two of us took the initiative to destroy our flawed Duke Bergfrieds and then, with the aid of the fruit, rebuilt new ones. In the end, we became Transcendent Dukes and slaughtered the three Single Crowned Other Kings." "Well, not yet." Tan Tailan hurriedly reassured her two children. "For the sake of a great opportunity, your father and I worked together to take down a Triple Crowned Other King. Just as we were on the cusp of destroying it, we ended up drawing the attention of a Grand Devil King." Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e glanced at each other and saw the horror in each other''s eyes. These two were clearly looking to die! They had tried to ambush a Triple Crowned Other King? And they almost succeeded?! And then a Grand Devil King... Li Luo raised his head and looked at the gap in the World''s End River, where the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus'' gigantic stone eye was. The mere action of looking down upon the World''s End River Region filled the place with a chilly aura and instilled fear in everyone present. The Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus Grand Devil King had not managed to fully descend, but it had created massive casualties to the World''s End River Region. In the end, Li Jingzhe was forced to ignite his own crowns in order to mutually destroy the Human Fetus. Meanwhile, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had actually encountered a Grand Devil King by themselves in the Nobles'' Battlefield. Just the thought of it made Li Luo''s scalp turn numb. He had always thought of himself as quite the daring individual, considering the trouble he had gotten himself into in the past, but who would have known that his parents were even more audacious? This was literally showing off before the masters. "And then?" Li Luo asked with his mouth dry. "We fled and the Grand Devil King pursued us for quite a while. Finally, the two of us hid in a pocket in the void where the fragmented world formed a wall, preventing the Grand Devil King from chasing us for a while. In the end, the Grand Devil King chose to seal the entire void pocket and evoked its demonic flames, planning to refine us along with the world. However, my space resonance allowed me to sense an unstable region of the World''s End River. Alas, it was simply too chaotic, so your father was unable to pass through it, but I was able to. I was barely able to cross it. I wanted to stay with him, but your usually obedient father turns as stubborn as a smelly rock at times like those. He let me escape through the World''s End River so I could call for reinforcements to rescue him. We argued for a while, but in the end, there was no other choice and I had to escape through the unstable region of the World''s End River. Inexplicably, I ended up close to the World''s End River Region. That was when your grandfather and I sensed each other''s presence. With that, he used the power obtained from igniting his crowns to forcibly break through the World''s End River barrier, and I took the opportunity to escape through it." Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s expressions warped upon hearing this. "Then how is Father now?!" Chapter 1402: Jiang Qinges Identity Chapter 1402: Jiang Qing''e''s Identity "You don''t have to worry. Your father is fine. The fragments of heaven and earth have formed a wall around the void abyss he is in. Even a Grand Devil King will have difficulty refining it. It''s only trying to seal him and force us to appear. Before I left, I arranged for a spatial ward to be set up, so even a Grand Devil King wont be able to find traces of Taixuan. We have been in numerous dangerous situations, and a single Grand Devil King might be fearful to deal with, but it''s hard for it to push us into the depths of despair. There is no need to feel anxious about this. Now that I''m back, I''ll think of something to resolve the problem. Furthermore, I don''t have plans to become a widow just yet." The serious atmosphere was shattered by her last line. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e couldn''t help but grin. That said, they knew that this was Tan Tailan trying to reassure them. "Mother, you shouldn''t have gone to the Nobles'' Battlefield and left House Luolan for Sister Qing''e and I to handle. Do you know how much pressure we were under? If not for her single-handedly holding things up, your dear son would be living on the streets!" Li Luo griped. When Tan Tailan heard this, a trace of guilt could be seen in her eyes. They had indeed left too hastily, and a lot of pressure was placed on her children. She lightly patted Jiang Qing''e''s back as she warmly said, "Little Jiang''e, it must have been tough for you." "Mother, when you left in a hurry, was it because you were plotted against by the Xia Kingdom?" Jiang Qing''e asked. "Ah, everyone in the Xia Kingdom, other than Pang Qianyuan, was insignificant and inconsequential. Their schemes were meaningless and weren''t of any concern to us," Tan Tailan replied. "Someone did interfere with the Death Lottery, and it must have been someone from the Regent''s side. However, we didn''t leave for the Nobles'' Battlefield because of that." "Then why? Just what could be more important than your precious son?" Li Luo asked doubtfully. Tan Tailan fell silent for a moment. "You two little brats, echoing after one another. Are you trying to interrogate me?" Jiang Qing''e''s lips gave way to a smirk and she chuckled softly. "Mother, we are no longer children. You can''t keep hiding things from us." "What do you want to know?" Tan Tailan asked helplessly. He felt his hair stand on end, his mouth dried up, and he gasped. "Could it be that I am also a descendent of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect?" Tan Tailan frowned and berated him. "I worked hard to give birth to you after being pregnant for so long. There is nothing to doubt about this!" "That''s great..." Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief. "So, how am I not ordinary? Other than the fact that I have a bunch of blank palaces, I seem pretty normal," he asked curiously. Tan Tailan felt a little weary upon hearing all his questions. "I was planning to let you know after Taixuan returned. However, the two of you are simply too anxious... Also, I can see that you''ve even managed to cultivate the Absolute Resonance Halo. This has far exceeded our expectations. Perhaps it''s time for you to know." Tan Tailan flicked her finger, and a silver light flowed, directly enveloping the stone pavilion they were in. The space around them was now completely sealed, making it difficult for any prying eyes to penetrate. Seeing Tan Tailan acting so cautiously caused Li Luo to feel a little nervous. "The Absolute Resonance Halo? Are you referring to the esoteric and incomplete Auric Halo in my body?" Li Luo was a little shocked. Tan Tailan had already discovered the existence of the Auric Halo and also seemed to have a deeper understanding of its mysteries. She nodded. "When your father and I left the Sacred Void Resonance Sect ruins, we brought out two objects. The first was the sealed Little Jiang''e, and the second was an object that had burrowed itself into my pregnant body." Li Luo''s face turned pale. "Did that object transform into me?!" "You weren''t the transformation of some random item. However, that object did change your body, and your three blank palaces came from it," Tan Tailan retorted. Li Luo''s expression turned a little gloomy and uncertain. So it turned out that that was the reason. "So what was that object?" he asked. Tan Tailan sighed deeply. "It was a supreme treasure that the Sacred Void Resonance Sect spent countless years and resources to create. Perhaps you can call it... the Absolute Resonance Seed. Chapter 1403: Absolute Resonance Seed Chapter 1403: Absolute Resonance Seed "Absolute Resonance Seed?" These words caused Li Luo to fall into a daze. He felt confused as he had never heard of this before.No?v(el)B\\jnn Even Li Jingzhe had never mentioned such a thing. That said, he could sense the incomplete Auric Halo within his body letting out a subtle roar, as though it was awakened by those very words that had been obscured through the passage of time. A few moments later, Li Luo recomposed himself and asked. "I''ve only ever heard of Sacred Seeds and Genesis Seeds. What exactly is an Absolute Resonance Seed?" Even Jiang Qing''e was full of surprise at this revelation. Tan Tailan slowly mulled over her thoughts before continuing, "Do you know what the final goal of the Genesis Seed is?" Li Luo remembered the secrets that Li Jingzhe had previously shared with him and nodded. "What Grandpa said was that the final goal of the Genesis Seed is to obtain a tenth-grade resonance!" Those last three words seemed to contain a mysterious power, as merely saying them caused the void to stagnate briefly. It represented the utmost peak of this world. "Tenth-grade..." Tan Tailan sighed and nodded. This was something that even she was in awe of. "The Genesis Seed does have the possibility of transforming into a tenth-grade resonance. This is what has been passed down since ancient times. However, that is just one possibility." Tan Tailan then looked at Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e as she continued, "Moreover, this has never been truly confirmed until now. The Genesis Seed might be rarely seen, but across history, there hasn''t just been one of them. Let''s not even talk about the number of individuals with Sacred Seeds which then evolved into Acquired Genesis Seeds. However, the truth of the matter is that none of these Genesis Seeds have managed to evolve into a tenth-grade resonance." "I never expected the Absolute Resonance Seed to have such a grand history." Li Luo sighed. Suddenly, something struck his mind, and he hurriedly asked, "The Absolute Resonance Seed sounds impressive, but it hasnt managed to reach the tenth-grade either, right?" Tan Tailan retorted, "Of course not. If they had succeeded, the Sacred Void Resonance Sect would stand for all of eternity, much less be destroyed and become a relic of history." Li Luo awkwardly replied, "That... that means that the Absolute Resonance Seed and the Genesis Seed aren''t too far apart from each other. Both are paths that cannot be proven." Furthermore, the number of Absolute Resonance Seeds was much lower than the number of Genesis Seeds throughout history. After all, Genesis Seeds could be innate or acquired through the evolution of Sacred Seeds. It did seem that the Genesis Seed was a little more reliable. "You truly are an ignorant fool. You have to know that this path was something developed by the Sacred Void Resonance Sect at a very high cost. Even a Heavenly Emperor might have been harmed for over ten generations in order to create this." Tan Tailan flicked Li Luo''s forehead viciously. "The end of every journey is paved with the bones and hard work of our ancestors indeed..." Li Luo hurriedly nodded in agreement. "Wow, Mother, you must have been extremely lucky, considering you found the Absolute Resonance Seed when chancing upon the ruins of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect." Li Luo smiled. "Who knows if that was good luck or bad." Tan Tailan''s expression turned complicated and she sighed. Her gaze then turned lovingly tender as she stroked Jiang Qing''e''s cheek. "If not for Little Jiang''e that year, the two of us might not have been able to escape from the ruins and would have died there." Chapter 1404: Secrets Of That Year Tan Tailan''s words caused Jiang Qing''e''s and Li Luo''s expressions to change. Li Luo was reminded of Tan Tailan''s words to be nicer to Jiang Qing''e. After all, she had said that they owed her. "Mother, what exactly happened in those ruins all those years ago?" he couldn''t help but ask. The entire situation was shrouded in mystery and no one knew anything about it, except for the two who had been directly involved. Looking at their curious gazes, Tan Tailan helplessly explained, "We were fortunate enough to stumble upon the Absolute Resonance Seed in the ruins. That object was full of its own spirituality and sentience and could even attract good luck and avoid disasters. It was impossible to capture it by force, even if one was a King. We originally didn''t hold any expectations towards it, but it actually approached me on its own initiative. When I stretched my hand out and touched it, it merged with my body. But before I could rejoice, the Absolute Resonance Seed resonated with you and then fused with you instead. This was a heaven-shaking development. However, the Absolute Resonance Seed was a peerless treasure nurtured by the entire Sacred Void Resonance Sect and its ancestors, and its fusion with you wasn''t something we could bear." At this point, Tan Tailan revealed an expression of fear. Just thinking of what had happened was still frightening. "At that moment, I was almost turned into a pool of blood by the mighty spiritual light emitted by the Absolute Resonance Seed," she explained with a low voice. Cold sweat beaded on Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s foreheads. "Fortunately, we never gave up hope." Tan Tailan sighed. "While my blood was being scattered by the seed, I accidentally touched the sealed Little Jiang''e. The aura of the Genesis Seed immediately radiated from her, and its energy resisted the spiritual light of the Absolute Resonance Seed. In the end, your father and I narrowly escaped death." Her warm gaze then fell upon Jiang Qing''e. "Thus, Little Jiang''e is our family''s benefactor. If not for her, Li Luo and I would have died in the ruins of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect." Li Luo finally understood Tan Tailan''s words from back then and why both Li Taixuan and her had favored and doted on Jiang Qing''e more throughout their childhood. Jiang Qing''e herself let out a slight breath of relief. She didn''t have any recollection of what had happened, but if she had managed to save Li Luo and Tan Tailan, then that was a heartening revelation. "I really love this family, and I will do my best to protect it." Tan Tailan''s eyes also began to tear up, and she couldn''t help but hug Jiang Qing''e emotionally. "What a good daughter you are. Our family would break down sooner or later without the two of us." Li Luo was left speechless. How was he getting attacked even when he wasn''t even related to the conversation? He had given a lot for this family too y''know! "If you loved her so much, why did the two of you sneak away that year, leaving the two of us behind to fend off those vicious wolves in the Xia Kingdom?" Li Luo complained in a low voice. "Do you know just how bad House Luolan''s situation was after the two of you left? I was just a young lord with a blank palace, the butt of everyone''s jokes. If not for Sister Qing''e stepping up and doing her best to stabilize House Luolan''s situation, this young lord would have been chased out." "We had made some arrangements before we left. At the very least, Old Ox was there. Even if House Luolan was destroyed, your lives would still be safe. Furthermore, wasn''t that good training for you?" Tan Tailan smiled. Li Luo rolled his eyes. "What I wanted to ask is what was so urgent that you had to leave so quickly? We can help you if need be as well." Jiang Qing''e nodded slightly in agreement. Tan Tailan lightly sighed. The questions had led to this point in the end. These two brats weren''t so easy to deal with after so many years. She fell silent before softly answering, "How could any parent be willing to leave their children if they don''t have to? We left because of you." Tan Tailan''s heavy gaze was focused on Li Luo. "If we didn''t, you would have died." Chapter 1405: Myriad Resonances Golden Pill "You would have died..."Tan Tailan''s solemn words caused Li Luo''s expression to shift uncontrollably. He couldn''t help but blurt out, "Mother, don''t scare me like that!" Jiang Qing''e also anxiously spoke up. "What do you mean, Mother?" Tan Tailan sighed. "In the end, it was because of the Absolute Resonance Seed. It is an object far too mighty for your body to tolerate." Li Luo suddenly felt a little uncomfortable all over. "I didn''t feel like I was ever in any danger." Tan Tailan explained, "The Absolute Resonance Seed is a domineering and unruly object. It has certain requirements for its wielders, specifically since all who held it were the sect masters of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. There is a complete inheritance within it, and merely obtaining the Absolute Resonance Seed doesn''t mean that you can easily control its power. The Sacred Void Resonance Sect paid a heavy price in order to discover this path, and the fact of the matter is that more than one generation of sect leaders sacrificed their lives for it. You can''t sense any danger simply because you are too weak. The seed has not awakened yet. The moment it does, the Absolute Resonance Halo will simply go out of control and devour all of your resonances if you don''t have the appropriate method to control it. If that happens, you will truly be someone with blank palaces with no recourse." Li Luo was so scared by these words that he began to sweat. It was only now that he realized that the quietly slumbering halo within him was such a terrifying object. It was a tyrannical and unreasonable apocalyptic beast. He was unable to sense the danger it posed to him because he was too weak and unable to even comprehend the extent of its terror. However, Li Luo could feel that now that he had entered the Duke Stage, he would soon experience it for himself. "Mother, what should I do about that? Can I be saved?" Li Luo asked with a saddened expression. Tan Tailan had truly given him a huge surprise. He had never expected the Absolute Resonance Halo to have placed him under such pressure. She grinned in response. "Haven''t we been working hard for you all these years, you dumb son? Ever since the day the Absolute Resonance Seed fused with you, we''ve been thinking of ways to solve this predicament. We''ve delved into numerous Sacred Void Resonance Sect ruins and found numerous secret records. In the end, we found a trace of the method to inherit its power. The Sacred Void Resonance Sect called it the Myriad Resonances Golden Pill." "The Myriad Resonances Golden Pill?" Li Luo mumbled to himself. The moment he said those words, the auric halo began to rumble and come to life inside him. "Yes, the Myriad Resonances Golden Pill is something the Sacred Seed spent immeasurable amounts of resources to create. It is the way to inherit the Absolute Resonance Seed in full. Only when the two combine can the Absolute Resonance Seed truly awaken and avoid the danger looming over you. "It''s a pity that even though we know the Myriad Resonances Golden Pill exists, we have no idea how to refine it. The Sacred Void Resonance Sect ruins have disappeared into the depths of the void, and even Heavenly Emperors are unable to find them. That said, we never gave up and continued to search until one day... We received trustworthy news that there were some strange phenomena happening in the Nobles'' Battlefield amongst the destroyed fragments of heaven and earth. It may have been related to the Myriad Resonances Golden Pill." Tan Tailan then tousled Li Luo''s hair as she gently said, "That was the first time we had heard news about the Myriad Resonances Golden Pill, so how could we just let it go so easily? If we didn''t grasp that opportunity, then the only fate that would await you would be you losing control of your resonances and then being devoured by the Absolute Resonance Seed. At that point, you would definitely die. So, can you understand why your father and I had to leave so suddenly? It was because it was very possibly the last glimmer of hope for you." Li Luo paused for a while as his heart was in turmoil. He looked deeply at his warmly smiling mother, and his nose began to twitch sourly. He could imagine just how reluctant his parents were to leave him at that time. However, this information was related to whether he would live or die, and thus they had to journey on without hesitation. And the place they had to go to was the incredibly dangerous Nobles'' Battlefield, a place many Dukes feared as well. Li Luo truly understood how boundless love was at this point. His parents were willing to endure the pain of separating from their children and willingly endanger themselves for countless years for his sake. ????? Love was truly the most selfless emotion in the world. Li Luo took a step forward and hugged his mother. "Thank you, Mother." "Hey, why are you acting so sentimental, you smelly brat?" Tan Tailan pouted, but her gaze flowed with warmth and relief. She embraced him lightly as well. When she had left all those years ago, this youth had not been so tall nor had his back been so broad. In just a few years, that boy had grown up. Jiang Qing''e let the duo enjoy each other''s company, but then she asked the most important question. "Mother, did you manage to find the Myriad Resonances Golden Pill?" Tan Tailan gave a smile and stretched her hand out. The center of her palm split apart and a silver light flowed out. Within the silver light was a prismatic crystal the size of a fingernail. It was covered in esoteric runes, but what caught Li Luo''s eye was something inside the crystal itself. There was a golden substance within. It would occasionally curl up into a ball, resembling a pill, and at times it would transform back into a liquid and flow around the interior of the crystal. It seemed to be sentient as it constantly moved about. The auric halo within Li Luo''s body began to tremble as soon as he set his eyes on it. A deep desire for it emanated from the halo. Li Luo''s heart began to thump as he stared unblinkingly at that golden substance. He had a premonition that if he could fuse this substance with the auric halo, it would finally begin to reveal its true secrets to him. The secrets of the Absolute Resonance Seed. sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "This is the Myriad Resonances Golden Pill?" Li Luo asked. Tan Tailan sighed. "Strictly speaking, this is not a complete Myriad Resonances Golden Pill. Taixuan and I call it the Lesser Myriad Resonances Golden Pill. The original object was a precious treasure even within the Sacred Void Resonance Sect, and its ruins are now buried deep within the void and can no longer be found. Thus, it is incredibly hard to obtain. However, we found the ruins of a branch of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect within the destroyed fragments of the world, and we found this after expending much effort. Although its quality isn''t as good as the actual pill, it can temporarily resolve the danger that looms over you. At the very least, you can finally begin to awaken the Absolute Resonance Seed." Tan Tailan waved her hand, sending the crystal radiating with spatial energy towards Li Luo. Her motherly gaze was focused on the anxious Li Luo as she gave a smile. "Little Luo, are you satisfied with this present from your parents?" Chapter 1406: Clues to the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art As he watched the crystal float over to him, Li Luo''s heart surged with emotion and a complicated look surfaced in his eyes. When Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had left in a hurry, they had left behind a precariously shaking House Luolan to Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. As a result, the duo were placed under immense pressure, especially Jiang Qing''e. She not only had to cultivate in Astral Sage College, but also had to deal with the matters of House Luolan both internally and externally. At that point, she was merely an Earth Fiend General. Li Luo had a blank palace then and could only watch idly as Jiang Qing''e single-handedly guarded House Luolan from the enemies in the open and in the dark. If she had not managed to eke out those few precious years of time for him to cultivate and also resolve the issue of the blank palace, they simply might have been unable to protect House Luolan. At that point in time, Li Luo did feel a hint of resentment towards his parents sudden departure. The adults had left without a word, only to place House Luolan in the hands of their children. It did seem a little irresponsible after all. However, it was only now that he finally found out why they had left. Everything was for him. They clearly didn''t have much of a choice in this matter. Why else would they choose to endure the pain of longing and to enter the incredibly dangerous Nobles'' Battlefield? As their parents, what they cared most about was their childrens'' safety and future. This was why they were willing to brave dangers in an unknown land. Tan Tailan could sense Li Luo''s turbulent emotions, and she once again stretched out a hand to ruffle his hair. "We originally wanted one of us to stay behind to stay with the two of you. However, we ended up choosing to leave together. The Nobles'' Battlefield was simply too dangerous, and we weren''t comfortable letting just one of us go." They had then experienced numerous perilous situations, and if they had not worked together, they might have very well perished. Li Luo stretched his hand out and tightly grasped the crystal. It may have been as light as a feather, but he could feel the heavy emotions that were contained within. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan left for the Nobles'' Battlefield and ventured through countless life-and-death situations for the sake of this very object. Tan Tailan could sense Li Luo''s feelings, and she turned towards Jiang Qing''e with a smile. "I also have a gift for you Little Jiang''e." She lightly swiped at the void, and a palm-sized white-jade statue appeared. They were unable to see the form of the statue as it was blurry, but two wings protruded out of its back and it gave off an unimaginably holy aura. It was as though there was a divine substance flowing within it. "This is a Holy Radiance Stone Marrow. It is a requisite item for refining an upper ninth-grade purifying light. If you use it to temper your resonance, you can increase your lower ninth-grade light resonance to the middle ninth-grade. Taixuan and I fought off several Kings, both humans and Others, to obtain it in a forbidden zone." When faced with this incredibly valuable treasure, even Jiang Qing''e was moved. Its value was inestimable, considering that even Kings had fought over it. Perhaps the Nobles'' Battlefield was the only place where such treasures could be found. However, Jiang Qing''e did not hypocritically reject this precious treasure, instead magnanimously accepting it. "Thank you, Mother." When compared to the boundless love they had for each other, such an object didn''t mean much. Jiang Qing''e then asked with worry, "Mother, will the hidden dangers of the Absolute Resonance Seed be resolved by the Lesser Myriad Resonances Golden Pill?" "Well, it won''t be a problem until he obtains seven Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds at the very least. The Absolute Resonance Seed will not cause any issues until then." This meant that before Li Luo became a true Transcendent Duke, the Absolute Resonance Seed would not lose control. She then turned towards Li Luo hurriedly. "That said, your cultivation speed has exceeded our expectations. We expected you to take the full five years to reach the Duke Stage. Who would have expected that you''d manage to obtain a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried and embark on the Path of Ascension in merely four? My return seems to be quite timely. If I had taken any longer, you might have ended up suffering because of the Absolute Resonance Seed." Li Luo helplessly replied, "The Absolute Resonance Seed is a little difficult to cater to. First, it left me with only five years of lifespan remaining, and now I''m shackled and prevented from becoming a true Transcendent Duke?" "It''s hard to deal with, but it is still the ultimate treasure of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. At the same time, it represents a path that allows one to transcend the world." Tan Tailan replied. "Well, I can''t see why it''s that great either. This blank palace thing is a pain in the ass," Li Luo muttered. The blank palace might have provided him certain benefits, but the refinement of acquired resonances was an arduous and troublesome process. All in all, it didn''t fit the image of an ultimate treasure with no comparison. Tan Tailan smiled. "The Absolute Resonance Seed has not awakened yet, so of course you havent unraveled its untold mysteries. Perhaps after absorbing the Lesser Myriad Resonances Golden Pill, the Absolute Resonance Halo will truly wake up." "Really? Will it change after awakening?" Li Luo asked curiously. Tan Tailan pondered over this for a moment. "Perhaps it could even let you experience the power of resonance source origin in advance." "The power of resonance source origin?" Li Luo''s eyes shrunk and he was left speechless. Even Jiang Qing''e was moved by this. Source origin energy was what defined King Stage experts, and only after reaching the King Stage could one come into contact with it. If a mere first-grade Duke like Li Luo could already come into contact with it, wouldn''t it be cheating? It would be akin to children fighting with sticks, but the one wielding source origin would suddenly be able to pull out a crossbow and a sharp sword. How could they even be remotely comparable? "It''s not that unbelievable. If the Absolute Resonance Seed didn''t have such an ability, how could it be considered the culmination of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect''s generations of effort, much less a peerless treasure of the sect? Furthermore, how strong one''s source origin is will depend on the number of resonances they possess and the strength of their resonant power. It''s not really a power that would let you ascend into the skies with a single step," Tan Tailan explained as though it was very normal. "Furthermore, after the Absolute Resonance Seed awakens, the resonant power within your body will fuse under the effects of the Absolute Resonance Halo and transform into a type of resonant power that is unique. Just by looking at the number of resonances you have, it can be termed as hexa-resonance power." "Hexa-resonance power?!" Li Luo couldn''t help but gulp. That sounded extraordinarily domineering, and it was said that even Kings were only capable of triple resonance power. However, Li Luo also understood that the triple resonance power of Kings was the fusion of three kinds of source origin energy. It was unparalleled. If he wanted to borrow the aid of the Absolute Resonance Halo to fuse his six different kinds of resonant power, it would still be incomparable to what Kings wielded. Unless, of course, he could convert all his resonances into their source originthen that could truly be considered to be the peak of power. Li Luo suddenly felt the itch to refine the Lesser Myriad Resonances Golden Pill right here and now to awaken the Absolute Resonance Seed. "Oh, yes..." He suddenly remembered something, and he looked expectantly towards his mother. "Mother, when I broke into the Duke Stage, a fourth resonant palace was born, but it is a blank palace. However, since Im at the Duke Stage, I need to use the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art in order to create a suitable acquired resonance. Do you happen to have that?" When faced with Li Luo''s expectant gaze, Tan Tailan waved her hands. "The Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art? I''m sorry. I don''t have it." Li Luo''s smile dimmed. "Then what am I supposed to do with this fourth palace? Could it be that I''ll have to search for lost ruins of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect?" Li Luo asked in a daze. "That would be too difficult. Even Heavenly Emperors are unable to locate the ruins. Ever since the day we stumbled into it, it has not reemerged ever again," Tan Tailan said. Li Luo felt downcast. Could it be that his path to the Absolute Resonance had ended before it even truly began? Tan Tailan then patted Jiang Qing''e''s back and grinned. "Look, look. He''s anxious." Jiang Qing''e didn''t know whether to laugh or to smile. "Mother, please stop tormenting Li Luo. You must have found some clues to that as well, right?" Tan Tailan replied, "What''s the point of having a son if I can''t mess with him?" Li Luo''s depressed gaze swiveled over to her. Tan Tailan smiled. "The ruins of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect probably cannot be found any time soon. However, they left numerous traces behind throughout the world, and there might be clues to where the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art can be found. When a whale dies, countless creatures are born and thrive because of it. Numerous peak powers have also benefited from the Sacred Void Resonance Sect''s fortunes. For example, the monumental Academic Federation, which has survived the longest thus far." "The Academic Federation?" Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were a little taken aback. They were not unfamiliar with it, as they had studied in its colleges prior. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Mother, are you trying to say that the Academic Federation has the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art?" Li Luo asked in shock. Tan Tailan nodded. "Within the Academic Federation is a holy land that was inherited from the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. There are many legacies there, and the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art should be one of them. This holy land is also known as... the Celestial Mirror Pagoda." Chapter 1407: Celestial Mirror Pagoda "The Celestial Mirror Pagoda?!" Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e looked full of surprise when they heard those words.As former members of the Academic Federation, with Jiang Qing''e even cultivating at the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College for a period of time, they knew that the Celestial Mirror Pagoda was where the true core of the Academic Federation could be found. Those who could enter were all leaders amongst their peers. Those who could pass the trials of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda were given the title of Celestial Mirror Knights. This was the highest honor and achievement that students of the Academic Federation could earn. Not only students, but even mentors viewed it as a cultivation holy land and were desperate to enter it. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Who knew just how many outstanding Dukes and even Kings were produced from it. "I would never have imagined that the Celestial Mirror Pagoda came from the Sacred Void Resonance Sect." Li Luo sighed. Tan Tailan then revealed a shocking secret. "The Celestial Mirror Pagoda was used by the Sacred Void Resonance Sect to nurture its elites. It was constructed with a humongous amount of resources to transform it into a land full of opportunities. It''s said that the core of it contains the remains of a Heavenly Emperor." "A Heavenly Emperor''s remains?!" Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were moved. The Sacred Void Resonance Sect was simply too terrifying. Even a Heavenly Emperor''s remains were used as construction material. "The Celestial Mirror Pagoda was incredibly important to the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. Thus, many legacies were stored inside, and the likelihood of finding the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art in there is high. If you wish to resolve the problem of your fourth blank palace, you''ll have to venture there. Otherwise, if all you do is pray that you eventually stumble upon the main ruins of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect, who knows how long it will take?" Tan Tailan said. "It looks like I have to go there." Li Luo scratched his head. "It''s said that one has to either be an elite student or a mentor of the Academic Federation to enter it." Tan Tailan glanced at the two. Jiang Qing''e''s eyes lit up. "This isn''t difficult. My mentor in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College said that she would help Li Luo and I submit our names to the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. Thus, we should have the right to enter." Li Luo was then reminded of the mission that he had taken part of in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Third School Master and the Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s Vice Principal Lan Lingzi had said that they would do their best to recommend them into the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. He couldn''t help but burst out with a smile. It seemed like he had inadvertently obtained the opportunity to enter. Tan Tailan nodded. "If you can enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, it will truly be an incredible opportunity for the both of you. Furthermore, an event known as the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange takes place every few years. It is the grandest competition held in the Academic Federation, and all four Ancient Colleges will participate; even some of the mentors will take part in it. It''s said that those who perform outstandingly will not only obtain the title of Celestial Mirror Knight, but will also be rewarded with unimaginable prizes. Some Heavenly Emperor powers even arrange for their descendents to enter the Academic Federation with the goal of participating in the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange. Taixuan and I were actually interested in it all those years ago. Furthermore, the Celestial Mirror Pagoda is a place where the most outstanding and talented peers, as well as those who are extraordinarily hard-working, leap into the skies with a single step. Its probably the most desired place for cultivators throughout the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, and the amount of effort that goes into entering it is unfathomable. Unfortunately, we never entered any of the colleges and thus could not satisfy the requirement to join them." At this point, it looked as though Tan Tailan was regretting this. The Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange was, after all, a gathering of the peak elites of the entire world. Only by entering it could one declare that they truly stood at the top. "Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange, huh...?" This was the first time Li Luo had heard about this. That said, he wasn''t very interested in it because what he truly cared about was the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art. Who knew if the mentors from Astral Sage College like Chi Chan would also be participating? After all, he had heard her mention the Celestial Mirror Pagoda before, and it seemed as though she felt it was an important thing to her. Jiang Qing''e had the same view as well. Her main goal was to help Li Luo. "Now that the events of the World''s End River Region have come to an end, this location may wither and decline for a period of time. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li will also need to make some internal adjustments, and there is no need for you to remain with the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. Taking this breather to visit the Celestial Mirror Pagoda is ideal. You''ll also realize that it will be of great help to your Path of Ascension." Li Luo nodded in agreement. There was a growing sense of restlessness as he itched to complete that new blank palace within him. "There is no rush. If you really want to visit the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, you''ll first have to absorb the Lesser Myriad Resonances Golden Pill. Furthermore, you destroyed a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried and your foundation has been harmed. If you are able to awaken the Absolute Resonance Seed, you should be able to resolve the resulting harmful effects..." Tan Tailan paused before continuing, "And become a second-grade Duke again." Li Luo was first surprised, then joy filled him. "The Absolute Resonance Seed''s awakening can allow me to enter the Second Duke Stage again? Can it forge a new Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried for me?" Li Luo asked emotionally. "Well, we''ll have to see how much potential is left within your body," his mother replied with a grin. Li Luo felt confident about this. After all, he had forged a second Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried once, so doing it again wouldn''t be a problem. Furthermore, he''d ensure that there would be no defects this time. The next day, the worldly natural energy in the World''s End River Region surged. Everyone could sense that the shackles that had been placed upon the area had vanished, and they understood that this meant that the spatial connection between the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent and World''s End River Region had returned back to normal. Countless streams of light shot into the sky from every majestic city that remained standing. All of them rushed towards the teleportation arrays in a flurry. They couldn''t wait to leave this blasted place. However, just as they reached the teleportation arrays and were about to enter, a vast and boundless aura unfurled across the land like a wave and sent everyone flying. No one dared to make a single sound, only cowering in fright. One majestic figure after another emanating terrifying fluctuations stepped out into the skies, and a frightening pressure enveloped the entire World''s End River Region. Countless awestruck gazes were focused on the figures that had appeared out of thin air. In the sky above them were layers of crowns representing their regal might, exuding sheer power that could not be disrespected. These were the Kings from the numerous Heavenly Emperor powers! They had long sensed the changes within the World''s End River Region, but they could only enter now that the spatial connections were restored. All of them immediately scattered and rushed to the key locations controlled by their respective factions. Almost instantly, the skies above Heavenly Dragon City shook. Numerous gazes then turned towards the sky, and four people appeared above the city. The Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation did not reject them in the slightest, instead allowing them to descend. When the experts from the different lineages saw them, they were filled with an array of emotions. Deep in the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion, Tan Tailan placed her two hands in her pockets and raised her beautiful face to look at the four people exuding mighty pressure who had just arrived. The ends of her lips curled up ever so slightly. "It looks like our captain hindsights are finally here." Chapter 1408: Four Kings Arrive Four individuals stood upright in the air above Heavenly Dragon City, and an immense and terrifying pressure that resembled an endless sea emanated from their bodies. Worldly natural energy roared as though welcoming the arrivals of these Kings. The one at the forefront was an old man with a head of golden hair that was dazzling to the eye. He was garbed in violet robes with a golden dragon emblazoned on them. It was the Dragon''s Blood Lineages Lineage Chief, Li Tianji. Behind him were Lineage Chief Li Qingying of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage, Lineage Chief Li Xuanwu of the Dragon''s Bone Lineage, and Lineage Chief Li Jinjiao of the Dragon''s Horn Lineage. All of them had rushed over at the same time, which demonstrated how important the situation at the World''s End River Region was. At this point, the four of them were looking at Heavenly Dragon City with confusion. Their eyelids were twitching as though they could not believe what had happened. "Where is Lineage Chief Jingzhe?" Li Tianji''s low voice reverberated throughout every corner of Heavenly Dragon City. No one dared to reply. A few moments later, several people ascended into the sky. The one leading them was Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Li Jiluo, and he respectfully greeted Li Tianji and the group. After which, he replied with a pained expression. "Lineage Chief, Lineage chief Jingzhe has fallen!" Terrifying fluctuations emanated from Li Tianji''s body, causing the void to shatter in layers. It was as though the entire sky was a mirror that was breaking apart. Even Li Jiluo could barely resist the pressure; he could no longer breathe and his body was forced to bend uncontrollably. However, the pressure dissipated as quickly as it came. Li Tianji had quickly suppressed his own energy and his expression turned steely green while the other Lineage Chiefs had expressions full of anger. In truth, they had already received some snippets of information on what had happened. Furthermore, they couldn''t sense any bit of Li Jingzhe''s aura upon arriving, so they could already guess what had happened. However, now that their guesses had been proven to be true, their hearts were filled with turmoil. "What exactly happened?!" Li Tianji was incensed and his gaze was frightening. Although he was a little wary of Li Jingzhe in the past, the latter was still the Dragon''s Fang Lineages Lineage Chief and a pillar of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li! Kings were the main pillars of Heavenly Emperor powers, and Li Jingzhe was even a Quasi-Triple Crown! His fall had harmed the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li to the marrow. Li Jiluo then sadly explained what had happened. "The Faceless Other King? Origin Reversion Institute? Grand Devil King Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus? Qin Jiujie?!" As Li Jiluo recounted everything that had happened, the four Lineage Chiefs were left speechless and incredibly furious. They could scarcely believe that such a huge change had occurred to the Stygian Rain of Calamity. It was no wonder Li Jingzhe had fallen. "Qin Jiujie deserves to die!" the Dragon''s Bone Lineages Lineage Chief shouted. His body seemed to roar in tandem with his emotions, and the people down in Heavenly Dragon City could feel their bodies heating up, as though they could spontaneously combust at any time. Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin has to pay!" The Dragon''s Scale Lineages Lineage Chief said through gritted teeth. "That vile brute has shed his identity as a member of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, throwing his lot in with the Origin Reversion Institute. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin is also in complete chaos because of this. However, this blood debt is something that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li will never forget. We will make Qin Jiujie pay with his life one day," Li Tianji coldly stated. He then sucked in a deep breath and recomposed himself. "With Lineage Chief Jingzhe''s fall, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li has to give him the grandest farewell. As for the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, it cannot be left leaderless. We will discuss a way to deal with this problem." ? The three Lineage Chiefs nodded in unison. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage was a behemoth in its own right, and without a leader, things could very easily go wrong. At this point, Li Jiluo awkwardly said, "Respected Lineage Chiefs, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage already has a new Lineage Chief. Lineage Chief Jingzhe passed the position down before he passed on." The four were slightly taken aback, and Li Tianji asked, "Is it Li Qingpeng? Although he has the qualifications, his strength is a little lacking. How can he possibly subdue the entire Dragon''s Fang Lineage?" Li Qingying then spoke up. "Although Li Qingpeng is an eighth-grade Duke, if this was Lineage Chief Jingzhe''s final wish, we will support it. We will ensure that his contributions to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li will not be forgotten." "We will naturally do so," Li Tianji added. Li Jiluo hurriedly interrupted them. "It''s not Li Qingpeng. Lineage Chief Jingzhe passed the position of Lineage Chief to Tan Tailan." "Tan Tailan?" When they heard this unexpected name, the four Lineage Chiefs had expressions of astonishment on their faces. Li Tianji frowned. "Didn''t she leave the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent? How could she appear here? Furthermore, she is not from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, so how can she assume the position of Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage?" "Lineage chief Jingzhe''s appointment is a little strange," Li Qingying said. All of them were taken aback by this. In terms of sheer qualifications, the oldest son Li Qingpeng was the most justifiable candidate to serve as the Lineage Chief. Tan Tailan was Li Taixuan''s wife, but there was a degree of separation between them. Wasn''t Li Jingzhe afraid that the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would revolt because of this? When he was around, no one would dare to oppose his decisions. However, after he had died, that pressure to obey would naturally disappear. If things weren''t handled properly, the entire Dragon''s Fang Lineage would erupt into internal chaos. "Where is Tan Tailan?" Li Tianji asked coolly. "She is in the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion awaiting you, Lineage Chiefs," Li Jiluo answered. Li Tianji looked slightly miffed. Tan Tailan was their junior, so it might have been alright that she had not come out to greet them, but she actually had the gall to ask them to meet her instead? Li Tianji wasn''t the Mountain Ruling Chief of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li for nothing. He quickly calmed himself, showing depth of character, and asked, "What sort of strength does Tan Tailan possess now?" Based on what Li Tianji understood of Li Jingzhe, the latter wasn''t someone who made random decisions. His actions demonstrated that there was a method to the apparent madness. "She wouldn''t allow me to say," Li Jiluo replied as he was put on the spot again. He knew that Tan Tailan didn''t hold any good feelings towards Li Tianji. Furthermore, when Li Taixuan and her were being chased by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin all those years ago, it was Li Tianji that had made the final decision. Protect Li Taixuan. Leave Tan Tailan be. Meanwhile, Tan Tailan had become a Greater Transcendent Duke, which was as mighty as a King. With her forceful personality, how could she possibly give face to Li Tianji? Li Jiluo sighed in his heart. There had been a lot of friction between the Dragon''s Fang and Dragon''s Blood Lineages, and when Li Jingzhe was leading, he always acted calmly and maturely. Many times he would choose to endure, but Tan Tailan was not the same. With her leading the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, it was clear that the dispute between the two lineages would become much more intense, so long as it did not affect the overall picture. If one wanted her to swallow her anger, she could very well just send a fist flying over instead. Li Tianji frowned as his senses enveloped the entire Heavenly Dragon City. At this moment, every single aura within the city was imprinted in his mind, but after a few moments, he let out a slight cry of surprise. He was completely unable to sense Tan Tailan! Li Qingying, Li Xuanwu, and Li Jinjiao also had strange expressions as they had come to the same conclusion. Their minds were filled with questions. How could they not sense her with their power? Even a ninth-grade Duke could be casually suppressed by a King. Li Tianji waved his sleeve and stepped forward. He vanished, reappearing before the main building in the center of the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion. The other three Lineage Chiefs followed suit. The high level officials from all of the numerous lineages hurriedly bowed and respectfully greeted the four. The Kings, however, paid them no heed and directly strolled into the main hall. When they walked in, they saw a lady in a purple coat sitting at the main seat of the vast hall. Behind her stood two young people, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. The lady was exceptionally beautiful and she had a graceful and extravagant bearing to her. In her hand was a cup of tea, which she brought to her lips and sipped slowly. It was then that she finally raised her eyes to look at the four who had just made their way in. "Lineage Chief Tianji, it''s been a while," she said in an indifferent voice. The Kings couldn''t help but to feel a little displeased when they saw how disrespectful she was acting as she sat at the head of the table. However, their dissatisfaction only lasted for a moment as the void above Tan Tailan distorted and a golden throne bathed in gold and silver light emerged. Vast transcendent might radiated from it, sweeping through the entire building like a tide. This pressure caused the three Single Crowned KingsLi Xuanwu, Li Jinjiao, and Li Qingyingto tremble and step back. Two crowns materialized above Li Tianji, shrouded in pure energy that gave off the aura of source origin, allowing him to resist the impact of her might. Even then, the layers of pure energy were constantly being dissipated as it attempted to resist Tan Tailan''s aura. The building fell deathly silent. After which, Li Xuanwu, Li Jinjiao, and Li Qingying were left completely speechless. "Greater Transcendent Duke?!" Li Tianji''s expression turned into one of absolute shock. Chapter 1409: World Ends River Regions Conclusion Heavenly Dragon Pavilion, main building The four Lineage Chiefs of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li could no longer maintain their calm as they withstood the sheer might of the Transcendent Heavenly Throne. They were lost for words. Even Li Tianji, as the Mountain Ruling Chief, was moved. A Greater Transcendent Duke! Tan Tailan had actually become a Greater Transcendent Duke! The other three were in a complete daze as they looked at the purple-coated lady. Tan Tailan had been outstanding amongst her peers in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent all those years ago, but even then, she was no more than a fledgling junior. Everyone beneath the King stage was an ant in their eyes. There was only one exception. Those that walked the Path of Ascension and had condensed their Transcendent Heavenly Thrones, proving their ability as a Transcendent Duke! This was the only way for a Duke to surpass a King. Since ancient times, numerous blessed geniuses had attempted to walk this path, completing the Path of Ascension and being able to suppress Kings as mere Dukes! It was a pity that the Path of Ascension was filled with fraught dangers and difficulties. The Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds that symbolizes perfection were like humongous mountains that reached into the skies, blocking off these geniuses at the very bottom. Just a single Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried was capable of elevating one to the peak amongst their peers! Meanwhile, the requirement to be considered a Transcendent Duke was to forge seven of them! The difficulty was unimaginable. Thus, Li Tianji and the rest of the Lineage Chiefs were shell-shocked when they saw the Transcendent Heavenly Throne. Furthermore, Tan Tailan wasn''t a Lesser Transcendent with seven Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds, but a Greater Transcendent! This meant that she was at a level capable of dominating a Dual Crowned King in a fight. If they were to exchange blows, the only one who could even resist was Li Tianji, who was at the Grand Perfection Realm of the Dual Crowned King Stage. "I had never expected that Duke Lan would have become a Transcendent after twenty years. This is truly worth celebrating." Li Tianji was the first to recover in the stagnant atmosphere. He immediately greeted Tan Tailan with a single hand, which was the etiquette for treating a peer. He had already adjusted his mentality and the way he would treat her as the Mountain Ruling Chief. It would not be appropriate to regard her as a junior at this point of time. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The other three Kings had complicated expressions as they respectfully greeted her before sighing. They understood why Li Jingzhe had passed the title on to her after his death and not to Li Qingpeng. Her strength was more than enough to suppress any discontent. When faced with the greetings from the four Kings, Tan Tailan no longer acted ostentatiously and put down the teacup, rising to return the greeting with a shallow smile. "Greetings, Lineage Chiefs." Although she didn''t like Li Tianji, she had promised Li Jingzhe that she''d manage the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and wouldn''t press Li Tianji to the point that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s internal situation would be left in turmoil. She was normally a forceful person, but that didn''t mean she was blind to the bigger picture. Li Tianji smiled as he sat beside her. In the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, the Lineage Chiefs all held the same status. As Heavenly Dragon City was originally Li Jingzhe''s responsibility, with his fall and him passing the position on to Tan Tailan, she would be the one managing what was going on. Thus, her sitting at the head of the table was to be expected. That said, this was only respected because she had revealed her strength as a Greater Transcendent Duke. "We''ll have to trouble you, Duke Lan, to manage the future matters of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Since you''re Li Taixuan''s wife, you can be considered a member of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. It is only natural and appropriate that you carry the mantle of the Dragon''s Fang Lineages Lineage Chief," Li Tianji said warmly. "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li will host a grand succession ceremony to show the world that you''re the new Lineage Chief." Meanwhile, Li Luo, who was standing behind Tan Tailan, sighed in his heart. Li Tianji was truly worthy of his role as the Mountain Ruling Chief. It seemed like he had completely forgotten what he had done to her all those years ago. It was as though she was turning the other cheek. Tan Tailan indifferently said, "There is no need for a succession ceremony. After all, my father has just passed away, and it''s not appropriate to do so now." Li Tianji lightly sighed and his expression turned heavy. "Lineage Chief Jingzhe''s fall is a crippling wound to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. We will definitely take revenge for him. Qin Jiujie and the Faceless Other King will repay this blood debt for sure." Tan Tailan didn''t comment further on this. The Faceless Other King was backed by the terrifying Origin Reversion Institute, a power many times stronger than the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. If Li Tianji truly had such courage, they would have confronted the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin already, but instead he had chosen to be patient and endure. "When the changes to the World''s End River Region happened and the space was sealed by the Stygian Rain of Calamity, did you have no methods to enter at all? Why didn''t you come until now?" Tan Tailan slowly asked with a hint of accusation in her words. Li Tianji bitterly smiled and explained, "It wasn''t that we had no methods to enter, but with Qin Jiujie having invited the Imperial Beast Halls Master Lin Miao as a guest of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin and both of them having deep enmity with our bloodline, we couldn''t leave them unchecked. Thus, we focused much of our attention on them. The World''s End River Region''s developments were too sudden and beyond expectation. This is ultimately my fault as the Mountain Ruling Chief and my unwavering trust in Li Jingzhe." Now that Li Jingzhe had fallen, it had crippled the Dragon''s Fang Lineage as a whole. They had not provided timely nor ample support, and it wouldn''t just be Tan Tailan that held grievances towards themthe rest of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would also criticize them. Li Tianji couldn''t argue and he understood that there was no point in passing the blame, so he took the initiative to own up to his decisions. "Lin Miao of the Imperial Beast Hall." Tan Tailan''s eyes narrowed slightly. She was obviously aware of the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent''s Heavenly Emperor power, but she had never expected that Qin Jiujie would have invited him over. She then changed the subject."How is the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin doing now?" Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e perked up their ears. The water of the World''s End River was being funneled into the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s land, and they wanted to know what was happening in the outside world. "It started yesterday in the territories of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. The World''s End River water penetrated through the void and poured out onto their lands with an endless number of Others. The entire situation transformed into an Other Disaster of a terrifying scale. The five Kings in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin took action to restore order, but they couldn''t succeed. As the World''s End River water dispersed, a mysterious force dissipated all of their actions." Li Tianji then raised his head and looked at the Blood Bridge. More specifically, he was looking at the stone steele that was on top of it. Four primordial characters were engraved upon it. ! They were originally speculating on why none of the Kings from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin were able to resolve the issue, but it was only after they had entered the World''s End River Region that they understood why. It was because of the Grand Devil King''s Heavenly Emperor Edict. "Kings may not trespass... It''s no wonder the Kings were unable to stop the Other Disasters unfolding within their territories. They originally wanted Lin Miao to help out, but the moment he saw the situation, he left without hesitation." Li Qingying sighed. What a joke. The Heavenly Emperor Edict was declared by a Grand Devil King. Lin Miao was a Dual Crowned King, but he wouldn''t dare to stick his fingers into this situation. Otherwise, he could very well be dragged down together with them. "If Lin Miao found out about what happened here, he would definitely be furious. He accepted Qin Jiujie''s invitation to come to our continent, and Qin Jiujie ended up betraying the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin and joining the Origin Reversion Institute shortly after." Li Xuanwu laughed, causing the entire Heavenly Dragon Pavilion to tremble. The others laughed darkly as well. Qin Jiujie had become a notorious villain in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, and Lin Miao would naturally feel unlucky to have been associated with this ill omen. After all, he was definitely worried that others would suspect that he was related to the Origin Reversion Institute. "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin reaps what they sow. This is well deserved," Li Jinjiao said. Li Tianji shook his head. "The Other Disaster has become quite troublesome to deal with because of the Heavenly Emperor Edict. This means that anyone at the King Stage or with King Stage power is unable to enter and resolve the root of the situation. If the Other Disaster unfolds at its current pace, hundreds of cities within ten thousand miles will be devoured and many lives will be lost in just one day. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage shared a border with the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin in the north. Even though the location of the Other Disaster is tens of thousands of miles away, if it continues to spread, it will soon reach the Dragon''s Fang Lineage." Li Qingpeng, Li Jinpan, and the rest of the people''s expressions changed when they heard this. They had originally assumed it would only be a problem for the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin; they had not expected the disaster to spread so quickly. If the Other Disaster reached the borders of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, then they would suffer too. Tan Tailan frowned. As the new Lineage Chief, she naturally had to preserve the peace within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s territories. Unfortunately, this Other Disaster had the blessing of an Heavenly Emperor Edict that also affected her. it didn''t just refer to King Stage experts, but anyone who had reached that level of strength. They would all be restricted. How could such a large loophole exist in the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus''s methods? This Other Disaster was ferocious, and even the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin was caught off guard and could only retreat steadily. If it expanded to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s territories, the cost would be tremendous. "What do you plan to do?" Tan Tailan raised her head to look at the four Kings. Chapter 1410: Spirit Eye Appears The Dragon''s Fang Lineage was a part of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, and when it came to fending off a potential Other Disaster, it would be everyone''s responsibility. Li Tianji lightly sighed. "The value of holding on to the World''s End River Region is no longer as high as before, so there will be no need to station so many of our forces here. We plan to withdraw the Five Guardian Armies and let them guard the northwestern border of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage in order to deal with the spread of the Other Disaster. Additionally, the other four lineages will dispatch their elites there for the long term. Duke Lan... No, Lineage Chief Tantai, what do you think about this suggestion?" S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.Tantai Lan''s expression turned slightly warmer upon hearing those words. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li clearly understood that the bigger picture was of more importance when facing changes that would harm their overall self-interests. Li Luo sighed emotionally at the side. Following these monumental decisions, Heavenly Dragon City, which had been occupied by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li for hundreds of years, would become much more sparsely populated. The only way it would be able to return to its former prosperity was if the Blood Bridge was destroyed. However, Li Luo didn''t plan to stay here any longer either. He wanted to quickly leave the World''s End River Region and find a safe place to refine the Lesser Myriad Resonances Golden Pill. He also wished to rise to the position of Grand Guardian General of the Five Guardian Armies and obtain the Lesser Sacred Seed. The more trump cards he possessed, the better, especially since the True Dragon Pill within him had been exhausted and he had to enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. "However, I''m afraid we have to trouble you to watch over the northwestern border, Lineage Chief Tantai. If you don''t mind, we can take turns," Li Tianji continued. Tantai Lan calmly replied, "As the Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, I will naturally ensure that the territories of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage remain protected and at peace." Li Tianji smiled and nodded. She then piped up. "Before Father passed away, he mentioned that the most important thing to him were his little brats. This was the only thing he could not let go of." Li Tianji paused and let out a sigh. "Lineage Chief Jingzhe did indeed dote on Li Luo." He was old and wily, so he understood the meaning behind Tantai Lan''s words and pondered over how to respond. "Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s combined efforts allowed them to slay Qin Lian in the Treasure Domain. Without their contributions, even Li Jiluo might have died there. It would be unjust if this sort of contribution was not appropriately rewarded. With the Ancestor as the witness, both of them should be able to choose one of the Destiny-grade Duke Arts of the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages as a reward. What do you think about this?" Li Tianji understood very well that Tantai Lan was taking this opportunity to squeeze out some benefits for Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. However, he had no reason to reject the idea, and their actions had indeed greatly contributed to the situation being resolved. On top of that, Tantai Lan had used Li Jingzhe''s demise as another card to ensure that he had no space to reject the request. At the end of the day, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had to compensate the Dragon''s Fang Lineage for their actions. Tantai Lan nodded slightly. Li Tianji was indeed rigorous and meticulous with his actions. It was no wonder why he had remained the Mountain Ruling Chief for so many years. "Then I''ll express thanks on their behalf to my fellow Lineage Chiefs." After the discussions concluded, the people in Heavenly Dragon City began to formally evacuate the following day. All resources and people left in an orderly manner. That said, it wasn''t only Heavenly Dragon City that did so. Every power in the World''s End River Region did the same. The once flourishing land would become desolate and abandoned for the foreseeable future. As time passed, the changes that affected the World''s End River Region were spread throughout every corner of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. All of the powers and experts were completely shocked and taken aback. Whether it was Li Jingzhe''s fall or the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus''s descent or Qin Jiujie''s betrayal, every single development was individually capable of setting off waves throughout the continent. In addition, stories of what had happened began to spread as well. What surprised everyone the most was what Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had done. Both had started on the path to become Transcendent Dukes and had even joined hands to kill an eighth-grade Duke. This sort of battle record caused even high-grade Dukes to firmly etch their names into their memories. Meanwhile, the duo returned to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage with Tantai Lan and the rest. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s elders had to be gathered, and Tantai Lan had to appease or possibly even forcibly subdue them as the new Lineage Chief. Thus, she was extremely busy for a period of time. Li Luo immediately went to choose the Destiny-grade Duke Art that was promised to him from the Heavenly Dragon Treasury. Upper Destiny-grade Duke Art: Dragon Blood Atavism Art! Dim oil lamps were lit in a large, dark hall, resulting in a frigid atmosphere. Strange whispers spread from the depths of the darkness. A single person strode out of the shadows and into the hall. He paused a moment later, and a gloomy, white flame lit up his face. It was Qin Jiujie. Another person appeared before Qin Jiujie. "Who would have thought that you could bear to abandon your position as the Grand Palace Master of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin?" a bewildered and wizened voice said. "Spirit Eye Other King." Qin Jiujie gave a small smile. "Palace Master Qin Jiujie of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin no longer exists. Now you are the Nine Tribulations Other King of the Origin Reversion Institute." Spirit Eye''s gloomy gaze was directed towards Qin Jiujie. "Is the Faceless Other King the one who told you about my secret lair? You are both daring and merciless, considering what you did to him. Are you not afraid that the Honored Lords will punish you?" Qin Jiujie calmly replied, "He was greatly injured by Li Jingzhe and Tantai Lan, and it would not have been easy for him to recover. I am a sharper blade than him, so I believe the Honored Lords will not mind." "He did successfully carry out the plan," Spirit Eye rebutted. Qin Jiujie smiled. "And so did I. But I would like to seek your help in introducing me and putting in a good word to the Honored Lords." Spirit Eye Other King smiled tersely. "And why should I help you?" "What is your price?" Qin Jiujie calmly asked. Spirit Eye''s abstruse eyes shrunk as he carefully observed Qin Jiujie. His pale face then revealed a wide smile. "The Faceless Other King''s two facial skins are in your hands, am I right?" Qin Jiujie nodded. "Give me one of them." Spirit Eye stretched his hand out. "I''ll introduce you to the Honored Lords and I''ll also resolve any issues that may arise from your attack on Faceless." Qin Jiujie fell silent for a few moments after hearing those words. After which, he stretched his hand out, and thunderfire erupted from his palm, taking the form of a godly pagoda. At the bottom of this pagoda were two madly squirming facial skins that were being suppressed. He grabbed one of the skins and sent it to the Spirit Eye Other King. Inky-black energy flowed out of his eyes, directly trapping the facial skin that was attempting to escape. The blurry and distorted white facial skin suddenly let out an ear-piercing wail. "Help me, Spirit Eye! I''m willing to pay any price!" Spirit Eye responded in a hoarse voice, "Faceless, you''ve been too careless. You have already lost everything. Even if you are revived, it will be difficult for you to regain your peak strength. You no longer hold much value." Black light enveloped the facial skin before it was dragged back and stored away within Spirit Eye''s eye. "You can wait here for now." Spirit Eye left Qin Jiujie with a final sentence before turning to leave. He walked towards the end of the hall and opened the heavy door. Behind it was a corridor, and at the end of it was a bottomless, black pool. Within the pool was an enchanting girl with tightly shut eyes. Her naked upper body was covered by the water and her lower half was a black snake tail that exuded a cold aura. Every single scale on that tail reflected a mysterious light. This was Li Lingjing''s true body. "Your aura has transformed significantly. You''ve truly brought me a pleasant surprise." Spirit Eye''s gaze was filled with drunk fanaticism as he gazed upon the partially submerged girl. This was his life''s most perfect work. "Even the All-Beings Devil King''s strand of will is about to be absorbed by you. This is why I feel that you should be able to accomplish something even more challenging." The Spirit Eye Other King''s eyes began to slowly rotate, and the facial skin enveloped by black light floated outwards, landing on the surface of the pool. The pale, white skin melted into the water, dyeing the majority of the black pool stark white. The white water then began to erode away at Li Lingjing madly. This lasted a few moments. Li Lingjing''s black tail began to be dyed a chilling white. Her pale and cold face then began to show expressions of pain. Chapter 1411: Dragons Fang Lineages New King Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range Rows upon rows of palaces began to emerge from within the misty clouds deep within the mountain range, creating a majestic sight. The resounding chimes of a bell echoed throughout the gigantic mountain range. The people within the palaces paused with expressions of grief on their faces. The bells were ringing for the late Li Jingzhe. News of his demise had started spreading as soon as the spatial connection with the World''s End River Region had been restored. This had set off great shockwaves throughout the Dragon''s Fang Domain. The Dragon''s Fang Domain''s territories were vast and full of people. Powers of all sizes were dotted throughout it like stars in the sky, and to them, Li Jingzhe was the literal heavens. His death had an indelible impact on the domain. The numerous powers were in panic as without a King, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s influence in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li would inevitably be affected and the resources they received would diminish. Looking from a longer term point of view, this was related to their survival and their rise and fall. The good thing was that this chaos did not last long, as the Dragon''s Fang Lineage announced another shocking piece of news. The new Lineage Chief was none other than Li Taixuan''s wife, Tantai Lan. Tantai Lan had disappeared from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent twenty years ago, and her once resounding name had become unfamiliar to many. Perhaps only the geniuses who had been suppressed by her would remember her. Thus, countless powers in the Dragon''s Fang Domain were a little taken aback for a period of time upon hearing of this. What soon followed was a big uproar. This choice was simply too sudden, and considering the fact that Li Jinpan and Li Qingpeng were still around, weren''t they better suited to inherit the position of the Lineage Chief? Why was Li Taixuan''s wife taking it? Tantai Lan had reappeared out of nowhere and was now given the most important position in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Did she even understand what was going on? Was she capable of making the right decisions? Could she govern and manage all the numerous powers and allocate the resources fairly? Then another rumor began to circulate. The Gold Light Halls Hall Master Zhao Xuanming, who had managed the Gold Light Hall for many years, had proven that his own strength and capabilities were more than sufficient. Perhaps he shouldve been the one to temporarily take over the position of Lineage Chief. Thus, the territories of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage began to break out into further argument. However, these expressions of discontent only lasted for a short while. This was because more information had spread amongst them. They now understood just why she had been chosen. A Greater Transcendent Duke! When this piece of critical information was transmitted to the arguing folks, no matter whether it was the elders of the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range or the numerous powers in their domains, they all instantly turned quiet. All of their doubts or disagreements vanished with those three heavy words. Logic didn''t matter. The fact that she had never served in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage didn''t matter. Even the fact that she was completely uninformed of their internal issues didn''t matter. All their objections were crushed into fine dust before the almighty title of Greater Transcendent Duke. In fact, some cities in the domain began to unfurl their banners to demonstrate their allegiance even before Tantai Lan had returned. The new king of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage had already been chosen. After Tantai Lan returned to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and had settled down for a while, she informed Li Qingpeng to convene all of the elders and the Hall Masters for a meeting to reassure their hearts and resolve any outstanding issues. This was an incredibly important affair. However, Li Luo did not participate. Him, Jiang Qing''e, Li Jingtao, and Li Fengyi instead headed to the bamboo forest in the back mountain. Lush bamboo grew high in the mountains, and when the wind blew, the leaves rustled as if in sorrow. As they stood in Li Jingzhe''s garden, Li Luo looked a little sad. Nothing here had changed except that there was a looming emptiness where the kind but unsmiling old man had disappeared. Beside him, Li Fengyi and Li Jingtaos eyes were red and tears dripped down their faces. ? Although they were usually a little scared of Li Jingzhe, they had felt his unrequited love towards them. That old man held a special place in their hearts, a mountain capable of holding up the skies. Alas, this mountain had collapsed. This made them feel extremely depressed as they had made their way back. Li Luo glanced at the other two and sighed lightly. He could not tell them that Li Jingzhe had transformed into a bamboo shoot. The implications were too large and they could not afford to have anything go wrong. Li Luo apologized in his heart. He would have to bear their burden for a while longer. However, once everything was said and done, he would definitely find a way to allow Li Jingzhe to be reborn. The four of them remained in the bamboo garden for a while longer. Following Li Luo''s suggestion, the grieving Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao left in low spirits after paying their condolences. When the two left, Li Luo finally heaved a sigh of relief and looked at Jiang Qing''e. The five-colored soil basin was then taken out of the pocket sphere. The chubby, golden bamboo shoot crackled with thunder energy. Mysterious runes could be seen within the thunder as well. When the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot was brought out, the entire forest within the mountain started to sway and sounds of branches and leaves striking each other could be heard. Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Grandpa..." Li Luo said while he looked at the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot. He couldn''t stop himself from smiling bitterly because it was a little funny to be addressing this plant as his grandpa. "I have no idea how I can even start to cultivate this bamboo shoot. I''ve been pouring all sorts of spiritual liquids onto it, but I haven''t seen any results." Jiang Qing''e lightly consoled him. "There is no need to rush things. This isn''t an ordinary Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shootit was transformed from grandpa''s source origin. Normal methods will not work, so we have to figure it out one step at a time. If we have time, we can always find other opportunities to help nurture it." Li Luo nodded. He then placed the basin within the little abode, and the two of them began to tidy up the courtyard. After which, they sat on the steps at the side of the little bamboo hut and watched the wind blow. "Sister Qing''e, which Destiny-grade Duke Art did you choose from the Heavenly Dragon''s Five Lineages?" Li Luo asked curiously. Jiang Qing''e held out her slender hand, and light condensed on her palm, forming a dragon seal with a holy white dragon. "Middle Destiny-grade Duke Art, Coiling Radiant Dragon Seal." Jiang Qing''e smiled. "This is one of the Destiny-grade Duke Arts of the Dragon''s Scale Lineage. Although it''s not of the same grade as your Dragon Blood Atavism Art, it requires light resonant power and is most suited to me." Li Luo nodded. Jiang Qing''e had three ninth-grade light resonances and naturally would need a Duke Art with that affinity so she could get the most out of it. As for the dragon resonant power required, this could be substituted with certain treasures as a catalyst. Li Luo stretched his hand out and very naturally took hold of Jiang Qing''e''s hand as he looked at it. Jiang Qing''e glanced at him. Ever since they left the Treasure Domain, this brat started to act much more courageously. "Where is Li Lingjing?" she suddenly asked. Li Luo shook his head. "Her split body suddenly dissipated at some point. I suppose it returned to her main body. I don''t know how she''s doing right now." His expression was complicated. Li Lingjing had helped him a lot, but she had joined the side of the Origin Reversion Institute. He didn''t know if her assistance had caused her trouble on his behalf. Furthermore, he had an irreconcilable enmity with the Origin Reversion Institute, and he didn''t know if he could maintain their relationship in the future. Jiang Qing''e fell silent as Li Lingjing''s face flickered through her mind. That lady gave her a dangerous feeling... though it wasn''t due to her relationship with Li Luo, but instead a physical danger. She could sense that Li Lingjing would become a frightening existence in the future. Li Luo and Li Lingjing had a deep relationship, and she didn''t know if this would be a good or a bad thing. "When will you start to absorb the Lesser Myriad Resonances Golden Pill?" Jiang Qing''e suddenly changed the subject. Li Luo thought about it before answering, "Probably the day after tomorrow. I can sense that I will need to seclude myself for a bit of time." Jiang Qing''e lightly replied, "If you''re going to take a long time, I may just head to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College first and learn more about the Celestial Mirror Pagoda and pave the way ahead for you." Li Luo felt a little unwilling to part with her. However, he did not stop her. Furthermore, Jiang Qing''e was strong-minded, and once she set her mind to it, she would not easily change her decision. Thus, he moved his butt closer to her and gently wrapped his arm around her slender waist. "Since we might need to separate for a period of time, dont you think that you should spend the night with me in my room?" Li Luo gulped as he bravely expressed his intentions. Jiang Qing''e was taken aback by his sudden move, and her entire face turned beet red. A moment later, her elbow viciously slammed into Li Luo''s chest. Li Luo fell onto the floor in great pain. When he raised his head, he could see Jiang Qing''e''s graceful figure walking off in the distance. Chapter 1412: Family Dinner Before Li Luo secluded himself to absorb the pill, Tantai Lan had taken the time to organize a family dinner and invited even Li Qingpeng, Li Jinpan, Li Rouyun, and Ox Biaobiao. Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, Li Fengyi, and Li Jingtao were also present. "Eldest Brother and Second Brother, Taixuan always talked about how much he missed the two of you. Since he has not returned just yet, I''d like to greet the two of you on his behalf." Tantai Lan held a cup up towards those two with a smile. She had a positive impression of them because when she first came to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage with Li Taixuan all those years ago, the brothers were friendly to her despite the fact that Li Jingzhe had chosen not to meet her. They had even chided Li Taixuan to not bully her. Li Jinpan and Li Qingpeng hurriedly raised their cups and smiled. "Sister-in-law, you are far too polite. We miss Third Brother and hope he''ll return soon." After which, Li Qingpeng said, "Sister-in-law, you are very capable. You''ve managed to bring the entire Dragon''s Fang Lineage under your control in just the short span of a day. With you at the lead, we should be able to tide over the impending dangers." Li Qingpeng was very clear of the effect Li Jingzhe''s death had on the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. That was a monumental matter, and even though the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s reputation could be used to intimidate the outside world, there was still competition and internal strife. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was simply too large to fathom, and there were as many powers under its thumb as there were stars in the sky. Furthermore, there were many factions within those powers. Without Li Jingzhe, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s status and influence would decline and some of those minor powers could choose to side with the other lineages instead. It was fortunate that Tantai Lan was there to maintain things. Her decisive and strong demeanor coupled with her incredible Greater Transcendent Duke strength had utterly shocked people who were thinking of making a move. For example, the Gold Light Halls Hall Master Zhao Xuanming. He was a nail inserted into the Dragon''s Fang Lineage by the Dragon''s Blood Lineage when Li Jingzhe was around. He possessed extraordinary ability and was highly motivated. As proof of his ability, he had become the leader of the four halls. This afforded him a lot of prestige and influence within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, so before news of Tantai Lan taking over the position had spread, there had been many voices within the Dragon''s Fang Lineage that wanted him to temporarily assume the position of Lineage Chief. Anyone could guess that Zhao Xuanming was being supported by the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, and if he were put in charge, that would mean that the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would be controlled by the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. If that truly came to pass, the status of the direct descendents of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage would become slightly awkward. Just thinking of the possible power struggle made Li Qingpeng''s head hurt. Thus, Tantai Lan''s return was exceptionally timely. Although she didn''t have the surname of Li, she was Taixuan''s wife and could be considered part of the family. This was something that Zhao Xuanming could not match. Furthermore, she was a Greater Transcendent Duke and was strong enough to scare off all the other four lineages and prevent them from interfering with the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s matters. Additionally, Tantai Lan didn''t have the same personality as the old man. Li Jingzhe cared about following the rules and could even be considered pedantic and stubborn. He was willing to step back for the bigger picture. Tantai Lan, however, was extraordinarily domineering. If the Dragon''s Blood Lineage dared to raise any inappropriate demands, she could very well just flip the table. "I also like your way of doing things, Sister-in-law. You merely asked a single questionif Zhao Xuanming wished to remain as the Hall Master of the Gold Light Halland that immediately forced him into line without so much as a squeak. Hahaha, that was wonderful to see." Li Jinpan chortled happily. Li Qingpeng was too nice and didn''t wish to confront Zhao Xuanming. Meanwhile, Li Jinpan had an explosive temperament and would often fight against Zhao Xuanming. Alas, he always found himself at a disadvantage and Li Jingzhe completely disregarded him, which left him extremely frustrated. Thus, seeing Zhao Xuanming suffering was comforting to him. "I am not familiar with the matters of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, so I will need assistance from you two in the future." Tantai Lan gave a slight smile. She then turned towards Ox Biaobiao and Li Rouyun, who were sitting together, expressing their love for each other. "Old Ox, your name is truly apt. You literally embody the saying of an old ox eating tender grass. When we first came to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Rouyin was still a young maiden." Tantai Lan poked fun at him. Li Rouyun felt a little cautious when facing Tantai Lan as she was now the Lineage Chief and even a Greater Transcendent Duke, having an extraordinary status. When she faced Li Jingzhe in the past, she was submissive and didn''t even dare to utter a single word. However, her face immediately turned red upon hearing Tantai Lan tease them. Ox Biaobiao rolled his eyes. He had gone through numerous life-and- death experiences with both Tantai Lan and Li Taixuan and thus, their relationship was no different from actual siblings. Even though Tantai Lan had an elevated status now, he would treat her the same. "When the three of us escaped together all those years ago, what hurt me the most was not our pursuers but my two obscene travel companions pursuing each other. It was truly uncomfortable to watch," Ox Biaobiao unhappily retorted. Everyone couldn''t help but to burst out in laughter upon hearing his words. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e also smiled. The warm atmosphere had finally broken the heaviness that filled the mountain range. Everyone had a great time at the family dinner. The next day. In the depths of Dragon''s Fang Mountain was a lake that was as still as a mirror. Tantai Lan, Li Luo, and Jiang Qing''e were there. Li Luo was staring at the middle of the lake with his eyes wide open. There was a dark-gold lotus seat several feet wide giving off a boundless aura in the middle. It had the ability to instantly clear up one''s mind. "This is... the Heavenly Temple Lotus." Li Luo remembered that he had once cultivated on the lotus seat in the past. This was Li Jingzhe''s prized treasure, and he was the only one in the entire Dragon''s Fang Lineage who could use it. "You can use the Heavenly Temple Lotus for your secluded meditation. This is one of Grandpa''s treasures, so use it as you will," Tantai Lan said. "Isn''t this too decadent?" Li Luo was moved. This was a treasure that Kings used to cultivate with. Who knew how many high-grade Dukes would die for this opportunity? Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Tantai Lan put her hands in her pockets and smiled. "Even the best treasures have to be used appropriately to bring out their true value. You have to cultivate the Dragon Blood Atavism Art, which is an upper Destiny-grade Duke Art. It''s worth using the Heavenly Temple Lotus for, and I''m sure your grandpa would have let you use this if he was around anyway." "Then I''ll have to thank you and Grandpa." Li Luo accepted it with a grin. This period of secluded meditation was extremely important and would determine if he could awaken the Absolute Resonance Seed. He would also have to reach the Second Duke Stage again. His figure flickered, then he appeared on the Heavenly Temple Lotus and sat cross-legged. When Li Luo entered the Heavenly Temple Lotus, a jade-like stem slowly grew out of the front of the plant. Tantai Lan flicked her finger, and starlight poured down, igniting it. At the same time, azure smoke wafted into the lotus itself. When Li Luo inhaled the dense fragrance, his mind and heart instantly calmed down and he was inspired with numerous thoughts. Enlightenment bubbled up within his mind, constantly emerging. He then closed his eyes and proceeded to cultivate. When Tantai Lan saw this, she stretched her hand out, and the lake''s water rose to form a gigantic water curtain, completely eclipsing even the building nearby. Meanwhile, Jiang Qing''e seemed a little dazed as she looked at Li Luo. Tantai Lan grasped her hand and asked, "What''s wrong? Can''t tolerate the thought of leaving him?" Jiang Qing''e blushed as she asked, "Mother, when are we heading to the Nobles'' Battlefield to rescue Father?" "If Li Taixuan heard you call him father, he would probably get so excited that he would find a Grand Devil King to fight," Tantai Lan commented. Jiang Qing''e felt a little helpless. Tantai Lan simply liked to tease others. "You can rest assured that I can sense him. That fool wouldn''t get himself caught so easily. I know that you''re worried about him, but if you really want to help him, the two of you have to quickly forge seven Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds. At that point, our family will have four Transcendent Dukes and might be the number one family in the history of the world." Tantai Lan smiled. Jiang Qing''e nodded as her gaze lingered on Li Luo for a while more. It seemed that she would have to increase the speed at which she cultivated. Otherwise, there was a possibility that Li Luo would catch up... Chapter 1413: Half A Year Li Luo remained in seclusion for a total of half a year. During this period of time, massive changes took place in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. All of it was due to the changes to the World''s End River Region.Firstly, news of Li Jingzhe''s death had shocked the entire Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. It had been many years since a King had fallen, and it was even a Quasi-Triple Crown. This caused countless people to lament the fact. Such an expert''s death was a massive loss for the living beings in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. And before news of it had settled in, they were then taken aback by yet another development. Tantai Lan had become a Greater Transcendent Duke and taken over Li Jingzhes role as the new Lineage Chief of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Her name, which had caused a stir within the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent twenty years ago, once again resounded throughout it. Many were completely surprised by her talent and achievements. After all, when she and Li Taixuan were chased away all those years ago, they were merely ordinary Dukes. Even though they had crushed all their peers, people like them were found in every generation. They had risen to prominence briefly before being forgotten by everyone else. That was why no one had ever imagined that she would return with such power! They all understood the implications of her title. The number of Greater Transcendent Dukes in recorded history was even lower than the number of Triple Crowned Kings! It was the culmination of incredible talent, an immense foundation, and also miraculous opportunities. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After Tantai Lan took over, the other powers sent their congratulations, including the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. They had to pinch their noses and make amends, even going to the point of expressing that all of the enmity formed from all those years ago were due to Qin Jiujie''s decisions and had nothing to do with them. Now that Qin Jiujie had turned traitor and Qin Lian was dead, the enmity between them was as good as resolved. Thus, Tantai Lan''s name resounded through every corner of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. The Tantai Lan was considered a prodigy of her generation twenty years ago, but at the moment, she had truly stepped into the ranks of the giants on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Her every word and action would send tremors throughout the continent. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had also become famous in their own right. Their battle with Qin Lian had been revealed to the world. The fact that the two had set off on the Path of Ascension had spread throughout the continent as well. Li Luo had chosen to destroy one of his Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds in order to obtain a pyrrhic victory over the eighth-grade Duke Qin Lian. This incredible achievement was written into the Empyrean Chronicle. This glorious act was embedded on the very first page of it. All the other geniuses who had left their marks on the Empyrean Chronicle were instantly eclipsed by this. A second-grade Duke beating an eighth-grade was incomprehensible. That display of power was enough to place him at the top of the rankings in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. However, just as his reputation was on the rise, he had secluded himself in the mountains, retreating from the furore. Therefore, the excitement died down fairly quickly. After all, there were more important things going on in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Specifically, the Other Disaster that had been unleashed on the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s territories. The scale of which was far vaster than any ever seen before. A roiling, black tide filled with innumerable Others scattered across the region like a plague as it wreaked havoc. The tens of thousands of miles it engulfed were all transformed into inhospitable wastelands filled with death. It was a catastrophe for living beings. The powers of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent were similarly horrified by the scale and severity of the situation. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin were in a head-scratching dilemma and were left in dire straits. Qin Jiujie had not only betrayed them, but also harmed them to the marrow. Furthermore, even though Qin Zhongyuan had stepped up to the position of Grand Palace Master, he was unable to boost the lowered morale of the bloodline. After all, who could accept such a reality? Usually, it was the underlings betraying their superiors by stabbing them in the back. When had it ever been a situation where the boss was the one to stab the underlings? This Other Disaster was being protected by the Heavenly Emperor Edict, which restricted any King-level powers from interfering with it. This meant that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin had no choice but to mobilize their Dukes to continuously form layers of defenses to prevent the further spread of it. As a result, their losses were severe. There were countless True Devils within the tide of Others, including high-grade True Devils! As a result, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin had to release a Devil Culling Order, a cry for help from the entire Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. They summoned countless Dukes to assist them with dealing with the Other Disaster. As a result, they had to part with generous rewards in the form of high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures, spirit liquids and purifying lights, Mythic Armaments, Destiny-grade Duke Arts, and the like... All in order to attract the helpers. With such tempting rewards, countless rogue cultivators at the Duke Stage flooded towards the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin to provide assistance. This achieved decent results as with the rogue cultivators'' support, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin was able to gradually resist and contain the spread of the Other Disaster. Alas, they ended up paying a terrifying price in terms of resources; it had hurt them to the bone even with their immense foundation. Furthermore, as time passed, the resources that were consumed in this operation continued to increase. Everyone could see that this Other Disaster would lead to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin suffering gargantuan losses. Even an ancient Heavenly Emperor lineage would take a long time to recuperate from this. The Other Disaster spread in the direction of the other powers as well. Specifically, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s western side. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin completely disregarded that direction and thus, the spread of the Other Disaster was even quicker. In just the span of half a year, it was encroaching on the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s borders. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li expressed their fury at their actions, but this was met with an unsatisfactory response. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin simply didn''t have any more strength nor resources to restrain the Others. This back and forth communication naturally led to no result, and the elders of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li knew that this was done on purpose. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin clearly wished to drag them into this issue. After all, they didn''t want to be the only ones suffering. Although their actions were shameless, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li couldn''t sit by idly and watch as the Other Disaster worsened. Furthermore, if the Other Disaster did spread into their territories, the losses would be massive. Thus, under Tantai Lan''s orders, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage mobilized their soldiers and stationed them on the western border. The Five Guardian Armies were similarly stationed there, and the other factions sent their Dukes as well. The entire bloodline was ready. The neighboring powers tried their best to gather manpower to form further layers of defense as well. After all, the Other Disaster''s spread had caused the existing dark domains, pockets of areas with Others, on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent to turn more active. This change worried these powers as the dark domains were major gathering points for Others. If they were to rise up, it would cause further disasters. Thus, all the powers on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent were on alert and closely watching the situation. Everyone had been implicated by this horrific disaster. No one knew when the Other Disaster would be curbed and peace would be restored. Unless, of course, they were capable of getting a Heavenly Emperor to come and erase the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus'' Heavenly Emperor Edict. That said, the four Heavenly Emperor bloodlines ancestors were all stationed in forbidden locations around the world, so they did not have time to assist the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. It was also difficult for them to garner the assistance of the other Heavenly Emperors on the continent. Everyone understood that this Other Disaster would be like a malignant sore that would fester on the surface of the continent for a long time. Gradually, people started to call this event the World''s End River Other Catastrophe. Half a year had passed. Within the depths of the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range, the calm and unmoving lake began to ripple and light was emitted, sweeping across the sky. Chapter 1414: Reentering the Second-grade In a courtyard deep within Dragon''s Fang Mountain. The lake that had been left unstirred for half a year began to ripple violently. Huge waves kicked up and rumbled. Soon after, a bright beam of light shot into the air, piercing through the clouds, a sight that everyone within the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range could see. Countless surprised eyes shot towards it. At the same time, worldly natural energy rushed over like a tide, condensing in the sky above the lake and forming a gigantic energy vortex that covered the entire mountain. In the center of the lake was a young man who was sitting cross-legged, and he finally opened his eyes. They emitted light that had taken physical form, exuding enough power to part the surface of the water. It was only a while later that the water filled up the gap. The young man was none other than Li Luo. The resonant power he was emanating was increasing at a terrifying pace. He then let out a loud roar that could rival even a thunderous boom or a dragon''s cry. The sheer soundwaves were so mighty that waves kicked up as it rippled in every direction. After which, spiritual light shot out of his head and a tempest descended due to the sheer pressure emitted by two dazzling and perfect Duke Bergfrieds. Both gave off the aura of perfection as they stood tall with ten golden pillars each. Two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds! In half a year, Li Luo had reentered the Second Duke Stage. This time, his second Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried was fully perfect and gave off a sturdy aura. When compared to the one he had forged in the Treasure Domain, it was incomparably more solid. Both of them were like mountains that propped up the sky. A humongous energy vortex began to churn, transforming into a tsunami of energy that was then devoured by the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds. When the last traces of worldly natural energy were absorbed, the second Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried reached its completed state, and numerous archaic primordial runes flowed across its surface. Half a moment later, the two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds transformed into beams of light that were reabsorbed by Li Luo before vanishing without a trace. The incredible amounts of light being emitted from his eyes began to slowly recede and things returned to their former calm. "I''ve actually closed myself off for half a year," Li Luo murmured to himself in surprise. In the past, the secrets of his body had shackled him because he was not yet a Duke. That had forced him to constantly advance. It was the first time he had secluded himself away for such a long period of time. "It''s great that the limitations on my lifespan have been resolved... Otherwise, this would have been troublesome." Li Luo laughed at himself. Losing half a year''s worth of time was troubling when he only had five in total... That said, he had managed to reforge his second Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried, which was a worthwhile gain. He could sense the thrumming and vast amounts of resonant power within him. It was even greater than what he had wielded in the Treasure Domain after breaking through, so he nodded to himself in satisfaction. Furthermore, the main goal of going into seclusion wasn''t to regain itit was to awaken the Absolute Resonance Seed! Li Luo closed his eyes and focused his mind inwards, inspecting the depths of his body, where the auric halo, no, the Absolute Resonance Halo, was found. The golden wheel was rotating within the depths of his body, and the sounds emitted by its movement were fantastically mysterious, as though numerous resonances were colliding with each other, creating a primordial melody that could enthrall even the most stubborn souls. The Absolute Resonance Halo had experienced a tremendous evolution. In the past, the halo gave off an illusory and ethereal aura. At the same time, Li Luo wondered if it even truly existed. However, it now looked solid and was given physical form, like a treasured artifact from ancient times. The gigantic wheel was engraved with primordial markings that seemed to have existed since the dawn of time, when the very first resonances were born. There were four resonant palaces sitting on different points on the edges of the Absolute Resonance Halo. The only thing was that the fourth palace was empty. "My four resonant palaces have already integrated themselves with the Absolute Resonance Halo!" Li Luo''s heart was slightly shaken by this. In the past, his resonant palaces had only created a cursory connection with the wheel and were projected into it, but now, they had become integrated with the Absolute Resonance Halo itself, fusing into it and turning into a complete whole! From this point on, the Absolute Resonance Halo was truly a part of his body. If the seed were to be removed from him, he could very well die. This sort of fusion allowed Li Luo to vaguely sense the many special abilities the Absolute Resonance Halo had. For example With a thought, the three resonant palaces roared to life and six kinds of resonant power flowed outwards, injecting themselves into the Absolute Resonance Halo. ?? The Absolute Resonance Halo began to rotate, and a mysterious sound was heard. The six resonant powers then condensed in the center of the Absolute Resonance Halo, where a cauldron could be found. Mystical flames filled the air, but this was not something foreign to Li Luoit was his Acquired Resonance Flame. The Acquired Resonance Flame had also changed with the awakening of the Absolute Resonance Seed. It had become much more magnificent, taking the form of a cauldron instead. As the resonant powers intermingled in the cauldron, they swiftly fused into one. A completely different resonance affinity, one that was perfectly blended together, burst forth with amazing power. Li Luo stretched his arm out, and a completely different power surged out of his palm. This energy was light-gold in color, but it concealed a dazzling light underneath. Resplendent water light, a towering ancient tree rooted into the earth, and even a dragon coiled up amidst the thunder clouds could be seen in the deepest parts of this energy. But none of this was the true highlight of what he had achieved. The crucial factor was that Li Luo could sense a wondrous aura amidst all this. This was the awe-inspiring source origin energy! Source origin energy was something only Kings could interact with. Although this strand of source origin energy was small, it was still an incredible trump card in the Duke Stage. With the augmentation of source origin energy, Li Luo''s resonant power and Duke Arts would all increase in power by an entire realm. "So this is source origin energy?" The Absolute Resonance Seed was capable of creating miracles, allowing a second-grade Duke to wield a power that was exclusive to Kings. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Li Luo''s gaze heated up. With his current strength and the transformed hexa-resonant power, even an ordinary sixth-grade Duke would not be his equal. Furthermore, this was when he had six resonance affinities. When the day came that he acquired his fourth resonance, the combination of the eight resonant powers would likely transform into even more source origin energy! He didn''t dare to dream of how strong he would be at that point. Li Luo''s heart was stirred. The youth who had nothing but a blank palace all those years ago could now strut around any inner divine continent with the actual power to protect himself. Now he could deal with most Duke opponents, foes who he once looked at with fear. He then dispersed the hexa-resonant power, and his mind trembled. The five-colored spirit soil basin appeared in his hand, and he noticed that the chubby bamboo shoot had quietly grown and thunder energy flowing across it had become much more intense. It was clear that the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo''s life force had strengthened. Li Luo felt incredibly elated upon seeing the growing shoot. Had it truly started to grow now? Chapter 1415: The Heavenly Thunder Bamboo Shoots Growth "The Heavenly Thunder Bamboo has grown?!" Li Luo''s eyes were filled with excitement as he looked at the five-colored soil basin that contained the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot. The happiness this had brought him was even greater than reattaining the Second Duke Stage. Who knew just how hard he had racked his brains for ways to get the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo to grow? He had fed it with all sorts of wondrous spirit liquids, and yet the plant refused to grow. It was clear that ordinary methods were of no use. Furthermore, strictly speaking, this wasn''t an actual Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shootit was something made out of Li Jingzhe''s remnant aura with the aid of his Heavenly Thunder Bamboo resonance. This was unprecedented and thus no one, whether it was Li Luo or Tantai Lan, knew how to deal with it.This development was an unexpected surprise. The growth of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot also signified to Li Luo that there was a very real possibility Li Jingzhe could be reborn. "In that case, what exactly catalyzed its growth? It shouldn''t have been because of my secluded cultivation for half a year right?" Li Luo inspected the plant. He could sense a faint and weak aura mingled with the thunder energy. It truly gave off Li Jingzhe''s aura! Although it was just a mere wisp of it, as the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot grew, the aura strengthened. Li Luo wanted to understand what had caused this change so that he could work in that direction and hasten his grandpa''s rebirth. Only two major things had happened during his seclusion, but he wasnt sure if either of those could explain this turn of events. Firstly, he had forged his Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried and secondly, he had awakened the Absolute Resonance Seed. He had no idea what had changed things and thus placed the question in the back of his mind. He would ask his mother later as she was much more well traveled and had more experience. He then recomposed himself and stored the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot safely. At the same time, the scene created by his breakthrough had vanished and the pillar of light that had pierced the sky began to dissipate into motes of light. He could now sense that there were weak fluctuations of resonant power hidden all around the area. It looked as though they served the purpose of protecting him; they must have been secretly set up by Tantai Lan. Soon after, a beam of light shot across the sky and landed before Li Luo. It was not Tantai Lan nor Jiang Qing''e. Instead, Li Qingpeng had arrived. Li Luo smiled as he respectfully greeted him. "Eldest Uncle." "Haha, congratulations, Little Luo. Spending half a year in bitter cultivation has allowed you to regain your second-grade Duke strength. It looks like another Transcendent Duke is about to appear in your family," Li Qingpeng warmly said. Li Luo modestly replied, "I''m only a second-grade, so itll be a long time before I form a Transcendent Heavenly Throne. Right, have you seen my mother or Sister Qing''e?" "The Other Disaster that has afflicted the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin is about to spread to the western part of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s territory. Your mother has thus led her forces to be stationed there. The matters of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage are now for me to manage," Li Qingpeng answered with a smile. "How did the Other Disaster spread so quickly?" Li Luo asked in surprise. He had seen the consequences of an Other Disaster at the Blackwind Empire. Just being reminded of that horrifying scene caused his heart to chill. The Other Disaster that had erupted in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin would be of an even greater scale. If it spread to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s territories, it would be a humongous calamity. Li Qingpeng''s smile receded and his expression turned serious. "This Other Disaster is truly terrifying. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin had to pay a humongous price to stop the spread of corruption towards their core areas. However, they neglected the area that borders the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. Thus, it spread at pace much quicker than we had expected." Li Luo''s expression sank. "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin is truly treacherous. They are clearly seeking to drag us into their muddy waters." "Once we are dragged in, the pressure on them will lighten. Although their actions are insidious and vicious, this is an excellent move from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s perspective." Li Luo agreed. "So how is the situation on the western border now?" "Your mother is personally guarding the northwestern city, and the Heavenly Dragons Armies have all been transferred there. The other lineages are also dispatching their Dukes over to assist. The situation has been stabilized, but the Others are like a tide. They have continuously attempted to breach the borders and there are large battles occasionally," Li Qingpeng explained. "Additionally, the Dark Domains within the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent have been provoked by the Other Disaster and many have come to life. As a result, all the other powers are carefully watching the situation. The whole Heavenly Origin Divine Continent is in a state of unrest." ? Li Luo''s expression became more and more solemn. The Other Disaster''s consequences were graver than he had imagined. Was this the goal of the Origin Reversion Institute to begin with? "Right, in the second month after you secluded yourself, Qing''e left the Dragon''s Fang Lineage for the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. She said she''d pave your way into the Celestial Mirror Pagoda." Li Luo wasn''t surprised by this, as Jiang Qing''e had already mentioned this to him before. "It must have been tough for her." Li Luo lightly sighed. Jiang Qing''e and Tantai Lan had important places in his heart, and it had taken him a lot of effort to reunite with them. Thus, he knew that she wasnt thrilled about going alone. However, the Celestial Mirror Pagoda was critical for his fourth resonance, so she had ventured forth despite everything, preparing to use her connections and authority to pave the way for him. Once things were settled, it would be much easier for Li Luo. Throughout all these years, she was truly like an older sister to him, always helping him out. Li Luo thought to himself. "Eldest Uncle, now that I''m out, I wish to pay a visit to the northwestern border and see the situation," Li Luo said. The Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range was simply too peaceful, so it didn''t suit him. Li Qingpeng nodded. "I''ll arrange for some people to protect you." He then paused before smiling. "Now that I think about it, a grand event involving the Heavenly Dragons Armies is about to start. If you don''t go, you might miss it." Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Li Luo''s gaze flickered. "Does this have to do with the selection of the Grand Guardian General?" Li Qingpeng nodded. "The position of Grand Guardian General of the Heavenly Dragons Armies is an important one. Those who ascend to that role are given a Lesser Sacred Seed, a rarely seen treasure. It will be of great use to you. You had a True Dragon Pill, which is similar, but the Lesser Sacred Seed is on a completely different level." Excitement arose on Li Luo''s face. He had personally experienced how wonderful the True Dragon Pill was. It was a trump card he could use to overcome much stronger enemies, but unfortunately, it was a limited-use consumable. Alas, he had also completely depleted its strength within the Treasure Domain. Therefore, the Lesser Sacred Seed was incredibly alluring to him. Chapter 1416: Godriver City, Grand Guardian General Battle! [TL Note: Please refer to my comment below on the naming adjustment for Tantai Lan / Tan Tailan]Dragon''s Fang Lineage, northwestern border. Godriver City. This was the most flourishing and important city on the northwestern border. It was the location the entire Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was paying special attention to when considering the spreading Other Disaster from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s territories. The experts from all the different lineages had rushed in from every direction. All of the powers that were under the umbrella of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li were also summoned, and they mobilized their Dukes to Godriver City and protect the area. In this half a year, the region of tens of thousands of miles outside Godriver City had turned into a battlefield. The Others had surged out like a tide, attempting to rip through the defensive line and break into the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s territories. A massacre was guaranteed to happen if this was allowed, creating even more negative emotions and sentiment that would lead to further breeding of Others. The good news was that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had long been prepared, and with Tantai Lan personally watching over the area as a Greater Transcendent Duke, her presence was like a stabilizing force that calmed down the hearts of the people and kept morale strong. As a result, the defensive line around Godriver City had become considerably strong. However, the area they needed to cover was simply so large that it required a huge amount of manpower to continuously detect and eliminate the Others. This Other Disaster had truly forced a large amount of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s forces to go to the northwestern border. In the end, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin''s ploy to divert trouble towards the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had actually been rather successful Godriver City, east of the city A majestic-looking platform meant for battling stood tall. Resounding shouts could be heard coming from it, the voices sweeping through the entire city and attracting the attention of the citizens. "I heard that today is the day the Heavenly Dragons Armies will select the Grand Guardian General. For the purposes of boosting morale, Lineage Chief Tantai has intentionally opened it up to the public, and anyone who is interested can watch it." "Oh? The Grand Guardian General of the Five Guardian Armies? That does sound like a glorious title." "As of today, the frontrunner for the position is none other than the Dragon''s Blood Guardian General, Li Zhihuo. His strength has risen this past half a year, reaching the upper fifth-grade. Furthermore, his fifth Duke Bergfried is a nine-pillar! It is a testament of his abilities and the solid foundation he has built throughout his life." "Oh? It might not be his time. After all, the Heavenly Origin Records have recorded that there are two peak geniuses embarking on the Path of Ascension towards a Transcendent Duke in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians... Weren''t they called Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e?" "Jiang Qing''e might be a second-grade Transcendent, and if she was present, Li Zhihuo wouldn''t stand a chance. However, I heard that she left the Dragon''s Fang Lineage some time ago and that Li Luo destroyed one of his own Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds to kill Qin Lian in the World''s End River Treasure Domain. As a result, he''s fallen to the first-grade, so it would be difficult to decide who would truly come out on top if they battled. Furthermore, ever since Li Luo returned from the Treasure Domain, he''s secluded himself to recuperate from his wounds. I think the injury caused by the destruction of his Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried was very serious. What a pity..." "Indeed, that is a pity. I thought I''d be able to see the might of a legendary Transcendent!" Countless discussions broke out throughout Godriver City. The battle over the position of Grand Guardian General would undoubtedly be a grandiose event that could also serve to alleviate the tension and lift the mood of the people after months of brutal warring against the Others. This was one of the reasons why the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had planned to host the battle for the Grand Guardian General at this time. Atop the eastern battle platform was a sea of people creating a ruckus so loud that even the skies could hear it. On the highest viewing platform were two figures who were the focus of everyone''s attention, and the crowd was filled with awe. One was an elderly man, while the other was a woman. The elderly man was the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s Li Tianji, who had just rushed over to organize this battle. The female was dressed in a purple coat and gave off an elegant but unrelenting disposition. It was none other than the Dragon''s Fang Lineage;s Lineage Chief, Tantai Lan. Many curious gazes were predominantly directed towards her. Kings were rarely seen, and Greater Transcendent Dukes were even rarer. There were quite a number of experts present, mostly at the Duke Stage, though what she symbolized was the peak of perfection of their stage! Only Transcendents were able to overcome Kings! This was both awe-inspiring and mighty. However, the Path of Ascension was simply too hard. Even forging a single Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried was capable of stopping almost everyone in their tracks, much less forging seven of them! The crowd''s gazes continued to linger on the two as they sat atop their high-backed stone thrones. Tantai Lan indifferently looked out towards the crowd as she commented, "Lineage Chief Tianji, it seems you''ve picked the perfect time to select the Grand Guardian General." When Li Tianji heard those words, he calmly smiled. "Lineage Chief Tantai, you must be casually making conversation... After all, didn''t you agree to this as well?" Tantai Lan pouted. "The day Qing''e left, you and the others immediately started taking turns to urge me to accede to this request with all sorts of righteous reasons. Was I really in a position to refuse?" Li Tianji replied, "You are thinking too deeply about this. The most important thing is that the people stationed at the northwestern border have been incredibly tense due to the war. As a result, we need a reason to have a celebration, to boost everyone''s flagging morale. After much thought, only the battle for the Grand Guardian General was appropriate. If you want Li Luo to obtain the Lesser Sacred Seed, we can discuss that later." Tantai Lan, on the other hand, remained noncommittal to his words. That said, she didn''t continue speaking with him. She had previously attempted to delay things but had acceded to the request in the end. However, the reason why she had accepted wasn''t because she was giving in, but the fact that she had heard Li Luo had come out of seclusion. Looking at the time, he would probably be able to rush here. The Dragon''s Blood Lineage liked to scheme, whereas she couldn''t be bothered. So long as Li Luo could arrive in time, Li Tianji''s numerous schemes would fail. In the face of true strength, all their annoying schemes would be smashed apart. She had ample belief in her son. Meanwhile, five figures with extraordinary auras stood tall on the battle platform. They were the five Guardian Generals who were vying for the top spot. Dragon''s Blood Guardian General, Li Zhihuo. Dragon''s Fang Guardian General Li Foluo. Dragon''s Scale Guardian General, Li Tingyue. Dragon''s Bone Guardian General, Li Jushen. Dragon''s Horn Guardian General, Li Boyuan. These five were considered the strongest beneath the elders of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. If they were to become high-grade Dukes, they would become pillars supporting the bloodline. All around the battle platform were the members of the Five Guardian Armies. They were all gathered together, bursting with deafening cheers as they supported their respective Guardian Generals. Alas, the atmosphere that surrounded the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was comparably tamer and dissatisfaction could be seen on many of the guardians faces. Li Fengyi was the most direct. "This is despicable. Why couldn''t they wait for Li Luo before starting this? Are the Dragon''s Blood Guardians too afraid to lose?" Li Jingtao helplessly attempted to console her but was immediately glared at, so he shut his mouth. Some from the Dragon''s Fang Guardians even booed the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. Luo Jiang, Xia Yu, and the other Dragons Fang Envoys and Grand Commanders did not do anything to stop them, as they were similarly displeased. During the month where Jiang Qing''e was around at Godriver City, the Dragon''s Blood Lineage didn''t dare to even raise the prospect of having the Grand Guardian General battle. Now that Li Luo was apparently still in secluded cultivation and Jiang Qing''e was gone, they pushed the idea yet again. Li Hongyou''s eyes were filled with regret as well. Even though Li Luo didn''t have anything to prove here, the position of the Grand Guardian General was most suited for him. The Dragon''s Blood Guardians had complicated expressions when faced with the Dragon''s Fang Guardians'' provocations. After what happened in the Treasure Domain, it was clear that Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s reputation far exceeded Li Zhihuo''s. The fact that they had worked together to kill Qin Lian was absolutely terrifying. Amongst the Dragon''s Blood Guardians, Li Hongque could hear Li Fengyi''s sarcastic words, and her expression turned dark as she rebuked, "The timing for the battle was agreed upon by Lineage Chief Tantai. Even if Li Luo joined, he''s only a first-grade Transcendent and might not be able to beat our Guardian General anyway!" If this was before the events of the Treasure Domain, just hearing Li Fengyi talk about letting Li Luo fight for the position of Grand Guardian General would have triggered Li Hongque to dish out ten times the amount of angry insults. However, she only dared to say some careful words now. There was no choice after all. Li Luo''s battle achievements were incomprehensible, and even Li Hongque didn''t dare to look down on him like before. Everyone understood that beneath the elders, Li Luo stood supreme. Furthermore, his talent and potential were just mind-boggling. Thus, the elders of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage wanted Li Zhihuo to obtain a Lesser Sacred Seed to have a chance to serve as a check to Li Luo''s rise in the future. "Why didn''t you dare to make a sound when Qing''e was around?" Li Fengyi snorted coldly. Li Hongque was completely infuriated in her heart, but she could not retort. Jiang Qing''e, as a second-grade Transcendent Duke, was even more terrifying to fight against. Even with Li Zhihuo reaching the upper fifth-grade, it was an uphill climb for him to emerge victorious. Behind Li Hongque stood Li Qingfeng and Li Hongli and the rest of those in his generation. They simply didn''t know what to say as they had seen how Li Luo had steadily advanced beyond them, rising to the peak. When Li Luo had first entered the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, they had mocked him, calling him a country bumpkin from an outer divine continent. Alas, in the days that followed, they personally experienced the full brunt of the terror a "country bumpkin" possessed. It seemed that not even Li Zhihuo and Li Hongque were going to be spared from experiencing the same torment. Li Qingfeng and Li Hongli glanced at each other before sighing. Perhaps in the future, even the older generation of the bloodline would fully experience the horror of facing off against him. As the guardians bickered endlessly outside, the five Guardian Generals on stage each had differing expressions. Li Zhihuo was calm on the surface, but his gaze flickered from time to time, giving away his inner excitement. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Once he reached the position of Grand Guardian General, he would obtain the Lesser Sacred Seed, which would allow him to undergo a physical rebirth. If he seized this opportunity, he could even be able to forge a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried when he advanced to the sixth-grade. At that point, even Jiang Qing''e would not be a threat to him. In addition, this battle was chosen at a most opportune time. Jiang Qing''e had left the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, and with his strongest opponent gone, his wild ambitions started to burn brightly once again after being suppressed for months. Furthermore, Li Luo hadn''t been seen for half a year, and the rumor was that he was recuperating. It made logical sensehow could he not have paid an appropriate price for destroying one of his Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds? Thus, this was the perfect opportunity for Li Zhihuo. That said, it was also clear that the elders from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage had made a move as well. The c Dragon''s Fang Lineage may have lost Li Jingzhe, but the return of Tantai Lan as a Greater Transcendent Duke meant that their reputation had not waned. Furthermore, Tantai Lan was even more forceful than Li Jingzhe when making decisions, and it was said that there were quite a few disputes between her and Li Tianji in the past six months. The elders from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage simply didn''t wish to see the Lesser Sacred Seed fall into the hands of Li Luo or Jiang Qing''e. Thus, while the two were away, the mice would play. They would lock down the position of Grand Guardian General. While Li Zhihuo was celebrating in his heart, Li Foluo''s expression was ugly. He glared at the former and snorted coldly. "Even if you obtain the position, you will still be unable to win." When faced with Li Foluo''s words, Li Zhihuo replied, "This was all decided by the elders. What can I do about it?" "In terms of strength and contributions made in the Treasure Domain, both Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo are more suited for the position than you. The only reason youre going to get it is because they aren''t around," Li Foluo mocked. Li Zhihuo couldn''t maintain his calm expression any longer and frowned. "I might not be Jiang Qing''e''s opponent, but Li Luo is only a first-grade Transcendent. If he was here, I would not be afraid. There is no point in talking about this." Li Foluo''s expression turned gloomy. The other three Guardian Generals did not participate in the duo''s dispute. They also knew that this Grand Guardian General battle was rather hasty, but the elders had come up with a valid reason as to why it had to be held now. The situation at the warfront was tense, and this event would serve as a good way to relieve the tension and stress of the soldiers. At the same time, they would allow everyone to see the power of the elites from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. At this point, a bell''s chime resounded throughout the battle platform, overwhelming the cacophony that drowned the area. It signified that the battle was about to start. However, just as a referee was about to announce the start of the competition, the sound of a thunderclap could be heard and someone whizzed through the air. Tantai Lan and Li Tianji''s expressions shifted. The former had a smile break out on her face, whereas the latter helplessly sighed in his heart. Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A clear peal of laughter rang through the sky as a man descended, overcoming the boiling atmosphere as he roared, "Guardian General Li Foluo, can I borrow your position as the Guardian General for a while?" When this familiar voice was heard, Li Foluo felt surprised before he burst out into an uncontrollable smile. That man had finally arrived. He landed on the platform before the countless shocked gazes of the crowd. He had a unique head of grayish-white hair, handsome looks, and a brilliant smile. His arrival immediately caused the Dragon''s Fang Guardians to fall silent for a few moments before they let out a heaven-shaking roar. "Grand Commander Li Luo is mighty!" The Guardian Generals were taken aback, and Li Zhihuo''s expression turned ugly. Damn it, who had taught him to interrupt things so well? He was literally playing with people''s hearts! Chapter 1417: Guardian General Li Luo A man suddenly descended from the skies, landing in the midst of the battle platform before everyone''s gazes. Some doubtful voices raised their suspicions towards this new character. "Who is that?" "Huh? Have you been living under a rock? That is the one who destroyed his Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried and slayed Qin Lian. Thats Li Luo! He''s now one of the most popular people in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent." sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Li Luo disappeared for half a year to recover, which made everyone assume he would miss the opportunity to battle for the Grand Guardian General title. Who would have thought that he would make it back in time? It looks like things are going to get interesting." "Li Luo only has one Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried now and is just an upper first-grade Transcendent. If that one Bergfried allows him to beat an opponent three grades higher, he might be able to beat a fifth-grade Duke if you include his trump cards! Li Zhihuo, on the other hand, is an upper fifth-grade and is formidable in his own way as well. Thus, if the two were to fight, it would be hard to predict who would win." "You''re not wrong. Li Luo can''t afford to destroy yet another Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried just to obtain the position of Grand Guardian General. Furthermore, when he fought Qin Lian, he had just broken through. If he were to do it again, he might just die." "That might not be the case. You don''t understand the miracles that Li Luo has created throughout his journey. He is basically a demon, and all of his strong opponents were vanquished, resulting in him being the eventual winner." Numerous discussions had broken out around the battle platform. Regardless, Li Luo''s arrival had elevated the atmosphere. Everyone was eager to see what made this young prodigy so special. Especially because he had recently risen to prominence in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. "Li Luo, you''re finally here." Li Foluo''s usually unsmiling face was now smirking happily. If Li Luo had not arrived today, the position of Grand Guardian General would have landed in Li Zhihuo''s hands. Then this generation of the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies wouldve been led by the Dragon''s Blood Guardians yet again. If they wanted to change things, they would have to wait for the next generation. "Here, have it. From now on, you''re the Dragon''s Fang Guardian General." Li Foluo didn''t waste time and threw out a plaque to Li Luo. It was the Guardian General''s plaque. Li Luo reached out to grab it, and his fingers curled tightly around it before he respectfully clasped his fist towards Li Foluo. "Thank you." Li Foluo was an upright individual and did not lust for the status of Guardian General. He knew that with his strength, it would be difficult to bring the Dragon''s Fang Guardians to new heights of glory. Li Luo was stronger than him and thus was more suited to the role. Only in his hands could their faction ascend to the peak. Thus, Li Foluo willingly ceded his position. "The one who has to thank you is me. Li Luo, promise me that you''ll bring the Dragon''s Fang Guardians'' Light and Dark Spear back," Li Foluo said solemnly. Each of the Five Guardian Armies had a treasure that was an upper-grade Mythic Armament. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians treasure was the Light and Dark Spear, and it was the symbol of their power. However, during the battle between Guardian Generals a year ago, he had lost to Li Zhihuo and the Light and Dark Spear was thus lost to the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. Every time they wished to use their own Mythic Armament, they would have to ask for permission.It was humiliating. Li Foluo had thus spent the years bitterly cultivating, in the hopes he would one day retrieve the Light and Dark Spear from Li Zhihuo''s hands. However, Li Zhihuo had always firmly suppressed him. His heart was originally filled with despair, but Li Luo''s appearance had given him a glimmer of hope. Their gazes met, and Li Foluo''s eyes were even filled with a hint of pleading. Li Luo nodded and smiled. "You can rest assured. The Light and Dark Spear will return to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians today... and it won''t just be that." "Do your best, Guardian General Li Luo." Li Foluo grinned before turning to leave the platform, landing amongst the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. From this point on, Li Luo was no longer a Grand Commander, but the newest Dragon''s Fang Guardian General. At the same time, heaven-shaking roars and cheers came from the direction of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. "Guardian General Li Luo is mighty!" "Guardian General Li Luo is invincible!" Dragon Fang Envoy Luo Jiang then glanced at Li Foluo. "As soon as Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e joined the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, I knew that you wouldn''t stay as the Guardian General for long." Now that he had relinquished his position, his usually tense expression seemed to have relaxed as he looked at Li Luo. He vaguely resembled the legendary figure that had once dominated the entire younger generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li many years ago. "I''m afraid the Dragon''s Fang Guardians will reach an unprecedented peak in the future," Li Foluo said. Luo Jiang was a little surprised to hear this. "The most glorious era of the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was during Guardian General Taixuans time. He managed to defeat three other Guardian Generals and thus brought back four Mythic Armaments to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians. That was the most outstanding achievement ever. Even though Li Luo is stronger than his father, could he possibly surpass that?" Xia Yu and the other Grand Commanders were also shocked. If Li Luo wished to take the Light and Dark Spear from Li Zhihuo''s hands, that was completely possible. However, breaking Li Taixuan''s record would be a little too difficult because when Li Taixuan participated in the battle for the Grand Guardian General, he was wielding the Light and Dark Spear. Li Luo did not have access to that weapon. Under the current circumstances, it would already be a stretch for Li Luo to triumph over Li Zhihuo, much less do more. Based on the rules for seizing the Heavenly Dragon''s Mythic Armaments, if they wanted to obtain two, they would have to face both of the Guardian Generals together. If they wanted three, there''d be three opponents and so on. Li Zhihuo was strong enough to beat Li Foluo, but obtaining any of the other Mythic Armaments was not possible. Otherwise, he''d have to deal with Li Foluo and another Guardian General working together. When Li Taixuan obtained four Mythic Armaments for the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, it was because he had single-handedly taken on three opponents. If Li Luo wanted to break the record and obtain all five... he would have to single-handedly defeat all four Guardian Generals at the same time. However, just how strong were these four Guardian Generals? Other than Li Zhihuo, the other three were all at the lower fifth-grade. Meanwhile, Li Luo was a first-grade Transcendent. Was he that tyrannical, capable of overcoming four fifth-grade Dukes? He couldn''t be that wild... right? As their hearts trembled, the referee had already entered the field and began to loudly announce the rules. At the same time, Li Tingyue, Li Jushen, and Li Boyuan took a few steps back, and boundless amounts of resonant power surged out of them. Mythic Armaments that emanated frightening energy undulations appeared in their hands. Li Tingyue''s was a golden mirror. Its back was covered with dragon scales flowing with esoteric light. Li Jushen''s was a gigantic golden bone hammer. Li Boyuan was holding onto a dark-gold bugle made out of a horn. The roars of a dragon could be heard coming from it, shaking the void. However, the most eye-catching one was Li Zhihuo. He stretched his hand out, and a ten-feet-long spear appeared in his hand. The shaft was mottled and covered in wear, but the tip was so incredibly sharp that anyone who looked at it would feel their heart stop. This was the Dragon''s Fang Guardians'' Light and Dark Spear. At the same time, a violet-gold suit of armor appeared on Li Zhihuo''s body. The armor was engraved with ancient dragon insignias that swam slowly across its surface. It gave off a majestic and boundless fighting spirit and stimulated one''s resonant power. This was the Dragon''s Blood Guardians'' Hundred Battles Platemail! All of these were peak high-grade Mythic Armaments. Their might was uncanny, so much so that even the Guardian Generals were unable to wield them during normal occasions. It was only during the battle for the Grand Guardian General that they were allowed to utilize them. The four Guardian Generals were then covered with scintillating light that came from their treasures. Meanwhile, Li Luo stood there with his hands empty, looking relatively shabby compared to the group. "The competition for the position of Grand Guardian General is also a battle for the Five Guardian Armies'' Mythic Armaments. Whoever holds the most number of treasures in the end will be crowned the winner. Guardian Generals, please battle at will." When the referee finished speaking, the entire crowd bubbled with excitement, but the battle platform was deathly silent. Li Zhihuo was the strongest, but he wouldn''t dare to lightly challenge the others. After all, he was looking warily towards Li Luo. As the Guardian Generals chose to wait and see who would initiate the first challenge, Li Luo stepped into the center of the arena, raised his head, and looked at the four individuals who were emanating boundless amounts of energy. Then his calm voice rang out. "Greetings, my four friends. I have a request which I''d like to invite your help with." Li Zhihuo and the other Guardian Generals were staring at Li Luo closely. Li Tingyue softly asked with a solemn expression, "I wonder, what does Guardian General Li Luo plan to do?" A bright smile appeared on Li Luos handsome face. "I wish... to take all the five treasures for myself." At this point, two beams of light shot out of him, transforming into two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds that emanated the aura of perfection, suspended in mid-air like two gigantic suns that bathed the world in their radiance. Everyone''s expressions fell. Chapter 1418: One Vs Four The two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds shone incandescently above Li Luo''s head. Vast amounts of resonant power surged out of him like a tide, bringing about a frightening pressure. The crowd was dazed by the sight. These were two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds! It looked like Li Luo had managed to cultivate a new Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried during his seclusion!This also meant that he was a second-grade Transcendent now! It was no wonder he dared to brazenly declare that all five treasures would be his. A Transcendent was capable of defeating an opponent three grades higher, and that meant that Li Luo''s personal strength had already reached the Fifth Duke Stage at the minimum. He was no weaker than the other four. "Guardian General Li Luo is mighty! Guardian General Li Luo is invincible!" The Dragon''s Fang Guardians erupted into cheers with faces that had turned red from shouting. They were clearly moved by the sight, seeing as how their shouts filled the skies. Li Foluo looked dazed as he stared at the two perfect Duke Bergfrieds. He couldn''t help but to mutter enviously and in admiration, "This fellow truly possesses awesome amounts of talent and potential." He had been at the Duke Stage for many years, so he knew exactly how hard it was to forge a Duke Bergfried. Forging a seven or eight-pillar Duke Bergfried was an exceptional achievement for an ordinary person. Nine pillars allowed them to stand heads and shoulders above their peers, a hero of their generation. He had five Duke Bergfrieds, and the best one was just an eight-pillar. It was precisely because he had experienced the difficulty of forging one that he was even more shocked and amazed after seeing Li Luo''s result after half a year, that he had managed to recover his destroyed second Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. Luo Jiang nodded and smiled. "Ex Guardian General, it looks like the Dragon''s Fang Guardians may achieve unprecedented new heights today." The atmosphere amongst the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was overflowing with excitement. Meanwhile, the members from the other four armies had complicated expressions. The strength Li Luo had demonstrated was worthy of their respect, but this also meant that their respective Guardian Generals were feeling a lot of pressure. Whilst the outside of the battlefield was buzzing with commotion, Li Zhihuo, Li Tingyue, and the other two Guardian Generals had serious expressions. The fear that was contained within their eyes had reached its peak. Li Tingyue sighed lightly before she said, "Who would have imagined that the Guardian General would manage to re-attain his peak strength in just half a year. This is worthy of celebration and is gratifying to hear." Li Jushen and Li Boyuan clasped their hands respectfully. This was the respect shown for a Duke who had embarked on the Path of Ascension. After all, perfection was the only option on that path. They were truly in awe at any Duke who had the will to forge ahead relentlessly. Li Zhihuo took a deep breath. Li Luo had come prepared, and it wasn''t surprising that he planned to collect all the Mythic Armaments. That said, Li Zhihuo felt a little lucky in his heart. It was fortunate that Li Luo had chosen to challenge all four Guardian Generals for the greatest possible achievement. Otherwise, if he were to challenge him alone, he would be under immense pressure to win even with the Light and Dark Spear and the Hundred Battles Platemail. He couldn''t help it. After all, the image of Li Luo taking down Qin Lian in the Treasure Domain had left a deep shadow in his heart. "Guardian General Li Luo, even though you''ve regained your strength, there is no way we will give these Mythic Armaments up easily," Li Zhihuo said in a grim tone as he tightly gripped the Light and Dark Spear. The other three Guardian Generals nodded in agreement. Their expressions were respectful as the Mythic Armaments in their hands emanated strong resonant power fluctuations. As Guardian Generals, they had a duty to protect the honor of their armies. No matter how strong Li Luo was, they could not give up easily. Furthermore, Li Luo had no Heavenly Dragon Mythic Armament of his own, which was his biggest disadvantage. These were weapons that even high-grade Dukes were willing to wield. With the aid of these Mythic Armaments, Li Tingyue and the rest as lower fifth-grade Dukes could challenge upper fifth-grades. Li Zhihuo was even more impressive, with the perfect combination of a defensive and an offensive Mythic Armament; he had no flaws, so even certain sixth-grade Dukes would choose to avoid fighting him head-on. Thus, just Li Luos cultivation alone wasnt guaranteed to be enough! Li Luo glanced at the four, whose eyes were burning with fighting spirit, and smirked. The two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds above him began to emit a brilliant light, then a terrifying suction force swept outwards and devoured worldly natural energy at an incredible rate. Li Zhihuo and the rest similarly roused their own Duke Bergfrieds in an attempt to wrestle control of the worldly natural energy. However, they were shocked to find out that the amounts they were able to absorb were miniscule when compared to what Li Luo had taken in! They clearly had far more Duke Bergfrieds, but they were at a disadvantage. ? The four of them had twenty Duke Bergfrieds between them, and yet they were unable to compare with Li Luo, who only had two. Was the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried simply that tyrannical? Li Luo, however, wasn''t surprised in the least. This wasn''t just because of his Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds, but also the fact that after the Absolute Resonance Seed had awakened, he was able to sense that he was in harmony with the vast amounts of energy in the world. In the past, he was only capable of absorbing energy that was of his own resonant affinities, but now all of it could be taken in. Any sort of energy could be synthesized by the Absolute Resonance Halo. Li Luo took a step forward, and the world filled with shrill sword hymns. Boundless amounts of sword light covered the skies and very swiftly took the form of an archaic sword formation. Upon completion, it gave off a terrifying aura. The expressions of all of the Dukes present changed. Even some high-grade Dukes were taken aback. Just what sort of Duke Art was this? Outsiders would not know, but Li Zhihuo, Li Tingyue, and the rest had seen this before, and their expressions fell and their scalps turned numb. "The Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation!" "Stop him! Don''t let him complete it!" Li Zhihuo shouted. They had seen for themselves how domineering and mighty this sword formation was. If they let it reach its complete form, the Obliteration Sword Light would truly threaten them. Li Luo was truly vicious, immediately starting off with a bang! He clearly wanted to bring a swift and decisive end to this battle. That said, the other three didn''t need to be told. Resonant power poured into their Mythic Armaments without hesitation. At the same time, a heaven-shaking shockwave erupted and attracted the attention of the crowd. Li Tingyue''s Ten Thousand Scale Mirror flowed with mysterious light and all of the scales on it began to flash. Huge amounts of light condensed in one point before shooting out in an awe-inspiring beam of light that pierced through the sky. "Ten Thousand Scales Mysterious Tail!" The light took the form of a gigantic dragon that soared through the skies. Li Jushen roared, and his burly body began to rapidly expand. The Golden Bone Hammer in his hand similarly grew in size until he resembled a giant, heavily smashing the hammer downwards. "Space Shattering Godly Smash!" A large part of the void immediately shattered and an annihilative power enveloped the spatial fragments, blasting towards the yet to be fully formed sword formation with a destructive force. Li Boyuan then activated the ancient golden Clarion Horn, which emitted the roar of a dragon, transforming into a visible shockwave of sound that was imbued with golden light as it swept outwards. "Heavenly Dragon Howl!" The sound waves contained the ability to shatter one''s soul, and even the Dukes who were watching felt fear rise within their hearts. Three of them had activated their strongest moves without restraint. Li Zhihuo similarly stepped into the skies and hacked downwards with the impeccably sharp Light and Dark Spear. The firmament seemed to have been split in half as the spear descended. The fierce fluctuations that emanated from this blow caused even sixth-grade Dukes to feel a little startled. Their moves struck like a bolt of lightning as they targeted the incomplete sword formation. Meanwhile, boundless amounts of sword energy roared towards their attacks in response. Alas, the sword formation had not been completed and the sword energy that clashed against the four''s attacks only lasted for a moment before collapsing. The remaining energy of the attacks then flooded the sword formation, destroying it. The tempest created from the explosion of sword energy swept out in every direction, riddling the battle platform with deep gouges. Destroying the formation brought great joy to the four. Their gazes then turned towards Li Luo, but they were shocked at his response. There wasn''t the slightest trace of dejection on his face, but a smile instead. Before they could react, incredible amounts of violet-gold light shone from Li Luo''s body. It was so bright that even Li Zhihuo and the rest were temporarily blinded. They could then faintly sense an overwhelming pressure that caused them to tremble from the depths of their souls, even reaching their blood. This pressure unfurled across the skies. "Somethings wrong!" "The sword formation was just bait!" Li Zhihuo''s eyes shrunk. He suddenly remembered that half a year ago, Li Luo had taken away a high-grade Destiny-grade Duke Art from the Heavenly Dragon Treasury. He yelled, "Hurry and stop him! He plans to activate the Dragon Blood Atavism Art!" When Li Tingyue and the other three heard him, their eyes were full of disbelief. The Dragon Blood Atavism Art was an upper Destiny-grade Duke Art, and even within the Dragon''s Blood Lineage, there were few who could even cultivate it successfully. Could it be that Li Luo had managed to cultivate it in just half a year? Despite being frightened by the prospect of facing that fearful Duke Art, their actions were not tardy. The Duke Bergfrieds above them began to rumble and energy poured in. A moment later, even more ferocious attacks shot out of their Mythic Armaments. It was like four calamitous powers had descended, attempting to rip through the veil of violet-gold light. However, in the face of the four''s all-out assault, a gigantic violet-gold dragon talon stretched out of the light. Ancient runes were engraved on the talon and it radiated a primal draconic might, directly colliding against the frenetic assault. The void collapsed and a terrifying energy shockwave resulted from the clash, blasting the battle platform to pieces. The counterattack of the four with the aid of their high-grade Mythic Armaments had been resisted by a single talon. The crowd gasped. Li Zhihuo and the rest were standing in the air with trembling eyes, looking towards the violet-gold light. When the light dissipated, they could see a gigantic creature tens of thousands of feet long, giving off a pressure that could suppress their very bloodline. At this point, all of the experts from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li stood up in shock. S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A voice broke the silence. "He... he''s cultivated the Dragon Blood Atavism Art!" A titanic Heavenly Dragon floated domineeringly in the shattered void. Chapter 1419: Nine-clawed Heavenly Dragon Sunlight poured down from the sky, lighting up the destroyed battlefield. Everyone was now able to clearly see the titanic creature that had emerged from the light. It was a giant dragon that was tens of thousands of feet long. Its body was covered with a violet-gold radiance, its scales engraved with primordial runes. Just its gaze emanated an indescribable sense of pressure that made every Dukes breath turn stagnant.The dragon looked like the embodiment of perfection. Its winding body seemed as though it was made out of the spiritual energy that created the heavens and the earth, and yet it had an unmistakable archaic and noble aura, as though it was the king of all dragons. What was most eye-catching was the fact that the dragon had nine claws. Each claw was extremely sharp, glinting with cold light. Even the void seemed to crack in their presence. The outsiders merely felt taken aback by the sudden transformation, but the experts from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li felt as though they had been struck by a bolt from the blue. Their hearts were in turmoil and they stood up in shock. They could sense a pressure weighing down upon them from the very essence of their bloodline, causing them to feel as though they should prostrate themselves before it. "Is that... a Nine-clawed Heavenly Dragon?" The words were blurted out a few moments later. Those from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li couldn''t believe their eyes as they looked at the living dragon before them. Most of them possessed dragon resonances and thus felt a close relationship with the Dragon Race. The dragon before them was clearly descended from the emperor of all dragons, the Heavenly Dragon Race! Whether it was the sheer draconic might that it emanated, or the violet-gold radiance of the nine claws, all of it pointed to one thingthey were in the presence of a Heavenly Dragon. However, they couldn''t understand. This shouldn''t have been possible. After all, the Heavenly Dragon also gave off Li Luo''s aura, which meant that it was a transformation of his! How could Li Luo have transformed into an actual Heavenly Dragon? "This is the Dragon''s Blood Lineage''s upper Destiny-grade Duke Art, the Dragon Blood Atavism Art!" someone suddenly shouted, breaking the tension. They were then reminded of the fact that few were able to successfully cultivate this. The Dragon Blood Atavism Art pursued the power from one''s origins. They sought to take the form of a dragon and wield the Heavenly Dragon''s might. This simple explanation was filled with a certain majesty and imposing awe. Anything that was related to the Heavenly Dragons was considered to be the best amongst the best within the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. One had to know that an actual Heavenly Dragon was comparable to a King Stage powerhouse. The Dragon Blood Atavism Art was supposedly passed down by Heavenly Emperor Li himself. It had always been regarded as the ultimate Duke Art of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Who knew just how many talented prodigies with wild ambitions had attempted to master it? Alas, the ones who succeeded were just a drop in the ocean. The requirements to cultivate it were extremely strict. Transforming into a Heavenly Dragon required one to have a sufficiently thick and pure Heavenly Dragon blood essence within their bodies. They would use a secret art to condense a Heavenly Dragon Seal within their bodies with the blood essence and fuse it into their flesh and bones. Only then could they transform into a true Heavenly Dragon. There were few within the Dragon''s Blood Lineage who had managed to cultivate this, but Li Luo had done it in just half a year. Thus, this revelation had a great impact on the experts present, especially the elders from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. Li Luo was clearly from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, but the Heavenly Dragon blood essence within him was even purer than the members of the lineage that prided themselves on the purity of their blood. This thought left them with complicated looks on their faces. On the highest viewing platform, Li Tianji was quietly observing the Nine-clawed Heavenly Dragon, and he sighed. "Li Luo''s Heavenly Dragon blood essence is incredibly pure and thick. He should have the densest bloodline in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li for the past few hundred years." The corners of Tantai Lan''s lips curled up almost imperceptibly into a smirk. Was the Heavenly Dragon bloodline even that great? Li Luo''s body contained the Absolute Resonance Seed, a treasure crafted by the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. The Heavenly Dragon blood essence didn''t count for much before it. Furthermore, during the Sacred Void Resonance Sect''s prime, even an actual Heavenly Dragon could only bow respectfully towards them. The entire area outside the platform was filled with unrest while the four Guardian Generals had horrified looks on their faces as they faced the behemoth. Just the pressure emanating from the Heavenly Dragon caused their blood to tremble in fear. They even felt like acquiescing directly and bowing in worship before it. This was the innate suppression of their bloodlines. The good thing was that even though Li Luo had taken the form of a Heavenly Dragon, he wasn''t truly one. Li Zhihuo and the rest also had uncanny willpower, so they forcefully suppressed the pressure that afflicted their bodies. However, their expressions had turned ugly. Li Luo''s body had reached a frightening level of strength; even a Duke which specialized in body tempering Duke Arts like Li Jushen would find it hard to compete. They had seen Li Luo utilize the True Dragon Pill''s Transforming Dragon. The resulting dragonoid form was already capable of elevating Li Luo''s battle strength explosively, much less this current form. With Li Luo''s Two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds as a foundation for his art, just how oppressive would it be to fight him? Even a sixth-grade Duke would be left in a miserable situation. Thus, the Guardian Generals'' hearts were filled with unease. ? At this point, Li Luo stretched out a claw, and the void crumpled like tofu before it. This humongous claw expanded in their eyes, seemingly able to blot out the skies. Their Duke Bergfrieds immediately roared to life and boundless amounts of resonant power poured into their Mythic Armaments as they activated their most powerful attacks. A single claw faced off against the five high-grade Mythic Armaments, and an ear-rending explosion echoed throughout the battlefield. An energy storm raged as a result of the collision. Many of the Dukes outside the platform quickly took action to create a barrier to prevent the effects from striking the audience. Everyone watched the location of the clash in trepidation. Alas, it was the four Guardian Generals who ended up at a disadvantage. They were knocked hundreds of feet away in a miserable fashion. Their Mythic Armaments were shining with intense light, but traces of blood leaked out from the corners of their mouths and their faces were pale. Li Luo had been knocked back a slight distance, but because the Heavenly Dragon''s body was simply beyond robust, the collateral effects of the clash hadn''t even harmed him. An incredible uproar filled the arena. Li Luo had only used the strength of his body to repel the four Guardian Generals, who were wielding Mythic Armaments! "Is this a Heavenly Dragon? Its physical strength is terrifying," Li Tingyue asked with a trembling voice as she looked at the mysterious and monstrous creature. The group of them could sense that Li Luo''s body was comparable to a high-grade Mythic Armament itself! It was literally a Mythic Armament in the form of a dragon. It was fortunate that the four of them had joined hands. If they had challenged him individually, even the likes of Li Zhihuo would have been grievously injured from just a single swipe of a claw. sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Li Zhihuo wiped away the blood smears on his mouth and gritted his teeth. "There''s no time to be depressed. The Heavenly Dragon form might be impressive, but he will be unable to maintain it for long. Let''s scatter and avoid confronting him!" As expected of the strongest Guardian General of the Heavenly Dragons Five Guardian Armies. Although they were in a disadvantageous position, he had thought of a way to keep on fighting. The other three nodded in agreement and then rushed off in different directions, remaining vigilant of Li Luo. Whilst the four dashed away, a playful look appeared in Li Luo''s eyes. He didn''t chase them but opened up the claw that had struck the four of them. Four drops of blood floated off it. He then opened his maw and spat out a stream of dragonbreath that enveloped the droplets of blood. His actions did not go unnoticed by the four, and they frowned. "What is he trying to do?" Li Tingyue couldn''t help but ask. Li Zhihuo''s gaze flickered as he observed the squirming droplets of blood that were covered with violet-gold light. A few moments later, he suddenly understood what was going on, and he hurriedly shouted, "He''s planning to use the Dragon Blood Affliction Art! Hurry and stop him!" He was even more anxious than when Li Luo had activated the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. This was because even though the Dragon Blood Affliction Art was only in the Soul Ascension-grade, it was the ultimate tool in quashing internal strife with the right conditions. Li Luo had once used it at the Heavenly Resonance Stage against the third-grade Duke Li Yuanshan and forced him to drop a single grade in strength. Now that he had transformed into a Heavenly Dragon, his bloods purity had risen to an unprecedented level. Therefore, if he were to use the Dragon Blood Affliction Art, just how many grades would they fall by? Even a single grade would mean that they would no longer be able to put up any resistance against him. Thus, they had to obstruct him at all costs. The four Guardian Generals quickly activated their Mythic Armaments and almighty Duke Arts, launching an assault that covered the skies. In response to their desperate counterattack, violet-gold light was emitted from the dragon''s body, giving it astonishing defensive strength. Their attacks were unable to penetrate the barrier. At the same time, the blood that was covered with violet-gold light began to condense. Four little puppets that resembled them took form before their eyes. A blood-red blade that was as thin as a cicada''s wing formed between Li Luo''s talons. He then sliced across the four puppets without any hesitation. As the blade cut across the puppets... The world around them seemed to rumble. Li Zhihuo and the other three turned pale and looked up. They were dismayed to see that three of the five Duke Bergfrieds that floated above each of them had started to shatter. After which, the remnants of the Duke Bergfrieds transformed into spiritual light that was reabsorbed into their bodies. A chill ran through Li Zhihuo''s body as he could sense the resonant power within his body dissipating. A single cut had caused him to drop three grades. All of them were now second-grade Dukes... Just... how were they even meant to fight now? Chapter 1420: Grand Guardian General Li Luo The battle platform had fallen deathly silent. Everyone looked completely flabbergasted as they saw that there were only two Duke Bergfrieds above the other four Guardian Generals. It was as though they had seen a ghost.No one had expected that a single strike from Li Luo would reduce four fifth-grade Dukes into second-grade Dukes. The impact of this scene was simply too much. Meanwhile, the members of the Five Guardian Armies had shocked expressions. Even Li Fengyi and the rest gasped at this sight. Li Fengyi gulped as she asked, "Was the Dragon Blood Affliction Art always this terrifying?" Li Foluo shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Normally speaking, the Dragon Blood Affliction Art is only able to reduce the opponent''s strength by one grade, and this is with much difficulty. There''s also a high likelihood that the user might experience a backlash. Furthermore, I''ve never actually seen the Dragon Blood Affliction Art work on four people at once. After all, the odds of failing would be high and the rebound would be immense. Li Luo is truly gutsy." "It''s not that he''s brave, it''s the fact that he has absolute confidence in the purity of this Heavenly Dragon bloodline. Now that he has taken the form of a Heavenly Dragon, such arts are much more effective as the density of his Heavenly Dragon blood essence has increased," Li Hongyou explained. Li Foluo nodded as he stared at the awe-inspiring creature that emanated a sense of terror on the battle platform. "Transforming into a Heavenly Dragon and activating the Dragon Blood Affliction Art is truly a perverse combination. I feel that in the future, no one beneath the Seventh Duke Stage in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li will dare to challenge him." Those individuals would be looking for a beating otherwise. Even a sixth-grade Duke would become third-grade when facing him. Even though it was temporary, he could easily obtain victory during that period of time. Li Luo was now considered unstoppable whenever there were internal battles. It was a pity that this was not as useful against outsiders. Furthermore, the pressure on their innate bloodlines would not be as strong either. "Who cares how he does it? All that matters is that he wins," Li Fengyi said with a grin. Li Foluo smiled as well. After seeing Li Luo brandish his surprisingly effective Dragon Blood Affliction Art, the battle for the Grand Guardian General position was likely coming to an end. The second-grade Guardian Generals had no way of struggling against him. This also meant that Li Luo would achieve the greatest honor possible within the Five Guardian Armies. All the five treasures would belong to one army. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians of their generation would likely be the strongest it had ever been. Meanwhile, the four Guardian Generals themselves were still in a state of confusion, frightened silly by the oppressive Duke Art that Li Luo had just used. A single Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art had ruined them. Truthfully speaking, its power had far exceeded the Soul Ascension-grade. Even calling it a Destiny-grade wasnt enough to describe how effective it was! That said, regardless of how hard it was to believe, Li Luo''s move was horrifying. Meanwhile, Li Luo in his Heavenly Dragon form continued to float in the air as purple-gold light flowed around him and his coldly glinting fangs. He unhinged his maw, and boundless amounts of dragonbreath spewed out towards the four. This torrent of dragonbreath was incredibly domineering. Wherever it passed, the void shattered. The dragonbreath was imbued with heavy draconic might, seemingly capable of consuming everything. The four of them hurriedly roused their remaining Duke Bergfrieds and poured their resonant power into their Mythic Armaments. A moment later, the four mythic armaments began to shine resplendently as worldly natural energy was mobilized to clash against the dragonbreath. As they collided, a thunderous explosion echoed throughout the world. It was so loud that the entirety of Godriver City could hear it. Alas, the four Mythic Armaments were knocked backwards so hard that they zipped away, leaving streams of light in their wake. Meanwhile, the Guardian Generals were all severely injured and spat out mouthfuls of blood before crashing into the battle platform. ???? They simply weren''t Li Luo''s match at this point. Li Zhihuo''s Hundred Battles Platemail was incredibly sturdy and thus, his injuries were the lightest. He felt indignant and was not willing to lose just like this. He struggled to stand, planning to continue fighting. However, as soon as he was on his feet, the void shuddered and a humongous head that emanated a suffocating pressure poked out of it, stopping just a few inches away from his face. Its mouth slowly opened up, revealing rows of sharp teeth which were reflected in Li Zhihuo''s eyes. Li Zhihuo dumbfoundedly glared at the massive dragon''s head. Just its aura alone was causing his entire body to shake, his legs to tremble, and primal fear to permeate the very depths of his body. All of his courage and willpower had vanished. His legs weakened and he unwillingly fell to his knees, his face completely pale. Li Zhihuo''s heart surged as he knew that he would never be able to surpass Li Luo ever again. His opponent''s rise was unstoppable, and he would far exceed him in the future. "Do you still want to fight?" Li Luo asked in a low voice filled with majesty. Behind Li Zhihuo, the other three Guardian Generals bitterly smiled and sighed, shaking their heads. "Guardian General Li Luo, your moves were beyond our expectations." Frankly speaking, they already knew that even if Li Luo had not used the Dragon Blood Affliction Art, the chances of victory would be low even if the four of them worked together. After all, his Heavenly Dragon transformation alone nullified any advantage their Mythic Armaments provided. Thus, the three of them gave up. There was nothing shameful about losing to Li Luo. As per the rules of the Five Guardian Armies, they each took a knee as they offered up their Mythic Armaments with both hands. The Heavenly Dragons Ten Thousand Scale Mirror. The Heavenly Dragons Golden Bone Hammer. The Heavenly Dragons Clarion Horn. The gigantic Heavenly Dragon then flashed with a blinding radiance before quickly shrinking. In a few moments, Li Luo was back to his human form. He stretched his hand out, and the three Mythic Armaments floated before him. He then looked at Li Zhihuo, who had fallen silent. He removed the Heavenly Dragons Hundred Battles Platemail and sent it floating before Li Luo together with the Heavenly Dragons Light and Dark Spear. When Li Luo saw all five Mythic Armaments radiating powerful energy undulations, he felt a little lost for words. All five Mythic Armaments belonged to one Guardian Army. This was the greatest honor one could have amongst the Five Guardian Armies. Even his father had only managed to obtain four. Unknowingly, Li Luo had already achieved the same heights. He reached out, his right hand grasping the Light and Dark Spear whilst the left held onto the Golden Bone Hammer. The Hundred Battles Platemail equipped itself to his body, making him look extremely heroic. The Clarion Horn was hung on his waist whilst the Ten Thousand Scale Mirror fused with the armor, taking the form of a heart-protecting mirror on his chest. This was the true form of all the armaments being wielded by one. Worldly natural energy thrummed, and he could sense a terrifying power concealed within these artifacts. Even he would find it difficult to bear the strain on his body when they were all activated. He had a premonition that the combination of these Mythic Armaments allowed them to reach the level of a Venerated Heirloom meant for Kings! Even a high-grade Duke would appear fragile and powerless before them. Li Luo sighed in his heart. High-grade Mythic Armaments were precious, and five that belonged to a specific set had a value beyond estimation. Even within the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, they were incomparable treasures. If he could casually wield them, Li Luo''s strength would reach a frightening level. It was a pity that these treasures belonged to the Five Guardian Armies. Even as the Grand Guardian General, he would only be able to wield their power during a critical moment; he was not allowed to use them as he wished. With all five Mythic Armaments equipped, the surroundings of the battle platform erupted into incredible fanfare. This battle had opened their eyes. Li Luo had single-handedly overcome four fifth-grade Dukes. Such a battle record was truly deserving of the most well-known individual of the younger generation. The Dragon''s Fang Guardians were so excited that their shouts echoed through the skies. At the elevated viewing platform, Li Tianji helplessly sighed when he saw the result. He had tried his best to plan a way for Li Zhihuo to obtain the position of Grand Guardian General. Alas, his schemes had fallen apart in the face of true strength. In the end, he hadn''t been able to change anything. The position of Grand Guardian General was now in the hands of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. His mind was filled with countless thoughts, but his expression betrayed none of it, instead, he smiled at Tantai Lan. "Congratulations, Lineage Chief Tantai." S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Tantai Lan''s mood wasn''t bad either and thus, even though she knew that his words didn''t match his thoughts, she replied, "I''d like to ask you to announce the results, Lineage Chief Tianji." Li Tianji nodded and stood up, his elderly voice transmitting into everyone''s ears. "The battle for the Grand Guardian General ends here. Li Luo has retrieved all five Mythic Armaments, achieving the greatest result, and is now the new Grand Guardian General!" As his voice resounded, the Dragon''s Fang Guardians exploded into endless cheers, their emotional voices overwhelmingly loud. "Congratulations, Grand Guardian General!" The other four Guardian Armies fell silent for a moment before similarly cheering as well. "Congratulations, Grand Guardian General!" Even the elders of the lineages shouted. A true leader of the Five Guardian Armies had finally arisen. Chapter 1421: Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed The climactic battle resulted in Li Luo ascending to the position of Grand Guardian General amidst much fanfare. News of the days events had also spread at breakneck speed throughout Godriver City and even the northwestern border. A second-grade Transcendent had overcome four fifth-grade Dukes. It was nothing short of unbelievable. Furthermore, Li Luo would be the first Grand Guardian General in the history of the Five Guardian Armies to have obtained all five Mythic Armaments. This was an achievement that surpassed even his father, Li Taixuan. Many people sighed. As expected, a tiger father would not give birth to a dog son. Instead, the youth would surpass the previous generation in the time to come. When Li Taixuan was renowned throughout Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, he had suppressed many of his talented peers. However, his son was even more tyrannical, easily dealing with Li Zhihuo and the other Guardian Generals from an older generation, much less his own age group. Countless experts and powers were taken aback by this result. Li Luo was young and had already forged two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds. The potential and foundation he had demonstrated was frightening. The Path of Ascension was the hardest trial of all. Who knew just many prodigies had been disheartened and failed to progress along it? Meanwhile, Li Luo had already formed two of those bergfrieds, and those were his first two as well! This was worthy of admiration. If he chanced upon more opportunities, he could actually become a true Transcendent Duke. Adding on Jiang Qing''e... it was said that she already had two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds. She might have even progressed further on the Path of Ascension, and as unbelievable as it sounded, if both of them became Transcendent Dukes, didn''t that mean that their family had three Transcendent Dukes? Of course if the public found out that Li Taixuan was a Greater Transcendent Duke as well, they would bitterly gripe to themselves. Four Transcendent Dukes in the family was just a little too much to imagine... As Godriver City was immersed in shock, in the city lord''s manor. The recently ascended Grand Guardian General was looking curiously at a dragon-shaped cauldron in Li Tianji''s hand. The cauldron was the size of his palm, and every scale was engraved with numerous runes, looking exceptionally exquisite and mysterious. It also emanated some strange undulations. If one were to listen closely, they could make out low, draconic roars from a time long ago. When this happened, Li Luo could sense the Heavenly Dragon resonance in his body coming to life. It was now that he understood just what was inside the cauldron. A Lesser Sacred Seed! The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had a sacred object that could truly be considered to be the foundation of its power: the Dragon Sacred Seed. It was a wondrous creation. Only a Heavenly Emperor was capable of deducing the essence of source origin, using it as material to imitate the Genesis Seed and give life to it. A Sacred Seed would fuse with someone compatible, and that persons resonance would rise to the upper ninth-grade. At the same time, it would greatly increase one''s potential and talent and give rise to magical powers. In more impolite terms, even if the individual the Sacred Seed chose to fuse with was a cripple, the moment they absorbed it, they would gain the potential to become a King. Of course, the Sacred Seed itself was mystical, and it was difficult to find someone it was willing to fuse with. After all, the Sacred Seed possessed its own spirituality and would independently select its wielder. A Lesser Sacred Seed, however, was essentially the failed prototype of the Sacred Seed. Although it was significantly weaker, it was still rarely seen. Even the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li only had three Lesser Dragon Sacred Seeds. Additionally, the leftover materials used to create the Sacred Seed were used to refine objects like the True Dragon Pill. Those remnants had been of great help to Li Luo in the past. Li Tianji looked at how curious Li Luo was and smiled. "Hehe... You''re not wrong. This is indeed the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed. Now that you''ve become the Grand Guardian General, as per the rules, this Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed will belong to you for the next ten years." Although Li Zhihuo had failed to obtain the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed, Li Tianji did not resent Li Luo. As the Mountain Ruling Chief, he was at least a bit magnanimous. Of course, what was most important was that Tantai Lan was carefully watching him from the side. Knowing her temper, he had to shelve his previous plans for the time being. After all, their original rationale to have the event now was legitimate. Now that Li Luo had obtained the title, Li Tianji didn''t dare to cause any further trouble; otherwise, Tantai Lan might truly attempt to test out how hard his old bones were. sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed can elevate your dragon resonance to the middle ninth-grade," Li Tianji patiently explained. Li Luo''s gaze lit up. Currently, the hardest thing to do was to evolve his Heavenly Dragon resonance further. Taking it from the quasi ninth-grade to the lower ninth-grade would require a large amount of ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. However, the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed before him could allow it to instantly reach the middle ninth-grade! This was more than just a single stage in improvement. His strength would see a drastic rise. "Furthermore, the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed also contains a sealed lower Destiny-grade Duke Art. It''s known as the Dragon Rearing Art, and you don''t have to cultivate it. You can activate the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed and utilize it immediately. Lastly, the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed can be integrated into one of your treasures and upgrade it into a high-grade Mythic Armament. This is fully reliant upon the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed''s power, so once you return it in the future, the treasure will shatter." When Li Luo heard this, his gaze burned with even greater fervor. He had seen the Dragon Rearing Art in the Heavenly Dragon Treasury in the past. It required one to have a wood resonance and utilize wood resonant power as a seed. After infusing it with dragon''s blood essence, it could allow one to summon a true blood dragon. This blood dragon could protect him and fend off enemies. He was moved as he did have a wood resonance. It was fitting for him and he had his eye on it, but the Dragon Blood Atavism Art was even more attractive. Thus, he had to let go of the latter. Who would have expected that obtaining the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed would allow him to use the other Duke Art he was interested in. The most surprising thing was that he didn''t have to cultivate it. This would save him an immense amount of time and effort. ? Additionally, it even had the ability to augment a treasured artifact. With a thought, he swiped his hand past his pocket sphere, and a mottled great-bow appeared in his hand. It was the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow. It was originally a violet-eye treasured artifact, and it had been unable to keep up with Li Luo''s growing strength. He had repeatedly brought it to the edge of being destroyed. The Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed could not only reshape it and preserve it, but also elevate it to an upper-grade Mythic Armament. This would also save Li Luo time from searching for a suitable ranged weapon. "That bow was refined from a dragon''s bone and thus this is very suitable." Li Tianji smiled and nodded in approval. He then turned towards the dragon cauldron and sighed lightly in his heart. Li Luo was already on the rise, and with the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed, he would become like a tiger with wings. It would make him even more powerful and make his journey through the Path of Ascension more stable. If Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e both ended up becoming Transcendent Dukes, then their family would have three of them. It would undoubtedly be the strongest family in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. At that point in time, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s reputation and strength would surpass that of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. They could even take the Mountain Ruling rights. "I hope that the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed allows you to travel further on the Path of Ascension. If you become a Transcendent Duke, you will bring great glory to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li." Li Tianji then passed the dragon cauldron over to Li Luo. As the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s Mountain Ruling Chief, Li Tianji possessed both smarts and the ability to read the situation. Thus, he did not engage in any short-sighted obstructive behavior, but instead offered his blessings. No matter what, Li Luo still belonged to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. If their family truly did end up with three Transcendent Dukes, then the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li would become the number one Heavenly Emperor power in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. At that point in time, it would be fine if he stepped down from the position of Mountain Ruling Chief. Li Luo respectfully received it with a smile. "Thank you, Lineage Chief Tianji." Li Tianji smiled and nodded before engaging in some small talk with Tantai Lan. After which, he waved his hand and vanished. Meanwhile, Li Luo was gaily hugging the dragon cauldron in excitement. He had truly struck gold! Chapter 1422: Absolute Resonance Qi "Don''t be silly, it''s just a Lesser Sacred Seed," Tantai Lan said disdainfully to the foolishly smiling Li Luo after Li Tianji was gone. "Mother, you are a Greater Transcendent Duke, of course you''ll look down on this," Li Luo responded with a grin. Tantai Lan''s resonances had all reached the middle ninth-grade and thus, the Lesser Sacred Seed was useless to her. However, Li Luo wasn''t the same. The highest of his resonances at this point was the lower ninth-grade waterlight resonance. Thus, the ability of the Lesser Sacred Seed to upgrade his resonance was significant. "Has your Absolute Resonance Seed awakened?" Tantai Lan asked. Li Luo nodded and muttered, "It definitely has. However, I feel like its not as effective as the Lesser Sacred Seed." "If one of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect Masters heard you say that, they might berate you endlessly," Tantai Lan helplessly replied. "I''ll have to ask my mother to explain further." Li Luo grinned. What he knew of the Absolute Resonance Seed was definitely less than Tantai Lan. Sar?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She then asked, "Has the Absolute Resonance Halo within you given birth to the Myriad Resonances Cauldron and has it ignited with the Myriad Resonances Flame?" Li Luo paused and thought about how there was now a flaming cauldron in the center of the Absolute Resonance Halo which contained his burning Acquired Resonance Flame. "The next stage of the Acquired Resonance Flame is what we consider the Myriad Resonances Flame," Tantai Lan explained. "What''s the point of that?" Li Luo asked humbly. "The Myriad Resonances Flame can protect you from evil influences. I believe you''ve experienced this already." Li Luo nodded. The Acquired Resonance Flame had the ability to purge even the most entrenched corruption and even refine it. "The Myriad Resonance Flame also has a magical power. When your body''s resonant power increases, the flame will produce a special power called Absolute Resonance Qi," Tantai Lan explained. "Absolute Resonance Qi has effects similar to spirit liquids and purifying lights, allowing all of your resonances to advance." "All my resonances?" Li Luo was taken aback by this. After all, his resonances were about to reach the ninth-grade, and the grade of the spirit liquids and purifying lights needed to evolve them was simply terrifying. Even in a Heavenly Emperor power, they were considered peak treasures. Thus, what he found most headache-inducing was how to obtain more of them. Now Tantai Lan was saying that the Myriad Resonances Flame was able to continuously help him evolve his resonances whenever his cultivation level increased? Although his resonances wouldn''t raise a grade every time, the effects over time could not be underestimated. "Then why haven''t my resonances evolved? I don''t think Ive sensed this Absolute Resonance Qi," Li Luo asked curiously. He truly had not sensed this during his secluded cultivation. "No? That shouldn''t be possible. Could there have been some problems?" Tantai Lan was a little taken aback. Li Luo thought about it, then an idea flashed through his mind. He quickly took out the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo Shoot that Li Jingzhe had transformed into and hurriedly asked, "Mother, after I left my secluded meditation, I realized that Grandpa''s Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot had grown. Could it be that my Absolute Resonance Qi was absorbed by Grandpa?" He had pondered over the reason why the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot had grown and couldn''t figure out why. After hearing what Tantai Lan had said, he couldn''t help but guess that this was the reason. Tantai Lan took the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot from his hands and closely scrutinized it, then she nodded. "The aura of your Grandpa has increased a little." She then sighed. "The reason why your Grandpa is the way he is now is also because of the Absolute Resonance Halo. If he requires Absolute Resonance Qi to grow, all the puzzle pieces fit together." "Can we use spirit liquids and purifying lights, then?" Li Luo asked excitedly. The Absolute Resonance Qi and spirit liquids and purifying lights had similar effects. Wouldn''t it make more sense to use the latter to water the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot and increase its rate of growth? If this was the case, then even if the Dragon''s Fang Lineages treasury was emptied out, it would be well worth it. In fact, if the other four lineages were to hear of this, they would chip in as well. However, Tantai Lan lightly shook her head. "Absolute Resonance Qi is a form of energy from the heavens and the earth. Only the Absolute Resonance Seed is able to condense it. Spirit liquids and purifying lights, even if they are ninth-grade, are not the same and therefore may not work." That said, Li Luo wasn''t disappointed. "In that case, I''ll rely on the Absolute Resonance Qi. Grandpa protected me, and it''s my turn to return the favor." Tantai Lan was happy to hear Li Luo''s filial words. He did live up to the love that Li Jingzhe had showered him with. "As your cultivation level increases, the Absolute Resonance Qi created will also be denser. At some point in time, the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot may not be able to absorb everything, and you can use the remainder to evolve your resonances." Tantai Lan continued, "Speaking of which, your Grandpa left this for you, and it''s time for you to take it." Her slender hand casually swiped the air, and a small rift opened up. An object wreathed in light shot out and floated before the duo. It was an ancient but familiar sword. Li Luo immediately recognized that it was the Dragon Elephant Blade that had accompanied him for many years. However, its appearance had gone through a change. The hilt, which resembled a dragon''s head, was now covered with dense amounts of golden dragon scales. The dragon''s beard extended outwards like a hand guard, and the entire blade glinted with cold light. From time to time, the blade flashed with terrifying lightning accompanied with a thunderous boom. The blade itself was silver, and it seemed to contain a world of thunder within. Inside this world was a single gigantic stalk of silver-colored Thunder Bamboo standing tall, spewing out immense amounts of thunder energy, forming a storm. The roars and trumpeting of a titanic dragon and an ancient elephant could be heard within the storm. When Li Luo saw the Dragon Elephant Blade and its keen edge, he could even feel his heart pounding in fear. It had probably reached a grade no lower than the Light and Dark Spear. Furthermore, he could sense that an even more terrifying power was hidden within the blade itself. It was like Heavenly Thunder was contained within, ready to strike fear into other''s hearts. "Your Grandpa''s Kingslayer Staff was dismantled into its original materials. I combined those with the Dragon Elephant Blade, and it has been upgraded into a high-grade Mythic Armament. However, the original grade of the Dragon Elephant Blade was a little too low, so it was unable to contain the power of a Venerated Heirloom. Thus, much of its power has been sealed, so don''t touch it unless its an emergency," Tantai Lan explained. Li Luo''s gaze turned complicated as he stretched his hand out. The Dragon Elephant Blade had accompanied him for many years, and the two were basically one. After being upgraded into a Mythic Armament, the Dragon Elephant Blade''s spirituality had increased. Upon hearing his call, it emitted a thunderous sword hymn and shot towards him so quickly that it resembled a silver beam of light. It happily circled around his body before landing in his hand. He tightly grasped its handle, and his resonant power flowed into it without restraint. At this moment, violent thunder energy burst out of the blade and wrapped around it, creating an even larger blade made of thunder energy. This ferocious power seemed capable of ripping apart anything in its path. Li Luo felt exuberant. If he had this during the Grand Guardian General battle, he might have simply been able to deal with everyone other than Li Zhihuo with a single slash. "Thank you, Grandpa," Li Luo murmured softly as he lightly caressed the blade. The Dragon Elephant Blade could have been said to have metamorphosed, so its name needed to change as well. After thinking about it... he decided that his new weapon would be known as the Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade. [TL Note: Jeez...] Chapter 1423: Seventy-Two Greater Dominions Li Luo played around with the new Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade for a while more and then, with a thought, the sword transformed into a stream of thunder energy that shrunk before turning into a delicate thunder blade tattoo on the back of his hand. The Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade was even more valuable than a high-grade Mythic Armament. It could naturally be stored away on his body and refined by his resonant power. In the future, Li Luos connection with it would only improve. At this point, all of his equipment had been greatly upgraded. Not only had he obtained the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed, his commonly used blade and bow had both been elevated to high-grade Mythic Armaments. Even a high-grade Duke would probably stare with reddened eyes and hurl obscenities at him if they knew how extravagant his equipment was, much less ordinary Dukes. At the same time, Li Luo consoled himself bitterly. Relying on his background was not a big deal... The only issue was that he simply could not experience the fulfilling pleasure of struggling and relying on his own efforts. Whether he felt a sense of pleasure at this windfall or not didn''t really matter. He didn''t have a choice that he was born as House Luolan''s young lord or the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Third Young Master. Meanwhile, Tantai Lan was observing Li Luo''s equipment, and she nodded in approval. With this, he should have gained the necessary power to protect himself. "It looks like you should be heading towards the Celestial Mirror Pagoda soon." Tantai Lan lamented, "My two little brats, it took great difficulty for us to reunite, and yet we barely spent any time together." Jiang Qing''e had left the Dragon''s Fang Lineage for the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College a few months prior to assist Li Luo in advance and to understand the situation surrounding the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. Now that Li Luo''s seclusion had ended, it seemed as though he wouldn''t be staying for much longer. As a mother, Tantai Lan felt a little melancholic seeing her children all grow up already. Li Luo hurriedly walked over to her side and squeezed her shoulders with a smile. "Mother, isn''t all this just for us to raise our strength quickly? We''ll go to the Nobles'' Battlefield with you in the future and rescue the old man. Speaking of which, do you think we can ask Heavenly Emperor Li to give a hand? If he were to help out, wouldn''t Father be saved?" Tantai Lan sighed lightly. "You don''t know this, but the fact that the world is able to remain peaceful is because of the Heavenly Emperor experts. They have taken on an immense burden to protect it. After you left the Xia Kingdom and explored the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent for so many years, have you ever seen or heard of a Heavenly Emperor appearing in person?" Li Luo paused and then shook his head. Even Heavenly Emperor Li himself had only left behind a strand of will. "All of the races in the world have signed an ancient covenant. All Heavenly Emperors must fulfil their duty and protect the depths of the Nobles'' Battlefield. That is where our world and the Others world meets, and Heavenly Emperors are the strongest defenses against them, standing tall like majestic mountains. Without them, you would see tragedies like what happened at the Treasure Domain occur much more frequently around the world. Heavenly Emperor Li has already protected the World Border for hundreds of years, and his position is being monitored by Grand Devil Kings. How could he move lightly?" Tantai Lan''s expression turned even more complicated and she sighed yet again. "Can you imagine how the four Heavenly Emperors must have felt when the Treasure Domain changed so dramatically? So what if they were able to sense the changes? Even if Heavenly Emperor Qin saw that Qin Jiujie had betrayed him, he would be unable to take action to punish the traitor. Countless Grand Devil Kings are keeping a close eye on him, and the moment he exposes a flaw, he will suffer from a devastating attack. If the defensive line shows any weakness, another Origin Reversion War may unfold across the world." Li Luo fell silent as Tantai Lan explained things. These were the most hidden secrets of the world, and merely knowing them was a heavy burden. "Is the shadow world really that powerful? Is it comparable to the ten divine continents?" Li Luo couldn''t help but ask. This was something that was far out of reach for most, and ordinary powers had no way of knowing about this. Tantai Lan calmly replied, "Since ancient times, the Others have constantly been born. Our world originally had thirty-six divine continents, but now there are only ten. Where do you think they went?" S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A chill enveloped Li Luo from head to toe. Perhaps even some elders in Heavenly Emperor powers were not aware of this. At the very least, he had no idea that there used to be thirty-six continents. Could it mean that some of them had been eroded by the shadow world? That meant that he already had the answer to his first question. If the ten divine continents were truly stronger than the shadow world, how could they have lost so many continents? "Throughout the ages, there was only one point in time when the ten divine continents had the upper hand and even launched an attack on the shadow world. It was a single man," Tantai Lan continued. ?? Li Luo''s gaze turned abstruse as he knew what she was getting at. "The final Sacred Void Resonance Sect Master." Tantai Lan nodded. "He was the strongest Sect Master in the sects history, but even he was unable to end this chaos. In fact, shortly after he returned from the shadow world, his body deteriorated and he fell. The entire Sacred Void Resonance Sect was destroyed and buried in the annals of history afterwards." "Are the Others really that terrifying?" Li Luo felt a weight on his heart. Although he was far too weak to be a factor in this conflict, it was clear that the Others were a mortal enemy that could not coexist with the living beings of the world. The destructive and xenophobic instincts of the Others ensured that only one would survive. They thrived on the negative emotions of people, which was unavoidable to all living beings. "I heard that the shadow world has quite a few Other Dominions. Is that how their strength is divided?" Li Luo asked. "Other Kings have a level of sentience comparable with living creatures, and they naturally form their own forces. These forces have been termed as Other Dominions, and there are countless Other Dominions in the shadow world. However, what people truly fear are the Seventy-Two Greater Dominions. They can be considered to be on the same level as Heavenly Emperor powers on the divine continents." Luo''s eyes were filled with shock. Seventy-two Heavenly Emperor powers? What did this signify? This meant that there were seventy-two Grand Devil Kings! That was an incredible number of Heavenly Emperors! The entire Heavenly Origin Divine Continent only had four of them! Even if he were to count all of the Heavenly Emperors across all the divine continents, could they even compare? He felt that this wasn''t possible either. Meanwhile, the ancestors like Heavenly Emperor Li were resisting all these malicious existences in a place no one knew of, dealing with enemies who outnumbered them by several times. The pressure on them was unimaginable. It was at this point that Li Luo felt immense awe and respect for those lofty individuals. Without them propping up the skies with their massive figures, their world might have long descended into hellish purgatory. Tantai Lan looked at the silent Li Luo and knew that the implications of this information was too much for him, a mere second-grade Transcendent Duke. She then grabbed his hand and smiled. "The number of Heavenly Emperors doesn''t mean that much. In the end, that will not be the main factor in whether we win or lose." Li Luo smiled bitterly. "What do you mean Heavenly Emperors don''t mean much? What are the conditions for victory or defeatm then?" Tantai Lan tightly gripped Li Luo''s hand as she answered solemnly, "At the end of the day, it is not about Heavenly Emperors. Its about who can reach the stage above it." She paused for a moment. "In other words... the tenth-grade!" Chapter 1424: Whos Here To Cause Trouble? Tenth-grade! Those words didnt mean much normally, but they held an air of majesty and awe in this conversation. They represented the true peak of this world.The charm and temptation of the very idea of a tenth-grade resonance had attracted countless Heavenly Emperors like moths to an open flame, dedicating their entire lives to achieving it. "When chaos descends, genesis dawns. It is said that the tenth-grade resonance will eventually appear amongst the Genesis Seeds. However, no one knows who will be the one to become an unparalleled being who will bring order to this world, Tantai Lan coolly explained. "When chaos descends, genesis dawns. No one has ever doubted this saying, but the one who will eventually attain the tenth-grade may not necessarily be a living being from the ten divine continents. Li Luo was taken aback. What was she trying to say? If it wasn''t a living being from the ten divine continents, then who else could it be? Li Luo was struck with a terrible realization, and waves battered his heart. He glanced at his mother in disbelief as he stammered, "A-are you saying... it could be an Other?" Tantai Lan calmly replied, "The saying when chaos descends, genesis dawns doesnt specify that the one to bring the dawn will come from the divine continents. Could it mean the Others instead? If an Other gives birth to a tenth-grade resonance, then the chaos would similarly be resolved." Li Luo''s scalp turned numb at the thought. "In that case, the world would be destroyed." "Well, humans only inhabit the ten divine continents. It''s not like the Others would be annihilated," Tantai Lan said. Li Luo bitterly replied, "That''s what you think!" Tantai Lan glared at him. "You brat, you''re only good at deceiving yourself. Why can it only be humans who can attain a tenth-grade resonance and not Others? In terms of strength and foundation, the shadow world is greater than the divine continents." "Doesn''t the tenth-grade resonance require a Genesis Seed?" "The Others are weird and unpredictable. They have existed for much longer than any human power. Would it be strange if they''ve hidden the existence of their own Genesis Seeds during this timespan?" Tantai Lan asked. Li Luo''s jaw dropped, but no words came out. Based on his experiences, it was truly impossible to predict what the Others in the shadow world were capable of. "This also means that the balance could be upended at any time. Perhaps they will obtain the tenth-grade resonance first and end us," Li Luo lamented sourly. "Thats very possible," Tantai Lan replied. Li Luo was left speechless. The information Tantai Lan had shared with him was so high-level that even the average high-grade Duke probably wasnt aware of this. Such knowledge served no good other than to demoralize people. Perhaps it wouldve been better if he hadn''t asked. Of course, while Li Luo was left slightly depressed, Tantai Lan grinned. "The reason I''m telling you all about this is not to demotivate you. I just want you to never forget that you now hold the power to possibly end the chaos in this world. In addition, while people know of the Genesis Seed, they aren''t aware that the Absolute Resonance Seed can similarly pave a path towards the tenth-grade resonance." Li Luo hurriedly replied, "Well, no one actually knows if this path will truly lead to success." At this point, he paused and his voice lowered. "In that case, why didn''t the last sect master of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect obtain a tenth-grade resonance?" Based on what Tantai Lan had said before, that person had surpassed all of his predecessors. Considering how strong he was, he couldn''t have been an ordinary Heavenly Emperor either, right? Tantai Lan fell silent before explaining, "That sect master did reach a step that was unprecedented. However, he didn''t truly reach the tenth-grade; otherwise, he wouldn''t have met his end that way." "He was virtually invincible and yet he didn''t manage to succeed... Since the sect master wasn''t able to do it, I''m afraid I don''t have much of a chance either." Li Luo shook his head with a wry smile. This was indeed an achievement that had stumped countless Heavenly Emperors and left them in awe. Its difficulty was in a different realm. Despite his personality, Li Luo was relatively self-aware. He didn''t want to continue talking about this topic that was too far off for him to influence. After all, the pressure wasn''t meant for him, a tiny second-grade Transcendent. "Mother, I''m prepared to stay in Godriver City for another half a month before heading towards the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. I''ll then make my way to the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. Sister Qing''e has been all alone, and I can''t remain calm like this." Li Luo quickly changed the topic. He didn''t plan to leave immediately, as the northwestern border wasn''t calm. Others would swamp over in a tide occasionally, and as the Grand Guardian General, leaving like this felt a little irresponsible. It would inevitably invite questions and affect Tantai Lan''s name. Thus, he planned to spend at least half a month leading the Five Guardian Armies to clean up the vicinity. Tantai Lan similarly expressed her agreement. Li Luo had already grown up and wasn''t a hairless brat anymore. "There''s no need to worry about Qing''e. When she left, I gave her two high-grade Mythic Armaments that we obtained in the Nobles'' Battlefield. Even though the Celestial Mirror Pagoda is filled with talented individuals, she''ll be able to outshine them with her prodigious abilities," Tantai Lan said in an attempt to console him. "The only pity is that we didn''t manage to obtain a light resonance Transcendent Art. Now that both of you are on the Path of Ascension, condensing a Transcendent Heavenly Throne requires a Transcendent Art as the foundation. Only then can it be stabilized and strengthened," Tantai Lan explained with a hint of regret. These words caused Li Luo to feel a sense of excitement. This was something he would have to accomplish eventually, and if he could gain more experience in this regard, it would only improve his preparations. "Can my Myriad Resonance''s Dragon Fang Sword Formation become the foundation for a Transcendent Heavenly Throne?" Li Luo asked. "The way I see it, it''s still lacking just by a bit. Strictly speaking, it is only an Embryonic Transcendent Art and is still a distance away from a true Transcendent Art," Tantai Lan replied. However, when she saw Li Luo''s disappointed expression, she added, "However, the potential of the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation is immense and it greatly suits you. If you can resolve the issue of your fourth blank palace, then it might very well turn into a true Transcendent Art." Li Luo scratched his head. It seemed like his fourth blank palace was the greatest blocker in his path of cultivation. He could only hope that upon reaching the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, he would be lucky enough to find the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art. Otherwise, his path ahead could be severed, and that would be greatly depressing. "Are there any Transcendent Arts that suit Sister Qing''e in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda?" Li Luo asked. "The Celestial Mirror Pagoda heralds from the Sacred Void Resonance Sect and contains a lot of its legacies. If the right opportunities arise, you may be fortunate enough to encounter one. However, every Transcendent Art is greatly desired, and even high-grade Dukes go crazy for them. In the Nobles'' Battlefield, we once encountered a void remnant that contained a Transcendent Art. It was left behind by a King from ancient times. It attracted the attention of numerous Other Kings, and the resulting battle was cruel and bloody." Li Luo paused. It made sense now why they mentioned that the Nobles'' Battlefield was full of abundant opportunities. Even Transcendent Arts could be found there. That said, Dukes often wanted to avoid that treacherous place entirely, and in the Xia Kingdom, the only Dukes that were forcefully sent there were chosen through the death lottery. After all, not everyone was brave enough. Li Luo thought to himself. Although it was a perilous location where Kings could fall, the potential opportunities there would be a great boon in his path ahead. However, he would first have to pay a visit to the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. "If the Celestial Mirror Pagoda has an appropriate Transcendent Art for Sister Qing''e, I''ll definitely do my best to grab it for her," Li Luo declared to his mother. Tantai Lan nodded in approval. "You don''t have to worry about the Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s problems. The Other Disaster will not end anytime soon, but it also won''t greatly affect us. I''ll wait for you to return from the Celestial Mirror Pagoda." S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She smiled slightly at this point. "I believe that when the two of you return, your names will resound throughout the ten divine continents." Chapter 1425: Leaving In the following half a month, Li Luo remained within Godriver City and led the Five Guardian Armies into the territories with the most intense Other Disasters. Under their heavy suppressive might, even high-grade True Devils fell to their onslaught and the territories were purified. As the Grand Guardian General, Li Luo was capable of mobilizing all Five Guardian Armies simultaneously, and his strength was nothing short of terrifying. Nothing beneath a King could stand before him. After all, when the Five Guardian Armies joined together and formed the true Heavenly Dragon Formation, he had strength comparable to that of a King. This was the strongest power that Li Luo had experienced personally thus far. The only pity was that once the overall formations power reached such a level, the Heavenly Emperor Edict that was protecting the stream of water from the World''s End River would take effect. Thus, borrowing this strength to delve into the depths of the Other Disaster to purify it wasn''t very realistic. That said, just being able to control the Five Guardian Armies meant that he was only second to Tantai Lan in terms of battle strength. His reputation quickly spread throughout the northwestern border in this short time. Even the high-grade Dukes from the numerous powers who were stationed nearby felt a begrudging sense of fear and inevitable respect when Li Luo mobilized all Five Guardian Armies. Furthermore, Li Luo had embarked on the Path of Ascension, a journey fraught with difficulty and obstacles. If he succeeded, he would ascend to the heavens in a single step. They were Dukes who could challenge Kings. Since ancient times, this was the dream of every Duke. Thus, Li Luos achievements in this short period caused his reputation to truly soar within the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Even the older generation could no longer see him as a simple kid. Li Luo''s achievements had already surpassed those of Li Taixuan. From a certain point of view, he was the most outstanding individual from the younger generation for the last hundred years. In fact, his reputation preceded him as he had even entered the eyes of other peak powers on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Everyone now knew. After many years, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had given birth to yet another rising dragon. Half a month passed by in the blink of an eye. Li Luo knew that it was time to leave. He could no longer leave Jiang Qing''e to struggle in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda all alone. "Senior Hongyou, what are your current plans? If you wish to stay in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, I''ll raise you to the position of Dragon Fang Envoy. With your amazing supportive prowess, no one would bat a single eyelid at this position," Li Luo asked Li Hongyou on the eve of his departure. The two were on top of an ancient wall that encircled Godriver City. Li Hongyou was leaning against the battlements, and her gaze was focused on black mountains a distance away as she smiled. "It''s rare for the busy Grand Guardian General to come and pay me a visit." When faced with her mocking words, Li Luo only grinned. "I brought you to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, so I naturally have to watch over you till the end." He paused before asking, "I heard that Li Yuanzhen came looking for you?" Li Yuanzhen was her father and also an elder of the Dragon''s Blood Lineage. He had similarly been dispatched to the northwestern border, and Li Hongque had informed her of the situation. It was said that when Li Yuanzhen heard the news, he was infuriated and rushed into the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, planning to grab Li Hongyou and leave. Alas, he had failed because Li Luo had appeared to stop him. When faced with the rising star, even an elder like Li Yuanzhen had to restrain his temper. He couldn''t force his way in with Li Luo around, and if they truly were to fight, he was in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians'' territory and wouldn''t be Li Luo''s match. Furthermore, what if he managed to win? He''d attract Tantai Lan''s attention, and the one on the losing end would inevitably be him. This was on top of the fact that Tantai Lan was the strongest expert on the northwestern border. Even if Li Tianji were here, he would have to show some respect to her. Thus, Li Yuanzhen left fuming in failure. Li Hongyou nodded, and a mocking smile appeared on her cold expression. "Indeed. He said that I had disobeyed him and he was very angry. He then tried to use all sorts of soft and hard tactics to force me to return with him." "He felt that me being in the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was a thorn in his eye. It would lead to him losing face in the Dragon''s Blood Guardians. He tried to display his authority as a father, but he couldn''t even remember my birthday. How could anyone acknowledge such a parent? I joined the Dragon''s Fang Guardians precisely because I wanted to see him completely enraged. Thus, the angrier he is, the lower the chance hell get his way." Li Hongyou''s smiled even more deeply. "Afterwards, I told him that I would return with him to the Dragon''s Blood Guardians so long as he kowtowed before my mother''s grave thrice. Alas, he simply stomped away in anger. After seeing his reaction, I knew that returning with you to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians was the right decision. Thus, I not only wish to remain with the Dragon''s Fang Guardians, I plan to become one of the supporting pillars of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. The higher I ascend, the more embarrassed he will be. This can be counted as a way of me venting on behalf of my mother." ? Li Hongyou then laughed softly. "Thus, Li Luo, I really am very thankful to you for this opportunity." Li Luo nodded. "The Dragon''s Fang Lineage and I will always support you. So do you still plan to remain here?" Li Hongyou pursed her red lips. "What do you think I should do? Since you made a special trip to come see me, I assume you''re not just saying goodbye." Li Luo paused for a moment before speaking frankly. "I want you to come with me to the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. There are opportunities there that can allow you to soar even higher into the skies. Of course, the most important thing is that I will need your help." As a second-grade Transcendent, he could overpower a sixth-grade Duke on his own. However, the location he was planning to go to was where the most talented elites from the divine continents congregated. There would naturally be others with Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds there who had started on the Path of Ascension as well. Those were the true prodigies he would be facing. With Li Hongyou''s help and her supportive powers, it would give him greater confidence in succeeding. Li Hongyou''s beautiful eyes curved when she heard his words, and her mood seemed to improve. "It looks like you still need my help." "Well, of course! You''re my trusted aide." Li Luo grinned. "So, what is your answer?" Li Hongyou smiled before staring right into Li Luo''s eyes and nodding solemnly. Sarch* The N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "That was exactly what I was looking for." Li Luo smirked in response. The next day, in the city lord''s manor. Tantai Lan stood before the youth who was leaving and stretched her hand out to reluctantly tidy up his appearance. She then turned towards Ox Biaobiao and Li Rouyun beside her. "Old Ox, I''ll have to trouble the two of you to escort them to the Heavenly Origin Ancient College safely." Ox Biaobiao smiled. "You can rest assured. I''ll make sure he gets there in one piece." Tantai Lan nodded. She wasn''t the indecisive type, so she brushed Li Luo''s face gently and said to him, "When you arrive at the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, make sure to take good care of Qing''e. If anyone dares to bully her, you''ll have to viciously beat them up, to the point that they won''t even be able to recognize their parents. If you can''t do that, send me a message and I''ll have a go." Li Luo didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry, but he stretched his hands out and embraced his mother. "Mother, I''ll leave the Dragon''s Fang Lineage in your capable hands." After which, he no longer hesitated and soared into the air with Li Rouyun, Li Hongyou, and Ox Biaobiao. The four of them quickly vanished into the distance. Chapter 1426: Illusion Heavenly Emperor Somewhere in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. A majestic city stood tall between two mountains. An endless stream of people constantly travelled to and fro on the main avenue, swarming into the city. The sound of a bustling crowd could be heard everywhere, proving how popular this location was. On the main avenue stood two people. One was an old man with a stooped figure. He looked kind-hearted and was garbed in black robes decorated with a strange, scarlet eye that almost seemed alive, constantly blinking and giving anyone who saw it the creeps. The other was a robustly built man emanating terrifying fluctuations that caused the void to tremble. They were none other than the Spirit Eye Other King and Qin Jiujie! The two of them strolled through the main avenue, walking past the countless individuals who were hustling around. However, even Dukes were unable to sense their presence. Qin Jiujie wasn''t concerned with any of the passersby, but he frowned as he looked at the lively city in front of him. For some strange reason, he felt a little unsettled. However, he wasnt sure why. "Is there an Honored Lord here?" Qin Jiujie asked. He had paid a significant price to have the Spirit Eye Other King organize a meeting with a Honored Lord of the Origin Reversion Institute. The man had dilly-dallied for half a year before finally setting down his experiments and leaving his lair. The Spirit Eye Other King then led Qin Jiujie to this location, which was completely out of his expectations. Spirit Eye gave a wry smile. "Can you tell what''s wrong with this place?" Qin Jiujie''s gaze flickered with light as he roused his Dual Crowned King powers to inspect the area carefully. He was a peak-level existence on this continent, but he was still unable to see through the mysteries surrounding this area. No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that whenever he felt that he had seen the essence of things, he would then feel that there was yet another layer hiding beneath the surface. This entire city was wrapped in an enigmatic aura, and despite standing right outside the city, he was utterly unable to discern what lay beneath. "As expected from a Heavenly Emperor existence." Qin Jiujie''s expression was full of respect. Only they could incite such feelings of admiration and fear within him. The Spirit Eye Other King continued to walk forward. The void rippled slightly, bringing him directly before the city gates. He then walked straight into the city. Qin Jiujie hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and following suit. He had betrayed the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. If he wanted to advance further on the path of cultivation, he would have to board the Origin Reversion Institute''s ship. When he entered the city, it was filled with a sea of people and bogged down by traffic. However, as the two of them walked down the street, he finally sensed that something didn''t seem right. All of the roads, buildings, and people started to fade away, turning illusory. "Is this an illusion?" Qin Jiujie asked in shock. When he had previously inspected this location, everything looked incomparably real and he couldn''t tell what was real and what was fake. "Everything you saw before was real, including the people that entered this city from the outside. However, once we enter the city, perhaps they no longer exist." Spirit Eye explained with his hoarse voice. "What does that mean?" Qin Jiujie asked suspiciously. "Everyone who enters the city is stained with a trace of illusion source origin. If the Honored One wills it, all of them can transform into a strand of illusory will and become a part of the Honored One''s body," the Spirit Eye Other King calmly explained. Qin Jiujie''s eyes shrunk. This sort of esoteric power was simply appalling. "The Honored One..." Qin Jiujie''s face was filled with awe. "The other Heavenly Emperors refer to this Honored One as the Illusion Heavenly Emperor." Spirit Eye waved his sleeve, and Qin Jiujie could see the entire city starting to turn illusory. In its depths was a single ancient and mottled wall. "Heavenly Emperor existences cannot lightly reveal their true bodies. As the previous Grand Palace Master of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, I''m sure you understand why." Qin Jiujie nodded. There existed an ancient covenant within the ten divine continents that had been strengthened by the generations of Heavenly Emperor experts from the living races. It was something that even Kings were unable to sense. Only by reaching the Heavenly Emperor Stage could one come into contact with that. The moment a Heavenly Emperor revealed himself, it would be sensed by all the other Heavenly Emperors. Unfortunately, the Origin Reversion Institute liked to interfere with many things and were seen as the enemies of the Heavenly Emperor powers in the divine continents. In particular, the Academic Federation''s Heavenly Emperors were watching out for the Origin Reversion Institute specifically. Qin Jiujie observed the ancient wall and saw a mural on it. A magnificent river coursed through it like a gigantic dragon. No one knew just how wide or deep it was, but anyone who saw it would sense how astounding it was. Qin Jiujie could even sense powerful existences within it. After which, he noticed a figure standing atop a precipitous reef within the river. It was a fisherman dressed in white. In his hand was a fishing rod that was cast into the river. The hook looked ethereal, and who knew just what he was trying to catch. When Qin Jiujie saw that figure, he could feel an indescribable pressure descending upon him, capable of blotting out the skies. The white-robed fisherman within the mural turned his head at this point, and his warm gaze was directed towards him. Qin Jiujie suddenly saw the world changing before his very eyes. The roaring river brought with it a warm spray of water that splashed all over. When he finally snapped out of his daze, Qin Jiujie realized that he was standing on the reef in the large river. The fisherman gave a smile as he greeted him. "Qin Jiujie." The fisherman looked like a handsome young man, but Qin Jiujie did not dare to show him the smallest amount of disrespect because of that. After all, the figure before him was like a deity. It wasn''t that Qin Jiujie had not met a Heavenly Emperor expert before. However, he felt that Heavenly Emperor Qin seemed a little lacking in comparison to the individual before him. Qin Jiujie deferentially bowed. "Greetings, Illusion Heavenly Emperor." The white-robed fisherman, no, the Illusion Heavenly Emperor, grinned. "Faceless was working under my orders. You''ve harmed him to such an extent and still dare to stand before me?" Qin Jiujie did not defend his ruthless actions but reverently spoke his mind. "Honored One, I will complete the tasks you assign me in an even more satisfactory fashion." The Illusion Heavenly Emperor stared at Qin Jiujie with amusement. "As expected of someone who controlled the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin for so many years. Your courage and temperament are extraordinary. I feel quite optimistic about you, and you possess strong ambition. This is great. The Origin Reversion Institute adores people like you. Heavenly Emperor Qin, that old man, is already decrepit and has lived for far too long. He has lost all of his vigor and is struggling on death''s door. Perhaps he might rot to death very soon." Qin Jiujie''s heart trembled upon hearing these words. Even a Heavenly Emperor existence had essentially confirmed how bad the state of his ancestor was. His heart was filled with complex emotions. Grief, regret, but also relief. The moment Heavenly Emperor Qin fell, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin would lose its radiance. It would fall from the ranks of the Heavenly Emperor powers, and perhaps he would be the one who would bring the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin to a new epoch of glory. "From today onwards, I''ll follow the Honored One''s orders," Qin Jiujie said respectfully. The Illusion Heavenly Emperor grinned and then flicked the fishing rod in his hands. Qin Jiujie saw a mote of dark light fly out of his body, attaching itself to the sharp hook of the rod. It was a single natal facial skin from the Faceless Other King. However, the facial skin was clearly in bad condition. Even the eyes were tightly shut, as Qin Jiujie had been absorbing and refining it the entire time. The Illusion Heavenly Emperor then glanced at the pale facial skin that was now in his hand before flicking the rod out once again, snaring a gigantic, ferocious fish from the depths of the river. He then casually attached the facial skin onto the fish''s face before tossing it back into the river. When the giant fish dove back into the depths, Qin Jiujie could sense that the Faceless Other King''s stifled aura had begun to recover. That said, he wasn''t concerned. The injuries it had suffered had caused it to drop an entire stage, and it would barely manage to remain as a King. Furthermore, both of them were now under the command of the Illusion Heavenly Emperor. When both parties served the same master, there was no advantage of background to speak of. The Illusion Heavenly Emperor smiled. "From now on, you will be the Origin Reversion Institute''s newest Other King. The Nine Tribulations Other King." "Thank you, Honored One." Qin Jiujie replied deferentially. This result wasn''t out of his expectations as his strength as a Dual Crowned King was significant, even within the Origin Reversion Institute. He could be considered a pillar of the organization now. However, it was only after receiving the acknowledgment of an Honored Lord that he could feel at ease. From today onwards, Grand Palace Master Qin Jiujie of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin had fallen. He was now reborn as the Origin Reversion Institute''s Nine Tribulations Other King. Sear?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 1427: Old Familiar Friend After soothing Qin Jiujie''s heart, the Illusion Heavenly Emperor warmly explained, "Although the scheme that enveloped the World''s End River Region failed to allow the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus Grand Devil King to descend, we still managed to bring about an Other Disaster. As a result, it could be said that we achieved our goals." Qin Jiujie truthfully felt some doubt in his heart about the Origin Reversion Institute''s plans to incite Other Disasters throughout the divine continents. He could sense that there was some ulterior motive hidden behind these actions and that it was a core secret of the organization. As he had just joined, he was not yet qualified to know what it was. That said, he was smart enough to not ask any questions. "Honored One, I have something else I''d like to report," Qin Jiujie suddenly said. The Illusion Heavenly Emperor smiled. "Speak." "I suspect that Li Luo from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage possesses the Genesis Seed." The rod in the Illusion Heavenly Emperor''s hand stilled momentarily before a smile appeared on its handsome and cultured face. "The Dragon''s Fang Lineage''s Li Luo? The Genesis Seed too? This is indeed important news. I understand." It nodded but did not order Qin Jiujie to do anything about it. "Spirit Eye, take Jiujie to the Origin Reversion Institute''s branch so a task can be assigned to him. At the same time, inform them of the news of our newest Other King." Spirit Eye nodded upon hearing the Illusion Heavenly Emperor''s commands and didn''t speak further. The void then began to distort, and Qin Jiujie and Spirit Eye Other King vanished. Shortly after they vanished, the Illusion Heavenly Emperor waved its sleeve, and the void formed a spectacular and vast map portraying ten boundless continents. It was none other than the ten divine continents. On it were countless scarlet spots of light that flickered and emanated evil auras. The Illusion Heavenly Emperor glanced at the area representing the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. On it was a particularly eye-catching mote of scarlet light that represented the Other Disaster that had been set off on the territories of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. Every single mote of light essentially represented an Other Disaster of different scales. Under the ordinary motes of red light were all sorts of corpses strewn across the fields in decrepit conditions. If the motes of light were to be connected, they would form a gigantic, bloody network that radiated a terrifying aura. This network of blood was larger than anyone could imagine, covering every corner of the divine continents. But when faced with this shocking scene, the Illusion Heavenly Emperor''s eyes were filled with cold indifference. As the scarlet motes of light were reflected in its eyes, it mused to itself, "When that person finally awakens, all of the chaos in this world will finally end. Only then will the world know that the path the Origin Reversion Institute has chosen is the right one." The Illusion Heavenly Emperor lowered its eyes, and the vast map vanished. It then stretched out its finger, causing the void in front of it to shatter. Someone walked out of it. This individual was tall and dressed in black. He looked handsome, and between his eyebrows was a black lotus mark that gave off a chilly air. The black lotus seemed to be slowly squirming as it emitted harsh, ear-grating screams. If Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were here, they would be shocked. This was their "old friend," Shen Jinxiao! It was unexpected that so many years after leaving the Xia Kingdom, he had joined the Origin Reversion Institute. "I greet the Honored One." Shen Jinxiao respectfully kneeled. The Illusion Heavenly Emperor nodded and smiled. "You are from the Xia Kingdom, so you should be acquainted with Li Luo, yes?" That name caused the image of a youth to appear in Shen Jinxiao''s mind. He nodded and sighed. "I never thought those two kids would end up achieving so much. I can only imagine that they have always wished to return to the Xia Kingdom and grind this old friend of theirs into dust." "Then I think you will find this opportunity a pleasure." The Illusion Heavenly Emperor smiled. Shen Jinxiao respectfully asked, "What orders does the Honored One have for me?" "The Celestial Mirror Pagoda is about to open up, and the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange will be the center of attention amongst the divine continents. Who knows just how many talented geniuses will rise there and become famous?" At this point, the Illusion Heavenly Emperor said in a mocking tone, "Meanwhile, the Academic Federation still thinks that the Celestial Mirror Pagoda belongs to them. Shen Jinxiao, I want you to enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda and make preparations for the Origin Reversion Institute''s plans. There is an object we require within there. Retrieve it for me." Shen Jinxiao paused and asked, "I don''t have the right to enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. Additionally, in my current state, I''m afraid I''ll be discovered the moment I approach it. I''m not afraid of dying, but I fear that I may negatively affect your plans, Honored One." Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After the incident in the Xia Kingdom, Shen Jinxiao had embarked on an evil path with the support of the Origin Reversion Institute. If he was revealed, he would definitely be put to death as an Other by the Academic Federation. As someone who used to be a mentor at the Astral Sage College, he was clear on how much importance the Academic Federation placed on the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, and there would likely be more than one King overseeing the place. Entering directly was tantamount to suicide. "You can rest assured that I will make the necessary arrangements. Furthermore, you won''t be the only chess piece. When the time comes, I''ll give you the authority to do things. You will know of the other planted pieces, and I''ll allow you to command and mobilize them. No one can possibly imagine the preparations that the Origin Reversion Institute has made." The Illusion Heavenly Emperor smirked. Although the Illusion Heavenly Emperor had explained the situation, Shen Jinxiao understood in his heart that as a mere chess piece of the Origin Reversion Institute, entering the Academic Federation''s tightly guarded Celestial Mirror Pagoda to cause trouble was as dangerous as licking blood off the edge of a knife. A single mistake and he would be eliminated with no trace left behind. That said, Shen Jinxiao did not reveal any form of hesitation. He merely nodded and said, "My life belongs to you." A Heavenly Emperor telling him to act was his honor, and he couldn''t possibly refuse. Of course, he never planned to. Only by doing things like this could he climb further up the ladder. In these short years and with the Origin Reversion Institute''s support, his strength had soared and he far surpassed his original strength in the Xia Kingdom. The Illusion Heavenly Emperor was greatly pleased by his attitude and smiled. "Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e have both embarked on the Path of Ascension, but with your strength, there is no need to fear them. When the plan is complete, you will capture Li Luo." Shen Jinxiao deferentially agreed. Although this entire scheme sounded fanciful, he understood that the Illusion Heavenly Emperor and the Origin Reversion Institute definitely had a plan that would allow for it. After being with them all these years, he had gained a deep understanding of just how terrifying they were. "If things are completed in a satisfactory manner, you will have hope of becoming a King," the Illusion Heavenly Emperor casually remarked, throwing in a carrot for good measure. Shen Jinxiao''s body trembled and his eyes filled with unadulterated joy and ambition. He heavily kowtowed towards the Heavenly Emperor. "I''m willing to die for you, Honored One." The Illusion Heavenly Emperor waved its hand, then Shen Jinxiao began to turn illusory before finally vanishing. It grinned. "Academic Federation, you''ve managed to accidentally stumble upon the leftover remnants of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. Your understanding of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda is far too shallow. You will never know that the largest inheritor of the sect was none other than the Origin Reversion Institute!" After it spoke, it lightly cast out its hook, which sank into the huge river. Deep within the river, a gigantic creature bobbed up and down. Chapter 1428: Astral Sage Colleges Squad of Mentors Li Luo spent over ten days travelling to the Heavenly Origin Ancient College. The treatment he received upon his arrival was completely different from before. He was recognized by students the moment he showed himself, and they led him in with great enthusiasm, eliminating some of the unnecessary procedures. Li Luo''s exceptional performance at the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm mission had not only saved countless students, but had also caused their reputation to flourish. Under the lead of these students, Li Luo made arrangements for Ox Biaobiao and Li Rouyun before heading towards the Gilded Palace that was the nexus of the college. There he met many familiar faces, including Vice Principal Lan Lingzi. She was still dressed in her azure jade armor and her golden combat boots. Her eyebrows were shaped like swords and her long hair was pinned up, held in place by a crown weaved of blue grass, giving off a heroic temperament. It was currently Lan Lingzi''s turn to watch over the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, whereas Vice Principal Wu Yu had brought squads out to complete certain missions. She was immersed in many documents, settling all of the complicated matters related to the school. Li Luo and Li Hongyou did not rush her, instead waiting at the side quietly. A while later, Lan Lingzi finally raised her head, and her youthful face showed a smidge of a smile. "It''s been a while since we met, Li Luo, and you''ve now become renowned throughout the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent." Li Luo smiled. "Those were just minor occurrences. How could they possibly be worth your notice, Vice Principal Lan Lingzi?" "The developments in the World''s End River Region are nothing minor. Also, even Li Jingzhe..." At this point, she was at a slight loss for words as she looked at Li Luo apologetically. Li Luo revealed the appropriate amount of pain and sorrow in his expression despite knowing otherwise. Lan Lingzi then hurriedly changed the subject. "Now that you''re back, I assume it''s because of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda?" Li Luo nodded and answered, "The Celestial Mirror Pagoda is famous throughout the ten divine continents and is a huge opportunity. I am naturally greedy and would like to take part in it. As a member of the Academic Federation, am I still qualified to?" She smiled. "All of the Heavenly Emperor powers occasionally dispatch their talented youths to the Academic Federation to cultivate, mostly because they wish to give them the opportunity to explore the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. You''ve cultivated for a period of time in the Astral Sage College and even obtained the Violet Resonant Tree Brooch, so you are definitely qualified. However, the question now is how you wish to participate, and with which identity." Li Luo paused. "What do you mean?" "You''ve contributed significantly during the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm mission, and the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Third School Master and I have reserved a slot for you. Thus, if you wish, you can enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda as a member of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College," Lan Lingzi explained. "That said, you''re still a member of the Astral Sage College and thus you can also enter as a student from there." "Is the Astral Sage College also participating in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda?" Li Luo asked in surprise. The Xia Kingdom was in chaos and the Other Disaster was putting a great deal of pressure on the college. In such a situation, could they spare the manpower to participate in this? "It is precisely because they are under so much pressure that they wish to take advantage of any opportunity to rise higher. Furthermore, for every mentor that is able to increase their strength, the Astral Sage College''s overall power will improve. I think you should pay them a visit. They''ve been waiting for you for some time already," Lan Lingzi continued. "The Astral Sage College''s mentors are here? Is Mentor Chi Chan here as well?" Li Luo asked in surprise. If the Astral Sage College''s mentors were participating, then Mentor Chi Chan was surely also a part of the delegation. Lan Lingzi grinned and clapped her hands. Three people quickly appeared and walked into her office. Li Luo immediately saw a familiar pretty face that was partially covered by a veil. The well-fitting mentor''s uniform wrapped around her delicate body revealed her exquisite curves. Her eyes were slightly aloof, but they gave off an intellectual charm. The veil covering her face outlined her delicate jawline. This person was none other than Chi Chan. There were two other familiar individuals. One was a middle-aged man with a burly body. Li Luo remembered that his name was Cao Sheng, and he was Lu Qing''er''s mentor. The last one was a disheveled-looking man who seemed a little unruly. It was Mi Er, Yu Lang''s mentor. "Mentor Chi Chan, Mentor Cao Sheng, and Mentor Mi Er. It''s been a while!" Meeting old friends in a foreign land was often said to be the most joyous occasion, and Li Luo had a surprised but elated expression as he greeted them. "Li Luo." The moment Mentor Chi Chan saw him, the indifferent look in her eyes dissipated as a slight smile could be seen under her veil. "It''s been two years, and you''ve now become a grand character capable of shaking the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent." They had arrived at the Heavenly Origin Ancient College not too long ago and had heard of the developments in the World''s End River Region. Even Li Luo''s achievements in battle were something they could not disregard. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had joined hands to kill an eighth-grade Duke! This was mind-boggling. An eighth-grade Duke placed within the Xia Kingdom would be second only to Principal Pang! When Mentor Chi Chan had last seen Li Luo, he was barely at the Heavenly Pearl Stage. Who would have expected that in the short span of two years, he would have undergone a heaven-toppling transformation? Cao Sheng and Mi Er had complicated looks in their eyes. They could still remember that when Li Luo first entered the Astral Sage College, he was just a prodigious youth. Yet in just two to three years, he had already embarked on the Path of Ascension. A second-grade Transcendent! That said, the two had advanced these last few years and were now upper third-grade Dukes. Meanwhile, Chi Chan had already entered the fourth-grade. Despite all that, they understood that if they were to fight, even if all three joined hands, they would not be Li Luo''s match. The student from before had now surpassed them. Although a student surpassing the mentor was not uncommon, the speed at which Li Luo had done so was astounding. The exceptional students that were part of the same batch as him couldn''t even catch his tail. His social position had also changed from before. In the past, he was just House Luolan''s young lord. However, he was now the Third Young Master of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. His grandpa was a Quasi-Triple Crown King and his mother was a Greater Transcendent Duke, capable of shaking the entire Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Thus, Cao Sheng and Mi Er felt a little restrained when facing Li Luo. ? "Oh? What grand character are you talking about? Who here would be willing to risk their lives time and time again if they weren''t forced into desperate straits?" Li Luo waved his hand and grinned. Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I''m just a second-grade Duke right now, and even if I were to become a King, how could I possibly forget Mentor Chi Chan, who led me on my path of cultivation all those years ago?" Mentor Chi Chan''s thick eyelashes moved as she blinked, and she broke out into a smile. She could sense the sincerity in Li Luo''s words, and it was precisely because of his character that the way he treated his old friends would not change, even if his status and strength were greatly elevated compared to before. This was truly what kept her heart at ease. Chapter 1429: Newest Mentor "Mentor Chi Chan, are you also here for the Celestial Mirror Pagoda?" Li Luo asked with a grin after the initial exchange of greetings. Mentor Chi Chan nodded. "The Astral Sage College has a serious shortage of manpower, but Vice Principal Su Xin understands the importance of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. She thus chose the three of us to come here. Although our lineup seems a little shabby, it is the best the Astral Sage College can produce, considering what we have to spare. With the three of us gone, the other mentors and students will be subject to much more pressure and perhaps even more will be injured." Her eyes dimmed slightly. The situation of the Astral Sage College wasn''t optimistic, and they had engaged in countless battles against the Others throughout the years. Many mentors had perished because of this, and their hearts and bodies were weary. Thus, every single Duke was an important cornerstone of the college''s power. Three of the main mentors had suddenly been taken out of the balance, so the school had weakened significantly as a result. "Vice Principal Su Xin''s decision is the right one. Mentor Chi Chan, if you can obtain suitable opportunities in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, your strength can rise, and you can better alleviate the pressure on the college when you return," Li Luo said in an attempt to console her. He understood Vice Principal Su Xin''s decision. In order to improve the college''s strength in the long run, they had to take advantage of any opportunity that came their way. Mentor Chi Chan continued, "Furthermore, Vice Principal Su Xin asked me to express her thanks to you. Because of your actions, we were able to return from Heavenly Origin Ancient College with a large amount of cultivation resources. This helped relieve some of the pressure, and the many students who received the resources are very grateful to you." "Ah, I''m also a student of the Astral Sage College, so I would never shirk from my duty as a student. After all, House Luolan has been in the Xia Kingdom for many years and has benefited from the college''s care. This is something I''ll have to repay." Li Luo smiled. At this point, he asked, "How is the situation of the Other Disaster in the Xia Kingdom? Particularly, where Principal Pang is..." When the Xia Kingdom experienced an upheaval, Principal Pang had single-handedly sealed two Other Kings, dragging them down with him. Otherwise, they would have descended upon the Xia Kingdom, and with its limited strength, it could very well have been completely reduced to a barren wasteland. The Others would wreak havoc, and the consequences would be horrific. That said, the seal would not last forever. It would weaken over the years and could already be at its limit. Once the seal wore off, the two Other Kings would appear and the Xia Kingdom would encounter a catastrophe. "A while ago, we detected that the worldly natural energy in the area had become much more active. Based on Vice Principal Su Xin''s guesses, Principal Pang''s seal might last just another year." A worried look could be seen on Mentor Chi Chan''s face. The two Other Kings in the Umbra Cave were a weight on everyone''s hearts that constantly left them in a state of unease. "A year..." Li Luo sighed. "I''ll return to the Xia Kingdom before that. At that point, I''ll figure out a way to deal with the Other Kings." House Luolan was waiting for him in the Xia Kingdom, and he had many friends there. In the past, he didn''t have the strength to avert the disaster, but he had gained strength of his own. Furthermore, the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and Tantai Lan stood behind him. The originally colossal Other Disaster that had afflicted the Xia Kingdom no longer seemed as bleak or hopeless in his eyes. Especially after seeing the Other Disaster that struck the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. The one in the Xia Kingdom was merely child''s play compared to it. Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chi Chan, Cao Sheng, and Mi Er had looks of joy upon hearing this. If Li Luo had said these words a few years ago, they wouldn''t have meant as much, but things were different now. The flightless chick that had joined the Astral Sage College all those years ago had grown up. His strength and background made it possible to resolve the disaster that loomed over the Xia Kingdom. Mentor Chi Chan wanted to express her gratitude, but Li Luo quickly stopped her by holding her back. "Mentor, the Astral Sage College has helped protect House Luolan all these years. I''m just returning what is due," he explained. Ever since he left, House Luolan had lost its backers, and without a Duke looking over it, it would have undoubtedly been coveted by other powers in the chaos. Despite that, it remained safe and untouched, which was naturally due to the Astral Sage College''s intervention. Mentor Chi Chan smiled. "It wasn''t only because of the Astral Sage College. The First Princess has also put in her full effort to support House Luolan. It''s grown decently under Cai Wei''s guidance." "First Princess, Sister Cai Wei..." The faces of those two ladies appeared in Li Luo''s mind. It had been many years since they met, and he missed those close friends of his. Li Luo then pulled himself back into the present. "Mentor Chi Chan, since you were waiting for me here, what are your plans?" ? She paused as though hesitant to speak, whereas Mentor Cao Sheng beside her chuckled. "She has thin skin, so since she is embarrassed to ask, I''ll do it. You''ve seen for yourself. The Astral Sage College dispatched the three of us, and the lineup is relatively shabby when compared to the other sage colleges. As a result, we aren''t very competitive. Thus, we won''t be able to progress very far in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. As a result, we wanted to know if you''re willing to enter under the Astral Sage College''s name and form a squad with us." Mentor Chi Chan''s fair face was stained with red. What squad was he talking about? They simply wanted to tag along with Li Luo and grab hold of some opportunities along the way. However, she couldn''t bring herself to say all this. Li Luo was a little surprised. "I can enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda under the Astral Sage College?" This was out of his expectations as mentors were the only individuals from sage colleges that were allowed to participate. Cao Sheng then took out a scroll with a hearty smile. "When we left the Xia Kingdom, Vice Principal Su Xin prepared several unsigned letters of appointment in advance. So long as you agree, with Vice principal Lan Lingzi''s approval, you can be considered a mentor of the Astral Sage College." "Me, becoming a mentor?" Li Luo had an amazed look on his face. It seemed like Vice Principal Su Xin had been very thoughtful, even planning for such a situation in advance. Meanwhile, Lan Lingzi gave a wry smile at the side. "Although this doesn''t fully comply with the rules, I have no issues with it. It''s also Old Pang''s college, so I should show it some special care. However, this will put you at a disadvantage. You can still choose to enter under the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, and with that, you''ll face less obstacles. Thus, you can choose to reject it if you wish." Li Luo grinned. The Heavenly Origin Ancient College was countless times stronger than the declining Astral Sage College. As a result, the trouble he would encounter would undoubtedly be much less. However, to him, there were things in life that were more important than getting stuck in predicaments. Cao Sheng and Mi Er were a little nervous. If Li Luo were to reject, they would have to grit their teeth and try their luck in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. Chi Chan lowered her eyes, focusing only on the ground without saying a word. Li Luo suddenly scratched his chin and smirked. "I have a question." "What is it?" Cao Sheng hurriedly asked. "If I were to accept this letter of appointment... Does this mean that in the future, Yu Lang will have to address me as mentor?" Chi Chan, Cao Sheng, and Mi Er were taken aback by his sudden question. They didn''t know whether to laugh or cry at this moment. This was the special question in Li Luo''s mind? Mi Er revealed a smile. "Well, in terms of position, that would indeed be the case." With that, the letter of appointment fell into Li Luo''s hands, and he grinned. "I can''t say no in that case." Cao Sheng and Mi Er heaved sighs of relief and looked elated. Chi Chan slightly clenched her fists and then loosened them. Li Luo then glanced at the letter of appointment in his hand. The entire question about Yu Lang was just a joke. Even without mentioning how the Astral Sage College had taken care of House Luolan all these years, just Mentor Chi Chan''s presence alone would have meant that Li Luo would not have rejected them. During his time of need, Chi Chan had abandoned her title as a mentor to help him. After which, she single-handedly stormed over towards House Lanling to restrain the House Lord. This was a monumental favor, and Li Luo would bring Chi Chan along without any hesitation to the Celestial Mirror Pagoda to obtain opportunities for her. Li Hongyou, who was beside them, suddenly asked Cao Sheng, "Do you have another one? I''ll take one as well." At the same time, she introduced herself. "I''m Li Hongyou, an upper first-grade Duke. I have a lower ninth-grade Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance and a quasi ninth-grade Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance. My combat power isn''t the best, but I wield great supportive boons." "Ah!" Cao Sheng and Mi Er gasped in shock. Her two rarely-seen ninth-grade supportive resonances instantly made her value skyrocket. In any case, she was far more valuable than the two of them. "Of course! Of course we do!" Cao Sheng hurriedly pulled out yet another unsigned letter. "Thank you." Li Hongyou received it respectfully. Cao Sheng and Mi Er had grins that couldn''t be wider. They had basically picked up an excellent teammate for free! However, they also understood that Li Hongyou was only doing this because of Li Luo. They definitely didn''t have a simple relationship. Li Luo glanced at Li Hongyou, but he didn''t say anything. He knew that she didn''t plan to separate herself from him, and this was a good thing as they could now watch over each other. "Our lineup is starting to look pretty impressive. If Jiang Qing''e was here, that would be even better," Cao Sheng lamented greedily. "Don''t even think about it. She''s cultivated in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College for a period of time and has been marked by them. If you were to forcefully recruit her under Li Luo''s name, I''m afraid they would make life very difficult for you," Vice Principal Lan Lingzi said. Cao Sheng smiled sheepishly. "It doesn''t matter, were more than enough." "In that case, the five of us will form a squad under the Astral Sage College for the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. I have a feeling that we will be able to go quite the distance." Li Luo smiled. Chi Chan shook her head. "Actually, it''s not five. There are six of us." "Six people?" Li Luo paused. Who was the last person? Chi Chan gave a meaningful chuckle."Lu Qing''er." "Who?!" Chapter 1430: The Sixth Member, Lu Qinger "Qing''er?!" Li Luo''s eyes turned as round as saucers as he looked at Chi Chan in utter surprise. The last member was completely unexpected. "Isn''t she in Golden Dragon Mountain? How could she become a mentor of the Astral Sage College to participate in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda?" Chi Chan gave a wry smile. "I''m not sure of the details, but not long after we left, President Yu Hongxi went to Vice Principal Su Xin and suggested it. We were lacking in manpower and thus, Vice Principal Su Xin didn''t have any reason to reject her. Furthermore, Lu Qing''ers background isn''t ordinary to begin with, so shes no weaker than us after all these years." "Where is she, then?" Li Luo looked around. He hadnt seen her since they separated in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. "She didn''t join us, but she will meet us there." Chi Chan explained. "Oh, I see." Li Luo nodded. Lu Qing''er had spent the last few years cultivating in Golden Dragon Mountain. Her strength should have reached an astonishing level, and he had heard that she had even fused with the Holy Permafrost Seed. With the aid of that Sacred Seed, she had likely entered the Duke Stage and even forged a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. Thus, the squad of the Astral Sage College was going to be even stronger than expected. Although their team wasnt quite on the level of the more experienced squads dispatched by the four ancient colleges, which sage college could compare with them? The only thing that was a pity was that Jiang Qing''e couldn''t join them. However, Li Luo understood that she wasn''t in the same situation as him. After leaving the Astral Sage College, he had not truly joined an ancient college and also never enjoyed the benefits that came with it. As a result, they had no leverage over him. Meanwhile, the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College had treated Jiang Qing''e with utmost care. Not only had they resolved the issue with her Heart of Light, the Third School Master had treated her as a direct disciple and personally imparted many Destiny-grade Duke Arts to her. Thus, in this situation, Jiang Qing''e had to act as a member of Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College or be subject to immense criticism. "It looks like you''ve chosen to represent the Astral Sage College instead." Lan Lingzi smiled. "I''ll have to turn down your good intentions, Vice Principal Lan Lingzi. I hope you can forgive me," Li Luo said. After all, she had even reserved a slot for him for the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, and his original intention was to borrow this position to enter it. That said, he had never expected the Astral Sage College to participate as well, and since that was the case, he had to help them instead. Whether it was because of Chi Chan or for the Astral Sage College itself, he simply could not stand aside and just watch. Lan Lingzi laughed lightly, and her gaze towards Li Luo was not filled with any anger or frustration. Instead, she was greatly appreciative of his actions. Li Luo clearly knew that choosing to go with the Heavenly Origin Ancient College would have benefited him more, yet he had chosen to support the Astral Sage College instead. This meant that he was someone that treasured relationships. He truly was a charismatic character. If one was ruthless and mercenary, it didn''t matter how outstanding their talent was. It was simply not worth investing into such individuals, as they would eventually suffer the consequences of being bad people. "Pang Qianyuan wasn''t wrong when he chose you," Lan Lingzi said. "There is no need to apologize for this. The fact that you are a second-grade Transcendent Duke demonstrates that you have exceptional talent and a firm foundation. However, the Heavenly Origin Ancient College has been around for thousands of years, and in the last few dozen years alone, we''ve produced generation after generation of unparalleled geniuses. Some have chosen to leave, while others have chosen to bitterly cultivate like ascetics, awaiting the opportunity to enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. After all, these individuals are the hope of the Academic Federation. This group will inevitably give rise to Kings, and the even more outstanding ones who have gained sufficient experience have even been guided by Heavenly Emperors. They possess the potential to reach the Heavenly Emperor Stage." Li Luo clicked his tongue secretly. He had no doubt that the immense foundation and background of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College allowed for such geniuses to be born. After all, the Heavenly Star Hall was known as a cradle for grooming future Dukes and Kings. Over tens of years of accumulation, even if some left, there would still be numerous prodigies who were left behind that could not be underestimated. He also understood why Lan Lingzi was saying these words. She didn''t want him to feel sorry that he had not chosen them. After all, they did not lack talented individuals. Although a second-grade Transcendent Duke was eye-catching, his overall cultivation level was still a little low. There would undoubtedly be other geniuses on the Path of Ascension there who had progressed even further than he had. There was no doubt about this. Otherwise, he would be looking down upon the titanic Academic Federation, which was also known as the most ancient and powerful force on the continent. Li Luo sighed in his heart. Lan Lingzi''s way of consoling him was both overly realistic and a little heart breaking. "Vice Principal Lan Lingzi, are you able to share any information about the Celestial Mirror Pagoda with me? Frankly speaking, I don''t really understand much about it," Li Luo humbly asked. The Celestial Mirror Pagoda was renowned, but Li Luo had not paid any attention to it in the past. After all, he wasn''t a student of the ancient colleges and had not served as a mentor in a sage college either. Thus, he never had any expectations of attending it. R? If not for the fact that he had to acquire the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art and fill up his fourth blank palace, he might have joined Jiang Qing''e much later. Lan Lingzi nodded. "In this world, other than the ten divine continents, there are smaller land masses as numerous as the stars. The Celestial Mirror Continent is one of them. The Celestial Mirror Pagoda sits in its center. The continent itself is shrouded in mysteries, surrounded by the elements that have formed a barrier. It is thus difficult to enter with normal means, and only the ancient colleges and outstanding sage colleges with their Trees of Resonant Power are able to build a teleportation formation to enter it. The Celestial Mirror Pagoda was made in ancient times, when the Sacred Void Resonance Sect dominated an entire era. They poured in copious amounts of resources to build an unequalled and self-contained paradise. The pagoda contains thirty-six levels, which are now known as the Thirty-Six Heavenly Domains." When Li Luo heard all this, he was shocked. The Celestial Mirror Pagoda secretly contained thirty-six spatial domains? He thought of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s Fiendish Devil Cave, where a single domain was split into much smaller layered worlds. The scale of the two were clearly not the same. Li Luo''s gaze flickered as he asked, "I heard that the Celestial Mirror Pagoda contains numerous legacies from the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. I wonder, how can we attain them?" "All Heavenly Emperor Bloodlines have eyed the Celestial Mirror Pagoda for countless years, all because you covet the legacies of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect," Lan Lingzi unhappily retorted. Ever since the Academic Federation had set the rules, the Heavenly Emperor powers had constantly been racking their brains to find ways to send their own talented individuals into the Celestial Mirror Pagoda for precisely that reason. "The further you''re able to progress through the Thirty-Six Heavenly Domains, the greater the opportunities." Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Li Luo didn''t stand on ceremony and asked, "If I want to obtain a Transcendent Art, which layer would I have to get to exactly?" Lan Lingzi was taken aback. This brat was simply too brazen. He had directly set his eyes on a Transcendent Art? She glanced curiously at Li Luo before coolly explaining, "The last time a Transcendent Art appeared was over a hundred years ago. At that point in time, it was because a genius had reached the thirty-third Heavenly Domain. After which, no one else has reached such heights nor obtained a Transcendent Art." Li Luo''s gaze flickered. So the thirty-third layer would provide a chance, huh... The Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art was more mystical than any other art, so it seemed that he would have to climb even higher than that! After all, it was an art cultivated by the Sacred Void Resonance Sects sect master himself. "Are there any Transcendent Arts that are associated with light resonances?" Li Luo asked. "Light resonance Transcendent Arts? Are you looking for information for Jiang Qing''e?" Lan Lingzi grinned. Li Luo didn''t deny it and nodded. "Light resonance Transcendent Arts are rarely seen, but the Celestial Mirror Pagoda contains the legacies of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect, so it should have what you want. However, I don''t know if you will find one. Additionally, if you wish to obtain a light resonance Transcendent Art, you''ll definitely have to watch out for one person. He will definitely be your greatest opponent," Lan Lingzi said. "Oh? Who?" Li Luo''s eyes squinted. Lan Lingzi gave a light smile. "The Divine Sun Ancient Colleges Duke of Light, Diwu Mingxuan. Chapter 1431: Duke of Light, Diwu Mingxuan "The Duke of Light? Isn''t that a little ostentatious? Who would dare to give himself that title?" When Li Luo heard of his title, his eyebrows inadvertently jumped in surprise. Even Jiang Qing''e with three ninth-grade light resonances and two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds did not address herself as such. Just what did this Diwu Mingxuan have to give himself such a grand title?"Diwu Mingxuan is from the Divine Sun Ancient College. He''s been a mentor for ten years and can be considered quite qualified. He has a very good reputation amongst the mentors in the Academic Federation as well," Vice Principal Lan Lingzi explained. Chi Chan, Cao Sheng, and Mi Er all nodded. Even they had heard of him as sage college mentors from an outer divine continent. "It''s said that he has a middle ninth-grade and a lower ninth-grade light resonance," Chi Chan explained. "A middle ninth-grade and a lower ninth-grade light resonance, huh? He does have some ability!" Li Luo said in surprise. This was indeed quite amazing, but when compared to Jiang Qing''e, he was barely worth mentioning. Lan Lingzi glanced at Li Luo before adding, "Diwu Mingxuan is a fifth-grade Duke at the moment. Three of his Duke Bergfrieds are nine-pillars and the remaining two are Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds." "Oh?" Li Luo nodded. Having two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds at the Fifth Duke Stage meant he truly was capable. Li Luo now had a good understanding of the might of a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. If Diwu Mingxuan had such a foundation, his battle strength would allow him to dominate even a seventh-grade Duke. With the aid of high-grade Mythic Armaments and a Destiny-grade Duke Art, he could probably even contend against eighth-grade Dukes. The reason why this was only a possibility was because being a Transcendent allowed one to surpass an opponent up to three grades higher. However, every step taken had to be a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. Thus, Li Luo with two ten-pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds had the ability to triumph over a fifth-grade Duke. If his third Duke Bergfried was not a ten-pillar, his ability to leap three grades would drop, resulting in him only being able to surpass opponents merely two grades higher and then eventually just one grade higher if the following Duke Bergfried was not another ten-pillar. If he continued to be unable to forge ten-pillars, it would mean that his journey on the Path of Ascension had failed. This was because a Duke''s grade went up, the gap between each grade was like a humongous chasm, and it was hard to overcome it. This was clearly seen in the Treasure Domain, where Qin Lian had easily overwhelmed the remaining Dukes. A first-grade challenging a third or fourth-grade was already deserving of praise. However, it was not that surprising. A fifth-grade beating an eighth-grade or a sixth-grade overcoming a ninth-grade... now those were feats that would shock the world. After all, such Dukes were peak experts just beneath the King Stage. As a result, Li Luo''s battle achievements had truly sent ripples throughout the entire Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Some had speculated that the only reason why Li Luo had succeeded was because Qin Lian had simply chosen to give up in the end. Regardless, such an achievement was incredibly difficult to replicate, and even if Li Luo used all of his strength now, it was quite unlikely he could do it again. Furthermore he couldn''t destroy another Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. As he thought about all this, Li Luo steered the conversation back into the original topic. "Vice Principal Lan Lingzi, are you saying that Diwu Mingxuan is also looking for a Light Transcendent Art in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda?" "Which talented and ambitious prodigy wouldn''t wish to find one?" Lan Lingzi asked rhetorically. "I''m just telling you that if your goal is a light Transcendent Art, then you will likely have to clash with Diwu Mingxuan. He is an experienced and well known Duke. You and Jiang Qing''e might have greater potential than him, but you are still developing and your foundation is slightly inferior to his. Thus, you have to act cautiously when you meet him." Li Luo nodded in appreciation before smiling. "Vice Principal Lan Lingzi, who will be the strongest person there? A ninth-grade Duke?" This was an important question as the answer would set his expectations. If there were ninth-grade Dukes around, he would have to lower his profile. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After all, they weren''t known as Lesser Kings for nothing. Low-grade Dukes had no option but to surrender before them. Even though Li Luo was a second-grade Transcendent, he wouldn''t be able to take a single blow from one. Even in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, Li Jiluo and Li Qingpeng of the older generation were still stuck at the upper eighth-grade. Thus, it could be seen just how difficult reaching the Ninth Duke Stage was. Luckily, Lan Lingzi shook her head. "Strictly speaking, ninth-grade Dukes do not make an appearance at the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange. Those individuals are very close to the King Stage, and they have more suitable opportunities elsewhere." Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief. "No ninth-grade Dukes means that things are still alright." Chi Chan, Cao Sheng, and Mi Er then glanced at him momentarily with complicated looks. What did he mean by "things are still alright?" Even a seventh or eighth-grade Duke was an opponent beyond their reach. If anyone else had said those words, they would have assumed he was a madman. However, the fact that Li Luo had killed an eighth-grade Duke meant that he truly had the right to make such a bold claim. The youth who had barely grown any facial hair had now grown a full set of wings and was ready to showcase his abilities. His radiance had already outshone his previous mentors. "It might be a bit bold of me, but I hope you''ll be able to make a name for yourself in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. I''ve heard that Jiang Qing''e has already created quite the stir." Li Luo wasn''t surprised. With Jiang Qing''e''s talent and potential, she was surely the most outstanding individual amongst that congregation of geniuses. "She has already entered the third-grade, and her third Duke Bergfried is also a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried," Lan Lingzi said to Li Luo with a smile. "She''s once again surpassed you by a single step on the Path of Ascension." "Sister Qing''e already has a third Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried?" Li Luo was absolutely taken aback by this, and he inadvertently revealed a look of happiness. That said, this wasn''t unexpected. She was already an upper second-grade Duke half a year ago. Since she had been cultivating while he was in seclusion, it was natural that she had broken to the third-grade. This was within expectations. This meant that she would be able to defeat anyone beneath the seventh-grade. ? "Jiang Qing''e has become a Seedling Candidate for the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, and she is the youngest among them." Lan Lingzi smiled. "It looks like I''ve been taken advantage of by that woman Zhen Mingyu." Zhen Mingyu was Jiang Qing''e''s mentor, the Third School Master of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Li Luo nodded. Based on Lan Lingzi''s words, it seemed that one had to have the ability to defeat seventh-grade Dukes to be considered a Seedling Candidate. The Celestial Mirror Pagoda was truly a place where experts were like clouds. Meanwhile, he estimated that he was invincible against anyone at the fifth-grade or lower. He could probably put up a fight against someone at the sixth-grade, but he would definitely be at a disadvantage against anyone higher. In that case, he was still a step beneath the Seedling Candidates. However, if he was able to obtain opportunities within the Celestial Mirror Pagoda and increase his strength yet again, that would change. "When do you plan to depart for the Celestial Mirror Pagoda then?" Lan Lingzi asked. "The earlier the better." Li Luo smiled. He had newfound interest in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda and how boisterous the place would be. "So, now would be great." Chapter 1432: Celestial Mirror Continent, Mythical Spirit Ancient College "This is the Celestial Mirror Continent?"Li Luo was standing atop a gigantic Tree of Resonant Power. As his gaze swept across the world, he could only see even more towering Trees of Resonant Power standing between the heavens and the earth. Although these Trees of Resonant Power could not compare with the Ancient Progenitor Tree of Resonant Power in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College in terms of scale, they were comparable to the previously destroyed one in the Astral Sage College. This was the first time he had seen such a magnificent sight. Beneath the massive trees was a humongous and majestic city that stretched into the horizon. The city itself was quite special as it was formed by the numerous intertwined branches of the trees. Beams of light zipped around the city. Chi Chan, Cao Sheng, and Mi Er looked at the sheer number of high-grade Trees of Resonant Power with complicated gazes. The one that had belonged to the Astral Sage College was destroyed and a new one had been fortunately earned by Li Luo in the wake of the Other Disaster after much difficulty. That said, it would take time for it to mature. Behind Li Luo was a giant teleportation platform. Spatial ripples repeatedly radiated from it, and squads with different uniforms continuously appeared. It was clear that these were the representatives from other colleges. Li Luo could sense that Chi Chan seemed a little down, so he changed the topic. "Are we already at the Celestial Mirror Continent? Why haven''t I seen the Celestial Mirror Pagoda?" She replied, "Because we are already inside it." Li Luo was shocked. "We are in it?" Chi Chan nodded. "Strictly speaking, the Celestial Mirror Pagoda encompasses the entire Celestial Mirror Continent. Entering the Celestial Mirror Continent means we have entered the pagoda itself." Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Li Luo lightly sucked in a breath of air. The Celestial Mirror Pagoda was truly incredibleit contained an entire continent! Although this was a smaller continent, the area it encompassed was probably no smaller than the entirety of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s territories. And just how many powers and cities were within it? Just how many billions of people lived in the area? And yet such an expansive territory was contained within the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, which signified just how terrifying it was. If one were to extrapolate and look at the bigger picture, they could also gain a sense of how grand the ancient Sacred Void Resonance Sect was at its peak, just how truly massive it was. At the very least, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li wouldn''t be able to construct something similar with their resources and foundation. "Why don''t you try and sense the worldly natural energy here?" Chi Chan said. With a thought, Li Luo spread out his senses, and a few moments later, his gaze condensed. He could sense that the worldly natural energy here was extraordinarily dense, but it also contained a mysterious aura. This aura was extremely thin, but it gave off an archaic but pure sort of feeling. It allowed one''s mind to clear up and would enable them to cultivate twice as quickly with half the effort. "What is this?" Li Luo couldn''t help but ask. "It''s rumored that the Celestial Mirror Pagoda''s core is full of esoteric mysteries. It''s able to radiate an inexplicable power that is able to fuse with the worldly natural energy within the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. As a result, cultivation here is hastened," Chi Chan explained. "The core of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda?" Li Luo''s gaze flickered. He had heard of some of the mysteries of this place, and the core was probably the remains of a Heavenly Emperor. However, this sort of secret was probably something that mentors on the level of Chi Chan were not exposed to. This meant that the worldly natural energy was influenced by the remnant power of a deceased Heavenly Emperor. Cultivating here was probably even more effective than at the main mountain of the Dragon''s Fang Mountain Range. Li Luo couldn''t help but to sigh. This was the foundation that the Academic Federation was built upon. It was an isolated paradise for cultivation that allowed them to nurture countless talented prodigies. "Our current location is the Celestial Mirror Pagoda''s first Heavenly Domain. Many mentors with outstanding achievements or top students who have graduated from the Heavenly Star Hall are allowed to spend a period of time here," Chi Chan continued. "There are even mentors who accumulate merits over a period of time and redeem them at once so they can cultivate here bitterly for a few years in one stretch." Cao Sheng then added, "When you obtained a Violet Resonant Tree Brooch from the Holy Grail Meet in the East Divine Continent, Mentor Chi Chan was provided with a decent amount of merits. If not for the huge changes to the Astral Sage College, she might have already secluded herself here to cultivate. It could be said that the Astral Sage College has dragged her down." Chi Chan shook her head. "My merits were given by the Astral Sage College, and it''s currently in a precarious state. How could I seclude myself for a few years just like that?" Li Luo sighed. Chi Chan was truly a good person. She stood aloof, avoiding worldly affairs if she could, and yet had a great sense of justice and prized relationships. Being her student at the Astral Sage College was his blessing. At that point in time, House Luolan was facing internal and external troubles, and yet she had taken it upon herself to scare away any ravenous wolves that coveted them. Mi Er smiled. "Chi Chan understands the Celestial Mirror Pagoda much more than Cao Sheng and I. After all, she was in the Heavenly Star Hall in the past." "Oh?" Li Luo was a little surprised. The Heavenly Star Hall was found only in the ancient colleges. Did this mean that Chi Chan had graduated from one of them? However, she had ended up at the Xia Kingdom and became a mentor in the Astral Sage College. How had she not returned after all these years? Furthermore, he remembered hearing that Chi Chan was not from the Xia Kingdom. Chi Chan glared at Mi Er, warning him to not blurt out anymore information about her past. Then she turned to walk ahead. "Let''s go. We''ll register first." Just as they were about to move, the teleportation platform began to emit strong spatial fluctuations, and a large number of people with dignified temperaments walked out. This attracted the attention of all the nearby squads. There people were all wearing gold and black robes that were embroidered with a titanic, golden tree insignia. Not only was the group large, they all radiated mighty energy undulations. It caused the expressions of the sage college mentors to change. The group was quickly recognized, and someone blurted out, "Thats... the Mythical Spirit Ancient College''s squad!" "Mythical Spirit Ancient College?" Li Luo''s eyes turned towards the group. Shen Yunge in the World''s End River Region was from the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent''s Imperial Beast Hall. The Mythical Spirit Ancient College was precisely the ancient college that had established itself on that continent. Chi Chan''s gaze momentarily shifted towards their squad. A few breaths later, her expression changed and she said anxiously, "Let''s go." Li Luo was slightly taken aback as he didn''t know what was going on. That said, he followed her and started making his way forward. Cao Sheng, Mi Er, and Li Hongyou were similarly hot on their heels. However, before they had gotten very far, energy undulations rippled from in front of them and several people stepped up, blocking their path. At the same time, some playful laughter could be heard. "Chi Chan, I would never have expected to meet you here. However, what''s the point of hiding your face? Could you have forgotten? We are from the same lineage, and there is no place for the branch families to hide from the main family." As that persons laughter echoed, Chi Chan froze and her slender, jade-like hands clenched tightly. Li Luo''s gaze swept across the group, and he could see that the one leading them was a robust and well-built male with a playful look on his face. He was staring right at Chi Chan in complete amusement. However, his gaze was like that of a hungry wolf''s, containing covetousness... and a hint of rage. Chapter 1433: Chi Chi The fact that their path had suddenly been blocked caused Li Luo and the rest of the group to frown. Hearing the words of the man who stood in front of them made the group feel disgruntled. At the same time, they were a little shocked because it seemed that the other party recognized Chi Chan. Li Luo''s gaze was focused on the man. He was wearing the Mythical Spirit Ancient College''s uniform, and there was a small insignia in the corner. This meant that this man had come from another power and was borrowing the name of the Mythical Spirit Ancient College to participate in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. This was commonly seen as there were a few peak powers on the divine continents that relished the opportunity to enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. The Academic Federation did not prohibit this, and so long as they followed the rules, they were eligible to enter. Thus, some peak powers, including certain Heavenly Emperor lineages, would arrange for their younger members to cultivate in the ancient colleges for a period of time so they could earn the right to enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. That said, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was not particularly interested in this arrangement, mainly because the Five Guardian Armies provided opportunities for up and coming cultivators. The group in front of them seemed to have come from a particular power within the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent. Furthermore, Chi Chan seemed to be from that power as well. Li Luo glared at the leading man. The fellow was large and well-built, with a rather handsome face. Unfortunately, his gaze was sinister and one could easily tell that he was not a good person with a single glance. Meanwhile, the strong undulations of resonant power he exuded indicated that he wasn''t a weakling. "Scram!" Disgust filled Chi Chans eyes as she icily glared at the familiar visage. Her voice was even more chilly than usual, as though the world would turn to ice upon her command. The fact that he was capable of provoking Chi Chan despite her intellectual and calm demeanor indicated just how vile this person was. When the man heard those words, a look of anger flashed through his eyes and he smiled furiously. "Chi Chan, you seem to have lost your manners after gallivanting in the wild for so many years. So be it. I''ll bring you back and let you know what it means to obey." After saying those words, he directly reached out with his hands like a talon, wrapped in blackish-green smog. It generated a harsh sound. The void was ripped apart as his fingers flew forward. He was attempting to grab Chi Chan''s slender and fair neck. However, when the crowd saw that Chi Chan was garbed in an outer divine continent''s sage college uniform, they disregarded her. Chi Chan raised her hand, and vast amounts of water condensed in front of her and the sound of a tiger''s roar reverberated through the air. She then swung her palm out with all her strength, and her retaliation crashed into the gale created by the man''s claw. The resonant power collision caused the entire area to shake, and a loud sound rang out. The mighty torrent summoned up by Chi Chan was ripped apart by the vicious, blackish-green wind before being completely eroded away. "Fourth-grade Duke? Chi Chan, it seems your strength has barely improved after leaving the Chi Family." The man acted even more aggressively after gaining the upper hand. Six majestic Duke Bergfrieds manifested behind him, emanating domineering energy undulations. This person was a sixth-grade Duke! He then reached out with his claw-like hand yet again in an attempt to seize her. Chi Chan was forced to retreat, and she tightly clenched her fists. Her gaze was filled with chilly fury! However, at this moment, a hand was placed on her waist from behind and pure resonant power flooded into her body, causing the remnant blackish-green wind to dissipate. At the same time, boundless amounts of resonant power condensed on that persons fist. This resonant power was tyrannical and emanated a primordial aura. Worldly natural energy seemed to have been attracted to the overbearing force that had surged into the fist. A simple punch was thrown out, colliding headfirst against the blackish-green claw energy that was directed at Chi Chan. Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A gigantic explosion occurred, blasting berserk energy in every direction. Even some of the bystanders were forced to retreat by the sheer force. The vicious man''s expression changed. The resonant power coming from his opponent seemed capable of even suppressing his lower sixth-grade Duke power. Furthermore, he didn''t understand why, but the other party''s resonant power contained a miraculous power. Whenever their attacks collided and attempted to erode away at each other, his resonant power always lost. This indicated that the opponent''s resonant power was of an incredibly high level and was full of spirituality. The man trembled and was forced to retreat. His gloomy eyes were focused on the young man who had suddenly appeared behind Chi Chan. It was none other than Li Luo. "It was you?" The man frowned as he observed Li Luo suspiciously. The resonant power undulations coming from the youth didn''t seem too strong, so how had he managed to block his claw? Additionally, just what was with his mysterious resonant power? "I never would have expected that an outer divine continent''s sage college would produce someone with some ability." He smirked coldly. "I am from the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent''s East Sea''s Chi family, Chi Chi. Chi Chan is a member of my family, so this is a family dispute. I''d advise you not to stick your nose into matters that do not concern you. Otherwise, it will attract trouble towards your sage college." "The East Sea Chi family of the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent?" Li Luo then grinned and shook his head. "I''ve never heard of it." The man who had introduced himself as Chi Chi gave an unfeeling smile. "A sage college in a forsaken wasteland would naturally not have heard of the Chi family. Chi Chan is one of my people, and I will take her away." He took another step forward after making that declaration. Li Luo''s smile faded. "Chi Chan is my mentor. If you dare to stretch your grubby claws towards her one more time, I''ll chop them off!" At the same time, he removed his hand from Chi Chan''s waist and grabbed her forearm, pulling her right behind him. "Li Luo..." Chi Chan looked at his tall figure with complex emotions in her eyes. During the Choosing of the Mentors all those years ago, he was just a weak and scrawny youth. Time had passed, and now he was capable of standing in front of her, supporting her. "You brazen brat! Chi Chan clearly doesn''t know how to discern between good and bad. Even her own students are just as stupid her." Chi Chi was completely incensed as he forced a smile. The entire squad that Chi Chan was with could only be described as pathetic in his eyes. They weren''t even capable of sending out a fifth-grade or sixth-grade Duke! And yet this brat dared to brag however he pleased! He might have been able to run all over the people in their small, desolate corner of the world, but in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda? Did he really think things were the same here? Although this youth''s resonant power was a little strange during the previous encounter, what was there to be afraid of? This was a bumpkin from an outer divine continent! As soon as he finished speaking, the void behind Chi Chi shook and his six Duke Bergfrieds began to materialize fully, giving off a grand pressure. Everyone could clearly see that all of them were eight-pillars! This meant that he had built quite a sturdy foundation and could be considered exceptional even amongst Dukes. Clearly, he was intending to use this momentum to squash this bug. Cao Sheng and Mi Er''s expressions turned ugly. A sixth-grade Duke was an existence they could not offend. However, Li Luo indifferently sized up the six Duke Bergfrieds as he casually commented, "Lower sixth-grade. Your foundation isn''t robust enough if all you have are eight-pillars. It looks like you have no chance of ever becoming a ninth-grade Duke." Chi Chi''s expression turned steely green after hearing the fresh-faced youth''s rude remarks. He was completely infuriated at this point. However, before he could say anything, two lights shot into the sky and expanded, revealing two gigantic Duke Bergfrieds that glowed with scintillating light. "Two Duke Bergfrieds? Youre just a piddly second-grade Duke, yet you dare to-" Veins bulged out of Chi Chi''s forehead when he saw the two Duke Bergfrieds. Was this brat addled in the mind? How could a second-grade Duke dare to run around rampantly? However, this thought was crossed off a moment later because he heard countless shocked voices coming from all around him. At the same time, his eyes shrunk. Wait, no! How could a second-grade Duke give off such a terrifying pressure? That was when he looked up, and what he saw caused his heart to be battered by turbulent waves. "What? Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds?!" Chi Chi was at a loss for words. "A second-grade Transcendent?!" At this time, the other squads that were watching the disturbance erupted into an uproar as they looked at the Duke Bergfrieds in both amazement and awe. "How could this be possible!?" At the same time, they found this sight completely unbelievable. A second-grade Transcendent had come from an outer divine continent sage college? This was incomprehensible. Li Luo''s gaze gradually turned chilly as he glared at Chi Chi. Then he said with a voice laced with killing intent, "Why don''t you stretch your claws out once more and try to take her?" Chapter 1434: Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade, Divine Thunderstrike The two Duke Bergfrieds above Li Luo had attracted the shocked gazes of the entire area. All of the squads stopped in their tracks and looked at the two objects that symbolized perfection in fear. A Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried was the ideal that all Dukes strove to attain.It also represented the beginning of the Path of Ascension. However, this was an arduous trial, and who knew how many geniuses had poured their hearts and souls into it, only to fail and fall into depression. After which, they could only curb their ambitions and embark on the ordinary path. Li Luo, however, hadn''t just revealed one, but two of them! They were naturally completely taken aback. Even though the Celestial Mirror Pagoda was full of prodigies, the number of those who had succeeded in forging two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds could probably be counted with one''s fingers. Which power did this fellow sprout out from? Amidst the crowds shocked gazes, Chi Chi was in a daze for a few moments. He had never expected that this squad would contain a second-grade Transcendent. Someone at that level was rarely seen even in the ancient colleges. He had truly seen a ghost! Chi Chi''s expression flickered. He had originally been infuriated by Li Luo''s unreasonable words, but upon being rudely awakened by the sight of his Bergfrieds, he started to speak civilly. "My friend, Chi Chan, is a member of the Chi family. I''m currently on a mission, and outsiders have no reason to interfere." Li Luo replied, "I don''t care about your family. All I know is that my mentor doesn''t want to leave with you. Since she doesn''t wish to, I advise you to give up on taking her." Judging by the look on Chi Chan''s face, she was clearly not pleased to see Chi Chi. Instead, she was seething with hatred. Adding on the fact that Chi Chan had never left the Astral Sage College, there was probably an uncrossable gulf between her and her family. "You!" Chi Chi''s face was gloomy. Li Luo was a second-grade Transcendent, which meant he could triumph over someone three grades higher. This meant he was as powerful as a fifth-grade Duke. Meanwhile, Chi Chi was a lower sixth-grade, and if push came to shove, Li Luo wouldn''t have any sort of advantage if they fought. His gaze turned stern as he tersely directed his words at Chi Chan, who was still behind Li Luo. "Chi Chan, don''t think that a second-grade Transcendent can protect you. If you don''t want to implicate your sage college, it''s best that you return with me. Otherwise, you should understand what methods we have up our sleeves." Chi Chan''s expression was as cold as a block of ice. Her fists were tightly clenched and green veins could be seen on the back of her fair hands, revealing the fury in her heart. Li Luo''s gaze turned correspondingly icy. It seemed that this fellow still dared to threaten Chi Chan before him. Since that was the case, he would no longer be courteous. He directly took a step forward, and the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds began to shine resplendently before devouring all of the worldly natural energy around him like two black holes. Li Luo waved his hand, and the thunder blade tattoo on the back of his hand flashed, transforming into an ancient blade that crackled with thunder energy in his grasp. Upper-grade Mythic Armament, Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade! The three resonant palaces in Li Luo''s body began to roar and resonant power surged out of them like a tide, gathering within the Absolute Resonance Halo and fusing. The Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade then exploded with brilliant thunder. Heavenly thunder boomed as thunder energy sliced through the air like a titanic dragon brandishing its claws, a force of destruction that reflected in everyone''s eyes. All of it was focused on Chi Chi. "Impudent!" Chi Chi was furious. This brat was completely insolent. Although he had immense potential, he was a mere second-grade facing a sixth-grade! "Since you don''t know what''s good for you, let me experience exactly why you, a second-grade Transcendent, think you have the right to act so wantonly!" Chi Chi roared. The six Duke Bergfrieds above him began to roar, and a moment later, an endless amount of black wind rushed out, condensing into the form of a humongous palm. A frigid wind swirled violently around the palm, and the void was crushed by its presence. "Watch out, Li Luo. This is the Chi family''s Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art!" Chi Chan hurriedly said. Clearly, Chi Chi feared Li Luo to some extent, as he had not launched any probing blows, immediately starting off with his full power. Meanwhile, Li Luo looked completely calm. Chi Chi was a lower sixth-grade, but his foundation was worse than Li Zhihuos despite being a grade higher, which meant that he was roughly the same in terms of battle strength. Since many colleges were aware of the Astral Sage College''s declining status, he planned to kill a chicken to warn off the monkeys in order to avoid unnecessary trouble in the future. Alas, Chi Chi was precisely the chicken that had been served right to him. The Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade thrummed with power. It was his first time fully activating his new Mythic Armament. He could sense that the sword in his hand was like a thunder dragon with the ability to annihilate everything. It was full of unruly and unrestrained power, and everything in its wake would be destroyed. He tightly clutched the Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade and slowly hacked downwards. The void before him shattered. A world of lightning was reflected in his eyes. Li Luo thought to himself. An immense amount of lightning energy was compressed onto the edge of the blade, finally transforming into a single strand of golden thunder energy. This golden thunder energy explosively blasted forward, even rendering worldly natural energy into nothingness in its wake. Before everyone''s shocked gazes, the strand of golden thunder energy collided with the black wind hand. In that brief moment where the two attacks clashed, everyone was surprised to realize that there was no heaven-shaking explosion. The golden thunder energy cleanly sliced across the black wind hand like lava meeting snow, causing it to dissipate at an alarming pace. In just a few short breaths, the Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art had been cleaved apart by Li Luo''s single strike. However, things weren''t over yet. It continued to shoot towards Chi Chi''s head at a startling speed, piercing through space completely unobstructed. The blow was infused with Li Luo''s killing intent. Chi Chi turned pale as he couldn''t understand how his all-out attack had been countered by Li Luo''s single strike. Furthermore, it still had more than enough remnant energy to reap his life! He hurriedly retreated, leaving afterimages in his wake. Alas, the thunder energy moved even more quickly, sweeping through and wiping out the afterimages. In the end, it struck Chi Chi''s body. However, at that instant, his body flashed with incredible amounts of light as protective treasures were activated, creating a mighty resonant power barrier. The barrier had managed to absorb some of the blow. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Unfortunately, the remaining energy was still capable of sending him flying, and he spewed out large mouthfuls of blood before crashing into the ground. He left behind a bloody furrow in the ground that extended for thousands of feet. The originally rowdy area had turned silent. The bystanders were now looking at the scene in complete shock. A sixth-grade Duke had been heavily injured by a second-grade Transcendent with a single blow? Just who was this young man? The silence persisted for quite some time before a huge uproar erupted yet again. Amidst the furor, a young girl with a beautiful face and icy, blue eyes was quietly watching. Her entire demeanor resembled an icy fairy. Her frozen, lake-like eyes were quietly observing the slender young man equipped with the blade that crackled with thunder. It was at this moment that her usually calm eyes rippled with a slight tinge of emotion. Chapter 1435: Lu Dian The remnant energy undulations continued to propagate throughout the field after hitting Chi Chi. Numerous fearful gazes were directed towards him in his miserable state. There was a deep gash on his chest, and despite his best efforts to pour resonant power into the wound to heal it, the wound continued to crackle with wild thunder energy, charring his flesh and blood.The immense pain caused his expression to distort hideously. The conclusion was unexpected. He had been deeply wounded with a single strike. The sharper ones then turned towards Li Luo and fearfully looked at the blade imbued with thunder energy. Its wild explosive power and unparalleled sharpness caused even their eyelids to twitch. This was a high-grade Mythic Armament! Some had covetous looks in their eyes as such a treasure was of great help to Dukes. It allowed them to threaten opponents an entire grade higher. With such a keen weapon, it was no surprise that Chi Chi had been injured. "As I said. You won''t be able to take her away." Li Luo pointed his blade menacingly towards Chi Chi. The latter''s eyes were filled with animalistic fury as he shouted, "Do you think that defeating me means you can protect her? I''m not the only one from the Chi family here. You stinking brat, being a second-grade Transcendent might indicate you have great potential, but there are many geniuses who have died before they even got to fully develop! Is it really worth it doing all this for her?" Seeing that this fellow was still acting aggressively, Li Luo no longer bothered with superfluous words. Thunder burst out of the sword, and violent blade energy hacked towards Chi Chi like a bolt of lightning. This energy was infused with roiling killing intent, so no one watching would doubt that Li Luo was acting to kill. Since he had already sown enmity, he might as well act decisively and pull the roots out entirely. However, the blade energy surprisingly did not manage to strike Chi Chi. Someone had appeared in front of him and stretched his hand out, condensing frightening amounts of resonant power in his palm. He then grabbed the roaring thunder blade energy and shattered it. This sudden interference caused Li Luo to squint. The man in front of him was wearing the robes of a Mythical Spirit Ancient College mentor. His eyebrows were light-gold and he had a smile on his face, which gave him a magnanimous appearance. "My friend, you''ve already taught him a lesson. There is no need to kill him, is there?" He waved his sleeve, causing the remnant thunder energy to dissipate as he flashed a grin towards Li Luo. "Mentor Lu Dian!" Chi Chi blurted out in joy when he saw who had stepped in to assist him. At this point, whispers broke out amongst the squads who were watching. "Thats Lu Dian. He''s a seventh-grade Duke and is also one of the Seedling Candidates from the Mythical Spirit Ancient College." "Chi Chi is currently borrowing the name of Mythical Spirit Ancient College to participate in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. Lu Dian cannot simply stand by and watch idly as he is cut down." As the crowd gossipped, the newcomer, Lu Dian, grinned. "It might be easy for you to kill him, but Chi Chi also has an older brother called Chi Li. He is the Chi family''s strongest expert of this generation, and he has been a mentor at the Mythical Spirit Ancient College for many years. He is stronger than me by quite a bit. Thus, why do you want to sow enmity between you?" "Chi Li..." Li Luo didn''t react upon hearing this name. However, Chi Chan''s delicate body trembled slightly. Chi Li was the most outstanding and talented member of their family in the current generation, and if he had also come to the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, he would be a huge threat. It would also bring trouble to Li Luo, Cao Sheng, and Mi Er. At this point, Chi Chan began to feel a little bit of regret for coming here. After hiding for so many years, it was unexpected that her efforts had been in vain. Li Luo could sense Chi Chan''s feelings, so he frowned and glared at Lu Dian. "Is there a need to use one''s background to suppress others?" Lu Dian''s smile faltered. Although Li Luo was young, he was completely different from the youths that they mentored. Although he had a sharp edge when dealing with people, he also seemed a little too naive. "One''s background is also a form of strength. There is a Dual Crowned King that sits atop the Chi family, and your sage college would simply be unwise to offend someone like that," Lu Dian explained. ??????B "Oh really?" Li Luo then put the Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade away and heaved a sigh of relief. "You should have said that earlier, then I wouldn''t have had to put in so much effort. I thought relying on one''s ability was the most important thing." Lu Dian was slightly startled, but then he smiled. This unparalleled prodigy seemed to have finally figured out what he was getting at. That was for the best. However, before he could say anything, Li Luo''s face turned cold and arrogant. He looked at Chi Chi and said indifferently, "Now it''s my turn to introduce myself. I''m Li Luo from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent''s Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. I am a member of the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. My ancestor is a Heavenly Emperor and my mother is a Greater Transcendent Duke. How is your Chi family, with only one Dual Crowned King, able to threaten me?" Li Luo currently resembled a wanton playboy who could act however he wished. Chi Chi''s originally ferocious expression suddenly froze. Lu Dian''s smirk also vanished. "The Heavenly Origin Divine Continent''s Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?" Chi Chi''s eyes shook. He had originally wanted to ridicule the other party, but thinking about how Li Luo was a second-grade Transcendent, his words actually seemed credible. If what he said was true, then using the Chi family''s influence to suppress him was a joke. Lu Dian glared at Li Luo, as though he had remembered something. Then he said thoughtfully, "I remember hearing that the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent''s younger generation has produced a Transcendent genius. Could that be you?" Li Luo casually replied, "Perhaps." When faced with his attitude, Lu Dian wasn''t fazed and continued to smile. "Then it''s clear that my eyesight has deteriorated. I had never expected that the Transcendent prodigy from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li would participate under a sage college at the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. Today''s matter can be said to be a result of Chi Chi''s recklessness. He is currently accompanying my squad, and I naturally cannot let something happen to him under my watch. I hope you can understand that." Lu Dian''s smile was warm and the way he spoke to Li Luo had become much more courteous after understanding his background. However, he did not become humble over this. After all, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was entrenched in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, so its reach couldn''t stretch over to the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent. Furthermore, he was a member of the ancient college there and was a mentor who could rely on the academic federation. Truthfully speaking, he wasn''t afraid of Li Luo''s background in the slightest. That said, the current matter didn''t have much to do with him, so Lu Dian didn''t want to get any more involved with this. After all, there was no reason to offend a Heavenly Emperor power for nothing. Li Luo understood this as well and didn''t plan to pursue this conflict, so he asked, "Then do you still plan to capture my mentor?" Chi Chi''s expression turned gloomy as he venomously glared at Li Luo and Chi Chan. He no longer said anything else, instead turning to leave while clutching his injuries. He wasnt strong enough to overcome Li Luo and his background couldn''t hold a candle to his. If he were to remain, he would truly be looking to humiliate himself. Lu Dian similarly turned to leave, but before he did so, he flashed Li Luo a smile. "Mentor Li Luo, Chi Chi might not be very strong, but if news of this spreads to Mentor Chi Li, someone with his personality would not let things go so easily. He''s taught in the Mythical Spirit Ancient College for many years, and his power and reputation are far greater than mine. Thus, your background as a member of a Heavenly Emperor power may not deter him, especially within the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. Perhaps it might not be a good thing to stand against him. Of course, this is just my personal advice..." Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Li Luo''s smile faded upon hearing this. He stared at Lu Dian and indifferently replied, "Then I''ll have to beseech you, Mentor Lu Dian, to send a message on my behalf. My mentor stepped in to assist me when I needed help many years ago, standing beside me and delivering coal in the thick of winter. Thus, she is someone exceptionally important to me. I don''t care what sort of enmity the Chi family has with her, but if Mentor Chi Li wants to come and cause trouble for her... I hope that he comes with a death wish." Chi Chans beautiful eyes fell on Li Luo''s upright and resolute back when she heard those murderous words coming from the usually calm and carefree youth. He was no longer the seedling that required her protection when she first met him in the Choosing of the Mentors. Her eyes turned red and ripples of emotion could be seen within them. Lu Dian was also a little bit taken aback as he could sense the killing intent in Li Luo''s words. It was clear that Li Luo''s relationship with Chi Chan wasn''t ordinary. "I understand, I''ll pass the message on for you." He nodded and then rushed to leave. Deep in his heart, he sighed. If he truly were to pass those words to Chi Li, it would very likely turn into a battle that would only end when one died if Li Luo were to meet him in the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange. Although Li Luo had immense potential and had become a second-grade Transcendent at a young age, he wasn''t Chi Li''s opponent in terms of true battle power. Perhaps in two more years, he would have the ability to rise to the top. That said this would have nothing to do with Lu Dian either way. Li Luo''s eyes remained fixed on Lu Dian''s departing figure when his heart suddenly trembled. He then turned around and glanced at a location not far away. There, he saw a figure garbed in green with a willowy and beautiful body. He didn''t know when she had started quietly staring at him with her icy, blue eyes. That was the familiar face of an old friend. Facing Li Luo, who revealed a look of excited surprise, the figure in green lightly said, "Li Luo, it''s been a while." Chapter 1436: Lu Qingers Transformation "Qing''er?"Li Luo looked at the beautiful girl walking towards him. It was as though he had fallen into a trance momentarily. It had already been two years since they had separated at the Spiritual Resonance Cave, and he had never expected that they would finally meet again. The slender and graceful young lady still had the same pretty face, her long hair falling down her back like a waterfall and swaying softly in the wind. Lu Qing''er''s skin was like ice and her bones were like jade, soft and radiant. Under her short skirt were two straight and long legs that seemed as though they were carved out of the finest jade, her white stockings covering them but also highlighting their astounding luster. It seemed that her youthfulness had faded away and she had turned colder but even more stunning. She radiated a cold air, causing frost to condense around her. Whenever she took a step, the ground iced over. From afar, she resembled a fairy of ice entering the mortal world. With each step, shocked gazes shot in her direction. This girl was not only incomparably beautiful, but what differentiated her was her frigid demeanor. It was simply eye-catching. She then stopped before Li Luo. Li Luo''s eyes reflected the icy individual before him. His handsome face then gave a wide, beaming smile full of happiness. "It''s been a while, Qing''er." Lu Qing''er''s frozen lake-like eyes continued to watch him as she nodded and lightly replied, "Indeed. It has been a while, Li Luo." Her voice was familiar, but there was an unexplainable iciness to it. It was almost as though her frosty aura was capable of freezing her emotions. Li Luo''s heart trembled slightly. He could sense that Lu Qing''er had changed, and the most obvious thing was that her once charming smile seemed to have mostly faded. It was as though it had a hint of coldness to it. It lacked a little bit of spirit. He hesitated before saying, "Qing''er, it seems you''ve changed a little." Lu Qing''er''s gorgeous eyes rippled and she fell silent for a few moments. After which, a smile bloomed on her pretty face like a snow lotus. "So what? Were you scared?" She grinned. Li Luo finally heaved a sigh of relief as he grumbled, "I almost thought you had transformed into someone else." He could sense from the cold air flowing around her body that her resonance was much more powerful than before. It was clear it had evolved to a much higher grade. Lu Qing''er gave a shallow laugh. "What stage are you in now?" Li Luo asked curiously. "I can''t compare with you. I''m still a first-grade Duke," she answered. "That said..." She paused. "I have a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried." Li Luo hefted her a thumbs up. He wasn''t surprised by this as Lu Qing''er was from Golden Dragon Mountain and possessed an immense foundation, one that was superior to even the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. When Lu Qing''er was sealed in ice, his grandpa had mentioned that she had used the power of the Sacred Seed to freeze her body. This allowed her to deepen her connection with the Permafrost Sacred Seed. Therefore, it made sense that she was capable of forging a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. Lu Qing''er''s gaze then turned towards the other three, and she greeted them. "Mentor Cao Sheng, Mentor Mi Er, Mentor Chi Chan." "Haha, I finally get to see you again, Qing''er. It has been many years, and you''ve become even more beautiful. Your mother even asked me to take care of you." Cao Sheng laughed heartily. Mi Er glanced at him. "Those were just polite words from President Yu. Couldn''t you tell?" Cao Sheng''s laughter stopped abruptly. Li Luo clicked his tongue. Mentor Mi Er was truly savagehe had directly shut Cao Sheng up with a single sentence. ????????S Lu Qing''er smiled before her gaze turned towards the silent Li Hongyou, who was standing behind Li Luo, and she asked, "May I know who this older sister might be?" "I''m Li Hongyou and from the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. I just entered the Astral Sage College''s squad with him." Li Hongyou''s gaze flickered with a hint of interest. She could vaguely sense that the frosty fairy before her seemed to have a close relationship with Li Luo. Lu Qing''er smiled. "I hope you''re well. I''m Lu Qing''er, and I thank you, Sister Hongyou, for helping the Astral Sage College out." Li Hongyou''s usually cold face revealed a small smile as she nodded and accepted the greeting. At this moment, a woman piped up. "Qing''er, is he the one you are waiting for?" Li Luo glanced in that direction, and countless people walked over. At the forefront was a middle-aged lady with a sharp gaze, giving off a domineering aura. She was staring at Li Luo with an incisive look in her eyes. These individuals were standing around Lu Qing''er previously, acting as her guards. Lu Qing''er turned to them and nodded lightly. "Aunt Zhu, my squad is all here. I''ll register under the Astral Sage College and enter the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange with them." Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The lady addressed as Aunt Zhu glanced at the group and helplessly replied, "Qing''er, they are simply too weak. If you stay with them, there is no guarantee that they can keep you safe. Will you not reconsider? The Family Head has prepared several other options for you. You simply need to agree." Cao Sheng felt disgruntled upon hearing those words, but he didn''t have anything to say. After all, he could sense a pressure emanating from Aunt Zhu that was no weaker than Lu Dian''s. Clearly, she was also a seventh-grade Duke. On top of that, the ones around her were also much stronger than him. Lu Qing''er calmly shook her head. Aunt Zhu sighed. "Qing''er, do you know how important the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange is to you? Lu Ruyan is already here, and this might be your last and most important trial." Aunt Zhu looked at Li Luo. "It is indeed amazing that he is a second-grade Transcendent, but the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange is not a competition between peers of the same generation. He lacks sheer firepower." At the same time, she couldn''t help but to gripe. "And you''re from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Couldn''t you have arranged for some high-grade Dukes to accompany you here?" Li Luo felt a little awkward upon hearing her words, and he explained, "The Heavenly Origin Divine Continent has been struck with an Other Disaster, so most of the powers there don''t have the time nor manpower to be concerned with the Celestial Mirror Pagoda." The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had stationed most of their strongest experts in the northwestern border to prevent the Other Disaster from spreading further. The fact that he, the Grand Guardian General, had run all the way over here was already pushing things. If he brought some of the experts with him, it would be too much. Lu Qing''er interrupted the middle-aged woman''s spiel. "Aunt Zhu, I know what I''m doing." She paused. "I don''t mind the danger. All I want is to do something for myself." Aunt Zhu paused, seemingly remembering something. Then her forceful gaze gradually softened before she looked at Li Luo with a complicated expression. "Then I''ll have to trouble my little friend Li Luo with taking care of Qing''er." Li Luo hurriedly nodded. After which, Aunt Zhu no longer hung around, leading the group away. As Li Luo watched their departing figures, he scratched his head and said to Lu Qing''er, "If there is something important to you in the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange, there''s no need for you to have entered the Astral Sage College''s squad. It''s fine with just me around." Lu Qing''er then replied with a question of her own. "So why are you here, anyway?" Before Li Luo could respond, she whispered, "You''ve helped me many times in the past, so I want to help you this time. "After all, it will be the last time." That final sentence could barely be heard. Li Luo helplessly replied, "What kind of relationship do we have? There is no need to be polite. You can rest easy and I''ll take good care of you. Is Lu Ruyan your older sister from the Lu family?" "I suppose Sister Shuanglu mentioned that to you?" Lu Qing''er asked. "She might have said a word or two." Li Luo nodded. Lu Qing''er then suddenly asked yet again, "I heard that Senior Jiang is also in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda? Wasn''t she with you in the Dragon''s Fang Lineage?" Li Luo nodded yet again. Lu Qing''er fell silent, and an inner iciness emerged from the depths of her eyes. This frostiness seemed to fill her body, even affecting her emotions. The chilly air around her mysteriously strengthened. After which, she nodded slightly and mumbled to herself, "That''s good. She then said to the other three, Mentors, we should make our way to Celestial Mirror City as the Celestial Mirror Pagoda will officially open soon and we have to make preparations." Then she proceeded to lead them somewhere. Li Luo glanced at Lu Qing''er''s lithe figure, and a look of worry appeared in his eyes. It seemed there was something going on with her. Chapter 1437: Celestial Mirror Sand "Celestial Mirror City is incredibly vast but also clearly delineated. The central area is exclusive to the four ancient colleges and is the most majestic. The surrounding perimeter is occupied by the four divine continents sage colleges. Their overall strength and resources far surpass the outer divine continents sage colleges. The most periphery area is for the six outer divine continents'' sage colleges. We from the East Divine Continent''s Astral Sage College belong there."Li Luo followed Chi Chan, Lu Qing''er, and the rest into Celestial Mirror City. They weaved through numerous roads before arriving at an area filled with high towers. These towers were crafted from greenwood and had vines twisted all around them, giving off a tranquil air. The sage colleges from the East Divine Continent were supposed to gather here upon entering Celestial Mirror City. As Li Luo was curiously looking around, a voice rang out from the distance. Then the void before them rippled and someone walked out. "The Astral Sage College took a little too long to arrive." It was a middle-aged man in a crimson uniform. His entire body gave off waves of heat and caused the temperature of the air to soar. Strong undulations of energy radiated off him. Chi Chan immediately recognized the man and hurriedly greeted him. "Vice Principal Chen Chi." At the same time, she explained to the rest, "This is the Heavenly Inferno Sage College''s Vice Principal Chen Chi, from the East Divine Continent." "Heavenly Inferno Sage College?" This was a familiar name to Li Lio. that was the college Lu Ming frequented. Chen Chi''s gaze swept over the group, then a look of surprise and confusion surfaced on his face. "Is that all from the Astral Sage College? Where''s Vice Principal Su Xin?" Chi Chan gave a bitter smile. "Vice Principal Chen Chi, are you unaware of the Astral Sage College''s situation? Vice Principal Su Xin is unable to extricate herself from her problems." Chen Chi frowned. He had heard of the Other Disaster that had erupted in the Xia Kingdom, but he had never thought that things were so problematic to the point that Su Xin would be unable to make her way here. Without Vice Principal Su Xin leading them, why had the Astral Sage College sent people here in the first place? Were they hoping to muddle along and get lucky? In the end, Chen Chi sighed helplessly. He was quite close with Vice Principal Su Xin, and he felt genuinely sorry for the Astral Sage College''s decline. Chi Chan, Cao Sheng, and Mi Er were similarly speechless. The Astral Sage College''s situation was definitely worse than whatever Chen Chi was thinking. The fact that they had managed to send three people was already the absolute best that Su Xin couldve done. "The Astral Sage College was the champion of the last Holy Grail Meet. Based on the rules, you''ll occupy a main seat in the East Divine Continent, but I''m afraid you might not be able to hold on to it," Chen Chi helplessly said. "What does the main seat mean?" Li Luo asked curiously. Vice Principal Chen Chi then glanced at Li Luo with a strange look on his face. "Aren''t you a little young to be a mentor at the Astral Sage College?" Li Luo smiled. "Greetings, Vice Principal Chen Chi. My name is Li Luo." That name sounded familiar to Chen Chi. He muttered to himself, trying to figure out why this was the case. After a few moments, he suddenly said in shock, "Were you the one who represented the Astral Sage College''s One Star Hall and received the title of the strongest at the Holy Grail Meet all those years ago? Could you be THAT Li Luo?" Li Luo smiled and nodded. "I have a fairly good relationship with Lu Ming from your college. Might you know how she''s doing right now?" "Lu Ming is currently the strongest Flame Seedling in the Heavenly Inferno Sage College," Chen Chi said with a look of pride on his face. "Wow, that is impressive," Li Luo responded. The title of Flame Seedling was the equivalent of the Astral Sage College''s Seven Astral Pillars. Thinking about it, it was about time she reached that point. Vice Principal Chen Chi then sized up Li Luo, and he seemed to gain an understanding of something. His expression changed. "You... you''re a mentor at the Astral Sage College now? Does that mean you''ve entered the Duke Stage?" Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The fact that Li Luo was here meant that he was a mentor. All of the mentors that were capable of entering the Celestial Mirror Pagoda were Dukes! Did this mean that he had already reached that point? Wasn''t his cultivation speed a little too demonic? Lu Ming, the strongest Fire Seedling, was only at the Heavenly Resonance Stage at the moment. Meanwhile, Li Luo had left her in the dust. "Vice Principal Chen Chi, Li Luo is not only a Dukehe is a second-grade Transcendent," Chi Chan explained. A second-grade Transcendent!? Vice Principal Chen Chi was at a loss for words and his eyes widened like saucers. He was completely dumbfounded as he stared at the youthful individual before him. He was previously shocked by the fact that he was a Duke, but the surprises kept coming! Li Luo''s peer, Lu Ming, was already a great source of pride for him. Yet her achievements were nothing compared to Li Luos. A second-grade Transcendent was as strong as a fifth-grade Duke. This meant that he had already surpassed Chi Chan and the rest of the experienced mentors. This sort of talent was rarely found even in the ancient colleges, so how had someone like him come from an outer divine continent''s sage college? Vice Principal Chen Chi finally composed himself and looked at Li Luo with a complicated look in his eyes. "So it turns out that you are the one relying on the Astral Sage College to enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda." If the other prodigies of Li Luo''s generation in the East Divine Continent''s sage colleges were to hear of Li Luo''s current state, they would very likely be demoralized. "Being a second-grade Transcendent should allow you to protect the Astral Sage Colleges seat, but you are probably still lacking if you want to obtain a main seat of the East Divine Continent," Chen Chi commented. "Alright, but could you explain what a main seat is?" Li Luo asked yet again. Chi Chan apologetically replied, "I meant to explain the rules of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda in detail from the start. The battles are split into two parts. The first part is known as the Domain Traversal Battles. One must win them to ascend from the second to the thirtieth Heavenly Domains. Every Heavenly Domain contains what we call Celestial Mirror Sand, which is apparently a Heavenly Emperor object." "Celestial Mirror Sand? Heavenly Emperor object?" Li Luo''s gaze flickered. The core of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda contained a Heavenly Emperor''s remains, so was Celestial Mirror Sand created by it? Was it not the Heavenly Emperor''s bone dust? Li Luo sighed. A Heavenly Emperor was truly an incomparable existence if their remains had not disintegrated after countless years. On top of that, the latter generations were capable of benefiting from them. It truly was unbelievable. "What''s the use of Celestial Mirror Sand?" Li Luo asked. Chi Chan answered, "Celestial Mirror Sand is able to assist someone with breaking through." "Oh?" Li Luo didn''t understand what she was saying. Chi Chan then patiently continued, "I mean breaking through into the next stage. There are many Dukes who have been stuck at a bottleneck for many years, and Celestial Mirror Sand is able to assist them with breaking through and advancing to the next grade. The higher the grade of the Duke, the more Celestial Mirror Sand is required. What is truly mysterious is that if you obtain enough Celestial Mirror Sand, you can break through perfectly. This means obtaining a Duke Bergfried of the highest caliber." Chi Chan paused for a moment, and her beautiful eyes locked onto Li Luo. "If we were to take you as an example, a perfect breakthrough would mean that your third Duke Bergfried would be a Ten-Pillar one as well." What?! Li Luo sucked in a breath of air and his heart palpitated. He now understood why even Heavenly Emperor powers wished to enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda! The benefits were simply too good to resist! Chapter 1438: Perfect Breakthrough Chi Chan understood why Li Luo was left in a daze when he heard that. The more outstanding a talent, the more they desired to break through perfectly. Li Luo was on the Path of Ascension, and he wanted to ensure that every step was perfect. Thus, he required over ten times more effort and resources than the average individual. However, a perfect breakthrough utilizing Celestial Mirror Sand would save him an immense amount of time and energy. It was fatally attractive."However, it is extremely difficult to do so. The Celestial Mirror Pagoda has been open for over a hundred years, and the number of people who have succeeded can be counted with one''s fingers." Chi Chan spelled out the facts to Li Luo to prevent his expectations from becoming too high. Vice Principal Chen Chi poured another bucket of cold water over him. "In the last hundred years, there hasn''t been anyone from the outer divine continents that has achieved this." Li Luo remained unfazed by their words and simply smiled. "Everything depends on the individual himself. If you don''t even dare to dream, then there won''t be any hope at all." Chen Chi was taken aback by his words, then he nodded and sighed. "Your words are the truth. Perhaps youths need that mindset." "Someone as talented and strong as you is rare even in the ancient colleges. But you are now at a disadvantage because you''re representing an outer divine continent sage college." "Why?" Li Luo asked curiously. Chi Chan explained, "Only a limited amount of Celestial Mirror Sand can be found in each layer of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda''s Heavenly Domains. Thus, the total amount allocated to the outer divine continents isnt a lot. Advancing from the second to the thirtieth Heavenly Domain is known as the Domain Traversal Battles, and the true competition is to battle for control of each of the twenty-nine Heavenly Domains. Of those, twelve belong to the ancient colleges and are their territory. Nine belong to the sage colleges of the inner divine continents, while the remaining eight are the territory of the six outer divine continents'' sage colleges." Li Luo frowned. "The six outer divine continents have the largest number of participants and yet they only have eight Heavenly Domains?" How much Celestial Mirror Sand could be found in that case? There were simply too many monks and too little gruel. The battle over this resource would undoubtedly be cruel. The ancient colleges were the strongest and thus, it was understandable that twelve Heavenly Domains were divided amongst them. After all, sage colleges had no way to compete against them. Yet the sage colleges from the inner divine continents had an extra Heavenly Domain when compared to the six outer divine continents? Chi Chan nodded. "Sage colleges from the inner divine continent have greater strength, foundations, and resources than the colleges in the outer divine continents." Li Luo sighed. In truth, the outer divine continents were not lacking in terms of geniusesthey werent at all inferior to the inner divine continent in that regard. However, the cultivation environment and resources they had access to were vastly inferior. Thus, if two individuals with the same talent started their cultivation in different continents, there would be an insurmountable gap between them over time. "Are we able to compete for more Heavenly Domains?" Li Luo asked. Vice Principal Chen Chi unhappily retorted, "You might not even be able to hold onto your territory and you''re thinking of grabbing someone else''s? How far do you want to go? Do you think that the inner divine continents sage colleges are easy to provoke? In fact, they are like ravenous wolves coveting our existing territories!" Chi Chan nodded. "We have to ensure that we''ve had our fill of the outer divine continents eight Heavenly Domains before anything else. In a Heavenly Domain battle, every divine continent''s participants work together to compete and battle against the other outer divine continents. The East Divine Continent has thirty-seven sage colleges and possesses five main seats. The main seats are the goal of anyone attempting to capture a Heavenly Domain. You can regard them as the main players of the competition, and when it comes to the final distribution of Celestial Mirror Sand, they will naturally receive more. As the Astral Sage College was the champion of the Holy Grail Meet in the East Divine Continent, one of the main seats belongs to us." At this point, she paused. "However, it looks like we should voluntarily give it up." Their vice principal wasn''t participating, and if only Li Luo were to hold the figurative door, he would barely be able to hold his ground. With his strength, he indeed didn''t have the right to monopolize a main seat, and the sage colleges of the East Divine Continent wouldn''t be happy if he did. Li Luo frowned. The six outer divine continents only had eight Heavenly Domains, and if they were to give up the main seat, the final distribution of rewards would likely just be some left-over scraps. How could he have his fill? He hadn''t come all the way here for leftovers. "How many grains of Celestial Mirror Sand are produced in a single Heavenly Domain?" Li Luo asked. "Ten to twenty grains." "How many grains are required for a perfect breakthrough?" "The requirements are strict and there is no definite amount of Celestial Mirror Sand required. However, based on past precedence, one would require over forty grains to have a chance," Chi Chan explained. "Over forty grains?" Li Luo was shocked. The eight Heavenly Domains controlled by the outer divine continents would only produce at best a hundred and sixty grains of Celestial Mirror Sand. Those had to be divided amongst six of them, so just how many would the East Divine Continent even get? How many would end up in the Astral Sage Colleges hands after they were distributed? Chi Chan apologetically replied, "I''m sorry Li Luo." The outer divine continents had too little to fight over, so it was too difficult to obtain the amount of resources Li Luo wanted. If he had represented the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, then he would have had twelve Heavenly Domains to fight over. Li Luo waved his hand and smiled consolingly. "Mentor Chi Chan, you shouldn''t say that. The four ancient colleges might have a larger amount of Heavenly Domains, but the competition is even stiffer. A second-grade Transcendent like me wouldn''t be able to stand out a fight between them." He then sighed deeply. "However, there is no way we can give up the main seat of the Astral Sage College." There wasn''t much to go around to begin with, and if the rewards were too little, he would truly squander his opportunity here, which was something he couldn''t bear. When Chen Chi heard his words, she sighed. "It''s not about whether you wish for it or not. It''s whether you are able to protect it." "Vice Principal Chen Chi, which sage college from the East Divine Continent is coveting our main seat?" Chi Chan asked with a sigh. sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chen Chi answered, "The Sacredspring Sage College." "Sacredspring Sage College?" Chi Chan frowned and then fell into deep thought. "I think I have heard of it. It''s a newer one that was established not long ago." "Mhm. The vice principal they dispatched is an upper sixth-grade Duke. His foundation is strong as well, with two of his Duke Bergfrieds being Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds." Chen Chi sighed. "That sort of strength is exceptional amongst the East Divine Continent''s sage colleges. I''m afraid only the Enlightened Sage College''s Vice Principal Guo Jiufeng is his match." Chi Chan''s expression changed. "As expected of someone who could forge two Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds and reach the sixth-grade..." This sort of strength was indeed mighty. Even if Vice Principal Su Xin was here, she likely wouldnt be his opponent. When Li Luo had sent Chi Chi running with a single strike, the latter only had six Eight-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds. In terms of foundation, he was far surpassed by the vice principal from the Sacredspring Sage College. When Li Luo heard this, he was a little surprised. Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfried Dukes meant that his background and skill were definitely among the best, and this was not including the sheer power he possessed. "So is the Sacredspring Sage College planning to treat the Astral Sage College as a soft persimmon and plans to challenge us?" Li Luo laughed shallowly. He was already enraptured by the idea of a perfect breakthrough, and he would not take a single step back when it came to the distribution of Celestial Mirror Sand. Even if he had six Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds, Li Luo wouldn''t give in. After Li Luo spoke out, a mocking voice rang out in response. The void before them rippled, and several new people appeared. "What? Challenge the Astral Sage College?" Chapter 1439: Sacredspring Sage College, Wang Xu When he heard those words, Li Luo frowned and looked at the void before him. Several people had appeared, all emanating dense auras. They were garbed in a dark-blue uniform. The one at the lead had a head of disheveled hair with slightly feminine features. In between his brows was a light-blue droplet. The resonant power undulations he emitted were even stronger than those from the Heavenly Inferno Sage College''s Vice Principal Chen Chi!Everyone knew the identities of these people from the moment they saw their uniforms. Cao Sheng had the worst temperament, and when he heard those mocking words, he coldly retorted with a face full of anger, "Hmph! How long has it been since the Sacredspring Sage College was founded? When the Astral Sage College was building a reputation for itself, the Sacredspring Sage College was still an undeveloped plot of useless land!" Judging from Vice Principal Chen Chi''s words, these people were the ones who were attempting to take the main seat away. "When you''re in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, what matters is not your history." The man with feminine features smiled. "The Astral Sage College should be more concerned with retaining its position as a sage college. Perhaps by the time the Celestial Mirror Pagoda opens again, you will have lost the qualifications to enter." Vice Principal Chen Chi frowned. "Vice Principal Wang Xu, the Astral Sage College is currently dealing with an Other Disaster. That is why we couldnt bring more people." Wang Xu didn''t give in. "I''d say the same even if Vice Principal Su Xin were here." "When was the Astral Sage College''s right to enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda decided by you, a mere sixth-grade Duke?" Li Luo coolly retorted. Vice Principal Wang Xu squinted. "You speak big words." Vice Principal Chen Chi then explained, "Vice Principal Wang Xu, Mentor Li Luo might be young, but he''s a true prodigy. He''s currently a second-grade Transcendent, and I feel that under his leadership, the Astral Sage College will be able to protect their main seat." "Second-grade Transcendent?" Wang Xu''s eyes turned abstruse and was lost in thought. The other mentors from the Sacredspring Sage College were similarly surprised. No one had expected that the declining Astral Sage College would produce someone who was on the Path of Ascension. The arrogance on Wang Xu''s face finally receded a little, but he didn''t plan to give up on seizing the Astral Sage College''s main seat. After all, they would get more Celestial Mirror Sand if they could take it for themselves. It was an ultimate treasure for cultivation after all ,so they simply wouldn''t give it up without a fight. Li Luo was only equal to a fifth-grade Duke, so he wasn''t up to standard when compared with them. Looking at the other main seat holders who all had minimally sixth-grade Dukes, the Astral Sage College seemed to be the easiest target. "Mentor Li Luo, we want to obtain the main seat for the East Divine Continent''s sage colleges. After all, this affects our collective interests. Since the Astral Sage College has declined, you should give it up. Otherwise, the bigger picture will be affected. Furthermore, only by capturing more Heavenly Domains can we obtain a larger amount of Celestial Mirror Sand. Wouldn''t you benefit from this in the end? I admit that the fact that you''re a second-grade Transcendent is shocking, but can your squad bear the responsibility of protecting the main seat?" Wang Xu''s words caused all of the other sage college squads from the East Divine Continent to turn their attention over to them and observe from a distance. The East Divine Continent had sent thirty-seven sage colleges, and quite a few were in support of Wang Xu. Furthermore, the main seats affected the interests of the continent as a whole, and they didn''t want others to take advantage of them. The Astral Sage College had not even sent a vice principal, and the entire squad, other than Li Luo, was nothing much to brag about. Even Chi Chan, who was a fourth-grade Duke, was barely significant. Their lineup was undoubtedly the worst among the sage colleges. When Wang Xu saw the other sage colleges silently agreeing with him, his smile turned even more resplendent and he said, "I hope that you can look at the bigger picture, Mentor Li Luo." "Do you really think we are that weak?" Li Luo retorted in the face of Wang Xu''s overbearing words. Seeing that Li Luo didn''t plan to back down, he laughed as he took a step forward. Six lights flew out of him, transforming into six towering Duke Bergfrieds. The most eye-catching of the six were the two Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds. The remaining four were two seven-pillar and two eight-pillars. It had to be said that Wang Xu dared to seize the main seat because he had the strength to do so. After all, so long as one had a Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfried, they were capable of easily suppressing the majority of Dukes. The fact that he had two Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds made him the cream of the crop. Li Luo personally felt that merely having two Nine-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds wasn''t that impressive, but it was still an achievement in its own right and he could feel their oppressive pressure looming over him. When Wang Xu revealed his strength, the other eight mentors similarly summoned their Duke Bergfrieds. Six were third-grade Dukes, one was a fourth-grade, and the last one was a fifth-grade. In just an instant, the sky was filled with Duke Bergfrieds radiating immense might. Then the tide of overwhelming pressure washed over towards Li Luo. This sight caused the sage colleges from the East Divine Continent to show expressions of awe. Chi Chan, Mi Er, and Cao Sheng had gloomy expressions. They couldn''t deny that the lineup from the Sacredspring Sage College was exceptional. Perhaps if the Astral Sage College had not encountered such a disaster, they might have been comparable to them. In the face of such pressure, the resonant power circulating within their bodies turned sluggish. Unknowingly, Li Luo had already taken a step forward, and his two perfect Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds appeared in the air, devouring worldly natural energy. The appearance of the two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds caused many to look at him enviously. After which, the three resonant palaces within him began to emit resonant power, fusing within the Absolute Resonance Halo to become a strand of source origin. Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He knew that at this point, words were meaningless. They would speak with their fists instead. "Senior Hongyou," Li Luo lightly said. Behind him, a smile surfaced on Li Hongyou''s cold but pretty face. Her slender fingers quickly traced out a crimson seal in the air, and it emitted gold light. She flicked her finger, and the Vermilion Fruit Godly Transformation Seal was shot into Li Luo''s body. This caused Li Luo''s already boundless resonant power to surge even further. With the aid of one team member, Li Luo was able to resist the pressure coming from the entire Sacredspring Sage College team. And that wasn''t all. His eyes flowed with violet-gold light and his pupils changed, transforming into those of a dragon. The two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds gave off a splendid radiance, and a Heavenly Dragon could be seen within one of them. It was a manifestation of Li Luo''s Heavenly Dragon resonance. The Heavenly Dragon coiled itself atop one of the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds and gave off a vast draconic aura that instantly smashed apart the pressure and energy condensed by the Sacredspring Sage College''s team. The manifestation then unhinged its maw and spewed out a torrent of violet-gold dragonbreath, directly striking at Wang Xu''s six Duke Bergfrieds. Wang Xu''s expression sank as his Duke Bergfrieds rumbled, a huge wave of water surging outwards to meet the dragonbreath. When the two attacks collided, the void around them trembled greatly. The violet-gold dragonbreath was incredibly tyrannical, forcing the wave of water back constantly. When the mentors of the Sacredspring Sage College saw this, they activated their own Duke Bergfrieds in an attempt to help. That said, Lu Qing''er was observing the situation as well. A frigid coldness surfaced from deep within her lake-like eyes. She turned her head and said to Li Hongyou, "Elder Sister Hongyou, could you bolster me with one of your seals, please?" "Sister Qing''er, you are too polite." Li Hongyou nodded, then her resonant power flowed out and she traced out yet another crimson seal that was sent into Lu Qing''er''s body. Lu Qing''er stepped forward, and in the next moment, a Duke Bergfried materialized above her, instantly causing the temperature in the area to plummet. Everyone''s gazes were directed towards the icy Duke Bergfried that resembled a glacier floating in the air. However, when they saw the number of pillars above it, the crowd couldn''t help but gasp. After all, the icy Duke Bergfried also had ten pillars! There was yet another individual who had embarked on the Path of Ascension in the Astral Sage College''s group! Chapter 1440: Main Seat While everyone was still taken aback, cold air flowed around Lu Qing''er, making her eyes seem even more frosty than before. She then formed a seal with one hand."Ultimate Frost Seal!" she said in a clear voice. A moment later, an extremely cold current flowed through the skies, resembling a white bolt. Things showed signs of freezing wherever it passed through, including worldly natural energy. Frost covered the nearby buildings. Many Dukes turned pale. They didn''t know why, but Lu Qing''er''s ice resonant power seemed exceptionally tyrannical. This freezing current was directed towards the Sacredspring Sage College''s mentors, including the fifth-grade Duke. When they saw this, they hurriedly attempted to defend themselves. Their Duke Bergfrieds roared and resonant power surged out to counterattack. In the moment of collision, horror filled their eyes because they could sense that the ice resonant power had directly frozen their resonant power! In fact, it was freezing it at a frightening speed. In just a few short breaths, even their Duke Bergfrieds were frozen as they had been caught off guard. Furthermore, the ice contained a unique sealing power. They could sense that their connections with their Duke Bergfrieds had weakened. Only the fifth-grade Duke was able to forcefully block the ice resonant power thanks to his superior resonant power reserves. However, the overbearing ice still caused fear to appear in his eyes. The clash between the two sides was almost instantaneous. Meanwhile, the other squads from the East Divine Continent continued to watch on in complete shock. They had realized that just Li Luo, Lu Qing''er, and Li Hongyou were able to hold down Wang Xu''s entire squad from the Sacredspring Sage College. Although both sides had yet to demonstrate their Duke Arts, the trio had already revealed immense battle strength, which was worthy of admiration. As the cold wind covered the area, everyone fell silent and only the sounds of energy clashing could be heard. At this point, a voice was transmitted over from far away. Six more Duke Bergfrieds appeared, with two being nine-pillars and four being eight-pillars. Astonishing resonant power swept over, erasing the aftermath of the previous collision. "Everyone, let''s stop here. We wouldn''t want outsiders to think that the East Divine Continent is not united." A man dressed in white robes with a head of white hair appeared. However, his face was delicate and smooth, like a baby''s. Powerful resonant power undulations emanated from his body. When the other squads saw him, they clasped their hands in greetings. "Vice Principal Guo Jiufeng." The newcomer was the Enlightened Sage College''s vice principal, Guo Jiufeng. He was the one known as the strongest vice principal amongst the East Divine Continent''s sage colleges. With his arrival, Li Luo and Wang Xu pulled back their resonant power and their Duke Bergfrieds turned into streams of light before vanishing back into their bodies. "Greetings, Vice Principal Guo Jiufeng," Li Luo said with a grin. Guo Jiufeng looked at Li Luo with eyes full of surprise, as he had a deep impression of him. During the most recent Holy Grail Meet, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e had seized the Dragon Bone Holy Grail from the Enlightened Sage College''s hands after all. "My little friend Li Luo, your talent is truly shocking. In just a few short years, you''ve already reached the Duke Stage and embarked on the Path of Ascension too. This is worthy of admiration." Guo Jiufeng sighed. That young student in the One Star Hall had now matured and reached a stage where he couldn''t look down upon him anymore. Li Luo smiled. "It''s nothing worth mentioning. In the eyes of some people, I am actually lacking." Clearly, these words were directed towards Wang Xu. Wang Xu understood this, and his expression turned ugly. However, he also felt shocked. During the previous short clash, he could sense a grave threat from Li Luo. His gaze then looked at Li Hongyou. This young lady had greatly boosted Li Luo, causing his resonant power to become even stronger than before. After which, he glanced at Lu Qing''er. She had a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried as well, and the ice resonant power she controlled was extraordinarily domineering and even a little strange. " Wang Xu screamed in his heart. He had originally thought that the Astral Sage College was in decline and would not be qualified to maintain their main seat. However, who would have expected that these three young ones would be so difficult to handle? Wang Xu consoled himself with these thoughts. That said, he also knew that with Li Luo revealing his strength, the Sacredspring Sage College could no longer covet the Astral Sage College''s main seat. He would have to snatch someone else''s instead. Guo Jiufeng also spoke up. "With Mentor Li Luo leading the squad from the Astral Sage College, the East Divine Continent should be able to obtain a decent result. Unless the other sage colleges have any opinions, then one of the five main seats will belong to the Astral Sage College." The other squads glanced at each other before nodding in agreement. The strength Li Luo had shown proved that he was qualified to hold that seat. Sear?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Guo Jiufeng then looked at Wang Xu and said warmly, "Vice Principal Wang Xu, with the strength the Sacredspring Sage College has demonstrated, you are definitely powerful enough to be assigned a main seat. I''ll discuss with the other colleges, and we will try to give you a main seat. What do you think?" Guo Jiufeng was quite renowned amongst the East Divine Continent''s sage colleges and had quite some sway. Thus, even Wang Xu had to give him some face, and he readily agreed when he heard those friendly words. "Id be very grateful for that, Vice Principal Guo Jiufeng. The only reason why the Sacredspring Sage College has offended someone is because we want to do our best for the East Divine Continent. Only then can we obtain more Heavenly Domains and get even greater amounts of Celestial Mirror Sand," Wang Xu warmly replied. "Mentor Li Luo, the Sacredspring Sage College was reckless earlier, and we would like to apologize for any offense taken." Since there was no longer any conflict of interest between the two parties, Wang Xu naturally did not want to antagonize Li Luo. After all, he was a second-grade Transcendent with terrifying potential. He had a slight edge over him today thanks to his cultivation level, but if Li Luo were to take one more step and become a third-grade Transcendent, this advantage would be gone. Li Luo calmly nodded. He wasn''t angry over the previous matter either. It wasn''t surprising that the Sacredspring Sage College coveted their position, as the Astral Sage College was in decline and its strength had greatly weakened. If he, Lu Qing''er, and Li Hongyou had not joined their squad, just the three mentors alone would not have been sufficient to hold onto a main seat. If the Sacredspring Sage College had not taken the lead to challenge them, others surely would have. Thus, if they had not demonstrated their strength here, they would be hassled to no end. Li Luo also didn''t want to give this opportunity up. The idea of a perfect breakthrough was on the line, and if he wanted to even have a chance at obtaining it, he needed that main seat. The final result of that clash wasn''t bad. Not only was he able to show off his intimidating prowess, but Lu Qing''er''s strength had also been a pleasant surprise. Her ice resonant power seemed capable of freezing anything and was indeed quite overbearing. Fourth-grade Dukes and below were unable to resist it and fifth-grade Dukes could barely withstand it. It seemed that Lu Qing''er was comparable to him in terms of the number of stages she could overcome. This was good news as that meant that they were even stronger than he had expected. Meanwhile, Guo Jiufeng quickly started to coordinate things as he determined who would give up their main seat for the Sacredspring Sage College. Thus, the five main seat holders were as followed: Enlightened Sage College Astral Sage College Sacred Summit Sage College Heavenly Inferno Sage College Sacredspring Sage College The squads from these sage colleges were the strongest in the group and thus, no one challenged them. Guo Jiufeng then beamed happily. "During the previous Domain Traversal Battles, the East Divine Continent only managed to seize a single Heavenly Domain. I hope we will be able to surpass that." "Only one Heavenly Domain? Doesn''t this mean that some sage colleges might not even receive a single grain of Celestial Mirror Sand?" Li Luo couldn''t help but blurt out. Then why were there so many mentors dispatched by the sage colleges? Vice Principal Chen Chi laughed. "Mentor Li Luo, you might not know this, but the Celestial Mirror Sand contains a prodigious amount of energy. If the Celestial Mirror Sand is diluted with Celestial Mirror Spiritual Liquid, then the energy released can benefit more than one individual." At the end, he even seemed to be reminiscing about how wonderful that experience was. It was clear that he had a taste of it in the past. Alas, Li Luo''s expression was full of confusion. Diluting the Celestial Mirror Sand? He was looking to obtain a perfect breakthrough, whilst the rest were happy with sharing a drink made out of a Heavenly Emperor''s bone ash?? Wasn''t that just too pathetic!? Chapter 1441: Six Outer Divine Continents "Don''t you think that just obtaining a single Heavenly Domain is too little for all of us?" Li Luo asked with a sigh. Guo Jiufeng smiled. "Haha... is Mentor Li Luo suggesting that the East Divine Continent''s sage colleges are lacking ability and are only able to hold on to a single Heavenly Domain?" The other squads similarly gave helpless smiles. A single Heavenly Domain could only produce grains of Celestial Mirror Sand at most twenty. Meanwhile, there were thirty-seven sage colleges amongst them. On top of that, each squad usually had around ten individuals and thus, they naturally couldn''t have their fill. "Mentor Li Luo is truly an unparalleled prodigy. He thus has much greater aspirations than us old timers. I suppose being from the East Divine Continent has disadvantaged you." Vice Principal Chen Chi understood where he was coming from. Even if Li Luo were in a squad from an inner divine continent, he would likely be able to hold onto a main seat as well. "There isn''t much choice. The East Divine Continent''s strength amongst the six outer divine continents isnt at the absolute bottom, but it''s still in the bottom three. The Domain Traversal Battles are cruel, and even being able to obtain a single Heavenly Domain is considered a passing result." "You mean there are people who are even worse?" Li Luo was taken aback by this. "Well, during every Domain Traversal Battle, there is always an outer divine continent that fails to obtain a single Heavenly Domain," Guo Jiufeng explained. The corners of Li Luo''s lips twitched and couldn''t help but ask, "How are the Domain Traversal Battles conducted?" "The six outer divine continents first draw lots. Three are seeded into the winners bracket and the other three in the losers bracket. The winners will then contest over six Heavenly Domains, while the losers will only fight over two," Guo Jiufeng explained. Li Luo then asked the most important question. "In the end, how many layers of Heavenly Domains does the final victor obtain?" "Three layers." "Just three?" Li Luo frowned. This meant that there would be sixty grains of Celestial Mirror Sand at most. Just he himself would require forty for a perfect breakthrough. "Mentor Li Luo, there''s no need to think too much. In the last hundred years, the East Divine Continent has never managed to win three Heavenly Domains," Guo Jiufeng said with a bitter smile. Li Luo sighed. It was tiring to be with people like them. Everything he hoped to achieve was seen as overly ambitious or hard to understand. Chi Chan understood what Li Luo was thinking, and she asked, "Are you still thinking about the perfect breakthrough?" Li Luo answered, "Since the opportunity lies before me, I''ll have to give it a try." S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Guo Jiufeng, Wang Xu, and the other vice principals were all speechless. Being able to achieve even a normal breakthrough within the Celestial Mirror Pagoda was rare enough, and a perfect breakthrough was countless times harder. Such a thing would rarely happen within the ancient colleges, much less the sage colleges from the outer divine continents. Furthermore, the requirements for a perfect breakthrough were very stringent. Even if one managed to gather forty grains of Celestial Mirror Sand, they were not guaranteed to succeed. "Mentor Li Luo, if you have such a deep desire for that, perhaps you can participate in the Slaughter Games after the battles have concluded," Guo Jiufeng said heavily. "Slaughter Games? What''s that? It sounds pretty bloody," Li Luo asked in shock. Guo Jiufeng''s smile faded when he explained what it meant. "The Academic Federation naturally has some squads with great ambition and talent. Thus, there are extra competitions organized just for them. The important thing to note is that one is not limited to their divine continent and will participate as squads. Each participant will have to find a partner and will join forces to defeat others." When Li Luo heard this, he couldn''t help but smile. This was a great rule as he could very possibly just group up with Jiang Qing''e, no? Husband and wife would team up to beat up anyone that dared to challenge them. Everyone in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent was well aware of their combined powers. "What are the rewards like, then?" Li Luo hurriedly asked. "You can only participate in one round of the Slaughter Games. You''ll have to pay ten grains of Celestial Mirror Sand as the entry fee, and the losers will give their sand to the winners," Guo Jiufeng calmly explained. The East Divine Continent had not participated in such a competition for many years. After all, it was hard for an individual to have enough sand to enter. Frankly speaking, even if they managed to scrounge up ten grains, they wouldn''t participate in such a battle. It was simply too bloody and brutal. Only peak geniuses who were full of ambition would even attempt it. Li Luo took a deep breath. This was definitely going to be a vicious battle where the winner would take it all. It was truly worthy of its title as the Slaughter Games. However, true experts enjoyed this sort of all-out combat. The path of cultivation was one full of strife. An average person would choose to avoid it, but ambitious prodigies would need this step to temper themselves and advance further. That said, they would still have to obtain Celestial Mirror Sand from the outer divine continents before they could even afford the entry fee. "Vice Principal Guo Jiufeng, do you have any in-depth information about the other five outer divine continents?" Li Luo asked. Guo Jiufeng nodded. "The outer divine continents are split into three upper and three lower continents. The Thunderflame Divine Continent is the strongest amongst the upper outer divine continents. During the last five Domain Traversal Battles, they were the biggest winners and obtained three Heavenly Domains worth of Celestial Mirror Sand. This time, they''ve also brought a strong line-up, which includes a seventh-grade Duke." Li Luo''s gaze condensed. A seventh-grade Duke, whether it was in the inner divine continent''s sage colleges or the ancient colleges, would be considered a Seedling Candidate. It was surprising that such an expert had appeared here. "The Azuresea Divine Continent is next in line after the Thunderflame Divine Continent. Then the Endless Gale Divine Continent is third. Us, the East Divine Continent, the Whitespirit Divine Continent, and the Extreme Night Divine Continent are the lower three. That said, we are better than the other two. Our strength puts us at the top of the lower three, and the other two take turns returning empty-handed after the Celestial Mirror Pagoda concludes," Guo Jiufeng said almost self-deprecatingly. He then took out some information and passed it over to Li Luo. "This contains some information on the other outer divine continents colleges. It also includes information about their vice principals. You should take a look when you have the chance. The Celestial Mirror Pagoda will officially begin in three days, and you should take the opportunity to adjust your condition for the battles ahead." Li Luo nodded. It looked as though their strongest opponent would be the Thunderflame Divine Continent. He was a second-grade Transcendent, but his resonant power was far more vast than that of his peers due to him having four resonant palaces, even though the last one was blank. That said, it wasn''t completely useless, as it could still contain a significant amount of resonant power. The palace couldn''t produce resonant power independently and had to be filled up with resonant power from another resonant palace. Thus, once consumed, it would take more time to replenish than the others. Regardless, in his peak state, his resonant power was comparable to that of a sixth-grade Duke. Adding on the strand of source origin that was created by the Absolute Resonance Halo with his hexa-resonant power, he was no weaker than a sixth-grade Duke with strong foundations when push came to shove. This was why he was not at a disadvantage when he clashed against Wang Xu earlier. On top of that, he still had other moves up his sleeve. For example, his Duke Arts, Mythic Armaments, and secret arts. However... this wasn''t even his strongest state. He still had a dedicated support. Thus, Li Luo felt that if he were to truly fight with all his trump cards on the line, he was capable of defeating a seventh-grade Duke. If that happened, it would definitely create a disturbance. Seeing a second-grade Duke win against a seventh-grade Duke would cause the eyes of even the greatest of geniuses to pop out of their sockets in shock. His name would definitely resound throughout the colleges. That said, he would become a little too high-profile. Perhaps... this was naturally expected? Chapter 1442: Chi Chans Story Under Guo Jiufeng''s arrangements, Li Luo and the rest were assigned to a particular tower in the East Divine Continent''s area. They each found a place for themselves before taking a rest. "Oh, yes, Vice Principal Guo Jiufeng, is the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College within the Celestial Mirror City''s inner area? I need to talk to someone there, so how can I get in?" Li Luo asked. "The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College? Are you planning to look for Jiang Qing''e?" When Guo Jiufeng heard him, he instantly understood and sighed. "Jiang Qing''e has quite the reputation within the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. In terms of her ranking, she''s already in the top twenty." "What''s that?" Li Luo asked curiously. "The Celestial Mirror Pagoda is the place where the most talented individuals, students, and mentors of the Academic Federation congregate. The Academic Federation organizes a monthly competition to test their skills. The Celestial Mirror Ranking can thus be seen as a list of the strongest. Based on what I know, Jiang Qing''e has already defeated numerous mentors in succession over the past few months and has been the fastest to rise to the top twenty ranks." At this point, Guo Jiufeng said regretfully, "It''s a pity. If Jiang Qing''e was in the Astral Sage College''s squad, the East Divine Continent would undoubtedly be able to obtain the best results amongst the outer divine continents. It would probably even be effortless." Jiang Qing''e was now a third-grade Transcendent, and her strength was something that even Guo Jiufeng respected. Li Luo grinned. "When it comes to battles amongst the outer divine continents, there is no need for Sister Qing''e to take action. I alone will be enough." Guo Jiufeng smiled. Li Luo was a second-grade Transcendent, which was already shocking. However, one grade made a huge difference in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. At the very least, Jiang Qing''e could already overcome seventh-grade mentors. "There''s no need to look for Jiang Qing''e right now. Before the Celestial Mirror Pagoda opens, the four ancient colleges conduct secret training exercises, so you might not be able to find her even if you go. In three days'' time, once it officially begins, the squads will all appear and you''ll naturally be able to see her then," Guo Jiufeng advised. When Li Luo heard this, he temporarily shelved the feelings he had in his heart and nodded in agreement. Guo Jiufeng then said his goodbyes and left. Li Luo turned towards their green abode. However, he didn''t go to rest but instead made his way to Mentor Chi Chan''s room. He politely knocked the door and waited until he was invited in before pushing the door open. Inside the room, Li Luo could see Chi Chan standing by the window, her beautiful eyes observing Celestial Mirror City in a daze. She had taken off the veil that covered her face, revealing her fair and gorgeous appearance that exuded a hint of coldness. A black curse mark that resembled a fish stained her delicate features. The tail constantly swayed slightly as though it was a living thing. The form-fitting uniform wrapped around her slender body showcased her alluring curves. At the same time, she gave off an intellectual yet elegant temperament. Chi Chan then turned her head, glancing at Li Luo with a smile. "I''ve yet to thank you for today." She was naturally referring to the situation with Chi Chi. Li Luo replied, "During House Luolan''s Housemeet, you personally went to obstruct House Lanling''s House Lord and even chose to give up your position as a mentor. That show of kindness is something I''ll remember forever." Seeing how sincere Li Luo was caused Chi Chan to feel a sense of appreciation for him in her heart. Then she lightly asked, "I suppose you want to ask about the Chi family''s story, is that right?" "Mentor, you should know that with my current strength and my background, the Chi family can''t threaten me at all," Li Luo explained. Chi Chan fell silent. "I am indeed from the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent''s Chi family. The Chi family is a peak power in the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent''s East Sea and has a Dual Crowned King ancestor." At this point, a strong look of disgust surfaced in her expression. "The Chi family is split into the main branch and numerous side branches. I''m from one of the Chi family''s side branches, and there are pedantic and warped rules that we have had to follow since ancient times. A daughter from the side branch must be married to a son from the main branch once she comes of age. This is because the main branch holds a secret art that allows the side branches daughters to become cultivation furnaces. It allows them to tap on the strength within the bloodline to evolve their own resonances. It is incredibly vile as the daughters will have their lives shortened as a result. Although we are of the same bloodline, the side branches are like livestock to be raised for slaughter. The side branches have attempted to resist, but they were all suppressed by the ancestor. Many years ago, the main branch set up an engagement for me once I came of age. The person who was supposed to marry me was none other than Chi Li. My parents couldn''t bear to see me thrown into a metaphorical pit of flames and thus looked for an opportunity for me to escape. In the end, I managed to hide in the faraway Xia Kingdom and never returned." Chi Chan''s fists were tightly clenched, and her veins could be seen in her fury. "I just never expected that after so many years, I would encounter people from the Chi family the moment I arrived at the Celestial Mirror Pagoda." Li Luo frowned. The Chi family indeed had some weird and twisted rules that were exceptionally vile. That said, he understood why when Chi Chan saw Chi Chi, she had expressed her absolute loathing towards him. "Chi Li has been in Mythical Spirit Ancient College for many years and has developed a lot of influence. If he finds out I''m here, he will do everything he can to take me back." Chi Chan tightly pursed her red lips and a look of determination appeared in her eyes. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I''d rather die than his cultivation furnace." Li Luo smiled calmly. "He''s only a seventh-grade Duke and a mentor in an ancient college. He doesn''t have the qualifications to prance around before me. If he dares to snatch you away, I''ll be more than willing to end some lives in return." This calm declaration was suffused with powerful murderous intent. He was no longer the young lord of House Luolan, the kid who was forced to bend to opposition. He was now on the Path of Ascension and with a solid backing as immovable as a mountain. Thus, he didn''t care if the Chi family was being run by some Dual Crowned King. That didn''t matter. Chi Chan was his benefactor, and so long as she was unwilling to go, even if the ancestor came himself, Li Luo wouldn''t back down. Li Luo''s words made emotions surge up in Chi Chans heart. How could she have imagined that the little youth she had met in the Choosing of the Mentors all those years ago would now be able to provide her with an encompassing sense of safety? In the end, she quietly thanked him. Li Luo grinned and waved his hand, his gaze focused on the Ichthyic curse on her face. The curse had a devilish charm to it when contrasted against her fair skin. "Has the curse not been resolved yet?" Li Luo frowned. Chi Chan explained, "When I was in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, Vice Principal Lan Lingzi offered to remove it for me, but I rejected it." "Why?" Li Luo asked in surprise. "I''ve already gotten used to it after all these years. It can be considered part of my strength, and when the Celestial Mirror Pagoda begins, every extra weapon I have can be of help." She then smiled at Li Luo. "It''s just that when I tap on its power, I''ll suffer immensely afterwards. That said, the pain isnt as intense these days and its power has weakened." Li Luo felt a little dumbfounded upon hearing this. He had not expected Chi Chan to have adapted to it, and he didnt reject the idea. After all, he had seen others who had fused with the power of Others in a much more horrifying fashion. Specifically, Li Lingjing. That said, the Ichthyic curse was not as strong as it was in the past. If the curse did flare up, he could bring her back to the Dragon''s Fang Lineage and get Tantai Lan to take a look and perhaps purge the curse. With that in mind, he felt relieved in his heart. After chatting for a bit more, he headed to his own room. However, just as he was about to climb the stairs, he paused. In the corner of the stairs was a green-robed figure. Her icy, lake-like eyes seemed to overflow with indifference. They were like snow lotuses, frosty and aloof. Watching Li Luo walk out of Chi Chan''s room, she asked, "Why were you there for so long? What were you talking about?" Chapter 1443: True Feelings "Qing''er." Li Luo raised his head to look at the lithe figure who was standing in the corner of the stairs. From this point of view, he was able to make out Qing''er''s slender legs covered in stockings and her exceptionally lustrous, snow-like skin. He smiled as he walked forward, standing side by side with her. He glanced at the icy, blue eyes of this girl whom he had known for many years, but for some reason, he could sense that she had changed. Lu Qing''er used to have a slightly girlish charm, but now she both looked and felt colder than before. Her once beaming smile had also faded quite a bit. "What are you looking at?" Lu Qing''er asked. "How have you been? The last time we saw each other at the Spiritual Resonance Cave, you were still sealed in ice. Were you harmed in any way?" Li Luo asked with concern. He had wanted to ask this earlier, but there were simply too many outsiders then. He thus chose to wait for a more opportune time to speak. Lu Qing''er gently shook her head. "I have yet to thank you for what happened there." Li Luo grinned. "Is there a need to be so polite? You sent Lu Shuanglu and Zhang Cuicheng to travel such a long distance to assist me. I still have to thank you for that." Her eyes flickered briefly. "That had nothing to do with me. They were on a mission and thus they went to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent." Li Luo was a little startled because Zhang Cuicheng had clearly explained the reason, yet Lu Qing''er wasnt admitting to it. At the very least, she was still as proud as before. The two ascended the stairs together as tiny bits of light shining through the window illuminated the corridor. Hearing the familiar voice next to her, the frostiness within Lu Qing''er''s eyes seemed to have melted unconsciously and her steps gradually slowed down. This entire scene felt nostalgic to her. "Li Luo, do you still remember what happened in Southwind Academy?" Lu Qing''er asked. "Do you remember the College Final Examinations and how we fought side by side?" A look of reminiscence appeared in Li Luo''s eyes. At that point, he had just resolved the issue of his blank palace. Together with Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo, they had earned the rights to enter the Astral Sage College. In the blink of an eye, five years had passed. The youth from back then was now embarking on a path of his very own. He had experienced too much in these few years. Lu Qing''er''s steps came to a halt, and her icy voice drifted through the corridor. "Li Luo, I had always thought that the engagement between you and Senior Jiang was not sincere and was just a way for you to repay her kindness." Li Luo paused, not knowing what to say. "Thus, I spoke to Senior Jiang and told her that her decision was irresponsible. I had hoped that she would break up the engagement and the two of you would be separated. In retrospect, I did seem like a clown at that point in time," Lu Qing''er said with a hint of self mockery. Li Luo''s expression turned complicated. He could vaguely sense that Lu Qing''er had held feelings for him back then, but because they were so close as friends, he had never taken it seriously. It was only after leaving the Xia Kingdom and experiencing the matters in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, as well as hearing Lu Shuanglu''s words, that he finally understood. This girl whom he had been with for so many years deeply liked him. He didn''t know how he was supposed to react to the current situation. In the past, Lu Qing''er had locked away her feelings in her heart and had never broached the topic. Perhaps because of some changes to her personality, she was planning to make this sensitive topic clear. Thus, he dryly laughed in an attempt to lighten the situation. "You have been coveting my beauty for a long time, haven''t you?" Lu Qing''er glanced at him indifferently. He then sighed helplessly. "Qing''er, the engagement between me and Sister Qing''e is not something that we are involuntarily bound to. We have experienced numerous life-and-death situations over the years and have long become one." All they lacked now was an official marriage approved by his parents. The two had grown up together since young and their feelings for each other were beyond imagination. However, Lu Qing''er''s intuition was also right. In the very beginning, Jiang Qing''e perhaps had only agreed with the engagement because she had wished to repay his parents. She had developed feelings for House Luolan and the people who raised her, which was why she had written the engagement contract. Over the years, the two had mutually supported each other in experiences that skirted on the edge of death, and Li Luo could clearly feel that the feelings Jiang Qing''e held for him had far surpassed that of repayment or sibling love. It had transformed into a pure love between a man and a woman. They two truly loved each other and had relied on each other to survive disaster after disaster. When Lu Qing''er heard Li Luo''s words, she said softly, "The two of you truly belong to one another." Li Luo fell silent, not responding. There were many people with multiple wives and concubines, and it wasn''t rare at all to see such a thing in the Heavenly Emperor bloodlines. Alas, the love between him and Jiang Qing''e did not have space for a third. Furthermore, she didn''t have an ordinary background eithershe was the young mistress of Golden Dragon Mountain''s Lu family. Her background was no worse than the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. How could he possibly be able to take advantage of all the good things in this world? The light footsteps of the two reverberated throughout the corridor. A while later, Lu Qing''er then continued, "Li Luo, you don''t have to worry. I''ve hidden these feelings for so many years only to explain to you how I felt. I''m not looking for any kind of conclusion. I just want to cleanse my heart from this. In the future, I will inherit the Permafrost Sacred Seed from the Lu family. This Sacred Seed has the power to freeze one''s heart, and once I succeed, my emotions will be sealed away. At that point, we will truly only be friends." Li Luo''s heart was shaken, and he turned to look at Lu Qing''er. A small smile hung on the corners of her red lips, but the emotions in her eyes seemed to be gradually fading away. That sense of alienation between them strengthened. "The reason why I came to the Celestial Mirror Pagoda was because I wished to help you one last time. Thus, if you have anything you need from me, I''ll do my best to assist you. Treat it as..." Lu Qing''er''s beautiful face revealed a smile akin to a lotus blooming in winter. "Treat it as my thanks to you for personally teaching me that very first resonance art in Southwind Academy all those years ago." At that point in time, numerous youths who had not awakened their resonances had sought Li Luo to have him teach them how to utilize resonance arts. After all, he had demonstrated talent so frightening that even the mentors there had asked him to give them a hand. Lu Qing''er was one of the people who had received his guidance. It was a time filled with simple feelings. A young, handsome man paired with his confident smile had patiently guided his peers. He was the first to enrapture this young girl''s heart like a glimmering ray of light shining upon her, dazzling her and causing her to fall in love. Ever since then, he never left her heart. Lu Qing''er stopped, pushed open the room to her door, and stepped in. "This is my room." Lu Qing''er gave a wry smile and began to close the door gradually. As the gap shrunk, Li Luo''s shining figure seemed to fade away. When the door closed behind her, it was as though her entire heart had become fully enveloped by frost. At the same time, Li Luo could hear her whispering. "Li Luo, it''s been a while since we last met, but..." She paused. "This is goodbye." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 1444: Four Knights and Eighteen Heroes Over the next three days, Li Luo didn''t step out. He remained within the tower to cultivate, to prepare as best he could for the battles ahead. During that period of time, Celestial Mirror City''s atmosphere became much more boisterous as more and more squads arrived, pushing things to a crescendo.All of the different powers'' peak prodigies from the ten divine continents were present. It was an extremely rare event. Whoever could stand out in this pack would undoubtedly become famous throughout the world. It was an incredible opportunity to gain fame. Some began to discuss just how many Celestial Mirror Knight titles would be earned this time. Only those who stood out exceptionally during the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange would be given the title. This was the highest honor that could be earned in the Academic Federation. There were many Kings in the Academic Federation, and the majority of them were once Celestial Mirror Knights themselves. Thus, many treated those who earned this title as potential Kings. And amongst that ranking, there was a particular group that attracted everyone''s attention. They were known as the Four Knights and Eighteen Heroes. The Four Knights were special because if nothing out of the ordinary happened, these four individuals would become Celestial Mirror Knights. This was because they were all eighth-grade Dukes. They were the strongest individuals who had entered the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, and each came from an ancient college. They were all veteran mentors who had reached the limit of being able to attend this event. Meanwhile, the Eighteen Heroes represented the most exceptional geniuses beneath the four eighth-grade Dukes. The one leading the pack was the Duke of Light, Diwu Mingxuan. Although he was a fifth-grade Duke, he had two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds and was invincible against anyone beneath the eighth-grade. Adding on the fact that he had multiple trump cards, it was said that he would not be at a disadvantage even if he were to challenge the Four Knights. Another individual worthy of mention was Jiang Qing''e. She had entered the ranks of the Eighteen Heroes. Furthermore, she was the youngest one in the group. She was currently a third-grade Duke but had three Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds. This sort of foundation and potential had captivated the crowd''s attention. Many had said that if Jiang Qing''e was able to advance yet another step in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda and obtain a fourth Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried, she might very well have the ability to contest the Four Knights. Even Diwu Mingxuan''s title of the Duke of Light could end up being taken away. Of course, although most people agreed with this ranking, it didn''t represent everyone. There were still some hidden prodigies that had chosen to bide their time, and unless they found themselves in a critical situation, no one would truly know just how strong they were. In the previous opening of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, there were many such figures who had emerged. However, looking at it from the bigger picture, the Four Knights and Eighteen Heroes represented the most well-known individuals who had entered the Celestial Mirror Pagoda this time around. The atmosphere within Celestial Mirror City seemed to be boiling over on this day, and the desire for battle could be felt in every inch of the city. This was because the battles of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda were about to start. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Celestial Mirror City, East Divine Continent''s Territory The squad from the Astral Sage College had congregated beneath the tower. This was the first time Li Luo had seen Lu Qing''er since their previous conversation, as she hadn''t left her room since. He glanced at her beautiful face, which was covered with a cold aura. She looked utterly calm and didn''t seem depressed in any way. Her lake-like, blue eyes were especially still. That said, he felt a little awkward and didn''t know what to say. Lu Qing''er was the one who took the initiative to ask, "Are we about to leave? I''ve secluded myself to cultivate for the last three days." Li Luo nodded and replied a little uncomfortably, "Oh, that must have been hard work..." Lu Qing''er then gave him a smile. "Li Luo, has your silver tongue ever been at a loss for words before?" He bitterly smiled. "Im just worried you''ll break up with me." Her eyes flickered momentarily and she gave a shallow smile. "That''s not the case. We can still be normal friends. Let''s go." After which, she followed behind Chi Chan and Cao Sheng as the group made their way towards the sage college gathering spot. Li Luo was left behind, looking at her exquisite figure, and he sighed helplessly. Li Hongyou, on the other hand, laughed lightly. "Her attitude does resemble that of a normal friend." Alas, Li Luo felt a little melancholic over this. It was clear that when they were together in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, they had a deep trust in each other, even willing to put their lives in each other''s hands. Yet things had now chilled over and their relationship had become a little strange. "Well, if we''re just going to be normal friends, then so be it. So long as we are still friends," Li Luo replied powerlessly. He began to stride forward and eventually caught up with the people in front. When the Astral Sage College''s squad arrived at the gathering point, they encountered the squads led by Guo Jiufeng, Chen Chi, Wang Xu, and the rest of the sage colleges from the East Divine Continent. "Everyone, the Celestial Mirror Pagoda''s battles will start today. I hope that our continent will be able to achieve a result even better than the previous time. This way, we can go back to our respective colleges with our heads held high," Guo Jiufeng announced as he looked at the assembled groups. All the squads smiled and nodded in agreement. After which, with Guo Jiufeng at the lead, the majority of the squads ascended into the air and soared towards the inner city. Countless streams of light were shooting across the horizon without rest. An hour later, Li Luo and the rest reached the innermost part of Celestial Mirror City. The space here was a little mysterious, with huge green wooden platforms floating in the sky in a distinctive, layered fashion. In the center of the platforms stood a giant tower of light. The void constantly twisted around the tower, reflecting the heavens and the earth. Countless people descended from the skies, landing atop the platforms. The East Divine Continent''s squad under Guo Jiufeng''s lead similarly landed on a platform, one in the outer perimeter. "The Heavenly Domains in the outer area belong to the six outer divine continents," Guo Jiufeng explained to Li Luo and the other newcomers. "When the Academic Federation''s people come to preside, we''ll draw lots and officially begin the battle." "Where''s the battlefield? How do the Domain Traversal Battles occur?" Li Luo asked. "Do you see the tower of light in the center? When the battle officially begins, we''ll all be sucked into it and fight. The five main seats will naturally be the focus of the battles, with the other squads serving as auxiliary backup," Guo Jiufeng answered. If everyone was going to be on the battlefield together, didn''t that mean that the scale would be massive? As this thought went through Li Luo''s mind, he suddenly felt a hint of cold air beside him. Turning his head, he saw Lu Qing''er''s pretty face turning frosty. Her frigid gaze seemed to be focused on something not far away. Following her gaze, he saw a group of people stepping through the air and then landing on their platform. He then focused on the one at the lead. It was a tall young woman with skin as smooth as silk. She was well proportioned with enchanting curves, and her every step seemed to tug on people''s heartstrings. Her sharp, white chin was slightly raised, revealing a pride that could not be concealed. This was an alluring but proud lady. At the same time, her eyebrows resembled Lu Qing''er''s. Li Luo instantly identified her. This seemed to be none other than Lu Qing''er''s older sister, Lu Ruyan. She was obviously quite well-known, as numerous gazes followed her as she walked. Guo Jiufeng, Wang Xu, and the rest had shifting expressions upon seeing her walk towards them. They could all distinctly feel a strong sense of oppression emanating from this woman. Lu Ruyan was strong! Before everyone''s fearful eyes, Lu Ruyan stopped right before Lu Qing''er. Her peach blossom-like eyes, which overflowed with arrogance and charm, indifferently swept past the entire group before landing on Lu Qing''er. "My little sister Qing''er, did you join a squad from an outer divine continent because you''ve abandoned yourself to despair?" Chapter 1445: Lu Ruyan These words caused the rest of the squads to frown. This lady had come walking in with an imposing manner, and it was clear she had no good intentions. And worst of all, it was all directed towards Lu Qing''er.Lu Qing''er''s beautiful eyes were overflowing with frostiness as she glared at the lady. "Lu Ruyan, what do my actions have to do with you?" As Li Luo had guessed, it was none other than Lu Ruyan. When Lu Ruyan heard her words, she pouted and gave a smile. "You''ve lost all your manners ever since you returned from that desolate divine continent. Shouldn''t you at least greet your older sister?" She then swept her eyes over the squad from the Astral Sage College. "I just don''t understand why you willingly gave up the squad your father arranged for you and chose this shabby one from an outer divine continent. Do you think such a squad can protect you? Or could it be that you''ve lost all hope and are choosing to indulge in self-destructive behaviour?" Lu Qing''er''s gaze turned even colder, but she couldn''t be bothered to retort. "Ahem." At this point, Li Luo lightly cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "Hello, elder sister. Could you please not demean the squads from the outer divine continents? We are trying our best here." Lu Ruyan''s charming face morphed into a cold smile and she glared at Li Luo. "Who are you calling elder sister?" Li Luo paused. "Isn''t calling you an aunty inappropriate?" "You!" Lu Ruyan''s gaze turned chilly. This brat was pretty handsome, but his words were coarse, giving rise to her annoyance. "I know you. You must be Li Luo from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. You were the one that ruined my affairs in the Spiritual Resonance Cave." Lu Ruyan smiled coldly when she identified him. "The reason why Lu Qing''er is in the outer divine continent''s squad must be because of you, yes? Let me warn you. This is a Golden Dragon Mountain matter, and you shouldn''t poke your nose where it doesn''t belong. Not even the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li would want to offend Golden Dragon Mountain." Li Luo smiled and shook his head. "I can''t do that. This is my good friend, and if she''s in trouble, I must assist." Lu Qing''er calmly glanced at him. "Lu Ruyan, there''s no need to bicker here. The battle between us will be settled during the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange." Lu Ruyan looked at her playfully and chuckled. "Little sister Qing''er, I don''t see how you can have the confidence to say such brave words when youre merely a first-grade Duke. This isn''t Golden Dragon Mountain. Or could it be that you''re planning to rely on him?" She then glanced at Li Luo. Spiritual lights flew out of her, transforming into six towering Duke Bergfrieds that stood tall in the sky. Roiling energy undulations emanated from them, enveloping the group from the Astral Sage College. Out of the six, the one in the middle was particularly dazzling as it had ten golden pillars! It was a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried! Lu Ruyan wasn''t just a sixth-grade Duke, she actually had a single Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. This foundation was appropriate for a peak genius of Golden Dragon Mountain. "That''s Golden Dragon Mountain''s Lu Ruyan!" "Hehe, she''s such an alluring beauty. She is also one of the Eighteen Heroes and is a popular candidate for the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange." Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "She might just be a sixth-grade Duke, but with the aid of the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried, she''s a match for even seventh-grade Dukes! This can be considered top-tier strength." "It''s no wonder she''s part of the Eighteen Heroes." Many eyes were cast in their direction and an uproar ensued. It was clear that Lu Ruyan had a great reputation in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. When faced with the boundless pressure released from Lu Ruyan, Cao Sheng and the other two mentors were forced backwards. Meanwhile, Li Luo frowned, and two spiritual lights shot into the sky from his body, transforming into two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds. They emanated the aura of perfection and completion, devouring all of the worldly natural energy around them. At the same time, Li Luo took a step forward, resisting the sea of pressure, and stood before Lu Qing''er. Lu Ruyan was ultimately much stronger than Lu Qing''er. Li Luo''s two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds became the new center of attention. "Oh! Two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds?!" "That brat actually has two? Where is he from?" "Isn''t this the outer divine continents territory? How could someone like him be there?" "It''s a good thing he''s just a second-grade Transcendent. Otherwise, he would also be worthy of the title of one of the Eighteen Heroes." The numerous powers were taken aback at this sight. After all, it was extremely rare to see a genius with two such Duke Bergfrieds, even in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. "Second-grade Transcendent? Is this the reason why Lu Qing''er has come to find you?" Lu Ruyan''s alluring eyes squinted. "Perhaps if you were a third-grade Transcendent, I might have felt some fear. However, a second-grade isn''t enough right now." The six Duke Bergfrieds above her began to roar, causing the void to shake as they swallowed up copious amounts of worldly natural energy, forming an indescribable pressure. With this sort of forceful suppression, the energy undulations coming from Li Luo''s Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried were gradually being contained and forced back. It was at this point that Guo Jiufeng gloomily spoke up. "Greetings, friend. This is the gathering point of the East Divine Continent''s sage colleges. I''d kindly like to ask you to take a step back." Li Luo and the rest of them were representatives of the Astral Sage College, and now that all of the East Divine Continent''s sage colleges had gathered here, Lu Ruyan''s domineering actions were simply a slap to their face. After which, he summoned up the six Duke Bergfrieds he had and assisted Li Luo in sharing the burden. However, just as he took action, a Duke stepped up from behind Lu Ruyan. Several Duke Bergfrieds manifested, and the fellow demonstrated power no weaker than Guo Jiufengs. "Hmph. This matter concerns Golden Dragon Mountain. Do the sage colleges of the East Divine Continent wish to interfere?" The Duke shot an unkind glare towards Guo Jiufeng and the rest. Hearing the name Golden Dragon Mountain caused the three vice principals to pause and fear to appear in their eyes. They understood just how grand the opponent was. For a moment, none of them dared to move. Meanwhile, Lu Ruyan had never even looked in the direction of these individuals from start to end. In her eyes, the vice principals of mere outer divine continent sage colleges were not even worth her attention. She looked at Li Luo with a sweet smile. "Li Luo, you are a smart person. Lu Qing''er is not worth your support. If you agree to not interfere, you''ll gain my friendship. Otherwise..." Li Luo sighed helplessly, and the thunder tattoo on the back of his hand flashed, transforming into the Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade. But right at that moment, a bright light bloomed throughout the skies and a torrent of sacred flames poured down from the heavens, capable of purifying everything. It blasted straight towards Lu Ruyan! This sudden and vicious attack caused Lu Ruyan''s smile to freeze. Even she felt a hint of danger coming from the unexpected attack. She didn''t dare to tarrythe six Duke Bergfrieds above her rumbled to life, pouring out incredible amounts of Divine Mist. At the same time, a frigid air that chilled one to the bone directly clashed with the incoming flames. Wild energy shockwaves propagated in every direction and the void shook. Many Dukes in the vicinity were forced to retreat to prevent themselves from being caught up in the blast. Under the gazes of numerous individuals, the sacred flames showed a terrifying purification power that completely disintegrated Lu Ruyan''s icy resonant power. In the end, Lu Ruyan''s saccharine smile was forced to vanish completely. Her fingers were bent together, forming a seal as endless amounts of frigid energy condensed into an icy sword. She swung her sword downwards, causing the void to freeze in its wake, and finally managed to dissolve the radiant sacred flames. That said, Lu Ruyan''s pretty face was no longer as charming before. Then a beautiful figure descended from the skies. Behind her were three Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds that were as bright as the sun. Lu Ruyan immediately recognized her and clenched her teeth. "Jiang Qing''e!" Before everyone''s stunned eyes, the gorgeous figure strode through the light, appearing above their greenwood platform. Her gorgeous, golden eyes, which seemed to contain immeasurable mysteries and depth, calmly looked at Lu Ruyan. A biting voice rang out. "Is your friendship such a rare commodity?" Chapter 1446: Husband and Wife Tag Team As Jiang Qing''e''s cool voice reverberated around the area, the shocked gazes of everyone present were directed towards her. "That''s the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Jiang Qing''e!" "I heard that the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College produced a holy goddess who was sacred, pure, and unparalleled in beauty. Now that I''ve seen her for myself, she truly is worthy of her reputation!" "Why is she butting in? Does she have some connection with that brat?" Lu Ruyan''s appearance had already drawn a lot of attention, but with Jiang Qing''e joining the fray, the gathering point of the East Divine Continent''s sage colleges had turned into the center of attraction! Furthermore, Jiang Qing''e had taken action directly against Lu Ruyan! One had to know that both were proud women who were part of the Eighteen Heroes. They were already exceptionally popular and talked about and thus, their sudden clash attracted everyone''s eyes. It was almost like the precursor to the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange. Thus, even those on the inner divine continent platforms were closely observing the situation. In the centermost and one of the largest greenwood platforms, a man surrounded by many like stars around a moon stood there with a tall body and an unordinary disposition. He looked heroic with eyebrows like swords and eyes that shone with an overbearing light. At the same time, an aura of light radiated from him, adding to his dazzling brilliance. There were countless young and attractive ladies who were staring at him with idolizing eyes, full of admiration. However, it wasn''t only females that were looking at him. Around him were also several male geniuses who constantly fawned over him in awe. After all, this outstanding individual was none other than Diwu Mingxuan. He was the Duke of Light, another one of the Eighteen Heroes. At this moment, Diwu Mingxuan''s focus was on the beautiful girl who had just stepped into the conflict, and he exclaimed, "Why has Jiang Qing''e taken action!?" Amongst the numerous prodigies in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, the one he cared most about was Jiang Qing''e, even taking the initiative to reach out to her. After all, she was simply too exceptional. Her brilliance caused even ordinary individuals to feel ashamed, unable to stand before her. At the same time, it caused talented individuals to flock to her. This was only normal. The more resplendent the halo, the more others sought it. In these few months since she had arrived and outshone everyone, who knew just how many had been captivated by her. Diwu Mingxuan was no exception, but his heart was full of complicated feelings. On the one hand, he appreciated her abilities, but on the other hand, he felt fear. This fear came from the fact that they were both walking the same path, to control light itself. Jiang Qing''e''s talent surpassed his, and although he didn''t fear her right now, his title as the Duke of Light would be at stake if she were to continue down the Path of Ascension. However, it wasn''t because she would attempt to steal the title from him. Instead, if one day Jiang Qing''e actually surpassed him, he wouldn''t dare to actually refer to himself as such any longer! Thus, Diwu Mingxuan held conflicting feelings towards her, constantly observing her closely. A lady beside Diwu Mingxuan with long fiery hair, fair skin, and a face as radiant as the full moon commented casually, "It seems that that youth has a good relationship with her." Her name was Zhen Yan, a senior mentor from the Divine Sun Ancient College. Her strength was respectable, but she had yet to enter the ranks of the Eighteen Heroes. That said, she was a seventh-grade Duke. Zhen Yan was reputed within her ancient college and had many suitors. However, her gaze was focused on something much higher: Diwu Mingxuan. This caused many of the other mentors within her college to feel secretly depressed. Diwu Mingxuan smiled when he heard her, though he didn''t reply. However, he swept his gaze past Li Luo momentarily before focusing on the two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds above him. "A second-grade Transcendent. He has surprising amounts of talent and potential. It looks like yet another tiger has chosen to borrow the name of an outer divine continents sage college," Diwu Mingxuan said. He did not look down on Li Luo simply because he was garbed in an outer divine continent sage college''s uniform. The fact that he was a second-grade Transcendent Duke meant that no one in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda would look upon him with disdain. Everyone understood that this achievement alone already demonstrated his worth. Even he, the renowned Duke of Light, had two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds when he had reached the Fifth Duke Stage. In fact, if they were to judge how perfectly he had advanced on the Path of Ascension, the young man called Li Luo had already shown greater promise than him. "A second-grade Transcendent is uncommon, but it doesn''t mean he will go any further. Perhaps he will diverge from perfection by the time he forges his third Duke Bergfried," Zhen Yan said in an attempt to console him. These weren''t nonsensical words. After all, the requirements to forge a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried were immense. While such geniuses had been seen at the Divine Sun Ancient College before, few had managed to go further. Transcendent Dukes were only beneath Heavenly Emperors and thus, it was an incredibly arduous path to walk. Diwu Mingxuan smiled, not commenting further. He then turned his attention towards Jiang Qing''e, and a look of undisguised appreciation appeared in his eyes. Jiang Qing''e was wreathed in light as she descended from the skies. Her incomparable beauty combined with the light flowing off her body gave her a sacred appearance. Her deep, golden eyes exuded a unique charm that made her resemble a holy maiden, mysterious and untainted. Her long hair was tied up in a high ponytail, held in place by the Sacred Crown of Thorns, which gave her both a cool and majestic air. The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s mentor''s uniform, which was etched with gold threads, outlined her exquisite figure and slender legs, giving her an otherworldly appearance. Everyone''s eyes were drawn towards this perfect individual. Lu Ruyan''s charming smile had vanished, and she glared at Jiang Qing''e in fury. "Jiang Qing''e, there is no enmity between us, so why are you interfering?" Jiang Qing''e indifferently replied, "Did you not know that I am from this sage college?" Lu Ruyan frowned. Just who would know of such insignificant facts? Besides, Jiang Qing''e was participating under the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. "Furthermore..." Jiang Qing''e''s eyes turned cold. "We might have had no enmity before, but since you took action against him, you''ve sown new enmity with me." Lu Ruyan paused and looked at Li Luo before turning back to Jiang Qing''e with a frown. "What does he have to do with you?" Jiang Qing''e paused. She wanted to answer, but she was worried that it would undoubtedly stir trouble for Li Luo if she announced it in a situation like this. Thus, she gave Li Luo a look, and he responded with a smile. Only then did she feel at ease. The corners of her lips turned up into a smile. Then she declared, "Does the fact that we''re husband and wife count?" It was no longer as simple as an engagement any longer. They were truly a pair, and Jiang Qing''e didn''t wish to hide this fact. It wasn''t some sort of unspeakable secret after all. Her words were like the start of a tsunami, the heavy revelation crashing out towards everyone around them. Everyone was completely flabbergasted. Even Lu Ruyan was dazed for a few moments. It was unbelievable. Jiang Qing''e was actually Li Luo''s wife? What sort of bombshell explanation was this? This was especially so for the males from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Their eyes turned dark. The moment Jiang Qing''e entered the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, she became a holy goddess within their hearts, both by virtue of her talent and excellence. Alas, she had now announced this shocking news in public. Impossible! It had to be a lie! Everyone was shaking their heads, unable to accept this fact. At the same time, some even thought that they were hallucinating. Meanwhile, on the Divine Sun Ancient College''s side, even Diwu Mingxuan''s usual, heroic face looked stumped, and he couldn''t help but to narrow his eyes. The uproar continued to spread across the field. Lu Ruyan gradually recomposed herself and her charming eyes flickered. She then said, "So that is the reason. It seems I''ve made a mistake. However, I''m not trying to target Li Luo. I''m merely trying to educate my useless younger sister. Since you and Li Luo are a couple, then you understand why you shouldn''t interfere in someone else''s family matters. Doing that would be a little inappropriate, no?" Jiang Qing''e glanced at the familiar figure behind Li Luo and said calmly, "I don''t think there is anything inappropriate with what I''m doing. I''ll support him in whatever he wishes." Lu Ruyan''s eyebrows rose slightly and she was about to speak. However, Lu Qing''er suddenly stepped forward. At this point in time, her eyes were icy-blue and an indescribably cold air emanated from her body. It was as though a world made of ice had awakened and was about to manifest. She then said to Lu Ruyan, "Lu Ruyan, if you don''t wish to lose the strength to ascend the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, then I''d advise you to keep quiet." Lu Ruyan''s eyes shrunk as she glared back at her. "What big words!" However, at this point in time, a sense of unease welled up within her. Lu Qing''er was emanating a sense of danger. "That is the Permafrost Sacred Seed!" Lu Ruyan''s hands clenched into fists and her heart turned gloomy. As someone from the Lu family, she was clear of its power. The question here was, why was she able to utilize it at will? Was she borrowing the tiger''s might to scare her? Her gaze flickered as these thoughts ran through her mind. In the end, she loosened her grip and her fists unclenched. There was no need to gamble here. If Lu Qing''er was putting her life on the line before the Celestial Mirror Pagoda even began, then she would definitely be at a loss. Thus, Lu Ruyan coldly snorted, flicked her sleeves, and turned to leave. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Lu Qing''er, just wait for me!" Chapter 1447: Reminiscence and Sharing After Lu Ruyan retreated with her cronies, the hubbub died down. That said, numerous surprised gazes still lingered on Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. Jiang Qing''e''s reputation in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda had been resounding for the past few months. On top of that, her third-grade Transcendent cultivation was eye-catching. That coupled with her otherworldly temperament and appearance had made her the secret topic of discussion among basically everyone. There were even some self-confident and exceptional talents with outstanding backgrounds who had attempted to get closer to her to earn her favor and improve their relationship. Unfortunately, regardless of what methods they employed, they failed to earn even a moment of her attention, which had greatly frustrated them.Now that they heard of her relationship to Li Luo, they finally understood. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This flower already possessed an owner. In addition, they weren''t just dating, they were already married! Numerous men felt a deep sourness in their hearts. How could Li Luo have been favored by this exceptional woman? Their jealous eyes turned towards him, filled with questions and scrutiny. Wasn''t looks all that this brat had going for him? In terms of talent... a second-grade Transcendent? Huh? He was this young and yet had such exceptional talent. It was shocking. Their gazes gradually turned bitter. What they had hoped to see was someone who could not match up with her. Only then could they feel a warped sense of satisfaction in their hearts, but the truth was uncomfortable. Damn it! This guy was amazing too! Although being a second-grade Transcendent didn''t make him unbeatable in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, it demonstrated Li Luo''s potential and worth. Given time, he could not be underestimated, even if his third Duke Bergfried wasn''t a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. Even Diwu Mingxuan only had two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds! If he was able to exceed expectations and obtain yet another Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried, he would be able to match up to Jiang Qing''e as a third-grade Transcendent! In the end, the envious gazes dispersed. They realized that even in this gathering of the cream of the crop, those who could match Li Luo were few and far between. Li Luo himself had sensed the changing looks towards him, and he felt a hint of superiority. It looked as though even Jiang Qing''e''s blazing light could not overshadow him completely anymore. His efforts had not gone to waste. As he relished in his temporary limelight, Jiang Qing''e retracted her resonant power and approached Li Luo. A gentle fragrance wafted over and a smile appeared on her gorgeous face. "Not bad, you''ve regained your second-grade cultivation. It looks like the time spent in seclusion was not wasted." Li Luo looked at the girl before him, who overflowed with a divine aura like a goddess, and grinned. "It''s been half a year since we last saw each other. Did you miss me?" Jiang Qing''e glared at him. Ever since their relationship had taken a step forward, this brat seemed to have gained newfound courage. If it were before, he would never have dared to talk like this. Jiang Qing''e nodded. "I did." Li Luo was a little surprised. He hadn''t expected her to reply to his teasing so bluntly. After all, she would have completely ignored him in the past. He licked his lips and took in the sight of her, a heat rising within his heart. However, she immediately looked past him, focusing on Lu Qing''er. "Junior Qing''er, it''s been a while." Lu Qing''er replied lightly, "It has been many years, Senior Jiang. Your radiance continues to dazzle everyone. I have to thank you for your assistance." When Jiang Qing''e sensed the flowing chill coming from her, a look of surprise flickered through her eyes. The ice resonant power she was emitting was incomparably pure. This meant that her ice resonance was of a high grade, which meant that Lu Qing''er had advanced yet again. "Junior Qing''er, you are far too courteous. President Yu always took good care of us in the Xia Kingdom, and seeing that you''re travelling with Li Luo yet again, I naturally could not just stand by," Jiang Qing''e continued. Lu Qing''er calmly replied, "Senior Jiang, you are mistaken. I''m merely joining the Astral Sage College''s squad." She then nodded before lowering her eyes slightly and making her way towards the back of the group. Jiang Qing''e was taken aback by her actions. Unlike that blockhead Li Luo, she had known that Lu Qing''er had feelings for Li Luo since their time in the Astral Sage College. In fact, Lu Qing''er had once confronted her over this. Thinking back, her reaction was kind of cute. So how had things changed to the point that she even seemed distant from Li Luo? Jiang Qing''e turned her head and glanced suspiciously at him. "What? The young mistress of Golden Dragon Mountain no longer fancies you?" Li Luo didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry as he replied helplessly, "I only told her of the relationship between us." Jiang Qing''e fell silent before slowly saying, "That''s a little too cruel. House Luolan doesn''t lack empty rooms." "Stop with the superfluous words...." Li Luo unhappily replied. She then changed the topic. "How did you end up with the Astral Sage College''s squad?" Li Luo then explained the Astral Sage College''s situation to her. "I had not expected their situation to worsen." Jiang Qing''e frowned upon hearing this. She did have some affection for the Astral Sage College, and furthermore, when House Luolan was in danger, she had borrowed their might to frighten their opponents. Only then were her opponents put on guard, unwilling to deal with her directly. Otherwise, any of those Dukes could have made a move on her before she had matured, and she would have been hard-pressed to survive. "It''s a pity I couldn''t represent the Astral Sage College. If I could, we would be together," Jiang Qing''e said with a hint of pity. She had officially joined the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College as a student to cultivate and was not in the same set of circumstances as Li Luo. If she insisted on joining him, she would bring unnecessary trouble to them. "It''s alright. I alone should be enough. After all, the battles between the outer divine continent sage colleges aren''t as intense as the ancient colleges," Li Luo said with a smile. Jiang Qing''e sighed. "That said, the rewards fought over by the outer divine continents are a bit too small. When it comes to it, the amount of Celestial Mirror Sand you can obtain will not be enough. Knowing you, you''re definitely looking for a perfect breakthrough." "It seems you understand me best." Li Luo beamed. Jiang Qing''e glanced at him with an amused look in her deep, golden eyes. "So I suppose your goal will be the Sand Seizing Battles?" Li Luo nodded solemnly. "I''m hoping you will carry me along, Sister Qing''e." The Sand Seizing Battles had the winner-takes-it-all rule. It was incredibly merciless, but the higher the stakes, the better the reward. With how small the outer divine continents allocation was, even if Li Luo contributed the most, the amount of Celestial Mirror Sand he would receive would be nowhere near sufficient. At this point in time, he needed a teammate with abundant capital. Jiang Qing''e understood this point and nodded slightly. It looked like she would have to work a little harder in the Domain Traversal Battles and help Li Luo out a little. "Oh, yes." Jiang Qing''e suddenly piped up. "I''ve managed to obtain some information on the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art." Li Luo immediately snapped to attention and his eyes lit up. Seeing his reaction caused her to smile sweetly. "As expected, I found some information on it." Chapter 1448: Thirty Fourth Layers Ancient Altar "the greater acquired resonance godly forging art!" li luo''s gaze turned feverish as he looked at jiang qing''e. his primary goal in the celestial mirror pagoda was precisely that. that art was the only method that could resolve the issue of his fourth blank palace. unfortunately, the celestial mirror pagoda was filled with secrets and was very large, so he didn''t know where to start. thus, the information jiang qing''e had was a pleasant surprise.jiang qing''e reached out and grabbed li luo''s hand, getting closer to him in full view of everyone. after which, a barrier of light resonant power erupted, completely covering them and blocking out any prying eyes. her unabashed appearance attracted both attention and heartbreak from the crowd. "when i came to the celestial mirror pagoda, i received permission from my mentor to peruse some historical information. unfortunately, even after going through the records, i was unable to find any information on the greater acquired resonance godly forging art. it is particularly secretive and has never been seen here. i raised hints of it to my mentor, but she had not heard of it either," jiang qing''e said. li luo nodded. from what he knew, the greater acquired resonance godly forging art was something only the sect leader of the sacred void resonance sect could cultivate, and it was created for the express purpose of the absolute resonance seed. others were not capable of learning it. such a heaven-defying art would definitely be stored away in the most secretive locations and would not be easily found. jiang qing''e''s eyes revealed a look of contemplation as she explained, "after flipping through information for a long time, i was unable to find even a single trace of the greater acquired resonance godly forging art. however, i managed to obtain some clues by chance." li luo started to listen carefully. "i found some clues in an ancient jade tablet. there was once a shocking genius who managed to reach the thirty-fourth layer of the celestial mirror pagoda. within it was an ancient altar, and he tried to activate it but failed. in the end, he could only leave regretfully, but he left records of what he saw. when i examined the symbols on the ancient altar, i had a hunch that the greater acquired resonance godly forging art could be found there." li luo was surprised. "the thirty-fourth layer? in the last hundred years, the highest anyone has gone was the thirty-third layer." he frowned. based on what he knew, reaching that point was extremely difficult, and rising above it to get to the thirty-fourth layer was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. "it''s worth a try." jiang qing''e wasn''t discouraged by the information, and her beautiful eyes shone with confidence. "with the two of us joining hands, the thirty-fourth layer is achievable." li luo nodded before he suddenly asked, "why do you feel that the symbols on the ancient altar are related to the greater acquired resonance godly forging art?" even within the records of the academic federation, there had never been any records of it, which meant that kings and heavenly emperors did not have much understanding of it. however, jiang qing''e had felt a hunch that that was the place to go. thus, he found it very curious. jiang qing''e paused and then her head. "i don''t really know. it''s just a feeling." li luo pondered over this revelation. if one thought about it carefully, it wasn''t inconceivable. furthermore, jiang qing''e had been taken out of the sacred void resonance sect by tantai lan and li taixuan. she definitely didn''t have an ordinary identity and it was possible that she was an actual descendent of the sect master. thus, it was very possible that her intuition was right. "it looks like we''ll have to take a trip to the thirty-fourth layer." li luo grinned. they had found a clue after much searching. whether it was true or not, he had to give it a shot. otherwise, he would never be able to resolve the issue of his fourth blank palace. "this is a very important clue. it must have been tough on you," li luo said gently. tantai lan had only recently returned, and jiang qing''e would naturally have wanted to stay by her side. however, for the sake of helping li luo, she reluctantly chose to depart and went to the celestial mirror pagoda alone. her selfless actions had moved him to no end. her golden eyes watched him as she unhappily replied, "there''s no need to stretch out your grubby hands every time you say touching words. they have a better effect if you dont." she looked at her slender hand, which was being held by li luo. his fingers were unintentionally, or perhaps intentionally, stroking her skin. li luo sternly replied, "is this completely inappropriate, considering that we are husband and wife?" that said, he reluctantly let go of her jade-like hand. the corners of her lips lifted slightly before going back to normal, then she continued explaining. "after advancing through the first thirty layers of the celestial mirror pagoda''s heavenly domains, the rest are related to the celestial mirror martial exchange. only the peak experts are qualified to participate, and the domain traversal battles are simply a screening and preparation for it. at the same time, it is an excellent opportunity for you as well. if you''re able to seize it, you might be able to advance yet another step and become a third-grade transcendent. if you can do that, we won''t have to fear anyone within the celestial mirror pagoda if we join hands." li luo sighed. "it''s incredibly difficult to make a perfect breakthrough. perhaps it''s even harder than attaining the title of celestial mirror knight." whenever the celestial mirror pagoda opened, people were appointed the title of celestial mirror knight. even though the number was few, it was still more common than the perfect breakthrough that was said to come with the aid of celestial mirror sand. even so, he would do his best to achieve it. as the two continued their intimate conversation, the skies suddenly rumbled with a huge wave of energy. everyone immediately saw four people piercing through the air in the distance. when they appeared, shocking amounts of resonant power undulations radiated from them like a hurricane, causing a mighty pressure to bear down on the entire area. this immediately caused the chatter within the crowd to end, and things fell silent. the numerous prodigies present had shifting expressions, including the seventh-grade dukes that were known as seedling candidates. fear could be seen welling up within their eyes. "what mighty pressure." li luo was also taken aback as he looked at the newcomers. those are the four knights. they are the strongest individuals in the celestial mirror pagoda this time around and are all eighth-grade dukes. if we wish to reach the thirty-fourth layer, they will be our biggest impediments," jiang qing''e explained. li luo''s gaze turned abstruse and he sighed in his heart. it wouldn''t be a walk in the park after all. eighth-grade dukes were on par with qin lian. the fact that he had managed to kill her in the past was due to numerous circumstances aligning perfectly. it would be almost impossible to do it again.furthermore, he couldn''t destroy another ten-pillar golden duke bergfried. when he raised his head, he saw the looks of awe that filled the crowd as the four people gradually became clear. the most eye-catching one was a tall woman equipped with soft, golden armor. her silver hair was like a waterfall cascading down her back and her eyes were as bright as stars. her close-fitting armor accentuated her well-endowed body, truly making her a sight to behold. in her hand was a long, golden spear, giving one the impression that she was an undefeatable goddess of war. behind the woman was a petite girl. her familiar black-and-white hood along with the bamboo cup in her hand revealed her identity as none other than ning meng, a friend from the fifth minor earthly branch realm. "her name is sheng qiao''er, a senior mentor of the hallowed coruscation ancient college. she has a quasi ninth-grade light resonance and a lower ninth-grade metal resonance. she is extremely competitive and always wants to be the strongest in the room. do you know her mantra?" jiang qing''e asked. sarch* the novlf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. li luo shook his head. "friendship comes second," jiang qing''e said with a smile. li luo''s smile faded. this meant that the only thing that mattered to her was winning. she definitely had a strong personality. "the green-robed man on her right is known as lin ju. he''s from the heavenly origin ancient college and has a lower ninth-grade wood resonance and a quasi ninth-grade earth resonance," jiang qing''e said. "lower ninth-grade wood resonance and quasi ninth-grade earth resonance?" li luo''s gaze flickered. this was identical to his second resonance. he looked curiously at this individual who was meticulously dressed with not even a hair out of place. it was as if he had carefully arranged each and every strand. clearly, he was fastidious. he didn''t seem particularly handsome, but he exuded a slightly withdrawn temperament. his expression seemed indifferent and he looked like someone who preferred to stick to keep to himself. "lin ju has a withdrawn personality and doesn''t like to interact with others. if you meet him later, you can chop at him with a blade, but you can''t touch him with your hands. otherwise, he might lose his mind. everyone in heavenly origin ancient college knows that mentor lin ju''s favorite phrase is please maintain a sense of boundaries," jiang qing''e explained. li luo''s lips twitched slightly. someone who''d rather be chopped at with a sword than to be physically touched was indeed quite the individual. "what about that one?" he then glanced at the third individual, a burly man with an oppressive figure. his ferocious expression was cold and thunder energy seemed to be contained within his gaze. "that is zhou jun from the mythical spirit ancient college. he has a lower ninth-grade thunder resonance and a quasi ninth-grade two-headed thunder diao resonance. the last one is song jing, a mentor from the divine sun ancient college. he has a lower ninth-grade fire resonance and a quasi ninth-grade golden crow resonance." li luo then looked at the man known as song jing. he had a handsome face and held a crimson fan in one hand. the fan seemed to flow with flames and caused the void to distort from the sheer heat. "that person is insidious. whenever he fights with others and defeats them, he leaves behind a derogatory remark." "and what would that be?" "i''m just a newbie." li luo''s eyelids twitched. it was clear that each and every one of them was unique and talented in their own way... and so these were the four knights? they weren''t simple in any way! he let out a sigh. as he did so, the person who had attracted the most attention, the most outstanding one, sheng qiao''er, looked at him with her beautiful eyes. she immediately descended before the two of them. li luo was shocked by this and sighed deep inside. it seemed that it was impossible to hide his inevitable charm. even this unfamiliar woman was attracted by his light. however, just as this thought ran through his mind, sheng qiao''er immediately pointed her spear towards him and asked in an unkind tone, are you the brat who stole my wife?" li luo''s smile instantly froze. Chapter 1449: Sheng Qiaoer "huh?"when faced with the sudden words from the lady from the hallowed coruscation ancient college, li luo was left in a daze for several moments and he was unable to react. when li luo finally came to, jiang qing''er had a look of helplessness on her fair and flawless face. "mentor qiao''er, please stop messing with li luo." "ha... you''re actually protecting him. it must be true love." sheng qiao''er pouted and retracted her spear. jiang qing''e glanced at li luo and introduced her. "mentor qiao''er often guided me when i was cultivating in the hallowed coruscation ancient college, so our relationship isnt bad. she likes to joke around, so don''t mind her." "qing''e, is our relationship merely not bad?" qiao''er feigned a hurt look. at this point, ning meng walked out from behind her, clutching her bamboo cup. she said in a lazy voice, "mentor qiao''er, you''re no longer young. stop acting so childishly." sheng qiao''er glared angrily at ning meng. "who''s not young? do you even know how to speak? are you looking to die?!" ning meng completely ignored her and looked at li luo with some shock. "li luo, you''re pretty impressive. you''ve actually become a second-grade transcendent." he was merely at the greater heavenly resonance tier when they first met in the fifth minor earthly branch realm. it had been barely two years since, and he had become a second-grade duke, with two ten-pillar golden duke bergfrieds to boot. in terms of talent, he wasn''t jiang qing''e''s inferior. "senior ning meng, you praise me too much," li luo said with a grin. "might you have reached the second duke stage as well?" he could sense majestic undulations of resonant power coming from her, and they were no weaker than those of the fourth-grade chi chan. "mhm. i''m a second-grade duke now." she then chewed on her straw. "however, im not as great as you. i''ve only gotten one ten-pillar golden duke bergfried." li luo paused. her words made sense. the fact that her energy undulations as a second-grade duke were no weaker than those of an average fourth-grade duke was precisely because of the ten-pillar golden duke bergfried. her middle ninth-grade light chaser beast resonance was the highest-grade resonance that li luo had seen with the exception of jiang qing''e and king stage experts. when she broke through in the fifth minor earthly branch realm, her first duke bergfried was a nine-pillar, but it didn''t mean that her foundation was insufficient. it was simply that her preparations at that point werent adequate, considering the location. now that she had been bitterly cultivating within the celestial mirror pagoda, she was naturally able to obtain a ten pillar. "li luo, what tasty thing are you hiding on your body?" ning meng curiously asked as she sized him up. li luo paused. "did you happen to bring a delicious bamboo shoot snack? i can smell the scent of heavenly thunder bamboo. is that a gift for me?" ning meng licked her lips and revealed her adorable, tiger-like teeth. the beast liked things affiliated with the light and enjoyed eating spirit bamboo. the heavenly thunder bamboo in particular could be considered the peak of spirit bamboos. li luo hurriedly shook his head. "this heavenly thunder bamboo shoot is extremely important to me. i can''t give it to you." ning meng looked a little disappointed, but she could sense that the heavenly thunder bamboo shoot wasn''t ordinary. its alluring fragrance was something she had not smelled before, but since it was very important to li luo, she wouldn''t ask for it again. "the heavenly thunder bamboo shoot in your hands seems to have very weak life force. the light chaser beast is great at raising bamboo, so if you need help, you can ask me," ning meng said. li luo was a little surprised. the light chaser beast even knew how to raise bamboo? that was quite curious. could it be that it enjoyed spirit bamboo so much that it took great effort in growing it? however, he kept ning meng''s offer in mind. after all, the growth of the heavenly thunder bamboo shoot would directly determine whether or not li jingzhe could be reborn. both sides continued talking for a while. when jiang qing''e saw that it was almost time, she said, "li luo, the celestial mirror pagoda''s trial is about to start. we will have to leave to get ready. although you''re within the outer divine continents territories, you will have to deal with some seventh-grade duke experts. you can''t underestimate them." li luo grinned and nodded. "you can relax. i want to see if my trump cards will allow me to challenge a seventh-grade duke on my own." sea??h th novl?ire.n(e)t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "oh? you''re that confident? even jiang qing''e, a third-grade transcendent, has to take out all her cards to challenge a seventh-grade duke. don''t you think you''re lacking a bit of firepower?" sheng qiao''er asked in amusement, raising her sword-like eyebrows. she didn''t doubt his abilities or his talent, but the gap between him and a seventh-grade duke was a massive chasm. the way she saw it, his confidence was as good as embarrassing himself. a transcendent overcoming a gap of three grades was normal, but li luo planned to overcome a gap of five grades! at the very least, these words would be more fitting if he was a third-grade transcendent. "i''m just going to try it out. if i can''t, i''ll leave it to the vice principals of the east divine continent." li luo didn''t feel a need to bicker with sheng qiao''er. after all, the mere thought of it was ludicrous and he himself felt that it would be a little too difficult. sheng qiao''er shrugged. "if you can really exchange blows with a seventh-grade duke and not lose, you will send shockwaves throughout the world." jiang qing''e then turned towards chi chan, cao sheng, mi er, and the rest and greeted them. she then glanced at lu qing''er, who had not spoken a word, and left with sheng qiao''er, ning meng, and the rest, back towards the platform for her college. upon leaving, the numerous curious gazes also dispersed. li luo wasn''t concerned with the looks of the outsiders and returned to his squad. he then looked at the beautiful but cool lu qing''er and asked carefully, "are you alright?" he felt a slight headache coming. meeting an old friend was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but it had turned out to be incredibly awkward instead. he simply didn''t know how to react. lu qing''er looked at li luo. the cautiousness he was showing made her gaze flicker momentarily and her thoughts began to wander, then she finally sighed. she couldn''t blame li luo for how things had turned out. everything had been wishful thinking from the very beginning. since her personality had been affected by the permafrost sacred seed, she had finally seen through the fog. however, this wouldn''t go on for much longer. when the permafrost sacred seed was completely unsealed, her emotions would all be frozen and she would no longer have any stray thoughts. that said, they could still be friends. friends without any unnecessary emotions between them. thus, there was no need to make li luo feel any discomfort in her presence at this last juncture. after all, he had to focus on the powerful opponents before him. with this in mind, a faint but cold smile surfaced on her gorgeous face as she met li luo''s eyes. "i''m fine. you can relax and focus on your goals. i''ll assist you." li luo was speechless, because she sounded like she was settling her final affairs. at this point, a loud bell chime reverberated throughout the skies and filled every corner of celestial mirror city. anticipation welled up in everyone''s eyes. this bell signified that the celestial mirror pagoda''s trials were officially starting! Chapter 1450: Meeting Wang Xuanjin Again the ancient and melodious chimes of the bell shook the heavens and the earth, setting off a wave of ripples through the void. a gigantic golden platform, a hundred thousand feet wide, appeared in the sky. at the top of it were three thrones with a person seated on each one. all three radiated a terrifying pressure. boundless amounts of energy surged up like a tide as they breathed, rushing through the world at their beckoning."kings!" despite the incomparable sense of suppression coming from them, li luo remained completely calm. after all, kings didn''t possess any sort of unattainable or unreachable mystery or majesty in his eyes. "that is..." at this point, he realized that the individual sitting in the middle of the three was someone familiar. this middle-aged man had a refined and cultured appearance. in his hand was a bronze ruler, and a golden gourd hung from his waist. his gaze was electrifying; just a casual look caused one to shake. "that''s the heavenly origin ancient college''s principal, wang xuanjin!" vice principal guo jiufeng said in a low voice. so it turned out that wang xuanjin was the person who had spoken to them in the fifth minor earthly branch realm. he had never actually seen him in person. this was a true triple crowned king! on his left was a golden-robed man who wielded a golden jade seal. his expression was serene and authoritative, much like an actual emperor. to his right was something that surprised li luo. after all, it was not a human, but rather a lazily coiled white python. its scales were like white jade and there seemed to be some ancient runes etched into each and every one. however, the energy undulations that it emitted made it clear it was a king stage existence as well. its green vertical pupils were filled with wisdom and warm colors. although it had the form of a python, its gaze gave one the sense of a demure and quiet lady. the three individuals who had appeared in the sky drew the respectful gazes of everyone within the celestial mirror pagoda. this was met with a respectful greeting. "everyone, i am heavenly origin ancient college''s principal, wang xuanjin." wang xuanjin revealed a warm expression as his gaze swept through the crowd, capable of seeing through everyone with his deep eyes. he then pointed towards the golden jade seal-wielding man and smiled. "this is an elder of the academic federation, elder jin xi." the man nodded. "this is elder bai yu." wang xuanjin then gestured at the giant white jade python, which then opened its mouth. but instead of hearing the hisses of a snake, a human''s warm voice came out. "we''ll be the ones hosting and organizing the trials of this opening of the celestial mirror pagoda. i hope everyone can demonstrate their abilities to the fullest and continue to strengthen our federation." at this point, everyone hurriedly showed their agreement. "with three kings hosting, one being a triple crowned king, it shows that the academic federation has clearly put in a lot of effort into this." li luo sighed in his heart. this line-up was almost equivalent to the entire top-tier power of the bloodline of heavenly emperor li. as expected of the academic federation, a power unmatched in the ten divine continents. "everyone, i''m sure you know of the rules of the celestial mirror pagoda''s trials. the domain traversal battles have been split into three regions. as per the rules, everyone will draw lots to pick their opponents." wang xuanjin waved his sleeves, and three motes of light fell from the skies, each one falling onto the four ancient colleges, the inner divine continent sage colleges, and the outer divine continent sage colleges respectively. the lights transformed into three gigantic bamboo tubes, and sticks of light serving as lots to be drawn were flashing inside them. li luo looked at the bamboo tube that had landed before the outer divine continent sage colleges and then saw people slowly ascending into the skies on the huge, greenwood platform not far away. those were the chosen representatives of the other five outer divine continents sage colleges. li luo''s heart trembled as he cast his gaze into the sky not far away. there was a white-robed man walking through the air. he had a pair of silver eyes, and violent thunder seemed to course through them, giving an intimidating appearance. li luo could sense the mighty undulations of energy emanating from his body that surpassed even guo jiufeng and wang xu, sixth-grade dukes. his gaze flickered briefly. during the past few days, he had become quite intimate with information about the experts from the other sage colleges from the outer divine continents. thus, he immediately identified this individual. thunderflame divine continent, thunder tribulation sage college, fang xingyun, a lower seventh-grade duke. he was the only vice principal from the outer divine continent sage colleges who had reached the seventh duke stage. thus, he was the strongest vice principal amongst them. if li luo coveted the largest piece of the pie of the outer divine continent, fang xingyun would be the tiger blocking his path. his gaze then turned towards a diminutive but well-endowed lady in green. vice principal shui baoping of the azuresea divine continents holy kun sage college, an upper sixth-grade duke. three of her duke bergfrieds were nine-pillar and she had an outstanding foundation. then it was vice principal tang chong from the endless gale divine continent''s divine wind sage college. he was an upper sixth-grade with two nine-pillar duke bergfrieds, comparable to guo jiufeng. the remaining two vice principals were from the whitespirit divine continent and the extreme night divine continent. in terms of strength, they were weaker than guo jiufeng and were on the same level as wang xu, so they were of no concern to him. based on li luo''s understanding, the strongest sage colleges of the six outer divine continents were the ones from the thunderflame divine continent. their five main seat holders included not only fang xingyun, a lower seventh-grade duke, but also two upper and two lower sixth-grades dukes. the azuresea divine continent was slightly weaker, only lacking a lower seventh-grade duke with shui baoping as their strongest combatant. she was similarly supported by two experienced upper sixth-grade dukes. the endless gale divine continent had tang chong as their leader, with two upper and three lower sixth-grade dukes as their main seat holders. meanwhile, for the east divine continent, they had guo jiufeng and wang xu, two upper sixth-grade dukes. the remainder were two more lower sixth-grade dukes as well as him, the unmatched second-grade transcendent. in terms of strength, they weren''t too far away. s~ea??h the novel?ire(.)ne*t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "vice principal guo jiufeng, we''ll leave the drawing of lots to you," the heavenly inferno sage college''s vice principal chen chi said with a smile. "don''t blame me if we get unlucky," guo jiufeng helplessly replied. "so long as we don''t match up against the thunderflame divine continent or the azuresea divine continent in the first round, that would be a good lot," the sacredspring sage college''s wang xu said. the rest of the vice principals nodded in agreement. if they could avoid fighting against the top two, their chances of entering the next round would greatly increase. guo jiufeng helplessly shook his head and didn''t say anything else. he then ascended into the air and approached the massive bamboo tube. after which, each of the representatives sent their resonant power into the tube to obtain a lot. a moment later, before the nervous looks of every squad, six motes of light flew out, intertwining in the air and turning into three abnormally bright rays of light. the two ends of the three rays of light each shot towards a different divine continent. the east divine continent''s squad looked at the ray of light that connected them with their opponent. the gazes of the crowd immediately turned solemn. after all, their opponent was none other than... the azuresea divine continent! Chapter 1451: Domain Traversal Platform "how could we have matched against the azuresea divine continent in the first round!"when the numerous squads from the sage colleges saw their opponents, their expressions turned ugly. even wang xu and chen chi had unsettled expressions, smiling bitterly. "vice principal guo''s luck is a little too bad," cao sheng said helplessly. the azuresea divine continent''s overall strength was second only to the thunderflame divine continent with their three upper sixth-grade dukes. most noteworthy was shui baoping, who sat at the absolute peak of that stage, an incredibly difficult opponent. "it looks like we might fall into the losers bracket now." mi er sighed. once they entered the losers bracket, they could only compete for two heavenly domains. this meant that the east divine continent''s rewards would be meagre. "no matter who the opponent is, we''ll have to fight before we know the result." chi chan, who was never depressed, consoled them. alas, her words didn''t do much to allay the people''s concerns. after all, the excited atmosphere of the group had greatly soured. meanwhile, guo jiufeng looked a little awkward before he heard a peal of laughter coming from not far away. "guo jiufeng, thank you for sending the azuresea divine continent into the winners bracket." when guo jiufeng looked over, he saw that it was the petite but well-endowed shui baoping laughing gaily at him. clearly, she was very pleased with the results of the draw as the east divine continent was considered to be one of the weaker three. in theory, the azuresea divine continent''s victory was in sight. they would be able to easily enter the winners bracket. guo jiufeng snorted coldly. "shui baoping, don''t celebrate too soon. no one knows what the final result will be." with that, he flicked his sleeve and returned to the east divine continent''s platform. although he had put up a tough front, his lack of a response also showed his true thoughts. with the azuresea divine continent''s strength, it was extremely unlucky to have met them in the first round. shui baoping pouted as she watched guo jiufeng leave. the east divine continent wasn''t at the bottom amongst the six outer divine continents, but historically, they had always been in the bottom three. their previous fights had always led to them being on the losing side without exception as well. "the incompetent wail of a loser." shui baoping smiled. she had seen the intel on the east divine continent''s sage colleges and the strongest main seat holders on their side. guo jiufeng and wang xu, the most outstanding individuals from their continent, were just lower sixth-grade dukes. in fact, they even had a second-grade duke amongst the ranks of their mentors, which was truly worthy of scorn. although that person was a second-grade transcendent with shocking talent, he simply wasn''t strong enough. perhaps the east divine continent would rise in that youth''s hands in the future, but now was not the time. with that in mind, shui baoping returned to the azuresea divine continent''s platform and prepared for the battle ahead. at the same time, guo jiufeng glumly returned to the east divine continent''s platform. as he looked at the sour expressions, he smiled bitterly. "everyone, we might have drawn a bad lot, but we should still do our best. we can''t lose too badly and let the academic federation look down upon the sage colleges of the east divine continent." the group sighed. it seemed that this was the only way forward. li luo took the initiative to ask, "vice principal guo, should we discuss how we plan to fight in the battles ahead?" his expression was calm and he didn''t seem depressed like the rest. after all, in order to achieve his goals, he''d have to beat both the azuresea divine continent and the thunderflame divine continent. thus, they were just moving ahead of schedule. guo jiufeng nodded. "based on the past battles, the battlefield will be none other than the domain traversal platforms." he then looked at li luo with a smile. "this is your first time participating, mentor li luo, so you aren''t clear on what the domain traversal platforms are. simply speaking, they are minor worlds created by the celestial mirror pagoda." guo jiufeng waved his sleeves, and resonant power flowed out, directly transforming into a minor world filled with mountains, lakes, and complex terrains. when li luo saw this, he could see that within this minor world were several stone pillars that arose from the ground. the top of these pillars were extremely spacious. amidst the stone pillars were five particularly large ones that stood out in the center, massive structures that could prop up the skies. sea??h th n?velfire(.)net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "the stone platforms atop the pillars of varying sizes are the domain traversal platforms. they are what determine victory and defeat. if we defeat the team on a platform, it will be considered ours and it will rouse worldly natural energy towards our side, bolstering our team''s energy. the blessings endowed by the five largest pillars are also the strongest and thus, they are what the five main seats are competing for," guo jiufeng explained. li luo was a little surprised by this. after defeating the opponents and occupying a domain traversal platform, they would be able to wield a portion of the worldly natural energy in the minor world to support the rest of the team. this allowed the sage colleges with weaker lineups to contribute in their own way. the smaller domain traversal platforms were then left to the other squads to fight over. although the effects were inferior, it would be considerable due to the large numbers of smaller platforms! "the blessings of worldly natural energy can be considered icing on the cake because the final victory will be dependent on one''s true abilities," guo jiufeng explained. "the azuresea divine continent''s team has three upper sixth-grade dukes. the most notable colleges on their side are shui baoping''s holy kun sage college, zhang yu''s holysea sage college, and yan feng''s holy turtle sage college. leave the holy kun sage college to us, the enlightened sage college. however, shui baoping is a little stronger than me and i might not be able to overcome her. thus, i can only hold her back at most." "the holysea sage college can be left to the sacredspring sage college. i''ll deal with zhang yu," wang xu said. guo jiufeng nodded his head and looked at the other vice principals of the main seats. "then who will hold off yan feng from the holy turtle sage college?" the sacred summit sage college''s vice principal was a man named zheng chu. he was a middle-aged man with a burly figure and was built like a tower made of iron. he was a lower sixth-grade duke and wasn''t confident that he could hold yan feng back. thus, he was a little hesitant. in the end, the heavenly inferno sage college''s vice principal chen chi, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "leave it to the heavenly inferno sage college, then. however, i might not be able to hold back yan feng for long." the opponent had a nine-pillar duke bergfried and was strong even amongst those at the same cultivation level. meanwhile, he was a whole half-stage lower and thus, there was a significant gap in strength. it would be unrealistic to expect him to triumph over his opponent. guo jiufeng sighed. everyone here was clearly only planning to hold off their opponent for as long as they could. none of them were capable of overcoming their respective foes, and once a main seat from the opposing team had won, they would then gradually assist the rest and their overall situation would inevitably collapse. that said, they couldn''t blame anyone. as a whole, the east divine continent''s sage colleges were weaker than the azuresea divine continent''s. however, it was at this moment that the sound of li luo chuckling rang out. "if vice principal chen chi feels that this might be a difficult task, why not leave the holy turtle sage college to the astral sage college?" guo jiufeng, wang xu, and the other vice principals looked at li luo in shock. they had not expected him to take the initiative to choose such a challenging opponent. although the strength li luo had revealed showed that he was capable of challenging a sixth-grade duke, the rest of the squad was a little weaker and they wouldn''t hold any sort of advantage in a clash. thus, they had originally planned to delegate some of the weaker sage colleges to li luo to start off. guo jiufeng relented in the end with a sigh. "as expected of a peerless genius. mentor li luo is indeed very enthusiastic. considering our situation, the opponent is much stronger and we''ll just have to do our best." "in that case, i''ll ask the astral sage college''s group to fend off the holy turtle sage college," li luo said with a smile. after which, guo jiufeng continued to assign opponents to the rest of the sage colleges. they werent fighting over a main seat, but winning over the smaller domain traversal platforms could still augment the rest of the squads. at the same time, every other college made their arrangements for battle. in the end, a melodious chime rang out once again. the space around them began to distort, as though forming a humongous chessboard. a minor world was created on each square, criss-crossing like chess pieces. these minor worlds were precisely where the domain traversal platforms were found. when everyone raised their heads, they could see everything within their respective minor worlds. at the same time, the minor worlds began to flow with light, enveloping the numerous squads. wang xuanjin''s warm laughter resounded like a bell on the gigantic golden platform above. "everyone, please enter." the entire space began to rumble, and everyone was transported into the minor worlds. the celestial mirror pagoda''s trials had truly begun. Chapter 1452: Yan Feng when li luo passed through the distorted space, he could clearly sense that his surroundings were in constant flux, causing him to turn dizzy for a few breaths of time. when he finally regained clarity, the world in front of him had changed drastically. gigantic mountains protruded from the ground, forming a seemingly endless range. within were seas, lakes, deserts, stone forests, and all sorts of complicated terrain features. what was most eye-catching were the domain traversal platforms that stood on large pillars that pierced the skies.the team from the east divine continent consisted of about a hundred individuals, all of which flew into the skies and cautiously surveyed their surroundings. this was the battleground of the celestial mirror pagoda''s trials. li luo looked into the distance and saw a few people flying up, all of them giving off majestic resonant power undulations that billowed across the skies. those were the azuresea divine continent''s sage colleges. a female''s voice echoed from afar, filling the entire area. "guo jiufeng, why don''t you take the initiative to surrender and save some face? once we take action, we won''t be merciful." when li luo looked at the source of the voice, he saw a petite lady at the fore of the azuresea divine continent''s squad looking casually in their direction. it was the azuresea divine continent''s most powerful expert, shui baoping. she had three nine-pillar duke bergfrieds and was an upper sixth-grade duke. this sort of strength placed her at the top amongst her peers and gave her the right to act like such. when faced with shui baoping''s callous attitude, guo jiufeng replied with words of his own. "stop with the crap. enter the field!" shui baoping lazily stretched her waist, revealing her bodily curves. she shook her head and replied disdainfully, "what a waste of time." there was obviously a large gap in strength between the two parties and yet they still deigned to fight on stubbornly. "yan feng, zhang yu, quickly dispose of your opponents and bring this to an end." the two men on shui baoping''s sides nodded. "get on the platforms, everyone!" after which, shui baoping swiftly rushed ahead, heading towards the largest and most magnificent domain traversal platform with the mentors of the holy kun sage college behind her. at the same time, the non-main seat sage college squads rushed towards the smaller domain traversal platforms. sear?h the ovlfire .net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. the small domain traversal platforms were still capable of blessing their side with worldly natural energy. although the effect was minor compared to the main platforms, it was still considerable when accumulated. guo jiufeng then glanced at wang xu and the rest. "i''ll do my best to hold back shui baoping and prevent her from reinforcing the rest." "thank you for your efforts, vice principal guo jiufeng," the rest replied. they all understood that she had three nine-pillar duke bergfrieds, whereas guo jiufeng only had two. the difference in their foundations meant that he would undoubtedly be under much pressure. even then, the group''s hearts remained weary. they knew that with the large gap in strength between the parties, they couldn''t comprehend how victory was even possible. "everyone, just do your best." guo jiufeng understood why the rest were depressed. however, there was nothing he could do now other than to offer some consolatory words. after which, he no longer hesitated and shot forward, leading the squad from the enlightened sage college towards the domain traversal platform that shui baoping was on. wang xu similarly led the squad from sacredspring sage college towards zhang yu''s squad. as the different squads entered the battlefield with drawn swords, worldly natural energy began to rage. at the same time, innumerable majestic duke bergfrieds materialized and began to devour the energy around them. li luo waved his hand and led the astral sage college''s squad towards one of the large domain traversal platforms as well. once he landed, he immediately looked across and saw six people standing there. the one at the fore was a middle-aged man who looked a little short and fat. this was the holy turtle sage college''s vice principal, yan feng. accompanying him were two upper fourth-grade dukes. on the surface, they did look much stronger than the astral sage college''s lineup. "i never would have expected that the east divine continent would actually choose to send a second-grade transcendent brat to challenge me," yan feng said as he sized li luo up. it was clear that he had a good understanding of the intel on him. "mentor li luo, you might have breathtaking talent, but you''ve spent too little time in the celestial mirror pagoda. if you think that you will be able to outshine everyone here, i''m afraid you might have to wait for next time." yan feng did not underestimate li luo. on the contrary, he was in awe of his talent, and it would be impossible to find anyone who could compare with him in the outer divine continents in his generation. in fact, there were few who could match him even amongst the ancient colleges. someone with such unparalleled talent and ability coming from east divine continent''s sage colleges was incomprehensible. li luo cupped his hands and smiled. "we will know once we exchange blows, no?" yan feng shook his head, no longer speaking. he took a step forward, and his six duke bergfrieds soared into the sky, absorbing incredible amounts of worldly natural energy. one of which was a nine-pillar that was particularly majestic. these six duke bergfrieds caused resonant power to surge over like a tide, and a massive golden turtle surfaced from under the waves. at the same time, a cold, hard, grayish aura that resembled a rock condensed above it. these were his resonances. upper eighth-grade golden turtle resonance upper eighth-grade stone resonance. "i''m curious to see what you have that gives you the confidence to challenge me. after all, a second-grade transcendent is only comparable to a fifth-grade duke," yan feng said as his sharp gaze focused on li luo. golden divine mist flowed out of his six duke bergfrieds, the mist coming from the nine-pillar duke bergfried being particularly dense. mighty energy undulations swept outwards like a tempest. chi chan, mi er, and cao sheng''s expressions changed. the pressure of an upper sixth-grade duke was simply overbearing. although li luo had clashed against wang xu briefly, it was merely a probing blow. it looked as though yan feng was releasing his full power from the beginning. yan feng no longer hesitated and formed a hand seal. the divine mist poured downwards, and an instant later, the void shuddered and the mist transformed into a gigantic golden palm print that slapped heavily towards li luo. he wanted to experience for himself just what gave li luo the confidence to stand there proudly. the golden palm print smashed through the air, engraved with countless runes that resembled the shell of a turtle. the other mentors beneath the palm print felt as though a mountain was bearing down upon them. li hongyou''s face turned pale as she was the weakest out of everyone present and thus could not easily withstand the mere pressure of yan feng''s attack. only lu qing''er remained icily calm without much change. li luo knew that he had to step up right now; otherwise, the morale of the squad would be crushed. if he allowed that to happen, the entire squad would crumble without much effort. two dazzling duke bergfrieds materialized in the sky above li luo, attracting everyone''s curious gazes. they were manifestations of perfection and completion, giving off an aura that everyone desired. this was something others had always dreamed about. they released a large amount of divine mist, and even though it was sparser than yan feng''s divine mist, it was much more condensed and full of spirituality. at the same time, it felt more in tune with the world around them. transcendent divine mist! this was something that belonged only to transcendent dukes and was much more mystical. li luo''s expression was calm as the four resonant palaces within him roared to life and boundless amounts of resonant power surged into his absolute resonance halo. it was then converted into hexa-resonant power, which contained a thin strand of source origin. when the hexa-resonant power poured out, it rushed into his ten-pillar golden duke bergfrieds, which then began to burst with dazzling light. rivers, ancient trees, thunder, and even the shadows of a dragon could be seen within it... the appearance of this mysterious phenomena caused the surrounding worldly natural energy to become much more vibrant. it poured into the duke bergfrieds, making them look even more radiant and eye-catching. this incredible sight took everyone''s breath away! Chapter 1453: Great Boost "Six resonances? What mighty resonant power undulations!""How could they be so pure?" The resonant power that had burst forth from Li Luo immediately drew shocked gazes from the foes around him. This was especially after they had noticed the six different types of resonant power! This was a very rare thing to see. At the same time, they could sense that his resonance grades weren''t low either. It was no wonder he had managed to forge two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds! While everyone was taken aback by the sight, Li Luo quickly made his Transcendent Divine Mist rush into the skies, transforming into a gigantic dragon''s claw that ripped through the world and directly collided against Yan Feng''s golden palm print. The heavens and earth rumbled, and the collision caused a massive energy shockwave to erupt all around them. The dragon''s claw was shattered, transforming into motes of light that filled the sky, but the golden palm print looked to be on the cusp of falling apart. Li Luo then condensed his Transcendent Divine Mist into a sword that sliced downwards and completely annihilated the golden palm print. Yan Feng''s eyes shrunk when he saw this. Li Luo was a second-grade Transcendent, which meant that he was only capable of competing against a fifth-grade Duke, normally speaking. However, Li Luo''s resonant power undulations clearly showed that he was no weaker than a lower sixth-grade. "What surprising talent! And the foundation he''s built is amazing!" Yan Feng sighed emotionally. Li Luo''s abilities could be considered to be at the top even when compared against other Transcendents. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, reaching the level of a lower sixth-grade Duke was surely his limit, or so Yan Feng thought. He had a good amount of confidence that he would still be able to win. Li Luo similarly thought to himself as he looked at the sky full of motes of light. He had borrowed the aid of four resonant palaces with six types of resonant power, combined through his Absolute Resonance Halo, which allowed his resonant power to contain a trace of source origin. Only by doing that was he capable of surpassing the usual three-grade advantage of a Transcendent to hit four grades. Thus, the difference between him and Yan Feng was just a minor stage. That said, he felt it wasn''t enough. He had reached the limit of purely relying on his resonant power, so he would now need to use external powers. At this point, his lips curled up into a smile. Yan Feng saw this, and he felt a sense of unease in his heart. Li Luo then glanced back at Li Hongyou with a smirk. "Senior Hongyou, could you give me a buff, please? I think a quick win is best." Li Hongyou grinned and nodded. She then bit her fingertip, causing fragrant, fresh blood to flow. Next, she started to trace lines in the air. Very quickly, a crimson seal flowing with golden light condensed. The dense fragrance it emanated caused the resonant power in one''s body to liven up. This was her Vermilion Fruit Godly Transformation Seal, a mighty resonant power augmentative ability. She pushed her hand outwards, and the Vermilion Fruit Godly Transformation Seal shot into Li Luo''s body, immediately causing his resonant power to rise boundlessly. Yan Feng''s expression changed. He could sense that Li Luo was now approaching the point of an upper sixth-grade Duke. "This is truly outrageous. It looks like the youths of today are simply too disgusting." The corners of Yan Feng''s lips twitched slightly. He watched on helplessly as Li Luo reached the point where he was now almost comparable to him. He now understood why Li Luo dared to challenge him. That huge gap in cultivation levels had been almost filled up by his tricks. Yan Feng had originally planned to rout Li Luo and the Astral Sage College''s squad as quickly as possible. However, his plan would clearly have to change. His only choice was to struggle and fight, and perhaps use some of his advantages in order to overcome Li Luo and occupy this Domain Traversal Platform. "I''ll leave the rest of his squad to you guys. I''ll handle Li Luo," Yan Feng commanded the rest of the mentors from Holy Turtle Sage College. "Yes, Vice Principal!" At this point, they heard a thunderous boom and the sky began to rumble. They then heard the ancient roar of a dragon contained with the thunderclap. Yan Feng hurriedly turned his head and looked at Li Luo''s direction with uncertainty. The latter had ascended into the air, covered with a violet-gold radiance that spilled from his body. A sea of mysterious force pressed down upon Yan Feng from the skies. His eyes gradually shrunk in shock. He could see that the violet-gold light coming from Li Luo''s body had dyed the entire sky gold, and within that majestic light, a frightening pressure began to strengthen. "Just what sort of frightening Duke Art is he using? Could it be a Destiny-grade Duke Art?" Yan Feng realized immediately that this was the only reason why a strange phenomenon would be unfolding in the skies above. Furthermore, it wasn''t an ordinary Destiny-grade Duke Art either! "How could the Astral Sage College have such a Duke Art?" His face turned gloomy. These Duke Arts were rare; even he, the Holy Turtle Sage College''s vice principal, only had access to an upper Soul Ascension-grade. "Don''t let him complete it!" Yan Feng hurriedly waved his hand, and a black iron staff appeared in his grasp. The staff was covered in runes, and even a simple motion from it caused the void to shatter. This was the Ten Thousand Lakes Staff, a low-grade Mythic Armament. Yan Feng clutched his staff and heavily smashed it downwards. It immediately caused countless rings of light to emerge from the void. These rings of light gave off an esoteric feeling. If one were to look carefully, they would see numerous humongous lakes within the rings. At this point, an endless amount of water poured out of them like a tsunami, smashing into the violet-gold clouds with berserk power. A roar erupted from the clouds and a violent energy tempest was produced as a result of the clash. The void shattered like glass and rifts opened up through the skies. At the same time, the violet-gold light that resembled clouds began to dissipate. However, just as it began to vanish, a humongous creature appeared before everyone''s shocked eyes. It was a titanic dragon that was ten thousand feet long, its entire body radiating a violet-gold light, its scales engraved with primordial runes. The body of the dragon was long and winding, seemingly born from the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth. It had an ancient and noble aura, as though it was the king of all dragons. What was most eye-catching was the fact that the dragon had nine claws. These claws were powerful and extremely sharp, glinting with the cold air. Even the void was ripped apart with a casual movement from them. The appearance of this violet-gold dragon had undoubtedly caused Yan Feng to fall into a daze. Even the Dukes who were fiercely fighting in the distance paused to look over in horror. In fact, they wondered if someone from the Dragon Race had entered the battlefield. "What? Li Luo transformed into that?!" Yan Feng''s eyes were trembling. This mighty Destiny-grade Duke Art could actually transform Li Luo into a member of the Dragon Race! At the same time, the draconic might emanating from his body caused even Yan Feng, an upper sixth-grade Duke, to feel an incomparable sense of pressure. Even the energy undulations from his six Duke Bergfrieds were suppressed. How could an average dragon possess such strength? Yan Feng had never heard of such a miraculous technique! His heart shook, but the staff in his hand struck out once again. A gigantic staff manifestation pierced through the void, accompanied by the sounds of crashing waves, as if thousands of lakes were simultaneously smashing downwards with incomparably heavy force. Meanwhile, the dragon didn''t avoid Yan Feng''s strike in the slightest, letting it strike its body squarely. The void around the dragon was obliterated, but the dragon itself was completely unharmed. The sheer aura emanating from its scales had completely diffused the power from that strike. This sight caused Yan Feng''s body to turn cold. Li Luo had taken the strike head-on, but it had completely failed to harm him! Only then did Yan Feng understand that this dragon form was not a manifestation of energy, but a true physical transformation! Li Luo then unhinged his maw, and laughter filled with immense pressure echoed through the skies. "Vice Principal Yan Feng, did it feel good to land a hit on me?" Chapter 1454: Heavenly Dragon Wields The Thunder Blade Li Luo''s laughter carried a trace of amusement. The Dragon Blood Atavism Art was a genuine upper Destiny-grade Duke Art, and amongst his many trump cards, it was probably only rivaled by the Four Dragon Fang Swords Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation.After transforming into a Heavenly Dragon, Li Luo''s body had reached the point of a high-grade Mythic Armament, so how could Yan Feng with his low-grade Mythic Armament ever hope to hurt him? Yan Feng did not reply, but his expression turned ugly. He could feel great danger coming from Li Luo''s massive frame. He understood that the current Li Luo was now capable of posing a fatal threat to him. Yan Feng thought to himself. His plans had unknowingly been foiled yet again. He had originally planned to defeat Li Luo as quickly as possible, but with what the latter had revealed, his plan had changed to a battle of attrition and to stall until his teammates came. Yan Feng felt a little bit ashamed at himself for having to act this way. However, he would do anything for the Azuresea Divine Continent''s victory. Yan Feng took in a deep breath before opening his mouth wide, spewing out a ray of light that swelled in the wind before finally covering his entire body with a suit of dark-green plate armor. The plate armor was intricately engraved with ancient runes that resembled a massive turtle, looking as immovable as a mountain. The armor was known as the Immovable Xuan Turtle Platemail, a low-grade Mythic Armament. Its defensive prowess was shocking and had allowed Yan Feng to survive many dangerous situations. As Yan Feng began to retract his resonant power internally to buy time, Li Luo stretched his incomparably sharp claws out, and boundless amounts of lightning condensed between them. It then took the shape of a humongous blade of lightning! Violent bolts of thunder pierced through space, and the thousand-feet-long blade looked a little small in the dragons hand. However, it was capable of easily splitting through the void. High-grade Mythic Armament, Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade! Mythic Armaments at this grade were capable of easily changing their form, transforming from large to small and vice versa. "Damn it, a high-grade Mythic Armament?" When Yan Feng saw the weapon in the Heavenly Dragon''s claws, he couldn''t help but swear angrily with an ugly expression. He had taken out everything he had, but it was just two low-grade Mythic Armaments. Meanwhile, Li Luo had casually taken out a rarely seen high-grade Mythic Armament! A ten-thousand-feet-long titanic dragon equipped with a thousand-feet-long thunder bladethis sight was terrifying to behold. At this point, even Yan Feng, who was usually supremely confident in his defensive abilities, started to feel a tinge of worry.Would he be capable of withstanding the torture inflicted by this perverted brat? As his heart thumped, Li Luo didn''t bother with any superfluous words. He was currently at his strongest state. It was time to strike back. Li Luo''s violet-gold gaze emanated a domineering pressure that locked onto Yan Feng. The sword in his claws erupted with a deafening roar as thunder energy raged between the heavens and the earth. He then hacked downwards without hesitation. The entire field was illuminated by the light from the thunder energy, and a mighty golden ray of light swept across the air. Wherever it passed through, a clear dividing line was created in the world. Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade, Divine Thunderstrike! When he had faced off against Chi Chi, Li Luo had similarly brandished such an attack, but the difference between the two was as large as the gap between the sky and the earth. With the aid of the Heavenly Dragon''s innate strength, the Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade''s power had been pushed to a new realm. The berserk thunder energy was extremely well-behaved in the hands of the dragon claws and was tightly restrained, none of it leaking out. This strike seemed to approach perfection. As the golden ray of thunder energy sliced through the world without pause before Yan Feng''s eyes, he could feel himself trembling. Li Luo''s attack was too frightening, and he suspected that even if Shui Baoping was in his shoes, she would have to utilize all her energy in order to even block it. This was simply unbelievable! Yan Feng wailed in his heart at his unluckiness. He frantically roused his six Duke Bergfrieds, causing the runes on them to shine and fly out, condensing together. This quickly transformed into a divine turtle that shone with golden light. Duke''s Spirit Insignia, Golden Light Sea Calming Turtle! This divine turtle was like an impenetrable bulwark standing before Yan Feng. However, that wasn''t enough. Runes appeared on his armor, creating numerous defensive layers. At this point, Yan Feng had also revealed all of his trump cards, leaving none left in reserve. It was at this moment that the golden ray of thunder energy struck. The entire world rumbled with thunderclaps and draconic roars. On a distant Domain Traversal Platform, Shui Baoping, who was currently attacking with an absolute advantage, turned towards the source of the thunder energy. A solemn look appeared on her nonchalant face. She then turned towards the miserable Guo Jiufeng and commented, "I never expected you to have concealed such a play." Guo Jiufeng didn''t reply, but a look of surprise flickered through his eyes briefly. This was also the first time he had seen Li Luo reveal his true powers. He had never expected him to be so strong. Shui Baoping''s relentless attacks slowed down as she gazed towards the Domain Traversal Platform that Li Luo was on. Her slender brows knitted together in a frown. Li Luo''s strike had simply been too shocking. "Yan Feng''s greatest strength is his defense. Even I would have to spend quite a lot of effort to crack open his shell. Li Luo might have exploded with surprising power, but Yan Feng should be able to hold on for some time, right?" Guo Jiufeng was similarly looking on in trepidation. If Li Luo could emerge victorious, then the situation would be overturned! As the two paused to watch, the energy undulations of the clash began to dissipate and the result was unveiled. Shui Baoping gaze turned abstruse. A deep chasm had been hacked into the Domain Traversal Platform. This blade scar was tens of thousands of feet long and was still crackling with thunder energy. The blade strike had truly unnerving might. Shui Baoping hurriedly looked at Yan Feng''s position. The latter was in mid-air and his Immovable Xuan Turtle Platemail seemed to be undamaged. This caused her to heave a sigh of relief. That fellow''s turtle shell was truly hardhe had managed to resist the attack! Alas, just as she was about to relax, the sound of something breaking echoed throughout the quiet skies. Shui Baoping''s expression turned stiff. She could now see that Yan Feng''s Xuan Turtle Platemail had begun to shatter. Yan Feng''s body violently trembled and he spat out a humongous mouth of fresh blood. The six Duke Bergfrieds above him began to swiftly dim before being forced back into his body. The rest of the mentors of the Holy Turtle Sage College had horrified looks as Yan Feng''s body plummeted heavily from the sky, right into the blade scar beneath. Bang! That heavy crash was accompanied by the disbelieving looks of the squads from the Azuresea Divine Continent. That said, the reactions from the East Divine Continent''s squads weren''t much better. Wang Xu, Chen Chi, and the rest of the vice principals were all dumbfounded. No one had imagined that an upper sixth-grade Duke would end up heavily injured in such a short amount of time. As they looked at the coiled-up violet-gold dragon, their hearts were filled with growing respect and awe. This young mans battle strength was truly terrifying! But right after having that thought, exuberance soared in their hearts. Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With Yan Feng being eliminated, that meant that their situation could be turned around! The East Divine Continent wouldnt necessarily lose the first round! Had things taken a turn for the better? Chapter 1455: Turning the Tables Middle of Celestial Mirror City, Golden Platform. The three supreme figures had lazy expressions as they swept their gazes through the void. There were countless screens of light projecting scenes from within the minor worlds and the battles that were unfolding within. "Oh!?" Wang Xuanjin suddenly exclaimed lightly. His deep gaze was focused on a minor world that contained a gigantic violet-gold dragon. The other two figures, Elder Jin Xi with the golden jade seal and the white jade python, Elder Bai Yu, also had surprised looks in their eyes. "This is a transformation into a true Heavenly Emperor," Bai Yu said with a warm voice. "Furthermore, it''s a Nine-clawed Heavenly Dragon. I never expected this little brat to actually possess such a pure Heavenly Dragon bloodline. I can sense the aura of the Dragon Race''s Honored One in his body." Wang Xuanjin grinned. "He is a member of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, so its natural that he has a trace of the Honored One''s aura. Furthermore, he can be considered a descendent in a way." "Principal Wang, do you know him?" Elder Jin Xi asked. "Mhm. This fellow is called Li Luo, from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s Dragon''s Fang Lineage. He contributed greatly in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm and allowed me to sever one of the All-Beings Devil King''s crowns," Wang Xuanjin answered. He looked at the violet-gold dragon with a smile. "I never would have expected that he''d become a second-grade Transcendent in two short years. The speed of his progression is startling. Furthermore, he''s quite unique. He actually possesses six types of resonant power, and there''s even a hint of source origin within his resonant power. It''s no wonder he''s able to overcome a sixth-grade Duke." Elder Bai Yu said in a soft voice, "With that sort of talent, he can be considered to be at the top in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. However, it''s a pity. How did he end up running over to the side of the outer divine continents?" The territories fought over by the outer divine continents were the smallest; even if added together, the amount of Celestial Mirror Sand available was tiny. Elder Jin Xi gave a shallow smile. "I can understand why he did so. His talent and potential cannot be underestimated, but he''s still only a second-grade. Being able to beat an upper sixth-grade Duke should be his limit, and there is a lower seventh-grade Duke even amongst the outer divine continents. He might not be able to overcome that opponent and obtain the top position." Elder Bai Yu nodded in agreement. "A lower seventh-grade Duke is considered a high-grade Duke. They''ve opened their Duke''s Worldspace Domain, so their combat capabilities far overshadow even upper sixth-grades. The Celestial Mirror Pagoda''s trials have gone on for many years, and second-grade Transcendents have come and gone. Even then, those who were able to overcome a seventh-grade Duke then were incredibly rare." When Wang Xuanjin heard the two''s conversation, he grinned. "That remains to be seen. We might see it happen this time." Jin Xi and Bai Yu were taken aback by his words. Just why did Wang Xuanjin look at Li Luo so favorably? Wang Xuanjin didn''t explain himself; he merely continued to watch the battle between the outer divine continents and sighed emotionally. "It seems like the outer divine continents vice principals have relied too much on the Tree of Resonant Power''s secret art. This will harm their talent and their longevity, affecting their future growth." This so-called secret art of the Tree of Resonant Power was something passed down by the Academic Federation. It allowed one to borrow the energy of the Tree of Resonant Power to assist Dukes with breaking through. This would then allow their breakthrough to achieve a better result. Alas, this came at the price of harming their future growth for present gain. "There is no choice. The cultivation resources in the outer divine continents are too sparse. Even with the Academic Federation''s distributions, it''s difficult for it to compare with the inner divine continents. Thus, they have to rely on these extreme secret arts," Elder Jin Xi continued. Wang Xuanjin sighed lightly and didn''t speak further while he continued to watch the battles. Yan Feng''s sudden fall had shocked the squads within the minor world. No one had expected that despite the large gap in strength between the two, the Azuresea Divine Continent would lose so drastically! Furthermore, the one who had lost was a veteran upper sixth-grade Duke! Yan Feng''s foundation wasnt comparable to Shui Baoping or Zhang Yus, but he still had a nine-pillar Duke Bergfried. As the vice principal of the Holy Turtle Sage College, he had received numerous cultivation resources and even a King''s pointers from time to time. Even then, this experienced vice principal had been swiftly crushed by a second-grade Transcendent from the younger generation. The result sent shockwaves through everyone''s minds. Whilst everyone remained dumbstruck, the transformed Li Luo began to stare threateningly at the rest of the Holy Turtle Sage College''s mentors. His voice rumbled through the air. "Qing''er, Mentor Chi Chan, clean them up." Lu Qing''er, Chi Chan, Cao Sheng, and Mi Er nodded. Li Luo had already dealt with the strongest, Yan Feng, so the Holy Turtle Sage College''s morale had collapsed. Meanwhile, Li Hongyou immediately created four Crimson Heart Golden Seals, which she used to bolster the four of them. A moment later, four figures shot out. The remaining mentors from the Holy Turtle Sage College hurriedly braced themselves to fight back, but under the pressure of Li Luo''s draconic might, their strength was sapped and the entire squad was routed in a short amount of time. Once they had admitted defeat, a beam of light descended from the skies, sending them out of the minor world. The Astral Sage College''s squad had thus occupied the first Domain Traversal Platform. This caused the squads of the East Divine Continent to feel that the worldly natural energy they could control had increased by a good amount. This was the blessing of the Domain Traversal Platforms. The rest of the squads from the East Divine Continent roared in joy. Even some of the vice principals cried out approvingly. Li Luo had stepped forward during this critical moment and turned the tide, causing even their stilled blood to boil with excitement once again. In contrast, the Azuresea Divine Continent''s squads felt as though a bucket of cold water had been doused upon them. What had happened was unbelievable. The upper sixth-grade Yan Feng had been defeated by a youth second-grade mentor! However, some of the calmer vice principals on the Azuresea Divine Continent''s side began to pull themselves together, attempting to inspire their side. "There is no need to worry. Vice Principal Shui Baoping and Zhang Yu still hold a large advantage over their opponents. We aren''t disadvantaged yet!" Shui Baoping''s name was like an unshakeable pillar in their hearts, capable of reassuring them. The squads from the Azuresea Divine Continent stopped panicking and immediately began to steady themselves. "It looks like Shui Baoping''s reputation is very high in her region." Li Luo also recognized this. At this point, the central Domain Traversal Platform began to erupt with violet energy, and Guo Jiufeng urgently shouted, "Help me, Mentor Li Luo!" Yan Feng''s defeat had simulated Shui Baoping, and she immediately fought with everything she had. Terrifying attacks poured down on Guo Jiufeng like a tide. Under her frenzied assault, Guo Jiufeng was gradually forced backwards as he cried for help. After all, Li Luo was the only one who had been freed up at the moment. When Guo Jiufeng''s voice sounded out, the void in front of him exploded and a petite figure shot out of it. A vast ocean along with a giant Kun summoning up massive tidal waves manifested behind her, smashing the void apart into insignificant fragments. Guo Jiufeng''s Duke Bergfrieds roared in unison and dense Divine Mist descended, forming an absolute bulwark before him. Alas his defenses were crushed by Shui Baoping''s slender fist, and Guo Jiufeng was sent flying backwards tens of thousands of feet. The energy and blood within his body shook violently. Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Shui Baoping''s gaze then turned towards the coiled titanic dragon and she snorted coldly. "Li Luo, if you have any ability, you''ll wait for me to deal with Guo Jiufeng before we face each other alone. If I lose then, the Azuresea Divine Continent will directly admit defeat." When Li Luo heard this, roaring laughter echoed out of his gigantic frame. He clenched his claws, and light flowed around them. A moment later, a gigantic bow appeared. It was the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow. A clear voice then rang out. "Vice Principal Guo Jiufeng, hold her down and I''ll shoot." Chapter 1456: First Victory In Li Luo''s claws, the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow had become a thousand feet long. The bowstring was hooked on by the tip of a claw, which fully drew the bow with utmost ease. The bow then made a crunching sound.Formless energy waves dispersed in every direction, causing the world to rumble as terrifying energy condensed on the bowstring. After the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow had been bolstered by the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed, its grade had also risen to a high-grade Mythic Armament. Otherwise, drawing it all the way like this would have completely destroyed the weapon. Li Luo''s gaze was focused squarely on Shui Baoping. He didn''t plan to challenge her openly, instead using a long range offensive to deal with her. That said, he required a meat shield to hold her in place, and Guo Jiufeng was perfect for this task. A look of amusement surfaced in his eyes. With a thought, the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow began to surge with emerald-green energy that was filled with vitality. An ancient tree that was as towering as a mountain manifested in the skies above. The ancient emerald tree''s sprawling branches and leaves blotted out the sun. This sight once again took the crowd by surprise. Countless green lights condensed on the tree, taking the form of an emerald dragon that had coiled itself around the trunk. The emerald dragon gave off imposing might, but when compared to Li Luo, it seemed a lot weaker. The emerald dragon was the result of activating the lower Destiny-grade Duke Art, Dragon Rearing Art, which was contained with the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed. Li Luo didnt have to spend precious amounts of cultivation time and effort to learn itit could be utilized directly since he was now the owner of the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed. When Li Luo felt the vigorous energy undulations coming from the emerald dragon, he nodded in approval. The creature was truly mysterious, and it could be used to attack or defend against enemies. However, Li Luo had other plans. With a thought, the ten-thousand-feet-long green dragon began to shrink until it was only a hundred feet long. It then snaked its body around the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow''s fully drawn string. From afar, it looked like the emerald dragon had turned into an arrow! Indeed, that was Li Luo''s plan all along. With the dragon as the arrow, he would use the might of the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow to unleash a terrifying attack from a distance. This arrow would be even more powerful than the strike that had taken down Yan Feng earlier. He then tightened the bowstring and locked onto Shui Baoping''s petite figure. At that instant, Shui Baoping suddenly froze and her expression changed. She could sense lethal danger from that arrow. "Don''t let him unleash that attack!" Shui Baoping immediately turned and shot into the distance in a beam of light. All of the six Duke Bergfrieds above her head began to glow with wondrous light, covering the skies and descending towards Li Luo. However, crimson flames suddenly rose into the skies. With the amplification of tempestuous gales, it transformed into an inferno tornado that immediately resisted the light. Guo Jiufeng appeared before Shui Baoping. "Vice Principal Shui Baoping, let me accompany you for a round of fun," he said with a laugh. Shui Baoping''s expression turned cold as she retorted sarcastically, "I''m afraid you might play me to death!" Guo Jiufeng didn''t bother speaking further and formed a seal with both hands. His six Duke Bergfrieds runes began to glow before materializing in the form of his Spirit Insignia! After which, the inferno tornado magnified in scale and began to devour everything. In the end, a crimson palm that blotted out the skies appeared. On the palm were 9,999 Azure Wind pearls that constantly blew out massive winds that stoked the crimson flames, giving it the potential to turn everything in the world into ashes. Duke''s Spirit Insignia: Inferno Gale Palm! The crimson palm viciously smacked down towards Shui Baoping, causing the temperature around them to rise drastically. When Shui Baoping saw Guo Jiufeng''s frightening attack, her face turned even more chilly. The six Duke Bergfrieds above her similarly began to release incredible amounts of resonant power and her own runes began to materialize. Duke''s Spirit Insignia: Abyssal Kun! As Shui Baoping summoned up all her strength, a humongous black Kun a hundred thousand feet long manifested. It opened its mouth and swallowed worldly natural energy before it directly collided against the gigantic crimson palm. As the two forces struck each other, the resulting energy blast explosively dispersed across hundreds of thousands of feet away. However, it was clear that Shui Baoping had the upper hand. The black Kun continued to force its way forward and the crimson palm was sent retreating, cracks gradually appearing on it. Guo Jiufeng''s face had turned red and his entire body radiated intense heat. Anyone could see that he was doing his best to hold on. But right at that instant, a draconic roar echoed through the air. A moment later, a dazzling, emerald trail of light arced across the horizon like a thunderbolt filled with killing intent, mercilessly aimed at Shui Baoping. Shui Baoping was already on guard as an azure flag flew out of her robes. With a wave, it transformed into a tidal wave, and that billowing curtain of water formed a defensive barrier. This was the Azure Sea Banner, a low-grade Mythic Armament with resilient defensive abilities. When faced with a pincer attack, Shui Baoping''s only choice was to temporarily fend off the attack with this barrier to buy time to critically injure Guo Jiufeng before turning to face Li Luo. "You brat! Wait till I deal with Guo Jiufeng and then you''ll see I handle you!" Shui Baoping cried with gritted teeth. However, just as she had this thought, the emerald dragon arrow pierced through the skies and violently slammed into the barrier. When it struck, the void fragmented from the sheer pressure. Shui Baoping''s expression changed as the energy and blood coursing through her body shook violently. Li Luo''s arrow was much more powerful than she had expected. It was only now that she understood why Yan Feng had fallen at Li Luo''s hands. The bright side was that she had blocked it. But before she was able to relish in her joy, she saw the violet-gold dragon in the distance draw his bow once again. The emerald dragon flew back to him, transforming into yet another arrow. Shui Baoping''s heart sank upon seeing it. Just how could this brat unleash such a mighty Duke Art so effortlessly and quickly? As she remained momentarily dazed, Li Luo didn''t plan to give her any time to catch her breath. The Dragon Rearing Art of the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed consumed very little of his resonant power, so he naturally felt at ease when utilizing it repeatedly. Of course, the disadvantage of not actually cultivating the art meant that its growth would also be limited. When he released the bowstring again, the emerald light zipped through the void with a roar and very quickly struck the Azure Sea Banner once more. It was unable to resist a second hit, so it dimmed and transformed into a light that was sucked back into Shui Baoping''s robes. The destroyed Azure Sea Banner had negated much of the emerald dragon arrow''s power, and the remaining energy lanced towards Shui Baoping''s head. During that critical moment, Shui Baoping stretched her hand out and directly gripped the arrow''s shaft. Unfortunately, its terrifying power wasn''t easy to subdueit instantly ripped her palm to shreds, causing blood to spill. sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The sharp fangs and claws of the emerald dragon were forcefully halted half an inch away from Shui Baoping''s head before dissipating into motes of light. Even then, blocking the arrow had taken a great toll on Shui Baoping. Her body trembled and she spat out a mouth of fresh blood. This sight caused the squads from the Azuresea Divine Continent to turn pale in horror. Shui Baoping was their guiding light, and no one had expected her to be injured in Li Luo and Guo Jiufeng''s combined assault. "Ah!" Shui Baoping''s hair was now disheveled and it was obvious she was extremely furious. She shot out towards Li Luo, intending to deliver vengeance for that previous blow. However, Li Luo didn''t plan to entangle himself with her in close combat. His tail swung and he dashed away into the distance. At the same time, he drew the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow for the third time, condensed another emerald dragon arrow, and shot right at her. Shui Baoping was forced to halt to deal with the attack, and Guo Jiufeng took the opportunity to retaliate. This forced her into a miserable situation. In the end, the emerald dragon arrow struck her small frame and she was sent flying whilst spewing out blood. At the same time, a pillar of light descended, enveloping her body and sending her out of the minor world. This signified that Shui Baoping had been eliminated. The East Divine Continent''s squads let out raucous howls of joy upon seeing her vanish. Meanwhile, the Azuresea Divine Continent''s squads had expressions full of fear. In the skies above, Li Luo''s transformation began to revert and he went back to human form. His face was pale and the resonant power within his body had clearly diminished. As a second-grade Transcendent, having to unleash killing blows again and again had drained him. The bright side was that with Shui Baoping and Yan Feng''s elimination, he had sealed their victory. "VicePrincipal Guo Jiufeng, I''ll leave it to you to clean things up," Li Luo said. Guo Jiufeng looked at Li Luo with great surprise and his gaze flickered. He then respectfully cupped his fist and replied, "Mentor Li Luo, you should recuperate. I''ll handle the rest." There was newfound politeness in his words. The power Li Luo had just shown had caused even the strongest vice principal of the East Divine Continent to respect him. Without Li Luo''s help, he would have likely have been eliminated by now. Li Luo glanced at Guo Jiufeng, who was now zooming towards another Domain Traversal Platform, and sighed in relief in his heart. The first battle had been won by the East Divine Continent. Although he was still a distance from his goals, this was nonetheless a great start. Chapter 1457: Fang Xingyun Celestial Mirror City, East Divine Continent''s Greenwood PlatformNumerous beams of light descended and people streamed out, appearing on the platform. All of them had looks of great joy on their faces. In their very first battle, they had defeated the second strongest outer divine continent, the Azuresea Divine Continent! At this point, a monument of light appeared on a platform in the outer divine continent''s area. On it were the names of the six outer divine continents. A mark representing one victory appeared beside the East Divine Continent''s name, representing their victory. When the East Divine Continent''s squads appeared, many curious and surprised gazes were thrown in their direction. It turned out those on the outside had noticed the massive battle that had unfolded in their minor world. No one had expected that they would be able to overcome the supposedly stronger Azuresea Divine Continent. Of particular note was Li Luo''s terrifying strength. Solemn gazes were now directed towards the young and strapping man on the East Divine Continent''s platform. A second-grade Transcendent had cleanly defeated a sixth-grade Duke, and that display of strength had sent shockwaves through people''s hearts. On the Azuresea Divine Continent''s platform, the squads from their sage colleges had already been sent out of the minor world. However, in comparison to the East Divine Continent''s exuberant atmosphere, they were so depressed that it was suffocating. They all looked like they were in a daze, unable to comprehend that they had lost. How had their continent actually lost to the bottom-bracket East Divine Continent? This loss meant that they were now in the losers bracket, and it looked as though they were destined to return home in disgrace. This thought caused the vice principals to have ugly expressions as the rest of the squads felt a weight on their hearts. "Damn it! How could we have lost to them? Li Luo and Guo Jiufeng are too shameless. They actually fought against me two-on-one!" Meanwhile the leader of the Azuresea Divine Continent, Shui Baoping, had a steely green expression as she ranted. She could no longer remain calm as she vented the emotions and dissatisfaction in her heart. That said, she also knew that her anger wasn''t justifiable. Li Luo and the rest had not violated any rules and thus, she turned her fury towards the Holy Turtle Sage College''s Yan Feng. "Yan Feng! If you had managed to hold off Li Luo for a bit more time, I would have dealt with Guo Jiufeng!" Yan Feng''s expression also turned ugly. "That brat has a bunch of high-grade Mythic Armaments and has even cultivated Destiny-grade Duke Arts. If even you couldn''t block his two arrows, how could I?" Shui Baoping retorted, "My main focus was Guo Jiufeng! How else could Li Luo have broken my defenses alone!?" Hearing the two bicker caused Vice Principal Zhang Yu to sigh helplessly. "What''s the point of saying all this now? Could it possibly be more important than the competition later?" S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Shui Baoping gritted her teeth and suppressed her feelings of unhappiness. "If I had known this would have been the result earlier, I would have used the secret art of the Tree of Resonant Power before coming here. I might have been able to break into the Seventh Duke Stage." Zhang Yu sighed. "There''s no need to go to such extremities. It would squander all of your potential." "So what? Do you think we still have a chance to become Kings?" Shui Baoping asked with a sad look on her face. Zhang Yu was speechless. This defeat seemed to have frustrated her immensely, but he wasn''t able to comfort her in any way. He remained silent as he let her sort out her emotions. Meanwhile, on a slightly further away platform belonging to the Thunderflame Divine Continent, a man in white with silver eyes was calmly looking on. This was Fang Xingyun, the vice principal of the Thunder Tribulation Sage College. He was the only vice principal at the Seventh Duke Stage in the outer divine continents. "I never would have expected Shui Baoping to lose to the East Divine Continent," Fang Xingyun said slowly. His voice seemed to contain rumbling thunder, shocking everyone. On his left and right were a man and a woman. They were also the main seats of the Thunderflame Divine Continent''s sage colleges. Both were upper sixth-grade Dukes. The middle-aged man had a head of crimson hair that swayed like dancing flames. His name was Meng You, the Thunderflame Divine Continent''s Sacredsmoke Sage College''s vice principal. He replied, "The East Divine Continent''s young second-grade Transcendent Duke was the variable that changed the outcome. Normally speaking, a second-grade Transcendent would only be equivalent to a fifth-grade Duke. However, Li Luo has managed to defeat even an upper sixth-grade, achieving the feat of surpassing four grades. This sort of result is rarely seen even amongst geniuses. I don''t understand why someone of this caliber would appear within the East Divine Continent''s sage colleges. It looks like the one who will challenge us for the position of number one will be the East Divine Continent." The beautiful lady, who was garbed in red, gave a charming smile. "Regardless if it''s the East Divine Continent or the Azuresea Divine Continent, there isn''t much of a difference. After all, we have Vice Principal Fang here, who can hold up the heavens." Her name was Gu Fei, the vice principal of the Hundred Flowers Sage College. The crimson-haired Meng You smiled. Fang Xingyun was far above Shui Baoping, and even though the East Divine Continent had created a miracle, it wouldn''t change the final result. "Vice Principal Fang, when we challenge the East Divine Continent later, I''ll bring a squad to deal with the Astral Sage College. You can rest assured that I won''t act as stupidly as Yan Feng," Meng You said with a grin. The white-robed, silver-eyed Fang Xingyun''s gaze turned towards the young figure on the East Divine Continent''s platform and he slowly shook his head. "No. If we meet, I''ll directly bring the Thunder Tribulation Sage College to fight the Astral Sage College." Meng You and Gu Fei were surprised. They had never imagined that Fang Xingyun would plan to take matters into his own hands. Was he overestimating his opponent? The Thunder Tribulation Sage College''s squad was exceptionally strong. Other than Fang Xingyun, a seventh-grade Duke, they had another sixth-grade Duke within the group. This sort of line-up would completely overwhelm the Astral Sage College. "When a lion catches a rabbit, they have to do so with all their strength. I don''t wish to follow in the footsteps of Shui Baoping and flip the boat. From the very beginning, we will use all our power and attack like a bolt of lightning with all of our momentum and crush them underfoot," Fang Xingyun indifferently explained. "I won''t give them any chances." Meng You and Gu Fei nodded, feeling some joy in others misfortune. Fang Xingyun''s choice meant that he was treating Li Luo with great importance, and that also meant that the Astral Sage College was extremely unlucky. The dark horse could end up being stopped before they had even started. Even so, they would still be able to obtain second place, which was good enough. While the Thunderflame Divine Continent was planning to interrupt Li Luo''s rise, the latter was quietly recuperating. He realized that the platform underneath him seemed capable of quickly healing his injuries and restoring his resonant power. This was obviously the work of the Academic Federation. He could sense his depleted resonant power refilling swiftly, and his gaze was directed towards the core of this area. This was the area the four ancient colleges occupied. There was a monument made of light in the air that displayed their results. However, unlike the outer divine continents, the four ancient colleges carried out battles between their different squads and the results were tallied differently. On the monument, the different squads began to show movements in their ranks. He very quickly found a familiar name near the top. Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, Jiang Qing''e''s Squad, Four Victories, Zero Defeats. Chapter 1458: Chi Li As Li Luo watched the movements on the ancient colleges light monument, squads continued to jump up and down, showing how fierce the competition was. Meanwhile, Jiang Qing''e''s squad with her four victories and no losses remained at thirteenth place. At the same time, there were several squads who were lined up in a similar position.At the top of the light monument were four squads that consistently remained there. All of them had an impressive record of seven wins and zero losses. One of them was the one led by Sheng Qiao''er. The other three were naturally the ancient colleges Four Knights. As eighth-grade Dukes, their advantage was overwhelming. Furthermore, Li Luo recognized a familiar name in eleventh place. Mythical Spirit Ancient College, Chi Li. Five victories, zero losses. Li Luo''s eyes narrowed slightly. If he remembered incorrectly, Chi Li was the expert of the Chi family who Chi Chan had talked about. Being able to reach the eleventh place amongst the four ancient colleges, a place even higher than Jiang Qing''e''s, demonstrated how powerful he was. Of course, this didn''t mean that he was much stronger than Jiang Qing''e, merely that he had not met any comparable opponents in the early stages of the competition. Li Luo then turned to look at Chi Chan and noticed that her gaze was similarly focused on the ancient colleges light monument. The difference was that her gaze was filled with fear and disgust. When she noticed Li Luo looking at her, she gave a forced smile. Seeing the usually cold and placid Chi Chan reveal weakness made Li Luo want to comfort her. "Mentor, you can be assured that so long as you don''t wish for it, no one will be able to take you away." When she saw Li Luo''s resolute but warm gaze, her cherry-red lips pursed slightly and a warm current flowed through her heart. "Thank you," she said with a nod. Li Luo smiled before changing the topic. "The four ancient colleges have truly shown the depths of their foundations." Anyone of the top twenty squads would probably be able to dominate an entire outer divine continent, while Li Luos squad had to struggle with great difficulty to reach the top ten ranks there. It was no wonder the Celestial Mirror Pagoda differentiated the ancient colleges from the sage colleges. If they were to mingle together, perhaps all of the six outer divine continents squads added together would not be able to overcome a single ancient college squad. Li Luo''s gaze then turned away from the four ancient colleges and then towards the inner divine continents sage colleges. The competition there did not seem to lack in ferocity when compared to the former. Other than the fact that they lacked the four squads with eighth-grade Dukes, they were almost comparable. There were numerous squads led by upper seventh-grade Dukes. This sort of strength was capable of standing within the upper ranks of the ancient colleges. However, this was nothing outside of the norm. The inner divine continent sage colleges had much more resources and thus had produced some extremely talented Dukes with the funnelling of resources. In addition, the sheer amount of resources was incomparable to that in the outer divine continents. His gaze then turned towards an inner divine continent''s sage college light monument, and his gaze rested on the third-ranked name. Holymist Sage College, Lu Ruyan squad. The young mistress from Golden Dragon Mountain''s Lu family couldn''t be underestimated. Although she was not participating under an ancient college, the Holymist Sage College was still considered to be at the top amongst the sage colleges of the inner divine continents and had a deep foundation. It was said that Golden Dragon Mountain was the one who supported them as well. The Academic Federation didn''t mind that at all. After all, they had to watch over many colleges, and although the latter''s actions could allow them to gain some influence amongst the sage colleges, it also helped relieve the pressure on the amount of resources the Academic Federation had to dole out. Thus, so long as their actions didnt cross the line, the Academic Federation would close an eye. Li Luo sighed heavily in his heart. Because of Chi Chan and Lu Qing''er, he was bound to become enemies with both Chi Li and Lu Ruyan. If they were to encounter each other later, there would inevitably be conflict. Fortunately, one was with the ancient colleges and the other was with the inner divine continents sage colleges. Thus, they would not encounter each other just yet. However, this situation wouldn''t last because once the Domain Traversal Battles ended, they would meet each other at some point. Lu Qing''er calmly piped up, interrupting Li Luo''s thoughts. "There are three top-tier squads from the inner divine continents looking to ambush her. There''s no need to worry about her causing us trouble." Her voice flowed like a cool spring on a snowy mountain, clear and refreshing. Li Luo looked at her in surprise. "Are those people here to protect you?" Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You can say that," Lu Qing''er replied without going into details. "With so many more better options, you still chose to join the Astral Sage College. It looks like this place really is your true love." Lu Qing''er gave him an icy look and then emotionlessly turned away. Meanwhile, the snubbed Li Luo could only helplessly shrug. Chi Chan couldn''t help but to sneakily smile. "Don''t you know why she chose to participate with the Astral Sage College?" Li Luo sighed. As their group rested, time gradually passed and the six outer divine continents concluded their first bout. The winners and losers were separated. The Thunderflame Divine Continent, the East Divine Continent, and the Endless Gale Divine Continent were in the winners bracket. Meanwhile, the Azuresea Divine Continent, the Whitespirit Divine Continent, and the Extreme Night Divine Continent were in the losers bracket. This result shocked the Whitespirit Divine Continent and the Extreme Night Divine Continents squads. In previous years, the East Divine Continent had joined them in the losers bracket, but somehow they had triumphed this time around? Their expressions were full of complex emotions and it felt a little unbearable. Was there anything more deplorable than having a brother who had agreed to rough it but abandoned them upon striking it rich? How were they supposed to go back and explain themselves to their principals after seeing the East Divine Continent work so hard!? As they wallowed in their depression, the ancient colleges and the inner divine continent sage colleges were about to conclude their first rounds. The squads then left the minor worlds. When Jiang Qing''e came out, she immediately looked at the East Divine Continent''s platform, clearly concerned with Li Luo''s performance. Seeing that they had overcome the Azuresea Divine Continent to enter the winners bracket caused a hint of a smile to appear on her beautiful face. At the same time, on the Mythical Spirit Ancient College''s platform, a skinny man with dark-red eyes glanced over at the East Divine Continent. His cold gaze lingered on Chi Chan. "So it turns out that slut Chi Chan is here!" He tightly gripped the blood-red longsword in his hand as his gaze turned cold and hostile. Someone standing beside that man spoke up. It was none other than Chi Chi who had suffered under the hands of Li Luo. "Big Brother Chi Li, Chi Chan has someone protecting her. It''s a brat called Li Luo, from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent''s Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. His background is great, and perhaps it''s because of him that Chi Chan dared to enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda." "Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li." Chi Li frowned. This was truly surprising. Chi Chan had chosen to hide in an outer divine continent, so how had she managed to get connected with a Heavenly Emperor power from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent? The Chi family had no influence before such a power. The bright side was that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was a Heavenly Emperor power on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. If it were someone from the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent, he would have to act in a more reserved fashion. Chi Li''s gaze flitted between coldness and savagery, his unstable emotions causing him to feel even more infuriated towards Chi Chan. If that bitch had not escaped before, his secret art would not have remained incomplete and he wouldn''t be like this. She was supposed to be the cultivation cauldron that had been prepared for him over many years! In the end, she had escaped! If she were to fall into his hands, he would definitely give her a life worse than death! Chi Li deeply sucked in a breath of air and quashed the feelings in his heart before gloomily saying, "I''ll find an opportunity to confront Li Luo. If he is willing to let go of her, I''ll definitely give him a satisfactory reward." When Chi Chi heard that Chi Li actually planned to submit to Li Luo, he felt a little dissatisfied in his heart. "Big Brother, what if Li Luo is unwilling?" Chi Li''s gaze turned towards his blood-red longsword, and his expression distorted. "This is the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, not the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. I might not be able to kill him, but I have means to ensure that he will find it difficult to advance. If he wants to give me trouble over this bitch, then he''s chosen to ignore my goodwill. In that case, I won''t be polite with him." After everyone rested for a while, it was time for the outer divine continents to begin their next bout. The other two regions directed their gazes over as they waited. The second round of drawing lots would commence for the outer divine continents. Amongst them, one party would draw an empty lot and thus advance to the next bout without further fighting. Thus, everyone held high hopes as Vice Principal Guo Jiufeng confidently drew his lot. A few moments later, the East Divine Continent was speechless as everyone watched their platform link to another. It was none other than the Thunderflame Divine Continent. It looked as though they would now challenge the strongest amongst the six outer divine continents. Chapter 1459: The Second Domain Traversal Battle The six outer divine continents second round of drawing left the East Divine Continent in silence. At the same time, the other two regions were similarly looking at them."The East Divine Continent actually managed to enter the winners bracket this time?" "They defeated the Azuresea Divine Continent?" "That''s interesting. The Azuresea Divine Continent has three upper sixth-grade Dukes, so how did the East Divine Continent win?" "It''s said that Li Luo defeated Yan Feng and then, with the aid of Guo Jiufeng, overcame Shui Baoping." "Oh? A second-grade Transcendent defeated an upper sixth-grade Duke? Are all Transcendent Dukes that impressive? That''s a gap of four grades!" "The upper sixth-grade Dukes of the outer divine continent have a weaker foundation. Yan Feng doesn''t even possess a middle-grade Mythic Armament, while Li Luo has two high-grade ones. His battle strength is thus exceptional." "Even so... that''s impressive." "That said, this should be the end. The Thunderflame Divine Continent cannot be compared with the Azuresea Divine Continent. Fang Xingyun is a lower seventh-grade Duke, so hes far more powerful than Shui Baoping. Even though Li Luo is more monstrous than expected, he can''t possibly surpass five grades!" Countless discussions burst out amongst the crowd. The way the ancient colleges and the inner divine continent sage colleges saw it, the six outer divine continents region was like a beginner''s battleground. Fang Xingyun, who sat supreme at the top of the outer divine continents, wouldn''t even be able to break into the top thirty ranks in the other two regions. Yet no matter how they looked at it, Fang Xingyun was still a high-grade Duke. On the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s platform, Sheng Qiao''er walked towards Jiang Qing''e with her squad, saying, "Qing''e, it looks like that little boy of yours is about to be stopped." Jiang Qing''e coolly replied, "The result isn''t out yet. Let''s not jump to conclusions." "Oh? Do you think he stands a chance? Although Fang Xingyun doesn''t have a great foundation, he''s still a high-grade Duke," Sheng Qiao''er said with a grin. "Could it be that Li Luo will surpass five grades? I''m afraid even a third-grade Transcendent like you might not be able to do that." Beside Jiang Qing''e was one of her squad members, Ning Meng, who was still holding her bamboo cup. She took two sips of her drink and then said, "Mentor Qiao''er, Li Luo is very good at making people swallow their words. It is best to not get involved." Sheng Qiao''er unhappily glared at her. This silly girl was always drinking her coconut juice; could it be that her brain had been addled by the overconsumption of it? Jiang Qing''e didn''t plan to answer originally, but since the other party had questioned Li Luo''s abilities, she felt a little unhappy and retorted, "Li Luo''s potential, foundation, and talent are not at all inferior to mine. If I can''t do it, it doesn''t mean he can''t." Looking at how Jiang Qing''e seemed a little miffed, Sheng Qiao''er hurriedly smiled. "Alright, alright, alright. Let me just see for myself how he plans to turn the tables. It''ll make all the shortsighted people of the world open their eyes." On the Holymist Sage Colleges platform, the enchanting Lu Ruyan''s charming, peach blossom-like eyes were also directed towards the outer divine continent''s area. She was relishing in the East Divine Continent''s misfortune. "My silly sister, you could have been placed in the strong squad of an inner divine continent sage college. Instead, you ran off to an outer divine continent''s squad. I just can''t fathom what your peabrain is thinking. Perhaps you wont even be able to enjoy the already small amount of rewards of the outer divine continents can receive. How embarrassing." Her gaze then swept across the squads from the East Divine Continent. Based on her senses, the Thunderflame Divine Continent had an overwhelming advantage. She had no idea how the East Divine Continent would have any chance of winning. Were they planning on relying on the second-grade Transcendent Li Luo? If he were a third-grade Transcendent, then there couldve been a chance. However, a second-grade was lacking. The second round of the outer divine continents competition had captured everyone''s attention and imaginations. This naturally was because of Li Luo''s outstanding performance. His sheer talent was something that was rarely seen even amongst the geniuses of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. Everyone wanted to know just what sort of cards he had that would allow him to resist Fang Xingyun, and for how long. On the golden platform that oversaw everything, Wang Xuanjin, Elder Bai Yu, and Elder Jin Xi were watching with interest. It was at this moment that Guo Jiufeng finally returned to the East Divine Continent''s platform. "Vice Principal Guo, couldn''t you let us relax a little?" the Sacredspring Sage College''s Wang Xu asked unhappily. They had been pitted against the Azuresea Divine Continent in the first round. Now the second round was against the even more domineering Thunderflame Divine Continent. This was basically as much pressure as they could possibly put on themselves. Guo Jiufeng rubbed his hands sheepishly. "It''s not something I can control." Since a King had made the arrangements, all he could do was draw the lots blindly, unable to influence things in the slightest. Li Luo, on the other hand, looked as though he had come to terms with the result and smiled. "Well, we were bound to meet anyway. Once we cross this hurdle, first place will be ours." Guo Jiufeng smiled bitterly. "Mentor Li Luo, you are truly optimistic. This will not be easy." In truth, it wasn''t as simple as things not being easy. Guo Jiufeng couldn''t even fathom how they could win. He fell silent momentarily before he asked, "If I pitted against Fang Xingyun, I''m afraid I won''t even be able to last ten minutes before being eliminated. If you can rush to me to assist during that time, we should be able to put up a fight by working together. However, I have a feeling that they won''t give us the opportunity." The Thunderflame Divine Continent had undoubtedly received the information on their battles against the Azuresea Divine Continent, so they would take precautions to deal with him directly. In addition, perhaps Fang Xingyun would immediately take action against Li Luo, eliminating any rogue elements. Li Luo could sense the pressure Guo Jiufeng was under, but he didn''t know how he could console him. After all, the next battle would be incomparably difficult. The pressure of facing Fang Xingyun, a high-grade Duke, was incredible. Whether they would end up in victory or defeat would be dependent on how they dealt with Fang Xingyun. Everyone was very curious if he was even capable of challenging a lower seventh-grade Duke. Li Luo mentally reviewed the information he had read on Fang Xingyun. Lower seventh-grade Duke, three nine-pillar Duke Bergfrieds, a quasi ninth-grade Thunder Dragon resonance, and upper eighth-grade Silver Dragon resonance. Titled as the strongest vice principal in the outer divine continents sage colleges. Thinking of this, Li Luo felt a little surprised. Hearing that Fang Xingyun had dragon resonances caused him to wonder if that fellow was actually from a branch of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li... However, that probably wasn''t possible. Dragon resonances didn''t solely belong to the people of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, and he didn''t have the surname Li either. That said, having two dragon resonances meant that he had an advantage over others... but when facing Li Luo, he would be at a terrible disadvantage. Li Luo''s lips curled up into a smile. As he thought through these things, the sky above them, which resembled a chessboard, began to emit pillars of light that descended upon the area. They enveloped the squads from the Thunderflame Divine Continent and the East Divine Continent. Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A moment later, the pillars of light shot up into the air and the squads were all sent into the minor world. The second round of the outer divine continents battles had officially begun. Chapter 1460: Battling A Seventh-grade When the squads of the East Divine Continent and the Thunderflame Divine Continent entered the minor world, numerous rays of light shot outwards, forming a gigantic screen of light that displayed what was going on within. Regardless whether it was the ancient colleges or the inner divine continent sage colleges, all of their squads had their attention directed towards the screen of light with interest.At this point, a large number of them let out cries of shock. "Ah! Fang Xingyun is directly leading his group towards the East Divine Continent''s squads. He doesn''t plan to contest the Domain Traversal Platforms, but to settle things decisively." "Hehe, Fang Xingyun is quite courageous. His overall strength is superior, so there''s no need to scatter and fight the East Divine Continent over the numerous Domain Traversal Platforms. All he needs to do is win one decisive battle against them headfirst and he will naturally be victorious." "Look over there, Fang Xingyun seems like he''s bringing the Thunder Tribulation Sage College''s squad directly towards Li Luo''s Astral Sage College squad!" "It seems like he''s planning to target the largest variable, Li Luo! Once Li Luo is defeated, the East Divine Continent''s squads will naturally fall." "Fang Xingyun is quite decisive. Since Li Luo is the biggest uncertainty, then once he''s dealt with him, there won''t be any way for them to change the situation." "With Fang Xingyun''s strength as a lower seventh-grade Duke, no matter what Li Luo tries to do, it''s probably futile." Jiang Qing''es full attention was on the scene on the screen of light. She was focused on Fang Xingyun, who was headed towards Li Luo with a frown. A cold glint flickered through her eyes and her slender fingers clenched slightly. Meanwhile, on the side of the Mythical Spirit Ancient College, Chi Li darkly smiled. He was incredibly angry at Li Luo for interfering with the situation with Chi Chan. Seeing Fang Xingyun defeat Li Luo would allow him to vent slightly and would also be beneficial for his subsequent negotiations with him. At the Holymist Sage College''s platform, Lu Ruyan had her arms crossed. This posture accentuated certain features of hers, and she relished the impending disaster Li Luo was about to face. The gazes of numerous people containing all sorts of emotions were tightly locked on the sight before them, on the brink of a fierce battle that would soon unfold within the minor world. "Fang Xingyun, your opponent is the Enlightened Sage College!" Guo Jiufeng shouted. The six Duke Bergfrieds above him glowed with radiant light, and a hundred thousand feet of Divine Mist rushed into the sky, forming a rainbow that crashed towards Fang Xingyun. However, his attack wasnt even ten thousand feet away from its target when it was shattered by fiery, red sword energy. A crimson-haired middle-aged man leading several individuals appeared in the air. This was Vice Principal Meng You from the Sacredsmoke Sage College. "Guo Jiufeng, if you want to play, the Sacredsmoke Sage College will entertain you. Don''t disturb the refined Vice Principal Fang." Meng You laughed as he wielded a red greatsword that seemed to flow with lava. An ugly expression appeared on Guo Jiufengs face when Meng You blocked his way. He knew what Fang Xingyun was planning, and it was obvious he looked at Li Luo with great importance. Thus, he had directly targeted Li Luo from the very beginning. As long as he utilized his advantages from the start, he would be able to quickly crush Li Luo. "A grand high-grade Duke attempting to squash a second-grade Duke from the get-go is a little demeaning, don''t you think?" Guo Jiufeng shouted coldly, his voice booming like thunder so it would reach Fang Xingyun''s ears. This was his attempt to provoke the opponent. Alas, he was not met with a single response from the latter. Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Thunderflame Divine Continent''s other squads then moved into place to obstruct the rest of the squads from the East Divine Continent, including Wang Xu''s squad, making it hard for them to leave to reinforce. Thus, all eyes were now focusing on the Thunder Tribulation Sage College led by Fang Xingyun and their upcoming battle against the Astral Sage College. When the distance between the two squads was several hundred feet, Fang Xingyun stopped in his tracks and his sharp gaze locked onto Li Luo. "Guo Jiufeng spoke of you as though you were an ordinary second-grade Duke, but I don''t know who is dumber, me or him. Who did the East Divine Continent rely on to reach this point? Does he really not know in his heart?" Li Luo smiled. "Then should I be thanking you, Vice Principal Fang, for looking upon me so favorably?" At the same time, his gaze swept across the squad from the Thunder Tribulation Sage College, and his heart sank. He discovered that on top of Fang Xingyun, there was also an experienced mentor at the lower Sixth Duke Stage. Li Luo sighed in his heart. The strength of the Thunder Tribulation Sage College would definitely reign within the upper-middle ranks of the inner divine continent sage colleges. In comparison, the Astral Sage College''s lineup was completely inferior in every way. The upcoming battle would definitely be bitter. Even if he could hold back Fang Xingyun, the lower sixth-grade Duke would be able to sweep over Chi Chan and the rest. Once the Astral Sage College''s squad was eliminated, the rest would also be encircled and defeated. "Leave that lower sixth-grade Duke to me. However, I''ll need Elder Sister Hongyou''s help," Lu Qing''er suddenly said. Li Luo looked at Lu Qing''er with a hint of surprise. She was only a first-grade Transcendent, and yet she was capable of holding back a lower sixth-grade Duke? Was she able to surpass the gap of three grades as well? ???????????s? "I''m not as disgusting as you are, but if I only need to temporarily hold him back in a one-on-one, that''s doable," Lu Qing''er explained coolly. Li Luo hesitated momentarily before nodding. Lu Qing''er undoubtedly had her own trump cards, and he could sense a terrifying aura within her. The source was likely the Permafrost Sacred Seed of Golden Dragon Mountain''s Lu family. "Then I''ll leave him to you." At the same time, Li Luo looked towards the three mentors. "Esteemed mentors, you''ll just have to hold the enemy back. Once this battle is over, the position of first place will belong to the East Divine Continent!" He finally turned towards Li Hongyou. "I''ll leave the rest in your hands, Senior Hongyou." There was no need to doubt Li Hongyou''s importance in the team. After all, if Li Luo was able to achieve victory here, it would definitely have to do with Li Hongyou''s ability to supplement his power. She nodded lightly and then bit her fingertip, spilling fragrant, fresh blood. With a quick series of motions, she created two golden seals. Vermilion Fruit Godly Transformation Seals! The two seals then shot into Li Luo and Lu Qing''er''s bodies, and their resonant power undulations swiftly rose. At the same time, Li Hongyou created three ordinary Crimson Heart Golden Seals. Their effect was much weaker, but there was no other choice. Her current abilities only allowed her to support two Vermilion Fruit Godly Transformation Seals. After buffing her squad members, Li Hongyou''s gorgeous face had turned much paler. Meanwhile, the rest of the squad grunted their thanks. A moment later, they shot towards the Dukes of the Thunder Tribulation Sage College, and numerous majestic Duke Bergfrieds rushed into the sky. Above Li Luo, two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds that resembled suns began to devour copious amounts of worldly natural energy. "Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds are truly worthy of envy." Looking at the two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds oozing the aura of perfection caused Fang Xingyun to sigh lightly. After which, seven Duke Bergfrieds manifested in the air and a frightening pressure descended upon the field. "However, I don''t believe that you, a second-grade Transcendent, will be able to jump five grades to challenge me!" When he finished speaking, Fang Xingyun''s gaze surged with thunder energy. He took a step forward and transformed into a bolt of thunder, splitting the void and swiftly appearing before Li Luo. This action was out of everyone''s expectations. No one had expected that he would take advantage of Li Luo''s lack of preparation and deliver a killing blow right off the bat! Fang Xingyun''s hand was clenched into a fist as he struck, creating a manifestation of thunder energy in the shape of a fist. It was wrapped completely with flowing thunder, shattering the void as it flew towards Li Luo with invincible momentum. His attack was sudden, but it was fortunate that Li Luo had been on alert from the very start. The moment he saw the thunder energy flickering in his eyes, he had already clenched his fist in response. The Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade instantly appeared within his grasp. Thunder energy poured down the blade like a waterfall as he held it up horizontally, using it as a shield to block the incoming strike. A deafening thunderclap boomed when the attack landed, echoing throughout the vast space of the minor world. The void fragmented like glass and Li Luo was sent flying thousands of feet away by Fang Xingyun''s violent punch, crashing through several towering mountains! Regardless, everyone was shocked, whether they were inside or outside of the minor world. Fang Xingyun had acted mercilessly and decisively. Would Li Luo be eliminated with a single punch? Chapter 1461: Frost Seal Mountains collapsed and thick dust clouds filled the air. Guo Jiufeng, Wang Xu, and the rest were greatly taken aback. They had never even imagined that Fang Xingyun would act so decisively. A seventh-grade Duke bursting forth with all his might with the intent to kill a second-grade Transcendent!That fist strike was like a violent thunderbolt. Even certain sixth-grade Dukes would be grievously injured by it. Could Li Luo have been eliminated just like that? As Fang Xingyun remained floating in the air, thunder energy flowed through his eyes, giving him a domineering appearance. He didn''t feel like the sudden ambush was beneath him in any way. Since Li Luo was a threat, he would naturally neutralize him without regard for his methods. His gaze was focused on the wrecked remains of the mountains that Li Luo was buried under. Li Luo couldn''t have lost just like that, right? If that was the case, he would feel greatly disappointed. Just as this thought went through his mind, sounds were heard coming from the depths of the destroyed mountains. A moment later, a powerful resonant power tempest blasted outwards, directly disintegrating the ruins of the mountains around him. At the same time, a three-colored stream of light arced through the skies, erupting with ferocious energy undulations. The void in its path immediately shattered and even the spatial fragments were wrapped up by it, blasting towards Fang Xingyun. Fang Xingyun''s silver eyes constricted. He could clearly see that within the three-colored light was an arrow with three different-colored dragons intertwined together. The sharp horns were interconnected, forming the tip of the devastating attack. The arrow pierced across the horizon as energy surged all around it. For a brief moment, one could see the figures of three enormous dragons filling the heavens and the earth. "This is..." Fang Xingyun revealed a look of surprise. "The Academic Federation''s lower Destiny-grade Duke Art, the Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon?!" As someone with dual dragon resonances, Fang Xingyun was not unfamiliar with this Duke Art. Furthermore, the pieces of the Duke Art were all scattered throughout the sage colleges. After all, they were only at the Communion-grade when separated. However, if the conditions were met, they would be much easier to use and they had great potential for growth. What he was most surprised about was the fact that Li Luo had cultivated the entire Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon! Above Fang Xingyun''s head, seven majestic and towering Duke Bergfrieds began to roar and dense Duke flowed out of them like a tide, manifesting into a silver dragon. With a thought, the silver dragon stretched out its massive frame before explosively shooting forward like a torrent through the skies, smashing into the Three Dragons Arrow. Heaven shaking draconic roars reverberated throughout the land and the entire void shook violently. A few moments later, the energy undulations dissipated and the Three Dragons Arrow was fully blocked by the silver dragon. "The gap between our cultivation levels is simply too large. Even a low Destiny-grade Duke Art from you isn''t much of a threat to me. However, the fact that you''ve taken a punch from me and are still capable of retaliating does demonstrate how extraordinary a Transcendent Duke is," Fang Xingyun casually said as he looked at the destroyed remnants of the mountains. "If you were a third-grade Transcendent, perhaps even I would have to temporarily avoid the spotlight and hand over first place of the outer divine continents to you." As he spoke, a slender and tall figure emerged from the depths of the debris before countless eyes, through the tunnel created by the Three Dragons Arrow. In his hand was the ancient blade with thunder energy crackling across it. The tip of the blade was flowing with lightning, giving it an unparalleled sharpness that split the void constantly, leaving behind minute spatial rifts around it. Li Luo was back. The squads from the East Divine Continent began to heave sighs of relief. Lu Qing''er similarly retracted her look of worry and turned towards the person before her. It was a middle-aged man who was built like a steel tower. His skin had an ash-gray tinge to it that resembled stone. ???????????? Atop him were his six Duke Bergfrieds that emanated an intense pressure. "Does the Astral Sage College have no one else? They actually sent a little girl at the First Duke Stage to stop me?" he said with a hint of dissatisfaction as he looked at Lu Qing''er. " I''m here because you''re impotent," Lu Qing''er indifferently retorted. "Oh? Could it be that you are like Li Luo, you little wench? Capable of exceeding five grades as a demonic genius?" the man said in a mocking tone. Even Li Luo was at a disadvantage when facing off against Fang Xingyun, so how could Lu Qing''er stop him? Lu Qing''er shook her head. "I can''t compare with him. However, I won''t let anyone bother him." The middle-aged man let out a guffaw as he lost interest in speaking further. The way he saw it, only Li Luo was worthy of attention. Everyone else was simply harmless. They had sent a little first-grade girl to stop him; did they really think that he would show mercy and allow her to buy time? That would be truly naive thinking. He would instantly eliminate this girl and then follow up with the rest of the mentors from the Astral Sage College. No matter how amazing Li Luo was, he wouldn''t be able to survive at that point. With that in mind, the middle-aged man''s gaze turned sharp and he took a step forward. He vanished, reappearing behind Lu Qing''er like a ghost. Then he raised his fist and punched. This strike was imbued with immense amounts of dense Divine Mist and gave off a weighty feeling, as though it could shatter even mountains. However, to the mans surprise, Lu Qing''er showed no signs of planning to dodge this strike, letting it hit her directly. Was she looking to die? He was taken aback by this. But an instant later, he felt that something was wrong. Just the wind from the fist strike had caused Lu Qing''er''s body to shatter like ice, turning into a gust of cold air. He frowned and raised his head. He saw Lu Qing''er''s lithe figure reappear a short distance away. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Are you playing these little games to try and buy time?" The middle-aged man snorted. He stepped forward once again, approaching Lu Qing''er slowly. At the same time, astonishing energy undulations radiated from his body, enveloping the entire area. Even as he neared Lu Qing''er, she remained quietly rooted to the ground. Her eyes were like a calm lake of ice overflowing with coldness. It was at this moment that a dark blue frost appeared on her skin. The middle-aged man was shocked, and dark blue frost began to appear on his own body. He frowned, sending a surging wave of resonant power outwards, attempting to purge the cold energy that had invaded his body. However, his expression suddenly changed. He discovered that no matter what he tried, his resonant power was unable to erase the traces of frost. It continued to spread across his body at a consistent pace. "How''s that possible?!" He couldn''t fathom what was happening. With a sixth-grade Duke''s strength, how was he unable to rid himself of the cold energy of a first-grade Duke? When he carefully sensed his body, he discovered that the dark blue frost contained dense amounts of source origin, which was what gave it tyrannical might. The man''s gaze turned unsettled. He paused in his steps and he looked towards Lu Qing''er. At this moment, her entire body was also covered with dark blue frost. Clearly, her methods were so domineering that she couldn''t avoid the same fate. It was a truly pyrrhic move. Chapter 1462: Evolve, My Heavenly Dragon Resonance! "What an impressive little doll. Are all of the Astral Sage College''s people as demonic as you are?" the middle-aged man asked. "There''s a huge gap between me and him," Lu Qing''er dryly replied as dark blue frost spread across her cheeks, giving her a particular charm. The middle-aged man then asked, "It seems like your frost seal is only capable of trapping me for the time needed for an incense stick to burn." Lu Qing''er lightly replied, "That''s enough time." The middle-aged man smiled. "It looks like you have a lot of trust in Li Luo." Lu Qing''er''s icy gaze turned towards the mountains in the distance, focused on that strapping figure with a thunder blade in hand. A deep sense of attachment surfaced within her eyes. However, it gradually faded, turning into indifference as the seal on the Permafrost Sacred Seed was gradually unlocked. This emotional apathy caused her heart to ache slightly, but she was powerless to stop it. "I have a lot of faith in him," she mumbled to herself. The dark blue frost began to spread, and in just a few breaths worth of time, she turned into a lifelike ice sculpture. Similarly, the middle-aged man ceased his struggle and allowed the frost seal to cover him. "Although you have a beautiful imagination, when you open your eyes, the one before you will definitely not be Li Luo." With those last words, the man transformed into an ice statue as well. What had happened to the two had been noticed by the rest, and this left them shocked. No one had expected that a lower sixth-grade Duke would end up being sealed by a first-grade Duke, even if it was temporary. Meanwhile, outside the minor world, when Lu Ruyan saw this, her charming face turned ugly. She knew that this was a power of the Permafrost Sacred Seed. "Lu Qing''er!" Jealousy could be seen in her eyes. She had put in an immense amount of effort over the years in an attempt to obtain the recognition of the Permafrost Sacred Seed. Alas, no one would have ever thought that her attempts would pale in comparison to a wench from an outer divine continent! She refused to accept this. And this would also be her final chance. She would have to seize the Permafrost Sacred Seed from her! Lu Ruyan took in a deep breath and recomposed herself before coldly smiling to herself. What was Lu Qing''er thinking? Did she really think that holding back a sixth-grade Duke would change anything? Did she really think that Li Luo was capable of overcoming Fang Xingyun? That was a true high-grade Duke. No matter what Li Luo had up his sleeve, it would be no help in bridging the gap between their cultivation levels. Thus, she eagerly awaited the moment Lu Qing''er opened her eyes, to wallow in her disappointment. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Li Luo tightly gripped the handle of his sword. Traces of blood could be seen between his fingers as Fang Xingyun''s previous fist strike was indeed incredibly strong. If he had not borrowed the toughness of the blade to block the attack, he might have been seriously injured. Li Luo sighed. The pressure of facing this opponent far surpassed that of Shui Baoping or Yan Feng. The gap was indeed a watershed, a massive chasm. This round would be extremely difficult. As Li Luo sighed, Fang Xingyun didn''t plan to continue speaking with him either. He formed a seal with one hand, and a moment later, his seven Duke Bergfrieds rumbled and thunder energy spread out across the horizon, covering the mountain range. Everywhere the thunder energy touched became a part of his domain. This caused the thunder energy that existed within the area to strengthen, while other elements began to vanish. Bang! Thunder clouds formed in the sky, and thunder energy coursed through them like a massive python. This was Fang Xingyun''s Duke Worldspace Domain. All of the worldly natural energy within the domain was under Fang Xingyun''s control and thus, anyone lower than a seventh-grade Duke with their own domain would be unable to use worldly natural energy to supplement themselves. ??????????????????? This was absolute suppression! This was the advantage of high-grade Dukes. With a Duke''s Worldspace Domain, they would seize control of the environment and use it to their advantage. In the World''s End River Treasure Domain, Qin Lian had used this ability to single-handedly suppress all of the middle and low-grade Dukes, and none were able to resist. This was the power of a domain! Now that Fang Xingyun had activated his Duke''s Worldspace Domain, everyone understood that he didn''t plan to give Li Luo any chance to retaliate. Similarly, when Li Luo felt the domain expanding, he could feel an inexplicable sense of oppression descending upon him. However, he remained calm. The two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds above him began to roar and all six of his resonances appeared. A vast wave of water flowed across the skies, shimmering with divine light. An ancient, towering tree stood tall and unyielding, rooted into boundless, brown soil. Thunderclouds filled the air and the figure of a Heavenly Dragon appeared, emanating a primal draconic pressure. "Your lower seventh-grade Duke''s Worldspace Domain might be effective against others, but not as much towards me," Li Luo said with a grin. The Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds overflowed with the aura of perfection and completion. This meant that worldly natural energy would naturally gravitate towards them. Even though the Duke''s Worldspace Domain was able to suppress him slightly, it could not sever the connection Li Luo had with the heavens and the earth. This was the reason why many Transcendent geniuses were able to overcome a gap of three grades with ease. At the same time, the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds had the ability to resist the suppression of a domain. On top of that, the difference between Fang Xingyun and Qin Lian''s domains was like heaven and earth. "Furthermore, you''re not the only one with the power to suppress his enemies." With a thought, the Heavenly Dragon resonance began to let out a sky-shaking roar that was both ancient and pure. The violet-gold Heavenly Dragon that sat coiled above the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried began to radiate a glorious strength that swept across the world. When Fang Xingyun sensed the Heavenly Dragon''s might, his expression changed. He could sense that the Thunder and Silver Dragon resonances above his Duke Bergfrieds were beginning to turn a little dim. "Is that a Heavenly Dragon resonance?!" His expression turned solemn. He possessed two dragon resonances, so he had a good understanding of the dragon race. Thus, he knew what Li Luo''s resonance represented. This was the king of all dragons, and it would naturally suppress all lesser dragons! Fang Xingyun was speechless. He wanted to use his Worldspace Domain to knock Li Luo down several notches. But he had not achieved the result he wantedhe ended up being the one suppressed! The only bright side was that the suppression wasn''t too noticeable and would not affect the situation significantly. "It''s only a quasi ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance." Fang Xingyun heaved a sigh of relief in his heart, but a looming sense of crisis began to dawn upon him. Li Luo was a little too demonic. The number of trump cards he had up his sleeve was just too high, so it was best to bring an end to this as soon as possible. However, just as he thought this, he saw a smile on Li Luo''s face, and it unsettled him. After which, the latter''s amused voice rang out. "Did you look down on the grade of my Heavenly Dragon resonance? Did you just think that its a little too low? Let me show you something now." Fang Xingyun''s heart began to beat rapidly and a cold look appeared on his face. "There''s no need!" He then stretched his hand out, and thunderclouds started condensing within his palm. The next moment, it transformed into tens of thousands of thunderbolts that resembled pythons, raining down upon Li Luo like an apocalyptic shower. Show, his ass! The faster he was eliminated, the better! This brat''s existence was basically an aberration! Li Luo''s gaze was drowned out by the deluge of thunderbolts falling towards him as he thought to himself, "Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed! Transform! Middle ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance!" Chapter 1463: Able to Contend with a Seventh-grade! When Li Luo activated the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed, the Heavenly Dragon above the two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds erupted with a boundless and vast light. Everyone could clearly see that the Heavenly Dragon''s body was expanding at a frightening pace. Its fangs and claws were becoming incomparably sharp. All of the violet-gold scales were becoming more life-like, becoming more like a living, breathing creature.An indescribable, mysterious draconic pressure washed over the world like an unstoppable tide. The entire minor world seemed to tremble under the power of this dragon. What changed was not only the Heavenly Dragon resonance, but Li Luo''s body as well. Violet-gold runes appeared on his skin and spread across the surface of his body. In the end, all of the runes condensed between Li Luo''s eyebrows, transforming into a violet-gold halo. Within it was a coiled ancient dragon, roaring towards the heavens. At the same time, his originally grayish-white hair had turned a dazzling violet-gold. It was his Archaic Runes! Those with middle ninth-grade resonances were capable of producing these mysterious runes that allowed one to pursue source origin itself, strengthening Li Luo''s body''s connection with the world around him. The resonant power undulations coming from Li Luo''s body began to soar rapidly. The appearance of the middle ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance caused Fang Xingyun''s expression to turn gloomy. He could sense that his two resonances had become sluggish. He understood that this was a form of suppression the Heavenly Dragon resonance could hold over other dragon resonances! "Archaic Runes... middle ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance?!" Fang Xingyun''s heart was shaken. He couldn''t comprehend how Li Luo, who clearly had a quasi ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance, was able to transform it into a middle ninth-grade! Just what sort of means did he have in his hands? "This is... the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li''s Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed." In the outside world, atop the golden platform, Wang Xuanjin, Elder Bai Yu, and Elder Jin Xi were all closely observing the fight. From a glance, they were instantly able to deduce that Li Luo was suddenly able to evolve his resonance with a special power. Furthermore, this was not something they were unaware of. Sacred seeds were something that all the peak powers of the land paid attention to. Only Heavenly Emperors were able to create them, and they were the foundations of their lineages. The only thing that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li possessed that allowed one to bolster their dragon resonance to the middle ninth-grade would be the weaker version of the Dragon Sacred Seed, the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed. "It turns out he was concealing his hand all along. A middle ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance can easily suppress Fang Xingyun''s dual dragon resonances. This will reduce the gap between them," Wang Xuanjin said with a grin. Elder Jin Xi shook his head. "There is an element of suppression, but bridging the gap between the two won''t be so easy." Elder Bai Yu similarly spoke up in a gentle voice. "Jumping five grades to battle an opponent is rare even amongst Transcendents. Even if Li Luo uses the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed, it has only changed the situation from being crushed instantly, to one where he is able to withstand the opponent''s attacks." Wang Xuanjin similarly agreed with the other elders opinions. Beating an opponent five grades above oneself was terrifying and almost never seen. Just relying on the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed wouldn''t close the gap in sheer power. However, what couldn''t be denied was that Li Luo''s chances of winning had improved. Whilst the three Kings discussed, the squads beneath were also looking at Li Luo in shock. After all, not everyone was able to discern what had happened like Wang Xuanjin. Thus, they were baffled by how Li Luo had achieved this result. Jiang Qing''e''s gaze was focused on Li Luo, and a trace of amusement could be seen in her eyes. "It looks like you''ve managed to obtain the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed." This also signified that he had become the Five Guardian Armies'' Grand Guardian General! This position was something that Jiang Qing''e could have originally fought for, but as she didn''t possess a dragon resonance, the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed wasn''t very effective on her. Thus, she didn''t hold much interest in it. It would be better if Li Luo obtained it instead. And he did indeed live up to her expectations. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With this, he would have even stronger cards up his sleeve, and his hopes of winning had increased. "So what if you have a middle ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance? Even though my dragon resonances have been suppressed, the gap between us will not change!" ???????????? Fang Xingyun very quickly calmed his heart. Regardless of what Li Luo did, his own advantage in grades was absolute. Fang Xingyun waved his hand, and thunder energy condensed in his palm, taking the shape of a halberd. It was engraved with thunder runes and emitted the boom of thunder from time to time. Middle-grade Mythic Armament, Thunderlight Halberd! As the strongest vice principal in the six outer divine continents, Fang Xingyun had received much of the Thunder Tribulation Sage College''s support and was gifted this middle-grade Mythic Armament by the principal. "Li Luo, all of your fancy tricks are meaningless before absolute strength!" Fang Xingyun bellowed, his voice thundering across the minor world. His gaze was firmly locked on Li Luo, and he would no longer give his opponent any more chances. Taking a step forward, he dashed forward like a bolt of lightning, travelling at frightening speed and piercing through the skies. The halberd in his hand struck downwards so quickly, it was like a torrent of thunder, directed right at Li Luo. With the aid of his Worldspace Domain, Fang Xingyun''s speed had reached a frightening level. Even Li Luo could barely track him as he zoomed across the skies. A moment later, a torrent of thunder energy appeared before Li Luo''s eyes, accompanied by wild energy undulations and a thunderclap, deafening him. Li Luo looked into the sky and roared, his Archaic Runes illuminating brightly. The dragon contained in the violet-gold spot between his brows roared as well. All of the resonant power within his body was activated, channeled into the Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade. He slashed outwards, causing boundless amounts of thunder energy to spill out, severing the firmament into two. He was going to clash head-on against Fang Xingyun without giving in! Li Luo wanted to see for himself if he was able to block a high-grade Duke''s attack at his peak state! The thunder blade clashed with the thunder halberd before everyone''s eyes. It was like two fearsome thunderbolts crashing into each other, and the void shattered as a result. All of the mountains in their surroundings were charred black by the blast. As thunder energy wildly thrashed in the four directions, Li Luo was sent flying several thousand feet away. Silver thunder poured into his blade and travelled into his body, clearly under the control of Fang Xingyun''s Thunder Dragon resonant power. However, before it was capable of rampaging within Li Luo''s body, it was firmly locked down by the Absolute Resonance Halo and then devoured, resolving the hidden danger. Pain lanced through the hand, which tightly clutched the Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade. His blood and energy were in turmoil, and it was clear that he had been overpowered in the last confrontation. That said, Li Luo''s eyes shone with excitement. This was a much better result than their first exchange, where he had been bashed into the depths of a mountain with a single blow. Clearly, when the Heavenly Dragon resonance reached the middle ninth-grade, his power had also soared. Furthermore, with the aid of the Archaic Runes, his body had been augmented greatly, capable of resisting Fang Xingyun''s Thunder Dragon resonant power. "Again!" Li Luo roared as he struck downwards with his blade, a bolt of golden thunder energy shooting outwards. Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade, Divine Thunderstrike! The golden thunder blade energy arced through the void, hacking viciously towards Fang Xingyun. Fang Xingyun emotionlessly waved his halberd when he saw Li Luo''s counterattack. Energy from within the Worldspace Domain surged towards him, transforming into a Thunder Dragon''s claw. It slammed downwards and destroyed the golden thunder energy with a slap. The golden thunder energy began to dissipate, but Fang Xingyun''s gaze was gloomy. He was beginning to realize that Li Luo was able to withstand his offensive. In fact, he even dared to strike back! The middle ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance not only bolstered his resonant power, it also made his body that much stronger. This was the advantage of dragon resonant power, and the resonant power was from the king of dragons! Fang Xingyun, having experienced this himself, was exceptionally cognizant of this. Fury arose within his heart. He had originally wished to utilize his overwhelming power and crush Li Luo like a dried twig, completely crushing the morale of the East Divine Continent. Alas, he had failed to do so, and it was a form of shame. With a thought, he no longer hesitated, taking yet another step forward. He waved his halberd, condensing thousands of bolts of silver lightning that then blasted towards Li Luo with boundless killing intent, attempting to exterminate him. When Li Luo saw this, he gripped his blade and the violet-gold runes on his body began to shine even more brightly, giving off a wild and ferocious aura. "Hahaha! Come! Let me experience for myself how outstanding a high-grade Duke is!" His laughter boomed and the blade swung down, creating countless golden thunder energy blades that flew outwards. Deafening booms rang out as the energies collided again and again. The two fighters smashed into each other in the air like lightning bolts repeatedly. In just a short instant, they clashed more than a thousand times. Each clash left Li Luo reeling backwards, and his skin was gradually being covered in silver thunder marks. However, these marks would then be forced to dissipate by the violet-gold thunder runes on his body. His physical strength was exceptionally mighty at this point and his entire body was bathed in golden thunder energy, like a suit of golden dragonscale armor. Although he was at a disadvantage, he was able to weather the endless killing blows launched by Fang Xingyun. Thunder filled the air in the entire minor world. Regardless of whether it was within or outside of the minor world, horrified gazes were directed towards Li Luo. He had been forced to retreat, but he was never actually defeated by Fang Xingyun! This meant that Li Luo was truly qualified to go toe-to-toe with him! Countless individuals were flabbergasted by this sight, and they started to feel excited. Li Luo was overcoming the doubts about him with his actions. So what if there was a gap of five grades? A seventh-grade? He definitely could fight one! Chapter 1464: Li Luos Counterattack! The resplendent thunder energy transformed into a Worldspace Domain that enveloped the entire mountain range.Within the thunder energy domain, an endless number of destructive bolts roared as the two individuals clashed with each other fiercely. Every collision led to a detonation of thunder energy that spread across the area, causing the lush, green mountains to turn into blackened soot mounds. The two individuals were none other than Fang Xingyun and Li Luo. Everyone''s eyes were glued to their fight. It was clear for all that Fang Xingyun had the advantage in the continued clashes with Li Luo, as the latter was sent retreating with his attacks destroyed each time. Even so, Li Luo would quickly jump back into the fray and strike out yet again with tens of thousands of bolts of golden thunder energy. When taking into consideration the huge gap between them and the Worldspace Domain, it was obvious that Fang Xingyun had the upper hand. However, Li Luo''s middle ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance had strengthened his body immensely while suppressing Fang Xingyun''s dual dragon resonances, which had reduced the gap. What was supposed to be a one-sided battle had turned into a bloody stalemate. Amidst the raging thunder energy collisions, the thunder halberd roared and the silver thunder that wreathed it let out a thunderclap, causing the void to collapse. At the same time, boundless amounts of golden thunder energy wrapped around the Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade as it hacked towards the opposing attacks. A resounding ring of metal striking against metal reverberated through the skies. Li Luo was sent tumbling away. Fang Xingyun gripped his Thunderlight Halberd as he strode forward like a god of thunder with a gloomy expression. This fight had worn away all of his patience. When he lowered his head to look at his prized weapon, he could see many nicks on his middle-grade Mythic Armament, created due to the continuous exchanges with Li Luo''s Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade. A look of pained distress flickered through his eyes. This Mythic Armament was something he had spent an immense amount of effort to obtain and was his strongest weapon. It was the main tool he used to contend with the other vice principals in the outer divine continents, putting him at the top. Alas, dealing with Li Luo was building up his frustration. Obviously, Li Luo''s sword was a high-grade Mythic Armament. In all honesty, Fang Xingyun was greedy, and if they had clashed in the outside world, he would have probably tried to seize Li Luos treasure. Fang Xingyun was a little speechless. Although Li Luo had spent time cultivating within the Astral Sage College, it must have been the power behind him that allowed his talent to flourish and obtain the items he had today. He then raised his head. Li Luo was standing tall. His robes had long been disintegrated by the continuous bouts, revealing his slender body. His head of violet-gold hair was as dazzling as the stars, and eye-catching violet-gold scales covered his body. Additionally, the runes that covered his skin converged into a small halo between his eyebrows. These were the Archaic Runes that had bolstered Li Luo''s physical state to an unbelievable extent. The violet-gold scales were like a suit of protective armor that had dissolved most of the energy of Fang Xingyun''s heavy blows. Most importantly, Fang Xingyun possessed a Thunder Dragon resonance and was most proficient with thunder energy. Li Luo possessed similar expertise, so Fang Xingyuns usually unstoppable onslaught was less effective when dealing with him. Ptui! Li Luo spat out a mouthful of bloody liquid. The injuries on the surface of his body began to swiftly mend and his mouth curled into a smile. This was the mightiest state that he could enter at the moment. On top of that, he was able to wield a middle ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance. The difference was enormous from when it was at the quasi ninth-grade. If not for the supplementation of the upgraded resonance, Li Luo would have been forced into a miserable situation by now. "Vice Principal Fang, it looks like the lower Seventh Duke Stage lacks some firepower after all." Li Luo grinned. Fang Xingyun had said the same of him not long ago, and his words had been returned to him. Fang Xingyun''s silver eyes flickered with violent thunder energy as he tightly gripped his Thunderlight Halberd and darkly replied, "Li Luo, I am forced to admit that you are quite capable." A second-grade Transcendent had managed to surpass five grades and go toe-to-toe with a lower seventh-grade Duke. This was unimaginable to him. Transcendent geniuses did possess unparalleled talent, but normally speaking, they were only capable of surpassing three grades. Li Luo, however, had gone much further! This sort of battle achievement would place him at the peak, even when considering the long annals of history. ???? "However, it''s about time." Fang Xingyun took in a deep breath as he looked at Li Luo indifferently, raising the Thunderlight Halberd. "Since you''re such a capable opponent, then it won''t be considered bullying if I try my best, right?" Li Luo''s gaze turned abstruse upon hearing his words. He could then see that mighty silver thunder was condensing before the Thunderlight Halberd, transforming into a mysterious and violent rune that was engraved onto the tip of the weapon. A thousand-feet-wide silver radiance was emitted. The silver radiance created from thunder energy gave one a sense of doom. From afar, it looked like a gargantuan, silver dragon had wrapped itself around the point of the weapon, its claws stretched out and ready to reap death and destruction. This caused Li Luo to feel an extreme sense of crisis. "This is the Silver Thunder True Tribulation Spirit, a lower Destiny-grade Duke Art. It is something that the Thunder Tribulation Sage College earned from the Academic Federation with our contributions. I''ve cultivated it for many years and it has become my ultimate trump card. It requires one to accumulate thunder energy through battle and thus, the longer the battle drags on, the more powerful it will become. Li Luo, did you truly think that I have been exchanging blows with you... for nothing? Let me, a seventh-grade Duke, demonstrate to you the true power of a Destiny-grade Duke Art! Even if you lose to this strike, you have already achieved much glory for yourself." Fang Xingyun tightened his grip on his weapon to the point that his veins started bulging, as though his halberd had become incomparably weighty. His gaze was locked onto Li Luo and the rumbling of thunder could be heard. Li Luo frowned and the violet-gold halo on his forehead began to glow even more brightly. He had not expected that Fang Xingyun had been secretly building up towards this during their countless exchanges. He could sense that the silver thunder dragon manifestation on the tip of the Thunderlight Halberd was emitting terrifying energy undulations. If he were to be struck by it, his enhanced physical state would likely be unable to withstand its sheer might. It turned out that no seventh-grade Duke was to be underestimated. It would be extremely difficult to overcome the gap of five grades and win. "Li Luo, if you choose to admit defeat now, it will save you some suffering," Fang Xingyun declared coldly. Li Luo smiled and shook his head. "Vice Principal Fang, you''re not the only one who has been preparing a final move." At this point, Li Luo stretched his hand out, and a dark-red light surged from his palm, transforming into a palm-sized doll. Its features greatly resembled those of Fang Xingyun. This was naturally the human doll created by the Dragon Blood Affliction Art. It turned out that during their previous frenetic battles, Li Luo had secretly collected some of Fang Xingyun''s blood essence and used the Dragon Blood Affliction Art from the Dragon''s Blood Lineage to refine this human doll. Fang Xingyun was shocked when he laid eyes on the doll. He could sense that it had an indescribable connection with him. "Is this... some sort of curse art?" Fang Xingyun quickly came to this conclusion, but he wasn''t worried in the slightest, instead coldly smiling. "Do you think you can threaten me with this sort of curse? You''re too naive. The gap between our cultivation levels is very large, and if you dare to use this art wantonly, you''ll definitely face a backlash!" He had never heard of anyone daring to use an art like this against a much stronger opponent. Li Luo smiled. The Dragon Blood Affliction Art was used by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li for internal battles, and it barely had any effect on outsiders. It was as Fang Xingyun had saidif the gap between the two was too large, the art would end up harming the user instead. However... a trace of amusement appeared on Li Luo''s face and his lips curled up. "What if I told you I wanted to suffer a backlash?" S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Fang Xingyun paused, as though he had suddenly understood something, and his eyes narrowed. For a curse like this to work against a stronger opponent, the user would have to pay a much heavier price! But even so, Li Luo clearly wanted to use the advantages of his resilient body due to the middle ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance to take on the brunt of the backlash! Even though he would suffer an injury, Fang Xingyun would similarly be weakened! Li Luo was willing to pay any price to weaken his opponent. In a situation where both parties were injured, Li Luo, with the more robust body, would recover quicker and it would be easy to see at a glance who would be in a better situation. After all, no matter how severe the backlash was, it would still pale in comparison to getting hit by the Silver Thunder True Tribulation Spirit. "How vicious!" Fang Xingyun griped, but a sense of fear began to grow within his heart. He then shot forward, and the Thunderlight Halberd that was augmented by the thunder dragon manifestation swung towards Li Luo with the intention to kill. Meanwhile, Li Luo remained nonplussed. A thin, blood-red blade appeared between his fingers and he slashed at the doll in his hand without any hesitation. Chapter 1465: Forcefully Resisting the Backlash When the thin, blood-red blade noiselessly sliced across the doll, a strange sound rang out.Li Luo''s expression immediately turned pale and thousands of blood-red marks appeared on his entire body, oozing out fresh blood. As a result, he looked like a terrifying bloody figure. At the same time, a terrifying force descended upon him like a rampaging dragon, rushing into his body and wreaking havoc. This was the backlash of utilizing the Dragon Blood Affliction Art on an opponent he shouldn''t have. As expected, when the gap between the two was too large, the Dragon Blood Affliction Art would severely punish the user. Li Luo thought to himself. Despite what was happening, he remained incomparably calm. How could he not have foreseen a result others could? Furthermore, the Dragon Blood Affliction Art wasn''t very effective against outsiders to begin with. What Li Luo truly wanted to test was if he could forcefully resist the backlash. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Archaic Runes between Li Luo''s eyebrows burst with incandescent violet-gold light, and the full power of the middle ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance was activated. At the same time, the blood that covered his body began to boil. Those who were nearby heard the roar of an ancient dragon. The Heavenly Dragon essence within Li Luo''s body had become much denser due to the middle ninth-grade resonance, causing his body to become much more robust. As he urged with all his strength, the numerous injuries on his body began to swiftly heal, but the backlash was like a rushing tide, continuously battering him in waves, leaving behind countless injuries. However, his body never collapsed from the backlash, which also meant that he was able to resist it! The Absolute Resonance Halo had sensed the backlash rushing through his body and let out a terrifying suction power that absorbed all of it. As Li Luo attempted to resolve the backlash, Fang Xingyun''s attack neared and he roared, "Li Luo, you''re naive if you think that this could have stopped me. Just let me eliminate you now!" The mighty thunder dragon manifestation accompanied his shouts. But just as he had shouted, Li Luo suddenly raised his head and his gaze turned sharp. Fang Xingyun''s heart sank. Had this brat managed to resolve the backlash? He was unbelievable! This also meant that the curse would soon activate! As this thought ran through Fang Xingyun''s mind, he suddenly heard a harsh ripping sound. His eyes shrunk and he raised his head to look at the seven Duke Bergfrieds above him. One of them had a humongous crack running through the middle! This deep crack then caused the Duke Bergfried to break into two! Energy gushed out of it like a tide, dissipating into the world around him. At the same time, the Duke Bergfried began to show signs of collapse as pieces broke off, transforming into motes of light that were reabsorbed into Fang Xingyun''s body. Turmoil surged up within Fang Xingyun''s heart. Li Luo''s art had directly broken one of his Duke Bergfrieds, and even though it was temporary, it had caused the situation to change! Fang Xingyun thought to himself. A merciless glint appeared in his eyes. He no longer cared about the Duke Bergfried, instead condensing all of his resonant power and channeling it through his Thunderlight Halberd to strike Li Luo as hard as he could. Unfortunately, with the loss of one Duke Bergfried, the thunder dragon manifestation and its radiance began to dim at a rapid pace. A smile formed on Li Luo''s bloodied face, and he swung Dragon Elephant Thunder Blade. This strike caused the void to split apart, and deafening roars blasted out of the rift he had created. A moment later, three gigantic dragons rushed out of the gap, all with different energies that quickly fused together, transforming into an ancient, mottled banner. This was the Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon! "Three Divine Dragons Demon Smiting Light!" Li Luo swiftly waved the banner, and colorful divine light spewed out, crushing everything in its wake as it crashed into the thunder dragon manifestation. B?? Naturally, the might of the Three Dragons Heavenly Banner Canon had been augmented by the middle ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance. When the two attacks clashed, the world turned silent momentarily. After which, terrifying energy tempests spread out from the epicenter of the impact, turning one mountain after another into piles of debris and uprooting even the lakes, causing water to rush outwards like a pressurized torrent. The people who had been locked in battle nearby were immediately forced to retreat. Despite the chaos, Lu Qing''er and the Thunder Tribulation Sage College''s sixth-grade Duke''s ice sculptures were immovable. Any energy that entered the radius around them was assimilated into wisps of cold air. Those outside the minor world were closely watching the source of the cataclysmic impact. The dust had yet to settle. Soon, they saw a tall figure standing in the sky with a head full of shining, violet-gold hair. It was Li Luo! Numerous cheers rang out. Li Luo had actually survived Fang Xingyun''s killing move! That was a Destiny-grade Duke Art unleashed by a seventh-grade Duke! The lower seventh-grade Dukes who were watching had shock written all over their faces. They couldn''t understand what was going on. No matter how demonic and talented a second-grade Transcendent was, he couldn''t possibly be this strong, right? Transcendent geniuses were rare but not unique in the world! But who had ever seen one do something like this? They then turned their focus from Li Luo to Fang Xingyun, who was not far away. At this point in time, the latter''s expression was incomparably ugly. The fact that Li Luo had weathered his attack was a great blow to his confidence. He felt aggrieved in his heart! He knew that the only reason why Li Luo had managed to survive that blow was because of that damned curse! "Vice Principal Fang, it looks like your seventh Duke Bergfried is about to vanish," Li Luo helpfully informed him. Fang Xingyun''s expression turned aghast when he heard those words, quickly turning to look at the heavily damaged Duke Bergfried. It was as Li Luo had said, the Duke Bergfried''s radiance had dimmed immensely. At this point, it was unable to maintain its form, transforming into motes of starlight that were reabsorbed by his body. Fang Xingyun had directly fallen to the sixth-grade! He felt a chill run through his body. This also meant that his thunder energy Worldspace Domain would dissipate. Its suppressive abilities had vanished. He was a little dazed by this entire chain of events as he looked at Li Luo. Despite being inflicted with the full power of the backlash, the brat was still looking as vigorous and as lively as ever. Furthermore, without the suppression brought about by the Worldspace Domain, his resonant power was beginning to strengthen further! The situation had turned. As Li Luo looked at Fang Xingyun''s crestfallen and disorientated expression, his smile turned even more radiant. "Vice Principal Fang, it looks like you''re a sixth-grade Duke now. That is something I''m not worried about." After saying those words, a savage-looking, dragon-shaped greatbow appeared in his right hand. Li Luo had a lot of experience and confidence in dealing with sixth-grade Dukes after all. Thus, there was not much suspense left in this battle. Chapter 1466: Distinguished Achievements When the Heavenly Dragon''s Sunchaser Bow appeared, the void shattered and three dragons rushed out of the Three Dragons Heavenly Banner, transforming into an arrow that gave off a frightening aura on the bowstring. This was the Three Dragons Kingslayer Arrow! The arrow of light gave off a low roar containing immense killing intent.However, Li Luo didn''t stop there. His mind entered the crimson bracelet on his wrist, awakening the coiled-up Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf. "Brother Wolf, could I borrow your Heavenly Wolf Bloodfiend Venom, please?" The Six-tailed Heavenly Wolf let out a howl, and boundless amounts of Bloodfiend Venom surged out, condensing into the form of a tiny blood wolf that gave off a baleful aura. Li Luo took hold of the Heavenly Wolf Bloodfiend Venom, then he bit the tip of his tongue, fusing the venom with a splash of violet-gold Heavenly Dragon blood essence. Great Sanguine Poison Art! He had melded the two different powers together! Dragon scales appeared on the blood wolf''s body, causing its venomous aura to turn even more terrifying. After which, the blood wolf landed on top of the Three Dragons Kingslayer Arrow, dyeing it with a bloody radiance that made one''s heart palpitate merely by looking at it. This was Li Luo''s killing move! The Three Dragon''s Wolf Venom Kingslayer Arrow! He pulled the bowstring and his gaze turned sharp. The arrow was now firmly locked onto Fang Xingyun. Fang Xingyun felt an incredible sense of crisis descending upon him, and his expression turned even uglier. He had not expected things to change so quickly. Now that he had fallen to the Sixth Duke Stage, he had lost the support of his Worldspace Domain, so Li Luo''s attacks posed an immense threat to him. At the same time, he knew that he could not retreat, or the Thunderflame Divine Continent''s morale would plummet. "Li Luo, you may have resisted the backlash, but I''m sure you''re not as relaxed as your expression suggests! You are just putting on a brave front!" Fang Xingyun boomed. His six Duke Bergfrieds began to emanate immense energy waves and ancient runes descended from them, condensing in front of Fang Xingyun. They then transformed into a gigantic, silver bell that crackled with thunder energy. Ancient runes then fused together on the surface of the bell, taking the form of a dragon that swam around the bell! Duke''s Spirit Insignia: Heavenly Thunder Dragon Rune Bell! It was at this very moment that Li Luo released the arrow. A blood-red light shot forward with unavoidable speed, ripping through the firmament and severing worldly natural energy wherever it passed. The bloody light contained a toxin so vile that it was capable of corroding even worldly natural energy! The bloody light penetrated through the air before everyone''s eyes before heavily striking the Heavenly Thunder Dragon Rune Bell, which was protecting Fang Xingyun! A resonant sound reverberated throughout the minor world and shockwaves spread out from the point of impact, devastating the numerous mountains around them. Looks of trepidation turned towards the duo. Fang Xingyun was staring unabated at his bell. He could see the Bloodfiend Venom eroding its surface, causing even the thunder energy on it to dim. The tyrannical poison was absolutely terrifying. As the Bloodfiend Venom spread, a light cracking sound filled Fang Xingyun''s ears, causing his soul to leave his body in fright. He could see a thin crack snaking through the surface of the bell before rapidly spreading across its entirety at an alarming speed! Blood-red light leaked out of the newfound crevices. ?????? Fang Xingyun''s heart was filled with turmoil and his entire body turned cold. Before he was able to take any action, the bell suddenly exploded and the Bloodfiend Venom poured out, very quickly eroding away at Fang Xingyun''s resonant power defenses. A single streak managed to break through, coming into contact with his lower abdomen. He was launched tens of thousands of feet backwards, as though he had been struck by a titanic force, crashing through every mountain in his path. When he had finally stabilized himself, his hair was disheveled and he looked miserable. What was most terrifying was that the diabolical poison that had infiltrated his body through his lower abdomen was raging within him. Any part of his body that came into contact with it essentially melted away! Fang Xingyun''s expression turned dark. He knew that he had lost this confrontation. As each moment passed, he became more and more agitated at the prospect that he would be unable to suppress the poison. He spat out a mouthful of black blood before falling from the sky. While he plummeted, a pillar of light descended from above, enveloping his body. At the same time, the poison was very quickly dispelled. In the end, Fang Xingyun was sent out of the minor world. This meant that Li Luo had eked out a close victory over Fang Xingyun! When the Thunderflame Divine Continent''s sage colleges saw this, their expressions changed into ones full of disbelief. They couldn''t understand how the seventh-grade Fang Xingyun had lost to the second-grade Transcendent Li Luo! Losing their leader meant that their advantage was now gone! In direct contrast, the sage colleges from the East Divine Continent erupted into cheers and joy. Their morale had skyrocketed and they began to push forward with even greater intensity. Even those outside of the minor world were completely shell-shocked. They were moved by what had happened. This was an achievement rarely seen even when considering the long history of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. Furthermore, it had been accomplished by someone from an outer divine continent sage college. Surprised looks fell on Li Luo. This feat alone was sufficient for his name to be engraved on the Celestial Mirror Pagoda''s stele for all future generations to marvel at. "That brat actually managed to overcome Fang Xingyun..." Sheng Qiao''er blurted out in surprise on the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s platform. Li Luo''s dazzling achievement was something even she had to praise. S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Meanwhile, a sweet smile surfaced on Jiang Qing''e''s face. "Mentor Qiao''er, every single person who has underestimated Li Luo throughout the years has been forced to admit that they were short-sighted." Hearing the trace of pride within Jiang Qing''e''s voice made Sheng Qiao''er unsure if she was supposed to laugh or cry. At the same time, she was taken aback that the normally placid and calm Jiang Qing''e would act this way. This also allowed her to realize that Jiang Qing''e cared more about Li Luo than herself in her heart. Furthermore, she had never seen Jiang Qing''e display such emotion, even if there were doubts about herself. The difference was clear. On the Mythical Spirit Ancient College''s platform, Chi Li''s face was emotionless, but his gaze was filled with anger. "As expected of a genius from a Heavenly Emperor power," he said. Chi Chi unhappily replied, "That Fang Xingyun guy is a little too useless. He actually succumbed to Li Luo''s ploy." If Li Luo had not successfully managed to curse Fang Xingyun and forcibly brought him down from the lower Seventh Duke Stage, the outcome of the battle might have been different. Chi Li indifferently said, "He wasn''t completely useless. In the end, he was able to force out Li Luo''s hidden trump cards. Now we know that when we exchange blows, we absolutely cannot allow him to obtain any of our blood essence or hairs." That curse was very strange, but the conditions for it to be executed were very stringent as well. As long as they were prepared, Li Luo wouldn''t be able to find a catalyst to activate it. Chi Li deeply inhaled and his gaze turned gloomy. "To be honest, Transcendent geniuses with such potential should never be provoked. Unfortunately, Chi Chan is a necessary ingredient for my secret art. If I were to give her up, it would sever my path forward. Thus, I can only hope that Li Luo willingly agrees, and I will pay a price he will be satisfied with." Chi Chi was about to open his mouth to speak, but he stopped and merely nodded glumly. He understood that Chi Li''s decision was the most logical one as well. No matter how unhappy he was with Li Luo, he had to admit that Li Luo was not worth provoking. The fact that he was able to beat a seventh-grade Duke as a second-grade Transcendent meant that his future was bright and no one could tell how far he would go. Additionally, he had the backing of a Heavenly Emperor power. Although the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was on the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent and the Chi family was out of their reach, it was naturally ideal to not make an enemy out of them. While the other colleges watching this scene were bubbling with excitement, Li Luo raised his bow and shot out another arrow within the minor world. In the end, he chose to support Guo Jiufeng first and started to attack the Thunderflame Divine Continent''s upper sixth-grade Duke experts. After assisting Guo Jiufeng, he moved on to support the disadvantaged Wang Xu. As a result, the entire situation began to shift in the East Divine Continent''s favor. When the advantage reached the point that things were irreversible, Li Luo moved to where Lu Qing''er was. At this point in time, the frost that covered her and the lower sixth-grade Duke began to melt. The frost seal had reached its limit. Lu Qing''er''s slightly heavy eyelids then widened and a look of worry surfaced in her icy lake-like eyes. Although she didn''t know what had happened so far, she knew that by the time the seal unravelled, the battle would have reached its conclusion. In that case, had Li Luo won? If he lost, was he alright? With these worries in mind, she lifted her head, only to see a radiant smile from a familiar, handsome face, looking right into her icy, blue eyes. Lu Qing''er was speechless for several moments before a surprised smile appeared on her frosty cheeks involuntarily. When Li Luo saw Lu Qing''er''s elated expression, he was a little taken aback and sighed. "Qing''er, only when you smile am I reminded of you in the past." Ever since they had reunited, it seemed like they had drifted apart. Her smile gradually receded and her voice regained its usual frostiness. "What''s the point of being reminded of the naive and innocent little girl from the past?" Li Luo felt a little helpless, but just as he was about to speak, his suppressed internal injuries resurfaced. This was the result of forcefully enduring the backlash, and he was no longer able to hold on. Clearly, defeating a seventh-grade had taken a significant toll on him. He spat out a mouthful of black blood and his mind turned hazy. Then he fell forward precariously. This sudden occurrence frightened Lu Qing''er out of her mind. She quickly activated the frost energy within her, sealing away the black blood before reaching out and supporting him after a brief moment of hesitation. At the same time, Li Luo''s head was pressed against her shoulder, causing some of the black blood stains to smear onto her skin, which caused a burning and piercing sensation. "Li Luo! Li Luo! Are you alright?" she asked anxiously. Li Luo tiredly opened his eyes as he resisted the pain coursing through his body and forced a smile. "You don''t look so cold anymore." Lu Qing''er pursed her lips as she lowered Li Luo onto the ground. As she looked at his incredibly pale face, indescribably complex emotions surged through her like a tide. Chapter 1467: Number One Amongst the Outer Divine Continents When Li Luo finally regained consciousness, the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Li Hongyou''s beautiful face. Her hands were filled with a fragrant energy that surged into his body and caused his severe pain to weaken. She was utilizing the Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance''s recuperative powers. Noticing that he had awakened, Li Hongyou glanced at him and said, "It''s best that you avoid using your curse art on seventh-grade Dukes. The backlash is immense, and without your sturdy body, you might not have been able to get out of there alive." Li Luo bitterly nodded. The effect of the backlash was indeed beyond his imagination, and if he hadn''t relied on his middle ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance to further augment his body, he would have paid a much heavier price. Furthermore, Fang Xingyun was only a lower seventh-grade Duke. If it had been an upper seventh-grade or an eighth-grade Duke, how much more terrifying would the backlash be? Li Hongyou retracted the fragrant energy coming from her palms and suddenly looked to the side. Li Luo could sense a pair of eyes focusing on him. The gaze was like a ray of sunshine piercing through the ice and fog. It was gentle but filled with a hint of chilliness. Turning his head, he saw Lu Qing''er. The elegant lady was sitting by his side, her legs wrapped in white stockings that accentuated them, giving them a slender and long appearance. Even so, they seemed a little lackluster when compared to her snow-white skin. When their gazes intercepted, Lu Qing''er''s eyes wavered momentarily, then a frostiness surfaced on her face once again. At the same time, he noticed that there were marks on her neck caused by the poisoned blood. Even though her body had frozen the toxins and prevented them from harming her, perhaps because of how tender her skin was, conspicuous marks had been left behind. "Sorry," Li Luo said awkwardly. Lu Qing''er shook her head, then she clasped her hands together and softly asked, "Are you okay? Sister Hongyou is right to say that you should use that curse art less often." Li Luo sighed. "I was simply not strong enough. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be in this miserable state." "Mentor Li Luo''s words make me feel so ashamed, I want to die." Laughter suddenly rang out as Guo Jiufeng, Wang Xu, and the other vice principals approached. They were all in extremely bad condition with battle scars riddling their bodies. Wang Xu seemed the worst off as a sword extended across the length of his chest, almost bisecting him. All of their injuries were dire and their resonant power was almost depleted. Clearly, that massive battle had pushed the East Divine Continent''s sage colleges to the limit. Li Luo had defeated Fang Xingyun and then came to Guo Jiufeng''s aid. If he hadnt, the East Divine Continent would have been swept away. All the vice principals were looking at the youth with respect in their eyes. Even Wang Xu, who had a belligerent personality, was no exception. The fact that Li Luo had beaten Fang Xingyun was a shocking achievement. A second-grade Duke overcoming a seventh-grade Duke only existed in the realms of their imagination. However, it had truly happened before their very eyes. It was unbelievable. Thus, they no longer treated Li Luo as a mere mentor, but someone with the power of a high-grade Duke. "That battle should allow the East Divine Continent to sit firmly at the top of the ranks. This result is something we have never achieved before. When we return, I''m sure all of the sage colleges will be boiling over in joy," Vice Principal Chen Chi from the Heavenly Inferno Sage College said with a bruised and swollen face. Despite that, his excitement could not be contained as the result was completely unexpected. The rest nodded in agreement. They had overcome the Azuresea Divine Continent and then the Thunderflame Divine Continent. The final opponent would be the Endless Gale Divine Continent, and there was almost no pressure when facing them. Thus, the final result was basically set in stone. "Mentor Li Luo''s contributions were the greatest amongst all of the sage colleges. If news of this were to be sent back, they would all revere your glorious name." "The fact that a sage college in the East Divine Continent produced a Transcendent genius like Mentor Li Luo is our greatest source of pride." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As the numerous squads lavished praise upon him, it got to a point that even Li Luo could no longer bear it. When Chi Chan saw what was happening, she couldn''t help but to laugh and then sigh. "I don''t know what sort of a sensation this will cause when it''s reported back to the Astral Sage College." ????S "Vice Principal Su Xin will be incomparably pleased, to the point that she won''t be able to rest peacefully." Cao Sheng chortled. "Vice principal Su Xin has watched over the Astral Sage College for many years, and just the fact that a Transcendent Duke has been produced is already a matter of pride," Mi Er said with a smile. "Alright, everyone. It''s time to rest after that great battle. We should prepare ourselves to leave this minor world, and those who are injured should quickly recuperate to prevent any lasting injuries," Guo Jiufeng reminded the ecstatic group. It was only now that the squads started to rest. After which, pillars of light fell from the sky, enveloping all of them. Before they knew it, they were back on the East Divine Continent''s platform. Their appearance attracted countless looks, and they had become the center of attention. That said, the majority of the curious gazes fell upon Li Luo. Everyone was well aware that Li Luo was the one who had given them this victory. Without him present, the result would have been completely different. The feat of surpassing five grades was something no one could underestimate. Even the Seedling Candidates of the ancient colleges were solemnly observing the handsome and slender youth. Although he had used a curse art to forcefully bring Fang Xingyun down from the seventh-grade to eke out a victory, the truth was that sometimes, the process was not as important as the result. The fact that he had methods to threaten a seventh-grade Duke was the most important takeaway from this matter, and they had to watch him seriously. Li Luo remained nonplussed at those observing him. Instead, he glanced over at the ancient college''s area, where a familiar set of eyes was looking right at him. It was none other than Jiang Qing''e. Even from a long distance away, he could feel the praise and encouragement in her eyes. This simple look was all that mattered. It surpassed all of the praise that the numerous vice principals had given him. He returned a radiant smile before sitting cross-legged and adjusting his condition for the next round. Whilst sitting on the platform, majestic amounts of energy filled with vitality rushed into him, allowing his spent resonant power and injuries to be restored quickly. There was one final battle left, and it would be against the Endless Gale Divine Continent. Only after winning the next battle would they be able to come out on top of the six outer divine continents. One could say that they had almost fulfilled all the conditions for success. They had defeated the first and second ranked outer divine continents, so the weaker Endless Gale Divine Continent likely would not cause any complications. This could be seen from the bitter faces of the squads on the Endless Gale Divine Continent''s platform. Their sage colleges were previously ranked third in strength, but considering how the other two had already been eliminated, how could they ever hope to win? Even so, hiding was futile at this point. Once the East Divine Continent had recovered, Wang Xuanjin raised his hand and the squads from the East Divine Continent and the Endless Gale Divine Continent entered a minor world for the final bout. It lasted for several hours. When Li Luo''s squad appeared on the platform yet again, Wang Xuanjin''s resonant and awe-inspiring voice boomed. "The outer divine continents trial has concluded. First place goes to the East Divine Continent with three victories. They will receive three Heavenly Domains." With a wave, the Celestial Mirror Pagoda''s sky rumbled, endless light poured down, and stars began to fall. Each star was shining with resplendent light, causing the worldly natural energy to turn restless. This was because these stars were the things that they deeply desired... Celestial Mirror Sand! A look of excitement arose in Li Luo''s eyes. As he looked at the descending stars, each of them began to shrink, eventually floating in the air above the East Divine Continent''s platform. His feverish gaze swept across the stars. Celestial Mirror Sand! And there were sixty grains! Chapter 1468: Distributing Celestial Mirror Sand Sixty grains of Celestial Mirror Sand fell like stars, floating above the East Divine Continent''s platform. The sand had a mysterious charm to it. At this moment, the Duke Bergfrieds of the Dukes who were present uncontrollably soared into the sky, devouring the pure worldly natural energy. There was a burning desire in everyone''s eyes to take the sand. Li Luo was similarly focused on the Celestial Mirror Sand. Although it was called sand, they were more like mysterious crystals, each one the size of a baby''s fist. Ancient runic marks were carved onto the crystals, and they radiated the aura of source origin, attracting worldly natural energy. Li Luo lightly touched his forehead, and the two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds in his body also roared in desire for the Celestial Mirror Sand. "So this is what Celestial Mirror Sand looks like." Li Luo''s gaze flickered. He could sense an extremely weak but inexplicably awe-inspiring aura contained within. It was something that far surpassed even the aura of a Triple Crowned King. Who could have created it other than a legendary Heavenly Emperor? "As expected, the Celestial Mirror Sand''s source should be the remains of the Heavenly Emperor in the core of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda," Li Luo murmured to himself. Heavenly Emperor existences were truly incredible. Even a corpse was capable of blessing numerous generations of descendents. "It looks like taking first place has given us great benefits, since we have managed to obtain sixty grains." Amidst the heated gazes, the sixty grains slowly descended, though their brilliance soon became a little restrained. Guo Jiufeng smiled. "Everyone, the Celestial Mirror Sand has arrived, so it''s time to distribute it according to everyone''s contributions." Everyone was excited. This was the moment they had all been waiting for. After all, hadn''t they worked hard precisely for this moment? That said, they would have to discuss how the sand would be divided. Li Luo himself did not participate in this, instead letting Mentor Chi Chan represent them. After a period of time, Chi Chan returned with the results. Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The Astral Sage College will be allocated eighteen grains of Celestial Mirror Sand. The Enlightened Sage College will receive five and the Sacredspring Sage College will receive four. The remaining two main seats will each get three grains. The final twenty-seven grains will then be distributed amongst the other sage colleges. What do you think?" Chi Chan asked Li Luo. Mi Er and Cao Sheng were full of joy. In the entire history of the Astral Sage College, they had never received such a large amount of Celestial Mirror Sand. However, they understood that Li Luo''s contribution had been immense. He had single-handedly hoisted the East Divine Continent up the ranks. As a result, the amount that they had been allocated was more than the combined amounts of the other four main seats. "We were given that many? In that case, won''t some colleges not even receive a single grain?" Li Luo asked with a hint of embarrassment. There were thirty other sage colleges in addition to the five main seats, and they had contributed to the overall result as well. Chi Chan, however, felt that this result was fine. "We''ve always distributed based on contributions. It is a little unrealistic for every sage college to receive a single grain of Celestial Mirror Sand. Do you know what the result of the last Celestial Mirror Pagoda trial was? Each grain had to be split between five sage colleges." "Five sage colleges to a single grain? Isn''t that a little too pitiful?" Li Luo was shocked. However, after thinking about it, this made sense. The entire East Divine Continent had only ended up with around ten grains of Celestial Mirror Sand the last time around, so perhaps some of the main seat holders had to dilute the sand to make sure others received a split... This time, however, the majority of the sage colleges would receive a full grain! This was a tremendous improvement. Li Luo glanced at the other squads and realized that they were all celebrating. They clearly didn''t feel dissatisfied with this result. Meanwhile, Guo Jiufeng, Wang Xu, and the rest were looking at Li Luo for his reaction. "Mentor Li Luo, if you arent happy with this, we can discuss further," they said apologetically. The squads that weren''t part of the main seats even looked a little ashamed. They understood that Li Luo was the one who had gotten them this far, and if he truly wasn''t satisfied, they would be more than happy to discuss further. In the end, Li Luo merely smiled and said, "I have no opinions." The rest erupted into cheers and clasped their hands in thanks. Chi Chan smiled and waved her hand. Eighteen grains of Celestial Mirror Sand descended before Li Luo. "Why don''t you hold on to these for now? If you need them for something, you can go ahead and use them," she said. Li Luo hesitated before replying, "I might participate in the Sand Seizing Battles." The Sand Seizing Battles were extremely bloody and the winner would take everything. Thus, most outer divine continent sage colleges did not dare to participate. If Li Luo wanted to get his hands on enough Celestial Mirror Sand to make a perfect breakthrough, he had no choice but to take that path. R??????????????? However, the eighteen grains of Celestial Mirror Sand belonged to the entire squad. Although his contribution was the greatest and he had the biggest say, he could not disregard the others. "I have no opinion." Lu Qing''er was the first to answer, her voice like a clear spring hitting stone, absolutely refreshing to hear. Li Hongyou then said, "I feel the same." Mi Er and Cao Sheng glanced at each other. "Well, since we relied on you to obtain the Celestial Mirror Sand, you can do what you want. At worst, we''ll just return empty-handed. Furthermore..." The two gave a hearty laugh. "What if you win? Jiang Qing''e will be on your side, and who would dare underestimate you demonic geniuses?" Li Luo didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry. It looked like they had already guessed that Jiang Qing''e would join him for the Sand Seizing Battle, and she gave them a lot of confidence. Chi Chan smiled. "Then I hope Mentor Li Luo will bring us greater riches." This response moved Li Luo. The Celestial Mirror Sand was very important to Chi Chan, Mi Er, and Cao Sheng. It was hard to obtain cultivation resources, and yet they were willing to let him wager it. Their trust felt like a warm current flowing through his heart. "Haha, I promise I wont let you down," Li Luo said with a laugh. Then he waved his sleeve, collecting all eighteen grains of Celestial Mirror Sand into his pocket sphere. That said, this wasn''t enough. A perfect breakthrough required forty grains! He then glanced at the other squads from the East Divine Continent, who were now reveling after having received a good amount of Celestial Mirror Sand. If he could con them of their Celestial Mirror Sand... No, that didn''t sound right! That was a long-term investment opportunity! The difficulty would be immense. The people from the Astral Sage College had undue trust in him, but the others didnt necessarily see him the same way. Furthermore, the time wasn''t right. He had to wait. He would have to wait for the opportunity to make his move, and Jiang Qing''e would provide that. "We will now rest for a while and wait for the other two groups to conclude their trials." Li Luo was sitting cross-legged as he looked at the ancient colleges area. Now that the battles between the outer divine continent colleges had concluded, theirs would start. As time passed, everyone''s attention was focused on the battles. Round after round of explosive and frenetic battles played out, causing the sage colleges from the outer divine continent to burst out into surprised cheers. Clearly, the inner divine continents were much stronger than the outer divine continents. Li Luo was attentively watching when his expression suddenly changed. "Oh?" At this point, he turned towards the pocket sphere on his wrist. He could sense something emitting strange fluctuations within. When he looked inside, he found the source. It was... the ancient mottled bronze lamp he had obtained in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. A look of deep surprise surfaced within his eyes. And its previous owner was the mysterious Lantern Bearer! If he remembered correctly that person was one of the Void Resonance Sect''s Six Sons, Wang Taixi? Chapter 1469: Ancient Bronze Lamps Fluctuations When the pocket sphere first showed signs of change, Li Luo immediately probed it to find the source. The bronze lamp was rusty and ancient patterns were engraved on it, giving it a special charm."Void Resonance''s Six Sons, Wang Taixi..." Li Luo was reminded of the strange Lantern Bearer he had encountered in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. He was the reason why Li Luo survived. The only thing was that Wang Taixi was just an afterimage of sorts in the beginning. After giving Li Luo the Golden Holy Fire Talisman in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, he dissipated into smoke, leaving behind this lamp with an unknown use. After researching the item for a period of time, no matter what he did, he was unable to light the lamp like an ordinary one. There weren''t any subsequent energy reactions coming from it either, so he ended up unable to reveal its mysteries. Thus, Li Luo had no choice but to give up and leave it within his pocket sphere. However, what he found surprising was that the supposedly defunct bronze lamp had actually shown signs of change here! Li Luo examined the lamp and noticed that what had triggered the change was none other than the Celestial Mirror Sand! "The Celestial Mirror Sand?" Li Luo was a little surprised. He could sense that the lamp was emitting a small suction force, attempting to absorb the Celestial Mirror Sand. Alas, the suction force was so weak that it could not even break through the thin layer of resonant power wrapped around it. Clearly, the lamp needed the Celestial Mirror Sand to operate. Perhaps some sort of wondrous change would occur if he gave Celestial Mirror Sand to the lamp. After all, this was an object that Wang Taixi had protected even after his death! Just his title alone, one of the Void Resonance''s Six Sons, sounded beyond impressive, and it clearly meant that his position within the sect wasn''t ordinary. Could he have been a King? Perhaps only such an existence was capable of leaving behind a spiritual remnant after so many years. Just what sort of change would take place once the lamp absorbed some Celestial Mirror Sand? However, the Celestial Mirror Sand was incredibly valuable, so he couldn''t casually use it up like that. After all, he needed it for the Sand Seizing Battles! At the same time, it didn''t seem like a good idea to completely ignore the changes to the lamp. After all, Li Luo was also interested in the Void Resonance''s Six Sons, and there was a chance that the lamp was the key to explaining more. The Sacred Void Resonance Sect was a behemoth that dominated an entire era, and any relics that had lasted till now was likely an amazing item. Thus, after pondering things for a moment, he clenched his teeth and decided to place one grain of Celestial Mirror Sand into the lamp and see what would happen. If there was no reaction, he would temporarily give up on the idea. After all, the eighteen grains he had belonged to the squad as a whole, so he couldn''t just waste them. At the very least, he would wait till the Sand Seizing Battles ended before testing things out. With this in mind, he first sent a single grain of Celestial Mirror Sand towards the lamp. The grain, which shone radiantly like a star, slowly fell into the lamp. Li Luo watched the entire thing with bated breath. When the sand entered the lamp, its radiance began to dim with shocking speed, eventually turning into a puff of smoke that quickly vanished. Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The ancient lamp remained utterly silent. Li Luo was stunned. That was it? He felt his heart bleeding. That was a heaven-defying object! A grain of Celestial Mirror Sand! Countless sage colleges had done their utmost to compete over a fraction of a grain! A single grain was enough for all of them to absorb for a month! After throwing it into the lamp, it had disappeared without even a single reaction? Emotional pain ran through Li Luos heart. He would forget about all this. This plaything was something he couldn''t afford! Celestial Mirror Sand was incredibly precious, and he couldn''t waste too much of it with an unclear payoff. If anyone else knew of what he had done, he would likely be scolded and harassed, to the extent that even his family was involved. Just as Li Luo was about to compartmentalize this pain and move on, the ancient bronze lamp seemed to have sensed his determination to leave and ignore it, and it suddenly vibrated. "Oh?" His attention was turned back onto the lamp with some curiosity. A golden spark emerged in the center of the lamp. It was incredibly weak, but it gradually turned brighter. In just a few short breaths, the golden spark turned into a bean-sized golden flame. Although the flame was small, it was capable of lighting up the lamp. After which, Li Luo saw a golden smoke slowly rise from the flames. The smoke seemed almost solid, and an ancient chime could be heard coming from it. The chiming noise directly filled Li Luo''s mind and caused it to become incomparably clear and relaxed. The golden smoke had escaped from the pocket sphere and directly entered his body. He entered a state of great understanding and could sense that some of the previously hidden injuries that had been caused as a result of the backlash were now swiftly mending, ensuring that he was completely healed. His entire being had returned to its peak. However, that was not all. As the golden smoke entered his body, he could sense all four of his resonant palaces giving out cries of happiness. They were like starving individuals who were suddenly placed before a table full of delicacies. The four resonant palaces couldn''t control themselves as they greedily devoured the wisps of golden smoke. When the smoke entered the resonant palaces, Li Luo was shocked to realize that it fused with the resonant power and caused his resonant power to rise at an astonishing rate. Even his Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds absorbed some of the mysterious smoke! ???? The Duke Bergfrieds began to strengthen at an alarming pace. At the same time, the resonance runes engraved upon them became brighter and clearer. This was the sign of his Duke Bergfrieds becoming stronger. In just a short period of time, his resonant power had risen by an entire sub stage and he was quickly approaching the upper Second Duke Stage. This would have normally taken a significant period of bitter cultivation and accumulation! However, in just the time needed for half an incense stick to burn, he had achieved a similar result! Furthermore, this rapid growth in resonant power was not unstable by any means. The immense energy contained within the golden smoke was exceptionally pure. Li Luo''s heart was filled with shock and then joy. If the ancient lamp was capable of this, then wouldn''t he be able to obtain the perfect breakthrough he was looking for? However, the difficulty of attaining a perfect breakthrough was simply too high. Obtaining forty grains of Celestial Mirror Sand was just the start. There were people in history who had managed to scrounge up that amount yet still failed to do so! That said, with the assistance of the ancient bronze lamp, the odds of him succeeding had skyrocketed. If there was enough golden smoke, couldn''t he just release it out into the open so it could benefit Jiang Qing''e, Lu Qing''er, Li Hongyou, and the rest? His thoughts were flying all over the place, and it took quite a while before he recomposed himself. He then absorbed the last of the golden smoke. When he looked at the ancient lamp again, he noticed that the small flame had dissipated. Clearly, the requirement to activate the lamp was none other than to use Celestial Mirror Sand as fuel. That said, it seemed to be completely worth it. Li Luo''s heart surged as he exited his state of cultivation with glee. Chapter 1470: Frost Divinewater When Li Luo left his cultivation state, the battles between the inner divine continents sage colleges were in full swing and teams were being eliminated left and right. The intensity was many times greater than those of the outer divine continent.That said, this was normal. Even Fang Xingyun, a lower seventh-grade Duke, was capable of dominating all of the outer divine continents sage colleges. If someone with his strength was placed amongst the inner divine continents sage colleges, he wouldn''t even be able to squeeze into the top ten ranks. One could imagine how large the gap was. As Li Luo''s gaze swept across the screens, he suddenly paused on one specific one where he saw Lu Ruyan. She was currently exchanging blows with a seventh-grade Duke. It was a middle-aged woman with a sharp look in her eyes. Li Luo remembered that she was protecting Lu Qing''er when they met up. It was unexpected that she had encountered Lu Ruyan. When Li Luo turned his head, he saw that Lu Qing''er was carefully watching their battle. When she noticed Li Luo''s gaze, she glanced at him as though nothing had happened and said, "It looks like you''ve managed to recover." She had keen senses, so she could tell that the resonant power undulations coming from Li Luo had strengthened significantly. He smiled and nodded. "Your Aunt Zhu seems to have encountered Lu Ruyan." Lu Qing''er lightly tapped her snow-white chin. "Their mission is to prevent Lu Ruyan from obtaining even more Celestial Mirror Sand." "However, it looks like she isn''t Lu Ruyan''s opponent," Li Luo commented as he watched what was taking place in the minor world. Lu Ruyan had the upper hand and was maintaining it well. It looked like it was just a matter of time before she attained victory. Lu Qing''er calmly explained, "Although Lu Ruyan is an upper sixth-grade Duke, she has a single Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. The rest are all nine-pillars. This sort of foundation is amongst the best of her generation. Aunt Zhu cannot possibly be her equal." "One Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried and five nine-pillars..." Li Luo''s expression turned solemn. That made her countless times stronger than a lower seventh-grade Duke like Fang Xingyun. If Fang Xingyun were to exchange blows with her, he could very well be eliminated within ten bouts. Even Li Luo had to admit that if he were to encounter her, his chances of victory would be slim even with all of his trump cards. "Lu Ruyan is the most talented prodigy of Golden Dragon Mountain''s Lu family. She''s older than me by less than ten years and is already the equal of some of the experts of the older generation. When I first returned to Golden Dragon Mountain, many assumed that she would be the one to fuse with the Permafrost Sacred Seed," Lu Qing''er mused. "Thus, she has always hated me for stealing the object she had assumed was hers." Li Luo responded, "You should tell her that if you grew up in Golden Dragon Mountain, then she would have even less of a right to own it. Thus, she should thank you for coming back so late. Only then could she have basked in the limelight, which she didn''t deserve, for so long. Lu Qing''er usually has a cold countenance, but her gaze showed a trace of helplessness upon hearing his rubbish take at a time like this. "She already doesn''t see eye-to-eye with me. Why would I go and provoke her? With her personality, she might go crazy." Li Luo grinned and then suddenly asked, "I heard that the two of you came to the Celestial Mirror Pagoda to fight over something?" "Why are you asking so many questions? It has nothing to do with you. I''ll naturally resolve this myself," Lu Qing''er coldly rebuked. "Well, aren''t we supposed to be friends? Mutually supporting and helping each other is only natural. After all, you''ve helped me many times over the years; it''s only fitting that I return the favor," Li Luo said. ??????o???? "I don''t need your help." Lu Qing''er emotionlessly replied. Li Luo could only sigh powerlessly. Lu Qing''er fell silent for a while, and when she saw that Li Luo wasn''t speaking either, she realized that she had spoken too coldly, as though her emotions had frozen. Her red lips cracked open and her voice rang out, sounding like a clear mountain stream that would refresh and chill anyone who heard her. "I am very compatible with the Permafrost Sacred Seed. However, Ruyan isn''t that much worse. Thus, she hasnt given up. There are also many who support her, and it has caused internal strife in the Lu family. The reason why I came to the Celestial Mirror Pagoda is to obtain the Frost Divinewater. It is an ancient liquid that originated in the Sacred Void Resonance Sect, and it can elevate one''s ice resonance. If Lu Ruyan manages to obtain it, then her compatibility with the Permafrost Sacred Seed will greatly increase. At that point in time, she will reach a point that is infinitely close to mine. With this opportunity, the faction behind her will have an apt reason to compete with my father for control of the Lu family." "Frost Divinewater?" Li Luo mumbled to himself before patting his chest. "I will help you obtain it," he declared. Lu Qing''er glanced at him coolly. "If I can obtain this, I''ll be able to fully inherit the Permafrost Sacred Seed. At that time, my heart will turn completely frozen and all distracting thoughts and emotions will follow. Perhaps that ending would be for the best." Li Luo''s smile shrank. "That wasn''t what I was referring to." Lu Qing''er calmly continued, "It doesn''t matter. This is a result that will happen eventually. When I returned to Golden Dragon Mountain, I discovered that whether I am willing or not, I am burdened with many matters. The Permafrost Sacred Seed is an opportunity but also shackles." Li Luo fell silent for a moment. "Is there no way to avoid that ending?" Lu Qing''er answered, "What is there to avoid? If that were to happen, I might become more relaxed. I also wouldn''t cause trouble nor distress for you." Li Luo was left speechless and his mouth agape. He knew that Lu Qing''er liked him, and those feelings had been sown when they had met in Southwind Academy. However, he couldn''t reciprocate. He could only openly declare his relationship with Jiang Qing''e, and Lu Qing''er understood that as well. Thus, she had chosen to go with the flow, allowing the Permafrost Sacred Seed to seal away her emotions and settling on being mere friends. Perhaps this truly was the best result she could have asked for. However... this lively and cunning girl would turn into a block of ice and her bright smile would never grace her face again. All of this was because of him. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Li Luo suddenly felt like he was a bastard who had deeply harmed her. When Lu Qing''er noticed that Li Luo had turned dispirited, a look of unbearable hesitation appeared in her eyes despite her frosty emotions. "Li Luo, this has nothing to do with you. You didn''t do anything wrong. I didn''t know about any of this before as I was young. I would still have inherited the Permafrost Sacred Seed whether I had met you or not. This is something I found out when I returned. Thus, I am actually glad that I was able to experience these memories before inheriting it. It wouldve simply been too cruel to have my emotions frozen without even experiencing something like this. That would be truly sad." A subtle smile appeared on her frosty face. She might have been smiling, but every sentence was far from eliciting one. Both fell silent afterwards, and time passed slowly. Suddenly, the loud ringing of bells chimed from the inner divine continent sage colleges area. It signified that the Domain Traversal Battle had ended. When Li Luo looked at the light monument, Lu Ruyan''s squad from the Holymist Sage College was sitting on the top spot. The rest of the top ten were all squads led by seventh-grade Dukes. Lu Ruyan was in high spirits, and she shot a sharp gaze towards Lu Qing''er. Lu Qing''er, who was in a bad mood due to the results, glared back icily. When the two ladies crossed gazes, the air around them seemed to freeze. In the end, Lu Ruyan turned away with the others. After which, her lips curled up into a disdainful smirk. Chapter 1471: Four Ancient Colleges Trial When the Domain Traversal Battles of the inner divine continents sage colleges ended, the attention then turned towards the most central region, where the ancient colleges battles were taking place. After all, the upcoming battles would be of the highest caliber. As the four ancient colleges were the core of the Academic Federation, the sage colleges had always held a sense of admiration and yearning towards them. Even though they sometimes criticized the ancient colleges for monopolizing the bulk of the cultivation resources, they had to admit that their existence was the reason why the Academic Federation was still able to stand tall today. There were numerous high-grade Dukes that had walked out of their halls, becoming pillars that supported the Academic Federation. Most importantly, the amount of Kings that were produced in ancient colleges far surpassed the sage colleges. Thus, the final trial of those who attended the ancient colleges was the climax of the Domain Traversal Battles. "This is the highlight." Even Li Luo was at attention at this point. At the same time, he complained. "The outer divine continents fought for a long time and things were a mess. In the end, it was all about the single battle against a seventh-grade Duke. We really just are a bunch of turtles in a well." Hearing Li Luo''s words, which berated even himself, Chi Chan and the rest didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry. "How can we possibly compare? The outer divine continents are always the weakest of the three groups." Li Luo shrugged. What he had said was a mere passing comment, and if their opponent had been an upper seventh-grade Duke, he wouldve been complaining about the loss instead. His gaze then turned to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s platform, specifically to Jiang Qing''e.She was outstanding even amongst the prodigies of Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, and her temperament and demeanor could not be ignored. There were several individuals in the squad she led, but the only ones he knew were Ning Meng and Yue Zhiyu, whom he had met in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. When Li Luo''s gaze fell upon her from afar, it was as though they had a telepathic connection; Jiang Qing''e raised her head and their eyes met. A subtle smile appeared on the latter''s perpetually calm facial features, which shocked the others who were secretly watching her. Behind her was a young man. He wasnt particularly handsome, but his serene smile gave others a sense of comfort. His name was Xiao Feng, a senior mentor of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. He was a lower seventh-grade Duke and could be said to have the highest cultivation level in the squad. However, in terms of actual battle power, he wasnt Jiang Qing''e''s opponent. When Xiao Feng saw the rare smile on Jiang Qing''e''s face, he grinned. "It seems that the squad leader has a great relationship with Li Luo." Jiang Qing''e was happy to hear Xiao Feng''s words and thus replied, "We grew up together and experienced countless dangers. Our relationship is naturally good." "It''s truly enviable to see childhood sweethearts getting together." Xiao Feng signed, and at the same time, he suppressed the bitter and dull look in his eyes. Jiang Qing''e smiled neutrally. When the squad was being formed, Xiao Feng had taken the initiative to join her squad and had given the reason that her potential was great. Even so, she was able to see through him at a glance and understood the true reason. Even though he had kept his feelings hidden, he could not possibly hide them from her Heart of Light. Even so, she did not reject him. After all, she needed to increase the strength of her squad. Furthermore, Xiao Feng was a smart person and he knew that the relationship between her and Li Luo ran deep. If he were to reveal his feelings, Jiang Qing''e would choose to kick him out and reduce the squad''s strength rather than leaving him around like an eyesore. "Make your preparations. The next battle will be bitter and my goals will be high. We cannot lose before we meet a squad led by an eighth-grade Duke," Jiang Qing''e reminded him. The rule for the four ancient colleges was that once a team lost twice, they would be eliminated. Their ranking will then be calculated based on the number of wins. Jiang Qing''e wanted to attain more victories to increase the squad''s contribution value. After which, more Celestial Mirror Sand could be allocated to them. Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As the bells chimed within the ancient colleges region, the squads began to draw lots to dictate their opponents. After which, pillars of light fell, engulfing the squads and sending them into minor worlds to battle. Intense battles immediately broke out. The atmosphere was boiling over. Regardless of whether it was the outer or inner divine continent squads, all of them were glued to the sight of the battles. There were numerous upper seventh-grade Dukes clashing with each other. The squads led by eighth-grade Dukes had not met each other yet, but as more teams were eliminated, the odds would increase. Li Luo was only focused on Jiang Qing''e''s squad. In the first two hours, Jiang Qing''e''s squad smashed through every opponent in an unstoppable fashion and attained victory. However, as time passed, the squads she met began to grow stronger. At a certain point, they met a squad from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College with two seventh-grade Dukes, one upper and one lower. Jiang Qing''e''s exchange with the upper seventh-grade Duke was incredibly intense, and her third-grade Transcendent cultivation revealed its tyrannical prowess. Whenever her sacred light resonant power touched the opponent, everything purified, regardless of how fierce or powerful her opponent''s attacks were. Their struggle captivated everyone watching. Atop the gigantic golden platform, Wang Xuanjin, Elder Bai Yu, and Elder Jin Xi were also paying attention to this. As they watched Jiang Qing''e, they couldn''t help but to be shocked. ????S? Elder Bai Yu hissed lightly. "Three middle ninth-grade light resonances? This sort of talent should be the highest we''ve seen in decades. It looks like the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College is about to produce another Radiant King." "Li Luo''s talent is also extraordinary. Even though his resonant grades are not as high as Jiang Qing''e''s, the fact that he has primary and secondary resonances means that his future potential will not be ordinary either. Furthermore, the two of them are a couple. The Dragon''s Fang Lineage is indeed blessed," Wang Xuanjin said with a smile. "It''s a pity. If only they belonged to the Academic Federation, they would become central pillars to support us," Elder Jin Xi lamented. "Elder Jin Xi, you are being a little too narrow-minded. When it comes to the Others, all living creatures are in the same camp. No matter if they are from the Academic Federation or from another power, they will stand with us shoulder-to-shoulder," Wang Xuanjin said. Elder Bai Yu and Elder Jin Xi nodded in agreement. When the Others descended, all of humanity and the other living races in the ten divine continents would be on the same side. As the three Kings exchanged words, the battle with Jiang Qing''e in the minor world reached its end. With the power of her third-grade Transcendent cultivation, her triple middle ninth-grade light resonances, and her Archaic Runes, she had overcome the upper seventh-grade Duke and attained victory. "The Archaic Runes condensed by her triple middle ninth-grade light resonances are truly terrifying." Many people sighed. This was the first time they had seen something like this, and the power spike they brought was startling. When Jiang Qing''e''s squad won, it marked their tenth victory and they were now in tenth place. As time passed, more and more squads were eliminated and thus, the difficulty of attaining victory only skyrocketed. It was not until Jiang Qing''e''s squad had obtained twelve victories that they drew their first stumbling block. Their opponent was the squad led by the Mythical Spirit Ancient College''s eighth-grade Duke, Zhou Jun. Chapter 1472: Zhou Jun Minor World The sounds of a fierce battle rang out on one of the Domain Traversal Platforms. Jiang Qing''e was surrounded by a billowing energy tempest in the air. Her three Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds were burning brightly like suns, giving off the aura of perfection and completion. Between her brows were the Archaic Runes, which were like a sacred mark placed by the gods, flowing with primordial light energy. With the power of three Archaic Runes, Jiang Qing''e''s body was illuminated with white light, giving her a divine and unblemished appearance. She now resembled a spirit of light, resonating with the light energy that existed in the world around her. Every single move she made caused boundless amounts of light energy to shift. As she gripped her heavy sword, her slender figure was garbed in the mentor''s attire for the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, which revealed her curves and showcased her straight legs under the skin-tight pants. The Sacred Crown of Thorns flowed with light as it was perched on her head, giving her a noble appearance so dazzling that people didn''t dare to look at her directly. The skies were torn apart as berserk bolts of lightning rained down endlessly, violently bombarding Jiang Qing''e''s position. Fang Xingyun''s lightning barrage was like a toddlers slap compared to this. Her expression remained placid as the three Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds roared, causing whitish-gold Divine Mist to flow out, transforming into a mirror of light. As the lightning bolts whizzed down, the mirror light was pierced through. In the end, the torrent of lightning bolts struck the three Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds, causing them to shake. However, a moment later, vast amounts of light spilled out of the Duke Bergfrieds like a tide, sublimating all of the lightning''s energy. "As expected of a third-grade Transcendent. The purity of your light resonant power makes it difficult for my thunder resonant power to penetrate through."A man slowly walked out from within the thunderclouds, his gaze flowing with thunder energy as he looked at Jiang Qing''e. This was the eighth-grade Duke from the Mythical Spirit Ancient College, Zhou Jun. He was wielding a thunder trident and his gaze was filled with surprise. To no ones surprise, he had the advantage in the last confrontation! After all, he was an eighth-grade Duke. What was unexpected was that Jiang Qing''e had overcome his offensive thanks to her incredible foundation! Although Zhou Jun had not gone all-out, the strength Jiang Qing''e had shown could not be underestimated. Jiang Qing''e didn''t bother responding; she glanced at the other circles, where battles were erupting. Her squad was at a disadvantage across all the other fronts, which wasnt surprising either as Zhou Jun''s squad was the strongest in the entire Mythical Spirit Ancient College. Not only did they have a lower eighth-grade Duke, there was an upper and a lower seventh-grade Duke as well. The rest were all sixth-grades. They were powerful enough to completely suppress her group. The ancient colleges all operated like this. This meant that Sheng Qiao''er''s squad from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College had a similar lineup. This was for the purposes of guaranteeing victory and also to eliminate the other ancient colleges squads. Any of the top four squads would find it difficult to be eliminated and thus, they were unofficially known as reaper squads. Jiang Qing''e also understood this and didn''t expect to emerge victorious. She only planned to tie up Zhou Jun for as long as possible, and once the rest of her squad was eliminated, she would then choose to resign. After all, she would have to single-handedly deal with the entire enemy squad at that point. Zhou Jun glanced at the silent Jiang Qing''e and gave a slight smile. A trace of an indiscernible emotion was hidden in the depths of his eyes. He then waved the thunder trident in his hand, causing a ten-thousand-foot-long beam of lightning to blast towards her. ???? The thunder resonant power clashed against light resonant power once again. However, the clash didn''t last for long. The energy undulations coming from the other fronts dissipated as pillars of light descended from the sky. The eliminated combatants were then sent out of the minor world. Xiao Feng, Ning Meng, Yue Zhiyu, and the rest had all been eliminated. Jiang Qing''e understood that the battle had come to an end. There was no need to continue resisting, and she chose to resign. It would be better to take advantage of the remaining time and challenge other teams to rack up more victories. The surging light coming from her three Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds began to weaken. Zhou Jun''s squadmates, who had come to support, understood that Jiang Qing''e was planning to resign. However, a strange color flashed through Zhou Jun''s eyes and one of his fingers turned as black as ink. He pointed fiercely into the air and created a crack in the void. An inky, black slurry of thunder energy pierced through the sky and immediately appeared before Jiang Qing''e. His sudden blow shocked everyone, including his own teammates. Jiang Qing''e had not expected him to take action, and her expression turned cold. Her Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds rumbled to life and released boundless amounts of light resonant power, forming a heavy barrier. However, Zhou Jun was preparedhe had timed his attack to strike at the moment Jiang Qing''e was still converging her resonant power, so the inky, black thunder slurry penetrated through her defenses. Black lightning poured down on her like a torrential rain, suppressing her light resonant power. At the same time, some of the liquid fell on the Sacred Crown of Thorns on her forehead. It had the sinister effect of eroding her Mythic Armament, damaging it. It was at this point that her pillar of light descended, landing on her body and sending her out of the minor world. When Zhou Jun saw this, he slowly retracted his finger. That was when his squad approached. "Squad Leader, she had already resigned. Why did you continue attacking? That is a violation of the rules." Zhou Jun smiled casually, "It seems I slipped. Hehe..." When the rest heard his words, they could only nod. The pillar of light then sent his team out of the minor world. At the same time. On the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s platform. WhenJiang Qing''e emerged, she removed her Sacred Crown of Thorns to inspect it. There were inky, black marks on it, ruining its beauty. On top of that, its grade seemed to have been negatively affected. A bone-chilling coldness radiated from Jiang Qing''e''s body. The Sacred Crown of Thorns was a gift from Li Luo! Zhou Jun was clearly looking to die! Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 1473: The End of the Domain Traversal Battles Jiang Qing''e''s beautiful face began to emit an icy frostiness, then her cold gaze shot towards the Mythical Spirit Ancient College. Zhou Jun had just appeared on the platform. "Zhou Jun!" Jiang Qing''e formed a seal with her fingers and condensed immense amounts of light resonant power in her hand. It very quickly transformed into a glorious, gigantic sword made of light that scintillated with all sorts of colors. A sacred aura filled the air. The Seven Treasures Glazed Sword of Light! The gigantic sword directly hacked through the skies and ferociously chopped towards Zhou Jun. Jiang Qing''e''s sudden action left everyone startled as no one had expected her to take action outside of the battlefield. Zhou Jun''s expression remained indifferent, as though he had already expected all of this. He formed a hand seal, and boundless thunder boomed before transforming into a giant palm made of thunder energy. The lightning palm flowed with mysterious purple light that amplified the energy within. Extreme Violet Thunder Tribulation Palm! S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When the palm made of thunder struck the sword of light, the massive sword immediately shattered and the thunder and light resonant power started to erode each other away. "Jiang Qing''e, you''re not supposed to fight outside of the battlefield," Zhou Jun said with a smirk. At this point, Yue Zhiyu frowned and responded, "Zhou Jun, you truly don''t want any face either. Did an eighth-grade Duke actually launch a sneak attack on Qing''e after she resigned?" They had chosen to resign, and it was at that moment that Zhou Jun took action. The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s other squads naturally expressed their support and began to point at and lecture Zhou Jun as well. The Mythical Spirit Ancient College''s squads were all a little taken aback when they heard what had happened. However, Zhou Jun was their representative and they had to do their best to protect him. Even so, wasn''t Jiang Qing''e overreacting? Did she have to take such actions? As a result, the Mythical Spirit Ancient College''s students launched their own counterattack of angry words, and the entire situation turned chaotic. Meanwhile, the squads from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College and the Divine Sun Ancient College watched with amused expressions. At this point, Sheng Qiao''er joined the fray. After getting an understanding of the situation, she had chosen to support Jiang Qing''e and her voice boomed. "Zhou Jun, you truly are a despicable and dirty person. You''re clearly afraid of her potential and wanted to take the opportunity to sneakily weaken her combat power, didn''t you?" Zhou Jun indifferently replied, "Sheng Qiao''er, there''s no need to shout. Jiang Qing''e is an opponent that''s worthy of fear. Thus, I could not relax and slipped up in the end. I didn''t break any rules; its natural for me to remain on high alert until my opponent has completely left the field." Sheng Qiao''er snorted coldly. Zhou Jun was sly and his words left no room for doubt. However, not every rule was blatantly written out and there were many such unspoken rules for the Celestial Mirror Pagoda''s trials. Jiang Qing''e had expressed her intention to resign, yet Zhou Jun had attacked her. That was not sportsmanlike at all. Even so, as Zhou Jun had said, he had done nothing wrong. Thus, they could only scold him and nothing else could be done. Sheng Qiao''er turned towards Jiang Qing''e. "Qing''e, when I meet that fool, I''ll be sure to give him a beating on your behalf." Jiang Qing''e''s eyes were focused on the Sacred Crown of Thorns in her hand. Although it was only a middle-grade Mythic Armament, it held great significance for her as it was a gift from Li Luo and forged by Li Jingzhe himself. She had been wearing it ever since she received it, and it was clear that she adored it from the depths of her heart. However, the blemishes left behind by Zhou Jun were quite eye-catching. Jiang Qing''e placed the Sacred Crown of Thorns back on her head and calmly replied, "There''s no need to do that, Mentor Qiao''er. I''ll take revenge myself during the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange." Her voice was incredibly flat, but Sheng Qiao''er could sense the frighteningly cold intent hidden beneath her words, which caused even her to feel a sense of fear. This was the first time she had seen Jiang Qing''e this mad. The fact that Zhou Jun had provoked Jiang Qing''e to this point was impressive. Ning Meng suddenly piped up. "The Sacred Crown of Thorns was a gift from Li Luo." Sheng Qiao''er''s expression turned complicated, as though she had accidentally eaten a pile of crap. Jiang Qing''e retracted her light resonant power and her gaze turned towards the outermost region, where she saw Li Luo''s worried eyes. She nodded to indicate that she was unharmed. When Jiang Qing''e''s gaze met Li Luos, it was only then that he heaved a sigh of relief. After which, he frowned and glared at Zhou Jun. He had been watching Jiang Qing''e''s battle the whole time and thus, he had witnessed that despicable attack. "What is that damn guy trying to do?" Li Luo was a little puzzled by Zhou Jun''s final action. Other than infuriating Jiang Qing''e, that streak of black thunder hadn''t caused any substantial harm to her. Was he dissatisfied after winning? Was infuriating Jiang Qing''e that fun? Zhou Jun was an eighth-grade Duke, but Jiang Qing''e was a third-grade Transcendent and not worth provoking. Li Luo was capable of overcoming an opponent five grades above himself, and considering Jiang Qing''e''s foundation and trump cards, he didn''t believe that she was unable to deal with an eighth-grade Duke. ????Ѧ??? Her team had lost because the difference in strengths between the squads was large. If it was just one-on-one, with Jiang Qing''e''s personality, she would have fought to the bitter end. So what was Zhou Jun doing? He didn''t have any enmity with her prior to this. However, he had sown the seeds today. Li Luo retracted his gloomy gaze. Zhou Jun had used his right index finger to send out that black thunder attack. Thus, if the opportunity arose, it would be fitting to cut his right arm off, right? After this event passed, the battles continued. More and more squads were eliminated and the remaining battles became more and more intense. Jiang Qing''e''s squad attained eighteen victories before losing their second battle in the hands of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s eighth-grade Duke, Lin Ju. Thus, she was finally eliminated. That said, her results were exceptional. She ended up only below the reaper squads from the ancient colleges. Of course, this result was not unique to them. The team led by the Divine Sun Ancient College''s Diwu Mingxuan, the Duke of Light, had also obtained a similar result. In the end, it was time for the four reaper squads to face off against each other. The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Sheng Qiao''er was pitted against the Divine Sun Ancient College''s Song Jing. The Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s Lin Ju then faced off against the Mythical Spirit Ancient College''s Zhou Jun. When their squads clashed, it formed the greatest spectacle thus far. In the end, Song Jing narrowly defeated Sheng Qiao''er, allowing the Divine Sun Ancient College to take first place amongst the four ancient colleges. The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College was second, the Mythical Spirit Ancient College was third, and the Heavenly Origin Ancient College was last. Thus, the first part of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda''s trials, the Domain Traversal Battles, came to an end. Chapter 1474: Happy Events Coming in Pairs When the Domain Traversal Battles ended, the squads had time to rest. The next battle would only take place in ten days, and this period of time would allow them to consolidate any gains made during the fights they had. Li Luo approached the East Divine Continent''s vice principals to attempt to gather more Celestial Mirror Sand for the Sand Seizing Battles. "Mentor Li Luo, you plan to participate in the Sand Seizing Battles?" When Li Luo mentioned his desire to borrow Celestial Mirror Sand, Guo Jiufeng, Wang Xu, Chen Chi, and the rest of the vice principals immediately knew of his intentions, so they hesitated. Sear?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They knew that the Sand Seizing Battles were the quickest way of earning more Celestial Mirror Sand, but it was a gamble. After all, wouldn''t the squads that dared to participate be at the top of the rankings? There were even some devious individuals who would hide their trump cards during the Domain Traversal Battles, only revealing them during the Sand Seizing Battles to relieve others of their Celestial Mirror Sand and earn a large sum. The outer divine continents sage college squads rarely joined the Sand Seizing Battles, as their strength wasn''t sufficient for them to dabble in those deep waters. Celestial Mirror Sand was already a rarely seen cultivation resource for them. Squandering it would only lead to them regretting it over the next three years. "I''ll be joining hands with Sister Qing''e. If you believe in me, you can give it a shot," Li Luo explained. Hearing that Jiang Qing''e would participate caused Vice Principal Guo Jiufeng''s expression to shift. Her strength did give people confidence, and so long as they didn''t meet any eighth-grade Dukes, they would definitely stand a chance. The Sand Seizing Battle''s opponents would have to be mutually agreed upon. Li Luo would naturally not pick an eighth-grade Duke to provoke. With this in mind, the vice principals of the East Divine Continent decided to give Li Luo some face and trust in him. Besides, he was the reason why they were able to obtain such striking results. Of course, they didnt lend him all of their Celestial Mirror Sand; they had to keep some to themselves. After going around, Li Luo managed to borrow twenty grains of Celestial Mirror Sand. Adding on to the eighteen, no, seventeen grains he had on hand, he now had thirty-seven grains of Celestial Mirror Sand. Jiang Qing''e then rushed over and told him, "I''ve got twenty-three grains of Celestial Mirror Sand." She had similarly tried to borrow more Celestial Mirror Sand from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, but because there were many ambitious individuals that also wished to participate in the Sand Seizing Battles, she was unable to gather as much. "If you think that''s not enough, I can lend you another ten grains," Lu Qing''er suddenly said. "That should be enough!" Li Luo said with a grin. That would make a total of seventy grains of Celestial Mirror Sand, which was a shocking amount. In fact, he was starting to feel a little bit fearful. With such huge stakes, who would dare to challenge him? Would this be the biggest sum wagered during the Sand Seizing Battles? Based on the rules, both sides had to put up similar amounts of Celestial Mirror Sand. Just as Li Luo was worrying about this, a few people suddenly landed on the East Divine Continent''s platform. Li Luo could see Mentor Chi Chan''s expression turn cold when they dropped in, and deep fear and disgust appeared in her eyes. When he looked over at the group, he noticed Chi Chi amongst them. However, Chi Chi was standing at the back. A skinny man with dark-red eyes stood at the fore, his entire body radiating a sense of danger. The individual''s information quickly flashed through Li Luo''s mind. Furthermore, this person had performed extremely well during the Domain Traversal Battles and was considered a peak expert of the Mythical Spirit Ancient College. "It''s been a while since we last met, Chi Chan," the man with the dark-red eyes said as he looked at her with a smile seemingly reminiscing in nostalgia. ???????? Chi Chan''s slender hands clenched so tightly that green veins could be seen on her snow-white skin. She coldly snapped, "Chi Li, I don''t want to see you." Chi Li gave a slight smirk. "Chi Chan, return home with me. Your parents have been waiting for you, and they aren''t having a good time with you gone. Have you not thought about them while you were galavanting wantonly across the lands?" When Chi Chan heard these words, her beautiful eyes turned red and she glared daggers at Chi Li. "What did you do to them?" "You can relax, I haven''t done anything. The main family always follows the rules; they might simply dispatch them for more dangerous missions occasionally. Oh, it seems like your father lost an arm whilst performing one of these missions a few years ago," Chi Li casually replied. "Chi Li!" Chi Chan''s entire body started trembling. The usually polite and elegant mentor no longer displayed any of the calmness she usually had. Her resonant power was on the edge of blasting outwards and she almost took action in anger. However, a hand stretched out and grabbed hold of her arm. It was Li Luo! "Mentor Chi Chan, there''s no need to be anxious," Li Luo consoled. Tears were pooling up within her eyes and her fists remained tightly clenched. She knew that Chi Li was provoking and threatening her, all so that she would surrender willingly. However, after hearing that her father had lost an arm, she felt as though her heart had been cut open with a knife. Li Luo then stood in front of Chi Chan and directed his icy gaze towards Chi Li. "Don''t you think it''s a little underhanded to use one''s parents to threaten them?" Chi Li first glanced at Jiang Qing''e, who was beside Li Luo, before slowly replying, "Li Luo, this is an internal matter of the Chi family. Why would you stick your hands into a matter involving a woman that has no relation to you? My family might be from the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent, but we are willing to build a good relationship with the Dragon''s Fang Lineage. This sort of goodwill is something she cannot provide." Li Luo then turned to look at Chi Chan briefly. This mentor who was once powerful enough to protect him now seemed powerless to him. "In your view, Mentor Chi Chan''s value is naturally incomparable to that of the entire Chi family. However..." Li Luo then looked directly at Chi Li with a sharp gaze as he coldly declared, "In my eyes, the entire sum of the Chi family is not even worth a single finger of hers." During House Luolan''s Housemeet, Mentor Chi Chan had thrown away her position as a mentor of the Astral Sage College and single-handedly obstructed House Lanling. This sort of kindness was something that could not be easily measured in Li Luo''s heart. Chi Li''s gaze turned gloomy. "It looks like you''re willing to make an enemy out of me for her sake." "Is it that strange to be your enemy?" Jiang Qing''e took a step forward. Anger rose in Chi Li''s eyes. It was obvious that Li Luo''s and Jiang Qing''e''s lack of respect towards him had infuriated him. He took a deep breath before icily replying, "Such a big temper. Do you think I''m afraid of you? This is the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, not the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Here, I have numerous methods to cause you trouble. Li Luo, weren''t you interested in the Sand Seizing Battles? I assume you don''t want to be challenged by a strong opponent, right?" When Li Luo heard his words, he was taken aback before a look of joy appeared on his face. "You... you wish to have a Sand Seizing Battle?" This reaction caused the edges of Chi Li''s eyes to crease, and he smirked coldly. "What about it? Am I not able to?" "Of course!" Li Luo excitedly replied. "I''ve got seventy grains of Celestial Mirror Sand, do you want to play?" Chi Li''s expression turned dazed. Even if he were to scrounge up all of the Celestial Mirror Sand he could, it would only amount to twenty grains. Meanwhile, Li Luo wanted to wager seventy grains? Just what sort of crazy gambler was he? "What? You can''t produce seventy grains?" Li Luo seemed a little disappointed. "Well, I can take a step back. Fifty grains will do." Chi Li''s expression sank. He couldn''t obtain that much either! Just as Chi Li was left in a slightly awkward position, a charming female laugh rang out. "Hehe, do you really think that no one can handle you in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda?" When everyone raised their heads to see who it was, they saw Lu Ruyan making her way onto the platform with her entourage. "What are you doing here, Lu Ruyan?" Lu Qing''er''s expression turned icy. Lu Ruyan gave a devilish smile. "If I didn''t come, who would join Li Luo for a fight? What about it? Are you worried I''ll break him?" Li Luo was a little surprised as well. He hadn''t expected Lu Ruyan to interfere. Lu Ruyan then turned towards Chi Li. "Mentor Chi Li, shall our two squads join hands and challenge Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e to a Sand Seizing Battle?" Lu Qing''er had sent people to deal with her before, and since there was an opportunity to take revenge, she would be sure to seize. Furthermore, if she could take Celestial Mirror Sand from Li Luo''s hands, it would make her feel refreshed and elated. Chi Li was a little taken aback, but he knew of Lu Ruyan and her background. He had always wanted to develop a better relationship with them but never had the right chance to do so. Who would have expected that they would take the initiative to work together? He thus nodded and he smiled gracefully. "Since Young Mistress Ruyan is interested in this, I''ll naturally acquiesce." When Li Luo saw that the two had decided to work together, an amused smile appeared on his face. This reminded him of a particular saying. Enemies often meet on a narrow path, but happy events come in pairs! Chapter 1475: Two Ladies Face Off "What do you think, Li Luo? Do you dare to accept this Sand Seizing Battle?" Lu Ruyan flashed a provocative smile as she crossed her arms, stretching her clothes slightly and revealing her well-endowed curves and graceful figure. The sage colleges from the East Divine Continent had looks of worry in their eyes. They had not expected Lu Ruyan to barge in like this. She was a sixth-grade Duke, but because of her Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried, her real battle strength was equivalent to that of an upper seventh-grade Duke, putting her at the peak in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. Furthermore, even Chi Li was not her opponent. Based on everyone''s estimations, Lu Ruyan wasn''t any weaker than Jiang Qing''e. Lu Ruyan and Chi Li combined could possibly even take on an eighth-grade Duke. The Sand Seizing Battles were vicious and the loser would lose all their Celestial Mirror Sand. Most of what Li Luo had were the "investments" from others. If it was taken away, everyone would feel like their hearts had been cut by a blade. "Li Luo, if you don''t wish to play, I won''t make things difficult for you. So long as you kick Lu Qing''er out of your squad, I won''t interfere in this Sand Seizing Battle. What do you think?" Lu Ruyan''s coquettish smile was charming, but it was clear she had ulterior motives. This was a psychological blow she had attempted to inflict upon Lu Qing''er''s icy and calm state of mind, to reduce her compatibility with the Permafrost Sacred Seed. Immediately after, Lu Qing''er''s expression turned even colder and the surrounding temperature fell. Li Luo immediately flashed a smile. "It''s rare to be taken advantage of, so how could I refuse?" Lu Ruyan''s smile stiffened, and she couldn''t help but to sneer disdainfully. "It looks like defeating a lower seventh-grade Duke from an outer divine continent has given you a lot of confidence." Fang Xingyun wasn''t even capable of entering the top ten ranks amongst the inner divine continents sage colleges. Although Li Luo had managed to jump five grades and attain an absolutely jaw-dropping victory, that was his absolute limit. Any upper seventh-grade Duke would be an opponent too tough to overcome. "Lu Ruyan, it looks like obtaining first place amongst the inner divine continent sage colleges has given you a lot of confidence," Jiang Qing''e said indifferently as her beautiful, golden eyes, filled with coldness and hostility, glared at Lu Ruyan. Lu Ruyan''s peach-blossom-like eyes narrowed. She had not expected her casual words to have aroused Jiang Qing''e''s fury. However, with her arrogant personality, background, talent, and demeanor, she would never back down. "Why don''t you test me out yourself? You''ll find out how confident I can be! I also want to see just how amazing a third-grade Transcendent Duke is." Jiang Qing''e''s long hair danced in the wind and radiant light flowed around her, causing her originally gorgeous appearance to give off an air of sanctity. Pure light resonant power slowly spread around her, causing the entire area to light up. "If you want to give it a try, we can have a go right here." Her voice had turned sharp and sassy. Frighteningly chilly ice resonant power flowed out of Lu Ruyan. This proud daughter would never be able to tolerate being suppressed by Jiang Qing''e in front of a crowd. "I''m only afraid you won''t dare to fight!" Ice condensed in the air around Lu Ruyan as her countenance turned icy. Both of these ladies were relatively famous in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. One was the Transcendent genius of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College and the other was a prodigy who had attained the top spot amongst the inner divine continents sage colleges. This sudden tit for tat confrontation immediately attracted numerous interested eyes. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was simply too eye-catching. Even the Divine Sun Ancient College''s representatives, specifically Diwu Mingxuan, the Duke of Light, had stopped in his tracks and looked over in surprise. ??????o??? "Jiang Qing''e actually challenged Lu Ruyan. This will be a good show." Zhou Jun, who was beside him, laughed with his hands behind his back. "Mentor Zhou Jun, who do you think would win if they were to clash?" A smile appeared on Diwu Mingxuan''s handsome face. "It''s hard to say. Jiang Qing''e is a third-grade Transcendent, but Lu Ruyan has a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried and is from Golden Dragon Mountain. Her Mythic Armaments and trump cards should be exceptional, so if she were to go all0out, her battle strength would definitely be extraordinary," Zhou Jun answered with a smirk. Diwu Mingxuan shook his head. "I feel that if they were to exchange blows, the one that would win would definitely be Jiang Qing''e." "Oh? Why do you think so highly of her?" Zhou Jun asked curiously. Diwu Mingxuan smiled lightly. "Jiang Qing''e''s talent is simply perfect. She has three middle ninth-grade Light resonances, so she is far more fitting to be called the Duke of Light than me." "What? Have you been bewitched by her appearance to the point that you''re willing to give up your title?" Zhou Jun joked. Diwu Mingxuan continued, "If I had the opportunity to do so, I would definitely pursue such an outstanding girl. However, I''m merely praising her talent right now. If she truly wants my title, she still has to work a bit harder. Furthermore..." He then turned towards Zhou Jun. "When you attacked her during the Domain Traversal Battles, was it truly because your hand slipped?" Zhou Jun smiled. "How else could it have happened?" Diwu Mingxuan fell silent before shaking his head, not speaking any further. The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s Sheng Qiao''er and the Heavenly Origin Ancient College''s Lin Ju were watching as well. The confrontation between the two young women had turned increasingly tense amidst the numerous gazes. However, Li Luo suddenly stretched his hand out to grasp Jiang Qing''e''s slender waist, which was as delicate as a lotus root carved from the most perfect jade. He said with a grin, "Sister Qing''e, this is not the time to fight." If they sent Lu Ruyan running now, they would have no way to obtain more Celestial Mirror Sand. Jiang Qing''e nodded and retracted her light resonant power. When the people of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College saw this, their hearts were filled with all sorts of contrasting emotions. In their eyes, Jiang Qing''e''s personality was dominant and valiant, yet she had been so easily persuaded by Li Luo''s words, demonstrating the place he had in her heart. When Lu Qing''er saw their tender interaction, her gaze turned slightly gloomy and she indifferently said, "Lu Ruyan, if you want to play, I''ll take you on." Lu Ruyan glanced at her briefly. Lu Qing''er''s tone was dull and indifferent, but she didn''t understand why she could sense danger coming from her. Because of this strange feeling, Lu Ruyan didn''t dare to provoke her further, and she coolly replied, "Let''s not speak any more superfluous words and find someone from the Academic Federation to initiate the battle." Now that the atmosphere had turned up a notch, neither side would dare to back out of the Sand Seizing Battle. "Let''s go." Li Luo didn''t speak further. The squads from both sides then ascended into the air and rushed towards the administrative area of the Academic Federation to confirm the desire to engage in a Sand Seizing Battle. Not long later, the Celestial Mirror Pagoda let out some news. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e would challenge Lu Ruyan and Chi Li in a Sand Seizing Battle! The wager: seventy grains of Celestial Mirror Sand! The extravagance of the bet immediately caused an uproar to ensue. Chapter 1476: Rushing into the Upper Second-grade Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, Lu Ruyan, and Chi Li all accepted the Sand Seizing Battle between them. This immediately caused a furor within Celestial Mirror City. This wasn''t only because both parties were outstanding figures in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda trials, it was the fact that they were engaged in a Sand Seizing Battle. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The total wager had reached a staggering one hundred and forty grains of Celestial Mirror Sand. Just what sort of stakes were these? That was nearly the equivalent of a quarter of all the Celestial Mirror Sand available this round. Both parties had raised this massive sum through their connections and various means. Whoever won would obtain a terrifying harvest. Even the battle amongst the four eighth-grade Dukes seemed somewhat dull compared to this. Although those eighth-grade Dukes were stronger, few could compare to the likes of Li Luo or Lu Ruyan in terms of stature, background, and resources. Thus, everyone greatly anticipated the battle that would occur in ten days time. Just who would get the last laugh and become the biggest winner? "We will choose a two-person battle format for the Sand Seizing Battle. Thus, only Sister Qing''e and I will participate. If they were to increase the numbers, the situation would become much more chaotic because Lu Ruyan and Chi Li have several lower seventh-grade Dukes in their squads. In Celestial Mirror City, within the area that the East Divine Continent resided, Li Luo was slowly explaining his plans within a hall to Lu Qing''er, Li Hongyou, Guo Jiufeng, and the rest. All of the people present could be said to be invested in his success, and he had to reassure them. After hearing Li Luo''s words, several vice principals had a change in expression. "Mentor Li Luo, are you planning to take on Chi Li alone?" Furthermore, Li Luo wouldn''t have Li Hongyou''s assistance. They had given him a large amount of Celestial Mirror Sand, and this didn''t seem like good news. "Let me participate as well. I have a way to restrain Lu Ruyan." Lu Qing''er, who was sitting with perfect posture, looked at Li Luo with her beautiful, ice-blue eyes. She felt that the reason why Lu Ruyan had thrown her lot in with Chi Li was because of her. Thus, she had to do her part to resolve this burden. Li Luo sighed. "And what sort of price do you have to pay to do that?" Lu Qing''er was a first-grade Duke, so any means she had to restrain Lu Ruyan was undoubtedly terrifying, considering the gap between them. It also implied the cost would be massive. Lu Qing''er fell silent without responding. This was a tacit admission of how heavy the price would be, so Li Luo shook his head. "Qing''er, the situation hasn''t reached such a dire point yet. Believe in me. I''ll handle them." Jiang Qing''e sighed lightly beside him and said calmly, "Give Lu Ruyan to me. Although she has many tricks up her sleeve, I am confident I can beat her. Li Luo, so long as you''re able to hold on until then, the scales of victory will tilt further towards us over time." This was what everyone was most worried about. When Li Luo defeated Fang Xingyun, he had utilized a curse art to weaken him. However, now that the information was out, Chi Li would not give Li Luo the same opportunity. Without Li Hongyou''s buffs, how could he possibly hope to beat a lower seventh-grade Duke, much less an upper seventh-grade like Chi Li with an even more robust foundation? "Everyone, please relax. I''ve also invested a lot of Celestial Mirror Sand, so if I didn''t have any confidence, how would I dare to initiate the battle?" Li Luo said. The rest didn''t speak further. Guo Jiufeng merely smiled and cupped his hands respectfully. "Then we will await Mentor Li Luo''s good news in ten days." The group continued to chat for a while longer before dispersing in separate directions. Li Luo then rose to accompany Jiang Qing''e out. After making their way out of the East Divine Continent''s accommodations, he casually reached out and took hold of her slender hand, interlocking their fingers. Jiang Qing''e''s delicate body jolted slightly and she suddenly felt more self-aware, sensing the strange looks around her. Her usually cool temperament made the slight blush on her cheeks all the more obvious. However, she didn''t resist, tightly grasping Li Luo''s hand as well. The two had been separated for over half a year, and when they met today, they had barely spent any time together. Thus, it was difficult to understand just how love-sick they were. Now that they were finally alone, their inner emotions were turbulent. "Why don''t you stay at my place? I have many things to talk about." Li Luo glanced at her bright and charming face with passionate eyes, and he couldn''t help but chuckle. ???????????? Jiang Qing''e hesitated for a moment before shaking her head with an embarrassed look. "Forget it. It''s best that you spend the next ten days properly recuperating and preparing for the Sand Seizing Battle." Now that their relationship was at a different level after having gone through that , they were inseparable in emotions and feelings. If they were to stay together, they wouldnt have the heart to even cultivate properly. Li Luo felt a little disappointed, and just as he was about to try to persuade her otherwise, Jiang Qing''e hurriedly changed the subject. "What are you planning to do to beat Chi Li?" Even she was a little curious. What would Li Luo do without Li Hongyou''s support? The two were alone, and Li Luo wouldn''t hide anything from her. "Without Sister Hongyou, I''ll have to rely on my own strength. I plan to reach the upper second Transcendent Duke Stage in these ten days." Jiang Qing''e was a little surprised. She hadn''t thought that this was Li Luo''s plan. However, would things go so smoothly? "You''ve just broken into the second-grade in the last few months. You might need more time to accumulate a stronger foundation," Jiang Qing''e advised. If one''s foundation was not suitably established and they forced a breakthrough, it could lead to instability in their cultivation. Normally speaking, this would be a minor issue, but Li Luo sought transcendence, so every step had to be flawless with nothing lacking. Li Luo smiled. "You can relax. I wouldn''t do such a foolish thing. Furthermore, no matter how important Celestial Mirror Sand might be to me, it cannot compare to my Path of Ascension." The reason why he felt this way was naturally because of the bronze lamp left behind by Wang Taixi. With Celestial Mirror Sand as the fuel, he could create that mysterious golden smoke. With the assistance of that object, Li Luo had obtained the assurance to rush towards the upper second-grade. When Jiang Qing''e sensed Li Luo''s confidence, she smiled. She understood that Li Luo wasn''t a short-sighted person; the only reason why he dared to say such words was because he knew he could do it well. He then escorted Jiang Qing''e out of the East Divine Continent''s area before unwillingly returning to his residence to seclude himself. As Jiang Qing''e''s golden eyes watched his departing figure, her gaze turned towards another residence within the East Divine Continent''s area. She frowned slightly. For some reason, she felt something uncomfortable coming from that direction, but before she was able to identify the reason. It vanished, as though it had never been there. She shook her head before turning to leave. Chapter 1477: Absolute Resonance Bergfried Forging Art Inside the cultivation chamber. Li Luo sat cross-legged and swiped his hand across his pocket sphere, causing an ancient bronze lamp to appear. It silently floated before him. It was decorated with ornate and ancient runic engravings that still remained clear despite the years of erosion. "Sacred Void Resonance Sect, Void Resonance''s Six Sons, Wang Taixi," Li Luo muttered to himself. He held great curiosity towards this esteemed individual from the past. Furthermore, even the Academic Federation and the Origin Reversion Institute, much less a Heavenly Emperor power, was unable to compare with the behemoth organization behind him. Could it have been the strongest faction that had ever existed? Even so, they were unable to bring an end to the chaos caused by the Others. It was clear that the Others were a vile tumor that was so deeply rooted that it was incredibly difficult for the living creatures to excise them from this world. Perhaps only when a tenth-grade resonance was born could the world be cleansed. However, the very concept of a tenth-grade resonance was simply ephemeral. Even the mightiest sect leader of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect was unable to successfully make one. If even he had failed, then who else would be capable of doing so? Li Luo''s mind pondered over these thoughts for a moment before he quickly disposed of these superfluous musings, focusing on the task at hand. He stretched his palm out, and four grains of Celestial Mirror Sand rose up. Boundless amounts of ancient energy surged up; it was so intense that it even turned into a mist that flowed around the chamber. As time passed, the crisp sounds of a flowing stream could be heard coming from the mist, a mysterious sight to behold. He then took in a deep breath as he could sense a warm energy current running through his limbs, swiftly transforming into resonant power that filled up his resonant palaces. The quick conversion speed from energy to resonant power would leave anyone dazed. Li Luo thought to himself with a look of anticipation in his eyes. These were the last few grains that he had borrowed from the East Divine Continent''s Sage colleges. The rest had been used as a wager for the Sand Seizing Battle and the Academic Federation''s law enforcement team were thus in custody of it. It could be said that the entire East Divine Continent''s returns from the Domain Traversal Battles had been hoovered up by Li Luo. As a result, he felt a little embarrassed. Although his contribution had been the greatest, it wasn''t as though the other squads had not put in any effort themselves. In the end, they were still willing to loan him the Celestial Mirror Sand. Although they had hopes of obtaining even more in return, the trust they had in Li Luo was a heavy burden in and of itself. Li Luo thought to himself as he scratched his head. It did seem as though the bet was a little excessive. However, if he won, everyone would finally be able to eat their fill. Especially the squads from the East Divine Continentit would give them the resources to cultivate for many years. With this in mind, Li Luo no longer hesitated. He took a deep breath and flicked his finger forward. The four grains of Celestial Mirror Sand shot forward, entering the ancient bronze lamp. In just an instant, the Celestial Mirror Sand immediately melted away and only golden flames were seen burning within the lamp. The flames slowly curled up and transformed into slowly rising golden smoke. The golden smoke was several times thicker than Li Luo''s first experiment. Within the golden smoke were countless flying runes that were indiscernible to the naked eye. They gave off an archaic air and their pristine undulations made it seem as though they were the purest form of worldly natural energy. Li Luo''s four resonant palaces began to tremble violently and his six resonance affinities came to life. Wisps of golden smoke then tunnelled into his body as though they were sentient and proceeded to course through him like a raging river, running rampant. Li Luo''s mind was calm as he guided the boundless amounts of energy into his Absolute Resonance Halo. ??????? The Absolute Resonance Halo was able to absorb the energy without limit. In the end, it converted it into an exquisite form of resonant power with great efficiency. The resonant power occasionally morphed into different forms such as a rushing river, flowing light, an ancient tree, brown soil, giant dragons, and dense thunderclouds... All of his six resonances appeared at this time. sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Next, his two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds emerged from his body and the six types of resonant power poured into them, strengthening the Duke Bergfrieds and making them much more majestic-looking. When he sensed the changes to his Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds, Li Luo felt pleasantly surprised. This was not something he had obtained from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li; he had created it with guidance from Tantai Lan while he was in Godriver City with the aid of his Absolute Resonance Halo. Based on what she had said, this method of cultivation could be called the Absolute Resonance Bergfried Forging Art, and the more resonances he had, the greater its effects. It was said that the sect masters of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect had used a similar technique to forge and temper their Duke Bergfrieds. However, Li Luo had only learned about this in Godriver City and had spent all his time comprehending it. This was the first time he had actually utilized it. And the effects left him incredibly satisfied. Li Luo thought to himself before blocking out all external influences and immersing his mind into the process of absorbing the wisps of golden smoke into his body greedily. The cultivation chamber turned silent and only the sounds of his six resonances polishing his Duke Bergfrieds could be heard occasionally. Time gradually passed. Eventually, the resonant power undulations coming from Li Luo''s body became mightier. Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. In the outside world, the upcoming Sand Seizing Battle had become the hottest topic of conversation. There were even some who had opened up betting stands, and the excitement that surrounded this event had already exceeded the fame of the eighth-grade Dukes. However, it was clear that most favored Lu Ruyan and Chi Li, which wasn''t surprising in the least. They all felt that Li Luo was the weak link. Even though he had achieved a victory over the lower seventh-grade Fang Xingyun, how could that opponent compare with Chi Li, who was not only half a grade higher but also spent his time cultivating in the Mythical Spirit Ancient College? Li Luo''s victory had also been attained with the usage of that strange curse art and the bolstering buffs of his squadmate. If precautions were taken against the curse art and the squadmate was taken out of the equation, what did he have up his sleeve that would allow him to beat Chi Li? And once Li Luo was defeated, Chi Li would join hands with Lu Ruyan to fight Jiang Qing''e, and even she would have a hard time resisting their combined onslaught. Both Lu Ruyan and Chi Li were also part of the Eighteen Heroes and were reputable individuals within the Celestial Mirror Pagoda; they weren''t some wooden dummies that could be knocked over with ease. Thus, everyone was very curious as to why Li Luo dared to take on this Sand Seizing Battle. Was he planning to leave everything in the hands of Jiang Qing''e? He would truly be over relying on his wife! While the commotion in Celestial Mirror City was heating up, Li Luo slowly opened his eyes within his cultivation chamber. Majestic energy undulations suddenly broke out. The void behind him shuddered and two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds gradually appeared. The pressure emanating from them was undoubtedly stronger than before. A smile broke out on his face. In these ten days, with the aid of the ancient lamp, the four grains of Celestial Mirror Sand, and the Absolute Resonance Bergfried Forging Art, he had succeeded in reaching the upper second Transcendent Duke Stage. Chapter 1478: Battle on a Snowy Mountain Celestial Mirror City, West District It was like a snowy world. The mountain range was covered with snow and numerous icebergs protruded from the ground like giants made of crystal as a biting wind buffeted the area. This was the day everyone was anticipating. Everyone who was cultivating within Celestial Mirror City had gathered here as this was the location for the Sand Seizing Battle. Atop some icebergs in the outer area were numerous viewing platforms, and the cacophony caused by the crowd had dispersed some of the ice and snow. "The people participating in today''s first Sand Seizing Battle are Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, Lu Ruyan, and Chi Li! The Academic Federation has directly decided to bring things to a climax from the very beginning." "Well, whose fault is it that this Sand Seizing Battle has become so popular? The entire city has been discussing it for the past ten days." "There isn''t any choice. After all, the bet of one hundred and forty grains of Celestial Mirror City is just too much. Even Sheng Qiao''er, Zhou Jun, and the other eighth-grade Dukes might not be able to afford this. "It''s said that Li Luo has basically borrowed all of the East Divine Continent''s Celestial Mirror City that was won in the Domain Traversal Battles. Jiang Qing''e had done the same with the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College." "Lu Ruyan and Chi Li did that as well. They had used their backgrounds to take loans and managed to obtain seventy grains of Celestial Mirror City." "Wow, they all have a lot of courage." The outer divine continents sage colleges had gathered like clouds on a viewing platform, and the ones at the fore were the Thunderflame Divine Continent''s Fang Xingyun and the Azuresea Divine Continent''s Shui Baoping. "You''ve reached the lower Seventh Duke Stage?" Fang Xingyun asked with surprise when he saw the diminutive but well-endowed lady. He could sense that her resonant power undulations had strengthened. Shui Baoping haughtily replied, "After using the Celestial Mirror Sand that we received, I was able to take another step and successfully forged my seventh Duke Bergfried." "How many pillars were there?" Fang Xingyun asked curiously. Shui Baoping sighed. "Its just a seven-pillar. With my potential, this is my limit. Without the aid of the Celestial Mirror Sand, it would have taken years of bitter cultivation. Thus, I didn''t expect to forge a better Duke Bergfried." Fang Xingyun nodded with a complicated expression on his face. The outer divine continent was incomparable to the inner divine continent. Just in terms of the density of worldly natural energy, the latter was several times greater. When it came to cultivation resources, it was not even a fight. Thus, even he felt that his final limit was the Eighth Duke Stage. Taking another step would require a heaven-defying opportunity. "It''s a pity. If I had reached the lower Seventh Duke Stage before the competition, I might have been able to draw out Li Luo''s curse art ahead of time and you would have been able to take precautions against it. In that case, the East Divine Continent would not have come out on top," Shui Baoping lamented. It seemed that she still held resentment towards Li Luo for beating her. Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Fang Xingyun then shook his head. "Do you really think that Li Luo won only because of that curse art?" Shui Baoping''s brows lifted curiously, but she didn''t answer. Fang Xingyun continued, "An unparalleled genius like Li Luo has more trump cards than you can imagine. I could distinctly feel that when he demonstrated that curse art, he was simply using me as a test. He wanted to know exactly how effective the curse art was when used against a seventh-grade Duke. Thus, if he didn''t have the curse art, he wouldve likely used an even more frightening method." ????? Shui Baoping guffawed, "Are you trying to reassure yourself after your loss to him? Is that why you''re putting him on a pedestal?" Fang Xingyun didn''t explain any further; he merely smiled. "Whether this is true or not, you''ll find out soon during the Sand Seizing Battle." "Could it be that you think he can defeat Chi Li? That is an experienced mentor of the Mythical Spirit Ancient College. Behind him lies the Chi family, which is helmed by a King Stage expert in an inner divine continent. Such a robust foundation is not something that an outer divine continent vice principal can compare with," Shui Baoping said with a hint of self-mockery in her voice. Her arms were crossed and she was smiling. Fang Xingyun didn''t mind that she was poking fun at him. This was the truth, and he had to admit it. If he were to exchange blows with Chi Li, he would barely last ten bouts. However, Li Luo wasn''t him. "Logically speaking, Li Luo''s chances of victory are not high. Similarly, logic told me that I couldn''t possibly lose to him during our battle," Fang Xingyun helplessly said. Shui Baoping was left speechless. She knew that there wasn''t much point discussing this and that only actions would matter. Her gaze then swept across their surroundings and she suddenly asked, "The Sand Seizing Battle will start in two hours, yet Li Luo hasn''t appeared. I heard he secluded himself to cultivate, but I don''t know what he''s trying to do. Could it be that it is as per the rumors, that he''s using this as an excuse to avoid fighting?" Fang Xingyun wanted to refute these idle, speculative comments, but he chose to keep silent. Constantly speaking out for Li Luo wasn''t a problem, but it did make it seem like he had been physically and mentally defeated by Li Luo and was trying to regain some of his reputation by elevating his opponent. It was best to just watch the show quietly from the stands for now. At the same time, atop another snowy mountain in the vicinity, Sheng Qiao''er was looking down at the battlefield. "Qiao''er, your luck isn''t great. You''ve actually rolled the snowy mountain battlefield, an environment that greatly suits Lu Ruyan." Lu Ruyan had an ice resonance, so this was the most appropriate environment for her. Fighting her here would give her a tremendous boost. Jiang Qing''e''s delicate features were exposed to the chilly winds, causing her face to look a little rosy, which made her seem a little more spirited despite her indifferent voice. "Even though she has the terrain advantage, she can''t beat me." Hearing Jiang Qing''e''s tyrannical words caused Sheng Qiao''er''s eyes to light up with envy. "Such a top-grade maiden has been taken advantage of by that brat Li Luo She then turned towards the East Divine Continent''s viewing platform and asked, That said, is that brat still cultivating?" Jiang Qing''e nodded. Ning Meng, who was beside them with her bamboo cup, was happily drinking away as she asked anxiously, "It can''t be that he won''t make it in time... right?" Xiao Feng''s gaze flickered and he warmly smiled. "If Mentor Li Luo can''t make it, I''m more than willing to step in for him. However, Im probably not Chi Li''s equal and can only do my best to stall for time." A sense of joy emerged from deep within his heart. Fighting side-by-side with Jiang Qing''e would be an excellent opportunity to get closer to her. However, Jiang Qing''e shook her head. "There''s no need. He will definitely be here." Although the current situation wasn''t desperate, she knew Li Luo''s character very well and no matter what happened, he would never let her face the opponents alone. Xiao Feng''s smile stiffened. A look of melancholy appeared in his eyes and a sour feeling surged within his heart. Jiang Qing''e was simply too difficult to get close to; no matter what he tried, it was almost impossible to even approach her. Breaking through such an invulnerable fortress was only even remotely possible if they had built a relationship since young, penetrating her defenses gradually with a stream of droplets. In other words, Li Luo was simply too lucky. The only way someone could have gotten close to her was if it was gifted to him from the get-go! As time went by, more and more voices could be heard throughout the icy mountain range. It was then that a large number of rushing sounds could be heard coming from the distance. And then a figure finally descended upon the East Divine Continent''s viewing platform. A young, strapping man remained standing in the air with a smile. "I''ve kept everyone waiting." It was Li Luo! As the numerous gazes were directed towards him, a change could be seen in their eyes. They could sense that the resonant power undulations coming from Li Luo were much more active and almost seemed to be boiling over! It was clear that his strength had increased in the past ten days. Countless shocked voices resounded throughout the mountainous area. "He... suddenly broke into the upper Second Transcendent Duke Stage?" Chapter 1479: Sand Seizing Battle Begins! When Li Luo reached the snowy mountains, his vigorous resonant power undulations were noticed by the crowd and chatter ensued. "Li Luo was able to reach the upper second-grade?" "It seems like this was his plan during those ten days of seclusion. However, didn''t he already hand over all his Celestial Mirror Sand as part of the wager? Could it be that he achieved it by relying upon himself? "Hehe, this Li Luo kid is impressive. Improving a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried is much harder than ordinary Duke Bergfrieds." "It looks like there''s a new variable in this Sand Seizing Battle!" "I''m not sure if this is enough to change the situation. Li Luo''s breakthrough just means that he''s at the same point where he was previously with the help of his squadmate''s bolstering buffs." "Chi Li is not like Fang Xingyun, an outer divine continent vice principal. He has a lower ninth-grade Astral Tiger resonance and a quasi ninth-grade Poisonous Smog resonance. He also has seven Duke Bergfrieds, three of which are nine-pillars while the rest are all eight-pillars. His foundation and potential has led to the Chi family having high hopes in him. There is the possibility he will become the next family head." "Indeed. Although Fang Xingyun does have three nine-pillar Duke Bergfrieds, the other four are of a lower grade and it seems that his potential has already been exhausted." As the crowd gossipped amongst themselves, Chi Li and Lu Ruyan were standing together atop a separate mountain, looking at Li Luo with slight surprise. "This brat is truly out to torment us," Lu Ruyan said with a raised eyebrow. "It might be a little more troublesome now that he''s an upper second-grade, but I still have confidence I''ll beat him," Chi Li said. He had made a lot of preparations for this fight. So long as he could take precautions against Li Luo''s curse art, he would be able to obtain the upper hand. "You have to be careful not to suffer a defeat. We''ve invested so much Celestial Mirror Sand that if we were to lose, we won''t be able to explain ourselves." Lu Ruyan was smiling, but her words carried a heavy warning. Chi Li nodded. He didn''t mind her words as she had Golden Dragon Mountain backing her and he still wished to forge a closer relationship. Furthermore, even though she was a sixth-grade Duke, Chi Li knew he wasn''t her opponent. There was not much choice in this matter. Lu Ruyan had a terrifying Duke Bergfried configurationone Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried and five nine-pillars. With such a luxurious configuration, she was probably second only to Jiang Qing''e and Diwu Mingxuan in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. While Fang Xingyun was well aware of the gap between him and Chi Li, the latter was similarly cognizant of the gap between him and Lu Ruyan. Thus, in Chi Li''s eyes, Lu Ruyan was truly deserving of her proud personality. "This terrain benefits me. If we drag things out, I''ll have a way to deal with Jiang Qing''e. At that point in time, I hope our little third-grade Transcendent won''t lose terribly before everyone." Lu Ruyan looked at Jiang Qing''e with her peach blossom-like eyes, which were filled with an eagerness to challenge a legendary opponent. "Everyone will see with their very eyes the glorious sight of Mentor Ruyan overcoming Jiang Qing''e." Chi Li smiled supportively. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When they finished speaking, a loud and melodious sound rang from within the depths of the icy mountains. Three figures appeared high in the skyWang Xuanjin, Elder Bai Yu, and Elder Jin Xi. As they floated in the air, worldly natural energy condensed around them, forming lotus thrones. The worldly natural energy around them seemed to have been infused with their will. If they allowed it to spread out, no Duke would be able to manifest their Duke Bergfrieds. The terrifying pressure emanating from a King radiated out intermittently, causing the heavens and the earth to roar whilst the mountains shuddered in their presence. "Since everyone is here, we can begin." Wang Xuanjin''s deep gaze swept across the area before momentarily landing on Li Luo. Then his grand voice echoed throughout the world. "The first round of the Sand Seizing Battles. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e. Lu Ruyan and Chi Li. Both sides can now enter the field." As his loud proclamation reverberated throughout the area, vast amounts of energy descended, forming a barrier that enveloped the entirety of the mountain range. It stretched for tens of thousands of miles. Without hesitation, Lu Ruyan and Chi Li flashed forward, piercing through the skies and landing amidst the mountains where snow storms raged. Meanwhile, Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e made their way in as well, both of them choosing to land atop the peak of a snow-capped mountain. Deafening cheers erupted one after another and countless gazes filled with anticipation watched on closely. They all understood that this battle would be a true demonstration of the power of the elites who had entered the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. The Domain Traversal Battles were just an appetizer compared to this. Sheng Qiao''er, Zhou Jun, Little Jiang''e, Song Jingall four eighth-grade Dukeswere looking on attentively. They were of a slightly higher grade, but if they were to compare their foundation and configuration of Duke Bergfrieds with the ones fighting now, they werent comparable to Jiang Qing''e nor Lu Ruyan. Thus, in their eyes, these two ladies posed quite a threat to them and they had to pay attention to their battle. Even the impressive-looking Diwu Mingxuan was no exception. His eyes were glued onto Jiang Qing''e with a look of appreciation. "Jiang Qing''e, let me see just what sort of skills you have!" ???¨? White snow danced amidst the battleground as four majestic energies rushed into the air, scattering the snowflakes. The four who had entered the scene immediately summoned all of their Duke Bergfrieds and went all-out from the get-go! This sight caused numerous shocked gasps as this was the first time many had seen six Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds in the same spot! Jiang Qing''e had three, Li Luo had two, and Lu Ruyan had one! The usually rare Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried seemed to be almost common here. An energy tempest raged through the mountains as Lu Ruyan smiled, her arrogant voice sounding out. "Jiang Qing''e, it''s said that you have unparalleled talent. Today we will compete and see who is stronger!" She then opened her mouth and spat out a white mote of light that quickly expanded, transforming into a snow-white spirit pearl the size of her fist. When the spirit pearl appeared, the temperature around them drastically fell and a bleak frost wave spread with the spirit pearl as the source. The pearl immediately caused all of the mountains to show signs of freezing into gigantic blocks of ice! Its sheer power meant that it was likely an upper Mythic Armament! As expected of a noble daughter of Golden Dragon Mountain. Lu Ruyan''s trump cards were not inferior to Li Luo''s in any way. The snow pearl left behind a beam of light in its wake as it shot forward, inlaying itself atop Lu Ruyan''s Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried, which looked as though it had been carved from ice and snow. This immediately caused a cold current of air to descend, so cold that even worldly natural energy started to show signs of freezing. Suddenly, light bloomed and a gigantic glazed sword hacked downwards, striking towards Lu Ruyan''s head. The Blizzard Pearl atop the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried immediately caused frighteningly cold air to gush out, actually managing to freeze the entire glazed sword and shattering it, reducing it to a hail of icy fragments that rained down upon the battlefield. Lu Ruyan''s expression was cold as her fair hands quickly formed a series of seals, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. "Jiang Qing''e, don''t think that I''m invincible. Its just that being on advantageous terrain and being able to benefit from it is also a form of strength." Lu Ruyan''s icy voice echoed throughout the snowy winds. When she finished forming seals, the howling wind suddenly paused, creating a strange stagnant zone. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s expressions turned solemn. They could sense a terrifying chill creeping up at this point in time. The source was none other than that Blizzard Pearl that was embedded on the top of the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. Icy blue frost spewed out from Lu Ruyan''s lips like a torrent, and at the next moment, a voice that was so cold it was capable of chilling one''s heart sounded out. "Destiny-grade Duke Art: Primordial Frost Realm." Chapter 1480: Primordial Frost Realm "Primordial Frost Realm!" When those frigid words came out of Lu Ruyan''s lips, the entire snowy mountain seemed to have been dyed an icy blue. Even the snowflakes changed in color. Furthermore, on every icy blue snowflake was an ancient rune. The energy in the world turned sluggish and only ice energy remained active. The icy blue torrential snow continued to fall ceaselessly, burying the entire mountain range. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were still floating in the air as Divine Mist descended from their Duke Bergfrieds, forming a barrier that protected them. However, as the endless snowflakes continued to descend, even their Divine Mist began to show signs of freezing. What was most strange was the fact that as the snow melted, any resonant power in contact with it similarly dissipated away. "It''s not that your resonant power has vanished. It''s been absorbed by the snowflakes and, through a wondrous method, converted into ice resonant power that then strengthens Lu Ruyan," Jiang Qing''e explained in surprise. When Li Luo heard this, he looked in Lu Ruyan''s direction. He indeed could sense that her resonant power undulations were slowly increasing. "What a strong technique. She has turned this entire region into a domain that belongs to her." Li Luo was slightly taken aback. Lu Ruyan was just a sixth-grade Duke, so she had not yet formed a Worldspace Domain that truly belonged to her. However, her high-grade Mythic Armament could fuse with her Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried using a Destiny-grade Duke Art and recreate an effect that resembled one in the form of this icy world. It was no wonder why she had said that she had a great advantage in this terrain. Jiang Qing''e''s slender hands were wrapped around her sword''s hilt and fighting spirit blazed within her eyes. "The Frost Realm''s cold air will erode our body over time and these all-encompassing snowflakes have the effect of draining our resonant power. If we dont make this quick, Lu Ruyan will quickly gain the upper hand. However, the good thing is that our resonant power is extremely pure; otherwise, I''m afraid that we would be exhausted in half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Lu Ruyan is actually more capable than expected. It''s no surprise she managed to obtain the first ranked position amongst the inner divine continent sage colleges." Only such an opponent would be satisfying to battle. "The longer we fight, the more troublesome things will become. We have to swiftly get rid of Lu Ruyan and break through this Primordial Frost Realm. Hand Lu Ruyan over to me and just focus on Chi Li." When Li Luo heard these words, he sighed. "Now that the opponent has taken the first move, if we separate and fight alone, things will become even more disadvantageous. Sister Qing''e, could you block both of them for a bit, please?" The two of them had a tacit understanding of each other, so she instantly knew his plan. A smile appeared in her brilliant eyes. Li Luo was planning to go big from the get go. This was the most appropriate move after all. Lu Ruyan wished to use the Primordial Frost Realm to slowly whittle them down and give herself time to not force a final decisive battle. "Leave him to me, then. Although it might be a little troublesome, I''ll make sure they don''t disturb you." Jiang Qing''e gripped her sword tightly and ascended into the air, her long hair dancing in the wind. Coupled with her graceful figure, which was illuminated by holy light, she was the living embodiment of a sacred goddess who had descended into the mortal world. When she stepped forward, sacred runes spread across her snow-white skin before converging at a point between her eyebrows, forming an exquisite halo with wings made of light. Boundless amounts of resonant power unfurled in every direction, endlessly purifying the icy blue snowflakes. She then lifted her sword, pointing it towards the opposing duo. This single provocative act instantly attracted everyone''s attention. On the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s viewing platform, Sheng Qiao''er unhappily asked, "What is Li Luo doing? Is he planning to let Qing''e deal with Lu Ruyan and Chi Li alone?" ???? The environment already placed Jiang Qing''e at a disadvantage, and Lu Ruyan was borrowing the strange Frost Realm to further augment her abilities. If she were to join hands with Chi Li, even Jiang Qing''e would be under immense pressure. "You really love to worry mindlessly. The fact that they did this means that there''s a reason behind it. You don''t understand anything," Ning Meng attentively rebuked. Yue Zhiyu nodded in agreement and she gave her own opinion. "Qing''e must be buying time for him." Sheng Qiao''er pouted. "I''m worried that they are wasting time. Lu Ruyan''s Frost Realm is simply too strong, and the longer things drag on, the more at a disadvantage Qing''e will be." Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The way she saw it, this entire Sand Seizing Battle was dependent on Jiang Qing''e for victory. Now that she was taking on the burden of buying time, it looked as though she had her priorities wrong. However, other than Lu Qing''er, Li Hongyou, and those who knew Li Luo, the rest of the crowd had similar thoughts to her. "Jiang Qing''e, do you plan to deal with us alone? Don''t you think that''s too much?" As the crowd continued to gossip, Lu Ruyan flashed a seductive smile as she swept her gaze over towards Li Luo. "Just what sort of mighty art is Li Luo trying to come up with? Could it be that self-harming curse technique? I don''t think we''ve given him the opportunity to obtain our blood essence, have we?" Despite her mocking words, Lu Ruyan didn''t hesitate. With a thought, the Blizzard Pearl embedded in her Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried began to spew out immense amounts of cold air. This cold air was also icy blue and it froze whatever it passed through. It was incredibly domineering. Chi Li didn''t sit around idly either. He roared, his seven Duke Bergfrieds coming to life. A starry sky could be seen above it, emitting starlight which then condensed into the form of a humongous tiger that radiated a ferocious aura. It immediately started barrelling towards Jiang Qing''e. Faced with their dual assault, Jiang Qing''e''s expression remained incomparably calm, but a look of solemnity could be seen in her eyes. Her lips parted and a golden mote of light was spat out. The mote of light immediately swelled in size, turning into a gigantic golden ring of light. Complex and ancient runes were engraved all around it and endless light bloomed from inside the ring, as if it contained a sun. The ring then began to burn with sacred flames. Lower Destiny-grade Duke Art: Radiant Divineflame Heavenly Ring! The next moment, a torrent of golden flames swept out from the ring, colliding against Lu Ruyan and Chi Li''s offensive. A frightening shockwave created by the immense energy tempest shattered some of the snowy mountains around them. The shocking collision caused the eyelids of many Dukes to jump, especially the likes of Fang Xingyun and the lower seventh-grade Dukes similar to them. Their scalps turned numb at this sight. Such a violent attack was something they could not block, even if they went all-out. Was this the sheer power that peak upper seventh-grade Dukes wielded? Just as the crowd was taken aback by the terrifying energy undulations, a deafening draconic roar came from behind Jiang Qing''e. Everyone''s attention quickly turned yet again. Li Luo had vanished from his spot and in his place was a titanic violet-gold dragon that was tens of thousands of feet long. It was coiled in midair, emanating a primal aura. Just its aura alone was capable of causing the icy blue snowflakes to melt, preventing them from even touching his body. This was the Heavenly Dragon form with the aid of the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed! Li Luo''s violet-gold pupils had observed the heaven-shaking energy collision from earlier, and nows they were sharp with fury. It looked like they wanted to play! Then he would give them a taste of the Heavenly Dragon resonance that had been brought to the middle ninth-grade. He was itching to see the sheer power of the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation with his evolved resonance. The violet-gold Heavenly Dragon gave a long roar that rumbled like thunder. A gigantic and archaic sword formation gradually manifested behind him. Chapter 1481: Four Sword Realm! Goddess Divineflame Mirror! As the mysterious and archaic sword formation began to take form above Li Luo''s Heavenly Dragon figure, nigh infinite amounts of sword energy swept across the world, instantly splitting the void into minute fragments that were then crushed into oblivion. The sword energy had taken the form of numerous smaller dragons that constantly intertwined as they combined into something greater. Its sharp and tyrannic aura began to rise exponentially. The icy blue snowflakes turned into dust before they even came into contact with the sword formation. Li Luo then let out a heaven-rending guttural roar and all of the resonant power within his body flowed out ceaselessly, all surging into the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. Above him, his Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds began to dim at a frightening speed, as though every ounce of resonant power was being sucked out of them. Li Luo had activated both the Dragon Blood Atavism Art as well as the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, two upper Destiny-grade Duke Arts, so the resonant power consumption was simply gargantuan. Even though he had reached the upper second-grade, he was unable to eke out enough resonant power for it. As the sword formation manifested, it was still unable to materialize the Dragon Fang Swords. That said, Li Luo had already made preparations from the beginning. He unhinged his maw, taking in a deep breath. "Heavenly Dragon World Devouring Art!" The interior of his mouth was as dark as an abyss and immediately began to emit a terrifying suction force. Worldly natural energy was seized as it rushed into his maw in a roiling torrent, entering his body. The Heavenly Dragon World Devouring Art was one of the mystical abilities that true Heavenly Dragons were supposedly capable of. These legendary creatures were capable of absorbing worldly natural energy directly and devouring the heavens in a single bite. The energy coursed through his body, going straight to the Absolute Resonance Halo which began to rumble, transforming it into hexa-resonant power at astonishing speed. With the supplementation of this majestic resonant power, Li Luo activated his art again without hesitation, letting out a low roar that resounded throughout the world. "Dragon Fang Swords, materialize!" Four rays of extremely brilliant sword energy condensed within the archaic sword formation, absorbing the sword energy that lay loosely around, quickly taking the form of gigantic swords. In just a short span, four gigantic sword manifestations containing mind-boggling amounts of energy could be seen. The Water Dragon Fang Sword! The Wood Dragon Fang Sword! The Thunder Dragon Fang Sword! The Light Dragon Fang Sword! Li Luo had summoned four Dragon Fang Swords with a single breath, and the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation had been pushed to the extreme. When he fought against Qin Lian, he had reached a similar realm with the sword formation. However, in terms of pure power, it was probably not as strong as it was back then. After all, Li Luo had shattered one of his Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds, and that temporary burst of power had placed him at a much higher stage for a brief moment. However, the current Dragon Fang Swords had a new advantage as well. They had gained a form of sentience that amplified their power. The four Dragon Fang Swords occupied the four corners of the formation, and mighty sword energy poured out of them. This energy then began to gather and started taking the embryonic form of a humongous sword that dwarfed the rest. This sword embryo emitted a low sword hymn and released an indescribable and primal sort of terror that left everyone reeling. The frightening aura then unfurled over the snow-covered mountains. The crowd had instantly turned pale. Atop the viewing platforms, even the expressions of the four eighth-grade Dukes changed, and eyes filled with dread closely observed the mysterious sword formation. Even they could feel a threat to their lives. Just what sort of Duke Art is this? How can it be so fearsome?" Their thoughts were in disarray as they could scarcely believe that such an overpowering Duke Art could be wielded by an upper second-grade like Li Luo. R?????????? In the skies above, even Wang Xuanjin, Elder Bai Yu, and Elder Jin Xi were shocked. They could clearly see that the attack prepared by Li Luo was the culmination of two Destiny-grade Duke Arts. "He possesses a surprising amount of talent in resonance arts. He was actually capable of cultivating two upper Destiny-grade Duke Arts. Even in the Academic Federation, the number of Dukes who are capable of this can be counted on the fingers on one hand. More importantly, he''s not only managed to learn these Duke Arts, but is able to wield them at their full power at the upper Second Duke Stage. This sort of foundation is truly staggering." The three Kings were only full of praise. Li Luo''s feat was so impressive that there was nothing else they could say. Whilst the crowd outside was in awe, within the battlefield, Chi Li and Lu Ruyan''s expressions changed as they gloomily stared at the humongous sword formation in the sky. They had already guessed that Li Luo was up to something, but they hadn''t felt worried. After all, so long as they could injure Jiang Qing''e, their victory was set in stone. However, they had never imagined that what Li Luo had cooked up would be frightening and threatening to them. Especially Chi Li, whose expression now contained a trace of fear. "Mentor Ruyan, that sword formation has locked onto my aura. Li Luo clearly wants to eliminate me with a single blow!" Looking at Li Luo''s all-out strike, even Chi Li had a looming sense of doom. Deep down, he knew that he probably wouldn''t be able to withstand it. Lu Ruyan''s beautiful eyes turned cold as she decisively snapped, "There''s no need to worry about Li Luo. With his strength, this will be his only attack. So long as we can injure Jiang Qing''e before that and lower her combat power, even when you''re eliminated, we''ll still end up victorious. Chi Li, use everything you have right nowwe can no longer hold back!" She then took in a deep breath before biting the tip of her tongue and spitting out an icy blue glob of blood essence that seemed to contain endless frost. The blood essence flew into the air, landing on the Blizzard Pearl embedded within her Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. The Blizzard Pearl was actually known as the Frost Soul Blizzard Spirit Pearl, an exceptional high-grade Mythic Armament. It matched her natural affinities and was also the best weapon for her. When the blood essence touched the Frost Soul Blizzard Spirit Pearl, it rippled with icy blue halos of light. A moment later, the halos of light shot out explosively, transforming into a disk of icy blue light that resembled an azure crescent moon, hanging in the sky and emitting a fearsome cold energy. "Frost Soul Moon Ring, go!" Lu Ruyan''s gaze was chilly as she pointed forward. The Frost Soul Moon Ring was like a beam of frigid blade energy, slicing across the skies, hacking towards Jiang Qing''e fiercely. When Lu Ruyan activated her killing art right off the bat, Chi Li understood that the situation had turned drastic. If he didn''t want to lose, he''d have to pull out all his cards and he had to do so before Li Luo''s sword embryo was completed. He would then join hands with Lu Ruyan and defeat or grievously injure Jiang Qing''e to deplete her battle strength. He thus waved his sleeve, and a stream of starlight shot out, transforming into a stone seal that flowed with starlight. Engraved on the stone seal itself were numerous stars. This was the Cosmic Star Seal, a peak quality middle-grade Mythic Armament. Furthermore, because his resonant power was particularly compatible with this Mythic Armament, its power could match that of a high-grade! "Duke''s Worldspace Domain: Star Domain!" Chi Li shouted. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Cosmic Star Seal floated in the sky as Chi Li formed a seal with both hands. Immediately after, a starry sky descended upon the world along with majestic amounts of astral energy. The Cosmic Star Seal then began to expand, and a few moments later, it became several tens of thousands of feet wide, like a humongous meteorite. "Duke''s Spirit Insignia: Astral Tiger Talisman!" Chi Li then activated the Duke''s Spirit Insignia that was unique to him. As the astral light condensed, a humongous tiger manifestation condensed on the surface of the Cosmic Star Seal. His combination of moves had taken everyone by surprise. After all, he was the only seventh-grade Duke on the field! Lu Ruyan and Chi Li''s sudden and terrifying retaliation immediately drew gasps from the crowd. The combined power of the duo was something that any seventh-grade Duke, even the likes of Diwu Mingxuan, would feel shocked at. No one would dare to underestimate them. Clearly, their plan was to take advantage of the moment that Li Luo was gathering his power and direct an all-out strike at Jiang Qing''e, injuring her. This was the smartest choice. Since Jiang Qing''e was taking on the brunt of both attacks, they would attempt to overwhelm her in one go! The two heaven-shaking attacks swept across the mountains, razing them into mere rubble as they passed by. Jiang Qing''e understood the opponents plan. The Archaic Runes between her brows began to bloom with scintillating light. At the same time, the Sacred Crown of Thorns had been dyed blood-red. Its light illuminated her face, giving her a seductive and devilish beauty. She then raised her slender and fair hand, and a mote of light ascended into the skies, expanding into a crystal mirror. On the crystal mirror''s surface were numerous runic patterns that lit the world up. Behind her, a figure of an angelic goddess with wings took shape. Jiang Qing''e glanced at the crystal mirror in her hand with a look of warmth and affection. When she left the Dragon''s Fang Lineage, Tantai Lan had given her two high-grade Mythic Armaments that she had obtained in the Nobles'' Battlefield. Tantai Lan had explained bluntly, "My Little Jiang''e is unparalleled and will not lose to any of the Academic Federation''s geniuses unless they have a high-grade Mythic Armament. However, if someone has one of these artifacts, my Little Jiang''e cannot lack one herself." The Goddess'' Sacredflame Mirror was precisely one of them. The Archaic Runes between her eyebrows then lit up and majestic light resonant power poured out like a tide, funnelled into the crystal mirror. Ten breaths later, the mirror''s surface burst with overwhelming light that pierced into the sky. Immediately after, liquid-like holy flames emitting terrifying energy fluctuations roared outwards like a phoenix born from the flames, capable of purifying all the filth in the world. This was the Radiant Extreme Sacredflame! No one dared to blink when the heaven-shattering attacks heavily collided with each other. Chapter 1482: Condensed Obliteration Sword Embryo Reappears! When the frightening attacks collided with each other, the snow-covered mountains were instantly flattened and the icy blue snowflakes were vaporized. Those on the viewing platforms were watching with eyes wide open, focused on the epicenter of the clash. At that location, Jiang Qing''e, Lu Ruyan, and Chi Li were all furiously doing their best to launch their most powerful attacks, akin to three wild beasts snarling and snapping at each other and colliding again and again in an attempt to wear the other side down. The void couldn''t handle the sheer force, so it shattered, leaving behind numerous fragments before being swept away by the aftermath and transforming into energy torrents that blasted outwards. The liquid-like flames were like a phoenix bathed in flames, flapping its wings and causing waves of flames to roll and churn, repeatedly hammering the Frost Soul Moon Ring and the Cosmic Star Seal. Jiang Qing''e''s all-out attempt was astonishing. Even an ordinary upper seventh-grade Duke would not dare to take this head-on, but clearly, Lu Ruyan and Chi Li were not like that. They all understood that Jiang Qing''e''s outburst was meant to buy Li Luo time. When that fearsome sword embryo was completed and struck Chi Li, he would likely be eliminated. Thus, in order to not be left at a disadvantage, they would have to take the opportunity while it was one-versus-two and deal a lasting blow to Jiang Qing''e. However, Jiang Qing''e was much more resilient than they had imagined. The sacred flames transformed into a sea of fire that covered the skies, and the flames were made of the purest light resonant power. In fact, this was the purest resonant power they had ever seen. Jiang Qing''e with three middle ninth-grade light resonances made it so her resonant power had an unprecedented level of purity, something that could not be simply described. When it came to the clash of resonant powers, even though it was two-on-one, Jiang Qing''e''s light resonant power remained unassailable and held firmly, not collapsing as they had hoped. This was something that everyone watching could see, and they let out surprised gasps. Even the Duke of Light Diwu Mingxuan''s gaze had turned solemn. As someone who similarly wielded light resonant power, he was able to understand just how amazing Jiang Qing''e''s light resonant power was. Diwu Mingxuan thought to himself. If such a wondrous seedling had appeared in the Divine Sun Ancient College, his teacher who sat high up in the Academic Federation would have undoubtedly been ecstatic to take her as a disciple and would have lavished attention on her, far surpassing whatever he received. Meanwhile, the eighth-grade Dukes were also watching the scene with serious expressions. However, even though the situation looked to be in a stalemate, Lu Ruyan and Chi Li weren''t ordinary individuals either, especially the former. Her ice resonant power was exceptionally domineering and was quietly eroding away at Jiang Qing''e''s position. In just a short span of time, the two sides had clashed countless times. It was like two giant armies crashing into each other, with numerous tentacles entangled all over the battlefield, struggling for every inch of bloodied earth. That said, Lu Ruyan had become impatient. Jiang Qing''e was simply too tenacious, and despite joining hands, they had failed to defeat her. If things continued this way, Li Luo''s killer move would be completed and they would be in trouble. Furthermore, Chi Li would likely be unable to defend against it. Thus, Lu Ruyan quickly bit the tip of her fair thumb, causing frigid light-blue blood to ooze out. She swiftly drew out a rune in the air with her blood. The icy rune transformed into a beam of light that then fused into the Frost Soul Moon Ring. It then began to expand, changing from its previous crescent moon shape into a full moon! Wherever the icy blue moonlight touched, the void immediately froze. In an instant, the Frost Soul Moon Ring''s destructive power had been amplified by multiple times and it destroyed several parts of the flame sea. "Chi Li!" Lu Ruyan shouted. Chi Li knew what she was getting at, so he roared. His resonant power poured out of him without restraint yet again, right into the Cosmic Star Seal. The Astral Tiger on the surface of the seal started to roar explosively as well. The two had immediately launched a renewed and strengthened assault, finally overcoming the tenacious liquid sea of flames, pressing forward towards Jiang Qing''e. Excitement surged within their eyes. It looked as though their teamwork would finally be able to defeat her! This was their counterattack and opportunity to emerge victorious. Their gazes were now directed towards Jiang Qing''e. However, they saw a subtle smile on her beautiful face. The duo''s hearts sank as they felt that something wasn''t right. ???¨s? At this moment, the low rumble of a terrifying sword hymn filled their ears. They raised their heads, and they could see that the archaic sword formation now contained a sword embryo that was coming into existence amidst the chaos. It was like a creature capable of causing the apocalypse was now stirring! Beneath the sword formation was Li Luo in his Heavenly Dragon form, his eyes filled with murderous intent. Jiang Qing''e had done her best to buy time for him and had endured Lu Ruyan and Chi Li''s bullying. Alas, it was now time for him to return the favor. Li Luo shouted in his heart. A moment later, the Condensed Obliteration Sword Embryo, which resembled primal chaos, pierced through the air effortlessly. The horrifying sword energy it emitted annihilated everything in its path. With the augmentation of the middle ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance, the Condensed Obliteration Sword Embryo had far surpassed his previous uses when it came to its spirituality. It wasnt as strong as the one that had struck Qin Lian, but it had its advantages. As the Sword Embryo arced across the skies, slicing through everything like a beast capable of destroying the world, Chi Li could keenly sense the sharpness of the sword energy despite being a distance away. The hairs on his body all stood on end. He could scarcely believe that Li Luo, an upper second-grade Duke, was capable of something this terrifying. Chi Li immediately began to retreat and the Cosmic Star Seal above him transformed into an absolute fortress to protect him. "How can it be so easy to strike me, Li Luo!" Chi Li bellowed. That attack had basically sapped Li Luo of all his strength, and if he failed to gain an advantage with it, then he would be eliminated for nought. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chi Li was well aware of this and was doing everything he could to hang on. So long as he survived, Li Luo''s plan would fail. However, just as Chi Li was taking out all his defensive measures against Li Luo''s obliterating strike, the latter sneered. "Hit you? You aren''t worthy." As his words landed, the Sword Embryo suddenly turned and lanced towards Lu Ruyan''s position. The crowd was in an uproar. It looked as though Li Luo had never planned to eliminate Chi Li in the first place! His target had been Lu Ruyan all along! Chapter 1483: Sword Embryo vs Sword Embryo As the Chaotic Sword Embryo streaked through the sky imbued with the power to end worlds, it struck Lu Ruyan. Li Luo''s choice was completely out of everyone''s expectations. No one had guessed that the blow that he had spent so much time preparing was actually targetting the much stronger Lu Ruyan! The crowd burst out into chatter. Sheng Qiao''er frowned. "This brat Li Luo is indeed acting wantonly. Lu Ruyan is the strongest and likely still has hidden trump cards. Yet he''s sent his killing blow towards her. It will be extremely difficult to eliminate her! Why didn''t he choose to target Chi Li? Does he not understand that breaking a finger will shift the tides in their favor instead of going for broke and losing?" The combination of two Destiny-grade Duke Arts was mighty, but would Lu Ruyan simply take them lying down? She had a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried, and in terms of her backing, it far surpassed Li Luo! If he had a Destiny-grade Duke Art, how could she not have one herself? Thus, everyone had always assumed Li Luo''s target was Chi Li as he was more likely to be critically injured and thus be eliminated first. At that point, it would be a decisive battle between Jiang Qing''e and Lu Ruyan after the situation was evened out. However, Li Luo had chosen Lu Ruyan as the target, someone who would likely end up barely affected. In that case, Jiang Qing''e would have to stand alone against two opponents and Li Luo would have been sapped of all combat strength for a period of time. In fact, he would even turn into a burden. This was why no one could comprehend Li Luo''s decision. As the crowd began to chatter, Lu Ruyan was also surprised. A cold smile surfaced on her enchanting features. "Li Luo, amongst all of the Transcendent geniuses I''ve encountered, you can''t be considered to be the most capable, but rather the most arrogant and ignorant!" As she mocked him with her words, Lu Ruyan''s hands formed hand seals that caused boundless amounts of ice resonant power to pour out of her body. The initially chilly air further decreased in temperature, making the area almost inhospitable for life. Behind Lu Ruyan, icy blue frost condensed at breakneck speed. In just a few short breaths, it formed into a colossal ice mirror tens of thousands of feet wide. Engraved on the mirror was a humongous ice phoenix that then spread its wings, causing a blizzard to fall upon the world. Lu Ruyan indifferently said, "Li Luo, a Destiny-grade Duke Art might be strong and others might be bullied by it. Alas, it won''t have the same effect on me." She then pointed forward with her finger. Middle Destiny-grade Duke Art: Ice Phoenix Spirit Manifestation Mirror! A clarion cry of a phoenix rang out from the mirror and the icy surface gradually turned clear, becoming a magical mirror that reflected everything. Within the depths of the mirror was a reflection of the Chaotic Sword Embryo. An instant later, a mysterious scene unfoldeda torrent of ice poured out and a similar Sword Embryo burst out of the mirror''s surface! This Sword Embryo was exactly the same as the one created by Li Luo. However, Lu Ruyan''s Sword Embryo flowed with icy energy and caused the void to freeze over wherever it passed. Her Ice Sword Embryo caused no shortage of surprise amongst those watching. Anyone could see that her Destiny-grade art was equally wondrous, capable of mimicking the opponent''s move, resulting in a clash between Sword Embryos! This was an incredibly strong move! It was no wonder she had celebrated when Li Luo had directed the killing move at her. A moment later, the Ice Sword Embryo slashed through the skies, colliding head-on against the Chaotic Sword Embryo. When the Sword Embryos struck each other, terrifying amounts of energy blasted out in every direction, pulverizing the surrounding mountains and causing an uncountable number of frozen peaks to be severed into half and splashing snow all over the skies. Even those watching could feel how violent the clash was. R?????????? Fang Xingyun''s expression turned serious. Li Luo''s overwhelming attack had caused even his scalp to turn numb. When he turned towards Shui Baoping, who was by his side, he saw that her expression had turned pallid. "So what do you think? As I said, even if Li Luo had not utilized the curse art during the Domain Traversal Battles, he was bound to have hidden an even stronger trump card. Would you have dared to take this blow even as a seventh-grade Duke now?" Shui Baoping''s expression turned into one filled with resentment. Li Luo''s sword would have critically injured and eliminated Chi Li, much less her, a lower seventh-grade Duke. "This is too outrageous." Shui Baoping sighed. "However, Lu Ruyan is extraordinary as well. It looks like Li Luo''s blade has been blocked." Fang Xingyuns eyes were glued to the area where the two attacks had clashed. The Chaotic Sword Embryo was still releasing immense amounts of unparalleled sword energy, destroying everything in its vicinity, whereas the Ice Sword Embryo was letting out an equal amount of ice energy to keep it at bay. The two sides were temporarily stuck in a deadlock. "Chi Li is taking action now!" While Li Luo and Lu Ruyan exchanged blows, Chi Li explosively shot out a gigantic pillar of astral resonant power towards Li Luo. Chi Li understood that after Li Luo had utilized two Destiny-grade Duke Arts, his resonant power had been exhausted and taking action now would eliminate him. However, a resplendent sword of light pierced down from the sky, smashing the astral resonant power into pieces and causing it to dissipate. Jiang Qing''e glared icily at Chi Li with her golden eyes as she stretched her hand out and formed a hand seal. The Archaic Runes on her forehead began to emit brilliant light and a draconic roar was heard. The next instant, a massive sacred-looking dragon bellowed and rushed out. It was a giant dragon made of light. Its entire body coiled up, resembling a mountain capable of sealing everything as its vast, suppressive body dropped towards Chi Li! When Li Luo obtained the Dragon Blood Atavism Art in the Heavenly Dragon Treasury, Jiang Qing''e had similarly picked one out for herself. This was the middle Destiny-grade Duke Art: Coiling Radiant Dragon Seal! However, the use of the art required dragon resonant power, and Jiang Qing''e had to borrow the aid of artifacts which contained such resonant power to wield it. The Coiling Radiant Dragon Seal and its brilliant light rapidly magnified in Chi Li''s eyes. His expression changed and he roared, causing the Cosmic Star Seal to rise into the air to attempt to block it. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When the two clashed, immense amounts of energy dispersed in every direction. Chi Li''s sleeves were instantly blown to pieces and the Cosmic Star Seal above him started to let out a crunching sound as it was slowly forced downwards bit by bit. The immense pressure that he was subject to caused his body''s blood and energy to churn violently. Jiang Qing''e had used all her strength to suppress Chi Li while her gaze was focused on the clash of the two Sword Embryos. It was clear that Li Luo''s Chaotic Sword Embryo had the upper hand, seeing as the Ice Sword Embryo was slowly being forced back. However, Lu Ruyan was similarly cunning and had never intended to win in this clash. Instead, she utilized the domineering frost resonant power within her body to erode the Chaotic Sword Embryo''s sharp sword energy. As she was several stages higher than Li Luo, so long as things dragged on, his killing move would have its power degraded. When it reached a certain point, she would counterattack. While Lu Ruyan had planned things out perfectly, there was one thing she had not considered. It was the duo''s flawless understanding and cooperation with each other. Jiang Qing''e glanced at Li Luo, and the latter grinned and nodded. Above Jiang Qing''e, her Goddess'' Sacredflame Mirror began to release boundless amounts of light and then a sea of holy flames swept out, descending upon Li Luo''s Sword Embryo before everyone''s shocked eyes. While the flames fell, the Sword Embryo''s energy, which was capable of annihilating anything and everything, retreated and allowed the flames to envelop the exterior of the Sword Embryo. These two completely different types of resonant power had merged together without any mistakes. Although it looked simple, it required a deep and instinctual level of understanding between the two. Sacred flames flowed outwards, blanketing the tyrannical frost energy and countering it. The duos combination of moves left Lu Ruyan taken aback and her expression turned a steely green. With Jiang Qing''e''s assistance, even though it wasn''t a huge increase in its power, the light resonant power was capable of purifying the frost energy and had further honed Li Luo''s incredibly sharp Sword Embryo. Her original plan had been ruined. Lu Ruyan could only grit her teeth in frustration. She felt like she had been blindsided by this. Couldn''t they just fight like normal people? These two were now showing off their affection with each other to the point that they would even piss all over the place together! Chapter 1484: Defeating Lu Ruyan When the liquid-like flames shrouded the Chaotic Sword Embryo, they were capable of purifying the overwhelming ice energy that emanated from Lu Ruyan''s Ice Sword Embryo. The previous stalemate Lu Ruyan had worked hard to obtain collapsed almost instantly. After which Li Luo let out a heaven shaking roar. The Chaotic Sword Embryo shook. A moment later, boundless amounts of sword energy rushed forward in a wave, splitting the void into minute spatial fragments. The Chaotic Sword Embryo then struck downwards, and the Ice Sword Embryo was unable to resist, countless cracks appearing on it before it broke into numerous runic fragments with a loud . Ice energy descended from the skies, freezing all of the mountainous rubble within hundreds of thousands of feet. After smashing through the Ice Sword Embryo, the Chaotic Sword Embryo''s power had not lessened in the slightest as it struck towards the steely-faced Lu Ruyan. Lu Ruyan formed a series of handseals at lightning speed, causing the Blizzard Pearl embedded atop the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried to erupt with frost. Gigantic frozen icicles protruded from the ground covered with frost runes like frozen pillars. These seemingly indestructible objects were stationed in front of Lu Ruyan like an impenetrable bulwark. The Chaotic Sword Embryo, which was enveloped with flames, swiped through the pillars with utmost ease, causing the icicles to melt instantly. Just a few moments later, the Chaotic Sword Embryo rapidly approached Lu Ruyan. The only thing she could do now was to violently rouse every remnant bit of resonant power within her body and use it to form a barrier to protect herself. A thunderous explosion filled the air. The void continued to fragment and pieces of it descended from the sky like shattered glass. The residual energy shockwave ripped apart cavernous cracks in the ruined and repeatedly devastated mountain range. Lu Ruyan was the first to bear the brunt of the blow. Before the surprised eyes of the crowd, Lu Ruyan was sent flying like a cannonball, heavily crashing into the ground. A shockwave of dust and debris spread swiftly, and a humongous crater tens of thousands of feet wide was seen in the devastated region when the dust settled down. Lu Ruyan was embedded deep in the giant pit. She took a pained breath, but fresh blood spurted out of her mouth and many cracks could be seen on her skin, which then transformed into ice shards that rained down. She had indeed been heavily injured. The resonant power within her body was in chaos and she was unable to support her Duke Bergfrieds any longer, causing them to be retracted back into her body. Her expression was pale and winded, but fury remained in her eyes. She could scarcely believe that she had been left in such a miserable state as a result of being struck by the supposedly weak Li Luo! Although the Chaotic Sword Embryo had been imbued with Jiang Qing''e''s sacred flames, allowing it to counteract her ice resonant power, Lu Ruyan had clearly sensed the annihilative effects of the strike upon being hit by it. If she had not focused all of her efforts to protect herself, activating a secret art that created a layer of icy armor, Li Luo''s sword blow might have ended her life! She had been grievously injured by a second-grade Transcendent Duke! To the proud Lu Ruyan, this was humiliation worse than death! If news of this were to spread to Golden Dragon Mountain, who knew how many people would question her. Simply thinking about this caused Lu Ruyan to spit out yet another mouthful of blood in anger and frustration. Alas, she was so weak at this point that her eyes went dark and she directly fainted. ?Ѧ??s This scene was witnessed by everyone, immediately causing a resounding uproar. All of the experts present were left in disbelief, their mouths agape. The strongest amongst the four in the Sand Seizing Battle, Lu Ruyan, was actually the first to be eliminated! And the person who had done it was supposedly the weakest! Solemn and horrified looks were directed toward Li Luo. The latter had performed exceptionally during the Domain Traversal Battles, but who would''ve guessed that that wasn''t his limit! He had eliminated Lu Ruyan! Although Jiang Qing''e had provided some timely assistance, no one would dare underestimate the sheer killing power of Li Luo''s Chaotic Sword Embryo. The eighth-grade Dukes looked on with serious expressions as well. Li Luo was only at the upper second-grade at this moment, but if he were to make a breakthrough, he would be like Jiang Qing''e, a third-grade Transcendent. This meant that they would step into the peak ranks of the experts within the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. At that point, even they would have to be wary of him. "They''ve won!" Meanwhile, at the East Divine Continent''s side, the mentors were absolutely ecstatic. It felt like they were in a dream as the fierce battle had basically caused their hearts to jump into their throats! After all, they had invested a significant amount into this Sand Seizing Battle, and if the duo had lost, their efforts in earning them would have been for nought. No one could have expected that Li Luo would defeat Lu Ruyan in a single attack. With her elimination, only Chi Li was left. Although Li Luo was completely spent, Jiang Qing''e had retained a large amount of her strength and dealing with Chi Li was not difficult. This basically meant that victory was in the bag. Everyone was filled with emotion. This victory would not only return their initial investments, but also net them even more sand! To them, this would be the biggest reward of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda trials. "This is too insane." Mi Er and Cao Sheng had complicated expressions. Just a few years ago, they had witnessed these youths enter the Astral Sage College as weak fledglings. Fast forward a few years later, Li Luo''s achievements in battle left them at a lack for words. Despite being second-grade Duke, Li Luo had defeated someone with a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried and more power than an upper seventh-grade Duke. If Vice Principal Su Xin were to hear about this, her eyes would likely pop in disbelief. The youths that had studied in their college had already far surpassed their mentors. Sear?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Perhaps... he might truly be able to resolve the Astral Sage College and the Xia Kingdom''s predicament," Cao Sheng mused. Hope could be heard in his voice. Li Luo''s potential had shown them that there was a chance. Chi Chan nodded in agreement, her sparkling eyes focused on the dragon that was transforming back into a human. If Vice Principal Su Xin found out about this, she would started celebrating as well. Meanwhile, Li Hongyou turned to look at the slightly dazed Lu Qing''er with a smile. "It looks like Li Luo has helped you express your thoughts to your sister." Lu Qing''er''s icy lake-like eyes rippled momentarily in her surprise before returning back to a state of calm. She then shook her head. "This has nothing to do with me. It was the optimal choice to make in that situation." Li Hongyou grinned upon hearing her words. This girl truly was dishonest when it came to her emotions. Meanwhile, Li Luo was back in his human form, and he could sense the weakness pervading through his body. He couldn''t help but to click his tongue in dissatisfaction. Consecutively activating two upper Destiny-grade Duke Arts was too much for him. Even with his exceptional foundation and having four resonant palaces to store more resonant power than the average person, he was basically sucked dry. "Sister Qing''e, I''m afraid everything is up to you now. I don''t have a shred of strength left." Li Luo slowly descended onto a ruined plateau and flashed Jiang Qing''e a smile. Jiang Qing''e''s gaze turned warm and she nodded. "Alright, take a breather for now." After which, the three Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds above her shone with wondrous light and the floating Goddess'' Sacredflame Mirror overflowed with flames, locked onto the gloomy and trapped Chi Li. The latter''s mood was at rock bottom at this moment. He had never imagined that Li Luo would be able to eliminate Lu Ruyan in a single blow. Although Li Luo was now incapable of fighting, Jiang Qing''e was basically in peak condition and was like a tiger waiting to pounce. And it was up to him to defeat her alone. "Damn it! It looks like our boat is about to capsize..." Chi Li bitterly mumbled to himself. He didn''t have much confidence in beating Jiang Qing''e on his own. However, he couldn''t retreat at this point in time, especially considering how much Celestial Mirror Sand was at stake. Even he would feel the pinch if everything was lost. "Come on, then. Let me see just how amazing a third-grade Transcendent is!" Chi Li bellowed. He clasped his hands together, and the Cosmic Star Seal rose into the air. He lifted his head with a gaze filled with the intent to fight. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm merely lasted for a few moments as he saw endless amounts of light bloom from behind Jiang Qing''e, transforming into a gargantuan figure that resembled a goddess of light. Within the figure''s hand was a beautiful holy sword inlaid with seven jewels. In its other hand was the terrifying Goddess'' Sacredflame Mirror, from which flames surged out endlessly. Jiang Qing''e looked absolutely merciless as the Archaic Runes on her forehead blazed with light. After which, the goddess chopped downwards with her sword. The heavens and the earth were illuminated by endless light with this single act. Chi Li''s eyes were filled with abject terror as he sensed the incredible pressure pressing down upon him. However, he still roared, summoning the Cosmic Star Seal and condensing its energy in a valiant attempt to resist. Sacred flames capable of reducing the world to ashes swept through the sky, cleansing everything in their path. Chapter 1485: Great Harvest Boundless amounts of light poured across the mountain range like a flood. The cold air was swept away and even the blizzard that had once raged vanished. The entire area was filled with sacred light energy that gave everyone an inexplicable sense of purity. Light resonant power had the strongest purification effects after all. Outside the mountainous region were countless serious gazes closely watching the fading light. The first thing they saw was Jiang Qing''e''s slim figure with her heavy sword in hand. She was standing atop a mountain that had been severed in half, the cold wind pushing her robes against her body and outlining her stunning silhouette. Her absolutely beautiful features emanated a soul-stirring sense of sacredness. Her eyebrows were like willow leaves as she effused a heroic presence. Some women, much less all the men, couldn''t help but feel their hearts beating wildly in their chests as they blushed. Not far away from Jiang Qing''e was Chi Li. Unfortunately, the latter was stiff, his eyes dark. Before him, the Cosmic Star Seal had fallen to the ground and tiny cracks were seen on it. His middle-grade Mythic Armament was considered to be at the peak amongst those of the same grade, and it had been damaged in the previous clash. Chi Li spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, which sizzled into a white mist and evaporated completely moments after hitting the ground. Jiang Qing''e had used an all-out strike that penetrated Chi Li''s defenses. The remnant energy had infiltrated his body, leaving him with great injuries. Her tyrannical and sacred light resonant power was entrenched within his body, so his resonant power circulation had become much more sluggish. The only thing worth celebrating was that this wasn''t a fight to the death. Otherwise, another blow from her would have reaped his life. With this feeling of fortunate joy, Chi Li hoarsely shouted out, "You''ve won, I surrender." Although he was dissatisfied, there was nothing else he could do. This result was completely out of his expectations. Their original plan was to have Lu Ruyan hold Jiang Qing''e down, considering her robust foundation and numerous means. Although the latter was extraordinary, Lu Ruyan should have been able to hold her back. Meanwhile, Li Luo would be left for him to handle, and he was reasonably confident he could beat him. However, Li Luo had actually used a single grand move to mow down Lu Ruyan. Although he was now spent, he had also taken away Chi Li''s chance at victory. Now the underdog had to defeat Jiang Qing''e. The only thing that could have been said was that things were set in stone the moment Lu Ruyan was eliminated. Chi Li''s expression was extremely gloomy. They had lost not because of Jiang Qing''e, but due to Li Luo''s single move that upended the situation. Who could have imagined it to be so terrifying? That brat had just broken into the upper Second Transcendent Duke Stage, yet his attacking power was not at all inferior to Jiang Qing''e''s! Furthermore, if Chi Li couldn''t beat him here, there would be even less of a chance in the future. His goal in bringing Chi Chan back would also fail. A resounding bell chime rang out through the world, then the Academic Federation''s administrator loudly proclaimed, "The first round of the Sand Seizing Battle concludes with Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e as the victors!" This announcement immediately caused heaven-shaking cheers to resound throughout the viewing platforms. Looks of envy, shock, and fear were directed towards the duo. This gigantic gamble with one hundred and forty grains of Celestial Mirror Sand was won by them. Even the eighth-grade Dukes were salivating over these tremendous rewards. Furthermore, the celebratory cheers coming from the East Divine Continent had no equal. Guo Jiufeng, Wang Xu, Chen Chi, and the rest of the vice principals were absolutely elated. The normal mentors couldn''t help but to shout till their faces were red. ??????????B? No one was able to restrain their emotions. Yet there was no one who laughed at them for their wild behavior. Instead, Fang Xingyun, Shui Baoping, and the rest had faces full of envy. They knew that the sage colleges of the East Divine Continent had profited greatly from Li Luo''s gamble. "Ah, I had never expected that the Astral Sage College, a college that seems like it''s about to from the ranks of sage colleges, would have produced two exceptional prodigies like them. When we return, we have to reprimand the brats in our college. Li Luo is barely older than them, yet I can barely even compare to him," Fang Xingyun said with a sigh. The other vice principals nodded in agreement, sighing as well. Although they envied the East Divine Continent''s rewards, they similarly felt joyous at Li Luo''s victory. No matter how things were, Li Luo was a representative of the outer divine continents and had dampened the arrogance of the inner divine continent sage colleges. While the atmosphere outside was boiling over, amongst the ruined remnants of the mountain range, Jiang Qing''e sheathed her sword. There was no need to bother with Chi Li any longer, so she quickly made her way over to Li Luo. Li Luo was sitting cross-legged, recovering his resonant power. He lifted his head to see a girl bathed in light, looking like a goddess that none would dare blaspheme. sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, when her gaze met his, he could sense the warmth and happiness in her deep, golden eyes. "Very cool." Li Luo flashed her a thumbs up. Jiang Qing''e''s single strike was reminiscent of the power of the heavens, capable of instilling fear in her enemies. Jiang Qing''e''s lips curled up slightly "It was a little lackluster when compared to your attack." He modestly replied, "That was just my last-ditch all-out attack. If it had failed, I''d just be waiting to be eliminated." She smiled as she stretched her slender and fair palm towards him. When Li Luo looked at that perfect hand that was seemingly carved out of jade with bright light flowing around it, he felt an urge to tease her. However, he suppressed these thoughts and raised his hand to grab hold of hers. The supple and icy sensation caused Li Luo to use a little more force. Jiang Qing''e then lifted him up, andthe twos fingers interlaced. Countless envious gazes from the viewing platform were watching the two of them. From afar, Lu Qing''er''s icy lake-like blue eyes also took in this sight, rippling slightly before returning to their usual calm. However, Li Hongyou, who was beside her, could sense that the cold air emanating from her body had become more suffocating. As the Sand Seizing Battle had concluded, a ball of light descended from the skies, floating before the couple. Within it were the grains of Celestial Mirror Sand. They resembled twinkling stars that exuded majestic and pure energy undulations, causing the energy within the area to condense into a dense fog. Wang Xuanjin''s clear laughter rang out from his lotus throne in the sky above. "Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, there are one hundred and forty grains of Celestial Mirror Sand inside. Congratulations." Li Luo''s gaze was feverish now that the prize was finally in his hands. Winning so much Celestial Mirror Sand meant that he could try borrowing the ancient lamp''s power to make a breakthrough. He stored away the Celestial Mirror Sand before respectfully clasping his hands towards the three Kings with Jiang Qing''e. The two then left the ravaged mountain range before everyone''s eyes. As they left, Wang Xuanjin waved his hand and worldly natural energy surged. To everyone''s shock, the ruins were completely restored into a pristine and unblemished mountain range once again. In just a short span of time, everything was back to normal. This caused everyone to sigh. Was this the power of a King? They were capable of moving mountains and rivers with just a simple gesture. This sort of power was something incomprehensible to those at the Duke Stage. After restoring the battlefield to its original state, Wang Xuanjin slowly announced, "The next battle will now begin." Li Luo wasn''t particularly interested in the upcoming Sand Seizing Battles. The only thing on his mind was to swiftly return the Celestial Mirror Sand he owed so he could seclude himself and reach the Third Transcendent Duke Stage. Chapter 1486: Distribution The subsequent Sand Seizing Battles were also considered exhilarating to watch, mostly due to the participation of the eighth-grade Dukes. However, the atmosphere never reached the same peak, mainly due to the fact that they had already seen Li Luo win a heaping pile of Celestial Mirror Sand. The battles with smaller stakes weren''t as exciting in comparison. Li Luo, however, was uninterested in watching further. He summoned everyone to get to the most exciting part. Distributing Celestial Mirror Sand! Based on the agreement, the East Divine Continent had provided Li Luo with twenty-four grains of Celestial Mirror Sand. Four of which he had used to reach the upper Second Duke Stage. In the end, the sage colleges received twelve grains of Celestial Mirror Sand as their reward. Thus, they now had thirty-six grains. Meanwhile, Lu Qing''er, who had contributed ten grains to the pot, received five additional. Jiang Qing''e had contributed significantly as well, bringing twenty-three grains that she had borrowed from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College. Some of it had to be returned with greater interest and thus, she received twenty-six additional grains. Jiang Qing''e had not only invested a large amount of principal, but also participated in the Sand Seizing Battle, having the greatest contribution. That was why her allocation was calculated differently from the rest. Thus, the Celestial Mirror Sand received by Jiang Qing''e was a whopping forty-nine grains. After returning what she had borrowed with interest, she would still receive quite an amount. After which, the remainder was for Li Luo and the Astral Sage College to use. Everyone was overjoyed to the point that they could barely hide their excitement. With this much Celestial Mirror Sand, many of them could even break into the next stage despite having been stagnant for years. All of the sage college squads of the East Divine Continent respectfully clasped hands towards Li Luo. They understood that this miraculous opportunity had been made possible solely because of him. They had indeed obtained a lot of benefits from Li Luo''s presence at this Celestial Mirror Pagoda trial. This was not an insignificant favor to return. Although Li Luo had contributed significantly, the sage colleges of the East Divine Continent had trusted and supported him, and he had returned the favor humbly. They had even gone to the extent of providing him with Celestial Mirror Sand to gamble with. Jiang Qing''e took her share of Celestial Mirror Sand and headed to the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s side to return what she had borrowed. "Haha, Mentor Qing''e, we''ve earned quite a lot despite doing nothing." "Mentor Qing''e and Li Luo are truly a match made in heaven. The man is talented and the lady is beautiful. I believe that if the two of you join forces, you will definitely shine during the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange." "I''d like to ask Mentor Qing''e to thank Mentor Li Luo on our behalf..." The Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College''s people were filled with gratitide, and all sorts of flattering words flowed out of them. After all, this harvest was also a great surprise for them. They trusted Jiang Qing''e, which was why they were willing to lend her the Celestial Mirror Sand. However, when they found out it was Jiang Qing''e and Li Luo joining hands to challenge Lu Ruyan and Chi Li, unease and worry arose in their hearts. Although Li Luo had beaten Fang Xingyun, that was just a vice principal from an outer divine continent sage college. That foe was nowhere near as powerful as Chi Li. They were afraid that he would be the weak link in the Sand Seizing Battle, dragging Jiang Qing''e down. What had completely subverted their expectations was that Li Luo''s performance had been mindblowing. In the midst of the Sand Seizing Battle, he had unleashed a terrifying Duke Art that was so domineering, even an upper seventh-grade Duke from an ancient college would not dare to take it lightly. Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hearing these words of praise caused a slight smile to appear on Jiang Qing''e''s calm face. She had always excelled in what she did and was often on the receiving end of such words, to the point that they were meaningless to her. However, hearing Li Luo being praised by others caused her heart to beat faster. Thus, she actually lingered for a while longer to relish in the praise before finally taking her leave. "I''ve still got seventeen grains of Celestial Mirror Sand for myself to use. If you need them, let me know." Jiang Qing''e told Li Luo. He smiled and accepted without hesitation. "In that case, I''ll take them off your hands." Jiang Qing''e didn''t hesitate to pass the Celestial Mirror Sand over. Her actions were seen by numerous individuals and drew complicated looks. That was seventeen grains of Celestial Mirror Sand! In terms of value, they were worth multiple lower ninth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. However, she had casually handed them over to Li Luo! Such an amount of cultivation resources would cause even good friends to turn against each other in the outside world. This action only further demonstrated the extraordinary relationship between the duo. Li Luo had casually received them, but he had no plans to monopolize them for himself. He would bring Jiang Qing''e along when he used the ancient lamp, to ensure that the Celestial Mirror Sand was utilized to its full potential. Just counting the sheer amount of Celestial Mirror Sand obtained by the duo, it was likely not possible for both of them to have a perfect breakthrough, though the ancient lamp was a possible method for it to happen. Lu Qing''er watched them calmly and quietly. She glanced at the Celestial Mirror Sand in her hand. These were peak cultivation resources, but they seemed redundant in her eyes and she simply didn''t know what to do with them. However, at this point, Li Luo''s laughter sounded out. "Qing''er, if you aren''t afraid of me wasting it, why not hand your Celestial Mirror Sand to me?" The ancient lamp''s effect would only increase with greater amounts of Celestial Mirror Sand. She then tossed the fifteen grains of Celestial Mirror Sand towards Li Luo and indifferently replied, "Up to you." The Celestial Mirror Sand she had obtained was due to her father''s arrangements. After returning to Golden Dragon Mountain, she would compensate the squads who had given up their stake. Although she didn''t know what Li Luo was up to, she wasn''t interested in asking. After receiving Lu Qing''er''s Celestial Mirror Sand, he turned towards the three mentors, Chi Chan, Mi Er, and Cao Sheng. "Why don''t you pass me your Celestial Mirror Sand as well?" ?????????????????? They would have to face off against the vile Other Disaster when they returned. and Li Luo planned to use the ancient lamp to give them some assistance in strengthening themselves, to relieve some of the Xia Kingdom''s pressure. Furthermore, House Luolan was still there, and if the Astral Sage College were to collapse, House Luolan would be hard pressed to escape disaster. Li Hongyou naturally did not need any asking. She had followed him from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College to the Dragon''s Fang Guardians and then finally to the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. Li Luo would thus ensure she was well cared for. The other squads from the East Divine Continent, however, were not invited. There were too many stray and prying eyes, and the ancient lamp contained numerous secrets that could not be divulged. Revealing its power would likely cause unexpected issues to crop up. "We''ll leave it to you." The three mentors glanced at each other, and because of their trust in Li Luo, they did not reject him. Furthermore, all of the Celestial Mirror Sand had been basically earned thanks to his efforts. Li Luo didn''t find their response surprising. Right now, he had seventy-two grains of Celestial Mirror Sand, and he wondered just how amazing the effects would be if they were consumed by the ancient lamp. Just how many perfect breakthroughs would he have? With this in mind, he gladly anticipated the results. The Sand Seizing Battle had truly come to an end for him now. They would have a long period of time to rest and cultivate before the next set of trials. This would allow the squads to solidify any of the insights they had obtained and also to absorb the Celestial Mirror Sand they had earned. This period would last for about three months. Thus, there would likely be a rise in strength for all the squads before the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange. Li Luo then brought his people to one of the East Divine Continent''s cultivation chambers. Inside the sealed chamber, the group looked at Li Luo with a hint of curiosity and confusion. Even Jiang Qing''e''s interest was piqued. Why was Li Luo acting so mysteriously? Li Luo then took out the ancient lamp, placing it atop a small stone platform as he explained, "This object will allow the Celestial Mirror Sand''s energy to be converted into a much purer form. The results will be much better than solely absorbing it. If I have calculated correctly, putting in all seventy-two grains of Celestial Mirror Sand will lead to an effect even greater than refining a hundred grains. The reason I was able to reach the upper second stage was because of this." The group gasped in surprise. Even Jiang Qing''e was moved by this. Chapter 1487: Figure Within The Golden Flames Inside the cultivation chamber, everyone''s gazes transformed after they heard Li Luo''s words. Their eyes were now filled with fervor and surprise. This object could actually bolster the effects of Celestial Mirror Sand? Everyone was well aware of the mysteries surrounding the Celestial Mirror Sand. It was something unique to the Celestial Mirror Pagoda and was considered to be one of the top cultivation resources in the world. On top of that, it had the ability to allow one to break through more easily and was something Dukes greatly desired. Furthermore, the first time Celestial Mirror Sand was used to break through a stage, it could even replace the need for a Foundational Spirit Treasure! It was for this reason that Celestial Mirror Sand could also be found in large auctions in the outside world. Everytime it appeared, it would attract fierce competition during its bidding process, demonstrating how rare and desirable it was. Meanwhile, Li Luo''s ancient lamp was capable of increasing the effect of Celestial Mirror Sand? Just how miraculous was it? Looking at the surprised glances of the group, Li Luo smiled. "Everyone, I will now put all the Celestial Mirror Sand I''ve collected into the ancient lamp. When the golden smoke rises, we can then absorb it and refine it. How much we will get out of it will depend on our abilities." Chi Chan hesitated for a moment before asking, "If we join in, won''t we affect your and Qing''e''s breakthroughs?" She knew that Li Luo was giving them a tremendous opportunity yet again. However, they had already taken advantage of him aplenty throughout this trip and thus, if their presence would adversely affect Li Luo''s cultivation, it would be inappropriate for them to be here. Mi Er and Cao Sheng nodded in agreement. Although they were eager for this opportunity, they also understood that it was not for them as the only reason they were given such privileged treatment was because of Chi Chan. After all, Li Luo was repaying her for the grace shown by the Astral Sage College during their time of need. Li Luo smiled. "There''s no need to worry, Mentor Chi Chan. With so much Celestial Mirror Sand here, even Sister Qing''e and I won''t be able to use it all up. Furthermore, once I break through, the Celestial Mirror Sand''s effect will drastically decrease." Chi Chan nodded upon hearing his words and no longer rejected his good intentions. "Everyone, prepare to start." Li Luo didn''t beat around the bush, directly finding a seat next to the stone platform where the ancient lamp was placed. He then sat cross-legged next to Jiang Qing''e while the others scattered around the room. Finally, he swiped at the pocket sphere on his wrist and tens of grains of Celestial Mirror Sand resembling stars shot out, floating in the air within the cultivation chamber, illuminating it like the sun. The worldly natural energy within the chamber began to condense into a mist in the Celestial Mirror Sand''s presence. Cao Sheng and Mi Er took deep breaths, absolutely drunk on the feeling of the energy mist. This amount of pure worldly natural energy was something they had never felt in their lives. Even when they cultivated on the high-grade Tree of Resonant Power within the Astral Sage College, it was far inferior to this. Li Luo then flicked his finger, and all of the Celestial Mirror Sand flew into the ancient lamp like a flock of birds. Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As the grains of sand entered the lamp, the undulations emitted by the ancient lamp rose in intensity. Then a golden spark appeared and expanded rapidly. A moment later, after the last grain of Celestial Mirror Sand entered the lamp, a mysterious ball of golden flame could be seen burning within the lamp. It burned fiercely and was countless times stronger than what Li Luo had seen beforehand. Li Luo''s feverish gaze was focused on the ball of fire. It seemed the large amount of Celestial Mirror Sand was capable of nourishing a truly exuberant flame. Furthermore, the golden flame was simply too bright to look at for long, and Li Luo vaguely felt as though he could make out an imperceptible figure within. A figure that was sitting cross-legged. When he wanted to observe the figure more closely, the flame fluctuated slightly and the figure vanished, as though it had all been an illusion. Li Luo felt a little confused, but it was at this moment that dense, golden smoke drifted out of the lamp. The golden smoke that appeared this time was incredibly thick and wherever it flowed, the air looked like rippling water. At the same time, an inexplicable sacred hymn sounded out, causing everyone''s state of mind to turn clear and washing away all their distracting thoughts, allowing them to gain an unprecedented connection with the world around them. The golden smoke then gradually drifted outwards. Li Luo''s hands formed a seal and his four resonant palaces began to roar. At the same time, his Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds emerged above his head and six kinds of resonant power flowed around them. In the end, he roused the Absolute Resonance Halo within him and activated the Absolute Resonance Bergfried Forging Art. ????????????S? As the art circulated, the golden smoke was also pulled along, flowing like a tide into the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds. The Bergfrieds then began to shine with brilliant light, subtly transforming under its effects. When Li Luo took action, the rest did so as well, summoning their Duke Bergfrieds and activating their Bergfried Forging Arts to absorb the golden smoke. However, the one who absorbed the golden smoke the quickest was none other than Jiang Qing''e. Her three glazed and pristine Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds shone like suns as she sat cross-legged. Her red lips were pursed and her deep, golden eyes were closed at this moment, making her look less aggressive and a bit more friendly. The terrifying suction force coming from her Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds was like a black hole, ceaselessly absorbing the golden smoke. Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e''s absorption speed was so startling that they almost took up half of the golden smoke. Though there was one more bottomless pit at work. It was Lu Qing''er. The single Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried above her looked as though it was made of ice, radiating a chilly coolness. Enigmatic, icy, blue runic patterns had emerged on her smooth skin, gathering in the middle of her eyebrows and condensing into a spiritual pearl that contained endless frost. The icy spiritual pearl slowly turned, and the faint aura of frost source origin could be sensed from it. Even the space near her began to show signs of freezing. The icy spiritual pearl released a terrifying suction force that absorbed the golden smoke in droves. The three of them had quickly demonstrated their exceptional abilities to absorb the golden smoke. The rest could only avoid the three black holes, finding stray wisps of golden smoke to absorb. Even though the amount wasn''t large, they were still incredibly satisfied. After all, just a small amount was already causing their resonant power to rise at an alarming pace. Their previously stagnant cultivation bases were now beginning to show signs of improvement. This golden smoke was clearly much more effective than absorbing Celestial Mirror Sand itself. Even though the group felt great joy in their hearts, they swiftly composed themselves and focused on absorbing the golden smoke. This was a hard-to-obtain opportunity, so they had to take full advantage of it to improve themselves. Thus, the cultivation chamber fell silent. While the ball of golden flame within the ancient lamp continued to sway and burn, some almost indiscernible sounds came from it. That blurry figure had appeared within the flames once again. Chapter 1488: Shen Jinxiaos Traces Celestial Mirror City was filled with peace and quiet during this period of down time. The numerous squads were all focused on absorbing the Celestial Mirror Sand. The city, which was originally filled with all sorts of competitive clashes, had turned calm. As time passed, Celestial Mirror City gradually revived. Every so often, a pillar of energy would burst out, causing worldly natural energy to be moved. It was the sign of people breaking through. Thanks to the aid of Celestial Mirror Sand, in just the short span of a month, more Dukes had broken through than in an entire normal year. This was why the Celestial Mirror Pagoda was treated as a sacred ground for cultivation within the Academic Federation. With the special environment present as well as the Celestial Mirror Sand, the bottlenecks that prevented people from progressing were easily overcome. In the cultivation chamber where Li Luo and the rest were, Li Hongyou, Chi Chan, Mi Er, and Cao Sheng were the first to finish. They had unsurprisingly broken through. Chi Chan had reached the fifth-grade whilst Cao Sheng and Mi Er were at the fourth-grade. Li Hongyou had reached the second-grade, and due to her strong foundation, her second Duke Bergfried was a nine-pillar. This was purely because of her own talent, potential, and the aid of the golden smoke. Two nine-pillar Duke Bergfrieds meant that she was at the peak when compared to her peers. Overall, the group had benefited significantly in the trip to the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. Now that the four of them were done, they were only left with Li Luo, Jiang Qing''e, and Lu Qing''er. They were still ceaselessly devouring and absorbing the golden smoke. "It looks like they are all planning to construct Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds." Li Hongyou was well aware of the wild ambitions the three of them had, and she sighed. She was incredibly clear on just how stringent the demands were to forge one. A nine-pillar Duke Bergfried was already enough to make her feel a faint sense of exhaustion and thus, she couldn''t imagine just how much harder a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried was. Attempting to cross this gap of a single pillar caused endless people to feel as though they were in a bottomless pit of despair. However, the three people in front of her were all attempting to cross that gigantic chasm! This was truly admirable. "Who would have expected that our tiny Astral Sage College would have produced three outstanding experts like them." Chi Chan sighed. Although the Astral Sage College wasn''t directly the reason for why these three had their current achievements, it was still a mark that they could never erase. All they could say was that the Astral Sage College was simply fortunate. "I hope they succeed." The four then stealthily left the cultivation chamber to guard the trio from the outside, giving them the time they needed. Thus, yet another month passed as the trio bitterly cultivated. Throughout Celestial Mirror City, many mentors had already completed their round of cultivation and their strength had taken a leap forward. There were many who were looking for others to exchange pointers with and thus, the city had turned alive yet again. The new topic of interest had shifted to the Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange. This was the last part of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda''s trials and also the most important. Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It would take place in the thirtieth and above layers, where the true core of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda could be found. Spirit pills, spirit liquids and purifying lights, mythic armaments, Bergfried Forging Arts, Duke Arts, and all sorts of secret arts could be found there. It was said that this was an opportunity left behind by the primeval Sacred Void Resonance Sect. Throughout its thousands of years of history, it had produced countless experts for the Academic Federation and even some Kings! It was even rumored that it contained Transcendent Arts that allowed experts to soar into the sky with a single step to become a King. Thus, all of the squads eagerly awaited, geared up, and prepared for the inevitably intense Celestial Mirror Martial Exchange. ... In a certain pavilion of Celestial Mirror City. Zhou Jun was standing by the window, his tall and slender body emanating a strong sense of oppression. One of his hands was placed behind his back and his expression was stern, his eyes filled with a strange light. A moment later, he suddenly turned his head, looked into the darkness beside him, and said, "Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e should still be in secluded cultivation, yes? It looks like they are attempting to forge yet another Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried." The darkness squirmed and a figure appeared. In the dim light, the person''s face was revealed. If Li Luo and Jiang Qing''e were present, they would instantly recognize him. This was none other than the Enlightened Sage College''s vice principal, Guo Jiufeng! However, Guo Jiufeng''s eyes had an unfamiliar look in them and a strange smile was perched on his face. He nodded and said, "Who would have expected that in just a few short years, the two would have travelled so far on the Path of Ascension? If I had not joined the Origin Reversion Institute and remained in the Xia Kingdom, I''m afraid the day they returned would be the day of my death." His voice had also changed... and the voice was that of Shen Jinxiao! Somehow, Shen Jinxiao had managed to take over Guo Jiufeng''s body! Furthermore, he had remained close to the two, with them completely oblivious to all this. Zhou Jun then looked at Guo Jiufeng, and his expression turned dark. "What does the Honored One wish to do?" Guo Jiufeng, no, rather Shen Jinxiao, gave a slight smile. "What? It looks like you prefer to consider yourself a member of the Academic Federation. Have you forgotten your true identity?" Zhou Jun''s expression turned gloomier and he sighed. He was a chess piece inserted into the Academic Federation by the Origin Reversion Institute, and there were more like him. Alas, the day they were activated also meant that their current identities had come to an end. "The Honored Lord has given a command." Shen Jinxiao no longer cared about Zhou Jun''s feelings and smirked. "You will have to listen to all of my orders during this mission." Zhou Jun fell silent before asking, "What do you need me to do? You''ve seen for yourself that the Celestial Mirror Pagoda contains the Kings Wang Xuanjin, Bai Yu, and Jin Xi. Furthermore, Wang Xuanjin is a Triple Crowned King. In their eyes, we are no different from ants." "It doesn''t matter. The Honored Lord has a method to deal with them. We just need to do what we were oredered to," Shen Jinxiao replied indifferently. Zhou Jun nodded. "What are we supposed to do, then?" A strange look of amusement appeared within Shen Jinxiao''s eyes as he replied in a cold and murderous voice, "There are to objectives: to kill Jiang Qing''e and to capture Li Luo alive." Zhou Jun frowned. "That won''t be easy, and those two won''t be easy to deal with, especially after they''ve completed their breakthroughs with Celestial Mirror Sand. I don''t have the assurance of taking them down." "Don''t forget that I''m also here." Shen Jinxiao heedlessly grinned. "You can rest assured, when I was in the Xia Kingdom all those years ago, I managed to drive that pair of mandarin ducks to the end of the road. I will be able to do it again." Zhou Jun could sense danger coming from the mysterious individual before him, so he no longer spoke. The fact that he was dispatched here by the Honored Lords meant that he had come prepared. At this point, majestic energy waves emanated from the distance, drawing gazes from the entire city. They could see that a gigantic Duke Bergfried was taking form, giving off a dazzling brilliance. What was most shocking was that at the top of that Duke Bergfried were ten perfect pillars. It was a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried! When Zhou Jun saw it, his eyes shrunk. "That is... Diwu Mingxuan. Furthermore, he''s broken through and even forged a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. Truly the Duke of Light." His gaze was filled with envy and surprise. However, just as Celestial Mirror City was riled up by the appearance of a single Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried, an even greater amount of majestic energy waves surged up in another direction. Three ten-thousand-feet tall pillars of light shot into the sky. Shen Jinxiao turned towards the new location, and his eyes narrowed. The location was none other than the East Divine Continent''s area.